2012 Season Bold Predictions NFL

Now for my bold predictions for the NFL. If you didn't see the first part of this two part article here are my bold predictions for College football

1. Denard Robinson will light it up in the Cowboy Classic against Bama's Defense
2. Denard Robinson will win the Heisman and lead Michigan to victory in the Big Ten championship.
3. Alabama will not repeat as BCS champions and will lose the SEC to LSU.
4. Matt Barkley will win the BCS championship but will not win the Heisman.
5. Ohio State will win 8 games with new coach Urban Meyer.
6. LSU, in Buffalo Bills fashion, will make it to the BCS championship and lose to USC.

Now on to the predictions for the NFL.

1. Robert Griffin III and not Andrew Luck will win Offensive Player of The Year.
 Alright, I'll say what anyone reading this is thinking, boring. But most people still think Luck is the better QB and will win Offensive Player of The Year. I say they are wrong, as I have ever since I picked RGIII to win the Heisman in the middle of last season.

2. The post bounty gate Saints will win the NFC.
 This one is kind of self explanatory. The Saints have so much talent on offense and their defense is showing great improvement under one of the best defensive minds in the NFL.

3. The Washington Redskins will make the playoffs.
 With the addition of Pierre Garcon the Redskins now have the passing weapons they need to compliment Mike Shanahan's Zone Blocking rushing scheme. With weapons such as Fred Davis, Chris Cooley, Santana Moss, Josh Morgan, and Pierre Garcon RGIII has a good amount of talent around him.

4. The Jacksonville Jaguars will contend for a playoff spot.
 No I am not doing drugs. Yes, I realize MJD is not in camp right now. But after Gabbert's first two pre-season games, I'll go out on a limb and say they will compete for a playoff berth this year. Between the additions of Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson, the play of  Blaine Gabbert so far, and the play of 2nd string running back Rashad Jennings the Jags have a much better looking team in Mike Mularkey's inaugural season.

5. Russell Wilson will win the starting QB job in Seattle.
 This would have been a much bolder prediction two weeks ago before I had the stats to back me up. But regardless, just as I said before the draft, Russell Wilson is a NFL starting caliber QB. In two pre-season games Wilson has blown Flynn out of the water. The real test will come if Carrol gives him the shot to start in the 3rd pre-season game and he gets to play against a starting defense instead of only 2nd string players.

6. Tim Tebow will become the starter for the Jets at some point this year.
 And I just lost probably 90% of the people actually reading this. I know his stats have been horrible in the first two pre-season games. Just remember Sanchez's have been just as horrible. When he does become the starter, it very well might be because Sanchez simply sucks. I don't expect Tim to catch lightning in a bottle again this season, but he will get the nod at some point in the season and play good enough to not get replaced by Greg McElroy at least.

2012 Season Bold Predictions College

 Another season of football is just around the corner. In two weeks we have what I believe will be the most entertaining game of week 1, the Cowboy Classic. The Michigan Wolverines and The Crimson Tide of Alabama will face off in the million dollar playpen known as Jerryworld or Cowboy Stadium. 4 Days later the NFL season kicks off with the Giants-Cowboys grudge match reigniting in Met Life stadium

 Every year a lot of the talking heads on ESPN give their "bold predictions" for the year. So I figured I'd join in on the fun and come up with 6 bold predictions for the NFL and College football season.

Lets start with the college predictions first.

1. Denard Robinson will light it up in the Cowboy Classic against Alabama's defense.
  I'm not saying that the Wolverines will necessarily win but I am saying that Denard is going to have a good game. Somewhere around 230 yards passing 100 yards rushing 2-3 total TD's and at most 1 turnover.

2. Denard Robinson will win the Heisman Trophy in route to a Big Ten championship victory.
 Denard is going to do the same thing to Barkley that RGIII did to Luck last year, he's going to come out of relative obscurity and take the Heisman from the favorite. And Michian will overtake Michigan State to win the Big Ten.

3. Alabama will not repeat as BCS champions and will not win the SEC.
 Not as bold as the first two considering how few teams actually repeat as BCS champions, but they will also not win the SEC, losing out to LSU.

4. Matt Barkley will win the BCS championship, but not the Heisman.
 USC will win the BCS championship game, but Barkley will have to go into the NFL without a Heisman.

5. Ohio State will win 8 games this regular season under coach Urban Meyer.
 I'm not gonna say that they're going to suddenly be the best team in College sports, but under Urban Meyer they have a 8 win season and take steps toward being a player in the Big Ten.

6.  LSU will once again lose the BCS championship.
 In true Buffalo Bills fashion LSU will make it to the 'ship for the second consecutive year and lose again, this year to No.1 seed USC.

Saints players to watch during the preseason

 The most impressive players from the Saints side of the ball in the Hall Of Fame game included Joseph Morgan, Courtney Roby, Mark Ingram, Andy Tanner, Martez Wilson , and Travaris Cadet. As much as I want to put Chris Ivory on that list his stat line wasn't good enough to warrant it even if it was his O-Line's fault he kept getting stuffed.

