Thursday, February 28, 2013

2013 Offseason Needs: AFC South



This week and next, between Tuesday and Friday, I am going through the NFL division-by-division, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. I have covered the bases in the AFC East and AFC North, so today I move on to the AFC South.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Houston Texans

I like Houston in 2013. J.J. Watt stepped up in a huge way this year and I expect more of the same. Brian Cushing will be back, too, so I have no doubts that the defense will be ready to carry this team at least as far as it went this year.

The offense is what concerns me. Arian Foster is a premier NFL back, and they have one of the best receivers in the NFL in Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub just does not look good when they go up against anything better than a mediocre defense. Cincinnati’s defense, which was little more than ‘up-and-coming’ this year, made him look incompetent in the postseason.

There is no expectation that Schaub could be out in Houston, but he needs to find his mojo, which he lost sometime around 2010, because this is a Super Bowl contender doomed for Divisional Round exits if he doesn’t step his game up.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts underwent a total overhaul last offseason and found themselves in the playoffs, so they have to be feeling very good about what just a few changes could bring in 2013.

Bruce Arians is out as he takes over head coaching duties in Arizona, but the Colts were quick to bring in one of Andrew Luck’s coaching from Stanford, so we shouldn’t see the loss of Arians affect him too much next season.

The big name among Indy’s free agents is Dwight Freeney, but losing him won’t be as big a blow as fans want to think it will be. Freeney is getting older and isn’t what he was during the mid-2000’s when the Manning Era looked like it may never end.

The offense is just about set, all Indy needs is a lineman or two who can protect Luck better than the unit did in 2012. On defense, the pass rush was a weak point for Indianapolis this season, but mostly because receivers were getting open too quickly down the field. The top priority needs to be the secondary, then the Colts can look to add a linebacker and replace Freeney if he does, in fact, leave.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I’ll tell you right now, the Jaguars will not be turning any heads in 2013. This team looks hopeless right now, and teams that look like that don’t turn things around in one offseason. Nobody likes to hear this, but what Jacksonville needs to do is treat this process as a multi-season thing. If they look for a quick fix, not only will it fail but it will make the process of turning this team into a contender take much longer than it has to.

The Jaguars have the second pick in the draft, and they need players on defense. They need offensive weapons, too, but defense was their weaker point this season. Of course, drafting that pick could help more because then they can add players on both sides of the ball.

Gabbert needs to be Jacksonville’s man, and they need to get him the offseason work he needs. They have to make sure Maurice Jones-Drew is fully recovered and they might want to get a decent backup, because they didn’t have anything this season once he went down.

The defense needs a total overhaul, each part needs to be replaced or refurbished. If the Jaguars can do enough to notch six wins in 2013, then next offseason could hold brighter tidings in the crystal ball.

Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson needs to get back in his groove next season to take the pressure of Jake Locker, who came on strong this year but is still too young to trust as much more than a game manager.

Offensively, I like where Tennessee is going. They are slowly looking more and more like the Titans of the late 90’s, a team I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

Defensively, the Titans need work. The line and secondary are clearly the biggest areas in need of improvement, depth at linebacker is important, too. They lost Colin McCarthy, a very good young linebacker, to ankle and concussion injuries for most of the 2012 season and nobody was there to step into his role.


Tomorrow I will go through the AFC West, looking at each team’s offseason outlook just like I did for the AFC South today. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

2013 Offseason Needs: AFC North



This week and next, between Tuesday and Friday, I am going through the NFL division-by-division, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. Yesterday I covered the bases in the AFC East, today I move on to the AFC North. I will talk about the Alex Smith trade on Friday when I cover the AFC West.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Baltimore Ravens

Jim Caldwell will stay on as offensive coordinator in 2013, so we will get a chance to analyze whether it really was the combination of him and Joe Flacco that led to so much offensive success in the playoffs. I still think it was just the fates of Ray Lewis, but that’s just my theory.

Joe Flacco is demanding big money, and no matter what his agent says, Tom Brady taking less than half of what Flacco is asking in his new deal affects what the Ravens will be willing to pay Joe Cool.

Not to mention, if Flacco gets the money he wants, they will lose some key pieces. With the fire of their defense gone, they need as many of their guys back as possible, but among the guys they could lose, Ed Reed, Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Cary Williams stand out.

