SB Nation - Mike Goodson

NFL Games To Watch This Week: Aggies In The NFL

Beergut — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:46:21 -0000

There are 24 Aggies playing for NFL teams. In order to watch them play, here are the games to watch:

Player	Games
Martellus Bennett	Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rocky Bernard	Washington Redskins @ New York Giants
Red Bryant	St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
Melvin Bullitt	Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
Dan Cambell	Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Jason Carter	Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers
Corey Clark	San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders*
Ron Edwards	Kansas City Chiefs @ Baltimore Ravens
Robert Ferguson	Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons
Mike Goodson	Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers
Danny Gorrer	Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Geoff Hangartner	Philadelphia Eagles @ Carolina Panthers
Chris Harrington	Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
John Jolly	Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Shane Lechler	San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders*
Stephen McGee	Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Seth McKinney	Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots*
Mike Montgomery	Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Don Muhlbach	Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Cyril Obiozor	Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Cody Wallace	San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Ty Warren	Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots*
Pat Williams	Minnesota Vikings @ Cleveland Browns
Billy Yates	Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots*

Each player's team is bolded. * Monday night game

Texas A&M: 2009 Projections

Bill C. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:13 -0000

And with this post, we've projected all of the Big 12's teams...

The numbers like ATM a smidge more than I do, but there's nothing inherently unrealistic about the picks below.

2009 BTBS Projections

Date	Opponent	Proj. W/L	Margin	Record	Conf. Rec.
9/5	New Mexico	W	+17.3	1-0
9/19	Utah State	W	+21.3	2-0
9/26	UAB	W	+10.4	3-0
10/3	at Arkansas	L	-14.5	3-1
10/10	Oklahoma State	L	-3.0	3-2	0-1
10/17	at Kansas State	L	-2.1	3-3	0-2
10/24	at Texas Tech	L	-7.9	3-4	0-3
10/31	Iowa State	W	+13.0	4-4	1-3
11/7	at Colorado	W	+2.8	5-4	2-3
11/14	at Oklahoma	L	-20.7	5-5	2-4
11/21	Baylor	W	+7.8	6-5	3-4
11/26	Texas	L	-14.9	6-6	3-5

The touchdown test: if all the pieces fit, and ATM's a touchdown better than expected, then OSU and @KSU become winnable (along with, strangely, @Tech), and 8-4 is within reach. If the defense is even worse than expected (which is saying something), and the Aggies are a touchdown worse, they're potentially staring 4-8 in the face with a loss to CU and potential loss to Baylor.

Beyond that handful of games, everything's pretty well-defined. Only five of ATM's 12 games are projected within a touchdown. They by all means should start 3-0, and by the time Halloween rolls around, they should be somewhere between 3-4 and 5-2. The Colorado game will likely be the key to their bowl hopes. I've repeatedly documented how neither I nor the numbers care for CU that much, and this game is a projected win, but I'd still pick CU at home in this one. If ATM wins that one, however, they really could sneak into the Texas Bowl or something, assuming they're still able to take out Baylor at home, or maybe win at K-State.

ATM's season will boil down to the running game--can Cyrus Gray or newbie Christine Michael be infinitely more consistent and less-maddening than Mike Goodson was last year?--and the defense. They should be solid at LB, but both D-line and the secondary are pretty big concerns. We'll see.

Next up: we pull everything together into a Big 12 standings/bowl projections post.

Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus // Texas A&M Aggies

Seth C — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:00:11 -0000

2009 Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus

Game 1: North Dakota Fighting Sioux // Game 2: Rice Owls // Game 3: Texas Longhorns // Game 4: Houston Cougars // Game 5: New Mexico Lobos // Game 6: Kansas State Wildcats // Game 7: Nebraska Cornhuskers // Game 8: Texas A&M Aggies

Head coach Mike Sherman is in year two of the rebuilding project that is the Texas A&M Aggies. After the past two years, there's no doubt in my mind that Dennis Franchionne left the program in complete shambles and now Sherman is left cleaning up the pieces.

Join me after the jump for a closer look at Texas A&M.

