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Liam Blackburn
No Substitute For Age & Experience
The rather intelligent Albert Einstein once declared that "the only source of knowledge is experience". It's a mantra that NFL teams seem to have considered long and hard this off-season when considering who should fill the position of the most-knowledgeable man on the sidelines
... ( full article )
Chris Brophy
Power Ranking The Decade: The Final Poll
#10-1
In the final part of our countdown of team rankings over the course of the decade we take a look at the elite teams. Who is king of the mountain? Who could have been king had they not slipped up just a couple of times? Who is the best team of this past decade not to win the ultimate prize? Read on to find out
... ( full article )
Chris Brophy
Power Ranking The Decade: The Final Poll
#20-11
Continuing our ranking of all 32 teams over the course of the past ten years we now look at the middle of the pack, we've ranked how we feel each team has performed power ranking style over the course of the 00's. Sure, they could have been worse but then again, they could have been a lot better. If it were an end of term report it would be written: could do better
... ( full article )
(... Or view the COMPLETE Features Page ...)
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Chris Brophy
Mock Draft
1st Round V2.0
Updated Mar 11th
1, Rams: Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma
2, Lions: Russell Okung OT Okla' State
3, Buccs: Gerald McCoy* DT Oklahoma
4, Redskins: Trent Williams OT Oklahoma
5, Chiefs: Eric Berry S - Tennessee
6, Seahawks: Ndamukong Suh DT Neb'
7, Browns: Dez Bryant* WR Okla' State
8, Raiders: Bruce Campbell* - OT Maryland
9, Bills: Jason Pierre-Paul* - DE S.Florida
10, Jaguars: Joe Hadan CB Florida
... ( complete 1st round )
Brian Davis & Paul Hopkins
Mock Draft
1st Round V1.0
Updated Feb 22nd
1 Rams Ndamukong Suh DT, Nebraska
2 Lions Gerald McCoy DT, Oklahoma
3 Buccaneers Eric Berry S, Tennessee
4 Redskins Patrick Okung T, Okla' State
5 Seahawks Jimmy Clausen QB, N. Dame
6 Chiefs Bruce Campbell T, Maryland
7 Browns Anthony Davis T, Rutgers
8 Raiders Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma
9 Bills Dan Williams DT, Tennessee
10 Jaguars Joe Haden CB, Florida
... ( complete 1st round )
Jody Jamieson
Mock Draft
1st Round V3.0
Updated Feb 21st
1. Rams Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
2. Lions Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
3. Buccaneers Gerald McCoy, DT, Okla'
4. Redskins Sam Bradford, QB, Okla'
5. Chiefs Russell Okung, OT, Okla' State
6. Seahawks Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
7. Browns Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
8. Raiders Taylor Mays, S, USC
9. Bills Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
10. Jaguars Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
... ( complete 1st round )
(... View the FULL NCAA Scouting Section ...)
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Prospect Profiles
Tight Ends
Brocking, receiving or all rounder, the NFL needs tight ends more now than ever. The Diner takes a look at the countries top tight ends. Each prospect gets a full breakdown...
Anthony McCoy - TE - USC
Jimmy Graham - TE - Miami (FL)
Rob Gronkowski - TE - Arizona
Aaron Hernandez - TE - Florida
Jermaine Gresham - TE - Oklahoma
Prospect Profiles
Quarterbacks
The Football Diner draft experts take a look at the top gun slingers coming out of the NCAA hoping to be the next Peyton Manning. Each prospect gets a full breakdown...
Sam Bradford - QB - Oklahoma
Sean Canfield - QB - Oregon State
Daryll Clark - QB - Penn State
Jimmy Clausen - QB - Notre Dame
Dan LeFevour - QB - Central Michigan
Colt McCoy - QB - Texas
Tony Pike - QB - Cincinnati
Zac Robinson - QB - Oklahoma State
Jevon Snead - QB - Mississippi
Tim Tebow - QB - Florida
Brian Davis
Big Board
Updated Feb 4th
1 Ndamukong Suh Nebraska DT
2 Gerald McCoy Oklahoma DT
3 Russell Okung Oklahoma State OT
4 Eric Berry* Tennesseee S
5 Jimmy Clausen* Notre Dame QB
6 Anthony Davis* Rutgers OT
7 Dez Bryant* Oklahoma State WR
8 Derrick Morgan* Georgia Tech DE
9 Rolando McClain Alabama LB
10 Joe Haden* Florida CB
... ( complete Big Board )
Jody Jamieson
Big Board
Updated Jan 2nd
1. Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
2. Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
3. Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
4. Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
5. Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
... ( complete Big Board )
(... View the FULL NCAA Scouting Section ...)
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Interviews
Diner Exclusives...
