For those of you who have been following TheSportsWatchers Fantasy Football blog, you know that we are huge proponents of what Vincent Jackson does…on the field.

We were on the Vincent Jackson (wide receiver, San Diego Chargers) bandwagon before the damn thing ever got built. When he was but a middling receiver yet to have caught for 600 yards, we knew he was destined for greatness, and I would say that his 2009 campaign is proof positive of our accuracy as fantasy football projectionists.

However, what we didn’t see coming was Jackson’s continual disregard for the law. Jackson was suspended for three games by the NFL this week for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Jackson recently plead guilty to driving under the influence—for the second time.

While driving under the influence speaks to just how stupid, inconsiderate and self-serving Vincent Jackson is, it doesn’t say much about his ability on the field. I know some people out there would point to athletes and real world people who struggle to perform at their job as a result of their personal vices outside of work, but Jackson seems to have been operating this way for quite some time now, and he wouldn’t be the first athlete in the world to own the field of play while his life was spinning out of control.

Thus, enter the trade speculation. Every team and their mama seems to be listed as a potential suitor for Vincent Jackson’s services in 2010. Of course, with the recent trade of Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets, trading wide receivers gone a foul (and with suspensions looming) doesn’t seem to be a problem for NFL teams and general managers.

Of course, complicating things is the fact that Vincent Jackson was already going to have trouble getting back on the field. Jackson is a restricted free agent, but he refused to sign his $3.2 million tender offer, instead opting to hold out in hopes that he could force the San Diego Chargers hand and land a long-term deal. Well, that plan doesn’t seem to be working. The Chargers have publicly said that they are planning to enter the 2010 NFL season without Vincent Jackson and that the Chargers will soon announce a starter in his place.

Can you say trade?

If this negotiation ploy of Jackson’s eventually fails, and his suspension surely doesn’t make the Chargers want to give him more money, which teams are best suited to profit off the Chargers losses. Here are three teams whose Super Bowl chances would significantly increase with the addition of Mr. Jackson.

Seattle Seahawks
You may not think of the Seattle Seahawks as a Super Bowl contender, but if Matt Hasselbeck is healthy and ready to go this season, this team could be prime for a nice little postseason run. Remember, the NFC West isn’t exactly the toughest division in the world to win, and the reigning champions, the Arizona Cardinals, are now without Kurt Warner. With Pete Carroll on a mission and Hasselbeck healthy, the Seahawks could be on the road to prosperity. During their previous successes, Seattle has always been in need of a wide receiver. That need is what led to the trade for Deion Branch and the overpriced signing of TJ Houshmanzadeh. Vincent Jackson is far from overpriced, and while his trade scenario wouldn’t be very dissimilar to that of Branch’s, there’s no doubt his talent at this stage in his career far exceeds what Branch brought to Seattle a couple of years ago.

Washington Redskins
Call me crazy for even considering bringing a disgruntled wide receiver anywhere near Donovan McNabb, but if the Washington Redskins need anything, it is a proven wide receiver. The Redskins lacked any kind of downfield passing game last year, and wideout Santana Moss just doesn’t seem to be able shake the double-coverage and press-coverage that he used to shed so easily. The insertion of Vincent Jackson into the lineup would give McNabb a big wide receiver to throw at, not to mention another downfield threat. And while Jackson is making big plays of his own, that would open the field up for Moss to do his work against lesser corners and looser coverage. Also, this would severely open up the Redskins rushing game, and with Mike Shanahan on the sidelines, that’s always a dangerous part of his offense.

New England Patriots
Okay, the Patriots biggest problems are not on the offensive side of the ball, but hear me out for a second. The addition of Vincent Jackson could return the Patriots to the offensive powerhouse that they were in 2007. With Wes Welker unlikely to be 100% for the first half of the season, they will need some additional receiving help. Jackson not only gives Tom Brady a reliable set of hands, but another deep threat to go along with Randy Moss. Looking further down the road, we all know that Randy Moss is getting both long in the tooth and weary of his time in New England. Trading for Jackson would allow the Patriots to let Moss go and transition easily into 2011, when they should have a healthy Wes Welker to go along with their new deep threat.

The post "Vincent Jackson…What a fool!" was originally published at TSW.

The NFL Draft is today, and I have a few problems with some of the picks that teams are going to make today.

Of course, I can’t necessarily prove that anybody has already decided on taking these players, but the overall consensus is what it is, and for the purposes of this article, that’s all that matters.

