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10/2011 Historical Player Profile: Aaron Beasley

October 28th 2011 16:54
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers were two wonders to behold in the 90's. The Jags made four straight playoff appearances after their first ever season in 1996, and the Panthers were in the conference championship in just their second season. For the Jaguars, cornerback Aaron Beasley was a key contributor having been their 3rd rounder in the team's first draft. Beasley spent six seasons with the team and picked off 15 passes.


I want to get rid of the ugly air first and mention that Aaron Beasley was convicted of battery, but the charges were dropped. Another interesting note is that he co-founded the energy drink company Fever. One of the best players in WVU's history, Beasley certainly lived up to his All-American and WVU Hall of Fame billing.

In 1999, Beasley picked off a career-high six passes and led the league with two pick-sixes and 200 total interception return yards. He followed up that performance with five sacks the next season. As a freaking cornerback! In fact, that is the fifth highest number of sacks by a cornerback in a season in NFL history.

The nine year career corner, who also played with the Jets for two seasons and a season with the Falcons, finished off his career with four picks when he was only listed as a starter for three games. It was the only season of his career in which he wore a number other than 21 (37).


Most players break out in their third season, and Beasley was no different. He had three picks and a long fumble recovery for a touchdown in 1998, and that set the tone for the rest of his career as a big-play corner (647 career defensive yards). While he did give up his fair share of big plays, pretty much every Jaguars fan will agree with me that Aaron Beasley is one of their best defensive players in franchise history.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Top Playoff Performer
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10/2011 Player Profile: Sedrick Ellis

October 26th 2011 13:52
The New Orleans Saints have the luxury of being four-deep at defensive tackle with Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rogers, Sedrick Ellis, and Tom Johnson. The problem for the Saints is that for as good as the interior of their defensive line is, the team struggles on a whole against the run due to the utter incompetence from the linebackers (most namely the overrated Johnathan Vilma).

While Ellis is a pretty good defensive tackle, he is inconsistent and can get blown off of plays in run defense. He also isn't good at pressuring the quarterback, and thus he is the most overrated of the team's defensive tackles. So while he was a solid (but nothing more) contributor against the run, Sedrick Ellis has not been an effective pass rusher since his insane and unattainable (for him) rookie season. He still has a chance to be a productive interior pass-rushing presence instead of a very poor one, but that really doesn't seem very likely at this point. He does show flashes in that department at times, but he earns his starting keep on reputation and his rookie year.

The biggest problem with Sedrick Ellis is the fact that he looks disinterested at times and basically does nothing positive. This contributes to the "legend" of him being among the most inconsistent defensive linemen in the league, and that's a problem because while he is talented, he's no Kris Jenkins. If you are going to take some plays off, the only excuse is that you better be really good when you don't. With Ellis, being decent doesn't cut it when you put forth this general lack of consistency.

On the bright side, even though the sample-size is extremely small, Sedrick Ellis has been playing very well as a pass rusher this season. Much to the happiness and surprise of Saints' fans everywhere, Sedrick Ellis is actually making life difficult for opposing quarterbacks on a regular basis this year.

An interesting thing to note is that Ellis is a scheme player who would probably struggle outside of a defense run similarly to what Gregg Williams does in New Orleans. That being said, Ellis is explosive enough to blow up plays and make highlight-reel moments. Another thing to note is that he does struggle as a pass rusher when he doesn't get the first step because of his low work rate (at times). It's his explosiveness that enables him to be a dangerous pass rusher when he does exert effort- such as this season.

As his ability to rush the passer went down, so did his ability to stop the run. He hasn't been productive against the run, and this is easy to see when you look at how poor the Saints run defense is. While it is true that the linebackers are responsible for most of this, the overrated Sedrick Ellis hasn't been helping out either.

Even though Sedrick Ellis has started off strong, I don't know if he can keep this up. If he does, then great; I finally won't be baffled by why the Saints always give him playing time. If he continues to struggle and the Saints keep playing him, it will be a recurring theme from the past two seasons of watching this team.

