Category: Oakland Raiders

Lots of Bear Potential in Prospects at North Carolina Pro Day and Other Points of View

Bears

“After compiling data for 57 mock drafts, [Derek] Sherrod leads [Gabe] Carimi 8-7. Illinois defensive tackle Corey Liuget and Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo are next with six apiece. Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey, mammoth Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder and Villanova tackle Ben Ijalana each have four votes.”

“Players have always used these facilities for offseason and sometimes in-season extra work. It’s less the case now but players at one time were so unhappy with some of the strength and fitness directives coming from a (now-gone) strength coach that they covertly went to private trainers and facilities while at the same time complying with what the team was requiring. And they were adamant: Keep it a secret.

“That’s changed in recent years with Rusty Jones, the director of physical development, athletic trainer Tim Bream and some very sophisticated technologies for rehab as well as basic programs.”

  • ESPN‘s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert provides his take on Smith’s comments regarding Devin Hester during the NFL owners meeting.  Seifert starts by noting the fall in Hester’s offensive numbers:

“That dip in production came even as Hester played on 66 percent of the Bears’ snaps, the second-highest total among the team’s receivers, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Unofficially, the Bears targeted Hester on only 68 of the 646 total plays he was on the field for.

“That’s the pivot point Smith said he hopes to address this offseason. He didn’t put it in so many words, but if I had to read the tea leaves, it would go something like this: More targets, less plays.”

Elsewhere

  • Tom Hauser at KSTP is reporting that the Vikings stadium bill will include “a surcharge on pro football player incomes”.  That should go over well with free agents.
  • Seifert comments upon the “decision-makers” and takes a shot at former Vikings head coach Brad Childress in the process:

“Vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman has run the team’s draft for the past four years, although former coach Brad Childress had considerable influence when it came to quarterbacks. That’s a big part of the reason why the Vikings are all but barren at the most important position in the game, and that’s why it’s been almost a singular focus for Spielman and his staff over the past few months.”

I’m not a big Childress fan but you can bet he had a lot of influence at more than just quarterback.  Percy Harvin comes to mind as a player that Childress gave the definite impression that he pushed hard for.

For the record, I’m not a Spielman fan either but that dates back to his time with the Bears and, to a lesser extent, with the Dolphins.  Its now years later so I’m trying to keep an open mind.

I’m a big believer in Bears general manager Jerry Angelo‘s approach to the draft (just not his execution).  Angelo has said on multiple occasions that you can’t afford to fall in love with one player.  It almost always gets you in trouble.  But having said that, I do wonder if the quarterback position isn’t the exception…

  • The Jaguars are on the clock at ESPN:

  • Omar Kelly at the South Florida Sun Sentinelreviews the top running backs in the draft, including video footage.  The Dolphins figure to have a need there.  Kelly’s also not a fan of quarterback Chad Henne:

And its obvious that he thinks speed will be the theme for the Dolphins this year:

“To me, if the Cowboys do anything with a player who wears a number lower than 50 in the first two rounds, I will think they made a mistake. Their needs are clear. Offensive line and defensive line. Everything else can wait.”

  • They say that men with large video boards are compensating for a small…  something else.  If that’s the case the Dallas Morning News has some bad news for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
  • People love to pick on the Raiders but I’m with them on this one.  Via Ian R. Rapoport at the Boston Herald:

“Given the choice between former Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour or the No. 1 draft pick his team traded to acquire him, Raiders coach Hue Jackson left no doubt: ‘I’m taking Richard Seymour.’”

One Final Thought

Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson stars in this clever commercial:

Offseason Brings Plenty of Off Field Player Troubles, Even More to Follow and Other Point of View

Bears

“Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway recently said it’s not a sure thing that QB Kyle Orton will be traded, but a PFW insider said it would be very tough to bring the veteran back. While QB Tim Tebow may not give the team the best chance to win, he does have the backing of the fans in Denver. Elway has talked about reconnecting with the fans and could lose some credibility by sticking with Orton. A daily team observer said he gets the feeling that fans would rather win three or four games with Tebow than six or seven with Orton.”


Elsewhere

  • Barry Rozner at the Daily Herald thinks that there will be no games lost in 2011 due to a work stoppage.  I hope he is right.  I fear that he is wrong.  To every argument I can only say one thing:  “Remember 1994 when we lost and entire World Series”.
  • Daren Gannt at the Charlotte Observer highlights the decision of former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac to leave for a defensive backs position in Green Bay for less money.  Trgovac seems happy but I wonder how pleased he’ll be when someone tries to interview him for a defensive coordinator position elsewhere only to have Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy block the move.
  • Agent Drew Rosenhaus is doing what he can to keep Plaxico Burress in the back of the NFL’s mind.  Burress is serving out a two year sentence for accidentally shooting himself in the leg with unlicensed handgun while at a night club in November of 2008.  He is expected to be released June 6.

