NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri, 6′5 235

Position Ranking: #2

Strengths: Ideal combination of size and athleticism for the position. Has a live arm and can make all the NFL throws; arm strength is very good. Shows good zip and accuracy in the intermediate passing game between the numbers. Good footwork when having to reset his delivery and throw from inside the pocket.

Throwing motion is compact and ball comes off his hand well with good release quickness. Has the mobility to buy extra time outside the pocket with better than adequate running speed to make plays with his legs on the run. Shows a pump fake and shoulder shrug to hold the deep safety when he intends to make downfield throws. Was the first quarterback to beat conference rival Oklahoma since 1988; most efficient performance of the season.

Needs Improvement: Isn’t a natural passer and will leave the pocket prematurely. Gets happy feet when he senses the outside rush and takes off to run before pass route has fully developed. Throwing angles and lower body mechanics are off/on. Struggles with deep accuracy and timing, I counted 12 over/under throws on the deep patterns in three of his games I evaluated (five in one game), with the same problem occurring in other games I evaluated. Doesn’t fully stride into all of his throws and open up his hips, leading to inconsistency with his accuracy and ball velocity.

Played in a spread system that never asked him to make coverage reads and audibles, or go through a full progression (entire field). Most of his reads were to one side of the field. Missouri’s system doesn’t offer professional pass concepts, a full route tree, or coverage read options between the quarterback and receivers. Can get mentally rattled in games, losing confidence, and his mechanics (San Diego State, Nebraska, Texas Tech). Most of his completions were short and intermediate routes with good protection, and wide open throwing lanes. Slow to pick up the cornerback blitz. Wasn’t asked to take snaps from center and develop a pass drop with timing.

Bottom Line: I see plenty of similarities between both Blaine Gabbert and another gifted prospect, Jake Locker. Both have very good arm strength and the athleticism to impress teams. On the downside, neither seem very comfortable standing in the pocket and allowing plays to develop with regularity; the game hasn’t slowed down for them yet. I’ve always liked Gabbert’s size and raw tools, but was surprised to hear he was declaring for the draft as I felt he needed another year to strengthen his abilities. Gabbert made strides against Oklahoma but then took two steps back against Nebraska and Texas Tech. His performances against San Diego State and Kansas were also very inconsistent from a technique and decision making standpoint.

The team that drafts Gabbert will be banking on his athletic ability and believing that he’ll pick up the mental aspect while refining his technique. I feel that he’s fully capable of becoming a good pro quarterback, but can’t say with confidence that he’s shown that his skills and acumen will translate based on Missouri’s spread system. He shows many of the same physical strengths of Alex Smith leaving Utah, and Smith was drafted #1 overall. Gabbert’s athleticism, size, and potential will get him drafted high as well.

Draft Projection: 1st round.

While there’s been plenty of good and memorable games in Super Bowl history, there’s been some blowouts along the way as well. Remember the stretch between 1984 and 1989 when the closest game was 19 points? Yes, it’s happened, and today we are going to go through the Top 10 Super Bowl Mismatches of All-Time.

10. Baltimore Over New York Giants 34-7 in SB XXXV in 2001 – The Ravens defense overwhelmed Kerry Collins and the Giants, as Brian Billick topped good friend Jim Fassel on the stage in Tampa. Trent Dilfer remains the worst starting QB to win a Super Bowl, but hey, at least he’s got one.

9. Oakland Over Minnesota 32-14 in SB XI in 1977 - Yet another Vikings letdown, this time at the hands of John Madden and the silver and black. The Raiders D stopped the Vikings run game, and Raiders back Clarence Davis, who had just over 500 yards during the season, ran for 137 in the win for Oakland.

8. Green Bay Over Oakland 33-14 in SB II in 1968 - There was no way the Packers would lose in Vince Lombardi’s last game as coach for the Pack, and they pounded the Raiders 33-14 for the back to back titles. Up 16-7 at half, Packers guard Jerry Kramer said to his teammates (referring to Lombardi), “Let’s play the last 30 minutes for the old man.” They did, as they went on for the 19-point easy win.

