Fantasy Football Crystal Ball: Steven Jackson

St. Louis Rams running back, Steven Jackson, has become quite the Twitter aficionado, but that’s not his only talent.

When healthy, few players in the NFL offer the type of dynamic package that No. 39 does. The key words there being, “when healthy.”

That’s been a problem for the former Oregon State star throughout his NFL career, as just once in his five seasons has he played a full 16 game schedule. It has been particularly difficult for him to stay on the field over the last two seasons, as he has missed a total of eight games during that span.

Despite his health issues, Jackson’s numbers have been impressive.

He rushed for 1,000 yards in every year of his career, except his rookie season, and has scored at least six times per year over the same time span.

Jackson is, also, an attractive option for fantasy owners because he is one of the few true feature backs left in the NFL who stays in on third downs. The reason for that is his prowess in the receiving game, as he’s caught 38 or more passes in each of the last four seasons.

That won’t change in the 2009 season, as the Rams failed to pick up a back worthy of displacing Jackson for more than a series or two per contest.

What the team did change, however, was the dynamic of their offensive line.

Out are the journeyman centers the team has employed the last few years, and in is former Baltimore Raven Jason Brown. Brown stands at  a bruising 6’3″, and checks in at 320-pounds of a run-blocker, who helped Baltimore to a top-five ranking in rushing yards last season.

Also added to the line was offensive tackle and second overall pick Jason Smith from Baylor. He has a nasty disposition and attitude that will serve the team well as they transform from the doldrums of the Scott Linehan era to the swagger of new head coach and former New York Giants defensiveve coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

One of the most important hires a new head coach can make is that of his coordinators, of course.

On offense, Spagnuolo brought in former Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur to run the show. He will be installing a West Coast offense similar to the one the Eagles employ under head coach Andy Reid. And, if you’ve played fantasy football for any period of time, you know how effectiveve Brian Westbrook has been in that system.

Health is the key here, of course, but if Jackson can stay on the field, he should be able to at least mimic the success Westbrook has been able to attain, and possibly do more. 

Don’t be surprised if the dread locked Jackson rolls up about 1,500 or more combined rushing and receiving yards with double-digit scores in 2009, making him a strong RB1 option.

 

 

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Team of The “Decade of Propaganda” in the NFL

How do you determine the “team of the decade?” You determine who it is using regular season wins, post season wins, division titles and Super Bowls.

Sure, sounds easy, but combining these numbers to determine an overall, “team of the decade” is much more complicated to produce.

The guys at the “World Wide Leader” this week decide to pose the question, who is the NFL’s best franchise of the 2000’s?

They came up with a formula by multiplying several numbers by .900 then adding together the totals and publishing a list. 

For all the talk on their networks about college football needing a playoff in favor the the BCS formula, they sure sound hypocritical in their so-called, “expert” analysis, when it comes to this subject.

 

Their top five looks like this.

1. Patriots (102 wins, 3 Super Bowl wins and a loss)

2. Colts (101 wins, 1 Super Bowl win)

3. Steelers (94 wins, 2 Super Bowl wins)

4. Eagles (92 wins, 1 Super Bowl loss)

5. Ravens (83 wins, 1 Super Bowl win *2000* which is technically not part of this decade)

There were several things omitted from their formula that only people, not computers, as is the case with the BCS, can see.

For starters, if you want to value regular season wins, please include overall strength of schedule. The Patriots have faced the Bills, Dolphins and Jets 18 times in the regular season. The combined playoff appearance total from those three teams is six.

The Colts have one fewer win than the Patriots, they face teams such as the Jaguars, Texans and Titans. Those three teams also have a total of six playoff appearances. 

The Steelers are the next closest team to the 100 win mark with 94. They face the Bengals, Browns and Ravens. While that competition isn’t strong, it so happens those three teams have six playoff appearances also.

The Eagles play in arguably the toughest division of all the top five teams. The Cowboys, Giants and Redskins have ten playoff appearances.