Anquan Boldin has already said he won’t play for another team, but that doesn’t mean he’ll play next year if the Ravens can’t afford him.

Ravens fans can hound me all they want for saying this, but what the Ravens need this offseason is consistency from what they had this past season. They need to keep as many of their players as possible, they need to add a talented young linebacker and one more wide receivers and add a little depth elsewhere. But the only way they can do that is if Flacco backs off and takes a little less money than what he’s asking.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals should be pretty content right? They are coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in three decades, right? So let’s move on.

Of course I’m kidding. I’m just sick of people always having to bring this kind of stuff up whenever they write about the team’s previous season. Seriously, as I researched what the Bengals need this offseason, every single article I read included some mention of that milestone. This is not the same team that it was 30 years ago, so stop being so impressed!

On to the Bengals, their defense really came along during the latter part of the season. Depth is what they really need on that side of the ball.

On offense, the Bengals have a very good running back in BenJarvus Green-Ellis but they don’t really have a good second guy to go to. Green-Ellis is used to being the workhorse, but with how short the average running back’s NFL career is, how many more years can that be the case?

Cincinnati also has one of the best receivers in the NFL in A.J. Green. Dalton was able to get it done this year with very little depth at the position but the Bengals will never get over the hump if they don’t get Green a right-hand man.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have a new coaching staff and it is unlikely that Brandon Weeden will be the only quarterback they go through training camp expecting with who is expecting to start. I really like what they have with Greg Little, Josh Gordon, and Trent Richardson on offense.

On defense, there really isn’t much of anything that I like. The Browns have a lot of cap space, about $40 million. They haven’t been using that space the past couple years; maybe this is the year they try to get some actual talent.

Beyond that, the only thing I like about the Browns is Phil Dawson. They better make a serious splash in free agency and in the draft. I don’t see anything good coming out of Cleveland in 2013 if they don’t make some serious moves this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Wallace is unlikely to return, and with Jonathan Dwyer turning heads this season, Rashard Mendenhall may not be back either.

The Steelers have a talented team. I never really understood why they weren’t able to win games. Yes, Ben Roethlisberger spent several weeks injured, but they’ve found ways to win when he’s hurt before. The only thing I’ve come up with is that they are lacking in depth across the board.

I’m not saying they don’t have good backups, but they have a lot of backups who aren’t really worth having who are eating up roster space that would be much better occupied by other guys. I’m not really sure what Pittsburgh needs, but they don’t have much cap space so expect them to part ways with a lot of players to make room for better depth.


Tomorrow I will go through the AFC South, looking at each team’s offseason outlook just like I did for the AFC North today. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

Also, tune in to WMUC Sports Radio at 7pm today as I co-host The All-Sports Crew. We'll cover hockey, basketball, baseball and some offseason NFL news, as well.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

2013 Offseason Needs: AFC East



Today through Friday, I will be looking at what teams in each AFC division need to address this offseason. Next week, Tuesday through Friday, I will do the same for the NFC divisions.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills have already gone under severe changes. They have a brand new coaching staff and a new team president. There are also rumors that Buddy Nix, Buffalo’s GM, may be on the hot seat.

Buffalo had several bright spots on offense this season. After a very poor second half of the 2011 season, Ryan Fitzpatrick performed well enough to keep analysts from attacking him too much in 2012. But the real splendor of their offense was at running back. Fred Jackson, when healthy, was as good as ever. When he wasn’t, CJ Spiller stepped into the starting role and was consistently one of the best backs in the league, earning him about half the team’s carries when Jackson was available.

Buffalo’s defense is the biggest area of concern. Certainly they need to shore up some offensive positions, but the defensive unit forced the offense into a lot of tough spots. Mike Pettine, the former defensive coordinator for the Jets, is now filling the same position in Buffalo. New York’s defenses have consistently ranked highly in the NFL, and compete in the same division as Buffalo. If they can keep some of their younger players, and add some depth, especially at linebacker and in the secondary, the Bills will be much more competitive in 2013 than they were this year.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are already on the way up. They were in the thick of the playoff race until a few weaknesses were exposed in the latter weeks of the season. They have a very good, young quarterback in Ryan Tannehill. Brian Hartline is a free agent, but the Dolphins need to keep him. He is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL and is the kind of playmaker that will aid in Tannehill’s development.

