Okay, so I'm a little behind. The championship game was Week 16 and here we are, the Monday after Week 17. Whatever. Week 17 didn't count in my league, so I don't care if this recap is a bit late. Besides, I won the championship game, so this recap can go up whenever I damn well please!
So, yeah, I won my fantasy football championship over Team Dreher, and won comfortably, 95-63. But it didn't start out comfortable. First, David Garrard put up 21 points in the Thursday night game and Tashard Choice put up 17 in the Saturday night game, and both guys were taking up spots on the bench. Leaving 38 points on the bench usually isn't a sign of good things to come, but it turns out I didn't need it (though my bench put up 68 points, which also would have won the championship). Tyler Thigpen made me feel good about leaving Garrard's 21 points on the bench by putting up 25 himself (and that could've been more if he hadn't thrown 3 picks). I also got big games from Chris Johnson, Vincent Jackson, and Reggie Wayne; thankfully these guys were playing on teams that still had something to play for in Week 16. I was also helped on the other side by Anquan Boldin being inactive (no reason to push him when the Cardinals had nothing to play for) and the Bucs defense scoring a whopping -6 points (man, did they implode down the stretch). In all, its nice when your opponent takes on negative points.
Okay, to fill out this post, I've decided to take a look back at my inital post-draft analysis thoughts from August:
-Barber and Wayne in Rounds 1 and 2. Top of the draft, take the best available. I think these are pretty solid picks. Looking at the guys taken in Rounds 1 and 2, I don't think I could have done much better given where I was picking (at #10 and #19).
Still agree with this assessment. Barber was a stud until he got hurt late in the year. Wayne was solid overall, but he had a long stretch in the middle of the season where he was terrible (and yet, I still managed to win those weeks).
-Palmer and Garrard in Rounds 3 and 8. Homer pick? A little, but it makes it easier on Sundays since I'm going to rooting for him and the Bengals anyway. And I think I have a more than capable backup in David Garrard. I like Garrard. I got him last year at about the same time in the draft and he ended up being my starter most of the season. Hopefully Carson has a great year and I don't have to use Garrard. If not, I think I'm still okay at QB.
Ouch. But in my defense, you can never anticipate a guy suffering a serious injury at the beginning of the year (hello, Tom Brady). And even though he had a slow start to the season, I was right on Garrard- he had a solid year. But even with that, there was no way I could have predicted how my starting QB's would play out. Once it was clear Palmer wasn't an option, I managed with J.T. O'Sullivan for a few weeks, then Garrard once he started playing well, before finally settling on Tyler Thigpen to finish out the year and lead me through the playoffs. Regardless of who's coaching in Kansas City next year, I think Thigpen is the guy for them, and i think that's a good thing for the Chiefs.
-Graham in Round 4. Graham had a quietly solid year last year. Hopefully he can do the same this year.
And he did, for half a season until he got hurt.
-Coles and Bowe in Rounds 5 and 6. Two things I'm hoping for here. One, I hope that Coles gets over his man-crush of Chad Pennington and realizes that Brett Favre, while old, is still better than Pennington ever was. And two, I hope they find someone in Kansas City who can get the ball to Bowe. If those things happen, I think these guys could have pretty good years.
One for two here. Favre started out great, but was soon showing his age and all Pennington did was lead the formerly 1-15 Dolphins to the AFC East title and the playoffs. Oops. Coles was a total bust this year- 1 great game (when I had him on the bench), 3 good games (exluding Week 17, which doesn't count for anything), and the rest of the time he was terrible. As for Bowe, they did find someone to get him the ball (see: Thigpen, Tyler).
-McAllister in Round 7. I was targeting Felix Jones here to have the Barber/Jones backfield combo, and he was available at the start of the round, but was taken 6 picks before I could get him. So since I had my backfield duo broken up, I took McAllister to break up someone else's Saints backfield combo.
McAllister gave me nothing and Jones eventually got hurt, so this was a lost pick either way.
-Crumpler in Round 9. He's best years were when he had Michael Vick at QB. Here's hoping he can put up comparable numbers now that he's with a comparable QB in Vince Young.
Yeah, not so much. I had a rough time with TE this year, juggling guys like Crumpler, Bo Scaife, John Carlson, Kevin Boss, and Zach Miller. Odd that the guy who plays for the Raiders (Miller) would end up being the most consistent (no touchdowns, but 50-70 yards a week; if he could find the end zone just once in a while he'd be a real good option at TE).
-Johnson in Round 10. I think every fantasy football publication has Chris Johnson listed as a potential "sleeper pick" this year. I don't know about that, but Round 10 seemed like a good place to take a chance.
Best pick of my draft. Tenth round, #131 overall, and he's the #10 fantasy running back, even with LenDale White vulturing some of his touchdowns. I'll take it.
-Patriots defense in Round 12. Too soon for a defense? Probably. I was actually looking at taking a shot at DeSean Jackson here (matching him with Johnson as "potential rookie sleepers"), but I thought there might be a run on defenses (because my league can be weird like that) and that I could wait on Jackson until the next round. Wrong and wrong. I could have easily gotten the Pats D (or a comparable one) later on and DeSean Jackson was taken six picks later. Oh well.
Uh, too much time devoted to thinking about defenses. The Pats were decent for the beginning of the year, but I also used the Falcons and the Jets to fill my D/ST slot. DeSean Jackson would've been a good pick, but I have the feeling that he would've spent a lot of time on my bench.
-Jackson, Battle, Bush, and Sweed in Rounds 11, 13, 14, and 15. Just looking to fill out the roster with skill position guys. I think Limas Sweed will end up being a pretty good receiver in the NFL. I thought that Sweed would have been a good second round pick for the Bengals in this year's draft (hell, DeSean Jackson would've been good, too). Instead, they took Jerome Simpson from Coastal Carolina, had every wideout on the roster get hurt, and then resigned Chris Henry. Well done, Mike Brown, well done.
All meaningless picks except for Vincent Jackson in Round 11. I dumped the other guys pretty quickly, but for whatever reason, I held only Jackson. Great choice. He didn't start coming alive until about Week 6, and as I was looking for someone to fill my RB/WR flex slot, he became Philip Rivers's favorite deep threat and he started putting up solid fantasy numbers.
-Tynes in Round 16. Okay, big mistake here. I didn't know that Tynes was coming off of exploratory knee surgery (I don't do much scouting on kickers). So I'm going to drop him and pick up Matt Stover (ie- the Ravens main offensive weapon) on Friday when the waiver wire opens. Actually, I was looking at Rob Bironas here (was solid for me last year, including the 8 field goal game), but he was taken 2 picks before me. Oh well- its just a kicker.
Stover was an okay pick, but in the end, I ended up using a tandem of Jason Elam (finished the year tied for #3 fantasy kicker) and Matt Prater (#14 kicker). And Bironas would've been a good pick- he finished the year at #2 (behind Stephen Gostkowski).
So in the end, I apparently made just enough right moves to sneak into the playoffs and eventually make a run to the championship. And even though I won, I'm still certain the curse of this blog still exists. I mean, the opposite of what I write here usually comes true, so by expecting failure, I somehow managed a reverse jinx on my own fantasy team. Crazy, I know, but you can't argue the facts. Its been a great year, but now I'm sad that football is going to be ending soon. Guess its time to start getting stoked on college basketball!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Adventures In Air Travel
Of all the places to experience a medical emergency, I'd have to think that being on an airplane would rank as one of the worst (second only, perhaps, to being on a boat out at sea). Small, confined space, 30,000 feet in the air.... just not a lot of options as to what can be done. I always wondered what would happen if something did occur on a flight. Don't have to anymore.
On my flight back to Cincinnati from San Francisco, an older gentleman (he looked early/mid-60's) sitting three rows in front of me all of a sudden passed out and slumped over in his chair. I have no idea what happened to him (and never did find out), but his wife informed us that it was a condition he had (I think she mentioned it was related to his esophagus) and that he needed to be laid out on his back and he'd come to. Now, when you're someone my size, you're expected to assist in certain tasks. Reaching objects from high places, carrying heavy objects, frightening small children, etc., it all just comes with the territory. So when his wife said he needed to be picked up from his seat and laid in the aisle, I stood up and volunteered my services.
