Football

On Monday, the Broncos will practice for the first time as a team since capping a stellar regular season with an epic postseason collapse, thanks to a 70-yard touchdown pass that allowed the Ravens to force overtime. The throw from Joe Flacco landed in the hands of Jacoby Jones because Denver safety Rahim Moore jumped…

via www.gannett-cdn.com In honor of the Jets starting OTA's tomorrow, I thought I'd wrap up everything that's gone down since off-season workouts began. QUARTERBACK Mark Sanchez: After New York signed David Garrard, and used a second round draft pick on Geno Smith, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Sanchez. Previously, reports surfaced that the Jets might be content to cut Sanchez before the season, and let Smith and Garrard battle it out. Fortunately for Sanchez, David Garrard has left the Jets, and will be forced to retire after a recent flare up involving his knee. Mark Sanchez went from potentially not making the Jets 52-man roster, to effectively sealing his place on the team. Sanchez will still have to prove that he is better than Geno Smith in order to be the Jets Week one starter, but that’s a lot closer than he seemed to the job just a few weeks ago. Geno Smith: So far, the Jets seem to like what they have in Geno Smith. After watching him practice for just three days during Rookie camps, Rex Ryan has already praised Smith’s arm strength and feel for the offense. Geno took a lot of heat for the way he acted during his slide in the draft, and many wondered if he could handle the spotlight of playing in New York. After Smith fired the agent who represented him through the draft, those criticisms grew louder. It now seems that Smith is considering signing with Roc Nation Sports, the sports agency owned by Jay-Z. High profile New York athletes like Victor Cruz and Robinson Cano have already signed with the agency, so Geno’s interest in them should only be seen as a positive. Jay-Z is one of the Big Apple’s brightest stars, and to attach oneself to Jay-Z, means to attach oneself to New York. After a rocky start, Geno Smith appears ready to take on the spotlight. RUNNING BACK Chris Ivory: After suffering through two seasons of the plodding Shonn Greene, Jets fans rejoiced when New York traded a fourth round pick to New Orleans for Chris Ivory. It seems that Jets fans aren’t the only ones excited by Ivory’s potential. Recently, CBS Sports Insider Jason La Confora mentioned Ivory as a breakout player to watch in 2013. Ivory hasn’t been handed the No. 1 running back job, but he is used to competition. In New Orleans, Ivory had to fend off the likes of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram to get carries. The Jets are far less loaded at running back, and Ivory likes his chances to contribute. "I think it does give me a better opportunity," Ivory said. "It was just a tough situation over there. We all had our roles. It's just tough to fit four backs in a system." Joe McKnight: During the 2012 offseason, Joe McKnight was given a chance to win the Jets staring running back job. He took that opportunity about as seriously as his first NFL training camp, where he infamously showed up so out of shape, that he was reduced to vomiting during workouts. McKnight had a reduced role during the 2012 season, and now it appears as if he’s a candidate to get cut.Even though McKnight has failed to improve as a player over three NFL seasons, he wants everyone to know that he plans on remaining a Jet. "I don't care who they bring in. They're gonna have to kill me to take my spot," McKnight said after a recent team workout. Mike Goodson: When the Jets signed Mike Goodson on March 15, to a three year, $7 million contract, they hoped he could be a big contributor in 2013. However, after a recent arrest involving marijuana possession, Goodson might not even be a free man this season. Even if he avoids jail time, the Jets would be wise to sever ties with the troubled back. What a shame, this guy could have been at least, the Jets third down back this season. WIDE RECEIVER Marcus Davis/Antavious Wilson: Marcus Davis was claimed off waivers by the Jets on May 14th. Davis played his college ball at Virgina Te

