MARSHALL NOW A DOLPHIN, STEELERS AT A CROSSROADS & IS GLENN DORSEY RIGHT FOR THE CHIEFS?
Disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Marshall was traded this morning to the Miami Dolphins. In return, the Broncos received Miami's 2nd round pick next week, the 43rd overall pick & their 2nd round pick in 2011. The Dolphins & Marshall then agreed to a 4-year contract extension worth $47.5 million, with $24 million guaranteed. It looks to be a win-win trade, Denver wanted to rid themselves of a chronic PITA while the Dolphins were desperate to give young QB Chad Henne an outside weapon. Marshall is a top-5 receiver in this league but he has had multiple run-ins with the law, Denver coaches & management. It became a foregone conclusion Josh McDaniel had determined the talent was no longer worth the distraction. Marshall is a Florida guy, went to UCF, he lives in Miami, so maybe, just maybe, he'll be happy playing for Tony Sparano. many Denver sources had their 11th overall pick in the first round penciled in to be Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain. Now that Marshall has departed the Mile High City, they'll need someone to pair with Eddie Royal at WR. They brought Dez Bryant in for a look-see, he now becomes a real possibility.
Some guys just don't get it. Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill is one of those guys. He was busted for pot possession last year, plead guilty last month to the charge & was placed on 1-year of probation the 2nd of April. Then last Saturday night, April freakin' 10th, Hill was charged with domestic violence for dragging his live-in girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her hair. Hill is on schedule to make a guaranteed $6 million this season, which he risked to prove to his girlfriend he's the boss. New Seattle coach Pete Carroll told Hill to stay away from the voluntary mini camp & all other workouts until this is resolved. My guess is Hill's probation will be revoked, he'll go to jail for a short period until the domestic violence charge is either scheduled for trial or dropped. Then I fully expect the Seahawks to either suspend Hill or kick him to the curb altogether.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a crossroads. Many of their fans & much of the media, want Ben Roethlisberger wearing the jersey of another team next season. After dumping Santonio Holmes Sunday night for a 5th round draft pick, it became clear, the Steeler organization isn't going to put up with any more of this off-field crap. I think Big Ben's troubles certainly fall under that heading. Trade rumors have surfaced, I don't buy into them completely, but given the recent history, it could happen I suppose. It was generally thought Pittsburgh would try to rebuild their offensive line in the upcoming draft, now the trade of Holmes & the QB situation in question, who knows what they'll do?
In other possible trade news, the Baltimore Ravens say they haven't had a single offer for left tackle Jared Gaither. He carries a 1st round tender, like Brandon Marshall did, but they've made it clear they're open to a 2nd round pick or they'll listen if you want to make an offer. Gaither is in the last year of his contract & they've penciled in Michael Oher to be their next left tackle. Gaither is a decent tackle, at times, but not a real hard worker from what sources in Baltimore say. He wants a typical left tackle contract, something in the $7-10 million range & the Ravens aren't comfortable giving him such a deal when they feel he isn't giving them 100%. He's also made it clear he won't accept a right tackle's contract, usually $1.5-3 million less & isn't interested in playing on the right side. Because of this, he has become "buyer beware" trade bait.
The other big names still on the trading block, Washington's $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth & Buffalo running back Marshawn Lynch aren't generating much interest. They could very well be moved after the draft, teams would not have to give up selections in what is called a great draft by most experts, they'd be trading picks in the 2011 draft.
I've been taking a lot of heat lately for my contention that Glenn Dorsey will never excel in the Chiefs' 3-4 defensive scheme. Please understand this, from the beginning, I said Dorsey could be a force in the National Football League, but with his size limitations, he'd have to play in the right defense for him to produce up to the expectations a player selected with the 5th overall pick carries. Simply put, this defense is wrong for Dorsey. For all the haters out there, do your homework. I did, not one other starting 3-4 defensive end in the entire league is under 6' 3", not one. Yes Dorsey does have long arms, but when people were tooting that horn, it was assumed he would be playing DT in a 4-3 defense, against a guard. Guards are often shorter in height & often time have shorter arms. But Dorsey squares off with an offensive tackle almost every snap now & it's not a fair matchup. Especially against left tackles, the quickest, long-limbed, tall lineman for the other team. Often he's forced to play against a guy 5" taller than his 6' 1 1/4" height, a guy 25 pounds heavier than his 297 & a tackle with a 3-4" reach advantage. It's a credit to Dorsey that he fared as well as he did last season when he was consistently outgunned. Think about this, how would Warren Sapp have fared if he had to square off with a tackle week in week out? Sapp was a great player, partly because of his tremendous motor that never shut down(like Dorsey) & partly because in Monte Kiffin's Tampa-2 defense, Sapp was allowed to shoot gaps, slant & stunt. He was in the perfect scheme for his skill set. Am I saying Glenn Dorsey could be as good as Warren Sapp? In the right scheme, with the proper teammates around him, Dorsey could be All-Pro, but not in this defense. You're taking half his skill set away in this defense & forcing him into matchup every week he'll be lucky to stalemate. Still not convinced? I asked ESPN's John Clayton if Dorsey could be traded to a team like St. Louis or New Orleans because he's not right for the Chiefs 3-4. His response was "not now, they could have traded him last year for more, it looks like they intend to stand with Dorsey this season & no, he's not right for K.C.'s defense."
