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NFL Season 2004-2005 Thread (1 Viewer)

Casey Trowbridg

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In other NFL news today, the union has filed a grievance against the Cowboys for the Quincy Carter thing.

The Dolphins trying to replace David Boston, signed Antonio Freeman to a contract.
 

Tim Markley

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Don't forget that all of the local media predicted that the Raiders would cut Gannon in June. Turner says that the job belongs to Gannon but you just never know with Al Davis. All of the local media like Collins because he can get the ball downfield. Gannon only dumps it off to the RB/TE or throws short patterns to the WRs. Gannon may begin the season as the starter but I doubt if he ends it that way.
 

Seth Paxton

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The Chargers have real front office issues. The rumblings are beginning that maybe Eli was on to something more than just not wanting to play with a loser, and that it was a lack of faith in the guys running the whole show that scared him off.

They do look like they will be able to run the ball and there is also something to the idea that Denver is going with a Plummer/no Portis offense, Oakland is praying for a miracle, and KC saved their ass most of last year via Dante Hall.



My opinion of preseason results is that even the first few series mean jack squat, starters or not. Why do I say that? Just take a look at the results during the first 2 weeks of the REGULAR season. Most of the time you see these teams come out 2-0 or 0-2 and appear locked for success or failure only to completely switch by week 10.

If the first 2 weeks of the regular season can be such an illusion, how can I possibly believe anything I see in the 10 plays of week 2 of the preseason?

What I get out of preseason football is 2 things:

1) Are guys that were hurt back up to speed or not

2) What 2nd or 3rd stringer deserves that final spot on the roster

I find those aspects good enough to make it interesting, but the evaluation of the total package as a whole is pointless IMO. I'll throw in the 3rd idea that you can sometimes see improved ability on an individual level, guys playing smarter or quicker, but you have to watch the game with a focus on them instead of the ball (tough to do with most TV coverage).


Having just said that, how awesome was my boy Moorehead with that catch the other day, good enough to make the #1 ESPN play of the week SUN night. Behind the back with one hand and didn't miss a beat. Mind-blowing.
 

Casey Trowbridg

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Warning: I guess this post is my glorified Oakland Raiders team preview...

Seth, I don't get why you say Oakland is praying for a miracle, a few analysts have them tabbed as a team that could be a sleeper Superbowl contender, or at the very least a real threat to win that division.

Here's where I see Oakland's problem areas.

1. Inexperience at Wide Receiver. I put this at the top of the list because they are the unknown. Its not that the receiving core is young, it is the fact that they don't have a lot of game experience.
2. Linebacker depth. We've got a lot of guys converting from end to linebacker this season to play in the 3-4. A few will succeed and a few won't, that's a given. Napoleon Harris can not miss serious time with this injury.
3. Kick and Punt coverage, just horrible last season and I'll believe there is improvement only when I see it.
4. Inexperience on the offensive line, 2 rookies could start and that might cause some growing pains.
5. I'd prefer another pass rushing end, but this doesn't worry me as much because I really don't know what we have at this spot yet.
6. Not really a problem but something I will be curious to find out the answer to, how will the safeties play without Rod Woodson? I think Ray Buchanan will be fine, but Gibson is the great unknown...again.


I don't know but maybe I'm being irrational when I say that I'm pretty much throwing out all of last season.
Yeah they went 4-12 and they earned every bit of it but name me a team that could win after....
losing their starting QB and second string QB to season ending injuries in back to back games.
Losing 3-5 of the starting offensive line to season ending injuries through the coarse of the year.
Losing the leader in the secondary to a knee injury 3 games in to the season.
Losing your best linebacker in terms of making sure that everyone is where they need to be 2 games in to the year.
Losing your best run stopping tackle early in the season.
Suffering injuries to 1 of your top receivers, and your top running back keeping both out for several games.
Ending up with a total of 14 players on injured reserve.

and you can't just say that well, age caught up with them, because the young guys were getting hurt also.
They were really only blown out in 3 games IIRC, 2 against Denver if you call 22-8 a blow out, and the Green Bay game, where the final proof that the team quit on the coach was put in to play. They lost the last game to the San Diego Chargers using what amounted to the fifth string quarterback.

I'll be honest, I've got them in the 7-9 to 9-7 range, and I don't think that's a reach at all.