They outlined the whole division but here are the Eagles. Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback Anyone who watched an Eagles game for more than five minutes last year realized that the secondary is in need of an overhaul. The names on the jerseys might have been familiar, but guys like Nnamdi Asomughaand Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played more like fans who had been pulled out of the stands to suit up at halftime. Philadelphia's pass-defense DVOA of 24.1 percent was the worst in the league, and three of the four starting defensive backs were among the league leaders in broken tackles. That's the kind of performance that tends to get people fired, and now, in addition to a brand-new coaching staff, the Eagles have a completely revamped secondary. The problem is that, at least on paper, the team did a much better job of finding replacements at safety than at cornerback. Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung are both young, productive players with good draft pedigrees. There are reasons why these two players were available in free agency: both are injury risks, and Chung was benched in New England because Bill Belichick felt Chung freelanced too often. Still, the talent makes both players very worthwhile gambles. The free-agent additions at cornerback have less upside. Bradley Fletcher finished out the year as St. Louis' fourth corner thanks to his penchant for drawing flags. He might be a more natural slot defender, but Brandon Boykin is entrenched as the Eagles' nickelback, so Fletcher will play on the outside. Cary Williams started for the Super Bowl champion Ravens, but he gave up a ton of completions by playing soft on any kind of comeback route. The one thing Williams does exceptionally well, though, is tackle -- he missed a grand total of three tackles in the past two years. And, as noted before, that's a talent that was sorely missing from the Eagles' secondary. Article written by Sean McCormick I don't know about you guys but this sounds horrible. So I did some extra research. Cary Williams: In the last 2 years: 17 PD this last year, 4 Picks, and a TD. 2011 - 18 PD and no picks. The NFL leader in PD the last two years finished with 24(last year) and 23(the year before). Clearly Sean is exaggerating that Cary is soft on ANY ROUTE. Fletcher: Is a great athlete. 4.44 40 yd dash. 40 inch vertical. In his last 20 games, Fletcher has surrendered only two touchdowns in coverage. He has the speed, size and strength to stick with almost any receiver. (Bleacher Report Brad Gagnon) He's also an above-average run defender who has missed just six tackles in his four-year career. And he's versatile enough to get to the quarterback when asked, as the Eagles found out in Week 1 last year, when Fletcher sacked Michael Vick. (BR...Brad) Fletcher does get too touchy feely. He has 16 flags in 36 games since 2010. He is big enough, physical enough and fast enough to stick with any WR in the league. His biggest issue is he's too physical. IMO he can fix that by learning to A) be sneaky about it B) learn to not do it as much or at all. So we have two physical guys who can cover well (not great) and are elite tacklers. Neither are on any list for top/worst 10 at completion %, YAC allowed or YAC per attempt in 2011 or 2012. We were the worst last year in the CB department. I think we made huge improvements over the last year. I left out Hughes, Marsh, Boykin and Poyer because they are either slot or non starters in the league so far. Could they win the battle in camp? Could, but IMO not too likely. They outlined the whole division but here are the Eagles. Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback Anyone who watched an Eagles game for more than five minutes last year realized that the secondary is in need of an overhaul. The names on the jerseys might have been familiar, but guys like Nnamdi Asomughaand Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie played more like fans who had been pulled o

In news that will no doubt please NFL fans eager for the regular season to just get here already, the vast majority of teams will be holding on-field workouts this week. The 29 teams slated to conduct organized team practice activities (OTAs) are the Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins,…

