Category: NFL (Page 247 of 1282)

      2010 NFL Week 14 Power Rankings

      December 7, 2010 /
      FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: (L-R) Jermaine Cunningham and Jarrad Page of the New England Patriots celebrate a defensive stop in the second quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

      In what is often viewed as the most exciting time of year, I just realized that there’s only four weeks left in the regular season.

      Is it really almost over? Where did the time go? The Kansas City Chiefs are what?!

      Check out Week 13’s Power Rankings

      1. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 1
      Many people believe the Jets aren’t as good as their record indicates and honestly, I don’t have a problem with that logic. I predicted in preseason that the Jets wouldn’t make the playoffs, so I’m well aware of their potential fluke-e-ness. That said, to insinuate that the only reason the Patriots dominated on Monday night was because the Jets aren’t that good would be an insult to New England. The Jets may be overrated, but they’re not 45-3 in what was supposed to be a matchup of the two best teams in the AFC overrated.

      2. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 2
      We knew the Falcons were going to have issues with the Bucs last week. They were coming off a four-game stretch have playing playoff contenders, had won five in a row and hadn’t turned the ball over in four-straight games. They were due to have a letdown and seeing as how competitive Tampa has been this season, it wasn’t shocking that Atlanta needed all 60 minutes to win last Sunday. But it was impressive that they were able to pull off yet another fourth quarter comeback. All this team does is win.

      3. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 3
      Ben Roethlisberger was playing on a broken foot, suffered a broken nose in the first quarter, had little protection and no running game Sunday night in Baltimore and he still found a way to lead the Steelers to victory (albeit with a huge assist from Troy Polamalu). What a gritty performance.

      4. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 5
      I’m a little shocked that the Saints’ defense allowed Carson Palmer and the inconsistent Cincinnati offense to march up and down the field on them, but winning on the road is never easy and that’s exactly what New Orleans did. That Monday Night Football game between the Saints and Falcons in two weeks is shaping up to be the game of the year.

      5. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 4
      I have all kinds of issues ranking the Jets in the top 5 after the Patriots dismantled them on Monday night, but I’ve given other teams in the top 10 mulligans so this will be New York’s. That said, you’ve got issues, Rex Ryan.

      6. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 6
      I don’t take issue with John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-two and not attempt a 48-yard field goal into the swirling wind on Sunday night. Had Joe Flacco not short-armed the throw to Ed Dickson, the drive would have continued and maybe the Ravens would have pulled out a victory in overtime. That said, I do have issue with Flacco not making an adjustment when he saw Troy Polamalu was about to blitz on the Ravens’ previous possession. Flacco has to audible in that situation to avoid disaster, which is exactly what occurred when Polamalu stripped him from behind.

      7. Chicago Bears
      Previous Week: 7
      That was a pretty uninspiring win for the Bears in Detroit on Sunday. But after beating the Eagles the week prior and everyone jumping on their bandwagon, I guess it was inevitable. The key is that they won and they completely shut the Lions down in the second half.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 8
      The Eagles’ defense looks awfully vulnerable the past two weeks, although not having Asante Samuel in their secondary doesn’t help. Michael Vick and Co. better not overlook a revitalized Cowboys team this weekend.

      9. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 7
      There’s an argument to be made that the Packers should be ranked ahead of the Bears, but given that a) the teams are even, b) the Bears are playing incredibly well right now and c) they’ve already beaten Green Bay once this season, the Pack will have to settle for the No. 9 spot for now. But they’ll have their chance over the next four weeks to prove that they should be hire. It’s going to be a wild stretch-run in the NFC North.

