RotoRob » Derek Jones

Two Minute Warning: Everybody Hurts Sometime

Derek Jones — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:22:26 +0000

John Madden once said that winning is a great deodorant. Fans bathe in it.

Bear with me through our latest voyage. Thanks to the Phils’ World Series loss, I’m in a bit of an ornery mood these days. My email box and Facebook account has been swamped with arrogant and cocksure emails from Yankee fans celebrating title 27. And most of them I can’t even put in print.

On Thursday, I estimated I had roughly five congratulations in me towards Yankees fans. I work around them all day, teach them, and call some of them friend. Nonetheless, I’m rationing out the kudos like it’s a small supply of Ramen noodles on a deserted island. In fact, I only dished out two. Somehow, I don’t think the other three are leaving my mouth anytime soon.

One of the reasons for my anger is the multi-layered facade of Yankee fans and fans of the Dallas Cowboys. Individuals use their team preferences as a bully pulpit to make themselves feel better about their otherwise somewhat questionable lives. Can you blame them, though? As John Madden once said, winning is a great deodorant. Fans bathe in it.

Tired of waiting around for the local team to win or to spite their dad or to look cool for the girls in high school, we have become a nation of front runners. If you read TMW from two weeks ago, you know that I’ve crafted a plan to eliminate such nonsense.

In honour of the Eagles playing the Cowboys this weekend, it’s time to call into question perhaps the biggest set of frontrunning fans that don’t sport the interlocking NY on top of their heads.

I’m willing to bet most Cowboy fans under the age of 30 can’t answer 60 per cent of these questions accurately without checking out Wikipedia.

Without further ado, let’s fire up a sample of the first ever TMW Fan Certification Test:

1 . Which of these future NFL head coaches never played for the Dallas Cowboys?

A. Mike Ditka
B. Dan Reeves
C. John Madden

2. What player said that Terry Bradshaw could not spell cat if you spotted him the c and the t?

A. Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson
B. Larry Cole
C. Mike Hegman
D. Dixon Edwards

3. How many times has Dallas appeared in the Super Bowl?

A. 5
B. 6
C. 7
D. 8

4. The only player in NFL history to win a Super Bowl MVP as a member of the losing team is:

A. Bob Lilly
B. Mel Renfro
C. Darren Woodson
D. Chuck Howley

5. Dallas lost three straight NFC title games during the 1980-82 seasons. Who was the starting quarterback for the Cowboys in all three?

A. Steve Pelluer
B. Gary Hogeboom
C. Danny White
D. Roger Staubach

6. The first time the Cowboys reached the playoffs in the Jimmy Johnson era was 1991. Who started the team’s playoff game at Chicago for the injured Troy Aikman?

A. Babe Laufenberg
B. Steve Walsh
C. Steve Beuerlein
D. Danny White

7. Who scored the go-ahead touchdown in the famous Ice Bowl?

A. Jim Taylor
B. Max McGee
C. Bob Hayes
D. Bart Starr

8. Dallas acquired what Pro Bowl defensive end from the San Francisco 49ers prior to the start of the ’92 season?

A. Fred Dean
B. Pierce Holt
C. Charles Haley
D. Tim Harris

9. In Super Bowl XII, Robert Newhouse fired a touchdown pass on a halfback option to which receiver:

A. Butch Johnson
B. Drew Pearson
C. Golden Richards
D. Alvin Harper

10. On its way to Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas defeated Minnesota in the divisional round. Which player caught a Hail Mary for the go-ahead touchdown?

A. Drew Pearson
B. Tony Dorsett
C. Butch Johnson
D. Preston Pearson

See answers at bottom of column.

The Culverhouse Index

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Detroit Lions, 1-6 (8): Detroit showed some limited promise this season, but then the Rams came into town and showed otherwise. A bad loss for the Lions.

2. St. Louis Rams, 1-7 (1): They were holding steady at the top spot until they finally came up with a win.

3. Kansas City Chiefs, 1-6 (4): Can’t the Chiefs stay on bye?

4. Washington Redskins, 2-5 (3): Can’t the Redskins stay on bye?

5. Tennessee Titans, 1-6 (2): Finally, there is life. I’m not sure Vince Young is the answer at quarterback, but with Chris Johnson running the ball it doesn’t matter at the moment.

6. Oakland Raiders, 2-5 (6): At least they played well against the Chargers this season.

7. Cleveland Browns, 1-7 (5): They’ve scored six points or fewer in five of eight games this season.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0-7 (7): First win? Maybe December 6 at Carolina.

9. Buffalo Bills, 3-5 (9): Terrell Owens is on pace for 46 catches this season. Ouch.

10. Carolina Panthers, 3-4 (10): Incredibly, the Panthers are one win away from being 4-4. The league is a bit down in ’09.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Eight

1. The Owen Daniels injury is going to slow the Texan passing game: Destined for a Pro Bowl this season, Daniels went down with a season-ending torn ACL injury. The timing could not be worse for the Texans. Quarterback Matt Schaub is playing the best football of his career while the team plays a huge game against the Colts on Sunday.

2. Perhaps the Giant defense just isn’t that good: Over their last three games, the Giants have surrendered 112 points, allowing 37 points per game over the same stretch. That’s what happens when C.C. Brown is covering people.

3. Percy Harvin is secretly one of the NFL’s most valuable players in 2009: Anytime the Vikings are reeling this season, Harvin finds a way to dig them out of trouble. The rookie from Florida leads the league in yards per touch at 19.8.

4. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart pack a mean punch, as long as Jake Delhomme isn’t killing them: If Delhomme doesn’t turn the ball over, it makes things far easier for Williams and Stewart. Over the last three weeks, the Panthers have rushed for at least 250 yards twice.

5. The Jets = overrated: The bandwagon started to fill up after the Week Two win over New England. However, the Jets’ fourth loss in the last fifth games has made the bandwagon quite a bit lighter. New York’s special teams turned Ted Ginn into a combination of Dante Hall and Devin Hester. How else do you explain the Dolphins scoring 30 points despite gaining just 104 yards?

6. Steve Slaton is killing your Fantasy team one week at a time: Benched by Texan head coach Gary Kubiak last week in Buffalo, Slaton appears to be in great danger of losing playing time to backup Ryan Moats. Slaton has lost five fumbles and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. Sounds like a benching to me.

7. Anquan Boldin may never actually get his money: Boldin did not pose as a model teammate over the past year in part due to a lack of financial security. Now, Arizona’s star receiver has been unable to stay healthy for much of the season. After being hounded by a hamstring ailment, he is now battling ankle problems.

8. Part 1 of Operation 2006 has begun: Whenever you have a quarterback on the wrong side of 30, it is not a good thing in the long run. Arizona and Tennessee got away with it 2008. At least for Tennessee, the story turned differently this season as Vince Young finally made his way into the starting lineup. With the Cards in first, Kurt Warner is not in danger in Arizona…as long as he stops having those five-interception performances.

9. Don’t look now, but outside of Minnesota and New Orleans the NFC is a mess: Eliminate Detroit, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. What else do we know about the NFC? Everyone else hovers between two and five wins. Looks like December should be a mess for tiebreakers.

10. Bob Sanders is out for the year…adjust your Fantasy lineups accordingly: Surprise, surprise. Sanders is out for the year with a torn bicep. Further compounding matters is a season-ending injury to Marlin Jackson, who hurt himself in practice earlier this week. When backs get into the Indy secondary (which Frank Gore did last week), look out.

Week Eight BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (1): It seems like the Vikings run at least 50 plays per game inside of the 10 yard line, making it all the more easier for Peterson to score.

2. Peyton Manning (2): Joseph Addai had more touchdown passes than Manning last week.

3. Drew Brees (3): He doesn’t have many tough matchups left on the schedule, but a big battle versus New England in the Superdome looms in a few weeks.

4. Chris Johnson (NR): Watch this video. Now. Do it.

5. Cedric Benson (4): The Ravens will keep Benson under 100 yards rushing on Sunday. Take it to the bank.

6. Ronnie Brown (5): He will a key figure in Sunday’s matchup against New England.

7. Ray Rice (6): The Bengal defense should be a bit softer this time around without Antwan Odom.

8. Tom Brady (10): His productivity this week will be tied to his defense’s ability to get the Dolphins off the field.

9. Andre Johnson (5): The Colts have only allowed three touchdown passes thus far. Johnson could have a good day though against an injury-depleted secondary.

10. Maurice Jones-Drew (7): Too bad he was outdone by Johnson…Chris and Gus.

Video of the Week

It’s one thing to lose a World Series. Losing a World Series to the Yankees hits another stratosphere of misery. It’s time to drown my sorrows in a sad song…and football.

Answers to Cowboys quiz: 1. c. 2. a. 3. d. 4. d. 5. c. 6. c. 7. d. 8. c. 9. c. 10. a.

If you’ve answered between eight and 10 correctly, you’re in great shape and more than likely over 30 years old.

Don’t worry, Cowboy fans. Your fans aren’t the only ones with frauds placed within…and yes, I’m looking at you, Steeler Nation.

Two Minute Warning – Certified

Derek Jones — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:01:26 +0000

This could be the most disturbing photo we’ve ever run.

As we stand days away from a potential Phillies-Yankees World Series and the biggest sports fan battle to hit the east coast in decades, it is time to issue a test.

I’m declaring open season on all fraudulent fans — and, as they say on the streets, let’s not get it twisted. I love my Phillie fan brethren, but there are numerous frauds infiltrating Phillies-fandom.

In the aftermath of Philly’s World Series win in 2008, Citizens Bank Park became a party zone. Parking lots, which already featured copious amounts of tailgaters, turned into a full-fledged party on a nightly basis, typically filled with 20-somethings and seemingly underage college students getting their crack at partying up.

Games of beer pong and cornhole ran rampant throughout the stadium area; and yes, even people doing whip-its, which is the inhalation of nitrous fumes from a balloon. Not sure who these fans are? You’ll get a look at them in the Video of the Week down below.

Following Philadelphia’s 10-4 win Wednesday night over the Dodgers to clinch the National League pennant for the second straight year, I made my way through the traffic at Citizens Bank Park to see fans celebrating, vendors selling offensive T-shirts about New York and the usual fare one comes to expect with a big win.

Yet, those fans were smashing beer bottles and yelling things that I don’t even feel comfortable saying to my friends. These are the same people who will readily get smashed before each and every remaining Phillie game and subsequently end up face down on the pavement after being arrested by Philadelphia’s finest. It’s the fake ones that ruin it sometimes for the real ones.

In my opinion, some of this behaviour stems from a self-esteem issue. Everyone wants to be associated with a winner. No one wants to go to school or hang out with friends and be laughed at because they are wearing a Kansas City Royals or Detroit Lions cap.

The lazy way out is the easy way out. Having Kobe Bryant or Peyton Manning do your bidding on the field is easier than rooting for Joe Johnson or David Garrard.

However, I’d like to create a breed and society of fan to put a stop to such chicanery. Simply stated, we need fan permits. The time to start calling out the phony fan is here.

In my own Utopia, in order to attend any game, fans must be certified to do so by scoring 80 per cent on a questionnaire about the team’s history. (Think of that classic scene from Diner when Steve Guttenberg’s character makes his girlfriend pass a quiz about the Baltimore Colts before he’ll marry her.)

My first fan base under attack is the Dallas Cowboys. Thanks to its storied and infamous history, few fan bases feature as many rabid frontrunners as this rambunctious gang. Amazingly though, most of its 20-something fans believe the franchise began in 1992.

Enough is enough. Next week, TMW will unveil the first ever Fan Certification Test. Cowboy fans, get ready.

The Culverhouse Index

A tribute to the NFL’s bottom feeders…

1. St. Louis Rams (0-6): They put together a much better effort versus Jacksonville, but are still wildly undermanned.

2. Tennessee Titans (0-6): How awful are the Titans? They put forth such a dreadful performance that Jeff Fisher wore a Peyton Manning jersey at a charity event.

3. Washington Redskins (2-4): When your new playcaller was last seen calling numbers for Bingo, that’s a major negative.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (1-5): They have a very slow secondary, but are willing to fight for Todd Haley.

5. Cleveland Browns (1-5): Ben Roethlisberger still hasn’t been touched.

6. Oakland Raiders (2-4): Someone nudged JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders. Although, they got a big assist from the Eagles (more on that later).

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6): Carolina took the ball out of Jake Delhomme’s hand during the game’s biggest drive and thus, took away Tampa’s chance to win.

8. Detroit Lions (1-5): The Lions’ 19th straight loss in Green Bay included an appearance by Drew Stanton.

9. Buffalo Bills (2-4): The Dick Jauron era is dragged out at least another week.

10. Carolina Panthers (2-3): Incredibly, the Panthers are one win away from being .500. Playing other bad teams does the schedule good.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Six

1. The Tennessee Titans are far worse than anyone ever imagined: New England humiliated the Titans 59-0 last Sunday. NFL teams should never lose that badly. Even the 0-16 Lions didn’t lose that badly. Ironically, Detroit’s largest margin of defeat was a 37-point loss to Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day. The pass defense is the most alarming issue in the Music City. Tom Brady threw six touchdown passes and an NFL record five in the second quarter. Overall, opposing quarterbacks have a composite passer rating of 117.5. Unacceptable.

2. Don’t throw dirt on Laurence Maroney’s career quite yet: As a part of the Titans’ burial last Sunday, Maroney ran 16 times for 123 yards. The bigger news may be the injury to Sammy Morris, which may keep him sidelined for several weeks. Adjust your Fantasy rosters accordingly.

3. The Eagles are their own worst enemy: Facing one of the worst rush defenses in the league, Andy Reid dialed up 52 dropbacks and just 14 rushing attempts in a 13-9 loss. Already sporting a creaky offensive line, Donovan McNabb was sacked six times. Doesn’t this ring a bell? Last year versus another porous team, the Cincinnati Bengals, Philly attempted 58 passes to just 18 runs in a tie with the Bungles.

4. You probably don’t know that the third-ranked player in Fantasy football is from Rutgers: Believe it or not, after another strong performance, Ray Rice is third in standard Fantasy scoring, trailing Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew.

5. Green Bay does not specialize in pass protection: Despite the Pack shutting out the Lions on Sunday, Aaron Rodgers is still taking a beating. He was sacked five more times. The Packers have allowed an NFL-worst 25 sacks.

6. Speaking of which, protecting your quarterback goes a long way: The Colts, Falcons, Giants and Saints rank one through four, respectively, at protecting the quarterback. Their combined record is 19-2.

7. The Saints are the best team in football that doesn’t have Peyton Manning: While the Saints are 5-0, I’m not a believer. The Colts have the best player in the NFL and a decent defense, which to me, makes them the most formidable at the moment.

8. Anquan Boldin is snake-bitten or injury-prone. Take your pick: Boldin has played all 16 games only twice in his seven-year career. He has been banged up early and often in ’09 and it’s showing. He owns just one touchdown reception this season.

9. Someone needs to tell the NFL Network that games with good fourth quarters did not come about in 2000: The NFL Network trotted out a new series called “Greatest 4th Quarters.” Unfortunately, they keep trotting out games from this decade. It’s okay to use the ’80s and ’90s, gang.

10. Eddie Royal has plenty of energy: The Denver receiver had two special teams returns for touchdowns. What prompted the sudden burst? I’m guessing his new energy bars.

Week Seven BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (1): He made mincemeat out of the Raven defense.

2. Peyton Manning (2): I have a feeling we’ll see Jim Sorgi at some point this week versus the Rams.

3. Drew Brees (6): He exposed the Giants’ number one ranked defense with his usual precision passing.

4. Ronnie Brown (3): The Dolphins line up against the Saints. How often do you think we’ll see the Wildcat to keep New Orleans off the field?

5. Andre Johnson (5): Johnson posted his second straight 100-yard effort last week in Cincy.

6. Ray Rice (NR): He averages six yards per carry and nearly stopped Minnesota’s hot start.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew (7): MJD is the only enjoyable thing about Jaguar football in 2009.

