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October 31, 2008

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 9

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 9 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Kurt Warner, Cardinals (at STL) - see top 25 QBs for week 9
RB: Brian Westbrook, Eagles (at SEA) - see top 40 RBs for week 9
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (at STL) - see top 50 WRs for week 9
TE: Dallas Clark, Colts (vs NE) - see top 20 TEs for week 9
K: Robbie Gould, Bears (vs DET) - see top 20 Ks for week 9
DEF: Chicago Bears (vs DET) - see top 20 DEFs for week 9

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 9 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:15 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 30, 2008

Steven Jackson practices, hopes to play

Steven Jackson was a game-time decision heading into Sunday's matchup versus the New England Patriots and he was scratched. The Patriots won that game by 7 points.

Even though Antonio Pittman, in his first start ever, had 83 rushing yards, would Steven Jackson have been enough of a difference to the Rams that they would have won 3 games straight?
"It's very frustrating to sit out any time, especially a close game like that where you never know if I could have been the difference maker," Jackson said. "We just want to make sure everything is good and I can play at a level that can be positive."
The Rams have beat the Redskins and Cowboys in back-to-back weeks and keep it close against the Pats. Now, they host the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals (4-3) Sunday.

I can't believe I'm saying (or writing) this, but with a win Sunday, the Rams would be only 1 game out of first place in the division.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mike Singletary bears all

Everyone (unless you've been living under a rock) has heard about or seen Mike Singletary's post-game interview following the 49ers embarrassing 34-13 ass-whooping by the Seattle Seahawks. If you missed it, he said this about Vernon Davis:
"I will not tolerate players that think it's about them," Singletary said. "We cannot make decisions that cost the team and then come off to the sideline and be nonchalant.

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized, rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be part of this team.
Some think that a public forum might not have been the appropriate outlet for the rant. But what he did at halftime was hilarious. He mooned his team.
"I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped on Sunday and how humiliating that should feel for all of us. I needed to do something to dramatize my point; there were other ways I could have done it but I think this got the message across. I am excited about having the team back at practice on Monday so we can get back to work."
What's interesting is Vernon Davis, after getting mooned by his head coach at halftime, thought it would be a good idea to slap Brian Russell in the head. If he (the team) received that halftime talk, he should have known that he (and the team) was on thin ice.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:33 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colts lose Marlon Jackson for season

Just when things were looking up (at least on the injury front) for the Colts, they lose a key player for the rest of the season.

Marlon Jackson tore his ACL and meniscus cartilage yesterday in practice.
"He did significant damage to the knee, and I'm not exactly sure, but it's probably going to involve some surgery," Dungy said before practice. "I think he might get a second opinion, but right now, he's probably going to be out for a while."

"We obviously feel bad for Marlin, but we have to continue on," Dungy said. "We'll know in a few days exactly what's going on and what's going to be required. For right now, we know he's going to be out for a while and more than likely will go on injured reserve."
The Colts re-signed Keiwan Ratliff, who has played four games this year and has 4 tackles on the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:07 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 29, 2008

Plaxico says he is not a distraction

Plaxico Burress is not a "distraction." Just ask him: he will tell you so.

But everything the guy does points to him being a distraction.

It started with Plaxico waffling about whether he would practice during training camp and in the pre-season without a new contract. Then, he missed a workout and was unreachable for a day and suspended for 1 game. Last week, he missed some therapy so he was benched for the first quarter and then he was later fined $45,000 in that game.

To determine whether or not he's a distraction, it's important to ask teammates. If teammates say "no", then he still might be but they are trying to keep it in house. If they say "yes", he definitely is a distraction, because most teammates will likely avoid throwing another teammate under the bus.

Justin Tuck, who has emerged as a leader of the defense, said Plax "...had it coming":
"I can't speak for Plaxico, but as a team it's indicative of our coaches trying to make a statement as far as every guy on this football team is equal and I think [Tom Coughlin] got his point across," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "I hope he got his point across."
And fellow WR Amani Toomer has now spoken out as well:
"He's his own man," Toomer said. "He makes his own decisions and I have to respect that. He knows his decisions affect the team. It's hard to go up to a grown man [and talk] about doing his business the way everybody else wants him to."

"I'll be interested to see because I think that it's still a distraction," Toomer said. "It affects our team."
Since starting the season with a 10-reception, 133-yard performance on the night he signed a contract extension, Burress has had only 1 game with more than 50 receiving yards and no games with more than 5 receptions.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:55 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 28, 2008

More Hightower, Less Edge?

Against Carolina, Edgerrin James only had 17 yards on 7 carries and lost a fumble. Tim Hightower could get an increased workload going forward.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "I think we've shown we're going to play the players who give us the best chance to win. We did that with the quarterback. We've done that at linebacker, we've done it with the offensive line.

