June 25, 2009
Donald Brown, Jerome Harrison, Ahmad Bradshaw, Fred Jackson, Bernard Scott, and Shonn Greene have all been discussed here and are among the most popular sleeper "backups" in fantasy football. Jerious Norwood has curiously gotten little airtime, but there's a whole lot to like about his situation:
1. Michael Turner is facing the 370 Curse. As Bill Barnwell explains in the 2009 Rotoworld Draft Guide (available today), backs crossing the 370-carry threshold (or 390 carries including the playoffs) tend to get injured or experience a massive production drop the following season. Turner led the NFL with 377 regular season carries last year and had 18 more in Atlanta's first-round playoff loss. Larry Johnson (2007) and Shaun Alexander (2006) were the latest victims of the Curse of 370. If Turner gets hurt, Norwood will be the Falcons' starter.
2. Norwood is a proven producer. Norwood averages a scintillating 6.6 yards per touch for his career. His career per-carry average is 5.8, and he led the NFL in 2007 with a 6.0 YPC. Despite being a clear-cut backup and averaging only 125 annual touches, Norwood has been a top-43 fantasy back in each of his three seasons. He scored six all-purpose touchdowns and was the non-PPR RB37 overall (a borderline RB3) in 2008 despite getting the rock just 131 times. Norwood can be more than a third-down specialist.
3. Atlanta is all but certain to throw more in Matt Ryan's sophomore season, and Tony Gonzalez's acquisition supports this. Norwood is the club's go-to back on passing downs. He had 36 receptions to Turner's 6 last year. The Falcons throw more = Norwood plays more.
Continue reading "Could this finally be Jerious' Year?" »
April 23, 2009
Mr. Silva is on the news, and here is his blurb on the move:
KC got its asking price, just not this year. Gonzo is 33, but coming off a 96-catch, 1,058-yard, 10-touchdown season. He obviously has a lot left, and going to a dome can't hurt. Atlanta relies on the run more than the '08 Chiefs did, though, and while Matt Ryan can only get better, Gonzo's numbers will likely dip some. He'll steer attention away from Roddy White, but could also cut into possession receiver Michael Jenkins' targets.
I'm in agreement here. I think you could expect some decline from Gonzalez, regardless of what team he was on. He was coming off the first back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons of his career.
Continue reading "Gonzo dealt to the Falcons" »
April 21, 2009
Andrew chimes in with the Falcons' pick at 24th overall.
The Atlanta Falcons concentrated on offense in the early rounds of last year's draft. The results were outstanding. This year they will turn their focus to the defensive side of the ball. They have a number of
needs to fill highlighted by cornerback, outside linebacker and defensive tackle. With no defensive tackles remaining worthy of this pick, their attention turns to cornerback.
Trading DeAngelo Hall to the Raiders left the secondary devoid of talent (albeit one of lesser value than his ego would have us believe) and now that Lawyer Milloy has left town they are lacking a leader. They thought
they had an answer when they traded for Dominique Foxworth but he evidently did not live up to expectations as they let him walk in free agency during the off season.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock: Pick No. 24" »
April 07, 2009
A year ago at this time, Rotoworld was giving Laurent Robinson's ascension to a starting role in April top story status. Now he's getting given away for a couple second day moves in the NFL draft.
So what happened?
1. First of all, it's a good reminder that OTA and minicamp depth charts don't mean much. Robinson quickly lost ground to Michael Jenkins and Harry Douglas, who have cemented long-term roles with Matt Ryan.
Continue reading "Laurent Robinson gets a second chance" »
February 23, 2009
My attention the last few days has been on the NFL Scouting Combine, but I’m not a college football guy. I need a few more days of studying to pretend I know what I’m talking about with these kids, and Mr. Silva has the event covered well in the news. Let’s see what’s gone on this weekend with the guys who are already pro.
The more we hear, the more it sounds like Torry Holt will just get out-right released by the Rams. They could delay the decision until mid-March, but it could be tough for the Rams to get any trade compensation for him. Teams may as well wait for the Rams to kill his contract first.
