NFL Retroactive Season Preview- Part 3- The Middle Of The Pack

Welcome to the third part of my NFL season preview. Too see the musical analogies go here. This part is the middling teams, teams which have a chance on making the playoffs. Enjoy.

Black Eyed Peas + Fergie Division

The worst team in last year. The Colts finished 2-14 after their Quarterback of the past decade and future Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning, underwent multiple neck surgeries and missed the entire season. Supporters would say that if Manning had been able to play then the team would have made the playoffs. I disagree, first off the coach Jim Caldwell was terrible. He hung off Manning’s coat tail and was exposed when he was injured. Also most of their top draft picks over the last five years haven’t panned out which gradually made the team worse and worse especially on both offensive and defensive lines.

Lucky (pun intended) for the Colts best QB prospect since Peyton Manning became eligible in the draft when they had the first pick. Andrew Luck is now the new face of the franchise already in preseason he is looking like a stud. The Colts still have significant holes but the fact they have their franchise QB for the next 10 years makes life a lot easier. New head coach Chuck Pagano, formerly the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, will improve the terrible defence from last year. This team will pull a few upsets this year, probably not enough to make the playoffs though.

Beast players- none

Great players- Reggie Wayne WR, Dwight Freeney DE, Robert Mathis DE.

Bust out player- Andrew Luck.

Retroactive look after Week 1: The Colts had a really tough start vs a veteran team in the Bears. Luck had a rough day throwing 3 interceptions but the lack of pass protection by his OL was mostly to blame. The defence put some pressure on Bears QB Jay Cutler but star player Dwight Freeney got injured and the secondary was poor. They will certainly be more competitive then last year though.

Washington are another team who hopefully added their franchise QB of the future this off season, it just cost a lot more. The Redskins traded up to the 2^nd overall pick for Heismann Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. He is being compared to Michael Vick in terms of athleticism and arm strength but is a better pocket passer. He gives the team a legitimate chance of competing for the NFC East division, the only thing holding them back last year was terrible QB play. Head coach Michael Shanahan needs to improve from last year’s  5-11 record last year to keep his job. The defence has  strong  pass rush with Kerrigan and Orakpo and their running game is always strong, however  their secondary and offensive lines don’t have much depth. I think RGIII may struggle early on adjusting to the NFL but he is a playmaker who can create with his legs and his arms, something they didn’t have at QB last year. Look for them to be in the fight for the division come the end of the season.

Beast player- Brian Orakpo OLB.

Great player- London Fletcher MLB.

Bust out players- Pierre Garcon WR, Ryan Kerrigan OLB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: What a start! The Redskins went into New Orleans and punched the Saints in the mouth. RGIII was great and Pierre Garcon looks like a stud if he can stay healthy. I still think Griffen will struggle at some stage in his rookie season, a year of NFL hits will do that for you. They look like they can contend in the NFC East though.

Despite their 4-12 record last year the Panthers were a competitive team thanks to the sensational season from their rookie QB Cam Newton. Even though he was selected No.1 overall he wasn’t expected to break a multitude of rookie records including most passing yards in a season and most rushing touchdowns in a season. The defence was horrendous though as injuries to the linebacking unit allowed opposition to run at will against them. This year with the defence getting a boost through the draft and Newton developing his passing game further I can see them winning a few more games and fighting for the NFC South division. 

One thing I don’t like about the organisation is how they continue to pour money into the RB position. After signing DeAngelo Williams to a guaranteed $21 million contract last year they sign their other top RB Jonathan Stewart to a guaranteed $23.5 million contract this season as well as signing Mike Tolbert from the Chargers for 4 years, $8.4 million. In a time where you can pick up solid RB prospects from the draft for peanuts this is a waste of money which could have been spent on positions of need like DT or a second receiver.

Beast players- Cam Newton QB, Jordan Gross LT.

Great players- Steve Smith WR, Jonathan Stewart RB, DeAngelo Williams RB, Jon Beason MLB.

Bust out players- Greg Olson TE, Luke Kuechley LB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: The Panthers had the most mystifying performance of Week 1 vs the Buccaneers. They abandoned their biggest strength, the run game, very early in the game even though they weren't down by much. The offensive line was atrocious and it is a concern if they have to rely on Newton to throw them to victory. If they don't improve in their second game then I could see a really bad season ahead for them.

Tampa Bay were an under achieving 4-12 last year but an over achieving 10-6 the previous year so somewhere between these two extremes lies the true quality of this team.  They have been one of the youngest teams the last couple of years and it showed last year as indiscipline led to the firing of the head coach Raheem Morris who was not much of a disciplinarian. He is replaced by long time college football coach Greg Schiano who is the complete opposite which should help this team turnaround this year.

The team has a lot of intriguing pieces, particularly on offence. QB Josh Freeman is a solid young QB who had a tough time completing passes last year due to a dodgy offensive line and a lack of WR talent to throw to. The Bucs helped him by signing free agents WR Vincent Jackson and G Carl Nicks, these two veterans will make a big difference for Freeman. The Bucs also drafted their RB of the future in Doug Martin who is an every down back. The defence is the weakest unit, especially in the secondary but they did add Alabama safety Mark Barron as their first pick of this year’s draft who should contribute immediately. Whether this team has enough weapons to compete with the rest of the NFC South remains to be seen but they will be more competitive than last year that’s for sure.

Beast player- Carl Nicks G

Great players- Vincent Jackson (if healthy), Gerald McCoy DT.

Bust out players- Doug Martin RB, Josh Freeman QB

Retroactive look after Week 1: The Bucs started off really, beating division rivals in a solid but unspectacular way. Their Defensive line was huge, stopping the much vaunted Panther run game. They are going to be in most games if their defence can hold up. First round rookie safety Mark Barron is already making his presence felt in the NFL.

The last team of this group was probably the most difficult to group. Despite posting a respectable 9-7 record last year and not getting worse during the offseason the Titans are not seen as much of a playoff threat this year. That’s because they had quite an underwhelming team last year but faced a really easy schedule which bumped up their record. I see them dropping a couple of games to sit in the 6-8 wins area. So why are they in this group then? Well they are starting their first round draft from last year, Jake Locker, at QB who is an intriguing prospect. He is wildly inaccurate passer but can zip it in and he can make moves with his feet. They have a couple of interesting wide receiver talents in Kenny Britt and rookie Kendall Wright as well as RB Chris Johnson. Johnson was average last year because he held out for a pay rise until the start of the season and the OL played terrible. With a full offseason to get in shape I can see Johnson getting back to his elite playing level.

A problem for Titans is the their opening schedule- home vs New England, away vs SanDiego, home vs Detroit, away vs Houston, away vs Minnesota, home vs Pittsburgh, away vs Buffalo.  They could easily be 1-6 to start off the season and if Locker struggles how long will they keep him in there before they go to veteran Matt Hasselbeck.

Beast player- Michael Roos LT.

Great player- Michael Griffen S, Chris Johnson RB, Steve Hutchinson G.

Bust out player- Jared Cook TE.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Week 1 vs New England was a tough match up but the way both lines were physically mauled into submission is a huge concern. The run game was non existent and complaints about the play calling from the offensive coordinator are already surfacing. Locker ended up separating his non throwing shoulder in a tackle but shouldn't miss much time. If there isn't much sign of improvement in this weeks game vs the Chargers then this could be a really disappointing year for the Titans.

