Are you ready for Some Football?

[SolomonGrundy]

Ok, a bit early but let's hear what you guys think about your favortie team ...and why they will kick ass, or suck eggs.

I'll go first:
Patriots
First will the record be broken? Well, Indy as game one spooks me, but the emotinal momentum for the game is in the Pats favor, at home, the trophy, exc.
Arizona-duh.
MIA- Usually I'd think this would be a close game, but I think moral on the 'Fins is going to be suckage this year. QB question, 80% of thier offense has retired, Zak out...good luck.
Yeah, good chance of breaking the record.

QB-Brady-say what you want, not a strong arm, moves like Timmy from South Park, but gets the job done. Doesn't make mistakes, and almost never throws the ball away. Solid playmaker. Will only be better this year because of...
RB-Cory Dillon. Look out. I'm not saying anything here other than Cory is driven to remake himself as a top tier RB. Will he get 30 carries every game. Nope, but against poor D's he is going to. Like Indy, SEA . My only hope is he understands how much playing in NE winter is almost as bad as Green Bay or Buffalo. The wind whips through the stadium and makes t feel even colder than it is, not as bad as Foxboro, but almost. Faulk is Faulk- the 5th WR. The next backup is undecided. Cloud showed some spark a few times last year, but I'm betting the rookie gets the 3 spot.
FB-Bleh. McCary(sp) and Pass are ok, Not really used in the offense, the rather pull in Vrabel or Kleko for blocking on short running plays.
WR-Givens , Branch and Brown are all from the same mold. They get open they all catch. Theya re all small though, and none of them have the wheels to go deep very often. B.Johnson is my favorite for most improved player. He's got speed, seems to run patterns well, since most of his patterns are go very fast down the field, he just needs to work on his hands, which according to the press is all he did this offseason. Who is number 4 and/or 5? Stokes, Patten? or PK Sam who people say if he waited a year he would have been a 1st round pick? Deep WR with not much falloff player to player. My guess is we carry 6 or maybe seven and drop a FB.
O-Line-weak spot, but these guys did not give up a sack all through the playoffs. We will see if they can continue. Brady is a quick release QB, so in Pass coverage they only need to give him a few seconds, unlike our last QB where they had to build a wall, add and hold it for a week and a half before Bledsoe threw the ball out of bounds.
D-Line3 first round picks I'm betting will be starting. Seymour,Wilfolk and Warren look great.I don't expect them to be awesome right off the bat, but by game 4 or 5 they should be the new dominant D-Line in the NFL.
OLB-the big question is will Colvin be Colvin? If not does Willie MCGinnest have ano0ther year left in the tank as a starter? Vrabel is making a name for himself, and in my opinion was the true MVP of the the superbowl. Sack INT and touchdown? That is a good game.
ILBIf you told me two years ago that Roman Phifer would still be playing good football I'd laugh at you, but holy shit he is. Bruschi is the team leader, the team heart, and since he entered the leauge has his motor running on every single play. A joy to watch, great instincts. Underrated in the national press cuz he is not a sack producer. Klecko could be the next Bruschi but that is a few years away, if at all. Same motor though. Still strange to have a Klecko on the Pats...still loathe his dad.
DBTy Law. Rodney Harrion. I don't think you can seperate the two. They play almost as one player, the communcation is perfect between the two. It was as much Rodney that gave Ty Law a great INT year. He allowed Ty to cheat on coverage and disrupt the passing lane, cus Ty knew that Rodney would pick up his reciever. On the other side, Poole is solid, but he slowed down at the end of the year, Wilson has potential to be a great FS, but he is still hurt from the superbowl. Not a good sign. New Rookies, in the safety position, and the return of a personal favorite in T. Buckley makes me happy. Oh, and Samuels, he should have a great year just becasue ESPN 2k5 has shafted him and he is not on the roster.
Special Teams-adam. Ok enough about that side. Punting game-new punter and a high school freshmen would be btter than last year. Walter SUCKED. I don't know what happened to him, he was solid for two years then just left his foot and leg at home on gameday. Oh well, he got his rings, may he polish them far away from Gellete Stadium. I expect B. Johnson to take over punt return duty from Troy Brown this year.
Coaching- best in the NFL.

Record 12-4
Superbowl repeat.

[Xaroc]

I will keep this shorter than the impressive text by SG.

