Drafting For Need: One Of The Main Things That Sets A Franchise Back

Your team is picking in the top ten consistently and you want to know why. Well one of the reason is that your team is probably drafting for need except for  best player available. However at the same time you have to be smart about this. If you have young franchise players at the position you shouldn't be looking at that position Here is one example to show the results of reaching.

We will examine the 2007 NFL draft, and more specifically the Raiders, Lions, and Browns picks. For the 1st overall pick the Raiders needed any help to score points, as they were one of the worst in scoring points in recent history at the time. They had to choose between the need Jamarcus Russell or the best player available in Calvin Johnson. With the quarterbacks that Al Davis had passed in the the previous drafts, he felt he had to take a quarterback. As we can tell that was Al and the Raider's biggest mistake in their entire franchise's history. Then we have the Lions who had the best player available to them, but they also could have traded down and grab either Joe Thomas, or Levi Brown and address their offensive tackle need. However they felt they couldn't let a talent like Calvin pass them by. It was a great decision by as he has helped the development of Matthew Stafford and he has become arguably the NFL's best receiver. Now on to the Browns. It was either Joe Thomas or Brady Quinn. At the time they were both big areas of need, but Joe Thomas's talent was much better then Quinn's at the time. They decided to go with Thomas, and they were able to get Quinn, getting both guys. Quinn has become a bust and Joe Thomas is arguably the best OT in the NFL. If they took Quinn at #3 overall the Browns would have been an even bigger mess.

As you can see in this sample taking need over talent will never lead you to success. Taking need isn't going to guarantee you a big bust, but you are taking a bigger risk then if you were going to go after best available player. However as this league slowly moves into as a quarterback driven league quarterbacks will be taken higher then should. More specifically how last year a 2nd round quarterback in Christian Ponder was selected in the top 15. Overall the draft isn't a thing that is always certain, you will never know how this players will become.

Free Agent Analysis: Peyton Manning

This is an analysis of Peyton Manning signing with the Broncos
For years people have said if Peyton Manning were ever to become a free agent, he could greatly dictate the market, like Lebron James did in the NBA. He didn't have that kind of presence since he is coming off another neck surgery and his playing career is still in some doubt. He still had a nice pay day.

What he brings to the table: Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. However one of the main concerns is the fact he is coming off another neck injury. However if he can his impact is beyond speech. In terms of protecting him, he gets the ball out so fast that it aids that concern. He also raises the ability of his receivers. He was able to make guys like Branden Stokley and make them pro bowlers, but once he left they went back being average receivers.

Impact on the team receiving him: When you talk about a change at the position this is what Peyton Manning brings to the table. Last year the Broncos changed their entire offense to fit Tebow's skill set. Turning into a more spread offense and it caught a lot of NFL teams off guard. But finishing off the year Tebow was 1-4 including the playoffs. Showing that NFL teams caught up to what Tebow was doing. Bringing Peyton is the opposite as a defense will never feel safe with him under center. Also the receivers will feel a major impact. For example Eric Decker was having a solid year, but it all went down hill when Tebow gained the starting quarterback role. With Peyton Manning you can expect Decker to have something close to a pro bowl caliber year.

Impact on the Team losing him: Technically it is nothing since Peyton didn't play a game for the Colts last year. However overall it is without question the biggest lost for any free agent leaving their team because he makes up for so many flaws. That was proven to be a fact as not only did the Colts winning streak fell eight games, but for the first half of the year they didn't even look competitive. However they should be drafting Andrew Luck with the first pick in the NFL draft. And if he becomes what everybody says he will be this loss won't be felt in the long term at all.

Overall both teams are taking a risk. The Broncos are taking a risk of Peyton Manning hoping to be fully healed from his neck injury. The Colts are taking a risk that Andrew Luck becomes the star that they hope he becomes. The odds are these risks are well worth it.

