SB Nation User Blog: Brendan Scolari

But Vince Young Is Terrible Right?

Brendan Scolari — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:20:18 -0000

But Vince Young Is Terrible Right?

Just a link to a post made several weeks ago by BigBlueShoe that now looks pretty comical. A few of the gems:

"Jason really is the model for independent bloggers... However, despite Jason really showing all of us how to do it right when it comes to sports blogging, the guy does not know jack-friggin-squat about NFL football.

Did I mention Jason is a Jets fan? I think that fact alone explains his attitude and knowledge about football.

Anyway, the reason I'm raggin' on Jason by bringing up his (lack of) football knowledge is that once again he is getting all self-important when talking about the NFL. And, like with his "bold" predictions last year, Jason is wrong.

Now, with Kerry Collins benched and Vince Young is back as the starter, Jason somehow thinks the time is now for Vince to prove he can play in this league. Thing is, most of us AFC South fans already know Vince cannot play in this league. Jeff Fisher knows Vince can't play in this league. That's why he resisted Adam's "order" to start Vince. The woeful body of work Vince has compiled over the last three years more than tells the story of this over-rated, pampered brat who never should have been drafted by the Titans in the first place."

"And if anyone out there still thinks that Vince can somehow salvage his career by playing well over these next few games, those people are suckers."

"Vince Young's career in Tennessee is over. Everyone knows it. Everyone also knows that Vince Young's football career is likely over. He is simply not a motivated guy looking to improve himself as a player. We're in year four and Vince still can't read a defense, and a QB who can't read a defense is like a running back with no feet."

"The simple truth is nothing Vince Young does over these next three games should change anyone's assessment of him. If it does, then I have some junk bonds I'd like to sell them real cheap, if they are interested."

So we've got a post filled with rude insults and unsupported statements, most of which now look hilariously wrong on top of that. Nice job mate, you're really showing the traditional media how it's done.

Pro Football Focus 49ers Defensive Review

Brendan Scolari — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:33:23 -0000

Pro Football Focus 49ers Defensive Review

A thorough review of the Niners defense by James Izzard at Pro Football Focus.

At Least The Niners Are Better Than the Browns

Brendan Scolari — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:02:25 -0000

At Least The Niners Are Better Than the Browns

If you watched the whole MNF game, well you watched what had to be the worst game of the season, but man it was hard to take my eyes off the trainwreck that is the Browns offense.

If you take out the last 10 yard lateral pass play (because it's more fun that way) the Browns ran 60 plays and had 150 yards of offense. That's 2.5 yards per play. But wait, it gets worse.

Not counting the last play, Brady Quinn went 12/30 for 89 yards, with no TD's, 2 INT's, and a fumble. That would be about 3 yards per play until you remember that he also got sacked 4 times for a combined loss of 2 yards. So on 34 drop backs the Browns gained a net total of 64 yards. That comes out to 1.88 yards per pass play. For comparison, the Pats average 8.3 yards per pass play against the Colts, nearly 4 times the yards per play. You show 'em Brady.

The crazy thing is I'm not sure a full-time Wildcat with Josh Cribbs wouldn't be more effective. At the very least i would be more interesting. Or heck, jut go all out and line up in a punt formation on every play and just tell Cribbs to run for his life. They'd probably score more than 5 touchdowns every 15 games.

Shaun Hill over Alex Smith?

Brendan Scolari — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:10:03 -0000

Shaun Hill over Alex Smith?

Hello Field Gullers, this fanpost is addressing what John wrote in the Thursday Night Football post.

John said that the Niners should have stuck with Shaun Hill over Alex Smith, which I find pretty curious as I think (and most Niner fans do as well) that it seems pretty obvious that Smith should be the starter the rest of the year. He has looked better than Hill, his DVOA as better (at least before yesterday's game, but it's probably still a fair amount higher), and he's only 25 so he still has a chance of getting better.

Anyway, I just wanted to hear why John (or anyone else for that matter) thinks Hill would be a better choice than Smith, because I don't really see much evidence that he would be. I'd have posted this in one of the posts already up but I got momentarily banned for going off topic once before and I don't think anyone will check back in the original game thread so, here it is.

Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu

Brendan Scolari — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:37:31 -0000

Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu

According to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, the Angles have re-signed outfielder Bobby Abreu to a two year, $19 million contract with a $9 million vesting option for 2012 (and a $1 million buyout). It seems like a fairly steep price for a 35 year old who doesn't play good defense or hit for power, but he is still great at getting on-base. I think it's a probably a pretty safe deal for both sides but if the Angels had waited to see how the free-agent market shaped up they likely could have gotten Abreu for a cheaper price.

Is Mike Singletary a "Bum"?

Brendan Scolari — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:55:08 -0000

I for one was pretty impressed with the way the Niners played today. Obviously it's disappointing to not get the win, but I didn't expect the game to even be as close as it was. I was especially happy with the way the defense played, shutting down the Colts offense about as well as one could hope for. I think Mike Singletary and Greg Manusky deserve a lot of credit for that. But BIg Blue Shoe, the head writer for the SBNation Colts blog, apparently doesn't. Here's what he said about Singletary in his quick recap of the game:

One more thing: Mike Singletary is a bum. A total and complete bum of a coach. As Bob Lamey and Will Wolford noted during the Colts radio broadcast, the 49ers were doing their best New England Patriots impersonation by faking injuries in order to slow Indy's no-huddle offense. The radio announcers noted players were receiving signals from 49ers coaches to "go down" when the Colts tried to go hurry-up. It was disgusting. It was vomit-inducing.

It didn't work.

So, congrats Mike! Your team is 3-4. You've lost three in a row, and when the chips were down, you tried to cheat. Oh, and all those defensive changes you did this past week? Yeah, they didn't work either. Manning threw for 347 yards, completed 64% of his passes, and the Colts won. Utter and complete tool = Mike Singetary. 49ers fans deserve better than this dirty schmuck. I hope they don't think my disgust at Singletary is disgust for the 49ers. Nothing but respect for the 49ers as an organization, and I love the community at Niners Nation. But Singletary's coaching today was both vile and un-becoming an NFL coach.

The Colts are 7-0, sans attempts to cheat, and did so in a scrappy, hard fought game. Go Colts!

I was pretty shocked when i originally read this as I didn't think there was anything to the injuries when I watched the game other than that our players were getting banged up. I admittedly wasn't thinking about the injuries too much but it just doesn't seem like something Mike Singletary would do and there weren't too many injuries anyway. I'll be watching this closely when I re-watch the game but I wanted to know what you guys think.

Were the Niners cheating and trying to keep the Colts from running their hurry up? Or were the injuries just part of the game? As I said in the thread on Stampede Blue the Niners use defensive hand signals normally anyway so I have a hard time believing the Colts radio guys could seperate those from the "dirty signals". Beyond that is what BBS said about Singletary fair? I really don't think it is, given the lack of proof of the cheating.

I'm hoping someone can clear this up because these are very harsh words about a claim that I don't think there is a lot of proof for.

Poll

Did the Niners fake injuries to disrupt the Colts hurry-up offense?

Yes

47 votes

No

91 votes

Not sure

38 votes

176 votes | Poll has closed

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing, absolutely nothing, but the truth. From 82.2% to 0% on one...

Brendan Scolari — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:18:24 -0000

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing, absolutely nothing, but the truth. From 82.2% to 0% on one swing. So help us God... please. From Fangraphs.

My Mock Draft

Brendan Scolari — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:52:16 -0000

Like I'm sure many other people here at NN, I'm sort of a draft buff, I like following all of the college prospects and reading mock drafts and all that good stff.. So a bunch people on fellow SBNation blog Mocking The Draft (a great blog by the way) have made their own mock drafts in fanposts. I decided to follow suit and make my own, and what I had hoped would be a 1 hour project quickly turned into 5 or 6 hours. Anyway, my mammoth (at least relative to what I intended to create) mock draft is done and I wanted to share it with you guys. Feel free to tell me what you think. (Note: I'm not a big fan of Trent Williams but I think he's a realistic pick with the Niners second first rounder.):

(Here is the link to the original fanpost at Mocking the Draft.)

