Archive for October, 2009

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I have a lot of work ahead of me to top Macho Man last year but I think Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn has a ton of potential.

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Well that was a business trip if I’ve ever seen one. Josh Johnson may give JaMarcus Russell a run as the worst QB in the league before this season is said and done, but even if he played well, the Bucs had no chance. The Pats weren’t quite as devastating as they were against the Titans, but this one was never in doubt as they rolled to the four-touchdown victory that I predicted in my last post. Ben Watson also earned his fantasy sleeper status by hauling in a touchdown, while New England’s D also made me look great by only allowing 7 points and tallying 3 INTs, 3 sacks and a defensive touchdown. But today isn’t about praising my great predictions, it’s about basking in the glory of another easy win, so let’s get to the links, shall we?

Per usual we will kick it off with Jerry Thornton’s Kneejerk Reactions from Barstool Sports. “When they said Kevin Faulk had his 400th catch, I looked it up and found out 15 of those are TDs. So that means the other 385 have been first downs.” So true, so true.

The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy couldn’t find anything too negative to say about the game yesterday, except for the fact that there was no reason to travel all the way to London for a blowout that could have taken place in Worcester.

Last week Shank’s colleague Tony Massarotti focused on the question of whether or not the Pats ran up the score. 35-7 seems like a polite and appropriate whopping, so I was curious to see what he would write about today. Of course he talked about how the Pats aren’t facing legitimate opponents and that the reason season has yet to begin. Fair enough.

What is this!?! A Boston writer who actually breaks down the game and provides insight instead of rambling off a regurgitated column from two years ago!?! UNFATHOMABLE! Thank you, Mike Reiss for actually doing your job.

I usually like to post Tommy Touchdown’s Monday morning interview on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan show, but I guess the cross-Atlantic flight kept him off the air this morning, so Boomer Esiason stepped in to share some insight.

I started checking out opponent’s fan’s blogs last week and plan on continuing it as long as the Pats continue dominating teams. This week, Buc’Em and Buccaneers Gab. Both are as pathetic as you’d expect.

Finally, lets jump back across the pond to see how The Guardian covers real football

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(When you’re the man you’re the man. It’s all good)

The following to be seen on NFL.com’s Blog Blitz…

PATRIOTS-BUCS FANTASY PREVIEW

Let me take a quick moment to dispel a theory that I have heard floating around New England airwaves and water coolers this week: That the outcome of Sunday’s game will be somehow altered because the Pats are playing the Bucs in London.

“Yeah, I think they’ll win, but ya never know with the timezone change,” or “I dunno man, the game’s in England, that’s a variable.”

Fiction: NFL players travel on Southwest Airlines.
Fact: They fly in luxury jets with enough legroom for a small wiffleball game and take naps on seats that are more comfortable than any bed you have ever slept on.

Fiction: The Patriots will somehow be distracted by playing in a foreign venue.
Fact: No team in NFL history has ever handled distraction more seamlessly than a Bill Belichick Patriots team.

Fiction: The Patriots will be thrown off by the time difference.
Fact: They are playing the game at 6:00 London time. That’s 1:00 EST. If I remember correctly that is when they usually play…correct?

Fiction: The Patriots won’t be able to cover a 14.5 point spread.
Fact: They’ll continue what they were doing last week and win by 4 touchdowns. There, now I don’t need to file a game prediction. Two birds with one stone.

How will these facts affect your fantasy football team? Play your Patriots, sit back, relax. That simple. At this point Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker are must-starts every week, so I will skip over them and move on to the tougher decisions.

3 to Start…

Laurence Maroney - RB, Patriots
He looked great last week in the snow and may have finally turned the corner as a featured back in this league. Injuries to Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor will ensure that he sees the bulk of the carries against a defense that ranks 2nd-to-last in rushing defense, allowing over 170 yards per game on the ground.

Cadillac Williams - RB, Bucs
Arguably the weakest area of the Patriot’s team this season has been their rush defense. Ranked outside the Top-20, they have allowed a staggering 4.7 yards per rush. Williams has emerged as Tampa’s go-to-guy, so look for him to compile at least 100 total yards in a losing effort.

New England Defense
Tampa has very similar offensive stats to the Titans, and we all saw what the Pats D was able to do against them last week. There won’t be any snow at Wembley Stadium, but New England should dominate a Bucs offense averaging less than 15 points per game.

…3 to Sit…

Derrick Ward - RB, Bucs
He shouldn’t still be on your team, but if he is, drop him. After compiling 83 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 he hasn’t scored or put up more than 37 yards in a game.

Antonio Bryant - WR, Bucs
Kellen Winslow has become the focal point of the Bucs lackluster passing attack, and the Pats have been very good in stopping the air game this year. Winslow may get his yards but Bryant won’t do anything.

Tampa Bay Defense
See above.

…and a Sleeper

Benjamin Watson - TE, Patriots
The only Patriot receiver who didn’t get in on the action last week, look for Brady to try and involve his tight end early. Or he’ll just go deep to Moss. It’s a risky play but if you’re desperate for a tight end then give #84 some love.

That’s all for now, I’m off to read more about the Steve Phillips/Stan Van Gundy sex scandal.

What?…That wasn’t Stan Van Gundy?

Oops. My bad. Still, it’s a great day to be an Ithaca Bomber!

Photo courtesy of the ‘Stool

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Wow. Just when I thought I would have to struggle to find something to post today I learn that a fellow proud Ithaca alum went Fatal Attraction on Steve Phillips and his family.

AND THEN…a friend sent me this link. I recommend track #2. Sadly, Tim, this probably is your shining hour.