So in an effort to point out the egregious mistakes that teams are about to make, here are my Top 5 “Hey! Don’t You Dare Pick Him” picks of the 2010 NFL Draft.

1. Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, Defensive Tackle
Prospective Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Spare the nonsense that this guy belongs in the Tampa 2 defensive system! Sure, he was a great 3-technique in college, but the man proved to lack a ton of upper body strength, and that does not equate to Warren Sapp in my mind.

Tampa Should Pick: Erick Berry, Tennessee, Safety
Berry has to be one of the safest picks in the NFL Draft. I don’t think he’s going to be a guy that can cover wide receivers or lock down tight ends, but he should be very good in space as a Cover 2 corner, just like another former Bucs safety…John Lynch.

2. Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, OT
Prospective Team: Washington Redskins
The Redskins do not need a rookie offensive tackle that is going to be on a learning curve when he’s blocking for Donovan McNabb. No! They need playmakers that can help McNabb right now. I’d even be okay if the Redskins simply traded this pick for a veteran offensive tackle on another team. But if that doesn’t happen, going with a rookie OT, no matter how good he is, just isn’t the way to go for a team coming off a trade that shows they want to win now.

Washington Should Pick: Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State, WR
The Skins should go get a playmaker and Dez Bryant is just that. Sure, Bryant is slated to go later in the draft, and there are other wide receivers out there, but this guy is a can’t miss. He has the ability to get down field, get off coverage, make plays and he’ll be drawing double teams by season’s end. He would be a great target for Donovan McNabb, who clearly knows how to work with rookie wide receivers.

3. Eric Berry, Tennessee, Safety
Prospective Team: Kansas City Chiefs
As I mentioned, Berry is a great guy, the Chiefs need to start protecting their investment. Besides, KC hasn’t had good luck drafting defensive players of the years. They have gone after a plethora of defensive players in the first round, and only 1 or 2 have stood out. Not to mention, they have an offensive coach leading the team, and offense is where the Chiefs need to butter their bread.

Kansas Should Pick: Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, OT
Because KC should work on their offense, they need to get a guy who can protect it. That guy is Russell Okung, who can develop with this team and start to protect QB Matt Cassel in the process.

4. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Running Back
Prospective Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
I love CJ Spiller, but don’t the Jaguars already have a running back? Didn’t they just give Maurice Jones-Drew a ton of money, and didn’t he follow that up with huge season? I know MJD is a smallish guy, and maybe they don’t trust him that much. However, you don’t need to back up that lack of confidence in a great player’s durability by drafting his positional backup in the first round.

Jacksonville Should Pick: Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, Quarterback
Quarterback! Duh! The Jags need to look toward the future, and as much as I like David Garrard, he’s just not the guy for the future. The Jags need to get that guy for the future. And while I don’t need if Clausen will be Pro Bowler 4 years from now, I do know that he’s one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the draft, and he’s worth the risk on a team that is middling in mediocrity.

5. Anthony Davis, Rutgers, OT
Prospective Team: Oakland Raiders
Nothing against Anthony Davis, but the Oakland Raiders need safe picks. Going with the 3rd or 4th rated offensive tackle in the draft is not a safe pick at all. Not to mention, this NFL craze for left tackles is way overblown. GMs need to look at the last few teams to win Super Bowls and try to name me there starting offensive tackles. They aren’t impressive guys at all—and more importantly, they aren’t locks in the drafts either.

Oakland Should Pick: Rolando McClain, Alabama, ILB
Then again, inside linebackers are generally a fairly safe pick in drafts. And when you have a big, smart guy like Rolando McClain, you just know he’s going to be starting at middle linebacker for the next 10 years. If the Raiders really want to bring some stability to their organization, they can’t do better than the most dominant defensive player in the SEC this past season. McClain for 2010!

The post "NFL Mock Draft 2010: “Hey! Don’t You Dare Pick Him”" was originally published at TSW.

Don’t sleep on Brian Westbrook just yet.

Philadelphia Eagles fans may not want to hear this now, but the former superstar of their backfield may have some juice left in the tank.

In an article for ESPN.com, KC Joyner wrote about several NFL players on the market that teams should be going after right now. One of those he mentioned was former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook:

Last up is Philadelphia Eagles RB Brian Westbrook. The longtime Philadelphia Eagles great is obviously no longer the dominant back he used to be, but he did a more-than-adequate job last year. The evidence here comes via the “YPA on running plays with good blocking” metric. A study I did last year showed that elite runners gain 6 or more yards per carry on plays with good blocking, good running backs gain 5-6 YPC, and subpar ball carriers gain fewer than 5 yards.

