Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
1. What do all 4 of the tourney teams have in common?
* Franchise QBs. Only 2 of them were 1st round picks. Only 1 of them was a top 3 pick. All 4 QBs are especially poised under pressure. Only 1 has elite arm strength (Rodgers). Others thrive on timing and accuracy.
* Solid defenses. Only 1 (Seattle) is elite.
2. Stat of the Week:
Aaron Rodgers 9-0 at home this year, 29-0 TD/int. at Lambeau Field in the last 11-12 games.
3. Seattle:
* Despise him or no, Pete Carroll is one of the great defensive coaches of the modern era. Everywhere he's coached he has built defenses that pressure the QB, chase the ball with speed LBers, and wage sticky man-to-man coverage with physical type DBs. Having watched Carroll from his days in NE I believe he is the most outstanding teacher of DBs I have ever seen.
* Still amazed at how they handled QB Russell Wilson from the get-go---how much faith and confidence they showed in him, even when he struggled early on in his rookie year. This is not only unusual for a team to do so with a 3rd round rookie QB, but with a QB so undersized. Moreover, the Seahawks had already signed Matt Flynn to be the starter and had their 7-7 starter Tarvaris Jackson from the year before in the mix. To think too that with the kind of conviction John Schneider and Pete Carroll had in selecting Wilson that they gambled he'd be on the board when they took him in the third round at #75.
* 2012 Draft: (1) OLB Bruce Irvin; (2) ILB Bobby Wagner; (3) QB Russell Wilson; (4) RB Robert Turbin.
4. Todd Bowles:
* Atlanta is an excellent fit. QB in place. Ace WRs. Has to convert the defense to the 3-4, but has some decent horses up front, some speedy, young LBers, two promising young CBs (Alford, Trufant) and a stalwart SS in William Moore.
* Can he sell Freddie Kitchens as his OC?
* Would it be better for the Falcons to wait on Dan Quinn? The Falcons have been running a 4-3 and have been drafting for the 4-3 accordingly. Quinn is a 4-3 coach and his defense is elite.
5. Peyton Manning.
A torn quad incurred December 14th kept secret until after the game---limited effectiveness in practice---clearly unable to make the throws yesterday---poor body language to boot---now there's talk that Manning may want the Broncos to promote OC Adam Gase to HC---
Goes to show that when the QB who gets all the reps is faltering, how the rest of the team goes into a shell. That was some uninspired football in Denver last night.
6. Greg Toler.
Dude has developed into one heckuva NFL CB.
Please Cardinals get Justin Bethel signed and let the kid play.
7. Dick LeBeau.
Youngest 77 year old man in America. A friend of mine's sister dated him a few years ago. Met him on a golf course in Pittsburgh. Said he was in unbelievable shape and did not feel odd about being almost 28 years younger.
I think the next step the Cardinals need to make as a defense is to upgrade the base defense so that it doesn't need to rely as much as Todd Bowles has on full-house blitzes. It also needs to clean up the numerous blown coverages that continue to give the team fits.
Therefore, i would be ecstatic if LeBeau joins BA in AZ. He will impress the importance of getting more athletic on the edges, which in our division is key. Seattle, with their team discipline and speed, has not been hurt by Colin Kaepernick the way the Cardinals have. Moving forward, the Cardinals have to find a way to defend Wilson and Kaepernick and putting the masterful LeBeau to that task would be fascinating to watch. Plus, what LeBeau could do with Deone Bucannon and Honey Badger at the safety spots---wow.
8. Kurt Warner.
Hate to hear he will be working with Colin Kaepernick.
I would pay big dollars to have Kurt Warner explain how in one week he managed to dissect the Packers' defense in a fashion that resulted in the most spectacular passing performance I have ever seen---versus a defense that had dominated the Cardinals in pre-season and in the last game of the season. To hear Warner go through the tape and explain what he was seeing on each play would be illuminating.
My guess is---Warner's game plan and his explanations would not be all that difficult to understand---especially seeing as Warner accomplished it in one week of film study and practice.
9. Garrett Grayson.
One of the best, clutch and gutsiest QB performances I saw this year was Garrett Grayson's versus BC at BC. BC had preciously kept USC QB Cody Kessler very much in check with heavy pressure when they upset the Trojans. I was expecting BC to do the same with Grayson and Colorado St.
Grayson took a pounding in this game. Even though he suffered a shoulder injury, he kept hanging tough in the pocket and kept moving the chains and keeping the game close. What surprised me was his blend of poise and accuracy, especially seeing as he throws the ball most frequently from a three-quarter release, a la Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson.
On the last drive of the game, behind by 4 points and needing a TD to win, Grayson directed a near picture perfect drive, that culminated in a game-winning TD pass to his #4 WR at the back of the end zone (off of two check downs) on 4th and goal from what i think was the 15 yard line, thanks to a holding penalty.
Grayson has one heckuva year at Colorado St. and was the Mountain West Player of the Year. Stats: 64.3&/4,006 yds./32 TD/7 int/166.2 RAT.
He's been invited to play in the Senior Bowl, so I am curious to see how he looks there. I only saw his BC performance---but I can tell you----I was very impressed. Has anyone else seen him?
10. Mitch Mock I
1. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. Would love this kid here if we address LB in FA.
2. A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina. 4 year starter in pro-style offense.
3. Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington. Has the motor and edge quickness we lack.
4. Zach Vigil, ILB, Utah St. Reminds me some of Luke Kuechly.
5. Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina. This kid can play. Tough to defend.
