Monday Morning Ball Spot

I'm not going to engage in trying to draw fairly limited conclusions from pre-season games... mostly because I am really tired of watching them. Chad Pennington was snapped up by the Dolphins though. And that is something interesting. For an excellent take on it, I direct you here. I'm really hoping I can pick up the Jets-Dolphins game in Week 1 though. 

So, let's recap this week's games. See if there's anything going on. 

Detroit 13, Giants 10

I wouldn't call the Detroit defense a very good one, but Carr looked pretty decent with 104 yard and a TD. Manning, on the other hand, appeared mostly out of practice. Not a good early sign from Jim Colletto's offense though, as QB Drew Stanton was the leading rusher. Going to need better effort than that if Marinelli wants to build a tough team. 

Jets 24, Browns 20

The Jets' WR situation is something to watch. With Coles, Cotchery, Wright, Stuckey, Clowney, Ball, Raymond, and Smith all competing for positions, I think they might find a pretty decent group once they finish making cuts. Browns gave up a lot of pass yardage though. It isn't necessarily an indictment of their current starters, but it does reflect a real lack of depth behind them should anyone in their secondary get injured. As good news,  the re-vamped D-line didn't give up a lot of running room. 

Ravens 16, Patriots 15

Raiders 18, 49ers 6

Raiders showed what was expected: great running game, terrible passing game. I think QB Walter has some value though, but he's wasted as a backup. He could be good trade bait. Difficult to judge defense because of how bad the 49ers are on offense. It mystifies me why the 49ers would put J.T. O'Sullivan up against the Raiders' starting defense in his first ever (pre-season included) NFL start. Either way, the fact that they're looking at him shows Smith and Hill are bombing pretty hard. 

Thursdays with Coffin Corner

Unfortunately, I could not locate the Saints game. I'm not that hugely interested in watching NE play Baltimore... since, let's be honest, both are veteran teams that won't play their starters for any length of time. Hopefully, we'll be able to watch the Saints next week. 

Favre Traded to New York Jets

Okay. Too much coverage everywhere, so this will be quick. But here's my take:

There is way to much drama and bad feeling to sort it out. The only way to ever know what really happened is if you get Favre, Thompson, and McCarthy in a room and have them agree on a set of events... which will never happen. No matter how you look at it, whatever criticism that could be leveled at either side just doesn't stick without being flipped around too. 

Did Thompson have such a big ego that he chased Favre out of town? Or did Favre have such a big ego that he couldn't deal with a GM who wouldn't get him Randy Moss, hire Steve Mariucci, and act like they were pleased as punch to see him come out of retirement? 

Does not hiring Favre show that Thompson doesn't have the best interests of the franchise at heart? Or does having picked 40 players on the roster of the youngest team in the NFL that just came off a 13-3 season while being $30 million under the salary cap show that he's bigger than Favre?

Does not hiring Favre, a proven winner, jeopardize the team? Or, if he was still a winner, why'd he throw the interception that gave the Giants the NFC Championship last season?

Was Favre a drama queen by forcing himself back from retirement? Or did Thompson plant stories about tampering by the Vikings to make this a bigger deal than it had to be? 

Did Favre think he was bigger than the team when he thought he could force his way to a release and then sign with the Vikings? Or did Favre put the team first when he went quietly to the New York Jets after being denied a clean exit by Thompson? 

Put any number of accusations here and you get the same result. End of story? As far as I'm concerned. End of circus? Not even close. 

