Dallas Cowboys Hard Knocks Trailer

Since I don't have cable, would anyone be so kind as to record this? Haha, I'd really like to see how Wade Phillips runs practice as well as how the rookies get settled in, Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins especially and hopefully they cover some Free Agents, like Amendola and Joe West.

NFL Draft 08: NFC South Draft Analysis

Hey everyone, another guest analyst this time it's Raymond Campa, Raymond can be reached here. Any comments or anything feel free to email me as well at L2odnunez at gmail dot com
...Enjoy!
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Atlanta Falcons

Best pick: Some questioned their decision to trade back into the first round and get USC tackle Sam Baker, but it was the right move. He was a four-year starter for the Trojans and will be a 10-year starter for the Falcons, beginning as a rookie.

Questionable move: Taking Matt Ryan third overall. If Dorsey goes on to be a star and Ryan isn't the franchise passer they expect, look out.

Second-day gem: LSU corner Chevis Jackson, taken in the third round, doesn't run as well as scouts like, but he has everything else needed to be a successful corner on the next level.

Overall grade: B. I wouldn't have selected Ryan third overall, but they needed a passer. I get it. The rest of the draft was very good. Trading up to get Baker will pay off in a big way. Second-round pick Curtis Lofton is a run-stuffing linebacker and Jackson capped it off.



Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best pick: I like first-round pick Aqib Talib as a player, but can he overcome the character issues? If he does, he's a steal.

Questionable move: They used their second-round pick on speedy receiver Dexter Jackson from Appalachian State when there were more prominent receivers on the board.

Second-day gem: Seventh-round running back Corey Boyd has the tools to make the Tampa Bay roster. He has good size and he's faster than scouts expected.

Overall grade: C+. If Talib turns out to be a star, it will be higher. If he has off-the-field issues, it will go even lower.



New Orleans Saints

Best pick: Their aggression to go up and draft USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis should be lauded. He will be an immediate starter.

Questionable move: I thought they took Indiana corner Tracy Porter too high in the second round. There were better options.

Second-day gem: Fifth-round pick Carl Nicks has some character concerns, but if he stays out of trouble he could develop into a starting-quality player.

Overall grade: B-. Landing Ellis is big, but there are questions about the other picks.



Carolina Panthers

Best pick: Third-round pick Charles Godfrey played corner and safety at Iowa, but he might be better suited to play safety in the NFL. He has a lot of range for that position.

Questionable move: A lot of people will question trading their 2009 first-round pick and other choices to move back into the first round to take tackle Jeff Otah. I like it, but it will be questioned.

Second-day gem: Fifth-round pick Gary Barnidge, a tight end from Louisville, is a nice receiving tight end who will help the Panthers passing game.

Overall grade: B-.
As much as I like top pick Jonathan Stewart, don't the Panthers have far greater needs than a running back?

NFL Draft 08: NFC East Draft Analysis

The following Analysis was written by guest analyst David Estrada, David can be reached here. Hopefully you'll enjoy his different perspective.

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The NFC East is being regarded as one of the strongest divisions in the entire league. And why not? This last season, three of the teams made the playoffs, the Cowboys were as dominating on offense as any team, the Redskins showed how dangerous they can be with a little motivation, the Eagles are not a team you take lightly, ever, and of course, the Super Bowl champions, the Giants. The exciting thing about all of their drafts is that none of these teams were trying to fill holes or rebuild, but to solidify positions aggressively. Here’s a look at the NFC East’s 2008 draft.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys drafted who they set out to get with their two first-round picks. They needed a runningback and depth at cornerback. By passing on the higher touted Rashard Mendenhall and going with Arkansas running back Felix Jones, the Cowboys showed their commitment to Marion Barber III. Mendenhall doesn’t provide the change of pace that Jones has, nor valuable return ability. However, if Barber does ask for too much money in this contract year, the Cowboys did draft Tashard Choice a steal in the fourth (the same round that MBIII was taken in). The Cowboys moved up to select Mike Jenkins, a premiere cornerback from South Florida. Remember, they were essentially drafting as if Pacman Jones was not reinstated this year. They also took another defensive back from Boise St., Orlando Scandrick. TE Martellus Bennett is an interesting prospect.