Jaguar RB
MAURICE JONES-DREW
Just days before the Super Bowl, the Diner caught up with the Jaguars' offensive centrepiece and asked him all about his career year, his future goals, and whether the Jags' fierce rivals Indianapolis can be stopped by New Orleans in this weekend's Super Bowl
...
( full article )
SMU Coach
JEFF REINEBOLD
Ahead of returning to the UK to once again be a part of Sky's coverage of Superbowl XLIV, current SMU Wide Receivers coach and all round cool cat Jeff Reinebold checks into the Diner to chat about the Mustangs season, as well as a wide range of issues in the college ranks and the NFL, plus makes a big prediction for this Sunday's big game
...
( full article )
Panther Kicker
RHYS LLOYD
Kicking. It's easy right? Hold on there Einstein, then why are so many kickers missing clutch FGs these days? The Diner asked Carolina Panther kicker Rhys Lloyd back for a second visit to help clear the mystery up and tell us exactly why special teams is the most crucial part of the game
... ( full article )
49ers RB Legend
ROGER CRAIG
Back for his 3rd visit to the Diner, Roger Craig tells us of his excitement at being a finalist at this year's Hall of Fame class...
( full article )
Recent Interviews:
PHIL SIMMS
ANDRE CALDWELL
CHRIS BAKER
NAT COOMBS
DAVID TUCKMAN
(... Read other EXCLUSIVE interviews in our Archive ...)
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The Fantasy Maverick
Ask The Maverick !
Got a Fantasy dilemma? Can't decide what to do? Your toubles are over as the doctor is in session...fire your questions at the Maverick and we will publish the most needy patients...
Timothy Allen : Looking ahead to the 2010 season, which of last year's big name first round quarterbacks Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez, is going to be the better fantasy quarterback?
Maverick:
Timothy, one thing's for certain both will be better than any rookie drafted this year, whether that's (St. Louis Ram?) Sam Bradford or (Washington Redskin? Buffalo Bill? Cleveland Brown?) Jimmy Clausen.
But there's a lot to like about Sanchez and Stafford above and beyond the simple fact they've got a year of experience each under their belts and won over their NFL teammates with solid, sometimes gutsy (especially in Stafford's case) play down the line.
Stafford has one thing, in particular, going for him. Sure he's got arm strength, smarts, a gunslinger mentality and all that, but above all he has Calvin Johnson.
Megatron, as he's known, is overdue for a monster season, and Stafford will be the beneficiary in 2010. Seeing that CJ needs some help across from him, the Lions brought in solid, if unspectacular, Nate Burleson to play second fiddle too, and while he's not worth the $25 million he'll receive, he's consistent enough to make more plays on the ball than Bryant Johnson was able to last year. With sophomore tight end Brandon Pettigrew back in fine fettle too, you have to figure that Stafford should easily improve on his typically rookie numbers from '09 (13 TD/ 20 INTs).
One problem or two actually. An offensive line that neither protects Stafford consistently nor opens holes for the running game. If the Lions do indeed draft OT Russell Okung in April, as I expect them to, things automatically improve in both areas. If the Lions can also find a decent all-around back to improve upon incumbent Maurice Morris, Stafford should be able to post 20+ TDs for the first time, and should tip toe past 3000 yards passing too. He won't be a Top-10 fantasy QB this season, but he might threaten the Top-15 if things fall his way...
( full article )
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Michael E Lawrence
Tebow to attend NFL Draft, await selection in person
Green Room to be refurbished with single bed and storage heater
Florida QB Tim Tebow has formally accepted an NFL request to be ritually humiliated at this April's NFL Draft.
The former Gator has selflessly accepted an invitation to attend the live draft to be held from Thursday April 22nd through Saturday April 24th and will be accessible to cameras throughout.
"It's real good of him," noted an anonymous NFL source. " But I sure hope he packs a lunch or two because this could last longer than some David Blaine stunt."
The quarterback has spent the last few weeks perfecting a new sitting posture that should enable him to wait out the 72 hour-long draft period without too much discomfort. Scouts came away from the player's recent pro day reassured by the development after noting his original posture was "too loose" and liable to cause problems in the pros.
... ( complete feed )
Michael E Lawrence
New coach Carroll to stick with Hasselbeck at QB
Qwest Field available for hire every January moving forward
Newly employed head of football operations Pete Carroll has given incumbent Matt Hasselbeck his full support as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback.
The longtime USC mastermind made no bones about the identity of his offensive centrepiece just hours after his hire, pledging: "Matty is my guy."
Insiders report Carroll was not known to be taking any kind of confusion-inducing medication at the time...
( complete feed )
Michael E Lawrence
Fletcher snubbed for Pro Bowl again
Linebacker more inconspicuous than tinsel on a tree
Redskins' middle linebacker London Fletcher has spoken out against the Pro Bowl voting system after yet another snub by balloters.
