The ultra-competitive '13 playoff hunt

All year we've been witnessing intensely competitive football -- I've lost track of the number of games decided by a touchdown or less. The result of this kind of football has given us one of the more interesting pre-postseason races in quite some time. Right now, as we enter Week 13 of the regular season, the playoff picture is as follows (seeds one through six in order and italics indicate first round bye):

AFC: Broncos, Patriots, Colts, Bengals, Chiefs, and Titans. IN THE HUNT: Jets, Steelers, Ravens, Dolphins.

NFC: Seahawks, Saints, Lions, Cowboys, Panthers, and 49ers. IN THE HUNT: Eagles, Bears, Cardinals, Packers.

 

 

Check the standings for yourself here: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/standings to see just how close the race to the postseason is this season. The next four weeks will be providing football fans everywhere with great entertainment.

NFL needs to address last night's referee blunder

In case you missed it, last night's prime time matchup between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers ended on a blown call by the officiating crew. Trailing by four points with six seconds left in the game, Tom Brady threw pass to the end zone intended for his tight end Rob Gronkowski but Gronk was being bear-hugged by Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. The line judge in the back of the end zone threw a flag for the obvious penalty on Kuechly, but when the officiating crew gathered the referee picked up the flag and deemed that there was no penalty. I highly recommend you watch the play for yourself because words can only do so much. The referees blew it. Plain and simple. And on top of that, they didn't even give Bill Belichick an explanation for why they picked up the flag. It was obvious pass interference by Kuechly because he was impeding Gronkowski from coming back to a very catchable ball. Had they called it pass interference New England would have had the ball on one yard line and probably would have won the game. Instead, the referees were intimidated by the home crowd and didn't want to give the visiting team a chance to win the game. That head official should be disciplined for what he did (or didn't do, rather) and commissioner Roger Goodell should acknowledge that the officiating crew dropped the ball. It's like the Fail Mary all over again. And what's most unfortunate is that that was a really great game and all there is to talk about is that egregious no-call.

Broncos take hold of AFC West

Last night's game between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs was the most hyped-up game of the week. The Chiefs boasted the league's No.1 scoring defense and the Broncos sported the No.1 scoring offense. But, the Chiefs have had the luxury of a playing a pretty easy schedule through their first nine games -- four were against backup quarterbacks -- which brought some to believe that Peyton Manning would tear the untested Chiefs defense to shreds, while others expected the fierce K.C. pass rush to make it a long night for a hobbled Peyton. Neither came to be. Manning threw for 323 yards and just one touchdown. While the Chiefs pass-rush didn't record a single hit on Manning as he got the ball out quick and his offensive linemen did a phenomenal job protecting him. The Chiefs's defensive backs played very physical with the Broncos's receivers but rookie Marcus Cooper was had a huge target painted on his back and was abused by Manning. The win puts Denver atop the AFC West and have two tough road games ahead of them as they travel to New England and then Kansas City.

Top 100 2014 NFL Draft Prospects 2.0; Prospects 51-100

Here's the second half of my Big Board. Are there any players who don't deserve their ranking or aren't on the list? Let me know by commenting.

51. Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA (6'3", 222lbs.)
52. Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado (6'1", 172lbs.)
53. Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa (6'5", 315lbs.)
54. Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St. (6'0", 200lbs.)
55. Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor (5'9", 210lbs.)
56. Loucheiz Purifoy, CB, Florida (6'1", 190lbs.)
57. La'el Collins, OT, LSU (6'5", 315lbs.)
58. Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St. (5'11", 197lbs.)
59. Craig Loston, SS, LSU (6'1", 210lbs.)
60. Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida St. (6'2", 298lbs.)
61. Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi St. (6'3", 340lbs.)
62. Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU (6'0", 195lbs.)
63. Christian Jones, ILB, Florida St. (6'3", 232lbs.)
64. Seantrel Henderson, OT, Miami (FL.) (6'7", 345lbs.)
65. Deone Bucannon, SS, Washington St. (6'1", 215lbs.)
66. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington (5'10", 203lbs.)
67. Ego Ferguson, DT, LSU (6'3", 309lbs.)
68. Michael Sam, DE, Missouri (6'3", 255lbs.)
69. A.J. Johnson, ILB, Tennessee (6'2", 243lbs.)
70. Anthony Johnson, DT, LSU (6'2", 295lbs.)
71. Chris Smith, DE, Arkansas (6'2", 268lbs.)
72. DaQuan Jones, DT, Penn St. (6'3", 318lbs.)
73. Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri (6'5", 275lbs.)
74. Hroniss Grasu, OC, Oregon (6'3", 298lbs.)
75. Shayne Skov, ILB, Stanford (6'2", 244lbs.)
76. T.J. Jones, WR, Notre Dame (5'11", 190lbs.)
77. Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma (6'0", 192lbs.)
78. James Hurst, OT, North Carolina (6'6", 305lbs.)
79. Dion Bailey, FS, USC (6'0", 200lbs.)
80. Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers (6'6", 220lbs.)
81. Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss (6'2", 225lbs.)
82. Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia (6'1", 210lbs.)
83. Telvin Smith, OLB, Florida St. (6'2", 218lbs.)
84. E.J. Gaines, CB, Missouri (5'11", 195lbs.)
85. Anthony Steen, OG, Alabama (6'2", 310lbs.)
86. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas (6'4", 250lbs.)
87. Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia (6'0", 213lbs.)
88. Tre Boston, DB, North Carolina (6'0", 205lbs.)
89. Adrian Hubbard, OLB, Alabama (6'6", 252lbs.)
90. Andre Williams, RB, Boston College (6'0", 227lbs.)
91. Terrence Brooks, FS, Florida St. (5'11", 200lbs.)
92. C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa (6'6", 265lbs.)
93. Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska (6'3", 220lbs.)
94. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio St. (6'0", 240lbs.)
95. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio St. (6'2", 215lbs.)
96. Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin (5'11", 246lbs.)
97. Marion Grice, RB, Arizona St. (6'0", 207lbs.)
98. Devin Street, WR, Pittsburgh (6'4", 195lbs.)
99. Tyler Larsen, OC, Utah St. (6'4", 312lbs.)
100. Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee (6'6", 351lbs.)

Top 100 2014 NFL Draft Prospects 2.0; Prospects 1-50

Three weeks ago I posted my first list of the top one hundred NFL Draft prospects of 2014. Since then, players have risen while others have fallen. So without further adieu, here's my 2014 Big Board version 2.0; prospects 1-50:

1. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville (6'3", 205lbs.)
2. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina (6'6", 276lbs.)
3. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (6'4", 212lbs.)
4. Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M (6'5", 305lbs.)
5. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (5'11", 210lbs.)
6. Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA (6'4", 248lbs.)
7. Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan (6'7", 315lbs.)
8. Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo (6'3", 248lbs.)
9. Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame (6'3", 350lbs.)
10. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson (6'1", 205lbs.)
11. Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama (6'5", 310lbs.)
12. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M (6'5", 225lbs.)
13. Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech. (6'5", 260lbs.)
14. C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama (6'2", 232lbs.)
15. Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St. (6'3", 215lbs.)
16. Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame (6'6", 322lbs.)
17. Cameron Erving, OT, Florida St. (6'5", 320lbs.)
18. Vic Beasley, DE, Clemson (6'2", 235lbs.)
19. Hasean Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama (6'1", 208lbs.)
20. Marqise Lee, WR, USC (6'0", 195lbs.)
21. Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio St. (6'2", 230lbs.)
22. David Yankey, OG, Stanford (6'5", 314lbs.)
23. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon (5'10", 185lbs.)
24. Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina (6'4", 245lbs.)
25. Jason Verrett, CB, TCU (5'10", 175lbs.)
26. Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford (6'6", 261lbs.)
27. Cyril Richardson, OG, Baylor (6'5", 340lbs.)
28. Rashede Hageman, DT, Minnesota (6'6", 310lbs.)
29. Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee (6'6", 327lbs.)
30. Allen Robinson, WR, Penn St. (6'3", 210lbs.)
31. Zach Mettenberger, QB, LSU (6'5", 235lbs.)
32. Zack Martin, OG, Notre Dame (6'4", 305lbs.)
33. Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU (6'3", 235lbs.)
34. Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St. (5'11", 192lbs.)
35. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington (6'6", 276lbs.)
36. Lamarcus Joyner, FS, Florida St. (5'9", 195lbs.)
37. Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M (6'5", 300lbs.)
38. Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt (6'3", 205lbs.)
39. Will Sutton, DT, Arizona St. (6'0", 305lbs.)
40. Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech. (6'0", 194lbs.)
41. Travis Swanson, OC, Arkansas (6'4", 318lbs.)
42. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin (6'1", 207lbs.)
43. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson (6'1", 225lbs.)
44. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU (5'11", 193lbs.)
45. A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama (6'4", 214lbs.)
46. Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona (5'10", 207lbs.)
47. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St. (5'10", 186lbs.)
48. Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh (6'0", 285lbs.)
49. Trevor Reilly, DE, Utah (6'5", 255lbs.)
50. Morgan Breslin, DE, USC (6'1", 250lbs.)

