In continuing with the tradition mentioned last week, today I will give out scores for specific performances and note standouts. Yesterday the Bears hosted a Pre-Season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars [which resulted in a 20-19 Bears win] – and that’s the focus of today’s post. First of all, here are the scores for the specific players I’m watching this year [note the overall score for the player in brackets].
#45 – Brock Vereen: 1+ point, 1- point; Average Performance – [0 points].
#93 – Will Sutton: 0+ points, 1- point; Below Average Performance – [0 points].
#23 – Kyle Fuller: Early Injury, no notes – [4 points].
#16 – Pat O’Donnell: 3+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance – [3 points].
#36 – Jordan Lynch: No Participation notes – [2 points].
#57 – Jon Bostic: 2+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance – [-2 points].
#50 – Shea McClellin: 1+ point, 0- point; Average Performance – [-4 points].
Moving on now to standouts. Onca again our Special Teams performed poorly, and actually I only saw Pat O’Donnell as a positive experience. Offensively, though, we saw some nice things on the field. Jay Cutler, and his O-Line, was amazing – and he felt so comfortable. Honestly, if he performs like this in the regular season, we’ll have a great season. As for the 2nd and 3rd strings? Well, I soured somewhat on Jimmy Clausen – but not due to him performing badly; actually, Jordan Palmer was just that good. Defensively, I loved what I saw from Stephen Paea and ‘Peanut’. For the second week in a row, I loved what I saw from Trevor Scott – he’s a lock for the 53 man squad. Finally, the interception from C.J. Wilson needs to be noticed. Nice job, young man.
Quite possibly the biggest sporting national football/soccer league is about to begin in twenty different Premiership stadiums. Three newcomers await their chances to prove their talent, two experienced managers are ready for their revenge and one new coach looks out at the league unimpressed – ready to unveil his revamped Manchester United squad. This is the English Premier League – we’re back folks. In this article I’ll look at the four biggest teams challenging last year’s winners Manchester City – as well as give several predictions for the season, including a predicted league table. I’ll be starting off with a look at this year’s Community Shield winners – Arsenal.
♦Wenger’s Revenge
His game 1000 will never be forgotten…
Last season felt disastrous for Arsenal, especially with Wenger’s 1000th game (the 6-0 loss to Chelsea, in case you’ve forgotten) – but it was actually a pleasant surprise for Arsenal fans, who got in a comfortable position in the league, while taking their first trophy in a very long time. They capped it off last weekend by winning the Community Shield against Manchester City. They’re extremely happy at the Emirates – but they need to remember that Manchester City didn’t have the likes of Zabaleta, Agüero, Negredo, Lampard and Joe Hart in their squad – while Arsenal really only missed Mertesacker and Özil.
Now, Arsenal did win 3-0 against Man City – and they do have a very good squad in place; especially now that they’ve added the likes of Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez to the squad. However, with last year’s league results in mind – they’ve not improved more than their rivals have. Now even Tottenham and Everton could be vying for their spot in the top.
♦Is It Over For Gerrard?
Dropped the title…
Last season was heartbreaking for The Reds – and though they never walked alone, their tears were plentiful. They let it slip out of their hands, and now the title seems farther away from them with Luis Suarez gone to Barcelona. Will this then be the swift return out of the top 4? Or can they fight back, and retain a fine placement in the top? Personally, I would feel very happy with the moves they’ve made if I were a fan of the Merseyside Reds – and the fact that they’ve tapped most of the talent out of Southampton is both scary and fascinating. I have the Reds finishing in the top yet again, and that’s due to a great coach that is still controlling the Kop through his personally-designed system, first unveiled to the Premiership during his stint at Swansea. This will probably be a very good season for the former top team.
♦United Back On Top?
