While killing some time browsing on Amazon.com I came across a review I wrote a couple of years back for Stefan Fatsis' A Few Seconds of Panic. If you're looking for some good winter reading, especially now that football season is in full swing, I highly recommend it (especially to Broncos/Redskins fans - lots on Mike Shanahan):
"I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, and as the 2008 NFL season is winding down, it provided an interesting look at a team that year in and year out is in the thick of the playoff race - the Denver Broncos. Fatsis does a great job touching on a number of different subjects including kicker subculture, coaching approaches to game preparation and roster cuts, the NFL as a bureaucracy, and players who go largely unnoticed from city to city, filling in for injured players and making the league minimum's salary on various practice squads. As a football fan, gaining a better understanding of the off-season, training camp, and the preseason from someone almost entirely on the inside was well worth the time on this page-turner.
The book is a lot about the mechanics and psychology behind kicking, and as an often-overlooked part of football, that's fine. But while Fatsis seemed to assimilate well with Denver's coaching staff, kickers, Quarterbacks, and a handful of other various position players, much of the book focuses on players toward the bottom of the depth chart who don't even make the 53-man roster. His book relied too heavily on a small group of players, leaving me feeling like there were many other personalities and stories that he either left out or did not have access to despite his presence being casually accepted by the majority of the Broncos organization.
This is a story of a 43-year old who becomes a member of a professional team as an experiment, and much credit to Mr. Fatsis for pulling that off in a league that is incredibly controlling of its media exposure. But it is also a story largely about the journeymen of the NFL, as Fatsis tries to uncover why these players, many of whom are injured, neglected by the coaching staff, or unlikely to ever find a steady job playing professional football, still show up to fight for roster spots. I would have liked to see more about the players with more job security (non-kickers) and gotten more of a glimpse into the preparation they go through year after year and what their impressions of the game, league, and team were.
Definitely a great piece of writing and Fatsis' story in this book is just as interesting as that of any of the players."
Showing posts with label Turducken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turducken. Show all posts
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Turducken Power Rankings Week 7 Edition
Six teams at 3-3 are chasing the Maddenisms, Murkin Men (5-2), and Brwlers (4-2). But even for teams at 1-5 and 2-4 there’s a lot of season left and plenty of time to challenge for playoff spots. Onto the power rankings!
1) Team Murkin Man (Last week: #1): TMM remains #1 but faces a tough challenge this week with 5 usual starters injured or on their bye week.
2) Manhattan Maddenisms (#2)- Usually Tight Ends don’t matter much but a questionable Antonio Gates could make the difference this week for the Maddenisms, especially since two of San Diego’s WRs are out.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys (#3) - GSO lost a close one last week, scoring less than 100 points for only the 2nd time this season. Strong performances by Roddy White, Jabar Gaffney, and Miles Austin this week will make up for the low projection for RB Thomas Jones.
4) GaGa's Penis (#4) – ESPN projectors love Gaga’s Penis but I’m still not convinced that Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman will score almost as many points as Aaron Rodgers this week. Keep an eye out if Roy Williams stays hot in Dallas – he’s on pace to put up some career highs but is competing for Tony Romo’s attention with Austin, Bryant, and Witten.
5) BKLYN Brwlers (#6) – The Brwlers have won 4 in a row, and even with Megatron and LT on BYE weeks, only one player is projected to score under ten points from Brooklyn, and that’s recent pickup RB Chris Ivory. Who? Look him up, he could soon be New Orleans’ #1 back.
2) Manhattan Maddenisms (#2)- Usually Tight Ends don’t matter much but a questionable Antonio Gates could make the difference this week for the Maddenisms, especially since two of San Diego’s WRs are out.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys (#3) - GSO lost a close one last week, scoring less than 100 points for only the 2nd time this season. Strong performances by Roddy White, Jabar Gaffney, and Miles Austin this week will make up for the low projection for RB Thomas Jones.
4) GaGa's Penis (#4) – ESPN projectors love Gaga’s Penis but I’m still not convinced that Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman will score almost as many points as Aaron Rodgers this week. Keep an eye out if Roy Williams stays hot in Dallas – he’s on pace to put up some career highs but is competing for Tony Romo’s attention with Austin, Bryant, and Witten.
5) BKLYN Brwlers (#6) – The Brwlers have won 4 in a row, and even with Megatron and LT on BYE weeks, only one player is projected to score under ten points from Brooklyn, and that’s recent pickup RB Chris Ivory. Who? Look him up, he could soon be New Orleans’ #1 back.
6) Oaktown Griz (#8) – Knowshon Moreno and Beanie Wells are finally back from injuries and bye weeks, and Jeremy Maclin should have a big game with Desean Jackson out of action on Sunday. Look for Oaktown to get over 100 points for the 2nd straight week and continue to move up in the standings (and rankings).
7) Chelsea Pirates (#5) - Losing Dallas Clark for the season is a huge blow to the pirates, but with the best Running Back combo in Turducken (Gore, Mendenhall, Best) the Pirates are still a tough matchup for any opponent and a likely playoff team.
8) Pre Season Champs (#7) – Could Deion Branch be the answer to all the Champs problems with underachieving Shonn Greene and Percy Harvin? No, but if he follows up a great first game back in New England with more double-digit performances he sure won’t hurt!
9) Gowanus Grwlers (#10) – Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been disappointments so far and Larry Fitzgerald consistently mediocre, all of this overshadowing the resurgence of Steven Jackson and a Bears defense that has been playing much better with the return of Brian Urlacher from injury in 2009.
8) Pre Season Champs (#7) – Could Deion Branch be the answer to all the Champs problems with underachieving Shonn Greene and Percy Harvin? No, but if he follows up a great first game back in New England with more double-digit performances he sure won’t hurt!
