Should this be a fanpost?  Nah, probably not.  But it is, and the mods can delete it if they so choose.

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Am I really about to write a piece on kicking?  Not even field goal kicking, but kickoffs, no less?  You bet your first-born son I am.  I'm hoping it won't go too long, but who knows?  

There's been a lot of talk about how the new kickoff rules are going to cause touchbacks on every kickoff.  I disagree, and here's why...

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I am posting this here because we have seen a lot of Giants fans here, and I don’t want to clutter up the FanPosts section of BBV, where this may be seen as unwelcome.  I hope that members of BGN and BBV, as well as any others who agree with the sentiments of this petition, will put their names in the comment section in support of this petition.  If not, at the very least we can get some good discussion going about the subject.  This is not intended to open up old wounds, and I’m sure we can all remain civil here. 

This petition focuses on a group of BGNers known as the BGN 17.  They were banned for their comments on BBV on December 19-20th, 2010 after the “Miracle at the Meadowlands 2” game.  This petition calls for these individuals to be reinstated at BBV.  Here are the known members of the BGN 17:

EvilBanner

d-jackfan10

waterfield

ghostofandrewatters

oldasquick

allmaddenking

Djax10

So without further ado, the petition…

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We all know the drill when it comes to defenses – you’re either a 3-4 or 4-3 base system.  Now I don’t know much about football theory…  I’ve never played the game in any sort of organization at any level, and I’ve only ever played the game in a scrimmage environment maybe eight times.  Really sad, actually.  But anyways, I’ve been thinking a lot about the 4-2-5 system lately (sometimes called a nickel package, I believe) and why no team has implemented it as a base system.  I’d like to hear what some of the aficionados of the game has to say about this.

Let’s take a look at today’s game, specifically NFL offenses.  Defenses nowadays need to be able to stop agile RBs, strong RBs, the deep-ball QBs and the nickel-and-dimers.  Wide receivers keep getting better, TEs are getting faster.  That’s a lot of different things for a defense to play against.  By my observations, this is what you need to stop each aspect of today’s NFL offense:  To stop the agile RBs you need quick DEs, run-stuffing OLBs with enough speed to get to the edge before the RB, and solid safety play near the line.  For big RBs you need big defensive linemen who can plug up the holes and strong MLB/ILBs.  To stop the long pass you need to get good pressure on the QB, as well as good man coverage CBs and safeties who can play centerfield if needed.  To stop the short passes you need LBs and CBs who can play underneath zone.  Hopefully all of this is true.  So here’s what we need to stop the elite NFL offenses:

Run-stuffing DTs

Agile DEs

Fast, sure-tackling OLBs

Strong ILBs

Shutdown man CBs

Safeties who can play centerfield

So is the 4-2-5 a good system to implement this?  Absolutely.  Here’s how:

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Hello, DailyNorsemen.  I’m DeSean10, and as I’m sure you gathered from the title of this post and my screen name, I’m an Eagles fan from SBN’s BleedingGreenNation.  I made a FanShot the other day explaining that I’m picking for the Vikings at the #12 spot in our annual mock draft.  First off, I’d really like to thank you for your hospitality over this past week or so – I’ve enjoyed my discussions with you guys and I’ll be hanging around for the next few days until I make the official selection in the mock draft.  But for now I wanted to give you guys and idea of where I was planning on going with your pick, and I’d love to get some feedback.  I can’t give the final pick yet (as we’re still at the 8th pick), but I wanted to give you guys a preview of the direction I’m headed.  Feel free to correct me if I made mistakes (I’m sure I have), and feel free to debate my thought process on this selection.  Second, I’d like to remind you guys(/selflessly promote BGN) that we have a 24 hour no-posting period at BGN, so if you want to stop by to debate the Vikes’ pick in our mock you should sign up now.  The pick should be up Friday, and we’d love to have you guys over there debating the #12 pick and any picks that come before or after. 

So without further ado, here it is…

The Minnesota Vikings had a really tough year.  As a team coming off of a deep playoff run in 2009, they seemed like a real contender last year.  That great 2009 team stayed largely intact, returning a lot of good players who’d had spectacular years.  To give you an idea of this team’s talent, let’s take a look at some of those players:

QB: Brett Favre had a renaissance year in 2009, playing like a man possessed for most of the year, hardly ever turning the ball over, and leading their playoff run.  It looked like Favre was going to play ‘til he was 50, but if he retired the team still had the talented (if somewhat raw) Tarvaris Jackson to back him up.

RB: Adrian Peterson had some fumbling issues, but he was still arguably the top RB in the game.

WR: Sidney Rice had a breakout year, making himself a top 15 WR in the league. Percy Harvin tore it up as a rookie (when healthy), both as WR and KR.  Berrian had an off year, but his history with the Bears indicated a rebound in 2010.

TE: Shiancoe was coming into his own at TE; not a single worry there.

OL: Bryant McKinnie and rookie Phil Loadholt were excellent bookends for a solid o-line.  Herrera and Hutchinson held down the guard positions

DL:  The Williamses’seses were still a dominant duo at DT.  Jared Allen and Ray Edwards were equally great at DE, which convinced FOX to create the unfortunate acronym, “Shock and AWWE.”

LB:  Henderson, Leber, and Greenway were a more than serviceable group.

DB: The safety spot was solid, while Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Asher Allen, and former Eagle Lito Sheppard created an above-average group at CB.

