NFL Picks and Predictions

With the NFL football season being so young only three weeks in, it is hard to really gauge where the young players are. This NFL season, however, we are fortunate to have two NFL draft pick rookies starting for NFL football teams right from the first gun of the season. Three games in, and both Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford have seen some success. Who has been the most impressive so far?

On the surface it would appear that Sanchez has been the best in a landslide, but much of that has to do with the players around him. Sanchez is 3-0 as a starter in his brief NFL career, but his defense has as much to do with that as anything that he has done. Do not get me wrong – Sanchez has looked fantastic so far. The thing about Sanchez that is shocking to me is how poised he has been. The guy never looks rattled, and that is a sign of a future NFL superstar at such a young age. He has a quarterback rating of just below 90 which is great and has only thrown 2 picks against 4 Touchdowns. Again, that is impressive.

Stafford has had his moments as well. The problem that Stafford faces is that he plays for the Lions. This guy is already being thrown into situations that create character or destroys young quarterbacks. Thus far, he has stood up quite well though the stats do not seem like it. He is 1-2 with a quarterback rating of 57.0. He has also thrown two touchdowns and 5 picks. This is partly because they have played from behind all season with the exception of that lone win against the Redskins.

All in all, the competition is pretty darn close. I do give the nod to Sanchez for one reason. He has shown an ability to throw the deep ball as he has three passes over 40 yds so far. While not mind boggling, this is certainly respectable for an NFL rookie quarterback that is only now getting their feet wet.

Who will be the better quarterback in the end is anybody’s guess, but I have a feeling they will both be around for a very long time. These are two great young talents. Hopefully they are not snake bitten by their respective teams. They are for real.

Monday Night Football has never been so thrilled. The biggest stage in football is now the place where Brett Favre will face the team he built his legend with. While this sounds like a game made in football heaven, the truth of the matter is that its weird -weird for me, weird for Green Bay, weird for the NFL at large. Nobody really thought that the Minnesota Vikings would ever face the Green Bay Packers with Brett Favre under center. Not with a purple helmet on anyways.

The truth of the matter is that when Favre retired, he retired as a Green Bay Packer. His signing with the Jets was no big deal really in Green Bay. It stunk. It made Green Bay mad. It was odd on every level. Favre signing with arguably the Packer’s worst on field enemy is another story all together. The fact that the Vikings are serious contenders in the Packers own division is just icing on the cake. The Packers are going to be in for the fight of their life to ward off the Vikings this season. Brett Favre could very well be the reason that Green Bay does not make the playoffs this year. What crime could he commit that would be any worse to a Green Bay fan?

Watching this game on Monday night will be like nothing else in recent memory as sports go. The Packers are going to be playing against Brett Favre. No matter how many times you say it, it still has to sound strange. What will it look like? The real question is, will the Green Bay players have it in for Favre? Regardless of the niceties that are sure to be thrown around on Monday night’s pregame, you can bet that the Packers are going to be a little pissed in the back of their minds. They will be coming after Favre hard and fast.

To tell you the truth, I see that as being their ultimate downfall. They are going to be looking for Favre all night long, and Adrian Peterson is going to be running by them while they do. The real weapon in Minnesota is not Brett Favre. He is the decoy now. The real weapon is Adrian Peterson. Given this, the Vikings would do well to sling some shots down the field early against Green Bay. They should get all eyes squarely on Favre. Once they focus in, then they should smash them in the mouth with a steady dose of Adrian. The worse thing they could do is get into a passing game with the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers is actually the better quarterback at this stage of their careers. Physically he is just more put together than Favre. Favre has the experience and the mojo over Rodgers, however. If Favre is going to beat Rodgers, it will have to be between the ears. He will have to shelve his ego, and let the strengths of his team lead the way. To Favre’s credit, he has done so this year so far. This is why the Vikings are 3-0. It remains to be seen if he can do the same against the Packers.

Pull up a chair, and enjoy the ride. This should be a good one.

