8 comments MMQB Review: The Zone Blitz Had Many Fathers Edition

Peter King made his return to writing MMQB last week by noting how nothing exciting had happened since he took a month off, but THINGS WILL BE HAPPENING SOON! JUST WAIT! Peter wrote last week about Ken Stabler's Hall of Fame chances and changing the Redskins name. Peter didn't get why the Redskins just don't change the name since it obviously will be changed at some point. I don't think it's that obvious to the Redskins they will have to change their name though. This week Peter previews the best storylines of 2015 (yes, "previews" storylines, as if the NFL season is a television show), lists 32 players who are "feeling the heat" in training camp, and admits he was wrong that Ace Sanders was not a poor man's Tavon Austin. Wait, so if Sanders isn't even a poor man's Tavon Austin, then what is Tavon Austin (71 catches 660 yards over two seasons after being the #8 overall pick)? Is he a poor man's Danny Amendola, who was a poor man's Wes Welker?

Time for the 2015 Training Camp Primer. Everything you need to know about the NFL’s 32 training camps, with some fun on the side.

This is literally not everything I need to know about training camp. It doesn't even cover what I need to know for just one NFL team.

First things first, though. It was a notable Saturday evening for the Favre family. Not only did the famous Favre, Brett, have his number retired and get enshrined in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony witnessed by most of Wisconsin.

I'm so tired of Brett Favre. For someone who is retired and supposedly staying out of the spotlight, he manages to find his way into the spotlight a lot.

But a few hours to the southeast, in Canton, Ohio, quarterbacking nephew Dylan Favre had a perfect night in the International Federation of American Football championship game—12 of 12 for 124 yards and a touchdown—in the United States’ 59-12 rout of Japan.

When I've written "I don't care" in the past, it truly pales in comparison to how much I don't care about how Brett Favre's nephew played in a football game. I know Peter is obsessed with Brett Favre, but I would still hope the obsession wouldn't continually be so obvious after Favre's retirement.

Now for your 2015 camp preview.

Ten Best Camp Stories

1. The fate of Tom Brady. Will he get his four-game suspension reduced? Even if he does, he’ll probably still go to court to overturn what his side believes is a patently unfair ban. Then it’s let the best lawyers win. It’s Jeff Pash (NFL) versus the man the NFL office loves to hate, Jeffrey Kessler (Brady). Either way, second-year man Jimmy Garoppolo is probably going to have to play some for the Patriots (Week 1: versus Big Ben; Week 2: at Rex Ryan),

"At Rex Ryan," apparently Peter thinks the Bills don't have an actual team name. And Peter refers to Garoppolo playing "Big Ben" like it's a tennis match or something. Actually, Garoppolo plays a fairly young Steelers defense with most of the offense that won the Super Bowl behind him.

4. Winston and Mariota careen toward a Week 1 showdown. Unlike one or both stinks in training camp,

I think Peter means "unless," though so much time was probably spent feeling good for Brett Favre this past weekend that Peter had to hustle this MMQB out and didn't have time for an editor to look at it. So maybe this error can be forgiven. It's not like I would expect an editor to catch something I caught first time reading through this column.

All we’ve heard from off-season work so far is how marvelous each has played, and without question how both are headed for Hall of Fame careers. We shall see.

Perhaps I haven't been paying enough attention, but I have not heard anything about how Winston and Mariota are headed for Hall of Fame careers. All of the talk has been pretty standard, "His teammates like him and he looks ready to compete" type of stuff. I don't find there has been excessive hype for either quarterback.

Biggest dates for them this summer: Aug. 28 for Mariota (Week 3 preseason game at Kansas City), Aug. 29 for Winston (Week 3 preseason game versus Cleveland). Logic says each should play into the third quarter of those games, and we’ll get an indication how ready they are for prime time in Week 1.

Because nothing says "This guy is ready for Week 1" like a preseason game where every sportswriters will say, "DON'T DRAW TOO MANY CONCLUSIONS, BUT HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN!"

6. The Saints, changing on the fly. With ungodly talent on offense, New Orleans has gone 26-24 in the past three seasons. So the Saints jettisoned soft tight end Jimmy Graham to Seattle, 

Shots fired. I love when Peter throws these random shots at a player into MMQB. He goes out of his way not to offend, then calls a player "soft." Where the hell does this even come from? Peter has never in the past even hinted that he thinks Graham is soft.

8. The adaptation of a Dolphin named Suh. 

What the fuck does this even mean? Sometimes I think Peter writes inside jokes to himself in MMQB.

Ndamukong Suh will impact two franchises this summer. The Lions, who now have a huge hole with the losses of Suh and Nick Fairley in the interior of the defense, had better hope Haloti Ngata can be his classic run-stuffing and penetrating self. And the Dolphins, of course, need to see production and leadership befitting the highest paid defensive player in NFL history.

I love Ndamukong Suh. He's been overpaid. He would have to have an impact on the Dolphins in the same way a franchise quarterback would impact them to earn his contract. I don't see that happening.

10. Jay Cutler trying to prove to yet another regime he’s worth the trouble. Now coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace climb aboard the Cutler roller coaster.

Nine seasons, one playoff win.

I thought we were talking about Jay Cutler, not Jeff Fisher? 

I was going to have a segment about franchise relocation. But it’s not a training camp story. Plus, we’re all bored by franchise relocation now.

This is as opposed to the Adieu Haiku, which still tickles the world's fancy every time Peter includes one in MMQB.

Play-by-play of franchise shifts: necessary (I suppose), but really boring.

Yes, really boring. Now let's get to Peter's riveting list of 32 players who are feeling the heat this summer (get it?).

Thirty-two teams, 32 folks in the spotlight during training camp and beyond:

(Bengoodfella moves to the very edge of his seat)

New England: Logan Ryan, cornerback. All the third-year man from Rutgers has to do is replace Darrelle Revis. He’s not alone in corners under pressure in New England. Brandon Browner’s gone too, and a cast of thousands has lined up (Malcolm Butler, perhaps?) to take his job.

So Logan Ryan is under pressure to replace Darrelle Revis, except there are other corners on the roster who are under pressure to replace Brandon Browner? Why does Ryan have to replace Revis? Can't he be under pressure to replace Brandon Browner, and if he succeeds that, then he is a success? After all, it's nearly impossible to replace Darrelle Revis.

By the way, Peter throws quite a few rookies on this list, which is somewhat unfair. Sure, these rookies may be under pressure, but they are rookies being expected to replace veterans (in many of these situations), so it seems a bit much to expect them to come in and produce at the level the veteran did.

Indianapolis: Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver. With the Colts allowing 4.5 yards per rush in 2013, and 4.3 yards per rush last year, and with the Patriots rolling over the Colts for 177 rushing yards in the AFC title game, you’d have thought they’d have gone defensive tackle early in the draft. But no. The speedy Dorsett, who has Mike Mayock in his corner,

As Teddy Bridgewater can attest, having Mike Mayock in your corner doesn't mean a hell of a lot sometimes. On occasion he will be in your corner or not depending on whether your last throw sailed a bit high or you dropped a catchable ball. Also, if Mayock likes you or not can depend on which way the wind is blowing at that very moment.

Carolina: Devin Funchess, wide receiver. Up to him to show in Spartanburg this summer that GM Dave Gettlemen didn’t draft him a round early. Oh, and Cam Newton needs him desperately.

This is why putting rookies on this list is unfair. Phillip Dorsett is expected to come in and take Reggie Wayne's place? Devin Funchess has to prove before actual games even start that he is worth a second round pick? What, his career will be over if he isn't productive as a rookie? The assumption is no other receiver on the roster could step up and replace Wayne or be a weapon for Newton?

Remember when rookies receivers weren't expected to produce much in their first year? And no, if Funchess sucks in training camp then this is not proof he was drafted a round early. It's proof he isn't ready to be the #2 receiver on an NFL team prior to even playing one regular season game.

Detroit: Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle. No Suh. No Fairley. It’s Ngata, and a cast of several. I hope Haloti knows what’s he’s gotten himself into.

Ngata has to be the one to singlehandedly get pressure on the quarterback up the middle. And no, Ngata didn't "get himself into" the situation in Detroit. He was traded, so he had no real say in where he ended up. 

Arizona: James Bettcher, defensive coordinator. He might be the least-known coordinator in recent NFL history. 

What does this even mean? Bettcher might be the least-known coordinator in recent NFL history. According to who? I couldn't name the special teams coordinator for 90% of NFL teams, so this is just very confusing. Rather than just say that Bettcher isn't well-known, Peter has to go and exaggerate as if it makes the point he wants to make more understandable.

Chicago: Jay Cutler, quarterback. Sorry. With Chicago, I could throw in some fancy analysis and talk about rookie wideout Kevin White or the impact of John Fox or precocious pass-rusher Pernell McPhee.

McPhee is 26 years old. He is a grown man. What about how he rushes the passer makes him act as if he is older than 26 years old? 26 year olds are supposed to be able to rush the passer like McPhee does. Peter has to stop using precocious in sentences. Along with "factoid," it's a word he clearly doesn't understand the definition of.

