Month: September 2008 (Page 31 of 61)

      For QBs, it’s boom or bust in the middle rounds

      September 15, 2008 /

      Take a look at this list of fantasy QBs, in order of Average Draft Position. The ADP is from Antsports’ 12-team league drafts from 8/1-9/1, and the last number on each line is the player’s average points per game in Antsports’ High Performance scoring system.

      QB7 (5.09) Derek Anderson, 9.5
      QB8 (5.11) Donovan McNabb, 30.4*
      QB9 (7.04) Jay Cutler, 28.5
      QB10 (7.05) Matt Hasselbeck, 10.6
      QB11 (8.04) Brett Favre, 15.3
      QB12 (8.07) Marc Bulger, 10.3
      QB13 (8.08) Eli Manning, 20.4
      QB14 (8.09) David Garrard, 11.7
      QB15 (9.04) Matt Schaub, 18.5*
      QB16 (9.07) Phillip Rivers, 26.4
      QB17 (9.11) Jake Delhomme, 13.0
      QB18 (10.04) Jon Kitna 19.8
      QB19 (10.05) Aaron Rodgers, 26.7
      QB20 (10.12) Vince Young, 7.9*

      * only one game of data is included

      Save for Favre, Delhomme and maybe Schaub, each of these quarterbacks is either greatly outperforming or severely underperforming in relation to their preseason expectations. I see two distinct groups: Boom and Bust.

      Boom: McNabb, Cutler, E. Manning, Rivers, Kitna and Rodgers

      Bust: Anderson, Hasselbeck, Bulger, Garrard and Young

      Sure, it’s early, but think about it this way – if you had a QB in the Bust group, is there any possible trade for a player in the Boom group (i.e. Anderson-McNabb, Hasselbeck-Cutler, etc.) where you wouldn’t pull the trigger? I was high on Garrard before the season, but after two weeks of watching the Jaguars disappointing pass offense in action, I’d be more than willing to make a Garrard-for-Kitna swap if the opportunity presented itself (although Kitna is a little dicey because his job isn’t that secure). Likewise, if you have a Boom player, would you trade him for any of the players in the Bust group? I wouldn’t.

      Chances are that a few quarterbacks in each group will return to the mean. Some in the Boom group will cool off while some in the Bust group will heat up. But right now, there is a big disparity within this group of quarterbacks.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The Monday After: NFL columnist and beat writers react

      September 15, 2008 /

      The San Diego Union-Tribune writes that the Chargers are fuming over the blown call that led to a Broncos’ victory on Sunday.

      – Woody Paige of The Denver Post discusses Mike Shanahan’s decision to go for two against the Chargers and how the Broncos are 2 good 2 be true.

      – Nancy Gay of The San Francisco Chronicle writes that Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin is on his way out despite his team’s victory over the Chiefs on Sunday.

      – Gary Myers of The New York Daily News writes that Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini was no “Mangenious” against the Patriots on Sunday.

      – Jason Whitlock of The Kansas City Star searches for people to blame for the Chiefs’ struggles this year.

      – Bud Shaw of The Cleveland Plain Dealer ponders how good the Browns would be if they would just stop beating themselves.

      – Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times can’t help but feel that this is the beginning of the end of the Seahawks after they lost to the 49ers in overtime on Sunday.

      NFL

      Why Merriman turned the lights out on his season

      September 15, 2008 /

      It’s very hard to criticize Shawne Merriman’s passion to play football. After five separate medical opinions, all unanimously recommending immediate reconstructive surgery to repair torn LCL and PCL ligament damage in his left knee, he still went out and played in the San Diego Chargers season opener. Merriman was a non-factor with just two tackles against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday. He had no explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and was unable to apply pressure on the quarterback.

      Clearly, his knee was hampering him. Merriman then decided to forego the rest of the season, have the surgery and start preparing for the 2009 season. I had a similar knee injury, and I think he made the best decision for long term success both on and off the field.