9) Gowanus Grwlers (#10) – Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have been disappointments so far and Larry Fitzgerald consistently mediocre, all of this overshadowing the resurgence of Steven Jackson and a Bears defense that has been playing much better with the return of Brian Urlacher from injury in 2009.
10) Kathleen Turner Overdrive (#11) – Brandon Jacobs has scored in the double digits for the past 3 weeks, and Steve Smith (Carolina) seems to have recovered from injury. KTO missed being in the 3-3 club by 4.5 points last week, but is hoping to regain that ground with a tough matchup against fellow smacktalking GaGa’s Penis.
11) DC Dementors (#9) – Big Ben is back in Pittsburgh and should start putting up numbers quick against Miami who ranks low against the pass. But where is DeAngelo Williams???
12) Team Box (#12) – Only one player on Team Box scored over ten points last week – Kicker Rob Bironas. Good thing too, because otherwise Team Box’s starters only put up 26 points. Don’t expect that to repeat this week, as Team Box has some favorable matchups and could possibly knock off the injury/bye week plagued Murkin Men.
12) Team Box (#12) – Only one player on Team Box scored over ten points last week – Kicker Rob Bironas. Good thing too, because otherwise Team Box’s starters only put up 26 points. Don’t expect that to repeat this week, as Team Box has some favorable matchups and could possibly knock off the injury/bye week plagued Murkin Men.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Turducken League Profile of the Week
Could there be better timing to launch a new Turducken weekly series profiling each team starting with the current team on the bottom and working our way up to #1? Not like being 1-3 at this point means anything, a win in Week 5 and Team Box will be right back in the top 8 with the rest of the league currently at 2-2. And is it just me, or is there some interesting trade action buzzing?
QB: Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre
RB: Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Fred Jackson, Clinton Portis
WR: Randy Moss, Hakeem Nicks, Louis Murphy, Josh Morgan (SF), Joey Galloway (Washington)
TE: Tony Sheffler (Detroit), David Thomas (New Orleans)
D/ST: Buccaneers, Saints
K: Rob Bironas
Tier 1:
Michael Turner, Randy Moss, Cedric Benson
Tier 2:
Clinton Portis, Hakeem Nicks, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre
Tier 3:
Fred Jackson, Louis Murphy
Comments: If Clinton Portis weren't out for a few weeks with an injury, Team Box would have a great foursome of backs, especially since Marshawn Lynch was traded to Seattle and Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller seem destined to have a healthy split of carries in Buffalo. Michael Turner and Cedric Benson have gotten off to relatively slow starts but should start to pick up their production as Atlanta and Cincinati's matchups improve (except for Cinci's remaining games against pittsburgh and baltimore...).
Rob Bironas is a good kicker, Tennessee can move the ball pretty well but doesn't have that go to guy to catch touchdowns in the red zone. The Saints defense will create points on special teams and with turnovers and play particularly well at home.
Now what everyone is talking about: a trade currently under league review that would send Brett Favre to teh Brklyn Brawlers for Marques Colston. Colston would fall under the tier 2 player category, as does favre, and each have upside but serious downside.
Favre: Has a lot of weapons and proved last season he's still a great quarterback. Lingering questions over his age and ability to sustain an entire season of punishment against some of the league's best defenses in the NFC North and AFC/NFC East teams who the Vikings are scheduled to face. Also how much will the Vikings rely on Adrian Peterson? Will they let Favre throw 25-30 times per game? Plus he is retiring after this season. Or is he....?
Colston: Off to a slow start this year (8.5, 8.5, 4, and 5 points respectively in the first four games), lots of weapons on the Saints offense could mean reduced targets some games, but once the saints pick it up on offense they can easily put up 500 yards passing and 4-5 touchdowns, which is plenty to go around. In the first four weeks of 2009, Colston only averaged 12 points per game... it wasn't until weeks 5-7 that he put up 26, 16, and 17). Could that be the case again this year?
What do you think of the trade considering Team Box and Brklyn Brwlers??
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Week 5 Power Rankings
A bit of movement on the power rankings this week, and if you check the transaction wire things are abuzz around the league. Cadillac Williams has changed teams and the PreSeason Champs picked up the Rams defense, probably since they are playing the Lions this week.
One sidenote - if you look at the standings and each team's total points scored, it almost goes perfectly in order from top to bottom. Let's see how long that lasts.
We've got one team undefeated and seven teams deadlocked with 2-2 records. Who will start to pull ahead??? On to this week's rankings!
1) Team Murkin Man (Last week: #1): Still undefeated, TMM will look to role with minimal impact by this week's byes against the Bklyn Brwlers, winners of their last two after a slow start to the season. Look for Ray Rice's #s to begin to pick up but DeSean Jackson to have lower output until Michael Vick returns to take control of the Eagles offense from Captain Check-Down, Kevin Kolb.
2) Manhattan Maddenisms (#2)- Six of the Maddenism players are on the injury report or on a bye this week which might be some kind of record. But Adrian Peterson and Antonio Gates still make the Maddenisms a favorite to continue to put pressure on Team Murkin Man.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys (#3) - GSO has put up over 100 points in 3 of their first 4 games and is looking for its first back-to-back wins of the season this week against the Dementors. Besides a small lack of depth at running back, their wide receiver corps is deep and have some very favorable matchups this week. Look for a lot of points and a big win for GSO to keep them in the chase for 1st place.
4) GaGa's Penis (#4) - Pop quiz! which GGP running back leads the team in average points per game? If you guessed 2009 league leading rusher Chris Johnson, you owe GGP a beer! Peyton Hillis, whether you buy the hype or not, has put up some monster consistent numbers. GGP will hope Chris Johnson can start to do the same, and their points and win total will start to climb.
