Boldin is a guy with an established reputation in the league

The sight of Anquan Boldin is bittersweet for San Francisco 49ers fans. On the one hand, he played a vital role in the first Super Bowl loss in the history of the franchise.

At the same time, however, none will complain if those same playmaking skills are displayed with his new team. Boldin is a guy with an established reputation in the league, his hands and physical style of play ranking among the elite.

With Michael Crabtree set to miss the majority of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon, those same skills that Boldin is renowned for have become even more important to his team. He will now be asked to be the No. 1 option on a Super Bowl contending team.

Now, on the surface level, this is nothing new for him. It’s a role he is very familiar with, having functioned as that with both the Arizona Cardinals (before being bumped to No. 2 by Larry Fitzgerald) and the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s the thing, though. Boldin is no spring chicken anymore.

Now 32 years old and entering his 11th season in the league, Boldin has endured an incomprehensible amount of punishment over the course of his career. That is the price he must pay to maintain his reputation as the toughest, most physical receiver in the league.

The inevitable question must then be asked: How much longer can he continue to play his style of game before the rigors of the NFL finally takes its toll? Well, when looking at the numbers, the answer might be sooner than what 49er fans might want to hear.

While he was the No. 1 option with Baltimore by title, the numbers don’t quite add up to that billing. In his three years with the team, not once did he crack the 1,000-yard benchmark, 921 last season serving as his highest total.

The touchdowns have diminished over the years as well. While he caught a respectable seven in his first year with the team, 2010, the last two seasons have brought three and four, respectively. Not quite what you would expect from your No. 1 option.

Many would argue that the Ravens had a dominant running back, Ray Rice, taking the bulk of the offense. That was more myth than reality last season. Rice carried the football 257 times last season, leaving him tied with Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams (now the Atlanta Falcons) for 13th in the league.

In comparison, Joe Flacco, his former quarterback, threw the ball 531 times, 317 of which were completed. Those numbers left him at 14th and 15th, respectively, in the league. That’s about as balanced an offense as you can get.

So who is Anquan Boldin? What will his role on this 49ers team be? Is he still capable of being the focal point of a teams passing game?

While I will never claim to be Nostradamus, I will offer my insight as to what I think the 49ers and their fans will receive from Boldin.

While Crabtree now appears to be the Boldin of old reincarnated, Boldin himself is not who he used to be. It’s not like his magnificent skills are gone. I still expect him to catch anything that hits his hands and break a great many of tackles.

I also, however, don’t expect him to be as open as much as he used to. Age and wear and tear does that to a player.

Football is a young man's game, and Boldin is no longer a young man. He’s lost a step. A small step, but a step nonetheless. And for a player like Boldin, that small step is the difference between being great and simply being good.

What I’m saying is that expectations should be tempered. 49er fans are thrilled that they’re getting the Boldin that they remember on their team. But the Boldin that they remember might not be there anymore.

He will be a consistent, steadying force for the offense. But he also is no longer the indestructible force that he once was. The statistics speak for themselves.

The Boldin that Ravens fans were treated to is most likely whom the 49er fans will get as well. About 800-900 yards and five or six touchdowns seems like a safe benchmark at this point in his career.

And for a player who has gone through the most extreme of NFL gauntlets over the course of his career, not much more should be expected. The same qualities that made him a dominant receiver with the Cardinals are what has made him who he now is: a very good No. 2 receiver.

Fans were expecting big things out of Crabtree and for Boldin to be the perfect compliment to the great things he would do. When Crabtree went down, the expectations for what Boldin would bring went up as a result. At this point in his career, those expectations are just not fair, and honestly, not likely.

A 32-year-old Boldin is not a 25-year-old Crabtree. As similar as their games may be, one was hitting the pinnacle of his career and the other is in the twilight of his.

Boldin has taken far more punishment than your average 32-year-old receiver. Expect the stats to reflect that.

Fortunately for the 49ers, they don’t need him to be great. Arguably the most talented roster in the NFL, they simply need him to be good. And that is exactly what he will be. For a man who has given as much as he has to the NFL, that will be good enough.

