NFL Power 10: Ravens Hold Onto the Top Spot in the Power Rankings

For those of you who haven’t figured out the NFL is now a passing league, take a look at what’s happened the first three weeks of the 2009 NFL season.

NFL teams have totaled 21,077 net passing yards (439.1 per game) so far this season. With 5,635 passing yards this week (an average of 402.5 per game), 2009 would surpass the record for most net passing yards through the first four weeks of a season in NFL history.

Currently, the 2007 season holds the record for most net passing yards through four games with 26,711 yards. The top five seasons for most net yards through four games have all happened since 2002.

Point being, teams are passing more than ever. Which means the quarterback is as important as ever. And this week’s Power 10 reflects as much.

Previous week in ( )

 

1 (1) Ravens (3-0-0)

Joe Flacco, who completed 25 of 35 passes (71.4 percent) for 342 yards with one touchdown vs. zero interceptions and a 111.8 passer rating, has taken a leap this season.

Teams are slowly becoming just as frightened at the thought of facing him as they are of facing Ray Lewis and his defense.

 

2 (2) Giants (3-0-0)

Eli Manning actually has people debating whether he’s the better of the two Mannings this season. While that’s completely insane, Eli has been earning that ridiculous contract the Giants gave him this off-season.

And I NEVER expected that to be the case, especially after what happened to his play last season after Cheddar Bob shot himself in the leg.

 

3 (4) Saints (3-0-0)

I never thought a player would challenge 2007 Tom Brady for “greatest fantasy football player ever” status.

Drew Brees might just do that. He’s on pace for 48 touchdowns, 4,500 yards, and he’s carrying a monstrous 118.1 passer rating.

 

4 (5) Colts (3-0-0)

Peyton Manning finished Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with a 130.5 passer rating. Playing in his first season without Marvin Harrison, and within Harrison’s eventual replacement, he’s probably playing his best football.

Right now, with Tom Brady struggling (by Manning/Brady standards), Peyton Manning is far and away the best quarterback in the NFL.

 

5 (8) Jets (3-0-0)

Mark Sanchez, who was just named the offensive rookie of the month for September, became the first rookie quarterback since Greg Cook of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969 to start and win his team’s first three games of a season. Two of those wins came against the Titans and the Patriots.

Not bad for a kid Pete Carroll thought wasn’t ready for the NFL.

 

6 (6) Vikings (3-0-0)

Brett Favre has defeated 31 different teams as a starter in his career. He can become the first quarterback to beat all 32 current teams when the Vikings host the Packers on Monday night.

 

7 (7) Broncos (3-0-0)

Which brings us to Kyle Orton. The Broncos are the exception to the rule. They’re also the most likely of all the Power 10 teams to completely fall on their face.

On the other hand, Orton is 25-12 as a starter…

 

8 (-) Bears (2-1-0)

After a disastrous first game in which he threw four interceptions and only one touchdown, Jay Cutler has rebounded nicely. Against the Steelers and Seahawks, Cutler threw 5 touchdowns and only 1 interception.

His passer ratings in those games was 104.7 and 126.4 respectively. He also completed over 70 percent of his passes in both games.

 

9 (-) Patriots (2-1-0)

Tom Brady’s passer rating is down (79.9 this season, 92.4 for his career), he’s missing open receivers, and he’s only thrown three touchdown passes thus far, but he’s still Tom Brady. And as long as you have Tom Brady, you have a chance to win.

Just ask the Buffalo Bills.

 

10 (3) Falcons (2-1-0)

The Falcons were thoroughly dominated by the New England Patriots, and their all-world sophomore quarterback couldn’t get anything going. But even in a loss, we saw what makes Matt Ryan special. The kid doesn’t make mistakes. He’s wise beyond his years.

 

Dropped Out

(10) 49ers (2-1-0)

Tough loss to the Vikings, but Frank Gore might be an even tougher loss.

 

(9) Steelers (1-2-0)

The Super Bowl champs better figure it out soon. The last time they were coming off a Super Bowl championship, they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

 

Bottom Three

30 (32) Panthers (0-3-0)

The biggest disappointment in the NFL.

31 (-) Rams (0-3-0)

If you play fantasy football, and the defense playing the Rams is available, pick them up. Every week.

32 (31) Browns (0-3-0)

Seriously, Cleveland, what did you expect? Eric Mangini? How did you not see this coming?

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Defending Randy Moss Against CBS Columnist Mike Freeman’s Hatchet Job

I was perusing the InterWeb today when a headline on CBSSports.com caught my attention.

Moss’ lack of effort could be poison ivy to Pats

According to CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman, Randy Moss is, quite possibly, the laziest man in professional sports. Freeman spent three whole hours on Sunday watching Randy Moss, and apparently only Randy Moss, and determined that his effort was lacking.

It was a rather biting hatchet job. The type typically left to Internet hacks, a group I would imagine Freeman doesn’t feel he’s a member of.

Here are some of his finer points:

The problem for the Patriots is that Moss’ lack of effort hurts the offense almost as much as his unbelievable abilities help it. Against the Falcons, defenders Moss was supposed to block, but refused to, went on to make the tackle.

