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Everybody Panic!
2007-09-18 20:02:00
2 weeks into the season, and we should have at least some semblance of a clue as to who may be looking at a bust season.This post will cover some of the top offenders, and some guys who are still standing out on the fringe.Full-Blown Panic :Larry Johnson - The concern about his contract proved to be unnecessary. The concern about a bad team with a terrible offensive line, well, that's certainly legit. It's not like they can flip a switch and make things better. Through no fault of his own, LJ is looking at a very mediocre season.Maurice Jones-Drew - 2 weeks, 18 carries, 63 yards, plus another 38 receiving and 0 TDs.Look, nobody should have expected him to match last season's TD output, and he is still the #2 RB option on his own team...but this is terrible production, and The Jags are looking like a far cry from an offensive juggernaut. Obviously don't drop him, but if you have a LaMont Jordan, DeShawn Wynn or Derrick Ward on your bench, maybe you should give them a look in f...
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An Apology
2007-09-18 19:56:00
I apologize for the lack of recent posts.I am now getting back into the swing of things and there will be new reading shortly.
More About: Apology , Ology , Polo

The End Around
2007-08-28 18:10:00
I've decided to abandon the player rankings, due to the fact that they're likely unnecessary at this point, being so close to the season.Instead, I will share view and opinions.Today's topic is value picks and sleepers at WR.Many players mis-classify value picks as "sleepers", but to me sleepers need to come very close to the end of a 12-team draft. These guys in this article are known players and are expected to perform well.Please keep in mind that, at best, these guys should be considered for a WR3 roster spot on draft day. Some will break out, some won't.I have included each player's ESPN Average Draft PositionBernard Berrian - WR - Chicago BearsESPN ADP is 102.2, the 34th WR taken.Berrian is far and away Chicago's best option. An excellent value for an 8th round choice.Yes, there are very serious questions revolving around Sexy Rexy's abilities. But Berrian is in the final year of his contract, playing for the big bucks is an excellent motivator. His speed makes hi...

Top 10 WRs
2007-08-24 22:28:00
10. Javon Walker - Denver BroncosExperience: 6th SeasonBye Week: 62 Year Averages (2004, 2006):Yards Receiving: 1233 (77 YPG)Touchdowns: 11(2005 not included due to injury)Upside: Despite a very shaky QB situation last season, Walker thrived in his return from a torn ACL. He should only improve this season as the post-surgery jitters should be behind him. Jay Cutler should also be much-improved. Doesn't have anyone to steal looks.Concern: Walker had an MRI, due to an "uncomfortable sensation" on August 16, you never want to hear a WR with a knee surgery complaining about it.9. T.J. Houshmadzadeh - Cincinnati BengalsExperience: 7th SeasonBye Week: 53 Year Averages (2004-06):Yards Receiving: 1005 (63 YPG)Touchdowns: 7Who's your mama?Upside: Put up more consistent numbers than Chad Johnson in 2006, and is possibly a better red zone target. Ocho Quattro may even get more touches with Chris Henry out for the first half of the season.Concern: He's never started all 16 games in any s...

Rest Of The RB Pack
2007-08-20 22:58:00
In the interest of moving along and covering other positions, here are the rest of my RB Rankings:16. Edgerrin James - Arizona Cardinals (Bye Week: 8)Edge had nearly 1400 yards last season and was still considered a huge disappointment.No, he won't be returning to his Indy stats this season, but look for an improvement on the 6 TDs in '06 with Leinart being more comfortable and the O-Line slightly improved.17. Thomas Jones - New York Jets (10)Perception of his versatility is really greater than the actuality. He doesn't put up stellar receiving numbers. Likely to lose goal line carries to Leon Washington. That said, the Jets love to pound the ball (or at least not put too much burden on Pennington), so Jones should be toting the rock plenty in The Meadowlands.18. Brandon Jacobs - New York Giants (9)Tiki's former TD vulture is a super trendy pick to break out this season. Jacobs is the definition of a power RB, and his 4.4 YPC in '06 also leads me to be excited about his pot...
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Top 11-15 RBs
2007-08-17 18:15:00
15. Cedric Benson - Chicago Bears Experience: 3rd SeasonBye Week: 91 Year Totals (2006):Yards Rushing: 647 (4.1 YPC)Yards Receiving: 54 (3 YPG)Touchdowns: 6No longer in a time-share, will Benson be as good as he says he is?Concern: Benson is a risk, there are red flags everywhere. He's disliked by teammates, he plays with an awful QB, hasn't proven himself yet, all-around distraction. Contributes nothing in the passing game. Will lose time on obvious passing downs.Upside: Chemistry conflicts don't necessarily result in poor performance. Will be the top goal line option. Should be motivated to finally back up all of his talking.14. Ronnie Brown - Miami DolphinsExperience: 3rd SeasonBye Week: 92 Year Averages (2005-06):Yards Rushing: 958 (4.3 YPC)Yards Receiving: 254 (16 YPG)Touchdowns: 5Will a new Coach in town help Brown finally break out?Concern: Hasn't shown that he can handle a 300 carry season, Brown has been a disappointment thus far in his career. Miami's offensive l...

