AGRI Biz

The Panthers are a young, tough team and John Fox is capable of leading them to the playoffs as he enters the final year of his contract. Julius Peppers headed to the Windy City but I’m still a believer in Carolina’s ability to be recognized as one of the better teams in the NFC. Longtime Panther Brad Hoover will be missed in the community and locker room but second-year fullback Tony Fiammetta ...

Playing arm-chair GM for a Super Bowl team is a bit more challenging than getting on a soapbox and laying out a strategy on how to fix perennial losers like Detroit or Cleveland. The Colts have the luxury of returning the Peyton Manning-led aerial attack featuring the emerging Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark are among the best at their positions. Jeff Saturday leads ...

The 2010 NFL draft is deep at several positions, most notably defensive tackle. In each different position there are a number of small-school prospects likely to be drafted as early as the third round all the way to undrafted free agent status. So what dictates a player who’s labeled as one who hails from a small-school? That’s up to one’s interpretation from the obvious such as division; DI or DII, or ...

Call them what you will, but the touchdown celebration will continue to be a somewhat contested issue with the NFL. They usually don’t sit well with some football traditionalists—others can’t get enough. Hysterical? A lot of them. Amusing? Check. Tasteless and Inappropriate? Some. Motivating? Few teams claim so. Memorable? Absolutely. This isn’t the first nor will it be the last, of memorable TD celebrations. However, I ...

The internet is flooded with NFL mock drafts. So much so that the sheer laws or statistical probabilities favor several professional and amateur sports journalists predicting an improbably-high percentage of picks. Taking it one step further but with far worse potential for accuracy I put together a list of potential draft-day trades for the 2010 NFL draft. Using a mixture of team needs, draft position, trade value charts and gut feeling ...

If anybody doubted the new Lions regime this time a year ago perhaps the last 24 hours has helped change their mind. General Manager Martin Mayhew and Head coach Jim Schwartz have made the most noise thus far in free agency. Shortly after the 12:00 AM start on March 5,2010, Schwartz was in Nashville waiting in his car outside of Kyle Vanden BoschÆs subdivision while Mayhew and Tom Lewand were working ...

Sunday was Day Five of the combine but technically it's the "Day 2 Arrivals" who were--or not--participating in the drills and workouts. It was the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers turn to rise to the challenge of performing in front of an audience whose observations go a long way towards the size of their future bank accounts. Sure, it's conceivable to think many of these young men may buckle under the ...

With a trio of rookies in key positions last year the Jets exceeded most expectations. Unpredictable and charismatic, Rex Ryan was impressive in his coaching debut. Mike Tannenbaum will need to make his early picks in the 2010 draft count because they traded their third, fourth and fifth-round picks. However, they are set to receive one of Philadelphia Eagles two fifth-round picks from the ôconditional picksö part of the Lito ...

Of all the tests, procedures and analysis players undergo at the NFL combine, the Wonderlic is probably the least indicative barometer of future success--or failure. Positions responsible for processing and remembering the highest volume of plays, routes, pursuit angles and other assignments are prime candidates scouts will consider Wonderlic scores for. However, many scouts still place a priority on it, especially at certain positions. Begin Slideshow

For a team known for its tough defense, hard-nosed coach and focused attention to upgrading defense two of the past three drafts; the Jacksonville Jaguars have been a disappointing team as of late. As we forecast a best-case, worst-case scenario for the upcoming 2010 NFL draft we note a few things probably stand out to General Manager Gene Smith. Offense David Garrard will never be a world-beater. His very pedestrian-like stat line ...