FSH: MONDAY MORNING HUDDLE

November 30th, 2009 7:27pm PST

[Late Night Edition]

Monday Morning Huddle

What I saw in Week 10

Perfection at its Best....

There was no doubting who the best team was on Monday night. Not only were the Saints on fire, but they were firing on all cylinders. The defense as well as the offense came to play Monday night. Led by Darren Sharper and newly signed Mike McKenzie, the Saints defense limited Tom Brady to less than 250 yards passing, no touchdowns, two sacks, and forced the Patriots to committ three turnovers. Brees was his spectacular self tossing five touchdowns to five different players. The Patriots never had a chance.

The Vikings keeping riding Golden arm....

Despite having one of the leagues very best in the backfield, the Vikings continue to ride the arm of 40 year old quarterback Brett Favre. On Sunday in a blowout victory over the Bears Favre put the ball in the air 48 times passing for nearly 400 yards and throwing three more touchdowns (24 this season). It may seem like the Vikings have opened the playbook, but in their last seven games Favre has only topped 30 attempts twice. As along as Favre remains this effective, his receiving corp of Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shaincoe should remain consistently productive for fantasy owners.

A Few Things I Remember from

Week 12

1. The Broncos found their way on Thursday night with a dominating performance. Kyle Orton (245 yards passing) threw the ball well and suddenly Brandon Marshall (six catches, 86 yards) is fantasy relevant again.

2. The Bills and T.O. continue to find they do have big plays in the passing game. Owens caught a 51-yard pass for six and even Lee Evan hooked up with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for 32 yards.

3. Tomlinson has not found brilliance, but he has found second half of the season effectiveness. His two scores on Sunday give him five touchdowns in his last three games.

4. Steven Jackson was held to under 100 yards rushing for the first time in five weeks, but he still totaled more than 100 yards. Jackson has now totaled over 100 yards in seven straight games.

Remember to check back for more "Monday Morning Huddle!"

FSH: SUNDAY MORNING GAMETIME

November 15th, 2009 - 7:47Am PST

SUNDAY GAME-TIME

JETS LINEBACKER LISTED AS DOUBTFUL...

Linebacker Vernon Gholston did not participate Friday in practice and is listed as doubtful for today. Head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the linebacker is "very doubtful" to go today.

FALCONS RECEIVER WILL GO TODAY....

According to Adam Schefter via Twitter, the Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (knee) will play today despite the nagging knee injury that has him limited in practice.

COLTS ROOKIE NOT ON INJURY REPORT....

It appears rookie running back Donald Brown looks a go for Sunday. His name did not appear on the team's official week 10 injury report.

PANTHERS RUNNING BACK EXPECTED TO BE GAME-TIME....

Running back DeAngelo Williams (knee) is expected to be a game-time decision today. According to NFL Network's Jason LaConfora the Panthers won't know until pregame warm-ups.

BETTS WILL START TODAY AGAINST BRONCOS....

According to Jason LaConfora via Twitter, the Redskins running back LaDell Betts (ankle) will start today for the injured Clinton Portis against the Broncos.

WESTBROOK SAYS HE'S "READY-TO-GO"....

The Eagles running back Brian Westbrook (concussion, ankle) declared himself ready for Sunday following Friday's practice and even received an endorsement from head coach Andy Reid who said Westbrook is "playing."

SAINTS SAFETY QUESTIONABLE TODAY…..

Darren Sharper has a sprained MCL and is questionable for today against the Rams. According to the NFL Network Sharper will test the knee in pregame, but did not sound to confident about playing giving himself a 40-60 chance.

Check back every Sunday for more "Game-Time"....

FSH: TUESDAY (FOOTBALL) TALK

October 6th, 2009 9:37pm PST

TUESDAY TALK

What to make of Week 4

The Jets are still a work in progress

After taking their show on the road with “Kid Sensation” we quickly found out the Jets aren’t quite ready for the main stage. Let’s not kick a man when’s he down, but after watching the Saints defense completely throttle the rookie quarterback (Sanchez) forcing four turnovers and recording four sacks, it’s easy to see the kid still has some work. In week 5 the tests don’t get much easier on Monday night before a national audience facing a Dolphin defense that is coming off six sack performance this past Sunday.

The Patriots are still part of the Equation

In a major league showdown with the AFC North Division leading Baltimore Ravens, Tom Brady and company quickly dispelled any notion that this bunch of Patriots is not ready for primetime. In a classic battle Brady used timely passes and his best weapon Randy Moss (3 receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown) to get the job done. The win on Sunday elevated the Patriots to a first place tie with the Jets at 3-1. This Sunday Brady’s Bunch will take their game on the road and travel a mile high looking to continue to silence the critics.

Apparently the Broncos are not going quietly

Even after starting out 3-0 in decisive fashion over obvious inferior talent the Broncos were not going to get any credit for a job well done. Their impressive new look defense would still be called into question despite their stout play (16 points allowed). After Sunday’s victory over the Cowboys, a game in which the defense added five more sacks and two more takeaways; any more questions? There are still going to be many pessimists who won’t believe this book is as good as its’ cover, but one thing is certain the new Orange Crush defense is not going to go down quietly.

Looking under the microscope


Rice is Ready to cook
If you caught the action Monday night, not only did you see an aging veteran once again find the fountain of youth, but you saw a youngster starting to blossom into his own. Vikings receiver Sidney Rice was expected to make an impact almost as quickly as he arrived in the NFL, but the third year receiver’s development has come slowly. After a promising start as a rookie followed with showing fans very little in his sophomore sefourason, it suddenly appears Rice has arrived. His numbers have progressively gotten better each week and it’s no coincidence that Favre as he regains his form is starting to look to the kid more and more each week. Keep your eye on Sidney, cause this Rice is getting ready to cook!

Moreno is ready to breakout
After four games it has become more and more clearer rookie running back Knowshon Moreno is the future for the Bronco’s running game. In his first game this season Moreno gained just 19 yards, but in his last three he has averaged 76 yards and 17 carries. With Buckhalter going down with an ankle injury that could have him sidelined for a while, it looks like the future is now. Moreno is the more talented of all the Bronco’s back and has the greater upside, so it would make sense to see McDaniel’s feature the kid. Peyton Hillis has been a reliable back and could see a few more carries to spell the rookie, but it certainly looks like it the Moreno show for now.

More fantasy Notes

(IDP Special)

In the team’s first four games this season, the Bronco’s newly converted defensive end to linebacker Elvis Dummerville is having great success rushing the passer. Always a speed rusher on the edge, it appears from the upright position is just too great an advantage for Elvis. He leads the Bronco’s with 8 sacks and doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

With two interceptions on Sunday against the Jets, Saints free safety Darren Sharper raised his season total to five. Sharper had one all of last season and his career high is nine back in 2005. The exceptional playmaking safety has already returned two for touchdowns tying a career high for a season.

On Monday night against the Packers, cornerback Antoine Winfield led all defensive players with 10 tackles. For the season Winfield has 28 total tackles second among all corners behind only the Titan’s Nick Harper. His 28 also rank second on the Vikings behind linebacker E.J. Henderson. Winfield in on pace to finish with over 100 tackles this season, something he’s done only once back in 2003 when he finished with 107.

By David Ortega

Check back every Tuesday for more “Tuesday (Football) Talk”