Reggie Bush also came out strong this season, finally playing like the draft pick he was touted to be coming out of college.

The Dolphins need to hold on to Hartline and add some other quality receivers. Beyond that, it’s tough to tell where to start with Miami. They have some good players on the defensive line and in the secondary, but not nearly enough depth. They also don’t have a big name besides Cameron Wake on defense. Big names aren’t crucial, but they’re a good way to get started on improving because they can help pull in other good players.

New England Patriots

New England finally had a good defensive showing in 2012. They had one of the league’s premier defenses during the first several years of Bill Belichick’s tenure, but really fell off the map around the time they stopped experiencing the postseason success they got used to. This year, they were the best in the league at creating turnovers, so despite giving up lots of yards, they limited scoring for opponents.

They also seem to be in a good place at running back, and locking up Tom Brady through his age-40 season is huge. There isn’t too much I can say about what the Patriots need this offseason. Keeping Wes Welker would be huge, adding some other talent at receiver would be big, and they could use some more depth on the line and secondary on defense. But the Patriots should be a contender in the AFC whether they fulfill all or none of these things.

New York Jets

As easy as it is to say, the Jets are not hopeless. Rex Ryan seemed to waiver as the season closed on his conviction that Mark Sanchez is his man at QB. However, it looks right now like they will be staying with Sanchez.

If that holds true, they need to add a more versatile running back. Shonn Greene showed some flashes of being what New York needs, but he isn’t consistent enough. The Jets need someone who can really open up the passing game, make the corners and safeties freeze for a half a second so Sanchez has some clear throwing lanes to hit his receivers.

New York also needs receivers who know how to take advantage of those holes. They have some guys who may have a bright future, but they need a veteran to come in who can make an immediate impact.


Tomorrow I will go through the AFC North, looking at each team’s offseason outlook just like I did for the AFC East today. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

Monday, February 25, 2013

2013 Offseason Update, Week 3


Marquise Goodwin, a wide receiver out of Texas, posted the combine's fastest
40-yard dash and second best broad jump. Photo credit to Yahoo! Sports via NFL Network.
Every Monday during the offseason, I will be recapping some of the biggest stories of the previous week that I did not cover individually. There wasn’t too much big news in the third week of the offseason that I didn’t cover last week, but there are two things worth mentioning.

Chris Johnson Keeps Combine Record

In the offseason before his rookie season, Chris Johnson posted a 4.24 40-yard dash, the fastest recorded in the NFL rookie combine up to that point. Five years later, he is still the record holder.

This year’s fastest 40 was posted by Marquise Goodwin, a wide receiver out of Texas, who ran it in 4.27 seconds.

One combine record was broken this year, as Justin Hunter, a receiver from Tennessee, set the combine record in the broad jump with a leap of 11’ 4”.

Redskins Name Change a League Affair

I read a Washington Post article that brought some insight I had never considered concerning this topic. In fact, it wasn’t even something I was aware of.

Let’s say the Redskins were to bow to public opinion and they decided to change their name. They couldn’t. Or at least, they are not allowed to make that decision by themselves. Dan Snyder cannot just decide that he agrees that the name is offensive and choose to change the name.

A name change would have to be approved by the NFL and other owners in the league, and such an approval would be unlikely, and probably for more than just financial reasons.


Tomorrow I will begin my look at what each team needs to address this season, division by division, starting with the AFC. Next week I will do the same for the NFC divisions.

If you would like to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Ryan too Complex for Saints?

Rob Ryan was fired as the Cowboys' DC in early January. He
will fill the same role for the New Orleans Saints in 2013.
Photo credit to AOL Sporting News.

The Dallas Cowboys executive vice president said this week that Rob Ryan was fired for using too many schemes in his defense, putting aside any scapegoat theories many of us had.

Complexity on defense is generally thought to be a good thing. If you have more looks to throw at the other team than their quarterback and coaches can handle, you often have the upper hand and a better chance of winning the game.

But how much is too much? When the Cowboys were at full strength defensively, they were among the best units in the NFC. But as injuries piled up, with seven important players ultimately being hurt, their younger players struggled.

You could even argue that Tony Romo was trying to do too much as the defense faltered, but I won’t get into that here.