Ed Reed to be released by Houston Texans

Breaking news today, as initially reported by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Texans will release safety Ed Reed today. Reed was signed to a three-year deal worth $16 million and earned $6 million through seven games this year. Reed was a bitter disappointment, though, as he registered just 14 tackles and even lost his starting role to Shilo Keo. Who? Exactly. The 35-year old Reed will go on waivers and if he goes unclaimed, will become a free agent. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best safeties to ever play the game, but his career is nearing its end. I think he's going to play somewhere this season, but after that, I'm not so sure. Here are some potential landing spots for the veteran safety: New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams, and Minnesota Vikings.

Chip Kelly is out of his mind not naming Nick Foles as starter

Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Chip Kelly still hasn't named Nick Foles as the team's starting quarterback. So what's stopping him? In seven games Foles has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,256 yards, 16 touchdowns and no interceptions and adding 80 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Michael Vick, who began the season as the starting quarterback, completed roughly 55 percent of his passes for 1,215 yards for 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions and rushed for 308 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. The passing game is thriving under Foles and wide receiver Riley Cooper in particular is proving himself to be a quality starter opposite DeSean Jackson. The Eagles are 3-1 with Foles and 2-4 with Vick. All of the numbers point towards Foles as the better option, so why is Chip Kelly not sold on him? Maybe it's that he's so intrigued by Vick's athleticism and mobility. Or that he's just not confident in Foles (I can't imagine why). Whatever the reason, expect Foles to be named the starter eventually.

*Stats courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com

Richie Incognito shouldn't be allowed to play in the NFL, Fins' organization needs to be punished

Miami Dolphins' offensive guard Richie Incognito is a terrible human being. He bullied his teammate Jonathan Martin so bad that the 23-year old Martin left the team. Incognito and others can try and pass it off as simple rookie hazing all they want, but that's a load of crap. Richie Incognito -- who was bullied as a child -- is a bad person with some real anger problems. And it's not like this is anything new, he has a history of fighting with his teammates and coaches dating back to college. Per an article by Bleacher Report's Ty Schalter, Incognito began his collegiate career in 2002 at the University of Nebraska, where he was suspended multiple times and convicted on assault. In 2004 he quit and transferred to the University of Oregon, but was dismissed from the team just a week later for not meeting the conditions to which he agreed. Since being drafted in by the Rams in 2006, Incognito has played for three organizations and overstayed his welcome. It took him three and a half seasons to derail his career in Miami, the longest he's been with a team. He's also twice been voted "dirtiest player" by his fellow peers. In 2012 the Fins drafted Jonathan Martin in the second-round out of Stanford and he's suffered endless hazing, abuse, and threats at the hand of Incognito since joining the team as a rookie. According to Albert Breer of www.nfl.com, said the following in a voicemail he left for Martin, "Hey, wassup, you half n***** piece of s***, I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I'll s*** in your f****** mouth. I'm gonna slap your f****** mouth, I'm gonna slap your real mother across the face (laughter). F*** you, you're still a rookie. I'll kill you." That's not rookie hazing; it's a threat. Martin was also so fearful of Incognito that he coughed up $15,000 that the veteran wanted so that he and some teammates could go to Las Vegas. Martin is 6'5" and 312lbs.; a very large man, but Incognito is intimidating, abusive, and has very serious anger problems. Martin fears what Incognito may do to him and/or his family, and quite frankly I don't blame him. The Dolphins suspended Incognito indefinitely and there are some reports saying he'll be released. I can only hope that happens. Richie Incognito should not be allowed to play another snap in the National Football League. The NFL prides itself on its image and in order to protect that, Richie Incognito needs to go.

