NFC North Tight End rankings

These ranking are getting harder and harder, things are now turning into how teams use the players within their system. For example, the Packers use a tight end more than any other team in the division; I would hope so since they have five on their roster.  The Bears very seldom use a tight end, in their offense; they are more often use as an extra blocker than anything else.

Can Scheffler and Pettigrew take advantage of the middle of the field

      1.)    Detroit Lions-  This was not an easy decision for me to rank them as number one, but what put them over the top is the fact that they have two guys that can demand teams cover them. Those two being Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew.  Both guys take space up in the middle of the field.  Teams must respect both of them this provides Calvin Johnson more little freedom to move around on the outside.  The Lions other tight end on the other hand is really no threat at all, at 6-6 275 Will Heller is a glorified tackle.   

Can the Packers find another receiving option  besides Finley

      2.)    Green Bay Packers- When looking at their roster it kind of mind boggling as to why they would have kept five tight ends.  Even harder to believe, when looking at the fact that they are all within three inches of each other and within nine pounds.  On paper they look like they would be very identical players, but this is really not the case. Jermicheal Finley, who is the best receiving tight end on the roster.  Finley makes plays all over the middle of the field, he is the only real threat at the position as a receiver.  The next two are Tom Crabtree and Andrew Quarless both of whom are more of the traditional tight end.  They are both solid blockers. The last two are both rookies in D.J. Williams and Ryan Taylor, not sure what roles these two will play this season.  I don’t see them getting much time, unless someone get hurts.

Shiancoe needs to step up to help out in the passing game?

      3.)    Minnesota Vikings- The Vikings has a very good tight end in Visanthe Shiancoe.  He is a much better receiver than a blocker.  Luckily for Shiancoe, Jimmy Kleinsasser is a much better blocker then receiver.  These two really balance each other out, each is strong where the other is weak.  The Vikings also drafted Kyle Rudolph and Allen Reisner in April.  Rudolph should be a very good tight end in a few years, not sure how he will play this year coming off of his hamstring detachment last year.  Nonetheless, he is a very good receiver, but needs to work on his blocking.  Reisner is much like Kleinsasser he excels in blocking, but lacks some receiver skills.  Although, Reisner is a better receiver then Kleinsasser.   It looks like the Vikings might be looking to move on from Shiancoe and Kleinsasser, they already drafted two guys that will most likely replace them.  This year look for Shiancoe and Rudolph to pick up the slack from the receiving corp.

      4.)    Chicago Bears-  They are here by default because they only have one guy, Kellen Davis, that is really going to be a consistent threat  However, their offense doesn’t really involve the tight end all that much.  That is the reason they were able to part with Greg Olsen in the offseason, the basically gave him away. Davis is very unproven, coming into this year, he caught a total of ten balls, but he did have two very good tight ends in front of him.  Davis has a lot of upsides as a receiver and a blocker.  He is a big target at 6-7, 267 lbs.  He might turn out be the best overall tight end in the division, but we haven’t seen enough of him yet to make that claim. Matt Spaeth is the number two guy and he really only has one job, block.  He will leak out and catch some passes but it will be very little.   The last guy on the depth chart is Kyle Adams who is going to fill the H-back/FB/TE role for the Bears.  He is going to do a little bit of everything. 

This brings offense to a close.  I plan on doing defense ranks also, but have yet to decide exactly how I will do them.  Since every team plays a different system it hard to claim who has better corners or safeties, because they are all asked to do different things with in the system.  For example, the Packers use Charles Woodson in many different roles.  Woodson has played corner, safety, nickel back, and linebacker all in one game.  So trying to compare his stats to Charles Tillman of the Bears is hard because Tillman plays corner and that is it.

I would like to thank those of you who have taken the time to read any of these.  Also, I would encourage you to comment on them.  I like to hear what people have to say, even if you don’t agree with what I have to say.  It gives me something else to look for when watching games other then the game itself.