The Man With The Plan…
Look at his grin. While I may not be a fan of his new team, or the man himself, one has to respect his managerial talent and his mind. This man fooled everyone when he subbed in his reserve goalkeeper in the World Cup in Brazil – only to have him ready for the Penalty Shootout. It worked, and he skillfully became the envy of most clubs. Now he will begin his adventure in the best league in the world – taking hold of the Manchester United squad. A team in need of a fresh feeling. He’s brought in a lot of people to help the team succeed. Personally, I feel that he’s rushing things by bringing in these new players in new surroundings without knowing the team himself. He’s changing the formation as well, thus making limited strides with the in-house players. He needs to work with players like Kagawa and Mata, not bring in a ton of his own players – for this team was set-up right with Sir Alex Ferguson.I feel that the team will improve from last year, but that it still won’t be enough of an improvement to push off the top teams. They’re still a step behind the two oil-clubs, and don’t have the player-for-player advantage in surroundings that Merseyside does. However, they’ve improved much more than Arsenal has – and they should finish higher than them.
♥Mourinho’s Finally Ready
Can Diego Costa Fire Chelsea To The Top?
José Mourinho said goodbye to Chelsea Legends like Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard, and is ushering in Atletico players left and right. This means that they know eachother, and will have an easier way of adapting to their surroundings. Adding to that, Chelsea has gotten younger – and added two huge stars in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.
Having seen all of their Pre-Season games, I can tell that they’ve improved their ball-pressure; and have reworked their possession tactics. However, some things just don’t work – including their 3-man defense when attempting to play an offensive 3-6-1. Their main formations are still 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, but they work with more fluidity now. Their team has improved.
♦Bold Predictions
Here we go…
The following is a list of bold predictions I’ve thought long and hard about. The list of predictions includes a league table I’ve tried to think out, along with projected points for each team.
Arsenal Sacks Wenger – My first bold prediction is that Arsenal will finally fire their legendary manager Arsène Wenger during their season, or as a result at the end of the year.
Liverpool Won’t Miss Suarez – I predict that Daniel Sturridge and Coutinho will score and assist at a higher number than that of the total of Suarez last year.
Left Back Will Be The Weak Link For Van Gaal – I predict that Luke Shaw will fail in his first year at Manchester United, and it will lead to problems on the left flank for the red side of Manchester.
Blue Topscorer – I predict that Diego Costa from Chelsea will become the topscorer for the Premier League.
Predicted League Table: 1. Chelsea Football Club – 103pts. 2. Manchester City – 97pts. 3. Liverpool Football Club – 85pts. 4. Manchester United – 77pts. 5. Tottenham Hotspur – 75pts. 6. Everton – 72pts. 7. Arsenal – 70pts. 8. Newcastle – 54pts. 9. Stoke City – 49pts. 10. West Ham Utd – 43pts. 11. West Bromwich Albion – 40pts. 12. Aston Villa – 33pts. 13. Swansea City – 32pts. 14. Sunderland – 30pts. 15. Leicester City – 29pts. 16. Southampton – 20pts. 17. Queens Park Rangers – 19pts. 18. Crystal Palace – 18pts. 19. Hull City – 17pts. 20. Burnley – 16pts.
Last year I made it a tradition for me to watch the Chicago Bears Pre-Season games in their entirety, compile notes – note standouts and specific performances. I’m not too certain, though, whether I’ve ever released those notes. This year I am releasing them, though, and it all began yesterday when the Philadelphia Eagles took on my Chicago Bears at Soldier Field for the opening Pre-Season Game.
For this year’s Pre-Season I’ve chosen to keep an eye on the following list of players; and each player will score points based on his performances each week:
#25 – Running Back – Ka’Deem Carey – Rookie.
#12 – Quarterback – David Fales – Rookie.
#95 – Defensive Tackle – Ego Ferguson – Rookie.
#45 – Safety – Brock Vereen – Rookie.
#93 – Defensive Tackle – Will Sutton – Rookie.
#23 – Cornerback – Kyle Fuller – Rookie.
#16 – Punter/Holder – Pat O’Donnell – Rookie.
#36 – Running Back/Quarterback – Jordan Lynch – Rookie.
#57 – Linebacker – Jon Bostic – Second Year.
