Top 200 Prospects 2013 NFL Draft

Thanks to National Football Post...These are the top 200 prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft.

I love keeping this list as this is based off their performances of the entire regular season.  Bowl game performances, all-star games, combine results or interviews have not had a chance to influence their draft grades. 

In March, I will post a updated top 200 list to compare what players have risen or fallen based off factors that had zero influence on these played the game of football when it mattered.

Rank	Name	Pos	School
1	Bjoern Werner	DE	Florida State
2	Jake Matthews	OT	Texas A&M
3	Star Lotulelei	DT	Utah
4	Luke Joeckel	OT	Texas A&M
5	Chance Warmack	OG	Alabama
6	Keenan Allen	WR	California
7	Kenny Vaccaro	S	Texas
8	Sheldon Richardson	DT	Missouri
9	Taylor Lewan	OT	Michigan
10	Dion Jordan	DE	Oregon
11	Dee Milliner	CB	Alabama
12	Jessie Williams	DT	Alabama
13	Alec Ogletree	ILB	Georgia
14	Manti Te'o	ILB	Notre Dame
15	Jonathan Hankins	DT	Ohio State
16	Eric Fisher	OT	Central Michigan
17	Sam Montgomery	DE	LSU
18	Quinton Patton	WR	Louisiana Tech
19	Tler Eifert	TE	Notre Dame
20	Tavon Austin	WR	West Virginia
21	Jonathan Cooper	OG	North Carolina
22	Jonathan Banks	CB	Mississippi State
23	Ezekial Ansah	DE	BYU
24	Robert Woods	WR	USC
25	Oday Aboushi	OT	Virginia
26	Corey Lemonier	DE	Auburn
27	Zach Ertz	TE	Stanford
28	Geovani Bernard	RB	North Carolina
29	Kawann Short	DT	Purdue
30	Terrance Williams	WR	Baylor
31	Kevin Minter	ILB	LSU
32	Michael Glennon	QB	North Carolina State
33	Arthur Brown	ILB	Kansas State
34	Kyle Van Noy	OLB	BYU
35	Justin Hunter	WR	Tennessee
36	Brandon Jenkins	OLB	Florida State
37	James Tyler Wilson	QB	Arkansas
38	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Clemson
39	Cordelle Patterson	WR	Tennessee
40	Geno Smith	QB	West Virginia
41	Matt Barkely	QB	USC
42	Jarvis Jones	OLB	Georgia
43	Barrett Jones	CB	Alabama
44	D.J. Fluker	OT	Alabama
45	Eric Reid	S	LSU
46	Khaseem Greene	OLB	Rutgers
47	Melvin White	CB	Louisiana-Lafayette
48	Cobi Hamilton	WR	Arkansas
49	Damontre Moore	DE	Texas A&M
50	Montee Ball	RB	Wisconsin
51	Xavier Rhodes	CB	Florida State
52	Stedman Bailey	WR	West Virginia
53	Cornel Carradine	DE	Florida State
54	Sharif Floyd	DT	Florida
55	Anthony Barr	OLB	UCLA
56	Matt Elam	ATH	Florida
57	Justin Pugh	OT	Syracuse
58	Aaron Dobson	WR	Marshall
59	Slyvester Williams	DT	North Carolina
60	Andre Ellington	RB	Clemson
61	Margus Hunt	DE	SMU
62	Barkevious Mingo	OLB	LSU
63	Chase Thomas	OLB	Stanford
64	Akeem Spence	DT	Illinois
65	Tony Jefferson	ATH	Oklahoma
66	Lane Johnson	OT	Oklahoma
67	Joseph Randle	RB	Oklahoma State
68	Shayne Skov	ILB	Stanford
69	James Gayle	DE	Virginia Tech
70	David Amerson	ATH	North Carolina State
71	Da'Rick Rogers	WR	Tennessee Tech
72	Jordan Poyer	CB	Oregon State
73	Robert Lester	ATH	Alabama
74	Chris Harper	WR	Kansas State
75	Jelani Jenkins	OLB	Florida
76	Ticory Grissom	NT	South Florida
77	Richard Wagner	OT	Wisconsin
78	Aaron Murray	QB	Georgia
79	Marquess Wilson	WR	Washington State
80	Kenny Stills	WR	Oklahoma
81	Zaviar Gooden	OLB	Missouri
82	William Gholston	DE	Michigan State
83	Will Davis	CB	Utah State
84	Lawrence Warford	OG	Kentucky
85	Tyler Bray	QB	Tennessee
86	Jordan Reed	TE	Florida
87	Aaron Klein	OLB	Iowa State
88	Nico Johnson	OLB	Alabama
89	Jamie Collins	OLB	Southern Miss
90	Leon McFadden	CB	San Diego State
91	Corey Fuller	WR	Virginia Tech
92	Erik Manuel	QB	Florida State
93	Jonathan Brown	OLB	Illinois
94	Landry Jones	QB	Oklahoma
95	Brandon Magee	OLB	Arizona State
96	Dallas Thomas	OT	Tennessee
97	Travis Frederick	OG	Wisconsin
