September 04, 2008
I talked Redskins/Giants in the Week 1 rankings and I will be providing live commentary (not sure if you call it liveblogging or what) on tonight's first-ever free live-streaming internet broadcast of an NFL game. I'll be doing the same for each NBC broadcast, or at least until they boot me off the job. Come say hi at 7PM. The Football Night in America crew will also be chiming in to the commentary during the game, which should be cool. Very excited to be part of it. (Warning, I think you have to download the new Adobe player to see the video.)
Since the commentary will be football football rather than simply fantasy football, I thought I'd list my biggest fantasy questions (and my guesses at the answeres) heading into the night here.
1. How many carries will Brandon Jacobs get?
My guess: 17-20. Ahmad Bradshaw will be involved, but mostly late and in special situations.
2. Will the Giants run a spread offense often?
My guess: Absolutely. With six decent wideouts and Kevin Boss at tight end, New York is set up to spread Washington's top-heavy secondary out and go vertical more often than they did last season.
3. Can Stephon Heyer handle Justin Tuck?
My guess: That's why he's playing, not Jon Jansen. Just as important, can Chris Samuels stop Mathias Kiwanuka? I expect a lot of max protections, three step drops, and a conservative offense from the Redskins.
4. Does Santana Moss fit the system?
My guess: I would use him as a WR3 this week because he'll see enough targets. It will be interesting to see how he fares catching shorter routes.
August 11, 2008
Lions vs. Giants notes
For those keeping score at home, Derrick Ward entered the game before Ahmad Bradshaw. That’s something to continue monitoring. … Sinorice Moss has to make plays to get a job in New York, and he started well with a 49-yard grab. … David Carr appears to be behind in the battle to be Eli Manning’s backup, although both he and Anthony Wright played well enough.
The Lions run blocking in this game was insanely bad. Tons of missed blocks and tackles in the backfield. Drew Stanton led the team in rushing. Both Tatum Bell and Kevin Smith looked mediocre, although Bell looked worse. Calvin Johnson dominated Corey Webster while he played.
July 23, 2008
Tiffany and I look at the Giants this week, among other teams yet to come. The big question is whether Eli Manning's growth in the playoffs will carry over. While there are big questions at running back, Manning and Plaxico Burress have actually been among the steadiest players in fantasy the last three years, at least in final totals. You may not know how they will get there, but their final numbers are quite predictable.
July 21, 2008
Jeremy Shockey can't complain about his offense anymore. Landing in New Orleans represents the absolutely perfect scenario to rehab his fantasy value. No team throws more than the Saints, and they desperately needed a second option behind Marques Colston to make tough catches over the middle. Shockey already knows Sean Payton's system, one that is built on short passes and yards after the catch. That's Shockey's specialty.
Saints tight ends caught 75 passes last year. Shockey's career high was 74, in his rookie season. If Shockey stays healthy, I would expect him to break that mark. He never stays healthy for long, though. He is coming off a broken leg and remains a huge injury risk. I will have a column tomorrow about what the trade does exactly to Shockey's ranking and projections. I have to work out the numbers still, but here's a preview: They are going up.
June 26, 2008
A looming long-term extension for Brandon Jacobs would not bode well for Ahmad Bradshaw's dynasty league value. Or Derrick Ward for that matter. Frankly, I'm surprised this deal is happening. Jacobs is only a year away from free agency and could try to break the bank then. The Giants have to be concerned with how injured Jacobs was during his first year as a starter.
Still, this is probably a good deal (if it happens) for the Giants because I suspect the price will be right. I loved Jacobs as a fantasy prospect last year, and his injury problems have only dimmed my excitement for this season a bit. Yes, he got hurt. But a study we are running in our second magazine showed that cracked the top-10 running backs in a week six times in the eleven games he played. That percentage ranked among the top-five backs in the league. When he played, he helped fantasy teams a lot. That doesn't mean you take him among the first ten backs, but I'd rather have Jacobs' production in eleven games than spreading it out to 16.
June 11, 2008
Hard to believe, but a lot of teams are wrapping up their OTA/minicamp season with mandatory work this week.
Some relative bombshells (for June) to come out in a two hour span.