#50 – Linebacker/Defensive End – Shea McClellin – Third Year.
Before rating these specific performances of note, I’ve compiled a list of standouts from the game – which cannot include the players above. In a game where very few Special Team highlights for the Bears were noted, I’ve decided to gloss over that section – and in stead, first look at the defensive standouts. Safety Ryan Mundy and cornerback Sherrick McManis both picked off Nick Foles, and are obvious standouts defensively. Second year Linebacker Khaseem Greene outplayed every 2nd & 3rd string linebacker in the game, and hopefully he can continue to get better – and maybe even battle for a spot with the 1st string. Undrafted rookie cornerback Al Louis-Jean also managed to get a pick, and showed solid movement on the interception itself. Jeremy ‘Jay’ Ratliff also performed well in the game, provided good pressure. My premier defensive standout, however, was defensive end Trevor Scott. He showed an ability to pressure the Quarterback, and was solid on all the snaps he played.
Offensively we have a lot of people to note as well, first and foremost we have our Franchise Quarterback – Jay Cutler. After a poor opening drive, he came back on his second and final – and led his team back in the redzone, and then to the endzone. Cutler managed to find Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall, Dante Rosario andZach Miller – the latter two being premier offensive standouts. Look out Martellus Bennett. I also have two standouts for the 3rd stringers. First and foremost, former CFL Wide Receiver and Punt Returner Chris Williams performed well, and even had a 70+ yards Touchdown to cap off his night. Finally, I must congratulate 3rd string Quarterback Jimmy Clausen – he’s managed to perform at a level that exceeded that of 2nd stringer Jordan Palmer.
Now we move on to the specific ratings.
#25 – Ka’Deem Carey: 2+ points, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
#12 – David Fales: 1+ point, 2- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 1 point.
#95 – Ego Ferguson: 3+ points, 2- points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 1 point.
#45 – Brock Vereen: 2+ points, 2-points; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
#93 – Will Sutton:1+ point, 1- point; Average Performance; Game 1 Score: o points.
#23 – Kyle Fuller: 4+ points, 0- points; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 4 points.
#16 – Pat O’Donnell: 1+ point, 1- point; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 0 points.
#36 – Jordan Lynch: 3+ points, 1- point; Above Average Performance; Game 1 Score: 2 points.
#57 – Jon Bostic: 0+ points, 4- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.
#50 – Shea McClellin: 1+ point, 5- points; Below Average Performance; Game 1 Score: Negative 4 points.
Today’s date will forever feel sad to me. June 2nd 2014. It is the day that Frank James Lampard has confirmed that he is leaving Chelsea Football Club. I started watching football in the early 2000s, and became a fan of hometown heroes FC Copenhagen. But it felt more like a local team than my team. You have to understand that I was not a football fan per se, seeing as my father never watched sports – it was all up to me to find something to care about, as my father was constantly working or spending his free time enjoying film after film – the birth of my cinematic interest.
Along came Frank Lampard. I had always loved the English culture, and had been raised somewhat as if I was English – ‘Mary had a little lamb’ etc. was what my parents gave me and my sister – not something Danish. An English team seemed natural. In that time Peter Schmeichel was still supported heavily in Denmark, and therefore people always wanted me to support Manchester United. I did not. Neither did I note that Chelsea Football Club had signed Danish winger, Jesper Grønkjær – a man who, undoubtedly, is to blame for early coverage of Chelsea in the media.
Frank Lampard was signed by Chelsea Football Club in June 2001, 13 years ago, and his resemblance to Lee Ryan of the Pop Group ‘Blue’ intrigued me. That was when I fell in love with how he played. Suddenly, almost over night, I had been turned into a Chelsea Football Club Fan solely because of Lampard. I even remember buying his autobiography ‘Totally Frank’ in the original language, even though I had little real English teaching. It strengthened my language skills, and thus has a major impact on my current study – English at the University of Copenhagen.