Now Rob Ryan is out in Dallas. He said he would be out of work for five minutes. A week or so later, he was about to sign with the Rams when a few details fell through. Instead, Ryan signed on with the Saints as their defensive coordinator.

The Saints had a decent amount of success under Gregg Williams before the bounty scandal struck New Orleans. Last year, under Steve Spagnuolo, the Saints had one of the worst defenses in NFL history; probably the worst, in fact.

The addition of Rob Ryan to their coaching staff immediately turned some heads and is leading to high expectations for their defensive unit in 2013. But will his defensive schemes be too many and too complex?

The team has lost many of the veterans they had during their Super Bowl run and other strong years with Williams. They had a decent front seven, but their secondary is among the weakest in the league, regardless of who their coach is.

Simplicity may be a better route for New Orleans, at least for the first year or so, as they add talent to the roster and their younger players gain experience.

I’m anxious to see how Ryan leads their defense and their players respond to whatever he throws at them. Regardless of what he does, I can’t imagine the Saints’ defense being any worse next year.


Check out my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl, to stay updated on new posts as I publish them throughout the offseason. If you would like to hear my take on any piece(s) of offseason news, let me know and I’ll either write back directly or maybe even write a blog post about it.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Postponed Retirement Parties

Tony Gonzalez's final farewell after losing to the 49ers may not be
his final farewell after all. Photo credit to Bleacher Report.

No, Ray Lewis will not be back in 2013, although I’m sure some Ravens fans wouldn’t mind an offseason ‘Lewis Watch.’

But two other veterans may put off retirement plans.

The first is London Fletcher, the middle linebacker for the Washington Redskins. There have been questions about whether he will retire for the past three years, and many people felt strongly that this would be his last run. But after the team made the playoffs this year, and with high expectations for next year, Fletcher has not made a decision on his retirement plans.

I anticipate him returning next season, but I won’t be shocked if he does opt to hang up his cleats. He has had a very impressive career. He led the league in tackles in 2011, his 14th season in the NFL, and he again led the Redskins in tackles last season. It would be a huge loss to the team if he retires, but I think most Redskins fans know we can’t ask any more of him than what he’s already given the team, so we’ll respect his decision either way.

The other player whose highly anticipated retirement might be put off is Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez. As the 2012 season wound down, Gonzalez never waivered from his stance that this would be his last run. It seems he may finally have strayed from that decision.

The Falcons had yet another excellent regular season, and their postseason victory over the Seahawks was the first playoff win of Gonzalez’s career, despite also playing on excellent Chiefs teams in the mid-2000s.

Perhaps the joy of that postseason win and the NFC Championship appearance is something he wants more of. Gonzalez clearly is still at the top of his game and is absolutely among the top four tight ends in the NFL right now.

Atlanta has not set a deadline for him to make a decision. His future is the top priority for the Falcons right now, even over Matt Ryan, whose contract will be up after the 2013 season.

Tony Gonzalez has said that if he does return, it will not be anywhere but Atlanta. I’m sure the Falcons appreciate that, but they’ll appreciate it more if he returns.


Check out my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl, to keep up with new blog posts as I publish them.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

New Combine Test


Not to worry incoming rookies, the new combine test will be
on the computer, not scantron. Photo from Aerys Offsides.
We all hear so much each year around combine time about the Wonderlic test. How some of the best players of all-time scored very highly and some of the biggest busts of all time scored low. Of course, there have also been very good players who didn’t get great scores and some very bad players who had excellent scores.

The Wonderlic test was first implemented in the NFL by Tom Landry with the Dallas Cowboys about 40 years ago and soon became a part of the rookie experience as players moved from the college ranks to the NFL. It is a 50-question test with a 12-minute time limit.

While most NFL executives feel that the Wonderlic did well enough, it really only measured intelligence. And so a new test was developed and proposed to the NFL, called the Player Assessment Tool, or PAT.

The Wonderlic will not go away; rather the PAT, which is an hour-long computer-based test, will compliment it. The hope is that the new test can measure players’ mental aptitudes, drive, work ethic, and even which coaching styles players will best mesh with.

In fact, the new test may even be able to tell NFL coaches how players will most quickly learn their playbooks. The characteristics of players we can determine from this test are potentially limitless, if the test works as well in practice as it does on paper.

