New York Jets Preseason Game 3: Positives

First of all, let’s start with the least important stat: Jets beat Giants 27-25

It would be easy to start here with Mark Sanchez, but I’m going with another first-round selection: Vernon Gholston.

By no means was he impressive tonight—he got pushed around, the Giants ran to his side of the field, and he got little push—but unlike previous games, he did something.

Coming through completely unblocked, Gholston put a monstor hit on David Carr, which must of had Carr reminiscing about his time in Houston. It was called back for a helmet-to-helmet hit, something that was touch-and-go for me. He was excited—it’s his first sack, and hopefully that builds his confidence.

He will have to show more of the same in the final preseason series the Bollinger Bowl, as he sat on the sideline and watched highly talked-about defender Jamaal Westerman come through a tight end and make the “clean” sack on Carr.

Although Gholston has already been confirmed as the starter, if he doesn’t produce and the whole defense suffers as a result, then there will be little choice but to rotate him more than coach Rex Ryan would like.

However, for anyone who has watched the Jets over the past year, this is a step in the right direction.

Now, let’s move on to Sanchez, who had a very good game against a very tough defense.

It did not start all that well, as he was locking onto receivers and failing to look off defensive backs. Fortunately, it didn’t come back to bite him, and he may have found it very difficult to get into any rhythm with the amount of penalties the Jets were giving away.

Sanchez was 13-of-20 for 149 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, and he was sacked once. Sanchez also made other completions that were brought back for offensive penalties, the most notable being a seven-yard strike to jerricho Cotchery that was called back for a offensive holding call on Brandon Moore.

Sanchez started to get into a real rhythm in the second, helped by the ever-impressive Leon Washington. His touchdown pass was a nice roll out to the right. With heavy pressure in his face, he kept the play alive with his feet, kept his eyes down-field, and delivered the strike to Stuckey, who did the rest.

Possibly the most impressive aspect on the night was Sanchez’s ability to control the huddle. There were no delay of game penalties, no fumbled handoffs, and no miscommunications from what I saw. The Jets managed to move the ball both through the air and on the ground.

The ball was spread around the field, with Cotchery, Chansi Stuckey, and Dustin Keller all being targeted for Sanchez. He also had a nice pass batted away in the end zone when he tried to find Cotchery in double coverage

Another positive that Ryan will certainly take from the game came from the punting position. A position of aggravation for Ryan this preseason, Reggie Hodges averaged 41 yards on his punts and had a 51-yarder. One of his punts was downed by Brad Smith on the one-yard line.

Jay Feeley was perfect on his return from injury. He was 2-of-2 on field goals and made all three of his extra points.

Darrelle Revis looked impressive on his return. He was perhaps a step behind at some points, but just his presence made the Giants have to target the opposite side the field.

Erik Ainge continues to make improvements. Although his pass was slightly underthrown, he did connect on a 70-yard touchdown to Aundre Allison. Allison started coasting, but he soon realized that he was being hunted down and turned on the after-burners. 

Are the Green Bay Packers for Real?

At the beginning of the beginning of the 2007 NFL season, no one really knew what to expect from the Green Bay Packers. Four weeks into the season, there was no question anymore; the Packers were for real.

Some guy named Favre had led his team to a 4-0 start and broke the all-time touchdown pass record. The Packers continued to play well all season and were just a play away from facing the New England Patriots in the Superbowl.

The following season, despite the ugly exit of the aforementioned Favre, the Packers had high expectations, even with a quarterback that had seen about as much of an NFL field as yours truly.

Unfortunately for Packer fans, 2008 was not what they had hoped for. The Pack finished with a record of 6-10, and were arguably the greatest 6-10 team in the history of the NFL. Of those 10 losses, Green Bay lost seven of them by a grand total of 21 points.

The Packers led in every fourth quarter of those seven games, but were unable to play defense late in games.

Despite the poor record, there was a lot of positives for the Packers. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for over 4,000 yards, 28 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 93.8.

So as the 2009 preseason begins to close, the Packers find themselves with a 3-0 record. Their first string defense has given up just one touchdown, and as a team they have 16 takeaways and eight sacks in the three games.

But the improved defense is only part of it. The Packers first string offense has gotten even better, if thats possible. Against the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals, the Packers put up 38 first half points. Rodgers completed 14 of 19 passes for 258 yards and three TDs (those are great stats for an entire game, let alone just two quarters).

