SB Nation - Michael Roos

MCM's Tennessee Titans Team of the Decade

Jimmy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:06:16 -0000

I made the team!! (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

We are continuing our "of the decade" series today with the Titans team of the decade. This list was compiled by August, Hal, Gramsey, and me. It was a fun exercise. Some of the selections were no brainers that were easily agreed on by all parties, but there were a few that were hotly debated.

The team and some comments on it after the jump.

OFFENSE

QB- Steve McNair
RB- Chris Johnson
FB- Lorenzo Neal
WR- Derrick Mason
WR- Drew Bennett
TE- Frank Wycheck
OT- Brad Hopkins
OT- Michael Roos
OG- Bruce Matthews
OG- Zach Piller
C- Kevin Mawae

DEFENSE

DE- Jevon Kearse
DE- Kyle Vanden Bosch
DT- Kevin Carter
DT- Albert Haynesworth
LB- Keith Bulluck
LB- David Thornton
LB- Randall Godfrey
CB- Samari Rolle
CB- Cortland Finnegan
S- Chris Hope
S- Michael Griffin

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- Rob Bironas
P- Craig Hentrich
RS- Derrick Mason
LS- Ken Amato

A few thoughts:

The first debate we really had was between CJ and Eddie George. It seems somewhat blasphemous to keep Eddie off the team, but you can't include 1999 and without that CJ's numbers in 2 years are more impressive.
We all wanted to come up with a way not to put Drew Bennett on the team because all any of us can think of when we think of Drew is the drop in New England, but when you look at the numbers he had to be there.
Gramsey wants Sarge over Lorenzo, but the thing that gave Lorenzo the nod for the rest of us was the decline in Eddie's career when he left.
Everything else offensively is pretty much a no-brainer.
We cheated a little bit on the defensive line putting Carter in there at tackle. He did play some tackle in his time here, but it really came down to the fact that those four guys are the four that it had to be. Who else would you put at tackle? Tony Brown was close, but Carter's numbers were so good that it was justifiable.
Linebacker was a little bit of a debate between Randall Godfrey and Peter Sirmon, but Godfrey was more dominating so he got the nod.
The safety positions might have taken us the longest. Blaine Bishop was the first thought in everyone's head, but when you look at the numbers from this decade his aren't that good. Griff would have made it a lot easier on us had he not gone in the tank this year, but his season last year was better than any season posted by a safety in the last 10 years- ergo he makes the list.
The returner debate is still going on between the four of us as I am writing this post. The numbers are close enough that I can put Mason on the list and not feel bad about it. Gramsey and Hal are all about he who shall not be named. He was electric, but he only did it for 2 seasons. That is how I am justifying leaving him off. Gramsey says I will close the comments so no one can prove me wrong. He doesn't have that "Hater" title for nothing. Have at it..

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Best Sign Yet The Coaches Trust Vince Young Edition

August West — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:09:00 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Battle Red Blog wonders how Cortland Finnegan can be so dirty? If it wasn't dirty he wouldn't get fined for it, so it's got to be dirty!

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Vince Young's MRI looked good, and the QB and coach have said he'll most likely be ready for Sunday's game. The most interesting part to me though, is that Fisher trusts Vince enough that he could play with no practice time this week should he no be ready until gameday. That's a luxury only veterans the staff trusts to put in the work and learn just through film and conversations are afforded.

Chris Johnson has a big fan in Marshall Faulk, who is accepting of the fact that CJ will rip his single-season record for yards from scrimmage from him very soon.

Winning today's award for awesomeness is Jeff Fisher's rationale for going for it on fourth down late against the hapless Rams:

I can kick a field goal and that’s an automatic points. You go for it on fourth down, at least I’m giving them a chance to make a stop. If they were offended then I guess they’ll have to work through their own issues."

After making an impact coming up from the practice squad, defensive end Eric Bakhtiari talks with Jim Wyatt about the amazing rush it is to come out of the tunnel and onto the field for the first time after not being active for a single game during his time with San Diego, San Francisco or Tampa Bay:

"It was my first game and I was extremely nervous,’’ said Bakhtiari, who played in college at San Diego. "When I walked through the tunnel I got so excited I had to keep breathing, keep focusing and when I went through the helmet it was awesome. The dam broke down and I was flooded with emotion. I winded myself after the first couple of plays because I was so excited.’’

December is a crucial month for any team on the precipice of making the playoffs, and few teams have been as good at it over the last few years as these Miami Dolphins.

For those of you who follow the Titans from afar and perhaps haven't gotten to experience the city of Nashville or a game at LP Field, here's a pretty solid review by Stadium Journey.

It's not too early for the draft to come up for just a second, and Todd McShay's latest mock draft ($- Insider subscription required) has us grabbing Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida.

Unfortunately, it's looking like former-Titan Jacob Bell's season may have ended on LP Field last Sunday when he tore a hamstring muscle.

Who knew you could get fined a few grand for tossing a football into the stands after a touchdown? To my mind, you should only get fined if you give to anyone other than a kid or old person.

Sure-fire first ballot Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden lists Michael Roos as one of the three tackles in the NFL he actually likes to watch play.

Have love, need links: mcmaugustwest@gmail.com.

The Top Ten Best Tennessee Titans Draft Picks of the Decade

Jimmy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:00:21 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Cortland Finnegan celebrates being named by MCM as the Titans top draft pick of the decade. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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With the decade coming to an end in a few weeks, we here at MCM decided it would be a good time to do a top 10 list or two- because who doesn't love a top 10 list?

Today we start with the top 10 draft picks of the decade. Here is how this list was compiled- August, gramsey and I all came up with our own list. They sent their lists to me, actually shared it with me via google docs (which are awesome), and I averaged the three lists together to come up with what I am posting here. After the jump I have added a link that lists all of the picks the Titans made in the decade.

