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      Fantasy Fallout, Week 6: TEs

      October 19, 2009 /

      Be sure to check back for some random fantasy thoughts about the QB, RB and WR positions.

      – Owen Daniels (7-78-2) is turning into one of the very best pass-catching TEs in the league. He is averaging 5.3-62-0.7 this season.

      – Jermichael Finley (5-54) had another solid game and is starting to look like a starting-caliber TE.

      – Visanthe Shiancoe (4-48-2) has four TD in the last three games. Brett Favre has always loved to throw to his TE around the goal line, and that hasn’t changed now that he’s quarterbacking the Vikings.

      – Heath Miller (5-80-1) has been on fire of late. Over the last three games, he is averaging 6.0-68-1.3 and should be in starting lineups until he cools off.

      – Zach Miller (6-139-1) has started to hit waiver wires, but he shouldn’t last long. Even with the erratic JaMarcus Russell throwing the ball, he’s worth rostering.

      – Greg Olsen (5-57-1) has caught a TD in each of the last three games.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Cliff Lee shuts out Dodgers, Kuroda gets rocked

      October 18, 2009 /

      Lee

      Hiroki Kuroda hadn’t pitched since Sept. 28 because of a bulging disk in his neck. Doctors said this problem may have been caused by the line drive he took to the skull in August. Despite the concussion, Kuroda still came back in September, but was mediocre. Now your team is in the National League Championship Series, tied at a game a piece. Are you going to throw Kuroda, simply because he was dominant against the Phillies last year? Hell no.

      Joe Torre is going to take the brunt of the blame for this one. Knowing Kuroda was a question mark at best, Torre chose to drop starter Jon Garland and long reliever Jeff Weaver from the NLCS roster. Torre said he went with Scott Elbert because the Phillies have so many lefties in their lineup. Still, why pitch Kuroda, a right-hander? Given how crucial this game was, wouldn’t you throw Randy Wolf, a left-handed pitcher who’s familiar with Citizens Bank Park? Kuroda was absolutely awful, giving up six hits and six runs in one and a third innings. The Phillies immediately jumped over Kuroda as he gave up four consecutive hits to Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth. By the end of the first inning, the Phillies had scored four runs off of Howard’s triple and Werth’s solo shot.

      Scott Elbert soon took over, but didn’t have any command. Enter Chad Billingsley, the former Dodger ace who was removed from the starting rotation before the postseason began. Billingsley was better than expected, but still allowed two runs in three and a third. If the Dodgers can somehow force a Game 7, Billingsley could get the call.

      While the Phillies’ bats were hot throughout the night, the Dodgers might as well have hit with chopsticks. Cliff Lee was simply phenomenal. Over eight innings of work, Lee struck out 10, holding the Dodgers to three hits and zero runs.

      The Dodgers were the best hitting team during the regular season, so what happened tonight? Manny Ramirez did come up with two of the Dodgers’ three hits but, as we learned during his fifty-game suspension, he is not the team. A solid rotation is the most vital part to a club’s postseason success. At this point, the Dodgers don’t have one. Vicente Padilla is shaking his head.

      Pedro Martinez, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Cliff Lee have all been dominant in the League Championship Series. Which teams do they play for again?

      MLB

      Falcons’ defense steps up in win over Bears

      October 18, 2009 /

      Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and the rest of the Falcons’ potent offense may get more attention, but Atlanta can thank its defense for the team starting the season 4-1.

      The Falcons beat the Bears 21-14 on Sunday night, as Atlanta’s defense forced three turnovers and stopped Chicago on a 4th-and-6 attempt from the 10-yard line with only 34 seconds remaining. The Falcons also held Matt Forte to only 23 yards on 15 carries.

      But while Atlanta’s defense deserves credit for its effort on Sunday night, this game was more about Chicago squandering opportunities. Jay Cutler threw an interception to kill a potential scoring drive in the first quarter and then Forte cost the Bears another opportunity with a fumble at Atlanta’s 1-yard line in the third. The Bears moved the ball at will at times, but often shot themselves in the foot with turnovers or costly penalties.

      For two teams that are supposed to contender for a playoff spot in the NFC, this wasn’t a very cleanly played game on either side. The Falcons turned the ball over twice and would have added another had Ryan not pounced on a Turner fumble in the second quarter. Neither team was very impressive and while Atlanta won, I can’t say the Falcons are definitively better than the Bears are after this performance.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      The Eagles should be ashamed

      October 18, 2009 /

      I don’t care that the game was in Oakland. I don’t care if it was just an “off day.” I don’t even care that they lost their starting left tackle. The Eagles should be freaking embarrassed that they lost to the Raiders on Sunday.

      Philadelphia found out how important Jason Peters is to its football team in Oakland’s shocking 13-9 win over the Eagles in Week 6. Donovan McNabb was sacked six times and was never allowed to set up and throw. And when he did have time to set his feet, McNabb was either off line or his receivers weren’t open, which is amazing considering the Raiders were without Nnandi Asomugha, who didn’t see the field much after suffering an eye injury.

      I understand this was just one loss and the Eagles will bounce back, but it’s inexcusable to lose to the Raiders when you’re supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. This was the same Oakland team that was accused of going through the motions after the Giants routed them in New York last week. Yet Philadelphia gained just 283 yards of offense and was 2 of 16 on third downs – against the Raiders.

      It’s vital that Peters returns to health for the Eagles because if Oakland can generate a consistent pass rush, then the Giants and Cowboys will too.

      It’s only right to give the Raiders some credit though. They looked like a JV team last week and instead of throwing in the towel they came out this week and fought hard. At times, JaMarcus Russell even looked like a NFL quarterback, which is shocking given just how bad he looked a week ago.

      NFL

      Big Ben shreds the Browns

      October 18, 2009 /

      The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from perfect, in fact, they might be the best imperfect team in the NFL, if that makes any sense. But as long as they have Ben Roethlisberger under center, they’re going to have a chance to win most on most Sundays.

      The Steelers beat the Browns 27-14 on Sunday in a sloppy game that had little to no flow to it. Both teams combined for eight turnovers and Cleveland didn’t even total 200 yards of offense. Yet through all the muck, Big Ben was 23-of-35 for 417 yards and two touchdowns while helping Pittsburgh gain 543 yards of total offense.

      Rothlisberger absolutely shredded the Browns’ secondary, connecting with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller and Mike Wallace with regularity on plays that gained 25-yards or more. He also rushed six times for 11 yards and once again kept plays alive with his mobility in the pocket. I realize shredding a Browns secondary that is susceptible to giving up big plays isn’t a monumental event for a quarterback, but it’s hard not to appreciate how good Big Ben looked on Sunday.

      Tom Brady and Petyon Manning are known for putting their teams on their shoulders and leading them to victory. He’s usually not brought up in the same discussion, but Roethlisberger is definitely on Brady and Manning’s level when it comes to that ability. Granted, he’s often aided by how good Pittsburgh’s defense is, but there’s no denying that he’s an exceptional quarterback. And more times than not, he covers up how flawed the Steelers truly are.

      NFL

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