IDP - Ear to the Ground

Week 2... in which we cycle through the entire league for the first time, completing the initial loop and circuit of the IDP Dynasty survey, to be revisited in upcoming weeks. So far in the mere two week old season, we have already seen our fair share of drama, heart aches, bone breaks and triumph... in other words, just another day at the office for the colossal spectacle that is the NFL. The first two installments of this column are a little more detailed and in-depth than future reports will need to be, as they are setting the table for the rest of the season.

Miami - The Dolphins have more old dudes than a Glenn Miller Orchestra concert, so they will tend to get a cursory review for dynasty league purposes... like they say at Wu-Tang Financial on Chappelle, get in and get out fast... get, grab, BONK! O-Gun would have been a prime candidate for discussion, but he was dealt to the Bears for Marty Booker and a third rounder/Lamar Gordon when negotiations for a long-term contract broke down (never really seemed to start, actually). DE Jason Taylor is one of the best in the business, which you already knew, and therefor isn't the subject of this column. He just turned 30 on 9.1.04, is still playing at an elite level, and prompted the IDP Tip of the Week topic... Finding the Right Balance of Productive Vets and Promising Youths. MLB Zach Thomas is another semi-grizzled IDP stud (born same day as Taylor, one year earlier) who will be left for other in-house updates... ditto for the venerable Junior "Say Ow" Seau, one of the top playmaking LB geezers in the IDP domain, who turns 36 before the next Super Bowl, and if the beginning of the season is any indication, looks like he won't be celebrating his birthday as a playoff participant. Sammy Knight is a rare Miami defender on the right side of 30... barely, yet definitely has some pep in his step still, and is hardly decrepit. 30-something (a recurring theme for this oldie-but-goodie defense) and former man cover ace Sam Madison has slipped noticeably and appears to be in the twilight of his Dolphin tenure. He could be released in '05 to clear the deck for fourth round steal CB Will Poole from co-National Champs USC, whose potential first round stock plummeted amidst off the field concerns (put it this way... he might have partied harder than William Green before being booted off the Boston College squad early in a gypsy-like collegiate career). Injured CB Patrick Surtain is one of the best pure shutdown CBs in real football, and a consistent INT magnet, but his tackle production (or lack thereof) is nothing special and doesn't excite. The system and scheme pretty much precludes him from ever generating big tackle numbers. Keep a look out for Green Bay import FS Antuan Edwards, who helped out at CB for the injured Surtain in the Sunday night snooze-fest, logging 5 solos, 1 assist and a sack, after getting 5 solos and 1 FF at his usual position in week one. If you like safeties that play for teams with putrid offenses (as they will be on the field with the obligatory huge number of three and outs, and get to face teams often in the lead and therefor likely to run predominantly in the 4th quarter to grind the clock), he could be your guy.

Minnesota - Kenechi Udeze flashed some of his big-time pass rushing chops in a losing MNF effort to the Eagles, with 3 solos and the first sack of his rookie campaign. He also had a few QB pressures and hurries that didn't make it to the boxscore, but augur well for the rest of this season... and beyond. He was a Top 10 talent who might have gone to Jacksonville (1.09 '04) if they had not been scared off by a rotator cuff ding... Udeze's compromised wing was thoroughly vetted and given a thumbs up by Minnesota's physicians. Daunte Culpepper's uncharacteristic red zone troubles aside, the Vikings should be up a lot this season with their serious horsepower under the offensive hood, making for more passes and thus pass rushing attempts for BKU (Big Kenechi Udeze, his USC moniker) over the course of the season. Despite turning pro as an underclassman, he could be the most gifted natural sack artist on Purple People Eaters 2.0 iteration. While that may sound heretical, last season's D-Line prodigy Kevin Williams accumulated many of his sacks prior to being switched to DT... he did get 3 solos and an assist Monday night, but is still without a sack for the season. Once promising DT Chris Hovan is beginning to look more like workout warrior Mike Mamula (impressive workout measurables didn't always translate to on field success and tangible production) than former-Viking interior pass rushing great John Randle, who has been cited as a comp player in the past. MLB E.J Henderson was somewhat of an unknown commodity as he was brought along slowly out of deference to since released former MLB and ex-Raider Greg Biekert... but he probably should have been inserted into the starting lineup sooner. E.J. was already one of the top defensive players in the nation as a Maryland sophomore before his dreams of a pro career were seemingly derailed by back surgery and a diagnosis of stenosis (an abnormal narrowing of the vetabral column conduit which can pinch the "wiring" of the nervous system, capable of causing loss of nerve function and at times extreme pain). After making a return to the Terrapins without any apparent back complications, many scouts graded him out as the best MLB in the draft, with Boss Bailey as the top OLB prospect (it came as a surprise to many when OLB Nick Barnett was subsequently the first LB taken off the board and sole first rounder, but of course in retrospect the Packer's scouts and personnel team knew what they were doing when they projected him to MLB). Henderson looks like a definite keeper, an emerging, ascendant talent... he finished with 5 solos and 3 assists, and showed some burst and suddenness when he coralled McNabb with an impressive sack. 2004 second rounder Dontarrious Thomas looked like he had locked up the starting WLB job, showing promise in limited action, but there was talk that he was benched after the first half of the last game. He is a physical specimen and phenomenal athlete who could be back soon, but presently that is not clear... stay tuned to see how this shakes out during the season. WR Nate Burleson astonishingly had as many tackles (2 solos) as either of the starting safeties, SS Corey Chavous or FS Brian Russell. Last years scorching INT totals (they were among the league leaders) that propelled them to the DB scoring stratosphere in '03 may prove to be difficult to replicate. Except for rare talents that play in defenses that showcase their playmaking ball skills like Darren Sharper, Tony Parrish and Ed Reed, INT stats are notoriously capricious and fluctuate wildly from season to season. CB Antoine Winfield is a difference maker who was one of the best free agent acquisitions in the off season. He led the team in solos this week with 6 (plus 3 assists), after putting up an elite MLB-like box score of 10 solos and 2 FFs in week one.

