Adrian Peterson vs Lesean McCoy

By Chris Schisler

Its no secret that popular consensus views Adrian Peterson as the best running back in the NFL. LeSean McCoy has made it no secret that he thinks he’s better than Peterson. It sounds crazy- Peterson is the guy who comes to mind when you think running backs. McCoy may have a point however.

2013 was a better statistical season for LeSean McCoy. He rushed for 1,607 yards (341 more yards than Peterson). He had 23 more receptions than Peterson for almost 400 more yards. Both scored a total of 11 touchdowns. Peterson had to battle through injury, 8 men constantly in the box and having mediocre quarterback play. In 2012 Peterson did not have a lot of help but rushed for over 2,000 yards. McCoy did have better statistics in 2013 but statistics alone do not tell the tale.

These are two different types of running backs. Peterson is the prototypical power runner. He runs downhill and is tough to tackle. It almost seems that Peterson looks for contact as if he is Godzilla and the linebackers are radioactive. The point is “All Day” Adrian Peterson is a power runner. He has incredible quickness and can juke with the best of him but his game is all about power.

LeSean McCoy runs with power but his game is about speed and agility. McCoy is great running inside the tackles but it is the open field where he makes his biggest plays. McCoy is more dynamic than Peterson in the sense that there are more ways to get him involved in the offense. McCoy is perfect for the new age offensive approach of Chip Kelly’s.

From a fantasy perspective (especially in PPR leagues) McCoy may be the greater value. Even if Peterson produces more yards on the ground, McCoy can outproduce him. In PPR leagues players get a point for each reception- making McCoy a hot commodity. McCoy has had 50 or more receptions in 3 out of 5 seasons in the NFLand has never had less than 40 receptions. McCoy also has better players around him. Peterson may have huge fantasy days (because Minnesota needs him to) but McCoy will probably have more consistency. In year 2 of the Chip Kelly offense its easy to see bigger things from McCoy. You do have to worry that Darren Sproles will take away some of his touches however.

From a purely football stance its a matter of preference. You simply cannot go wrong with either of them.

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Saints vs Eagles: Recapping Wild Card Saturday

Saints vs Eagles: Recapping Wild Card Saturday

-Chris Schisler

The New Orleans Saints came to Philadelphia for what seemed likely to be a shootout featuring two high octane offenses in the NFL’s second playoff game. The game did not start that way as the first quarter ended without a score and Alex Henry missed a field goal early in the second. When Drew Brees threw an interception (that was mostly receiver Kenny Still’s fault) my Twitter timeline was full with the groupthink idea that Brees and the Saints can’t play on the road and in the cold.

The Saints seemed determined to sustain long drives on offense. They were committed to the run game. After the Henry field goal attempt the Saints had a drive that lasted almost 5 minutes before a Jimmy Graham fumble in the red zone. The play however was reviewed and reversed the Saints retained possession and faced a 4^th & short. This is where New Orleans made one of their worst mistakes. Benjamin Watson was called for a false start and the Saints settled for a field goal. This must have been a wild swing of emotions for the Saints faithful. First they think their star tight end gave away the ball, and then they think they convert on 4^th and 1 and finally they kick a field goal.

The Eagles intercepted Drew Brees for the second time with 4:12 left in the first half. This was a big opportunity for the Eagles. They had a chance to turn a Saints mistake into points to capture the lead and momentum before the first half expired. That is exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did. On a 3^rd & 9 quarterback Nick Foles found Riley Cooper leaping in the end zone for a touchdown.

On that scoring drive a Saints defensive player was injured. Chip Kelly was upset and the fans were booing vigorously which displayed a sickening trend in football. People now assume when a defensive player gets injured that he is just buying time for his teammates to catch their breaths and slow down the offense. It is embarrassing that this is assumed. While I admit it does happen you want to give players the benefit of the doubt. Injuries are not to be taken lightly and in a league that preaches player safety you must stop play and attend to the player down on the field. Remember, Atlanta fans booed New England defensive tackle Vince Wilfork who fell down; he had an injury that sidelined him for the entire season.

It was now a critical moment for the high powered Saints offense. The Saints absolutely needed a score before the half. The Saints managed to get into field goal range for newly acquired Shayne Graham. The drive was nothing special, Brees was sacked twice and the drive was kept alive by a penalty. Special or not New Orleans got 3 points at the end of the first half which made it a 1 point ball game.

