Ravens QB Battle
The Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback spot is wide open. The club started training camp on Monday and all eyes were on signal callers Kyle Boller and Joe Flacco. Thus far, observers have come away impressed by Flacco’s arm strength, which is no surprise. Boller though, has looked good and has the experience factor on his side. Likely third-stringer and former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith has had a bit of a rough go during the first two days, throwing three interceptions in one 7-on-7 drill.
Though Flacco has a shot at winning the job thanks to his size, arm and apparent NFL readiness, one would still think that Boller will be lining up under center come opening day. Boller has 40-plus starts under his belt and is still pretty young, but he was Brian Billick’s guy, and that shipped has obviously sailed. New head coach John Harbaugh has expressed that the position battle could continue well into the preseason, but we all know that it’s best for a team to settle on a quarterback as soon as possible. With the quarterback position comes a leadership role, no matter what age the player is, and the guys on the roster want to know who will be running the offense. Boller is probably the favorite to win the job, but there is a good chance he loses the gig to Flacco by season’s end.
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Saint Shockey
The New Orleans Saints have added another weapon to their already-talented arsenal of offensive players. The club acquired disgruntled tight end Jeremy Shockey from the New York Giants for a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder, both in the 2009 draft. This was a great move for the Saints. Drew Brees hasn’t had a consistent tight end to throw to since he left Antonio Gates in San Diego. Gates became the superstar he is today while playing with Brees, and there’s no reason to think Shockey won’t see a lot of balls come his way.
This, much like the Jason Taylor trade, works out well for everybody involved. The Saints get a real playmaker in Shockey and the Giants unload a guy who was obviously unhappy with his role on the team. Shockey was sidelined with an injury during the Giants’ magical Super Bowl run last season. Rookie tight end Kevin Boss stepped up in some big moments and made Shockey somewhat expendable. Shockey was unhappy with the Giants’ tendency to frequently utilize him as a run-blocker as opposed to a receiver. Shockey now enters into a pass-happy offense and should be going out for plenty of passes in New Orleans. The Giants received ample compensation in the trade and should be satisfied with the deal.
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Dolphins’ Taylor Dealt to Skins
After loads of speculation on draft day and reports of a rocky relationship with team management, Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor has been traded. Taylor was shipped to the Washington Redskins yesterday for a second-round pick in the 2009 draft and a sixth-rounder in 2010. The Redskins recently lost defensive end Philip Daniels for the season and plan to switch Taylor, who has played primarily on the right side, to left end opposite Andre Carter. With 117 sacks, Taylor is the active sack leader in the NFL.
This is a good move for all parties involved. The Dolphins are in a rebuilding mode and there’s no reason to waste Taylor’s remaining years on a team that’s just looking to improve. The Dolphins receive the second round pick that they were reportedly unable to secure on draft day and should be happy with the picks they acquired. The Redskins are looking to contend this season. Taylor should bolster their pass rush and help their already talented defense. This move is especially good for Taylor, who didn’t get off to the best start with new team VP Bill Parcells. Taylor, at 33, probably only has a few good years left in him and he’s got to be glad that they’re going to be spent on a contending team.
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Henry Back to Cinci?
After having assault charges dropped due to a mistrial last week former Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry is looking to join an NFL team and it could be the same one that released him when learning of said assault charges. The Bengals’ relationship with star receiver Chad Johnson is dicey and Henry is a supremely talented wideout. He’s 6-4 and possesses good speed and adequate hands. He, along with Bryant Johnson, has been a starting-caliber receiver in the third position for the past few years. He’s got big game capability and the skills to be a standout receiver in the league.
Henry though, appears to have Pac-Man syndrome, in that he’s a repeat offender. He’s often finding himself in trouble with the law and was suspended for the first eight games of last season by Commissioner Roger Goodell. Henry will get a chance to play somewhere because he’s just too talented not to, but it’s going to be a big risk by whatever team that signs him. Henry had a solid collegiate career at West Virginia but slipped to the third round of the draft due to concerns about his character. He needs to get a hold of his life off the field if he’s ever going to shed this label. He’s got a ton of talent and it would be a shame to see it wasted.
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Don’t Sleep on the Colts
Don’t sleep in the Indianapolis Colts this season. There are a lot of rumblings about the Patriots and Chargers, and deservedly so as they were the two clubs to appear in the AFC Championship game. But there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for the Colts being thrown around NFL circles. Keep in mind that this team is just one year removed from winning a Super Bowl and they are certainly a contender to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this season.
Peyton Manning just went down for four to six weeks, yes, but he’s one of the most durable guys in the league and should come back strong. Dwight Freeney, the Colts’ stud defensive end who missed the end of last season and their playoff game against San Diego, is healed and ready to begin harassing opposing quarterbacks again. There are questions about Marvin Harrison’s knees and while I don’t think he’ll ever be the Marvin Harrison that we remember, he’s still a good number two. Reggie Wayne is ready to step up and be a number one receiver and he showed that in Harrison’s absence last season. Running back Joseph Addai, already a force, is getting better every day. People must also keep in mind that the Indianapolis defense allowed the least points in the NFL last season. It’s not going to be a cake walk, but the Colts definitely have a shot at winning the conference this season.