Coffin Corner Tuesdays: Power Rankings

1. Chargers (0) Nothing will make me move on this. Antonio Gates is injured? Just pass the ball to Vincent Jackson. Nick Hardwick's out? Well, we have former starter Jeremy Newberry. It's ridiculous. 
2. Patriots (0) I really hate that they have to be here, but Randy Moss and Tom Brady do a lot to allay any concerns I have about their secondary. 
3. Colts (0) Another team I hate to put here, but Peyton Manning does a lot to keep them in games, and Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Anthony Gonzalez are still a really solid receiving group, even if nobody knows when Marvin Harrison will play again.
4. Cowboys (0) They are a very good team. The best? Not exactly. Although they played most of last season with him, I don't entirely trust Patrick Crayton. Also their D-line is somewhat suspect. Jay Ratliff is only entering his second season as starter, and I'm not a huge fan of their DEs. Secondary is looking like it has some options though, with the addition of Adam Jones and Brandon Flowers... so if they can get a playoff win it'll be a good season in Dallas.
5. Seahawks (+1) It seems a little high for them I suppose, but I'm thinking big things in Andy Reid's last year. Julius Jones has something to prove, Matt Hasselbeck is as reliable as anything, and the defense is solid. Good stuff right here. 
6. Giants (-1) Not too sure what this team is going to be, but seeing the Redskins and Eagles getting better makes me believe that it has to come at the expense of somebody. 
7. Jaguars (+1) Derrick Harvey hold out? Who cares. Is he really that much better than Groves? Were you expecting an 8 sack season from him anyways? And if you are, then ask yourself, how many sacks did you see Jamaal Anderson and Gaines Adams getting last year? Or Mario Williams the year before? They have time. What they also have is a better secondary, a good QB, WRs on the rise, and a good team. 
8. Vikings (+4) Pretty big rise here, but I think this team actually has a future. Call me crazy, and I know Tarvaris Jackson is risky like nothing else, but the D-line has to do something awful this year. I mean, Jared Allen and both Williams'? Some QB is going to get hurt. Plus, they have what is looking like an easier and easier division, and I think they could pick up some easy wins, some momentum, then it's off to the races.
9. Saints (+1) Yes, Jeremy Shockey does do that much for this team. He's a second receiver. Line him up on the same side as Colston and teams have three options, none of them good. Use a safety and have no double coverage on Colston, use an LB and risk a mismatch, or use a nickel back and lose an LB for run/rush support. Best part of it is that it forces the opposing defense to loosen the coverage on whatever guy the Saints plug in at #2 WR and gives Drew Brees two more options for the price of one. Good deal.
10. Steelers (+3) Did I have them too low before? Absolutely. Do they still have major problems along the O-line? You bet. Am I convinced Willie Parker is healthy? Getting better, but not yet. I'm also worried about Polamalu's health. I see progress, but not success this year. 
11. Bills (0) I think they belong right here. An outside shot team that, if the cards fall right, will make the playoffs. You need James Hardy to step up, Trent Edwards to preform, and improved defense to play better, but they just might pull it off. 
12. Eagles (-3) Speaking of outside shot teams, you have the Eagles. Donovan McNabb has no receivers. Now, you may say that this didn't stop him before, but remember the year they made it to the Super Bowl was the year they had Terrell Owens. Also, McNabb isn't the speed threat he used to be, and never will be again. He needs to transform into a pocket passer, but needs weapons to do so. People talk about how this team needs a red-zone threat, but what they really need is just that big, dependable receiver with good hands who can move the chains. Good luck to you Westbrook, you'll need it. 
13. Browns (-5) I'm not buying into the hype anymore. Let's go over some of the recievers that Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright will have to cover his year: Terrell Owens, Hines Ward, Chad Johnson, T. J. Houshmanzadeh, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Marshall, Lee Evans, Andre Johnson, and Reggie Wayne. Throw in basically the league's toughest schedule, and this team is in trouble. 
