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Some suggestions for the Shark Pool, please read... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Ministry of Pain
- Start date
roadkill1292
Footballguy
:(
Jason Wood
Zoo York
Props to MOP for speaking his mind but in a respectful manner that didn't attack anyone specifically. 
MOP...here are some of my thoughts:
1) Eagles...McNabb is REALLY healthy, looked better than he did all of last year. Jackson is legit, but how legit we can't know b/c the Birds shellacked a downright awful secondary. Let's not forget that Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett also had 100-yard games and I've seen every down of their NFL careers and that's not something you should expect again anytime soon. The O-line was moving the pile but, again, the Rams generated ZERO pass rush. What we saw from Philly in Week One is that they're a good team. Good teams make short work of bad teams. Are they a very good team? A SB contender? I just can't say yet, but I saw a lot that made me happy. The three biggest things that I haven't seen mentioned much but should be are:
*** Shawn Andrews played well and didn't look like a guy who missed training camp fighting depression
*** Stewart Bradley was all over the field, and is quarterbacking the defense. He already looks like the best LB we've had in years
*** The special teams were immensely better (both return and coverage) than they've been in recent years
2) AFC Dominance...I still expect San Diego (division winner) and New England (division winner) to make the playoffs, but you're right that they were the preseason SB favorites and are both down one elite player at this point. I suspect the team to beat is going to be Indy, but time will tell.
3) Target data...initial thoughts:
Michael Jenkins (2 targets, 1 catch), Devery Henderson (2 targets, 1 catch), Darrell Jackson (1 target, 1 catch), Devard Darling (1 target, 1 catch) are not WRs I would be racing to pay big free agent $$$s for. Henderson has the most upside of this group because of Colston's injury, but I still would be hesitant to overpay for him with Patten, Shockey, Meachem and Bush all around.
MOP...here are some of my thoughts:
1) Eagles...McNabb is REALLY healthy, looked better than he did all of last year. Jackson is legit, but how legit we can't know b/c the Birds shellacked a downright awful secondary. Let's not forget that Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett also had 100-yard games and I've seen every down of their NFL careers and that's not something you should expect again anytime soon. The O-line was moving the pile but, again, the Rams generated ZERO pass rush. What we saw from Philly in Week One is that they're a good team. Good teams make short work of bad teams. Are they a very good team? A SB contender? I just can't say yet, but I saw a lot that made me happy. The three biggest things that I haven't seen mentioned much but should be are:
*** Shawn Andrews played well and didn't look like a guy who missed training camp fighting depression
*** Stewart Bradley was all over the field, and is quarterbacking the defense. He already looks like the best LB we've had in years
*** The special teams were immensely better (both return and coverage) than they've been in recent years
2) AFC Dominance...I still expect San Diego (division winner) and New England (division winner) to make the playoffs, but you're right that they were the preseason SB favorites and are both down one elite player at this point. I suspect the team to beat is going to be Indy, but time will tell.
3) Target data...initial thoughts:
Michael Jenkins (2 targets, 1 catch), Devery Henderson (2 targets, 1 catch), Darrell Jackson (1 target, 1 catch), Devard Darling (1 target, 1 catch) are not WRs I would be racing to pay big free agent $$$s for. Henderson has the most upside of this group because of Colston's injury, but I still would be hesitant to overpay for him with Patten, Shockey, Meachem and Bush all around.
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Otis airline steward schtick is much better.Otis said:
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PatrickT
Footballguy
Those (mostly) exist, and there was a pinned thread that had links to all the team threads, but it's no longer pinned for some reason.
Lord Lucan
Footballguy
Here are the thoughts on the games I saw:
Panthers v Chargers
The Panthers running game was tremendously impressive on two counts. Firstly, there were some huge holes opened, and secondly, the running backs looked sharp, especially DeAngelo Williams, who was exploding through the hole - although Stewart's stats were better, I thought Williams looked better running the ball. The way this game went, although it looks to be a clear RBBC, both players could be viable fantasy starters this year; in a redraft, my preference would be for Williams at this stage. The only caveat to all this is that both Jamal Williams and Merriman were clearly hobbled and it's hard to gauge how much difference that made.
Jets v Dolphins
The eye-opener for me was how well the Jets' young CBs played. I didn't see the Jets too often last year and didn't know that much about their secondary apart from Kerry Rhodes, but second-year CB Darrelle Revis and fourth-round rookie Dwight Lowery made play after play. Now, they were facing a an inept bunch of WRs, but it will be interesting to see how they get on against Moss and co next week, even without Brady. The Jets ranked 29th against the run but 9th against the pass last year, and I reckon opponents' offensive game plans this year will again revolve around the running game rather than the passing game.
Vikings v Packers
Bernard Berrian's numbers weren't very good, but it's clear they are going to send him downfield after bombs on a regular basis. He has an inaccurate QB, which obviously won't help, but by the law of averages he's going to get on the end of a fair few of those bombs. He was underthrown when open on what would have been a long TD against GB, he also just failed to get both feet down on what would have been a TD reception, and he was the victim of a shoestring tackle which prevented a 24-yard reception from turning into a 64-yard TD. I reckon he will be inconsistent, but will also put up big yardage as the game plan looks to be to chuck it downfield four or five times a game. Similar comments could apply to Rice, but Berrian seemed to be the one going on the deep patterns this week.
