Ronald Curry, once a Rotoworld favorite, has received no free agent interest that we know of. He will probably catch on somewhere this summer (Baltimore?), but it's a pretty bad sign that he's not making any pre-draft visits. The "Oakland doesn't want him, so why would we" label might have something to do with it. Here are some other unsigned wide receivers:
The best:
Torry Holt, Matt Jones
The rest:
Curry
Marvin Harrison
Reggie Williams
Shaun McDonald
Roydell Williams
Jerry Porter
Amani Toomer
Drew Bennett
Ashley Lelie
Brandon Lloyd
Continue reading "Best Remaining Free Agent WRs" »
Last week, I applauded the Chiefs for their sensible signing of Bobby Engram. What I didn't consider is how well Engram's signing bodes for incumbent starter Mark Bradley.
Bradley emerged last season as one of the best waiver pickups in the NFL, by none other than deposed King Carl Peterson. There was a risk that the talented former Bear would get lost in the shuffle as the Chiefs changed coaches, but now that doesn't appear to be the case. The Chiefs like Bradley, and appear to have faith in him as a starter.
If they felt like they needed an outside receiver to replace Bradley, they would have looked at Torry Holt or another veteran available. Instead, Bradley will get the chance to keep improving in a pass-first offense under a receiver-friendly coach. Bradley will always be a huge injury risk, but he's shaping up to be a nice late-round flier in fantasy leagues.
March 25, 2009
Coach Sean Payton strongly suggested Wednesday that Chris Wells is a target for New Orleans at the No. 14 overall pick, even calling Beanie a "prototype" fit for his offense and more desirable than consensus No. 1 draft-eligible back Knowshon Moreno.
Should we believe him? I don't think so.
First of all, coaches don't speak so pointedly about players they really plan to draft. Secondly, the Saints' offense is extremely pass oriented (they've ranked fifth, third, and first in the NFL in pass attempts since Payton took over), and Wells had 15 career college catches. He'd be a situational player under Payton.
Continue reading "Beanie at fourteen seems far-fetched" »
My favorite player comparison from the 2007 season was Derek Anderson and a young Jake Delhomme: a quarterback who locked on to his playmaking receiver, took chances down the field, and was terribly streaky due to some accuracy issues.
That final point, however, was a harbinger of things to come in 2008 as Anderson’s 56.5 completion rate dropped to a woeful 50.2 and the offense stagnated behind a cratering offensive line, poor receiver play, and an assortment of injuries to Kellen Winslow.
By the time Brady Quinn took over in the nationally televised Thursday night game in Denver, Anderson was left for the vultures to pick over. An outbound Romeo Crennel threw his support behind Quinn, and Anderson looked likely to be traded or even released.
Continue reading "Derek Anderson pulls a Rasputin" »
Editor's Note: Rotoworld news is written anonymously with one voice, but we have our share of disagreements. We just "settle" them offline. Until now. In a feature we're calling Face Off Oklahoma Drill, we'll feature two Pancake Blocks writers entering the ring.
Gregg: I'm starting to set up a preliminary rankings board this week. One player I know you'll think I have too high is Trent Edwards.
T.O. could cause headaches long-term but I say they get the honeymoon period for most of the season, the Bills start throwing a lot more, and Edwards tops 20 TDs. I don't think that makes him a QB1, but he'll be a good value.
Continue reading "Oklahoma Drill: Will Edwards top 20 TDs?" »
March 24, 2009
Coach Tony Sparano confirmed Tuesday at the Owners' Meetings that the Dolphins consider Chad Henne their quarterback of the future and plan to play him extensively this preseason. Chad Pennington will start Week 1, barring injury, but Henne seems all but sure to see the field as a sophomore.
The No. 57 overall pick in 2008, Henne played in Lloyd Carr's pro-style offense at Michigan and was expected to adjust to the NFL game quickly. He beat out John Beck for primary backup duty, although Pennington was too steady for an in-season switch.
Miami has made no attempt to extend Pennington's contract, which runs only through 2009, and is not expected to do so this offseason. Pennington, 33 in June, posted a solid 19:7 TD to INT ratio last year. He was the runner-up for MVP voting in a decidedly poor year for MVP candidates. (FWIW, my pick would've been Adrian Peterson over Peyton Manning.)
Continue reading "Dolphins could change Chads soon" »
Gregg Rosenthal and I have come to appreciate Mike Tomlin as an elite motivator as well as one of the best quotes in the NFL. The National Football Post’s Michael Lombardi sheds some light on the ingredients that go into Tomlin’s outstanding leadership style.
Ron Jaworski’s take on the Jay Cutler saga is similar to mine, only with less vitriol. Jaws believes Cutler looks “foolish” right now, but it would be a “no-brainer” for a team like the Bucs to acquire the young franchise quarterback.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Tomlin's leadership" »
A coaching change usually means major personnel upheaval. Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has trimmed some fat off the Kansas City roster, but there are still big names in town with big questions about their future.
Chiefs chairmen Clark Hunt answered one of those questions Tuesday, saying Tony Gonzalez is not going anywhere. The future for Larry Johnson and guard Brian Waters is not so certain.
For Gonzo, the change to an offensive-minded coach with Matt Cassel at quarterback should extend his insanely productive late-career peak. I have expected Gonzalez's fantasy numbers to decline for years, but he's only got better in his 30's. He should continue to be an upper tier fantasy starter. A safe mid-round pick.
Continue reading "Gonzalez isn't going anywhere" »
March 23, 2009
Receiver magician Sean Payton turned David Patten's career around in New Orleans. Patten averaged 14.7 yards a catch on 65 grabs in 21 games as a Saint after busting as a $13 million Redskins signing in the 2005 offseason.
Now going to the Browns, Patten gets a leg up because he's returning to a Patriots-style offense and knows the terminology from his New England days. The Browns are extremely thin at receiver, especially with Donte' Stallworth's playing status in serious doubt. Opportunity is on Patten's side.
Continue reading "Patten unlikely to help Browns much" »
After doing last week's Collateral Damage article, I wrote that I was taking a wait-and-see approach on how the loss of Terrell Owens would affect Tony Romo. The same is true for Owens' impact on new teammate Lee Evans.
In theory, Evans will see less double coverage. This was a huge problem, especially in division games. New England always doubles Evans and the Jets and Dolphins have followed suit. Evans averaged only 48 yards-per-game and 11.5 yards-per-catch in the AFC East.
Continue reading "Will Terrell Owens hurt Lee Evans?" »
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