Finally, after reading I am sure one can tell that I am a Bears fan, that why there section tends to be longer because I know much more about them then I do any other team since I follow them more closely.  However, I am also a fan of the game, so I can respect people’s opinion, as long as it can be backed up.  It bothers me when people form opinions based off of what other people say, but don’t know facts or can’t back it up with anything.  I know everyone does it, I do it too, but I also try to bring something to help my case.  I don’t just hear something once and run with it, I don’t think that it is always a good idea.  So please, if you can give me some feedback.

Thanks,

John

NFC North WR rankings

Wide receivers are next on my list and one of the harder spots to rank thus far.  A true number one receiver is hard to find, there are only a handful in the league.  I believe there is only one true number one in the NFC North and that man resides in Detroit, Calvin Johnson.  He is the only receiver in the division that I believe can truly take over a game and dominate it.  Greg Jennings is knocking on the door, but he is not quite there yet and I don’t think he will ever be.  That’s not a knock on Jennings at all but there are just so few guys that can really be called a number one receiver.

  These ranking are going to be based off of the current depth charts of each team.

Greg Jennings is the best WR in the deep group in the NFL.

      1.)    Green Bay Packers- Are the deepest team in the NFL when it comes to receivers.  They have a star in Jennings, but after him any one of them could be number two.  This is a great thing for the Packers, because no matter who they put opposite of Jennings, there is no drop off.  Now each guy brings something different to the table but they are very similar receivers for the most part.  After Jennings, the Packers have Donald Driver, who is about to become the all time leading Packer in receiving yards. Then Jordy Nelson, James Jones and rookie Randall Cobb.  Cobb has shown everyone what he can do on opening night, he returned a kickoff 108 for a touchdown and caught a 32-yard touchdown pass.

Can anyone step up and help Johnson?

      2.)    Detroit Lions- Really the only reason they are number two on this list is because of Johnson, who is a top three receiver in the NFL.  After him there is a major drop off, the next best guy is Nate Burleson.  He put up decent numbers last year but playing on the opposite side of Johnson, his numbers should be much better since teams focus on Johnson.  The rest of the receiving core contains Maurice Stovall, rookie Titus Young, Rashied Davis and Stefan Logan who is really just a return guy.  Lions will lean heavily on Johnson and Burleson and hope that Young can fill the slot at some point this year.

Can Hester turn into a WR?

     3.)    Chicago Bears- I know, the Bears have one of the worst receiving corps in the league, blah blah blah.  I do not think it is bad as everyone makes it out to be, it’s more of a high risk high reward corps in the league. The Bears have Roy Williams, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Dane Sanzenbacher, and Sam Hurd who should play a bigger role on special teams than the offense.  Williams is the Bear’s best receiver at this point, which is really isn’t saying much but most people believe Williams dropped a lot of balls last year.  This is really not the case, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN Chicago and ESPN 1000 points out, Williams did not even lead his team in drops last year Miles Austin did.  Williams caught 57.8% of the balls that were thrown at him last year. Which is not a great number but looking at others in the division Jennings was not much better at 61.8%,and Johnson was lower at 56.2%. Is Williams a great receiver no, but he brings a new element to the offense and that is his size.  The one thing the Bears have is speed at receiver, but the lack a big body and  that is what Williams brings to the table. Hester is a work in progress one thing many people forget about him is that he is not a true receiver. He is well behind the Learning curve because of the fact he never settled on a position in college.  Most receivers have been playing receiver since at least college, but Hester is only in his fifth year playing wide receiver.  He is getting better each year, and could have a break out year this year. Knox busted onto the scene last year and put up great numbers, but he also cost the Bears a lot too.  Knox led the league in targets that resulted in interceptions, due to him running poor or the wrong route. Knox needs to play more disciplined then he did last year. Bennett and Sanzenbacher will both play the same role, possession receivers.

Harvin is the lone bright spot 

      4.)    Minnesota Viking- the Vikings have Percy Harvin and than a mix of castoffs.  After Harvin there is nothing there is no guy the clearly stand out. Their next best receiver is Michael Jenkins who had really done a lot down in Atlanta playing with Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.  Next would be Bernard Berrian, who is a deep threat and that is really about it.  The next guy is Devin Aromashodu who is a bigger body, but lacks effort at times.  He was in the doghouse last year in Chicago, for not wanting to block.  The last receiver is Greg Camarillio, who is a possession receiver.  The Vikings are going to be feast or famine this year, if Harvin doesn’t have a good year I don’t see anyone else in this group taking over.  I would expect Harvin to see a lot of double teams and teams rolling coverage to his side.  Hopefully Harvin can stay healthy otherwise the Vikings will be in for a long year in the passing game.  When in doubt just give the ball to Adrian Peterson.