I asked Mel Kiper Jr. the same exact question & his response was "Dorsey has been forced to play in two different schemes & neither was suited for him to prosper." The guys at NFL Network agreed as well, mentioning Dorsey the other night, he was characterized as "miscast." I rest my case, trade this guy, get something for him & let him flourish in another system.
To Jeff:
Sean Weatherspoon will not be there when Kansas City picks at #36. If he were to play for the Chiefs, they'd have to move him inside, which wouldn't be a problem for Spoon, he showed in the Senior Bowl he can play between the tackles. Love him, but he'll be playing elsewhere unfortunately.
Comments or questions? Please submit your comments at the end of any article or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
Some guys just don't get it. Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill is one of those guys. He was busted for pot possession last year, plead guilty last month to the charge & was placed on 1-year of probation the 2nd of April. Then last Saturday night, April freakin' 10th, Hill was charged with domestic violence for dragging his live-in girlfriend down a flight of stairs by her hair. Hill is on schedule to make a guaranteed $6 million this season, which he risked to prove to his girlfriend he's the boss. New Seattle coach Pete Carroll told Hill to stay away from the voluntary mini camp & all other workouts until this is resolved. My guess is Hill's probation will be revoked, he'll go to jail for a short period until the domestic violence charge is either scheduled for trial or dropped. Then I fully expect the Seahawks to either suspend Hill or kick him to the curb altogether.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a crossroads. Many of their fans & much of the media, want Ben Roethlisberger wearing the jersey of another team next season. After dumping Santonio Holmes Sunday night for a 5th round draft pick, it became clear, the Steeler organization isn't going to put up with any more of this off-field crap. I think Big Ben's troubles certainly fall under that heading. Trade rumors have surfaced, I don't buy into them completely, but given the recent history, it could happen I suppose. It was generally thought Pittsburgh would try to rebuild their offensive line in the upcoming draft, now the trade of Holmes & the QB situation in question, who knows what they'll do?
In other possible trade news, the Baltimore Ravens say they haven't had a single offer for left tackle Jared Gaither. He carries a 1st round tender, like Brandon Marshall did, but they've made it clear they're open to a 2nd round pick or they'll listen if you want to make an offer. Gaither is in the last year of his contract & they've penciled in Michael Oher to be their next left tackle. Gaither is a decent tackle, at times, but not a real hard worker from what sources in Baltimore say. He wants a typical left tackle contract, something in the $7-10 million range & the Ravens aren't comfortable giving him such a deal when they feel he isn't giving them 100%. He's also made it clear he won't accept a right tackle's contract, usually $1.5-3 million less & isn't interested in playing on the right side. Because of this, he has become "buyer beware" trade bait.
The other big names still on the trading block, Washington's $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth & Buffalo running back Marshawn Lynch aren't generating much interest. They could very well be moved after the draft, teams would not have to give up selections in what is called a great draft by most experts, they'd be trading picks in the 2011 draft.
I've been taking a lot of heat lately for my contention that Glenn Dorsey will never excel in the Chiefs' 3-4 defensive scheme. Please understand this, from the beginning, I said Dorsey could be a force in the National Football League, but with his size limitations, he'd have to play in the right defense for him to produce up to the expectations a player selected with the 5th overall pick carries. Simply put, this defense is wrong for Dorsey. For all the haters out there, do your homework. I did, not one other starting 3-4 defensive end in the entire league is under 6' 3", not one. Yes Dorsey does have long arms, but when people were tooting that horn, it was assumed he would be playing DT in a 4-3 defense, against a guard. Guards are often shorter in height & often time have shorter arms. But Dorsey squares off with an offensive tackle almost every snap now & it's not a fair matchup. Especially against left tackles, the quickest, long-limbed, tall lineman for the other team. Often he's forced to play against a guy 5" taller than his 6' 1 1/4" height, a guy 25 pounds heavier than his 297 & a tackle with a 3-4" reach advantage. It's a credit to Dorsey that he fared as well as he did last season when he was consistently outgunned. Think about this, how would Warren Sapp have fared if he had to square off with a tackle week in week out? Sapp was a great player, partly because of his tremendous motor that never shut down(like Dorsey) & partly because in Monte Kiffin's Tampa-2 defense, Sapp was allowed to shoot gaps, slant & stunt. He was in the perfect scheme for his skill set. Am I saying Glenn Dorsey could be as good as Warren Sapp? In the right scheme, with the proper teammates around him, Dorsey could be All-Pro, but not in this defense. You're taking half his skill set away in this defense & forcing him into matchup every week he'll be lucky to stalemate. Still not convinced? I asked ESPN's John Clayton if Dorsey could be traded to a team like St. Louis or New Orleans because he's not right for the Chiefs 3-4. His response was "not now, they could have traded him last year for more, it looks like they intend to stand with Dorsey this season & no, he's not right for K.C.'s defense."
I asked Mel Kiper Jr. the same exact question & his response was "Dorsey has been forced to play in two different schemes & neither was suited for him to prosper." The guys at NFL Network agreed as well, mentioning Dorsey the other night, he was characterized as "miscast." I rest my case, trade this guy, get something for him & let him flourish in another system.
To Jeff:
Sean Weatherspoon will not be there when Kansas City picks at #36. If he were to play for the Chiefs, they'd have to move him inside, which wouldn't be a problem for Spoon, he showed in the Senior Bowl he can play between the tackles. Love him, but he'll be playing elsewhere unfortunately.
Comments or questions? Please submit your comments at the end of any article or email me at rich@richsfootballreport.com
Comments