"At a point where we feel Tim gives us the best chance to win, then absolutely. But I don't think you can judge it just based on (Sunday's) game."
Edge trails Thurman Thomas for 12th on all-time rushing list by 87 yards. Let's see - at 17 yards per game, he will surpass him 6 games from now.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:34 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Santonio Holmes to start MNF vs Redskins

Santonio Holmes, who wasn't suspended but instead inactive for last week's game vs the Giants after getting caught with marijuana, will start for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they face the Redskins. Holmes has a November 24th court date.
"As a football team and an organization, in terms of our view of the situation, we've laid it to bed," Tomlin said Tuesday. "Satisfactory action has been taken from our standpoint. ... For us, we're moving forward."
On the season, Holmes has 22 receptions for 360 yards and 1 TD.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:19 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Daunte Culpepper negotiating with the Lions

Daunte Culpepper, agent for Daunte Culpepper, is negotiating with the Detroit Lions. Supposedly, the KC Chiefs contacted Culpepper last week about the possibility of coming out of retirement.

Hmmm...Chiefs or Lions? Lions or Chiefs? What great options!

In any event, I wish Matt Millen were still GM of the Detroit Lions for the sole purpose of negotiating with Culpepper. I can hear it now.

Matt, I'm worth $5 million a year and should be the starter. I agree Daunte. And I'm going to draft you a wide receiver in the next 7 drafts to help you out.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ron Rivera in, Ted Cottrell out

Today Norv Turner replaced Ted Cottrell with Ron Rivera as defensive coordinator.
Rivera "interacts well with players," Turner said. "He communicates extremely well. I believe he's experienced. I think his expectation level is very, very high, and I believe there's something to having done it and then having a feel for who you're playing and what you need to do to give your guys the best chance to succeed."
The San Diego Chargers are arguably the biggest disappointment in the NFL as many had expected the 3-5 Chargers to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Offensively, the Chargers are 2nd in the NFL in scoring (28.0 ppg) behind the Arizona Cardinals.

Defensively, on the other hand, the Chargers are 23rd in scoring (24.9 ppg) and 28th in yards allowed (371.6 ypg).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:53 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jason Witten plans to play Sunday with broken rib

Jason Witten broke a rib in the game versus the Bucs on Sunday. Witten will give it a go on Sunday, but Brian Davis of the Dallas Morning News asks is it worth the risk in his blog post.

Jason Witten leads the Cowboys in receptions (46) and receiving yards (549). Without Witten in the lineup, the Cowboys would miss the dimension he adds to the passing game and offense in general. But the Cowboys have sufficient weapons to help Brad Johnson, who let's face it - needs as much help as he can get.

However, talent has not been the Cowboys problem this season (or last season). They sent 13 players to Honolulu last year.

Their problem has been their toughness, focus and discipline. If (arguably) their best receiver - no offense T.O. - shows his toughness by playing with a broken rib, the rest of the team should see his example and play inspired, passionate football. Specifically, the guys who line up next to Witten (the O-Line) need to show/develop some nastiness. Hopefully, Witten's grit leads to that.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:41 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

EDSFootball.com Domination Index - Week 8

Each week, we rank teams based on 8 statistical categories, i.e., what they have done so far. There is no subjectivity here. The numbers determine the rankings.

Here are the Top 10 for this week:

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. New York Giants
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Washington Redskins
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Chicago Bears
T8. Carolina Panthers
T8. Arizona Cardinals
10. Dallas Cowboys

Here are the Top 5 when strength of schedule is excluded:

1. New York Giants
2. Tennessee Titans
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Washington Redskins

Click here for full Domination Index for week 8...

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 27, 2008

Bengals to break franchise record for worst start?

With their lopsided loss against the Houston Texans yesterday, the Cincinnati Bengals are now 0-8 on the season. At least, they are consistent.

This is the 5th time in franchise history that they have started with an 0-8 record. In 1993, the Bungles set the franchise record for their worst start (0-10). The Bengals schedule doesn't get easier.

Here are their next 3 games: 11/2 vs Jacksonville, 11/16 vs Philadelphia and 11/20 at Pittsburgh.

