Bill Parcells just doesn't know how to quit. After another brief run at ESPN, Parcells is on the verge of taking a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Some may wonder why Parcells would join a mess like the Falcons, but the better question is why not? They have an owner with deep pockets and the franchise can only go up. Parcells loves a fixer-upper.

The Patriots were 2-11 in the year before Parcells turned the franchise around. The Jets were 1-15 in 1996 when he started shopping for groceries again in New York. The Cowboys were stuck in a perpetual 5-11 Quincy Carter rut before Parcells joined forces with Jerry Jones.

Continue reading "Big Tuna = Big Drama" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We did the AFC offense earlier in the day. Here come your NFC Pro Bowl picks.

QB: Tony Romo, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck.
Honorable Mention: Drew Brees (first four games were too ugly)

RB: Brian Westbrook, Adrian Peterson, Earnest Graham
Honorable Mention: Marion Barber, Clinton Portis, Ryan Grant, Frank Gore

Continue reading "NFC Offensive Pro Bowlers" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Pro Bowls bids are announced today. Let's quickly go through my picks, starting with the AFC offense. I'll throw out the rest during the day, let me know where you disagree.

Quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, David Garrard.
Honorable Mention: Ben Roethlisberger, Derek Anderson

Running Backs: LaDainian Tomlinson, Jamal Lewis, Joseph Addai.
Honorable Mention: Fred Taylor

Wide Receivers: Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Reggie Wayne, T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Honorable Mention: Wes Welker, Brandon Marshall

Tight Ends: Kellen Winslow, Antonio Gates.
Honorable Mention: Tony Gonzalez

Tackles: Joe Thomas, Matt Light, Jason Peter.
Honorable Mention: Michael Roos, Khalif Barnes

Guards: Vince Manuwai, Logan Mankins, Alan Faneca.
Honorable Mention: Chris Neole, Benji Olsen, Eric Steinbach

Centers: Jeff Saturday, Dan Koppen

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)

Vernon Davis hasn't been a bust this season (47 catches, 459 yards, three touchdowns, TE14), but I expected more. WIth his skills, one would think he'd make enough plays in the open field to average ten yards-per-catch, no matter who was throwing the ball.

As a pro, there have been whispers that Davis lacked some of the hard work and studying that is usually required for success. And now comes this priceless nugget from Michael Silver:

Continue reading "Vernon loves himself some Vernon" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

After a season filled with aerial fireworks, fantasy football's penultimate weekend was decided by the traditional breadwinners: The running backs.

With nasty conditions all over the map messing with the passing game, teams focused on the run. Eleven running backs topped 15 fantasy points in standard leagues, led by Aaron Stecker. Meanwhile, only three wideouts topped the mark, and two of those were in no one's lineup - Roydell Williams and Greg Camarillo.

It has undeniably been a season powered by quarterbacks and wideouts, but the running backs got everyone home in the end. Just ask LaDainian Tomlinson and Steven Jackson owners if they regret their picks now.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

The injuries to quarterbacks this season has been unprecedented. Here were some of the winning quarterbacks in the NFL this week: Matt Moore, Sage Rosenfels, Shaun Hill, Todd Collins, and Cleo Lemon. Kudos to my genius wife for the foresight to pick Lemon in the 100K challenge. Lemon threw the first touchdown for a Dolphins QB since October.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Long-time readers know that I try not to take weather reports too seriously. It's one of 100 variables that go into a game, and it's just as unpredictable as the rest. So are it's consequences.

With that out of the way, I have to admit that this weather outlook for the Patriots-Jets game scares the crap out of me as a Tom Brady owner. Far more than precipitation, wind hurts the passing game. And there are supposed to be gusts up to 40-50 MPH.

Rotoworld Grand Poobah Rick Cordella, who wrote Brady's blurb this morning, is something of a amateur meteorologist. He likes weather. When I let him know my skepticism, he explained to be that there are four models which predict weather. The models often don't agree, and then weathermen pick the one they currently trust the most. But when all four agree, it's usually predictable. And all four models agree on Foxborough's weather Sunday. It sounds like they may have snow turning to rain, with very windy conditions.

Continue reading "Could storm derail Brady owners?" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Strange to watch this Broncos team. Running hasn't been a problem this season (2nd in the league in YPC), but they can't get anything going against the Texans. Travis Henry is in slow motion, and Selvin Young is trying to make a big play on every snap.

More surprising are the lack of options Jay Cutler has in the passing game. The Texans are playing eight in the box all game and making the Broncos win one-on-one matchups. Brandon Marshall is a robo monster, but he's all Cutler has at wideout. Glenn Martinez is a zero, and this post knee injury incarnation of Javon Walker is a negative. And as I write this, Tony Scheffler makes a few plays and a ridiculous jump for a touchdown. He's Cutler's second receiver.

In the end, it's the defense that has let this Broncos team down. 29th in rushing YPC allowed is surprising. 25th in YPA allowed on pass defense is a total system failure. The Broncos will spend another offseason making a ton of personnel changes. Just like they always do.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Brady's powers only go so far

I left the office early today, barely surviving the wintry mix going on in New York area. With most of my duties done for the day, I decided to open up the mailbox and was amazed at one topic that came up again and again. Everyone wants to play Jabar Gaffney. Here's my case against him.

Continue reading "The Case against Gaffney" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mitchell Report fever is blinding everyone from the huge sports story of the day: Texans-Broncos on Thursday Night Football!

I'm oddly excited about this game, and not just because of the NFL Network spots. Let's go through the reasons ...

Continue reading "Thursday Night Preview" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)