Maroon 5 Division

The Broncos are the most hyped team this year after an eventful offseason in which they traded their QB media sensation Tim Tebow to the Jets and signed the one of the greatest QB’s ever Peyton Manning. After getting to the AFC semi-finals led by the unconventional Tebow hopes are high that the addition of Manning will mean a run to the Super Bowl this year. When word came of the QB change in March money flooded into Vegas on Denver. The hype has slowed down a little now- after all Manning hasn’t played a NFL game for 18 months due to four neck surgeries and nobody knows how his body will cope with an entire season of hits and sacks. If Manning can be 80-90% of what he has been in the past the offence can do very well. They have a couple of talented WR’s in Demaryius Thomas and Eric Dekker as well as solid running game led by Willis McGahee.

The defence on the other hand as several question points which will impact whether the Broncos make the playoffs , let alone the Super Bowl. They haven’t added much to an average unit apart from CB Tracy Porter from New Orleans. They have a formidable pass rush on paper in Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil but their defensive tackles are below average and the secondary is made up of either young players or ageing veterans. The Broncos can’t afford any injuries as they have no depth Despite going 8-8 last year the Broncos were outscored by 81 points, the most from any team above .500.

Finally their schedule is one of the toughest in the NFL this year. They face the tough AFC North and AFC South divisions as well as the Houston Texans and New England Patriots. There aren’t going to be many easy games on the schedule and I think this along with Manning coming back from a serious injury will mean that they will really have to play well to make the playoffs. They can certainly win the AFC West but it is not a given like many people are saying.

Beast players- (Top 5 players in their respective positions, game changers)- Von Miller OLB, Ryan Clady OT.

Great players-(Top 15 in their respective positions, can be pro bowlers)- Champ Bailey CB.

Bust out players-(Players who can breakout and become Beasts or Great players this year)- Demaryius Thomas WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: An impressive start to the season with the victory vs a tough Steelers team.  Manning looked good and the defence applied a lot of pressure on Roethlisberger. This weeks game away against another good team in the Falcons should give a good indication on whether the Broncos are the real deal.

The Cowboys are the essence of over rated. Coined as ‘America’s Team’ it recently has been valued as the most valuable sports franchise in the USA , it’s routinely rated by fans as a shoo in to win the Super Bowl despite winning only one playoff game in the last 16 years!! Owner Jerry Jones is known for his hands on approach when it comes to running the team. This has resulted in periodical head coaching firings as well as drafting players with immense potential but serious red flags.

Last year the team had the chance to make the playoffs by beating division rivals and eventual Super Bowl champion NY Giants but choked, finishing 8-8. Their biggest weakness was their defence last year as they continually gave up leads in 4^th quarters . The Cowboys focused on the secondary this offseason, drafting top CB prospect Morris Claibourne and signing Brandon Carr in free agency which should help. The lack of pass rush outside of DeMarcus Ware is a concern but they feel that they feel their CB’s will shutdown receivers long enough for the pass rush to get to opposition QB’s.

The offence has some intriguing talent. Their leader is QB Tony Romo, maybe the most under rated QB in the NFL. He can be brilliant but can also make awful mistakes. If young RB DeMarco Murray can stay healthy and undisciplined WR Dez Bryant can behave himself under the curfew he is under (not kidding!)then the team can do well. In the tight NFC East division they will be in with a chance but it seems every year the Cowboys find some way of losing games they should win and self-destructing, maybe this is finally the year they change.

Beast players- DeMarcus Ware OLB, Jason Witten TE.

Great players- Tony Romo QB, Miles Austin WR (if healthy), Sean Lee MLB.

Bust out players- DeMarco Murray RB, Brandon Carr WR, Tyron Smith LT.

Retroactive look after Week 1: A good start by the Cowboys with the beating division rivals Giants away. Now they face another away game at the Seahawks. The Hawks defence will be better then the Giants so this will be a good indication of whether the Cowboys are consistent enough to make the playoffs this year. The defence looks much improved though and should give rookie QB Russell Wilson a rough day.

The Chargers for the past 5-6 years have been the most over hyped team in the AFC. Playing in the weak AFC West division the Chargers routinely start slow and then have late season charges to make the play offs. Last year they didn’t make the play offs after another dismal year and yet both much maligned head coach Norv Turner and General Manager AJ Smith survived. This year is certainly Turners last chance and the leash will be short.

The Chargers used to be known as having one of the most talented rosters in the NFL but that has gradually diminished over the years. They still have Phillip Rivers at QB but around him are a load of question marks. Their tackles are average at best, their best RB Ryan Matthews is out with a broken clavicle and their WR unit can't stay healthy. The defence has been even weaker as of late as they have failed miserably with draft picks on that side of the ball. The Chargers will be competitive and have the ability to win the AFC West but their best days are behind them. I say Turner isn’t back next year.

Beast player- Antonio Gates TE.

Great players- Phillip Rivers QB, Nick Hardwick C, Eric Weddle S

Bust out player- Malcolm Floyd WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Another disappointing performance by the Chargers, they were fortunate that Oakland self destructed on special teams. They really need RB Matthews back from injury because their offence is not very good right now especially in the red zone. They should beat Tennessee at home this week as well but I still don't think they are a very good team and they will get exposed during the season.

Gangnam Style Division

Under the guidance of ex USC football coach Pete Carroll the Seahawks have slowly become a relevant team again. Centred around a unique but effective defence and one of the best home field advantages in the NFL they will be in the hunt to win the NFC West. The most interesting story of the team is the fact they are deciding to start the season with a rookie QB after signing Matt Flynn in free agency to do that job. The 3^rd round selection Russell Wilson has surprised many with his outstanding pre season form despite his lack of ideal size for the position. It was for that reason that he wasn't selected in the first round. I watched this video before the draft and I was convinced that he was going to be a steal for some team, I just didn't expect for him to get an opportunity this early. I would have gone with Flynn to start the season and if he struggles go with Wilson.  The weaknesses of this team are that their WR unit is inconsistent and often injured and the OL’s depth is questionable. Also their top RB Marshawn Lynch is facing a suspension for a DUI incident in the off season. 

I have high hopes for Seattle this year, I think they will give the 49ers a run for their money in the division. However they need to be more consistent , too often they take weeks off against opposition they should beat and it costs them.

Beast players- Chris Clemons DE, Red Bryant DE

Great players- Marshawn Lynch RB, Earl Thomas S, Max Unger C.

Bust out player- Russell Wilson QB

Retroactive look after Week 1: A first round loss to Arizona was not the start the Seahawks needed. Wilson struggled a little as his OL is missing its best players. If a couple of WR's had held onto catches late in the game the result may have been different.This weeks game at home vs a good Cowboys team should be great match. If Wilson continues to struggle they may have to go to Flynn though which would be a blow for the development of Wilson.

Buffalo have been irrelevant for so long that I can’t remember the last time they won a play off game (1995). Last year’s team started 4-2 but collapsed to 6-10 due to injuries to key players. This year the team invested in their weak defence by signing former Texan Mario Williams to a massive $100 million contract  as well as drafting CB Stephon Gilmore with the 9^th pick overall. Their defensive line on paper now looks like one of the strongest in the NFL  and their secondary should be much improved.

