Monday Morning Roundup - 12/14/09

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” - Bill Shankly

With the first Saturday of the year without big-time college football, this article may be a bit shorter than those that you’ve been accustomed to seeing. For my college section, I’ve decided to touch on the Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

Heisman Trophy Saturday

On Saturday night, running back Mark Ingram became the first player to ever win the Heisman in the history of Alabama football. In rushing for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns on 249 carries, in addition to catching the ball 30 times for 322 yards and three touchdowns, Ingram carried the Alabama offense on his back as he led the team to this year’s National Championship. In the closest Heisman voting in history,

Ingram narrowly won the award over Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, a very deserving candidate in his own

right. With no sophomores having won the award in history as of 2007, Ingram’s win marks the third year

in a row that a sophomore has won the Heisman Trophy, following Tim Tebow in 2007, and Sam Bradford in 2008. With several outstanding underclassmen in college football today, including the likes of LaMichael James and Dion Lewis, it wouldn’t be shocking if we saw continued to see underclassmen win the award in years to come. While Ingram is only a sophomore, there is already talk of his draft status for the 2011 NFL Draft, when he could declare as a junior. I currently have him rated as the top sophomore for that draft, and he could potentially be competing with players like Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray, USC’s Joe McKnight, and Penn State’s Evan Royster to be the first running back off the board. This could change, depending on whether players like Jonathan Dwyer, Jahvid Best, Ryan Matthews, or Noel Devine decide to enter the 2010 Draft. The only thing actually holding Ingram back could be his own teammate Trent Richardson, who looks to be just as good of a prospect as Ingram, if not better. Either way, the future certainly looks bright for Ingram.

NFL Sunday

Another week, another set of wins for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. Now both at 13-0, both teams appear to be the favorites to run the table in the playoffs and take on each other in the Super Bowl. However, each team has had their hurdles to jump over this year, and each is going to face tough competition in the playoffs. Here are the teams that I feel will give each team the strongest run in January:

New Orleans

Minnesota Vikings – It’s clear that the Vikings are the NFC’s second-best team and pose the best chance

of putting up a big fight against the undefeated Saints. After their bump-in-the-road last week against the

Cardinals, the Vikings came out firing on Sunday and clearly out-played the Cincinnati Bengals. The Vikings were working in all facets on Sunday as their defense held quarterback Carson Palmer to 94 yards passing and their offense put up 322 total yards against one of the top defenses in the league. The Vikings appear, to me, to be a hit or miss team. It’s clear that they don’t play as well on the road as they do at home, and it’s also clear that their offense has had its inconsistencies this year. The reason for the top stats is because they’ve had one of the easiest schedules in the league, going up against Cleveland, St. Louis, and Detroit and Chicago twice. However, when going up against teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Arizona, they’ve seemed to struggle. The defense has also had its own up-and-downs. They struggled without cornerback Antoine Winfield, but with his return they looked far better on Sunday. However, with the loss of linebacker E.J. Henderson, it’ll be interesting to see how former South Carolina linebacker Jasper Brinkley steps up in his place down the stretch; last April, I said that Brinkley had the size and style of play that reminded me of Ray Lewis, so he’s definitely capable of becoming a good player for Minnesota.

Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals are coming off of a dominating performance over the Vikings, in which they held Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson to 19 yards on 13 carries. As they showed last year, the Cardinals are capable of beating anyone when they get hot, which is exactly what they did in 2008 when they went to the Super Bowl. Arizona is the type of team that no one will want to face in the playoffs because of their ability to put up great numbers through the air as well as their top-notch ability to defend the run.

Philadelphia Eagles – After their win over the Giants last night, the Eagles are now in position to not only compete for the NFC East division championship, but they are also in position to win one of the wildcard spots if they can’t take home the division crown. The Eagles are another team that is firing on all cylinders. LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver have combined to step in beautifully for the injured Brian Westbrook, and the combination of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek, among others, have formed a very reliable, and talent receiving core for quarterback Donovan McNabb. The defense is also playing as well as it has all year.

Other teams that could make a move in the playoffs: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis

San Diego Chargers – The Chargers are the hottest team in the NFL and have shown no signs of slowing down over their current eight-game winning streak. With one of the top passing games in the league as well as a running game that is doing just enough to keep the team balanced. The defense has also stepped its game up over their eight-game winning streak and they currently are the one team in the NFL that absolutely nobody wants to play. In addition to potentially landing a first-round bye, the Chargers are also the team that has the best chance of knocking off the Colts.

