VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 6

1. New York Jets (5-1) – The Jets defense is outstanding along with a very offense.

2. New England Patriots (4-1) – The Patriots won in overtime against the Ravens.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) – The Steelers got quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back and still have their great defense they are going to be hard to beat this season.

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) – The Ravens lost a very close game against the Patriots.

5. Indianapolis Colts (4-2) – There is news that tight end Dallas Clark might be out for a while and if so that will hurt the Colts offense.

6. New York Giants (4-2) – Right now the Giants are the best team in the NFC and they can take out the Cowboys this Monday Night.

7. New Orleans Saints (4-2) – The Saints are rounding in to form.

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) – The Falcons didn’t look very good against the Eagles.

9. Houston Texans (4-2) – Great last second win against the Chiefs.

10. Tennessee Titans (4-2) – Vince Young got hurt on Monday Night but the Titans where still able to beat the Jaguars.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) – The Eagles and Kevin Kolb rolled over the Falcons.

12. Chicago Bears (4-2) – The Bears have to fix their offensive line.

13. Miami Dolphins (3-2) – The Dolphins where able to go to Green Bay and beat the Packers.

14. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) – The Cardinals are coming off their bye.

15. Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – The Seahawks where able to go into Chicago and beat the Bears.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) – Tampa Bay was is starting to come back to where we thought they where.

17. Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) – A heart breaking lose in the last seconds against the Texans.

18. Green Bay Packers (3-3) – The Packers injuries are starting to catch up with them.

19. Washington Redskins (3-3) – The Redskins are still a work in progress.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) – The Jaguars didn’t look good on Monday Night against the Titans.

21. St. Louis Rams (3-3) – Can the Rams win the NFC West?

22. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) – The Bengals are coming off their bye.

23. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) – This week is Farve vs. the Packers Part 3.

24. Oakland Raiders (2-4) – The Raiders really need to find a quarterback.

25. San Diego Chargers (2-4) – The Chargers have to start putting some wins together or they will be left out of the playoffs this year.

26. Denver Broncos (2-4) – Good thing the Broncos play in the AFC West cause they still have a shot to win the division.

27. Dallas Cowboys (1-4) – Monday Night against the Giants is a must win.

28. San Francisco 49ers (1-5) – If the 49ers can get on a roll they still can win the NFC West.

29. Detroit Lions (1-5) – After their bye it looks like Matthew Stafford should be back.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-5) – Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy should get his second start.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-5) – It might be a long season for the Panthers.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-5) – The Bills will play hard this whole season but when it said and done they will be pick 1st in the 2011 NFL Draft.

VanFulpen's NFL Week 6 Winners

Seattle at Chicago 1:00 PM FOX - WINNER: BEARS

Miami at Green Bay 1:00 PM CBS - WINNER: PACKERS

San Diego at St. Louis 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: CHARGERS

Baltimore at New England 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: RAVENS

New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: SAINTS

Detroit at NY Giants 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: GIANTS

Atlanta at Philadelphia 1:00 PM FOX – WINNER: FALCONS

Cleveland at Pittsburgh 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: STEELERS

Kansas City at Houston 1:00 PM CBS – WINNER: TEXANS

Oakland at San Francisco 4:05 PM CBS – WINNER: 49ERS

NY Jets at Denver 4:05 PM CBS – WINNER: JETS

Dallas at Minnesota 4:15 PM FOX – WINNER: VIKINGS

Indianapolis at Washington 8:20 PM NBC – WINNER: COLTS

Tennessee at Jacksonville 8:30 PM ESPN (Monday Night) – WINNER: TITANS

Last Week – 7-7

This Season – 43-33

VanFulpen's NFL Week 5 Winners

Jacksonville at Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS – Jacksonville is coming off a huge win against the Colts and gets two in a row.

Winner: JAGUARS

Tampa Bay at Cincinnati 1:00 PM FOX – The Bengals won’t lose two in a row.

Winner: BENGALS

Atlanta at Cleveland 1:00 PM FOX – The Falcons are on a role winning close games at the end, but this game won’t be that close.

Winner: FALCONS

St. Louis at Detroit 1:00 PM FOX – The Rams got their first win of the season last year against the Lions, the Lions do the same this year.

Winner: Lions

Kansas City at Indianapolis 1:00 PM CBS – After this week there is no unbeaten teams as the Colts won’t lose two in a row.

Winner: COLTS

Green Bay at Washington 1:00 PM FOX - The Redskins are coming off a huge win against the Eagles and ride that with an upset over the Packers.

