Listen closely: Roy Williams does not have to fill Terrell Owens’ shoes for the trade to be deemed a success. Jerry Jones didn’t release Owens because he felt Roy Williams could put up the same numbers in place of Owens. If that were the case, why release Owens in the first place when you have him putting up those touchdowns year after year? [Full Article...]

They weren’t that bad, really. Although the Lions went 0-16, they weren’t an 0-16 team. Sure, they gave up the second most amount of points in the history of the NFL, but did you see the detailed picture behind the “0-16” poster boards? I’m guessing you didn’t watch many Lions game in 2008, let alone all of them. Understandable, you probably didn’t even know which of 5 quarterbacks was playing that week, and since they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in week 11 and practically eliminated from the playoffs after week 5 [...]

Chad Ochocinco’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus believes that Chad “is really on a mission” this year to reestablish himself as the best receiver in the league. Ochocinco claims that his previous year’s slipup was due to lack of preparation and has reworked his offseason workout in order to return back to primetime shape. Of course, Rosenhaus supports his clients 100% in any positive publicity and therefore states that Ochocinco “will be tougher [than] ever to cover.” You should take everything an agent says about his client with a grain of salt, especially Rosenhaus. No one is Ochocinco’s biggest fan than the man that makes money off the contracts Ochocinco receives. Come to think of it, Ochocinco is probably his own biggest fan, with Rosenhaus and Ochocinco’s mother following close behind. Regardless, although Ochocinco is most likely preparing better than he has in previous years, I would not buy into Rosenhaus’ comments; they seem to be nothing more than garnered hype to spring him back into the spotlight he once engulfed.

If Ochocinco does play up to Rosenhaus’ bold statements (tougher to cover than ever before), we should see yardage and touchdown totals surpassing 1400 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, these numbers seem unreasonable for the 31-year-old Ochocinco who recently lost his partner TJ Houshmandzadeh; Ochocinco will now become a greater focal point of the offense and in turn will receive more defensive attention as well. Although I do see Ochocinco’s numbers returning to form, I do not see a career year in store for him.

Gabe Pinchev

There is a new disciplined culture in San Francisco stemming from the transition to ‘Samari’ Mike Singletary as head football coach. The 49ers tradition of excellence has been everything but that since Steve Young retired back in 1999. Sure the team had a successful filler in Jeff Garcia for a number or years, but he never proved the ability to take the team to the next level. After Garcia, enter incumbent journeyman Tim Rattay, whose inconstancies continued to contribute to the demise of this once proud organization. After finishing with the league’s worst record in 2004 and being ‘rewarded’ the consolation of the first overall selection in the NFL draft, the 49ers had their franchise quarterback in sight.

San Francisco took Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the first pick, hoping he would fill the role as Steve Young’s successor. Four years later, after posting a cumulative 63.5 passer rating, being marred by injury, and failing to deliver a winning season, Smith has failed to grasp the job and run with it.
As the 2009 season approaches, the San Francisco 49ers are once again looking for someone to take hold of the quarterback position. In the competition are Smith, Shaun Hill, and Damon Huard. While no decision has yet been made, all signs point to Shaun Hill. Hill has been given end of the year scrap duty each of the past seasons, and quite frankly has played exceptionally well. Hill started two games at the end of the 2007 season, throwing for 5 touchdowns with only 1 interception in two 49er victories. This past season it was more of the same for Hill who compiled an 87.5 passer rating in eight starts. Hill helped save the 49ers season, in which they were arguably the league’s worst team for a period of time. I personally believe that with some of the offseason moves San Francisco made, they can compete for the NFC West crown if Shaun Hill is indeed the man. Look for the 49ers fortunes to take a dramatic rise this coming season.

img src="http://theovertime.com/images/bennett.jpg" alt="Martellus Bennett Cowboys" align="left" /> Martellus Bennett, 2nd round pick from Texas A&M, catches balls from Tony Romo behind All-Pro tight end Jason Witten. Although Bennett's role was somewhat limited last year as a rookie playing behind arguably the best tight end in the league, he was still able to account for four touchdowns, tying with Jason Witten. One of these touchdowns, an athletic grab over the head of Redskin's defender Horton, sealed the deal in a clutch situation against a division rival. But this was only as a rookie and has many years to grow even further into the NFL. Putting Bennett's rookie season into perspective, Witten caught 35 balls for one touchdown in his rookie season.