As well as that they get Fred Jackson their best RB back from a broken leg who was having a tremendous season before he was injured. The team have weapons on offence so the pressure is on QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to turn things around after getting a big payday after the great start last year. If he struggles then this team will be terrible once again. Question marks include the Offensive line which seems to be an issue every year and the No.2 WR position.

I can see the Buffalo Bills getting a play off spot this year as their schedule is favourable and the Jets are overated, however they must stay healthy, which is not assured with this team.

Beast player- Marcell Dareus DT

Great players- Fred Jackson RB, Mario Williams DE, Kyle Williams DT, Steve Johnson WR.

Bust out player-CJ Spiller RB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Well it didn't take long for the Bills hype to disappear after being demolished by the Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown 19 interceptions in the his last 10 games. The defence was supposed to create more pressure against a weak Jets OL but had a quiet day. Too make things worse Fred Jackson sprained a knee and is out for at least a month. They need to recover quickly otherwise the Bills are consigned to a cellar dweller.

The Chiefs season last year were derailed by injuries early. They lost their best running back, tight end and safety in the first 2 weeks. They then lost their starting QB and then fired their abrasive coach Todd Haley half way through the season. The interim coach- defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel did such a good job that he was hired to be the Head Coach this year. With the return of their injured players as well as a successful offseason signing players the Chiefs look like they will contend for the wide open AFC West. Kansas may have one of the best defensive teams in the NFL with young talent all through it. The offence also upgraded its offensive line by signing RT Eric Winston who has been one of the best at his position. They have Jamaal Charles at RB and Dwayne Bowe at WR, both explosive playmakers.

The question marks of this team come from the two most important positions , quarterback and coach. Matt Cassel has been average since he arrived from New England in 2009. He needs to get the ball to the talent around him, he doesn’t need to be spectacular. I have concerns over Romeo Crennel as well. He’s had an opportunity to be a NFL head coach before at Cleveland and that was terrible. He will have an effective defence but he needs to get this offence up and running otherwise it’s going to be another wasted year with the talent they have. I think that Cassel will do just enough to make this team competitive enough to win this division over the Chargers and Denver though it will be close.

Beast players- Tamba Hali OLB, Derrick Johnson ILB, Brandon Flowers CB.

Great players- Jamaal Charles RB, Dwayne Bowe WR, Eric Winston RT, Eric Berry S.

Bust out players- Justin Houston OLB, Jon Baldwin WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: The Chiefs got blown away at home by the red hot Falcons but they shouldn't be too discouraged. They were missing two of their best players on defence, Tamba Hali from suspension, and Brandon Flowers from injury. Both should play vs Buffalo this week. Matt Cassell has to make more plays though as the passing game was very conservative. If the defence can get back to its solid game then this team will be competitive.

Jet Division

Last year the Detroit Lions made the playoffs for the first time since 2000 after a decade of awful mismanagement and losing. They now have a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford and the best WR in the game right now, Calvin Johnson. Head coach Jim Schwartz has demolished the inherent  losing culture of the franchise instead instilling confidence. However he has not combined this with discipline as his players and himself were shown to be a little too fired up last year . This resulted in the team being one of the most penalised in the NFL. It didn’t get any better as three of their most promising young  players were arrested twice each for misdemeanours.  Apparently Schwartz has clamped down hard on discipline during training but the fact remains to be seen whether it will translate into the regular season. 

Detroit are a team with lots of depth in some postions (DL, WR) and huge holes in others (CB, RB). Their secondary in particular is extremely raw and maybe the worst in the NFL. For the team to succeed they must have Stafford stay healthy and they need their defensive line to create pressure on opposition QB’s to mask their weaknesses elsewhere. In a tough NFC North I can’t see the Lions repeating their success last year despite their talent.

Beast player- Calvin Johnson WR.

Great players-Matthew Stafford QB, Ndamukong Suh DT, Louis Delmas S, Cliff Avril DE.

Bust out players- Titus Young WR, Mikel LeShoure RB.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Despite throwing three interceptions Stafford was able to lead the Lions to a last minute win vs the plucky Rams. This week they face the 49er's and are considered favourites. Stafford will have to be at his best for this team to have any chance of beating San Francisco. 

This team made the playoffs last year with a rookie QB and top WR after having a weak schedule. They beat the bad teams and lost to the good ones. This off season they had one of the best drafts and added some good players in free agency. So why don’t I like them this year?

Well it’s the fact that they are consistently inconsistent when it comes to playing. Check out the Bengals records the last 5 years- 7-9, 4-11, 10-6, 4-12, 9-7. If you follow the pattern this year they should drop below .500 and not make the playoffs. Despite a good off season they could have done much better, they had the most amount of cap space to sign big players in the entire NFL. They could have signed one of the elite offensive lineman available or wide receiver to complement AJ Green. Yet they signed mid range players and resigned several average players. They do this because they are run by the cheapest and least liked owner in the entire NFL. Mike Brown is despised by the Bengals fan base for good reason, he has no intention of making the team a Super Bowl contender. He spends frugally on everything, especially in the front office and this has an effect on the success of the team on the field. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1990!

It’s a real shame because the team has a nucleus of young players on both sides of the team to make a challenge for the Super Bowl but the owner doesn’t want to invest the money. Anyway I see Andy Dalton, the Bengals QB struggling in his second year due to the tougher schedule this year.

Beast players- none

Great players- Geno Atkins DT, Carlos Dunlap DE, AJ Green WR, Leon Hall CB, Andrew Whitworth LT.

Bust out player- Benjarvis Green Ellis RB

Retroactive look after Week 1: Facing the Ravens Week 1 is never the easiest start to the season. Injuries to key players in defence and poor play from Dalton contributed to a heavy defeat. This week should be a lot easier vs the Browns. The Bengals will be the same as the last year beating the bad teams and losing to the good ones.

Madonna Division

There isn’t a franchise I am rooting for to fail more then the Jets. I dislike how the way the organisation is run and how they act as a team on and off the field. The Jets love media attention and run under the ethos that any news on them, good or bad, is great for the organisation. Led by the biggest smack talking coach Rex Ryan the Jets staff and players aren’t afraid to talk before they walk. Now in previous years they have walked the walk thanks to a dominating defence and a good running game. However the Jets have failed to re inject themselves with talent through the draft and it’s finally catching up to them. Last year they finished with a 8-8 record but struggled mightily thanks to an inaccurate Mark Sanchez and poor OL play They took Quentin Coples DE as their first pick in the draft but didn’t address the OL and the spent their 2^nd round draft pick on a project WR.

The team has a Top 5 defence but has but its safeties are retreads from other teams, it remains to be seen whether they can support their solid CB unit. The offensive side of the ball is going to be a huge problem for the Jets I believe. The biggest move this off season was obviously trading for Tim Tebow setting off an immediate QB controversy which will linger over this team especially if Sanchez plays poorly early on. The Jets claim they will only use him in Wildcat packages but that will go out the door when the fans are crying out for Tebow especially after what he did last year in Denver.