Westbrook had 44 runs last year when all of his blockers won their POA battles, and he gained 241 yards on those carries. That equates to 5.5 YPC, which places him lower than his accustomed elite status but still puts him well within the good running back category. The Minnesota Vikings or Green Bay Packers would both do well to add him to their roster, as he would give them spot-play productivity that could prove invaluable for a team trying to make a Super Bowl run. – KC Joyner, ESPN.com

It would appear to me, and perhaps to most intelligent sports fans, that a running back that runs efficiently with good blocking is worth keeping. The question is, did the Eagles realize that a lot of Westbrook’s statistical decline can be attributed to the poor play of the Eagles offensive line in the rushing game?

Maybe.

At the end of the day, releasing Westbrook probably had more to do with money than anything else. As Joyner mentions, Westbrook’s YPC on blocked-up plays equates him with “good” running backs, not elite ones. And you can’t pay a “good” running back the $7.25 million Westbrook would have made this season.

Still, it’s clear that Joyner thinks Westbrook can contribute to a championship-caliber football team, even on a roster that has Adrian Peterson in the backfield. If that’s the case, perhaps the Eagles should consider bringing Westbrook back in the fold, only this time at a “good” running back’s salary.

The post "Don’t sleep on Brian Westbrook" was originally published at TSW.

Perhaps there is some inner-McCoy/McShay feud going on for the battle of which “Mc” has the best last name.

There has to be something eating at Todd McShay in regards to Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, because for some reason McShay is all over the place on this guy in his NFL prognostications of McCoy’s abilities at the quarterback position.

It was April 30th, 2009, when Todd McShay did his first 2010 NFL Mock Draft. I was still with CBS Sports, just going over the 2009 NFL draft, and wanted to get some insight into what next year’s crop of talent would bring to the party.

To my utter disbelief, Colt McCoy was the 6th player in McShay’s mock draft. That was very surprising to me, because I was never a big Colt McCoy guy in terms of his professional prospects. I have always looked at him as kind of a Kliff Kingsbury type of guy, who was very successful in the system he is in. Not that I can’t envision him as a starting quarterback in the NFL, but it won’t happen with a lot of work, progression and little bit of luck to get that opportunity.

But when McShay, a “noted” NFL prognosticator, came out and said that this guy was the second best NFL prospect at the quarterback position, I’ll admit, I bought into it.

However, McShay has had a change of heart over the past year and has McCoy as a third round quarterback, which is kind of hard to believe given that McCoy continued to be a high-completion percentage guy this past season and didn’t lose a game until the very end of the year—in a game that he didn’t even finish.

Okay, but I’ll forgive McShay for that. Things happen. Perhaps, McShay really didn’t see much of the 2008 University of Texas football team, and just assumed that McCoy’s Heisman Trophy candidate resume was worthy of being “Matt Hasselbeck’s future replacement.” And naturally, when one goes on to have yet another Heisman Trophy-worthy season the following year, of course you would bump him down to the second and third rounds.

Right?

However, I’m not saying that McCoy is worth more than second or third round pick, because he just doesn’t have that natural throwing ability worthy of a first round pick. So in defense of McShay, he has it right—currently.

My only problem with McShay now is that he doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about when it comes to Colt McCoy. On ESPN, after McCoy’s pro-day workout, McShay said McCoy was an inaccurate passer and that he has poor anticipation skills.

Call me crazy, but McCoy is the exact opposite of those things. The man is one of the most accurate passers in the history college football, and while a lot of things in college don’t translate to the NFL, McCoy’s accuracy, in Big 12 play, is going to benefit him at the next level.

And as far as McCoy’s anticipation skills go, that’s all he really has going for him. Without having the strongest arm or the fastest “fastball,” McCoy has essentially gotten through the Big 12 by anticipating where his receivers will be and where the defense won’t. His entire passing relationship with Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley was based on having those anticipation skills.

Okay, but let’s say I’m wrong, and McShay’s right about McCoy’s lack of accuracy and lack of anticipation. I still have a problem with McShay, because after giving that assessment of McCoy, he went on to say that McCoy would be better suited for a west coast offense, because of these factors, as opposed to a big play, more traditional pro-style offense.

