Tag: NFL Draft

Five Coaches on the Hot Seat

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The NFL is unique in so many ways and the leash that is afforded coaches is unlike any we see in most of the other professional or even college ranks. Basketball coaches typically receive three seasons (or at least two) to get things back in place unless the results are brutal. Major League Baseball is usually at least two. The NFL is an entirely different animal though as we have seen in recent years with the examples being one and dones Steve Wilks in Arizona and Jim Tomzula in San Francisco. Hell, the Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer in 2006 after he went 14-2.

 

Today, I want to take a look at the top five NFL coaches who are feeling the heat this season from most likely to be “relieved” of their duties to the least likely.

1-Dan Quinn-Atlanta Falcons

You want to talk about toeing the line, Quinn might be standing on it. The Falcons have a very good quarterback and have surrounded him with weapons in recent seasons but it is always something. They either turn the ball over in the RedZone or don’t get the ball to Julio Jones enough. On the defensive side of the ball they seem to rarely ever stop anyone and this season they let Vic Beasley walk. The Falcons are now three seasons removed from the greatest Super Bowl collapse in history and two seasons removed from their last playoff appearance. Owner Arthur Blank is not going to want to waste his window with Ryan/Gurley/Jones/Ridley for more than one more season.

2-Pat Shurmur-New York Giants

Being from New England, I know a lot of Giants fans and they aren’t happy. Shurmur is 9-23 in two seasons with the Giants and is riding superstar Saquon Barkley into the ground. After the disaster that was the Ben McAdoo era, you have to think that the Giants are ready to make a splash and Shurmur cannot lean on his resume’ for any more leash as his career record coaching record is 19-46.

3-Zac Taylor-Cincinnati Bengals

This one is probably not fair but life isn’t fair and it’s even less fair in the NFL. The one saving grace here is that the Bengals have not been typically quick on the trigger historically. Only Sam Wyche, their first coach, received two seasons or fewer but if the Bengals go 2-14 or 3-13 this season, Taylor is going to be sweating.

 

4-Doug Marrone-Jacksonville Jaguars

The once-promising window for the Jaguars has been slammed shut over the last two seasons and a 11-21 record leading to two last-place division finishes. This offseason, the organization has shaken up its coaching staff, front office, and scouting department. They have also moved on from Nick Foles to Gardner Minshew and parted with Calais Campbell in the offseason after trading Jalen Ramsey during the season. The winds of change are blowing in Jacksonville and Doug Marrone might swept away if the Jags aren’t able to find a rhythm that led to a first place finish in 2017.

5-Anthony Lynn-Los Angeles Chargers

If you have been reading any of my preseason wagers and projections you already know, I am not an Anthony Lynn fan. If you have watched Chargers games in recent seasons you already know, every game is an adventure with at least one “what the?” call coming from the Chargers sideline and Phillip Rivers absolutely losing his mind about something. Well, Rivers and his Hall of Fame career are now gone and it could get ugly in a hurry. My guess is that unless this team signs Cam Newton or Jameis Winston as a stop-gap, they are going to be one of the three worst in the NFL and Lynn will be gone.

 