The Jets also had poor OL play last year including having the worst starting right tackle in the NFL (Wayne Hunter) last year so they traded him for a marginally better player (Jason Smith) who is a lot more expensive. Shonn Greene is an average starting RB at best and the WR group is so bad that the No.2 CB , Antonio Cromartie, claimed that he is the second best WR in the team. This of course didn’t go down too well amongst the WR. Also Rex Ryan made the odd comments about how he didn’t want to draft Stephen Hill despite that being a position of need. All this is adding up to a highly charged setting within the team that if things don’t start off well the team could self implode.

In a league dominated by QB’s I can’t see the Jets offence being able to match if they get behind in games. The defence is good but it has health issues in the linebackers and safeties and if injuries start to mount up like they can in the NFL then the Jets could be in serious trouble and Ryan could be without a job at the end of the year.

Beast players- Darrelle Revis CB, Nick Mangold C.

Great player- D’Brickashaw Ferguson LT.

Bust out player- Muhammed Wilkerson DE.

Retroactive look after Week 1: What a start by the Jets, scoring the most points in Week 1 and utterly dominating the fancied Bills. Mark Sanchez looked good and rookie Stephen Hill scored two touchdowns. Despite all this I still think the Jets aren't a good team and won't make the play offs. Sanchez is still too inaccurate and the running game is average. They face a tougher test this week in the Steelers, I can't see them beating a team as good as the Steelers especially after they lost their first game. It was good to see Rex Ryan getting smacked down during last weeks game though.

Now this team are big smack talkers as well but the organisation is one of the most widely respected in the NFL for its consistency and excellence over time. In the Super Bowl era, since 1967, they have had four head coaches in total! The Steelers have made three Super Bowls in the last seven years and won two of them. Under the current coach, Mike Tomlin, they have not had a season under .500 wins., in fact they have had only nine losing seasons since 1970. Built around an extremely physical defence and the strength of QB Ben Roethlisberger to extend plays on offence the team has always been a contender. However there are signs that this teams time is finally running out. The defenceis based around ageing players like James Harrison and Troy Polamalu who are very injury prone. If they aren’t on the field then the rest of the unit is going to struggle. Their CB unit has a few unproven players who have to step up as well as the fact that they don’t produce many turnovers.

The offensive side of the ball is worse. The Offensive line has been bad for the last couple of years and the Steelers finally invested two high draft picks to remedy this. Unfortunately they are back to square one before the season as both rookies are probably not going to contribute much this season. 1^st round pick guard David DeCastro tore his MCL in preseason and 2^nd round pick tackle Mike Adams has been underwhelming.

The Steeler running backs have also been severely impacted by injury, their best back from last year, Medenhall is recovering from a torn ACL and his backups are all banged up or rookies. And of course you can’t forget Roethlisberger himself who seems to be constantly carrying an injury. All this makes me think that the margin of error is very small when it comes to injuries. I think that the age of both lines and the linebackers is going to catch up with the Steelers this year and they are going to fail to make the playoffs.

Beast players- LaMarr Woodley OLB, Troy Polamalu S, Maurkice Pouncey C.

Great players-Ben Roethlisberger  QB, James Harrison OLB, Mike Wallace WR, Ryan Clark S, Lawrence Timmons ILB.

Bust out player- Antonio Brown WR.

Retroactive look after Week 1: Travelling to the Broncos and missing Harrison and Clark on defence was always going to be a hard task. Their OL again struggled and lost another player to injury Marcus Gilbert. At home they will be better but the Jets defence is formidable and they may struggle to give Roethlisberger enough time to throw. This Steelers team is already dealing with key injuries in the defence and I really see them struggling to compete with the best teams in the NFL this year.

NFL Retroactive Season Preview- Part 2- The Mediocre

Now if you want to know the musical analogies for the individual divisions go to my post here. This article deals with the teams that will most likely be in the bottom half this year. I wrote them up before the start of the season but couldn't edit them fast enough as I was travelling in the weekend. I therefore decided to wait until all the Week 1 games were over and look back retroactively to how my preview looks. You can't over react from the results from one game but you can get a good idea of how teams will go.

Linkin Park Division

One of the worst franchises of the past decade, a organisation with a culture of losing and mediocrity. The team was recently sold so this will inevitably bring even more change, which means more indecision in the short term. Last year the team itself had a Top 5 defence in points allowed (19.3 ppg) but one of the worst scoring offences in the league (13.3 ppg).  Their lack of talent in the skilled positions (QB,RB,WR) was clearly evident and they targeted these positions early in the draft. With the 3^rd overall pick they selected the best running back prospect in Trent Richardson. Then with the 22^nd Pick they selected their new QB of the future, Brandon Weeden, a 28 year old rookie who played professional baseball before playing college football.

However, question marks are forming regarding their top two draft picks before the regular season has even begun.  Richardson has already under gone two knee surgeries this offseason and Weeden has struggled in preseason practise, throwing to perhaps the most inexperienced wide receiver group in the NFL.  When you add some key injuries on their defensive line and the fact they play in the tough AFC North division, I hold out little hope that they can improve from last year’s 4-12 record.

Beast players (Top 5 players in their respective positions, game changers)- Joe Haden CB, Joe Thomas LT, Alex Mack C.

Great players (Top 15 in their respective positions, can be pro bowlers)- D'Qwell Jackson MLB.

Bust out players (Players who can breakout and become Beasts or Great players this year)- Trent Richardson RB

Retroactive Look after Week 1:The Browns lost to the fancied Eagles by just one point. The defence was very good as usual, intercepting Mike Vick 4 times and recovering several fumbles. Their offence though was just as bad though. Weeden was the worst QB of the entire week- throwing 4 interceptions and looking totally out of place. Too make matters worse, their best defensive player, CB Joe Haden is about to serve a four match ban for banned substances which will have a serious effect on their ability to shut down opposition wide receivers.  The Browns are unfortunately looking at a substandard year and a high pick in next years draft. Rookie RB Trent Richardson at least looked comfortable, producing this highlight reel.

At least the Browns got a little bit better in the offseason.  The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, being run by the worst general manager in the NFL, Jeff Ireland, did not.  They had the worst offseason in the NFL, by far, trading their most talented players, not getting any players of worth in free agency and reaching for the inexperienced QB Ryan Tannehill who started playing wide receiver in college.  There are already warning signs that he may not be the leader that Miami needs.  Not to mention that they have a new head coach, Joe Philbin from Green Bay, who is implementing a new system.  

The rookie Tannehill will start the year ahead of the veteran Matt Moore who helped the Dolphins win six of their last nine games last year. I don’t think it matters who will start though as they are throwing to the worst bunch of wide receivers in the NFL. The defence, the one strength of the team last year, will struggle with the new  system, switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3. In short, this team is going to do worse than last year and that’s saying something considering they finished 6-10.

Beast player- Jake Long LT.

Great players- Reggie Bush RB, Cameron Wake DE/OLB, Paul Soliai DT.

Bust out player- Mike Pouncey C.

Retroactive Look after Week 1: Well already after a dismal performance against the Houston Texans in week 1 rumours are going around that Jeff Ireland is on the hot seat. Why wasn't this done sooner I ask as he destroyed any semblance of the team competing this year with his off season moves. Tannehill looks terrible and the wide receivers can't get open. I think this team will be the worst team in football and it won't be close.