So the question remains, are the Green Bay Packers a legitimate contender in 2009?

The answer is yes.

First of all they play a very favorable schedule. Second of all they play in the NFC North. Yes the Chicago Bears added pro-bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, but whom exactly is he supposed to throw to? Yes they still have a top running back in Matt Forte, and a fairly imposing defense. However I still don’t see the Bears being a real threat to the Packers.

If anyone is going to threaten the Packers, it’s going to be the Minnesota Vikings. However I still believe the Vikings best chance to win is with Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback.

After watching Brett Favre finish last season with the Jet’s, there is no way he can handle a full season, and it is only going to hurt the Vikings chances.

That leaves the Detroit Lions. Do I really need to explain why they won’t give Green Bay any problems?

So with the fairly weak division, the easy overall schedule, and the switch from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense thanks to bringing in Dom Capers, the Green Bay Packers are a legitimate contender for 2009, provided they are able to stay relatively healthy.

Bills vs. Steelers: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

The third preseason game is what is considered the most important of the preseason. That is when the starters play the most, usually the first half. It is also the only game that the coaches game plan for the opponent.

Here is this weeks version of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good

Defense:

The Steelers defense look as if they are ready to pick up where they left off last year. The defense dominated the Buffalo starters from the opening drive.

James Farrior returned an interception for a touchdown, single handily outscoring the entire Bills team.

Limas Sweed:

For the first time in his young career, Limas Sweed played as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Sweed finished the game with four receptions for 34 yards. What stood out was the only incomplete thrown to Sweed on a pass where Sweed was pushed out of bounds.

Rashard Mendenhall:

After a slow start, Mendenhall recorded his first touchdown of the preseason on the Steelers final drive of the first half.

Stefan Logan:

If this man does not make the team for his special teams ability, I have to question the decision that the front office is making. Logan was stellar for the second week in a row.

Ben Roethlisberger:

Roethlisberger was 15-19 for 168 yards, picking apart the Buffalo secondary at will.

Joe Burnett:

As the Bills tried to avoid the shutout at the end of the game by kicking a field goal, speedy Joe Burnett ran around the outside to block the kick, and preserve the shut out.

The Bad

Offensive line:

On the Steelers first drive, the offensive line played like they played last year. After the first drive, they seemed to come together.

Rashard Mendenhall:

On the Steelers opening drive, Mendenhall fumbled in Buffalo territory, to end a drive where the Steelers were already in field goal range.

The Ugly

There were a total of three injuries to the Steelers.

Carey Davis injured an ankle early in the game, though he would later return.

On the Bills opening drive of the second half, Mike Tomlin decided to keep the starters in for one more drive, to build on the first half momentum. On that defensive stand, starting ILB Lawrence Timmons injured his ankle. Details are not year known.

Instead of taking a knee for the last play of the game, Tomlin ran off tackle, and Isaac Redman was injured on the play.

Mike Tomlin’s decision to play the defensive starters in the beginning of the second half resulted in the Timmons injury, and his decision not to take a knee resulted in Redmans. Everyone loves Mike Tomlin, but these are decisions that need to be made better.

Packers With Expiring Contracts: Who Will Stay, Who Will Go? Part Three

It may be only a few weeks until the start of the regular season, but it is important that we look ahead and play Ted Thompson by evaluating players who should or should not have their contracts renewed for the 2010 season and beyond.

So far this offseason, Greg Jennings has been the only player that has been given a contract extension, which prevents him from testing free agency in 2010. But 15 more Packers are in the last year of their contracts.

Part three of this series covers 2010 free agents who are from the defensive backfield. Part One covered the offensive which is located here. Part Two covered the defensive line and linebacker corp which is located here.

Tramon Williams    age: 26        CB2

It’s unbelievable that Williams was an undrafted free agent. Once cut from Houston in training camp in 2006, the Packers signed him to the practice squad halfway through the season.

He made the active roster in 2007 and is the clear cut nickelback in the talented secondary. Williams had nine starts in 2008 for Harris (spleen) and filled in nicely. He had five picks in 2008 and was on the field for 74 percent of the defensive plays.