Since then he has become the best player in Chelsea Football Club history, the most scoring player for Chelsea, as well as a stellar example of intelligence and respect on the pitch. My faith in ‘super’ Frank Lampard was never lost, and thus my relationship with Chelsea grew. I became a fan, I fell in love with the team by proxy.
Today broadcaster Kay Burley tweeted the following statement from Frank Lampard, following rumours of him signing with New York City Football Club, a new Major League Soccer Team created by the owners of Manchester City:
“This club has become part of my life and I have so many to thank for the opportunity. Ken Bates who put his neck on the line to sign me as young player. Abramovich, the man who saved our club and took us to a new level. Special mention to all the staff and people behind the scenes who do not receive the glory. Finally and most importantly I would like to thank the Chelsea FC fans. I believe they are the greatest fans in world football. Whatever the next challenge I will always be among you and have Chelsea in my heart. Thank you for the memories Chelsea Football Club and keep making history!” – Frank Lampard statement, through Kay Burley.
I am forever grateful to Frank Lampard, and I wish him all the best in the future – I will always follow his career as a fan. The greatest footballer I have ever seen play – and I am truly thankful to have attended games in which he played – versus Copenhagen, Brøndby and Nordsjælland.
Thank you for everything Frank Lampard. A True Chelsea Legend – Forever and Always.
David Fales, QB, San Jose State – 6th Round Pick, Chicago Bears.
The wait is over. After having watched the entirety of the 7 rounds we can now take a step back and look at what we got. Now, I will not be grading our Draft Class, for they haven’t played yet – but I will see if I agree with the picks we’ve made, and if we’ve filled the holes we have on our team – the needs we have on our team. So without further ado:
KYLE FULLER
For some this was their top cornerback (it was not for me, but he was up there), and by that respect it’s a good pick. Now, here’s why many Bears fans are upset with this pick, we had our choice of safeties here… HaHa and Pryor were both there, and the former ended up with Green Bay… Still, this pick gets us a future replacement for Peanut Tillman, as well as scores us a starting Nickelcorner – and that’s an important position to fill when you have opponents like Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew, Randall Cobb etc. I like this pick, but I would’ve taken HaHa Clinton-Dix.
EGO FERGUSON
We needed a Defensive Tackle, and we got one here. I would’ve reached for a safety here – but Ego fills a need as a 2-technigue. I don’t know a lot about this guy.
WILL SUTTON
When we picked our second Defensive Tackle, this one being 3-technigue, a lot of Bears fans were going crazy – in a good way. There’s been some problems with his weight, but he gained weight for the sake of his team, and he’s down to 290 pounds now, I believe. Good pick – but where is our safety?
KA’DEEM CAREY
Value Pick. Ka’Deem Carey is tough to bring down, though as quick as Forte. Here we have a guy to take over for Michael Bush as the short yardage guy, and backup Running Back. I cannot argue with this pick.
BROCK VEREEN
Then we traded back into the fourth round, and that was exciting. Brock Vereen was our guy, a safety from Minnesota. He was on my list for Day 3 in my Day 2 Review, and I’m glad we got him.
DAVID FALES
Here’s a guy I love. Back in January I started looking for a young backup, and then I saw David Fales – and I loved what he showed, how promising he was. Then I ranked the QB’s a few weeks ago, and I mentioned him as a guy I’d love for Trestman to get his hands on. I called this pick, and I love this pick.
PAT O’DONNELL
Punters are people too. This guy is built like a linebacker, and looks to have a big kick. You cannot argue with picking a punter in the 6th round (the best punter in the draft), after having seen Podlesh last year.
CHARLES LENO JR.
Building depth on our offensive line, that’s very important – and who knows, he may be the next Jordan Mills.
So, guess what? We did not draft the safety we need – thus leaving a lot of options open on day 3. After having taken nickel-corner Kyle Fuller in the first, we grabbed Ego Ferguson, LSU, a defensive tackle who’s to play 2-technigue. In the 3rd round, when we were all complaining about not taking Louis Nix (who actually dropped deep into the 3rd round), we picked up Will Sutton from Arizona State – also a defensive tackle, probably looking at 3-technigue. People really like Will Sutton, whereas Ego was a different story – however, having added both I feel comfortable with our defensive line going forward.