8. Tom Brady (NR): Welcome back, Tom.

9. Reggie Wayne (4): Should be in line for a touchdown versus the Rams in Week Seven.

10. Ben Roethlisberger (10): Big Ben is the NFL’s leader in passing yards through six weeks.

Video of the Week

As mentioned at the jump, Phillie fans these days are a bit on the out of control side. Check out this video which features a fan getting hit with fireworks and another having bottles thrown at him. So much for keeping these fans from climbing on things.

Two Minute Warning: Bad Movies and Worse Teams

Derek Jones — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:41:30 +0000

When Derek isn’t watching or writing about football, really bad movies are his thang.

One of my favourite pastimes is watching bad movies. If it’s on cable and has one star, I’m in; Killer Clowns from Outer Space? Check. Where do I sign? Penitentiary II featuring Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson? Probably watched it 15 times. In fact, more that one later…

Most terrible movies work for me except for Hulk Hogan’s abomination, No Holds Barred, released in 1989. Seriously, few things were as menacing as watching Hogan’s movie nemesis, Zeus. The bald head with a Z carved on the side of the temple augmented by crossed eyes was overwhelming for me as a nine-year-old. Then, Vince McMahon had the audacity to add him as a regular on WWE programming. Zeus was such ugly guy that I swore off the WWE for seven months until he left.

Unfortunately, we’re getting to that point with numerous teams around the NFL. We just need to walk away. After one of the worst slates of 1 p.m. EST games in league history, it’s obvious that the number of bad teams is staggering. Let’s examine some of the weekend’s lowlights.

Carolina 20, Washington 17

With Washington leading 7-0 in the second quarter and backed up at its own three, Jason Campbell hands off wide to Clinton Portis, who promptly gets swallowed up in the endzone for a safety. Running wide on second and eight from your own three, are we? For an encore, the Redskins blew a 17-2 lead and lost 20-17 to the previously winless Panthers.

By the way, Washington’s game Sunday versus Kansas City marks the sixth straight week the Redskins will play a winless team.

NY Giants 44, Oakland 7

JaMarcus Russell fumbled three times, adding to his resume for perhaps one of the worst seasons ever played by an NFL quarterback. He is having the reverse Tom Brady/Dan Marino season. Just when you think he can’t regress as a player, he proves us wrong. Even Giant back-up quarterback David Carr got in on the fun by rushing for a 12-yard touchdown.

Of course, the proverbial cherry on top for the Raiders is the assault charge looming over the head of Oakland coach Tom Cable for allegedly breaking the jaw of an assistant.

Cleveland 6, Buffalo 3

Almost seemingly upset at the notion of playing an exciting game a year ago in Buffalo, the Browns and Bills offered one of the decade’s biggest stink bombs. Not to be outdone by its 8-0 win over Buffalo in 2007, Cleveland defeated Buffalo last Sunday without scoring a touchdown.

When the victorious quarterback posted a 2-for-17 performance and a 15.1 quarterback rating, something is terribly wrong.

Dallas 26, Kansas City 20 (OT)

Look, I like Miles Austin, but he’s not that good. Austin ran up the best receiving day in Cowboy history during Dallas’ 26-20 win in overtime. The Chiefs redefined bad tackling by missing two tackles on each of Austin’s two touchdown catches. Yet another dreadful defensive effort from KC when it actually mattered.

In other news, the Chiefs are quietly on one of the worst runs in NFL history. According to the good folks at profootballreference.com, they have lost 28 of their last 30 games since they were 4-3 in 2007, which almost seems unfathomable.

Minnesota 38, St. Louis 10

Not to be outdone by Kansas City for worst team in Missouri, St. Louis was dismantled by four touchdowns by Minnesota. The winless Rams’ average margin of defeat is 22 points per game. As AC/DC would say, the Rams are a “runaway train, running right off the track.”

Sadly, that’s only the beginning. Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Jacksonville also got bombed by double digit scores. Seemingly, the NFL has become a league of good teams bludgeoning bad teams. The NFC East serves as living proof of the league’s imbalance.

Philadelphia’s three wins have come against Carolina, Kansas City and Tampa Bay, who have combined for one win. Meanwhile, division rival New York Gianta are 5-0, having crushed Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay in their last three outings.

Dallas’ Tony Romo owns six touchdown passes this season. Five of those came against the winless Chiefs and Bucs.

Translation: we’re living in a golden age for terrible teams. Instead of shying away from the ugliness of the NFL like I did with Zeus years ago, I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. I’m going to embrace these teams as if they are collectively the newest installment of the Penitentiary series. TMW will debut The Culverhouse Index*, a power poll of the league’s worst teams. Without further ado, here we go.

1. St. Louis (0-5): Making last year’s Lions look like the ’76 Raiders.

2. Kansas City (0-5): Man for man, barely better than St. Louis. Yet, they have the look of a college team at times.

3. Oakland (1-4): When is someone in this organization going to understand that Russell is not the quarterback of the future? Is a 2-14 season going to be enough?

4. Cleveland (1-4): The Browns should give Sunday’s win back. This team is scoring a hearty 11 points per game and yet, somehow, that isn’t last in the league.

5. Tampa Bay (0-5): This team features a newbie at quarterback in Josh Johnson and one of the league’s worst pass defenses.

6. Buffalo (1-4): The Bills should receive two losses for losing to the Browns at home without allowing a touchdown.

7. Detroit (1-4): The Lions are still not very good, but they will at least fight teams now.

8. Washington (2-3): Every game the Redskins play should end at 17-14. Football to sleep by.

9. Carolina (1-3): The Panthers were fixing to get blown out at home and drop to 0-4. However, the Redskins gave them some much needed help.

10. Tennessee (0-5): Not only did the Titans lose their best defensive player (Albert Haynesworth), but they also lost their defensive co-ordinator Jim Schwartz and replaced him with Chuck Cecil, who had never been a defensive co-ordinator before. Subsequently, they can’t get a pass rush and rank 31st in the league against the pass.

*The poll’s name honours former Tampa Bay Buccaneer owner, the late Hugh Culverhouse, who ran one of the worst teams in league history, the winless ’76 Bucs.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Five

1. Learn from the new Culverhouse Index: You are running a big risk on your Fantasy rosters by using players from the aforementioned poll. Granted, Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson are amongst the backs that play for some of these dreadful teams. However, what good are these guys if their team is down by 20 every week?

2. Tom Brady isn’t Tom Brady yet: Brady’s lifetime record versus Denver fell to 1-6, but perhaps the most alarming items from Sunday’s game were two missed pass plays for New England. Brady missed a touchdown pass to Randy Moss and then late in the fourth quarter missed on a seam pattern to Wes Welker that could have sprung him to go the distance. Brady’s timing is off considerably.

3. The contract year is a big motivator: Cedric Benson busted through the Raven defense for 120 yards and a score. He is the first running back to rush for 100 yards against Baltimore in three years. Benson just happens to be in a contract year. All of a sudden, he is a respectable running back. Hmm…

4. The Eagles’ regular season schedule begins on October 26: Philly has only played one quality opponent (New Orleans). The first somewhat respectable opponent for the Eagles will be Washington on the road on Monday, October 26.

5. Denver is for real…we think: Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall and Knowshon Moreno helped carry Denver to victory over New England in overtime. Orton is a steady game-manager thus far, Marshall is slowly emerging yet again and Moreno is getting his sea legs in his rookie year.

6. Keep your eye on Chad Henne: Everyone is raving about Henne’s performance Monday night. He fits the Bill Parcells criteria, which includes being a four-year starter in college. Perhaps Henne’s biggest asset is the Wildcat which is slicing and dicing rush defenses again, making it all the more easier for him to throw over the top of defenses.

7. Teams are determined to let Minnesota QB No. 4 beat them: Outside of playing Green Bay, the Vikings are another team that has played a lightweight schedule. With tough run matchups upcoming versus Baltimore and Pittsburgh, Minnesota QB No. 4 will be forced to use his aging yet still effective arm to beat them. Thus far, he has been able to do it, but it remains to be seen whether he can make it happen versus teams that will punch back.

8. Dre Bly made a foolish mistake: After intercepting Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, Bly went all Deion Sanders and started celebrating about 60 yards before scoring. Roddy White stripped Bly of the ball soon after, leading to the season’s most embarrassing play to date.

9. The Eagles are loaded: Regardless of the competition, the Eagles are going to score points this season. Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson are flyers on the outside; Brent Celek is in store for a career year; and LeSean McCoy looks like a budding mini-Brian Westbrook. Even with Donovan McNabb and Westbrook aging, it looks it will be sunny in Philadelphia for quite some time. Yes, I know. It was a lame reference to the television show.

10. Keep your eye on McNabb and Eli Manning: McNabb returned from a rib injury, while Manning managed his plantar fasciitis. However, both teams were able to ease the quarterbacks into action versus two league doormats. As the season wears on, those injuries could be a problem. Adjust your Fantasy rosters accordingly.

Week Six BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (1): Through five games, AP has seven touchdowns and is well on pace to top his career best of 12.

2. Peyton Manning (2): Easily the NFL’s MVP to date, playing the finest football of his career.

3. Ronnie Brown (7): This is not the Dolphins of 2008, but they are a scrappy bunch, led by Captain Wildcat himself.

4. Reggie Wayne (5): Attached at the hip with Manning, Wayne is one of Fantasy football’s best through the first quarter of the season.

5. Andre Johnson (8): He steamrolled Cardinal defenders a week ago; too bad his team can’t finish drives from the one yard line.

6. Drew Brees (3): The more Brees throws, the more it will help your Fantasy team. The less Brees throws, the more it will help the Saints go deep into the playoffs.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew (4): Don’t make this man angry, Jacksonville. He’s one of your few good players.

8. Cedric Benson (NR): I’m stunned he is on this list.

9. Steve “NYG” Smith (10): The other Steve Smith is 49th in standard Fantasy scoring, while this Smith is Eli’s go-to guy.

10. Ben Roethlisberger (9): Hopefully he stays awake against Cleveland. The Browns tend to be boring to play against.

Link of the Week

As mentioned earlier, Penitentiary II is a brilliantly awful film, but few things are as awesome as blaxploitation films. A new movie called Black Dynamite debuts this weekend and the trailer is pure gold.

Two Minute Warning – No Scrubs

Derek Jones — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:12:44 +0000

Brian Billick has lost his mind, and Derek Jones can prove it.

Following Week Two, I turned on the NFL Network to see numerous analysts, including Brian Billick, lauding the impressive state of quarterbacking around the league. After two weeks, the composite quarterback rating proved to be 83.9, which at the time was an all-time best for the position.

With so many awful teams around the league, I contend that the opposite is true. I don’t believe that the NFL is in this great state of quarterbacking. In fact, we’re actually in worse shape than 10 years ago. For a team-by-team comparison, let’s go back to 1999 to see just how far we’ve advanced or fallen since the year Kurt Warner came on the scene.

NFC East

New York Giants

1999: Kent Graham
2009: Eli Manning

Advantage: Manning. Graham split time with Kerry Collins but did little with a 7-9 Giants squad. He threw nine touchdown passes and nine interceptions in nine starts. How many years did Graham play in the league? You guessed it, nine. Meanwhile, Manning’s passer rating (104.0) trumps the measly 74.6 posted by Graham.

Philadelphia Eagles

1999: Donovan McNabb
2009: Donovan McNabb

Advantage: ’09 McNabb. While young McNabb did not suffer injuries at the seemingly prodigious rate of current day Donny Mac, the ’09 Eagles will rise and fall with the fortunes of its Pro Bowl quarterback.

Dallas Cowboys

1999: Troy Aikman
2009: Tony Romo

Advantage: Aikman. Even though he was playing his second to last season, Aikman got the Cowboys into the playoffs (albeit at 8-8), while Romo continues to disappoint in Dallas. Aikman did not put together a great statistical season, but fired 17 touchdown passes versus 12 interceptions. Meanwhile, Romo is too busy throwing at all-pro corners 16 times during games (see below).

Washington Redskins

1999: Brad Johnson
2009: Jason Campbell

Advantage: Johnson. He made the Pro Bowl in ’99 and led Washington to the playoffs where it won a game and lost by a point in Tampa during the NFC Divisional playoffs. Campbell can only dream of such a season at this point.

NFC North

Chicago Bears

1999: Shane Matthews
2009: Jay Cutler

Advantage: Cutler. Period.

Detroit Lions

1999: Charlie Batch
2009: Matthew Stafford

Advantage: Batch. Just because you were selected number one overall, doesn’t make you a better quarterback instantly. Batch got the Lions into the playoffs with some assistance from Gus Frerotte. Such a feat is a herculean effort, especially when considering Detroit lost its final four games and still made the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers

1999: Brett Favre
2009: Aaron Rodgers

Advantage: Favre. While he was on the first downside run, posted a poor 74.7 passer rating and threw 23 interceptions, he was still Brett Favre, just two seasons removed from winning three straight MVP awards. Rodgers is still building his resume and has been spotty in close games.

Minnesota Vikings

1999: Jeff George
2009: Brett Favre

Advantage: Favre. Coming off the 15-1 season in ’98, Randall Cunningham struggled to return to ’98 form and the Vikes switched to George. He posted 23 touchdowns as the team made a run to the playoffs. Again though, Favre’s mere presence on the Vikings gives Minny a different edge.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

1999: Chris Chandler
2009: Matt Ryan

Advantage: Ryan. Chandler led the Falcons to the Super Bowl a season earlier, but was a career journeyman otherwise.

Carolina Panthers

1999: Steve Beuerlein
2009: Jake Delhomme

Advantage: Beuerlein. The former backup to Aikman in Dallas made the Pro Bowl in ’99 after throwing 36 touchdowns. Delhomme has crafted poor decision making into an art form in ’09.

New Orleans Saints

1999: Billy Joe Tolliver
2009: Drew Brees

Advantage: Brees. You don’t need an explanation other than never trust a quarterback with three names.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1999: Shaun King
2009: Josh Johnson

Advantage: King. As poorly as he played at times, King was a botched officiating call away from quarterbacking a team to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Johnson is as green as they come.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

1999: Jake Plummer
2009: Kurt Warner

Advantage: Warner. An easy victory for Warner. After putting the Cardinals in the playoffs in ’98, Plummer put the Cards in the tank. He threw 24 interceptions and just nine touchdown passes. His QB rating? How does 50.8 sound? Good? Not so good?

Seattle Seahawks

1999: Jon Kitna
2009: Seneca Wallace

Advantage: Kitna. The current caddy of Romo got the Seahawks into the playoffs while Wallace hasn’t done much to distinguish himself. By the way, Wallace is sixth in the league in completion percentage. Scary.

St. Louis Rams

1999: Kurt Warner
2009: Marc Bulger

Advantage: Warner. Bulger can’t stay healthy while Warner put himself on the map during ’99 by winning regular season MVP and Super Bowl MVP honours.

San Francisco 49ers

1999: Jeff Garcia
2009: Shaun Hill

Advantage: Hill. Steve Young got knocked into retirement by Aeneas Williams early in 1999. Garcia wasn’t Garcia yet. Hill isn’t great by any means, but will not cost his team the game.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

1999: Doug Flutie
2009: Trent Edwards

Advantage: Flutie. Edwards may never sniff the playoffs at this rate, which is what Flutie did…well, until the great Wade Phillips had other ideas.

Miami Dolphins

1999: Dan Marino
2009: Chad Henne

Advantage: Marino. I’d rather have Marino at age 80 than Henne at this moment.

New England Patriots

1999: Drew Bledsoe
2009: Tom Brady

Advantage: Brady. Bledsoe was a few years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, but entering the downside of his career. Brady, well, is Brady.

New York Jets

1999: Ray Lucas
2009: Mark Sanchez

Advantage: Lucas. Again, we can’t project ahead towards what someone is going to become. Lucas jumped into a tough spot because of an injury to Vinny Testaverde and nearly got the Jets to the playoffs. Sanchez still has to prove himself.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

1999: Tony Banks
2009: Joe Flacco

Advantage: Flacco. The second-year Delaware Blue Hen has already played in an AFC title game while Banks was eventually benched for Trent Dilfer the following year when Baltimore won the Super Bowl.

