July 21, 2008
The 2008 football season started, appropriately, on a Sunday. The Redskins began training camp yesterday, and lost one of their key defensive pieces, Philip Daniels, for the season. By the end of the day, they had acquired Jason Taylor to fill the gap. It's a fine deal for both sides, but it's better for Miami. That's mostly because I don't think Washington will be a contender this season in the toughest division in football.
Jason LaCanfora is all over the Taylor stuff at Redskins Insider, in addition to other Washington news. Antwaan Randle El is healthy again, although we still don't know his role exactly. One point J La raises is Jason Taylor's new position on the left side. That traditionally means fewer sacks. As an IDP owner, I liked him better in Miami. Back with some more links I saw while catching up in a bit.
July 16, 2008
I've always thought of the McCowns as the white trash Manning brothers. Now it's official.
The Associated Press reports that Josh McCown need six stitches recently because of an accident that occurred at home in Texas. McCown said he was holding up firewood when his brother Luke accidentally cut Josh's finger instead of the firewood.
This McCown-on-McCown violence should be good for a few punchlines (Texas Chainsaw McCown Massacre, anyone?), but there may be legitimate football implications. Josh is locked in a position battle with John Beck to be Miami's starting quarterback, and the injury was to McCown's throwing hand. The Palm Beach Post says the recovery could "cloud the picture", but it sounds like they are just speculating.
Luke McCown, who I think will eventually take Jeff Garcia's starting job in Tampa, appears to have escaped unharmed. Which proves the maxim: Be the guy holding the chain saw, not the firewood.
July 02, 2008
Finishing off another magazine. Unless big news happened, I try not to adjust my projections too much. Often, we can overthink things and tweak too much based on minor news.
One player that got a slight tweak downwards was Ronnie Brown. I thought the carry split between him and the other Miami backs was too uneven. The minor downgrade left him tied for RB14 with Brandon Jacobs. But I'm not a huge fan of ties, and want to make a choice. I know how I'm leaning, but what say you Pancake Blockers?
July 01, 2008
So Kevin Jones reversed course at the last minute and worked out in front of four NFL teams Saturday: Detroit, Miami, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh. Cleveland reportedly asked for a tape of the proceedings. Now it appears Tampa is in the mix or at least Jones is interested in them. I touched on the topic in my minicamp notes some, but here is what we know about Jones.
Continue reading "The latest in Kevin Jones" »
June 13, 2008
With Evan Silva out of town, I've been filling in on the regular news page, so apologies for the quiet blog. Here were some links frm the morning I found interesting ...
Ronnie Brown's recovery continues to progress
The Dolphins are buying what Tony Sporano is selling. I like the Dolphins to "surprise" some people this year by gutting out six-to-seven wins or so.
Does this sound familiar Texans and Panthers fans?:
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Run, Ronnie Run" »
June 10, 2008
The Jake Plummer saga in Tampa is done. Basically, the Bucs traded a late seventh-round pick for $3.5 million. That's a deal every owner in the league would welcome. Chris Simms also doesn't sound long for Tampa, taking shots at his head coach in the Tampa papers.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Tampa shedding QBs" »
June 05, 2008
First things first: No pun intended with the title.
I have to admit I'm a sucker for Ricky Williams. He passes the test I have with movies; I consider one worthwhile If I've never seen any like it. And there is only one Ricky Williams.
Continue reading "Puff Piece Detetector: Ricky Williams" »
May 15, 2008
It's the final night before a deadline, the ass-crack of dawn approaches, and yet it's just another night for the usual Rotoworld night owls. Pouliot is still cranking out blurbs on the greatest Single-A prospects, while Evan Silva has posted nine football items since midnight. I ask him why, and he says, "I can't sleep."
People always ask how they can get into fantasy writing. Be the type of person that wakes up to post blurbs at 3:30 AM because you can't help yourself. That's why Silva makes the Godzilla bankroll.