-- This article from: bleacherreport.com

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Wallace is widely regarded as the fastest player in the NFL

I couldn't wrap my head around it, as Mike Wallace had been one of the more spectacular offensive players on the team in many years. He is widely regarded as the fastest player in the NFL and was one of the few wide receivers to make an impact as a Steelers rookie and throughout his four years with the team.

There also can be no denying that Pittsburgh has very little in the way of proven pass catchers to take his place, and there seems to be no guarantees that his on-field production can be compensated for this upcoming season.

We're talking about a player that has 32 touchdown receptions in those four seasons, with 4,042 yards and an average yards per catch of 17.2. Throw in the fact that Wallace has the longest TD catch in Steelers history (95 yards), led the league in yards per catch in 2009 and the AFC in 2010 and the picture is clearly painted of a guy who can flat out ball in the National Football League. No matter how you slice it, those are exceptional numbers and ones that absolutely cannot be easily replaced.

The complaints that I heard vary to some degree. One recurring knock on Wallace was that his hands were poor and he dropped too many balls. The numbers don't show that to be true, though, as Wallace had a total of six dropped passes in 2012. That didn't even place him into the top 25 players with the most drops. And even if he had double-digit drops, he would be in the company of Jimmy Graham, Victor Cruz, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall. That is not bad company to be in.

Others have said that Antonio Brown is simply the better receiver. Here again, the numbers don't show that to be true either. The most touchdowns that Brown had in a season was 5, while the least amount of touchdowns that Wallace had was 6. Brown also had fewer receiving yards than Wallace in each of the three seasons that they played together.

While Brown is an excellent player, it is not true to say that he is better than Wallace. Maybe 2013 is the year that Brown shows me otherwise, but the truest thing I can say about all of this is that Pittsburgh was better off having both Wallace and Brown, and they are certainly not a better team now that Wallace is gone, at least not on the field.

This, then, takes me back to my original assertion and those feelings of sour grapes. But these feelings were not just based on Wallace signing with a different team this offseason. It goes back to the attitude that Wallace had as a rookie, and being the leader of the "Young Money Crew."

For the uninitiated, the "Young Money Crew" was the name Wallace gave to himself and the other new receivers coming onto the team from 2010 to 2012 and included Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. Like the name implies, Wallace let everyone know early on what he was about: money. He backed up this sentiment last offseason, holding out of training camp in complaint of his contract.

That doesn't fly in Pittsburgh. There is one surefire way to become beloved in this town, and that is to work your butt off, every day and every game, without complaint and without braggadocio. See Heath Miller or Hines Ward. If you play for a team in this city and you're only about the money, then the fans will gladly see you leave, regardless of how good you are.

So there it is in a nutshell. Wallace was not our kind of person, plain and simple. So while I wasn't sad to see him leave, either, I still know that his absence will be felt on the field of play. While Wallace has indeed presented himself as a bum, it was in the newspapers and not on the gridiron.

-- This article from: sports.yahoo.com

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Jim Hudson,died

Jim Hudson, the former New York Jets safety who helped the team to its only Super Bowl title in 1969, has died. He was 70.

The team confirmed Thursday on its official site that Hudson died Tuesday in Austin. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Hudson was a starting safety against the Baltimore Colts, making a key play in the first half of the Super Bowl victory. The Colts were trailing 7-0 when they tried a flea-flicker from Earl Morrall to Tom Matte and back to Morrall, who never saw a wide-open Jimmy Orr waving his arms near the goal line. Instead, Morrall threw to Jerry Hill near the Jets 10, but Hudson stepped in front of the toss for an interception that ruined the Colts' potential scoring drive.

The former University of Texas player had six tackles in the 16-7 win, and finished with 15 career interceptions in six seasons with the Jets.

Hudson is the second member of the championship team to pass away in the last few months. Wide receiver George Sauer, Hudson's former college teammate who caught eight passes from Joe Namath in the Super Bowl, died in May at 69.

