Cubicle QB - August 31, 2009

I’m back baby! After a short hiatus, the dawn of a new football season shines on the horizon, breaking the shackles of the sports doldrums of late summer. I can’t promise anything, but I’m rededicating myself for the fall with several weekly features. And please remember, this is all a work in progress. Send in your comments, ideas, requests… This is all for you – the ever faithful reader.
This is the inaugural edition of Cubicle QB. Each week, I’ll give you my take on the weekend that was. I’ll try to include a quick breakdown of one of the bigger games of the week (either college or pro) and several weekly elements. So without further ado…

Game of the Week
Let’s be honest: it’s the preseason. I don’t want to break down a preseason game and you don’t want to read about one. Let’s just move on.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda…
Each week in this section, I’ll take a “what if” look at something happening in the world of football. This week I’ll start with the New York Giants and injuries.
Tom Coughlin has always held a physical training camp, believing it would better prepare his team for the rigors of the 20-week-plus marathon that is the NFL season. This year it may have handicapped his team before the leaves start to turn. A quick look at the Giants’ injury list should help explain:
Antonio Pierce
David Diehl
Kenny Phillips
Aaron Ross
Danny Ware
David Tyree
Chris Canty
Guy Whimper
Brandon Jacobs
Andrew Carnahan

Wow… And I’m probably missing a few. Coughlin has a veteran squad that knows what it takes to win. In fact, I believe they put together a nice Super Bowl run not too long ago. The Giants have a roster of studs at offensive and defensive line... Solid linebacking corp… Leadership at QB… Depth at runningback. Not to mention, few battles for playing time outside of the receiver position.
Point being, there’s no reason to force these players to physical exhaustion in August. It seemed the Giants had rid themselves of a couple of bad apples in Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress. There’s no reason to upset the locker room chemistry with overly physical practices.
Well, it seems Coughlin and new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan have done just that. Defensive leader and sack specialist Osi Umenyiora has reportedly gone AWOL – leaving practice Monday without warning or reason. I think you could make an argument that Coughlin would like a few of those hard-hitting practices back.

Monday Obits
There are 32 NFL teams. Only 12 will make the postseason. That means 20 teams will see their play off hopes die between now and week 17. Each week, I’ll point out teams that are DOA.
It should be no surprise that the first team on the chopping block is none other than Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders.
You may have noticed the preseason shellacking the Raiders received at the hands of the Saints this weekend. And what’s worse, is that Tom Cable considers Sean Peyton a close friend. God help them when teams start playing for keeps.
Without their top two RB, the Saints rushed for over 230 yards. And while Drew Brees was tabbed to play into the third quarter, he took a seat 16 minutes into the game. Yikes… Sorry Raiders fans. On the bright side, you can look forward to reaching for another WR in the top ten of next year’s draft.

Debo’s Xs and Os
Here I’ll take an old school chalk board look at a team, a specific scheme, or an individual play in football.
This season two teams will incorporate the two TE, singleback formation into their offense. The Dallas Cowboys (with Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett) and the Baltimore Ravens (with Todd Heap and LJ Smith). Both teams lack depth at the WR position, but feature strong runningbacks and exceptional TEs.
Here I’ll focus on the scheme and ignore personnel. Using a double TE formation has two appealing advantages.
1. Flexibility: A capable TE is a blocking and receiving threat rolled into one. In a double TE set, a team can pass the ball, run the ball, and work play action without tipping their hand with personal changes or formation shifts. The formations are typically symmetrical and therefore force the defense to typically set the strong side based on the wide side of the field. But as narrow as the hash marks are in the NFL, that’s not much of an indicator. Nearly every blitz (whether run or pass) hinges on putting more bodies at the point of attack than an offense can reasonably block. A balanced formation only makes this more difficult.
2. Spreading the line: Adding a TE to each side of the offensive line forces pass rushers further away from your franchise QB and edge setters (run stuffing ends) away from the tackle-to-tackle gaps of interior rushing lanes. This is the same tactic employed by college football’s popular spread offense. Force the defense to spread the field and cover more ground to make plays. Now just get the ball in the hands of your play-makers and allow them to take advantage of that extra space.

So now you can impress your friends and explain why the ‘Boys double TE set is about more than keeping the ball out of Patrick Crayton’s not so sure hands.

