2010 NFL Playoff QB Power Rankings

The debate over who was the best post season quarterback in history will never end. Joe Montana? Bart Starr? Troy Aikman? Tom Brady? Terry Bradshaw? Jim McMahon?

OK, maybe not McMahon…

But now that the college football season is over, we can now focus our attention on the pro game. With the playoffs beginning this weekend, let’s take a look at the power rankings of the remaining quarterbacks as we head into the post season.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft v. 2.0

Now that the 2009 regular season is over, we at least know how the top half of the draft will shake down. That helps us get a better idea of how the prospects might slide or rise, and who might get lucky and get the player they were hoping for in this year’s draft.

There could be some surprises along the way, and there will probably be some trades as well. If a labor agreement isn’t reached, this year’s draft could be a trainwreck with teams trying to jump at talent while others are trying to land quality free agents without spending big money on college players.

The draft is always exciting… so let’s get the party started. Here’s my second look at the 2010 NFL Draft.

NOTE: I am not assuming any trades, but simply going with the teams as they landed in the draft.

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Brandon Marshall Benched: Now Is The Wrong Time to Make a Statement

On New Year’s Day, the ugly immaturity that brought Josh McDaniels to national attention in the Jay Cutler Saga showed up again. This time it might cost the Broncos a shot at the playoffs.

McDaniels announced Friday morning that he was benching the Broncos’ best offensive player, Brandon Marshall, for the team’s final regular season game because of insubordination. Marshall reportedly tweaked a hamstring during practice on Wednesday and did not want to continue with practice.

These two have been at odds before; McDaniels suspended Marshall for most of the team’s training camp because of some inappropriate actions made by the receiver during practice. Marshall is in the final year of his contract.

The two had allegedly patched up their relationship, and there were rumors that Marshall and the Broncos were talking about an extension, but that appears to be over now.

Marshall spoke to Denver media about the benching, reminding reporters that McDaniels never played professional football, and then claiming that he would handle this situation like a professional.

McDaniels needs to grow up. Quickly.

The Broncos are on the edge of making the playoffs this year, and Marshall is one of the biggest reasons why. He’s currently ranked second in the NFL with 101 catches, including his recent single-game record performance against the Colts.

Dogs urinate to mark their territory. When McDaniels ran Cutler out of town and then suspended Marshall in August, he was establishing his authority in the locker room. Not much difference.

There are times to make statements with players. When the playoffs are on the line, it’s not that time.

McDaniels will say that he learned this tough-guy act from Bill Belichek, who was recently in the news for similarly sending players home from a practice for which they arrived late.

Yet Belichek played Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas, two of the players in question, that weekend. And the Patriots are comfortably in the playoffs.

Denver has lost their last three games and will need a lot of help this weekend to make the playoffs, but this isn’t the NBA, where a draft lottery gives teams two levels of motivation at this time of year. Benching your best player because of a personality issue and then watching games the second weekend in January is ridiculous.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft Round One Version 1.0

The season isn’t over yet, and all the underclassmen haven’t declared their intentions yet, but with teams quickly falling from playoff contention (cough, Pittsburgh) and the needs of organizations becoming more clear, let’s take a long shot at what the first round of the draft might look like.

 

1. St. Louis Rams – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

Marc Bulger… Kyle Boller… so we’ve established a need. If they look back at their history, however, they’d be wise to jump start this rebuilding project the same way they did with Orlando Pace. If that’s the case, Russell Okung could be the guy.

 

2. Tampa Bay Bucs – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

If Warren Sapp were 6-4 and didn’t have some of the personality issues that dropped him in the draft coming out of Miami, he’d be Suh. A team that rose from the slop because of their emphasis on defense would be wise to take this special kid.

 

3. Detroit Lions – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State

They have a good young running back, an elite receiver, and last year’s top overall pick as their quarterback. Good job. Now maybe protect them?

 

4. Cleveland Browns – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

Yes, they need a quarterback. But they’ll have a new coach and general manager next year, and no tandem starting fresh wants to put their job security in the hands of a 22-year old.

