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Darren McFadden makes the NFL Football magically float in the air

It is a crazy rookie running back year. Every team seems to have one. It was like they were on sale at Wal-Mart and everyone ran out and bought one.

Next year the Government will have to bail us out as rookie after rookie is sure to go bust, because this is the biggest bubble since the Tulip Bulb craze!

The prize rookie is Darren McFadden, but the problem with Darren is the team he plays for or maybe the owner he plays for and that would be the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis. That team is a mess. Oakland is so messed up that they already had a 1,000 yard rusher. Now wouldn’t you think that a team with an excessive amount of needs would have looked elsewhere for help?

McFadden was the rookie every owner had to have because of his playmaking ability in college. He was able to display those skills in Week 2 when he ran for 164 yards and a touchdown at Kansas City, but a toe injury slowed him down in Week 3 at Buffalo. We’ll see if he can pick it back up this week against San Diego, but McFadden will finish among the top rookie running backs. Just don’t expect him to be the best of this group. He will continue to lose carries to Justin Fargas when he’s healthy and Michael Bush.

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A very pleasant surprise has been Matt Forte of the Bears. My Lions cut Kevin Jones, because he was coming back from a severe foot injury, then, surprise, the Chicago Bears signed him. Kevin’s foot is getting better and better. So later in the season Kevin may get a few of Matt’s carries.

Forte has been the best surprise of the rookie running back class, and he’s among the running back leaders in rushing yards and total yards. He also is tied with Brandon Lloyd for most catches for the Bears, showing he’s the team’s best weapon.

With Kyle Orton at quarterback the Bears have relied on a controlled offense and mighty defense. This plays right into the hands of Matt Forte.

Speaking of my Lions, they have rookie Kevin Smith and he has looked good both running and catching the ball. The Lions have signed Rudi Johnson and he may end up cutting into Kevin Smith’s carries.

CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 985 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 13 catches, 97 receiving yards
Preseason rank: No. 24
Stats through Week 3/Ranking: 29 carries, 102 rushing yards, one touchdown, eight catches, 53 yards/No. 39

CBSSports does not have much good to say about Kevin, but it appears they based all of their comments on the game against the 49ers. Kevin did not play in the second half as Rudi was hot and Kevin only ended up with 14 yards. Keep in mind the Lions are struggling to put in an ‘establish the run’ offense this year with a bad offensive line. Not a good formula for success.

Another back worth mentioning is Chris Johnson of Tennessee. He is losing touchdown opportunities to my Fantasy Football running back LenDale White. Chris can run and already has 276 yards. Jamey Eisenberg of CBSSports.com compares his style to Reggie Bush. Say what you want about Reggie, you still want him on your team.

There are other backs so you will have to read to article to find out who they are.

It looks like 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the rookie running back!

Who is your team’s rookie running back sensation?
Photo source Newscom

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Darren McFadden - NFL football’s newest multi-millionaire

Image details: 2008 NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot served by picapp.com

Darren McFadden learned from JaMarcus Russell. Do not go for the contract holdout. Go for the contract and get into camp.

Now McFadden can go about preparing for his rookie season knowing he won’t miss a day of training camp. He has already impressed coach Lane Kiffin with his quick grasp of the offense after just a few weeks of offseason workouts.

Kiffin said getting the deal done early will help ensure that the Raiders can capitalize on McFadden’s versatility as early as this season. In this week’s minicamp, McFadden was used in a variety of situations, including lining up wide as a receiver.

“The last thing we wanted to do with Darren because of our ideas with him was to go into a holdout and for him to miss any time in training camp,” Kiffin said. “What I think shows a lot about Darren is the fact that Darren felt the same as we did. Darren knew how important it was for him to get in here and show us his love for football.”
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Coach Lane Kiffen is putting a lot of stock in McFadden.

The Raiders hope McFadden can be an immediate contributor after the club dumped veteran running back Dominic Rhodes and entertained trade offers for fellow veteran LaMont Jordan, who probably will be released later. Starter Justin Fargas and promising youngster Michael Bush also will be in Oakland’s backfield.

Oakland may not win a lot, but should be tons of fun with young JaMarcus Russell at quarterback and Darren McFadden at running back.

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Darren McFadden is learning how to hold the ball. Well, maybe not in this picture.

