FSH: TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK

March 26th, 2009 9:37pm PST


TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK
[Thursday Edition]


What's up Mock?

Okay, we'll call this my first rant of 2009, but what is up with all of these NFL mock drafts. Like everyone else, I am certainly interested in knowing who's going to be drafted and where this year's prospects will land, but I also know everyday things keep changing.

I can't imagine anyone's mock draft remaining the same from today to draft day and actually I think I would be more interested at this point in seeing how many times everyone's mock draft will change.

With the current storylines floating around the NFL, it seems it would be very difficult to speculate what any NFL team is going to do come draft day. Certainly its easy enough to identify team's current needs, but until some of these hot stories cool and we actually get closer to the draft, it all seems a guessing game to me.

I've seen some sites pick Matthew Stafford as the overall number one and some others have linebacker Aaron Curry. There is even a few projecting offensive tackle Jason Smith as the overall number one, but until draft day it seems this is all a crap shoot and we shouldn't get too caught up in all the mocking.

I'm just wondering with all the Cutler trade talks seeming to quiet down some, how will that change this years class of strong arms? Will prospects like Stafford, Freeman, or Sanchez fall or rise as a result? Your guess is as good as mine (probably better).

Fantasy Watch....

We may still have lots of time to consider who will be most relevant come fantasy draft time, but it's never too early to starting watching certain players and how their current situations could change impacting their upcoming season. Such a change could be taking place in San Diego. We all the controversy put to rest with surrounding the re-signing of running back LaDanian Tomlinson, fantasy owners will now have to wonder what to make of back up Darren Sproles. Head coach Norv Turner has already made it public the teams intent to give LT more work in 2009, so what does that mean for Sproles?Most likely not much more than what owners saw from him on 2008. A healthy LT may only mean the team will be more focused on the ground game, giving Sproles a fair share of the running game load. Despite picking up a few extra touches per game the Chargers back-up runner is not likely to see a heavy load of work at any time this coming season making him nothing more that a deep RB3 or once again a great insurance policy for LT owners.

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Last season was probably not the kind of year that wide receiver Marques Colston had hope to have following his breakout campaign in 2007. Colston started only six games in 2008 and was slowed up much by injuries limiting his receiving totals to just 47 receptions and 760-yards. With his new side-kick Lance Moore emerging as a big time pass catcher, a healthy Colston in 2009 can only mean a big season for fantasy owners. Owners will want to watch how Moore and Colston gel together with Brees in the mini-camps. Last season Colston was likely hyped up to be a top-10, owners should not be fooled by his 2008 numbers. He's still the big-man on campus and should be a big play in 2009.

Kansas City has seen a lot of change thus far in the offseason, with quarterback Matt Cassel and wide receiver Bobby Engram joining the team, the offense has the look of being productive in 2009. With their talented group assembled on the field, Cassel, Gonzalez, and Bowe, a forgotten name in the mix could be wide receiver Mark Bradley. New head coach Todd Haley has said he has much confidence in Bradley as the team's other receiver, opposite Bowe. Since his draft day into the league Bradley has remained pretty much irrelevant finishing with just 30 catches in 2008 (career best. With a capable quarterback in a shot-gun heavy system the 5th year receiver and former Oklahoma Sooner could flourish into a 60-70 catch wideout. Owners will want to keep an eye on this kid through the mini-camps and into summer, if he hangs onto the starting gig he could wind up being a possible mid-to-late round steal in fantasy drafts.

(Photo by Robert Beck/SI)

Check back every Wednesday for more football at "The Watercooler!"

FSH: FANTASY FIXX

March 24th, 2009 11:47pm PST

Fantasy Fixx

FF Radar

With the 2009 fantasy football still about four and a half months away before the diehards start heating up, continuing with my Fantasy Football Radar watch I'd like to highlight a couple of the receivers that should be on your scopes this coming draft.


The Good Hands People...