Of Saturday’s two games you would expect the offense to come from the Saints and the Eagles. The Colts won 45-44 of their game and at the half of their Eagles led 7-6. Some of it was good defense. A lot of it was bad offense. Drew Brees threw 2 interceptions. One of these interceptions was not his fault, the other was a horrible decision. The Eagles only score came when the Saints gave them a short field. Both teams needed to execute better in the second half.

New Orleans came out with an impressive drive to start the second half. The Saints went down the field and scored with a well-executed 6 play touchdown drive. They set up a play action pass to the veteran Lance Moore with run formations and two strong runs from Mark Ingram including an 18 yarder.

On the subsequent drive Eagles receiver Riley Cooper dropped a pass on 3^rd & 4 and the Eagles were forced to punt to the Saints. With a 13-7 lead the Saints had a huge opportunity with good field position to take command of the game.

The Saints took advantage of the opportunity with an 8 play touchdown drive. The Saints playcalling was great. They were able to protect Brees as he rifled completed passes. The Eagles had to respect the Saints run game that had been very productive tonight, especially in formations with multiple tight ends. 7-8 Eagles drives had ended without points. The Saints at this point scored two field goals and two touchdowns.

There was plenty of time left but if the Eagles could not come up with a score on the next drive they would be in a troubling situation. Nick Foles must have gotten the memo when he hit Desean Jackson for a 40 yard gain taking advantage of Saints corner Keenan Lewis’s injury. The big pass play set up the Eagles second touchdown drive to make it a 20-14 game. Early in the 4^th quarter the Saints went three and out and the Eagles offense went right back to work. They had found their rhythm and the Saints secondary problems helped the pass game. The Eagles had to settle for a field goal however and the Eagles cut it to a 3 point Saints lead.

On the next drive Drew Brees found Robert Meachum who got behind the safeties for a 40 yard strike. The momentum that the Eagles had accrued had seemingly vanished. If the Saints scored a touchdown they would be up two scores with only 8 minutes remaining. The Eagles however had other ideas. The Saints squandered the opportunity, scoring only a field goal. This made the score 23-17 and it was still anyone’s ball game.

8 plays later the Eagles scored a touchdown and a PAT and were up by one point. Desean Jackson drew a PI call again on the backup corner that put the ball on the 1 yard line. The Saints trailed by 1.

The next Saints drive started with great field position after Darren Sproles was horse collar tackled after an already outstanding return. The Saints were able to run the clock out and kick a field goal. The New Orleans Saints won their first road playoff game in their history. The New Orleans Saints ended a great day of football with clutch play.

5 Things We Learned Week 3

Its hard to believe we have seen almost a quarter of the NFL season. Week 3 is in the books. Teams are starting to reveal who they really are. Here is what we have learned from week 3.

1.) The Colts are tougher than many thought.

I predicted in the preseason that Indianapolis would win the AFC South. It was going out on a limb as many consider Houston the class of that division. After Indianapolis let a win get away from them at home in week 2; they had a lot to prove in San Francisco.

The game was a grinder but the Colts owned the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck played well but what sticks out was how well the Colts ran the ball. Against one of the toughest defenses in football the Colts were ready fir a heavyweight fight.

The Colts are heavyweights make no mistake about it. Andrew Luck is quickly becoming great, and looks even better than it did last year. We are finally seeing the Chuck Pagano defense come into fruition. With the one two punch of Bradshaw and newly acquired Trent Richardson in the backfield, the Colts have a surplus of young talent. The Colts have a chance to get rolling stronger than mist people thought they would.

2.) The Pittsburgh Steelers are who we thought they were.

The Bears did not let the Steelers off the hook for pathetic offensive line play, and lack of overall talent. Yes the Steelers showed signs of life, but they were bad. Turnovers, sacks and penalties sank the Steelers to a 0-3 start.

Ben Roethlisberger is the worst quarterback to have behind a bad offensive line. He extends plays behind a struggling line which exasperates their problems. If Ben does not get the ball out quicker, the Steelers will continue to struggle. They cannot run the ball. When you get beat up front everything else becomes that much harder.

3.) We cannot trust Michael Vick & the Eagles.