Prediction: Stay. Green Bay has one of the best secondaries in the NFL, yet Al Harris and Charles Woodson are not getting any younger. The cornerbacks behind Williams are unproven and Williams has shown that he can be a difference maker on the football field. He also is a key contributor on special teams and looks to be a fulltime starter in a year or two.

Will Blackmon    age: 24        CB4, KR/PR

Blackmon seemed to be a disappointment right out of the gate. Drafted in the fourth round in 2006, Blackmon broke his foot as a rookie in mini-camp which led to a lost rookie season. He broke the same foot the next year and missed seven games and the postseason. In 2008, Blackmon was finally able to stay healthy and showcased his return ability from punts and kickoffs.  

Prediction: Walk. As important Blackmon is to the Packers for his punt and kick return abilities, he contributes very little on the defense because of the talented players ahead of him. Blackmon is a decent returner, but will only be offered a minimal contract by the Green Bay organization. I see Blackmon turning down the offer in order to test free agency.

Nick Collins    age: 26        FS

Patience is a virtue. After three years of average play, many believed that the 2008 offseason was a make-or-break year for Collins. Drafted in the second round in 2005, he drew praises for his freakish athletic ability yet his skills had not translated into the regular season.

In 2008, Collins exploded with seven interceptions, three of which were taken to the house. Collins turned into a difference maker for the Packers who has helped make Green Bay’s secondary one of the best in the league.

Prediction: Stay. Thompson was smart not to jump the gun and fork out a new deal for Collins this offseason. Was the 2008 season a fluke? Collins will have to showcase his ability this year in a new defensive scheme.

He needs to be the Ed Reed of the defense, which if his play carries over from last year, he will be rewarded with a new contract. I believe Collins will continue his excellent play from 2008 and prove the doubters wrong that he is not a one year wonder.

Atari Bigby    age: 27        SS

With quite possibly the coolest name on the roster, Atari Bigby is a fan favorite among the Packer faithful. Bigby was on the practice squad from 2005 and most of 2006 as a former undrafted free agent. His first name “Atari” is Japanese for “attack,” which suits him well.

Bigby was the starter in 2007 and exploded at the end of the 2007 season and into the playoffs showing his hard-hitting ability. 2008 was a lost season for Bigby due to a bothering left ankle injury.

Prediction: Walk. Bigby has the tools to be the strong hitting safety that the Packers need in the secondary. Unfortunately, he has a tough time with injuries that severely hamper his ability on the field.

This year Bigby will need to prove he is healthy and can revert back to his 2007 form. I believe this year Anthony Smith may outplay him, leaving Bigby on the outside looking in.

Packers Review: What We Looked For and What We Saw

Double Dip in Detroit

The City of Detroit was alive with both the promise of a new season and the excitement of a pennant race. The day began with a 1pm kick-off between the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts, the third preseason game for both teams.

Across the street from Ford Field, the Detroit Tigers prepared for a nationally televised tilt with the Tampa Bay Rays. Fresh off a series opening win on Friday night, the Tigers looked to improve on their second best home record with another win over the Rays.

The Lions finished their business with an 18-17 win over the Colts. Could the Tigers make it a Detroit sweep?

The Rays sent Rookie and potential future ace David Price the the mound for his first career start against the Tigers.

The Tigers gave Nate Robertson his first start of the year in his return from the disabled list following elbow surgery. Robertson has five good rehab starts at AAA Toledo prior to rejoining the Tigers, posting a 1-1 record with a 1.89 ERA.

Nate looked comfortable playing long toss with Gerald Laird and smooth in his bullpen warm up with bullpen catcher Scott Pickens. The good feelings carried over to the game as only 10 pitches were required to retire the first three Rays in order.

Adam Everett committed his 13th error of the season to allow Pat Burrell to reach base to lead off the second inning. A one-out single from Evan Longoria put runners at the corners. A clutch strike out of former Tiger Gabe Kapler eased some of the tension. The remaining tension was relieved with Dioner Navarro’s weak liner to Everett.

The Rays used a single, walk and a couple productive outs to push across the game’s first run in the third inning. Robertson rebounded to strike out Pat Burrell which should have ended the inning but Gerald Laird was unable to hold on to the third strike, allowing Burrell to reach base. The error proved costly as Carlos Pena followed with an RBI single, putting the Rays up 2-0.

