Top Five Fantasy QBs

1.  Tom Brady – You can think about that injury all you want, but when you factor in that a 100% Tom Brady threw for 50 TDs and over 4,800 yards with just 8 INTs, then the hampered mobility version of Brady can afford 5 to 10 less TDs and maybe 600 or so less yards. Don’t forget his team’s receiving core has been bolstered by Joey Galloway.

2. Drew Brees – It’s not wins that count in this game… it’s numbers. During his three year tenure in New Orleans, and because of the lack of production in the Saints’ running game, Drew Brees has 4,400+, 4,400+, and 5,000+ yards, with 26, 28, and 34 TDs all respectively. What he loses in a potentially high INT rate (11, 18, and 17 also respectively), he makes up for by averaging 289.79 yards per game and by only having missed one start in the last five years (none in New Orleans).

3. Kurt Warner – After one full year as the Cardinals undisputed starter, he reverted to his accurate past at a 67.1% completion rate, amassed 4,583 passing yards (good for 286.44 a game), and a cool 30 TDs against an up and down 14 INTs. And like Brees, it’s not how many wins you get in this game… it’s the numbers. Now that Larry Fitzgerald has become the LeBron James of his position after his postseason play, Kurt Warner should be in for another big year. Some of you may be worrying about the potential loss of Anquan Boldin, but remember, his playing time was very limited in those playoffs, and Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston surely produced.

4. Peyton Manning – It may come as a surprise that Peyton Manning is number four on my list. He is still good for a smooth 3,800-4,100 yards this season and an ample high 20’s to low 30’s in TD numbers. However, he does not have anywhere near the yards per game potential as the previously mentioned QBs as his team’s defense is definitely above Brees’ and Warner’s, and better than Brady’s as well.

5. Philip Rivers – Philip Rivers showed in 2008 that he can be a big numbers guy. He finished up with 4,009 yards, and a career high 34 TDs. It would not be a stretch to question his potential consistency due to his 2006 and 2007 seasons. In those years he threw for 3,300+ and 3,100+ yards, with 22 and 15 TDs, all respectively. However, last season we started to see huge signs of wear and tear on LaDainian Tomlinson, which is probably a big reason why his numbers soared this past year as compared to those previous two. So in that respect, it would not be a stretch as well to see him having a great fantasy type season again this year.

Why has no one Picked up Torry Holt or Marvin Harrison?

The off season has been here for about two months now and after Torry Holt was released from the St. Louis Rams to clear eight million dollars of cap space, and Marvin Harrison wasn’t resigned because of his age, they still are homeless. I think that’s a huge surprise, because even if Holt, 32, and Harrison, 36, are getting up there in age, they are still capable of helping a team out in a big way.

Holt’s totals this year were 64 catches for 796 yards. But that was with 14 starts, and the four seasons before that he has averaged 95.5 catches per season. Plus, he’s been playing with mistake-prone Marc Bulger for a lot of years, still put up those numbers, and had one skid and everyone seems ready to give up on him. In fact, the only team showing interest is the Jaguars, and that’s because they released Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, and Jerry Porter. So the fact that just one NFL team is interested in this guy and only because that team is desperate just baffles me.

 

As for Harrison, he has not been as productive as Holt the last two seasons with 20 and 60 catches respectively. However, the year he had 20 catches he only played five games, and although last year he was dropping huge passes, most notably in a game at Pittsburgh, he seemed to clean things up later on in the season in terms of drops. So honestly, to me, that season in which he played five games should not even factor into what kind of ability he might have left. Plus dropping the ball has nothing to do with age, and he has always had sure hands. If he was dropping big passes, that means he still knows how to get open for them. And how the heck is there not some suck-team like the Bears or Chiefs looking at him. That too surprises me.

 

I really hope each of them gets placed onto a contender, and I can see them both becoming huge possession receivers, especially Holt.

Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens Playoff Primer

Game number three of Wild-Card weekend will feature two teams that had surprise turnarounds from last season. But of the two teams, the biggest surprise was last season’s hapless 1-15 Miami Dolphins doing a complete 180 with an 11-5 record this season while also earning the AFC East title. The Ravens, although always strong defensively, are nothing short of surprising either as they went from 5-11 last year to 11-5 this year. What makes their turnaround so remarkable was that they did it with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, and if it weren’t for injuries to both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith before week one, Joe Flacco may not have gotten his first start until later in the season and who knows what happens. With that being said, let’s take a look at the key phases of each team’s game.