General Information

Opponent	Texas A&M University
Nickname	Aggies
Location	College Station, TX
Enrollment	38,430 (Undergraduates)
Conference	Big 12
Head Coach	Mike Sherman
2008 Record	4-8 (2-6)
Starters Returning/Lost	16/6
Blogs	I Am The 12th Man Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order
Links	2009 Media Supplement (pdf) 2009 Spring Game Wrap-Up

Statistics


Statistic	Texas A&M	Texas Tech
Pass Offense	252.42 (27)	413.15 (1)
Rush Offense	88.50 (114)	117.84 (94)
Total Offense	340.92 (78)	531.00 (4)
Scoring Offense	25.00 (64)	43.77 (3)
Pass Efficiency	135.25 (35)	158.76 (9)
Sacks Allowed	3.25 (115)	1.00 (4)
Pass Defense	242.67 (95)	242.23 (94)
Rush Defense	219.25 (114)	140.38 (61)
Total Defense	461.92 (114)	382.62 (79)
Scoring Defense	37.42 (114)	27.85 (74)
Pass Efficiency Defense	144.41 (108)	130.56 (72)
Sacks	1.33 (100)	2.62 (18)
Tackles For Loss	4.83 (97)	4.85 (95)
Turnover Margin	-0.83 (104)	0.62 (22)

Top Returners

Category	Player
Rushing	Cyrus Gray (75 / 389 yds / 1 TD)
Passing	Jerrod Johnson (194-326 / 2,435 yds / 21 TD / 10 Int)
Receiving	Ryan Tannehill (55 rec. / 844 yds / 5 TD)
Tackles	Matt Featherston (94)
Sacks	Von Miller (3.5)
Interceptions	Trent Hunter (3)

A Few Things

Young Defense: The defense returns seven players, and although the Aggies weren't great defensively (a lot of teams were in the Big 12, including your Red Raiders) I think there's always something to be said for experience and as a team with good talent, that experience eventually pays off. The nice thing about the TAMU defense is that the Aggies aren't having to replace an entire unit (i.e. defensive line, linebacker, and secondary), which give the some consistency to this unit. Perhaps the biggest need for this unit is to force more turnovers. The offense could do a better job of holding onto the ball, but defensively, the Aggies probably need to force the issue a bit and with second year defensive coordinator, Joe Kines, I think that will eventually happen.
Rushing Duo: Returning running back Cyrus Gray and true freshman Christine Michael should prove to be a formidable rushing duo. Gray didn't necessarily light the world on fire last year (75/363/1 TD), behind incumbent Mike Goodson, but he did finish just under 5 yards per attempt. Michael is being touted as one of the top freshman in the country and despite the contempt for the Aggies, don't dismiss the fact that they do have talented players and Michael should be one of them.
Building a Line: The Aggies return four starters from last year, replacing their right tackle, and most of these guys were fairly young. Again, the concept that although the line wasn't very efficient last year, only 2.91 yards rushing and giving up 39 sacks (good for 115th in the nation) last year there's the potential for improvement. Of those players returning, OG Lee Grimes will be a senior, C Kevin Matthews will be a senior, OG Evan Eike will be a sophomore, and OT Michael Shumard will be a senior, so it appears that right now, TAMU will need to replace at least two starters next year.
Receiving Threats: TAMU returns their top three receiving threats from last year, and I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I really like both of the Aggies' wideouts, Ryan Tannehill (55/844/5 TD) and Jeff Fuller (50/630/9 TD). Not to mention, TE Jamie McCoy had a pretty good year, catching 43 passes for 500 yards and 5 TD's.
Getting to the QB: Getting pressure on the quarterback, including sacks and tackles for a loss, is a big problem for the Aggies. TAMU only mustered 16 sacks for the year in 2008, which was good for 100th in the nation. The bad part is that the Aggies return Von Miller, but lose three of the top four pass rushers in Cyril Obiozor, Danny Gorrer and Johnathan Baston. That's 7 of TAMU's 16 sacks for the year gone due to graduation.
Pressure on Johnson: Personally, I like Jerrod Johnson at quarterback for the Aggies and think that he's a pretty good quarterback. When it was known that WR Ryan Tannehill was going to push Johnson at QB, I wasn't sure if this as the best use of Tannehill's talents, especially after seeing him catch 5 passes for 104 yards against Texas Tech. I don't know that I know Mike Sherman, but I can understand the concept of needing to push players at every position. This is something that Mike Leach often does, which is make it known that his starting quarterback is being pushed by the backup, although most of us know that there's little chance of the backup having much of a chance. It's artificial pressure, but I get the feeling that this can affect the player. In any event, I have no doubt that Tannehill is a talented QB, he seems like the kind of guy that is good at just about anything, but I think it would take a monumental push from Tannehill to unseat the incumbent, Jerrod Johnson.