14. Redskins (+5) Am I reading too much into the Hall of Fame game? Definitely. Especially because the Colts haven't won their first pre-season game of the season for something like the last 5 or 6 years. However, I think Jason Campbell looked very sharp, Clinton Portis is probably as good as always, Chris Cooley is not your average tight end, and Santana Moss is at least as good if not better than your average #1 WR. Their O-line doesn't have that many years left, but they could do a lot in the next season or two to fix that. Draft an O-line man in the first round next year and you could be looking at a line in transition instead of one on the decline. You can't say enough for the leadership that Jason Taylor will hopefully provide, and I think London Fletcher-Baker is also in for a big season. I'm also taking a shine to Jim Zorn. Pretty good shot at a playoff spot in my opinion. 
15. Panthers (+5) Jake Delhomme is looking better, and I think that Hurney and Fox's win at any cost policy this year (to keep their jobs) will lead to the team getting a few wins. I'm not saying it's progress over the long term, but wins are wins. 
16. Ravens (+3) There's a saying in NFL. If you think you have two starters (or even three) then you probably don't have one. I think this definitely applies the Ravens. I absolutely HATE the Joe Flacco pick, but I also like Kyle Boller's ability to not ruin things totally and Troy Smith's ability to, in college at least, win games. Where the Ravens do have starters is on defense. And lots of them. This doesn't make them win games, but it keeps them in them. Not saying an amazing team next year.... but maybe not terrible. 
17. Packers (-3) Do I think the Brett Favre controversy hurt them? Absolutely. It's good that they have Ryan Grant in camp though. This might be a little low for them, especially if all the focus on Favre makes them mad enough to win.... but I just don't see Aaron Rodgers as starter material. What makes anyone think he is? The fact that he's been injured in all three of the situations in which he saw major playing time? He supposedly can throw a ball far? It took him way too long to unseat a 37 year old starter (admittedly, that starter's name was Brett Favre)? Don't count me on this bandwagon yet. 
18. Titans (-2) Haynesworth is under contract and motivated to produce so he doesn't get franchised again. Vince Young is hopefully better (although would his coaches announce it if he wasn't?), and supposedly this team roughed up the Rams in their training camp scrimmage. Somehow, someway, this team does just enough to win just enough of its games. That's not something you should regularly bet against. 
19. Bears (-1) Same as the Ravens, but double since they have no running game and a defense coming off a down year. Call me crazy though, but they're giving the start (maybe, as long as Lovie Smith was lying and there is in fact "rhyme and reason" to him giving Orton the start in their first pre-season game) to Kyle Orton, and he has a good record as a starter... albeit a terrible QB rating. Could they maybe pull this season off? Probably not, but they might show just enough progress to keep hope alive. 
20. Buccaneers (-3) Jeff Garcia is probably pretty unhappy at this point, and the Bucs have gained nothing. He also appears to be injured. And, as you know, the team who won the NFC South the previous year never wins it again. Joey Galloway gets a year older, as does Derrick Brooks. I'm not seeing a repeat. 
21. Cardinals (+5) Well they've managed to really make Anquan Boldin mad. Unfortunately, a lot of the situation has to do with the fact that this team has made a huge number of bad decisions in terms of draft picks and contracts. Let's go over their first round draft picks 2000 -2007 and when they were chosen. Just for fun. Thomas Jones (7), Leonard David (2), Wendell Bryant (12), Bryant Johnson (17), Larry Fitzgerald (3), Antrel Rolle (8), Matt Leinart (10), Levi Brown (5). So the end result is they have a whole lot of money tied up in players who are not necessarily producing as much as their contracts would say. Especially because there's only one pick there below 10th overall. Anyways, what counts is that they actually made some progress last year, and Ken Whisenhunt may just do enough to make this team respectable before he gets too jaded about a franchise that managed to take the two first round picks, one second round pick, and Eric Metcalf that it received from the Chargers as compensation for the pick that they used to take Ryan Lead and.... wait for it.... transform it into Andre Wadsworth, Corey Chavous, and David Boston. Hot dang. 