New England - has a veteran-studded roster, and for the most part has about the same general interest for this column as Tom Cruise would in having Roseanne Barr's love child. Seriously, the Patriots have some outstanding experience and talent with players like Teddy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison, but a somewhat sparse intermingling of youth in a few positional pockets, such as D-Line and the secondary. DE Richard Seymour was a All-Pro last season, and an integral part of the team winning their second Super Bowl in just three seasons, but seems to be struggling so far... he can be one of the best young D-Linemen in the league (if he isn't already), but it is tough for 3-4 DEs to put up consistently robust tackle and sack numbers... the playmakers in the scheme are the converted DE rush-backers like Willie McGinest and Mike Vrabel. 2003 first round DT Ty Warren has been converted to a DE in New England's 3-4 scheme... drafted after the more highly regarded but still struggling DTs DeWayne Robertson (NYJ) and Jonathan Sullivan (NO), he may well turn out to be the superior prospect. GM Scott Pioli is one of the best in the business in formulating criteria that help identify personnel that fit well with their system. After a strong week one performance with 6 solos, 1 assist and 1 FF (skewed by the large number of rush attempts by Edge and Dominic Rhodes in the Thursday night season opener), he came back to Earth with just 1 solo against the Cardinals... 3-4 DE are notoriously hit and miss in weekly IDP production. NT Vince Wilfork doesn't start yet (though getting played in heavier rotation than Outkast's "Hey Yah" did in the offseason), but he is looking like one of the better rookie interior D-Lineman... of course, it could always be difficult to put up outstanding individual numbers as a NT in a constantly churning, heaving, relentless rotation. He carried a higher grade leading up to the draft than DTs Marcus Tubbs (SEA) and Randy Starks (TEN)... things worked out when New England was able to parlay the stockpile of draft picks in recent years into the Boller trade last season, leading to CB/FS Eugene Wilson early in the second round of the '03 draft (who helped stabilize their secondary by converting to FS after the trade of Tebucky Jones to the Saints and the last minute release of secondary stalwart and Super Bowl vet Lawyer Milloy), and getting Wilfork in this draft to help replace the gaping hole and void left from super-sized NT Ted Washington's defection to the Raiders... he has the distinction of having the only pony keg-sized noggin in the NFL. Wilson must have been inspired by the ferocious hitting of last season's sensational free agent acquisition Rodney Harrison, as he made several Sports Center, highlight reel-variety knockout hits in the playoff run in '03. While demonstrating a nose for the ball with 4 INTs last season, he got less than 50 solos (Harrison gets to be the run support hammer in Romeo Crennell's brilliantly conceived and executed attack)... he may have been getting acclimated to the new position after playing CB well enough to be a potential first round grade prospect out of Illinois. He is off to a scorching start this year, pacing for more solos, already has 2 INTs, and got a high profile FF, making a huge play by dislodging the ball from Edge on a pivotal goal line exchange in game one. For leagues that break out CBs separately from safeties, check out Asante Samuel... he could supplant Tyrone Poole and be a good one.

New Orleans - The Saints have been stockpiling talent on the D-Line for a few seasons now, with multiple first/high round picks. DE Darren Howard has been banged up a lot in the past two seasons, but not to worry... their top DE of just a few seasons ago may now be their third best. DE Charles Grant is one of the ascendant talents in the league at his position... he is off to a blistering start with a combined 11 solos, 1 asist and 1 sack through two games. 11 solos would project to an absurd (for a D-Lineman) nearly 90 over the course of the season. Don't expect him to keep up that blistering pace, but that is key component of Grant's appeal. He has the athleticism to be a perennial DD sack artist (he tied Herschel Walker's Georgia state record of 45 rushing TDs in a season, recently surpassed by Notre Dame's good looking freshman RB prospect, Darius Walker), as well as the goods to be a force in run support. In his first start, necessitated by a bulging disc in Howard's cervical spine, stud first round DE Will Smith of Ohio State engaged Grant in a footrace with the QB as the finishing line. He didn't look like a rookie with 5 solos, 1 sack and 1 FF against the 49rs. He and Udeze were the consensus two top DEs in the '04 draft class, and so far they have done nothing to disappoint. The addition of Smith's work ethic, maturity, professionalism and intensity should be a positive one to the Saint's sometimes lackadaisacal locker room and off-field approach. Like Grant, he will prove to be a fearsome edge rushing bookend as well as a run stuffing terror. In the '03 draft, the Saints war room bundled two mid-first round picks to get into the top 10 selections and targeted DT Johnathan Sullivan. He will need to work a lot harder and assert himself more to shed the label of a bust. To think the team could have kept the picks and grabbed two from the following group: LBs Nick Barnett or E.J. Henderson, safeties Mike Doss or Ken Hamlin and CBs Eugene Wilson or Charles "Peanut" Tillman - DOH! Second round MLB Courtney Watson is well known to readers of this column... he was the inaugural In-Depth Profile. He followed up a smokin game one with a sub-par 3 solo and 1 assist effort. Game three against the Rams potentially solid run game of Faulk and Jackson will help triangulate where he is at with his scheme assignments and line call responsibilities... by all acounts he has demonstrated veteran football smarts, exudes the calm, confident aura of a far more experienced player, and has impressed the New Orleans coaching staff with his take charge leadership and commanding presence in the huddle... no need to qualify it with the standard, boilerplate "for a rookie" disclaimer. The multi-talented Cie Grant might have had the gig (the only player I know of with the versatility to start at both LB and CB in college, he once finished second to Chris Chambers in a Big Ten 200 m race), unfortunately he makes Yatil Green look like Jack Youngblood in comparison, and has already been shelved for the year on IR. SLB James Allen has 9 solos and 5 assists so far, but may have to split time with Sedrick Hodge after he returns from a four game suspension. He can be effective against the run, but is reportedly a liability in coverage and not the sharpest tool in the shed. Supposed free agent coup in the '03 season, FS Tebucky Jones, came to the Saints from the Patriots with everything you would want in a safety (at 220 and a legit 4.4 burner, he is one of the biggest and fastest FSs in the NFL), except the ability to tackle. The coaches vigilantly put him through the paces of tackling drills in training camp and exhorted him to form tackle and wrap up rather than constantly go for the kill shot and whiff in the open field. Maybe the hard work is paying off, as he has 9 solos and 3 assists already, but don't expect a lot of help in the INT department... he doesn't possess the most fluid, natural ball skills, and is a little stiff and straight-linish in coverage. SS Jay Bellamy is 32 but it would be remiss to neglect to mention in passing he could be a tackle machine from the secondary... it is always a huge lift for your team when your SS out-tackles your opponents LBs. Jay has amassed a freakish 19 solos, 2 assists and 2 FFs. It will be tough to sustain the brisk nearly 160 solos clip, but the Saints are such chronic under-achievers on offense he could easily continue to be among the top tackling SSs in the IDP arena.