Analysis: Much buzz was made out of the offensive weapons that were going to be drafted however no receiver was picked up this year. Remember, it was one season ago that the team had its most depth at WR. Also, the Cowboys did win their division and held the best record in the NFC. Depth at RB and CB were concerns that were addressed. And trading so many picks in the third and fourth for picks next year does free up some cap room, which is important with contract years for Terence Newman, T.O., and Marion Barber. Overall, a solid class for the Cowboys who need just a few contributors to stay on top of their division and finally win a playoff game.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins dealt there way to 10 overall picks and with it invested heavily on offensive weapons by grabbing WR’s Devin Thomas, and Malcolm Kelly. The Redskins also picked up TE Fred Davis, who is regarded as the best at his position. Offensive Lineman Chad Rinehard brings versatility to their line since he can play guard or tackle. Georgia Tech’s Durant Brooks was the only punter drafted, but he does have impressive stats (30 of his 65 punts were 50 yards or longer). Their most interesting pick however came late in day 2 when they drafted Hawaii QB Colt Brennan (a player every fan secretly wanted their team to draft). He isn’t big but does have great ability and stats. A fun project at the least. Safety Christopher Horton could be a good backup, if not at least a special teams player.

Analysis: Do you think new head coach Jim Zorn wants to air it out? Thomas, Kelly, and Davis were beasts in college, and all regarded as the best of their respective position. They will provide big targets, something that the offense doesn’t have. What does this mean for Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, and Randle-El? Not sure, but there are a lot of potential starters in this draft. A very impressive draft and a testament to the team’s new philosophy. But in this copy-cat league, it is interesting that a pass-rushing defensive end wasn’t a priority for the Redskins. It did work well for the Giants. They picked one up in the seventh.

New York Giants

The Giants had the last pick of the first round at 31. It would have been 32 but the Patriots forfeited their pick for cheating (I think everyone likes to point that out). Safety was a glaring weakness after they let Gibril Wilson walk to the Raiders. Kenny Phillips was taken with their first pick. Phillips was the top Safety available and comes from a very impressive line of Hurricane defensive backs. CB Terrell Thomas from USC could fill another key spot in the secondary. The Giants gambled on WR Mario Manningham in the third, a player who was considered the best at his position but who’s stock dropped after lying to teams at the combine. LB Jonathan Goff was a good find in the fifth, as well as QB Andre Woodson in the sixth.

Analysis: The Super Bowl Giants drafted very recognizable names. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo just keeps getting defensive toys to play with. Kenny Phillips looks to be used in the same way Brian Dawkins is in Philadelphia. His arrival also means that James Butler will most likely move to strong safety. Manningham could be tremendously valuable to this team since they are trying to get young and fast at receiver. However, he is high risk, high reward. Kehl and Woodson have major upside, enough to keep the Giants invested. Adding depth at tackle was never addressed. A solid class from beginning to end, the Giants have many possible contributors to a team that is looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles traded their first round pick to Carolina. They picked up DL Trevor Laws in the second. He was arguably Notre Dame’s best player in 2007. They also got DeSean Jackson in the second, possibly the dynamic playmaker McNabb has been asking for. Jackson, a very exciting player could make his immediate impact in the return game. Michael McGlynn could make the move to tackle. He had a nice season opposite Jeff Otah. CB Jack Ikegwuonu is a great talent for the future that could be moved to safety. He suffered a knee injury and isn’t expected to play in 2008. Defensive back Quintin Demps out of UTEP is also an interesting prospect. Not known for his aggressiveness, but still a highlight reel with the ball in his hands.

Analysis: The Eagles 10 picks did touch all the major needs but never provided a wow-player. DeSean Jackson does seem like that player, but can you say Jeremy Bloom? It is possible that this class doesn’t produce much of an impact this year. Not a very great class in terms of impact players. Good prospects though, but adding significant offensive fire power was not addressed. Would have been nice to help McNabb compete with the much improved offenses in the division.

NFL Draft 08: First Round Analysis

Alright so this year's draft was pretty entertaining so let's start with some little tidbits...first the top 10.