Jim Mora has had enough of the Michael Vick Experience, thank you very much.
Why is releasing Edgerrin James such a hard decision for the Cardinals? They can replace him in the draft at a fraction of the price, and then some.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Free Agency pruning" »
February 13, 2009
The Falcons officially put Michael Vick on the block Friday. Expect him to stay there for a long time. GM Thomas Dimitroff is performing his due diligence, trying to create a market for an asset he no longer has any use for. Unfortunately, Vick isn't much use to the rest of the NFL either.
Vick is due $15.43 million in 2009 in base salary and a bonus. If he was on the open market, he'd be very lucky to get one-third of that money. A team has to take a major P.R. hit just to acquire Vick, not to mention fit him into their offense after he's been away from football for two years. They aren't going to give up any extra trade compensation on top of that, just for the right to re-negotiate Vick's contract before anyone else.
Pacman Jones was dealt while suspended, but he also came with a bargain basement price tag. If Vick's reputation, playing status, and questionable NFL skill set don't scare all trade suitors away, his contract surely will. Look for Dimitroff to eventually dump Vick, but don't expect him to get anything in return except peace of mind.
February 12, 2009
The next Jets quarterback probably isn’t on the roster yet. But all the attention on Kellen Clemens (An NFL Network interview, newspaper articles) seems misplaced. If I was betting on a quarterback on the roster to play a big role in the Jets’ future, it has to be Brett Ratliff.
Redskins Head Vinny Cerrato in Charge, acting in something called Kindergarten Ninja back in 1994. We all owe Dan Steinberg a big debt of gratitude for finding this.
(Incidentally, there was far-from-confirmed scuttlebutt in Tampa that the Redskins still may have some changes coming, including in the front offices.)
Mel Kiper has lost his mind, saying he’d rather have Matt Cassel than Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, I respect that Kiper does his homework when you watch the draft. You can learn something when he gets into the details of a player, but I can’t take his evaluations that seriously.
The Seahawks are going zone-blocking and run-happy. That’s good news for whomever they draft at running back, and bad news for Matt Hasselbeck. A rebound back to QB1 status for Hasselbeck seems unlikely.
The Patriots haven’t talked to Vince Wilfork about an extension yet, but they will eventually. There is no chance they will let him get away; no player on the roster other than Tom Brady is more integral to their future success.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Vinny, the Kindergarten cop" »
January 04, 2009
My vote would have been for Jeff Fisher, with Tony Sparano second, Smith third, Bill Belichick fourth, and Mike Tomlin fifth. Fisher always gets the most out of his talent; The Titans are a number one seed when few people expected them to make the playoffs. Are the Titans really that much more talented than the Falcons and Dolphins?
I don't think it's so bad to reward consistent great coaching. Picking the one-year turnaround coach is how we got Ray Rhodes, Dick Jauron, and Jim Haslett as Coaches of the Year. Two other recent COY winners (Sean Payton, Lovie Smith) haven't been back to the playoffs since. It's like voting for MLB All Stars based on half a season, while leaving out great players who produce annually. Tie goes to coach who has proven he isn't just having a lucky year.
January 03, 2009
I'll be checking in here to add any thoughts while I watch the game today. Not a live blog exactly, but a way to stop myself from over-texting and IMing everyone I know. I'll just add new bullets in this post going from top to bottom.
First Quarter
The Cardinals have let Atlanta off the hook early in the game. Arizona has accomplished everything they'd want to, but they only lead 7-0. Anquan Boldin's drop took points off the board.
Atlanta is a dominant team when they lead the game. They are average when they trail. This is a great test of Matt Ryan's poise and Michael Turner's true value.
This looks like the team Ken Whisenhunt envisioned when he arrived from Pittsburgh. The offensive line is pushing people around. The defense is multiple and unpredictable. If they can protect Kurt Warner better, they are going to be tough to beat.
It looks like all the Cardinals had to do to get their running game going was give Edgerrin James half a season off.
