user-pic

Okay, it's time for Eagles Depth Chart 2009....

We're close enough to mandatory training camp that we can now seriously consider the Eagles' projected depth chart going into the new season: OFFENSE      Position         Player                        WR              Kevin Curtis, Jeremy Maclin                         WR             DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant                         LT               Jason Peters, King Dunlap                         LG              Todd Herremans, Max Jean-Gilles                           C              Jamaal Jackson, Nick Cole                          RG             Stacy Andrews, Nick Cole                          RT              Shawn Andrews, Stacy Andrews                          TE              Brent Celek, Cornelius Ingram                          QB             Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb                          FB              Leonard Weaver, Kyle Eckel                          RB              Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy DEFENSE    Position           Player                          DE             Juqua Parker, Victor Abiamiri                          DT              Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws                          DT              Brodrick Bunkley, Dan Klecko                          DE              Trent Cole, Darren Howard                         SLB             Chris Gocong, Tank Daniels                         MLB             Stewart Bradley, Joe Mays                         WLB            Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither                           CB             Asante Samuel, Joselio Hanson                           CB             Sheldon Brown, Ellis Hobbs                           FS              Quintin Demps, Rashad Baker                           SS              Quintin Mikell, Sean Jones SPECIALISTS    Position       ...

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: MVN Outsider, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles

user-pic

Who among us can really judge Steve McNair?

It's been four plus days yet seemingly months ago since Steve McNair was taken from this earth in a violent and unnecessary way. I've taken in the talk on sports radio and I've read the feedback submitted by Ravens fans and clearly the opinions vary on how McNair will be remembered. When I think back, I recall the nickname Air McNair as the former Alcorn State Brave emerged on to the NFL scene as the third overall pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1995 NFL Draft. At the time I thought the nickname was a bit unusual since his legs can be credited with most of his early success. Right around the time McNair was maturing as a professional my son Tyler, to the delight of his proud Dad began to really develop an affinity for the NFL and in large part the credit for that can be attributed...

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Eddie George, Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans

user-pic

RAY LEWIS ISN'T PAID TO BE A BABYSITTER

Whenever an NFL player becomes available who might be a match for the Ravens on the field yet is a problem off the field or in the locker room, fans inevitably look to Ray Lewis and conclude that he can be the voice of reason and stave off any potential issues. Fans think that Ray can turn a drama queen into his own little dancing queen who will march to his beat on demand. Look up babysitter in the NFL Glossary and fans expect to see the willing and smiling face of Ray Lewis. And given this widely held belief among fans, they precipitously conclude that the problem child flavor of the month can be the missing ingredient for the Ravens - particularly if the player is a wide receiver. Plaxico Burress - bring him on! Brandon Marshall -  no worries, besides what has he been CONVICTED of... If either...

Read more  |  Discuss  |  Tags: baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis

user-pic

Can the Ravens surpass Steelers without No. 1 WR?

This article was written by Tony Lombardi of Ravens24x7.com The Ravens are just a wide receiver away from overtaking the Steelers in the AFC North. How many times have you HEARD that? If the Ravens had a true No. 1 receiver they may have advanced to and won Super Bowl XLIII. How many times have you SAID that? The Ravens would love to have a player in the mold of Larry Fitzgerald or one with the skills of Brandon Marshall. But is that the only way for the Ravens to take that next step? Can they take that next step with the wide receiver talent currently on their roster provided they improve in other areas? That's a reasonable assumption don't you think? But before we go there, let's look at the receiving talent the Ravens do have heading into the 2009 season. Derrick Mason: It's safe to say that...

Read more  |  7 Comments  |  Tags: baltimore Ravens, Derrick Mason, Joe Flacco, Marcus Smith, Mark Clayton

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Carolina Panthers

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Joe Coward from CatCrave.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers, 2009 Season Preview   Some Negative Comments               Most Carolina fans think of the horrendous playoff game Delhomme last played more often than the season opener he won for Carolina in San Diego.  Some call Delhomme's extension a blessing in disguise, for salary cap room, if nothing else.  In time we will sort it out and see if a contract extension for Delhomme was right or wrong.  Some worry about Julius Peppers.  He will have a solid season in 2009 if he wants to move elsewhere that bad in 2010.    Some Positive Comments        Carolina has become a force...

Read more  |  2 Comments  |  Tags: Carolina Panthers, NFL

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Josh Knox from KCChiefsFootball.com shares his insight on the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs. Check in on other teams here.Chiefs 2009 NFL Season Preview Last year was a very rough year to be a Chief. One positive that can be taken from this is finishing 2-14 there is really nowhere to go but up and Chiefs seem to doing everything in their power to make the best on and off the field decisions to help their organization for both now and the future.. Let's talk about some of the key losses for the Chiefs and then we will go on and see what they added. . Key Losses: Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Patrick Surtain If you watched...

Read more  |  1 Comment  |  Tags: Chiefs, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Donald from Steelerstoday.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Pittsburgh Steelers.2008 regular season record:  12-42009 predicted record:  13-3Predicted finish in AFC North:  1st The Pittsburgh Steelers ended 2008 by taking home their sixth Lombardi Trophy.  However, repeating in 2009 is not going to be an easy task.  Steeler Nation is not going to like hearing me say this, but I don't think the Steelers were the best team in the NFL last season.  However, the Steelers got hot at the right time, and had a few breaks go their way.  Next thing you know, they're throwing a parade in Pittsburgh. Key Weaknesses:If the Steelers hope to repeat, they are going to have...

