Wondering who to start? Or who to pick up?
You have questions…we have answers. We can’t guarantee that they’ll be the right answers, but they are answers.
Post all of your Week 1 fantasy questions here.
(Be sure to give a brief overview of your league’s scoring system — starting requirements, flex, PPR, etc.)
While head coach Eric Mangini won’t confirm it, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Brady Quinn has won the Browns’ starting quarterback job over Derek Anderson.
Browns coach Eric Mangini told the quarterbacks Tuesday night and Quinn took the first-team reps in practice Wednesday afternoon.
Quinn acted Wednesday as though he didn’t know. “We’re just out there continuing to battle with one another to get everything better for our team,” he said.
This non-announcement announcement has been long overdue. While Anderson certainly didn’t roll over, Quinn was the better quarterback in preseason and arguably gives the Browns the best chance to win on game day.
The Browns have a solid offensive line, but they need the running game to produce (rookie James Davis anyone?) and Braylon Edwards to prove that he can return to his 2007 form for this team to have a shot at a winning record this year.
Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.
Offseason Additions: Duke Preston (C); Anthony Smith (S).
Offseason Losses: Mark Tauscher (OT); Colin Cole (DT).
Player to Watch: Aaron Rodgers, QB.
In throwing for 4,038 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first year as Green Bay’s starter, Rodgers made Packer fans completely forget about the Brett Favre era. Okay, so he didn’t do that, but he did put to rest a lot of the doubt fans had about whether or not he could become a legitimate franchise quarterback. Now entering his second year, Rodgers’ challenge is to take this team to the next level and get them into the playoffs. His best attribute is that he’s fundamentally sound and most of his success (unsurprisingly) comes when he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He has also shown good mobility outside of the pocket and isn’t afraid to take a risk in order to cash in on a big play. The problem that he sometimes gets into is when he fails to progress through all of his reads. While this can be an issue for most quarterbacks, it’s the only thing that is holding Rodgers back from being great. He can’t fall into patterns of making pre-snap reads and then not adjusting when the defense reacts to where he wants to go with the ball. If he works through his progressions more and cuts down on the mistakes, he’s going to do big things in 2009.
Team Strength: While age is a problem, the Packers strength (at least on defense) is their secondary. At 33, Charles Woodson continues to be one of the top corners in the game and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Al Harris is losing a step and didn’t have a great preseason, which is why many think that nickelback Tramon Williams will push for more playing time and eventually succeed Harris at the corner position opposite Woodson. Williams has excellent speed, as does dimeback Will Blackmon, and is an emerging starter. For as good as Woodson is, free safety Nick Collins is the star of this group. Collins is outstanding in coverage and seemingly knows where the quarterback wants to go with the ball every time he drops back to pass. He doesn’t play the run particularly well, but that job is reserved for hard-hitting strong safety Atari Bigby, so Green Bay doesn’t lose much in that area.
HC McDaniels says that Brandon Marshall’s attitude has been “great” since returning from suspension. He went on to say that Marshall could “absolutely” contribute in Week 1. Marshall’s stock is still a little shaky, but this is exactly what his owners were looking for coming out of last week’s suspension. He’s a solid start against a traditionally bad Cincy defense.
Pierre Thomas misses Wednesday practice, likely out for Week 1. I wrote about this yesterday and suggested that owners pick up Mike Bell to start against the Lions on Sunday. It’s a great matchup and Bell proved in Denver that he is more than capable of posting good numbers.
Check out all of our 2009 NFL team previews.
Offseason Additions: Jovan Haye (DT); Nate Washington (WR); Patrick Ramsey (QB).
Offseason Losses: Albert Haynesworth (DT); Justin McCareins (WR); Brandon Jones (WR).
Player to Watch: Tony Brown, DT.
The Titans lost their biggest and best defender this offseason when Albert Haynesworth signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Redskins. So meet Tony Brown, the man responsible for filling Haynesworth’s massive shoes. At 6’3” and 285 pounds, Brown isn’t the gargantuan that the 6’7”, 320-pound Haynesworth is, but that’s not to say that Brown isn’t capable of manning his former teammate’s old position. He nearly made the Pro Bowl last season and while he definitely benefited from offensive lines doubling Haynesworth, Brown is great at getting off the ball and causing havoc in the opponent’s backfields. While replacing Haynesworth won’t be easy, if Brown learns how to handle double-teams then the Titans’ defensive line should be fine.
Team Strength: The Titans’ strength is that they carry out the Cover 2 scheme to perfection. Losing Haynesworth and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz (who took over as head coach of the Lions) hurts, but Chuck Cecil is up to the task of taking over a unit that is technically sound as a group. Tennessee does an excellent job of keeping its linemen fresh by rotating them throughout the game. Their depth is outstanding and all of their linemen know how to disrupt their opponents’ game plans. But for as good as the Titans are up front, the secondary is what separates them from the pack. Cortland Finnegan has developed into a solid cover corner and while he needs to cut back on the penalties, he’s emerged as a rising star in the league. Nick Harper is aging but a perfect fit in the Cover 2 scheme based on his skill set and safeties Chris Hope and Michael Griffin know their jobs and carry out their assignments to a T. Of course, linebacker Keith Bulluck continues to be the heartbeat of the Titans’ defense.
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