Moss not running his routes hard when the play wasn’t going to him clearly tipped off Falcons defenders that he wasn’t involved in the play and they acted accordingly.

Nice. Completely fictional, but nice.

Of course, no hatchet job is complete without a few insults. And if you can question an injury without any proof, especially if you ignore all of the easily attainable evidence to the contrary…even better!

I’m not buying that Moss was lumbering because he had a bad back. It’s being portrayed by some in the media as if Moss rolled onto the field from a wheelchair. But Moss has been pulling this stuff for years. This is nothing new, and it wasn’t because he was hurt.

Every other receiver on the field ran their routes harder, blocked harder and overall worked harder. None had nearly the ability of Moss, either. Thus, there’s that Moss dilemma again.

His talent is so dazzling it can overcome a terrible, at times, work ethic.

The Patriots seem content to put up with this tomfoolery because Moss still produces. Bill Belichick praised Moss after the game for making a lot of plays.

But there must be a part of the Patriot genome that says: What a dog.

What an unbelievable dog.

In the words of the immortal Jules Winnfield, “Oh, you were finished? Well, allow me to retort.”

Seriously? A dog?

So far this season the Patriots have run 241 offensive plays. Randy Moss has participated in 233 of them. No New England Patriots skill position player not named Tom Brady has been on the field for more plays.

As a matter of fact, nobody’s even close.

Moss averages 77 plays per game. On approximately 20 of them he runs full speed, straight up the field on some type of deep route. You’re basically talking 20 40-yard dashes over the course of a game. That’s a lot of running, even for an NFL wide receiver.

If the next play isn’t designed to go to him, or if it’s a running play, maybe Moss does take it easy a bit (as does, by the way, almost every other big-name wide receiver in the NFL). Most wide receivers need a break after running two or three of those types of routes, never mind 20 of them.

Moss never leaves the field. Ever.

The “Unbelievable Dog” is currently on pace for 139 catches and 1,500 yards. Both would be career highs for Moss. 139 catches would beat his previous best by 28.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Apparently, Freeman watched a much different game than Bill Belichick. Belichick had nothing but praise for Moss after the game on Sunday.

“He got a lot of single coverage and he did a good job. He ran a lot of different routes. We threw deep, we threw inside, we threw outside, we threw some quick passes to him,” Belichick said when asked about Moss’ role. “I think he did a good job attacking the coverage, the corners and even some of the split safety coverage, working on the safeties. We hit some, we didn’t hit some. He’s a tough guy to cover. We try to design and create situations where he has an opportunity and a little bit of space to work. He sure made a lot of plays today.”

He sure made a lot of plays today.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Multiple sources in Foxboro have said that Moss really struggled with his back, to the point where his ability to play was literally questionable (not just injury report questionable) heading into Sunday. He ended up putting together what might have been the gutsiest performance of his career, finishing the game with 10 receptions for 116 yards while being on the field for a ridiculous 76 plays.

But yeah, he’s dogging it.

Give me a break.

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NFL Power 10: Could We Be Heading for a Super Bowl XXXV Rematch?

In Philadelphia, Green Bay, New England, and San Diego, fans are jumping over themselves to hit their respective panic buttons.

Their teams are 1-1.

Their teams have the same record as both Super Bowl teams from last season.

Their teams are only two games into the season.

But, trust me, they’re hitting the panic button.

Here’s a rule I try to live my sports life by: Your team must be at least two games below .500 before you can hit the panic button.

Which means Carolina, feel free to start panicking.

1 (10) Ravens (1-0-0)

It’s not often that I agree with Peter King. For example, I’m a huge fan of Dunkin Donuts coffee and he prefers to spend his millions on Starbucks drinks that take 15 minutes just to order. But on this point we agree: The Baltimore Ravens, right now, going into week three of the NFL season, are the best team in the NFL.

We’ve been saying for a long time that if the Ravens ever developed an offense to compliment that defense, they’d be scary. That offense just put up 69 points in two games.

I’m officially scared.

2 (2) Giants (2-0-0)

I’m not a Giants fan. I’m not an Eli Manning fan. I’m still bitter about that whole Super Bowl thing. But ruining the opening of Jerry Jones’ new man-cave in Dallas this week almost won me over.

Eli Manning was impressive, completing 25 of 38 passes (65.8 percent) for 330 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 110.6 passer rating. Maybe all it takes to get a quarterback to play like one of the best in the game is to pay him like one of the best in the game?

The Panthers should try that with Jake Delhomme.

3 (6) Falcons (2-0-0)

Matt Ryan and company can make a huge statement by knocking off the Patriots in Foxboro this weekend. Tony Gonzalez could have a huge game, as the Patriots are known to have issues dealing with opposing tight ends. His addition to this offense has given them an unstoppable compliment to Roddy White and Michael Turner, especially in the red zone.

The Falcons are really, really good.

4 (9) Saints (2-0-0)

Speaking of really, really good, the Saints offense is absolutely insane. 93 points in two games? Seriously? They’re on pace to score 744 points. To put that in perspective, the 2007 Patriots scored 589 points.