To tell you the truth, for as critical as I have been of Sedrick Ellis throughout this post; I think he can keep it up. Before the draft and as a rookie, Sedrick Ellis showed he had the talent to be an elite tackle. I think the past two seasons were bumps in the road, and he should shed his "overrated" tag by the end of the season and become the good defensive tackle he was supposed to be.
Sedrick Ellis
Insanely strong


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10/2011 RB Rankings

October 25th 2011 14:59
1. Adrian Peterson- And you thought I was going to put DeMarco Murray here. Seriously though, there is no back out there better than Peterson. He's everything you want in a pure rusher with his versatility in that he can blow by you, juke you out, and run you down 'till you fall flat on your face (the song is Madden 2003's "Suck It Up").

2. Jamaal Charles- The ACL tear sucks, and Charles is a monster who averaged only about six yards per carry last year.

3. Darren McFadden- Yeah, I'm boarding this train until it hits 'Frisco, cause he is tearing it up. He's nicked up too, but that doesn't deter from his overall value.

4. Arian Foster- He doesn't give a damn about your fantasy team either.

5. Chris Johnson- He's still top 5, but I've always thought he was a tad overrated.

6. Maurice Jones-Drew- A versatile back to say the least.

7. Ray Rice- Does a ton of damage with his hands and can make cuts inside; top back.

8. DeAngelo Williams- Too elusive for their not to be a bounce-back.

9. Fred Jackson- Good hands, and great overall ability. Finally getting some press thanks to a line that suddenly figured out how to block.

10. LeGarrette Blount- This is all purely based on skill, and Blount is extremely talented. He is so agile and strong that he's a new beast to defend against; it's amazing to think what he could do with an average line in front of him.

11. Matt Forte- While catching is his forte, he can run and is the team's focal point offensively; pay him.

12. Michael Turner- I wish I had him higher, but 12 is still really good.

13. Ryan Mathews- I am fully on the bandwagon.

14. Ahmad Bradshaw- Catches, blocks, and runs well.

15. Frank Gore- Is more effective when he doesn't get too many carries, as he is extremely explosive should get 15 carries to have optimal impact. He can't take the wear and tear very well, but he does add value in the receiving game.

16. Peyton Hillis- Has been invisible this year (not in a good way) and fumbles too much because of an unbalanced rushing style, but he does possess great blocking and has surprisingly good hands out of the backfield.

17. LeSean McCoy- Brings so much to the table as a pass-catcher and runs effectively.

18. Jonathan Stewart- Could afford to be a little higher, but he is an elusive back who is among the best ten pure rushers in the league.

19. Brandon Jacobs- Was insane last year and is one of the most punishing backs out there.

20. Steven Jackson- Workhorse.

21. Rashard Mendenhall- A little overrated but still an effective back who plays behind a horrible line.

22. Ryan Grant- The statistics don't always favor him, because people don't always look at the right stats. He is a solid player who gets the yardage his team needs.

23. Tim Hightower- Showing that my running back stat isn't full of crap.

24. Cedric Benson- He is an overrated back who is still solid but not as good as people think.

25. Joseph Addai- Underrated back who struggles with injuries but plays pretty well on the field. He is their only hope in the running game.

26. Chris Wells- I'm not ready to bring him into the top 20 yet, as he needs to show me some consistency first.

27. Michael Bush- Solid, bruising back.

28. James Starks- He really likes making me eat crow.

29. Chris Ivory- I think this guy can play and needs to get some time.

30. DeMarco Murray- I'm in but not all in.

31. BenJarvus Green-Ellis- Sold, albeit unspectacular moving-chains back.

32. Ben Tate- Explosive but not there yet.

33. Ryan Torain- Mike Shanahan and I know that he is better than people thought last year.

34. Mike Goodson- Man, the Panthers have a lot of wealth at the position.

35. Felix Jones- This is on the basis of his receiving skills and ability to break off the big play.

36. Mark Ingram- Better than the stats indicated.

37. Isaac Redman- Finally breaking out of the underrated shell.

38. Jackie Battle- Believe Chiefs, believe. No more Thomas Jones.

39. Marshawn Lynch- When he goes beast mode; it's over. Unfortunately, he doesn't go beast mode enough.

40. Pierre Thomas- New Orleans hasn't been treating him well recently.
DeMarco Murray
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10/2011 Defensive End Rankings

October 23rd 2011 15:28
1. Justin Tuck- Stout against the run and can bring the heat too. Just a monster who has also mastered the art of the strip sack.

