I'm getting in the football mood already :D

[Winston]

I'm getting in the football mood already

You should go see a doctor in the morning. Falling asleep from boredom and waking up again 14 times within a 2½ hour time frame is not at all normal, and it can't be good for you in the long run.

[Jaguar]

Pete Prisco is a moron for many reasons, but this list is actually surprisingly good. He picked up on a number of way underrated players, like Adrian Wilson.

Still have to laugh at Ray Lewis being in the top ten though. Ray Lewis near the top at MLB and Dan Morgan, a far superior player, isn't even mentioned. Vilma, Al Wilson, and maybe a couple others are also better than Lewis these days.

I seriously wonder how many games these writers actually watch.

8. Brian Urlacher, LB, Bears: After years of battling the overrated label, he finally played as well as advertised in 2005. He was the leader of that good Bears defense.

Damn those people who unfairly saddle Urlacher with the "overrated" label!

Example: A writer by the name of Pete Prisco calls Urlacher "Overrated" in a column a year ago.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8622837

Overrated: Muhsin Muhammad, receiver, and Brian Urlacher, linebacker

Muhammad was the Bears' high-priced free-agent acquisition last spring, but he will prove to be a big disappointment. He put up big numbers in Carolina, but he doesn't run that well and age is starting to be a factor. As for Urlacher, he's a good player, but not a great one. It's time for him to live up to his reputation.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Jag, read what he wrote in both quotes. I find no contradiction. A year ago, he said Urlacher has to live up to his rep to become a great player. Now, Prisco is saying that he finally played as well as advertised.

[Jaguar]

"Good player, not a great one" to best at his position, period, in less than a year?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Jaguar
"Good player, not a great one" to best at his position, period, in less than a year?

And? What's the problem?

It's like saying Donovan McNabb was a good QB, not a great one to one of the top 3 QBs in the league from 2003 to 2004.

[Dis]

I hear you. June is just about here, which means it's almost July, which means it's almost August, which means it's almost september. And then regular season football!!!!!!!

[Jaguar]

It's my contention that Urlacher's always been really good. It's the rest of the defense that's really improved.

What do you think happened this year to make the Bears defense good?

The emergence of Nathan Vasher and Lance Briggs, Harris's and Ogunleye's improvement in their second year in the system, and the acquisition of Chris Harris?

Or do you think Brian Urlacher suddenly started playing better after years of underachievement?

It's the rest of the defense that improved. Urlacher's always been great.

We'll talk to our resident Bears fans about this.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Dis
I hear you. June is just about here, which means it's almost July, which means it's almost August, which means it's almost september. And then regular season football!!!!!!!

[Imran Siddiqui]

[q=Jaguar]It's the rest of the defense that improved. Urlacher's always been great.[/q]

And yet...

[q=Jaguar]Still have to laugh at Ray Lewis being in the top ten though. Ray Lewis near the top at MLB and Dan Morgan, a far superior player, isn't even mentioned. Vilma, Al Wilson, and maybe a couple others are also better than Lewis these days.[/q]

Do you perhaps think the rest of the defense fell off, especially the DTs, and playing in a 3-4 rather than a 4-3 may have preventing him from showcasing his ability?

Either the players underachieved or the defenses changed, for both players. What you think Ray Lewis suddenly started underachieving at age 31 after years of being the top MLB in the league? (if he didn't get injured, his pace was getting over 100 solo tackles again.. which would have been more than Urlacher got last season)

I say BOTH are great players, and claims of overratedness were solely due to changing defenses. Though denegrating Lewis for shifting defense and saying Urlacher has always been good but bad defense didn't allow him to show it is being silly.

[Richelieu]

Why soccer isn't catching on in the US

[SlowwHand]

"Grossman is back to pa....OH! That had to hurt!"

[Barnabas]

I thought this was about TEH world cup, not girl rugby.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Either the players underachieved or the defenses changed, for both players. What you think Ray Lewis suddenly started underachieving at age 31 after years of being the top MLB in the league?

Players in heavy contact positions (eg not QB or WR) tend to decline at that age. Additionally, his supporting cast has actually improved in many ways over the past few years. Ed Reed is a DPOTY level safety. Terrell Suggs is an elite pass-rusher. They picked up a quality veteran cornerback in Samari Rolle.

Lewis still has the intensity and the knowledge to play at a high level. But he used to be able to dive into the fray without getting hurt. These days, fullbacks can rough him up.

He's not even the best defensive player on his team. Ed Reed is. And Suggs is probably more valuable than Lewis, given the better league-wide depth at MLB.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Players in heavy contact positions (eg not QB or WR) tend to decline at that age. Additionally, his supporting cast has actually improved in many ways over the past few years. Ed Reed is a DPOTY level safety. Terrell Suggs is an elite pass-rusher. They picked up a quality veteran cornerback in Samari Rolle.

You don't really know how good that 2000 Ravens D was, do you? Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa closed up the middle, so that Lewis hardly even had to worry about run blockers. It is well known that the strength of the DTs is what can elevate a MLB, not the secondary (which hardly affects a MLB's play aside from Free Safety support). The last few years, the Ravens played a 3-4 due to their lack of DT strength, which, of course made Lewis seem less active, as he only was responsible for one half of the field and didn't have the DT strength that he did earlier in his career. Going back to a 4-3 and drafting Ngata in the 1st round may indeed show Lewis in his best light again (though I expect another 100+ tackles and him to lead the defense again).

It is no coincidence that 2nd year DT Tommie Harris played at a Pro-Bowl level when Urlacher excelled last year.

Recall that Lewis in 2004 had 146 total tackles (100 solo tackles) and was 1st team All Pro. Just because he got injured last year doesn't mean he has regressed or that he "can't dive into the fray".

As much as Reed and Suggs have done well (though Reed last year was not that good at all), the best player on that defense and the leader of that defense is still Ray Lewis. It is this sports-talk mentality where you kick a guy when he is percieved to be down (even if he isn't).

[Agathon]

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