Ramblings Week 8: House Of Horrors

It's mid-season for fantasy football owners and while there have been many happy returns on such players as Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Reggie Wayne, and others ... there have been many horrors as well. Players who were drafted high but so far have been huge letdowns. What's the outlook for some of these players who have had nightmarish first halves. Will they rise from the grave or continue to plummet into the depths of fantasy hell?

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RB Matt Forte (Chic)  If you drafted him, it was most likely in the early first round. Are you gritting your teeth yet? He's only had one game of 100 yards and one TD (vs. Detroit).  The only favorable match-ups left on the schedule are this week vs. Cleveland and in Week 13 against the Rams. The Bears play the Lions in Week 17 and that most likely won't help you. If he DOES go off on the Browns this week, SELL HIGH and trade him because his struggles will continue afterwards.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson (SD) After watching him try several times to get into the end zone against the Chiefs and failing, it's clear LT has lost a step or two. He's already missed two games to injury and had only one TD to his credit this year. However, hope is not lost if you look at his schedule. Oakland's swiss cheese run defense gives him one last chance to stay in your starting lineup this week. He also has good match-ups in Weeks 12 and 13 (Chiefs and Browns). And if he does manage to turn it around, he could be very valuable if  you make it to "Championship Week 17" where the Chargers play the hapless Titans.

WR Steve Smith (Car) With solid match-ups the last three games and nothing to show for it, Smith is an obvious bench candidate. He has zero touchdowns in his first five games. With the way Jake Delhomme is playing and a really rough schedule, it's unlikely we'll be seeing much production here. You might want to look elsewhere.

WR Terrell Owens (Buff) The outlook is bleak here as well. Buffalo's QBs do not have the arms to get the ball deep to T.O. and the aging Owens seems to have lost the ability to make tacklers miss and get any YAC. You might want to consider spot starting him in Weeks 10 and 14 against the Titans and Chiefs, but other than that, forget the popcorn.

WR Anquan Boldin (Ariz) Injuries have once again hampered Boldin this year, but he's always had the knack for bouncing back from them. The Cardinal's schedule is too juicy (especially in Weeks 16 and 17) to give up on him just yet. Be patient and I think you'll be glad you did come Week 10 and beyond.

WR Roy Williams (Dal) He was supposed to take T.O.'s place as the #1 WR. Didn't work out that way however as Miles Austin came out of nowhere too put up humongous numbers. Williams only has 12 catches and one TD ... having as much value as he did last year in Dallas. The Cowboys schedule doesn't get a lot easier and Williams is battling injuries.  Find a replacement for him in your lineup if you can.

TE Jason Witten (Dal) Compared to other TEs like Owen Daniels (5 TDs), Visanthe Shiancoe (5 TDs), and even Ben Watson (4 TDs) Witten has been a disappointment with only 1 TD thus far. However he's still on track for 80-90 catches and with his chemistry with Tony Romo, I can see him easily scoring 5-6 TDs the rest of the way. Wouldn't give up on him just yet.
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Just Saying...

   Dan Synder could easily go as PC from the PC and Mac commericals for Halloween.
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IFFL Update

  Yo Adrian, I did it!!!! Finally a win against my arch-rival John Hatfield and his Green Bay Dynasty! Knocked the Dynasty off of the ranks of unbeaten 99-57. Huge division win and a great 5-2 first half! However, despite the win I am still amazingly in fourth place in the division. The good news is I made up some ground in points thanks to big games from Tony Romo, Chad Ochocinco, and DeSean Jackson. I'm only 16 points back from the West Virginia Dolphins who currently hold the number two spot.

Glory Division	W	L	PS
Green Bay Dynasty	6	1	481
West Virginia Dolphins	5	2	434
Buckeye Wrecking Crew	5	2	424
Miami Waves	5	2	418
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies	3	4	479

  This week I face off against the Bruney Broncos, whose main weapons are Drew Brees, Frank Gore, Joseph Addai, and Calvin Johnson (if he plays). It's a week where everyone in the Glory Division plays someone from the pathetic Power Division and I NEED the Power Division to pull some upsets ... except against me of course.

My lineup for the week:

TMQB	Dallas (Tony Romo)	vs. Seattle
RB	Chris Johnson (Tenn)	vs. Jacksonville
WR	Mike Sims-Walker (Jac)	@ Tennessee
WR	Devin Hester (Chic)	vs. Cleveland
WR	DeSean Jackson (Phil)	vs. NY Giants
WR	Mario Manningham (NYG)	@ Philadelphia
PK	Ryan Longwell (Min)	@ Green Bay
DST	New York Jets	vs. Miami

My options are limited at WR with Randy Moss and Chad Ochocinco on bye, but I am tempted to replace Manningham with LeSean McCoy or Felix Jones. Something for me to ponder before the weekend.