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2017 NFL Draft Preview

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​​VegasTopDogs 2017 NFL DRAFT PREVIEW –
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With another NFL draft upcoming – that which has an excellent amount of skilled RBs in particular, with Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey, just to name s a few. And guys like Jonathan Allen, Kevin King and Myles Garrett coming out on the defensive side of the ball, this draft is going to be great.
The other positions, we have some guys who some are leery of buying fully in on. The position we are looking at, as one of the most questionable slots is the QB position. the very intriguing DeShone Kizer, Texas Tech big armed Patrick Mahomes and dual threat Deshaun Watson are looked at as some of the top QBs heading into the draft. They all have some pros, but all certainly have their obvious cons.
Kizer was only completing 58% of his passes on the season in 2016.
Mahomes had not been a great leader in 2016, losing 7 games, nothing to be too excited about.
Watson threw 17 picks.
Regardless – we are going to watch and we are going to cheer and sometimes complain at the picks. Here, we will take a projective look at the 1st rd Draft projections as to who will draft who.
Let’s get it underway!
1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett – DE – Texas A&M
2. San Francisco 49ers: Jonathan Allen -DT – Alabama
3. Chicago Bears: Marshon Lattimore – CB – Ohio State
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Solomon Thomas – DT – Stanford
5. Tennessee Titans (from Rams): Mike Williams – WR – Clemson
6. NY Jets: Deshaun Watson – QB – Clemson
7. LA Chargers: O.J. Howard – TE – Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers: Derek Barnett – DE – Tennessee
9. Cincinnati Bengals: Takk McKinley – DE – UCLA
10. Buffalo Bills: Malik Hooker – S – Ohio State
11. New Orleans Saints: Forrest Lamp – OG – W Kentucky
12. Cleveland Browns (from Eagles): Mitch Trubisky – QB – North Carolina
13. Arizona Cardinals: John Ross – WR – Washington
14. Philadelphia Eagles (from Vikings): Leonard Fournette – RB – LSU
15. Indianapolis Colts: Dalvin Cook – RB – Florida State
16. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Davis – WR – Western Michigan
17. Washington Redskins: Christian McCaffrey – RB – Stanford
18. Tennessee Titans: Jamal Adams – S – LSU
19. Tamps Bay Buccaneers: Reuben Foster – LB – Alabama
20. Denver Broncos: Garett Bolles – OT – Utah
21. Detroit Lions: Charles Harris – LB – Missouri
22. Miami Dolphins: Cam Robinson – OT – Alabama
23. NY Giants: TJ Watt – OLB – Wisconsin
24. Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley – CB – Ohio State
25. Houston Texans: DeShone Kizer – QB – Notre Dame
26. Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King – CB – Washington
27. Kansas City Chiefs: Jarrad Davis – LB – Florida
28. Dallas Cowboys: Taco Charlton – DE – Michigan
29. Green Bay Packers: Quincy Wilson – CB – Florida
30. Pittsburgh Steelers: Marlon Humphrey – CB – Alabama
31. Atlanta Falcons: Malik McDowell – DL – Michigan State
32. New Orleans Saints (from Patriots): Patrick Mahomes – QB – Texas Tech
So let’s sit back get ready for our teams with hearts pounding, and await what names we hear called out to us from that podium.
The 2017 football season is gong to arrive eventually with mini-camps starting in just a few months – now it’s just time to be patient, and get through our all-too lengthy offseason, and wait to see who is unleashed on the league as rookie phenoms, and the inevitable expected busts, that we all know are going to be there.

Philadelphia Eagles Likely to Crash and Burn

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EaglesDraft

The Philadelphia Eagles have been relatively quiet since firing Chip Kelly before the end of his third season with them. The turbulence and controversy hasn’t stopped, though.

The Eagles just moved up to No. 2 in the draft by giving up their No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 draft choices this season plus their No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks next year to the Browns to move up six spots in the draft plus get Cleveland’s fourth-round pick in 2017. In other words, the Eagles surrendered an extra first-round pick, second-round pick and third-round pick to draft either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz.

The Rams are likely to grab Goff leaving the Eagles to take Wentz. It’s a foolish gamble for the Eagles since earlier this year they signed San Bradford to a two-year $35 million deal that includes $22 in guaranteed money and also inked Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniel to a three-year, $21 million deal with $12 million guaranteed. So Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie already has tied up $34 million in guaranteed money to Bradford and Daniel.

Without high draft picks and free agent money the Eagles are at a real disadvantage. There’s no guarantee Goff or Wentz turns out – and the Rams get first crack at the one they believe is best.

Neither Goff nor Wentz are rated as a sure-fire franchise quarterbacks. I rate them lower than Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, last year’s top two quarterback picks who went 1-2 in the draft. I didn’t like the Rams surrendering a king’s ransom to move into the No. 1 draft spot. I like the Eagles’ move even less.

The Eagles could have stayed at No. 8 and likely had a choice of a stud lineman – either on offense or defense – or maybe the top ranked wider receiver or running back. Then in the second round they could have addressed their quarterback future by taking either Connor Cook or Christian Hackenberg since they are so unsure of Bradford and Daniel despite just shelling out big bucks for them.

That way the Eagles would have upgraded their roster while not gambling their future away.