Free agent analysis: Mario Williams

This is an analysis of Mario Williams signing with the Buffalo Bills.
Mario Williams was the defensive prized free agent. Buffalo Looks to have a defensive star for many years to come.
What he brings to the table:
Mario Williams is an elite pass rusher and is good at stooping the run. While it may not be a strength of his game, but on some occasion he can go back and drop in coverage. Obviously having experience with playing Linebacker last year makes him very versatile.
Impact on the team receiving him: The Buffalo Bills were one of the worst teams when pressuring the quarterback. Registering 29 sacks which ranked 27th in the NFL. The Bills are switching to a 4-3 defense. He will be playing defensive end. Mario Williams will get most of the double teams and because of that you could see Marcell Dareus have a break out second year.
Impact on the team losing him: The Houston Texans obviously wanted to keep Mario Williams, but at the price that it was it became too expensive for them. One thing Houston did is their defense played just as well with Mario, as they did without him. They ended the year ranked 4th in defensive points given up per game at 17.4 and ranked 2nd in total number of yards given up at 285.7. Two guys that played a bigger role last year, that must step up even more this year is Connor Barwin and Brooks Reid. As they need to find a consistent outside pass rush.
Overall both teams did a good job. Buffalo now has a consistent outside pass rush, all be it that they may have overpaid. Houston didn't have the cap to resign Mario, but they look to have a group of guys who collectively can replace him.

NFL Rankings: Top Ten NFL QB's

This is a ranking of the thirty two best quarterbacks.
1) Peyton Manning- Most people are surprised by this however, I believe when healthy Peyton is the top of the quarterback who can make the most difference. Look at the Colts they suffered an 8 loss difference and they didn't even look competitive in most of their games. My only question about Peyton is his health.
2) Tom Brady- Brady had one of the most underrated and not talked about season in NFL history. He passed for over 5,200 yards, 39 touchdowns and interceptions. Considering his supporting cast and with it being arguably the worst in the NFL. Tom Brady was under the most pressure last year he had another all-pro season.
3) Aaron Rodgers- Aaron Rodgers have without question the best season for a quarterback since Dan Marino's 1984 season. Without question he is the most complete quarterback. His mobility and accuracy makes is so that if you don't have an elite pass rush he will have great success. Also Rodgers is only 28 so he can play like this for another seven to ten years.
4) Drew Brees- Drew Brees had a year you do not season often. He passed for a little under 5,500 yards and destroyed Dan Marino's previous record. When you look at Drew Brees that you have to be critical is the amount of attempts he had. Drew Brees had 46 touchdowns, while Aaron Rodgers had 45, Drew Brees had 155 more attempts. Outside of that without question he is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and should be paid like one.
5) Eli Manning- Eli said before the season that he was an elite quarterback and he proved that he was by going another improbable run and winning his second super bowl. Eli by far had his best season as a pro by passing for a little under 5,000 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. But what has made his season even more impressive was how clutch he was and how he carried his team. Without Eli the Giants are a four to six win team.
6) Ben Rothlisberger- Big Ben had a very solid year, but towards the end he got hit by injuries and wasn't the same. Even though he usually plays well through injuries, the ankle injury greatly affected his mobility, and hurt his entire level of play. He should come back to form next year and healthy.
7) Philip Rivers- Before this year Philip Rivers stat wise was without question an elite quarterback. However last year was a down year for him as he threw a career high 20 interceptions. However he threw only 6 in the second half of the season, looking more like the old Philip Rivers. Expect to see the Philip Rivers from 2008-2010, and not the one from last year.
8) Tony Romo- Tony Romo has been one of the more unappreciated quarterbacks in the NFL. People will call him a choker and overrated, but last year he had the best year of his career. He passed for over 4,000 yards with 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and had a 102.5 quarterback rating. If the Cowboys secondary was even decent they would have been in the playoffs. Romo is not a problem in Dallas.
9) Matthew Stafford- Before this season he was labeled as an injury prone quarterback in his first two years. However in 2011 he broke for an all time great season passing for over 5,000 yards. As long as he is healthy he will be the face of the Lions for many and many years to come.
10) Jay Cutler- Jay Cutler is a quarterback that can some of the best plays you have ever seen. However then make one of the dumbest plays that you couldn't. However when he went out with injury his value was very undervalued.