So without further adieu I present the top 10 draft picks of the decade:

1. Cortland Finnegan, CB, Samford (2006, Round 7, pick #215 overall)

Obviously this pick came down to Finny and Chris Johnson, but when you look at the fact that the Titans were able to draft and franchise corner, or as gramsey puts it "The best corner to ever wear Titan blue, and that includes Samari Rolle," in the seventh round, Finnegan gets the nod.

2. Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina (2008, Round 1, pick #24 overall)

He is the best running back in the league. ‘Nuff said.

3. Keith Bulluck, LB, Syracuse (2000, Round 1, pick #30 overall)

You obviously expect big things out of every first round pick, and KBull has provided those big things and so much more. He has been the heart and soul of this defense for a long time. Interesting story on this pick is that the Titans had planned on taking Deon Grant here because they never dreamed Bulluck would fall to them. Looks like they ended up on the better side of that one.

T-4. Robaire Smith, DE/DT, Michigan State (2000, Round 6, pick #197 overall)

August thinks Robaire is overrated. That may be the case, but the Titans got waaay more than they ever could have expected out of a guy they took at #197. This was another testament to pretty much the only thing Floyd Reese was good at besides backloading contracts and early round busts (more on that tomorrow), finding diamonds in the rough.

T-4. David Stewart, OT, Mississippi State (2005, Round 4, pick #113 overall)

The credit here goes to Mike Munchak as much as anyone, but that doesn't change the fact that the Titans got book-end offensive tackles in the same draft. The only thing that gets Big Country the nod over the next guy on the list is that he was selected two rounds and 72 picks later.

6. Michael Roos, OT, Eastern Washigton (2005, Round 2, pick #41 overall)

Roos is a Pro Bowl left tackle. That is a win no matter where they are selected, but it is even more impressive to get one in the second round.

7. Bo Scaife, TE, Texas (2005, Round 6, pick #179 overall)

2005 was a good draft for the Titans. I have been critical of Scaife in the past, but that by no means takes away the successes he has had in this league after waiting until the 6^th round to come off the board. I wonder how many sixth round picks have ever been given the franchise tag..

8. Stephen Tulloch, LB, NC State (2006 Round 4, pick #116 overall)

The Titans drafted three linebackers in the 2006 draft, and Tulloch has been the only one to stick. Tulloch has proved to be a vital member of this defense as he is currently the starting middle linebacker but has also played both outside linebacker positions in his tenure with the Titans.

9. Eugene Amano, C, SE Missouri State (2004, Round 7, pick #239 overall)

We had a little trouble forgiving Pinoy's boy for his transgression on Sunday to add him to this list, but it is impossible to ignore a guy that is a starting offensive lineman selected in the seventh round. Amano highlights two things about the draft strengths of the Titans- 1. they are good at picking offensive lineman and 2. they are good at finding good players from small schools.

10. Vincent Fuller, DB, Virginia Tech (2005, Round 4, pick #108 overall)

Vinny is yet another gem from the 2005 class. Fuller has held down the nickel back job for a couple of years now, and we all saw how valuable he was when he missed a few weeks earlier this year with a broken forearm.

Others receiving votes: William Hayes (2008, round 4, #103), Albert Haynesworth (2002, round 1, #15), and Justin Hartwig (2002, round 6, #187).

Click here to see the complete list of draft picks.

And there you have it. We would love to hear your comments on our list, or even your own list in the comments.

Who Would You Take From The Tennessee Titans?

Andrew602 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

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Although it's a holiday, we never stop discussing Cardinal-football and that's what lead me to the next question - who would you take from the Tennessee Titans? It's a question we've been asking every week when the Cardinals play, and this week is no different - so make your selection. It can be a young or older player, a starter or a back up, etc. You can also take their current contract status into consideration, as if we were actually signing the player. Also look at who may be leaving our team after this season. Don't let the 0-6 start fool you, this team has talent, starting at offensive tackle.

Michael Roos, T: An offensive lineman I would love to see in Cardinal red is Roos. He's only 27 years old and would be a dominant force on the outside of the offensive line. He's also a very good pass protector but he can obviously run-block like the best of them - just look at Chris Johnson's production. With Mike Gandy uncertain to return next year and the lack of production by Levi Brown, the Cardinals would be grateful to pick up Roos.

Chris Johnson, RB: Even with the emergence of the Cardinals rushing attack, who in their right mind would pass up on Chris Johnson? As he stated, he's every coach's dream, and I'll add that he's every fan's dream. Johnson is already on pace to break the single season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson, and started doing it on an 0-6 team. He's got explosive speed and is a threat break a long run no matter what defense he's lining up against. He's also a capable receiver and can be an every-down back.

Kevin Mawae, C: Kevin may be 38 years old but he's still one of the best centers in the league. The leadership he brings to the offensive line is unmatched and if he had one good season left in him he'd be a great addition to the Cardinals offensive line.

Bo Scaife, TE: Scaife is one of the more underrated tight ends in the league and has had a down year for obvious reasons, but don't let that fool you, he's a gamer. In the previous two years he had a combined 104 catches for 982 yards and 3 touchdowns. If he was to play for a pass-happy team like the Cardinals, his production would fly.

If the Cardinals could make these picks happen, they would feature one of the more elite teams in the league. What picks would you make from the Titans?

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Vince Young And Chris Johnson Will Take You Higher Edition

August West — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:53:18 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Vince Young is ready to show Houston what a winner looks like.