Winner: REDSKINS

Chicago at Carolina 1:00 PM FOX – Even without Jay Culter at quarterback the Bears are able to come in to Carolina and get a win.

Winner: BEARS

Denver at Baltimore 1:00 PM CBS - The Ravens are coming off a last second win against the Steelers and keep things rolling this week.

WINNER: RAVENS

NY Giants at Houston 1:00 PM FOX - The Giants defensive line look great against the Bears last Sunday night but don’t think it will have the same effect this week.

WINNER: TEXANS

New Orleans at Arizona 4:05 PM FOX - Arizona is starting Max Hall at quarterback an undrafted rookie free-agent, the Saints defense will get off the bus blitzing.

Winner: SAINTS

San Diego at Oakland 4:15 PM CBS – The Chargers are trying to get things turned around and it helps that they are going against the Raiders.

Winner: CHARGERS

Tennessee at Dallas 4:15 PM CBS – The Cowboys have to stop running back Chris Johnson if they can do that they get to 2-2 on the season.

Winner: COWBOYS

Philadelphia at San Francisco 8:20 PM NBC – The 49ers are trying to get their first win of the season and they don’t have to face Michael Vick.

Winner: 49ers

Minnesota at NY Jets 8:30 PM ESPN (Monday Night) – I beat you anything that Randy Moss has more catches this Monday Night then last, since he didn’t have any in his last game as a Patriot.

Winner: VIKINGS

Last week: 9- 5


Overall: 36- 26

VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 4

1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) – Only reason they are number in the power
ranking is because they are the only undefeated team.

2. New Orleans Saints (3-1) – They won another close game they are as explosive as they where last year on offense.

3. Green Bay Packers (3-1) – They got back on track against the Lions.

4. Houston Texans (3-1) – Beat Oakland without wide receiver Andre Johnson.

5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – Quarterback Joe Flacco was able to lead the Ravens to a last minute win against the Steelers.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) – Lost in the last minute to the Ravens but now they get their quarterback back.

7. New York Jets (3-1) – The Jets keep things rolling against the Bills.

8. New England Patriots (3-1) – The Patriots went down to Miami and look care of the Dolphins.

9. Chicago Bears (3-1) – The Bears could block the New York Giants and couldn’t do anything on offense.

10. Atlanta Falcons (3-1) – The Falcons found a way to win against the 49ers.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – Had their bye this past week.

12. Indianapolis Colts (2-2) – The Colts lost on an end of the game 59 yard field goal against the Jaguars.

13. San Diego Chargers (2-2) – The Chargers where able to roll against the Arizona Cardinals at home.

14. New York Giants (2-2) – Their defensive line dominating the game against the Bears this week.

15. Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) – The Bengals have to get their offense going on their hopes of making the playoffs in back to back season might not be a reality.

16. Tennessee Titans (2-2) – The Titans have been up and down this season and they need to find a way to get Chris Johnson off and running.

17. Miami Dolphins (2-2) – Back-to-back losses at home against divisional teams not a great way to start off the season.

18. Washington Redskins (2-2) – Donovan McNabb was able to go back to Philadelphia and get a win.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) – The Eagles might have lost Michael Vick for a few weeks, if so it could be a rough stretch for the Eagles.

20. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) – The Seahawks are so up and down this season and if they could play consistent they could have a chance to win the NFC West.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) – A huge win at home against the Indianapolis Colts.

22. Denver Broncos (2-2) – The Broncos where able to make enough plays to beat the Titans.

23. St. Louis Rams (2-2) – The Rams have won back to back games, can they make it three in a row, well they are playing the Lions this week.

24. Arizona Cardinals (2-2) – The Cardinals went to Max Hall at quarterback after Derrick Anderson was ineffective against the Chargers.

25. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) – Had their bye this past week.

26. Dallas Cowboys (1-2) – Had their bye this past week.

27. Oakland Raiders (1-3) – Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski just isn’t the answer in Oakland and they will be looking for another quarterback this off-season.

28. Cleveland Browns (1-3) – The Browns were able to steal a win against the Bengals this past week.

29. San Francisco 49ers (0-4) – The 49ers might be 0-4 but in the NFC West they still have a chance but must turn it around this week against the Eagles.

30. Detroit Lions (0-4) – Lions fans can’t wait to get quarterback Matthew Stafford back.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-4) – The Panthers had a chance against the Saints but just couldn’t make the plays at the end to win the game.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-4) – The Bills will play hard this whole season but when it said and done they will be pick 1st in the 2011 NFL Draft.

VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 3

1. Chicago Bears (3-0) – Defensive end Julius Peppers has been a huge addition for the defensive line.


2. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) – The Steelers defense has been playing outstanding.


3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) – One of the surprise teams of the early season so far but can they keep it up.


4. New Orleans Saints (2-1) – The lost in overtime after missing a field goal that could have won it and keep them undefeated.


5. Green Bay Packers (2-1) – Lost to the Bears on Monday Night in a hard fought NFC North game.


6. Houston Texans (2-1) – Against the Cowboys didn’t play like the had played in the first two weeks.


7. Indianapolis Colts (2-1) – The Colts looked they are ready to roll again this season.


8. New York Jets (2-1) – The Jets where able to go down to Miami and beat the Dolphins.


9. New England Patriots (2-1) – The Patriots got their offense rolling against the Bills.


10. Miami Dolphins (2-1) – Lost at home against the Jets but still should be in the mix for the AFC East crown.


11. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) – The Bengals still haven’t put an great offensive game together but our still 2-1.


12. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – Quarterback Joe Flacco was able to bonus back and throw 3 touchdown passes this week.


13. Atlanta Falcons (2-1) – The Falcons won a hard fought game against the Saints in overtime.


14. Tennessee Titans (2-1) – The Titans offense has gotten things going yet like they had last year with Vince Young.


15. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) – The Eagles are keep Michael Vick as the starter and right now their offense is explosive.


16. Seattle Seahawks (2-1) – The Seahawks where able to make the plays when it counted against the Chargers to win the game last Sunday.


17. Arizona Cardinals (2-1) – The Cardinals are in the NFC West the worst division in football so they have a chance to win it again this year.


18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – Showed their true colors against the Steelers this week.


19. San Diego Chargers (1-2) – The Chargers always start the season out slow when it is all said and done they will be in the playoffs.


20. Minnesota Vikings (1-2) – The Vikings got their first win, but still didn’t look like the team they where last year.


21. Dallas Cowboys (1-2) – Quarterback Tony Romo played well, which allowed the Cowboys to beat the Texans.


22. New York Giants (1-2) – Quarterback Eli Manning has to play better then what he did last week against the Titans if the Giants want to win the NFC East title.


23. Washington Redskins (1-2) – The Redskins allowed rookie quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams to get their first win of the season.


24. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) – It might time for a house cleaning in Jacksonville.


25. Denver Broncos (1-2) – The Broncos just don’t have the playmakers they used to have in Denver.


26. Oakland Raiders (1-2) – Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski just isn’t the answer in Oakland and they will be looking for another quarterback this off-season.


27. St. Louis Rams (1-2) – The Rams where able to get a big time win against the Washington Redskins this week.


28. San Francisco 49ers (0-3) – The 49ers looked horrible against the Chiefs on Sunday, they fired their offensive coordinator but everyone needs to play better as well.


29. Detroit Lions (0-3) – Lions fans can’t wait to get quarterback Matthew Stafford back.


30. Carolina Panthers (0-3) – Quarterback Jimmy Clausen first start wasn’t great but it wasn’t horrible, they might have something to build on their.


31. Cleveland Browns (0-3) – The Browns need a quarterback and will try to trade for Kevin Kolb this off-season.


32. Buffalo Bills (0-3) – The Bills released quarterback Trent Edwards who started their first two games, but everyone knows they are on the clock for possible Ryan Mallett.

VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 2

1. New Orleans Saints (2-0) – The Saints are the best team in the NFL and proved it on Monday Night Football traveling to San Francisco and being able to win with a field goal on the final play.

2. Green Bay Packers (2-0) – Quarterback Aaron Rogers looks like he is the leader for the NFL MVP award and their defense is great as well.

3. Houston Texans (2-0) – Overtime win against the Redskins and now they are at home against the Cowboys if they can beat their in state rivals will go along for their confidence.

4. Miami Dolphins (2-0) – Great win against the Vikings on the road now they take on the Jets.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) – No Big Ben no problem in the first two weeks.

6. Chicago Bears (2-0) – Jay Cutler has looked like the Pro Bowl player the Bears thought they traded for in the first two weeks.

7. Kansas City Chiefs (2-0) – On of the surprise teams of the early season so far but can they keep it up.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) – The other surprise team and they have a good young quarterback leading them.

