NFL Preseason Thread

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, to be fair... LaMont Jordan is a pretty decent RB and Michael Bush could be special once his recovery is complete (He was expected to be prior to the injury). Mike Williams wasn't really given a chance in Detroit. Justin Griffith is actually a good fullback. And JaMarcus Russell is a rookie QB who hasn't been given his chance yet.

[Lord Avalon]

Maybe you FF mavens know about the Pro Football Prospectus, done by the people at http://www.footballoutsiders.com, but since I'm not into FF, I don't usually look for these books.

I just acquired a copy of the 2007 edition. Looks interesting.

Here's the Pregame Show essay.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Well, to be fair... LaMont Jordan is a pretty decent RB and Michael Bush could be special once his recovery is complete (He was expected to be prior to the injury). Mike Williams wasn't really given a chance in Detroit. Justin Griffith is actually a good fullback. And JaMarcus Russell is a rookie QB who hasn't been given his chance yet.

LaMont Jordan is a pretty decent runing back in the right system.
Michael Bush is a rookie. And injured.
Mike Williams is STILL overweight. A bust.
Justin Griffith is actually a good fullback.
And JaMarcus Russell has already missed a week of camp, and counting.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Simply because players are rookies doesn't mean they are going to be mediocre. Everyone started out as a rookie once .

[SlowwHand]

Culpepper will get the snaps.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Simply because players are rookies doesn't mean they are going to be mediocre. Everyone started out as a rookie once .

Russell may turn out great. But the rule-of-thumb formula for RBs and QBs is: every week of camp missed is another two weeks you won't be starting. Hey, I hope the guy turns out to be great. But he's shooting himself in the foot. Now he's *****-footed so long, they've brought in a legit QB. So Russell has actually lost leverage by holding out.

As for Bush, they drafted a guy with a broken leg and he's starting camp on the PUP list, with the club saying there's no rush. He's got 2008 written all over him. Very high upside. And a built-in injury history.

[-Jrabbit]

LOL at the auto-censor...

[Imran Siddiqui]

The Raiders have brought in Culpepper for a ONE YEAR deal... that's probably the best thing to happen to Russell. He gets to learn instead of being thrown in too early. And there is probably no chance Culpepper stays beyond the one year. And the Raiders know that.

As for Bush, McGahee has shown that it can be done.

[-Jrabbit]

McGahee was drafted in the 1st round after a stellar college career. Bush is a 4th rounder from a mid-major. Slightly different scenario.

As for the QB situation, all I'm talking about is Russell's ability to get on the field this year. I'm well aware that Daunte's a rental.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I'd actually argue that Bush had as stellar a college career as McGahee (Bush played on a more pass heavy team). And Louisville is hardly a "mid-major". Recall that when McGahee was there, the Hurricanes were also in the Big East.

[-Jrabbit]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
I'd actually argue that Bush had as stellar a college career as McGahee (Bush played on a more pass heavy team).

McGahee was 1) a major factor in getting to the national championship game and 2) was a consensus #1 overall prior to injury. He was considered so potentially valuable the Bills still spent a #1 on him despite the injury. Many would argue that he's never been the same since the injury. The fact that he's a load back in NFL in the face of that says volumes about him.

Michael Bush missed virtually the entire 2006 season (injured in 1st game), and required a second surgery this spring. No doubt he's a special talent, but he hasn't been on the field since the first game of the year, and thus fell all the way to the 4th round. Prior to the injury, he was being touted as a potential 1st rounder, but he didn't have the track record to suggest he could be an overall #1. And we'll never know.

Michael Bush could turn out to be great. He could turn out to be damaged goods. I guess, in that respect, he's equivalent to McGahee.

Maybe calling the Louisville mid-major was a bit of a dis, as they really had a phenomenal year.

[snoopy369]

Anybody know what happened to Chris Harris that would justify the trade the Bears made?? 5th rounder doesn't seem like much, and between Mr. DL Brown and Archuleta, I don't see why Harris would be the odd man out...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2958934

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Finally filling their need for another experienced safety, the Carolina Panthers on Thursday afternoon acquired two-year veteran Chris Harris from the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round choice in the 2008 draft.

"According to our scouts and coaches he's an instinctive player, and we feel he can come in here and compete," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said.

Carolina has been deliberating much of the offseason over whether to add another experienced safety, and a Wednesday knee injury to second-year veteran Nate Salley may have prompted general manager Marty Hurney to make a move. The Panthers were already thin at the position before Salley was injured. Salley played in only eight games as a rookie in 2006, mostly on special teams, but was starting alongside Mike Minter in the secondary during the early days of training camp.

"You always hate to give up a draft pick, but we've said all along we would be looking at safeties, because it was a need position," said coach John Fox following Thursday afternoon's practice.

Salley did not practice Thursday and, while his injury is not believed to be serious, there is no definitive timetable for his return.

It is not yet known when Harris, the Bears' sixth-round pick in 2005, will arrive here to join his new teammates.

Minter was the team's lone veteran safety of consequence, and the 10-year veteran, who has played both safety spots during his career in Carolina, has already announced he will retire after this season.

The Panthers opted not to re-sign veteran Shaun Williams, who started with Minter in 2006, and lost Colin Branch in free agency.

Chicago has a surplus at safety, having acquired Adam Archuleta in a trade and gotten Mike Brown back to health, making Harris expendable. The Bears' coaches like Harris' aggressiveness, but felt he would not get much playing time now given the glut at the position.