Unfortunately, there are no sample tests to be found online as there are for the Wonderlic, so I can’t tell you what the questions are like. But the attorney who proposed the PAT to the NFL said it is not a test that players can study for.

“We’re trying to capture different ways people are smart,” the attorney said.

Scores will not be shared openly as they are for the Wonderlic. Only one or two executives from each team will know the actual score each player receives on the PAT. Instead, teams will get a list of “coaching points” so they can determine whether a particular player would be a good fit for their organization.

I wish there were more specifics about the test, but it seems like a good idea. On paper, it looks like exactly the addition we need for evaluating rookies. Hopefully it works as well as we hope.


Check out my blog’s Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl. As I publish blog posts, I link to them on both Facebook and Twitter so you’ll always know when a new article is up.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Nothing to Report


There isn’t much to report on today in the NFL. I’m going to take the day to focus on my schoolwork and I will be back tomorrow with whatever the biggest story is between now and then.

Thanks for keeping up with my blog, and if there is any story from the NFL you are interested in hearing my take on, don’t hesitate to ask or bring it to my attention.

Be sure to check out my Facebook page and to follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl. Whenever I publish a new blog post, I put the links on both so you’ll know when a new article is up.

Monday, February 18, 2013

2013 Offseason Update, Week 2

Titus Young certainly has an interesting way of showing how
'unselfish' he is. Screen Capture taken by Black Sports Online.

Every Monday during the offseason, I will be recapping some of the biggest stories of the previous week that I did not cover individually. The second week of the offseason was quite a bit busier than the first week but I will just focus on the top four or five stories.

Titus Young Out then In then Out Again

The Titans released Young a couple weeks ago and the only team to claim him off the waiver wire was the St. Louis Rams. Perhaps his ego was too big for them because he was released just ten days later. I figured they had picked him up so they would have a fallback if they can’t get a new contract with Danny Amendola, so something must have gone seriously wrong.

Remember that during the latter part of the season, Young intentionally lined up incorrectly for a play and was suspended by the team for it. He also said he is a better receiver than Calvin Johnson. With these kinds of issues, he might not get another chance in this league.

Eagles to Trade Foles?

No, they won’t. A few days ago a report came out that the Eagles want a high draft pick in exchange for their young quarterback. That report mislead many people into thinking the Eagles are preparing to part ways with Nick Foles.

The Eagles have said that if a team was interested in Foles, the offer would have to be substantial, such as a high draft pick, for them to even consider it. I can’t picture Foles starting in Philadelphia this year, though. You don’t give a guy – Vick – a contract worth around $7 million minimum and sit him on the bench.

Gronk’s Cast Off

No, Gronk isn’t going anywhere Patriots fans. But his cast is off as of a couple days ago. His broken forearm was repaired over a month ago and though it didn’t keep him from dancing the night away after the Ravens won the Super Bowl, he hasn’t been doing much as far as working out.

He has the full offseason to make sure it is fully recovered, and he said he still has around a month to six weeks before his forearm is fully recovered. Fans just don’t want to see him do anything stupid to jeopardize his heath. When he’s at 100%, he is the best tight end in the NFL.

Austin Collie Coming Back

Not long ago, the Colts released Austin Collie after he lost this season due to a fourth concussion in three seasons. After so many concussions in such a short time, you usually expect doctors to treat you like they did Jahvid Best, where nobody wants to be the one to clear him because they know the risks.

But Collie has been cleared and seems set on continuing his career, even if he has to take a year off. “Right now, it would take a doctor to tell me, ‘You can’t play anymore.’ I feel like this is a gift that I’ve been given, and personally I feel I should still be doing it,” Collie said, according to The Indianapolis Star. Of course, everybody wants to think he could be reunited with Peyton Manning in Denver, but what about a reunion with Pierre Garçon in Washington?


If you would like to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Gift Wrapped with a Bowe

Some of you may remember this gem from a couple seasons ago,
a great play against Indianapolis showcasing Bowe's athleticism.
Photo credit to CBS Sports.

Corny headline, I know. But if he does not stay with Kansas City, Dwayne Bowe will be one of the biggest stories of free agency.