I don't know if he was breathing when I got him out of his chair (everything was happening pretty quickly), but he was definitely unresponsive. Completely out. And within 30 seconds of getting him on his back and elevating his legs, he came to. He was hurting, but he was awake. Now, a few things struck me about this situation. The first was how calm his wife was throughout it all. At no point did she seem out of control, which was a good thing because if she wasn't calm, I doubt anyone else would have been. This wasn't the first time it had occurred, and she knew exactly what needed to happened (she told us that when it did happen the first time, they thought it was a stroke; probably wasn't so calm then).
The second thing that struck me about this situation was the number of medical professionals present on the flight. I'm sure there are statistics and expected averages on these sorts of things, but our flight had two doctors and (at least) two nurses on board. I don't know if that's a lot, but it seemed like a lot. And to be honest, I'm not entirely certain one of the people helping out was a nurse. She was a cute French girl who seemed to have medical knowledge, but because of the noise on the plane and her accent, it was difficult to tell. Maybe she was just helpful because she was cute- I really don't know. As for the doctors on board, they were Johnny-on-the-spot when all this went down. There wasn't all that much for them to do (they took his vitals and sent the info to the cockpit, which I guess is how they determine whether an emergency stop is warranted), and they seemed to be knowledgeable about the man's condition once informed about it. Once they checked him out and determined he was stable, we had to get him out of the aisle and into some seats. And by "we" and mean "me." He'd spend the rest of the flight laying across a row, which again required me to pick him up and move him. It was much easier the second time around because even though he was pretty weak, he was at least conscience.
Finally, the last thing that struck me about this situation was the lady sitting across the aisle from me. She was MILF-ish woman traveling with her two kids (both aged between 8 and 13, I'm guessing) who looked like she was trying to look younger than someone who had two kids aged between 8 and 13. In fact, she looked a lot like Mrs. Ari from Entourage. During the whole situation, it seemed like she was trying to control the scene; she was badgering the flight attendants about the first aid and other medical equipement they had on board (even though none of it was needed) and seemed overly involved in that man's treatment (which amounted to little more than getting water and resting on his back). And she wasn't even one of the medical professionals I mentioned earlier; she was just married to a doctor (who wasn't on this flight). How do I know this? Because she told everyone. And she did so in a tone that seemed to imply that since she was married to a doctor, she had sufficent medical knowledge to help this man. She also mentioned that this was the third straight flight she had been on in which there had been some sort of medical situation (the last flight, she said, a lady had a heart attack and her husband saved her by performing a heart transplant right there on the plane... or something like that; she was talking and no one was really listening to her, she might have exaggerated a bit). I hope never to catch a flight with her on board again, not because of her streak of inflight medical emergencies, but because she was annoying as hell.
I have to say, even though it was a relatively minor situation, there were some tense moments. I guess it just comes with something, anything, going wrong while in the air. And it wasn't without benefit, at least for me. The smoked turkey sandwich and packet of M&M's I bought during the flight ended up being free simply because I helped out. So overall, not a bad deal. My involvement in said situation also lead to a rather odd encounter later, while waiting for my connecting flight.
While I was waiting at the gate in Cincinnati for my connecting flight to Dayton (see previous post for more on that nonsense), which was delayed for an hour because, HELLO!, they didn't have a pilot, I was approached by a girl who had been on the same San Francisco-Cincinnati flight as me and was also waiting to go to Dayton.
Girl: Hey, you were on the flight from San Francisco, right? You helped the guy who passed out?
Me: Uh, yeah, that was me.
Girl: That was crazy. I've never been on a flight were anything like that had happened before. I was kind of hoping for an emergency landing or something.
Me: Man, that would've been nuts. And it would've been okay because since we're still waiting for our damn flight, we wouldn't have missed it.
[more random talk about what happened on the plane and how ludicrous it is to fly from Cincinnati to Dayton]
Girl: Wait, so where do you live?
Me: I live in West Chester, which is just about right in the middle between Cincinnati and Dayton.
Girl: Is that where the Touchdown Jesus is?
Me: [immediately thinks of Notre Dame] Uh, what? [thinks] OH!! You mean the Giant Jesus statue at the Solid Rock Church! Yeah, that's like 20 minutes from where I live.
Girl: Oh, cool. I live in Oakland and I'm here to see the Jesus statue.
Me: [pause] Wait, you flew here just to see the Giant Jesus?
Girl: Oh, no, I've got some friends who live in Dayton, but I'm mainly here to see the statue.
Me: Oh, well then. You, uh, have fun doing that then. The statue's pretty awesome. It'll probably change you're life, just not in that kind of way.
People fly to St. Louis just to see the Arch. Same with Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Old Faithful. The Grand Canyon. The Statue of Liberty. These are things in our country that are worth taking time out to go and see. I'm not certain I'm ready to include Big Butter Jesus on that list.
On my flight back to Cincinnati from San Francisco, an older gentleman (he looked early/mid-60's) sitting three rows in front of me all of a sudden passed out and slumped over in his chair. I have no idea what happened to him (and never did find out), but his wife informed us that it was a condition he had (I think she mentioned it was related to his esophagus) and that he needed to be laid out on his back and he'd come to. Now, when you're someone my size, you're expected to assist in certain tasks. Reaching objects from high places, carrying heavy objects, frightening small children, etc., it all just comes with the territory. So when his wife said he needed to be picked up from his seat and laid in the aisle, I stood up and volunteered my services.
I don't know if he was breathing when I got him out of his chair (everything was happening pretty quickly), but he was definitely unresponsive. Completely out. And within 30 seconds of getting him on his back and elevating his legs, he came to. He was hurting, but he was awake. Now, a few things struck me about this situation. The first was how calm his wife was throughout it all. At no point did she seem out of control, which was a good thing because if she wasn't calm, I doubt anyone else would have been. This wasn't the first time it had occurred, and she knew exactly what needed to happened (she told us that when it did happen the first time, they thought it was a stroke; probably wasn't so calm then).
The second thing that struck me about this situation was the number of medical professionals present on the flight. I'm sure there are statistics and expected averages on these sorts of things, but our flight had two doctors and (at least) two nurses on board. I don't know if that's a lot, but it seemed like a lot. And to be honest, I'm not entirely certain one of the people helping out was a nurse. She was a cute French girl who seemed to have medical knowledge, but because of the noise on the plane and her accent, it was difficult to tell. Maybe she was just helpful because she was cute- I really don't know. As for the doctors on board, they were Johnny-on-the-spot when all this went down. There wasn't all that much for them to do (they took his vitals and sent the info to the cockpit, which I guess is how they determine whether an emergency stop is warranted), and they seemed to be knowledgeable about the man's condition once informed about it. Once they checked him out and determined he was stable, we had to get him out of the aisle and into some seats. And by "we" and mean "me." He'd spend the rest of the flight laying across a row, which again required me to pick him up and move him. It was much easier the second time around because even though he was pretty weak, he was at least conscience.
Finally, the last thing that struck me about this situation was the lady sitting across the aisle from me. She was MILF-ish woman traveling with her two kids (both aged between 8 and 13, I'm guessing) who looked like she was trying to look younger than someone who had two kids aged between 8 and 13. In fact, she looked a lot like Mrs. Ari from Entourage. During the whole situation, it seemed like she was trying to control the scene; she was badgering the flight attendants about the first aid and other medical equipement they had on board (even though none of it was needed) and seemed overly involved in that man's treatment (which amounted to little more than getting water and resting on his back). And she wasn't even one of the medical professionals I mentioned earlier; she was just married to a doctor (who wasn't on this flight). How do I know this? Because she told everyone. And she did so in a tone that seemed to imply that since she was married to a doctor, she had sufficent medical knowledge to help this man. She also mentioned that this was the third straight flight she had been on in which there had been some sort of medical situation (the last flight, she said, a lady had a heart attack and her husband saved her by performing a heart transplant right there on the plane... or something like that; she was talking and no one was really listening to her, she might have exaggerated a bit). I hope never to catch a flight with her on board again, not because of her streak of inflight medical emergencies, but because she was annoying as hell.
I have to say, even though it was a relatively minor situation, there were some tense moments. I guess it just comes with something, anything, going wrong while in the air. And it wasn't without benefit, at least for me. The smoked turkey sandwich and packet of M&M's I bought during the flight ended up being free simply because I helped out. So overall, not a bad deal. My involvement in said situation also lead to a rather odd encounter later, while waiting for my connecting flight.