While Nate Robertson was effective in his four innings of work, David Price was spectacular in his seven and a third. The Tigers could only muster a single run against the hard throwing lefty, an RBI single from Magglio Ordonez to score Adam Everett.

The Tigers gave the run back to the Rays in the top of the ninth as sloppy play got the best of the Tigers defense yet again. Following a walk to Akinori Iwamura, Jason Bartlett hit into what should have been an easy double play. An errant throw from Everett to Placido Polanco allowed Iwamura to reach third and put Bartlett on first. A Carl Crawford sacrifice fly allowed the Rays to regain their two run lead, 3-1.

The lead held as J.P. Howell pitched a perfect ninth for his 16th save of the year.

The Tigers remain 4.5 games up in the Central because of losses by the White Sox and Twins; their magic number now sits at 30.

Oakland Raider Fans, No need to panic…yet

Just because the Saints preseason game brought the Raiders to the same low as parts of the last few seasons, that doesn’t mean it will happen every game.

Look at this way: Sean Payton and the Saints have the Raiders’ number. They clobbered the Raiders last season and they know how to execute against a generic Raiders defense.

If you think Defensive Coordinator John Marshall was going to pull out the stops, put any wrinkles in the game plan to show on film, that would have been a mistaken expectation.  They went with a base defense or vanilla, take your pick.

Contrary to hick analysis on BR, the Raiders offense is not high flying. In fact, they did not even convert any third downs until Jeff Garcia went into the game.

The Raiders offense is inconsistent, more inexperienced than not, a little less capable in key areas such as the passing game right now. To counter that, if they ran all day that would expose the weaknesses of the offensive line. There is no way the lard duffs on the offensive line have the game conditioning to run all day. Not in the heat, not any time really.

Here are some bottom lines to be taken into consideration:

1.  If your offense does not make first downs or turns the ball over, your defense is forced to be on the field longer.  In the heat, with little depth, bad tackling. It’s a recipe to make the defense look worse than they already are.

2. Despite the hammering on the scoreboard, it would have been prudent for Tom Cable to be conservative in this game anyway. The reason is Sean Payton is no stranger to how to beat an Al Davis defense. He has a blueprint for it. You don’t want other teams to watch the game film and get good ideas what to expect in the regular season.

3.  Al Davis must take full responsibility for bad personnel planning in staffing the defensive line. They got very lucky with a rookie free agent signing in Desmond Bryant who just might be the best they have right now. Tommy Kelly is pretty much a joke, worse than Terdell Sands who seems to be on his way out the door.

Hey Al, would it have hurt your ego that bad to suck this one up and face the fact Kelly is not the answer to be a sack leader or quality run stopper?  You said it yourself, you gave “the money” to Tommy Kelly and not Derrick Burgess. That was your power play to show Burgess up and this is what drove Burgess to hold out of camp. 

Yea, they play different positions but the defense needs a leader, a sack master. You invest in your best player. Ok, Burgess gets hurt a lot but you took a chance giving “the money” to Kelly who hasn’t even proven himself yet and was coming off injury.

You have given money away before so chalk Kelly up as yet another of your bad personnel decisions. You needed more than one DT or free agent in the draft who can play like winners. You need to stop the run, pressure the QB and you are not going to do it with a lame defensive front and no depth at linebacker.

Return Of The Chedi: Rodgers and His New Defense Look To Desimate All

After extensive looks at the other teams in the conference, I don’t see any reason why Green Bay should not be mentioned along side the teams being predicted to represent the NFC in the 2009 Super Bowl. In order to prove this is more a mathematical approach rather than just one fan’s opinion, I will let the numbers do the talking, along with some Star Wars references to keep you entertained.

    Last year the pack fizzled after a stellar 13-3 2007 campaign that ended with a Brett Favre interception in overtime of the NFC Championship game. 6-10 is no way to follow up being the no. 2 team in your conference the previous season, but several factors influenced the change.

In 2007, the defense was ranked 14th against the run, giving up 102 yards per game and forcing 8 fumbles. The 12th ranked secondary only allowed 210 yards passing per game, along with 19 interceptions. That’s 312 yards per game and 27 takeaways over 16 games for the no. 11 (6th in the NFC) ranked defense in the league. To sum, the Pack were better than 21 of 32 teams at stopping opposing offenses. Better than 65% of your competition? That’s good enough to be elected to office.