The Vikings shook things up a bit in Minneapolis when they traded for the services of quarterback Sage Rosenfels, indicating that the team did not have full confidence in either Gus Frerotte or Tarvaris Jackson to be the starter in 2009. Despite all the chatter that Jackson will have the shot at the starting position, the smart bet is Rosenfels. His presence in the pocket and under center should legitimize the Vikings passing game, enough to elevate wideout Bernard Berrian. Last season Berrian caught 48 passes for 964-yards and seven touchdowns with pedestrian play at the QB position at best. Rosenfels is no Brady, but he'll upgrade the position and should elevate the Berian's productive to a solid WR2 level. The Vike's receiver is a shoe-in to catch 60-70 balls next season and with his big play ability (20-yards/catch), he'll easily top 1,000-yards and figures at worst to duplicate his seven scores from a year ago. Owners will need to eye Berrian as a solid mid-round selection.

Another receiver that should benefit greatly from off-season changes is the Chief's wideout Dwayne Bowe. With the recent acquistion of quarterback Matt Cassel to the lineup, Bowe should only improve his 86-catch and 1,000-yards in 2008. New head coach Todd Haley has been noted as saying he believes Bowe is "a work in progress" and it sounds like the new head chief believes Bowe can only get better. Cassel had a breakthrough season in 2008 and is expected to elevate the Chiefs passing attack in 2009 which will be be good news for fantasy owners looking to snag the Chiefs top receiver. Bowe will also benefit from the addition of Bobby Engram, who will likely see a lot of work in the slot position. If Tony Gonzalez remains a Chief in 2009, with the new head coach implementing a heavy passing oriented offense, fantasy owners can expect a big season from Bowe. His numbers in 2009 should fall somewhere in the neighborhood of 90-95 receptions and over 1,200-yards receiving. Gonzalez has been the primary weapon of choice in the red-zone the last couple of seasons, but at 6'2" and 220 pounds Bowe could change all of that this coming season.

(Photo by Jarrett Baker/Getty Images)

The Bills made some big changes in the offseason or at least big noise by signing the modest and quiet wide receiver Terrell Owens. The soft-spoken wideout has never been shy about letting the world know just how good he is and may not waste that much time sharing this with his new team. With T.O. attracting so much attention off the field, he may even draw some extra coverage on it. This could very well help the Bills new "other receiver" Lee Evans. In recent seasons, Evans has been the go-to receiver basically flying with only one wing. Now that he'll have Owens lining up on the other side, the Bills leading receiver in 2008 that has averaged over 1,000-yards receiving the past three seasons could see a spike in his receiving totals from a year ago. Even with little help Evans averaged over 16-yards/catch and finished with over 1,000-yards receiving. He saw his touchdown numbers drop to a career-low total of three in 2008. Owens presence should lend some big help to the Bills big-play receiver who will undoubtedly see more single coverage deep and easily improve on his scoring totals from last season. A lot of folks are going to buy into the T.O. hype and believe he's going to be the man in Rochester, but fantasy owners will need to keep abreast Evans who could be a possible steal, as he will surely fall considerably in many fantasy drafts.

(Photo by Dilip Wanat/Getty Images)

As we continue to stroll out wide, we have to redirect our attention to St.Louis where one of the league’s worst teams will going small on the outside. With the departure of longtime receiver Torry Holt and free agent bust Drew Bennett the Rams young and unproven receiving corp has gotten very small. Inheriting the mantle of go-to-receiver will likely be 5'11" wideout Dennis Avery. The speedy receiver out of the University of Houston had moments of brilliance in first half of the 2008 season, exploding onto the scene in Weeks six through eight catching 14 passes for 291-yards and scoring twice. The rookie receiver then ran into a wall and disappeared at time in the second half struggling to get open and running sloppy routes. The kid is a work in progress, but with Holt gone he'll get a lot of offseason work and could be poised to spring board in 2009. Because of his late struggles, some fantasy owners may overlook the talented speedster and he could be available as a nice late round sleeper with greater reward in the latter half of the 2009 season. Mark your draft boards, Avery could be another steal in the upcoming drafts.

