Category: NFL (Page 1198 of 1282)

      The Fantasy Football Awards: 1st Quarter

      October 3, 2006 /

      Week 4 has come and gone, which means that we’re one quarter the way through the fantasy season, making it a good time to hand out a few awards. These awards are based on a performance scoring league, such as this one at Antsports.com.

      QUARTERBACKS

      MVP: Donovan McNabb (29.2 ppg)
      McNabb has been simply terrific thus far, and is probably the fantasy MVP regardless of position. Through the first four games, he’s averaging 312 pass yards, 2.25 TD, 22 rush yards, 0.5 rush TD, and just 0.25 INT. This yields a stellar QB rating of 106.0. Now that’s the way you bounce back from a disappointing season, though he may run into trouble if Brian Westbrook can’t stay healthy.

      Honorable Mention: Eli Manning (23.9), Peyton Manning (22.7)

      Biggest Surprise: Rex Grossman (20.9)
      I almost awarded this to Frye, but Grossman’s numbers are a bit better and neither guy was really expected to do much this season. Grossman loves to throw the long ball, and he’s got three pretty good weapons in Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian and Desmond Clark. I don’t think these fantasy numbers will hold up once the temperatures drop and the wind really starts blowing at Soldier Field, but you can’t take anything away from the way he’s playing right now.

      Honorable Mention: Charlie Frye (20.1), David Carr (19.8)

      Biggest Disappointment: Aaron Brooks (3.1)
      Two games, 6.2 total fantasy points. Brooks was selected in the middle rounds of a lot of drafts as a top backup or a borderline starter and he’s been awful thus far. Now he’s injured with no set timetable for return. I wonder if he wishes he was still in New Orleans…

      Dishonorable Mention: Jake Plummer (11.1), Carson Palmer (16.6)

      RUNNING BACKS

      MVP: Larry Johnson (23.9)
      I was ready to hand this award to Brian Westbrook, who averaged 29 points through the first three games, but he hung his owners out to dry Monday night when his knee swelled up, so I’m counting that goose egg in his average. LJ is running behind a KC offensive line that is a shell of what it once was, but he’s been consistent (20, 22, 30) thus far it doesn’t look like the O-line or the absence of Trent Green is really hurting him.

      Honorable Mention: LaDainian Tomlinson (22.2), Brian Westbrook (21.8)

      Biggest Surprise: Frank Gore (20.0)
      Gore is a talented back, but I wasn’t expecting #4 RB numbers. His stats have gone down each week, so it will be interesting to see how he holds up the rest of the season. He has a long injury history, so Gore owners should handcuff Michael Robinson in case he goes down.

      Honorable Mention: Laurence Maroney (15.3), Ahman Green (14.6)

      Biggest Disappointment: LaMont Jordan (9.2)
      Despite a wonderful game in Week 4, Jordan’s first quarter is still a disappointment as a whole. This guy was going in the middle of the first round, and he can’t even muster double digits for his owners. Last week’s game is encouraging, so hopefully we won’t see his name in this category at midseason.

      Dishonorable Mention: Carnell Williams (9.3), Shaun Alexander (12.6)

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      MVP: Andre Johnson (20.8)
      Houston is always behind, so it’s not a big surprise that AJ is getting a lot of passes thrown his way. The surprise is that he’s actually catching them. He’s definitely benefiting from the arrival of HC Gary Kubiak and Eric Moulds, while David Carr seems to be turning the corner. Finally, it looks like we’ll get to see how good this kid can be.

      Honorable Mention: Torry Holt (19.3), Laveranues Coles (19.3)

      Biggest Surprise: Marques Colston (17.9)
      Don’t draft rookie WRs. Remember that rule? Well you can forget it. Between Colston and Greg Jennings, rookie WRs are alive and well. Colston has been especially productive, averaging 5 catches for 84 yards and 0.75 TD through the first four games. If you were wondering why the Saints traded away Donte Stallworth, this guy is the reason.

      Honorable Mention: Bernard Berrian (16.3), Jerricho Cotchery (16.1)

      Biggest Disappointment: Randy Moss (7.1)
      Notice a trend here? Moss makes the third Raider to win this award in the first quarter. Moss’ performance has been especially bad. Through four games, he has seven catches for 84 yards and a TD. Those aren’t averages – those are his totals. What’s worse, he’s showing very little effort on the field and his body language doesn’t give the impression that he wants to do any better.

      Dishonorable Mention: Hines Ward (8.3), Rod Smith (6.8)

      TIGHT ENDS

      MVP: Kellen Winslow (14.2)
      The self-proclaimed “best TE in the league” has lived up to his own billing thus far, and has provided his young QB with a great target over the middle. If his knee holds up, the sky is the limit for this kid, if he just shuts his mouth.