98	Zac Dysert	QB	Miami (OH)
99	Michael Williams	ATH	Nevada
100	Kyle Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
101	Blidi Wreh-Wilson	CB	Uconn
102	Ryan Nassib	QB	Syracuse
103	Kyle Long	OT	Oregon
104	Quintin Williams	ATH	Georgia
105	Dennard Robinson	ATH	Michigan
106	Kevin Reddick	ILB	North Carolina
107	Michael Gillislee	RB	Florida
108	Michael Mauti	OLB	Penn State
109	Brennan Williams	OT	North Carolina
110	Mychal Rivera	TE	Tennessee
111	Stepfan Taylor	RB	Stanford
112	John Simon	DE	Ohio State
113	Bradley McDougald	ATH	Kansas
114	Brent Russell	DT	Georgia Southern
115	DJ Swearinger	ATH	South Carolina
116	Etienne Sabino	OLB	Ohio State
117	Joshua	ATH	Florida
118	Marcus Davis	WR	Virginia Tech
119	Terry Hawthorne	CB	Illinois
120	John Jenkins	DT	Georgia
121	Jacob Knott	OLB	Iowa State
122	Christine Michael	RB	Texas A&M
123	Sheldon Price	CB	UCLA
124	Brandon Williams	DT	Missouri Southern
125	Phillip Thomas	ATH	Fresno State
126	Ryan Lacy	CB	Utah
127	Chris Borland	MLB	Wisconsin
128	Dennis Johnson	RB	Arkansas
129	Jordan Hill	DT	Penn State
130	Cyril Richardson	OT	Baylor
131	Malliciah Goodman	DE	Clemson
132	Bacarri Rambo	S	Georgia
133	Hugh Thornton	OG	Illinois
134	Brian Winters	OT	Kent State
135	Cierre Wood	RB	Notre Dame
136	Devin Taylor	DE	South Carolina
137	Gerald Hodges	OLB	Penn State
138	Johnathan Franklin	RB	UCLA
139	Khaled Holmes	OC	USC
140	John Wetzel	OT	Boston College
141	Mike Buchanan	DE	Illinois
142	Joseph Fauria	TE	UCLA
143	Ryan Swope	WR	Texas A&M
144	Oscar Johnson	OT	Louisiana Tech
145	Anthony White	NT	Michigan State
146	Tim McDonald Jr	ATH	USC
147	Everette Dawkins	DT	Florida State
148	Wes Horton	DE	USC
149	Anthony McCloud	NT	Florida State
150	Seantrel Henderson	OT	Miami
151	La'veon Bell	RB	Michigan State
152	Chris Jacobson	OG	Pittsburgh
153	Chris Norman	OLB	Michigan State
154	Phi Lutzenkirchen	TE	Auburn
155	Chris Gragg	TE	Arkansas
156	Kaleb Ramsey	DT	Boston College
157	Stacy McGee	DT	Oklahoma
158	Sean Porter	OLB	Texas A&M
159	Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama
160	Darryl Stonum	WR	Baylor
161	Marquis Jackson	DE	Texas Southern
162	Datone Jones	DE	UCLA
163	Curtis McNeal	RB	USC
164	Devon Christopher	WR	Utah
165	Jamal Miles	WR	Arizona State
166	Josh Boyd	DT	Mississippi State
167	Chris Holloman	ATH	South Carolina
168	Donald Coles	WR	Virginia Tech
169	Keith Pough	OLB	Howard
170	Sanders Commings	CB	Georgia
171	Tyrann Mathieu	CB	LSU
172	Zach Mettenberger	QB	LSU
173	Marquise Goodwin	WR	Texas
174	Kenneth Tate	OLB	Maryland
175	Ramon Buchanan	OLB	Miami
176	Michael Burkhead	RB	Nebraska
177	Johnny Adams	CB	Michigan State
178	Devin Street	WR	Pittsburgh
179	Kenjon Barner	RB	Oregon
180	Raymond Graham	RB	Pittsburgh
181	Xavier Nixon	OT	Florida
182	Nathaniel Williams	DE	Ohio State
183	Jared Smith	DT	New Hampshire
184	Brian Mulroe	OG	Northwestern
185	Markus Wheaton	WR	Oregon State
186	Montori Hughes	DT	Tennessee Martin
187	Desmond Trufant	CB	Washington
188	Jonathan Bostic	ILB	Florida
189	John Sullen	OG	Auburn
190	Drew Frey	ATH	Cincinnati
191	Montel Harris	RB	Temple
192	Benjamin Cotton	TE	Nebraska
193	John White	RB	Utah
194	Alex Okafor	DE	Texas
195	Luke Marquardt	OT	Azusa Pacific
196	Matt Scott	QB	Arizona
197	Joseph Vellanodt	ATH	Maryland
198	David King	DE	Oklahoma
199	Collin Klein	QB	Kansas State
200	Daimion Stafford	ATH	Nebraska

How will Ranger nation handle this team rebuilding?

Make no bones about it.  GM Jon Daniels and Inc. are rebuidling the Rangers roster.

They had a plan to try and quickly reload it and still be a contender in the AL West.  All those plans fell apart and they have decided to play all the kids.

