2005 NFL Depth Charts - Updated May 31st

2005 NFL Depth Charts - Updated May 31st

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Vol. VIII

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Vol. VIII

The Four Corners Report - Best Off- Season Signing

TCFS- Best Off-Season Signing

2005 AFC West Off Season Player Movement

2005 AFC West Off Season Player Movement

2005 NFC West Off Season Player Movement

2005 NFC West Off Season Player Movement

2005 AFC North Off Season Player Movement

2005 AFC North Off Season Player Movement

2005 NFC North Off-Season Player Movement

2005 NFC North Off-Season Player Movement

2005 AFC South Off Season Player Movement

2005 AFC South Off Season Player Movement

2005 NFC South Off-Season Player Movement

2005 NFC South Off-Season Player Movement

2005 AFC East Off-Season Player Movement

2005 AFC East Off-Season Player Movement

2005 NFL Strength Of Schedule

Strength Of Schedule

2005 NFC East Off-Season Player Movement

2005 NFC East Off-Season Player Movement

The Latest Cheat Sheet - Updated May 25th

The Latest Cheat Sheet - Updated May 25th

The Frozen Zone - Vol 1 Num.12

The Frozen Zone - Vol 1 Num.12

2005 NFL Depth Charts - Updated May 25th

2005 NFL Depth Charts - Updated May 25th

2005 Entire NFL Team Capsules and Outlook

2005 Entire NFL Team Capsules and Outlook

Riding The Pine...Who Is On Your Bench?

Riding The Pine

FANTASY STUD OR ROOKIE DUD-ALEX SMITH

Tampa Bay selected TE Alex Smith with the 71st overall selection in the '05 draft. Although Tampa signed TE Anthony Becht from the Jets he is best suited as a blocking rather than receiving TE. With their first round selectin of Cadillac Williams the Bucs have made their offense more dificult to defend against.The Bucs have 2 solid WRs in Joey Galloway and Michael Clayton so Smith could become a solid contributor to the passing offense. As a west coast offense the Te position becomes more and more valuable as the team enters the red zone. Smith has the size and the athleticism to present matchup problems especially in those goal line situations. Smith improved each season while at Stanford and will have an easier transition than most because of the type of offense the Cardinal ran. The TE position is one of strength and depth around the league and Smith should fall low in many drafts but he will return surprising production. Tampa Bay will turn out to be the perfect fit for a player with Smiths talents and for the '05 season Smith will be a FANTASY STUD.

Jon

FANTASY STUD OR ROOKIE DUD MATT JONES

Matt Jones was a surprise pick at #22 in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags have been a conservative team under Jack Del Rio and Jones is anything but that type of player. Jones has great size for a QB but is rattled under pressure and becomes a runner first and Qb second. Does this remind anyone of Kordell Stewart?. As a reciever Jones would present matchup problems because of his size but is not a refined route runner at this point. He has tremendous speed but failed to show that next gear to be a true deep threat. For the '05 season I feel Jones will be overwhelmed at any position and his athletisism will only get him so far. Jones rose on all draft boards because he is a tremendous athlete but that does not mean instant success. Consider Jones as a player with possible future star quality but for the '05 season I have him as a ROOKIE DUD.

Jon

TCFS Executive Team Defense Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Team Defense Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Running Back Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Running Back Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Wide Receiver Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Wide Receiver Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Kicker Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Kicker Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Tight End Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Tight End Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Quarterback Rankings 2

TCFS Executive Quarterback Rankings 2

FANTASY STUD OR ROOKIE DUD

The Cleveland Browns with their 3rd round selection took Charlie Frye from Akron Universsity. The Browns failed to come to terms with Kelly Holcomb as he was signed by the Bills but they did add veteran Trent Dilfer as their transition QB until Frye is comfortable enough to take over the job. Frye was a 4 year starter in college and that experience which is a huge plus for a rookie to have. As a certain Qb in New England has shown it's the ability to understand the game and to minimize mistakes that make the difference. Frye was known in college as a game manager that understood what defenses were going to do in certain situations and rarely made a mistake as his 2.1 touchdown to interception rate will show. Frye is good size for a Qb and also has some scrambling ability. Frye will be the next successful QB from the Mid-Continent following Chad Pennington,Byron Leftwich and last years addition of Ben Roethlisberger. Although the QB position is very tough on a rookie Frye will post solid numbers and fill the QB position in Cleveland for years to come. In the upcoming season Frye will have more value in a dynasty league but I still say Frye will be a FANTASY STUD.

