By Craig Strachan -Consensus Draft Services

Chicago Bears
Wide Receiver – In Mike Martz’s pass-happy offense the Bears are going to need to find a receiver with star quality if they want to make it work. Devin Hester and Johnny Knox don’t really strike too much fear into opposing defenses at the moment.
Strongside Linebacker – With Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at the other two linebacker spots, a quality ‘Sam’ would give this franchise one of the scariest linebacking groups in the NFC.
Cornerback – For the last few years the Bears have relied on their front four getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks to make their secondary look better. However it has clearly proved to be their weakness when they haven’t done that and adding a quality corner would help them.

Detroit Lions
Left Tackle – The Lions drafted Matt Stafford in ’09 to be their franchise guy well into this decade. However they need to protect him better than Jeff Backus currently does if they want him to live that long.
Middle Linebacker – The choice between last year’s seventh round pick DeAndre Levy and the underachieving Jordan Dizon is highly uninspiring. Adding a quality leader in the middle of this defense would be a vast improvement.
Strong Safety – Louis Delmas has been a very solid pick at free safety for the Lions but adding an equally capable guy opposite him at strong safety would assist their secondary.

Green Bay Packers
Right Tackle – The Packers have tried to let Mark Tauscher go twice now but he just seems to keep coming back (sound familiar Packers fans?). Finding a young replacement would give this team quality bookend tackles, with Bryan Bulaga on the other side.
Defensive End – After addressing the nose tackle position in the first year of their transition to the 3-4 defense the Packers largely ignored the defensive line in the last offseason. Finding a natural defensive end for the scheme would be a bonus.
Quarterback – If Aaron Rodgers were to go down with an injury, Green Bay would be forced to start Matt Flynn and I’m pretty sure that not what they’d want. Finding a decent backup would be a smart idea.

Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback – With Favrewatch 2010 over after the Great Lord Brett’s third annual unretirement the Vikings at least have a QB to get them through this year. However, if and when Favre does finally hang up his cleats the Vikings will need someone more reliable than Tavaris Jackson.
Defensive Tackle – The Williams Wall has been exceptionally good for Minnesota for a number of years but they need to find someone who can step into those shoes in the future.
Free Safety – Tyrell Johnson is a good young player at strong safety but an upgrade on Madieu Williams at free safety would help the Vikings secondary.

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com

By Jon Wagner-Sr. Writer at Large-Football Reporters Online

(Photo via wikimedia commons)

For all of the bluster, arrogance, cockiness, brashness, and any of the other attributes that New York Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan demonstrates which can often rub many people the wrong way, Ryan is mostly and quite simply, just about the game of football.

So, when it came down to the Jets finally getting their best and most important player back on the field, it was Ryan, the ultimate players’ coach, who made it about football for star cornerback Darrelle Revis.

A very good thing not only for the Jets and for Jet fans, but specifically for Ryan, after his typical no holds barred attitude nearly prevented the Jets from having Revis back in time for the start of the 2010 regular season.

That’s because this is the year that the Jets, just 28 minutes from reaching the Super Bowl last year, entered their 2010 season with Super Bowl expectations knowing such prospects hinged on whether the defense-first Jets had the NFL’s best cornerback anchoring the strength of their team. In essence, the Jet’s chances for success this season were only as good the game’s best corner being their cornerstone.

However, it was Ryan who was partially to blame for Revis missing the entire preseason this summer because it was the Jets’ head coach who early on in Revis’ 36-day holdout, boastfully claimed that Revis was not only the best cornerback in the NFL, but that Revis’ 2009 season was the best year any cornerback ever had.

He wasn’t wrong (at least on that first one; the second is debatable). But, much like negotiating a car you love with a showroom salesperson, it would have been a lot wiser for Ryan to go against his own nature and keep quiet rather than extol Revis’ virtues. By choosing to do the opposite, Ryan helped to create a drawn out, five-week long saga in which he took much of the Jets’ negotiating leverage away and gave it to Revis’ agents.