2. Julius Peppers- Makes everyone around him that much better and does everything as a player. Peppers can even tip passes regularly on the line (9 PDs last season).

3. Justin Smith- You have to take into account that this guy is a 3-4 end, and he is a beastly one indeed. Nobody brings pressure as regularly as he does from the three technique spot; just watch what he did to Matthew Stafford last week.

4. Dwight Freeney- I don't think we can ever stop gushing about his spin moves.

5. Trent Cole- Underrated end who excels at stuffing the run, and that's why I vaulted him to the top five.

6. Haloti Ngata- Absolutely destructive force.

7. Jared Allen- Gets a lot of sacks, but it's not really about the sacks. Still, there aren't many guys better than Allen.

8. Charles Johnson- The contract has helped him shed the underrated role, although he hasn't been quite as unstoppable as he was last year. But hell, he's been damn good this season too.

9. Terrell Suggs- He has a majority of his well-deserved snaps at defensive end.

10. Ray Edwards- I love his ability to get pressure and is one of the best 4-3 ends in the game.

11. Richard Seymour- So difficult to beat with that upper body strength and gets a ton of pressure on the inside. Not only that, but he also plays the run even better.

12. John Abraham- One-dimensional, but he is overpowering in that dimension.

13. Robert Mathis- He and Freeney will spend their days roasting offensive linemen together for the rest of their careers (I hope).

14. Jason Babin- Although he makes far too many penalties, their is no doubting his ability to put the QB to the ground.

15. Osi Umenyiora- Worse than the stats indicate, but the stats are off the charts.
Dwight Freeney
Top 5 End
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10/2011 WR Rankings

October 21st 2011 15:20
1. Larry Fitzgerald- When will this guy get a quarterback again? Is uncoverable when he actually has good receivers around him as well. This is how Steve Smith used to feel before Cam Newton came around, except Smith still doesn't have all that good wideouts around him quite yet.

2. Andre Johnson- Statistically the best, but the game goes beyond stats. He isn't quite at Fitzgerald's level, but the distance between them is almost negligible


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10/2011 Football Talk: The Pouncey Brothers

October 20th 2011 15:01
Last year, one of the dumbest Pro Bowl vote-ins of all-time was made. Yet another overhyped rookie, Maurkice Pouncey, was voted as a Pro Bowl starter. The Steelers center may be a lovable figure, but he's actually a poor player. He's among the most overrated players in the game, as he is one of the worst centers in pass protection. The whole Steelers offensive line stinks, but Pouncey isn't the odd man out on the line. While he isn't all that bad of a run blocker, his pass protection is detrimental to the team. I wish fans would start watching the games more closely instead of hopping onto some bandwagon.

However, Maurkice's brother Mike has been far better so far in his early NFL career. Although he did struggle last game against a very tough opponent in the running game (Sione Pouha), he was once again lights-out as a pass protector. Mike Pouncey has already been arguably the best rookie thus far, but he hasn't had the same hype as his twin brother did last year. In fact, the newest Pouncey to the league had more attention as a draft pick. Guys, it's time to give the elder Pouncey his due. Defensive tackles will tell you that he is already a force in the Dolphins interior


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10/2011 Detroit Lions Top 20 Players

October 19th 2011 15:53
1. WR Calvin Johnson- Really the only reason why this offense functions. Stafford's fine, but he would be half the player with Johnson. Of course that goes with most QBs, but Stafford isn't really all that good. He's above-average- which isn't bad- but nothing more; he's overrated by a lot of guys.

2. DE Cliff Avril- Yeah, the underrated Avril is their second best player. To tell you the truth, the Lions aren't really that talented. You may think I am underrating Suh, but the young tackle has a lot to prove. For as great as he is as a pass rusher, Avril is better. One other thing, Avril isn't a liability against the run


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10/18 NFL Rumors: Carson Palmer Traded

October 18th 2011 19:00
What the Raiders did is perplexing to me, but it was the only way to get a starting quarterback. Look, I don't think any team wants to start Kyle Boller right now, and the Raiders were out of options. Everybody knew they had to overpay, but a first rounder is far too much for a below-average quarterback. Palmer isn't that bad, but Jason Campbell might actually be better. It was sad to see Campbell go down like that, as he was playing some damn good football this season. He really broke out as a game manager and remains one of my favorite players since his days with the 'Skins.

