Tuesday, October 13, 2009
So why were TV networks in such a rush to hire this guy? He WAS a great announcer. But that was because people trusted and valued his input as a former player and talking football head. The credibility he once had with viewers is gone. While Millen may still make relevant points while working on college of NFL games, how can anyone take him seriously? When he talks about how great a player is should I believe him or laugh since he proved in his time in Detroit that he knew nothing about what makes a player great? When he talks about what a team needs to do in order to win, should I take that advice as better than mine or just hit the mute button as his dismal winning percentage with the Lions proved he doesn’t know what it takes to win?
SI’s Peter King feels Millen’s past reputation as a great announcer should be maintained despite what he did in Detroit but that’s foolish. If you thought your financial advisor was great and he went bankrupt, would you keep listening to his advice? Absolutely not. You’d pull your money and move on. Matt Millen is a not a football genius. He’s just another talking head without a shred of credibility. I can no longer stand listening to him.
Monday, September 21, 2009
There seems to be this level of anger against the Wildcat that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. It’s as though proponents of the NFL feel their sport is denigrated by anything other than a pro-style attack. People laughed at Mouse Davis for trying to bring the run n’ shoot to the NFL and they hoped he would fail. It didn’t work out that well but at least the Lions offense scored points and moved the ball. Could you imagine if a college coach like Urban Meyer moved to the NFL and tried to implement his version of the spread? Whether or not that would work as a full time offence is certainly questionable but the amount of hatred and ridicule he would face would be high.
Urban Meyer had this to say about the NFL and it’s aversion to the spread. "I think it (the spread) would have worked years ago," Meyer said. "No one has had enough - I don't want to say courage - no one has wanted to step across that line. Everyone runs the same offense in the NFL. A lot of those coaches are retreads. They get fired in Minnesota, they go to St. Louis. They get fired in St. Louis and go to San Diego. I guess what gets lost in the shuffle is your objective is to go win the game. If it's going to help you win the game, then you should run the spread."
Andy Reid faced criticism for throwing the ball a lot with Brian Westbrook in the backfield years ago. Those criticisms faded because his offense worked. Any different offense that doesn’t work will get crucified. If you run a standard offense and suck, that’s fine. At least you are doing the status quo. It’s similar to the basketball coach that gets fired for losing too many games 125-120. The basketball coach that loses all his games 85-80 is much smarter because he played good defense. But both coaches lost by 5. Does that argument really make sense?
The NFL once thought the forward pass was terrible. Running the ball was the way the sport was meant to be played. But times and rules have changed. Fans want to see more passing and the rules were changed to allow receivers greater separation. You started seeing shotgun formations, situational substitutions and multiple receiver sets become standard. College football was slow to change but now seems to have overtaken the NFL as leaders in innovation. There are a ton of ways colleges attack on offense. From a standard pro set to the triple option to a variety of spread attacks by the likes of Urban Meyer and Rich Rodriguez. They have shown that using extra quarterbacks with a different skill set can be a positive and not an afterthought.
The NFL shouldn’t dismiss the tremendous variety of offenses in college football as a fluke or a fad. They aren’t going anywhere. Rather than lament how these non pro-style attacks affect draft projections, maybe they should look at using them in the NFL. The spread, triple-option or Wildcat may never be full time offenses in the NFL. But there is no reason those concepts can’t work on a part time basis. The Wildcat may not surprise anybody anymore but neither does a dive play out of the I-formation. Both require people to block and tackle. The only difference is one set of plays is accepted by NFL snobs and the other isn’t.
Monday, September 14, 2009
I do miss the old days where you had truly great teams and great matchups. The old 49er and Cowboy teams with Montana, Young, Elway, Watters/Craig, Emmitt, Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin were great. And that's just on offense. On defense you had Haley, Deion, Lott, etc. The salary cap era has deluted every team to the point where you will NEVER see a collection of talent like that again. Today's teams all have weaknesses. It's very rare to find a team that is truly good on both sides of the ball.
Teams bash baseball for the lack of revenue sharing and how some franchises suck year after year. There is a lot of truth to that. The NFL's revenue sharing is what has made it successful and the #1 sport today. But I think it goes a bit too far. I want dynasties to stay together longer before the cap breaks it up. I wish the NFL would have some sort of Larry Bird rule where teams could sign their own free agents at a discount against the cap and keep the great teams together.
New England would have never traded away Richard Seymour to the Raiders if it weren't for the hard cap. Why isn't Marvin Harrison still a Colt? Competitive balance can be fun but dynasties and flagship franchises are still important imo. I'd love it if the Cowboys were great every year. People could love them or hate them year round. It's far better than apathy which is what I felt looking at my TV Guide this Sunday.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
When a team has two good running backs like Miami has with Javarris James and Graig Cooper (or Clemson last year), the cpu should try to make sure the second running back gets on the field more often through packages and substitutions. Both backs need to get more touches. When you only have one great back, he should get all the touches.
If a quarterback like Bradford got hurt, shouldn’t Oklahoma try to run the ball more? Or if a scrambling quarterback like Tyrod Taylor got hurt, the cpu shouldn’t run the same plays with the backup if he’s a pocket passer. Even better, if two quarterbacks are evenly rated but one is a scrambler, would the cpu ever bring him in for a series or two to run a different offense?
Whenever we do get formation subs back in NCAA, pass rushers should be subbed in on obvious passing situations if warranted. The MLB should not always be the default LB in the dime package. Put the best player there and for the best situation.
The computer needs to recognize and utilize all the talent on the team properly. In other words, I want the cpu to play and think more like a human. Play to your strengths in every way. Make the appropriate play calling adjustments when injuries happen. I wonder how much longer this will take?
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I’ve run my own league for 14 years but the end of the road has come. I just don’t care anymore. I still love draft night, although we have tried an auction the last two years, since it’s a great time to get your friends together and talk smack while picking players. It’s the rest of the year that falls flat.
I’m certain my lack of interest in the NFL is hurting my enjoyment. Family life has also played a role. I hate rooting for or against players just because of how it might affect my fantasy team. Running to check the latest update on the fantasy scores or watching the ticker during games just to see how my guys are doing feels dumb now. Anyone else giving up on fantasy football?
