SB Nation - Ryan Plackemeier

Seahawks Shutout Rams at Home, Score 28 in Rout

John Morgan — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:25:28 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

John Carlson would have topped a hundred yards, but he's kinda slow.

Seattle earns it first shutout since 2007 and its most dominant win since 2005. The Rams suck. How bad is to be determined. Seattle beat St. Louis almost as bad as a professional team can be beat -- like a red-headed rented mule. Rams fans hope that adding a left tackle will resurrect their offense are now crushed -- crushed as badly as the Rams were today.

Before we get on to the revelry, let's talk a few faults. Jon Ryan is costing Seattle field position with his punts. It's not going to kill Seattle to run with a just average punter, but I hope Tim Ruskell looks for an upgrade on Ryan as he looked for an upgrade on Ryan Plackemeier last season. Live by the in-season, die by the in-season signing, Ryan.

Matt Hasselbeck was awful to start the game. He stared down receivers, threw into double cover and lobbed some easy to pick ducks. He was picked and gave the Seahawks faithful an awful fright. A bad Hasselbeck is a quarterback that can't lead this team to the playoffs. He worked off much of the rust against presumably a very bad pass defense, and we can all hope this was early season hiccups. Clearly, Seattle recovered.

Linebackers Leroy Hill and Lofa Tatupu left the game with a groin injury and a hamstring injury. Neither sounded severe, but keep your eyes peeled. Groin and hamstring injuries can be nagging.

Now onto the goods. The coaches deserve credit. Both the offense and defense kept the attack varied and unpredictable and that is the essence of good play calling. Gus Bradley didn't shoot himself in the foot with lame three-stooges blitzes, did blitz early and knew when to trust the front four. This is what a well-run, well-designed and well-executed game looks like, and it took a quarter to appear, but when the gears clicked into place, the Seahawks were ruthless and efficient.

The offense mixed pass and run and didn't abandon either though both faltered, even failed. The line did its dirty work, keeping pressure off Hasselbeck and creating seams for Julius Jones. All three heads of the running back attack contributed; Julius Jones the star, but Justin Forsett showed up on third downs and Edgerrin James grinded out euthanasia yards.

Seattle's wide receivers excelled. Even without Deion Branch, the Rams were lost trying to cover Seattle's three very good receiving threats. Nate Burleson defenders might win the long battle, because in Greg Knapp's looser system, he is emerging as not just a weapon, but a star. The screen pass thrown to him in the first was beautiful and efficient, and the kind of new-breed play calling Seattle has needed for the last three years.

Hasselbeck rounded into form, and if he can find comfort within this system, he has the kind of varied weapons to show off his always excellent read. John Carlson declared himself as the best young tight end in football. He was absurdly valuable getting good gains, converting firsts and, on one drive, being unstoppable to the end zone.

The defense never stopped. The shutout says it all. Bradley lets the kids taste blood. Nick Reed responded by hitting Steven Jackson in the backfield. That exemplified the incredible depth Seattle showed. The secondary was solid. Nickel corner Josh Wilson was sound in cover and just missed a pick six. Seattle lost two of its elite linebackers and Will Herring and David Hawthorne subbed in without the defense slipping. Herring made a few nice plays in cover and Hawthorne exhibited his strength as a run stopper.

This is the way you start a season. This is the way a new regime steps in and asserts its authority. This is how a team starts on the road to a special season: One week at a time.

Game Ball: The Twelfth Man. When Seattle was lagging and Matt Hasselbeck losing his brains all over the field, the fans stepped up and deafened St. Louis into two false starts and three time outs spent. The men and women of Qwest earned that blowout.

The Washington Redskins Ten Most Irreplaceable Players In 2009

Ken Meringolo — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:20 -0000

Everyone loves a good list. But all too often, these kinds of lists turn into a ranking of the team's best players. In today's Top Ten list, the criteria is simple: Who can we simply not afford to lose to injury this season? Better put, who are the top ten players that are central to the success of THIS YEAR'S team--taking into account depth at each position and potential contributions from each player? I have taken some creative liberties with the presentation of the list, and I have made a few judgement calls that I expect some of you will disagree with--I expect you all will not hold back in the comments section.

#10 - Hunter Smith - When I heard the news that Hunter Smith had been signed, I was just slightly less happy than when I heard the news Jessica Biel was doing a nude scene in an upcoming movie. Our punting situation has been a nightmare for a while now. Derrick Frost may have been a Hall of Famer during the week in practice, but he stunk out loud too many times on Sundays when it counted. Ryan Plackemeier was not the huge upgrade that blew up everyone's skirts either. Word on the street was that he was a liability as a holder. However, I heard his personal hygiene was beyond reproach (no need to bury the guy.) Hunter Smith is a pro's pro. While he has enjoyed the dome-life in Indy, his abilities are sure to be an upgrade in D.C. And with our team expected to be led by our defense, the field position battle will have to feature the skills of Hunter the Punter. He is known in the league to be a steady and rock-solid holder, having paired with Mike Vanderjagt to form one of the most accurate kicking batteries in NFL history (and again with Adam Vinatieri when they won the Super Bowl.) Finally, he brought down Deion Sanders in the following video that always brings a smile to my face.