      Honorable Mention: Todd Heap (13.2), Tony Gonzalez (12.6)

      Biggest Surprise: Desmond Clark (11.1)
      Clark went undrafted in most leagues, but he’s shown flashes of good pass-catching ability during his career. He’s benefiting from the emergence of Rex Grossman and should continue to get enough balls thrown his way to finish in the top 10 at his position.

      Honorable Mention: Bo Scaife (8.0), George Wrighster (7.0)

      Biggest Disappointment: Antonio Gates (9.4)
      Count me among those that took Gates in the third round, expecting Phillip Rivers to lean on him heavily in his first season. Thus far, ultra-conservative MartyBall has limited the production of both players and hopefully last week’s loss to Baltimore will convince the old coach to loosen the purse strings a little bit. Gates is one of the most devastating weapons in the league. The Chargers need to use him to take the pressure off of LT.

      Dishonorable Mention: Chris Cooley (5.5), Randy McMichael (5.3), Jason Witten (6.2)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Does Haynesworth deserve to be charged as a criminal?

      October 3, 2006 /

      Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was suspended for five games by the NFL Monday, for kicking Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Andre Gurode in the head during the Titans 45-14 on Sunday.

      The play occurred with 11:53 remaining in the third quarter when Haynesworth stomped on the head of Gurode, whose helmet had come off during or after a 5-yard touchdown run by Julius Jones.

      Gurode needed 30 stitches to seal up to cuts above and below his eye.

      Haynesworth apologized after the game and called his behavior “disgusting”, “embarrassing” and a disgrace to his name.

      My question is – does this situation deserve legal attention? If a fight breaks out on a street corner and a man gets kicked in the face – wouldn’t there be legal ramifications that the kicker would have to deal with?

      This question is probably a moot point since Gurode has already decided not to press any charges against Haynesworth, but it’s certainly an interesting debate.

      My opinion is that this guy should be suspended for the rest of the season – no questions asked. It’s a privilege to play in the NFL and Haynesworth voided that privilege when he decided to take the bottom of his shoe across a defenseless man’s face. I also believe that it’s up to the victim whether or not to press criminal charges and if Gurode doesn’t seem like that is necessary – than so be it.

      Anybody think that five games is too light of a suspension? Or is it too much?

      NFL

      Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Watch, Week 5

      October 3, 2006 /

      QUARTERBACKS

      Chad Pennington, David Carr, Jon Kitna and Charlie Frye are probably not available in most 12-team leagues, but all four have continued to play well and should serve as decent spot starters…Alex Smith had a very tough game against an improved Chiefs defense and actually has a difficult schedule the next several weeks…Rex Grossman looks great, maybe the best of this group, but I wonder how his numbers will hold up later in the season when the wind really starts to blow at Soldier Field…Mark Brunell really lit it up this week, which was his second consecutive good game. It looks like the Redskins are catching on to Al Saunders’ offense sooner rather than later. Brunell has three nice matchups before Washington’s bye in Week 8…J.P. Losman has been decent over the first quarter of the season and is a capable option if you are desperate for QB help…Matt Leinart is probably sitting on someone’s roster already, but he’s been named the starter next week, so it will be interesting to see what he can do with a ton of great weapons and a horrible offensive line…Damon Huard can be used as a spot starter for the next couple of weeks while Trent Green continues to recover. If Green is hanging out on the WW, it’s a good time to snatch him up.

      RUNNING BACKS

      I mentioned Maurice Jones-Drew in this column last week, and more and more it looks like he may be the future RB in Jacksonville. He’s short, but he has tree trunks for legs and pretty good quickness…Maurice Morris will probably find the going easier against a defense not named the Bears. It looks like Shaun Alexander is going to be out for a little longer than expected, so if Morris is still on the WW, he’s a smart pickup…Cedric Houston looked like the best RB on the Jets roster this Sunday, but he left the game with a hyperextended knee and the team has yet to update his condition. If he’s out, Leon Washington would take over the #2 role and could beat out Kevan Barlow later in the season…After Gary Kubiak said that he wanted to split the carries equally between Ron Dayne and Sam Gado, Dayne carried the ball 22 times for just 58 yards against Miami, while Gado only garnered six carries for nine yards. Only the desperate should dive into this situation…Brian Westbrook missed the Monday night game and Correll Buckhalter took his spot in the starting lineup, rushing for 49 yards on 11 carries. Unfortunately, he fumbled twice near the goal line and lost carries to Ryan Moats later in the game. It’s not clear anymore who Westbrook’s handcuff should be…Vernand Morency got the start in place of an injured Ahman Green and rushed for 99 yards on 26 carries, while catching six passes for 19 yards. He doesn’t run with good balance or patience, but he hit the hole hard and earned some tough yards. If Green’s injuries continue, Morency will be a hot commodity in performance leagues.

