Posts tagged 30ToWatch at FanHouse

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

When talking about the New England Patriots, Tom Brady usually is the first player to come to mind. And then, in random order, it's probably Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Laurence Maroney.

But arguably team's most valuable player on the team's most valuable unit, is nose tackle Vince Wilfork. New England is primarily a 3-4 defense, and everything runs through the defensive line. If the three fat guys up front aren't doing their jobs, the whole thing falls apart. That's where Wilfork, the team's 2004 first-round pick, comes in.

And head coach Bill Belichick thinks so much of Wilfork that he calls him "the most complete guy that I have coached at that position." That's pretty lofty praise from the Unabomber.

Wilfork has had to make an adjustment from his University of Miami days, when he was a "penetrating, 4-3" d-lineman. In New England, it's all about gap control, which means Wilfork's job isn't to get to the quarterback, it's to take up space. Belichick calls him "an excellent two-gapper", which allows the linebackers behind him to get to the ball.

Bottom line: The Patriots have weapons at nearly every position, and are as deep as any team in the league, but as long as Wilfork is healthy, opponents will have to game plan around him. Which means that guys like Adalius Thomas and Rodney Harrison will be free to wreak havoc.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Is Rex Ryan too fat to be a head coach?

The answer to that question is, of course not. But the Baltimore Sun reports today that Ryan, the Ravens' defensive coordinator, has lost 60 pounds, getting down to 290, in an attempt to become a head coach -- which his weight may have been hindering.

"There's not too many fat guys that are coaches. I don't see how weight can make you a better coach," Ryan said. "But I guess if you're the face of the franchise, then that is important as well."

As long as the 290-pound version of Ryan coaches like the 350-pounder, the Ravens' defense will be in great shape this year. Yes, the loss of Adalius Thomas hurt, but they still have Bart Scott, their best linebacker, as well as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs, to name a few, and no coordinator in the league does a better job of taking all that talent and turning it into the kind of attacking defense that keeps quarterbacks up at night.

Bottom line: Expect Ryan to have the Ravens' defense among the best in the league again this year, and expect him to be a head coach in six months.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

There were lots of impressive rookies in the NFL last season, from Vince Young to Reggie Bush to DeMeco Ryans to Devin Hester.

But the best may have been Marcus McNeill, who stepped in as the Chargers' second-round draft pick started all 16 games at left tackle (the most important position on the offensive line), and helped the line become the best in the NFL.

McNeill was thought, before last year's draft, to be as good a run-blocker as top tackle prospect D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but nowhere near as good a pass blocker. Instead, McNeill proved he was better than Ferguson -- and just about every other NFL offensive lineman -- at both run blocking and pass blocking.

Phillip Rivers had a very good first season as a starter, and McNeill didn't get enough credit for contributing to that very good first season by protecting Rivers' blind side. When you watch the Chargers this year, take your eyes off the skill position players for a few plays and take a look at McNeill. You'll like what you see.

Bottom line: For Rivers' continued success, McNeill -- not LaDainian Tomlinson or Antonio Gates -- is the Chargers' most indispensable player.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

In their short history, the Cleveland Browns have a long, dreadful record when it comes to first-round picks. It starts with franchise quarterback Tim Couch -- the first overall selection in 1999 -- and it doesn't get any better with names like Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren and William Green.

Center Jeff Faine, the team's top pick in '03, never meshed with Butch Davis, Kellen Winslow ('04) was sidelined by on- and off-field injuries during his first two seasons, and Braylon Edwards ('05) has been inconsistent at best.

And then there was 2006. The Browns selected DE/OLB Kamerion Wimbley 13th overall, and -- no offense to DeMeco Ryans -- the former Florida State star had a good argument for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He made the seamless transition from collegiate defensive end to NFL outside linebacker and ended the year with 11 sacks. And Wimbley was, undoubtedly, the Browns' best defender.

Bottom line: Playing in Cleveland is akin to playing in Siberia when it comes to league-wide recognition, so Wimbley could still be flying under the radar to start the season. But if his 2007 comes anything close to his 2006, he'll be a Pro Bowler. And Cleveland could use a few of those.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Yes, Quincy Wilson has just two carries for two yards in his NFL career, so he may seem like a strange choice to mention here. But I mention him for two reasons. One, I'll never forget the way Wilson finished this catch-and-run in college:


And two, the injury suffered by Bengals running back Kenny Irons last night could be significant, which means the Bengals need a change of pace for Rudi Johnson. Of the remaining running backs on the Bengals' depth chart, Wilson might be the best option.

Of course, Wilson got into a little bit of trouble this off-season, so he may be on shaky ground from that standpoint. But the fact that he played in last night's preseason opener indicates that the Bengals still have some faith in him. And with Irons out, they might need him.

Bottom line: Wilson won't be a star, but he could be a solid backup for the Bengals this year.

30 to Watch: See them all.

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Never let it be said that Vernon Davis lacks enthusiasm. The second-year tight end -- and the sixth-overall pick in last year's draft -- is hoping to channel his exuberance into improving the 49ers offense. And that starts with staying healthy. Not scuffling with teammates is probably a good idea too.

Last week Davis and 11-time Pro Bowl guard Larry Allen almost went American Gladiators on each other during practice. Head coach Mike Nolan thinks the experience "will help him grow up, help him mature." And that's the thing: physically, Davis is a beast -- he ran a 4.3-something forty at the NFL combine, and he's a solid a 6-3, 250 pounds -- it's the above-the-head stuff that could stand a little work.