Giants Offseason Preview

This is a preview of the Giants Offseason.
QB- Eli Manning said before the season that he was an elite quarterback and he backed that statement with having a great year and winning another super bowl by beating Tom Brady. Eli will most likely end up being the greatest Giants quarterback ever. The problem is what is backing up Eli. They will probably bring a young quarterback in the late rounds or an undrafted one to compete with Carr for the backup job.
RB- When you think the Giants you think of a team they can run the ball with the best of them. Stats however told you that they were the worst in the NFL. Once the playoffs came along they were able to have a successful running game, but not the level when the made there first super bowl run four years ago. They will probably draft a running back in the late rounds to add depth.
WR- The Giants have built the last two years one of the youngest and best receiving cores in the NFL. Victor Cruz came out of nowhere and broke out to break the receiving yards record of the Giants. However you can't double Cruz mainly because of Hakeem Nicks. You have to double him and if you don't he will do what he showed in the playoffs. Hakeem Nicks can approach top five level if he becomes more consistent in the regular season. Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon are free agents. Manningham is pretty much gone, as he will take the money and run. Hixon can comeback and the only issue is his knee. Look for them to draft a receiver in the mid rounds to try to replace Manningham.
TE- This is a position the Giants haven't payed much attention to since trade Jeremy Shockey three years ago. The big issue is that Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum are coming off of serious knee injuries. Expect the Giants to target a veteran tight end in free agency and draft a tight end in the mid to late rounds.
OL- This group wasn't as good as it was when the Giants they won their first super bowl, but it was very solid moving players like Kevin Boothe and David Diehl around the line. Losing veteran players like Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert showed up as the unit had a lot more mental mistakes. One of the biggest disappointments was the play of Kareem McKenzie. He played as one of the elite O-Tackles in 2010, but in 2011 he played very average. He is a free agent, but he may come back as the Giants don't have a Tackle that can replace him. Expect the Giants to target an Offensive Tackle early in the draft.
DL- The Giants have one of the best, if not the best defensive lines in the NFL. One of the biggest key though is having three defensive ends. This makes the Osi Umenyoria contract very interesting. The relationship is much better then it was before the season so it is possible. A key player could be Marvin Austin who will be back from injury who was suspended in 2010. If Osi does get traded expect the Giants to take a Defensive End early in the draft.
LB- A unit that isn't the best, but gets the job done. The biggest key was Michael Boley. He had a very good season and proved to be worth the contract he signed two years ago. Mathis Kiwanuka made the switch to Outside Linebacker and because of the depth he may stay there. They look to resign Jonathan Goff to a prove it contract. Will all the young linebackers they added in the draft it isn't as pressing as a need. Expect them to take a linebacker in the mid rounds.
DB- This is a position that has underperformed for the Giants especially the corners. Corey Webster has been good, but the other ones haven't played up to their talents. One guy you can expect a break out year to become an elite is Kenny Philips. His knee looks to finally be one hundred percent and he has all the qualities you look for in an all-pro safety. Three big keys to their secondary are free agents in Deon Grant, Terrell Thomas, and Aaron Ross. Ross may get more money then he is worth because of him playing better in their super bowl run. Grant won't get any big offers as he will be available if the Giants want him back. Terrell Thomas will be back simply because he is coming off a serious knee injury, and the Giants will give him a one year deal to prove he is back from his injury. Look for the Giants to take a corner in the early to mid rounds to help out their depth and the future.