The two most important positions in the NFL right now are the Quarterback and the Offensive line. Arizona are terrible in both positions which is unfortunate because they are talented elsewhere in their team. They have maybe the best wide receiver in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and they have a solid defence which helped them get to 8-8 last year. The QB and OL positions have been neglected for so long by the organisation that they are going to pay the price in 2012. With the first pick in the this year’s draft for instance, rather than choose an OL, they selected another WR, which is already their strongest position. Last year they traded for Philadelphia backup QB Kevin Kolb to a $63 million dollar contract in exchange for a pro bowl CB and a 2^nd round draft pick. Kolb is looking like a complete bust who is unable to stay healthy and can't even beat out John Skelton, a 2010 5th round draft pick.

With the tough schedule they have this year I can’t see the Cardinals getting close to .500. At least if they suck they can pick a top-3 QB and start again. I think everybody wants to see Larry Fitzgerald like this again.

Beast players- Larry Fitzgerald WR, Patrick Peterson KR, Darnell Dockett DT.

Great players- Adrian Wilson S, Calais Campbell DE.

Bust out player- Ryan Williams RB.

Retroactive Look after Week 1: Well that was a surprise! The Arizona Cardinals bet the fancied Seahawks in game 1 thanks to the late game heroics of Kevin Kolb after Skelton got injured. The defence carried on where they left last year and dominated Russell Wilson. I'm still not convinced that the Cardinals are for real. They should come back down to earth this week as they play at New England. Kolb is just too inconsistent to make this team competitive.

Jack Johnson Division

A playoff team with a top 5 defence and the best RB in the NFL a couple of years ago the Vikings have fallen on hard times. Handing over the reins to rookie QB Christian Ponder, the team struggled  on both sides of the ball finishing a dismal 3-13. To make matters worse their best player Adrian Peterson blew out his knee in the meaningless final game of the season. Less than a year on Peterson is set to at least play Week 1, remarkable considering he tore his ACL. Ponder showed enough promise last year to think that they should improve this season. 

With the 3^rd overall pick they selected the best Left Tackle in the draft Matt Kalil, he will help shore up one of the worst OL units of last season. Their defence is still a work in progress and their record will probably stay around 4-6 wins but the team should be more competitive with Ponder under centre for another year. Building up for next season when Peterson should be fully healthy and Ponder having a full season as QB is the key.

Beast player- Jared Allen DE

Great players- Percy Harvin WR, Adrian Peterson RB, Kevin Williams DT

Bust out player- Kyle Rudolph TE.

Retroactive Look after Week 1: Winning in overtime against the Jaguars at home the Vikings should be pleased with the way they played. Certainly nobody expected Peterson being this productive- 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ponder also looked capable if not spectacular. I still think the defence is going to struggle to hold up against good offences. I still think this team won't win many games but they will be competitive.

Jacksonville is another team who started a rookie QB last year but that was even more disastrous. Blaine Gabbert had the worst rookie season you could ever hope for- no offseason due to the player lockout, the worst wide receiver unit in the NFL who couldn’t get open and an OL which couldn’t protect him. Even though RB Maurice Jones Drew had a career year and won the rushing title the Jaguars still finished 5-11. Having a offseason to practice will help Gabbert along with the addition of rookie Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson at the WR position. 

The Jaguars have a top 10 defence so the offence doesn’t need to be outstanding for the team to be competitive. However the Jaguars have a new Owner and Head Coach which will probably result in aches in pains throughout the season. A 8-8 season would be seen as a very successful season but I can’t see them getting to the playoffs this year.

Beast player- Maurice Jones Drew RB

Great player- Daryl Smith LB,

Bust out player- Justin Blackmon WR

Retroactive Look after Week 1: Even though they lost to the Vikings they will be happy with the performance of Blaine Gabbert who threw for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns. All this despite his OL not playing well. This weeks game vs the vaunted Texans defence should be a better indication on how Gabbert is doing. I still don't like Maurice Jones-Drew despite a solid day. Historically RB's who don't participate in training camp and then start week 1 are no where near optimum shape and are prone to injury. If MJD breaks down then this team will have to solely rely on Gabbert which is not what they want.

No team in the NFL had such a horrific run of injuries last season. They couldn’t score points, couldn’t  defend the run and they ended the season at 2-14. The Rams have pressed the reset button this off season.  They hired a new general manager and head coach as well as signing a drive of free agents and rookies to increase the lack of  talent. In fact they kept 15 rookies at the final cut of the team, a obscenely large number. Coach Jeff Fisher, previously in Tennessee, has a reputation of producing aggressive and physical defences combined with a conservative offensive game as well as growing a awesome moustache. This will make the team more competitive  but they will be some growing pains with such a young team.

There were too many holes to fix in one offseason so the Rams focused on defence mostly. This will probably mean another average year for QB Sam Bradford as they focused on improving the defence through the draft and free agency. The No. 1 pick in the 2010 Draft struggled behind a terrible OL and throwing to no standout WR’s. He does get his favourite target back from injury in Danny Amendola and RB Steven Jackson is always there to relieve pressure but another weapon needs to emerge and the OL has got to give Bradford more time to throw. 

The good thing is that the long term future is good. They have a gold mine of high draft picks for the next couple of years after trading the 2012 No. 2 overall pick to the Redskins and their defence will be much improved this season. A six win season would be a good result for a team that can only go up.

Beast player- Chris Long DE.

Great players- Steven Jackson RB, Courtland Finnegan CB, Scott Wells C.

Bust out player- Robert Quinn DE.

Retroactive Look after Week 1: The Rams were leading the Lions with 2 min to go last week but couldn't hold on losing 23-27. Defensively they looked strong creating a lot of turnovers. Offensively they looked much improved from last year with WR's getting open for Bradford. Unfortunately the suspect OL has already taken a massive hit with injuries to starting left tackle Rodger Saffold and Center Scott Wells. If they can't pass protect for Bradford for even a few seconds then this team is heading for another bad season. At least the defence should keep them in more games.

The Oakland Raiders for decades, under the guidance of their owner Al Davis, were known to do things their way and if you didn’t like it, tough! His autocratic style meant constant coach changes and a focus on drafting the fastest and strongest athletes who weren’t necessarily good football players. It helped them win Super Bowls in the 1970’s but the increasingly eccentric Davis ended up turning the organisation into the laughing stock of the NFL, in fact they haven’t been in the playoffs since 2002! Davis passed away during last season and now his family have decided to use some common sense and get some experienced NFL management in. 

This team has a lot of fast and exciting talent but has injury concerns and depth issues in all areas. It also was the most penalised and undisciplined team in the history of the NFL which costs them field position and points. That should improve under the no nonsense approach of new head coach Dennis Allen, formerly the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.

Oakland have a chance to win the AFC West but a lot of ‘ifs’ are needed for that to happen. RB Darren McFadden has to stay healthy, the WR’s have to stay healthy, QB Carson Palmer has to stop turning over the ball like he has been since he was traded from the Bengals last season. The defence has to stop giving away dumb penalties. They will probably do worse than their 8-8 record last year but they will at least be on their way to righting a losing, undisciplined culture.

Beast players- Darren McFadden RB (IF healthy), Richard Seymour DT, Shane Lechler P.

Great players- None

Bust out player- Darius Heyward Bay WR.

