Saturday, December 05, 2009

Twas The Night Before Kickoff: Week 13 Rumblings


Twas the night before kickoff
and in Santas's workshop
Old Santa was cursing
 at his tiny laptop.

When from the door,
there came such a rumble,
you would have thought that
Steve Slaton had fumbled


In burst Mr. Jingle,
Santa's Head Elf
who blustered like Jon Gruden,
 in spite of himself

"Santa come quick!"
"Rudolph's not well!"
"The veterinarian just told me,
it's a torn ACL!"

Just then Santa's visage
became like that of Bill Cowher
His cheeks got more rosy 
and his grimace quite sour.

"Not now Jingle!" he bellowed,
"Can't you see I'm quite tied up?"
"I'm trying to figure out
my fantasy lineups!"

"But Santa!" said Jingle,
you've been busy for WEEKS!"
"You've been in here so long
you're really starting to reek!"

"Have some cookies!" begged the elf
"Or you'll lose all that girth!"
"If you get any thinner,
you'll be Cris Collinsworth!"

"I'm in twelve leagues!" bellowed Santa
"And most of my teams stink!"
"But I know I can fix this,
I've just got to think!"

"I drafted Matt Forte six times,
and he's been a huge dud!"
"But of course most of the experts
thought he'd be a big stud!"

"Detroit's Calvin Johnson,
should have had a big year!"
"But instead he's been as useless
as a three legged reindeer!"

"Eddie Royal of the Broncos,
was to be my PPR giant!"
But like Cleveland's run defense,
he's been most unreliant!"

"I had Ronnie Brown,
and he started out buff!"
Oh why didn't I grab
Ricky Williams to handcuff?

"I traded Thomas Jones to the Easter Bunny,
for Kerry Collins and Westbrook!"
"One got a concussion,
the other ...the hook."

"MJD has shined brightly,
like a big Christmas tree!"
"But wow, did he screw me,
when he took that darn knee!!"

"Oh Santa." whined Jingle
"Must you be controversial?"
"We've got more problems out there,
than Peyton Manning has commercials!"

"Speaking of  Peyton Manning,"
said Saint Nick with a stutter,
"I should have drafted HIM,
instead of that bozo Jay Cutler!"

"And doggonit I knew it,
Miles Austin was a sleeper!"
"But I lost out on the waivers,
to the friggin Grim Reaper!"

"Mark Sanchez looked promising,
interceptions aside.."
"Just wish when I grabbed him,
he had learned how to SLIDE!!"

Jingle sighed in frustration,
then made a loud cackle,
he rushed and hit Santa,
with a horse collar tackle!

"Please Santa!" begged Jingle
"Just listen to me!"
"You'll make the playoffs!
I promise, you'll see!!"


"But we need you out there,
it's time for THE trip!"
"Like Ditka might say,
dude, get a grip!!"

Santa slowly got up,
then started to laugh ,
"You're right Jingle!" he said,
"Can't miss the first half!!"

"The sleigh's ready!" said Jingle.
"And I'll get your labtop."
"You can keep track of the scores,
and you won't have to stop!"

So Santa got dressed,
in his suit of bright red..
while visions of championships
danced in his head.

And as he departed the Pole,
he cried a mighty "HO HO HO!"
"Merry Christmas to all!"

"GO OCHOCINCO!!!!"

                                                                                                           By  Chris Carwile
                                                                                                            December 2009
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IFFL UPDATE

With a 63-38 victory over the Pennsylvania Pimpdaddies, combined with a Green Bay Dynasty loss, I have clinched a playoff spot and will have the opportunity to possibly repeat as IFFL Champion. Even though the Dynasty and Buckeye Wrecking Crew are both only two games behind me with two games remaining, they face each other in the final week of the regualr season, so there is no way they both can catch me.