Jon

The 9th Floor

Kellen Winslow is lost for the season;AGAIN!: With a new coaching staff in place in Cleveland and the teams roster in need of an overhaul Kellen Winslow was sure to be a big factor in the Browns' gameplans. Kellen seemed bent on having a tough guys image and as someone that was going to do his own thing regardless of consequence. The accident that he was involved in was a result of his attitude and will surely cost his team this season.With 2 knee injuries in 2 seasons his career could become a shadow of what it could have been.

The Denver Broncos interest in Jerry Rice:At this point in his career Rice has not much left if any in the tank. The Broncos already have a 35+ year old reciever in Rod Smith so this move makes little sense. The Broncos need younger and more explosive recievers to stretch the field and do what they do best...run the ball! Mike Shanahan has always been considered an offensive guru but the Rice pursuit and the drafting of Maurice Clarrett have me wondering.

T.O. and Javon Walker contract squabbles: The Eagles did everything in their power to aquire and make T.O. happy last season and now this.Walker had a breakout season but it was but one season and now he feels he deserves the bank. Interestingly enough both QB's have voiced their opinions and are siding with ownership rather than the player. The NFL walks a fine line with salary cap space and to sign these guys to bigger contracts would probably mean releasing a few players. Good for Favre and McNabb for thinking of the team and it's goals rather than the distraction of these guys.

Randy and Daunte:These 2 seem to be taking little shots at eachother since the trade of Moss a few months ago. It takes special players to share the limelight and it is obvious that they just couldn't co-exist with eachother any longer. The pressure is on Daunte and the other recievers to make Viking fans forget about Moss as quick as possible.

Speaking of the Vikings what does Onterrio Smiths' suspension mean?
I think that Smith was the leading candidate to be the the feature back in the offense this season. The other backs seem to have their limitations and are what they are.Michael Bennett always seems to get hurt,Moe Williams is that short yardage back but not much else and Mewelde Moore does it all but is best suited to be a 3rd down back. I expect the Vikings 4th round pick Ciatrick Fason to be given a hard look and could become the Vikings #1 back with a strong pre-season.

Ricky Williams anyone?It seems like a very strong possibility that Williams will be a Dolphin once again. At the minimum he will miss the first 4 games of the season due to suspension for his failed drug test. Ronnie Brown will still get his carries and will be an impact rookie and Williams would be a great backup to have if his head is right. I think Ricky is coming back more for the money than the desire to play the game and on a team that sunk as low as the Dolphins did last season I'm not sure his his presence would be welcomed by his teammates.There is no denying that Williams is a top tier back when he is right but after last season I'm not so sure of his place in Miami.

Travis Henry is still in Buffalo: Are we all not seeing something in Travis Henry?. Was this not the same player that rushed for about 2800yards and scored 25 tds during the '03 and '04 season? Isn't he at the ripe old age of 26 entering his prime? There are plenty of teams that have no back on their team that is better than Henry yet he remains a backup for the Bills. The Bills are once again very close to being an elite team and Henry in a trade could bring in those players that would make that happen. June 1st is an important date around the league so I think that Henry will be moved in the 2-3 weeks as teams look at their needs.

Sheamus

Quarterbacks Who Stand The Test Of Time

Quarterbacks Who Stand The Test Of Time

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume VII

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume VII

Pick Him Up Or Pass Him By - Tom Brady

Pick Him Up Or Pass Him By - Tom Brady

NFL Depth Charts - Updated May 16

2005 NFL Depth Charts

The Frozen Zone - Vol 1 Num.11

The Frozen Zone - Vol 1 Num.11

RBBC - What Does It Mean?

RBBC - What Does It Mean

The Four Corners Report - Which Rookie Will Have The Biggest Impact In 2005

Which Rookie Will Have The Biggest Impact In 2005

Pick Him Up Or Pass Him By - Javon Walker

Pick Him Up Or Pass Him By - Javon Walker

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume VI

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume VI

The Frozen Zone Volume 1 Number 10

The Frozen Zone Vol 1 Num 10

The BlackJack Table Round # 5 Drafting A Rookie Running Back

The BlackJack Table # 5 Drafting A Rookie Running Back

The Commissioner's Corner #5 - Jackson and Faulk

The Commissioner's Corner - Jackson and Faulk

The BlackJack Table Round # 4 Drafting A Rookie Wide Receiver

The BlackJack Table Round # 4 Drafting A Rookie Wide Receiver

2005 NFL Off-Season Player Movement

2005 NFL Off-Season Player Movement

THE 9TH FLOOR

When a team drafts a player in the first round we all figure he will be an impact player but what about those later round picks? This years draft will provide some such players that although were drafted in the late rounds will play their way onto the field and be fantasy contributors.