Cleveland: Danny Shelton, nose tackle. Amazing, considering the strong defensive pedigree of head coach Mike Pettine: Cleveland had the worst run defense in the league (141.6 rush yards per game surrendered) last year, and Shelton is going to have to show from the first practice that the porousness stops now.

It is up to Danny Shelton, and only Danny Shelton, to make sure the Browns have a good run defense.

Jacksonville: Blake Bortles, quarterback. Trying not to be cliché here.

Peter will now be cliche.

But the Jags’ defense is going to be good enough to be competitive.

This is an exercise of almost Bleacher Report-type futility. The starting quarterback for the Jaguars is under the gun to play well in training camp. No shit. This is after Peter has listed four of the last five teams as having their quarterback be the player in the spotlight in training camp. In obvious news, a competent quarterback is very important in the NFL.

Miami: Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle. Miami’s paying $2.3 million a year more than J.J. Watt. Not much to live up to there.

I don't know why Suh keeps getting compared to J.J. Watt, other than the fact they both play defense. Suh's contract alone means there is a lot to live up to. Suh is being paid like a franchise quarterback. The impact a franchise quarterback has on a team is the impact the Dolphins want from Suh. Of course, they would take the impact Watt has on the Texans defense too, but good luck with that.

New Orleans: Anthony Spencer, outside linebacker. He showed flashes of greatness in Dallas. Rob Ryan needs a rusher other than Cam Jordan to scare offensive coordinators.

Spencer showed flashes of greatness in Dallas. By the way, Spencer is 31 years old and has been in the NFL since 2007. At a certain point, probably eight years into an NFL career a player has become what he will always be. There's no need to discuss Spencer like he's in his mid-20's or just got done playing off his rookie contract and just needed a chance to show what he can do. He's 31.

Oakland: Amari Cooper, wide receiver.

St. Louis: Todd Gurley, running back.

San Diego: Melvin Gordon, running back.

This is a very "Bleacher Report-ish" list. Why didn't Peter just save time and list each team's first or second round pick?

And now, for the last four teams, I hate going all cliché, but let’s be honest …

In being honest, this means you will be cliche even though you hate being cliche?

San Francisco 49ers: Colin Kaepernick, quarterback.

Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston, quarterback.

Tennessee: Marcus Mariota, quarterback.

Washington: Robert Griffin III, quarterback.

It's funny how Peter is concerned about being cliche here in listing each team's quarterback as the player under the gun, but earlier when he listed Tyrod Taylor, Jay Cutler, Ryan Mallett, and Blake Bortles in a matter of five teams, he had no such concerns it seems. Only 11 of these players "feeling the heat" weren't first/second round picks or a quarterback. Peter King has a future making lists for Bleacher Report.

But these still are the days. I love my trips around the league to as many camps as I can reach each year. This year, weather and The MMQB van permitting, I’ll visit 20 training camps and touch between 21 and 26 teams.

The other 6 to 11 NFL teams will simply have Peter follow them around Central Park while he writes down their phone conversations. There will be no touching.

Times have changed, but this is still the time when I can get Ben Roethlisberger for a few minutes under a shade tree in Latrobe,

That's every boy's dream. Getting Ben Roethlisberger under a shade tree in Latrobe. There's rarely a better place to be.

Arthur Blank over a mesclun salad in the Falcons cafeteria, Blake Bortles in the Jags’ luxurious digs (seriously) in the bowels of their stadium, Marcus Mariota on a steaming day in Nashville, Mike McCarthy on a bench next to the Don Hutson Center practice field, Doug Whaley for coffee at the Starbucks in Pittsford, Chip Kelly somewhere in Eagledom, Russell Wilson for a few pensive minutes coming off the practice field in Renton, Tony Romo at the Cowboys’ hotel in temperate Oxnard, Peyton Manning and a succession of Broncos (I somehow manage to get eight or 10 of them on a profitable day in Denver).

Somehow Peter manages to be somewhat grating simply making a list like this one. His readers don't need this much detail about everyone Peter talks to and where. I mean, he writes that Russell Wilson is "pensive" coming off the practice field, he's in "temperate" Oxnard with Romo. Peter is not writing a novel here, so these descriptions are just a little odd to me.

As for the places I will not touch … you’ll read dispatches by the rest of our staff. In brief:

Andy Benoit, who is in the midst of doing 32 team previews at his home base in Boise, will break away to do a short West Coast swing at San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego.

Hopefully there will be no icky women's sports going on during Andy's West Coast swing. I wouldn't want him to be bored while watching women futilely play sports and fall asleep when he has somewhere to be. 

It’s impossible for me to hit every camp, of course, and to see every team live. There’s a lot to write, and a lot of ground to cover. Plus, I want our staff to be able to get to know as many people on as many teams as possible.

Absolutely. It's important to Peter's readers that his THE MMQB employees are able to network as much as possible on this trip. I understand.

So, we’re going to try a little experiment this year. We’re going to run a fan blog intermittently during the season, and we’re looking for some fans to help us run it. The idea is to have a fan of all 32 teams writing occasionally during the season—maybe when your team is playing a rival, or when your team has just won or lost a huge game, or when there’s something big affecting your team. We’re not sure now how much we’re going to use it, or when exactly we will use it. 

Great, sounds like a plan! I'm definitely interested in writing something and then maybe never seeing it published or just having it used in a way that I never anticipated it being used. This sounds like a very well-thought out experiment.

When the Ravens play the Steelers, for instance, we may ask our Pittsburgh and Baltimore bloggers to write short pieces on what it means to hate the opposing team—and why the feelings are so strident.

Oh man, I definitely want to read more about why the Ravens and Steelers hate each other. This would be completely new information to me that I haven't read anywhere else. Can we get someone from Seattle to write about why their fans are the best in sports? I've never heard that explained either. How about a Packers fan writing about the experience of seeing a game at Lambeau Field? I'm not sure that's ever been covered either. How about a Browns fan talking about the disappointment that team has been through over the past few years? I'm not educated on that either.

If you’re interested in helping us out—for a small fee—please send us a 200-word essay on the reason why you love the team you love. Send it to talkback@themmqb.com, and we’ll pore over them and contact you if we’re interested in your help.

But what if I'm a Rams fan and I want to talk about Jeff Fisher and how his presence affects the team? What if I'm a Buccaneers fan who wants to write about how Lavonte David is underrated? So this blog is just going to be fans of a team talking about how much they love that team? Sounds...interesting.

“You have to know my daughter, Breleigh. She just turned 16. She’s timid. But she comes home from school one day, and uncharacteristically, she says, ‘Did you hear they sold 67,000 tickets to your ceremony in an hour and a half?’ I said yeah. She said, ‘They must really like you.’ That says a lot about the situation. What a way to show you they welcome you back in the family. What an honor. That’s why Green Bay is Green Bay.”

—Brett Favre, on Saturday in Green Bay, as he returned for the Packers to honor him by placing him in the Packers Hall of Fame and also by retiring his number.

I mean, Favre can't even accept an honor like his number being retired without pointing out how quickly the tickets sold out and how much he is loved. It's like he has to constantly remind everyone of his relevance when it's not necessary. I really thought it was hilarious that "SI" did a "Where Are They Now?" on Favre recently. Google "Brett Favre coaching high school." Where he is now has been very, very, very well-documented. There's even video if you want to see Favre getting in the spotlight by pointing out how he is avoiding the spotlight since he retired.

“The All-Star Game was just the other night. When you think of Hall of Fame, you think of Mickey Mantle and Frank Gifford and Chuck Bednarik and people like that, not people like me. So it’s almost difficult to get your head around it.”

—Former Bills, Panthers and Colts GM Bill Polian, on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Polian will be enshrined Aug. 8 with seven others.

Or as Brett Favre would have said, "Breleigh, who you may not know since I haven't mentioned her in the past 10 minutes, is my daughter. She came home and told me, 'Did you know that you are considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL?' I said yeah, I knew that. That says a lot about the Hall of Fame and the voters. They recognize greatness when they see it."

“I knew that time would be a determining factor in how all this would play out. I wasn’t waiting by the phone. In the back of my mind, I knew this was going to happen. Whether it was 30 years or five years, I knew it was going to happen. Even if I didn’t want it to. And I just remember thinking, ‘Boy, things have to get better in a hurry.’ Well, it was amazing how quickly things went back to normal.”

—Brett Favre, to Greg Bishop in a story for The MMQB, on the speed in which Favre and the Packers kissed and made up after their ugly 2008 divorce. Favre was enshrined in the Packers Hall of Fame and had his number retired Saturday night in Green Bay.

Did he, Peter? I wasn't sure because it had only been mentioned a few times on THE MMQB, "SI," and every other football outlet, as well as mentioned in this MMQB a few times. It requires no explanation that Favre was enshrined in the Packers Hall of Fame at this point. It was an ugly divorce because Favre could never make up his mind on whether he wanted to retire or not, then kept holding out hope that the Packers would trade him to a division rival so he could tear the Packers apart for the offense of daring to move on without his written permission while he was still taking 3-6 months thinking about whether he would retire or not.

“Let me tell you something about Las Vegas. A million and a half people live in Las Vegas, and Las Vegas is the only town in the world where my gig works … Every three or four days half a million people leave, and half a million people come in. Last year 40 million people visitded Las Vegas. And what do most of them have in common? They have money to spend—and they want to see a celebrity.”

