Out of nowhere, suddenly the quarterback position has become the new running back. Last season three quarterbacks finished with more fantasy points than the first running back (Tom Brady, Tony Romo, and Peyton Manning). Then after LT, three more QBs (Drew Brees, Derek Anderson, and Brett Favre) placed ahead of the #2 scoring RB (Brian Westbrook). Then, take into account that there were 10 QBs in the top 15 fantasy scorers last season, and you've got yourself a revolution!

So, now that you've got to select a QB earlier than ever, it's time to go over some names for folks stuck between drafting Derek Anderson or Joseph Addai (please don't take Anderson over Addai, regardless of what the points tell you to do.) Because this season, you're going to see a rush on quarterbacks during the draft. If you've got an early selection in the first round, by the time it comes back around to you at the end of the 2nd, it's all too likely that you're gonna see Matt Hasselbeck sitting atop the list of remaining QBs. Should you go ahead and grab him to make sure, or should you take Larry Johnson or Braylon Edwards? Well, if you're thinking like I'm thinking, you should keep reading because here's some QBs to target later on.

Sleepers

Jake Delhomme - Carolina Panthers - (ADP: 118.89) Yes, he's getting older. Yes, he's an injury risk. But, if he can stay healthy, he's got a MUCH improved receiver corps with Steve Smith, D.J. Hackett, and Muhsin Muhammad. He's got a badass young running game to take the pressure off of him, and his o-line finds itself in MUCH better condition with the addition of Jeff Otah. What's even better, he's currently averaging around a 10th round selection.

Jason Campbell - Washington Redskins - (ADP: 142.33) He's a butter fingers, no doubt about it. Last year he threw 11 picks and lost 8 fumbles. But, I see Devin Thomas as 2006's Santonio Holmes. That adds depth to an already solid receiving corps. Add to that a very good receiving RB in Clinton Portis, and this season's golden boy TE, Chris Cooley and I'm starting to smell a sleeper pick.

Jay Cutler - Denver Broncos - (ADP: 90.71) Okay, this hurts. I don't like this guy, and in my heart I don't think he's very good. But, damn, if there was ever a scenario for a QB to succeed, it's one mile in the air in Denver. Four VERY serviceable receivers (Brandon Marshall, Keary Colbert, Darrell Jackson, and Brandon Stokely) and two very good TEs (Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler) make it where he can just lob the ball in the air and SOMEone is going to catch it.

Busters

Tony Romo - Dallas Cowboys - (ADP: 22.25) After a while, all this folding in the clutch has got to wear on a guy. When this specific guy seems to be more worried with being Hollywood than being the Cowboys' quarterback, it should be a snap to break him completely. Take into account that T.O. is 35 this year and that his #2 receiver is Patrick Crayton (Career 34.3 Yards Per Game, 46.5 in 2007) and I'm officially starting the Romo Meltdown Clock...NOW!

Derek Anderson - Cleveland Browns - (ADP: 52.16) Is anyone else thinking we've seen the second coming of Kelly Holcomb with Derek Anderson here? I don't know why, but I can feel it. The guy throws WAY too many INTs to be ranked so high (1.3 per game during his career, 19 last season). Add to the mix, the supremely overrated Donte Stallworth, and I'm really just not feeling the #7 overall rated QB this year.

Marc Bulger - St. Louis Rams - (ADP: 84.87) I've always said, "Never trust a Marc with a 'C'." Nothing good can come from someone who ends their name with a 'C'. In this case, our Marc is in disguise as a formidable QB. But, he's only played 16 games once in 6 seasons. His QB Rating is on a steady decline and INTs are up. He's got some solid targets, including a RB who had the worst season of his short career and then demands more money. But, that's another episode of Sleepers & Busters. I wouldn't be afraid to draft Bulger as a backup just in case, but if he's your starter, you'll live in fear all season long. That's not what I would hope for in the #10 overall rated QB.

Bold Predictions

1. Depending on the situation, either Aaron Rodgers will look MUCH better than anyone expected OR Brett Favre will return and look like 2005 Favre. Regardless of the situation, media outlets will begin touting how they knew this would happen all along.

