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      Bucs to start rookie Freeman after the bye

      October 28, 2009 /

      The Josh Freeman era has started in Tampa Bay.

      Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that the rookie will start at quarterback when the team takes on the Packers next Sunday (following their bye this week). Freeman, a Kansas State product, was the 17th overall pick in April’s draft.

      This will be the second quarterback change for the Bucs in 2009, as Freeman replaces Josh Johnson, who replaced Week 1’s starter, Byron Leftwich. Freeman took two sacks and fumbled once while going 2-for-4 for 16 yards in his NFL debut last week against the Patriots in London. He also completed just 44.9% of his attempts with one touchdown and three interceptions in preseason.

      Freeman was an incredibly raw prospect coming out of Kansas State, which is why the Bucs were hoping to leave him on the sidelines during his rookie year and learn from Leftwich. But the Bucs have been so abysmal this year that Morris is hoping the strong-armed Freeman will provide a spark.

      It’s doubtful that the rookie QB will turn around a Tampa team that ranks 23rd overall in total offense. The Bucs’ defense is often left on the field too long because the offense can’t sustain drives. The team has not gelled together since Morris has taken over and ranks near the bottom in every offensive and defensive category in the NFL. But hey, you never know. At least he’ll gain some experience and the Bucs will see what kind of player they have on their hands.

      NFL

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 8

      October 28, 2009 /

      The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week, you pick up a defense, preferably one playing at home against a bad offense. And each week, you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position. To see how this approach performed last season, click here.

      Last week, I recommended three DTBWW picks. Let’s see how they fared…

      #1 Colts: 6 PA (8) + 3 SK + 2 INT + INT RET TD = 19 fantasy points
      #2 Bills: 9 PA (6) + 2 SK + 3 INT + 1 FR = 12 fp
      #3 Raiders: 38 PA (0) + 1 SK = 1 fp

      The Colts and Bills performed as expected, maybe even beyond expectations. The Raiders? Well, they stunk up the joint. I realized watching the OAK/NYJ game that the Raiders performed well the previous week against the Eagles because Philly doesn’t run the ball. OAK is terrible against the rush and the Jets have a good rushing game.

      On the season, my pick #1 has averaged 11.7 fantasy points, my pick #2 has averaged 9.6 and my pick #3 has averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW is averaging 9.5 fantasy points per week, which is DT5-type performance. Not bad.

      Let’s take a look at this week’s picks. Keep in mind that to be eligible for DTBWW, a defense must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Is this Vikings team the best Favre has ever been on? Former Packers teammates disagree

      October 28, 2009 /

      Earlier this season, Brett Favre said that the 2009 version of the Vikings was the best team he’s ever been on based on a physical and talent level. But some of Favre’s teammates from the Super Bowl-winning 1996 Packers team disagree.

      From ESPN.com:

      “To say that the team he’s on now, after seven games, is better than the ’96 team — that’s just preposterous. Not only did we have the No. 1 defense in 1996, but we had No. 1 special teams,” former safety LeRoy Butler told the Journal Sentinel. “I bleed green and gold so much. I don’t want somebody to beat my team.”

      Mark Chmura, a tight end on the ’96 team, said he went through the rosters position by position and could not find an advantage for the Vikings. “And it all starts with Brett — Brett’s not as good as he was,” he said, according to the report.

      “I mean, you’re talking about the No. 1 defense in the league at that time, maybe one of the best defenses ever to play the game,” Chmura added, according to the report. “Don’t get me wrong. Favre is still a good quarterback, but he was unbelievable in the day. When we played back then, teams feared us. I don’t know if teams fear the Minnesota Vikings today. We knew no one could beat us at home, absolutely nobody.”

      This is a situation where Favre probably didn’t really mean what he said, but he was trying to make people believe that the Vikings were/are a great fit for him and that he could lead them to the playoffs. In other words, he was trying to pump himself and his new team up.

      That said, it’s hard to argue with Favre’s ex-teammates. That Packers team used to script the first 10-15 plays and march right down the field for six almost every time on their first offensive possession. Opponents then had to try and play catch up against Green Bay’s relentless defense, which often proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

      The Vikings are good, but they aren’t Super Bowl-good. (At least not yet anyway.)

      NFL

      Inside the Box (10/28)

      October 28, 2009 /

      Here are a few random thoughts as I peruse the box scores from opening night action:

      – Is this what we’re going to get from Mo Williams (12p, 0r, 3a)? He averaged 18p/4r/4a last season, but there are a lot of new faces in Cleveland, including Shaq. It’s only one game, but it’s worrisome.

      – LeBron was the high efficiency man on the night with +38. His line (38p, 8a, 4r, 4b, 2s) plus 55% shooting is the model of efficiency. He was even 4 of 9 from long range.

      – Paul Pierce (23p, 11r) was quiet much of the second but took over in the fourth quarter. With KG and Ray-Ray getting older, he’s a safe bet to lead the C’s in scoring on any given night.

      – Rasheed Wallace (12p, 3r, 2b) was reasonably efficient in 24 minutes. He’s not as tough in the pain, but he can stretch the floor in a way that Kendrick Perkins can’t.

      – He’s baaaaack. Gilbert Arenas (29p, 9a) made a splash in his first game back, and shot 48% from the field.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Report: NFL won’t suspend Edwards

      October 28, 2009 /

      According to a report by the New York Post, the NFL won’t suspend Jets receiver Braylon Edwards for an incident in which he allegedly punched a Cleveland nightclub owner in early October.

      Edwards on Monday was charged with misdemeanor assault in Cleveland Municipal Court for his alleged connection with an incident outside a downtown nightclub shortly before the Jets acquired him in a trade with the Browns.

      The NFL spokesperson said that “under the PC [player conduct] policy, when a player like Braylon, with no prior history of conduct issues, has been charged, we wait for a court resolution. Then we would review the facts for any possible discipline.”

      So, there’s still a chance that he could be suspended if he faces any legal ramifications from the incident. That doesn’t bode too well for him as he pursues a long-term contract this offseason.

      Edwards better amp up his production and hope the Jets think that he’s worth a multi-year deal or else he’s not going to receive many offers this offseason. He picked the wrong time to (allegedly) punch a guy in the face.

      NFL

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