[The Late Edition]
Monday Morning Huddle
Week 6 in the NFL
Two Minute blitz
Top Teams...
The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants appear to be the class of the league so far this season, mixing a balanced offenses with talented dominant defenses. Some could argue that, while the Giants are the defending champions, they are exactly where they should be, but the Titans are a different story altogether, but are they?
Just before the season began, the Giants had lost one of their key components on defense, when DL Osi Umenyiora went down with a season ending knee injury. Osi was one player that most experts felt the Giants would need to defend their world championship. With the Titans, there was early season turbulence with their immature starting quarterback, going down to injury and questioning his own confidence. The chances of coming out of the gate this season in a good shape for both teams did not look like a good prospect. At best they could hope to be 500, but now with the completion of week 5, both teams have resolved a lot of the issues that plagued fans' message boards and each are residing in the Penthouse of their respective conference.
So is there really any surprise to see both of these teams at the top of their respective conference? Maybe, but when you look at both teams similarities, it's really not that hard. The Titans and Giants are both dominating their opponents on the defensive side of the ball. This season the Giants are ranked 3rd and the Titans 5th in total yards allowed this season. Both defenses have recorded 15 quarterback sacks this season (tied for 3rd in the NFL) and they rank 1st (Titans) and 2nd (Giants) in points allowed.While the Titans lead the NFL with 10 interceptions this season, not to be out done the Giants defense has only allowed 34 first downs by pass this season (tied for 2nd best in the NFL).
Best Players...
With a quarter of the season in the books, it's time to take a look at who is the best football player this season. Is it the Saint's quarterback Drew Brees, the Viking's running back Adrian Peterson, or could it be the Cowboy's Terrell Owens? Looking over what has transpired thus far this season, I would have to say none of the above, in fact TO may be only the second best player on his team. If you're looking for an early season MVP in football, while some may argue (and have a case) that the Packers WR Greg Jennings deserves consideration, I would have to cast my vote for tight end Jason Witten.
What makes Witten so valuable is not just the numbers he puts on the board for fantasy owners and the Cowboys, but what you don't find in the box score. Witten is a ferocious blocker and plays a valuable role in the Cowboys run game and he's also one of the toughest players on the field playing through injuries. This season After week 5 of the season, Witten leads the NFL with 35 receptions for 442 yards and has two scores. One statistic that often gets over looked, Witten also has 23 catches for 1st downs this season. Only Brandon Marshall of the Broncos has more with 24.
On the other side of the ball, could there be any argument what defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth has meant to the Tennessee Titans. Haynesworth has been unstoppable on the inside of the line creating havoc and disruption for opposing offenses. His 5 sacks this season ranks him 5th in the NFL and his 15 solos tackles ranks him tied for 6th among the top 30 NFL pass rushers this season. With Albert leading the charge, the Titans are one of the toughest teams against the pass.
Power Rankings
How they rank...
1. New York Giants (4-0-0)....how can anyone argue a team that is 4-0 and dominating their opponents on both sides of the ball. The Giants offense is ranked number one overall this season in total yards, while their defense is ranked 3rd overall. Eli Manning is continuing to play like a quarterback with a Superbowl ring on his finger, while the entire defense is playing with the spirit of the Lawrence Taylor. A huge bruising power back punishing the opposing defenses and a relentless pass rush swallowing opposing quarterbacks, now that is the definition of The Best!
2. Tennessee Titans (5-0-0)....the Titans are using the same formula that is working for the Giants. The Titans are running the ball this season (7 rushing Tds, 2nd most in NFL) and playing great defense (ranked 5th overall). The Titans have the new Thunder & Lightning with RB LenDale White and RB Chris Johnson, and a formidable defense with names like Bulluck, Haynesworth, and Vanden-Bosch.
3. Washington Redskins (4-1-0)....if they hadn't played the Giants in week one, the Redskins have looked so good the past several weeks beating Dallas and Philly, they could get several votes for the number one spot. The Redskins are filled with a bunch of no names on defense that are playing steady and doing the job, while their offense is filled with many playmakers that can beat you in more than one way; Portis, Moss, Randle-El, Cooley, pick your poison.
4. Dallas Cowboys (4-1-0)....America's team has been entertaining if anything, but after losing to the Redskins last week and holding off the Bengals in week 5, their star has lost a little of its' shine. Tony Romo and the Boys still have lots of weapons on both sides of the ball and in week 9 their clash with the Giants in New York is going to be huge!
