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The Bearor’s Den Rises/Quick Thoughts on a Young NFL Season

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Alright, its been a while.  I’ve had the craziest summer of my life, traveling from coast to coast, then back again.  I spent practically no time at home over the past 5 months, and now I’m back at school and still busy.  Let me rephrase that: I’m still busy and I’m still lazy.  To be honest, I  could have found time in my schedule to throw up an article or two a week at least.  I just lacked that itch to get back to it, but now with this web publishing/design class I’m taking and the NFL season starting back up, I’ve got the urge to write again.  So sorry for dangling my few loyal readers along, and I’ll do my best to stick with it this time around.

That being said, here are couple quick thoughts that I have on the young NFL season:

The 49ers are who we thought they were. Maybe some people were surprised by how effectively San Francisco’s defense stifled Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 1, but many also expected Harbaugh’s team to rebound after a disappointing loss in the NFC Championship game, myself included.  Through 2 weeks, the 49ers are one of a only a few teams that looks just like they did last year.  They have the same smash mouth mentality on both sides of the ball that last year’s team had, and they’ve built upon that.  The defense is a carbon-copy of last year’s group and Alex Smith still epitomizes the ultimate game manager.  Usually it doesn’t catch my eye when a team doesn’t change from year to year, but seeing sizable differences in teams like New England and New York makes me think a little longer about consistency.  The season is in diapers right now, but the 49ers are the scariest team out there simply because they are the same as last year.

Michael Vick still isn’t a Quarterback.  This may be a little bit of the New York Giants fan talking, but it still baffles me how someone can look so lost on passing plays after 9 years in the league.  Anytime I make a comment on his ability to throw a ball, apologists start talking about how strong of an arm he has and how dynamic of a playmaker he is.  Those are great perks for a QB to have, but there has to be fundamental quarterbacking skills underneath that.  Mike Vick is all frosting and no cake, and nothing about that has ever changed in my eyes.

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NFL

Bucs Seek Offseason Treasure

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by Nick Wershing

A year ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were the team to make a splash in the offseason with the signings and acquisitions of Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins and Ronnie Brown. This year, the biggest offseason movers are the new-look Buccaneers. New head coach Greg Schiano is implementing a new attitude in Tampa Bay and looking to make a big impact in his first year.

 

The Buccaneers started the offseason by signing arguably the best free agent on the market, Carl Nicks. Nicks is thought to be the best guard in the league, and should sure up the guard position for a long time in Tampa. They also brought in WR Vincent Jackson, who was unhappy with his situation in San Diego. Jackson is regarded as a number one receiver in the league. His presence will give Josh Freeman a great new target, as well as allow Mike Williams to run as a number two receiver, or a slot guy, where his speed can be more effective. Along with these two bigger signings, the Bucs also brought in CB Eric Wright, who had 4 Ints and 74 tackles last year, and Amobi Okoye, the 10th overall pick in 2007 who has 15.0 career sacks, to team with Gerald McCoy and Albert Haynesworth.

 

The Bucs then addressed more needs in the draft. They brought in RB Doug Martin, who many expect to beat out LeGarrette Blount for the starting role, and Lavonte David, the second best Inside Linebacker in the draft this year. Martin is a great signing because he is a do-it-all back, not just a pure runner. He will catch out of the backfield and block for Freeman in pass protection. David is a talent that any team would love to have and should mature into a great long-term piece in the middle of their 4-3 defense.

 

They Bucs also resigned two of their best players, in CB Ronde Barber and K Connor Barth. Along with the new players, Greg Sciano is bringing a new attitude to Tampa. He wants players who want to be there and want to improve. When safety Tanard Jackson failed a physical, he was released. Then TE Kellen Winslow, their top option the past two years, decided not to show up to the optional camps, the Bucs put him on the trade block and ended up shipping him to Seattle.

 

And just when you thought they were done making moves…. They bring in TE Dallas Clark. One of Peyton Manning’s favorite targets the past few years, Clark is an upgrade even from Winslow at the position. Clark is an elite TE, in league with Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski, and Jason Witten.

 

The Bucs are set on Freeman as the QB of the future. After a disappointing year last year, they are setting him up for success. If Freeman can’t succeed with the pieces they are placing around him now, then the Bucs will need to reevaluate his future. But if he plays as they, and many experts, believe he can, the Bucs will be contending with the Saints and the Falcons for the NFC South division title.

 

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NFL

The Renaissance of Reggie Bush

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by Jim Bearor

Reggie Bush stirred the pot recently when he said that his goal for this season was to win the rushing title.  Of course this sent everyone at ESPN into a frenzy, as the vast majority of analysts gave him props for showing such confidence, but dismissed his goal for the simple fact that it came from the mouth of Reggie Bush.  This is the same Reggie Bush that was selected with the 3rd overall pick in 2006 by New Orleans, and was more of a novelty pass-catcher than a running back.

When he came into the league, the expectations were high that he would be frequently starring on highlight shows due to his explosive running style.  He didn’t live up to the hype, although he did provide the occasional spark off of a punt return or pass from the great Drew Brees.  It surprised me how fast his fan base seemed to turn on him.  I know that he wasn’t putting up adequate rushing numbers to warrant such a high draft pick, but he was also not in a situation where it was possible for him to rush for over 100 yards a game.  The Saints offense is built around Brees, and everyone else is interchangeable.  They spread out receivers, and use their running backs as receivers coming out of the backfield almost as much as they use them to rush the ball.  This is why Darren Sproles couldn’t have found a better fit of a team.

Bush did struggle running between the tackles during his time there, but he has adapted to the north-south running style that NFL rushers must have and his numbers have improved because of it.  His 1,086 rushing yards off of only 216 carries last year in Miami really impressed me, but the stat that really stuck out was that he averaged 5.6 yards-per-carry between the tackles.  The change of scenery provided him with a fresh start and the opportunity to redefine his career.  A stacked offensive line and Tony Sparano’s offense had a lot to do with this renaissance as well.

Sparano is gone, but Bush has made it known that he is no slouch and is fully capable of being a feature back in a run-heavy offense.  How the offense changes this year is yet to be seen, seeing as Joe Philbin, the former Green Bay offensive coordinator is calling the plays now.  Although the Packers were a pass-heavy team under Philbin, they had Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball and Ryan Tannehill is not a worthy substitute – at least not at this point in time.

So even though Bush’s goals may be a bit lofty, I expect him to surprise a lot of people this year.  In an offense that lost its biggest receiving threat (Brandon Marshall), and has a rookie quarterback to groom, Reggie is the most reliable tool they have.  If he doesn’t compete for the rushing title – which wouldn’t shock me, honestly – he can still burn you in the passing and return games.  Without a doubt, he’ll be one of the guys I rely on in my fantasy league and I’ll be very confident doing so.  Bush is being productive, outspoken, and self-confident.  Maybe he still can be the superstar we all thought he would be when he came into the league.

Follow Jim on Twitter: @JimBearor

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