Retroactive Look after Week 1: Well the Raiders were looking competitive vs the Chargers on Monday Night Football until there long snapper got injured. Then this happened. This effectively changed the game and the Raiders couldn't recover. It really shows how important it is to have your reserves practice more in case of injury. In all fairness to the reserve long snapper though, the offences inability to move the chains on 3rd down were too blame for the punting team to be in this predicament. Despite Carson Palmer not throwing an interception he wasn't that effective. The defence did hold the Phillip Rivers to one touchdown which was encouraging. The Raiders could pull off some upsets this year but they are just going to be too inconsistent to make the playoffs.

NFL Retroactive Season Preview- Musical Chairs- Part 1

Hey guys this should have come out last week but unfortunately I ran out of time to edit it all before I went away for the weekend to Phuket. So I decided to wait until the end of Week 1 till I released it, becoming maybe the only retroactive NFL season preview on the web. Thankfully a lot isn’t set in the NFL after one game so it’s still relevant.

Every year before the start of the NFL season experts and fans alike create their ‘power rankings’- putting all 32 NFL teams in order, 1-32. To me this is a pointless exercise as such rankings become obsolete very quickly.  The NFL is one of the most fluid sports competitions in the world when it comes  to which teams make the playoffs.  Every year five or six teams surprise everybody by reaching the playoffs, where as teams who are overhyped in the preseason can ultimately flop.

 So instead of publishing my own power rankings, I thought it might more interesting to categorise teams in terms of the situations/dilemmas they face going into this year’s competition.  Just to make it a little more fun for you all, I’ve named each category after analogous stars of the music industry. What better way than to combine two of my favourite pastimes?  

Considering the size of the preview and the lack of knowledge that some of my readers may have this post will just have the music analogies with the team names listed under. Further posts will have my  team by team preseason analysis and then a quick outlook after Week 1.

Linkin Park Division

 Remember when Linkin Park were seen as one of the most exciting new bands out there? The group’s mix of metal, hip hop and electronica, combined with strong vocals, made them one of the most popular bands on the charts in the early 2000’s. Ten years on, they’re still producing music but there’s been no progression, they haven’t been innovative enough to stay relevant.

In the same way these three teams  have not kept up with the rest of the NFL and in my opinion, have no hope of competing for a playoff spot this year.  All have serious weak points , the only thing they will be fighting for this year will be who gets the rights to the first pick in next year’s draft.

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

Arizona Cardinals

Jack Johnson Division

Now hear me out, I like Jack Johnson’s music. It’s not going to be innovative and it’s not award winning but it’s not going to be terrible either, you know what you’re getting with him. The same applies to these four teams. They aren’t going to be in the playoffs this year but they will be better than last year. They are rebuilding teams which are a couple of years away from competing.

Minnesota Vikings

Jacksonville Jaguars

St Louis Rams

Oakland Raiders

Black Eyed Peas + Fergie Division

Many people don’t remember that The Black Eyed Peas formed a full ten years before they added a female lead singer and surprised everyone by becoming an international hip-hop sensation. Before Fergie joined them the Black Eyed Peas were a good group but with her they became exponentially more successful. Sometimes a team only needs a change in one key position to lift the team significantly. These next five teams have all made changes which will make them improve in both the short term and the long term.

Indianapolis Colts

Washington D.C

Carolina Panthers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Maroon 5 Division

Maroon 5 is currently rated as one of the best pop rock bands and I can’t figure out for the life of me why? Maybe it’s teenage girl market or they move like Jagger? In the same way these following teams are overhyped for one reason or the other and are likely to disappoint the average fan who thinks there the best thing since sliced bread.

Denver Broncos

Dallas Cowboys

San Diego Chargers

Gangnam Style Division

Now if you have somehow missed the South Korean pop sensation check this out.  The most hyped music artist on the planet, many people are talking about him right now. The same goes for these next three teams, trendy picks to be a surprise this year and reach the playoffs. Whether they can do that remains to be seen.

Seattle Seahawks

Buffalo Bills

Kansas City

Jet Division

Every so often there are bands/artists who come out with a hugely successful  debut album.  The Australian band Jet are a great example. Their album Get Born, released in 2003,sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide and made them household names with songs like ‘Rollover DJ’, ‘Cold Hard Bitch’ and ‘Are You Going To Be My Girl’. Their follow up albums though have been commercial flops and they have never made it to the heights. In the same way these two teams made the playoffs last year and have high hopes to replicate that this year but I see them  underachieving this year.

Detroit Lions

Cincinaati Bengals

Madonna Division

Not many pop artists have stayed as relevant for so long as Madonna has done. Reinventing her sound as the decades go past she is finally fading into memory. These two teams have been consistently playoff relevant over the past five or so years year’s but the times are a changing.

NY Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Amy Winehouse Division

No musician encapsulates this next group of teams better then Amy Winehouse. Winehouse was a brilliant artist, a multiple Grammy award winner and pop sensation. However her bouts of substance abuse affected her musical development and ultimately were her fatal flaw. In the same way these teams all have brilliant facets to their games but they all have at least one serious flaw that needs to be addressed for them to win the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49er’s

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

U2 Division

Whether you like them or not you have to admire U2’s longevity and consistency. The same goes for these three teams who all have critics going into this season for various reasons. They will inevitably be in the running for the playoffs whether you like it or not though.

New Orleans Saints

Baltimore Ravens

NY Giants

Jimi Hendrix Division

Ask the average person ‘Who’s  the greatest electrical guitarist ever?’ the name that will come up the most is Jimi Hendrix. The same is for these two teams coming into this season, these two had outstanding seasons last year but ultimately short. I think they are the heavy favourite to get to the Super Bowl in their respective conferences and ultimately face off for the Super Bowl. Of course I will be wrong but hey- it’s not a science!

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

Photo sourced from allkpop.com

NFL 2012 Season Preview- Part 1- Introduction to the Game

The NFL Season is upon us and not a moment too soon! As a New Zealander it may come as a surprise that the NFL is my favourite sport to watch. I happened to catch game on ESPN when I was 13 years old and I was hooked after that, teaching myself the positions and rules through the years. Why do I love it may you ask?

•    I love the physicality of it but I also the complexity and design of the plays, a lot goes into running a play.
•  I love that it is the most competitively balanced league anywhere in the world. Every team has the same amount of money to spend, it doesn't have any serious competition that can poach players and teams in any year have a legitimate chance of getting to the playoffs. It’s better than rugby or any football league in the world for competitive balance.
•  I've seen a lot of rugby and cricket growing up, there is such a thing as too much, believe me!

To many outside of the United States when they see a American Football game they think it’s a boring, complicated and slow version of rugby. To be honest Rugby Union has just as many pedantic rules in scrums and line outs as American Football does, it’s just the fact that the game is very stop and start, the plays only last a matter of seconds and there are numerous TV breaks. Put that all aside and you have a fast, exciting sport which has a extremely passionate fan base growing throughout the world.

Basic Rules

In a simplistic way it is similar to Rugby League, with a set amount of plays on offense. Teams are given four plays to gain 10 yards. If they get over 10 yards with in those four plays they then it resets to four new plays and so on and so forth. If a team fails to get past 10 yards after three plays they usually punt the ball to the opposition, trying to gain field position or, if they are within range, attempt to kick a field goal.

The game itself is made up of 4 x 15min quarters.

