NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest |  |
- How the Bears D-Line Will Look Come Opening Day
- Ravens Get Some Safety Insurance Inking Ken Hamlin
- Taking A Look at the Colts Depth Chart for 2010
- Titans RB Chris Johnson Simply Can’t Play for $550,000, But $30-$40 Million Guaranteed Will Do
- Saints Announce They Are Bringing Back RFA WR Lance Moore
- 2010 The Last Chance for Eagles Domers?
- Vikings Outspoken Allen Speaks on Favre, Haynesworth, and Himself
| How the Bears D-Line Will Look Come Opening Day Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:10 PM PDT
The more I think about it, the more the Bears defensive line reminds me of Megan Fox. At first glance, your eyes focus on the obvious physical talent, which – with the exceptions of Anthony Adams and Marcus Harrison – looks especially good running around in shorts (and helmets). On the other hand, there isn't much else to show for those striking good looks. Having never made their mark on the field, these young guys are getting paid based on potential alone. You wonder if they'll ever turn those physical gifts into on-field production…kind of like Ms. Fox's future in movies. The verdict is still out on whether she'll make it as an actor or if she'd be better off simply posing for pictures in her underwear. Seriously – did she even spit out 17 words in both Transformer movies combined? 2010 will show which of the young uglies up front will turn potential into production. Because like it or not, they're going to see the field. Locks: Julius Peppers, Tommie Harris, Mark Anderson, Israel Idonije, Jarron Gilbert, Anthony Adams Limbo: Henry Melton, Marcus Harrison, Matt Toeaina, Corey Wootton Prediction:
Outside of proven vets Peppers, Harris, Anderson, Izzy and Adams, the big question is how many of the 2009-2010 mid-round D-line draft picks will stick.
Assuming Gilbert's pool-jumping talents can translate to the field, he'll be in the rotation at D-tackle. I think Lovie and Marinelli are so intrigued at Melton's physical attributes that he'll stick around for the year too. And Wootton could develop into a situational pass rusher, much like Anderson was in the 2006 Super Bowl season. If he doesn't get his oversized backside into shape, there's a slim chance Harrison could be pushed for a roster spot. But the coaches would be crazy to go into the season with no proven depth behind starters Harris and Adams. Of course, the versatile Idonije could step in on the inside, especially in third-and-long situations, if needed. Opting for these young guys will leave the solid, but unspectacular, Matt Toeaina looking for work elsewhere. Keep an eye on how the battle for playing time unfolds between the young guys at next month's training camp. And look for Megan Fox in some stupid movie called Jonah Hex, which is in theaters now! |
| Ravens Get Some Safety Insurance Inking Ken Hamlin Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:04 PM PDT
Taking Out Some Insurance The Ravens are taking out some additional insurance to the secondary with the signing of safety Ken Hamlin. The former pro bowl Dallas Cowboy safety was signed Thursday to a one year deal as reported by the www.baltimoreravens.com. The team has already signed cornerback Travis Fisher for added depth in the secondary. The moves come as there are some question marks as to the availability of the starters. Safety Ed Reed is recuperating from a hip procedure and Lardarius Webb (knee), as well as Fabian Washington (knee) are making progress, yet there is no guarantee they will be one-hundred percent ready for the beginning of the season. Along with adding depth, Hamlin's leadership and experience should be an asset to the secondary. Hamlin, 29 years old, 6 foot 2, 209 pounds, is "known as a hard hitter and 'a quarterback in the secondary,' " as described by the baltimoresun.com. Hamlin, was the starting safety for the Dallas Cowboys the past three seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007. His numbers decreased the past two years and was released by Dallas. An interesting coincidence is that the Ravens have acquired four players from the NFC this off-season, DT Corey Redding, WR Anquan Boldin, CB Travis Fisher and S Ken Hamlin. Coach Harbaugh's NFL coaching roots were with the NFC Philadelphia Eagles. Hamlin Facts 2003 – 2007 Seattle Seahawks Entered the NFL Draft his junior season and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks. Second round, 42nd overall. As a rookie he played 14 of 16 games. "In his first career start against the New Orleans Saints on September 7, he recorded five tackles and gained national attention after knocking off Donte' Stallworth's helmet on a hit over the middle." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Hamlin 2007 – 2010 Dallas Cowboys In his first season (2007) with the Cowboys he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. Started all 16 games at free safety recording 102 tackles, 5 interceptions and 14 pass break-ups. In his second year with Dallas he compiled 92 tackles, three pass break-ups, one interception and one sack. Current NFL Career Totals: Games: 98 Solo tackles: 375, Assists 111 Interceptions: 14 Sacks: 5 Forced Fumbles: 5 For a detailed list of Hamlin's NFL statistics visit: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HamlKe20.htm College: University of Arkansas Hamlin played in 36 games finishing with 381 tackles (221 solo), breaking the school record of 367 tackles by Cliff Powell (1967-69). Became the first player in school history to record more than 100 tackles in a season three times. Became the first freshman and only the second defensive back to lead the school in tackles, recording 104 (57 solo). |
