NY Giant Ticket Madness: Too Little Too Late

I received a call today from a good friend of mine.  For the past 20 years, he has sat next to me in Giant Stadium.  The tradition of watching Big Blue spans over 40 years as our fathers have been going together since 1969. 

They have seen the Giants play at Yale Bowl, the original Yankee Stadium and of course…Giant Stadium.  We have seen many great moments over the years and are very fortunate to have had tickets for such a long span of time.

So, this conversation focuses on the Giants and the upcoming year.  We banter back and forth about everything from Eli Manning without Burress to how we are both looking forward to watching KP knock the stuffing out of Dallas receivers.

Now…what most people need to know to make this article work is that we are both reeling over the cost of the PSL’s and the ticket costs in the New Giant Stadium.  Sure, the new stadium is going to be “amazing,” but the price attached to “amazing” has forced many of the long standing fans out. 

Sunday traditions including ours has be crushed. I was hoping to take my son someday; however, that opportunity for me is no more…for I have turned my four seats back in.  My lower level seats were to cost $47,000 up from $4000.  WOW! 

The Giants are having trouble selling tickets.  This is a fact. There are talks of blacking out games in the North Jersey/New York area.  This is also fact.

And the reason for the call from my friend was to tell me the offer he received from the Giants today.  Now, this friend was on the Giants waiting list since 1990.  He was attempting to acquire a second pair of tickets, so he did not have to buy his fathers tickets week in and week out.

His offer was to buy a PSL in the Mezzanine level.  The PSL was still $7500 a seat (crazy!) but they were dropping the seat price from $400 to $250. Also, the rights to purchase concerts seats, complimentary parking, fixed seat prices for three years and private stadium entrance with elevators, extra wide seats with more leg room.

Get ready for the blackouts, people coming to the game in the middle of the first quarter and leaving after half time.

This is the first time in those 20 years that I will not see him every Sunday over the course of the football season.

If they just had been fair up front with their prices this desperation move would not be necessary.  My friend told them “Thanks” but “No Thanks.”

Tom Brady is Not Great, He is Simply Overrated

Tom Brady is overrated…PERIOD!

As a hard-core fan of the National Football League, you need…you must!…take the time to absorb this truth.

Granted Brady was the QB on three Super Bowl championship teams. Granted Brady threw 50 touchdown passes while leading a modern-era NFL team to an undefeated regular season.

Those accomplishments have the media, fantasy footballers world wide, and fans all across the New England states in a frenzied swoon over Brady’s “greatness” as a QB legend.

Not this devoted disciple of NFL football! Uhnt Ah! No way! Fat chance!

Not, for posterity’s sake at least, until Tom Brady leads his Patriots to a Super Bowl championship in the post-cheating era of New England Patriots football.

I don’t take cheating lightly. And I remember the fortune of New England’s Super Bowl runs vividly. And one can argue in utter futility the favorable impact that cheating had on those three Patriots Super Bowl runs.

But this article is not about cheating. It’s not about denying the reality of three Patriots Super Bowl championships.

This article is about the “greatness” of Tom Brady as an NFL passer.

I choose to look “statistically” at this issue foremost. For this exercise I shall use two critical statistics that measure a quarterback’s performance; Yards Per Attempt (YPA) and Yards Per Completion (YPC).

Yards Per Attempt awards the importance of a QB’s accuracy, which is a very critical element of a QB’s greatness, this stat also awards QB’s who play in low risk, hyper-efficient pass offenses (which is what Brady plays in). At the top of the Career Yards Per Attempt list, among others, are such notable accuracy legends as Steve Young, Roger Staubach, Bart Starr, and Joe Montana. Few will deny the lethal accuracy that these field generals possessed. Note that these legends played in highly efficient pass offenses as well. Tom Brady ranks tied at 49th out of 219 passers on this list (which falls within the second quintile).

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_yds_per_att_career.htm

The telling statistic, in part, is Yards Per Completion (but with further understanding). This stat removes a lot of the noise that Yards Per Attempt includes in its calculation. Yards Per Completion removes from its equation the penalty of dropped passes, removes the statistical benefits that shorter high probability passes improve upon the YPA statistic by virtue of mere volume alone, and removes the penalty for throwing and missing longer and low probability downfield passes. It is purely a statistic that measures how many yards on average the football is moved on the gridiron with each catch of the football.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_yds_per_cmp_career.htm

Understand that this is lifetime. Brady ranks 183rd out of 219 in Yards Per Completion Lifetime. That’s the fifth quintile in NFL history, the very bottom of the barrel. You will note that the bulk of today’s active QB’s are right down there as well. The modern NFL has turned into an efficiency game. And very few of today’s QB’s own any viable “greatness” as downfield passers.