Image details: Oakland Raiders Rookie Mini Camp served by picapp.com

He is big. He is strong and he runs a 4.3. A legitimate 4.3. He is Darren McFadden, the top rated running back out of the draft.

Oakland needs him badly. They need excitement. They need Darren.

Last year they drafted JaMarcus Russell number one in the draft and he sat for most of the season with contract problems. Here is a guy that threw the ball 60 yards while on his knees. He has all the properties of a great quarterback.

Throw in Lane Kiffen, a coach that somehow has the ear of Al Davis as well as his confidence and Oakland fans have to be drooling.

Will they win a lot of games this year? Probably not.

Will they have a lot of highlights this year. It sure looks like it.

Start with Darren McFadden. Everyone is comparing him to Adrian Peterson. That is a lot to put on a rookie. Hey, Darren, go out and be as good as Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. All he did was break the single game rushing record and look like the best back since Barry Sanders played in this league.

Right now Oakland is being a bit more cautious and working on fundamentals.

But coach Lane Kiffin cautions about putting too much pressure on McFadden so early.

“He’s not here to save the franchise. He just happens to be our first pick of the draft,” Kiffin said.

One of the immediate priorities is working on McFadden’s ball security. He fumbled 15 times last season at Arkansas, although some of those came as a quarterback or kick returner as opposed to a tailback.

Rathman pointed out that McFadden carried held his elbow too far from his body when they first met before the draft last month and is working on fixing the flaw before the season.

“You’ve got to be a good fundamental football player, and that’s what we’re working on right now,” Rathman said. “Obviously, coming out of college his biggest negative was probably his ball security, so we’ve jumped on that early. He understands where we’re coming from. He’s using better technique, better decision on where he’s putting the ball at certain times. So he understands what he needs to do.”
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At some point, the season starts and Darren McFadden gets revved up and the Oakland fans will go wild.

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Stealing a look at the USA Today Mock NFL Draft that involves 6 USA Today writers and 2 writers from NFLDraftScout.com, we can count which player is picked the most for each team and thus figure out the draft. Well, sort of anyway.

Today there is also going to be a comparison of Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm, the top two quarterbacks in the NFL draft.

My comments are in italics.

Here we go.

1. Miami Dolphins - Jake Long T, UM. 8 votes.
Stayed at UM to get a National Championship, but was denied when Hart and Henne suffered various injuries.

2. St. Louis Rams - Chris Long DE, Virginia. 7 votes.
Rams need defense bad.

3. Atlanta Falcons - Glenn Dorsey DT, LSU. 7 votes.
Falcons need everything bad.

4. Oakland Raiders - Vernon Gholston, LB/DE, Ohio State. 5 votes.
Nobody really wants to be a Raider anymore. It is sad.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan Clady T, Boise State. 3 votes.
Johnson needs a tackle for his 500 run attempts per game.

6. New York Jets - Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas. 5 votes.
Guess Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are just not getting it done. Jones had over 1,000 yards, but only 1 rushing TD.

7. New England Patriots - Leodis McKelvin CB, Troy. 3 votes.
Like the Pats needed a 7th pick anyway.

8. Baltimore Ravens - Matt Ryan QB, Boston College. 6 votes.
Not that McNair has retired, this is a perfect scenario for the young Matt Ryan to compete for the starting job.

Matt Ryan vs. Brian Brohm

Is Matt Ryan better than Brian Brohm because of all the extra brains up in his helmet?

Image details: ACC Championship - Virginia Tech v Boston College served by picapp.com

First we need to look at some stats. Read more

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
More power to Jake Long. Power, as in 58 million bucks.

That is right. 58 million smackaroonies for an offensive lineman. That is a lot of dough. That is way too much dough. Jake Long will most likely be a great left tackle, but that is too much money to spend to find that out.

Jake Long can now afford those Gucci football shoes

Image details: Purdue v Michigan served by picapp.com

The draft needs to be fixed. It is a joke to pay a football player that has not even arrived in his first camp and make him the highest paid player at his position. It is an even bigger joke to make Jake Long the highest paid lineman and make him play for Miami, a team that does not expect to win a whole lot of games.

You realize that you just punished Miami. Now a fistful of dollars are tied up in an inexperienced rookie lineman.

Hey, give credit to Miami. They knew the fix they were in and put on their best face.

