Burl's Sports Beat

Fantasy Football Junkies

2011-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Friday's Fantasy Feast: Early Top 12 TE Ranks!

2011-03-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Will Gates be the #1 option in 2011?

So we again have no movement on the CBA and are waiting for Judge Doty's decesion April 6th but fantasy is still on my brain and most every fantasy player. So lets go over the fantasy tight end position in 2011.

Was there a position in fantasy football last year that gave more owners headaches than the tight end? I mean we had major injuries to Dallas Clark and Jermichael Finley, minor nagging one to Antonio Gates, Zach Miller and Owen Daniels and then the Patriots Gronkowski vs. Hernandez debacle and it was just an all-around mess.

Heading into 2010 I think everyone though that the tight end position was one that would be full of production as 2009 gave us 10 players over 100 fantasy points but only 5 did that last year. I think 2011 the position as a whole gets better, of course as long as injuries move to a different position ;), because the position is so very deep. Obviously we have a few must start regardless options but then there are so many decent guys at there in decent situations that this position will be a hotly debated weekly start/sit nightmare between options.

But like my quarterback rankings, the good news is of course that there are more than 12 decent TE1’s out there so every team in standard 10 to 12 team drafts should be able land a guy that they can get production from and also get a good reserve option who may just become a prime tight end in the league.

Before I get to my top 12 tight end rankings for next season, it’s imperative to analyze last year’s preseason top 12 and actual top 12 tight ends in standard scoring leagues. (10 rush & receiving yards = 1 point, 1 touchdown = 6 points.) I used ESPN preseason projections; I know some may not like their rankings but the 12 guys on this list were pretty much the 12tight ends most had anyway; just ordered a bit differently.

Reminder: Making rankings at all are nothing more than educated guesses; no one can ever be 100% positive on where guys will fall by year’s end as there are so many factors, and in March no less they are pretty useless, but fantasy football aficionados everywhere (like me) love to hear where people are valued compared to where you yourself value them.

ESPN 2010 Projected Top 12 Tight End’s

1. Dallas Clark, Indianpolis Colts

2. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

3. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers

4. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

5. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

7. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

8. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins

10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings

11. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders

12. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans

Actual 2010 Top 12 Fantasy Tight End’s

1. Jason Witten, Cowboys – 94 Rec, 1002 Rec Yds, 9 TD, 128 Tar, 146 Fan Pts.

2. Antonio Gates, Chargers – 50 Rec, 782 Rec Yds, 10 TD, 66 Tar, 134 Fan Pts.

3. Vernon Davis, 49ers – 56 Rec, 914 Rec Yds, 7 TD, 93 Tar, 129 Fan Pts.

4. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars – 58 Rec, 700 Rec Yds, 10 TD, 88 Tar, 119 Fan Pts.

5. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots – 42 Rec, 546 Rec Yds, 10 TD, 59 Tar, 107 Fan Pts.

6. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers – 66 Rec, 730 Rec Yds, 5 TD, 98 Tar, 96 Fan Pts.

7. Chris Cooley, Redskins – 77 Rec, 849 Rec Yds, 3 TD, 127 Tar, 96 Fan Pts.

8. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons – 70 Rec, 656 Rec Yds, 6 TD, 111 Tar, 94 Fan Pts.

9. Zach Miller, Raiders – 60 Rec, 685 Rec Yds, 5 TD, 91 Tar, 90 Fan Pts.

10. Dustin Keller, Jets – 55 Rec, 687 Rec Yds, 5 TD, 101 Tar, 89 Fan Pts.

11. Aaron Hernandez, Patriots – 45 Rec, 563 Rec Yds, 6 TD, 64 Tar, 89 Fan Pts.

12a. Benjamin Watson, Browns – 68 Rec, 763 Rec Yds, 3 TD, 102 Tar, 88 Fan Pts.

12b. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions – 71 Rec, 722 Rec Yds, 4 TD, 111 Tar, 88 Fan Pts.

So 7 of the 12 projected best fantasy options finished in the top 12 but I still have to believe that had Dallas Clark and Jermichael Finley not gone down so early that they would esily have been fantasy factors in 2010. One of the biggest things I did notice about the position as a whole was the sheer drop off from only one season ago.

Heading into 2010, the tight end position seemed like one that was full of more than enough decent options and not having an elite guy wasn’t that detrimental to your season but in 2010 it turns out it was. In 2009, a total of 10 tight ends finished with more than 100 fantasy points while only 5 did that in 2010. Granted lots of guy were close enough, but still, the tight end position clearly wasn’t as big a factor in the NFL as us fantasy lovers would of liked it to be.

That said, I personally believe the tight end position will make a comeback next year and in a big way. With all the players that got injured last year and the amount of decent youngsters like Tony Moeaki, Jermaine Gresham and Michael Hoomanawanui coming into their own and Dallas Clark, Jermichael Finley and Owen Daniels getting healthy again, there should be very decent options at nearly every round in all 10 to 12 team standard fantasy drafts in 2011.

So that said, let’s get to my top 12 fantasy tight ends for 2011…in March.

1. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers, 6’5” 247 lbs, 23 Yrs Old, 4^th Season.

He'll finally be the stat BEAST we all want him to be!

Heading into 2010, Jermichael Finley was mostly a hype machine, but up until he got injured in Week 4 he was definitely living up to all of it. In the 4 games he did play for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers was obviously in love with him. If you watched any of those games, Finley was being targeted over and over and was able to record 2 games of over 103 receiving yards and got a touchdown in one of those. After winning the Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers flat out said that he couldn’t wait to get back the “best tight end in football.” In that offense, with such an accurate quarterback, I think Finley is going to finally have the type of year fantasy owners salivate over. Don’t let him get by you in round 4 of 2011 fantasy drafts, he’s the real deal.

2. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers, 6’4” 260 lbs, 30 Yrs Old, 9^th Season.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Antonio Gates as for the last seven seasons he’s been nothing short of fantastic. Despite playing in only 10 games while battling a bum ankle, he was on pace to have arguably his best season to date. He had 50 receptions for 782 yards and 10 touchdowns in those 10 games and finished as the league’s second best tight end overall! Pretty incredible. What’s even better about that is he did it while Vincent Jackson was gone and Malcolm Floyd was battling injury so teams had the opportunity to focus in him….and it didn’t matter. Gates is aging though and will be 31 heading into next year. He plays with a great quarterback and a perfect system for him but Rivers will be getting Jackson and Floyd back which could potentially cut into his production. I still love him and wouldn’t let him get out of round 4 in all drafts in 2011, despite the age, I think he has, at the very least, one more dominant season.

3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys, 6’6” 263 lbs, 28 Yrs Old, 9^th Season.

So quarterback Tony Romo goes down for the year, the Cowboys fire head coach Wade Phillips mid season and Cowboys have a terrible season overall but what does Jason Witten do? Has only his best statistical season ever. He caught 94 balls on 128 targets for 1030 yards and a career high 9 touchdowns. This was his second consecutive 94 catch season and remarkably his seventh consecutive season playing in all 16 games. I expect new head coach Jason Garrett to keep Witten heavily involved in the Cowboys offense next year and with coverage’s being forced to target Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, he should have a lot of free running room across the middle and put up another fantastic season. He’s very reliable and should be taken late 4^th, early 5^th round in all 2011 fantasy drafts.

4. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts, 6’3” 252 lbs, 31 Yrs Old, 9^th Season.

Peyton will still have man crush on Dallas in 2011.

After finishing 2009 with 100 catches and 1106 yards, poor Dallas Clark caught the injury bug in Week 6 of 2010, missing the rest of the season. Despite turning 32 years old and coming off of injury, its hard to rank Dallas Clark any lower than this seeing as Peyton Manning is throwing him the ball. Before going down, Clark was well on his way to another great season having caught 37 balls (6 per game) for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns. I don’t expect Jacob Tamme to get much run while Clark is still on the team and would be hard pressed to jump on anyone ranked lower than him if he is still available. Peyton Manning will throw and he certainly will send many a ball Clarke’s way in 2011. Figure on taking Clark with a late 4^th, early 5^th round pick in all 2011 fantasy drafts.

5. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers, 6’3” 250 lbs, 27 Yrs Old, 6^th Season.

Vernon Davis had a sensational fantasy season in 2011 by going over 900 yards receiving for the second straight time. It was a little discerning that he caught only 56 receptions to his 78 the year before and that attributed to his touchdowns going from 13 in 2009 to 7 in 2010. Vernon Davis is a genetic freak as we all can see and easily the best receiving option the 49ers have, the only problem is whose throwing him the ball. As of today, new head coach Jim Harbaugh has said that Alex Smith is the starter in San Fran in 2011 and although he will certainly get Davis a good amount of catches, I think we would all love to see what a competent quarterback would be able to do for Davis. As good as Davis is, he is also very inconsistent as in 16 games last year he finished with 7 or fewer fantasy points and put up a goose egg in two of them. So while he will get you those dominant games, he could also kill your week as well. Figure Davis to be taken early to middle of the 5^th round of all 2011 fantasy drafts.

***Those are the top 5 clear cut fantasy tight ends and getting one of them on your roster is like adding a top tier wide receiver. Obviously there are injury concerns with three of them, but talent and history outweigh the risk. The rest of the tight ends I’m about to list have all the potential in the world and will hopefully help make the tight end position the deepest its ever been in 2011 allowing all 10 to 12 team fantasy leagues have a decent option.***

6. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans, 6’3” 250 lbs, 28 Yrs Old, 6^th Season.

After playing in only 8 games in 2009 and 11 games last year, it’s hard to want to have to rely on such a brittle option at tight end but Owen Daniels really closed out 2010 with a surge. In his final 4 games he had 22 catches for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns and showed that he can still be a viable fantasy option. Matt Schaub is a very good quarterback and the Texans still have a good amount of offensive firepower around Daniels and he should be the number two option in their passing game in 2011. Obviously there is risk with him so drafting a backup in the later rounds is worth your while, but if Daniels can remain healthy, he should have a great fantasy year. Look for him to come off of boards from the middle of the 6^th to middle of 7^th rounds in all fantasy drafts.

7. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions, 6’5” 265 lbs, 26 Yrs Old, 3^rd Season.

Pettigrew has all the tools to be a big threat in 2011.

After injuries ended his rookie campaign, Brandon Pettigrew proved to the Lions they didn’t waste a first round pick on him with an excellent 2011 campaign, by Lions standards. With Mathew Stafford sidelined with another shoulder injury, Pettigrew caught 71 balls for 722 yards and 4 touchdowns on 111 targets. If Stafford can have finally have a full season, there is no reason to believe Pettigrew isn’t going to be able to become an elite tight end in the NFL. That may be wishful thinking but far from out of the scope of possibility. He has the size, speed and hands to be a dominate option and I believe he gets better than last year’s numbers. Look to draft Pettigrew in round 7 of all drafts in 2011.

8. Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders, 6’5” 255 lbs, 25 Yrs Old, 5^th Season.

Despite battling injuries for most of 2010, Zach Miller still had a great season catching 60 passes for 685 yards and 5 touchdowns. Had he not been injured he would have finished with more but still did enough to make the Pro Bowl. The Raiders are definitely a team on the rise and offensive coordinator turned head coach Hue Jackson did wonders for quarterback Jason Campbell in 2010. Being that the Raiders have no quality number one wide receiving options, Zach Miller should still be the prime target in the passing game going into 2011 and is a quality TE1. With the Raiders getting better I expect Miller to do so as well and hes worth a pick in round 7 or 8 of all drafts in 2011.

9. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints, 6’6” 260 lbs, 24 Yrs Old, 2^nd Season.

The Sleeper TE of 2011, and worth drafting.

In only his rookie season, tight end Jimmy Graham impressed Saints head coach Sean Payton so much that they released veteran Jeremy Shockey this offseason. That’s a bold statement for a team to do that but 3^rd round pick Jimmy Graham is not someone to take lightly in drafts. He has the size and can catch but more importantly has one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Drew Brees and an offense that relies on its aerial attack. Graham should shine next season as the Saints look to get back into championship form and should be Drew Brees’ second option in the passing game behind wide receiver Marques Colston. I expect him to catch around 75 balls and be a prime target in the red zone. Jimmy Graham is a big sleeper for next year and is worth a pick in rounds 7 or 8 of fantasy drafts.

10. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, 6’6” 265 lbs, 21 Yrs Old, 2^nd Season.

What a season rookie Rob Gronkowski had for the Patriots in 2010 huh? Despite having 8 games in which he only caught 1 pass, he finished with 42 receptions for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns, good for 5^th best tight end in fantasy football. The best part about the Gronk’s season was that most of the production came later in the year which leads me to believe he fell more into coach Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady’s favor than fellow rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez. Although Hernandez is still a threat, the Gronk is the Patriots tight end to own in 2011 for his red zone potential alone. I expect him to increase his numbers next year and be much more reliable. Expect to take Gronkowski with an 8^th or 9^th round pick in 2011 fantasy drafts.

11. Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars, 6’6” 275 lbs, 26 Yrs Old, 6^th Season.

The Jaguars slapped a franchise tag on Marcedes Lewis this offseason and could look to sign him to a long term deal, as they should. Lewis was there best receiving threat in 2010 with his size, pass catching ability and red zone prowess catching 58 balls for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished the year as the 4^th best fantasy tight end and with receiver Mike Sims-Walker on the outs, I expect Lewis to continue to produce despite playing for maybe the most boring team in all of football. Someone has to catch balls for David Garrard and being that they should play from behind more often than not, I like Marcedes Lewis as a quality TE1 for 2011 and is worth drafting with an 8^th or 9^th round pick in all drafts in 2011.

12. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6’4” 240 lbs, 27 Yrs Old,, 8^th Season.

Winslow should grow in 2011 with growing Bucs.

Kellen Winslow hasn’t ever had the kind of season he showed us in 2007 when he went for 82 catches, 1106 yards but with the rise of the Buccaneers in 2010, Winslow may be able to at the very least get better. Last year he had a very good season catching 66 passes, 730 yards and 5 touchdowns and as quarterback Josh Freeman gets more comfortable as the starter, Winslow should be used much more in 2011. The Bucs are a young team and with wide receiver Mike Williams becoming a real threat last year, the Bucs are going to need Winslow to be the second option in the passing game and is definitely a low end TE1. He may not be a soldier, but he’ll help your fantasy team and is worth a pick in the 9^th round of all fantasy drafts in 2011.

Those are my top 12 options heading into 2011 as of right now. The best part of this position heading into this year is how DEEP it is. There are so many decent options that could surprise that I didn’t mention. For example, Tony Gonzalez, Chris Cooley, Todd Heap, Dustin Keller, Greg Olsen, Kevin Boss, Benjamin Watson, Brent Celek, Aaron Hernandez, Anthony Fasano, Jermaine Gresham, Tony Moeaki, John Carlson, Heath Miller, Michael Hoomanawanui and Visanthe Shiancoe. Though not all can be relied on as must start TE1’s there are more than enough options to make sure every team can have two quality options and also have a some options on waivers for when you’re in need.

I expect the tight end position to bounce back big in 2011 and like the quarterback position, every team should be able to get quality fantasy output from the position no matter when they decide to pull the trigger on one.

I will be back next week with some of my favorite sleeper options in standard drafts for 2011.

-BurL

NFL Rule Changes? Now?!?!

2011-03-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

More Ref involvement, might not be ALL bad. ;)

So the NFL and the players still aren't talking. Yet they continually write love letters back and forth letting each other know just how much they are dying to talk. But yet aren't talking at all, hmmm. All the while, the desperately loyal fans cling to any little tidbit of NFL information we can find - like a crack addict trying to figure out what they’re going to have to do for their next fix. Maybe not that far, but I’m getting there.

Funny though, the owners obviously found the time to go over some more rule changes for next season; one they may not even have because they WON”T TALK WITH THE PLAYERS! It’s all a bit ridiculous and though some of the changes make sense, what’s the point of worrying about such marginal rule fixes when you don’t even have the players to see if they will be better or worse.

Honestly, I am tired of the NFL constantly changing the rules every single year. Some I agreed with like the two point conversion, coach’s challenge and removing the spearing of players, but some have really gotten out of hand. A defensive player’s small window in which they can hit a quarterback, though it protects a team’s biggest asset (the real only reason it’s a rule to begin with) makes me wonder why the quarterback even bothers to have pads on in the first place. Sudden death overtime, though this has been a rule since 1941, I still think they should just play another full quarter of football and give us a real winner. Definitely as the game evolves, some changes are necessary but some of the recent changes seem more like they are changing rules just to change rules rather than trying to really benefit the game, or the player’s safety.