Well, my fantasy draft is over and I could not be more pleased.  I got pretty much everything that I wanted, including my target running backs and depth.  It looks like this is going to be a banner year for my fantasy football team.  Here is a look at the NFL players I drafted, along with some quick thoughts as to why I did:

Tom Brady - Brady is coming off major injury, so I am not sure what to expect.  I know that whatever the case he will be a quality option, and early reports are very good on him being fully recovered.  Also, I got him much cheaper than I thought I would.

DeAngelo Williams- This was my primary target for this draft as Williams is one of the better running  backs that still gets little respect.  I expect he will have another huge year.  (I sure hope so)

Brian Westbrook - Westbrook is also dropping in fantasy circles due to injury and age, and I got him for a cup of coffee.  Tons of upside here, and I have plenty of back up if he falters.  It is always good to have a couple of picks like this that could potentially put you over the top if they have comeback years.

Pierre Thomas - Speaking of back up, this kid looked awesome last year.  This year he should get lots of carries.

Dwayne Bowe - Bowe is going to be getting much better looks from Matt Cassell than he is used to.  I expect a huge year from him.

Vincent Jackson – Jackson is going to benefit from having a healthy LT on the field.  That will open up the passing lanes.

John Carlson – Carlson will break out this season as a fantasy star.  He was right on the edge last year, and this year Hasselback is healthy.

Titans D/ST - Even with the losses on defense, the Titans are still super strong.

Nate Kaeding – One of the best kickers in the NFL.

Chad Ochocinco – Ocho is far from one of my favorite players, but I had to take him when he dropped to the bottom of the barrell.  Again, a player that has tons of upside and a healthy Carson Palmer.

Julius Jones – Another fine back up running back just in case of emergency.  Jones could end up among the better running backs in the NFC.

Donnie Avery – High impact speedster over in St. Louis.  He had some head turning plays last year and I got him very cheap.  With Holt gone, he could blossom.

Matt Hasselbeck – Solid, dependable back up quarterback that might be due another great year.

Zach Miller – Back up tight end with plenty of upside.

Panthers D/ST – Good solid back up defense.

Chris Chambers – The steal of my draft.  Chambers finds ways to get into the end zone, and I expect this season will be no different.

Overall, my team is balanced and solid.  I see plenty of room for the wins to flow, and I hope this NFL fantasy football season is as good as I think it will be. I will update you each week on my progress throughout the NFL football season.

Tonight is my NFL fantasy football league draft and I am anxiously hoping to accomplish a few things.  I want this year’s team to be well rounded.  The draft is a head to head draft with only ten teams, so I assume that there will be plenty to choose from.  Still, it is important to get the jump on the league with a good NFL fantasy football draft.

Each week, along with my regular NFL picks and predictions I am planning to also let you experience my NFL fantasy league experience.  You can see the ups and downs, as well as the thinking that I put into my league.  For those that are new to NFL fantasy football, you might learn a few things.  For those that are not new to NFL fantasy football, you can laugh at me for kicks.  (It is always fun to play Monday morning quarterback.)

Going into the draft, I am hoping to draft two solid running backs with my first two picks.  I am hoping to get DeAngelo Williams rather cheaply.  And I want a balanced team that has depth.  Those are my three major goals.  I do not yet know what position I will be drafting in so it makes it hard to target much else.  I am very much a “get a good quarterback after your running back is settled”  kind of fantasy drafter.  I believe in the power of the running game.

Some players I would like to get (other than the obvious players):

DeAngelo Williams

Matt Ryan (If cheap)

Roy Williams (should be a steal after last year)

Steve Smith (an annual target for me)

I will post with my actual fantasy football team and the results tomorrow and let you know how I did.  Wish me luck NFL Football friends!

NFL  Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  The headline tore through the sports world like a bullet.

NFL Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  People read the headline and were shocked.

NFL Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  People judged.

The bottom line to this tragedy is not that Steve Mcnair was an imperfect man.  The bottom line is not that he cheated on his wife.  The bottom line is not even that Steve Mcnair was murdered….