Was another great fantasy week for me, going 4-1 again with only loss in the Total Dynasty League.

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Fantasy Monsters and Evil Clowns for Week 8

Here are some monsters that should help you ravage the competition this week:

RB Steven Jackson (Stl @Detroit) If he can't score a TD or two against the Lions, I don't know WHO he can! Even with teams stacking to stop him he's managed to be among the top five in rushing yards. This is a good week to have him in your lineup.

RB Darren Sproles (SD vs. Oakland) If you watched the Raiders / Jets game like I did, you saw them give up over 300 yards rushing to Thomas Jones,  Shonn Greene, and company. LT will get his touches, but how much you want to bet Sproles will rip off at least one long run for a score?

QB Bret Favre (Minn @ Green Bay) Think Favre won't be fired up for this one? Think the Lambeau Field chaos will rattle him in any way whatsoever? I don't. I think he will put on a clinic just like he did against them on Monday Night a few weeks ago.

WR Mike Sims-Walker (Jac @ Tenn) Tennessee's secondary is just plain awful. I doubt the bye week helped to improve them much. Walker has developed great chemistry with QB David Garrard and is a playmaker. A must start.

And now some evil clowns that will give you nightmares if they are in your lineup:

WR Ted Ginn Jr. (Mia @ NY Jets) Did you see him drop two passes against the Saints that would have been big plays? I don't believe he will have many looks after that ... and will be covered by either Darrell Revis or Lito Sheppard. Fuggetaboutit!

QB Matt Hasselbeck (Sea @ Dallas) The Cowboys defense came alive the last two games getting to the QB. Seahawks O-line aging. Result will not be good for Hasselbeck.

RB Ryan Grant (GB vs. Minn) He's going to have a rough afternoon against the Williams duo (Pat and Kevin). Expect the Packers to have to pass against the Vikings late in the game and abandon the run early.

RB Pierre Thomas (NO vs. Atl) Where did he go? Mike Bell and Reggie Bush getting majority of touches in the red zone all of a sudden. Time to step back and watch this situation.
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    Have a safe and very Happy Halloween!

Week 7 Ramblings: Stud Edition

A very good week for me in fantasy football. Went 4-1 with my only loss coming in the Total Dynasty League. This ran my records to 4-2 (IFFL), 4-2 (FFTwitter), 4-2 (RapidDraft), 3-3 (16 Man Brawl), and 2-4 (Total Dynasty). Almost to the halfway point in the season and things still looking positive for the most part.

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Icon Fantasy Football League Update

Defeated The Toronto Tigers 77-61 and squeezed into fourth place in Glory Division.

Glory Division	W	L	PS
Green Bay Dynasty	6	0	424
West Virginia Dolphins	4	2	388
Buckeye Wrecking Crew	4	2	362
Miami Waves	4	2	319
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies	3	3	421

However, I did not make up a lot of points, still way behind in that category. This week saw me attempt to trade for Tom Brady, but to no avail. Also dropped the disappointing Beanie Wells for RB Laurence Maroney, who I will start this week against Tampa Bay in London.

My opponent, for the second time this year, will be John Hatfield and his undefeated Green Bay Dynasty. His main weapons this week... a buttload of Colts (Manning, Wayne, Collie and Indy DST), Marion Barber, and Roddy White. If by some miracle, the Rams can hold the Colts to say ... three TDs .. I may have a small chance. My lineup for the week should look like this:

TMQB	Dallas (Tony Romo)	vs. Atlanta
RB	Laurence Maroney (NE)	@ Tampa Bay
WR	Randy Moss(NE)	@ Tampa Bay
WR	Chad Ochocinco (Cin)	vs. Chicago
WR	DeSean Jackson (Phil)	@ Washington
WR	Mario Manningham (NYG)	vs. Arizona
PK	Ryan Longwell (Min)	@ Pittsburgh
DST	New York Jets	@ Oakland

I'm hoping the Patriots have another huge game across the pond in London against the Bucs. They may be my best bet to win this game. It would be nice if Romo had a good game against the Falcons, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Manningham keeps scoring TDs when I bench him but not when I start him. McNabb finally started throwing DeSean Jackson the ball last week, but it might be harder to do so against a stingy Redskin defense. Overall, I'm not feeling very confident this week. I really would like to beat the Dynasty for once, but I have a bad feeling it won't happen this year ... again. I hope I'm wrong.


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Start Your Studs?

This week brought an interesting debate over whether as fantasy owners we should always start our studs no matter what the matchups might otherwise tempt us to do. I have always favored the concept of starting my top guys over a good matchup spot-start, but others would argue you have a better chance to win if you play the matchups.

While there are never any absolutes in fantasy football there ARE reasons we draft certain players high. It's because we know they are capable of putting up great numbers and helping us win fantasy games on a week to week basis. The risk involved in starting a lesser player just because he has a great matchup against a weak defense is just too high for my blood.