#9 - Derrick Dockery - We are all aware of the less than stellar year the Redskins had on the offensive line last year. Pete Kendall was a band-aid the year before and performed well enough, but last year that band-aid fell off and got lost in the chicken salad, and Jason Campbell ended up eating that band-aid in his sandwich. Let's not mix words here--we brought in Dockery to be an upgrade, not to hold down the position until someone better comes along. He has to perform well, and he has to perform well right away. Early last season we ran left on some pretty important plays. With Right Tackle being up-for-grabs, and with Randy Thomas healing yet again from injuries, the left side is going to be relied upon heavily. Behind Dockery is Chad Rinehart, who we still know very little about. Samuels and Dockery are comfortable and confident playing next to each other. Losing Dockery would hurt us from a depth perspective and would disrupt the chemistry of the left side of the line.

#8 - Fred Davis - I kind of snuck this one in. I won't pretend to be an expert talent evaluator but when I watched him practice this off season at Redskins Park in Ashburn, he really got to me. Like Cammie from the 80's flick The Great Outdoors, played by Lucy Deakins. At first you're kind of like, "OK...I like this girl, but so far she's not central to the plot," and then as the movie goes on, every other storyline becomes meaningless to you and all you can think about is Cammie and how is Buck going to pull this off?!? That is my prediction for Fred Davis this season. At first it will be all about CP, JC, Cooley, the defense, Santana Clause. But by Week 6 (against Kansas City, where Sleepy's stat line will be 6 catches, 78 yards and 2 TDs), Davis will have asserted himself as a legitimate threat for us on offense. And I predict it will be him that becomes the key to our red zone attack.

#7 - Brian Orakpo - Well, I pretty much had to change my shorts when we drafted this guy. I spent all winter clamoring for an OLB/DE player to fill the Merriman/Ware hole in our roster. As a rookie, he will be expected to play like a vet. He will be expected to show up in the stats, and he will be expected to straight-up dominate. So it goes with high first round picks I suppose. Is it fair? Dan Snyder's $20 million bones say it is more than fair. There was an offensive lineman on the board when we picked Orakpo--Michael Oher--so this selection has all the makings of being second-guessed all season long. If he fails to be a force on our defense, it will be hard to hear anything above the fans shouting the f-word: failure. Further, for us to enjoy the kind of success we are hoping for, we need nothing less than a dominant performance from his position.

#6 - Santana Moss - One could argue we have lost Santana Moss during the season every year for the last 3 years. Either by injury or by opposing defenses denying him the ball, Moss has been silenced late in the season. Still, he is one of those "magic" players that has the ability to make a play when he gets the ball in his hands. Whenever he touches the ball, there is a chance the play can end with him scoring a touchdown. We'd all like to think that with Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in the fold, Moss might be somewhat replaceable. Not so fast. The dude is an elite NFL player and on our team, his value is as much about the comfort and confidence he gives both fans and teammates when he is on the field as it is about his skill set. Here is a highlight video of him ( a little grainy, but you get the idea.)

#5 - Jason Campbell - I fear I will be scolded for either putting him too high or for putting him on this list at all. Truth be told, I am shocked that I am not making him #1. Todd Collins has proven to be more than serviceable, with not only a stellar performance in relief of JC, but also a late-season playoff push under his belt. Colt Brennan is the apple of a lot of eyes, and Jason Campbell has yet to become the "franchise quarterback" you want from a 1st rounder. But he is absolutely central to our success this year. Despite the off season rumors and activity, the investment in JC has only grown greater. Both he and the coaching staff have put in a lot of hours in the months leading up to training camp. Jason has worked extensively with Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, and he has quietly continued to act the part of "Starting Redskins QB" which as we all know is a position of high honor and visibility. He has the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff (currently), and let's face facts--you pretty much always have most of your eggs in the starting QB basket. If you think like me, and you think JC will in fact be second to the defense among the reasons we make the playoffs, you have to put him on this list, and you probably should put him higher.

#4 - Mike Sellers - This year might be the first year that I fully appreciate Sellers for exactly what he means to this team. I have both underestimated and overestimated his importance and role on this team in the last handful of years. There was a series in the pre-season a couple years back where Gibbs called for like 4 straight hand-offs to Sellers. He busted each carry for 7-8 yards a pop. I thought we were seeing the emergence of a Brandon Jacobs-type of role for Sellers. Then last season, the disappointment of him being (allegedly) unable to punch the ball in against Cincinnati on the goal line tempered that expectation. In 2005, he had 8 TDs (7 through the air, 1 on the ground), but last year just managed 1 score. So how does he land at #4 on this list? Special teams notwithstanding, he has become an invaluable lead blocker. Clinton Portis loves to get in behind Sellers and every time they both make it to the edge, you know a 1st down is a gimme. Players like Sellers seem to get marginalized by their organizations over time (see Lorenzo Neal from the San Diego Chargers a few years back.) Here's hoping the team figures out a responsible way to keep him with the team beyond this year. Sellers has become a destructive force in what has been at times an unstoppable running game. We can ill afford to lose him this year if we hope to keep Clinton Portis from taking on the first and second tacklers at the point of attack. And anything Sellers is able to add in the way of short-yardage situations for us is gravy.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

#3 - Clinton Portis - Thanks to fantasy football, I have finally learned the lesson that eludes so many fans and even league personnel men: running backs really do grow on trees. So what is CP doing this high on the list? Because there are exceptions to every rule. Like for example, to those that say "No means No", I say, "Sometimes No means Maybe." ("Reservation for 1 in hell please? Yes, I'll hold.") CP is a stud...a freak of nature athletically that has enjoyed a great deal of success at running back for 7 seasons. That is twice the average career for running backs (somebody call me out on this if I am wrong, but I think the average career of a running back is roughly 3 years.) From an odds perspective there is a better chance Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the Growing Pains movie than a running back becoming highly productive in his 8th year. Yet that is what we are banking on this season. Clinton is the man yet again this year, and without him, the ship loses a lot of direction and purpose. More than anything, the ship loses a lot of identity. For better or worse, the identity of this team and specifically the offense is tied to Clinton Portis.