New York Giants - DE Michael Strahan is among the most no-brainer talents in the IDP universe, but track Osi Umenyiora's progress through the season... he has flashed some impressive edge speed in limited opportunities, and looks like he could be a good one. Ex-Miami University DT William Joseph didn't get a chance to do much last season, but his developement could go a long way to hiding some of the flaws of a less than stellar LB corp. He put up a noteworthy 3 solos, 1 assist and 1 sack in the much anticipated NFC East showdown with Joe Gibb's Redskins. MLB Kevin Lewis appears to have beaten out Nick Greisen, and he should keep the job with a workman-like 11 solos, 5 assists and 1 sack through two games. Free agent WLB from Detroit, Barrett Green has flashed impressive speed and serious pursuit skills, and had a nice FR/TD in the last game, but left the game with an injury that could limit him for a few weeks. The top 3 tackler on the Giants all came from the secondary. Rock solid SS Shaun Williams heeded some criticism from the initial loss and took his frustrations out by punishing opposing Washington ball carriers (his FF popped the ball loose from Clinton Portis and led to the aforementioned Green defensive score)... his 12 solos so far project to almost 100 for the season. With their probable bottom 10 offense, he could be on the field a lot. Williams was on target for a career season last year, before going down with a premature season-ending knee injury he appears to be completely recovered from. He has always been a violent run support weapon, and HC Coughlin is letting him cheat up closer to the LOS and is allowing him to play the eighth-man-in-the-box role he is so well cast for. FS Omar Stoutmire was placed on IR this week, but ex-Steeler Brent Alexander may not do much... a corollary of Shaun Williams cheating closer to the line is that he will likely be firmly ensconced in the non-tackle-friendly center fielder role all season. The CB Will bros. (Allen and Peterson) have an astonishing 14 and 12 solos already... if this is an accurate reflection of the status of their paper mache D-Line, this could emerge as more season-long sustained trend than two game anomaly and blip on the IDP radar.

New York Jets - one of the strangest and most bizarre things to report in the second Ear to the Ground IDP Dynasty communique is that there is nothing to report so far regarding All-Pro caliber bookend DEs and former first rounders from the clas of 2000 John Abraham and Shaun Ellis (the Jets had an amazing four that year, the most by one team in recent memory)... eerily silent. Abraham is an incandescent talent with the pure speed and raw athleticism to be one of the elite DEs in the game, but too often in recent years the wheels have come off due to frequent and untimely injuries. Also, recent off the field indiscretions on his part have forced New York officials to look in the direction of the less talented but steadier and more robust and resilient health-wise Ellis, who had a breakthrough season last year. Stay tuned to see if they rediscover their sack artistry (Ellis was credited with a half sack, 2 solos and 2 assists in the recent Charger game). The Jets war room in the Herm Edwards era has been decidedly hit and miss with their draft picks... GM Terry Bradway justly deserves his fair share of the blame for the teams less than scintillating track record lately. Conspicuous misses have been collossal first round bust, DE Bryan Thomas (not even activated for the second game, as an indication of how low he has sunk on the depth chart), and last years top four overall pick, DeWayne Robertson. While it is too early to call him a bust, his brief career arc and trajectory has up to now mirrorede and paralleled that of Johnathan Sullivan. Robertson was also the result of packaging two lower first rounders together, and in the midst of probably unrealisticly high expectations, he seemed to regress at times last season. Some scouts are reporting a glimmering of signs of life, and he did get 3 solos, 2 assists a half sack and 1 FF on Sunday. He did flash powerhouse strength along with excellent quickness and explosion for a big man while at Kentucky, and could be a seriously disruptive pocket collapsing force and havoc-wreaking mayhem engine that could make everybody else on the defense better, if he gets things turned around. It sometimes can can take young D-Linemen a few years to get the hang of the NFL, and he did come out as an underclassman. The most exciting IDP Dynasty prospect in the recent draft has to be first round MLB/WLB Jonathan Vilma. He was unable to hold off a resurgent Sam Cowart, but now that the former Bills ace is on the shelf for at least 4-6 weeks, he gets a chance to show his stuff. Vilma is athletic, tough, a tireless worker, has an off-the-charts football IQ, is charismatic, and brings outstanding leadership, locker room and off the field intangibles. His greatest assets would have to be his near telepathic instincts and spooky run/pass recognition ability. Once he supplants Cowart (may not happen until '05, but could easily be sooner), he should spearhead the Gang-Green attack for the next half decade, if not longer. Vilma is a BIG TIME prospect, and may yet prove to be the top IDP talent from this draft class. He has the goods to be a top 5 LB in time. Ex-Raider free agent and WLB Eric Barton and '03 second rounder SLB Victor Hobson have been decent, but nothing Earth-shaking yet. An up 'n comer could be fifth round SS Erik Coleman who looks like a keeper... he is a competent tackler and has already shown some playmaking ball skills with 2 INTs in as many games.
Oakland - DE Tyler Brayton has been on fire, leading all Raiders last week (except for ILB Danny Clark) with 6 solos, 1 assist and 1.5 sacks. He is looking to build on a superb rookie season, and looks like he will carry on the Oakland tradition of fine D-Linemen over the years. He is a high motor dude equally adept at rushing the passer or forcing the run. MLB/ILB Napoleon Harris has been absent due to a knee injury is expected back soon... very soon. It should be interesting to see what he can do as the probable centerpiece of Rob Ryan's (Buddy's son, of legendary Chicago Bears 4-6 defense, Super Bowl-winning and Kevin Gilbride-punching fame) hybrid defense which incorporates elements of his father's attacking schemes with New England mentor Bill Belichick's more cerebral mixed coverages and disguised fronts. Harris has the pedigree as the top LB from his draft class, and could be about to come into his own if he can shake off his recent knee injury. Stuart Schweigert is a highy regarded rookie safety prospect with FS speed and SS size... he broke Rod Woodson's INT records at alma mater Purdue. He is not a lights out, devestating hitter (he is still trying to get the number of the truck that ran him over in the Senior Bowl... a witness got the license plate G. Jones?), but is clearly the best the Raiders have in a motley crew of deep patrol candidates that includes washed up former Falcon CB Ray Buchanon and Packer castoff SS Marques Anderson... marginal bust SS Derrick Gibson has already been put down for the year on IR, and FS Rod Woodson was unable to go this season with a chronic, debilitating knee problem. CB Charles Woodson, when healthy, is one of the top two shut down cover CBs in the game along with Champ Bailey (their career arc and trajectory as two way CB/WRs superstars for Michigan and Georgia, respectively, remarkably mirror each other). Woodson has only allowed two completed passes to the opposition through two games, which doesn't necessarily add to his IDP bottom line, but is eminently handy in real football... he did throw a bone to his IDP owners with 3 solos, 1 assist and 1 INT in the victory over the Bills. CB Phillip Buchanon has been guilty in the past of giving up as many big plays as he generates, making his net positive impact on the team somewhat ambiguous, and starting status at times tenuous.

