Miller Mock 1.0

This is the week. T-minus four days and counting until the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. I’ll be heading to Kansas City with my son and fellow Chiefs fanatic, Casey Miller, to watch at the Chiefs Official Draft Party. It’s an event for Season Ticket Holders only. Yeah, that’s right. Can’t wait … 

As I haven’t had the time to do multiple mock drafts this year, Version 1.0 will be the first and the last one. Who knows what will really happen … (actually only one and Jesus isn’t talking). Take a look, and let me know what you think. 

1. Tampa Bay – Jameis Winston, QB Florida State -- loads of off-field issues and on-field potential
2. Tennessee (or whoever ends up in this spot) – Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon -- get the sense many teams are underselling how much they like him; natural leader
3. Jacksonville – Leonard Williams, DL USC -- just might be the best all-around talent in the draft
4. Oakland – Amari Cooper, WR Alabama -- polished route runner and pass catcher; hate to see him end up with the Raiders
5. Washington – Dante Fowler, OLB Florida -- pundits have been raving about his upside; could go anywhere from 3 to 23
6. New York Jets – Bud Dupree, OLB Kentucky -- skyrocketing up the mock draft boards; Jets could go WR here very easily
7. Chicago – Kevin White, WR West Virginia -- only one year of production, but the Bears will run to the podium if he is available
8. Atlanta – Vic Beasley, OLB Clemson -- least talked about of the edge rushers; quietly productive
9. New York Giants – Brandon Scherff, OL Iowa -- consistently mocked to the G-Men; will likely start at guard and then develop into tackle
10. St. Louis – Andrus Peat, OL Stanford -- not really sure what Rams will do here; OL is a need but so is WR
11. Minnesota – DeVante Parker, WR Louisville -- reuniting Teddy B with his college teammate
12. Cleveland – Danny Shelton, NT Washington -- Browns need help all over the field; building the D line is a good place to start
13. New Orleans – Randy Gregory, OLB Nebraska -- not sure if the Big Easy is a great place for Gregory, but he shouldn't be bored
14. Miami – La’el Collins, OL LSU -- Dolphins are still rebuilding the O line; likely starter at guard
15. San Francisco – Arik Armstead, DL Oregon -- nice start to rebuilding the Niners' dominant D
16. Houston – Breshad Perriman, WR Central Florida -- O'Brien replaces Andre with this burner
17. San Diego – D.J. Humphries, OL Florida -- Chargers continue to shore up the O line
18. Kansas City – Eric Kendricks, ILB UCLA -- with no glaring holes, Chiefs can go multiple ways here; CB, WR and ILB are the most logical moves
19. Cleveland – Eddie Goldman, DT Florida State -- with two first-round picks, the Browns go O line and D line
20. Philadelphia – Trae Waynes, CB Michigan State -- the first corner off the board to the Iggles at 20 unless Chip goes crazy again
21. Cincinnati – Shane Ray, OLB Missouri -- the fall for Ray stops with Cincy; the foot injury scared people off
22. Pittsburgh – Marcus Peters, CB Washington -- with key secondary retirements this off-season, the Steelers need to reload the back end of the D
23. Detroit – Malcolm Brown, DT Texas -- beginning the process of replacing Suh and Fairley, Brown is a good start
24. Arizona –Todd Gurley, RB Georgia -- if the Cards strike out on the AP deal, drafting Gurley is a nice consolation prize
25. Carolina – Cedric Ogbuehi, OT Texas -- protecting Cam helps the passing game and the entire offense
26. Baltimore – Maxx Williams, TE Minnesota -- the draft's best TE option by far will help the Ravens in the middle of the field
27. Dallas – Melvin Gordon, RB Wisconsin -- Gordon may step in and start as a rookie behind the best O line in the league
28. Denver – Jake Fisher, OT Oregon -- free-agency defections mean Elway has to shore up the line
29. Indianapolis – Ereck Flowers, OT Miami -- Luck is great, but he can't block and throw the passes; Indy needs help here
30. Green Bay – Kevin Johnson, CB Wake Forrest -- as usual, Thompson stays pat and finds great value late in the round
31. New Orleans – Jalen Collins, CB LSU -- the Saints need back-end help, and Collins fits the scheme
32. New England – Landon Collins, S Alabama -- who really cares who they get? It's the Patriots for crying out loud. They'll be fine.

How does your mock look different from this?
Thanks for reading.
Steve

A New Era at Arrowhead

The End is in Sight

It was the worst of times; it was the worst of times. 2012 is the season that will long live in the brains of suffering Kansas City Chiefs fans for years to come. From just about every angle that you could possibly look at the recently completed football campaign, it was a complete and total disaster. Let’s take a look at just a few of the stats, shall we.