Their offense might just be good enough that their pathetic defense won’t matter.

5 (8) Colts (2-0-0)

Speaking of pathetic defenses, how awful were the Colts on Monday night? They allowed the Dolphins to hang on to the ball for 45:07. They allowed the Dolphins to convert 15 of 21 third down chances. They gave up 239 rushing yards, and 27 first downs.

But they WON the game!?!?!

Peyton Manning had the ball for less than 15 minutes, yet managed to put up 27 points. The dude is pretty good.

6 (7) Vikings (2-0-0)

For reasons unknown to even the most knowledgeable football minds, the Vikings have trouble with the Detroit Lions. For reasons known to everyone who’s ever watched the Detroit Lions, that trouble never seems to result in a loss.

Adrian Peterson is reportedly nursing a sore back this week, which is worth watching. With Peterson, this is one of the best teams in the NFL. Without Peterson, they’re the Carolina Panthers.

7 (-) Broncos (2-0-0)

OK, so the Broncos have played the Bengals and the Browns, and it took a miracle for them to defeat the Bengals, but I really like the way the Broncos are playing. Plus, as Cold Hard Football Facts has noted, Kyle Orton is the luckiest quarterback in the history of football.

And I’m not one to go against luck.

8 (-) Jets (2-0-0)

The Jets have gone two games against pretty decent offenses without giving up a single rushing or passing touchdown. Their rookie quarterback is playing twice as well as the 2008 version of Brett Favre played. Their offensive line has been dominant.

I predicted six wins for this team. I may have been a little off…

9 (1) Steelers (1-1-0)

I’m not ready to completely jump off the Steelers bandwagon just because they lost to the Chicago Bears. I’m awfully close to jumping off, I may be hanging out the door, but I’m still on the ride. For now.

Fact is, they need to get that offensive line straightened out. When they made their Super Bowl run last season, the line morphed into a decent-but-not-great unit. This season, they’ve regressed into a pathetic-and-going-to-get-Big-Ben-killed unit.

10 (-) 49ers (2-0-0)

I put the 49ers here for two reasons:

1) They’re undefeated, and nobody else who hasn’t already been listed is undefeated.

2) They may never make the list again this season, so I figured I’d throw them a bone.

Dropped Out:

(3) Eagles (1-1-0)

I still think the Eagles are going to be OK, they just need to tread water until McNabb comes back. Michael Vick is eligible to play this week, which should be interesting…even though he’s completely useless as a quarterback.

(4) Patriots (1-1-0)

Tom Brady says he’s not 100 percent happy with his throwing mechanics so far this season. I’d say it’s hard to have good mechanics when your offensive line is allowing opposing defenders to take free shots at you all game long.

(5) Packers (1-1-0)

You can’t lose to the Bengals if you want to be in the Power-10. It’s a rule.

Bottom Three:

30 (31) Lions (0-2-0)

Someday, somehow, the Lions will win a football game. Nobody’s sure when, and God knows we can’t figure out how, but it will eventually happen.

I think.

31 (30) Browns (0-2-0)

Brady Quinn is proof of Charlie Weis’ genius. Not because he was able to win games at Notre Dame with an obviously deficient quarterback, but because he was able to convince NFL scouts that Quinn was a first round quarterback.

32 (-) Panthers (0-2-0)

Too hard on the Panthers this week? They’re last in the NFL with a -36 net points, they’re 26th in the NFL in points for, and they’re 30th in the NFL in points against.

Frankly, I’m being too kind…

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Roger Goodell should end Donte Stallworth’s NFL career

This article was originally published on 6/18/2009 at PatriotsExaminer.com.

I’m not going to get into the ridiculous legal system that allowed Donte Stallworth to get drunk and kill a man, and yet only give him a thirty day stay in prison. The law is the law, as insanely stupid, unfair, and ridiculous that it is. Needless to say, justice was not even remotely served in this case.

I want to talk about Donte Stallworth’s NFL career.

The former Patriot has been indefinitely suspended by Roger Goodell. The real length of his suspension will be decided after his prison sentence is up and he has a face to face meeting with Goodell, presumably to convince the Grand Poobah of the NFL that’s he’s really, sincerely sorry for killing that guy so he should be allowed back in the NFL.

Goodell shouldn’t give a rat’s you-know-what if Stallworth is sorry. No matter how much remorse, real or contrived, Stallworth shows, Mario Reyes, who was guilty of nothing more than trying to walk home from work, will still be dead.

Luckily for Goodell, this is an easy decision. Precedent has already been set, by Goodell himself.

Michael Vick was suspended for two years from the NFL for killing dogs. He may be suspended even longer if Goodell doesn’t believe he’s remorseful enough, or at all, yet. If you stick with my “Man > Dog” theory, see my Michael Vick article for details, then Michael Vick’s suspension should be the starting point for Stallworth’s.

For the record, PETA disagrees. Stallworth didn’t run over a dog, so as far as they’re concerned, he’s still a good person.

Stallworth or his attorney and the NFLPA are likely going to point to the suspension Leonard Little received for basically the same crime back in 1998.

