The Football Fan Spot

Restricted free agency. Most NFL fans have heard of it, but have never really quite needed to know what it means. After all, so few players were actually restricted free agents that fans could just assume that it meant that they were a free agency, but their original team had both the first and last say as to whether or not they would be part of the team the next year. This offseason, it will be a big deal. There is about a 99.9% chance that there will be no salary cap next year and that will come with a few rules. Teams that made the final 8 in the playoffs can only sign as many free agents as they lose. There is no maximum or minimum to your payroll, as long as you meet the minimum salary figure for all of your players. And, instead of players becoming restricted free agents if their contract runs out after 3 years with their original team, they will become restricted free agents if their contract runs out after 3-5 years with their original team. And all of a sudden, there will be a lot more restricted free agents, so I believe it is important for the fans to know what exactly that means.

Restricted free agency works like this. There is a certain amount of time a team has to give their restricted free agent a tender. If they don’t, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. The team can choose from 4 different tenders, each is worth a certain amount of money, which has yet to be announced for the 2010 NFL offseason. The first one, worth the most, is a 1st/3rd tender. The 2nd, worth the 2nd most, is a 1st round tender. Continuing to fall in value, the 3rd is a 2nd round tender. And the least valuable is the so called default tender.

Now, any team can sign these restricted free agents after they have been tendered. However, to sign someone with a 1st/3rd round tender, you must give up a 1st and a 3rd round pick. To sign someone with a 1st round tender, you must give up a 1st round pick, and so forth. To sign someone with a default tender, you must give up a draft pick that equals the round the player was drafted in, with a maximum of a 3rd round pick. To sign someone with a default tender that was undrafted, you don’t have to give up anything. Then, the original team has a week a match the offer their restricted free agent receives. They can choose to match the contract, or let him walk and take the draft picks. 

11. Outside Linebacker (4-3 only)

Not quite as much of a versatile defensive player as a middle linebacker, and you can get away without great outside linebackers as shown by the fact that neither the Saints nor the Colts have good outside linebackers this year. Their main job is cleaning up the messes of the defensive line and chasing down running backs out of the backfield. They can also be blitzed.

Best in the league: Daryl Smith, Brian Cushing, Lance Briggs

12. Tight End

They may be more important to rookie quarterbacks than veterans, but most quarterbacks enjoying having a good safety value tight end who can catch the ball over the middle. Their job description includes both catching the ball like a receiver and blocking like a lineman, but because of their hybrid type status, they aren’t extremely important.

Best in the league: Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez

13. Center

The most underrated position on the field, there’s a reason that Peyton Manning does so well, he has had the same center snapping him the ball for his entire career. That definitely helps. They are also the smartest offensive linemen in terms of football knowledge, oh, and they also have to do some blocking. Just look at what happened to the Eagles after Jamaal Jackson got hurt for the first time in many seasons, Donovan McNabb looked uncomfortable and the entire offensive line fell apart.

Best in the league: Jamaal Jackson, Jeff Saturday, Nick Mangold

14. Safety

They aren’t necessary to a good team, but they certainly help. The Steelers have given up 10 more points per game over the last 2 years in games in which safety Troy Polamalu missed than in games he played in.

Best in the league: Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Nick Collins

15. Kick Returner

Nothing energizes a team more than a kick return touchdown, and they also give you good field position, the only issues, the difference between good ones and bad ones in terms of yards per return is minimal and even a good one will only score like once or twice a year. Their career length also isn’t very long.

Best in the league: Joshua Cribbs, Clifton Smith, Johnny Knox

16. Punt Returner

Basically the same as a kick returner, but because of the situation, they often get a much smaller chunk of yards per return. 10 yards is good. Their career doesn’t last long either.

Best in the league: DeSean Jackson, Joshua Cribbs, Quan Cosby

17. Full Back

Not all offenses even use one, but having a big fullback that can run and catch the ball, in addition to block, adds an extra little element to your offense.

Best in the league: Leonard Weaver, Le’Ron McClain, Ovie Mughelli

18. Punter

A good punter can make a good defense even better by setting them up with good field position, the only issue, they are only used when struggling so if you’re a good team, they aren’t extremely necessary.

Best in the league: Shane Lechler, Andy Lee, Ben Graham

19. Kicker

They can kill you or not kill you, the issue, one who doesn’t kill you one game, can kill you the next. They are extremely inconsistent.