On an aside, I think most teams are going to throw downfield a lot against the Packers, because their reputation for giving up huge quantities of pass interference plays is now well established.
Tarvaris Jackson may be some way short of a quality NFL passer, but he looks really good scrambling, lots of good moves, and he is pretty quick. If the game plan does involve plenty of deep routes, lots of spaces are going to open up, and the way the Packers game went, I could see him rushing for 500 yards this year. That's the equivalent of 1,250 passing yards in most fantasy leagues, which, if he can throw for approaching 2,500 yards, would make him very useful in fantasy terms. 150 yards passing plus 40 yards rushing is as good as 250 yards passing in most leagues, and he's more liable to get 3 or 4 rushing TDs this year than many QBs.
Raiders v Broncos:
Try and work out which WR is going to be lined up on the right-hand side against the Raiders; they are probably going to lead the league in targets most weeks. The evidence is clear. Asomugha is going to line up on the right hand side from the defense point of view, and as was the case last year, opposing CBs are going to go after the other CB, and as Eddie Royal will tell you, DeAngelo Hall is not going to scare anyone away. At this stage it doesn't look like Asomugha is going to shadow the opponents' best WR (see this story http://www.sacbee.com/raiders/story/1214860.html, though that was written before last week). The Raiders play the Chiefs next week. Dwayne Bowe seems to have lined up pretty much evenly on the right and left sides last week according to the play-by-play, but as a Bowe owner in a couple of leagues I'm hoping he spends plenty of time on the right side this week, as I think he'll have a big day. Incidentally, Hall will be a great play in IDP leagues, not because he's good, but because he will rack up the tackles he's going to be targeted all day and will pick the odd interception up along the way.
Panthers v Chargers
The Panthers running game was tremendously impressive on two counts. Firstly, there were some huge holes opened, and secondly, the running backs looked sharp, especially DeAngelo Williams, who was exploding through the hole - although Stewart's stats were better, I thought Williams looked better running the ball. The way this game went, although it looks to be a clear RBBC, both players could be viable fantasy starters this year; in a redraft, my preference would be for Williams at this stage. The only caveat to all this is that both Jamal Williams and Merriman were clearly hobbled and it's hard to gauge how much difference that made.
Jets v Dolphins
The eye-opener for me was how well the Jets' young CBs played. I didn't see the Jets too often last year and didn't know that much about their secondary apart from Kerry Rhodes, but second-year CB Darrelle Revis and fourth-round rookie Dwight Lowery made play after play. Now, they were facing a an inept bunch of WRs, but it will be interesting to see how they get on against Moss and co next week, even without Brady. The Jets ranked 29th against the run but 9th against the pass last year, and I reckon opponents' offensive game plans this year will again revolve around the running game rather than the passing game.
Vikings v Packers
Bernard Berrian's numbers weren't very good, but it's clear they are going to send him downfield after bombs on a regular basis. He has an inaccurate QB, which obviously won't help, but by the law of averages he's going to get on the end of a fair few of those bombs. He was underthrown when open on what would have been a long TD against GB, he also just failed to get both feet down on what would have been a TD reception, and he was the victim of a shoestring tackle which prevented a 24-yard reception from turning into a 64-yard TD. I reckon he will be inconsistent, but will also put up big yardage as the game plan looks to be to chuck it downfield four or five times a game. Similar comments could apply to Rice, but Berrian seemed to be the one going on the deep patterns this week.
On an aside, I think most teams are going to throw downfield a lot against the Packers, because their reputation for giving up huge quantities of pass interference plays is now well established.
Tarvaris Jackson may be some way short of a quality NFL passer, but he looks really good scrambling, lots of good moves, and he is pretty quick. If the game plan does involve plenty of deep routes, lots of spaces are going to open up, and the way the Packers game went, I could see him rushing for 500 yards this year. That's the equivalent of 1,250 passing yards in most fantasy leagues, which, if he can throw for approaching 2,500 yards, would make him very useful in fantasy terms. 150 yards passing plus 40 yards rushing is as good as 250 yards passing in most leagues, and he's more liable to get 3 or 4 rushing TDs this year than many QBs.
Raiders v Broncos:
Try and work out which WR is going to be lined up on the right-hand side against the Raiders; they are probably going to lead the league in targets most weeks. The evidence is clear. Asomugha is going to line up on the right hand side from the defense point of view, and as was the case last year, opposing CBs are going to go after the other CB, and as Eddie Royal will tell you, DeAngelo Hall is not going to scare anyone away. At this stage it doesn't look like Asomugha is going to shadow the opponents' best WR (see this story http://www.sacbee.com/raiders/story/1214860.html, though that was written before last week). The Raiders play the Chiefs next week. Dwayne Bowe seems to have lined up pretty much evenly on the right and left sides last week according to the play-by-play, but as a Bowe owner in a couple of leagues I'm hoping he spends plenty of time on the right side this week, as I think he'll have a big day. Incidentally, Hall will be a great play in IDP leagues, not because he's good, but because he will rack up the tackles he's going to be targeted all day and will pick the odd interception up along the way.