While I was waiting at the gate in Cincinnati for my connecting flight to Dayton (see previous post for more on that nonsense), which was delayed for an hour because, HELLO!, they didn't have a pilot, I was approached by a girl who had been on the same San Francisco-Cincinnati flight as me and was also waiting to go to Dayton.
Girl: Hey, you were on the flight from San Francisco, right? You helped the guy who passed out?
Me: Uh, yeah, that was me.
Girl: That was crazy. I've never been on a flight were anything like that had happened before. I was kind of hoping for an emergency landing or something.
Me: Man, that would've been nuts. And it would've been okay because since we're still waiting for our damn flight, we wouldn't have missed it.
[more random talk about what happened on the plane and how ludicrous it is to fly from Cincinnati to Dayton]
Girl: Wait, so where do you live?
Me: I live in West Chester, which is just about right in the middle between Cincinnati and Dayton.
Girl: Is that where the Touchdown Jesus is?
Me: [immediately thinks of Notre Dame] Uh, what? [thinks] OH!! You mean the Giant Jesus statue at the Solid Rock Church! Yeah, that's like 20 minutes from where I live.
Girl: Oh, cool. I live in Oakland and I'm here to see the Jesus statue.
Me: [pause] Wait, you flew here just to see the Giant Jesus?
Girl: Oh, no, I've got some friends who live in Dayton, but I'm mainly here to see the statue.
Me: Oh, well then. You, uh, have fun doing that then. The statue's pretty awesome. It'll probably change you're life, just not in that kind of way.
People fly to St. Louis just to see the Arch. Same with Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Old Faithful. The Grand Canyon. The Statue of Liberty. These are things in our country that are worth taking time out to go and see. I'm not certain I'm ready to include Big Butter Jesus on that list.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Cincinnati's Airport Is In Dayton
In a few hours, I will be driving up to Dayton so I can catch a flight back down to Cincinnati before heading on to San Francisco. I know that sounds ludicrous, but with how expensive it is to fly directly out of Cincinnati (which has the highest average ticket prices of any airport in the country), it saves me about $300 in airfare. That makes it worth it, especially when you consider that I live about as far from the Dayton airport (just north of the city) as I do from the Cincinnati airport (which is in Northern Kentucky).
But my question is this- who flies from Dayton to Cincinnati for a reason other than to catch another flight going somewhere else? Is anyone really flying just to cover the 50-some miles that separate the two cities? I'm guessing no. So the only people making this flight are people like me- people who want the destinations (and direct flights) out of Cincinnati but who don't want to pay the price to fly out of Cincinnati. Everyone making the 40 minute flight (seriously, a 40 minute flight?) from DAY to CVG is doing so simply to save money because CVG is so damn expensive. And everyone knows this. The people in Dayton know this; I'm sure they welcome the increased business. The people in Cincinnati know this; but they just seem to be standing around with their heads up their assess, watching all the local travellers abandon them for other nearby airports and not doing anything about it.
I wonder how things would have been different if instead of building the Cincinnati airport in Covington, KY, they built it in Monroe or Middletown, OH, or somewhere else in between Cincinnati and Dayton. Instead of having the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, we'd have the Cincinnati-Dayton Airport. That could have paved the way to eventually linking the two cities metropolitan areas (kind of like Dallas-Fort Worth, only smaller), which is something that is bandied about everytime people look at how fast Dayton and the areas north of Cincinnati (like West Chester) are growing.
But that didn't happen, which means I'll be stuck making the tedious flight from Dayton to Cincinnati every time I'm looking to fly somewhere. Hopefully CVG does something to lower its airfare, but I'm not holding my breath. To Dayton!
But my question is this- who flies from Dayton to Cincinnati for a reason other than to catch another flight going somewhere else? Is anyone really flying just to cover the 50-some miles that separate the two cities? I'm guessing no. So the only people making this flight are people like me- people who want the destinations (and direct flights) out of Cincinnati but who don't want to pay the price to fly out of Cincinnati. Everyone making the 40 minute flight (seriously, a 40 minute flight?) from DAY to CVG is doing so simply to save money because CVG is so damn expensive. And everyone knows this. The people in Dayton know this; I'm sure they welcome the increased business. The people in Cincinnati know this; but they just seem to be standing around with their heads up their assess, watching all the local travellers abandon them for other nearby airports and not doing anything about it.
I wonder how things would have been different if instead of building the Cincinnati airport in Covington, KY, they built it in Monroe or Middletown, OH, or somewhere else in between Cincinnati and Dayton. Instead of having the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, we'd have the Cincinnati-Dayton Airport. That could have paved the way to eventually linking the two cities metropolitan areas (kind of like Dallas-Fort Worth, only smaller), which is something that is bandied about everytime people look at how fast Dayton and the areas north of Cincinnati (like West Chester) are growing.
But that didn't happen, which means I'll be stuck making the tedious flight from Dayton to Cincinnati every time I'm looking to fly somewhere. Hopefully CVG does something to lower its airfare, but I'm not holding my breath. To Dayton!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Week 16
Well, well, well, look who made it to his fantasy championship game. Thanks to solid days from Tyler Thigpen, Kevin Faulk, all my wideouts, and an improbable late fumble return for a touchdown by the Jets defense (thank you, J.P. Losman!), I prevailed over the #1 seed Down The Drain 101-85 to advance to this week's championship game.
For the championship, I face off against the #2 seed Team Dreher, who I beat 99-82 way back in Week 2. That week, I survived a massive week from Anquan Boldin (32 fantasy points!) with big days from Marion Barber and Earnest Graham (and solid days from Chris Johnson and Reggie Wayne). I'll probably need another week like that (or like last week) to beat Dreher for a second time.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Chad Pennington
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Marshawn Lynch
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Thomas Jones
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Warrick Dunn
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Anquan Boldin
WR: Dwyane Bowe vs. Devin Hester
TE: Zach Miller vs. Dallas Clark
D/ST: Jets vs. Buccaneers
K: Jason Elam vs. Nate Kaeding
QB: David Garrard's been great that past few weeks, but I've riden Tyler Thigpen this far, so I've got to stay with him. Miami's not that great against the pass, so I expect Thipgen to get his usual 15-18 fantasy points. And speaking of Miami, Chad Pennington could have a decent day as well, seeing that Kansas City is even worse than Miami against the pass. But I expect the 'Fins to run the ball against KC with Brown and Williams, and the Chiefs to counter through the air with Bowe and Gonzalez, so I like Thigpen in this matchup.
RB: First off, eventhough he's got a g]touch matchup against Pittsburgh, I can't not start Chris Johnson. He's been too good all year to sit him down now. He stays in, and while I don't expect a whole lot of yards, I think he will manage to find the endzone. Kevin Faulk also stays in because I'm still not sure about the Marion Barber/Tashard Choice situation. Faulk's been solid 3 of the past 4 weeks, combining rushing and passing yards to score in the double digits. Arizona doesn't play much defense, so Faulk's got some value as a receiver. As for the Cowboys, I just don't know right now. Barber was active last week, but didn't do anything, and Choice came in and had his second straight huge game. That's two great games against two great defenses (the Steelers and the Giants). Does he keep it going against another great D, Baltimore? Regardless, I won't have Barber in there, but does Choice merit a start over Faulk? I don't know, and the Cowboys play Saturday night, so I've got less time to think about it. As for Dreher's RB's, Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Jones should have their usual solid games. I'm less worried about Warrick Dunn, but Lynch and Jones are a strong backfield that will be tough to keep pace with. I'll need some big games from my guys.
WR/TE: So Reggie Wayne didn't find the endzone last week (and he came so close), but he did break a 100 yards receiving, so I won't bench him. Yet. I am tempted to take a flyer on Laveraneus Coles this week because Seattle is dead last against the pass, but I just can't do it. The Colts need a win tonight to secure a spot in the playoffs, and Marvin Harrison is out, so I expect a lot of balls to go Reggie Wayne's way. Of course, those balls could also go to Dallas Clark, which would be bad, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen. As I said earlier, I'm sticking with Thigpen, which means I'm sticking with Dwayne Bowe; just find the endzone once and I'll be happy. Vincent Jackson's been a nice surprise the past 2 weeks, and its clear that Philip Rivers is looking for him with the deep ball. Eighty yards and a TD isn't out of the question. On the other side, Devin Hester doesn't scare me, but Anquan Boldin does. Sure, he's been down the past 3 weeks (4, 6, and 1 fantasy points), but despite that, he's still the #4 overall fantasy wideout. I've already mentioned Clarks potential for another good game with Harrison out tonight. Hopefully, its not too good so Zach Miller's 6 catches for 70 yards will be able to keep pace (man, I'd love for Miller to find the endzone this week....).