Cleveland Browns

1999: Tim Couch
2009: Derek Anderson

Advantage: Couch. Look at the numbers. Couch, while awful, actually produced more than Anderson. Outside of his one big year in 2007, Anderson has been dreadful.

Cincinnati Bengals

1999: Jeff Blake
2009: Carson Palmer

Advantage: Palmer. Blake could cause thunderstorms with his deep passes, but Palmer has the ability to make the Bengals respectable. Palmer is trying to become the first Bengal quarterback since Boomer Esiason to lead them to multiple playoff appearances (’88, ’90).

Pittsburgh Steelers

1999: Kordell Stewart
2009: Ben Roethlisberger

Advantage: Big Ben. Kordell’s best asset was as a multiple purpose player in the mid-’90s. Ben owns two rings.

AFC South

Houston Texans

1999: N/A
2009: Matt Schaub

Indianapolis Colts

1999: Peyton Manning
2009: Peyton Manning

Advantage: 2009 Manning. Besides McNabb, he’s the only quarterback to still be the head guy 10 years later. While ’99 Manning wasn’t shabby, this year he’s on a record setting pace once more.

Jacksonville Jaguars

1999: Mark Brunell
2009: David Garrard

Advantage: Brunell. He’s the greatest quarterback in Jaguar history, leading them to the playoffs four consecutive seasons from 1996 to 1999. Garrard still needs to put together two good seasons in a row and get the Jags back to the postseason.

Tennessee Titans

1999: Steve McNair
2009: Kerry Collins

Advantage: McNair. Both appeared in Super Bowls, but the late McNair was the heart and soul of the Titans, grabbing co-MVP honours with Peyton Manning in 2003.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

1999: Brian Griese
2009: Kyle Orton

Advantage: Griese. He was the first man in during the post-John Elway era. Griese led the NFL in QB rating 2000 while getting the Broncos to the playoffs after a poor ’99 campaign. While he wins game rather consistently, Orton has never wowed anyone and laboured to beat out Rex Grossman in Chicago.

Kansas City Chiefs

1999: Elvis Grbac
2009: Matt Cassel

Advantage: Grbac. Cassel has only started 18 games during his career. Grbac was a pretty serviceable signal caller for the Chiefs, getting them to the playoffs in 1997.

Oakland Raiders

1999: Rich Gannon
2009: JaMarcus Russell

Advantage: Gannon. A Pro Bowler in ’99, Gannon would embark on a three-year run after that season that included two AFC title game appearances, a trip to the Super Bowl and losing some playoff game in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Russell is just plain awful.

San Diego Chargers

1999: Jim Harbaugh
2009: Phil Rivers

Advantage: Rivers. The ’99 Chargers were on the way to winning the LaDainian Tomlinson sweepstakes in 2001. Meanwhile, Rivers directs one of the best offenses in the AFC.

Synopsis: 1999 wins 17-14. While ’99 was a Brady-free zone, it was bursting with eventual or previous MVP winners (Favre, Gannon, Marino, McNair, Peyton Manning, Warner). During 2009, it’s more top heavy perhaps than ’99, but the difference between the haves and have nots this year is downright frightening.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Four

1. Don’t throw at Champ Bailey 16 times in a game when armed with average receivers: Romo took it upon himself to throw at Bailey, one of the NFL’s best corners, on 16 occasions. Bailey intercepted him once near the goal line and broke up two plays in the endzone on the game’s decisive drive.

2. The Cowboys miss Terrell Owens: Dallas wide receivers have not scored a touchdown since Week One in Tampa. Also, Romo threw twice to Sam Hurd on goal to go plays from the two in the fourth quarter last Sunday. Enough said.

3. Owens misses the Cowboys: Owens owns just one touchdown this season and seems ready to snap at any moment. Who can blame him though? Trent Edwards makes Romo look like Johnny Unitas.

4. Say what you want about Aaron Rodgers, but his offensive line stinks: Rodgers threw for 384 yards, but was wearing Jared Allen and the Viking defense by game’s end.

5. Peyton Manning is the MVP: Manning is arguably playing the best football of his career and is on pace to shatter Dan Marino’s record for most yards in a season (5,084).

6. There are more bad teams than a season ago: Detroit, Kansas City and St. Louis were in a class by themselves last year, but in ’09 they have company as league bottom feeders. Oakland has somehow regressed further thanks to JaMarcus Russell; while Tampa Bay and Buffalo are embarrassing to watch. Just think — I didn’t include the 0-4 Titans or 0-3 Panthers in the discussion.

7. The finger pointing and excuse making is never going away in San Diego during the A.J. Smith regime: Surprise, surprise. There is controversy in San Diego. General Manager Smith called the team soft. Mr. Smith has a point. They are extremely talented, but fatally flawed. This group will never get to the Super Bowl.

8. I’m not saying you should cut LaDainian Tomlinson, but it’s over: Speaking of the Chargers, LT can’t cut it anymore. It’s sad to say but he reminds me of the 2000s version of Emmitt Smith.

9. I’m saying you should cut JaMarcus Russell and it is over: Jeff Garcia recently questioned the work ethic of Russell, who is sporting a quarterback rating of 42.4. Russell continuously wears a wool ski cap on the sidelines. Maybe he should switch hats and cool off that brain of his.

10. Minnesota QB No. 4 still has it: The Packer defense set its sights on slowing Adrian Peterson and got beaten repeatedly by Minnesota QB No. 4. It didn’t hurt matters that he got up to seven seconds in the pocket on some plays to throw.

Week Five BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (1) – It was Minnesota QB No. 4, not AP, who delivered the daggers to Green Bay on Sunday night.

2. Peyton Manning (6) – For the first time in his storied career, Manning has opened the season with four consecutive 300-yard days.

3. Drew Brees (2) – Do you hear the panic in the streets? Two straight games without a touchdown pass? Folks, he can’t play Detroit every week.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew (4) – Despite a less than rousing stat line of 14 yards rushing, MJD still scratched out six.

5. Reggie Wayne (7) – He is probably licking his chops for the upcoming Indy/Titans tilt.

6. Frank Gore (8) – I moved him up because I refuse to put a back that runs out of the wildcat ahead him.

7. Ronnie Brown (NR) – No offense, Ronnie, but the expiration date on this gimmick offense is coming soon. Good season so far though!

8. Andre Johnson (8) – The NFL schedule maker wasn’t that kind to Johnson. He has faced Darrelle Revis, Cortland Finnegan and Nnamdi Asomugha thus far. He throttled Tennessee, but has struggled otherwise.

9. Ben Roethlisberger (NR) – When he is not busy doing bits with Chris Jericho and the Big Show on Monday Night Raw, Big Ben is a pretty fair quarterback.

10. Steve “NYG” Smith (NR) – Yeah, I can’t believe he’s here either.

Link of the Week

I enjoy Facebook. However, the litany of applications for the site is becoming borderline absurd. From Farmville to YoVille to Mafia Wars, please just make it stop. I’m not interested in being kidnapped, sending you a blender, or starting my own farm. Then, of course, there is the phenomenon of old high school acquaintances friending you when they did not want to be within the same 20-mile radius during your four years together in school. Unfortunately though, that is a whole other post. This gentleman does a fair job of explaining my feelings.

In case you were wondering, this young fellow samples Heart’s “Alone.” Not familiar? I thought you’d never ask… (cheesy ’80s hair warning in effect).

Two Minute Warning: Jacksonville, Randy Newman and You

Derek Jones — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:30:09 +0000

Think QBs have it easy these days? We blame Bill Polian.

While speaking with fellow football fan and RotoRob writer Andy Goldstein, we both decided that the NFL is in need of change. No, we don’t mean changing rules that give even more advantages to quarterbacks and receivers. Yes, Bill Polian, I’m pointing at you. In this new age of economic suffering and blackouts, it’s time we start to pull the proverbial plug on franchises and start moving them.

Candidates, you ask? Carolina, Jacksonville, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Seattle. Those franchises make the list because they seem to possess borderline lifeless fan bases and play in less than suitable stadium accommodations. Meanwhile, we can move either San Diego or Jacksonville to LA.

Florida in particular, is a college football state as is the whole southern region for that matter. However, we have the Dolphins and that is good enough. Jacksonville does not have a strong base and plays in a stadium that is car-equivalent of a Ford Pinto.

Prior to the beginning of the 2009 season, 17,000 Jaguar season ticket holders opted not to renew their seats and for their season opener in a 66,000-seat stadium, they had a paid attendance of 46,520. There has been talk recently of the team possibly using the Citrus Bowl in Orlando if the NFL decides to expand its schedule. Such a suggestion prompted a reporter to compare that stadium to Joan Rivers being in a Miss America competition. Ouch.

Anyways, down south, it’s college football first and professional pigskin second. Without a good product and with poor stadium accommodations, Jacksonville serves as little use in the NFL. Either move the franchise to Los Angeles or get it out of the league altogether. The same goes for San Diego, which plays in the antiseptic Qualcomm Stadium. Enough with these teams playing in bad stadiums with somewhat unenthused fans. Either get a new stadium or move on.

As for moving these teams to Los Angeles, it’s a somewhat daunting, but realistic proposition.

The first and most important concept is getting a team back to Los Angeles. I know, I know. No one cares about football in Los Angeles. That statement is false on two levels. First off, the Rams and Raiders played in two terrible buildings for football, the Los Angeles Coliseum and Anaheim Stadium. Unless the second coming of Jim Brown trotted out on the field, I would not support them either. A new stadium would solve numerous problems including:

Stimulate the economy in Los Angeles; and
Stimulate fan interest in whatever team.

Secondly, it’s the number two market in the country. Continuing to not support football out there is pointless. Would an LA fanbase be worse than Jacksonville, Carolina or Tampa Bay? So, don’t give me the fanbase argument. It doesn’t fly.

While we have two MLB teams, two NBA teams, and two NHL teams in Los Angeles, an NFL team is asking too much? Ultimately, it comes down to having the funds for a new stadium and finding some wonderful and extremely rich people to support…or when in doubt, just get the taxpayers to cough up the funds.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Three

1. Ladies and gentlemen, we have identified the NFL’s unholy trinity: So, it is apparent that the three worst teams in the league are St. Louis, Kansas City, and Cleveland. Set your Fantasy lineups accordingly.

2. Tennessee’s season is in great peril: The Titans can’t defend the pass, are turning the ball over, and can’t seem to get their starting quarterback untracked. Sounds like their season is almost over to me.

3. Be careful with quarterbacks over 35: Both Kerry Collins and Kurt Warner did not exactly look themselves on Sunday. Pass rush and constant hits made them glassy eyed passers last weekend. Collins misfired on his final 13 passes on Sunday while Warner looked like he had taken more hits than Joe Frazier in the Thrilla In Manila.

4. Fred Jackson’s value is about to drop: Jackson leads the NFL with 77 touches: That is about to change, though, with the return of Marshawn Lynch from his suspension. The party is over for Jackson owners.

5. Let’s settle down on the Drew Brees for President chatter: Brees failed to throw for a touchdown versus Buffalo last week, thus quieting the claims of the Saint offense torching the NFL.

6. It seems as if firing your offensive co-ordinator before season’s start isn’t the best idea after all: Note to all NFL teams — firing your offensive co-ordinator before the start of the regular season is not the wisest move. Buffalo, Tampa Bay and Kansas City are a combined 1-8. These teams rank 17th, 25th and 30th in total offense, respectively.

7. Playing the Jet defense is bad for your quarterback’s statistical health: Matt Schaub, Tom Brady and Collins have all struggled versus Rex Ryan’s defense. As New Orleans lurks for the Jets this weekend, consider these numbers, Brees’ owners. Here are the opposing passer ratings versus the Jets:

Schaub 55.9
Brady 53.1
Collins 41.5

Brees is likely to outperform these numbers, but it will not be easy.

8. Invest in handcuffs: If you haven’t done some recon on the name Glen Coffee, do so right now.

9. Seattle’s new lime green jerseys are an eye sore: Hopefully, those jerseys were burned immediately upon game’s end.

10. Dallas is a good running team, just not inside of the 10-yard line: The Cowboys lead the NFL in rushing, averaging 193 yards per game. However, without Marion Barber last week, they didn’t exactly light it up inside the 10. During a third quarter possession, Dallas ran five plays on goal to go from the 10 and it came away with field goal. Even though Tashard Choice eventually punched one into the endzone, the ‘Boys need Barber immediately.

Week Three BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (2): Another week of less than 20 carries! Cheers for preservation.

2. Drew Brees (1): Yet again, Fantasy met reality in Buffalo last Sunday. The Saints running the ball for over 200 yards is great for them, but when Brees is only throwing for under 200 yards and no scores, that is bad news for his owners.

3. Chris Johnson (3): How long before he is taking handoffs from Vince Young?

4. Maurice Jones-Drew (10): The best player on an otherwise completely boring team.

5. Peyton Manning (6): Half man, half machine.

6. Andre Johnson (5): Johnson killed a few Fantasy teams in Week 16 versus Oakland last year by posting two catches.

7. Reggie Wayne (7): The NFL’s leading receiver netted 126 yards, a score and a nifty one-handed catch last Sunday night versus Arizona.

8. Frank Gore (4): An ankle injury mars what was a solid start for the former Miami Hurricane.

9. Larry Fitzgerald (8): Marcus Fitzgerald was not as active on Twitter this week during big brother’s game.

10. DeSean Jackson (NR): Three games, three 60-yard plus plays. Not bad.

Link of the Week

What I am about to show you is one of the many reasons why people cannot deal with the explosion of more Minnesota QB No. 4 talk. A group of Viking fans did a rap video about their new starting quarterback and ripped a few stars on other teams along the way. Just for the record, after watching this video I’m okay with the Vikings not winning another game all season.

Two Minute Warning: So, Tonight We’re Going to Party Like it’s 1999

Derek Jones — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:13:26 +0000

Derek was amazed the first time he saw Marvin Harrison.

Meet the Machines

Ten years ago, I was a naïve 20-year-old college student on the road to…well, at the time I had little idea. However, at that time I got a first hand introduction to two of the most destructive forces in football…Peyton Manning and the Mount Union College Purple Raiders.

The latter is obviously the lesser known of the two but comprises the most technically sound group of football players not playing Division I football. Their fearless leader and head coach, Larry Kehres, has led his Alliance, Ohio-based squad to 10 national titles, 17 consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference titles and the longest winning streak in the history of college football — 55 games.

My alma mater, Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, fell to the Purple Raiders in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on three occasions (’93, 96, ’98). As luck would have it, my first year as a colour analyst for Rowan football on the campus’ college radio station, would include a trip to Ohio as Rowan faced its longtime nemesis in the national semifinal with a berth to the national championship game on the line.

I had seen them on television once before. They were a Division III combo of the ’80s 49ers and the ’70s Steelers. Scoring on their defense was out of the question while holding their offense under 24 points was a pipe dream.

Incredibly, the Profs (yeah, I know…stop laughing) defeated Kehres’ crew in overtime 24-17 to advance to the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia. Rowan celebrated and celebrated and celebrated. Why not? It had just beaten a team that was trying to four-peat on its home field. So carried away with beating the mighty Mount, I ripped up blades of grass from the field and put them in my pocket. Finally, the Profs vanquished the demon and would assuredly win the national title a week later; while Mount Union would fall into the depths of mediocrity.

As it turns out, that never happened. Perhaps, so overwhelmed by defeating Mount Union, a little known team from Tacoma, Washington named Pacific Lutheran, who played tag during pre-game warm-ups and enjoyed watching sunsets together as a team (true story), crushed Rowan 42-13 to win the national championship. Colour me devastated.

How did Mount Union respond after a devastating loss to Rowan? It won the next three national titles. Whoops.