Philadelphia - DE Jevon "Freak 2.0" Kearse is looking more and more like he could be a key piece to the puzzle of the Eagle's mission to get over the NFC Championship game hump. He didn't figure prominently in the box score of the MNF victory over the Vikings, but terrorized Culpepper all game, and had one of the biggest impacts of any single player on either side by his presence alone. If he can sidestep chronic foot problems, he is destined to get DD sacks. Kearse got off to one of the fastest starts in his initial few seasons of any DE in history... probably not unrelated to the fact that he has one of the fastest first steps and top end speed gears of any DE in history (early in his career he consistently clocked 4.4s, surreal at his size). He is not a one dimensional edge rusher, either, but is under-rated in run support and is one of the top DEs in pursuit with his scorching backside speed. Former Hurricane DE Jerome McDougal is probably the most interesting of the Eagle's remaining D-Linemen... they paid dearly to move up from the late first round to snare him (to fill the void of Hugh Douglas moving to Jacsonville in free agency... since released and now back in a lesser role, he is a respected locker room personality whose calming influence and ability to keep his teammates from getting too tightly wound was appreciated and missed). He has seemingly been deactivated for more games than he has suited up for in his brief career, with a myriad of injuries, mostly lower leg. He has the talent, the pedigree and the big upside to warrant tracking his developement closely, if he can stay out of the training room whirlpool this season... McDougal almost changed rookie QB Eli Manning's state of consciousness in week one, and he isn't a swami. Philadelphia seems to be an advocate and proponent of the Jimmy Johnson plug-anybody-in-at-LB school of thought, and has seemingly paid more attention to and assigned greater priority and urgency to the building of the D-Line and secondary. MLB Mark Simoneau looks like a journeyman, and could be quickly dispatched by Jeremiah Trotter if he falters. WLB Nate Wayne is better than a jouneyman and had some solid seasons with the Packers before leaving in free agency prior to last season... he just recorded a nice box score line of 6 solos, 1 assist, 1 sack and 2 FFs. SLB Dhani Jones parlayed a big 120 combined tackle season with the Giants in '03, peaking at a perfect time for his career and enabling a healthy free agent signing in the off-season. There has been talk of his being slow to pick up their admittedly complex system... he looked pretty good against Minnesota Monday night with 7 solos and 1 assist. FS Brian Dawkins turns 31 in a few weeks, but is still one of the top FSs in the game when healthy, along with Darren Sharper, and now Sean Taylor. He missed a lot of time last season with the dreaded Lis-Franc injury (named for the doctor who first identified it in the Napoleonic era; it was usually caused by trauma associated when a cavalryman was forcibly and involuntarily dismounted while his foot remained in the stirrups... the only treatment that existed at the time for the chronic pain was amputation, less than ideal for cavalry and safeties alike). Ex-teammate Duce Staley was at one time the only player to ever return successfully from the injury, so maybe he gave Dawkins some tips. As if he needed to get more dangerous to opposing WRs and ballcarriers, Dawkins now cross-trains during the off-season in martial arts with a former UFC champion. SS Michael Lewis might have been a first round pick in the '02 draft if not for a heart abnormality detected while still at Colorado. He had a monster 10 tackle, 2 assist game in the opening game. He has the talent to be an upper echelon, benchmark-type SS, every bit as good as the more highly touted Roy Williams and Ed Reed. A lot of Eagle's insiders and fans were keeping their fingers crossed with CBs Lito Shepard and Sheldon Brown (also from the class of '02, in a prescient draft by HC Reid) taking over for the departed long-time Eagle's Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. So far they have acquitted themselves nicely... Sheppard is coming off a 6 solos and 1 assist effort and Brown (already well covered in this weeks Eye of the Guru by John Norton) has amassed 14 solos, 6 assists and 1 FF through two weeks. It would seem that they may be playing a little less man to man coverage (possibly due to their inexperience?) and more zone defense than their predecessors, which should position them to rack up a lot of run support tackles. With Lewis also being used aggresively in run support, Dawkins could play more center fielder than usual, and could become devalued in an IDP sense as a result.

