Stories of the Season

For the last three seasons, two players have dominated the top of our rankings for the center position. Nick Mangold and Matt Birk have been a class apart so far as centers go in the NFL since 2008, with Mangold ranking first overall every season except for last year when he was a close second to Birk. As run blockers they look as dominant as the best guards, and in pass protection they show the footwork to pick-up stunts, the base strength to anchor against the bull rush of the top nose tackles, and the smarts to pick out late blitzing linebackers. In essence, they have it all.

This season, however, injuries have struck both players, leaving a new class of centers to emerge and stake their claim as the league’s best. Mangold and Birk are not a million miles away (sixth and eighth respectively in our rankings), but there’s a group ahead of them that deserve their due.

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We’re eight weeks into the season and Darelle Revis is doing something pretty special. The level of play he’s returned to after a 2010 season slowed by early injury is causing people to draw legitimate comparisons to Deion Sanders in his prime.

To this point, Revis has been thrown at 33 times. He has allowed 10 receptions. He has yet to give up a touchdown, though he has scored one of his own. Opposing quarterbacks are just as likely to have the ball picked (four times) or batted down (another six times) as they are to have it caught by their intended receiver when they challenge Revis’ coverage. Picking on Revis this season is yielding a QB rating of just 2.9. Yes, 2.9. Read the rest of this entry »

Take a casual glance at the numbers, pretty much any of them, and you’d be inclined to think Vick isn’t playing at the same level as he did in 2010.

His team, despite all the preseason hype, is 2-4 and seemingly playing a must-win game every week. He’s already thrown more regular season interceptions (eight) than he did last year (six) when he was in the running for league MVP.

Still, PFF founder Neil Hornsby included him on his recent Pro Bowl Cheat Sheet along with Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers in the NFC, and ahead of such quarterbacks as Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford.

Let’s have a look at why that might have been …

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You figured that after sticking by him after he missed the entire 2010 season, the Patriots would make full use out of Leigh Bodden.  The talented cornerback was a star for the Patriots in 2009, being the only dependable cornerback on a roster that included Shawn Springs, Jonathan Wilhite and Darius Butler.

Well now Bodden has joined those illustrious names as players who the Patriots have decided to move on from after playing 222 snaps of the 2011 season, featuring prominently in every game bar the Week 4 encounter with the Raiders.

Were the Patriots right?  Does Bodden have something left to offer?  If so, what teams could be interested?  Let’s find out.

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Early on in 2011 I was thinking the 49ers would be favorites to win the NFC West. A kind of default scenario given the state of play in the NFC West as I lacked faith in the Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals.

Then I watched as Aubrayo Franklin, Takeo Spikes, Manny Lawson, Travis LaBoy and Nate Clements either walked out or found themselves cut by a new coaching staff that had its’ own ideas of what personnel fitted in with what they wanted to. Somewhere along the way, this change led me to picking the Cardinals to win the division. I’m here to admit I was wrong. Horribly wrong.

But it’s not just enough for me to hold my hands up. I need to tell you why I was wrong, and that means taking a look at a unit that may be the most valuable in the entire league.  The San Francisco 49ers defense.

Now everyone knows about Patrick Willis and to a lesser degree Justin Smith, but there are a number of other players also stepping up. So unit by unit, let’s break them down. Read the rest of this entry »

The New England Patriots selected cornerback Devin McCourty with the 27th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. The pick raised some eyebrows (a common occurrence with Bill Belichick involved) as McCourty was viewed only as a special teams ace with a chance to contribute as a nickel CB in his rookie season.  Almost immediately, Belichick began praising his instincts and ability to pick up the defense and McCourty was thrust into a starting cornerback role.

McCourty exceeded expectations throughout 2010, not missing a defensive snap until Week 8 and excelling on multiple special teams units. His biggest contribution, though, was locking down the LCB job, a key position that had been a revolving door since Asante Samuel left the team after the 2007 season.

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Last year, it took outside linebacker Clay Matthews just one game to accumulate three sacks. We are six weeks into the 2011 season, and Matthews is just sitting at two. While some have been quick to defend one of the most well-known players on the Super Bowl defense, others have already decided he isn’t the player he once was.
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So which is it? Has Clay Matthews made a turn for the worse, or is his two sack total not telling the whole story? If you’re familiar with our work, you know we’ve seen Matthews on every play he’s been in and know what the whole story is. Read on and be clued in.
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Aaron Rodgers is on fire, we know that by now.

Josh Sitton is playing like an All-Pro guard, we’ve told you guys that enough already.

But as the Packers stand a game away from a return to the Super Bowl, it’s time some credit was given to a group of Green Bay players whose excellence this season has gone a long way to helping Rodgers and the passing game as much as anyone else has – the running backs.

And while they’ve done a decent job running the ball, it’s their pass-blocking that really sets them apart.

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The Jets are brash, bold and loud on defense, in the image of their coach. Rex Ryan isn’t the traditional, quiet head man, always saying the politically correct thing, making sure not to stir up controversy, and paying respect to opponent and media alike. Ryan is outspoken, and he doesn’t care.

The Jets on defense have embraced this attitude, with players like Bart Scott and Antonio Cromartie publicly bashing their opposition in the media. In the case of Scott, the sheer endurance of his lambasting of the Patriots was really quite impressive.

But this swagger wouldn’t be possible without some quiet play up front. Last season we were massively impressed with the play of two linemen most people hadn’t heard of: Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito. While Pouha has still been good, his form has regressed a touch from last season. DeVito, however, continues to be one of the most consistently impressive run-stuffing 3-4 defensive ends in the game.

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Start with the fact that the man’s face is so far undercover even his mother might not recognize him.

But Brett Keisel was recognized with a replacement Pro Bowl nod in the AFC, not bad for an undecorated veteran that only played 10 full games — and put up the kind of numbers that make you stand in with the crowd instead of out of it (20 tackles, three sacks).

Good to know that someone out there was paying attention. By definition, the role of defensive end in a 3-4 is a thankless job, and it’s especially true with the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in front of those great linebackers.

Keisel doesn’t just do his job, he does it very well, and will have to do so again this weekend. Here’s a look at the man last seen at a casting call to be the next Brawny spokesmodel.

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