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Season Preview 2009 Minnesota Vikings

By Richie Denis | July 1, 2009 | Vikings War Cry

Anthony Chergosky from DailyNorseman.com gives us a look at the 2009 Minnesota Vikings. When you think of the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, two words probably enter your mind: Brett Favre. But when taking a look at the team, its chances of repeating as NFC North champs, and its opportunity to go further in the playoffs than it did last season, Favre is just the tip of the iceberg. All over the field and on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are a team built for success this season. This team's bread and butter is still its ability to run the...

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Broncos Should Re-Build

By Shawn Zobel | June 18, 2009 | Zobel's Corner

In just his third year in the league, Jay Cutler threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns. While he also threw for 18 interceptions, Cutler's aggressive mentality at the quarterback position is what makes him such a good player. Nearly the definition of a franchise quarterback, Cutler's gritty, competitive attitude has brought him up the the elite status as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. So when the Denver Broncos decided to give in to Cutler's trade demand this offseason, and ship him away to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and Kyle Orton, it really made you wonder what they were thinking and what their new plan was for the future.While Cutler owned a 17-20 record as a starter, you have to remember that he's only entering his fourth year in the league. Stars don't grow overnight. It takes time to develop into...

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Number One: Still A Saints Cult Classic

By Bert Bartlett | June 17, 2009 | Soul of the Saints

The late Charlton Heston did not win any Oscars for his role as Saints QB Ron "Cat" Catlin in 1969's Number One, but 40 years later the "B" movie remains a novelty. Catlin is an over the hill QB coming off a recent championship and the slow moving plot revolves around his decision to keep playing or retire, which descends it into a yarn about star athlete ego in excess. There is a crumbling marriage, an affair and the upcoming season, and throughout the course of the movie, the viewer waits for redemptive qualities in Catlin but ultimately is provided with very little. His wife and fleeting mistress, played by Jessica Walter and Diana Muldaur, are spunky and sexy, are the better halves of the couplings and the plot should have included much more of them. A young Bruce Dern stole the show, playing Heston's former wide receiver who has...

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NFL Top 10: Most Valuable New Orleans Saints

By Greg Trippiedi | June 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Defense has never been synonymous with Saints football. When they went to the playoffs in 2000, it was behind the strength of their offense. When they reached the NFC Championship game in 2006, it was behind the strength of their offense. Virtually none of the roster members were the same. That's the Saints in a nutshell: high offensive turnover, sometimes, they light up the scoreboard and win, but for pretty much the entire existence of the franchise, they have been getting lit up.There's reason to believe that this year could be different, and that reason is Gregg Williams. The defensive coordinator was let loose by Jacksonville after many defensive let downs saw Jacksonville slip from a playoff contender into a small-market after thought. But Williams has a remarkable reputation for squeezing the most out of his defensive talent. He has proven so in Washington and Buffalo and Tennessee before that. ...

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Summertime Observations

By James A. Smith | June 10, 2009 | Flying High

First, I'd like to apologize for my absence. Over the last month-and-a-half, I've embarked on a new employment opportunity, and am in the process of re-balancing work, work, family and my Falcons blog. But enough about me. I wanted to share this link to an amusing article. Something about the greatness of man versus the greatness of ego. It's June. Falcons OTAs are in full swing. The rookies are being signed and integrated in the offensive, defensive and special teams schemes. Falcons are helping charities, communities, and supporting our armed forces. Mike Vick is 600 miles away. Things are looking good. Heck...with Tony Gonzalez, Michael Turner and Roddy White, we even have three players in the Madden '10 top ten at their positions. Still, Panthers, Saints and even Bucs fans seem to think they each have the best team in the division. Saints fans will - in the same...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: AFC South, Atlanta Falcons, Buccaneers, Falcons, NFC East, NFC South, NFL, Panthers, Saints

NFL Top 10: Best Storylines heading into 2009

By Greg Trippiedi | June 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

I really love spending hours putting together the research for a long-winded heavy analytical post, but sometimes, a fan needs to appreciate the game from a different perspective. This isn't going to provide any insight into why teams will win and lose this year, but because it's June, and we're two months from training camp, I'll forgive myself.Today, NFL Top 10 takes a look at the best storylines entering 2009, as well as those potential developing storylines that could shape the upcoming NFL season.10. Ray Lewis, Rex Ryan, and defense in the AFCIf the Baltimore Ravens are going to make good on my super bowl appearance prediction, they can't allow the media to even speculate that they might be missing Rex Ryan. The effect of defensive coordinator on a team's defense has certainly been overstated throughout the years, so we'll never know if the Ravens are actually missing Rex Ryan. ...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

NFL Top 10: Most Valuable New Orleans Saints

By Greg Trippiedi | June 14, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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NFL Top 10: Best Storylines heading into 2009

By Greg Trippiedi | June 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

By Staff Report | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

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NFL Top 10: Breakout Candidates in 2009

By Greg Trippiedi | May 4, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

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

By Greg Trippiedi | May 3, 2009 | MVN Outsider

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

Derrick Williams, Jarron Gilbert, Jared Cook Lead Round 3 Recap

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Process points become negligible after the first day, so lets look at round three and the players that each team got in the middle of the draft.65. New York Jets -- Shonn Green, RB, IowaThe Jets traded up for this pick, so the Green pick was really disappointing. I didn't think he was anywhere near the best available, and with this being the first pick of the day, I expected a great pick here.66. St. Louis Rams -- Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa67. Kansas City Chiefs -- Alex Magee, DE, PurdueThe Chiefs pick their second 3-4 DE of the draft. So what does this mean for Glenn Dorsey? Will he split time with Magee and Tyson Jackson, or is he already on his way out?68. Chicago Bears -- Jarron Gilbert, DE, San Jose StateChicago moves forward looking for best player available, while making sure to add a defensive lineman every year. ...Read more

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Alphonzo Smith Trade, Rey Maualuga, Pat White Highlight NFL Draft's Second Round

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

The second round of the 2009 NFL draft was fronted by some high profile trades. Both the Panthers and the Broncos traded first round picks in 2010 for players they had first round grades on, but drafted in the second round. Pat White ended up getting drafted by the consummate "Wildcat" offense, which seems like a good fit, if not a reach. Inside linebackers Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis slipped through the first round, but got drafted by teams in the second with defensive issues. They'll step in right away and help those situations.However, it was some lesser known prospects who will be the story of the second round in a few years.33. Detroit Lions -- Louis Delmas, S, Western MichiganDelmas is a local product who was clearly head and shoulders above all the other safeties in this draft. After going with the QB with a steep developmental curve in...Read more

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Maybin Heads to North America's Team, Broncos go for a Runner

By Greg Trippiedi | April 25, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Pick 11, Buffalo Bills -- Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn StateThe Bills land a guy who looks on tape to be a natural pass rusher. I think the Bills are a pretty good situation for Maybin, if only because I feel he would have been a disaster in the 3-4. He appears to be able to rush the passer with his hand in the ground, and he'll be a weapon in the Bills 4-3 defense. However, I just don't like Maybin at the money, so I'm going to dock the Bills a few process points. They'll keep two because I'm interested to see how this high-risk high-reward guy will pan out.Buffalo Bills: 2 pointsPick 12, Denver Broncos -- Knowshon Moreno, DE, GeorgiaThis is the first real shocker of the NFL Draft. With all the picks they have, the Broncos can afford to use picks on both sides of the football. But...Read more

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