Pittsburgh - Aaron Smith is the atypical 3-4 DE capable of being a consistent scorer. After a down season which was maybe part of the same general malaise and funk the team slipped into, he looks rejuvenated (6 solos, 3 assists, 2 sacks and 1 FF through two games)... maybe he likes the addition of former DC Dick LeBeau. ILB Kendrell Bell has been riddled with injuries since winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2001, and the Steelers are beginning to become resigned to the fact that the relentless wear and tear might preclude him from ever fulfilling the lofty expectations that were held for him. The Steelers best LB since last season has been ILB and ex-Jet James Farrior. The former Virginia teammate of Jamie Sharper can run and hit, knows how to get the defense lined up, still has sideline-to-sideline range, under-rated instincts, is great at getting off blocks and sifting through traffic, range-finds like a heat-seeking missile in pursuit, and is efficient in the all important and neglected end game of open field tackling... when Farrior gets his hands on the ball carrier, they usually go down. OLB Joey Porter played like he got shot in the... oh yeah, he did get shot in the rear last off season. His play really seemed to suffer, and he didn't flash his characteristic and signature burst and explosiveness coming off the edge as one of the elite rush backers in the game, a Steeler tradition LeBeau worked to perfection with guys like Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd in past seasons. 2004 should be an acid test to see how much he has left. Opposite OLB Jason Gildon (like Greene and Porter a converted collegiate DE; the Patriots Mike Vrabel also came from this stable) was released, but put Clark Haggans on the waiver wire watchlist... he had 5 solos, 2 sacks and 2 FFs in the week one win over the Raiders. SS Troy Polamalu has elite measurables (4.3 40 and 40"+ vertical jump) and was like Jerome McDougal in that the Steelers war room made a big move up the first round stack to get their guy... also in that he was pretty much of a disappointment last year by almost any conventional metric. He struggled to learn the Steeler system and scheme in '03... when the light comes on, look out opposing ball carriers. Polamalu could make a quick ascent to becoming one of the top run support monsters in the NFL. He already has the requisite athleticism to get his foot in the door as one of the top SSs in the game... once the tumblers click in his mind and he grasps his assignments and responsibilities in a gestalt where he doesn't have to think so much, expect him to break the door down... he comes off the best game of his short career, by far, with a stud LB-like 8 solo and 3 assist game. Small school gem CB Ricardo Colclough (pronounced Coke-Lee) from tiny Tusculum earned a second round selection by showing he belonged with the big boys at the Senior Bowl and week of practices leading up to it. CB has been an Achilles heel for Pittsburgh seemingly since the days of the multi-faceted Carnell Lake, and it is hoped he can seize a starting job sooner than later (he could be getting some reps with the first team defense while Chad Scott recovers from an injury). A plus is that he is a little stick of dynamite on kickoff returns.

San Diego - Rookie Igor Olshansky converts from 4-3 DT to 3-4 DE in Wade Phillips new defensive scheme (transplanted from a stint in Atlanta that may not have been a high point in his resume). He could be one of the strongest players in the league, but is kind of fighting against the grain from that position, which isn't traditionally a source of powerhouse IDP scoring. The best LB on the team is the ageless Donnie Edwards, who has bounced back and forth from ILB to OLB and back to ILB in recent years, but has played and produced as a top 5 LB wherever he has lined up. He is undersized, but hasn't lost much of the 4.4 speed he used to flash a long time ago at UCLA, and compensates for a lack of pure mass and strength with great instincts, the ability to worm through traffic and a savvy sense of pursuit angles... he is 31 but plays closer to 21. Other Charger LBs such as Ben Leber and Steve Foley will be covered in future installments (sparks are starting to shoot out of the FBG servers due to the length of this column). Like Seattle, San Diego has a very young secondary, perhaps both built from the same blueprint, to combat similar pass-happy divisional tendencies? SS Terence Kiel could be a pleasant surprise this season. He is solid in run support, which dovetails nicely with the fact that the Chargers overall run defense is pitiful and will be run on mercilessly this season. CBs Quentin Jammer and Sammy "The Candy Man Can" Davis ("because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good") have tons of potential... but remember the old adage about potential getting more coaches fired than anything else. They should both be good ones in due course, but meanwhile there could be continued growing pains... ie - blown coverages. Jammer has had a somewhat labored emergence, but has the pedigree (5th overall pick in the '02 draft) to be an elite CB, and has maybe the most apt name for his position of any player in the NFL.

San Francisco - DE Andre Carter was supposed to be the second coming of Fred Dean and Charles Haley based on the touting of Bill Walsh, but has struggled to live up to expectations and has offered at best mixed results. MLB Derek Smith (does anybody in the NFL look more like Frankenstein?) is one of the most underappreciated talents in the IDP world... he isn't flashy and it doesn't look pretty, but he gets it done, and is a rock in the middle... a positively smokin 17 solos in two games. With the brutal 49er offense, he could be looking at a career high in solos (100+ ?). Julian Peterson is one of a handful of the best athletes in the NFL at any position... he has lined up before at OLB, CB, safety and DE... IN THE SAME GAME! Peterson is off to a blistering start with 13 solos, 3 sacks and 2 FFs through two games. The fifth year first rounder plays from the typically and traditionally playmaking-challenged SLB position (that is, when he isn't lining up at CB, safety or DE)... it is hard to say a player could be in line for a breakout season coming off a Pro Bowl appearance, but that could be exactly what is about to happen... in an IDP productivity and scoring sense. If Jamie Winborn can shake the fragile tag... he played as many games in his rookie season (14) as he has in the last three years... COMBINED (3, 9 and 2 in that span; he was thought to have a possibly career-ending cervical disc rupture and spinal fusion surgery last season), he has the goods to be a big time talent. He has among the best feet and is one of the quicker LBs in the NFL when right, but read to the end of the brochure when considering him... Winborn has an almost singularly checkered medical history. SS Tony Parrish got robbed last season out of a rightful All-Pro berth... he has been one of the top pick artists in the league for the past few years (with Darren Sharper and Ed Reed), and doesn't shy from contact in run support.