The Bears need a go to wide receiver and Burress would be an ideal candidate to fill the position.  But he hasn’t played in two years and he would have to come at the right price.

“Don’t be surprised if Matt Flynn follows the path of Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell and Kurt Warner and leaves Green Bay to become a starting quarterback elsewhere. Teams in need of a quarterback are taking a good look at Flynn, who performed exceptionally well against the Patriots in New England in December.”

“It seems there rarely are enough good cornerbacks to keep pace with all the good receivers. But the coming draft offers a deep group of cover men. April will provide the opportunity for teams to stock up and build depth at the position. As many as 19 corners could carry grades that would justify them being picked in the first four rounds.”

This fact has probably not been lost on the Bears.  Playing a base cover-2, they have not traditionally invested a lot in the position.  But they could arguably could use a good cover corner now as they mix in more single coverage against select NFL teams.

“On the same day Green Bay was dispatching the Steelers for the NFL title, the Bangor Daily News reported, a man was arrested on suspicion of breaking into an auto-parts store in Ellsworth, Maine.

“And in Iowa City, Iowa, The Des Moines Register reported, a man injured his back when an argument turned violent during a Super Bowl party.

“Their names: Vince Lombardi and Aaron Rogers.”

One Final Thought

Looks like there are plenty of players stirring up the usual amount of trouble as the offseason begins.  Here are some samples:

A work stoppage with no offseason workouts and some very bored players should bring some interesting things to the news this year.  Can’t wait.

Time to Retire the Nickname “Matty Ice” and Other Points of View

Bears

“The only way the Bears (12-5) against the Packers (12-6) for the NFC championship and a berth in the Super Bowl could be any bigger would be if George Halas and Vince Lombardi were on the sidelines, Red Grange was in the backfield and the halftime entertainment was Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney.”

By the way, how angry would you be if this game was blacked out locally whether it was a sell out or not?  That was the situation in the NFL in 1963 when the Giants-Bears game for the NFL championship was played.

Packers receiver Greg Jennings called the turf at Soldier Field “probably the worst in the league.”

“’It’s rough,’ he said.

“’At the same time,’ he said later, ‘you have to go out before the game and kind of get a feel of what you’re working with, what you’re dealing with, get your footing, because that’s going to play a huge, huge role.’”

  • ESPN‘s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert is reading my mind (its a truly frightening place):

“There has been a lot of talk about replacing the grass at Soldier Field, which is annually in terrible condition. Even some Bears players are complaining about it, but I have to wonder if their sentiments aren’t partly strategic. The Bears know the field better than anyone and have a far better chance of anticipating its condition than opponents, even a regular vistor like the Packers. Conversely, the anticipation of problems is a powerful psychological disadvantage for the visiting team. If I were a Bears player, I would complain about the turf every time someone put a microphone in front of me, whether or not I believed it or not. Planting that concern in the minds of an opponent is a powerful home-field advantage.”

‘‘Once the game got out of hand score-wise, I felt like they were just doing stuff to do stuff,’’ Hasselbeck said. ‘‘Just trying to get all their coverages, all their blitzes on film for their next opponent. I didn’t think it made any sense to do [that]. It seemed like they were running every pressure they had when traditionally those guys have been, ‘We just do what we do. We play cover-2. We sit back and we win the game.’ But because they [didn’t do that], they gave us opportunities to get back in.’’

  • Potash points out that the Bears offensive line has improved with notably fewer penalties over the last few games but also noted this:

“On the other hand, left tackle Frank Omiyale, who struggled against the Packers in Week 17, struggled again Sunday, beaten by defensive end Chris Clemons on at least a couple of occasions. Maybe he was great on the other 75 offensive plays the Bears ran, but it sure seems like an acute area of needed improvement against the Packers. It’s doubtful Packers linebacker Erik Walden has gotten worse in the last three weeks.”

“It’s going to come down to the small details. When you play a team like that, you may not feel that you have to put in as much studying because you feel you know that team. But you don’t take that approach. You have to go back in, pay attention to more details, and kind of go into Chicago Bears locker room and see [whether you] can understand their players like they understand it. That’s something that my coach just finished telling me that he’s going to do, detailing this work like that. That’s something that our defense has been doing, detailing their work all year. I think that’s what made us play the way we’ve been.”