 I will be focusing on the three most impressive players which other than Mark Ingram were all somewhat unknown players. I'll start of with the third most impressive player, Mark Ingram. Mark Ingram's stat line included 4 carries for 14 yards and the sole rushing touchdown scored by the Saints. All of those stats were in one drive but in reality the numbers don't show why it was such a good performance. Ingram looked to be running with the intensity and vision that no one has seen much of since his days at Alabama. Going into the regular season I think Mark Ingram will ultimately take the starting job from Pierre Thomas and hold onto it throughout the season (barring injury).

 Next there is the second most impressive player, rookie undrafted free agent RB/WR/KR/PR Travaris Cadet from Appalachian State. This kid looked way to good out there to have gone undrafted but alas he somehow went undrafted and ended up with the Saints. At 6'1 and 210 lbs. he is the largest running back on the Saints roster as of now and despite only running a 4.67 40 yard dash at his pro day he ran a 4.4 previously in college and looked like a 4.4 athlete on the field Sunday.

 They used him in much the same way that they normally use Darren Sproles in, mostly using him as a receiver out of the backfield in Shotgun formations. He led the Saints in receiving yards and receptions with 8 catches for 80 yards and the only receiving touchdown of the night.

 He also showed pretty good skills in the return game returning kicks and punts finishing with 40 yards in return yards on one punt and one kickoff. With the versatility he has shown he could end up making a guy like Chris Ivory who I have always been a fan of expendable.

 There was only one things about him I didn't like. The first one being that he didn't always show great vision and decisive running as he finished with negative yards running although a lot of that could be attributed to the second string O-Line not blocking very well.

 As great as I think Travaris Cadet's game was, Defensive End Martez Wilson's game was even better. I only saw him in the game on three plays. Each play he was in there he caused a sack. He rushed off the edge and had a clean shot at the Quarterback (I believe it was John Skelton at that point) he then did the same thing against Richard Bartell splitting a sack with Defensive Tackle Tom Johnson. And in the third play I saw him in, he ran Richard Bartell right into the Saints Defensive Tackle Tyruun Walker.

 Really there are two words that perfectly describe Martez Wilson to me. Those words are Osi Umenyiora. Martez Wilson should win the starting speed rush Defensive End job by the start of the regular season. The speed rush End being Spagnuolo's end when he shifts one or both of his starting ends (in this case Cameron Jordan) inside to defensive tackle.

Basically the Saints should be very excited about there new defensive scheme and Martez Wilson in the next year.

Why Denard Robinson Will Win The Heisman Trophy

  Yes, you read the title correctly, Denard Robinson is my pre-season Heisman Trophy pick.
Most people will probably argue that Denard Robinson is not a real Quarterback, he isn't a good enough passer, and Matt Barkley will ultimately win the Heisman and be the first overall pick in the Draft. To me, Matt Barkley is Andrew Luck and Denard Robinson will prove to be this year's RG3.

 If you just look at Denard's stats from last year then you can make a strong case that he shouldn't even be in the running. Last year Shoelace had a 55 % completion percentage with 20 passing TD's to 15 Ints with 2100 yards passing. He still ran for 1100 yards rushing and had 14 TD's but his passing numbers were near horrendous last year. However, go back to his sophomore year where he had a 62.5 completion percentage with 2500 yards and 18 TD's to 11 Ints. Denard also added 1700 yards rushing with 14 TD's in his sophomore year.

 All of those stats lead me to one point Denard Robinson was better in his second year under Rich Rodriguez than his first year under Brady Hoke. This makes me think that Denard in large part didn't know what he was doing last year. I personally think Denard has a shot to have a really good season with the talent around him in his second year in Michigan's Hybrid West Coast/Spread Option offense.

 However talent and being more comfortable in a system is not grounds for a Heisman prediction on it's own. If you talk to anyone around the University of Michigan football program they are saying there is something different about Denard this year.

 In his Senior year he is showing maturity that just hasn't been there before. Denard has done the one thing he never has done much, he has become a film addict. He has been scouting other teams as well as himself and been working on correcting his mistakes from last year before he gets on the field. Denard has always been good at self correcting at halftime or in between drives but he is taking it upon himself to correct his mistakes before he walks into the trial by fire that is awaiting him in Cowboys Stadium.

 He has also broken some of the habits he's had of eating junk food, with him saying he is in the best shape of his life. Denard has also broken something much more important than his bad habits, Robinson has also broken his silence. Robinson has never been a talker but this year he did something very much out of character when he gave the keynote address at the 2012 Big Ten luncheon. He described how it was in the neighborhood he grew up in. He addressed how many kids in his town ended up doing drugs, getting involved with gangs, and doing various other illegal activities. He also said he wasn't the best football player in his town, he was just the best one to get out without getting aressted or shot.