2. The big name rookie QB to emerge from the pack this season will not be Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, but someone who we all forgot even got drafted this year. Although, I also think Joe Flacco will be the better QB between he and Matt Ryan.

3. Vince Young falls completely out of favor with the Titans this season, and they begin looking for a new QB in the draft. We will also see his name fall out of the Top 25 quarterbacks next season.

Labels: busters, Derek Anderson, fantasy nfl, Jake Delhomme, Jason Campbell, Jay Cutler, Marc Bulger, sleepers, Tony Romo

Read more...

Sitting in living rooms, kitchens, and agent's offices across America at this very moment are around 1000 players who have been poked, prodded, and pranced over the past few months trying to determine whether or not they're draft material. 255 of those 1000 will be deemed worthy tomorrow and Sunday. One test will weigh heavily on the minds of GMs and coaches throughout the NFL: The Wonderlic.

The Wonderlic is a 12-minute, 50-question quiz designed to test the general IQ of potential NFL meat. A perfect score is 50. To date, there has only been one football player to score a 50 on his Wonderlic assessment, Pat McInally of Havard University who went on to become a Pro-Bowl punter.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, also from Harvard University, was also believed to have scored a perfect 50. This claim was eventually proven to be false and he was outed as having a still excellent score of 38.

On average, NFL players' Wonderlic scores are as follows:

* Offensive tackle - 26
* Center - 25
* Quarterback - 24
* Guard - 23
* Tight end - 22
* Safety - 19
* Linebacker - 19
* Cornerback - 18
* Wide receiver - 17
* Fullback - 17
* Halfback - 16

On the flip side of Ryan Fitzpatrick, there was also a tale of Vince Young scoring a 6 on his Wonderlic, which would put him right in line with Forrest Gump and Lennie Small. Also like Fitzpatrick, Young's score was also proven to be false and was later told that he scored a still well below QB average 16.

This got me thinking. Ryan Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Rams in 2005, where he ended up playing 4 games when Marc Bulger went down. He went on to throw 4 touchdowns and 8 interceptions with a 58.2 QB rating. He has not seen playing time in a regular season NFL game since.

Vince Young, as you probably know, has been the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans for 2 seasons where he has been less than stellar, but still head and shoulders above the performace of the much higher scoring Ryan Fitzpatrick.

So, how much weight SHOULD the Wonderlic test carry in the world of quarterbacks? Let's go through the Wonderlic scores of some of today's quarterbacks and see how they play out:

Drew Henson 42
Alex Smith 40
Eli Manning 39
Brian Griese 39
Charlie Frye 38
Tony Romo 37
Drew Bledsoe 36
Matt Leinart 35
Kellen Clemens 35
Aaron Rodgers 35
Tom Brady 33
Steve Young 33
Joey Harrington 32
Patrick Ramsey 32
Sage Rosenfels 32
J.P. Losman 31
Matt Schaub 31
Phillip Rivers 30
Brady Quinn 29
Rex Grossman 29
Marc Bulger 29
Matt Hasselbeck 29
Troy Aikman 29
John Elway 29
Drew Brees 28
Peyton Manning 28
Kyle Boller 27
Ryan Leaf 27
Jay Cutler 26
Kyle Orton 26
Carson Palmer 26
Akili Smith 26
Ben Roethlisberger 25
Byron Leftwich 25
Chad Pennington 25
JaMarcus Russell 24
David Carr 24
Jason Campbell 23
Tim Couch 22
Trent Dilfer 22
Brett Favre 22
Michael Vick 20
Tarvaris Jackson 19
Bruce Gradkowski 19
Derek Anderson 19
A.J. Feeley 19
Daunte Culpepper 18
Aaron Brooks 17
Vinny Testeverde 17
Vince Young 16
Steve McNair 15
Randall Cunningham 15
Dan Marino 15
Terry Bradshaw 15
David Garrard 14
Donovan McNabb 14
Marcus Vick 11
Jeff George 10
Chris Leak 8

Well, the list begins with one of the all time highest scorers in NFL Wonderlic history, Drew Henson. As you may know, Henson was not only bright, but a two sport...flop. He made appearances with the New York Yankees in 2002 and 2003, compiling 9 ABs with 3 Ks and 1 hit. In 2004 he joined the Cowboys, played 7 games and put together 78 Passing Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and 2 sacks.