REMAINING NEEDS
Well, we still need a safety – but remaining needs also include a backup QB (though Emery might disagree), a backup running back, added receiving competition and some more linebacking power. I’ve got a list of guys I’d like to share, a list of guys who I’d love to see in a Bears jersey or I think are positional needs that still have value, though not all of them are THAT realistic:
Ed Reynolds, Safety, Stanford (PAC-12).
Brock Vereen, Safety, Minnesota (Big Ten).
Jonathan Dowling, Safety, Western Kentucky (Sun Belt).
Craig Loston, Safety, LSU (SEC).
Marqueston Huff, Safety, Wyoming (Mountain West).
Dion Bailey, Safety, USC (PAC-12)
Shayne Skov, Linebacker, Stanford (PAC-12).
Michael Sam, Defensive End, Missouri (SEC).
Andre Williams, Running Back, Boston College (ACC).
Martavis Bryant, Wide Receiver, Clemson (ACC).
Marcel Jensen, Tight End, Fresno St. (Mountain West).
Devin Street, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh (ACC).
Aaron Murray, Quarterback, Georgia (SEC).
David Fales, Quarterback, San Jose St. (Mountain West).
A.J. McCarron, Quarterback, Alabama (SEC).
Tajh Boyd, Quarterback, Clemson (ACC).
PREVIEW DAY 3
On day 3 we still have 4 picks, 1 in the 4th, 1 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th. Now, I don’t think we need more than 2 or 3 prospects, and if possible I’d like to see Phil Emery trade up a bit to grab the guy he wants. If we leave day 3 with Craig Loston, Shayne Skov and David Fales – for example – I would be happy with this draft.
So, that was one hell of an opening day. From the shocking Buffalo-trade to the last minute Bridgewater-steal, we had intense debate and intrigue. The big theme of the night was the wait of the QBs. Bridgewater waited all night, Garoppolo was NOT picked and Manziel was picked as #22 (3rd time Cleveland pick a QB at that position). Now, this Day 1 Review will focus on my Bears, as we look at what went right and what went wrong.
NO CIGAR
Close, but no cigar Bears fans… Aaron Donald did indeed drop down in the draft – and as we sat hoping all the pieces would come together, the St.Louis Rams called the Pittsburgh Defensive Tackle, and got defensively greedy. A lot of us would’ve loved Donald, but we also knew it was a stretch to say we would get the opportunity – meanwhile we felt comfortable that some Defensive Tackles would drop (and some did). Now, I was not that deflated by the ‘loss’ of Aaron Donald – for my two top Safeties were still there for us to pick – Calvin Pryor and HaHa Clinton-Dix; I anxiously waited for Emery to make the pick…
JOKE’S ON US
Indeed, the joke is on us – for while Phil Emery decided not to pick a safety – and stuck with a guy he “loves” – HaHa dropped down to #21 and was picked up by the Packers… Also, Calvin Pryor fell to the Jets. Now, who did we get then? Mike Mayock’s 13th ranked player in the entire draft. That sounds great, but we did not fill an immediate need. No safety, no Defensive-line help. Instead we strengthened our Cornerback position. Now, guys, don’t freak out. While we’ve still got Peanut and Jennings – this guy is not JUST the future cornerback, he will also feature in the battle for the nickel-spot. And the nickel position is of importance in today’s NFL. We face people like Eric Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and Randall Cobb – you’d want a Cornerback taking care of them. Expect to see Virginia Tech Cornerback Kyle Fuller a lot for the Bears – as he is also a top rated Special Teams-player.