Friday, July 24, 2009
This year I feel as though I am clearly in the minority. After renting NCAA 10 for a week I like NCAA 09 better. I know many love NCAA 10 and I’m a little envious. So I thought I would just do a quick breakdown of my thoughts. Yes I’m anal and overly critical at times. Can’t help myself. So here’s my tale of the tape between NCAA 09 and 10. Again, just my personal opinion and I only had a week with NCAA 10.
Areas Where NCAA 10 is Better
q Better sliders. These work great and really let the user tweak the game well.
q Better cpu running game. Partially due to the sliders, the cpu can mount a very effective ground game. Probably the biggest improvement imo.
q CPU QB Play. They throw the deep ball far more than the rarity in 09. And the cpu QBs doesn’t toss the amount of interceptions, primarily the game killing red zone ones that 09 had.
q Over the shoulder catches. These are really well done and also make the fade route relevant.
q OL movement in the running game. They get a better push in 10 and the added movement makes it more fun to read the holes while running.
q Game plays better out of the box on default settings.
Areas Where NCAA 09 is Better
q Camera. This is definitely user preference but I really like the old camera in 09. The feel and look of the game are much better. I can see downfield easier and it’s easier to defend. I hate the constant panning around in 10. This is easily my biggest beef and something I simply could not adjust to. Some will consider the new camera and player lock as positives but I don’t like those angles.
q Graphics and sound. Another personal opinion and it may be related to the camera angle but I feel the players look better in 09. They also seem more detailed and have better colours. The band and crowd sounds seem better in 09 as well. Some of the crowd chants, particularly the defense chant, are embarrassingly bad in 10.
q Pass speeds. I really like the passing speeds in 09. Feels just right. In 10, some passes can be zipped in at lightning speeds off the back foot and the overall speed feels too fast. I feel useless trying to manually defend the pass in 10 because the passing speeds are too fast.
q There is no menu lag in 09. For some reason the clunky and laggy menu system of 08 reappears in 10 to annoy us.
q I think some of the strategy elements of 10 are overdone. Asking your defense to strip the ball should not result in vastly increased fumbles or facemask penalties. Yes there is risk/reward but some of the new stuff feels gimmicky or overdone.
q Injuries. This is a bit of a crapshoot. There may not have been enough in 09 but there are too many to the skill position guys in 10. Minor complaint although this may be a bigger issue on Heisman this year.
Overall there are a lot of areas where I see improvement in 10. But the damn camera just pisses me off. When I pop 09 back in, the game just seems more fun to me despite its flaws. Too bad the NCAA team didn’t consider user options and customization when creating 10. Give us more camera options, a true accelerated clock, more sliders like Madden (game speed, fatigue, injury, stamina) and you might have a truly great game next year. But for now my NCAA posting has dwindled and I have essentially moved on. I’m enjoying a Miami Hurricane dynasty in 09 right now and hope Madden 10 will be great on August 14th.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Why you may like it and others may not
I think this game plays a lot better out of the box than ’09. So if you never liked playing with sliders you will like ’10 better right away. Non-slider guys probably will feel much better about ’09 than guys who adjusted ’09 a lot (I tweaked ’09 to extremes). This could also be a big plus for online guys forced to play on default settings. But I’m only an offline gamer so this isn’t the big plus to me as it is to some others. I’ll talk more about sliders later which are greatly improved after the patch.
I do think your enjoyment of this game will also be tied to your view on the camera angle. I don’t like it and it hurts my enjoyment. The NCAA team really screwed over a good portion of us by not leaving the old camera in as an option. I think the new camera is perfectly fine on running plays. But on passing plays I can’t see as well downfield as I like. My biggest problem with the new camera occurs when I’m attempting to play pass defence. I feel completely disconnected when trying to defend the pass in coverage. I usually suck in pass coverage anyways but I REALLY suck now. If you are someone who only plays as a DL this is a moot point. But I like to play as a LB and I really don’t like it. I just feel helpless and useless out there when trying to defend the pass. The player lock camera moves around way too much for me too and I won’t use this feature. Again – something some people will love but it’s not for me.
Feel of the game, Graphics, Sound
The game does feel a little different. The players look a bit smaller than ’09 and the camera is different. I think the game might even be faster than ’09. Players have slightly more weight but the momentum is still far from where I’d like it to be and where Madden ’10 will be. You still have overly twitchy players and the running animation is still poor in the open field. There are new animations to the game that do make it feel different than ’09 and these are a nice upgrades that you really see in the running game.
The graphics aren’t quite as sharp as ’09. I played a game as Miami @ LSU and then popped in ’09 and played a quarter just to confirm what I was seeing. Not a big deal to me but the players do seem smaller and not quite as crisp. What I found took a bigger step back was the sound in this game. It’s not good. The crowd chants are lousy – especially the “defence” chant, which almost pauses before it comes on to remind you that this is a video game with terrible audio. The surround sound took a step back too. The bands and crowd played through all my speakers well in ’09 but in ’10 they don’t come out very loud in the rear mounted speakers on my wall. Most of the sound tends to come from the front speakers. For those with a decent surround sound setup, I think ’09 was better.
Sliders
The patch made the sliders work a LOT better. I played my games with some tweaks based on early OS impressions (boost pass rush, I dropped my run defence to 0 to see if the cpu can run on AA, and dropped my FG accuracy to 0) and I notice a huge improvement over ’09. Honestly, if ’09 had sliders that worked this well, I wouldn’t think twice about buying ’10 – I’d stick with ’09.
I missed two FGs in my Miami game including a game tying 49 yarder with 10 seconds left against LSU. I thought I hit the last one good and it still went wide left. Setting FG accuracy to 0 does make a bigger difference. I had the cpu FG accuracy at 25 and I saw them hit the post on a 32 yarder. I still don’t like the analog stick kicking since kicks from the middle tend to be easy (dare I say perfect) compared to kicks from the hash but it’s better. I’m boosting human FG accuracy up a bit for my future games since I was bad with it at 0.