Alright, here's my first mock draft for the 2010 NFL Draft. I've only ever done one mock draft before and it was the day before the 2009 NFL Draft so try to go easy on me! Seriously though, all constructive criticism is welcome. I'm using EPSN's Week 6 Power Rankings. It would probably be smarter to wait until the Week 7 Rankings come out but I've got some free time now so these will have to do.

Please don't complain about where your team is ranked, it's really all guesswork at this point anyway. Also, any statements made in the mock are only my opinion. When is say Ndamukong Suh is the best player in the country that's just my opinion, obviously you don't have to agree. I'm just trying to save time instead of littering the whole thing with "I think" and "In my opinion" and stuff like that. The only other thing is that I'm going to try to be a bit creative with some picks, there's still a lot of football left and some preseason warriors (see Fili Moala) always end up falling and vice versa. Here it goes:

1. Rams - Jimmy Clausen QB: At this point he looks like the best pro prospect of all the QB's. He's got good arm strength, good intermediate accuracy, some scrambling ability, and plays in a pro-style offense. He's a great fit for the Rams because Marc Bulger is done. Clausen would become the face of the Rams franchise and would be a big help in leading them out of their prolonged offensive futility over the last several years.

2. Buccaneers - Ndamukong Suh DT: He's the best player in the country and the Bucs need a defensive tackle badly. This is a perfect fit.

3. Chiefs - Brian Bulaga OT: KC is desperate for some O-line help to protect Cassel so they pick the best offensive lineman in this year's draft. Bulaga will allow Brandon Albert to slide to guard or right tackle where he is a better fit. If Bulaga doesn't declare for the draft then KC could turn to Russell Okung or Eric Berry.

4. Raiders - Carlos Dunlap: Crazy Al would probably go with Mays but the Raiders are pretty solid at safety. Instead he goes for another great physical speciman with questions about his potential. Dunlap is a reach here but since when has Al Davis cared about what anyone else thinks?

5. Browns - Jake Locker: Mangini clearly doesn't like Brady Quinn so he elects to draft a QB early to get his own guy to groom. The Browns could go a bunch of different directions here but you don't pass up a franchise QB if you don't already have one.

6. Titans - Joe Haden CB: Maybe a bit of a reach here but Haden is one heck of a player and corners are always a valuable a commodity. Gerald McCoy seems like a great fit to replace Haynesworth but the run defense has been fine, it's the pass defense that has been just dreadful (Nick Harper's corpse should not be a starting cornerback, who knew?).

7. Lions - Gerald McCoy DT: The Lions are tempted to select Russell Okung to protect Stafford's blindside but ultimately cannot pass up the best player left on their board in McCoy. Jim Schwartz gets to salivate at the thought of having a Haynesworth-type player with him in Detroit.

8. Bills - Russell Okung OT: The Bills are glad Okung lasted this long because their offensive line is a disaster. Trent Edwards is probably not the answer at quarterback but the Bills will give him one more shot, this time hopefully with a competent line.

9. Redskins - Sam Bradford QB: Sam Bradford does not deserve to go this high anymore, but Dan Snyder hates Jason Campbell and wants a fresh face of the franchise. Bradford is a big name and Snyder likes to be in the headlines. This also ensures Bradford gets at least a portion of the money he would have received had he come out in 2009, so everyone is happy. That is, until Bradford sees the protection he'll be getting from the 'Skins offensive line. Ouch.

10. 49ers (From Carolina) - Eric Berry S: Berry is a great player but plays safety and therefore will have trouble getting into the top 5. That said, the Niners are glad to have him here as they don't have a ton of talent at the safety position and Berry will be a huge boon to the pass defense. The Niners would like to go with an offensive lineman here but there's just no one worth taking.

11. Texans - Patrick Robinson CB: The Texans defense as a whole is abysmal and the secondary is as much to blame as anyone. Robinson has all the skills neccessary to be a very good cover corner and is a good fit for the Texans.

12. Jaguars - Taylor Mays S: Yes, picking Tim Tebow would get the Jaguars more media attention. But if they're trying desperately to sell more tickets, picking a guy who will sit on the sidelines for two years won't help. Mays can make an instant impact in the Jags defense and is a flashy player to boot, meaning he'll create some excitement on his own.