 Everything Denard has done in this offseason has him looking poised to snatch the Heisman away from probable No.1 overall pick Matt Barkley. The real test will be the trial by fire against the Crimson Tide of Alabama in Jerryworld. In my mind if Denard has a good game against the Tide, even if they don't win, he will make a strong case to be the front runner for the Heisman right off the bat.

NNF Labs presents: The Ultimate Quarterback

 Straight from NNF labs the ultimate quarterback. A look at what the ultimate NFL quarterback would look like, if only in my head.


 Lets start with the mind, the ability to read defenses. From the time put it in the film room to the speed at which that person learns an offense all incorporate the brain. I think everybody can agree that the best mind in the NFL is that of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. If you took the mind of Peyton Manning and put it into the body of any mere mortal they would be an NFL quarterback just because of that mind.


 Now let's look at everything from the neck down. The overall body build. Muscle thickness, weight, height, and strength. I think most people would agree this is the only part of the ultimate quarterback that Tim Tebow would qualify for. There has never been a more dedicated weight room warrior at the quarterback position than Tim Tebow.


 Now that we have the mind and the build let's look at the first of our two intangibles, heart. The heart, the drive, the warrior mentality. The it factor that allows our ultimate qb to crush weaker players and lead his teammates to victory. 


 Based on that criteria I believe Brett Favre's heart and drive just barely edge out Tim Tebow. The man didn't miss a start in 17 years of playing, and many times because of raw determination was able to make a play out of nothing.


 Now our second intagible is decision making, accuracy, the ability to know when to force it and when to throw it away. I have not seen a qb with a better sense of this than current offensive player of year Drew Brees. If you watch him play he knows when to throw it deep, when to throw it short, when to force it, and when to simple get rid of the ball. He has amazing pocket prescence and will turn our 6'4'' 240lbs. monstrosity of a qb into a quick thinking field general.


 Then we have the right arm of JaMarcus Russell. Some people might be scratching their heads at this one, but after looking at all NFL quarterbacks their are only two quarterbacks who's arm strength comes close to that of JaMarcus Russell. Warren Moon and Brett Favre. JaMarcus might be an idiot but no one has ever questioned his physical tools, especially his arm strength. JaMarcus could throw a football throw a brick wall.....if he could hit the brick wall.
 Our ultimate quarterback would have the left arm of Boomer Esiason. Think about it, we have a quarterback whou can throw threw a brick wall with either his left or right hand. Boomer has the strongest arm out of any left handed quarterback I have ever seen. The only one that has similar arm strength was Bobby Douglass of the Chicago Bears.


 That leaves only his legs and I doubt that anyone would argue against Michael Vick's legs as our franken-quarterback's legs. The next closest would be Robert Griffin III but Vick's 4.33 time is simply unbeatable by a quarterback.


 So this is the ultimate quarterback. We have a 6'4'' 240lb., ambidextrous workout warrior who can run a 4.33 40 yard dash and has two cannon arms. Imagine a guy who can throw the ball as hard as JaMarcus Russell with the accuracy of Drew Brees with his right arm and throw as hard as Boomer with the accuracy of Brees with his left. Who has the sheer determination as Brett Favre and the brain of Peyton Manning. Can anyone truly argue this is not the ultimate quarterback?

Brees Gate

Yes, the addition of the word gate to scandalous activity continues. I have indeed invented "Brees Gate" detailing the most disturbing scandal of the NFL offseason. 


 If Tom Brady had his contract up at the end of a season could you imagine Bill Belichick not getting Tommy a new contract before the trade deadline? What about if Aaron Rodgers was in the same situation, can you imagine Ted Thompson not immediately signing Aaron Rodgers? If you said yes to the first one you are probably a Jets fan. If you said yes to the second one you are probably a bears fan, and both of you are full of wishful thinking tonight.


  I would wager that not even the Carolina Panthers with unproven second year QB Cam Newton would allow him to be going on the last year of his contract past the trade deadline, much less into the offseason. So why does it seem that Mickey Loomis is stuck playing hardball with record setting quarterback Drew Brees?


 The most common exscuse I hear is, "well, you know, Mr. Loomis has been busy with a bounty scandal." Too which I say, phooey! He should have had him signed before we even got into the playoffs, at least two months before any bounty scandal news. 


 I say if Mickey Loomis doesn't sign Drew Brees before the start of the pre-season Mickey Loomis should be fired on the spot. Now, I don't believe for one second that Drew Brees will miss any pre-season games, much less regular season games. But if he does, Loomis should be fired. It is simple  the Saints are a super bowl contender with Drew Brees. Without him they are a 7-9 team if that.


So in closing, Saints fans, if Drew Brees is not signed before mandatory team activities (training camp) begin we need to call our General Manager and get the real scandal of the offseason taken care of.