Poll

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most worried and 1 being the least worried, how worried are you about the Texas A&M Aggies?

1

186 votes

2

136 votes

3

84 votes

4

21 votes

5

34 votes

461 votes | Poll has closed

Focus On Running Game Improvement Is Misplaced

Beergut — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:13:45 -0000

Brent Zwerneman has a nice little article on how Cyrus Gray has improved so far in practice, because he knows his playbook and assignments now, and how having Gray, true freshman Christine Michael and redshirt sophomore Bradley Stephens means the Aggies' running game is in good hands. However, Z misses his mark when looking at our poor running game last season, and blaming it almost solely on the backs. He mentions that Mike Goodson never became the every-down back Sherman envisioned him being last season, but he only pays lip service to our real problem last year: the offensive line.

I went back and took a look at our offensive line recruiting for the past five years, and the results are enough to make you want to cry. The 2004 recruiting class was truly Dennis Franchione's first recruiting class, because the '03 group had been put together by the previous coaching staff, so that is where I began my research. In 2004, we took three offensive linemen: Yemi Babaloa, Grant Dickey, and Travis Schneider. Babaloa ended up more interested in smoking pot than beng a football player, and he is now doing time for his part in an assault on a drug dealer. Dickey was a juco transfer who only played two seasons. Schneider redshirted in 2004, and played four years for the Aggies. He was the one major contributor from the '04 class on offensive line.

In 2005, we signed four offensive linemen: Robbie Frost, Lee Grimes, Kellen Heard, and Michael Shumard. (By comparison, we signed 6 DBs in that class. I know we are facing spread offenses in the Big 12, but 6 DBs seems excessive.) Heard redshirted then moved to defensive line, where he played for three seasons before deciding to leave the program after the '08 season. Grimes and Shumard both redshirted in 2005, and are now fifth-year seniors. Shumard is currently running first team at LG, while Grimes is running first team at RT. Robbie Frost redshirted in '05, played in four games in '06, seven games in '07, and six games in in '08, earning a start against Army. It was announced last week that Frost has been placed on a medical redshirt, and will no longer be playing on the football team.

In 2006, we signed one offensive lineman, Lucas Patterson, Patterson redshirted in '06, and played on the defensive line in '07 and '08. He is now being moved back to the offensive line, where he is being pencilled in as the starter at LT. I'm just wondering how we can recruit only one offensive lineman in a recruiting class?

In 2007, we signed two offensive linemen, Daniel Baker and Evan Eike. Eike redshirted in '07, and then started all 12 games last season at LG. Baker redshirted in '07, and saw action in 9 games last season, at both RG and TE. Baker is a versatile player who is serviceable as a blocking TE.

The 2008 class was Sherman's first class, although many of the players were also recruited by the previous regime. We signed six offensive linemen in the '08 class: Josh Ayers, Leroy Chevalier, Jeffrey Hyde, Chris Lathrop, Brian Thomas, and Joe Villavisencio. Ayers, Chevalier, Hyde, Lathrop, and Thomas all redshirted last season, while Villavisencio saw playing time in two games last season after his redshirt was pulled, starting the Iowa State game, and also playing against Baylor. Chevalier has been placed on medical redshirt, and Lathrop has been moved to defensive tackle to provide depth on the DL, so we are looking at four redshirt offensive linemen from the '08 class to provide depth this season.

For those doing the math at home, that means we had classes of 3, 4, 1, and 2 offensive linemen signees going into the 2008 season. The '08 class had six OL, but you can't expect true freshmen to come in and play on the offensive line right away, b/c they are not physically or mentally ready to excel there (unless their name is Orlando Pace). If you subtract the two people who moved to defensive line (Kellen Heard and Lucas Patterson), our numbers go down to 3, 3, 0, and 2. Take away the attrition because of arrests (Babaloa) and juco eligibility expiring (Dickey), and the numbers shrink to 1, 3, 0, and 2. So we entered the 2008 season with basically six scholarship offensive linemen. Is it any wonder that we were decimated by injuries? Is it any wonder that we lacked the depth to replace those injured players? Sherman and offensive line coach Jim Turner did a terrific job just keeping enough bodies out there to field a team.

