Tag: Jake Delhomme (Page 11 of 11)

      AFC, NFC even par in the NFL?

      September 20, 2008 /

      Is the AFC still the NFL’s dominant conference? Probably not. The reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants reside in the NFC. Two of the AFC’s best players (New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman) are lost for the entire season. And the NFC is 4-2 vs. the AFC in interconference play after two weeks of the season.

      The NFC has not had a winning record against the AFC since 1995. Last season, the conferences were even (32-32) in head-to-head competition for the first time since 2001. And entering last season’s Super Bowl, the AFC had won six of the last seven title games.

      Improved offensive play is a big reason why the NFC is flourishing once again, as 13 of the 16 NFC teams are averaging 20 or more points per game this season. A few star players in the conference have successfully returned from injury this season. Donovan McNabb is healthy, rejuvenated, and the Philadelphia Eagles are once again one of the top scoring teams in the league. And Jake Delhomme has brought his signature enthusiasm and gunslinger personality back to the undefeated Carolina Panthers after missing all of last season due to ligament-replacement surgery in his right elbow.

      Scoring has been a staple in the AFC, thanks largely to the play of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Historically, the AFC has always been considered “the conference of the quarterback, “and on most Sundays they will have more first-round starting quarterbacks than their NFC rivals. But Brady’s season-ending knee injury and the struggles of Carson Palmer have hurt the QB quality in the AFC.

      Typically, the NFC has been a conference that features strong defenses and solid running games. But that philosophy could be changing, as some NFC teams are copying the AFC formula: basing their success on the play from the quarterback position. The statistical numbers do not lie; Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees are all having hot starts to their seasons. The passing numbers haven’t been this good in the NFC since the Kurt Warner era in St. Louis. And during this recent AFC’s domination, Brett Favre and McKnabb have been only premier quarterbacks the NFC had to offer in competition.

      The supremacy of the AFC could be ending this season, as the gap seems to be closing between the two conferences. Perhaps now the NFC will get the respect it deserves.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, General Sports, NFL, Television

      For QBs, it’s boom or bust in the middle rounds

      September 15, 2008 /

      Take a look at this list of fantasy QBs, in order of Average Draft Position. The ADP is from Antsports’ 12-team league drafts from 8/1-9/1, and the last number on each line is the player’s average points per game in Antsports’ High Performance scoring system.

      QB7 (5.09) Derek Anderson, 9.5
      QB8 (5.11) Donovan McNabb, 30.4*
      QB9 (7.04) Jay Cutler, 28.5
      QB10 (7.05) Matt Hasselbeck, 10.6
      QB11 (8.04) Brett Favre, 15.3
      QB12 (8.07) Marc Bulger, 10.3
      QB13 (8.08) Eli Manning, 20.4
      QB14 (8.09) David Garrard, 11.7
      QB15 (9.04) Matt Schaub, 18.5*
      QB16 (9.07) Phillip Rivers, 26.4
      QB17 (9.11) Jake Delhomme, 13.0
      QB18 (10.04) Jon Kitna 19.8
      QB19 (10.05) Aaron Rodgers, 26.7
      QB20 (10.12) Vince Young, 7.9*

      * only one game of data is included

      Save for Favre, Delhomme and maybe Schaub, each of these quarterbacks is either greatly outperforming or severely underperforming in relation to their preseason expectations. I see two distinct groups: Boom and Bust.

      Boom: McNabb, Cutler, E. Manning, Rivers, Kitna and Rodgers

      Bust: Anderson, Hasselbeck, Bulger, Garrard and Young

      Sure, it’s early, but think about it this way – if you had a QB in the Bust group, is there any possible trade for a player in the Boom group (i.e. Anderson-McNabb, Hasselbeck-Cutler, etc.) where you wouldn’t pull the trigger? I was high on Garrard before the season, but after two weeks of watching the Jaguars disappointing pass offense in action, I’d be more than willing to make a Garrard-for-Kitna swap if the opportunity presented itself (although Kitna is a little dicey because his job isn’t that secure). Likewise, if you have a Boom player, would you trade him for any of the players in the Bust group? I wouldn’t.

      Chances are that a few quarterbacks in each group will return to the mean. Some in the Boom group will cool off while some in the Bust group will heat up. But right now, there is a big disparity within this group of quarterbacks.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bears can’t hang on, Panthers rally for second straight week

      September 14, 2008 /

      Jake DelhommeThe Carolina Panthers are getting pretty good at this comeback thing. For the second straight week, the Panthers rallied for a win, this time mounting a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17.

      • The Panthers started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2003 but won those two games by a combined five points.
      • The Bears gained 151 yards on their first two drives with eight first downs, scoring once and fumbling once. They then gained 105 yards on their final 11 drives of the game, with just four first downs.
      • Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart scored his first two NFL touchdowns, both in the second half. He finished with 77 yards on 14 carries, good for 5.5 yards per carry.

      Greg Olsen fumbled twice, the second one leading to a Panthers’ touchdown to cut the Bears’ lead to 17-13. While rookie Matt Forte (92 yards rushing) was once again effective on the ground, Chicago QB Kyle Orton missed open receivers all second half. A couple throws could have led to big gains, if not touchdowns.

      What a difference Jake Delhomme makes for the Panthers’ offense. There’s nothing that stands out about this Carolina team, but the way they’ve won the past two weeks have been impressive. In their two wins, the Panthers didn’t panic and made big plays in crunch time. They’re schedule over the next three weeks is very favorable (at Vikings, vs. Falcons, vs. Chiefs), so the Panthers might continue to roll.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Panthers beat Chargers on last play of game

      September 7, 2008 /

      Carolina PanthersJake Delhomme found Dante Rosario on a 14-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the Carolina Panthers’ 26-24 win over the San Diego Chargers.

      The Panthers gave the Chargers hell all game and even when San Diego scored a go-ahead touchdown with only 2:27 left to go in the game, you got the sense Carolina was finished. With Delhomme (23 for 41, 247 yards, 1 TD), the Panthers are a completely different team offensively. It helps when DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart combine for 139 total yards on the ground, too.

      Many expected the Panthers to be improved this year, but the Chargers are supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. How did San Diego allow Rosario to catch that ball? It was a remarkable play, but two defenders were there and neither could get a hand on the ball to knock it down. One game isn’t going to make or break a season, but it’s not a good sign when a team drops their home opener to a team without their best offensive weapon (Steve Smith). LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries, but Carolina kept him out of the end zone.

      Impressive win for the Panthers. It’s hard to go into San Diego and pull off a win, but they did and this was by far the game of the day.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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