The Best get Better

Well after Thursday night there is one thing that is clearly apparent and that is the good get better.  All eyes were on Tom Brady last night in his first action since game 1 last year.  Tom Brady proved to be very good for his first game back.  He was accurate but did have trouble with the deep ball you can tell that he is still leery about his knee when he has to sit in the pocket for long, but other than that he looked good.  One thing I noticed is the bend in his knees when he dropped back and the slight bounce or chop in his feet.  He still has a long way to go in that department but I say the effort to break his old habit of a straight leg delivery and little motion in the pocket was apparent.  Brady looks to be dangerous in this upcoming season.

 

On the other side the defending champs , believe it or not, look like their defense has only gotten better.  It was an actual shock that the starters played as efficient as they did and were able to make plays with out doing as much scheming and blitzing as they will do in the regular season.  The only weak point could be seen in the number two corner spot where you can tell the young corners are still trying to find their stride.  The positive of that is that Polamalu was able to pick up the slack for those corners while he was in the game.  Write this down now, “You will see the Steelers defense be even more dominant this year than they were last year”.  I know it is just preseason but Vegas has gotten the top two teams write this year maybe just not in the correct order.

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.

Tom Brady is Back! Are the 2007 Patriots?

The fact that Tom Brady’s leg injury from last year no doubt opened the door for many teams in the AFC to be considered at a competitive balance should be no secret to anyone. Now that Brady is back, he has lost mobility, but that doesn’t mean that this year’s Patriots can’t be very close to explosive as they were in their undefeated regular season from two years past.

Even if the Patriots’ offense isn’t going to be as explosive as it was when it was the most explosive offense in NFL history, well then how bad can the drop off really be? Still one of the top offenses ever? Close to one of the top offenses ever? Or at least one of the top two offenses this season. Either way, those odds are good for the Pats.

Don’t be surprised if the Patriots run away with the AFC East where the Jets are still growing and have no proven quarterback, the Dolphins rely on trickery and near-perfect play from Chad Pennington at quarterback, and Buffalo where, Trent Edwards proved last year that he still has something to well… prove!

Bloggin Bills: Is TO shaking things up already? What are the Bills Chances at Success?

I wonder if TO looks to everyone like he is already troubling the waters in Buffalo by opting out of the team’s voluntary workouts, as he recently has reported. I mean, it’s the first real official function that has been held by his new team and he could already raise hairs as well as questions with this move. However, to me, just let the guy live.

 

First of all he’s already 35 years old. And seriously, how big a deal is this stupid mini three or four day work out? It must literally be a few weight lifting sessions, some standard conditioning, and three fine meals a day. I think if a 35 year old man who is in the 14th year of his career says he doesn’t want to go to the voluntary work out, who cares. TO has been in the league so long now, he knows how his body reacts to stress, or when too little is too little, and he’s led the league in TD catches over the last three years.

 

I wouldn’t jump on TO just yet. Let’s wait and see if he has a sideline tirade, or speaks his mind a little too much to the media before we start chastising him.

 

And seriously folks… the Bills suck. They don’t have a chance. They started the season 4-0 and stutter-stepped it the rest of the way to a 3-9 finish. That’s not the stuff of champions, and neither is Trent Edwards or the bum-butt Buffalo Bills. They will easily be swept by Tom Brady’s Patriots, and would get destroyed by many of last year’s playoff teams.

 

And if you ask me, I would liken watching the Bills hopeful run-oriented approach to a lower level online madden gamer attempting to beat someone in the 20s.

Tom Brady is Ruining football!!!!!!

Tom Brady is Ruining football!!!!!!

 

First it was the tuck rule now it is the Brady rule.   The NFL will pass a rule that says players currently on the ground cannot attack the quarterback below the waste, whether he is in possession of the ball or not.  This rule is supposed to be in place to protect the quarterbacks but the Quarterbacks don’t need any more protecting.   In the last 10 years only 2 quarterbacks have suffered injury from a player grabbing them while on the ground, Tom Brady, and Carson Palmer.  Both of whom are now fine and will be playing in the upcoming season.  To be honest I am sick of Tom Brady ruining football the tuck rule was bad enough but this is just plain stupid, they are changing the game in manner that it should not be.   Defensive players soon will no longer be allowed to do anything and all football games will look like arena football.    The thing that NFL has forgotten is that Carson Palmer and Tom Brady’s injuries are their own fault.   Tom Brady has a sloppy throwing stance and lazy legs in the pocket, that makes him stand with straight legs when he is in the pocket, so when he throws the ball there is no give in his knees if a defender were to hit him.   That is why Brady got injured, his lazy legs and an inability to chop his feet in the pocket.  If you look at almost every other quarterback in the league including Peyton Manning they all chop their feet to a degree in the pocket so when they get hit low there is give in their knees.   Tom Brady’s injury was inevitable because of this straight leg pocket stance all quarterbacks with stances like that get knee injuries.   The NFL just needs to tell Tom to chop his feet and be more active in the pocket and the problem would be solved.    