The game is played on a field a similar size to rugby, roughly 100 metres in length. The name ‘Gridiron’ comes from the fact that the field was marked in grids in the early days of the game.

How To Score

The aim for teams is to score in the following ways:

• Scoring a touchdown, like a try- worth 6 points. Can either throw it into the end-zone to a receiver or run it in.
•  Kicking a conversion after a touchdown-1point OR
•  Going for a 2 point conversion where the offense tries to score a touchdown instead of kicking a conversion.
• Kicking a field goal- 3 points.
• Getting a safety- sacking the opposition in their own end-zone-2points.

An American football team is broken up into three separate units- Offense, Defense and Special Teams. Special Teams is on the field for kick offs, punts, field goals and kick/punt returns. The team is made up of a mixture of offensive and defensive players. Players do not usually play on both offensive  and defensive units as their roles are very specialised. 11 men are on the field for each unit and a team’s roster on game day is a massive 46 players!

Offense

 There has to be eleven men on the field at one time as you can see by the diagram below, here is a quick breakdown of the teams:

Quarterback: The most important position of the team. The leader of the offense and the entire team. The good ones throw the ball to receivers as well as handoff to the running backs. If your team has a good QB then it will always have a chance to win.

Top QB’s in NFL: Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints).

Running Back: Self explanatory really, he runs with the ball. Takes a load of punishment on the body. Come in all shapes and sizes but a prerequisite is having solid hands, if you have a fumbling problem as a running back you will have a very short career in the NFL. When it’s a pass play running backs can either get open for a pass or protect the quarterback by blocking pass rushers.

Top RB’s in the NFL: Arian Foster (Texans), LeSean McCoy (Eagles), Ray Rice (Ravens).

Wide Receiver: These guys are the track athletes of the game. Like running backs there is a variety of sizes within this group but their goal is the same, to catch passes from Quarterbacks. WR’s run what are called ‘routes’ or a specific plan of where they will run so that Quarterbacks know exactly where to throw the ball. It usually take  WR’s three seasons to learn the NFL route tree so it can take a while for a player to develop into a good WR. Note: The diagram only shows two wide receivers but you can have up to five if you have no running backs and Tight Ends.

Top WR’s in the NFL: Calvin Johnson (Lions), Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Greg Jennings (Packers).

Tight End: The absolute freak athletes of the NFL. They start at the line of scrimmage and can either block for running and pass plays or run routes like wide receivers, the ultimate utility guy on offence. The last couple of years have seen the rise of Tight Ends who are threat in the pass game like never before, a lot of ex basketball players are being converted to play the position. Too fast for linebackers but too strong for defensive backs, a nightmare for defences.

Top WR’s in the NFL: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Antonio Gates (Chargers).

Tackles: Name the position which gets payed the most after Quarterbacks in the NFL and you would think WR or RB but in fact it is the left tackles. The reason is because if the Quarterback is right handed then they protect is ‘blindside’ where he can’t see. The left tackle must prevent the best pass rusher of the opposition defence  getting to his Quarterback. The right tackles job is a little easier but they are usually better at run blocking. Tackles ideally are around 6’6 and over 300 pounds but extremely quick over 10 yards.

Top Tackles in the NFL: Joe Thomas (Browns), Jason Peters (Eagles), Duane Brown (Texans).

Guards: Both right and left guards line up inside the tackles. They are also big and deal with the interior defensive linemen to make sure they don’t penetrate the line and disrupt the offense. They are not as agile as tackles usually but are more powerful and usually have a mean streak to them.

Top Guards in the NFL: Jahri Evans (Saints), Carl Nicks (Buccaneers), Logan Mankins (Patriots).

Center: The center starts off every offensive play by ‘hiking’ the ball to the Quarterback while simultaneously preparing to block the defensive linemen opposite him. Usually get the offensive line in order, intelligent. Hours can be spent in pre-season practicing the ’hike’, making sure there isn’t a chance of a fumble before a play has even started.

Top centers in the NFL: Nick Mangold (Jets), Jeff Saturday(Packers), Chris Myers (Texans).

Fullbacks: This position is dying as the era of passing takes over. Only a handful of teams use fullbacks regularly now. They usually go before a running back and block ahead of him  and create running lanes for them to get through.

Top Fullback in the NFL: Vonta Leach (Ravens).

Defense

There are two main defensive formations in the NFL today, the 4-3 and the 3-4. The diagram below shows a basic 4-3 formation. A 3-4 is where there are only three defensive linemen and four linebackers. The 3-4 formation became popular in the 2000’s as it gives you more flexibility in pass coverage as you have the extra linebacker who can either rush the passer or drop back to protect the pass.

Defensive Tackles: DT’s are the huge behemoths which anchor the defense. In a 4-3 the DT’s try to penetrate the O line a lot more  where has the DT’s in a 3-4 try to hold space and clog the lanes so their linebackers can make a play on the ball. These guys weigh over 300 pounds easily and are very difficult to move.

Best DT’s in the NFL: Haloti Ngata (Ravens), Vince Wilfork (Patriots), Richard Seymour (Raiders).

Defensive Ends: In a 4-3 defence these guys role is fairly simple- rush the quarterback. Blessed with great size and speed the best DE’s give the Quarterback very little time in the pocket to make decisions. They must be adept at stopping RB’s  get to the outside. Great DE’s get paid handsomely.

Best DE’s in the NFL: Jared Allen (Vikings), Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants), Justin Smith (49ers).

Outside Linebackers: In a 3-4 the OLB are the dynamic players in the defence, needing to defend quick RB’s on the outside, drop into coverage against the pass and to rush the QB. Usually weigh in around 250 pounds and well over 6 feet they are extremely quick and strong.

Best OLB’s in the NFL: DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys), Clay Matthews (Packers), Von Miller (Broncos).

Middle Linebackers: Sometimes referred to as ‘Mike” the MLB is the quarterback of the defense. He receives the defensive play call from the side line. The MLB does a little bit of everything and is usually a game changer who can get interceptions and force fumbles.

Best MLB’s in the NFL: Patrick Willis (49er’s), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Brian Urlacher (Bears).

Cornerbacks: These guys faceoff against the WR’s, they must be able to change direction very quickly and have good leaping ability to contest air balls. An elite CB and shutdown a player 3-4 inches bigger them due to his ability to stay with their opposition.

Best CB’s in the NFL: Darrell Revis (Jets), Nnamdi Asomugha (Eagles), Jonathan Joseph (Texans).

Safeties: There are two types of safeties, Strong Safeties (SS) and Free Safeties (FS). SS tend to be bigger and stronger, they tend to be good at defending the run and blitzing the QB. The FS tends to help more in pass coverage and go for interceptions and turnovers. Both help the cornerbacks in coverage to defend against the pass.

Best safeties in the NFL: Troy Polamalu (Steelers), Ed Reed (Ravens), Eric Berry (Chiefs).

I hope this was informative. Stay tuned for more NFL articles including a preview of this year’s NFL season team by team.

Superman traded! The Magic aren't so when it comes to getting value.