Take the first rule they implemented, now all kick offs will be kicked from the 35 yard line. The owners claim this is for player safety, but I am tired of hearing that. The only thing the owners obviously care about is making sure they don’t have to pay a player through the injury. Statistics show that about 10% of all kickoffs last year went for touchbacks. Watching the NFL as much as I do, it appears that a significant amount more of them land around the five yard line before the return begins. So while I don’t think we won’t see a decent amount of returns, it will definitely be a lesser amount and honestly it’s just annoying. For the 1-3 potential injuries that may be saved, it’s worth changing such a big aspect of what makes the game so fun to begin with? A kickoff is the football equivalent of a homerun. In a split second the fortunes of your teams game can change for the better or worse and its super exciting. So now we all can look forward to commercial break – touchback – commercial break. Jumping for joy over here (heavy sarcasm).

By the way, they were also thinking of removing the two man wedge (so basically no coordinated blocking schemes?!?!) and placing kick-offs at the 25 yard line which they did not (thank goodness). But they did change also change the distance kickoffs players can get a running start before the ball is actually kicked from 10-15 yards down to only 5. Again I understand this is for “safety” but it seems like nit picking to me.

Seems like a bunch of guys who want to rub their player’s noses in the fact they have the control no matter what happens with the CBA.

One rule change that I agree with is that the referee’s will confirm all scoring plays on replay no matter what just to get it right. Although I love that idea, because in today’s day in age to not get things right like baseball seems wildly archaic, does this mean EVERY single score? I mean if Adrian Peterson breaks through the defense and goes 80 yards untouched to the end zone we will have to see a ref’s head tucked in a camera like a giraffe trying to hide in the desert to really check if he crossed the goal line? Is this going to take forever like a regular replay does (why can’t they have someone watching live in a studio somewhere who has a direct telephone line to the ref so we don’t have to waste our time you know?)? Either way, this seems like another way for the owners to appear as honest lovers of the game while they reserve more time for a couple new commercial breaks….you know, for our benefit.

All in all, the NFL has made some good rule changes and not so good ones and at least it’s nice to see them take a more progressive approach (baseball we are looking at you kid), but do we need new rules every single year? Is it even the same game that players played even ten years ago? Are they being to over reactionary? I don’t know the answers to these questions but I do know this. Changing the rules now, while you don’t have the players to perform the game the rules are being changed for is ridiculous. The fact that you will all get together and negotiate amongst yourselves but yet only address the players through mail and emails is really petty and rather pathetic.

Oh, in other news, there was one little rule change that took place. Any team that wished to change the color of their field NOW requires league approval. Oh really? Only now? Although no team had ever discussed doing so to begin with, Falcons owners Arthur Blank wanted to make sure sponsors couldn’t approach teams about changing the field color. That’s rather funny seeing as the owners seem desperate for cash don’t you think? You’re changing everything else anyway Arthur, so since you owned Home Depot, why not have the Falcons playing on their brand new bright orange field? In fact, you could make it look like the circular from the Sunday paper. “Matt Ryan steps back to throw, plants his foot on the John Deer 20% lawnmower sale, bombs a deep ball to Roddy White who makes the catch in the back of end zone and kisses the 2 for 1 On all Craftsman Power Tools!”

I think you guys missed the boat on that one.

Negotiate with the players please and get on with things.

-BurL

Friday's Fantasy Feast: Early Top 12 QB Ranks!

2011-03-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Super Bowl and Fantasy Champ

Another week goes by and we still have no idea whether we will be playing fantasy football in 2011. The players are starting to talk a little too much for my tastes with one comparing the NFL to slavery and another saying that the commissioner is a liar and doesn’t care, but either way, I still love analyzing fantasy football and this week it’s the quarterbacks.

The best thing about the NFL turning into a pass first, run second league is the sheer amount of quality options at the position for 2011. There are more than 12 players I could be comfortable rolling out in my fantasy roster which means that every team in standard 10 and 12 team leagues should be able to have a quality option no matter what round one decides to pull the trigger.

For this reason, I for one, will be in the group that doesn’t take a quarterback in the first round, no matter my position, because I feel passing up on a quality running back could be detrimental to my season with so few options available. If I am drafting on the back end of drafts, unless Aaron Rodgers or Michael Vick are available to me at the start of the second round than I probably won’t own them in any league next year. Also, if I am drafting from the front of drafts, I expect Rodgers and Vick to be gone by my round two selection and I believe I would still rather add another running back or wide receiver to my team before I pull the trigger on any of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Philip Rivers unless I am staring at them to start the third round.

-Check my Top 12 Running Back and Top 12 Wide Receiver rankings to see who not to pass up on-

Again, there are a slew of great options at quarterback in the NFL that can help lead you too fantasy championships so because of that I want to make sure I am deep in the running back and wide receiver categories as the consistent options for these positions thin out as you enter rounds five and beyond. I won’t knock anyone for taking anyone of the six aforementioned quarterbacks mind you, but I like to let people know where my strategy lies for the upcoming 2011 season.

Before I get to my top 12 quarterbacks rankings for next season, it’s imperative to analyze last years preseason top 12 and actual top 12 quarterbacks in standard scoring leagues. (Passing Yards, 25=1 point, Interceptions = -2, Passing touchdowns = 4 points, 10 rush & receiving yards = 1 point, 1 touchdown = 6 points.) I used ESPN preseason projections; I know some may not like their rankings but the 12 guys on this list were pretty much the 12 quarterbacks everyone had anyway; just ordered a bit differently.

2010 ESPN Preseason Top 12 Rankings

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

5. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

6. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

7. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

8. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings

9. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

10. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

11. Eli Manning, New York Giants

12. Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles

Actual Top 12 Quarterback Finish in 2010.