Heading down the ladder further, we run across other NFL quarterback flops like Alex Smith, Charlie Frye, and Kellen Clemens. However, also amongst those names are players like Tony Romo (37, could be considered a flop, depending on if you're discussing the regular season or the post season. ZING!), Tom Brady (33), and Steve Young (33). And, no, I refuse to acknowledge Eli Manning among the previous names, despite his 39 score. Just because he won a Super Bowl doesn't make him great. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl as well, where's his fellatio?

As we scroll down the list of names, you see the good mixed in with the bad mixed in with the ugly. It seems haphazard. I had a theory beginning the research for this article that I would find that the players at the top tended to be less successful at the quarterback position than the ones at the bottom due to a tendency of book smart people to overanalyze situations. While this theory wasn't smashed by what I found here, it did morph into something a little different.

From looking over the list, toward the top amongst the QBs who scored 30 and above, we see names like Phillip Rivers, Tom Brady, Matt Leinart, Drew Bledsoe, Eli Manning, and Alex Smith. These are some of the most immobile quarterbacks in the game. They're pocket passers, they get sacked a lot, but they also put together a lot of passing yards. When you get toward the bottom of the list, the guys who scored 20 and below, you've got names like Michael Vick, Tarvaris Jackson, Daunte Culpepper, Aaron Brooks, Vince Young, Steve McNair, Randall Cunningham, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb, and Kordell Stewart. These are all guys who faced with an oncoming defensive attack, they tuck in the ball and take off for whatever they can get.

I hate to use the word primal, but that's almost what we're seeing here. The lower the Wonderlic score, the more primal and emotive the quarterback. The higher the score, the more prone to getting caught overanalyzing the situation rather than just taking action.

So, is it as bad as some would make it out to be to have a low Wonderlic score? No. Clearly not. You just play with more heart than brains, if that statement could be construed as non-condescendingly as possible. There's a lot to be said for playing with heart. Some of the NFL's greatest quarterbacks were well below average on the Wonderlic (Brett Favre, Steve McNair, Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw, Donovan McNabb) just like some of the biggest flops were well above average.

By the way, Eli Manning scored 11 points higher (39) than Peyton Manning did (28), and I think it's pretty damn obvious who wins that battle.

You can go here to see how you would stand up against the Wonderlic.

Labels: Alex Smith, Charlie Frye, Drew Henson, fantasy nfl, Kellen Clemens, nfl draft, Pat McInally, quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Steve Young, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Vince Young, wonderlic

Read more...

Like a time capsule buried in grandma's flower garden, I have been anxiously awaiting opening this barrel full of monkeys all season long. I'm going to do what no other Fantasy Football site is willing to do. I'm going to review my recommendations from the beginning of the season, and see how they stand up against their present status. I, for one, can appreciate the times that I am proven wrong, because I can use those times to better my judgment for the next time around. Of course, I hope to see more positive recommendations than negative, but I know that I recommended Jake Plummer as the sleeper QB of the season (Whoops!) so, I'm just gonna hold on and hope for the best.

Okay, bend over, RotoDestroyer. Here comes your audit:

So You Want To Win Your Fantasy Football League? (08/14/2006)

1. Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson (Prognosis: #1, #2, #3) - Okay, you may or may not believe this, but on early versions of my draft kit, I had the Holy Trinity ranked: #1 LaDanian Tomlinson, #2 Larry Johnson, #3 Shaun Alexander. I folded under the pressure of seeing every other site ranking them Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson and eventually changed my ranking. But, it's basically a wash, so, I'm just going to call this faux pas a push and move on.

Result: 0 points

2. Willis McGahee (Prognosis: "...and end up taking Willis McGahee in the first round, and that’s just retarded.") Still a retarded decision. With only 4 TDs this season, and a 2 game injury hiatus, Mr. McGahee is the #25 RB in the NFL today by fantasy standards.

