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Hi Folks,
Good Wednesday to you. It's another day with tons of new content plus we've got the news and notes you need so let's get to it.
J
For 2012 we've decided to up the coverage of an area we feel is one of the most important yet overlooked areas in Football - the Offensive Line. We've added our Matt Bitonti to the Footballguys Staff and Matt will help us dig deep into the OLs. In this feature, he breaks down each team's offensive line. If you're looking for an edge, this is it.
Our Matt Bitonti with more detail and explanation on how we're ranking the offensive lines
Our Jene Bramel walks you through what a "Perfect Draft" might look like for a league using Individual Defensive Players (IDP).
Our Jene Bramel breaks down some of the tiers for Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues.
Our Jeff Tefertiller looks at some of the key Training Camp battles you'll want to keep a very close eye on.
Our Sigmund Bloom with his "from the gut" take on what he's seeing with different skill positions. A ton of quick hitting nuggets that's a great read.
Our Jason Wood with the complete run down of all the things we're watching for this preseason in the AFC West.
Our Jason Wood with the complete run down of all the things we're watching for this preseason in the NFC South.
Our Jason Wood with the complete run down of all the things we're watching for this preseason in the NFC East.
Our Jason Wood with the complete run down of all the things we're watching for this preseason in the NFC West.
Our John Norton with an extensive look at the AFC South from an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) angle.
Our John Norton with an extensive look at the NFC South from an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) angle.
Our Heath Cummings with some really interesting data on how QBs perform as it relates to how many years they've been in the league.
Our Jene Bramel with issue #1 of his offseason look at Defenses and the changes you need to know about.
We sat twelve of our Footballguys Staffers down and had them draft teams using Individual Defensive Player (IDP) scoring.
Our Jeff Tefertiller with the latest round of player news viewed through the lens of how it affects Dynasty Leagues.
Our Matt Waldman continues his "Strange Sanctuaries" series and in this one takes a look at TE Kellen Davis.
The Cleveland Browns signed first-round pick QB Brandon Weeden to an undisclosed deal Tuesday, July 24.
Footballguys' view: No surprise here. Weeden is going to be the team's starter in week one of the regular season and could not afford to miss any time in training camp. He's not mobile and must learn to be a dropback passer after playing primarily out of the shotgun at Oklahoma State. Weeden has a strong arm and is a bold passer who is not afraid to throw into tight windows.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed head coach Mike Tomlin to a three-year contract extension through the 2016 season Tuesday, July 24. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Footballguys' view: Tomlin is one of the best young coaches in the league today, and locking him up for the next few years was the right thing to do. The Steelers have had three coaches in the last 40 years and Tomlin has 2 Super Bowl appearances in his 5 years with the team.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Justin Blackmon plead guilty to charges of driving under the influence in Oklahoma.
Footballguys' view: He will avoid jail time if he completes the term of his sentence. Blackmon will enter the league's substance abuse program, and have to work 50 hours of community service in addition to paying a $500 fine. There's a snag in his contract discussions with the Jaguars and he may not be present at the start of camp on Thursday.
New England Patriots RB Joseph Addai was reportedly not very impressive during the team's offseason program, and he might not be on the roster bubble. It sounds like Addai needs a strong training camp and preseason if he wants to leapfrog RBs Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead, among others.
Footballguys' view: If Addai doesn't play better in camp we could see the Patriots releasing the veteran back. The backfield is cramped in New England, and Addai's not the same player he used to be.
The mother of Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant has told authorities that she does not want to pursue a case against her son after an argument allegedly turned violent. He was arrested last week after a July 14 incident in which he allegedly hit his mother across the face with a ball cap.
Footballguys' view: Even if Bryant's mother doesn't press charges, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could still discipline the young WR for violating the leauge's personal conduct policy.
