Phil's Mock Draft 2012 Top 10 picks

1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

I think it’s safe to say since Peyton Manning missed the season opener we all saw this coming.

2. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

Swapping first round picks, and sending the Rams a 2^nd rounder and their 2013 and 2014 first round picks and with Rex Grossman as there returning starter Griffin is the pick.

3. Minnesota Vikings- Matt Kalil, OT USC

Cutting former Pro Bowl left tackle Bryant Mckinnie in 2010 and cutting former Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson this offseason makes this the logical move while the Vikings are in “rebuilding mode”.

4. Cleveland Browns- Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

I thought the pick would be Griffin but after the blockbuster trade by the Redskins and loosing running back Peyton Hillis to the Chiefs in free agency the powerful Richardson seems like the right call.        

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

I thought the Buccaneers would pick wide receiver Justin Blackmon but after the securing star receiver Vincent Jackson from the Chargers and with Ronde Barber going into the season at 37 Claiborne is the best pick.

6. St. Louis Rams- Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

Rams fans should be thrilled the Rams will still get Blackmon who they wanted and needed from the start off the offseason, but also added 3 great picks to help the future of their franchise, this will also help replace the loss of Brandon Lloyd.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

This may be a little early in the draft for Floyd but with Blaine Gabbert going into his second season he needs weapons to succeed. The Jaguars would prefer Blackmon over Floyd but that won’t be an option.

      8.   Miami Dolphins- Dontari Poe, DT Memphis

While fans are screaming for a quarterback after missing out on Manning and Flynn, Joe Philbin coming from his Packer roots won’t give into pressure and draft Ryan Tannehill early just to please fans. Poe should do a great job replacing Paul Solari who bolted to the Chiefs.

9.  Carolina Panthers- Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina

Even after retaining defensive end Charles Johnson last season they are still looking for the next Julius Peppers. They would like to draft a receiver to play alongside Steve Smith to help out Cam Newton but with Blackmon and Floyd gone Coples is the choice.           

10. Buffalo Bills-  Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford

Bills fans may want Ryan Tannehill but after giving Ryan Fitzpatrick a 59 million dollar contract last season the Bills will pass on Tannehill and try and upgrade their offensive line with the Stanford tackle.

Super Bowl Recap

What a game, I must say I was close I had the Giants winning by 3 but they won by 4, even though each team scored about 13 fewer points. This was an interesting game, first off the Giants pass rush was okay but not nearly as good as I expected, and while the Giants run game didn’t seem impressive they quietly ran for a team total of 114 yard with Bradshaw and Jacobs both averaging over 4 yards a carry. Also Eli Manning played great completing 75 percent of his passes and throwing a TD and no picks while earning the MVP award.  The Patriots offense played pretty good as well with the only flaw being a few crucial dropped passes and an interception thrown by Brady, other then that Brady played good with a completion percent of 65 and 2 touchdowns.

Defense wins championships is a common saying that you may have heard a time or two. Yesterday that was the difference in the game, while the Giants got a few brakes with dropped passes they came through when needed with a safety early and a key interception in the second half. Whereas the Patriots defense kept the score well in range for them to win but they couldn’t come through when it mattered most giving away the biggest play of the game allowing Manningham to catch a 38 yard pass on the sideline on the game winning drive.

On to the offseason, I feel both of these teams will be contenders again next year. The Giants may have some struggles with the Eagles but they should still have no problem securing at least a wildcard next year. While the Patriots have good depth in most areas and have the cap room and draft picks to go after a skilled receiver, and some secondary help. I think the Patriots will have no problem securing at least a wildcard next year and will most likely win the AFC East again.

Super Bowl

A rematch of Super Bowl 42 played in February 2008, its even a rematch of a game this past November, The Giants Won those last two match ups both with game winning drives in the final minutes of regulation. This game should be similar and resemble the Patriots vs. Ravens match-up we just witnessed this past weekend. The Giants have a defense that is playing well, and will play the Patriots similar to the way Ravens played the Patriots, The Giants Secondary isn't as good as the Ravens but they make up for it with the better pass rush. While the Patriots while try and stop the Giants running game and make Eli Manning pass all day against them. Expect the Giants to try and stick to the run and rush for 150 yards or more, while Tom Brady will probably have a nice outing and pass for over 300 yards and have a few touchdown passes. I feel that this game will come down to the final minuets of the 4th quarter but the Giants won't make mistakes like the Ravens did and will come out on top.
New York 34 New England 31

Miami+Philbin=Matt Flynn?

