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KJ to be activated?

September 1, 2007 / John Paulsen

The Kevin Jones saga continues…

Running back Kevin Jones will be on the active roster when the Lions announce their final cuts today, a person familiar with the situation said Friday night.
Lions officials conferred with Jones’ surgeon Friday, and the surgeon cleared Jones to come off the PUP list, the person said. The Lions plan to take it slow with Jones, but they think they will need him within six weeks, the person said.
Jones visited his surgeon, Dr. Bob Anderson, on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. Anderson recommended Jones remain on the PUP list, according to another person familiar with the situation. Anderson felt the foot had healed well enough, but he was concerned Jones could suffer other injuries because he wasn’t in game shape, that person said.

Keep in mind, there has been no official word from the team about this. A report a few days ago said that he would start the season on PUP, and this report contradicts that. It appears that the Lions are worried about KJ’s conditioning, not his foot. If Jones does indeed start the season on the active roster, it will likely take him a few weeks to get into game shape. Tatum Bell will start in his place and if he gets off to a good start, it will allow the Lions to bring Jones back slowly.

KJ’s stock certainly gets a bump with this news, but the Detroit running game is murky, to say the least. Bell has been going in the 5th round of most 12-team drafts, so expect his ADP to drop a round into the 6th. Conversely, Jones’ ADP had been in the 9th or later, and it should rise into the 7th or 8th.

Fantasy Football, NFL

Harrison suspended for HGH

September 1, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Patriots’ strong safety Rodney Harrison admitted to federal investigators Friday that he obtained Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and now will be suspended for the first four games of the season. Harrison’s suspension leaves the Patriots incredibly thin in the secondary.

Many publications accused Harrison of testing positive for HGH, but that’s not possible because the NFL doesn’t even test for it. Either way, this is an incredible step in the right direction for the league, because it’s been a well known suspicion that HGH is running ramped in the NFL.

Good thing Harrison fessed up because if the Michael Vick-dog fighting case proved anything, it’s that the feds don’t care who you are or how much celebrity power you think you have. They don’t have an agenda and they’re only purpose on earth is to convict people of wrong doing.

NFL

2007 College Football Preview

August 31, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Preseason college football rankings mean squat, unless your team owns the top spot. So instead of issuing my own rankings heading into the first weekend of action, I decided my College Football Preview for Bullz-Eye.com will break down the AP’s top-15 teams to see who has the best shot to compete for the title.

I also included a list of players who are NFL bound among those top 15 teams, as well as a must watch game.

College Football

Team USA coasts past Argentina

August 31, 2007 / John Paulsen

Team USA beat the 2004 Olympic gold medalists, 91-76, advancing to the semifinals of the FIBA Americas tournament. But let’s not get too excited; Argentina was playing without Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto and Walter Hermann, leaving NBA-ers Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino to face America’s best.

Kobe Bryant got off to a quick start, scoring 15 points in the first quarter and 27 in the game. Carmelo Anthony added 18 points while LeBron James chipped in with 15. If Team USA beats Puerto Rico in the semifinals, they will clinch a berth in the 2008 Olympics.

And it’s all about the Olympics. Director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski got involved for one reason – to help Team USA win a gold medal. Every one of these wins is a small (but significant) step in that direction.

NBA

Lions plan to put KJ on PUP?

August 30, 2007 / John Paulsen

There has been speculation about this for the last few weeks and it appears that the Lions are moving closer to making a decision.

According to a source close to the situation, the surgeon who performed the Lisfranc surgery on the left foot of running back Kevin Jones has agreed with Lions trainers that Jones should start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Dr. Richard Anderson re-examined Jones this afternoon and then discussed the situation with Lions officials.
Because the Lions have a bye week in the sixth week of the season, Jones will only miss five games. Jones will be eligible to return on Oct. 21 in the home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The medical report on Jones is that his foot is almost completely recovered, but team officials want to err on the side of caution and make sure he’s in the best possible football condition before he returns to the field. Again, according to a source close to the situation, Jones is expected to return without losing any of his original speed or running ability.

If true, this news is an obvious bump to Tatum Bell’s stock. OC Mike Martz has praised Bell throughout the preseason and it appears that he will be the starter for the first five games (at least). I’m still leery of drafting Bell as anything more than a RB3 because this situation could easily devolve into a RBBC when Jones comes back. One strategy would be to draft a RB in the first round and then load up on WRs before taking Bell in the fifth as a RB2. It is imperative that you also grab KJ once you hit the ninth or tenth round. Martz has traditionally featured one back, but there’s no guarantee he goes that route. A Bell/KJ combo is especially valuable in PPR leagues since Martz loves to throw so much.