A month prior to Rowan’s demise in Virginia, I stood on the worn, beaten up and rather unsafe surface of Veterans Stadium and helped set up some promotional items as a part of my internship with the Philadelphia Eagles’ flagship radio station, 94.1 WYSP-FM.

Looking around, I noticed a rather large youngster firing balls downfield to another guy who could seemingly catch these passes with his eyes closed. I inched closer and now standing just a few feet away, my eyes confirmed what I originally thought; I was watching Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison practice their craft until they perfected it — something they would go on to do in stadiums throughout the country. Manning’s Colts buried the Birds that day at the Vet, 44-17.

Flashing forward six years, for the first time since its memorable victory in 1999, Rowan paid a visit to Mount Union. The Profs, whose starting quarterback who was out with a broken wrist, lost to Mount Union 19-7. While handling radio play by play duties, I noticed a quick Mount Union receiver who was extremely difficult to cover. His name was Pierre Garcon.

When Garcon took a Manning pass 48 yards to the house for a game-winning score on Monday night against Miami, I could not help but realize that two entities which tormented my professional and college teams now were married together on the field.

As a Rowan University football fan, Eagle fan and follower of all things Tom Brady and Bill Belichick related, it was an unsettling moment.

Ten Things We Learned in Week Two

1. Don’t sleep on small college football: You don’t need to be from USC, Miami or Notre Dame to have a good career in the pros. Not only did Garcon stun the Dolphins, but Buffalo’s Fred Jackson is also a D-III player by way of Coe College in Iowa. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco of the University of Delaware led Baltimore to the AFC title game last year and a 2-0 start so far. His head coach at Delaware? K.C. Keeler, formally of Rowan University. Yes, another gratuitous mention of Rowan University.

2. Something is terribly wrong with the Tennessee pass defense: Through two games, the Titan pass defense allowed 321 and 357 yards passing. While they have been solid against the run, their pass defense stinks thus far. Take note if you’re on the fence with a quarterback who is facing them.

3. Don’t get Marcus Fitzgerald on your bad side: Young Marcus is the brother of the great Larry Fitzgerald. Unhappy that his brother wasn’t exactly getting quality looks from Kurt Warner, Marcus did what any calm and rational sibling would do…he took his complaints to Twitter and unleashed the following tirade:

Marcusfitz1 Just got off the phone with my brother.he’s happy about the win. But PISSED he didnt get the ball thrown 2 him much!

Marcusfitz1 Bout time kurt!I almost had to come to jacksonville & strangle his ass lmao.

Marcusfitz1 Ok another drive & kurt doesnt throw 2 larry.YOU OLD ASS MAN,THROW HIM THE DAMN BALL

Marcusfitz1 @TBaby81 kurt warner plays like a damn 80 year old! my brother just texted me during halftime pissed off

Marcusfitz1 Kurt warner needs 2 stop bein a scary ass & throw the ball deep 2 my brother!damn this is annoying 2 watch!he throws 2 the rb’s 2 damn much!

Marcus maintained he was kidding afterwards. Somehow, I don’t quite buy that.

4. When your team gives up 183 yards receiving to a tight end, allows said opponent to hold the ball for under 15 minutes and yet still loses the game, something is terribly wrong: The bloom is off the rose for the Miami Dolphins. Despite dominating time of possession and the tempo, they still managed to lose. Don’t expect them to be a playoff team in 2009.

5. Tony Romo’s Week One performance versus Tampa Bay was clearly a mirage: Watching Playbook on the NFL Network is not a fun view if you’re a Romo fan. He struggled to recognize coverages and did not see the field well. The bizarre Jason Witten kick that led to a pick aside, he looked awful.

6. The San Francisco 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC West: With Arizona playing a slightly more challenging schedule this season, the ‘Niners could make some hay in the NFC West. They already beat Arizona in the desert and this week square off against the Vikings and Minnesota QB No. 4, who the 49ers beat a season ago when he was a Jet.

7. It’s okay to admit that the Cincinnati Bengals have a good defense, really…it’s cool: Antwan Odom leads the league in sacks with seven, while the Bengals are tops in that same category as a team. They should be 2-0 except for that disaster play versus Denver in Week One. Defense is back in Cincinnati. I can’t believe I just typed that.

8. Don’t jump yet, Tom Brady owners: Carson Palmer, Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper all suffered serious knee injuries. While McNabb is the only one who posted career numbers following his ACL injury, all three struggled to shake off the rust. Why people were expecting the 50-touchdown Brady from the jump is beyond me. It’s going to take some time, America. Let’s not throw dirt on him yet.

9. Every year will be the year of the quarterback: Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, the composite quarterback rating is 83.9, which would be a new standard for quarterback play. Considering defenders are nearly penalized for taking the field at this point, that trend is likely to continue.

10. Darrelle Revis = shutdown corner: Revis has faced Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in the first two weeks. During those two games, he allowed eight catches for 59 yards with a long reception of seven yards. Don’t go his way with a throw, period.

Week Three BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Drew Brees (2) – He is on pace to throw 72 touchdowns. He will never reach that, but it is fun to think about.

2. Adrian Peterson (1) – The biggest concern is his workload and thankfully, Brad Childress did not run him into the ground versus the hapless Lions.

3. Chris Johnson (NR) – He put forth a performance for all seasons against the Texans. Somewhere, Gus Johnson is still screaming.

4. Frank Gore (NR) – It’s good to have back 2006 Gore. It has been a while. We missed you.

5. Andre Johnson (10) – A monster week in Tennessee puts him at the head of the class for receivers.

6. Peyton Manning (9) – Anyone actually believe that Indy was losing that game on Monday night?

7. Reggie Wayne (7) – He will likely not get the credit because of other guys at the position, but he is as steady as they come.

8. Larry Fitzgerald (8) – His brother needs to settle down.

9. DeAngelo Williams (6) – He looked better versus Atlanta, but his ’08 season will be hard to duplicate.

10. Maurice Jones-Drew (5) – Another year, another rough start for the Jags.

Link of the Week

One of America’s greatest musical products, Bruce Springsteen, turned 60 earlier this week. Let’s jump in our time machine and visit the quality year of 1975. Bruce and the E Street Band performed in London and rocked the house with a version of Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.

Two Minute Warning: From Foxborough, With Love

Derek Jones — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:03:55 +0000

With Dick Jauron in charge, Buffalo fans are in for a long season.

Jake

Earlier this week, I discovered one of my friends, who is a big Carolina Panthers fan, had made her way down to Charlotte, North Carolina to watch Eagles-Panthers. Prior to Sunday, the last Panther game she attended? That’s right, the 2008 NFC Divisional playoff game versus Arizona.

Thus, over the span of two trips, she spent close to $200 on tickets, sat in a car for over 40 hours, and drove over 2,400 miles there and back to see Jake Delhomme unleash the following performances:

vs. Arizona: 17 of 34, 205 yards, 1 TD, 5 INTs, 39.1 rating
vs. Philly: 7 of 17, 73 yards, 0 TD, 4 INTs, 14.7 rating

Terrifying.

In the wake of those back-to-back horrendous efforts, NFL teams should enact the “Delhomme Clause,” which means if you’re in attendance for a game where the home quarterback’s passer rating is sub 50, home fans should get their money back or a free pizza.

It’s a reasonable request. If anyone failed at such a rate on their own job, they would likely become acquainted with unemployment.

This country is in one of the greatest economic slides of all-time, yet people are subjected to seeing an athlete — who signed a contract extension that includes $20 million of guaranteed money — put together two of the worst quarterback efforts in the Super Bowl era.

That is unacceptable. The only thing as depressing in Week One was probably being a Bill fan watching the Buffalo meltdown in Foxborough on Monday night.

The Inferior Head Coach-Quarterback Combo

Speaking of that game, it was a bit sad to see Buffalo fans suffer once again. However, what did they expect? You are what you eat. Their head coach is Dick Jauron. Let me write that once more, their head coach is Dick Jauron.

The same man that is 0-8 lifetime against William Stephen Belichick is also the same man who has posted a winning record once in his previous nine seasons as a head coach.

In fact, if you want to guarantee that your team is going to lose heartbreaking regular season games on a repeated basis, just examine the head coach and quarterback. Those two figures rank as two of your organization’s biggest decision makers — one from a personnel standpoint and the other having a direct impact with their play on the field.

Look at three of the biggest losers from the Week One: Buffalo, Cincinnati and Oakland. All three lost in heartbreaking fashion.

In Buffalo, you have Jauron and Trent Edwards; Cincy has Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer; and Oakland offers the dynamic duo of Tom Cable and JaMarcus Russell. It’s not an accident those teams end up in those situations.

The aforementioned six gentlemen have a combined zero playoff wins. When a team offers up a bad head coach and either relatively inexperienced or incompetent quarterbacking, that leads to fans crying in their onion dip.

Ten Things We Learned in Week One

1. Well, it didn’t take long for the Eagles’ season to become fun: As surmised in last week’s edition of TMW, Philly’s season was destined to become entertaining. With Donovan McNabb’s broken rib an issue, the Eagles signed former Philly QB Jeff Garcia, who joins Mac5, Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb on the roster. The Eagles are trying to convince people that McNabb might play on Sunday, but that is a strategic move to throw off the Saints. It makes no sense for him to play when their bye lands in Week Four.

2. Apparently, firing your offensive co-ordinator days before the regular season isn’t that awful: Buffalo, Kansas City and Tampa Bay all fired the offensive co-ordinators prior to the regular season’s start. Here’s how they fared on Sunday:

Buffalo – 276 yards, 24 points
Kansas City – 188 yards, 24 points
Tampa Bay – 450 yards, 21 points

While the yardage numbers were not booming for the first two, they at least looked like competent offenses that could score.

3. Tom Brady isn’t all the way back yet: As great as the comeback on Monday night was, Brady’s timing was definitely off. He wasn’t quite stepping into throws and looked out of sync until the final five minutes of the game. It could be several weeks before he returns to 2007 Tom. The good news for Brady owners is that he looked even better trying to escape the clutches of Suzy Kolber during a post-game interview.

4. Gus Johnson + Crazy Finish = Insanity: Johnson’s call of the Brandon Stokley catch ranked right near the top of his all-time best calls. See Gonzaga/UCLA for further details.

5. Giving Delhomme $20 million of guaranteed money wasn’t the best idea: Memo to the Panthers: Draft a quarterback in 2010.

6. Dark days are ahead for the Arizona Cardinals: If Sunday was any indication, the Cardinals are in trouble. The curse of the Super Bowl runner-up is the real deal.

7. The Jets might be for real: One thing is for sure, while their rookie quarterback still has to work out the kinks, the Jet defense looks ready for prime time.

8. Minnesota QB No. 4 is old: He only threw for 110 yards and managed to get sacked four times against Cleveland.

9. The two best teams in Week One played last Thursday night: None of the AFC heavyweights looked Super Bowl ready except for two. After Week One, the two best AFC teams were the same from a season ago — Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

10. Jay Cutler is the newest “gunslinger”: The Bears hope their new quarterback doesn’t find the opposition four times in a game again or repeatedly throws into triple and quadruple coverage. He forced passes and made poor decisions without having a significant pass rush get in his face often.

Week Two BPITW Poll

Last week’s rankings in parenthesis.

1. Adrian Peterson (1) – Attention, members of the media: Minnesota QB No. 4 passed for 110 yards, not 410 yards. Fighting dehydration and media bias, AP rambled for 180 yards and three scores.

2. Drew Brees (5) – While he seems to be the people’s choice as “best quarterback in the NFL,” let’s see how he does against a defense that shows a pulse.

3. Tom Brady (9) – After a mortal first three and a half quarters of football in his return, he dragged his left knee and the Patriots across the finish line for a win.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew (2) – After he scored last Sunday against the Colts, he debuted his supermarket dance by pushing a cart and grabbing items off an imaginary shelf. By the way, that dance was inspired by NFL Network’s Rich Eisen. True story.

5. DeAngelo Williams (3) – Fantasy owners can thank Delhomme for burying Williams’ value.

6. Reggie Wayne (NR) – Marvin Harrison stopped being Marvin Harrison three years ago. Thus, Wayne did not miss him on Sunday.

7. Larry Fitzgerald (5) – One half of the Madden ’10 cover (Troy Polamalu) down, one to go.

8. Peyton Manning (NR) – From September to December, the man is a machine.

9. Tony Romo (NR) – Romo doesn’t have to deal with T.O. while Jessica Simpson is being labeled as “desperate” on tabloids. With his mind clear of clutter, Romo had a career day. I’m guessing that is not a coincidence.

10. Andre Johnson (NR) – The Jets turned into the mini-Baltimore Ravens.

Link of the Week

As I’m putting this together, I’m watching some old movie from the 70s called FM featuring Martin Mull, Cleavon Little and a bunch of actors I’ve never heard of. Anyways, the Doobie Brothers’ song “It Keeps You Runnin’” is playing in the background.

[edit]It brings to mind one of the great TV episodes of all time. The sitcom What’s Happening offered up an episode that featured the Doobie Brothers, a live concert, and a lesson on bootlegging. Nothing sings to me quite like overdramatic television from the ’70s and ’80s.

Oh, one more thing about this movie. Jimmy Buffett is on my screen. I don’t get the appeal. Although, he is one of the main names behind the Dolphins renaming their facility Land Shark Stadium, his popularity amazes me. Is this what Dave Matthews is going to become in 15 years? This concerns me.

Two Minute Warning: Dear Summer, Please Go Away

Derek Jones — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:41:53 +0000

Can we finally stop obsessing about Dr. Conrad Murray and start focusing on football?

Summer Daze

I live in New Jersey and frequent the Jersey Shore with the consistency of Jake Delhomme’s quarterbacking. While I enjoy many of the perks of the summer — lighter workload, good scenery, vacation, etc. — this is the time of the year.

I’m already over the summer being over. In fact, my timeline every year is the same. My birthday falls on July 16. Once that passes, it might as well be 57 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy outside. The summer is over to me. However, due to my failure of creating a time machine, I can’t speed ahead to September. Thankfully, the wait is now over.

I’m tired of getting up on a summer weekend and putting on a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and my Asics sneakers to run errands in 96 degree Fahrenheit weather. It is time for jeans, hooded sweatshirts, post-season baseball, seeing your own breath, bad holiday commercials and most importantly, football.

Gone are the days of watching cranky souls yell at each other on MSNBC during town hall meetings over health care (well, for now anyways). No more stories about Dr. Conrad Murray. No more stories about Jon and Kate. Thank you, that is enough.

You know what I did last night out of utter exhaustion and boredom? I put in a Monday Night Football game from 1985 between Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers and John Elway’s Denver Broncos. Nothing notable happened other than 49er quarterback Matt Cavanaugh having a hard time holding for field goals because Denver fans were throwing snowballs at him. That’s how much I miss football.

Fantasy drafts are great, but few things beat the feeling of watching football on Sundays. The mediocre pre-game shows…the first TV game break with an injury update that is sure to ruin your Fantasy season…the endless hours of eating badly…wondering exactly why your local CBS affiliate keeps showing the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens every week. I love being mad about this stuff. It doesn’t matter in life’s grand scheme, but football sparks these somewhat irrational concepts.

Now, after months of waiting, the season is here. All of the shucking and jiving is over. It’s time to get down to business. Week One is set to begin and not a moment too soon.

Ten Things About the 2009 Season

1. Shaky leaders make shaky decisions: What could it possibly say about head coaches Dick Jauron, Raheem Morris, and Todd Haley that they all let go of their offensive co-ordinators prior to the regular season’s start? When your respective quarterbacks are Trent Edwards, Byron Leftwich, and Matt Cassel, perhaps there is a larger problem at hand.

2. Bear fans might want to delay those calls to travel agencies in Miami: Jay Cutler brings his strong, yet inconsistent arm to the Windy City. Instead of throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, he is targeting Earl Bennett, Devin Hester and Juaquin Iglesias. If you’re relatively new to football, the latter trio isn’t exactly the crème de la crème of NFL receivers. If Cutler leads this gang to the Super Bowl, colour me shocked. Sorry, Peter King.