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The great part about having a talent like Chris Johnson on the roster is that when things are clicking, you could pretty much tell the defense what play is coming, and often enough they wouldn't be able to stop it:

As NFL analyst Rich Gannon visited San Francisco 49ers defensive coaches prior to their Nov. 8 game against the Titans, it didn't take him long to figure out their chief concern.

Protect the edges. Don't let Chris Johnson get to the outside.

"Then," Gannon said, "on the first play from scrimmage Johnson gets the ball and runs to the outside for (14) yards.''

Chris Johnson is at number 8 on PFW's MVP Meter... behind Adrian Peterson?

If Mario Williams wants back in the spotlight, then he better not try lining up against Michael Roos, because Roos has completely owned the former no. 1 draft pick his whole career. WHile Williams has had flashes of success against us, it's never come one on one against Roos.

Must read article of the day: The AP polled 160 players (almost 10% of the league) with various questions about concussions and related issues. The results are fascinating and a little scary.

Follow us through the jump for more great links about all kinds of goodness...

Can we win out to save the season? FOX analyst and star of a soon-to-be-canceled sitcom Michael Strahan isn't saying yes, but he won't say no either.

More on Bud's double barrel debacle from USA Today.

Bud is reuniting all of the surviving members of the original Houston Oilers team for Sunday and then the game Monday Night.

So Albert Hanyesworth is now friends with his stomping victim, Andre Gurode. Apparently they've gotten to hang out at the Pro Bowl a few years and really get along swell, which I'm sure just tickles Redskin fans pink. I think Washington and Philly may be the rare fanbases where stomping on a Cowboys player's bare face would actually bolster your resume.

The big news in college football yesterday was the rapid outing of Kansas head coach Mark Mangino as an allegedly sadistic, physically abusive and racist mound of fatty corpuscles. Titan reserve linebacker Mark Rivera played for Mangino, and plans on giving a formal interview to the administration within the next few days. Because of the nature of the allegations and investigation Rivera wouldn't talk to the media first, but some of his teammates are, and they pretty much make Mangino look like a tough-nosed head coach who at times just had no sense of common decency... and these days things like this will probably get you a rightfully forced resignation:

"One day, [Mangino] said in front of the entire team, 'Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your Dad?' " Brown said.

Every time you read a great Titans-related story on the web and don't share it with the MCM community through the fanposts, fanshots or by emailing me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com Matt Schaub gains one health point. Is that what you want?!!!!?!?!

The Offensive Line Part 1: Ruskell the Rookie

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:41:21 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seahawks fans are eager for a fall guy after watching their guy fall, but sometimes things go bad without an easy enemy to blame.

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Normally I take this time to rewatch the game a few times and decide my storylines for the week. I have still yet to see the game. The bye week is on its way and there's plenty to discuss, but actual tape analysis might be a little slow coming.

I didn't need to see it to know that starting Kyle Williams beside Steve Vallos was going to be a problem. It was a not so subtle and not so brief reminder that football coaches can overvalue intelligence and intangibles. Vallos chemistry with Williams didn't make it off the practice field. The more important matter is how did Seattle's line get so bad? Could it be significantly better? And is there still hope for improvement?

From Caviar to Cat Food

Seattle started two future Hall of Fame talents on its Super Bowl bound 2005 team. Walter Jones was the best tackle of a historic class. The best tackle in the history of the NFL, according to some. No one currently associated with the Seahawks deserves credit for Jones success or Jones eventual decline. Three fifths of that historic 2005 line are retired or nearly so. The remaining two are paving the way to Canton for another back and injured, respectively. Knowing that so much of that talented line simply got old is cold comfort, but comfort.

Tim Ruskell bears some responsibility for the Seahawks losing Steve Hutchinson. As we know his style better, his fingerprints appear all over that botched attempt to save fifty bucks. The actual mistake was minor compared to the outcome. Ruskell was blindsided by a poison pill clause that introduced the world to the phrase "poison pill clause". He was backdoored by a wily GM and a guard that wanted out. If we can't ever fully excuse Ruskell from that mistake, I think we should at least maintain perspective.

The Seahawks line was in need of new blood as soon as Ruskell took over. The interior was comprised of two journeymen soon to retire and a free agent. The 2004 team, the team I affectionately call the Trader Bob Superfund, was bereft of promising offensive line talent. It was the principles, Chris Terry, Floyd Womack, Jerry Wunch and Wayne the Pain Hunter.

As has been Ruskell's lot, he was fixing the team at multiple positions during the offseason. He drafted Chris Spencer in the first, Ray Willis in the fourth and Doug Nienhuis in the seventh in a linemen- and linebacker-centric draft. Neinhuis was a pure bust, but Willis has developed into a cheap, talented right tackle. Seattle re-signed Willis this offseason and he's been a rock on an otherwise chalk line.

Spencer is a bit more controversial. He hasn't excelled and he hasn't been awful. He hasn't been healthy and he hasn't been wracked with injury. Spencer is only 27 and his potential is still strong, a potential that could mean eight more years of productive football, but he's a free agent or restricted free agent after this season and might not be worth his open market value.

Ruskell did invest in the offensive line. He did it at the right time and with some success. Willis was the first lineman selected in the fourth round and he has been the second most successful. I will give Jason Brown the benefit of the doubt, though I am not sure Brown is in fact more valuable than Willis. Seattle could have selected Logan Mankins or Michael Roos with its Spencer pick, but it didn't. Roos is a pure tackle and could have perhaps played right tackle for Seattle, allowing Locklear to move inside, but Seattle didn't see offensive tackle as a pressing need, or guard for that matter. Value for value, Willis has been a similar find to Roos. It's also notable that Chris Gray would play three more serviceable seasons at right guard, but Robbie Tobeck was out of the league the very next season. Ruskell added starter caliber talent at the right positions at the right time in his very first draft as a GM.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Tennessee Titans Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:30:52 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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This is going to be the best offensive line the Jets have faced all season. From left to right respectively, Michael Roos, Eugene Amato, old friend Kevin Mawae, former Colt Jake Scott, and David Stewart are an elite front. Kerry Collins is one of the least mobile quarterbacks in football, but he was only sacked 8 times a season ago. He's gone down twice in 2 games this year. Rex Ryan's Ravens only sacked him once in 2 games in the 2008 season.