Little, who had a blood alcohol content of 0.19, which is more than twice the legal limit, crashed into and killed Susan Gutweiler. While the prosecutor in that case was far more harsh recieving a whole ninety days in prison, the NFL let him off embarrassingly easy.

Little received and served an eight game suspension for killing Susan Gutweiler.

The NFL has a chance to rectify that horrible decision.

Donte Stallworth should never see an NFL field again. He should be suspended initially for two years. Every two years he should be allowed to plead his case to return to the NFL, just so the commissioner can remind him that he’s a murderer who doesn’t deserve an NFL paycheck. Preferably in public and in the most humiliating manor possible.

Make an example of this man. The NFL was all too eager to make an example of Michael Vick, and he killed dogs, not people. Stallworth killed a construction worker who had just worked a late night shift and wanted nothing more than to get home so he could rest up for his next shift.

Again, “Man > Dog”.

Mario Reyes is never going to play football again. He’s never going to do anything again. He’s dead. He’s dead because of Donte Stallworth. Stallworth should pay a price for his death, and that price should be his NFL career.

Well, technically, that price should have been a long prison sentence.

For a different perspective, check out this article by the SF Workplace Issues Examiner.

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Five Patriots Who Could Surprisingly Not Make the 2009 Roster

This article was originally published on 6/7/2009 at PatriotsExaminer.com.  

I hate surprises.

Every offseason, about this time, I take a look at the Patriots’ roster and try to prepare myself for any potential Lawyer Malloy-type surprises come preseason cut-down time.

For those of you who don’t remember, Lawyer Malloy was surprisingly cut in the final week of the 2003 preseason. It was so shocking, most Patriots’ fans didn’t believe the initial reports. Some of us didn’t believe the story until we saw him the next Sunday destroying the Patriots in a Bills uniform.

Anyway, I refuse to let myself be surprised again by moves like that—too painful. So I put together this list every offseason to help avoid having that type of thing sneak up on me again.

Many factors weigh into a player getting released or traded, but the most common factors are cap number, performance, and age. If you’re old, you have a high cap number, and if your performance hasn’t lived up to your salary, you may find yourself on the next train up to Buffalo, or down to Miami, or New York—out of New England.

While looking at this season’s list of potential surprises, a few names jumped out at me.

 

Richard Seymour (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $3.3 million)

Seymour was once the best defensive lineman on the team. He may be the third best defensive lineman on the 2009 Patriots. Seymour, when healthy, can still dominate. The problem is, he’s not healthy as often as the Patriots would like.

Combine the $3.3 million in cap savings with the injury history and Seymour could be moved before the season starts. He certainly won’t be cut, but a trade isn’t out of the question.

 

Jarvis Green (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $2 million)

Jarvis Green is coming off an injury, entering the last year of his contract, and is a backup who’s being paid like a starter. The Patriots may decide dropping Green and re-signing Wilfork or Seymour is a better use of $2 million in cap space.

Stephen Neal (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $2 million)

Stephen Neal is the reason the Patriots need a thousand backup offensive guards on their roster. The guy is never healthy. When he’s healthy, he’s a decent guard. But he’s not worth the cap hit, especially if he’s not playing. Should the Patriots find a replacement in training camp or preseason, Neal’s roster spot is certainly in jeopardy.

Nick Kaczur (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $1.8 million)

The problem here is that there’s nobody else on the roster who can play right tackle. The bigger problem here is that Nick Kaczur can barely play right tackle himself. Personally, I’d take the $1.8 million in cap savings and line up the fattest guy I can find at right tackle and tell him to just stand in the way. After all, it takes just as long to run around a stationary fat guy as it does to run around Kaczur.

Maybe longer.

Tedy Bruschi (cap savings if cut/traded: approximately $1.4 million)

This may be blasphemous, but Bruschi is my most-likely candidate to end up Lawyer Malloy-ed at the end of the preseason. I love Tedy, as does most of New England, but he has some serious issues working against him.

1. His performance has drastically declined over the last few years.
2. He’s probably the fourth best inside linebacker, from a talent standpoint, on the team (behind Jerod Mayo, Paris Lenon, and Gary Guyton).
3. $1.4 million is a lot of cap space for the fourth best guy at a position.
4. He doesn’t give you anything on special teams anymore, and the fourth best inside linebacker should be a decent special teams player.

Belichick loves Bruschi, but we know how he works. If the Patriots are a better team with $1.4 million in cap space and no Tedy Bruschi than they are with Tedy Bruschi, then the veteran inside linebacker is as good as gone.

I’m not saying it’ll happen, but based on the information at hand, I’m preparing myself just in case.

For detailed Patriots salary cap information, check out http://www.patscap.com/.

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Rodney Harrison’s Two Greatest Moments with the New England Patriots

I have to admit, I’m sad to see Rodney go. Thinking back, aside from Tom Brady, I’m not sure there’s a New England Patriot who has provided me with more joy and entertainment.

I wrote an expanded list at Examiner.com, which you can read here (expanded meaning “Top-Five” instead of “Top-Two”).