3. Patriot fans should be more worried about their offensive line than Tom Brady’s knee: Three teams that New England might see in the AFC playoffs (that’s right, let’s already jump the gun) — San Diego, Pittsburgh and Tennessee — can bring the heat. If Brady’s protectors don’t get on the good foot, he’s going to spend January with Gisele once more (not that this would be a hardship by anyone’s measure).

4. Pittsburgh will not appear in too many five-star matchups this season: After playing a schedule that seemingly featured the ’89 49ers and ’92 Cowboys, the Steelers’ schedule is a bit friendlier this season. The opposition’s winning percentage is .434 which ranks as the league’s fourth-easiest schedule and includes an appearance by the Detroit Lions. By the way, I’d like to use this opportunity to state the ’72 Dolphins faced a schedule with an opposing winning percentage of .367. That is all.

5. Buffalo is running the no-huddle offense: I can’t express how incredulous of a decision this is. What personnel do the Bills have to run such an offense? They are using a quarterback, Edwards, who has all of 24 starts under his belt and is working with another new offensive co-ordinator. Further compounding matters, guess which receiver is a bit unhappy with the no-huddle’s installment? Yep.

6. It’s always cloudy in San Diego: For my next topic, I would like to channel Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary”:

Y’ know, every now and then
I think you might like to hear something from us
Nice and easy
But there’s just one thing
You see we never ever do nothing
Nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough

This is not only a duet by Ike and Tina Turner, but it also perfectly describes the San Diego Chargers. Thanks to this Shawne Merriman/Tila Tequila fiasco, the Chargers just have one more problem to deal with. If they go to the Super Bowl, again, colour me surprised.

7. This will be a Brett Favre-free zone: Starting next week, this will be an article free of Favre mentions. Instead, I will pull a page straight from the video game playbook. He will henceforth be known as “Minnesota QB #4” whenever I need to refer to him.

8. Philadelphia is in store for a bananas season: I’m not sure what is going to happen with the Eagles this season. However, I feel confident by saying that is likely to be a chaotic. If the Michael Vick stuff is not a distraction and the defense plays well, it could be a Super Bowl team. If Vick goes south and the team goes belly up, we’re in store for a show that will put this upcoming season of The Hills to shame.

9. The slide of the Indianapolis Colts begins…now: Safety Bob Sanders is already injured and the Colts endured massive changes to their coaching staff. How does this all equal to another 12-win season? Can’t be, right?

10. 10. Pittsburgh vs. Green Bay will be Super Bowl XLIV: After being clubbed over the head by the media with “one for the thumb,” back-to-back Manning Super Bowl wins, and “Sixburgh,” doesn’t this mean that we are in store for something different? Nope. Instead, get ready for the obligatory “Steelers: Team of the Decade” discussion and plenty of questions for Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers regarding what is was like playing with Minnesota QB #4. Great, where do I sign?

Power Poll

Note: I’m adjusting the previous Fantasy power poll to the BPITW Poll. The abbreviation is short for Best Player in the World. Granted, there isn’t a high volume of professional football teams in Asia or Mexico, but since the CFL exists and the phrase works, it’s time to put it to good use.

Week One BPITW Poll

1. Adrian Peterson: Perhaps Minnesota QB #4 will turn him into Adrian Peterson, catcher of screen passes.

2. Maurice Jones-Drew: He sports the most important shin in the state of Florida, unless you throw Tim Tebow into the mix.

3. DeAngelo Williams: One of these days, having Jake Delhomme as his quarterback will cost him…just not yet.

4. Matt Forte: The Packer defense will give him a good workout on Sunday night.

5. Drew Brees: The Fantasy gods are dealing Brees’ owners a bad hand by offering up the Lions in Week One as opposed to last year’s Week 16 tilt.

6. Larry Fitzgerald: No offence to Larry, but he did a great deal of his damage with Anquan Boldin injured. The Quan was just as effective before his Meadowlands facial injury.

7. Andre Johnson: It would be nice to see him reach double-digit touchdowns at some point.

8. Michael Turner: Is this the man who will break the Curse of 370?

9. Tom Brady: Our long nightmare is over. He is back!

10. LaDainian Tomlinson: The last stand for LT?

Link of the Week

Speaking of BPITWs, the story of Bo Jackson is a sad one. Check out this compilation of crazy Jackson runs which ironically ends with the final run of his career. Little did Dick Enberg know he was calling a career-ending hip pointer injury during the 1990 AFC Divisional playoffs versus Cincinnati. It was another sad chapter in Raider history over the past 20 years.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Cheat Sheets

Derek Jones — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:52:26 +0000

Trent Edwards ranks No. 14; who are the rest of our top 40 quarterbacks?

BY DEREK JONES and ANDY GOLDSTEIN

In order to guide you through Draft Day, the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit continues by providing you with comprehensive customizable cheat sheets for quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers.

For those of you wondering, “hey, where are the tight ends, defenses, and kickers?” my colleague Andy Goldstein taught me a few very valuable lessons:

1. Kickers don’t matter until the end of the draft.
2. Tight ends are overvalued. Once you get past Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Antonio Gates, the position is a wash.
3. Defenses are wildly overrated. Trying to guess the performance of defenses on a weekly basis isn’t easy and which teams represent the league’s best constantly changes from year to year. Thus, using mid-round picks on them is useless in my opinion.

Thus, let’s start it off with an explanation on how we arrived at these numbers.

Rankings: Andy and I compiled rankings for 40 quarterbacks, 60 running backs and 80 wide receivers. Following those initial lists, we teamed up to produce a fair and perhaps somewhat shocking list of positional rankings (hint: quarterbacks usually don’t finish at the position’s top spot in Fantasy points two years in a row). Upon examining these, some may be a bit skeptical over the lack of reaction towards pre-season success from players. It’s not a true indicator for success considering it is backups versus other backups for a majority of these games.

Tier: Each position was assigned a tier number, which is used to help separate the men from the boys and the great from the good, so to speak. Ranging from 1 to 20, players with a 1 should be considered cornerstone players while those with anything in double digits should not be considered a top level player.

ADP (10-team league & 12 team league): ADP refers to average draft position, a phenomenon that tracks where players are drafted on average, in part based on their overall rank, after a series of mock drafts have been conducted utilizing specific scoring systems. For example, if you see that Randy Moss has an ADP of 2.03, it simply means that his average draft position is the second round’s third pick. The ADP component was used under standard scoring systems.

Auction: The last column measures how much money one should spend on a player under auction only rules. The prices are based on the premise that the player would be the first one selected during the draft. Interestingly enough, auction drafts allow any player to be chosen for auction at any point. In leagues such as this, teams may be given a cap to work under. In the process, their chances of building a superpower team are greatly compromised.

Also, these sheets will provide you with plenty of room to diss fellow owners, take notes on the opposition, or just simply monitor your player’s health. Overall, these sheets will get you up and running for 2009 Fantasy drafts throughout the country.

Get your cheat sheets here:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: New Faces, New Places

Derek Jones — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:42:15 +0000

Think Brett Favre is a Fantasy stud as a Viking? Think again.

The 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit rages on as today we look at key players who have changed uniforms this season and what the Fantasy impact of these moves will be.

How many times do you suppose I stopped and started this article? Thanks to the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, I’ve flip-flopped on this story more than Br…oh, never mind.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the names you need to know that are in different places in 2009.

NFC

Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings: I can’t explain how little Fantasy impact this has right out of the gate. Look at Favre as being in that Jake Delhomme/Chad Pennington/Jason Campbell range in the 20s. Why the low rating, you ask? Consider Favre’s final four games of the season versus those of now teammate Tarvaris Jackson.

Favre: 75 of 132, 56 per cent, 764 yards, two TDs, eight INTs, 53.3 rating

Jackson: 57 of 89, 64 per cent, 740 yards, eight TDs, one INT, 115.3 rating

I’m not suggesting that Jackson is a better quarterback than Favre. However, No. 4 is going to be 40 in October and is likely to wear down again towards season’s end as those numbers from last season might suggest. Does that sound like a headache you need throughout the season? He’s a Fantasy backup, period. Alright, too much Favre talk. I’m spent.

Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears: Before one hops onto the Cutler Express, consider the following. Our conquering hero from Minnesota (Favre) led the NFL in interceptions last season. Second place in that dubious category belonged to Cutler with 18.

While his decision making isn’t the best, his biggest problem will be the lack of weapons. Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Rashied Davis are just a few of his receiving options. Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston, they are not.

After Cutler threw for over 4,500 yards last season, expect that number to come down significantly thanks to him having fewer receiving options and having to play in one of the tougher weather sites in the NFL.

Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Living in the land of green and silver, mass hysteria ensued upon the announcement of Vick’s signing during the Eagles-Patriots pre-season tilt. Andy Reid says that Vick is coming as a quarterback but that’s clearly a smokescreen for the hodgepodge of the Wildcat.

Does Vick have real Fantasy value? Not really. Trying to evaluate Fantasy value based off five to 10 plays he’s going to run is very difficult. If anything, he’s likely to drag guys down (i.e., Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook). In other words, he’s the Red Bull of Fantasy guys — supplying quick energy, but leaving you relatively empty after the sugar rush subsides. As far as his quarterback prospects, he might be worth a flier if you take McNabb. Otherwise, don’t even try it.

Derrick Ward, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A part of the Giants’ Earth, Wind & Fire backfield, Ward proved to be a capable back. After running for 1,025 yards in ’08, he moved onto Tampa, who could use a shot in the arm in the backfield.

Ward not only brings his well rounded running style, but with the injury history of the Tampa backfield, he’s likely to see action early and often. Consider him one of the true sleepers of 2009.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons: Another year removed from the Alge Crumpler era, Atlanta decided to help out its passing game by acquiring the future Hall of Fame tight end from Kansas City. He was targeted 155 times last season, far and away the highest mark for a tight end. Roddy White and Michael Turner are the big guns in Atlanta offense, but don’t expect Gonzalez to be merely a showpiece. He is still likely one of the first three tight ends to go off the board.

Other key names to watch in the NFC:

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Seattle Seahawks: Here’s hoping Seattle finally has a receiver that doesn’t get injured. He should play well with a revitalized Matt Hasselbeck.

Brandon Jones, WR, San Francisco 49ers: As long as he stays out with a shoulder injury, the 49ers don’t have a lot of bargaining power with rookie receiver Michael Crabtree.

Kellen Winslow, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The change of scenery will not help unless the oft-injured Winslow stays healthy.

AFC

Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos: As a part of the deal that sent Cutler to Chicago, Orton comes in for new head coach Josh McDaniels to lead a Denver offense that finished second in yards per game in 2008.

However, all of those Orton for Fantasy sleeper campaigns might want to hold off the enthusiasm. The new Bronco signal caller was certainly asleep last weekend in San Francisco when he fired three interceptions. Granted, it’s only preseason, but Orton’s accuracy was never confused with that of Troy Aikman at his zenith.

Since Denver could be in chase mode a great deal in ’09, Orton potentially has value as a spot starter. Tread carefully, though. His inconsistent play could land him on the bench and behind backup Chris Simms.

Terrell Owens, WR, Buffalo Bills: Here’s a look at Owens in his last two stops during the first season — 2004, with Philadelphia, 77 receptions, 1,200 yards, 14 TDs; 2006, with Dallas, 85 receptions, 1,180 yards, 13 TDs.

Certainly, that’s impressive considering that Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo combined on Owens’ first year in Dallas. Another change in scenery and quarterbacks should give Owens the fresh start he needs, correct? Not necessarily. Owens will turn 36 in December and is steadily declining.

Since his first year in Dallas, the mercurial receiver has seen his reception total drop every year.
Age, along with weather and circumstances are more contributing factors as to why Owens is no longer a significant Fantasy threat. Another matter that will hinder him is quarterback. Regardless of what he thought of Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Romo personally, all three were competent Pro Bowl quarterbacks. I’m not sure Trent Edwards is quite ready for prime time. No longer an elite option, consider Owens as a number two receiver on Fantasy rosters.

Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: Few players and coaches that have left New England turn out well. Cassel, who filled in admirably for the Patriots by guiding them to an 11-5 record, has only 15 career starts and just signed a big contract.

While he still needs to prove himself, he’s missing a few key components in Kansas City including a future Hall of Famer at receiver (Randy Moss), one of the league’s premier number two receivers (Wes Welker), and a future Hall of Fame head coach (Bill Belichick).

Examining the Chief roster, only Dwayne Bowe provides a significant pass-catching threat now that Gonzalez is in Atlanta. Cassel is still an up and coming quarterback who needs a lot more seasoning. He should be considered a back-up option on Fantasy rosters.

Other new faces to watch in the AFC:

Laveranues Coles, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: He will not produce numbers similar to the departed Houshmandzadeh, but will offer a good compliment to Chad OchoCinco.

Fred Taylor, RB, New England Patriots: I’m not sure how much gas he has left in the tank, but playing for New England should allow him to punch a few in the endzone.

L.J. Smith, TE, Baltimore Ravens: Smith underachieved in Philly, but may find the field thanks to the ailing tight end Todd Heap.

Torry Holt, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Without playing a down, he is already the third greatest receiver in Jaguar history.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Busts

Derek Jones — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:08:04 +0000

Whether he’s burying his face in the bust of Michelle Johnson, Jessica Simpson or Natalie Smith, we expect Tony Romo to be a bust of his own this season.

While busts are great to look at, fondle, bury your head into and generally bask in the presence of, absolutely no one wants to draft any busts for their Fantasy football team. But don’t sweat it, the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit is here to help you avoid those kinds of busts.

Tony Romo

Romo and the phrase “quiet offseason” does not seem to go together; if it’s not dealing with a playoff loss, the public is trapped with information on who he is dating. Is it Jessica Simpson or the 43-year-old Michelle Johnson from Blame It On Rio? This offseason featured another breakup for Romo but this time with Terrell Owens. Whenever the braggadocios receiver leaves a spot, his former team is not the same for quite some time.

Just ask the 49ers. Owens was the last receiver to break the 1,000-yard plateau there back in ’03. The Eagles finally seem to be equipped with respectable receivers after struggling to find guys to fill the void. Expect Dallas to have a similar problem and Romo is likely to suffer the consequences.

Over the past two seasons with Owens in tow, Romo totaled 62 touchdown passes and 13 300-yard passing games. Regardless of what you think of T.O. as a person or player, it’s clear that when he exits, he is not easy to replace. Don’t look for Roy E. Williams to fill the void. Don’t be surprised if Romo’s numbers decline without Owens to bail him out.

Michael Turner

Any veteran of Fantasy football has heard of the “Curse of 370” which was started a few years ago by the folks at Football Outsiders. For the uninformed, it states that backs that carry 370 times or more during the regular season are often ripe for injury the following season. With the exception of the immortals (Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson), most backs see to a sharp decline in productivity in the season following a 370-carry year.

Turner carried 376 times in ’08, which was a bit surprising considering it was his first year as a full-time starter and Atlanta has a respectable backup in Jerious Norwood. Instead of using his assets, head coach Mike Smith pounded and pounded and pounded some more with Turner. There was no coincidence that after carrying 25 times for 208 yards versus the 2-14 Rams in the regular season’s final game that the 27-year-old laid in egg against the Cardinals during the first round of the playoffs.

After rushing for nearly 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns, Turner will experience a drop in his numbers in 2009 — you can take that to the bank.

Brian Westbrook

Much of the pre-season talk regarding Westbrook has featured the word “hobbled” in front of his name, which is never a good sign. He is recovering from right ankle surgery and should be ready by the regular season’s beginning. However, as 30 beckons for Westbrook on September 2, he is trying to buck the all too familiar trend of running backs petering out at that age. Personal history is already against him. He has never played an entire season. As backs age, staying healthy becomes increasingly less likely.

Just consider that the surgery stems from an ankle injury Westbrook suffered all the way back in Week Three last season during an Eagle victory over eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. Once the mileage stacks up on backs, getting over ailments is not such an easy chore.