Best in the league: Matt Prater, Sebastian Janikowski, Stephen Gostkowski

20. Special Teams

There’s a reason all the special teamers are the backups of other position that you can risk getting hurt. Much love for the position, it takes a lot to suck up your pride and play special teams, but they aren’t super important. You can only really tell when they are bad and miss a tackle. The holder and the long snapper are a little bit more important, but not much.

Best in the league: Tim Shaw, HB Blades, John Wendling

1. Quarterback

If you have a bad quarterback, one who throws a lot of interceptions, you most likely are not going to make the playoffs. If you have a decent game manager, you can win but you need a hell of a support cast. A good quarterback, not only creates more yards than any other position on the field, but also opens up lanes for running backs, makes his receivers look better, and keeps his defense off of the field and rested, making them better. In fact, 18 of the 19 last Super Bowl winning quarterbacks made a Pro Bowl before winning the Super Bowl. Eli Manning is the only one to not make the Pro Bowl before winning the Super Bowl and he eventually made it the next year. There’s a reason for that.

Best in the league: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers

2. Offensive Tackle

A franchise quarterback isn’t much good if he’s on the ground every play. Not only do sacks and hits disrupt a quarterbacks rhythm, but too many over a long period of time can cause a young quarterback to develop David Carr syndrome and a veteran quarterback to develop Marc Bulger syndrome. Offensive Tackle also support the running game as well.

Best in the league: Joe Thomas, Jake Long, Jared Gaither

3. Defensive End/ Rush Linebacker

Well if hits can do things that bad to quarterbacks, it only makes sense that the guys who hit them are of great importance. It is an old and time tested football saying that in order to win you need a quarterback, to protect your quarterback, and to get to the other teams quarterback. Defensive ends are not the only players who accumulate sacks and hits and pressures, but they are the only ones whose first priority is getting to the quarterback. Rush Linebackers are essentially the same, only they line up at different spots on the field in different schemes and more often have to drop back into coverage. Nonetheless, rush linebackers normally lead their team in sacks, pressures, and hits.

Best in the league: Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Dwight Freeney

4. Running Back

Well if you don’t have a franchise quarterback is the next best thing in terms of gaining yards. Franchise running backs don’t win you Super Bowls like quarterback do, but they certainly help. They can tire out the opponents defense and open up passing lanes for the quarterbacks and also catch passes and even do some blocking.

Best in the league: Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson

5. Wide Receiver

Quarterbacks can win without great wide receivers, in fact some can even argue that quarterbacks make great wide receivers, but it certainly will help any quarterback to have a speedy deep threat and a reliable possession guy at his disposal to help him guide his team. Just ask Eli Manning how he likes playing without Plaxico Burress (10-11 including playoffs since Plax shot himself in the leg).

Best in the league: Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson

6. Cornerback

That being said, if you have a great #1 cornerback, he will nullify the opposing #1 wide receiver. Darrelle Revis shutdown every #1 wide receiver he faced last year. Don’t think that didn’t win them some games. If your quarterback is forced to essentially play 10 on 10 without his best receiver, he’s going to struggle.

Best in the league: Darrelle Revis, Charles Woodson, Leon Hall

7. Nose Tackle (3-4 only)

Other than rush linebacker, no front 7 position is more important to a 3-4 than nose tackle, even more than a defensive tackle to a 4-3. They don’t put up huge stats, but having a huge shield of a nose tackle than can occupy two blockers and also move around some makes everyone on the defense better.

Best in the league: Vince Wilfork, Kelly Gregg, Shaun Rogers

8. Defensive Tackle/3-4 Defensive End

Essentially the same position, only a 3-4 end lines up a little farther outside, but the job description is the same. Be a big body against the run and also get to the quarterback if you can.

Best in the league: Albert Haynesworth, Kevin Williams, Haloti Ngata

9. Middle Linebacker

Slightly more important in the 3-4, but they are the heart and soul of a defense and while they aren’t the most important, they are usually they most outspoken and the most versatile defenders on the field.

Best in the league: Patrick Willis, Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher

10. Offensive Guard

Just two offensive tackles alone isn’t going to be enough to protect your quarterback, though guards are primarily designed to get the big defensive lineman away from your running back and are not as used against the pass rush because of their size and position on the field, and for that reason they are ranked lower than offensive tackles.