Doing so had many Jet fans, as much as they love Ryan’s unorthodox approach, blaming Ryan’s big mouth for Revis’ M.I.A. status this summer. And, had Revis not come back until much later (or not at all this season), and had the Jets failed to make the playoffs without him, it’s not a stretch to say that Ryan would have gone from last year’s lovable leader who changed the Jets’ culture, to the city’s villain in a New York minute.

Without the return of Revis Island, Ryan might have found himself on his own figurative island, cast off by Jet fans everywhere.

But, Ryan more than made up for initially costing the Jets at the bargaining table, with a trip this past weekend, along with Jet’s owner Woody Johnson, to meet Revis in South Florida.

After all of the talk all summer long of Revis wanting to be the highest paid corner back in the league, in line with Oakland’s Nnamdi Asoumugha at $16 million per year, Revis spoke with his head coach and his long standoff with the Jets suddenly became more about Revis doing what he loves to do on the football field for the Jets, and less about money.

No longer was gap between the Jets offering a ten-year deal for $122 million and Revis’ camp seeking $160 million for the same length of time.

No, after talking to Ryan, Revis realized that he didn’t want to miss out on being the difference between his teammates being good — but not good enough without him — instead of the legitimate and perhaps feared Super Bowl contenders that Ryan believes they are.

In the end, Revis accepted less than the roughly $12 million per season that the Jets initially offered, taking $46 million for four years. And, with a potential NFL lockout looming for next season, the Jets’ best player got the security he sought, with the Jets guaranteeing $32 million.

It’s a relative bargain for the Jets when you consider the comparable four-year, $48 million contract with $30 million guaranteed signed last Wednesday by Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, who while having developed into one of the best players at his position, isn’t quite the game changer that Revis is.

Would Revis have missed football enough to make winning and wanting to be back with his teammates the priorities over money?

Perhaps. But, the chances of Revis’ return increased exponentially with Ryan’s encouragement.

When asked by reporters if Ryan and Johnson visiting him the difference, Revis said “I have no clue, but they did. And, that was good thing.”

In a separate interview, Revis said “When [Ryan] came in, I was just excited. I was just like, I need to get back. Let’s get this done.”

Reading between the lines, it was Ryan specifically, who convinced Revis to get it done, even though he humbly gave all of the credit to Jets’ general manager Mike Tannenbaun and Revis’ agents for dotting the i’s an crossing the t’s.

As a result, everyone wins. Revis gets his security in the form of guaranteed money without missing any of the regular season. Ryan gets the player he desperately needed to make all of his great defensive schemes work. Jets’ management didn’t have to break the bank in terms of total dollars to re-sign that player. And, Jet fans are once again dreaming of a trip to the Super Bowl.

For five long weeks, Ryan’s initial comments were part of the problem. This weekend, the Jets’ outspoken coach guided the solution.

And, Jet fans can now forgive their head coach knowing that Ryan ultimately made it right.

2010 NFL PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL & TEAM STATISTICAL LEADERS

NFL preseason statistical leaders were tracked in 2010 by the Elias Sports Bureau, official statisticians of the NFL.

Listed below are the final preseason leaders in the American and National Football Conferences.  Rookie running back ANTHONY DIXON of the San Francisco 49ers was the NFL preseason rushing leader with 300 rushing yards.  Rookie wide receiver VICTOR CRUZ of the New York Giants led the league in receiving yards with 297.  The leading passer was Green Bay Packers quarterback AARON RODGERS with a 141.2 rating.

The Packers finished the 2010 preseason with the top-ranked offense, averaging 406.0 yards per game.  The Carolina Panthers led the league in defense with a 206.8 yards-per-game average.

2010 NFL PRESEASON LEADERS

CAA FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK — SEPT. 6

RICHMOND, Va. (September 6, 2010) — CAA Football announced its Player of the Week honorees, Monday, Sept. 6. Four individuals earned honors after showcasing superb efforts in contests played in Week 1 of the 2010 season, including Delaware’s Andrew Pierce, Massachusetts’ Jonathan Hernandez and Tyler Holmes and New Hampshire’s Terrance Fox.

CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week – Jonathan Hernandez, RB, Massachusetts

Hernandez earned the first CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2010 after helping lead Massachusetts to a conference win at home over preseason No. 4 William and Mary, 27-23. The junior running back rushed 25 times for 132 yards and a touchdown for the Minutemen who racked up 438 yards of total offense against the Tribe. Hernandez, part of the running back tandem for the Minutemen which includes senior John Griffin, also hauled in two catches for 69 yards. Hernandez and Griffin accounted for 281 yards in the UMass offensive output against William and Mary.

CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week – Tyler Holmes, LB, Massachusetts

Holmes, the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week for week 1 in 2010, came up big in the Minutemen’s 27-23 win over No. 4 William and Mary in Amherst, Mass., Saturday. The junior linebacker registered 10 total tackles for a Massachusetts defense which allowed 113 rushing yards in the contest. Holmes’ biggest contribution of the day, in addition to garnering 1.5 tackles-for-loss, was his fourth-quarter interception which ended the Tribe’s final drive in the contest and sealed the win for the Minutemen.

CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week – Terrance Fox, KR, New Hampshire

Playing in his first game since the 2008, Fox made his presence felt quickly in New Hampshire’s, 33-3, victory over Central Connecticut State in Durham, N.H., Saturday. The senior returned the game’s opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. Fox, who added a rush in the contest for five yards, contributed in the punt return game as well logging 42 yards on two punt returns.

CAA Football Rookie of the Week – Andrew Pierce, RB, Delaware

Pierce, who logged the opening weekend’s CAA Football Rookie of the Week honor, logged 13 rushes for 119 yards and a touchdown in his collegiate debut Thursday evening for Delaware. The freshman pushed the Blue Hens’ lead over visiting West Chester to 14-0 on a 22-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the Hens went on to win 31-0. Pierce’s longest rush of the evening was 34 yards, also marking Delaware’s longest play of the game.

CAA Football is blogging at caafootballblog.com…be sure to checkout the official blog of CAA Football to find all sorts of information that might not be at CAASports.com. CAA Football is also on Twitter…Fans from all 10 schools can get up-to-date information by fol- lowing the league at twitter.com/The_CAAFootball. CAA Football will tweet throughout this offseason and continue into the 2010 fall season. The league is also active in the new media area and encourages fans to visit us on YouTube: youtube.com/CAAFootball. Logon now and subscribe to see the latest video productions from CAA Football. Fans can also get their CAA Football news delivered straight to them by following the league on Digg: digg.com/caafootball

8625 Patterson Avenue • Richmond, VA 23229 • (804) 754-1616 Sports Info FAX (804) 754-1830 • Administrative FAX (804) 754-1973 • www.caasports.com

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com

(photo: Via Wikimedia Commons-Is T.O. on Your Team??)

By David Levy

This past Tuesday the Jets announced they would be selling single game seats, but only in the upper bowl. These are the NON PSL seats. Matt Higgins, the Jets Executive VP of business operations said the Jets would not sell single game seats when the Giants made their announcement two weeks ago. He was referring to the PSL seats, not the non PSL seats. Obviously, the Giants had no choice but to offer PSL seats as all their seats have PSL’s. This was a great move for the Jets organization. The fact the upper bowl seats do not have PSL’s makes it easier for the team to offer them on a single game basis.

But like any decision there are the good point and bad points to this. Let us start off with the good points:

1-With about 2000 seats available on a per game basis, those who did not want to purchase season tickets can now purchase certain games, albeit they are not sold out by the time it gets to them. Someone can go to 2-3 games instead of being responsible for a whole season. Makes it easier on some peoples wallets.

2-It gives the Jets breathing room in selling off those seats. They may go little by little, but at least those seats will be sold. Instead of sitting on blocks of season tickets, they now will only sit on seats for certain games. Depending how the Jets do over the season, those seats could go fast or slow. Anyone wanting to get last minute seats for a game can now do so.

