Cassell Trade Affects Top of Draft:

The trade means Kansas City, drafting #3 overall no longer needs a quarterback. Despite Tyler Thigpen’s great play to end the season many experts thought the Chiefs were still considering drafting quarterback Mark Sanchez from USC (assuming that Matthew Stafford would be gone already).

That means Sanchez will fall out of the top five for sure and could fall all the way to the middle of round one if Green Bay or San Francisco don’t take him at picks #9 and #10. This is all assuming that Matthew Stafford goes to the Detroit Lions at #1 overall, which is not a given. If Stafford doesn’t go #1 then we could have to wait for our first QB to come off the board at #9.

Houshmandzadeh signing drops Crabtree: A lot of people have had Michael Crabtree going #4 overall to the Seattle Seahawks for quite a while now. It made perfect sense. Seattle needed a big play wide receiver and a go to guy for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

It’s time to throw that out the window now. The Seahawks have signed former Cincinnati Bengals standout wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh to a five year deal, leaving Seattle’s wide receiver needs filled. Although it’s not inconceivable to think that Crabtree could go #2 or #3 to St. Louis or Kansas City it isn’t looking too likely. Both teams have young receivers they like. St. Louis has Donnie Avery and Kansas City has Dwayne Bowe.

That means the first receiver could have to wait until after the top five picks to be drafted. A lot will be decided by the Chad Johnson situation in Cincinati, but with Johnson still on board in Cincy for now it’s hard to imagine the Bengals spending that much money on a wide receiver. Oakland seems like a logical landing place, where Al Davis could pair young quarterback JaMarcus Russell and young running back Darren McFadden with a young wide receiver.

The Chiefs are still not winning but the last two weeks they have been very competitive, including being tied or ahead in the 4th quarter of both games. On Sunday they lost due to a failed two point conversion try and against the Buccaneers they blew a 21 point lead.

Either way, Tyler Thigpen is the reason the Chiefs have improved despite their 1-7 record. In the last three weeks Thigpen has thrown for 6 TDs (0 INTS) and caught a TD.

He’s 66 of 102 for and 710 yards during that stretch, so it’s not like he’s throwing short passes only. Tony Gonzalez even had two touchdowns on Sunday, meaning he is finding a way to get the Chiefs one offensive difference maker involved.

So I’m asking you Chiefs fans, is there still a need to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft? I figure a lot of you guys want to take the wait and see approach with Thigpen, but either way his improvement is completely unexpected.

The last three weeks the Chiefs have lost, but only by a combined 8 points. That’s a lot better than the first six games of the season when the Chiefs were only competitive twice.

Thigpen after all is only 24 and in his second year out of Coastal Carolina. So tell me Chiefs fans, what would you do if the draft was tomorrow?

Add Other Thoughts Below!

Remember this isn’t based off of the current NFL standings for the top of the draft, it’s power rankings of the NFL’s worst teams. Teams will not be ranked by record.

The Lions just keep proving they want to go 0-16 don’t they? And on Thanksgiving we get treated to a possible meeting between the 11-0 Titans and the 0-11 Lions.

Man I can’t wait to eat turkey and watch that game…….NOT. Please let Detroit get some talent before then.

A few more thoughts before we get on to the rankings:

1) St. Louis, please field a NFL team the next time you want to step on the field.
2) Kansas City is improving faster than any team below. The Chiefs are competitive week in and week out.
3) Oakland’s offense is still missing in action.

