Category: NFL (Page 262 of 1282)

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 12: Where Maurice Morris is fantasy relevant once again

      November 23, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 26: Running back Maurice Morris of the Detroit Lions carries the ball against the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field on September 26, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Lions 24-10. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      Shaun Hill (8.8)
      In his last six full games, Hill has averaged 290 yards and 1.8 TDs, so why is he still available in 91% of ESPN leagues. He has a great matchup this week (NE) and the fantasy playoffs (@TB, @MIA) look pretty good too.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (32.4)
      The Bengals weren’t a great matchup for Fitzy, but he shredded them to the tune of 316 yards and four TDs in a big comeback win. He has proven that he’s startable even in bad matchups, but Week 14 (CLE) and Week 16 (NE) look tasty, assuming the weather in Buffalo cooperates (and that’s a BIG assumption).

      Josh Freeman (59.1)
      Freeman has now thrown two TDs in each of his last three games, and has thrown for at least 212 yards or two TDs in nine of 10 games this season. In other words, he’s been really consistent, and with a favorable fantasy playoff schedule (@WAS, DET, SEA), he’s a nice guy to have on the roster.

      Sam Bradford (28.4)
      Bradford is posting the best rookie season of any QB since Matt Ryan. He had two more TDs (along with 233 yards) against the Falcons on Sunday, and has a couple of nice matchups (@DEN, @ARI) coming up. And while other QBs will be battling the elements, Bradford will be playing indoors during the entire fantasy playoffs (@NO, KC, SF).

      Jon Kitna (11.7)
      Kitna has posted back-to-back three-TD games in the last two weeks against a pair of pretty good pass defenses. The next two weeks (NO, @IND) are kind of tough, but Week 15 (WAS) and 16 (@ARI) are tantalizing, assuming Tony Romo is still sidelined.

      Matt Cassel (43.8)
      After a tremendous 469-yard, four-TD effort in Week 10, Cassel posted a solid 193 yards and two scores against the Cardinals. The schedule for the next two weeks is nice (@SEA, DEN) and he wouldn’t be a terrible start in Week 15.

      David Garrard (53.3)
      It wasn’t pretty, but Garrard mustered 254 yards and two scores against CLE, though he did turn the ball over four times. He has a terrible matchup this week (@NYG), but can be used in Week 14 (OAK) and Week 16 (WAS) as part of a QBBC.

      Matt Hasselbeck (14.3)
      He posted good numbers (366 yards, TD) in a bad matchup, and other than a semi-tough matchup against the Panthers pass D in Week 13, his schedule is quite favorable down the stretch.

      Bruce Gradkowski (0.9)
      He replaced the ineffective Jason Campbell and is likely to be the starter going forward. He has nice matchups in Week 14 (@JAX) and 15 (DEN).

      Tyler Thigpen (0.9)
      Okay, he looked pretty awful against the Bears, but everyone is struggling against Chicago’s pass defense right now. With OAK, CLE, BUF and DET up in the next five weeks, Thigpen isn’t a bad guy to use in deeper leagues.

      Derek Anderson (3.8)
      He hasn’t been terrible lately, throwing for one TD in each of the last four games. Other than a Week 15 game in Carolina, the schedule looks pretty nice down the stretch.

      Colt McCoy (4.2)
      He has accounted for one TD (two pass, one rush) in each of the last three games, but other than a Week 14 trip to Buffalo, the schedule is pretty rough.

      Brian St. Pierre (0.1)
      Well, the schedule is pretty nice, so there’s that…

      Rusty Smith (0.0)
      He’s taking over for the Titans at the right time, with the Texans and Jags up the next two weeks. Throw in another date with Houston in Week 15, and Smith could post surprisingly decent numbers down the stretch.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Titans to place Vince Young on injured reserve

      November 22, 2010 /
      JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 18: Quarterback Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans grimaces in pain during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the game at EverBank Field on October 18, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      The first step in ensuring that quarterback Vince Young never takes another snap in Tennessee has just been taken.

      Titans’ coach Jeff Fisher told the media on Monday that the team will place Young on injured reserve. Young tore a tendon in his thumb in an overtime loss to the Redskins on Sunday and afterwards Fisher said that the quarterback wouldn’t retain his job whether he needed surgery or not. Rusty Smith, who replaced Young on Sunday, will remain the starter and Chris Simms was signed as his backup.

      Owner Bud Adams is still a VY fan but it’s apparent that Fisher is not. The two of them got into a “verbal confrontation” following the loss to Washington and Young apparently berated Fisher under his breath as the coach was trying to address the team in the locker room. Young also reportedly tossed his shoulder pads into the stands at LP Field.

      Adams has since stated that Young will definitely be a Titan in 2011, but that remains to be seen. He’s due a roster bonus of $4.25 million and if Fisher has no plans to start the 27-year-old next year, then the Titans could be forced to trade or waive him in the offseason. It doesn’t make sense to pay that much money (he’s also owed over $8 million in base salary next year) to a backup that’ll never see the field.

      Placing Young on I.R. is only the tip of the iceberg.

      External Sports, NFL

      If Childress wants another job, he’ll have to change his approach with players

      November 22, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Brad Childress and Ray Edwards #91 of the Minnesota Vikings against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 20, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      My guess is that it’ll be a while before Brad Childress finds another head coaching job in the NFL. And if he doesn’t change his philosophy on how to mange relationships with players, then he may never have another chance.

