Preseason almost over. Hallelujah! Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Preseason:

• Seattle releases T.O. and names rookie starting QB
• Jets still can’t find the endzone
• Replacement refs still stinking up the joint
• Steelers win and lose in Buffalo
• NFL rosters cut down to 75 by this afternoon (more…)

Swapping Mikes. Could Mike Williams replace someone like Mike Wallace? Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The Steelers may not be able to come to terms with their young speedster receiver, Mike Wallace.  And if by chance that happens, the Steelers may (or very well may not) be on the market to pick up a viable #2 or #3 receiver to compete against the rest of The Core while in camp or even someone who could come along post-Wallace era.

While constantly thinking about the Steelers, I get to play a lot of ‘what if’s’ in my head.  Some are pleasant, some would make a person shudder.  The ‘what if’ currently swirling around the ol’ noggin’ is the Steelers deciding to let Wallace hold out AND take it a step further by looking for another receiver to compete in camp.  There’s one in particular who’s available because his former team showed him the door this past Friday.  The other potential receiver is not likely to sign a long term deal with his current team and will be forced to play with a franchise tag this year.  Without that new deal, he will probably be a free agent next season and may get a good glance by the Steelers were it to come to that.  But which one of these receivers – Mike Williams or Wes Welker – would be a viable option over Mike Wallace?

Mike Williams would be entering his 6th season in the NFL were he to play for another team.  Williams had a shaky start to his career for the first few years and all but completely disappeared by 2007 when on the Tennessee Titans’ roster.  But former college coach and now head coach of the Seahawks, Pete Carroll, signed Williams and got him back in action after Williams missed the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  Williams quickly reached a potential everyone could get behind after catching 65 passes for 751 yards in his first season back.  After Seattle snagged Sydney Rice from the Vikings, most folks thought that Rice and Williams would be a duo to fear.  Williams is 6’5″ and runs a 4.5 40.  Not lighting fast, but on par with most receivers.  That tall frame and decent hands could snag bomb after bomb if given the chance.  However, as most things that come Tavaris Jackson’s way, Williams had a hard time connecting with his QB.  Williams’ production fell in 2011 by 500 yards and was shown the door this past Friday.

Williams could be an effective and make an immediate impact for the Steelers were they to sign him to a one year deal by camp.  It certainly would show Mike Wallace that the Steelers are playing hard ball and playing for keeps.  Everyone is replaceable.  Sure, it could sour relations immensely between Wallace and the Steelers, but I can only assume that things aren’t really that great right now with Mike and the FO over this contract stalemate.  Williams has a big frame and could be a nice compliment to Antonio Brown on the other side of the field.  He’s not as fast as AB, but his size would play a huge advantage.  Were the Steelers offense to have a formation that included Williams, AB, Leonard Pope and Heath Miller – that’s 3 out of 4 guys over 6 feet for corners and linebackers to cover.  A recipe for big gains over the middle with quick screens and in-curls.  Who needs to go big down the field when you can keep peppering a team with 15-20 yard gains every passing down?  I think that Williams is far from being washed up.  He had the potential in 2010 when he was with Matt Hasselbeck.  You have to look at the context of his next season when playing with Tavaris Jackson – who is simply awful.  Little Doug Baldwin was their best receiver with over 700 yards.  The next top receiver had barely over 400 yards.  Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst just killed the offense for these Seahawks.  Williams can still cut it in the league and very well could be a good addition to the Steelers if they decide to ‘move on’ from Mike Wallace.  Williams was supposed to get $3 million in 2012 and would be a steal.

Should Mike Wallace not sign a long term deal and only play one season with his tender (or no season at all), I could certainly see the Steelers deciding to call it quits with Wallace and not go after him as an unrestricted free agent.  At that point, they will have no leverage.  If Wallace doesn’t play at all, then we know he is dead set on big money and the Steelers will never offer it up to a guy who hasn’t deserved it yet.  So who could be out there as a replacement.  Well, regardless of Mike Williams being in the picture or not, there’s a current (and soon to be former) New England Patriot who could take Wallace’s roster spot.

Wes Welker has averaged over 1,000 receiving and averaged 6 TD's per season since 2007. Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Wes Welker got slapped with the franchise tag this offseason by the Patriots.  Welker has been trying to work on an extension with the team this whole time and has until 4pm on Monday to get a deal done.  If that doesn’t happen, then he will be forced to play 2012 with his tendered tag of $9.5 million guaranteed.  My feeling is that if a long term doesn’t get done by then, then Welker probably won’t get signed at the end of the season by the Pats.  There might be a bit of bad blood from all those drops against the Giants in the Super Bowl.

Should Welker be available and the Steelers boot Mike Wallace into the big ocean of free agency, then I think the Steelers could sign Welker to a one year deal.  Worth something close to $6 million.  It’s a bit pricey and Welker is getting up there in years – will be 32 by next offseason – but, he has yet to show any signs of slowing down.  Welker runs a 4.6 40 yard, but his size plays a huge advantage in slants and crossing routes.  He is a very good technique football player and, aside from those drops in SB XLVI, has very good dependable hands.  He is another version of Hines Ward minus the blocking.  And, I would say he’s a cut above Jerricho Cotchery who plays a very similar game.  At least right now he is.

I’m sure it’s a bit of a hard pill to swallow to think that the Steelers would sign a guy just like Hines Ward and almost just as old when the Steelers decided to release Ward.  Depending on how Cotchery continues to pan out, and depending on how this offense evolves this season without Wallace (for the sake of this post), then Welker could be a good addition and short term solution.  There’s no way the Steelers would sign him to anything more than a one year deal, but he could be worth the single season investment.  It might be just the thing they need to be Super Bowl bound again.  They just may want to bench Welker in February…. I kid I kid.

