FROM MICHAEL LOMBARDI:
20 April 2009
QUOTE: "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." – Theodore Rooosevelt
FROM BOB BROOKOVER OF THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER… The interesting thing was that Joe Banner did not reject the idea. Asked yesterday if the acquisition of left tackle Jason Peters would prevent the Eagles from going after Anquan Boldin, the Eagles' team president essentially said it remains a possibility without specifically talking about the Arizona wide receiver. "We're always looking for players that we think can make us better," Banner said. "I think we've proven many times that we'd be willing to do what it takes, whether it be a trade or do something with somebody's contract in order to get them here. … There are teams that start the year with only one first-round draft pick and they've traded them. If we made another trade with a first-round draft pick, we'd just be in the same position as them. I think we'll do whatever we evaluate to be the best move with any of the available players. … Some of the evaluation is about the quality of what we have at certain positions."
Hello from Los Angeles, where I’ll be doing the NFL Network’s “Path to the Draft” and “Total Access” for the next 10 days. Be sure to watch for all your draft information along with reading the National Football Post daily.
I’m not confident the Birds will pursue Anquan Boldin now that they’ve made the big Jason Peters trade. As I wrote Sunday, Boldin has some concerns that must be carefully thought out before paying a huge sum in a contract and draft picks. I love Boldin’s talent and have great respect for his game, but his durability and long-range ability worry me as I’m sure they worry other teams. Boldin would be a great fit in the Eagle’s offense — but he’s best used when he has an outside receiver who can stretch the field vertically and leave room for him to work.
A team like Miami might be a great spot for Boldin as it would be able to utilize his skills -- and he would blend perfectly with QB Chad Pennington. Miami, as I wrote Sunday, needs to find a running back who can be the full-time back and handle the bulk of the carries. Ricky Williams is the right second back, but Ronnie Brown is not perfect for the Dan Henning offense. Brown is more of a big nickel back who needs space and seams to make him most effective. The wildcat benefits him because, by the nature of the spread, there are seams, and he can use his speed to make plays. He’s not a yards-after-contact kind of back and he’s not the type who is better on his 18th carry than his first, a trait that all great backs must have — the ability to wear down a defense.
Brown lacks instincts for the position. Running back is what I call a “crib position.” This means that the moment your momma takes you from your crib, you have running back skills and instincts. It’s not a learned position, and Brown at times makes me feel that he’s not instinctive with the ball. I bet this drives Dan Henning, the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator, nuts as he loves backs who have a unique feel for the game. The running game is hard to make successful; most plays are designed to get four yards. The success of the running game lies in the back’s ability to make yards on his own, and this is where Miami’s running game fell short last season. In some ways, Brown is like Reggie Bush of the Saints because the Fins have to run certain plays for Brown and can’t run their full offense. Brown’s limitations as a back force the Miami offense to be a "play" team, not an offensive team. When this happens, you become predictable, and it makes it hard to call audibles.
When grading backs, you as an evaluator must know the kind of runs your team uses and evaluate backs based on your offense. Scouting backs inside out, as opposed to outside in, means you want backs who excel in your style of runs, not backs who have to have a different kind of running plays. This is where Brown is not right for Miami. He doesn’t fit the Fins’ run game, and by this time next week, it would not surprise me if the Dolphins drafted their kind of back.
One of the signatures of a Bill Parcells team is the running back, whether it’s Curtis Martin in New England or New York or Joe Morris of the Giants or Marion Barber of the Cowboys. What did those backs have in common? They made yards after contact and they made big plays. Each did it in his own unique way, but the end result was the same. Parcells wants a certain back, and I expect this weekend’s draft will provide him with an opportunity to get the right one.
Hmmm. You may be right about Ronnie Brown, but I will have to watch some "film". Off the cuff, I would not agree with your assessment, though. I have always felt Ronnie Brown had some serious skills and were I playing defense in the NFL, I would fear him. Maybe I'm wrong. I will youtube him.
How long does it typically take to fully come back from Brown's injury? I remember much being made about him coming back 'too early' at the beginning of last season. My hunch is that his instincts and intuitiveness will seem much improved this year...
Before Ronnie Brown went down in 2007 week 9 he was of the best backs if not best at the time in football. If I remember correctly he was the only one going to into week 9 with a 1,000 total yards. He also was playing on the WORST team in football with arguably one of if not the worst lines in fooball. I'm sure before his injury 31 other teams would've loved to have him as their lead back.