1. Michael Vick – Eagles

3018 Pass Yds, 21 TD’s, 6 Int’s. 676 Rush Yds, 9 TD’s 3 Fum. 300 Fan Pts.

2. Aaron Rodgers –Packers

3922 Pass Yds, 28 TD’s, 11 Ints’s. 356 Rush Yds, 4 TD’s, 1 Fum.292 Fan Pts.

3. Tom Brady – Patriots

3900 Pass Yds, 36 TD’s, 4 Int’s. 30 Rush Yds, 1 TD, 1 Fum. 289 Fan Pts.

4. Peyton Manning – Colts

4700 Pass Yds, 33 TD’s, 17 Int’s. 18 Rush Yds, 1 Fum. 279 Fan Pts.

5. Philip Rivers – Chargers

4710 Pass Yds, 30 TD’s, 13 Int’s. 52 Rush Yds, 4 Fum. 270 Fan Pts.

6. Drew Brees – Saints

4620 Pass Yds, 33 TD’s, 22 Int’s. -3 Rush Yds, 2 Fum. 263 Fan Pts.

7. Josh Freeman – Buccaneers

3451 Pass Yds, 25 TD’s, 6 Int’s. 364 Rush Yds. 3 Fum. 246 Fan Pts.

8. Matt Ryan – Falcons

3705 Pass Yds, 28 TD’s, 9 Int’s. 122 Rush Yds, 3 Fum. 238 Fan Pts.

9. Matt Schaub – Texans

4370 Pass Yds, 24 TD’s, 12 Int’s. 28 Rush Yds, 3 Fum. 237 Fan Pts.

10. Eli Manning – Giants

4002 Pass Yds, 31 TD’s, 25 Int’s. 70 Rush Yds, 5 Fum. 221 Fan Pts.

11. Joe Flacco – Ravens

3622 Pass Yds, 25 TD’s, 10 Int’s. 84 Rush Yds, 1 TD, 4 Fum. 221 Fan Pts.

12. Matt Cassel – Chiefs

3116 Pass Yds, 27 TD’s, 7 Int’s. 125 Rush Yds, 1 Fum. 217 Fan Pts.

Unlike the top 12 running backs and wide receivers which had half of the projected top 12 actually finish as such, the quarterbacks had 8 of them. They probably would have had nine had Tony Romo not went down with an injury, but what this does show is just how many above average options the quarterback position has, fantasy wise, further backing up my position that one can truly grab a quality quarterback in almost any round of all 2011 standard 10 and 12 team drafts.

I don’t think anyone saw the utter downfall of Brett Favre, even though most expected him to not be as great in 2010 as he was in 2009, but the Vikings were a mess all year. Kevin Kolb may have finished in the top 12 as well had he not gotten concussed forcing the Eagles into playing Michael Vick who played off the charts finishing as the number one fantasy quarterback despite only playing in 11 and a quarter games. Also Josh Freeman and Matt Ryan had terrific seasons in 2010 and both have great running attacks and a solid wide receiver making it hard to think they can’t repeat or exceed their 2010 campaigns in 2011.

So again, the 12 quarterbacks I am about to rank obviously vary in capability and consistency, but all are in such solid positions with solid supporting casts that depending on how certain drafts go I would feel confident rolling out any of them for full length of my 2011 fantasy season. The NFL is passing league now, 4 and 5 wide receiver sets are the norm and that only makes a once hard roster position for everyone to fill become a position that every team in standard 10 and 12 team league should have no problem getting adequate production from.

Here are my top 12 quarterbacks for 2011, in March.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, 6’2” 225 lbs. 27 Yrs Old. 7^th Season.

Since taking over the Packers starting job from Brett Favre in 2008, Aaron Rodgers has been nothing short of spectacular. He finished 2010 with 3922 yards passing, 28 touchdowns and added 356 rushing yards and another 4 touchdowns. He would have his third consecutive 4,000 yard season had he not missed a game with a concussion but still finished with an incredible 101.2 quarterback rating. He led his team to a Super Bowl XLV almost single-handedly as he achieved this great season despite numerous injuries. Next year he’ll get back a dominate tight end in Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver will return and can still be a decent possession guy, he established Jordy Nelson as threat during the playoff run, running back Ryan Grant will return and give him a more stable running game and oh yeah, wide receiver Greg Jennings is still a number one go-to option. Rodger has all the skills anyone would look for in a quarterback, he’s accurate, makes good decisions, is athletic in the pocket and also has the intangibles where he can make things happen even when the pocket protection breaks down. He should be the first quarterback taken in all drafts next year with a middle to late first round selection.

2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, 6’0” 215 lbs. 30 Yrs Old. 10^th Season.

He abused my GMen in that 4th quarter, yuck!

Like many people, I for one did not see Michael Vick’s dominating 2010 season coming. I thought he was just about done in football and thought at 30 years old and missing two seasons, Vick would lose his athletic edge and also would prove to be an ineffective pocket passer. Wrong on all accounts. Vick put together the best season of his career in 2010 and seemed to mature as a quarterback. He threw for over 3,000 yard for the first time ever, completed over 62% of his passes for the first time ever and rushed for the most touchdowns in a season with 9 than he ever had previously. Vick is certainly a monster on any fantasy team but he doesn’t come without some risk. For one, injuries will always be an issue with a quarterback who still thinks run every time he takes a snap. But because he thinks run, even on days where he may struggle passing, he can make up his points on the ground. Having LeSean McCoy in the backfield makes it hard for teams to spy him, he has a quality possession receiver in Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson is the perfect complement for Vicks cannon arm with his deep threat ability. I think Vick wshould be drafted with a late first early second round pick in 2011 drafts but make sure you target a Sam Bradford or Matt Cassel type back up in later rounds to hedge the games Vick will almost certainly miss.

***I place Rodgers and Vick in a tier of their own. Unlike the next group of quarterbacks, these two give you the passing stats but also the running stats that make them much more dynamic fantasy options.***

3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, 6’5” 230 lbs. 34 Yrs Old. 14^th Season.