He is a gamer and will be out there, but don’t expect him to reach levels of years past. The Philly passing attack is a bit more talented and the club drafted Pitt’s LeSean McCoy, who will be a factor this season at some point. In all, Westbrook’s prime is gone and his days of being a top 10 back are likely to finish up this season.

Roddy White

Any time a player has a big year and then decides to hold out during the following season, the outcome can be negative. White, who has two straight 1,200-yard seasons to his credit, is in the middle of holding and is apparently looking for “Larry Fitzgerald money.”

As White does this, he is missing out on conditioning and reps in training camp. Plus, he is not doing any favours for his second-year quarterback, Matt Ryan. The Falcons made the playoffs last season and now it appears the trappings of success are becoming a problem for White.

Atlanta lost receiver Harry Douglas early in camp to a torn ACL, thus putting just a bit more pressure on White to produce. This injury, combined with opponents not going to sleep on a previously dreadful franchise, will make White’s road to glory far more difficult in 2009.

Antonio Bryant

While Jeff Garcia is not going to the Hall of Fame, it is a lot easier catching passes from him than doing so from either Byron Leftwich, rookie Josh Freeman, or Josh McCown. Leftwich should get the nod to start, but he is not as effective a passer as Garcia. That is likely to have an impact on Bryant, despite new head coach Raheem Morris saying he wants to take a less conservative approach offensively.

Last season, Bryant posted career-best numbers in receptions (83), yards (1,248), and touchdowns (seven). Also, he had three 100-yard performances in a row over the season’s final four games. Those numbers will be difficult to repeat, though, with the changes in personnel Tampa has undergone.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: St. Louis Rams Team Preview

Derek Jones — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:24:41 +0000

Steve Spagnuolo plans to make the Rams a tougher team.

We’re back with more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit with yet another team preview (we’re nearly done now, with just a couple of
teams to go). We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While we wonder if the St. Louis Rams bottomed out in 2008 — much as we wondered if they had bottomed out in 2007 — how about Larry Fitzgerald suggesting his own team was “mediocre” last season?

What Went Right

(Crickets chirping…..still chirping….still chirping…..still chirping…still chirping)

What Went Wrong

After Week One, it was pretty clear that along with the Chiefs and Lions, the Rams were going to redefine bad football. While the Lions forged ahead as the worst of the bunch, the 2-14 Rams gave them plenty of competition. Marc Bulger and the Rams offense finished tied for 30th in points scored, averaging a measly 14 points per game; and only the Lions allowed more points per game than the Charmin-like Ram defense (29 per contest). St. Louis trailed early and often and it dragged the offense into the toilet.

Off-season Outlook

The Rams made a change at the top by bringing in former Giant defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as their new head coach. The Rams also shed plenty of age in the personnel department. Torry Holt, one of the last links to the Greatest Show on Turf Rams, was released; the same fate met former All-Pro offensive tackle Orlando Pace; and other vets such as quarterback Trent Green, safety Corey Chavous and receiver Drew Bennett were let go. The message was simple: out with the old and in with the new.

Draft Outlook

St. Louis’ offensive line has been an abomination over the past few seasons. In ‘08, they allowed 45 sacks — amongst the worst in the NFL. Thus, it was an easy choice to select offensive tackle Jason Smith. The D received much of the attention during the draft as the Rams went with defense for its next three selections including former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis in Round Two.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

Bulger’s career is becoming a broken record over the past few years. Someone on the offense gets injured, leading to the unit’s (his especially) complete meltdown. While Bulger made 15 of 16 starts, he didn’t get much done because of offensive line problems and the decline of Holt. For the second straight year, he posted a passer rating barely above 70. He has peaked as a quarterback. At 32 years old with an injury- riddled past, don’t look for him to emerge as Fantasy star at this point of his career. Clearly, he is a backup on Fantasy rosters. Oh yeah, and Kyle Boller is his backup. I’m sure that made your toes curl.

Running Backs

Steven Jackson is what you might call a cursed back. He’s the guy that has the phrase “if everything goes right…” attached to him and for good reason. If offensive linemen aren’t hurt, he’s injured. If he’s not injured, then the quarterback is injured. If everyone is healthy, then the team is trailing by four touchdowns. While Jackson is still young (26), he needs to stay on the field. He has missed eight starts over the last two seasons combined and for all of the Fantasy fuss over him, he just has one season over 1,100 yards to his credit. He possesses tremendous upside and could be a top five guy if everything goes right. Don’t worry, though, it wont. Consider Jackson a second rounder.

Receivers

Name the Ram receivers right now. Do it. You can’t? Well, that’s acceptable considering their top three guys could be Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton and Laurent Robinson. The team acquired former Raider Ronald Curry to add some of the speed and veteran presence they’ll miss with the departure of Holt. Avery is most likely to produce right away in his second year and easily owns the best Fantasy value of any Ram receivers. He can be a deep threat, but with the team employing a variation of the West Coast offense, getting throws downfield might be tricky. This group will be a work in progress. Outside of Avery, don’t expect much from the rest of the bunch.

Tight Ends

Despite the receiver woes, Randy McMichael does offer the Rams a decent pass catching tight end. He is by no means Jason Witten, but he’ll get opportunities in the red zone and probably snag a few touchdowns during the season. Keep him as a second string tight end. Meanwhile, if you’re searching for the name of back-up tight end Joe Klopfenstein, that’s a sign your team is probably in trouble.

Defense/Special Teams

As explained earlier, the Ram defense left a little to be desired in 2008. Struggling to stop the run or the pass, the Rams failed to generate a pass rush (Leonard Little and James Hall led with six sacks apiece) and did not stop the run (allowed 26 rushing touchdowns, while finishing 29th in rush defense). Second-year end Chris Long needs to produce and give the team a fighting chance upfront. Overall, the Rams should get a boost with the arrival of Spagnuolo who will least make them a bit tougher. However, don’t even think about adding this group to your Fantasy roster.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: San Francisco 49ers Team Preview

Derek Jones — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:20:28 +0000

A sixth straight losing season in San Francisco cost Mike Nolan his job.

We’re back with more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit with yet another team preview (we’re on the home stretch now, with just five teams to go). We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). Before we figure out if the San Francisco 49ers can snap their skid of six straight losing seasons, let’s try to get a mental picture of Plaxico Burress in an orange jumpsuit, because the DA in charge of his case is hellbent that Burress will do some time.

What Went Right

Humour me for a moment. Go back in your mind to the days of science class when you had to listen to the sounds of a seashell. It had a hollow noise and reminded one of emptiness. That is a comparable feeling when trying to find something the ‘Niners did correctly in 2008. The team took a slight leap on defense by the season’s conclusion; holding opponents to 16 points or fewer in four of the its final five games. Amazingly, San Francisco scratched out seven wins despite firing Mike Nolan and replacing him with the stern Mike Singletary. By season’s end, Singletary’s press conferences were arguably the highlight of an otherwise disappointing season.

What Went Wrong

San Francisco’s offense failed to move the ball consistently. Yet again, the team struggled to find consistent quarterback play and star running back Frank Gore wasn’t able to spring many big plays for an offense that ranked 23rd in the league and 27th on the ground. With the running game lagging and the quarterbacks combining for 21 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, the receiving corps did not contribute big plays to the offense. No receiver topped the 1,000-yard barrier, with veteran Isaac Bruce leading the way with 835 yards.

Off-season Outlook

The 49ers desperately needed to fix their offense, which has been routinely awful for nearly six years. Brandon Jones joins the team after four seasons with the Tennessee Titans. San Francisco also addressed its offensive line needs by bringing in former Steeler Marvel Smith and re-signing tackle Joe Staleyto a multi-year deal.

Draft Outlook

Offense, offense, offense. The ‘Niners selected an offensive player with four of their first five picks. They added speed demon Michael Crabtree to the receivers group with the 10th overall pick and then nabbed Glen Coffee to serve as a backup to Gore. While Coffee might not be an immediate impact player, Crabtree is a different story. Slim pickings abound for the ‘Niners at receiver; Crabtree must give them something in his initial campaign. Considering the state of San Francisco quarterbacks, fifth-round pick Nate Davis is a name to keep an eye on long term.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

The 49ers flirted with Kurt Warner in the offseason, but once he went back to Arizona, the team was left with Shaun Hill and Alex Smith as the primary contenders for the starting job. Last season, J.T. O’Sullivan began the year as the starter but was ineffective. The scrappy Hill was better, tossing 13 touchdowns in eight starts; and then there is Smith. The 49ers have most of their position battles resolved as training camp approaches, but Smith is out to make sure he can turn the battle in his favour. Last September, he broke a bone in his shoulder and subsequently landed on IR. However, he has received positive reviews for his preparation for 2009 during the offseason. When considering what to do with this dilemma, follow the old John Madden axiom, “When you have two quarterbacks, you have none.”

Running Backs

Three years ago, Gore posted over 1,600 yards rushing, but over the past two seasons the former Miami Hurricane barely eclipsed 1,000 yards. Playing on a bad one-dimensional team continues to hurt Gore’s Fantasy value. However, he remains in that second tier of backs toward the beginning to middle part of the second round. Fullback Moran Norris returns to the team, which could be important for the running game since he was the lead blocker during Gore’s best season. The rookie Coffee and veteran Michael Robinson will provide depth and see their fair share of action, stealing touchdowns in the process.

Receivers

Today’s NFL features bad tackling and average pass defense. Thus, it’s extremely alarming that none of the 49er receivers broke the 1,000-yard mark in 2008. Crabtree, Bruce, Josh Morgan and Jones could pose a respectable group, but much will hinge on who is throwing them the ball. As for Crabtree, rookie receivers typically don’t typically burst onto the scene. The only two players of recent vintage who did were Randy Moss and Anquan Boldin; in my opinion, he’s not in their class. If you grab Crabtree in a draft and get within shouting distance of DeSean Jackson numbers (62 receptions, 912 yards, two TDs) for his rookie campaign, take it and like it. Otherwise, this group is a grab bag. Keep an eye on Morgan, Jason Hill and the veteran Jones, who might give the group a shot in the arm. The ancient Bruce is a waiver wire fill-in at this point.

Tight Ends

Vernon Davis’ 2008 season will likely be remembered for setting off Singletary’s epic post-game presser following a drubbing from Seattle instead of any on the field production. The fourth-year player has not developed into the weapon San Francisco thought it drafted. He averaged fewer than two receptions per game in ’08 which isn’t what the 49ers had in mind when they used the sixth overall pick in the ’06 Draft. Until Davis does it on the field, he is a back-up tight end on Fantasy rosters. Backup Delanie Walker isn’t much to write home about either.

Defense/Special Teams

Take 30 seconds and try to figure out who led the ‘Niners in sacks last season. Defensive end Justin Smith? Nope, he came close with seven. How about former first-round pick Manny Lawson? Wrong again, just three. If you guessed outside linebacker Parys Haralson with eight, you’re a winner! He is a part of an active and very productive linebacking troupe. Patrick Willis is a tackling machine, leading the team in tackles during his first two seasons. The downside to the 49er defense is they don’t make big plays, finishing 28th in the league in forcing turnovers. Consider them a middle of the road group.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Arizona Cardinals Team Preview

Derek Jones — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:20:42 +0000

Linebacker Karlos Dansby is again the Cardinals’ franchise player.

The 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit returns today with yet another team preview (we’re on the home stretch now, with less than 10 NFC teams left to go). We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While we’re waiting for Brett Favre to once again decide whether he’s in or not, let’s preview the Arizona Cardinals, who came within a whisker of their first ever Super Bowl title last season.

What Went Right

The Cardinal offense, while flawed towards the end of the regular season, ran over enemies for much of the ’08 season including the postseason. Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald paced a ferocious passing attack. The trio carried the Cards into the playoffs and nearly towards an improbable Super Bowl victory. Unfortunately, their defense failed to cover Santonio Holmes in the final two and a half minutes of the season.

What Went Wrong

Two things made Arizona’s post-season run shocking: an amazingly awful running game and a mediocre defensive unit (the same gang that got torched by Minnesota’s Tarvaris Jackson in Week 15). Edgerrin James’ performance and attitude ran him out of Arizona. Meanwhile, the defense defined inconsistency by showing glimpses of being world beaters one week followed by glimpses of being one of the league’s worst defenses the next.

Off-season Outlook

To get a grasp on the philosophy of Arizona’s offseason, try reading Pat Riley’s The Winner Within and the “Disease of Me” chapter. When success comes unexpectedly, so
do the requests for more loot from players. Many looked for better contracts including Warner, Boldin and Karlos Dansby. Coaching changes also became an issue as offensive coordinator Todd Haley accepted the head coaching slot with Kansas City and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast got the boot in favour of Bill Davis. Arizona managed to address personnel needs by signing former Steeler cornerback Bryant McFadden to a deal to help fix its rather pedestrian secondary.

Draft Outlook

Arizona’s draft dealt with building depth on defense (it used five of its next six picks after first round on defensive players). Nonetheless, after their woeful showing on the ground in ’08, the Cards nabbed former Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells in the first round. Despite missing time in his final year with the Buckeyes due to a foot injury, expect Wells to get plenty of opportunities to be an impact player in the desert.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

Kurt Warner getting the Cardinals to the Super Bowl is quietly one of the great NFL achievements over the past 25 years. If you were putting together a short list of franchises that would not make the Super Bowl in your lifetime, the Cards would probably be in the top three. Having said that, beware of a letdown for Warner. First off, the curse of the Super Bowl runner-up has claimed several casualties during the past decade including the latest, Tom Brady’s knee. Also, keep in mind the probability of Warner playing every game at 38. Lastly, Warner’s first two Super Bowl appearances were followed up by injury-plagued seasons.

The Super Bowl XXXIV MVP broke his hand during the 2000 season and missed five games. Following his ’01 MVP season, he played in only seven games due to a broken thumb suffered against Dallas. The injury also eventually led to fumbling problems and the Brenda Warner/Mike Martz feud which signaled the beginning of the end for him in St. Louis.

The moral to this story is to consider Warner a top-tier Fantasy quarterback, but keep your eye on back-up Matt Leinart. During 11 NFL seasons, Warner has never played all 16 regular season games in consecutive years.

Running Backs

Now that Edgerrin “three yards per carry” James is out of Arizona, the backfield duties will belong to Wells and second-year back Tim Hightower. They will try to improve the worst rushing team in the league (the Cards averaged just 73 yards per game). The Virginia product provided flashes, but is not a back who can handle a full workload. He is better suited as a pass catcher and third-down back.

Receivers

Poor Anquan Boldin; lost in the haze of Fitzgerald’s epic postseason was Boldin’s performance. He established a career high in touchdown catches with 11 despite having reconstructive surgery to his face following a vicious hit by Jet safety Eric Smith in Week Four. Somehow, he only missed four games and made the Pro Bowl. However, he struggled at the end of the year and Fitzgerald took over, amassing career numbers. Fitz is widely considered Fantasy football’s number one receiver while Boldin would be a number one if not for injury concerns. Slot receiver Steve Breaston joined Boldin and Fitzgerald as the team’s third receiver to hit the 1,000-yard mark. Consider him a number three option in larger leagues.

Tight Ends

Ben Patrick. Leonard Pope. I must write their names just to educate and inform. With the three headed monster at receiver, Arizona tight ends are an endangered species and best suited to block. Patrick, who caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl, and Pope, combined for just 20 catches during the regular season. Don’t consider them legitimate Fantasy tight ends unless they dictate otherwise.

Defense/Special Teams

Last season, Arizona’s defense finished 28th in points allowed per game and 19th in total defense but were amazingly a couple of plays away from winning the Super Bowl. It’s a feast or famine unit that wavers wildly between a play-making group and then one that gives up the big play. They lost defense lineman Antonio Smith to Houston, which will hurt an already shaky group. Meanwhile, the addition of McFadden should give their mediocre secondary a shot in the arm.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Tennessee Titans Team Preview

Derek Jones — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:19:19 +0000

Kerry Collins isn’t a stud Fantasy QB, but he did lead the Titans to 13 wins last season.