Redskins

Offense -- The Redskins are pretty well loaded for bear on offense. Brunell, Ramsey, Portis, Coles, Gardner, Thrash, McCants, Jacobs, etc. Good offensive line aside from a question at left guard. So many weapons and Joe Gibbs at the controls, they are going to put up a lot of points.

Defense -- The secondary is solid with Springs, Smoot, Taylor, and Bowen. The linebackers are good with Arrington, Barrow, and Washington. The defensive line however is suspect with a cast of middling characters. Unless someone becomes available to help out they are going to have to hope that a few of these guys step up and Gregg Williams defensive schemes can cover up that glaring weakness. The defense should be ok but probably won't scare anyone.

Special Teams -- A kicker like John Hall and a returner like Chad Morton are a good start for any team. Considering Gibbs is in charge and he is a stickler for detail I am guessing the special teams will be pretty strong.

Coaching -- Again I can't say enough about Joe Gibbs. The guy just knows how to win. The game in and of itself hasn't changed a lot in the 12 years he has been gone so I figure his aggressive running game and deep passing tactics should survive largely unchanged from his previous time in DC. Gregg Williams is a good defensive coordinator, hopefully he can get the defense to overachieve through good scheming.

I am not sure what to say about their record. I think a realistic goal is a playoff berth and to get there they would probably have to be 10-6 or so. Considering how good the NFC east is that might be tough to get. I won't put out a formal prediction but leave you to draw your own conclusions.

-- Xaroc

[Mike O'Malley]

I am not sure what to say about their record. I think a realistic goal is a playoff birth and to get there they would probably have to be 10-6 or so.

I for one would pay to see the 'Skins win a playoff birth. Talk about the Immaculate Reception- they're all male!

[Midnight Son]

Hail to the Redskins, Bastiches! :lol:

The Saviour has returned! Can I get a "Amen!" please?

[Bub, Andrew]

Packers.
Not sure if they're a Superbowl team but on Offense you can't disregard Favre (despite his age) and Ahman Green is coming off his best year ever as a RB. The Offensive Line is considered one of the best in the NFL and the Defense had some great numbers last year.

Sharper is a shark at Safety, Al Harris and McKenzie are better-than-solid Corners, and KGB is still terrific, and sophomore season Nick Barnett is proving to be a Middle Linebacker of almost Ray Lewis/Urlacher quality. 168 tackles last year and two sacks. Not bad for a rookie.

Hopefully we still have a little bit of that heart that carried us to Philly last year.

I like our chances.

PS: Jakub, do you have any Packer predictions for this year? ;-)

[MrJoshua]

Eagles

QB - Conventional wisdom has been that McNabb needs a top tier receiver. Well, now he has one so it is time to put up or shut up. I am not convinced his QB rating will change much this year.

RB - We have enough to keep the ground threat alive.

Defense - Semi-rookie corners are dangerous. The offense is going to need to score touchdowns to cover the inevitable mistakes. The good news is that Jevon Kearse should get the sack count up which will make the long bomb less of a threat that it might have been with the green corners.

Schedule - Cake. The NFC East title should be ours.

[TrodKnee]

Niners

Wake me in September, 2005...

[Arasmus]

Defense -- The secondary is solid with Springs, Smoot, Taylor, and Bowen. The linebackers are good with Arrington, Barrow, and Washington. The defensive line however is suspect with a cast of middling characters. Unless someone becomes available to help out they are going to have to hope that a few of these guys step up and Gregg Williams defensive schemes can cover up that glaring weakness. The defense should be ok but probably won't scare anyone.

-- Xaroc

I think having Brandon Noble healthy will help the line a great deal. The Dline will still be weak on the ends, but Noble will be able to anchor the middle of the line at least.

[balut]

Giants - Pretty much playing for 2nd to last place with the Cowboys. The real story here is how long it takes Eli Manning to adjust to the Big Time. Expect Kurt Warner to start the first couple of games (barring a horrible pre-season) until Coughlin feels Eli's ready to give it a shot.

If Barber remains as fumble-fingered this year as he was last year, the Giants will have even more reason to rely on a Warner or Manning pass-heavy offense. Strahan, Willy Joseph, and the rest of the Giants D-line is still a force to be reckoned with, and the Cornerback duo of Will Allen and Will Peterson is still excellent, assuming they stay healthy.

Best case scenario for the Giants this season is finishing .500.

[extarbags]

Eagles

Fourth time's the charm, right?

Seriously, T.O. is an ass, but he can catch, so we can bench that clown Pinkston and actually have someone to throw the ball to. After three consecutive almost-Super Bowls without a single decent wide receiver, how can we *not* make it now that we have one?