Without further adieu, here are my two favorite Rodney Harrison moments:

2) “I had more catches than Freddie Mitchell!”

The Patriots were looking for back-to-back Super Bowl victories, but the game Philadelphia Eagles stood in the way. Leading up to the game, Eagles’ wide receiver (and future Burger King employee) Freddie Mitchell shot his mouth off about not knowing the names of anyone in the Patriots’ secondary.

That was bad enough, but then he said he had a little something for Rodney Harrison.

I guess he meant it when he said “little” because Mitchell was a non-factor in the Super Bowl. Harrison, on the other hand, was a beast. Immediately after having an interception called back due to penalty, he stopped a potential Eagles’ scoring drive by picking off McNabb.

But the most memorably play from that game was McNabb’s last pass. Rodney Harrison intercepted it, icing the game, then proceeded to run down to field flapping his arms, mocking the thousands of rowdy (and now disappointed) Eagles fans that dominated the crowd.

It’s hard to imagine a better moment for any player than that one, but there is one…

1) “Thank you for believing in me!”

The end of the Super Bowl against the Panthers was crazy. Both defenses were completely spent, and both offenses took advantage. It might have been the greatest fourth quarter in Super Bowl history.

During the Panther’s last drive, Rodney Harrison broke his arm. He knew it was broken, but the Panthers were in the hurry-up offense. Harrison couldn’t get off the field. Not only did he stay on the field, but on the next play he made the tackle, breaking his arm even worse.

Tedy Bruschi summed that sequence up nicely to the Boston Herald earlier this week:

“He broke his arm and didn’t come off the field,” Bruschi said. “He played the next play, made the tackle on the next play, and then it completely broke. For him to do that, that shows his toughness. He went and got the air cast on and said, ‘I’m not staying in here, let me go back out there.’

“And of course then there was the celebration pose, with confetti coming down and his arm in a brace. That’s the toughness of Rodney Harrison.”

THAT was Rodney Harrison. THAT was the player I loved. The whole scene ended with Harrison and Belichick embracing, Belichick telling Harrison how glad he was to have him on the team, and Harrison thanking Belichick for believing in him.

My single, all-time favorite moment as a Patriots fan.

Rodney had some down moments (the HGH issue and not being able to break up the Tyree pass in the Giants’ Super Bowl). But the great moments outweigh the bad ones, and the bad ones only proved the man was human.

Rodney Harrison: My favorite New England Patriot ever, and one of the greatest New England Patriots ever.

You will be missed.

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Vince Wilfork Sends a Strong Message to the Patriots by Skipping OTAs

@Wilfork75 spent this week gardening at home while the rest of the Patriots spent the week practicing at Gillette Stadium.

You see, Wilfork wants a new contract, and if he doesn’t get one, he’d be happy spending the summer (and maybe a large chunk of the fall) gardening instead of playing football.

The Patriots cannot allow this to happen.

Sometimes the player has the leverage, and sometimes the team has it. Contract negotiations are all about leverage. When a player is still under contract, typically the team has all the leverage.

The only way the player can take back the leverage is to hold out. The Patriots have had a few players hold out over the last few years. Both of them now play for other teams (Asante Samuel and Deion Branch).

That result is not an option when it comes to Vince Wilfork. He’s too important to what the Patriots do on defense. They simply cannot get by without him.

Wilfork is one of the few players in the NFL who, even though he’s still under contract, has all of the leverage. He’s got the Patriots by the little Belichicks.

If he doesn’t show up, the Patriots’ defense is, to put it bluntly, screwed.

There is nobody on the roster who can play nose tackle effectively every down except for Vince Wilfork. There are very few, if any, players in the NFL who can play nose tackle as well as Vince Wilfork.

Want to know why Jerod Mayo was the defensive rookie of the year last season? Look at the fat guy lining up in front of him keeping 3/5 of the opposing offensive line occupied.

The Patriots’ defense doesn’t work without a dominant defensive line. The most important position in a 3/4 defensive line is the nose tackle.

Ron Brace is a nice pipe-dream, and maybe he’ll eventually become a pretty good NFL nose tackle. But he’s no Vince Wilfork, and he probably never will be.

The list of defensive tackles who are better than Wilfork is a short one. Albert Haynesworth of the Redskins, Kevin Williams of the Vikings, and maybe Haloti Ngata of the Ravens make up the entire list. That’s it. And none of those guys are coming to New England any time soon.

I’m not advocating giving Wilfork Haynesworth money, but the big man needs to get a big raise.

The Patriots HAVE to pay up.

They’ve played hardball in the past. They’ve stuck to their formula. Nobody is above the team. Everyone has a price. Vince Wilfork doesn’t fall into those categories. Only Tom Brady is more important, and only slightly more.

You think it was bad last season trying to get by without Asante Samuel? Just wait until you see them try to survive with Mike Wright starting at nose tackle.

It’s time to show Vince the money.

 

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Michael Vick Has Paid His Debt to Society, NFL Should Reinstate Him

Michael Vick is a despicable human being.