Running Game
I now see why everyone likes the running game this year. OL get much more movement on their blocks and it’s more fun to read the OL as you hit the hole. The game still plays on the fast side so you have to be quick but I think this area is the biggest improvement in ’10. Not only do you get good OL movement but the break tackle mechanic (from Madden ’09 but my first experience) is a lot of fun. Reminds me of the PS2 days. It also makes power backs more effective. I played against LSU and Charles Scott ran all over my Miami defence. He had 26 carries for 174 yards and 0 TDs. This was on AA with human run defence at 0, cpu run block at 50, cpu RBA at 60 and human tackling at 40. Only one run was a longer one. He just pounded the rock at me, broke tackles and got consistent yards. It was beautiful. Never saw this happen with ’09 as the cpu OL never got a push. They get a push with the good sliders in this game. I saw one OL drive blocking a guy 5 yards down the field. I still see some guys getting sucked into tackles and suction blocking among the OL/DL but the running game was easily my favourite part of the game. I see the biggest improvement in the game in this area.
Passing Game
I don’t see a big improvement here. Offensive playbooks are largely the same (defensive ones appear untouched) and I found myself calling similar plays and doing similar things. I did see some nice over the shoulder catches, which I like. The cpu went deep only once but I know from the demo this is improved over ’09. But for all those that are saying, “Yes, no more super leaping LBs!” this was really fixed in ’09 with slider adjustments. As someone that only plays on tweaked settings, this wasn’t an improvement for me. A couple times a game you will see a QB just rocket a ball out of his hand off his back foot at crazy speeds. Not sure why they did that.
There are more overthrows and under throws which are nice. You don’t see them too often but seem good. I do see some WRs getting bumped around and some jams can be really effective. I didn’t see a ton of this but it was an improvement over ’09. I never sacked the cpu once as the pass blocking is way too good on default and I have to boost the pass rush slider some more. Some of the zone coverages seem to get busted really bad. The cover 2 can be bad and I think more guys will run with man to man this year. The cpu QBs seemed better and only threw one pick in the 1.5 games I played (a bad one near the goalline) so this may be another nice improvement. Overall though, I just didn’t find a big upgrade in the passing game when I combine my dislike for attempting to defend passes with the new camera angle. I might like this more over time but I certainly wasn’t blown away by it last night.
Odds and Ends
I do like the halftime highlights and the EASW videos load much faster (is it because the quality is downgraded?). I lost two fumbles inside my opponents 5 last night. I never tried any of the strategy settings but did the cpu switch to aggressive to cause this? I have some concern over how effective defenders can strip the ball on aggressive. I’ve read about too many fumbles or facemask penalties on this setting but I can’t really comment first hand.
I had 3 injuries half way through the second quarter of my first game. While not big injuries I do get the feeling that the starting RB is going to miss time every single game with something. I had my starting RB, WR and TE all get hurt in my first game. Game #1 was a 31-28 loss @ LSU and great game score over 600. Too bad I blew the tying field goal. Game #2 I was down 17-13 after one half to Oregon with Cal. Best (Cal RB – me) was great as I had 17 carries for 168 yards. But I did have a 67-yard TD run where a defender completely whiffed on me – the new greased pig animation?
The menus do suffer from lag. I don't like this but what can you do?
Overall
I think the presentation took a step backward rather than forward with the lousy crowd chants and downgraded sounds. I saw my first stat overlay in the fourth quarter of a 7-minute game – not nearly enough. I don’t like the new camera as it really gives me a complete disconnect in terms of defending the pass. Makes me feel like I’m not even a part of the play, which isn’t good. I shouldn’t have to be a DL all game to feel like I’m doing something when the cpu is passing. I like the new camera in the running game but I really wish they had left the old camera in as an option. For those that love it then I’m happy for you. But there are going to be a lot of people where this change significantly hurts the fun factor.
Again, I’m not comparing default ’09 to default ’10. From what the settings I used last year, the biggest improvement is in the sliders and running game. I don’t see a big difference in the defence. The pursuit angles may be better but I’m still getting similar end results when looking at stats. That’s not a bad thing but I definitely don’t have the “Wow! This game is awesome feeling!” others have. Just a difference of opinion here. The game does have a different feel and look so I think there is certainly a new car smell going on for some. The running game is very nice and I love that we can finally get a consistent cpu running game. That is huge and a big upgrade imo. That alone is the real selling point for me on this game.
It’s early (1.5 game is far too little play time) and I will play all week but I don’t see this game being worth a $60 upgrade. I liked ’09 and will stick with that until Madden comes out. I will then decide on what game to get as I’m only going to get one football game this year.
Friday, June 19, 2009
I feel like a giant yo-yo this year with regards to NCAA 10. Some times I feel good about the game and others I’m upset over what Madden is getting and NCAA isn’t. The last day before the demo came out was weird. I was feeling good until we found out the sliders were broken. Then I was extremely ticked off and swore off buying NCAA 10. Then positive impressions of the demo come in and the EA team announces a patch to fix the sliders. I feel good again. And then I play the demo.
Let me first say that it’s awful hard to get a real good impression for a football game with 2 minute quarters. It’s just too hard to get into a flow. Plus a demo is often limited to a small size and doesn’t have all the bell and whistles of a retail copy. This is clearly the case with this demo. I played two games; one with OU and one with Florida and both went into double OT. It usually takes me at least 5 full games at 7 minute quarters to start to get a good feel for a new game. No way can I make real judgments on NCAA 10 based on my play time but I’m unhappy about quite a few things.
DEMO RESTRICTIONS
The graphics in the demo (PS3) are mediocre. I had just played a couple games of NCAA 09 before the demo and played a game afterward. The demo is a small step back in how crisp the players look. The sound is very poor. The crowd chants are awful. Where were these recorded? The band music is missing and the overall presentation is extremely blah. I have to assume this is related to demo size as ’09 was better imo. If this is how the retail version is, I won’t understand it at all.
