Ogden retiring, Ravens to suck

by | Jun 11, 2008 | NFL Breaking News, We Forgot

As my brother stated earlier today I am on record uttering the rather tepid statement “the Browns will be a team to watch this year.” I’m not really going out on a limb with that prediction – it could mean I think the team will win 13 games and win the Super Bowl just as easily as it could mean I think they are going to be a complete trainwreck.

In truth I think the Browns will be something around the 10 win team they were last year – maybe a game better, maybe a game worse – but I think they will be a helluva fun team to watch. The schedule is tougher this year, which is the only reason I hedge, but I think it’s a team with the potential to reach the playoffs and make some noise when it gets there.

My next statement will be a bit more concrete: The Baltimore Ravens will suck in 2008. Steve McNair, who was a shell of his former self the last couple years, hung it up, leaving the failed Kyle Boller and the unproven Troy Smith and Joe Flacco to battle for the starting QB position.

They face something like a dozen 2007 playoff teams during a daunting upcoming schedule. And they now are going to have to do so without left tackle Jonathan Ogden, who will announce his retirement on Thursday.

I had the Browns pegged for anywhere between four and six wins this season – I’d shoot for the lower end of that now with Ogden retiring. He also had slipped with physical issues at the end of his career, but he still on experience alone was among the top left tackles in the league.

The line is of lesser quality, the quarterbacks have potential but little experience and the defense largely is aging. That’s not a good combo – if I were in Vegas I’d have the Ravens in my top two or three guesses to have the top pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Browns Already in Perilous Position?

by | Jun 11, 2008 | NFL News

**UPDATE** The Browns actually went ahead and cut LeCharles Bentley today.  Apparently Hank Fraley & Rex Hadnot are just too good.

Andy has already gone on the record as saying he thinks the Browns will be a team to watch in 2008.  I have pulled out my political talking head hat, and said I think they will regress from 2007–while also admitting that they may still win their division (I am not impressed with the AFC North).

Now comes news that WR Joe Jurevicius may not be ready to start the season, as he’s become the SIXTH player on the team in four years to contract staph.  Seriously, I know they’re taking steps to prevent it, but they might want to step up those efforts.

On the surface, this news seems to have little impact, fantasy wise or otherwise–Jurevicius started 12 games and caught 50 passes with three TDs last season, but is expected to be the #3 WR this season since Donte Stallworth was signed.

Still, this one scares me a little bit–Jurevicius likely was a calming veteran presence in the huddle for the Browns, and a positive role model for some of the receiver corps to look up to, given their tendency to flap their gums. 

And, I’m guessing that the 3rd WR would see the field a lot in Cleveland, in an effort to keep guys out of the box and free up some room for Jamal Lewis.  Now, it appears that the Browns will likely enter the seasno with Joshua Cribbs (who recently admitted that his having the dropsies during practice was due to his not being focused enough), Travis Wilson, or something called Syndric Steptoe filling the role.

On the positive side for the team, LeCharles Bentley was cleared to practice this week, after missing two seasons due to a torn patellar tendon suffered on the first play of training camp after signing a six-year, $36 million contract on the first day of free agency in 2006.  He then had three subsequent surgeries, to deal with the staph infection that followed.

Of course, there’s now bad blood between him and the team–so no one is sure where he’ll play–guard or center with the Browns, or maybe for someone else.

For his sake, let’s just hope his slip of the tounge when asked about it wasn’t prophetic:

”Zero doubt, absolutely I will be playing somewhere, starting in ’09. ’08, sorry. You know what I meant.”

 

Kevin Jones Waiting For Bears Call?

by | Jun 11, 2008 | NFL Rumors

Turns out, according to the guys at ChicagoSports.com, my brother may have finally gotten one right–Kevin Jones is apparently waiting for a call from the Bears.

But I have a feeling he might be waiting a while.

This is a team that by all accounts is content to go into the season with Devin Hester as their #1 WR, a move that if history proves correct, could turn their biggest only offensive threat (Hester’s return abilities) into a liability (think about what happened to Dante Hall when the Chiefs started trying to involve him in offense).  Why would they go out and sign a veteran, when they can throw Matt Forte and the other Adrian Peterson to the wolves 25-35 times a game?

The ChicagoSports team laid out the best four options for the Bears if they are going to go after a veteran–other than Jones (coming off a torn ACL) there’s Shaun Alexander (wrist surgery, sprained knee, sprained vagina since signing his big contract), Travis Henry (character issues), and LaMont Jordan (injured back, and as they point out–displays a lot of similar qualities to Cedric Benson, when it comes to practice habits).

Here’s hoping the Cubbies can keep going strong into November–otherwise it could be a loooooooong winter in Chi-town.

Benson gives Bears reason to cut him

by | Jun 9, 2008 | Fantasy Football, NFL News

Move Matt Forte higher on your fantasy football draft lists.

Cedric Benson has officially joined Curtis Enis and Rashan Salaam as recent Bear busts at running back. The Bears finally had enough of his lack of production coupled with his offseason antics, which most recently included his second alcohol-related arrest in a month.

The first time he was on a boat and denied being at fault. Instead of keeping his nose clean in an effort to strengthen his credibility, Benson was arrested Saturday, June 7, this time for drinking and driving in a car.

“Given the incident last month, it was a particularly bad decision. I have no excuse for this lack of judgment. Though I strongly believe that I am not guilty of any crime, I realize that the public and the Bears organization hold me to a higher standard,” Benson said in a statement picked up by media outlets.

Well, in all likelihood Benson will get off on these two drinking offenses with little repercussion and he’ll sign with another team. But I think the Bears were looking for a reason to get rid of him anyway. I think Matt Forte should shoot up fantasy draft lists, not into the first round or two, but definitely into the second- or third-tier of backs. He potentially jumps to the top of the list of rookie backs with a chance to make a significant contribution.

And Benson, well, Benson probably blew his best chance at being an NFL feature back. His value was limited before he got cut. At this point he’s a late round draftee if at all.

Strahan and Favre can hug again

by | Jun 9, 2008 | NFL Breaking News

Congratulations to Michael Strahan for he is doing what every player dreams of – he’s going out on top.

And ironically he’s going out the same year as Brett Favre, who looked ridiculous in taking a dive when Strahan broke the single-season sack record.

Strahan’s retirement seemed more and more likely as the weeks passed – I’d almost started to believe he really didn’t even want to play last year. But he goes out with a ring and still at or near the top of his game. And despite weird ass teeth, he is extremely well-spoken and has a good personality for television – which is where he likely will end up.

While he goes out after having won the Super Bowl I’d forgotten just how good the rest of his career was. He went to seven pro bowls and had 141.5 career sacks, 140.1 not counting the Favre dive.

What better way to go out. Congratulations, for real, to Strahan. One might wonder if he and Favre might not get together and re-live old times sometime this fall. More power to them – we at Zoneblitz have mocked Favre and we still think his soap opera-ish offseasons have gotten old. But the NFL is losing two extremely interesting personalities heading into the 2008 season and they will be hard to replace.