Camp Questions: NFC North

NFC North:
Chicago Bears – Is Jay Cutler a savior or a “p-word”?
I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone bitch his way out of one town only to be hailed as a conquering hero in another so quickly. I’ll be the first to admit it – I pegged Jay Cutler as a future franchise QB after he left Vandy, but I’m starting to have second thoughts. Now there are rumblings in the Bears’ locker room regarding Cutler and his manhood. Obviously, this will be a distant memory by October, but it could also be a pebble in a mountain of trouble if Cutler can’t make playmakers out of Chicago’s suspect receiving corp.

Detroit Lions – Where is the bottom in rock bottom?
Look, the Lions will be a better football team in 2009. There’s no doubting that. But what will it take to become a respectable franchise again? Was 2008 just another bump in an ugly tumble down a long hill or was it the valley for a very dark period. There’s no doubt that the lions can only go up in 2009, but they’ll have to look farther out on the horizon to solve the real issues. Culture changes take a long, long time – just ask the Cardinals.

Green Bay Packers – How long will Dom Capers need to install his 3-4 defense?
I know Aaron Rodgers is the sexy headline, but he had a very solid 2009 (especially considering is dramatic ascension to franchise QB). Rodgers is not 2009’s question mark. A completely revamped defensive scheme is. The Packers are fortunate, Capers has done great work with other defenses all over the league and he is widely considered the 3-4 guru of choice. The Packers are also lucky from a personnel stand point. They have a deep and versatile linebacking corps. Add in a talented secondary and defensive line and you have all the makings of a top tier defense. Now, if they can just master the techniques, assignments, line calls, checks, coverages, blitz packages, alignments, position changes…. I think you get the idea.

Minnesota Vikings – And your starting quarterback is who?
The Packers’ front office must have quietly chuckled when they heard the latest on Brett Favre’s retirement. They know that game all too well. Now, it seems the Vikings are in an even tougher spot that Green Bay was. Tavaris Jackson is hurt which leaves the QB battle all but decided and Sage Rosenfels a starter. I don’t care how talented your defense is and I don’t care who your running back is – when your QB is named Sage, he won’t be holding a Super Bowl trophy in February. I promise.

The Morning Blitz

Training camps are officially off and running... Football is in the air... And I'm stuck behind a desk... Links!!

- Here's a good tool to check out some quick hits for all NFL training camps. Make sure you look at the most recent Titans' entry.
- Two more Red Sox test positive...kind of.
- Ortiz, and others, knew as early as 2004 of their positive test.
- Rivals.com asks, "How will Memphis fare under Josh Pastner?"
- "Tremors" strike Mongolia. They don't stand a chance without Kevin Bacon.

Camp Questions: NFC South

NCF South:
Atlanta Falcons – Can the Falcons thin offensive line duplicate 2008’s performance?
The key to keeping QB Matt Ryan from suffering a sophomore slump will be keeping him off his back. The Falcons plan to return their strong running attack featuring Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood, and that will help. But by all accounts Atlanta’s line overachieved in 2008. The 2009 bunch has talent but is thin and can’t afford even a single injury.

Carolina Panthers – Can John Fox finally put together back-to-back winning seasons?
The Panthers return 21 of 22 starters from a squad that finished 12-4 squad, but a glaringly ugly loss to the Cardinals left them with an early playoff exit and a bad taste in their mouths. The Panthers certainly have the talent to take this division again, but it always seems that injuries, complacency, or both prevent them from sustaining that kind of success. If John Fox can’t find the prescription for that fever, he’ll find himself on the hot seat once again.

New Orleans Saints – Can Gregg Williams install his defense in the Bayou?
The Saints put together a remarkable year in 2008 considering they had no defense, no running backs, and an injury report the size of the Super Dome. Their offense has proven it can thrive without a between-the-tackles threat, but this team won’t see January football without a strong defense. Minicamps have shown signs of the defense coming together and being more aggressive, but how will they fair in November when there’s no running game to eat the clock and give the D a rest?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Can I see a roster, please?
This might be the most exciting camp to watch. There are position battles all over as Raheem Morris remakes the Bucs into a younger, faster team. Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, Jeff Garcia, Warrick Dunn, et al are long gone. That leaves position battles at QB, LB, 2nd RB, WR, OL… and I’m probably missing a few. I like the direction the Bucs are going, but they released many of those vets without getting anything back in return. Remember that the Bucs traded almost four years of draft picks for stealing Chucky from the Raiders not too long ago. Will shedding those vets for nothing look silly before Thanksgiving?