While everyone got crazy ga ga in love with the genius of Chip Kelly, i had some reservations. Many of these reservations were concerns about Michael Vick. Vick has fooled us in the past. He is capable of dominant stretches but always regresses when we fall for it.

Vick quite literally threw the game away last Thursday. Alex Smith did not play great football himself but Vick was awful. Vick is a quarterback that requires structure and a tight leash. When Andy Reid convinced Vick that he needed the structure of his offense, reading progressions and proper mechanics Vick flourished. When Vick got full of himself he regressed into his chaotic ways of being a quarterback slot machine. Kelly’s offense encourages him to go fast, to take thinking out of the game. How’s that turning out? I fell for the glorious Starship 7 act before, i did. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

4.) The Giants are a disaster.

Here is the good news. The Giants have a 2 time Superbowl champion coach and quarterback, and the receiving talent is spectacular. That is the only good news. The bad news: the offensive line gives Pittsburgh a run for worst line in the league; and the defense is just bad. Eli is throwing way to many interceptions, but is getting no help from the offensive line. The Giants cannot run the ball. The Giants got manhandled by an average Panthers team. There was 0 pass rush, their linebackers are a joke. Their secondary is just sad.

5.) Here Come The Ravens

The defense looks dominant. The Ravens were 2.5 point underdogs at home vs the Houston Texans. They obviously could care less as they kicked but in a 30-9 victory. Baltimore might just have the best front seven in football. We expected that. But did we expect the secondary to play this well? Matt Elam and James Ihedibo played lights out, so far above expectations. Charm City is now Sack City because of the dominant defense.

The offense is a work in progress but took significant steps forward. Once they realized they needed to be aggressive the Ravens offense finally stepped up and had scoring drives. The Ravens are just starting to roll on all cylinders and are growing into a dominate 2013 team.

Chip Kelly Craze

The hot debate this season is the effectiveness of Chip Kelly’s rapid paced offense in Philadelphia. Kelly has unbending belief in attacking defenses with a fast and spread out offense. The results of this style have been as mixed as its reviews. Some people rave about the amount of plays the Eagles run and the yards they rack up. Others argue that Kelly’s style has led to a lot of sloppy mistakes; and Kelly needs to adjust tempo to the situation. For example when your ahead in the 4th qtr and want to work the clock. It is the inability to adjust that gets Chip Kelly into trouble.

The basic premise of the offense is that its not complicated, its fast. The offense gets to the line quickly, snaps the ball quickly and makes you cover the width of the field. Its not as complicated as Chip Kelly would like you to believe. He may have thousands of plays but many of them use the same routes in different formations.

With quick strike plays in the short passing game and zone-read running game, the Eagles like to set up the big play. The genius of it is the simplicity, which is also its biggest downfall.

This tempo based offense has good qualities. It wears down defenses. It takes advantage of match ups before the defense can adjust, and it controls the defenses ability to make substitutions. The players enjoy running the offense because it feels like their always being aggressive.

There are problems with this offense as well. Frantic pace does not allow the offense to make some pre-snap adjustments. When the offense is not in sync or there is communication miscues it can be magnified. Players in this system are rushed, and I think it leads to some sloppy play. If you can disrupt the timing of plays or you can get sacks or negative plays this offense derails quickly.

I have never been able to trust Michael Vick. He shows flashes of downright brilliance but each flash is followed by downright regression. Vick is a guy who needs to slow down, and play with more focus on the cerebral side of football. Vick plays the game fast and loose by nature. This needs to be focused not accelerated; a point that is evidenced by turnovers.

When you run a fast paced offense, and you turn the ball over or have 3 & outs, you put a heavy burden on your defense. Not only does the offense wear out the opponents defense, but also fatigue your own.

Chip Kelly’s frantic pace serves a purpose. There is a method to the madness. The problems outweigh the benefits when used unrelentingly. If this was a facet of the offense rather than the entire thing, it would be better. Its not Chip Kelly’s philosophy that gets Philadelphia in trouble its the unbendable commitment to this philosophy.