"I think we're fortunate the Bears have a real surplus at that position," Hurney said. "Chris is a guy that we feel can come in here, compete and help us."

A former Louisiana-Monroe standout, Harris is solidly built (6 feet tall, 205 pounds), and a good hitter. He was fined $7,500 last December for what the league viewed as overaggressiveness in a game against Minnesota.

In 25 games, including 20 starts, Harris has 112 tackles, five interceptions, eight passes defensed, one sack and one fumble recovery.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
McGahee was 1) a major factor in getting to the national championship game and 2) was a consensus #1 overall prior to injury. He was considered so potentially valuable the Bills still spent a #1 on him despite the injury. Many would argue that he's never been the same since the injury. The fact that he's a load back in NFL in the face of that says volumes about him.

Michael Bush missed virtually the entire 2006 season (injured in 1st game), and required a second surgery this spring. No doubt he's a special talent, but he hasn't been on the field since the first game of the year, and thus fell all the way to the 4th round. Prior to the injury, he was being touted as a potential 1st rounder, but he didn't have the track record to suggest he could be an overall #1. And we'll never know.

Michael Bush could turn out to be great. He could turn out to be damaged goods. I guess, in that respect, he's equivalent to McGahee.

Maybe calling the Louisville mid-major was a bit of a dis, as they really had a phenomenal year.

Bush fell because of the concerns about the leg. If he remained healthy his senior year, I have no doubt that he would have been rated, with Adrian Peterson, as the best back in the draft. Probably wouldn't have been #1, because, well, the Raiders have greater needs.

After his Junior season, Bush was being touted as a potential Heisman winner (he was deep in the discussion during preseason, and with him UL likely would have gone undefeated, which would have boosted those chances) and potential Top 5 pick in the draft.

[Lord Avalon]

Rookie Johnson signs with Detroit after week-long holdout

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson signed a six-year deal with the Detroit Lions on Friday, ending the No. 2 overall pick's eight-day holdout.

Terms of the deal are not yet known.

Johnson's signing allowed him to get into camp for workouts, where he was out catching passes Friday morning. Fellow wideout Roy Williams said a day earlier that "the rookie needs to get in here."

Johnson was regarded by some as the best player in the draft after catching 78 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns during his All-America junior season at Georgia Tech. He won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top college receiver.

The Lions, 3-13 last season, in April made Johnson the fourth receiver taken with their first pick in the past five drafts.

"He's going to be a big part of getting us to where we want to go," Lions president Matt Millen said after Johnson was drafted.

The Lions are 24-72 and have missed the playoffs every season since Millen joined the front office in 2001. The soft-spoken Johnson figures to get ample opportunities in offensive coordinator Mike Martz's pass-happy scheme.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2959620

[Lord Avalon]

No. 2 pick Johnson signs 6-year deal with Detroit

Updated: August 3, 2007, 7:40 PM ET

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson signed a six-year deal with the Detroit Lions on Friday, ending the No. 2 overall pick's eight-day holdout.

Johnson's contract is worth $64 million, with $27.2 million fully guaranteed, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports.

Johnson and the team agreed to terms and signed the contract early Friday, said Lions executive vice president Tom Lewand. He signed the deal just in time for an 8:30 a.m. practice, where he was out catching passes. Moments after signing his contract, the rookie wide receiver found himself on the first team during a two-minute drill.

"I wasn't surprised. I was expecting to be out there with the first team," Johnson said. "That's why they picked me at No. 2.

"It's good to be on the field and not be dealing with contract stuff any more. At first, I was trying to be patient, but it's been pretty nerve-racking for the last few days."

Johnson's arrival came at a perfect time for the Lions, its first public workout.

"We choreographed that pretty well, didn't we?" Lewand joked.

A large cheer went up once the 500 fans in attendance realized Johnson was on the field, and more applause followed every catch he made in the two-hour practice.

"I thought today went pretty well," Johnson said before signing autographs. "I made some mistakes, but I was able to retain a lot of what I picked up in [offseason team activities]."

Johnson was regarded by some as the best player in the draft after catching 78 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns during his All-America junior season at Georgia Tech. He won the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top college receiver.

The Lions made room for Johnson on the roster by placing quarterback Drew Stanton -- a rookie second-round pick out of Michigan State -- on injured reserve, meaning he's out for the season. Stanton had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier in the week.

"He's a quick study, so we put him right out there with the ones in the two-minute drill," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said of Johnson. "We've got some receivers whose legs are gone, and Calvin's fresh, so he's going right into the fire."

The Lions, 3-13 last season, in April made Johnson the fourth receiver taken with their first pick in the past five drafts.

The Lions are 24-72 and have missed the playoffs every season since Millen joined the front office in 2001. The soft-spoken Johnson figures to get ample opportunities in offensive coordinator Mike Martz's pass-happy scheme.

Johnson's expected to team with Roy Williams and Mike Furrey to give the Lions a triple-threat receiving corps.

"I have a very good feeling about this group," Marinelli said. "We've got some very special players on this field."

Furrey and Williams are equally confident after working with Johnson during offseason practices.

"No one is going to be able to stop us when we are all out on the field," Furrey said. "People are excited about Calvin, but they don't even know what they've got yet. He's going to be one of the top receivers in the league in a couple years."

Marinelli also expects Johnson to affect Detroit's rushing attack.

"When we have those three men on the field, and especially when we add Shaun McDonald as a fourth receiver, it is going to force defenses to spread themselves wide," he said. "That's going to open up a lot of room for Tatum Bell or Kevin Jones."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2959620