  • Chris Berman at ESPN thinks the Bears might have an advantage after playing the Packers hard in the regular season finale:

  • Tony Dungy thinks the Bears found their identity over the last month offensively but that the key will still be pressuring Aaron Rogers without blitzing. via ESPN:

  • Derrick Brooks agrees.  And he thinks Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers will fold under pressure.  And he thinks that the Bears are going to win the Super Bowl.  I think I’m in love.  In a non-sexual, manly kind of way…:

  • The Chicago Tribune photojournalists uploaded this nice video celebrating the 2011 season to YouTube:

Elsewhere

“’We’re still the face of the N.F.L.,’ Branch said. ‘We were still the best team in the N.F.L. in the regular season.’”

“There appears to be a reason the Jets intend to tone down the trash talking. The winner of this game goes to the Super Bowl, and that will be enough motivation.”

“The Jets fell one game short of the Super Bowl a year ago, losing to the Colts in the A.F.C. championship game. Nose tackle Sione Pouha recalled walking off the field at Lucas Oil Stadium after the loss with Shaun Ellis, blue and white confetti hitting him in the face.

“’I cannot tell you how horrific that was,’ [nose tackle Sione] Pouha said.”

  • Peter King explains to Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com why they should retire the name “Matty Ice”:

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

One Final Thought

Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason on why teams embrace the “disrespect” card.  Via Sam Farmer, writing for the Chicago Tribune:

“We’re all still little football players at heart — and little football players like to be motivated, like to have an edge going into a game, some sort of anger, some reason to be more focused.”

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Finally Someone Breaks Down the Patriots-Jets Matchup ON THE FIELD and Other Points of View

Bears

“We don’t ever get too rattled.  Plus, our coaching staff has been around for a while. There are some exciting times, [but] we stay pretty even-keel most of the time.”

“On Friday, [Seattle coach Pete] Carroll said: ‘‘We’re kicking the football, and he’s going to get it.’’ The day before, punter Jon Ryan said he would try to limit the amount of field Hester would have to work with by angling his punts toward the sidelines.”

This is, of course, what teams did the last couple years and what both Green Bay and Seattle did earlier this season.  It seemed to work as long as the punter executed it well.

“Special teams is about matchups, getting your best guys on their best guys so you don’t have a size difference or one guy isn’t more athletic than another,.Those things you all take into account when you game plan.”

  • Mark Potash, also at the Sun-Times, has this interesting quote from defensive tackle Anthony Adams about the teams lack of sacks against Seattle the first time around.  He seems to be suggesting the possibility that it was a scheme related problem:

‘‘For whatever reason, a lot of other teams were able to get sacks,’’ Adams said. ‘‘Maybe they didn’t run a 4-3 like we run it. Or ran a 3-4. I don’t know. There are a lot of different avenues you could go down. But you have to bring your A-game every week”

“I am tired of the carping over the offensive and defensive lines. Both are set and have a good mix of veterans and younger players. The draft need will be greatest at linebacker to begin grooming successors for Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Do you agree or see a greater need? — Stuart Cutler, Winnetka

“I share your concern about the linebacker position, but I think the offensive and defensive lines are bigger concerns. I know you can play winning football with average, maybe even below average linebacker play. You’ve got no chance to be really good without above average lines. The Bears also need to start thinking about a successor to Olin Kreutz, and a successor to Tommie Harris. Plus they could use another guard, another offensive tackle and another defensive end. I think they need to see what the draft offers them and be prepared to take a lineman.”

“The Bears don’t build their defense around great cover cornerbacks. They build their defense around great pass rushers. I don’t think Asomugha, who will become one of the highest paid defensive players in football, would be a wise investment for the Bears and I don’t think they will pursue him.”

I would agree.  But the bears do have to get better in the defensive backfield.  You can’t play cover two every down.

“Have you ever asked Jay Cutler if he understands the concept of “throwing the ball away?” — Greg, Chicago

“No, I’ve never asked him, Greg. From watching him play, I think I already know the answer.”

  • It wouldn’t be right to quote the whole article.    Just one more and then you’ll have to read the rest on your own:

“Whenever I see [Devin] Aromashodu languishing on the sideline game after game, I keep thinking about Brandon Lloyd and how our coaching staff never gave him another opportunity after he was injured during his lone season in Chicago. The “other Devin” is our only big target and Jay clearly has a connection with him. ”

“– Jim Gordon, Memphis, Tenn.”