#2 - Chris Samuels - We spoke to a retired former Redskin a few months ago (who shall remain nameless for now) and he said that there was only ONE player on the whole roster he would label "untouchable"--only one player on the entire roster that he would start all over with tomorrow: Chris Samuels. Whether you agree with it or not, it kind of takes your breath away...wait for it...like Nicole Eggert in Charles in Charge. She was only 15 when she started out as Jamie Powell but I was only 10, so the things I was thinking about doing to her were totally legal (as a 10-year old, this consisted mostly of picturing her in a bathing suit, but by the time she was 18, I was 13, so my dream date of me, her and Samantha Micelli (Alyssa Milano) from Who's The Boss was ON.) As we discussed above, the offensive line was a debacle last year. Samuels is the class of our line. If he goes down, our team's playoff chances disappear faster than a bag of blow left alone in a room with Corey Haim. (It's not fair to beat up on Corey Haim you say? Go back and watch Lucas again. All these years later, and both Charlie Sheen and Jeremy Piven are killing it. Corey Haim has only Corey Haim to blame.)

via p1.hotornot.com

#1 - Albert Haynesworth - If you go to a nice restaurant and order the most expensive thing on the menu, like the Filet Mignon plate, it ain't going to work for you if the steak is undercooked and gives you parasites. A good bowl of mashed potatoes or creamed spinach is not going to save the dish. We paid for the best cut of meat on the market. It had damn well better taste good and be cooked right. Haynesworth has to absolutely dominate this season for the Redskins to both save face and make some noise in the NFC. Is saving face really that important? I think so, because he represents yet another in a long line of high-priced talent brought in by Snyder to win now. This has yet to really pan out for Snyder and has left us coming up with some pretty lame one-liners over the years.

"Mark Carrier could really be the difference this season."

"Brandon Lloyd is poised to break out this season."

"Adam Archuleta should really solidify our secondary."

"Bruce Smith attacking the QB is going to get us to the next level this season."

"Chad Morton is the answer in the return game."

"Jeff George is the right guy for this offense."

OK, you get the idea. Redemption is absolutely chief among the goals for Haynesworth this year in my humble opinion. And the truth is it will come hand-in-hand with domination at the point of attack. If Blache can move him up and down the line of scrimmage effectively and keep the opposing offense guessing, Haynesworth is capable of providing the same kind of impact that Reggie White gave the Packers when he signed there and subsequently led them to a Super Bowl. Without Haynesworth, we lose twice really. We continue to get berated by everyone for trying and failing to "buy a championship" and we would be on the outside looking in yet again come December.

As I review the list, LaRon Landry jumps off the page as the one I wish I would have found a spot for, but I will have to live with leaving him off, despite my constant proclamations that Landry is an elite player. I guess I dig our safety group right now, and am hopeful that a Chris Horton/ Kareem Moore backfield would hold up (if you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?)

Other Honorable Mentions: Ladell Betts, London Fletcher, Carlos Rogers, and Ethan "The Red Snapper" Albright.

I expect that London will be the one I get the most grief for excluding, so let me seed my excuse for leaving him out: I love Alfred Fincher, and think that if it came down to it, he would be the feel-good story of the league stepping in and up to replace London. Think Mike Seaver-gets-Chelsea Noble...yeah, that kind of feel good.

Season Retrospective: Jon Ryan

John Morgan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:33:51 -0000

Overview: Seattle cut Ryan Plackemeier and signed Jon Ryan before week two. Ryan would punt for Seattle for the remainder of the season.

What went right: Ryan punted for the seventh highest average in the NFL, 45.6 yards per punt.

What went wrong: Ryan's average is a function of Seattle's weak offense and poor field position. His kicks were long but low, and Ryan's net yards per punt was 13^th in the league, 38.4. He forced very few fair catches, only eight, or about 10% of his 78 punts. That was the third worst rate in football. He had 22 punts end within the 20 and seven within the 10, both among the league worst. Accounting for all variables, weather, opponent ability and the rest of the punting team, but also counting Ryan Plackemeier in week 1, Seattle's punt team was worth one point above average.

Outlook: Ryan played in 16 games for the Green Bay Packers in 2007 and 2006, and those punting units were worth -3.7 and -4.9 points respectively. He never looked like more than a below average punter in 2008 and that's my expectation of him in 2009.

Detailed Analysis of Bengals Roster - Examining likelihood of drafting each position

Kirkendall — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:48:06 -0000

Every so often we try to re-examine the team's current roster and how it relates to the NFL draft. Since we have less than a week to go, I figure it was time for us to examine the roster, look at (unscientific) probabilities that we'll draft at that position, and get a general feel for where this team stands. We'll do this all again a week or two after the draft to reexamine the team's roster. Note: Best and Worst Case scenarios are based on long-term visions that I have after drinking some funky blue stuff. Here goes.

