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.

That's not to say that Felix Jones is a bad player by any means, but people who believe that he is a capable feature back in the NFL think too highly of him. While he is a good option out of the backfield- his receiving skills are huge- pure runners are the only running backs with legit value in the league today with all the passing going on. Jones has value, but he obviously doesn't command the respect that a guy like Jonathan Stewart does.

For as elusive as he is, Felix Jones won't be a star back in my eyes until he can consistently churn out results. For now, he is a good back who is an excellent number two running back for a team who needs that extra dimension. The Cowboys need to find more of workhouse back so that Jones can be a more effective player.

Explosive, but not a star back

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Player Profiles, Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Jonathan Stewart

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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
4. Peyton Manning- MVP
5. Philip Rivers- Repeat after me: 4,700
6. Tony Romo- Kevlar baby
7. Ben Roethlisberger- Can't believe dude got married
8. Michael Vick- He ain't whining, the complaints are legit
9. Eli Manning- Peter Keating has it right; Eli is underrated
10. Matt Ryan- Matty Ice is melting
11. Matt Schaub- This guy
12. Joe Flacco- QBR has him as the best QB, why is this a bad stat again? Oh yeah, cause Brady's been better
13. Josh Freeman- The reason why the Bucs don't suck
14. Matthew Stafford- He's fo real
15. Jay Cutler- How many hits does he have to take? Memo to Bears' line: Get your hands out of your ass and get to work!
16. Kevin Kolb- Levi Brown is his worst enemy, but at least he has a BFF in Fitzgerald
17. Ryan Fitzpatrick- Who said the smart guys can't play ball?
18. Sam Bradford- If only he had receivers....
19. Cam Newton- Disappointing against the Jags
20. Colt McCoy- West Coast we mash up!

Have you seen his line?

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Rankings, QBs, Tom Brady, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger, Colt McCoy, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, Kevin Kolb, Sam Bradford

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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.

We all know that Antonio Gates has been struggling with foot injuries recently, and he is set to visit a food (sic) specialist to make sure that he isn't doing further damage to his body. All we can do is hope for the best and wish Gates luck.

The reason why star back Arian Foster did not play in last week's game was because his hamstring tightened up. Head coach Gary Kubiak is confident that Foster will be able to play in next week's game. Yeah, that's always good news.

Should Play Week 4

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL Rumors and News, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning, Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter, Arian Foster, Gary Kubiak, Antonio Gates, Tony Romo, Felix Jones

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Is Darrelle Revis the best player in the game?

September 17th 2011 14:10

I like to try to come up with questions that I don't currently have an answer for, and then I just start investigating and trying to come up with an answer. With all the great passing performances going on right now, you could argue that having a shutdown corner like Revis makes all the difference in the world. You, in a sense, take out the opposing quarterback's best weapon and are able to handcuff about 70 yards or so from an offense.

There is actually another question that I need to tackle first: who is the best shutdown corner in the game? Although quarterbacks are less likely to throw it at Nnamdi Asomugha, Revis is younger and is a slightly better corner overall. And oh by the way, he offers far more than Nnamdi in run support. It actually doesn't matter as to which corner you prefer, because either way, Nnamdi or Revis could be the best player in the league.

Cornerbacks aren't only matched up against the wide receiver, they are also facing the quarterback. Think about it, it's really not a fair matchup in a corner and receiver duel. Sure the corner can shut down the receiver, but great quarterbacks can put it in spots where only the receiver can get it. That Madden quote was easily evident in the Super Bowl. Did you see some of those throws Aaron Rogers got by Ike Taylor? And Taylor is one of the best ten cornerbacks in the NFL.

The fact that Revis is able to beat two player- and both are usually stars- is quite remarkable in itself. What's more amazing is that he completely elevates the Jets defense. Revis is by far the team's most important player, because the Jets can get away with having no true pass rushers. Rex Ryan can send out all the men he wants to in his elaborate blitzing schemes, because he knows that Revis has his back. Like, there really aren't many other teams who can blitz two defensive backs and still feel safe.

In fantasy football, great running backs are taken so high because of value. There aren't many shutdown corners in the NFL, maybe five or so, and guys like Nnamdi and Revis are the only players who can truly completely take another star player out of the game. This may be hard to believe, but these corners also beat quarterbacks. When was the last time you saw a quarterback have success throwing it at Revis? There's a reason why passers usually don't throw it at him, and that Tony Romo pick was evidence.

While it may seem a radical idea at first, Darrelle Revis may actually be the best player in the NFL. I would personally take Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady over him, but I would agree that Revis is the third best NFL player right now. With Brady and Rodgers, those guys provide so much value that it isn't possible for them not to be the two best players in the league, and quarterbacks do have the highest WPA totals in the league (for the most part).

3rd best NFL player

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: Tom Brady, Rex Ryan, Darrelle Revis, Ike Taylor, Nnamdi Asomugha, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers

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8/2011 QB Rankings

August 24th 2011 14:50

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Tom Brady

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, NFL Rankings, QBs, Tom Brady, Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, David Garrard, Matt Hasselbeck, Ben Roethlisberger, Colt McCoy, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, Michael Vick, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, John Beck, Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Jay Cutler, Donovan McNabb, Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, Sam Bradford, Tavaris Jackson

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5/24 NFL Rumors: The Free Agent Wideouts

May 24th 2011 14:02

Randy Moss had the most receiving touchdowns in an NFL season with the New England Patriots in 2007. After an ugly breakup last year, the Pats' biggest rivals could sign Moss. This would only happen if the Jets were unable to re-sign either Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards. Holmes and Edwards are better players than Moss at this point in time, but Moss would fit right in in New York.

Mike Brown is the worst owner in the league, and he has the most interesting QB situation on his hands. We all know about the Carson Palmer quandary, and Brown has reiterated the fact that the Bengals will keep Palmer. If Palmer holds true to his statement and retires, then Brown says the team will just put in Andy Dalton. He also added that Palmer would be the starter if he stayed. I think the Bengals need to move on and trade Palmer. They'll also get good value for him as opposed to getting nothing in return. Palmer was terrible at the beginning of the year, but he was great in the last few weeks of the season. Was it injuries or luck? Either way, I think there are going to be teams that will try and give too much for him

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