Understand this…Brady is a system QB!

But to give further argument to my proclamation that Tom Brady is overrated, more information must be considered.

This Yards Per Completion stat alone must needs be further refined. Because this stat doesn’t represent the share of those Yards Per Completion that are derived from Yards After the Catch (YAC Yards). A certain percentage of the two statistics we are considering in this article (YPA and YPC) is derived from Yards After the Catch (YAC). These are the yards added to a QB’s statistical outcomes by virtue of a pass catcher running with the football once he has possession of it.

I am seeking a reliable statistics resource that shows the percentage of completion yards derived from YAC (Yards After the Catch). It would then become a simple calculation to further refine and purify the Yards Per Catch statistic to gauge exactly how much risk a QB is taking to complete a pass by virtue of how far the football actually travels from thrower to receiver.  

One source told me recently that in 2007 (Brady’s statistical anomaly year) the Patriots derived 48% of their completion yardage from YAC yards. The NFL average that year was 43%. It would seem, based on observation, that the Patriots have been at or near the top of the NFL in YAC yards for much of Brady’s career.

Once YAC yards are subtracted from a QB’s YPC, it becomes all the more telling for Brady (who has Wes Welker catching four yard passes and turning them into 10 yard gains virtually every catch) that he is a prolific dink-dank-dunk passer playing in a dink-dank-dunk offense and nothing more.

For further proof, look at Wesley Welkers Yards Per Catch (10.5) in 2008 and 2007. Welker’s 223 receptions over that stretch led the NFL. His YPC number is extraordinarily low by all historical NFL records and is not reflective of, nor does this statistic consider, his incredible YAC yards. We all know Welker gets plenty of yards after the catch. This is, specifically, the wide receiver catching the very obvious dinks, danks and dunks that Tom Brady is throwing, as Welker’s statistics clearly prove.

I’m here to tell the world that Tom Brady is a statistical dwarf among the long and storied history of NFL quarterbacks. As a passer, Brady’s entire career has him ranked very probably in the bottom 95 percent of all NFL passers when calculating his Yards Per Completion minus the Yards After the Catch his receivers provide to the equation.

Brady throws a shorter pass, on average than 95 percent of the QB’s who ever played the game.

Throw in the reality that Brady played on a cheating team for the duration of his Super Bowl runs.

Throw in the reality that in those Super Bowl years Brady needed, more than any offensive weapon at his disposal, the leg of Adam Vinatieri to eek out wins the bulk of those games. He dinked it all the way down into field goal range by golly.

Throw in the reality that the Patriots defense knew many of the opposing teams plays and created an incredible amount of timely turnovers that benefited Brady in terms of field position and defensive scoring to ease his pressure. Brady simply had a short field most of the time when a game mattered!

Throw in the regrettable reality that the NFL Commissioners Office utterly destroyed all evidence as to the nature of the Patriots cheating ways; evidence that if it had gone public via the media, would have exposed the harmful effects the cheating created upon opposing teams. The sea of NFL fans would no doubt be clamoring for removal of those championships from the NFL’s storied history.

Brady couldn’t drive his team down the field to beat the New York Giants in the final minute in 2007. He lofted three bombs that fell to the turf when that game was on the line.

Brady couldn’t drive his team down the field to beat the Denver Broncos in the playoffs in 2005. He threw three critical picks when he had to throw it down field.

You see, Tom Brady is a prolific dink-dank-dunk pocket passer. He is an underachiever outside of the pocket. His success has been derived from his necessity of getting rid of the ball quickly, before the pass rush can get to him.

His linemen don’t have to hold their blocks very long. They too are overrated.

Brady gets 100 percent of his credit because of three Lombardi Trophies, which were earned through the undeniable benefit of cheating. Many of his critical “drives” were on a short field and many of them were culminated with an Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Brady plays in an offensive scheme that was designed to quickly get the ball into the hands of a receiver, who in turn runs with the football after the catch. Brady throws an occasional deep pass to keep the safeties honest.

His impressive anomaly of a stat year came when Randy Moss came aboard, the same Randy Moss who is considered the most dangerous deep threat in the modern era of NFL football. Moss’s presence as a deep threat opened the door wide open for the dinks, danks and dunks to frustrate NFL defenses underneath.

What can I say? The Patriots offense is well-designed. It works.

Matt Cassel, he of absolutely no starting experience either at the college level or in the NFL, stepped right into that offense and shined last year. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see how Cassel could have done in that offense in Year 2? How about Year 3? Why, in many ways, his numbers were on par with Brady’s…with no prior experience.  

