Jeff Risdon - Football Analysis

All starters return from division champion season. Griese provides a major upgrade at backup QB, and with starter Rex Grossman?s injury history (he?s played 7 games in 3 seasons), that?s a necessity. Strong depth at RB, OL, and DL. Very favorable early schedule, and the easiest overall schedule. Read more »

Now that the Steve McNair-to-Baltimore saga is finally complete, the offseason QB shuffle is complete. There have been some inspired moves, some bizarre moves, and some head scratching moves. Here?s how they break down. Read more »

Now that the NFL Draft is done, there?s a hole in my life. No longer can I constantly tinker with mock drafts, or debate the merits of the Lions picking an offensive tackle over a cornerback. I?ll no longer dream about Mel Kiper?s opinions, nor his hair. Read more »

While Reggie Bush is still going to the Texans, Mario Williams is creeping up to New Orleanas at #2. In two free-falls, Vince Young drops to the Raiders at #7 and LenDale White sits all the way until #44 when Baltimore grabs him. And finally, don't buy the Jay Cutler smokescreen the Jets are throwing, it is Leinart or bust for them, otherwise they'll be quite happy with Ferguson. Read more »

Two teams, similar in context, woven together by past greatness and aging generals. Okay, I hate Dickens so enough of that... I'm talking about Green Bay and Tennessee and how they are handling their aging, declining QBs. Read more »

Normally it's a good debate amongst fans whom the winners and losers in free agency are each offseason. But this winter, there are some clear winners and losers, with precious few in the middle ground. There's still a couple of big fish (Ty Law, Lavar Arrington) and a few intriguing names (Joey Harrington, Charles Woodson, Mike Vanderjagt) still on the open market, but most of the prominent movement has been completed. Read more »

As the lyrics to one of my favorite songs goes, "There's nowhere to set my aim, so I'm everywhere". Here's 10 NFL thoughts as I immerse myself into the offseason while biding my time waiting for the draft. Read more »

After my trip to Indy to catch the Combine festivities and pry into "Insider" status, here's my latest mock draft. This one goes two rounds, so grab a glass of your favorite beverage and it'll help you digest these 64 picks. I'll do one more adjustment, if needed, the weekend before the draft. Read more »

By now you've read all kinds of doom and gloom about the lack of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the NFL and its players. One of the ramifications is that the 2007 season will be played without a salary cap, and Union Chief Gene Upshaw has repeatedly declared that once the cap is gone, it isn't coming back. And while it will change the NFL to some extent, it's not something that most fans should worry about. In fact, it might just be a good thing for all involved. Read more »

After my trip to Indy to catch the Combine festivities and pry into "Insider" status, here's my latest mock draft. This one goes two rounds, so grab a glass of your favorite beverage and it'll help you digest these 64 picks. Read more »

With the Senior Bowl now complete, it's easier to sort out the potential draftees and anticipate where they might go in the upcoming NFL Draft. While I wouldn't necessarily make these picks myself, this is how I see the draft flowing. Read more »

Normally at this time of year it's a dizzying effort to follow the head coaches moving from team to team around the league. But this year the spinning never really started for experienced head coaches. Instead teams whirled up fresh new faces onto the scene, defying the typical motion of the carousel. Read more »

After being dead on correct last week, Jeffrey Risdon's methodology of matchups moves from hypothesis to theory. He'll try his hand at the Divisional Games and work on "law" status on these games and whether or not the Broncos can actually slay the mythical Patriots. Read more »

Playoff games are all about matchups. Can one team do something exceptionally well that the other team cannot counteract? How does the strengths of one team match against the weaknesses of the other team? If their strengths are neutralized, which team can improvise its way to superiority? That's how to go about picking the playoff winners. Here's the matchups that should determine the outcomes of the Sunday games in the Wild Card round. Read more »

I'm not one of those people who believes that losing a game will make you better prepared in the playoffs, but I think the Colts will benefit from the loss to the Chargers. Peyton Manning has always had a bit of the yips in pressure-packed games, and now he can just focus on winning a Super Bowl instead of winning the title of Greatest Team Ever. Read more »

This week examines 5 prominent players who have suffered through miserable 2005 seasons. Though the reasons for the declines vary from player to player, there is a common question surrounding all of them. Is it time for teams to give up on them, or can they bounce back into being an impact stud once again? Here's my advice for the GMs, free of charge. Read more »

Around this time of year, when the contenders and pretenders are pretty much sorted, you're going to hear all these highly compensated talking head experts spend five good minutes breaking down why a team is where it is. I'm going to save you lots of time, freeing you to watch more Law & Order reruns or finally get started on your Christmas shopping (cough*Nirvana box set*cough). All you need to know about the difference between playoff team and "we're playing for next season" is who is under center. Read more »

With ten takes, Jeff Risdon goes down the list of NFL hot topics...From the surging Vikes to Reggie Bush and his takes on who deserves the MVP awards. Read more »

Jeff Risdon gives out 13 midseason awards. With titles such as Rod Smith's 'The Hidden Trasures Award' and the Patriots' 'The Still Alive And Well Award,' this isn't your typical award show. Read more »

From comments on Michael Vick, NFL parity and Bill Parcells to Ed Reed, Reggie Bush and Monday Night Football, RealGMfootball's Jeff Risdon is calling shots and taking names. Read more »