Fresh off a season where Rangers ballpark set the record for highest attendance in club history, not going to be the case this year.  Unfortunately for hardcore fans, ticket prices will not be adjusted, mini game plans will not be adjusted.  You will be expected to pay the same dollar that most were happy to pay for a team fresh off back to back AL titles.

But how will fans react to paying the same increased amount for a rebuilding team, the team had a payroll of $120,510,975 in 2012.

If the team gets off a good start like it did in 2012, it won't matter.  People will pay for a winner regardless of the heat or commute from Dallas or Ft. Worth.  However what happens if the team gets off to a 8-15 start like the Angels did in 2012?

We have to expect this team is going to fall back to earth in a sense next year, they are going to depend on 3 rookies make serious impacts immediately (Profar, Olt and Perez).  They are depending on a starting pitcher to ace the staff after one year of major league experience, history suggest a sophomore slump will happen especially considering threw over 195 innings last year.  I suppose offensively the team will lean on Kinsler, Beltre and Cruz to be the focus, all of whom have durability questions or severe consistency issues.

The good news is the team has some interesting trade pieces to deal at the deadline if they are out of the running, mainly Pierzynski, Colby Lewis, Nelson Cruz and Joe Nathan.

If they happen to hang with the Angels in the west, they have the prospects and payroll flexibility to take on a plus quality player even if its a huge contract. I just don't see this team able to stick with the halos or even the defending division champs Athletics.

The franchise will ask for your patience and tell you how good Jurickson Profar, Mike Olt, Martin Perez and even Leonys Martin will be.  Fact is the odds of successfully hitting on a prospect is 30% so of the 4 mentioned, confident only one of them will be a top major league player.

The team should basically sell this season off, trade as many veterans at the deadline as teams will take, get your prospects and enter next offseason in a buying frenzy.  Trade those prospects for the right pieces to take this roster to the next level.

One disturbing trend I noticed during the 2012 offseason is a team fresh of a record payroll was scared to pull the trigger in free agency. The fact is GM Daniels is you will almost ALWAYS overpay in free agency for a quality player. You resign your own, trade for players or develop your prospects if you want to stay away from wide open free agency. They are going to try the cheap route in 2013 since the record payroll of 2012 did not yield the desired results.

Can't tell me the Rangers had this in mind

Reminds me to the Mavericks pipe dream of the 2012 offseason plan of signing Deron Williams, then trade for Dwight Howard to quickly build a contender. The plan fell apart and so did the backup plans.

The Rangers find themselves in a similiar state but with a few thankful alternatives I will mention shortly. They hoped to sign Zack Greinke to shore up the rotation and give them a dominating 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. Then use the farm system to acquire a top bat and allow them to move on from Josh Hamilton, the names involved were Justin Upton or even resign Hamilton.

The Rangers organization were involved in almost every rumor involving top players at the winter meetings but refused to trade any of the top prospects. Other teams moved on simply leaving the Rangers on the outside looking in. Greinke went to the Dodgers, Arizona acquired a average safety in a multi-team trade and decided they were better off not trading Upton and for kicks, Hamilton signed for 5-years with AL West rival LA Angels De California.

So incase you missed it, here's what the Rangers have done thus far.

Lost
Mike Napoli (deal still pending with Red Sox)
Mike Adams
Koji Uhera
Josh Hamilton

Traded away Mike Young

Signed
Joakim Soria (Recovering from Tommy John surgery)
AJ Pierzynski

This team is weak in the middle of the lineup with no bats that will intimidate opposing pitchers. Only Adrian Beltre has the bat to consistently beat teams with power  but he will have no one to protect him. Nelson Cruz is not the consistent power threat to be that kind of guy and AJ might fill that role but it seems wishful thinking at this point.

Management has been mute on the plans for Kinsler this year, his job at second is in jeopardy as Jurickson Profar will be given every opportunity to take his job at spring. Does he move to first base or left field? I like Kinsler's bat and I want him more in a role he can drive more runs in than a simple solo shot to start a game. I am against having him as a leadoff guy, would rather have Andrus in that role. I like the idea of Profar in the 9 spot with Andrus at leadoff, Murphy at 2nd followed by Kinsler, Beltre and AJ.

The team is also weak in the bullpen as well as the back end of the rotation. The team has said they will make Alexi Ogando a starter this year despite a huge hole as a 8th inning power relief pitcher. Ogando was an excellent starting pitcher two years ago but faded fast down the stretch. This team is going to have to win with pitching and defense, the offense will have trouble scoring consistently. I value starting pitching over a set up man, I'd rather have Ogando in the rotation where he has success at the ML level and acquire a veteran set up reliever prior to spring training. I understand the arguement need to be strong in the bullpen especially when team will have trouble scoring runs but same is true if you are down 4 nothing after two innings.

I expect Robbie Ross will become a extremely consistent reliever and become that set up man until Soria returns from his surgery to form a solid back end of the bullpen as well as a future closer in Soria when Joe Nathan heads to free agency next year.