[Woolen Horde]

Eagles

Fourth time's the charm, right?

Seriously, T.O. is an ass, but he can catch, so we can bench that clown Pinkston and actually have someone to throw the ball to. After three consecutive almost-Super Bowls without a single decent wide receiver, how can we *not* make it now that we have one?

Cause it's in their heads now, like the Bambino Curse in Boston. Gonna take some serious hoodoo to undo that voodoo. TO ain't gonna be enough.

[Xaroc]

Defense -- The secondary is solid with Springs, Smoot, Taylor, and Bowen. The linebackers are good with Arrington, Barrow, and Washington. The defensive line however is suspect with a cast of middling characters. Unless someone becomes available to help out they are going to have to hope that a few of these guys step up and Gregg Williams defensive schemes can cover up that glaring weakness. The defense should be ok but probably won't scare anyone.

-- Xaroc

I think having Brandon Noble healthy will help the line a great deal. The Dline will still be weak on the ends, but Noble will be able to anchor the middle of the line at least.

I hope so, it just seems that if you had to pick a weakness in the team it would be defensive line.

-- Xaroc

[Robert Sharp]

Oh MAN am I ready for football! Finally, a preseason game one week from today!

Titans are taking it to the Patriots this time around. We should have done it last time...one dropped pass.....unghhh...

anyway, we haven't lost anyone significant (except maybe Robaire Smith...a great player, very underrated). We have an infusion of new, young talent, and a core of veteran badasses. We'll be back in the hunt.

[Machine]

Vikings

This year we find out if Mike Tice is a real NFL coach. They have made real strides on defense and the offense is as potent as ever, maybe more so with a healthy Bennett and a league best depth at RB. Not to mention Mr. Moss.

The glaring hole is the linebacking corp. VERY inexperienced. More than likely a rookie will start at OLB with a second year guy (E.J. Henderson) anchoring the middle. Plus, limited depth. Why they didn't make a move for Trotter I haven't a clue.

But, with the signing of Antione Winfield and Kenechi Udeze coupled with Ted Cottrel's attacking defense that plays into Chris Hovans and Kevin Williams strengths I have high hopes.

My crystal ball says NFC north winners, by a nose, and a second round playoff exit.

[SolomonGrundy]

R. Sharp- that wasn't a drop, that as intimidation. 8) He had Wilson coming up behind him like a frieght train and Samuels from the left...
That was the best game of the playoffs. Still feel the chill of that night.

honestly though, the Titans are the best matchup for the Pats in the NFL. Same philosophy, great depth, not too many supah stars.Great coach, but A. Smith? Serviceable, but not a true every down back anymore.
It is funny how many teams still hold on to 'have a great offense'(KC/Indy)or 'have a great defense'(Ravens/bears) forgetting that you have to be good-not great- going both ways or balanced teams will exploit your weaker side.

[Bub, Andrew]

Vikings This year we find out if Mike Tice is a real NFL coach. They have made real strides on defense and the offense is as potent as ever, maybe more so with a healthy Bennett and a league best depth at RB. Not to mention Mr. Moss.


I'd dispute your "league best at RB" claim. The Pack has Green, Davenport (who Miami is current trying to steal) and Fisher. That's incredible depth at that position. Add Favre and a corp of able receivers (Favre spreads it good), and one hell of an O-line, and I think the Pack will take the title for the third time, this year.

I also think we learned at the end of last season whether or not Tice is a real NFL coach. Frankly I'm shocked he's still there. That was an end season flame-out of truly - well - Viking proportions ;-) . Minn will always have a chance with Culpepper to Moss and Bennett.

More importantly "Culpepper to Moss" pretty much requires three man coverage out of the D, and if Moss isn't open, Culpepper is big and strong enough to take 10 yards before you even see him scramble. That's potent, but it's also fairly 2-dimensional.

and a second round playoff exit.

If they make the playoffs, is this even a prediction? Isn't it more like a tradition? :lol:

[Machine]

I'd dispute your "league best at RB" claim.

Hmm...Do you want me to break out Onterrio Smith's rookie season stats? Or how 'bout Moe Williams numbers in Bennett's absence last year?
Not to mention Mewelde Moore is one helluva a good looking rookie.

Oh, and Michael Bennett to boot.