13. Seahawks - Derrick Morgan DE: The Hawks biggest needs are offensive tackle and finding an heir to Matt Hasselback but there's no such players available here. Therefore they go with the 6'4" 270 lb. Morgan to help their pass rush. They have quite a few capable defensive ends on the roster but Patrick Kerney is aging and Darryl Tapp and Cory Redding are pending free agents, leaving only '08 first rounder Lawrence Jackson as a dependable pass rusher. With Morgan, Jackson, Brandon Mebane, Aaron Curry, Lofa Tatupu, and Leroy Hill the Hawks would have one of the best (and youngest) front sevens in the game.

14. Cardinals - Sergio Kindle OLB: The Cardinals have a pretty good run defense but the pass defense leaves something to be desired. Primary pass rushers Clark Haggans, Chike Okeafer, and Bertrand Berry are all at least 32 years old. The Cards did draft OLB Cody Brown in the 2nd round last year but Kindle is flat out better than Brown and both of them will soon be needed anyway.

15. Miami - Terrance Cody NT: Current starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson is old and his skills are declining so the 'Fins draft Cody to be his long term replacement. Bill Parcells loves to draft front-seven players and Cody will help make Miami's 3-4 a strong unit while Chad Henne develops.

16. Cowboys - Dez Bryant WR: The Cowboys have some talented wide receivers but Jerry Jones just can't stand to pass up a playmaker as talented as Dez Bryant. Jones obviously values receivers highly after giving Terrell Owens a big extension and trading 1st and 3rd rounders for Roy Williams. He will want to give Tony Romo another playmaker to replace the lost Terrell Owens once the Cowboys fall short of the playoffs. Offensive line and inside linebacker are probably more pressing needs.

17. Chargers - Sean Witherspoon ILB: The Chargers cannot stop the run... at all. They wanted to go with Terrance Cody to replace Jamal Williams but he isn't available so they look elsewhere to fix their atrocious run defense. There aren't any nose tackles worthy of this spot but Sean Witherspoon is a steal here. Witherspoon plays OLB at Missouri but would move inside in a 3-4 and could wind up being a speedy playmaker ala Patrick Willis. Stephen Cooper turned 30 this year and he is the only Chargers ILB of note so Witherspoon can potentially be an immediate upgrade to the defense, which is important because the Chargers window to contend is still wide open for the next couple years.

18. 49ers - Trent Williams OT: Trent Williams is a bit of a reach here, he's got a big name but hasn't lived up to the hype. That said, he is a very impressive run blocker and can use his strength to be an adequate right tackle in pass protection. It would be a mistake to put him at left tackle but the Niners don't need to do that because they already have Joe Staley locked up to a long term deal. Williams' style fits Mike Singletary's run-first philosophy and should combine with Staley to form a nice pair of bookends for the forseeable future.

19. Packers - Charles Brown OT: The Packers have very good skill position players on offense but they can't protect Aaron Rodgers. Brown is a possible long term replacement for Chad Clifton at left tackle and should help keep Rodgers upright. Tackle is easily the Packers biggest need but they could also look to help strengthen their new 3-4 defense, particularly at defensive end and in the secondary.

20. Steelers - C.J. Spiller RB: Running back isn't the Steelers most pressing need but they like to have a nice stable of running backs and Spiller is a nice complement to Rashard Mendenhall. Spiller is an electric playmaker and would play a Felix Jones type role in Pittsburgh.

21 Broncos (From Chicago) - Arthur Jones DT: The Broncos surprised nearly everyone this year, particularly with their amazing defensive turnaround. That said their defensive line still needs some work and Arthur Jones could be a big piece of the puzzle. The 6'4" 293 lb. Jones could play as a five-technique defensive end in the Broncos 3-4 defense and wreak havoc on opposing backfields.

22. Ravens - Jermaine Gresham TE: Todd Heap will be 30 soon after the 2009 season and his production has fallen in recent years. The Ravens are one of the smartest teams when it comes to drafting and they will pounce on a top-10 talent like Gresham who happens to fall because of his injury (similar to how they traded up for Michael Oher when he fell).