Long’s total contract package is for $57.75 million, said a person familiar with the negotiations who didn’t want to be identified because the Dolphins declined to reveal terms. Last year’s top pick, JaMarcus Russell, signed for $61 million with the Oakland Raiders but missed all of training camp before reaching a deal.

Long becomes the highest-paid lineman in the NFL and a 6-foot-7, 315-pound cornerstone in a rebuilding project for the new Dolphins regime led by Bill Parcells. Last season Miami went 1-15, and the offensive line has been a chronic problem in recent years.

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As a big football fan, maybe this would have been easier to digest if it was a unique skill player like JaMarcus Russell and Calvin Johnson were last year. It would have been easier to take if Matt Ryan or Darren McFadden had been a little higher rated, but this is a left tackle.

So take heart out there all of you left tackles that Read more

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This draft stinks.

It stinks so much that the NFL has to be bummed.

You see drafts have turned into media events and this one has the makings of low ratings.

Is this draft low on players? No, not really.

Is this draft low on talented skill players? No, there might be as many as 12 running backs taken in the first 3 rounds.

So, swami, just what is it that you do not like?Well, the simple answer is that Miami has the first pick and would love to trade down, but there are no sexy picks that make trading up all that worthwhile.

Darren McFadden asks, “You don’t find me sexy?”

Image details: 2006 Heisman Trophy Ceremony served by picapp.com

According to ratings by NFLDraftScout.com, the five top-rated players are Virginia defensive end Chris Long, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston.

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McFadden

Hey, what about McFadden? Read more

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
It is a great draft year for running backs. The 2008 NFL draft is loaded with running backs. If your team needs a running back and wants to use one of its first 4 picks, then odds are, your team will get their man.

Thanks to an influx of underclassmen, this year’s NFL draft has excellence and depth at running back. As many as five are projected as first-round prospects, and eight could hear their names called on the draft’s first day, according to ratings by NFLDraftScout.com. The top five are underclassmen, and only two of the top eight completed their college eligibility.

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Let’s take a look at some of the prospects.

1. *Darren McFadden, Arkansas, 6-1, 211, 1st: probably don’t need to say much here. Already enough has been written.

Darren McFadden has the speed to burn

Image details: SEC Football Championship: Florida v Arkansas served by picapp.com

2. *Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois, 5-10, 225, 1st: Mendenhall is moving to the NFL after a very productive junior season in 2007, when his 1,681 yards on the ground set a single-season school record. He was the Big Ten Conference offensive player of the year and ranked eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten in rushing (129.3 yards a game).

Mendenhall is short, compact and runs with a low center of gravity. He shows a good instinct for knowing when to be patient behind blockers and when to use his explosive running ability. He gained more believers at the combine, where he ran a 4.41 in the 40, benched 225 pounds 26 times and had a 331/2-inch vertical jump.

Although he was featured for only one season in Champaign, Mendenhall was able to show traits beyond running that NFL teams like to see. As a receiver, he has good hands and seems to be able to adjust to poorly thrown balls. His ability as a blocker was evident on many assignments he had in Illinois’ spread-read offense.

For his career, Mendenhall started 14 of his 35 games and carried 388 times for 2,539 yards (6.5-yard average) and 22 touchdowns. That ranks seventh on the school’s career rushing yardage list. He also caught 59 passes for 564 yards and five scores.

(Some say the Lions will pick Mendenhall).

3. *Jonathan Stewart, Oregon, 5-10, 235, 1st: Has it all, but coming back from toe surgery.

4. *Jamaal Charles, Texas, 5-11, 200, 1st-2nd: Fast, but can he play every down?

5. *Felix Jones, Arkansas, 5-10, 207, 1st-2nd: Get this, Felix is the man behind Darren McFadden.

All five are underclassmen and all five may go in the first round.

Gentlemen, start your draft selections.

NFL Football special comment Will this be called the year of the running back?

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USA Today ran a Mock Draft NFL 2008 with 6 writers from USA Today and two from NFLDraftScout.com.

What will be attempted here is to count the majority to get the pick for each team.

