2008 NFL ANTICIPATION

Predictions? Hopes? Prayers? Dreams?

Praying the pats defensive backfield can work. I'm hoping this isn't like 2005 when they started something like 45 different guys. that team had no consistency, hoping it doesn't happen again.

This is the Lions' year, y'all!

hahaahahahaaha

looking forward to the distinct lack of brett-favre-fun-having

He'll have fun somehow.

is ANYONE willing to go on record as predicting a Giants repeat?

i'm looking forward to favre schadenfreude.

Shockeytrade is going to make it hard to root for Saints this year.

looking forward to the browns going 10-6 and suffering a humbling 45-14 beatdown in round one to the steelers

is ANYONE willing to go on record as predicting a Giants repeat?

(raises hand) Sure, why not?

sorry giants fans ;_;

i, too, am stoked young forks~

predictions!!!!

nfc south: panthers
nfc east: urr... eagles
nfc west: squawks
nfc north: packers i guess
wc1 cowboys
wc2 vikes, skins, rams, saints? who knows/cares

afc south: indy
afc east: pats
afc west: chargers
afc north: pittsblorgh
wc1: bills!!!*
wc2: bengals**

*i really mean the jags :(
**lol

can't go out on a limb for the giants after they spent the whole offseason hemorrhaging talent

I am already feeling sorry for the skins fans again after that taylor trade. ladies and gentlemen dan snyder

I def feel good about the giants though since their entire playoff run and SB victory was kind of a celebration of depth and scheme

they spent the whole offseason hemorrhaging talent

you should see about a job with ESPN

damn that was mean

damn that was mean

-- El Tomboto, Thursday, July 24, 2008 8:41 AM (5 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

lol sup lilshowstoppa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTosQerWBzU

DAMN IM MEAN AS HELL

-- El Tomboto

my jobo es loco atm but I have made my goals to be 1. labor day 2. the weekend following

this reg season looks to be much more exciting since it doesn't seem quite so likely to shape up as "please jesus won't somebody kill romo and brady" super-boring deterministic march to playoffs

Army orders Lions draft pick Campbell to duty

By LARRY LAGE – 7 hours ago

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL. "He was issued a helmet, ready to go," coach Rod Marinelli said Wednesday.

Now, Campbell is closer to joining his fellow West Point graduates in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army revised its interpretation of U.S. Department of Defense policy two weeks ago regarding soldiers playing professional sports, requiring cadets to complete two years of active duty before applying for a release. Campbell and the Lions didn't officially receive notice of the change until the eve of training camp.

"It's unfortunate, but it doesn't mean Caleb Campbell's dream is dead. It just means it will be delayed," Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb told The Associated Press. "We want to take care of soldiers and dashing their hopes is not what we intend. But it is what it is."

Edgecomb said minor league baseball players Nick Hill and Milan Dinga, former West Point standouts, will be allowed to finish their seasons before eventually joining their units.

"We did an internal review of our policy and found that based on the DOD policy, we needed to adjust our policy," Edgecomb said Wednesday.

Campbell agreed to contract terms, but the seventh-round pick did not sign the deal. The Lions will retain his rights until the 2009 draft, but he will not be eligible to play until 2010.

"Obviously, he's disappointed," said Marinelli, a Vietnam veteran. "But I obviously know what he's about. He got his orders and he's ready to report."

When Detroit drafted Campbell in April, it created a lot of publicity and led to some debate whether it was fair for a cadet to play pro sports while classmates were at war.

"There were a lot of questions. Why is this kid going to be able to pursue this opportunity?" Campbell recalled in April. "I had a lot of guys come up to me. I think initially they were confused. They didn't understand the aspect of this whole situation. But it was never anything vulgar, just a lot of questions, a lot of curiosity from my fellow cadets.

"Now that they understand the policy, they understand how this is going to benefit the Army. Whenever I'm settled in, I will report to the local recruiting station in the area and I will take it very seriously. It's my job in the United States Army. This is how I'm serving my country."