As the season came to a close, it seemed a done deal that Bowe would hit the free agent market as then GM Scott Pioli did not seem too keen on signing Bowe to the long term deal he wants.

John Dorsey, Kansas City’s new general manager, may have a different take on Dwayne Bowe, and many might remember that Andy Reid was hoping Bowe would fall to the Eagles in the ’07 draft. The Chiefs selected Bowe three spots ahead of Philadelphia.

This information falls in line with last night’s report that the Chiefs are working toward a new contract with Bowe. The 28-year-old receiver has not had great numbers the past couple of seasons, but that shouldn’t hurt him too much in negotiations considering who he’s had throwing him the ball. Matt Cassel is a decent quarterback, but no #1 wide receiver is going to have stellar numbers with him under center.

But what if Kansas City does hold that over him in contract talks? What if he walks because they won’t give him the money he deserves?

Personally, I think Miami would be the top landing spot for Bowe. Ryan Tannehill is a solid young quarterback who needs targets. Bowe may not be the biggest guy out there and he will never be able to do what guys like Megatron and A.J. Green can do. But Bowe is one of the most athletically gifted receivers in the league right now. He would be the perfect guy to come in and make plays to build the confidence of a young quarterback who could be yet another legend from possibly the greatest draft class of all time for his position.

Likewise, he could also be a fit for the Minnesota Vikings. Christian Ponder needs a go-to wide receiver and it doesn’t seem like Minnesota is too keen on bringing back Percy Harvin. If Harvin leaves, Minnesota will be desperate for a wide receiver and they would be dumb not to make a play on Bowe in free agency.

Of course, all of this depends on his status in Kansas City. Right now, it looks like Bowe is likely to stay put. But there will be plenty of interest if he does walk. If he can’t get his money in Kansas City, he’ll get it elsewhere.


Check out my blog’s Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl, to keep up with new blog posts every day during the week and on special weekend occasions.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Rushing RG3

Robert Griffin III was knocked out of three games in 2012.
Photo credit to WKYC.com.

There isn’t a whole lot of news in the NFL today that grabbed my attention, and I don’t want to start looking at what each team needs to do this offseason until next week or the week after. So I decided to stay local and offer my two cents on a report released by Adam Schefter this morning.

The Redskins, according to Schefter, believe that Griffin’s progress up to this point has been good enough that he could definitely be ready to start in Week 1 of the 2013 season.

Honestly, this concerns me more than a little. He had pretty invasive surgery to repair is LCL and ACL. They had to operate on both knees, so it isn’t just his right knee that they have to rehab.

Everybody points to Adrian Peterson’s swift return as reason for hope that Griffin III can do the same. After all, they both had their ACL’s hurt and Dr. James Andrews performed both procedures to repair them. In addition, RG3’s injury came only about two week later in the season as Peterson’s did last year.

But Peterson did not have work done on his LCL. Andrews did not have to go into Peterson’s non-injured leg in order to repair his injured ACL.

Most importantly, Peterson, as far as we can tell, may not have been 100% at the start of the 2012 regular season. Remember that he was nowhere near his normal self in the first eight weeks of the season. It was the second half of the season where he ran circles around defenders.

If RG3 is 99% in Week 1 of the 2013 season, I would not start him. Having full strength in your legs is much more critical for a quarterback than for a running back. You have to be able to drive through your legs when fitting the ball between defenders on a line. You have to be able to shift your weight properly when delivering a high-arcing touch pass on a corner route.

You might say, “Griffin III can do all that effectively if he’s 90%, so why are you being so conservative?”

I say that because Cousins has proven himself as a capable backup and he will be working this entire offseason as if he is the starting quarterback. After all, he is until RG3 is healthy enough to take over.

Cousins can lead us to wins in the early part of the season as long as the Redskins shore up their defense and keep their offensive line healthy like they did this season.

Robert needs to not rush his recovery. Do it right. He has to understand that if Cousins has to start the season for us, no matter how Kirk does, RG3’s fate will not be the same as Alex Smith’s in San Francisco. We have reached a point where players know that they can lose their job because of injury. Robert is not in that category, though. The Redskins gave up too much to get him and he’s too remarkable an athlete for Washington to replace him.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt if Griffin III can learn to protect himself a little better. Sliding, getting out of bounds. We don’t need him to get 13 yards every time he runs, we can settle for 6 and him getting out of bounds safely.


