1ST COACHES POLL, BRONCO'S LUCK GOES FROM BAD TO WORSE, BIG BLOW TO K-STATE & CHASE D. HAS A GREAT DAY
The first USA Today/Coaches poll came out today & here it is with some of my thoughts.
1. Alabama recvd all but 4 of the 1st place votes
2. Ohio State the other 4 1st place votes go to the often overrated Buckeyes
3. Florida the post Tebow era begins
4. Texas seems a little high for a team with no DT's & an underwhelming running game
5. Boise State Broncos return 21 of 22 starters but open against Va Tech in D.C.
6. Virginia Tech Great running backs with a great running quarterback
7. TCU Open the season vs. Oregon State in the "Jones Mahal" in Arlington
8. Oklahoma Broyles & Murray will need to carry Sooners early till revamped O-line jells
9. Nebraska Too high for a team with real quarterback questions
10. Iowa Tough trip out west to play Az, but Penn State, Ohio State & Wisc. all at home
11. Oregon Can Chip Kelly sort out the mess that the Duck program has become?
12. Wisconsin Real Big-10 contender, Iowa on the road but Buckeyes at Camp Randle
13. Miami Not quite sure Randy Shannon's team is quite back to this level, we'll see early
14. Penn State at Alabama, at Iowa, at Ohio State, pretty tough to stay ranked here
15. Pittsburgh at Utah, Miami, at Notre Dame plus the Big East, don't see them here at the end
16. LSU Very tough schedule for an overrated team led by a very overrated coach
17. Georgia Tech Brutal road schedule: N. Carolina, Clemson, Va Tech & Georgia
18. N. Carolina first things first, will the Tar Heels survive the NCAA investigation?
19. Arkansas 1st lofty pre-season ranking in a long time, QB Mallett is a difference-maker
20. Florida State Can Jimbo Fisher resurrect a stalled-out FSU program? QB Ponder the real deal.
21. Georgia Richt's Dawgs have made more bad news off the field than good news on it.
22. Oregon State Mike Riley has a brutal road slate: Boise State, TCU, Stanford, Arizona etc.
23. Auburn Except for the season-ending Iron Bowl w/Bama, Tigers' schedule not bad
24. Utah At Notre Dame is Kyle Whittingham's only tough road game
24Tie. West Virginia Very tough road games at LSU, Pitt & UConn, plus NCAA snooping around
Six SEC teams, five from the ACC, four from the Big-10, three from the Big-12, two each from the Mountain West, PAC-10(should be more) & Big East plus Boise State from the WAC.
The agent for Chiefs' safety Jarrad Page sent an email blast to a number of media outlets to say essentially the "Chiefs & coach Todd Haley were vindictive." He documented Page's injury last year, Haley's indifference to his injury, the way Page was ignored by Haley & finally the two letters he sent to Scott Pioli requesting a trade. He said he has never heard anything from the Chiefs' organization regarding Page's future. He stated Page no longer had a residence in the Kansas City area, he had moved back to California, his home state. There was growing speculation the Detroit Lions were interested in Page to pair with 2nd year man Louis Delmas after three different strong safeties hadn't produced last season. Now Delmas is hurt & could be out 2-3 weeks, it would seem the time is right to reunite Page with his old defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham.
Could Steeler rookie Emmanuel Sanders be this years' Mike Wallace? After being drafted in the 3rd round last season, Wallace got more & more snaps as the season progressed & by season's end, he was firmly entrenched as Pittsburgh's #3 receiver with 39 catches, 6 touchdowns & a gaudy 19.4 average per catch. With the departure of Santonio Holmes, Wallace will see even more playing time. Sanders, a 3rd round selection out of SMU, has been getting a lot of snaps with the first team. Mike Tomlin said Sanders has had no trouble picking up the offense, he played in June Jones' run & shoot system at SMU, so he understands coverages & route adjustments. He could be a major shot in the arm for a team that features Hines Ward, entering his 13th season & now Wallace. Former 2nd round pick Limas Sweed, has been a huge disappointment with just 7 receptions in 2 season. I think Sanders will make a major impact for the Steelers in 2010.
Ed Wang, Buffalo rookie tackle & 1st Chinese player drafted by an NFL team, will see his development slowed considerably with a thumb injury. Wang is expected to miss 4-8 weeks after surgery on the thumb. He was a 5th round pick of the Bills out of Virginia Tech.
