JagNation’s Draft Big Board Part 1: Defense February 11, 2011
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Super excited for the draft! I’ve been thinking of all the players that my Jaguars could draft. So, I decided to put my energy in the form of writing. This is part 1 of my Big Board. Today, I will be covering defensive players. And in the next few days, I will be doing the offensive players. So this is just my opinion (that and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee), please feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts.
Defensive Ends
1.) Da’Quan Bowers- Clemson- This guys is an absolute athletic freak. He reminds me a lot of Julius Peppers. The only thing that concerns me is that he does have some bad tape, but the upside is great. Definetly a top 5 pick
2.) Marcell Dareus, Alabama- This guy was the anchor to the Alabama defensive line which reaked havoc on teams this year. He will definetly be a first round pick.
3.) Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue- This guy will be overlooked because of the school he comes from. But take a look at his stats… During his senior campaign, he led the NCAA with 26 TFL’s to go along with his 12.5 sacks, pretty impressive.
4.) Von Miller, Texas A&M- This guy is fit for either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme, which makes him very appealing to teams. He has a motor that never stops. He will probably be a first round pick.
Defensive Tackles
1.) Nick Fairley, Auburn- As if this was a shocker. His play speaks for himself. He shut down Alabama. He also shut down the high powered Oregon offense in the NC game. He is definetly a top 5 pick. I think he will go at #2, AJ Green in my mind, is the best player.
2.) Cameron Jordan, Cal- He can play defensive tackle or defensive end, which will make him appealing to other teams. This past season, he had 12.5 TFL’s, and he had 5.5 sacks. According to reports, he was unblockable at Senior Bowl practices, and apparently, Marvin Lewis (senior bowl coach) nearly kicked him out of practice for hitting the quarterback. I like that!
3.) Cameron Heyward, Ohio State- He is a high energy guy, that has a great work ethic. He has great strength and decent speed, and should be able to get to the quarterback. Im guessing he will be a second round pick.
4.) Drake Nevis, LSU- He put together a great senior year, with 13 TFL’s and six sacks. He would be a great addition to any line. Im guessing mid second round for him.
Linebackers
1.) Mason Foster, Washington- I watched this guy play against Cal I think, and I came away very impressed. He was making plays all over the place, and got to the quarterback several times. I hope that Jaguars draft him 
Definetly a high 2nd round pick.
2.) Martez Wilson, Illinois- I personally have never seen this guy play, but from his stats he seems like he is a great player.
3.) Bruce Carter, North Carolina- Another high motor guy that can reak havoc on any defense. The transition to the NFL may take him a little bit, but in time, he will be a top flight linebacker.
4.) K.J. Wright, Mississippi State- I’ve only seen this guy in the game when Miss. St. played Florida, but he looked pretty good. He has decent speed and is very strong.
Corners
1.) Patrick Peterson, LSU- This guys is one of the fastest guys in the country. He is a gifted athlete that can cover the entire field, and he can return punts. Definetly a first round pick
2.) Prince Amukamara, Nebraska- Hes a very good corner. Hes just as good as Peterson. Both will be top 10 picks.
3.) Jimmy Smith, Colorado- Again, the guy is just an absolute freakish athlete. I believe that corners are the best athletes on the field. And all of the corners that I have on my big board are freakish athletes.
4.) Brandon Harris, Miami- Again, this kid is a freakish athlete. He did struggle a bit in the Hurricane’s exhibition against the Dolphins, but of course, that will be fixed as he gains experience.
Safteys
1.) Ahmad Black, Florida- Say what you want, Im going with my boy Ahmad. I’m a die hard gator fan and have wached this man play for 4 years. He is one of the best safteys I have ever seen. He will be overlooked because of his size (5’9 190lbs), but trust me, he can lay the wood and he is a great athlete. I’m hopin the Jags draft this guy! He is projected to be a third-fourth round pick.
2.) Rahim Moore, UCLA- He played for a horrible team, which kind of made him look bad. But if you look at him, he is a great player. Definetly a second round pick.