QUARTERBACK (3)
Even though the Bengals signed J.T. O'Sullivan this off-season in response to Ryan Fitzpatrick departure for Buffalo, Cincinnati could look at drafting a quarterback, whom would compete with Jordan Palmer for that number-three emergency quarterback slot. If all goes well, and the Bengals select a late-draft quarterback (sixth round or later), there's a chance they could luck into finding a long-term backup solution. If all goes poorly, then we'll have another Jeff Rowe on our hands. I rated the Bengals quarterbacks as strong, weighting Palmer's return much more than any player does at any position. Without Palmer, it's a mediocre position.

Strength of position: Strong
Probability of drafting position: Maybe
Best case scenario: Find a quarterback late in the draft to eventually become a long-term backup solution.
Worst case scenario: Jeff Rowe
Highest round team could draft: Fifth Round

Carson Palmer
J.T. O'Sullivan
Jordan Palmer

RUNNING BACK (6)
This off-season, the Bengals were able to re-sign Cedric Benson to a two-year contract, and recently claimed Gary Russell off of waivers. Still on the roster is Kenny Watson, who briefly became the team's feature back in 2007 and recorded two 130-yard plus performances. Chris Perry's low yard-per-rush and propensity to fumble likely cost him. DeDe Dorsey and James Johnson will have to put together masterful off-season and training camp performances just to have a shot on the roster. The Bengals are likely drafting a running back to backup Benson while, we think, Russell will be primarily used as a short-yardage/goalline back.

Strength of position: Average
Probability of drafting position: High
Best case scenario: Draft a running back that plays behind Benson and eventually replaces him as the team's starting running back within a year or two.
Worst case scenario: Kenny Irons
Highest round team could draft: Second Round

Cedric Benson
Gary Russell
Kenny Watson
Chris Perry
DeDe Dorsey
James Johnson

FULLBACKS (2)
In 2004 and 2005, former Bengals running back Rudi Johnson broke franchise single-season rushing marks in back-to-back seasons. A large part of that contribution goes to quality blocking from the fullback spot. Daniel Coats moved to fullback last season. And while he did his best in the transformation from tight end to fullback, he's just not an NFL-caliber blocker.

Strength of position: Very Weak
Probability of drafting position: High
Best case scenario: A bull-dozer.
Worst case scenario: Not realizing the need for a quality fullback and doing nothing about it.
Highest round team could draft: Fifth Round

Daniel Coats
J.D. Runnels

WIDE RECEIVER (8)
This has been the most talked about position during the off-season; ranging from T.J. Houshmandzadeh's departure to trade rumors about Chad Johnson. Furthermore, the Bengals costliest free agent pickup was Laveranues Coles. With all that said and done, there's really no concrete idea of what the Bengals are going to do here. One argument suggests that the Bengals will pick up a top-tier wide receiver in the first round, with an opposite argument that the Bengals won't draft anyone. With Johnson, Coles and Chris Henry the top-three receivers on the depth chart, and Andre Caldwell and Jerome Simpson drafted last season, I don't see any way the Bengals draft a receiver. When and where would he play? Basing a conclusion at this position is a matter of conjecture and I don't believe the Bengals will, or even should, draft a receiver. If Johnson is traded, we'll see. However, I've been very clear on my position about the team drafting a receiver. I don't like it. However, this is the only position in which I rate "probability of drafting position" as unknown.

Strength of position: Strong (based on potential), Average overall
Probability of drafting position: Unknown
Best case scenario: Not drafting a receiver and Caldwell and Simpson come through.
Worst case scenario: Bengals use the first-round pick for a wide receiver and he never gets playing time.
Highest round team could draft: First through Fifth

Chad Johnson
Laveranues Coles
Chris Henry
Andre Caldwell
Jerome Simpson
Antonio Chatman
Mario Urrutia
Maurice Purify

TIGHT END (5)
We're a spoiled bunch when it comes to tight ends. No, not recently of course. Through our history, the franchise has seen all-pro quality tight ends with great hands. Then when the Bengals offense recently morphed back to a passing offense, the philosophy turned tight ends into blockers to help protection and limit trends between blocking and receiving specific ends. The question here is how do you think tight ends should be built in Cincinnati now?

Strength of position: Weak (if you think TEs should be receivers), Mediocre (overall)
Probability of drafting position: Low
Best case scenario: Utecht provides a reason why we should have signed him.
Worst case scenario: Kelly leaves after the year, Utecht is disappointing (or injured) again and Matt Sherry amounts to nothing.
Highest round team could draft: Fifth Round

Reggie Kelly
Ben Utecht
Matt Sherry
Nate Lawrie
Brad St. Louis (LS)

OFFENSIVE TACKLE (4)
We've talked about offensive tackles just as much, if not more than Chad Johnson rumors. The facts are appalling; 51 quarterback sacks allowed, and the league's 30th best yard-per-rush average. As it stands, Collins and Jones would figure to be the team's starting offensive tackles. However, Jones has been reportedly on the trading block, and additional reports suggest that he'll just be released if no suitors are found. There is an option that the Bengals could move guard Andrew Whitworth to tackle. However, until that happens, we're keeping Whitworth as a guard in our analysis.