What?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but in a west coast offense, the most important asset a quarterback can have is a very accurate throwing arm. You don’t want a guy completing a mere 50% of his passes in the west coast offense, all that will do is get you “schedule” and make you have to throw “less efficient” or “less accurate” throws on second and third down. On the contrary, a less accurate thrower would be more suited for a downfield passing game, and playaction throws, because truthfully speaking, every quarterback is less accurate the further you throw the ball down the field. Besides, windows aren’t as tight down field, and the need to anticipate isn’t as great the further the route is.

So why McShay would say McCoy is better suited for a west coast offense, given that he thinks McCoy isn’t all that accurate, makes absolutely no sense to me. Of course, projecting a guy to be the 6th pick in the draft, only moments after a draft he very well could have been is, and then dropping him down to the third round doesn’t make much sense to me either, but McShay did that as well.

I tell you what, it must be nice to be a draft expert and never actually draft anybody. Not that I’m knocking what McShay does, because I know draft talk puts a smile on the faces of a lot of NFL fans. But at some point, we as consumers of this stuff have to realize that projections don’t really carry any weight unless you have some skin the game. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good prediction, but I don’t love the 29th and 32nd revision of your prediction. Be a man, or a woman, make a pick and move on. I can’t stand the year long debate over who’s going where in the draft from a bunch of people that have no record whatsoever of being good draft pickers. But as with my evaluation of Colt McCoy, maybe Mr. McShay would disagree with me.

The post "McShay, what’s with the up-and-down on McCoy?" was originally published at TSW.

I don’t understand how people are for the new NFL overtime rule.

Is it just me, or does this new rule make little, if any, headway in terms of eliminating the effect that the coin toss has on the outcome of a football game?

I know they say not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good; however, unlike the healthcare debate, the perfect isn’t even being discussed.

Where is the new overtime rule in which the outcome is completely independent of the coin toss?

Even in this newly formulated overtime, the team that wins the coin toss and gets the ball first has a chance to end the game without ever letting the other team touch the ball. According to the new rule, the team that does not get the ball first in overtime, only gets a chance at the ball if the other team fails to score a touchdown.

Granted, the statistics say that a team that wins the game on the opening possession of overtime only scores a touchdown on about 30% of those game-ending drives. However, a small advantage is still an advantage, and it’s one the other team doesn’t get if the opposing team scores a touchdown on that opening drive.

It’s as if the NFL isn’t even thinking here. Wasn’t the whole world all-a-twitter two postseasons ago when the Indianapolis Colts were eliminated from the playoffs, because San Diego scored a touchdown to open overtime and the MVP never even stepped onto the field?

Well, in this new overtime scenario that could happen again, and yet the NFL is patting itself on the back for being so progressive in passing this new overtime rule that doesn’t go far enough.

Of course, the NFL will tell you that they don’t want to risk extending the game too far because of the risk of injuries, which is, in part, why this rule still allows a team to win the game on the opening possession of overtime. It’s also why, under the new rule, the overtime period will revert to a sudden death format if both teams score field goals on their first possessions in overtime, or even if neither team scores on their first possession.

Injuries are also why the NFL won’t apply this half-ass rule to the regular season. The risk of injury, reportedly, goes way up the longer overtime continues. I wonder if the NFL did a report to notice that players have an increased chance of injury if they play 4 quarters instead of 3, or 3 quarters instead of 2, or 2 quarters instead of 1? Hell, why play football at all? The longer you’re on the field, the higher the risk of injury, right?

Well, no duh, Sherlock NFL!

They don’t seem to have a problem risking injury with a 60-minute game either. Why not make it 48 minutes like in high school? Or have a running clock? What’s the problem? That doesn’t give you enough time to get in all those precious sponsors and commercials?

Or why not cut the preseason in half? Hell, starters don’t even play half the reps in the preseason games as it is. Throw away two of those games, and the risk of preseason injury goes way down!

Oh, what’s that? You make too much ticket and television revenue off those preseason games? Oh, then you can’t possibly try to avert injury during that segment of the season, can you?

Brotha please!

The only reason the NFL is implementing a new overtime rule that continues to leave a contingent of luck in the game is because of money. College football has no problem playing overtime after overtime, and as greedy as they, I tend to think to trust them a little bit more than the NFL when it comes to protecting players.

