RAIDERS NEW COACH, HALEY GETS A 2ND CHANCE IN AZ & MY ALL-STAR GAME NOTES
Oakland has their man, former Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has agreed to become the Raiders' next head coach. It was thought new Raider general manager Reggie McKenzie would pick someone from the Packer family since he came from there & interviewed a pair of Green Bay assistants. As far as I can remember & please correct me if I'm wrong, this is the first defensive coach to become head coach for the Raiders. Al Davis always hired offensive guys, either coordinators or offensive line coaches. This truly is a new era in Oakland.
Todd Haley, despite reports saying otherwise, is still in the picture for a job with Arizona. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed Haley for the 2nd time on Tuesday. it was originally thought Whisenhunt didn't want to demote or fire current offensive coordinator Mike Miller. The only opening on the staff was quarterbacks coach. Former Raiders head coach, Hue Jackson, interviewed Monday night for the QB coaches job, so where does Haley fit in?
Chris H. emailed a question about Jim Harbaugh ducking a postgame interview with FOX Sunday evening. Chris, the league doesn't require the losing coach to appear on TV right after the game, but they encourage it. The losing team is required to provide the head coach & at least two players for the postgame press conference. Ditch that one & it'll cost you dearly. The snub to FOX was just bad judgement in my eyes. Harbaugh is a very intense, emotional & demonstrative person, he doesn't do well in certain situations. I think this was one of those times.
Another post-NFC Championship game item is very disturbing. Substitute return man, Kyle Williams, has received enough death threats in 36-hours after the game, that he received police protection for 2 days. Really? This is what our sport has become, life & death? I saw Jerome Bettis this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning & his take on Williams was quite interesting. Bettis said "No one wants to be that guy. The guy that drops the TD pass, misses a field goal, throws an interception or fumbles a punt. If you've never been in that situation, you have no idea just how painful it is & it doesn't go away quickly, it lingers day after day, week after week & sometimes month after month." If a player commits such a mistake trying to help his team, does that call for death or at least death threats? There's a helluva lot of scary people floating around out there who might do something, but I think it's the cowards who have "keyboard courage." The people who anonymously name-call & threaten people with little accountability. Williams apologized profusely after the game, what do you want from the guy?
Right after Christmas(check the archives) I posted my first Chiefs' mock draft. I went with:
1. Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
2. Coby Fleener--TE--Stanford
3. Doug Martin--RB--Boise State
4. George Iloka--S--Boise State
5. Marvin McNutt--WR--Iowa
6. Brandon Brooks--G--Miami(Ohio)
7. Dominique Hamilton--DL--Missouri
Martin, Iloka & McNutt are currently in Mobile at the Senior Bowl practices. Brooks & Hamilton played in the East-West Shrine Game Saturday. Here are notes on these prospects & others:
Brooks might well have been my favorite player in this game. He was solid on every snap I saw & downright overpowering on a handful of plays. The 6' 4" 350-pound massive mauler was quite impressive. Depending on his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on February 23rd, Brooks has moved up two full rounds, maybe three, with his performance Saturday.
Tennesse-Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman was easily the best quarterback in the game. Since I hadn't seen him this season, I was very eager to see him take a step up in competition. Coleman showed an NFL arm, real power & good accuracy. He has the size coveted by the pros at 6' 4" 233.
B.J. Coleman
Mizzou's Dominique Hamilton had a fine game too. He showed excellent hand fighting, delivered quite a punch off the snap, stayed on his feet & walked his man right back into the QB's lap twice. Even at 320, he looks a little light in his lower body, a good NFL conditioning coach will put 12-15 lbs of muscle on Hamilton's butt & thighs. He could be a late-round(5-6) steal. But no longer in the 7th round.
My observations from the Senior Bowl practices carry slightly more weight because I couldn't view the Shrine Game week of workouts. Here's what I saw:
Starting with the 3 prospects I tabbed in my mock draft, both of the Boise guys are doing quite well so far. Iloka uses his long arms, strength & size to his advantage jamming receivers & knocking them off their routes. He closes quickly going downhill(toward the line of scrimmage) as well as laterally to the sideline. He struggled a couple of times trying to cover slot receivers, but fared much better shadowing tight ends.
RB Doug Martin displayed the patience & quick feet that attracted me the first time I saw him play. His low center of gravity & power make him a very desirable backup NFL runner. He catches the ball well too.
McNutt has struggled mightily catching the ball, something I never thought I'd see. The former high school quarterback with excellent size & strength had displayed superior hands the past two years at Iowa. I don't know what is causing McNutt to have the drops, especially over a 2-day period, but let's hope he has a better Wednesday.