We all know what the 2010 season amounted to…  So what the heck happened?  Well Favre came back, but unfortunately he came back wearing his 2008 hat and then (mercifully) got injured.  He tried to fight through it (humiliating for all involved), but Favre was a big stumbling block.  And to make matters worse, he sent pictures of his junk to a few women he wasn’t married to, embarrassing the team (but mostly himself).  Thankfully he appears to be retired for good.  Jackson?  He got injured too.  Joe Webb, the Vikings WR project, took over and was hot and cold as QB.  QB is now a need.

Adrian Peterson had a good year, and former Stanford monster Toby Gerhart is backing him up.  So RB is fine.  The wideout spot, on the other hand, is in trouble.  Rice missed most of the season with an injury and is likely headed to free agency.  Harvin struggled with migraines and other ailments, but managed to produce nonetheless.  Berrian failed to rebound.  Randy Moss had a brief and excruciatingly awkward revival in purple.  He was traded, and HC Chilly eventually lost his job, (supposedly) because of the whole Moss debacle.  The football-playing Iglesias, Camarillo, and two former Eagles round out the WR depth in sub-par fashion.

Tight end is fine, as Shiancoe is still playing well, and while McKinnie’s career is in decline, the guy can still play.  Herrera missed the season with a torn ACL (yes, non-Eagles players sometimes tear their ACLs too) and also required triceps surgery, while Hutchinson also spent his season on the IR.  Both are at risk of being released, and depth/youth is a must.  OG is now a need.

The defensive line did great in 2010, but Ray Edwards is looking for a big payday, and is likely leaving via free agency.  Pat Williams is getting older, but he’s still playing well.  Everson Griffen and Brian Robison can adequately replace Edwards, but his pass-rush production will be sorely missed.  In my opinion, DE is now a need.

The linebacker position may be the best position on the team, outside of RB.  Greenway is an absolute monster, and the Vikings were smart to slap the franchise tag on him.  Leber is probably on his way out of town, but the Hendersons and Jasper Brinkley can make up for the loss.  LB is not a need.

Now on to DBs.  The safety spot was hit by injuries (the Vikings had a rough go with that in 2010, and I think most of us can sympathize there), and even before the injuries it was a weaker position for the team.  At CB, Winfield is not getting any younger, and Cedric Griffin was (brace yourself) injured.  Asher Allen is a solid CB, but CB may also be a need.  In general, DB is a need.

So we can gather that QB, WR, OG, DE, and DB are all needs.  Given all the info you’ve seen above, I’d say these needs can be ranked as follows:

QB

OG

DB

WR

DE

The only QBs worth a 12th overall pick are Newton and Gabbert, both of whom are already gone.  Pouncey and Watkins are the only OGs I’d take in the first, but I wouldn’t take either before pick 24.  There are no safeties worth a first rounder, and arguably only one who should even go in the 2nd (Rahim Moore).  At CB, Peterson and Amukamara are both elite prospects, but both are gone in this draft.  Jimmy Smith and Brandon Harris are possibilities, but both have their concerns.  Brandon Harris has size issues and misses a lot of INTs, but he’s still a solid player.  Jimmy Smith could be the best CB in this class, but he has character concerns.  In my opinion, either of these players could be smart choices for the Vikes, but I think there are better players on the board at other positions of need.  Also, if Griffin recovers well from his injury, the Vikings will be okay at CB for another season or two.

So that leads us to two positions, WR or DE…

Well I've got to leave you guys with that.  I'll post an update when the final pick is in, but please stop bt BGN and sign up.  Hope to see you guys there, thanks again!

Okay guys, the off-season is officially here and the morons are coming out of the woodworks.  Unfortunately it’s only going to get worse from here on out.  Posts about “Vick sux we needz the Manning time,” “McCoy or Harrison: Who should start?” and “why we need to draft a big wr” are going to pour in non-stop.  Trolls will run rampant and many of us will be tempted to leave for a long time (and some of us will actually do it).

But we, my fellow BGNers, can stop this.  We can limit the trolling!  Remember when Smoky the Bear said, “Only you can prevent forest fires?”  I used to think he actually meant me, and the tremendous responsibility really weighed on me.  I was rather dismayed when a large forest fire broke out in California later that year, and I was racked with guilt.  Was I making a point…?  Oh yes, WE can stop these damned trolls.  It’s not JasonB, JimmyK, or BobQ’s, responsibility.  Most SBN sites have a staff of at least 5 writers, moderators, editors, and others.  We only have three all purpose guys who put up better material more often than any site on SBN, and they don’t need to waste their time patrolling the fences here.

So here are some guidelines for dealing with trolls.  I know I’m a hypocrite for not following some of these rules, but if we band together it will be a lot easier for everyone to follow them.

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Let’s face it, we are.  Each and every one of us is scum.  We are Eagles fans: the ones who throw batteries, pelt Santa with snowballs, cheer injuries and boo our best players. We call our black players the n-word, we are proud of the jail in our stadium, and we eat babies.  Perhaps you’re saying to yourself, "Well, most of that is true…  but I wasn’t at that snowball-Santa incident, so I’m not as bad."  Well that’s where you’re wrong.  All Eagles fans are douchebag tools by association.  If you ever wore an Eagles jersey, even that t-shirt your parents dressed you in as a baby when you were too young to choose for yourself, you are a Santa-hating battery throwing prick.  After the jump I will continue to admonish you, bad bad Eagles fans, while showing you how classy Cowboys fans get it done the RIGHT way.

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