That's hardly praying for a miracle, its not like they didn't do anything this offseason to try and improve the team, which I would argue both San Diego and San Francisco are guilty of.

They've got more depth this year on the offensive line, and at the QB spot. I think Wheatley will do fine in this system carrying the ball, so I'm not as worried about that as I used to be, and I expect the run defense to be much better because of the presence of Ted Washington especially. But even if he gets hurt, a trio of Sapp, Washington and John Parella is a pretty good set of defensive tackles. I don't worry about the corners, I hope Philip Buchanon gambles a little less this season and keeps his damn helmet on.
 

Casey Trowbridg

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In some interesting NFL news from today, there was a ruling that came down that a few coaches aren't going to like including Bill Parcells, Bellichek and Mike Shannarat.

It requires full disclosure of injuries, no longer can a team declare that someone has an injured leg, they have to specify the injury on the injury report. These 3 aren't the only coaches that are vague when it comes to injuries but they are well known for being that way.
 

Scott Merryfield

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Sorry, Casey, but I agree with Seth and do not think much of this year's Raiders team. Gannon is coming off a major shoulder injury, Porter is their only good WR since Jerry Rice is slowing down and the others are all unknown rookies, I am not impressed with their collection of mediocre running backs, Warren Sapp has seen better days, and their best defensive player (Charles Woodson) is not in camp yet. Also, Norv Turner's first head coaching stint in Washington was not very inspiring.

Oakland's only saving grace is that their division is no longer one of the league's toughest. KC will still be there because of their offense, but the Chiefs defense did nothing to improve itself. Denver may be the league's most overrated team, and we've discussed the Chargers problems enough already.


That would have been the highlight of the year had it happened in a regular season game. Amazing catch.
 

Chuck Mayer

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Moorehead's catch was awesome.

I also have to agree on the Raiduhs, Casey, but to a lesser extent. I think the Raiders will be noticeably improved, but not really competing for the playoffs yet. Turner is an excellent Off. Coord., but not a very good head coach.

And yes, the Chargers continued ineptness (points for treating LT2 right, but that's it) are showing Archie Manning to be brilliant. Amazing how quickly the Chargers managed to lose any and all sympathy from that situation.

Take care,
Chuck
 

Chris

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Well, as to the Chiefs, the only reason Hall "saved" them was because their defense could stop no one; Green, Holmes, those guys.. they racked up incredible offense last year, and look good so far.

The only thing on Defense is the switch of coordinators, bringing back Gunther, we'll see how that goes. A big part of what hurt the Chiefs last year was that there defense gave up and stopped wanting to play. If he can get the guys to play agressive, there is talent there.. a big part of that is whether or not Simms decides to play every down.

But the rest of the AFC West did nothing to move itself up to catch them; Denver, I think, is going to have a hard pressed season. They don't have a real running game in the first time in a while, and Plummer is not Elway. Raiders just get older and injury prone with their top pick out now.

The Chargers are beyond inept.. this thing with Phillip Rivers is an embarrassment. With the chargers now saying they are "subtracting" money the longer the holdout goes, this is a test of wills that pretty much leaves them without a QB. If ESPN is to be believed, the offers to Rivers were heavily steeped in "incentives" a lot of which would be difficult to impossible to reach out of the chute. It's hard as an agent to make your player sign a deal that's based solely on incentives.. ask Master P how he got Ricky Williams to do it with New Orleans, but outside of that..
 

Shane Martin

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The Raiders will go 6-10. You heard it here first. :)


I'm trying to do some reasearch for my fantasy draft which is the end of the month(we always do ours late). Anyone know where I can find a decent player list or a player ranking type list I should look at(FREE Of course)?

The Chargers won't be THAT bad to be honest. They still have LT and still have a decent QB. I'm thinking more like 3-13.
 

Casey Trowbridg

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Uh 3-13 is even worse than they did last year...their line is worse, and they have 0 receivers which hurts whoever the QB is, LT will be fine though.

Acutally what will keep them from getting completely blown out is that their defense is not terrible...well the D-line doesn't leap out but they've got a good secondary and some talent at linebacker.
 

Casey Trowbridg

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The Chiefs starters on offense are older on average than the Raiders.