—Pete Rose in Tom Verducci’s excellent profile of the 74-year-old Rose in this week’s Sports Illustrated.

This has nothing to do with whether Rose should be in the Hall of Fame or not, but I find him to be insufferable. I have no issue with him wanting to get paid for signing autographs, but it annoys me how much money he makes off the fact he isn't in the Hall of Fame and seems so money driven.

Pete Rose Stat of the Week, via Verducci: Rose signed autographs for money on 113 of the first 181 days of 2015. What a country.

Yes Peter, what a country. It annoys me when Peter writes those three words, as if Pete Rose making money for his autograph is the most America-only thing that could ever happen.

A kicker’s deal got lost in the wake of the Justin Houston/Dez Bryant/Demaryius Thomas contracts totaling $241 million. It has to be a sign of great progress for special-teams respect in the NFL that Gostkowski, 31, is going to make $10.3 million in the next year and a half. Kickers’ lives might be getting more lucrative.

It could also be a sign that Gostkowski is a reliable and really good kicker, while most field goal kickers aren't worth this type of money.

If Gostkowski plays out his new contract with New England, that would mean the Patriots would have started 23 consecutive seasons with two kickers—Adam Vinatieri and Gostkowski—from 1996 to 2018.
There’s only one asterisk on the stat. Shayne Graham kicked in eight regular-season games and one playoff game when Gostkowski was hurt in 2010.

Why would there be an asterisk? Gostkowski started the year off starting for the Patriots, so it fits in with the stat, regardless of when he got injured.

Mr. Starwood Preferred Member Travel Note of the Week

Since I didn’t go anywhere this week, I thought I’d give you a taste of a cool event in New York: Boomer Esiason’s Cystic Fibrosis Run to Breathe, a four-mile run through Central Park on Saturday morning to raise money for Esiason’s lifelong passion—eradicating cystic fibrosis, which son Gunnar is battling. I ran it along with about 5,000 others at 8 a.m., trying to beat the rain and a potentially violent storm coming in as we ran through the park. These races are so well-run by the New York Road Runners (and Esiason’s foundation), with water stations every mile and even one misting station, even though it wasn’t an oppressive morning. The main thing is benefiting Esiason’s search for a cure for CF, of course. But for so many who don’t get to run through the park, running through this peerless city oasis is such a great treat, and one I would recommend for anyone who ever visits New York.

Peter is starting to be like Gregg Easterbrook in that he can just copy and paste one part of MMQB and put this portion into the next MMQB. He has extolled the virtues of running in New York City quite frequently of late.

Oh, and one of the "Tweets of the Week" is a picture of Brett Favre. Too much is not enough. I bet Peter would like to get under a shade tree in Latrobe with Favre.

Ten Things I Think I Think

1. I think the football world lost a valuable person Friday with the death of Bill Arnsparger at 88. Arnsparger was the defensive mastermind of the unbeaten Dolphins team in 1972, and the father of the Zone Blitz. (Heck of a résumé, even if those are the only two things he ever did. And they’re not.)

Does Bill Arnsparger go by the name Dick LeBeau from time to time? Here is what Peter wrote about LeBeau in 2012:

"It's called 'establishing credibility,' " LeBeau said. He moved on to a coaching career, and is considered the father of the Zone Blitz, the offense-confounding blitz package that has defensive linemen dropping into coverage and corners and linebackers rushing the passer.

So Bill Arnsparger or Dick LeBeau, which one is the father of the Zone Blitz? Or does the answer depend entirely on which person Peter is talking about at that present moment?

But I’ve always been fascinated by Arnsparger’s role with the Zone Blitz. In 1984, the Bengals had an imaginative rookie head coach, Sam Wyche, and an imaginative first-year defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau...So LeBeau journeyed to LSU to scout a meager crop of Tigers that spring, and spent an afternoon with LSU defensive boss Arnsparger...That day in Baton Rouge, LeBeau looked at lots of things LSU was doing that the NFL wasn’t. Namely, dropping defensive linemen and linebackers into shallow zones, covering mostly backs and tight ends on wheel routes and shallow crosses, while unexpectedly blitzing corners or safeties off the edges. When LeBeau left campus and flew on to his next stop, he took a napkin on his Delta flight and began doodling X’s and O’s, imagining dropping traditional but athletic defensive ends Eddie Edwards and Ross Browner into coverage, while letting his defensive backs apply pressure. A few years ago, talking to LeBeau about it, I recall him telling me, “I owe a lot of credit to Bill Arnsparger. He really taught me a lot about the scheme.” Think of the Zone Blitz’s effect on football, and you’ve got to think of Arnsparger’s last effect too. He’ll be missed.

It sounds like Bill Arnsparger was the father of the Zone Blitz, so why is it prior to the week that Arnsbarger died it was Dick LeBeau who Peter gave credit to as the father of the Zone Blitz? I guess it doesn't really matter, but it seems like Arnsbarger is the father of the Zone Blitz, yet it takes his death for Peter to actually give him credit. This is the sort of thing that annoys me (and probably only me). It takes a person's death for writers to be like, "Oh, listen to how important this person was..." all while not giving them credit while they were alive.

Again, it doesn't matter, but Peter refers to both LeBeau and Arnsbarger as the father of the Zone Blitz and I can't recall a time Peter has given credit to Arnsbarger for the defensive scheme until the week that Arnsparger died.

2. I think this is what I’d do on the Tom Brady sanction if I were Roger Goodell: I’d announce I’m deferring all punishment until the end of the 2015 season while the air pressure in footballs pre-game, at halftime and post-game is studied in 267 regular- and post-season games.

Yes, that's a great idea. Goodell wants the chance to seem more indecisive in handing out Brady's punishment after coming down hard on Brady and the Patriots initially. So after coming down hard on the Patriots, Peter thinks it's a good idea for Goodell to be like, "You know that 3-4 month study on the pressure of footballs we did and then I suspended Brady and docked the Patriots money/draft picks based upon it? Well, it was shit, so I'm going to get more data and then decide how to punish Brady from there."

This suggestion by Peter would allow Goodell to be seen both as knee-jerk in coming to a conclusion AND indecisive after handing down a punishment. That's a tough combo to beat. Oh, and deferring punishment would also totally ignore anything Ted Wells did. Goodell made this bed and now he has to sleep in it. Deferring punishment until after the 2015 season when more information could be found about air pressure is a great way for Goodell to continue to lose credibility.

3. I think that has as much chance of happening as me beating out Peyton Manning for the Denver quarterback job this year. Or any year. Till he’s 94.

Right, it won't happen because it's something Goodell should do, but it won't happen because it's a bad idea. Goodell has already punished the Patriots and Brady, right or wrong, he can't just decide now that his punishments were based on bad information and defer these punishments. He COULD do that, but he will come off as indecisive and like he initially punished both Brady and the Patriots based on information that he has come to believe is faulty. Goodell has an image and believability problem now, imagine if he deferred punishment because he didn't find the Wells Report persuasive enough AFTER he punished the Patriots and Brady based on this report.

4. I think, though, the only downside on that for Goodell is to be ripped for ruling precipitously on Brady in the first place, after Ted Wells’ report had much circumstantial but no damning provable evidence. But I think it takes a leader to stand up and say, “We’re going to be measuring the air pressure in football for the first time ever this season, before and during and after games. And this is too important an issue to not have all the evidence in-house before we make a ruling.”

No, a leader would have gotten all the information and made a smart decision prior to making any type of ruling. A leader who makes a decision based on information, waits a couple months and then decides he doesn't like that information because it's been ripped apart, seems like his only leadership comes in following public opinion to where he lacks a backbone to stand by his decisions.

5. I think I really had Ace Sanders pegged wrong. I was sure after a trip to Jaguars camp in 2013 that he’d be the poor man’s Tavon Austin.

So Sanders would have like 300 yards receiving after being in the NFL for two years? That's what a poor man's Tavon Austin would be. Also, I wonder at what point while ripping Jadeveon Clowney for having a poor rookie season Peter would acknowledge his good friend through Marvin Demoff, Jeff Fisher, basically drafted a kick/punt returner #8 overall?

Similar size, similar quickness … just not the same college production and versatility.

Sanders as a rookie only had 190 fewer yards receiving than Austin last year though...

7. I think I’ve always wondered—and my wonderment didn’t ebb last week, seeing Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas sign five-year, $70-million contracts on the same day, after much saber-rattling by agents and players, and charges of collusion against the Cowboys and Broncos—this about the NFL negotiating process: Why can’t owners collude but agents can?

The same reason employees can collude but corporations can not? Price-fixing, it has the potential to keep wages low, it's an asshole thing to do. 

I get it, sort of. Owners colluding is price-fixing, and that’s certainly wrong.

(Peter King): "I have a question with an easy answer, yet I still wonder about the question because I'm lofty that way." 

Now, I have no idea what the representatives for Thomas and Bryant said to each other during the process. But what if—if—an agent for one said to an agent for the other, Our floor is five years and $70 million, We’re not signing for a dime less. So stick to your guns. If we stick to that number, you’ll end up getting that too.