The only plausible reason not to have an overtime rule that lends to possibly extending the game, is because statistics show that overtime games lead to losses the next week. But you know what? If you’re going to overtime, that’s going to be the case to some degree no matter what, so why not just win the game you’re in and have a fair chance to do so?

Well, that comes down to money to. Unlike some other sports, NFL owners want to win, so they don’t want to risk their chances of winning this week or the next—even if it means having an archaic rule that’s unfair to everybody. Why? Because winning is directly correlated with ticket prices in the NFL—even in small markets. The Lions can’t giveaway a seat, and Steeler ticket prices are out of this world.

It’s a shame that something as simple as making the game fair has to be convoluted by money, and mo’ money, and mo’ money, and mo’ money.

But I guess you can get away with that when you’re king of the entertainment world. However, even the greatest of leaders that have given into greed, sooner or later, their leadership has been rebuffed.

If the NFL continues to make rules on the basis of the dollar, you can rest assure, it will come back to bite them in the you know what—just like every other greedy leader in the history of the world.

The post "New Overtime Rule’s Like the Healthcare Bill, Good Intentions, But Doesn’t Go Far Enough" was originally published at TSW.

In early February, I predicted that Ndamukong Suh would be the first pick of the NFL Draft.

It’s funny how things change, isn’t it?

It is becoming quite apparent that the NFL and the Players Union aren’t going to reach any sort of agreement that would preclude a 2010-2011 NFL season without a salary cap. Thus, when free agency opens up in March, players are going to be sold to the highest bidder, and salary caps will not be an issue for the bigger market and more profitable teams.

Because there won’t be a salary cap, teams may have to adjust how they are going to approach the NFL Draft. One such measure teams will have to consider is the value of the positions they are drafting.

Without a salary cap, the upcoming free agent period is going to consist of free agents, at premium positions, demanding premium prices. Thus, players at the defense end, tackle, quarterback and outside linebacker positions are going to get serious money during the free agent period. As a result, any team hoping to sign a premium position player is going to have to use their money on premium positions.

Enter the St. Louis Rams.

While the Rams are unlikely to be big buyers in free agency, they certainly will be hoping to upgrade at the key positions, like offensive tackle, defensive end and quarterback.

Notice I didn’t mention defensive tackle.

Defensive tackle just isn’t a game-changing position in the game of football. Sure, Warren Sapp helped make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense one of the best ever, but Glenn Dorsey hasn’t exactly changed the Kansas City Chiefs defense since his arrival. That is why the Rams would find it difficult to spend first round money on Suh when they have yet to settle in on a quarterback, offensive tackle or even a defensive end.

Not to mention, the Rams have already used two of their last three first round picks on defensive tackles. Thus, picking up Suh would be the equivalent of Matt Millen drafting nothing but wide receivers in Detroit.

So don’t be surprised when Suh isn’t the guy going to the Rams. It’s probably going to be a quarterback, offensive tackle or defensive end, and since the best player at those positions is Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, I imagine he will be the guy to go to the Rams at pick number one. I don’t necessarily agree with Bradford going number one, but that’s a story for another day.

The post "Ndamukong Suh Doesn’t Make Cents at #1" was originally published at TSW.

One of the reasons the NFL is great is because the season never ends. Before the Super Bowl is even over, analysts and teams are already talking NFL Draft, salary caps and new coaches.

Of course, the biggest part of the off-season is its free agent period. However, this is also the NFL’s biggest problem.

Every year, people get excited about some big free agent that is changing teams and is now available on the free agent market. That player gets overhyped, overpaid, and ultimately underperforms, and it happens just about every season.

Last year’s big signing was Albert Haynesworth. Randy Moss was the big prize in 2008, and in two years he has yet to have a season on par with what he did the year prior to that contract. And in 2007, Adalius Thomas was the big catch, but he has never lived up to expectations in New England.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been players in the free agent market that have delivered, such as Drew Brees, Stephen Davis, Reggie White, Deion Sanders and Troy Vincent. Most recently, both Michael Turner and Asante Samuel have been Pro Bowl performers in their first year with new teams. But more often than not, big free agent signings don’t work, because it takes a long time for a good player to become a free agent in the NFL, which means that player is usually relatively older, and closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it. Even with big free agents that worked out, the players were generally older.

This brings me to Julius Peppers.