Best in the league: Jahri Evans, Steve Neal, Chris Snee

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 by the NFL as a type of affirmative action. The rule basically said that an NFL team must interview a minority candidate for an open NFL head coaching job or Senior Football operation opening. At the time the rule seemed like a good idea. There were only 2 minority coaches in the NFL (Tony Dungy, Herm Edwards) at the time the rule was put in place and the rule has definitely done its job.

However, it has also had some negative consequences. Though it does help minorities, as do most things that help minorities, it can also be viewed as racist in its own sense. A possible interpreted message from the rule is that minorities need to be treated differently on the basis of their skin color because of the rough history of minorities in America. Though, I can not actually speak as a minority (and I would actually like to get the opinion of someone who has dealt by being an ethnic minority in America on this issue) but I do think that treating anyone any different on the basis of their skin color, whether it be better or worse, is a bad thing. Unless there were a rule put in that required a team to interview a non-minority before hiring someone, and I do strongly believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that a bunch of a people would have something to say against that rule, but unless there were a rule that like, I don’t think that there is true ethnic equality in the NFL.

Another negative side effect of this rule is tokenism. It doesn’t always happen, but a lot of times a minority coaching candidate will be brought in just to satisfy the rule. Correct if I’m wrong, but I don’t think tokenism is a good thing. Nowhere has this been more glaring than with the recent hiring of Pete Carroll by the Seattle Seahawks. Carroll had basically had a deal in place to coach the Seahawks, a deal which leaked out of the Seahawks organization and into the public before it could be made official, but before the deal could be made official, the Seahawks had to satisfy the Rooney Rule. So, they interviewed Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, an African-American, who, for whatever reason, maybe he didn’t read the news that said Carroll had all but had the job locked up. A day later, Carroll was hired, and Frazier was left as just a token.

The NFL is now at a point where the negatives of the Rooney Rule now outweigh the positives. There are currently 7 minority head coaches in the NFL who identify as minorities, or 22%. In America, currently 31% of the population identifies as an ethic minority. I know those numbers aren’t exactly the same, but I think its at the point where you can say the Rooney Rule has served its purpose in terms of giving minority coaches their fair representation in the NFL coaching pool. With a higher percentage of today’s coordinators and assistants being minorities, I think we can expect that number to increase in the near future. 2 of the last 3 Super Bowl winning coaches were African Americans and that number has a chance to grow to 3 out of 4 if Jim Caldwell and the Colts win this year over the Saints. In 2007, both Super Bowl head coaches were African Americans. I think it’s safe to say that the amount of good that the Rooney Rule still needs to do for the NFL is less than the negative side effects that come with a rule like the Rooney Rule. I just hope the NFL and the world in general can find a way to be as a racially equally as possible and I think eliminating the Rooney Rule might do that for the NFL. Again, I may be wrong with my assumptions and I would definitely enjoy hearing different opinions on this matter and on race issues in general, especially from someone with experience dealing with issues of race. 

Even with only one week left in the NFL season, the NFL playoff picture is still about as complicated as human cloning with so many different scenarios involving seeding order and even just who makes the playoffs. Hopefully I can make sense of it here.

AFC

Indianapolis Colts

Already clinched #1 seed in AFC

San Diego Chargers

Already clinched #2 seed in AFC

New England Patriots

If they win and they’re the #3 seed, if they lose, they would need a Cincinnati loss to get the #3 seed. If they tie, they would need Cincinnati to also tie or to lose. The farthest they can fall is #4.

Cincinnati Bengals

If they win and New England doesn’t (loss or tie), they are the #3 seed. If they tie and New England loses, they are the #3 seed. Any other scenario, the are the #4.

New York Jets

If they win, they are in the playoffs and get the #5 seed. If they lose, they would need, the Ravens to lose, the Steelers to lose, the Broncos to lose, the Texans to lose, the Jaguars to lose or tie to get the #5 seed. If the above scenario happens with the exception of the Ravens winning, they would get the #6 seed. Anything else and they are out of the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens

If they win, they are in the playoffs. If they win and the Jets lose, they get the 5th seed. If they lose, they would need the Steelers to lose, the Broncos to lose, the Texans to lose, the Jaguars to lose or tie to get the 6th seed.

Denver Broncos

If they win, they need either the Jets or Ravens to lose, plus one other team from the following group: the Jets, the Ravens, the Steelers, and Texans, to make the playoffs. However, they can actually lose and get the 5th seed. If everyone else alive in the playoff hunt, except Miami, also loses. They can get the 6th seed if everyone else alive in the playoff hunt, except Miami and one other team, also loses.

