Rams Trade No. 2 Pick to Redskins

Yesterday, it was reported that the Rams had traded their No.2 overall pick to the Redskins. The news came out around 8 o’Clock last night. In exchange for the No 2 pick in the 2012 Draft, the Redskins are sending their 1st rRounders for 2012, 2013, and 2014. In addition, the Rams get the 2nd Round pick currently held by the Redskins (39th) in this year’s draft.

[Related: Redskins get No.2 pick]

This trade will draw different opinions from around the league. Personally, I think the Rams cashed-in on their chance with this No.2 pick.

Rams

• They’ve already got a future QB in Sam Bradford
• There was no point in selecting RGIII or Andrew Luck
• If you pick one of those two^^ and trade them, you’ll get much less value
• So, they cashed in by getting a 1st Rounder every year for the next 3

Redskins

• Desperately need a QB right now, it’s their main weak spot
• Haven’t had many good QBs recently, maybe with RGIII they have a chance?
• RGIII will bring the fans to the stadium, we all know that
• They can build around RGIII, just like you build around a PG in basketball
• However, they had to give up a lot in order to get this pick; in fact, I think they gave up more than they needed to

So, what’s your take on this deal?

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Peyton Manning is now a free agent

Yesterday, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they planned to release their QB of 14 years on this day. In his 14 year career with the Colts, he has brought home one Super Bowl trophy and multiple MVP’s. The Colts seem to have the game plan many predicted going into the off season: trade Manning, draft Luck. With this strategy, you save yourself $28 M you were about to use on a player who hasn’t seen the field since 2010. In addition, you gain on of the most anticipated players of this generation in Andrew Luck.

Now, will they end up drafting Luck? Or will they go with Heisman winner Robert Griffin III? He is slated by many to be selected with the 2nd pick, currently held by the St. Louis Rams. However, St. Louis believes they’ve got their QB of the future in Sam Bradford. This clearly raises more questions: will the Rams trade their 1st round pick? If the colts draft RG III, will the 2nd selection be Andrew Luck?

I think the biggest question is this: Is Luck/RGIII ready to 1) take over a legend’s role on the team and 2) bring this team back from a bottom-feeder to a title contender?

Which team will sign Peyton?

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Here is what I think will happen: Luck will get picked by the Colts. The St. Louis Rams will trade their No. 2 pick to another team for an abundance of other picks to build around Bradford. RGIII will be selected with that pick.

Personally, I think Luck will have the better career, and the Rams will trade their pick to the Seahawks.

Question: Who do you guys think will have the better career: RGIII, or Andrew Luck?

Question: Who will the Rams trade their No. 2 pick to?

Also, any other comments would be greatly appreciated

Personally, I think Luck will have the better career, and the Rams will trade their pick to the Seahawks.

NFL Playoffs Set, Off-season Changes Begin

The NFL regular season is over. Teams that made the playoffs are busting their asses in preparation. The rest of the league has started their off-season. In fact, a couple teams have gotten head starts by firing their head coaches. The Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris yesterday, while the Rams fired Steve Spagnuolo. Both coaches were fired because of disappointing seasons: the Bucs finished 4-12, while the Rams finished an awful 2-14. Those W/L records kind of surprise me a bit, because both teams vastly improved last year when Tampa went 10-6 and St. Louis went 7-9. However, I suppose both franchises decided that the Head Coach should take the blame for the teams’ disappointing season.

As previously mentioned, the NFL playoff matchups are set. The Bengals will travel to Houston to take on the Texans, while the Steelers travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. That one confused me, as Denver has a much worse record than Pittsburgh, yet has a home game against them…

Those matchups are both AFC Wild Card games. Now, for the NFC Wild Card games: the Lions travel to New Orleans to face the Saints, while the Falcons travel to New York to take on the Giants.

Honestly, I think the Bengals will win their matchup because their quarterback (Andy Dalton) is better than Jake Delhomme.However, if TJ Yates comes back, we don’t know how he’ll produce because he’s a little inconsistent. Regardless, I feel the Bengals have a better chance of winning because of their rookie quarterback and receiver.

I think the Steelers will win their matchup because their defense is one of the best in the league. They will find a way to stop Tim Tebow. Also, Big Ben will make sure Pittsburgh scores enough to win the game. Will Denver even score at all in this game?

I think the Saints will beat the Lions because their offense is just too good. Led by Drew Brees, they have a passing attack unlike any other in the NFL. However, I do think the Lions will make it interesting and a fun game to watch.