The buzz might have also made the Navy and Air Force bitter because their graduates were playing under different rules under the same Department of Defense directive, which was implemented in 1994, reiterated in 2007 and again just a few days after the NFL draft.

"The policy has not changed," Department of Defense spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter ruled last month that Mitch Harris must serve a five-year active duty commitment. Harris, a 22-year-old pitcher with a 95-mph fastball, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round in this year's draft.

Harris acknowledged being surprised by the ruling because Campbell was being allowed to pursue football while completing his military service as a recruiter and in the reserves.

"Army has redefined the Alternative Service Option to include playing professional sports," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk has said. "Our coaches are now operating under a significant handicap when recruiting head-to-head with Army. It may not be reflected on the playing field today, but I can guarantee you that it will result in a competitive disadvantage down the road."

The Air Force agreed, saying the academies recruit cadets from the same pool of candidates.

Last month, the Army embraced the advantage.

"The real advantage for the Army is just the amount of publicity we get," Edgecomb said in an AP story published on June 13. "When you think about it, who's the best recruiter for the Navy you can think of? David Robinson. He's called the Admiral, for goodness sake. The attention that we get in our primary demographic to have someone playing sports who's in the Army, that's where (we) in the Army see the advantage in this program."

Before he became a superstar center with the San Antonio Spurs, Robinson served two years of active duty for the Navy after graduating from the academy in the 1980s. He benefited from a policy that allowed him to apply for an early release to pursue "an activity with potential recruiting or public affairs benefit to the Navy and Marine Corps."

In 1986, Navy running back Napoleon McCallum played his rookie year with the Los Angeles Raiders while stationed at the Long Beach, Calif., naval base.

The Army changed its policy on July 8, but it wasn't until July 23 that the Lions received a letter from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Liba, informing them in writing that Campbell had to cease playing football in order to perform "full time traditional military duties," until at least 2010.

"It's unfortunate that the timing of the new policy is happening at the same time that he was about to begin trying out, but that's not something we planned," Edgecomb said. "But he's been at West Point for four years and he went there to be an officer. What he's accomplished on a football field has been outstanding, but what he'll accomplish as a soldier will be even greater."

How many seventh rounders make the team anyway?

marty moore was mr. irrelevant with the pats in the mid 90s and he played for 10 years.

there are UFAs who make teams every year too.

the greatest ufa of all thyme just retired!!!

My boss just informed me that he has season tix to the Jets and that I'm welcome to tag along to most games/tailgates this season = I am suddenly a very big Jets fan.

afc north: pittsblorgh
wc1: bills!!!*
wc2: bengals**

cankles y u braek jim hart

looking forward to tom brady getting me 50+ fantasy points every week.

"marty moore was mr. irrelevant with the pats in the mid 90s and he played for 10 years."

My point is that he's not exactly guaranteed a spot like a first or second rounder would be, so this whole exercise may be academic.

yeah could be but it's not unheard of for a guy to make the team either. esp. on a team like detroit.

I don't think Detroit got rooked because a seventh round draft pick is usually worthless. I understand there are exceptions.

brownie, i want so bad to root for the brownz, but i just have a BAD FEELIN about this year what with the ninety million primetime games and the hype and idk man. not the most scientific perspective but there u go.

i will say tho that most of their best players are young and yet-to-reach-their-prime, which means the best is yet to come. they'll be a competetive team for years 2 cum~

ninety million primetime games

yeah, I thought this was cool when I first saw the schedule but now it seems like a recipe for CHOKE

Cleveland
Hates
Origami,
Kankles and
Ecumenical debate

mostly, ecumenical debate, i hear.

