Jim Caldwell Is No Herm Edwards

Well, there goes that undefeated season. Funny thing is: there were a few comments before the game that seem to be contrary to the decisions the coach actually made during it.

Rachel Nichols had some interesting quotes from the coach and the QB. The links go to the original twitter posts that I grabbed them from.

From Jim Caldwell:

And yes, best outcome for Colts is to pile up a big lead early so he can just sit. Coach Caldwell says decision to be made "in flow of game"

In the flow of the game? I don't think pulling him in the middle of a competitive game with the outcome still completely in question is really a decision made in the flow of the game.

From Peyton Manning:

Clarifying Peyton's comments: I asked if he'd play thru 4th Q if outcome in doubt, his exact words:“I would certainly imagine so"

And, if it was in the flow of the game, I don't think he adequately prepared Peyton for it.

Sure, he left the game:

Manning also made it clear that if he gets tap on shoulder to sit, he will. He was too tactful to mention other QBs who might not.

But if you watched this game, Peyton looked either ready to cry or to punch his coach in the mouth. So I think it is pretty clear that the coach didn't prepare his best player for the scenarios he'd be removed from the game under. It seems obvious that there was more of a selected time for pulling players than a "in the flow of the game". Manning and others were pulled at about the most inconvenient time possible, so the only way "flow" mattered is if Caldwell had hoped to pull them even sooner if they were blowing out the Jets.

There was certainly no effort made to "play to win the game".

And I Really Used To Dislike Him...

But who knew: Drew Rosenhaus reads a lot of classic Stephen King...and comic books. His favorite characters are Batman, Punisher & Wolverine. He "typically like(s) the guys that don't have super powers and get by on other things".

He discussed this in an ESPN chat and on the ESPN Football Today podcast with Jeremy Green. He didn't discuss it on ESPN FANTASY FOCUS: FOOTBALL, but it's the best of the ESPN podcasts out there.

Football Sunday

So, Stephen Jackson is out this Sunday. Winslow is still inactive, despite having his suspension removed. And there are a ton of teams on bye weeks. Hope you all got your teams set in advance.

Rooting for my Jets today. Somehow, I don't think this guy (Tyler Thigpen) is going to beat them:


Though he just did get lucky with two passes, one being the great play Tony Gonzalez made to catch a ball while sandwiched between two defenders, stay on his feet and go another 3-4 yards into the end zone.

My teams are pretty well set for the week. When Terrell Owens is predicted to be your weakest player other than tight end, things are good.

But I'm going to take a few guesses at what the top fantasy performer at each position will be:

QB: Donovan McNabb - Atlanta isn't an outstanding defense, while the Eagles are coming off a bye, getting Westbrook and Curtis back.

QB Honorable Mention: While I'm tempted to go with either QB in the London game, I'd have to think Jason Campbell is going to do some good things. Same goes for both QBs in the Arizona/Carolina tilt. So McNabb-Campbell-LondonQBs-Delhomme.

RB: Clinton Portis - He's the obvious pick this week, but sometimes the obvious is still the right one. One of the top performing RBs in the league this season, going against one of the worst defenses in the league? Yeah...I'll take that.

RB Honorable Mention: If I could be sure which would get the right carries, I'd probably have picked one of the Titans RBs (most likely Chris Johnson). McGahee was, also, tough to pass up...as Oakland isn't a great rushing defense. Somehow, I think MJD will finish in the top 5.

WR: Santana Moss - Top 10 fantasy WR, bottom 5 fantasy defense...you do the math.

WR Honorable Mention: Steve Smith leads the also-rans. There should be enough yardage for the WRs of both teams in the Panthers/Cardinals game. Fitzgerald would be in this group, except for the fact that Boldin is back and the yardage might be just balanced enough to let others pass them. Like Andre Johnson and...well...no one else. OK, I'd possibly have put Roddy White up there, but I just saw an update that would make him too easy to pick.

TE: Mercedes Lewis - His last two games produced great for a TE. The receiving corps of the Jags is just ugly at the moment with injuries & suspensions. Going against the Browns, I expect him to get serious targets.

TE Honorable Mention: Dustin Keller & Jeremy Shockey. That's all I got. The TE position isn't sexy enough to type a paragraph about.

D/ST: Baltimore Ravens - Running game is back. Defense is still pretty good. Their weakness? Passing defense. Oakland offense's weakness? Passing offense. Yeah...the Ravens will do well.

D/ST Honorable Mention: Jets. KC can be atrocious on offense. Sacks are on the menu. Maybe even a turnover or two.

What do the rest of you think?

Fantasy Football Sunday

It's another one of those difficult weeks to pick your starting team.

• Romo: will he or won't he?
  
• Will Terrell Owens play like himself either way?
  
• Scheffler back from the groin injury?
  
• Colston & Shockey 100%?
  
• Have Kellen Winslow's balls shrunk back down to human size or close enough to let him play?
• Do you listen to analysts who say Forte will have a great game via the pass or stick with conventional wisdom?

I'll go back to watching the Saints/Panthers game. Glad I picked this one or else I would have missed Brian Billick calling the Saints' running back DOUCHE MCALLISTER. Classic.

