Shutdown Corner Week 8 Preview Podcast with Greg Cosell

Here are the highlights from another awesome hour of knowledge from Greg Cosell with host Doug Farrar. If you'd like to give it a listen yourself, here's the link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/The-Shutdown-Corner-Week-8-Preview-Podcast-with-?urn=nfl-wp10514

- Greg is not a DeMarco Murray believer. He views him as a straight-line runner who lacks lateral agility. He cited one play in which Murray ran wide and "needed 5 or 6 steps" to change direction back towards the inside. There are two possible plays that Cosell could be referring to, and I think he is overstating his point. I would agree that Murray didn't burst with change of direction on either play, but the one was a blocking breakdown and the other I would say showed some good vision and patience. I will be interested to see more of Murray in the future and see if his lateral agility is truly problematic as Cosell believes it to be. Having just watched all of Murray's carries back-to-back, I will say that a lot of his runs were one-cut or no-cut. There weren't really any LeSean McCoy or Wes Welker-esque stop/start short-area burst runs. What Murray does have going for him though, is a fantastic size/speed combination. His 4.37 40 yard dash time, combined with his 213-pound build, gives him a fantastic Speed Score of 113. This is evident in the Rams game, where he was able to both outrun people and also knock them over. I believe Murray has a real shot at becoming something special.

- Doug and Greg discussed Josh Freeman's struggles (again). Freeman's QB coach apparently came out and said that Freeman needs to be more fundamentally sound on his throws. Cosell disagrees, citing poor decision-making as the problem. The bottom line is that Freeman has not played well this year and Cosell thinks that you have to start having serious concerns about him if he continues to struggle the way he has so far.

- A minor, but intriguing storyline that's popped up lately is that of the Chiefs' resurgence. Cosell says that the big change lately is that their defense is finally playing well. He says that the light appears to be finally coming on for former #3 overall pick Tyson Jackson, who to this point has been a massive bust. LB Derrick Johnson also gets credit from Cosell for being a very good player who often goes unnoticed.

- Kevin Kolb is not a starting-caliber QB in Greg's opinion, largely due to his inability to function with bodies around him. Cosell says that this was a concern in Philadelphia and one that potentially could've been fixed with coaching, but Kolb just has never progressed. Lack of arm strength and "an inability to make stick throws" also plague Kolb.

- Cosell LOVES Christian Ponder. He says that Ponder's ability to throw while on the run is fantastic, and that the Vikings use of roll-outs and PA is absolutely playing right to his strengths. Cosell says that while Ponder doesn't have a cannon, he is a smart, mobile, and accurate QB who has enough arm strength to be functional.

- Greg pulls no punches with the Dolphins, stating that both of their Safeties are "not starting-caliber NFL players" and that LBs Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett are playing poorly this season.

- Matt Stafford is quietly regressing as the season goes on, Cosell says. "You look at his arm [strength], and it's so impressive that it's easy to overlook his deficiencies." Greg thinks it's no coincidence that the Lions have experienced a losing slide lately given what he sees from Stafford, because their running game is not one that can be relied on.

- Cosell says that Brady has scored 8 TDs (7 pass, 1 rush), thrown 0 INTs, and is completing 70% of his passes against the Steelers since 2007. Unreal.

- Greg says that the Bengals' usage of Andy Dalton is phenomenal so far. They recognize his strengths and weaknesses, and they cater to them. Tons of throws that only travel about 10 yards in the air.

- Cosell is not a Cam Cameron fan. He thought that the route concepts utilized by the Ravens offense was like watching "prehistoric football." He isn't a Joe Flacco fan from what I inferred, but he did say that the Ravens' WRs are not doing him any favors, and neither is Cam Cameron. Cosell says that Anquan Boldin is a "guy who thrives in the Slot, and isn't really an outside guy." Ouch.

EDIT: I loved Cosell's analogy of run defense and pitching. He said that you can achieve run defense by scheme alone to a certain extent, but at some point, you have to be able to get off blocks and win one-on-one matchups. Cosell likens this to pitching, saying that you can do a lot of different things to get by with a problematic pitcher, but at some point, he's going to have to throw a fastball and he's going to have to be able to be at least somewhat successful with it. If you can't win one-on-one matchups, or if you can't throw a good fastball, you're really just fighting a losing battle, and there's nothing that scheme can do to fix that.