Shoot from the Hip

What do Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, the Crypt Keeper, Gandalf and Mr. Burns have in common? Well...EVERYTHING! Read on!

The 2009 NFL season has finally arrived. The anticipation for many is about to culminate with a powerhouse matchup that will pit the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. Naturally, the excitement can lead to a number of questions, thoughts and opinions on what exactly to look forward to this season. Here is a smattering of random ramble through the eyes of yours truly, in list form of course. Onward!

3 players I love more than Bulgogi (and that’s a whole lotta love):

1). Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers:

Rodgers hasn’t had it easy that’s for sure. Green Bay drafted him 24^th overall in 2005 after pre-draft projections had him going much higher than that, some as high as #1. Green Bay watched pick by pick as Rodgers slowly fell right into their Wisconsin cheddar laps. The first pick in that draft ended up being former Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Smith unceremoniously got beat out by Shaun Hill this offseason and now finds himself on the pine in San Francisco. Brett Favre’s 274^th retirement and comeback prior to last season paved the way for Rodgers to take the helm after being Favre’s backup for 3 seasons. Everything is in place for the 25 year old to eclipse what was a very large filling of shoes during his inaugural season as Green Bay starting quarterback. Can Rodgers take the next step in making a name for himself as the next great Packer quarterback? First season as Packer starter: Favre-3227 yards- 18 touchdowns-13 interceptions. Rodgers: 4038-28 (32 including 4 rush TD’s)-13. He’s already two steps ahead.

2). Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs:

Love me some Dwayne Bowe. I admit I was a skeptic throughout his rookie breakout in which he posted 70 catches, 995 yards and 5 touchdowns- ranking him first in all three categories amongst first year receivers in 2007. His numbers improved across the board last season (86-1022- 7). This season Todd Haley takes over as the new head coach and is implementing the same high octane, pass heavy offense that helped take the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl last season. The scheme had the Cardinals average almost 40 pass attempts per game. With an improved quarterback situation and no other receiver on the roster worth mentioning, Bowe has an immediate opportunity to cement himself as one of the best in the bizz. Question marks dominate the outlook of Kansas City’s season but I think Bowe continues his rapid ascension up the ladder of the NFL’s elite wideouts.

3). LeSean Mccoy, RB, Eagles:

Brian Westbrook is a stud in Philadelphia. This is a fact. Brian Westbrook has played in 7 NFL seasons and has missed at least one game in every single one of them. This is a fact. Steven Spielberg just signed on to create a film for every single one of the Goosebumps childhood book series. This is not a fact. But the thought gets me almost as excited as I am for rookie Lesean Mccoy. Mccoy is one injury to the aforementioned Westbrook away from becoming very relevant in the NFL. “Shady” possess’ vision, smarts and excellent pass catching abilities that will allow him to mimic Westbrook’s role in the offense seamlessly. Westbrook is the unquestioned #1 back and deservedly so but when (not if) he goes down Mccoy’s value shoots straight through the roof. Oh yea…Westbrook had surgery this offseason on his knee and ankle. Couple that with the curse of the 30 year old running back and I think there will be some “Shady” bizznazz going down in the city of brotherly love.

Speed round: 30 words or less

Running back tandems that work:

1) Chris Johnson and Lendale White, Titans- Tennessee runs more than Steve Prefontaine. 508 rush attempts last season.

2) Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, Benjarvis Green-Ellis, Patriots- I realize this is a trio and not a tandem. Can a trio be a tandem? I digress. Team ranked 6^th in rush yards per game in 2008.

3) Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants- Jacobs rushed for 1089 yards in 2008. Derrick Ward rushed for 1025. Derrick Ward is no longer on team. Advantage- Bradshaw.

Defenses to watch:

1) New York Jets- Former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan takes over as head coach. Ravens defense was ranked in the top 6 the past four years.

2) Green Bay Packers- New 3-4 defensive scheme. BJ Raji, AJ Hawk and Aaron Kampmann provide youth and athleticism at key positions. Smart, veteran cornerbacks.

3) Houston Texans- Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, DeMeco Ryans and rookie Brian Cushing give the team potential superstars at 4 positions. Include Dunta Robinson’s upside and I like them to turn it around.

Future movie roles for Raiders owner Al Davis:

1) The Crypt keeper from Tales from the Crypt

2) Lord of the Rings 4- Gandalf returns with a receding hairline, facial hair loss, horrible breath and a silver and black nylon Starter jacket from 1982.

3) The Simpsons real, live action movie- Mr. Burns.

Storylines to follow:

1) Jay Cutler in Chi-town- High profile trade out of Denver, low profile receivers in Chicago. Something’s gotta give.

2) Mike Vick returns- 10 words: Cage fight with Jean-Claude Van Damme in his prime. 3 more: No-holds barred. 3 more: Pay-per-view.

3) Wide Receiver Soap Opera- Happens every year. Always entertaining. Brandon Marshall. Chad Ocho Cinco, T.O, Michael Crabtree. Whatchu got for us this year boys?

Narcolepsy Alert: No Sleeping on the Job

When attempting to unearth the next breakout player one must look no further than opportunities as they present themselves. Naturally, there are players buried on every depth chart that may not have a gig locked up as of press time, but by seasons end could emerge and prove very useful. Don’t ever sleep on opportunity. Here are a few sleepers to look out for this season.

1) Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants-When opportunity shoots itself in the leg you must take full advantage. Thanks to the slug that buried itself into Plaxico Burress’ leg, rookie Nicks now finds himself in a very favorable situation. The Giants are inexperienced at wide receiver as neither Dominik Hixon nor Steve Smith really proved much after Burress went down last season. Hixon and Smith could turn in solid numbers this year, but I really like Nicks to step up and become New York’s go to receiver. Nicks doesn’t possess top end speed, but runs a crisp and clean route and has excellent hands. I think he has the skill set to step in right away and produce.

2) James Davis, RB, Browns- This one seems to be picking up a little more steam as the days go by, but regardless its worth mentioning. Jamal Lewis is the starter in Cleveland but his wheels showed noticeable wear and tear last year. Yes, he turned in his seventh 1000-yard season, but it was at a pedestrian 3.6 yards per carry and his 4 touchdowns proved to be the lowest total he has reached since 2005 and the second lowest of his career. He is now 30 years old and could use some fresh legs to spell him more often. Rookie Davis has torched opponents this pre season. I know its only preseason but he has shown flashes of speed that show a considerable amount of upside. If Lewis’s legs cant hold up for the duration of the season, Davis would be a nice change of pace for defenses to worry about.

3) Earl Bennett, WR, Bears- New Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler has to throw it to someone. The Bears have speedster Devin Hester at wide receiver but he is still a work in progress and tight end Greg Olson provides enormous upside. But Cutler will still need a target on the outside that he can trust. Enter Bennett, who should by no means be considered a legit outside target, but like the other two sleepers, has an opportunity to showcase his supposed offseason learning regimen that his coaches have been raving about. “We had our minicamp early this year before trading for (Cutler), and all the coaches talked about how good Earl looked and how comfortable and confident he looked," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. "Toward the end of last year you could see that, and getting (Cutler) in here with him made it even more so because he's so comfortable with (Cutler). Earl is playing really well, and we're excited about it." Although it was a few years ago, Bennett and Cutler played together at Vanderbilt and established chemistry that could pay off at the next level. Bennett does not have great top end speed but is sure handed and has shown a knack for getting open.

The Nostradamus Effect

Lets makes some irrational and clearly irresponsible predications:

4 Coaches that will be jobless by seasons end:

1) Marvin Lewis- Cincinnati Bengals- This wont get better any time soon

2) Wade Philips- Dallas Cowboys- Jason Garrett can only wait in the wings for so long

3) Tom Cable- Oakland Raiders- Hoping. Praying. Dreaming. This needs to become a reality for my personal well-being.

4) Dick Jauron- Buffalo Bills- T.O wont be quiet all season long. Jauron will.

Playoff seeds by conference:

AFC-

1) New England (12-4)

2) Tennessee (12-4)

3) Baltimore (11-5)

4) San Diego (10-6)

5) NY Jets (11-5)

6) Pittsburgh (10-6)

NFC-

1) Green Bay (12-4)

2) Philadelphia (11-5)

3) Atlanta (11-5)

4) Arizona (9-7)

5) Minnesota (10-6)

6) New Orleans (8-8)

Super Bowl Matchup

NY Jets vs Green Bay

Take your pick:

Cookies and cream or rocky road: Cookies and Cream

More games started this season- Matt Leinart or Kurt Warner? Leinart

More touchdowns- Brett Favre passing or Lendale White rushing: Gimme Lendale

Same question- Randy Moss receiving or Lendale White rushing: Buying Randy

Unagi, Spicy Tuna or Rainbow Roll: Unagi in a photo finish

Worst team in the league- Firing your offensive coordinator two weeks before the season starts is never a recipe for success. Buffalo. Sleeper team: Tampa Bay- for reasons mentioned above.

Yugioh or Pokemon: Yugioh- Everyday of the week. Not even close.

Absurdness:

Number of times T.O calls out his head coach/O Coordinator/quarterback: 9

Number of situps T.O will pound out on the driveway of his home on national television: 845

Tom Cable spin kicks to the dome of one of his assistant coaches: 3

Number of magazines that will feature Brenda Warner on the cover: 8

Over/Under:

1.5: Times Tom Brady knocks up Giselle by seasons end including playoffs- OVER

10: Number of times I turn off the Raider game before halftime- OVER

2: Number of times the Raiders redeem themselves after I turn off the television in disgust- PUSH

11: LaDainian Tomlinson touchdowns- UNDER

1800: Tomlinson total yards from scrimmage- OVER

18: Wide receiver 1000-yard seasons- OVER

11: Running back 1000-yard seasons- UNDER

4.5: Quarterback 30+ touchdown pass seasons- OVER

100: Total Mike Vick touches this season- UNDER

4: Viewings of this blog- LOCK OF THE WEEK- UNDER

Prove me wrong…

So what have we learned?

That is a real picture of Al Davis, Bulgogi is synonymous with delicious Korean BBQ and Unagi is simply eel sushi. There you have it. Lessons learned. Prices paid. Lets get ready for some football.

-MJK