Sherman only took four offensive linemen in the 2009 recruiting class (Stephen Barrera, Patrick Lewis, Clint Naron, and Rhontae Scales), and has five committed in the 2010 class so far. That means in his first three recruiting classes so far, Sherman has brought in 15 offensive linemen, almost doubling Fran's effort when you look at the players he actually put on the OL. With the numbers we have, Sherman couldn't be blamed if he brought in classes of eight OL the last two years, just to get enough healthy bodies on the roster who can contribute to the program. Averaging five OL per year, which we are doing right now, will get us on the right track to balanced recruiting classes.

Before we can fix the running game, which Sherman is making a priority, we need to fix the lack of depth at offensive line, and Sherman and Turner's recruiting has reflected that priority. Now once we get those players through the Strength and Conditioning program, and onto the field, even Zwerneman himself will be able to run for positive yardage behind them.

Mizzou Links, 6-22-09

Bill C. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:45:26 -0000

Yeah, we're to the deadest of the summer dead period...nothing in particular will be going on a month from now either, but at least we'll have more and more football previews to read. Right now, not so much.

Really, the only Mizzou-related links at the moment are recruiting links...and all from PowerMizzou ($).

First, Mizzou scored another 2010 commit on Friday, from Houston sleeper Braylon Webb. If you had to boil Mizzou's recruiting down to five words, it would be "Missouri kids and Texas sleepers." In other words, Webb is your absolute run-of-the-mill Mizzou recruit. Good size, good speed, come on down!
Next, Mizzou seems in pretty good shape with Owasso (OK) DB Aaron Colvin. In general, though, you don't get many OK kids with OU offers out of OK, so we'll see what happens. He's got ties to StL, but we'll see. Once they score an OU offer, I just assume he's not ours.
Next, another OK kid: Moore (OK) ATH Julian Wilson, who has big-time speed and is apparently going to announce his college decision on December 30, his mom's birthday. That's very sweet, but I'm not going to lie...kind of weird too.
And in case you missed it on Friday, the latest Chamber walks through basketball recruiting and potentially the next handful of commits.

Dave Matter: the solution for summer boredom...at least over the weekend. He came up with a nice "best of the Big 12 newcomers" piece for me to link to, which I appreciate. The top name on the list, ATM's Christine Michael, is one of the bigger wildcards in the conference. Now that ridiculously overrated Mike Goodson is gone, Michael should get plenty of carries, and if the Ags have a nice rushing attack to go with the young, good-not-great passing attack of QB Jerrod Johnson, WR Jeff Fuller, and WR Ryan Tannehill (assuming he's WR and not QB), then they could be dangerous. I still don't see anything becoming of their defense this year, but at the very least they could jump up and knock down a higher-ranked team along the line.

Here's all I ask: if you're going to get arrested in the offseason, do something entertaining. Iowa lineman Kyle Calloway complied by getting a ho-hum drunk driving arrest...but on a moped. So it's like that one episode of Scrubs where JD is arrested for riding a moped on the sidewalk, only Calloway's 6'7, 320 pounds.

Finally, I only link to this because it's one of my favorite games I've watched. The Rivalry, Esq. is posting its Top 10 SEC-Big Ten Games of the Last Decade, and #2 is the epic 2000 Orange Bowl between Michigan and Alabama. After watching this game, I thought both Shaun Alexander and David Terrell were going to be Hall of Famers...they were both so amazing...and Michigan's QB wasn't too bad either.

Thoughts On The 2009 NFL Draft

Beergut — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:00:35 -0000

I think that if Stephen McGee had been at any other program besides Texas A&M after last season, he would not have been drafted. McGee played in six games all of last season, three of which he started. After injuring his shoulder, and being supplanted by Jerrod Johnson as the starter, McGee's season, and his career, was essentially over. After three years as a running quarterback under Dennis Franchione, McGee's pro prospects were already slim. I think Mike Sherman's experience as an NFL coach and general manager paved the way for McGee to get a shot in the League, and McGee's performance at college all-star games and at the Combine solidified his status. I think the fact that a player who received so little playing tme in the last season was able to be considered by the League and then drafted in the fourth round speaks volumes about our coaching staff. I hope high school recruits, especially quarterbacks, are taking note of the fact that our head coach's connections in the League basically placed a player in the NFL; if I'm a recruit, I want to play for someone like that.
Darcel McBath of Texas Tech was drafted before Graham Harrell; I never would have beleived that would happen if I hadn't seen it.
Mike Goodson may see some time at slot receiver and returning kicks for the Carolina Panthers. He was a solid receiver coming out of the backfield catching passes for us, so I think he can make a go of it as a receiver in the League, if needed. With DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart already on their roster, Goodson may start out as more of third-down back in the Panthers' offense.