Read more  |  4 Comments  |  Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers

MORE POSTS  |  RSS

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Carolina Panthers

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Joe Coward from CatCrave.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers, 2009 Season Preview   Some Negative Comments               Most Carolina fans think of the horrendous playoff game Delhomme last played more often than the season opener he won for Carolina in San Diego.  Some call Delhomme's extension a blessing in disguise, for salary cap room, if nothing else.  In time we will sort it out and see if a contract extension for Delhomme was right or wrong.  Some worry about Julius Peppers.  He will have a solid season in 2009 if he wants to move elsewhere that bad in 2010.    Some Positive Comments        Carolina has become a force...Read more

Read more  |  2 Comments  |  Tags: Carolina Panthers, NFL

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Josh Knox from KCChiefsFootball.com shares his insight on the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs. Check in on other teams here.Chiefs 2009 NFL Season Preview Last year was a very rough year to be a Chief. One positive that can be taken from this is finishing 2-14 there is really nowhere to go but up and Chiefs seem to doing everything in their power to make the best on and off the field decisions to help their organization for both now and the future.. Let's talk about some of the key losses for the Chiefs and then we will go on and see what they added. . Key Losses: Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Patrick Surtain If you watched...Read more

Read more  |  1 Comment  |  Tags: Chiefs, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli

user-pic

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Donald from Steelerstoday.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Pittsburgh Steelers.2008 regular season record:  12-42009 predicted record:  13-3Predicted finish in AFC North:  1st The Pittsburgh Steelers ended 2008 by taking home their sixth Lombardi Trophy.  However, repeating in 2009 is not going to be an easy task.  Steeler Nation is not going to like hearing me say this, but I don't think the Steelers were the best team in the NFL last season.  However, the Steelers got hot at the right time, and had a few breaks go their way.  Next thing you know, they're throwing a parade in Pittsburgh. Key Weaknesses:If the Steelers hope to repeat, they are going to have...Read more

Read more  |  4 Comments  |  Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers

user-pic

NFL Top 10: The Best Offseason Moves Not Made

We tend to judge coaches by how their actions effect games.  We tend to judge front office types by their acquisitions.  These are fair game of course, but the best offseason moves are often the ones that weren't made.In today's NFL Top 10 column, we'll take a look back at all aspects of the offseason, and narrow down just ten player personnel moves that were not made, and how the discussed party is much better off.10.  The Detroit Lions pass on an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL DraftThis is coming from a man who thinks that Jason Smith should have been the pick at No. 1, the prior Lions regime might have decided that after taking Matthew Stafford at No. 1, the No. 20 pick should have been the best lineman available.  And even with OT Michael Oher available, the Lions decided that TE Brandon Pettigrew...Read more

Read more  |  2 Comments  |  Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, NFL Top 10, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins

user-pic

NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: Which team is the best spot for Michael Vick if he overcomes the enormous hurdles necessary to get on the field this year?Greg Trippiedi says Vick shouldn't be a starting quarterback:It's pretty clear that Michael Vick is not going to have a job waiting for him when he gets back. He's 29 years old -- too old and too young in different ways. Vick's open field running abilities were already in decline when we last saw him, and that was in 2006. But that doesn't mean he won't stick somewhere. He's still got a good five or six seasons ahead of him as an effective athlete. The question though remains: Where will Michael Vick fit in, and who will take a chance on him? I don't think Vick is a good fit on a team with a clear need...Read more

Read more  |  2 Comments  |  Tags: NFL

user-pic

NFL Top 10: Coaches on the Hot Seat in '09

You know, I think there are only a handful of topics in sports that would make for great discussion on radio shows, or on blogs, that have no practical meaning in the real world.  I think back to debates about running up the score: you'll get tons of callers in on a topic like that, putting in their two cents.  Is is right?  Did it happen?  Does it matter?Well, to me, I see the ever-present NFL Head Coaching Hot Seat as cut from the same mold.  It's a debate partially on the merits of certain coaches, partially on the trends of certain owners hiring and firing patterns, and mostly on probability.  Does it really matter if Coach 'X' is on the Hot Seat?  We're not even wondering if he should be fired, we're asking if he should be/is in a position where you would consider a coaching change.I don't have...Read more

Read more  |  1 Comment  |  Tags: Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Hot Seat, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins

user-pic

NFL Top 10: Breakout Candidates in 2009

If you are an avid fantasy football player who plays in competitive leagues, you know there are only three ways to gain a competitive edge over your opponents.  You can:1) Have access to inside information that the rest of your league does not have,2) Search to acquire players that are undervalued by the rest of the league, or3) Draft players with high upside who are likely to "break out" during the next season.The final strategy would be considered the most dangerous.  Our MVN Outsider fantasy experts will vouch for this: if you load up your roster with high-upside unproven talent, you risk having a bottom of the barrel fantasy team if your players underachieve your expectations for them.NFL Owners and General Managers have similar interests in identifying breakout candidates.  Obviously, trading is not as prevalent in the NFL as it is in, say, Major League Baseball, but the NFL is...Read more

Read more  |  2 Comments  |  Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Fantasy, Houston Texans, Jason Campbell, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

user-pic

NFL Power Rankings: Looking at the 10 Teams with the Brightest 2009 Prospectus

The coming and passing of the NFL Draft allows prognosticators such as myself to lock in our predictions for the coming season.  There will be no more phases of the NFL off-season that can result in wide-spread player movement.  To the critics who will point out, "there's no way you can call the season in May," I say: there's no point to trying to call it in August either.  I'm just beating you to the punch.In this exercise, I'm going to pick 5 teams from each conference to fill out my top ten teams in the power rankings.  Essentially, I'm not trying to pick the ten best teams in the NFL right now as much as I'm trying to pick the ten teams most likely to win the Super Bowl.  By spreading out the picks evenly by conference, I maximize the chances that two of my preseason picks play in...Read more

Read more  |  7 Comments  |  Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins

MORE POSTS  |  RSS