Football

NFL Cornerstones: Running Back

Chris McGlynn Cornerstones, Football, NFL , , , , ,

Cornerstone players will be a recurring theme on Second Look Sports where I look at each position in a certain sport and I choose a cornerstone player to build my franchise around. I have a couple of parameters for this selection though. I will factor in age, potential, injury history, experience, reputation and production. I think this should be a fun and interesting topic to discuss on here. I hope you all agree.

The selection: LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Honorable Mentions: Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Eddie Lacy, Jeremy Hill, Matt Forte

Adrian Peterson made some headlines yesterday by finally returning to the Minnesota Vikings and acting like he wants to play football. It got me around to thinking who the best running back to build a team around could be. Peterson is now 30 and likely will start to see some of his wear and tear really bring him down. His off the field issues are definitely not too appealing either. Needless to say, Peterson is not the selection. A couple of other injury prone runners in DeMarco Murray and Arian Foster also find themselves missing from this list.

LeVeon_BellInstead, the selection is the one and only LeVeon Bell from Pittsburgh. He is not perfect but in terms of what he is capable of, this is a no brainer. He only has two seasons under his belt and at 23 years old, Bell looks like he is going to be a bell cow running back in the NFL for quite some time.

He might not always be racking up 100 yards, but when he gets the ball, he consistently produces. Bell ranked in yards per carry this season with 4.7 per attempt. The Steelers’ superstar put up incredible totals as well ranking second in the league with 1,361 rushing yards. Bell is one of the NFL’s best backs when it comes to picking up yards on the ground.

But this is a passing league now, so rushing is no longer as heavily valued. That doesn’t matter for Bell because he is incredible as a receiver. The Michigan State product hauled in 83 receptions last season, second to only Matt Forte among running backs. His 854 yards receiving also ranked first among all backs. These weren’t dink and dunk plays either as his average per reception was 10.3 yards, good for second in the league for running backs. He continue to move after the grab as well, finishing second in the league in yards after catch.

Bell is a dual threat back. He had the second most yards from scrimmage this past season and had an unreal 5.94 yards per touch, which, excluding kick and punt returns, was tops in the NFL. For some reference, DeMarco Murry, who led the league in yard from scrimmage, averaged only 5.03 yards per touch. Bell was the most effective offensive player in the league this season when he had the ball, and I expect that to continue.

On top of all of his success, Bell also continues to show his sure hands. In two seasons, Bell has only one career fumble, including none this past year. On 662 career touches, Bell has lost the ball just once.

There are a couple of downsides with Bell though. He has a poor track record with drugs and has been suspended for three games because of marijuana use. Not having your best player on the field is not something you want to occur regularly. Additionally, he has no playoff experience, having missed Pittsburgh’s only game this season due to injury. Bell is also not much of a scorer, tallying only 19 total touchdowns in his first two years. Only LeSean McCoy has scored fewer touchdowns in that timespan among the players I considered.

Despite that, Bell is likely the best all-around offensive weapon in the NFL right now. He will continue to grow in the coming years and hopefully mature to the point where he is not getting suspended for drug use. There is no doubt in my mind though that Bell is the premier running back going forward and will be for years to come.

It continues to become harder to support the NFL

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL, Social Issues ,

Roger_GoodellI love PTI. Tony Kornhesier and Michael Wilbon may be the best duo in recent sports broadcasting history. I was shocked yesterday to hear Wilbon bring up the idea of Roger Goodell losing his post as commissioner of the NFL. Well that isn’t the shocking part, I’ve been saying Goodell needs to go for a while now. What caught me off guard was the reason why Goodell would be let go. For punishing the Patriots. Not for the botched Ray Rice case or the on-going Adrian Peterson saga, but for Deflategate.

Ironically, out of all of the massive controversies involving the NFL this season, I thought Goodell did his best work in handling the deflated ball scandal. He left himself out of the investigation and then made a ruling that clearly sent a message that this sort of conduct would not be tolerated. He might have been a little harsh, but with all the leniency Goodell provided in regards to Rice and Peterson, he might have felt a little bit pressured. To me, Goodell did his job, and did it well.

Robert_KraftApparently, Patriots owner Robert Kraft does not share the same sentiment. His long-time friend is now openly criticizing Goodell. Kraft felt that the punishments were undue and not formulated in concrete evidence. Wilbon’s point was that through all of the other adversity the league faced this year, Goodell always had the backing of the owners. Now, he might have lost that, because the ruling directly affected one of them. Wilbon pointed out that Kraft could push for Goodell’s tenure to end the next time he is up for election, which is in 2018. Wilbon noted that is unlikely that anything would happen before then, but he would not be surprised if the end for Goodell was in the near future.