Biggest surprise of the Draft to me: Chris Ogbonnaya was drafted, while Quan Cosby was not. Ogbonnaya was a marginal college running back; Cosby was a star college wide receiver. I don't care about his lack of height, you can either play this game or you can't, and Cosby can definitely play this game. Some team will luck into him by picking him up as an undrafted free agent. Meanwhile, I'll be surprised if Ogbonnaya sees the field as a Ram.
I loved the Vikings pick of Percy Harvin in the first round; having him and Adrian Peterson on the field at the same time gives Minnesota all sorts of options on offense.
I think taking Phil Loadholt in the second round was a reach for Minnesota; a player who I believe will ultimately end up a RT in the League could be had later in the draft.
The worst pick of the first round had to be Darrius Heyward-Bey by Oakland. Forget his 40 time, you don't pass over a talent like Michael Crabtree for someone who is a marginal college receiver. But again, we are talking about Al Davis, who also took Fabian Washington in 2005 just because he ran a 4.25 at the Combine, despite the fact that Washington was just a solid-but-inspectacular player at Nebraska. Davis seems to think drafting guys for a 4X100 relay is more important than drafting football players.
Heyward-Bey would be the pick for the biggest bust in the first round, if it weren't for the fact that Detroit took Matt Stafford #1 overall. While Stafford may have been the best QB available, that speaks more to the weakness of the QB class this year than it does to his talent.
I think USC has an 8th string waterboy who is looking like a pretty solid prospect for the League in the 2010 NFL Draft.

2009 NFL Draft - Second Day Live Thread

Beergut — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:00:14 -0000

We enter the third round today with McGee, Goodson, Lane, and Bennett still available, as expected.

This is your NFL Draft Day 2 live thread.

Looking seven rounds deep into the Rams draft

VanRam — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:04:09 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

FILE - Ohio State's James Laurinaitis (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

Browse more photos »

The draft is so close you can smell it. Of course, it's hard to sense anything with all the talk and speculation in the air. At this point, predictions are difficult to impossible, but let's take one last look at a very informed mock draft for some insight into a legit scenario for the Rams this weekend.

Scouts, Inc. has a full seven-round mock draft posted over at ESPN. It's behind the subscription wall, but you can download an Excel file with the full results, courtesy of Mike Sando, self-certified Excel maniac. You really have to be hard core to predict the full seven rounds, since there are likely to be more trades and surprise picks, lots of both, this weekend. Here's their prediction for the Rams:

R1 - Jason Smith, OT

R2 - James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State

R3 - Brian Robiskie, WR. Ohio State

R4 - Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M

R5 - Louis Vasquez, G, Texas Tech

R6 - Troy Nolan, S, Arizona State

R7 - Brandon Long, DE, Michigan State

Nabbing Laurintaitis in the second round would be ideal for the Rams, and it seems like there's more and more chatter that he may be available there, though it's pure speculation. Robiskie might be exactly what the Rams need in a WR to pair with Donnie Avery - big, physical, plays in well in the middle. He might not make it the third round. As for the first three rounds, those picks address the Rams biggest needs, but leave the debate about how to address those needs with what player wide open.

If you have some insight on any of the guys from rounds 4-7, let's hear it. I think another OT might be a better pick for OL depth than another guard...depending on what they've got in mind for John Greco's future. What kind of RB is Goodson? Would he be a nice change of pace guy for the Rams? Adding a RB isn't a bad move at all. Depth at DB is a need, and, knowing nothing about Nolan, I suspect he could be a special teams contributor. Long seems like the kind of guy Spagnuolo could make into a rotation specialist.

The biggest need not included here, that I'd like to see is a run stuffing NT, a specialist for the DT rotation and depth at the position. Of course, this really isn't the year for DTs. Another LB would make me happy too, but the Spagnuolo regime might well be able to make solid contributors out of last year's LB picks Chris Chamberlain and David Vobora. Both of these position might be more easily address through street free agents and roster victims prior to the start of the season.