The problems with success, Part I: Plaxico Burress is refusing to work until he gets a new deal. A training camp holdout sounds possible, although we wouldn't get overly concerned.
Former Pro Bowler LeCharles Bentley asks for and receives his release because he doesn't like being a reserve after being hurt for two years. What does he expect? Cleveland's offensive line still has plenty of depth.
Continue reading "Drama Day at minicamps" »
June 03, 2008
Let's wrapup my June-induced drawn out review of a recent Mock Draft by looking at some running back flier picks.
Continue reading "Mock Review: Running back fliers" »
May 13, 2008
Regrets and apologies for the lack of content. I arrived in Dallas today, where myself and Rotoworld Grand Poobah Rick Cordella put the finishing touches on our first magazine this year. We'll be done by Thursday and head back to New York. It's looking good, but can't quite let up yet.
One of my toughest decisions this year was at tight end, where there is very little separating tight ends six-through-twelve or so. For our series of player battles, I'm picking out three that fell in the middle: Vernon Davis. vs. Jeremy Shockey vs. Heath Miller.
Continue reading "Shockey vs. Davis vs. Miller" »
April 25, 2008
A nicely timed capper to our week is the final pick of our Mock Draft. Check back here tomorrow around draft time and on the Rotoworld news page for the real thing. Rob, take it away ...
With the 31st pick, the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants select...
Is Darren McFadden still available?
Continue reading "Pancake Blocks Mock Draft: Last pick!" »
March 27, 2008
Japan is great, I love having baseball back and all (Opening Day was excellent, way better atmosphere than the preseason games) ... but this is a fantasy football blog. And it's back.
Today starts one of the most intense months of my football season, as I begin our magazine profiles and preparation into high gear leading into the NFL Draft, and then re-write half the thing.
I'm officially ready to let go of the '07 season now that we know the '08 opener: Redskins at Giants. I was hoping to see D.J. Hackett in this game, but he'll be with the Panthers (more on that later). It will be the first chance to see how New York divides up their running game, if the playoff Eli was for real, and how the Jim Zorn offense will look in Washington. Bring on the hype.
March 14, 2008
The Giants looked awesome running the ball in 2007 no matter who got the ball - as long as it wasn't Reuben Droughns. With Derrick Ward back in the fold, New York again has three great options. Brandon Jacobs, Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 350 carries and 1801 rushing yards in the regular season, with 51 catches.
I thought Ward could have challenged for a starting job elsewhere, but his injury history must have scared teams away. His return makes a difficult projection in fantasy leagues even harder. Bradshaw has to become a bigger part of the offense. I think he has a chance to be among the best small backs in the NFL.
Continue reading "Ward muddies deep Giants backfield" »
February 26, 2008
Some news and notes picked up from this morning's news ...
The always quotable Antonio Pierce is requesting a new segment in NFL Films highlight films.
"Show the highlights of all the players we beat, crying, with that stupid look on their faces, saying, 'How did we lose?"
Darren McFadden ran a 4.33 in tennis shoes.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Giant Schadenfreude" »
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 13, 2008
I had a completely random, useless, and no longer relevant thought about the Giants while reading a book about the 2006 season. Consider that a warning.
Tiki Barber has rightfully been taking a lot of hits for, well, being Tiki Barber over the last few weeks. This article, in which Tiki took some credit for the Giants success, capped off the furor. But Tiki has a point: Maybe he is responsible for the Giants winning the title, however indirectly.
Continue reading "Maybe Tiki really was the key" »
February 12, 2008
Occasionally, a rumor will start in the NFL that has absolutely nothing behind it. No newspaper is reporting it's even possible, but the rumor gets out, and everyone has a topic point to discuss for a week. The possible trade of Jeremy Shockey is one of those rumors.
Continue reading "Why trade Shockey?" »
February 06, 2008
I'm always wary of changing my opinion on a player too much because of their playoff performance. This tends to happen more often in fantasy baseball than football, but Eli Manning will be an interesting test case after his outstanding run.
