NFL News, Rumors, Scores, Predictions, and Stats

The Cleveland Browns are sitting in the bottom of the AFC North with a 1-5 record in this 2010 NFL regular season, but there are a few bright spots too.”Devoid of talent.”"They will not compete until they have playmakers.”"Without talent the Browns wil…

As the Eagles prepare for their first preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars, I had the chance to speak with Michael Corrao over at JacksonvilleJaguarsBlog.com. He answered a number of questions for us, and I’d like to thank him for taking the time out to speak with me. Check out the interview below.

Also, I answered a number of questions for him, so make sure to check it out here.

BirdsFan.com: The Jaguars were able to have a top 10 draft pick this year. Tell us where you thought the teams biggest need was going into the Draft, who you expected them to take, and your thoughts on their selection of Tyson Alualu.

JacksonvilleJaguarsBlog.com: Going into the draft, the consensus was that the Jaguars desperately needed a disruptive defensive lineman who could apply pressure on the opposing quarterback. Fortunately, this past draft was loaded with talented defensive lineman. However, I did not expect Gene Smith (Jaguars GM) to take a defensive tackle with the 10th overall selection. Rumor was that Smith was actively looking for a trade partner to move down and acquire more picks. Unfortunately, Smith only received one low-ball offer from an unknown team.

Stuck with the 10th pick, I assumed Smith was ready to take one of the top DE’s in Brandon Graham, Jason Pierre-Paul, or Derrick Morgan. Safety Earl Thomas was also scouted heavily by the Jaguars leading up to the draft.

When Roger Goodell announced Tyson Alualu was the pick, I grinned. Gene Smith must know something I don’t, I thought at the time. After watching some highlight clips of the guy, I started liking the selection more and more. And so far, he’s done nothing but impress the coaches and fans.

BF: After selecting 10th overall, the Jags had five other picks, but all were in the third round or later. Have any of these picks been impressive in training camp so far and do any of them have a chance of making the final roster?

JBB: The Jaguars 3rd round pick, D’Anthony Smith, a defensive end out of Louisiana Tech, is most likely going to miss this season with an ankle injury he suffered a day ago. It’s not fun to see a guy like that go down so early on, but the defensive line as a whole has been impressive in training camp which makes up for the loss.

Both 5th round picks were used on defensive ends Larry Hart and Austen Lane. Gene Smith and Jack Del Rio envision Hart as a Robert Mathis clone—an undersized pass rusher who can pressure the quarterback. Hart has shown great speed off the edge in TC so far, but needs to work on his run-stopping game. Lane is a tremendously-sized guy, standing at 6′7″, but what’s amazing about him is his quickness off the edge despite his size.

The last two selections the Jaguars made were on return specialists. Deji Karim is a smallish running back who was drafted for his big play ability in the return game but also looks good running the ball between and outside the tackles. Scotty McGee was known as an electrifying return man in college and now will most likely handle the punt returner duties.

BF: Looking back to the 2009-10 season, where would you say the Jaguars biggest weakness was offensively and what have they done to improve upon it? How about defensively?

JBB: The Jaguars were not good up front on either side of the football in 2009. The offensive line was a work in progress going into the season, with two new tackles and two guards coming back from injury. The only bright spot on the defensive line was run-stuffer Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton, who also flashed some pass rushing ability.

However, it didn’t make up for the league-low 14 sacks the defense had. Gene Smith made it a priority during the offseason to fix the defensive line, bringing in veteran DE Aaron Kampman and the rookies mentioned above. A new defensive line coach, Joe Cullen, was hired also, which may prove to be one of the best moves the Jaguars made all offseason. Every player has raved about Cullen and the passion he brings every day.

BF: From an outsider’s perspective, what are your thoughts on the Donovan McNabb trade and how do you think Kevin Kolb will perform in 2010?

JBB: It made sense for the Eagles to move on. McNabb was a great player for a long time, but the Eagles had a younger, cheaper quarterback with a higher ceiling waiting in the wings.

Kolb will most likely experience some growing pains as he leads the Eagles in 2010. Whether he learns from his mistakes or not, we will soon find out. I think he’ll be able to put together some nice games, but I think the Eagles will fall short of the playoffs with Kolb at the helm for his first season.

BF: In a matchup with the Eagles, where do you think the Jaguars will have an advantage offensively? Defensively?