Continue reading "Cardinals/Falcons sorta liveblog " »
December 15, 2008
In a season where many backs can't finish, Michael Turner's 33 carries against Tampa are comforting for his redraft owners. Turner has picked it up down the stretch when so many have faltered. As I mention in the Morning After, Turner is past the stage where tough matchups render him shaky.
His 332 carries are a concern, though. The Curse of 370 is staring him in the face, and a potential playoff run could be added to that. Dynasty owners should root for the Falcons to start losing. Some players, like Clinton Portis, got hurt before arriving at 370. But the other running back at risk of overuse this season is Adrian Peterson, with 320. This is something to keep an eye on during these final weeks and into the offseason.
December 02, 2008
That large man above is Kevin Williams, one half of the famed Minnesota Williams wall. The shoe finally dropped on him Tuesday, when the NFL announced four game suspensions for him, teammate Pat Williams, along with Saints Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, Will Smith, and a very remorseful long snapper in Houston.
Pat Williams' agent said he would file a motion in federal court Wednesday . If successful, that could delay a suspension. We should know the result of that Wednesday, but it seems like a long shot. We expected Deuce's absence and his role was waning anyhow. The big impact will be the gaping void in the middle of the Minnesota defense. The Vikings schedule the next three weeks:
Week 14: Detroit (Kevin Smith)
Week 15: Atlanta (Michael Turner)
Week 16: Arizona (Tim Hightower)
Smith and Hightower become more palatable flex options in those weeks. Turner owners fretting the matchup can breathe a sigh of relief, assuming the case doesn't get stopped in court.
November 12, 2008
Each week, I write up some borderline plays for a NBC press release. When I remember, I post them here.
Tyler Thigpen vs. Saints: Kansas City’s new spread attack has turned around a dead offense in a hurry. Thigpen is a factor in November! (And the Saints best cornerback Mike McKenzie is now out for the season). Mark Bradley, also a sneaky play last week, still qualifies.
Matt Ryan vs. Broncos: The best rookie quarterback since Dan Marino is ahead in his development compared to Brady Quinn. And the Broncos made Quinn look like a Pro Bowler.
Jerious Norwood, Falcons: Quietly leading the NFL in yards-per-carry again and has topped 50 total yards in three straight
Marvin Harrison vs. Texans: Everyone else has given up on Harrison except Peyton Manning. He’s still getting targets and favorable matchups, especially in the red zone. The matchup is right for a rebound.
Bobby Engram vs. Cardinals: Matt Hasselbeck wakes up the human third down conversion.
October 27, 2008
I left a few storylines out of the Morning After in an effort to get it posted by 2AM. (No Sunday Night Football has its perks.) One was the outrageous development of Roddy White, top-five receiver. Sunday against the Eagles marked another big step in the fantasy growth of the Matt Ryan-to-White combination.
They were on the road, against a tough defense, Ryan didn't play particularly well. But he played well enough to post excellent fantasy stats and get the ball to White for his fourth 100-yard game in five. (The other was 90 yards.) That's amazing for a rookie quarterback.
White is the NFC's Lee Evans, developing an all-field game when he was once just a deep threat. White may be even better than Evans because he's more physical. White is the number one fantasy wideout thus far in standard leagues; he's third in PPR leagues. We can stop waiting for him to slow down.
September 15, 2008
Week One Heroes who sunk
1. Maybe they were fluky: Anthony Fasano didn’t have a catch Sunday. Dante Rosario only had a six-yard catch. Randy McMichael had two catches for 24 yards.
2. Marvin Harrison owners should be concerned that he’s pouting like the playoffs and that Anthony Gonzalez looks like the better player.
3. Reggie, Reggie, Reggie is averaging 3.3 yards-per-carry on the season. The receiving numbers and punt return touchdown absolutely save him, especially in PPR leagues, but let’s not get carried away talking about his maturation just yet.
4. Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood learned what life can be like with a rookie quarterback facing a real NFL defense. They went from 313 yards and three scores to 60 yards. Thud.