Florida RB/WR/KR Chris Rainey is a blazer, no one could stay with him on vertical routes, not even former teammate Janoris Jenkins. Rainey's a squirt at 5' 8" 178, but he got separation consistently & caught the ball when it was thrown on target. He returns kickoffs & has blocked 5 punts while at Florida.
The South team has the best of it at quarterback with Brandon Weeden, Nick Foles & Ryan Lindley. Foles has struggled so far, but Weeden has really stepped up his game. He threw on time, accurately & with the right touch. He threw a couple of darts in this afternoon's practice. The more of him I see against this level of competition, the more I like the 28-year old former pro baseball player.
The North's Kirk Cousins had a real up & down practice, too often he threw the ball like he's was trying to penetrate a brick wall. Wisconsin's Russell Wilson was inconsistent as well, his passes fluttered too often in the wind. Boise State's Kellen Moore was the most impressive North QB even tho his arm is sub-par right now. He just doesn't get much velocity, which is a problem when you're trying to fit it into a very small window. His ability to read the defense & get the ball out was better than every QB on either team except Weeden. Wilson's weigh-in didn't go well, he measured just 5' 10". Here's an amazing note, the South QB's didn't know which hand went on top when taking a snap from under center, they had always taken shotgun snaps in the spread.
Texas A&M wideout Jeff Fuller continues to slide down draft boards. I thought he was a fringe 1st rounder before the season began. It's been a downward spiral ever since & he's really having a tough time in Mobile. Besides Chris Rainey, I'd say my #2 receiver so far is Cal's Marvin Jones, he really looks solid thru 2-days of practice.
My favorite part of these padded practices(Tues & Wed) is the blocking-pass rushing drills between the offensive & defensive linemen. Here are a few of the prospects who caught my eye starting with three right tackle candidates.
Mike Adams(Ohio St R-tackle)showed good straight ahead power, moved his feet very well in pass-blocking drills.
Kelechi Osemele(Iowa St-tackle/guard) Tho he played LT at Ames, I think he'd make a better LG or RT. Longest arms at the Senior Bowl & he uses them well. This kid has a lot of upside at the next level.
Kelechi Osemele
Cordy Glenn(Georgia-RT/G) 6'5" 345, Glenn is huge with long arms & a mean disposition. I like this guy a lot.
Florida State left tackle Zebrie Sanders stonewalled scouts favorite Quinton Coples. Sanders took the fight right out of Coples three times. Coples has always underachieved IMO. Big hype, but he doesn't like going against a fighter or anyone close to his talent level. I watched him quit in the Independence Bowl after less than a quarter, I'm not surprised at what I've seen so far in mobile.
Ohio State center Mike Brewster was overpowered all afternoon. Even when he held with both hands, he couldn't stop the guy across the line from him.
Often that guy was Michigan DT Mike Martin. He was the most disruptive D-lineman during the North practice. Brewster wasn't the only guy he abused.
Mike Martin
Kendall Reyes, defensive tackle from UConn has had two good practices, showing good power to bull-rush & a solid anchor against the run.
Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw played with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE & he was almost unblockable. But when he stood up as a 3-4 OLB, he never came close to beating his man & more importantly, he looked really slow in run pursuit to the boundary.
Baylor guard Phillip Blake wasn't spectacular, but he was effective, I haven't seen him beaten yet.
A real defensive wildcard is South Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Today he was a DE, tomorrow, he'll play OLB. At 6' 2" & 278, he could easily play a 4-3 DE. He's quick off the ball & has shown the non-stop motor I like. We'll see how he does standing up on Wednesday.
More from the Senior Bowl tomorrow plus I'm getting a bunch of email questions regarding Peyton Manning's future which I'll address tomorrow.
Todd Haley, despite reports saying otherwise, is still in the picture for a job with Arizona. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt interviewed Haley for the 2nd time on Tuesday. it was originally thought Whisenhunt didn't want to demote or fire current offensive coordinator Mike Miller. The only opening on the staff was quarterbacks coach. Former Raiders head coach, Hue Jackson, interviewed Monday night for the QB coaches job, so where does Haley fit in?
Chris H. emailed a question about Jim Harbaugh ducking a postgame interview with FOX Sunday evening. Chris, the league doesn't require the losing coach to appear on TV right after the game, but they encourage it. The losing team is required to provide the head coach & at least two players for the postgame press conference. Ditch that one & it'll cost you dearly. The snub to FOX was just bad judgement in my eyes. Harbaugh is a very intense, emotional & demonstrative person, he doesn't do well in certain situations. I think this was one of those times.
