Month: September 2012

Who has a better pair of playmaking wide receivers?

The Atlanta Falcons with Roddy White and Julio Jones or the New York Giants with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz?

Well, White is biased and the Falcons veteran has come out throwing some barbs in the direction of Cruz during an interview on NFL Network with Michael Irvin.

“Victor Cruz is a lot more of a slot receiver; the big boys play on the outside,” White said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

Cruz, who had a breakout season a year ago, is off to another fine start as he has 23 receptions for 279 yards and one touchdown. It’s a little tough to evaluate the Giants’ pair because Nicks has been banged up in recent weeks.

“I couldn't care less about what anybody else has to say,” Cruz told the Star-Ledger. “I got a ring back at home. I don't care about what Roddy White has to say.”

There is that too. White and the Falcons have been postseason underachievers and Atlanta got drilled at New York in the wild-card round of the playoffs last season.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

St. Louis Rams first-round draft pick Michael Brockers hopes to make his regular-season debut Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome against the Seattle Seahawks.

Brockers has been sidelined with a high ankle sprain since the team’s preseason finale, missing the first three-regular season games. Although the Rams have officially listed the defensive tackle as questionable, he expects to be in action.

“We'll give it a go,” Brockers said, according to Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I will be playing Sunday. The ankle's holding up pretty well, so I expect to play a heavy amount in Sunday's game.”

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Brockers has a “chance.” The Rams have been excited about Brockers, who they picked up after trading down in the first round. He has an opportunity to anchor a line that already has some nice players on the edge in Chris Long and Robert Quinn.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

The New York Giants have ruled wide receiver Hakeem Nicks out for Sunday’s game and he will not travel with the team to Philadelphia.

Nicks has swelling in his knee, according to NFL.com, and that has plagued him since he hit the turf in Week 2. Nicks did not play last week and will be replaced by Ramses Barden.

Nicks has been dealing with foot issues too following surgery in the summer but the knee issue is what has him on the shelf right now.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

With his three-game suspension behind him, Jerome Simpson is ready to make an impact for the Minnesota Vikings, who took a chance on the speedy but occasionally troubled wideout.

Simpson is expected to play Sunday at Ford Field now that he has satisfied his suspension from the league for a felony drug conviction from last year. Simpson had marijuana shipped to his home when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Hopefully, me just being fresh, I can just be that little extra spark that we need,” Simpson said, according to the Associated Press.

Simpson has speed which has been sorely missing in Minnesota’s attack but he’s only been a proven performer for one season in the NFL. The Vikings have been nothing but happy to have him and believe his up-tempo attitude is a real plus for a young team.

“Everyone feeds off of that energy,” quarterback Christian Ponder said. “He’s got so much energy that he brings to the table, and he loves being out here.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

IRVING, Texas—Just as the NFL hoped a critical mistake by replacement officials would not swing the balance of a game, the league now has to hope the botched outcome of Monday’s Packers-Seahawks game doesn’t swing the balance of the standings such that it affects the playoffs.

The Fail Mary as many have called it Monday – Russell Wilson’s touchdown pass to Golden Tate on the final play of the game – no doubt spurred along talks between the officials and NFL resulting in a labor agreement Wednesday night.

Now, it’s back to football with regular crews working this week’s games, including the Cleveland-Baltimore game on Thursday night.

“We hope the whole thing is behind us now because we played with the regular officials on Thursday night and did a good job,” the NFL’s executive vice president of operations Ray Anderson told me this morning at a hotel where the officials were meeting. “Part of our message to this crew was we are delighted to have them back and we’re excited about this weekend’s slate of games so we can get back to pure football.”

But is the NFL concerned the Green Bay-Seattle game will have a significant impact on the postseason?

“We are not overly concerned,” Anderson said. “That was the third week of the season. We have 13 more weeks to go. There are a lot of things that impact how teams do overall, including their own performances. We will let that natural laws of the NFL take care of themselves and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”

One of the wins for the league in negotiations was the creation of a developmental system to get future officials ready. It will allow the NFL to replace underperforming officials as typically the turnover for the 121 officials has only been about four or five a year, almost always because of retirement.