Top 6-10 RBs
2007-08-16 18:44:00
10. Brian Westbrook - Philadelphia EaglesExperience: 6th SeasonBye Week: 53 Year Averages (2004-06):Yards Rushing: 882 (4.6 YPC)Yards Receiving: 672 (42 YPG)Touchdowns: 9The Eagles are a pass first offense, Westbrook has averaged only 191 carries per year over the past 3 seasons. He makes up for it as the best receiving RB in the league.Concern: Not as much of a concern as a given, Westbrook WILL miss time. 2006 was his career high with 14 games started, in '05 and '04 he only started 12 games. He'd be higher on this list if he wasn't injury prone.Upside: He proved last season that he can thrive given 20 carries per game, posting an impressive 5.1 YPC. Will Coach Reid give him that, or will it once again be the McNabb show? Reid has claimed that they will run more.9. Rudi Johnson - Cincinnati BengalsExperience: 7th SeasonBye Week: 53 Year Averages (2004-06):Yards Rushing: 1407 (4.1 YPC)Yards Receiving: 99 (6.2 YPG)Touchdowns: 12Another true workhorse. Will provide you with cons...

Top 5 RBs
2007-08-15 17:04:00
These rankings are based on a standard redraft league.YPC = Yards Per CarryYPG = Yards Per Game (Always based on 16 games)5. Frank Gore - San Francisco 49ersExperience: 3rd SeasonBye Week: 61 Year Total (2006):Yards Rushing: 1695 (5.4 YPC)Yards Receiving: 485 (30.3 YPG)Touchdowns: 9Last season's breakout sensation.He has very limited wear & tear, but is recovering from a broken hand. Gore has arguably the biggest bandwagon beyond the Top 2 RBs.Will he launch himself up amongst LT and S-Jax this season?Concern: Gore has only 1 season as a feature back. His comfort level using his broken hand is a major key...will it cause him to fumble? Will he be as effective in the passing game?He tends to struggle at the goal line, therefore, I can't rank him up there with the touchdown machines above.Upside: I don't think last season was a fluke at all. Gore plays in a rapidly emerging offense, for a rapidly improving team. The 49ers went out and brought in all sorts of help via free agency. H...

Coach Janky Spanky
2007-08-13 20:30:00
Ahh...Coach Janky Span ky, Southeast Jerome, Dolla Bill, Dr. I Don't Know. All fond memories of the many faces of Clinton Portis.Portis is currently going as the 27th overall player selected in ESPN Live Drafts. Not a bad 3rd round choice if he can revert back to his 2005 form (1516 rushing yards, 216 receiving yards, 11 TDs)...but alas, there lies the problem.In 2006 Portis was injured after only 8 games, in his downtime Ladell Betts (66th overall average) absolutely shined to the tune of 1154 rushing yards. Add in the fact that he contributed more receiving yards (445) than Portis has ever had, and you're looking at a full-blown time-share.Combine that with the fact that Portis has seen his rushing average fall to 3.8, 4.1 and 4.3 over his three seasons with the Redskins, and you're looking at a rapidly declining player.A far cry from the consecutive 5.5 yards/per that he posted in Denver.Now, I'm not saying that you should rush out and select Betts (4.7 yards/per in 2006) o...