FSH NOTEBOOK: ON THE COVER

December 27th, 2010, Monday

On the Cover

Gateway to the West

The Chiefs win the AFC West

With all the talk about the San Diego Chargers in December someone forgot to mention to the Chiefs that they were not supposed to win the West. After defeating the defending West champions on the first Monday night of the season the Chiefs have not looked back.

After 16 weeks of sitting in first place of the AFC West with their decisive win over the Titans this past weekend the Kansas City Chiefs have locked down their first division title since the 2003 season. It really should come as no surprise seeing the Chiefs win the division when you look at how they got it done.

The Chiefs were not expected to contend for the division title this season, but rather the Chargers were the preseason pick. And when the Bolts started to play and look better in December a lot of folks, including myself expected them to take the division as they have time and again. One thing I did overlook was Todd Haley and the Chiefs.

From week one the Chiefs have clearly been the best team in the AFC West with a balanced offense that features the league’s number one ground attack. The Chiefs have proven this season to be a ball control offense with a run first mentality, but their 28th ranked passing offense led by quarterback Matt Cassel should not be overlooked.

Cassel is having a fantastic (3,001 yards passing, 60.2 completion pct) season under center in only his second season with the Chiefs; his 27 passing touchdowns this season ranks 6th in the league, while his five interceptions rank 2nd fewest. The Chiefs signal caller is also the 5th highest rated passer in the league behind names like; Brady, Rivers, Vick, and Rogers.

While some may be surprised by what the Chiefs have managed in only Todd Haley’s second year at the helm, they should not be. What Haley has done is constructed a well balanced club that in many ways mirrors a team from the northeast (that has enjoyed similar success).

The Chiefs play ball control (ranked 8th in the league in TOP) with the league’s best ground attack lead by running back Jamaal Charles (1,380 yards rushing) and Thomas Jones (6 touchdowns), but they also have weapons with players like wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (15 touchdowns) to stretch the field. The secret to their success is playing mistake free ball and their 11th ranked opportunistic defense (three defensive touchdowns this season); their +10 turnover ratio ranks 5th in the league.

At 10-5 the Chiefs will have a chance this weekend to earn their 11th win of the season with a victory over their divisional rival Oakland Raiders. This is quite a turnaround following a season where they won just four games. With a perfect 7-0 record at home this season and their first playoff game since 2003 to be played at Arrowhead Stadium, the under-rated Chiefs might not be done just yet.

FSH: ON THE COVER

October 25th, 2010 Monday



This Week on the Cover….

The Best in the West

Sitting at 4-2 atop the AFC West through the first seven weeks of the season, head coach Todd Haley has many believing in the impossible. With little argument, at least for the moment it would be very difficult to argue that the Chiefs are not the best in the west.

A big factor contributing to the success of the Chiefs number one rushing offense has been the talent of their backfield tandem. Running backs Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles are the perfect complement to each other’s style and both are enjoying huge success this season.

Thomas Jones is off to a solid start this season pounding his way to 461 yards rushing with a 4.7 yards per carry average. On the other side Charles has been equally effective slashing his way for 489 yards to the tune of 6 yards per carry. The combination of the two ball carriers has been an effective formula for the Chiefs this season and is clearly one of the biggest reasons they are a game and a half atop the AFC West.

With the passing game showing signs of life over recent weeks, the duet of Jones and Charles is likely to keep singing the sweet melody of ground success in the coming weeks. Both backs are sharing an equal split of touches (Jones 102 touches, Charles 93 touches) this season and appear to be fantasy favorites in the second half of the season, especially with the likes of Denver (2 games), Buffalo, Oakland (2 games), and Arizona left on the schedule.

Check back everyday for more football!

FSH: ON THE COVER

August 11th, 2009 9:00pm PST


This Week on the Cover….

Fantasy Friendly Offenses

Always a big key for fantasy owners when drafting their players for their respective leagues is to know which offenses provide the most production. Offensive production equates to fantasy studs.

In 2008 the Texans, Broncos, Cardinals, Saints, Falcons, and Patriots topped the charts in offense and provided some of last years most notable fantasy studs. From Brees to Brady to Marshall to Fitzgerald, fantasy studs are made from prolific offenses in the NFL.