They’ll be active in the trade and free agent market for a quarterback, but it won’t matter if that new signal caller has no weapons. Bryant replaces Braylon Edwards.

 

5. Kansas City Chiefs – CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson

They’ve committed to Matt Cassell as their quarterback, and if Spiller’s still on the board, they’ll likely look to replace Larry Johnson with the most electric player on the board. Bryant could be an option as well if he’s still there.

 

6. Washington Redskins – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

They’ll likely see in Berry what they lost when Sean Taylor was killed. Daniel Snyder will want a quarterback or skill position player, but their secondary needs a leader. Berry’s a stud.

 

7. Buffalo Bills – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

Their secondary has been pretty good, and their offense needs help, but McCoy could be a difference-making interior lineman for years, helping their ground game.

 

8. Oakland Raiders – Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

He can play inside or outside at the next level, and could help build a great core to the defense with Richard Seymour.

 

9. Denver Broncos (from Chicago) – Joe Haden, CB, Florida

Champ Bailey isn’t getting any younger, and they’ll have to make a decision about a number of players on the offensive side of the ball that will be free agents. If they spend money to keep players on offense, defensive depth will be their need on draft day.

 

10. Seattle Seahawks – Bryan Baluga, OT, Iowa

Their offensive line has aged and fallen apart before their eyes, and very little has been done to help. At some point they need to replace Walter Jones, and this might have to be the year.

 

11. San Francisco 49ers – Taylor Mays, S, USC

A hard hitting safety from USC going to the Niners… sound familiar?

 

12. San Francisco 49ers (from Carolina) – Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Despite his off-field issues, if Mike Singletary can add players like Mays and Dunlap to a defense that already has Patrick Willis, these will be closer to the Niners he played against in the 80s than the grab bag they’ve been for the last decade.

 

13. New York Jets – Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

They need to keep Mark Sanchez off his tail. Drafting offensive line help would go a long way in accomplishing that.

 

14. Houston Texans – Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas

Kindle’s a big linebacker from just up the road who could bring a lot of size and speed to a defense centered around Mario Williams. They have weapons of offense, now they need to stop others’ scoring.

 

15. Atlanta Falcons – Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State

With Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and a couple good, younger receivers, the Falcons need some help with their defense.

 

16. Miami Dolphins – Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois

They’ve committed to Chad Henne, but injuries bring up questions in their backfield and they have problems at receiver. Because there isn’t a spectacular, every down back on the board at this point, Benn could be the big, physical receiver they lack.

 

17. Tennessee Titans – Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida

Their linebacking group is aging, and Spikes is a playmaker. He would address a need and be good value at 17.

 

18. Pittsburgh Steelers – Nate Allen, S, South Florida

Just watch their secondary play right now and tell me they won’t take a difference-making safety or corner.

 

19. Baltimore Ravens – Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

A speed end that fits into the Ravens’ system, he would be great value in the middle of the round.

 

20. Jacksonville Jaguars – Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

It’s gonna happen. Just let it.

 

21. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) – Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse

What a luxury to have two first round picks! They took Aaron Curry last year, so putting someone in front of him makes sense.

 

22. New York Giants – Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina

The injuries that have hurt their defense over the past couple seasons will be addressed in this draft. Carter’s size fits their scheme.

 

23. Dallas Cowboys – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

They have enough skill position players on offense that it wouldn’t seem to make sense to use another high pick on someone there. There also isn’t a lot of value on the offensive line in the early 20s, so adding to their defensive front makes sense here.

 

24. New England Patriots – Earl Thomas, S, Texas

It’s a need, and he’s a pretty good player. Again, good value for the position in the round.

 

25. Green Bay Packers – Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers

They’re fighting for the playoffs right now because Aaron Rodgers spent the first six weeks of the season on his tail.

 

26. Philadelphia Eagles – Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

He’s a load and could anchor their defensive line for years. The emergence of LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson gives them two weapons on offense, so stockpiling big bodies on the defensive line might be their route of choice.