What the hell, here's the stats from '03-

Bennett- 90 att for 447 yds 1 td
Williams-174 for 745 5 tds and 65 catches for 644 yds 3 tds
O. Smith- 107 for 579 5 tds


I stand by my Deepest Backfield In The League claim. :)

[Bub, Andrew]

I'll see your claim. Here's the Pack from '03:

2,558 total yards on the run (3rd best in NFL)
159.9 average ground yards per game (3rd best in NFL)
Yards per carry, rushing (5.05) = 18 Rushing TDs

Green -1883 total yards (7th best in NFL history AMAZING stat for a pass heavy team), 355 carries, 5.3 yards per carry, 15 rushing TDs (5 passing TDs, 50 receptions, 500 yards receiving)
Fisher - 5 yards average, 200 yards, 2 TDs (244 yards receiving)
Davenport - 420, 5.45 average, 1 TD (38 yards receiving)

I put in receiving stats because I think they matter, but agree we're talking backfield depth. So I put them in parenthesis.

I think the reason the Vikings do so well rushing is because when Moss is on the field the D is in Dime or Prevent. They play back, that makes it easier to get yards. The Packers are better because of the tremendous O-line.

I think I just caused you to fumble your deepest backfield claim! :)

[dannimal]

If you're talking about backfield depth, you need to weed out things like "the other team is in the dime" or "they've got a better offensive line" as much as possible.

Saying that the Packers have better RB *depth* because their o-line is great is silly. That means they have a better running game, yes, but better RB depth doesn't automatically follow.

Besides, you can't aruge that a non RB aspect of the team lessens RB depth (Viking's opponents D package) and then argue that a non RB aspect of the team improves RB depth, just because in the latter case you're talking up your team.

I look at it this way:

If you let me pick one back from either team, I'm picking Batman. If you make me pick one group of 3, I'm taking Bennett/Smith/Williams. It's close. If you told me to pick 2 (effectively taking Fisher out of the discussion), I might have to call it a coin flip. I think Green is easily better, but if he goes down I think the Packers lose more than the Vikings would if Bennett goes down.

For me, it comes down to Fisher. I don't think he's had the carries to prove he's in the same group as the other 5. In fact, I think the fact that all 3 Viking RBs had 90 or more rushes and Fisher/Davenport had 117 between them is a strong point for better *depth* in Minnesota.

Oh, and just for kicks (since you said it doesn't really apply, but is important)

Packers: (copied for easy comparison)

Green: 50 - 367, 5 TDs
Davenport: 6 - 38, 0 TDs
Fisher: 21 - 206, 2 TDs (from ESPN.com, I'm not sure where Bub got his data, it may be more accurate)

Total: 77 - 611, 7 TDs

Vikings:

Williams: 65 - 644, 3 TDs
Bennett: 12 - 132, 0 TDs
Smith: 15 - 129, 0 TDs

Total: 92 - 905, 3 TDs

Also, Minnesota is 4th in total yds and avg/game, right behind Green Bay, and 6th to GB's 2nd in yds/carry (only .2 yds back).

Given how close the two teams are, I still have to say that Minnesota has better depth given that they've got 3 strong backs and Green Bay has 1 great back, 1 good back, and 1 question mark.

[Robert Sharp]

honestly though, the Titans are the best matchup for the Pats in the NFL. Same philosophy, great depth, not too many supah stars.Great coach, but A. Smith? Serviceable, but not a true every down back anymore.


Of course he isn't. But he isn't our RB either. Chris Brown is, and he will be fantastic this year. I have been watching his camp plays, and he hits the hole super-fast. He looked good in the playoffs too. Smith is our new backup. We are only paying him the league minimum (650k, I think). We'll treat him like you guys did last year, as part of a committee. He'll see a lot of 4th quarter/goalline carries. I expect Robert Holcombe to see some time too. He played well in limited carries last year (and the year before for that matter).

How is Dillon looking in camp? Is he the RB star you guys have been looking for? He hasn't seemed quite as good to me the last couple of years, though he has had some injury problems. Still, even when he was healthy, he lost carries to Rudi last year. Will he bounce back this year?

[Bub, Andrew]

In fact, I think the fact that all 3 Viking RBs had 90 or more rushes and Fisher/Davenport had 117 between them is a strong point for better *depth* in Minnesota.