The only consolation is that if the Bengals are 0-15 heading into week 17, they get to play the Kansas City Chiefs, who just might be worse than the Bengals.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:00 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Singletary names Hill starter after bye week

Mike Martz was a supporter of J.T. O'Sullivan, who has been benched by new head coach Mike Singletary. Singletary benched O'Sullivan in favor of Shaun Hill during yesterday's game and has now named Hill the starter when the team returns from their bye week.
"When you look at J.T.'s capabilities and the arm strength and all of those things, you'd say, 'Hey, maybe that guy gives us the best chance to win,'" Singletary said, according to the Associated Press. "But if you look around the league, there are guys that are very talented, very smart ... but they can't play quarterback. J.T. has done a good job. He's just been inconsistent."
In 4 games (3 last year and 1 this year), Hill has a QB Rating of 101.5 and has completed 69 of 102 passes. He has also thrown 6 TDs and, more importantly, only 1 INT.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mike Singletary makes Vernon Davis an example

Mike Singletary began his head coaching era with an embarrassing loss to the Seattle Seahawks 34-13. Afterwards, he apologized.

As the Hall of Fame MLB for the Bears 4-6 defense, Mike Singletary is tough and expects perfection. When he sees an undisciplined player commit a stupid penalty, he reacts like this:
"I will not tolerate players that think it's about them," Singletary said. "We cannot make decisions that cost the team and then come off to the sideline and be nonchalant.

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized, rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be part of this team.

"I told him that he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going out on the field."
Vernon Davis, drafted 6th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, is a physical freak of nature. After catching 52 passes for 509 yards, I predicted Davis would have a break-out season in 2008. Instead, he has struggled in 2008. He has 16 receptions in 8 games with 0 TDs.

But should Singletary have reacted this way? Should he have addressed this with the media?

In general, I believe coaches/players should keep these things in house. However, considering the state of the San Francisco 49ers, I think Singletary wanted to show the rest of the team that you are either part of the solution or you're part of the problem.

This is the first step in creating a culture of accountability and discipline in San Francisco.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:59 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 26, 2008

NFL voids Jim Haslett's contract provision

Jim Haslett, interim head coach of the St. Louis Rams after replacing Scott Linehan, is 2-0 on the season. Not only is he 2-0, but his 2 wins are against quality competition (Redskins and Cowboys). A stipulation in his contract would have removed the "interim" tag if he won at least 6 games.

The Rooney Rule, which requires teams interview minority candidates for head coaching positions unless it's on an interim basis, makes that provision invalid.
"We gave them the language with the incentive bonus and they said the contract wouldn't qualify," Shaw said. "We were looking for a provision that would ensure him an extension if he won a certain amount of games."

"We are 100 percent behind the Rooney Rule, the intent, the goal and the application of it," Haslett's agent, Peter Schaffer told The AP. "We will do nothing to try to circumvent that rule.

"Jim wants to do everything in his power to further the goals of the Rooney Rule, and even if it works against him that's fine."
I think the Rooney Rule in general is a great thing. It would be even better if the color of one's skin never entered into anyone's decision-making process and the most qualified candidate was always the one to receive the job offer.

But this situation is different. Before Scott Linehan was fired, the Rams were as bad as any team in football with the Lions being the possible exception. After an 0-4 start under Linehan, if Haslett leads them to a 6-6 record or better, he has earned the job. To make a team as bad as the Rams were competitive enough to go .500+ means he's qualified for the job. It makes no sense to interview any candidate (white, black, green, orange, etc.) if Haslett gets that much out of this bad team.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:30 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 25, 2008

Pacman Jones should be banned from the NFL for life

Roger Goodell has suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones for a minimum of four games, but he is leaving open the possibility of Jones playing in the NFL again.
"He has not made good decisions," Goodell added. "I think after this latest incident it was clear to me there was something else going on that we need to evaluate and we need to address directly."

"If he can deal with whatever issues he may have, handle his responsibilities, make good decisions, then he may have an opportunity to play again in the league," Goodell said.
"Pacman" Jones should never be allowed back in the NFL. Having been suspended for 1 full season, Pacman couldn't stay out of trouble for more than 6 weeks. He was constantly told that he had no leeway, yet he got into it with a bodyguard that was hired for the sole purpose of keeping you out of trouble.

I'm all for giving someone a second chance, but to possibly give Jones another chance is foolish.

Just ban him for life now.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Steven Jackson game-time decision vs Pats

Steven Jackson is a game-time decision for tomorrow's game against the Pats. In the past 2 weeks, the Rams are as hot as any team in football beating the Redskins in a close, hard-fought contest and pounding the Cowboys 34-14.

In the past 3 weeks, Steven Jackson has been playing very well compared to the 1st 3 weeks of the season:

-> 1st 3 games: 50 carries, 159 yards rushing, 0 TDs
-> 2nd 3 games: 71 carries, 349 yards rushing, 4 TDs

With Jackson, I'm not sure the Rams win 3 straight against tough opponents. Without him, I think it's virtually impossible.

[Update: Steven Jackson is inactive for today's game.]