(but don't tell that to the flks at john carroll!)

ha! my alma mater!

haha, favre is actually going to attend camp this weekend. this is insane.

new desktop: http://blogs.takepart.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/miami-superbowl.gif
the fever is creeping into my marrow

god. i dreamed last night that the season had somehow started without my knowledge and that the vikings beat the bills in the opener 55-0. that was, like, my whole dream. and then i was all sad when i woke up. i think this means that i am tired of waiting.

Political talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh said if the St. Louis Rams came up for sale, he might be interested in buying the team.

:(((((((((((((((((((((

I don't think he really has either the clout or the money to make that happen.

i'll bet he's got both. i mean, HE might not have the money but he probably has enough to be the principle shareholder. the dude makes 9 figures.

nine fi--waht? seriously?

yep. astounding and depressing isn't it?

oh, excuse me he doesn't. his SIGNING bonus was $100M, his 8 year deal is $400M.

but that's just for the radio show. i'm sure he has endorsements and speaking engagements that add to that.

Even if he can't buy the Rams, he could probably just buy Marc Bulger and make him work in his garden.

Rams=bedshitters in '08

ARE WE THERE YET

broncos cut john lynch

also, the dolphins cut cornerback Scorpio Babers. let's all marinate on that name for a second~

sounds like a tom clancy character.

Jared Lorenzen now a Colt

omg yay! i love him!

pillsbury throwboy can now carve "BFD MANNING" on two benches

So are there any good preview magazines anymore, or is getting this shit on the internet the best way to go?

I kinda need it on paper so i can read it on subway.

I ordered a football outsiders robot punter shirt

yeah I'd like something on paper so I can read it on the can

So now that there's no Inside the NFL or NFL Primetime (sniff), what am I supposed to watch to get my weekly football highlights fix? This is a serious matter here folks.

Can you believe they fucking canceled Inside the NFL???

new skins dc greg blache on rookie performance in the preseason:

"Rookies are fine and dandy, and I'm glad to see them progressing," said Blache, a notoriously blunt coach. "But I don't fall in love with rookies. You're better to fall in love with a stripper than a rookie, because they'll break your heart. They really will. We will give them some time and let them prove themselves if they are worthy of it."

snrub: you don't like football night in america? that bob costas is DREAMY!

Wasn't Blache DC at Chicago when Urlacher was a rookie? Is he an idiot?

urlacher was one rookie among what, 7 draftees and umpteen ufa's? how many other rookies have had an impact on blache's teams? or most teams?

Rookies are fine and dandy, btw

i think it loses something in print. it was probably more, "rookies are fine. and dandy."

The Sporting News print edition has been handy for NFL previews. They even got criticized in the letters section since the week after Boston won its first NBA championship in 20 years, they put David Tyree on the cover.

typical st. louis douchebaggery.

Pre-season has arrived ... T-minus 6 hours 30 minutes till I pretend to care about stuff like this:

"Look at the attention I get - It's because I throw a football. But that's what society values. That's not what God values"

Sporting News' web addition is awesome!

I am really fucking excited for this season now

I may actually purchase a copy of the prospectus? y/n

It's only $15 so y

Bernie Kosar last night as the sky turned cloudy, "The weather is darkening". When Kosar throws out the first mixed metaphor it's officially on.

i saw the 2nd half of the bears game, receivers who couldn't catch and a 3rd string qb who looked good to go along with a deft fullback. wish i'd seen the first half.

oh, and a 6'7" 260 lb tight end who can fucking move and displayed nice hands/body awareness.

brownie, is it just me or does Bernie always sound like he's drunk?

Browns looked pretty good. I also saw some Raven highlights. Some pretty poor quarterback play there in Bodymore.

I may actually purchase a copy of the prospectus? y/n

-- El Tomboto, Friday, 8 August 2008 07:55 (10 hours ago) Link

i bought it; wouldn't bother

i should start a thread about this

Philadelphia Eagles - Agreed to terms with running back Brian Westbrook on a new contract.

Dolphins sign Pennington to 2-year deal

God did the Browns' corners look pisspoor.