5) Chelsea Pirates (#5) - The Pirates lost a nail-biter to GSO in Week 4 largely in part to Brandon Marshall forgetting that he is a professional football player on national tv on monday night. Santonio Holmes returns this week, however, and Rashard Mendenhall will come off Pittsburgh's bye next week rested and with the return of 2-time superbowl champion and skeezeball, Big Ben Roth.
6) BKLYN Brwlers (#8) - The first team to move up in the power rankings, the Brwlers are teaching a class in how to mix experience with young up and coming players. How LaDanian Tomlinson and Ryan Matthews do for the next few weeks will go a long way in determining where the Brwlers will be standings wise at the end of the season.
7) Pre Season Champs (#6) - Despite the Champs owner saying he'd rather see the Lions win than beat his week 4 opponent in Fantasy football (his rationale? The Champs have better odds of winning one more game this season), the Lions lost and the Champs prevailed. Drew Brees will start to fire it up sooner or later, and if the Packers ever decide to run the ball John Kuhn has shown a few flashes of brilliance.
8) Oaktown Griz (#7) - A tough week #4 for the Griz, as recently acquired Pierre Thomas sat out nursing an injured hamstring. Only two players scored over ten points for the Griz last week, and one was their kicker. Once a few injury and bye week woes clear up though, the Griz will be in a much better place. And while everyone is buzzing about the Randy Moss pickup helping Brett Favre's #s, look for Visanthe Shiancoe to reap the benefits as well as Moss will draw double coverage leaving Shiancoe more space up the middle.
9) DC Dementors (#12) - The other big team to make a big jump this week is the DC Dementors. A little thin at running back, but with the Giants offense clicking, Eli and Steve Smith can really carry this team. DC has great plays at Wide Receiver, why else would someone keep Mark Clayton on the bench when matched up against Detroit? DC may not get the win this week against GSO but every point will count when determining the top 8 seeds come playoff time (just 8 weeks away!).
10) Gowanus Grwlers - 6 Grwlers are on their bye this week (must be synched up or something), but Gowanus are hoping that their Miami running back tandem of Ronnie Brown and RIcky Williams come back ready to play. Their chances to steal a win this week against Kathleen Turner Overdrive will depend on Jay Cutler's availability after suffering a concussion in Week 4 since usual starter Tom Brady is off.
11) Kathleen Turner Overdrive - Injuries and bye weeks can be a turducken team killer, and while KTO sits above Oaktown, DC, and Gowanus in the official standings, two injuries to starting WRs Steve Smith and Austin Collie could be a real damper on KTO's chances at moving up to the 3-2 club. Then again, if the playoffs started this weekend, KTO would be IN, and their chance to win the league alive.
12) Team Box - After being the only team to complain publicly about their ranking in week 4, Team Box players couldn't put up double digit performances, including usually reliable Randy Moss (who unbeknownst to anyone Monday night was on the verge of being traded so kept largely out of action), Michael Turner, and Clinton Portis (who was knocked out by an injury). And after leading the Redskins down for an opening drive touchdown against the Eagles in his homecoming, Donovan McNabb went cold and finished with a subpar QB rating. What will the Randy Moss to minnesota trade do for Team Box, as they have both Brett Favre and the happily relocated WR???
One sidenote - if you look at the standings and each team's total points scored, it almost goes perfectly in order from top to bottom. Let's see how long that lasts.
We've got one team undefeated and seven teams deadlocked with 2-2 records. Who will start to pull ahead??? On to this week's rankings!
1) Team Murkin Man (Last week: #1): Still undefeated, TMM will look to role with minimal impact by this week's byes against the Bklyn Brwlers, winners of their last two after a slow start to the season. Look for Ray Rice's #s to begin to pick up but DeSean Jackson to have lower output until Michael Vick returns to take control of the Eagles offense from Captain Check-Down, Kevin Kolb.
2) Manhattan Maddenisms (#2)- Six of the Maddenism players are on the injury report or on a bye this week which might be some kind of record. But Adrian Peterson and Antonio Gates still make the Maddenisms a favorite to continue to put pressure on Team Murkin Man.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys (#3) - GSO has put up over 100 points in 3 of their first 4 games and is looking for its first back-to-back wins of the season this week against the Dementors. Besides a small lack of depth at running back, their wide receiver corps is deep and have some very favorable matchups this week. Look for a lot of points and a big win for GSO to keep them in the chase for 1st place.
4) GaGa's Penis (#4) - Pop quiz! which GGP running back leads the team in average points per game? If you guessed 2009 league leading rusher Chris Johnson, you owe GGP a beer! Peyton Hillis, whether you buy the hype or not, has put up some monster consistent numbers. GGP will hope Chris Johnson can start to do the same, and their points and win total will start to climb.
5) Chelsea Pirates (#5) - The Pirates lost a nail-biter to GSO in Week 4 largely in part to Brandon Marshall forgetting that he is a professional football player on national tv on monday night. Santonio Holmes returns this week, however, and Rashard Mendenhall will come off Pittsburgh's bye next week rested and with the return of 2-time superbowl champion and skeezeball, Big Ben Roth.
6) BKLYN Brwlers (#8) - The first team to move up in the power rankings, the Brwlers are teaching a class in how to mix experience with young up and coming players. How LaDanian Tomlinson and Ryan Matthews do for the next few weeks will go a long way in determining where the Brwlers will be standings wise at the end of the season.