For posterity’s sake and in the name of “greatness,” until Tom Brady proves he is capable of leading his Patriots to a Super Bowl championship in the post-cheating era of New England Patriots football, he is not the “legend” that the NFL media has made him out to be.

Well why not in 2009? Brady’s New England Patriots are the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2009. Why? Because Brady is a media darling! There are no excuses for Brady not to win the Super Bowl this year.

Enough already! Brady will never win a Super Bowl championship again! The NFL is catching up to Brady’s dinks, danks and dunks. There is nothing left about this QB worthy of proclamation.

Re Michael Vick: Lose the Hypocrisy and Double Standards!

A few days ago, a member of the Buffalo Bills Fans group at the social networking site, Linked In, proposed on the discussion page, that Buffalo sign Michael Vick.

The overwhelming majority of comments received was enthusiastically positive. The essence of comments, as a composite, was that Buffalo would be a good place for Vick to rehabilitate. As long as T.O. is there, why not Vick also? He would add another dimension to an improving offense. He would bring Buffalo four consecutive Super Bowl Rings.

Within hours a second discussion went up at the Bills Fans page, citing a comment by Bills GM Russ Brandon that Buffalo sees no need for Vick at this time. 

Even then, the comments continued to come in advocating for Vick in a Bills uniform.

So, how should we interpret these comments? Is Buffalo an anti-canine city? Is Buffalo shamelessly desperate for any talent they can get no matter how morally depraved he may be? Is Buffalo management afraid of protests and boycotts by the animal lobby?

The latter may be true, but not the former. In fact, I would suggest that Buffalo (as measured by responses to this discussion) has the appropriate attitude toward Mr. Vick. The man paid his debt to society. He has matured, seen the error of his ways. He deserves an opportunity for redemption. All have sinned and come short.

So the question in my mind is not why a sampling of Buffalo fans was so willing to accept this man who is generally considered a pariah, but why an apparent majority of the general population, including football fans, in our society are so unwilling to forgive animal cruelty when murderers, gangsters, spouse batterers, deadbeat dads and more play in NFL stadiums every week, having served nothing more than a two week suspension and not a day in jail?

Sure, animals are helpless. They depend on the love and compassion of their owners. Animal abuse is egregious. No one is defending Michael Vick’s involvement in this travesty or arguing that he shouldn’t have had severe consequences.

But he’s paid his debt. He’s lost his good name. He spent meaningful time in a Federal prison. He’s lost his fortune. He lost his opportunity to play in the NFL during his peak years. He’s paid a steeper price than peers who have committed greater crimes, crimes against human beings, such as Ray Lewis for just one example.

So why the double standard? Why the hypocrisy?

Any team that takes a chance on Michael Vick may or may not enjoy something close to the level of talent he displayed before his arrest, but they will be a part of something much greater—a process of healing, redemption, and penance, which will not only restore the career of a great player but will restore his soul and the soul of the community that opens the door.

And since the secret ingredient in any championship is the psycho-spiritual intangibles, the karma, things that never show up on a depth chart, the team that welcomes Mr. Vick may be the team that receives the next Lombardi trophy.

That is something Buffalo would do well to reconsider, as well as any other team in need of an extra boost.      

Alex’s 32 Teams in 32 Days: Team 30—Cleveland Browns

I originally had another team in this slot but after doing the research I realized they’re not going to be as bad as I originally thought.  Therefore the Browns slide into 30th.

2008 Record: 4-12

2008 Season Review:

Coming off of an impressive 2007 season, expectations were extremely high for the Browns.

However, things did not turn out as expected.

The top 10 offense from 2007 did not show up in ’08.  In fact, their average points-per-game dropped more than 19 points, and their average yards-per-game took a hit of more than 100 yards.

Derek Anderson no longer looked like the ’07 Pro Bowler he was.  His quarterback rating dropped from 82.5 to 66.5, an awful number.  The Browns were just 3-6 in Anderson’s nine starts.  Eventually his dismal play resulted in him losing the starting job to second year man Brady Quinn.

Quinn was not much better. In three starts, he was 1-2.

Both Quinn and Anderson were placed on IR due to injuries.

Ken Dorsey started the last four games.

The offense ranked 30th in points scored and 31st in yards gained.

The defense was in the middle of the road in 2008.  They ranked 16th in points allowed and 26th in yards against.

The 2008 season was truly a dud.  As a result, head coach Romeo Crennel lost his job.

Eric Mangini was hired to replace Crennel.