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:15 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Plaxico Burress fined $45k for week 7

Plaxico Burress was fined $45,000 for his actions in a week 7 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The latest fines included $20,000 for verbally abusing an official during the game, another $20,000 for "inappropriate" comments about officiating after the game and $5,000 for throwing a football into the stands.
Having been fined $117,000 already this year and being suspended for a game with "no regrets," do you really think fining him is going to make a difference in deterring him? I think not.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:16 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Carson Palmer: done for year, to delay surgery?

ESPN is reporting that Carson Palmer is done for the year, but is delaying the decision to opt for Tommy John surgery. The report is that Tommy John surgery would repair the issue with his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Jake Delhomme, who had Tommy John surgery last year, has come back and is throwing the ball without problems this year. According to the report, Palmer's injury is not as bad as Delhomme's was so they are taking a more conservative approach.

However, the Cincinnati Bengals are 0-7 on the year. It would make sense to move forward with the surgery and get Palmer healthy sooner rather than later. Considering the issues that Tom Brady is having with his knee, it's a reminder that sometimes surgeries have complications. Although the surgeries would be different and each case is always unique, why not be proactive to better guarantee a healthy Palmer for the start of 2008?

On the year, Palmer has struggled when he was in the lineup. He has a QB Rating of 69.0 and has thrown more INTs (4) than he has TDs (3) on the year.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:49 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 8

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 8 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Drew Brees, Saints (vs SD) - see top 25 QBs for week 8
RB: Brian Westbrook, Eagles (vs ATL) - see top 40 RBs for week 8
WR: Andre Johnson, Texans (vs CIN) - see top 50 WRs for week 8
TE: Antonio Gates, Chargers (at NO in London) - see top 20 TEs for week 8
K: Rob Bironas, Titans (vs IND) - see top 20 Ks for week 8
DEF: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DAL) - see top 20 DEFs for week 8

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 8 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Contest winner to kick PATs

Last month, Texas Tech had a halftime contest, where a student won by kicking a 30-yard FG, for a month of free rent. Now, that contest winner will be on the sidelines for Tech and on the field for PAT attempts.

The existing Texas Tech kickers have missed 6 extra points on the season so far. Those kickers, Donnie Carona and Cory Fowler, will continue to handle FG attempts even though they have missed half of their 8 attempts.

Matt Williams, the contest winner, was a D2 kicker at Tarleton State but never played in any games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:23 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 24, 2008

Ravens placed "bounty" on Ward, Mendenhall?

The NFL is looking into comments from Terrell Suggs about a "bounty" being placed on Hines Ward and Rashard Mendenhall.
During the "2 Live Stews" syndicated radio show on Oct. 17, when he was asked, "Did you all put a bounty out on that young man [Mendenhall]," Suggs replied, "Definitely. The bounty was out on him and the bounty was out on [Ward] -- we just didn't get him between the whistles."

Also during the interview, Suggs called Ward "a dirty player" and "a cheap-shot artist. ... We got something in store for him."
Terrell Suggs has now clarified saying that he didn't say there was a bounty. But was that because he feels like he was misunderstood? Or because the NFL is looking into it?
"There wasn't any bounty," Suggs said, according to the newspaper. "He [the talk show host] asked me if there was a bounty and I just said I'm going to keep a watch on the guy. He [Ward] broke some guy's jaw last week, and he tried to cheap-shot JJ [Jarret Johnson]. He has also cheap-shotted Ed Reed. We're just going to be on alert the next time we play him."
Hines Ward is one of my favorite players in the league. So many WRs hate/can't block and Ward is by far the best blocking WR. I also love how he usually has a smile on his face when he's getting hit.

To use Polamalu's words, Ward is not a "pansy."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 23, 2008

Ref Wilbur Hackett hits QB Stephen Garcia

Wilbur Hackett Jr, former NCAA linebacker at Kentucky, made a good hit on South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia. Here is a funny You Tube of the clip of the play mixed in with the Bud Light commercial where a Bud Light is offered to anyone who can make a play:



The Cincinnati Bengals should give Hackett a call. They could use some help at LB.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:48 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 22, 2008

EDSFootball.com Domination Index - Week 7

Each week, we rank teams based on 8 statistical categories, i.e., what they have done so far. There is no subjectivity here. The numbers determine the rankings.

Here are the Top 10 for this week:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Washington Redskins
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Tennessee Titans
6. New York Giants
7. Chicago Bears
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Carolina Panthers
10. (tie) Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills

Here are the Top 5 when strength of schedule is excluded:

1. Tennessee Titans
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New York Giants
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Washington Redskins

Click here for full Domination Index for week 7...

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:18 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wade Phillips to call defensive plays?