The last two 1st round picks to sign, Seattle's Russell Okung & Buffalo's C.J. Spiller, are now in uniform. Okung signed a 6-year deal worth $58 million with $30 million of it guaranteed. Spiller signed a 5-year deal worth $37.5 million & $20 million guaranteed. The only drafted player unsigned is Ravens 2nd round pick Sergio Kindle who remains hospitalized with a skull fracture.
The last 2 months have been a nightmare for the Denver Broncos. I've already detailed their losses to injury & the list is extensive. Thursday, linebacker Elvis Dumervil, 2009's league-leading sacker, tore a pectoral muscle & will most likely miss the entire season. The two guys designated to fill Dumervil's spot were Jarvis Moss & Robert Ayers, both major disappointments so far. Friday, Moss broke his hand in practice & will miss 2-3 weeks. Both guys needed a lot of reps in hopes of improving enough to make a difference now that Dumervil is gone. Missing 2-3 weeks puts Moss waaaay behind now. Ayers, the 18th overall selection in last year's draft, made only 11 tackles last year & recorded zero sacks, he was already waaay behind.
Albert Haynesworth finally passed his conditioning test on Saturday & was cleared to return to practice. It will be interesting to watch his progression in the new 3-4 defense, which he made very clear, he hates. Head coach Mike Shanahan said "he probably doesn't like me much right now, but I'm not here to be liked." Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said Haynesworth is expected to play nose tackle, "he doesn't have much say in the issue." Haslett had said last week Haynesworth would be tried at defensive end, but after missing 8 practices, this wasn't an option.
I watched a video on NFL.com this morning of a Bengals practice drill. What I saw was very telling. Former Jayhawk wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, got blown up in a blocking drill by 3rd round rookie cornerback Brandon Ghee. Briscoe got absolutely flattened by a much smaller player, a real football player, something Briscoe is not. Entering last season, Brisoce was considered no worse than a low 2nd-round pick. By season's end he was down in the low 4th-round range. After the combine, he was a round lower. He was finally selected in the 6th round by the receiver-rich Bengals & I see no way he makes the team. He's very immature & selfish. He had numerous discipline problems with former Hawk coach Mark Mangino as well as lackluster academics. He simply doesn't apply himself instead relying on great natural ability. That doesn't work in the NFL, especially for 6th round picks battling for a spot on a team full of better receivers.
Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy got a tough initiation this morning in a Browns' scrimmage. McCoy threw 3 interceptions, a 4th was dropped, playing against the 2nd team defense. He was quarterbacking the first team offensive unit. Lot tougher than those soft Big-12 D's.
Kansas State received very bad news on Friday as pass rush specialist, Adam Davis, a JUCO transfer, was ruled out of the 2010 season with a slipped disc in his back. In fact it isn't known if he will ever be able to play again. Davis had 23 sacks for Hutchinson Community College before becoming the centerpiece of Bill Snyder's recruiting class. Reserve defensive tackle Justin Williams was also ruled out of playing this season because of academic issues. Snyder has long preferred JUCO defensive linemen to high school prospects & this pair were figured to see extensive playing time for the Wildcats.
The "Gift that Keeps on Giving" that is the USC football program & their coach Lane Kiffin just can't escape the spotlight. Yesterday was no different as it was revealed the NCAA is investigating the Tennessee Volunteer program for the one year Kiffin was there. The alleged recruiting violations involve the Tennessee Recruiting Hostesses, a group of young female students that escort prospective recruits around campus. It should be noted, many, many schools have similar programs. But the question arising from the Hostess program is several recruits have told NCAA investigators the young ladies visited them at their high schools, which is not allowed. They said the girls went to their Friday night games with big signs urging them to attend Tennessee & then hung around to talk with them after the games. I'm not insinuating anything else went on & neither is the NCAA, but sending your hostesses "on the road" might prove to be a bad decision. A decision that Tennessee will have to pay for, while chief knucklehead Lane Kiffin remains unscathed out in LaLa Land. An item in The Orange County Register this morning said a highly placed official within the Trojan athletic department is incensed Kiffin can't stay out of the news when the USC program is trying to keep a low profile while they get their house in order.
Chase Daniel made quite a case for the Saints' #2 quarterback in the "Black & Gold" scrimmage today. Daniel was sent in with about 5 minutes to go in the half. On 2nd & ten from his 20, he scrambled out of the pocket & headed down the near sideline, made a cutback inside the ten & scored. After the 80-yard touchdown run, his squad got the ball back with less than a minute till halftime. He moved the team down the field & with 10-seconds left & playing with one less player than the defense, a wide receiver pulled up lame running to the line of scrimmage, Daniel lofted a perfect pass into the corner of the endzone for another score. He is battling rookie Sean Canfield & veteran Patrick Ramsey for another year on the Saints' roster. Drew Brees was 6 of 16 in the scrimmage while Daniel went 4 of 6 for 32 yards & two scores.