22. Broncos (-7) Let me sum it up for you. Rookie sensation Ryan Torain? Injured. Star WR Brandon Marshall? Suspended. O-line? Aging and ailing. Running back? Selvin Young, who predicts a 2000 yard season while his coach talks about 10-12 carries a game. Pass rush? Anchored on a guy who was busted for cocaine possession this year, none other than Marcus Thomas. Although there is that Elvis Dumervil fellow. And quick... name the starting MLB. This is a team in more trouble than it is willing to admit. No matter how hard you look, I don't think Champ Bailey and Dre Bly are going to save this one. 
23. Bengals (+4) I hate to be too optimistic... but Chad Johnson is in camp and that's a start. Rudi Johnson apparently feels good, and that's good too. And I hear Chris Perry is finally ready to play. Keith Rivers finally signed, and maybe, just maybe, they could pull together a wild-card season. Outside shot? You bet. But there's if your mottos 'Who Dey?' you might as well relay on 'Who're They?' kind of players.  
24. Jets (+1) I do think adding Brett Favre was a positive move, if only because it allows them to draft a QB next year. I know he'll bring a bit of spark to the offense, and if they play him right they might be able to put together a different season. What I mean by 'play him right' is not try to use him as a game-breaking QB, but rather focus on the Thomas Jones running game and have Favre as just enough of a threat to stop opponent's from putting 8 in the box, and punishing them if they do. Faneca and Woody will be better at run-blocking than pass-blocking anyways. 
25. Texans (-3) If they were in any other division, they'd be above a lot of these teams. But the teams above them have a shot at being second best in their divisions and the best the Texans can hope for is third. Nothing against Matt Schaub, and certainly nothing against their D-line + Demeco Ryans.... but there's no way they're ready to take down the Colts/Jaguars. 
26. Rams (-4) They will move up when they get Steven Jackson on the field. But that man is just too important to this offense right now. They've got a so-so O-line, a fragile QB, and a one WR offense (Torry Holt). They NEED Steven Jackson. Also, 300+ rushing yards against the Titans? Please. 
27. Raiders (-3) Okay. So, Javon Walker sucks harder than I could have ever possibly imagined. Who doesn't though? Darren McFadden. Their running game is the real deal next year. JaMarcus Russell isn't. A lot of the defense has to prove itself to me before I'm sold on this team though... DeAngelo Hall included. This is THE year for this team. They now have a lot of young talent, but they either get better or die in the next year or two. In 3 years from now it could either be the draft class that started a Raider dynasty, or these players could be afterthoughts.
28. Dolphins (+1) I'm not dumb enough to rank them above "real" teams with players who matter, but I think they could win games this season. Minimum of 6, maybe even 8. Which, weirdly, is more than I see the Raiders winning. I have a lot of faith in Bill Parcells, the only problem? He's not the coach. I gotta see something from Tony Sparano, because so far it appears he's just a head that grows out of Parcells' shoulder and sometimes talks. 
29. Lions (+3) 32nd was too harsh. That's where the 49ers belong. But honestly, I'm fairly certain this team will be awful next year. Too much uncertainty, too much unfounded hope. At least with Martz you knew what you were getting, a really weird offensive philosophy that either exploded or imploded. And you never knew which, and that left hope for some wins. It seems like their new system will amount to 100% certainty... that it will rely on a bad running game that will always be bad. And that leaves hope for nothing but losses. 
30. Falcons (-2) Unlike the Lions, this team has a glimmer of hope because they have both Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood... although they lack an O-line. I don't think they'll do much, but this team is in good hands for the future. 
31. Chiefs (0) This team is going nowhere fast. You think they have a leg up on someone like the Dolphins... but they don't. It's like management considers that spending a season just saying: "we're rebuilding" is a good way to spend a season. It isn't. You have to spend a season trying to win games. If you fail, that's different. But you have to try... and it's clear that they won't be trying next year. 
32. 49ers (-1) This is probably too low for them because I think they might have a very solid defense, but I really hate their QB situation. There is clearly not one real starter across the whole group. They are where the Falcons were mid-way through last season, and soon they might be okay... especially if they draft well on offense. 