Being Billy Devaney - RB

Tackle Box — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:40:14 -0000

Continuing our search for depth and possible future assets, BBD turns to the position of Running Back. You can't have enough good viable running backs and if Spags and company are truely committed to focusing on the run, then we're probably going to have to beef up that position a bit.

Unfortunately, Runnning Back is actually a position that has gotten it's fair share of attention for a long time. I say "unfortunately" because for all the draft picks spent on the position, there's not a whole lot to show for it because it's not like the team has totally neglected to draft or acquire running backs. Now, one could easily make an argument against a lot of the guys they've brought in (Trung Candidate, I'm kinda looking in your direction......oh, and could you please take a seat next to Brian Leonard? Thanks) but there have also been a couple of true stars. And by "a couple" I mean "exactly two".

We all remember the Marshall Faulk trade and how could anyone forget Steven Jackson. For some reason (and this completely baffles me), there are people who doubt that Steven Jackson is an elite running back in the NFL. Personally, I have no idea how you could miss it, but I digress.

Some may point to Jackson's injuries like that's a legitimate knock on the guy. If you haven't noticed, running backs get hurt all the time in today's game. I suppose it's because the defensive players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before. Whatever the reason, you can't go into a season any more with one viable running back. Your guy WILL get injured at some point and then you're in big trouble. Plus, having a viable backup allows you to have a change of pace and someone who can give opportunities of rest to Jackson that might actually help keep him healthy.

(btw, did anyone notice Jackson got hurt this past season during garbage time? The game was in hand for the Rams and he was out there getting handoffs. I blame that one on the coaching staff and the fact they didn't have another running back on the roster who was any good. However, even if they didn't have anyone viable, Jackson shouldn't have been out there.)

So, with that being said, we'll take a look at the running back position and some possible upgrades to that number 2 slot which is becoming more and more important.

Let's take a look at the roster.

Steven Jackson - 6'2" 231 - Signed through 2013 (if he averages 1,200 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving over the first 4 years of his contract he voids the final two years) - Jackson counts $7.4M against this year's cap. Oh, and he's a stud.
Kenneth Darby - 5'10" 211 - Signed through 2009 (RFA in 2010) - Darby emerged as the number 2 running back for the Rams last year, the question is...is he the guy to hold that spot going forward? Personally, I'm not sure. He's definitely a change of pace back for the Rams and he didn't seem to let the two fumbles in his first game affect his play the rest of the season, so maybe he's a diamond in the rough.
Antonio Pittman - 5'11" 195 - Signed through 2009 (RFA in 2010) - When the Rams claimed Pittman after the Saints let him walk last year, I thought they had really made a coup. Well, Pittman hasn't exactly shined in his backup role and now finds himself behind Darby on the depth chart while being pretty much the same exact type of runner. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pittman cut lose at some point this offseason especially if the team drafts a running back.
Brian Leonard - 6'1" 226 - Signed through 2010 - After a really good career at Rutgers, Leonard has failed to do anything in the NFL. He's got great size and has good speed and athleticism, but for whatever reason, he just hasn't (can't?) gotten it done as a pro. He's probably safe for this season, but he'll be gone before the 2010 season.

So, there's our running backs. I suppose your opinion of this unit falls squarely upon how you feel about Kenneth Darby and his ability to be a valuable part of the offense. If the Rams are going to focus on the run as much as they say they are this season, then Darby (or whoever becomes the number 2 RB) will have to be able to log valuable and productive minutes on the field. Can Darby do it? Honestly, I'm not convinced but I feel much better about him than I do about Pittman and Leonard.

But, let's say Darby isn't the answer we all seek. So what now? Do we target a Free Agent or do we look to the draft? Well, there are positives and negatives to each of those options. A draft pick would probably be cheaper since we'd be drafting this position later in the draft and that draft pick could possibly develop into a legit running back but then again with a free agent RB, you pretty much know what you're getting but with less upside. Many RBs fail making the transition to the NFL. Can the Rams afford to lose a draft pick on a guy who fails?

Of course I realize this could be said about any of our draft picks, but with so many needs is it smarter to see if there's a good backup on the market now who has a proven track record? I think it's worth a look.