Dolphins sign Pennington to 2-year deal

it's only a matter of minutes before someone gives me shit in the Favre thread.

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

guess we're bringing him in to mentor, but then does that mean we're getting rid of McCown?

Nice that we have four quarterbacks and FUCKING NOBODY TO THROW TO! but this is a rebuilding phase, we'll have to deal

I dunno that the Jets got the best of this, I mean....Pennington will probably play more seasons than Favre will, and do they really have that much faith in Kellen Clemens?

this is the first time i can recall in MANY years that the skins have not looked like utter crap in the preseason. marcus mason, the pride of georgetown prep, is looking good for a backup RB role.

Yes. Bernie always sounds drunk but that's Northeast Ohio! Amirite! The dude is straight talk express LLC and there's no denying that what he's selling I'm buying.

Also, I can't believe how Cleveland has gone beserk this pre-season. With the Steelers, Colts, Cowboys and Giants at home we're looking at riots IN THE STREETS.

http://www.detroitartistsworkshop.org/Visual/LeniSinclairStudio/LeniMC5/LeniMC5JPEG/MC5inBuffalo.jpg

http://www.clevelandseniors.com/images/asian-indian/dennis-kucinich-and-wife.jpg

BROWNIE THE ELF CONTEST WINNERS CONTAINED HEREIN

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/elf_contest/

I've decided to live blog the upcoming season when I get a computer!

I've decided to get a computer!

^live blogging has already started

Nice that we have four quarterbacks and FUCKING NOBODY TO THROW TO!

patriots won two superbowls this way. only with fewer quarterbacks.

ilu brownie!!!

cankles otm

I think the most amazing thing about BK is that HIS FATHEAD IS SOLD OUT.

-- brownie, Monday, March 5, 2007 9:58 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

ok that is because they only made 5 of them.

-- the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Monday, March 5, 2007 10:06 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

DEMAND HAS OUTSTRIPPED SUPPLY U MEAN

-- brownie, Monday, March 5, 2007 10:10 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

I wonder what the foreign worker thinks after toiling 12 hours a day at the Fathead plant in order to keep up with America's insatiable demand for everything Kosar. Will this orange helmeted god return to deliver the oppressed masses from their sadistic bosses? The answer is, probably.

-- brownie, Monday, March 5, 2007 10:18 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

<3 <3 <3

:-0

http://www.myteamprints.com/images/football/lrg/3083.jpg

Nice spiral.

The good news: Jared Lorenzen threw for two touchdown passes in his first preseason game of 2008. The bad news: He did it for the Colts. J-Load 1, G-Men 0. This will be the centerpiece of his autobiography, Mannings I Have Known, available soon.

haha yeah i loved that

matt ryan looked solid; good reads, good decisions, good velocity, shaky accuracy. roddy white bailed him out on a bunch of catches. ryan used his cadence right off the bat to catch the jags offsides a few times, that was neat to see

am I completely balls-out wrong btw in thinking the seahawks might have a scary defense this year

not that I give a shit about the NFC west really

matt ryan looked solid; good reads, good decisions, good velocity, shaky accuracy.

weird, i was half keeping an eye on him in camp and the one thing the coach was saying was that his accuracy was good.

yeah the seahawks D could be nasty. i know more about this than i really want to, since i read field gulls so much. they had one of the best defensive fronts in football last year, and they've got a lot in their favor this year - promising rookies (lawrence jackson, red bryant), young talent on-the-rise (brandon mebane, daryl tapp, leroy hill) and two superstars in their prime (tatupu, peterson). but there's a lot that can go wrong too - kerney's 07 was amazing but his age-related decline is sure to begin posthaste. he'll still be very good, he just shouldn't be dominant. marcus tubbs was cut after failing a physical a week or two ago, and red bryant is gonna miss something like 6 weeks.

i did get the impression last year that seattle's pass rushers got an extra step just from playing @ qwest field, +witness how they ended up getting bullied by the packers @ green bay. but overall, defense is clearly the strength of this team by a significant margin.

i was kinda surprised re: ryan too, but i figure it's jitters. the falcons have all the pieces to field a pretty competetive offense within a few years... defense is gonna take a lot longer tho i think.