• There was one offensive tackle taken(Jake Long), Three defensive ends(Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, Derrick Harvey), two defensive tackles(Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis), two linebackers(Keith Rivers, Jerod Mayo), one quarterback (Ryan) and one running back(Darren McFadden). That makes for 3 offensive and 7 defensive players.
• Out of the Top 10 USC was the only school with more than one pick(Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers)
• The Pac 10, Big 10, and ACC each had two picks in the top ten, while the SEC had four. The Big East and Big 12 had no picks in the top 10.
• Racist fact: 30 percent of the top 10 players drafted are white. 100 percent of the top three are white. haha

NFL Draft 08

Ahhhhh smell it! Football season is upon us!!! I love it. As You may know the Draft just ended today and even right now most teams are scrambling to sign undrafted rookies as free agents. Throughout this week you can look forward to me posting a team by team analysis of how each team did in my opinion as well as just some general stuff that jumped to me. Still though I just need to get some things off my head...so here's some little nuggets haha.

• 8!! That's the number of offensive linemen taken in the first round! 8! Definitely some reaches there.
• Kansas City FTW!!! Seriously these guys had a pretty awesome draft, Miami as well but not as much as the Chiefs.
• No WRs in the first round...yup, I guess it really says alot about these bunch of guys. I dunno, It's kinda weird that Alabama's DJ Hall didn't get drafted, I think he should have gotten drafted based solely on this Prothro like catch. Original Prothro Catch here
  
• Guess who DID get drafted?? My boy Haruki Nakamura of Cincinnati!! That's right he went to the Ravens as the second to last pick of the 6th round. I don't like who he went with (Bengals fan here) but I do like that he got drafted and has a chance to show what he's made of.

• Joe Flacco in the First round?!?! Brian Brohm to Green Bay?! What's going on here, a pair of horrible picks...Flacco in the first is a HUGE reach, and Brohm to Green Bay just really has to mess with Rodgers' mind. Also Andre Woodson, Colt Brennan, Erik Ainge and John David Booty did infact get drafted, in the 6th and 5th. The only QB pick I like is Chad Henne in the second to Miami, also San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell to NE in the 3rd.

So there we go, expect alot more analysis this week!!

Message for Chad Johnson

I feel obligated as the only Bengals fan in West Texas and an ardent supporter of Ocho Cinco in the past to talk about this....

...You're an idiot Chad Johnson, seriously. You want a trade?! a trade? oooook, you say you want to go somewhere where you can win? Let me tell you something buddy, Cincy is the best chance you got. How many teams in the league have a quarterback that plays at the level Palmer does? I can think of two( it would be three but Favre is out) Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Neither of those guy's teams will have you because they really don't need you, plus they won't spend money on you. So let's look a tier below, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Tony Romo. The Saints might take you but they're worse off than the Bengals, the Giants are already loaded at receiver, and I really don't see the Cowboys spending so much just to get you. Sooo...Seattle and St. Louis...the Rams suck too so I don't see why you would want to go there, and I really don't see Seattle taking you.....so who would want you?

Chicago? Good luck trying to catch anything Rex Grossman touches. Atlanta? Joey Harrington ain't much better. Carolina? their whole offense sucks....The point is you have it pretty good at Cincy. An amazing quarterback, an offense-centric team, and a great guy to play alongside with, I'm talking about 84.

So go ahead and keep making a scene and demanding a trade, I hope you do get it...so you can see just how great you had it and your career comes to a screeching halt. Either way you won't be missed that much in Cincy, you know why? I got two letters followed by an obscenely long last name.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh

By Tjolo

NFL Draft Talk.

I'm gonna be updating this thing every day or so talking about the draft....until it actually happens, this is due to the fact that I like talking about prospects, and because I'm bored...so here it goes.

"We May Look Cool....but we suck"-Colt Brennan, Andre Woodson

Ok, well maybe not SUCK, but seriously these two guys really dissapointed in the senior bowl. Not just the game but the whole week they impressed no one and both of their stock dropped dramatically; now I'm not saying these guys are not gonna make it at the next level (because Woodson will.) but I'm saying that they really wasted an opportunity to show the scouts what they're all about. Guess they still have the combine though, hopefully they make a good showing because honestly, when you look as cool as these guys do, you gotta back it up with some skill.