Points scored, allowed: 211, 425

Point differential: -215 (worst in the league)

Offensive Touchdowns: 17 (last in the league)

Total Offense: 32nd

Total Defense: 25^th

Record: 2-14 (last)

There were a few bright spots, but you had to look hard to see them through the clouds. Jamaal Charles came back with a vengeance from a knee injury that ended his 2011 season. He returned to form as one of the NFL’s top running backs, finishing with 1,509 yards. And the team ended up sending six players to the Pro Bowl, proving the roster was not void of quality players.

Off the field, things were just as bleak. Fans were forming new groups to lobby for then-General Manager Scott Pioli to be fired. Head Coach Romeo Crennel, as nice of a man as he is, did not have any answers … on the field or at press conferences. Linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then committed suicide at the team’s practice facility. The Chiefs were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. As painful as it is for fanatical football fans to admit, the conclusion of the final contest in Denver could not come soon enough.

The end of the one of the longest and most painful seasons in the history of the Chiefs mercifully came to an end on Dec. 30. Fans were fed up they wanted to see changes. And Clark Hunt did not disappoint.

A New Beginning

It was an incredibly eventful month for Clark Hunt, Chiefs’ chairman and CEO, following the end of the season. In three consecutive Mondays, he held press conferences announcing major changes for the organization. On Dec. 31, it was Crennel’s firing and adoption of significant structural changes. On Jan. 6, it was the hiring of Andy Reid as the team’s 13^th head coach. And finally, on Jan. 13, it was the hiring of John Dorsey as general manager; Pioli and the team had “parted ways” earlier in the month.

The 2012 season was marked with despair, negativity and pain for Chiefs fans, long considered one of the most loyal and passionate fanbases in the league. And in less than a month, bold moves by the new Mr. Hunt turned the off-season on its ear.

Rather than grousing and complaining, fan blogs and sports talk radio surrounding the Chiefs suddenly turned to optimism, hope and predictions of success for 2013. Somehow, we all came down with a case of amnesia and collectively decided to forget about the crushing defeats, the bumbling leadership and the inept quarterback play. With the flip of three bold switches by Clark Hunt, fans have returned to their loyal, positive and supportive ways.

The organization still has major decisions in front of it that will determine, to a large extent, the success we will see the team have on the field for the foreseeable future … Who to draft with the No. 1 pick? Whether to franchise LT Branden Albert, WR Dwayne Bowe, sign them to long-term contracts or let them walk? What to do with the QB situation (Cassel, Quinn, Stanzi) – do they all need to go? That is all in addition to preparing for the upcoming draft and free agency. Lots of decisions, but very little time.

Despite last season’s failures, it is an exciting time to be a Chiefs fan. I’m counting the days until the NFL Combine, the opening of free agency, the NFL Draft, mini camps, training camp … and of course, the pre-season and eventually the 2013 regular season.

It’s a new era in Chiefs football. Hang on folks. It’s going to be a wild ride.

As always, thanks for reading.

Steve

Musings on the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl

It is always bittersweet for me to see the Super Bowl get big in the football window. Sweet because the biggest game of the year is only days away; bitter because that game marks the end of watching grown men smash each other for a few months … leaving only the NFL Combine, free agency and the Draft in April to look forward to. Ahh … the Super Bowl. How America loves ye.

But anyway, let’s move on to some random thoughts on the Pro Bowl and a preview/prediction for the Super Bowl.

Players Save the Pro Bowl

Commissioner Roger Goodell has done a lot of good for the NFL over the past few years. Many grouse about his heavy-handed suspension and fines, but I think overall the league is better for having him in the chair. Take the Pro Bowl for instance. Last year’s game was a disgrace; players barely tried. Roger threatened to eliminate the game. So what happened? It actually looked like a football game this year.

I typically root for the AFC, but generally don’t really care who wins the game. It’s one of the last two games for the season, so I will watch. The best part this year was watching the six Chiefs in the game. Pretty good (a record in fact) for a team with only two wins. It proves the talent is there. Hopefully the leadership is there now, too. This fan is already looking forward to next season with Andy Reid (Big Red) at the helm.

Super Bowl XLVII

RAVENS VS 49ERS

This game is also known as the HarBowl or Ray Lewis’ last dance or the battle of two unknown quarterbacks or the Revival of New Orleans. There are plenty of storylines to go around at this year’s NFL championship game, and most of us will be sick of hearing about most of them by kickoff on Sunday.

The one I like, and some of you may disagree, is the story of two brothers coaching against each other in the biggest game of their lives. Put yourself in their place. I want to win as bad as the next guy (OK, probably more) but knowing that your bro is going to be crushed at the very moment that you have one of the greatest moments of your life. That’s heavy. Mr. & Mrs. Harbaugh have to be torn. It’s the best of times, but it is also tough, I’m sure. Imagine being incredibly joyful for one son while consoling and heartbroken for the other. What an incredible situation God has placed in front of that family. They seem to be handling it with humility, grace and joy. Good for them.