Great evaluation about Brown. I always thought he was soft for his size but now I realize its more of what you said; he lacks that certain running back instinct. That feel for the position. That explains why he hesitates in the backfield at times or misses the cutback lane. Love your work Lombardi
Great write up Mike, i'm shocked that a team like the Vikings aren't making a push for Boldin. Boldin would compliment Berrian perfectly and then you mix in Sidney Rice, and Allison and you've got a pretty good WR corps. I'm glad they aren't chasing him though, because it would be a great move.
Brett(NJ): On the surface, yes you're right. But I think two things scare them off - 1. The price of entry. They gave up picks last year for Allen, gave up a 4th rounder this year for Sage. A 1st & 3rd for Boldin will affect building a team two years down the road.
2. Durability. There are reports cropping up that Boldin's hip condition may be degenerative and impact him within a couple of years. For the kind of money he's asking, you better get more than two seasons of production at his current level.
Those are my two cents, anyway.
After the Peters trade I don't expect the Eagles to go after Boldin. They'd be shelling out a lot of cash and losing a lot of draft picks. It doesn't seem like something they'd do. But since they have extra picks it does at least remain as a possibility. Desean Jackson certainly has the speed to stretch the field, I be excited to see what he could do if he had Boldin playing along side him.
Would Ronnie Brown be an option in a trade for Boldin? Would Arizona have interest in taking him back and getting less in terms of draft picks? They need a back and he'd see a lot of Nickel defenses if he played with Arizona.
Now you're talking, Mike - You knew I would be all over this Phins laden column -
And a Teddy Rosevelt quote to boot - Walk-speak softly and carry a big stick, my man -
That is a good analogy on RB's fit in a Parcells-Henning offense -
To add to your Martin, little Joe and Barber analogies - Brown is also not John Riggins, Stephen Davis or the one Giants and former Cards star that everyone seems to forget about, in the great Otis 'O.J.' Anderson - Who at the grand old age (for running backs) of 33 years old helped to lead the Super Bowl Champion Giants with 900 yards and 11 touchdowns - The year previous at 32 years young, he accounted for nearly 1300 total yards and 14 touchdowns -
I have always felt like Anderson got a little short changed when it came to Hall of Fame voters compared to some of his contemporaries - A great explosive runner before the injuries got to him with the Cardinals - At which point he showed the heart of a true running back after being considered as an afterthought by many, in making a great comeback in '89-'90 with the Giants at the ages of 32-33 -
Well it was about time to remind people that Petersen went seventh overall to the Vikings and he's made them a playoff team without a good QB or WR.
That's why I think Moreno will move back up. He might have the same level of speed as Petersen but he's actually as good or better a pass catcher and pass protector at this stage.
Petersen also had enough injuries late in his college to give some teams an excuse to not draft him, some of those concerns still nag him at times now(ask Al Harris).
These items in mind one should consider Moreno to be gone by the ninth pick at latest to give the Jags high ticket feature back some depth at his position.
Brown was always a lateral rusher to me. He mostly had the system at Aubrun create counter opportunites off having a good running team mate. The Parcells coaching staff deserves major props in finding the way to get him big yards.
As for the Wild Hog, start tackling everyone who gets a ball fake from it and ALWAYS count the snap recipient as a runner because that's traditonally where the most yards are in the option. People will get a lot less convincing on those fakes when 250 pounds is on the other end of them and if they aren't leading the runner on the option it should be a sure tackle....
The 2nd commenter is on the right track. People forget that until Ronnie went down with an ACL tear in 2007, he was the most productive RB in the entire league despite being on a colossally-bad 1-15 team. THAT was the real Ronnie Brown, who was racking up the almighty YAC totals.
It takes a full 18 months before running backs fully recover from ACL replacement - just check Edgerrin James. Besides, if Ronnie is not a good fit, why didn't they just install Ricky, Cobbs, Hilliard or Parmalee (two of tuna's draft picks) as the starter?
The REAL answer to the problem is that the interior of Miami's OL was horrible last year. It started when RG Donald Thomas went down week one, followed by LG Justin Smiley later in the year. Add to it the fact that they recently traded away their young, healthy, scrappy starting Center and it is pretty clear what the true issue was.
Actually Mr Murder, Harris is still peeling himself off the turf after being run over by AD last season and is not in a mood to talk much.
Brown is a very atheltic back and I have seen him break tackles. He creates yards on his own, just look at the 2007 season where the dolphins had a horrible line and Brown still mananaged to gain an incredible amount of yards. Sure he would run better in a zone blocking offense, but who wouldn't. I think brown and a 3 would be a great trade for boldin. Only reason why the dolphins would have to include a pick is because of the blown knee for brown in 2007. But I would love to have brown in the west coast system.