Updating a previous report, the Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with RB Trent Richardson Monday, July 23. Richardson received a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth about $20.5 million, including a signing bonus of $13.341 million, according to reports. The contract contains no offset language, which would have prevented the Browns from being required to pay Richardson the remainder of his salary in the event they cut him before the deal expires and he signs with another team.
Footballguys' view: Richardson is the rare workhorse back who can grind down the defense, and gets stronger as the game goes on. He has the speed to score from anywhere on the field, and the size to be an effective short-yardage and goalline runner. Richardson is basically a clone of Vikings RB Adrian Peterson and will be the centerpiece of the Browns offense.
The New England Patriots signed free-agent TE Visanthe Shiancoe (Vikings) to an undisclosed one-year deal Tuesday, July 24.
Footballguys' view: More depth for an already uber dangerous TE corps.
The Denver Broncos signed RB Ronnie Hillman and QB Brock Osweiler to rookie deals Tuesday, July 24. Osweiler, a second-round draft pick, received a four-year contract worth roughly $3.1 million that included a signing bonus of $997,584. Hillman's contract details are unknown at this time.
Footballguys' view: Osweiler is the QB of the future and will be groomed behind Peyton Manning for the next few years. Hillman was drafted to eventually replace Willis McGahee. He'll start as a change of pace back this year but could take over for the veteran as the season goes on. Hillman is a better fit for the stretch play, and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Some in the scouting community compared his skill set to that of Eagles RB LeSean McCoy. Our very own Cecil Lammey will be reporting from Broncos training camp every day starting on Thursday.
The New England Patriots are likely to keep one fullback, and FB Tony Fiammetta (illness) appears to be the favorite to crack the 53-man roster. He was a help last season to the young back with the Dallas Cowboys before suffering an illness. FB Eric Kettani is considered a long shot to unseat Fiammetta on the depth chart.
Footballguys' view: Spencer Larsen is also at the Fullback position, and we think he should make the team as well. Larsen can also play Linebacker, and knows Josh McDaniels system from their time together in Denver.
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels favors the screen game, which works in the favor of RB Danny Woodhead. The diminutive back saw a decrease in touches last season, but his ability to catch out of the backfield will help his cause.
Footballguys' view: Woodhead is a weapon who can rack up big yards on any given play. The three headed RBBC in New England makes Woodhead's fantasy value extremely limited.
The Carolina Panthers have placed WR David Gettis (knee) on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Footballguys' view: Gettis has been held back by injuries during his pro career, and it is concerning that he's not 100% 11 months after this knee injury. We'll see how much time he misses in training camp. Expect the team to be cautious with him as he comes back from this injury.
Atlanta Falcons LB Lofa Tatupu (pectoral) will miss the entire 2012 season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Footballguys' view: Tatupu missed all of last season due to chronic knee injuries and was trying to make a comeback this year with the Falcons. He agreed to a two-year $5.75MM contract back in March, but only $600k was guaranteed. We see second-year LB Akeem Dent as the favorite to start at the Middle Linebacker position.
The Arizona Cardinals signed SS Adrian Wilson to a new four-year deal through 2015. He had two years remaining on his deal.
Footballguys' view: Wilson signed a $36MM contract back in 2009 and still had around $17MM remaining on the deal. This deal will give the Cardinals cap relief and reward Wilson as the team's leader in the secondary. Wilson showed his toughness and team first mentality last year after playing through a partially torn biceps muscle.
The Seattle Seahawks agreed to a multi-year extension with DL Chris Clemons Monday, July 23, according to sources. Terms of the extension were not given. Clemons had decided to skip the team's mandatory minicamp from June 12-14 due to his frustration with his contract.
Footballguys' view: Clemons was their primary pass rusher, notching 11 sacks in 2011. The team has added pieces on the defensive side to help their pass rush, and now have locked up Clemons for the long-term as well.
That'll do it for today, Folks. Thanks for reading and thanks for being a part of Footballguys. We'll see you tomorrow with the update.
Peace,
J