Kaspers Korner

The Indianapolis Colts came in with renewed confidence from its front office that everything will be the way it was in previous years.  That is not the case as the Colts are 3-4, which is the same record as the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans.

The proff is in the performance of Marvin Harrison.  As Harrison has 23 catches for 270 yards, which is fourth in both categories behind wide receiver Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clarke, and second year wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez. 

Also, quarterback Peyton Manning’s performance has suffered as well.  Manning has many interceptions, which is nine, as touchdowns, which is ten.

On top of that you can add a large amount of games missed by starters.  Put those together and you have a receipe for disaster.

It is going to take time for many to find a new go to guy.  For a decade the two have been a tandem, but now that seems to be coming to an end.  

It will take time for the Colts to get back up to the top again.  They are going to have to cut their losses with Harrison, and strong safety Bob Sanders if they are ever going to get near it again. 

Simply, Harrison is over the hill, and Sanders is injury prone.  Add in a lot of money, and you have another reason for problems.

The Buffalo Bills signed center Melvin Fowler to be a part of their offensive line for years to come.  That was a wrong move as the Bills are going to stick with Duke Preston as their center for the game against the New York Jets.

Fowler hurt himself earlier this season, thus opening the door for Duke Preston.  It looks as though Preston took full advantage of it as he is now the starting center for the Jets game.

Fowler has not been that good as he can be found usually in the backfield on running plays getting blown back by defenders.  Preston just standing his ground has seemingly shown as a big upgrade as the Bills for the first time all season averaged over four yards a carry.

However, the Bills are still bad in their short yardage game.  They could not get into the end zone when they were on the three yard line, and consistently cannot make third and one to go.

The solution to this problem?  Simply put them on a diet.  They are too big, as the Bills are the biggest offensive line in the league.  They cannot get low enough to establish good run blocking technique.

The technique is simple to notice.  The hands of the run blocker should be clutching the defenders shoulder pads in front of his arm pits.  This is not holding, because he is not grasping out side of the defenders arms. 

Also, the head of the run blocker should be in the numbers of the defender chest.  This allows the run blocker to stand up the defender, thus getting him off balance, and easier to move.

Obviously, the Bills starting offensive line lacks this technique, or their running game will be better.

The Carolina Panthers are one win away from tying the number of wins they had all of last year, which is seven.  The difference is the play of quarterback Jake Delhomme, and defensive end Julius Peppers.

Delhomme missed most of last season after he tore a ligament in his elbow.  The Panthers were never the same after Delhomme went out.  That is obvious now as the Panthers have a 6-2 record.

Last year the Panthers averaged 170 yards passing per a game.  Now, they are averaging 213 yards per a game.  That is over 40 yards per a game, which goes to show how much Delhomme means to the offense.

The difference in the defense is as a result of the combination of Delhomme, and Peppers.

The Panthers had recorded only 23 sacks last season.  This year they have recorded 13 already, and four of them have been by Peppers.  Peppers had only two last year.

Also, the defense has played less than it did last year.  The Panthers defense played 1,032 plays last season.  This year after half a season they have only played 483 this year.  That is four plays less per a game.

The reason for that is not only because the play of Peppers, but also because of Delhomme.  With Delhomme having the offense playing better that mean the defense is on the field less.  Which, results in the defense being fresher when it takes the field.

Simply, having that franchise quarterback makes all the difference, but only when the quarterback has been with the team for a long period of time.  Not like the situation that Brett Farve is in.

The draft has long been over for months now.  However, the comments of interim San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary has brought up the problems with the draft again.

Singletary blasted the 49ers after their last game.  “We’ve got guys in here that are cancers. The thing about cancer cells is, they multiply. We’ve got to cut them out,” stated Singletary to his team according to Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports.

The biggest indicator of problems with the draft came later in Silver’s article with this apparent exchange between Davis and Singletary, according to Silver.  

“You don’t need to be sayin’ nothin’ to me right now,” Davis barked at the coach, according to witnesses. Singletary ordered Davis to take a seat on the bench, and shortly thereafter the coach approached and stressed the importance of avoiding stupid penalties.

“I said I don’t need to hear it,” Davis snapped, cutting him off.   Then Singletary told Davis to hit the shower.

That is what happens when you give a immature person a boat load of money.  They think that they can do whatever they want, and the head coach has to put up with it, because of the amount of money that is tied into the player.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.com, “Time and again we’ve heard rumblings that players who waltz into the locker room as multi-multi-millionaires often can’t be coached or mentored, because they simply refuse to listen.”

The problem is always going to be the same untill there is a rookie wage system.   Simply, why should a rookie be paid a boat load of money when he has not proven a darn thing yet.

For now, more head coaches of the likes of Mike Singletary will do. 

At first glance it looks like that Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards is to blame for the mess of a loss in Miami.  However, when you look deeper you will see that it is the coaching to blame.

The pass defense is just down right dissapointing.  They simply cannot get to the quarterback without the help of blitzes. 

The Bills invested heavily into the top three defensive ends.  In return they have shown not one thing.  That is including knock downs, sacks, and pressures.

Simply, it looks like it is time to start seeing what third round draft choice defensive end Chris  Ellis can do.

The offense is the more dissapointing aspect of the coaching.  The play calling in two situations was just down right stupid.