Another post-NFC Championship game item is very disturbing. Substitute return man, Kyle Williams, has received enough death threats in 36-hours after the game, that he received police protection for 2 days. Really? This is what our sport has become, life & death? I saw Jerome Bettis this morning on Mike & Mike in the Morning & his take on Williams was quite interesting. Bettis said "No one wants to be that guy. The guy that drops the TD pass, misses a field goal, throws an interception or fumbles a punt. If you've never been in that situation, you have no idea just how painful it is & it doesn't go away quickly, it lingers day after day, week after week & sometimes month after month." If a player commits such a mistake trying to help his team, does that call for death or at least death threats? There's a helluva lot of scary people floating around out there who might do something, but I think it's the cowards who have "keyboard courage." The people who anonymously name-call & threaten people with little accountability. Williams apologized profusely after the game, what do you want from the guy?
Right after Christmas(check the archives) I posted my first Chiefs' mock draft. I went with:
1. Jonathan Martin--OT--Stanford
2. Coby Fleener--TE--Stanford
3. Doug Martin--RB--Boise State
4. George Iloka--S--Boise State
5. Marvin McNutt--WR--Iowa
6. Brandon Brooks--G--Miami(Ohio)
7. Dominique Hamilton--DL--Missouri
Martin, Iloka & McNutt are currently in Mobile at the Senior Bowl practices. Brooks & Hamilton played in the East-West Shrine Game Saturday. Here are notes on these prospects & others:
Brooks might well have been my favorite player in this game. He was solid on every snap I saw & downright overpowering on a handful of plays. The 6' 4" 350-pound massive mauler was quite impressive. Depending on his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on February 23rd, Brooks has moved up two full rounds, maybe three, with his performance Saturday.
Tennesse-Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman was easily the best quarterback in the game. Since I hadn't seen him this season, I was very eager to see him take a step up in competition. Coleman showed an NFL arm, real power & good accuracy. He has the size coveted by the pros at 6' 4" 233.
B.J. Coleman
Mizzou's Dominique Hamilton had a fine game too. He showed excellent hand fighting, delivered quite a punch off the snap, stayed on his feet & walked his man right back into the QB's lap twice. Even at 320, he looks a little light in his lower body, a good NFL conditioning coach will put 12-15 lbs of muscle on Hamilton's butt & thighs. He could be a late-round(5-6) steal. But no longer in the 7th round.
My observations from the Senior Bowl practices carry slightly more weight because I couldn't view the Shrine Game week of workouts. Here's what I saw:
Starting with the 3 prospects I tabbed in my mock draft, both of the Boise guys are doing quite well so far. Iloka uses his long arms, strength & size to his advantage jamming receivers & knocking them off their routes. He closes quickly going downhill(toward the line of scrimmage) as well as laterally to the sideline. He struggled a couple of times trying to cover slot receivers, but fared much better shadowing tight ends.
RB Doug Martin displayed the patience & quick feet that attracted me the first time I saw him play. His low center of gravity & power make him a very desirable backup NFL runner. He catches the ball well too.
McNutt has struggled mightily catching the ball, something I never thought I'd see. The former high school quarterback with excellent size & strength had displayed superior hands the past two years at Iowa. I don't know what is causing McNutt to have the drops, especially over a 2-day period, but let's hope he has a better Wednesday.
Florida RB/WR/KR Chris Rainey is a blazer, no one could stay with him on vertical routes, not even former teammate Janoris Jenkins. Rainey's a squirt at 5' 8" 178, but he got separation consistently & caught the ball when it was thrown on target. He returns kickoffs & has blocked 5 punts while at Florida.
The South team has the best of it at quarterback with Brandon Weeden, Nick Foles & Ryan Lindley. Foles has struggled so far, but Weeden has really stepped up his game. He threw on time, accurately & with the right touch. He threw a couple of darts in this afternoon's practice. The more of him I see against this level of competition, the more I like the 28-year old former pro baseball player.
The North's Kirk Cousins had a real up & down practice, too often he threw the ball like he's was trying to penetrate a brick wall. Wisconsin's Russell Wilson was inconsistent as well, his passes fluttered too often in the wind. Boise State's Kellen Moore was the most impressive North QB even tho his arm is sub-par right now. He just doesn't get much velocity, which is a problem when you're trying to fit it into a very small window. His ability to read the defense & get the ball out was better than every QB on either team except Weeden. Wilson's weigh-in didn't go well, he measured just 5' 10". Here's an amazing note, the South QB's didn't know which hand went on top when taking a snap from under center, they had always taken shotgun snaps in the spread.
Texas A&M wideout Jeff Fuller continues to slide down draft boards. I thought he was a fringe 1st rounder before the season began. It's been a downward spiral ever since & he's really having a tough time in Mobile. Besides Chris Rainey, I'd say my #2 receiver so far is Cal's Marvin Jones, he really looks solid thru 2-days of practice.