DEF/K: The Jets D had no business scoring 16 fantasy points last week. Thankfully, the Bills are terrible and decided to move J.P. Losman out of the pocket to throw with less than 2 minutes on the clock instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, who'd gone for over 120 yards at that point. A sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown; that's a 9 points defensive fantasy play. Hopefully this week Seneca Wallace remembers that he's Seneca Wallace and not Peyton Manning and throws a few picks (perhaps even one for a TD). Aside from the debacle against Carolina two weeks ago, the Bucs D is always solid. And I don't expect either kicker to score much more than 7-8 points.
So what are my chances to win the championship? I'd say that right now, I'm the underdog, with a 35%-40% chance of pulling the upset. I've got a solid team, but I think Dreher's team's a little bit better. I think it comes down to the running backs, I need big days from them. Chris Johnson against the Steelers and either Faulk or Choice at the other RB slot. If those guys score big (or at least if they just find the endzone), I think I can pull out the championship.
For the championship, I face off against the #2 seed Team Dreher, who I beat 99-82 way back in Week 2. That week, I survived a massive week from Anquan Boldin (32 fantasy points!) with big days from Marion Barber and Earnest Graham (and solid days from Chris Johnson and Reggie Wayne). I'll probably need another week like that (or like last week) to beat Dreher for a second time.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Chad Pennington
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Marshawn Lynch
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Thomas Jones
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Warrick Dunn
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Anquan Boldin
WR: Dwyane Bowe vs. Devin Hester
TE: Zach Miller vs. Dallas Clark
D/ST: Jets vs. Buccaneers
K: Jason Elam vs. Nate Kaeding
QB: David Garrard's been great that past few weeks, but I've riden Tyler Thigpen this far, so I've got to stay with him. Miami's not that great against the pass, so I expect Thipgen to get his usual 15-18 fantasy points. And speaking of Miami, Chad Pennington could have a decent day as well, seeing that Kansas City is even worse than Miami against the pass. But I expect the 'Fins to run the ball against KC with Brown and Williams, and the Chiefs to counter through the air with Bowe and Gonzalez, so I like Thigpen in this matchup.
RB: First off, eventhough he's got a g]touch matchup against Pittsburgh, I can't not start Chris Johnson. He's been too good all year to sit him down now. He stays in, and while I don't expect a whole lot of yards, I think he will manage to find the endzone. Kevin Faulk also stays in because I'm still not sure about the Marion Barber/Tashard Choice situation. Faulk's been solid 3 of the past 4 weeks, combining rushing and passing yards to score in the double digits. Arizona doesn't play much defense, so Faulk's got some value as a receiver. As for the Cowboys, I just don't know right now. Barber was active last week, but didn't do anything, and Choice came in and had his second straight huge game. That's two great games against two great defenses (the Steelers and the Giants). Does he keep it going against another great D, Baltimore? Regardless, I won't have Barber in there, but does Choice merit a start over Faulk? I don't know, and the Cowboys play Saturday night, so I've got less time to think about it. As for Dreher's RB's, Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Jones should have their usual solid games. I'm less worried about Warrick Dunn, but Lynch and Jones are a strong backfield that will be tough to keep pace with. I'll need some big games from my guys.
WR/TE: So Reggie Wayne didn't find the endzone last week (and he came so close), but he did break a 100 yards receiving, so I won't bench him. Yet. I am tempted to take a flyer on Laveraneus Coles this week because Seattle is dead last against the pass, but I just can't do it. The Colts need a win tonight to secure a spot in the playoffs, and Marvin Harrison is out, so I expect a lot of balls to go Reggie Wayne's way. Of course, those balls could also go to Dallas Clark, which would be bad, but I'm hoping that doesn't happen. As I said earlier, I'm sticking with Thigpen, which means I'm sticking with Dwayne Bowe; just find the endzone once and I'll be happy. Vincent Jackson's been a nice surprise the past 2 weeks, and its clear that Philip Rivers is looking for him with the deep ball. Eighty yards and a TD isn't out of the question. On the other side, Devin Hester doesn't scare me, but Anquan Boldin does. Sure, he's been down the past 3 weeks (4, 6, and 1 fantasy points), but despite that, he's still the #4 overall fantasy wideout. I've already mentioned Clarks potential for another good game with Harrison out tonight. Hopefully, its not too good so Zach Miller's 6 catches for 70 yards will be able to keep pace (man, I'd love for Miller to find the endzone this week....).
DEF/K: The Jets D had no business scoring 16 fantasy points last week. Thankfully, the Bills are terrible and decided to move J.P. Losman out of the pocket to throw with less than 2 minutes on the clock instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch, who'd gone for over 120 yards at that point. A sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown; that's a 9 points defensive fantasy play. Hopefully this week Seneca Wallace remembers that he's Seneca Wallace and not Peyton Manning and throws a few picks (perhaps even one for a TD). Aside from the debacle against Carolina two weeks ago, the Bucs D is always solid. And I don't expect either kicker to score much more than 7-8 points.
So what are my chances to win the championship? I'd say that right now, I'm the underdog, with a 35%-40% chance of pulling the upset. I've got a solid team, but I think Dreher's team's a little bit better. I think it comes down to the running backs, I need big days from them. Chris Johnson against the Steelers and either Faulk or Choice at the other RB slot. If those guys score big (or at least if they just find the endzone), I think I can pull out the championship.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Demented Santa Claus
To help get you into the Holiday Spirit:
The White Death has once again descended upon the Queen City. Panic is sure to ensue.
The White Death has once again descended upon the Queen City. Panic is sure to ensue.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Week 15
And he lives to fight another day.
Despite the best efforts of Vincent Jackson (20 points sitting on my bench) and Laveranues Coles (second straight 0 point week), I managed to prevail over Eh!Steve 68-58, returning the favor from last year when he knocked me out of the playoffs (it also helped that Eh!Steve left Jonathan Stewart and his 23 fantasy points on the bench). So onward to the semi-finals, where I matchup against the #1 seed Down The Drain, a team I lost to 74-82 back in Week 4 (where I left 63 points among 3 players on my bench- good times!). Loizeaux's team's pretty solid, so this should be a tough week.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Kerry Collins
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Adrian Peterson
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Ronnie Brown
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Maurice Jones-Drew
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Greg Jennings
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Steve Smith
TE: Zach Miller vs. Greg Olsen
D/ST: Jets vs. Colts
K: Jason Elam vs. Neil Rackers
QB: Desipte Tennessee's 12-1 record, Collins hasn't exactly been lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. Sure, he's had a few weeks with some good numbers, but he's an 8 to 10 fantasy points guy. Tennessee's a running team (hello Chris Johnson!), so I think Thigpen can outscore Collins here. San Diego has a miserable pass defense, so think Thigpen will have good day (he just needs to find Dwayne Bowe).
RB: I've got issues here. Adrian Peterson (arguably the best running back in the league), Ronnie Brown (not scoring 5 TD each week, but solid none the less), and MJD (the top receiving RB in the league) is a hell of a lineup. I'm going to need another huge week from Chris Johnson (and when I don't I need that?) to keep pace. And as for Kevin Faulk... well, what I need is for Marion Barber to play and play pissed because Jerry Jones had the stones to call out his toughness (that's Marion Barber, of the "Marion the Barbarian" nickname). If he can't go, I picked up Tashard Choice, who had a fine week (15 points) starting in place of Barber going against the tough Steelers defense. Barber's a game time decision. Problem is, game time is 8:15, so I'm going to limited in my moves. Luckly, the Pats play at 4:15, so I'll have a little more time to decide to replace Faulk or not.