On to the rankings:

#		Team	Record	Comments
1		Detroit Lions	0-9	I guess nobody could expect Daunte Culpepper to come in off the street and save the Lions season. It was a nice thought though. Lions fans start thinking about who you want to take #1 overall.
2		St. Louis Rams	2-7	Wait, how are they above Cincy and KC (or below depending on how you look at it) even though they have a better record? Maybe because they gave up 40 points in the first half and lost by 44 to the Jets, who aren’t exactly a powerhouse. Wow.
3		Kansas City Chiefs	1-8	For the second straight week the Chiefs blew a game that they really deserved to win. The good news is that Tyler Thigpen is developing nicely, at least for a 1-8 team.
4		Cincinnati Bengals	1-8	The Bengals actually won their last game, and their off this week so they at least keep their winning ways alive for another week. They are really too talented offensively to be scoring like they are, and it’s the main reason they are 1-8.
5		Oakland Raiders	2-7	Once again they weren’t really in the game this week. Ever since beating the Jets they have fallen to Atlanta in a blowout and the Pantehrs. Their offense has been absolutely terrible and now here comes red hot Miami.

On the Cusp: Seattle Seahawks (2-7), San Francisco 49ers (2-6; they play on MNF),

I also broke another rule of mine when I put the defending Super Bowl champions at #7. Usually I put the defending world champs #1 in my initial power rankings but after reviewing the NFL’s crazy offseason I decided that Michael Strahan’s retirement, as well as everyone else getting better will probably be too much for New York to repeat.

And since I just said that, they probably will repeat.

Anyways, I’ve now composed my second edition of power rankings. Check it out:

WANT TO ASK DANIEL A QUESTION? SEND IT INTO HIS ALL FOOTBALL MAILBAG

#	+/-		Team	Comment
1	–		Indianapolis Colts	Peyton Manning is the NFL’s best player, and I know this because I’ve even ranked him such. I just feel like Marvin Harrison will be back, and paired with Reggie Wayne they will return as one of the NFL’s top receiving duos. My early pick to win the Super Bowl.
2	–		New England Patriots	Alright trivia time. Is it worse to have a player who threw a record breaking 50 touchdowns as the NFL’s second best QB or having a team that went 18-1 and lost in the Super Bowl as the second best team in the league?
3	–		Dallas Cowboys	Terry Glenn’s contract situation is starting to cause a very uncomfortable stir in Big D. Just remember Cowboys fans, Dallas went 13-3 without Glenn in the regular season last year.
4	–		San Diego Chargers	In case anyone noticed the Chargers were the only NFL team with three players in my top 20 rankings.
5	+2		New York Giants	Michael Strahan’s retirement hurts the defensive line somewhat but as the veteran said in his final speech, it’s time for the other guys to show what they can do.
6	–		Jacksonville Jaguars	The Jaguars are just absolutely loaded with talent. It will be fun to see if Fred Taylor can have another great season at his age. I believe watching Maurice Jones Drew run the ball has refueled some of his fire.
7	-2		Pittsburgh Steelers	This is a team that has won the Super Bowl and knows how to handle adversity. Remember last season when Cleveland proved to be some unexpected competition in the AFC North? Pittsburgh won the division anyways.
8	+4		Green Bay Packers	The Packers could be anywhere from 8-14 on this list in my opinion but how much will Brett Favre’s retirement really hurt them? I have no idea but does anyone really know?
9	–		Philadelphia Eagles	Philadelphia has been very consistent for the last five years or so. Last season was a disappointment but they have too much talent to miss the playoffs again. Expect the Eagles to be as strong as ever in 2008.
10	+3		Cleveland Browns	The Browns have cracked my top ten. Wow. If you had told me this after the draft last year I would’ve told you it would be a few years. Let’s see if they can keep it up and become a consistent top NFL franchise.
11	-1		Seattle Seahawks	Does anyone else feel that by losing Shaun Alexander to free agency the Seahawks actually improved? It means they will rely less on Alexander, and Julius Jones should be at least a little of an upgrade.
12	+2		Tennessee Titans	I love their defense, but Vince Young has really got to start developing into more of a passer. He still relies on his legs entirely too much in a league where one hit can put you out for a year in the snap of your fingers.
13	-5		New Orleans Saints	I admit that New Orleans was probably ranked too high in my initial power rankings, but I love their offense and I see a big bounce back year coming for the Saints this year.
14	-3		Washington Redskins	All four NFC East teams are ranked in my top 14. Jason Campbell continues to develop and Clinton Portis is among the NFL’s best 10 running backs. The defense has a lot of talent. This team is going to help make the NFC East as competitve as ever.
15	+4		Minnesota Vikings	Adrian Peterson has already become one of the best running backs in the league. The offense needs to continue to grow under Tavaris Jackson.
16	–		Arizona Cardinals	Arizona is in the top half of my power rankings, and that means I probably just lost a lot of readers. Every year a team comes from nowhere to win a NFL dvision. The Cardinals are slowly building something in Arizona and I am picking them to win the NFC West.
17	+1		Houston Texans	Want to know how tough the AFC South is? Their four teams are all ranked in the top 17. Houston is very tough, and I expect them to challenge for a playoff spot again.
18	-3		Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Before Tampa Bay can really compete for a playoff spot they have to figure out who their QB is. That along with Carnell Williams returning healthy from his ACL injury would make the Buccaneers an instant NFC contender.
19	-2		Denver Broncos	Everyone in the AFC West, including Denver, is trying to find a way to catch up to San Diego in the divsion. Jay Cutler has a lot of work to do to prove he can be successful in this league.
20	–		Cincinnati Bengals	Carson Pamer is ranked #8 in Pete Prisco’s Top 50 list (Sportsline.com). He’s a great QB but #8? I love Palmer but I don’t think he’s quite that good. If Cincy can find any defense then they will be playing for a chance to win the AFC North late in the season.
21	–		Chicago Bears	It’s a make or break year for the Bears.  The Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton experiement will either finally fail completely causing Chicago to draft a QB in 2009, or the Bears will work themselves back into the mix in the NFC.
22	+1		Buffalo Bills	I really think Buffalo is an up and coming team in the AFC but the conference is loaded with talent already, meaning there isn’t much room for a young team like the Bills. In a few years we might be talking about how great a duo Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch are. Both looked great in year one (for rookies) to me.
23	+1		Carolina Panthers	Carolina is better than people think they are. Remember this same offense, led by Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith, played for the Super Bowl just a few years back. There’s no reason to believe they can’t find that magic again. It’s unlikely but not impossible.
24	-2		Detroit Lions	Jon Kitna will wear out his welcome in the Motor City quickly if he continues to come up short of his 10 win guarantee.
25	+5		Kansas City Chiefs	I think I had Kansas City a little too low in my initial rankings. I’m no Brodie Croyle fan, but Larry Johnson is still one a premiere running back. KC should contend for a playoff spot.
26	-1		St. Louis Rams	Last year was just embarrasing for a team I thought could be very successful in 2007. Instead I watched them start poorly and struggle the entire year. I don’t expect that to happen again, and neither do Rams fans.
27	–		Baltimore Ravens	I’ve read reports that Troy Smith is looking nice in Baltimore right now, and will probably start on opening day. If he plays well then the Ravens might be in a position like Cleveland is now with Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. Joe Flacco or Troy Smith? I’m sure this is a problem the Ravens hope develops.
28	-2		San Francisco 49ers	This is probably Alex Smith’s last chance to impress anyone on the West Coast. He is very inconsistent and is really hurting the reputation of future NFL players like Tim Tebow, since both ran Urban Meyer’s college system.
29	–		New York Jets	The Jets had a very disappointing year after making the playoffs in 2006. Eric Mangini impressed during his first season but another bad year might mean a very hot season in the Big Apple.
30	-2		Oakland Raiders	I like the direction that Oakland is going. If both JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden develop into stars then the Raiders will be back in hurry. It’s just a big IF.
31	–		Miami Dolphins	Early reports make it look like Josh McCown will probably be starting for Miami on opening day. If the Jason Taylor situation works out then the Dolphins D-line will be as strong as ever.
32	–		Atlanta Falcons	Matt Ryan is going to need lots of time to develop in Atlanta but before they can truly be competitve they need to surround their young QB with many weapons.