There are a couple tackle animations that happen over, and over, and over. This was confirmed to be fixed for the retail copy but it doesn’t make the demo look that good.
Lastly, you can’t adjust the sliders in this demo. Most demos don’t allow you to do that but when I compare the demo to my adjusted ’09 copy, I preferred the ’09 version without a doubt. It’s an unfair comparison – like buying a new suit off a rack without alterations and comparing the fit to the old one hanging in the closet.
GENERAL FEEL
The game feels very similar to ’09. I didn’t notice a big difference in the player movement. The differences are small if any and the players still lack too much weight and momentum. I can understand why many reviewers said the game feels just like ’09. It’s because it does! The subtle AI difference might be there but the feel is still similar.
POSITIVE COMMENTS
I’ll start with this short list. Again, very limited playtime but I did like the fact the cpu QB went deep. So nice to see. Over the shoulder grabs looked really good too. The corner routes may be a bit too easy to complete but the return of the deep ball on both sides was nice to see.
I’ve missed the r-stick DL moves since ’06. Barely used it tonight but I’ll just include this as I know I will like it once I get more playing time with it.
NEGATIVE COMMENTS
I don’t like the new camera. As soon as I started playing I hated it and this was one of my biggest annoyances while playing initially. As time went on I adjusted but I don’t like it. Plus it seems to pan and zoom during play a little more than I like and the transition doesn’t always seem so smooth. Why couldn’t the NCAA team add the old camera as another option? At least they could say they offered two camera angles. It does pan out a bit more to see the flats but the camera angle is too low imo. I like a higher view. I do think I will adjust but I think this is a step backwards.
I really loved the idea of the player lock camera when I first read about it. I thought this would be great on defence but I didn’t like this either. The camera is constantly panning around and moving making it very hard to either control your player properly and/or see the play well. I actually think its best if you are a DB but if the play is away from you, you can’t see anything. I would much rather prefer a fixed, defensive third person camera at this point.
Not much from either running game. Still early but without sliders, it's hard to tell if the cpu will be able to run effectively this year. The 2 minute quarters makes it extremely hard to judge as both teams are in hurry up most of the game. The running animations are still poor.
Shorter, bullet passes seem too fast. Not a big deal but I did notice it.
Not much of a pass rush on the cpu QB but I didn’t really have a chance to take a good look at this. Without replay, how do you really tell? I’ll have to defer to the OS videos.
Still not enough momentum for players but the least of my worries right now.
Why does the cpu still choose to receive in OT if they win the flip? They did this last year and it’s flat out wrong. You choose defence first in college OT.
Defensive playbooks appear unchanged.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Not impressed with this demo. I was hoping to like it but instead came away disappointed. At this point I really don’t think I will buy this on day one. I’m no longer dependent on my football gaming and there are enough good games to play for now. I might just wait until Madden comes out before I decide or just keep playing NCAA 09 and deal with its flaws. Other than the improved cpu deep ball, I just don’t see anything significant here that warrants an upgrade – certainly not a $60 one.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
It was a really good game. I lost 28-24 as Murray lost his second crucial fumble in the ball game with less than two minutes left as I was leading 24-21. Tebow converted a 4th and short on my 35-yard line into a play action TD pass. He completed 51% of his passes on the day for 326 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs. Only 10 yards rushing though on 11 carries. One of his picks was returned for a TD and I also got a kickoff return for a TD to start the second half. My passing skills were rusty early and losing Iglesias to an injury at the end of the second quarter didn’t help.
Despite the “wide-open gameplay” people complain about, my sliders and skill set actually didn’t see too much of this. No deep balls by either side and Florida punted 6 times in the game. I only punted 4 times but when you turn the ball over 6 times you don’t tend to punt too often. Bradford was actually 30 for 45 for me but no TD passes. Both running games didn’t do too much. The game was close throughout and ended up being a great game with a greatness score of 1215 (#3 all time for me).
The lack of the deep ball in the game was the greatest glaring error along with no QB scrambles by Tebow (looks to be an issue in the NCAA 10 videos still). Of course the pass rush wasn’t too bad with slider tweaks unlike the demo I’m about to play Thursday night. We’ll see how the two games stack up but with only 2-minute quarters (I play with 7) and no sliders, I don’t expect to have a great experience. I love playing with sliders and so not getting them will dampen that a bit. Still, I'm hoping to see some nice improvements.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Kevin and Pat Williams along with three Saint players tested positive for a banned substance. The NFL sought to suspend them for four games under their policy. The players are not fighting the substance wasn’t in their bodies. Case closed right? Nope. It turns out the players took an over the counter supplement by Star Caps. The problem is that Star Caps did not list the banned substance on the ingredient list. How are the players to know at all times what goes in their bodies if the manufacturers lie on the ingredient list? Furthermore, the NFL drug hotline for players apparently told the players this supplement was not on the banned list. How much more can we ask of the players?
It gets better. The NFL knew this supplement secretly contained a banned substance and chose not to let the player’s union know. They didn’t inform their own hotline which is supposed to educate the players. Why wouldn’t they strive to inform their players? It’s like a cop that knocks over the speed limit sign and sits behind the corner looking to nail you.
Ultimately players are responsible for what goes in their bodies. The judge ruled against the players based on that notion. But Star Caps and the NFL clearly share a lot of blame here. More than the actual players in my opinion. Couldn’t some common sense be used here and reduce the suspension to two games? Instead these guys get lumped in with Shawne Merriman who took an actual steroid, got suspended four games and was allowed to play in the Pro Bowl. This makes sense.
Goodell and the owners can do whatever they want. There is no arbitration panel. No second set of eyes to lend common sense. The only current recourse for players is to sue or ask Goodell to reconsider (yeah right). But this nature of the NFL fits perfectly with everything else they do. Scrap 2K’s football game. Who cares if kids like it – we can make more money this way. Limit the NFL Sunday Ticket to Direct TV. Who cares if people without Direct TV might want it? This makes us more money. Let’s play 18 games. No great reason to play more games in a brutal sport that destroys players physically but it can make us more money. Remember that the NFL used to only play 14 games. Now we have rumours of an overseas Superbowl. If it can somehow line an NFL owners’ pocket with money you can bank on it no matter what people in the United States think. Dare I even mention all the public money that goes towards these expensive stadiums built all around the country? If a city won’t pay for them, the NFL will move your team out.