WR/TE: Where have you gone, Reggie Wayne? One double-digit fantasy point week in the past eight? You have Detroit this week. Detroit, of the 0-13 record. At least 70 yards and a TD or I'm never owning Reggie Wayne again. I've already mentioned Kansas City's passing game against San Diego's bad pass defense; Dwayne Bowe, time to step up big. Thigpen really only looks for two guys- Bowe and Tony Gonzalez; hopefully he looks for Bowe in the red zone. Despite his widely inconsistent year, I've got Vincent Jackson in there over Coles because, frankly, Coles sucks. Since his 4 TD game back in Week 4 (when I had him on the bench), he's scored only twice more, so no more Coles for the rest of the year. Greg Jennings is a solid receiver, and it looks like Aaron Rodgers is looking to him more than Donald Driver. And Steve Smith is Steve Smith- he's going to get a ton of yards regardless if he finds the end zone or not. As for the TE's, while Zach Miller has only found the end zone once this year (hey, he plays for Oakland), he has been getting good yardage lately (50-60 yards), and I expect that to continue (though a TD would be nice as well). As for the other side, Olsen did manage to find the end zone last week, but that was coming off of back to back 0 point weeks, which is more of what I expect him to put up.
DEF/K: Just no negative points, that all I'm asking for now from my DEF. The Jets have seemingly decided that they don't want to be an elite team anymore, but they've got Buffalo at home this week, so its time to get healthy. It looks like J.P. Losman should get his second straight start for the Bills, which means plenty of opportunites for interceptions for the Jets secondary. And I'll need it since Loizeaux's got the Colts DEF against the hapless Lions. As for the kickers, while Jason Elam's been solid the past few weeks, Neil Rackers has been on fire. He's been in double digits 5 of the past 6 weeks, which is crazy for a kicker. Man, I'd hate to lose because my opponent's kicker went off on a career day. That would just suck.
So where do I think I stand? Honestly, I think it comes down to my RB's. I don't have a lot of faith in Kevin Faulk or Tashard Choice, so I really, really need Marion Barber to play and have monster game. Loizeaux's finished the year at #1 for a reason, so it'll be tough to beat him. Got a shot, but not feeling all the confident.
Despite the best efforts of Vincent Jackson (20 points sitting on my bench) and Laveranues Coles (second straight 0 point week), I managed to prevail over Eh!Steve 68-58, returning the favor from last year when he knocked me out of the playoffs (it also helped that Eh!Steve left Jonathan Stewart and his 23 fantasy points on the bench). So onward to the semi-finals, where I matchup against the #1 seed Down The Drain, a team I lost to 74-82 back in Week 4 (where I left 63 points among 3 players on my bench- good times!). Loizeaux's team's pretty solid, so this should be a tough week.
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Kerry Collins
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Adrian Peterson
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Ronnie Brown
RB/WR: Vincent Jackson vs. Maurice Jones-Drew
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Greg Jennings
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Steve Smith
TE: Zach Miller vs. Greg Olsen
D/ST: Jets vs. Colts
K: Jason Elam vs. Neil Rackers
QB: Desipte Tennessee's 12-1 record, Collins hasn't exactly been lighting up the fantasy scoreboard. Sure, he's had a few weeks with some good numbers, but he's an 8 to 10 fantasy points guy. Tennessee's a running team (hello Chris Johnson!), so I think Thigpen can outscore Collins here. San Diego has a miserable pass defense, so think Thigpen will have good day (he just needs to find Dwayne Bowe).
RB: I've got issues here. Adrian Peterson (arguably the best running back in the league), Ronnie Brown (not scoring 5 TD each week, but solid none the less), and MJD (the top receiving RB in the league) is a hell of a lineup. I'm going to need another huge week from Chris Johnson (and when I don't I need that?) to keep pace. And as for Kevin Faulk... well, what I need is for Marion Barber to play and play pissed because Jerry Jones had the stones to call out his toughness (that's Marion Barber, of the "Marion the Barbarian" nickname). If he can't go, I picked up Tashard Choice, who had a fine week (15 points) starting in place of Barber going against the tough Steelers defense. Barber's a game time decision. Problem is, game time is 8:15, so I'm going to limited in my moves. Luckly, the Pats play at 4:15, so I'll have a little more time to decide to replace Faulk or not.
WR/TE: Where have you gone, Reggie Wayne? One double-digit fantasy point week in the past eight? You have Detroit this week. Detroit, of the 0-13 record. At least 70 yards and a TD or I'm never owning Reggie Wayne again. I've already mentioned Kansas City's passing game against San Diego's bad pass defense; Dwayne Bowe, time to step up big. Thigpen really only looks for two guys- Bowe and Tony Gonzalez; hopefully he looks for Bowe in the red zone. Despite his widely inconsistent year, I've got Vincent Jackson in there over Coles because, frankly, Coles sucks. Since his 4 TD game back in Week 4 (when I had him on the bench), he's scored only twice more, so no more Coles for the rest of the year. Greg Jennings is a solid receiver, and it looks like Aaron Rodgers is looking to him more than Donald Driver. And Steve Smith is Steve Smith- he's going to get a ton of yards regardless if he finds the end zone or not. As for the TE's, while Zach Miller has only found the end zone once this year (hey, he plays for Oakland), he has been getting good yardage lately (50-60 yards), and I expect that to continue (though a TD would be nice as well). As for the other side, Olsen did manage to find the end zone last week, but that was coming off of back to back 0 point weeks, which is more of what I expect him to put up.
DEF/K: Just no negative points, that all I'm asking for now from my DEF. The Jets have seemingly decided that they don't want to be an elite team anymore, but they've got Buffalo at home this week, so its time to get healthy. It looks like J.P. Losman should get his second straight start for the Bills, which means plenty of opportunites for interceptions for the Jets secondary. And I'll need it since Loizeaux's got the Colts DEF against the hapless Lions. As for the kickers, while Jason Elam's been solid the past few weeks, Neil Rackers has been on fire. He's been in double digits 5 of the past 6 weeks, which is crazy for a kicker. Man, I'd hate to lose because my opponent's kicker went off on a career day. That would just suck.
So where do I think I stand? Honestly, I think it comes down to my RB's. I don't have a lot of faith in Kevin Faulk or Tashard Choice, so I really, really need Marion Barber to play and have monster game. Loizeaux's finished the year at #1 for a reason, so it'll be tough to beat him. Got a shot, but not feeling all the confident.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
BCS Crap
"Did the BCS get it right this year?"
This question's been asked all week. People want to know if the best two teams are playing for the national title (and you know you've got a good system when you have to hope it all works out in the end). I find this questions funny because the BCS doesn't guarantee that the two best teams will be playing for the national title; the BCS only guarantees that top 2 teams in the final BCS standing will play for the national title, and it is assumed that, since they finished #1 and #2 in the BCS, they are the best 2 teams in the country.
So are Florida and Oklahoma the two best teams in the country? Who knows. Now, will it be a great game? It should be. But so would a lot of matchups between the BCS top 8 teams. But since if the system we've got, we've got to live with it. Some bold (or not so bold) predictions for the 5 BCS bowls games:
-BCS National Title Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma
Again, regardless of whether these are the "best 2 teams in the country," this should be a hell of a game. Tim Tebow had quipped earlier in the year (re: his Heisman vote and the numbers Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Graham Harrell were putting up) that he'd like to see what he could do against those Big 12 defenses. Well, he's going to get his chance. Florida's been on a tear since losing to Old Miss, and I don't think that stops against Oklahoma (who, granted, have been on a tear of their own). I think the difference is that Oklahoma had score the "style points" with voters, so they've been running up lately (60+ points in 4 straight games), and Sports Gods don't like that. Plus, Bob Stoops is winless in his last four BCS bowl games, including 2 title games. It'll be a highly entertaining game, fairly close with lots of scoring, but Stoops's losing streak continues and Florida wins the BCS title.
-Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas
Are you shitting me- Ohio State? Again? Have we learning nothing the past few years? Ohio State doesn't show up in big games (unless they get a bullshit pass interference call in the end zone at the end of the game). What about Boise State? All they've done in the past is win possibly the greatest bowl game ever, and they did it playing a Big 12 team in the Fiesta Bowl. They're undefeated and ranked higher than OSU in the precious BCS standings- so why are the Broncos worthy? And what about Texas Tech? They got screwed by the "limit 2 teams per conference" rule, but who wouldn't want to see a Texas-Texas Tech rematch? That was only the best game of the year. No, instead we're left with the Buckeyes. The team that was run out of the stadium by LSU last year and by Florida the year before that. History repeats itself again this year. Texas is pissed, and they'll take it out against OSU. Colt McCoy, coming off his Heisman win (more on this later) will have a huge day and Terrelle Pryor will struggle (couple fumbles, couple interceptions). Texas big in this one, at least 3 touchdowns, and Ohio State is embarrassed once again on the national stage.