It's not known exactly what Fletcher said, since all available reporters were at a press conference for Brian Orakpo instead.
"Yeah, bit of a snafu on that front," noted new general manager Bruce Allen, "London was real peeved about it I understand. At least, I'm pretty sure that was London. The tall guy with the dreads right?"...
... ( complete feed )
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Jody Jamieson
NFL Weekly Review
Super Bowl XLIV
Saints 31 Colts 17
For the city of New Orleans, the Saints are the only show in town. After the dreadful Saints teams of the 70's and 80's the real devastation came in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit and caused mass loss of life and billions of dollars worth of damage to the city. The recovery continues on but for Saints fans, the wait is finally over. Any neutral fan will have been delighted to see this city finally catch a break, and Saints fans are overjoyed that their heroes brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to the State of Louisiana for the first time.
Courtney Roby looked to have fumbled the kickoff, but he was luckily ruled down by contact. New Orleans were looking very conservative on their second drive with Brees throwing underneath a lot. Brees hit Reggie Bush underneath on 3rd and 6 and he took it for 16 yards and their initial first down of the game. Marques Colston made a bad drop two plays later which ultimately killed the drive and New Orleans punted from midfield to the IND 4. The Colts did an excellent job getting off their goalline with a completion to Donald Brown and two good runs by Joseph Addai. Addai came up big again on 3rd and 1, scampering for 26 yards to give them a first down on the NO 22. A 3rd and 6 just inside the redzone was a huge chance for the Saints to hold the Colts to another field goal, but Peyton Manning found Pierre Garcon for the touchdown and a 10-0 lead
...
( view complete report )
Michael E Lawrence & Rich Lawrence
Diner TV
Pro Football's answer to Anc & Dec are back on yours screens with another issue of Diner TV. Up today is the Super Bowl Stir Fry ahead of Sunday's big game, and live on the phone are Sky TV's Nick Halling & Kevin Cadle...
... ( watch now )
(... Visit the complete Review Section ...)
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Chris Brophy
Number Crunching:
#23
Number 23, a number made famous in basketball by Michael Jordan and in soccer by David Beckham (once he couldn't wear number 7). In the NFL meanwhile we find a player who had a long and storied career and who continues to be involved in the moving and shaking of the NFL today with his recent appointment to the post of Vice President of Player Development by the NFL after spending four years up until 2008 as the President of the Players Union. That means in these times of CBA negotiation he is a rare being in that he has now sat on both sides of the fence and it will be interesting to see if he has any influence in finding a compromise for both sides or if he will act as a wound that won't heal because of his switching of sides
... ( full article )
Ed English
No Place Like Home
There's no place like home. The Giants should know. During their long history the team has had 5 stadiums to call home. The Polo Grounds (1925-1955), Yankee Stadium (1956 - 1973), Yale Bowl (1973-1974), Shea Stadium (1975) and Giants Stadium 1976 - present. The Diner takes a tour of these historic stadiums
... ( full article )
Sam Monson
Bert Bell
This season the NFL is marking the 50th Anniversary of the AFL The American Football League the rival league that fought a bitter war with the NFL for most of the decade of the 1960s, and ultimately succeeded in forcing a merger between the two leagues. This season also marks 50 years since the death of the man that guided the NFL through a war with another league, 14 seasons before the AFL ever existed, a war definitively won by the NFL. Bert Bell, perhaps more than any other man, is responsible for the NFL that we know and love today, yet he remains forgotten in the mists of time, and his 50th anniversary went largely unnoticed
... ( full article )
(... Visit our FULL History Archive ...)
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Patriot WR
WES WELKER
Mighty mite receiver Wes Welker is the oil that keeps the Patriots' slick passing attack running smooth. His return to the lineup in week six after an injury-related absence powered the Patriots to a 59-0 drubbing of Tennessee, and the Patriots hope for more of the same in Wembley. He answered questions posed by a posse of media types including the Diner at length on Friday
...( full article )
NY Giant Legend
PHIL SIMMS
Phil Simms is a legend both as a player and as a broadcaster. With CBS in London to cover this Sunday's International Series showdown between the Patriots and Bucaneers, the Diner pounced on the opportunity to pick the former Giant's brains and take a trip down Super Bowl-memory lane
...( full article )
Michael E Lawrence
Football Diner @ Wembley 2009
 The Patriots were finally in town for 2009's installment of the International Series. The Football Diner crew got themselves down to Lord's cricket ground for a full day of coverage ahead of this Sunday's big matchup... ( full report ) ( gallery )
Richard Lawrence
Patriots Gallery
 More exclusive Football Diner shots from the Patriots media day...
( full gallery )
(... Visit the full International Series archive ...)
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