Still, it's not like Davis is a divisive locker room presence, he just plays with a lot of emotion. And even though the club traded for Darrell Jackson this off-season, Nolan hopes Davis becomes to the 49ers what Antonio Gates is with the Chargers.

After a slow start to his rookie season -- which included missing six games in the middle of the schedule because of a broken leg -- Davis registered 15 catches for 228 yards and two TDs in the final seven games.

Bottom line: Davis is primed for a big season. He's faster than any linebacker in the league -- and most safeties -- and won't be out-muscled for jump balls. Darrell Jackson is a question mark at this point, so Alex Smith will primarily rely on Frank Gore and Davis to matriculate the ball up the field.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

In 2004, his rookie season, Tampa Bay wide receiver Michael Clayton looked like a future superstar.

Well, looks can be deceiving. Today it was revealed that Clayton isn't even a starter in Tampa Bay, as he's been passed on the depth chart by Maurice Stovall.

So who is Stovall? He's a 6-foot-5, 222-pound product of Notre Dame who caught just seven passes as a rookie last year, but Pro Football Prospectus 2007 describes him as "the perfect Jon Gruden receiver: a big target for hitches and smash routes who can also work the middle of the field and block a little."

That's exactly what Tampa Bay needs. Clayton has been a huge disappointment the last two seasons, but Stovall is a young talent on the rise.

Bottom line: Stovall hasn't done much in the NFL yet, but he will this year. He might just become Jeff Garcia's favorite receiver.

30 to Watch: See them all.

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Marques Colston won't sneak up on unsuspecting defensive coordinator's this year, not after the rookie season he put together. The 2006 seventh-round pick caught 70 passes for 1,038 yards a year ago, leading everyone to wonder how 31 teams could pass on him ... seven times (and, to be fair, how the Saints could use their six previous picks on other players). Apparently, Colston was a wide receiver/tight end tweener, thought to be too slow to play outside in the NFL, and his mediocre showing at the February combine only reinforced those sentiments.

Now the 6-4, 230-pound former Hofstra star is New Orleans' No. 1 receiver. With Joe Horn now in Atlanta, Terrance Copper, by process of elimination, will start opposite Colston (don't get me wrong, Copper's a nice player, but he's not a No. 2, at least on a playoff team). The Saints drafted Tennessee wideout Robert Meachem in the first round, but he -- like most rookies -- has been slow to pick up the offense, and there's no telling when he'll actually see the field on a consistent basis.

Although Colston's certain to be quarterback Drew Brees' favorite target, Reggie Bush's out-of-the-backfield ability will also make it more difficult for defenses to focus on just one aspect of the offense. If Deuce McAllister can run effectively between the hashes, and Bush continues to, well, evolve, Colston could improve on his rookie numbers.

Bottom line:Yeah, the Saints didn't look all that interested last night against the Steelers, but let's not forget: it's August 6. We've got a month until the games actually count. And if New Orleans has designs on making it back to the postseason, Marques Colston will need to have a big year.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Has any receiver in NFL history ever been demoted out of the starting lineup the year after leading the conference in catches? That may have happened to Lions receiver Mike Furrey, who led the NFC with 98 catches last year but will now apparently become the Lions' No. 3 receiver, behind Roy Williams and rookie Calvin Johnson.

Of course, in the offense run by Lions coordinator Mike Martz, the base offense includes three receivers, so that's not much of a demotion. But it is a little odd that a team that already had Furrey and Williams felt the need to add Johnson with the second overall pick. Then again, everything the Lions have done in the Matt Millen era is at least a little odd.

The point is, don't forget about Furrey. Williams and Johnson make more money and more highlight-reel catches, but Furrey is a great athlete who has found his niche playing for Martz.

Bottom line: There's way too much optimism coming out of Detroit this year, and the Lions will be lousy again, but it's completely reasonable to think Furrey could have another 90-catch season in 2007.

30 to Watch: See them all

A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.

Last off-season, the Ravens lost defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu to the Carolina Panthers. The front office was caught off guard when the Panthers signed Kemoeatu to a five-year, $27.5 million deal. Especially since Baltimore was trying to negotiate a new contract with the four-year vet at the time.

Well, silver linings and all that. The Ravens traded up one spot -- from 13th to 12th -- to select Oregon defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Obviously, at 6-4, 340-pounds, Ngata had the physical, um, skill set, but rookies are a fickle bunch, and there were no guarantees he'd smoothly transition to an NFL starting job.

But Ngata had a couple of things going for him: First, he was 6-4, 340 pounds. Beyond that, he showed great athleticism, and forced opponents to double-team him. Second, because Ngata took up so much space, he made middle linebacker Ray Lewis' job much, much easier.

When Lewis isn't encumbered by beefy offensive linemen, he doesn't have to worry about shedding blocks to make tackles. He can just make tackles. And that's what he did, usually, near the line of scrimmage. Ngata will be called on to perform the same duties this year, particularly with outside linebacker Adalius Thomas now in New England and backup outside linebacker Dan Cody's season again in doubt.

Bottom line: With a year under his belt, Ngata has the potential to be one of the league's best defensive tackles. And as long as he's eating up offensive linemen, Ray Lewis will be very, very happy.

30 to Watch: See them all