On the line, if Gallery starts opening day they will have 3 starters 25 or younger. They have no linebackers over the age of 30, and only 1 player in the secondary over the age of 30. The only unit that is older is the D-line with Parella, Sapp, Washington, and Bobby Hamilton being over 30.

If the Raiders are injury prone because 2 guys are out with injuries that might cause them to miss a bit of time, then what are the Cardinals? I haven't heard the latest on Gallery, I'm hitting the Bay Area newspapers after this post, but Harris could be back and should be back by opening day.

I agree with Scott on the receiver issue, although I don't really think Jerry Rice has slown down all that much, if he has then we should all slow down as gracefully, he didn't have the best numbers last year because after Gannon went down they shifted to a run oriented attack, but he still led the team in receptions and yards. Porter will be fine if he stays healthy, I've been waiting for 2 years now for them to make him the starter over Brown....and the other receivers don't worry me as much because forgotten about are the tight ends, who will be a bigger factor in the offense under Turner than they were before.

I hardly think that the term "Praying for a miracle" is accurate.

But that's the great thing about football...we shall see.
 

Jed M

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I can't believe the season is right around the corner. Its time I get back into the swing of things. San Diego fans better be excited about Wade Philips because he will be the head coach by mid-season. I could see that. I think the two big problems with the Raiders are the same old thing, Al Davis and the coach. They got lucky with Gruden, but he bolted as soon as he could. Norv Turner IMO is the worst head coach in football right now with Dennis Erickson and Wannstedt coming in a very close second. But anything is possible so I won't count the Raiders out just yet like I have the Chargers, but I do think the key to their success is starting Collins over Gannon.
 

Scott Merryfield

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Shane, check out fftoday.com and The Sporting News for online fantasy football rankings. I'm not sure when they were last updated, though, since both sites also have a pay service. You could always sign up for TSN's free 3 day trial, though, and get all the info.

BTW, fftoday.com sells a great draft tool -- an Excel spreadsheet with player projections that can be customized to your league's scoring system, player tiering and a 2nd "draft buddy" spreadsheet that helps you keep track of everything during your live draft. The player projections are updated on a weekly basis through the preseason, and you can also enter your own projections or those from other sites, too. I think the "early bird" price is gone, but it's a great tool. This is my 2nd year using it, and it's helped a great deal during my drafts.

Also, I was slightly off on my Chris Brown comment -- I picked him up in the 6th round (not the 5th), but that was before training camps opened (but after the Titans released Eddie George).

It may be time to start a general fantasy football thread, so we do not clutter up this thread dedicated to real football discussions.
 

Carl Miller

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If that's the case, you better hope Gannon stays healthy and plays well...Because Collins melts under the pressure of having a weak O-line in front of him. Trust me, I'm a Giants fan. I know.
 

Dome Vongvises

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Hank Hill just died in ecstasy

In other news, I hate to see Kentucky boy Tim Couch like that in the preseason. Oh well, spread offense quarterbacks do not do well in the NFL, which is kind of strange when you consider how many times they get to throw the ball in college. But then again, the only thing spread offense QB's throw were screens and short five yard routes. Of course, there's Tim Rattay, but I think he'll go down pretty fast.

I say Raiders break even 8 - 8. Norv Turner isn't a bad head coach (I thought he had one good year at Washington), but I don't think he's a whiz kid who'll immediately turn around the fortunes of the team.

Joey Harrington? The reason why I'm not a football "expert" is because I disagree with them a lot. I'm one of the few people that still has yet to be impressed by Joey Harrington. Don't get me wrong. He could have the best season out of all the QB's in the NFL...but not bloody likely.
 

Scott Merryfield

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Harrington has not done anything yet to warrant high praise. However, he has also been surrounded by some of the worst talent at the offensive skill positions that you'll ever see. The question is whether it's Joey's lack of skill or the lack of talent around him that has resulted in his poor offensive numbers in 1+ years as the starter in Detroit. That question should get answered this season -- one way or the other.
 

Dome Vongvises

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I'm looking back as far as college. I remember reading the Sporting News issue before Joey's last season where they thought (one of the few things I agree with) that he was an overrated college quarterback.

I also watched a few of his games in college, and I didn't think he was anything special. Of course, he could always just have a breakout season this time with better tools and weapons.
 

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