***
One of the big themes of this magazine and draft season is the questionable RB2s available. There are plenty of guys who look like solid values in the third or fourth round, but it's hard to choose any worthy of RB13-15 status. Ronnie Brown is one of my favorite candidates, but this article about Ricky Williams partially confirms my worst fears: Ronnie could be heading for a committee. Despite his claims, Ricky will not be a calming influence on Brown owners.
It makes sense. Brown hasn't topped 275 touches in his career. It would be asking a lot for him to carry the whole load in his first season after ACL surgery. Ricky, of course, is an even bigger question mark. But if Williams can stay healthy, look for Brown to ease into life under Tony Sparano. If he shows that he's strong enough, perhaps he'll get more carries as the season wears on.
April 22, 2008
What a day. Honestly I'm buried in other work (maybe taking this Managing Editor means way more responsibility. Hmmm ... ). But I can't pass up commenting on some of the big stories of the day. No matter how much my time is supposed to be spent on other things.
God bless Jeff Ireland if he was intentially messing with the media when he used the "pillar of defense" line. I still think he's just not experienced speaking publicly and it was a slip of the tongue.
I like how confident the Dolphins were that Jake Long was a left tackle. No doubt in their mind. They almost were incredulous at the line of questioning. I trust the judgement of Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells. And making Long the first pick as a left tackle makes more sense.
Continue reading "Draft Week picks up" »
April 21, 2008
Tom Curran was up here at work today for a Mock Draft video we are taping, so I asked him about his report regarding Jake Long. Treating draft news skeptically this week is always a good idea, but that doesn't mean the report should be dismissed. The indications are strong and varied Miami is getting close. That doesn't mean they are close necessarily, but they are making sure that information is out there.
PFT's Mike Florio thinks it's all a smokescreen to get another player to jump, probably Vernon Gholston. We'll find out the truth this week, but don't assume it will be before Saturday. And then a week from now, we'll forget all about this. The beauty of Draft week.
And I've sent an email to the Jaguars pick owner, and have a backup in place if we need it.
March 10, 2008
Mock Drafts aren't usually built on original thought. They primarily look at other Mock Drafts, switch some names, teams, and needs around, and go from there. Even draftniks who spend the college season following the players tend to have similar rankings because they read each other, but don't know what NFL scouts are seeing or saying.
I've been sold on Mike Mayock's mock drafts since 2005, when he had Aaron Rodgers falling all the way to number 25 to the Packers. It's not just that he nailed a pick absolutely no one saw coming, it's that he had the confidence and research to make his own decision instead of following the masses. His pipeline to NFL teams probably doesn't hurt. He revealed his first top-ten Mock picks last week and there were a few stunners that should be taken seriously. Let's take a look ...
Continue reading "Mayock's Top Ten" »
February 11, 2008
Today was the first day that teams could release players for the 2008 season, and Dolphins Kingpins Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland wasted no time. Here's what it all means.
1. John Beck is a lonely man
He has to be cleared medically to play again, which seems far from certain. If he gets clearance, he has to find a team that wants him. Baltimore and St. Louis are two possibilities. With Cleo Lemon headed for free agency, the Dolphins basically have only John Beck at quarterback. Quincy Carter, send in your resume!
Continue reading "What the Dolphins cuts mean" »
January 18, 2008
1. That the Jersey mob jokes are already old.
2. That he's a tough-talking Parcells disciple. Early indications are that the pressers could be entertaining.
3. As an old line coach, the big uglies up front are going to be very important to him. And he doesn't have a bad group to work with. Samson Satele is a promising center. Miami's offensive line was perhaps the team's greatest strength in 2008.
4. When Sparano called plays for Parcells in 2006, the Cowboys finished fourth in points and fifth in yards. They leaned towards the run, but not dramatically. Their reliance on the deep ball led to finishing fourth in yards-per-attempt despite it being the final days of Drew Bledsoe and the first starts for Tony Romo.
Continue reading "What we know about Tony Sparano" »
December 31, 2007
This is one the key news weeks of the offseason, as we comb through the papers to get indications of where teams will head this offseason before everyone leaves this building. Here are some of interesting nuggets I saw this morning.