Tonight the Hall of Fame inducts seven new members into it's hallowed halls. The leagues' all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith & all-time leading receiver, Jerry Rice, will take the podium to be enshrined. Both are no-brainer, 1st ballot inductees. I believe Rice is not only the best receiver of all-time, but very possibly the best pro football player of all-time. Many dispute Rice's lofty stats & recognition, they believe Green Bay's Don Hutson is the greatest receiver of all-time & the case they make is certainly compelling. I'm a geezer, but not an old-enough geezer to have seen Hutson play, he retired in 1945. But please don't tell me Smith, because of his lifetime stats(#1 in rushing yards & #1 in rushing TD's), is the best running back of all-time. Yes Emmitt had a great career, a Hall of Fame career, but I would rank him no higher than 6th all-time. Jim Brown is my #1, Gale Sayers #2, Walter Payton #3, Barry Sanders #4 & Marcus Allen at #5. For much of his career, Smith played with a better QB than the guys I listed above, better wide receivers & a better offensive line, which made his job somewhat easier, not that being an NFL running back is ever easy. I do question the election of Floyd Little. He was a great ambassador off the field & in the Denver community but his playing stats just aren't Hall-worthy. He amassed just 6,323 yards & 51 touchdowns, surpassing the 1,000 yard barrier just one season in his 9-year career. Yes, his rushing total was 7th best when he retired, but now that total is 62nd, does the 62nd leading rusher warrant HOF inclusion? They say he saved the franchise, God bless him, but I still don't think his numbers are Hall of Fame worthy. Does Little's election mean Terrell Davis(7,607 & 60 TDs), Priest Holmes(8,172 & 94 TDs), Ricky Williams(8,892 & 69 TDs) & Eddie George(10,441 & 78 TDs) should also be in the Hall of Fame? The Hall of Fame runs the risk of becoming an organization honoring not the very best, but the very good. Is that what we want? I'm not disparaging Little, just his Hall of Fame credentials as well as others who will, no doubt, now become part of the conversation. As long as Cris Carter & Shannon Sharpe remain on the outside looking in, Floyd Little & those like him numbers-wise, should take a backseat.
1. Alabama recvd all but 4 of the 1st place votes
2. Ohio State the other 4 1st place votes go to the often overrated Buckeyes
3. Florida the post Tebow era begins
4. Texas seems a little high for a team with no DT's & an underwhelming running game
5. Boise State Broncos return 21 of 22 starters but open against Va Tech in D.C.
6. Virginia Tech Great running backs with a great running quarterback
7. TCU Open the season vs. Oregon State in the "Jones Mahal" in Arlington
8. Oklahoma Broyles & Murray will need to carry Sooners early till revamped O-line jells
9. Nebraska Too high for a team with real quarterback questions
10. Iowa Tough trip out west to play Az, but Penn State, Ohio State & Wisc. all at home
11. Oregon Can Chip Kelly sort out the mess that the Duck program has become?
12. Wisconsin Real Big-10 contender, Iowa on the road but Buckeyes at Camp Randle
13. Miami Not quite sure Randy Shannon's team is quite back to this level, we'll see early
14. Penn State at Alabama, at Iowa, at Ohio State, pretty tough to stay ranked here
15. Pittsburgh at Utah, Miami, at Notre Dame plus the Big East, don't see them here at the end
16. LSU Very tough schedule for an overrated team led by a very overrated coach
17. Georgia Tech Brutal road schedule: N. Carolina, Clemson, Va Tech & Georgia
18. N. Carolina first things first, will the Tar Heels survive the NCAA investigation?
19. Arkansas 1st lofty pre-season ranking in a long time, QB Mallett is a difference-maker
20. Florida State Can Jimbo Fisher resurrect a stalled-out FSU program? QB Ponder the real deal.
21. Georgia Richt's Dawgs have made more bad news off the field than good news on it.
22. Oregon State Mike Riley has a brutal road slate: Boise State, TCU, Stanford, Arizona etc.
23. Auburn Except for the season-ending Iron Bowl w/Bama, Tigers' schedule not bad
24. Utah At Notre Dame is Kyle Whittingham's only tough road game
24Tie. West Virginia Very tough road games at LSU, Pitt & UConn, plus NCAA snooping around
Six SEC teams, five from the ACC, four from the Big-10, three from the Big-12, two each from the Mountain West, PAC-10(should be more) & Big East plus Boise State from the WAC.