Seattle - After having virtually no edge rushing threat from their
D-Line leading into the '03 season, just a little over one year later, the Seahawks have added Chike Okeafor and Grant Wistrom (6 solos, 1 assist, 2 sacks and 1 FF Sunday) and look vastly improved. 2004 first round DT Marcus Tubbs was brought in to help fortify and make sturdier the interior line which has been a problem area and source of trouble in recent seasons. WLB Chad Brown is 34 but still one of the most dangerous blitzing LBs in the NFL when not in street clothes... unfortunately the periods when he is healthy are steadily becoming fewer and further between, and he could be nearing the end of a superb career. SLB Anthony Simmons is taking steps to fill the leadership void on what is starting to become a young Seattle defense... he is similar to the Panthers SLB Mark Fields in that they both go at about 240, were capable of running legit 4.4 40s in their prime and don't look appreciably slower now, and are seriously bad dudes. Beleaguered and much maligned MLB Orlando Huff (not to be confused with the Saints Orlando Ruff) could be productive if he retains the starting job and holds off Soloman Bates and Niko Koutouvides... he had 8 solos and 1 assist against Tampa Bay. The youth of the Seahawks defense is most noticeable in the secondary. FS of the present and SS of the future Ken Hamlin and Michael Boulware (the Ravens All-Pro OLB Peter's little brother) are a second year player and a rookie, respectively... they were both second rounders, and the Seattle war room reportedly almost pulled the trigger on Boulware in the first round. Hamlin had a sensational rookie season that was the equal of the Colts good looking SS Mike Doss, and he is quickly earning a deserved reputation as maybe the hardest hitting FS in the game. Boulware has flashed a devestating size/speed combo (another 4.4 guy at 220) and has been a real Johnny-on-the-spot and exhibited keen playmaking instincts in curtailed playing time initially, with 2 INTs in as many games. CB Marcus Trufant could be mentioned in the same breath as Woodson and Bailey in a year or two... he is without doubt one of the real ascendant talents in the NFL at his position. Not frail in run support, he was among the team leaders in tackles as a rookie last season with a LB-like 76 solos, and just put up 7 solos, 1 assist and 1 INT last week (the Bucs did have a huge number of pass plays).

St. Louis - Leonard Little has been a top 5 DE for the past three seasons, but has been strangely, ominously silent in the first two weeks box scores. Players of his caliber don't usually hit the wall all of a sudden for no apparent reason. Expect a Krakatoa-like eruption in the near future, maybe as soon as this week against the Saints... if you see that volcano near you a rockin, don't come a knockin. He is as as capable of anyone, including Strahan, Taylor and Rice, at putting up a multi-sack game in any given week. He is hurtling towards his 30'th birthday and may seem unfit for dynasty detail, but he gets some slack from a Ram homer. Far more disturbing, and a more substantive reason he may be unfit for dynasty duty, is a charge of drunk driving the Rams got word of on the eve of the draft. The local St. Louis DA chose to file under a felony repeat offender provision which could mean a four year prison sentence if he is convicted (trial expected sometime after the season)... at his age, that could be a career ender, and bring a possible final chapter to an at times brilliant football career, interspersed with a troubled, tumultuous and tragic off-field persona. The aforementioned pre-draft news of his arrest prompted the surprise (to many scouts) third round selection of former Georgia Tech DE Anthony Hargrove, who is in the unusual position of being drafted as an underclassman yet not having played since the '02 season, due to an academic disqualification. His measurables were comparable or superior to elite DE talent Will Smith. He has a lot to learn and could be a year away from a large contribution, but seems to have the requisite intensity and desire to get better, and the Rams war room thought Hargrove was one of three or so bonafide pass rushers in the draft. The Ram DTs have failed to step up despite the repeated expenditure of first round picks... Damione Lewis, Ryan Pickett and Jimmy Kennedy haven't made enough plays over the years to justify their draft position. The LB corp is chock full of dynasty material... best of the bunch is Pisa Tinoisamoa, who was slid from SLB to the more IDP stat-friendly WLB in the off-season... he has been covered by the FBG IDP team in an earlier Spotlight, which will be revisted in a future In-Depth Profile here. Third year first rounder Robert Thomas is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential (a former Pac Ten Defensive Player of the Year the year after Adam Archuleta). He is one of the more athletic MLBs in the NFL, and only injuries can derail a once again promising career. Rookie SLB Brandon Chillar, like Thomas, hales from UCLA, and is said to be far more violent in run support than Tommy Polley, who has fallen from grace with the coaching staff... LB coach Joe Vitt is said to be extremely high on Chillar (must have been destined for St. Louis, his father's first name is Ram; he is the first known NFL player of Indian descent, as in from India, not native American Indian). Archuleta has gotten better every season and is one of the up 'n coming SSs in the league. The former LB/safety conversion still whiffs in the open field on occasion, but is a phenomenal athlete with ridiculous measurables (4.3 40, close to a 40" vertical and benches around 500 lbs)... he is one of several Rams, along with the multi-faceted Tino and the venerable Aeneas Williams, capable of scoring via sacks, FFs and INTs as well as tackles. Injured CB Travis Fisher (out for 3-4 months due to broken arm but not on IR, yet) and CB Jerametrius Butler are of interest as the Rams run a hybrid Cover Two scheme (new DC Larry Marmie inheirits the scheme from new Bears HC Lovie Smith, who learned it at the feet of masters Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin), which has made stars of guys like Ronde Barber and Nick Harper.