23. Patriots - Brandon Lafell WR: The Patriots could go a few different directions here, perhaps adding a running back or a pass rusher, but instead they decide to go with Brandon Lafell, a big, athletic wide receiver. Randy Moss isn't the player he used to be and while Wes Welker is a terrific player he is not a #1 wideout. Lafell can be that guy in time and will have a chance to develop slowly with the Pats.

24. Jets - Vince Oghobaase DE: The Jets' defense is excellent but they still have problems defending the run. The blame likely lies mostly on defensive ends Shaun Ellis and Marques Douglas, who are not ideal starters at this point in their careers. If the Jets don't take a defensive end they may look for a pass rusher because Vernon Gholston continues to disappoint.

25. Falcons - Greg Hardy DE: The Falcons have a potentially great offense led by Matt Ryan but they still need lots of help on the defensive side of the ball. John Abraham is a phenomenal pass rusher but the Falcons don't have anyone across from him to scare opposing offenses. Hardy could change that as he has as much potential as any edge rusher in the draft.

26. Eagles - Rolando McClain LB: McClain is a great fit with the Eagles, who are desperate enough at the linebacker position that they brought Jeremiah Trotter out of retirement after he had been out of football for a year and a half. They lost Stewart Bradley for the year, but even with him their linebacking core needs an influx of talent. McClain is a versitale playmaker and is a steal at this point in the draft.

27. Bengals - Trevard Lindley CB: The Bengals have good corners in Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall but both are nearing free agency and it never hurts to have corner depth anyway. Lindley is one of the best players available at this point in the draft and had a chance to develop into a very good starting corner.

28. Seahawks (From Broncos) - Selvish Capers OT: The Seahawks need a replacement for Walter Jones who has been a franchise cornerstone for the last decade. The athletic Capers will never be as good as Jones was but he is a great fit for Seattle's zone blocking scheme and could contribute immediately. There are murmers for Tim Tebow here but his elongated release would prevent him from having success in the Hawks' West Coast Offense.

29. Saints - Demarcus Granger DT: The Saints defense has been shockingly good this year under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. They already have one young stud defensive tackle in Sedrick Ellis but paired with DeMarcus Granger the two would form a terrific duo. Granger is a penetrator who can help defend both the run and the pass.

30. Vikings - Tim Tebow QB: Brett Farve trots his old bones out there for another year after leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, letting the Vikings draft Tebow and let him sit on the bench and develop for at least a year. Tebow has too many flaws to be worth a first round pick but Brad Childress thought Tavaris Jackson was worth a second round pick, so why expect him to judge a QB's worth accurately now?

31. Giants - Brandon Spikes MLB: The Giants have a stacked roster and don't really have any pressing needs so they are free to go with the best player available, which is Spikes. Antonio Pierce is declining though so Spikes could end up starting at MLB for the Giants in the near future.

32. Colts - Nate Solder OT: The Colts only real need right now is at the tackle position, and Solder is a converted tight end with quick feet and good footwork, a great fit for the Colts scheme. They could go with a pass rusher here like Corey Wooton for depth behind Freeney and Mathis, but instead use their pick to try to upgrade the line.

Players picked just outside the first round (in no particular order): Jonathan Dwyer, Jahvid Best, Arrelious Benn, Adam Utalowski, Damian Williams, Eric Norwood, Corey Wooton, Marvin Austin, Ras-I Dowling, Everson Griffen, Jerry Hughes, Mike Iupati, Ricky Sapp.

My First Mock

Brendan Scolari — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:13:37 -0000

Please don't complain about where your team is ranked, it's really all guesswork at this point anyway. Also, any statements made in the mock are only my opinion. When is say Ndamukong Suh is the best player in the country that's just my opinion, obviously you don't have to agree. I'm just trying to save time instead of littering the whole thing with "I think" and "In my opinion" and stuff like that. The only other thing is that I'm going to try to be a bit creative with some picks, there's still a lot of football left and some preseason warriors (see Fili Moala) always end up falling and vice versa. Here it goes:

1. Rams - Jimmy Clausen QB: At this point he looks like the best pro prospect of all the QB's. He's got good arm strength, good intermediate accuracy, some scrambling ability, and plays in a pro-style offense. He's a great fit for the Rams because Marc Bulger is done. Clausen would become the face of the Rams franchise and would be a big help in leading them out of their prolonged offensive futility over the last several years.

