Tag Archives: NFL

Going all-in on Tebowmania

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Yeah, I’m that guy. You know the guy in your fantasy league that dropped everything to get Tim Tebow this week? That’s me. And I did that in both of my leagues.

Tebow was named the Denver Broncos starting quarterback earlier this week. And he’ll be behind center when the Broncos come out of their bye week and face the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 23.

Tim Tebow

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. Associated Press photo

I’m not a huge Tebow fan, certainly not one of those nuts that paid to have billboards placed in the Denver area stating why he should have already been the team’s starting quarterback.

And I’m not sure if he deserves the job now. By the way, isn’t it strange how the Broncos did everything they could to bury Tebow on the depth chart during the preseason, only to make him the first QB off the bench to replace a struggling Kyle Orton in Week 5? I’m sure fans can be comforted in knowing they have that much pull over in an organization. But they probably shouldn’t be comforted by that notion.

So I have my doubts on Tebow as an NFL quarterback. No idea what to expect.

But from a fantasy football point of view, I couldn’t pass it up. Tebow was a machine in fantasy leagues at the tail end of last season. I heard on NFL Network earlier this week that he was the highest scoring fantasy player – at any position – during the final three weeks of the 2010 season.

That point is supported by the fact that he’s rushed for a touchdown in seven of the last eight games he has played in, even though many of those games he appeared in spot duty only. The guy is his own goal-line running back.

I don’t know how the Tebow Experiment Part 2 will work. But it’s added a little intrigue to the NFL season.

Fantasy footballers kept on the edges of their seats

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I was really hopeful that the NFL lockout would end Thursday. But if there’s one thing I should have learned by now, it’s that a lockout that has dragged on for months isn’t going to come to a screeching halt in one day.

As the lockout heads into Friday, it’s officially less than a month until my fantasy football league drafts. That will be held Aug. 21. I have no reason to think this lockout will go on much longer, but you never know. I’d just as soon see it end.

Jamaal Charles

Getting Jamaal Charles back in 2011 with the No. 16 pick is pretty much impossible. Associated Press photo

I feel more pumped for this NFL season than some previous ones. There are a few reasons for that:

  • As I mentioned yesterday, the Minnesota Twins are still alive. But they’re still a below .500 team that’s hard to get too excited about.
  • Last year, I won my league’s fantasy baseball title (thank you Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki!). This year, I’m stuck in third place, having endured injuries to every reliable starting pitcher I’ve had this season (Josh Johnson, Brett Anderson, Jon Lester, Erik Bedard, etc.).
  • I grew up a Chicago Bears fan, and the Bears were actually - and unexpectedly, from my point of view - pretty good last season.
  • I won my league’s fantasy football championship last season (thank you Jamaal Charles and Jason Witten!). I’ve won a few fantasy titles over the years, but I’ve never successfully defended a title. Can’t wait for another chance.

Back to fantasy football, I got word earlier this week that all 16 teams are returning to the league I’m in. Hard to believe as hot and humid as it’s been that we’re even talking about football season.

I’m leaning toward writing a weekly blog post on fantasy football. There’s definitely enough interest. I’ve always tried to avoid it, because there’s already SO MUCH fantasy football info on the Internet. But hey, why not?

Hopefully there’s some good news Friday on the NFL front.

Our graphic designer Troy Becker has put together a pretty sweet illustration for when the lockout ends. And I’m waiting to trot out some Minnesota Vikings preview stuff I’ve been working on as well. Stay tuned for that.

Also, thanks for all of the comments on yesterday’s blog post. I’ll make a habit of checking the comments more frequently if I continue to get that type of feedback.

The curious case of Cris Carter

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Another year of Pro Football Hall of Fame voting has come and gone, and once again, Cris Carter finds himself on the outside looking in.

Carter and former teammate Chris Doleman were both bypassed for election into the Hall on Saturday. Doleman was a great player, too, but Carter’s omission is much more surprising.

When Carter retired from the NFL, he was second on the NFL’s career list in receptions and receiving touchdowns, with the famous ESPN phrase, “All he does is catch touchdowns.” He had an incredible ability to haul in passes from the sidelines, and I always felt he was one of the league’s better route runners.

