Sam Monson Rookie Diary
2/7/2008 DCU vs. The Belfast Bulls – if we won, we were in the playoffs. Well this time ladies and gents, it's Game-day! I had packed my gear up on the Saturday, ensured everything was washed. I was prepared. This was going to be military precision: Awake at 7.20, up a 7.30, out by 7.45, pick up Dave at 8.00. . . I woke up, glanced at my watch: 8.01am !
... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
26/6/2008 With the regular season nearly finished, we find ourselves in a position to secure a playoff appearance with a win. Our fate is in our own hands, and the atmosphere around the team for the last couple of weeks suggests everybody knows it... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau Giant Contract Too Small
17/6/2008
Plaxico Burress deserves a new contract. The New York Giants star receiver is currently getting heat for publicly calling for more cash but he has earnt it. Traditionally no-one likes to see me-first players crying about their huge pay packets and they tend to be castigated for it especially when they take it public rather than handling it internally... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson A Premiership Waste
12/6/2008 Everyone likes to have a little chuckle at Premiership footballers such as Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney for being 'academically challenged' to put it politely. That being said, can any of those in the Premiership we like to mock be quite as questionable as Cedric Benson? Or Chris Henry? Or even the "reformed" Adam "Pacman" Jones?... ( full article )
Sam Monson Who needs a RB?
9/6/2008 When backs like Joseph Addai, Ronnie Brown or Marion Barber get ranked outside the top 10, it immediately sends you looking through the list to find the usurper. Trouble is, there isn't always one, because all the guys ahead of them are also fantastic backs... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau Mean Streaks Through The NFL
3/6/2008
Rampaging through the history of the game players with mean streaks, questionable personal lives and cheats have long been as much a feature of the NFL as the clean-cut all-American heroes. While the NFL is undoubtedly the home of paragons of moral virtue the game is currently establishing exactly where the bad guys might fit in today's league... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
28/5/2008 So I was back to my role of offensive coordinator, or receivers coach this week, in the shorts and t-shirt getup this time, with the sun beating down on a glorious Sunday morning. As promised loyal Diner faithful, this instalment begins with the tale of a tooth related injury... ( full article )
Rob Staton Welcome To The New Season – NFC
22/5/2008 Ok, so we've now got about 110 days to go to the new season. Last time we had a look at how the AFC is shaping up after mini-camps, and now it's the NFC. Once again we look at expectations, schedule difficulty and the now infamous best case / worst case scenarios.... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau Out With The Old, In With The New
15/5/2008
The start of training camps and the influx of eager new college players into NFL ranks makes this a time of renewal for NFL teams. The hordes of new guys all keen to break into a lineup are rightly the focus with a range of hotly tipped draft prospects combining with unheralded free agent sleepers to garner the buzz and raise the hopes of fans of each franchise. For every young buck that bursts through, a veteran is forced to make way... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Surprise Me
13/5/2008 The nature of the NFL provides for so much movement from season to season. Every year there are teams and players that do surprisingly well and teams and players that do surprisingly badly and this season will be no different. In fact, there are a couple of big surprises that (in my infinite wisdom) I've already foreseen... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
10/5/2008 Our record was now 2-1, level in our division with the Dublin Rebels, perennial powerhouses of the IAFL, and our next opponents. Preparation was called for, we needed to be at the top of our game for the Rebels, and a Friday night training session was arranged... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson Is DeSean Jackson the next Maurice Jones-Drew?
7/5/2008 Guys are always compared to those who came before them and there's one guy in particular who interests me this year. I see him as being ranked against a player who came out in 2006, and whilst they don't play the same positions they certainly face the same challenges at the Pro level... ( full article )
Sam Monson Think You Know The NFL Draft?
30/4/2008 There's a lot of Draftniks out there, and of course we know the best place on the net to come and get some good draft info is the Diner, but how well do you really know the Draft? Just to be on the safe side, I was dispatched to New York City to check it out... ( full article )
Keith Bowden A Stats Column Without Any Stats
30/4/2008 When were you born? So I am reading Ed Smith's fascinating new book What Sport Tells Us About Life. Amongst his many interesting thoughts I came across some research he has quoted by physicist John Wesson. A-ha, I think, there is a topic I could mine for this bi-weekly look at stats in the NFL... ( full article )
Rob Staton The Calm After The Storm
28/4/2008 Offensive tackles seemed to be a popular choice in the first round, but it'll be interesting to see how some of them work out. Jake Long was the first man off the board and the Dolphins will be hoping he has the same kind of impact Joe Thomas had as a rookie in Cleveland. Both will play left tackle next season. Are they similar players? Not exactly... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
23/4/2008 This week, its eyes down and look in for the 2008 draft and with that in mind this week's column has a slight twist. The guys consider what may happen come Saturday at Radio City Music Hall and make their predictions... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The Greatest Drafts of All Time
22/4/2008 In 1974, the Steelers were coming off the back of their first real success as a franchise. The famous "Immaculate Reception" in 1972 against Oakland gave them their first ever playoff win. They were still quite a way away from a Super Bowl calibre team, however. That changed dramatically practically overnight... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Pencil It In
18/4/208 So there was a two-hour long 'Schedule Announcement Show' on ESPN this week. Two hours to announce a schedule… and it was worth every second!... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
17/4/2008 Pre-season training has not gone well. Like that rash you just can't shift, the injury bug has been a constant problem. Sprinting out of the blocks went fine, the cut was made, the ball was in the air, turn back to find it and...TWANG! Someone had shot me in the leg... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
12/4/2008 Chris Henry is finished in the NFL, Jake Long is not the best offensive line prospect, whereas Devin Thomas will be a first round pick and it is Dan Connor, not Keith Rivers who is the top linebacker. You sure?... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau
Long Road Likely for #1 Selection
8/4/2008 Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins are a little over two weeks away from cashing in the first overall pick, holding the No 1 spot may be a boon but it is not one to be handled lightly. Success is nowhere near as guaranteed as the typically long-suffering fanbase deserve... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Right, Everbody Out!