If you take a look at some last years studs from these teams alone, you can build a fantasy dynasty;

Quarterbacks
Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Jay Cutler
Running backs
Michael Turner, Steve Slaton
Wide Receivers
Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall, Anquan Boldin, Roddy White
Tight Ends
Owen Daniels, Tony Scheffler, Jeremy Shockey

With former coordinators like McDaniels and Haley now in charger, there could be an injection of some new names into fantasy stardom. We must also not forget the old reliable systems in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Dallas that will also prove to provide multiple fantasy studs.

When drafting this summer for your dynasty, look no further than these teams to find the studs to fill your roster;


Top Offenses in 2008
New Orleans Saints-(410 yards/29 pts per game)
Denver Broncos-(396 yards/23 pts per game)
Houston Texans-(382 yards/23 pts per game)
Arizona Cardinals-(365 yards/27 pts per game)
New England Patriots-(365 yards/25 pts per game)
New York Giants-(355 yards/27 pts per game)
Green Bay Packers-(351 yards /26 pts per game)
Philadelphia Eagles-(350 yards/26 pts per game)
San Diego Chargers-(349 yards/27 pts per game)
Carolina Panthers-(349 yards/26 pts per game)


Check back everyday for more football!

FSH: JUST TALKIN SOME FOOTBALL

April 29th, 2009 10:30pm PST


Just Talkin Sum Football….
[My Take]

Edgerrin released: Where to Now?

(Photo by Matt York/ AP)

According to the Arizona Republic, on Tuesday Edgerrin James was released by the Cardinals. Certainly this takes no one by surprise. As far back as last season when James was replaced in the starting lineup by running back Tim Hightower, many speculated 2008 would be Edge’s last season in the desert. Even James knew that much. The move will save the team $5 million of cap space.

When the post-season ended for the Card’s it was highly speculated that the team would eventually release James, but few figured it come after the draft. So hearing this news becomes less of a shock for any football prognosticator and analyst, but where he ends up could be open to much debate.

(Photo by Getty Images)

With James now on the free market, there will be a few teams taking a look and by the sounds of it, he’s already drawing some interest. At 30 years of age (he’ll turn 31 in August) there’s not going to be too many landing spots offering him a starting gig, but it’s certainly possible he could find work as a back-up.

There is however one destination I could see James finding, where a starting gig could be waiting; Kansas City. Like the Cards, the Chiefs are still holding a rather expensive commodity in their backfield and could be looking to part ways soon.

Troubled star running back Larry Johnson is at the end of his welcome rope in KC and now that James is available, that could be all the Chiefs and head coach Todd Haley needs to make this move. Remember James played for Haley in Arizona.

What makes sense here to me, the reason Johnson is not gone yet, before the draft the Chiefs only had L.J. sharing a backfield with a handful of undersized running backs (Charles & Savage). The team still has Kolby Smith and did draft Javarris Williams (a rookie from a small school-Tennessee State), but neither of these two are familiar with the new offense.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs won a grievance against Johnson that basically opened the door to his release from the team without any cap hits. What has likely stopped the team from making this move is the lack of better options in the backfield.

Without Johnson, the teams lacks an inside runner that can handle the punishment. Smith may get a shot this offseason to earn some carries and with Williams likely a long shot to even make the team as a seventh round pick, the choices are far and few between. Charles and Savage have quickness and speed to bounce it outside, but both backs are too small to be everydown runners.

James is familiar with Haley’s system and can give the Chiefs a larger inside runner it will need in the red-zone and for short yardage. Charles and Savage, with their smaller sizes and quickness would give the team a needed change of pace.

The biggest invitation to making this move today is the price tag. James, now a free agent would likely come with a huge discount, while L.J. still commands a rather hefty salary (nearly $4 million in 2009). Unless Johnson is willing to renegotiate, this far-fetched idea may start to look very good, very quickly to the Chiefs front office.

These are just my thoughts, while we’re talking some football, but why not?

Check back everyday for more football!

FSH: DAVID'S DAILY DIGEST (FANTASY 411)

March 18th, 2009 9:30pm PST


David's Daily Digest
[My Take]

It's 10 o'clock on the west coast and do you know where your TV remote is? I haven't a clue where mine is at the moment, but it doesn't matter. Right now I am not interested in watching a re-broadcast of NFL Total Access or the water-downed retread of Sportscenter. These days I can go online and catch up with the what's happening in just minutes, well maybe a little longer than minutes. Over the past several days I have been noting some of the current action taking place in the NFL offseason. Sure the whole Culter-McDaniels Chronicles has everyone's attention, but just the same there has been movement by several teams that is worth noting. Here's my take on the latest...

My Take...