Strength of position: Weak
Probability of drafting position: Certain
Best case scenario: First-round draft pick contributes to an offensive line rebound and multiple All-Pro selection.
Worst case scenario: Bengals do little to address the position leaving the line in a weakened state and pushing back personnel turnover to a point that rebuilding efforts are pushed back an additional year.
Highest round team could draft: First Round

Anthony Collins
Levi Jones
Dennis Roland
Scott Kooistra

GUARD (4)
While offensive tackle is rated as a certain need, guard really isn't that far behind. However the urgency is less because the team figures to have two starting guards, and a third guard that filled in decently when Whitworth went down in 2008. The issue here is 2010. After this year, the only guard on roster will be Andrew Whitworth. If the Bengals don't draft a guard or two this year, it will likely become a critical need in 2010.

Strength of position: Average
Probability of drafting position: Maybe-High
Best case scenario: Bengals draft a quality guard this year, allowing Williams to mentor him for a season and becomes starter in 2010.
Worst case scenario: As typical with the Bengals perception, guards aren't all that critical. Therefore don't address the position and draft guards next year simply to fill the roster.
Highest round team could draft: Fourth Round

Bobbie Williams
Andre Whitworth
Nate Livings
Evan Mathis

CENTER (3)
The first draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals franchise was a center. That's how Paul Brown viewed the offensive line; build from the center out. During the height of the Bengals offensive success during the Carson Palmer era, Rich Braham occupied center, directing traffic and handling the beasts of the AFC North. After his injury in 2006, the Bengals offense began to depreciate. No, we're not blaming Eric Ghiaciuc here -- there's was a general lack of effort by the coaches and front office to rebuild the offensive line allowing the team to suffer so poorly in 2008.

Strength of position: Mediocre
Probability of drafting position: Certain
Best case scenario: Bengals draft one of the top-three centers in the second round as part of a long-term offensive line rebuilding project.
Worst case scenario: Bengals do nothing and put all their faith with the centers on roster, once again, deciding that rebuilding the team's offensive line isn't critical.
Highest round team could draft: Second Round

Dan Santucci
Kyle Cook
Andrew Crummey

DEFENSIVE END (5)
You know the issue here; two highly paid defensive ends failed to pressure the quarterback with any consistency evident by terrible sack numbers. However, because both defensive ends are highly paid, we don't project the Bengals drafting a defensive end on the first day of the NFL draft. However (part 2), because of the Bengals terrible pass rush, many experts are projecting that the Bengals will draft a defensive end high; even in the first round. While they've made some plays in the past, the Bengals roster of backup defensive ends can be, and perhaps should be, easily replaced.

Strength of position: Mediocre
Probability of drafting position: Maybe
Best case scenario: Bengals find a gem in the fifth round or later that challenges the two highly paid defensive end to put in some production. Also, Antwan Odom and Robert Geathers were hurt last year; having a "gem" as a backup player that can get to the quarterback will help immensely if injury becomes a factor again.
Worst case scenario: 2008
Highest round team could draft: First

Robert Geathers
Antwan Odom
Frostee Rucker
Jonathan Fanene
Chris Harrington

DEFENSIVE TACKLE (5)
Last year, the Bengals had defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and Glenn Dorsey high on their board. This year, with the potential we've seen from Pat Sims, the signing of Tank Johnson and the potential of Jason Shirley, the Bengals could totally leave defensive tackle alone in the NFL draft. On the other hand, the Bengals could draft a defensive tackle high in the draft to complete a four-man rotation of Peko, Sims, Tank and super-massive defensive tackle, forcing the team into a combinations of rush-defensive tackles and pass-defensive tackles. Still, we don't see it. It seems more likely that the Bengals could be content with defensive tackle already.

Strength of position: Average-Strong (based on potential)
Probability of drafting position: Low-Maybe
Best case scenario: Bengals rely on their two draft picks in 2008 and Pat Sims and Jason Shirley \ come through.
Worst case scenario: Tank lost gas in the... well... and Sims and Shirley play average at best.
Highest round team could draft: First... more likely Fourth or later.

Domata Peko
Pat Sims
Tank Johnson
Jason Shirley
Orien Harris

LINEBACKERS (7)
I've pointed out before that linebackers could be a serious concern after 2009. Everyone save for Keith Rivers and Dhani Jones will be free agents. It's to the point that if the Bengals don't draft a linebacker this year, this could be the primary focus during the weeks leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft. However, it's speculated that Aaron Curry is on top of the Bengals board this year, and if he falls, the Bengals could pounce on him. If that's the case, then the "need" is tremendously reduced. The question at this point would be, at what cost to the offensive line.

Strength of position: Average
Probability of drafting position: Likely
Best case scenario: Bengals draft as many as two linebackers, one middle and one strong-side to eventually replace the current starters.
Worst case scenario: Rivers is hurt again, Jones feels his age and the Bengals don't draft a linebacker in 2009.
Highest round team could draft: First (if Curry falls to us); Fourth or later if he doesn't.

Keith Rivers
Dhani Jones
Rashad Jeanty
Brandon Johnson
Darryl Blackstock
Abdul Hodge
Jim Maxwell

CORNERBACKS (5)
If you base grades on the starters, I believe that the Bengals cornerbacks are very strong. While they're not shutdown backs, perhaps not even elite backs, I think they've made their share of great plays on defense. David Jones showed he has some talent but there's plenty of room for improvement. The difference between the teams cornerbacks and backups is pretty significant. Mike Zimmer has said that he'd love to draft a cornerback to play nickel and/or coverage-specific safety. I believe that the Bengals will address cornerbacks later in the draft to improve their depth.