      In describing his knee injury, the term “career-threatening” was floated by various media outlets. If he continued playing with the injury, he risked having early onset of arthritis settling inside the knee. The stress of playing football with ligament damage puts undue pressure on the cartilage in the front of the knee. The three most feared words any athlete can hear are “severe cartilage damage.”

      Cartilage damage cannot be rebuilt the way ligament injuries can, and they’re very hard to recover from. Once all the cartilage has been chipped away, it cannot be restored, and the knee is left in an arthritic state.

      His effectiveness on the field and the longevity of his career do remain in question, but the consensus is that having the surgery gives Merriman the best chance to return to Pro Bowl status once again.

      Merriman’s contract expires after the 2009 season, and before the injury became public, he was expected to receive a huge new contract as an unrestricted free agent. That is up in the air now, but do not rule out Merriman turning the lights out on quarterbacks again next season.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, General Sports, NFL

      Carlos Zambrano throws no-hitter…while Cubs play from Brewers’ dugout

      September 15, 2008 /

      Carlos ZambranoIn one of the more unusual situations of the 2008 MLB Season, Chicago Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter Sunday against the Houston Astros, and did so while his team was in division rival Milwaukee’s dugout. The Cubs-Astros game had been moved to Milwaukee due to the severe weather conditions in Houston caused by Hurricane Ike. The Cubs beat the Astros 5-0.

      Three and a half cases. That’s how much beer the Cubs dumped on him in a surprise attack when he came back into the clubhouse later, after he had done it. They sprayed shaving cream, too. ”Z. Z. Z. Z.” He struck out Darin Erstad for the last out of his first no-hitter.

      ”I was watching the scoreboard every inning,” Zambrano said. ”In the ninth inning, when I came out, the crowd was all crazy.

      ”[I’m] confused right now. I still can’t believe. Great feeling.”

      After the final out, he dropped to a knee and looked to the sky. And the Cubs came charging from all over. They flooded from the dugout and the bullpen, and surrounded him with a big jump-hug, the kind of thing you do when you clinch the division.

      Which, in a way, the Cubs did.

      ”I guess I’m back,” said Zambrano, who threw a 99 mph fastball in the first inning. ”My arm is back.”

      ”The weirdest game I’ve ever played in,” Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee said. ”Just being in the Brewers dugout …”

      Zambrano takes flack for the way he shows his emotions, for the way he walks too many batters and for the way he sometimes loses his cool. But there’s no denying his a workhorse pitcher, who gives it his all every time he takes the mound. He seems like a guy you would want on your team on a nightly basis because you know he’s going to fight to the end.

      That said, is Zambrano’s no-no a future trivia question or what? “What MLB pitcher threw a no hitter at neither the home or away team’s stadium in 2008?”

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Mistakes doom Browns as Steelers nab 10-6 victory

      September 15, 2008 /

      Derek AndersonThe Pittsburgh Steelers continued their dominance of the Browns, beating Cleveland 10-6 on a gusty Sunday night.

      • The Steelers won their 10th straight over the Browns, and now own the NFL’s longest active win streak against a single opponent.
      • Willie Parker topped 100 yards for the second straight week.
      • The Browns rushed for 53 yards and are averaging 39.2 rushing yards in their last four games against the Steelers.

      The Browns had their opportunities, but could never convert. In the first half, Derek Anderson threw two costly interceptions, the second one deep in Pittsburgh territory that cost the Browns an opportunity for points before halftime. Then, late in the third quarter down 10-0, Cleveland had a first and 10 at the Pittsburgh 11-yard line, but proceeded backwards after Jamal Lewis was stuffed for a three yard loss on second down and Kellen Winslow was called for a false start on 3rd and 7 from the 8-yard line. Anderson proceeded to throw an incomplete pass on the next play and the Browns had to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal. The Browns’ offense just couldn’t sustain momentum all night.

      As the score suggests, the Steelers weren’t overly impressive but the weather conditions played into that. Battling a sore shoulder, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, while Willie Parker rushed for over 100 yards for the second straight week. As previously noted, the Pittsburgh defense proved to be the difference, forcing two Browns’ turnovers and holding them to field goals when they reached Steeler-territory.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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