I may actually purchase a copy of the prospectus? y/n

-- El Tomboto, Friday, August 8, 2008 3:55 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Link

changed my mind btw, u should get it

not that my opinion is, like, the fulcrum upon which ur opinion rests~

second 'opinion' = decision

i was kinda surprised re: ryan too, but i figure it's jitters.

makes sense, first game, new team, new plays, higher speed. so how many games do you think redman starts? 4? 6? 3? 8?

I haven't been reading up much, but from flipping around ESPN or the NFL Network I cannot figure much about any team other than the Packers, Cowboys or now the Jets.

I have been able to pick up some skip AM radio Chicago sports talk driving home from work over the last couple of days. It is funny listening to these callers talk about the sad Bears offense and how Devin Hester is turning into a "#1" wide out. Lots o' luck with that one.

Sun 9/7 at Indianapolis 8:15 pm
Sun 9/14 at Carolina 1:00 pm
Sun 9/21 Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Sun 9/28 Philadelphia 8:15 pm

This sure looks to me like the Bears could be 0-4 out of the gate. Maybe the defense will be great, who knows.

How much I miss football: I watched a Raiders/Titans preseason game and liked it.

devin looked good @ times at wr last year, but dude couldn't even break the top 2 as a wr at miami (a school that has produced a bunch of pretty good nfl wideouts, so i wouldn't say its the coaching) let alone in the nfl

they might as well fuckin try though

in retrospect, "liked" is a bit of an overstatement.

Hard Knocks Dallas Cowboys on HBO is pretty enjoyable. the downside is it makes the cowboys actually seem likeable

LOL @ "watch out for ray lewis's brother...i dont know his name but i know he's ray lewis's brother. good genes!"

I could see Hester becoming a decent slot receiver or being used as a special play back, where he just has to run either quick slants or deep post patterns. It is a whole different thing being able to run slick routes and have the hands to make it work and the hands sometimes is not Hester's strong point. I love watching the guy play, you just have to listen to these Chicago sports callers who already think he is going to be Chris Carter or Marvin Harrison.

Beyond that with the QBs they have in Chicago, you could have Harold Carmichael, John Stallworth and Bob Hayes and they would not be able to throw the ball worth a crud. Being someone who has followed the Bears on and off since Mike Phipps and Bob Avellini were the QB, I cannot believe Chicago has still never been able to get even a somewhat competent starting QB. Criminy that is like 30 years of bad quarterbacks and they pretty much sucked for 20 years before that!

How can you have a football team for 50 years and not have at least one decent career QB? Jimmy Mac is about the closest they ever got and that guy was put together with so much duck tape, he could only play about six games a year. After that, I would think that Erik Kramer may be the second best QB the Bears had and it was after he was decent for the Lions. Harbaugh was OK, but that good o-line had really fell off by the time he was a starter and he would get ROCKED. The same dorks that are calling Hester a #1 would be out for Harbaugh's blood after the guy would get sacked 7 times and hit another ten times.

roy williams' impression of T.O. running on the beach was epic

My favorite Chicago Bear QB performance was Bobby Douglass in 1972 - He started and played almost every down that year.

Passing: 75/198 for 1246 yards
Rushing: 141 rushes for 968 yards and 8 TDs

He averaged 7 yards per rush that year.

Bears offense and how Devin Hester is turning into a "#1" wide out. Lots o' luck with that one.

he's actually a ton better than he was last year and he is a #1 wide out. but it's the bears #1 wide out which would be like a slot back on any SEC team.

god the qb situation here is fucking hilarious, those poor goddamn bears fans.