There would not be anything wrong with this. It's different when the employee colludes and the employers collude. One is a restraint of trade and the other is a refusal to sign a contract unless the employee gets (what they see as) a fair amount of money. If Thomas or Bryant didn't sign the contracts, and colluded to get $70 million that their employer won't give them, this doesn't affect the salaries of other wide receivers. When NFL teams get together and say they will not pay a wide receiver more than $70 million this does have an effect on salaries.

10. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

c. Memo to NASA: Thanks for finding Pluto, and showing it to us. That is a great example of human ingenuity.

Yes, thank you NASA. Peter would love to see Uranus now. 

e. I went to a reading of “Go Set a Watchman,” the new Harper Lee book, in Manhattan the other night. Mary Badham, who played Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird,’’ read, then answered some questions for the crowd at the 92nd Street Y. Disappointed in a few things. One: I don’t know if Lee really wanted this book published; all her life, she said, essentially, she had one book, and now, as she sits in an Alabama nursing home, infirm, a book just appears.

Wait, you mean the author who claimed she wouldn't write another book and then "wrote" another book after she has lost capacity to make decisions for herself may NOT have wanted this book published? This was all a money grab by Lee's relatives? Whaaaaaaaaaaat? I said when this book was announced it was a money grab and Harper Lee had nothing to do with it. I'm glad it took six months for Peter to realize an old lady in a nursing home didn't suddenly decide she wanted another book published. Very naive of him.

After reading several reports in the New York Times about differing explanations about how the manuscript surfaced, I don’t feel good about supporting the book, and I won’t be buying it or reading it.

Way to have a backbone, Peter. You certainly showed them...after showing up to a reading of the book and then realizing an 89 year old woman isn't pumping out manuscripts from a nursing home.

Two: I’d have liked to have heard something from Badham, who is in touch with Lee, about whether she thought Lee wanted the book published. But she wasn’t asked. Rather, she may have been asked, but the host of the program didn’t ask her the question.

I'm sure Badham would say, "OF COURSE, Lee wanted this book published, it just so happens no one is available to answer this question and Lee isn't available to answer it." Reluctantly, those affiliated with Harper agreed to it.  

I can't wait for the stories about how those around Harper Lee used her in order to make a profit for themselves. I'm assuming these stories are at least a year away once the media stops ogling the idea of a new Harper Lee book and asks themselves how shady this all seems. You know how the media can be. Gotta give them a year or so to catch on.

n. Really enjoyed this piece on Russell Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Enlightening, and a good example of what I’ve thought all along: Rodgers’ experience doing hardball baseball negotiations is not going to make him afraid to take the heat on Wilson and could—could, not will—drive him to either free agency or a record contract in Seattle.

Baseball and football negotiations are totally different animals. There is a salary cap in football and football players have a shorter shelf life, plus non-guaranteed contracts. I hope for Wilson's sake his agent knows what he is doing and isn't making a simple negotiation much more difficult in an effort to squeeze a few more million out of the Seahawks.

p. My gosh. How tragic, those five service members murdered in Chattanooga—and the wounded Chattanooga police officer. Terror on our soil. The world is changing before our eyes.

Yes Peter, welcome to 1995 or 2001, whenever you consider terror on American soil to have begun.

The Adieu Haiku

Bryant, Thomas pacts.  
Five years, seventy million.
Same day too. How odd!

Include the MMQB fan blog if it gets rid of the Adieu Haiku. Include "The Wisdom of Chip Kelly" section again if it means no more Adieu Haiku. Do not defer this decision.

2 comments Bleacher Report Has the Official List of Overrated and Underrated NFL Players Right Here

If you read this blog regularly, or just search under the "Bleacher Report articles are crazy" tag on the blog, then you know I love me some "underrated/overrated" rankings. I love these columns because I don't love them. They are purely subjective. Whether a player is over or underrated depends entirely on who is rating that player and what that person thinks of said player. It's impossible to definitely say, "He's overrated" or "He's underrated" because you don't know how anyone else rates that player. But nevertheless, Bleacher Report likes clickbait articles that create discussion and subjective rankings where idiots can argue it out in the comments. It is the bread and butter of quite a few of the articles posted on the site. It seems there are three Bleacher Reports. There is one with the real sportswriters writing columns, then there is one where halfway sportwriters (who don't get paid much of anything to do the job) write semi-informed articles that still seem like clickbait, and then there is the Bleacher Report where guys who can barely two words together (and are paid nothing to do this) post something in the hopes it's controversial enough to get pageviews. This column is in the second category because the author throws some Pro Football Focus ratings in there as proof a player is over or underrated. Still, it's quite comical at times to read the justifications for each rating.

Let's start the slideshow!

Here, we had a somewhat similar task as we designated the most overrated and the most underrated player on each of the 32 clubs in the league. Thanks to Pro Football Focus for a big assist when it comes to backing up our theories.

"Backing up our theories" or what really happened, which was "I went through the list of players who were lowly ranked at each position, saw if they were drafted high or made a Pro Bowl, then slapped an 'overrated' label on that player." Then the author probably did the opposite, looked at those highly ranked players at each position who haven't made a Pro Bowl, and then called that player "underrated." You can't fool me. So I'm betting the author had no theories and Pro Football Focus gave him the players he could concoct a theory about. I would bet a lot of money this is the case. There were no theories until Pro Football Focus came into play.

Our definition of "overrated" means the player is an underachiever—be it due to his draft status, lack of production or, in some cases, overall reliability.

That definition of overrated is not at all what the word means. You can't just make up your own definition of overrated because you are bored. What if a player is drafted in the first round, hasn't produced and has gotten injured, but everybody knows he isn't very good. How could he be overrated? He isn't rated highly, so he isn't overrated. Simply being a high draft pick or not producing doesn't make a player overrated.

As for the underrated, we took aim at up-and-coming performers or underappreciated players who have yet to get their proper due.

If a player is up-and-coming then it doesn't mean he's underrated. It means he is possibly properly rated right now. Also, if I think a player is up-and-coming then that doesn't mean he is CURRENTLY underrated. It means if the perception of him doesn't change as he progresses, then he could be considered underrated. Sammy Watkins isn't underrated because I think he'll be a Pro Bowl wide receiver in two seasons. He isn't currently a Pro Bowl wide receiver, so he's not underrated based on my perception of him in two years. Alas, it's all subjective, which is why articles (I mean, slideshows) like this are worthless.

Arizona Cardinals

Overrated: WR Michael Floyd

In three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, the former Notre Dame standout has totaled 157 receptions for 2,444 yards (an impressive 15.6 yards per catch) and 13 touchdowns. But consistency still seems to be a problem for the big-play threat. Over the last two seasons, Floyd has been targeted a combined 212 times and totaled only 112 catches.

Great. Who has been throwing Floyd the ball? He had 65 catches on 113 targets (still not great) during the 2013 season, but when he had Drew Stanton and Ryan Lindley starting 10 games during the 2014 season, he had 47 catches on 99 targets. Hmmm...it's almost like his quarterback had more to do with his lack of catches during the 2014 season.

BUT WAIT, there's more. John Brown had 48 catches on 102 targets. So maybe that further proves the guy throwing the football had some impact on Floyd's 2014 performance. Floyd's reception compared to his targets have never been great, but it doesn't mean he's overrated. It means he doesn't catch enough of his targets, but there could be various reasons for this. Like, for example his yards per reception was 17.9, the best on the Cardinals team. It's harder to connect on deep passes when the quarterback throwing the football doesn't have the skill to throw deep accurately.

Atlanta Falcons

Overrated: SS William Moore

I would love to know who thinks William Moore is a great safety. He made one Pro Bowl, so therefor the author thinks everyone thinks Moore is a perennial Pro Bowler.

No team gave up more total yards or passing yards than the Atlanta Falcons last season, and Moore, who was limited to just seven games, wasn’t effective before or after he was injured.

The Falcons defense sucked, Moore was injured during the majority of the season while the Falcons defense sucked, so therefore he sucks too. Couldn't it be said that the Falcons defense wasn't good because Moore was injured, thereby making him not underrated? Nah, that's no fun.

A Pro Bowler in 2012, Moore’s play began to decline the previous year, and it will be interesting to see if he’s capable of recapturing his previous standout form.

He made a Pro Bowl one year. Therefore everyone thinks he'll make the Pro Bowl every year. That's why he's overrated.

Baltimore Ravens

Overrated: SS Matt Elam

In two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Elam (the 32nd overall pick in the 2013 draft) has yet to distinguish himself. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the skinny on a player general manager Ozzie Newsome says “has to be a better football player for us next year.”

Again, simply because he was a first round pick does not mean that Matt Elam is overrated. It just means he hasn't lived up to expectations of his draft position. The general consensus as seen in the article the author linked is that Elam has been disappointing, so I don't think he's overrated simply due to his draft position.

Carolina Panthers

Overrated: C Ryan Kalil

Overrated or simply on the downside of an otherwise solid career? The Carolina Panthers' Kalil is a four-time Pro Bowler and graded out as one of the league’s better centers, but he was also one of the worst pass blockers. The eight-year veteran could simply be a victim of the players around him,

I mean, sure, he's one of the better centers if you pay attention to the grades the author has paid attention to throughout this slideshow. But if you factor in that the four players around him were either rookies or terrible at their job, then you see this means Kalil is obviously overrated.