7. Denver Over Atlanta 34-19 in SB XXIII in 1999 – The upstart Falcons were crushed by the offense led by John Elway in his last game in the NFL. The HOF QB threw for 336 yards, threw a TD and ran for one in his final game. The Falcons were just happy to be there after upsetting the 15-1 Vikings two weeks before.

6. Washington Over Denver 42-10 in SB XXII in 1988 – The unlikely story of Doug Williams, who in one quarter won the MVP with five TD passes. Denver couldn’t stop the Skins, allowing over 600 yards of offense, including 204 to an unknown RB named Timmy Smith.

5. Dallas Over Miami 24-3 in SB VI in 1972 – Dallas finally got over the hump, as Tom Landry’s team had knocked on the door so often, but finally won one behind two TD passes for Roger Staubach and a defense that allowed Miami just three points. Dallas’ D stopped Paul Warfield all day, and that was all they needed to do to win their first title.

4. Dallas Over Buffalo 52-17 in SB XXVII in 1993 – Over at halftime with the Cowboys leading 28-10, they crushed the Bills in putting up a record 52 points. Troy Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Buffalo turned the ball over 9 times, still an NFL record. It was their third straight SB loss.

3. San Francisco Over San Diego 49-26 in SB XXIX 1995 – The coming out party for Steve Young, he finally escaped Joe Montana’s shadow with a huge game, throwing six touchdowns. The Niners led 28-10 at the half, and it was never close as they blew out the Chargers who had upset the Steelers two weeks earlier.

2. San Francisco Over Denver 55-10 in SB XXIV 1990 – It was a blowout from the coin toss, as Montana threw 22 of 29 passes for a total of 297 yards and then a Super Bowl record 5 touchdowns. The Niners led 27-3 at halftime, and Elway and the Broncos were no match for this awesome outing by San Fran.

1. Chicago Over New England 46-10 in SB XX 1986 – Never a game, unless you felt the Pats actually had a shot against the best Super Bowl defense ever at 3-0. The Bears toyed with the Pats, setting Super Bowl records for sacks (seven) and fewest rushing yards allowed (seven). The Bears’ 36-point margin over the Patriots was a Super Bowl record until Super Bowl XXIV (45). The Patriots were held to negative yardage (-19) throughout the entire first half, and just 123 total yards in the entire game, the second lowest total in Super Bowl history.

Steelers linebacker James Harrison is not letting up in his criticism of the NFL according to the Associated Press.

Before Wednesday's practice, Harrison said that the owners' push for an 18-game regular season and the possibility of a lockout prove the NFL is more interested in maximizing revenue than the health of its players.

"It's not about player safety," Harrison said. "It's about money."

The league and the players' union face an early March deadline for trying to negotiate a new labor agreement.

"It's no doubt to me," said Harrison, whose Steelers play the Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship Sunday. "I believe they're going to lock us out."

The Associated Press has named Pats Bill Belichick the National Football League’s Coach of the Year. It is the third time that Belichick has earned the honor. He was also named coach of the year following the 2003 and 2007 seasons.

Belichick guided the Patriots to an NFL-best 14-2 record in 2010. He became the first head coach ever to win at least 14 regular-season games in four separate seasons (2003: 14-2, 2004: 14-2, 2007: 16-0 and 2010: 14-2). Only four other coaches – San Francisco’s George Seifert (3), Washington’s Joe Gibbs (2), Chicago’s Mike Ditka (2) and Miami’s Don Shula (2) – have more than one 14-win season.

The 2010 Patriots set and tied numerous NFL records in 2010. The team set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a 16-game season with 10, set an NFL record by playing seven straight games without a turnover, set an NFL record with seven straight games with 30 points and no turnovers, tied an NFL record with eight straight games of 30 points or more and tied an NFL record for fewest interceptions in a season with five.