No matter how much I hate Mike Brown, now was a good time for him to let Carson Palmer continue his NFL career and move on with Andy Dalton. Even though it hurts his already dirt-low stature for being a pushover from his initial refusals to trade Palmer, he finally did something for the good of the team. I have always been highly critical of Brown, but this was actually a nice move. For the Raiders, it was necessary, as they are a team that can contend for a playoff spot. It's always good to see teams trying to make that push by adding guys at the deadline, much like teams do in baseball


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10/16 NFL Rumors: Tuck and Snee Out

October 16th 2011 15:26
In case anybody was wondering, I get all my rumors from Yahoo! Sports, and I basically read, rephrase, and add in my own opinion to make these rumors unique and PSW-quality.

The Giants had one of those "What the hell just happened?" losses last week against the Seattle Seahawks. I looked outside to see if the world was ending, but it was just another NFL game. The Giants now face the surprise Buffalo Bills, but they won't have Justin Tuck and Chris Snee. They can deal with losing Snee, but Justin Tuck is such a huge presence for this team. I never thought they could win anyway, but this only hurts the Giants. The Bills will come back down to earth to a certain extent at some point during the season, because their terrible players on the offensive line are over-performing at an unsustainable level


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10/2011 Player Profile: Ray Rice

October 15th 2011 17:01
When talking about elite running backs, it is imperative to mention the name "Ray Rice". He is the focal point of a contender's offense, and I honestly hope that you don't think Joe Flacco is the team's best offensive player. That honor goes to Rice, or the very underrated Marshal Yanda. In any case, Rice is one of the best and most versatile backs in the NFL right now, and he currently has a 52.9 RB Efficiency score.

According to Advanced NFL Stats, Rice currently has the 6th highest EPA among running backs this season (13th last season), and his DYAR (provided by Football Outsider's) was 13th in the NFL last season. However, Rice is a better player than the statistics indicate, because we haven't taken into account that he is one of the best receiving running backs in the league


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10/2011 Top 20 Players on the Patriots

October 12th 2011 13:48
1. QB Tom Brady
2. LG Logan Mankins
3. LB Jerod Mayo


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10/2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Top 20 Players

October 10th 2011 17:26
1. LB James Harrison- Does everything well.
2. S Troy Polamalu- Hey there, thanks for reading.
3. QB Ben Roethlisberger- Where would this offense be without him? Yeah, that was a rhetorical question buddy


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10/2011 Player Profile: Felix Jones

October 4th 2011 15:00
Although he is a very explosive player who is a terrific pass-catcher, I am really not a big fan of Felix Jones as a player. I think he is an average running back at best, and the Cowboys need to get a new feature back to help out Romo. His RB Efficiency score last year was a below-average 46.6, but he is still a more than capable number two back in this league.

It may seem like I'm hating on Jones right now, but it's just that I don't think he is a consistent enough rusher. There is no doubt that Felix Jones is one of the most explosive backs in this league, but that really doesn't mean much if you can't consistently help your team get yards on the ground. He's good enough that opposing defenses definitely have to account for him on every play, but he's not the guy who strikes fear into opposing defenses. They know that they can leave six men in the box and can still survive the encounter


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10/2011 Historical Player Profile: Tom Tracy

October 3rd 2011 14:44
Ah, it's finally October and the sporting world is buzzing. The players and owners are still talking instead of balling over in the NBA, the MLB playoffs are here, the Canadians are worrying about the Canucks and Leafs, and the NFL season is as crazy and messed up as ever. To keep this constant amid all this turnover, I'd like to take a breather and briefly look at a former Steelers' career.

The Detroit Lions took Tom Tracy in the 5th round (50th overall), and that just goes to show how many teams there were in 1956. The running back did nothing in his first two seasons, and "The Bomb" signed on with the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the next 5 and 1/4 seasons, Tracy would play Pro Bowl football in the city of Pittsburgh


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2011 Week 4 Preview: Jets and Ravens

October 2nd 2011 13:29
This right here is definitely the game of the week, and it features Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, and Jim Leonhard going at it against their former team. This is a matchup between two contenders who have quite a bit to prove heading into this matchup. The Ravens need to show that they are indeed for real, and the Jets really have to show that they aren't all mouth after getting run all over by Darren McFadden.