It's a real joke. Embarrassing.

orton named starter

http://www.neverwinpoker.com/forums/uploads/photo-4252.jpg

are you kidding me? starting him gives the bears a shot at the playoffs. he won't win (m)any games but he takes off the table the four games grossman would have given away.

i stand by my grinning_kitano_suicide.jpg

but he will be better than rex and at least we know he has the ability to grow facial hair

it's sad but also 100% true that the no-name rookie dude has outplayed both rex and orton this pre-season.

apparently he does have a name and it's caleb hanie.

although if he'd signed his contract "mr.x" he probably would have won the position on aura and mystique alone.

it would be so sweet if there was an NFL quarterback named Mr. X that wore a mexican wrestling mask under his helmet.

If that were the case, I'd get DirecTV just so I could watch every game.

Mr. X would be fined and run out of the Players' Asn. u_u

ERIC WRIGHT YOU ARE FUCKING WORTHLESS

Also, fuck these Monday Night Football broadcasters and their fake laughs. We want faux-drunk Bernie!

TD 02:25 Lance Leggett 8 Yd Pass From Ken Dorsey (Jason Reda Kick) 34 37

shame they couldn't pull it out

ERIC WRIGHT YOU ARE FUCKING WORTHLESS

-- Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, August 19, 2008 3:08 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

Of course he ends up having an interception returned for a touchdown.

I was listening to the same Chicago sports talk guys on the way home from work tonight (mind you I live in the middle of Kentucky) and they were talking up that the Bucs might be looking to deal off Chris Simms.

Thoughts & Reflections on last nights game:

The shiny brown pants must never see the light of day ever again.

That shine was presumably shellac... CUZ THEY GOTS SHELLACKED

earl, what station is it? is it espn 1000 or 670 "the score"?

lolz at ladainian/kimbo viral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8yvGstQmQ

espn 1000. Every commercial is either for some kind of barbeque beef or some kind of sports bar where you can bet on the horses or some other gambling site. It is real weird, but I can pick that thing up clear as a bell in the evening driving home. It comes in better in the evening than WLW 700 out of Cinci, which is like a 50k watt station and where I listen to the Reds. During the day, it is like it is not even there.

it's probably syndicated.

in re: orton being named starter:

http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/resources/2007/01/downgoesrex.jpg

hehe.

woo hoo! I finally get to go to my very first NFL game live this season. Just got tickets for Browns/Jags on 10/26. This won't be a bad game, of course, but Colts and Steelers vs. Jags sold out almost immediately and I'll be in finals when the Packers play. ;_;

you should get one of those leather helmets to wear to the game.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/catch_all/nfl_image/C_Palmer_080823_QT.jpg

Osi Umenyiora is out for the year (torn MCL) and Shawne Merriman is likely out for the year too (torn PCL)

:(

No Strahan, no Osi. Satan's wasting no time collecting on that debt from last year.

you are seriously the worst person on ilnfl. unless deeznuts posts here.

Youre a complete prick. Fuck you

Man, I'm really gonna miss Osi. And in a preseason matchup even. Bummer.

Tuck was their best DE toward the end of last year. Now he wont have the benefit of a stud at the other DE. I bet they move Kwianuka back from LB to the line, if they havent already done so.

bill magill are you a doctor of football

he's a doctor of trolling for a temp ban

time for dave tollefson, formerly of the frankfurt galaxy, to assert himself

matt ryan's been named the opening day starter; have mixed feelings about this, i hate mularkey's system and i'm not sure it's gonna put him in a great position to succeed.