Here arehis regular season and playoff totals compared
Comp. %/ TDs-INT-YPA-YPG
Season: 56%/ 23-20-6.3-209
Playoffs: 61%/ 6-1-7.2-215
Continue reading "Do the playoffs change Eli's draft stock?" »
February 05, 2008
At my wife's request, I promise to stop writing so much about the Pats sooner than later. But wanted to point out the first comments from Bill Belichick since Sunday night, including why he left the field early.
Continue reading "Belichick speaks on leaving the field" »
Outside of the Giants organization and the Manning family, no one was happier Sunday night than former GM Ernie Accorsi. (Even if another fan in the crowd heckled him.) The team Accorsi put together, with the help of GM Jerry Reese's great rookie class, validated Accorsi's vision with a championship.
Continue reading "The Giants can stand pat on offense" »
February 04, 2008
On the Morning after, the Phoenix Airport feels like the night after prom. I half recognize a lot of faces milling about; The NFL Network crew walks by; Everyone is talking about the crazy events of the night before. Just like the postgame festivities Sunday night, you can tell which side a person was on by looking at their face.
That was as devastating a loss as possible for anyone associated with the Patriots. No one who lives in New England will blame Bill Belichick for walking in a trance in the immediate aftermath because that's exactly how they felt.
Continue reading "The Morning After" »
The quick stomach punch to end that game was quickly replaced with an appreciation that I was able to cover it. I walked on the field after the game among the confetti, and tried to soak in the moment before taping a video segment.
I wrote about why the Giants won for NBC, and another piece will be up shortly. I had a list of "under the radar plays" but it didn't come out right. One list that I'll keep for Pancake Blocks is the Five Biggest Plays from the Super Bowl. Here goes ...
Continue reading "Five Biggest Plays" »
February 03, 2008
9:06: Here we go. Second lowest scoring three quarters in NFL history. One possession game, 15 minutes to go. I bet the NFL isn't too happy they are getting such a low scoring game in what should be the highest rated Super Bowl ever.
9:09: Who needs Shockey? Kevin Boss gets the longest play of the game while exposing Rodney Harrison in pass coverage.
9:10: David Tyree, Steve Smith, and Kevin Boss killing the Patriots. Death by secondary depth. I'm going to have to slow my posts here as I prepare my post-game stories.
9:13: Patriots sideline is pretty calm after the Giants touchdown. Not much yelling or screaming. Brady needs a fourth quarter comeback to go undefeated. Who could ask for more?
Continue reading "Super Bowl XLII, Fourth Quarter" »
8:27: Patriots continue to go three or four wide every play. The Giants have mostly been rushing four or five.
8:28: Patriots offense looks much more crisp to open the second half. They are going to look to the middle of the field to counteract the Giants pressure.
Continue reading "Super Bowl XLII, Third Quarter" »
7:03: Interesting first quarter. As expected, the defenses didn't really make much noise. But they slowed the offenses down enough to keep ths score low. It reminds me a lot of the Jaguars-Patriots game. Laurence Maroney is your first quarter MVP.
7:08: Ellis Hobbs on Plaxico Burress, and he knocks it out of his hand. The Patriots have to consider a huge win whenever that happens.
7:10: On Amani Toomer's incredible long catch, he was wide open early in the play, but Eli Manning hesitated. Toomer was well covered by the time the ball got there, but his receiver made an outstanding play. Concern for Patriots: They are getting no pressure on Manning.
Continue reading "Super Bowl XLII, Second Quarter" »
6:30: And we're off. Flushbulbs a popping.
6:32: Giants go three wide on first down, four wide on third down. They get Plaxico matched up one on one with Randall Gay for their first down. They are definitely looking to spread out the Patriots early rather than attack them with the running game.
6:35: Giants are picking on Randall Gay. They get him matched up on Steve Smith (my pick for x-factor of this game) one-on-one for another first down. If you are a Giants fan, you have to love the confidence in Eli Manning.
Continue reading "Super Bowl XLII, First Quarter" »
Michael Strahan just gave his linemen (offensive and defensive) teammates a big pep talk. One thing you hear again and again from the Giants is that Strahan is the emotional leader of the team. He's also the face of it.
The NFL has big murals of a player from each team up this week - in downtown Phoenix and at the game. They are of Tom Brady and Strahan, not Eli Manning.