All this really shows is how callous, corrupt and greedy the NFL has become. They are willing to back the commissioner through domestic abuse issues and bounty scandals so long as he continues to deliver profits. The NFL made a ridiculous 9.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2013, which breaks down to about 261.5 million dollars per team. The owners get to stay rich as long as the money keeps flowing in. The league compensates Goodell pretty handsomely as well, more than 44 million dollars last year to be exact. Goodell has proven to be a strong business partner for the NFL. As long as he kept generating revenue, the owners would be more than willing to weather whatever storm Goodell brought with it.

Now though, faced with a situation where a team, and to a further extent an owner, took the brunt of the penalty from Goodell’s actions, the owners are ready to run him out. It shows on one level that the owners value the brand of the team and the money made way more than they value the players. The Ravens were in full compliance with suspending Rice and the Vikings openly supported Goodell with his plans for Peterson. The Patriots are furious about losing Tom Brady for four games but seem to be more enraged by the docking of draft picks and heavy fine. At least that’s my perception.

Goodell, in doing his job how he saw fit, might actually find himself looking for a new employer. He has made many a mistake in his handling of so many different cases. He has bordered on corrupt at times, with his mostly unchecked use of power to hand out suspensions and fines. And the owners have supported him through all of it. The league is willing to be corrupt as long as corrupt pays. The NFL is all about making money. I as a fan find this disheartening because I can see it in more places than just this. The steady rise in ticket prices, the removal of blackouts, the increased number of sponsors and the continual blind eye turned to player safety. The bottom line is all in the profit. The league makes its moves based on how much it can stand to gain from them.

It makes it hard to support a league that has so many major flaws. That is run by a system that continually fails its players and fans. That allows for inhumane behavior and repeatedly breeds violations of the law. That is more focused on the bottom line than the product. Greed runs the NFL. This is a league that is out to make as much money as possible, despite inexplicably being listed as a non-profit. There needs to be a change in the NFL and how it is run. It pushes me to the point where I do not know how much longer I can support the league. I simply do not want to get behind an organization that continues to disappoint and deteriorate. On the bright side, I would probably have a lot more time to watch PTI.

The Tale of Two Scandals

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , ,

Tom_BradyThe sports world is outraged at the moment. It could be directed at a number of different people. It could be Patriots fans enraged at the two locker room assistants for deflating footballs for the AFC Championship game. It could be those same fans again furious at Roger Goodell for suspending quarterback Tom Brady for four games when the evidence does not definitively point to Brady’s involvement. It might be on the other side of that as an NFL fan because while the evidence isn’t damning, it has some logical implications, Brady probably cheated and the league is not punishing him enough. Still others are shocked that Brady received a four-game ban when Ray Rice was only dealt half of that after beating his wife.

This whole Deflategate scandal has blown even more than before, if that is possible. The Patriots are looking at losing two draft picks, one of them being a first rounder, in the next two seasons and missing their future Hall of Fame quarterback for the first quarter of the season. All of that is on top of an NFL-record fine of $1 million. Brady is set to appeal the suspension, which he will likely win, and have it reduced if not altogether wiped out. New England owner, Robert Kraft, is demanding an explanation from the league as to where the precedent for these sanctions lie. The whole fiasco seems very 2012, when the NFL had to deal with a different violation of public policy. The fallout that ensued has been all the same.

Gregg_WilliamsBack in 2009, Gregg Williams joined the New Orleans Saints as their defensive coordinator. Shortly after his arrival, Williams arranged a bounty system that rewarded players for big hits and injuries caused. This was clearly against league rules but did not really give the Saints a competitive advantage over their opponents. It did however, put both player safety and NFL integrity on the line. Coincidentally, New Orleans made a Super Bowl run, just as New England did, and walked away with a Lombardi Trophy. The whole bounty system was uncovered almost two full years later and the implications began to rain down on the Saints organization.