All Day For Muscle Milk

Big fan of Adrian Peterson. Muscle Milk is part of my workout routine. So I got a kick out of seeing that he is the spokesperson for the product.


Now if All Day could stop underperforming for my fantasy football teams like he has for the last few weeks...

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS

Or "Reflections on Crappy Fantasy Football Predictions"

Let's review my earlier picks for today.

QB: Tony Romo
OK, he wound up being the 5th best performer at the position today. Wait...7th. Peyton finished above him, but I have no idea who adjusted up higher just now. Maybe Phillip Rivers.

Hold on...no...he tied for 6th. Peyton and Tony have the same ESPN score. Out of the finisher above him, only Brees and possibly McNabb could have honestly been projected to have such games. McNabb, though, had his top 2 WRs out, so that's a hard to guess would add up to being the league leader.

RB1 & RB2: Brian Westbrook & Marion Barber
Westbrook checks in at 5th with Barber tying for 3rd with Reggie Bush. Of course, Bush did his damage as a receiver. I stand by the idea that it'd be crazy to project Michael Turner or Willie Parker, for that matter, to be the top two RBs in the first week. This will play havoc with people's starting rosters next week.

RB/WR: LT
17th...and that was just amongst running backs. I believe he came in 28th amongst all RB/WR options, though. Figure you knock out the top four (because they'd be in your regular RB and WR spots), that still leaves him no better than 24th. Ugh. I put him in more because I really couldn't pick against him than because I thought he'd do well. I'll remember that next time...and just be embarrassed by him dominating that week.

WR1 & WR2: Terrell Owens & Braylon Edwards
Ugh. While Owens came in 4th nicely, the Cleveland offense never got on track. In fact, Edwards finished somewhere lower than 50th amongst WRs. My poo-poo-ing on Moss? He somehow still managed to come in 2nd despite Tom Brady's early/ugly exit. Mind you, he did almost all of that in the first half, with a goodly portion from Brady's arm.

TE: Kellen Winslow
Tied for 5th. I'm kicking myself for switching in McMichael (who still made the top 10) for Anthony Fasano in a few leagues. As a former Golden Domer, I always had an eye on him, heard he was clicking with Pennington and new that there was a shortage of good targets in Miami...but I'd never have expected 14 points.

No one would have predicted the TEs that came in above Winslow. Gates did tie Winslow, however.

D/ST: Vikings
Jury is still out. We'll update this one Monday night.

K: Josh Scobee
If the sucker didn't miss a shorter than 39yd long FG, he might have finished in a respectable spot. But no...he just HAD to miss that one. Kickers are nearly impossible to pick the best performers from prior to the games, but I sure screwed this one up.

So far, though, going over my many teams, only 3 of my nearly 30 teams are currently losing. That could potentially improve to only 2, but can, also, see it increase if a few opponents get inordinately good performances from their 1-2 stragglers.

How'd you do?

Ah...The First Sunday Of NFL 2008

I'm in about 25 (?) fantasy football leagues. They're like crack to me...especially the excitement of drafting (corny as that sounds).

As much as I'm into it, I think I'll post what I project to be the best starting fantasy lineup (using the ESPN traditional roster) for each Sunday. Feel free to post your own thoughts or rosters in the comments section:

QB: Tony Romo
The conventional wisdom says that Brady lights it up this weekend...and that is very possible. But they're playing a terrible Chiefs team that will give them little reason to need to put tons of points on the board. The Cowboys, however, are playing a Browns team with a questionable defense but an electric offense. Pacman Jones is too rusty to be a help in the first game, even if he is pressed into starting due to Terrence Newman's injury. The Browns score enough to keep the Cowboys offense needing to score to keep the lead comfortable.

In fact, I think that Donovan McNabb will, also, outshine Brady this weekend.

RB1: Brian Westbrook
Notice that I mentioned McNabb? He'll be giving Westbrook the ball via hand offs and passes so much of the day that the rest of the offense will be reintroducing themselves during every huddle to make sure he remembers they're out there. And Westbrook can be a beast...especially when going against a terrible defense like St. Louis.

RB2: Marion Barber
There will be enough scoring to go around in Cleveland. I'm thinking the Cowboys put 5 TDs up on the board. As long as Marion factors into 2 of them, it should help put him in this lofty spot.

RB/WR: LaDainian Tomlinson
As much as I think that LT can have a down day this afternoon, with Carolina having a good defense that can key on the run more than normal with Gates not starting, I can't honestly say that any third RB or WR is a safe bet to do better than him. It wouldn't just be bold to pick someone else here: it'd be stupid.

WR1: Terrell Owens
Even I'm tired of having to say how bananas the offensive output might just be in Cleveland.

WR2: Braylon Edwards
I'm, also, tired of saying I'm tired of having to say how bananas the offensive output might be in Cleveland.

Why not Randy Moss? Again, I expect the Patriots to have too little of a challenge to need to score a lot. Now that I think of it, with Brady having not played a preseason down, his timing might, also, be off with Moss for the first game or two. Still, if he does well, he just might come in under Owens and Edwards. Did I mention how bananas the offensive output might be in Cleveland? Because I'd hate to say it again if I already did.

