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      Industry Insiders Fantasy League: Round 1

      August 20, 2009 /

      For the second consecutive season, I was invited to join the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Industry Insiders fantasy football league. Last year, 48 fantasy writers squared off in four, 12-team conferences utilizing World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) PPR rules, with a starting lineup of 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DT. (So before you call me a jackass for making a certain pick, please consider the scoring system.)

      Last year, my team was one of four from my conference that made the playoffs, but once there, my squad petered out. Still, against this kind of competition, I think it’s a pretty solid accomplishment to finish in the top quarter to top third of all the teams.

      I had a late pick last year (grr) and drew a late pick this year (grr), although this is probably one of the better years to pick first in the late first round. Pundits complain about no clear #1 or #2 choice, though I think Maurice Jones-Drew and Adrian Peterson would look great in my backfield. One reason that picking late isn’t that bad this year is due to the (apparent) drop off in talent somewhere in the middle of the fourth round. Teams that pick late will get four of the top 40-45 players, while those that pick early will not. But more on that later.

      This is a slow email draft and right now, it’s going really slowly. We started on Tuesday, and two and half days later, we’re not even through the third round. (I thought these fantasy writers spent all day online like I do, but I guess I was wrong.)

      So, going forward, I’m going to do a post about each of my picks until it gets tedious (for me), which will probably be around Round 10. We’ll see.

      Off we go…

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football

      Top 10 Heisman Hopefuls Version 1.0

      August 20, 2009 /

      Every couple of weeks during the 2009 season, I’ll rank the top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates based on their chances of winning college football’s most prestigious award. Players will either rise or fall in the rankings based on their performances throughout the year.

      Below is Version 1.0. Obviously with no games being played yet, I’m mostly projecting with this top 10. These types of rankings always stir up a lot of debate, so I encourage readers to tell me which players should be rated higher or lower. I’ll update the list after the first week or two of the season.

      Without further ado…

      1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
      After Sam Bradford edged Tebow out in last season’s Heisman race, some will argue that the Oklahoma QB deserves to be at the top of this ranking. But I’m giving the slight edge to Tebow right now after he absolutely destroyed the competition in the second half of last year. Florida will incorporate the no-huddle into their offense this season, which should only benefit Tebow’s style of play and give him even more scoring opportunities than he already had. Outside of Florida having to replace tackles Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins, there’s little reason to believe that Tebow will take a step back in 2009 and considering the Gators are once again national title contenders, he should be the front-runner to win this year’s Heisman.

      2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
      After throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns last season, I don’t doubt that the reigning Heisman winner could be even better in 2009. But the Sooners’ offensive line is a major question mark entering this season with the losses of Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, Jon Cooper and Brandon Walker. That’s a lot of change in one offseason and while OU should light up the scoreboard once again, I could see Bradford taking a backseat to Tebow when the final Heisman results are tallied.

      Continue reading »

      College Football

      Memphis stripped of 38-win season

      August 20, 2009 /

      Wowsers.

      Per ESPN…

      The NCAA has forced Memphis to give up every victory in its 38-win season under coach John Calipari that ended in the national title game in 2007-08, saying the school used an ineligible player.

      The NCAA did not identify the player by name, though earlier descriptions of him lead to the conclusion it could only be current Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose, the 2008 No. 1 draft pick who went on to win the NBA rookie of the year award.

      The player was accused of having another person take his SAT exam so he would be eligible as a freshman. Memphis argued it did not have enough information to substantiate the allegations in November 2007 and cleared him to play.

      However, the SAT officials later conducted their own investigation and notified the player, the university and the NCAA’s eligibility center that they were canceling his test in May 2008.

      The agency said it sent letters to the player in March and April 2008; the latter letter was sent three days after Rose and the Tigers lost to the Jayhawks. The player did not respond to either letter.

      I guess that terrific Kansas/Memphis OT title game never really happened…

      Obviously, this is a big deal, but it would have been monstrous if the Tigers had held on and beat the Jayhawks in regulation.

      This is another example of why the NBA should do away with its age-limit rule. Without it, Rose would have likely gone straight to the pros, and the college ranks wouldn’t have to deal with his (allegedly) trying to cheat on his SAT in order to get into college.

      John Calipari strikes again! (His 1996 UMass team was stripped of its Final Four berth.)

      College Basketball

      Bucs’ Jackson suspended, Talib arrested

      August 20, 2009 /

      In the course of two days, the Buccaneers’ secondary has taken a significant hit after free safety Tanard Jackson was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and cornerback Aqib Talib was arrested for simple battery and resisting arrest.

      Jackson, who was entering his third season, has emerged as one of Tampa’s better young defenders. He started all 32 games for the Bucs over the past two seasons and made defensive calls for the team in the secondary. Given that Will Allen is his replacement, this is a significant blow to the Bucs’ defensive backfield.

      Talib showed promise as a rookie last year and was likely going to be promoted to starter this season. But his starting status is now very much in question following his arrest, not to mention he was also punished for striking teammate Torrie Cox in the face with his helmet at the conclusion of a recent practice.

      The Bucs lost one of the better defensive minds in football when long-time coordinator Monte Kiffin left the team to coach with his son at the University of Tennessee. Now they have to deal with the loss of Jackson for four games and concern themselves with disciplining Talib.

      This isn’t a good sign for a team that is trying to adjust to a new head coach and a new defensive coordinator.

      NFL

      Tarkenton rips Favre

      August 20, 2009 /

      Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton ripped Brett Favre recently on Sirius NFL Radio, calling Brett’s situation with the Vikings “an absolute circus.”

      From ESPN.com:

      “I really have no interest in what Brett Favre does. He kind of lost me a few years ago by retiring and unretiring and here and there,” Tarkenton said on “The Opening Drive” on Sirius NFL Radio.

      Tarkenton was later questioned during ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” about Favre’s right to pursue whatever he needed to pursue to keep on going.

      “We have responsibilities we’re just not athletes that are in it all for ourself, football, is it not a team game? Isn’t it all about team … and here comes Brett Favre riding in on his white horse, doesn’t go to training camp, doesn’t come to offseason workouts and he’s gonna come on his white horse and bond with all these players.”

      “I really think the whole Brett Favre saga of retiring, unretiring, three weeks ago [saying] ‘I can’t play,’ the Vikings said, ‘We’re moving on,’ it’s a circus,” Tarkenton said Wednesday on “The Opening Drive.” “It’s an absolute circus, and it takes away from all the other things that are going on with the Vikings, with the NFL. We’re getting ready for a football season and this is a circus and I just have no interest in it.

      Favre has every right to make a living and retire and unretire as much as he wants. But while doing so, he leaves himself open to criticism from people like Tarkenton.

      For the most part, I agree with everything Tarkenton said. The only problem I have with his comments is that he didn’t criticize the Vikings, who are just as much at fault in this situation for allowing Brett to dictate when he would sign. They could have removed themselves from the situation when he told them on July 28 that he would stay retired, yet they allowed him to put himself above the team by skipping OTA sessions and training camp, even though he was healthy enough to perform in the latter. (Don’t forget that the Vikings had cleared him to play before his July 28 decision.)

      This isn’t about Brett needing extra reps; he’s been in the league for almost two decades and already knows Brad Childress’ offense. This is about him showing up and putting in the work with his teammates (who he’ll eventually have to lead in the regular season) during training camp – not just in preseason after the majority of the practices have already wrapped up.

      Both Brett and the Vikings share blame in how this situation played out.

      NFL

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