JBB: I think the Jaguars have an advantage at the quarterback and running back positions on offense. David Garrard beats out Kevin Kolb purely based on experience. I think Maurice Jones-Drew, complemented by an elusive Rashad Jennings, is as good as any running back duo in the NFL. On defense, the Eagles may be better at every position besides Linebacker.

BF: Thus far in camp, who are some of those players that we may not know that are really turning heads?

JBB: Ko Quaye, an undrafted DT the Jaguars picked up this offseason has looked real good so far. Vic Kethman (senior editor of Jaguars.com) has been raving about him since the start of TC. Nate Hughes, a WR who’s been with the Jaguars for a couple of years, is a young speedster who has shown a pretty good set of hands. He may steal a roster spot from veteran Troy Williamson.

BF: I’d say that David Garrard has been a pretty average quarterback thus far in his career. Do you expect him to elevate his game in 2010 or will we see more of the same?

JBB: We may see some progress in how quickly Garrard scans the field and chooses a target, but I’m expecting more of the same. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as Garrard has proven to be effective when he has a solid O-Line in front of him and a great running game (see 2007).

BF: Maurice Jones-Drew has emerged as one of the leagues best running backs. How has he looked in camp so far and should we expect him to run wild in 2010?

JBB: Jones-Drew has looked tremendous in training camp so far and may be even better this season. He’s added a few new moves to his running repertoire, including a nasty cutback that could be breaking many ankles this season.

If you own the first pick in your fantasy football league, don’t buy into the Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson hype. I’d take MJD. It’s also funny to note that MJD drafts himself every year in his fantasy football league, and he’s serious about it, so you know he’s running hard each week.

BF: In what areas may the Eagles have the upper hand on offense? Defense?

JBB: Wide Receiver for sure. The Eagles seem to be stacked at that position this season. Offensive Line may go to the Eagles at this point as well. On defense, the Eagles clearly have an advantage on the defensive line and in the secondary. I’m excited to see how well Brandon Graham performs opposite of Trent Cole this season.

BF: Aaron Kampman was a big offseason addition for the Jaguars. Give us your thoughts on the pickup and the impact it will have for the Jags defense.

JJB: He’s been a great pickup. He’s been at the facility every day, working hard and leading by example. The injury that ended his season last year has seemingly disappeared. He’s got a quick first step and can stop the run. He adds a great veteran presence to a young defensive line that needs one after the departure of John Henderson.

BF: Give me a score prediction.

JJB: The Jaguars usually have success against the Eagles, so I’ll predict the Jaguars will take this one 24-20.

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If you’re depressed about how much money you make, look away now.

With Russell Okung and CJ Spiller finally in the fold, all the first round picks from the 2010 NFL Draft have finally signed.

With help from our forum member Brady T, check out the contract numbers we’ve compiled for the first rounders this season:

#1 – Sam Bradford, QB, STL – Six years, $78 million ($50M guaranteed)
#2 – Ndamukong Suh, DT, DET – Five years, $68 million ($40M guaranteed)
#3 – Gerald McCoy, DT, TB –  Five years, $63 million ($35M guaranteed)
#4 – Trent Williams, OT, WAS – Six years, $60 million ($36.75M guaranteed)
#5 – Eric Berry, S, KC – Six years, $60 million ($34M guaranteed)
#6 – Russell Okung, OT, SEA – Six years, $58 million ($30 million guaranteed)
#7 – Joe Haden, CB, CLE – Five years, $50 million ($26M guaranteed)
#8 – Rolando McClain, LB, OAK – Five years, $40 million ($23M guaranteed)
#9 – C.J. Spiller, RB, BUF – Five years, $37.5 million, ($20.8M guaranteed)
#10 – Tyson Alualu, DE, JAC – Five years, $28 million ($17.5M guaranteed)
#11 – Anthony Davis, OT, SF – Five years, $26.5 million ($16M guaranteed)
#12 – Ryan Mathews, RB, SD – Five years, $25.65 million ($15M guaranteed)
#13 – Brandon Graham, DE, PHI – Five years, $22 million ($14M guaranteed)
#14 – Earl Thomas, S, SEA – Five years, $21.1 million ($12.32M guaranteed)
#15 – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG – Five years, $20.05 million ($11.63M guaranteed)
#16 – Derrick Morgan, DE, TEN – Five years – terms undisclosed
#17 – Mike Iupati, OG, SF – Five years – $18.25 million ($10.8M guaranteed)
#18 – Maurkice Pouncey, C, PIT –  Five years – terms undisclosed
#19 – Sean Weatherspoon, LB, ATL – Five years, $17.5 million ($10.5M Guaranteed)
#20 – Kareem Jackson, CB, HOU –  Five years, $16.3 million ($13.35M guaranteed)
#21 – Jermaine Gresham, TE, CIN – Five years, $15.8 million ($9.6M guaranteed)
#22 – Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN – Five years, $15.5 million ($9.35M guaranteed)
#23 – Brian Bulaga, OT, GB – Five years, $14.75 million ($8.76M guaranteed)
#24 – Dez Bryant, WR, DAL – Five years, $11.8 million ($8.3M guaranteed)
#25 – Tim Tebow, QB, DEN – Five years, $11.25 million ($8.7M guaranteed)
#26 – Dan Williams, DT, ARI – Five years, terms undisclosed
#27 – Devin McCourty, CB, NE – Five years, $13.2 million ($7.825 guaranteed)
#28 – Jared Odrick, DT, MIA – Five year contract, $13 million ($7.133M guaranteed)
#29 – Kyle Wilson, CB, NYJ – Five years, $13 million ($7 million guaranteed)
#30 – Jahvid Best, RB, DET –  Five years, $9.8 million (guaranteed money undisclosed)
#31 – Jerry Hughes, DE, IND – Five years, $12 million (guaranteed money undisclosed)
#32 – Patrick Robinson, CB, NO – Five years, terms undisclosed