Don't fall for this team

I'm going to start this saying that I think Dallas loses to the Eagles at the death star Sunday night. All I needed to know is most "experts" picked the Cowboys to win and people are taking the koolaid that with some players returning from injury, things will change and this team will suddenly be able to fix their problems and get it together.

What in this teams history, meaning under Jason Garrett and Jerry make you think this team is any way capable of doing that?

So they will lose and the season will be all but mathematically lost eventhough we've known this for weeks regardless.  So what would a good organization do at this point?  How about finding out if you have any young players in need of playing time to see what you have there?  Maybe find out if Lance Dunbar can replace Felix Jones as backup runner with 10-12 carries and trusted in pass protection?  What about if Dwayne Harris can become the 3rd wide receiver and play outside with Austin in the slot?  And maybe we can see what that athletic rookie tight end James Hannah can do for a struggling offense, bless John Phillips but he's not a receiving threat at all.  Oh and speaking of a struggling offense which has been blamed on a poor offensive line, how about benching the 64th rated most efficient offensive tackle in the NFL, that would be Doug Free for Jeremy Parnell. According to twitter @DCBlueStar, Parnell has played 158 snaps with 1 sack, 2 hits and 6 hurries. And if that David Arkin is a prospect, give the kid a shot to play on Sunday or cut him from the roster.

Give looks off other teams practice squad and shake up the bottom of the roster, create uncertainty Jason Garrett and use the only power tool you have in your set, change the playing time for players underperforming.

Unfortunately, this team is not doing any of that because this is a poorly run organization that has a solid front loaded core team that has accepted losing as not that big a deal. This mentality is confirmed by the total lack of accountability in all 3 phases of the organization, ownership, coaching staff and the players.

Instead, we will hear the company line that they will battle hard but still lose, miss the playoffs and enter another offseason of frustration with salary cap jail on the horizon, roster filled with underperforming veterans, an aging core, no organizational identity and no confidence in the GM to turn it around.

Happy Thanksgiving to all but Cowboys & Longhorns do their best to ruin the football holiday.

I am going to post all details but the basic message here is I am for tearing the Cowboys organization down and rebuild. The core is beyond its prime and there is zero hope for adding enough quality pieces to fill in the gaps in time. This means I am for firing Jason Garrett, Rob Ryan.  I am ofcourse for firing Jerry Jones the GM.

I trade Tony Romo, Miles Austin and all of them for the draft picks. Start over.  It means everyone must go, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware.  As frustrating it seems like we can't just fix the offensive line and add a safety, that can make this a winning team right?  Unfortunately no because I fully believe this Cowboys core has accepted losing which cannot be undone if they considered the core of the team. The only hope is adding a leadership core that does not accept losing quick enough to refuel the aging veterans already in place. However there is zero confidence in the GM  to get this done.

As far as the Longhorns, they will enter the offseason again searching for stability at the QB position. David Ash regressed  as did the Texas Defense failing to wrap up ballcarries especially in the secondary and the defensive line inability to escape blocks to contain the running game. They will continue to be a non factor in the Big 12 title much less a national championship aslong as they have instability at QB. In my opinion, David Ash has not proved he can consistently beat a Defense with his arm and definitely not his feet. Case McCoy is a good backup and can jumpstart a offense in a pinch but is not the answer big picture in Austin.  The goals this offseason must be  to see what Connor Brewer and new recruit Tyrone Swoopes can do, Mack must be a leader and make the tough decision to find a QB  to restore the program back to prominence. The second most important goal is make this defense go into tackling drills everyday in practice period, can no longer accept practicing safe to avoid injuries,  the lack of tackling on this entire squad hurt the team from week 1 through  Thanksgiving.

Sucks to be a fan of these teams but the eternal optimism that the NFL Draft and college recruiting brings each year leaves hope but the facts suggest it is not going to happen in the near future.

Steelers cut Ta'amu

The Steelers cut rookie nose tackle Alameda ta'amu just weeks after a drunken driving arrest. He was 3rd on their depth chart and just fell out of favor there. I would put in a claim on him as fast as possible, if only our teams GM priority was about finding players to upgrade the roster. #canwefiretheowner

Ta'amu was the most ideal two-gap nose tackle in the 2012 draft and he destroyed the South's offensive line in the Senior Bowl. He needs a fresh start and this is just a rookie! I wanted him as high as the second round and the #steelers got him early in the 4th. Maybe the #cowboys can finally get something from the 4th round of the 2012 draft with Ta'amu since neither Matt Johnson or Kyle Wilbur have done ANYTHING on defense.

Trimming the fat off this Cowboy team

I get sick looking at these numbers of under performing players making too much money and interesting to see how many were on the list of questionable moves when they were brought in.

Doug Free - $5.3 million

Perhaps the Cowboys most disappointing offensive lineman especially in regard to compensation is Doug Free. He can't hold up in pass protection and just really struggles vs counter moves from even average NFL pass rushers. His run blocking has been better and more so when he pulls and can get out in space. Bottom line, he should not be starting on this team and I need to find out what I have in Jeremy Parnell during this year before I add offensive tackle to need list in the offseason. But I highly doubt Parnell will see the field without an injury because this organization does not have faith in playing young players on the offensive line.