The bottom line is that Steve Mcnair’s wife and kids are without a father and husband.  For whatever imperfections the man had, that is tragic.  Reading about his demise is hard enough for them I am sure, but reading the judgement of their Father has to be worse.

Everybody knows Steve Mcnair was not living the way a husband and father should live.  He made a mistake and payed the ultimate price.  A price that will haunt his family, and his legacy forever.

Steve Mcnair’s wife and Steve Mcnair’s kids are the victims that are left behind to deal with the vultures.  The horrific blog postings and jokes that are flying around sicken me to the bottom of my soul.   Those kids do not deserve to hear that about their father, no matter his moral crimes.

I remember when WWE wrestling legend Chris Benoit snapped and killed his wife, kid and himself.  The same thing happened then.  The vultures flew in and made fun of a horrible tragedy.  Something about death and destruction brings out the sadist in some people.

We do not know the fine, intimate details of Steve Mcnairs life, marriage, or morals.  We have no right to judge the man.  It really is that simple.  Who among us knows people that have cheated on a spouse.  Should they then all be murdered?  Of course not.

I would love to see Steve Mcnair get a new headline.

NFL Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  And People Cried.

NFL Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  And People Grieved.

NFL Steve Mcnair Shot Dead!  And People Had Just A Touch Of Mercy and Class.

When everybody’s fantasy football draft rolls around, it is not likely that tight ends will be at the top of everyone’s draft list.  That is logical considering even the best tight ends do not even come close to contributing what a quarterback or running back will provide.  Still, the 2009 NFL football season will have some tight ends that will challenge the wide receivers of the league.

This season, there will be at least five of them that you can expect to fill your fantasy scorecard week after week.  Here they are:

Jason Witten – Witten already was putting up pinball type numbers for the Dallas Cowboys before Terrell Owens left, and now he is going to be targeted even more.  Add to that the fact that the Cowboys have a super running attack and you start to see how Witten is set for a career year.

Dallas Clark -  Clark is another example of addition by subtraction.  Harrison is no longer there for Manning to throw to, and Clark should pay the dividends.  Reggie Wayne will still be the man, but Clark will likely be the primary number two in crunch time.

Antonio Gates - Gates is an unquestioned beast when he is healthy and it appears that he is finally there.  Offseason foot surgery solved a long standing problem and that probably means bad news for the rest of the AFC.  Phillip Rivers will be throwing to him early and often.

Kellen Winslow -  Winslow is set to finally fulfill the potential that he has been missing out on for years.  He should be near the top of your tight end list if for no other reason than he is sure to be a security for…..whoever is Tampa Bay’s quarterback.

Tony Gonzalez – Matching Gonzalez with Matt Ryan is a match made in heaven.  Not only will Gonzalez give Mattie Ice a new target, but he is the perfect compliment to the Atlanta offense.  They will feed Michael Turner, and then play action pass all day long.  Hello Tony Gonzalez!

Jay Cutler is not the most popular man in the NFL, but that is not the issue to Bears fans.  They simply want to know if he will take them back to the NFL promised land – The Super Bowl.  Unfortunately, Jay Cutler will not be the reason the Bears do or do not make that lofty goal.  Jay Cutler will play a part, but the real test will be if Jay Cutler can find somebody to throw the ball to.

Jay Cutler came over to the Bears after a huge blowup in Denver, and he is really getting a bad rap in my opinion.  Anytime a new coach comes in and starts hunting a quarterback, that is generally bad news for an incumbent quarterback.  Not only that, but Cutler was more than holding his own as one of the few positive things going in the Denver offense.  He and Brandon Marshall were really the bulk of the offense.  They did everything the Broncos could ever expect of them.  Why hunt a quarterback?

As for Chicago, it is still all about superstar running back Matt Forte.  Jay will throw the ball more often to be sure, but it will still be about getting Forte the football and letting him make things happen.   Some of that is because Cutler has no real threats at wide receiver, and some of that is because Forte is just that darn good.  Once the Bears get Cutler some better weapons, then maybe that will change.

For now, Chicago is all about Matt Forte, and the running game.   Jay Cutler will do just fine.