So where's his upside? Not only does Bennett have a monstrous 6'6 265-pound frame, but his basketball background highlights his athletic leaping ability. Bennett can move like a receiver, while still being able to block well. Jerry Jones drafted Bennett to "add a new dimension" to the offense. As you see, Jones has great confidence in his athletic ability and hopes to utilize Bennett more effectively as he further develops.

As the college football season ended and the pre-draft circus got under way, there was one prospect in particular whom I kept my eye on. The player was Ramses Barden, a 6'6" 230 pound receiver from Cal-Poly drafted by the New York Giants in the third round, who caught 36 touchdown passes in his last 22 games. Barden is a physical specimen who is the ideal size to be a dominant red-zone target against any competition. Not only was Barden a scoring machine in college, but he also averaged an unprecedented 20.5 yards per catch during his four years. Was Barden playing against the top competition? Absolutely not. However, many feel (myself included) that if Barden played in a power FBS conference, the numbers wouldn't look too different. People tend to forget the surplus of top-notch receivers who came from small schools. Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, and Marques Colston are a few who played with "inferior" competition and they turned out pretty well I would say.

Barden is raw and has been inconsistent at times, but I strongly believe he will become a dominant force for the Giants for years to come. The Giants were looking for a receiver to replace Plaxico Burress, and quite frankly they could have traded for Braylon Edwards if they really wanted to. With all due respect to Hakeem Nicks, the receiver from North Carolina the Giants took in the first round, I believe Barden will develop into Eli Manning's "go to guy." Oh wait, I almost forgot to mention the many similarities to Burress in terms of size, ability to catch the ball at its highest point, and overall potential. Burress took several years to develop and become an impact player. Look for a similar path for Ramses Barden, the big apple's new prize.

I strongly believe that the Cincinatti Bengals did more to improve their roster and overall depth than any other team. While some were not in favor of taking Andre Smith at number 6, he is a franchise caliber tackle. If you watch the film and ignore the combine mishap, he simply dominates at the point of attack. He is a phenomenal run blocker and a very good pass protector. I can assure you both Cedric Benson and Carson Palmer were ecstatic about the selection. With their second selection, number 38 overall, they got a steal in having Rey Maualuga fall in their lap. He plays with a tenacity that toughens and improves this defense day one. Maualuga and Keith Rivers, selected from USC last year, make going across the middle a nightmare for anybody. Look for him to be a candidate for defensive rookie of the year.

However, they picked up more value after day one of the draft. With the 70th selection, they got great value with Georgia Tech defensive end Michael Johnson. Johnson at one point was considered to be a top 15 pick and has the athleticism to be a major force on the edge. I see Johnson playing early and often, while becoming a major contributor on Cincinnati's defense. With their other choice in the 3rd round at 98th overall, they took Missouri tight end Chase Coffman. The value here is tremendous as Coffman was arguably the most productive tight end in college football the last two seasons. He caught 30 touchdowns at Missouri and won the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end. I compare him to Dallas Clark, and he may become one of Palmer's go to guys.

Josh Freeman-I see a big potential disaster with this selection as he reminds me of the Jamarcus Russell selection. Although the verdict isn't out quite yet on Jamarcus Russell, he has failed to impress me. I see this selection as a very similar attraction to Russell's physical traits. Freeman had inflated passing statistics from 3 low-competition games, finishing with 12 touchdowns to 8 interceptions in the following games. His 6'6 250 pound frame opened eyes to scouts, but it only goes so far as a quarterback. Regardless, his inconsistent, but powerful arm should hinder his performance. Although Freeman says that he would "take me over them (referring to Sanchez and Stafford)," I would not have chosen him in the first round.

Darrius Heyward-Bey-This is another selection based off physical ability. Al Davis could not look past his 40-time and decided to pull the trigger on this selection. I don't necessarily think that Heyward-Bey will be a bad performer, but his selection before Crabtree makes our expectations skyrocket. In order to justify his high pick, he must outperform Crabtree, which is projected to be a difficult task.

Michael Crabtree-Although it tends to take 3 years for a receiver to emerge, Michael Crabtree may emerge as a focal point of the 49er offense along with Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. The only thing that scares me is who is throwing him the ball. Prior to Crabtree, the 49ers' leading receiver was aging Isaac Bruce who failed to pull in over 1000 yards receiving. That might be a negative fact if the stifled numbers are a result of the quarterback play, or it could be a benefit to his value if it's a reflection of the current receiving corps.

Chris Wells-Although the Cardinals like to toss the football, it seems as if Chris Wells has a good shot at starting this year as Edgerrin James' years are coming to an end. The quick transition for running backs in the NFL from college boosts his value.