The NFC East turned very weak in 2015. The Redskins are the defending division champs. Dallas is a factor as long as Tony Romo is healthy. The Giants made huge free agent news upgrading their defense with multiple signings. The Eagles certainly appear now to be the weakest team in the division since they are the least likely to improve themselves in the draft.

Written by Stephen Nover of VegasTopDogs.com

Should the Vikings bring back Adrian Peterson in 2015?

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AP
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The Adrian Peterson ordeal has been nothing short of astonishing, disappointing, and frustrating for fans, in particular Vikings fans across the sports world. With a heavy heart and a “shaking my head” view I look into what the Vikings should do with their phenomenal RB and the situation at hand.
 
No one would question as to what AP did was wrong. But the NFL overreached here wanting to push this to the extreme for PR purposes. Sadly, if you really look into the numbers, there are figured 20% of players with criminal history playing currently in the league. That’s a fact, so to judge him and banish him as the worst outlaw of them all, is unfair and unjustifiable.
 
He could be coming back with a vengeance and putting up insane numbers again, with a team around him that could possibly not need him to run for 140. I also think that with his health, and heart AP could possibly last another 3-4 years as a starter in the NFL. He is in way better shape then other aging running backs out there.
 
I don’t think anyone would consider AP to be the typical “almost 30 year old” RB in the NFL. The dreaded 30 year old history, has averted some players, like Emmitt Smith and Jerome Bettis who still played productively after the big 3-0. Not great, but capably. AP certainly has defied the odds with other things as well, after tearing his ACL.
 
I am sure he has spent a season off the field taking top class care of his body, obviously free from the hits and injuries. A healthy and hungry Peterson in 2015 with a much improved defense and a new schemed offensive could call for a double digit win season. If the Vikings plan on keeping Peterson wearing the purple and gold, I feel in surely puts them back into the post-season next year.
 
Is it a genuine consideration that the Peterson era has concluded? If this plays out, then the best the Vikes could hope for, is to trade him for a mid round pick to a place he is going to willing to take less money. And the money they could save would be able to let them address other needs, like getting the abominable O-line fixed, adding another strong DB opposite Xavier Rhodes.
 
This is in fact Teddy’s team now, it is time to move on. They can definitely draft a RB in the 2nd or 3rd rounds of the draft, perfectly a Gurley, or even Jay Ajayi would be there for their 2nd round pick. Proof is, anyone is replaceable, and RB position is one of those positions, that when coming out of college, they can hit promptly, it’s not the enduring growing position like the QB or possibly WR spot.
 
I feel that some of it, drops back on his shoulders, depending on whether or not he feels the organization really had his back throughout this experience. Has he questioned their faithfulness throughout this? I am sure he has asked himself that a multitude of times, and we may or may not ever know the real answer to it all.
 
Keeping Peterson obviously makes the team even better than they were this year, and they were for certain a team on the rise, and would be expected to be only climbing after their successful campaign with their renewed team. But, he is a 30 yr old RB, due for a huge paycheck of around 14 million next season.
 
The possibility of putting any other RB on the field that matches his quality and style of play for half the amount of money, then they should consider that option.
 
The Vikings should renegotiate his contract, firstly. I don’t believe there will be too many teams willing to pay him as much as he is currently due to be making. Looking back at teams that have had to make the tough decision to let their franchise players go, the Favre and Rodgers situation, the Manning to Luck moves, they all ended up working out pretty well for those teams in the end. Especially for the Packers.
 
So it does make sense to let Adrian Peterson go.
Written by Mike Anthony for VegasTopDogs.com
 
 
 
 
 
 

2014 VegasTopDogs NFL Draft Predictions

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Mock Draft
It’s almost here, that wonderful time of the off-season, we all look forward to like a special holiday for grown ups, NFL draft day. I know I am as excited as you are, waiting to see who my team is going to grab in the 1st round, who can we sneak out in the 3rd, and make it all come together. This HAS to be the year, right?

Draft season, brings everyone together as a unit, like a load of team colored, jersey wearing soldiers, to cheer, jeer, moan and groan at who picks up who, and who passes on who. Will your team be drafting who you are hoping for, or will they let you down? It’s a day, where we all are GMs of our teams, and looking at who we think our teams should be drafting. With all the teams and their hopes in the offseason, bad teams try to get better, teams like Cleveland and St. Louis are thought to be instantly teams that are expecting a great turnaround from last year simply from having 2 picks in the 1st round. But not so fast, it all comes out in the wash during the upcoming season.