He organized a dog fighting ring, killed dogs for fun, had his pit bulls rip apart house pets, and has very little remorse for anything other than the fact that he got caught.

He’s scum. I wouldn’t want him anywhere near myself, my family, or any of my friends.

I’d sooner spit in his face than shake his hand.

But this talk about continuing his ban from the NFL is ridiculous.

Michael Vick has been out of the NFL for two years. He spent most of that time in prison. He’s millions of dollars in debt. He’s disgraced. He has no more sponsorships. He’s effectively been destroyed for what he did.

I’m not trying to make you feel sorry for the guy, but the situation is what it is.

The federal government says he’s paid his debt to society. What gives the NFL the right to say he’s no longer allowed to make a living?

With all due respect to PETA and their completely insane members, we all need to take a step back here. What Michael Vick did is horrible, inexcusable, terrible…I’m tired, I have no other adjectives. It was bad. One of the worst things ever.

But what do we want to happen here? Suspend him for life? Never allow him to work again? Seriously?

Look, Leonard Little killed a man and was suspended for eight games.

KILLED a man.

Missed eight games.

Michael Vick has missed 16 games, not counting preseason and playoffs. He killed dogs.

I’m not trying to minimize what he did, but most people not in PETA would agree: Man > Dogs.

Kobe Bryant basically admitted to raping a 19 year old girl (paying her off, to me, is an admission of guilt), and was suspended for…wait, he wasn’t suspended. Now he’s being marketed as a great family man who kisses his supportive wife on the way off the court after every victory. It’s sickening.

Puke inducing, even.

Nobody killed the Lakers for resigning him. But GOD FORBID an NFL team sign Michael Vick. PETA and the animal crazies will unleash hell upon them like they’ve never seen or imagined.

Because, after all, do what you want to a human….just stay away from their pets.

I bring this up because people (specifically, ESPN’s John Clayton) are suggesting that the Patriots might sign Vick to run the Wildcat offense in New England should the commissioner reinstate him.

I’m 99.999% certain this will never happen for a plethora of reasons.

But I’m 100% certain that the NFL should reinstate Vick as soon as his home confinement is up.

He paid his dues. It’s time to let him get on with his life and his career.

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Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Find more Patriots coverage like this at http://www.patriotsexaminer.com.

NFL Power Rankings: Post NFL Draft Edition

With the draft over and done with, it’s time to reshuffle the NFL Power Rankings.

The deck is reshuffled, but a familiar card landed on top.

 

1. New England Patriots

What happens when an 11 win team adds a healthy Tom Brady, Leigh Bodden, Shawn Springs, one of the best cornerbacks in the draft (Darius Butler), and one of the best safeties in the draft (Patrick Chung)? 

You get a team fighting to add a fourth Super Bowl ring to Tom Brady’s hand, that’s what.

It’s amazing how the Patriots have re-tooled. They’re a pass rushing linebacker away from being really, really scary right now.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers really needed to address the offensive line this offseason, and frankly, failed to do so.

Kraig Urbik will compete for a starting spot, but he’s nothing special athletically. The Steelers were a very good team last year that had a very fortunate playoff run (and the worst Super Bowl opponent of the Super Bowl era).

If they want to repeat, they can’t have their quarterback slammed around like a rag doll every Sunday like he was last season.

3. New York Giants

I’m not sure their offensive is explosive enough without Plaxico Burress, but the Giants’ defense is going to be spectacular.

The Giants added Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, and Michael Boley to an already ridiculous defense. They might not be able to score as many points as they have in the past, but they won’t allow as many either.

This team is a breakout wide receiver away from another Super Bowl run.

4. Carolina Panthers

I hate, HATE the resigning of Jake Delhomme.

I hate it more than I hate a Super Bowl in London, and I really, REALLY hate the idea of a Super Bowl in London. The Panthers are going to be a good team again, and they’ll fail because of their washed up QB again.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Life without Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison will be much easier because of the addition of rookie running back Donald Brown.

The Colts might actually be able to have some balance on offense, which makes the always dangerous Peyton Manning even more dangerous.

6. Atlanta Falcons

The addition of To-Go gives QB Matt Ryan another weapon to help him avoid the sophomore slump.

I’m not sure the Falcons are a Super Bowl team just yet, but they’re close. In a related (maybe) note, whether reinstated or not, Mike Vick isn’t allowed within five miles of the Falcon’s team facilities.

7. Baltimore Ravens

Michael Oher was an absolute steal at No. 23. The Ravens are masters at drafting, yet employ the exact opposite strategy of my recognized draft wizard Bill Belichick.

Rather than using their mojo to trick teams into trading way too much to move into their picks, they use their mojo to somehow convince every team in front of them to pass on the guy they want to draft, which leads to them getting guys like Oher late in the first round.

8. Tennessee Titans

Vince Young is a problem that will fester under the surface in Tennessee until it either boils over, he becomes the starter again (which brings up a whole other group of problems), or the Titans ship him out of town.

You just can’t screw up with a high first round quarterback. In Vince Young, the Titans have a major screw up on their hands.

9. Chicago Bears

Their entire offseason can be summed up in two words: Jay Cutler.