Some of the bigger names from the Giants begin to warm up, including Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress.
Burress stretched and is running routes without any noticeable limp. He just made a nice catch behind his body that required him to stop suddenly. And then another great catch with his hands. He's working mostly stop and comeback routes, perhaps to test the ankle. If anything is wrong with Burress, I can't see it.
Got here a little later than expected because of some busing problems, but I'm in my seat in the auxiliary press area, on the Patriots side of the field. Tom Curran and Alan Abrahamson are representing NBCSports.com in the main press box, but hundreds of the assembled press, including almost all online press and many other recognizable columnists, are seated in the crowd. Tables are set up in front of us with outlets, televisions, radios, food, and a game program set up at each seat. I'm not complaining.
The roof is currently closed, and it was drizzling on my way into the stadium. I'd expect the roof to stay closed, but we won't know for sure for about two hours.
There are a lot of tailgating buses outside the stadium, along with the NFL Experience and some concerts. When I got off the bus, I got chills for the first time this week. From what I've seen the Patriots fans are far more well represented than I expected. I've seen more Patriots fans than Giants fans, which is a big surprise. Perhaps the chance to see history has the Patriots traveling better than usual. We'll see who is louder come gametime.
The NFL won't decide whether to keep the roof open or closed today until roughly one hour before kickoff, but the early signs aren't good. It's about 46 degrees and overcast in Phoenix currently, with windy conditions and a 50-70% chance of rain tonight, possibly thunderstorms. The NFL won't want to risk any rain during the game.
Like Christmas morning as a kid, I couldn't sleep in today. The first media bus leaves for the stadium at 11:15 AM local time (1:15PM EST), and I'd leave on one right now if they let me. Anything to get away from the Spygate coverage on ESPN. Gotta wonder if the Patriots are watching at their team hotel right now.
February 01, 2008
* Patrick Willis wouldn't take sides in the quarterback controversy in San Francisco, but said the team expected a competition and may the best man win. There's no "Alex is our QB" talk around the 49ers.
* Of all the players I've seen here, Kyle Brady is the most frightening. The proverbial guy who looks good (and huge) coming off a bus.
Continue reading "Home stretch odds and ends" »
January 31, 2008
One big difference between the teams here is their reaction to the media sessions when they end. Almost all of the Patriots finished their answers, and bolted as fast as possible. The ones who didn’t leave right away were quickly rounded up by a team of Patriots employees who shooed them off the premises, on to bigger matters.
Continue reading "Patriots through with media " »
I'm back from the Patriots media availability this morning, and will be writing about it shortly. In the meantime, a couple more videos are ready from Phoenix.
Tiffany and I talk to the Giants and Patriots about their experiences with fantasy football.
Continue reading "Jabar doesn't have Gaffney Fever" »
January 30, 2008
One way the Giants can beat New England is by spreading them out and getting rookie Steve Smith involved. When asked if he expected to be on the field a lot on Sunday, Smith got a huge smile and said “definitely.”
I think the Giants are going to have to go three and four wide plenty to expose New England's secondary depth. Smith will beat Randall Gay or the Patriots safeties. Smith has been getting open well lately, but not always finishing the play.
Continue reading "The other Steve Smith will be a Rotoworld guy" »
One tired theme of this entire Giants seasons is how Tom Coughlin has chang to a kinder, gentler coaching style. He’s more “player friendly,” although Michael Strahan and offensive coordinator Gilbride both noted he’s not too different. The whole storyline sounds like a convenient explanation of the Giants' success that would only come after the fact.
Continue reading "Tom Coughlin is always in control" »
Thinking fantasy first, I tried to get something today from Ahmad Bradshaw about his ever-growing role in the Giants backfield. Does he want to start? Is he impressed that his teammates all said he was the surest future star on the team? What does he need to work on this offseason?
He didn't bite. He said all the right things that he would happy sharing the ball with Brandon Jacobs and that he doesn't make the game plan. With both players under contract for a while, it's the only attitude to have. I think Bradshaw's development will ultimately hurt Jacobs, especially when Bradshaw rounds out his game.