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The NFC West could well be the NFL’s weakest division. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be hotly contested within and relevant for NFL preseason picks . Let’s have a look at the 2010 breakdown. 

ARIZONA CARDINALS  

NFL futures odds: +250 

The Cards have plenty of questions to answer in 2010. Can Matt Leinart fill Kurt Warner’s massive shoes? Will Early Doucet or Steve Breaston step up at receiver with Anquan Boldin gone? Who will lead the defense now that Karlos Dansby has changed teams? It’s very tough to imagine Arizona not taking one or even several steps back this season. It was a nice two-year run, though. 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS  

NFL futures odds: -110 

This looks like the year San Francisco puts it all together. It’s worked hard to build a powerhouse offensive line—and that will only make Frank Gore better in the backfield. It also takes the pressure off Alex Smith, who can play the caretaker role and has some good targets in Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. Mike Singletary has also whipped the defense into shape. Patrick Willis is about as good a student as he could ask for. 

Anything less than an NFC West title will be a disappointment for the 49ers, who are the clear-cut sportsbook favorites. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS  

NFL futures odds: +300 

The Seahawks won’t become a contender again overnight, but they at least have a few pieces in place to start a turnaround. They have a new coach in Pete Carroll, who will take his second crack at NFL success after his USC glory days. They had a huge draft, getting both tackle Russell Okung and safety Earl Thomas, not to mention Notre Dame wideout Golden Tate. 

So Seattle has reason for future optimism but it’s too early to expect much in 2010. The “D” still has plenty of holes and the key offensive skill players, such as Matt Hasselbeck and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, are banged up and long in the tooth. 

ST. LOUIS RAMS  

NFL futures odds: +1000 

While it’s true that we’ve seen three rookie quarterbacks—Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Mark Sanchez—lead their teams into the playoffs in the last two seasons, we shouldn’t expect Sam Bradford to do the same in St. Louis. He doesn’t have the supporting cast that those QBs had. Bradford has a great shot to become a star eventually but throwing to the likes of Laurent Robinson and Donnie Avery as a rookie won’t exactly pad his stats. 

Make no bones about it—the Rams still have a very long way to go. They had the NFC’s worst defense last year and, aside from Steven Jackson, their top offensive players are inexperienced. 

The NFL pick:  This is a division full of highly flawed teams—but San Francisco looks by far the last flawed. If Alex Smith can continue progressing, the 49ers’ defense and running game will support him enough to win the NFC West.

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It’s pretty clear that the thing holding up an agreement between the Seahawks and left tackle Russell Okung is the length of the contract, and the way to get around that is to make the sixth year voidable through excellent play by Okung.

Typically, agents want shorter contracts so their players can reach free agency sooner. The Seahawks surely are pushing for six years, while Okung’s agent, Peter Schaffer, is probably holding out for five.

The top 16 players in the first round can be signed for up to six years, while players chosen in the bottom 16 can be signed only for five years.

Of this year’s top 16, only three have signed six-year contracts, while 10 have signed five-year deals and three, including Okung, are unsigned.

The only ones who have signed six-year deals are No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, No. 4 pick Trent Williams and No. 5 pick Eric Berry.

Thus, it appears Okung, the sixth pick, is right on the five-or-six cutoff.