I honestly think that Williams is the better investment.  Bigger frame, younger, and faster are three of his advantages over Welker.  Which one would the Steelers go with?  Hard to say since we are looking at two different periods in time.  But, having to guess which one fits the Steelers offense better and could act as a better replacement over Mike Wallace – I’d have to go with the other Mike.  I’m kind of sick of the Wallace ‘thing’ and wouldn’t mind the Steelers going with someone like Williams as a different option.  Some sources think Williams could go to the Vikes – God love the irony, right Sydney?  As always, we’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.

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Big Ben is intrigued.....are you?

In the middle of May, finding news-worthy NFL stories is a tough racket to work.  The Steelers first OTA session – the only real Steelers news right now – has been covered extensively here on NPC and frankly, with so little information being let loose from the South Side there isn’t much to write about.  Luckily, our favorite black and gold warriors do have a few intriguing situations brewing and that got me thinking outside the traditional “Pittsburgh Box”.  Now that we are essentially through the period of free agent movement, trades, and the NFL Draft, we know which team and player situations will be the most closely monitored as the march to Training Camp and the preseason begins.  We may see a minor move here or there, possibly a trade (the Seahawks/Buccaneers deal earlier this week is an example), and the continuing saga unfolding in New Orleans may yield some news still.

Every NFL season starts out with the eyes of the football world focused on the intriguing stories that mold the new year.  I have compiled a list of the Top Ten Intriguing Stories for 2012, a snapshot of the stories you will be hearing over and over again in the coming months.  Yes, Tebow is here.  So is Mike Wallace.  However, there are some other stories that you may have let slip your mind.  Right now summer is approaching and the focus is on baseball, school letting out for the summer, and what non-traditional meat can be thrown on the grill for tonight’s dinner.  What we want to delve into here are the stories NFL fans will be pining over once the pencils and books are back in the Trapper Keepers and we are trying to decide which stereotypical Halloween character we will be shoveling our loose leaves into to get them off of our dying lawn (Pumpkins and Frankensteins ruled the neighborhood last fall).  Grab a cold one and prepare to be intrigued.

Colts QB Andrew Luck during the teams OTA session this week; photo courtesy AP

10.  The re-birth of the Indianapolis Colts – The Colts were a big mean blue machine from 1999-2010, racking up 11 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship.  Indianapolis transformed themselves from an also-ran franchise that had trouble selling tickets and rarely found any sort of relevancy into a powerhouse behind the arm of one Peyton Manning.  They crafted the entire franchise around Manning, bringing in receivers and blockers and mostly being satisfied with bludgeoning their opponents to death with high-scoring offense.  The Colts became a weekly visitor to prime time slots and packed fans into the RCA Dome week after week.  They were the glory days of Indianapolis Colts football, a franchise that finally was able to shake the stench of the Mayflower Moving Trucks and late night walk of shame that followed them from Baltimore in 1983.  Fast forward to 2011, the Colts lose Payton Manning to a severe neck injury and the wheels fall off.  The team decides the time has come to move on and lets former Pro Bowl players such as TE Dallas Clark and C Jeff Saturday walk away.  Bill and Chris Polian, both architects of the Colts decade of dominance, were fired.  Shortly thereafter, “The Catfish” swam out of town – head coach Jim Caldwell was shown his walking papers.  RB Joesph Addai, WR Pierre Garcon, and LB Gary Brackett were allowed to leave or were cut.  Veteran tackle Ryan Diem decided he wanted no part of this circus and retired.  When the team takes the field in 2012, it will do so with only three members of their starting 2011 offense.  Outside of video games, teams don’t purge their organizations in this manner.

So now the fresh start with QB Andrew Luck, a slew of rookies, and several mid-level free agent signings.  New head coach Chuck Pagano has never been the man in charge, and he will do so for the first time with a brand new offense and defense behind two new coordinators.  This is a total restart of a franchise the likes we have NEVER seen.  The Colts are fixing to be a bad team in 2012, but it will be intriguing to see how bad….will they mature quickly behind Luck and make a run at 8-8, or will they mirror the 3-13 they were in Peyton Mannings first campaign?  Fans may only get to see a situation like this once or twice, a franchise that basically goes the “expansion team” route.  It should be a very interesting train wreck.

C Maurkice Pouncey will be expected to lead the new Steelers offensive line from day one.

9.  The Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Line – The Steelers have now invested four top draft picks (#1 in 2010, #2 in 2011, #1 and #2 in 2012) on offensive linemen to revamp a unit that has been the source of so much grief over the past few years.  The team is making a real commitment to protecting Iron Man QB Ben Roethlisberger and the big guy couldn’t be happier.  Now comes the hard part – molding these outstanding players into an outstanding UNIT.  New offensive Coordinator Todd Haley and Offensive Line coach Sean Kugler will be spending their summer in the film room and on the practice field, learning the strengths and weaknesses of their new players.  Former starting tackle Willie Colon moves to guard, and the team has yet to recall their wounded veteran Max Starks, another Big Ben friend who may find himself wearing a different hat in 2012.  This is a brand new day in the Steel City, and how the line comes together will make or break a year of transition for the Steelers.