1)REGGIE BROWN wr(round2:pick35) Heading into next season who is the #2 receiver on the Eagles roster? Freddie Mitchell was recently released and Todd Pinkston is more suited to be the #3or 4 option. Reggie Brown will be given the chance to win the position in camp and to start opposite of T.O. will make Brown's transition to the NFL easier. Brown is a tough receiver not afraid of making the tough catches over the middle and won't shy away from contact. With all the coverages designed to limit T.O.,Brown will be able to put up instant numbers as a rookie.

2)FRANK GORE rb(round3:pick35) Needless to say Kevan Barlow has been an inconsistant player from week to week as well as a player that seems to miss games due to injury. Frank Gore was a highly thought of player at Miami until injuries set in and had the talent to be a higher drafted player if not for those injuries. Miami it seems has paved the way for many running backs into the Nfl and Gore will be no different. With the new coaching staff in San Fransisco it could be that Gore with a solid pre-season will be the starter sooner rather than later.

3)CHARLIE FRYE qb(round3:pick67) We all don't think that Trent Dilfer is the QB of the future for the Browns and Romeo Crennell saw first hand what a 6th round QB accomplished in New England. Thought of as a solid game manager Frye will be brought along slowly but by mid-season it will be his job as the starter. Frye will combine with Braylon Edwards to give the Browns a solid 1-2 punch for many years.

4)KYLE ORTON qb(round4:pick106) Rex Grossman's injury and his recovery will be closely watched in Chicago as camps get under way. Although Grossman will be entering his 3rd season he has not much more experience than Orton. Let's not forget that until about the mid way point of last season Orton was mentioned as a Heisman hopeful until a hip injury curbed his effectiveness.
Orton is a quiet leader that understands defenses that will push Grossman for the starting position.

5)CIATRICK FASON rb(round4:pick112) It seems as though the Vikings have a different back for any circumstance but Mike Tice has been making indications that the team would like to settle on that #1 type player for the bulk of the carries. Fason has the same reputation as another Forida alumn(Emmitt Smith) as a player who is more quick than fast. We have since seen what Emmitt accomplished but we don't want to put Fason in that company just yet. Playing on Turf for half his games will be a plus and having a QB that a team has to account for will be a huge advantage as well. None of the backs in Minnesota have put any claim as a feature back so this will be interesting to watch.

Jon

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume V

2005 NFL Europe Player Watch Volume V

YOU DECIDE

Without a doubt the Jets got the biggest respone to their first pick of the '05 draft when at #47 they selected Mike Nugent from Ohio St. Was this an over reaction from the playoff loss to Pittsburgh or was this a team that did address a position of need? I give the Jets credit for sticking to their guns and indeed taking a player that will have an immediate impact toward the success of their team.
Doug Brien has been if not spectacular at the least a very steady place kicker for his 12 year career. In a players career there are always those defining moments that can make or break a player and for Brien that moment was the playoff game against the Steelers. In a game that the Jets offense was a pratical no-show Brien was put in position to steal that game and failed. The Jets along with the entire AFC North are a ball control,defensive minded team that very rarely will score a large number of points and to have a solid,reliable kicker is a must. Although Brien is a career 81% kicker he is but a 74% kicker from 40-49 yards and only a 54% kicker on chances over 50. In the AFC North that just isn't good enough.
Nugent comes in a the best kicker available in this years draft with a noted very strong leg. Nugent kicked in the elements of Big 10 and this will help him as he heads into Giants Stadium which has always been tough on kickers. Nugent has 50 yard+ leg strength and will be given his chances to show his worth.
For 3 of the last 4 years we have seen the incredible value of Adam Vinitieri and the impact he has had in the success of the New England Patriots. And for Herm Edwards and the Jets they have seen this first hand. The Jets are a mirror team of the Patriots but they lacked a kicker as dependable as Vinitieri. In my opinion this was a solid pick that addressed a position of need on the team and when you get the best player available at a position your draft has to be considered a success.

Jon

2005 NFL Draft

2005 NFL Draft

The Latest Cheat Sheet - Updated May 1st

Cheat Sheet - Updated May 1st