On to the game … most of the official betting lines have the Niners favored by 3-4 points. By all accounts it should be a hard-hitting and close game. The teams (and coaches) mirror each other – tough defense, good running games, vertical passing, TEs heavily involved, strong special teams, emotional leaders across the board.

All that said, it’s going to come down to which defense can stop the opposing team’s biggest offensive threat. For the Ravens that is Flacco to Torrey Smith going deep. For the Niners, it’s Kaepernick and the read-option from the quarterback position. Atlanta poked holes in the San Francisco secondary, and I think Baltimore will, too. My prediction: Ravens 28, Niners 24. Good bye, Ray Lewis.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

Black Monday for Missouri’s Football Teams

It’s a sad, sad Monday following a colossally weak weekend for football in the State of Missouri. As a bonkers-crazy football fan, I was looking forward to this weekend’s home games with anticipation and visions of sweeping all three games. The sweep we saw is not the one I was envisioning.

Syracuse at Missouri

The Tigers were coming off a thrilling quadruple overtime victory, earning just their second SEC win and their first on the road at Tennessee. Syracuse beat a good Louisville team the week prior, but that was at home. They wouldn’t be able to do that on the road against a rejuvenated Mizzou squad, right? Wrong.

Unfortunately my first Mizzou game of the year was a disappointing loss as the Tigers played porous defense, unable to stop the Orange’s quick passing game. As a result, Mizzou (5-6) will not be going to a bowl game this year. Not exactly what the Black & Gold faithful had in mind for its first year in the SEC.

Jets at Rams

The New York Tebows came to town on Christian Family Day hoping to spoil the Rams hopes to continue ascending up the ranks of improving NFL teams. After managing to tie the mighty 49ers on the road last week, St. Louis had its sights on a big home win. Tebow had little effect on the game, but the Jets running game and defense did plenty. Other than the Rams’ opening touchdown drive, the offense was anemic and the defense couldn’t stop New York’s running game. Both teams had the same plan – run the ball, play tough D. Only one was able to execute. The Rams fell to 3-6-1 and any hopes of competing for a Wild Card spot were put to bed. 


Bengals at Chiefs 
Cincinnati, coming off a huge home win over the New York Football Giants, was hoping and easy path to its fifth win of the season in Kansas City. The Chiefs entered the game with only one win, but the team had played the Steelers tough in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football and hoped to ride that positive momentum double its season win total. Didn’t happen. I have Chiefs season tickets, and thankfully, I couldn’t attend the game. My son took some Mizzou buddies to their first ever Chiefs game … it was ugly. The only thing more embarrassing than the play on the field was how not-full the stands were. Needless to say, the Bengals stomped the Chefs (maybe they can cook better than they play football) and set them firmly into place as the lead dog for the first pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.

As always, thanks for reading. Join the discussion. That's what makes it fun.

Steve

Miller Mock Draft 2.0

This is the week. T-minus four days and counting until the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. I’ll be heading to Kansas City with my buddy, Forrest Gossett, to watch at the Chiefs Official Draft Party. It’s an event for Season Ticket Holders only. Yeah, that’s right. Can’t wait …

I’ve made a few tweaks to my picks from last week. Well, actually … more than a few tweaks. More than half of the 32 teams’ picks have changed (shown in red). 

Take a look, and let me know what you think. 

  

1.       Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

2.       Washington Redskins (from Rams) – Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor
3.       Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT USC
4.       Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB Alabama
5.       Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB LSU
6.       St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State
7.       Jacksonville Jaguars – Melvin Ingram, DE S. Carolina
8.       Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M
9.       Carolina Panthers – Fletcher Cox, DL Mississippi State
10.   Buffalo Bills – Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College
11.   Kansas City Chiefs – David DeCastro, OG Stanford
12.   Seattle Seahawks – Quinton Coples, DE N. Carolina
13.   Arizona Cardinals – Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame
14.   Dallas Cowboys – Mark Barron, S Alabama
15.   Philadelphia Eagles – Dontari Poe, NT Memphis
16.   New York Jets – Courtney Upshaw, LB Alabama
17.   Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders) – Stephon Gilmore, CB S. Carolina
18.   San Diego – Cordy Glenn, OT Georgia
19.   Chicago Bears – Riley Reiff, OT Iowa
20.   Tennessee Titans – Dont’a Hightower, LB Alabama
21.   Cincinnati Bengals – Kendall Wright, WR Baylor
22.   Cleveland Browns (from Falcons) – Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech
23.   Detroit Lions – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama
24.   Pittsburgh Steelers – Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford
25.   Denver Broncos – Michael Brockers, DT LSU
26.   Houston Texans – Nick Perry, DE USC
27.   New England Patriots (from Saints) – Whitney Mercilius, DE Illinois
28.   Green Bay Packers – Shea McClellin, LB Boise State
29.   Baltimore Ravens – Peter Konz, C Wisconsin
30.   San Francisco 49ers – Harrison Smith, S Notre Dame
31.   New England Patriots – Mike Adams, OT Ohio State
32.   New York Giants – Coby Fleener, TE Stanford

How does your mock look different from this?