August 07, 2008
Check around your favorite team's official website this week and you'll see a new page up: Depth Charts! Teams are required to give their first depth charts of the season before their first preseason game - this week. These are fun to look at, but the coaches plead with us not to take them seriously. Sometimes, they are ridiculous. Like the Falcons putting Matt Ryan fourth at quarterback. Sometimes, coaches use them as motivational tools.
Whatever the reason, there are always a few eye openers. Here were the ones that caught my eye this week:
Continue reading "Depth Chart Shenanigans" »
May 06, 2008
Another great job with the Grant vs. Barber debate. With some precincts still hanging, Grant holds a one vote lead. Let's stick with running backs, moving into the RB2 territory.
Fantasy owners have been waiting for Michael Turner to become a primary back for years; then he got stuck in Atlanta. He's good, but he's never topped 100 carries before and he's going to have to carry a bad offense. Lewis turned around a severe decline last year, and he certainly plays on a great offense. But the schedule gets harder this year and he will be ranked higher than any back with more than 2,000 career carries except LT2. So let me know your pick: Do you hope for one more good year from Lewis or chase the upside of Turner?
April 18, 2008
Michael Jenkins is now on the bench
Fantasy Fix intern Brett Bandermark poked fun at Rotoworld earlier this week for giving Laurent Robinson's ascension to starter top story status in the middle of April. But I like the enthusiasm; we're hungry for some real NFL news.
Continue reading "ATLiens update" »
April 17, 2008
Perhaps the most interesting part of the latest round of Ocho Cinco blather was Adam Schefter's note that Cincy has already received an offer of two first-day picks for Johnson. (Is that the old first day - three rounds - or the new first day of two rounds? I'm guesing the former).
If someone is offering that much before the draft, the price should go up on draft day. And that means the Bengals would have to consider the offer, even though I think he'll stay put. So is this mystery team? Here are my five best guesses based on ammunition (draft picks) and need.
Continue reading "Chad Johnson has bidders" »
April 02, 2008
The picture sorta gives away this pick. It's written by Troy Hill from endzoneview.
Arthur Blank and the Falcons have a long road ahead of them. Not only do they need to rebuild their team after the unfortunate debacle of Michael Vick, they need to rebuild the relationship with the fans and season ticket holders. They made a great start by addressing the running back situation in free agency landing the highly coveted Michael Turner. It would be wise to continue to change the face of the organization and there’s no better position to do so than at quarterback.
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock Draft: Pick No. 3" »
March 02, 2008
Imagine the Michael Turner hype if the Falcons were actually an NFL team with a real offensive line and quarterback. I'd bet he'll go in the late second round as a RB2 as it is, but his teammates will be a big handicap. New offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey loves to pound the football, but it could be hard to score.
Still, there will only be so many runners we project to hit 300 carries. He should be one of them. That means Jerious Norwood's role shouldn't change, and Warrick Dunn should be looking for work.
March 01, 2008
With my wife out of town, Pancake Blocks is back to the working weekend. The action has slowed on Day two of free agency, but not by that much. Let's take a look at what's transpired since I last checked in here.
While Randy Moss might be frustrated, no other teams have stepped up to the plate. I can't think of many fits to be honest. Jacksonville made the most sense, but they are out of it following the Jerry Porter signing. Philadelphia, Denver, and Washington sound like fits but no contact has been reported. Which is possibly what is frustrating Moss. It reminds me of when Adam Vinatieri had no takers for a while because everyone assumed he'd return to New England.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Moss hanging around" »
February 22, 2008
Our NBA page has been rocking with trades lately, especially on the deadline Thursday. The NFL won't ever have that volume of action, but the increasing salary cap should make it easier for deals to happen this month.
A couple early rumors: Javon Walker could go the Bucs, and DeAngelo Hall might be headed to the Giants.
Throw in some scuttlebutt about Shaun Alexander getting cut (which we heard seperately but couldn't quite post) and we're squarely in the middle of the football hot stove season. Unfortunately, it will mostly end in about three weeks.