So we will go through the 1st round, Mock draft style and let you know who they teams should be taking in their slots.

1. Houston Texans – Jadaveon Clowney, DE
2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins)- Sammy Watkins, WR
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Khalil Mack, LB
4. Cleveland Browns- Mike Evans, WR
5. Oakland Raiders- Greg Robinson, OL
6. Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews, OL
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Taylor Lewan, OL
8. Minnesota Vikings- Johnny Manziel, QB
9. Buffalo Bills- CJ Mosley, LB
10. Detroit Lions- Calvin Pryor, S
11. Tennessee Titans- Darqueze Dennard, CB
12. New York Giants- Louis Nix III, DT
13. St. Louis Rams- Justin Gilbert, CB
14. Chicago Bears- Timmy Jernigan, DT
15. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kyle Fuller, CB
16. Dallas Cowboys- Kony Ealy, DE
17. Baltimore Ravens- Xavier Su’A-Filo, OL
18. New York Jets- Odell Beckham, WR
19. Miami Dolphins- David Yankey, OL
20. Arizona Cardinals- Blake Bortles, QB
21. Green Bay Packers- Zack Martin, OL
22. Philadelphia Eagles- Merqise Lee, WR
23. Kansas City Chiefs- Gabe Jackson, OL
24. Cincinnati Bengals- Dee Ford, DE
25. San Diego Chargers- Anthony Barr, LB
26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis Colts)- Derek Carr, QB
27. New Orleans Saints- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S
28. Carolina Panthers- Cyrus Kouandjio, OL
29. New England Patriots- Ra’Shede Hageman, DT
30. San Francisco 49ers- Jason Verrett, CB
31. Denver Broncos- Kelvin Benjamin, WR
32. Seattle Seahawks- Eric Ebron, TE

What makes this draft so great is because it is so deep and so talented, on all levels. I think that this draft could produce a couple handfuls of Pro-Bowlers easily. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m right on, but we will find out soon enough. Looking forward to this Thursday, May 8th, so let’s do this!!

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.com

Johnny Manziel is the quarterback that’s ready for the NFL

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2012 Heisman Trophy Presentation

Johnny Manziel is coming off of one of the most intriguing seasons in college history. With 4114 yards passing, 37 TD passes, rushing the ball for 759 yards and 9 scores as well. for a whopping total of 46 TDs this season for Texas A&M. His numbers at Texas A&M place him in the WOW category as far as collegiate athletes go. Winning the Heisman trophy in 2012 after a phenomenal freshman season, where he took everyone by storm. Finalizing his career at Texas A&M with 7820 YDs, 63 TDs to 22 INTs, and of course the 30 more rushing TDs. And a 69% completion passer as well.

He played excellent against some of the best competition as well. Putting up numbers that most other QBs would love to have had half the success against. His game vs Auburn when he was spectacular, putting up 454 in the air, and 5 total TDs in a heart-breaker, where his defense let him down again. Manziel put up astounding numbers against top SEC competition, where as most struggled vs the best conference in college football.

He can be abrasive and hard to deal with at times, with an arrogance, that many feel almost intolerable. And i understand the aggravation and frustration with it, no one likes the big mouth kid coming in, who hasn’t done anything at the pro level yet, talking like he is going to set the league on fire.

But is he?

Some can also say he carries with himself a load of confidence. maybe more than deserved at this super early stages of his “what is to be a career” but ask yourself another question. Do you want a guy coming in not feeling that he is the man to lead your team? Do you want him unsure if he can handle the NFL? Honestly, I want a guy who says, “jump on my back boys, I’m going to get us there.”

Manziel seems to already have a chip on his shoulders, wanting to make teams pay if they pass on him. Good. make GMs and teams question once, twice, even five or six times, what they are going to do. Are they making a huge mistake if they don’t take the kid. Or are they saving their franchise by not?

Manziel recently stated, that he wants to be the first rookie to win super bowl. Marvelous. Come in letting your future team know, you are not here for ticket sales, you’re not here for hoopla. You are here in the NFL to win a championship. That’s what a fan wants to hear.