 

27. Arizona Cardinals – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

Kurt Warner’s getting older and Matt Leinart just doesn’t have it. Because Warner’s got a couple years left, it’s worth a gamble to take a kid from an up-tempo offense at Oklahoma.

 

28. Cincinnati Bengals – Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

They need a weapon to play opposite Ochocinco, and Tate could be a good player in their offense. The Bengals have used a lot of high picks on their defense the past couple years, so addressing a skill position on offense might come this year.

 

29. San Diego Chargers  – Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech

Darren Sproles isn’t a starting running back in the NFL, and LaDainian Tomlinson isn’t an every-down back any more. This would be a great value pick for the Chargers.

 

30. Minnesota Vikings – Perrish Cox, CB, Oklahoma State

The Vikings are pretty well stacked everywhere on offense, and their defensive front is put together pretty well for years to come. This pick could swing on the knee of EJ Henderson.

 

31. Indianapolis Colts – Chad Jones, S, LSU

The Colts need a safety that can stay healthy, and Jones has good size. For the end of the round, Jones would be a good pick to provide depth and potentially start in year one.

 

32. New Orleans Saints – Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama

If the Saints are picking last, nobody in the Big Easy will care who they pick. But their secondary issues have been a problem this year, and could potentially cost them in the playoffs, so adding a quality corner and versatile return man in Arenas would be a solid pick for the (cough, Champion) Saints.

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The NFL Fine Policy, Or Lack Of One, Is Laughable

According to reports on Friday, two Chicago Bears received fines from the NFL for their actions in the Bears’ Week Nine loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

However, it appears the league made a mistake and switched the dollar amounts on the respective pink slips.

Defensive tackle Tommie Harris was ejected 54 seconds into the game for punching a Cardinals lineman in the face. He was fined $7,500 for the punch.

Meanwhile, quarterback Jay Cutler was fined $20,000 for “verbally abusing” an official after it appeared a pass interference call was missed on a crucial fourth down. Cutler was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play.

How does Cutler get nearly three-times the fine of Harris when Harris punched another player? Is there a precedent somewhere that says “the league will kick players while they’re down” or “if a defensive lineman’s being grossly overpaid, we won’t fine him as much”?

I’m not defending either player’s actions, and understand why both received notice from the league. But the arbitrary way that Roger Goodell’s administration hands out penalties is becoming laughable.

Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco jokingly wandered toward an official with a one dollar bill on Sunday, and later joked that he was trying to “bribe” the official to give him the catch that was being reviewed. He was fined $20,000 for the joke.

Harris was fined $7,500 for punching a player in the facemask with a fist.

If Goodell wants to clean up the game’s image, he needs to be consistent with how he hands out fines. If a laughable joke from Ocho Cinco is viewed as being as bad as Cutler’s unsportsmanlike harassment, that’s sad. If either of those incidents are viewed as worse than what Harris did, the league’s policy is the joke Ocho Cinco should be telling.

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Should The Chicago Bears Consider Larry Johnson?

The Chicago Bears have a lot of problems, but would adding another one actually help fix something?

That sounds like I’m advocating two wrongs making a right, but in this case it might be crazy and a good idea.

Let’s back up and look at the Bears. They’re sitting at 4-4 and haven’t looked very good in three weeks. They have a miserable, hard schedule coming up, starting Thursday night in San Francisco. There’s almost no chance these Bears make the playoffs.

The offensive line in Chicago might be the worst in the entire NFL, which has led to Matt Forte struggling and Jay Cutler hurting. Nobody on the Bears’ offense wants to admit it, but the line needs a five-man overhaul next spring to keep Cutler out of a wheelchair before his 30th birthday.

The Bears defense has been hurt and bad, too, but this article’s discussing the offense, so we’ll skip that side of the ball.

Hold on, there’s one piece of this pie I should mention. Tommie Harris was ejected for punching a guy in the face on Sunday. He’s been an issue all year, and made public his immaturity on Sunday. We’re still waiting for the NFL offices to send him his fine and/or suspension notice.