Williams was suspended indefinitely. Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis received long suspensions, one year and eight games respectively. The Saints also forfeited a second round draft pick and paid a $500,000 fine. Several Saints players found themselves punished as well, including Jonathan Vilma, who received a full season suspension. Like Brady, Vilma denied being an active part of the program. The difference was that it was clear he was aware of it. Vilma appealed the suspension and actually went as far as attacking Goodell by filing a defamation of character suit against the commissioner. The NFL was in utter chaos as the scandal continued to unfold. It got even uglier from there as arbitrators and suspension appeals dragged on.

The Saints were obviously frustrated with the league’s decisions to suspend coaches and management as well as stripping them of a draft pick. However, the Saints moved on and dealt with the consequences. Eventually, Peyton returned and New Orleans simply put the scandal behind them. It doesn’t seem like the Patriots are willing to do that. Despite there being a lot of the “who said what” kind of stuff going on, the league upheld its decisions on the loss of draft pick and fine. However, Goodell reduced some of the suspensions and eventually they were all voided. The precedent is there for Brady to have his suspension at the very least reduced if not completely dismissed.

The NFL certainly made a statement with these punishments that it will not tolerate violation of the rules when it compromises the integrity of the game. It was a bit of a recovery move by Goodell, after botching so many other recent scandals. The important thing is that the Patriots might have had a competitive advantage, but its effect on the game was about as important to the win as a cash incentive to hit opposing players harder. The Patriots might have broken the rules and deserve to be punished for it. However, it does not tarnish their title. If it does, then the Saints title is tainted as well. The two scandals had the same impact on the outcome of games and, overall, had similar penalties.

I will not remember this as something New England did to beat Indianapolis. I will remember this as a minor scandal that both the league and the team drastically blew out of proportion with the harsh penalty and the unprofessional reaction of both Brady’s agent and Kraft. The Pats certainly deserve the penalty, but not to be remembered as a tainted champion.

Veterans who should be traded

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , , , ,

The draft is done with and we have had close to a week to dissect each and every move. That means that there are several players out there that could be looking for a new job very shortly. Teams always prefer younger players for their potential and hopeful longevity. That means they are more than willing to force a couple of the older guys out the door. However, not every veteran who might be replaced should be cut as some still have great value. Here are some of the veterans that should be shopped around the league with their replacements already on board.

Morris Claiborne, Dallas
The Cowboys tabbed Byron Jones as their first round pick in 2015. With Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick already in place, Jones figures to be the nickel corner for the time being. That means that former first round selection, Morris Claiborne finds himself on the bench. Three years after Dallas drafted him the top ten, Claiborne has failed to develop into the bona-fide lock down corner the team expected. He is still young at only 25-years-old, meaning there will surely be a team willing to take a gamble on him. Kansas City is in need of some new blood at corner and Cleveland needs a replacement for Buster Skrine. Both teams could be a fit for the out of favor Claiborne.

Malik Jackson, Denver
With Demarcus Ware, Von Miller and now Shane Ray on Denver’s roster, the Broncos will want to find a way to get them all on the field. That could mean moving one of those pass rushers to a down lineman to get everyone more snaps. Derek Wolfe is locked in on the line meaning Malik Jackson could find himself losing out on passing situations. Jackson only tallied three sacks a season ago so his role as a pass rusher is clearly small. He is a great run stuffer though and can still make a big impact on games. I don’t know if Denver should move him but if I’m Jackson, I might want to be moved.

Muhammad Wilkerson, New York (Jets)
I wrote about this last week. Muhammed Wilkerson’s days as a Jet are numbered. It’s unfortunate because if how talented he is but the team is not ready to pay him what he is asking for and just drafted Leonard Williams to essentially take his place. Williams obviously needs some time to develop before he even comes close to reaching Wilkerson’s level of play but as the latter enters the final year of his contract, the pressure will be on to get some value for him. Kansas City desperately needs a run stuffer to aid their defense. Rob Ryan could also use some help in New Orleans to turn the Saints’ terrible defensive unit around.

Micah Hide, Green Bay
When you draft a safety in the first round two years in a row, that usually means you weren’t overly satisfied with the guys who were there before. Micah Hide has been solid for the Packers in spurts but now sitting behind several younger, fresher faces in Wisconsin, he will likely not be seeing the field. Atlanta is still seeking depth at safety even following the draft. The Falcons allowed the most yards per attempt a season ago. Pittsburgh could be a wise fit as well after losing Troy Polamalu to retirement.