-Sugar Bowl: Utah vs. Alabama
Look, I know everyone is going to point to Hawaii in last year's Sugar Bowl against Georgia; they pulled an Ohio State and got blown out. But Utah already has history in the BCS- they beat Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (first non-BCS school to crash the part). That being said, do I think the Utes move to 2-0 in BCS bowl games? No, I think Alabama wins this one, but it won't be a blowout like some people are predicting. Now, I'd love to see Utah win and end the year undefeated and show that they can play (and beat) BCS conference teams, but I don't think its going to happen. Saban the Weasel will have the Tide ready to go and Sugar Bowl's proximity to Alabama will give them a home field advantage.
-Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Ugh. This is why the automatic bids for conference champions needs to end. The Hokies are 9-4, and they're playing a BCS game over undefeated Boise State and one-loss Texas Tech. Just stupid. And nothing against UC, but they're not BCS bowl caliber yet. Don't get me wrong, I think Brian Kelly is going an incredible job and its a good thing for Cincinnati to have some college football success, but they're not ready. They still have a hard time filling 35,000 seat Nippert Stadium, and they expect to sell out their allotment of Orange Bowl tickets? I hope for their sake they do, lest they have to eat the cost like West Virginia had to last year, and because I know Tech will sell out their tickets (because, really, Tech fans have nothing better to do than travel to football games). I really hope Cincinnati wins this game. One, because I alway root against the Hokies, and two, it would so great for UC to win a BCS bowl game in the same year Ohio State loses one (3 touchdown, I'm telling you). So I'm picking the Bearcats based on nothing more than I can never, ever, pick Virginia Tech.
-Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC
After the title game, I think this'll be the second best BCS bowl game. My dad (Penn State alum), wanted this matchup once Penn State was knocked out of the national title picture. I told him he was crazy and that he should be careful what he wishes for because it might come true. And sure enough, it did. Penn State looked unstoppable earlier in the year, then they hit a wall late in the year (close win against Ohio State, loss to Iowa), only to appear to have righted the ship in the final two weeks. USC has the ridiculous defense (averaging less than 8 points a game), but much of that was against the comicly pathetic PAC-10. Penn State's offense will the best one USC's faced all year, and I think they'll be able to crack double digits on the scoreboard. The game is close, possibly right down to the wire, and I'm taking Penn State and JoePa for the win.
And finally, Mr. Irrelavent... er, the Heisman Trophy. Like I said early, I think Colt McCoy will win (note: I don't think he's the best player in the country, I just think he'll win the Heisman). Between him, Tebow, Bradford, and Harrell (the obvious finalist that will be in New York for the ceremony; I can't see anyone else being invited), I think he's show enough to win. While the Heisman has become a meaningless trophy of late, 2 Heismans is still rarified air, and I don't think they bestow that honor on Tebow (yet- if he comes back for his senior year and does it all again, maybe he wins it next year). And McCoy's already beaten out Bradford and Harrell as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (though, curiously enough, he was voted Second Team All Big 12 behind Bradford, and the same writers voted for both awards). In the end, it really doesn't matter because the Heisman has become a joke of a trophy. Winning it almost guarantees failure in the NFL.
This question's been asked all week. People want to know if the best two teams are playing for the national title (and you know you've got a good system when you have to hope it all works out in the end). I find this questions funny because the BCS doesn't guarantee that the two best teams will be playing for the national title; the BCS only guarantees that top 2 teams in the final BCS standing will play for the national title, and it is assumed that, since they finished #1 and #2 in the BCS, they are the best 2 teams in the country.
So are Florida and Oklahoma the two best teams in the country? Who knows. Now, will it be a great game? It should be. But so would a lot of matchups between the BCS top 8 teams. But since if the system we've got, we've got to live with it. Some bold (or not so bold) predictions for the 5 BCS bowls games:
-BCS National Title Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma
Again, regardless of whether these are the "best 2 teams in the country," this should be a hell of a game. Tim Tebow had quipped earlier in the year (re: his Heisman vote and the numbers Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Graham Harrell were putting up) that he'd like to see what he could do against those Big 12 defenses. Well, he's going to get his chance. Florida's been on a tear since losing to Old Miss, and I don't think that stops against Oklahoma (who, granted, have been on a tear of their own). I think the difference is that Oklahoma had score the "style points" with voters, so they've been running up lately (60+ points in 4 straight games), and Sports Gods don't like that. Plus, Bob Stoops is winless in his last four BCS bowl games, including 2 title games. It'll be a highly entertaining game, fairly close with lots of scoring, but Stoops's losing streak continues and Florida wins the BCS title.
-Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas
Are you shitting me- Ohio State? Again? Have we learning nothing the past few years? Ohio State doesn't show up in big games (unless they get a bullshit pass interference call in the end zone at the end of the game). What about Boise State? All they've done in the past is win possibly the greatest bowl game ever, and they did it playing a Big 12 team in the Fiesta Bowl. They're undefeated and ranked higher than OSU in the precious BCS standings- so why are the Broncos worthy? And what about Texas Tech? They got screwed by the "limit 2 teams per conference" rule, but who wouldn't want to see a Texas-Texas Tech rematch? That was only the best game of the year. No, instead we're left with the Buckeyes. The team that was run out of the stadium by LSU last year and by Florida the year before that. History repeats itself again this year. Texas is pissed, and they'll take it out against OSU. Colt McCoy, coming off his Heisman win (more on this later) will have a huge day and Terrelle Pryor will struggle (couple fumbles, couple interceptions). Texas big in this one, at least 3 touchdowns, and Ohio State is embarrassed once again on the national stage.
-Sugar Bowl: Utah vs. Alabama
Look, I know everyone is going to point to Hawaii in last year's Sugar Bowl against Georgia; they pulled an Ohio State and got blown out. But Utah already has history in the BCS- they beat Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (first non-BCS school to crash the part). That being said, do I think the Utes move to 2-0 in BCS bowl games? No, I think Alabama wins this one, but it won't be a blowout like some people are predicting. Now, I'd love to see Utah win and end the year undefeated and show that they can play (and beat) BCS conference teams, but I don't think its going to happen. Saban the Weasel will have the Tide ready to go and Sugar Bowl's proximity to Alabama will give them a home field advantage.
-Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Ugh. This is why the automatic bids for conference champions needs to end. The Hokies are 9-4, and they're playing a BCS game over undefeated Boise State and one-loss Texas Tech. Just stupid. And nothing against UC, but they're not BCS bowl caliber yet. Don't get me wrong, I think Brian Kelly is going an incredible job and its a good thing for Cincinnati to have some college football success, but they're not ready. They still have a hard time filling 35,000 seat Nippert Stadium, and they expect to sell out their allotment of Orange Bowl tickets? I hope for their sake they do, lest they have to eat the cost like West Virginia had to last year, and because I know Tech will sell out their tickets (because, really, Tech fans have nothing better to do than travel to football games). I really hope Cincinnati wins this game. One, because I alway root against the Hokies, and two, it would so great for UC to win a BCS bowl game in the same year Ohio State loses one (3 touchdown, I'm telling you). So I'm picking the Bearcats based on nothing more than I can never, ever, pick Virginia Tech.
-Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC
After the title game, I think this'll be the second best BCS bowl game. My dad (Penn State alum), wanted this matchup once Penn State was knocked out of the national title picture. I told him he was crazy and that he should be careful what he wishes for because it might come true. And sure enough, it did. Penn State looked unstoppable earlier in the year, then they hit a wall late in the year (close win against Ohio State, loss to Iowa), only to appear to have righted the ship in the final two weeks. USC has the ridiculous defense (averaging less than 8 points a game), but much of that was against the comicly pathetic PAC-10. Penn State's offense will the best one USC's faced all year, and I think they'll be able to crack double digits on the scoreboard. The game is close, possibly right down to the wire, and I'm taking Penn State and JoePa for the win.
And finally, Mr. Irrelavent... er, the Heisman Trophy. Like I said early, I think Colt McCoy will win (note: I don't think he's the best player in the country, I just think he'll win the Heisman). Between him, Tebow, Bradford, and Harrell (the obvious finalist that will be in New York for the ceremony; I can't see anyone else being invited), I think he's show enough to win. While the Heisman has become a meaningless trophy of late, 2 Heismans is still rarified air, and I don't think they bestow that honor on Tebow (yet- if he comes back for his senior year and does it all again, maybe he wins it next year). And McCoy's already beaten out Bradford and Harrell as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (though, curiously enough, he was voted Second Team All Big 12 behind Bradford, and the same writers voted for both awards). In the end, it really doesn't matter because the Heisman has become a joke of a trophy. Winning it almost guarantees failure in the NFL.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Fantasy Football Failure: Week 14
[Note: I forgot about the Thursday night game, so this post is going up a bit late.]