Result: 1 point

3. Peyton Manning (Prognosis: #4 pick overall) Sorting all players by total fantasy points brings Mr. Marketing Boy Toy to #3 overall. Missed by one, damn. But, I was still right.

Result: 1 point

4. Terrell Owens (Prognosis: ""Ha ha! T.O. in the first round! SNAP!” Because everyone will laugh at you as you miss the playoffs") T.O. is ranked as the #4 WR in the NFL right now, but according to my statement, he's not 1st round material. That statement is still true. He's done "well", but not 1st round well, since he is the 32nd ranked fantasy points scorer in the NFL.

Result: 1 point

5. Corey Dillon (Prognosis: "Corey Dillon in the 3rd round.") He's the #22 fantasy points scoring running back, #52 overall. Even in a 16 team league, Corey Dillon doesn't fit the bill as a 3rd Rounder. Swing and a miss, RD!

Result: -1 point

6. Tom Brady/Carson Palmer (Prognosis: "Tom Brady or Carson Palmer...or the like early in the 2nd Round, and that would be a fantastic pick.") Ranked #10 and #8 respectively in overall fantasy points, Carson Palmer averaged a 2.7 round pick and Tom Brady averaged a 3.1 rounder. 2 POINT CONVERSION!

Result: 2 points

7. Jake Plummer/Drew Brees (Prognosis: "Jake Plummer or Drew Brees in the 3rd Round.") Man, I threw a lot of trust Plummer's way this season. He's gonna really screw my results here. But, fortunately in this ill-conceived bit of wisdom, Drew Brees pulled me out of the flames to result in a push.

Result: 0 points

8. Samkon Gado (Prognosis: "you’ll be stuck with Samkon Gado as your #2 back, and that’s not Good Eats…") Duh...

Result: 0 points

9. Derrick Mason (Prognosis: "Derrick Mason’s 5.9 Fantasy Points Per Game in like the 7th or 8th Round.") If you got him in the 7th or 8th round, good for you. He's been decent. Any earlier and...sorry. Ranked 155th overall, and in a 12 team league, the 8th round would end with pick #96. Sorry, RotoDestroyer, technically, you failed.

Result: -1 point

10. Antonio Gates (Prognosis: 4th Rounder) Ranked as the best TE who isn't a technical glitch in Yahoo's system (AHEM...Colston), and ranked #41 overall. Gates would have been just fine as a 4th Round selection.

Result: 1 point

11. Jeremy Shockey/Tony Gonzalez (Prognosis: 5th Rounders) Ranked at #69 and #47 respectively, once again both of these TEs would have fit right in with the other 5th rounders.

Result: 1 point

12. Randy McMichael (Prognosis: "some idiot’s found himself with Randy McMichael in the 5th Round.") Ranked #182 overall, McMichael doesn't even belong on the draft board, much less in the 5th round.

Result: 1 point

13. Laveranues Coles (Prognosis: "Don’t forgo Laveranues Coles for Kevan Barlow.") Matching Jet versus Jet, Coles has outscored Barlow and adds another point for the mighty RotoDestroyer!

Result: 1 point

Sleepers & Busters (08/15/2006)

14. Jake Plummer (Prognosis: Sleeper) Well apparently not. Like I said, I had a lot of faith in him. I still like him, expecially more than the Bumpkin Beatle, Jay Cutler. But, I could never consider Plummer a success this season, even if I was a liar...

Result: -1 point

15. Marc Bulger (Prognosis: Buster) As the #7 QB in fantasy football, once again I've fallen on my face.

Result: -1 point

16. Chester Taylor/Joseph Addai (Prognosis: Sleepers) As #13 and #8 on the list of RBs in fantasy football, I consider this a victorious occasion, nailing not one but TWO sleepers. However, I initially had Lee Suggs 10 minutes before he failed his physical and voided his contract. So, for this crass mistake, I deduct one point from a double-doozie.