I think he has superior footwork in the pocket, with his scrambling and zipping and dodging wold be tacklers and all angles. Some believe he doesn’t quite have the arm strength in the pocket to make all the throws around the field needed of an NFL quarterback. I think his arm is good enough to make it in the NFL.

He has a “never count me out” attribute about him, where it’s simple to dislike him, but also leaves you shaking your head in either amazement, or because what he just did against your team.

Expectations are going to come in relatively shaky for Manziel. In particular with him flying off his mouth letting teams know he is more than ready for the NFL game. What he will do is anybody’s guess. I personally anticipate good things, if not great. Manziel has the talent, the tools, the intangibles, and the uncanny “it” factor. Where in the back of your mind, you cant help but always think a team is still in it when he is out there on the field.

He most certainly can be the solution for a team. I think the best spot for him to land would be in Houston. With the Texans running the offense, the way they do, Manziel could stand out in that atmosphere. he would play 6 games vs his division opponents, who were not very good overall against the pass, so he would get some time to evolve even a little more. And he would sell crazy tickets, coming from a Texas school, and with his ability to create big plays out of nothing, having a good defense and Andre Johnson and future breakout star, DeAndre Hopkins to chuck the ball to doesn’t hurt. Oh yea, and then they also have a 1500 YD rusher, Arian Foster. He is easily the most awaited quarterback to enter the NFL in this years draft class.

It’s not whether Manziel is ready for the NFL. It’s is the NFL ready for Manziel? Houston will regret it, if they don’t take him and its not looking like they will.

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is the 2014 QB draft class the best ever?

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Johnny Football

This years draft class coming up for the heralded franchise QB is frothing at the edge of anticipation. The draft this year is months away still, but for teams that aren’t in the playoffs, this is a very sober issue to be looking at in particular if your team happens to lack that special guy behind the center.

There will be 4 QBs going in the 1st round this year, guaranteed, and possibly, in my opinion maybe 5.

Teams that are all in dire need of a QB to help them get to the next level, will be studying, to try and and bring their franchises some winning and excitement.

The utter importance of the QB position has always been so key to a teams success that drafting one has been known to say, “makes or breaks your team” or can set your team backwards 10 years if you draft the wrong guy. True? Maybe, but devastating when you miss on the QB you are hoping for, absolutely.

With all the recent success the young QBs coming into the league have had, it’s a terrible expectation for these kids to have walking into the NFL. But it is what it is. The old 3 year or 30 game tryout before knowing what you have seem to be as old school as tackling (remember that in football?) There are no more developing them for the future in their rookie year and then keep them around to learn, on the roster as the backup or even 3rd stringer.

The kids coming out this year all have ample windows, and even bigger expectations this year for their franchises that decide to draft them. Let’s take a brief look at them, in no particular order.

Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville. Bridgewater threw for 3,970 yards and 31 touchdowns, while completing 71% of his passes. And keeps his eyes downfield. Tough kid, even though very lanky, showing toughness to bounce back up, even after getting drilled.

Blake Bortles, Central Florida. Bortles to me is a surprise here, in the fact that, he was way better than I thought. Some speculating he has the highest chance of success of any QB in the ’14 class. He has a good size at 6-4 and a 230. He can run the ball well as well, giving him that dual ability. And he just throws a really nice football, with some extra spice on it.

Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M. Johnny Football is absolutely one of the most energizing college football players in modern history. He has extraordinary mobility, avoiding what seems like everyone at anytime on the field. he is a highlight waiting to happen. He has great takeoff speed, bailing when needed. And has improved as a pocket passer also.

Derek Carr, Fresno State. Wow, out of nowhere, he finished the season with 50 td passes. And amazing accuracy as well at 69%. He was the only QB to throw for more than 5,000 yards, with that kind of passing quality. He is another with a big body, a powerful arm, and is able to launch the ball all over the field. An excellent pocket passer, with big anticipations.

Also keep an eye out for Zach Mettenberger from LSU, who I also feel could be a solid NFL product.

It’s going to be great, as always, GMs have better do their homework to make sure they hit  on these kids.

Maybe?

Written by TonyK of VegasTopDogs.

Or are they all going to be successful?