Dez Bryant - $3.6 million

Outside of the offensive line, no other player is holding back the offensive line more than Dez, simple as that. Romo has little to no confidence in Bryant, the more simplified the offense gets the more of a contribution this knucklehead can make. He is the poster boy for lack of accountability, preparation and football IQ that is flooding throughout the entire roster. His route running, attitude and character have not improved to the level expected in his NFL career and I would be trying desperately to trade him in the offseason, seriously Jacksonville asking for Laurent Robinson straight up. But this organization will continue to throw Dez out there and he will frustrate you to the point you want to bench him, then during the same game make a play that makes you think "if only he was consistent, oh what a player."

Orlando Scandrick - $2.9 million

Dallas paid Scandrick to go along with Mike Jenkins to form a solid tandem of corners to last them next 5-6 years, plan didn't work. Unfortunately for Scandrick, he's still the same player he was as a rookie, a solid cover corner but who is not a consistent tackler, comfortable pressing at the line nor able to make a play on the ball when in position. He's a solid nickel corner but he's paid like a top starting corner.

Marcus Spears & Kenyon Coleman - $2.7 and $2.3 million totalling $5 million

The strongside defensive end position has been a sore spot for Dallas for years and they keep thinking former first round pick Marcus Spears is going to show up. He's a 2 down run stuffing end who gives you nothing as a pass rusher and even when Spears is in position to stuff the run, rarely does he finish the play. His impact would be solid if he finished plays he is in position to make. Yet because Dallas had no depth, they resigned Spears to an extension that he did not earn. Coleman has been an adequate player for Dallas mostly because they put him in position that he is most comfortable in, 2-down run stuffer and just bull rush in pass rush situations. Unlike Spears, Coleman plays his role well stuffing the run and just simply not allowing anywhere for ballcarriers to go. These players are situational average players but paid like full-time solid starters, wasted money. This team should insert Sean Lissemore into the starting lineup once he returns from injury and move on from these guys in the offseason. Develop and play your younger players.

Dan Connor - $2.1 million

Unfortunately for Connor, he never had the inside track to the inside linebacker job as second year pro Bruce Carter took the job and ran with it. I argued when Dallas signed Connor that he did not fit the scheme as he was not the thumper inside backer needed to stand up to guards in the hole, stack and shed blockers to make plays in the running game. Connor was a huge liability in man coverage at Carolina and hoped he could step up in Sean Lee's absence as the weakside inside backer job better suited his skills. Then he got hurt and now just seems the season will be lost for him. He is signed through next season and would provide good depth behind Lee but again, he is not well suited for the thumper backer job in Dallas.

Felix Jones - $1.8 million

If it wasn't for Dez, Felix would be the most frustrating offensive player on this team. Fact is, he still is. First of all, he let a 3rd round pick take his job last year in DeMarco Murray and then showed up out of shape to training camp this year failing the opening conditioning test. Factor in several times he's run without confidence, showing poor vision and a lack of burst we saw as a rookie. He is as good as gone in the offseason and with Murray's lack of ability to stay healthy, runningback will again be on the list of needs in the offseason.

Mackenzy Bernadeau - $1.8 million Dallas signed Bernadeau knowing he was not a finished nor a day one plug in and go starter after being a backup during his time in Carolina. They were hoping to find a player on the rise and give him an opportunity to play. Unfortunately they have gotten a above average run blocker and a below average pass blocker. His play has improved since nearly being benched in favor of Derrick Dockery but fact is, the quality of play for Bernadeau is not on the level of the contract given.

Favorite draft prospect in some trouble

One of my favorite 2012 draft targets was nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu from Washington. He was drafted in the 4th round by the Steelers, well he was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle and felony fleeing police following a traffic incident. Ta'amu fled police after he reportedly crashed into four parked cars, injuring a woman in the process. Ta’amu has yet to play this season. Thanks to GBN report

Bad to worst on Longhorn Injury Front

Well from bad to worst. Longhorn pass rusher Jackson Jeffcoat will miss the rest of the season. He suffered a right pectoral injury during the OU loss Saturday.

Texas' depth along the Dline was already in bad shape, this does not help. This should mean Jeffcoat will return to Austin next year instead of opting for the NFL Draft.

Brandon Moore was carted off the field with a neck injury was released from the hospital Sunday with all test results coming back normal.

Also on the injury front, test have confirmed QB David Ash has a broken wrist on his non-throwing arm and will be out for 2-3 weeks according to sources. He has not been officially ruled out of the Baylor game but Case McCoy should start for the Horns. Keep an eye out for freshman Connor Brewer to get some snaps as well.

Copy cat league changing thoughts on QB prospects

The success of RG3, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and even Andrew Luck has teams reconsidering the way they rate the QB coming out of college.

I find this absolutely ridiculous, does a QB need to be a runner, no but does he have to be athletic to side step the rush?  Yes most definitely.

There is a difference between the two.  The NFL has taken so many steps to protect the QB to ensure offenses continue to succeed to put points on the board which keeps butts in the seats as well as viewers watching on TV. Fact

All bets are off when it comes to protecting the QB as soon he becomes a runner. Yes, they can still slide to avoid a tackle but if you are running inside consistently, you are going to get your guy roughed up. It takes a toll on your thrower and can impact the entire team, ask Phildelphia.