The injuries to Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland are some cause for concern. Tennessee does not have a vaunted passing attack, but they do have a pair of deep threats at the position, Nate Washington and Justin Gage. Darrelle Revis can take one of them away. If Sheppard and Strickland are out, there will be Cover 1 tilted to the side of the other side of the field. Rookie Kenny Britt from Rutgers had a big game against the Steelers in the opener. He's a more refined route runner than you would usually see as a rookie. I can see him taking Drew Coleman to class if they're in a one on one matchup.

The Titans have a trio of good receiving tight ends. Bo Scaife may sit this game out due to an injury, but Alge Crumpler had 4 catches in his place last week against the Texans. Jared Cook is a rookie from South Carolina. He was injured in Week 1 and did not make much of an impact in Week 2, but he does concern me. He might be faster and more athletic than Dustin Keller. The Jets might have to use Kerry Rhodes on him to contain him.

I'll finish where I started. It all comes down to getting heat on Kerry Collins. Collins is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game in my book. You never hear anything about him other than him being the weak link of the offense. He was a top 10 pick. He took a team to the Super Bowl. He took another to a Conference Championship Game, and the Titans to the top seed in the AFC last year. He makes good decisions. He has a solid set of receivers even if there is no Randy Moss or Andre Johnson. Against a potentially depleted secondary, one of them will eventually get open if he has time. Tackling will also be key as Collins can check down to Chris Johnson, a speedy back who had the game of his life last week.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Blue Chippers Edition

August West — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:19:27 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

This is what it looks like when KB is shooting his Ustream show in the locker room. Not really a joke there I just found that interesting... hang on: is Bulluck wearing a Lion King the musical t-shirt?!?!

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Kenny Britt is getting a look at punt return duty. I seriously doubt the coaches get him to do this in a real game, but it shows the kind of 'put me in wherever coach' attitude that Fisher loves to see in a rookie.

Mike Lombardi at the National Football Post takes a look at who in the AFC South qualifies as a 'blue chip' player. For the Titans it's Michael Roos, Chris Johnson and Cortland Finnegan; with Bulluck, Griffin, Brown and Boom King being right on the cusp. If you swapped Chris Hope in there for Tony Brown I'd agree with that list a whole lot more... and Griff is definitely a blue chipper.

The Titans vs. Steelers game that opens the season on Sept. 10 will be preceded by a free concert featuring Tim McGraw and The Black Eyed Peas because the NFL hates my ears.

Follow us through the jump to find out who almost redeemed national football reporters everywhere with his tremendous Titans training camp report...

After hammering the national and local press for their lax coverage of training camp, Don Banks goes and proves us slightly wrong by turning in a great write-up of Titans camp. To bad he was only here for a few days. After an offseason that some saw as a little more lackadaisical than expected, it's great to hear things like this:

2. All you have to do to get a strong reaction from a Titans player this camp is mention the word "Baltimore.'' Tennessee's players are still smarting from their playoff-opening homefield loss to the Ravens in the AFC divisional round, and that's the way they want it in the wake of last season's 13-3 regular season and one-and-done playoff appearance. Suffice to say the theme of unfinished business hangs heavily in the air.

"There's almost nothing good that came from that Baltimore game, other than the fact that guys were in that next week working hard,'' Titans right defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch told me. "We had a bad taste in our mouth. Even though we went [an AFC best] 13-3 last season, nobody feels like we accomplished anything. That's the one bright spot, with the way the season ended last year, nobody's satisfied around here.''

The scribes at the Tennessean have unveiled a new feature: a stock report that offers quick updates on players' recent performance. It looks like it will he updated very regularly. That counts as cutting edge innovation at a Gannett newspaper.

Donnie Nickey and Ryan Fowler were fined $5,000 each for illegal hits in the Hall of Fame Game.

Hal pointed it out in yesterday's Camp notes, and it made an impression on Terry McCormick too: TE Craig Stevens was involved in multiple shoving matches yesterday as he tries to carve out a spot near the bottom of this crowded roster.

And finally, Jimmy is gone to the Windy City today to watch his beloved Cubs today (any readers in Chi-town?), so make sure you keep an eye out for him on WGN. Hopefully with Jimmy in the house, they'll class the place up a little!

If there's anything you would like to share with the MCM community, please take advantage of the comments, fanshots and fanposts to do so! Or, you can always email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:30:09 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of ST&NO. As I started writing this, it was the Saturday of HOF weekend, and I live an hour north of Canton. I went down last year to see Gary Zimmerman get inducted, with MattR and his friend, but, alas, I didn't attend this year. It rained most of the day, anyway, and Adam Schefter tweeted about it every 3.4 seconds, so it was almost like being there.

I can generally take or leave Schefter, (I never read anything from the DP when he was there), but he did have one tweet I really appreciated:

Adam_SchefterGreat to see old friend Shannon Sharpe in the house in support of his former Ravens teammate. Rod Woodson. Next year should be Sharpe's turn

This year should have been Sharpe's turn, actually, and I would have gladly sat in the rain to see him get inducted. I caused a bit of a stir this winter with this item, in advance of the selections, as some of you may recall. Next year will suffice, though, since that's the best we can do.