Warrick Dunn - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 5'9" 180 - Could you imagine a backfield of Jackson and Dunn? Wow.......I just got a tingly feeling inside. As of right now, there is no news out there about Dunn. He had a great season last year and would be a great addition to a team as a third down/change of pace back.
Deuce McAllister - New Orleans Saints - 6'1" 232 - Here's a guy that can do the dirty work........if healthy. He's had both knees operated on but he's been working out at Duke University and says he feels "fine". He also claims he's spoken to "10-12 teams". About what, I'm not sure. But apparently there's some interest in him.
Ahman Green - Houston Texans - 6'0" 218 - At this point, he's probably too old (32) and too injured to be a legit option here. He had some really good years but has played more than 8 games in only one of his last four seasons.
Tatum Bell - Denver Broncos - 5'11" 213 - Bell is still a pretty good RB, but his off the field troubles kinda overshadow him and make him a risky signing.
Dominic Rhodes - Indianpolis Colts - 5'9" 203 - Rhodes probably isn't a great fit for the Rams future run-happy offense. If all the Rams needed was a guy who could get a couple of yards and catch some passes, that'd be fine, but that's not really what they need. They need someone durable who can do some dirty work (so Jackson doesn't have to do it all) and Rhodes probably isn't that guy.

After Rhodes, there really isn't anyone who instills any interest in me. So, what do you think? I really like Dunn and wonder what it would take to get him. Granted, I know I just said in the Dominic Rhodes piece that the Rams need someone who can do some dirty work, but Dunn is just a special talent. He gets things done. Period. And would be a deadly combination in the backfield with SJ.

But, I understand there are people out there who are committed to finding a backup in the draft. There's some guys available, but with this piece I'm not going to be looking at the first 4 rounds. I decided long ago the Rams need to focus on OT, MLB, CB, WR and DT and if they draft anything other than one of those 5 guys in the first four rounds, it'll feel to me as if they've missed out on something.

So, looking at rounds 5 through 7, let's take a look at the Running Backs.

(Remember, if the name is highlighted, click it to read Mocking Dan's scouting report)

Javon Ringer - Michigan State - 5'8" 205 - Ringer has improved his stock (possibly too much for the Rams to get in the front of the 5th round) since having his knee scoped in January by running a 4.42 40-yard at he combine and by posting a three-cone time that was 0.07 seconds faster than any other running back at the combine. Ringer also had an impressive Pro Day by running the short-shuttle drill in 3.89 seconds. By the way, the fastest running back at the combine (Branden Ore and Bernard Scott) was 4.08 seconds and the best time posted by any player at the combine (Kevin Barnes) was 3.96 seconds. Needless to say, Javon Ringer is healthy, and while his 40-times could improve, having straightaway speed for a running back is less important than the cone and shuttle drills.
James Davis - Clemson - 5'11" 210 - Davis is not a very good receiver and is just an average runner. He ran a 4.45 40-yard at his Pro Day but many are suspect of the time since it was run on a rubber track and at the Combine he ran a 4.60 40-yard. That's a pretty drastic improvement.
Mike Goodson - Texas A&M - 6'0" 212 - I like Goodson better than Davis but I'm not in love with him. He's bigger and probably faster than Davis (4.43 Pro Day and 4.54 Combine) but right now, Ringer looks like the pick of this bunch.
Kory Sheets - Purdue - 6'0" 206 - Had a very good year for Purdue and has possibly been a little over-looked. Probably has a future as a backup/3rd down back and return man in the NFL. Catches the ball well.
Antone Smith - Florida State - 5'9" 190 - Has vaulted himself on to many a team's radar by posting a 4.32 40-yard, 31 reps on the bench, a 32-inch vertical, and a 10-2 broad jump at his Pro Day (he wasn't invited to the Combine). Typically, I don't advocate drafting Running Backs of this size (Warrick Dunn is a freak of nature). They typically get hurt or are simply unable to make an impact no matter how fast or shifty they may be (Garrett Wolfe).
Glen Coffee - Alabama - 6'1" 198 - Needs to bulk up a little to make a successful transition to the NFL. Had really only one good year at Alabama and probably should have stayed there for his senior year. If he had, he might have been able to get into the 3rd or 2nd round, but at this point he's at best a 4th rounder and probably a little lower.
Tavarris Williams - Tennessee State - 5'11" 215 - He's short but powerful. He also shows good quickness and change of direction.
Ian Johnson - Boise State - 5'11" 212 - Somehow, Ian Johnson put on almost 20 pounds before the Combine and still wowed many scouts. He ran an "un-official" 40 time of 4.30 (his official was 4.46) and has convinced some scouts he's more than just a third-down back in the NFL. Has drawn comparisons to Steve Slaton.
Arian Foster - Tennessee - 6'1" 215 - I guess we now know where Ian Johnson found that extra weight since it's apparent the "former" power back at Tennessee lost about 20 pounds before the Combine. Ran a 4.73 and a 4.69 40-yard at his pro day. Probably needs to get the weight back to have value in the NFL.