The Dallas Cowboys are currently giving up the 9th-worst ppg (25.0) in the NFL. The only team with a winning record underneath them is the Denver Broncos, who are not well-regarded for their defensive prowess. The Cowboys also have only 2 interceptions on the season. Only Seattle and Detroit have fewer.

Wade Phillips and the Cowboys will focus their practices on getting the basics right instead of all the different looks that they probably won't see during the game.
“We need to do one or two, three things very good,” Phillips said. “We have a lot of calls we haven't used in a game. Our players are preparing to do all those calls (in practice). We need to streamline that part.”

“This game is real simple: They run it, we stop it,” [Tank] Johnson said. “Build a wall. Defense is all about building a wall and offense is about scoring points. As a defense, we have to get better at building a wall and stopping them within that three or four plays we are going to concentrate on.”
It's also being reported that Wade Phillips will take over the defensive play calling. Phillips was defensive coordinator of the Chargers in 2006, when the Chargers led the NFL in sacks with 61.
"I'm going to try to do more," Phillips said. "I think I can help more than I have. When I step back and look at it I say, 'I'm losing some of my expertise.' Even though I'm in there on a lot of the meetings, I'm trying to be more proactive."

"I don't want to get into who does what," he said.
With Tony Romo out until after the bye, the Cowboys need the defense to step up against the Bucs and Giants. That will allow Brad Johnson to better manage the game and not require him to do more than what should be necessary.

Phillips has the opportunity to save the Cowboys season and perhaps his job if he can get the Cowboys defense to play more effectively until Romo and Terence Newman come back.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:02 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 21, 2008

Champ Bailey to miss 4-6 weeks

Despite getting blown out against New England last night, the Denver Broncos are still in first place in the AFC West with a 4-3 record. They are one game ahead of the San Diego Chargers.

In last night's game, Champ Bailey, the league's best shutdown corner, tore his groin and will miss 4-6 weeks. The Broncos bye couldn't come at a better time. Their 4 games after the bye are against teams with weak passing offenses: Miami, Cleveland (not as potent as last year's version), Atlanta (but Roddy White is currently 4th in NFL in receiving yards) and Oakland.

The Broncos defense has struggled in 2008. They have allowed 393 yards/game to rank 30th in the NFL. Only the Chiefs and Lions have fared worse.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:41 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Winslow suspended for game without pay

Kellen Winslow spoke out about how the Cleveland Browns treated him when battling a staph infection. He said he felt like a "piece of meat." Several Browns players have had a staph infection and it certainly seems like it's a problem in Cleveland.

However, GM Phil Savage had a different take on the situation and, more specifically, on Winslow's comments. Savage suspended Winslow for one game without pay.
"Kellen has expressed his desire to be a productive member of the Cleveland Browns,'' Savage said in a statement. "His comments and behavior on Sunday evening, however, were unwarranted, inappropriate, and unnecessarily disparaging to our organization. His statements brought unjustified negative attention to our organization, and violated the team-first concept of our football squad. Therefore, disciplinary action will be taken in the form of a one-game suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the club."

"As an organization, we have worked hard to ensure the safety and well-being of our players,'' Savage said. "Consistent with this effort, we have consulted the team's medical experts to ensure that any instances of staph infections are evaluated and treated thoroughly and expeditiously, and in accordance with the recommended standard of care. Further, steps have been and continue to be taken on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis to protect our players and personnel at our training facility and stadium."
In general, I agree with the team-first concept. However, the Browns have made it seem as though they were doing it to protect the player's (Winslow's) privacy. But Winslow has said that it wasn't done to protect his privacy.

If Savage and the Browns are looking to avoid "unwarranted, inappropriate, and unnecessarily disparaging" attention, should they suspend a player for discussing his illness, which has become an issue in Cleveland? I don't think so.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:32 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brett Favre helps Lions vs Packers

Brett Favre was bitter when he left Green Bay. How bitter? Willing to help their division opponents game plan for the Packers? Reports are that Favre contacted the Detroit Lions before their week 2 matchup.
"He contacted them?" cornerback Charles Woodson said with raised eyebrows. "I don't respect that. If they called him and he gives them information, that's one thing. But to seek a team out, because, you know, I guess you're trying to sabotage this team, you know I don't respect that. I know he's been the greatest player around here for a long time but there's no honor in that."

"I would say it's disappointing," coach Mike McCarthy said of the report. "I really have no comment on that stuff."
I agree that there is no "honor" in that if it is true. To help the Jets prepare for a game against the Packers with the game plan is understandable. But Favre should have been focusing his energy and effort solely on preparing for the Patriots in week 2.
"I just think it's kind of messed up how he left here," defensive end Cullen Jenkins said. "Hasn't talked to Aaron, wished Aaron good luck or anything like that but he's called everybody else, called Tony Romo and stuff like that. I don't have nothing against Brett personally. But I think in his position, he could at least show a little more class, a little more respect to Aaron in that regard."
I guess Favre's future in coaching isn't very promising if he couldn't help the Lions. Then again, can anyone really help the Lions?