The Ravens wrap up the top five with 83 wins, however, due to the Steelers success, have faced arguably a tougher schedule than their AFC North counterparts. The Bengals, Browns and Steelers have eight playoff births, the Steelers holding six themselves.

The Eagles and Ravens have in essence faced tougher competition during the regular season, thus potentially being the reason for fewer regular season wins.

When it comes to playoff appearances, the Colts have been to the postseason eight times, yet have only seven wins. The Steelers have ten wins in two fewer appearances.

This brings to the discussion my first problem with these rankings, how are the Colts overall ranked ahead of the Steelers?

The Steelers have three more postseason wins and one more Super Bowl title. 

My second problem is the biggest question mark of all. How much was the notorious “Spygate” scandal discussed when producing the final results?

How can a team, that has been exposed and found guilty of cheating, worthy of the top spot on the poll?

Three Super Bowls is good and well, great, but video taping games for halftime adjustments in the NFL is just about as bad as using steroids to hit home runs in MLB.

If the fellas in Bristol wish to promote sportsmanship and positive athletics, you would think they might include a disclaimer in their research. In all honesty, the team of the decade should represent all the positives of a professional organization.

Throw out all the .900 times this and divided by that, look at the facts. Strength of schedule, consistency and championships. Not just Super Bowls, but division crowns as well. 

 

Winning with integrity is the most important aspect in sports. Thus, listed below is a true top five list of the teams of the decade.

1.  Pittsburgh Steelers—The most respected and admired organization in sports should be the team that leads all others. With two Super Bowl titles to their credit along with five division crowns. They advanced to four AFC title games, winning two and losing the other’s to the scandalous clad Patriots. Ask Joey Porter what he thinks of those two loses!

2. Indianapolis Colts—The Colts edge out the Eagles for the two spot on because they have WON a Super Bowl this decade. The Colts haven’t had the strongest competition, but they have been the most consistent team this decade.

3. Philadelphia Eagles—By default, the Eagles inability to win a Super Bowl drops them to third. However, they were in one and also played in five NFC title games. That feat in itself deserves respect. Facing the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins year in and year out, twice a season is not an easy task.

T-4.  Baltimore Ravens/New York Giants—If we go with Bristol’s numbers, the Ravens Lombardi is in this decade. It so happened that win was over the Giants. However, the Giants recovered nicely, drafted Phillip Rivers, traded him for Eli Manning and won their own Super Bowl as well. The Ravens had their success while being overshadowed by the Steelers.

The Giants are in the same boat as the Eagles, tough competition year in and year out.  The Giants defeated the “undefeated” Patriots to win their Super Bowl. They didn’t need cameras or illegal information. They won the way champions do, with heart.

Somewhere outside the top five falls the Patriots. Spygate is an automatic “see-you-next-decade” when it comes to ranking as a top team in a ten year span. Not only do they not deserve the praise they received from the other dot-com, but their competition as noted, hasn’t been that strong.

Other technicalities can be included in this debate as well.  For starters, four-team divisions replaced five and six team divisions in the early part of the decade. 

An argument can also be made about strength of conferences, to go along with division superiority. 

The biggest gaffe of them all is crowning a team before the decade is complete! Who is to say the Steelers won’t repeat as Super Bowl champions? That would pull them even with the Patriots at three. What if the Giants or Colts, Ravens or Eagles were to win this year? That would up their status and their “.900” mark! 

One final, yet repetitive note before I sign off, “Cheaters never win.”

Who Was Better? Brady Quinn Or Matt Leinart

After having stellar careers in college, Brady Quinn and Matt Leinart have both found out that nothing is given to you in the NFL. In Arizona, Leinart has had a chance to start and will get another one. However, he is currently backing up a possible future Hall of Famer.

In Cleveland, Quinn hasn’t had a chance to be a starter yet. He has shown some promise in the pre season and the little action he has got in the regular season. Most do expect him to take over as the starter this year but he will have to fight for it with Derek Anderson.