My love for the NFL has waned over the last few years and I’ve grown to love College Football more. The rivalries and passion of college football are great. The kids play for the love of the game. But the NFL is ALL business and a perfectly run dictatorship as well. Fidel Castro is jealous.
Friday, April 24, 2009
FINAL MOCK DRAFT
1. Detroit Lions – QB Matthew Stafford.
The Lions need major help in many spots but it looks like Stafford is close to being signed. Stafford is not a sure thing as he’s thrown at least 10 INTs in all three years in college. He does have good athletic ability, has started for three years and a rocket for an arm. He will need to develop better touch on some of his passes but having played behind a bad line at Georgia last year, he should be ready for the Lions who haven’t have a great quarterback in my lifetime.
2. St. Louis Rams – OT Jason Smith.
The Rams need to replace Orlando Pace. They need a lot of help as well but grabbing a good LT is always a good move.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Eugene Monroe.
Aaron Curry would seem to fit a big need for Kansas City. However, Pioli has never really drafted linebackers high at New England and just signed Zach Thomas as well. He drafts a tackle to pair with Brandon Albert to strengthen the OL and get great value for the pick.
4. Seattle – LB Aaron Curry.
Seattle was really hoping to grab one of the top two tackles but take the next best thing in Curry. Mark Sanchez is a possibility.
5. Cleveland – WR Michael Crabtree.
The Browns need someone to catch the ball and Crabtree will be a stud. Winslow was traded, Stallworth will be going to jail and Edwards is likely to be traded or leave after this year. This team may consider a NT like Raji or a pass rusher like Orakpo since they only had 17 sacks last year. I do think Orakpo is more of a true 4-3 DE and not a great fit here.
6. Cincinnati Bengals – OT Andre Smith.
The laughing stock of the combine as he showed up out of shape, didn’t work out and disappeared without telling people. Some people felt he could fall out of round one. Please. The guy might have been the most dominant tackle in college football. He has a soft body but will be a road grading RT and can play LT or be moved inside.
7. Oakland Raiders – WR Jeremy Maclin.
Al Davis is obsessed with speed and playmakers. Given the fact he’s spent first rounders on a punter and kicker, don’t be shocked at how high he may value Maclin’s return ability. Al may even take him over Crabtree, if he slips, who doesn’t run as fast.
8. Jacksonville – DT B.J. Raji.
While Jacksonville may move down in a trade while someone comes up and drafts Sanchez, they want to get bigger and stronger again. Raji does that in spades and he will be gone by #13 if they swap with Washington. If Raji is gone, they will try to move down.
9. Washington (projected trade with Green Bay) – QB Mark Sanchez.
Snyder is reportedly smitten with Sanchez and swaps spots with Green Bay who gladly will move down and take extra picks.
10. San Francisco – OT Michael Oher.
The 49ers need to add a long term QB and may go with a pass rusher as well. But Singletary wants to run the ball and adding an OT is necessary even if it’s a little early for the inconsistent Oher.
11. Buffalo Bills – DE Brian Orakpo.
The Bills need a LT to replace Jason Peters and also need pass rush help. Orakpo slides right into the Bills laps here and fits in nicely as a 4-3 DE. If Oher is still here, he will get strong consideration.
12. Denver Broncos – DE/OLB Everette Brown.
The Broncos would love to add Raji and will also explore moving up for Sanchez. But both are gone so they go with the pass rushing OLB in the new 3-4 scheme. Tyson Jackson at DE could be a possibility as well.
13. Green Bay (from project Washington trade) – DE/OLB Aaron Maybin.
They are moving to a 3-4 and want to draft a pass rusher. Maybin should be able to make the transition. Beware of GM Ted Thompson though. He picks based on value and will not reach for a need. Anything can happen here.
14. New Orleans Saints – DB Malcolm Jenkins.
The Saints need secondary help and Jenkins can play CB or possibly S. There is some concern about his speed but he has decent size and will get early playing time. A linebacker is also a concern here but expect to see a defensive player drafted either way.
15. Houston Texans – LB Clay Matthews.
They had the #3 offense last year but their defense was in the bottom third of the league. The Texans need defensive help and it appears they will simply stick to grabbing the best one available. I don’t think they get great value for this pick and would be better off trading down.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (through projected trade with San Diego) – RB Knowshon Moreno.
The Chargers want to move down and draft OT Eben Britton and the Eagles don’t want to take a chance that the Jets or Broncos might take Moreno. He’s a tremendous talent who will fit in perfectly behind Westbrook and eventually replace him.
17. New York Jets – TE Brandon Pettigrew.
The Jets want Sanchez but aren’t hot on the raw Josh Freeman. So they help their offense out and grab Brandon Pettigrew who helps in both the run and passing game. A two TE set with Dustin Keller would be very good.
18. Denver Broncos – DE Tyson Jackson.
Tyson Jackson slips due to his lack of pass rushing skills and Denver grabs him. A good 3-4 DE that some experts have going in the Top 10.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DT Peria Jerry.
Tampa Bay needs a lot of help in the front seven and they take a good DT in Jerry who can get after the passer. Detroit, Atlanta and Indianapolis would all like to have him.
20. Detroit Lions – MLB Rey Mauluga.
The Lions really hope either Peria Jerry or Rey Mauluga are here and get the MLB they badly need.
21. San Diego Chargers (with trade with Eagles) – OT Eben Britton.
The Chargers could certainly use a LB but they also want an upgrade at RT. Britton lacks the quickness to play LT but can start at RT right away.
22. Minnesota Vikings – WR Percy Harvin.
The Vikings wanted Britton and could use a CB as well. But Harvin is very talented and they help fix their offense with this boom or bust pick.