5. Carolina Panthers (4-1-0)....without question, quarterback Jake Delhomme has to be the comeback player of the year thus far. The Panthers are running the ball well with their 1-2 punch of Williams and Stewart, but Delhomme has been solid this season. Over the past two week Delhomme has completed 34 of 51 passes (67%) and thrown for 530 yards and tossed 4 touchdowns!
Rounding out the top 10...
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1-0)....a huge road win continues their rise back up the board.
7. Buffalo Bills (4-1-0)....we could see them start to fall if Edwards is out for a while.
8. Denver Broncos (4-1-0)....finally they're defense shows up to play an entire game.
9. New England Patriots (3-1-0).....they are still the defending AFC Champions.
10. Chicago Bears (3-2-0)....their defense is making plays and Orton looks like an NFL quarterback.
In the mix
As we look over the first quarter of the season, there have been a number of players that have fallen off some of your fantasy stock watches. One player that remains in the mix and that fantasy owners should note, is Bronco's WR Brandon Stokley. With Denver's top wide out stealing a lot of the thunder and the rookie drawing some notable attention Stokley has merely caught 13 passes for 132 yards and a score over the past two weeks. With teams focsuing on Marshall and Royal, Stokley could continue to see more productive days.
Now that he is back on the playing field, Seahawks WR Bobby Engram is clearly back in the mix. On Sunday Engram was targeted 12 times and pulled in 8 passes for 61 yards. It was not a big day for fantasy owners, but a telling sign of what to expect from the Seahawks receiver in weeks to come.
The Cowboys truly have an incredible dilemma they will have to deal with week in and week out, with so many stars on offense, there is only one ball to share. On Sunday, the Cowboys rookie RB Felix Jones made it apparent he wasn't going to make this dilemma less challenging for the coaches. The dynamic shifty back carried the ball only 9 times, but totaled 96 rushing yards including a 33 yard touchdown run! Jones is playing behind Barber, the Cowboy's every-down, but with his talent it will be too difficult to not get Jones in the mix.
When week 5 began, they were many folks talking about trading WR Randy Moss away, sell, sell, sell. Fantasy show after fantasy show (and yes I listen to many) were talking to team owners about dealing away one of the biggest talents in the NFL. Experts were advising such a move, but if you watched any of the pregame shows on Sunday, you might have caught a glimpse of one segment that would have told you holding onto Moss could be wise. Apparently Moss and his quarterback had a sit down during their bye week, and if Sunday's results were any indication, I'd say that must have been one hell-of-a-talk! Moss finished with 5 catches for 111 yards and a 66 yard score. Not only was the Moss we know and love back on Sunday, but fantasy owners better note, he's definitely in the mix now!
4th quarter timeout
fantasy notes from the past week...
If you are a fantasy owner of RB Larry Johnson and you're not holding rookie RB Jamaal Charles on your bench, unless you have a back-up RB2 option, you could be in trouble. If you watched this past weekend's games and caught the Carolina-KC matchup you probably noticed that the Chiefs defense is horrible. The Panthers ran roughshod all over them on Sunday rushing for 205 yards and once the team fell behind by 21 points, it was exit LJ and enter Charles in charge. Unless the Chiefs can find a new defense, fantasy owners could see this become a repeating trend.
So far this season, many fantasy owners will agree that RB Laurence Maroney could be the biggest "bust of the year." Maroney was taken in many fantasy drafts as a high to mid RB2 and so far this season he has disappeared. In four games Maroney has only carried the ball 28 times for 93 yards and has yet to record a single catch or touchdown! Maroney has missed some action this season due to nagging injuries, but when he is on the field, he's performing more like the waterboy, than a fantasy stud. Owners better start "Searching the Scrap Heap" for needed help.
There seems to be a dark cloud looming over the city of Cincinnati. I have not seen or read anything other than the normal reports all you have seen or read about QB Carson Palmer, but if something looks wrong, sounds wrong, and just doesn't add up right, there must be something wrong. Fantasy owners should keep a close eye on the health of Palmer and his elbow/arm. Palmer has only thrown 3 touchdowns through four games, compared to 10 last season. One of the biggest concerns for fantasy owners (and the Bengals) has to be the lack of the "long ball." Palmer's longest completed pass this season is 36 yards (26th in the NFL) which was mostly accomplished by the feet of RB DeDe Dorsey.
Check back again every week for more from my "Monday Morning Huddle."
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