* From the Miami Herald, some of the thinking behind Cam Cameron's impending firing:
Continue reading "Offseason starts for 20 teams" »
December 27, 2007
Anyone else think it's odd that Bill Parcells' introductory news conference is built so perfectly into Sportscenter's open? The second the anchor was done with the introduction, it was like the ESPN director cued Parcells to walk out. Of all of Parcells' great traints, controlling the media (and message) is near the top.
The rankings are up, the Fix is taped, and we're back at Pancake Blocks after a couple holiday half-days. Week 17 ahoy!
I am going to try to avoid looking at next year this week. We have all offseason to review '07 and look ahead to '08, and there are still plenty of fantasy championships this week, whether it's a good idea or not. Let's start with some quickie lists of guys likely to see a spike in value this week.
Continue reading "QB Spikes" »
November 27, 2007
It's never boring with Ricky, is it? Just six carries into his latest comeback, Ricky is out for the season with a torn chest muscle. The injury reportedly occured when Steelers LB Lawrence TImmons stepped on Williams' shoulder blade.
Continue reading "Fun while it lasted" »
Still a RB1?
There are a lot of ways to measure how disappointing top-shelf running backs have been this season,. Here's one that sticks out to me: Ronnie Browns is still ranked in the top-ten backs of the year.
He's ninth in standard scoring and seventh in points-per-reception leagues. Since you could use his starting spot in the last five weeks, it's easy to make the case that Ronnie is still among the Fantasy MVPs this season.
Continue reading "The Season Running Backs Collapsed" »
If you are in position to make the fantasy playoffs, you shouldn't be desperate enough to need Patrick Cobbs or Fred Jackson.
Cobbs carried the load for Miami last night when Jesse Chatman and Ricky Williams were hurt, and has a great matchup on paper next week against the Jets. And while Cobbs could be worth a flier in the deepest of leagues, the most likely outcome in Miami is that Williams, Chatman, or both will be back in the lineup by Sunday.
I feel the same way about the Buffalo situation. If Anthony Thomas is out, Fred Jackson and Dwayne Wright will probably split carries against the Redskins. That's not worth investing a roster spot in. Just wait for Thomas or Marshawn Lynch to return and roll with what you have.
November 26, 2007
I feel closer to everyone else who watched that entire game for having experienced it together. Thanks for stopping by today.
Ricky was MIA in 2004
Watching tonight's game, it's hard not to think about the last time a Miami-Pittsburgh game was delayed by weather. This was in 2004, when Hurricane Jeanne turned the Week 3 contest into a night game played in sloppy conditions. The Dolphins had Dave Wannstedt as their coach, A.J. Feeley as their quarterback, and Leonard Henry as their starting running back. Ricky Williams's excellent yoga adventure was just getting started.
That was Ben Roethlisberger's first NFL start, and the Super Bowl Champion Steelers often cited that weekend in retrospect as a pivotal time because of the bonding that took place while waiting out the storm in the team hotel. There wasn't a touchdown scored that night until the fourth quarter, when Ben Roethlisberger hit a diving Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone.
The way the field looks tonight, we could be looking at a similar lack of scoring.
November 24, 2007
Rotoworld news monster Evan Silva has the Ricky Williams situation well covered in Last Minute Decisions (which really you need to be reading every week if you love football.)
It made me realize I overlooked one key update to the rankings: What to do with Ricky? I don't want to start Jesse Chatman or Ricky Monday night, but if you are desperate to fill your flex position, don't view Williams as a huge downgrade if Chatman is out.
November 14, 2007
It doesn't sound good so far for Marshawn Lynch owners. With a Sunday night game, you should look for other options. And I don't mean Anthony Thomas.
It looks like Ricky will probably remain a Dolphin. It's amazing that Ricky has lasted long enough to see three coaching staffs (Dave Wannstedt, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron) and three decision makers in the front office (Rick Spielman, Saban, Randy Mueller - his old New Orleans GM).