4/4/2008 I feel like a high school teacher this week. One who has to break up a raucous bunch of students in the classroom next door, because their teacher has had to step out for a few minutes. And who are those students? Why, they're all of you out there of course... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins Bill Belichick – Through the Lens
1/4/2008 Belichick was destined for coaching at an early age. His father was an Assistant Coach at the US Naval Academy, and as anyone who knows anything about the Academy will tell you, it's a strict regimented regime there... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez How To Use Those Mini-Breaks In Play
26/3/2008 Do you find yourself unwittingly learning line for line an advert you can't stand, simply because you've seen it so many times? It's time to reclaim those valuable unused seconds of your life and turn them into something productive... ( full article )
Colin Ward Is David Carr driving the same road as Jim Plunkett?
20/3/2008 A broken quarterback. A maligned player. A man with perhaps one last chance. David Carr. They say that it's always darkest just before dawn. Well, 2007 got pretty dark for Carr... ( full article )
Sam Monson Eugene Parker is a Genius
15/3/2008 You might think you know the NFL, know who's who, and be familiar with all the names you should know, but I'm betting you have no idea who Eugene Parker is. He just made one of the best moves in football this year, and it's likely to earn him around $900k for the next three years... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins 'Favre' Downs with Stock & Doc
12/3/2008 Now that one of the icons of the modern era has announced his retirement, Stock and Doc pay tribute through their first ever special roundtable. The duo debates his place in history, his legacy and of course, the immortal question, is he the best ever?... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Those Crazy Rumours
6/3/2008 So what does a die-hard NFL fan do on the eve of free agency? Well he could do what any normal person would and go to bed with the intention of checking the news in the morning - OR - he could stay up all night constantly refreshing NFL.com for any glimpse of a signing rumour... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
5/3/2008 Asante Samuel to Philadelphia, Derek Anderson to Cleveland & Bernard Berrian to Minnesota are all great moves; but Josh McCown to Miami is a big error! Right?... ( full article )
Rob Staton Un-bear-able
3/3/2008 Legend says that the losing Super Bowl finalists have a bad year the following season. The Chicago Bears suffered the same curse that has hit so many teams before them, and the hangover looks likely to stretch into free agency... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins Doctor's Therapy; The Trouble with Terrell
26/02/2008 "As you get to know me, you kind of figure me out, that I'm not as probably as bad of a guy that I've been reported to be. I'm not that jerk" Could it be that Terrell has turned over a new leaf? Is he finally getting 'it'?... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
2/7/2008 This week the guys look at the issue of a rookie salary cap, whether the Bills will end up migrating to Toronto, what the Raiders have in store and begin their countdown to the new season through looking at each division in turn. This week – the AFC East.... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Comedy NFL Style
28/6/2008 I think the recently departed George Carlin said it best when he pointed out that "Baseball is played in the spring; the season of new life. Football is played in the fall when EVERYTHING IS DYING"... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
26/6/2008 This week, the guys consider where Jason Taylor's attitude will get him, how Jim Brown would fare in today's NFL, whether brains and intelligence are really needed for football and what should the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame be... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
21/6/2008 This week, the guys look at Michael Strahan's career, the development of Leinart and Young, how to best use Reggie Bush and in light of ongoing contract requests and various shenanigans, and consider the merits of Drew Rosenhaus... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
12/6/2008 This week the guys consider the implications of Nick Kaczur's painkiller use, whether T.O. can go on and on … playing, continue their Benson-arrest watch and ask whether it is ever worth looking past character issues in pursuit of great talent... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
5/6/2008 This week, up for consideration is Detroit's status at the bottom of the NFL rankings, Jake Long's prospects in Miami, what will become of Cedric Benson, and will Los Angeles ever get back on the NFL map... and do they deserve to?... ( full article )
Chris Brophy Power Ranking The Decade
The Top Ten # 10-1
30/5/2008 So here it is, after much thought and consideration, the Diner presents it's orderly list of the top ten teams of the decade thus far. How has your team done, and is there still time with two years to go for them to make a move on that top slot?... ( full article )
Sam Monson American Football vs. Rugby: Which is Rougher?
28/5/2008 It's the age old argument over this side of the pond, which sport is tougher, more violent, harder to physically endure? The Diner has an answer, and it's not close... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez The Dangers of Madden
22/5/2008 I had a strange experience once, which occurred whilst watching the opening game of the 2006 season. It was a while ago I grant you, but the memory of it is still clear to this day. Perhaps it was the way Dante Culpepper seemed to be struggling with his movement or the way he unleashed the pigskin harmlessly towards the sidelines the moment a defender came near him... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The FD Big Top 5
A Look Into The Crystal Ball
21/5/2008 It doesn't matter if you follow the hapless, the hopeless, the hopeful or the wonderful. Everyone is feeling that optimism, however slight it may be in some cases, that 2008 may bring better days. As we look forward I thought it may be time to make some early predictions for the year ahead... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
15/5/2008 Confirmed this week: Bench-clearing brawl in Baltimore is good news. Alex Smith will not be the starting QB in SF. Lovie Smith's gamble on Grossman & Orton costs him his job and Calvin Johnson is one of the best in the NFL. That's right, yeah?... ( full article )
Sam Monson Teams Eyeing 2009?
