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      2010 Year-End Sports Review: What We Think Will Happen

      December 21, 2010 /

      What do we think will happen in 2011? Ha! We’re glad you asked. As part of our 2010 Year End Sports Review, we see good things ahead for Duke, the Celtics and the Saints. We see cursed days ahead for the Phillies and Giants, and one Florida Gator-sized reunion in Denver. We also like Carmelo to play for the…hey, why are we telling you all this? Read for yourself below, lazy. (And have an open mind – we had some fun with this section.)

      Contributors: Anthony Stalter, John Paulsen, Paul Costanzo, Drew Ellis and Mike Farley

      You think he’s gone? He’s not gone. He’s never gone!

      Brett Favre has duped us before with his retirement talk, so why should we buy what he’s selling now? Lord Favre says 2010 will be his final season, but after spending a couple of months on his ranch next summer, he’ll get the itch to return. And some team will welcome him back. And the media will torture us with their 24-hour Favre watch. And the dreaded cycle of death will continue. So which lucky team will have No. 4 in uniform next season? While we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Favre returning to the Vikings for one more year now that Brad Childress is gone, that’s not a very fun projection. Thus, what about Da Raaaaaaaiders? Huh? Can you see it now? Lord Favre and Al Davis at the podium holding up their pointer fingers and saying, “Just win baby.” No? Ah, you’re no fun.

      Carmelo will be a Knickerbocker next year.

      Book ‘em, Danno. The writing is on the wall. He hasn’t signed the three-year extension that the Nuggets offered last summer and has reportedly decided that the only team he’ll agree to be traded to is the New York Knicks. This means that if the Nuggets are hoping to get something substantial for him, they’ll have to move him before the February trade deadline. Since there appears to be only one team in the running, the deal isn’t going to be very good. We wouldn’t want to be Nugget fans right now — the rebuilding process is about to begin.
      Continue reading »

      College Basketball, College Football, External Sports, Fantasy Football, General Sports, Golf, Humor, March Madness, Mixed Martial Arts, MLB, NBA, NBA Finals, News, NFL, NHL, Super Bowl, UFC, WEC

      Trent Dilfer: The Falcons can be beaten at home [video]

      December 21, 2010 /

      While he certainly didn’t sound believable as the words came tumbling out of his mouth, ESPN’s Trent Dilfer said the Falcons can be beaten at home. He also went as far as to predict that the Saints will not only beat them in Atlanta next Monday night, but they’ll also beat them in the playoffs, beat them in 2011 if there isn’t a strike and beat them for the next 10 years to come.

      Oh, and Dilfer also took a dump on the Falcons rug by comparing them to the 2003 Chiefs, who went 13-3 only to lose their first playoff game.

      Give it a watch:

      It seems like Dilfer was just trying to stir the pot but he wouldn’t have to look very hard to find people who agree with him. Nobody is talking about the Falcons whether it’s because of their defense, other teams (i.e. the Patriots and Eagles) stealing their spotlight or whatever. And there are probably plenty of people who feel that the Saints will walk into the Georgia Dome next Monday and burn the place down.

      But while I have my own reservations about the Falcons, there’s no denying that this is a solid football team. They don’t beat themselves with turnovers or penalties, they can run the ball, they have a quarterback who makes smart decisions in the clutch and their defense, while still a bit of a mystery, is fast and aggressive. (They also have a small but highly athletic cornerback in Brent Grimes that is ready to burst onto the national scene.)

      Can they be beaten at home? Sure they can. But nobody outside of the ’08 Broncos has when Matt Ryan starts. So until that happens, the Dilfer’s of the world will just have to take solace in their projections.

      External Sports, NFL, Video

      Defensive Team By Waiver Wire (DTBWW): Week 16

      December 21, 2010 /
      OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Michael Bush #29 of the Oakland Raiders is tackled by Kevin Burnett #99 the San Diego Chargers along with other CHarger defenders on September 14, 2009 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

      The strategy behind DTBWW is that each week you pick up a defense that is playing against a bad offense (preferably at home). And each week you get pretty good numbers out of your DT position.

      Last season, my top pick averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game. My second pick averaged 9.1 and my third pick averaged 7.3. On the whole, DTBWW averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game, which equate to DT5 numbers — all for the price of a few waiver wire pickups. In 2008, my top two picks averaged DT6-type numbers. (Note: To calculate fantasy points, I use this scoring system.)

      Unlike Defensive Team By Committee (DTBC), which is for those owners who prefer low maintenance teams, DTBWW strategy allows fantasy owners to virtually ignore DTs on draft day and focus on picking up an extra RB/WR flier instead.