True, but the 2 non-injured Viking backs ONLY got more touches than Fisher/Davenport because their lead back was out of the game. Green is the go-to guy for obvious reasons. The point is that both Davenport and Fisher performed at 5.5 yards on average, despite being the 2nd and 3rd choice! Also, consider this stat, the Vikings led into the fourth down FAR more than the Pack did. They ran because they were killing the clock, the Packers were running because it was helping them win games despite the clock. Also, the Pack plays outside, the Vikings play in a dome. Shouldn't that be factored into RB depth and production?

You may be underestimating Fisher and I can see why, but here's a stat for you. He's our 3rd Down back now - OVER - Green. And his rushing 2 TDs were both 15+ yard runs.

The ESPN stat could be more accurate. I got mine from the 2004 Packer Yearbook and I've found a few errors in there. Damn small market journalists!


Given how close the two teams are, I still have to say that Minnesota has better depth given that they've got 3 strong backs and Green Bay has 1 great back, 1 good back, and 1 question mark.

I can live with that assessment, but only because the Packers didn't HAVE to rely on their other two backs. Instead they used them sparingly and got terrific production every time they took the field.

PS: I don't think it's accurate to simply dismiss the O-line here. The O-line matters more to running production -and the stats we're using here- than anything else. You can't judge an RB in a vacuum any more than you can accurately judge a QB without also considering his receiving corps.

[SolomonGrundy]

Dillon looks F-ing incredible. He looks like a man possesed. Rodney Harrison has layed into him with some real football hits a couple of times since it seems that Cory is out for a bit of revenge this year.

A. Smith as a 4th quarter bruiser is a great way to use him.

[dannimal]

But you can't develop depth without reps, Bub. That's my point.

You put too much into the averages of Fisher and Davenport, given that they have relatively few touches. Take out Davenport's 76 yd. run and his average drops to 4.5 yds/carry. Now I know you can't just take out a rush, and I'm not saying to. But runs like that are often as much luck as skill (wrong D, poor tackling (which is different than breaking/missing tackles). Taking out Green's long run (98 yds), has about half the impact.

I'm more and more confused. ESPN says Fisher had 1 TD rush of 11 yards (against Seattle. A bad D and a team awful on the road).

You could argue that what turf gives in speed it takes away in pounding/injury. Especially in Minnesota, one of the worst turfs in the country.

consider this stat, the Vikings led into the fourth down FAR more than the Pack did. They ran because they were killing the clock, the Packers were running because it was helping them win games despite the clock

?? I assume you mean that Minnesota was leading at the start of the 4th quarter, and as such would run more to burn clock, where as Green Bay would continue to run even if behind because they're so good at it.

Neutral in this case means the game was within 7 points either way at the start of the 4th quarter. My assumption being that if you're ahead or behind 4 or 6 at the start of Q4, you don't need to go all run to burn clock or go all pass to play catch up:

Minnesota: Ahead - 6 ; Neutral - 5 ; Behind - 5
Green Bay: Ahead - 7 ; Neutral - 7 ; Behind - 2

So not only did Green Bay have 1 more game when they were ahead big enough to run to kill clock, but they also had more close games in which you can keep running as planned. Minnesota had to abandon the run (that's a generalization) in 5 games because they were behind enough to need passing yards to catch up. Green Bay? Only 2.

If I misunderstood that stat, go ahead and correct me. I'm not sure how it could favor GB over Min, though, given the late game situations.

We're way far afield, though, and I'm just debating because I like to debate.

What we need is for some sabermetricians to come up with the RB equivalent of "support neutral" stats. Like they have for pitchers to be able to compare pitchers on different teams by removing defense/run support/park factors. If we could come up with a way to compare RBs assuming a "neutral" offensive line and opposing defense (Think Eddie George's stats suffer playing the Ravens twice?), that'd be cool and more or less settle our debate. Sadly, I don't think we're there yet.

I wanted to pull out the line stuff because it can cloud perception of back quality. Take Denver, for example. Portis will probably be good regardless of o-line. Same with TD. But Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary would likely see a big drop off in production behind an average line instead of the RB factory that Denver has featured for years (which I think is as much from dirty play as good practice/coaching, but that's nt relevant to the point). In fact, just look at Gary's pitiful line with the Lions last year.

I'm not saying that the o-line isn't a factor in rushing production, that'd be silly. I'm saying that to evaluate *depth* at the position, you want to isolate the backs as much as possible. Maybe you can argue that a team with a good o-line can get by with "lesser" backups because they'll produce regardless, but that doesn't help your case any. :)

So, to sum up my point: Green Bay was a better rushing *team*, but Minnesota had better *depth* at running back.