And as for the Miami Dolphins organization, they need to be punished. There's no way that the coaching staff didn't know about this prior to Martin's breakdown. There's just no way. And the fact that it's gone on this long is truly disturbing to me. Sure, if Martin was being hazed like all rookies (carrying the veteran players' bags, pads, etc.) then that's fine, no harm there. But how could they miss this? The team should be fined at least $250,000. I find this whole situation really unsettling, and the incompetence of the coaching staff and lack of unity between the players is even more unsettling. I just hope that Martin can return to football soon and continue playing. He's got immense talent and once his teammates actually treat him like a human being, I think he'll thrive.

Aaron Rodgers to miss time

In last night's loss to their division-rival Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a small fracture in his non-throwing shoulder and is expected to miss at least three weeks, according to www.cbssports.com. Words can't explain how significant a loss this is for the Packers. This team has endured the loss of several key players; Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, Bryan Bulaga, Jermichael Finley, and Nick Perry. But Aaron Rodgers is the difference between winning and losing for the Green Bay Packers and, quite frankly, the timing couldn't be worse as the Packers find themselves in a three-way tie for the division lead with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Seneca Wallace took over for Rodgers and left a lot to be desired. I expect Green Bay to struggle mightily without their franchise quarterback.

Bengals lose their star on defense

In last night's overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Cincinnati Bengals lost their best player on defense. According to several websites, including www.nfl.com and www.cbssports.com,  All-Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins suffered a torn ACL which would result in him being placed on season ending injured reserve. About two months ago he signed a five-year extension worth $55 million. The 25-year old Atkins is one of the very best at his position and through nine games has recorded 20 tackles and 6 sacks. This is a huge blow to a Bengals' defense that's already seen starting cornerback Leon Hall land on injured reserve and is currently without starting middle linebacker Rey Maualuga who is sidelined with a concussion. I think Atkins is a better pass-rusher than any other defensive tackle in the league and that's the part of his game that the Cinci defense is going to miss the most. There are currently two players behind Atkins on the depth chart; Devon Stills and Brandon Thompson, drafted by the Bengals in the second and third-rounds of the 2012 draft, respectively. The only problem is that neither is an effective pass-rusher. To make up for this loss, I think we could see defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer slide defensive end Carlos Dunlap inside on obvious passing downs to boost the interior pass-rush, and Wallace Gilberry would come in and play Dunlap's usual end position. And if head coach Marvin Lewis chooses to work out a few free agents (which is likely), there are a few notable defensive linemen out there; Jay Ratliff, Lawrence Jackson, Juqua Parker, Justin Francis, and Marcus Spears, to name a few. Either way, the loss of Atkins is going to hurt this defense immensely, particularly in getting the quarterback.

NFL Midseason Awards

Most Valuable Player- Peyton Manning; The future Hall of Famer is lighting up defenses like we've never seen a quarterback do before. Through the first half of the season Manning's stat line looks like this: 71.2 completion percentage, 2,919 yards, 29 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a 119.4 rating.
Offensive Player of the Year- Peyton Manning; He is on pace to break most, if not all, single season passing records.
Defensive Player of the Year- Robert Mathis; Mathis leads the league with 11.5 sacks this season, matching his career high. He's on pace to break the single season sack record, but I don' think that's going to happen. Nevertheless, the 32 year old looks like the best pass rusher in football right now.
Rookie of the Year- Eddie Lacy; Despite missing two games this season, he leads all rookies with 446 rushing yards. He should only get better as the season goes on.
Offensive Rookie of the Year- Eddie Lacy; There are some fairly productive rookies that have come on as of late, but to this point Eddie Lacy has been the best rookie on the offensive side of the ball.
Defensive Rookie of the Year- Kiko Alonso; Alonso has emerged as a leader on the Bills' defense and has proven to be a playmaker on defense. He's the league's second leading tackler and is tied for the league lead in interceptions with four.
Coach of the Year- Andy Reid; After going a league worst 2-14, the Kansas City Chiefs named Andy Reid as head coach and now, through eight weeks of the season, the Chiefs have the best record in football at 8-0.
Comeback Player of the Year- Darrelle Revis; He's not putting up great numbers and he's apart of a sinking ship known as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he's still quietly playing great football and looking more and more like his old self every week. He's made a great recovery from that torn ACL he suffered last season.

*Stats courtesy of www.cbssports.com/nfl