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      Fantasy Quick-Hitters: Berrian, Bush and more

      September 13, 2009 /

      Boldin looks like a game-time decision. I’m not feeling good about his prospects, so I’d look elsewhere if I had to make a decision now. Steve Breaston is dinged up but should play. Jerheme Urban is a sneaky start if Boldin can’t go. If you can wait until the late games to decide, then it’s worthwhile to start Boldin if he can play.

      Wes Welker listed as questionable for Monday night. He practiced in a limited fashion this week and the feeling seems to be that he’s going to play. It’s a tough call, especially considering how guarded the Pats are about injuries. But the fact that he practiced is a good sign. He should be out there Monday night.

      Moreno and Orton are ready to go against the Bengals. Both are mediocre starts coming off of injuries. Cincinnati’s defense should be a little better than advertised.

      It looks like Bernard Berrian will play. I wouldn’t start him this week unless you’re desperate for WR help. He and Favre haven’t had much time to gel and the Browns defense is better than advertised. (But Berrian just needs to hit on one of those fly routes to have a decent fantasy day.)

      Per Scout.com, Mike Bell to get more carries than Reggie Bush.       A source told Scout.com that Bush may not be totally healthy and may mainly be used in passing situations. Bush is still startable in PPR leagues, but I’d look elsewhere in standard leagues.

      Matt Cassel is out per ESPN.
      Brodie Croyle should get the start and he faces a brutal matchup against the Ravens. Stay away.

      Check back for more updates as kickoff gets closer. I’ll be on Twitter all day (“FantasyTips“) assuming my internet connection holds up.

      Fantasy Football, News

      NFL Week 1 Snapshot Previews

      September 13, 2009 /

      Here are quick-hit previews for all of today’s action in the NFL.

      Dolphins at Falcons, 1:00PM
      The Falcons have issues in their secondary that Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington can exploit. Atlanta had trouble getting off the field on third downs in preseason and the Dolphins excel at moving the ball methodically down the field. Conversely, Miami must keep up with Atlanta’s high-powered offense, which could be tough given how potent Matt Ryan and company looked in preseason.

      Broncos at Bengals, 1:00PM
      This game features the highly anticipated return of quarterback Carson Palmer, who will be without receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh this year. It’ll be interesting to see if Chad Ochocinco can rebound from a poor ’08 campaign and re-establish a rhythm with Palmer. For Denver, new head coach Josh McDaniels gets to unveil his offense, which should include receiver Brandon Marshall, although his playing status is still somewhat up in the air. The player I’m keeping an eye on today is rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, who could excel in McDainels’ pass-happy offense as a receiver out of the backfield.

      Vikings at Browns, 1:00PM
      Even though this will be Brett Favre’s Vikings debut, Adrian Peterson will remain the focal point for Minnesota’s offense. Rookie Percy Harvin is expected to see a ton of playing time and could be used as Brad Childress’s X-factor. The Browns will find it tough to move the ball on the ground today, as Minnesota will have their Williams Wall intact. Quarterback Brady Quinn will be counted on to make plays in the passing game and it’ll be interesting to see if Braylon Edwards can put his tumultuous offseason behind him. One player to watch for the Browns is Joshua Cribbs, who is coming off a great preseason and could be used in a variety of ways today.

      Jaguars at Colts, 1:00PM
      Jacksonville is looking to bounce back from a disastrous ’08 season, one in which they were supposed to contend for the Super Bowl and instead found themselves at the bottom of the AFC South. Jack Del Rio’s Jags have always played the Colts tough and they could take advantage of Indy not having safety Bob Sanders in their secondary. The most intriguing matchup today will be Colts receiver Reggie Wayne against Jaguars corner Rashean Mathis. If the now-healthy Jags can keep Peyton Manning and company contained, Jacksonville could sneak away with a win.

      Continue reading »

      NFL

      Tressel’s conservative approach once again dooms Ohio State

      September 13, 2009 /

      Over the last few seasons, Ohio State has gone into marquee matchups (whether it be the national championship or other wise) and the coaching staff has held back. For whatever reason, Jim Tressel succumbs to the pressure of big games and often plays not to lose.

      Entering their clash Saturday night against USC in Columbus, the Buckeyes had everything to gain and nothing to lose, or at least that’s how Tressel should have approached it. The Buckeyes were embarrassed last year at the Coliseum, but have a much better squad this season, especially at quarterback now that Terrelle Pryor is the full time starter.