What would really be great is if writers stopped voting for the Hall of Fame, and I mean that that should happen in all sports. For the four who actually know what they're looking at, there are 20 more who don't, but semi-impartially rely on hype and what people tell them, and 20 on top of that who grind axes and hold personal grudges, based on who gave who access and information. Until we manage to reach this utopian HOF state of affairs, where objective people who really know football elect Hall of Famers, we'll just keep doing what we do, and MHR's HOF committee will continue to work to get our greats elected.

In this space, though, we'll keep it Shallow and Nearsighted, like always. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. Somebody put up a FanPost a couple weeks ago, requesting that somebody on the staff write something focusing on special teams. I don't think a lot of action has happened on the request, so it occurred to me this week that I should try to write some stuff about the topic. You may have wanted somebody else, but you got me.

It's kind of a different person who becomes an expert on special teams, and I do not claim to be one, but it's conceptually interesting to me - especially from a roster-construction perspective. After the jump, we'll get into some detail with it, and talk about players who we should expect to see in the kicking game, and why.

In general, good football teams have good kicking-game outcomes. Its impact tends to be overestimated by talking-head types, though, when they say it is one-third of the game. It's actually more like one-seventh of the game, if you look at it analytically (with offense and defense each comprising three-sevenths.) It's not my intention to marginalize that aspect of the game, though, and we should definitely want our Broncos to be strong in that area.

At the surface level, success in the kicking game seems to be a function of the quality of 3 or 4 specialists (Return specialist, Punter, Kicker, and Long Snapper.) There are a bunch of non-specialists, though, who play a huge role in the success of these units. In April 2008, during my very early days writing FanPosts at MHR, (they may have still been called diaries then, actually, ala SBNation's forefather, Daily Kos), I advocated drafting players with an eye toward special teams here. The Donny Deutsch Big Idea was that the Broncos special teams were terrible in 2008, and drafting players who showed speed, athleticism, and sure tackling would add quality bodies to the bottom part of the roster for use in the kicking game. The Broncos ended up with Spencer Larsen and Josh Barrett from that draft, who both showed star quality at times in kick coverage, and Jack Williams who could, as well as Wesley Woodyard as an undrafted free agent. Larsen, Barrett and Woodyard have to be considered core special-teams players for 2009, guys who will play somewhere on virtually every unit.

a. Kickoff Coverage - You want fast players, with a sure-tackling skill set. You're mostly looking for defensive backs and linebackers here, and the odd receiver, running back or tight end who remembers how to tackle correctly from high school. The 3 aforementioned core guys will definitely be in the mix here, and you can count on Darcel McBath, Jack Williams, Alphonso Smith, Darrell Reid, David Bruton, and probably Andre' Goodman being there too. (Incidentally, let's call Reid and Bruton core special-teams guys, too, as both were acquired with kick-team roles prominently in mind). That leaves one spot, which Champ Bailey may fill, as he has in the past, being the safety man. I would diagram the lineup something like this, if it was me building the unit.

Strategically, you're looking to split the field into nine equal vertical slices (or lanes, as they're usually called). Each of the upfield players (all but Prater and Bailey in this case) need to stay in their lanes and play off the blocks they encounter to make the tackle on the returner. Bailey and Prater would stay back and try to maintain good pursuit angles if a big return happens. Better to stop them at midfield than to give up a TD.

b. Punt Coverage - This is slightly different in nature, because you have to block to keep rushers out of the punter's face, and then turn around and go tackle somebody. I will keep my core guys (Barrett, Woodyard, Larsen, Bruton, and Reid) and I like Alphonso Smith as a gunner, which is the player on one end of the line. Bruton is my other gunner, which is a job he excelled at during his time at Notre Dame. The Long Snapper, Lonie Paxton (#66) is here, and I added Tyler Polumbus (#76), Kory Lichtensteiger (#67) and Seth Olsen (#70) to help with the blocking. The three guys in the backfield are Woodyard, Larsen and Barrett. Woodyard and Larsen line up between the guard and tackle on either side, 3 yards in the backfield. From that position, they can react to penetration either inside or outside (with inside taking priority, due to the shorter distance to the punter's launch point). Barrett is 2 yards even further back, and is responsible for free rushers inside. He's also in position to run the ball on a fake, and I like him in that role, with his size and speed. I am assuming Brett Kern is the punter here.

The way the punt play works is that the 5 linemen and 3 backs count off 3 seconds before running down the field to make the tackle of the return man. The linemen want to block, but they want to stay on their feet, and heading downfield just as much, in order to man their pursuit lanes. The punter needs to get the ball off in 2.5 seconds from the snap, and typically will take a 2-step approach after the catch (kick foot, plant foot, kick.) The reason the blockers are counting 3 seconds is that the officials will penalize them for being ineligible and downfield if they leave before the kick. Timing between the punter and his blockers is crucial for that reason. The gunners leave immediately, and have to defeat man-to-man blocking, often a double team. They would like to down the ball with no return or force a fair catch, and failing that, make a quick tackle. In the absence of a tackle, their orientation should be to force the returner to the middle of the field, where most of the pursuit is coming from. Good gunners are rare, and worth their weight in gold. I don't remember the Broncos ever having an exceptional one in 22 years of being a fan.

c. Punt Return - These are two separate groups with two separate functions. Obviously, the return team needs the size/speed guys, but you want some good blockers to help set up the return. You like a backup TE or a FB, and maybe a RB or WR in the group, if you have some who are good blockers. If I am staffing a return team, I include my 5 core guys, Richard Quinn, Jack Williams, Darcel McBath, Robert Ayers, and Marcus Thomas (a great athlete for his size, and a guy who can hold up blocking, and get downfield to make a tackle). Williams, Bruton and McBath would be assigned to block the opposing gunners, with McBath being the double-teamer on the wider side of the field. I would use Alphonso Smith as the return man, with Eddie Royal and Kenny McKinley as possible backups. I would line them up something like this:

The outside players attempt to impede the gunners, and if possible, knock them out of bounds. If a player goes out of bounds, he has to get back in immediately, and he can't be the first to touch the ball in a downing situation. Woodyard and Barrett are like linebackers here, watching for fakes, and then retreating quickly on the kick, to set up to block for the return man. The front five are not rushing aggressively, and instead are making sure the kick is real, and also running downfield to block.

d. Punt Block - In a block situation, we value length and speed, and not return-blocking, so much. If the ball gets to the return man, he's most likely fair catching the ball, or watching it get downed, because the gunners probably get there before the ball does, with no focus on impeding their progress. I actually really like virtually the same personnel grouping as the punt return team, but I want to swap out McKinley for McBath, and have him be the deep return man. Alphonso Smith has an outstanding kick-blocking skill set, and a history of collegiate productivity, and I like him as an edge rusher here. The surest tackler, Woodyard, is my only LB type in this alignment.

The nine men on the line are going to rush like hell and try to block the punt. Woodyard is watching for a fake, and McKinley is going to be very careful about fielding anything that makes it to him, probably only taking a sure-thing fair catch, if the punt team sends two gunners at him. In a must-protect, late-game situation, the punt team may not send both gunners, and may keep one in to help block (nine-on-nine, rather than eight-on-nine). In that case, McKinley may be more likely to get a few yards on a return, if he can run away from the free gunner's side.

e. Kickoff Return - A major rule change will affect kickoff returns, and I will be watching it closely in the preseason to try to gauge the effect of it. The "wedge'' has been outlawed, due to concerns with player safety. A wedge is when 3 blockers basically hold hands, and tandem-block right in front of the return man. The returner would read the 3-man group, and run off of the outcome of their blocks. To combat the effectiveness of the wedge, the kickoff team would assign players (think Spencer Larsen, or someone like him) to be wedge-busters. Their assignment was to run right at the wedge, and blow it up at full speed. The danger came for the guys in the wedge, who were getting hit squarely by guys who had a 50-yard head of steam, while they are close to stationary, waiting for the returner to catch the ball. Now, the second-level group will have to individually block opposing players. Personnel-wise, my five core special-teamers are here, joined by Quinn, McBath, Polumbus, and maybe a guy like Tim Crowder. My return men are A. Smith and McKinley.

There's no wedge at work, as I mentioned, so the blockers will essentially have to man up nine-on-nine. The returner who doesn't catch the ball becomes a free lead blocker, and should pick up the first free runner in front of the man with the ball.

f. Field Goal / PAT - It's all about protecting the kick here, so we want a group of blockers. For each of the other 6 groups, I am starting with the five core special teamers; but here, I am starting with a group of offensive linemen. We need our long snapper, Paxton, and we'll use Polumbus, Lichtensteiger, Olsen, and Chris Kuper too. We'll have Quinn and Darrell Reid as our end men, and Woodyard and Larsen as our outside backfield guys. As a rule, I personally like the backup QB as holder, but we'll assume that Kern keeps that job. I picture it like this:

Barrett and Bruton get a break from this team, the only one they don't play on. Woodyard and Larsen have to block the outside rushers and force them wide of the launch point. The holder lines up 7 yards behind the snapper, while the kicker is 2 steps back and one step to his plant foot side (the left, in Prater's case).

g. Field Goal / PAT Block - More length and speed here, and for the internal linemen, power is good, too. All five of our core special-teamers will be here, along with Marcus Thomas, Tim Crowder, Robert Ayers, and Kenny Peterson. I like Richard Quinn here too, given his height and athleticism, and Alphonso Smith as an outside rusher. (I am not tremendously confident of Everette Pedescleaux or Rulon Davis making the 45-man game day roster, but at 6'6" and 6'5" respectively, they'd be good candidates for this group). The diagram looks like this:

So in all, there are 20 players among the seven teams, which is probably a fairly typical distibution. Having 4-5 core special teams guys is something which successful teams do, and those players are highly valued. David Bruton was specifically drafted to be one this year, because he shone in the kicking game at Notre Dame. The group of athletes that the Broncos have now can be a top-notch group in the kicking game. Having been so below-average in this area, really for the entirety of the 2000s, the Broncos seem to finally value this part of the game.

2. Are you ready for some football? I couldn't possibly be more ready. The tenor of this column will be changing, beginning next week. It will be heavy on football evaluation, and much less theoretical. To get the best jump on re-establishing my live football watching skills, I took in the Hall of Fame game on Sunday night. These are my observations of it.

a. Great design on the elaborate fake punt for a TD by the Titans. My first thought was that I couldn't imagine why you'd run something like that in a preaseason game, but it has to be because they have some variations on it, definitely one where Michael Griffin gets the ball on the reverse action, and probably a play-action fake with a pass by either Griffin or Craig Hentrich (when he's healthy, and the TD scorer, AJ Trapasso, has moved on). You make opponents prepare for that look, and then you run something different off of it in Week 13 at Indianapolis. It's the sort of thing that the best coaches, like Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan, have always done.

b. Great old-school Oilers/Titans uniforms, and the Bills ones were fun, too. I think I am going to really like this series of AFL Legacy Games this year.

c. LenDale White looks to have dramatically slimmed down, and was much quicker to the hole than I remember him being last season. He and Chris Johnson are quite an impressive tandem. The Titans offensive line looked very good, too.