State of The Saints

   The New Orleans Saints, where to begin? Well first off they don't know who their Head Coach will be next year....or who will be playing on defense...........or who their quarterback will be. Nevertheless I will attempt to describe what the saints should do this year.


  The Saints most dire need is to find a pass rusher. They need to find someone to play opposite of Will Smith who can get to the quarterback. Now, I still think Cameron Jordan could develop into that type of player, but the Saints should draft another pass rusher as insurance. I like Boise State prospect Shea McClellin as a pass rushing end. A lot of people think Shea is too small to be a defensive end and would be better suited to play outside linebacker in a 34 defense. But he has been putting on extra weight since the end of last season and had an impressive combine showing. He ran a 4.62 40 yard dash, jumped a 9.5 feet broad jump, and had a 31.5 vertical jump.


 Actually I lied, the Saints most pressing need is to sign Drew Brees to a long term contract before the pre-season starts. The Saints also need to draft a quarterback in the late rounds to develop behind Drew as I'm not sure if Chase Daniel is the quarterback of the future. The Saints could go after Kellen Moore of Boise State or Case Keenum from Houston. They are both quarterbacks that would fit Sean Payton's system being smaller, agile, accurate, decision makers. They also could potential draft Brock Osweiler from Arizona State to backup up Drew Brees. Osweiler is a behemoth of a man at 6'7'' but is also pretty good as a runner, running a 4.7 40 yard dash.


  And a position of need that may not be quite as much in need now is linebacker. With the signings of Chris Chamberlain and Curtis Lofton the linebacking corps is looking strong next year, pending bounty suspensions. The Saints could look to solidify their linebacking corps with TCU prospect Tank Carder. He can play inside and outside and had an amazing combine running a 4.56 40 yard dash. He also had a broad jump of 10.1 feet and a vertical jump of 34.5 inches.


  What really strikes me is that a guy with the talent of Vontaze Burfict could fall to the Saints in the 3rd round. His draft stock has fallen very low because of a lack luster junior year and some attitude problems. He also had a terrible combine running the slowest time out of all linebackers. Nonetheless Vontaze has the potential of being an amazing linebacker, and if you get him in the 3rd or 4th round I say the risk is worth it.


  If the Saints can get Drew Brees signed to a contract soon I think they will be able to overcome the bounty penalty and win the NFC South again. Their toughest competition will come from a bit of a dark horse team in the Carolina Panthers. I could see the Saints winning 11-13 games and being in contention for a home Super Bowl if they adopt an "us versus the world" mentality and make this an advantage.

State of The Redskins

  For the second of my state of the franchise articles I will be looking at the future of the Washington Redskins.


  Obviously they wield the number 2 overall pick which they are expected to use on Robert Griffin III. Their most pressing need (other than Quarterback) is Inside Linebacker. They need to find someone to play opposite of London Fletcher. What I would really like to see the Redskins do is trade back into the first round and draft Dont'a Hightower. I realize the chances of that happening are not very good but if it happened the Redskins would have arguably the best inside linebacker tandem in the NFL. If they try to trade into the 2nd round or wait until their 3rd round pick then they could look at Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David, both of which could potentially fall that far. I think Wagner is a 1st round talent but since he is from a smaller school (Utah State) and missed the combine with Pneumonia he could slip into the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th round.


  The next most pressing need they have is either strong safety or wide receiver. Now, I have looked through the draft and aside from early round picks like Mark Barron I do not see that many good safeties. However, this class is deep at wide receiver. They could look at a guy like Junior Hemmingway in the 4th or 5th round. Other potential sleepers at receiver would be Devon Wylie or Reuben Randle of LSU.


  If it wasn't for my belief that Mike Shanahan could turn anybody into a 1,000 yard rusher I would say they should go for a speed back like LaMichael James or Chris Rainey. Either one of those guys would add an explosive playmaker to the offense in the same vein as Darren Sproles. After last year I think they should definitively add a speed receiver/ slot receiver because of the versatility it will allow. Both LaMichael and Rainey will be excellent special teams players as well.

  I know a lot of people seem to think that the Redskins need help on the offensive line. A lot of analysts say that their weakness was on the right side of the line and because of the loss of Jamaal Brown. They had an undrafted rookie free agent playing Right Tackle last year. Trust me, as a Saints fan I know how good Jamaal Brown is. They should add offensive lineman through free agency and sign a few veteran backups.


  As far as their outlook for next year, 9-7 at worst. I say the Redskins at least get a wild card berth next year. If the Giants start out slow like I think they will I could see the Redskins winning the division with RG3 under center.

State Of The Franchise: Colts

I'm going to kick off my state of the franchise reviews with the team that has the number 1 overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts.


  The Colts, ahh how the mighty have fallen. Two years ago you were a pick six away from the Lombardi Trophy. Now you are a wounded horse just barely alive, your rider ditched you for a stronger bucking Bronco. You were tamed by a group of marauding Texans and nearly eaten by a pack of Jaguars. But alas, all is not lost for you young Colt, your Luck is about to change.


