Category: NFL (Page 537 of 1282)

The Cardinals have an interesting dilemma

December 29, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

After they beat the Rams last Sunday, many of the Cardinals starters probably figured that they would have Week 17 off against the Packers. But that was before the Vikings lost to the Bears on Monday night and kept Arizona’s hopes alive for clinching the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

The chances of the Cardinals earning the No. 2 spot are slim. They would not only have to beat Green Bay this Sunday, but the Vikings and Eagles would both have to lose as well. That’s a big request, although given that Minnesota plays the Giants and Philadelphia plays the Cowboys, it’s certainly not out of the question.

‘Zona head coach Ken Whisenhunt has quite the dilemma. If he chooses to rest his starters against the Packers, then he’s essentially relinquishing any shot of the No. 2 seed. If he doesn’t rest his starters and the Cards fail to earn the No. 2 seed based on one of the above scenarios, then players like Kurt Warner won’t get any rest heading into the postseason.

Another thing Whisenhunt has to consider is the fact that the Cardinals could wind up hosting the Packers in the Wild Card round next week. If he plays his starters, Green Bay will have plenty of game film to use in preparation to stop Arizona the following week. So what is Whisenhunt to do?

Personally, I think Whisenhunt should play his starters and go for the No. 2 seed now that it’s still in reach. But then again, I’m a risk taker. If you have a shot to earn a first round bye and home field advantage then you have to go for it, regardless of whether or not the odds are stacked against you.

Of course, if the Vikings beat the Giants at 1:00 p.m., none of this will matter because the Cardinals would be eliminated from the No. 2 spot. But if they lose, then I don’t envy Whisenhunt’s decision at 4:00 p.m.

If the Vikings lose, should the Cardinals rest their starters?

NFL

Arizona Cardinals Ken Whisenhunt Kurt Warner

The Vikings’ problems started in Arizona

December 29, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Following their 36-30 overtime loss to the Bears on Monday night, the question that immediately popped into everyone’s minds was: What’s wrong with the Vikings?

If you want to pinpoint when Minnesota’s troubles began, you’ll have to go back three weeks ago in Arizona. At the time, many wrote off the Vikings’ 30-17 loss to the Cardinals as just an “off” night. They had to travel cross country to play a motivated Arizona team and they lost – no big deal right?

But what the Cardinals did that night was expose the Vikings’ weaknesses. Arizona utilized the three-step drop to neutralize Jared Allen and Minnesota’s pass rush in order to move up the field in short, quick bursts. The Vikings couldn’t get to Kurt Warner and he picked them apart.

Another factor that has doomed the Vikings in recent weeks is the loss of middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, who suffered a season-ending injury in that same defeat to the Cardinals. Rookie Jasper Brinkley has filled the void left by Henderson in the middle and what was evident last night is that teams can throw on him at will. Toss in the fact that cornerback Antoine Winfield is playing hurt (he was abused by Jay Cutler a couple times last night) and that the safeties (Madieau Williams has been a ghost) are non-existent and it’s no wonder why Minnesota’s defense has allowed over 100 points in their last four games.

NFL

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Waiver Wire Watch: Week 17

December 29, 2009 / John Paulsen

For all intents and purposes, the fantasy football season is over. Most leagues (wisely) hold their championships in Week 16 to avoid the kind of ~~debacle~~ situation that happened yesterday in the Colts game.

So in lieu of our normal list of waiver wire pickups, I’m going to list a few guys that might be able to help a team that has another game to play in Week 17. I’m looking for two things: 1) the player is readily available on the waiver wire and 2) has a good matchup in Week 17.

Josh Freeman (2.6)
Freeman has averaged 208 yards and 1.1 TD in eight starts and has a nice matchup with a sketchy Falcons defense in Week 17. He throws a lot of picks (2.0 per game), but if you’re in a league that doesn’t penalize too heavily for INTs, he wouldn’t be a bad Week 17 play. Atlanta’s offense is picking up now that Matt Ryan is back under center so the Bucs will probably have to throw to stay in the game.

Justin Forsett (54.6)
Julius Jones re-aggravated his ankle and ribs against the Packers, so expect Forsett to carry the load in Week 17 against a Titans defense that had trouble keeping LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles in check. Forsett is a Sproles-like back, so he should have success against Tennessee.

Donald Brown (58.1)
Brown will probably get the start against the Bills’ league-worst rush defense. Don’t let his numbers (16 carries, 22 yards, TD) against the Jets worry you. He should have a big game against the hapless Bills.

Sammy Morris (33.0)
It looks like Laurence Maroney fumbled his way out of the Pats’ RB1 job. He had four carries for 22 yards before fumbling the ball on his fifth carry as he headed into the endzone. Sammy Morris took over and rushed the ball 12 times for 95 yards and a TD. Moreover, he has a pretty good matchup in Week 17 with the Texans.

Austin Collie (37.6)
He doesn’t have a great matchup (BUF), but the Bills were torched last week against the Falcons, and with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark likely limited or sidelined, Collie could be in for a big day.

Muhsin Muhammad (17.2)
Muhammad’s days of consistent domination are long over, but with Steve Smith sidelined with a broken arm, Muhammad figures to get the lion’s share of targets in a very good matchup against the Saints. New Orleans should be able to put some points on the board, so expect the Panthers to throw the ball to try to stay in the game.

Jermichael Finley (26.7)
He’s still out there on almost three-quarters of ESPN waiver wires and I have no idea why. He has gone over 70 yards receiving in four consecutive games and has three TD in that span. With a nice matchup against Arizona in Week 17, another nice outing is likely.

Todd Heap (38.8)
The four TD that Heap has scored the last two weeks came completely out of nowhere — zero TD in the previous 11 games — but he seems to be rolling now and although the Raiders aren’t a great matchup, he is a big target in the Ravens’ passing game, especially with Mark Clayton sidelined and Derrick Mason banged up.

David Thomas (1.7)
As long as Jeremy Shockey is sidelined, Thomas is a starter-caliber TE, at least in PPR leagues. He has 13 catches for 102 yards over the last two weeks, so if Shockey sits again, Thomas should have a solid outing against a Carolina defense that is better against wideouts than it is against tight ends.

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Ravens’ Troy Smith requests a trade

December 28, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

According to Troy Smith’s agent, the Ravens’ backup quarterback has notified the team that he wants to be traded.

From Rotoworld.com:

Smith “wants playing time” Cindrich writes, and plans to “seek (a) trade” after the Ravens’ playoff run. The timing here is hardly impeccable with just six days left before Baltimore attempts to clinch a postseason berth against the Raiders. Smith has rushed eight times for 38 yards and a touchdown this year, and completed 5-of-9 passes for 24 yards and an interception.

I agree with Rotoworld – the timing of this is horrible by Smith and his agent. Whether or not it was the agent’s idea or Smith’s, this looks bad for the quarterback that he would be thinking selfishly while his team is fighting for a playoff spot. I think he deserves a shot to compete for a starting job, but this was hardly the way to go about it.

NFL

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