The Carolina Panthers recently announced they would go ahead and let Peppers test the free agent market. While some are happy to see Peppers go, just about every NFL analyst, general manager and head coach is in a tizzy about signing Peppers. After all, Peppers was perhaps the best defensive end in football last year, bringing havoc to quarterbacks and causing fits in the rushing game.

Still, Peppers is 30 years old now.

Does that mean his career is over? Of course not. And he does have the ability to be dominant on every single snap of a football game.

However, he’s still 30. And despite his performance last year, he is getting older and is closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it.

Still, somebody is going to pay him some ungodly amount of money, for a ridiculous number of years; probably a big enough contract that if Peppers doesn’t work out, a team could be crippled for a long time.

Don’t get me wrong, I want Peppers on my favorite team next year as much as anybody. And if a team is in the running for a Super Bowl and money isn’t an issue for them, then that team should sign Julius Peppers.

However, the issue is that the teams with the most money usually aren’t that good and usually don’t have that kind of long-term financial strength they need to have to consume a contract like Peppers when the team isn’t winning. Thus, Peppers is likely to go to a team where he will be expected to produce like he always has, even though at 30, there’s a strong possibility he’s on the downside of his career.

Just look at the stats. Last year, Peppers had 10.5 sacks in 16 games. I know that’s not bad and that the sacks don’t tell the entire story, especially for a guy who gets double-teamed like he does. But ultimately, sacks are what you want out of your defensive end. In 2008, however, Peppers had 14.5 sacks; four more than the 10.5 he had last year. In 2007, Peppers also demonstrated just how “iffy” and trivial his game can be, when he had just 2.5 sacks in 2007, and everyone thought he was damaged goods. And if you really want to stretch this out, Peppers has never been as dominant at rushing the passer as he was in his rookie season, when he averaged a sack a game and forced 5 fumbles in just 12 weeks of play.

Look, I’m not down on Peppers. Like I said, if he signed with my team, I couldn’t help but be somewhat excited. However, my excitement would be tempered by the fact that Peppers is not 22 years old anymore. He is 30. Not only that, but he has proven to be inconsistent at times, including games when rookie tackles have silenced Peppers for an entire 4 quarters. So all I am doing is asking teams to proceed with caution. Of course, nobody will listen to me, and Peppers will probably get a contract in the same neighborhood as Albert Haynesworth’s contract from the Washington Redskins a year ago. Talk about not learning from history’s mistakes.

The post "Julius Peppers is a Free Agent…Please Remember He’s 30, People" was originally published at TSW.

Anybody who doesn’t believe in second chances will not be thrilled by this most recent news concerning the Baltimore Ravens.

Donte Stallworth, the former Cleveland Brown that plead guilty to DUI vehicular manslaughter, is now a Baltimore Raven.

According to the Associated Press, Stallworth’s deal is worth a reported $900,000 in base salary, plus $300,000 in incentives.

Stallworth told the Associated Press this:

“There was a time I felt the mistake I made was the end of the world for me. I will never get that morning back. It weighs on me every day and will for the rest of my life. What I can do is move forward, try to be a better person, try to convince others not to do what I did and warn others about the dangers of drinking and driving. I have to show otherwise that what happened doesn’t reflect who I am.
“I have to prove that, and, hopefully, I’m on my way to doing that. I know my apology will never be strong enough for some, but I’ve made changes, and I’m trying to be a positive influence. It’s an honor and privilege to play in the NFL, and I’m so thankful for this opportunity.”

Stallworth could be a big piece of the puzzle for the Baltimore Ravens, a team which was last seen struggling to move the ball downfield in the AFC Divisional Round.

In Stallworth’s last complete 16-game season as an NFL player, he had 46 catches for 697 yards and 3 touchdowns as member of the memorable 18-1 New England Patriots team in 2007.

Stallworth’s best years came in 2006 and 2005 where he combined for over 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns, including a 19.1 average in 2006 for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Of course, general manager Ozzie Newsome is aware of all of this, telling the AP:

“We’ve given a lot of thought to this and we’ve done extensive research into Donte’ beyond football. He made a huge mistake. There’s no doubt about that. He has paid a significant price for that and, as he has said, he carries a heavy weight. As (Ravens owner) Steve (Bisciotti) has said, we believe in second chances, and Donte’ does deserve that. But, we’ve signed him because we want to get better, and we think he has a chance to help us. We worked him out and it’s obvious he is working hard to be effective. We thought it was important to sign him now, because other teams were pursuing him and we want him in our offseason program, which starts next month.”