3-For those 2000 seats not sold, it would have been revenue lost. Now that revenue can be made. Once again, slow revenue made but it can be made. With prices ranging from $95 to $125 for season ticket holders and $105 to $135 to the public the Jets will be able to make money on a game by game basis. Unfair the general public has to pay more but what can you do. That revenue can range from $200,000 to $260,000 per game estimated, depending on how many seats are sold. But only if all 2000 seats are sold per game.

Now for some bad points on the seats:

1-Those from the general public that do buy them will not have a parking pass. I do not think that is part of the deal. One will have to park off site and take the shuttle or whatever parking the Jets designate. Once again, some fans will be shafted on the parking.

2-The Jets will lose revenue once again. They will not have guaranteed blocks of season tickets sold along with parking. Instead it is a game by game basis and there is no guarantee every seat will be sold. The Jets lowered certain PSL’s & seats by 50%. They have to make up that lost revenue somewhere to pay for the stadium. That was the intent all along. Will ticket prices, parking, and other costs go up over the years to compensate for those prices being lowered? Time will tell.

3-The Jets will now be responsible for ticket sales, or TicketMaster. The Jets wanted to take ticket sales out of their hands and leave it to the fans. Now, they have that responsibility once again. This is one aspect I am sure is a burden and a responsibility no one wanted going forward. Having TicketMaster handle the sales will make it easier for the Jets, but nothing they can breathe easy about.

4-Why would those who purchased PSL’s in the lower bowl want to buy seats in the upper bowl? Maybe to give to friends or family that could not afford the PSL’s? Perhaps. Maybe to have options for family who come in from out of town, to use for business, or whatever else those have the money to spend them on. Would make it easier on those with parking passes to buy them for friends so they have a ride to the stadium and not park off site. But anyone who bought a PSL who buys upper bowl seats will not be sitting in the upper bowl. Guess the Jets were being nice in offering the seats to them first.

I am sure there are other factors I have not thought about. If anyone has any of their own feel free to leave them. The whole PSL/Non PSL system the Jets thought about obviously has not worked for them. They have had to change many of their original plans as the market dictated back to them what to do. Lowering prices, single game seats, last minute sales are factors they never thought about or did not want to. Even the New York Yankees had to lower prices and did not sell out their best seats well into the season. Just shows the market you look for you may not find.

I know a lot of fans are happy about this and others not so happy. I have come across many different fans over the past two years when it comes down to the new stadium and its seating. Seems a great number of ticket holders from the 60’s and 70’s feel the PSL’s are ludicrous. Something they would not pay for and feel it is a slap in the face to long time season ticket holders. Younger fans who have had seats since the 80’sinto today feel like it is a necessity these days if one wants to see a football game. A purchase like this to them is like purchasing a car or house, just another payment on top of the ones they already have.

Some season ticket holders see a PSL as a status thing. Having one to them is like having a BMW, a beach house, a promotion at work, or anything else that they can brag or talk about to friends. I have seen this in the past few months. Some try to one up the other in regards to seat location. It is not about being a fan, it is about how much one is laying out to show they are a bigger fan than someone else. I can imagine what some are saying that have seats in the Coaches Club section.

I actually had a conversation with someone who runs a Jets blog about the PSL’s. He is actually proud of not just the money he spends on the PSL’s, but tailgating, merchandise, food in the stadium, and everything else to show how much of a fan he is. Some people just love to show how much they spend to be a fan of their team. Wonder if some would pay for the PSL’s above their kids education. Do not laugh, I am sure some have. Some fans just have the wrong priorities.

Many fans though do the right thing. Weather it be investing in a PSL or watching from home. Everyone should know their limits. The single game seats will be good for those with tight budgets who still want to go to a game. In time, those will be able to get PSL’s or season tickets. I am sure people will sell them down the line. Others will hold onto them for their kids and grandchildren.

The season begins in a week. The parking lot will be filled and I am sure many will be tailgating and having a great time. Will be interesting to see if there are any empty seats all around. Be hard to see on TV because of the color of the seats. Many will Tweet from the game and talk about it afterwords. Might even see a lot of scalping going on for some of those seats. Maybe those seats will be sold to those seeking season tickets in the future. Something to keep an eye on.

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