We’re on a roll today, back with more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit with yet another team preview (we’re now done with all the AFC teams and have already started to churn out a few NFC teams). We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While Dante’ Stallworth clues in to the fact that people “come out of nowhere” when you’re freaking pissed to the gills, let’s turn our attention to the Tennessee Titans, who enjoyed a brilliant 2008, but were unable to do anything in the playoffs.

What Went Right

Coming off a playoff appearance during the ’07 season, the Titans expected Vince Young to lead them back in ‘08. Well, they got half of what they expected. The Titans produced the NFL’s best regular season record led by Kerry Collins, who began his NFL career in 1995 when Yahoo! was founded and the DVD was invented. Now, that’s old. Another huge contributor proved to be rookie running back Chris Johnson, who not only led all first year backs in rushing, but combined with fellow teammate LenDale White to form one of the league’s best one-two punches in the backfield. Meanwhile, the defense punished their opponents, ranking seventh overall.

What Went Wrong

Finishing 13-3 did not give Titans fans much to complain about…until the postseason. The team’s less-than-enthralling passing game turned out to be its Achilles’ heel. Collins only threw 12 touchdown passes and Tennessee struggled to stretch the field, which was an issue addressed during the offseason.

Off-season Outlook

Despite Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth signing with Jerry Jones-Lite (Daniel Snyder) in Washington, the Titans stayed quiet on the free agent front. However, they nabbed former Steeler Nate Washington as a potential long distance threat to help with big pass plays downfield. Elsewhere, the Titans dealt with in-house free agent matters such as re-signing Collins and designating the franchise player tag on tight end Bo Scaife.

Draft Outlook

The Titans addressed two of their biggest needs with receiver and defensive tackle. Rutgers wideout Kenny Britt joins the Titan receivers. The first round selection provides a big target at 6′3″, 228 pounds. Former Auburn defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks joins Operation Replace Albert Haynesworth. Meanwhile, keep an eye out on pass-catching tight end Jared Cook.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

When figuring out the Fantasy value of Collins, simply apply the Troy Aikmanprinciple. Such a rule states that the quarterback’s real value to his team is a complete 180 from his Fantasy worth. Collins is a far better quarterback for the Titans than Young, but he’s a poor Fantasy option. While he only got sacked eight times last season, Collins threw just 12 touchdown passes. Tennessee’s standard mode of transportation is on the ground. Regardless of who is under centre, stray away from all Titan quarterbacks.

Running Backs

The alleged owners of the nickname “Smash & Dash” did plenty of both to opponents in 2008. Johnson put together a strong rookie resume by rushing for 1,228 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns en route to making the Pro Bowl. Johnson’s versatility and game-breaking speed make him potentially a top five Fantasy back. His much plumper teammate, White, did not have Johnson’s success on the ground, but scored 15 touchdowns. The biggest concern for any Johnson owner is White stealing scores at the goal line. That will be a likely occurrence again in 2009.

Receivers

The snooze fest that is the Titan receiving corps needs a serious jolt of life. Seeking its first 1,000 yard-receiver since 2004, the Titans hope Washington will give them a deep threat with the rookie Britt working the middle of the field. Justin Gage returns after grabbing half of Collins’ 12 scoring strikes. No one in this group will exactly conjure up memories of former great Charley Hennigan. Let me guess. You’ve never heard of Hennigan, right? Well, the former Houston Oiler and five-time Pro Bowler is the second receiver in league history to catch at least 100 passes in a season. Anyways, avoid Titan receivers but if you must, take a flyer on Washington.

Tight Ends

Scaife is the breadwinner out of this group. He only caught two touchdowns last season, but with the Titans, that is the equivalent of eight. One would think with the arrival of Cook, that Alge Crumpler’s days in Tennessee are numbered. After all, his biggest contribution last season was a big fumble against the Ravens in the playoffs. Take Scaife, but only in the role as a back-up tight end.

Defense/Special Teams

While their return game is not awe-inspiring, the Titan defense is no filler and all killer. Tennessee’s band of relative no-names ravaged offenses, finishing with the second fewest points allowed a season ago. Without Haynesworth in the middle, they need to ask different players to produce –and quickly. One player on the spot will be defensive tackle Jason Jones, who enters his second year after tallying five sacks. Elsewhere, the secondary is led by All-Pro cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who intercepted five passes in ’08 and is armed perhaps with the league’s best name. Consider them a top tier defensive unit.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Jacksonville Jaguars Team Preview

Derek Jones — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:17:52 +0000

After another run-in with the law, Matt Jones was sent packing by the Jags.

We’re back with more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit for you today with yet another team preview (we’re now almost halfway through these puppies). We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While you Miami Dolphin fans wonder if the team name will be changed to the Miami Sound Machine, let’s consider whether the Jacksonsonville Jaguars can recover from last season’s disaster.

What Went Right

Following an 11-5 season in 2007, Jacksonville lagged to a 5-11 mark in 2009. Maurice Jones-Drew put up a near replica of his sterling rookie year which marked the only significant positive happening for a once rugged team. Receiver Matt Jones finally put together a solid year by his standards, which will help him headed into this…oh wait, strike that from the record.

What Went Wrong

The Jags began the regular season with injuries to the offensive line and it had a trickle down effect. Finishing second in the league in rushing in ’07, Jack Del Rio’s team fell on hard times following the injuries. Predictably, a 32 year-old Fred Taylor, coming off a great year, flopped by running for just 556 yards and scoring only one touchdown. In other not-so-surprising developments, a quarterback received a big payday (David Garrard) and crashed back to earth, and the once hard-boiled defense got trampled by quality opposition.

Off-season Outlook

Jacksonville needed an infusion of youth in a few key areas, but erred on the side of experience by bringing in long-time Ram receiver Torry Holt and former Eagle offensive tackle Tra Thomas.

Draft Review

With its first two picks, Jacksonville addressed its offensive line depth, selecting tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. Defensive tackle Terrance Knighton may help fill the gaping hole left by the departure of Marcus Stroud in ’08, while receiver Mike Thomas has been compared to Wes Welker. With a dearth of quality receivers, Thomas may get a chance to contribute right away.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

Quarterback plays well, leads team to playoffs and gets a big contract. Same quarterback leads team to a disappointing effort and underperforms the next year. Heard this one before? Filling the role in ’08 was Garrard, who posted 15 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. With Jacksonville’s offensive line woes, the team struggled to run and ended up throwing the ball more, which does not suit Garrard’s strengths. He is a far better quarterback playing off the run because of play action and not being forced to push the ball downfield. If the Jags can get the running game going again, that can only benefit Garrard, who is strictly back-up fodder on Fantasy rosters. Former Viking Todd Bouman will be Garrard’s backup. Regardless, here’s hoping we will still be able to see Garrard’s wild post-game suits.

Running Backs

Backs over 30 years old live on borrowed time and despite being a franchise icon, Taylor’s days were numbered at end of ‘08. Armed with a new four-year, $32.8-million contract, Jones-Drew enters the year as one of the top backs in Fantasy football. Over the past three seasons, MJD owns 38 touchdowns and is a multi-purpose threat that is a good option in any scoring system. The early party line is that fullback Greg Jones is going to take up the Taylor role. Remember the name Chauncey Washington. He is a speedy second-year back out of USC, who will likely see duty as well.

Wide Receivers

Is there a worst trio of receivers for a team to trust heading into a season than Troy Williamson, Jerry Porter and Matt Jones? They were the proverbial boom or bust group and they didn’t accomplish much even though the Jags threw the ball plenty more in 2008. Holt’s arrival will help from an experience standpoint, but his best days are behind him as he enters his 11th season with a knee problem that is slowing him down. Look for Holt to start along with either veteran Dennis Northcutt or the unproven Mike Walker. To paraphrase the auditory work of Stone Cold Steve Austin, don’t trust anyone in this group.

Tight Ends

The phrase “Fantasy value” and “Jaguars tight end” don’t go together. In 2008, Marcedes Lewis tied for second on the team in touchdown receptions…with two. Ranking 20th in standard scoring amongst tight ends is similar to being the 10th best heavyweight fighter in the world. There isn’t much regard for either. Lewis is strictly a backup at best. Behind Lewis is Greg Estandia, who has 19 catches in three years to his credit.

Defense/Special Teams

Besides not forcing turnovers, a lack of quarterback pressure, and allowing opponents to attack them through the air, the Jags defense was slightly average, ranking 18th in the league in ’08. Jacksonville tried to address defensive concerns in the 2008 draft, but on-field success failed to materialize for them. Leading return man Brian Witherspoon is back, but the Jags still are missing home run pop in their return game. For the Jaguars to return to their previous defensive glory, they better learn how to sack quarterbacks or the problems of ‘08 will rise again.

2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Indianapolis Colts Team Preview

Derek Jones — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:27:14 +0000

How will the Indianapolis Colts fare in the post-Tony Dungy era?

We’re back with more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit today with another team preview. We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While you consider the fact that Ryan Leaf is no better a criminal than he was a quarterback, why not read up on whether the Indianapolis Colts can get back atop the AFC South?

What Went Right

Outside of Peyton Manning’s usual 4,000-yard passing season and having the good fortune of beating a slew of awful quarterbacks, the most notable success in Indianapolis came off the field in 2008 when Men’s Health Magazine named it as the country’s most sexually active city. Bet you didn’t have that one in the office pool. Nonetheless, it was that kind of year in Indy. Inconsistency ruled the day.

What Went Wrong

Despite finishing 12-4 in Tony Dungy’s last season as head coach, it is not the best sign for your defense’s long-term future that you gave up 328 all-purpose yards, third most in a post-season game, to a 5′6″ back-up running back. Chargers’ mighty-mite Darren Sproles exploited an Indy defense that failed time after time to seize control of the game in a Wild Card round loss. However, this was an ongoing theme throughout the year as Indy’s defense finished 24th against the run. Yet, what else is new? Speaking of running, the Colts didn’t do much. Just ask 2006 first round pick Joseph Addai. While the team dealt with numerous injuries on offense including Marvin Harrison, centre Jeff Saturday and Manning prior to season’s start, the failure of the running game proved to be a constant nag. Addai averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and scored a paltry five times on the ground.

Off-season Outlook

Much of the offseason has been spent focusing on coaching matters and not personnel (the Colts signed only one free agent — linebacker Adam Seward). Dungy retired, which paved the way for former defensive coordinator Jim Caldwell to take over the top spot. Longtime offensive coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd left and will be replaced by Clyde Christensen and Pete Metzelaars, respectively. Larry Coyer became the defensive coordinator, replacing Ron Meeks. Meanwhile, new special teams coach Ray Rychleski and I have something in common: neither of us has coached special teams in the NFL before.

Draft Outlook

As Addai continues to head towards bust status, the Colts addressed their woeful running game by selecting UConn’s Donald Brown in the first round. They devoted the second and third round to defense by taking defensive tackle Fili Moala and cornerback Jerraud Powers, both of whom should provide the D with much needed depth. Fourth round picks receiver Austin Collie and defensive tackle Terrance Taylor offer up much of the same. Collie is most likely to see more time as a gunner on special teams than catching passes from Manning.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

Speaking of the Golden One, Manning starts his 12th season, but is in for some change. Not only will he have a new offensive coordinator for the first time in his career, but he will not he having his spirals hauled in by Harrison. Manning may stumble out of the gates early on in 2009, but once the Colts sort through their chemistry issues, he should be close to that 4,000-yard plateau again (he has thrown for fewer than 4,000 yards only twice in his career). While his interceptions may go up because his receiving corps isn’t as loaded as in years past, he is likely to rank among Fantasy’s best at quarterback. Oh, almost forgot. America’s cushiest job is still held by Jim Sorgi. If you’re reading more about Sorgi in 2009, that is bad news.

Running Backs

The arrival of Donald Brown may serve as a wake up call to Addai, who has not produced to the level expected and seems to possess questionable stamina. As NFL Network’s Jamie Dukes pointed out during draft coverage, is there a player in the league who taps his helmet to come out of games more than Addai? He must become more durable or Brown may turn into his permanent replacement. At season’s open, look for Addai to start, but opposing defenses will receive increasing servings of Brown as the year wears on.

Receivers

Reggie Wayne leads the Harrison-less group. He’ll try to rebound after posting his lowest totals since 2005, but it will be third year wideout Anthony Gonzalez who may have the biggest say in the success of the Colt passing game. With Harrison out, Gonzalez must provide some sort of compliment to Wayne on the outside and improve on his 2008 campaign of 57 receptions. While tight end Dallas Clark can create nightmares for linebackers in coverage, Gonzalez will need to stretch the defense and also take pressure off Wayne. Former Mount Union standout Pierre Garcon could be in line for the number three wide receiver spot, which is another area where the Colts will need some productivity. This is a long way from the heyday of Harrison, Wayne, Brandon Stokley and Clark.

Tight Ends

The biggest question yearly for Clark is whether he can stay healthy. Last season, he only missed one game and was a tough cover again. He posted career highs in receptions and yards and ostensibly became Manning’s number two option. Clark better stay on the field in 2009 — Indy’s depth at tight end with names like Tom Santi and Jacob Tamme leaves a little to be desired.

Defense/Special Teams

Another year and another porous run defense for the Colts; they finished 24th against the run but did show improvement against the pass. Despite suffering injuries to cornerbacks Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden and the annual Bob Sanders’ ailment, the Colts allowed a league best six passing touchdowns in ’08. The Fantasy value of this group is likely to define mediocrity again though. Thanks to their one trick pony defensive line featuring end Dwight Freeney and the feast or famine secondary, the Colts don’t make enough big plays to warrant top consideration as a Fantasy defense. As for their special teams, I’ll ignore them as their front office often does.

2009 NFL RotoRob Draft Kit: Houston Texans Team Preview

Derek Jones — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:22:42 +0000

Can Steve Slaton build on his impressive rookie season?

We’re on a roll now with the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit as we release yet another team preview. We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). Stay tuned.

What Went Right

After being in existence since 2002, the Houston Texans learned what happens when good pass protection mixes with good run blocking. Only New Orleans and Denver averaged more yards per game than the Texans. Led by wide receiver extraordinaire Andre Johnson, the Houston passing attack finished fourth in the league despite starter Matt Schaub missing time due to an injury and Sage Rosenfels being well…Sage Rosenfels. The running game was nearly equal to the task, led by rookie runner Steve Slaton, who ran for over 1,200 yards and compiled 10 touchdowns.

What Went Wrong

Apparently, the Texans’ franchise can only handle one big problem at a time. They finished 8-8 with a good offense while the other side of the ball laboured again. The defense, which has never lit the world on fire, once again played sub par, ranking 22nd overall. While that issue could certainly help keep them out of the playoffs, the quarterback position is not helping matters. Schaub missed five games for the second year in a row. However, in 2009, they will not have Rosenfels to fall back on or to watch implode in the fourth quarter of games. Okay, I’ll chill with the Rosenfels jokes…at least until I reach the quarterbacks section.

Off-season Outlook

Houston’s attention went to defense during the offseason. The Texans signed former Arizona Cardinal defensive end Antonio Smith to play opposite of star defensive end Mario Williams. They also signed veteran linebacker Cato June and added former USC standout backer Brian Cushing. The moves should help enhance a previously underwhelming front seven. Offensively, Houston tried to offset the Rosenfels loss by signing former Lion quarterback Dan Orlovsky. You remember him, don’t you? He is the guy who ran out of the endzone last season at Minnesota for a safety. Uh oh.

Draft Outlook

Along with the Cushing selection, Houston used three of its first four picks on defensive players. In fact, all but three of the Texans’ eight picks came from the defensive ledger. Wisely, Houston addressed depth issues on defense, while taking a couple of gambles on offensive players like tight ends Anthony Hill and James Casey, whom along with veteran Owen Daniels, should provide more depth and versatility at the tight end spot.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks

Fantasy pundits keep waiting for Schaub to have that breakthrough season. It hasn’t happened yet, though. He has missed 10 games over the past two seasons and needs to prove that he’s durable. Unlike last season when Sage “I’m going to jump over the entire Colts’ defense late in the fourth quarter” Rosenfels stepped in for Schaub, the new back-up quarterback is Orlovsky, who helped author an 0-16 Detroit season. That’s not a comforting thought for Texan fans.