9. Indianapolis Colts (1-1) – The Colts looked they are ready to roll again this season.

10. San Diego Chargers (1-1) – Maybe the early season lost to the Chiefs was a good thing for them.

11. New York Jets (1-1) – They have to go play Miami this week, who last season they where 0-2 against.

12. New England Patriots (1-1) – Patriots didn’t look like themselves in the second half against the Jets.

13. New York Giants (1-1) – Eli and the Giants got beat by his older brother Peyton but still look like the team to beat in the NFC East.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) – The Bengals need to get their offense going and score touchdowns and not kick field goals.

15. Baltimore Ravens (1-1) – The Ravens can’t wait to get Ed Reed back because then their defense will be even better.

16. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – The Falcons can’t afford running back Michael Turner to be hurt and miss too much time.

17. Tennessee Titans (1-1) – Vince Young will be back as the starter, but they need to open more holes for running back Chris Johnson then what they did on Sunday against the Steelers.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) – Michael Vick has played well but they are going back to quarterback Kevin Kolb, might not be the right move.

19. Washington Redskins (1-1) – Donovan McNabb should have this team right around a late season wild card push.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) – The Jaguars have to get better play out of their quarterback or will be looking for a new quarterback and new head coach in the off-season.

21. Denver Broncos (1-1) – The beat the Seahawks this past Sunday but don’t look like a playoff type team.

22. Oakland Raiders (1-1) – The Raiders might be looking for another quarterback this off-season as Jason Campbell was benched in the first half Sunday.

23. Seattle Seahawks (1-1) – The great opening day win didn’t look so great after getting beat by the Broncos.

24. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) – Derrick Anderson is not the answer at quarterback and they could be draft one in the first round again.

25. Minnesota Vikings (0-2) – Brett Farve came back for this? Life isn’t looking good, but just what the doctor ordered the Detroit Lions and Shaun Hill this Sunday.

26. Dallas Cowboys (0-2) – The Cowboys have to go on the road and beat the Texans this week.

27. San Francisco 49ers (0-2) – The 49ers play in the worst division in the NFL, the NFC West so an 8-8 record might win the division.

28. Detroit Lions (0-2) – Lions fans can’t wait to get quarterback Matthew Stafford back.

29. Carolina Panthers (0-2) – The Jimmy Clausen era has started in Carolina.

30. Cleveland Browns (0-2) – The Browns are hoping the quarterback Andrew Luck falls to them next April.

31. St. Louis Rams (0-2) – The Rams need offensive weapons and should trade for Vincent Jackson.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-2) – The Bills have benched quarterback Trent Edwards after week two.

VanFulpen’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 1

1. New Orleans Saints (1-0) – Super Bowl champs looks like they will be a team this season to watch out for again.

2. New England Patriots (1-0) – Patriots looks good in opening win against the Bengals.

3. Green Bay Packers (1-0) – Packers go on the road in Philadelphia and get a win.

4. Houston Texans (1-0) – A huge opening week win against the Colts.

5. Tennessee Titans (1-0) – True the Titans opened up against the Raiders, but both the offense and defense looked good in week one.

6. New York Giants (1-0) – Eli Manning did throw 3 interceptions but he also threw 3 touchdown passes and wide receiver Hakeem Nicks looks like he can be a big time receiver in the NFL.

7. Baltimore Ravens (1-0) – There defense looked outstanding on Monday Night Football and their offense should come around.

8. Miami Dolphins (1-0) – It is nice to be able to open up the season with the Buffalo Bills, but a win is a win, and the Dolphins won on the road.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) – Their offense struggled with out quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but their defense looked like the old Steelers defense and it was good to see safety Troy Polamalu on the field again and making plays.

10. Chicago Bears (1-0) – Free-Agent addition Julius Peppers made a huge impact knocking out Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Bears defense played outstanding.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) – Quarterback David Garrard played well and helped lead the Jaguars to a victory and take the heat off of head coach Jack Del Rio for at least a week.

12. Seattle Seahawks (1-0) – Seahawks had a very impressive win against the San Francisco 49ers at home who many picked to win the NFC West.

13. Washington Redskins (1-0) – Redskins defense play outstanding and quarterback Donovan McNabb made enough plays to get the Redskins a win over the Cowboys.

14. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) – The Chiefs made enough plays on offense, defense and in special teams to lead them to a victory over the San Diego Chargers.

15. Arizona Cardinals (1-0) – The Cardinals didn’t look impressive and could have lost to the St. Louis Rams but enough plays to pull out the victory.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) – A comeback win for second year quarterback Josh Freeman at home is a great way to start the season.

17. Indianapolis Colts (0-1) – A lost on the road against Houston in which your defense gives a ton of yards on the ground isn’t the way you want to start the season, but don’t think the Colts are dead.