12/5/2008 There were teams that were unusually quiet this off-season. Expected to be clamouring for the top free agents, some teams instead sat back and did very little. It's widely accepted that this was not a strong free agent crop of players, these teams might have taken a look at who might be available in 2009... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
10/5/2008 Jared Allen takes Minnesota into the post season, Shaun Alexander retires, the NCAA remains out of touch and Ryan Perriloux's ousting kills LSU. That's what 2008 holds. Right?... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau Welcome To The Beginning
7/5/2008
After years of training and dedication, some players have been marked out as stars and will be starting for their new NFL team. For most of this year's draft the hard graft starts here. Very few will be starters. Not all will make it onto rosters. Some will be out of the game before their first season ever begins... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins Bill Cowher – One Town Man?
2/5/2008 In the chair for this weeks Therapy session is a man who left the Pittsburgh Steelers, the only team he has ever coached, a year after finally leading them to the Superbowl on the back of one of the most remarkable runs in living memory. He is of course, Bill Cowher... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau The Good Enough Club
30/4/2008
Teams use the draft for a variety of reasons and many of those reasons are about winning now. Adding a player to the ranks who fills an immediate need but also makes the team a greater threat is the typical expectation of a top draft pick. This year's top picks all fit that mould... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Draft Day Winners and Losers
28/4/2008 I was somewhere near London in the middle of the night, when the stats began to take hold. Suddenly the air was filled with what looked like huge boards. They were all flashing and firing out forty times and other combine figures. I remember hearing someone say. "Holy flying iguanas! Who are these sixth round players?"... ( full article )
Rob Staton MVP to Bargain Bin
23/4/2008 Just two years removed from helping the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl and in the process claim the NFL MVP for 2005, the future is looking bleak for Alexander as he faces the very real prospect of the beginning of the end... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
17/4/2008 Miami are making a mistake if they are considering Jake Long, Aqib Talib's 'character issues' and his skipping of a workout in Dallas are being overblown, Malcolm Kelly is right to criticise the Oklahoma Sooners, and Branden Albert's stock in this year's draft is rising far too high. Discuss... ( full article )
Rob Staton With The 1st Overall Pick The Miami Dolphins Select… Nobody
13/4/2008 They've passed on their pick and hand the baton on to St. Louis at Number Two. Miami can re-enter the draft at any point to announce who they want to select, essentially dropping down the board and avoiding having to pay the big money... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
7/4/2008 Wembley is not the best place to hold an NFL game in the UK, Pac Man Jones would be a great fit for Dallas, the new rule about the length of player's hair below the helmet is absurd, and Al Davis will be the man to draft Darren McFadden; or so you might think... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau
NFL Rules OK!
3/4/2008 The NFL's competition committee are [currently sitting] to determine rules changes for the upcoming season. Each year this committee determines new ways to improve the way the game flows and has generated significant breakthroughs such as ensuring the correct coloured wristband and less worthy causes such as banning the horse collar tackle... ( full article )
Rob Staton The $42 Million Bargain
1/4/2008 When Lofa Tatupu signed a new eight year contract last week he signalled his intentions to remain at the Seattle Seahawks for his entire career. Much was made of the former USC Trojan's loyalty in signing a supposed 'discount' $42 million deal... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
28/3/2008 The Raiders have made a great move by acquiring DeAngelo Hall, DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad will make the Panthers a strong contender, Seattle's running game will be much improved this season with the addition of Julius Jones and TJ Duckett, and Chris Long is the best player in Draft! Right?... ( full article )
Rob Staton Monday Night Jihad – We Need a Kicker!