In this thread? Eh well so whatI was thoroughly impressed with the Titans team. Their defense was awesome. I wouldn't doubt we look back at what a performance they had against the Jags weeks from now. They can run. Both lines are very very good. Trenches, Running, and Defense to championship?Younger Kerry has led teams to the Supe and NFC Championship game. If older Kerry can just not make mistakes and let the run game and D do the heavy lifting, I think the Titans have a real decent shot. I know that's easier said than done with Kerry but ....Also, keep in mind too they already play the Colts and Jags as well as anyone, if not better.
MCguidance
Footballguy
Anyway, I hope to give a recap of Jets home games, seeing as this year I finally got my season tickets. Not much to look forward to, I know, but hey I'll try my best
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Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Travieso
Footballguy
Lord Lucan - nice insights; thanks
My two cents from the games I watched:
Cowboys v Browns
EVERY Dallas rb had huge holes to run through; interesting to see if Dallas O line that good or is Cle D line that bad (I was expecting improvement).
Cleveland got no rush; in the first half they only rushed 3; you cannot give Romo time or he will find the open receiver.
Anderson was not as bad as the stats looked; Braylon dropped 3 or 4.
Pacman still has rust but will get better as the year goes on; Henry looked great at the other corner
Oak v Denver
Despite what the stats showed, I thought Denver struggled to run the ball in the first half (Ran well after game was decided); want to see distribution of carries; shocked to see Pittman at goal line.
Thought McFadden and Fargas ran hard and seemed to have holes
Watch Russell alot in college - he still needs some coaching/experience - he won't be able to just rely on his physical abilities.
Cutler will be scary with Marshall back.
My two cents from the games I watched:
Cowboys v Browns
EVERY Dallas rb had huge holes to run through; interesting to see if Dallas O line that good or is Cle D line that bad (I was expecting improvement).
Cleveland got no rush; in the first half they only rushed 3; you cannot give Romo time or he will find the open receiver.
Anderson was not as bad as the stats looked; Braylon dropped 3 or 4.
Pacman still has rust but will get better as the year goes on; Henry looked great at the other corner
Oak v Denver
Despite what the stats showed, I thought Denver struggled to run the ball in the first half (Ran well after game was decided); want to see distribution of carries; shocked to see Pittman at goal line.
Thought McFadden and Fargas ran hard and seemed to have holes
Watch Russell alot in college - he still needs some coaching/experience - he won't be able to just rely on his physical abilities.
Cutler will be scary with Marshall back.
The Jerk
Footballguy
Great post. My participation in the shark pool is on a similar trajectory. I probably should spend more time in ACF as it would be a chance to help people who are willing to listen and not so eager to point out how they are smarter than you or attempt to wow everyone with their hilarious wit.A significant major difference in my case is that my wife had major health concerns that started last year around Thanksgiving. In fact, she's still struggling which is a continuing reason for my scarce available time. After the Super Bowl, I bumped a thread that showed a comment I had made (that had drawn withering criticism from many, especially one staff member) suggesting the Giants were a significant threat to the Patriots given their strengths on the DL and in time of possession. I also mentioned that I had been rooting for the Giants as I found aspects of the 2007 Patriots unappealing and did not want that team recognized as the greatest single season team of all time.I was dismayed at how these comments were received, as I was accused of cherry-picking and waiting for a Patriots loss to resurface. Meanwhile, my wife and newborn premature son had both just returned from the hospital in the past few weeks. Maybe, just maybe, I had other things to focus on than the message boards in January! There I was only trying to reconnect with something that had been a positive in my life for years (I communicated with Joe personally before cheatsheets.net, somewhere in 1995 or 1996 and remember the rec.sports.football.fantasy board fondly), but instead I was reminded of how much the culture of the message boards have changed.Basically, there isn't too much that can be done. I think arguably that the success of the site and its forums have caused the population to grow so large that the intimacy is lost. I would compare the earlier years of the forum to a rising rock band playing in small clubs where everyone comes to hear the music, while the current much larger forum audience brings with it a lot more noise and a lot more people who are interested in the spectacle. The biggest casualty seems to be personal respect, and that's truly unfortunate.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
Let's face it. We have posters with more insight than others. To be expected in a growing forum. I'm OK with that, as there are people who can run circles around me re football analysis. But the minute this board becomes even remotely close to the tool factor that is found on other boards like FFToday, I am gone. I love the team in season threads. How about pinning "Team in-season threads", and then being able to click the team you want to see the latest on?
maybe we should divide the ACF forum into 'Who Do I Start?' and 'I Am Starting.' The Ryan Grant thread today is pretty exemplary here. You might click on it to find out about updates on his health, but you get there and find a bunch of posts telling you guys' rosters and who they're starting Grant over.
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