The 2010 team also set a franchise record by finishing the season with a turnover differential of +28, forcing 38 turnovers while allowing just 10 turnovers. The turnover differential of +28 is the second-best since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, trailing only the +43 posted by the 1983 Washington Redskins.

In addition, the 2010 Patriots finished first in the NFL in scoring (518 points for a 32.4 average) and eighth in the NFL in fewest points allowed (313 points for a 19.6 average).

Belichick has led the Patriots to a winning record for 10 consecutive seasons (2001-2010). The only other NFL coach to have at least 10 consecutive winning seasons with one team since the 1970 merger was Tom Landry, who led the Dallas Cowboys to 16 consecutive winning seasons (1970-1985).

After several long and grueling months, the Philadelphia Eagles have finally found their replacement for the late Jim Johnson, and the short tenured Sean McDermott. McDermott was fired after just two short seasons as the defensive coordinator, and the Eagles have been jumping through hoops ever since. Andy Reid has finally found his man, Juan Castillo.

Castillo has been a long time Eagle, and has served as an assistant coach, and most recently the offensive line coach. Reid made the decision after failing to fire the gun on several other potential candidates, and also passing on hiring Jeff Fisher. Castillo has bounced around significantly in the NFL, and has now found his home in Philadelphia, as he will be going on 14 years at the start of next season.

Having coaching experience on the defensive line and with linebackers, he moved to the offensive side of the ball later in his career. Coaching at Texas A&I, and at several other NFL teams, he has a substantial amount of experience.

Castillo is one of the few hispanic coaches in the NFL, and he is one of the most respected around the NFL. Not only promoting the NFL for the spanish-speaking audience, but also coaching his players incredibly well. Since joining the Eagles as an offensive line coach, he has sent four lineman to their first Pro Bowl's. He looks to continue his success as a defensive coordinator and improve the weakened Eagles defense.

To replace Castillo as the offensive line coach, will be Howard Mudd.

Anybody that has watched a Green Bay Packers game over the last two months has heard about their "league leading" 16 players on injured reserve and how the team had to overcome the loss of eight starters.

First, the Packers did not lead the league in players on IR, the Lions did with 17.  Secondly, the Packers only lost six starters according to the NFL's official game book for Week 1.

Third, obviously losing 16 players is a difficult hurdle to clear but you cannot quantify the impact of the lost players by the number of them, you need to look at the individual players lost to fully understand the impact.  Here are all 16 players that the Packers have listed on IR and a brief look at what that player's loss meant to the team.

Nick Barnett (Starting Inside Linebacker): Nick Barnett was an impact middle linebacker when the Packers played a 4-3 defense.  Barnett logged 658 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 29 passes defensed, 9 interceptions, 2 fumbles forced and 7 fumbles recovered in 87 games over six seasons in the 4-3.  Clearly, he was an impact player in the 4-3 defense.  However, since switching to the 3-4 Barnett logged 129 tackles, 4 sacks, 8 passes defensed, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles forced and 0 fumbles recovered in 20 games over two seasons.

Impact of Loss: It was no secret that Barnett was not an ideal fit in the 3-4 and it has been rumored all season that this would be Barnett's last season in Green Bay.  Not only was Barnett's loss overblown, but also it was even less of an impact since his replacement, Desmond Bishop, had a phenomenal year and was rewarded with a contract extension during the season.  Ultimately, the biggest impact Barnett made in 2010 was not even on the field, but in the media with his Twitter war with Aaron Rodgers.

Josh Bell (Backup Cornerback and Special Teamer): Bell joined the Packers in 2009 after Al Harris went on injured reserve.  He received very little playing time and only logged 5 tackles in 2009.  He did not play a down in 2010, as he was placed on IR in training camp.?