18. New York Jets (0-1) – The Jets played great defense on Monday Night Football, but they still need work on their passing game.

19. San Diego Chargers (0-1) – The Chargers always start slow, but they will turn it on as we get farther into the season.

20. Minnesota Vikings (0-1) – Farve needs time to get adjusted to life without wide receiver Sidney Rice, but will find a way to make it work until Rice gets back on the field.

21. Dallas Cowboys (0-1) – Offensive tackle Marc Colombo can’t get healthy fast enough for the Cowboys, because he replacement Alex Barron cost the Cowboys the game on Sunday night.

22. Atlanta Falcons (0-1) – The Falcons have to find their offense and be able to score touchdowns or it could be a long season.

23. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) – The Bengals go from the Patriots to the Ravens not an easy task to open up the season, but need to win next week if they want a chance to make the playoffs this season.

24. Philadelphia Eagles (0-1) – Is their going to be a quarterback controversy between Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick? Time will tell.

25. Detroit Lions (0-1) – Hard luck for the Lions once again, plus the lose their starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, the question is how long will he be gone for.

26. Carolina Panthers (0-1) – With quarterback Matt Moore throwing three interceptions and get a concussion is it Jimmy Clausen time?

27. San Francisco 49ers (0-1) – The 49ers where suppose to win the NFC West this year and came out in week one and looked far from a division champ.

28. Denver Broncos (0-1) – The Broncos did a have a chance against the Jaguars but the Broncos might be in for a long season this year.

29. Oakland Raiders (0-1) – Quarterback Jason Campbell wasn’t JaMarcus Russell bad against the Titans, but wasn’t great either, but should be able to get healthy against the Rams next week.

30. Cleveland Browns (0-1) – Quarterback Jake Delhomme threw two interceptions and that was the reason the Panthers cut him, and the Browns still had a chance to beat Tampa Bay.

31. St. Louis Rams (0-1) – Sam Bradford started and threw three interceptions, but looks like he could do well once the Rams get some more weapons around him.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-1) – Rookie running back CJ Spiller didn’t do anything on Sunday and Bills fans are just waiting until next April when they will be on the clock first with the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Power Ranking Number 2: New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are the defending Super Bowl champs and return most of their starters that helped them win the Super Bowl last season. Quarterback Drew Brees is the man that makes the offense go and last season he complete over 70 percent of his passes and threw for 4,388 yards and 34 touchdowns. Running back Reggie Bush hasn’t put up big numbers in the regular season but in last years playoffs he made some huge plays and showed why he was the number two pick overall five years ago. Running back Pierre Thomas is a work horse and can make plays running the football or in the passing game. Wide receiver Marques Colston has been one of Bress’ main weapons in the passing game since Brees came to New Orleans. Wide receiver Robert Meachem come on strong last year having a career year catching 45 passes and 9 touchdowns, and the Saints expect his growth to continue. Devery Henderson is a big play waiting to happen in the passing game.

Defensive end Will Smith is the Saints best pass rusher and last season he had 13 sacks, the Saints added defense end Alex Brown in the off-season who had 6 sacks last season with the Bears to add in the pass rush department. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been a welcome addition to the Saints the past two season and is one of the leaders on defense. Safety Darren Sharper had an outstanding season last year and many thought he should have been defensive players on the year since he had 9 interceptions and returned 3 of them for touchdowns and also had 15 passes defended. There was some question this off-season if he would come back to the Saints since he was a free-agent, but in the end he did up resigning and he is one of the main reason that the Saints might be able to repeat.

The Saints had an outstanding season last year on both sides of the ball, their offense has been good for a while but the defense under defensive coordinator Greg Williams has really stepped up and become a very good until in the NFL. The Saints have a shot at back to back Super Bowl wins but they need to stay healthy, it should be a good time all season down in New Orleans.

Nicholls State Daniels could be a special team’s demon

Dominique Daniels of Nicholls State is an under rated defensive back who can play both corner and safety at the next level, who last season had 42 total tackles, 1 interception, 5 pass break-ups, and 6 passes defended.

“I can play cornerback, safety, punt returner, kick return, on special teams, I have good size and speed,” said Daniels.

Daniels does have good size at almost 6-2 and 190 pounds, and also is very explosive showing that with a 10-foot-2 inch broad jump and a 34-inch vertical jump.