2. Buccaneers - Ndamukong Suh DT: He's the best player in the country and the Bucs need a defensive tackle badly. This is a perfect fit.

3. Chiefs - Brian Bulaga OT: KC is desperate for some O-line help to protect Cassel so they pick the best offensive lineman in this year's draft. Bulaga will allow Brandon Albert to slide to guard or right tackle where he is a better fit. If Bulaga doesn't declare for the draft then KC could turn to Russell Okung or Eric Berry.

4. Raiders - Carlos Dunlap: Crazy Al would probably go with Mays but the Raiders are pretty solid at safety. Instead he goes for another great physical speciman with questions about his potential. Dunlap is a reach here but since when has Al Davis cared about what anyone else thinks?

5. Browns - Jake Locker: Mangini clearly doesn't like Brady Quinn so he elects to draft a QB early to get his own guy to groom. The Browns could go a bunch of different directions here but you don't pass up a franchise QB if you don't already have one.

6. Titans - Joe Haden CB: Maybe a bit of a reach here but Haden is one heck of a player and corners are always a valuable a commodity. Gerald McCoy seems like a great fit to replace Haynesworth but the run defense has been fine, it's the pass defense that has been just dreadful (Nick Harper's corpse should not be a starting cornerback, who knew?).

7. Lions - Gerald McCoy DT: The Lions are tempted to select Russell Okung to protect Stafford's blindside but ultimately cannot pass up the best player left on their board in McCoy. Jim Schwartz gets to salivate at the thought of having a Haynesworth-type player with him in Detroit.

8. Bills - Russell Okung OT: The Bills are glad Okung lasted this long because their offensive line is a disaster. Trent Edwards is probably not the answer at quarterback but the Bills will give him one more shot, this time hopefully with a competent line.

9. Redskins - Sam Bradford QB: Sam Bradford does not deserve to go this high anymore, but Dan Snyder hates Jason Campbell and wants a fresh face of the franchise. Bradford is a big name and Snyder likes to be in the headlines. This also ensures Bradford gets at least a portion of the money he would have received had he come out in 2009, so everyone is happy. That is, until Bradford sees the protection he'll be getting from the 'Skins offensive line. Ouch.

10. 49ers (From Carolina) - Eric Berry S: Berry is a great player but plays safety and therefore will have trouble getting into the top 5. That said, the Niners are glad to have him here as they don't have a ton of talent at the safety position and Berry will be a huge boon to the pass defense. The Niners would like to go with an offensive lineman here but there's just no one worth taking.

11. Texans - Patrick Robinson CB: The Texans defense as a whole is abysmal and the secondary is as much to blame as anyone. Robinson has all the skills neccessary to be a very good cover corner and is a good fit for the Texans.

12. Jaguars - Taylor Mays S: Yes, picking Tim Tebow would get the Jaguars more media attention. But if they're trying desperately to sell more tickets, picking a guy who will sit on the sidelines for two years won't help. Mays can make an instant impact in the Jags defense and is a flashy player to boot, meaning he'll create some excitement on his own.

13. Seahawks - Derrick Morgan DE: The Hawks biggest needs are offensive tackle and finding an heir to Matt Hasselback but there's no such players available here. Therefore they go with the 6'4" 270 lb. Morgan to help their pass rush. They have quite a few capable defensive ends on the roster but Patrick Kerney is aging and Darryl Tapp and Cory Redding are pending free agents, leaving only '08 first rounder Lawrence Jackson as a dependable pass rusher. With Morgan, Jackson, Brandon Mebane, Aaron Curry, Lofa Tatupu, and Leroy Hill the Hawks would have one of the best (and youngest) front sevens in the game.

14. Cardinals - Sergio Kindle OLB: The Cardinals have a pretty good run defense but the pass defense leaves something to be desired. Primary pass rushers Clark Haggans, Chike Okeafer, and Bertrand Berry are all at least 32 years old. The Cards did draft OLB Cody Brown in the 2nd round last year but Kindle is flat out better than Brown and both of them will soon be needed anyway.