There is nothing not to love about having Peyton Manning as your fantasy squad’s quarterback in any season and 2011 should be no different. Last year, despite having no running game, a shaky offensive line, injuries to numerous passing options namely tight end Dallas Clark and wide receivers Austin Collie, Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garcon, Peyton Manning has one of his best statistical seasons. He threw for a career high of 4700 passing yards, had 679 completions which was the first time he’s ever had over 600 ever and also broke the 30+ passing touchdown mark for the sixth time in his terrific career. The best part of Peyton Manning is you know exactly what you’re going to get. He is the Indianapolis Colts offense. He has never missed a game in his career and you never have to worry about who he is playing on any given week because you’re never benching him. In 2011 I expect nothing but another incredible season for Peyton as I expect the Colts to bolster their offensive line and also add a running back to help give Peyton better play action help. I also don’t believe the Colts can suffer the injury woes that they did last year and he should get full use out of Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark but if they do, then we know Peyton can make things happen with anyone on the field because he is pin point accurate. Look for Peyton Manning to be drafted in the middle of the second round in all drafts in 2011.

4. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, 6’0” 209 lbs. 32 Yrs Old. 11^th Season.

Like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees is a quarterback that a fantasy player can drool over. After a slow start to his 2010 campaign (blame a Super Bowl hangover), Brees finished with another spectacular statistical season. It was his fifth consecutive season throwing for over 4350 yards, his third consecutive 33+ passing touchdowns and he was as accurate as ever completing over 68% of his passes. His biggest knock in 2010 was that he threw a career high 22 interceptions; something I expect him to get under control in 2011. Part of those interceptions had to do with the Saints lack of a consistent running presence. The Saints should benefit from the return of Pierre Thomas who will hopefully stabilize the ground attack and force defenses to respect the running game something they didn’t need to do much in 2010. The best part about Drew Brees is you know what you’re going to get. The New Orleans Saints are a pass first team, much like the Colts and Packers and Brees is going to be throwing more often than not. Having Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem give him quality options to throw too and the late season surge of tight end Jimmy Graham has allowed the Saints to part ways with Jeremy Shockey and I feel Graham is a much better passing threat and another weapon at Brees disposal. Expect to draft Brees with in the middle of round 2 of all drafts in 2011.

5. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, 6’5” 228 lbs. 29 Yrs Old. 8^th Season.

What can’t Philip Rivers do at the quarterback position? A year after the San Diego Chargers got rid of their hall of fame running back Ladainian Tomlinson, a stellar receiving threat, lost number one wide receiving threat Vincent Jackson, dealt with injuries to the best tight end in football Antonio Gates and also receiver Malcolm Floyd, Philip Rivers had the best statistical season of his career. Of course he did! Philip Rivers may come off as arrogant and obnoxious at times, but he is a phenomenal quarterback in the NFL. Last year he led all quarterbacks throwing for 4710 yards, ten more yards than Peyton Manning on almost 100 fewer completions, had 30 touchdowns and finished with a remarkable 101.8 quarterback rating (down from his previous 2 seasons of 105.5 and 104.4 but not too shabby). I expect Philip Rivers to have another incredible year in 2011 as he should be getting Antonio Gates at full strength and he’ll have Vincent Jackson for one full season of play. Vincent Jackson can only make his job easier and if running back Ryan Mathews can establish himself as even a decent running threat, Rivers and the Chargers will be looking to return to the playoffs in 2011. Expect to find Rivers in drafts in the middle to late second round in 2011.

6. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, 6’4” 225 lbs. 33 Yrs Old. 12^th Season.

If you would have told me before last year that Tom Brady would throw for 3900 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2010, I would have said “of course!” But if you told me he would do all that without the help of wide receiver Randy Moss, a down year for Wes Welker, two rookie tight ends, and something called Danny Woodhead, I would have called you crazy. That’s just what Tom Brady did in 2010. What’s was even more amazing was the fact that this was only the second time in Brady’s career that he eclipsed 30+ touchdown passes and under double digit interceptions (he threw only 4, yes 4). Sure Tom has his haters, people shun his good looks, his model girlfriends and love when he does things like the video posted here, but what we can never call him is an over rated quarterback. Despite the incredible season last year, the New England Patriots as a whole under Belechick are one of the hardest teams to decipher. Next year Belechick may decide to be a run first team, or they run more goal line runs than passes and being that is was only the second 30+ touchdown pass season, odds are Brady will return to a sub 30 touchdown campaign next year, but he’s still a money quarterback. He’s accurate, makes great decisions and keeps turnovers to a minimum which is why he should be drafted toward the end of round two in 2011 fantasy drafts.

***The four quarterbacks above are very similar and are really more of a preference on who you like better. The best part about all four is that you don’t really need to bother drafting a back up being that you’ll be wasting a roster space as you’ll only start them once. I would just make a one week pick up with a Ryan Fitzpatrick, Alex Smith or Jason Campbell type quarterback who I’ll immediately dump after I use them. By drafting one of these guys you’ll be able to add more depth at whatever position your lacking in which could make for great trade bait or help should injuries occur.***

7. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys, 6’2” 223lbs. 30 Yrs Old. 9^th Season.