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The winning players—either the Packers or Steelers—in Super Bowl XLV in North Texas on Feb. 6, 2011, will each receive a super-size paycheck to the tune of $83,000, while each member of the losing team will earn $42,000. How does that compare to Super Bowls of the past? Here’s a look at the winners’ and losers’ share from every Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Date Winner (Share) Loser (Share)

XLIV 2-7-10  New Orleans ($83,000) Indianapolis ($42,000)

XLIII 2-1-09 Pittsburgh ($78,000) Arizona ($40,000)
XLII 2-3-08 N.Y. Giants ($78,000) New England ($40,000)

XLI 2-4-07 Indianapolis ($73,000) Chicago ($38,000)
XL 2-5-06 Pittsburgh ($73,000) Seattle ($38,000)
XXXIX 2-6-05 New England ($68,000) Philadelphia ($36,500)
XXXVIII 2-1-04 New England ($68,000) Carolina (36,500)
XXXVII 1-26-03 Tampa Bay ($63,000) Oakland ($35,000)
XXXVI 2-3-02 New England ($63,000) St. Louis ($34,500)
XXXV 1-28-01 Baltimore ($58,000) N.Y. Giants ($34,500)
XXXIV 1-30-00 St. Louis ($58,000) Tennessee ($33,000)
XXXIII 1-31-99 Denver ($53,000) Atlanta ($32,500)
XXXII 1-25-98 Denver ($48,000) Green Bay ($29,000)
XXXI 1-26-97 Green Bay ($48,000) New England ($29,000)
XXX 1-28-96 Dallas ($42,000) Pittsburgh ($27,000)
XXIX 1-29-95 San Francisco ($42,000) San Diego ($26,000)
XXVIII 1-30-94 Dallas ($38,000) Buffalo ($23,500)
XXVII 1-31-93 Dallas ($36,000) Buffalo ($18,000)
XXVI 1-26-92 Washington ($36,000) Buffalo ($18,000)
XXV 1-27-91 N.Y. Giants ($36,000) Buffalo ($18,000)
XXIV 1-28-90 San Francisco ($36,000) Denver ($18,000)
XXIII 1-22-89 San Francisco ($36,000) Cincinnati ($18,000)
XXII 1-31-88 Washington ($36,000) Denver ($18,000)
XXI 1-25-87 N.Y. Giants ($36,000) Denver ($18,000)
XX 1-26-86 Chicago ($36,000) New England ($18,000)
XIX 1-20-85 San Francisco ($36,000) Miami ($18,000)
XVIII 1-22-84 L.A. Raiders ($36,000) Washington ($18,000)
XVII 1-30-83 Washington ($36,000) Miami ($18,000)
XVI 1-24-82 San Francisco ($18,000) Cincinnati ($9,000)
XV 1-25-81 Oakland ($18,000) Philadelphia ($9,000)
XIV 1-20-80 Pittsburgh ($18,000) Los Angeles ($9,000)
XIII 1-21-79 Pittsburgh ($18,000) Dallas ($9,000)
XII 1-15-78 Dallas ($18,000) Denver ($9,000)
XI 1-9-77 Oakland ($15,000) Minnesota ($7,500)
X 1-18-76 Pittsburgh ($15,000) Dallas ($7,500)
IX 1-12-75 Pittsburgh ($15,000) Minnesota ($7,500)
VIII 1-13-74 Miami ($15,000) Minnesota ($7,500)
VII 1-14-73 Miami ($15,000) Washington ($7,500)
VI 1-16-72 Dallas ($15,000) Miami ($7,500)
V 1-17-71 Baltimore ($15,000) Dallas ($7,500)
IV 1-11-70 Kansas City ($15,000) Minnesota ($7,500)
III 1-12-69 N.Y. Jets ($15,000) Baltimore ($7,500)
II 1-14-68 Green Bay ($15,000) Oakland ($7,500)
I 1-15-67 Green Bay ($15,000) Kansas City ($7,500)