Thanks for reading.

Steve

Miller Mock Draft 1.0

Wow. Welcome back to me. It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but with NFL pre-season activity starting to heat up with the scouting combine, the draft and OTAs, I’m getting the fever.

With the NFL Draft now less than two weeks away, every expert and his two brothers are putting together mock drafts. Well, I’m no expert but I love football an awful lot, so I decided to throw something together. Cannot wait to see how it all unfolds starting April 26.

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

There is no way Jim Irsay passes on the next great pocket passer. 

2. Washington Redskins (from Rams) – Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

RG3 could end up being more successful than Luck. Shanahan hopes so.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT USC

Protecting Christian Ponder has to be the top priority. Kalil has the bloodlines and the talent.

4. Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

Colt McCoy needs offensive weapons. Cleveland desperately needs running back help. TRich is the most complete RB prospect since Adrian Peterson.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

Ronde Barber can’t play corner forever. Claiborne is an elite talent. When need meets BPA (best player available), it’s a beautiful thing.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

Every expert in the known world has Blackmon going to the Rams. It makes sense, but who knows what Fisher and Co. will do. Lots of needs to meet.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

Blaine Gabbert looked terrible last season. He needs help. Floyd will be a significant upgrade at WR.

8. Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M

The kid is raw and inexperienced, but experts say his ceiling is high. Philbin and Sherman better hope so.

9. Carolina Panthers – Fletcher Cox, DL Mississippi State

Cox fits a team need on the D line, and he’s the best available.

10. Buffalo Bills – Riley Reiff, OT Iowa

Reiff is a solid lineman and will step into the starting lineup right away, probably at LT.

11. Kansas City Chiefs – Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

KC comes into the draft with few gaping holes. Kuechly is a tackling machine, and will quickly be starting on the inside opposite Derrick Johnson.

12. Seattle Seahawks – David DeCastro, OG Stanford

DeCastro is ready to start right now, and Seattle is glad to see he’s still available. Matt Flynn says thank you.

13. Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE S. Carolina

They have needs at WR and OL but with the best prospects already taken, the Cards shift to D line concerns. Ingram is long and lean, and should make an impact in the pass rush game.

14. Dallas Cowboys – Mark Barron, S Alabama

Barron is a LB/Safety hybrid, and the Boys will plug him into situational defenses right away.

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Dontari Poe, NT Memphis

This kid impressed at the Scouting Combine, but his tape showed inconsistency against sub-par competition at Memphis. Needs time to develop.

16. New York Jets – Quinton Coples, DE N. Carolina

Rex loves the D line, and Coples has big talent. His potential to bust is higher than most due to his inconsistent motor.

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders) – Stephon Gilmore, CB S. Carolina

One of the team’s top needs is at corner, and Gilmore is rated as one of the best in this year’s class. Seems like a fit.

18. San Diego Chargers – Cordy Glenn, OT Georgia

The Chargers lost quite a bit this off-season, and I don’t see Gaither as a long-term fix at LT. This mammoth dude from Georgia is highly regarded.

19. Chicago Bears – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

The Bears still have need at WR and on the O line, but I think they’ll go with this versatile athletic corner. He’s an upgrade and will start.

20. Tennessee Titans – Dont’a Hightower, LB Alabama

Tennessee is getting older on defense, particularly in the linebacking corps. Hightower is a hybrid LB/Safety and will make an impact in the middle.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Kendall Wright, WR Baylor

Andy Dalton needs more weapons to complement A.J. Green. A running back could work here, but I think they’ll go WR here and get the RB later. Wright plays fast in pads.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Falcons) – Michael Brockers, DT LSU

23. Detroit Lions – Courtney Upshaw, LB Alabama

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford

25. Denver Broncos – Janoris Jenkins, CB N. Alabama

26. Houston Texans – Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech

27. New England Patriots (from Saints) – Nick Perry, DE USC

28. Green Bay Packers – Chandler Jones, DE Syracuse

29. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Zeitler, OG Wisconsin

30. San Francisco 49ers – Harrison Smith, S Notre Dame

31. New England Patriots – Andre Branch, DE Clemson

32. New York Giants – Mike Adams, OT Ohio State