Strength of position: Strong
Probability of drafting position: Maybe
Best case scenario: Bengals draft a coverage-excellent cornerback and improves the overall depth at the position.
Worst case scenario: Bengals bank on injury-free season at cornerback and do nothing to improve their depth.
Highest round team could draft: Third-Fourth

Johnathan Joseph
Leon Hall
David Jones
Simeon Castille
Geoffrey Pope

SAFETY (6)
This is another position that we could make a strong case for. However, that projection is based on potential. Corey Lynch started well in 2008 before falling to injury. Marvin White has his moments -- good and bad -- but also fell to injury. Chris Crocker was an awesome surprise and now he's talking leadership. Chinedum Ndukwe is the team's best seventh-round pick since drafting Houshmandzadeh. At the same time, there's weaknesses at safety against the pass. How many plays were there when a pass went over the top while the safeties were sprinting to catch up with wide receivers that blazed by him? We suspect that the Bengals will address safety in the draft to acquire a guy that's better suited to defend the pass.

Strength of position: Average-Strong (based on potential)
Probability of drafting position: High
Best case scenario: Bengals find another start-quality safety stacking the position with potential talent.
Worst case scenario: Crocker slumps, Lynch is hurt again and the Bengals have to rely on lesser talent on the team's depth.
Highest round team could draft: Third-Fourth

Chinedum Ndukwe
Chris Crocker
Corey Lynch
Marvin White
Mike Doss
Kyries Hebert

PUNTER (2)
If the Bengals had a good performance from Kyle Larson last year, this might not be a big deal. However, when your offense is forced to punt 100 times in a season, that means a lot depends on field position. And we didn't get that. Opposing teams had shorter field positions and the Bengals were often playing from behind with a terrible offense. A good punter could have helped that. Not only have the Bengals brought in competition for Larson, but there seems to be a very high likelihood that the Bengals draft a punter.

Strength of position: Weak
Probability of drafting position: High
Best case scenario: Bengals draft UC's Kevin Huber; a guy they've targeted since the end of the season.
Worst case scenario: Larson returns as the team's punter.
Highest round team could draft: Sixth

Kyle Larson
Ryan Plackemeier

KICKER (1)
This is an interesting position. Place kicker Shayne Graham still hasn't signed his franchise contract. There's a chance that if Graham doesn't sign a long-term deal by the end of 2009, he could be gone for free agency. Will that mean that the Bengals will draft a kicker this year? No. Next year? Well, probably no.

Strength of position: Strong
Probability of drafting position: Unlikely
Best case scenario: Graham resigns
Worst case scenario: Graham doesn't resign
Highest round team could draft: Eighth

Shayne Graham (unsigned)

That's my analysis. You might agree, you might not. Either way, I expect to hear from your perspectives as the NFL draft is scary close.

Recent Draft History: Seattle Seahawks

Jeremy Bolander — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:00:10 -0000

2008 Draft:

1 (28) Lawrence Jackson, DE STARTER

Well, maybe not a for sure starter, but he did start 14 games for the Hawks, starting nine at one end before being benched and subsequently coming back in and starting five more as an injury replacement at the other end. If Jackson could be said to have a problem, it would be that he can't seem to generate any rush yet, though he flashes some tremendous explosiveness, and thus isn't starter quality material. On the other hand, he is progressing nicely, which is standard issue for even the really good Dlinemen. He certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

2 (38) John Carlson, TE STARTER

As a rotational and package starter on the end of hte line, Carlson has impressed. Probably the best pick of the 2008 draft for Seattle, he was also the highest rated TE. Seattle had to trade their third rounder to move up and get him, but knowing they needed help at tackle, with none available in the draft, they did the next best thing in picking up an end blocker (who works hard at getting better) and quick outlet for the QB.

4 (121) Red Bryant, DT Backup

Bryant's less than stellar college career followed him to Seattle where injuries sidelined him too often. Seattle looks to be trying to establish some depth in the rotation, despite losing linemate Rocky Bernard, and the worry is that any depth added could potentially bury Bryant amongst the backups for good.

5 (163), Owen Schmitt, FB Backup

Seattle refused to throw Schmitt into the mess that was 2008, probably because his pass blocking wasn't yet significantly better than Leonard Weaver's. That won't be an option in 2009, and Seattle needs to findout whether the top rated blocking FB in the draft has what it takes to start.

6 (189) Tyler Schmitt, LS Backup

When a guy is drafted specifically to be a longsnapper, even if it is with a 6th round pick, it is a serious blow when they can't contribute. After going to IR before the season, Schmitt didn't miss out on much, and his stock isn't likely hurt in Seattle.

7 (223) Justin Forsett, RB Backup

Another player with a lot of potential who was never given a chance to do anything in 2008. With the 'hawks moving to a likely committee system int eh backfield, there is a good chance that 2009 could be Forsett's chance to get a lot of carries.

7 (235) Brandon Coutu, K Backup

The more of Ruskell's drafts I analyze, the less I understand what he is trying to accomplish. Coutu wasn't able to win the starting job as a rookie, yet was retained on a roster that was decimated with injuries. It is likely he goes into 2010 trying to win the starting job again, but I have to wonder what happens if he once again isn't up to tthe task... Do they give him a raise?