24/3/2008 Finding the man to nail a 50 yarder in the snow of December can be a thankless task. Some teams strike lucky; take the Broncos for example drafting Jason Elam in the 3rd round of the 1993 draft. Fifteen years later he has two Super Bowl rings and shares an NFL record for the longest kick in history (63 yards)... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Quarterbacks That Don't Come Up In Conversation
18/3/2008 NFL quarterbacks are possibly the most talked about element of the game and the source of many a heated debate. It's the age-old question - who's the best? Is it Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Gus Frerotte? (Ok, not Gus Frerotte.)... ( full article )
Rob Staton Trust in Troy
15/3/2008 The Ravens hold the 8th pick in the 2008 NFL draft. Whilst many experts predict the front office will think long and hard about using that pick on a QB, they could throw their trust into former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith... ( full article )
Rob Staton The 'Qwest' To See Favre
11/3/2008 In seven days time the Hawks were entertaining the Green Bay Packers in what was being billed as one of the last opportunities to see the legendary Brett Favre live in the flesh. I knew I had to be at that game... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau The High Risk - High Reward NFL
5/3/2008
Contracts negotiated during free agency have been enormous. Ben Roethlisberger's $102 million contract to commit himself fully to the Pittsburgh Steelers grabs headlines and attention as a huge figure that would set anyone up for life... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
27/02/2008 Zach Thomas to Dallas is a great move. Chicago were right to extend Grossman's contract. Ryan is the best QB in the draft and yet McFadden is not the best RB. Right?... ( full article )
Chris Brophy Marquee 2008 Free Agents Pt.2
25/02/2008 Just before fellow Chef Sam Monson released his marquee players article, I was in the Diner one day and found a scrap of paper with his notes for the piece scribbled all over it. It provided food for thought... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
21/02/2008 Why 'spygate' still won't go away, where do Chad Johnson and the Bengals go from here, what to do with PacMan Jones, and why 40 metre dash is the most important drill at the NFL Combine... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins Doctor's Therapy: The Life of Brian
29/6/2008 In the next instalment of the column which takes a look at the range of characters and personalities around the NFL, we stay within the AFC North and consider the career and future prospects of Brian Billick, a man self-admittedly at a crossroads in his life... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The Curse Of Bobby Layne
23/6/2008 Curses are not only talking points, they are part of the very culture of American sports. From the Curse of the Bambino which the Boston Red Sox finally snapped in 2004 after being dogged by it for 86 years, to the Curse of 1940, which prevented the New York Rangers from winning the Stanley Cup until 1994... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
12/6/2008 With the Rebels game still lingering in people's minds, the first training session afterwards was a resounding success, with the best turnout we had had for weeks. Everybody had answered the call to get the season back on track, and we were able to have a solid day working on the passing game... ( full article )
Sam Monson Funny Business
9/6/2008 Roger Goodell is heading further down his road of trying to clean up the league's image, and teams are becoming less keen to take a risk on players with big talents but questionable characters. Odell Thurman and Chris Henry are acting their way out of the league with their off-field problems but that's not the only area where talent takes a backseat though. Sometimes it can happen when people just don't respect the business part of the NFL... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Got Your Number…
4/6/2008 There are 128 retired jersey numbers in the NFL. It used to be fairly common practice for teams to honour former players with this grand gesture, until that was, somebody realised that jersey numbers were not in unlimited supply... ( full article )
Keith Bowden The Opposite Of Googlewhacking
30/5/2008 So which is the most popular NFL team? Well there are various ways of measuring this, but I came up with an idea a while back - google-ing the name and looking at the number of "hits". You can see why the Jaguars worry... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
29/5/2008 The boys book their usual Diner Booth, order the waffles, and take a look at Winslow running his mouth for a new contract, Jason Taylor going Hollywood, Adrian Peterson making a modest prediction and James hardy's prospects for 2008... ( full article )
Chris Brophy Power Ranking The Decade
Middle Of The Pack # 20-11
27/5/2008 In the second part of our decade of power rankings, we look at the teams who make up the middle of the pack. Some got close at times, others were just plain inconsistent. Does your team make up one of the teams in positions 20-11? Read on and see... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
22/5/2008 This week, the guys contemplate an NFL without the cap, how Roger Goodell handled 'spygate', what Mike Martz will do for Mike Nolan, and the QB carousel in Tampa Bay. Will it be FACT or FICTION in this weeks Four Downs?... ( full article )
Chris Brophy Power Ranking The Decade
Wooden Spoon Winners # 32-21
21/5/2008 Here we are, 2008 already and in two years time it will be time to crown a team 'Team of the Decade'. The Diner likes to be ahead of the pack so we thought it would be fun to power rank the decade thus far. How has the Diner got your team and it's decade so far?... ( full article )
Keith Bowden Does Winning In The Division Actually Help?
15/5/2008 Around draft time you often hear critics and coaches speak of picking players to combat their division opponents. But is there too much emphasis on division games that only make up 6/16ths of a team's regular season game. With less than half the games played in the division, is it as important as some people make out?... ( full article )
Rob Staton Welcome To The New Season – AFC
10/5/2008 There's about 120 days until the big kick off. But with the draft in the books and mini-camps under way, it's time to start looking ahead. We start with the AFC in taking a peak at what expectations are at this stage and how difficult those schedules look and predict the best and worse case scenarios for each team in 2008... ( full article )
Sam Monson Loading Up
7/5/2008 Two teams stand out from the crowd this offseason. These two teams are cut from the same cloth. Both are built from the trenches, both can run the ball with the best of them, and both have plied their trade on defense shutting down the run. Both decided they were only a couple of major moves away from being able to touch the Lombardi Trophy... ( full article )
Ben Stockwell & Paul Hopkins Four Downs with Stock & Doc
1/5/2008 For Stock & Doc's new edition they sink their teeth into the draft and dish out their highs and lows of the weekend's selections. Best & worst pick, worst & best team job, it's all here with extra relish... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
29/4/2008 The waiting is over, your humble Diner reporter is going to battle – it's game time, baby! The morning of the first game had arrived and it was time to make the arduous journey across the city to ALSAA where our field of battle awaited. Of course, as I'm sure you're well used to by now things were not going to go that smoothly... ( full article )
Paul Hopkins Adam Jones: Cowboy In The Last Chance Saloon?
25/4/2008 Only the Cowboys ever really seemed like a likely destination for the troubled one. A fabulous, young talent, with great ability in the secondary and on special teams only attracts one potential suitor, and at a low financial burden? There's got to be a catch... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Is It A Bit Draughty In Here?