Nothing like backing into the playoffs. The week started off great with Chris Johnson putting up 24 fantasy points on Thanksgiving Day, but 0's from Laveranues Coles and Vincent Jackson and a whopping -2 from the Jets D lead me to a 57-78 loss to Smouther's Galveston Storm team (it also didn't help that the rest of my team sucked it up as well). But eventhough I've dropped the last two weeks, I still finished in a 4-way tie for second at 9-4, but I'm seeded 5th in the playoffs thanks to my rather low total points scored number.
Round 1 of the playoffs pits me against Team Rekant (Eh!Steve's team) in a rematch of Week 5 (in which I prevailed 71-54). And I've already got one player locked in (who's playing tonight).
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Drew Brees
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Clinton Portis
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Fred Taylor
RB/WR: Laveranues Coles vs. Kevin Smith
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Braylon Edwards
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Davone Bess
TE: Zach Miller vs. Bo Scaife
D/ST: Jets vs. Packers
K: Jason Elam vs. John Kasay
QB: This is pretty simply- Tyler Thigpen is a servicable (at best) NFL quarterback and Drew Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino's single season passing yards record. Thigpen had been on a roll, with 17+ fantasy points in each of the past 5 weeks, but he dropped an 8 point stinker last week. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs won last week when Thigpen played poorly and they had lost the previous 5 weeks when we played well. So here's hoping the Chiefs lose this week and Thigpen can at least hit double digits, because I'm sure Brees will put up good numbers.
RB: Marion Barber is currently listed as "questionable" which is why he's on the bench right now. He's playing the Steelers, which is a touch matchup to begin with, but the report right now is that he'll be a game time decision. If it looks like he's going to play, there's no way I can keep him on the bench, even against Pittsburgh. I'd probably put him in the flex spot and leave Kevin Faulk in there, simply because the Pats are playing the Seahawks. And Chris Johnson should have another great week playing Cleveland. Portis is a stud back, but he's also listed as "questionable." Hopefully, he can't go. Taylor's been surpassed by MJD, so I'm not real worried about him, and Kevin Smith's problem is that he plays for Detroit. I need points from my RB's.
WR/TE: As I write this, Vincent Jackson already has 18 points, and he's on my bench. Great start. And my TE, Zach Miller, has 2 points right now, and all I can hope for is that he finds the end zone tonight. All my receivers (starting and on the bench) totalled a massive 6 points last week- if that happens again, my season's over. My best hope is that Wayne goes off big against my hometown Bengals this week. I expect nothing out of Braylon Edwards because the Browns are on their 8th or 9th quarterback this week. Davone Bess scares me a bit, and hopefully Coles and Bowe will return to form and score some points (any points).
DEF/K: I have no idea what happened to the Jets last week. They've got San Francisco this week, so maybe they'll remember that they're supposed one of the top teams in the AFC and not suck. They should at least be able to match the Pack this week, who have Houston. Elam's had 3 straight weeks of 9 fantasy points, so I need that to continue (which is sad that I need a kicker to produce).
So I've already got 18 points in the bench, which isn't a good sign for the week. I'm not feeling all that confident about moving on in the playoffs, and if I don't, it'll be the second straight year in which Eh!Steve has ended my season. If my WR's show up even a little, I think I've got a chance to win. If not, season's over.
Nothing like backing into the playoffs. The week started off great with Chris Johnson putting up 24 fantasy points on Thanksgiving Day, but 0's from Laveranues Coles and Vincent Jackson and a whopping -2 from the Jets D lead me to a 57-78 loss to Smouther's Galveston Storm team (it also didn't help that the rest of my team sucked it up as well). But eventhough I've dropped the last two weeks, I still finished in a 4-way tie for second at 9-4, but I'm seeded 5th in the playoffs thanks to my rather low total points scored number.
Round 1 of the playoffs pits me against Team Rekant (Eh!Steve's team) in a rematch of Week 5 (in which I prevailed 71-54). And I've already got one player locked in (who's playing tonight).
QB: Tyler Thigpen vs. Drew Brees
RB: Chris Johnson vs. Clinton Portis
RB: Kevin Faulk vs. Fred Taylor
RB/WR: Laveranues Coles vs. Kevin Smith
WR: Reggie Wayne vs. Braylon Edwards
WR: Dwayne Bowe vs. Davone Bess
TE: Zach Miller vs. Bo Scaife
D/ST: Jets vs. Packers
K: Jason Elam vs. John Kasay
QB: This is pretty simply- Tyler Thigpen is a servicable (at best) NFL quarterback and Drew Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino's single season passing yards record. Thigpen had been on a roll, with 17+ fantasy points in each of the past 5 weeks, but he dropped an 8 point stinker last week. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs won last week when Thigpen played poorly and they had lost the previous 5 weeks when we played well. So here's hoping the Chiefs lose this week and Thigpen can at least hit double digits, because I'm sure Brees will put up good numbers.
RB: Marion Barber is currently listed as "questionable" which is why he's on the bench right now. He's playing the Steelers, which is a touch matchup to begin with, but the report right now is that he'll be a game time decision. If it looks like he's going to play, there's no way I can keep him on the bench, even against Pittsburgh. I'd probably put him in the flex spot and leave Kevin Faulk in there, simply because the Pats are playing the Seahawks. And Chris Johnson should have another great week playing Cleveland. Portis is a stud back, but he's also listed as "questionable." Hopefully, he can't go. Taylor's been surpassed by MJD, so I'm not real worried about him, and Kevin Smith's problem is that he plays for Detroit. I need points from my RB's.
WR/TE: As I write this, Vincent Jackson already has 18 points, and he's on my bench. Great start. And my TE, Zach Miller, has 2 points right now, and all I can hope for is that he finds the end zone tonight. All my receivers (starting and on the bench) totalled a massive 6 points last week- if that happens again, my season's over. My best hope is that Wayne goes off big against my hometown Bengals this week. I expect nothing out of Braylon Edwards because the Browns are on their 8th or 9th quarterback this week. Davone Bess scares me a bit, and hopefully Coles and Bowe will return to form and score some points (any points).
DEF/K: I have no idea what happened to the Jets last week. They've got San Francisco this week, so maybe they'll remember that they're supposed one of the top teams in the AFC and not suck. They should at least be able to match the Pack this week, who have Houston. Elam's had 3 straight weeks of 9 fantasy points, so I need that to continue (which is sad that I need a kicker to produce).
So I've already got 18 points in the bench, which isn't a good sign for the week. I'm not feeling all that confident about moving on in the playoffs, and if I don't, it'll be the second straight year in which Eh!Steve has ended my season. If my WR's show up even a little, I think I've got a chance to win. If not, season's over.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
College Football Questions
As we head toward the final weekend of college football before the bowl season, some questions are on my mind:
-How is Charlie Weis still the coach at Notre Dame? Oh, that's right, he's not black. Weis has a worse winning percentage than both of his predecessors, Ty Willingham and Bob Davie and just coached Notre Dame its worst two-year span in history. The previous worst two-year span? Willingham's last two years. It got Willingham fired, but not Weis. No, Weis gets to keep his job because he got a 10-year contract in his first year at ND, winning with players he didn't recruit. Anyone else wish they could be the worst performer in their employer's history and still keep their job?
-Is there anyone out there that still thinks the BCS isn't a complete waste of time? College football doesn't need a playoff because "every week's a playoff"? Right, tell that to Texas. Texas beat Oklahoma back in October. If every week were actually a playoff, Oklahoma would have been eliminated. But since that argument's a load of shit, Oklahoma is above Texas in the BCS rankings. And thanks to the Big 12's ridiculous tie-breaker rules (albeit the 5th tie-breaker, but ridiculous none the less), Oklahoma gets to play in the Big 12 championship game over Texas because of its higher BCS position. And when last I checked, Texas had still beaten Oklahoma head-to-head. And what's even more ridiculous is that if Missouri were to somehow beat Oklahoma in said Big 12 championship game, Texas would end up in the BCS title game. One week, the BCS didn't think the Longhorns were good enough to play in their own conference championship game and in the next, they could be good enough to play for the BCS title. What a joke.