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More Favre
The saga continues. Brett Favre said that he’s tempted to show up to Packers training camp later this month, despite the team expressing little interest in the 38-year-old quarterback being their starter. If Favre were to attend training camp without some sort of resolution between the two sides, this could get ugly. There is no chance a guy like Brett Favre can handle being a backup. I can’t see him just riding the bench quietly, waiting for his opportunity.
The Packers need to find a way to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Their best option here would be to trade him. Releasing Favre would allow him to sign with any team, including the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. The Packers do not want to have to face Favre twice this year, especially in a Vikings or Bears uniform. It would be best for the team to ship Favre to an AFC team. The Ravens have expressed no interest in acquiring Favre, but their tune could change if he were announced as actually being available. Neither the Jets nor Chiefs are set at quarterback, but both are in rebuilding mode. The Bucs are in the NFC, but out of the Pack’s division and could be a club that would be interested in Favre. The Panthers could be another option.
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Manning Out 4-6 Weeks
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will miss four to six weeks of action after having an infected bursa sac removed from his knee. This will cause Manning to miss the bulk of training camp and most, if not all, of the team’s preseason games. How will this affect the Colts?
It probably won’t have much of an effect on the team. Manning probably would have only played one quarter in the first couple of preseason games and sat out the last few. Manning doesn’t need much preseason work, as is true with most veterans. Manning is well-acquainted with receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and knows tight end Dallas Clark well. There could be some timing issues on routes early on in their opener against the Bears, but I doubt that it will factor in too much. This injury brings to mind the incredible durability of Manning. He has started every regular season game for the Colts since entering the league in 1998, 160 consecutive games. He’s taken nearly 97 percent of the snaps in those games, a number that would be higher had the Colts not blown out so many teams in Manning’s tenure. Manning has a good chance to go down as the best statistical quarterback in league history when he retires, but could really make a push for the label of “the best to ever play the position” if he were able to add another title or two.
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Packers in a Tough Situation
Brett Favre has put the Green Bay Packers in a very difficult situation. After expressing his desire to play for the team in the upcoming NFL season and receiving a less-than-thrilled response from the club, Favre has asked the Packers to release him. The Packers are left in a tough spot now. Brett Favre is a living legend in Green Bay and there are plenty of fans that would love see number four back in uniform this season, but it appears that the Packers are ready to move on with the Aaron Rodgers era.
The Packers now have to decide how they’re going to handle this situation. It’s almost impossible to keep him on the team. There’s no way he’s going to settle for being a backup to Rodgers and it doesn’t seem like the team wants him to start. His desire to leave the team pretty much squashes any chance of Favre playing another game in green and gold ever again. Favre has asked for his release, but it’s unlikely that the Pack will grant his request because two bitter rivals of the team, Minnesota and Chicago, are in need of a quarterback and would likely pounce on Favre were he to hit the free agent market. Their best option right now would probably be trading Favre to a team in the AFC, like the Ravens, or some NFC team out of the division such as the Bucs. Either way, they’re still trading a legend and that’s never easy, but fans should be excited to see what Rodgers can do.
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Saint John
The New Orleans Saints have had one of the more potent offenses in the league for a couple of years now, but have been frequently held back by their defense. The team boasts a good deal of talent on the offensive side of the ball with players like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, but the team failed to make the playoffs last season. The Saints made a move this offseason that should greatly improve their defense in the acquisition of linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
Vilma flourished in his first two seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets, but a scheme change to the 3-4 defense under head coach Eric Mangini seemed to leave Vilma a bit lost. Coming back into a 4-3 scheme in the Big Easy, Vilma should pick up right where he left off. He’s a tackling machine, in the mold of a Ray Lewis type of guy who has a nose for the ball. He’s got elite sideline to sideline speed for the position and is an ideal middle backer for the 4-3. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vilma makes the Pro Bowl this year and many years to come. It’s a shame for the Jets that he didn’t fit into their system, because Vilma is a heck of a player.
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Favre, Favre and more Favre
This Brett Favre situation seems to be eating up all the air time, ink and web space in the NFL world this week. But when you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Let’s break down the scenario here. Supposedly Favre wants to play this season for the Packers, but the team apparently hasn’t jumped at the chance to put the future hall-of-famer back on the field. This could be due to a couple of reasons, either he doesn’t truly want to play this season or the team is sick of his indecisive ways and are ready to move on to the Aaron Rodgers era. It’s hard to imagine a franchise being fed up with one of their franchises greatest players, but it is a possibility.
There have been some reports that the club could bring Favre back and trade him. Minnesota needs a quarterback; yeah right, like that’ll happen. Every fan of a team with a shaky quarterback situation thinks the Pack would trade Favre, but in reality, I can’t see it happening. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone when I see clips of Favre on the sidelines in his old Falcons uniform; I don’t know what would happen if I saw him play in another team’s garb. I think we’ll see Favre in Green Bay on opening day, but he’ll be in the luxury box watching his number being retired. Hopefully a decision will be made soon and we, like the Packers, can move on.
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