“There is nothing better for human nature and motivation than competition for positions and accountability for your performance and that is what having a bench, having a development squad will provide for us long term,” Anderson said. “We think it will make us better because everyone is going to be motivated to work hard to get that field time.

“Part of being able to make sure that you can control the quality is to have something more than retirement motivating you to perform and that is competition for your starting field time. That is good for all of us long term. That is better for the integrity of the game.”

Some would argue three weeks with replacement officials was quite damaging to the integrity of the game.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

Devin Taylor Defensive End South Carolina

6060 (Estimated) 285 (Estimated) 4.85 (Estimated)

One third of the way into the 2012 college season conference games have just begun. While Missouri has received a rude awakening in their first two SEC games, not all of the players they have faced have impressed as much as expected. This week I break down South Carolina defensive end Devin Taylor who has yet to become the dominant college player he was expected to be when he arrived in Columbia as one of the most recruited players in the country. Despite being hyped in the media as a likely first round pick, Taylor did not receive high grades this spring from the combines (Blesto and National) and has not shown us first round production or talent on film.

There is little question that Taylor looks the part of an NFL player “on the hoof” at over 6’6, with a muscular physique and long arms. However, the issue is that he is a “tweener” and does not play aggressively on a consistent basis, both of which have limited his production. In today’s NFL to play defensive end in a 43 defense you must be productive rushing the passer, while in a 34 scheme a defensive end has to consistently play strong at the point of attack, but Taylor has not proven he can make an impact doing either.

Taylor lacks the first step quickness and explosive burst to threaten the corner as a speed rusher and does not change directions fast enough to defeat pass blocker with quick pass rush moves. Additionally, while he has the natural strength to be an impact “bull rusher,” too often he gets upright and high rushing the passer and does not use hands aggressively to jolt pass blocker, which limits his strength as a pass rusher. Lacking consistency as a pass rusher makes him much better suited to be tried as a defensive end in a 34 defense, but then other issues with his play become concerns.

In the world of “line play” the two important rules are – “first hands win” and “low man always wins.” Taylor’s lack of aggressiveness with hands allows offensive linemen to “get a good fit” on him and they are able to tie him up and keep him out of the play too easily. By popping upright at the snap and taking on blockers high at the point of attack, Taylor loses leverage and allows himself to be tied up and driven off the ball too easily by run blockers. By playing without leverage, Taylor also gets stopped in his tracks when he tries to “bull rush.”

While Taylor’s lack of explosiveness and inconsistent technique limit his production, more concerning and debilitating are his inconsistent motor and often passive style of play. He does not attack the blocker in front of him or chase hard after the play to make plays in backside pursuit. His tendency to stop fighting to defeat blockers once they get ahold of him, leads to him being tied up and eliminated from the play way too easily for a player with his talent.

In terms of physical talent, Taylor reminds me of former Northwestern star and current Bears backup defensive end Corey Wooten, but Taylor does not play with the passion or competitiveness that Wooten displayed in college. In the end, many may expect Taylor to be a first round pick, but from what I have seen on film and heard from scouts, he is more likely to be a third to fifth round pick who will need to produce at a much higher level if he wants to be more than a backup in the NFL.

Email Russ at Russelllande@yahoo.com and Follow Russ on Twitter @RUSSLANDE

Kenny Britt missed a full week of practice for the Tennessee Titans, but the receiver is still hopeful he can play in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.

Britt told TitanInsider.com his ankle is feeling better, but it will all depend on what he can do in warmups Sunday as to whether the Titans will have him active Sunday.

It's feeling better than yesterday, so that's a good sign. We've still got two more days till Sunday.” said Britt, who is listed as questionable on the Titans injury report.

Tight end Jared Cook is listed as questionable, but practiced for a second straight day with his injured left shoulder.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com

Kellen Winslow tweeted that he is looking forward to his next NFL opportunity after reportedly asking for his release from the New England Patriots.

NFL.com reported that Winslow had asked the team to release him.

That request was granted by the team on Thursday, just days after the veteran tight end had one catch for 12 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.

Winslow's tweet read: I'm lookin forward to my next opportunity in the NFL and continuing to play the game I Love!

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com