I don’t think there’s any doubting that Carter will one day get in. What’s interesting about the Pro Football Hall is the fact that at most seven people can be inducted every year. And at most, only five can be non-senior (players from decades ago) finalists. So while Carter might have gotten “snubbed,” the players that did get in – Deion Sanders, Richard Dent, Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Faulk, along with NFL Films guru Ed Sabol – are all quite deserving.

What is on Berrian’s Blackberry?

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A couple reportedly tried to extort $30,000 from Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian after finding Berrian’s Blackberry. Berrian has since gotten the Blackberry back, but I’m left wonder, “What was on that Blackberry that would make two people think they could get $30,000 from an NFL player?”

Obviously, you have to start with incriminating photos of Brett Favre. Or maybe there were some photos of another player. Who knows? Just seems like a lot of money to me.

The Jay Cutler rules

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I’ve opted to do what so many in the media didn’t on Sunday, and that’s wait a day or two and gather information before saying or writing anything about the Jay Cutler injury.

I realize with Twitter and Facebook, many have a desire to get opinion out there as quickly as possible. But there is a lesson to be learned after watching ESPN analyst after ESPN analyst cover for themselves following critical statements about Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler and the accusations that he quit on his team.

As I’m sure you’re well aware, Cutler went to the sideline early in the third quarter after what is now being diagnosed as a sprained MCL in his knee. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that it’s a Grade II tear. Those grades are on a scale of I, II and III.

I should start by saying that it is absolutely newsworthy when fellow NFL players like Darnell Dockett and Maurice Jones-Drew accuse him of quitting on his team or not giving his all. 

But I’m of the opinion that analysts and pundits should be more responsible. I expect those on ESPN and NFL Network to not act like they work for Fox News or MSNBC. I expect them to think rationally.

Yet immediately after Sunday’s game was over, ex-players now working for ESPN and NFL Network were critical of Cutler, saying that he should play through the pain and not pout on the sidelines without any news whatsoever regarding the severity of the injury or without acknowledging at all that head coach Lovie Smith himself pulled Cutler from that game.

The big reason why these accusations are being floated around was because Cutler isn’t a popular guy. In fact, he might be the least popular player in the NFL. There’s a perception he’s pouts and whines, though despite being the most-sacked QB in the NFL, I don’t recall much whining this year. So when ex-players see an opportunity to pounce on Cutler, they do so.

But after everything that’s happened over the last 48 hours, it feels like Cutler has become a sympathetic figure. Who would have ever thought that?

Many of these analysts backed off their statements on Monday, saying they didn’t “accuse him of faking injury.” ESPN’s Tom Jackson said the Bears should have given him an ice bag or crutches so in the injury looked more obvious, essentially blaming the Bears for what his colleagues were saying. Yeah, he really did say that. Check the link above.

Another former player – ESPN’s Derrick Brooks – criticized Cutler on Sunday for not being tough enough on TV and tweeted this (among others):

HEY there is no medicine for a guy with no guts and heart

He also backed off on Monday, as you’ll see in this video. Now he’s saying he didn’t quit on his team, but he could be a better cheerleader.

So let’s chronicle the Cutler criticisms over the last couple of years:

  • He throws too many interceptions.
  • In 2010, he cuts down on INTs but leaves playoff game with injury, so he’s a quitter.
  • Well, he was really injured. But shouldn’t he be more rah-rah when he is injured? And he looks like he pouts on the sidelines. We’d rather see him giggling and laughing with teammates, despite having been knocked out of the biggest game of his life.

If the next step in the progression is, “We don’t like his hair,” then the Bears might have hope that he can be the next Tom Brady.

Want to get your picture taken with a cooked bear?

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The Bears-Packers rivalry might have gone too far. Or maybe it hasn’t gone far enough.

A St. Paul bar owner is going to roast a bear to show his support for the Green Bay Packers in today’s NFC championship game against the Chicago Bears.

That’s a pretty interesting story. But what’s even more unusual is that the bear can’t be served to the public because it didn’t meet standards. So all anyone can do is get their picture taken with it. Could make for some good Christmas cards, right?

Defense – not offense – rules the day in NFL

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For all of the talk about the NFL being all too kind to offenses, a quick glance at the remaining playoffs teams reveals the contrary.

All four teams left in the NFL postseason are ranked in the top six in scoring defense. And while they might not have the high-powered offenses that draw the biggest ratings, it’s probably no surprise that defensive-minded teams are the ones left standings.

The popular theory is that offense is everywhere. Receivers can get away with everything. You can’t hit the quarterback anymore. All that jazz.