2007 Draft:

2 (55) Josh Wilson, CB STARTER

Wilson has been a solid player, and continues to get better every year. His next couple of years represent a sort of watershed for him: if he can earn recognition as a #1 caliber corner and supplant the aging Trufant as the go-to guy, he'll be set. But if he can't overtake Trufant, he may find himself labelled a #2 or nickel corner for life.

2 (38) Brandon Mebane, DT STARTER

Mebane may be the key to the Seattle defense, eating up blocks in the middle and making his LBs look like aces (not that they aren't) and helping whoever lines up at over-tackle look like a stud. He has a bright future in Seattle, even if he never gets the recognition he deserves.

4 (120) Baraka Atkins, DE Backup

Atkins has been kind of a slow-starter, but the feeling is that he is now starting to come on, and could be pushing for starting time going forward. It is importnat for Seattle to be able to go to the well when it comes to their DEs right now, so Atkins' development couldn't come at a better time.

4 (124) Mansfield Wrotto, G STARTER

In a season where the Oline devestation was truly epic, Wrotto showed that he could have staying power. He stereotypes to easily as a "moose": that is, he doesn't always seem to understand what is going on around him, but he has the strength and power to flatten guys out. If he can develop his mean-streak, he could be a force to reckon with.

5 (161) Will herring, LB Backup

Herring spent the season watching from the bench, but may be called upon in 2009. The seahawks have been consistent in tehir methods to keep him around, so they see some potential.

6 (197) Courtney Taylor, WR Backup

Taylor has developed into a legitimate special teams force on coverage teams, but his inconsistency at the WR position could be spelling his early NFL demise. He needs to work on being a better pass catcher, work on catching balls outside of his frame, and just generally working harder, or no QB will ever trust him. He has flashed his potential, but he needs to deliver consistently.

6 (210) Jordan Kent, WR Backup

Despite getting a lot of opportunities in Seattle's decimated WR corp in 2008, he simply didn't look good enough to warrant increased playing time with the new WR corp falling into place. Probably on his way out.

7 (232) Steve Vallos, C

Like Kent, Vallos is a player that didn't show enough upside to guarantee any sort of long term staying power. Another player who is probably better off not in the plans.

2006 Draft:

1 (31) Kelly Jennings, CB STARTER

Jennings still has a lot of learning to do, and he could start by trying to inject a little physicality to his game. At his size he may end up pigeonholed as a pure cover corner, and that could leave Seattle with no true number one guy when Trufant decides to move on.

2 (63) Darryl Tapp, DE STARTER

Mostly a rotational starter, Tapp may have maxed out his potential. He will likely make a solid rotational guy/backup for years to come, but if Seattle asks him to do doo much, chances are he won't be able to deliver.

4 (128) Rob Sims, G STARTER

Sims is no doubt starter quality on Seattle's current line incarnation, but as part of the wounded group in last season's MASH parody, he may find that the extra year of development was what he needed to push him over the top and keep his spot. As is, he will be in competition for it for the near future.

5 (163) David Kirtman, FB Out of NFL

After not really making any noise in camp, Kirtman was finally released in 2008 and spent time on the Chargers and 49ers practice squad. The Saints were looking at him for a practice squad contract, but no word on whether they made the offer.

7 (239) Ryan Plackemeier, P Backup/Cincinnati

Plackemeier was released in late 2008 after having no impact for the seahawks. The redskins temporarily picked him up before waiving him, and he eventually landed with Cincinnati.

7 (249) Ben Obomanu, WR Backup

Not a lot of talent or work ethic here, and it really shows. He is buried on a depth chart that just keeps getting deeper, and he has very shaky footing.

A Cure for the Bengals Injury Woes and Bengals Sign New Punter

Mike Boyd — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:49:42 -0000

The Bengals had a record number of players on the injured reserve list last season. Good news. Help is on the way...from India. The New York Post reported today that a Hindu nationalist movement is developing a soft drink made from cow urine. “Don’t worry. It won’t smell like urine and will be tasty too,” said Om Prakash, of the group’s Cow Protection Department. Hindus revere cows as holy and believe that their urine is curative. Forget weight lifting and conditioning -- this could be the answer to the Bengals injury epidemic.

Today, the Bengals acquired punter Ryan Plackemeier on waivers from the Redskins. Plackemeier (6-3, 247; Wake Forest) is a 4th-year NFL player in 2009. He was a seventh-round draft choice of Seattle in 2006and punted in every Seahawks game over 2006-07, averaging 42.4 yards with 55 inside-20 kicks and 21 touchbacks. He was an NFL All-Rookie Team selection by Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers in 2006, when he averaged 45.0 yards for the season. He was waived by the Seahawks on Sept. 9 of last season, after averaging 40.9 yards on 11 punts in the season opener, and he signed with Washington as a free agent on Oct. 15. He played in the Redskins' last 10 games, punting 55 times for a 41.7-yard average, 15 inside-20s and 10 touchbacks.

If the above story from the New York Post on the sports drink of the future wasn't a sign that I have been traveling too much, this story is -- I was on a regional jet today and smelled something. I looked across the aisle and a man was changing his daughter's diaper on the seat-back tray table. No pad. No towel. Just the diaper and the tray table. I don't think I can ever eat on a plane again.