Running Backs

Entering 2008, some pundits believed that Slaton would be used as a third-down back. Yet, opportunity came calling after Ahman Green went into the tank. Slaton amassed over 1,200 yards rushing on the way to an impressive rookie campaign. The biggest question mark at running back is the depth behind the second-year star. Ryan Moats and Chris Brown, who hasn’t carried a football since 2007, are among the contenders to help give Slaton a breather. When it comes to Fantasy value and the Houston backs, it’s Slaton or bust due to the lack of solid depth.

Receivers

Houston’s receivers are dangerous and versatile with Johnson at the forefront. Lost in the barrage of the NFL media’s “Larry Fitzgerald is the ruler of the universe” campaign, Johnson led the NFL in receptions and yardage during the ’08 season. Entering his seventh season, he shares the same middle name as yours truly (Lamont), which earns a few brownie points with me. Don’t forget about fellow wideout Kevin Walter, who hauled in eight touchdowns and is a respectable receiving option especially in larger leagues. Besides those two, the Texans are light in depth at receiver with Jacoby Jones and Andre Davis best suited as special teams players.

Tight Ends

Owen Daniels serves as one of the most reliable Houston receiving options outside of Johnson. Daniels is a bit stubborn these days, however. He owns the dubious honour of being the only unsigned restricted free agent over his desire for a long-term deal. Don’t expect this to hold up, he will return. Rookie tight ends Hill and Casey will be pressed into duty until Daniels returns, but don’t expect them to have a significant impact with or without Daniels in the lineup.

Defense/Special Teams

As mentioned earlier, Houston’s defense left much to be desired in 2008. In order for the Texans to develop into a good defensive team, they will need far more than linebacker DeMeco Ryans and Williams creating havoc. Moves to improve the linebacking group should improve the defense and make it a bit more active than in years past. Return man Jacoby Jones can be a game changer with his speed and ability to take punt returns the distance as he did twice in ’08. Kicker Kris Brown is likely to have plenty of chances to produce with one of the AFC’s top offenses at his disposal.

NFL Free Agency Report: NFC

Derek Jones — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:11:28 +0000

The addition of Keith Brooking from Atlanta helps plug a hole for Dallas, but may not address the Cowboys’ need for more toughness.

Long gone are the days of Saved By The Bell, Miami Vice and Plan B free agency. These days, a far more adventurous frontier of player movement occurs each spring. As the NFL Draft looms, it is time for a refresher on the NFC’s free agent happenings since February. We’ll follow with our AFC Free Agency Report shortly.

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys

Additions – The free agency period proved to be a low key occasion for the Cowboys from a signing perspective. They added outside linebacker Keith Brooking from Atlanta and defensive end Igor Olshansky to help soften the blow of their own free agent defections. Dallas needs to improve its overall team toughness. Adding Olshansky and Brooking may not be answers to those issues.

Losses – The Cowboys made big news by releasing safety Roy Williams, cornerback Adam Jones, and receiver Terrell Owens. Without question, all three were talented players, but posed big headaches. Williams can’t cover the pass and is injury prone; Jones couldn’t stay out of trouble and wasn’t productive when he played (Pac Man’s most impressive feat may have been getting on national television late in the season and announcing his love of strip clubs. Real smart); and Owens is on the downside of his career and not worth the weekly headache. Dallas’ biggest loss may prove to be talented defensive end Chris Canty, who bolted for the Giants.

New York Giants

Additions – The Giants addressed one of the team’s strengths in previous years by adding defensive tackle Rocky Bernard from Seattle and bringing in Dallas defensive end Canty. It was a wise move by Giant GM Jerry Reese, who watched as the G-Men failed miserably in pressuring Donovan McNabb in the playoffs without the services of Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

Losses – The team added a few dollars into Brandon Jacobs’ bank account and with Derrick Ward’s success last season, keeping Ward wasn’t a real option. His departure to Tampa Bay served as New York’s biggest personnel loss, unless you really believe that Plaxico Burress had zero or minimal impact on offense.

Philadelphia Eagles

Additions – Of the four NFC East teams, the Eagles had perhaps the most peculiar offseason. After dropping the NFC title game to Arizona, the Birds went with a low-risk free agency approach. They brought in Browns safety Sean Jones to replace Eagles icon Brian Dawkins (more on that shortly). Also, they signed offensive tackle Stacey Andrews from Cincinnati. That move will serve a dual purpose as Andrews may have been brought in to help keep his brother, Shawn, in check. The team wisely addressed the fullback position by signing Seattle’s Leonard Weaver.

Losses – The Dawkins’ departure to Denver was a blow to the Eagle fanbase. However, the team’s brass doesn’t bend over backwards to keep guys over 30, especially those that were on the decline. Aging veteran offensive tackle Tra Thomas and tight end L.J. Smith weren’t as productive and jumped shipped as well. The Eagles choose often to do their rebuilding through the draft, trades (see the Jason Peters deal) and select free agent moves.

Washington Redskins

Additions – Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworthis in Washington courtesy of the eighth largest contract in NFL history. For seven years and $100 million, he better have an answer to the current economic downturn.

Losses – Since owner Daniel Snyder spends extravagantly, veterans had to leave to clear up cap space. Cornerback Shawn Springs, running back Shaun Alexander, linebacker Marcus Washington and defensive end Jason Taylor were all shown the door in the nation’s capital.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

Additions – The Jay Cutler move dwarfed Chicago’s free agent acquisitions, which rank as uninspiring. The biggest eyecatcher was offensive tackle Orlando Pace, who should have the injury report named after him. Over the past three seasons, he has played in 23 of a possible 48 games.

Losses – The Bears did not lose much in free agency. The team’s most notable losses came via release. Receiver Marty Booker and oft-injured safety Mike Brownwere cut.

Detroit Lions

Additions – Well, when a team goes 0-16, changes are on the horizon. Defensively, Detroit added cornerback Philip Buchanon from Tampa Bay and former Atlanta Falcon defensive tackle Grady Jackson to help bolster what was one of the league’s worst defenses in 2008. They’ll need a lot more bodies, though, to fix its problems on defense. The hideous Detroit offense will get a bit of a boost from reserve running back Maurice Morris and receivers Ronald Curry and Bryant Johnson. While all three will not be confused with Pro Bowlers, they should at least help give the offense a bit of a shot in the arm.

Losses – Unless Calvin Johnson mysteriously disappears, anyone off the ‘08 Lions is an immediate improvement.

Green Bay Packers

Additions – Centre Duke Preston and free safety Anthony Smith represent the only free agent activity for the Packers in the ‘09 offseason. That’s not exactly signing Reggie White, Keith Jackson and Sean Jones in the span of three years, is it? Green Bay opted for the less-is-more approach.

Losses – If you thought who they picked wasn’t a thrill a minute, get a load of this. The Packers only lost defensive tackle Colin Cole in free agency. Mean Joe Greene he is not. Green Bay is opting to build through the draft, folks.

Minnesota Vikings

Additions – Much like the Packers, the Vikings were very quiet in free agency. Receiver Glen Holt comes in to the Twin Cities from Cincinnati.

Losses – It’ll be interesting to see how Minnesota combats losing centre Matt Birk to Baltimore. Birk, a staple in the Minnesota area, was a steady player for the Vikings throughout the decade. Meanwhile, ball-hawking safety Darren Sharper fled Minny for New Orleans.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons

Additions – The Falcons played a conservative hand in free agency, only landing veteran linebacker Mike Peterson from Jacksonville. Considering how much Atlanta lost defensively, it’s a bit surprising it didn’t opt to build some depth.

Losses – Atlanta lost six defensive players to other teams including defensive tackles Rod Coleman and Grady Jackson; cornerback Dominique Foxworth; and linebackers Michael Boley and Keith Brooking. To the Falcons’ credit, most of the departed have some years on them except Boley, who enters his fifth season. Expect Atlanta to fill the gaps on defense in the draft.

Carolina Panthers

Additions – All was quiet from the team that finished their season with a humiliating home loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC playoffs. While the Panthers were roughly $13 million under the cap coming in, they devoted their resources to franchising defensive end Julius Peppers. After finishing 12-4 in ‘08, the Panthers saw little in the ways of improvement via free agency.

Losses – The team didn’t suffer serious losses. Instead, it opted to cut ties with wide receiver D.J. Hackett, running back Nick Goings, cornerback Ken Lucas and defensive tackle Darwin Walker. By the way, it hasn’t been a fun year for Lucas, who gets punched out by then-teammate Steve Smith, but gets released in the long run. Let that be a lesson to you kids. Sports is part performance, part politics.

New Orleans Saints

Additions – The clear goal for the Saints in the offseason was to upgrade the defense. Cornerback Jabari Greer comes in from Buffalo, while safety Darren Sharper brings experience aplenty with him to the Saint secondary. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Rod Coleman arrives from Atlanta to give the Saint defensive line a boost. The 23rd-ranked defense in the NFL surely could use the help.

Losses – The biggest off-season note for the Saints was the release of New Orleans favourite Deuce McAllister. After numerous knee injuries, the time arrived for the Saints to cut ties with one of the most productive players in team history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Additions- With money to spend, the Bucs decided to go after Giant running back Derrick Ward. He’ll join a backfield featuring Ernest Graham, which should provide a formidable “thunder and lightning” combination. Speaking of offense, Byron Leftwich will take his newly acquired Super Bowl ring from Pittsburgh and join a muddled quarterback picture in Tampa.

Losses – The Bucs made waves in the offseason by releasing five previously productive veterans including linebackers Derrick Brooks and Cato June, running back Warrick Dunn, and receivers Ike Hilliard and Joey Galloway. A team that blew a playoff spot down the stretch in part because of its age needed to get younger and fast.

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals

Additions – Kurt Warner dominated a lot of the free agent talks for Arizona, which spent much of the offseason paying attention to its in-house free agents instead of busting the bank for guys from other teams. That didn’t stop the NFC champions from weakening its Super Bowl foe, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cornerback Bryant McFadden will join a secondary that failed to cover Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl’s final two minutes, thus costing them the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Losses – Running back J.J. Arringtonand up and coming defensive end Antonio Smith left for Denver and Houston, respectively. Neither loss is necessarily crippling, but both defections damage the depth of the Cards just a bit.

St. Louis Rams

Additions – The Rams seemed to do a lot more shedding of talent than acquiring it. Two of their biggest moves included signing centre Jason Brown and quarterback Kyle Boller from the Ravens. Do I hear restructuring through the draft?

Losses – Two of the last links to the ‘99 Rams were cut loose by new head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Torry Holt and Orlando Pace are gone. The same goes for receiver Drew Bennett, whose time in St. Louis was marred by injury. By the way, here is a quick exercise. Write down the Rams’ starting receivers within the next five minutes. I bet you can’t do it.

San Francisco 49ers

Additions – Offensive tackle Marvel Smith was the prized possession of the 49er free agency plan. He’ll help shore up a unit that doesn’t do anything particular well, but has managed to be maddeningly mediocre for nearly a decade. Also, Brandon Jones joins the team from Tennessee to bolster a lagging wide receiver group.

Losses – The ‘Niners are not a talent rich team and other clubs aren’t exactly knocking down their door to steal players. ReceiverBryant Johnson left for Detroit, but otherwise San Francisco did not suffer wildly big hits in free agency.

Seattle Seahawks

Additions – One of free agency’s biggest prizes landed in Seattle in the form of T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Over the past few seasons with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on the shelf and a rash of receiver injuries, the team’s passing game laboured a great deal. Houshmandzadeh gives them credibility at the receiver spot which the ‘Hawks greatly need.

Losses – Seattle’s depth took a hit with the losses of running back Maurice Morris and fullback Leonard Weaver. Don’t be surprised to see them possibly pick up a running back in the later rounds of the NFL Draft. Meanwhile,the Houshmandzadeh signing made Bobby Engram expendable. It might hurt in the leadership department, but in his 13th season, Engram’s productivity likely already crested.

Transactional Analysis: Cutler to Chicago

Derek Jones — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:59:27 +0000

Will Jay Cutler (left) fit in with Chicago’s conservative offense or are the Bears ready to change their gameplan?

The Jay Cutler era in Denver is kaput. Chicago delivered quarterback Kyle Orton, two first round picks (’09 and ‘10) and a 2009 third round pick to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler and a fifth round pick in the upcoming draft.

What does this do for the Bears? It could give them a legitimate quarterback for the first time since Jim Harbaugh back in the early ’90s (gulp). Harbaugh, the head coach of Stanford Cardinal football, led the Bears to consecutive playoff appearances in ‘90 and ‘91.

This move is slightly shocking from the Chicago perspective because it has gone the way of stop gap measures over the years (see Erik Kramer, Chad Hutchinson, Jim Miller). Obviously, when starting Rex Grossman or Orton, the Bears hoped finding a long-term answer would not be a problem. Instead, Lovie Smith played musical quarterbacks and seemingly nothing firmly established for an extended period of time.

Cutler’s skill set boasts arm strength and big plays. If you’ve followed Chicago offense over the years, it doesn’t specialize in long plays because of a lack of playmakers, the overall philosophy and weather conditions. In fact, last season only the Bengals (two) and Jaguars (one) had fewer pass plays of 40 yards or more than Chicago’s three.

If Cutler can come close to his numbers last year, that would mark tremendous improvement from last season’s Ortonpalooza. A look at their numbers from a season ago shows that Cutler could potentially make a difference for a historically lackluster passing offense.

Cutler: 62% completion rate, 4,526 yards, 25 TDs, 18 INTs

Orton: 58% completion rate, 2,978 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs

To put that in some sort of historical perspective, Cutler’s statistical performance from last year would rank near the top of the charts in Bears’ history. And that begs the question, will the Bears somewhat alter their philosophy of run, run, run, and run some more?

History says no, but then again, they hadn’t made such a bold move for a quarterback in recent years. Trading a pair of number ones doesn’t mean much if the strong-arm and strong-willed quarterback is handing off most of the time. Remember, this is the same franchise that has never had a quarterback throw for 30 touchdowns or pass for 4,000 yards.

Cutler’s biggest hurdle though may be his skill players. Her will not have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal to throw to and he’ll have his hands full. “The place where receivers go to die” according to former Bear receiver Muhsin Muhammad, sports an average group of receivers.

In 2008, converted receiver Devin Hester, with 51 receptions, provided the biggest threat from the wide receiver spot for Chicago. Along with Hester, the two most dangerous receivers are running back Matt Forte and tight end Greg Olsen.

From the Bears’ perspective, it finally gives them credibility at the quarterback spot. However, Cutler will have to win over teammates and buck history in the process. The Bears haven’t produced a 1,000-yard receiver since 2002 (Marty Booker). If that trend holds next season, Chicago will likely watch the playoffs from home yet again.

Meanwhile in Denver, this finally ends head coach Josh McDaniels’ biggest nightmare during his brief stint with the Broncos thus far. From a pure talent standpoint, the Broncos get the short end of the stick by acquiring Orton, but they did need some sort of quarterback this year besides Chris Simms.

With question marks at quarterback and running back (Denver must determine which of its 900 backs will be able to stay healthy and actually be effective), the Broncos must cash in on their bounty of picks.

While the move hurts Denver in the short term, with the proper handling it could prosper under the circumstances. The Broncos own three picks in the first 48 selections of the ‘09 draft including two first rounders (12 and 18). Thus, the Broncos can focus on fixing their 29th-ranked defense from last season (by the way, I wonder how Brian Dawkins feels now about signing with the Broncos).

It will be quite some time before a true winner can be declared in this deal due to the number of draft picks involved. One thing appears to be clear, though. Both parties could have handled this matter in a more professional and concise manner. Their indiscretions could very well result in unhappy returns in the 2009 season.