 While it's true that I am an avid Robert Griffin III supporter and I believe he will be better than Andrew Luck, I see how good Luck is as well. Andrew Luck will be the savior of this poor wretched Colt, but it will take some time. I will not be surprised if the Colts finish 7-9 or worse next year. But it will be a promising year of under .500, much like the one that the Panthers had this past year with Cam Newton.


  If the Colts want to return to the supremacy they had for so long in the AFC South they have a few holes they need to fill. They have holes in the secondary, mainly at strong safety. They have not found a replacement for Bob Sanders, in fact last year they plugged in an undrafted safety named David Caldwell. Caldwell is decent, but he is mediocre at best and if it at all possible he should be replaced.


 The Colts, however, have a much worse need on offense. A solid receiver for Andrew Luck to throw to, preferably a tight end or a slot receiver. If I was the GM for the Colts I'd be looking to re-sign Dallas Clark as soon as possible and then add a solid receiver through the draft. The colts should be looking for a guy like Junior Hemmingway or Devon Wylie late in the draft. Both of these guys could be solid slot receivers in the NFL. If they wanted to pick a little higher they could go after a deep threat like Kendall Wright, Alshon Jeffrey, or Stephen Hill in the 2nd round.


 They could also look to pick up a running back in the mid rounds. A guy like LaMichael James or Chris Rainey could add an amazing playmaker to their team. LaMichael and Rainey both remind me of Darren Sproles as far as their skill sets go. They are both extremely fast and can play both in the backfield and in the slot, essentially filling two needs with one player. They are also both exceptional on special teams as return men.


 Colts fans will probably have to put up with another year or maybe two of being beaten down by the Texans and even the Jaguars. But by the end of 2014 I would be shocked if the Colts had not won another division title with Andrew Luck at the helm.

Case Keenum

 I'm going over a player who has just recently come back on my radar, Case Keenum. 


  Case Keenum is one of the best pure passers coming into the NFL I have seen in a long time. I know a lot of people will probably look at him and say he played in the C-USA, he is too short to be an NFL Quarterback, and he was a system Quarterback. Nonsense, Matt Forte played in the C-USA, Drew Brees is shorter than Case Keenum, and the system he ran at Houston is the same system that the Eagles, Saints, Packers, Patriots, and now the Broncos, all run.


  Last year he threw for 5,631 yards with 48 TDs to only 5 interceptions. That is an almost 10 to 1 ratio, yet the experts will still go back to saying he's too short to play in the NFL. Case has no problem throwing the ball with power and accuracy. He is an above average running threat, having ran track in high school. Case has also shown a knack for making good decisions from inside the pocket.


  Case is a coach's son with the kind of football IQ scouts look for. He is also a good kid with all of the intangibles that you could want in a leader. He is a little bit older than most prospects because he was granted a 6th year of eligibility after being injured in his 1st try at a senior year. 


  All in all Case Keenum looks like a good fit to be another Drew Brees in a few years. The best fits for Case would be the Saints, Patriots, or Eagles. They would be great fits because they have older Quarterbacks who could be a mentor for three to five years and then slowly fade into a backup role and eventually, retirement.

What The New Orleans Saints Alternates Should Look Like

 Nike has recently announced that they will be doing alternate jerseys for any team that agrees to it. After reading that I was thinking about what the Saints' alternate jerseys could look like. And with the help of EA Sports NCAA Football Teambuilder Page I have pictures of my idea.

 These are the jerseys I think the Saints should adopt for all of their divisional home games from now on. If not all of them, then at least for the home game against the Falcons. I took the idea of the black helmet from a previous time when the Saints flirted with the idea of a black helmet. However, unlike my picture, I would want the helmet to have a matte black finish like the Oregon Ducks black helmet. Also note the Fleur De Lis on the sleeves should be much larger and their should obviously be some branding (i.e. Nike swooshes, NFL tags ect.)

2012 NFL Draft Sleepers Part 2

 The next two sleepers I will cover are LaMichael James, the running back from the University of Oregon. And LaDarius Green, the tight end from the University of Louisiana Lafayette. Both of these prospects had really good combine workouts.


 LaMichael James had an amazing college career, finishing with 5,082 rushing yards and 386 yards receiving in three years of college football. I can see LaMichael being another Darren Sproles, Reggie Bush, or a souped up Kevin Faulk. I honestly would love to see what Bill Bellichick or Sean Payton could do with a kid like LaMichael. Could you imagine the Saints with essentially two Darren Sproles. If the great Al Davis was still alive I could see LaMichael ending up in Oakland because of his raw speed (he ran a 4.36 unofficial, 4.45 officially).


