Trick Shot QB gets a Shot with the Bills!
Bills release Drayton Florence
The Buffalo Bills have released veteran Cornerback Drayton Florence, presumably to make room for Rookie Corner Stephon Gilmore. Florence, with the Bills for only one season, was one of the more productive Cornerbacks on the Bills roster this season.
He finished 2011 with 3 interceptions and 50 total tackles but became expendable when the Bills drafted Gilmore with the 10th overall pick. Somewhat a risky move as Gilmore has yet to take a snap in the Pro game, however many scouts feel that Gilmore is one of the more NFL ready players in this years crop of Rookies.
THE SKINNY: The 8 year NFL veteran will certainly find work in the league and is coming off a very good year with Buffalo. He has a knack for the ball and his experience in a variety of defenses shouldn’t keep him on the Free Agent market for very long.
Vilma Suspended for 2012!!
The NFL has dished out the punishments for the New Orleans Saints bounty situations and they are severe. Middle Linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended by the league for the entire 2012 season.
Other players suspended are Anthony Hargrove suspended 8 games, Will Smith suspended 4 games and Scott Fujita suspended 3 games. Hargrove is now with the Packers and Fujita is with the Browns. Vilma’s suspension begins immediately while the other players with different teams can stay with their teams until the season begins. The players will all look to appeal this decision.
This has to be one of the worst offseason’s in NFL history for a franchise as they have now lost their Head Coach and Defensive leader for the entire season. General Manager and interim Head Coach for half the season and the aforementioned Defensive Caption for a good portion of the year. The Saints did prepare for this however by signing Linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne.
THE SKINNY: One thing is for certain, Roger Goodell will not tolerate any sort of Bounty system and you can be sure that other teams have taken notice!
NFL Draft: Winners & Losers!!
NFL Draft: Winners & Losers
SkinnyPost TV sits down to take a look at who won in this years NFL Draft and who didn’t! From value picks to teams that reached and everything in between!!
Goodell Handshake – a new Draft trend?
Final Draft Grades!!
It’s very difficult to “grade” a draft just days after the selections however it isn’t difficult to see where we feel value was found and how teams did or didn’t manipulate the board to fit their needs. Certain players are sure to reach the dreaded “bust” status while others will ascend to “late round gem” status. Here is how we grade all 32 teams in the 2012 NFL Draft! Read more
Was the Draft that bad for the Seahawks?
Everyone across the blogsphere and across the internet has been slamming the Seattle Seahawks for their 2012 Draft results. The comments range from “no clue” to “they’ll continue to live a life of mediocrity” even the Denver Post cited the Seahawks as a team that “needs to have their Draft Process re-examined”. Pretty harsh words but the question is, did they really get it all wrong? Was it as bad as apparently everyone wants to make it out to be? Let’s take a look at the Hawks picks and see if it was truly, clueless!
1st Pick (15th Overall) Bruce Irvin, OLB/DE
This is the pick that seems to have the most vitriol. Irvin is absolutely undersized to play DE at 235 pounds, there is no doubt about that but what about as an Outside Linebacker? Jason Taylor weighed in at 255 and is 6-6, tall and lean and also headed for Canton so it’s not like undersized guys can’t succeed. Irvin is 6-3 and has the frame to put on 10 more pounds, Julian Peterson who was also 6-3 and 235 pounds and had a pretty good NFL career. Irvin was also heralded to be one of the best pure pass rushers in the Draft, albeit with off the field issues (a common phrase in April) but brings a rather large upside. He’s incredibly fast and can get off the ball in hurry. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see the Seahawks use him in a OLB role and slowly get him adapted to the NFL game. Did they reach for him with the 15th pick? Hard to say, but the beauty of the draft is when you are on the clock you can take whoever you wish. Obviously the Seahawks felt that Bruce that would fit nicely into their scheme. It’s not wise to put a player in a box and say, this is what he is, because the Seahawks might see a former player they once had and are looking to get him back, in a younger form!
2nd Round (47th Overall) Bobby Wagner
A quick and mobile Linebacker, the theme at this point seems obvious…the Seahawks are looking to get faster on Defense. Wagner will likely become a starter sooner than later and all in all it’s a solid pick. CBS Sports described Wagner as
Instinctive defender who is aggressive to slip through cracks and stop the running back in the hole. Good patience. Doesn’t commit too soon showing the ability to break down in space, wait for the ball carrier to commit and closing quickly for the reliable stop.
Shows good patience and then closes quickly in the hole. Looks to slip blocks with quick hands rather than forcefully taking them on and shedding with violence. Wraps his arms on most tackles to bring ball carriers to a quick stop. Good lateral and downfield pursuit.
Possesses a thick build with impressive overall musculature. Intelligent and dedicated. Capable of contributing early in his career. Voted a team captain in 2010-11.
Round 3 (Pick 74) Russell Wilson, QB
Wilson is a definite project due to his size mostly, many people in the NFL world feel a QB needs to be at least 6 feet tall in order to do well. Well Drew Brees is pretty darn good and he’s not exactly the Jolly Green Giant. The thing that Russell does very well is move! He’s extremely mobile and the Seahawks don’t need to worry about him starting anytime soon as they have just signed Matt Flynn and still have Tavaris Jackson on their roster…for now!
The remaining picks are solid, but after the first 3 rounds in the draft you just hope to hit on a good one and Robert Turbin just might be that guy. A very powerful running back with good hips, Turbin could be the steal of the later rounds.
No. 106: Robert Turbin, RB, Utah State
No. 114: Jaye Howard, DT, Florida
No. 154: Korey Toomer, LB, Idaho
No. 172: Jeremy Lane, CB, Northwestern State
No. 181: Winston Guy, S, Kentucky
No. 225: J.R. Sweezy, DT, North Carolina State
No. 232: Greg Scruggs, DT, Louisville
Just like any draft, it’s far too early to tell how it will all pan out. The Seahawks, while some feel may have reached, might feel they got they guys to fit their plan. The good part about that is that no one but them knows their plan. Is Irvin an off the field risk? Maybe the coaches sat down with him and feel they can turn him into a mature pro. Is Wilson too short? Perhaps the Seahawks offensive coaches want to create packages for him to excel. We will never know, in the end it’s usually never as good, or never too bad as everyone makes it out to be! If the Seahawks get players that fit their scheme and it works out perfectly, than I’d say it’s a homerun!
Did the Broncos whiff on “Impact”?
The cry all offseason from Bronco fans, especially after the loss of Broderick Bunkley, was for the Denver Broncos to draft a Defensive Tackle. Many had Jerel Worthy & Devon Still, guys from big time programs high on their wish list. The Bronco brass decided to trade out of the 1st Round not once, but twice, going from 25 to 31 then to 2nd Round where they had two picks in what was widely known as a “weak” draft class. Some feel they didn’t receive enough compensation for their trades but under the gun I guess you get what you can get. Read more
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