Before the New York Giants (what what) ended Tony Romo’s 2010 season in week 6, Romo was off to another great season statistically. He had already thrown for 1600 yards and 11 touchdowns and probably would have finished with one of his best seasons thus far. I believe he will do just that in 2011. Tony Romo has a career 95.5 passer rating and has done this under the tutelage of two defensive minded coaches in Bill Parcels and Wade Phillips, a head case wide receiver Terrell Owens and constant media bombardment of his numerous love interests. In 2011, Tony will finally have a head coach who is offensive minded in Jason Garrett (a former quarterback himself) but will also have a bevy of fantastic receiving options. Miles Austin has established himself as a threat, Jason Witten led all tight ends last year with 90 receptions and most importantly, second year wide out Dez Bryant, under Romo, should establish himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. I expect Garrett to get better production from Felix Jones, who also has decent hands, and Tony Romo is all set to have one of the best seasons of his career. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finished as a top 5 fantasy quarterback in 2011, I just don’t know which of my top six before him would fall. What makes Romo a great fantasy option is his value, I expect you to be able to draft him from the middle of the third round until late in the fourth round but get equal production to the four guys I rank ahead of him. If you’re not one to bite on a quarterback early, waiting for Romo later on could help you tremendously in 2011.

8. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, 6’5” 241 lbs. 29 Yrs Old. 8^th Season.

He'll be great one year removed from his off field issues.

After being forced to sit for the first 4 games of 2010 for off the field issues, Ben Roethlisberger stepped right back in to the Steelers offense had a remarkable year despite. Leading the Steelers to their third Super Bowl appearance under his tenure and after the issues he faced was a testament to just how good he truly is. Now he’s never been the greatest fantasy option seeing as he plays for a run first, defensive orientated team, he is more than serviceable because as he’s aged, Big Ben has gotten better in his decision making. In 12 games last year he threw for 3200 yards (267 per game), 17 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. What makes Big Ben so great as well is his intangible factor; the ability to turn a broken play into a home run. Being that Rashard Mendenhall has become a threat, Big Ben uses Speedster Mike Wallace perfectly in play action is the two of them are good for a deep connection in almost every game. Hines Ward will return and despite his age, can still be a quality passion man and receiver Emanuele Sanders started to come on late last season and should help Ben in 2011. Roethlisberger may not get you many huge fantasy outputs but he’s stable and will give you consistent production all year long. I expect Roethlisberger to available between rounds seven and nine in 2011 drafts and has sleeper written all over him as a few of the quarterbacks I rank after him will probably go before him.

9. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans, 6’5” 240 lbs. 29 Yrs Old. 8^th Season.

Despite finishing the season with great numbers, most would say Houston’s Matt Schaub had a pretty down year. This was due to the fact that in five of his first eight games last year he recorded single digit fantasy points and probably ended seasons for most fantasy owners who expected more. This was largely due to the establishment of running back Arian Foster who head coach Gary Kubiak relied on maybe too much during stretches of games and I expect in 2011 for the Texans to try and balance their play calling more. Schaub has weapons still as obviously Andre Johnson is a one man fantasy terminator but he will also return tight end Owen Daniels who finally was able to get on the field late in 2010 and show that he can still be as good as he had been in previous years. The Texans have nothing but youth and upside but have yet to realize it, but for fantasy purposes, Schaub is a quality quarterback option who should eclipse over 4,000 yards for a third consecutive season and knock on the door of 30 touchdowns in 2011. I expect him to be drafted between rounds five and eight in all drafts in August.

10. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6’6” 248 lbs. 23 Yrs Old. 3^rd Season.

Look for an even better third year for the big QB.

Josh Freeman had an incredible sophomore season and his play was instrumental in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers resurgence in 2010. Freeman threw for 3451 yards, 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions but also showed tremendous athleticism for a man his size as he ran for the second most yards by a quarterback with 364. The Buccaneers as whole are a team on the rise, Freeman established a solid wide receiving threat with rookie Mike Williams, has a decent tight end I expect them to use more in 2011 in Kellen Winslow and another rookie Arrelious Benn showed promise before going down with injury. 2011 should only make for a better year as these players get more experience together. While Freeman won’t get you huge earth shattering performances (had only 1 game of 20 fantasy points or more in 2010 with 31), he won’t leave you high and dry with no production (only 1 game last season with less than 11 fantasy points, 6). He’s showed that he’s consistent, will take what defenses give him but as he gets more comfortable surely coach Raheem Morris will start to open up the game plan for him to grow. I like Freeman as a low end quarterback 1 and you could be able to draft him between rounds 7 and 9 in all fantasy drafts in 2011. I would target a decent back up as well.

11. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, 6’4” 220 lbs. 25 Yrs Old. 4^th Season.

Matt Ryan has all the potential to be one of the best quarterback options in football. He took a franchise that seemed lost after Michael Vick went to prison and took them to an NFC best 13-3 record in 2010. With one of the game’s best wide receivers in Roddy White and sure firs hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez it’s no surprise Ryan put together his best season last year with 3705 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. The biggest knock on him is that he isn’t as great on the road as he is at home but then again really? Last year he averaged 13.5 fantasy points on the road versus 16 at home. But is that discrepancy really that big, 2.5 points? Part of the reason he didn’t throw for more is that the Falcons still want to run first having Michael Turner in the back field but also, he has to rely so much on Roddy White as they have been unable to find a receiver to establish themselves as a second guy. I expect the Falcons to address this situation in 2011 and I think Matt Ryan can exceed his 2010 numbers making him a great quarterback 1 option. I would still draft a quality back up for him just in case but look for him to be available to you between rounds 7 and 9 in 2011 drafts.

12. Eli Manning, New York Giants, 6’4” 225 lbs. 30 Yrs Old. 8^th Season.

Of course Eli Manning is not his brother Peyton in any way shape or form, but for fantasy purposes, like the 11 ranked above him is another solid fantasy option at his position. Despite playing for a Giants team that will always look to run first, Eli has gotten progressively better statistically in each year he’s played. Last season he threw for his second consecutive 4,000 yard campaign and went over 30+ touchdowns for the first time and did so without his best possession receiver Steve Smith, who went down early with an ACL injury. He established Hakeem Nicks as a top receiving option in the NFL and Mario Manningham proved to be a great option as well; both should open the door for another very productive season as long as he can get his interceptions under control. To his credit though, almost a third of his career high 25 interceptions last year were due to receivers dropping easy catches and them landing in defenses hands (A Giants homer stat I know but still). Had he gotten those under control he would have had an even better season but will still be able to help your fantasy franchise in 2011. Look for him to be drafted between rounds 8 and 10 in fantasy drafts next year but targeting a back up should be a high priority.