They gave up a ton to get him, but the Bears haven’t had a quarterback since….

Ummmm… Hey, I’m only 30 years old.

That said, they still have no offensive line and we’re likely going to watch Jay Cutler get killed, but even on the sidelines—he’s the best quarterback the Bears have had in years.

10. Miami Dolphins

Vontae Davis and Pat White are both extremely talented, but nobody’s really sure if either is going to pan out in the NFL.

Davis apparently already believes he’s the best cornerback in Miami history, and has developed a reputation for ignoring his coaches.

Pat White is a supremely talented football player without a position. Can he play QB in the NFL? WR? RB? None of the above? All of the above?

Nobody’s sure…

11. Minnesota Vikings

Brad Childress is a blowhard with an ego the size of Brett Favre’s head. Somewhere between him bragging about one upping Bill Belichick and admitting he wants to sign Brett Favre, the Vikings should have sent him packing.

Who watches what Favre did in New York and says, “Boy, this guy could really help our team?”

12. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles watched the tremendous job that ,Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs did against the Giants in the Super Bowl and said to themselves, “You know, we should get those two guys so they can do that against the Giants twice every season!”

13. Green Bay Packers

The Packers needed defensive help, and they got it big time.

B.J. Raji is an absolute monster and gives them a 3/4 nose tackle who has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.

Clay Matthews was one of the highest rated linebackers in the draft. The Packers were surprisingly aggressive draft weekend, and it’ll pay off next season.

14. Arizona Cardinals

No respect for the NFC’s representative in last season’s Super Bowl.

Of course, I didn’t respect them going into the Super Bowl, or the playoffs, or last season, or any season for that matter.

Why start now?

15. San Diego Chargers

I’m putting the Chargers here with an asterisk.

If Shawne Merriman is healthy and back to being Shawne Merriman, the Chargers will be one of the best teams in the AFC.

If he’s not, and Larry English is forced to do his Shawne Merriman impression, the Chargers will once again be a middling defense.

16. Dallas Cowboys

Terrell Owens is gone, but Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo, and Jessica Simpson are all still involved. Jerry Jones has not improved his team one iota this offseason; he might have made it worse.

Maybe he should fire his GM?

17. New York Jets

If Mark Sanchez can step in and play right away, the Jets will be significantly better than they were last year.

If he can’t, and I don’t think the Jets want him to, they’ll be significantly worse.

Favre was terrible in December last season, but he was serviceable up until that point.

Outside of Sanchez, no quarterback on that roster even approaches serviceable.

18. Denver Broncos

Josh McDaniels reminds me of a young Bill Belichick, especially his handling of the Jay Cutler mess.

McDaniels needs to do a better job of emulating the New England version of Bill Belichick so he doesn’t end up like the Cleveland version.

19. Houston Texans

I love Houston’s draft.

I have a man crush on Connor Barwin, and Brian Cushing may have been the best linebacker in the draft.

Houston quietly featured one of the best offenses in the NFL last year. If they can get that defense on track, they could surprise some people.

20. New Orleans Saints

Malcolm Jenkins should help, and the Saints definitely have a prime time offense, but their defense still isn’t good enough.

They have the misfortune of playing in the same division as the Panthers and Falcons—both legit conference championship contenders in the NFC.

21. Washington Redskins

Any team with Albert Haynesworth should be ranked higher than this.

That said, no team with the dynamic Jim Zorn / Jason Campbell combo should be ranked this high, especially if they’re forced to play the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants a combined six times next season.

22. Buffalo Bills

Marshawn Lynch, Terrell Owens, Donte Whitner, a head coach who is one bad stretch away from being fired, and a fan base that’s ready to revolt…Why aren’t the Bills doing Hard Knocks this year?

23. San Francisco 49ers

Because Raider fans are destined to be tortured until Al Davis retires (unlikely) or dies (the undead can’t die), Michael Crabtree is destined to become the next Jerry Rice.

Now the 49ers just need to find a young quarterback who can spend the next 10 years throwing him the ball.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars

I’ve given up on the Jaguars.

Every year they’re the “It” team everyone picks to win the AFC.

It’s time to face facts: Jack Del Rio just isn’t a very good head coach.

He’s a motivator, a strong personality, and a confident guy who sounds like a leader, but he’s been out coached in every big game he’s ever coached in.

They can sign as many Torry Holts as they want; it won’t change the fact that this team is fatally flawed.

25. Kansas City Chiefs

Matt Cassel is going to find out quickly that the Chiefs’ offense isn’t the New England one he ran last season. This team is on the right track, but they’re still a year or two away.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh Freeman is pretty convinced he’s going to succeed.

I’m not so sure.

I had him ranked third among quarterbacks in a draft that didn’t have a quarterback that would have gone in the first round in last year’s draft.

He’s not Matt Ryan, he’s not Joe Flacco, and without a Ryan or Flacco this team isn’t going anywhere in 2009.

27. Cincinnati Bengals

Character means nothing in Cincinnati.

In the first round, they drafted a guy who left the combine early without telling anyone then showed up fat at his pro-day. Then they took a linebacker who, while talented, dropped into the second round because teams questioned his character.