3.) Quinton Carter, Oklaholma- He has good size and speed. He also is very smart. He should be a good fit for any team. Probably a second round pick.
4.) Deunta Williams, North Carolina- He played well at UNC over the years. And has slated himself to probably be a late second round pick.
Hope you enjoyed. Be looking for the offensive addition soon! If you have any changes or suggestions, please let me know!
NFC Divisional Games January 22, 2011
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There were some great matchups this weekend!
Bears @ Seahawks-
The Seahawks came in as a underdog this week against a great Bears team. I was rooting for the Seahawks (nothing I love more than a good underdog story), but The Bears came out and jumped up on the Seahawks early. In fact, until late in the game, the seahawks were down by 21 points. Jay Cutler was on fire in this game. He went 15-28 for 274 yards and 2 td’s. He also had 8 rushes for 43 yards and 2 td’s. Cutler’s tight end Greg Olsen also caught fire as he finished the day with 3 catches for 113 yards and 1 td. The Seahawks had a respectable day. They scored 24 points. Hassleback threw for 258 yards and 3 td’s. Brandon Stokely finished the day with 8 rec for 85 yards and a td. Mike Williams was a virtual non factor today, as Charles Tillman xhug him down the whole game. Williams did however, manage to get two “cake” td catches, one was off a tip ball.
GB @ ATL-
I was very intrested in this game. I love Arron Rodgers. The way he opperates his offense is spectacular, so I knew this would be a high scoring game. The first few drives were punts, but the Atlanta offense finaly god some offense going and the drive was capped off by a 12-yard Michael Turner run. The second quarter was filled with offense. Rodgers hooked up with Jordy Nelson for a touchdown. On the kickoff Eric Weems took it to the house for a 102-yard td return. John Kuhn scored later for the packers on a 1 yard td rush. The rest of the scoring in the second quarter consisted of a Arron Rodgers to James Jones td pass, and a 70 yard pick 6 by Tramon Williams. The Packers dominated the rest of the game and rolled on to a 48-21 win. Rodgers finished the day with 366 yards and 3 td’s. Next week the Packers will travel to Soilder Field to take on their division rival the Bears.
Well thats it for now. This has been JagNation32… Catch ya later!
AFC Divisional Round Review January 17, 2011
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Ravens Vs. Steelers
This game was dominated by two destructive defensive squads of the Ravens and the Steelers which held both teams to under 400 yards of offense combined. The Steelers scored on their opening drive with a little help from the officials. The Ravens were called for pass interference when the replay showed Mike Wallace causing the interference, and before Rashard Mendenhall’s touchdown run an offensive lineman had a very late hit. Then the Ravens got some payback as the following drive, as Ray Rice scored on a 14 yard touchdown run. Later in the first quarter Ben Roethlisberger was hit from behind which caused the ball to come free, but everyone thought the play was over except for Corey Redding who picked up the ball and went untouched into the end zone for a 14-7 lead. During the end of the half Todd Heap(who didn’t play in the last Ravens Vs. Steelers game) caught a 4 yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco. In the second half, the Steelers were no longer messing around as Big Ben threw two touchdown passes one to TE Heath Miller the other to WR Hines Ward which tied the game at 21-21. Early in the fourth quarter the Steelers kicked a 35 yard field goal to put them in front 24-21. Then, the Ravens kicked a 24 yard field goal to tie the game 24-24, but the Steelers didn’t even worry driving down the field for a 2 yard touchdown run by Mendenhall. The Ravens then came battling back, yet it did not pay off as T.J. Houshmandzadeh drop a fourth down pass from Flacco. Thus the Steelers went on to win the game, and will stay at home as they play the New York Jets next week for a ticket to the Super Bowl in Dallas.