Tampa Bay - Warren Sapp's departure to that destination for all aging renegades and rogues, ie - Raider Nation, clears the deck for promising Booger McFarland to score more from the vacated Under-Tackle role... he comes off a 3 solo, 1 assist and 2 sack day that could be a portent of future capabilities from the new slot. DE Simeon Rice has been a top 3 DE in the past 3-4 season, and despite being North of thirty, continued to play at an extremely high level through last season. He got a rare goose egg in the low scoring loss to the Seahawks. Fellow thirty year old DE Greg Spires supposedly had DeWayne White breathing down his neck and prepared to seize the starting DE job opposite Rice. White's inability to beat out Spires has so far been characterized as more of a testament to the veteran's good play... 4 solos, 1 assist and 1 sack last week... than a knock on the '03 first pick (last selection in the second round... Bucs gave up first pick as part of compensation to obtain Gruden from Oakland). He was one of the top defenders in the nation his first two seasons in Louisville, and his high ceiling might be exceeded by his work ethic to reach it. Maybe a year away from stepping up, but is worth following closely... he should be a good one. The ageless Derrick Brooks is capable of playing at as high a level as he ever has, but maybe picks his shots a little more than he used to and has difficulty sustaining the same kind of intensity we have come to associate with him over the course of a whole season. The Ian Gold SLB experiment is ongoing... coaches like what they see and say he fits the scheme like a glove, but that hasn't translated to huge numbers yet. He is coming off an ACL injury last season with the Broncos, and is a bit undersized relative to the prototype dimensions... Gold has legit 4.4 speed at 220 and reportedly is being groomed by the Bucs to be the heir apparent to Brooks. Tampa Bay has the makings of a fine secondary... the Super Bowl safety tandem of John Lynch and Dexter Jackson is long gone, but the pairing of SS Jermaine Phillips and FS Dwight Smith is probably more athletic and even harder hitting (they come off similar 5 solo games, adding 1 and 2 assists, respectively). Brian Kelly was looking like one of the best CBs in the NFL coming off of the Super Bowl season... the wheels seemed to come off of the Bucs collective fortunes around the same time he went on IR due to a torn pect muscle. He plays in a proven system for turning CBs into tackle engines, and is a playmaker capable of generating INTs who also knows what to do with the ball once he has it.

Tennessee - In the wake of the void created by Jevon Kearse leaving for the Eagles in free agency, the Titans have a cast of thousands vying to fill the gaping hole at DE. For now the top prospects seem to be, Carlos Hall along with rookie second rounders Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy (who was actually drafted slightly higher and thought to be more game ready and able to make a more immediate contribution, but whose progress has been stalled by post-concussion syndrome). Neither Hall or Odom have done much to distinguish themselves, but the season is young and they have some promise. Odom left Alabama as a junior, was known to be raw as far as being a technician and having somewhat of an austere repertoire of pass rushing moves, and is still ascending the long, slow learning curve in the all important skill for DEs of stringing moves together. The enigmatic former first round DT Albert Haynesworth has the natural ability to be one of the most dominant interior D-Linemen in the NFL, but his motor seems to burn hot and cold at times. He is one of those rare talents you could honestly say can be as good as he wants to be... he had 3 solos, 2 assists and 1 FF in a losing effort to the Colts. Keith Bullock is hands down one of the top 3-5 young LB talents in the game... nuf sed. Third year SS Tank Williams hasn't always shown the tangible production that would seem to be commensurate with his freakish athleticism (one of the few SS physical specimens in the league whose measurables make Roy Williams look like a slacker). During the off-season it came to light that he played most of last season with a damaged shoulder that was so bad he could only raise his arm a few inches... it is supposedly right again after surgery and rehab, yet it awaits to be seen if he will be more than a tantalizingly good prospect. Williams could be as good a blitzing safety as their is if fully unleashed and turned loose.

Washington - SEAN TAYLOR, SEAN TAYLOR, SEAN TAYLOR... that is all. Seriously, Giants import DT Cornelius Griffin had a nice 5 solos and 2 assists against his ex-mates. Former second overall pick in the 2000 draft Lavar Arrington was one of the elite SLBs in the game in recent seasons (along with Anthony Simmons and Julian Peterson), but that can't be said anymore... he is now a WLB. This positional switch is considered a promotion in the IDP world, and it could free him up to utilize his formidable blitzing prowess and elite sideline-to-sideline range with even more telling and game changing impact, more befitting his talent and pedigree. One yellow alert is he seems to be banged up a lot lately (BREAKING UPDATE - knee surgery just announced in mid-writing will force him to miss a minimum two weeks and up to a month or longer, depending on his recuperative powers)... he does have 10 solos, 3 assists and 1 sack already. New SLB Marcus Washington who came in free agency via the Colts has been steady if unspectacular in the past, so his 11 solo and 1 assist outburst against the Giants week two begs the question... should we take the game with a grain of salt, or does it signal the emergence of latent playmaking skills untapped and dormant with Indy, that could be unleashed in his new found role in the Skins system and scheme? The jury is still out, but the safe play would be to guess the former, until he strings together a few more games like these. MLB Antonio Pierce has made his way up the rungs of the NFL depth chart ladder the hard way, as an undrafted free agent. Off-season plans to install ex-Giant and Titan Mike Barrow in the middle (prompted by the release of former and current Eagle Jeremiah "Was a Bullfrog" Trotter) were foiled when a bum, arthritic knee surfaced. Pierce has been a pleasant surprise, strong enough at the POA to rack up 11 solos and 6 assists, yet athletic enough to garner an INT... he could be a revelation for IDP players as he could get better with reps and experience, and if he in fact continues to develope and progress, could obviate the need to bring Barrow back at all. One of the biggest surprises for the Redskins defense is SS Matt Bowen, considered somewhat of a journeyman in the past. While the admittedly state-of-the-art secondary weapon of the future is FS Sean Taylor (first defensive player off the board in 2004... some scouts thought he might be the most talented overall athlete in the draft, a rare game-impacting safety, one of the highest selected ever at his notoriously overlooked position, you have to be really special to stand out), and maybe the present... for now, though, Gibbs is bringing him along slowly... too slowly for some. Even when he inevitably cracks the starting lineup, Bowen may already have carved out a nice niche for himself as a blitzing safety and under-rated run support hard case. He already has 13 solos, 2 assists, 2 sacks and 1 FF. While Taylor may possess the best range for a safety... EVER, he has the speed and size to get to the QB. But if he plays in a predominantly center fielder role to best take advantage of his world class aerial skills and ability to break on the ball, Bowen could be the chief beneficiary by getting to suck up a disproportionate amount of run support tackles coming from the deep patrol.