February 20, 2008
Javon Walker, Chad Johnson, and Derek Anderson have all been mentioned as possible trade candidates this season. But I don't think any of them would attract as much interest around the league as Atlanta CB DeAngelo Hall. And it sounds like the Falcons are "exploring trade possibilities."
Continue reading "Hall would be top name on trade market" »
February 15, 2008
I was initially surprised to hear that Alge Crumpler was released Friday. He's only 30, and he's been one of the two most consistent Falcons offensive players this decade, along with Warrick Dunn.
On further thought, the move makes a lot of sense. For two years, Crumpler has been injured or rehabbing. He managed to miss only two games, but his lack of offseason conditioning showed up in his play. He has occasionally been a vocal critic of the organization. He was Michael Vick's right hand man, and the Falcons are trying to change eras.
Continue reading "Crumpler gets dumped" »
February 01, 2008
I went to Falcons head coach Mike Smith's press conference. It's the second year in a row they have introduced a new head coach at the Super Bowl to the national media. I overheard a P.R. guy say of the departed Bobby Petrino, "He sucks."
Mike Smith seems like a nice man, but the presser was as non descript as his name. I asked him if Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood fit Mike Mularkey's schemes, and all he said was that Mularkey would tailor the offense to the strength of his personnel. I asked if he expected Dunn back on the team, but he didn't respond to that.
I didn't expect to hear anything different at this stage of the year. They are evaluating their roster and will go into team meetings next week to make an offseason plan. Smith has some history coaching the 3-4 defense, but says the team expects to use a 4-3. Smith worked with both Byron Leftwich and Chris Redman in previous coaching stints, which could help Leftwich remain a Falcon.
December 19, 2007
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" »
December 12, 2007
Once the shock of Bobby Petrino's midnight run to Arkansas wears off, Arthur Blank will realize that Petrino did him a favor. Blank was stuck with the worst coaching contract in the NFL: Five years and $24 million for a coach who was in over his head.
Petrino wasn't dealt a great hand when Michael Vick was suspended, but all reports from Atlanta indicate that his problems went far beyond one player. His offensive system showed some signs of life, but the personnel didn't fit. GM Rich McKay and Petrino didn't appear to be on the same page. Petrino reportedly ignored the defense.
Continue reading "Petrino does Falcons a favor" »
December 11, 2007
Tony Kornheiser asked Ron Jaworski during Monday Night's telecast why the Saints didn't play that well all year.
Jaws replied, "They didn't play Atlanta enough."
The Falcons have a dangerous lack of motivation and talent on defense, especially in their secondary. They can be exposed by creative passing attacks. And wouldn't you know, they face Jon Gruden and Ken Whisenhunt the next two weeks.
I love Joey Galloway and Jeff Garcia (assuming he plays) to go off this week, and wouldn't be surprised to see Ike Hilliard have a big day. If you are still playing in Week 16, your Cardinals receivers should explode.
Continue reading "Atlanta, Arizona defense can be picked on" »
December 06, 2007
I've noticed that Alge Crumpler is available in a surprising amount of leagues. I think he could be picked up and played over a handful of usual TE1s this week, such as Ben Watson.
There are a few reasons for this. Crumpler is coming off his best game of the season (7-65-1), and three of those catches came in one quarter with Chris Redman. Another catch with Redman was overturned by penalty. The coaching staff in Atlanta believes that Redman's quick release frees up Crumpler to go out for passes rather than block.
Continue reading "Crumpler " »
September 23, 2007
Our partner over at profootballtalk has the type of story we can't quite post at Rotoworld, but is definitely worth checking out.
For some more background, check out this story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
September 19, 2007
As a Byron Leftwich believer, even I was surprised how quickly the Gary Coleman look-alike was picked up in a few of my leagues.
Joining an offense during the season presents many difficulties, especially an offense as poor as the Falcons. There is no running game, shaky receivers, and an offensive line struggling to learn a new system. Leftwich managed to find a worse offense than Jacksonville.
