For a Patriots fan, I have an unnatural appreciation for Peyton Manning. All things considered, he's the best quarterback I've ever seen. Throw in my wife's Manning obsession and there is way too much Manning love in the Rosenthal household.

My belief in Manning's ability to play the hand that is dealt is why I'm relatively unconcerned with his recent surgery. It would be a shock if he's not ready for Week 1. And while he could be rusty, it would be an equal shock if he doesn't play well against the Bears, Vikings, and Jaguars in his opening three games before Indy's bye.

Continue reading "Manning isn't moving" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

While it's quiet on the blog, there are a few thousand words on my top-45 projected quarterbacks in pass attempts over on the main site. I'll also have some blog posts on Peyton Manning and Kevin Jones up later this afternoon.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The latest chapter in Brett Favre's ambling Faulknerian drama will unfold tonight on Greta Van Susteren's show, of all places. I grew to hate all the "Will he or won't he retire?" stories of the last few years. But I have to admit, I've fallen in love with the endless intrigue Favre is providing during these lazy summer days. There are a lot more angles to consider this time around.

Our Favre could once do no wrong. I love that Favre's struggle with the Green Bay front office has blurred the line between who's right and wrong. I read an article saying Favre was the "bad guy" in the situation, but why does everything have to be so black and white? The issues at play are anything but simple: Aaron Rogers' future; Favre's internal battle with irrelevance; Whether the Packers are even better off with Favre; Whether Favre will still have that 'itch' by Week 5.

Continue reading "Chapter Eight: Favre tries to win P.R. battle" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

This is the last week the NFL stays on vacation, so non-Favre news around the league will barely trickle in besides rookie signings. Then bedlam will erupt with the start of camp next week. I have already begun to feel my football excitement rising, but I'm going to take some time off this week to make plans for the season and get a breather. Before that happens, let's look at some of the scraps fantasy leaguers have been given the last few days.

The more snaps on third down, the better for Adrian Peterson. I have him ranked second in standard leagues, but he falls into a tie for fourth in our PPR projections. He's a fine receiver, so his blocking (and health) is the only thing holding him back.

Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Non Favre notes" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So it looks like Mike Shanahan didn't totally decide to enter the Selvin Young era on his own. Travis Henry tested positive for marijuana yet again this summer, and the Broncos reportedly knew about it before releasing him. Since the drug program is confidential, we can't fault the Broncos for not divulging why Henry was booted at the time.

This doesn't change my feelings on Young. Henry was no lock to make the team even before failing this test. But the news reminds us of something all us fantasy leaguers know: Shanahan is tied to no runner. He didn't cut Henry because he was convinced Young was the man. He cut Henry because he had no choice. I'm sure Shanny likes his young stable of runners, but I'm also sure he won't be shy about shaking things up if the backfield struggles.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

In the least surprising drug arrest since Nate Newton was pulled over crossing state lines, Matt Jones was reportedly caught with cocaine and marijuana early Thursday. (Bad combination. Jones' play on and off the field lacks some intelligence).

After I saw the news, I frantically went to our magazine outlooks to change Jones' blurb before we went to print. Then I realized Jones wasn't even in my top-100 receivers, so his profile already wasn't making the cut.

Continue reading "Matt Jones blows last chance with Jaguars" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

While I'm pimping videos instead of writing new content here, take a peak at my Bills preview. One of the biggest things I wrestled with this offseason was how high to put Marshawn Lynch. With his legal problem behind him, he's clearly my seventh running back. But it was difficult to decide whether to put him ahead of Tom Brady and Randy Moss, or leave him at ninth overall.

I split the difference. He's ahead of Brady, behind Moss. I suspect this decision won't be a popular one. But I believe strongly in Mr. Lynch.

Elsewhere on the Bills, I suspect some owner in every league is going to get cute with James Hardy as a sleeper pick, but I don't see it. I wouldn't draft any rookie wideout in a 12-by-15 format. Lee Evans, on the other hand, is a nice post-hype candidate.

Finally, I do think there is a sleeper on this team: The Bills defense. I probably wouldn't draft them in most formats, but there are a lot of playmakers to go with a good-looking schedule. The cagey Dick Jauron will have them playing hard.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Still down in Dallas, one day to go and our second magazine will be all done. In the meantime, check out Tiffany and I talking Cardinals.

To me, the big questions here are whether Matt Leinart is a legitimate quarterback option with Warner in the background. And whether Leinart's re-emergence will hurt the value of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another day, another plane delay. Well, actually this one was just canceled, postponing my trip to Dallas for a few hours. It's not such a bad thing; I got to sleep off the memories of meeting Evan Silva and Patrick Dahl last night. (If I can figure out how to post a pic here, I will, much to Silva's disappointment).

All right, let's get to the projection changes from the latest magazine. Here are some running back adjustments:

Brandon Jacobs over Ronnie Brown: I did a lot of thinking on this one. So did you guys. I still like Brown as a value pick, but Jacobs is the pick for this year - barely.

Continue reading "Even more Projection Changes" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Apologies for the lack of posts today. Although if I wasn't currently waiting for a delayed flight to Chicago, there would be no posts. So we all have that to be thankful for.

I'm stopping over for the night to go out to dinner with Rotoworld regulars Evan Silva and Patrick Dahl, appropriately at Ditka's. It's a weird sensation to work with people for years (Silva two, Dahl one) and never actually have met them. My wife is very jealous that I get to meet these near-mythic figures in our lives and has requested pictures. Steve, our basketball writer, has worked for Rotoworld for five years and never once met the people paying his bills. I'm pretty sure Silva will stop listening to me once he realizes he's twice the size of me.

Continue reading "Projection Changes: Wideouts" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)