Underrated: OLB Thomas Davis

He is properly rated. He and Kuechly are often near the top of the list as the best linebacking duo in the NFL.

And yes, every single slide of this slideshow has grades from Pro Football Focus. Obviously this data just supports what the author already knew and not at all is the basis upon which the author determines whether a player is underrated or overrated.

Cincinnati Bengals

Underrated: LG Clint Boling

The four-year pro got a new contract this offseason just after the Bengals let him hit the free-agent market.

The Bengals gave Boling 5 years and $26 million with a $2.5 million signing bonus and $5 million guaranteed. Obviously they don't underrate him. But I guess because some person who doesn't follow the Bengals may not value Boling at that amount then it must mean he's underrated. Obviously.

Cleveland Browns

Overrated: DE Desmond Bryant

The former free-agent pickup from the Oakland Raiders was considered a major acquisition two years ago. But while Bryant has posted a respectable 8.5 sacks in two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he’s been a liability when it comes to stopping the run. Last season, no team gave up more yards on the ground than Mike Pettine’s squad.

And of course, Desmond Bryant is overrated just because the Browns don't have a run-stuffing defensive tackle on the roster. Saying Bryant has been a liability against the run and then stating no team gave up more running yards last season then the Browns sounds like the author is pinning most of these issues on Bryant.

Underrated: LG Joel Bitonio

File this one under "up-and-coming."

File it under "underrated" because that's where you put him.

And not only did Pro Football Focus rank him the fifth-best guard in the league last season, but he was a member of the service’s All-Pro Team.

After one season Bitonio is underrated because in a few years he is going to be a great NFL guard. So he's not underrated now, but he will be in a few years as long as he doesn't get attention lavished on him like most NFL offensive guards receive (sarcasm intended).

Dallas Cowboys

Overrated: CB Morris Claiborne

Nope. It's pretty well understood that Claiborne isn't very good. I'd love to know who is overrating Claiborne. I want to meet this person.

Underrated: RB Lance Dunbar

I mean he DID average 3.4 yards per carry last year and has a career high of 150 rushing yards.

In limited playing time, Dunbar totaled 316 yards from scrimmage in 2014 on just 47 touches.

I think the fact Dunbar had 18 catches for 217 yards is skewing this stat just a little bit. He's a good pass catcher out of the backfield.

Detroit Lions

Overrated: TE Brandon Pettigrew

I ask again about Pettigrew, is there someone who thinks he's really good at his position to where they overrated him?

Underrated: CB Rashean Mathis

In 2013, Mathis joined the Lions after a long career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That year, he failed to total an interception but led the team with 16 passes defensed. Last season, he totaled 54 tackles, one interception and knocked down nine passes for the league’s second-ranked defense.

As anyone who plays fantasy football with individual defensive players knows, sometimes if a cornerback has quite a few passes defensed then it means teams are throwing the ball in his direction. So, I'm not entirely sure passes defensed and tackles is the best stat to prove Mathis is underrated.

Houston Texans

Overrated: OLB Whitney Mercilus

Despite the fact that the 2012 first-round pick recently signed a new contract extension, per HoustonTexans.com, the former University of Illinois standout has yet to develop into a complete player.

Just because Mercilus is a first round pick doesn't mean he's overrated. Everyone can think he's not very good even though he was drafted in the first round.

Underrated: RT Derek Newton

This is the same Derek Newton that just received a 5 year $26.5 million deal. But don't worry, there is a great justification for why he's underrated.

The Texans ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing offense last season and also allowed just 26 sacks. Newton, re-signed by the team this offseason, was a big part of that performance, per Pro Football Focus.

Oh. So Newton is underrated, despite getting a new contract this offseason, because the Texans offensive line was really good in 2014. So because a group of players played well, and he was a part of that group, Newton is underrated. 

Kansas City Chiefs

Overrated: NT Dontari Poe

The former first-round pick has enjoyed back-to-back Pro Bowl years, but last season, while the Kansas City Chiefs ranked seventh in the NFL in total defense and gave up the second-fewest points in the league, Poe was at the center of a unit that ranked a disappointing 28th against the run. He also slipped from 11th to 49th in Pro Football Focus' defensive tackle and nose tackle rankings.

Welp, one bad season combined with being a former first round pick and you are overrated. It's the way things go.

Underrated: RB Knile Davis

Davis emerged as an exciting performer in a 2013 AFC Wild Card Game loss at Indianapolis and took on a bigger role in 2014, spelling Jamaal Charles on occasion and finishing with 463 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

What the author leaves out is that Davis got 463 yards on 134 carries for 3.5 yards per carry. The poster boy for terrible running backs, Trent Richardson, had 519 yards on 159 carries for 3.3 yards per carry. So I'm finding it hard to believe Knile Davis is underrated in any way. Davis averaged 3.5 yards per carry during the 2013 season too.

Miami Dolphins

Overrated: DT Earl Mitchell

The Miami Dolphins defense has its share of standouts, but its play against the run in 2014 left a lot to be desired. The Dolphins ranked 24th in the NFL in rushing defense, and Mitchell, the former starting nose tackle for the Houston Texans, was a disappointment.

If a team didn't play well against the run in 2014 then that must mean one of the defensive linemen on that team is overrated. It's a trend.

One issue with citing Pro Football Focus for every player to show he is overrated or underrated is that PFF is subscription-only, so anyone who doesn't have a subscription can't see how Mitchell was a disappointment when clicking on the link. Perhaps if the author had other stats, you know the same stats that originally led to his "theory" these players were over or underrated, then it might be easier to believe the author didn't simply base his entire list on the PFF list of player rankings at each position. Bleacher Report authors have a history of using information from another site in order to use that information to build a slideshow around and reach conclusions, while trying to pretend like the slideshow isn't built around another person's research.

Minnesota Vikings

Underrated: DT Tom Johnson

The veteran defensive tackle recently hit the free-agent market, but the Vikings re-signed him after a solid season in which he finished second on the team with 6.5 sacks and played in all 16 games for the first time in his four-year career. In three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Johnson totaled five sacks in 40 contests.

Have one good season during a career of averageness? All of a sudden, you are now underrated. Congrats!

New England Patriots

Overrated: LT Nate Solder

The former first-round pick has spent the last three seasons at left tackle for the New England Patriots after beginning his career on the right side. But Solder has yet to wow us with his play and has been somewhat inconsistent, as pointed out by Pro Football Focus.

Oh yes, an example of the author's "theory" being backed up by Pro Football Focus and their information. It seems in this case, the "theory" is entirely supported by a subscription-only site. So I guess we'll have to take the author's word for it. One would think since he used PFF as supporting evidence of what he already thought there would be more information then a rambling sentence followed by a link to PFF. But hey, it's fun to base a slideshow of supposedly original material around the work of others. If you don't have a subscription to PFF, then you have no idea why Nate Solder is overrated. Typical Bleacher Report.

New Orleans Saints

Overrated: LB David Hawthorne

The Saints were bad on defense last year, so somebody had to be overrated. It only makes sense.

Only the Atlanta Falcons gave up more total yards than the New Orleans Saints last season, and while Hawthorne performed well against the run, Pro Football Focus reminds us that the onetime Seattle Seahawk was a big liability in pass coverage.

He's not a great all-around linebacker like somebody somewhere must think he is, so that means he's overrated. It's a fact, don't question it. The author uses PFF as the only supporting evidence for his "theory" again.

Could it be more clear the author called up PFF's site, went down the list of low-ranked players at each position and then choose one player for each team as "overrated"? The author has no prior theories. PFF did the work, he did the slideshow.

New York Giants

Overrated: WR Rueben Randle

But Randle, a former second-round pick, has failed to wow anyone despite leading the team with six touchdown receptions back in 2013. He is coming off a year in which he hauled in a career-high 71 passes, but that number is inflated as both Cruz (10 games) and Beckham (four) missed time last season.

So Randle is overrated because he posted career highs in catches while the other receivers were injured? I like how the author says these stats are "inflated" because Cruz and Beckham missed 14 games. So does that mean Odell Beckham's numbers were also inflated because Cruz missed 10 games last season or does it just mean Beckham is a really good wide receiver who played well when given the chance? Couldn't this be true for Randle as well?

Also, Randle averaged 4.75 receptions on 7.5 targets per game when Beckham was injured and 5.2 receptions on 9.7 targets per game when Beckham was not injured. Randle averaged 4.3 receptions on 7.8 targets per game when Cruz was injured and 4.6 receptions on 8.2 targets per game when Cruz was not injured. So the idea his numbers were inflated without Cruz and Beckham doesn't hold water because he actually saw more targets when Beckham and Cruz were healthy. But hey, I'm sure the author knew that.

Underrated: DT Johnathan Hankins

After a rookie season in which he was basically a non-factor, Hankins was a 16-game starter on the league’s 29th-ranked defensive unit in 2014. The former second-round pick totaled 51 tackles, seven sacks and knocked down three passes as a bright spot on a dismal unit. 