Awesome.

28. Cleveland Browns

Alex Mack and Brian Robiskie aren’t sexy picks, but they’ll both be quality NFL players.

Unfortunately, quality players are in the minority in Cleveland.

Oh yeah, and Eric Mangini isn’t exactly my favorite head coach.

29. Seattle Seahawks

Aaron Curry was probably the best player in the draft.

Max Unger is going to be a solid center.

Deon Butler should develop into a pretty nice wide receiver.

There, I’ve said all nice things about the fourth worst team in the NFL.

30. Oakland Raiders

Darrius Heyward-Bey. Michael Mitchell. Someone, please, put Al Davis out of his misery.

31. St. Louis Rams

I actually like the Rams’ draft.

They got the best offensive tackle in the draft. They got themselves a solid, but not spectacular linebacker in James Laurinaitis.

The thing is, they were REALLY bad last year.

Really, really, bad. 

A solid draft class alone isn’t going to fix this.

32. Detroit Lions

I promise you this…No matter how bad it gets, no matter how poorly they do—there is absolutely no way they’ll finish the 2009 season with a worse record than the 2008 Detroit Lions.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots at http://www.patriotsexaminer.com.

Follow Sean Crowe on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PatsExamimer

Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

Darius Butler, Patrick Chung Headline Patriots’ Solid-but-Unspectacular Draft

Based on the feedback I received this week, it appears that most Patriots fans aren’t all that excited about what went on in last weekend’s draft.

Most of you seem to be upset that the Patriots didn’t address the linebacker position on day one. Remember what I said leading up to the draft about the Patriots and their draft philosophy. They always take the best guy available.

They weren’t going to take a linebacker just for the sake of drafting a linebacker. The Patriots didn’t have any of this year’s crop of linebackers rated as highly as they did Jerod Mayo last year. If they did, they would have traded up to get him.

Overall, the 2009 draft was solid, but not spectacular. Patrick Chung and Darius Butler are probably the only two guys you’ll see play extensively this season.

Butler is the only guy with superstar potential, but he’s in no way a can’t miss guy. Ron Brace should be a solid two-down nose tackle.

Of the day two picks, I think Tyrone McKenzie has the best chance of being a contributor this season.

His skills directly translate to what the Patriots want out of an inside linebacker. Belichick spoke extremely highly of him after the draft. He could be in the rotation by the end of the season.

I’m not sold at all on Brandon Tate. Not even a little.

I understand the pick. There aren’t many first round talents available in the third round.

The Patriots had a ton of picks and could afford the gamble. I’m just not sold the guy is ever going to get his act together, especially with the NFL’s trigger-happy commissioner.

Let me put it this way. Tate knew for four years when his NFL Combine was going to be (well, approximately). How insanely stupid do you have to be to test positive for pot? And if you do test positive, why should I believe that it won’t happen again?

And if it happens again, he’ll be suspended by the NFL. Which makes him useless.

I’d love to be proven wrong, but I don’t think I will be.

I’m rooting hard for Sebastian Vollmer to become a player for a plethora of reasons. The obvious one: his nickname is Sea Bass.

His becoming a player would mean the end of Nick Kaczur, which would be absolutely fantastic considering I’m not sure Brady’s knee can withstand the two or three times a game Nick Kaczur tries to get him killed.

NEPatriotsDraft has the list of undrafted free agents the Patriots (and everyone else for that matter) have signed since the draft ended. Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer is intriguing.

ProFootballTalk.com has a story about Brad Childress bragging about getting one-up on Belichick by drafting Percy Harvin. Childress is a complete buffoon. Good luck with Sage Rosenfels and his druggie receiver friend.

I’ll get into my thoughts on the rest of the AFC East in more detail later, but here are some quick comments:

I can’t believe the Bills didn’t draft a left tackle.

The Jets made the right move giving up what they did to get their quarterback. You need a quarterback to win in the NFL. Before the trade, the Jets didn’t have a single decent quarterback on their roster.

The Dolphins drafting Pat White is scary.

Nobody seems to be all that upset about Ellis Hobbs being traded (well, except Ellis himself). Peter King summed up why he was traded nicely in his MMQB column Monday:

Hobbs is a gutsy, feisty little corner, a confident kid who gave the Patriots some good games covering top receivers. But the Patriots are a totally bottom-line group, and with keepers Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite making the team last year, and Darius Butler coming in Saturday, that’s three cornerbacks picked in the first, second and fourth rounds of the past two drafts. Bill Belichick figures youth will be served, but I like that acquisition for Philly.

 

Patriots 2009 Draft Recap:

• New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Day One Recap and Analysis
• New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Day Two Recap and Analysis
• New England Patriots 2009 NFL Draft: Video highlights of Chung, Brace, Butler, and Vollmer
• Patriots Draft Tracker

 

Find more Patriots coverage like this at http://www.patriotsexaminer.com.

Follow Sean Crowe on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PatsExamimer

Questions? Comments? Insults? You can email them to Sean Crowe at scrowe@gmail.com.

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