Category: External Sports (Page 420 of 821)

      Strength of Schedule: Week 11

      November 16, 2010 /

      This has been in the works for a couple of weeks now, but I’m pleased to present strength of schedule for all the main fantasy football positions, including PPR SOS for RBs, WRs and TEs. For years, I’ve been using the SOS over at Footballguys.com, but they don’t provide PPR SOS, so I thought I’d develop my own process.

      What am I looking at?

      Below you’ll see a table for each position with a list of team names on the left. If a square is pink, it means that the matchup is tough. If it’s green, it means it’s a favorable matchup. On the far right, the column “R16” shows the average SOS for the remaining weeks.

      It’s important to note that this is NOT straight fantasy points allowed. I removed the bias of schedule by looking at the opponents of each defense and how they fared in their other games. For example, if a particular defense faced a series of great QBs, then that is taken into account in these tables.

      How do I use these tables?

      Generally speaking, I use strength of schedule as a tiebraker between two similarly ranked players. Let’s say I’m trying to decide between starting Fred Jackson and Ronnie Brown. All else being equal, these two players are very close in my mind. But if Jackson has a great matchup and Brown has a bad matchup, the choice is clear. In fact, if Jackson just has a mediocre matchup while Brown has a bad matchup, I’d probably go with Jackson.

      Be careful not to read too much into these tables. You aren’t going to bench Chris Johnson in a bad matchup unless you somehow have Arian Foster waiting in the wings.

      Note: I apologize for the size of the text, but there really is no other way for me to present this data, at least not at this point.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Steelers waive kicker Jeff Reed, sign Shaun Suisham

      November 16, 2010 /
      PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Jeff Reed of the Pittsburgh Steelers watches the game from the bench during the game against the New England Patriots on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

      The Steelers have officially given the boot to struggling kicker Jeff Reed. (Given the boot – get it? Ha! Get it? Yeah, you get it.)

      Reed, who has a history of off-field problems, was just 15-of-22 in field goal tries this season and one of his attempts on Sunday night in a loss to the Patriots was one of the nastiest kicks you’ll ever see a professional take. He blamed the field goal on the turf at Heinz Field, which is the very meaning of not taking responsibly for ones actions.

      To replace Reed, Pittsburgh signed Shaun Suisham, who was 20-for-24 last year in Dallas. He’s been awfully inconsistent throughout the years but at least the Steelers won’t have to worry about him destroying a paper towel holder in the bathroom at a convenience store or cited for public intoxication. (Or looking like this.)

      That said, it should be known that Reed does donate $300 to “Kick For Kids” for every field goal he makes. He’s also been involved in several breast cancer awareness charities, so he’s not a complete tool.

      External Sports, NFL

      Roy Halladay wins NL Cy Young Award

      November 16, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay delivers a pitch to the Cincinnatiti Reds during the third inning in Game 1 of the MLB National League Division Series baseball playoffs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 6, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      After cruising through his first season in the National League, Roy Halladay was given the 2010 National League Cy Young Award.

      Halladay was the unanimous choice after posting a 21-10 record with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over 33 starts. He also struck out 219 batters while walking only 30, and finished with two no-hitters (one of which came in his first ever postseason appearance).

      Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals finished second in the voting and the Rockies’ Ubaldo Jimenz finished third despite being the unanimous choice early in the year. Tim Lincecum, who won the past two NL Cy Young awards, finished 11th despite beating Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Derek Lowe and Cliff Lee (twice) in the postseason.

      While Cardinal fans are still crying about how Wainwright didn’t win the award in 2009, they have nothing to say this year. Halladay was the clear-cut choice while receiving all 32 first-place votes. The award caps off an amazing year.

      External Sports, MLB

      Hall, Landry taunt DeSean Jackson about concussion

      November 16, 2010 /
      LANDOVER - SEPTEMBER 12: DeAngelo Hall of the Washington Redskins celebrates his touchdown during the NFL season opener against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on September 12, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

      According to a report by Rotoworld.com, Redskins’ cornerback DeAngelo Hall and safety LaRon Landry allegedly taunted DeSean Jackson before the Eagles gave Washington the beating of a lifetime on Monday night.