 

Key Additions

LB Eric Barton, C Alex Mack (draft), WR Brian Robiskie (draft), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (draft) TE Robert Royal, DE Kenyon Coleman, S Abram Elam, OL John St. Clair, LB David Bowens, CB Rod Hood, CB Corey Ivy, WR David Patten, CB Hank Poteat, LB Bo Ruud, WR Mike Furrey, G Floyd Womack

Key Losses

TE Kellen Winslow, WR Joe Jurevicius, OT Kevin Shaffer, CB Terry Cousin, QB Bruce Gradkowski, S Sean Jones, OL Seth McKinney, CB Travis Daniels, RB Jason Wright, LB Andra Davis

2009 Preview

The 2009 season is a time for change in Cleveland.

The Browns have a new coaching staff.  New head coach Eric Mangini brought in new assistants such as Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator, Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator, and new special teams coach Brad Seely.

Mangini has quickly set the tone and let the players know how it’s going to be.

In May the rookies were sent on a “voluntary” 10-hour bus ride to Connecticut to work Mangini’s football camp.  They were then sent home the same night.

“It’s voluntary, but it’s not really voluntary,” one league source told the Plain Dealer. “These players are fighting for starting jobs and playing time. What are they supposed to do, say ‘No, I’m not going?’ “

Players were very upset by the experience.

One of the most watched position battles in football this summer will be the quarterback competition in Cleveland.

Quinn and Anderson will both be competing for the right to start under center.  They each have a lot to prove.

Quinn will need to finally prove he was worth the 2007 first round pick the Browns spent on him.

Anderson will need to show he is worthy of the sizable contract extension he received after the ’07 season.

Quinn is the favorite to win the job.

Who will be catching the football in Cleveland?

Braylon Edwards was recently placed on the Non-Football injury list. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Edwards struggled in 2008 after having a career year in ’07.

He led the league in dropped passes and his numbers took a significant hit.  He caught 25 less balls than in ’07, his yardage total dropped more than 400 yards, and he hauled in 13 less touchdowns.

With Donte’ Stallworth suspended indefinitely, tight end Kellen Winslow now in Tampa Bay and veteran Joe Jurevicius no longer around, the Browns selected two young receivers in April’s draft.

Rookies Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi will need to get on the field right away to help whoever starts at quarterback.

The offensive line was greatly improved this offseason.

With Pro Bowler Joe Thomas already anchoring the left side, the Browns brought in center Alex Mack (draft), and free agents John St. Clair, and Floyd Womack to help out.

Mack is expected to start from day one and give the Browns a dominant force in the middle of the o-line.

The defense didn’t see too many improvements.

The Browns will need young players like safety Brodney Pool, linebackers Kamerion Wimbley and D’Qwell Jackson and cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald to step up their game and reach their potential if the defense is going to be anything more than mediocre.

Bottom Line:  In this rebuilding year I don’t see the Browns improving too much on their four win season from a year ago.  Look for somewhere between four and six wins in ’09.

 

Previous Rankings

32. Detroit Lions

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the unveiling of team 29. 

The Eight Most Overvalued Fantasy Wide Receivers

Everyone wants to be known as a fantasy football genius. Especially at the end of a draft.

One of the defining qualities of true fantasy geniuses is the ability to find the right value in fantasy drafts and subsequent waiver wire expeditions. This certainly is both an art and a skill.

Too many fantasy football owners draft without knowledge of value. Instead, a quick glance over the roster to see what positions are missing or checking on the bye week conflicts is all the information the vast majority of owners need when making a selection.

Big no-no.

So much goes into taking the right players at the right spots. The skill part of the equation is doing the homework ahead of time. Study average draft positions on various mock draft websites. Vigilantly scour fantasy football rankings to see where players are being ranked, and keep checking as rankings are very fluid.

The art part of the equation comes on draft day. Most owners only have a minute or two to make the selection. Having all the numbers crunched and the research done ahead of time is crucial, but now is the time to construct the masterpiece. See the values in each pick, take the undervalued players at the right time and watch as other owners reach badly for overvalued players.

Starting today, The Hazean will run down some of the most overvalued players currently being taken in mock drafts. A few weeks ago, we ran through the most undervalued quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and non-starting wide receivers.

Remember that the draft is just the first part of the process of winning a fantasy football championship. A good draft can set an owner up nicely for the season. A bad one? Sucks, but owners can recover. Keep searching for the values, especially after the draft.

The average draft positions (ADP) for each of the players listed below were taken from two of the leading mock draft sites, Fantasy Football Calculator and Mock Draft Central. ADP current as of July 29, 2009.