I think the Giants will beat the Falcons because Atlanta has a history of being bad on the road. Plus, the Falcons aren’t used to playing in 30 degree conditions, like the Giants are. I do think this game will be close, but I feel like the Giants will pull out a victory here.

To find the complete playoff picture so far, visit this link.

Week 8 Power Rankings

Here we are again for some more Power Rankings! It’s me, Sam Brief (http://sambrief.com/) and JB Knox (http://thedailybeans.wordpress.com/) here today to rank all 32 NFL Teams! Let’s go:

TEAM	RECORD	COMMENTS
1. Packers	7-0	The Packers are still #1 on our power rankings. Why is this? Maybe it’s because they are 7-0 with the best offense in the NFL. If Aaron Rodgers can keep his 125.7 passer rating up, the Pack are in prime position. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
2. Patriots	5-1	The Patriots were on a bye last week. We figured that their offense is still one of the best in the league and they haven’t changed much since the season started. However, the 49ers are closing in on No.2 in the league. Thesportzguru
3. 49ers	5-1	Coming off a well-earned bye week the Niners should improve to 6-1 vs a Browns team that yields 119 yds/gm vs the run. Frank Gore has fresh legs and Braylon Edwards is back in the fold to help balance the attack. @theknoxscore DBSports
4.Saints	5-2	The Saints put 62 points on the Colts on Sunday night. This was the most points scored in an NFL game since 1970. This mixed with Drew Brees keeping up the good (or more than good) work helped the Saints jump from #8 to #4 on our rankings. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
5.Steelers	5-2	The Steelers beat the Cardinals last week 32-20. They are in their rythm and will look to beat the Patriots October 30th. Thesportzguru
6.Ravens	4-2	The Ravens fell from 4th last week down 2 spots.That’s because of their loss to the Jaguars on MNF. What a bad loss that was, right? Still, they’re a good team and just got exposed; I don’t think that will become a regularity. Thesportzguru
7.Lions	5-2	Even after 2 straight losses to the 49ers and the Falcons, the Lions remain strong at 5-2 and 2nd in the NFC North. Although this is true, Matthew Stafford suffered a sprained right ankle, and if he gets unhealthy again, the Lions could be in hot water once again. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
8.Bills	4-2	The Bills had their bye this week but dropped to #8 because of strong performances from the Saints and Steelers. Fred Jackson continues to lead a balanced running game, and Ryan Fitzpatrick looks better than he ever has in his career. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
9.Falcons	4-3	Moved up 6 spots in our rankings with big win on the road at Detroit and head into a bye week looking to get Julio Jones healthy. They should continue to roll with two weeks to prepare for the dismal Colts. @theknoxscore DBSports
10.Giants	4-2	The Giants actually stayed put this week. Surprising, considering they are such a sporadic team. However, they did have a bye week so I guess I can understand…next week is the Dolphins @ Home. Thesportzguru
11.Bengals	4-2	Rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are helping the Bengals to get out to a shocking 4-2 start. It doesn’t hurt that their defense is 2nd in the NFL only to Baltimore. If they can keep this up, we could see an unexpected playoff appearance for a young Bengals team striving for success. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
12.Chargers	4-2	SD has lost both games vs teams .500 or better and look to right the ship and separate themselves from the rest of the AFC West with a big MNF showdown vs the KC Chiefs. Red-zone problems, Rivers interceptions and their lack of a 2nd-half game plan have the key problems this year. @theknoxscore DBSports
13.Jets	4-3	Jets-Ah, the New York Jets. Rex Ryan started some stuff with Norv Turner before the game about SB rings. He ended up winning the game, so I guess that justifies it a little. They have a bye this week. Thesportzguru
14.Texans	4-3	Texans— Arian Foster looks to dismantle another division foe this week vs the short-rested Jags. Foster had a combined 234 yards and just may be getting Andre Johnson back into the mix this week. @theknoxscore DBSports
15.Bears	4-3	The Bears had an impressive win in London against the Buccaneers. Their offensive line looked great (finally). 4-3 is the same record that they had week 7 last year. They finished the year at 11-5 and made the NFC Championship Game. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
16.Buccaneers	4-3	The Buccaneers lost in London to the Bears this week, but, looked good towards the end. Josh Freeman led an (almost!) fourth quarter comeback as they cut the Bears’ lead from 16 to 3 in the 4th quarter. They lost, but were superb at the end.@SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