The first fumble by Edwards at the Dolphins own 33 was just a dumb call.  The both running backs averaged over four yards a carry, and to not trust your main running back in a big situation like that raises a lot of red flags.

However, that is not as stupid as the play calling when the Bills had the ball at their own three.  The Bills did not call one run play in that situation.

It is okay to call a three step drop play, becuase it is almost impossible to get a holding call on that type of play.  The thing is that on second, and third down, offensive coordinator Turk Schonert called two drop back pass plays.

Any one in their right mind would not call those plays in that situation.  A simple holding penalty in the end zone results in a sack.

Ultimately, if the Bills are going to get to the playoffs both coordinators better wake up.  For if they keep on being this inconsistent then the Bills will not make the playoffs.

The New York Jets made the biggest noise of the offseason by trading for quarterback Brett Farve.  After six weeks the trade made no big difference in the passing game of the Jets.

Last year the Jets averaged 188 yards passing per a game.  This year they are averaging 204 yards per a game.  The difference of 16 yards.

A team cannot just become a great team overnight.  Eventhough, perception is that when a team goes from 6-10 one year to 10-6 the next year that is the case.

What happens is that simply teams that are bad have players that grow up.  Which, is the case with the Buffalo Bills.

For the Jets, they have nothing outside of Brett Farve in the passing game.  They did spend a first round draft pick on tight end Dustin Keller, but it will take a while for him to develop.

Their wide recievers are okay, but not great.  That is what they ultimately lack at this point on the offense.

Every team needs a wide receiver, that no matter if he looks like he is double teamed, still get open.  For great wide receivers know what to do to get open if they are double teamed.

Yes, Farve is learning a whole new offense, but if the Jets are going to have any chance of making the playoffs next year they will definately need to start aquiring weapons for the offense.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer is the second person in a year to tear a ligament in their elbow.  The injury brings up a new concern that has not been faced by the National Football League.

The injury to Palmer brings one question to mind.  Has quarterbacks got to big, and strong for their own good?

NFL players have all gotten bigger, and stronger, over the years.  That is in part to the advancement of exercise and dieting.

However, it seems that getting too strong is not good for quarterbacks.  The reason is the amount of velocity that quarterbacks are putting on the ball through the use of their muscles.

It has seems that the NFL has gotten away from the philosiphies of the West Coast offense.  That being not about speed, and arm strength, but about technique.

So, why has quarterbacks gotten away from it? That being the simple glorification of Brett Farve’s arm, and the kid in us trying to emulate that when we are adults.

If quarterbacks continue to throw fastballs all the time at 100 miles per an hour, then more quarterbacks will blow out the ligaments in their elbow.

The San Deigo Chargers were one of the popular picks to contend for the Super Bowl this year.  If they do not win this week it could mean the Chagers will miss the playoffs completely.

Including the New Orleans Saints, the Chargers, as of right now, have five of their remaining nine games against teams that are .500 or better. 

That means the up coming game against the 3-4 Saints is huge.  They cannot afford any more losses to teams that are under .500, since they lost to the Miami Dolphins earlier in the year.

So, where does the problem lie?  The blame falls on the defense as it is just plain horrible.  They are overall ranked 28th in the league on defense.  To make matters worst they are the worst team in the league right now defending the pass.

Last year the Chargers pass defense was only allowing an average of 213 yards passing per a game.  This year it is 254 yards. which is one heck of a difference.

Many people will put the blame on the loss of outside linebacker Shawne Merriman.  However, that is not the case as the have been getting progressively worst, since 2006.

The reason is a two fold answer.  First, they are facing way better competition.  Sceondly, teams have figured out how to beat the Chargers defense.

If the Chargers do not figure something out for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, then it will be a long day for them.

The New England Patriots have suffered another huge loss when strong safety Rodney Harrison tore his quad muscle.  The injury only goes to show that the Patriots are not what they used to be.

The Patriots are a veteran team with players whose milage is starting to show.  As the saying goes nothing lasts forever.

The Buffalo Bills of the early 1990’s were the team of the AFC.  They had a deadly offense, with a pretty good defense.  However, in a few short years that changed.

What changed for the Bills?  Free agency, a lot of games, and age.  Which, is the exact same thing that the Patriots are going through right now.

No quarterback is going to have a body that will last like Brett Farve has.  Tom Brady is certain of that, since he is a much different quarterback.

The difference is Farve was a scrambler that avoided hits.  Brady is a pocket passing quarterback that takes a lot of hits.

The Patriots will most likely never have the same type of year as they did last year.  For time catches up on everyone, and that includes the great players of each game.

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the surprise teams this year as they are 4-2 on the year.  However, they will come up just short of the playoffs.

There are several reasons that the Falcons are doing so well.  Them being the play of running back Michael Turner, defensive end John Abraham, and quarterback Matt Ryan.

The down fall will be Ryan.  No matter how good he is doing right now people need to remember one thing.  That being he is a rookie.

He simply does not have the experience that smart defensive coordinators will start throwing at him.  Which will come very soon in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles.

In games against division opponents Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ryan looked average.  This week he will face the Eagles who are apart of one of the toughest divisions in football.

If Ryan does not show any signs this week of improvement against top teams it could be a longer road ahead than people are looking at right now for the playoffs.