Phew. The NFL is a fun league.

The Denver Broncos have traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears (pending a physical examination). I am not going to go into details about the trade because this story is going to be on every news station today but I can throw in my 2cents.

What a deal!

I like both QBs involved in the trade, Cutler and Horton.

I remember watching Horton during his rookie year (camp and preseason) and thinking, "this guy definitely has some talent". I told my brother at that time that Kyle Horton should be able to play in the NFL for sure; and then I picked up Horton for my Fantasy Football team that season. Unfortunately, the Bears lost their minds in giving the reigns to Rex Grossman and it looked like Horton would not get a chance to reach his potential. Fast forward a few years until today and it looks like Horton has finally made a name for himself - just not on the football field. He will now (potentially, assuming the trade goes through) go down in history as part of the Jay Cutler trade.

As for Cutler, he would do well to embrace this deal whole-heartedly. He is leaving an increasingly competitive division in the AFC West to go to a relatively easy NFC North division. Nothing can beat having to play the Packers, the Vikings and the Lions twice every season; anything short of 3 wins versus that division would be a disappointment. That leaves 10 games for the Bears to pound out wins. Something tells me the Bears will be making some noise next season and I can not wait for the official 2009 schedules to be announced.

One thing is for sure, the August 30th preseason matchup between the 2 teams will be sold out.

Both teams come out as winners in this trade. The Broncos are poised to start off the Josh McDaniels era with a fresh bang along with 10 draft picks. The Bears are poised to make another deep playoff run with the acquisition of Cutler and Orlando Pace along with (most likely) a newly minted WR from the draft. If the Cardinals can make the Superbowl, the Bears can do it too. Cutler certainly should not be lacking any motivation to prove himself.

2 other teams that greatly benefit from this trade are the Minnesota Vikings and the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers no longer have an excuse if they do not win the AFC West division and the Vikings better start working the phones to acquire a Premier QB soon - for example, Donovan McNabb (McNabb and AP, imagine that!). This year's draft just got interesting.

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It is about time

I mentioned in a previous article that the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels-Denver Broncos issue was getting too drawn out (well, I alluded to it anyway). It seems like the whole ordeal will soon be at an end.


It all started when Josh McDaniels (the new Broncos Head Coach from the way of the New England Patriots) had some sort of discussion with the Kansas City Chiefs about a possible trade for Cutler in exchange for Matt Cassel and this did not go over well with Cutler. He has since stated that he no longer trusts McDaniels or the Broncos and claimed irreconcilable differences.


It is about time the Broncos brass showed some balls in this matter. I love watching Jay Cutler play and there is no denying how talented or exciting this guy is on the football field however, he just is not being reasonable. How many times does McNabb's name come up in trade talks? Drew Bledsoe played for how many teams? Kurt Warner, how many teams has he played for now?? That goes with the territory. Cutler should not trouble himself with all the he said-she said rhetoric. He has talent, he can play at a high-level and he is a young guy; who cares what stance the Broncos have? He needs to protect his family and his welfare 1st, his teammates' 2nd, the fans and then the Broncos. It seems to me that he was expecting too much from the Broncos.


Hopefully, Cutler does get traded for Cassel or a high draft pick. If the Broncos want to start over with Stafford, great. Cutler should use this as motivation to go after the title next season because, no matter what team he plays for now, he has all the support he will need to be successful. I hope he does not talk to the media anymore until it is decided when and where he will be playing once the season starts. I wish both parties the best of luck.

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When Jeff Fisher Shows Up With A Monkey, Vince, Run!!

Jeff Fisher is not backing off his Owners' Meeting statements that indicated that Vince Young would have to work his way back into the starting lineup. uhmmm. I have always respected Fisher for everything he does for football including his being the longest tenured coach and Co-chair for the NFL competition committee; however, he is losing me on this one.

This reminds me of another QB named Steve Young. For years, the elder Young was pretty much stuck in the shadow of one Joe Montana - year after year - until finally the 49er brass allowed him to just go and play ball. Of course there are some clear differences between the 2 Youngs that anyone could easily point out but they would be ignoring all the similarities. VY10 is an absolute legend for his numerous accomplishments same as the elder (except Vince won the national title). They both also experienced some hardships very early in their careers.

