FSH: FRIDAY FOOTBALL DIARY

September 18th, 2009 11:07pm PST

Friday Football Diary


Dear Diary

I found week one to be very interesting with several big guns misfiring. With players like L.T., Steven Jackson, and Marques Colston missing from the leaderboard you have to wonder how many owners are starting to panic.

As a wise old fantasy football advisary once said, hit'em where they ain't. What exactly he meant I wasn't sure, but when I finished paying his bar tab he explained. As if listening to him babble along for ten minutes was any easier to interpret a three hour long opera in Portuguese.

Rather than trouble myself with the translation, I kept it simple and took his interpretation to mean not everything is what it seems. You can bank on certain things in life, but fantasy football was not one. And before you sell the farm and decide your season is over keep everything in perspective.

One week does not make a season, everyone has their ups and downs, with basically a full season ahead, there's plenty of time to for these gladiators to turn the fight around. It’s all about matchups and sometimes it takes some a little time to get warmed up. I expect the sting of disappointment can tend to linger, but remember when the games finish on Monday and you add up the scores, there’s another battle to be won and it’s only “six days til Sunday.”

10 Things to Watch for in Week 2

Week one had a lot of promise, near misses, big games, and a few duds, but like every Sunday there’s plenty to watch. Here’s what I will be watching come week two;

1. Can Brees and his high flying offense get off the ground against the Eagles? Last week Brees torched the Lions for six touchdowns and 358 yards in the air, while the Eagles defense came up with seven turnovers against the Panthers.
2. Can "All-day" (Adrian Peterson) top 200-yards on the ground against a Lions defense that allowed 157-yards rushing and 4.5-yards per carry to the Saints in week one? In week one Peterson shredded the Browns defense for 180-yards on the ground and 7.2-yards per carry.
3. Can Terrell Owens and the Bills passing game come alive this Sunday against the Bucs and their Tampa 2 defense? In week one T.O. Was limited to only two cathes in week one on Monday night and the Bucs secondary was throttled by the Cowboys for 353-passing yards.
4. Will Steven Jackson and the Rams offense breakout against the Redskins on Sunday? In week one Jackson had only 16 touches and was limited to 67-yards rushing, while the Redskins defense was sliced for 351-yards of offense.
5. Can Kurt Warner and company get their aerial assault soaring in 2009 this week against the Jaguars? In week one Warner was harassed and struggled his way to 288-yards passing while being sacked four times. This week he sees a Jacksonville pass defense that recorded just one sack and allowed 294-net yards passing in week one.
6. Will Michael Turner and Falcons get the run game out of first gear this weekend at home against the Panthers? In week one against the Dolphins Turner was held in check (65 yards rushing), but this week he’ll see a defense that allowed 185-yards on the ground and 5.8-yards per game.
7. How will Larry Johnson and the Chiefs ground game fair in week two against a stout Raider’s defense. In week one against the Ravens, Johnson rushed for a paltry 20-yards and the team totaled just 29 for the day. On Monday night the Raiders defense limited the Chargers to just 77-yards on 23 carries.
8. Can Brett Favre shake what little rust he has and play well in a venue that he historically has had trouble fairing well in? Last Sunday while he didn’t play terrible, Favre did not look sharp passing for a meager 110-yards and looking downfield sparingly. In week one the Lions secondary was hit for 358-yards and allowed 26 completions with zero sacks.
9. In week one Mark Sanchez played very well and look very sharp in doing so, can he pull a repeat against the Patriots? Last Sunday Sanchez passed for 272-yards and completed 18 of 31 passes. On Monday night the Patriots defense sacked Trent Edwards four times.
10. In the Ultimate chess match, I will be watching head coaches Bill Belichik and Rex Ryan square off. Rex Ryan will be bringing a complicated and aggressive defense that forced two turnovers, recorded two sacks, and limited the Texans to just 11 first downs. The Patriots offense on the other hand totaled 441-total net yards, had 28 first downs, and allowed just one sack.
    

Check back every week for more “Friday Football Diary"