So now my teams are 3-1 (FFtwitter), 2-2 (IFFL), 2-2 (16 Man Brawl), 2-2 (RapidDraft), and 1-3 (Total Dynasty). An even 10-10 record for me thus far. I suppose I should be happy to be breaking even ... but I'm not. Time to hit the waiver wire.....
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Icon Fantasy Football League Update
Different year ... same result against the Green Bay Dynasty. My luck continues to be awful against John Hatfield. Lost 46-36 in a low scoring affair. Another strong game from Peyton Manning and a long TD from the Bengals defense sunk me... well that and Chris Johnson, Devin Hester, and Mario Manningham coming up goose-eggs in good matchups. Still had a chance going into Monday Night's game with Ryan Longell, but he only kicked four PATS, not near enough for me to win. Fell to 2-2 .... and last place in a really strong division. The Dynasty lead the Glory Division at 4-0. Buckeye Wrecking Crew is second at 3-1. Then the three remaining teams (including my Miami Waves) all sit at 2-2. However I'm technically last due to points scored. Wish I was in the Power Division ... best team over THERE ...is 2-2. Funny how things work out sometimes. I'll see the Dynasty again in Week 7, hopefully I have better luck then.
This week I DID hit the waiver wire and claimed Jacksonville WR Mike Sims-Walker, dropping WR Steve Breaston. I also put RB Darren McFadden on IR and picked up RB Michael Bush. I can take McFadden off of IR when he returns.
My Week 5 opponent is the 1-3 Delaware Enforcers. Normally Bill Euchey's lineup would have New England TMQB, but this week it appears he is going with Seattle TMQB instead vs. Jacksonville. Guess he doesn't like Tom Brady's matchup against Denver. The rest of his lineup honestly ... looks beatable. RB LenDale White, WRs Kevin Walter, Nate Washington, Wes Welker, and TE Tony Gonzalez. I'll be pretty ticked off if I lose to the team that has scored the fewest points in the league thus far.
My starting lineup for the moment looks like this:
TMQB Dallas (Tony Romo) @Kansas City
RB Chris Johnson vs. Indianapolis
WR Randy Moss @ Denver
WR Chad Ochocinco @ Baltimore
WR DeSean Jackson vs. TB
WR Mike Sims-Walker @ Seattle
PK Ryan Longwell @ St. Louis
DST New York Jets @ Miami
Despite Romo's struggles, there is no way I can NOT start him against the Chiefs instead of Carson Palmer at Baltimore. Chris Johnson is due a good game and should get me some points against the Colts. Moss and Ochocinco do not have great matchups but you don't bench guys with their ability to make the big play. Sims-Walker is looking like Garrard's favorite receiver in Jacksonville. He should see the same looks in Seattle.
My other possible options would be LeSean McCoy against the Bucs or Mario Manningham against the Raiders. With Westbrook coming back, McCoy's touches will be minimal at best. Manningham IS a good matchup and a serious consideration ... but A) Eli's sore foot might lead to a more run oriented offense for the Giants this week and B) If Nnamdi Asomugha is covering Manningham, he's likely to only get a couple looks the entire game.
So my Start Em/Sit Em quandry for the week is Mike Sims-Walker or Mario Manningham. Feel free to chime in with your opinion either here or send me a message on Twitter.
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Raiders Rant
Living in Central Ohio I hear a lot of Browns fans griping about their team... and the management.... and the players. There is even an online petition going around to get Al Lerner to sell the team. I can sympathize with them ... being a Raiders fan. But the Raiders are worse. Why? Because of the man pictured above: Al Davis. Unlike Lerner, Davis has his hands in everything to do with the Raiders organization. The coaches? They are just bonafide yes-men who have very little say in what actually happens as far as personnel decisions are concerned.
Think about it ... who was the last Raider coach to have any real success? I don't count Bill Callahan ... his success in going to the Super Bowl was a product of the previous coaches reign, which he proved the following year by leading the Raiders to a disastrous season ... in which many similar seasons have followed since. Jon Gruden was the last Raiders head coach to stand up to Davis and actually make the Raiders look like a competent NFL team. Since then all we have had are guys who bow at Davis' feet and go along with anything he says.... except Lane Kiffin, but he was just a jerk who THOUGHT he could do things his way. He had the right idea ... just the wrong gameplan and attitude.
And the drafts ... oh god, the drafts. You could see things starting to unravel back in 2000 with the drafting of Sebastian Janikowski. Now granted, Janikowski is the all-time scoring leader in Raiders history ... but a kicker in the first round???? And despite holding records for longest field goals in Raiders history, he's also been quite inconsistent. But Al wanted the guy badly enough to grab him in the first round.
Since then, the list of first round busts has grown: DB Derrick Gibson, LB Napoleon Harris, DB Phillip Buchanon, DE Tyler Brayton, and CB Fabian Washington. Robert Gallery in 2004 was supposed to be an elite OT that would protect Raider QB blindsides for a decade or more. He's since been moved to OG ... and just a couple of weeks ago broke his leg and is out for several weeks at least. Michael Huff was supposed to be the center fielder we needed in the secondary ... but he can't tackle or cover.
And then there's Jamarcus Russell. First overall pick in the 2007 Draft. He was annointed the QB of the future ... and then didn't sign until well into the season of his rookie year, stunting his development and leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Raider Nation. Two years later we are hearing reports of him being fined for missing meetings and being overweight. So far this season he has thrown ONE touchdown and has completed much less than 50% of his passes. That's not counting the multitude of turnovers.
Is it just bad luck that all these players come in with high expectations and fail miserably as Raiders? Or is it the overall negative vibe of the organization as a whole that creates these situations? Look at Randy Moss, one of the best WRs of our time. He was electric when playing for the Vikings, but once traded to the Raiders, he had three miserable years that made you think he was washed up. Once he got out of Oakland and became a New England Patriot ... the magic returned.
Now I have tremendous respect for Al Davis and everything he has done over the years. His role in developing the old AFL, his early years with the Raiders that brought several titles, his induction to the Hall Of Fame, his place in NFL history ... all great accomplishments and well earned. But he's not living in the present. The way he deals with his team and organization is antiquated. My girlfriend told me recently that she felt sorry for Davis. That at his age, he knows his time is nearly over and is desperate for one last championship. That the only way he knows how to make that happen is to look at the past and try to duplicate it. She's right. But what Al doesn't seem to understand is that you can't go back to the future. You need a system of organization that competes with the here and now in mind.
The Raiders will NOT be back under Al Davis' tenure as owner. And while I will miss him when he's gone ... I can't wait until he is.
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Predictions
Went three for three last week. Let's see what the tea leaves say this week:
- Braylon Edwards will have an impact against the Dolphins. One TD.
- Detroit will surprise the Steelers and score at least 28 points.
- T.O. will have his first 100 yard game against the Browns.
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One Other Rant
I hate trying to open a box of Kellogg's cereal. The plastic bag inside is a pain in the caboose to open without ripping the bag and making it difficult to pour the cereal out. And if the rip is TOO big, the cereal all falls out inside the box. You'd think by now that one of the oldest cereal makers in the world could create a better way to open their product!!! ARRGGGHH!!Okay, got that off my chest. Seeya next week!