Everybody OK with that covering the defense? Great. Back to the offensive issues.

Coming into the 2009 season, one of the many blind areas Bears GM Jerry Angelo neglected to address while he was throwing out his resume to acquire a franchise quarterback was running back. And it quickly became a glaring issue.

Nobody had confidence in Garrett Wolfe and Adrian Peterson being the only backups to overworked Forte, so the Bears gave last year’s recycling project, Kevin Jones, another contract to get in shape and come back strong.

It looked like that was a smart move. Jones looked as strong and fast as he had since his rookie year in Detroit. Until the final preseason game, when he was lost for the season with a leg injury.

So that tandem nobody had confidence in was all the Bears had left to back up Forte behind a miserable offensive line. The gamble on the depth chart failed.

Sunday, Wolfe ended up in the hospital with what appears to be a pretty internal injury. So now the Bears are looking at trying to make a playoff push (cough, with Ron Turner calling the plays? really?, cough bull…) with just Forte and Peterson.

Where is Dr. Evil when you need someone to say “riiiiiight?”

Enter Larry Johnson.

Usually, the picture of the savior is the knight in sparkling armor riding to the rescue on a white stallion.

In Johnson’s case, it’s the dark knight in unwashed pajamas on a rented donkey hoping for a job. But work with me here, he might help save part of the Bears’ season.

Johnson’s a free agent because he’s an idiot. He Twittered himself out of a job, and a couple million dollars, and is begging for a second chance. He’s almost 30 years old, with diminishing skills, and he needs work.

Have I mentioned that the Bears have one decent running back on their roster right now?

Here’s my thinking in Cliff Notes format:

Bring in Johnson for cheap. He’s not getting big money at this point in his life/career.

Johnson needs to redeem himself to have a job in 2010. Forte’s the future for the Bears. Let Johnson get his butt kicked behind the terrible line 60 percent of the time in games against Baltimore,Minnesota, and Philadelphia. Keep Forte alive for next year.

Johnson brings depth to the Bears and a need to perform. The Bears give Johnson a chance to earn a call back for next year and can save their real running back’s life in the process.

If you can ignore Johnson’s stupidity, isn’t a marriage between Lovie Smith and Larry Johnson a great idea?

Well, probably not in Johnson’s tweeting eyes…too soon?

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Tommie Harris: What Should the Chicago Bears Do?

At what point does a team cut its losses?

On Sunday, Tommie Harris was ejected 54 seconds into the Bears’ loss to the Cardinals for punching a lineman in the facemask. After the game, coach Lovie Smith was pretty blunt about his displeasure with Harris, using the word “stupid” when speaking about Harris’ “mistake.”

This comes two weeks after Harris was a healthy scratch from the Bears game in Cincinnati, also a blow out loss, in a decision made by Smith. Smith later explained that Harris hadn’t practiced all week, and the team wanted to go with guys that had been active during the week.

The subtitles on Smith’s comments about Harris two weeks ago included “work ethic,” and bordered on questioning the me-first attitude of his former All-Pro defensive tackle.

All of this is happening within the context of a defense that’s banged up all over the place. Brian Urlacher was lost for the season on opening day due to a mangled wrist, the team has missed his replacement, Hunter Hillenmeyer, for some with a rib injury, and lost Charles Tillman and Al Afalava to shoulder injuries on Sunday.

And the Bears are now 4-4 on the season, a half game behind Green Bay for second in the NFC North. Both teams are trying to see the dust kicking up behind the 7-1 Vikings as they run away with the division.

Harris was selected 14th overall in the 2004 draft, and burst onto the scene as one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the game. He, along with Urlacher, Mike Brown, and Lance Briggs, made the Bears defense one of the best in the NFL in 2005 and 2006.

But Harris has lost a lot of the last two years, and his game, to a number of injuries. Despite injury concerns, he signed a big money extension with the Bears in August 2008, and hasn’t earned much of that contract yet.