The 2010 New England Patriots have the best WR’s in the history of Football due to the big name signing of Joey Galloway

Over the last two seasons we have seen the dynamic duo of Randy Moss and Wes Welker set records for the Patriots. It seemed it couldn’t get any sweeter for The Patriots. But now, they have picked up a long time NFL great wide out Joey Galloway, Galloway is known for his incredible speed and big catch ability, and seems to be a great match for this squad. You would have to be a moron to argue the fact that this team is now stacked with a bonafide WR triple threat for the ages. They have Pro-bowl caliber WR’s from 1 through 3 and I really can’t recall when any other team was this stacked as they are at WR. Say what you will about Galloway’s old age and recent surgery at the end of last season, he still was the most explosive and fastest WR on the Bucs at year’s end. This season everyone should fully expect Brady to have a monster season as long as his knee can hold up. I am interested to see how that chump holds up!

and PS

I hate the Patriots!

Tom Brady and Randy Moss New England Patriots Framed Tri Photo Collage

Fantasy Football: Dance With The Girl That Brung Ya

Tis the season! Well, by now you have made your run. You are either in the mix for the playoffs/points lead or you are sitting at the bottom wondering what life would have been like if you had not taken Tom Brady or Randy Moss with that number one pick. It is okay, I got bit too in my ESPN pay league but I also followed up the Brady pick with Peyton Manning second. Come on, how could I let the guys that had the top three RB’s have a shot at Manning too? (I’m 3-7)

If you are still alive and kicking or even if you are at the very top remember one thing: DO NOT GET CUTE! In other words “Dance With The Girl That Brung Ya“. The worst thing you can do now is start picking up and dropping guys for the sake of making the roster look good for one week. Someone just today in our CBS league benched Ladainian Tomlinson and played BenJarvis Green-Ellis in his stead. I know I do not have to worry about any of you doing that because our readers are way more savvy.  If you made it to the playoffs go with your gut but beware the trap of trying to gain extra points somewhere with a third option WR because his team is playing a poor secondary vs playing a starting RB who had an off week.  Be consistent and stick with the guys you have the most confidence in no matter what the matchup. You do not want to have to look back at your bench and find yourself asking “How did I not play that guy?”

Bradyless Patriots lose to Jets

Well it seems that Brett Favre will achieve the goals that the organization has set for him and that is to take the team to the Playoffs.  The Jets jumped on the Pats early in the game though the Pats were able to come back, it wasn’t enough.   You can’t help to think that if Brady was playing they would have won that game.   However he is not and will not. The Pats with this loss, have solidified themselves at second place in the AFC East.  Why?  Because of the two teams, the Pats have to play tougher teams, and the Jets look really good, while the Pats are getting by on coaching alone.   Look for the Jets to win the Division and the Pats to struggle to grab a birth in the playoffs.

SportsRoids Salutes Pink Hat Nation

by Mark M

We’ve been doing alot of work here at SportsRoids over the past month. It has been pretty demanding keeping up on and creating new content for our readers, but I would say that is the bulk of what we do. We get you new ideas new stories, and we never “copy and paste” like many other websites do. It is all to often that you’ll see a blog whose owner no doubt is only trying to make money on clickthroughs or Internet advertising campaigns and has devoted no time to producing original content for thier page. This is a sad concept but many people use it. SportsRoids will never just regurgitate some other sites content, because we believe that takes away from what we are, which is ourselves. We want you the reader to get chance to really know us. I am very happy to report that we at SportsRoids have found another blog which share this “original content only policy”. That blog is call Pink Hat Nation. These guys knew how a great sports blog is supposed to be run, yet they must have been chewed up by the rigors of running the site. Pink Hat Nation was a great friend to Sportsroids.com our beginning stages, We will leave up this salute in Memory of the late great Pink Hat Nation. I suggest that everyone clicks through here and pays their respects to this site, while it is still up. Pink Hat Nation’s articles and posts were top notch. Pink Hat Nation we Salute you!

Mark and Mad’Nuff Show

Hello, SportsRoids faithful:

Something new we have here as we continue to improve and add to this wonderful site is the Mark and Mad’Nuff show you can click the link at the bottom or just listen on the side of the page. We will be trying to give you as many shows as possible but feed back is very important. So please listen and give us some, also don’t be scared to offer up topics you the readers and listeners would like to hear. We will also be accepting any and all Fantasy related questions, so that we can help you push your team toward your goal of winning the championships. Click the link below for download or streaming media.

SportsRoids Mark & Mad’Nuff Sports Show Episode #1

Mark and Mad’Nuff Show

Hello, SportsRoids faithful:

Something new we have here as we continue to improve and add to this wonderful site is the Mark and Mad’Nuff show you can click the link at the bottom or just listen on the side of the page. We will be trying to give you as many shows as possible but feed back is very important. So please listen and give us some, also don’t be scared to offer up topics you the readers and listeners would like to hear. We will also be accepting any and all Fantasy related questions, so that we can help you push your team toward your goal of winning the championships. Click the link below for download or streaming media.