How both of their NFL careers turn out is still a long way from being determined. Regardless of that, they were both great in college and that can never be taken away no matter what.

Looking at their college careers, they did rival each other naturally since Quinn played for Notre Dame and Leinart played for USC. USC has won seven straight so the simple argument would be to say Leinart was better based on that. But if you know anything about football you know it isn’t quite that easy.

USC certainly has had the better team by far in recent years. Therefore, can you really say that Leinart is automatically better if his team was clearly superior? The answer is clearly no.

Looking back at their epic showdown in 2005, I think both Trojan and Irish fans would agree that that was a great game in the history of the rivalry. It did hurt that USC won but still it was a great game.

Both Quinn and Leinart performed brilliantly in that game. Quinn put his team up by three points with less than two minutes to go. Then Leinart came back with a last second play in which a controversial no call decided the game. Leinart was illegally pushed into the endzone by Reggie Bush.

In all fairness, you can’t fault Bush for that and any player for any team would do the same thing. It is up to referee to call it. So I can’t fault Bush at all.

After that game the debate about Leinart or Quinn was an interesting one. USC fans would say that they won the game and Leinart had a huge conversion on 4th and 9 in the last drive.

Notre Dame fans would counter that Quinn performed against a much tougher defense. Yet he still went wire to wire with Leinart.

Determining who was better really cannot be determined by one game. You really have to look at their whole entire career.

Looking at Leinart, he was really good right away and only got better in time. USC was 36-2 with him at quarterback and he was a huge reason why.

He beat out Matt Cassel for the starting job and we found out last year that Cassel is a damn good quarterback. I understand that is was a close competition and one of the factors, but not the determining factor, was that Leinart would be around for three years and Cassel would only be there for two.

Looking at Quinn, he took a couple of years to become a great quarterback. His win-loss record wasn’t as good. However, the team around him was nowhere near the team Leinart had around him.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Darius Walker but I would take Reggie Bush and Lendale White any day. USC also had a much better offensive line. Looking at their primary receivers with Dwayne Jarrett and Jeff Samardijiza, that is a tough one and probably too close to call. USC’s defense was much better and it really was no comparison.

Based on all that, Leinart clearly had much more to work with than Quinn did. So although Leinart did win a Heisman and a National Championship, I would still take Quinn if I had my choice of the two.

It is a hard one because they are both great leaders on and off the field. However, the reason I would choose Quinn really comes down to a couple of factors that I admit are pure speculation.

I have no doubt that if Brady Quinn played for USC that his numbers and record would have been about the same as Leinart’s and USC still wins a National Championship.

I am not sure that Matt Leinart could have had the same success in South Bend as Quinn did. I am not saying he wouldn’t have, just that it is hard to determine what he would have done with less to work with.

Another factor is what would have happened if either guy were to go down. I have no doubt that USC had enough to rally around Matt Cassel and continue without missing much of a beat.

If Quinn would have gone down at any time for Notre Dame, it would have been over. Then team would have been lucky to win another game. As a domer, it hurts to say that but it is the reality.

In no way is that a shot at Matt Leinart. The reality is that both guys did a great job and got the most out of the talent they had. But at the end of the day, I know Quinn can get it done with less to work with.

 

New York Jets: The Most Overrated Defense In The NFL

From 1999-2008, Rex Ryan had success as a defensive coach. In 1999, he took over as the defensive line coach, and in 2000, got a Super Bowl ring for one of the best single season defenses in NFL history. Ryan was the line coach from 1999-2004 and when defensive coordinator Mike Nolan left for a head coaching job, Ryan took over as the coordinator. From 2005 to 2008, Ryan had great success, whether it be working strokes of genius on substitutions or using blitz packages to confuse offenses.

However, after the 2008 season, the 46-year old decided to leave the Ravens and look for a better job. Soon after the Ravens 23-14 AFC Championship loss, Ryan signed with the New York Jets, becoming their 16th head coach in franchise history. Right away, Ryan showed an aggressive approach.