The offense was ranked number two, falling short only because the record setting Patriots reeled in the top spot. Being number two behind the best offense in the history of football is pretty sweet. Brett Favre and his troops rolled up over 370 yards and 27 points per game. The number two offense in America also gave up 15 interceptions and 7 fumbles, good enough for a +5 turnover margin. Several wins (5 to be precise) were decided by 7 points or fewer. To compare, 8 wins were won by 10 or more points. The 3 loses were by margins of 7, 10, and 28 points.

To average almost 400 yards on offense and nearly 30 points while winning half of your games by double digits almost grants you a postseason berth alone. But then to extend that by holding your opponents to 18 points and 312 yards per game? That would almost always translate into a super bowl berth.

In this case, however, the Super Bowl came knocking, promising a matchup of the Evil Empire of New England and Spygate versus the original golden boy and his young posse of YAC masters.
Brett answered with a pick in overtime. Season over.

If Billichick and Brady are the Emperor and Darth Vader, Brett must be Obi-Wan and the pick was his eyes closed light saber duel with Vader. Brett takes the fall so that Luke, aka Aaron Rodgers, can guide the pack to glory. Working out pretty well so far, right on cue with the script you might say. In “A New Hope” Luke stumbles around while Obi-Won guides the crew and wows people with how good he is.
After his death, Luke spends most of “Empire Strikes Back”  (aka the 6-10 2008 season) learning from Yoda, and during an impressive fight, gets his hand hacked off by Vader (in this case Vader was out with a knee injury, not uncommon for sith lords who don’t watch their blind side, but Rodgers got hurt all the same, a severe shoulder injury in week four that crippled him for most of the year). Han Solo was frozen in carbonite, going hand in hand with Ryan Grant’s hamstring injury. Leia (the fan base) realizes Han is great despite his grittiness, and that Luke is the man, and no longer gives a crap about Obi-Won (Brett).

The defense looked like a different unit in 2008. They were no. 26 against the run, allowing 131 yards per game and only forcing 9 fumbles. The pass defense was better, ranked no. 12 after allowing 202 yards per game and forcing 22 interceptions. These stats were good enough to get them the no. 20 ranked defense in the league, a far cry from the near top ten unit they had been a year earlier.
On offense, things looked roughly the same between 2007-2008. The Rodgers led Packers rolled up over 350 yards per game and averaged 26 points. Only giving up 21 takeaways, the Pack had a healthy +7 turnover margin, up 2 from a year before. So what was causing all the losses if the defense was middle of the road and taking the ball away left and right? The answer is simple.

The main difference was that the close wins were not materializing. Green Bay lost 7 contests by 7 points or less, 5 of those were on game ending field goals by the opposing teams. Most of the wins came by double digits, so scoring was never a problem. It was stopping other teams from getting solid field position when it counted. Hold a team between the 40’s during the final two minutes and you are likely to get good outcomes. That rarely happened in 2008.

Now that the growing pains of a young team (tied for first with Indianapolis averaging 25.5 years) are apparently over, this group has spent the 2008 offseason maturing in every way possible.

The team hired defensive guru Dom Capers to install an aggressive and multi-faced 3-4 scheme to get pressure on opposing offenses. So far in the preseason the first team has allowed just two scores and led the league in sacks as well as takeaways. Pretty good for a team that finished in the bottom half last year.

Team management knew if they were going to make the transition from a 4-3 to  3-4, more depth at linebacker and defensive tackle were neccessities. To make this happen, Green Bay drafted nose tackle B.J. Raji out of Boston College and outside linebacker Clay Matthews of USC. Star defensive end Aaron Kampman moved to the outside, and A.J. Hawk moved inside. These moves alone give the Packers depth comparable to almost any defense out there.

With a three man front, the Pack can disguise nearly any coverage, and can rush versatile linebackers rather than hefty lineman who were rarely reaching the QB. The Patriots and Steelers have been employing this scheme for over a decade, and neither have the front to back talent the Packers do.