My favorite part of these padded practices(Tues & Wed) is the blocking-pass rushing drills between the offensive & defensive linemen. Here are a few of the prospects who caught my eye starting with three right tackle candidates.
Mike Adams(Ohio St R-tackle)showed good straight ahead power, moved his feet very well in pass-blocking drills.
Kelechi Osemele(Iowa St-tackle/guard) Tho he played LT at Ames, I think he'd make a better LG or RT. Longest arms at the Senior Bowl & he uses them well. This kid has a lot of upside at the next level.
Kelechi Osemele
Cordy Glenn(Georgia-RT/G) 6'5" 345, Glenn is huge with long arms & a mean disposition. I like this guy a lot.
Florida State left tackle Zebrie Sanders stonewalled scouts favorite Quinton Coples. Sanders took the fight right out of Coples three times. Coples has always underachieved IMO. Big hype, but he doesn't like going against a fighter or anyone close to his talent level. I watched him quit in the Independence Bowl after less than a quarter, I'm not surprised at what I've seen so far in mobile.
Ohio State center Mike Brewster was overpowered all afternoon. Even when he held with both hands, he couldn't stop the guy across the line from him.
Often that guy was Michigan DT Mike Martin. He was the most disruptive D-lineman during the North practice. Brewster wasn't the only guy he abused.
Mike Martin
Kendall Reyes, defensive tackle from UConn has had two good practices, showing good power to bull-rush & a solid anchor against the run.
Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw played with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE & he was almost unblockable. But when he stood up as a 3-4 OLB, he never came close to beating his man & more importantly, he looked really slow in run pursuit to the boundary.
Baylor guard Phillip Blake wasn't spectacular, but he was effective, I haven't seen him beaten yet.
A real defensive wildcard is South Carolina defensive end/outside linebacker Melvin Ingram. Today he was a DE, tomorrow, he'll play OLB. At 6' 2" & 278, he could easily play a 4-3 DE. He's quick off the ball & has shown the non-stop motor I like. We'll see how he does standing up on Wednesday.
More from the Senior Bowl tomorrow plus I'm getting a bunch of email questions regarding Peyton Manning's future which I'll address tomorrow.
As always, what a rush to read your player breakdowns! If you go back and watch McNutt's struggles, he could have been battling the sloppy conditions and the unfamiliar QBs. I know, the other WRs worked under the same circumstances. McNutt's drops didn't seem to bother the scouts and other noted on-lookers in their assessment of him.
I really like Kellen Moore, but there is far too much Tyler Palko in his pro potential. RB Doug Martin looks terrific, has an excellent slide-step as he sets up his blocks and avoids the 1st level defenders. Reminds me of Pierre Thomas in NOLA.
Interested in your thoughts about ILB James Michael-Johnson.
We want MORE!!!! Your work is greatly appreciated.
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John,
I'm not giving up on McNutt, I've been touting this guy for two years, he just needs to settle down & play his game. One thing that really surprised me was his inability to block DB's, he really struggled & was consistently overpowered by smaller players.
Please don't compare Kellen Moore to Tyler Palko. Palko was a deer in headlights the minute the ball was snapped. I watched far too many snaps of both players to make that comparison. He's a Chase Daniel-type backup, no better, no worse. Excellent mind, fair passer.
Doug Martin is stout, I really like him, he makes subtle open field moves that makes people miss. I also love his "two hands on the ball" security until he's thru the hole. Tacklers bounce off him unless they get real low.
James Michael-Johnson has a lot of upside from what I saw last season thru the end of this season. He's fluid in space, not tripping around off balance. He isn't the big hitter some prefer their ILB's to be, but he's a solid tackler. His best football could be in the future.
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Rich, my Moore-Palko comparison is physically based, not his game. I do think Chase Daniel has a better arm than both Moore and Palko.
Loooove Martin! And thanks for your views on JMJ. I agree his best football lies ahead.
WRITE ON, RICH!
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Todd Haley... now that the Steelers forced OC Bruce Arians into retirement, does Haley get a shot at that job (OC) in his dad's old stomping grounds?
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John,
I honestly think if Haley could land that position, he'd be cool with it for years, wouldn't need to be a head coach again for a while. But I don't see Tomlin & Rooney II considering him, just a little too volatile for that staff.
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Rich,
Have you heard anything on the selection of our OC? I have read a few articles on who might be selected and why. I like Romeo except for his age. He is not the long term solution. I would think that the next OC has to be our future head coach or we will be back to revamping our coaching staff yet again.
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