Hudson, born in Steubenville, Ohio, was a defensive back and quarterback for the Longhorns and helped lead them to the national championship in 1963. He also threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Sauer in the 1965 Orange Bowl - a 21-17 victory over Namath's Alabama squad. Hudson later signed with the Jets as a free agent.

According to the Jets, Hudson and former NFL quarterback John Hadl went into real estate together in the Austin area after their playing careers were over. Hudson also trained quarterhorses and thoroughbreds in Texas and Louisiana.

Hudson, inducted into the Texas Men's Hall of Honor last year, is survived by wife Lise.

-- This article from: sports.yahoo.com

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Houston has been the model of consistency on both sides of the ball

Defensive end J.J. Watt and running back Arian Foster made the NFL Network’s ‘NFL Top 100’ top 10, checking in at 5th and 8th, respectively. The two were selected by their NFL peers. That duo joined wide receiver Andre Johnson (14th), safety Ed Reed (18th) and left tackle Duane Brown (48th) on the list.

Watt was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year after leading the League in sacks (20.5) and batting down 16 passes.

Foster was the NFL’s touchdown king, finding the end zone 17 times in 2012.

Four Texans made the NFL Top 100 in 2012, as linebacker Brian Cushing ranked 54th and cornerback Johnathan Joseph was 73rd. Neither made it this summer.

Foster’s inclusion in the Top 10 meant that he was the first running back other than Adrian Peterson to earn that honor.

There’s something to be said for consistency, and in the AFC, few teams exemplify that better than the Houston Texans.

Yes, teams like the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers always seem to find a way into the late-round playoff picture. And yes, there are several teams capable of compiling a 12-plus-win season every single year.

But in the last two seasons, Houston has been the model of consistency on both sides of the ball, never far from the top of the rankings in any particular category.

The Texans fielded the No. 7 offense and No. 7 defense in 2012, piecing together a 12-4 record and an AFC South title. But just like the year prior, they were unable to parlay that success into anything more than a first-round playoff win and a divisional round exit.

This offseason has been about sustaining that success, while taking an extra step to break through the barrier.

The Texans kept their core in place this offseason, losing only a couple key contributors to free agency, but they also infused additional talent on both the free agent market and via the NFL draft.

Connor Barwin and Glover Quin were arguably the biggest names to depart for new teams this offseason, but Houston did well to select a couple of replacements without skipping a beat. In the second round of the draft, general manager Rick Smith selected South Carolina safety D.J. Swearinger, and also added veteran safety Ed Reed in free agency to fill the hole left by Quin.

Barwin and his 19 sacks in four years with the team will arguably be a little harder to replace, but the Texans have some pieces in place to do so, including 2012 first-rounder Whitney Mercilus.

But apart from a couple of depth signings and the addition of All-Pro punter Shane Lechler, there wasn’t much more movement to speak of this offseason. All things considered, Houston did well in maintaining continuity on its roster, setting the table for another successful campaign in 2013.

-- This article from:houstontexans.com

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which two statistics Nelson thinks matter the most to his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers

After one of this spring’s OTA practices, wide receiver Jordy Nelson was asked by a reporter which two statistics he thinks matter the most to his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

Nelson’s first thought was interceptions. No surprise there.

Rodgers has made it clear time and time again how much he loathes throwing the ball to the other team, and with just 32 interceptions in 2,070 pass attempts over the past four regular seasons, Rodgers’ minuscule 1.55 interception percentage ranks first in the league from 2009-12. Only Tom Brady, at 1.61, is even close to him.

Nelson’s second choice, however, wasn’t the expected touchdowns or passer rating or yards. It was completion percentage.

The way Nelson explained it, the two key stats go hand in hand.

“The rest comes with it,” Nelson said. “If you don’t turn the ball over, you get more opportunities. If your completion percentage is high, that means as receivers we’re doing our job, he’s putting the ball in the right spots, and again, it allows you to get more opportunities.

“The more opportunities you get, the more yards you get and the more touchdowns you’ll get, so I think it all starts with those two.”