6. B.J. Finney, C, Kansas St. Cued in on him a couple times this year. A stud.
7. Brian Mihalik, DE, BC. 6'9", 288. The kid can play.
* Franchise QBs. Only 2 of them were 1st round picks. Only 1 of them was a top 3 pick. All 4 QBs are especially poised under pressure. Only 1 has elite arm strength (Rodgers). Others thrive on timing and accuracy.
* Solid defenses. Only 1 (Seattle) is elite.
2. Stat of the Week:
Aaron Rodgers 9-0 at home this year, 29-0 TD/int. at Lambeau Field in the last 11-12 games.
3. Seattle:
* Despise him or no, Pete Carroll is one of the great defensive coaches of the modern era. Everywhere he's coached he has built defenses that pressure the QB, chase the ball with speed LBers, and wage sticky man-to-man coverage with physical type DBs. Having watched Carroll from his days in NE I believe he is the most outstanding teacher of DBs I have ever seen.
* Still amazed at how they handled QB Russell Wilson from the get-go---how much faith and confidence they showed in him, even when he struggled early on in his rookie year. This is not only unusual for a team to do so with a 3rd round rookie QB, but with a QB so undersized. Moreover, the Seahawks had already signed Matt Flynn to be the starter and had their 7-7 starter Tarvaris Jackson from the year before in the mix. To think too that with the kind of conviction John Schneider and Pete Carroll had in selecting Wilson that they gambled he'd be on the board when they took him in the third round at #75.
* 2012 Draft: (1) OLB Bruce Irvin; (2) ILB Bobby Wagner; (3) QB Russell Wilson; (4) RB Robert Turbin.
4. Todd Bowles:
* Atlanta is an excellent fit. QB in place. Ace WRs. Has to convert the defense to the 3-4, but has some decent horses up front, some speedy, young LBers, two promising young CBs (Alford, Trufant) and a stalwart SS in William Moore.
* Can he sell Freddie Kitchens as his OC?
* Would it be better for the Falcons to wait on Dan Quinn? The Falcons have been running a 4-3 and have been drafting for the 4-3 accordingly. Quinn is a 4-3 coach and his defense is elite.
5. Peyton Manning.
A torn quad incurred December 14th kept secret until after the game---limited effectiveness in practice---clearly unable to make the throws yesterday---poor body language to boot---now there's talk that Manning may want the Broncos to promote OC Adam Gase to HC---
Goes to show that when the QB who gets all the reps is faltering, how the rest of the team goes into a shell. That was some uninspired football in Denver last night.
6. Greg Toler.
Dude has developed into one heckuva NFL CB.
Please Cardinals get Justin Bethel signed and let the kid play.
7. Dick LeBeau.
Youngest 77 year old man in America. A friend of mine's sister dated him a few years ago. Met him on a golf course in Pittsburgh. Said he was in unbelievable shape and did not feel odd about being almost 28 years younger.
I think the next step the Cardinals need to make as a defense is to upgrade the base defense so that it doesn't need to rely as much as Todd Bowles has on full-house blitzes. It also needs to clean up the numerous blown coverages that continue to give the team fits.
Therefore, i would be ecstatic if LeBeau joins BA in AZ. He will impress the importance of getting more athletic on the edges, which in our division is key. Seattle, with their team discipline and speed, has not been hurt by Colin Kaepernick the way the Cardinals have. Moving forward, the Cardinals have to find a way to defend Wilson and Kaepernick and putting the masterful LeBeau to that task would be fascinating to watch. Plus, what LeBeau could do with Deone Bucannon and Honey Badger at the safety spots---wow.
8. Kurt Warner.
Hate to hear he will be working with Colin Kaepernick.
I would pay big dollars to have Kurt Warner explain how in one week he managed to dissect the Packers' defense in a fashion that resulted in the most spectacular passing performance I have ever seen---versus a defense that had dominated the Cardinals in pre-season and in the last game of the season. To hear Warner go through the tape and explain what he was seeing on each play would be illuminating.
My guess is---Warner's game plan and his explanations would not be all that difficult to understand---especially seeing as Warner accomplished it in one week of film study and practice.
9. Garrett Grayson.
One of the best, clutch and gutsiest QB performances I saw this year was Garrett Grayson's versus BC at BC. BC had preciously kept USC QB Cody Kessler very much in check with heavy pressure when they upset the Trojans. I was expecting BC to do the same with Grayson and Colorado St.
Grayson took a pounding in this game. Even though he suffered a shoulder injury, he kept hanging tough in the pocket and kept moving the chains and keeping the game close. What surprised me was his blend of poise and accuracy, especially seeing as he throws the ball most frequently from a three-quarter release, a la Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson.
On the last drive of the game, behind by 4 points and needing a TD to win, Grayson directed a near picture perfect drive, that culminated in a game-winning TD pass to his #4 WR at the back of the end zone (off of two check downs) on 4th and goal from what i think was the 15 yard line, thanks to a holding penalty.
Grayson has one heckuva year at Colorado St. and was the Mountain West Player of the Year. Stats: 64.3&/4,006 yds./32 TD/7 int/166.2 RAT.
He's been invited to play in the Senior Bowl, so I am curious to see how he looks there. I only saw his BC performance---but I can tell you----I was very impressed. Has anyone else seen him?
10. Mitch Mock I
1. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin. Would love this kid here if we address LB in FA.
2. A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina. 4 year starter in pro-style offense.
3. Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington. Has the motor and edge quickness we lack.
4. Zach Vigil, ILB, Utah St. Reminds me some of Luke Kuechly.
5. Justin Hardy, WR, East Carolina. This kid can play. Tough to defend.
6. B.J. Finney, C, Kansas St. Cued in on him a couple times this year. A stud.
7. Brian Mihalik, DE, BC. 6'9", 288. The kid can play.
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