 As far as LaDarius Green he could be a great second tight end. I'm not sure if he is good enough to be an every down tight end as he doesn't look like a great blocker. But he could definitively be a good second tight end to play across from a Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark, Jason Witten, or Vernon Davis. Green finished with with 606 yards receiving last year and had 8 TD catches. He is 6'6'' and 230 lbs and ran a 4.53 40 yard dash time. Like I said he is not really a great blocker, he is more in the class of a Jermichael Finley being almost exclusively a receiver. He would be better as a second tight end (i.e. Aaron Hernandez with the Patriots) complimenting an already established tight end like Jimmy Graham or Antonio Gates.

2012 NFL Draft Sleepers Part 1

  Today I will be delving deep into the world of the NFL draft and will be pulling up four guys that will probably be available in the 2nd to 4th rounds. All four of these guys have superstar potential. I will go over two of them in this article. With proper coaching these guys could all become some of the most dominant players in the NFL in a year or two.


  The first player I'm going to talk about is Case Keenum from the University of Houston. Case has only thrown for less than 5,000 yards in two of the seasons he started in college . One because of injury and the other because he wasn't the starter for the entirety of the season. He has shown great poise and presence in the pocket as well as pretty good elusiveness. He showed great touch on his throws as well as good arm strength. Case also ran track in high school and played basketball so he is a pretty effective runner as well. Mr. Keenum also displayed good leadership qualities as a 4 year starter in college. 


 One of the only real knock on Case is that he is suposedly a "system quarterback". Well even if that is true, the system he ran is the same as the system the New Orleans Saints, the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos run.
The other knock on him is that Case Keenum is only 6'1'' which puts him in the same class as Michael Vick and Drew Brees. Last time I checked that was pretty good company. 

 Teams that Case would be a great fit for would be the Saints, Patriots, or Eagles. I say those three because they all have older quarterbacks and run the kind of spread offense that Case ran in college. If any of those teams draft Case and let him sit behind Brees, Vick, Brady ect. Case could be another Aaron Rodgers.


  The second guy I am going to go over is another succesful undersized quarterback. Kellen Moore of Boise State, the winningest quarterback in college football history. The kid is a winner. Kellen lost only 3 games in his college football career.


  Kellen Moore's stats showed me something very important. He finished with negative rushing yards in every season which shows me he is a pure passer. Now he does pass from outside the pocket a good deal but that is because of his size. This kid really reminds me of a young Drew Brees. He is a proven winner, smart, agile within the pocket, and has pinpoint accuracy and ball control. He is very effective in throwing into windows as soon as they appear and has an amazingly quick release.


 The only real knock on him is his size. He stands at just below 6'0'' putting him in the same height class as Drew Brees and Michael Vick, again pretty good company. The best fit for Kellen I see as being the Saints. He can learn how to be an undersized NFL quarterback by learning from the master.

1,000 Pageviews all time

It brings me great pleasure to announce NNF has reached 1,000 page views all time.
This came about after a whopping 465 views yesterday and 55 so far today, looking forward to a bright future for the NNF.

Hayden Smith

 The New York Jets made an amazing move today, signing someone who could be an amazing playmaker. I am referring to the 6'8'', 240lbs., basketball player turned pro rugby player by the name of Hayden Smith.

 Hayden Smith is a native of Australia. He played college basketball in the U.S. at Metropolitan State, a divison II college in Denver. After graduating from Metropolitan State he learned how to play rugby and began playing for the Denver Barbos. He eventually made it to a European team with the Saracens Storm, playing in 2008/09 with them. He also became a regular for the U.S.A. Rugby team of the Rugby union, en route to helping them qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

 Hayden has amazing size and reminds me of Jimmy Graham or Antonio Gates as both of them are former basketball players of similar size and speed. The thing of note is that in the game of rugby, everyone is required to block at least a little bit during each game. That means that he will be a decent blocker at least, with the potential to be an amazing H-Back tight end. He is gifted with amazing athletic ability, running a 4.7 40 yard dash time. The only real thing left to see is how he runs with pads and if he can catch a football.

 The Jets are expected to use him as a tight end. I see this kid as being next years breakout tight end. Last year was Jimmy Graham, this year was Rob Gronkowski, I could very easily see next year being Hayden Smith's year. If he does pan out, then the Jets have their go to guy they so desperately need.

My Two Cents on The New Nike Uni's

Here is my review of the new uni's from Nike.
http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d8280d850?module=HP11_hot_topics#id:09000d5d8280d924