Houston Texans (I did forget this, thanks Eric, my bad)

They need a win and either the Ravens and Broncos or the Jets and Broncos to lose to make the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

They need a win and the Texans and Jets to lose, the Texans and the Ravens to lose, or the Jets, Ravens, and Broncos to lose to make the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars

They need a win and one of the following scenarios to happen

1. Steelers, Broncos, Texans and Jets all lose.

2. Steelers, Ravens, Broncos and Jets all lose.

3. Steelers, Texans, Jets and Ravens all lose.

4. Jets, Ravens, Texans and Broncos all lose.

5. Ravens, Broncos, Steelers and Texans all lose.

Miami Dolphins

They need a win and the Jets, the Texans, the Jaguars, and the Ravens all to lose

NFC

New Orleans Saints

Already clinched the #1 seed in the NFC

Minnesota Vikings

Can clinch the #2 seed with a win and a Philadelphia loss or tie, or if they tie and Philadelphia losses. If they lose, and Arizona loses, they are in the #3 seed. If they lose and Arizona wins, they are in the #4 seed.

Philadelphia Eagles

Can clinch the #2 seed with a win or a Minnesota and Arizona loss or with a tie and a Minnesota loss or tie and an Arizona loss or tie. If they lose, they drop down to the #5 seed. If they lose and Green Bay wins, they get #6 seed. If they tie and Minnesota wins, they get #3 seed. They can’t get the #4 seed.

Arizona Cardinals

Gets #2 seed with a win and a Philadelphia and Minnesota loss. Gets #3 seed with a win and if Philadelphia or Minnesota loses. All other scenarios they get #4 seed.

Dallas Cowboys

Gets #2 seed with a win and a Minnesota and an Arizona loss. If they win and Minnesota ties or wins and Arizona loses or ties, they get #3 seed. If they win and Arizona and Minnesota win, they get the #4 seed. If they lose and Green Bay wins, they get the #6 seed. If they lose and Green Bay loses, they get the #5 seed. If they tie and Green Bay wins, they get the #6 seed.

Green Bay Packers

If they win they get the #5 seed. If they tie and Dallas losses, they get the #5 seed. Anything else and they get the #6 seed. 

Wow! My head hurts!

Chris Henry has died today at age 26. The majority of reports of his death have all talked about his hardships and his failures. In the car today, thinking about Henry’s death and how short life can be, and about untapped potential, a song game on the radio that I felt described the situation well, especially the first few lines. The song is “Leave Out All the Rest” by Linkin Park.

I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I'm done here

So if you're asking me
I want you to know

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed

And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest

I am not going to talk about the mistakes Henry has made in his life, I am not going to go in detail about his off the field failures, or his untapped potential. I’m not here to judge him and his life at all, because I didn’t know him. I am just going to say Henry was a person, with friends, family, talents, shortcomings, and aspirations, just like everyone else, and leave out all the rest because as a human being that is what he deserves. I’m sure there are many, many people out there who will miss Chris Henry and for those people I wish the best and for him I wish that he may rest in peace.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I had a nice full meal and then I was planning on watching some football with the family. I knew the night game was Giants at Broncos yet when I scrolled my TV Guide, I could not find NFL football anywhere, only a college football matchup between Texas and Texas A&M. No offense to those two teams, but I wanted to watch some NFL football, plus I have already seen enough of Colt McCoy’s girl arm and Von Miller’s one pass rushing move this year. Where was the NFL football? I turned on my computer to figure this out and I saw what I had feared, the game was only being showed on the NFL Network, which, because I’m not made of money, I do not get.

I spent the next 15 minutes trying to find a place to watch the game online because the normal place I go to watch online when NFL network screws me over wasn’t working right and I finally found a place thanks to a very helpful Yahoo Answers poster. It was broadcast straight off the NFL’s website, but it was extremely slowing stream. I’d see Knowshon Moreno take over from the backfield then some choppy stuff and then see him tackled 15 yards downfield. Once the screen froze on Tom Coughlin’s perpetually frost bitten face for a good minute. Like that’s what I really want to see.