I definitely still think VY10 is a great talent right now and it is shocking to read and hear about Fisher's stance on the QB. It seems to me that Vince better start looking to another destination and fast. Like I said at the top, I respect Fisher. He has always come across as a good coach and a decent man but his words are not particularly re-assuring. With 3 years still left on a Rookie (7 year) contract, Vince Young really needs to start taking control of his own faith. It might just be the right time to move on. It is not easy and probably the Titans will be antagonistic about the possibility of him leaving, however he has to move on to further his career. The Jets could use a QB. The Vikings (yes, Vikings) could use a QB. The warm weather Tampa Bay Buccaneers could use a QB. Young's agent needs to get Raheem Morris on speed dial asap. It is admirable that VY10 has done all the right things up to now but his mentality going into training camp and the preseason has to be starting the season as the starting QB for the Tennessee Titans. Kerry Collins is a good QB, much like Joe Montana in his declining years, and that is commendable. Regardless, Vince Young has to be the starter in Tennessee right now. Coach Fisher, you need to give him a chance right now.

VY needs to be more assertive as this kind of loyalty to Fisher is like walking a tight rope on a slippery slope. A year and great talent will be a terrible thing to waste. Kerry Collins just is not the answer and Fisher needs to be honest about that much because there is no way you (Vince) will become a great QB if you are only getting limited reps as a backup QB and not in game situations. The Titans have a good defense, good special teams, great running game....what is the problem here??? Get 'er Done.

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Childress Standing by Rosenfels

It is not clear what kind of plan Brad Childress has for the Vikings or specifically, what kind of plan he has for the QB position. He is still standing by the signing of Sage "The Rage" Rosenfels; which is just weird. Would you trust this guy to run your team for a full season? (note: the 32second and the 36th second in the video):


CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO!

Hmmm....?

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Meet Jeremy Maclin

A lot of people do not know about Jeremy Maclin, the 20 year old Sophomore (would-be Junior) from Missouri, but they will in a few months. This guy is probably the most dynamic runner since Michael Vick was in the league. I think he is that good.

Look at him on film there is no question that this guy is physically ready to bring his game to the Professional level. One of my theories about Kick/Punt return freaks at the collegiate level is that this is a pretty good indication of how good a ("skilled" - WR/CB/RB/FB/QB/SS) player can be at the next level - e.g. Wes Welker or even Lance Moore - and in the case of Jeremy Maclin, the guy is a pure athletic gem:

This guy is pure speed and explosiveness. I remember watching that Falcons-Vikings OT game where Mike Vick broke out that ridiculous run to win the game and the more video I see of Jeremy Maclin, the more I am convinced that this guy might be just about as close as it gets. He has that rare combination of speed, elusiveness and explosivenss which just confounds the mind. He shoots out of his routes with so much power and decisiveness; his hands are not bad either (he finished last year with 102 catches, a Missouri University record). His combined return TDs are also Missouri Tigers records - 3 Career punt return TDs and 2 Career kick-off return TDs. Did I mention that this guy is only 20 years old?!!

He is currently projected to go in the Top 10 of this year's NFL Draft and I would bet he will be in the Top 5. He is probably the closest thing to a sure thing in the draft pool. The sad (ironic) part is that the Lions have wasted so many picks on WRs in the past and now that there is a bonafide WR in the draft pool, they are going to be too snake-bit to dip in that proverbial jar again. The 8th pick belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars but I will not be surprised if Maclin is drafted 2nd by the St. Louis Rams - he is just that good. Vick has the added dimension of being a QB (with a ridiculously strong arm) but otherwise, I would put Maclin right there with MV7; just check out the video below to see the similarities:

Hopefully, that is where the similarities end. I fully expect Maclin to be one of (if not) the top Rookie for the upcoming season; and with Vick possibly returning next season, it makes for some exciting highlight reels.

Jeremy Maclin. Get familiar.

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Cut-McDan Saga Continues

Is anyone else sick and tired of the Jay Cutler vs. McDaniels (and the Broncos Organization) story? I know I am.



Cutler has some very intangible skills on the gridiron. He is the current face of the Broncos franchise and one of the premier Quarterbacks in the NFL (QB). A Pro-Bowl calibre QB with a strong mouth and vocalized leadership. The guy also makes some decent coinage playing in the NFL. For the life of me I can not understand why he is acting so hurt by trade rumours and his distrust for his new coach Josh McDaniels. His handling of this whole situation is coming across as childish and can only hurt his stock. If his goal was to extricate himself from the Broncos, he certainly is not doing himself any favors. Football is a game but the NFL is a business and I think a lot of players need to understand that distinction. Hopefully, he shows up to play Football and the Business of playing Football is handled behind closed doors where it belongs.