-Is there a funnier picture out there of a head coach than Kansas's Mark Mangino and Obie from last year's Orange Bowl? I think not.
-Speaking of head coaches, anyone still think Joe Paterno's going to retire at the end of the year? He's back coaching one week after hip replacement surgery. If that doesn't say, "I'm coaching until the day I die," I don't know what does.
-Would you be willing to forfeit two timeouts (one per half) just to wear your home jerseys on the road in a rivalry game? Pete Carroll would. And if UCLA is cool with it (and it appears Rick Neuheisel is), it doesn't bother me. What does bother me is this: As for losing a timeout? "I don't care about it right now," Carroll said. "I think it's the fun thing to do, and I think the fans will appreciate it over time. Seriously Coach, at least act like the lost timeouts are a big deal. Everyone knows you're supremely cocky, but dismissing the timeouts and focusing on a "fun thing to do" is a real slap in the face to UCLA. That said, I'm taking the Trojans (-33) over the Bruins in the pick'em league this week, timeouts or not.
-If you were Brian Kelly, why wouldn't you stay at UC? The only reason to leave would be for a Brinks truck full of money, which, at his current pace, some school will be throwing at hiim every year. Now, there's nothing wrong with taking the money and running, as long as you're comfortable joining the Weasel Club, like Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino. But if he's not a complete selfish bastard, Brian Kelly's in the perfect situation: he's in a high school football hotbed that isn't heavily recruited by the other big schools in the region; Cincinnati isn't all "rah-rah-we-love-Ohio-State-simply-because-we-live-in-Ohio" so he's not tasked with changing allegiances, just forming them; and the Big East is winnable, and as long as the BCS continues its stupid automatic bids for the 6 "major" conferences, he's got a shot at the Orange Bowl every year. And if he were to sting together an undefeated season, he might have a shot at the BCS title (remember, West Virginia was in line to play for the BCS title last year until they choked against Pitt). It may sound crazy, but if Boise State or Utah had their seasons in one of the BCS conferences, they'd have a shot at the title game. UC could be a Boise State or a Utah, but in a BCS conference, and I mean that in good way.
-So how would I fix the BCS? The same way most people would- by having a playoff. Want to keep the BCS rankings? Fine, treat them like the RPI in college basketball. I say 8 team playoff, must be in BCS top 12 to be elligable, no limit on teams from one conference (if 3 of the best teams are from the Big 12 South, so be it, that's the way it is), and no automatic bids for any conference champions. Top 2 teams not selected for the playoff meet in "consolation bowl game" played at one of the current BCS bowl sites (see later). [Note: Yes, arguments will still ensure, and that's not a bad thing. Argument and debate is a fundamental part of sports, especially college football. However, I'd rather those arguments be about which team deserves the last spot in a playoff system for a chance at the national title than be about which team deserves a spot in the title game itself. The model is right there in college basketball; everyone argues about who's the "last 4 in, last 4 out", but no one argues about who ends up playing for the national title, be it a #1 seed or a #8 seed, because its decided on the court.] First round of the playoffs are home games for the higher seeds. Current BCS bowls (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Rose), are used for Championship game, semi-finals, and consolation game in rotating fashion (title game one year, consolation game the next, then semi-final, semi-final, back to title game, etc.). Also, keep all of the other bowl games. Opponents say that a playoff would render the bowl games meaningless; tell me, what do the bowl games mean now? Exactly. So keep the bowls and the extra weeks of practice for eligible teams, add a playoff to determine an actual NCAA National Champion, and everyone goes home happy.
-How is Charlie Weis still the coach at Notre Dame? Oh, that's right, he's not black. Weis has a worse winning percentage than both of his predecessors, Ty Willingham and Bob Davie and just coached Notre Dame its worst two-year span in history. The previous worst two-year span? Willingham's last two years. It got Willingham fired, but not Weis. No, Weis gets to keep his job because he got a 10-year contract in his first year at ND, winning with players he didn't recruit. Anyone else wish they could be the worst performer in their employer's history and still keep their job?
-Is there anyone out there that still thinks the BCS isn't a complete waste of time? College football doesn't need a playoff because "every week's a playoff"? Right, tell that to Texas. Texas beat Oklahoma back in October. If every week were actually a playoff, Oklahoma would have been eliminated. But since that argument's a load of shit, Oklahoma is above Texas in the BCS rankings. And thanks to the Big 12's ridiculous tie-breaker rules (albeit the 5th tie-breaker, but ridiculous none the less), Oklahoma gets to play in the Big 12 championship game over Texas because of its higher BCS position. And when last I checked, Texas had still beaten Oklahoma head-to-head. And what's even more ridiculous is that if Missouri were to somehow beat Oklahoma in said Big 12 championship game, Texas would end up in the BCS title game. One week, the BCS didn't think the Longhorns were good enough to play in their own conference championship game and in the next, they could be good enough to play for the BCS title. What a joke.
-Is there a funnier picture out there of a head coach than Kansas's Mark Mangino and Obie from last year's Orange Bowl? I think not.
-Speaking of head coaches, anyone still think Joe Paterno's going to retire at the end of the year? He's back coaching one week after hip replacement surgery. If that doesn't say, "I'm coaching until the day I die," I don't know what does.
-Would you be willing to forfeit two timeouts (one per half) just to wear your home jerseys on the road in a rivalry game? Pete Carroll would. And if UCLA is cool with it (and it appears Rick Neuheisel is), it doesn't bother me. What does bother me is this: As for losing a timeout? "I don't care about it right now," Carroll said. "I think it's the fun thing to do, and I think the fans will appreciate it over time. Seriously Coach, at least act like the lost timeouts are a big deal. Everyone knows you're supremely cocky, but dismissing the timeouts and focusing on a "fun thing to do" is a real slap in the face to UCLA. That said, I'm taking the Trojans (-33) over the Bruins in the pick'em league this week, timeouts or not.
-If you were Brian Kelly, why wouldn't you stay at UC? The only reason to leave would be for a Brinks truck full of money, which, at his current pace, some school will be throwing at hiim every year. Now, there's nothing wrong with taking the money and running, as long as you're comfortable joining the Weasel Club, like Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino. But if he's not a complete selfish bastard, Brian Kelly's in the perfect situation: he's in a high school football hotbed that isn't heavily recruited by the other big schools in the region; Cincinnati isn't all "rah-rah-we-love-Ohio-State-simply-because-we-live-in-Ohio" so he's not tasked with changing allegiances, just forming them; and the Big East is winnable, and as long as the BCS continues its stupid automatic bids for the 6 "major" conferences, he's got a shot at the Orange Bowl every year. And if he were to sting together an undefeated season, he might have a shot at the BCS title (remember, West Virginia was in line to play for the BCS title last year until they choked against Pitt). It may sound crazy, but if Boise State or Utah had their seasons in one of the BCS conferences, they'd have a shot at the title game. UC could be a Boise State or a Utah, but in a BCS conference, and I mean that in good way.
-So how would I fix the BCS? The same way most people would- by having a playoff. Want to keep the BCS rankings? Fine, treat them like the RPI in college basketball. I say 8 team playoff, must be in BCS top 12 to be elligable, no limit on teams from one conference (if 3 of the best teams are from the Big 12 South, so be it, that's the way it is), and no automatic bids for any conference champions. Top 2 teams not selected for the playoff meet in "consolation bowl game" played at one of the current BCS bowl sites (see later). [Note: Yes, arguments will still ensure, and that's not a bad thing. Argument and debate is a fundamental part of sports, especially college football. However, I'd rather those arguments be about which team deserves the last spot in a playoff system for a chance at the national title than be about which team deserves a spot in the title game itself. The model is right there in college basketball; everyone argues about who's the "last 4 in, last 4 out", but no one argues about who ends up playing for the national title, be it a #1 seed or a #8 seed, because its decided on the court.] First round of the playoffs are home games for the higher seeds. Current BCS bowls (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Rose), are used for Championship game, semi-finals, and consolation game in rotating fashion (title game one year, consolation game the next, then semi-final, semi-final, back to title game, etc.). Also, keep all of the other bowl games. Opponents say that a playoff would render the bowl games meaningless; tell me, what do the bowl games mean now? Exactly. So keep the bowls and the extra weeks of practice for eligible teams, add a playoff to determine an actual NCAA National Champion, and everyone goes home happy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)