Defensive Rookie of the Year Watch

(All stats are cumulative running totals through the first two weeks)

Courtney Watson (MLB - NO)... 11 solos and 4 assists
DJ Williams (WLB - DEN)... 8 solos, 3 assists and 1 sack
Daryl Smith (SLB - JAX)... 7 solos and 2 assists
Teddy Lehman (SLB - DET)... 7 solos, 2 assists and 1 FF
Jonathan Vilma (MLB/ILB/WLB - NYJ)... 3 solos and 1 assist
Kenechi Udeze (DE - MIN)... 4 solos, 1 assist and 1 sack
Will Smith (DE - NO)... 6 solos, 1 assist, 1 sack and 1 FF
Sean Taylor (FS - WAS)... 2 solos and 1 assist
Jason Babin (OLB - HOU)... 8 solos, 2 assists and 1 sack
Michael Boulware (SS - SEA)... 5 solos and 2 INT
Karlos Dansby (SLB - ARI)... 5 solos and 1 assist
Dontarrious Thomas (WLB - MIN)... 6 solos and 4 assists
Standing on the Verge (of Gettin It...)

Chris Gamble (CB - CAR)
Dunta Robinson (CB - HOU)
Madieu Williams (FS/CB - CIN)
Vince Wilfork (DT - NE)
Darnell Dockett (DT - ARI)
Tank Johnson (DT - CHI)
Tommie Harris (DT - CHI)
Antwan Odom (DE - TEN)
Landon Johnson (WLB - CIN)
Junior Siavii (DT - KC)
Brandon Chillar (SLB - STL)
Bob Sanders (FS - IND)

In-Depth Profile

#2 D ROY candidate, Denver WLB, former Miami Hurricane and USA Today National Prep Player of the Year, from the recent IDP Sleepers/Busts article...

D.J. Williams, OLB (6'0" 247)

Pprobably an even better athlete than the Ram's Pisa Tinoisamoa (Hawaii 5-0 the only football player in San Diego County history to be awarded All-CIF honors on BOTH sides of the ball, for his work at RB and LB). D.J. was the consensus top recruit in the nation, capping a storied career at perennial prep powerhouse Concord De La Salle with a 40+ TD senior year, being selected USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year and signing a letter of intent with NFL feeder team the Miami Hurricanes. After a freshman season spent dabbling at fullback, he was switched full time to WLB, where he played ever since. His thunder was stolen somewhat by the less heralded MLB Jonathan Vilma, who led Miami in tackles the past few seasons. Still, many scouts considered Williams the superior prospect all the way through college. In the end, Vilma didn't drop as some predicted due to concerns that he didn't embody the physical prototype for a MLB/ILB at 230 (first LB off the board at 1.12 to the Jets), & D.J. went about where he was expected to (second LB selected at 1.17 to the Broncos; though Shanahan reportedly coveted the Buc's good looking WR Michael Clayton with the slot he acquired from the Bengals). This was a classic case where value intersected with need, as Denver allowed incumbent WLB Ian Gold to walk when they had a difference of opinion with his representation the Poston brothers over his post-knee injury value. In his first season as the starter in '02, Gold had nearly 90 solo tackles and 7 sacks... D.J. is about 25 lbs heavier, and probably his equal in the agility and speed departments (they have both been timed in the 4.4 range, and Williams is said to have a Kobe & Lebron-like 38" vertical). He should be immediately thrust into a prominent role on the defense. Expect some growing pains, as he doesn't possess Vilma's telepathic run/pass recognition and instincts. Lavar Arrington could be a comp player in terms of overall athleticism, and in that if Williams is turned loose in the scheme, he could be one of the top blitzing LBs in the game.

IDP Dynasty Tip of the Week

Finding the Right Balance of Productive Vets and Promising Youths

One way to parse the spectrum of age/production tradeoffs is to view the preferred end of the IDP Dynasty continuum as that which contains elite, young players (think Peppers, Barnett and Bryan Scott in 2004)... and the least desirable band that wherein bad, washed up, old players reside (Hugh Douglas, Mo Lewis and Jason Sehorn in 2003). It is in the middle where things get tricky, and you have to make hard decisions sometimes. Do you go for a unproven but promising young guy... or a tried and true, battle-tested, proven old codger? It behooves the team architect to attend carefully to matters such as these when assembling the right mix of age and productivity, resume and pedigree, talent and potential. In general, it is good to aim for a healthy balance. Having all young players can be a killer for your near term prospects... but an excessively old crew can leave an owner vulnerable to being hung out to dry, if large blocs of the team suffer from diminished skills and become blindsided by rapid, unforeseen trade value erosion.

At certain points there always comes a point in the draft when you have to make a choice between a young guy with lots of potential but a lot of surrounding uncertainty, or an established veteran with a proven record, but perhaps not a lot of upside. To take other examples, if you already have a healthy balance of young talent, it could make a lot of sense to get a Rodney Harrison-type player if he can put you over the top. Ideally you can trade him before he hits the wall like Nick Nolte trying to navigate the Pacific Coast Highway after a Saturday night bender... but that problem won't seem so vexing if your IDP ancient ones help you win and make a playoff push in the meantime. Conversely, the advantage to getting (and keeping) a stud rookie IDP, if you have the roster balance to do so, is that a guy like Daryl Smith can be had relatively cheap, but might emerge as someone far more valuable in a season or two, for those with the patience to watch things unfold. Having the right mix can position you well to win now... AND later.

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