Yardbarker: Jamaal Charles

What The Final Roster Should Look Like

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:34:25 -0500

Everyone--from Gretz to Teicher--is doing these roster projections lists. Instead of projecting, I'm going to go with what I think the roster should look like... The Chiefs Final Roster of 53: QB (3): Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard a new No. 3 RB (4): Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamaal Charles,

Addict Angles: Your Suprise Starters

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:53:43 -0500

As promised, here are YOUR 2008 surprise starters for the Chiefs. Good stuff... Double D: If LJ gets hurt again or for some reason doesn't perform, I would look for Jamaal Charles to come in and turn some heads. I'll also go with Kevin Robinson as the dark horse ST surprise by ...

Chiefs Lock Up Two More Draft Picks

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:51:11 -0500

The Chiefs have come to terms with two more draft picks. The Chiefs announced yesterday the signing of running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam. Both third-round picks in this year's draft, they join safety DaJuan Morgan as the trio of players taken in the third round, and signed by the team. Both deals are three-year contracts. No other details were released, following Chiefs policy. The number of drafts unsigned is down to four, with training camp set to start at the end of this week.

Chiefs Lock Up Two More Draft Picks

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:51:11 -0500

Top 25 College Football Teams for the 2008 Season

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:06:12 -0500

Listed below are The Sports Muffin's 2008 Top 25 College Football Teams. This list was compiled using our guest editor Ben Koo's brilliance.

1. Ohio State-

Return 18 starters including a handful of first round draft picks

2. Georgia

Potent offense with Moreno and Stafford coupled with solid defense

3. Florida

The defense is iffy but what teams can realistically outscore an offense with Tebow and Harvin?

4. Missouri

The Big 12 is stacked in 2008, but the Tigers offensive excellence combined with 9 starters returning on the defense, makes them the team to beat.

5. USC

The offense will be better than anticipated, however the defense is going to have to step quickly with Ohio State coming to town in week 3.

6. Oklahoma

The Sooners may field the best offense in the Stoops era, but the defense will have to replace a lot of departing talent

7. West Virginia

The defense is going to give up a lot of points but with all five starters returning on the line Pat White and company maybe able to outscore any team in the nation.

8. Clemson

Handicapping the ACC is quite the challenge. Clemson is one of the best team's in the county discounting their overhauled offensive line.

9. Wisconsin

The Badgers are going to win often and ugly in 2008 and may contend with the Buckeyes should Allan Evridge develop into a formidable quarterback.

10. Kansas

Experts are overlooking the Jayhawks as if 2007 was a fluke. It wasn't and 2008 won't be either.

11. Tennessee

Question marks at quarterback and the defensive front seven, but this year maybe the year Fulmer makes another run at a BSC bowl with a lots of talent returning on offense.

12. Arizona State

The Sun Devils were Jekyll and Hyde in 2007 but look to be the second best team in the Pac 10 with talent and experience at the skills position on offense.

13. BYU

The best non BCS team hails from Utah. I give the nod to BYU over Utah which returns more firepower on offense than their in state rivals.

14. Texas

Texas was a top ten team until Jamaal Charles decided to bolt for the NFL. The Longhorns have the talent to content for the Big 12 South, but will have their hands full with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.

15. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders have flirted with being an upper tier Big 12 team, but may have the talent in place to actually make a run at a Big 12 Championship game. Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree might shatter the record books in 08, but the Red Raiders will still need to play some defense to compete with Oklahoma and Texas.

16. LSU

The national champs lose a lot of talent to the NFL and have a glaring question mark at the quarterback position. Regardless they will be competitive and could earn their way back into the SEC Championship game.

17. Penn State

Joe Pa's last harrah? QB play is the one huge question mark with some pretty impressive talent on both sides of the ball.

18. Auburn

Solid QB will put the Tigers in the top 10 but I am not sold on Tony Franklin or Kody Burns just yet.

19. Virginia Tech

The defending conference champs got worked in the Orange Bowl and now have to deal with replacing a hoard of NFL departures. I expect them to take a step back this year, but you would imagine Frank Beamer will have his team in contention to repeat.

20. Illinois

Its hard to handicap Illinois this year with many glaring experience gaps in the starting lineup. Lehman and Mendenhall will be sorely missed but another year of Juice Williams improvement may keep the Illini in contention for the Big Ten.

21. Alabama

One of the most inconsistent teams in 2007, Bama looks to rally around John Parker Wilson and a stellar offensive line in hopes of competing with the upper eshelon of the SEC.

22. Oregon

The Ducks will take a big step back this year with Dixon and Stewart gone to the NFL. However Mike Belotti maybe the most underrated coach in the country and has some premier talent at receiver, defensive line, and offensive line to rebuild with.

23. USF

The defense lost a lot of talent, but Matt Grothe leads what will be one of the best offense's in the conference and maybe the country.