Result: 1 point

17. Edgerrin James (Prognosis: Buster) Edge? Edge? Where'd you go? Oh...you fell to #29 on the list of RBs? #99 overall? You averaged being the 8.8 pick overall in fantasy drafts? So, I was right? Hmmm...CHALK IT UP!

Result: 1 point

18. Andre Johnson, Michael Clayton, Javon Walker, Chris Chambers (Prognosis: Sleepers) "There’s several names who could go here: Michael Clayton, Javon Walker, even Chris Chambers. Michael Clayton is not as bad as he was last season. Javon Walker will be back with a vengeance under Shannahan’s rule. Chris Chambers is a sleeper in that, I think he will pull a Steve Smith and suddenly become a Top 3 receiver overnight. But, I still pick Andre Johnson because he was so good for two seasons, and when he crapped the bed last season I see now that he’s been written off down the line, ranked as low as #33. That’s crazy."

Andre Johnson = 1 point
Michael Clayton = -1 point
Javon Walker = 1 point
Chris Chambers = -1 point

I should've just kept my mouth shut and stuck with Andre Johnson, and I'd have a point right now. But, in this case I think the bad knocked the good out of it. Chambers a Top 3 receiver? WHAT?!

Result: 0 points

19. Joey Galloway (Prognosis: Buster) He was placed as high as #11 on the pre-draft list of WRs. I said, "No way!" Now he's ranked #22 on the list of receivers. Not really a great position, but not really a bust, either.

Result: -1 point

20. Zach Hilton (Prognosis: Sleeper) HA HA HA HA HA! Who? HA HA HA HA HA!

Result: -1 point

21. Tony Gonzalez (Prognosis: Buster) Look who's on the rebound! It's Gonzo! Look who's on a slide now, it's RotoDestroyer!

Result: -1 point

22. Mike Vanderjagt (Prognosis: Sleeper) Ugh, I don't even want to talk about it. That's 4 in a row.

Result: -1 point

23. Neil Rackers (Prognosis: Buster) Finally! I was getting ill there for a moment. Rackers was ranked as the #1 kicker on almost every list out there (except RotoDestroyer). As of today, he's the #17 kicker in the league. Phew...

Result: 1 point

How Did I Wind Up With Vinny Testeverde? (08/25/2006)

24. Jon Kitna/Billy Volek (Prognosis: "You somehow wound up with Jon Kitna and Billy Volek as your only QBs. Well, things aren’t as grim as you think.") Okay Kitna hasn't been bad this season, so, no you wouldn't be screwed. But, Billy Volek? Shot who in the what now? Since the jist of this piece of information was that just because you're starting Jon Kitna doesn't mean you're screwed, I'm gonna give it a point. But, Billy Volek?

Result: 1 point

25. Ahman Green, Chester Taylor, LenDale White, Marion Barber (Prognosis: "you wound up with Ahman Green, Chester Taylor, LenDale White, and Marion Barber...you’re a lot better off than you think.") With the exception of LenDale White, this is possibly my best effort yet on this list. Going into the season, all 4 of these guys were question marks at best. At this point we see Ahman Green at #15, Chester Taylor at #13, and Marion Barber at #6. LenDale White is at Denny's somewhere I think. Chalk it up!

Result: 1 point

26. Rudi Johnson (Prognosis: "if you can trade Anquan Boldin for Rudi Johnson, you’d better take it") For some reason, before the season started this seemed like some super informative breaking news. At this point, I look at that statement and say, "Duh!" I was right, but I don't feel right giving myself a point for it.

Result: 0 points

27. Derrick Mason, Eddie Kennison, Ernest Wilford (Prognosis: "for a receiving corps, that’s not all that bad.") Ummm.... Yeah, that actually IS pretty bad in retrospect. Together, the three of them are averaging 572 receiving yards and 3 TDs. That's only 75.2 points, which ranks around 41 or 42 in the list of WRs. So, I hate ending on a bad note, however...

Result: -1 point

FINAL TOTAL: 14 - 9 - 5

Right - 50%
Wrong - 32%
Push - 18%

Labels: draft picks, fantasy draft, fantasy football, fantasy nfl, football

Read more...