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      Marques Colston, Jerricho Cotchery, Reggie Williams and Bernard Berrian shouldn’t be on your WW, but if they are, they are all solid adds, in that order…I mentioned Mike Furrey last week, and his two touchdowns against the Rams will certainly help his stock. It appears that he is a solid second receiving option alongside Roy Williams in Mike Martz’ offense…Doug Gabriel was also listed in last week’s column and Tom Brady looked his way nine times against the Bengals. Gabriel finished with four catches for 57 yards and a score…Joe Jurevicius returned to action this week and caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. He should find plenty of room to roam playing alongside Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow.

      TIGHT ENDS

      Desmond Clark returned this week after missing a game due to injury. He’s a nice third option after Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian…Chris Cooley is probably still on some patient owner’s roster, but if he’s on the WW, he’s a great pickup. He caught four passes for 77 yards and will benefit from the improvement in the Redskin offense…Ben Troupe might have been cut after a dismal start, but he caught a touchdown pass this week. Maybe Vince Young will look his way more than Kerry Collins did, but so far, Bo Scaife still leads the Titans TEs in production.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Monday Night Wrap: Green Bay at Philadelphia

      October 2, 2006 /

      It’s amazing how a game can change on a drop of a dime.

      The Packers headed into halftime with a 9-7, felt good about possibly stealing one on the road against a solid team – only to lay an egg in the second half and get run over by Donovan McNabb and the Eagles 31-9.

      Nothing from the game was very pretty, but here are some random thoughts on all things Packers, Eagles and of course, Tony Kornheiser:

      – Does Joe Theisman have to remind the audience every time he does a broadcast that he was a quarterback in the National Football League? Some how, every single week he puts himself into a discussion about when he used to play.

      Now, I understand that it’s inevitable that a former player turned color commentator is going to talk about his playing days. But come on Joe, we don’t need to be reminded every week – and the bit about making fun of yourself in some capacity during the game is just getting old now.

      – Speaking of the broadcast team – is Kornheiser’s only role up in that booth to play a sideshow puppet to Theisman? Couldn’t they have gotten some guy off the street to do that? Why did they need a national figure to feed Theisman questions all night?

      I’m going to start calling them JoeJoe the Magic Clown and his sidekick Korny.

      – Brian Westbrook misses a game due to injury – never saw it coming. It’s not like BW has missed games before because of injuries or anything.

      – Actually, the real shock is that somehow, someway – Correll Buckhalter is still off the Eagles IR list one-fourth of a way into the season.

      – WR Greg Jennings out of Western Michigan is going to be a stud sometime real soon – like maybe throughout the rest of this entire season.

      – Peter King of SI.com had the Eagles rated at No. 4 overall in his “Fine Fifteen”. Number four in the entire NFL? I wouldn’t put them first in their own division right now (give me Dallas), nevertheless fourth in the entire league.

      – I gotta ask this: Do Green Bay fans ever get tired of the constant Brett Favre banter that’s heard during a national broadcast? Or is that just the rest of the NFL world?

      I love the guy. I think Favre has had an amazing career, I’ve enjoyed watching him accomplish many feats in the NFL and think he is one of the toughest guys every to play the game.

      He’s not retiring until he says he is, so please, forget that question and just watch the guy play while you still have a chance – even if it’s brutal at times.

      – What the hell was place kicker David Akers doing at the end of the first half by trying to fake a field goal by passing to a backup tight end? There were four seconds left on the clock and instead of just trying the 54 yard field goal, Akers decided that it was a better idea to throw for a touchdown…to the backup tight end…with about nine Packers on him…and no time left on the clock…

      – Packers’ cornerback Ahmad Carroll was beaten likes a piñata by McNabb tonight.

      – Speaking of McNabb – why would anybody criticize this guy? Mike Tirico, JoeJoe the Magic Clown and his sidekick puppet Korny announced during the game that McNabb called T.O. after he heard about his supposed suicide attempt and let him know that if he needed anything not to hesitate to call.

      Wasn’t this also the guy that once played virtually an entire game on a broken ankle, played with a sports hernia and about nine cracked ribs last season and oh yeah – had to put up with Owens’ shenanigans for about four months?

      Is there something I’m missing about McNabb? Maybe he punches babies or maybe doesn’t signal while crossing over lanes – or possibly doesn’t tip servers the recommended 15% – because the guy seems to be pretty stand up to me.

      – The Eagles fan faithful also wanted to make sure Owens’ was okay. One of the guys in the stands had a sign that read: HOPE YOU’RE FEELING BETTER T.O. SO WE CAN BEAT YOU.

      Ahh, Philly fans – are there any more decent people in the world but those fine folks?

      – I think the perfect way for the Packers to end the night was exactly the way they did. Four cracks at the end zone from the one yard line and Mike McCarthy and his staff call the same dive play to Vernand Morency who gets stuffed all four times. Amazing.

      NFL

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