Actually Ken, Mr Murder was talking about when Al Harris flipped AP on his head & put him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks.
How bout Boldin and Edge for Ronnie Brown and a 3rd?.... kills two bird with one stone... don't know if a third is too high?
Mike,
Thanks for all of your wisdom and unside knowledge, it's awesome! I'm wondering though about your comments concerning Ronnie Brown. You say he's not a yards after contact guy. Have you watched the tape? Generally you judge things based on tape and what people on the other side fear. The tape spells out that Ronnie Brown punishes folks who try to tackle him. And I guarantee you defenses are scared of Ronnie Brown. Do you really want to get rid of a guy that scares other teams? Please check out my comments on this as I believe based on what I have read the last couple of years that teams fear him and not anybody else on the Miami team.
Once again, I reiterate in terms of expediency and common sense, Boldin is a perfect fit for the Dolphins. For the Cardinals, they ship him away from the NFC and it will be another four-year rotation until the Cards and Fins meet again, unless of course they meet in the Super Bowl. I have to admit that Ronnie Brown, while an illustrious talent, somewhat handcuffs Henning with what he can do. Lombardi, would Boldin for Brown be a good trade straight up, especially since the Cards need another legitimate tailback with Tim Hightower? I've not heard if Edge is coming back to the Cards but if not, Brown would be a great fit. Perhaps my idea makes too much sense.
Great read Mike and I enjoy watching you on NFL Network. Your exactly right about Ronnie Brown and the style of play the Fins like you run (Actually Henning). He likes those backs who get better after the next carry and can wear down the defense, exactly the points you made. I wouldnt be shocked to see Brown or Wells as a Dolphin next year as he likes those gritty backs, Brown comes to mind as a perfect fit
I hope the Eagles will try to make a move for Boldin, but it's very unlikely that they will want to break the bank and miss out on Westbrook's replacement in Moreno. They say the same thing every year, "We always want to go out and get the best player we can". It's nothing new and Philly Fans shouldnt expect to see Boldin as an Eagle next year.
Good Read as always.
Boldin for Brown would be a great deal, sure....for Arizona, but not for Miami. The 'phins would get a 29 years old injury prone (great) receiver for one of the best and complete RB in business. I just hope it won't happen...go 'phins !!!
Sorry but I disagree with most of the Ronnie Brown analysis. Sure, I feel he lacks instincts for the position as well as he quite often hesitates behind the LOS but he's definitely a physical YAC type runner who gets stronger with more carries. For his career he averages 3.6 yards in the 1st quarter but 4.4 yards in the 4th quarter. A lot of Miami fans citicise the fact that it often takes him a while "to get warmed up" so to speak.
Last season the internal line play of the Dolphins bordered on abysmal, that's why the Wildcat got introduced and that's also why Brown seemed to struggle at times. It's hard to gain yardage when you are dodging defenders in the backfield.
Dolphins would be silly to get rid of Brown for Boldin. Thats fixing one problem and creating another. Running back is one of the few places the fish need not worry about, they have great talent and depth, something not a lot of teams can say. I think the Dolphins should go for Percy Harvin personally. I know they have Ted Ginn who was supposed to have that dynamic playmaker role but it seems to me that they are trying to make him into a possession type receiver. I just don't see the same speed that he had in college and its either because everyone is faster in NFL or he will never get it back after the ankle injury. Either way, we need a homerun hitter on offense, bottom line. If we can't get Boldin, lets take a shot with Harvin if he's there.
As for gentlemen comparing Peterson to Moreno, not to be blunt but there really is no comparsion. All Day has so much more power and better vision. I think any team that takes any RB in the top ten will be making a stretch. I don't see any RB talent that is eye popping to me.
I'm not sure what Mike is looking at? The numbers Ronnie Brown has averaged paint a different picture.
Brown averaged 5.0 yards per carry during December. That's .3 yards a better than any other months.
He averaged 4.2 yards per carry in the first half of games and 4.1 in the second half. In 2006(full season) he averaged almost a yard more per carry in the second half(4.6 versus 3.8).
Considering that was fresh off knee surgery, I'd say he's doing pretty well.
hahaha, gotta love the stats-only-based fans that come onto boards like these and play "gm" with their limited knowledge of the actual game of football. "ronnie brown put up tremendous stats prior to the acl, blah, blah."
no mention of cam cameron anywhere in said nonsense.
back to the fantasy draft room, stats-only.
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10:40 AM
Henning and Foster were a bad mismatch too.