NFC North-O-line rankings

Hard to believe that in this day and age there are not offensive line statistics, other than sacks given up as a team and rushing yards.  However, on the other hand it is easy to believe because it is hard for someone that does not know the blocking assignments to assign blame to a player.  Now teams have stats on their offensive lineman, mainly they are graded after each game.  Also, it is not always the offensive lines fault, as the quarterback calls out the protection, before each snap.  The QB sets the Mike (Middle linebacker) for the offensive line to block off of; usually it will be the backer that the QB thinks is blitzing.  The Reason for this is because Mikes tend to be bigger linebackers and the offensive would rather have linemen block a bigger guy then have a running back block him.

These rankings are based on stats such as sacks and rushing yards, from last year. 

Can Jeff Backus still play at a high level?

1.)    Detroit Lions- Jim Schwartz knows how to turn a losing team into a winning team.  In football everything starts and ends in the trenches, Schwartz understands this.  He beefed up the line last year by adding Rob Sims from the Seahawks.  The Loins return all their starters from last year left-to-right Jeff Backus, Sims, Dominic Raiola, Stephen Peterman and Gosder Cherilus.  The Lions gave up the six fewest sacks last year and averaged a very respectable 4.0 yards per carry last year.  The only problem with this team is keeping skill position players healthy.  Last year, the Lions, were down to their third string quarterback, as Matt Stafford was lost twice last year, he only played in 3 games.   Backup Shaun Hill suffered a fracture to his left forearm. The Loins also lost starting running back Jahivd Best to a turf toe injury, he played most of the year but it was obvious that his production suffered due to the toe injury.  None of these injuries were the result of the play of the offensive line, but the numbers could have been much better if they were able to keep these guys healthy.   The Lions offensive line is an older line with an average age of 29.4, but the oldest are in two of the most important spots center and left tackle. With Raiola being 32 and Backus being 33, there is a chance for their play to decline.  The question here is:  Can Raiola and Backus still play at a high level?

Can Hutchinson return to form after the injury?

2.)    Minnesota Vikings- Year after year the Vikings put together one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.  The Vikings will have a different look this year on the offensive line as they cut left tackle Bryant McKinnie, after he failed his physical upon his return to camp.  McKinnie’s weight was reportedly around 400 pounds.  I am not sure how much of a loss this is for the Vikings as McKinnie play had fallen off greatly last year.   The Vikings have tabbed Charlie Johnson to replace McKinnie.  Johnson has played his previous five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was a swing tackle and even played a whole season at left guard. The Vikings, Anthony Herrera at right guard is slotted to replace Ryan Cook.  The Vikings offensive line looks the similar to last year with two new faces left-to-right Johnson, Steve Hutchinson, John Sullivan, Herrera and Phil Loadholt.   The Vikings have some new faces on their offensive line, but I believe they will be even better than last year. McKinne’s skills were diminishing quickly, along with his ability to move.  Johnson’s skill level is not as high as McKinne’s once was, but Johnson is a good player.  The question here is:  Can the Vikings improve without McKinne and Cook in the lineup?

Packers hoping Bulaga will continue to improve

3.)    Green Bay Packers- The Packers have been playing musical chairs the past few years on their offensive line. This year there is yet another change, Left Guard will be new but it is a familiar face T.J. Lang. Lang didn’t start any games last year but he played in 12.  Shockingly even with all the movement up front the Packers have still had a pretty good offensive line throughout the years.  This year the Packers will lineup (Left-to-Right) Chad Clifton, Lang, Scott Well, Josh Sitton and Bryan Bulaga. The Packers were in the bottom of the NFL in sacks given up last year with 38.  They should be better this year, as this unit played most of last year together with the exception of Lang.  Clifton is the key to the line; if he goes down they could be in some trouble.  Bulaga is a very promising Right Tackle and played very well last year as a rookie.  