[Bub, Andrew]

Fair enough, and as I said, I can live with that assessment or conclusion. Maybe my faith in Fisher and Davenport - or my amazement at the GB o-line - has clouded my judgement. What I mainly remember about last year was watching a GB running back break for a great run and then noticing that it wasn't Green. It was one of the other two. So maybe I am assuming too much about their skill, but it does impress me that the Offense seemed to be able to put any of the three RBs in, and get positive yardage.

I suppose the only real way to test it would be to put the Vikings RBs behind the GB line, or vice-versa, and see if they can come up with comparable numbers.

[Machine]

Dan, very nice summation there. I agree completely.

But you may wanna be careful when coming between a Vike fan and a Packer fan :twisted:

NFC North 2004
------------------------
*Vikings 10-6
Packers 9-7
Lions 6-10
Bears 4-12

[Bub, Andrew]

Fortunately this Packer fan is also a Badger fan, so I don't mind losing an argument that argues that Michael Bennet in some way kicks ass. I also have a lot of respect for Duante.

But I hate the Vi-Queens (never underestimate Wisconsin's power at ridicule - this is meant sarcastically) and I think Hovan looks like a 12-year old bully who growed up everywhere but the face. The upshot is, man, he looks like a real viking.

[NatCox]

NFC North 2004
------------------------
*Vikings 10-6
Packers 9-7
Lions 6-10
Bears 12-4

Just wanted to fix your typo up there...

GO BEARS!

[dannimal]

I suppose the only real way to test it would be to put the Vikings RBs behind the GB line, or vice-versa, and see if they can come up with comparable numbers.

That's kind of what I was talking about when I went on my sabermetric rant. Since we'll never get GB and Min. to swap RBs for a season, a "neutral" stat is about as close as we'll get.

Machine is right, though. I already have to put up with enough being a Lions fan (like watching both Bennett and Green slice up their D 4 times a year), I don't need to get pummeled for sticking my beak in. :)

Also, I think the Lions will go 7-9, which doesn't impact the projected standings at all, and sadly enough will make me happy. Also, it will be the third year of winning the next prime number of games. 2001 - 2 ; 2002 - 3 ; 2003 - 5 ; 2004 - 7. It would almost ensure that they win 11 games in 2005, which would mean playoffs. Whoo!

[Arasmus]

Defense -- The secondary is solid with Springs, Smoot, Taylor, and Bowen. The linebackers are good with Arrington, Barrow, and Washington. The defensive line however is suspect with a cast of middling characters. Unless someone becomes available to help out they are going to have to hope that a few of these guys step up and Gregg Williams defensive schemes can cover up that glaring weakness. The defense should be ok but probably won't scare anyone.

-- Xaroc

I think having Brandon Noble healthy will help the line a great deal. The Dline will still be weak on the ends, but Noble will be able to anchor the middle of the line at least.

Me and my big mouth.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40986-2004Aug4.html

[Robert Sharp]

ack...I have to register for that. I'm going to assume something happened to Noble? If so, that is odd timing. Never talk about your best players.

Actually, I am still reeling a bit from the news about Peter Sirmon, who is likely out for the season. He is a very underrated LB (actually, a lot of our players in TN are underrated, since we are in a smaller market). Luckily, we have a quality backup in Rocky Boiman, but now depth is a real concern.

It really sucks when a good player goes down before the season even starts. Good teams, that don't invest too much in one player, can get away with a few though. See Patriots last year (regarding: Roosevelt Colvin).

[Arasmus]

ack...I have to register for that. I'm going to assume something happened to Noble? If so, that is odd timing. Never talk about your best players.

Actually, I am still reeling a bit from the news about Peter Sirmon, who is likely out for the season. He is a very underrated LB (actually, a lot of our players in TN are underrated, since we are in a smaller market). Luckily, we have a quality backup in Rocky Boiman, but now depth is a real concern.

It really sucks when a good player goes down before the season even starts. Good teams, that don't invest too much in one player, can get away with a few though. See Patriots last year (regarding: Roosevelt Colvin).

ack myself. I sometimes forget that the Washington Post requires registration. Anywho, Noble has broken his hand. He probably won't play in the HoF game monday, but should be okay to go after that.

Still a broken hand will hamper him I think.

[balut]

Wait - who's on the cover of this year's Madden game?? :shock:

[Machine]

Ray Lewis. Good luck Ray!

[quatoria]

In answer to the original question of this thread: No. I am not ready. Please wait.