25
May
2010
Q&A with Brandon Kopceuch of 27Pitches and NFL.com’s Blog Blitz
This week, we have the privilege of sitting down to talk with Brandon Kopceuch, a writer for NFL.com’s Blog Blitz and www.27pitches.com. Brandon has been following the National Football League for years, and gives us his impressions of this offseason, and takes a look forward to 2010. Brandon can be reached at brandon@27pitches.com.
Are people too worked up over Sanchez and the Jets? (Source: nydailynews.com)
THEDARKHORSE: Brandon, thanks for joining us here at Read and React. It’s been an active few months for the National Football League. Give me your thoughts on one or two teams that have really improved this offseason.
BRANDON KOPCEUCH : Thanks for having me. I was saying it even before the draft, but, in my opinion, one team that has really impressed me this offseason is the Detroit Lions. Ever since they got rid of Matt Millen, they finally seem to be on the right path, and I can legitimately see them competing for the NFC North title as early as next year. Imagine if Millen was still in charge—he’d have drafted Dez Bryant and let the other areas of the team fall into ruin. But Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz actually seem to know what they’re doing. Matthew Stafford is the real deal and giving him a legitimate weapon in Nate Burleson opposite the beast that is Calvin “Megatron” Johnson will go a long way into opening up the field for them. Then going out and trading for one of the better receiving tight ends in the league in Tony Scheffler makes this a scary passing offense for their opponents to defend.
The other team I like is the Baltimore Ravens. They have given Joe Flacco a plethora of weapons and they should field one of the best offenses in the league next year, along with their normally stout defense, which got stronger with last month’s draft. Oh, and let me throw this out there: I think Flacco is, and will be, better than his quarterback draft partner, Matt Ryan. There, I said it.
THEDARKHORSE: How about a team that’s stumbled?
BRANDON KOPCEUCH: I have to say it’s the Broncos. Josh McDaniels has come in and gutted them of virtually every talented offensive player on their roster and now Kyle Orton will have to enter the season with Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney as his top-two receivers. Defensively they were solid last year until the final few weeks—and all of the credit for that has to be given to Mike Nolan—but McDaniels inexplicably ran him out of town. I just think McDaniels is in over his head and is trying too hard to put his own imprint on the team, but he simply hasn’t made the right decisions. He’ll be lucky if he gets the time to develop Tebow into the quarterback he apparently thinks he can be.
THEDARKHORSE: Who do you like in the always-under-a-microscope NFC East this season?
Click below to read the rest of our interview with Brandon Kopceuch.