17. Cowboys	3-3	The Cowboys jumped up 3 spots this week, thanks to their win against the St. Louis Rams. Everybody heard of DeMarco Murray, right? What a monster, if the Cowboys can at least get 1/2 that yardage per game, expect some wins from them. TheSportzGuru
18. Raiders	4-3	After a high following 2 emotional wins after the tragic death of Al Davis, the Raiders disappointed. After trading their draft picks for the next (50?) years to acquire Carson Palmer, coach Hue Jackson started Kyle Boller instead of Palmer. Boller threw 3 interceptions, then Palmer threw 3 interceptions in a 28-0 blowout loss to the Chiefs.@SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
19. Eagles	2-4	The Eagles are fresh off a bye to host the rival Cowboys on Sunday Night. Another must-win to stay in the NFC East race. Can they slow down rookie phenom Demarcus Murray and get Vick/McCoy to the edges with space will be keys to this victory.  @theknoxscore DBSports
20. Chiefs	3-3	-beneficiaries of the QB injuries in Oakland, the Chiefs vie for 1st place in AFC West in a huge MNF battle with San Diego. Thomas Jones and Dwayne Bowe will have to have big games and hope the defense can cause some big turnovers again. 2 INT returns for TDS would sure look nice in back-to back weeks. @theknoxscore DBSports
21. Titans	3-3	CJ2K and the rushing attack has been abysmal but the Colts defense is just what the doctor ordered. The Titans look to avoid their 3rd straight embarrassing loss. They should get a break from defending a stout running game with the Colts weak rushing attack in town this week. @theknoxscore DBSports
22. Browns	3-3	The Browns offense was totally flat in a 6-3 (no, this isn’t baseball) victory over the Seahawks. While the Browns are 3-3, their offense has looked unimpressive, and this is due in part to the injury of running back Peyton Hillis. The fact that they have virtually NO recieving support doesn’t help their cause much either. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
23. Redskins	3-3	It’s been an interesting week for the Redskins. After benching Rex Grossman, Mike Shanahan started John Beck at quarterback against the Panthers. Beck failed to impress in a 33-20 loss to Carolina. If the Redskins can’t figure out the quarterback situation, they won’t succeed. Also, Tim Hightower is out for the season with a torn ACL, Chris and Santana Moss is out for 5 weeks with a broken hand. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
24. Jaguars	2-5	The Jaguars moved up an astounding 4 spots in this weeks rankings. Just like the Ravens went down, the Jaguars went up. If they keep winning like that, especially against high-profile teams (Jets), they will move up quickly. Thesportzguru
25. Panthers	2-5	Newton’s 2nd rookie QB battle this week has me Pondering if he can go 2-0 vs his fellow draft class. His deep passes have become more accurate by the week and his first winning streak may be just around the corner. Steve Smith will look to continue to march towards a Pro-Bowl bid against the Vikings. @theknoxscore DBSports
26. Broncos	2-4	This one is a shocker: the Broncos moved down 1 spot from last week. Maybe it was because their win was against the Dolphins? Next week, they face the Lions. Thesportzguru
27. Seahawks	2-4	A much-needed home game for the Seahawks this week to face the Bengals #2 rated defense. They were stuck in the mud against the Browns, but hope the crowd noise will fluster rookie QB Andy Dalton and their offense can muster just enough points to eek out a win. If not they officially enter the “Suck for Luck” sweepstakes with a head of steam. @theknoxscore DBSports
28. Cardinals	1-6	The Cardinals looked flat in a 32-20 loss to the Steelers. Kevin Kolb hasn’t looked good at all this season, he is 25th in the NFL in passer rating, and 21st in touchdowns. For the 1-5 Cardinals to turn their season around, Kevin Kold needs to step it up. @SamsSportsBrief http://sambrief.com
29. Vikings	1-6	The Vikings stayed pat this week. It’s a pretty good move considering they got beat by the Packers, however they were close to coming back in the last 2 min. This team isn’t going anywhere this year. Thesportzguru
30. Rams	0-6	They average 9.3 PPG and give up 28.5 PPG!!! Need I say more? Spagnuolo’s seat is En Fuego right now and with the high-powered Saints marching in, that pink slip is just begging for it’s John Hancock. @theknoxscore DBSports
31. Dolphins	0-6	The Fins have an NFL worst 23.7% 3rd down conversion rate combined with the 30th ranked -7 turnover ratio, no running game as well as leading the league with 22 sacks allowed. Oh and they get to face the league-leading defensive sacks team in the NY Giants who are fresh off a bye and healthier. UH-OH No Bueno Sparano!!! @theknoxscore DBSports
32. Colts	0-6	The Colts. Suck. For. Luck. Thesportzguru