| Taking A Look at the Colts Depth Chart for 2010 Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:02 PM PDT
The Indianapolis Colts, as usual, don't make big headlines in the off-season but continue to become an elite team in the AFC and the National Football League. They continue to make the playoffs and make other teams suffer. They did last year, but couldn't get that one game. And we all know what I'm talking about and so I don't want to get into any more further details than that (I see those tears). I see a good season underway. So without a further ado, here is my predicted depth chart for the Indianapolis Colts for the 2010-11 season. Enjoy. Quarterback Okay, this is a no-brainer. We all know Peyton Manning is going to be the starting man here. I see a pretty good year coming for him. I guess we'll see what happens. Here is what the depth chart will look like: QB1 – Peyton Manning I have a feeling that Chris Crane and Drew Willy will be cut or signed to the practice squad. Running Back There were rumors going on that Donald Brown would compete against Joseph Addai for the starting role at running back. In your dreams. I don't see it happening. It seems unlikely to me. RB1 – Joseph Addai Wide Receiver The wide receivers are pretty stacked. The Colts have four good wide receivers they can use and it's going to be tough fitting three in there. I think this is how the depth chart will fair then: WR1 – Reggie Wayne
Tight End Dallas Clark had a career-year last year and he looks to have another great year coming into this season. He will obviously be one of Peyton Manning's favorite targets and I see some good coming for him. Here is how the depth chart will fair at the tight end position: TE1 – Dallas Clark But remember, Tamme and Robinson are labeled at fullback. But that rarely happens. Offensive Lineman Here is how the offensive lineman depth chart will be: LT1 – Charlie Johnson LG1 – Mike Pollack C1 – Jeff Saturday RG1 – Kyle DeVan RT1 – Ryan Diem Defensive Lineman With Jerry Hughes in the building now, things look to change but not that much. Here is how the depth chart will fair on the defensive line: LE1 – Robert Mathis LDT1 – Antonio Johnson RDT1 – Daniel Muir RE1 – Dwight Freeney Also look to see Hughes doing a rotation at left defensive end, too. Linebacker The linebackers keep changing for the Colts. From Cato June to Freddie Keaho to Phillip Wheeler now, it always somebody new that steps up there. Hopefully it will stay the same and not keep changing. Here is how the linebackers will fair: WLB1 – Clint Session MLB1 – Gary Brackett SLB1 – Phillip Wheeler Cornerback The cornerbacks stepped up greatly last year, despite their experience in the league. I see them being a lot more mentored and much more smarter coming into the new season. CB1 – Kelvin Hayden Safety Many see Melvin Bullitt passing Bob Sanders for the starting strong safety spot. I don't think so. I just don't see it happening, really. Sanders hits harder, covers better, and pumps up the team more and is just simply better. If he gets injured again, then I guess the Colts might trade him in the off-season or something. SS1 – Bob Sanders FS1 – Antoine Bethea Special Teams Here is what Special Teams will look like: Kicker – Adam Vinatieri Punter – Pat McAfee Kickoffs – Pat McAfee Kick Returner – Samuel Giguere Punt Returner – T.J. Rushing Holder – Pat McAfee Long Snapper – Justin Snow |
| Titans RB Chris Johnson Simply Can’t Play for $550,000, But $30-$40 Million Guaranteed Will Do Posted: 18 Jun 2010 05:51 PM PDT
That’s what Titans running back Chris Johnson told the Tennessean. This is another example of Johnson showing that he is very serious about holding out long into training camp. At 550,000, Johnson was the 14th highest paid running back in the league in terms of total salary according to the USAToday. This leaves him behind Darren McFadden, Jamal Lewis, and Steven Jackson. All of which combined to gain 1,266 yards on the ground last year, a whopping 740 yards less than Johnson gained on the ground by himself. Still think Johnson doesn’t deserve more money? If that doesn’t change your mind, Johnson’s base salary, $385,000, was 116th on the list, behind big name players like Brad Hoover, Dan Kreider, and Luke Lawton.. yeah. Give the man the money he deserves. The latest wrinkle in the saga came Friday. Johnson told ESPN’s Michael Smith that he wanted $30-$40 million guaranteed on a new contract, according to Smith’s colleague Adam Schefter. That is a hefty chunk of change. |