7) Pre Season Champs (#6) - Despite the Champs owner saying he'd rather see the Lions win than beat his week 4 opponent in Fantasy football (his rationale? The Champs have better odds of winning one more game this season), the Lions lost and the Champs prevailed. Drew Brees will start to fire it up sooner or later, and if the Packers ever decide to run the ball John Kuhn has shown a few flashes of brilliance.
8) Oaktown Griz (#7) - A tough week #4 for the Griz, as recently acquired Pierre Thomas sat out nursing an injured hamstring. Only two players scored over ten points for the Griz last week, and one was their kicker. Once a few injury and bye week woes clear up though, the Griz will be in a much better place. And while everyone is buzzing about the Randy Moss pickup helping Brett Favre's #s, look for Visanthe Shiancoe to reap the benefits as well as Moss will draw double coverage leaving Shiancoe more space up the middle.
9) DC Dementors (#12) - The other big team to make a big jump this week is the DC Dementors. A little thin at running back, but with the Giants offense clicking, Eli and Steve Smith can really carry this team. DC has great plays at Wide Receiver, why else would someone keep Mark Clayton on the bench when matched up against Detroit? DC may not get the win this week against GSO but every point will count when determining the top 8 seeds come playoff time (just 8 weeks away!).
10) Gowanus Grwlers - 6 Grwlers are on their bye this week (must be synched up or something), but Gowanus are hoping that their Miami running back tandem of Ronnie Brown and RIcky Williams come back ready to play. Their chances to steal a win this week against Kathleen Turner Overdrive will depend on Jay Cutler's availability after suffering a concussion in Week 4 since usual starter Tom Brady is off.
11) Kathleen Turner Overdrive - Injuries and bye weeks can be a turducken team killer, and while KTO sits above Oaktown, DC, and Gowanus in the official standings, two injuries to starting WRs Steve Smith and Austin Collie could be a real damper on KTO's chances at moving up to the 3-2 club. Then again, if the playoffs started this weekend, KTO would be IN, and their chance to win the league alive.
12) Team Box - After being the only team to complain publicly about their ranking in week 4, Team Box players couldn't put up double digit performances, including usually reliable Randy Moss (who unbeknownst to anyone Monday night was on the verge of being traded so kept largely out of action), Michael Turner, and Clinton Portis (who was knocked out by an injury). And after leading the Redskins down for an opening drive touchdown against the Eagles in his homecoming, Donovan McNabb went cold and finished with a subpar QB rating. What will the Randy Moss to minnesota trade do for Team Box, as they have both Brett Favre and the happily relocated WR???
Friday, October 1, 2010
Week 4 Turducken Update w/Power Rankings
1) Team Murkin Man - 3-0. Legitimate like the Steelers or overrated like the Chicago Bears? You be the judge, but taking Matt Schaub with the #1 pick isn't looking quite as crazy after his 500 yard game vs. the redskins in week 2. Arian Foster is looking like a much better running back than the majority of players who went a few rounds ahead of him. And when Ray Rice is healthy and picks it up....
2) Manhattan Maddenisms - Like the Oakland Raiders, the Maddenisms aren't concerned with what its players do off the field, and Michael Vick has picked up right where he left off with the Atlanta Falcons pre-busted for organizing dog fighting. Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gates, and LeSean McCoy have been point scoring machines, and watch out for Hines Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw once the New York Giants and Steelers offenses get rolling.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys - Matt Forte is back! And everyone who drafted him in 2009 in the first round are hitting their heads against the wall. Roddy White, Miles Austin, and Aaron Rodgers are consistent sources of big points. And TE Jermichael Finley is having a breakout season. As the season wears on an injury to a key player could be detrimental, but until then GSO is going to rack up points and definitely compete for a top playoff seed and the highest point total prize.
4) GaGa's Penis - Can Peyton Hillis step in and be a #1 RB, especially in a division where the lowly browns have to go up against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cinci's run defenses six times? Brandon Lloyd will be a good pick up for GGP, but let's be honest: Peyton Manning, Chris Johnson, and Wes Welker will carry this team regardless of who else starts, and who wouldn't rely on those three?
5) Chelsea Pirates - Once Santonio Holmes is back from Suspension and has Big Ben throwing him touchdowns left and right, the Pirates core of three #1 RBs (Gore, Mendenhall, and Jahvid Best) leaves running back deprived Turducken owners all kinds of jealous - as long as they stay in the Pirates starting lineup when they score 50+ points! Dallas Clark and Brandon Marshall are also capable of putting up some serious points.
6) Pre Season Champs - If Fox News covered Turducken, the headline would read "Running Back Crisis - Obama's socialism to blame." While you can blame Obama for a lot of things, I guarantee he has nothing to do with horrible first weeks by PreSeason Champs Shonn Greene and WR Percy Harvin. With Andre Johnson battling an injury, Drew Brees will have to start putting up monster numbers that he has in the past to keep the Pre Season Champs in the top half of the league while they sort out their Running back situation. Watch out though, could John Kuhn be this year's version of last year's Willis McGehee?
7) Oaktown Griz - The Griz might not end the season with the highest point total, but putting up consistent numbers is just as dangerous as alternating between scoring low and high every week. Devastated by the Ryan Grant injury and nagging ailments to Beanie Wells and Knowshon Moreno, picking up Pierre Thomas should reap big rewards for the Griz moving forward - almost as good as if they got DeSean Jackson for Mark Sanchez...
8) BKLYN Brwlers - Every week, Calvin Johnson and Maurice Jones Drew are projected to score 20+ points. And every week, "washed up" LaDainian Tomlinson outscores them, sometimes combined. Shonn Greene is obviously not ready to be the #1 RB in NY so LT is looking for at least one more year of great fantasy numbers. Megatron and MJD will come around, and keep an eye on some of the younger players on this team to start putting up big numbers later in the season (Ryan Matthews, Dez Bryant, and TE Jermaine Gresham).