25/4/2008 After what feels like a small millennium, The 2008 NFL Draft is finally upon us. Names will be read out, fans will cheer (or boo) and the internet will be scoured for info on many an unknown seventh round pick... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The FD Big Top 5
Offensive Players Looking To Make a Big Impact
20/4/2008 Underachieving first round picks from recent years, a back-up who will now get his chance to start, and a second year wide-out. Top Fives brings you offensive players to look out for in 2008... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau Seconds Out, Round One
17/4/2008 The Rams are 2nd up this year for the Draft, the first time the franchise has held that spot since 1983. It can be a difficult place for an NFL side to select from, picking in theory from the best of the rest... ( full article )
Keith Bowden How Teams Have Used First Picks During Their Present HC Tenancies
17/4/2008 As HC Bill Parcells used his first picks on 9 offense and 10 defense players. Such a study of a teams activities may give you a clue as to which way they may go this time out, or (if your team is poor at one of positions) show a lack of acumen when using their first pick... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez I'm Spartacus.com
8/4/2008 FootballExpert.com has Kevin Smith ranked as the 8th best RB available in the 2008 draft. Kevin Smith disagrees. On his website he has himself ranked first just ahead of Darren McFadden and Matt Forte. And why not? There's nothing wrong with a bit of self-confidence is there?... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
5/4/2008 Since the last instalment your humble Diner reporter has joined the ranks of the amateur athlete, complete with Lycra 'compression shorts', we're talking serious posing here. Training for the DCU Saints occurs every Sunday, beginning at 11am, and lasting until 2pm, a veritable marathon of exercise for a man whose athletic prowess previously only stretched to outrunning angry recipients of wedgies... ( full article )
Sam Monson Rookie Diary
2/4/2008 Well, the Diner figured that if we were going to spend our days talking football, and telling you guys what's what, we should at least attempt to get involved where it counts – on the Gridiron... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The FD Big Top 5
Defensive Players Looking To Make a Big Impact
28/3/2008 Every year we look to those players who are going to break out and make an impact in the forthcoming season. These "break-out" players tend to come under 2 categories. Firstly they tend to be high draft picks who haven't quite set the league alight as expected, alternatively they can be low picks who came from nowhere... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau
GM Food For Thought
24/3/2008 Ted Sundquist, General Manager of the Denver Broncos, was fired earlier this month after nearly 6 years. That Sundquist lost his employment now, in the weeks leading up to the Draft is odd but that a General Manager was fired is no real surprise at all... ( full article )
Chris Brophy Off-Season Fantasy Football
18/3/2008 Deciding who your keepers are, considering who to draft and looking over the free agent lists, off-season fantasy football is an important time for franchise decision makers and it's when they earn their corn... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau
15/3/2008 Thank You, and Goodnight
It has finally happened. The legendary figure of Brett Favre will no longer grace the frozen tundra of Lambeau in a competitive game. The agony of the Conference Championship round defeat against the Giants was tempered by the prospect of further Favre spectacle... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Your Anorak Awaits
11/3/2008 One of the great things about football is that, no matter how long you've been a fan, every year is a learning experience. No matter how hard you study the rulebook or the pancake stats of your favourite O-lineman, there will always be a little something else to learn... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The FD Big Top 5 When Free Agency Attacks
5/3/2008
When the clock struck midnight last Thursday night/Friday morning, the money men in the NFL sprung into action almost immediately. Trades are an option again, and as always there's been a few interesting developments. This time round on Top Fives, we look at the happenings that didn't quite go to plan... ( full article )
Mark Lyne-Austen A Long Way From Lambeau The Difficult Business of Free Agency
27/02/2008
Football smarts make up the sort of intangible that a team can only get a feel for in person. The Combine may be the first opportunity a team has to pick up that impression... ( full article )
CJ Sanchez Things That Should Be Included At The Scouting Combine
26/02/2008 There's something wholly unhealthy about the Scouting Combine. All those young guys herded into an arena and put through a variety of tests whilst NFL scouts prod and poke them in uncomfortable places... ( full article )
Jody Jamieson The FD Big Top 5 Top Day 2 Rookie Performers
21/02/2008
Sometimes it's the guys who are drafted on Day 2 who can make just as big an impact in their rookie year as the big name high draft picks... ( full article )
DCU vs. The Belfast Bulls – if we won, we were in the playoffs. Well this time ladies and gents, it's Game-day! I had packed my gear up on the Saturday, ensured everything was washed. I was prepared. This was going to be military precision: Awake at 7.20, up a 7.30, out by 7.45, pick up Dave at 8.00. . . I woke up, glanced at my watch: 8.01am !
With the regular season nearly finished, we find ourselves in a position to secure a playoff appearance with a win. Our fate is in our own hands, and the atmosphere around the team for the last couple of weeks suggests everybody knows it... ( 
Giant Contract Too Small
Everyone likes to have a little chuckle at Premiership footballers such as Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney for being 'academically challenged' to put it politely. That being said, can any of those in the Premiership we like to mock be quite as questionable as Cedric Benson? Or Chris Henry? Or even the "reformed" Adam "Pacman" Jones?... ( 
When backs like Joseph Addai, Ronnie Brown or Marion Barber get ranked outside the top 10, it immediately sends you looking through the list to find the usurper. Trouble is, there isn't always one, because all the guys ahead of them are also fantastic backs... ( 
Mean Streaks Through The NFL
So I was back to my role of offensive coordinator, or receivers coach this week, in the shorts and t-shirt getup this time, with the sun beating down on a glorious Sunday morning. As promised loyal Diner faithful, this instalment begins with the tale of a tooth related injury... ( 
Ok, so we've now got about 110 days to go to the new season. Last time we had a look at how the AFC is shaping up after mini-camps, and now it's the NFC. Once again we look at expectations, schedule difficulty and the now infamous best case / worst case scenarios.... ( 
Out With The Old, In With The New
The nature of the NFL provides for so much movement from season to season. Every year there are teams and players that do surprisingly well and teams and players that do surprisingly badly and this season will be no different. In fact, there are a couple of big surprises that (in my infinite wisdom) I've already foreseen... ( 
Guys are always compared to those who came before them and there's one guy in particular who interests me this year. I see him as being ranked against a player who came out in 2006, and whilst they don't play the same positions they certainly face the same challenges at the Pro level... ( 
There's a lot of Draftniks out there, and of course we know the best place on the net to come and get some good draft info is the Diner, but how well do you really know the Draft? Just to be on the safe side, I was dispatched to New York City to check it out... ( 
When were you born?