d. This is the first time I think I have watched anything on a broadcast network since the Super Bowl. I didn't miss anything, evidently. There are no shows that I particularly like on the networks, and I virtually always stick to the "cable" channels (on DIRECTV).

e. Rotoworld.com must have gotten a good deal on the 15-second ad they ran early in the game on NBC. You wouldn't think they were big-money enough to afford network advertising. I use them for salary information, but not much else.

f. Michael Griffin is a big-time star at Safety for the Titans. They got killed for drafting him a couple years ago, especially by our dear friend Jamie Dukes, who couldn't believe they wouldn't take a WR for Vince Young (They're setting him up to fail!!!!). WRs who went after Griffin included Dwayne Bowe, Robert Meachem, Craig Davis, and Anthony Gonzalez. Bowe is good, Gonzalez is merely functional, and Meachem and Davis have been total busts so far. Griffin is much better than any of them, though. The Broncos, of course, took Jarvis Moss two picks ahead of Griffin, and that worked out great, too.

g. Vince Young looked just terrible on a down-to-down basis. He's never going to be in the Hall of Fame, unless he takes up another sport, and somehow becomes exceptional at it. Maybe bowling? Water polo? He didn't even look like he could handle running the shotgun zone-read play that he has to have run 500 times between college and his first two years in Tennessee. He made two solid throws on the pre-halftime scoring drive, including the fade for a TD, but both came on no-read plays. The slant, you're just counting on the WR to get inside position against man-to-man coverage, and on the fade, you're throwing to the pylon. The Madden Curse is one thing, but Vince's whole career has gone awry, in a seemingly irreparable way.

h. Buffalo is going to really struggle to protect Trent Edwards this year. Their players got bull-rushed straight backward on a bunch of occasions in this game. You can get away with undersized linemen if they can anchor, but the Bills didn't display a lot of ability to do so across their front. Rookie Guard Andy Levitre, #67, looked like he can't play in the NFL, let alone be a starter. He consistently got dominated in both the running game and passing game.

i. Gangster's Paradise as segue music? Really, NBC? Of all the music ever recorded, you're going with Coolio's Greatest Hit?

j. The Titans sure can rush the passer with 4 men, even without Albert Haynesworth. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse both looked good in their limited action, and their rotation of DTs looked like they will get consistent penetration in the passing game. Jim Washburn has always done a great job with that group.

k. Terrell Owens looked good, which isn't a surprise. He caught two quick passes from Trent Edwards and didn't play much beyond that. He will help the Bills this year, especially by freeing up Lee Evans, who is one of the really great, underrated WRs in the NFL. He's never had any help at WR, or a very good QB, so his statistics undersell his ability; but he is tremendous. Defenses won't be able to roll coverages to Evans so easily, and I expect to see the best statistics of his career in 2009.

l. My girlfriend officially broke up with me during halftime. I kind of knew it was coming since Saturday morning, when she unloaded one of those "I don't know if I want to be in a relationship right now / it's not you, it's me," kind of things on me. I'm doing a lot better with it than I thought I would, and I was actually kind of worried about how she'd feel about me watching so much football every weekend for the next six months. Maybe it's just as well. :)

m. I've never been the biggest Tony Dungy fan as a coach; I think he has always somewhat underachieved, relative to the talent on his rosters. But it's impressive to listen to him speak, as a man. That said, I could have done without him being in the booth for nearly the entire second half. He, Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels spoke about everything except what was going on in the game.

n. Alex Mortensen seems to be with the Titans as a favor to his father, when he didn't even play much at Samford. He threw a duck that got intercepted and returned for a TD in the 4th quarter. It doesn't look like his presence is any more serious than that of Stefan Fatsis was at Broncos camp a few years ago.

o. When I went to Fawcett Stadium last year, I didn't realize it was, first and foremost, a high school stadium, and it actually was Josh McDaniels' home field in his high school days. (McKinley High School is nearby). They didn't sell beer there, or have ATMs, or anything, and it was all metal bleachers. It was a little bizarre to sit there for an NFL event (I didn't go to the game, because I had to work Monday morning, and I'd had enough of Redskins fans, from the induction ceremony on Saturday.)

3. I have been curious to see how ESPN's Scouts, Inc. would grade Ryan Clady after his rookie year, and the rankings just went up recently. They say he is the third-best player on the Broncos, and rate him a 79, the ninth-best Tackle in the NFL. The eight ranked ahead of him are Walter Jones, Joe Thomas, Jason Peters, Michael Roos, Marcus McNeill, Jammal Brown, Jordan Gross, and Orlando Pace. It makes you wonder if Jeremy Green did the rankings by himself, without watching any football.

When you give up 1/2 a sack in more than 600 drop-backs, commit only 3 penalties, play every offensive snap as a rookie, and you're the best in-space blocker in at least 20 years, you have a resume better than ninth in the NFL. The rest of the O-Line goes Hamilton 73, Kuper 65, Wiegmann 63, and Ryan Harris 61 (Really?!??!) Watch some film sometime, idiots!

4. NFL Network has the worst advertisers, and the Play 60/NFLRush.com commercials especially drive me crazy. They play them all the time, and it's always the same ones. I know, Adrian Peterson, Eli Manning, Santana Moss, Drew Brees and Bob Sanders are good role models for kids. Try selling some ads to some advertisers, rather than repeatedly running this overkilled stuff, mmmkay?

5. I am a big Michael Mann fan (Heat and Collateral are two of my favorite films ever, and I even liked Miami Vice). I finally got around to seeing Public Enemies on Saturday night, which had an embarassment of riches among the cast, largely due to its being filmed during the writers' strike a couple years ago. Featuring Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff, and Domenick Lombardozzi, to go with the briliance of Mann himself, it looked really good on paper.