Sean Ewing’s NFC East Preview

NFC East Preview by Sean Ewing

 

Something happened last year in the NFC East that had not since 1999. The Washington Redskins became relevant. After being 3-6 and all but done for the season, the fans and even Coach Mike Shanahan gave up. Luckily, RGIII did not give up. He exploded onto the scene last year propelling the Redskins to a 7 game winning streak to end the season which ultimately allowed them to win the NFC East and make the playoffs. This year in the NFC East things will most likely not change too much.
Let’s start things off with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have a lot of work to do. Quarterback wise Michael Vick seems to be ideal for Chip Kelly’s new system as he is a dual threat QB, but the last two years he has had trouble with protecting the football. The offensive line did get a little better as the Eagles spent their first round pick on OL Lane Johnson. That being said they still have a ways to go. As far as the defense is concerned, to put it lightly, they were bad. Fortunately, the Eagles did have a pretty decent offseason as they were able to pick up two solid cornerbacks in Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher as well as underrated safety Kenny Philips. It is difficult to predict what is to come of the Eagles this year. All of it will hinge on how effective Chip Kelly’s new offense can be and the quarterback play. Learning a new offense especially one as complex as Chip Kelly’s will take some time for everyone to get used to and we will likely see inconsistent play throughout the season. I predict a last place finish for the Eagles and a 7-9 record.
Next, the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys on paper usually have the best team, but for one reason or another they never amount too much or as Stephen A. Smith says, “They are an accident waiting to happen.” Because of their salary cap situation being up tight they could not make many moves, but Jerry Jones and the boys did get CB Brandon Carr to bolster the secondary as well as many offensive players in the draft. Sean Lee will also be back from injury and do not underestimate B.W. Webb the rookie cornerback out of William & Mary. He always seems to be around the ball, he knows what to do when he has it, and he can return punts as well as kicks if Dez Bryant is injured. The problem with them is they still have many needs such as on the O-line and D-line. Although they did make the right move in signing Romo long-term it does not appear he will lead them to a Super Bowl. That being said when you have a good quarterback you need to sign them as they are hard to find and Tony Romo is still a good QB. Overall, the Cowboys still have talent, but as usual, I believe America’s team will underachieve with a third straight season at 8-8 which will land them at third place in the NFC East missing the playoffs once again.
Third, the New York Football Giants. The Giants were very streaky last year starting out 6-2 but finishing 3-5 down the stretch and just narrowly missing the playoffs. They did sign a few players most notably interior linemen Cullen Jenkins from the Eagles who is a great run stopper. The Giants also got Ryan Nassib from the draft which is smart as Eli is not getting any younger and was not great last year. Interceptions have been a problem for most of Eli’s career which is why outside the playoffs I do not trust him and I believe he is overrated. The main problem with the Giants, however, is that they did nothing to improve the secondary which did not perform well. Corey Webster got burned way too much and everyone else in the secondary cannot stay healthy. Even in a mediocre division I do not see the Giants making the playoffs. They do not match up well with the passing attacks around the league especially that of Dallas and Washington. I predict a 9-7 record from them and a second place finish in the NFC East.
Last but not least, the Washington Redskins. As you can guess they are in my opinion the best team in the NFC East and I believe they will grab the 4 seed in the playoffs with an 11-5 record. RGIII when healthy or even when injured was the best player on the field. He has world-class speed, good decision-making, and a strong, accurate arm. All of this combined makes it almost impossible for opposing defenses to defend. Combine this with a decent offensive line, a great running back in Alfred Morris, and a good receiving core the Redskins will be fine on offense.
What they will need to improve is the defense particularly the secondary. Their front seven will be fine assuming Brian Orakpo can come back healthy. Now the secondary… Last year, if not for the New Orleans Saints secondary the Redskins secondary would have been historically bad. That being said help is on the way. Brandon Merriweather is a competent safety if healthy and that is a big “if.” The Redskins also got help in the draft. In the 2013 draft they got three DBs, two safeties and a corner named David Amerson, Bacarri Rambo, and Phillip Thomas. Amerson lead NCAA in interceptions two years ago and Rambo was 2nd behind him. Thomas lead the NCAA in picks last year. It is evident the skins have addressed their needs in the secondary with young talented “ball-hawk” defensive backs. There is nowhere to go up for the Redskins secondary and with talent on the way for the defense they look to be better than last year.
The NFC East will most likely be the least competitive division in football, but also could be the most intriguing as RGIII is always a must see as well as Tony Romo and Dallas. The Eagles will be the most exciting team to watch or at least a team we will all have our eyes on during week 1 because of their new offense under Chip Kelly. If they can play well on offense and put up big numbers there is no doubt that the NFC East will be the most exciting division to watch this year.