That contract has Harris in Chicago until 2012. Will the coaches keep his attitude around that long?

Consider that Harris is only 26 years old and was a first round draft pick. The potential is certainly there, and the Bears knew his value would be high enough on the open market that they gave him the big extension before he ever became a free agent.

Also a 26-year old defensive lineman, Gaines Adams fell out of favor in Tampa after underwhelming the Bucs coaches in two-plus seasons. The Bears traded a second round draft pick for Adams a couple weeks ago.

I bring up Adams because he might present a potential solution to the Harris problem that could help the Bears as well.

Bears GM Jerry Angelo doesn’t have a draft pick in the 2010 draft until the third round because of his trades for quarterback Jay Cutler and Adams. That’s a problem because of the depth issues the Bears are facing right now; their offensive line is miserable and their secondary isn’t very good, either.

If you look at two specific trades, Adams to the Bears and the Oakland Raiders sending a first round pick in the 2011 draft to the Patriots for Richard Seymour, there is a framework in place for the move of a big defensive lineman. Now it’s just up to the Bears to make the deal.

There are a number of teams that probably wouldn’t move a first round pick for the oft-injured Harris, but might consider a high-second rounder for him. A team like the Tennessee Titans, still trying to replace Albert Haynesworth, might be intrigued by the potential of putting Harris on their defensive front at the expense of what will be a top-10 pick in the second round.

Given the friction already existing between Harris and Smith, and Harris’ actions today that led to his ejection and a potential suspension from Commissioner Roger Goodell, the relationship might be shattered. A divorce might need to happen.

If that divorce gets the Bears back into the earlier rounds of the draft so they can address some of their other glaring issues, even better.

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Report: Kansas City Chiefs To Release RB Larry Johnson

Jeff Risdon of RealGM.com is reporting that running back Larry Johnson has played his final game with the Kansas City Chiefs. Risdon claims that a source inside the team has indicated that Johnson will be released before the Chiefs next game, which is in two weeks.

Johnson was outspoken over the weekend on Twitter, trashing Kansas City’s first year head coach Todd Haley. His tweets included slurs that have offended many people, and various anti-defamation groups have called for strong action from the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.

On Tuesday, the Chiefs informed Johnson that he was not welcome around any Chiefs players or at any of the team’s facilities.

The apparent pending departure of Johnson means Jamaal Charles will become the man at the top of the Chiefs’ depth chart. Charles, in his second year out of Texas, has 116 yards on the season, and is averaging five yards per carry.

Charles, at just 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds, is smaller than Johnson but is considered a better receiver out of the backfield than Johnson. He is also averaging almost six yards per carry on first and second downs this year for Kansas City.

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Top 10 Reasons It Ain’t So Bad Being a Chicago Bears Fan

After a frustrating loss in primt time to the Atlanta Falcons followed by a miserable pile of steaming garbage in Cincinnati, the Chicago Bears’ fans are struggling for sobriety and sanity.

Jay Cutler’s getting picked more than my two-year old son’s nose, Matt Forte is going backwards almost as fast as health care reform, and the defense makes swiss cheese look like Fort Knox.

But it’s not that bad, Bears fans! Take heart, if could be worse!

What follows is my evidence that there are at least ten reasons that it just ain’t that bad being a Bears fan.

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Top 10 Reasons It Ain’t So Bad Being a Chicago Bears Fan

After a frustrating loss in primt time to the Atlanta Falcons followed by a miserable pile of steaming garbage in Cincinnati, the Chicago Bears’ fans are struggling for sobriety and sanity.

Jay Cutler’s getting picked more than my two-year old son’s nose, Matt Forte is going backwards almost as fast as health care reform, and the defense makes swiss cheese look like Fort Knox.

But it’s not that bad, Bears fans! Take heart, if could be worse!

What follows is my evidence that there are at least ten reasons that it just ain’t that bad being a Bears fan.

Begin Slideshow

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