In the first day of free agency, he swayed linebacker Bart Scott from Baltimore, signing him to a six year, $48M contract. Not only that, Ryan convinced other former Ravens like Jim Leonhard and Marques Douglas to come to Baltimore.

Along with the former Ravens, Ryan was able to sign defensive tackle Howard Green and linebacker Larry Izzo, and traded for Lito Sheppard, wrapping up an offseason that definitely improved a defense that was middle of the pack last year.

The Jets are getting good reviews about their improved defense—and deserve to—but a little too much praise. Taking a look at the Jets defense, it’s above average at best.

Defensive line:

The defensive line starters are average, at best. Both Shaun Ellis and Kris Jenkins are players who have proven themselves. Last year, Ellis was solid, with 60 tackles and eight sacks in his ninth NFL season. Jenkins, lining up as the nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, finished with 52 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Both players are proven solid defensive lineman, but are both pushing 30 and their best years are behind them.

Marques Douglas is the guy I find comical. He’s a guy who, in Baltimore, was the backup defensive end, and now, with the “elite” New York Jets defense—he’s the starting right end. Last year, he didn’t even rack up a sack, and in nine years, he has 19 sacks.

Now because he’s with an “elite” Jet defense, he’s cracked up to be a rising defensive end, nevermind the fact that he’s 32 and his sack total decreased from three to zero in 2007 and 2008.

Linebackers:

I will admit that the Jets linebacker core is above average. But that’s it. They don’t surpass the Steelers group of James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, and Lawrence Timmons, or the Ravens crew of Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Jarret Johnson. Heck, I’d take the Philadelphia Eagles trio of Stewart Bradley, Chris Gocong and Akeem Jordan above the Jets.

Bart Scott is a solid linebacker. However, with the Ravens, he was arguably the third best ‘backer in the group behind Ray Lewis and Suggs, and now with the Jets, he’s the leader of the staff.

In support of Scott, there’s David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bryan Thomas. Harris is a solid linebacker, a true rising star, but doesn’t provide the support in New York guys like Terrell Suggs do in Baltimore. Pace and Thomas are both proven linebackers, but haven’t shown much beyond that they are capable linebackers, not necessarily scary ones.

Secondary:

The Jets secondary is led by elite cornerback Darrelle Revis. At 23, he’s got an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and had a career year in 2008, compiling 58 tackles and five interceptions. He’s a top flight corner, but beyond that, nothing in the secondary really makes me eyes widen. Dwight Lowery may be a steal in the fourth round, but at 5′11″, no wide receivers should really be intimidated by him—and new Bills acquisition Terrell Owens isn’t scared of any corner—much less Lowery. Along with that, Tom Brady is back and healthy, so it won’t get any easier for the 2nd year corner.

Kerry Rhodes is a solid 26-year old safety, but is more talk than anything. Earlier in the offseason, he claimed “there wouldn’t be a better defense on paper” than the New York Jets. Like, seriously? This is a team that hasn’t finished in the top ten in yards allowed since 2004. What should make us believe Bart Scott will make them No. 1? Jim Leonhard also has potential, but entered the 2008 season with the Ravens as a backup, and only got playing time when Dawan Landry got hurt in the second game of the year.

Recently, ESPN rated the Jets as the No. 4 overall team defense, behind the Steelers (No. 1), Ravens (No. 2), and Vikings (No. 3). Seriously? Come on now.

Unheralded but Undeterred: Five Rookies Who Could Surprise In ’09

Tom Brady. Terrell Davis. Deacon Jones. Mel Blount.

This short list of players may seem simply a random collection of past and present football greats, but in fact it’s a small selection of late-round NFL picks who have carved out stellar pro careers. The NFL draft, no matter how much it is analyzed, is an inexact science, and every year it seems like a late-round player makes a big splash at the pro level.

In recent years we’ve seen Marques Colston (7th round), Brandon Marshall (4th round) and Ahmad Bradshaw (7th round) make big impacts for their teams, so who will be the next late-round sensation in the NFL? We at PaP have chosen five possible breakout candidates for the 2009 season, and are only taking one candidate per position.