TE: Kellen Winslow
Have to go with him or Witten here, really. But I've said enough about the offense in that game.

What I'd like to mention is a sleeper or two.

TE Runner-Up: Heath Miller
Big Ben has good chemistry with him and, while a respected tight end, might be able to slip under the radar enough with Houston having to cover Ward, Holmes & Parker.

TE Honorable Mention: Randy McMichael
Remember Randy? He was in the top 8 or 10 TEs for a bit when he was with Miami. Left for St. Louis. They have installed an Al Saunders offense; same offense that made Gonzalez and Cooley household names at TE. Bulger has shown some rapport with him on the field. I dumped an injured Ben Watson and sleepers like Zach Miller and Dustin Keller to throw him on a few of my teams. I'll let you know how that turns out.

D/ST: Minnesota Vikings
I'm not sold on Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings had a great rush defense last year and improved their pass rush this year. They are going to focus on stuffing a bad-hammy Ryan Grant and try to rush an inexperienced Rodgers into mistakes. Says right here that it pays off.

I expect the Patriots and Eagles to have really good defensive days, as well. Merriman being one bad step or hit away from being done has me too scared to claim the Chargers are going to do well. I think Carolina is a better challenge than the Packers, Chiefs or Rams, anyway.

K: Josh Scobee
Honestly? Who really cares? Predicting the best kicker for the week has worse odds of being right than you have at hitting Keeno in Las Vegas. There are so many variables involved. The Cowboys can possibly score 7 TDs, but if they kick no field goals, someone will beat Nick Folk. The Jaguars have a conservative offense and a tough defense. The Titans have a questionable offense and a tough defense. That suggests to me that the Jaguars will have good field position much of the day, probably a lead and a "just don't cough up the ball" approach on offense. That often makes for a busy kicker.

Then again, Phil Dawson might have to kick a FG or two in addition to the extra points in that Cleveland/Dallas game...

If you want some projections by actual professionals at the fantasy game, head over to ESPN. But I warn you: they have Michael Turner projected to be a top 5 fantasy scorer this weekend. He's not started a real game for Atlanta, has a rookie for a QB and is facing a potent offense that goes up against Atlanta's porous pass defense. Could they be right? Sure. But they're popping off enough "we want to say something wild and hope we're right so we look amazing" stuff that they might not be all that much better than an average schlub like me.

Oh, FYI: Steve Slaton is one helluva sleeper pick at RB. Not necessarily for this week, but I have him stashed away on many of my teams...including the SCHWAPP!!! league.

UPDATE 1:30pm: OK, so maybe ESPN wasn't crazy to predict 20pts from Michael Turner. First half isn't over and he already has 14 fantasy points.

UPDATE 1:40pm: As soon as I save the first update, Turner scores another TD and goes over 100yds...IN THE FIRST HALF. I bow to Matthew Berry & the ESPN fantasy football staff.

UPDATE 1:57pm: OK, maybe I was a little rash on that Randy Moss call. He still can finish as the third best receiver, possibly, but with 111yds and a TD before the half, it is looking less and less likely.

UPDATE 2:29pm: Just saw some highlights of Michael Turner. He's got that extra gear to throw it into when he gets in the open. Most backs his size get sucked up by safeties like a Hoover vacuum, but he actually put more separation between him and the defender on his long run. Looks like Matt Ryan is good enough already to keep defenses honest.

UPDATE 2:33pm: Not a football thing, but they just showed a ICE ROAD TRUCKERS commercial (I think that's the name). I think it says a lot about the current state of TV programming that a reality show about truckers is airing on THE HISTORY CHANNEL. What's their new tagline? THE HISTORY CHANNEL: HISTORY? THAT'S HISTORY! GO READ A BOOK IF WANT INFO ABOUT ACTUAL HISTORY?

UPDATE 2:52pm: OK, my picks are starting to look questionable. Westbrook is still fairly low at the moment, but figures to get a bunch of handoffs at this point, with the Eagles up 21-0. Scobee? 1 PAT.

Updated: Are You Ready For Some (Fantasy) Football??

I've started up a SCHWAPP!!! fantasy football league on ESPN. The draft time will be set after we get all of the teams in. An effort will be made to schedule a live draft at a time all parties can attend online. If that becomes impossible to do, an automated draft will be run.

Ideally, I'm looking for people who can be flexible with their time online so that we have the option of having a live regular or auction draft. Automated lists suck the fun out of drafting.

Update (fixed link): Click on over to ESPN to join the SCHWAPP!!! league.

Well, That Time Is Almost Upon Us

The NFL season is fast approaching. In addition to my comic book obsession, I'm pretty much a fantasy football addict.

Most years, I'm just in a ton of leagues with a large number of strangers. This year, it looks like I'll be in a few more leagues populated by friends and acquaintances. But why not add one more?

If you're a reader of this blog and dig the fantasy football scene, daddy-o, drop me a line over at schwapp.online at gmail.com. I'll throw something together and send out the invites.