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Few states have produced more football talent than Ohio. Only Texas and Pennsylvania can claim more Pro Football Hall of Famers than the Buckeye State, and only Texas, California and Florida have more players in the NFL. Of those players in the NF…
Titans coach Mike Munchak has filled one of the biggest openings on his staff by hiring Jerry Gray away from the University of Texas to become Tennessee’s defensive coordinator. The Titans announced the move Saturday, a day after Munchak picked Gray up…
The ongoing mock draft at www.chinstrapninjas.com has been garnering plenty of attention and comments as we weave through the rounds. Some crazy picks and unorthodox moves have defined this draft.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5
For an easy-to-navigate list of all our 2010 fantasy football strategies, advice, rankings, sleepers, etc., go here.
What craziness happens in round six of our redraft mock? Check it out below:
6.01 Owen Daniels, HOU (jzak)
Second part of my Texas two-step, Daniels, much like Schaub, has an injury onus on him, but few seem to remember how dominating he was at tight end last year before succumbing to injury. He deserves to be selected before some of the other tight ends on this list, in my opinion, and considering how many TEs are off the board at this point, I’m happy to take him here.
6.02 Pierre Garcon (ep)
Bottom line: Garcon is the No. 2 receiver for the high-powered Colts offense and could outscore Reggie Wayne in fantasy leagues in 2010. That makes him an easy sixth-rounder.
6.03 Jay Cutler (consigliere)
What’s not to like here. He has put up big numbers the past two years and the interception number doesn’t scare me one bit. He has also had low INT totals dating back to his Vandy days.
He is the most talented quarterback Mike Martz has had, all due respect to Kurt Warner.
6.04 Arian Foster (sockonfl)
I was going to wait another round, but I feel he will be the full time starter in Houston. That’s worth a ton considering how well that offense played last year. He also caught the ball out of the backfield some last year too. He could turn into an every down back. Just the type of back I need to take a chance on.
6.05 – Marion Barber (jay-mo)
I’ll probably get some grief for this pick, but I’m not drafting to make friends nor am I following some cookie-cutter glossy magazine. I was looking at WR here, but I’m confident my target will last until the next round. So, why not take the best available player (in my opinion)?
Obviously, Barber is going to get compared to Felix Jones. Barber is the starter: advantage one. Barber scores more often (7 TDs vs. 3 TDs): advantage two. Barber had nearly twice as many carries than Felix (214 vs. 116): advantage three. More importantly to me, Barber is the No. 1 runner in the red zone: advantage four.
I know, I know … that was last year and all of the fantasy experts are saying differently. Well, are they calling the plays for Dallas? Don’t believe me, watch the preseason …
6.06 Fred Jackson, BUF (jzak)Not thrilled with Jackson, but he is the official starter in Buffalo. In fact, he’s the main fantasy weapon in Buffalo at the moment. He’s the starter, for what it’s worth, and helps provide some RB depth.
6.07 Ahmad Bradshaw (speedy)
This might be a little high for him, but he’s been getting the starting carries early in training camp.
6.08 – Terrell Owens (ryder)
I’m going to go ahead and pick one half of the co-diva reality star T.O. Although he is getting older he still has a good year left in him. He is in much better situation this year with the Bengals rather then the dreadful Buffalo offense from a season ago. I cant believe I’m going to say this, but I think Chad Ochocinco and T.O. will help each other. Here comes Batman & Robin.
6.09 – Joe Flacco, BAL (krause)
I was going to wait on a QB but I like Flacco’s upside this year. Everything Baltimore did in the offseason makes me think their going to score a lot. Now I have Flacco and Ray Rice so 90% of the time Baltimore scores, I score.
6.10 Matt Ryan (consigliere)
Looking for a bounce back year for Ryan here. He has some legit weapons and i expect Michael Turner to be a lot better this year.
I am grabbing a top-10 quarterback here and hoping he plays like it. Not really a lot to say i am happy to have my starting line up filled out, now i need to fix my bench.
6.11 — Vincent Jackson, SD (ep)
It’s a risk because of Jackson’s holdout, but no other receiver has a better chance to transform my team at this point in the draft. If one side caves — V-Jax, dude, you’re not Andre Johnson — I get a top-10 receiver in the sixth round.
6.12 Hines Ward (sockonfl)
Seeing that ep stole my pick here right before me, I had to make a change of plans. I decided to go with the ever consistent and highly underrated Hines Ward. He puts up consistent numbers year in and year out. I know Ben Roethlisberger is out early on, but he will still post some solid numbers throughout the season.
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I would like to apologize for not having Two-A-Days yesterday, I was having some computer problems. Today I will preview the Bengals and the Seahawks and to make up for yesterday I will preview the the Cowboys and the Panthers tomorrow.
This idea originated from ESPN’s Mike & Mike, right now I will preview the Cincinnati Bengals.
1.) Is Carson Palmer still one of the premiere QB’s in the NFL?
It’s closer than I thought at first. In 2009, Palmer led the Bengals to seven fourth-quarter comebacks. He still has the following guys ahead him: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, and Eli Manning. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco could also end up ahead of him. According to my current list, I have Palmer eighth, is that premiere? Not quite, just outside of that category.