But Hankins played on the defensive line of a bad defensive team! Hasn't this slideshow taught everyone that when a team is bad on defense, then someone on the defensive line must be overrated?

New York Jets

Overrated: LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson

Nine NFL seasons and 144 starts will take their toll on the best of players. But the three-time Pro Bowler hasn’t been the force he once was, and his play has slipped significantly each of the past two seasons, most notably when it came to run blocking in 2014, per Pro Football Focus.

Overrated or just getting older? I don't get why Ferguson is overrated because his performance is declining. He hasn't made a Pro Bowl since 2011, so obviously someone doesn't think he's still a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle.

Oakland Raiders

Overrated: TE Mychal Rivera

Perhaps it’s too early to put the young tight end on the list, but the Oakland Raiders' Rivera may be the victim of added publicity due to his more recognizable sister.

I don't even think Rivera gets that much publicity. I never hear him in the discussion for one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

In any case, the former sixth-round pick has hauled in 96 passes for 941 yards and eight touchdowns in 32 games but has also been targeted 159 times. 

Ah yes, but it's important to look at who was throwing him the football. But why in the hell would the quarterback throwing the passes ever be important when judging a tight end or receiver's performance?

Underrated: C Rodney Hudson

This is the second ex-Chiefs offensive lineman on this list. It's almost like they played well as a unit last season and this makes them all underrated. Of course, the Chiefs offensive line didn't play well enough to help the underrated Knile Davis average more than 3.5 yards per carry.

San Diego Chargers

Underrated: LT King Dunlap

Dunlap has come a long way since his days with the Philadelphia Eagles. He had an efficient year in 2014, although he still has some work to do in terms of pass protection, per Pro Football Focus.

When the author thinks of a fact or stat-based reason that a player is overrated or underrated without using Pro Football Focus, I would like to be made aware. It's interesting how some offensive linemen are overrated according to the author, because they struggle in either run blocking or pass protection, but Dunlap struggles in pass protection (PER PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS!) and he's still underrated. It's almost like there isn't a method to the madness.

San Francisco 49ers

Overrated: RT Anthony Davis

Perhaps it’s the specter of playing opposite star left tackle Joe Staley. In any case, the San Francisco 49ers' Davis was a 16-game starter in each of his first four NFL seasons but missed nine games in 2014. Even when healthy, he has struggled with consistency from year to year, per Pro Football Focus, although he’s a very solid run-blocker.

Here is an example of what I was just writing. Davis is a good run-blocker, not great at pass protection (the opposite of Dunlap), but because he missed nine games, he's now overrated. So an offensive lineman who has one good season after four mediocre seasons is underrated, while an offensive lineman who had four good seasons and one injured season is overrated. Thems the rules.

Seattle Seahawks
 
Underrated: DE Michael Bennett

You somehow knew that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would miss the unheralded defensive end once he opted to sign with the Seahawks in 2013. He’s played all 16 games for the team in each of the last two years and totaled 15.5 sacks over that span.

I think a lot of people know the importance of Michael Bennett to the Seahawks defense. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's underrated at this point due to his versatility.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Overrated: CB Johnthan Banks

Perhaps it is unfair to put any Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback on this list given the lack of pass rush by the team in recent seasons.

Ah, but fuck it, let's do it anyway. Who cares?

But Banks, a former second-round pick who has picked off a combined seven passes in two years with the club,

Rashean Mathis has one interception in the last two seasons and the author has termed him as "underrated." Interceptions don't seem like the best way to defend this selection, especially given the author admits the Buccaneers pass rush hasn't been good at all.

has been hit-or-miss and can be found closer to the bottom rather than the top of Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings the past two seasons.

Welp, without a subscription it's hard to see exactly where Banks may be on that list. But hey, Banks has dealt with a shitty pass rush, isn't a top corner, and was a second round pick, so that must mean he's overrated. 

Underrated: LT Demar Dotson
He began 2014 at right tackle and finished the season by starting three games on the left side. Although Dotson saw his share of penalty flags, Pro Football Focus gave him high grades in all other aspects—this on an offensive unit that allowed 52 sacks last season.

Apparently not being great in pass protection puts an offensive lineman on the "overrated" list, while committing too many penalties is no big deal for an offensive lineman.
 
Tennessee Titans

Overrated: LG Andy Levitre

It wasn’t long ago that the Tennessee Titans shelled out big money to secure the services of the former blocker from Orchard Park. But Levitre hasn’t lived up to his billing (pun intended). He has started every game in his six-year career but was a disappointment last season in Nashville. Still, there’s time for the former second-round pick to get back on track.

"Blah, blah, blah, (insert filler here), blah, blah, here is the work that PFF did which I'm basing my opinion in this slideshow upon, blah, blah."

Besides the fact whether a player is overrated or underrated is a subjective opinion, it's interesting to read how the author basically piggybacks off PFF to come up with his list. You can do this at home! Just get a subscription to PFF, go through the position rankings and choose a highly drafted player or player that used to be good who is low on the rankings at his position, call him "overrated," then go to players at the top of the rankings who are generally younger, call them "underrated," add pretty pictures to the slideshow, and then hit "Publish." You too can write a list of over and underrated NFL players.

4 comments Bleacher Report Provides the Official Grades for How NFL Teams Did in Free Agency

I probably use the word "overrated" a lot to the point my use of the word is a bit overrated. I think NFL free agency is really overrated though. I mean this and am not using hyperbole. Maybe NFL free agency as a whole isn't overrated, but the teams that make the biggest splashes with the biggest signings aren't usually teams that end up winning the Super Bowl that next season. Free agency seems to be an inefficient market where players are being paid for past performance and one bidder can drive the player's price up sky high. Smart teams spend smartly in free agency. Spending smartly means choosing players who fill in some holes on the current roster prior to the draft, while using the draft to fill in the rest of the holes on the roster. I still think the draft is the best way to build a successful team in the long-term. Spending big in free agency and rewarding teams with high grades who spend big in free agency is a fool's errand in my opinion. So here some grades from the NFL free agency period. They are purely subjective and seem to be pretty pointless.

Now we'll explore how the teams have done in free agency and assign them each a grade of either pass or fail. We came to this conclusion for a variety of reasons—none more important than if the team is better than it was at the end of the 2014 season.

And of course it makes total sense to judge a team on whether they are better after free agency than they were at the end of the 2014 season, especially since the NFL Draft hasn't even happened yet. Improving is an offseason-long process, not something that just happens after free agency is over.

We also included factors such as quality of players signed, if their own important free agents stayed and how many good players defected.

And this is all subjective of course. The author decides which players are "good" that defected and which free agents for a team were "important." Mostly though, the author uses personnel moves the team made outside of free agency as the basis for his grade in this slideshow where the supposed intent is to hand out grades based on only free agency.

Let's start the slideshow!

Arizona Cardinals: PASS

General manager Steve Keim was able to restructure the contract of star receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and the 31-year-old pass-catcher should now complete his Hall of Fame career in the desert. Keeping Fitzgerald in the fold was a wise move; while he's not the player he once was, he's still capable of getting the job done.

I really don't think this should be a part of the grade. Fitzgerald wasn't a free agent and his contract was restructured. Bleacher Report makes their own rules though.

They did lose longtime defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (released and signed with San Francisco), his battery-mate Dan Williams and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, but the club should be able to overcome those losses.

How can they overcome these losses when the author didn't list a single DT or CB signed by the Cardinals? Who cares? The Cardinals shall overcome these losses with great force of will.

Right now, the Cardinals offseason gets a slight pass. But if they can acquire a game-changing running back in either the draft (Todd Gurley?) or via trade (Adrian Peterson?), it will skyrocket to an unreserved pass.

So if the Cardinals draft a running back or trade for one then their grade on how well they did in free agency will get much higher? So teams can get a higher grade for their free agency moves by making moves outside of free agency? This doesn't really make sense.

Atlanta Falcons: PASS 

In that search, the club imported a number of free agents to Hotlanta: pass-rushing linebacker Brooks Reed, defensive end Adrian Clayborn and tight end Jacob Tamme among them. Tamme should provide quarterback Matt Ryan with a reliable target over the middle,

He's 30 and had 14 catches on 28 targets for 109 yards last year. He's never been very good when Peyton Manning isn't throwing him the ball. Maybe my definition of "reliable" is different from the author's definition.

while Reed and Clayborn will be counted on to provide much-needed pass-rushing oomph.

Clayborn had 1 tackle last year in one game and has 13 sacks over a four year career. Brooks Reed has 14.5 sacks on his four year career and has 3 sacks last season. They may work out, but apparently signing pass rushers, no matter how good they are gets a passing grade.

Dimitroff also re-signed running back Antone Smith, who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball,

7 career touchdowns in five years. Maybe he should touch the ball more.

The Falcons most notably lost receiver Harry Douglas and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, but those aren't earth-shattering defections.

The author gives credit to the Cardinals for signing Weatherspoon, but doesn't seem concerned the Falcons lost Weatherspoon to the Cardinals. Sure, consistency be damned.

Baltimore Ravens: FAIL

The Baltimore Ravens' 2014 season ended in heartbreaking fashion at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots—and it doesn't currently appear that the team is better than it was on that fateful Saturday in January.