(Check out Mocking Dan's Running Back Rankings)

After Foster, you're probably looking at guys like Jeremiah Johnson...here's his pic (Oregon), Devin Moore (Wyoming), Gartrell Johnson (Colorado State), and Josh Vaughn (Richmond) although any of these guys and a handful of others could be picked up as un-drafted free agents at a later date but they probably aren't what the Rams are looking for anyway.

Of this group, I probably only like Javon Ringer but there's a possibility he could be gone by the time the Rams get to their 5th pick and I don't think I'd like to pick him ahead of any of the other (more important positions) in the draft. Ian Johnson might be one to keep an eye on and you could probably get him in the 5th round (maybe high 6th which would be ideal).

So, at this point, I really want the Rams to take a strong and long look at Warrick Dunn. I think with him in the fold, the Rams offense becomes absoltuely powerful. Plus, adding him takes away from our lack of experience at the WR postion since you'd have the possibitliy of Steven Jackson, Warrick Dunn, and Randy McMichael running routes which would definitely keep defeneses honest and should free up Donnie Avery deep.

Anatomy Of A&M's Power Play

Beergut — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:11:06 -0000

The Power play is the basic bread-and-butter play of just about any team running the football from a pro-set or an off-set I formation. When we began last season, it was clear early on that we were going to make Power our bread-and-butter running play. Unfortunately, we didn't have the offensive line to overpower a lot of the defensive front-sevens we faced, so we switched to a one-back, zone running game for the most part. We continued to run Power throughout the year, however, and with improved OL play in 2009, I expect to see us run it more often next season.

I am going to take a look at how we ran Power in one game last season; the game in question is the second game of the season, on the road against the University of New Mexico.

As you can see from the formation, we are strong-right, with the a TE and H-back in a wingback position on the right side of the formation. Jorvorskie Lane is the fullback in the off-set I, with Mike Goodson the tailback. Stephen McGee is under center, Jamie McCoy is the H-back, and Danny Baker is the blocking TE.

Before the snap, McCoy will go in motion from right to left, ending up behind left tackle Michael Shumard.

McCoy goes in motion.

McCoy's job on this play is to kick of out End Man on the Line Of Scrimmage, or EMLOS. In this case, that is the weakside OLB.

McCoy is to kickout EMLOS.

More after the jump......

LT Michael Shumard is responsible for the weakside DE. C Kevin Matthews is responsible for the NT, covering the gap as LG Evan Eike pulls playside. Matthews, with help from RG Lee Grimes, tries to wall the NT inside, pinning the DE and NT together, blocking them off and creating the beginning of the funnel. This is a three-man game.

Matthews, Shumard, and Grimes work together to block out DE and NT.

Stephen McGee opens up to his left before turning around right to give the ball to Mike Goodson. When Mcgee vacates his spot under center, it gives RG Evan Eike the room he needs to pull strongside. After McGee executes the handoff, he bootlegs backside. Eike's rule is going to be first backer inside. He simply pulls around and looks for the first linebacker to show himself, and then blasts him out of the way.

Evan Eike pulls playside, while Stephen McGee hands-off and bootlegs.

RT Travis Schneider has a zone responsibility playside. He will help TE Danny Baker double the strongside DE, then go to the next level to block the MLB. He is helping open up the backside of the funnel.

Schneider and Baker double DE, then Schneider goes to next level.

FB Jorvorskie Lane has a simple assignment; he attacks the playside OLB and pins him outside; a stalemate keeps him out of the play.

Offset FB blocks playside OLB.

And last but not least, Mike Goodson meshes with Stephen McGee to take the hand-off, and follows the pulling guard, Evan Eike, into the funnel.

The TB meshes with the QB and goes through the funnel.

Ryan Tannehill is at the top of the formation, but he only fakes a route and then blocks. If the CB doesn't respect the fake, and sells out to pinch inside to help on run-support, that is where McGee's backside bootleg comes in. The next time you run it, you fake the hand-off, and hit Tannehill with the pass.

Put everything together, and the complete play looks like this:

Simple, but effective: A&M runs Power