Turns out, it was boring as all get-out, and I couldn't wait for it to end. The characters were poorly developed and unsympathetic, and the story lacked the sort of conflict that it easily could have had. It was all big names, good (not great) camera work and shot conception, and a boring story. As I sat there, zoning out, it reminded me of the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers, (though neither has a Michael Mann as a leader). Both teams have talent, though much of it is overrated, and the final product never seems to live up to the paper version. They are paper tigers, as Styg has said so eloquently in the past.

6. Interesting commentary from an anonymous NFL team source in PFW's Audibles yesterday.

"(Steelers QB) Ben Roethlisberger is not a well-liked teammate. He's arrogant and lazy. It's not a nice mixture in a steel city known for its toughness."

I've never met the guy, but I am friendly with a former teammate of his at Miami University, and he told me the same thing about Roethlisberger. You can't really argue with 2 rings, and things like this make me wonder sometimes if the importance of team chemistry can be overrated. It may also be that the well-established Steelers program overcomes their QB being a jerk.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. In the same audibles column as above, somebody said of Brandon Marshall:

"Brandon Marshall had one good season. He's another guy that needs to get his act together. Quit whining and play the game."

In 2007, Marshall had 102 catches for 1,325 yards, and 7 TDs. In 2008, he had 104 catches for 1,265 yards and 6 TDs, while missing a game due to his suspension. So, the question is, which season was his one good one?

By the way, don't expect Marshall to exactly play a Randy Moss-style role, and Eddie Royal to exactly play a Wes Welker-style role in the McDaniels offense. Picture Marshall being used more like the Cowboys used Michael Irvin, and Royal being used like the Panthers use Steve Smith. Marshall will run a lot of intermediate slants and crossing routes, using his size, and Royal will be used to challenge every level of the field. Brandon Stokley will run the bulk of the Welker stuff, and Jabar Gaffney will get to play against a lot of single coverage, like he did successfully in New England. Good coaches alter their schemes to take advantage of the skills of their players; they don't try to make the players fit the scheme.

9. Pork Chop Watch, and a beauty.

Denver

Andre Goodman is tearing it up in Denver.

My take: If Goodman, signed as a free agent from Miami, can play well in the regular season, it will be a huge benefit for Denver. The Broncos will get excellent play from left cornerback Champ Bailey. That's a given. If Goodman performs well, Denver's pass defense could be decent.

Decent, huh, Bill? That's a pretty tepid prognostication for getting excellent play out of both CBs. I think Pork Chop is beginning with the end in mind (and not quite in the way that Stephen Covey meant). The Broncos are going to suck, we all know that. Everybody in the free football-watching world knows it. Hell, even residents of Outer Mongolia know it. There's no question about it. So, if the Broncos have two of the 10 best CBs in the NFL (which they do, incidentally), their pass defense may be "decent."

10. I bought The Sporting News NFL preview, which is usually the best on the market. I kind of use it as a media guide throughout the season. This year's edition is a total piece of crap, and I recommend not buying it. In past years, a beat writer for each team would write about the team they knew a good bit about. For the Broncos it would typically be Jeff Legwold, who is pretty good.

This year, in what seems likely to be a cost-cutting measure, TSN used one writer per division, so I get to read about the Broncos from...Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star. Boss Bailey is listed as the starting LOLB. Did it ever seem, for a second, to anybody on MHR, or anybody who knows the Broncos, that he would be a starter in the new defense, or even be on the team this year? Teicher's analysis is pretty surface-level, and very uninteresting.

The rest of the issue is garbage, too. Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald, on the Jets:

There's no reason to worry about the Jets' starting offensive line. They have a Pro Bowl center in Nick Mangold, a locker room leader at guard in Alan Faneca, an all-around star in Brandon Moore, an improving young tackle in D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and a future star at right tackle in Damien Woody.

I love this; it's five misevaluations for the price of one. Mangold is okay, but overrated, and the declining Faneca may be a good leader, but he's a shell of his former (overrated for at least the last half-decade) self as a player. Moore is an average player, and not nearly a star. Ferguson may be improving, but he has underachieved throughout his career so far, and is a below-average starting LT, based upon his body of work to date. Woody is my favorite. He's a ten-year veteran, who will turn 32 in November. He played Center and Guard for his first nine seasons, and was a marginal starter on 2 Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams, (though he didn't play in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Panthers, due to an injury). When, exactly, is this future when he'll be a star at RT? Will this be in some sort of senior citizens' league?

That's all for this week, friends. Have a great week, and let's get ready for some football, when the Broncos play the 49ers on Friday. It's here, finally.

Peter Schrager Ranks the Top 99 Players in the NFL

Jimmy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:06:55 -0000

Everyone loves a list, right? Peter Schrager at Fox Sports decided to make a list of the best 99 players in the NFL. The Titans tied with for the lead with 6 players on the list with the Patriots, Cardinals and Steelers.

The Titans players on the list, and a few traveshamockeries after the jump.

Here are the Titans players that were on the list:

37. Michael Roos
77. Chris Johnson
79. Kyle Vanden Bosch
90. Cortland Finnegan
91. Kevin Mawae
97. Keith Bulluck

CJ at #77 is waaaaay to low. The ridiculous thing is there are 9 RBs ranked ahead of him.

Finnegan all the way at #90 is laughable.

It was nice of them to include Mawae on the list, but I don't think he is one of the best 99 players in the league anymore. He may not even be the best center on his team.

When Schrager lists his guys that are just on the cusp, he doesn't include David Stewart or Michael Griffin. Travesty....Sham....Mockery.