| Saints Announce They Are Bringing Back RFA WR Lance Moore Posted: 18 Jun 2010 05:38 PM PDT
Entering his seventh NFL season, Moore emerged as the Saints' leading receiver in 2008 with 79 catches for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season, Moore was hampered by hamstring and ankle injuries, but was healthy for the playoffs, when he made five catches for 32 yards and a key 2-point conversion in the Saints' Super Bowl win over Indianapolis. In other moves, the Saints waived former Mississippi State running back and New Orleans-area native Christian Ducre. |
| 2010 The Last Chance for Eagles Domers? Posted: 18 Jun 2010 09:09 AM PDT
As a Notre Dame fan, I do enjoy seeing when the Eagles draft players from the Irish. When the Eagles drafted Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws, I was definitely pumped as both players made a big impact on Notre Dame's defensive line. Despite their impact in college, neither player has done a whole lot in the NFL and this may be their last chance to make an impact for the Eagles. Abiamiri was a guy the Eagles were really excited about when they brought him in. They've typically had a lot of success with smaller, speedy ends. However, Abiamiri is a bigger guy and seemed someone who could be more of a bull-rusher on the outside. Despite high hopes, Abiamiri has battled through multiple injuries and missed significant time in his short NFL career thus far. He's already in the "dog house" with the team and will now battle a wave of young players that have been brought in at his position. The Eagles traded up to the 13th overall selection to draft Brandon Graham and continued drafting players of that position as draft weekend continued. Abiamiri is facing an uphill battle this offseason and will need to have a very solid Training Camp to prove to the Eagles that he is worth keeping around. Laws has a much better chance of remaining on the squad than Abiamiri. He hasn't panned out as the Eagles would have liked but he is still quite young. With Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson ahead of him, Laws won't see time as a starter anytime soon. However, he has the ability to provide quality depth behind the two starters. There aren't as many rookies behind Laws as there are for Abiamiri, but he will battle Antonio Dixon who saw significant time last year. Along with Dixon, rookies Jeff Owens and Boo Robinson will be looking to fill into the rotation as well. The Eagles 2010 Training Camp will be a very important one for the current Domer's on the Eagles roster. If they want to remain on the roster, they are going to have to prove they deserve to be there. |
| Vikings Outspoken Allen Speaks on Favre, Haynesworth, and Himself Posted: 18 Jun 2010 08:26 AM PDT
Apparently Brett Favre politely declined to attend Jared Allen's recent wedding (the wedding is better known as a funeral for his mullet) and Allen apparently doesn't mind. He also apparently doesn't mind that Favre forgot to RSVP when it comes to attending offseason events. He is still assuming Favre will be back for another season, however. "If I was a betting man, and I had to put money on it today, absolutely," Allen recently said on ESPN Radio in Chicago. "I hope if the answer was no, he would have already had the wherewithal to tell us that he's not coming back so we could have done something in free agency." As Mike Florio points out, the contention that the Vikings would have chased one of the less-than-stellar free agent quarterbacks this year is not exactly speaking highly of the Vikings quarterbacks not named Brett Favre. "But again, the man's earned the right to do what he pleases," Allen said. "He hasn't let anybody down yet, so I'm not here to start harping on it yet." Jared Allen, like most people, see a glaring difference between Favre's situation and the Redskin's situation with Albert Haynesworth. "If I'm a teammate like that, I'm probably pretty [ticked], because that's a pretty lucrative contract," Allen said. "I'm all for everybody getting the most money they can get, and getting paid, because our career is brutal and doesn't last very long. But I'm also a man of my word and integrity. When I sign a contract, I'm going to show up and I'm going to play it out." I like Jared Allen just as much as the last guy, but if that last self-righteous portion of his quote were true, then he probably wouldn't be a Viking as he wouldn't have been threatening a hold out during the final year of his contract with the Chiefs thus forcing a trade. Also, he didn't exactly play every game he was contracted to play when he was in Kansas City, because his multiple drunk-driving episodes didn't allow him to. |
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