Ravens’ Advantage

Both team’s offenses seem to even one another out. The Dolphins score 21.6 points per game and the Ravens 24.1 points per game. Although the Dolphins average only 118.6 yards on the ground to the Ravens 148.5, Miami out-throws Baltimore by a tune of 227 yards per game to 175.5. This shows that the Ravens outrun the Dolphins by 29.9 yards per game, and the Dolphins pass for 51.5 yards more than the Ravens.

Even with that being said, conventional wisdom shows that the team with the better running game will win. And that should be the case here. What’s even more is that the Ravens are 3^rd defensively against the run at 81.4ypg, and a whopping 2^nd versus the pass giving up 179.7ypg. The problem the Dolphins have, even though they get to play in the confines of their home stadium, is that they are 25^th against the pass at 227.8ypg, and 10^th versus the run at 101.2ypg. In all respects, giving up 101.2 yards a game on the ground is not that bad, but when the duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is good for a great total of 1,575 yards, and the Ravens trio of Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain, and Ray Rice combined for an outstanding number like 2,028, then not only are the Ravens defending the run better, but they are carrying the ball better as well.

Dolphins’ Advantage

Even though the Ravens outweigh the Dolphins in some key statistical categories necessary for playoff success, they have not been very good on the road playing against the projected playoff teams in the pre-season; at Indianapolis they lost 3-31, at the Giants they lost 10-30. Their only strong points against what were considered playoff teams were at Pittsburgh when they lost in OT 20-23, at the Dolphins when they won 27-13, and finally, when they beat Dallas 33-24.

Allow me to downplay. The Steelers and Ravens are diehard division rivals and always play each other tough. The Cowboys game had two aberration type plays on the Ravens final two drives; an 82 yard scoring run followed by a 77 yard scoring run. Any team would be lucky to get a run of either of those lengths all season long. Last but not least, when the Ravens beat the Dolphins in Miami in week 7, it dropped the Dolphins’ record to 2-4. Since then, Miami has gone 9-1 and are playing at a slightly different level than that period of time.

The other thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they had the fewest turnovers in the league with only 13. Chad Pennington had arguably his best season since his first ever rotator-cuff injury with a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes. Rookie QB Joe Flacco, although he had a great season for a rookie, 2,971 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs (not to mention his eleven fumbles) and completed 60.0 percent of his passes, he is still a rookie and is definitely mistake-prone.

Like one analyst put it… “What the Ravens thrive on, the Dolphins simply don’t do”… turn the ball over!

Conclusion

Although the Dolphins play at home, and are riding the emotional high an unprecedented successful season and comeback year of Chad Pennington, I have to go with the Ravens. They can negate their opponent’s run, and kill them with their own. Furthermore, Joe Flacco is quickly being molded into the confident game manager who can make a few plays here and there that Baltimore has been looking for. I only see Joe Flacco having, at the most, one turnover, and with their 2^nd ranked total defense (261.1ypg) and 3^rd ranked defense in points given up per game (15.2), the Ravens can easily overcome it. I cannot see a team who beat squads like Seattle without QB Matt Hasselbeck by two points, Oakland by two points as well, San Francisco by five, all at home, and Saint Louis by four on the road beating this gritty Ravens team.

Ravens will move on to play the one-seeded Tennessee Titans next week.

NFL Playoff Outlook

With just two weeks of play left in the regular season of the 2008-2009 year, a few teams have locked up a spot in the playoffs while others are still fighting to make it. What is about to unfold in this article is, what are in my mind, the teams that will make it.

We already know the Steelers and Titans have locked up spots and first round byes in the AFC. In the NFC the Giants have clinched their division while the Cardinals have as well. First I will go over the locks to get in.

In the AFC the only sure-fire lock I have is the Indianapolis Colts. If they beat Jacksonville this Thursday in Florida, they’re in. With the way the Jags have disappointed, I do not even see them using the rivalry bug as added motivation to beat Indianapolis.