Twitter Without self-discipline...success is impossible, period. #BeGreat— Roman Harper (@Harp41) May 19, 2013 "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tsu#SpreadLove— Jedidiah Collins (@JedCollins45) May 19, 2013 Good morning world and all who inhabit it #spongebob— Joseph Morgan(@jmthegreat) May 19, 2013 Thanks to Eric Lindell & Sunliners for putting on a great show last night and helping us raise funds for great causes twitter.com/drewbrees/stat…— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) May 19, 2013 Happy Sunday all!— Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) May 19, 2013 Woke up feeling extremely thankful today! Especially for her ------> @kaseytrione— Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) May 19, 2013 Happy bday s/o to the homie @justjroc— Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) May 19, 2013 About to grab my new book add it to my collection... @robertgreene #Food4thought twitter.com/jenkinsjohn6/s…— John Jenkins (@jenkinsjohn6) May 19, 2013 Is it football season yet?— Reid G. (@ReidG75) May 19, 2013 Anchorman 2 Trailer: youtu.be/mZ-JX-7B3uM— Alex Restrepo (@Repo) May 19, 2013 PersonalResponsibilityInDeliveringExcellence#GottaHaveIt— Roman Harper (@Harp41) May 19, 2013 Hurt ppl that love us, love ppl that hurt us - Kendrick— Andrew Tiller (@BigTill66) May 19, 2013 Just set up shop for what should be a slow day of arrivals at NFL meetings. Never envisioned Eastie as the venue for one of these.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 19, 2013 Happy 25th birthday to @saragg14 have a good one!— Corey White (@CoreyWhiteJr3) May 19, 2013 Playoffs. "@csctweet: What is the one barometer of success for the 2013 Saints in the coming season? sbn.to/10cqLiC"— Held Over (@hakimdropsball) May 19, 2013 Last day of tour. Heading to my fav city in the country. Who Dat?— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) May 19, 2013 #WhoDatNation All Friends And Family Members Follow Me On #INSTAGRAM @sackman93 #WhoDat #NuLa #BODYBAG— NuLa C.E.O. (@JuniorG93) May 19, 2013 "@jasonlisk: Fans Are Buying All of Robert Griffin III’s Wedding Registry Gifts, and He Has a Picture to Prove It thebiglead.com/index.php/2013…"— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) May 19, 2013 Enjoyed speaking this morning at Lynch St. CME Church for there Methodist Men Breakfast program. #It takes a Village.— deuce mcallister (@dmcallister26) May 19, 2013 .@dfhammill Happy Birthday hope its an awesome one.— Roman Harper (@Harp41) May 19, 2013 Congrats @allisondlp on graduation!!!All that hard work paying off! Proud of you. twitter.com/BriandelaPuent…— Brian de la Puente (@BriandelaPuente) May 19, 2013 I actually like the Pelicans as a mascot.Gnarly, Predator, Mysterious, Survivor. But, I would have preferred the 'Cockroaches'!-SG— steve gleason (@team_gleason) May 19, 2013 Huge thanks again @realcarrottop for coming w us to @curtmenefee bachelor party. Think Curt woke up w a face tattoo twitter.com/JayGlazer/stat…— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) May 19, 2013 ________________ Saints Stuff On Saints offensive line, no tackle left behind | The Advocate Ted Lewis - Protecting Drew Brees’ $47.8 million blind side might be the most important job in Louisiana this fall. (HansDat note: This figure includes endorsement $$$. Benson is NOT paying him that much money all by himself.) Bold 2013 Predictions | thesaintsnation.comAndrew Doyle - I'm going to be discussing several bold predictions I have for the 2013 New Orleans Saints. NFC South Editors Name Top 13 Players in Division | Who Dat DishChris Roling - Leo Howell from The Pewter Plank, Fansided’s Buccaneers blog, and Ken Dye from Cat Crave, Fansided’s Panthers blog, helped us out with the Top 13 players. ________________ Lagniappe Patriots free camp brings smiles, Gronk to Newtown | NFL.comHansDat note: I don't want to make too