9) Gowanus Grwlers - Injuries are killing Gowanus, and Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams have had less than ideal matchups in the early weeks against top run defenses Minnesota and the NYJ. Tom Brady will give Gowanus consistent 20 point games, but can the rest of the team pick up their point totals (I'm looking at you, Larry Fitzgerald)?
10) Team Box - Arguably the team with the most consistent point scorers, McNabb, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson and Randy moss will sooner or later put up big games. In the meantime, Team Box is 1-2 with a starting QB, which is a much better start than last season. If Brett Favre and the Vikings get in sync during this week's bye it could be just the source of points Box needs to be among the best of the league.
11) Kathleen Turner Overdrive - KTO is poised to move up and fast once Jamaal Charles is past his bye week and Brandon Jacobs' situation gets worked out. The Giants need to play him or trade him, end of story. In the meantime, look for Mike Sims Walker to start making a bigger impact for the Overdrive once Santonio Holmes returns to the Jets from his suspension and Braylon Edwards gets another DUI - impressive considering they've all been in Manhattan where not driving a car is a pretty easy option.
12) DC Dementors - With the Giants offense off to an abysmal start, the Dementors have yet to start generating a lot of points from their first two draft picks, QB Eli Manning and WR Steve Smith. DeAngelo Williams' slow start doesn't help either - the Green Bay Packers defense has scored more points than any DC running back... it's a long season but they'll have to start producing if the Dementors want to contend for a playoff spot.
GOTW: GGP (2-1) vs. Manhattan Maddenisms (2-1): Each team is projected to score over 120 points and the winner will keep the pressure on Team Murkin Man, who is only projected 10 points above their sunday matchup the gowanus growlers.
2) Manhattan Maddenisms - Like the Oakland Raiders, the Maddenisms aren't concerned with what its players do off the field, and Michael Vick has picked up right where he left off with the Atlanta Falcons pre-busted for organizing dog fighting. Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gates, and LeSean McCoy have been point scoring machines, and watch out for Hines Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw once the New York Giants and Steelers offenses get rolling.
3) GSO Bayern Ballboys - Matt Forte is back! And everyone who drafted him in 2009 in the first round are hitting their heads against the wall. Roddy White, Miles Austin, and Aaron Rodgers are consistent sources of big points. And TE Jermichael Finley is having a breakout season. As the season wears on an injury to a key player could be detrimental, but until then GSO is going to rack up points and definitely compete for a top playoff seed and the highest point total prize.
4) GaGa's Penis - Can Peyton Hillis step in and be a #1 RB, especially in a division where the lowly browns have to go up against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cinci's run defenses six times? Brandon Lloyd will be a good pick up for GGP, but let's be honest: Peyton Manning, Chris Johnson, and Wes Welker will carry this team regardless of who else starts, and who wouldn't rely on those three?
5) Chelsea Pirates - Once Santonio Holmes is back from Suspension and has Big Ben throwing him touchdowns left and right, the Pirates core of three #1 RBs (Gore, Mendenhall, and Jahvid Best) leaves running back deprived Turducken owners all kinds of jealous - as long as they stay in the Pirates starting lineup when they score 50+ points! Dallas Clark and Brandon Marshall are also capable of putting up some serious points.
6) Pre Season Champs - If Fox News covered Turducken, the headline would read "Running Back Crisis - Obama's socialism to blame." While you can blame Obama for a lot of things, I guarantee he has nothing to do with horrible first weeks by PreSeason Champs Shonn Greene and WR Percy Harvin. With Andre Johnson battling an injury, Drew Brees will have to start putting up monster numbers that he has in the past to keep the Pre Season Champs in the top half of the league while they sort out their Running back situation. Watch out though, could John Kuhn be this year's version of last year's Willis McGehee?
7) Oaktown Griz - The Griz might not end the season with the highest point total, but putting up consistent numbers is just as dangerous as alternating between scoring low and high every week. Devastated by the Ryan Grant injury and nagging ailments to Beanie Wells and Knowshon Moreno, picking up Pierre Thomas should reap big rewards for the Griz moving forward - almost as good as if they got DeSean Jackson for Mark Sanchez...
8) BKLYN Brwlers - Every week, Calvin Johnson and Maurice Jones Drew are projected to score 20+ points. And every week, "washed up" LaDainian Tomlinson outscores them, sometimes combined. Shonn Greene is obviously not ready to be the #1 RB in NY so LT is looking for at least one more year of great fantasy numbers. Megatron and MJD will come around, and keep an eye on some of the younger players on this team to start putting up big numbers later in the season (Ryan Matthews, Dez Bryant, and TE Jermaine Gresham).
9) Gowanus Grwlers - Injuries are killing Gowanus, and Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams have had less than ideal matchups in the early weeks against top run defenses Minnesota and the NYJ. Tom Brady will give Gowanus consistent 20 point games, but can the rest of the team pick up their point totals (I'm looking at you, Larry Fitzgerald)?
10) Team Box - Arguably the team with the most consistent point scorers, McNabb, Michael Turner, Cedric Benson and Randy moss will sooner or later put up big games. In the meantime, Team Box is 1-2 with a starting QB, which is a much better start than last season. If Brett Favre and the Vikings get in sync during this week's bye it could be just the source of points Box needs to be among the best of the league.
11) Kathleen Turner Overdrive - KTO is poised to move up and fast once Jamaal Charles is past his bye week and Brandon Jacobs' situation gets worked out. The Giants need to play him or trade him, end of story. In the meantime, look for Mike Sims Walker to start making a bigger impact for the Overdrive once Santonio Holmes returns to the Jets from his suspension and Braylon Edwards gets another DUI - impressive considering they've all been in Manhattan where not driving a car is a pretty easy option.