Regular readers will know that we are huge supporters of the forgotten men of the NFL, and would rather root for the small-school hopeful than the megabucks wonderkid, so it is in this tradition that we look at these late-round afterthoughts.

Draft analysts once described Drew Brees as “lacking accuracy” and accused him of being a spread-option miracle, so it’s fair to say that they’ve been wrong before. We hope not to be.

Fantasy Football: Philip Rivers or Aaron Rodgers?

  According to 12-team mock drafts being held on fantasyfootballcalculator, Quarterback Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers is being selected with the seventh pick in the fourth round, and Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is being taken two picks later in the fourth.

 

  But which one is better?

 

  We’ll start with Rivers since he is the first man being taken.

  Last season, Rivers set new career highs for passing yards, (4,009), touchdowns, (34), completion percentage, (65.3 percent) and quarterback rating, (105.5).

  Compared to the rest of the NFL’s QBs, Rivers finished first in terms of rating, tied for first in touchdown passes, fifth in passing yards and seventh in completion percentage.  Certainly these numbers make him a top five quarterback overall.

  Rivers achieved these numbers by being the commandor of a great, and star-studded offense.  He had sensational tight end Antonio Gates, emerging wideout Vincent Jackson, and solid vet Chris Chambers to chuck the ball to on any particular down.

  In the backfield he had perhaps the best in the business, LaDanianTomlinson, to help deflect defensive attention.  LT had a down year certainly last season, and the fact that he is an old-man now leads me to believe that the Chargers will use backup Darren Sproles now more than ever.  Sproles has shown his elusiveness in the open-field while giving LT a breather, evident by his 5.4 ypa average.  He also proves to be a fantastic dump-off option for Rivers, as he[Sproles] implemented a robust 11.8 ypc last year.

  No one is leaving from the Chargers offense, so Rivers should continue to enjoy statistical success, just maybe not to the levels that he did in 2008.

 

  Mr. Rodgers, like Rivers, enjoyed a career year in every regard.  He surpassed 4,000 passing yards, had a completion percentage of 63.6, threw 28 touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 93.8.

  Those totals were good enough for fourth, tenth, fourth and sixth respectively; and, like Rivers, produced well enough to warrant his selection as a top ten fantasy quarterback, and possibly top five.

  Rodgers had star wide receiver Greg Jennings, aged-veteran Donald Driver, up-and-coming receiver James Jones, and tight end Donald Lee to throw the ball to last season.  Not a great list of names, but must’ve been good enough for Rodgers to accumulate the stats that he did.

  In the backfield he had underachiever Ryan Grant.  A season after he gave fantasy managers the vibe to draft him high, (it rhymes), Grant came up flat, averaging a terrible 3.9 ypa, (compared to the 5.1 in 2007).  He should bounce back though, since the passing game will help open up the running game, and vice versa.

  The fact that Rodgers was able to put up the stats that he did, while playing in a mediocre offense to say the least, is mightily impressive.  Impressive so much that I think he will outperform quarterback Philip Rivers this upcoming year.  My reasoning is that while Rodgers can only go up, Rivers can only go down since I think he has achieved as high as he ultimately will statistically.

 

Draft either as a sure-fire number one fantasy quarterback.

Done With Retrospect, Let’s Look Forward To The Denver Broncos Season…

The abundance of retrospective articles and blogs in the Broncos community is very evident. I’m taking this time to renew my faith in the 2010 season and present an optimistic look at the Denver Broncos’ year to come.

The best thing a fan can do for him/herself is keep an upbeat attitude about their team and their respective desires. For Denver and fans alike, the desired outcome is a new team with a new position in the league.

The Broncos’ new position may begin at the bottom rung of a very tall ladder, but this isn’t always a bad place to start.

Now, with Coach McDaniels calling the shots, and a slew of fresh faces ready to take the field in Denver’s honor, we have nothing to do but look forward to an exciting new team, and hopefully a brand new direction.