Jets Vs. Patriots
This game had a major build up all week with the Jets players talking trash, and Wes Welker making hints at coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish. This game had a slow start as the only points in the first quarter was a 34 yard field goal by the Patriots. Then, in the second quarter the Jets scored two times once on a 7 yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to LaDainin Tomlinson, and on a 15 yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Braylon Edwards to put the Jets up 14-3 at halftime. In the final seconds of the third quarter Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler, then Sammy Morris got the two point conversion to put the Pats within a field goal. Two minutes into the fourth quarter Santonio Holmes caught a pass in the back left hand corner of the end zone and the Jets increased their lead to 21-11. Then, for some reason the Pats decided to take a 7 minute drive (no sense of urgency whatsoever) and they didn’t even score. They later got the ball back only to kick a field goal to make it 21-14. The Patriots onside kick failed and was picked up by Antonio Cromartie who ran it back to the Pats 20 yard line. The Jets scored on the second play of the drive, but received a 15 yard Excessive Celebration penalty. Everyone knew the Jets really didn’t care, when we saw Rex Ryan hustle down that field to give RB Shonn Greene a hug after his touchdown run. With the Patriots down 28-14 Brady gave it his best to lead them back as he tossed a touchdown pass to Deion Branch in the back of the end zone to make it 28-21. They missed yet another onside kick which gave the Jets the ball back, and the New England crowd was displeased as the Jets ran out the clock. This was an amazing stand by the New York defense which in two weeks have shutdown Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Next up for Gang Green is Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Heath
The Illegal Hits January 15, 2011
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This season the NFL fans and players have seen a major spike in player safety. When one player hits another play in a way the NFL states is illegal they are slapped with a fine that a yearly salary for some Americans. The players have spoken out against these aggressive fines on a weekly basis, but the NFL only seems to raise the fines week after week. James Harrison(probably the most violent player in the NFL) has been targeted by for his helmet to helmet hits and leading with the helmet hits. Harrison has had other NFL defensive players stand up for him by saying the NFL has targeted Harrison when it comes to these hits.
This week the NFL has sent out warnings to the players that in the playoffs the minimum fine for and illegal hit will be 50 thousand dollars. Raising the fine to 75 thousand for the second offense, 90 thousand for a Pro Bowl offense, and 100 thousand dollars for a Super Bowl offense. It might just be me, but the NFL appears to have lost it mind when it comes to fines. Many suspect these fines are just to protect players so that they will be fine with and 18 game season. I wouldn’t mind an 18 game season, but come on these players can’t take going(if playing in the Superbowl as a 5th or 6th seed) 22 games a season. Star players have took it upon themselves to speak out against an 18 season saying it will cause these players more injuries. Others have said this is just another way for the NFL and the team owners to make more money. If they want to fix the injury problem work on making better equipment for the players to wear. The stand the NFL seems to have taken on the “Illegal Hits” could cause problems in the future of the sport.
Heath
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Teams Looking for New Coaches January 12, 2011
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Broncos: Now that John Elway is controlling the team, the Tim Tebow experiment may come to an end. Only Elway knows, but Denver had an interview set up with John Fox, former head coach of the Panthers, today. However, due to snow Fox’s trip to Denver has been moved to Wednesday. John Fox has been thought of as the favorite to become the new head coach for the Broncos this season. Fox might take a chance on Tebow just like he took a chance drafting Clausen(although it seemed Fox didn’t trust Clausen). This season is a rebuilding season in Denver, but they could have a turnaround like the Rams and Chiefs had this season. The draft picks will need to be used on the defense, but will Fox and Elway see that. Many question whether John Elway will do a decent job in Denver only time will tell.
Panthers: Reports coming in have it that Ron Rivera will be the next Panthers head coach. Rivera has recently been the defensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers. This could mean that the Panthers defense will be more aggressive, and that they will have more chances at winning games in the 2011 season. The Panthers had a less-than-decent defensive line this season which can be credited to the departure of Julius Peppers. With the number one pick in this years draft that defensive line can get a big boost considering the top two predicted draft picks are D lineman. This team will need a total makeover to compete with the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New Orleans Saints. This season we might have seen a changing in the toughest division in the NFC from the East to the South. Well good luck Coach Rivera on your upcoming season.