But one things that Daniels has going for him is that he has already start working out with current guys in the NFL, with the likes of wide receiver Robert Meachem, corner back Tracy Porter, safety Chip Vaughn all of the Super Bowl winning New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones every day at the training complete that Daniels was at to get ready for his Pro Day.

“Meachem has helped me get an idea of what he looks for when he is going against a cornerback, and what things he use to tip him off,” said Daniels. “It helps me to learn what a wide receiver is looking for so I can make adjustments. Jones has given me tips on the return game both as a punt return and kick returned.”

Daniels has had personal workouts with both the Saints and Atlanta Falcons leading up to the NFL Draft.

“The Falcons put me thru a long workout both as a defensive back and as a punt and kickoff returner,” said Daniels.

Daniels will have an opportunity to make an NFL teams not just as a defensive back, but what he can do on specials teams, both in the return game and the coverage units.

“I know when I get into a camp, I will be able to play on a team with having an opportunity on both punt and kick returns, but I can play cornerback,” said Daniels. “I am a competitive person.”

S Mike Newton, Buffalo: Pro Day Star

Buffalo safety Mike Newton had a great pro day to open up the pro day schedule that NFL Scouts, GM and Head Coaches will be attending in the next month leading up to the NFL Draft. Newton who has started since his red-shirt freshman year was 5-10 197 pounds, ran a 4.46 and a 4.48, 40 yard dash, which would have been second for all safeties at the NFL Combine. He had a 41 inch vertical jump again which would have been tied for second among all safeties at the NFL Combine with USC Taylor Mays. He had a 10 foot broard jump, ran a 6.94 3 cone drill, a 4.17, 20 yard shuttle. The only thing that he didn’t do as well was the 225 bench, which he only had 9 reps.

There where 12 teams at the work which where the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and the Atlanta Falcons. He was also asked to defensive back drills by the Packers, Eagles, Bills, Browns, Jets and Saints.

Minnesota at New Orleans Preview

The NFC Championship game matches up the top two seeds in the NFC Playoffs with the Vikings and the Saints batting for the right to go to the Super Bowl down in New Orleans. The Superdome should be rocking at kick-off and with all the expected offense it should keep rocking for the entire game. The match-up of quarterbacks is a huge reason to tune into the game with Viking quarterback Brett Farve and Saints quarterback Drew Brees having great seasons and great playoff games last weekend.

The Vikings are going to try to get to Bees with their front four with defensive end Jared Allen being their best pass rusher. The Vikings won’t bring as many blitzes as the Saints will but they will do whatever they have to do get to Brees and try to get him out of rhythm in the passing game. The Vikings secondary is their defensive weakness and they need their pass rushers to get pressure on Brees or we will pick them apart.
The Vikings are very good against the run with defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams, but the Saints must still try to run the football even if at the start of the game they don’t get much protection. The Saints will use multiple different running backs and will use running back Reggie Bush in many different ways, as a running back, receiver and returner and they hope he has another game like he did last week against the Cardinals. He can be the difference maker for the Saints on offense.

The Saints defense use a lot of blitzes to get pressure on the quarterback and their secondary is much better then Vikings with Darren Sharper being the differences maker in the Saints secondary. The Saints hope to be able to put pressure on Farve and force him to make some mistakes, and need to create turnovers. Running Back Adrian Peterson is huge weapon that the Vikings need to keep feeding him the football and let him make plays running the football. The Vikings have a lot of weapons on offense but need to run the football to control the clock and keep the Saints offense off the field.

I think when it is all said and done that the Saints passing offense and the home crowd will be to much for the Vikings as they move on to the Super Bowl.

Arizona at New Orleans Preview

The Arizona Cardinals coming off there huge win last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers head down to New Orleans to take on a Saints team that has been struggling the last month of the season. After the Saints lost to the Cowboys they kind of went into a tail spin and lost their final two games after that lost. Everyone is saying that the Saints are done and that the Cardinals coming off that amazing game have all the momentum. Well there are two very simple but very keep factors, the Saints are at home, and they Saints have quarterback Drew Brees.

I expect this game to be just like the Cardinals last game against the Packers, high scoring and down to the wire. But this week the Cardinals will not be at home with the home crowd, like they where last week. Since both teams will be looking to throw the football, we need to look at who has the better cornerbacks and safeties, and not just the starters because both teams will look to go to the three and four wide receivers set. When you look at the Saints have the edge, not only to do they have better starters in the secondary the Cardinals but their nickel and dime packages are better.

In my option Saints safety Darren Sharper will have to be the difference maker for the Saints to win, and I believe that he will as the Saints move on to the NFC Championship game.