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 20, 2008

Kellen Winslow speaks out about staph infection

Kellen Winslow has spoken out about his staph infection and how the team wanted to keep his situation private because of the number of staph infections Browns players have had. And not to protect Winslow's privacy like was initially reported.

Browns Coach Romeo Crennel says Winslow should have talked to the team first before speaking out to the media:
"Sometimes the emotions of the game and the emotions of your personal situation kind of overflow," Crennel said. "So I think he probably said some things that he didn't need to talk about to the media."

"We'll investigate it and determine if anything needs to be done," Crennel said. "My policy is to keep family business in the family. So whatever I do, I do and I'm not going to broadcast it."
It is messed up if the Browns were saying that they wanted to protect Winslow when they were instead looking out for their own best interests.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:16 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Laurence "Mr. Doubtful" Maroney out for season

Today, the Patriots placed Laurence Maroney on Injured Reserve ending his season. He has only rushed for 93 yards on 28 carries this season.

Sammy Morris will likely get the bulk of the carries for the remainder of the season. Through the first 3 quarters of tonight's game, Morris has delivered rushing for 138 yards.

The Patriots have been middle of the pack in rushing (17th in league) this year. Their passing attack ranks 24th in the league (186.2 ypg).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Matt Jones suspended 3 games

Matt Jones was suspended by the NFL for 3 games. He will enter a drug treatment program that could eliminate the felony charge against him when he was caught cutting up cocaine in his car back in July.

Matt Jones has been the Jaguars leading receiver on the season. He has caught 30 passes for 338 yards and 1 TD. Maurice Jones-Drew is second on the team in receptions and receiving yards with only 21 receptions and 184 yards.

The good news for the Jags is their opponents are a combined 2-17 (Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mike Nolan 3rd coach fired (so far this year)

The San Francisco 49ers have fired head coach Mike Nolan and replaced him with Mike Singletary despite initial reports that Nolan would be fired after the Seattle Seahawks game this Sunday. The 49ers have a bye after the Seahawks game.

The 49ers are 18-37 under Mike Nolan. Singletary joined the 49ers coaching staff in 2005.

Earlier in the year, Scott Linehan of the Rams and Lane Kiffin of the Raiders were fired. My guess is Nolan won't be the last to go this year.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 19, 2008

Reggie Bush out 2-4 weeks

Today, the Saints got back Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey and lose Reggie Bush. Bush will need surgery on his knee and he will miss 2-4 weeks.

Entering today's game, Bush was only averaging 3.1 yards per carry rushing, but he had 5 touchdowns and 600 yards (100 ypg) combined rushing/receiving in the first 6 games of the season. Even more impressive, he was averaging 26.9 yards per punt return with 3 TDs.

Today, Shockey had 5 catches for 50 yards, but Colston had no catches.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:39 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 18, 2008

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 7

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 7 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Peyton Manning, Colts (at GB) - see top 25 QBs for week 7
RB: Marion Barber, Cowboys (at STL) - see top 40 RBs for week 7
WR: Andre Johnson, Texans (vs DET) - see top 50 WRs for week 7
TE: Jason Witten, Cowboys (at STL) - see top 20 TEs for week 7
K: Nick Folk, Cowboys (at STL) - see top 20 Ks for week 7
DEF: Tennessee Titans (at KC) - see top 20 DEFs for week 7

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 7 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:01 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 16, 2008

The Weekly Blitz - 5th Lock of the Season

The Weekly Blitz picks released for Week 7. On the season, we have not yet had a losing week and we are a combined 58-28-4 (67.4%).

We have what I qualify as a lock this week. There have been 4 times this season where contributors picked one play 3 times without either of the other 2 contributors going against the consensus. We are 4-0 when that happens.

Well, Week 7 has the 5th lock of the year. Who is it? Click here to find out...

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 13, 2008

Carson Palmer to miss Steelers game

Carson Palmer is going to miss (at least another) week vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start in his place.

I'm not sure how serious Palmer's injury is. Last week, Lewis said that Palmer could play if necessary. Then I heard he would go to New York to see the Mets doctors since his injury is similar to baseball pitchers.

On the season, Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick have both been awful. Carson Palmer has thrown 3 TDs to 4 INTs while completing only 58% of his passes. Ryan Fitzpatrick has a QB rating of only 57.7.