23. New England Patriots – LB Clint Sintim.
The Patriots are old at LB and after getting rid of Vrabel, Sintim is the ideal 3-4 OLB and played in that scheme at Virginia. Could move up for Britton and would have to move up to #20 with the Lions to make that happen.
24. Atlanta Falcons – LB Brian Cushing.
The Falcons need a strong side LB and Cushing is tough and will fit in nicely.
25. Miami Dolphins – DE/OLB Larry English.
Larry English is a great small school player that fits the hybrid 3-4 teams perfectly as an outside pass rusher.
26. Baltimore Ravens – CB Vontae Davis.
This team needs to start getting younger on defense and Ozzie takes a chance on an extremely gifted player with issues that drop him to late in round one.
27. Indianapolis Colts – WR Darrius Heyward-Bey.
The Colts want a DT (Peria Jerry would be perfect) or a WR here. With Harrison gone, they add another weapon for Peyton in the big and fast Heyward-Bey.
28. Buffalo Bills – OT William Beatty.
The Bills need to replace Peters and take the talented but inconsistent Beatty. Questionable desire but has the tools to play LT.
29. NY Giants – DT Evander “Ziggy” Hood.
The Giants need a WR and I still think this pick could be sent to Cleveland for Braylon Edwards. There isn’t a WR available here that would help them like Braylon so they wait until round two and grab the best DT left. Hood isn’t a big DT but he’s quick and can get after the QB.
30. Tennessee Titans – CB Alphonso Smith.
The Titans could use both a CB and a WR. They might also consider a DT to replace Haynesworth. They seem to reject the thought of drafting WRs in the first round and decide to upgrade their secondary since they play against Peyton Manning twice a year. Smith may be short and a little slow, but he’s a playmaker that can contribute right away.
31. Arizona Cardinals – RB Chris Wells.
I think it’s very questionable that Chris Wells lasts this long but if he does, the Cardinals would be extremely excited to take him.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers – C Max Unger.
The Steelers will look to upgrade the OL and take the best available player here. Unger is versatile and can play almost anywhere.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I’ve been critical of the direction of the NCAA team this year with the exclusion of things like the new QB ratings system Madden is implementing. It seems like the Madden team is making a tremendous effort at producing a true football sim that may be the best NFL game ever created. Who knows how the final product will turn out but it’s very clear from Ian Cummings’ blogs that he is very serious and making tremendous strides in this direction. But is a pure sim really that much fun?
When NCAA ’06 came out, many criticized the game for overly productive impact players, excessive juke moves, an overly fast game speed, a deep ball that was too easy to complete and other non-sim elements. All of that may be true but it was so much fun. The presentation was great as well. I started to wonder if I really wanted a true sim. I do think you need to exaggerate things at time to make a game more fun. I love the big juke move to get by a defender. I don’t want a 300-pound guy pulling off the same move but college football is exciting and I want to feel that while playing. I like hitting the deep pass and would rather see the game be easier than harder in this area (although NCAA ’06 was too easy). The neutered deep ball in next gen, particularly by the cpu, has hurt the fun factor the last couple years.
There will always be the debate as to how much strategy versus stick skills should matter in a video game. I maintain that stick skills are very important to keep the user interested rather than a game feeling scripted. Some may prefer more strategy and are thus dubbed the “sim” players. Others who like a heavy reliance on stick skills may be labeled “arcade” even though their football knowledge may be every bit as good as the sim guy. All I know is that I want a game to resemble the real thing but most importantly I want it to be fun. A nice mix of both worlds is best for me.
If Madden is truly the better sim and NCAA more arcade like, that won’t deter me from buying the game and is not necessarily a knock on NCAA. In fact, I may prefer it this way. I actually want the game to play faster and see the deep ball brought back. The game that is the most fun to play is what I’m interested in. I’m not ready to give up on it this year. Hopefully both games will be great and different at the same time.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
From past experience, you can expect offensive tackles and pass rushers to be drafted high, regardless of how valuable they really are. While people have speculated that Andre Smith could slip outside the Top 10 and that Michael Oher will go in the bottom half of the first round, expect these players to go earlier than expected. Just look how the Falcons jumped up to draft Sam Baker at #21 last year despite not carrying a first round grade by most draftnicks. Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe and Andre Smith will all go in the Top 10 and Oher won’t fall that far behind them. The draft is strong at tackle.
There are three premium pass rushers in this draft: Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown and Aaron Maybin. As they come off the board, expect teams to trade up to get them, as there is a real drop off after that. They are all undersized 4-3 defensive ends that could also play as a rush linebacker in a 3-4. None of them played OLB in college though so the transition could be tough (ask Vernon Gholston). Maybin would probably be best suited to be a 3-4 OLB due to his lack of size. He ran slow at the combine so will probably be picked last among the three.
Aaron Curry may be a great football player but he hasn’t proven to be a great pass rusher in college (not his role) and teams will shy away from him in the first couple picks just because they don’t want to make him the highest paid, non pass rushing LB in the draft.
Running backs seem to be the position teams feel they don’t need to draft high anymore. Despite the fact that Adrian Peterson was incredible as a #7 pick and how much of an impact Chris Johnson made last year (I criticized that pick – doh!) we have two first round running backs in Knowshon Moreno and Chris Wells. I think Moreno is a stud. He is a tremendous RB who only lacks in the long speed as his 40 time was pedestrian at roughly 4.55. Wells is the big thumper of a RB who gets nicked up too much but is productive. Moreno is quicker and can make more things happen and with most teams going to two running back systems, I expect Moreno to be the first drafted. He will probably slide too far in this draft but be a stud!
There is a deep group of big and fast wide receivers to pick from. Michael Crabtree is the number one guy but the fact he never ran a 40 time, measured shorter than he was listed at Texas Tech and played in a goofy offense might hurt him. His foot injury is largely considered to be minor but may affect his draft status. Not a single wide receiver was taken in the first round last year but expect Crabtree to go high and a run to happen late in the first round on these guys.
This is a weak crop of defensive backs. Don’t expect many to go too high or in the first round as only two or three are expected to make their way into the first round.