1) All we need is your vote below! Just vote and check back the next day for the next team. The plan is to change the team drafting every day about noon (CT)!

2) Tell your friends! We want lots of votes so that this is a true fan mock draft.

3) AND…..I had to make a few changes to your draft order. First you can’t have two NFC teams 31 and 32 (you guys selected the Saints and Cowboys), so I took the highest AFC team (Colts) and put them #31. I also realized that your 12 playoff teams were 9 NFC teams and 3 AFC teams, so I had to correct this also. I removed the bottom three NFC teams in the final 12 spots and replaced them with the top 3 AFC teams not in the final 12 spots (which are suppose to be represented by playoff teams).

4) Remember the Panthers have already traded their pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.

5) If you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to email me at dantheman4250@aol.com

#		Pick	Pos	School
1		Michael Crabtree	WR	Texas Tech
2		Michael Oher	OT	Ole Miss
3		James Laurinatis	LB	Ohio St
4		Matthew Stafford	QB	Georgia
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The Kansas City Star reported on Thursday that the Chiefs are having a quarterback battle, but it isn’t for the the starting spot. No instead it is for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. That’s because Brodie Croyle has already been rewarded the starting job by head coach Herm Edwards.

“It’s his team now,” Edwards said. “But he knows that, really to win them over, he’s got to win.”

Nothing against Croyle but I followed his college career at Alabama very closely and never saw him as an NFL quarterback. Even when asking the biggest Crimson Tide fans I know about Croyle’s starting role in Kansas City all I get is remarks like, “Croyle a QB? In the NFL? (laughter)” or “he will never make it.”

I agree completely, and being a Florida Gators fan I don’t often agree with my Crimson Tide brethren.

This time around I do though.

Why? Well every time I drive around my hometown, about 30 minutes from Tuscaloosa, I always see a bumper sticker that says “honk if you sacked Brodie.” That’s because during his senior season, in his final Iron Bowl game, Croyle was sacked seven times against in state rival Auburn. He was completely immobile and actually ran into quite a few sacks.

It’s actually one of the more talked about game’s in the rivalries recent history, and considering Auburn has dominated it the last five years there isn’t a whole lot of things for Crimson Tide fans to discuss that have went well. That leaves Croyle’s final Iron Bowl as the main thing Alabama fans like to complain about constantly.

Croyle has not been impressive in the 11 NFL games he has played in either. As he enters his third season in the league the 25 year old will still have to deal with the fact that he’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. For the record that’s six touchdowns, and eight interceptions for Kansas City’s starting quarterback.

I can’t believe I’m using starting quarterback and Brodie Croyle in the same sentence.

I know that young quarterbacks have to get on the field in order for the team to know whether or not they are the longterm answer, but I just don’t know what Kansas City has seen in Croyle to point them in that direction.

I really have nothing against the guy. He’s a great competitor and he seems like a smart kid. He makes good decisions on the field most of the time, but is inaccurate and doesn’t have an overpowering arm.

Throwing to Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe will certainly help Croyle. Gonzalez is experienced and will run be a great target when the young quarterback finds himself in trouble. Bowe is growing up in a hurry and has developed into one of the better young NFL receivers. Last year the two combined to catch 169 passes for 2,167 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That’s more touchdowns that Croyle has thrown in his entire NFL career, although it has been in limited playing time.

Let me say this Chiefs fans. Croyle was a third-round pick out of Alabama, meaning this isn’t a situation where you have to play the guy because he has already signed a huge rookie contract. Why are they already announcing Croyle their starter? Why not let some guys come in and fight over it? That’s the main thing I don’t understand, but there’s a reason Edwards (who I like a lot) is an NFL coach and why I’m not.

Maybe it will work out for the Chiefs. Maybe Croyle will be amazing and develop into one of the better young NFL quarterbacks over night. I just don’t see it happening.

Edwards says famously that “you play to win the game”, so maybe Kansas City can figure out a way to win “the game” with Brodie Croyle under center. Good luck.