8.  The Tebow/Sanchez/Ryan NYC love triangle – After leading the Denver Broncos to their stunning OT upset of the Steelers in last January’s Wild Card playoff game, Tim Tebow seemed destined to become the next franchise QB for the Broncos.  Then Peyton Manning became available and John Elway decided to pay a kings ransom to bring the future hall of fame QB into the fold.  Tebow became expendable, and for some odd reason the New York Jets became his destination.  Just after giving a three-year contract extension to incumbent QB Mark Sanchez, the Jets traded for Tebow and created a controversial situation that could blow up in the face of head coach Rex Ryan.  Sanchez, who many unfairly blamed for the down season the Jets experienced in 2011, is now on the hot seat in the hottest oven in professional sports.  With Tebow in the fold, Sanchez will be looking over his shoulder from day one, and any mistake – an interception, an overthrow, anything – will immediately cue up the “Tebow” cries by the Jets faithful and create a hostile playing environment for the emotionally scarred Sanchez.  Rex Ryan is surely not the coach to handle such a touchy scenario, as his media boasting and bigger-than-life personality can only add fuel to the fire.  How the Jets handle this Tebow/Sanchez quagmire should be one of the most talked about and followed stories of 2012.

7.  Mike Wallace turns Diva – The Steelers top WR experienced his first taste of NFL free agency this offseason, and he wasn’t crazy about the flavor.  After expecting to be flooded with #1 wide receiver contract offers from teams that matched deals obtained by Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson, Wallace quickly learned that his profile is not quite at the level he thought it was.  He is now at the mercy of the Steelers and must either sign his tender offer or sit out 2012, since a long-term deal doesn’t appear to be in the offing.  With the emergence of WR Antonio Brown and the expectation that WR Emmanuel Sanders can reach the same level, Wallace could be the odd man out in the Steel City once its all said and done.  His ability to be a professional, sign the tender, and get to camp on time will be a major story this summer.  If he fails to do so, his time with the Steelers is over.  Tough ending to a Steelers career that seemed to be limitless at one point.

Artist rendering of the new NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles

6.  The L.A. Equation – As I wrote about earlier this month, Los Angeles is beginning to make their push towards convincing an NFL team to relocate to the new stadium that is breaking ground in the downtown area.  Obviously, the NFL history of L.A. is one of teams moving AWAY, but the second-largest TV market in the Country is ready to re-establish themselves as an NFL city.  The Minnesota Vikings have secure funding for a new stadium, so they are out of the mix.  The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams (both formerly tenants of L.A.) are still being considered as teams that may move, as are the San Diego Chargers.  Expect this to become a major story as the season wears on and chances are the NFL will be allowing a team to announce a move to Los Angeles sometime before kickoff of Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013. 

Jeff Fisher has a major project on his hands in St. Louis

5.  Head Coach Jeff Fisher returns to the NFL, tries to dig the Rams out of a deep hole -The St. Louis Rams seemed to be on the right track heading into 2011.  After competing for the NFC West title down to Week 17 in 2010, it seemed that head coach Steve Spagnuolo had the team on the verge of becoming relevant for the first time since the “Greatest Show on Turf” was wowing the league.  All of that potential went down the crapper in 2011, as the Rams were hit by a string of injuries and finished 2-14.  The failure caused the firing of Spagnuolo and his entire coaching staff, and began the hunt for a new head coach.  The Rams went all out, coaxing former Titans coach Jeff Fisher out of a semi-retirement to become the eighth head coach in the team’s St. Louis history.

Now the work begins on revitalizing a downtrodden franchise that seems to have one foot out the door in St. Louis.  If the team does not respond to their new coach and has another horrific season, it could push them right up the ladder on the list of teams that could move to Los Angeles.  Bad attendance has been a plague for the Rams, who have a hard time filling the gigantic Edward Jones Dome most weeks.  The organization is counting on Fisher to breathe life back into the team and the fanbase.  The Rams had a good draft, bringing in DT Michael Brockers, WR Brian Quick, CB Janoris Jenkins, RB Isiah Pead, and CB Trumaine Johnson – all who could win starting jobs in 2012.  They also went out and signed several mid-level free agents and allowed some dead weight to move on, giving the entire roster a fresh feel.  The biggest factor will be the health of franchise QB Sam Bradford, who has proven that when healthy he can be a solid NFL signal caller.    This is a make it-or-break-it season for the St. Louis Rams.

Miami Dolphins 1st round pick QB Ryan Tannehill

4.  The Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans QB controversies -Let’s take a quick inventory here.  The Miami Dolphins have incumbent QB Matt Moore on the roster, then draft QB Ryan Tannehill in the first round, then sign veteran QB David Garrard to a contract.  The Seattle Seahawks have incumbent QB Tarvaris Jackson on the roster, then sign free agent prize QB Matt Flynn to a huge multi-year deal, then draft QB Russell Wilson in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The Cleveland Browns have QB Colt McCoy, long shoved down the Dawg Pound’s throats as the QB of the future.  They draft 28-year old rookie Brandon Weeden in the first round of the draft.  The Tennessee Titans have incumbent QB Matt Hasslebeck and young, promising QB Jake Locker nipping at his heels to take the job.

All four of these teams were non-playoff teams in 2011 and are trying to turn the corner.  With so many QB controversies sprouting up this early, it should make for an interesting summer and preseason for all four clubs.  Never have we had so many teams with no idea who their starting QB would be heading into a season, and at this point nothing would surprise fans of these teams, who always seem to make things harder than they have to be.  The Seattle situation is becoming even more intriguing, with highly-paid new QB Matt Flynn sharing reps with the first team with both Wilson and Jackson in team OTA’s this past week.  Flynn was the QB prize of the free agent pool, and was signed with the intention that he would be “the man” for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks.  In Tennessee, Jake Locker is primed to take over as the starting QB, but will have a fight ahead of him in camp.  Intrigue in Seattle, Miami, Cleveland, and Tennessee abounds.