PREVIEW DAY 2
With the 2nd and 3rd round picks being announced starting 7 pm Eastern (US), we must now look forward and take a peak at the players we might need. Defensive Tackle and Safety still need to be filled properly. Starting with Safety, we may have a problem. Buccannon, Ward, HaHa and Pryor all went in the first round, and though the remaining players may not be the best in the draft – we desperately need a new Safety – we’re gonna reach. Lamarcus Joyner (Florida State) ranked 65th on Mayock’s Top 100 is still there, as well as his teammate Terrence Brooks and guys like Marqueston Huff. On D-tackle Timmy Jernigan’s still there and so is Hageman & Nix. We have options, but we need to be aware and take the bigger need – not the better player. Go with a safety.
In this post I will be mentioning players I will be keeping an eye open for, as the Draft begins and moves ahead. Players that I wouldn’t mind having with the Bears. Now, I’m going to be realistic, so no Khalil Mack or Jadeveon Clowney – seeing as they won’t drop to our position, and we can’t trade up. Without further ado, let the Draft Board begin.
Positions of Need
Safety.
Defensive Tackle.
Cornerback.
Linebacker.
Backup Quarterback.
Backup Runningback.
Starting chronologically on the positions of need, we have the safety position. My favourite player who could supposedly get in our reach is HaHa Clinton-Dix from the University of Alabama. I’ve been eyeing this guy for a long time, pretty much the entire off-season. Now, chances are he perhaps won’t be there, teams a couple of picks prior to our 14th pick do want secondary help, and that might hurt our chances at him. If we’re unlucky, and HaHa has already been taken before we get to him, then Calvin Pryor from Louisville is another popular choice. I know more about HaHa than I do about Calvin, but I believe Calvin’s very physical in nature and aggressive in style (which could be a problem and a point of emphasis for scouts). Alternatively, in the second round Jimmie Ward from Northern Illinois would be a popular pick for our Illinois team. Also, I’ve heard a lot of good about Deone Bucannon, who could be an option if we trade back.
The Bears recently lost Henry Melton, and even though we’ve signed a lot of D-line stars, we still need a young and strong Defensive Tackle to fix our D-line. Aaron Donald would be a dream pick here, but odds are he won’t be there at 14. Now, if we cannot get him it might be better to look at Defensive Tackle in the second round with Dominique Easley.
At Cornerback I really like Darqueze Dennard, but I’ve been told that he’s had a lot of injury problems, and that might hurt his chances with the Bears. Now, Justin Gilbert would fix a lot of things for the Bears, he’d bring added physicality, fresh talent at cornerback and kick-returning abilities. I don’t see Justin falling to 14 either, though. I’ve heard a bit about Pierre Desir of Lindenwood, and I could see him as an option in rounds 3 or 4. Perhaps even in the second.
C.J. Mosley would be great for the Bears at Linebacker, but don’t expect us to pick him as we just grapped 2 linebackers in the draft least year, and signed a few in free agency. Ryan Shazier could take over for Lance Briggs, though, one day – and we should seriously consider him if dropping back in the draft.
Looking at the backup positions I see Andre Williams from Boston College as an option at Running Back, he’s not a pass catcher – but he could fill the need for a strong running back to block and score on short yardage plays like Michael Bush did for us last season. As for backup quarterback? Well, we probably won’t grab one in the early rounds, thus eliminating a lot of people from the equation. David Fales from San Jose State might be an option, though, as a work-in-progress for Trestman.
It’s that time again folks! The time in which fans gather, for a few days a year, to either curse their GMs’ names or drink to a huge improvement. The NFL Draft for 2014 is upon us. Now, I’ve made numerous of Mock Drafts in my life, all of which have been featured on old blogs – so this will be my first Mock Draft on WordPress.
Now, here’s how I’m doing it. This year I’ve added what I guess you could call a ‘Recipe for Prediction‘, and here’s how it goes:
Each Draft pick for the 1st round will be covered in, 2 sections each.
Section number one: Scenario 1, that’s right I’m drafting in 2 different scenarios a pick. This way, I won’t be calling for just one player (thus harming my chances at being correct). Scenario 1 is the scenario in which I get to pick for each team, meaning I don’t predict – I pick.
Section number two: Scenario 2, in this section I will try to predict for each GM and coach.