When will the NFL learn that defensive tackles are almost as hard to project as quarterbacks? So many busts or disappointments at the top of the draft the last few years that teams should stick to drafting kids in the later rounds and develop them. Glenn Dorsey, Jonathon Sullivan, DeWayne Robertson all come to mind. B.J. Raji is a nice fat body with boobs that can play the nose or the big DT in a 4-3. He will probably go in the middle of the round. Peria Jerry will fit the pass rushing DT in a 4-3 defense and will go late in the first round.
MOCK DRAFT 1.1
1. Detroit Lions – QB Matthew Stafford.
The Lions need major help at QB, DT, MLB, CB, DE and a host of other areas. They could certainly pick another OT but it looks like they will go with the quarterback. Stafford is NOT a sure thing as he’s thrown at least 10 INTs in all three years in college. He does have good athletic ability and a rocket for an arm. He will need to develop better touch on some of his passes.
2. St. Louis Rams – OT Jason Smith.
The Rams need to replace Orlando Pace. They need a lot of help as well but grabbing a good LT is always a good move.
3. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Eugene Monroe.
The first surprise of the draft! Aaron Curry would seem to fit a big need for Kansas City. However, Pioli has never really drafted linebackers high at New England and just signed Zach Thomas as well. He drafts a tackle to pair with Brandon Albert to strengthen the OL and get great value for the pick.
4. Seattle – LB Aaron Curry.
Seattle was really hoping to grab one of the top two tackles but take the next best thing in Curry. New coach Jim Mora wants to upgrade the defense and after signing Houshmanzadeh, will pass on Crabtree.
5. Cleveland – WR Michael Crabtree.
The Browns have already traded away Kellen Winslow and are looking to move Braylon Edwards. Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn need someone to throw the ball to! The defense needs pass rushers so taking Brian Orakpo here would also make sense. This pick does seem to depend on whether Edwards gets moved on draft day (Giants anyone?).
6. Cincinnati Bengals – OT Andre Smith.
The laughing stock of the combine as he showed up out of shape, didn’t work out and disappeared without telling people. Some people felt he could fall out of round one. Please. The guy might have been the most dominant tackle in college football. He has a soft body but will be a road grading RT and can play LT or be moved inside.
7. Oakland Raiders – WR Jeremy Maclin.
Al Davis is obsessed with speed and playmakers. Given the fact he’s spent first rounders on a punter and kicker, don’t be shocked at how high he may value Maclin’s return ability. Al may even take him over Crabtree who doesn’t run as fast.
8. Washington Redskins (through Jacksonville) – DE Brian Orakpo.
The Jags really want one of the top two receivers and are disappointed both are gone. Orakpo is too good to slip any further and Washington jumps up to nab the best pass DE in the draft ahead of Green Bay. Buffalo may be in the mix for a trade up as well (Note this is a projected trade and is severly impacted by Cleveland at #5).
9. Green Bay – DE/OLB Everett Brown.
They are moving to a 3-4 and want to draft a pass rusher. They are in a great position to get one of the top three players without having to trade up.
10. San Francisco – QB Mark Sanchez.
This is the trendy pick for the 49ers. They need a long-term answer at QB and they take the local kid. He should be available and as long as the 49ers like him, this makes sense.
11. Buffalo Bills – DE Aaron Maybin.
They need pass rush and DL help. Maybin is the last good pass-rushing end on the draft board so they snatch him up. I wonder how well Maybin will fit in as a 4-3 DE and he may fall to a 3-4 team later on in the first round. He may slide.
12. Denver Broncos – DT B.J. Raji
They are moving to a 3-4 and want a nice fat nose tackle to help solve their run defense problems. Tyson Jackson could fit in here as well.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (from projected Washington trade) – OT Michael Oher.
They reach for Oher a little bit but Del Rio wants to upgrade his line and will draft a wide receiver later as there should be plenty at the top of round two.
14. New Orleans Saints – DB Malcolm Jenkins.
The Saints need secondary help and Jenkins can play CB or possibly S. There is some concern about his speed but he has decent size and will get early playing time.
15. Houston Texans – RB Knowshon Moreno.
The Texans only have small but speedy Steve Slaton in the backfield and take one of the best players in the draft. Moreno will add instant offense to this team. They need some defensive help but this surprise pick will not disappoint at all.
16. San Diego Chargers – LB Brian Cushing.
The Chargers need more depth at LB and Cushing can play inside or outside for them. He should step in right away. Tyson Jackson at DE would be a really good fit for their 3-4 as well.
17. New York Jets – DE Tyson Jackson.
The Jets offense needs some help but their 3-4 defense can’t pass on Tyson Jackson who falls into their laps. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets even went RB here.
18. Denver Broncos – DE/OLB Larry English.
They need to help their pass rush. They got their NT in Raji and now reach a little to fill a rush LB spot in their 3-4 defense.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – WR Darius Heyward-Bey.
It’s time to breathe some life into this offense with playmakers and this is a big guy with speed. They may take a strong look at Josh Freeman at QB here.
20. Detroit Lions – ILB Rey Maualuga.
The Lions have badly needed a MLB the last few years and now can add Rey to a defense that upgraded with Julian Peterson in the offseason.
21. Philadelphia Eagles – TE Brandon Pettigrew.
They would love it if Knowshon Moreno fell here as he would fit their offense extremely well and be the replacement for Westbrook. Chris Wells is not a good fit for their offense so they go with the best TE in the draft.
22. Minnesota Vikings – WR Percy Harvin.
Brad Childress will love finding ways to get this guy the ball. An explosive player that will help take the pressure off of AP.
23. New England Patriots – LB Clay Matthews.
The Patriots are old at LB and after getting rid of Vrabel, Clay Matthews will fit in nicely.
24. Atlanta Falcons – DT Peria Jerry.
They need to help out Jonathon Abraham on the pass rush and while the good outside rushers are gone, Jerry will provide a nice push as a pass rushing DT.
25. Miami Dolphins – OLB Clint Sintim.
The Dolphins need a CB more than anything else but Parcells won’t take the prima-donna Vontae Davis. They also need a pass rusher and a WR. Sintim is a perfect OLB for the 3-4.