The agent for Chiefs' safety Jarrad Page sent an email blast to a number of media outlets to say essentially the "Chiefs & coach Todd Haley were vindictive." He documented Page's injury last year, Haley's indifference to his injury, the way Page was ignored by Haley & finally the two letters he sent to Scott Pioli requesting a trade. He said he has never heard anything from the Chiefs' organization regarding Page's future. He stated Page no longer had a residence in the Kansas City area, he had moved back to California, his home state. There was growing speculation the Detroit Lions were interested in Page to pair with 2nd year man Louis Delmas after three different strong safeties hadn't produced last season. Now Delmas is hurt & could be out 2-3 weeks, it would seem the time is right to reunite Page with his old defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham.
Could Steeler rookie Emmanuel Sanders be this years' Mike Wallace? After being drafted in the 3rd round last season, Wallace got more & more snaps as the season progressed & by season's end, he was firmly entrenched as Pittsburgh's #3 receiver with 39 catches, 6 touchdowns & a gaudy 19.4 average per catch. With the departure of Santonio Holmes, Wallace will see even more playing time. Sanders, a 3rd round selection out of SMU, has been getting a lot of snaps with the first team. Mike Tomlin said Sanders has had no trouble picking up the offense, he played in June Jones' run & shoot system at SMU, so he understands coverages & route adjustments. He could be a major shot in the arm for a team that features Hines Ward, entering his 13th season & now Wallace. Former 2nd round pick Limas Sweed, has been a huge disappointment with just 7 receptions in 2 season. I think Sanders will make a major impact for the Steelers in 2010.
Ed Wang, Buffalo rookie tackle & 1st Chinese player drafted by an NFL team, will see his development slowed considerably with a thumb injury. Wang is expected to miss 4-8 weeks after surgery on the thumb. He was a 5th round pick of the Bills out of Virginia Tech.
The last two 1st round picks to sign, Seattle's Russell Okung & Buffalo's C.J. Spiller, are now in uniform. Okung signed a 6-year deal worth $58 million with $30 million of it guaranteed. Spiller signed a 5-year deal worth $37.5 million & $20 million guaranteed. The only drafted player unsigned is Ravens 2nd round pick Sergio Kindle who remains hospitalized with a skull fracture.
The last 2 months have been a nightmare for the Denver Broncos. I've already detailed their losses to injury & the list is extensive. Thursday, linebacker Elvis Dumervil, 2009's league-leading sacker, tore a pectoral muscle & will most likely miss the entire season. The two guys designated to fill Dumervil's spot were Jarvis Moss & Robert Ayers, both major disappointments so far. Friday, Moss broke his hand in practice & will miss 2-3 weeks. Both guys needed a lot of reps in hopes of improving enough to make a difference now that Dumervil is gone. Missing 2-3 weeks puts Moss waaaay behind now. Ayers, the 18th overall selection in last year's draft, made only 11 tackles last year & recorded zero sacks, he was already waaay behind.
Albert Haynesworth finally passed his conditioning test on Saturday & was cleared to return to practice. It will be interesting to watch his progression in the new 3-4 defense, which he made very clear, he hates. Head coach Mike Shanahan said "he probably doesn't like me much right now, but I'm not here to be liked." Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said Haynesworth is expected to play nose tackle, "he doesn't have much say in the issue." Haslett had said last week Haynesworth would be tried at defensive end, but after missing 8 practices, this wasn't an option.
I watched a video on NFL.com this morning of a Bengals practice drill. What I saw was very telling. Former Jayhawk wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe, got blown up in a blocking drill by 3rd round rookie cornerback Brandon Ghee. Briscoe got absolutely flattened by a much smaller player, a real football player, something Briscoe is not. Entering last season, Brisoce was considered no worse than a low 2nd-round pick. By season's end he was down in the low 4th-round range. After the combine, he was a round lower. He was finally selected in the 6th round by the receiver-rich Bengals & I see no way he makes the team. He's very immature & selfish. He had numerous discipline problems with former Hawk coach Mark Mangino as well as lackluster academics. He simply doesn't apply himself instead relying on great natural ability. That doesn't work in the NFL, especially for 6th round picks battling for a spot on a team full of better receivers.
Former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy got a tough initiation this morning in a Browns' scrimmage. McCoy threw 3 interceptions, a 4th was dropped, playing against the 2nd team defense. He was quarterbacking the first team offensive unit. Lot tougher than those soft Big-12 D's.