My screen was frozen with this image for a good minute

I’m sure I’m not the only one this happened to, in fact, I posted my frustration on my Facebook and Twitter and got a bunch of people who agreed with me. The NFL Network has been limiting what the common income family can watch for years and I never really had a problem with it because it was just the occasional Thursday game, but now they are ruining the Post Thanksgiving Dinner Football Watching (name pending) for all common income families on the West Coast. And what's so great about the NFL Network anyway. My friend has it and he told me that during one game, there was no audio for the first 5 minutes of the game. FAIL!

I am not saying what the NFL Network is doing is illegal because it’s not, but I was angry. I had to sit with my family around my laptop and watch a slow buffering game on a small screen on my computer just to watch some Post Thanksgiving Dinner Football. Well back to my game, oh wait, it’s frozen on a Lions/Packers highlight…and now it stopped working completely. I’m sure plenty of my readers have NFL Network horror stories too, so let’s hear them and once again Happy Thanksgiving.

It appears the Buccaneers have given up on 2007 4th overall pick Gaines Adams as they have traded him to the Bears for a 2010 2nd round pick. Adams led all rookies in sacks in 6 in 2007 and had 12.5 sacks over the past two years and looked like one of the premier young defensive ends in the league.

However, when Jon Gruden was fired and longtime defensive coach Monte Kiffin left for Tennessee, the Bucs hired defensive back coach Raheem Morris as head coach. The 32-year-old Morris spent the entire offseason getting rid off everyone that was older than him, with the exception and 34-year-old Ronde Barber, as well as everyone who only fit the old Tampa 2 defense and did not fit the new defensive scheme that Morris wanted to implement. The only problem was that he didn’t replace any of these guys and the Buccaneers are now 0-5 this season. The Bucs are 30th in the league in points allowed per game, dead last in yards per passing attempt allowed, and 24th in yards per carries allowed on the ground.

Gaines Adams, who only has 1 sack this year, and clearly does not fit in the bigger, more physical scheme that Morris wanted to implement. He appears to be the latest causality in Raheem Morris’ rebuilding project. Now the only player remaining in the Bucs front 7 that was starting for them at this point last year is talented young middle linebacker Barrett Ruud. However much the Bucs were struggling stopping people before this trade, is going to be even worse now.

As for the Bears, this trade is perfect for them, despite the fact that they now are without a pick in the first 2 rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft. Gaines Adams appeared to be one of the premier young defensive ends playing in a cover 2 defense the last two years. The Bears play a cover 2 defense and Gaines Adams will fit as a perfect fit in this defense. For the price they got him, a 2nd round pick for a 2007 4th overall pick, he’s a great value with great upside. 

Tom Cable- Oakland

I recently had an argument with a friend over which would happen first: Al Davis fires Tom Cable and replaces him with his 6th coach since “trading” Jon Gruden to the Bucs in 2001, or Tom Cable gets arrested and/or suspended by the commissioner for punching his assistant in the jaw forcing the Raiders to get their 6th head coach in 8 years. We couldn’t come to an agreement. This is a sad franchise.

Dick Jauron- Buffalo

The Bills had so much promise coming into the season, but they are 1-4 and haven’t had a winning season under Jauron. Recently, a Bills fan raised enough money from other Bills fans to rent in a billboard in Downtown Buffalo that reads “It’s time to clean house, RALPH,” referring to owner Bills’ owner Ralph Wilson, followed by three names he wanted gone including head coach Dick Jauron. At a recent Bills fan, fans expressed their displeasure by putting paper bags over their head and wearing shirts that read “Fire Dick Now.” In case you were wondering, that’s not good.

Jim Zorn- Washington

The Redskins are greatly underachieving again this year, with a 2-3 record despite a talented squad and an easy schedule and Jim Zorn will likely be blamed. I don’t think he’ll survive the Week 8 bye. Its not really his fault. He wasn’t fit for this job because the talent wasn’t fit to run the West Coast offense that Zorn likes to run. He’ll make a nice offensive coordinator or possibly coach with the right team in the future.

Jack Del Rio- Jacksonville

Del Rio has a huge contract that will take him to 2012 and the Jaguars, who have major financially troubles, might not be willing to pay what it will take to buy him out of his contract. However, the players obviously don’t like him. Several Jags players have spoken out about Del Rio’s lack of leadership in the locker room and Maurice Jones Drew recently spoke out against the play calling in Jacksonville. Del Rio has assessed no punishment nor said anything in response to these comments. It’s bad if the only reason you still have a job is because it would cost too much to get rid of you.