Al Harris and Charles Woodson represent one of the most dominant corner tandems in the league. Their bump and run coverage has been upgraded to a zone scheme, which should only enhance the ability of these very physical corners. N

Nick Collins and Atari Bigby are two of the best safeties in the game, and now have Anthony Smith backing up an already elite defensive backfield. Nick Collins had 7 interceptions last year, putting him right up there with Ed Reed and Troy Polomolu.

Tramon Williams and Will Blackmon are two very capable nickel corners, and both saw extended time last year while Harris was hurt, which did not lead to a decrease in turnovers.

A line backing corps featuring Aaron Kampman, Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, and Clay Matthews should do if nothing else strike fear into the hearts of opposing tackles and QB’s. If one of these stellar players should get hurt or tired, there are several capable backups such as Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar, Jeremy Thompson, and Desmond Bishop. Chillar filled in for A.J. Hawk last year once Nick Barnett was injured, and the results were promising.

At the front of this new scheme is of course the line, featuring three very good pass rushers. B.J. Raji is the anchor, lining up at the nose tackle position and forcing the pocket back onto the QB. Aiding the OLB’s in their edge rushes are ends Johnny Jolly and Cullen Jenkins. Both are big enough to play defensive tackle, but should help collapse the pocket enough for Kampman or Matthews to come shooting through the gaps. Backing up this unit are Ryan Pickett, Justin Harrell, and Michael Montgomery. Neither Harrell or Montgomery are players you want starting, but they can rotate out the starters for a series or two if necessary.

The best part about this new front seven is that not only are they fast and agile players, they are all relatively young, which means the door to a Super Bowl is wide open, nowhere near closing. Pickett and Kampman are the oldest by far, each only 29 years old.

The defense looks primed for a deep playoff run, looking to top their numbers from two years ago and try to improve on their stellar secondary from a year ago.

The offense appears to be in similar shape.

Aaron Rodgers looks and acts like a man recently released from involuntary confinement, complete with an unkempt beard.

He had a stellar year, becoming only the second QB in league history to top 4,000 yards passing in his first year as a starter. He had a healthy 28:13 touchdown to interception ratio, and finished as the 6th ranked QB in the NFL. Not much more you can ask for, and he looks to improve on those numbers this year.

 Even with a QB rating the envy of his peers, Rodgers looked uncomfortable and sometimes lost in the offense last season. He appeared to more concerned with completing passes rather than making plays. He seemed to do exactly what Favre would not have, which is play if safe. Reducing turnovers is great, but if you do not exhibit that “it” factor and lead your team to the end zone, you will most likely come up short.

The times Rodgers was able to dissect defenses, his defense allowed the opposition to do the same. Rodgers learned a valuable lesson, and that is that fortune favors the bold. So he has set out to be a more aggressive passer on a more frequent basis, and the results have been staggering.

So far this preseason, Rodgers is 27 of 38 for 458 yards and 6 TD’s. He has yet to throw a pick and has never had to punt. He is completing 70% of his passes and has a QB rating of 151.1, leading his peers in nearly every category. If you were to calculate these stats over the course of a season you get 4,128 yards and 32 touchdowns. There is no way to calculate his interceptions, because he has yet to throw one.

4,000 yards and 30+ touchdowns? The last time the Pack had a QB do that they won the 1996 Super Bowl! Things look great for the man under center this year, and he should top all expectations after the lackluster year GB had previously.

The passing game will thrive thanks in large part to the return of their NFC leading receiving corps. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones are all versatile receivers that get tons of yards after the catch.

Even if some secondary manages to lock all of these guys up, Jermichael Finley is going to scare a lot of defenses this year. He is the Pack’s version of Antonio Gates, a big man with good hands and fast feet. He can block for the run, and can also line up as a receiver. His height at 6’5” will dwarf most corners and safeties, giving him an edge any time Rodgers needs him to go up and get the ball. He is backed up by Donald Lee, who is a great pass catcher yet lacks speed and consistent blocking ability.

Ryan Grant is back at full speed, after spending most of last year making up for lost time after a pulled hamstring and contract dispute. He should return to his explosiveness of 2007, where in he averaged over 5 yards per carry (as opposed to 3 per last season). Spelling him will be Brandon Jackson and newcomer Tyrell Sutton, who has shown tremendous burst during exhibition matches.