WR Randy Moss is back, this time with the 49ers.

3.  WR Randy Moss returns to the NFL after a one-year vacation -After not playing in 2011, Randy Moss is back in 2012.  The one-time considered best WR in football, Moss signed a one-year deal to become a key part of a San Fransisco offense looking for new weapons for QB Alex Smith.  Can Moss rebound from a disappointing 2010 that saw him wear three different jerseys and a 2011 that saw him completely out of the game?  The 49ers are banking on Moss to be the #1 target for Smith, and will need him to produce the way he did from 2007-2009 with New England if they intend on making another deep playoff run.  Moss is a guy that can either show up and be great or show up and cause a team to implode on itself.  Furthermore, he is one of the most recognizable players of the past decade and the media will be following his every move on this comeback.

Mario Williams signed a six-year deal with Buffalo, one of the biggest surprises of the offseason.

2. The Detroit Lions try to build on their success, the Buffalo Bills try to spend their way to success – The Detroit Lions were the darlings of the NFL in 2011, making the playoffs just three years removed from an 0-16 season.  The Lions have explosive talent all over the field, including QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson.  Can the Lions continue to ascend to the elite level of their NFC brethren in Green Bay and New York?  Or will they take a step back, buried by preseason expectations that have them competing to make their first Super Bowl?  In Buffalo, the Bills started out 2011 as the hottest team in football before a terrible streak of losses ended any playoff hopes.  The Bills went out and made the biggest offseason splash in signing DE Mario Williams away from the Houston Texans for a record six-year $100 million deal.  The Bills also spent money on DE Mark Anderson and resigned WR Stevie Johnson to a five-year extension.  After not making the playoffs since 1999, will the spending spree propel the Bills to the playoffs? 

1.  BountyGate rips the hearts out of the New Orleans Saints – The biggest scandal in the NFL in years hit New Orleans hard.  BountyGate cost the Saints their head coach for the entire 2012 season, as Sean Payton will be replaced by Joe Vitt – once he returns from his six-game suspension.  The Saints also lost Pro Bowl LB Jonathan Vilma for all of 2012, DE Will Smith for four games, and were docked a bunch of draft picks over the next few years.  Furthermore, the team has a situation with QB savior Drew Brees, who is unhappy about being named the franchise player and not being granted a long-term deal.  This is an organization is tatters after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell dropped the hammer on them.  The entire league will be watching to see if the Saints are able to continue their remarkable run of playoff appearances and give their team a chance to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium (The SuperDome hosts the big game this year).  After so many feel-good stories out of the Big Easy since the horrible events of Hurricane Katrina, the Saints are now fully in the eye of another storm.  If the results end up being a 5-11 season or even simply missing the playoffs, this could mark a significant change in the overall New Orleans Saints organization, with front office staff, coaches, and players being changed out to get the stench of “BountyGate” off of the team.

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Now that we are a full 24 hours removed from the nail-biting selection of the 2012 Mr. Irrelevant (Enjoy Disneyland, Mr. Harnish), the time has come to review the three-day marathon that was the 2012 NFL Draft.

Here at Nice Pick, Cowher we feel that the Steelers came away winners – big, jackpot-level winners.  You can check out our review of the Steelers 2012 Draft HERE.  For the purpose of this article, we will leave the black and gold out of the discussion.  The happiness of knowing that David DeCastro, Mike Adams, Alameda Ta’amu, and Sean Spence jerseys will be available at your nearest retailer by the time you read this is enough to tickle the fancy of even the most curmudgeonly Steelers fans.

The thing about covering the NFL Draft that makes it so difficult (yet, fascinating) is that the spiderweb of potential story lines is virtually endless.  We had 253 players selected over the course of the three-day marathon, each player drafted for a specific reason by their new found employers, and in turn changing the professional outlook for close to 1,696 already employed players who now wonder what the future holds for their career or for their teams depth chart.  When you whittle all of that nonsense down to the bare minimum of thought, you come up with a select list of winners and losers.

Grab yourself a cold beverage, click off that boring NBA Playoff Game, and enjoy the NPC 2012 NFL Draft Winners and Losers.

Winners

The Indianapolis Colts were the big winners in the 2012 NFL Draft; courtesy Associated Press

The Indianapolis Colts – The Colts have drafted first overall in the modern-era NFL Draft more than any other franchise, with five picks in the top slot since 1967.  In 1998, the Colts selected QB Peyton Manning and in the span of one year went from a perennial laughingstock to a perennial Super Bowl contender.  The pick of Manning did more than turn around the fortunes of the team, it saved football in Indianapolis.  The Colts would have never built the fanbase they have, been able to secure funding for their new Lucas Oil Stadium, and would probably be the Los Angeles Colts by now.  So when the team allowed Peyton Manning – one of the greatest players in NFL history – to walk away this past spring, they were entering a frightening new era.  The franchise tore down everything and everyone associated with Manning – from the front office to the coaching staff to the veteran players who had built the team into a powerhouse from 1999-2010.  They essentially cleared the deck and started over, meaning that the 2012 NFL Draft was the most important in their history and perhaps the most important draft for ANY team in the history of the NFL.

The Colts knew who they wanted to replace Peyton Manning, and it was Stanford QB Andrew Luck.  Luck is the most polished college quarterback to come through the draft since – well, Manning.  He is the new face of the team, the big man on campus, the prom king.  He is the franchise.