      One of the main reasons Vikings’ owner Zygi Wilf hired Childress in 2006 is because he thought Childress would help restore order off the field. The “Love Boat Scandal” was still fresh on everyone’s minds and Wilf fell for Childress’ harden approach with players.

      The problem is that Childress didn’t have much coaching experience at the time. He had never been a head coach at any level and while he was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles before arriving in Minnesota, head coach Andy Reid called most of Philadelphia’s plays over that span. Thus, Childress’ football resume was highly barren of legitimate experience.

      There were also warning signs about the way Childress handled players. It was highly reported that Terrell Owens had asked Childress not to speak to him during the 2005 season. When he did get to Minnesota, several veteran quarterbacks including Brad Johnson and Gus Frerotte didn’t see eye-to-eye with Childress because they weren’t allowed to go off-script during games.

      Childress also got into a spat with Brett Favre last year because he didn’t appreciate the veteran quarterback’s freelancing. More recently, he’s gotten into spats with receiver Percy Harvin and cornerback Antoine Winfield. Out of the handful of articles that I read so far on his firing, not one player has defended or stuck up for him. That says a lot.

      All of this leads to the obvious: Childress doesn’t know how to handle NFL personalities. He desperately wanted Favre to be his quarterback, but he didn’t know how to handle Brett’s massive ego. He wanted Randy Moss to save his fleeting passing game, but the first time the receiver gave him any guff he waived him on the spot.

      Some coaches can get away with being a disciplinary. Bill Cowher made his mark in Pittsburgh with that approach, although he also knew how to strike a rapport with players. He knew he couldn’t constantly belittle them or they’d eventually turn their backs on him, which is exactly what happened to Childress. Vikings players put up with him last year because they were winning. But now that this has become a lost season, they had no problem giving marginal effort for a guy whom they don’t respect.

      All this leads to is this: if Childress doesn’t change his ways then he might as well drop down to the college ranks where players are easier to mold. While he’s down there, he may want to learn how to maximize his players’ strengths, too. It never ceased to amaze me how much he misused Adrian Peterson throughout his years in Minnesota. But that’s a topic for another time.

      For now, “Chilly” might want to work on his people skills.

      External Sports, NFL

      Mark Sanchez great under pressure vs. Texans

      November 22, 2010 /
      EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 21: Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets throws against the Houston Texans during their game on November 21, 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

      At the start of the year, the one thing most said would keep the New York Jets from reaching the Super bowl was the play of quarterback Mark Sanchez.

      But it’s Sanchez’s play (which, albeit, is highly erratic at times) of late that now has people believing in Gang Green.

      In the Jets’ thrilling 30-27 come-from-behind win over the Texans on Sunday, Sanchez did some incredibly things under pressure. According to ESPN Stats & Information, when the Texans sent five or more pass-rushers at the Jets’ QB, Sanchez completed 12-of-18 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. He also didn’t throw any interceptions under that amount of pressure, compiled a 141.0 passer rating and scrambled twice for 22 yards.

      When the Texans sent six pass-rushers, Sanchez completed five-of-seven passes and three touchdowns, which is incredible.

      “This is a different guy,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “He’s got great experience, 25 games as an NFL starter. He grew so much in the offseason. I always mention it. His teammates know that he’s the first guy in and the last guy to leave. He does it every single day. He’s prepared. He prepares like a pro. Now he’s reaping the benefits. Our whole football team and our fan base is reaping the benefits.

      “We knew when we drafted him that we drafted the right guy. He’s going to be the right guy for the next 10 years here.”

      Now, this doesn’t mean that Sanchez has “figured it out” or that he “gets it.” But considering this was the same quarterback that often pooped his drawers last year (or in Week 1 against the Ravens) at the first sign of pressure, those stats are impressive.

      More importantly than any stat is the fact that Sanchez and the Jets are 8-2 and hold a tiebreaker over the Patriots in the AFC East. Not all of their wins have been pretty and they’ve had some nearly devastating collapses in each of their last two games. But they’re finding ways to win.

      External Sports, NFL

      Vikings finally fire Brad Childress

      November 22, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings reacts late in the second half the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      On the heels of a humiliating loss to their bitter rivals, the Minnesota Vikings have fired Brad Childress and named defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier interim head coach, per Adam Schefter.

      I’m sure Anthony will have something more to say on the matter, but as a longtime Packer fan, I’m a little sad to see Chilly go. It has been fun to watch the Vikings’ downward spiral starting with their disappointing last-minute loss in the NFC championship game to the cluster#%&* that is this season. Childress lost the locker room a while ago, and since he’s not winning, there’s no point in keeping him around.

      It’s possible that owner Zygi Wilf saw how the Cowboys suddenly became respectable once they made a head coaching change and decided to follow suit after the Packers took his team behind the woodshed on Sunday. Or maybe he just wanted to see what Frazier could do with this team for the rest of the season before potentially committing to him long term. (Though with the way the defense played — and bickered — against the Packers, the defense definitely has its issues as well.)

      So let the speculation begin. Even before this news, there were already rumors that Wilf might tag Bill Parcells to come in and change the team’s culture. There are a number of other good candidates out there as well, including Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher.

      And — gasp! — what if a new coach meant that Brett Favre might want to come back for another go-around!?!

      Buckle your seat belts, people!

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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