Actually having a running game will force defenses to leave men in the box, granting Rodgers to expose man coverage the way Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees love to. But the passing game isn’t everything, for example Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have spent the last decade proving that without a stellar defense to compliment your passing game, all is lost when it comes to getting a ring.

Rodger and the pack should have everything they need to make a deep playoff run, and if all goes according to plan, Rodgers should be there in the Super Bowl to fight Brady and bring the Lombardi Trophy home to Title Town.

Case and point?

Tom Brady is married to Gisele, Darth Vader married Natalie Portman. They both have good taste in women and can light up (pun intended) opposing defenses.
Darth Vader cut off Luke’s hand and then Luke cut his off before the Emperor was chucked down a pipe. Last year Rodgers had a shoulder injury, just yesterday Brady suffered a blow to his throwing shoulder. Looks like it wont be long before Brady throws Billicheck in front of a bus.

Prediction:

The Pack go 12-4 and make the Super Bowl.
Packers versus Patriots = 35-24 final score, Packers the victors.

2009 Fantasy Football Player Lists With A Twist

It is late preseason, and if you can’t find a list ranking players for Fantasy Football then you aren’t looking too hard.

Fantasy lists vary from site to site, but PossessionPoints.com likes to look at things a bit differently. Our player lists contain an “expected value” next to the player’s name. This expected value helps Fantasy participants gauge if there really is a difference between the No. 4 and No. 5 players on the list.  Of course, this “expected value” is based on one particular scoring system, which we list at the end of this article for your reference. Depending on the Fantasy game you may play, this expected value may vary some, but it still gives you a relative difference between players.

When you look at most lists, look to see if they are they giving you a list for the best player next week or for the remainder of the season?  Can you even tell? Fantasy can get complicated, so you have to know what your list is telling you.

Over the last three years, we have found that many Fantasy players have the most fun when they can actively manage their team. To accommodate this management need, we provide three lists for each player position: an Expected Value for Next Week, an Expected Value for the Next Four Weeks, and an Expected Value for the Remainder of the Season. We give you a sneak peak at these lists later in this article.

If you are someone who wants to set your roster and only make changes when injury or something like that forces you to, then look at the Remainder of the Season charts. You’ll have your up and down weeks, but in the end, we think the top players on this list will serve you best.

However, if you are like most Fantasy players, you will want to know what to expect from your players this week and who on your roster to sit or play.  For this type of game involvement, you need the Expected Value for Next Week chart.

Four weeks into the NFL season completes a quarter of the season, so even if you only adjust your roster a few times a season, you may want to look at the next quarter of the season to see where your players stand. That’s why we have the Next Four Weeks list.

See for yourself below how the lists can vary by looking at just the top five in each player position.

Quarterbacks:

It would seem that it is hard to go wrong with any of the top five QBs for the season: Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Romo and Rivers. Tony Romo is one that we struggled with as far as any offseason adjustments. He lost a top target, Terrell Owens, but perhaps team chemistry will make the difference here.

If we had him on our fantasy team, we would keep a close eye on how he performs the first few weeks. We expect he will be with the leaders the first week, and the first 4 weeks. However, if he underperforms early, perhaps you might want to see if you can upgrade as there is a pretty good chance he will fall short of being a top five for the full season.

Running backs:

Let’s see: Adrian Peterson, Adrian Peterson and Adrian Peterson. Anybody surprised by that? Of course not, but some of the other players on our lists surprised us a bit.

DeAngelo Williams isn’t on the “Next  4 weeks” chart, mostly because he has a bye in week Four. This shows what every Fantasy player knows, and that is you have to manage carefully for bye weeks. Our full lists also highlight in what week players have byes. It looks to us that Matt Forte, Clinton Portis and Maurice Jones-Drew may have a better first quarter of the season than they will the remainder of the season.

Wide Receivers:

Larry Fitzgerald is tops on our Expected Value for the Remainder of the Season chart, but his bye in week four keeps him off the “Next 4 Weeks” chart.  Greg Jennings is fifth on the season chart, and we really think the Rodgers to Jennings combination could be as potent as the Brady to Moss combination.

Calvin Johnson will be a top target for whoever is the starting QB in Detroit. However, the biggest variable with Calvin Johnson will be the Lions themselves. If, as a team, they improve over last year, then he will be a top, if not the top Fantasy receiver this year. For Calvin Johnson to become the top receiver in week one depends on whether or not the Saints have improved on defense. If in your draft you have the choice between Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, nobody would be the least bit surprised by a selection of Fitzgerald.