While talking to him, I couldn't help thinking of a classic story I heard about when Bradshaw was drafted.
Continue reading "Bradshaw doesn't bite" »
I've spent today at the Giants hotel, and then knocking out some videos at radio row. They should be up by tomorrow, but here are a few that are ready, where Tiffany and I tackle the important questions.
The one where no one is happy with their Madden rating. And everyone thinks Madden himself is creating their numbers.
The one where players discussed who the best ladies men are. I loved that almost every player, especially the Giants, started laughing and said they better say someone that's single. Kevin Dockery has some Flavor Flav breakout star potential here. I also like how seriously Brandon London takes his candidacy. And I'm not remotely surprised that Wes Welker is slaying 'em in MA.
Players discuss their favorite cars, including some mink floors.
Back in a bit with an Ahmad Bradshaw story
January 29, 2008
Weakest Attempt at Street Cred
Goes to myself. After Laurence Maroney was finished talking about his Kool Aid tattoo, he mentioned that his only pregame ritual was listening to 'Lil Wayne. This led to a long exchange, in which Maroney didn't agree that 'Da Drought 3 is Weezy's best, while scores of horrified middle-aged men looked on.
Happiest to be there
Giants practice squader Kay Jay Harris was positively bubbly answering questions in Dolce n Gabanna sunglasses.
"I usually get my Super Bowl experience playing Madden. Now I'm here. This isn't a video game, this is reality. I can't even believe it. It won't hit until Sunday when the flashbulbs are popping."
Continue reading "A few more awards" »
For those interested in some actual game analysis, I wrote up 16 reasons the Giants can win the Super Bowl . See, I'm not a homer. (And 16 reasons for the Patriots are coming tomorrow.)
The NBCSports.com crew had dinner last night, getting our plan ready for Media Day which I'm about to leave for. Will be tough to blog there for a while, but we will get some good footage and hopefully quotes. Before leaving, I wanted to share some final thoughts from yesterday's action that didn't fit elsewhere.
Ty Warren, who was very relaxed and intelligent, said that James Sanders is the unsung hero of the defense and continues to improve. When I try to think of how the Patriots secondary has held it together this year, I don't think of Sanders fast enough. He's been a huge stabilizing force - the player Eugene Wilson was suppposed to be.
Continue reading "Skinny Posts" »
January 28, 2008
My wife Emika made it clear she wouldn't be happy if she didn't see me asking a question on NFL Network during the Bill Belichick press conference.
I am amazed by her sudden football aptitude. I knew the tide was turning the day she was home watching football by herself (A Miami Dolphin game to boot, when Cleo Lemon found Greg Camarillo for their only win of the season.) Still, this was another level. I put her through a lot because of this job, but imagining her sitting at home watching a 20-minute Belichick presser with no payoff is cruel and unusual punishment.
Continue reading "Making the wife happy" »
I'm currently on the last bus out of the Giants hotel, called the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, feeling very wasteful. The bus could probably seat 100 people and I'm the only one on it. Everyone else must have driven or left already, but I'm glad I didn't try because the G-Men are staying in the middle of nowhere, out near the Cardinals Stadium in Chandler, Arizona. It felt very far from downtown Phoenix, but rush hour traffic had something to do with it.
Perhaps I've just lived in New York too long, but it was amazing pulling up to their hotel, passing cactii, open spaces for miles, and an Indian Reservation golf course. There is some crazy waterboat racing lake without speed limits nearby.
The Giants will have to travel a long way to go to any parties this week, but that doesn't mean "distractions" are far away. There is a casino across the street, and the bus driver tells me it has the worst slots in the desert.
Five thoughts from the Giants press conferences, held deep in the middle of the desert on an Indian Reservation.
1. Men in Black
In a display of well, something, the Giants organization nearly all wore black-on-black suits to their press conferences, with only Eli Manning and Jeff Feagles going with white shirts. Eli Manning mentioned something about it coming from Michael Clayton, the movie, not the Bucs wide receiver. It led to the most annoying line of questioning from the huddled masses of the afternoon, just behind “How do you avoid distractions this week?” and “What does Peyton think about all this?”
Continue reading "Live from the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass" »
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