Personally, your QB needs to have the athleticism to extend a play with his feet but complete it with his arm. Teams mortgage their future to hit on a franchise QB (Washington) and why in the hell would you put your most prized and valuable commodity in a position to take more hits.

A QB prospect that cannot extend the play with his feet and beat you with his arm should be not be a high prospect regardless. A QB that can only run the ball but struggles to beat you through the air can be easily defeated in the NFL.  They can get away with it in college but not in the pros.  Fact until proven otherwise where it counts, Super Bowls son!

The count is still at zero!  Ask Philadelphia (Vick, Randall Cunningham), Denver (Tebow), Minnesota (Tavaris Jackson), Dallas (Quincy Carter), Tennessee (Vince Young) and Pittsburgh (Kordell Stewart). The arguement can go on forever debating whether or not the likes of John Elway, Steve Young, Steve McNair and Donovan mcNabb were running QBs or QBs who could extend plays with their feet but beat you with their arm.

Fact is there are about 15-20 great to quality quarterbacks capable of handling an NFL offense and beating a defense consistently on Sundays, that means there are less than one for every team in the NFL. With the hopes of a championship riding on keeping your quarterback in the game, again I ask, why in the hell would you put them in that position to take more hits?

I am not changing what I look for in a NFL QB prospect, a good arm, anticipate your throws with accuracy, plus footwork, progress through your reads, find passing lanes and extend the play with your feet but beat the defense with your arm.

Cowboys vs Seahawks recap

Cowboys vs Seahawks recap

- Dallas once again could control the line of scrimmage offensively, the tackles Tyron Smith and Doug Free did not perform well. Smith had his worst game of his short career but was abused in pass protection as well as blitz pick up. Free was better than his Giants performance but if you are happy with a C- grade I suppose you can be happy about that.

Factor in all the drops by Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, simply could not get any rhythm offensively. The offense flows through DeMarco Murray and since they could not run the ball consistently, and receivers not help Romo.

Defensively, the gameplan was to play coverage vs Russell Wilson and force the rookie to throw into lots of coverage where Rob Ryan figures is the strength of his unit. He did not want to blitz Wilson due to the fear he would beat the Cowboys with his feet where he is most comfortable. It is a good theory unless you spot your opponent 10 points before the fans get to their seats. Factor in that the Cowboys D could not control the defensive line of scrimmage either and that let Marshawn Lynch to pound the ball consistently especially in the second half.

Then to complete the recipe of defeat, the special teams unit fumbles the opening kickoff and gives up a blocked punt which was Dan Connor's screw up for a touchdown. Game over

How good is Ranger pitching?

The Rangers are poised to make a 3rd consecutive postseason appearance while at the same time completely re-loading their starting rotation. 

2010 did it with Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis with a rookie Tommy Hunter as well.
2011 They almost won a world series with a very shaky rotation, C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland Matt Harrison filling out the rotation.

Introduce the 2012 rotation and the entire 2010 postseason rotation is gone, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland, Ryan Dempster and rookie Yu Darvish.

That is unbelievable to reload a rotation like that without breaking the bank or your farm system, are they even better?  Check out these numbers.

The Rangers projected postseason starting rotation since the middle of August.

Ryan Dempster
Since August 20th
36 1/3, 31 hits, 13 walks with 36 strikeouts. ERA of 2.97

Derek Holland
Since August 22
42 Innings Pitched, 33 hits, 9 walks with 38 strikeouts. ERA of 2.78

Matt Harrison
Since August 14th
46 2/3 IP, 40 hits, 11 walks, 33 strikeouts. ERA of 3.09 and its 1.96 if you take out his 5 & 1/3 inning start where he gave up 7 runs to Tampa Bay.

Yu Darvish:
Since August 17th
41 Innings Pitched, 17 hits, 9 walks with 48 strikeouts. ERA of 1.76
Only given up 8 hits in month of September.

Does this team have an ace? No they do not, what they do have is depth and that gives them an edge in a long series. Texas will be at a disadvantage in a elimination game versus another teams No.1 starter as this offense has failed to consistently produce in 2012 especially with Josh Hamilton and Michael Young in the heart of the lineup.

Cowboys vs Giants using coaches film (Part V)

5. So much of the talk in camp and preseason was the rebuilt offensive line but most forgot the secondary was almost rebuilt returning only one starter in Sensabaugh. We had to expect some mistakes from Claiborne but had to be pleased with his performance not giving up easy receptions and especially no big plays surrendered either. However there were a few technique flaws to his game that can tip their hand to the opponent especially with his footwork

He got schooled by Bradshaw on a running play to give up a touchdown, a corner has to make that tackle or find a way to force him back inside to his help. He can't do what he did and give up an easy score.

Church was also making his first start, very impressed with his style playing a downhill aggressive safety who is not afraid of contact. I showed earlier his ability to get in the passing lane and be in position to make a play on the ball and just miss on it. It sure seems Rob Ryan has faith in the kid playing him close to the line but his aggressiveness will be used against him at some point this year.