Glory Division
W
L
PS
Miami Waves
10
2
805
Green Bay Dynasty
8
4
753
Buckeye Wrecking Crew
8
4
708
West Virginia Dolphins
7
5
718
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies
5
7
772

The remaining playoff spot is still up for grabs between the Green Bay Dynasty, Buckeye Wrecking Crew, and the West Virginia Dolphins. The Dolphins and Dynasty play each other this week while the Wrecking Crew faces my Miami Waves. While I won't spill any tears if I lose this game, I'm not going to lay down for the BWC, whose lineup will include Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Jeremy Maclin, and Steve Smith (NYG). My lineup this week:
TMQB
Cincinnati (Carson Palmer)
vs. Detroit
RB
Chris Johnson (Tenn)
@ Indianapolis
WR
Laurence Maroney (NE)
@ Miami
WR
Mike Sims-Walker (Jac)
vs. Houston
WR
Randy Moss (NE)
@ Miami
WR
Chad Ochocinco (Cin)
vs. Detroit
PK
Ryan Longwell (Minn)
@ Arizona
DST
Denver Broncos
@ Kansas City

With DeSean Jackson unlikely to play this week, I'm inserting a second RB. Maroney seems the best start, but I'm mulling LeSean McCoy as well and could make a last minute switch.



In two of my other leagues I'm having sucess as well. In the FFTwitter League (Yahoo!) I'm 9-3 and have clinched a playoff spot, while in the Fanatics 16 Man Brawl League I am 8-4 and on the cusp of making the playoffs. Need to win this week to get in though.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Week 12 Rumblings



The holidays are here!! We know what THAT means. Sitting in front of the TV watching football while we eat turkey and stuffing instead of with the rest of the family in the dining room! Why listen to grandpa regale us with stories of Thanksgiving during the Great Depression when we can listen to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman regale us their analysis of another Detroit Turkey Day one-sided contest? And all this talk about NOT having the Lions and Cowboys play on Thanksgiving every year? Forget it! Keep the tradition going! Someday the Lions will be better and the game will be more competitive. To me, Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys.
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STUDS, DUDS, AND SLEEPERS (Week 12)

-STUDS-
QB Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. Det) If Brady Quinn of all people can have a career day against the Lions defense, can you imagine the numbers Aaron Rodgers will put up on national television against them? Can't think of a better way to celebrate a holiday then to watch your fantasy QB carve up a victory.

RB Joseph Addai (Ind @ Hou) He hasn't had a 100 yard rushing day yet this season, but he's the guy who gets the ball in the red zone. Houston's run defense is horrible and I like Addai to exploit that this week.

RB Justin Forsett (Sea @ Stl) The Rams defense is horrible. The Cardinals burned them for over 200 rushing yards last week. Forsett only had 9 yards against the Vikings last week but still managed to score a TD. If you were the owner that jumped on him on the waiver wire, this could be the week he pays big dividends.

WR Chad Ochocinco (Cin vs. Clev) Ocho has been quiet the last few weeks but he scored twice against the Browns in Cleveland earlier this year. He's due for a big game and if a rookie QB can throw five TDs against the Browns, you know Palmer will have a good game. I'm betting Ocho is the main beneficiary.

DUDS

QB Tony Romo (Dal vs. Oak) The Raiders can't defend the run but CAN defend the pass and rush the QB. Romo hurt his back last week making a tackle and I can't imagine him being 100% just four days afterwards. Either the Cowboys run the ball to beat the Raiders, or Romo is so ineffective we have a John Kitna sighting. Either way, Romo's numbers will be pedestrian at best.

RB Rashard Mendenhall (Pit @ Balt) I don't like any Steelers this week if Rothlisberger is not 100% But Ravens are going to be fired up at home against an opponent they know for SURE won't be a pushover. Despite two bad games against Cedric Benson, the Ravens are still 6th best against RBs. I expect them to hold Mendenhall to under 75 yards this week.

WR Calvin Johnson (Det vs. GB) He finally had a big game, but it came against the Browns. This week he'll be covered by Charles Woodson and have Dante Culpepper throwing to him.  Not a great recipe for fantasy points. If you don't want heartbreak to go with your Thanksgiving heartburn, leave him on the bench if you have better matchups elsewhere.