sam baker's been awesome at left tackle, which i expected (was super high on this guy before the draft) and curtis lofton has been solid enough to start at MLB. kroy biermann's definately gonna stick around at DE, honestly he could probably start over jamaal anderson at this point. jams is really really... not good. maybe he needs to shed some weight, cuz the explosiveness you saw at arkansas has been absent since his pro debut. he's an incredibly raw player, he plays upright & gives up a ton of leverage, and on most rushes he basically just runs into his blocker with minimal usage of his hands. i'm not giving up on him - calling it a day for roddy white taught me a lesson - but he's got a long way to go. he IS really durable and plays a ton of snaps, for whatever that's worth. some improvement in game awareness and technique could yield significant dividends for him.

jb, if you're reading this, what do u think of ryan btw?? and the draft/direction of the falcons overall?

doug farrar had a good blurb on baker today:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2008/08/25/ramblings/every-play-counts/6479/

Sam Baker’s Big Challenge

The word on left tackle Sam Baker coming out of USC was that he might be moved inside to guard on some teams, but Atlanta’s grave need along the offensive line had them taking the former USC standout 21st overall and installing him at left tackle immediately. Set aside the jokes about the Trojans being the NFL’s 33rd team; the leap in scheme and complexity from the NCAA to the NFL is daunting no matter where you played. Baker would be challenged to master one of the game’s toughest positions right out of the box with a team that’s going to struggle to put an offense together in the short term. In theory, he’s a great fit for Atlanta’s new power game. Baker was regarded as a top draft prospect, but more as an overall player with less than elite agility mitigated by intelligence and in-line power.

Baker began his pro career fighting off Jacksonville’s Paul Spicer (and others) in a 20-17 loss to the Jaguars. He looked solid against the Colts in the follow-up, but his sternest test to date came in Week 3 against the Titans. Across the line was Kyle Vanden Bosch, the end who put up 12 sacks in 2007 and has been a featured player on one of the NFL’s best defensive lines. Vanden Bosch also led the league in Adjusted Quarterback Hits last year with 21, and finished seventh in Adjusted Hurries with 17.5. How would Baker, regarded as a very good combo pass/run blocker, but not specifically elite against speed rushers, fare?

My impression was overwhelmingly positive. On the Falcons’ first pass play of the game, a trips left with Michael Turner in the backfield, Baker fanned Vanden Bosch out of the perimeter and away from Matt Ryan with great technique and no help as Ryan completed a quick sideline pass to Michael Jenkins. Baker also works well with left guard Justin Blalock, who’s starting his second NFL season. On the next pass play, an incompletion to tight end Ben Hartsock, Vanden Bosch went inside to the guard at the snap. Instead of teaming up and losing linebacker Stephen Tulloch on the blitz, Baker let Blalock handle Vanden Bosch and dealt with Tulloch outside. Good teamwork there.

On running plays, Baker displays agility in getting to the second level and dealing with linebackers. He’s also good at the line in power situations. On the first play of the Falcons’ second drive, a draw to Turner, Baker took Vanden Bosch’s initial pursuit, led him upfield, and then blocked him away from the play as Turner headed left, right where Vanden Bosch had been. On the next play, another handoff to Turner, Baker chipped Vanden Bosch, who wound up with a personal foul after a late hit on Turner downfield. I don’t excuse cutting at all, and I was surprised to see it from Baker, given his ability to handle Vanden Bosch through the first quarter. Some would call it a veteran move. I call it unnecessary. Vanden Bosch pushed Baker back on the next play and got his first hit on Ryan. Baker got his revenge on the next play when he just poleaxed Vanden Bosch as Ryan threw a screen to Jenkins. Baker knocked Vanden Bosch right on his butt with a great power move. Not something you see every day.