A closer look at Rodgers’ completion percentage tells a noteworthy tale, and helps to explain how the statistic – while important but never cited as often as TDs, INTs, yards and passer rating – has factored into his and the Packers’ success.

For his career, Rodgers has completed 65.7 percent of his passes, which ranks first in NFL history (just ahead of Drew Brees) among quarterbacks with at least 2,500 regular-season passing attempts. As a starter, his single-season low is 63.6, while his high is 68.3, a franchise record he set in his 2011 MVP year.

Looking outside that range is where it gets interesting. Including playoffs, Rodgers has a career record of 57-29 as a starter, a healthy winning percentage of .663, but that number jumps or falls considerably when his completion percentage lies outside his usual range.

In games Rodgers has completed 70 percent or more of his passes, the Packers are 26-4 (.867), but when Rodgers completes less than 60 percent of his passes, the Packers are just 7-13 (.350).

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about those figures is that in 86 career starts, including playoffs, Rodgers’ completion percentage has fallen below 60 just 20 times, or less than once every four games, while he has topped 70 percent 30 times, or more than once every three contests.

The correlation has its roots in Rodgers’ first season as the starter. In 2008, the Packers didn’t lose a game when Rodgers completed at least 70 percent (4-0), but they never won when he was under 60 percent (0-5).

“He hates throwing incompletions,” receiver James Jones said. “He feels like he has the arm that he can make every throw, so when he throws an incompletion or when we don’t connect on a route, we all think about it.

“We know our completion percentage after every game can be even better. The coaches tell us what we could have done better. Even if we had a game where it’s 70 percent, we’ve dropped about three balls in that game, so it could have been higher.”

The focus on completion percentage is most likely a reflection of the importance of one thing – rhythm. Rodgers and Green Bay’s offense are at their best when in a rhythm, and they get in a rhythm by completing passes, however short or long.

Throw in the low interception totals and, as Nelson said, the rest comes with it.

“He’s a competitor,” Jones said of his quarterback. “He thinks he can make every throw, and when he throws incompletions, he doesn’t like that. You can tell even out in practice. It’s good. He pushes himself every day.”

-- This article from: packers.com

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The Broncos were fortunate to have the talents of cornerback Chris Harris

Historically, middle linebackers represented the anchor of the defense.

Known as hard hitters who were key cogs against smashmouth run games, middle linebackers called out the plays and were the vocal leaders on defensive units.

In today’s NFL where passing yards per game are up nearly 10 percent over the past decade, defenses have had to adjust as offenses spread the field out and throw the ball more often.

That means more nickel and dime packages on the field to counter the three, four and five receiver sets that have become popular among offenses.

“Our third corner last year, our sub packages of at least three corners, we took up I believe 65, 66 percent of our snaps last year,” Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said. “So you’re talking about a guy that’s playing the majority of the snaps as opposed to a third linebacker.”

The player most likely to come off the field in place of the extra cornerback was the team’s middle linebacker.

In Denver’s defense last year, the team’s middle linebackers combined to play about 70 percent of total snaps – roughly the same number as the team’s third cornerbacks.

“I think if you look at where the league is and where we are, 65 percent of our snaps last year were nickel,” Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway said. “I’m not trying to downplay the importance of (the middle linebacker position), but nickel is so important, too.”

With strongside linebacker Von Miller playing at an All-Pro level and as an every-down threat as both a pass-rusher and a run-stuffer, he wasn’t coming off the field. On the weakside, Wesley Woodyard also showed his versatility against both the run and pass as he was the only player in the league – and just the 12th player in the last 30 years – to record at least 100 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions in the same season.

“If you don’t have a guy who is a bona fide monster in the middle that’s never going to come off the field, he can be the first guy off,” Del Rio said. “If you’re going to leave two backers out there, he can be the first guy off. It’s just you’re going to play your two strongest guys all the time, if they can handle it. Then the third guy, whoever that is, needs to play when it’s base. Then when it goes sub, he can come off.”

