Top young gun out of the '09 draft class

Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman.

Three quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Three different teams have placed their franchises future in their hands. Literally. Here is what Herm Edwards and Marcellus Wiley have to say on the subject.



Personally, it is hard to argue with what Josh Freeman has done. Quite frankly it is just impressive. His leadership and poise on top of his obvious physical gifts are awesome.

I would love to say that Stafford can and will have a better career in the long run, but taking care of his body is essential. Before anyone scoffs at that notion, just look at the numbers he did put up in his very limited action last year. Quite a marked improvement over his rookie year.

Milestone: 2,000 Hits

Just a mini-milestone for The Tiger Report.  We have now surpassed the 2,000 hits mark.

I thank those of you who have spent the time visiting us.

I encourage all of you to keep coming by to see what we have, and also to engage via your comments to help us build a community.  After all, with out you guys, this site doesn't exist.

Sincerely,
Tiger

Protesters in full force at Vick autograph session

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on June 20, 2011, 11:31 AM EDT

AP

Dog lovers still upset over Michael Vick’s past have not yet given up their pursuit to disrupt his public events with protests.

Roughly 50 demonstrators spent their Sunday afternoonchanting at Vick and holding signs as Vick signed autographs and posed for pictureswith hundreds of fans that lined up to meet him in Butler, New Jersey.

This exchange, as detailed by Scott Fallon of NorthJersey.com, sums up the scene nicely:

“You ought to be ashamed of yourselves!” one protester yelled at a kid. “Where’s you mother?”

The young fan replied: “She’s right here, wearing an Eagles jersey!”

Butler Sports Card shop co-owner was unapologetic about the appearance.

“I’m not bringing him in because he killed dogs,” Jeff Robbins said. “I’m bringing in him because he’s the biggest autograph draw out there right now.

“The fact people are pissed off, I 100 percent respect that. If they want to complain they should go to the commissioner of the NFL for letting him back in.”

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I am a huge animal lover.  Hopefully I can lose some weight soon, but my affinity for animals won't change.  I can not imagine all the things that were done to those poor animals.  

However, this man did pay a price for his crimes.  He lost more than most people will ever have, for his crimes.  He will continue to face his past and that is understandable.  But we as  human beings, with plenty of our own faults and failures need to move on.

Some say, "but I never killed dogs".  So what?  How many of us out there have done stupid things, that we are only fortunate enough that we never got caught?  Or worse, we are fortunate enough that no one was injured or killed?  I know I am guilty of all kinds of big and small things, often just done out of stupidity.  Just growing up could have earned me a lifetime in lock down. 

I know that no matter what bad choices I have made, that I don't want to be judged by those choices for the rest of my life.  Most of you probably feel the same way.  So let's leave the judging to Someone else. 

Thurman Thomas on Michael Turner, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 20, 2011, 8:17 AM EDT

Getty Images

Thurman Thomas knows what it’s like to be a workhorse NFL running back whose body eventually breaks down. When he looks at Falcons running back Michael Turner, he sees a player whose body won’t be able to take the wear and tear of being a workhorse back much longer.

While at an appearance in Georgia Thomas told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the Falcons need to do a better job of keeping Turner fresh.

“They need to start looking for another running back,” Thomas said. “Michael Turner, when you carry that ball 300 times a year for a few years, it puts some wear and tear on your body. I think they need another running back to give him a break every now and again.”

Turner has averaged more than 20 carries a game with the Falcons, with 888 rushing attempts in 43 games. That’s a tough pace to keep up.

Thomas does think, however, that Turner will benefit from playing in a dome. In fact, Thomas believes that if he had played in a dome during his career, he — not Emmitt Smith — would be the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

“I talk to Emmitt and Barry Sanders a lot too,” Thomas said. “I said you know what, you guys have about two or three thousand yards more than I do, but come December I was playing in ice. I was playing in snow. If I was playing in Dallas or inside like Barry I’d probably would have another 3,000 yards. I could have been the all-time leading rusher if I didn’t play on ice, sleet and snow.”

For the record, Smith gained 6,281 more rushing yards than Thomas — not “two or three thousand.” But even if Thomas is wrong about that, he may be right about Turner: The carries are quickly piling up, and the Falcons probably can’t expect many more 300-carry seasons from their workhorse back.

Permalink 0 Comments  Latest Stories in: Atlanta Falcons

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I agree with his primary comment about the wear and tear on Turner, or any running back for that matter.  However, I take issue with his secondary remark.

I loved watching Thurman Thomas back in his prime.  He was the most complete back in the game at his peak, but he wasn't the best back.   I do agree with his sentiment of playing in a controlled environment would have statistically been beneficial, however those old school astro turfs were actually more damaging to the body.  Many players careers ended very prematurely do to the unforgiving nature of that surface.

In terms of playing horse shoes and hand grenades, if they all played equal lengths in equal conditions, Barry Sanders would have easily distanced himself over both.  Barry was still in his prime at 30 when he hung them up.  Which first off is rare for a running back.  Secondly, his average per game and per rush were better than both players.  While playing on the worst team of the 3.