Offensive tackles seemed to be a popular choice in the first round, but it'll be interesting to see how some of them work out. Jake Long was the first man off the board and the Dolphins will be hoping he has the same kind of impact Joe Thomas had as a rookie in Cleveland. Both will play left tackle next season. Are they similar players? Not exactly... ( 
This week, its eyes down and look in for the 2008 draft and with that in mind this week's column has a slight twist. The guys consider what may happen come Saturday at Radio City Music Hall and make their predictions... ( 
In 1974, the Steelers were coming off the back of their first real success as a franchise. The famous "Immaculate Reception" in 1972 against Oakland gave them their first ever playoff win. They were still quite a way away from a Super Bowl calibre team, however. That changed dramatically practically overnight... ( 
So there was a two-hour long 'Schedule Announcement Show' on ESPN this week. Two hours to announce a schedule… and it was worth every second!... ( 
Pre-season training has not gone well. Like that rash you just can't shift, the injury bug has been a constant problem. Sprinting out of the blocks went fine, the cut was made, the ball was in the air, turn back to find it and...TWANG! Someone had shot me in the leg... ( 
Chris Henry is finished in the NFL, Jake Long is not the best offensive line prospect, whereas Devin Thomas will be a first round pick and it is Dan Connor, not Keith Rivers who is the top linebacker. You sure?... ( 
Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins are a little over two weeks away from cashing in the first overall pick, holding the No 1 spot may be a boon but it is not one to be handled lightly. Success is nowhere near as guaranteed as the typically long-suffering fanbase deserve... ( 
I feel like a high school teacher this week. One who has to break up a raucous bunch of students in the classroom next door, because their teacher has had to step out for a few minutes. And who are those students? Why, they're all of you out there of course... ( 
Belichick was destined for coaching at an early age. His father was an Assistant Coach at the US Naval Academy, and as anyone who knows anything about the Academy will tell you, it's a strict regimented regime there... ( 
Do you find yourself unwittingly learning line for line an advert you can't stand, simply because you've seen it so many times? It's time to reclaim those valuable unused seconds of your life and turn them into something productive... ( 
A broken quarterback. A maligned player. A man with perhaps one last chance. David Carr. They say that it's always darkest just before dawn. Well, 2007 got pretty dark for Carr... ( 
You might think you know the NFL, know who's who, and be familiar with all the names you should know, but I'm betting you have no idea who Eugene Parker is. He just made one of the best moves in football this year, and it's likely to earn him around $900k for the next three years... ( 
Now that one of the icons of the modern era has announced his retirement, Stock and Doc pay tribute through their first ever special roundtable. The duo debates his place in history, his legacy and of course, the immortal question, is he the best ever?... ( 
So what does a die-hard NFL fan do on the eve of free agency? Well he could do what any normal person would and go to bed with the intention of checking the news in the morning - OR - he could stay up all night constantly refreshing NFL.com for any glimpse of a signing rumour... ( 
Asante Samuel to Philadelphia, Derek Anderson to Cleveland & Bernard Berrian to Minnesota are all great moves; but Josh McCown to Miami is a big error! Right?... ( 
Legend says that the losing Super Bowl finalists have a bad year the following season. The Chicago Bears suffered the same curse that has hit so many teams before them, and the hangover looks likely to stretch into free agency... ( 
"As you get to know me, you kind of figure me out, that I'm not as probably as bad of a guy that I've been reported to be. I'm not that jerk" Could it be that Terrell has turned over a new leaf? Is he finally getting 'it'?... ( 
This week the guys look at the issue of a rookie salary cap, whether the Bills will end up migrating to Toronto, what the Raiders have in store and begin their countdown to the new season through looking at each division in turn. This week – the AFC East.... ( 
I think the recently departed George Carlin said it best when he pointed out that "Baseball is played in the spring; the season of new life. Football is played in the fall when EVERYTHING IS DYING"... ( 
This week, the guys consider where Jason Taylor's attitude will get him, how Jim Brown would fare in today's NFL, whether brains and intelligence are really needed for football and what should the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame be... ( 
This week, the guys look at Michael Strahan's career, the development of Leinart and Young, how to best use Reggie Bush and in light of ongoing contract requests and various shenanigans, and consider the merits of Drew Rosenhaus... ( 
This week the guys consider the implications of Nick Kaczur's painkiller use, whether T.O. can go on and on … playing, continue their Benson-arrest watch and ask whether it is ever worth looking past character issues in pursuit of great talent... ( 
This week, up for consideration is Detroit's status at the bottom of the NFL rankings, Jake Long's prospects in Miami, what will become of Cedric Benson, and will Los Angeles ever get back on the NFL map... and do they deserve to?... ( 
So here it is, after much thought and consideration, the Diner presents it's orderly list of the top ten teams of the decade thus far. How has your team done, and is there still time with two years to go for them to make a move on that top slot?... ( 
It's the age old argument over this side of the pond, which sport is tougher, more violent, harder to physically endure? The Diner has an answer, and it's not close... ( 
I had a strange experience once, which occurred whilst watching the opening game of the 2006 season. It was a while ago I grant you, but the memory of it is still clear to this day. Perhaps it was the way Dante Culpepper seemed to be struggling with his movement or the way he unleashed the pigskin harmlessly towards the sidelines the moment a defender came near him... ( 