24. Wake Forrest

Some questions marks on both lines, but the Demon Deacons may have the best combination of experience, talent, and coaching in the ACC.

25. Oklahoma State-

The Cowboys may have the talent to beef with the Big 12's elite in 2008. The defensive front seven is the only thing holding back the Cowboys from a top 15 ranking in my eyes.

Position Battles: Right Guard

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:05:47 -0500

This is the second of my four part series on the Colts position battles. The Colts, when healthy, have one of the premier offensive lines in the NFL. This season, they are suffering a tough loss with Jake Scott, the right guard, leaving to Tennessee to join his former teammates (I think there are around 20 former Colts on the Titans now). The Colts have two players who have a serious shot at getting this job: Third year player Charlie Johnson and rookie Mike Pollak. Most of you may already know who I like, but if you don't know or disagree with me, here is my opinion on this race. Mike Pollak was taken by the Colts in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Still left on the board were Jamaal Charles, Kevin Smith, Earl Bennett, and Early Doucet, all of whom seemed to cover a bigger need for the Colts. At first, Mike Pollak seemed like an odd pick. A center from an offensive line that was pathetic in 2007? However, the more I looked at scouting reports, the more I liked Pollak and this pick. Looking at rare but valuable offensive linemen stats, I saw that he could be a force at right guard. He had an 82% blocking consistency and had 15 touchdown-leading blocks. If the Colts are to have a strong running game in the second half of the season unlike last season, they will need consistent blocking so Addai won't be getting first contact in the backfield. He was only penalized four times, so stupid errors, a pet peeve of Peyton Manning, will be rare coming from Pollak. Pollak has good size for a guard at 6-4, 301, six pounds heavier than Scott, and he also had 29 reps in the bench press. Looking at his NFL Draft Countdown scouting report, I see the same thing every great Colts lineman gets. He's mobile, a good leader, and he's dependable. However, he also is unathletic and won't dominate the opponent. The Colts offensive line scheme is built for smaller linemen who are mobile and don't give up sacks on a regular basis. Pollak may never be Larry Allen, but you won't see him giving up many sacks. Pollak fits the Colts scheme perfectly, and he was a great pick at 59. Photo from Colts.com Charlie Johnson, on the other hand, is not my type of lineman. To be fair, his Super Bowl performance in place of Ryan Diem was nothing short of phenomenal. Last season was a completely different story. When Charlie Johnson was filling in for Tony Ugoh and Ryan Diem last season, he looked completely lost. Johnson is inexperienced at offensive line. He only played it for one year in college. He needed to be helped by Ryan Lilja and Jake Scott on multiple occasions. I do not like the prospect of him being a starter for the Colts. Teams know that he is not very mobile and a bad pass blocker, and he would be targeted all game long. The Colts need a guard who will not be dominated by stronger defensive lineman and look foolish when trying to pass block. Photo by Donald Miralle, Getty Images As you probably can tell, I give the job to Mike Pollak. Last year, Johnson lost out on the left tackle job to Tony Ugoh, a second round pick. It will be deja vu all over again for Johnson. Pollak is a more consistent blocker and a better pass blocker. In my opinion, this is a no brainer. Mike Pollak should be the starting right guard for the 2008 season.

Post-Combine Draft Risers

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:06:54 -0500

Now that the combine's over with, and we've had time to digest and dissect all of the numbers and info, here's a look at some of these guys to give us a reason to change our mock drafts once again - and we haven't gotten to the fallers and the free agents who will soon have new homes.

NFL Draft Analysis: The RBs

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:59:44 -0500

Last year's crop of running backs contained only two truly elite prospects, Adrian 'Rookie of the Year' Peterson and Marshawn 'It don't get no better than solid' Lynch. This year's class is much, much deeper, with most of the top prospects juniors. So, start day-dreaming about a few of these top-notch tailbacks dropping below the first couple of rounds, because it's going to happen.

Top 12 RB Prospects in the NFL Draft

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:27:46 -0500

These are the top 12 guys comming out of college

2008 NFL Draft — The Early Entries

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:57:03 -0500

To preface… I work in a newsroom as the graphics specialist… so I took a little time after work today and made a custom graphic highlighting the more notable names on the early entry list for the NFL Draft… Remember, I said notable, not best… ahemXavierLeeahem… Click on the picture to enlarge it...

Arkansas RB Felix Jones Set to Enter the NFL Draft

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:08:20 -0500

Kevin Smith, Darren McFadden, Jamaal Charles, Steve Slaton and now Felix Jones... RBs are running thin...

Juniors declaring for NFL Draft

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 12:00:17 -0500

Updating frequently ahead of the January 15 deadline, insight on each of the offensive skill position players leaving college eligibility for the potential riches of the NFL. While most of the insight is from a fantasy college football perspective, there is something here for everyone.

2007 Bowl Match-ups and Predictions, Week 2

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 03:59:00 -0500

Taking a look at the match ups of the second week of the bowl season...