      To be eligible, defenses have to be available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

      Let’s see how my Week 15 picks fared:

      #1 Patriots: 5 SK + 1 INT + INT RET TD + FR = 18 fantasy points
      #2 Cardinals: 19 PA (2) + 2 SK + 1 FR = 5 fp
      #3 Raiders: 2 SK + 1 FR + 1 Safety = 5 fp
      #4 Chargers: 7 PA (6) + 6 SK + 1 INT = 13 fp
      #5 Cowboys: 5 SK + 2 INT + 1 FR = 8 fp

      Well, it wasn’t a disaster, but I was expecting more out of my #2 and #3 picks. The Cards didn’t do much against Jimmy Clausen, which was a surprise and the Raiders had a tough time wrangling Tim Tebow. The Chargers and Cowboys played pretty well however.

      On the season, my picks are averaging 8.7 | 8.7 | 7.5 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) for an overall average of 8.3 fantasy points per game. Those are DT6 numbers when you account for each team’s bye week.

      Let’s take a look at my Week 15 picks keeping in mind that to be eligible, defenses must be available in at least 40% of ESPN fantasy leagues. There are four teams that I like this week so hopefully fantasy owners can find at least one on their waiver wires. (If you still have the Pats from last week, just hold onto them. I like their matchup with the Bills.)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      McNabb speaks out about benching, says he felt “disrespected”

      December 21, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Donovan McNabb of the Washington Redskins on the sidelines against play against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      Donovan McNabb has remained a class act throughout his NFL career despite facing many difficult challenges in both Philadelphia and Washington, including being benched for Rex Grossman.

      But if anyone thought he would bit his tongue after tumbling face-first down the Redskins’ depth chart, then you sir or madam, were sadly mistaken.

      From ESPN.com:

      “Everything was handled awkwardly,” McNabb said Tuesday on his weekly radio show on ESPN980, “somewhat to a disrespect to me and to the team.”

      Making his first public comments since his demotion last week, McNabb said he strongly disagreed with the decision, but he has a bigger problem with the way he says the organization leaked the news to the media before informing him.

      “Because of the timing and because of all the leaks and everything that was put out there, and no putting out the fire, so to speak,” McNabb said, “I’m hearing everything through the media.”

      “I was pulled back by it. All of a sudden you get this news a couple of days before the game, you do feel somewhat disrespected,” McNabb said. “You could have told me earlier or at least prepared me for it. … The term I did use was professional. You would like to hear it early, and if you hear it late, it kind of throws off the preparation for a lot of guys.”

      McNabb went on to say that he loves the fans in Washington and that he thinks, “we can do some good things here.” But it’s hard to envision a scenario where he comes back to D.C. next year. If the Shanahans thought McNabb could run their offense at any point in the future, they would have left him in as the starter. After all, if you’re a head coach or an offensive coordinator and you’ve established that someone is “your guy,” then you stick with him through thick and thin. Look at the Jets and Mark Sanchez. They know he’s their future and no matter how much he struggles, they’re committed to his development.

      But it’s clear that the Redskins are not committed to McNabb fully grasping the offense or else they wouldn’t have benched him for Turnover McGee. Therefore, he probably has two weeks left in Washington unless Dan Snyder fires Shanahan and sticks with McNabb. Anything could happen (especially when Dan Snyder is involved), although it’s highly doubtful.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bengals not expected to bring back Terrell Owens

      December 21, 2010 /
      CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 05: Terrell Owens of the Cincinnati Bengals runs with the ball during the NFL game against the New Orleans Saints at Paul Brown Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Saints won 34-30. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      Terrell Owens can probably thank his mouth for why he’ll be searching for work once again next offseason.

      ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Bengals are not expected to re-sign T.O., who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week against the Browns. But it’s not the knee that will cost him a new contract, or his production for that matter. (He proved this season that he still has plenty left in the tank.)

      The Bengals couldn’t have appreciated the way Owens blamed the coaching staff two weeks ago for the team’s offensive struggles.

      “I think there is underachieving you know from the top down,” Owens said. “You start off with the owner, you start off with the coaches and obviously we as players. We are a product of what the coaches are doing, are coaching us throughout the course of the week. Of course we have to go out there and play the game but in order for us to do what we’re allowed to do at the best of our ability the coaches have to put the players in the best position.”

      Of course, I still maintain that he didn’t blast his coaching staff. That’s the way the story is being perceived but just as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, this is T.O. Lite in comparison to what normally comes out of his mouth.

      Still, the Bengals might be looking for a new identity next year and they’ll make Owens a thing of their past. They have decisions to make regarding Carson Palmer and Cedric Benson’s future and can’t be bothered with an aging receiver who will speak his mind when the team is losing. They need to head in a new direction next season and not bringing back T.O. is a step in that direction.

      External Sports, NFL

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