Wildcard Sunday January 11, 2011
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What a wildcard weekend it was! The Seahawks beat the Saints, and the Jets knocked out the Colts on a last minute field goal. It was a great start to my weekend. On Sunday, the game I was most intrested in was The Baltimore @ KC game. Ill break down the games for you….
Ravens @ Chiefs
The Ravens ended up on winning this one 30-7. Joe Flacco made this Chief defense look like a high school team. He passed for 265 yards and 2 td’s. The Raven defense was also dominating… Holding Matt Cassel to just 70 yards passing and 0 td’s. And even more impressive, they held Jamaal Charles (who finished the regular season second in rushing yards) to just 82 yards. My player of the game… Todd Heap. The man was just a freak. He had 10 catches for 108 yards and converted many third downs. He basically told the Chiefs, “Do not bring Kool aid to a grown mans party.” The Ravens have an intresting scenario next week. They will travel to Pittsburgh to take on their division rival Steelers for the third time this year. Its gonna be a battle.
Packers @ Eagles
The Packers headed to Philly this weekend to take on the Eagles. I knew this was going to be a good game, but I had no idea it would be this close… The Packer D set the tone early and sacked Michael Vick on the very first play from scrimmage. Vick was contained for most of the day, he finished with 292 yards, 1 td and 1 int. However, the Eagle defense could not shut down Aaron Rodgers. He finished the day with 180 yards and 3 tds. Towards the end, the Eagles were down 21-16, and were driving. However, on a deep ball to Riley Cooper, Vick was intercepted ending the game. Rodgers finaly got his first playoff win, last year his team scored 45 points but lost. Im sure that is one monkey he is glad to have off his back.
Well, until next time. This is JagNation32. Catch ya later!
A Brief Look at Next Week January 10, 2011
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AFC:
Next week the AFC divisional rounds are just that both games contain teams in the same conference. The Jets and Pats will face off to see who is really the best team in the AFC East with a AFC championship spot on the line. Tom Brady is possible playing the best football of his career, but Rex Ryan used Revis and Cromartie to shutdown Peyton Manning now they have to shutdown Brady. The Ravens will battle the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a battle of defense. This could be the lowest scoring game of the playoffs since both teams are defensive minded. My predictions for these games is the Jets pull the major upset against the Patriots, and the Ravens will shutdown Big Ben and the Steelers.
NFC:
The team that shocked NFL fans everywhere Saturday with a win over the Saints will be heading to Chicago next week to take on the second seed Bears. The Bears defense will need to bring pressure on Matt Hasselbeck in the pocket, or he will have time to set his feet and throw the ball. The Seahawks will need to rely on Marshawn Lynch breaking runs like he did against the Saints. The other NFC game is the Green Bay Packers going into Atlanta to play the Falcons this weekend. This will be the toughest challenge maybe of the playoffs beating Atlanta at home. Matt Ryan has only lost 2 games at home as a starter, but he will have to make quick plays if he plans on avoiding being sacked by Clay Matthews. The Green Bay offense can put up scores, yet the game will be put on the hands of their defense who has to stop the Atlanta offense. I believe Atlanta will get the win at home, and the Seahawks will make a shocking upset of the Bears.
Twitter January 9, 2011
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Attention Readers: We have created a Twitter account for our fans to get instant updates for the blog. Here is the link to the page:http://twitter.com/#!/thepigskinpress
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Wild Card Saturday Review January 9, 2011
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WOW! What a day! It started with a major upset in Seattle to a last second win in Indianapolis. Saturday we saw some great performances by veteran players, and some young stars were shining bright.
Saints Vs. Seahawks
In this game, football fans saw what could be the greatest post season touchdown run ever by Marshawn Lynch. Matt Hasselbeck showed all of his critics that he can still play going for 272 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and only one ”Tip Drill” interception. He would’ve had a even better game if his WRs didn’t drop some well-thrown passes. Late in the fourth quarter the Seahawks were trying to run down the clock, but got a touchdown run instead. Marshawn Lynch saved his best touchdown run of his career for the big stage. He broke 8 tackles on a 67 yard touchdown run which had the entire Seahawks offense (including Hasselbeck) running down the field trying to block everyone in their path. This game could go down as “Upset of the Year”.