The Colts could have been happy with that.  They solved the biggest problem any National Football League team has, they found a franchise quarterback.  Instead of resting on those laurels and using the rest of the draft to simply plug holes, the Colts systematically tore apart the draft.  They gave their new QB a security blanket by drafting his college TE – the highest-rated TE in the 2012 Draft – Cody Fleener.  They doubled down on that strategy by drafting another TE in round three, Dwayne Allen – a 6’3″ 255 lb. pass-catching machine.  The Colts then traded back into the late third round to nab WR T.Y. Hilton from Florida International, a do-it-all player who has the potential to win the field position battle for Indianapolis on every single kickoff and punt return.  The Colts are returning WR Reggie Wayne and WR Austin Collie, and brought in WR Donnie Avery in free agency.  The combination of those players and the new TE duo will be a instant playground for Andrew Luck, who will not have to endure the rookie season of doom that so many top QB picks have to contend with.  The Colts did this the right way, and could very easily go from 1-15 to 8-8 or even better in 2012 because of it.  The Colts completed their offensive draft mastery by stealing the 11th ranked QB in the draft, NIU QB Chandler Harnish, with the final pick in round seven.  Harnish could become a valuable NFL backup and insurance policy for Luck over the next five years.  A brilliant move to lock down the quarterback position for a long time.

While the offense is now in the hands of new OC Bruce Arians, the defense begins their switch to a 3-4 style with the addition of DT Josh Chapman and DE/OLB Tim Fugger, two high-motor players who will compete for starting jobs right away and provide talent to surround Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis in the front seven.

Indianapolis did draft a few project picks in the later rounds (T Justin Anderson, WR LaVon Brazill, RB Vick Ballard) who could end up becoming nice role players for the team, and ultimately I believe the Indianapolis Colts had the best draft of any team in the NFL.  Fans in Indy have much to be thankful for today, as their beloved Colts are in great shape for the next decade.

Cincinnati Bengals Fans – For years, despite a few solid playoff seasons mixed in, Bengals fans have basically lived in a world of despair.  They have an owner who seems to care less about the fans and the team on the field less than any other owner in any professional sport.  They have had to endure terrible draft picks by a slew of inept general managers and head coaches, they have sat back and watched as player after player flamed out once they put on the black and orange stripes.  Prior to last season, the team had dumped malcontent Quarterback Carson Palmer and his sidekick Chad OchoCinco.  They seemed to be headed into another dark Bengals era of losing as they transitioned to a rookie QB in Andy Dalton.  Despite a season in which they miraculously made the playoffs behind Dalton and WR sensation A.J. Green, Bengals fans stayed away from Paul Brown Stadium until the final weeks.  They missed the beginning of something special, and the ante got upped even further in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The Cincinnati Bengals raked in their second straight highly rated draft class, and this time they came away with no less than TEN possible impact players for Marvin Lewis and his talented coaching staff.

The Bengals kicked off their draft with two first-round picks, the second one the result of the scam they pulled on Oakland in the Carson Palmer deal last year.  They used their first pick on their biggest need, selecting CB Dre Kirkpatrick, a 6’1″ monster who will instantly become a starter in the defensive secondary for a defense that only got better as each week of the 2011 season passed by.  After trading down with their second first rounder (picking up the Patriots 3rd round pick in the process – more on that later) the Bengals drafted roadblock G Kevin Zeitler from Wisconsin.  Zeitler had a first-round grade, and is a plug and play guard who will be a starter from day one.  After stealing Penn State DE Devon Still in round two – a player who could excel in the Bengals diverse run-stopping schemes, they got the WR they desperately needed with their first third round pick.  WR Mohamed Sanu was one of the most polished players in the draft, having started for three seasons at Rutgers and excelled despite playing with three freshman quarterbacks during his time there.  He jumps in as another play maker on an offense sporting Pro Bowl WR A.J. Green and Pro Bowl TE Jermaine Gresham.  Cincinnati added another talented TE in round four by drafting Georgia TE Orson Charles, a 6’2 251 lb match-up nightmare who will add another dimension to the offense.

More?  How about DT Brandon Thompson of Clemson, a player who miraculously fell to the Bengals in round three when they used that pick from the Patriots to grab him.  Thompson is a future starter at DE for the Bengals after starting over 40 games in college.  Even more?  How about Boise State FS George IIoka, a massive safety who has the physical tools and attitude to become a new fan favorite in Cincinnati.  Not to mention the addition of Ohio State RB Dan Herron, who was one of the top five most prolific running backs in the country in 2011 and amazingly lasted into the seventh round, where the Bengals added the Ohio product.

Bengals fans have no reason to think that their team is not committed to winning any longer, as the franchise has now turned the corner from Cinderella story to legitimate AFC North contenders.  Time to buy those season ticket packages, Bengals fans.  Your team just turned Paul Brown Stadium into the place to be in 2012.

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher

St. Louis Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – It has been all rainbows and cream cheese for Fisher since he was hired as the next head coach of the St. Louis Rams, a moribund franchise that never seems to be able to get out of their own way.  Enter Fisher, the former mayor of Titansville.   Despite losing his future defensive coordinator before even coaching a game, Fisher has been on fire since taking over the hot seat in St. Louis.  Luckily, he is in the right place to rebuild an NFL franchise.  The fans in St. Louis are currently going ga-ga over their hometown Blues run at the Stanley Cup, and the baseball Cardinals – the unquestioned champion of St. Louis sports – are defending their World Series title by streaking through the National League in 2012.  So quietly, Fisher has gone about his business of rebuilding the Rams, a team in distant third-place among fans hearts in their city.  He has been given the keys to the castle and was told, “go do your thing Mr. Mustache Man”.