The post "REPORT: Donte Stallworth Signs with Ravens" was originally published at TSW.

Matt Mosley, the Dallas Cowboys apologist extraordinaire, is breaking down the key free agency issues in the NFL East on his ESPN.com blog.

In breaking down the impending free agents on each team, Mosley tackles the Eagles situation with Jason Avant, the Cowboys need to sign Miles Austin, and the Redskins need to sign CB Carlos Rogers to a long-term deal.

He of course, covers the New York Giants as well and had this to say about their free agent issues this spring:

The Giants would like an upgrade at the backup quarterback position, but it’s not like there are a bunch of reliable candidates floating around. It will be interesting to see how much progress Rhett Bomar makes this offseason. Coach Tom Coughlin loves what Clark brings to the locker room, but the player looked slow in coverage and he’s a progress stopper at this point in his career. It’s time to let him move on. Feagles can punt until he’s 50 — and he might give it a try. Robbins was benched late in the season, so the writing’s on the wall with him. His production has tailed off the past two seasons because he’s been asked to stay on the field too much. – ESPN.com

You can read the entire blog entry here.

The post "Free Agency in the NFC East" was originally published at TSW.

The end of the NFL season is here, which means it’s time to talk about the 2010 NFL Draft. Then again, we’ve been talking about the NFL draft since the end of the last one, only now we actually have some clue as to what the hell we’re talking gabout. Here are our projected top 10 picks coming out of the college ranks, subject to change daily.

1. St. Louis Rams: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Todd McShay is crazy if he thinks the Rams would actually draft another defensive tackle not named Suh. He has Gerald McCoy going to the Rams with the first pick because McCoy “appears to him” to be the better penetrater. That’s nice and all, but coach Steve Spagnuolo is going to go with the best player with this pick, and that means drafting the most disruptive college football defensive player in over a decade. Suh will be the first pick of the draft…if the Rams don’t go with a quarterback, which I wouldn’t rule out quite yet.

2. Detroit Lions: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
I know everybody thinks the Lions are going to go with a defensive player, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case. They need to protect their investment in the quarterback a lot better than they did last season, and that means bringing in somebody on the offensive line. So unless you see the Lions get somebody in free agency (and they really don’t have the money to compete), rest assure that the Lions will be bringing Anthony Davis into the fold.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
With McCoy still on the board, the Bucs will have to take him. He’s too good to pass on, even if the Bucs pressing need comes from the defensive end position. The Bucs have to take McCoy though, especially in their defense where a defensive tackle can make the world of difference. McCoy should remind the Bucs front office of a young Warren Sapp. McCoy has similar quickness and speed to that of the Bucs all-time great, and I think he could be a staple of this defense for the next 10 years.

4. Washington Redskins: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
While the jury is still out on whether or not Mike Shanahan wants to keep Jason Campbell at quarterback, I do think he’s going to eventually come to the conclusion the Redskins came to prior to his arrival. Bradford’s upside has to intrigue Shanahan, and I think Bradford compares favorably to quarterback Jay Cutler, who Shanahan worked with in Denver two seasons ago.

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
I would have went with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul here, but the Chiefs money situation says that they just don’t have the money to spend #5 pick capital on the defensive end position. However, OT is a natural salary cap draining position, and so they will gladly give that cash to a player whose job it is to protect the other boatload of cash they invested in their newly minted quarterback a season ago.

And now the remaining top 10:

6. Seattle Seahawks: Jason-Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
7. Cleveland Browns: Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
8. Oakland Raiders: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
9. Buffalo Bills: Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
10. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

The post "Top 10 Drat Picks of 2010 NFL Draft" was originally published at TSW.

So LaDainian Tomlinson wants out of San Diego, and the Chargers surely aren’t willing to pay him to stay.

So what city will the future NFL Hall of Famer take his experience at the running back position to?

Believe it or not, there are not a whole lot of contenders in need of a dominant running back this off-season.

Here are a couple of options for Mr. Tomlinson.

Denver Broncos:
I’ll start off with the most appalling of options first. There’s no way LT is going to Oakland or Kansas City, but division rival Denver was on the brink of something for a while last season, and I could see him going to the Mile High City just to get back at San Diego twice a year. With only Knowshon Moreno there to prevent LT from getting all of the carries, there’s reason to believe that Tomlinson could emerge as the preeminent runner in the Broncos backfield by the start of next season. Not to mention, the Broncos like the short game, and LT could be a great asset catching footballs out of the backfield.