The Saints got a great effort out of Drew Brees who had 400 yards passing. The reason they lost this game is that the Saints defense could not stop the Seahawks offense. Roman Harper was being ripped apart today by Matt Hasselbeck and his WR crew. The Saints need to look at this defeat and make some changes heading into next season.
Jets Vs. Colts
People were wondering how this game could even compete with Saints Vs. Seahawks, but Peyton Manning and Rex Ryan found a way. The Colts were getting shut out on their firt couple of drives, but then receiver Pierre Garcon got behind the Jet defense for a big time passing touchdown. The Colts couldn’t find the endzone the rest of the night; however, they relied on Adam Vinatieri’s leg. He made a 50 yard field goal with 45 seconds left on the clock (but all who watched the game knew that didn’t really matter in the end.)
The Jets played great defense throughout the game. Rex Ryan showed his trust in young QB Mark Sanchez allowing him to pass in tough situation, yet he wasn’t having that great of a night. The powerful running game of the Jets helped them take the lead away from Indianapolis late in the game. New York got the ball back with 45 seconds left on the clock. Antonio Cromartie returned the kick off near midfield. The Jets were able to run the ball into Colts territory, and run down the clock when the Colts took a questionable timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the young Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez took a shot at Braylon Edwards who made the catch of the game giving kicker Nick Folk a better chance of making the game-winning field goal. Folk’s kick went straight down the middle to win the game for the New York Jets.
Next Week
We know that the Jets have this next week to prepare for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots . The Seahawks will either play the Bears or the Falcons depending on the outcome of the Eagles Vs. Packers game. This weekend has shown us two things. One, that you can never count out the underdog even if you are the defending champs. Secondly, you must be able to convert on third downs. If the Colts would have gotten a 3rd down conversion with 45 secs left they could have ran the clock down to win the game. So far “Wild Card Week” has been just what the name says: “Wild.”
Heath
NFC: Wild Card Round Preview January 7, 2011
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This weekend the first round of the playoffs take place. There are two NFC games this week the Saints Vs. the Seahawks and the Packers Vs. the Eagles. The winners of these games will go on to play the Atlanta Falcons or the Chicago Bears the following week.
Saints Vs. Seahawks
The first NFC wild card game is the defending Super Bowl Champs the New Orleans Saints against the Seattle Seahawks( the first playoffs team to have a record under .500). The Saints have a setback already for the game with running backs Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory out. This lets the Seahawks defense focus more on the passing game. This adds more pressure on Brees knowing that he will have to lead the Saints to victory without having a stable running game behind him.
The Seahawks announced on Wednesday that Matt Hasselbeck will be their starting quarterback for the game Saturday. Hasselbeck has had his two best games over the past six years against the New Orleans Saints. Also, Hasselbeck has won his past four home playoffs starts. With the Saints banged up on defense this could mean another huge game for Hasselbeck. Even if Hasselbeck would have a huge game the RBs would need to come up big.
Packers Vs. Eagles
A week one rematch this time Michael Vick will be playing the whole game instead of one half. The Eagles are hoping that Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson got healthy since that Tuesday night game against Minnesota. No team really has an advantage in this game since the Eagles have a 4-4 home record and the packers are 3-5 on the road. The one thing the Eagles have going for them is their ability to make the big plays( tied for the league’s best 80 plays of over 20 yards).
The Packers will have to rally as a team to get a win on the road. This team could wind up with the leagues past to defensive players of the year with Chase Matthews and Charles Woodson. Aaron Rodgers will have to come up with a big game using his offensive weapons Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, and Jermichael Finley. The Packers defense will have to find a way to shut down Michael Vick without leaving DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin open(Both average 10+ per reception).
My Predictions
The Saints will get a victory on the road at Seattle, and the Eagles will beat what seems to be everyones playoff team the Green Bay Packers.
Heath
