Manny "Shock" Saez's NFL Football fan blog

The Washington Redskins are quite the team. No matter how bad they do people always want to watch them. They get very good national television ratings despite what their record may be. They struggle to make things happen, but when they do the crowd erupts as if they just won the Superbowl. I must admit I too enjoy watching the Redskins. Its odd that a team with as many playmakers as they have can’t win more games. They did make the playoffs last year, but lost to the Seahawks in the first round. They will be looking to make it back to the playoffs this year, but there are things they need to work on.

First of all, these players have got to stay healthy. Santana Moss missed a lot of games last year and that did not help the Skins at all. I believe they were the team with the least amount of touchdowns by Wide Recievers. The only pass catcher that was able to make an impact for them last year was Tight End Chris Cooley. This year, once again we will see Santana Moss on one side and Antwaan Randle El on the other side. Chris Cooley will line up at tight end and try to make things happen. The Redskins, who had no first round draft picks this year drafted 2 wide recievers in the second round. Devin Thomas out of Michigan State and Malcolm Kelly out of Oklahoma. Perhaps these two additions can help the Skins produce more points by Wide Recievers. They really need to make plays in the air. Chris Cooley can not be the only threat in the passing game.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days. Team #6: The Washington Redskins"

The Super Bowl Champs. They are returning to the gridiron this year with thoughts of repeating. They want to defend their title and prove to the world that beating the 18-0 New England Patriots was no fluke. The New York Giants shocked the world when they pulled off that miraculous upset. It seemed as though in one game, Eli Manning grew up, jumped out of the shadow of older brother Peyton, and suddenly became a great Quarterback. You have got to be kidding me. Yeah they were good last year at the right time, but the New York Giants in no way earn my respect. They are a team that got lucky. End of story.

The Giants defense, the best thing they have is going to be without their inspirational leader and their leading pass rusher. Michael Strahan has finally hung up the cleats and is in retirement. I don’t think we will see Strahan pull a Brett Favre either. Also in the off-season, they lost another pass rusher in Kawika Mitchell. The Giants will have to suffice with the breakout star Osi Umenyiora and 2005 Draft pick, Justin Tuck. Their pass rushing will not be the beast that it was last year. If Aaron Ross and Sam Madison can stay healthy, I believe that they can cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks. They are two talented cornerbacks that can hang in there with the best in the league. The defense will be good this year, but I don’t think we will see the same stoutness as we did last year.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #5: The New York Giants"

The Buffalo Bills. The only New York team that actually plays in New York, but they want to play in Toronto and to be honest, I want them to go there too. The franchise has had very little success in its entire history. Yes its true they do have 4 conference championships, but in its entire history, the Bills have never been able to win the big one. It’s never happened and by the looks of the team that took that field last year, it doesn’t look like its going to happen this year either. They will play some of their games in Toronto and I do believe eventually the Bills will move their franchise there. It’s a good place for the franchise to start fresh in a new home. I think they could use it.

Ok, ok. I know that my intro was a little on the negative side. But there are some good things to say about the Buffalo Bills team. They improved their defense via the draft. It’s going to be fun to see what Leodis McKelvin out of Troy can do at Cornerback. And what Chris Ellis out of Virginia Tech can add to the line at Defensive End. They also signed former Giants pass rusher Kawika Mitchell. Their defense should be much improved this year, but you never know with the Bills. One week they are picking off Tony Romo 6 times, the next week they are getting slammed by Tom Brady. It’s a coin toss on which Bills defense is going to show up. They need to be motivated for one. If they are not motivated, they don’t stand a chance.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #4: The Buffalo Bills"

J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS! Yes the New York Jets are coming into another year of football with hopes of winning it all!... or at least of making it back to the playoffs in a division where they are forced to play Tom Brady and the Patriots twice in the regular season and by all intents and purposes would most likely have to beat them in the playoffs to get to the big game. But lets be real for a minute, the Jets aren’t making it to the Superbowl and if they by some miracle make the playoffs it will be by the skin of their teeth. The AFC is too hard of a conference and there are so few spots in the post-season.

So what should we expect from the Jets this season? Their defense is undersized. It’s a small defense that is going to have trouble rushing the passer. They can’t get around the bigger offensive linemen in the league and that is going to hurt the Jets in the long run. If they can’t get sacks, they can’t win games. Defense wins championships. Perhaps rookie Linebacker Vernon Gholston can make an impact for the defense, but the thought of Gholston leading the Jets to the playoffs is just wishful thinking... at least for now.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #3: The New York Jets"

1-15. The worst team in the league last season. The Miami Dolphins are looking to get back to relevance and what a chore that is for them competing in the same division with Tom Brady and the Patriots and also having Ladainian Tomlinson and the Chargers on their schedule. The Dolphins are going to have to dig deep and put in the work that is needed to make any sort of impact this season. However, perhaps the point of this season is not to make an impact. Perhaps the point of this season is just to get some wins to their record and rebuild a franchise that was once great.