New Orleans Saints:
The Saints might be in the running for a running back this year. Pierre Thomas has been anything but reliable since the second half of the season. So if LT’s stability is no longer in question, he could be a great fit for the Saints offense, bringing even more versatility to an attack already loaded with it. He won’t get paid a ton of money if he comes to the Saints, but he can rest assure that he’ll get the carries here, and he’ll probably be in the end zone a lot.

New England Patriots:
Call me crazy, but the Patriots are a likely landing spot for LT. They love older running backs that can block and contribute to the passing game, and LT is exactly that. The Patriots will probably pass on bringing Fred Taylor back if they can get LT, and LT could be a worthwhile replacement for the aging Kevin Faulk. That would leave LT and Laurence Maroney carrying the load for the Patriots, and that to me would be an improvement over what they had going last season.

Philadelphia Eagles:
Last but not least are the Eagles. This of course is dependent on whether Brian Westbrook decides to retire. If he does, the Eagles will need a veteran in the backfield, and LT can be just that. Having LT will also allow the Eagles to continue to incorporate the running back in the passing and run those short routes and screens they use to love throwing to Mr. Westbrook. Once again, if LT goes to Philly, he won’t get paid very much, but his chance to win will be about as good as he can get.

Other possible contenders that I omitted with good reason:

Indianapolis Colts: LT might be an upgrade over Addai, but the Colts running game doesn’t appear to be an issue with the offense or the franchise.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers seem to like Mendenhall at this point, and I don’t see them messing that up at this point.

Green Bay Packers: Ryan Grant has been anything but impressive, but he’s owed a lot of money.

The post "Tomlinson Wants Out of San Diego? Where Could He Go?" was originally published at TSW.

Are you already hungry for news on next year’s draft? Why wait? Here is what the Top 5 picks in the 2010 NFL Draft are projected to be next April.

1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, Quarterback: Sam Bradford would have been a Top 5 NFL Draft pick had he come out this past draft, so it stands to reason that he will be next year’s number 1 pick as long as has another solid year with the Oklahoma Sooners. Bradford was last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, and put up some of the most staggering numbers in all of college football. His ability to get rid of the ball quickly, along with his incredible arm strength make him a lock to be next year’s most coveted college football quarterback.

2. Trent Williams, Oklahoma, Tackle: Yes, that’s right! I have two Oklahoma players going back to back (and the ironic thing is that I’m from Austin, TX!). But Williams is the truth at the offensive tackle spot. Trust me, Sam Bradford’s success in the pocket has a lot to do with this young man shutting down defensive ends with ease. In last year’s Red River Shootout, he held Brian Orakpo virtually silent, and he did the same thing to the rest of the Big 12 defenses, which is why he earned his way on to the All-Big 12 1st team last year, and he was selected to Phil Steele’s 2009 Preseason All-American team prior to the 2009 college football season.

3. Taylor Mays, USC, Safety: Say what you will about USC, but they do produce defensive studs in college. Mays is not exception, as he is one of the greatest physical specimens you will see at safety in next year’s draft. He has the strength and instincts of a linebacker, as well as the speed and quickness of a corner. He is going to anchor an NFL defense for many years to come, and that’s why I think he is no brainer to be a top pick in next year’s NFL draft.

4. Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma, Tight End: I promise, this is my last Sooners pick in the Top 5, but they are a stacked team. Gresham was good enough to be a Top 10 pick in last year’s draft, but as he goes into this college football season, there is no question that he is one of the most talented pass catchers in all of college football. Gresham is a speedy tight end with great athleticism. There is not a safety in the nation (and few in the NFL) who could match up with this 6’6”, 261-pound monster…and who would want to?

5. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, DT: Yes, I went with yet another Big 12 player, but now I think you can see why this conference looked as good as it did last year. I can pronounce Suh’s first name, but I’m sure I’ll be hearing it on Sundays in 2010. This guy can truly get after the quarterback, but he plays the run equally as well. At 6’4”, 305 pounds (and getting bigger), he’s a defensive coordinator’s dream, especially since he will have played in against the offensive lines of the Big 12 for 4 years. So you might want to get start practicing this guy’s name now, because you’ll need to know it before too long.

The post "2010 NFL Draft Projected Top 5 Picks" was originally published at TSW.