Patriots Offseason Preview

This is a preview of the Patriots Offseason
QB- Tom Brady is a top four quarterback in the NFL and anyone can make the argument that he is the best. However one concern is as Brady ages will there be a decline soon, and when should the Patriots aggressively look for his successor? Brady probably has 2 or 3 more elite years left, although he may play in his 40's. The bigger concern is who is behind him as Ryan Mallet is not ready and Brian Hoyer is unproven. They will keep on developing these guys right now.
RB- Through all of the Patriots success they never had a running back that carried the team, although when you have a quarterback like Brady you don't need it. As a team the running game wasn't much different, but individual seasons like BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead weren't matched. Two free agents are Kevin Faulk and Green-Ellis. Faulk may very well just retire and he is bigger name then he really is. As far as Green Ellis as solid as he as been the Patriots don't overpay for their players. So unless he lowers his demands he isn't expected to be back. Steven Ridley then is expected to take a bigger load in the running game. They would then add depth in the draft.
WR- The receivers for the Pats has transitioned from using mainly big receivers to now Smaller and quicker ones. They did a very good job, although they have there limitations. If you can successful press these guys, like the Giants and Steelers did last year you would be able to limit what the Patriots could do in the Passing game. Chad Johnson was supposed to be the deep threat but that idea failed miserably. Other free agents are Deion Branch and Wes Welker. Welker won't be going anywhere and expect them to hit him with the franchise tag. However the Patriots need to find more young receivers and because of this expect the Pats to not resign Deion Branch. Although in training camp if the young receivers are meeting expectations, they could be giving him a call to resign him cheaply. Look for them early in the draft to target a big receiver.
TE- The New England Patriots have the dream scenario at the tight end position. In which having two all-pro tight ends. First have you have Rob Gronkowski who may be the best tight end in the NFL. Among the new young tight ends he is really the only one who is a good blocker. But with that he is a great receiver. In Aaron Hernandez who may be one of the most athletically gifted tight ends. He allows the Patriots to go in their no huddle more effectively because he can lineup as a tight end, running back, or wide receiver.
OL- The Patriots may never have one of the elite lines in the NFL, but they are one of the best in terms of protecting Tom Brady. They have in more recent years solidified the Tackles with picking Nate Solder in the 1st round last year. They have filled the guard position opposite Logan Mankins with Brian Waters, who had a great year. But as he ages you need to find a replacement. Look for them to target a guard in the mid to late rounds of the draft.
DL- Couple of years ago the Patriots had one of the best 3-4 d-lines, however with being unable to replace Richard Seymour and Ty Warren, the Patriots were forced to switch into some more 4-3 fronts. They worked pretty good in the first half with Andre Carter having a pro bowl year, but with him being out for the year they had to find other ways to create pass rushers. The Patriots don't have an interior pass rusher. Look for to look for one in the early to mid rounds.
LB- Like the d-line the linebacker core was in transition switching to some 4-3 fronts. They have done a great job at finding two future pro bowlers in Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes. However they had no one to rush the passer in their 3-4 fronts. Look them to look for an outside pass rusher early in the draft.
DB- Outside of Patrick Chung the rest of the secondary played horrible consistently most of the year before the playoffs where they showed improvement. One thing that does have to concern the Patriots is the play of Devin McCourty he showed great promise in 2010, but last year took a huge step back. Outside of one of the safety spots expect the Patriots to draft aggressively early in the draft.

49ers Offseason Preview

This is a preview of the 49ers offseason.
QB- The 49ers surprised many people and one of their biggest surprises was the play of Alex Smith. He wasn't great by any means, but he was very efficient at not turning the ball over and keeping the 49ers in every game. Alex Smith future isn't one hundred percent certain. He should be back with the 49ers, but only at their price. If he doesn't come back you can probably expect Colin Kaepernick to get a good shot at becoming the starter.
RB- The 49ers have one of the most deep depth at the running back position. Frank Gore is one of the elite running backs in the NFL and his only issues is his injury history. To make that less of a risk they will give Kendall Hunter the ball more.
WR- One of the more underachieving wide receiving cores in the NFL. Michael Crabtree has not lived up as a top ten pick and he may not be the receiver that can make Alex Smith or who ever starts for the 49ers better. With the release of Braylon Edwards, Ted Ginn becomes more valuable for them to keep. He is expecting to be back. Look for them to look in the early to mid rounds for a receiver.
TE- Vernon Davis is one of the new elite tight ends in the NFL. One guy who gets over shadowed is Delanie Walker and he is a big asset to this team. Without both of these guys the 49ers would be much less explosive.
OL- They have a build a solid young o-line. There is no elite talent, but they play well as a unit. The free agents along this unit are Adam Synder and Chilo Rachel and one of these guys will be back more then likely it will be Rachel. They struggled in interior pass protection against the best defensive line, so expect them target offensive guards in the mid to late rounds.
DL- In the 3-4 system this may be the best d-lines in the NFL. Led by Justin Smith who was the most dominant interior d-lineman last year and was the best player on the 49ers defense. They have no depth behind Smith, McDonald, and Sopoaga, so expect them to add depth through the draft.
LB- The 49ers too young rookies in Aldon Smith and Navarro Bowman exceed anyone's expectations of them. Both of them had arguably all-pro season. However you can't forget about Patrick Willis and when healthy is without a question the best MLB in the game. The only question about this unit is the pass rusher outside of Aldon Smith. Look for them to look for them in the mid rounds.
DB- One of the most improved parts of this 49ers defense was the play of the secondary more specifically Carlos Rodgers and Dashon Goldston. However those two are upcoming free agents. Look for them to keep Goldston over Rodgers because of the depth at corner compared to free safety. Look for them to look for a corner in the early to mid rounds.