12) DC Dementors - With the Giants offense off to an abysmal start, the Dementors have yet to start generating a lot of points from their first two draft picks, QB Eli Manning and WR Steve Smith. DeAngelo Williams' slow start doesn't help either - the Green Bay Packers defense has scored more points than any DC running back... it's a long season but they'll have to start producing if the Dementors want to contend for a playoff spot.
GOTW: GGP (2-1) vs. Manhattan Maddenisms (2-1): Each team is projected to score over 120 points and the winner will keep the pressure on Team Murkin Man, who is only projected 10 points above their sunday matchup the gowanus growlers.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Turducken Week 1 Matchups
Power rankings are in the works for a post-Week 1 release. In the meantime, some quick thoughts on the first six matchups of the season...
GaGa's Penis vs. DC Dementors: When do you bet against Peyton Manning? When he's up against the Saints. Unfortunately, the Dementors don't have any New Orleans players but could make it a much closer game than ESPN projects. Watch for breakout games from Jerome Harrison and Malcolm Floyd, two great later round picks from DC. Interestingly enough, GGP will rely on two Saints, Pierre Thomas and Robert Meachem to compliment what will be almost certainly a huge day for Chris Johnson vs. oakland. Pick: Gaga's Penis
Team Box vs. Chelsea Pirates: The Pirate's backfield of Frank Gore, Rashard Mendenhall, and Jahvid Best may be the best in Turducken. And with Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Bowe, and Dallas Clark all bound to score a ton of points off receptions, the Pirates only downfall this year may be once again at quarterback. Team Box, on the other hand, has two future hall of famers in Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb behind center. Brett Favre gets the call against New Orleans, but a stroke of bad luck for Team Box - their star RBs and WR are all up against some of the league's best defenses. Pick: Chelsea Pirates
Oaktown Griz vs. Team Murkin Man: The battle of the Bay Area, past vs. present. This game comes down to how many points Houston can store vs. Indianapolis as TMM puts its faith in #1 draft pick Matt Schaub and RB Arian Foster. The other big question here is how many points will Ray Rice score against the Jets? Oaktown might not have as flashy a roster, but if Green Bay scores a lot of points against Philadelphia (by no means a guarantee) they'll have a great shot to pull a big week 1 upset against last year's runner up. Pick: Team Murkin Man
Manhattan Maddenisms vs. GSO Bayern Ballboys: Two of last year's top scoring teams will face off in what will likely be Week 1's highest scoring matchup. Maddenisms QB Matt Ryan has a tough task against a hungry Pittsburgh defense, but will likely get a lot of opportunities to drive Atlanta down the field as Dennis Dixon will inevitably go three and out at least a few times. If Aaron Rodgers finds Jermichael Finley for a couple of touchdowns, either team could score over 150 points and still lose. Pick: Maddenisms.
PreSeason Champs vs. Kathleen Turner Overdrive (game 1 of this week's Brooklyn Bowl 2010): Drew Brees is going to score a lot of points this week, and it will be up to Philip Rivers to make up the difference despite the absence of WR Vincent Jackson. Brandon Jacobs, Jonathan Stewart, and Jamaal Charles can all score a lot of points, but will they all contribute the same week? Pick: PreSeason Champs
GAME OF THE WEEK (GOTW): The other half of Brooklyn Bowl of 2010, BKLYN Brwlers vs. Turducken newbie the Gowanus Growlers. A truly great matchup that's too close to call - even ESPN has a projected final score of 128.5 to 127. The Growlers seem to have better matchups than the Brwlers at first glance (Jay cutler vs. Detroit, Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams vs buffalo, and Larry Fitzgerald vs. St. Louis (SOMONE will pick up Derek Anderson prematurely after he passes for 400 yards and 4 TDs this week). This game will come down to the possible resurgence of Calvin Johnson, the dependability of Donald Driver, and the promise of rookie RB Ryan Matthews. Pick: Too close to call.
GaGa's Penis vs. DC Dementors: When do you bet against Peyton Manning? When he's up against the Saints. Unfortunately, the Dementors don't have any New Orleans players but could make it a much closer game than ESPN projects. Watch for breakout games from Jerome Harrison and Malcolm Floyd, two great later round picks from DC. Interestingly enough, GGP will rely on two Saints, Pierre Thomas and Robert Meachem to compliment what will be almost certainly a huge day for Chris Johnson vs. oakland. Pick: Gaga's Penis
Team Box vs. Chelsea Pirates: The Pirate's backfield of Frank Gore, Rashard Mendenhall, and Jahvid Best may be the best in Turducken. And with Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Bowe, and Dallas Clark all bound to score a ton of points off receptions, the Pirates only downfall this year may be once again at quarterback. Team Box, on the other hand, has two future hall of famers in Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb behind center. Brett Favre gets the call against New Orleans, but a stroke of bad luck for Team Box - their star RBs and WR are all up against some of the league's best defenses. Pick: Chelsea Pirates
Oaktown Griz vs. Team Murkin Man: The battle of the Bay Area, past vs. present. This game comes down to how many points Houston can store vs. Indianapolis as TMM puts its faith in #1 draft pick Matt Schaub and RB Arian Foster. The other big question here is how many points will Ray Rice score against the Jets? Oaktown might not have as flashy a roster, but if Green Bay scores a lot of points against Philadelphia (by no means a guarantee) they'll have a great shot to pull a big week 1 upset against last year's runner up. Pick: Team Murkin Man
Manhattan Maddenisms vs. GSO Bayern Ballboys: Two of last year's top scoring teams will face off in what will likely be Week 1's highest scoring matchup. Maddenisms QB Matt Ryan has a tough task against a hungry Pittsburgh defense, but will likely get a lot of opportunities to drive Atlanta down the field as Dennis Dixon will inevitably go three and out at least a few times. If Aaron Rodgers finds Jermichael Finley for a couple of touchdowns, either team could score over 150 points and still lose. Pick: Maddenisms.