It doesn't matter if you follow the hapless, the hopeless, the hopeful or the wonderful. Everyone is feeling that optimism, however slight it may be in some cases, that 2008 may bring better days. As we look forward I thought it may be time to make some early predictions for the year ahead... ( 
Confirmed this week: Bench-clearing brawl in Baltimore is good news. Alex Smith will not be the starting QB in SF. Lovie Smith's gamble on Grossman & Orton costs him his job and Calvin Johnson is one of the best in the NFL. That's right, yeah?... ( 
There were teams that were unusually quiet this off-season. Expected to be clamouring for the top free agents, some teams instead sat back and did very little. It's widely accepted that this was not a strong free agent crop of players, these teams might have taken a look at who might be available in 2009... ( 
Jared Allen takes Minnesota into the post season, Shaun Alexander retires, the NCAA remains out of touch and Ryan Perriloux's ousting kills LSU. That's what 2008 holds. Right?... ( 
Welcome To The Beginning
In the chair for this weeks Therapy session is a man who left the Pittsburgh Steelers, the only team he has ever coached, a year after finally leading them to the Superbowl on the back of one of the most remarkable runs in living memory. He is of course, Bill Cowher... ( 
The Good Enough Club
I was somewhere near London in the middle of the night, when the stats began to take hold. Suddenly the air was filled with what looked like huge boards. They were all flashing and firing out forty times and other combine figures. I remember hearing someone say. "Holy flying iguanas! Who are these sixth round players?"... ( 
Just two years removed from helping the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl and in the process claim the NFL MVP for 2005, the future is looking bleak for Alexander as he faces the very real prospect of the beginning of the end... ( 
Miami are making a mistake if they are considering Jake Long, Aqib Talib's 'character issues' and his skipping of a workout in Dallas are being overblown, Malcolm Kelly is right to criticise the Oklahoma Sooners, and Branden Albert's stock in this year's draft is rising far too high. Discuss... ( 
They've passed on their pick and hand the baton on to St. Louis at Number Two. Miami can re-enter the draft at any point to announce who they want to select, essentially dropping down the board and avoiding having to pay the big money... ( 
Wembley is not the best place to hold an NFL game in the UK, Pac Man Jones would be a great fit for Dallas, the new rule about the length of player's hair below the helmet is absurd, and Al Davis will be the man to draft Darren McFadden; or so you might think... ( 
The NFL's competition committee are [currently sitting] to determine rules changes for the upcoming season. Each year this committee determines new ways to improve the way the game flows and has generated significant breakthroughs such as ensuring the correct coloured wristband and less worthy causes such as banning the horse collar tackle... ( 
When Lofa Tatupu signed a new eight year contract last week he signalled his intentions to remain at the Seattle Seahawks for his entire career. Much was made of the former USC Trojan's loyalty in signing a supposed 'discount' $42 million deal... ( 
The Raiders have made a great move by acquiring DeAngelo Hall, DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad will make the Panthers a strong contender, Seattle's running game will be much improved this season with the addition of Julius Jones and TJ Duckett, and Chris Long is the best player in Draft! Right?... ( 
Finding the man to nail a 50 yarder in the snow of December can be a thankless task. Some teams strike lucky; take the Broncos for example drafting Jason Elam in the 3rd round of the 1993 draft. Fifteen years later he has two Super Bowl rings and shares an NFL record for the longest kick in history (63 yards)... ( 
NFL quarterbacks are possibly the most talked about element of the game and the source of many a heated debate. It's the age-old question - who's the best? Is it Tom Brady? Peyton Manning? Gus Frerotte? (Ok, not Gus Frerotte.)... ( 
The Ravens hold the 8th pick in the 2008 NFL draft. Whilst many experts predict the front office will think long and hard about using that pick on a QB, they could throw their trust into former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith... ( 
In seven days time the Hawks were entertaining the Green Bay Packers in what was being billed as one of the last opportunities to see the legendary Brett Favre live in the flesh. I knew I had to be at that game... ( 
The High Risk - High Reward NFL
Zach Thomas to Dallas is a great move. Chicago were right to extend Grossman's contract. Ryan is the best QB in the draft and yet McFadden is not the best RB. Right?... ( 
Just before fellow Chef Sam Monson released his marquee players article, I was in the Diner one day and found a scrap of paper with his notes for the piece scribbled all over it. It provided food for thought... ( 
Why 'spygate' still won't go away, where do Chad Johnson and the Bengals go from here, what to do with PacMan Jones, and why 40 metre dash is the most important drill at the NFL Combine... ( 
In the next instalment of the column which takes a look at the range of characters and personalities around the NFL, we stay within the AFC North and consider the career and future prospects of Brian Billick, a man self-admittedly at a crossroads in his life... ( 
Curses are not only talking points, they are part of the very culture of American sports. From the Curse of the Bambino which the Boston Red Sox finally snapped in 2004 after being dogged by it for 86 years, to the Curse of 1940, which prevented the New York Rangers from winning the Stanley Cup until 1994... ( 
With the Rebels game still lingering in people's minds, the first training session afterwards was a resounding success, with the best turnout we had had for weeks. Everybody had answered the call to get the season back on track, and we were able to have a solid day working on the passing game... ( 
Roger Goodell is heading further down his road of trying to clean up the league's image, and teams are becoming less keen to take a risk on players with big talents but questionable characters. Odell Thurman and Chris Henry are acting their way out of the league with their off-field problems but that's not the only area where talent takes a backseat though. Sometimes it can happen when people just don't respect the business part of the NFL... ( 