It's not a great sign when Williams becomes one of the most stable parts of your organization.
First things first. I don't think Ricky Williams will have a major impact on fantasy football this season. He's thirty years old and hasn't played football all year. By the time he's in football shape, the fantasy season will be over. And Williams will probably be a backup no matter where he plays. With that said, he's worth a look in very deep leagues where you can afford a flier. Let's rank my top-five most likely destinations for Williams.
5. St. Louis - Scott Linehan has coached Ricky before and seems open to coaching him again. But do the Rams really need a veteran backup that badly? They'd probably rather develop Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard.
4. New England - Bill Belichick probably doesn't care about Ricky's negative perception around the league. He knows through Nick Saban and many AFC East games what kind of player Williams can be. With that said, I just don't think the Patriots will feel their need is big enough at running back to bother. Is he really that much better than Corey Dillon?
3. Denver - Mike Shanahan wouldn't relish the P.R. hit he'd take going from Travis Henry to Ricky Williams, but that's never stopped him from taking chances before. The Broncos have shown interest in Ricky in the past.
Continue reading "Ranking the Ricky Suitors" »
October 26, 2007
Think England doesn't care about the NFL?
Our friends at FootballDiner.com disagree. They are an England-based NFL fan website and are all over the Giants-Dolphins game with more original photos (including a rare Tom Coughlin smile) and interviews than Rotoworld has put together in five years. Kudos.
October 16, 2007
I imagine Chris Chambers owners were relatively happy with him so far this season. He was drafted as a WR3 and has performed like one. A year after gaining only 677 yards all season, he was on pace to top 1,100 for only the second time in his career. He hasn't scored, but surely that was coming. The status quo was going fine.
Following today's trade to the Chargers, owners are probably wondering what exactly they have. Instead of a target-hogging number one receiver, I see Chambers as a co-number two in San Diego alongside Vincent Jackson, but behind Antonio Gates. The Chargers throw less than the Dolphins, so Chambers will see a smaller share of a smaller pie.
Continue reading "Trade: Good for Bolts, bad for Chambers" »
October 11, 2007
* Cleo Lemon played well in relief of Trent Green, but didn't put many points on the board. I checked my notes from last year, and found the same notes on Lemon. He takes the check down, he looks calm, and he's can zip the ball in there at any level. He's just not particularly aggressive. Maybe time will help. I think Ronnie Brown's excellent season is going to open up opportunities with the play-action passing game.
Continue reading "Will Lemon hurt Chambers' production?" »
Here are some of the game notes from this week I couldn't shoehorn into Goal Line Stand this week.
* The Texans have a high-percentage, low risk passing attack, but Matt Schaub isn't afraid to stretch the field when he gets a chance. Andre Davis caught a bomb early against the Dolphins, and Kevin Walter was targeted on two looong passes. It's a good sign for Walter that he was targeted on the first three plays of the game and deep so often. He's shown more in the last two weeks than he did in the first four seasons as a career.
I don't like any of these guys against the Jaguars this week, but the success of the Texans depth shows that this offense has turned a corner and will be dangerous when everyone is healthy. It's to Gary Kubiak's credit that Andre Davis looks suddenly relevant.
Continue reading "Texans Notes" »
September 27, 2007
Busy morning today, while I get Goal Line Stand ready and tape a Fantasy Fix. I'll get back to some top-ten moving forward rankings and respond to some questions about the running backs in the afternoon, but first a word from Channing Crowder.
"He's still limping around,'' said Crowder, when asked about former teammate Culpepper. ``He's not 100 percent. He's still not the Daunte Culpepper of back with Minnesota.''
We need more genuine trash talking like this instead of the Chad Johnson jokefests (which I almost like). It's a true grudge match. It almost makes me want to watch Dolphins game to see how Culpepper fares in his first start as a Raider.
Joey Porter, not to be outdone, repeatedly said, "We will win Sunday.''