Coffin Corner Tuesdays: Brett Favre and Other Storylines

You got it. Season opening power rankings. Quickly though... my impressions on what seems like the fast-resolving Brett Favre saga. 

McCarthy and Thompson point of view:

• Probably believed that Brett wasn't actually going to come back, but it quickly spiraled out of control before they could find out. Their offer of a 'marketing position' was not an insult or a bribe, it was genuine... because they though he honestly just wanted to stay involved in football. Clearly, not the case. 
  
• They will now try to trade him. The best they could hope for would be a conditional 6th round with a sliding scale that could lead all the way up to first should he meet performance criteria/stays for more than one season or something. Teams won't give a high pick flat out because the Packers have no leverage. They know that he has to go.

Brett Favre point of view

• Supposedly wants to play for real. Is he in shape? Not as sure about that. 
• He wanted a better welcome back. Is it ego? Well, maybe, but it could also be the fact that anything less than a full welcome meant the team maybe doesn't want him back. And that's a distraction and would undermine his ability to lead and compete. So it's unfortunate, but trading him might be like amputation to save the patient. Not a great result, but better than others. 
• With the trade though, isn't the point of his coming back somewhat undermined? I mean what does he hope to accomplish with this final season? Superbowl? Will it mean as much if it isn't with the Packers? I doubt that Brett's side of this is over. 

In other news, both of the Ravens' starting OT are missing the first preseason game. Kyle Boller looks to be the starter, although the actual position battle is ongoing. 

Keith Rivers signed with the Bengals, making Derrick Harvey the only first round pick who has yet to sign.

The Steven Jackson hold-out is ongoing. I'm really surprised that few people are talking about this as something that might, at this point, seriously undermine the Rams' season. 

Kyle Orton will be starting the Bears' first pre-season game. I'm entirely certain that he will win the starting job. However, Lovie Smith offered up one of the most confusing quotes in all of football while explaining it: "It's just a starting spot. There's no rhyme or reason why we're doing this in this direction. It's the way I want to go now." So, Lovie, there's no reason as to why he's starting, but you made the decision. So... flipped a coin? Odds are we're saving Sexy Rexy's feelings on this one. 

Monday Morning Ball Spot

Not exactly a Monday morning post, but it'll be hot and ready for you Tuesday morning. Not too much game activity last night, other than the Hall of Fame Game. Since I've already shared my impressions, let's take a look at some of the story-lines to follow this week as well as what games we can be looking forward to this weekend. 

Hot Topics: 

This week we saw the conclusion to the Brett Favre saga... part one. Now that we know he'll be playing, the question remains.... Where will he play? My vote is it's one of two things, both of which have their advantages. 

If Aaron Rodgers gets the start, we've got to be honest... the Packers wouldn't be going to the Super Bowl. Too much youth, not enough experience. I like Charles Woodson and Al Harris, but no veteran leadership on offense doesn't lead to a winning team. In this case, the Pack probably trades Favre for some draft picks and looks at making a Super Bowl push in 2009 or 2010. 

The other alternative is keep Favre, and try to win the Super Bowl this year. It would put them back a year or two in terms of actual progression, since anybody they'd replace Favre with (Rodgers included) would take at least a season to become playoff game win ready, but it could lead to a win this season and another title in 2010 or 2011. The other advantage is the starter at this point might not be Rodgers as Brian Brohm (and less likely, Matt Flynn) would have progressed enough to challenge him.

These are pretty obvious alternatives, but the possibilities are still worth discussing.  

Training Camp Battles

Matt Ryan vs. Chris Redman

Josh McCown vs. John Beck vs. Chad Henne

Tampering charges against the Vikings in the Brett Favre case have been dropped. I'm not really convinced a thorough investigation occurred. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the NFL just wants this whole story to resolve itself and saw dropping these charges as a good way of doing that. 

Brandon Marshall has been suspended for three games following his three arrests. Probably not a terrible thing, although since his charges are almost identical to those faced by James Harrison last season... it continues to raise questions about the fairness of the NFL's discipline policy. It'll be interesting to see if there's any statement from the Broncos coming out about this in the coming week. 

Take a look at how many injuries have come out of the Ravens' training camp so far. Symptom of an aging team? Probably. Maybe also have something to do with the new Head Coach? Maybe. This isn't a good start to their season though. Watch to see if anyone else goes down. This team might be DOA. 

Derrick Harvey and Keith Rivers continue to be the only first round picks not yet signed. Watch to see if these get resolved over the coming week. I don't think it's a coincidence that both these players play for somewhat cheap teams.