 

Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs

2008 stats: 86 receptions, 1,022 yards, 7 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 29.9 (Round 3.06)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 28.78

He put up great numbers considering the anemic nature of the Chiefs offense last year, and did it with a smodge-podge of quarterbacks. When Tyler Thigpen is chucking the rock 30 times per game and you still are pulling down fat fantasy stat lines, your hype is sure to go through the roof.

And that is what Bowe’s stock has done. Now with a more competent—at least from the early returns—quarterback behind center, Bowe is expected to elevate last year’s numbers. But that will be hard to do with no Tony Gonzalez to keep pass defenses honest and hardly a semblance of a running game.

Bowe should have a good year for sure, but top-12 territory is a stretch.

 

Wes Welker, Patriots

2008 stats: 111 receptions, 1,165 yards, 3 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 31.8 (Round 3.08)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 31.05

Fantasy owners love them some Wes Welker. Which is fine and all, especially for points-per-receptions leagues.

But standard non-PPR leagues? Ehh, not so much.

To be fair, Welker does catch a lot of passes in a high-powered offense. Tom Brady is back, too, which certainly helps his value. But the Brady factor may be exaggerating Welker’s fantasy value just a tad.

 

Chad Johnson, Bengals

2008 stats: 53 receptions, 540 yards, 4 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 40.9 (Round 4.05)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 53.25

Many in the fantasy community are expecting a huge bounce-back season from Chad in 2009. But why?

First because Carson Palmer is back and healthy. Second, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is no longer there to steal targets and catches from Johnson. Neither of those reasons, however, are a guarantee that Johnson will be productive enough to warrant his current ADP.

Housh is gone, but the Bengals brought in Laveranues Coles to fill his shoes. Always undervalued, Coles will steal his share of targets even in the redzone. Chris Henry is generating a lot of buzz this offseason and will steal the deep looks. And the Bengals drafted a pass-catching tight end in Chase Coffman to help Palmer in the passing game.

Even without Housh, Johnson is going to battle for targets with three capable pass catchers this season.

 

Antonio Bryant, Buccaneers

2008 stats: 83 receptions, 1,248 yards, 7 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 60.4 (Round 5.12)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 47.97

No more Jon Gruden. Jeff Garcia is gone too. All that is left for Antonio Bryant is a mediocre logjam at quarterback and question marks all over the Tampa Bay roster.

Add in the fact that Bryant has never been a highly productive or consistent fantasy threat and the risk is overwhelming taking Bryant as anything more than a WR3. Without another receiver to take the heat off Bryant, defenses will spend a little more energy keeping him in check.

Even the addition of Kellen Winslow cannot help Bryant’s value, as he figures to steal a lot of the attention of whomever becomes the Bucs starting quarterback.

 

Michael Crabtree, 49ers

2008 stats: N/A (Rookie)
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 81.5 (Round 7.09)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 93.33

Meet Michael Crabtree, ridiculously overrated as a fantasy wide receiver for this season.

Consider Calvin Johnson’s rookie season as a benchmark, albeit a very lofty one: 48 catches, 756 yards, 5 total touchdowns. Think Crabtree is coming even remotely close to those numbers in the Mike Singletary coached 49ers’ offense? Better think again.

The successes of DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal last season are helping buoy Crabtree’s fantasy value.

But consider that neither of these guys were drafted in a majority of leagues last year because they were not considered to be ready for the NFL in terms of fantasy football. But both guys exploded onto the scene and became waiver wire gold because of situation—pass-happy offenses—more than talent.

Crabtree has uber-talent, but the situation in San Fran does not seem right for him to have a worthwhile fantasy season this year.

 

Domenik Hixon, Giants

2008 stats: 43 receptions, 596 yards, 2 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 114.0 (Round 10.06)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 106.36

A few decent games at the end of 2008 and suddenly Domenik Hixon is weaving his way through the collective subconscious of fantasy owners. But even with Plaxico Burress out of the way, Hixon is not even the No. 1 or 2 receiving option in the Giants’ offense.

Heck, he  may not even be No. 3 or 4 or 5 when it is all said and done. Steve Smith will assume the role of possession receiver in the Giants offense, garnering some of Manning’s most important targets.

The tight ends—Kevin Boss and Travis Beckum—will be options 2A and 2B. Ahmad Bradshaw and/or Danny Ware will assume the spot vacated by Derrick Ward as option 3 out of the backfield. After that, Hixon will need to fend off Sinorice Moss and rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden for targets.