TE Kevin Boss (NYG @ Den) Denver has only allowed 2 TDs by tight ends so far this year. While Boss has been on a roll the last few weeks, he and Eli Manning will find the road tough to hoe in the Mile High City this Thanksgiving Day.

SLEEPERS

WR Brandon Gibson (Stl vs. Seattle) Gibson will be starting for the Rams this week due to injuries at WR. He's looked pretty good the last couple of games and is playing a Seattle defense third only to Tennessee and Jacksonville in giving up fantasy points to WRs.

QB Alex Smith (SF vs. Jac) He's been pretty good since taking over for Shaun Hill a few weeks ago. He has certainly built a good rhythm with TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree. The Jags are having a hard time preventing big plays in the passing game lately and this could be the week Smith explodes with huge numbers.

WR Kenny Britt (Tenn vs. Ariz) The rookie first round pick finally found the end zone for his first career TD catch last week. Arizona and Tennessee will be playing in a high scoring shootout on Sunday and Britt may be in line for another score or two from Vince Young, now that he has finally busted the TD cherry.
__________________________________

JUST SAYING



The main float in the Oakland Thanksgiving Day Parade.
_________________________________

IFFL UPDATE

With a climatic 49-41 victory over the West Virginia Dolphins, and losses by the Green Bay Dynasty and Buckeye Wrecking Crew I gained a cushion in the Glory Division playoff race. At 9-2 I am one game ahead of the Dynasty and two games in front of the Dolphins and Wrecking Crew.

Glory Division
W
L
PS
Miami Waves
9
2
742
Green Bay Dynasty
8
3
690
West Virginia Dolphins
7
4
679
Buckeye Wrecking Crew
7
4
661
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies
5
6
734


My opponent this week is the Pennsylvania PimpDaddies. Despite the record, this is a team to be feared, especially in this scoring system. QB Donavan McNabb, RBs Adrian Peterson and DeAngelo Williams (Cedric Benson too if he's healthy), WRs Brandon Marshall, Hines Ward, and Miles Austin, and even TEs Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates. It's amazing that this team is almost out of contention for a playoff spot.
My lineup for this pivotal division contest:

TMQB
Cincinnati (Carson Palmer)
vs. Cleveland
RB
Chris Johnson (Tenn)
vs. Arizona
WR
Randy Moss (NE)
@ New Orleans
WR
Mike Sims-Walker (Jac)
@ San Francisco
WR
DeSean Jackson (Phil)
vs. Washington
WR
Chad Ochocinco (Cin)
vs. Cleveland
PK
Ryan Longwell (Minn)
vs.Chicago
DST
Denver Broncos
vs. NY Giants

Tony Romo's back injury concerns me too much to start him on Thanksgiving, so I'll go with Palmer .. which is a favorable matchup against Cleveland. Again, I'm tempted to start LeSean McCoy but have no idea which WR to bench, so I'll stick with my four WR formation and gut it out.
__________________________________________


Saturday, November 21, 2009

Week 11 Ramblings

We're coming up on the holidays which is always crunch time in NFL and fantasy football. This is the time where teams that are still in contention need to take a long look at their roster and make the critical decisions that can make or break their championship chances.  It's late third quarter baby! Time to pick up the pace!
__________________________________

STUDS, DUDS, AND SLEEPERS

I swear I had Ricky Williams pegged as a stud this week! Darn Thursday night games!!! Oh well ....

STUDS

RB  Pierre Thomas (NO @ TB) As hard as it is to gauge which Saints RB will do well in any given week,  Thomas is due for a big game. The Bucs defense 5th worse in points allowed to RBs and both Ronnie Brown (before going down for the year to an ACL) and Ricky Williams had success against them last week.

WR Hines Ward (Pit @ KC) Rothlisberger and company should bounce back quite nicely against the Chiefs defense. In a PPR scoring system, Ward should be gold.