Atlanta doesn't have a bye until Week 8, and it's unrealistic to expect Leftwich to learn the offense well enough to get the starting job before then. Although anything is possible with Joey Harrington.
Continue reading "Leftwich to Atlanta impact" »
September 13, 2007
I got a few emails asking why Jerious Norwood is so low on the rankings this week considering Bobby Petrino said he will use him in the offense more.
First of all, I don't trust most of what coaches say about playing time issues. Maybe they mean it at the time, maybe they don't, but a lot can happen on gamedays. The Clinton Portis owners who benched him at the last minute last week know what I mean.
Second, I'm not writing off the Jaguars rush defense after one terrible effort. They will be angry, and ready to take out their aggressions on an overmatched Falcons offense.
Continue reading "Norwood" »
August 29, 2007
I am tackling some Average Draft Position (ADP) information in my column today, but I thought it was worth re-visiting some other trends on the blog for a final time before we truly get ready for Week 1. All the ADP information was created by averaging the publicly available ADP feeds at MockDraftCentral.com, AntSports.com, and MyFantasyleague.com.
Let's start with a final look at the Atlanta running backs.
Jerious Norwood (RB29, 66 overall)
Warrick Dunn (RB39, 99 overall)
Continue reading "Norwood, Dunn ADP tightening" »
August 15, 2007
August 14, 2007
One of the reasons I wanted a blog, other than the gigantic picture of my face, was it could be a place to share some notes from watching game tape that didn't make a column. So here goes installment from the games last weekend. Tell me if this
Falcons vs. Jets
* Atlanta opened with four wideouts and had at least three on the field on most of their downs. There were four wideouts on the field very often. One wonders how this will affect Alge Crumpler when healthy. It can't help. Bobby Petrino showed a ton of different formations for the first preseason game.
* Roddy White was targeted on the first three passing plays, and six times in the first half of the game. Including an incomplete bomb. Joey Harrington looked like he had just won the Super Bowl after the first two completions. Michael Jenkins and Laurent Robinson shared slot duties.
White burned me last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if he leads the Falcons in receiving yards, Not sure if that's worth drafting, though, except in deep leagues.
Continue reading "Breaking out the preseason notebook" »
It's amazing how fast we move on in sports. Especially fantasy sports. Sometime around Michael Vick's indictment, when it became clear that he wasn't playing again soon, my passion regarding Vick's legal case began to wane. I still updated the story for the news, but there were more important things to worry about: Like Joey Harrington's affect on the offense and Warrick Dunn's back surgery.
I love football because I love what goes on the field. I know some of the players are bad apples, just like in the rest of life. I don't know these men, never did, so it's easy to move on.
Continue reading "Goodbye, Michael Vick?" »
August 13, 2007
Give Warrick Dunn credit. With a new coaching staff in place and Jerious Norwood impressing, Dunn knew that his recent back surgery put him on shaky ground.
He was already back at practice Monday, participating in all drills with the second team.
This gives him a chance.
Continue reading "Warrick Dunn recovers quickly" »
August 09, 2007
There are so daily injuries training camp, and most of them only last a few days. We attempt to sift through the noise in our player news by only highlighting major players or major injuries, but the amount of information is still overwhelming. Here's my quick take on what injuries matter thus far during camp, and which ones don't.
LaMont Jordan (back) - Becoming an issue, but not a big one yet. He's about a week away from getting a downgrade.
Clinton Portis (knee) - Just don't know at this point, but it's hard to imagine him starting the year getting 20 carries a game. He hasn't eased any concerns.
Vernand Morency (knee) - A serious problem. Morency is going to struggle to be ready for Week 1, and a committee seems inevitable.
Continue reading "What Injuries Matter" »
August 06, 2007
Alge Crumpler is usually one of those fantasy players who is overlooked because of his consistency. How many other guys have improved their fantasy points four straight years?
2007, however, is shaping up to be the year Crumpler's streak ends. Michael Vick is gone, and with him the guarantee that Crumpler will be the top option in the passing game. More importantly, years of playing through injuries is catching up to Crumpler.