Somewhere between the time Marques Colston was taken at the 252nd pick of the 2006 draft and the day that Yahoo! opened their fantasy football registration, someone at Yahoo! committed the biggest blunder in the history of internet based fantasy sports. When the positions needed to be attached to the code, it seems someone said, "252nd pick...Marques Colston...Postion...uhhhh... Oh, who gives a rats ass." And suddenly, without playing a single down at tight end, Marques Colston was listed at that very position. One that is notoriously barren of fantasy points.

So what, right? Let's think about the ramifications: I would almost guarantee that 90% of the teams in the upper echelon of fantasy football leagues are starting Colston at tight end. Why is this? Well, what kind of team wouldn't have taken a very good tight end? A team who was racking up on offensive studs in the meantime. As you took Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates in the fourth round, this guy took Tom Brady or Roy Williams or Javon Walker. I was able to drop Marcus Pollard (my 14th pick) for Colston after the first week. I had Tony Gonzalez in both of my other leagues, so I didn't make the switch, and I'm cool with that, because who would drop Gonzo after the first game for a Saints rookie? Right...

A team could feasibly have Roy Williams, Javon Walker, and Muhsin Muhammad with Colston bringing up tight end. None of those players are first round picks, either. So just imagine playing a juggernaut like that with Larry Johnson or LT at the helm. My Colston-enhanced team consists of Peyton Manning, Plaxico Burress, Javon Walker, Randy Moss, and Willie Parker...plus Colston.

My point is, before I veered off into bragging, this blunder, while endlessly beneficial for those of us lucky enough to have grabbed Marques Colston before he exploded, has placed quite a wrench in the system by allowing strong teams to become close to unbeatable. So, I'd like to thank Yahoo! on my behalf and bump knuckles with those who were able to grab Marques Colston early to take the place of the Marcus Pollards and the Jermaine Wiggins of the world, people whose only concern after their draft was, "Ugh...what am I gonna do with Joe Klopfenstein?" Good job, my Colston-enhanced brothers, go out there and destroy and remember the time that Yahoo! gave us steroids.

Labels: fantasy football, fantasy nfl, football, marques colston, yahoo

Read more...

Sunday night prime-time is always a tough slot to fill. What ever you put out there will be going against the likes of The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Sopranos, Deadwood (well, not anymore...). For as long as my muddled brain can remember, Sunday has been a solid TV night. So, to combat the monsters, NBC threw together just about the greatest line up in televised football for Sunday Night Football.

Let's start with Bob Costas. Costas is like Joe Buck without the large population that find him pretentious. Bob Costas is a sports broadcasting genius. He's smarter than all of them, yet patient enough to sit back at times and let the other broadcasters make him look even better. If Costas ever ran for public office (from Director of Sanitation to President) he has my vote. He doesn't even need to campaign.

Moving along... Chris Collinsworth, while not deserving of my presidential write in vote, is another monster of broadcasting. He's snide and knowledgable without being overbearing. He's not afraid to call a player out and he sticks to it regardless of the outcome. Then, there's Jerome Bettis: Man Law writer. School bus. All-Around Nice Guy. What's not to like about Bettis? Sterling Sharpe... Well, at least he's not Michael Irvin...

Then, regardless of your feelings on John Madden, you have to respect him. There is no middle ground with Madden, you love him or you hate him. But, either way you respect him. He's John Madden, he's eaten turkey legs bigger than you, punk. He survived years with Pat Summerall without clubbing him to death as he sat in his Little Rascal, shaking and mumbling "Beg yeh pardon?". Now that Summerall has passed the torch, Al Michaels has taken our hearts just as Steve Stone took our hearts backing up Harry Caray in his declining years.

This is an All-Star cast the likes of which we've never seen before... EXCEPT...

Andrea Kramer.

Listen up NBC. Grandma Kramer belongs on the sideline about as much as John Madden belongs on a pole in a dimly lit club. Who is your target demographic? MEN 18-36! Who are these men attracted to? Barbara Walters? NO! Well, she has journalistic integrity, though. That's what the TRUE football fan wants in a sideline reporter right?