Bears are hoping Carimi can play at the level he did in college

4.)    Chicago Bears- The Bears revamped their offensive line since last year, only Chris Williams is in the same position. However, only Olin Kreutz is gone, which personally I think is a good thing.  Olin was a great player, but he has lost his ability to pay at a high level.  He is still a good player, but he is not someone that is going to be able to move the pile, or the line of scrimmage.  I did not like how the Bears treated Olin, only giving him an hour to decide what he wanted to do.  Olin is a proud person and a family man.  He asked for more time to discuss it with his family, the Bears were not willing to give him any more time.  So Olin choose to walk, which I believe was the best thing for both sides.   This year the Bears will line up left-to-right: J’Marcus Webb, Williams, Roberto Garza, Lance Louis and rookie Gabe Carimi. Webb played in 14 games last year, also started 12 at right tackle for the Bears.  Webb has shown flashes of being a very good offensive lineman, but he has also struggled at times.  With Webb it usually is more of a lack of effort or bad technique that leads him to get beat.  If he can be more consistent with both of those, I believe he has a chance to be a good player for a long time.  Williams was a bust at left tackle, he has moved inside to left guard.  Williams started out last year at left tackle, but after pulling his hamstring, which lead to him missing time he was moved inside.   Last year, was not a good year for Williams as he got beat early and often.  This is going to happen to someone who is playing a position they have never played before.  Williams thus far looks more comfortable this year than last, one just has to hope that he can play better than he did a year ago. Garza is also playing a different position then he did last year.  Garza is lining up at center this year rather than his normal spot, right guard.  This is a good decision early on, as the Bears run a very complex offense and the center is the most important position on the field.  So going with someone who knows the calls and has experience playing in the offense.  This year more than any other because of the lack of the off-season due to the lockout.  The Bears did sign Chris Spencer to replace Olin, but I believe the Bears are going to wait till later in the season to work Spencer in to the starting lineup.  However, he will be the first one in the game if someone gets hurt or if the line begins to falter.  Louis to me is a mystery because I have seen very little of him.  He was supposed to be a starter last year, but he got banged up early and lost the job.  However, he did start four games last year.  Carimi is a rookie right tackle and he looks like he might be a good one.  Carimi won just about every award that an offensive lineman can win in college.  He looked good all preseason, struggled early in his first real game.  But once he settled down he did turned in a high-quality performance.   The Bears revamped line should be better than last year line.  This year’s version is much bigger and is more athletic then they were a year ago.  There will be many growing pains with this line however as they are very young, but they have a much better upside.  They will struggle early but I think they will settle down later in the season and turn in some very good performances by years end.

NFC North Running Back Rankings...

Sorry for the delay, my summer class has consumed my life this past week.

Running backs in the NFL are a dime a dozen, because there are so many factors that come into play for a productive running back.  The system in which a running back plays in plays a major role to their successes as a player.  For example, the Denver Broncos, under Mike Shanahan, used a zone-blocking scheme.  This blocking scheme is as simple as it sounds each man has a zone to block instead of a man.   During this time Shanahan was using late round draft pick and undrafted free agents but no matter who was plugged in at running back they were gain at least 1,000 every season.  The reason for this was that Shanahan knew the type of back he was looking for which was a patient/slasher type running back.  Guys who fit this type are Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Jamaal Charles and two Hall of Fame backs Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.  A great an example of a running back coming out of nowhere was Adrian Foster, who was an undrafted free agent.  Last year, Foster led the NFL in rushing with 1,616 yards; he fits the system in which Houston runs.  For a running back to be good, they just need to play within the system.  Not looking to completely devalue running backs, but the exceptional ones are rare. 

The two running back system is becoming a commonplace in the modern day NFL.  This is a good thing for the players because it prolongs their careers, as there is less ware and tear on their bodies.  Teams tend to look for two different types of backs, a slasher and a downhill runner.  Downhill guys are more short yardage as they are looking to run someone over rather then make them miss like a slasher.  The reason teams look for two different guys is because it ‘changes the pace of the game’; in the sense this is true.  The slasher is looking to hit a home run every time he touched the ball, but the downhill guy is looking to get a few yards and inflect pain on the defense.