With Kyle Orton orchestrating an offense that’s sure to drop from it’s highly regarded No. 2 position, the depth chart isn’t exactly golden. But with Knowshon Moreno, and other talented backs joining him in the backfield, the offense may feel a sense of balance.

Neither Orton or Moreno are superstars by any means. Orton had a great record in Chicago as a starter, but his personal statistics did not reflect it well. Chicago’s team was mainly defensive based, and allowed for Orton to make mistakes.

Now in a system where defense will certainly not hold the same role, Orton will be forced to make better decisions, and manage the game more properly on offense.

In the back to aid in this endeavor will be Knowshon Moreno, Peyton Hillis, and maybe even Correll Buckhalter. When Orton can’t be the player to change the game and ignite the offense, these backs will have to prove they can pick up the slack.

This scheme will all reside on whether or not Orton can respond positively in the face of pressure. If the roster remains the way it is, there won’t be much of a defense to back him up in case of an error. Some players blossom in such a situation, and some fail. Optimism on our part is the key, and obviously the idea of this article.

It’s safe to say at this point that our receiving corps may suffer a loss in the next month. But one player does not make the team. Once again, through adversity, players must respond to this and adjust their play as necessary.

Eddie Royal stood out aside Brandon Marshall last year, mostly due to the attention given to Marshall by the opposing defenses. With Marshall on the brink of departure from Dove Valley, other receivers will have to fill the gap. Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley are likely candidates, but only time will tell.

As we would all like to see Brandon Marshall stay with the team, it remains to be seen whether or not this will be possible. Nobody thought we would actually trade Jay Cutler, but it happened (and fast.) Realistically speaking, negative energy breeds negative energy, and the longer his attitude dilutes the locker room, the longer it will take this team to take form.

If the Broncos must lose a familiar face and an outstanding player to further the growth of the team as a whole, I agree whole-hearted. A team that can go out professionally, without personal agendas and grudges holding them back, and have fun at the same time, has the best chance of succeeding in this league. After all, we don’t exactly need an Uno-Cinco jumping into angry crowds and picking boxing matches with our opponents. Don’t stroke the ego…

Through mini-camp and the preseason, a rejuvenated and proactive group should develop in Invesco. I for one am excited to see how it turns out, and hopes the best for the team, the city, and the fans as the season unfolds.

Whether we have to wait another few years before the Broncos contend for a championship, or if they have a breakout season to kick it off, I hope we can all still enjoy Sundays as always, and just relax. Remember, there’s always next year (I seem to be saying that a lot the last few seasons.)

Hopefully, you’re all with me in continuing an optimistic outlook for the Broncos, and the league alike!

Here’s to cheering for our favorite teams, tailgating with friends and family (and the occasional Raider fan,) enjoying Sunday at home, or at our favorite sports bar, and rejoicing in the fact that Sports Center is on every night no matter what kind of foul mood the games might put us in.

Cheers…

Improved AFC East: It’s Anybody’s Division

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Okay, I read Tom Casale’s recent article “Improved AFC East Is Still Patriots’ Division To Lose” and it just didn’t sit right with me.

I mean really? Last I checked, the Dolphins were in the playoffs last year, not the Patriots. Last I checked, except for the Bills, every team split in the win loss column in the division.

It doesn’t really matter to me that Matt Cassel was the QB and if it was Tom Brady they would’ve dominated. That’s not what happened. Yes, Brady may be the best QB of this decade and maybe even all time, but how much could he have done getting sacked 47 times like Cassel did?

It’s obvious that the Giants figured out how to beat Brady; bring the heat.  They exploited something in the Patriots. Their offensive line is getting old and it just isn’t as good as it used to be. 

There is no denying that they were still good enough to be ranked fifth in total offense, but you have to believe teams game-plans changed when Brady was out of the line-up. The heat will be coming this year though.

You could argue New England’s dominance over this decade as the sure fire team to beat, but there are lingering questions. Like will Tom Brady be 100 percent at the start of the season? Can the offensive line hold up? What about the defense? Isn’t it getting a little old?