As for McDaniels, he certainly is not absolved from this matter but the fact remains that he is the Coach; he was hired by the Broncos to do a job. Being as this is his 1st professional Head Coaching job the presumtion is that the sky is the only limit. He has nowhere else but up to go from here. Starting his career in a murky sort of situation hopefully should provide him with enough arsenal for the Mid-Late season run next year. Whatever motivational tools he has in his bag of tricks might be the time is now for show and tell. Please make this story disappear soon and replace it with Broncos football.

Thanks.

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T.O. Receiving Alzheimer's Association honor

News broke a little over 4 hours ago (AP) Terrell Owens will be receiving the Alzheimer's Association's 1st Young Champions Award for raising Alzheimer awareness. No doubt the idea of the press item is to explain why T.O. has been missing for the Bills' OTAs.

I will not claim to be a genius (that is debatable) and I have additional appreciation for Owens for his philanthropy. Alzheimer's disease is crippling and is the #1 cause of dementia. It is a truly painful and serious disease. The convenience of the news on T.O. might be coincidential and I sure hope that it is because Alzheimer's is a serious issue. Football is a game and T.O. should know that already.

Still, my respect to T.O. for raising awareness for this horrible disease and doing something good with his fortune. The news also mentions that Owens' grandmother suffers from this disease and so much respect to him for doing her proud - that is what a good role model should do.

For those who would like to know more about the illness, follow the Alzheimers Association's link above.


Thanks

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New NFL Rules

I think the NFL made great strides with their approval of the following new rules:

1. What is now being called the "Hines Ward Rule":
Despite being a Steelers loyalist, I still understood what it meant when Keith Rivers got his jaw broken by a somewhat reckless Hines Ward block. Ward is no doubt an admirable blocker and deserves a lot of respect for his willingness as a Wide Receiver (WR) to throw blocks for his team. He has gotten particularly good at it so sometimes it is tough to reprimand him for throwing a block. However, nobody deserves to have their jaw broken over a block. As a brother, son, and compassionate human being, I can only say that it is fair for the League to make illegal any blindside block that comes from a blocker's helmet, forearm or shoulder and lands to the head or neck area of the opponent player. Football is a physical sport and anyone can get hurt at anytime but "keeping your head on a swivel" should not be a life or death situation. The last thing anyone wants to see is a dead football player on the football field. This is not exactly a Gladiator sport.

2. The On-side Bunching rule:
This rule mandates that teams kicking off must have 4 players on each side of the kicker with three lined up outside each inbounds line. I can understand the excitement that this rule might bring for next season; especially during the closing of games. Whether or not this rule will be appreciated or actually have a positive impact on the game remains to be seen.

3. No more than 2 players are allowed as a wedge during kickoffs and;

4. Another favorite of mine: Hits to a defenseless receiver cannot be made by a defender's helmet, forearm or shoulder to the head.
This rule again reflects the effect of the physical disposition of the Pittsburgh Steelers. After watching Wes Welker get tagged by Ryan Clark and then watching Willis McGahee get blown up by Clark again, it is not surprising that the League would address the dangers of allowing these kinds of plays to continue. The argument that were made last year by the players involved in these kinds of plays was that it was perfectly within the rules to make those kinds of hits but while that might have been true, no one can honestly deny the risks involved. Consider the hit on Anquan Boldin last year or the McGahee hit, how many parents, families, communities do you think were turned off by those hits? As I mentioned before, no one wants to see death in Football games.

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The Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys sure seem to go through great lengths to earn that Cowboys moniker.

For most of the sports world it is not a surprise that the Cowboys decided to release Terrell Owens this offseason; especially considering the perceived rift in the locker room (whether that was entirely due to T.O. is somewhat questionable). It does come as somewhat of a surprise since Jerry Jones seemingly was content with Terrell Owens being part of the Cowboys family and since releasing him created a US$9million hit on his salary cap space. Now, judging by the reports from the NFL Owner's meeting, Jerry Jones is going out of his way to promote Wade Phillips, Miles Austin (?) and, Tony Romo. Frankly, I do not have anything in-depth to say about Miles Austin because I do believe he is a great talent. It is still very questionable if he can actually feature as a WR in the NFL so Mr. Jones is obviously experiencing wishful thinking. (Must be good to be the Boss).

I have some respect for Wade Phillips however it is a fleeting reservation for the Cowboys coach. After watching the Philly-Dallas game which effectively eliminated the 'boys from the playoffs, it is fair to say that Phillips has a lot of making up to do. His coaching during that game left a lot to be desired and sends (or should send) the wrong message to the Cowboys' Nation. It is understandable that the all the pressure final caught up to the team but it is not understandable how he could have not anticipated this happening. The whole thing stinks and quite frankly is disappointing.