15. Miami - Terrance Cody NT: Current starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson is old and his skills are declining so the 'Fins draft Cody to be his long term replacement. Bill Parcells loves to draft front-seven players and Cody will help make Miami's 3-4 a strong unit while Chad Henne develops.

16. Cowboys - Dez Bryant WR: The Cowboys have some talented wide receivers but Jerry Jones just can't stand to pass up a playmaker as talented as Dez Bryant. Jones obviously values receivers highly after giving Terrell Owens a big extension and trading 1st and 3rd rounders for Roy Williams. He will want to give Tony Romo another playmaker to replace the lost Terrell Owens once the Cowboys fall short of the playoffs. Offensive line and inside linebacker are probably more pressing needs.

17. Chargers - Sean Witherspoon ILB: The Chargers cannot stop the run... at all. They wanted to go with Terrance Cody to replace Jamal Williams but he isn't available so they look elsewhere to fix their atrocious run defense. There aren't any nose tackles worthy of this spot but Sean Witherspoon is a steal here. Witherspoon plays OLB at Missouri but would move inside in a 3-4 and could wind up being a speedy playmaker ala Patrick Willis. Stephen Cooper turned 30 this year and he is the only Chargers ILB of note so Witherspoon can potentially be an immediate upgrade to the defense, which is important because the Chargers window to contend is still wide open for the next couple years.

18. 49ers - Trent Williams OT: Trent Williams is a bit of a reach here, he's got a big name but hasn't lived up to the hype. That said, he is a very impressive run blocker and can use his strength to be an adequate right tackle in pass protection. It would be a mistake to put him at left tackle but the Niners don't need to do that because they already have Joe Staley locked up to a long term deal. Williams' style fits Mike Singletary's run-first philosophy and should combine with Staley to form a nice pair of bookends for the forseeable future.

19. Packers - Charles Brown OT: The Packers have very good skill position players on offense but they can't protect Aaron Rodgers. Brown is a possible long term replacement for Chad Clifton at left tackle and should help keep Rodgers upright. Tackle is easily the Packers biggest need but they could also look to help strengthen their new 3-4 defense, particularly at defensive end and in the secondary.

20. Steelers - C.J. Spiller RB: Running back isn't the Steelers most pressing need but they like to have a nice stable of running backs and Spiller is a nice complement to Rashard Mendenhall. Spiller is an electric playmaker and would play a Felix Jones type role in Pittsburgh.

21 Broncos (From Chicago) - Arthur Jones DT: The Broncos surprised nearly everyone this year, particularly with their amazing defensive turnaround. That said their defensive line still needs some work and Arthur Jones could be a big piece of the puzzle. The 6'4" 293 lb. Jones could play as a five-technique defensive end in the Broncos 3-4 defense and wreak havoc on opposing backfields.

22. Ravens - Jermaine Gresham TE: Todd Heap will be 30 soon after the 2009 season and his production has fallen in recent years. The Ravens are one of the smartest teams when it comes to drafting and they will pounce on a top-10 talent like Gresham who happens to fall because of his injury (similar to how they traded up for Michael Oher when he fell).

23. Patriots - Brandon Lafell WR: The Patriots could go a few different directions here, perhaps adding a running back or a pass rusher, but instead they decide to go with Brandon Lafell, a big, athletic wide receiver. Randy Moss isn't the player he used to be and while Wes Welker is a terrific player he is not a #1 wideout. Lafell can be that guy in time and will have a chance to develop slowly with the Pats.

24. Jets - Vince Oghobaase DE: The Jets' defense is excellent but they still have problems defending the run. The blame likely lies mostly on defensive ends Shaun Ellis and Marques Douglas, who are not ideal starters at this point in their careers. If the Jets don't take a defensive end they may look for a pass rusher because Vernon Gholston continues to disappoint.

25. Falcons - Greg Hardy DE: The Falcons have a potentially great offense led by Matt Ryan but they still need lots of help on the defensive side of the ball. John Abraham is a phenomenal pass rusher but the Falcons don't have anyone across from him to scare opposing offenses. Hardy could change that as he has as much potential as any edge rusher in the draft.