Schaffer has most likely pointed out the dearth of six-year deals, and he also may have pointed out that the Seahawks signed their other first-rounder, No. 14 Earl Thomas, for five years, even though he fell within the top 16 and could have been signed for six years.

Schaffer might also be using the 2009 No. 6 pick, Andre Smith, as an example. After a long holdout last summer, Smith signed a four-year deal with Cincinnati, although the Bengals can tack on two more years after the 2010 season.

The Seahawks surely have used the same argument they used last year, when they insisted on a six-year deal with linebacker Aaron Curry, the No. 4 pick. And they also may have pointed out that the other top-six tackle, Williams, signed a six-year deal.

If length is indeed the holdup, the sides could easily fix that with a voidable year. A base six-year deal could be voided to five if, for example, Okung makes the Pro Bowl at least once or plays at least 75 percent of the snaps in his first four seasons. Basically, make him earn the voided year.

The money should not be an issue. Williams, Berry, and Haden all have deals that reportedly average $10 million a year.

Williams’ guaranteed money breaks down to $6.1 million per year, Berry’s is $5.67 million and Haden’s is $5.2 million.

That means Okung’s guaranteed cash will be somewhere between $5.2 million and $5.6 million, so perhaps $32 million in a six-year deal or $27 million in a five-year contract.

If the voided year is used, the Seahawks could include a clause requiring Okung to buy back the sixth year for the amount of the prorated guaranteed money.

It’s hard to believe both sides will quibble over the sixth year for very long. The Seahawks did business with Schaffer earlier this offseason when they signed another of his clients, guard Ben Hamilton.

This business should be wrapped up pretty soon, too.

Meanwhile, at least the Seahawks have one of their first-rounders under contract. Thomas’ deal, $12.3 million guaranteed in a five-year deal worth $21.1 million, is exactly what we expected .

Speaking of things we expected … By all reports, Matt Hasselbeck is in complete command of the offense, while Charlie Whitehurst is still struggling and J.P. Losman is as inconsistent as ever.

Ever since Whitehurst was acquired in the one-sided deal with San Diego, there has been no question among savvy Seahawk observers that Hasselbeck will be Seattle’s starter in 2010.

Carroll and Jeremy Bates like him a lot. They want to be successful immediately, and they know Hasselbeck is their best chance to do that. The key, as everyone knows, is for Hasselbeck to stay healthy, and he should do that behind an improved line.

The hope, as it was last year, is that Hasselbeck plays like he did in 2007 and makes all of the Hassel-haters sit down and shut up.

One guy who could help Hasselbeck is recently signed guard Chester Pitts, although Carroll revealed that the 31-year-old veteran could take a couple of months to be ready as he works back from microfracture knee surgery.

Pitts had the surgery just 10 months ago, and it usually takes a couple of years to come back from that invasive procedure (an older Walter Jones did not come back from it).

Carroll said he wants to see Pitts play in the preseason, but it would not be surprising to see Pitts open the season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list and miss the first six games, as Marcus Trufant did last year.

Carroll seems like he is willing to wait.

“We’re very pleased to have him,” Carroll told reporters. “He’s a very important part of this offensive line unit. He’s a big asset for us when he gets back out here.”

One guy who decided not to get back out there is Sean Morey, the former Pro Bowl special-teamer the Seahawks signed in March.

The concussion-prone, 34-year-old veteran decided to retire before camp, and that’s actually fortuitous news for the Seahawks.

With Morey gone before even playing a snap, he won’t count as a signed free agent, and the Seahawks are now back in line for a fourth- or fifth-round compensatory pick next year.

Among the free agents who count in that equation, the Seahawks have added only one (Hamilton) and have lost two (receiver Nate Burleson and defensive lineman Cory Redding).

With Burleson hauling in $5 million per year from Detroit, that likely will net Seattle a fifth-rounder (possibly a fourth) in next year’s draft.

It would help make up for that gratuitous 2011 third-rounder the Seahawks gave up for Whitehurst.

Speaking of draft picks and trades, the release of Robert Henderson means the Seahawks essentially traded guard Rob Sims for fifth-round safety Kam Chancellor.

The Lions also got a seventh-rounder in that deal, which they used on N.C. State defensive end Willie Young.

Find out how the Seahawks are depending on player-coaches in this camp , see why Pete Carroll is better prepared to succeed  coming from college than Dennis Erickson was and read why Tod Leiweke’s tenure was a success , all Outside The Press Box .  

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