SportsRoids Mark & Mad’Nuff Sports Show Episode #1

Matt Cassel Fantasy Stock Rising

By Alex V

If you’re looking for an insurance policy for your fantasy team at the quarterback position, look none further than Matt Cassel. The obvious reasons why Cassel could turn out to be a good pickup may be Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and even dump-off pass catching play makers like Kevin Faulk and perhaps even Ben Watson.However, there are three other reasons why I’ll say that Matt Cassel is a good guy to spend a buck on right now.

Number one would be if you’ve drafted one of the more injury-prone quarter backs, like Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, or even Jake Delhomme. If you have one of these guys on your team or another like them, Matt Cassel could wind up saving your season.

If you need a little belief, look none further than reason number two! Laurence Maroney, up until the Patriots game against the Chiefs this weekend, has averaged just 13.3 carries per game, and that includes last year when he was the feature back. His numbers are likely to go up with Tom Brady being gone, but he’s more of a scatty flashback type than a work horse so perhaps 16-17 total is most likely. Ergo, Matt Cassel should still average anywhere from 175-225 passing yards per game, and if Maroney can’t punch it in the red zone, then Cassel could get the call, so he could be a great pick up.

The final key reason for joining in the “Cassel Run” is the aging defense of the Patriots. New England’s defensive unit may be slowing down as the season moves along with veterans starters at the linebacker position; Teddy Bruschi, 35, Mike Vrabel, 34, and Adalius Thomas, 31. Even in the secondary where strong safety Rodney Harrison sits at age 35, the burden may be on the defensive line in a 3-4 scheme to create pressure for the majority of the Patriots’ games this season. This should create more situations where the Patriots will be forced to pass, rather than to prefer to pass like last year when going to Tom Brady was the ideal option.

My suggestion… at least don’t sleep on the potential of Matt Cassel. What he lacks in game experience, he could wind up making up for in the privilege of having gotten to watch and learn from one of the greats, in Tom Brady.

Who are the Top NFL QBs?

By Madison Mad’nuff

So there is always the debate about who is the top quarterback in leagues, is it Brady is it Peyton? But the truth of the matter is that after the top three there is huge separation in the field of Quarterbacks. To me there are only three Quarterbacks that are at the highest level right now, and sorry guys Romo and Favre are not part of them. Four years ago I would have given you a top five of pretty debatable equal players but some of those guys couldn’t hold up over the time. So without further ado here is my top 5 quarter backs in the league now.

1. Peyton Manning

2. Tom Brady

3. Carson Palmer
These three guys ability and skill are on a completely different level than any other quarterback in the league. Brett has his magic and no one plays the way he does but let’s be honest he still has the cannon but
other than last year his last four years have not been that great. Both in ability and Statistics.

4. Donovan McNabb

Just look at the numbers look at the history and most of all look at the ability when he is healthy he is playing at level much like that of the top 3.

Number five is tricky you can place a lot guys here again just showing how much the level of quarter backs drops once you get past the top three. So is it…Favre?…Romo?…Eli?…Big Ben? or is it maybe even Drew Breeze? Drum roll…

Not quite yet. At first I was going to call it a tie but you can’t have a tie in top list that is just plain stupid so I had to bump Romo out. Yes he doesn’t make it. Why? he has only started three years and has never
won a playoff game. Also if you look back in his past 2 years starting he has never cracked top 3 as far as ratings are concerned. Which means this year he probably will not either.

So number five on the list goes to Big Ben,

5. Ben Roethlisberger

If you look at his career he has one of the highest winning percentages ever, for the start of his career, He is also constantly in the top five for ratings which encompasses a quarterbacks overall play and most importantly after having a down year in 2006, last year (2007) he threw for 33 TDS silencing critics say what you want about one the most winning quarterbacks ever, one super bowl ring 33 TDS recently, and one of the highest QB ratings for a career ever he is currently playing at the level of a top 5 quarter back in the league. Don’t Agree?
comment Then and give me your list. I’m out…

Down goes Brady, Down goes Frazier!

By Madison Mad’Nuff

Down Goes Frazier:

Down Goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!! Tom Brady went down in week 1 with a torn ACL and now it seems the MVP is out for the season. I don’t expect any miracles but with the Patriots you never know. So as all of New England sheds a tear, and the rest of the free world throws a party and no one is partying harder than Miami, Buffalo, and New York fans. Not because a great athlete got hurt. Nope not at all. No one wants anybody to get hurt, but no nobody wants to see Tom Brady play against their teams either. I will admit that I to cracked I rejoiceful smile when I found out, (Come on you did too, admit it) . “What does this mean?” you ask. It means no Super Bowl repeats for the Pats. Wait but it’s week 1 you say. Let’s be honest with Tom Brady out the Pats are going to struggle all year.