But it makes no sense to play risk Palmer when the Bengals are 0-6. No team has ever made the playoffs after such a bad start and the Bengals definitely won't be the first to do so.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:51 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gruden names Garcia starter vs Seattle

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden has named Jeff Garcia starting QB for this week's game.
“He’s going to start this week,” Gruden said. ”If he continues to play like Jeff Garcia, he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber guy. OK? I’ll put it that way. Brian [Griese] has an injury, we need him back. We’re one of the few teams in football who has [won] games with two different quarterbacks at this stage of the game, and we’re proud of those guys. We like all our quarterbacks.”
Since replacing Griese, Garcia has played extremely well completing over 75% of his passes in the past 2 games. On the season, Garcia has an 85.8 QB rating while Griese has a 64.6 QB rating.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:37 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 11, 2008

No Fun League dishes out fine to Jackson, Demps

After DeSean Jackson returned a punt return for a 68-yard TD vs Washington last week, he celebrated with teammate Quintin Demps by "turning toward each other, with arms folded and heads bobbing."

During the game, there was no flag thrown for violating the No Fun League's excessive celebration rule. But the league has fined both men $10,000 and they have indicated they will appeal.

Although I love the NFL, penalizing and/or fining players like this is ridiculous. In high school or college football, I can understand it. But in the NFL, where players are earning multi-million dollar salaries, I have no problem with celebrating, taunting, etc.

If you're an NFL player and you don't like that, then make sure you stick the guy on the next punt return instead of letting him return it to the house.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:13 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 6

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 6 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Tony Romo, Cowboys (at ATL) - see top 25 QBs for week 6
RB: Adrian Peterson, Vikings (vs DET) - see top 40 RBs for week 6
WR: Brandon Marshall, Broncos (vs JAX) - see top 50 WRs for week 6
TE: Jason Witten, Cowboys (at ARI) - see top 20 TEs for week 6
K: Nick Folk, Cowboys (at ARI) - see top 20 Ks for week 6
DEF: Minnesota Vikings (vs DET) - see top 20 DEFs for week 6

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 6 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:19 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 07, 2008

Roy Williams: "Playoffs?"

I just wrote a blog post about Rod Marinelli's reaction to quitting. After all, the Detroit Lions are off to an 0-4 start and rank deadlast in the latest Domination Index update.

But Detroit's WR Roy Williams has an interesting take on the situation in the Motor City:
"How do you keep going? We still have a realistic chance to make the playoffs, believe it or not," receiver Roy Williams said. "We can still be 12-4, 10-6 or 11-5. It happened before. It happened with the '92 Chargers. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen."
Are you serious Roy? Did Webster's dictionary change the definition of a "realistic chance" and forget to notify me? If the definition is now "no shot in hell", then I completely agree with you.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:32 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rod Marinelli - not a "quitter"

The Detroit Lions are arguably the worst team in the NFL. I would argue that the St. Louis Rams are the worst team in the NFL, but the Detroit Lions are ranked 32nd in EDSFootball.com's latest Domination Index.

Rod Marinelli was asked about the possibility of quitting and he took offense.
Marinelli bristled at the thought of possibly quitting when the option was suggested Monday, a day after Detroit fell to 0-4 this season and an NFC-worst 10-26 since he was hired in 2006.

"Just you saying that to me, I would take that as a personal insult," Marinelli said to a reporter.
I don't think the Lions' poor performance is solely due to Marinelli. But I would be surprised if he's back in 2009.
"I respect authority, which a lot of times that doesn't happen in this country," said Marinelli, a Vietnam veteran. "I look at authority and I take my marching orders from there."
In my book, any guy that wrestles a bear gets the benefit of the doubt in my book.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:09 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 06, 2008

Plaxico Burress: No Regrets

In the summer, Plaxico Burress was creating a distraction to the team with his "I will - I won't practice" without a new contract flip-flopping. On opening night, however, the Giants and Burress agreed to a 5-year, $35 million contract extension.

After 3 games into his new contract, he lost one of those game checks by missing a workout and getting himself suspended for week 5 vs Seattle. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that Burress had been fined 40-50 times before being suspended.

Even teammates of Burress like Justin Tuck said he "had it coming."
"I can't speak for Plaxico, but as a team it's indicative of our coaches trying to make a statement as far as every guy on this football team is equal and I think [Tom Coughlin] got his point across," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "I hope he got his point across."

"If anything, we say to Plaxico don't put yourself in that position," Tuck said.
Keep "hoping" Justin...
"I'm really, really not concerned about the way my teammates look at me as far as basing decisions on my family," [Burress] said.
And Plaxico said this about the whole situation:
"It was just a situation I had to deal with that morning, and I made the right decision," Burress said during a conference call that lasted about 20 minutes. "I don't have any regrets about the decision I made at all."