So among all these questions, what did Bill Belichick do to improve his team for 2009?

Well, they brought in Fred Taylor, who is on the back end of his career.  He might be able to produce for a year or two, but the main thing they are getting out of him is putting Lawrence Maroney and his putrid 3.3 YPC on the bench.

They also brought in Joey Galloway, who although is up there in years, still has speed and can be an effective decoy. Randy Moss and Wes Welker are extremely dangerous and unless these guys break their legs are going to dominate.

What about defensive pressure? Richard Seymour topped the team with eight sacks. No wonder they were trying to pull Julius Peppers away from Carolina.

They drafted a solid safety in Patrick Chung, but I’ve never heard of any of their other draft choices.  I’m no expert, so I really can’t say too much on their draft.

So what does Rex Ryan the new head coach for the Jets have to say about all this?  “I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings, I came here to win, let’s put it that way…I’m certainly not intimidated by New England or anybody else.”

And why should he be? For the past couple of years he has been running the defense for one of the best defensive teams in the league. Granted, he doesn’t have the personnel that he had in Baltimore, but he shouldn’t have any trouble getting his hybrid scheme up and running.

There certainly is a long uphill battle that the Jets will be facing this year. Mark Sanchez should be the starter week one and its way to early to tell whether he can carry this team. This team could struggle mightily. 

For this reason and this reason alone the Jets need to establish a strong running game early. Drafting Shonn Greene should help alleviate some of the pressure off of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. Greene could be Jones’ eventual replacement.

It will take pressure off Sanchez, who needs to develop a strong rapport with Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey. He should be looking Dustin Keller’s way as well.

Defensively the Jets need to work on their pass rush. They drafted Vernon Gholston last year and he has been a bit of a disappointment so far. Nobody on their roster topped ten sacks and they could really use somebody.

You can’t say the secondary has been a disappointment though. Darrelle Revis is a standout player and should be for many years to come. Kerry Rhodes has been dominant as well. The addition of Lito Sheppard certainly doesn’t hurt either.

David Harris and Brian Scott should make an imposing any RB trying to run the football. Kris Jenkins isn’t exactly a pushover either. 

The Jets can definitely contend this year. They just have to play smart fundamental football.

On to the team that is flying under the radar the Buffalo Bills. Let’s be honest here, nobody expects Buffalo to do anything. A lot of the experts are pegging another 7-9 finish. Really, it’s gotten bad in Buffalo.

With no play-off appearances this decade they have been the definite bottom feeders in this division.

So what did Buffalo do? They made some serious noise. Inking Terrell Owens to a one year deal worth $6.5 million, but that’s not all. 

They went and got the pass rusher with the quickest step in Aaron Maybin via the draft. Buffalo needs a pass rush in the worst way. Their top sack man last year Ryan Denney isn’t even a starter. He finished with four sacks. That’s embarrassing.

They totally dismantled their offensive line. Every guy lining up for them will be in a different position that they did the previous year. Well not Geoff Hangartner, the Bills’ other free agency pick up. 

Not to mention two of the guys starting, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre, are rookies.This could be a recipe for disaster or it could pan out. It has to if Trent Edwards wants to survive the season.

The most positive thing that can be said about Buffalo right now hangs on how the line holds up. Terrell Owens and Lee Evans on the same squad, need I say more? 

Even if Buffalo falls out of contention early they should be fun to watch. It shouldn’t be typical boring Dick Jauron football this season.

Last year this time if you asked me if I thought the Dolphins would be the AFC East champs, I would have said yea right.

Yet, first year head coach Tony Sparano found a way to make arguably the best turnaround for a team in NFL history, and he did it playing smart fundamental football. They controlled the clock, kept Chad Pennington on his feet and didn’t turn the ball over. 

The biggest weakness on this squad was their secondary, and now with Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, and Chris Clemons, this secondary should have a better handle on playing the Bills and Patriots plethora of receivers.