Bills LT Jason Peters continues to be a camp no-show, as does Eagles G Shawn Andrews. Both are critical to their teams' success this year. Andrews is reportedly struggling with depression, so that's a somewhat harder fix. Peters is struggling with how little his team is paying him. This might be a good intro to the people of Toronto about why the Bills remain perennially 'on the playoff bubble.' 

Upcoming Games: I can guarantee you right now that we'll be bringing you a live action game blog on Thursday evening with the New Orleans-Arizona match-up being broadcast on ESPN. Hopefully you can join us. Other than that, I'm not sure which games I'll be able to pick up on Friday/Saturday... mostly depends on broadcast schedule. 

Hall Of Fame Game: Coffin Corner Impressions

Well guys, here we are. Impressions will follow first in bullet form. I might elaborate on important points. Here we go.

Colts:

- Defense looks a little porous, bad coverage... etc. Probably not too much to be worried about, but the Colts are running out of skilled linebackers since they rarely seem to give them contract extensions. Also, slightly worried about their run defense after the surprise Quinn Pitcock recovery. A projected starter, he was fairly mediocre. I can't imagine the guys behind him would be all that better.

- Tom Moore (Offensive co-ordinator) wants to use TE Dallas Clark in the slot this year, rather than from the TE position. Although it might be to increase his receiving numbers it also indicates that they DON'T want to run the actual 3 WR formation. Last season we saw that behind Anthony Gonzalez (who is, admittedly, their #3 WR) the Colts didn't have much depth. If Moore doesn't want to run 3 WRs with Gonzalez, then he's probably doing that because Gonzalez is lining up as #2 WR. Which means Reggie Wayne is taking Marvin Harrison's starting spot, probably because Harrison is WAY more injured than anyone let on last season, and nearing the end of his career. 

- Sorgi is passing quite a bit to Tight Ends, especially back-up Gijon Robinson. Not a good sign, since it means that he's going for the easy routes. 

- Quinn Grey might be a surprise at #3 QB. He played decently for Jacksonville last year when Garrard went down, and he could have only benefitted from Colts coaching. 

- T.J. Rushing looks good on returns. 

- Getting late into the second and the Redskins have been able to just run the ball. Not a good sign for Colts D-line. 

- Colts are getting good pressure off the edges, which is good because they need depth behind Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. There are always injury worries with them. 

- I'm a bit surprised to see Kenton Keith still on the Colts' roster. They have VERY good depth at RB. 

- The reason I'm seeing Keith not making the team is because of the guy who looks so good on his first couple carries: Mike Hart. The guy didn't get drafted because he was too small and supposedly too slow. But the guy just got 35 yards on 3 carries. And he's hungry. He will be special. 

- Quinn Grey is showing great pocket presence: scrambling when necessary, but not excessively. 

- Jared Lorenzen looks fat and bad. Remind me again why this guy is still an NFL QB? 

Redskins:

- Jason Campbell started out sharp, which is a good sign since that's what they hired Jim Zorn for. Completed passes to actual WRs (Randle El for a TD). The 'skins are building depth along their D-line, which is a plus. Four no-names and they picked up one sack on the first drive, some pressure on the second. 

- Redskins seem fired up. Probably Jim Zorn's excitement. Difficult to say if it's skill or emotion powering them, but you need both in the regular season... so here's hoping it's skill. 

- I don't know how of much of an impact player rookie TE Fred Davis will be. He's staying pretty late in the game... got put in late too. And he hasn't had much buzz from training camp other than that late wake-up thing.

- Jason Taylor looks good standing on the sidelines. Let's hope he doesn't stay there. 

- Suisham looks a bit questionable kicking. Don't know if the Redskins have much to replace him with if he falters. Maybe a situation to watch. 

- Colt Brennan looks good, but watch his play. He's slow to recognize things, which indicates a little bit of the 'system' quarterback criticism leveled against him. 

And that's a wrap from Canton. We'll be back tomorrow with the Monday Morning Ball Spot.