So, let’s get to the 2014 NFL Draft, but first a sneak peek at what my mock draft my look like in the future drafts to come, as I go ‘in-depth’ with Houston. This year, however, it won’t be in-depth – but I hope to finish a Draft Board for my Chicago Bears before the draft itself.
Sneak Peek on future Mock Drafts (Perhaps 2015): FIRST OVERALL PICK – THE HOUSTON TEXANS
War Room: The Texans were completely derailed last season, and though they have weapons on both sides of the ball, they need game changers to take over their division. The one position that screams for a replacement is the Quarterback-position, but I’m unsure as to whether they have to draft one in the 1st round, or if they could potentially gain from waiting until the second round. Sometimes you need to pick the best player remaining. Scenario 1:Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, Defensive End / Outside Linebacker; I do believe a suitable quarterback can be picked up in the second round, and you can never stop strengthening your defense. Just imagine J.J. Watt and Clowney together. Scenario 2:Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M, Quarterback; Sometimes you have to go all in on the player with the most hype surrounding him. Johnny has been hyped for a long time, but can perhaps silence his critics with a Texan offense ready to do battle for the AFC South throne.
Mock Draft (Scenario 1)
Mock Draft (Scenario 2)
This wasn’t much, but that’ll do for this year – I think. I would encourage you to try to make your own mock draft on NFL.com. I admit, this one might be the worst looking Mock Draft – but I needed it to be finished sooner rather than later, and I had no time to go over each pick like I imagined.
Am I right on? Or, do you see some picks that you thoroughly disagree with? Then comment, and we’ll talk it out.
This post will be focusing on how I view the QB rankings in the coming draft. I’ll be giving you my Top 5 Quarterbacks, as well as give be giving you two guys I’d love Phil Emery to draft as a Back-Up for Jay Cutler in Chicago – our Quarterback-guru, Trestman, needs to prove his talent at working with young talent.
I’m Jeffrey Rex’ Top 5 Quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft:
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M: Now, at first I disliked his potentially bust-like hubris, but as I’ve seen him play a bit more, and having now watched the near-perfect Pro Day, I feel like he might be as good as he says he is – the best, at least in this QB draft class.
Blake Bortles, Central Florida: This guy is really interesting to me. After having been far off my radar for months, he finally appeared – and I’m convinced; this guy can be really really good. Brandon Marshall of the Bears call him a 1st Overall Pick, and I’m not so sure that’s the case, but he’s not far off anymore. He seems calm and collected, I love that.
Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville: If someone rises on my board, then someone drops. Teddy is not a bad QB at all, he’s a strong option. Every team needing a QB would love this guy, but I don’t see him worthy of a Top 10 pick anymore.
Derek Carr, Fresno St.: Don’t let the surname scare you. This guy is solid. His 2013 numbers are insane, and I view him as a Top 40 pick in this draft.
A.J. McCarron, Alabama: A 2nd Round QB if you ask me, but that’s not bad. This is a leader, and he knows how it feels to win. He could be a great option for a lot of offenses. If the Raiders want to have a QB battle in the Pre-Season, then draft a guy like him in the 2nd Round.
This year is loaded with a lot of Quarterback and Wide Receiving talent, and to draft a QB in the 3rd or 4thround would be great for teams looking to work with young gifted players. If I were Phil Emery, I’d be looking at San Jose State’s David Fales and Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo as two players that could work well with Chicago Bears Head Coach and Quarterback Guru, Marc Trestman. The former, Fales, could be really interesting as a West Coast building block, and could potentially be a more gifted Josh McCown for Trestman to toy with. As for Garoppolo, for a Quarterback with ideal size, being from Illinois and having beaten passing records set by Tony Romo – this is someone you cannot overlook. I’d be looking for these two to fall to later rounds, and if that’d be the case – I’d grab one of them, and see what they can do as a back-up for Cutler. First though, they’d have to beat out Jordan Palmer.
I’ll be back with some notes on movies I’d like to watch this year, and later I’ll be revealing my Mock Draft!
I'm Jeffrey Rex 