These rankings are going to be based off the two back system, since every team in the NFC North uses a two back system.  Please keep in mind that these are as of the day posted so if the team cuts a guy or signs a guy it will not be reflected in the rankings.  Even thought this late in free agency there are not many guys left that will change the rankings. 

Peterson might be the only bright spot for the Vikings this year

     1.)    Minnesota Vikings- This was another easy one; Adrian Peterson is a top five running back. In his four years in the NFL Peterson has averaged 4.8 yards a carry, 13 touchdowns a year, and 1445.5 yards a season.  He set a career low for rushing yards last year with 1,298 yards, he also missed one game.  The Vikings also have a promising back in Toby Gerhart.  He only had 81 carries last year but he averaged 4 yards a carry.  The biggest question mark here is can the aging offensive line continue to open up holes for these backs.  Another question to throw around is does McNabb still have the ability to throw the deep ball to make teams respect his passing or will there be eight guys in the box most of the year?

Can Forte improve on last season?

   

       2.)    Chicago Bears- The Bears have a top ten running back in Matt Forte.  He had a great rebound last year after being unhealthy most of the 2009 season.  He was fifthteenth in the league with 1,069 yards. That is a very respectable number since he was running behind what can be consider the worst offensive line in the NFL.  Forte was also only the second Bear in franchise history to have at least 1,000 rushing and 500 receiving, the other was Walter Payton.  The Bears backups are . Now I am going to talk about both guys because I am unsure whether they will both be on the opening day roster or not.  I cannot see the Bears keeping two running backs who do not play special teams.  Taylor was with the Bears last year and was a major disappointment; only gaining 267 yards on 112 carries for an average of 2.4 yards.  Taylor was the third down/ short yardage back, he failed miserably at that last year but not all of it falls on him.  The Bears offensive line was terrible, in all types of short yardage situations last year.   Barber played for the Cowboys last year as their short yardage back.  He faired a little better then Taylor but not much better, Barber set career lows in every offensive category.  The Bears running backs are loaded with talent only question is can they live up to their potential?

Can Grant return to form?

      3.)    Green Bay Packers - Hard team to judge because their starter, Ryan Grant, was hurt in the first game last year.  Grant has had three productive years, but it is hard to tell how he will come back from his ankle injury.  If he can return to form, the Packers will have a lethal running game to join their lethal passing.  The passing game will really help the running game, as teams will try to stop the passing game, which will leave a ton of room for the running backs.  James Starks should be the backup running back this year came on strong late last year after he returned from an injury.  His coming out party was the Packers first playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles in which he gained 123 on 23 carries for an average of 5.3.  Starks has a load of talent, but his biggest issue will be his health, he missed his senior year at Buffalo because of a shoulder injury and did not play until week 13 last year because of another injury.  The Packers are also one of the few teams that will run the ball with their fullback, John Kuhn.  Kuhn is their short yardage back and is very productive in that role.  The questions here are; how does Grant come back from the ankle injury and can Starks play the whole year?

Can Best stay healthy?

     


     4.)    *Detroit Lions- The theme with this team so far has been health.  Jahivd Best is their starting running back and as a rookie last year, he had his coming out party in week two against the Philadelphia Eagles.  During this game he had 78 rushing yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns had 154 yards receiving and a touchdown.  Best got hurt in the following week and was not the same the rest of the year.  As the turf toe injury lingered all season.  If Best can stay healthy all season, he could have a big year.  The Lions drafted Mikel Leshoure in the second round of the 2011 draft; he will fill the third down/short yardage back role. These backs complement each other very well, Best is the fast/nimble/slasher and Leshoure is the downhill/run-you-over back. This could be a great tandem for years to come.  Look for the Lions to run the ball a ton this year.  Question here is can Best stay healthy all year?   




*Will update in due time once they figure out who the new back up is with Leshoure out for the year.  I know they signed Mike Bell (former Broncos/Texan/Saint/Eagle/Brown) and Jerome Harrison (Former Brown/Eagle) today but hard to tell if they will have any impact as of now