And his THING is building winning football teams.  Fisher inherited a franchise QB in Sam Bradford, a franchise RB in Steven Jackson, a rock-solid DE in Chris Long, and little else.  He went out and brought in WR Steve Smith (the “other” Steve Smith) to start the process of providing weapons for Bradford.  Then came the 2012 NFL Draft.  The Rams held the #2 overall pick in the draft, which they traded to the Washington Redskins for the Skins 1st round pick in 2012 (#6), along with Washington’s NEXT two 1st round picks (2013 and 2014), and the Redskins second round pick this year (#39).  So with one quick trade, the Rams netted a future basket of draft picks that they can use to continue their rebuild all the way into 2014.

Fisher and the Rams weren’t done yet.  On draft day, they traded that #6 overall pick to Dallas for the #14 and #45 picks in the 2012 Draft.  So once the dust settled, Fisher had hauled in a final tally of:

- The 14th overall pick in the 2012 Draft

- The 45th overall pick in the 2012 Draft

- Washingtons 1st round pick in 2013

- Washingtons 1st round pick in 2014

All of that for simply moving down twelve slots in the 2012 Draft.  That, my pigskin obsessed readers, is the definition of highway robbery.

AND the Draft hadn’t even started yet!

Once the draft began, the Rams used their 14th overall pick to select DT Michael Brockers of LSU, the #2 DT on the board.  Brockers fills a major need for the Rams on the interior of the defensive line and will start immediately.  Fisher then went into the war room to find help for his franchise QB.  The Rams selected WR Brian Quick of Appalachian State, a 6’3 220 lb receiver that many have compared to a young Terrell Owens.  In the fourth round, Fisher found another weapon for Bradford in Wake Forest speedy WR Chris Givens.  Sandwiched in between the Quick and Givens picks were three more high-quality, need-filling selections.  CB Janoris Jenkins was a first-round talent who fell due to character issues.  Jeff Fisher is a master of getting the most out of every player, and he will ensure that Jenkins reaches his potential.  CB Trumaine Johnson of Montana is a HUGE CB who will play opposite Jenkins and become a true enforcer on the field for the Rams.  RB Isiah Pead from Cincinnati was a quickly-rising star up the draft board when the Rams selected him at #50.  Pead will come in and learn from one of the best in Jackson, as well as spell the veteran on passing downs with his ability to work in space and catch passes underneath from Bradford.  A true value pick and possibly the heir apparent to Jackson in the future, but for now the Rams have a solid 1-2 punch at RB.

In the fifth round, the Rams took OT Rokevious Watkins of South Carolina, a 6’4 338 lb lineman who will help plug a hole in the offensive line at either RT or RG.  The addition of K Greg Zuerlein will spell the end of the Josh Brown era in St.  Louis.  Zuerlein presets as a kicker who can split the uprights from anywhere in the field, and in the domes of the NFC West he will be even better.  LB Aaron Brown of Hawaii was picked in the seventh round and will become a special teams dynamo before possibly moving to inside linebacker in the future.

Jeff Fisher has completely turned around the fortunes of the St. Louis Rams in a short time, and the deals he pulled off over the past month ensure the Rams will be able to add at minimum two first-round talents per year through 2014, a wonderful trading chip to have for a coach who knows how to play this game as well as anyone in the league.

Fisher is a winner because he not only secured a player at EVERY position of need heading into this draft, but also set his team up to be a major player in the league for years to come.

South Beach's new Desperate Housewife

South Beach, Miami Dolphins Fans – yeah, the Dolphins got their man.  QB Ryan Tannehill is already having conversations about how the ceremony will go when they retire his number in a few years.  In the meantime, the big story is that Lauren Tannehill is taking her immense talents to South Beach for 2012.  The talk of the draft, the beautiful Lauren overshadowed her slightly”Magoo” QB husband with her amazing body and infectious smile.  Never has a players wife or girlfriend fit better into a city than Lauren Tannehill fits in South Beach.  Ryan may be the franchise QB the fish have been looking for since Dan Marino retired into a life full of Nutraslim commercials, but his wife has instantly become a star.  Lauren Tannehill was the top trending subject on Twitter for over 24 hours Thursday night and a quick Google search uncovers no less than 300 fan sites dedicated to Mrs. Tannehill.

Yes, South Beach is a winner in this contest.  They gained a franchise QB who was minimal experience and will be a major project, but while they wait out the time it takes to get Ryan into the Dolphins lineup, they have Lauren to keep them company on those lonely Florida nights.

Losers

The Seattle Seahawks – as if it wasn’t bad enough that Nike picked the Seabirds to be the guinea pig for the new generation of ugly Nike football uniforms, and now the team has to take the field in jerseys that even the XFL wouldn’t have tried to push through, but now the team is in shambles due to the inability of Head Coach Pete Carroll to use the NFL Draft to fill the many holes his team has.  In a division with the San Fransisco 49ers – the undisputed best team in the NFC West, along with the Rams and Cardinals, both teams who have a plan and are working towards getting better, the Seahawks have become something of an enigma out in the Pacific Northwest.

With a high 1st round pick and MANY positions of need, the Seahawks had an opportunity to secure a player that could give an identity to a franchise that sorely needs one.  Instead, Seattle made the most shocking 1st round move in years – selecting a universally ranked 3rd round situational pass rusher with the 15th overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft.  OLB Bruce Irvin of West Virginia played in less than 30% of the plays for his team last season.  He is simply a situational player, with speed to rush the passer.  In order to develop Irvin into a 3-down NFL OLB, the Seahawks will need to spend no less than two full seasons prepping him and teaching him how to play the position.  That is ok if you come in as a 4th or 5th round pick, but as a 1st round pick, IMMEDIATE IMPACT should be tattooed across your forehead.  For a team that had massive holes at OL, DL, CB, and WR to select Irvin when such players as DE Melvin Ingram, DE Shea McClellin, DE Quinton Coples, DE Chandler Jones, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, WR Kendell Wright, and half a dozen 1st round grade offensive lineman were on the board was a blunder that could haunt this franchise for years.