Kansas State received very bad news on Friday as pass rush specialist, Adam Davis, a JUCO transfer, was ruled out of the 2010 season with a slipped disc in his back. In fact it isn't known if he will ever be able to play again. Davis had 23 sacks for Hutchinson Community College before becoming the centerpiece of Bill Snyder's recruiting class. Reserve defensive tackle Justin Williams was also ruled out of playing this season because of academic issues. Snyder has long preferred JUCO defensive linemen to high school prospects & this pair were figured to see extensive playing time for the Wildcats.
The "Gift that Keeps on Giving" that is the USC football program & their coach Lane Kiffin just can't escape the spotlight. Yesterday was no different as it was revealed the NCAA is investigating the Tennessee Volunteer program for the one year Kiffin was there. The alleged recruiting violations involve the Tennessee Recruiting Hostesses, a group of young female students that escort prospective recruits around campus. It should be noted, many, many schools have similar programs. But the question arising from the Hostess program is several recruits have told NCAA investigators the young ladies visited them at their high schools, which is not allowed. They said the girls went to their Friday night games with big signs urging them to attend Tennessee & then hung around to talk with them after the games. I'm not insinuating anything else went on & neither is the NCAA, but sending your hostesses "on the road" might prove to be a bad decision. A decision that Tennessee will have to pay for, while chief knucklehead Lane Kiffin remains unscathed out in LaLa Land. An item in The Orange County Register this morning said a highly placed official within the Trojan athletic department is incensed Kiffin can't stay out of the news when the USC program is trying to keep a low profile while they get their house in order.
Chase Daniel made quite a case for the Saints' #2 quarterback in the "Black & Gold" scrimmage today. Daniel was sent in with about 5 minutes to go in the half. On 2nd & ten from his 20, he scrambled out of the pocket & headed down the near sideline, made a cutback inside the ten & scored. After the 80-yard touchdown run, his squad got the ball back with less than a minute till halftime. He moved the team down the field & with 10-seconds left & playing with one less player than the defense, a wide receiver pulled up lame running to the line of scrimmage, Daniel lofted a perfect pass into the corner of the endzone for another score. He is battling rookie Sean Canfield & veteran Patrick Ramsey for another year on the Saints' roster. Drew Brees was 6 of 16 in the scrimmage while Daniel went 4 of 6 for 32 yards & two scores.
Tonight the Hall of Fame inducts seven new members into it's hallowed halls. The leagues' all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith & all-time leading receiver, Jerry Rice, will take the podium to be enshrined. Both are no-brainer, 1st ballot inductees. I believe Rice is not only the best receiver of all-time, but very possibly the best pro football player of all-time. Many dispute Rice's lofty stats & recognition, they believe Green Bay's Don Hutson is the greatest receiver of all-time & the case they make is certainly compelling. I'm a geezer, but not an old-enough geezer to have seen Hutson play, he retired in 1945. But please don't tell me Smith, because of his lifetime stats(#1 in rushing yards & #1 in rushing TD's), is the best running back of all-time. Yes Emmitt had a great career, a Hall of Fame career, but I would rank him no higher than 6th all-time. Jim Brown is my #1, Gale Sayers #2, Walter Payton #3, Barry Sanders #4 & Marcus Allen at #5. For much of his career, Smith played with a better QB than the guys I listed above, better wide receivers & a better offensive line, which made his job somewhat easier, not that being an NFL running back is ever easy. I do question the election of Floyd Little. He was a great ambassador off the field & in the Denver community but his playing stats just aren't Hall-worthy. He amassed just 6,323 yards & 51 touchdowns, surpassing the 1,000 yard barrier just one season in his 9-year career. Yes, his rushing total was 7th best when he retired, but now that total is 62nd, does the 62nd leading rusher warrant HOF inclusion? They say he saved the franchise, God bless him, but I still don't think his numbers are Hall of Fame worthy. Does Little's election mean Terrell Davis(7,607 & 60 TDs), Priest Holmes(8,172 & 94 TDs), Ricky Williams(8,892 & 69 TDs) & Eddie George(10,441 & 78 TDs) should also be in the Hall of Fame? The Hall of Fame runs the risk of becoming an organization honoring not the very best, but the very good. Is that what we want? I'm not disparaging Little, just his Hall of Fame credentials as well as others who will, no doubt, now become part of the conversation. As long as Cris Carter & Shannon Sharpe remain on the outside looking in, Floyd Little & those like him numbers-wise, should take a backseat.
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