      10. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 11
      I fully admit that I thought the Redskins would give the Giants trouble last week. Now I fully admit that I didn’t grasp how bad the Redskins really are, which is saying something seeing as how bad the Eagles beat them on Monday night a couple of weeks ago, I know.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Kudos to the Redskins for suspending Albert Haynesworth

      December 7, 2010 /
      GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 02: Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins stands on the sidelines during preseason NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 2, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Redskins 20-10. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

      When it comes to the ongoing battle between Albert Haynesworth and the Redskins (especially head coach Mike Shanahan), I often feel as though the team should just cut its losses and move on. After all, Haynesworth doesn’t want to play for Shanahan, he doesn’t want to play in a 3-4 and obviously he’ll continue to be a distraction until he gets out of D.C.

      But after giving it more thought, I actually like how the Redskins are handling the situation. Haynesworth reportedly showed up hungover to Friday’s practice and he also missed a team meeting. He apparently told GM Bruce Allen on Monday that he’s no longer speaking to Shanahan, who issued a statement saying that Haynesworth “refused to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations” and “refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games.”

      So the Redskins suspended him the final four games of the season without pay. Haynesworth will no doubt appeal the suspension and he may win after the NFLPA makes a case that the Redskins have no basis to stop paying him. But no matter how this situation ends (his tenure in Washington is almost surely over), kudus to the Skins for not giving in to what Haynesworth ultimately wants (i.e. to be released).

      Shanahan has a massive ego and he is partly to blame for the way things turned out. Could he have handled the situation better and maybe turned a negative into a positive? Yes, but that ship has sailed now. It’s time for the Skins to put up a collective front.

      They’ve already paid Haynesworth $36.5 million for two seasons and he’s done very little to earn that money. So why reward him by cutting him and giving him the opportunity to play elsewhere? If the Redskins aren’t getting what they want (i.e. a productive defensive tackle who doesn’t moonlight as a pain in the ass), why should he get what he wants?

      Chances are this situation won’t go down smoothly but I applaud the Redskins for digging in their heels and not releasing him. Granted, it may be a stubborn move and let’s not overlook the fact that this is all Daniel Snyder’s fault for paying this guy millions of dollars upfront when Haynesworth had a history of being a malcontent. But at this point, I like what the Skins are doing.

      External Sports, NFL

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 14

      December 7, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 11: Brian Williams , Curtis Lofton and Stephen Nicholas of the Atlanta Falcons tackle Anquan Boldin of the Baltimore Ravens at Georgia Dome on November 11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.

      Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)

      Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.

      To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      Let’s see how my Week 13 picks fared:

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Football Q&A: Week 14

      December 7, 2010 /

      It’s playoff time!

      After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

      If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (Wednesday) when I’ll release my official Week 14 rankings.

      And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

      Also, follow me on Twitter @fantasytips.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      I thought the Jets and Patriots were supposed to be equals?

      December 7, 2010 /
      FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 06: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots reacts after BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on December 6, 2010 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

      I guess I didn’t realize how much Jim Leonhard meant to the Jets.

      Apparently he’s worth about 45 points.

      If the Patriots were trying to make a statement on Monday night in their 45-3 lambasting of the Jets, then statement effectively made. There wasn’t much doubt about who the better team was and I won’t insult the Patriots by saying something like, “the Jets just weren’t prepared.”

      They probably were prepared. And they promptly got their asses handed to them by a team that nobody in the AFC wants to face in Foxboro come postseason time.

      What had to be most concerning to Rex Ryan was that his defense didn’t have the faintest idea of how to stop Tom Brady and New England’s offense. The Jets probably expect Mark Sanchez to look completely useless from time to time (even though he’s been good for most of the season), but I’m willing to bet that one of his defenses never looked like that before. It was like watching Brady and Co. work against the scout team on Wednesday – not a Monday night showdown between two of the best teams in the AFC. I know New York had some injuries on that side of the ball and that Leonhard is a key piece to their defense, but he’s not the difference between the Jets holding opponents to 17.0 points per game and 45 PPG.

      The Patriots still have a lot of issues defensively and the MNF broadcast team pointed out several times during the game that New England struggles on third down offensively. But if last night was any indication, Belichick is starting to iron those issues out. And if the Pats are peaking at the right time, then look out.

      External Sports, NFL

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