The team signed free agent QB Matt Flynn to a massive multi-year contract to be their quarterback less than a month ago, and then drafted ZERO weapons for him in the draft.  The 3rd round pick of QB Russell Wilson was heralded as a great value pick, but it does nothing to help the team that will be on the field in 2012.  ILB Bobby Wagner of Utah State might turn out to be a nice player, but the shine was off already on OLB picks after the Irvin debacle.  The Seahawks had ten picks in the 2012 Draft and selected eight defensive players, none of them impact players who can start right away – besides Wagner, who may be forced into a starting role due to need.  The only offensive player drafted by Seattle that could contribute in 2012 is RB Robert Turbin of Utah State, a short-yardage type back who could spell RB Marshawn Lynch when he isn’t feeling “beast mode”.

This entire draft was terrible, and now Pete Carroll and his staff will be behind the eight ball trying to figure out a way to keep their new franchise QB Flynn upright all season.  With little offensive talent on the roster outside Lynch and WR Sidney Rice, the Seahawks better hope that they catch lightening in a bottle with some of these late round picks.  If not, I would imagine the career dissipation light for Pete Carroll will begin flashing sometime around week 8 of the 2012 season.

The Redskins started their own QB controversy by taking QB Kirk Cousins in round four.

Washington Redskins – OK, the Redskins mortgaged their future – in typical Dan Snyder fashion – to get their bread and butter player, QB Robert Griffin III.  RGIII is talented, personable, and will be a player that is talked about for years no matter what he accomplishes in the NFL.  He is a new breed of African-American QB – not just fast and athletic, but also a genuinely premier pocket-passer.  He will vie with Cam Newton for the cover of every pre-season magazine, the starring role in every TV commercial, and will be the face of the Washington Redskins for years to come.

So you would think the next goal would be to find him some help on a team that barely averaged 13.0 points per game in 2011.  Some WR, TE, or even a RB to take some of the strain off the young gunslinger as he begins his quest to become a star.

Nope.

Instead, the Redskins decided they would draft ANOTHER quarterback.  Yup, welcome to your new NFL career Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins.  Enjoy holding that clipboard and learning how to be an NFL quarterback from…….Rex Grossman?  The Redskins not only hut themselves by picking Cousins, they essentially ended a promising NFL career before it could start by drafting the 4th ranked QB on the board to be a BACK-UP and possible trade bait in a few years.

While Indianapolis spent their draft surrounding Andrew Luck with familiar faces and weapons in the passing game, Washington – after mortgaging their future to the Rams by trading both their 2013 and 2014 1st round picks for the right to draft RGIII – went another direction.  They loaded up on mid-round offensive linemen, a decent OLB (Keenan Robinson), and a slew of late-round cornerbacks.  The only help they could find Mr. Griffin III was a little-known RB out of Florida Atlantic University named Alfred Morris.  Morris will compete to be the 3rd down back to RB Roy Helu and try to unseat RB Evan Royster as the #2 RB on the depth chart.

If RGIII doesn’t pan out, the Redskins may have just regulated themselves to also-ran status for the next decade in a division that includes Dallas, Philadelphia, and the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants – all teams that are BETTER today than they were a year ago.  The pressure they have put on RGIII is immense, but at least he knows if he messes up he always has a top-rated backup QB looking over his shoulder – that should make him feel MUCH better,

The Mistake by the Lake

The City of Cleveland – We already know that Cleveland is a tough place to live.  Property values are at an all-time low, the city is rotting from the inside due to poverty in urban areas, and the job market is forcing young residents to move away.  Cleveland sports fans had endured so many heartbreaking moments – “The Drive”, “The Fumble”, Art Modell, The Indians, LeBron James, and who can forget poor Craig Ehlo.

The Browns have been nothing more than an afterthought since returning in 1999.  They have had two winning seasons since then, with one playoff appearance ending in a brutal loss to the Steelers in a game the Browns were up by 17 points at one point.  Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, William Green, Kellen Winslow Jr., Braylon Edwards, Kamerion Wimbley……..all 1st round picks for the Browns since their return, none reaching their potential.  Yes, Cleveland is the worst sports city around, but for some reason Browns fans still pack into the cleverly named Cleveland Browns Stadium each Sunday to watch their team lose game after game.

Fast forward to the 2012 NFL Draft.  The Browns make a move to draft the best running back on the board, Alabama RB Trent Richardson.  Things are looking up!  In the streets of Cleveland, they rejoice!  A few hours later, the Browns cap off the end of the Colt McCoy era by selecting a Quarterback who they think can lead their team to the promise land.  Unfortunately, that QB is 28 years old.  Let us put that in perspective for you:  At 28 years old, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had not only played in three AFC Championship games, he had WON two Super Bowl championships.  Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been to the playoffs in all four of his NFL seasons, and he is just 27.  Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers turns 28 this year, has won a Super Bowl, and still had enough time to sit on the bench, learning from future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre for three years before inheriting the starting role.

QB Brandon Weeden is 28 years old and will be a ROOKIE in 2012.  If he takes the usual development route of a rookie NFL quarterback and hits his stride in his third season, he will be 31 years old.  The average QB shelf life in the NFL is seven years.  Weeden is coming in from Oklahoma State, where he ran an offense that was built around throwing the ball 50+ times a game.  He will need to learn how to run a pro-style offense in one summer if he plans to start for the Browns in 2012.  Any way you slice it,for all of the good the Browns did with their Richardson pick – they undid it with the Weeden pick.