      Tressel and his coaching staff would have benefited from staying aggressive for four quarters. Instead, Tressel once again played it close to the vest (no pun intended) and the end result was an 18-15 Trojans victory and yet another loss for the Buckeyes in a game big.

      Even though it was in the first quarter, one drive from this contest tonight painted a perfect picture of how Tressel game plans against opponents with equal or better talent.

      With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Ohio State marched down the field methodically, keeping the ball on the ground until Pryor completed a 34-yard pass to DeVier Posey that got the Buckeyes to the USC 2-yard line.

      From there, Tressel attempted one pass (which fell incomplete), decided it was too dangerous to put the ball in the air again and then rushed Boom Herron consecutive times on 2nd and 3rd down, which resulted in a gain of just one yard. Facing a 4th and 1 from USC’s goal line, Tressel opted to kick the field goal instead of trying to punch it in and take a one-touchdown lead.

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      College Football

      Serena goes crazy on lineswoman, eliminated from U.S. Open

      September 12, 2009 /

      Serena Williams is a badass. After dropping the first set to an unseeded Kim Clijsters, Serena slammed her racket into the court, mangling it entirely. Of course, the frustrated action wasn’t unprovoked, as she was playing far below her usual level. In the second set, Serena started to regain her form, until a terrible lineswoman decided to ruin the excitement.

      With Williams serving at 5-6, 15-30 in the second set, she faulted on her first serve. On the second serve, a line judge called a foot fault, making it a double-fault. That made the score 15-40, putting Clijsters one point from victory.

      Williams went over and shouted at the line judge, who walked over and reported it to the chair umpire. That led to the chair umpire awarding a penalty point to Clijsters, ending the match.

      Though it is unclear what exactly Williams said to the linesperson, she was heard on the CBS broadcast telling the linesperson, “I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious?” during the discussion with tournament officials that followed.

      Williams already had been given a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set.

      What a lame way to end this exciting semifinal. At least Serena was entertaining, ripping into this dolt without restraint. Watching the countless replays on CBS, you can clearly see Serena mouth the words, “I’m going shove this ball down your f–ing throat.” Yowza. That’s my girl.

      Needless to say, Kim Clijsters was outplaying Serena before all the mayhem ensued. Clijsters, a former Grand Slam champion, had taken 2 years off to nurse injuries and grieve over the death of her father. Later, she got married and even had a baby. Although her life had changed drastically, Clijsters couldn’t stay away from the game any longer. The U.S. Open is her first Grand Slam since returning and, guess what, she’s in the finals. Good for her.

      She’ll face Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark on Sunday for the championship.

      Tennis

      Welcome to college football, Tate Forcier

      September 12, 2009 /

      Those that had followed Rich Rodriguez’s coaching career knew that his success at Michigan would be ultimately tied into whether or not he could find a quarterback. He didn’t have one last year and the Wolverines were an embarrassment week in and week out.

      But this year, Rodriguez has found his signal caller of the present and the future in the impressive Tate Forcier.

      The freshman signal caller was dazzling on Saturday, completing 23 of 33 pass attempts and racking up 310 total yards of offense as Michigan knocked off No. 18 Notre Dame 38-34 at the Big House. Forcier also threw two touchdown passes (including the game winner to Greg Mathews with under 15 seconds left to play) and ran for a score.

      Forcier reminds me of a better, stronger-armed version of Jeff Garcia. Both do a great job of gliding around the pocket in order to buy more time to pass and both can throw while on the run. They’re always extremely aware of their surroundings and can also make plays with their legs. (Forcier’s juke of a ND defender on his 31-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was freaking sweet.)

      Perhaps the most impressive thing about Forcier up to this point (he had a nice game against Western Michigan in the opener, too) is that he doesn’t have a great offensive line in protecting him. He hasn’t been able to take three or five step drops (not that that’s a big part of Rodriguez’s offense anyway) and fire the ball into open receivers. He’s largely had to make plays on his own and he’s been creative while getting the ball into his wideouts’ hands.

      Forcier has made Michigan relevant again and at least for now, Rich Rod can take a deep breath because he’s found his quarterback.

      As for Notre Dame, they shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with stupid penalties. They had nine infractions for 75 yards, most of which wiped out offensive gains that could have kept drives moving. Their offense could have racked up nearly 550-plus yards today, but Charlie Weis’s team severely lacked fundamentals and it cost them big.

      College Football

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