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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Redskins No More?


Photo credit to ProFootballMock

The topic of Washington’s nickname has arrived on the national stage this offseason for the first time in recent memory. At the very least, it is the first time I have seen articles about it regularly appear on NFL.com. I decided to do a project about it for one of my journalism courses but when I sat down to write my script I found myself writing it more like a blog and having to undo that. Still, I want to get some of my thoughts out there.

For starters, know that I don’t really care what the outcome of all this is. If the Redskins do change their nickname, I will still root for them just the same. All I really hope is that they choose a better name than the Pelicans. The Pelicans?!? Seriously, New Orleans?


The Redskins’ franchise began in 1932 up in Boston. Their nickname for that first season was the Braves, but they changed the nickname to the Redskins in 1933. I could not find a definitive answer on why, but my guess is to distinguish itself from the Boston Braves baseball team.

The nickname, at least in my opinion, is meant to be a tribute to American history. Think about where the franchise began, in Boston, not far from Plymouth. Jamestown came first, but when history classes teach about Native Americans and newcomers working together for the first time, they tell the story of the Pilgrims and Squanto at Plymouth.

I remember vividly a field trip I took when I was seven or eight. I went to Plymouth and we went to a historical site where there were Native Americans in what looked like a typical Native American village from the time of the Pilgrims. I remember asking a question and using the term ‘Indian’ while asking the question. The man who replied was very upset and I still remember that and am very careful not to refer to Native Americans as Indians. Indians are from India; Native Americans are the original inhabitants of the New World.

Yet the same issues have never been brought up concerning the Cleveland Indians’ nickname, at least not on a national stage. In both situations, that of the Redskins and that of Cleveland’s baseball team, the intention was never to offend anyone. Why would a professional sports team intentionally offend a race of people?

Perhaps a name change is a much-too-small price to pay for the racism that was inherent in the franchise when George Preston Marshall was the owner. But that is a completely different issue and I tend to tune out those who bring this argument into the mix.

The Redskins have not been consistently good in two decades. There have been countless opportunities to make derogatory comments about Native Americans and ‘Redskins’ out of frustration from the team’s lack of success. Yet I have never heard of such comments being made. Nobody looks at the team name and immediately thinks of Native Americans. The team’s logo, I can’t say the same for. Maybe the Skins should go back to an old logo, like the one to the left.

As for surveys, who knows what those results mean. The most recent surveys show that only as many as 9% of Native American’s find Washington’s nickname offensive. But those results could be skewed by people claiming to have Native American blood even though they don’t. As unfortunate as it is, that does happen.

In any case, my support of the team will not change in any way whether the nickname changes or not. But in an age when we are trying to move past race, it would be a shame to change a sports team’s nickname because people are focusing on its racial significance rather than its historical significance.


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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

JaMarcus Russell Comeback


JaMarcus Russell and Jeff Garcia were teammates on the Raiders
during the 2009 preseason and is now trying to help him return
to the NFL. Photo credit to NFL.com.

So Russell is serious, after all, at least for the moment. A few weeks ago this story came out and my first thought was that it was too early for an April Fool’s Day joke.

But his comeback story was updated Saturday when Bleacher Report posted a video of Russell working out with former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia. In the initial reports from a few weeks ago it was said he would also be training with Marshall Faulk and former Olympic sprinter Ato Boldon of Trinidad.

Currently weighing in at 308 pounds, Russell was reportedly even heaver than that just a few months ago. His reported weight from his Raider days was around 260 so he still has quite a bit of work to do.

There is no way he will be playing in the NFL in 2013. Heck, I’m not even sure he’ll still want this by the time we hit mid-March. Sure he’ll want it, but will he still be willing to work for it? Forgive me for being a doubting Thomas, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

But what if he does stick with the program? Could he spend a year or more in the CFL as he works his way back to the NFL? Would he spend a year or more in the CFL? I think the answer to that lies in his motivation for trying to return to the NFL, and I don’t think any of us know what that is right now.


Remember to check back daily during the week for my take on some of the biggest stories surrounding the NFL. ‘Like’ my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl, to stay updated on new blog posts as they are published.

By the way, forgot to include this when I first published this, but happy birthday to Robert Griffin III, who turned 23 today!