2.) Can RB Cedric Benson put together another career season?
He finally broke out in 2009, with 1,251 yards in 301 attempts. You would have to expect his number of carries to decrease, thanks to the Bengals bolstering the passing attack. The offensive line is strong enough for an 1,000-yard rushing season also. Benson’s number will go down, but still break the 1,000-yard mark.
3.) Who will be the wideout who puts the big play back in Cincinatti’s passing game?
No matter what the duo says, Chad Ochocinco is batman to Terrell Owens’ robin. Last season, Chris Henry led the team in average yards per catch, before his tragic death. Jordan Shipley had this role at Texas, but may not have enough playing time to be established as the playmaker. Antonio Bryant is more of a physical presence although he has been clutch. Terrell Owens may be this guy if he hasn’t slowed down too much. Chad Ochocinco can also be the big-play man, depending on what offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski wants to do. The Bengals have several players who are capable of filling this role, but it is not clear who will.
4.) Will the defense take a step foward or backward in 2010?
The key here is Antwan Odom, who had eight sacks in four games before a season-ending injury. If Odom is healthy, the defense should improve. The rest of the defensive line is also solid, with Robert Geathers, Domato Peko, and Tank Johnson as the other three starters.
Dhani Jones is the heart of the defense and the veteran of the linebacking core. Keith Rivers has proved to be very steady and consistent as a player. Rey Maualuga made progress in 2009 considering he had never played at strongside linebacker before.
The cornerback combo of Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall is one of the elite pairings in the league. Roy Williams and Chris Crocker are past there prime, but still get the job done at both safety spots.
The answer is step forward because of Antwan Odom’s return.
5.) The Cincinatti Bengals’ record will be…
10-6 and finish second in the AFC North.
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You start off with one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history, Ray Lewis. His speeches will make you want to throw on some pads and hit somebody. You throw in a well rounded veteran wide receiver in Derrick Mason, who decided against retirement when his life long friend Steve McNair was killed.
Those are just two of the most important staples on the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have a feel good story almost everywhere you look and that’s why behind the speeches of Ray Lewis, the Ravens could surprise and make a strong Super Bowl run.
Every team starts with their coach and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was brought in for the 2008 season, instilled a winning tradition and never give up mentality to this team. He wasn’t the only rookie to come in for the Ravens in ’08.
Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco also arrived in ’08 and the only thing the naked eye knew about this kid from Delaware was that he had a gun-slinger arm. Little did anyone know that this rookie, Flacco who had Mason and veteran tight end Todd Heap to throw to, would wind up in the AFC Championship game.
It didn’t stop there. Although Willis McGahee and ’07 fourth-round pick Le’Ron McClain were already in town the Ravens drafted Ray Rice, a 5’8″ 210-pound running back out of Rutgers. Quietly, the Ravens were becoming a dominant team.
Fast forward to 2009 and the Ravens had a movie star in their draft. First-round pick Michael Oher who was featured in the movie “The Blind Side” was an instant hit on the team, becoming an All-Pro left tackle. He was also Flacco’s best friend. Oher, who barely knew football before his senior year in high school has quickly become one of the most dominant forces in the NFL.
With all that, the Ravens finished 9-7 (second in the AFC North) and Ray Rice had a combined 2,000+ yards from scrimmage. The good things on the Ravens, just got better. Although they did lose the AFC Divisional playoff game to the Colts the Ravens had plans to make their team even better for the 2010-11′ season.
Off season: 2010. The Ravens highlighted the off-season trade marker when they acquired Pro Bowler, Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals. The Ravens also added Donte’ Stallworth who was given a second chance by the league after a year long suspension after he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.
In the draft the Ravens picked up two tight ends, Dennis Pitta (BYU) and Ed Dickson (Oregon) for replacements when veteran Todd Heap decides to hang them up. The Ravens also drafted Sergio Kindle (Texas) and Terrence “Mount” Cody (Alabama) to furthermore improve their already astonishing defense.
So as the 2010-11′ season begin the Ravens are ready. Even with All-Pro safety Ed Reed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform list) to begin the year there are whispers he may fight back to return by week one.
Take a quick look at the first thing said about a lot of the Ravens player’s and you will easily find the motivation to not only like their team but root for them to do well. Joe Flacco (who?), Ray Rice (to small), Donte’ Stallworth (never be the same) Anquan Boldin (never a true number one), Derrick Mason, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Todd Heap (to old). The Ravens have no problem with what the critics say.
The Ravens also have many injuries in their secondary with corner-back Domonique Foxworth lost for the season to a torn ACL and two guys, Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington trying to come back from torn ACL injuries. If you throw in Ed Reed who has already been mentioned with his PUP placement (hip injury) some may count the Ravens out.
As a Bengals fan I can acknowledge this team as not only one of the most well rounded teams in the league but one of the most inspirational. A lot of players on this team have been questioned on what they can do but actions speak louder then words.
It’s hard to say that about a team who’s leader (Ray Lewis) has the most memorable, inspiring and loudest pre-game chants in the league. The Ravens will be a very scary team to mess with in the NFL this season and that is one story that won’t need inspiration.
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