NFL - Are You Ready For Some Football?!! - PLAYOFFS

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Mildly surprising. Less so when you look at Cameron's overall record as a head coach.

Miami's off-season shopping list is getting pretty long...

On the other hand, he had one season and it isn't like the GM stocked the cupboard full this season, especially after Ronnie Brown went down with injury.

Not saying Cameron is good, but he isn't as bad as he seems.

[-Jrabbit]

I agree. He didn't get a fair chance in Miami, crippled by injuries, poor QB talent and an aging defense.

But I doubt he'll get another head coaching gig in the NFL anytime soon.

[reismark]

There's another good anti-example out there of the point Jaguar's trying to make (which I completely agree with, BTW), and it concerns the team that should have drafted Thomas but passed on him.

You can point to two factors that led to the Detroit Lions' second-half collapse this year. Injuries to a defense that wasn't all that great to begin with is one of them, but to me at least, the biggie was their absolutely horrid offensive line, that couldn't run-block (31st in the league in rushing yardage) or protect the quarterback (3rd in the league in sacks allowed) worth a damn. If the Lions had drafted Thomas, it's likely that the issues with the line would have been significantly less severe and given the Lions' offense a better chance to win games on its own. That's why drafting Calvin Johnson was such a terrible move for them, because their O-line was actually worse last year (last in rushing, 2nd in sacks allowed in 2006). They needed Thomas desperately and Millen, as usual, made the wrong move.

[snoopy369]

Matt Millen ... guaranteeing Bears wins for years to come.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
It really depends on your running back.

Honestly Jag would you take Joe Thomas over a pick like Tomlinson?

That's a bad dichotomy because I have seven years worth of information on Tomlinson and only one on Thomas. Try guys from the same draft. It shows how quickly running backs deteriorate relative to tackles.

Look at the draft from the year before Tomlinson, 2000. It has Chris Samuels, who's still chugging along at tackle as one of the best drive-blockers in the league. At running back, it has Shaun Alexander, Thomas Jones, and Jamal Lewis. That would be a pretty solid RB tandem for the All-Washed-Up team, except Jamal Lewis had a resurgence for a solid season this year, thanks to the awful tackling of the Bengals and the excellent blocking of his fullback, Lawrence Vickers, and his offensive line - which was led last year by rookie tackle Joe Thomas.

[Ben Kenobi]

To make it fair then.

La Danian Tomlinson or the man who was picked second that year, Leonard Davis.

[Jaguar]

Tomlinson, because Leonard Davis was a bad pick. He sucks as a pass protector and really isn't all that good in run-blocking. He got moved to guard by the Cowboys, which worked better, but having a great guard isn't as important as having a great tackle.

There aren't any great tackles who are Tomlinson's age, which is why the comparison doesn't work for him. All of them are either about five years older, like Orlando Pace and Walter Jones, or about five years younger, like Thomas and Marcus McNeill.

If there was a tackle as good as Orlando Pace drafted in 2001, I would want him on my team over Tomlinson. He'd have about five to six years left as a productive player. Tomlinson probably doesn't have that many. As I mentioned before, all of the first-round running backs from the year before him have already hit the wall.

[Lord Avalon]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Matt Millen ... guaranteeing Bears wins for years to come.

@ talking smack after getting swept by the Lions this season.

Looking back, it's all even since 2002 (2 splits, Lions sweep, 2 Bears sweeps, Lions sweep).

[Ben Kenobi]

Dunno, 5-6 years means he runs as long as Emmitt. It's mostly desire at this point. If he goes 5 that's 12 years. I wouldn't bet against him.

As for Davis you are right that he doesn't seem all that exceptional, but that's the decision you have to make. I'm glad the Cards passed up on Tomlinson.

[SlowwHand]

Don't look at the past. Look at 2008 and make your predictions. Looking back is no trick.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I was just reading how Patrick Willis won Defensive Rookie of the Year (no surprise) and something I hadn't noticed jumped out at me:

Instead, his league-leading 174 tackles and presence all over the field made him a runaway winner and the fifth straight linebacker to take the honor

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3181099

174 tackles?!!

WOW!