Are the Buccaneers replacing Josh Freeman already, or is something else going on? Panic! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a quarterback in the third round! What are they thinking? They have Josh Freeman, their franchise quarterback! And Mike Glennon isn't even all that good. He has accuracy issues. He has issues reading coverage. He has issues throwing under pressure. This is ridiculous, right? There's something to be said for that view. But this selection also teaches us something about how the Buccaneers view the quarterback position, because Glennon has a few traits that make him an intriguing prospect. Glennon has a good arm and he can make every throw on the field. He doesn't have a true cannon like Joe Flacco or Cam Newton, but it's not far off. He shows the ability to stand in the pocket, take a hit and still deliver the football. At times he moves in the pocket to evade pressure. He played behind a bad offensive line at North Carolina State, which certainly didn't help. But there are two things that are impossible to ignore, and they just stand out on tape. They are poor decision making and erratic accuracy. Glennon can make the prettiest throws and hit players on a dime -- but he'll follow those throws by just missing players high or behind. Those are issues you can't ignore. The fact that the Buccaneers took him in the third round tells me they think there's a chance they can fix those issues. And if they can, Glennon has the talent to be a very goof NFL quarterback. But what does this mean for the Buccaneers now, and in the long term? Josh Freeman drove this pick So why would the Buccaneers pick a quarterback in the third round this season? The reason is quite simple: they don't know what the future will bring with Josh Freeman. The 2009 first-round pick has shown extended brilliance at times, most notably during a mid-game stretch last season, when he threw for 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions over six-game span, capped off by one of the most amazing comebacks I've ever seen from a Tampa Bay team when they traveled to Carolina. But Freeman has shown some erratic traits as well, and those traits have to concern the Buccaneers. He showed some scattershot accuracy throughout the season and really throughout his career, completing just 55% of his passes last year. Yes, a large part of that is the offensive design -- but there's no denying that Freeman simply missed too many throws. Similarly, he seems to struggle recognizing coverages at times and makes a few too many ill-advised throws. Those are simple, undeniable facts -- and if we can recognize that, the Buccaneers can recognize it, too. The question is: can Freeman fix those problems? I don't know the answer to that question. The Buccaneers don't know the answer to that question. Not even Josh Freeman himself knows the answer to that question. That's why Freeman is now entering the final year of his contract with no talks of an extension. It is also why the Buccaneers took Mike Glennon in the third round today. Glennon is not competition, but insurance That's not to say that Josh Freeman has to fear for his job right now. That's patently ludicrous. When you watch the tape on Glennon (and I suggest you do -- use Draft Breakdown for an excellent collection) you will see a quarterback who is quite simply worse than Freeman in every aspect of his game. Glennon has traits that make you think he can become a good NFL quarterback down the line, but right now he is a less well-developed Josh Freeman with more question marks. He's not beating out Freeman, and I wouldn't even expect a legitimate training camp competition. Greg Schiano heavily recruited Mike Glennon out of high school, which may help explain this pick. That, at least, what Glennon told the media after the pick, and Schiano confirmed it in his post-draft conference. That may point to Schiano being heavily involved here, but you can't really look at Josh Freeman's flaws and then decide tha

I don't see the big concern with Coach Schiano saying Glennon has a shot at winning the starting QB position. Our current starter is NOT the leader of the team. He's the starter at his position. That's it. Looking at the roster the previous two years, there was no competition for him whatsoever. And he still hasn't taken the title as the leader of the team though he's at the head of the offense. As the starting QB, Freeman had one good season and was anointed the "Franchise QB" title and the coaching staff put the responsibility/weight/burden of carrying the team on his shoulders and it proved too much. Coach Schiano has seen him up close and personal for a full season and apparently hasn't been won over. The previous coach was given 3 years to prove himself with a less talented roster. There's no way any coach wouldn't explore every option to win when he realistically looks at how short of a window he has to become successful. At let's be completely honest here...Freeman isn't playing this year for a bigger contract; he's playing for an opportunity to stay employed in Tampa. That's important to recognize. He's a few bad games away from being that guy that just "flashed" top level talent.Freeman, in my honest opinion,has the first 7 games of the season to make a big impact on Schiano and the League. And they don't all have to result in Wins, but he has to put on the performances of his career to earn the right to continue playing as the starter for the BUCS. I can't see Coach Schiano taking the risk of having his 2nd year as Head Coach being marred by a QB that should be winning, but isn't. I think he'd take the chance on his guy instead and that would at least give him the leeway of the GM and owners by Glennon's being a rookie as opposed to Freeman, who would be looked at as a struggling vet. The Buccaneers have to win this season. Period. There has to be a Playoff push. For Freeman, just getting to Playoffs may not even be enough(again..this is my opinion). The Freeman-led BUCs may need to get past the Wild Card to keep him in the big contract talks. If he's expected to be paid like a "Franchise QB", the level at which he ends this season has to be indicative of where the Franchise can be expected to be each year. If Glennon finds his way on the field this season, he doesn't have to prove himself as "elite" or a "Franchise QB". He just has to be a game manager that doesn't literally throw away games and keep himself composed. He's a rookie. He's expected to make rookie mistakes. But he won't be allowed to be horrible or incompetent. The BUCS fans won't allow it. They'll be calling for the drafting a much more highly touted QB next year if Glennon fails to remain poised as a rookie if/when he gets the opportunity to play this season. I've no clue what rookie QB, Mike Glennon, is capable of during this football season. Funny/Sad thing is: I've no clue what Freeman, the current starter, is capable of this upcoming season.