Andre Smith, Cinncinnati
Andrew Whitworth challenged the Bengals to draft his replacement in this year’s draft. Cincinnati ended up drafting two different tackles with their first two picks. However, I think it could be Andre Smith on the other side of the line who’s tenure in Ohio is in danger of ending. Smith tore his triceps muscle last season and is still continuing to rehab. Word is he is recovering well meaning his value would still be there in a trade. The Jets desperately need some help on the right side of their line after allowing 47 sacks last season so they could definitely be in play. The Titans have a rookie slotted to play at right tackle right now and after allowing even more sacks than New York a year ago, acquiring Smith might be a really smart decision.

Trade bait?

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NFL , ,

After all the hype and speculation of who was going to be traded where and what team was going to offer the Titans the best deal, nothing really happened. We saw two trades last night, neither of them were blockbusters and the most one team moved was five spots. That being said, there were some more surprising picks last night. Two in particular stand out because it could very well mean that the trade block found a few new players. Muhammad Wilkerson and Zac Stacy both could find themselves on the move in the next few days with their teams adding Leonard Williams and Todd Gurley respectively. It makes you wonder what the best fit would be for these players on another team.

Zac StacyLet’s start with Stacy. He actually already demanded a trade from the Rams. Not exactly surprising when the entire world touts Gurley as the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. Stacy hasn’t had a whole lot of opportunities to showcase his skills only receiving 326 carries in 27 games played. He likely isn’t a starting caliber running back quite yet but he is a nice change of pace back. The issue for Stacy is that this is one of the best running back drafts in recent memory. There is a whole lot of depth throughout with Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, T.J Yeldon and Ameer Abdullah all still on the board. Once day 3 rolls around and most of those guys are gone, that’s when we could start seeing a market for Stacy open up.

With that said, there are a couple of teams that Stacy would probably fit well on assuming they don’t draft a running back first. Dallas would certainly be an option as the Cowboys head into the season with Darren McFadden as their starter. I think Stacy and McFadden could form a nice blend of speed and power. Stacy’s presence would also limit that amount that McFadden would have to carry the football, which is ideal with his injury history. Stacy would be an upgrade over Lance Dunbar or Joseph Randle and he would receive a massive upgrade along the offensive line. It would also offer him the potential to start one day if McFadden is injured or once McFadden’s two-year deal with Dallas is up.

Another team that could warmly welcome Stacy would be the Miami Dolphins. Miami will likely target one of the runners in the draft but if they aren’t able to pick one they like, Stacy could be a nice consolation. The Dolphins have three running backs under contract but with the frustration surrounding Lamarr Miller and two other players who haven’t shown any real promise, Stacy would compete for the starting job. If nothing else, he should push Miller to perform better and be part of a running back committee. If Day 3 rolls around of the draft and the Fins are still looking for a back, don’t be surprised if we find out Stacy was swapped for a fourth or fifth round pick.

Muhammad_WilkersonNow over to Wilkerson. He has been the Jets best player for the better part of the last two years but he is in a contract dispute with the team and seems a bit disgruntled. That would make this the perfect time to move him for New York, with Williams essentially brought in to take his place. With 24 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 30 run stuffs in his 61 game career, Wilkerson is one of the best young defensive lineman in the league. He does not rank as highly as J.J. Watt or Ndamukong Suh but he is in that next tier. An easy fit for the 25-year old Wilkerson would be New Orleans, where he would play for the other Ryan brother, Rob. The Saints were one of the worst teams against the run a season ago and with rumors that the team does not plan to keep outside linebacker Junior Galette, he could be a trading piece. Swapping Wilkerson for Galette and a couple of early round picks could be a good deal for the Jets. Galette has registered 22 sacks in the last two seasons and would certainly aid the Jets pass rush.

Another team that could be in the mix for Mo would be Kansas City. The Chiefs ranked 28th in the league last year and allowed 4.7 yards per carry. Wilkerson is a massive run stuffer and pairing him with Dontari Poe would make that front line dominant against the run. The Chiefs would obviously need to give up something in return. Two possible scenarios would be either Tamba Hali and a couple of draft picks or Justin Houston. Hali is much older so the picks would need to be high. However, with Houston, this could be a straight swap. He is currently on the franchise tag and seeking a new deal the Chiefs are not currently able to give him. Sending him to New York in exchange for another top defensive player, who will likely cost less than Houston to keep, would be a smart idea. The Jets could need to throw in a mid-round draft pick to truly make it even but both are elite defensive players.

The NFL is full of surprises and there will plenty more over the next two days. Just keep an eye for some players to be on the move too, in addition to just draft picks.