Just for fun. I want to post my favorite play of the game, the Miles Austin touchdown to seal the game.  I marked it as a negative read by Romo but sometimes great players just make great plays regardless.

6:26-4Q-1st and 30. Obvious pass play, this is not a good read by Romo. Austin is double covered but the trust they have makes him throw it.

Pays off as Austin goes for it at the highest point inside the coverage. Touchdown Dallas. All but seals the game.

Cowboys vs Giants using coaches film (Part IV)

4. Dallas is going against the sound idea that the Giants have used to two superbowl championships, superior pass rush can cover up a suspect secondary. The Cowboys are trying to win with superior coverage and move Demarcus Ware all over to generate consistent pressure as well as confuse opposing quarterbacks with pre-snap movement.

Historically, Dallas blitzes Eli often almost 40% of the time without success, he has proved to be one of the league's best when pressure as he trust his receivers to go up and get the ball.

The gameplan was to show different looks with the safeties in the box, show blitz and then occasionally back out into deep half coverage. Then allow Brandon Carr and rookie Morris Claiborne to get physical at the line jamming the receivers and not give up the easy reception. It helps a lot when you don't have Terence Newman and Alan Ball as easy targets for Eli.

Throughout the first quarter either Church or Sensabaugh lined up in the box showing blitz but backed out of it. This time he would be coming and obviously Manning thought pre-snap he was going to back out of it.

15:00-2Q-43 in box but previous times had darted back into deep half coverage. This time 43 blitzes off edge, misses sack but 94 finishes the play. Sack

 They catch the giants in a playaction with the fullback releasing up the middle. Sensabaugh has to finish the play but Ware is there.

Fast forward to the third quarter, pre-snap suggest two safeties back in deep half coverage, Manning is so good looking off his primary receiver then coming back. Dallas has seen it for years and beaten so often. However Barry Church is an aggressive safety who also hasn't been beaten badly in coverage yet. He is sitting in zone just playing the 10 yard curl and then undercut the route. He is in perfect position to make a play on the ball but just misses it. Play call was perfect.

10:19-3Q-Giants 1st and 10. Play is 10 yard curl to 80. Cowboys show man, 2 safeties deep. Both LBs in tight. 42 is playing that curl to make a play on that ball.

 Dangerous to double move since he's playing aggressive like that. Here it works and almost gets a INT.

Carr's debut in Cowboy blue was good but by no means perfect. He is a smart corner who understands times when to be aggressive and when to back off to just not give up the deep ball. He was not a shutdown corner nor the aggressive tackler but he is the efficient corner who just does not give up many receptions especially deep ones.

13:43-4q-3rd down, giants in shotgun. 42 lines up in box, then just prior to snap backs out of it. Historically Dallas blitzed and pressured Eli a lot in passing but left secondary vulnerable. Rob Ryan used this history against Eli and it worked most of the night.

No blitz, coverage sack as Eli with no where to go with ball. Unlike last year, there is no Alan Ball or Newman to easily target for completions in secondary. 31 Butler sticks like glue to underneath route, 93 with inside pressure and 97 finishes the play with sack.

It wasn't all good as the Giants still had opportunities.  The first one is one play Carr would like to forget.


6:31-3Q-3rd and 4 for Giants. Cowboys in nickel D appear to be playing cover 3 with Mana Silva responsible for the middle of the field. Carr is playing off. Play goes to 87 runs a go route inside of Carr. Manning fires as soon as 87 clears 43, Carr is in perfect position to undercut the route and at the very least knock the ball away.

However he times his jump terribly and Silva cannot close fast enough to knock the ball away. The scheme worked but player execution failed Rob Ryan's team.

10:50 in the 1st quarter brings up a Giants 3rd and 5.  Victor Cruz is the slot on Eli's left side.  They will be running a pick play with the outside receiver cutting to the inside hopefully to "accidentally" pick off the defender lined up on Cruz.

 The Giants tried this route several times throughout the game but Dallas was either in off coverage or seamlessly picked up the receivers not giving the instant separation as on this play.

Cowboys vs Giants using coaches film (Part III)

3. For the second year in a row, most draft freaks were screaming for Dallas to draft a powerful run stuffing nose tackle and push Jay Ratliff to end. The logic was allow Ratliff to become a dominating end in a 3-4 and improve the run defense with the giant nose tackle to stuff the inside run. Josh Brent would get that chance along with versatile Sean Lissemore with Ratliff recovering from the high ankle sprain.

I wrote during the preseason that Jason Hatcher got off to a great start in 2011 before cooling off down the stretch but should be Dallas' first excellent 3 down interior lineman outside of Ratliff. Hatcher had a dominating game just having Giants lineman Kevin Boothe #77 at his fingertips most of the night. He made plays in the running game, keeping separation then locate the ballcarrier to make a play on the ball. Josh Brent did an excellent job as a two gap nose tackle allowing Sean Lee & Bruce Carter a clean route to the back. Lissemore cooled in the preseason after a red hot training camp but showed the ability to be stout at the point of attack and finish plays against the run.