I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I got me some rest and was able to get away for a while and chill out and relax. Things like that happen.
Well, Plax, they only happen because you make them happen. The Giants look better than they did last year when they won the Super Bowl even though Michael Strahan retired and Usi Umenyiora has been lost for the season.

But if Plaxico is not on the same page as management, this just might blow up into something bigger later this year.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:54 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 05, 2008

Tough day for Grandmama

Good news: Larry Johnson has 200 rushing yards in the Chiefs past 2 games.

Bad news: Only 1% of those yards came in today's game at Carolina. LJ had 2 yards on 7 carries. He ummm...broke one for 4 yards (his long of the day). Excluding the 4-yard run, he had 6 carries for -2 yards.

The not-as-bad news: Larry Johnson wasn't injured. When I saw the stat tracker never update LJ's point total for my opponent's team in fantasy football, I assumed he was injured. Nope. Instead, he just really stunk it up. Yippee!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:21 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colassal Collapse in Houston

Hurricane Ike delayed the Houston Texans' home opener by nearly a month. At today's game, I saw a fan with a sign that read "Hurricane Ike can take our roof. But it can't take our Texans soul."

With 5 minutes to go, the Texans had a 27-10 lead. Although Peyton Manning and the Colts then scored a TD to cut the lead to 27-17, the game seemed over when the Colts did not recover an attempt at an onside kick. In fact, no team has ever come from behind in the final 5 minutes while trailing by 17 points.

Then Sage Rosenfels attempted his Superman impersonation and tried to leap a tall building defensive players by a single bound.
“We were just trying to run the ball,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We had a nice boot there. We told him (Rosenfels) if he didn’t have anything, just run it and we’ll punt it. They’ll be out of timeouts, and we’ll make them work. He made a great effort [read: he really screwed it up], but the ball came out.”

“I’m in shock,” middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. “I still can’t believe what happened. It’s unbelievable.”
In the greater scheme of things, the people of Houston had the opportunity to forget about the destruction of a hurricane. And be entertained tortured by a game that people will talk about for years to come.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 04, 2008

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 5

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 5 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Drew Brees, Saints (vs MIN) - see top 25 QBs for week 5
RB: Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at NO) - see top 40 RBs for week 5
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs BUF) - see top 50 WRs for week 5
TE: Jason Witten, Cowboys (vs CIN) - see top 20 TEs for week 5
K: Nick Folk, Cowboys (vs CIN) - see top 20 Ks for week 5
DEF: Dallas Cowboys (vs CIN) - see top 20 DEFs for week 5

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 5 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 02, 2008

Travis Henry Busted

Travis Henry, 9-for-9 in fathering children by different women, was busted for cocaine trafficking in association with a "6-kilogram cocaine sting".
The drug sales involved cocaine worth about $100,000, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit that referred to Henry as the "money guy" in an ongoing multi-state drug conspiracy.

Henry told one Billings, Mont., customer that he and his family were all "dead" if they didn't come up with $40,000 worth of cocaine lost when their home was robbed, according to the affidavit.

To make up for the stolen cocaine, Henry and Mack gave another customer 2 kilograms of fake cocaine, or drywall, along with 1 kilogram of real cocaine, the document says.
Well, at least Michael Vick will have someone to handoff to when Leavenworth takes on Sing Sing.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:10 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

October 01, 2008

Inside the Numbers - Week 4

Brett Favre, Jets: After his record-setting 6-TD peformance last week, Favre now leads the NFL in QB Rating (110.8) as well as TD passes (12) through week 4. While he's unlikely to duplicate last week's performance, the Jets have a favorable schedule after the bye: CIN, OAK, KC, BUF and STL.

Peyton Manning, Colts: Manning is currently 24th in QB rating (73.1) right behind Jon Kitna and Marc Bulger and he has thrown more INTs (4) than TDs (3) on the season.

J.T. O'Sullivan, 49ers: O'Sullivan has been sacked a league-high 19 times in 4 games. He's on pace for 76, which would tie David Carr's record set in 2002.

Julius Jones, Seahawks: Jones has back-to-back 100+ yard games against SF and STL. In those games, Jones has rushed for 267 yards. Averaging 104 rushing ypg, only Michael Turner (105.5) and Adrian Peterson (105.0) are averaging more. The question is will it continue week 5 vs a better defense in the Giants.

Santana Moss, Redskins: S. Moss has 421 yards receiving to rank him second in the NFL behind Greg Jennings. In fact, he has more receiving yards than Braylon Edwards (95), Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson (116), Roy Williams (113) and Javon Walker (52) have combined.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:38 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)