Do not mess with the 0-3 Dolphins.
September 14, 2007
This is a rare game where an NFC team is a road favorite (and by more than a field goal). The matchup features each team’s strengths and weakness facing one another. The consistent Miami defense under Dom Capers defense takes on the Tony Romo show. Dallas’ rag-tag secondary tries to survive against Trent Green’s still-forming pass attack.
QB: Tony Romo: Must Play - The Cowboys are a big-play team. With Yeremiah Bell out for the year, the Dolphins should be vulnerable to some.
RB: Julius Jones: Strong Flex Play - Miami knew Washington was going to pound the ball, and they didn’t exactly stop Clinton Portis. Still, Miami’s strength should be their rush defense. The Cowboys say they will use Jones around the goal line more often, so we’ll have to see if it happens.
RB: Marion Barber: Strong Flex Play - I don’t love either Dallas running back as a RB2 in this matchup, but they are worth playing as flex options.
WR: Terrell Owens: Must Play - T.O. is a strong choice for our “perfect picks” on the 100K most weeks because he’s the favorite to lead all wideouts in touchdowns. Miami doesn’t have anyone who can physically match up with him.
Continue reading "Cowboys vs. Dolphins matchups" »
September 12, 2007
Every NFL week is full of surprises; the ones early in the year just get more attention. Here's a quick list of players I'm watching closely this week.
1. Marshawn Lynch - After watching the Shortcuts of this game, I'm pretty sure he's for real. You can't teach breaking tackles. A good game against Pittsburgh would solidify his RB2 status.
2. Chris Brown - The Titans offensive line was fierce. Let's see if they can blow up the Colts.
3. Jaguars runners - Their offensive line got pushed around. Look for a better effort against the Falcons.
4. Saints offense - I know it was only one game. But I still want to see what they do against the Bucs.
Continue reading "Surprises" »
September 04, 2007
Thanks for the feedback on Waiver Wired, which is up. Between some Season Pass work (coming today, people) and Tuesday's Fix, I didn't have time to add Jesse Chatman. Until now.
Chatman's talent level is is suspect, but he knows Cam Cameron's system and is going to get carries. If I was forced to use a waiver pickup in my Week 1 lineup for some reason (and good luck if you do), Chatman would get the call over Kenton Keith, Selvin Young, and the rest. That doesn't mean he'll be a better prospect over the full season than Young because the Miami offense is suspect, but he's certainly safer. For now, he looks like a competent RB4. Anyone that gets carries is worth owning over the Maurice Morris' of the world.
It comes down to what your team is looking for. On a thin roster where you need depth to possibly use for bye weeks, Chatman is a good pickup. If you are four strong at running back, I'd go with a higher ceiling back like Young or possibly Keith.
And thanks for being patient Pancake Blockers, the blog will be humming consistently all week long, including a Thursday Night liveblog
August 21, 2007
Monday was not a good morning for Ronnie Brown supporters, owners, and relatives. The Miami Herald said the starting job in Miami was an "unexpectedly open competition" between Ronnie Brown and ... Jesse freaking Chatman. Dolphins coach Cam Cameron cited Brown's relative inexperience in career carries, going back to Auburn.
Cameron wasn't happy that Brown couldn't score in the open field, a legitimate gripe, saying in another Herald article, "The expectation is when you're in the open field, that better be a house call. Everybody wants that.''
Continue reading "The Ronnie Brown dilemma" »
August 17, 2007
I looked at the Kansas City quarterback battle already, but here are some other notes from the Chiefs/Dolphins game. Since Rotoworld loves branding, the game notes will forever more be called "Skinny Posts."
* Trent Green had a better effort and moved the ball. But the Dolphins really focused on short drops and throws to make up for their offensive line. When Green tried to set up deep, he still didn't have much time. You wonder if that will affect Chris Chambers' ability to go deep.