It is going to be difficult for Hixon to put up consistent fantasy football numbers in that log jam of a receiving corps. He reeks of Devery Henderson fame.

 

Plaxico Burress, Free agent

2008 stats: 35 receptions, 454 yards, 4 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 152.3 (Round 13.08)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 187.72

Why is he even being drafted at this point?

It is looking increasingly likely that Plax will miss all of 2009 due to legal issues and there is a good chance he will not be able to return for the 2010 season as well. Now that he appears well of the football radar, gambling fantasy owners hoping he would land somewhere like Chicago will likely stop drafting this guy. There is no reason to roster Burress in the foreseeable future.

 

Earl Bennett, Bears

2008 stats: 0 receptions, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns
Fantasy Football Calculator ADP: 147.8 (Round 13.04)
Mock Draft Central ADP: 200.86

How does a player go from zero catches last season to being drafted by fantasy owners the next?

Bennett could not even sniff the field from the sidelines last season. And it is not like the Bears have a daunting dearth of talent at the wide receiver position. Yet here he is being taken as a flier late in most mock drafts.

Why, you ask? We all know the answer is Jay Cutler. The Commodore connection—both were teammates at Vanderbilt—has been restored and suddenly Bennett is on the fantasy radar.

Fantasy owners would be better served using the roster spot on another talent, perhaps some depth at running back, while keeping an eye on Bennett’s progress through the preseason. He is no more than waiver wire fodder at this point.

 

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Come to Think of It: Another Angle to the Brian Urlacher-Jay Cutler Silliness

Cue the Cats soundtrack.

For this catfighting between Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and quarterback Jay Cutler, which either truly exists or is being invented by a former Bears player trying to stir up trouble, is causing the media to swarm like vultures to a fresh kill.

Yet my take on this whole “did he call Cutler a (sissy) or not” story is, WHO CARES? In fact, they can openly roll around the Bourbonnais practice field and scratch each other’s eyes out if they want, for all I care.

Personally, my money would be on Urlacher, but that’s another matter entirely.

So why am I writing this article then, if I say I don’t care?

Well, I have an angle to the story that I haven’t heard anyone talk about.

That is, what if he’s right?

I mean, up until now, all I’ve heard spewing from talk radio has been debate over whether or not Urlacher called Cutler this expletive-deleted, and concern over two teammates possibly not getting along.

For his part, Urlacher denies ever having said that about Cutler.

But no one has addressed the 800-pound bear in the room. Namely, what if Urlacher’s right, and our new franchise QB and savior truly is a wimp?

So what, you say? As long as he throws touchdown passes and leads the team to victory, you don’t care?

Fair enough.

But at least to me, it does matter, for many reasons. First, your QB is supposed to be the leader of the team. Leaders need respect. It’s hard enough to walk into a new locker room and lead a bunch of guys you don’t know.

But it’s damn near impossible if you are a wimpy guy who lacks toughness and leadership skills. Players will see right through you as if you were translucent.

Then there is the delicate issue of a QB’s psyche. We all recognize that QBs are kind of like left-handed pitchers in that they are different. That is a kind way of saying that they are really out there and require special attention.

Further, there is the not-so-transparent negative reputation that Cutler is trying to shed like a defensive end on his back.

Denver fans, media, and even the coaching staff have taken Cutler to task for various issues over the years, the most recent of which is because he wanted to leave the Broncos and get away from coaching genius Josh McDaniels.

Though young, Cutler’s public persona is already steeped in a legacy of selfishness and prima donna status. Whether that’s fair or not, it is what it is. And controversy like the one that Minnesota’s Bobby Wade (seriously, dude, what grown man still wants to be called “Bobby”?) is generating, intentional or not, is something Cutler needs like a sore arm.

My first inclination was to tell Wade to shut up and grow up. You were never any good as a Bear, and your statements to the media border on insulting. It’s abusing the privilege of a friendship, at the very least.

My next thought is that, while a great player, Urlacher can be somewhat of an idiot, so why should we care what he thinks? After all, he routinely shuns the media and fans alike and has a history of surliness that has resulted in his Brian “Surlacher” nickname by the local press.

Yet another impression is that what we may be experiencing here, if Urlacher did indeed express that opinion of Cutler, is a power struggle.

Urlacher has long been the face of the team. He has truly been an awesome linebacker. So along comes Cutler, and suddenly there is a new sheriff in town.

Who knows?

Again, my focus will be on Cutler’s play on the field and his actions as a leader on this football team. I will certainly give him the benefit of the doubt. I am happy as a loon in heat that he is here.

Still, there is that gnawing suspicion that I just can’t seem to rid my mind of that maybe, just maybe, the rumors are true.