1. Miami - Chris Long DE, Virginia with 4 out of 8 votes.

Chris Long son of Howie Long. Long live the Longs

Image details: Virginia Tech v Virginia served by picapp.com

2. St. Louis - Glen Dorsey DT, LSU (Chris Long also had 3, but was already off the board. See how this works?)

3. Atlanta - tie Jake Long T, Michigan and Matt Ryan QB, Boston College (giving preference to the NFLDraftScout.com guys the pick goes to Jake Long. They both picked Jake Long.)

4. Oakland - Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas with 5 votes.

5. Kansas City - Ryan Clady T, Boise State with 5 votes.

6. New York Jets - Vernon Gholston LB/DE Ohio State with 5 votes.

7. New England from San Francisco - Leodis McKelvin CB, Troy.

8. Baltimore - Matt Ryan QB, Boston College (Still on the board, because tie breaker for Atlanta had them take Jake Long).

9. Cincinnati - Sedrick Ellis DT, Southern California with 7 out of 8 votes. Almost a perfect score.

10. New Orleans - tie Mike Jenkins CB, South Florida and Keith Rivers LB, Southern California. (Applying tie breaker of the NFLDraftSCout.com guys gives us…drum roll please…a tie. Uh oh, New Orleans has a decision to make.

There it is, the consensus top voted ten picks for the NFL 2008 draft.

And isn’t Howie proud?

NFL Football special comment Don’t you love the intrigue of the draft?

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There are some that say Felix Jones will go in the first round.

Just who is Felix Jones?

He was the other Arkansas back. Darren McFadden is known as the Arkansas back.

Felix Jones - catch me if you can

Image details: USC v Arkansas served by picapp.com

Some say Darren may go as high as number 1.

The co-runner gets drafted has happened before.

It would be the third time in four years, following the 2005 selections of Auburn’s Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown and the 2006 selections of USC’s Reggie Bush and LenDale White, that two running backs from the same college were high picks in the same draft.

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So how good was Felix Jones?

As seniors, Jones carried just 133 times, McFadden 325. McFadden averaged 5.6 yards a carry, Jones 8.7, an impressive number. One lingering question is whether those carries for Jones, about 10 a game, were enough to demonstrate, among other things, that he has the durability the NFL demands?

The move in the National Football League has been towards two backs. So why not pick up on the successful two back systems in college.

Some say the 10 carries just Read more

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The hot rumor revolves around the Raiders at pick number 4.

At a time when many league observers believe that the Oakland Raiders won’t be able to resist the 4.33 speed of running back Darren McFadden with the fourth overall pick in the draft, a league source tells us that there are “strong indications” that the Raiders will select Ohio State linebacker/defensive end Vernon Gholston according to Profootballtalk.com

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Vernon Gholston to the Raiders?

Image details: Ohio State Buckeyes v Washington Huskies served by picapp.com

Still McFadden is hard to resist. Gholston would be a better long term build.

Meanwhile in Miami

Big Tuna is making a move or is he?

Parcells and the Miami Dolphins have begun contract negotiations with the agent for potential top draft pick Jake Long, a person familiar with the talks said Thursday. The person did not want to be identified because the Dolphins have been coy about their plans for the No. 1 pick.

Negotiations with Long’s agent, Tom Condon, don’t necessarily mean Miami has ruled out other prospects. The new Dolphins regime, led by Parcells, could use the talks to increase contract leverage with other potential picks.

The Dolphins also are interested in trading the No. 1 pick, but so far no suitors have surfaced.

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Miami is so far from winning that Jake Long would be a good solid pick for years to come. My guess is that Miami wants to trade down to get additional players.

Baltimore Ravens

Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens need a QB. Matt Ryan is there for the taking if they can move up or get lucky.

In reality, the Ravens really only need to worry about three franchises: the Miami Dolphins (first overall pick), Atlanta Falcons (third) and Kansas City Chiefs (fifth). Everyone else currently ahead of the Ravens appears fixed on other areas, and the quarterback-needy teams behind Baltimore don’t appear to have enough ammunition to move up. And regarding the Ravens’ troublesome trio, there have been encouraging signs in recent days.

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It has already been mentioned that Miami is looking at Jake Long, or even Chris Long. Atlanta is looking real hard at defensive tackle Glen Dorsey, and the Chiefs are looking at everyone, so Baltimore could sit still and get lucky.

It is all a jumble right now and teams keep positioning themselves for the draft.

Right now Miami holds the key.

NFL Football special comment Linemen are needed to build a team. So why are skill players so irresistible?

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