      Hall and Landry were seen making “pillow gestures” toward Jackson and told the wide receiver “night, night,” leading to a pre-game skirmish. Hall denied the allegation, but the former Falcon’s classless history leaves little room for benefit of the doubt. Jackson, of course, had the last word, easily fending off Hall’s jam on the first play of scrimmage and dusting Landry down the deep middle for an 88-yard touchdown bomb to kick-start the blowout. Eagles C Mike McGlynn also accused Landry of spitting in his face during the game.

      Rotoworld sums up the situation perfectly: Unless you were standing right there, you don’t know what all was said. However, Hall has a reputation for being a classless player so when situations like these come up, you tend not to believe whatever comes out of his gigantic mouth.

      If Hall and Landry did what the Eagles are saying they did, then they certainly got what was coming to them. Hall must think because he intercepted four Jay Cutler passes that were thrown right between his numbers that he’s entitled to act like an idiot. But in the end he got torched, which is nothing new for him.

      External Sports, NFL

      2010 NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

      November 16, 2010 /
      PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 14: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots throws a pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 14, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

      That No. 1 spot is a curse, I tell you – a curse.

      Got nasty?

      Check out Week 10’s Power Rankings

      1. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 1
      I’m well aware that the Cowboys blew the Giants back to the Stone Age last Sunday. But I don’t think the Giants got exposed – I think they just got caught flatfooted. They expected a bad Cowboys team to play dead like they had done in previous weeks and instead the Giants ran into an emotional buzz saw looking to prove a point under their new coach. I’ll give NY a mulligan, although a loss to the Eagles this Sunday and we will have a new No. 1 next week. And that’s a f*&king promise.

      2. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 9
      I don’t know what to do with this team. One week they’re losing to the Browns and the next they’re dismantling the Steelers. It’s early in the week so I have the right to change my mind, but I think New England beats Indy this Sunday and that’s why I have no choice but to move the Pats up to this spot. Do I feel good about the decision? Is Ed “Too Tall” Jones too tall? Wait…

      3. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 2
      If the Steelers had that much trouble with the Patriots, what will Peyton Manning do to them? The Colts can go up-tempo with the best of ‘em and that’s how New England completely dismantled Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Suddenly, this team looks awfully vulnerable.

      4. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 5
      The Jets are back to winning ugly again – just as they did last season. And we all know how last season turned out. (Uh, with a trip to the AFC Championship – not a loss to the Colts, although both occurred…on the same day.)

      5. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 7
      Michael Vick and the Eagles look like an unstoppable force right now. Forget the their complete and utter domination of the Redskins on Monday night: they’ve already crushed the Falcons (with Kevin Kolb starting, no less) and handled the Colts. Granted, both of those games were at home but guess where they play the Giants this Sunday? At home. If they light up their NFC East rivals this weekend, then maybe Philly is on a crash course with the No. 1 spot.

      6. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 8
      I’m being very cautious with the Falcons. That nasty loss to the Eagles is still fresh in my mind and this team loves to let opponents hang around. Still, beating Baltimore on Thursday night was impressive and despite the fact that I have the Giants and eagles ranked ahead of them, Atlanta holds the top seed in the NFC right now. Hopefully a letdown isn’t forthcoming in St. Louis this weekend.

      7. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 3
      Why the big drop following a win? It’s hard to explain. The Colts’ defense played well last week against the Bengals, but Cincinnati’s defense held Peyton Manning in check. It’s almost like this Indy team can’t play well on one side of the ball without looking suspect on the other. Not to get ahead of myself, but I also think the Colts will have a hard time beating the Patriots in New England this Sunday. But I’ll make them a deal: Win this Sunday and the No. 2 spot will be reserved for them for the next two weeks.

      8. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 6
      Poor Packers didn’t even play and they were dropped two spots. Sorry, but the Patriots, Eagles and Falcons’ wins were too impressive not to move them up.

      9. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 4
      The Ravens can bitch and moan all they want about Roddy White’s push-off but the bottom line is that they were dominated in the first half and had White caught a 3rd-and-4 pass with just over three minutes remaining, the final two drives don’t matter. Baltimore just needs to regroup.

      10. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 10
      Do the Saints play every game at home? I just looked at the schedule and they play in New Orleans again this week – for the sixth time in nine games. The schedule makers didn’t do the defending champs any favors in the second half though – four of their last six are on the road (which includes trips to Dallas, Baltimore and Atlanta).

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

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