PreSeason Champs vs. Kathleen Turner Overdrive (game 1 of this week's Brooklyn Bowl 2010): Drew Brees is going to score a lot of points this week, and it will be up to Philip Rivers to make up the difference despite the absence of WR Vincent Jackson. Brandon Jacobs, Jonathan Stewart, and Jamaal Charles can all score a lot of points, but will they all contribute the same week? Pick: PreSeason Champs
GAME OF THE WEEK (GOTW): The other half of Brooklyn Bowl of 2010, BKLYN Brwlers vs. Turducken newbie the Gowanus Growlers. A truly great matchup that's too close to call - even ESPN has a projected final score of 128.5 to 127. The Growlers seem to have better matchups than the Brwlers at first glance (Jay cutler vs. Detroit, Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams vs buffalo, and Larry Fitzgerald vs. St. Louis (SOMONE will pick up Derek Anderson prematurely after he passes for 400 yards and 4 TDs this week). This game will come down to the possible resurgence of Calvin Johnson, the dependability of Donald Driver, and the promise of rookie RB Ryan Matthews. Pick: Too close to call.
The winner of the Brooklyn Bowl will be the team from Brooklyn with the best record against the other BK teams. Contestants? Brklyn Brwlers, Gowanus Growlers, Pre Season Champs, and Kathleen Turner Overdrive. The trophy? a tallboy of PBR.
Turducken Me
Some quick takes on each round of Turducken's legendary draft last night.
Round 3: 6RBs, 4WRs, 2QBs
Best pick: Pierre Thomas. Why? GaGa has CJ2K and Peyton Manning to go with him-that could be the best backfield all year.
Worst pick: Steve Smith. Doesn't help that Hakeem Nicks will be Eli's top target.
Big or Bust: Ryan Mathews. You never know with Rookies.
Round 4: 5RBs, 3WRs, 2QBs, 2TEs
Shocked with Eli going this high. I know there weren't a lot of QBs on the board, but Eli is hardly worth a 4th round pick. Considering the Vikings depleted receiving corps Favre is a stretch here as well. A few early TEs off the board, but when there names are Gates and Clark that's not a shock.
Best pick: Antonio Gates. I'm not a fan of TE's going this high, but considering SD doesn't have any proven WRs, Rivers will be relying heavily on Gates.
Worst pick: Eli Manning. He's good, but this is too high with so much talent on the board.
Big or Bust: Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte.
Round 5: 5RBs, 4WRs,1QB, 2TEs
Running backs are still the popular picks as teams are starting to get their core players together.
Best pick: Jermichael Finley
Worst pick: Joe Flacco (see note on Eli).
Big or Bust: Arian Foster. Can he live up to the hype?
Round 6: 4RBs, 5WRs, 3 TEs
Interesting that Felix Jones and Marion Barber both went n the 6th round. Someone will end up with the short end of the stick on this one.
Best pick: Michael Crabtree. He could be a steal this late.
Worst pick: Clinton Portis. He's got a lot of miles and is injury prone.
Big or Bust: Felix Jones. Can he finally establish himself at the Cowboys #1?
Round 7: 3 RBs, 5WRs, 2 TEs
Probably one of the most interesting rounds when you look at the upside/downside of each pick. Most teams are adding to their bench with this pick you can tell they're willing to be a bit more risky.
Best pick: Pierre Garcon. I think he'll push Reggie Wayne as Peyton's most prolific WR.
Worst pick: Zach Miller. You have Celek, Winslow, Shiancoe available and it's Miller time?
Big or Bust: C.J. Spiller. A rookie on a talent-less team. This might be a very large burden to carry.
Round 8: 3RBs, 4WRs, 1 TE, 2QBs, 2K
2 kickers in the 8th round? Really? Where is Seth Meyers when I need him.
Best pick: anyone not picking a kicker this high
Worst pick: TIE Kaeding and Gostkowski
Big or Bust: Ahmad Bradshaw. Can he get the touches to be legit starter?
Round 9: 3RBs, 3WRs, 1QB, 1K, 4Ds
More defenses selected than any other position!?!?!
Best pick: Matt Ryan. Good value this late in the draft.
Worst pick: Ryan Longwell. Again, a Kicker?
Big or Bust: LT and Thomas Jones: both veteran backups with fresh legs ahead of them-could be a waste of space on the roster.
Round 10: 3RBs, 4WRs, 2QBs, 3Ds
Best pick: Kevin Kolb
Worst pick: Darren Sproles
Big or Bust: Steve Slaton. Can he become relevant again in Houston?
Round 11: 2RBs, 3WRs, 1QB, 2TE, 3Ks, 1D
Best pick: Owen Daniels. Good value on a pass friendly team.
Worst pick: Leon Washington. Not enough PT for Leon this year.
Big or Bust: Mike Williams. Reunited with Pete Carroll and it feels so good?
Round 12: 4RBs, 5WRs, 1QB, 1TE, 1K
Best pick: Vincent Jackson. Great value. He'll play this year and pay off bigtime
Worst pick: None.
Big or Bust: None. A pretty safe round through and through.