QB JAY CUTLER NOT GOING TO D.C.
Despite some loose rumors abound, quarterback Jay Cutler is not going to the Redskins. According to Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato the team is content with quarterback Jason Campbell. Currently the Broncos are not planning to entertain talks, but as the draft nears disinterested teams could change their minds quickly. Cutler in Denver is considered a possible top five quarterback pick in fantasy leagues, but could lose some value depending on where he lands if traded.

TE L.J. SMITH NOW A RAVEN
With Todd Heap falling off the map, the team needed to find another pass-receiving tight end, but I'm not so sure about the injury proned Smith. L.J. has never been an elite receiver, but has usually been a mid-level producer when healthy. His 2008 season was a bust with just 37 receptions and he's missed nine games the last two season. The Ravens haven't been getting much production at the tight end position anyway, so with the addition of Smith any little bit will help except for fantasy owners.

WR BOBBY ENGRAM FINDS WORK WITH THE CHIEFS
It's pretty evident that the Chiefs new head coach Todd Haley is planning to build another prolific passing game around his new quarterback. There's no question that in K.C. the go-to man is receiver Dwayne Bowe, but with the team adding Bobby Engram, he'll be a nice slot addition and give Cassel more weapons to utilize in the passing game. Engram is hardly going to light-up any draft boards, but in deeper leagues he could be a serviceable WR3 for the bye weeks.

RB PEYTON HILLIS REHAB AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
The Broncos running back Peyton Hillis, who is expected to start at full-back and possibly play a bit of a hybrid position is rehabbing very well. The Bronco's ball carrier is expecting to be full strength by mid-April. Don't be surprised if the new coaching genius in Denver takes advantage of Hillis' pass receiving skills. With Hillis likely to be designated for short-yardage situation, his versatility could earn him extra work on the field and create huge miss-matches for the Denver offense with formation changes, without changing personnel.

WR BRANDON MARSHALL ALREADY TUNING UP
Despite the looming distraction of a possible suspension, the Bronco's talented wideout is already preparing for the 2009 season. The Denver Post was reporting that Marshall is attending mini-camp, but with possible disciplinary action by the NFL likely no matter how ready he is, fantasy owners may have to re-think their drafts. Marshall is a bona fide top-10 wide receiver, but eight games is too many to risk with an early round pick.

RB MARSHAWN LYNCH VISITS GOODELL
The Bills running back met with the NFL commissioner and came away expecting to receive punishment for his recent off-the-field debacle. Lynch is likely to get hit with a two-to-four game suspension at the start of the 2009 season. If he only gets a two game hit, he may only see his fantasy value drop slightly, maybe a second round fantasy pick, but with as many as four games Lynch would likely fall to a RB3 draft position.


IDP Notes:

For those of us that can never get enough football, fantasy never stops on the offensive side of the ball. The past several days has been just as busy on the "Dark-side" of the ball. Here's my take this week on the recent moves and news...

STEELERS RE-SIGN DB FERNANDO BRYANT
The Steelers lost Bryant McFadden to free agency this offseason, so the signing of Bryant is more likely to add depth, insurance, and fill the nickel and dime packages. He'll have limited value in any IDP leagues and is not worth drafting barring any injuries to the team's secondary.

DL PAUL SPICER JOINS SAINTS
The Saints don't have a lot of cap space to play with, but they are managing to keep busy by making moves. The team added DL Paul Spicer to give the defense some inside support against the run. Spicer not known as a big pass rusher is more of a clogger. He'll have little value as a IDP starter, but could be a serviceable play coming off a 2008 season with 34 tackles and four sacks.

DL JASON TAYLOR POSSIBLY A PATRIOT?
There are rumors floating that the former Redskin, Jason Taylor could be a Patriot. At the age of 34, Taylor is running out of time and could be willing to take a pay cut and reduced role to win a championship. If Taylor lands in Foxboro, he'll likely become a pass-rush specialist and if healthy could still be a mid-level D-lineman in IDP leagues.

DL JULIUS PEPPERS LINKED WITH PATS
According to credible sources in the football community, there is no validity to the rumors circulating linking the Panthers defensive lineman Julius Peppers with the Patriots. While this rumor is not likely to lay to rest anytime soon, it appears very improbable with the amount of dollars that would be tied to Peppers in any deal. Peppers is considered a top defensive selection in IDP leagues, but if moved to OLB in a 3-4 system elsewhere than Carolina, he could be a risky early round selection. He's athletic and talented, but undisciplined at the position his numbers could suffer.


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