Point being it’s easy for teams to generate offense now. But the teams that stand out are the ones that despite – all of the rules that favor offense – are still able to be sound defensive teams. And I think that applies to the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

As for my predictions, you’ll find them on D3 of Sunday’s Forum. But in case you missed it, here they are:

Four storied franchises hook up in what should be a couple of pretty good conference championship games.
The New York Jets have been world beaters so far this postseason. After all, when you beat a team like the Jets did last week, there’s no other term that can be used. The New England Patriots had dominated throughout the final eight weeks of the regular season, yet the Jets took down the Super Bowl favorites. However, this is familiar territory for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I’ll take experience.
And for just the second time in NFL history, the Bears and Packers meet in a playoff game. These two teams split the regular-season series, though the Bears weren’t playing for anything when they met in Week 17 loss to GB.
Bears 27, Packers 21
Steelers 23, Jets 13 

Adrian Peterson’s bathroom break leads to employee getting fired

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If you need a Saturday morning link to check out, Yahoo Sports’ Shutdown Corner has it.

The NFL blog had a story Friday about Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson needing to use the McDonald’s bathroom after the restaurant had closed. Long story short: An employee recognized Peterson and she let him in. Employee is fired because of it.

Can’t wait to see where this story goes. After the media reported the story, the employee was given her job back. I wonder if Peterson will make any efforts to reach out to her.

Vikings would prefer to raze the roof

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There are a whole slew of issues with the Minnesota Vikings search for a new stadium, notably the budget deficit that the state has.

But one other issue is whether or not a new stadium should have a roof, which would add a couple hundred million dollars to the cost. The Vikings say no, while most lawmakers – reportedly – say yes.

The Vikings are willing to pay a third of the cost of a roofless stadium but contribute nothing toward any additional costs for a roof, according to this story.

I can understand where the team is coming from. For eight home dates a year, why would they want to spend money on a roof. But from my perspective, what good does it do to have a third brand-new roofless stadium in the Twin Cities.

That stadium would have a big advantage over Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium during the winter months when it comes to drawing concerts, monster truck rallies, what-have-you, if it has a roof.

Vikings go from contenders to team in transition

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Funny how a disappointing season like this past one can make a team go from seasoned to old. Or from “team to beat” to rebuilding.

After a 6-10 campaign that – through tiebreakers – left the Minnesota Vikings in last place in the NFC North for the first time in 20 years, there’s no telling how far the franchise might go to change up the current mix of players and coaches.

If you buy the Minneapolis Star Tribune report from yesterday, then Leslie Frazier will get the “interim” tag removed and become the head coach next season. So it appears the Vikings will opt for some stability with the coaching staff.

But they have 18 players eligible to become free agents this offseason. Among the key players are LBs Chad Greenway and Ben Leber, DL Pat Williams, K Ryan Longwell, WR Sidney Rice and, of course, QBs Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the Vikings would like to keep their young free agents, meaning they’ll push to retain Rice and Greenway. It should be an interesting offseason for Rice, who showed some flashes of brilliance this past season. How much will he get this offseason? And with the Vikings’ QB position in flux, will that hamper their ability to keep him? Rice might not want to become Larry Fitzgerald (who went from Kurt Warner to John Skelton/Derek Anderson/Max Hall throwing to him) next year.

Speaking of the QB spot, I really think Favre is done this time. Don’t put that in stone just yet, but I really believe he’s done. And I really think he would have been done prior to last season if three Vikings hadn’t gone down to Mississippi to retrieve him.

And I have no doubt the Vikings won’t keep Jackson too. They’ll start fresh at QB. I think that would be best for both sides.

My guess is the Vikings will look at QB – and offensive line, too – pretty hard in this draft. They’ll find a spot-filler to take the starting job for 2011 until that QB is ready.

I know there’s a few fans out there who think Joe Webb is the QB of the future. That may be. But I don’t think they’re going to put all of their eggs in that basket. Let’s remember that Webb saw significant action in the team’s final three games – starting two of them – and has yet to throw his first NFL touchdown. So temper your expectations. Actually, that might be a good motto for the whole team next season.

Finally, if you didn’t notice, I opted not to make NFL picks this past week. Too messy when so many teams are playing for nothing. I went 4-1 in Week 16 to finish the year 43-27. That’s much better than I would have hoped.