NYG: They look exactly the same, personally I would have liked to see a little more red on the jerseys but I suppose that look by the G-Men has become classic.
HOU: Again, looks exactly the same and I would have liked to see more red as well.
WAS: Maybe it's just me, but I think RG3 would look really good in gold pants, hmm.PHI: Still wearing what I think is an okay jersey, needs more black on it.
CAR: Would have liked to see more silver on the jersey, but alas it is exactly the same as before.
NO: Happy to see the Saints standard is now all black, but I would have loved to have seen a carbon black helmet like the one Oregon has.
CHI: Another classic they didn't screw up, and they even found a way to keep the stripes without the sleeves.
TEN: Would have liked to see some red on it which would be more reminiscent of the Oilers.
MIA: I was seriously hoping Miami would go for the entire jersey revamp and get rid of those horrible teal jerseys, too bad.
SF: Look exactly the same, never really liked them much, but they are classic.
CIN: Not bad, still looks like something a hippie would wear on haloween.
KC: Looks like ripoff of the Redskins, needs more yellow.
ARI: Oddly enough I love the all red's as the standard.
NYJ: Can't wait for the Pro Combat throwbacks, Blue and Gold are awesome together.
DET: The blue is too light, should have taken a page out of the Seahawks book and went darker. Needs more silver.
MIN: Still the purple people eaters, would have liked to see a darker helmet.
PIT: Still the classic Pittsburgh look, can't argue with sucsess.
IND: Still the same boring blue and white uniforms they have always had.
OAK: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Oh and if they had changed Oaklands uni's Nike's headquarters would have been destroyed by numerous silver and black masked men.
JAX: I was hoping that the Jags would go back to the all blacks, but alas, the same Miami Dolphin ripoffs as always.
GB:Classic. Nuff Said.
NE: Would have liked to see the Boston Patriots Uni's make it back.
ATL: The dirty birds really need more black on their jerseys to be taken seriously.
TB: Look almost exactly like the dirty birds, need more of that awesome Pewter color.
DAL: Dallas really needs to wear their Blue jerseys at home.
SD: The bolts are looking as sharp as ever. I would have liked to see some light blue highlights but other than that pretty good.
BUF: Buffalo retains all of their awesomeness after changing their jerseys back to the throwbacks.
CLE: And the Dawg Pound still have not changed their jerseys.
DEN: Peyton is back to wearing an orange jersey again.
BAL: Baltimore should have gone with black pants with purple stripes and black and purple jerseys. REAL RAVENS ARE NOT PURPLE!!!
SEA: Can you say duck wings?
STL: Second best color combo in the NFL (behind the Raiders and just ahead of the Saints).

Brett Lenahan

I stumbled upon this highlight reel on youtube a couple days ago, anyways, long story short I promised the guy who made it I would put a link to it on my sports blog. Check him out, he is pretty good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN71ifHpHWM

RG3 Versus Luck 2

  As I said in my last post their are three highly debatable topics in the NFL. I will be taking on the second issue this time, Robert Griffin III versus Anderw Luck. These two gladiators will be facing off against each other in mortal combat in the Colliseum of the New Land of Meadows in New York City. Wait, they aren't going to have an actual duel? Too bad, that would be entertaining.
No, by RG3 versus Andrew Luck I mean which one will be the better Quarterback in the NFL and which one deserves to be the first overall pick.


  If you have read any of my previous posts, then you know that I am a big Robert Griffin III supporter and think that Andrew Luck is just a little overrated. I have gone through both of their stats in previous articles. So if you wish to review those stats you might want to check out my previous Robert Griffin III versus Andrew Luck article. As you will see from their stats, Robert Griffin III deserved his Heisman trophy.


  If you look at their pro days you will see that RG3 was really trying to impress the scouts whereas Andrew Luck played it a little bit safe. Andrew Luck completed 45 of his 48 scripted passes while Robert Griffin III completed 75 of his 81 scripted passes with 4 of his passes being dropped. Really, I don't put much value in the pro day passing stats. The thing that I think impressed me the most about both of these guys was their 40 times at the combine. Luck ran a very good 4.67 40 yard dash, however, that pales in comparison to Griff's 4.41 time. I was genuinely shocked at how fast Luck's 40 time was.


  Now, the single most impressive thing to me about Robert Griffin III is something that is downplayed a little with him. And that is how smart he is, both book smart and football smart. Everyone talks about how intelligent Luck is, but no one really talks about how smart RG3 is. In the end I see Robert Griffin III as the better overalll QB and absolutely the better fit for his team. Robert Griffin III could very well be the second coming of John Elway for Mike Shanahan. He has the mobility that Shanahan looks for in a Quarterback, and also has the arm to make some huge throws off of play action fakes to Tim Hightower, Roy Helu, Evan Royster, and whatever other running backs Mike Shanahan discovers. In fact, I will go on record right now and say if the Redskins draft Robert Griffin III, they will win their divison next year barring an injury to RG3.

Tim Tebow To The Jets Review

The three most debatable things in football right now are Robert Griffin III V.S. Andrew Luck, Roger Goodell V.S. The City Of New Orleans, and Tim Tebow V.S. The World. I will be taking on the last of the three first.