As a Bears fan, I certainly hope not. But it’s an interesting question and one that only time will tell.

Hey, we love our quarterback controversy here in Chicago, come to think of it.

Just Saying, Is All… | The Best Reason To Root for Vince Young

Failure is endearing.

Vince Young is easy to criticize. He was also, once, impossible to love. In three NFL seasons, the Titans quarterback has yet to fulfill his collegiate promise—which would be worse news if his flaws didn’t make him so much more deserving of our empathy.

Potential is a curse before it arrives.

Disappointment, on the other hand, is a blessing after the fact.

I don’t mean to sugarcoat Young’s shortcomings. The numbers speak for themselves, and the off-field theatrics haven’t helped. But let’s not miss the sunny side of the story. In a league where victory is so often confused with virtue, it’s edifying to remember that defeat can happen to the best of us.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Every bust has a golden moral.

If Young had starred in Tennessee the way he did at Texas, we wouldn’t ever have had cause to question the guts beneath the glitter.

Sports fans tend to get bogged down in data. Touchdowns, interceptions, completion percentage—we score our idols on the basis of output, as if productivity were the root of all value. The catch, of course, is that you can’t hug a statistic. Fantasy football junkies will argue that Young’s passer rating is a liability. I’d counter that the most precious assets are those which show us ourselves as we really are.

It’s great to be great.

It’s better to be genuine.

Young may never live up to his billing, but the most authentic things in life are rarely as good as advertised.

There’s no shame in being mediocre. To succeed is to rise above your peers; to stumble is to land among your people. The best reason to root for Vince Young is his colossal fallibility, because colossal fallibility is the common fate of humankind. Every burnout is haunted by visions of the flame he used to be. The bright one is smart enough to find solace in man’s ill-lit brotherhood of ash.

Walt Whitman never got benched in favor of a has-been, but he could still sympathize with folks whose lot it is to ride the pine:

Vivas to those who have fail’d!
And to those whose war-vessels sank in the sea!
And to those themselves who sank in the sea!
And to all generals that lost engagements, and all overcome heroes!
And the numberless unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known!

Which is a fitting dirge for a Fallen race.

Because no Son of Adam gets it right all the time, and any mortal who claims to be perfect is either playing in the Rose Bowl or only just saying, is all…

2009 Season Preview of the Dallas Cowboys

With the start of training camp and the impending football season, I was left to wonder: What kind of team will the 2009 Cowboys be? Sure, there were a couple of big names to make their way out of Dallas this offseason: Greg Ellis, Roy Williams, and Terrel Owens to name a few.

But if you really sit down and think about it, the subtraction of those three makes the Cowboys better.

Terrel Owens was slowly becoming an enigma in the locker room last year. And like his previous stops in San Francisco and Philadelphia, he ended up splitting the locker room here in Dallas.

Taking into account that there are still some young players in the locker room, Jerry couldn’t allow for that to continue. So getting rid of T.O. is a plus.

Greg “Contract” Ellis was another positive subtraction. He has disputed over his contract the past two seasons. You also need to take into account that this will now give Anthony Spencer a chance to prove he is ready to be a starter.

Some people may want to argue this fact, but letting Roy Williams the safety go is better. Williams couldn’t cover an 85 year old woman in a little rascal, much less cover some of the elite receivers in the NFL.

Yeah, this does leave a lot of youth in the secondary. But I would rather take the youth than have to see Randy Moss running down the sidelines with Williams 20 yards behind him.

One of my big worries about this season is the fact that DeMarcus Ware still isn’t signed to a long-term contract. Just like with any potential free agent, you worry that if he has a stellar season, he will walk to where the money is. But with Ware, this defense should be a good unit this season.

Looking at the offensive side of the ball, you can’t really help but feel excited. There are three exciting running backs that should all see good playing time this season. Marion Barber is your tough bruising back who will knock your teeth out.

But then you also have Felix Jones, who missed time last season with an injury, who will just run past you before you know what happened. Last but definitely not least is Tashard Choice, who showed last year that he is very deserving of any and all playing time he gets.

One thing that is going to be a big factor is Tony Romo’s performance this season. Sure, this will only be his third technical season as the full time starter. But all people in Dallas want to talk about is how he hasn’t won a playoff game.

Let’s not forget it took the great Peyton Manning six years before he won a playoff game. So hopefully the media and naysayers of the Cowboys will hold their tongues and give him a chance to prove them wrong.

The receivers are going to be good this year, headlining the show is former Texas stand out Roy Williams. While he never has put up great numbers in his career, you have to remember that he played all of his previous seasons in Detroit. And let’s face it, nobody can succeed in that place.

Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton round out the other two main spots on the receiving corps. Austin is a better No. 2 guy just because he has the speed to get the breakaway touchdown. But Crayton is a good slot and possession receiver.

The last big weapon on the offense is going to be Jason Witten. He is an All Pro tight end who doesn’t shy away from contact. With a safety valve like Witten going down the field, this offense shouldn’t have any problems moving the ball.

But that’s easy to say on paper.

Looking at this team top to bottom, the Cowboys have a good roster ready to have a great season. I don’t know how they will stack up against the other teams in the NFC East.

Doing a quick glance of the schedule, I am going to walk out on a limb and guess that the Cowboys will probably go 11-5. Is this going to be good enough to win the division? I don’t know, only time will tell. But this will be at least good enough to get in the playoffs.

Maybe that is the eternal optimist in me coming out…either way, the season starts on Sept. 13, and we will know real quick how far off I am.

Fantasy Football Profile: Brian Westbrook

Before I get started on Westy, let me once again offer my sympathy for the Eagles organization and the Jim Johnson family, who truly lost a great one this week.

Brian Westbrook is one of the best players in all of football when healthy.  That’s the problem though.  He is currently rehabbing an ankle injury and will turn 30 in September.  He has battled through a myriad of injuries the past few years, only missing four of his past 48 games after missing five in 2004 and 2005.

Despite playing in 14 games he finished with 1338 total yards (936 rushing, 402 receiving) with 14 TDs.  His total yardage was down 36.4% last year though.  It appears that is a sign of things to come. 

Every year there is some risk associated with drafting Westy, and I feel it’s even great this year, which is why he is sliding to the second round in fantasy drafts.  Aside from the age and injuries, the Eagles drafted LeSean McCoy who, like Westy, is a dual threat.  McCoy could seriously cut into Westbrook’s touches.

It’s important for Westy to be in the lineup out of the game.  In Weeks Two and Three the Eagles face New Orleans and Kansas City.  They also face the Raiders in Week six. 

As dynamic a player as Westy is when he’s healthy and the offense is humming makes matchups a little insignificant, but it’s nice to know he has a good fantasy playoff schedule of the Giants, who he dominates historically, the 49ers, and the Broncos.

It’s hard to put a number on Westy because of his health, but I’m expecting a 1,500 total yard, eight TD campaign.

Originally published at LestersLegends.com.

2009 Projections for Dallas Cowboys’ Roy Williams

Last season the Cowboys gave up a hefty bounty to acquire Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions, putting huge expectations on him that he may be able to propel them to the next level. 

For the entire season he had 36 catches and 430 yards, but after the deal he had just 19 catches for 198 yards and 1 TD in ten games.

That’s a huge disappointment, to say the least. As we approach the 2009 season he enters as the team’s top receiving threat, with Terrell Owens being cut loose in the off season.

There’s a lot of pressure on Tony Romo to succeed, as many pointed to Owens as one of his major problems. The feeling was that he felt obligated to consistently force the ball to TO, detracting from his performance and that of some of the other receivers.

While tight end Jason Witten may be the top receiver for the team, he already had 81 catches and 952 yards in 2008—how much better could he potentially get? 

The team is going to have to look to get the ball downfield, and Williams has proven in the past to be capable of doing so. Let’s not forget his big 2006 campaign, when he had 82 catches for 1,310 yards. That year he had 24 catches for 20+ yards.

He’s not going to be a stud in the red zone. He’s never had more than 8 TD catches in a season, with only 30 in his five-year career. While the catches and yards are going to rebound, don’t look for the TD to be enough to carry him to the elite levels.

The other big issue is his ability to stay on the field. Only once as he played in all 16 games, certainly limiting his potential to post the monster numbers expected from the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft.

As for what I would expect from him this season:

Receiving: 71 catches, 1,075 yards, 7 TD

Those numbers would make him a solid No. 2 option in all formats. I don’t see him as being one of the elite, but with a full training camp to adjust to the offense he should be able to get worked in and flourish as the top receiver in the system (albeit, potentially the second option).

He said it himself, quoted on CBS as saying, “If I’m coached to do it the right way, I can do it. Just tell me what to do and I can do it, coach. Because, once again, I am a coachable wide receiver who does what he’s coached to do.”

While he wouldn’t be my top choice to have as my second WR, he certainly is a player that I’d feel comfortable owning.

What about you? How do you see Williams performing this season? Could he emerge as one of the elite?

This article is also featured on www.rotoprofessor.com/football

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