New England Patriots – The Patriots came as close as any team to knocking the Colts from their state of being undefeated. The Patriots have been an up-and-down team since then, having gone 2-2 since that game that they lost to the Colts. With two games against the Bills and Jaguars coming up before a road game at Houston, the Patriots still have a chance to land a Top 3 seed for the playoffs. While this team has had its down points this season, it’s clear that of any of the teams in the NFL, the Patriots are the last team that you want to count out from going deep in the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals are coming off of a tough loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but are still on track to land a Top 3 seed in the playoffs. When I take a look at how the Bengals would matchup with the Colts, specifically the Colts’ offense, I think that the Bengals could really compete with the undefeated team. The Bengals have two excellent cornerbacks in Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph, and their defense has turned into one of the top units in the NFL. Their running game on offense matches up well against Indianapolis’ run defense as well. I think that this would be a great game if the two teams matched up.

With their win over the Steelers on Thursday night, the Browns have dropped from the third pick in the draft and entered the weekend with the third pick. St. Louis would currently pick first, with Tampa Bay second, and Detroit fourth.

Other teams that could make a move in the playoffs: Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens

NFL Draft Implications

With the season coming to a close, I’ve decided to take another look at the teams at the top of the draft order, and their specific needs:

St. Louis Rams – The Rams need a quarterback as bad as team in the NFL, but with how dominant Ndamukong Suh has played this year, there’s no doubt that he is going to be in contention for the first pick in the draft. Jake Locker and Jimmy Clausen are both expected to compete for the top quarterback spot, assuming Locker also enters the draft. However, Ndamukong Suh is the type of player that only comes around every 10 or so years. Despite choosing two defensive linemen in the first round in two of the last three years (Chris Long, Adam Carriker), there is talk that Suh would be the pick if he is there when they draft. Suh is expected to go first overall as of right now. While they need a quarterback badly, Suh may be too good of a player to pass up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Buccaneers own one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. It’d be safe to say that they will be another team in contention for Suh, however if he is gone, Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy would have to be another player that they’d seriously consider. They have no need for a quarterback, having taken Josh Freeman this year in the first round. Outside of taking Dez Bryant early in the first round to help upgrade their receiving core, I’d say that the Buccaneers will focus on the defensive side of the ball with their Top 5 pick.

Cleveland Browns – There’s talk that Cleveland will be interviewing Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen soon, a sign that they may be anticipating trading or releasing starting quarterback Brady Quinn. In addition to potentially needing a quarterback, the Browns are in need of a running back, receiver, and tight end, as well as a complete re-haul of their defense. Suh is definitely a candidate for the Browns, however with their win over the Steelers on Thursday night may have taken them out of contention to have one of the top two picks in the draft; I also question how Suh would fit in their 3-4 defense. Suh’s best fit at the next level is as a three-technique in the 4-3 defense, yet in the 3-4, he would likely play the five-technique (defensive end) in the 3-4. This spot is usually reserved for a defensive lineman that eats up space and holds their ground; wasting Suh in that role would be the just like the Kansas City Chiefs playing Glenn Dorsey at that position, one in which he doesn’t produce as much as he would if he was playing in the 4-3 defense. Eric Berry, as I mentioned in my updated mock draft, is another candidate for the Browns.

Detroit Lions – The Lions need help in the trenches as well as in their secondary. If one of the top defensive tackles falls to them, then I think they need to jump on them. Russell Okung is another candidate, as they could use a franchise left tackle to help protect quarterback Matthew Stafford. As I said in my mock draft, Joe Haden has to be another player that should be strongly considered for Detroit. Adding him to start at cornerback for them next year would provide them with an immediate upgrade in their secondary.

Washington Redskins – Washington could go one of two ways in this year’s draft. They clearly need help along the offensive line, where they need a future replacement for left tackle Chris Samuels. At quarterback, it’s unknown as to how the team sees the future with Jason Campbell. With Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker among the top quarterbacks, I could definitely see the Redskins deciding to go with one of them just one offseason after pursuing both Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez. Quarterback and offensive line

will be the focus once again for the Redskins this year.

- I’ve received word that Georgia Tech running back Anthony Allen is also considering declaring for the 2010 Draft. Allen, a junior who is in his first year with the Yellow Jackets after transferring from Louisville, has rushed for 597 yards and five touchdowns on 61 attempts, good for 9.8-yards per carry. The lack of attempts can be attributed to a spread of touches between Allen, quarterback Josh Nesbitt, and running back Jonathan Dwyer. If Dwyer also decides to declare for the draft, as some observers assume, then it seems that it would make sense for Allen to remain in school and become the go-to back in the Yellow Jackets’ backfield for his senior year. If he does decide to declare this year, then I could see him going as high as the second or third round if he is able to run well at the Combine in February.

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