The strategy there varies scheme-by-scheme and team-by-team around the league, based on club's strengths defensively.

The Broncos were fortunate to have the talents of cornerback Chris Harris and Tony Carter, who rotated as the team’s nickel cornerbacks in 2012. The two players combined for five interceptions and four defensive touchdowns last year.

For a team like San Francisco that has perennial Pro-Bowler Patrick Willis at middle linebacker, the coaches find ways to keep him on the field.

“If you have a special ‘Mike’ that’s a special player, he’s going to play every down,” Del Rio said. “Patrick Willis doesn’t come off the field for San Francisco. So there are guys out there that are superior players.”

“That just varies by team, by personnel.”

Joe Mays and Keith Brooking were the two players to start at middle linebacker for the Broncos last year. While the two did combine to start every single game, they played the lowest percentage of snaps of any of the team’s 11 typical defensive starters.

Brooking, who played in all of the team’s 16 regular-season games with 14 starts, participated in 42.3 percent of the defensive snaps in 2012. That number was fewer than Tony Carter, who rotated between nickel and dime cornerback and saw time on defense in only 13 of the Broncos games.

“The third corner is playing more like a starter now,” Del Rio said. “You still trot out your starters before the game, and the nickel typically doesn’t run out (of the tunnel), but if they start in 11-personnel, he will. So that position has become more and more important.”

-- This article from: denverbroncos.com

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24 years later, David LaFleur was chosen out of LSU

Playing behind Eric Bjornson as a rookie,David LaFleur moved into the starting lineup in 1998. He nearly doubled the statistics of his first two years combined the following season when in addition to being a key blocker for Dallas’ running game, he contributed 35 catches for 322 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns. What was the reason for the increased productivity?

“It was a fun year. It was my first year that I was healthy,” LaFleur said. “I injured my back while I was in college and it progressively got worse the first couple of years. Then it finally got to the point where a disc ruptured and I had it repaired.

“And I had broken a leg along with it. During coaching sessions in the summer, I rolled my ankle and broke my fibula. So I had surgery and came back for the start of the season and stayed healthy all year and felt great. It was the first time my back had felt really good since early in my college career.”

In addition to having to go through a variety of injuries, LaFleur also experienced a variety of head coaches, three in four years to be exact: Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey and Dave Campo.

“I think it presented some challenges,” said LaFleur. “Obviously, everybody brings their own style of football to the organization. The one that probably stood out the most was Coach Gailey because it was a little bit different than what was there. Coach Campo had been in the Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer era, so it was familiar. Chan Gailey kind of brought in his own brand, which was a little bit different than what we’d done the year before.”

As unfortunate as it is, year in and year out, injuries play a role in the game of football. LaFleur knew that better than most.

After the “fun year” of 1999, he experienced disc problems in his lower back again, and also had to deal with a groin injury during the 2000 campaign. That led to him being placed on the physically unable to perform list. Prior to the 2001 season, he failed a physical and was released by Dallas.

“It was apparent that he was not going to be able to run,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “I think he gave us all he could give us. He was a warrior, he played hurt. When he was able to perform, he was very important to what we were trying to do.”

“That’s very pleasing,” said LaFleur, who finished his career with 85 receptions for 729 yards and 12 touchdowns. “I hold the Jones family and Mr. Jones in very high regards and respect. It was unfortunate that I did have a bad back and wasn’t able to perform at a higher level for them, but I certainly cherish those memories that I have with the organization.”

These days LaFleur is involved with another organization, but ironically is still working with pain. He is a part-owner and the managing member of COL Management, a health care company based in his hometown of Lake Charles, La.

“We have 15 out-patient imaging facilities – MRI [Magnetic Resonance Imaging], CT [Computed Tomography], PET (Positron Emission Tomography),” LaFleur said. “We got our start in 1997 right after my rookie season. We opened up an out-patient imaging center and from there we rolled it out to Baton Rouge and then to where we are today. We’re all over Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and in a couple of states [California and Oregon] on the West Coast.

-- This article from: dallascowboys.com

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