[-Jrabbit]

He kicked butt for me in FF -- picked him up about Week 4. Had two games scoring over 20 points! A true manchild, even more impressive than DeMeco Ryans last year.

What's even more impressive is that he did this working out of 3-4 alignment, which usually causes a more even distribution of tackles among the LB corps.

[snoopy369]

Having what, 20-30%?, more plays on defense has to help... as I assume SF must have had given their atrocious offense

[-Jrabbit]

Good point. But still, he made the plays.

[Lord Avalon]

What, nothing about Belichick winning AP Coach of the Year? 29 of 50 votes; Mike McCarthy was 2nd with 15.

In other news...

Brady named NFL MVP for first time
Patriots QB garnered all but one vote for the AP award

NEW YORK (AP) -- Add Most Valuable Player to all the other accolades Tom Brady has been collecting.

The New England Patriots' record-setting quarterback drew all but one vote Saturday in romping to The Associated Press 2007 NFL MVP award in the same manner his team romped through its schedule, going 16-0. On the way to the first unbeaten regular season since Miami went 14-0 in 1972, Brady put on a performance for the ages.

"I have always been a huge football fan and will always have great respect for the history of this game," Brady said. "I am grateful to all of the voters for any consideration I was given. It is a tremendous honor and I am sure it is one that my family will one day look back on with great pride."

The eight-year veteran who already has won three Super Bowls helped the Patriots tear through the record books by throwing for 50 touchdowns. He beat Peyton Manning's league mark by one, and also threw 23 of those TD passes to Randy Moss, which lifted the receiver past Jerry Rice's record of 22.

New England scored 589 points, another record, as was the Patriots' 75 touchdowns. Brady led the NFL with a 117.2 passer rating -- no, not another record, but close to Manning's 121.1 in 2004. Only one full-time AFC starter, Jacksonville's David Garrard, had fewer than Brady's eight interceptions. And Brady threw 253 more passes than Garrard.

Brady also was tops with a 68.9 completion percentage, and his 4,806 yards were 383 more than runner-up Drew Brees of New Orleans.

Brady joins a roster of AP MVPs that includes quarterbacks John Unitas, Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, John Elway and Steve Young -- all Hall of Famers.

"I am flattered to join such an esteemed list of players, many of whom I consider the greatest of all time," he said. "I hope that I can set as great of an example for kids around the world as the previous MVPs did for me."

There also was plenty of praise to go around from teammates, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and coach Bill Belichick.

"To be honest, I'm surprised it took so long for him to get this recognition because he's sort of been our MVP since he stepped on the field in '01, in my mind, and the way he just took over," Kraft said. "He treats everyone in that locker room the same way he treats me or the coaches.

"And the thing that I've found most interesting is if you talk to role players or backups how he talks to them and motivates them. He treats them like they're going to the Pro Bowl, with that kind of respect."

Added Mike Vrabel, who has gone from a role player to a Pro Bowl linebacker over the years:

"He's our MVP. I think we've known that for quite some time. "I think his work ethic day in and day out (is most impressive). We get to practice against him so I think that makes us better. I think it makes us a better defense. He puts a lot of time into it. It's important to him. Going out there every week and then trying to play his absolute best is a priority for him."

Brady is the first Patriot selected NFL MVP. He drew 49 of the 50 votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the NFL. Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre, the only three-time MVP, got the other vote.

"He deserves it," Belichick said. "I have thought for a long time that there is no past or present quarterback I'd rather coach than Tom Brady, and I am more certain of that every year he plays."

Only in one game, a 20-10 win over the Jets, did Brady not throw for a touchdown. He had 12 games with at least three TD passes.

Those are great stats, but they hardly tell the entire story. Brady's leadership skills overshadow just about everything.

"Tom's one of those guys that goes out there and tries to perform and compete every week," center Dan Koppen said. "He gives maximum effort on every play and every game. What he did was outstanding, but I know he wants more than that. That's what you need in your quarterback."

The last two MVP awards went to running backs LaDainian Tomlinson (2006) and Shaun Alexander (2005). Before that, quarterbacks won four in a row: Peyton Manning in 2004 and in 2003, when he shared it with Steve McNair; Rich Gannon in 2002; and Kurt Warner in 2001.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/playoffs/2007/01/05/brady.mvp.ap/index.html