Round 13: 4WR,1QB, 3TE, 1K, 3D
Best pick: Devery Henderson. The way Brees spreads the ball he could easily become a flex/3WR option
Worst pick: None
Big or Bust: Golden Tate
Round 14: 3RBs, 5WRs, 2QBs, 1TE, 1D
Best pick: Vince Young. He could actually become a legit fantasy QB this year. It's the 14th round. No harm, no foul.
Worst pick:none
Big or Bust: Dexter McCluster
Round 15: 1RB, 6WR, 1QB, 1TE, 2K, 1D
Best pick: Sidney Rice. Yes, he's out atleast 6 weeks, but that could mean 10 weeks with a top-10 WR. Just in time for playoffs.
Worst pick: none
Big or Bust: Mark Sanchez. Let's see if Sanchez has a sophmore slump.
Round 16: 2RB, 4WR, 1QB, 1TE, 3K, 1D
Best pick: anyone who picked a Kicker in the 16th round
Worst pick: anyone who didn't pick a kicker in the 16th round
Big or Bust: Heyward-Bey. Let's see if he can live up to his top draft status this year with a new QB.
Round 3: 6RBs, 4WRs, 2QBs
Best pick: Pierre Thomas. Why? GaGa has CJ2K and Peyton Manning to go with him-that could be the best backfield all year.
Worst pick: Steve Smith. Doesn't help that Hakeem Nicks will be Eli's top target.
Big or Bust: Ryan Mathews. You never know with Rookies.
Round 4: 5RBs, 3WRs, 2QBs, 2TEs
Shocked with Eli going this high. I know there weren't a lot of QBs on the board, but Eli is hardly worth a 4th round pick. Considering the Vikings depleted receiving corps Favre is a stretch here as well. A few early TEs off the board, but when there names are Gates and Clark that's not a shock.
Best pick: Antonio Gates. I'm not a fan of TE's going this high, but considering SD doesn't have any proven WRs, Rivers will be relying heavily on Gates.
Worst pick: Eli Manning. He's good, but this is too high with so much talent on the board.
Big or Bust: Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte.
Round 5: 5RBs, 4WRs,1QB, 2TEs
Running backs are still the popular picks as teams are starting to get their core players together.
Best pick: Jermichael Finley
Worst pick: Joe Flacco (see note on Eli).
Big or Bust: Arian Foster. Can he live up to the hype?
Round 6: 4RBs, 5WRs, 3 TEs
Interesting that Felix Jones and Marion Barber both went n the 6th round. Someone will end up with the short end of the stick on this one.
Best pick: Michael Crabtree. He could be a steal this late.
Worst pick: Clinton Portis. He's got a lot of miles and is injury prone.
Big or Bust: Felix Jones. Can he finally establish himself at the Cowboys #1?
Round 7: 3 RBs, 5WRs, 2 TEs
Probably one of the most interesting rounds when you look at the upside/downside of each pick. Most teams are adding to their bench with this pick you can tell they're willing to be a bit more risky.
Best pick: Pierre Garcon. I think he'll push Reggie Wayne as Peyton's most prolific WR.
Worst pick: Zach Miller. You have Celek, Winslow, Shiancoe available and it's Miller time?
Big or Bust: C.J. Spiller. A rookie on a talent-less team. This might be a very large burden to carry.
Round 8: 3RBs, 4WRs, 1 TE, 2QBs, 2K
2 kickers in the 8th round? Really? Where is Seth Meyers when I need him.
Best pick: anyone not picking a kicker this high
Worst pick: TIE Kaeding and Gostkowski
Big or Bust: Ahmad Bradshaw. Can he get the touches to be legit starter?
Round 9: 3RBs, 3WRs, 1QB, 1K, 4Ds
More defenses selected than any other position!?!?!
Best pick: Matt Ryan. Good value this late in the draft.
Worst pick: Ryan Longwell. Again, a Kicker?
Big or Bust: LT and Thomas Jones: both veteran backups with fresh legs ahead of them-could be a waste of space on the roster.
Round 10: 3RBs, 4WRs, 2QBs, 3Ds
Best pick: Kevin Kolb
Worst pick: Darren Sproles
Big or Bust: Steve Slaton. Can he become relevant again in Houston?
Round 11: 2RBs, 3WRs, 1QB, 2TE, 3Ks, 1D
Best pick: Owen Daniels. Good value on a pass friendly team.
Worst pick: Leon Washington. Not enough PT for Leon this year.
Big or Bust: Mike Williams. Reunited with Pete Carroll and it feels so good?
Round 12: 4RBs, 5WRs, 1QB, 1TE, 1K
Best pick: Vincent Jackson. Great value. He'll play this year and pay off bigtime
Worst pick: None.
Big or Bust: None. A pretty safe round through and through.
Round 13: 4WR,1QB, 3TE, 1K, 3D
Best pick: Devery Henderson. The way Brees spreads the ball he could easily become a flex/3WR option
Worst pick: None
Big or Bust: Golden Tate
Round 14: 3RBs, 5WRs, 2QBs, 1TE, 1D
Best pick: Vince Young. He could actually become a legit fantasy QB this year. It's the 14th round. No harm, no foul.
Worst pick:none
Big or Bust: Dexter McCluster
Round 15: 1RB, 6WR, 1QB, 1TE, 2K, 1D
Best pick: Sidney Rice. Yes, he's out atleast 6 weeks, but that could mean 10 weeks with a top-10 WR. Just in time for playoffs.
Worst pick: none
Big or Bust: Mark Sanchez. Let's see if Sanchez has a sophmore slump.
Round 16: 2RB, 4WR, 1QB, 1TE, 3K, 1D
Best pick: anyone who picked a Kicker in the 16th round
Worst pick: anyone who didn't pick a kicker in the 16th round
Big or Bust: Heyward-Bey. Let's see if he can live up to his top draft status this year with a new QB.
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