* Cleo Lemon (8/11-52-0-0) also moved the offense early and finds open receivers underneath. But the Dolphins look like they are settling on Green. I have a feeling Miami will need multiple starting quarterbacks this year because of their line.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Chiefs/Dolphins" »
I thought it would be interesting to add up Brodie Croyle's combined numbers as a pro, adding up this year's preaseason snaps with last year's regular season and preseason.
CP-ATT-YD-TD-INT
20-42-213-1-5
Admittedly, it's a small sample size, mostly in games that don't count. But don't the Chiefs have to see something from Croyle in game action before making him a starter?
Continue reading "Chiefs solve nothing" »
August 16, 2007
Very interesting game from a fantasy perspective on ESPN tonight. Two teams, Miami and Kansas City, that have as many questions on offense as anyone. Both quarterback jobs are up for grabs, plus rookies like Dwayne Bowe, Ted Ginn, and Kolby Smith can help their chances for playing time with positive outings.
* The Chiefs game and the practices between the Bengals and Saints remind me that "camp" is already ending for some teams. Many of the squads like Kansas City, Tampa, New Orleans, and Cincy that travel away from home will now return for regular practice at their home practice field. I personally applaud this passage of time. I'm already forgetting what the "offseason" was like, and by next week will be more than ready to get the real stuff going.
August 15, 2007
Does Lemon have a chance?
I broke out the preseason notebook Tuesday with the Falcons/Jets. Let me know if this is the type of thing you guys like in the future. Here goes a few notes from the Lions-Bengals and Jaguars-Dolphins.
Jaguars-Dolphins
* Miami's young offensive line was manhandled by Jacksonville. It was like they weren't there. Trent Green had some ugly throws, but no one would have played well. This could be a rare case of the preseason showing something if the trend continues. If Miami's line gets pushed around like this all August, I'd consider downgrading Ronnie Brown.
* Cleo Lemon threw a few beautiful passes, but they were against third-teamers. He needs a monster game this week for a chance to start, but he's still a big long shot.
Continue reading "Preseason Notebook, vol. 2" »
July 23, 2007
# 24: Dolphins backup quarterback: Cleo Lemon vs. John Beck
Beck is the favorite, and likely the future starting quarterback in Miami. Since he's already 26 years old, the Dolphins will want to get him some starts late in the season if they are out of contention. That said, Lemon was fairly impressive in his appearances late last season and has played in Cam Cameron’s system. This battle could loom large if Trent Green gets his eggs scrambled again.
June 11, 2007
Criticizing the Sopranos series finale is like a Patriots fan questioning a Bill Belichick decision. I can't do it. It's not my place to doubt a near-genius at the top of his craft. The Sopranos was the greatest filmed entertainment I've ever seen, an 86-hour dissection of family, life in the 2000's, everything. The fact that it ended, like many of their episodes, on an existentialist bent, doesn't surprise me. I think the stunning two episodes leading up to the finale raised expectations too much for a bloody finale. David Chase usually fired his big guns before the last shows, when you least expected it, and that was the case in the amazing last season. I'm thankful we were able to watch it so long.
As I wonder if A.J. ever gets a chance to be the next great D movie producer, here were the links I found on a quiet Football Monday morning ...
Miami had their minicamp this weekend. Cam Cameron is rightly talking about a youth movement. That means two rookie starters on the offensive line. It also means Derek Hagan, suddenly Cameron's pet project, is going to get playing time. Hagan has a lot of potential. He makes the spectacular grab, but drops the easy one. I could see Miami getting rid of Marty Booker before the season and handing Hagan the starting job if he progresses.
Booker in trouble?
Ted Ginn is another candidate for the starting job. After all the concerns about his foot, he was reportedly flying by defenders at minicamp. Cameron compared him to Desmond Howard, which I'm not sure is a good thing. For fantasy leaguers, I wouldn't expect much out of Ginn as a rookie.
Continue reading "What do you want, a boutonniere?" »
June 08, 2007
Daunte Culpepper is tired of being traded. So he's doing his best to make sure one doesn't happen.
“All I’m going to say to any team that’s | | |