14:49-4Q-92 plays two gap nose well. 54 unblocked as mike backer and fills hole vs back, jukes to outside and 54 speed allows him to still stuff the run.

 Kenyon Coleman did not allow the pulling guard to create a huge hole and Brent is crashing down from his nose tackle spot. Carter is in position to stuff whichever hole Bradshaw decides to take.

I wrote in the preseason that Dallas would have quality depth along the defensive line and their performance in week 1 to withstand a injury and control the line of scrimmage vs the Giants backs up that claim. A long way to go for sure.

Cowboys vs Giants using the coaches film (Part II)

2. I am not a fan of Kevin Ogletree, did not want him on the roster prior to training camp nor any shot at the 3rd receiver job. I felt he had been given several opportunities and failed them as well as a poor special teams player just gave no value to this team. I am happy to be proved wrong at least for one week.

He has a ways to go to make people forget about Robinson but a good start for sure not to mention starting a gigantic wave of waiver claims in the fantasy world after his performance. Folks do need to tape the breaks slightly when it comes to Ogletree, the Giants focused their attention at Miles Austin with double coverage and their other experienced corner Webster against Bryant. Ogletree had the benefit of working against the backups of an already depleted secondary so he should have had a good game. Most of his first half receptions came on slants in which he easily got a inside release off the snap for a simple slant catch. The ability to work himself open for the touchdown.

10:32 in the 3rd quarter. The pre-snap read shows cover 1 meaning one safety in the middle playing center field. Ogletree is lined up on an experienced corner #23 Corey Webster. Ogletree is going to run a double move which takes a while to develop. Romo gets pressure from the right side, Doug Free's man gets inside on him thanks to a counter move. However one of Romo's strengths is extending plays and fires the ball with Ogletree even with Webster which means he is beaten.  The ability to get find the open spot in the redzone and run good routes downfield without blazing speed are Robinson traits and a good start for Ogletree.

 Webster bites hard at the 30 yard line, Romo fires with no hope for the safety to get over nor the corner time to recover.

 Here you can see Uymenora setting up Free outside then knocking him off balance with the right arm jumping inside.

Cowboys vs Giants using the coaches film (Part 1)

Dallas surprises the football world beating the Giants on the road on opening night for a big division win.  How did they do it?

It took me several days to watch all the film and analyze what it means.  I had to a few questions I started with and find the answers.

1. How did the new offensive line do against perhaps the best pass rush in football?
2. Is Kevin Ogletree the new Laurent Robinson?
3. How did Dallas defensive line consistently stuff the Giants running game?
4. What did Rob Ryan do to keep Eli's passing game in check?
5. How did first year starters Barry Church & Morris Claiborne in their debuts?

I will post in five sections addressing these questions.

Lets get started.

1. The outlook was not good heading into this one with Jason Pierre-Paul vs Tyron Smith at left tackle, his first career start on the left side. Nate Livings coming over from the Bengals, known as a better pass blocker than in the running game, highly suspect Phil Costa, Mackenzy Bernadeau who wasn't a full time starter with the Panthers and Doug Free hoping for the 2010 Free vs the 2011 one.

The right guard Bernadeau is supposed to be a power run blocking guard with poor footwork and hand placement in pass protection.  He doesn't do much to change that thinking as early on in the first quarter, he gives up almost immediate penetration, Murray doesn't react quickly enough to help his guard and down goes Romo. He let the defensive tackle get his hands into his body and all his upper body is for not.

 

Phil Costa does not make it out of the first quarter with a back injury, I did not see the injury on film but honestly Costa gets knocked on his tail so often from last season it doesn't surprise me. Insert newly acquired Ryan Cook, #63, to play center with less than a week of practice in Dallas.


10:45 in 2nd Quarter.  Cook gives up pressure back into Romo who can't get the ball off like he wants. Kevin Ogletree is coming across the middle but runs behind the linebacker. By this point the ball has already left Romo's hands for the interception. It was a extremely small window for Romo and the ball should not been thrown here but Ogletree did not do any favors to his quarterback.

This is the window Romo was throwing into when he fired the ball, the linebacker in red just sitting in the middle of the field drifting toward Ogletree.

As the ball arrives, he has extended his route 4 yards downfield which gives the defender perfect room to jump in front for the easy pick. Bad read by Romo, pressure by Cook and receiver not helping matters with the route.

Doug Free is the weakest link on the team, keeping in mind that he had to keep the Giants pass rush at bay but keeping in mind the preseason and training camp, Free has not improved.  He is extremely susceptible to counter moves and Uymenora defeated him regularly as did Pierre-Paul. The competition will get easier in week 2 but the 2012 version of Doug Free is far too much like 2011 than 2010.

Free was not alone in his struggles at tackle, Tyron Smith had a hard time keeping Pierre-Paul at bay but the younger player who's a first round pick will get the benefit of the doubt. He did get better in the 2nd half as did most of the line as well, running the ball with success can do that to a pass rushing team. I graded Nate Livings as the most consistent lineman, as expected better in pass protection than getting push in the running game but was plenty serviceable.  Neither of the guards were good at pulling either missing the moving target or getting no push once they locked on.