I think that Baker will be an incredibly valuable addition to a line that finished 32nd in Adjusted Line yards last year. The days of the Petrino misfit schemes are over, and new line coach Paul Boudreau has two young, talented players on the left side in Baker and Blalock. As the Falcons crawl back to credibility, they seem to know that they’ll only go as far as their lines take them.

dang, i would've preferred to see ryan sit for the first quarter/third/half of the year myself but if he outplayed redman then i guess you go with whomever gives the team the best chance to win.

ade you should start a falcons blog.

and he can call it the 2008 NFC SOUTH thread

purely from highlights (of course), i thought ryan looked really good in the preseason, and barring an lol colston season from someone i think he's a pretty sure shot to win ROY. i think he's like peyton in the sense that he can start from day 1 and endure a shitty year and not let fuck up his head, like, say, david carr

if he has a david carr-like offensive line there will be no ROY to worry about.

i think roethlisberger and vince young were the only QBs to ever win ORoY, i'd consider jon stewart or rashard mendenhall the preseason favs~

here's my falcons blog:

http://www.lyfe.freeserve.co.uk/art/photobrowne.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w233/BlAcK-cHeRrY_90/Suicide_hanging_by_CaptainBoneDaddy.jpg
http://www.sph.umich.edu/news_events/findings/fall05/images/depression.jpg

http://www.sai.msu.su/wm/paint/auth/munch/munch.scream.jpg
http://abowlofstupid.com/wp-content/2007/05/face_melt.jpg
http://www.indianchild.com/images/great_depression_photograph.gif

http://x818.com/nevverimages/suicide.jpg
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/mcdon469/architecture/social%20issue/homeless.jpg
http://terresdefemmes.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/guernica.jpg

http://www.ligali.org/africanremembrance/2005/gallery/images/african_american_execution.gif
http://ecotality.com/life/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/hindenburg.gif
http://img.timeinc.net/time/2007/top_10_photos/ntrl_disaster_bangladesh.jpg

http://escproductions.bizland.com/politics/grief1.jpg
http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/museums/buehrle-collection/big/Eduard-Manet-XX-The-Suicide.jpg

http://209.85.62.26/12257/100/emo/emot-smithicide.gif

should I put this here or in football writing thread
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_2349_The_Decline_and_Fall_of_the_49ers_Empire.html

both! i can never get enough of the declining niners~

i really need to start reading CHFF more often, i forgot how good they were

"i think he's a pretty sure shot to win ROY"

I'd go with McFadden. Much easier for an RB to win that award than a QB.

guys I think I got my hopes up too fast too soon! Injuries have forced me to rethink everything I hold dear.

oh ade i'm sorry

pacman jones - reinstated

I'd go with McFadden.

I'm not convinced he will wrestle enough carries away from Fargas and Bush.

LIONS 4-0 PRE !!!!

GOT WOOD!

BROWNS 0-4 AND I DON'T CARE!!!!

PRESEASON DON'T MEAN SHIT!!

snrub otm us usual

Chad Johnson legally changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco.

of *course* the Pre don't mean crap ... yeah, I am with brownie, thanks "snrub" for this STUNNING REVELATION ... I was just making a joke ... you know, considering how my team is essentially the *worst* of the last decade

but i will definitely say that the kids looked good in the Pre ! and they WILL beat Matt Ryan in 8 days!!

rosie colvin cut by the texans! also cut: dan bauzin, chicago's second round pick in 2007

oh and michael okwo cut too (lol)

hi ilnfl, just want you to know i will be thinking of you this thursday + sunday and monday while ilx is offline. SO EXCITED YOU GUYS!

^^ last sentence truth bOTMb

thursday night=christmas morning

where are we going? we need a temporary home

can we crash at cankles?

where are we going? we need a temporary home

schefterblogz has a sleeper couch and some fold-out tables

(nb: I have no idea what schefterblogz has)

that place is disgusting but it will have to do

http://ilx.lefora.com

I dunno about this.

i started a week one thread at pleasant plains's ilx xile site:

http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=241577;article=4;title=ILX%20XILE

whoops: here

If pushed, I'd say we're looking at a Titans/Giants superbowl. I'm sure I'll be wrong, though.

EPIC BATTLE OF EPIC MASCOTS

Bilol Magilol

A Titans/Giants Superbowl would make me dance with glee.