Skins 1st Half Report Card / Blogger Deathsport

TexSkins — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:18:13 -0000

The season is officially halfway done, and the Skins are a surprising 6-2. Some games (the Rams) might have gotten away,

but in some others, the team was able to hold on. So, lets take a look at how the team has done thus far:

OVERALL: 6-2 is good. Wins at Dallas, at Philly and at home for New Orleans are good. Losing at the Giants is long forgotten, and the Rams game appears to be an aberration. Like I've said before, if you told me 6-2 before the season started, I would have taken it without second thought. This stretch of schedule featured some of the easier games the team had all season, but like the old saying goes: you can only beat those teams on your schedule.

Grade: B+

COACHING: Jim Zorn has been better than expected. He doesn't look like a rookie head coach based on his decisions and game management. He also looks like a veteran OC with the way he's called some of the games. Mistakes, yes. But overall much better than I expected.

On the defensive side, Blache is good at 2 things: giving quotes and calling a game. I really like the way he has worked with his personnel and really developed a pretty good defense. They've had some key injuries (Taylor, Doughty, Springs) but they've worked around it. They are 6th in yards allowed at 278.1 and 8th in scoring defense after giving up 18.1 points a game. I'd like to see more turnovers, but I always take what I can get. In the NFL, the magic number is 20: you score more than that consistently, you should win because you should be able to hold teams to that. This defense does.

Grade: A-

OFFENSE: Two words: Clinton Portis. He's been on fire all year, but especially after getting called out. Thank you, Brian Mitchell. He leads the league in rushing with 944 yards. But since he's had an extra game (no bye week yet), it might be misleading to say that the next highest rusher is Adrian Peterson with 684, or 260 yards less. So, I'll go to the 118.0 yards per game for Portis compared to Peterson's 97.7. Umm... yeah. He's been that good. Big props to the offensive line.

Almost under the radar is JC's season. He has finally lived up to the 1st round QB hype and is one of only 6 QBs with a 100+ rating and his 100.5 is good for 5th. That puts him ahead of the likes of Manning (both), Favre, and Roethlisberger. Not too shabby. Of starting QBs, he's the only one to have 0 INTs and has only 1 fumble lost all year. Talk about protecting the football. Again, big ups to the offensive line for allowing JC time and giving up only 16 sacks.

Overall, the offense is towards the bottom of the league in points (20.6) but they are towards the top in TOP (6th at 32:30), a stat I personally don't put much stock in but some of you might. A stat I like better is 1st downs (7th at 20.3 per game). Mike Leach taught me that. Well, not personally. #rd down percentage is middle of the pack at 38.8%, but the 4th down percentage is tied for 2nd best at 80% or 4 for 5. Good stuff.

Grade: B (Portis gets an A++.)

DEFENSE: This phase has carried the team thus far this year. London Fletcher is the man. Rookie Chris Horton has proven himself in place of Doughty, but the man I want to spotlight is Carlos Rogers. He, along with fellow 2005 1st rounder Jason Campbell have both come of age this year. Rogers, coming off a knee injury that ended his 2007 season, has looked like the corner the team thought they were getting when they drafted him 9th overall.

The only problem with the defense is the pass rush (10.0 is 8 games). A lot of that can be chalked up to Jason Taylor's injury, but still... they need to get to the opponent's QB. The 5 Forced fumbles and 5 INTs (3 from Horton) are good, but pressure from the front 4 makes everyone else better. The 35.6 3rd down percentage is another good thing.

Grade: A-

SPECIAL TEAMS: Yikes. Anytime you replace a punter mid-season, there have been some problems. Rookie Durant Brooks was just flat out bad. He had some good punts, but he was inconsistent... which is pretty much the one thing an NFL punter cannot be. To his credit, P Ryan Plackemeier has been pretty okay since joining the team, but the team is still dead last in punting with a 39.1 yard average. Double yikes.

The incumbent K Suisham has been pretty okay as well. Only 5 touchbacks, but the coverage teams have been there to make plays. He's also 16 for 21 on FGs, but at least one of those has been blamed on Brooks' holding. Not great but okay.

As usual, KR Rock Cartwright is near the top of the league with a 25.5 yard average and a long of 50. That's consistency. The team has a 25.1 yard average overall. The PR is middle of the pack at 9.4 yards per return, but that's largely due to Moss's return for a TD last game. ARE has been less than spectacular. They have the second most chances in the league (26, 1 behind Tampa Bay) to this point and they need to capitalize on them, which will help the offense score more points. The defense has done it's job, the returners need to make the most of it.

Grade: C-/D+

That's all I got for now. SP sent me this link to another report card, which I have not looked at for this post. So, tell me if I'm in line with things or if I'm just crazy. As always, leave it in the comments section.

- - -

Week 9 Blogger Deathsport. Because I can:

BAL @ CLE (-1.5)

TB (-8.5) @ KC

NYJ @ BUF (-5.5)

ARZ (-3) @ STL

DET @ CHI (-13)

HOU @ MIN (-4.5)

GB @ TEN (-5.5)

JAX (-8) @ CIN

MIA @ DEN (-3)

DAL @ NYG (-9)

PHI (-7) @ SEA

ATL (-3) @ OAK

NE @ IND (-5.5)

Monday

PIT @ WAS (-1.5) 24-21.

I'm out. Hit it up.