As the Olympics finished up a trade of momentous proportions in the NBA went largely unheralded. The trade of Dwight Howard, a top three player NBA, from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers is the most significant move of the whole offseason. It concludes a long period of of postulating from Howard and the Magic in regards to whether he would stay or demand a trade. After several failed trade attempts between numerous teams this four team trade was finally accepted:


Los Angeles Lakers receive: Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark (from Magic)

Denver Nuggets receive: Andre Iguodala ( from 76ers)

Philadelphia 76er's receive: Andrew Bynum (LA), Jason Richardson (Orlando)

Orlando Magic receive: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, first-round pick in 2014, second-round pick in 2013 (from Nuggets); Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, conditional first-round pick (from 76ers); Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, conditional first-round pick in 2017, conditional second-round pick in 2015 (from Lakers)

• So we have the two best centers in the game (Howard, Bynum) and perhaps the best wing defender in the NBA at this stage (Iguodala) being traded, this changes the setting of the NBA significantly.
• First of all how is Pau Gasol not part of the trade? This is straight robbery from the Lakers!

•  How does the Orlando Magic, with the best player in the deal, get the worst outcome out of all the teams involved!?!?!?!  They didn't even receive the second or third best player in the draft!!!! They receive a solid but not spectacular shooting guard in Afflalo, veteran power forward Al Harrington who can score, as well as promising young players in Vucevic and Harkless. But all the other teams get ALL STARS!?!? The Orlando Magic execs must have had a gun put their heads by Howards representatives when this trade went through. Ok, but at least they got rid of some bad contracts right?
• Nope. Only Jason Richardson's $18 million over three years was traded. Hedo Turkoglus's ridiculous $24 million salary over two years and Glen Davis's $19 million over three apparently couldn't be moved. They traded Howards $19 million contract and they still are over the NBA team salary cap line!!This must be the first time where a team trading a top-3 NBA player doesn't get a significantly smaller payroll. Usually when team trades it's superstar it means they are able to reduce payroll at the same time, get rid of some of its worst contracts and rebuild through the draft. 
• Now some of you will be thinking "But they got three first round picks and a couple of second round picks, surely they can use those along with their own future picks to rebuild?" Well it's not as good as it looks for a couple of reasons:
• First of all the first round picks from the three other teams are 'conditional' picks. This means that if those teams struggle and there pick falls into the top-8, they get to keep it. How did the Magic allow the other teams to retain that right?! Is it not enough they all received the best players in the trade? These teams are highly unlikely to struggle anyway, so the picks will be in the 20's and it is very hard to strike gold when it comes to players that late in the first round of the draft.
• Then we come to Orlando's own picks, which you would think are going to be quite low due to them losing Howard. However the team that they have assembled isn't so bad that they will only win 20 games. Its made up of a bunch of saavy,solid veterans who can play and not disgrace themselves. This team is going to be fighting for the No. 8 spot in the playoffs, which is the worst place you can be in the NBA. Not good enough to make it far in the playoffs and not low enough to get a good pick in the draft. You can see the Magic have really thought this through haven't you?

Now Orlando had numerous trade offers from multiple teams until right up to the point the trade was made.

• The Brooklyn Nets proposals were publicised as the most attractive- Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, four first round picks for Howard and bad contracts in exchange. This seems better to the actual Howard trade but the draft picks would again most likely be in the 20's and not too mention you would be trading your best player to a division rival. The Magic smartly declined this offer.
• The best trade offers came from the Houston Rockets who were willing to trade multiple unprotected first round picks, including a almost guaranteed lottery pick, some of their drafted players this year as well as some solid veterans in return for Howard. They were also apparently keen to take on multiple bad contracts and they weren't concerned on whether Howard would sign an extension or not at the end of the season when his contract runs out. It would have been a better in three ways, getting rid of the majority of your bad contracts, receiving first round picks for future and receiving young players who have potential but aren't going to win you games immediately. So why didn't they do it?

Well by the sounds of it there were major disagreements amongst the Magic management which has resulted in this trade being accepted. If rumours are true the team president Alex Martins pulled rank over general manager Rob Henningan and wanted this deal over the Rockets one. If this is the case I feel really sorry for the fans who pay money to attend games and buy merchandise. Ever since this episode with Howard started a couple of years ago the Magic franchise has dealt with the situation poorly. 

The fact they sold Howard, the best center in the NBA, for 40 cents to the dollar is a testament to their ineptitude. The Magic have created the worst scenario possible for a rebuild. Not bad enough to contend for the top lottery picks but not good enough to get high enough in the playoffs. This rebuild is going to be a long one.

And I Will Try To Fix You

Most Olympic games have their fair share of cheating incidents. In 1988 USA boxer Rob Jones Jr somehow lost his gold medal match despite pummelling his South Korean opponent. In 2004 a Hungarian fencing official admitted he deliberately handed out several errors to the Chinese men's foil team in the final in which they eventually lost, resulting in a two year ban for him.

This week at the London games we have seen some of the most blatant match fixing you will ever see, in the women's doubles badminton event. The Badminton World Federation have today disqualified eight players from the games after their farcical conduct in trying to deliberately lose as to get better position in the elimination rounds. Here are some of my thoughts on this debacle.
(To watch the footage of the first game which triggered it off, go to the official Olympic Youtube Channel and find the last prelim Mens/Womens video for the 31 July-NZ time- which starts at the '27min' mark. Go an hour into the video and you'll see the top Chinese team playing the South Korean team).

• I don't think I have ever seen such blatant match fixing in my entire life. OK maybe this time. The Chinese certainly didn't try to hide it, even after being warned twice in the match. I mean we are talking about the No.1 ranked Chinese team here, I would play better then that right now.
• It seems the Chinese have a history of doing this in other badminton competitions as well. They have ended up with two teams playing in finals play several times event though they were supposed to play if they had won all their matches like they usually do. Why do they allow multiple teams from the same country in the first place?
• I feel sorry for the South Korean team who played the Chinese- it really didn't seem like they were trying to lose the match- more resigned to the fact that the Chinese wanted to lose more then they did so they went along with it.
• The governing body of Badminton has to take the blame for not making the competition a knock out style rather then group based as it is this year. You are just inviting athletes to throw games to get better position in the playoffs. 
• It seems also that the sport has a known problem amongst the participants of the sport and that this latest incident was forecast the day before: These quotes come from Gail Emms, the former Great Briton Badminton player, who voiced her concerns over the fixing to the Guardian:

"All the managers got together with the referee and said: 'Look, this has happened; in Group D you will find some very dodgy matches going on in the evening because of it' and the referee laughed and said: 'Oh don't be silly,'" she said. "And the managers said: 'We know the game, we know the players and we know the teams and we know this is going to happen.'"

She added: "Badminton, in the Olympics and in all tournaments across the circuit, it's never played in a group stage, it's always a straight knockout system and for some reason they decided that the Olympic Games in 2012 should be this group stages.

"And as soon as I heard that I went: 'It's going to bring up match-fixing,' that was my first thought, and lo and behold last night that is exactly what happened."

If this is all true and this meeting did occur, then it highlights serious shortfalls in the culture of Badminton. I mean if Emms, a former player,  knew straight away that the change in format would result in match fixing at the Olympics then there needs to be a serious change within the sport. Athletes, regardless of competition or sport, should always strive to play the best to their ability and not cheapen the sport by fixing matches. This incident is going to have some short term repercussions for the reputation of competitive Badminton but hopefully the governing bodies can learn from its mistakes and rectify this problematic culture of fixing just like cricket is.

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Peace

Photo sourced from telegraph.co.uk