Month: September 2009 (Page 27 of 66)

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 2: QBs

      September 21, 2009 /

      – Matt Schaub (357 yards, 4 TD) is back, and the Titans have been shredded through the air in two consecutive weeks.

      – Jason Campbell threw for good yardage (242 yards) but failed to throw a TD, which is worrisome considering that he was facing a pretty suspect Rams defense.

      – Matt Cassel (242 yards, TD, 2 INT) wasn’t great in his first game back, but he was serviceable, and should be a decent start going forward.

      – Carson Palmer (185 yards, 3 pass TD, 2 INT, 1 rush TD) didn’t look great, but he got the job done. With all the weapons around him, he should have a nice year, assuming he can stay healthy.

      – Aaron Rodgers (261 yards, TD) couldn’t get comfortable in the pocket for the second consecutive week. The Packers need to button up their pass protection.

      – In two weeks, Byron Leftwich has thrown for 572 yards and four TD and is a viable fantasy QB given the probability that the Bucs will be trailing for much of the season.

      – If the 49ers keep playing this kind of defense and Frank Gore runs like he did today, it’s going to be tough for Shaun Hill to fulfill his sleeper potential. He was very productive over the last half of last season, but the 49ers didn’t have a good defense. Now it looks like they do.

      – Seneca Wallace (127 passing yards, TD, INT) could be a nice fill in if Matt Hasselbeck (back) misses much time. Hasselbeck looked like he was in considerable pain after taking a pretty good hit to his balky back.

      – Jay Cutler (236 yards, 2 TD) looked a lot better against the Steelers than he did in Week 1. He’s back to every-week starter status.

      – With the Bucs, Chiefs, Raiders, Saints and Cardinals coming up for Eli Manning (330 yards, 2 TD), he could get off to a very good start this season.

      – Tony Romo (127 yards, TD, 3 INT, rush TD) struggled against the Giants, but New York looks like it has an elite pass defense. He has a nice schedule coming up.

      Fantasy Football

      What has happened to the Cowboys’ defense?

      September 20, 2009 /

      Through all of the criticism that Wade Phillips has received while he’s been the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he’s always been reprieved in one area: His defense.

      Even though the Cowboys faded down the stretch last year, they still owned the eighth best defense in the NFL thanks in large part to Phillips. Dallas ranked fifth in passing yards allowed and 12th in rushing yards allowed, which helped Phillips retain his job over the offseason.

      But in two games so far this season, Dallas has surrendered 54 points. In their 33-31 loss to the Giants on Sunday night, the Cowboys were routinely beat through the air as Eli Manning threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns on 25 of 38 passing. And in case you’ve forgotten, he doesn’t have Plaxico Burress at his disposal anymore, nor has Amani Toomer found the fountain of youth and returned to New York to give Eli a solid possession receiver.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      This just in: Ray Lewis can still play.

      September 20, 2009 /

      Remember this offseason when Ray Lewis put up a small stink about being disrespected as he attempted to coax a long-term deal out the Ravens? Due to his age (34), Lewis was criticized for demanding too much money and not settling for his market value.

      When the dust settled, Lewis agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract that was incentive laden. He then reportedly lost 15 pounds from his last season’s playing weight and looked leaner and quicker in preseason.

      In the Ravens’ 31-26 win over the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday, Lewis once again proved that he could still play at an elite level in the NFL. He racked up 12 tackles (10 solo), one QB hit and three tackles for loss. He also saved his best play for his last.

      With the Ravens nursing a 31-26 lead with 37 seconds remaining, the Chargers faced a 4th and 2 from Baltimore’s 15-yard line. If they picked up the first down, they would have four cracks at the end zone and have the opportunity to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat.

      With a hand injury limiting Philip Rivers’ passing ability, San Diego decided to pull its guards and run to the right side with Darren Sproles in efforts to pick up the first down. But Lewis blitzed on the play, slid past the Chargers’ guards and dropped Sproles for a five-yard loss. The San Diego offensive linemen must have figured that Lewis would be chasing Sproles on the play as they moved past him. But he damn near took the handoff for Sproles in the backfield as he read the play perfectly from the start.

      This isn’t the same Baltimore defense without Rex Ryan and Bart Scott. But you’d be insane to think that Lewis will allow his team to take a step back now that Ryan is in New York.

      NFL

      Warner sets record as Cardinals rebound

      September 20, 2009 /

      Kurt Warner set the single-game mark for completion percentage in the Cardinals’ defeated the Jaguars 31-17 on Sunday. Warner completed 24 of his 26 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, breaking Vinny Testaverde’s completion rating of 91.30, which he set with the Browns in 1993.

      Warner was excellent on Sunday, throwing passes to nine different passes and finding Jason Wright and Larry Fitzgerald on touchdown passes of 5-and 22-yards, respectively. Warner also set a team record by completing his first 15 passes in a row, which was set by Jake Plummer on November 8 of 1998.

      I hate to crap on Warner’s day but I’m going to do it anyway because I’m a jerk. While his completion percentage of 92% was impressive, he was facing one of the worst defensive backfields in the AFC. The Jaguars couldn’t generate any kind of a pass rush and Warner had a day and a half to throw the ball every time he dropped back.

      Remember when the Jaguars used to give teams fits by living in the opponents’ backfields? What happened to Jacksonville’s defense? Oh yeah, it’s in Atlanta with Mike Smith and Mike Peterson…and Buffalo with Marcus Stroud…

      Even though Jacksonville’s defense isn’t what it used to be, the record set by Warner couldn’t have happened to a better person. Warner remains one of the classiest players in the league and he needed this performance after last week’s disappointing loss to San Francisco. In fact, the entire Arizona team did.

      NFL

      Peavy comments on successful White Sox debut

      September 20, 2009 /

      Peavy

      Things didn’t quite pan out for the White Sox, did they? Besides treating fans to this season’s most thrilling moment (Mark Buehrle’s perfect game), the organization has watched their playoff hopes weaken after the risky acquisitions of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy proved either unfruitful or untimely. While Rios morphed from a former All-Star into a role player, Peavy worked diligently in the minors to overcome nagging injuries. He finally made his White Sox debut yesterday and even got the win. His last start was with the Padres on June 6th, so he obviously isn’t 100 percent just yet.

      “I think it’s more like Spring Training soreness, no doubt,” said Peavy. “I’m more sore than I think I will be April or May of next year. I have an extra day in between starts with Thursday’s off-day, so that will help.”

      The right-hander will take the mound next on Friday against the Tigers, to begin a weekend home series that the White Sox hope will have some sort of playoff ramifications. Peavy threw 73 pitches in Saturday night’s return to a Major League mound, following a three-month absence due to a partially-torn tendon in his right ankle and the after-effects of taking a line drive off of his pitching elbow during a Minor League rehab start. Both of those rehabbed areas presented no further issue after his performance.

      In the 13-3 victory, Peavy gave up three runs on three hits over five innings, while striking out five. His fastball velocity stayed in the 92-93 mph range, topping out at 94, while his slider had good bite from the start, as Peavy fanned three of the first four hitters faced. He would have returned for a sixth inning, if not for the extended down time during the White Sox rally in the bottom of the fifth.

      While the club would have preferred that Peavy rebounded a bit sooner, at least he’s showing his compassion and drive to his new fans. I really admire Peavy’s attitude. Like David Wright, this is a guy that’s ashamed to go on the DL and gives it his all even when his team isn’t in the playoff hunt. I hope he regains his status next year as one of the dominant pitchers in the game.

      MLB

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