A prime example: In Week 5 we saw Atlanta at San Francisco. Going into the week there were some who considered Michael Turner a risky start against the tough 49ers defense, and in foresight he probably was. But long term memory can be a fickle thing. Turner is a goal-line monster. 3 TDs against the Niners and anyone who benched him due to his "tough matchup" was cursing themselves.

Another example: This past week there was some hedging about Drew Brees going against the Giants top ranked defense. One person in my IFFL league even went so far as to bench him for David Garrard against a weak St. Louis defense. Two things wrong with this logic however: A)Jaguars actually have an offense that runs the ball to set up the pass and has an elite RB in Maurice Jones-Drew, which is why Garrard is considered a #2 QB on any fantasy roster. B) The Saints offense passes to set up the run, especially in a tight game against an opponent the caliber of the Giants. If you drafted Drew Brees early, you did so because of the high powered passing game. You did so because he has the ability to throw for a lot of yards and multiple touchdowns against any team in the league. His bottom line against the Giants: 369 passing yards and 4 TDs. Garrard threw for over 300, but failed to register a score. Will Brees outscore Garrard EVERY week? No ... but he will MOST weeks.

In my opinion, there are three elite QBs who should never be benched regardless of the matchup: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees. Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers fall close(But not quite there)to this mark as well due to the passing games of their respective teams. There is no defense these guys can't dissect in any given week.

There are several RBs that should not be benched: Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew (I'll be eating some crow about this one in a future post)and Chris Johnson. All have the big play ability that even the stoutest of defenses find hard to stop.

WRs? Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne, and Andre Johnson. Again, their talent and knack for the big play make it a ridiculous prospect to even consider benching them, especially with capable QBs throwing to each of them.

But when does a stud stop being a must-start? Or more accurately .. when does a stud stop being a stud? There are exceptions to every "rule". Things do change afterall .. how do you know when it's time to bench your high pick? When is a slump too long? Personally, I give the player five to six games to get a good read on how weak his performance really is. Say I had drafted Matt Forte in the first round this year. His production has severely lacked in the first six weeks, only one TD and one 100 yard rushing day. Now is the time to think about whether to bench him for someone else. He has lost his stud statis for now and until he starts producing the numbers I think he's capable of, he's a risk in my lineup unless I have no better options.

Of course, this is all subjective to an owners personal opinion and other factors like past history or experience. But my stand on the matter of fantasy studs is you only bench them if there is a EXTREMELY good reason to.


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Studs, Duds, and Sleepers For Week 7

STUDS

RB Cedric Benson (Cin) Think Benson will be fired up to play the team that gave up on him? I do. Look for him to get a couple of scores and a give a lot of stiff arms.

RB Laurence Maroney (NE) Maroney finally got an opportunity to shine last week when Sammy Morris got hurt early against the Titans. This week against the Bucs in London he should have the same success he had against Tennessee and run for over 100 yards and a TD.

WR Vincent Jackson (SD) They've been burned by big play WRs all season. No reason Jackson won't be the next one to post huge numbers against them.

Philadelphia D/ST The Redskins have had trouble scoring against inferior defenses like the Rams and Chiefs. Just because someone else is calling the plays doesn't mean that will change against a much better Eagles squad.

DUDS

QB Mark Sanchez (NYJ) Raiders will harrass the young QB and force him into even more mistakes.

RB Chris Wells (Ari) Has been biggest rookie disappointment, even with a career high number of touches last week. Hightower gets all of the red-zone touches anyway.

RB Marshawn Lynch (Buff) Not getting the touches he did last year. Fred Jackson earned his right to split time in first few weeks.

WR Santana Moss (Wash) Don't expect a long TD against the Eagles, which seems to be the only way Moss ever scores.

SLEEPERS

RB Steven Jackson (STL) Hard to label him a sleeper, but after zero TDs so far, the streak has to come to an end sometime. Colts run defense average.

RB Chester Taylor (Minn) Steelers will be focused on stopping AP and blitzing Favre. A few screen passes or draw plays to Taylor may be in the gameplan.

WR Chaz Schilens (Oak) If he plays, he would add a very needed set of hands to a dismal Raider passing game.

WR Michael Crabtree (SF) Why not? You know SF will need some sort of spark against the Texans. Maybe the rookie will surprise.
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Week 6 Ramblings

Went 3-2 this week, getting wins in IFFL (3-2), Total Dynasty (2-3), and RapidDraft (3-2). Lost in FFtwitter (3-2) and 16 Man Brawl League (2-3). Overall, a very average start. Would be nice to have ONE of my teams be 4-1 or even 5-0, but I guess I should be happy none of them are 1-4 or the dreaded 0-5.