If only there were a way for the Ravens to improve their team by choosing players who played college football last year through an organized selection process. It could be called "the draft." But alas, there is no such thing so the Ravens haven't improved their team and probably never will improve the team prior to the season starting.

Buffalo Bills: PASS

And Ryan hasn't disappointed in his first few months on the job, as the Bills made a gigantic splash, trading linebacker Kiko Alonso for Eagles running back LeSean McCoy in a true stunner. McCoy is a nice fit in Ryan's ground-and-pound offensive philosophy, and it can be reasoned that Ryan's defense can operate at a high level of efficiency without Alonso.

McCoy was acquired in a trade and not through free agency, dumbass. So on a list of grades for NFL teams the McCoy acquisition wouldn't count because he wasn't acquired through free agency.

And although the club overpaid for tight end Charles Clay (five years, $38 million with $24.5 million guaranteed), he should instantly improve the passing attack. Mercurial wide receiver Percy Harvin also came in on a one-year, low-risk deal.

Sure, the author thinks the Bills overpaid, but that's how you win Super Bowls. Overpay for players through free agency. It's a proven way to win, just ask the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Carolina Panthers: FAIL 

Despite winning back-to-back NFC South championships, the Carolina Panthers have a number of roster holes to fill—and they definitely haven't filled them just yet.

If only there were an NFL Draft! Why hasn't this happened yet? Teams need a way to fill needs on their roster after free agency is over. Where are college football players expected to go after their eligibility runs out? To Canada to play football?

but trying to improve the team's pass protection by signing tackle Michael Oher isn't going to do the trick. Bringing back wide receiver and kick returner Ted Ginn Jr. is nice, but it isn't going to move the meter.

I didn't know the grade was partly on "moving the meter," as opposed to how upgrading from one of the worst left tackles in the NFL and improving the 31st ranked special teams would improve a team's grade.

Meanwhile, longtime running back DeAngelo Williams was released and signed with Pittsburgh,

He was the third-string back at the end of the year.

While it's hard to criticize Gettleman for letting go of Hardy—who was limited to one game last season due to charges stemming from a domestic violence case—Hardy is definitely a major talent who can get after the opposing quarterback.

And yet, the Panthers somehow managed to have a good pass rush without Greg Hardy last year. But sure, the fact Hardy wasn't on the team in 2014 should be factored into how the team is now worse without him on the team in 2015.

Chicago Bears: FAIL

The Chicago Bears have a new coach (John Fox) and general manager (Ryan Pace)—but unfortunately for them, the quarterback (Jay Cutler) remains the same, so it's hard to issue them a passing grade.

So because the Bears didn't trade Jay Cutler, a move that would have nothing to do with free agency, then it's hard to give them a good grade for their free agent moves? This makes not of sense.

Cutler is the albatross slung around the franchise's neck, with his bloated contract and atrocious body language weighing down the entire operation. It's hard to criticize Fox and Pace for being unable to jettison Cutler from the roster, but finding a way to do so would have been a significant boon.

So the author finds it hard to criticize the Bears for not trading Cutler, but he'll give them a failing grade for not doing so. Sure, makes sense in Crazy Land.

The Bears might be in good hands for the future, but the team earns a failing grade thus far.

What? Ryan Pace can only be judged so far on the job he has done in free agency. The author thinks the Bears are in good hands because Ryan Pace is the Bears' GM, yet he thinks the only thing Pace has done since becoming GM was a failure. So why does the author think the Bears are in good hands again?

Cleveland Browns: FAIL

While coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer can't be blamed for the yearlong suspension of receiver Josh Gordon and the rehab stint of quarterback Johnny Manziel, those events still hurt the club and must be taken into account in the overall grade.

NO, NO, NO. No, Johnny Manziel entering rehab should NOT be taken into account when giving the Browns a grade for how well they did in free agency. Manziel entering rehab has nothing to do with the Browns and their performance in free agency. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. This cheap ass slideshow is supposed to be about grades for a team's performance in free agency, which has nothing to do with the drafting of Johnny Manziel or the suspension of Josh Gordon.

The Browns are surely a worse team now than at the start of the free-agent period.

Every NFL team can't fix all the holes they have on the roster through free agency. That's why there is an NFL Draft. Why must the author be so dumb and expect teams to fix all their holes in free agency?

Dallas Cowboys: FAIL

Owner Jerry Jones brought back Bryant with the franchise tag, which was the right move—of the two (Bryant and Murray), Bryant is the more valuable player. But there can be no denying that Jones and the Cowboys made a Texas-sized bungle allowing Murray to sign with the rival Eagles.

Nope, there can be no denying that handing DeMarco Murray the amount of money he wanted in free agency could have been a Texas-sized bungle. Running backs are being devalued and a running back like Murray who has been healthy for two seasons since he left high school isn't necessarily the smartest investment.

Murray's defection leaves a major hole in Dallas' run game, as there's no way the pu pu platter of Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar can replace him. While it's possible Jones will make a splashy play in the draft (Melvin Gordon?) or via trade (Adrian Peterson?), that position—once one of strength—looms as a disaster.

A "pu pu platter"? Thanks, Bill Simmons.

Notice how the Cardinals haven't taken care of their running game, but that's perfectly fine with the author. Who cares? Meanwhile, the Cowboys have (on paper) a weak running game and this of course is a disaster waiting to happen. Weird how that works.

Denver Broncos: PASS

Regardless of whichever players the Denver Broncos signed or lost in free agency, the whole rigmarole must be considered a success. And that's for one reason and one reason only: Quarterback Peyton Manning is returning to the team for a fourth season in the Mile High City.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FREE AGENCY!

The Broncos brought in tight end Owen Daniels to rejoin new head coach Gary Kubiak, but they lost tight end Julius Thomas, guard Orlando Franklin, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and safety Rahim Moore. Those are talented players to lose, but general manager John Elway has assembled a talented roster that can overcome those defections.

Oh that's great to know. I didn't know that Owen Daniels was a Pro Bowl tight end. I guess he is.

And, as we've already stated, it all starts and ends with Manning. Since he's back, the Broncos earn a passing grade.

The Broncos get a passing grade in free agency based entirely on a move that was made, that wasn't even a move the team really made, which had nothing to do with free agency. Typical Bleacher Report.

Detroit Lions: FAIL

He says the Lions failed mainly because they didn't sign Ndamukong Suh and let Nick Fairley go. Fairley underachieved and the Lions dodged a huge bullet by not keeping Suh's contract on the books and allowing him to sign a bloated contract the Dolphins will eventually come to regret. I LOVE Ndamukong Suh, but the Lions won free agency by not re-signing him or letting his cap figure take over their salary cap.

Houston Texans: PASS

Coach Bill O'Brien and general manager Rick Smith needed an upgrade at the quarterback position, and they got just that when the signed Brian Hoyer away from Cleveland.

Browns fans snicker a little bit.

Bringing back cornerback Kareem Jackson was a wise move, and notable imports include safety Rahim Moore, wide receiver Cecil Shorts and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, the latter of whom brings a championship pedigree to H-Town.

Much like the championship pedigree that Ed Reed brought to the Texans until he was cut prior to concluding his first season with the team?

Kansas City Chiefs: PASS

So the Chiefs do deserve credit for bringing in speedy wideout Jeremy Maclin from Philadelphia—even though they overpaid (five years, $55 million) for him.

And really, what's the point of signing a guy in free agency if you aren't going to overpay for him? There's no fun in making a big splash if there can't be a little financial irresponsibility that goes along with it.

While receiver Dwayne Bowe and center Rodney Hudson are now ex-Chiefs, the signing of Maclin is enough to give Kansas City a passing grade.

The Chiefs got a passing grade because simply because they overpaid for a wide receiver (and the Jaguars also got a "Pass" grade for signing Julius Thomas). It's almost like the author favors making a big splash over a team not spending salary cap space on players who could help the team but also aren't smart financial signings.

Miami Dolphins: PASS

Any time you can sign one of the best three free agents in the history of the NFL, you earn a passing grade. The Miami Dolphins did just that. 

Okay, you are going to have to calm the fuck down. Suh is a great player and the top free agent available but the Dolphins paid him like a franchise quarterback. It's great that Suh is a wanted free agent, but the Dolphins will regret his contract and you can write that down with a chisel in stone. Suh will produce for the Dolphins, but his contract will continue to give the team problems.

Along with Reggie White (1993) and Peyton Manning (2012), Ndamukong Suh completed the holy trinity of free agents, and his decision to go to Miami could have a major impact on the AFC playoff picture.

Peter King wants to know where Nnamdi Asomugha fits into that trinity.

New Dolphins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum has done a great job cleaning up mistakes from deposed general manager Jeff Ireland, headlined by his trade of underachieving (and overpaid) receiver Mike Wallace (along with a seventh-round pick) for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.

He cleaned up Ireland's mistakes by overpaying for another free agent. Brilliant move. It is the equivalent of cleaning a toilet using asbestos as the cleaning agent. Boy, it sure looks clean until you realize a few years later you just caused a whole new set of problems for yourself.

Trading for Saints receiver Kenny Stills was an underrated move that should pay immediate dividends.