“I’d like to see more of Aromashodu as well.”

As would I.  I’ve heard this sentiment expressed by Bear fans over and over again.  But if Aromashodu is going to play more he needs to perform on special teams as well.  That means he has to block.

  • Michael C. Wright at ESPNChicago.com explains that defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli‘s strength is as a teacher of the fundamentals of the game:

“Several players talk about Marinelli in meetings rehashing the same subjects over and over again, drilling them exhaustively to the point that most of those things morph to become second nature in game situations.

“The players also point to Marinelli’s motivational tactics — he puts together a video to pump up the defense before every game — and strict adherence to accountability in describing the coach’s worth.”

  • The experts at ESPN breakdown the Bear-Seahawks matchup:

  • Rachel Nichols at ESPN implies that the Seahawks might be more than passingly worried about withstanding the cold temperatures at Soldier Field Sunday:

  • And Lovie Smith explains a few things to Nichols as he talks about the Seahawks matchup:

  • Here’s the video I was looking for yesterday of Ron Jaworski at ESPN expressing concern of the number of negative plays the Bears generate on offense:

Elsewhere

  • Asomugha, who is probably the premier free agent this off-season,  talks about his future in this video.  I’m thinking he might end up staying with the Raiders:

  • Jaworski talks about who will come out on top between Antonio Cromartie and Tom Brady on the field:

  • Todd McShay at ESPN goes through some overrated players entering the draft, including quarterback Ryan Mallett out of Arkansas:

  • The ESPN experts break down today’s the Packers-Falcons matchup:

  • and the Ravens-Steelers:

“Since 1990, the NFC’s top-seeded team is 18-2 in the division round. Yes, this season’s Week 12 game between the two teams was close, and the Packers are getting plenty of respect from Las Vegas. But if the Packers do pull off a victory, it will be only the third time in 21 years that a No. 1 seed has lost in the divisional round.”

One Final Thought

Though I’m still not convinced that Tommie Harris is all the way back to where he should be, there are a couple things that are undeniable.  One, he is making the occasional play.  And more importantly, as pointed out by Bears coach Lovie Smith through Vaughn McClure at the Chicago Tribune, he handled his demotion really well earlier in the season:

“‘He couldn’t have handled the situation any better,’ Smith said of Harris. ‘To have to go to another role when you’re a star like that … he did it. He’s come to work every day. And he’s earned his position back.'”

Kudos.

Why the Bears Missed Briggs Against Seattle and Other Points of View

Bears

  • The Chicago Tribune‘s Brad Biggs gives insight into some offensive line technique via coach Mike Tice:

“Really, just looking at the footwork of Chris [Williams], there were a couple of times (against the Seahawks) where he spread his feet and never stepped or anything.

“I think it’s that technique ‘A guy is on me real quick,’ instead of him stepping. That takes time and repetition. We’ve had weeks to repeat the technique and do it over and over to where now he’s better. He still has a moment or two, but he’s really improved.”

  • Pisa Tinoisamoa comments on the absence of Lance Briggs from the game the last time the Bears played Seattle.  Replacement Brian Iwuh had a good game with 10 tackles.  Via Sean Jensen at the Chicago Sun-Times:

“You can’t even really say [the Bears lost] because he didn’t play.  But you know if he would have, it would have been a different outcome, at least defensively, because you can count on Lance Briggs for a couple of game-changing plays.

“That’s what we missed.”

  • Trent Dilfer at ESPN says about what the Bears need to do to beat the Seahawks:

Elsewhere

  • The Seahawks might be missing concussed linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who was concussed in Sunday’s game.  Coach Pete Carroll says he’s encouraged by Tatupu’s progress but given the delicacy with which concussions are being handled by the league, I’m going to be mildly surprised if he returns quickly.  If he doesn’t pass the necessary tests, it will be a double whammy as the Seahawks will move David Hawthorn to middle linebacker from the weak side to replace him.  Via Danny O’Neil at the Seattle Times.
  • Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb wants to start or be traded.  Adam Schefter at ESPN doesn’t sound optimistic either will happen:

  • Mike Florio at profootballtalk.com gives us even more reasons to be grateful that the Bears are owned by Virginai McCaskey rather than Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.  What a mess.
  • Dilfer says that the Falcons need to make the Packers pay for being overly aggressive:

One Final Thought

The Raiders are hiring.  I’ve got this funny feeling that the Raiders are going to be talking to Jon Gruden about returning to the Bay area.  I can hear your laughter.  But it’s still not going away…