At least they brought in some more offensive play makers though, right?  Wrong.  Richardson will join the worst offense in football, with a rookie QB, and no additional help.  The Browns spent the rest of their eleven picks shoring up their defense and offensive line.  Project WR Travis Benjamin from Miami will ad another nameless face out there among Browns receivers.  The Browns did grab up some decent defensive talent though, stealing Boise State DT Billy Winn in the sixth round, and Texas OLB Emmanuel Acho directly before Winn.  Both should be immediate upgrades over the retreads the Browns sent out there in 2011.

Unfortunately, the Browns once again believe they need to “start over” on offense, and plan to do so with a 28 year old rookie QB over Colt McCoy, a player who played admirably in two seasons with virtually zero help.

Good luck Cleveland, Ohio.

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Little known fact:  NFL referees have training camp, too.  Often you’ll see different crews officiating scrimmages to get back into the swing of things.  One thing every team receives is a presentation by a crew chief where he explains to the players what refs are looking for when it comes to holding or interference and also any new rules which were put into place over the off-season.

Bill Leavy recently gave this talk to the Seattle Seahawks.   While there, Leavy took the opportunity to unburden his soul concerning his officiating in Super Bowl XL.   Quoth the zebra:

It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game, and as an official you never want to do that,” said the veteran of 15 NFL seasons and two Super Bowls.

Of course, this statement has reignited another bout of insipid crying from the five Seahawks fans still paying attention to that rag tag bunch of losers.   Steeler Nation has had to listen to the whining emanating from Seahawk Township for four years now.  Since their team has fallen into disgrace, I had hoped those latte sipping emo bastards would eventually shut up, get over it, and move on to more interesting pursuits such as cutting themselves while listening to Sonic Youth.

But noooooo….    Bill Leavy is tortured.  He “punted” two calls in the Super Bowl!   He’ll never be able to live with himself if he doesn’t confess his sins to a bunch of players who weren’t even on that team.  I get that Seattle hasn’t had anything remotely interesting going on since Nirvana hit it big in 1992.   And I completely understand the Seahawks franchise has to dwell on their one moment in the sun because they’ve been utterly forgettable the other 34 years of their existence.

But enough is enough.

Even Mike Pereira, the NFL’s former Head of Officiating and Leavy’s boss in 2006, has also had enough.  He penned a column for Fox Sports where he wrote, “Did Leavy’s calls determine the winner of Super Bowl XL?  Absolutely not!  In truth, there were missed calls that went against both teams.”

Well said, Mr. Pereira.  Honestly, I didn’t think this needed stated because I thought anybody with a brain in their head already knew the Steelers won Super Bowl XL fair and square.   The “two calls” Leavy claims to have punted were a holding penalty on Seattle which wiped out a play that put them at the Steelers 1 and a personal foul penalty on Matt Hasslebeck after Ike Taylor picked him off at the Steelers 5.

Yes, the holding penalty was ticky-tacky.   NEWSFLASH:  Most holding penalties are ticky-tacky.  The holding call on Justin Hartwig in Super Bowl XLIII that not only cost the Steelers a first down but resulted in a safety was ticky-tacky.   And for the record, Clark Haggans WAS being held.  Perhaps if Seattle’s line wasn’t so badly overmatched that they had to resort to cheating, the ref wouldn’t have had to penalize them.

The Hasselbeck personal foul occurred AFTER he threw an absolutely horrendous INT.  Sure it kept the Steelers from being backed up in their own end but we all know they would’ve marched down the field anyway.  Besides, worrying about the personal foul is like being mad about a cold when you have the Bubonic Plague.  Instead of crying about the 15 yards tacked on after the play, Seahawk Township should direct their ire at the Neil O’Donnell-esque pick their inept QB threw moments earlier.

Every game has some good calls and some bad calls.  Champions find a way to overcome adversity.   Against Indy earlier in the ’05 playoffs, the Steelers were robbed of a clear Troy Polamalu INT that almost cost them a victory.   They overcame the injustice to win.   In Super Bowl XLIII, no less than three ridiculous calls went against them, yet they still pulled it out.  To the credit of Arizona fans, at least they had the class and dignity to admit we were the better team and not carry on like five year old children who just lost at Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Seattle has nobody but themselves to blame for getting demolished in Super Bowl XL.  Ben Roethlisberger was utterly useless, finishing with a QB rating lower than his age.   The defense seemed nervous and tentative in the first half.  Seahawks kicker Josh Brown missed two easy field goals.   Jerramy Stevens played like he dipped his hands in butter before the game.   And Mike Holmgren‘s inept coaching led to some of the poorest clock management this side of Norv Turner.

The bottom line is this:  the refs didn’t allow Willie Parker to blast off a 75 yard touchdown run.   The refs didn’t force Hasselbeck into misfiring on one out of every two passes he attempted.  And the refs didn’t force the Seahawks to stand around like neon green traffic cones while the Steelers pulled the brilliant razzle dazzle of Antwaan Randle-El firing to a wide open Hines Ward for the back-breaking score.

If an NFL player or coach gets screwed by a bad call, the league fines them heavily if they so much as hint that the referee messed up (even if he obviously did).   Yet now we have a ref kissing a bunch of patchouli-smelling ass by stirring up a bunch of stuff with no basis in reality.   Do something useful for a change, Goodell.   Instead of suspending innocent quarterbacks who did nothing except have a little bit of fun with a ho in a bathroom, how about shutting this imbecile up?

Nobody wants to hear it anymore.