Miami moved to the top of list today in the pursuit of singing Matt Flynn. Miami signed Packers Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin to be there new Head Coach. Joe Philbin will obviously make one of his first priorities as Miami's Head Coach to find a Franchise Quarterback. While the Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland may prefer drafting Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, but with the possibility of them going and 1st and 2nd overall and Miami sitting at the 9th spot in the draft free agency is more probable. Philbin having coached Flynn in Green Bay he is familiar with his skill sets, and is comfortable with him running the offense of his team in Miami. Also from Flynn's perspective Miami is ideal with Philbin in place the offense will most likely be very close to the offense Flynn is familiar with in Green Bay so no learning curve. Also Flynn being from Texas, and playing College football at LSU he may prefer playing in Southern Florida over the Pacific Northwest, Washington D.C., or Cleveland.

Championship Games

Baltimore Vs New England 3:00ET

This is an interesting match up, most likely the Patriots will be favored at home to win this match-up. The key will be New Englands offence led by Tom Brady against the Ravens defense. Will Ed Reed and the Ravens be able to slow down the production New England has been getting from Tight-ends Gronkowski and Hernandez. Also will the Patriots be able to generate the pass rush that dominated the Broncos during the Divisional Round. My best guess is that this game will be close going into the forth quarter and whichever team makes the mistake late loses. The Ravens will run the ball well and squeak out a win.

Ravens 29 Patriots 27

New York Vs San Fransisco 6:30ET

This game should be an exciting one. The Giants managed to hold the Packers to 20 points during the Divisional Round so I imagine they should be able to be successful against the not as high flying offense of the 49ers. While the 49ers will hope to rest on there defense and turnovers which were a huge part in their win over the Saints this last weekend. While the 49ers beat the Giants 27-20 during the regular season I think that the Giants are playing at a much higher level now. I think both teams will play well and lean on the running game, but the difference in the game is Eli Manning over Alex Smith.

Giants 26 49ers 17

The Saints Vs. the NFC West

After a loss today against the 49ers there are a few things to review. First off we all saw Alex Smith pull of a few late game drives that none of us thought he had in him. Going into today the 49ers may have been favored but a lot of people thought the Saints would win. But when we look closer we see interesting facts. First of this year and last year the Saints were knocked out of the playoffs by the 49ers and Seahawks. Also the only other NFC West team the Saints played this year was the Saint Louis Rams who the Saints lost to 31-21. The Rams only won 2 games while the Saints only lost 3. People will argue that the Saints struggle on the road and playing on grass and outdoors.  

The Saints go into 2012 with a 3 game losing steak against NFC West opponents. The Saints will host the 49ers at home in 2012 so we can see if the trend continues for them against NFC West opponents.

Good Luck Tebow

Good luck Tebow, the odds and numbers are against you, people don't think your skilled enough to go into Foxborough and win. If you win tomorrow people will start running out of ammunition to use against you. Tomorrow is an opportunity for you, Brady has nothing to gain only things to lose. Plus we all love watching New England lose.

Upcoming Sunday Divisional Round Games

Sunday Jan 15th


Houston at Baltimore 1:00 EST
Defense Defense Defense! This game will feature lots of defense and will be low scoring. After Houston  lost quarterbacks Schuab and Leinart for the season and they are down to rookie T.J. Yates. While he has stepped in and done a good job expect Joe Flacco to have the better performance and be the difference in the game, Especially with players Ray Lewis and Ed Reed overwhelming Yates.
Houston 10 Baltimore 16

New York at Green Bay 4:30 EST
This game should be an exciting one, both teams will have different tactics to win this one. The Giants will hope to continue the success they had against the Falcons with strong defense and running the ball aggressively. While Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers and there dynamic offense will score some big points, and try to force turnovers and go up big early to force New York to shy away from the run to play catch-up. While I think we may see the Giants rush somewhere in the150 to 200 yard range the Packers just keep scoring on offense.
New York 27 Green Bay 38

Upcoming Saturday Divisional Round Games

Saturday Jan 15th


New Orleans at San Fransisco 4:30 ET
The 49ers are vastly improved and all there high 1st round picked players are finally showing what there worth, But Drew Brees and the Saints play 4 and 5 wide receivers and spread out the 49ers Defense and just flat out score more then the Conservative Alex Smith, while letting David Akers ad field goals.
Saints 34 49ers 25




Denver at New England 8:00 ET
The Broncos are fired up after coming of a Tebow led emotional overtime win at home against the defending AFC champ Steelers. While the Broncos Defense is above average and Tebow and the Offense played good wildcard weekend they don't match up with the Patriots. While the Broncos will play tough, and we all love watching the Patriots lose, I feel the Patriots end the playoff losing streak dating back to the 2007 season Superbowl loss.
Denver 20 New England 30

Reflecting on the Carson Palmer Trade

Lets review the Carson Palmer trade. The Raiders traded there 2012 1st round and 2013 second round pick to acquire Palmer good or bad idea? First off hindsight is 20/20 and there is no telling what can happen next season. But as of now I think its safe to say the Raiders messed up ....again, and the Bengals are snickering as they enter the playoffs.