Tight Ends:

Similar to the other lists, nobody will be surprised to see Witten, Gates, Clark or Gonzales on the top of these lists. Where the lists get interesting is seeing Shockey at number two for the first week. We guess we he can attribute this to the fact that the Saints open up against the Lions in Week one.

Defense / Special Teams:

Defenses that can generate turnovers and score are featured on these lists. The Ravens, Steelers and Titans all fit that description. We are a little worried that we may not have made enough adjustments to the Eagles’ defense from last season, and that they won’t live up to our expected values. They have a new defensive coordinator and have already lost their starting middle linebacker for the season. However, Asante Samuel appears primed to have a big season in the turnover department. If he can convert a few of his picks into touchdowns, the Eagles should have a top five defense.

Kickers:

Kickers are typically taken in the later rounds of the draft, and with good reason. If you get one of the good ones, there isn’t that much difference over the course of the season. So draft a top kicker, and forget about him, as long as he doesn’t get hurt, he should contribute.

For completeness, the scoring system on which our Expected Values are based is:
Touchdown is 6 points – passing, receiving, rushing or Kick return (a passing TD the QB and receiver get 6pts. Kick return points go to player not DEF/special teams)
Passing: 0.03 points per yard passing, -3 points for an INT
Rushing: 0.1 points per yard
Other: -2 points for a fumble, 2 points for 2 Point conversion.
Kicking: 3 points for FG, +1 if over 39 yards, +0.1 point each yard over 40, 1 point for PAT, -1 point missed PAT or FG under 30 yards
Defense/special team: 6 points TD (not kickoff or punt returns), 2 points safety, 2 points INT, 2 points fumble recovery, 2 points blocked kick (FG, punt, PAT), 1 point QB sack, 12 points if No Points are allowed, -0.5 points for each point allowed.

The Battle For The Meadowlands: New York Giants Look To Bounce Back

The New York Giants are looking to wash the bad taste of the preseason game in Chicago last week. A game that saw countless three and outs, embarrassing offensive line play, and a defense that didn’t look as dominant as they should.

Jay Cutler drove up and down the field in that game, leading two scoring drives and another that ended in a field goal.

I wouldn’t put much stock in the game, seeing as how nearly half the defense and the starting two offensive guards participated in the action as much as you and I did.

This week is always the most important game in terms of evaluating the first string players.

For each organization, it will also be a memorial for the last time these two will play in Giants stadium against each other, as they have for the last 40 years in the pre-season.

For the Giants and for fans watching, we will more than likely be privy to who is going to occupy the starting wide reciever positions.

The wide receivers have been blowing up at camp, but they haven’t really translated that into much success on the field. The first drive in the Carolina game went well, but it was mostly on the shoulders of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. After that, the starters left the game.

If the guys vying for jobs want to make any sort of progress, the third preseason game is the venue to do it.

Eli Manning is excited about the prospect of playing against the Jets’ pressure defense:

“The Jets are going to have a complex blitz package,” Manning said. “We are going to have to watch film and probably have some more game preparation than we have these last few weeks for this preseason game. A lot of times we just kind of go into our base plays and you have to adjust. This week we’ll do a little bit more preparing for the Jets and their schemes. So we hope to go out there and play well because we know as the first group this will be kind of our last game preparation. In the last preseason game we only play about a series.”

Another interesting aspect of this game is that some of the players who have been sitting out will get an opportunity to stretch their game legs finally.

Coach Tom Coughlin said that all the big men in the middle—defensive tackles Rocky Bernard and Fred Robbins, and offensive guards Chris Snee and Rich Seubert—will play tonight.

Kenny Philips will be back, but Aaron Ross and Antonio Pierce will sit this one out. The Giants will probably struggle on defense without their captain, but look at it this way, it’s a chance for Chase Blackburn to shine in the middle.

We may finally get a chance to see the defensive package with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka on the field at the same time; a package that worked so well in 2007 with Michael Strahan. I feel sorry for Mark Sanchez.

So while I made all these points as to why the third game is so important, I still contend that I will not be worried if the team struggles again. Hopefully it won’t get to that point.

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