Last month, NFL Network's Jamie Dukes argued that it was "hypocritical to say [Brett Favre] should stop playing because you think it's time for him to stop." Never mind that no one has ever argued that. Instead, most fans -- even those with just a casual interest in the sport -- would prefer Favre not fake retire every offseason. I don't think that's asking for a lot.
Dukes is back. The just-concluded NFL Rookie Symposium prompted Dukes to writes that, "... there is an expectation among the populous that NFL players are supposed to be perfect because they were given the right to play football. THAT NOTION IS LUDICROUS!"
In the weeks leading up to the Biggest Weekend of the NFL Offseason, I've wondered why the Rams haven't shown more interest in quarterbacks Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez. St. Louis has the second overall pick, managed just five wins in two seasons, and Marc Bulger looks like he's had enough.
Bulger's perceived disposition is a familiar one; quarterbacks who play behind an offensive line in name only often exhibit some combination of apprehension and apathy after years of physical abuse (Jon Kitna,David Carr, and Joey Harrington also come to mind). Of course, that's a solid argument for why the Rams should take Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe -- offensive tackles who could start immediately.
Every Play Counts is Michael David Smith's weekly look at one specific player or one aspect of a team on every single play of the previous game.
The Miami Dolphins selected offensive tackle Jake Long with the first pick in this year's NFL draft. The St. Louis Rams selected defensive end Chris Long with the second pick. On Sunday, they did battle at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Dolphins won the game, but who won the individual battle? I explore in this week's edition of Every Play Counts.
The Rams were a significantly better team on Sunday than they had been the past three games. That team was easily worse than the Detroit Lions, but it seemed like Steven Jackson being back changed the complexion of everything, including the defense and special teams. Well, everything except the man taking snaps.
Jackson ran the ball 21 times and gained 94 yards. Josh Brown and Donnie Jones were excellent kicking and punting, and the defense held the Miami Dolphins to only 16 points. Alas, it still wasn't enough for a Rams victory. Marc Bulger -- despite good run support from Jackson and Antonio Pittman -- was simply dreadful. He connected on less than half his pass attempts and was intercepted three times -- including a game-ender on their last-gasp attempt, when he badly overthrew Derek Stanley.
A head-to-head battle between the top two draft picks was also of interest. Jake Long was squaring off against Chris Long. Considering Chris didn't record a single stat, it would appear Jake got the best of Howie's kid. It was a close matchup, though, as Chris wasn't severely abused by any means. Both have worlds of potential in this league moving forward.
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Quarterbacks:Marc Bulger is coming off an injury-riddled, subpar at best, season. For the first time in his career he threw more picks than touchdowns, and his yards per attempt were nearly a yard lower than his previous career-low. Much of this can be attributed to the brutal offensive line play in front of him, but that may not change if Orlando Pace isn't completely healthy. Overall, though, Bulger will have a much better season and Trent Green is a fine backup. Heat Index: 6
Virginia defensive end Chris Long is such a versatile athlete that some draft analysts have said he could line up at all seven positions on a defensive front. That's probably overkill (could he really play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense?), but it's true that he's going to be easy to fit into a spot in the starting lineup as a rookie in St. Louis after the Rams took him with the second pick in the NFL draft today.
Long, who won a high school slam dunk contest in 2003, is a much better athlete than he gets credit for; although he wasn't a workout wonder at the combine like Ohio State's Vernon Gholston, he's fast and explosive. He had 14 sacks as a senior.
Trivia: Long was born with a sixth finger on his left hand, which was amputated. Maybe if it hadn't been he'd play offense; that seems like an advantage in catching the ball.
Adam Schefter reported on NFL Network that the Ravens are now trying to trade up and take the Rams' pick, second overall, so that they can get Ryan. That would then create a chain reaction that would have the Falcons taking Glenn Dorsey third, and Long on the board far longer than anyone expected.
The trade might not happen because the Rams won't trade down unless the Ravens blow them away with an offer. But the mere possibility of it happening must have a whole lot of teams at the top of the draft scrambling, just when the draft boards appeared to be falling into place.
The Bleacher Report has brought out their NFL Draft drinking game. If you are looking for an excuse to get wasted quickly, check it out and play so you can deal with the (over)hype and drink your arse off (like the guy pictured).
But how can we help ourselves? We're fans. And as fans, we need to know every detail about every player our team is considering drafting. And when our team finally picks an unknown linebacker from Middle Southern Tennessee State, we're going to need one of ESPN's 23 draft analysts to breakdown his 40 time and discuss his upside.
So, here are just some of the "rules" to follow to make your NFL Draft a jolly one:
Every time Chris Berman unveils a ridiculous nickname...drink!
Every time a Chris Berman nickname references a song that's over 20 years old...drink twice!
Every time an ESPN analyst confuses Jake and Chris Long...drink!
Every time Emmitt Smith uses a word that isn't actually a word...drink!
The St. Louis Rams appear to have narrowed down their first-round draft pick options to four players: Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Virginia defensive end Chris Long and LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.
At least, that's the conclusion we can draw from today's report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via PFT) that those four players are coming in for a visit. The Rams own the second pick in the draft, and they're likely to take which ever one of those four players is highest on their draft board and hasn't already been taken with the first pick by the Dolphins.
Theoretically, it's possible that they could even start talking contract with those players if the Dolphins sign the first pick in the draft before draft day. Miami is already negotiating with Gholston and with Jake Long and could sign one of them within the next 10 days. There's also at least a theoretical possibility that they'll have their pick of all four of those players, either if the Dolphins pick someone else (unlikely) or if the Dolphins don't pick at all (also unlikelky).
Given the Rams' needs on the offensive line, Jake Long would seem to be the best option of the group. But he also looks, right now, like the Dolphins' top choice. One way or another, it seems safe to say that Jake Long's name will have been called before the draft is half an hour old.
For a number of reasons, the run up to the 2008 NFL Draft is shaping up to be less exciting than previous years. At least for me, anyway. Maybe it's because the draft-weekend schedule has been rearranged and the start has been delayed three hours; or maybe it has something to do with no clear-cut Reggie Bush-type player at the top of the board (although that really hasn't worked out so well); or maybe it's because I'm a Steelers fan and there's no chance in hell they land Branden Albert. Yep, let's go with that last one.
Anyway, one storyline potentially be worth watching: who's the last guy out of the green room? FanHouse's Michael David Smith noted yesterday that six players have been invited to New York City for the draft: Matt Ryan, Jake and Chris Long, Vernon Gholston, Glenn Dorsey and Darren McFadden. He thinks Ryan could be this year's Brady Quinn (sans the dreamy "Traficant"), but Hashmarks' Matt Mosley has another name:
Out of this group, who has the most potential for dropping out of the top six? ... I'm starting to hear rumblings that the Raiders might take Gholston at No. 4. And if the Jets have to choose between McFadden and Chris Long (this could totally happen) at No. 6, they're going with Long. So who finally scoops up McFadden?
Last month, NFL Network's Jamie Dukes argued that it was "hypocritical to say [Brett Favre] should stop playing because you think it's time for him to stop." Never mind that no one has ever argued that. Instead, most fans -- even those with just a casual interest in the sport -- would prefer Favre not fake retire every offseason. I don't think that's asking for a lot. 
In the weeks leading up to the Biggest Weekend of the NFL Offseason, I've wondered why the Rams haven't shown more interest in quarterbacks 
The Rams were a significantly better team on Sunday than they had been the past three games. That team was easily worse than the Detroit Lions, but it seemed like 
The 
The St. Louis Rams appear to have narrowed down their first-round draft pick options to four players: Ohio State defensive end 