In the NFC, surprisingly, the Carolina Panthers have not clinched even with an 11-3 record, which is a testament to the competitiveness of the NFC. However, one more win or one more loss from another team or two would put them in. The Cowboys have been hot lately. I don’t care about Romo’s performance in Pittsburgh. The game was still close, and it has been their only slip up since his return from injury. They face the Ravens at home, and Eagles in Philadelphia. The Eagle game should be tough and they easily can lose, but to me, I think all of the air got sucked out of the Raven team with their last minute loss to Pittsburgh last weekend.

The Vikings should clinch their division as the Bears face the Packers on Monday Night at home, but then travel to Houston the last week. Houston is on pace to finish up 9-7 and Andre Johnson should be able to shred their weak pass defense.

After that I don’t think Tampa will get in as they have slipped up and their weaknesses are beginning to be exposed. The Falcons and Eagles to me will be the ones to fighting for the 6th seed in the NFL as they have both been consistent as of late.

Back in the AFC, I’ll take the Patriots to win their division. They are at home against the Cardinals who have clinched, and then at a bum Buffalo team. That would put them at 11-5. The reason I see this happening is because the as-of-late inconsistent Jets should lose in Seattle this weekend, and the Dolphins will beat the Kansas City Chiefs. But when they play each other in New York, I’ll take a last-ditch effort by Favre to even their records at 10-6, giving one of them the 6th seed.

The only seed I am unsure of is the 4th seed in the AFC as the Broncos are 8-6 and Chargers 6-8. If the Chargers beat Tampa Bay in Tampa this weekend, which is not an oversight, and the Broncos lose at home to the Bills, which is still a bit of a stretch even if the Broncos aren’t so consistent, then they will be playing in San Diego for the division in week 17. If that happens, I’ll take the Chargers.

So that’s how I believe the “tournament” brackets will be set up come January.

Marvin Harrison: Still plays while suspected for murder?

Honestly, with all the fines that have been going around the league because of retard Roger Goodell, you would think they would have something to say about Marvin Harrison! “Oh wait, Haven’t you heard? I was under the impression that everyone heard yeah ! yeah the bird bird bird bird is the word!”

No seriously, though Marvin Harrison probably shot someone!

Yet let that sink in, NFL hero Marvin Harrison is under review for attempted murder!

Now, how do you feel ?

It sucks I know. but what do you expect he is from Philadelphia…

I am very upset that they(NFL league office) let Marvin Harrison still play even though he is pretty much under review of attempted Murder. The story goes that Marvin was visiting his home town of Philadelphia. Marvin frequents and owns a bar called “Playmakers”. Pretty stupid name,  I know. Nevertheless during his night at the bar, he got into a altercation with a man. After around 5:20 PM, witness’s said that the man left the bar, and then Witness’s then saw Marvin leave the bar following the man, then soon after this, gunshots ensued. The man who Marvin had the disagreement was shot in the hand and his son had some serious injuries due to the broken glass in his eyes. They were together in their car, when the bullets hit them. The bullets casings recovered from the incident matched in a ballistics test to a gun that Marvin owns! The ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom made Belgian weapon, and police already have determined that Harrison owned such a gun. This is a custom gun, Marvin this just isn’t good.

The Police Reported to the press immediately, in hopes of defusing the situation

Early Media Reactions

In a shocking turn, it is sad to see that one of the stand up players in the NFL actually has turned out to be a complete moron.Regardless if he is the shooter, he gun was nevertheless used in this shooting. So what if he didn’t shot him, then he is negligent with his firearms and that makes me not respect the All-pro just as well. I know that there are many reports that these charges are bogus, but lets be honest with ourselves, if he did do it would the NFL do everything in their power to cover it up? Yeah I think so. We have once again been let down by one of our NFL hero’s (Future HOF) and the NFL has said nothing about this. They instead have just swept it under the carpet, due to Marvin’s reputation, and trust me they fear this would hurt the league, and it probably would, but no more than the recent phantom roughing the passer calls. All I am saying is nobody is perfect, and Marvin is an AS*HOLE!! I loved you Marvin how could you do this 2 me!!! I think you did it, and that makes me upset!

The Cops have all the evidence they need to charge Marvin. They have ballistics weapon test and victim cooperation, so there has definitely been something fishy going on. Can you say NFL cover up?