 By Tim Tebow Versus the world I am referring to the many analysts saying he does not deserve to be in the NFL, however, the real debate here is whether or not Tim going to the New York Jets was a good move by the Jets and a good fit for Tebow.
In the end only time will tell if it was indeed, a good move. First let us look at the facts. Tim Tebow, against all odds and with a 1-4 team, made it to the playoffs. Before I go any further I want to make it clear, after Tebow became the starter the defense stepped it up and began playing out of their mind. Matt Prater looked and played like Adam Vinatieri, and the entire team started playing much better than before. I will not take credit away from the rest of the team like so many Tim Tebow supporters love to do.

 Tebow has a 12-6 Touchdown to Interception ratio, which is much better than Cam Newton's 21-17 ratio. He also has over 100 more passing yards than Cam has in 2 less games. My point from all of those stats is that if Cam Newton is considered a viable NFL QB then so should Tebow. The main knock on Tim, his low accuracy, should be blamed mostly on his very few passing attempts per game. With so few attempts one or two drops could create a 20% swing in completion percentage. Tebow also threw almost exclusively deep passes, which contributed to a low completion percentage also.


 Let's make a more valid comparison, a comparison of teamates, Tim Tebow versus Mark Sanchez.
Last year Sanchez threw for 3,474 yards with 28 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, with a 56% completion percentage on 200 more attempted passes than Tebow. Tebow had 2,383 yards, on, as I said 200 less attempts. With a 48% completion percentage. It is worthy of note that he was running the pathetic imitation of the Spread Option that Denver's OC Mike McCoy came up with. Now if you want the whole story on Tim, you have to look at his rushing stats as well. If you combine them with his passing stats then he has 29 total touchdowns in less games than Sanchez started last season. My point is that Tebow, if the Jets will let him run a no-huddle NFL offense, will be a better NFL QB than Sanchez. I believe this is an amazingly exciting pickup for the Jets. Because even if he doesn't win the starting job from Mark Sanchez he can still be a factor through the use of Tony Sparano's Spread Option Wildcat.


 The Question then becomes, is it a good fit for Tim Tebow, should he really be so excited to be a jet? Is it really that exciting of a prospect for Tim Tebow, will he have as much exciting fun as he thinks he will? All joking aside, I see the Jets as a great fit. He has a good quality receiver in Santonio Holmes and solid Tight End with Dustin Keller. The Jets also have one of, if not the best run blocking O-linemen in the NFL. They have two solid running backs in Joe McKnight and Shonn Greene, as well as arguably the best defense in the NFL. All in all this is a great move for the Jets, and an exciting fit for Mr. Tebow.

Tebow Train rolls through the Steel Curtain, Drew Brees tames the Lions from Motown, and a (Crimson) Tidal Wave crashes through New Orleans.

 Yet another very predictable week, the Steelers blew out Denver and Tim Tebow 42-9, the Lions pull out a win against the grossly overrated Saints and their Quarterback Drew “the human Asterisk” Brees, and LSU falls to Alabama who were a slightly worse team.


 Not so much. Tim Tebow pulls out the best game of his short career, going 10 of 21 for 316 yards and 2 TD’s along with 50 yards on the ground and a TD. Which completely out dueled Big Ben Roethleisberger whose passing stats were 22 of 40 with 289 and a TD with 1 Int.
Now, the stats don’t tell the whole story, but do they ever? If Eric Decker doesn’t drop two perfect passes from Tebow then he has about a 60 percent completion percentage instead of 50. If his receivers don’t get interfered with he has about 70 percent. Now some people might say that I’m making excuses for Tebow, but honestly, is it his fault his receiver dropped two passes or that the Steelers got called for pass interference. Now I’ve seen a lot of people saying Tebow shouldn’t get as much credit as it was all Demayrius Thomas. Are you kidding me!? Who threw the ball to him?

 Now, if I told you a team who averaged 41 points a game at home was playing a team that backed into the playoffs as the number six seed that had a problem with committing to many penalties at the worst times, you would probably give the edge to the team that averaged 41 points... Unless that team is the New Orleans Saints and you work for ESPN. All I heard all week was how the Detroit Lions were going to pull off an upset of the Saints because Ndamakong Suh was playing this time. Really, a defensive tackle makes that much of a difference? Of course no one mentioned how the Saints have the best interior line in the NFL or at the very least the best guard tandem in the NFL. Well regardless of what the so called experts think Drew Brees had such an amazing game that honestly, I think Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers would have had a hard time keeping up with them. Not only did the Saints destroy Detroit through the air with 466 yards passing, but also on the ground with 168 yards rushing. It was an all-around thrashing and I expect nothing less against the 49ers in Candlestick this week.

 And finally, the part of my blog where the “experts” on ESPN were right, somehow. Despite being overmatched in what should have been a home game, Alabama was able to not only win, but destroy LSU who looked like a JV team playing against the varsity on offense. On defense they didn’t play bad but Bama’s offense played better with A.J. McCarron playing like a man possessed. Now, had Les Miles played Jarrett Lee in the second half, maybe it would have been a different story, but it all felt like Bama was just the better prepared team.

Alright so the experts got one right for once, congrats ESPN.