26. Baltimore Ravens - CB Vontae Davis.
They get younger at CB with a tremendous physical specimen in Davis. Is hard to coach and his attitude allows him to fall here.
27. Indianapolis Colts – OT Eben Britton.
The Colts usually do whatever it takes to keep Peyton happy and the offense clicking. They could go with a WR to replace Harrison but keeping the OL strong is also important.
28. Philadelphia Eagles – WR Hakeem Nicks.
The Eagles would like to take an OL with one of their first picks but don’t want to reach. Getting more targets for McNabb is never a bad thing.
29. New York Giants – WR Kenny Britt.
They could trade for Braylon Edwards but the loss of Plaxico in the playoffs illustrated the need for more weapons for Eli.
30. Tennessee Titans – CB Alphonso Smith.
The Titans have never felt the pressure to draft a WR early on despite the need. They could use some help at CB and Smith is a great player even if he’s short. Could see a trade for Chris Wells here if still available.
31. Arizona Cardinals – RB Chris Wells.
They love the fact that they need a RB and one of the two best ones in the draft falls to them. Wells is a bit injury prone and doesn’t have a lot of wiggle but is big, fast and productive when healthy. If Wells does slide this far, expect some teams like the Browns to try to move back up to the first round and take him with the Titans pick.
32. Pittsburgh Steelers – C Max Unger.
The Steelers will look to upgrade the OL and take the best available player here. Unger is versatile and can play almost anywhere.
Monday, March 30, 2009
q Terrible cpu running game. The cpu just never ran the ball well and the sliders were watered down to the point that it was impossible to fix correctly.
q No cpu deep passing game. The computer just dinked and dunked its way down the field and never threw deep. The cpu QB still threw too many interceptions. After having major problems the last two years in this area, I am concerned with how this will be addressed this year.
q Suction blocking. The blocking engine in the game is still poorly done. This requires a lot of work and I won’t be holding my breath.
Now as the new year began and I hung up my video football cleats, Ian Cummings and the Madden team have blown me away with their desire to create a true football sim. I haven’t purchased a Madden game since ’05 and everything they have said sounds great. We’ll have to wait and see about the execution but so far so good.
This is where the NCAA team has failed badly. Many of the new enhancements that Madden is getting won’t be found in NCAA and I’m bitterly disappointed. Here is the laundry list of features that Madden has and NCAA does not.
q New QB Ratings! Quarterbacks have always been done poorly but in an effort to create a more unique and diverse experience, the Madden team have created five new ratings to improve the way quarterbacks play. Accuracy ratings have been split up to short, medium and deep ball accuracy. Quarterbacks are also rated on how well they execute play action and throw on the run. Yes!! I’ve always wanted this to really get virtual quarterbacks to emulate their real life counterparts. But the NCAA chose to spend their time elsewhere. On what I ask? I’m still waiting. HUGE mistake.
q Ian Cummings has been very active on the forums and blogs giving us unprecedented access and insight for Madden. The NCAA team has been slow to provide good info and their hyped Community Day didn’t even allow anyone to talk about the game resulting in further frustration.
q NCAA will not be using the weight and momentum system Madden is implementing this year. Don’t know why but given the Madden team’s desire to create a pure football sim, this doesn’t sound good for NCAA.
q No defensive matchups. This is a feature more suited to the NFL so it doesn’t bother me as much with NCAA but its still a missing feature.
q The fact the developers believe Supersim minimizes the need for in game saves. Wrong! Some of us want to actually play our games but don’t always have an hour or more free time in a row to do so. Even if Madden doesn’t have it, the explanation given by the NCAA team ticks me off. I don’t want to sim the game. Baseball games have in game saves so no excuses.
q No refs on the field. The sidelines and refs have been added to Madden. Not a big deal to me but just another point for the Madden team.
q Fluff Focus. The NCAA team has added windsocks and Season Showdown features that appear meaningless to me. The focus just seems to be on the wrong things.
q New Camera – I will give the NCAA team props for designing a new camera angle system. The one benefit for the NCAA team I see so far.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The evolution of the FB position has basically left that position as useless other than in short yardage. The 1990s saw the block only FB emerge. Guys like Lorenzo Neal were featured in the backfield. Darrly "Moose" Johnston could catch the ball but he was viewed as a lead blocker. In my opinion, these type of players devalue the position. They aren't dangerous or feared in any way. They only block so why not just use another OL? Can't we get more production out of that spot? Guys like Csonka and Kevin Mack provided that.
What we have seen is the trend towards the two TE set. This balances the field as there is no longer a strong or weak side of the field. The second TE can be put in motion and is also closer to the line of scrimmage and is a greater threat in the passing game. But does any NFL team really have a dangerous second TE? Not really. Just the "blocking" TE. These guys aren't adding a whole lot to the offense either. Teams with three WR sets like Arizona get a lot of bang for their buck at the last spot on offense, even if it's tradionally a passing set. Teams should start putting their best player in the 11th spot. If it's a FB or a TE or a WR or even an OL, use that as your base. Nobody said everyone has to employ a traditional pro-set offense as your base.
NFL teams don't want to put two great HBs on the field at the same time since one HB is deemed a blocking liabity. Yet almost every NFL team wants two good running backs on their team to provide a change of pace and protect against injury. Why not try to find a good power back and turn him into a traditional but effective FB? That solves two needs with one stone. NFL teams rarely think out of the box. The Dolphins last year showed they would do whatever it takes to win and they used the Wildcat. Now other teams are following suit. Could the all purpose FB make a successful return to the NFL?
Jacob Hester of San Diego could be one of those guys. Big running backs get labelled as "one backs" rather than all-purpose FBs. Nobody wants the star HB to block anymore so when the FB gets the ball, NFL teams see this as a waste. Why not have Hester in the backfield with LT and actually use misdirection as a weapon? Why not use the inside trap and find ways to get more offense?
It's funny how the NFL can change over time and then change back when things start working again. I'd like to see some more unique players like the true fullback make a comeback but I doubt it.
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