In big injury news, Nick Mangold is listed as questionable for this game, and this actually does mean quite a bit. Not only is he one of the best centers in the game, but his replacement Colin Baxter is one of the worst run-blocking offensive linemen in the league. He gets pushed around like crazy, and that more than "makes up for" his great work in pass protection. It's known fact that run blocking is far more important for centers than pass protection, and Baxter has proven to be a liability on the line overall


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9/2011 Top 20 on Tampa Bay Bucs

September 30th 2011 16:58
1. QB Josh Freeman- Uh...the reason why they were above .500 last year. Talk about clutch performers, this guy can ball with the best of them in crunch time.

2. RB LeGarrette Blount- Elusive as hell, you gotta give this guy more credit. I mean, you've punched someone in the face before, right? I hope so, because you've devoided yourself of all manliness if not


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9/2011 QB Rankings

September 29th 2011 18:27
1. Aaron Rodgers- The NFL's version of The Machine
2. Tom Brady- Look past the four picks; he owned the Bills
3. Drew Brees- He rips up secondaries


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9/2011 Historical Player Profile: Otis Taylor

September 28th 2011 15:15
And on I march with these historical player profiles, while listening to Nirvana of course. Is Dave Grohl not the best rock personality in recent history? While that would be a very entertaining topic to discuss, my "job" here is sports analysis. It's an equally fruitless activity in the eyes of the equally ignorant public, but why listen to the ignorant who have not reaped the rewards of sports? I mean, every diehard sports fan admits that they have learned a lot about life with sports as a medium. Life is like Shawn and sports are like Gus, Gus translates the incoherent nonsense Shawn says. Likewise, sports help translate the craziness and seeming randomness of everyday life. Alright, I'm gonna stop being philosophical- and not get religious- and hit up this HPP.

Before I start this post, I want to go off on another monologue (an aside would be if I was talking to myself, but I'm not Jack White). Why is Dwight Howard's nickname D12? Like, how does that make sense at all? I hate it when people make basketball player's nicknames out of their initial and jersey number. AK47 is cool, but D12 is as ludicrous as the rapper. The guys who made up this nickname are popping too many purple pills and seeing too many purple hills


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9/27 NFL Rumors: Felix Jones injury update

September 27th 2011 14:58
So apparently, the dislocated shoulder that Felix Jones aggravated will not keep him out of next week's game. If it did, the Cowboys running game would go from subpar to really bad. Jones is an explosive back who is average at best, but his main asset comes as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. He, like Reggie Bush, adds another dimension to the Cowboys' offense and is an important safety valve when Romo is under pressure.

For those of you who can't bear watching Curtis Painter (every Colts fan), this could be bad news. Kerry Collins has yet to be cleared to play, and even though he has been poor this season; he's definitely a step above Painter. Although America's favorite quarterback was a terrific player at Purdue in college, he has left a lot to be desired on the football field. I do think that Painter has a chance to be a decent quarterback, as he has studied under Manning and his performances are under a small sample size. I mean, he's only played in three games and wasn't truly ready for those games. While Painter will most likely never be anything resembling a league-average quarterback, there is still hope


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9/2011 Team Scope: Baltimore Ravens

September 26th 2011 14:44
The Ravens are now 2-1 after absolutely shredding the St. Louis Rams 37-7, after coming off of a very disappointing game against the Tennessee Titans. However, that loss was probably a really bad hangover from that shocking blowout victory over their sworn enemy. Looks like a dose of greasy food- an upset loss- really does work for hangovers, as the Ravens tore the Rams with their mighty claws (Torrey Smith).

Yeah, fantasy owners are now familiar with that guy (not to be confused with THAT GUY). I hate fantasy, but even I have to admit that Torrey Smith was fantastic yesterday. The numbers don't lie, as he had five catches on eight targets for a 62.5% Catch Rate. That is made all the more impressive when you consider that his Deep % was 75 (six targets of 15 yards or more). All those stats add up to a 19 point yards per target average, and arguably the best performance by a wideout this week. According to the fantasy numbers (which I hate), Wes Welker and Smith are tied at the top of the leaderboards for all players with 34 points a piece


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