Category: NFL (Page 614 of 1282)

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 7

      October 21, 2009 /

      Every week, I will highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

      love-em

      Three of the four worst pass defenses (TEN, JAX and DET) are on bye this week, so pickings are slim in terms of finding mediocre fantasy QBs with good matchups for Week 7. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Jay Cutler and Matt Ryan all have very good matchups and should be in starting lineups this week…If you’re looking for a bye week fill-in, give Shaun Hill a try. He faces the Texans, who have been inconsistent on defense. There’s a pretty good chance that he’ll have to throw quite a bit to stay in the game if the Texans’ offense gets going.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      New details emerge in Steve McNair shooting

      October 21, 2009 /

      A CBS News investigation has raised doubts about the conclusion authorities have come to regarding Steve McNair’s murder-suicide.

      From CBSNews.com:


      Watch CBS News Videos Online

      ESPN.com also reports that McNair was also seeing a second woman besides Kazemi, and SPORTSbyBROOKS.com says there was a third woman as well.

      I find it convenient that CBS “uncovered” all of this new information, yet provide zero facts proving that there was another person involved. Despite the evidence they have that the police screwed up the time line of the event, there’s nothing concrete to suggest that this wasn’t a murder-suicide.

      CBS is going to have to do better than talk to a bunch of people who were close to Kazemi who claim it wasn’t in her nature to do something like this. People snap all the time and while that doesn’t always lead to murder, there’s no evidence to suggest that there was someone else involved. This just seems like CBS’ attempt to break a new story, when there’s very little here.

      NFL

      2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

      October 21, 2009 /

      Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL now that the first six weeks of the season are in the books.

      1. New Orleans Saints (5-0)
      As of right now, I don’t see how any team in the NFC can walk into the Superdome and beat the Saints on their home turf. Drew Brees is the early-season MVP and Gregg Williams has transformed New Orleans’ defense overnight.

      2. Indianapolis Colts (5-0)
      Outside of maybe Miami, the Colts haven’t been tested by a formidable foe. But they’ve done what they’re supposed to do: Crush bad teams. They’ll crush another one this week in the Rams.

      3. Minnesota Vikings (6-0)
      The way the Ravens moved the ball at will on the Vikings’ defense in the fourth quarter on Sunday is troubling, but nobody can stop Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson right now…except maybe the Steelers, that is. Minnesota gets another huge test this weekend in Pittsburgh.

      4. Denver Broncos (5-0)
      I see an offensive growing under Josh McDaniels, which is a bad sign for future opponents. What a great special teams effort by Eddie Royal on Monday night.

      5. New York Giants (5-1)
      Sunday proved that the Giants have to get healthy on defense. They can get away with not having several defensive starters against teams like the Redskins, Bucs, Chiefs and Raiders, but the Saints made them look like a JV squad.

      6. Atlanta Falcons (4-1)
      The Falcons weren’t overly impressive on Sunday night, but their defense rose to the challenge. They forced two red zone turnovers, completely shut down the Bears’ running game and held Chicago to only 14 points. It looks like Mike Smith’s young defense is starting to come together.

      7. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
      The Steelers played a sloppy game on Sunday, but Ben Roethlisberger continues to make plays vertically in the passing game and now that Troy Polamalu is healthy, Pittsburgh’s defense is almost back to form.

      8. New England Patriots (4-2)
      Sure, the Titans are a bad football team. But Tom Brady finally looked like Tom Brady again on Sunday and New England’s defense turned in its best effort of the season.

      9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
      I think the Bengals’ loss to the Texans on Sunday will actually do them more good than bad. The players may have started to read their own press clippings and now Marvin Lewis can remind his team that they have a long way to go.

      10. Chicago Bears (3-2)
      The Bears missed so many opportunities to earn a victory Sunday night in Atlanta that I would need a calculator, a ruler, an abacus and a stiff drink to total all of them up. The offensive line better start gelling soon or else Chicago’s running game is going to be non-existent all season.

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      NFL

      Is there such a thing as a “clutch” QB?

      October 21, 2009 /

      The answer is “no,” according to Football Outsiders (via ESPN The Mag), with one possible exception.

      They looked at NFL passer rating and their own metrics and there was “no year-to-year correlation in the difference between a quarterback’s overall performance and his performance when the game was on the line.” Good QBs were good in the clutch (with the score within seven points in the fourth quarter or OT) and bad QBs were bad in the clutch.

      But there was one exception: Eli Manning. He is the only active QB who has a higher rating (albeit a small improvement most seasons) in crunch time for five straight years.

      NFL

      Has the Bears’ identity changed with Cutler?

      October 21, 2009 /

      The identity of the Chicago Bears has almost changed overnight.

      The offseason acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler has suddenly transformed Da Bears into a team that relies on the pass to set up the run; for decades, it used to be the other way around. In fact, Chicago fans had been waiting for a strong-armed quarterback to aid their ground game, not hide its weaknesses.

      Through five games this season, the Bears have attempted 172 passes to only 119 rushing attempts. They’re throwing nearly 60% of the time, which, for the Bears, is unheard of.

      On Tuesday, Cutler and the Bears agreed to a two-year extension that will keep the quarterback in Chicago through 2013. Does the move signal the end of the Bears’ philosophy of being a run-first team? Given Cutler’s gun-ho mentality as a passer and Chicago’s sudden desire to throw the ball more, one would think that Chicago’s smash-mouth days are over.

      But a closer look tells a different story. The Bears are currently 27th in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 89.8 YPG. They haven’t run the ball much this year because quite frankly, they can’t run the ball. The changes the Bears made to their offensive line in the offseason haven’t amounted to much as Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and the rest of Chicago’s O-line has failed to gel. And while people are quick to assume running back Matt Forte is suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump, the fact of the matter is that the line hasn’t been opening up holes for him like they did last year.

      So are the Bears becoming more of a pass-first team with Jay Cutler? Yes, but that’s only because their O-line is under performing. If the line starts opening more holes for Forte (who seems to be tiptoeing into holes more this season because of the amount of licks he’s been taking), the Bears will undoubtedly become the balanced squad that they envisioned when they traded for Cutler.

      Until then, don’t expect the Bears to stop putting it in the air. And as long as they’re throwing, offensive coordinator Ron Turner better start calling more vertical passes in order to take advantage of Cutler’s strengths.

      NFL

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