Wrong again, NBC. We've got Bob Costas and Chris Collinsworth for that. What we want in our sideline reporter is sex. Well versed linguistics? NO! Intuitive strategic skills? NO! SEX, DAMMIT! We spend three hours watching sweaty men running around on the field. Bringing Andrea Kramer into the camera lens is like if Johnny Cash had wheeled Mama Cass out to the Folsom Prison crowd instead of June Carter. No, NBC! BAD, NBC!

Look at FOX. They've got Pam Oliver. Mmmmm...Pam Oliver. So smart, so intense, so hot. She knows her football and she's hot. End of story. Journalistic integrity be damned. Pam Oliver gets the scoop on the sideline because she's hot. She walks up to a player and starts asking questions, that player will answer them just to continue talking to her. Bonnie Bernstein is the same way. When Andrea Kramer walks up to a player, they escort her over to the information booth to help her find her family.

This is football, NBC. This is a male haven. The only interruptions we appreciate in football is cheerleaders, Pam Oliver, and funny beer commercials. Would you stick Andrea Kramer in a Hooters uniform because she's a brewmaster and knows which beers better accentuate the various spices in their wings? NO! You stick Andrea Kramer on The View or the Today Show and you make damn sure her replacement has big boobs and a perky attitude.

So, there you go NBC. Use your brain next time. We live in a world fattened by Hardees and dumbed down by Larry the Cable Guy. Any words coming out of the sideline reporter's mouth are just noises interferring with the game. Make those noises come from a perky 18-30 year old and you've got the perfect lineup. Until then, it's just a Prime-Time Sausage Fest that's almost the best thing on in that time slot.

Labels: andrea kramer, fantasy football, fantasy nfl, nbc, sunday, sunday night football

Read more...

Ah, the morning after. It was a wonderful night. You ate, you drank, you had a fantastic time. Right now is the moment before you open your eyes when you’re still in the blissful state of grogginess, and suddenly a thought dawns on you. Now’s the time that you roll over to see what you brought home with you last night: the knock-out or the pig? You open your eyes…

There she lays sprawled out on your computer screen like a bag full of rotten potatoes. Oh my God…you brought home the pig!

There’s names like Jon Kitna, Ahman Green, and Koren Robinson…in your starting line up. Oh God! What did you do last night? First off, go take a shower. Wash the stink of a bad draft off of you as quickly as you can and burn your sheets. Let’s not speak of this again.

Now, we’ve got to worry about fixing this situation. An important thing to remember is, just like going to the bar or the nightclub, SOMEone’s got to bring home the pig. And for whatever reason, this time it was you. It happens to everyone at least once. But, what separates the guys who give in to a life of pigs, and the guys who brush themselves off and laugh off the whole mess, lies in what you do next.

More than likely, it’s not as bad as it seems. If you got to participate in the first round, you at least got one good player to work with. More than likely, you got a few. So, we have to focus on the good of the situation first. Let’s look at this position by position:

QB Situation – You somehow wound up with Jon Kitna and Billy Volek as your only QBs. Well, things aren’t as grim as you think. Fortunately, these are both guys with firm grips on the starting job at least for the first few weeks. The other thing that this tells me is that you bulked up other positions while everyone else was grabbing up the QBs, and this is good. So, here’s what you do: Look at the matchups. Jon Kitna and the Lions are facing Seattle in Week 1. Hmmm…Seattle’s got a pretty solid D. Ah, but Volek and the Titans are playing the Jets in Week 1! Score! The Jets have one of the lowest rated defenses in the league. So, you start Volek against the Jets in Week 1 and keep a CLOSE eye on the waiver wire. Did Charlie Frye throw for 400 yards in Week 1? Of course it would be against the Saints, but still 400 yards could mean something big regardless of who it’s against. So, what I’m saying is play the matchups with what you’ve got and keep your eyes on the free agent wire and be ready to pull the trigger the second a free agent shows signs of promise. You may have to hold out for two or three weeks before one of the free agents begins to really stand out, but one will. They always do. The important thing is, YOU have to be the one who grabs him up.