There are 128 retired jersey numbers in the NFL. It used to be fairly common practice for teams to honour former players with this grand gesture, until that was, somebody realised that jersey numbers were not in unlimited supply... ( 
So which is the most popular NFL team? Well there are various ways of measuring this, but I came up with an idea a while back - google-ing the name and looking at the number of "hits". You can see why the Jaguars worry... ( 
The boys book their usual Diner Booth, order the waffles, and take a look at Winslow running his mouth for a new contract, Jason Taylor going Hollywood, Adrian Peterson making a modest prediction and James hardy's prospects for 2008... ( 
In the second part of our decade of power rankings, we look at the teams who make up the middle of the pack. Some got close at times, others were just plain inconsistent. Does your team make up one of the teams in positions 20-11? Read on and see... ( 
This week, the guys contemplate an NFL without the cap, how Roger Goodell handled 'spygate', what Mike Martz will do for Mike Nolan, and the QB carousel in Tampa Bay. Will it be FACT or FICTION in this weeks Four Downs?... ( 
Here we are, 2008 already and in two years time it will be time to crown a team 'Team of the Decade'. The Diner likes to be ahead of the pack so we thought it would be fun to power rank the decade thus far. How has the Diner got your team and it's decade so far?... ( 
Around draft time you often hear critics and coaches speak of picking players to combat their division opponents. But is there too much emphasis on division games that only make up 6/16ths of a team's regular season game. With less than half the games played in the division, is it as important as some people make out?... ( 
There's about 120 days until the big kick off. But with the draft in the books and mini-camps under way, it's time to start looking ahead. We start with the AFC in taking a peak at what expectations are at this stage and how difficult those schedules look and predict the best and worse case scenarios for each team in 2008... ( 
Two teams stand out from the crowd this offseason. These two teams are cut from the same cloth. Both are built from the trenches, both can run the ball with the best of them, and both have plied their trade on defense shutting down the run. Both decided they were only a couple of major moves away from being able to touch the Lombardi Trophy... ( 
For Stock & Doc's new edition they sink their teeth into the draft and dish out their highs and lows of the weekend's selections. Best & worst pick, worst & best team job, it's all here with extra relish... ( 
The waiting is over, your humble Diner reporter is going to battle – it's game time, baby! The morning of the first game had arrived and it was time to make the arduous journey across the city to ALSAA where our field of battle awaited. Of course, as I'm sure you're well used to by now things were not going to go that smoothly... ( 
Only the Cowboys ever really seemed like a likely destination for the troubled one. A fabulous, young talent, with great ability in the secondary and on special teams only attracts one potential suitor, and at a low financial burden? There's got to be a catch... ( 
After what feels like a small millennium, The 2008 NFL Draft is finally upon us. Names will be read out, fans will cheer (or boo) and the internet will be scoured for info on many an unknown seventh round pick... ( 
Underachieving first round picks from recent years, a back-up who will now get his chance to start, and a second year wide-out. Top Fives brings you offensive players to look out for in 2008... ( 
Seconds Out, Round One
As HC Bill Parcells used his first picks on 9 offense and 10 defense players. Such a study of a teams activities may give you a clue as to which way they may go this time out, or (if your team is poor at one of positions) show a lack of acumen when using their first pick... ( 
FootballExpert.com has Kevin Smith ranked as the 8th best RB available in the 2008 draft. Kevin Smith disagrees. On his website he has himself ranked first just ahead of Darren McFadden and Matt Forte. And why not? There's nothing wrong with a bit of self-confidence is there?... ( 
Since the last instalment your humble Diner reporter has joined the ranks of the amateur athlete, complete with Lycra 'compression shorts', we're talking serious posing here. Training for the DCU Saints occurs every Sunday, beginning at 11am, and lasting until 2pm, a veritable marathon of exercise for a man whose athletic prowess previously only stretched to outrunning angry recipients of wedgies... ( 
Well, the Diner figured that if we were going to spend our days talking football, and telling you guys what's what, we should at least attempt to get involved where it counts – on the Gridiron... ( 
Every year we look to those players who are going to break out and make an impact in the forthcoming season. These "break-out" players tend to come under 2 categories. Firstly they tend to be high draft picks who haven't quite set the league alight as expected, alternatively they can be low picks who came from nowhere... ( 
Ted Sundquist, General Manager of the Denver Broncos, was fired earlier this month after nearly 6 years. That Sundquist lost his employment now, in the weeks leading up to the Draft is odd but that a General Manager was fired is no real surprise at all... ( 
Deciding who your keepers are, considering who to draft and looking over the free agent lists, off-season fantasy football is an important time for franchise decision makers and it's when they earn their corn... ( 
Thank You, and Goodnight
One of the great things about football is that, no matter how long you've been a fan, every year is a learning experience. No matter how hard you study the rulebook or the pancake stats of your favourite O-lineman, there will always be a little something else to learn... ( 
When Free Agency Attacks
The Difficult Business of Free Agency
There's something wholly unhealthy about the Scouting Combine. All those young guys herded into an arena and put through a variety of tests whilst NFL scouts prod and poke them in uncomfortable places... ( 
Top Day 2 Rookie Performers