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Icon Fantasy Football League Update
Squeaked out a 42-40 victory against the Delaware Enforcers to improve my record to 3-2 .... but as crazy as it may sound, I fell to LAST place in the Glory Division! This week was one of those where nobody played a game within their division. And OUR division won every game. It's incredible how these standings look after five weeks:

Power Division	W	L	PS
Bruney Broncos	2	3	283
Toronto Tigers	2	3	171
Cincinnati Superstars	1	4	246
Running Vikings	1	4	194
Delaware Enforcers	1	4	191

Now check out MY division:

Glory Division	W	L	PS
Green Bay Dynasty	5	0	360
Buckeye Wrecking Crew	4	1	321
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies	3	2	345
West Virginia Dolphins	3	2	296
Miami Waves	3	2	242

What really sucks about this is our playoff system takes the best two teams from each division, not the four best teams OVERALL. So if things keep going this way we could have two teams from one division with losing records make the playoffs and we could have two or three teams with winning records MISS the playoffs. So even with a winning record I'm a game out of the playoff chase and a LOT of points behind in tiebreakers. Not only do I need to win, I need to score some massive points and FAST.

This week I face my fiancee Penny and her Toronto Tigers (1-4). Toronto is currently dead last in Total Points Scored in the league, but get a lot of players back from a bye. Chicago TMQB (Jay Cutler), RB Matt Forte, RB Thomas Jones, and WR Anquan Boldin are the main weapons for the Tigers.

My lineup for the week COULD look like this:

TMQB Cincinnati (Carson Palmer) vs. Houston
RB Chris Johnson (Tenn) at New England
WR Randy Moss (NE) vs. Tennessee
WR Chad Ochocinco (Cin) vs. Houston
WR Mike Sims-Walker (Jac) vs. St. Louis
WR Devin Hester (Chic) at Atlanta
PK Ryan Longwell (Minn) vs. Baltimore
DST NY Jets vs. Buffalo

My debate is between WRs Devin Hester, Mario Manningham (at New Orleans), or DeSean Jackson (at Oakland) as my fourth WR. The rest of my lineup is set in stone. I'm hoping Sims-Walker makes up for getting himself inactivated for being late to a meeting before last week's game.

Hester is facing the statistically weakest pass defense in Atlanta (22nd) so my initial thought is to start him. Was disappointed in Jackson only getting one catch last week and figure he will be covered by CB Nnamdi Asomugha who regularly shuts down #1 WRs. Manningham's touches have decreased since Hakeem Nicks has returned from injury. So if anyone out there reading this wants to chime in on their opinions of who they would start, I'm all ears.
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Week 6 Studs, Duds, and Sleepers


STUDS
WR Randy Moss (NE) Facing a weak Tennessee secondary that gives out passing yards like they are candy, Moss could have his first huge game of the year.

WR Braylon Edwards (NYJ) Only four days after being traded from Cleveland, Edwards had an impact for the Jets on Monday night, catching a TD, (Heheh, did I mention I predicted that?) Think about what an additional week of practice with QB Mark Sanchez and a matchup against a leaky Buffalo defense will do to possibly inflate his impact.

RB Cedric Benson (Cin) Benson is now the league's leading rusher going against a defense that very susceptible to the run.

QB Aaron Rodgers (GB) The Lions will have no answer for the strong armed QB. Detroit has allowed at least two passing TDs in every game so far.

DUDS
QB Joe Flacco (Bal) Flacco will have his hands full dodging the Vikings pass rush.

RB Steve Slaton (Hou) Not having the impact of last year thus far. Chris Brown being used as goal-line back. Plus, Bengals defense is getting stronger.

RB Fred Jackson (Buff) With Lynch back and offense grounding to a halt, his value has dropped off the face of the earth. Jets defense not a good relaunching point.

WR Laveranues Coles (Cin) Ochocinco, Andre Caldwell, and Chris Henry stepping up their games. Coles is fading into the background.

Sleepers
TE Jeremy Shockey (NO) The ex-Giant could go ballistic on his former team.

RB Michael Bush (Oak) If the Raiders want any chance to score points, they'll need to use him a lot.

WR Michael Jenkins (Atl) Has been quiet thus far, but is due for one of his sporatic 2 TD games.

DST Tampa Bay With Jake Delhomme throwing INTs and other Panthers fumbling the rock, we might just see a pick 6 or other defensive score.

Week 5 Rumblings and Rants

Not a great fantasy week for me this time. Went 2-3, but the two wins were in FFtwitter and my first in the Total Dynasty League. I only won in the FFtwitter league by four tenths of a point!! (Yikes, talk about your close shaves.) And the only reason I won in the dynasty league was because my opponent didn't turn in a lineup and had two or three players started on a bye week. Interesting how one week can make you go from feeling really good about your teams to being angry at yourself for drafting a team full of bums. Darren McFadden??? In three leagues??? What was I thinking????

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!