RB Situation – So, you beefed up on WRs and you wound up with Ahman Green, Chester Taylor, LenDale White, and Marion Barber. First off, if you have a solid top tier QB in conjunction with this group of miscreants, then you’re a lot better off than you think. If you’re sitting on Ahman Green and Chester Taylor with Jon Kitna as your starting QB, you’ve got trouble. The difference between this RB situation and the QB situation is that of these four RBs, only two of them are clear cut starters: Ahman Green and Chester Taylor. Now, on the bright side, let’s not forget that before last season Ahman Green was an unquestioned first rounder. He’s an injury risk now, sure. But, he’s always been. So, if he’s what you got…you could have worse. On top of that, while Chester Taylor won’t get you LaDanian Tomlinson style stats, he’s certainly no slouch. The biggest problem, however, with not having a couple of very good RBs is that there’s a 99% chance that there are NO good or even decent RBs left on the free agent wire as opposed to QBs where you can find 2-4 starting QBs at any time. So, here’s what you do. Stick with Ahman and Chester. You’re not going to get into first place with a tandem like that, but with careful planning you can work your way out of the jam. This is more of a situation for trades, than free agency pick ups. So, wait it out a few weeks, obviously, if any RBs on the free agent wire show promise, grab them. But, more than likely you’ll see some of your WRs show big numbers. I’d hope that if you shafted yourself out of starting RBs this badly, you at least have some wicked WRs. So, what you want to do is, after someone like Anquan Boldin has a great game in Week 1 against San Fran, work for the week trying to get someone to trade one of their RBs for Anquan straight up. But, Anquan is your only great WR? Don’t worry about it (well maybe you should…what exactly were you doing while the draft was going on?), great RBs score almost twice what great WRs score, good RBs score about the same. For instance, Kevin Jones and Anquan Boldin score about the same amount of points each game. So, if you can trade Anquan Boldin for Rudi Johnson, you’d better take it and go grab one of the WRs on the free agent wire.

WR Situation – So, you’re staring in the face of a WR corps that consists of Derrick Mason, Eddie Kennison, and Ernest Wilford. Let me start by saying, if your receiving corps looks like this, you’d better have a damned good QB and RB line up, or else you should leave your home address with our receptionist so we can have someone come out give you a wedgie. Secondly, for a receiving corps, that’s not all that bad. This is probably the best situation you could be in, actually, because it will give you the longest period of time to rectify the situation. Fortunately, this is also the EASIEST situation to rectify. Every year there’s four or five WRs who start out on the free agent wire who become viable WR solutions within a few weeks. Case in point: Terry Glenn, Nate Burleson, Lee Evans, Donte Stallworth, Drew Bennett, and blah blah blah… So, if your WR corps is your biggest nightmare, chin up, Chrissy, there’s starving people in Ethiopia.

TE, K, DEF Situation – If you ran into this situation of your own volition, then you make bunnies cry. If you ran into this situation because you let Yahoo do your draft for you, reevaluate your life. Is your honeymoon REALLY more important than your fantasy football draft? Of course not. According to statistics, it’s not like you won’t have a chance for another one, right? As a matter of fact, attending your fantasy draft COULD even expedite that situation. Regardless, you now find yourself staring at two TEs, two Ks, and two DEFs. The solution is so simple, you don’t even need my help. Drop the worst one at each position. Do not carry two of any of these guys. It’s wasted space, if for no other reason than you could be holding onto someone who another manager is starting, were it not for your insatiable need for both Dallas Clark AND Jermaine Wiggins to be on your team. So, get to dropping this extra weight before you sink your ship at the boat launch.

So, you see, no team is beyond repair in this crazy addiction we call Fantasy Football. The hardest part, sometimes, is knowing that your team sucks. It’s kind of like how ugly people don’t always know they’re ugly. Just like your children, every one thinks their team is the best. For the health of your wager, do yourself a favor and take a step back and look at it from the perspective of your buddies. That team you brought home with you last night is a pig. Rectify the situation, or you might as well go ahead and name your team “The Moped” if you know what I mean.

Labels: fantasy draft, fantasy football, fantasy nfl, football, football draft, free agency

Read more...