26. Eagles - Rolando McClain LB: McClain is a great fit with the Eagles, who are desperate enough at the linebacker position that they brought Jeremiah Trotter out of retirement after he had been out of football for a year and a half. They lost Stewart Bradley for the year, but even with him their linebacking core needs an influx of talent. McClain is a versitale playmaker and is a steal at this point in the draft.

27. Bengals - Trevard Lindley CB: The Bengals have good corners in Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall but both are nearing free agency and it never hurts to have corner depth anyway. Lindley is one of the best players available at this point in the draft and had a chance to develop into a very good starting corner.

28. Seahawks (From Broncos) - Selvish Capers OT: The Seahawks need a replacement for Walter Jones who has been a franchise cornerstone for the last decade. The athletic Capers will never be as good as Jones was but he is a great fit for Seattle's zone blocking scheme and could contribute immediately. There are murmers for Tim Tebow here but his elongated release would prevent him from having success in the Hawks' West Coast Offense.

29. Saints - Demarcus Granger DT: The Saints defense has been shockingly good this year under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. They already have one young stud defensive tackle in Sedrick Ellis but paired with DeMarcus Granger the two would form a terrific duo. Granger is a penetrator who can help defend both the run and the pass.

30. Vikings - Tim Tebow QB: Brett Farve trots his old bones out there for another year after leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game, letting the Vikings draft Tebow and let him sit on the bench and develop for at least a year. Tebow has too many flaws to be worth a first round pick but Brad Childress thought Tavaris Jackson was worth a second round pick, so why expect him to judge a QB's worth accurately now?

31. Giants - Brandon Spikes MLB: The Giants have a stacked roster and don't really have any pressing needs so they are free to go with the best player available, which is Spikes. Antonio Pierce is declining though so Spikes could end up starting at MLB for the Giants in the near future.

32. Colts - Nate Solder OT: The Colts only real need right now is at the tackle position, and Solder is a converted tight end with quick feet and good footwork, a great fit for the Colts scheme. They could go with a pass rusher here like Corey Wooton for depth behind Freeney and Mathis, but instead use their pick to try to upgrade the line.

Poll

What do you think of my mock draft?

OMG. BEST. MOCK. EVER. Mocking Dan < Mocking Brendan (aka Mocking GOD)

4 votes

I love it! This is a miracle of modern mock-drafting!

3 votes

Pretty good. Don't get to cocky though, your still a mere mortal.

25 votes

Why did you waste so much time writing this?

3 votes

Ugh! Why did you make the [insert team name here] pick [insert "overrated" player that my team will never draft here]!

1 votes

36 votes | Poll has closed

Nothing like a nice comeback to wash away the sorrow of a disappointing loss. The Dodgers win...

Brendan Scolari — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:47:26 -0000

Nothing like a nice comeback to wash away the sorrow of a disappointing loss. The Dodgers win probability actually never got below 25% in yesterday's contest.

The biggest win probability swing in the Phillies favor was on Ryan Howard's homerun when their odds of winning jumped from 48.2% to 59.7%.

The Dodgers two biggest win probability shifts obviously came in the bottom of the 8th inning. They entered the inning witha 41.1% chance of winning, and got their odds up to 49.6% when Russell Martin came to the plate and reached on an error by Chase Utley which bumped their win expectancy to 61.0%. But the biggest jump came on Andre Ethier's bases loaded walk, the Dodgers win expectancy went from 63.5% to 87.4%. Those two at bats had a leverage indez above 5, meaning they were more than five times as important as an average at bat.

The MVP of the gam (per win probability) was easily Pedro Martinez, whose .450 win probability added was more than double the next closest player, Vicente Padilla with .207 WPA. Ethier (.157), Martin (.152), and Thome (.141) also made key contributions for the Dodgers. The Least Valuable Player was Matt Kemp, whose -.246 was more than twice as bad as any other Dodger. Of course 57% of his negative contribution came on his stikeout in the 8th inning, and whiffing against a guy with more than a strikeout per inning in 2009 is nothing to be ashamed of.

Finally, as Phil said in the recap below the Dodgers odds of winning the series are now 51.9%. That's not too bad all things considered.