June 19, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson (13) looks for a pass during the Bills minicamp at the Ralph Wilson Stadium practice field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports The time has come where I believe the Buffalo Bills finally addressed there problems at the receiver position. This team has needed someone for some time to complement Stevie Johnson and they’ve looked like they got there guy in Robert Woods. Not only did they get Woods but also the likes of Marquise Goodwin in this past draft. Also don’t forget to add in TJ Graham as he is basically in the same boat. My question is Stevie Johnson a leader? Stevie came into this league when he was drafted by the Bills in the seventh round (224 overall) in 2008. In his first two seasons Johnson was basically invisible. Not really contributing on the field and many thought what to really expect from a seventh rounder. Some pan out and some leave you wondering should we have gone in a different direction. That all changed when the Bills entered the 2010 season. Stevie got his shot and took full advantage of it. Let’s just say that invisibility was gone and he began to produce. He finished the season with 16gp, 82 reception, 1,073yards and 10 TD’s. Not bad from not really showing that much promise. He showed he could produce and certainly backed it up with another two straight seasons gaining over 1,000 yards receiving and 76+ catches and another 13 TD’s. These stats are all good but what about him working with the newcomers? Stevie sure has had some problems since coming into the league. He likes to take to twitter and there is where it starts. A couple of tweets that have caused people to talk and question: after dropping a game winning ball in overtime against Pittsburgh in 2010 he tweets “I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!!! THX THO”. This had people questioning as to why he blamed god for not catching the ball. Why would he do this and was it really necessary? The next tweet I want talk about is pretty recent and had many going back to it. Per Johnson: “War is nothing to be played with. I apologize North Korea…….. but if y’all do bomb 1st… Bomb Foxboro, Mass. Sincerely, #BillsMafia. When that surfaced people wondered why he would do something like that. With everything that goes on in the world and say something along those lines had some people upset. Then the tragedy earlier this year just took his words to a new level. The bombings in Boston the day of the marathon had the nation watching on as to what happened. Soon to realize mass injuries and death spread sadness throughout. I remember hearing about his tweet right after this occurred and thought what a tuff bunch of words to swallow there. Some other antics Stevie has been involved with were on field issues. Not only had that included conduct by the league, but by his own organization as well. Playing the Jets in 2011 and scoring a TD and then doing things to cost his team 15 yard penalty. After scoring he pretended to shoot himself in the leg copying what Plaxico Burress did to himself and resulting in jail time. Another thing he did was a little more controversial as he held out his arms and pretended to fly and then drop to the ground. Some people thought it was to imitate what happened to NYC but when I hear that I said how ridiculous. Jets do that when they score and he was just having some fun. In no way should that have ever been connected. He was fined $10,000 by the league. Another instance was when Johnson scored a TD against the Patriots in 2012 and lifts his jersey to have an undershirt saying Happy New Year. When that happened he was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and in turn benched by the head coach. Although it wasn’t anything offensive it hurt his team on the field and that’s why the coaching staff wasn’t happy. That being said I don’t think

Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel said Sunday in a radio interview from the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles that he is quickly picking up the team's offense, which he said is less complex than the system he used at Florida State.

Cleveland Browns QB Brandon Weeden indicated that he and WR Josh Gordon are jelling nicely at organized team activities (OTAs). 'I have so much confidence in him. I'm not afraid to throw at any corner with him,' Weeden said. 'He's that good.' Huddle Up: Gordon, a 2nd-round supplemental draft pick last summer, may still be flying under the radar even after finishing third among rookie wideouts in receptions (50), third in receiving yards (805) and tied for second in TD grabs (5) in 2012. With Gordon and Weeden now having a season under their belts, they figure to produce even bigger numbers this season.