The Dolphins were forced to make changes for this season after such a horrible year last season. First and foremost, the front office has been completely re-tooled. The Dolphins have brought in the “Big Tuna” Bill Parcells, one of the greatest coaches of all-time. However, he’s not there as a coach. He’s there as the vice president of football operations for the franchise. Parcells quickly made a splash by firing coach Cam Cameron and hiring a new head coach in Tony Sparano. He’s made several roster changes. Gone is former pro-bowl wide receiver Marty Booker, in is veteran Ernest Wilford. Parcells even jumped out of the starting gate of this year’s NFL Draft by signing T Jake Long out of Michigan as the number one overall pick days before the draft even started. Parcells knows what he wants and knows what he needs to turn this franchise around.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #2: The Miami Dolphins"

18-1. It’s a great record. To have won 18 games and to have only lost once in today’s NFL is quite an accomplishment. Its just a shame that the 1 happened at the only game that matters, the Superbowl. The New England Patriots are coming back looking for vengeance, looking for meaning, looking to get back to that place where they could have mattered. Spygate is behind them now, but is the sting from the Superbowl loss behind them too? The Patriots will come into this season ready to answer all the questions they need to answer.

So what’s changed?  Well, superstar Cornerback Asante Samuel is no longer a member of the New England Patriots. The Pats have had changes to their defense at multiple positions. With their number one draft pick the Patriots selected Jerod Mayo, showing that they are looking to get past their old linebackers and bring in some fresh blood. Everyone is a year older, a little bit slower, a little bit weaker, but also a little bit wiser. The Patriots defense has always been good, but this year they will need to step their games up to a new level because even though the Giants won the Superbowl, everyone in the league will be gunning for the Patriots.

Continue reading "32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #1: The New England Patriots"

Manny Pacquiao, the current #1 pound for pound fighter in the world, had changed the entire landscape of the lightweight division with his recent move up and total domination of David Diaz. Pacquiao is now the WBC Lightweight Champion. It is a belt that means very little, but his presence alone has made things very interesting in a division that is already loaded with talent. It may in facer be the second deepest division in boxing, second only to the great Welterweight Division. Clearing this division will not be an easy task for boxing’s best fighter in the world.

During his Lightweight campaign, Pacquiao will have to deal with current 3 belt champion Nate Campbell. Campbell is a veteran who has returned to relevance after becoming champion. There is also the threat of the man Campbell beat to win the belts, “The Baby Bull” Juan Diaz. Jaun Diaz is a two-fisted come forward body puncher that could prove to be too naturally big for Pacquiao. Joan Guzman, who challenged Nate Campbell for his belts in September, also posses a great threat to Pacquiao’s dominance. Michael Katsidis, the Australian Brawler, could give Pacquiao tons of problems. Yes indeed, Pacquiao has entered a division loaded with talent and they will not all be as easy as David Diaz was.

Continue reading "Manny Pacquiao & The Lightweight Division"

Brett Favre is without a doubt my all-time favorite quarterback. The way he approached each and every game was awe-inspiring. You never knew what you were gonna get when you saw Brett Favre play. He has been a staple on my fantasy football teams for the last 3 years, which totals the amount of time I’ve actually been playing fantasy football. But Brett Favre is retired. He retired after giving a very emotional speech which left him teary eyed. He retired after what seemed to be his best season in a long time, taking his Packers all the way to the NFC Championship game and losing in a heartbreaking overtime finish to the New York Giants, the eventual Superbowl Champions. He retired after breaking basically every Quarterback record of meaning, finishing the 2007 season with 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 passing yards, and 160 career wins and he also started 253 consecutive regular season games, the most by any quarterback in the history of the league. Yes indeed, Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, but after a 17 year career, his time is over.

Continue reading "Brett Favre, Will he or won't he?"

The Fantasy season has arrived and as owners begin to mock draft, form their strategies, and get set to dominate their leagues (or lose terribly), the question that is on everyones mind is, Who should go #1 in all fantasy drafts?  San Diego Running Back Ladainian Tomlinson or Minnesota Running Back Adrian Peterson? Both of these plow shares have a huge case for them. Peterson, last year’s rookie sensation. Tomlinson, the top running back for the last two years. So how does one decide who should go first?

Ladainian Tomlinson: Running Back, San Diego Chargers
Strengths:
-5 consecutive seasons with at least 1,750 yards and 17-plus touchdowns
-Running style designed to take less punishment.
-Misses a game once every 7 years, the most durable back in the game.

Continue reading "Fantasy Football: Tomlinson v.s Peterson"

Recently Marshawn Lynch was involved in a hit and run and although not all the details have been released, what we do know is that Lynch has pleaded guilty and has publicly apologized. I don’t know what kind of person Marshawn Lynch is. For the most part, I think his great season in Buffalo was completely overshadowed by the tremendous play of Minnesota Running Back Adrian Peterson. Lynch was basically off the radar. He’s on a team that no one outside of Buffalo could really care about and he was a rookie at the wrong time. He hasn’t made a huge impact, but I still think he’s a really good running back. I don’t know what he does in his personal life and like I said we don’t really know all the details on this incident. What I would like to know is if this will effect his season? Will Marshawn Lynch be playing football this season or will he be punished by Commissioner Goodell? Only time will tell. I think if you’re gonna suspend players for violating substance policies, then hitting someone with your car should be ranked right up there with a suspend- able offense.

Continue reading "NFL: Lynch, Pac-Man, & Rookie Contracts"