Crumpler underwent two surgeries after 2005, and another knee surgery after the 2006 season. Now he's receiving outside opinions about why his knee is still acting up.
Crumpler's conditioning has been called in to question before, and he basically hasn't practiced all offseason. All this time off means he'll have to play his way into shape (again), this time while learning a new offense. This is the first season where Crumpler's risk in fantasy leagues will outweigh his possible reward.
July 25, 2007
Over-30 running backs don't lose their mojo gradually. Just ask Curtis Martin, Duce Staley, and Priest Holmes.
We can probably add Warrick Dunn to the list. Halfway through last season, Dunn was a top-15 fantasy running back on pace for 1,300 rushing yards. He stumbled to the finish line with a 3.4 yards-per-carry average in the second half, then was forced to undergo serious shoulder surgery after the year. He watched his prize offensive line change schemes, his quarterback is under indictment, and now a herniated disc in his back will force him to miss the preseason.
Continue reading "The Rapid Decline of Warrick Dunn" »
July 17, 2007
We were going to end our day with a look at some teams that might be interested in signing Daunte Culpepper. Then all hell broke loose in the Michael Vick case, giving Culpepper another possible landing spot.
Someone who understands the law will have to discuss what happens now to Vick in the courts. Only Roger Goodell knows if he'll skip due process for a player like Vick that isn't a repeat offender. We can examine the football options the Falcons now have.
Continue reading "Falcons need a swift decision on Vick" »
#40. Giants, Cowboys, and Falcons Kickers
Kickers are so irrelevent in fantasy football, we’ll combine three battles into one.
Giants K: Lawrence Tynes vs. Josh Huston
Huston was highly touted coming out of college, but understandably couldn’t beat out Robbie Gould last year. Tynes has experience, not all of it bad, as a kicker in Kansas City. The veteran is the favorite.
Cowboys K: Martin Gramatica vs. Nick Folk
Gramatica is the favorite, and rookie Nick Folk hasn’t looked impressive in minicamp season.
Falcons K: Aaron Elling vs. Billy Cundiff
Elling reminds us of the Mike Tice era, so we like that. Cundiff, on the other hand, has kicked in the NFL within the last two years. He’s the slight favorite.
May 31, 2007
He lies again!! Despite repeated claims that he wouldn't get a haircut until he won the Super Bowl, Vick has cut off his locks. You just can't trust this guy.
Bobby Petrino is impressed.
"He looks good. I like it. He's got a big smile on his face and a nice haircut."
I'll give Petrino credit for joking around while the sky is falling before his first season starts.
Note: For analysis on what life might be like after Vick, check out my latest camp tour column over at Rotoworld.
May 14, 2007
I don't want to bury a guy too early, but Brian Finneran's career is probably over if this report is true.
That makes ACL surgeries in successive years for a 31-year-old who always had questionable speed. I'll remember Finneran mostly for the way Jim Mora mishandled him for three seasons, usually in favor of Dez White and Peerless Price. Finneran was Atlanta's most effienct receiver during a terrible phase of the Mike Vick Era and didn't see the ball enough.
Finneran's best fantasy season was under Dan Reeves in 2002 when he finished as the WR31 with 838 yards, six touchdowns, and a 15 yards-per-catch average. He played especially well in the NFC Divisional loss to the Eagles after Vick helped beat the Packers in Lambeau. That feels like a lifetime ago.
Finneran's injury should guarantee a spot on the Falcons for second-year pro Adam Jennings. Look for Roddy White and rookie speedster Laurent Robinson to compete for the third receiver job behind Joe Horn and Michael Jenkins.
(This is me trying to use photos. That's Roddy White!)
I'm not sure the Atlanta depth chart at wideout makes a difference this year anyhow. They should all cancel each other out and I'm not buying Petrino magic until I see it. Life would have been much easier for Vick this season if he had his reliable third receiver around.
Note: I've had a few requests and will post rookie defensive rankings on the blog this week. One position group per day starting Tuesday.
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