RB Kevin Smith (Det vs. Clev) The Browns can't stop the run and if they can't score against the Lions, expect a heavy dose of running for Smith in the latter part of the game.

WR Anquan Boldin (Ariz vs. Stl) He's finally healthy and has a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder. Watch him take it out on a weak Ram secondary.

DUDS

RB Ladell Betts (Wash @ Dal) His solid game last week was a direct product of the injury to Kyle Orton and the poor play of Chris Simms. Don't expect similar results against a stout Dallas defense.

RB Justin Forsett (Sea @ Minn) Another one week wonder who's going against a Vikings defense second to only the Steelers in points allowed to RBs.

WR Roddy White (Atl @ NYG) The Giants had a week to resolve their issues and will be coming out determined to end their losing streak. Without Michael Turner to keep the front seven of the Giants honest, keeping White in check will be their number one goal.

WR Devin Hester (Chic vs. Phil) When CB Asante Samuels is on the field, the Eagles tend to neutralize a teams best WR. (See Vincent Jackson's stats from last week.)

SLEEPERS

RB Bernard Scott (Cin @ Oak) Only Buffalo gives up more points to RBs than the Raiders. Cedric Benson is hurting so Scott will be seeing more touches for the time being. Worth a flyer start in a deep league.

WR Muhammad Massaquoi (Clev @ Det) You would think Cleveland could get at least ONE offensive TD against the Lions defense, right? Why not the #1 WR?

WR Kenny Britt (Tenn @ Hou) The Titan are going to have to score a lot of points to keep up with the Texans, and Chris Johnson won't be able to do it by himself. (Although I really hope he DOES) Britt is going to see a few more targets with Justin Gage banged up.

QB Josh Freeman (TB vs. NO) I'm apparently really liking rookies as sleepers this week. Freeman has played exceptionally well in his first two games, throwing four TDs against fairly decent defenses. Saints defense is tough but have some injuries in the secondary.

__________________________________

IFFL UPDATE

With a 76 - 61 victory over the Delaware Enforcers my record improves to 8-2 and I maintained first place in the Glory Division. But because the Green Bay Dynasty, West Virginia Dolphins, and Buckeye Wrecking Crew all won as well ... the traffic jam continues. The good news is.. I now have a cushion in points, leading by 48 over the Dynasty, by 60 over the Dolphins, and by 100 over the Wrecking Crew.

Glory Division
W
L
PS
Miami Waves
8
2
693
Green Bay Dyansty
8
2
645
West Virginia Dolphins
7
3
638
Buckeye Wrecking Crew
7
3
593
Pennsylvania PimpDaddies
4
6
682

With my next three games against division opponents, I need to keep my winning streak going. This week is a rematch with the West Virginia Dolphins. Not an easy one though, with Dolphins RB Maurice Jones-Drew going against a weak Buffalo defense. Hopefully Chris Johnson can counter MJD's production. My probable lineup:

TMQB
Dallas (Tony Romo)
vs. Washington
RB
Chris Johnson (Tenn)
@ Houston
WR
Randy Moss (NE)
vs. NY Jets
WR
Mike Sims-Walker (Jac)
vs. Buffalo
WR
DeSean Jackson (Phil)
@ Chicago
WR
Chad Ochocinco (Cin)
@ Oakland
PK
Ryan Longwell (Minn)
vs. Seattle
DST
Denver Broncos
vs. San Diego

After Sims-Walker scored this past week, I'm not benching him again this year. Most likely the lineup I start this week will be the one I go with the rest of the way. Even though I have good backups in LeSean McCoy, Laurence Maroney, and Devin Hester I can't see any reason I'd need to start them barring injury. If this was a standard scoring system I might consider it, but with the bonus points I get for long TDs,  all of these guys need to stay.
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GO BUCKS!!!!!




Good luck tomorrow Buckeyes!! Beat Michigan for the seventh straight time!