We all know why the Bengals can say they won this trade, Palmer was never going to play for them again so getting draft picks in a trade automatically made it a awesome deal for the Bengals. Second the play of Andy Dalton was excellent for a 2nd round draft pick rookie and far better then what anyone expected from him this season.

Now the Raiders side of the trade they were 4-2 at the time off the trade, leading the division and there starter Jason Campbell had just broke his collar bone. Hue Jackson was familiar with Palmer from his time coaching in Cincinnati and felt the Raiders were competing at a high level and were on there way to a deep playoff run and made the trade. When I heard about the trade I was thinking ok the Raiders gave up a 4th or 5th round pick, but wait... what a 1st and 2nd round picks!!! I cringed a inside when hearing that. I mean Palmer sat out training camp and the first 6 weeks, had finished 2010 with 20 interceptions, and had off season surgery and was 31, a little expensive I think. For instance Jason Campbell's broken collarbone was a 4-6 week injury with the Raiders bye week he could have played after only sitting out as little as 3-4 games. I feel that Hue was too eager to go after a player he liked from a past team and ultimately wagered the Raiders future.

For instance the Raiders probably would be in a similar situation now if they hadn't traded for Palmer but they would still have those picks. Furthermore if they were unhappy with Campbell they could go after a prospect such as Matt Flynn in free agency and boost another team need with the mid first round pick they would have, or draft a QB. Heck the Colts may cut Manning this off season and the Raiders could have sought after him in free agency. Plus lets not forget the Raiders do have prospect Terrelle Pryor on the roster.  But now without a first round pick and having traded for Palmer I think the Raiders are stuck with Palmer at least a few years, but hey maybe he will be the next Drew Bree's and it will have been a great move for the Raiders.

Matt Flynn and the 2012 season.

Matt Flynn is a free agent in March of 2012 where will he be during the 2012 season? We all know the packers would love to keep Matt Flynn as a backup to Rodgers going into next season but that is very unlikely. First off due to the CBA agreement  a player is only a restricted free agent if his contract expires and he has completed 3 seasons or less in the NFL. Matt Flynn is completing his 4th year in the NFL and his contract is expiring which makes him a unrestricted free agent. The packers could Franchise Tag him but this is unlikely with the tag costing 14.5 million for QB's next season, and the contracts of starters TE Jermichael Finley, and C Scott Wells expiring this year. Also Flynn has expressed aspiration's to be a starter in the NFL and his 480 yards and 6 TD's against the Lions on New Years Day help support his plan.

Teams such as Seattle, Miami, Washington, and Cleavland are in the QB market may go after him. It is possible The Broncos could be interested depending on how John Elway feels about Tebow after the playoffs. GM  John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks was the GM of the Packers when Flynn was drafted. Schneider should have some inside knowledge on Flynn's ability and attitude. Also with Seattle drafting 11th or 12th it is highly unlikely Luck or Griffin III will be available to draft.  While Cleveland's Team President Mike Holmgren has ties to the Packers, and may not want to draft another QB with Colt McCoy entering his 3rd year and may prefer bringing in Flynn and having the two QB's compete to start. My best guess is Seattle makes a Strong push to get Flynn but may get out bid by the Free Agency money spending Washington Redskins, or Flynn may prefer the weather in Miami over Seattle.

Why the Seahawks won't draft a Cornerback in the 1st round.

 Why the Seahawks won't draft a Cornerback in the 1st  round.

I have seen many mock drafts that have Seattle drafting a corner in the first round such as Dre’       Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama, or Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU. Seattle has gotten good corner play from Brandon Browner, and Richard Sherman. Sherman started the year as the dime corner and was pressed into the starting Line Up after injuries to Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond. Thurmond will be back in 2012 and Trufant as well if the hawks decide to bring him back. So Seattle will have depth at Corner and has more pressing needs such as Quarterback and a pass rusher. Seattle may want Robert Griffin III if he is available which isn't likely. He may go as high as the second overall pick. Most likely if the Rams whom hold the 2nd overall pick decide to trade the pick to a quarterback thirsty team it would be the Redskins, Dolphins, or Browns long before trading it to a Division Rival. So Seattle may opt to draft a Defensive End such as Nick Perry From USC , Whom Pete Carrol helped recruit. Or a player such as Quinton Coples out of North Carolina.