With T.O. now out of the picture the table has been set for Tony Romo. Regardless of what Mr. Jones would have us believe, he can not have too much confidence in his guys right now so it is odd to have him supporting everyone; including Romo. It would be dangerous for Romo to buy into this "approval" from Jones. There is no doubt that he will be on the hot seat for this upcoming season whether he believes it himself or not. Jones would be risking his organization if Romo regresses next season so there is no room for error. I like the guy but for 3 consecutive years now, Romo has been at the centre of Epic "disasters" for the Cowboys when it comes to playoffs-related performances. From fumbling a snap on a would-be game clinching field goal to the Jessi-Cabo loss to the Giants and to the Philly Epic collapse, Romo appears to already be snake-bit. He better perform next year.

Finally, I have this theory (or hypothesis) that the real reason Jerry Jones released T.O. was to avoid the constant media barrage and questioning regarding the spectacular collapse of the Cowboys team down the stretch in 2008. Considering all the attention and news directed towards the Broncos debacle, it makes perfect sense now. Well, he got the benefit of the US$9million "investment" he made by releasing T.O. Last time I checked however, none of this will matter in November/December when the playoffs are fast approaching. Romo and Phillips are in hot water for '09.

That is my word.

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SF on...NFL Draft

There has been a lot of football news today from the NFL largely due to the NFL Owners' meeting yesterday in California. It truly as been a juicy day for football and, if you are a football enthusiast like myself, I bet you are enjoying it all. I am sifting through the plethora of news, blogs and articles so you should be getting more posts soon; this one looks at the NFL Draft coming later this year on April 25-26.

Here are a few things that jump out at me when I look at the Draft Order for this year:

Detroit Lions are getting another Top 10 pick in this year's Draft. A lot of people and media outlets are speculating that the pick might as well be Matthew Stafford. I do not know a whole lot about Stafford but I would be skeptical if I were a Lions' fan because it seems like there is so much more hype than anything else when it comes to the QB prospect. It might benefit the Lions greatly to trade away this draft choice than to risk taking a cap hit on a potential bust. Stafford's resume still leaves a lot to be desired. Everyone keeps talking about how Matt Ryan was key in the successful turn-around for the Atlanta Falcons last seasons but they also forget to mention the wealth of experience he already had coming into the League. Being a 21 year old Junior from Georgia just does not give me confidence that the Ryan-Effect will repeat itself again. The Lions are better off drafting a solid Offensive Lineman this year.

A couple of the high prospect guys that are intriguing to me are:

Darrius Heyward-Bey (I think this guy will have value for sure in the NFL based on his athleticism)
Michael Oher
Chris "Beanie" Wells
B.J. Raji
Clay Matthews and,
Aaron Curry.

Of course those are just guys that intrigue me and it does not mean other guys will not be successful in the NFL.

The complete list and review of the upcoming Draft Order as published by ESPN's Scout Inc; check it out.

Let it be known: I Love Compensatory Picks.

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Introduction

Thank you for reading my blog.

This is my first post on Smashmauf Football. I also maintain the blog Smashmauf!. The idea is to give you another choice or option for American Football stories and articles. The SF articles are mainly going to be thoughts and views revolving around the game of Football.

Football in North America has quickly become a great pastime. It is an intriguing sport in that it combines athleticism with community and teamwork. It also captures the grace of the North American "work man" roots and the organizational spirit of North American life. (As I write this, I am thinking - "what a wondeful sport to cover." and I bet there are lot of you that share that line of thought).

Professionally there are 2 major Football Leagues in North America: a, The National Football League and, b, The Canadian Football League. The NFL without a doubt is the larger and more dominant of the 2. (Follow the development of the NFL on the League's official site. It is definitely worth the read and is also a good pastime). The CFL is the representative of the Canadian take on Football - its talent might not be as deep and its rules might have some unique differences but it is still fundamentally the same Football game.

There is also a large amateur Football circuit in North America from Pop Warner Football, to the state wide programs, to high school programs, to college programs; the most prominent community being that of the NCAA.

With SF, the goal is to provide a perspective on Football related events at all levels that is fun and of good quality. To keep up with the posts on SF all you have to do is subscribe to the RSS feeds. You can also access the site at Smashmauf-Football.Blogspot.com. If you have any question(s) or suggestions, feel free to contact me at smashmauf.football@blogger.com (Please be sure to provide your Name and Home town in your communication in order for a proper reference or response).

- Thank you,

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