Just look at this list of evidence.

1.Ballistics tests have proved that the shell casings found at the shooting had been fired from Harrison’s gun, which is a Belgian-made FN5.7.

2. They have found the weapon at one of Marvin Harrison nearby business’s “Chucky’s Garage” on Thompson street. Which was close to the incident, even though Marvin had supposedly had reported to the police that the gun was at his home and had never left his home residence.

3. He and Dixon have had a long traceable history, and this incident was definitely building up.

This makes me sick! Marvin regardless even he didn’t fire, Marvin must have allowed some one else to fire upon Dixon with his pistol. The police have a match. What else do they need? Oh right, the Ok from the NFL lawyers ! If Harrison’s name was spelled “P.A.C.M.A.N” he would already be receiving the death penalty.

Week 10 NFL Picks

DEN 4-4 at CLE 3-5

 

This one is a true toss-up. The Bronco defense is atrocious, and the Browns have Brady Quinn starting. Inexperience surrounded by some talent and a home crowd versus a lost, but not found defense, wins the game.

 

NO 4-4 at ATL 5-3

 

It seems as though now the Falcons have become a team that is consistent at what they do. Not to say what they do makes them an elite team. However, the things they are doing are playing solid and potentially explosive offense and better defense than the Saints. Falcons win.

 

TEN 8-0 at CHI 5-3

 

Rex Grossman is in, and that doesn’t look good for Chicago. Plus their defense has had a tendency to let opponents back in the game and put up some solid numbers. But I feel Kerry Collins has been getting lucky as the Packers and Colts, the Titans two previous opponents respectively, have eached let three interceptions slip away. The Bears don’t let those kinds of opportunities pass by, Grossman has something to prove, the Bears are at home… Bears hand Titans their first loss.

 

JAC 3-5 at DET 0-8

 

The Jags continue to play to the level of their opponent. The Lions have been getting closer to their first win of the season. Can they do it against the Jags? Not so optimistic. But with Jack Del Rio questioning his team’s chemistry, and upset is in the making. However, I believe the Jags will get their act together in this one and win.

 

BAL 5-3 at HOU 3-5

 

The Ravens defense gave up a lot of yardage and points last week to the Browns, but they are familiar with the Ravens as they play in the same division. On the other side, the Texans look good in some games, and don’t continue their production even in their losses. Ravens win with Joe Flacco seeming to get more comfortable as the weeks go by.

 

SEA 2-6 at MIA 4-4

 

Miami looks a like a squad that is truly building an identity, while the ‘Hawks are failing to give Mike Holmgren a going-away party to be proud of. Dolphins win easily at home.

 

BUF 5-3 at N.E. 5-3

 

New England looked solid against the Colts last Sunday night, as did Matt Cassel. The Bills show their true colors as a team that started 4-0 due to a soft schedule and a visiting west coast team in the Chargers. Pats win.

 

STL 2-6 at NYJ 5-3

 

Brett Favre is still mistake prone, but with the way the Rams played last weekend, I think the Jets can afford some mistakes in this one. Jets win.

 

CAR 6-2 at OAK 2-6

 

Boy do the Raiders ever look like trash. They have two wins, and yet the Lions and Bengals are much more competitive than they are as of late. The “under the radar” Panthers win easy.

 

IND 4-4 at PIT 6-2

 

Both teams had big wins last week that boosted confidence after big losses the week prior. However, Pittsburgh’s “Blitzburgh” defense is hitting it’s stride and coming into its own. Steelers win at home, with either Roethlisberger or Leftwich at the helm.

 

K.C. 1-7 at S.D. 3-5

 

What better way for the Chargers to get healthy this weekend than a date at home against the Chiefs. Even though the Chiefs showed spirit last week, they’ll still lose to the Chargers.

 

NYG 7-1 at PHI 5-3

 

The Eagles may be returning to form, but the fact remains that the Giants are a better team all around. Giants win despite the Eagles being at home.

 

S.F. 2-6 at ARI 5-3

 

What a shame this game had to be on Monday Night Football. Too bad they can’t move the schedule around on Mondays. Cardinals win, and San Fran will not be mustering any “Monday Night Magic.”