That was a trade and not free agency. Stop judging NFL teams on moves they made that weren't moves made in free agency. If this slideshow is supposed to be about how teams did in free agency, then stick to moves these teams made in free agency.

Minnesota Vikings: PASS

But until the uncertainty surrounding running back Adrian Peterson's status is resolved, it's difficult to assign a definite pass or fail to the Vikings.

Adrian Peterson is currently a player on the Vikings roster. He is not a free agent. Whether he is going to be traded, he'll retire, or assume a new identify and try to enter the draft as Adam Patterson, his status has zero to do with what the Vikings' grade should be for their free agent moves. Stop judging NFL teams' free agent moves based upon moves they made that weren't made in free agency.

New Orleans Saints: FAIL

While re-signing running back Mark Ingram and bringing in cornerback Brandon Browner and speedy back C.J. Spiller all qualify as positive moves, the Saints remain in a world of financial hurt, and losing Graham makes this an easy call for a failing grade.

Jimmy Graham was traded. TRADED to the Seahawks. This isn't a move in free agency and shouldn't have anything to do with the grade. Here is what the author stated his grade would be based upon:

Now we'll explore how the teams have done in free agency and assign them each a grade of either pass or fail. We came to this conclusion for a variety of reasons—none more important than if the team is better than it was at the end of the 2014 season.

We also included factors such as quality of players signed, if their own important free agents stayed and how many good players defected.

Do you see anywhere in there where it says, "We will also include any personnel moves these teams have made since the end of the season"? No? Because it's not there and all of the language has to do with the grade being based upon the moves these teams made in free agency. Yet, here we are again...Jimmy Graham was traded so the Saints get a failing grade in free agency.

New York Giants: PASS

While general manager Jerry Reese overpaid for special teams ace Dwayne Harris, he should upgrade the return game. Defensive end George Selvie, linebackers J.T. Thomas and Jonathan Casillas will also help.

I like how the author doesn't give a shit if a team overpays for a player in free agency, just as long as that team acquired the player. Because free agency isn't about making smart decisions to help your team in the short-term and not handicap the team in the long-term. Not at all. Free agency is about spending however much money that team needs to spend in order to improve themselves on paper. Who cares if a team overpays for a free agent? It's about making a splash and getting a good grade for that. Fiscal responsibility isn't cool and can only result in a lower grade.

New York Jets: PASS

Although they shelled out massive money to bring cornerback Darrelle Revis back to Broadway, it was the right decision. Revis is still an elite player and should be one for the majority of his five-year deal. It was an excellent signing by new general manager Mike Maccagnan.

Maccagnan also signed two other cornerbacks, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine, morphing a position of weakness into one of strength. Also brought in were guard James Carpenter and safety Marcus Gilchrist.

Thanks to these signings, the Jets earn a big-time passing grade for the free-agency period.

The Jets spent a lot of money on players and this obviously gives them a good grade. Here is a fun game. Think about the big free agent signings over the last few years and how they turned out. This writer gave every team who signed a big name/expensive free agent a passing grade. Yet when looking back on big signings in free agency from a few years back, those teams wouldn't get a passing grade. It's almost like the author values a splash signing more than he values smart free agent signings. That's the typical reaction of fan-boy, amateur bullshit writing, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Oakland Raiders: PASS

Beleaguered general manager Reggie McKenzie made a series of great signings, including linebacker Curtis Lofton,

Who, as Saints fans will attest, isn't very good at playing football.

former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith (linebacker).

He's also more recently a former backup linebacker, which of course the author fails to mention.

And running back Trent Richardson represents a low-risk, high-reward transaction (seriously).

Seriously, regardless of the risk, Trent Richardson is awful. The tape don't lie.

Philadelphia Eagles: PASS

At this point, it seems every team is passing. Everything is awesome! Every NFL team improved itself in free agency! How realistic.

Kelly's trade for Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (dealing a second-round pick in 2016 and quarterback Nick Foles to get him) was questionable, but the rest of Kelly's moves were brilliant. Running back LeSean McCoy didn't have a great season last year, and Kelly was able to get a quality young linebacker, Kiko Alonso, for him.

Repeat after me. This was a trade and had nothing to do with free agency. Consistently the author is mixing free agency with other personnel moves outside of free agency.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has become the most interesting man in sports. He doesn't always talk to the media, but when he does, everyone stops what they're doing and listens.

And that's a credit to the incredibly interesting Kelly, who doesn't care what you or anyone else thinks.

I actually agree with the author about the Eagles' moves, but not because Kelly is interesting. It seems the author is confusing a coach being interesting with this meaning the moves he made in free agency (and of course, outside of free agency) are smart.

Pittsburgh Steelers: PASS

So give general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin credit for re-signing Roethlisberger to a massive contract extension that will allow him to retire a Steeler.

(Bangs head against the table that a current Steelers player being given a contract extension is being included as part of a grade on how the Steelers did in free agency)

The signing of running back DeAngelo Williams should help, as the depth last year (once LeGarrette Blount was cut and re-emerged in New England) behind starter Le'Veon Bell wasn't great. Williams might not be the player he once was, but he's still capable of moving the chains and getting the job done.

As of the time the author wrote this, this was the only move the Steelers had made in free agency. So while the author knocks other teams for not filling all the roster holes they had, the Steelers sign a backup running back while losing three starters (Worilds, Keisel, Taylor) and they get a passing grade. I guess they have no more roster holes to fill.

Bringing in Williams was a brilliant move by Colbert, and inking Roethlisberger to an extension was smart. That earns the Steelers a passing grade.

I wouldn't call signing Williams as "brilliant." I saw him play for his entire career and he's definitely playing with a fork in his back at this point. The Roethlisberger extension was not a free agent signing. I will repeat this until I die, which may be soon.
 
Seattle Seahawks: PASS

The only move that ultimately matters in their pursuit of a second Lombardi Trophy was the trade to bring in All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham from New Orleans.

There's no point in typing it at this point.

Gone are cornerback Byron Maxwell, guard James Carpenter and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Smith, but general John Schneider has assembled a roster with great depth that can overcome those losses. 

The acquisition of Graham easily earns Seattle a passing grade.

I love how when the author wants to give a team as passing grade, and yet that team has lost some players in free agency without replacing them, so he just writes, "GM X has assembled a roster with great depth that can overcome those losses" without going into specifics. Yeah fuck it, they'll be fine. Who cares how, because that trade for Jimmy Graham gives the Seahawks a high grade in free agency. So everything should be fine after that.

St. Louis Rams: PASS

Like every other team, the Rams pass because they made a move which gave them headlines. Also, like much of this list, the trade for Foles is the biggest reason the Rams did well in free agency which apparently is now shorthand for "every move the team has made in the offseason."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: FAIL

Last offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on a free-agent spending spree, notably signing quarterback Josh McCown, defensive end Michael Johnson and offensive tackle Anthony Collins.

As of now, none of those three players are still on the roster. So we're going to retroactively award a failing grade for both last year's free-agency period and this one. You're welcome, Tampa Bay.

And yet, without any sense of self-awarenss or the slightest bit of irony, the author has awarded every team that made big, expensive moves during 2015 free agency a sparkling "Pass" grade. It's weird how the author knows these big free agency moves didn't work out for the Buccaneers last year, but he doesn't think to realize perhaps these "Pass" grades based on big moves might end up looking silly a year from now. Big free agent moves don't always work out, yet the teams who make these moves get an exciting "Pass" grade in free agency from the author.

It's hilarious to me the author is all like, "HAHA! Look at those stupid Buccaneers who made high-profile and expensive moves to improve the team last year in free agency. Let's all point and laugh at them for thinking if they throw money at players then the team will succeed. THE JOKE'S ON YOU ASSHOLE!" Then he proceeds to give every team that made high-profile and expensive moves a passing grade for this offseason. It's grand. 

Washington Redskins: PASS 

And McCloughan has already made a positive impact on the roster, making a number of under-the-radar signings in free agency that make both football and financial sense. What a novel concept!

But did he fill all of the personnel holes the Redskins team had? Because that's the standard upon which free agency is judged apparently. The Redskins failed if they didn't address every single need the team had in free agency. We've learned this truth throughout the slideshow.

Linebacker Brian Orakpo and running back Roy Helu headline the list of players that signed elsewhere, but Orakpo had underachieved and Helu is expendable.

Ah screw 'em, who needs these guys anyway? Brian Orakpo underachieved and Roy Helu is just a guy. Of course the author did give the Titans and Raiders "Pass" grades for signing these two players, so I have to wonder why it was smart for the Redskins to not re-sign Orakpo because he underachieved, but the Titans made a smart move by signing him? That seems odd. If Helu is expendable, then why would part of the Raiders' "Pass" grade be based partly upon them signing him?

Overall, the Redskins got better, and that earns them a passing grade.

Yeah, but what happened to filling all the holes on the team because free agency is the last chance to do that? Isn't that how the author judged NFL teams earlier in this exercise of free agency grading futility? The Ravens failed due to not filling all the holes the team had.

I should expect nothing else from a grading system that uses personnel moves a team made outside of free agency as the basis for a grade on how that team did in free agency.