(Photo By Jiim Rogash/Getty Images)

And lastly...Larry Fitzgerald is number one


The last receiver I will mention in the segment happens to be the undisputed and unanimous number one receiver in all fantasy drafts. If he's not, someone is drinking the wrong kool-aid. The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald blew up last year down the stretch and well into the post-season. In four playoff games Fitz set a new NFL playoff record catching 30 passes for 546-yards and seven touchdowns in one of the most dominant receiving performances that we have seen in the modern day era. Fitzgerald's impressive run not only elevated to the top spot, but demonstrated just how good this incredible talent really is. With Warner signed and indications that the team could be on its way to resigning Anquan Boldin, expect nothing less than the best from Fitz in 2009!

(Photo By Kevin Terrell/NFL.com)

Check back for more Fantasy Fixx!

FSH: MONDAY MORNING HUDDLE

March 24th, 2009 9:07pm PST

[The Evening Edition]
Monday Morning Huddle

Talkin Sum Football

Athlete or Primadonna?

So when did NFL players become bigger than the game they play? In their own minds do they actually believe they can make and break all the rules? Sure we have seen it in the past, but where or when does it end?

.

When the Arizona Cardinal's season came to a conclusion following their loss in the 43rd Super bowl, wide receiver Anquan Boldin did not waste much time making it known his discontent with the team and desire to move on. Boldin's unhappiness has become a concern that the team will have to deal with this offseason. A few weeks ago it sounded very much like Boldin wanted out and that the Cards may have to deal, but since that time things in the desert seemed to have cooled.
.
These days in the Mile High Country the Broncos are not so lucky and now find themselves in a similar situation with quarterback Jay Cutler requesting a trade. Unlike the Boldin situation, the Broncos will have a difficult time trying to move forward without Cutler on board and may infact have to make a move. Cutler does not appear to have any interest in finding harmony with his new head coach and right now there is nothing but turmoil in Dove Valley.
.

When you look at today's athlete and consider who the biggest primadonnas are, you can't go too far without including Terrell Owens in the conversation. While it wasn't completely apparent, according to some T.O. held the Cowboys locker room hostage until the team freed itself of the huge distraction. Now in Buffalo, could T.O. be on his way to tearing that locker room apart? Monday being the first day of voluntary workouts for the Bills, T.O. was not present. Is this a sign of things to come?

.

There certainly are quite of few more that fit this build of the modern day athlete, Chad Johnson in Cincinnati has had his share of antics. Let’s not forget Jeremy Shockey who has a clause written in his contract that won't allow him to play with any pain. Okay, maybe not, but he's either one of the unluckiest players or one that can walk four feet without falling in a pot-hole. Even an icon like Brett Favre can’t escape the spell of ego-itis, but in his case there may be some merit.
.

There's seems to be a common theme and a few similarities with a few of these characters, each player believes they are in the position to call the shots and have a sports agent that is no stranger to controversy. The infamous Drew Rosenhaus handles both Owens and Boldin, while Cutler is handled by sports agent Bus Cook. Cook is the same agent that handled Brett Favre throughout his entire un-retirement and trade to the New York Jets.

(Photo by Chris Park / AP)

(Photo by Newscom)

(AP Photo)

When did football become such a soap opera, T.O. was just released by one club and seemingly on his last leg in the NFL, but doesn't feel he needs to work hard at building new team chemistry. Cutler, at one point the subject of possible trade discussion now refuses like a four year old might refuse to eat his vegetables, to part-take in any conversations with his new head coach. While all seems to be quiet in the Arizona desert, Boldin has not offered any indication that his stance has changed.

(Photo by Mike Thomas /AP)

Are they superstar athletes or spoiled brats? Either way, these guys are hardly exhibiting any sense of team loyalty and professionalism, but should they? T.O. has moved on to Buffalo, another stop or last chance? The jury is still out on Boldin, although on the whisper there are those that continue to believe he'll be traded. And the Cutler situation just seems to going from bad to ugly and worse, despite all the coaches’ antics to refute the latter.

.

When it comes right down to it, why can't these boys just play ball? When did they become bigger than life? These well-mannered super talents are not likely to be the lone band of showman fighting for their cause, but rather the first to make the headlines as the mandatory mini-camps approach. Is it about money, prestige, or saving face, for some of today's athletes who can tell?
.

For players like Boldin, Owens, and Cutler, it may just be about being wanted and the center of attention, but is that really a surprise when you're dealing with these primadonnas?

Check back every Monday for more Monday Morning Huddle!