Like I’ve said before. Sometimes it’s hard to be a blogger, and sometimes shit just writes itself.

Thanks to Scott K. for the link

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I refuse to tweet, but a little publicity never hurt.

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This game reminded me of when I used to play Madden ‘95 on Sega and control both teams to see how big of a blowout I could create. Short of having Vince Young sprint backwards into the end zone for safeties the Titans did just about everything they could have to help produce that final score. Seriously, Tennessee played possibly the worst 60 minutes of football ever. They completed as many passes to the Pats as they did to their own team. They gave up 59 points and their defense was CONSIDERABLY better than their offense. The D put up -2.00 fantasy points while Kerry Collins put up -4.38. They looked like they were wearing sneakers while the Pats had the best snow cleats on the market. I honestly felt embarrassed for them. What did Jeff Fischer say to them at halftime or after the game? Nothing, right? There cannot be words for that.

These articles have been much more fun to read than last week’s, so lets get right to them…

I closed with it last week but lets lead off with Jerry Thornton’s Kneejerk Reactions over at the Stool. The Harlem Globetrotters/Washington Generals disparity is an even better analogy than a manipulated video game matchup.

The title of Mike Reiss’ game story on ESPN Boston says it best: Now that’s more like it.

I am actually having more fun reading Titans blogs than Pats blogs this morning. Music City Miracles gives some reactions and post-game quotes.

Adalius Thomas was a healthy scratch from yesterday’s game, and apparently wasn’t even in Foxboro for the game, the Boston Herald reports. Wasn’t this guy supposed to be one of the most dominant 3-4 pass rushers in football? Am I missing something?

How disappointed must Danny Downer and the rest of the Boston Globe’s aging columnists have been when they realized that they wouldn’t be able to run the “Tom Brady is officially done” piece that they threw together Saturday night during CSI: NY commercials? These guys must break out into hives when a local team is so successful that they can’t write negative pieces about how depressing it is to be a Boston sports fan. But if you think the Pats played well enough that even the most pessimistic writers would have to provide SOME positive feedback, well, you just don’t know the Boston Globe. Bob Ryan said that we should still not believe that the team is very good, Tony Massarotti chose to focus on the question of whether or not the Pats ran up the score, and Shank…well, Shank didn’t write anything today. But yesterday he recycled a column about the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, so he must have felt that he provided enough gloom already this week.

Here is a Tennessee fan’s observations of yesterday’s debacle posted on Fanhouse. His wife left the room because he was so upset. And it was only 24-0 at that point.

One more, I can’t help it, I love reveling in the misery of others. NFL Gridiron Gab posted the obligatory “Where do the Titans go from here?” post.

Finally, Tommy Touchdown went on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan show this morning to downplay his greatness and discuss how Belichick will bitch about the 1st quarter delay of game call.

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I was in the zone from the minute I woke up this morning. I caught the early bus so I had enough time to get breakfast before work, a major sports blog linked to the ‘Dise, I went to Scali’s deli and destroyed their Friday special mac & cheese and chicken fingers, and then I just hit a putt to win office golf. It’s just one of those days. I’m feeling it. Unless it rains at Indian Wells I would venture to say that I will stay in this zone all weekend long, so do yourself a favor and log on to Bodog.com to use my knowledge on a few parlays. No need to thank me when you win, but a beer or two the next time you see me won’t be discouraged.

REDSKINS -6.5 over Chiefs
I know Washington sucks. I know that they have yet to play a team with a win (crazy, huh?). And I know that the Chiefs are probably not quite as bad as their record. But if there is one thing I don’t bet against its a team that is playing for their coach, at home.

BENGALS -5.5 over Texans
Cincy is actually a good team. Sneaky good, on both sides of the ball. I liked Houston at the start of the season but they have let me down, they’re still a year away.

Browns +14 over PITTSBURGH
14 points is way too much for any game between two AFC North rivals.

VIKINGS -3 over Ravens
Depends which Ravens team shows up, but the Vikings are just playing too well right now.

JAGUARS -9.5 over Rams
If this were any other team in the league +9.5 against Jacksonville I would be taking them. Raiders, Bucs, whoever. THAT is how bad the Rams are. All I can hope for is Steven Jackson to pick up his obligatory 80 rushing and 20 receiving yards to fill his 10 fantasy point quota.

Giants +3 over SAINTS
There are certain teams (Indy, New England, Pittsburgh) that always play well coming off a bye week. Veteran teams that need the rest and create their own momentum. I think New Orleans is one of the other teams. The G-Men have the pass rush to disrupt Brees and the running game to keep the ball out of his hands. This is a big “show-me” game for the Saints but I don’t think they have it in them.

Panthers -3 over BUCS
Carolina isn’t an attrocious team. If they played the Redskins schedule they would be 4-1. Tampa, on the other hand, is an atrocious team. Not much to celebrate down in Channelside this year.

PACKERS -13.5 over Lions
Detroit without Calvin Johnson is like Milan High School without Jimmy Chitwood.

Eagles -14 over RAIDERS
Yes…THAT bad.

Cardinals +3 over SEAHAWKS
I like Warner in a shoot-out, but both QBs are great fantasy starts. The Cards are averaging less than 60 yards a game on the ground, which is a normal first half for Adrian Peterson. So, yeah, they’re going to sling it.

JETS -9.5 over Bills
http://foxyurl.com/K8K

Titans +9 over PATRIOTS
http://www.sportsfanparadise.com/?p=897

FALCONS -3 over Bears
Coin flip.

CHARGERS -3.5 over Broncos: UNLOCK OF THE WEEK

The only thing crazier than the Broncos getting 3.5 points is that I’m still picking against them out of spite.

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