It helps that they got pressure on opposing QBs, tallying 40 sacks on the year.  Joey Porter had his best year as a pro at the age of 31. Something tells me that Porter wouldn’t be happy with Casale’s article. “You’ve got to beat somebody to be the champs. We had to beat somebody to be the champs.”

The defense should be much improved if Porter performs like he did last year.  Every other team in the division should be worried. Oh, and Jason Taylor is back. Things are going to be nasty.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams effectively ran the Wild Cat last year and now Pat White is on the squad. Jeeze Louise. 

After looking at the Dolphins squad I’m just not ready to anoint the Patriots the AFC East crown just yet, even if the Dolphins have a weak receiver group.

Channing Crowder has thoughts of his own as well, The Jets “didn’t even win the division and now they’re all talking about how [the AFC East] goes through New England,” Crowder said Tuesday. “That’s what gets me bothered. I don’t care about the other stuff, but don’t say the division goes through New England.

“It goes through Miami.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for a dog-fight for the AFC East.

 

Top Fantasy QB’S of 2009 Without Bias

With fantasy football heating up and edging closer it’s never too early to prepare for your draft. Many websites are popping up all over the internet offering free mock drafts and each have their own pre-rankings of where they think players should go. Some you may agree with, others you may not. I have come across more that I disagree with than agree and some have just left me scratching my head. Here is a list of the top 20 qb’s in my opinion of what order they should be drafted and by the points they will put up. Feel free to comment on any changes you would have made. I look forward to reading all of them.

Michael Jackson: The Super Bowl Legacy

With the passing of Michael Jackson yesterday, people around the world have gathered to remember his life and his legacy, to try and share the shock, the feeling of loss with others who feel the same.

And although I haven’t attended a prayer vigil, or made a trip to The Apollo to be a part of the mourning crowd, I have had conversations with friends and family about the King of Pop’s tattoo on my memory. 

When Michael Jackson released his famed album “Thriller”, I was just seven years old. But my youthfulness didn’t keep me from realizing what I was listening to was genius at work.

The sounds of “Thriller”, “Beat It”, and “Billy Jean” as heard from MTV, mesmerized my eyes and ears as I grew from just an intrigued listener to a fan from then until now.

Michael Jackson was an amazing singer, dancer, and entertainer.

And nothing demonstrates that more than the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII.

The Cowboys were playing the Bills that day, and Dallas came out victorious with a 52-17 romp of a Buffalo team making their third consecutive appearance, and getting their third consecutive loss.

There was a lot of talk about the game afterwards, how the Cowboys were the new 49ers, and Buffalo’s inability to win the big one. But there was also a lot of talk of the halftime show. 

Michael Jackson performed in what is to many, the best Super Bowl halftime show ever.

I, for one, will never forget it.

I was 14 years old at the time, and I can still see the image of Michael on the stadium’s big screen TV, as if he were trapped, and suddenly an impersonator is seen on top of the monitor in a cloud of smoke.

The same happens on the second stadium monitor and the crowd is just going wild, awaiting for the actually King of Pop to appear.

The camera pans to center stage, and suddenly from below the stage Jackson is catapulted into everyone’s view.

And the crowd goes wild, and my jaw is on the floor.

It was one of those moments in time when you realized that what you were seeing would never be seen again.

He stood there in black, except for the classic white socks and gold trim on his infamous jacket.

He stood there knowing that although Dallas had the stars on their helmets, he was the real star in the stadium that night.

For over seven minutes, all eyes were on Michael Jackson and for every Super Bowl from that moment on, other performers would live with the knowledge that they could only hope to be second-best.

Michael Jackson’s fame permeated all aspects of human society, even that of the greatest game ever invented.

He stole the show that Sunday night and will be remembered by sports fans for that thrilling performance.

So thrilling we realized “Thriller” was more than a name of an album, or the name of a song. It was the very word to describe the man behind the music. The man we’ll all remember as the guy who rocked Super Bowl XXVII.

 

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