So there you have it, those are my top 12 quarterback options for fantasy in 2011. The best part about all these players are they all have ability to put up tremendous quarterback 1 type numbers. That means that basically every team in standard 10 and 12 team leagues should have a stable option under center which is why I wouldn’t pull the trigger too early on a quarterback and miss out on quality running backs and wide receivers in 2011.

Also, their can be cases to be made for Joe Flacco, Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford, Matt Cassel, and Carson Palmer or Kevin Kolb (if they are on another team). So again, so many options to choose from in 2011. Thanks the NFL for making it hard to cover receivers year in and year out.

Next week I will break down the tight ends for next year as we all know last year they ended up being more of a head ache for everyone than anything with all the injuries that occurred.

I hope you all are enjoying March Madness, but I will always have football on the brain.

-BurL

Sorry Mr. Peterson, NFL is not Slavery...

2011-03-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Not even close...

Sometimes its best to not say anything at all.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson struck a nerve with fans, owners, and media this week when he compared the NFL labor situation to “modern day slavery.” I find it amazingly embarrassing that he feels as such when he lives a life 95% of the world would be envious of. His exact words to Yahoo were:

“It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money … the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money. I understand that; these are business-minded people. Of course this is what they are going to want to do. I understand that; it's how they got to where they are now. But as players, we have to stand our ground and say, 'Hey — without us, there's no football.”

First off, no it’s not Mr. Peterson.

Secondly, no it’s not Mr. Peterson.

I was shocked to see these comments coming from anyone’s mouth a decade into the 21^st century. Even though the rest of what you said in regards to the NFL locking out the players might be true, when you open up an argument with such an incendiary and inflammatory comparison that is totally ignorant and without foresight, you not only destroy the points you think you were making but also allow people to question your intelligence level as a whole.

I hate using Wikipedia to find my facts but on the issue of exactly what slavery is, I think they have it right “Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property and are forced to work.Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation. In some historical situations it has been legal for owners to kill slaves.”

So really Adrian? I could replace the word slavery with the NFL in this definition and it could be considered similar? Wow, how ignorant that is.

Uneducated and unjustified comments like these never help an argument, ever. Honestly, I also think they can set back an entire race of people who have worked so hard to be able to be treated equally in this country. Slavery is one of the darkest moments in United States history. Even after we abolished slavery, African Americans still had to fight for another 100 years to receive civil liberties and of course, even to this day probably still have a harder time than most be treated fully equal.

Wonder how Zygi felt about these comments

Adrian Peterson is set to make $10.72 million this season, before getting a chance to explore the freedom of free agency and land probably an even bigger deal in 2012. When he retires he’ll receives a pension and health benefits as well. His comments are a direct slap in the face of his employer Zygi Wolf. I could only imagine how thrilled Fredrick Douglass, one of the founders of the anti-slave abolitionist movement, could be if he were alive today to see so many young African American’s accomplishing so much whether through sports, politics, music, art, acting, writing and the like that comments like these must make him roll over in his grave more than a few times.

What Adrian Peterson fails to see is that no one is forcing him to play football. He has the same opportunities as everyone else in this world to work anywhere one wishes. If he doesn’t like how his bosses treat him and truly feels that way, unlike actual slaves, he has the freedom to quit and be off on his merry way. Without the threat of brutality or murder mind you.

What’s sad about his comments too, is that there are people out there who actually agree with him, as I found out Tuesday night via Twitter that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is one of them. Here are a few of his tweets from yesterday:

- @AdrianPeterson is correct in his anology of this game. It is a lot deeper than most people understand.

- @AdrianPeterson Anyone with knowledege of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel eachother

- If you look back and disect what I said, I ddnt say that the NFL was slavery, I said that they parallel eachother. Look up the word parallel

- This means that they're not the same thing, but they run the same course. These paths will never cross, but they mirror eachother.

All I can say to this is thank goodness for Rashard Mendenhall that Twitter only allows 140 characters. He could only dig himself so far into a whole while he was waxing philosophic on all of us.

I can’t help it but for him to say “anyone with any knowledge of the slave trade and the NFL could say that these two parallel each other” makes it flat out obvious that he has no knowledge of this. Also, we understand what parallel means and still, the NFL doesn’t parallel slavery…at all.

NFL players get an opportunity to lead incredible lives in this country. Especially the very best of them (like the very best in any industry get to live) and the fact they can compare their jobs to slavery is atrocious, misguided and utterly ignorant. Especially when in today’s society there are still an estimated 12 – 27 million people still being enslaved, which proportionately is at an all time low throughout history, but still and unimaginable statistic for today’s world.

I also find it insulting when Adrian Peterson’s agent Ben Dogra comes out and tells us that we shouldn’t take his words out of context. Oh really? Is that what we are doing? I am not sure he understands what out of context means. It’s not like someone was talking to him about slavery and in the same discussion brought up the NFL and falsely linked the two points. Peterson flatly stated, “ It's [NFL] modern-day slavery, you know?”

No…we don’t.

Martin Luther King had a dream that one day his four children “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” If he were alive today he would see that this is becoming more and more a reality than ever before. In 2008 this country elected its first African American president and there are African Americans in prominent places all over United States society.

Making comments like this Adrian Peterson, will never help your case but now will make us question one thing. The content of your character.

-BurL

A Letter to the NFL Owners and Players

2011-03-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

To Whom This May Concern:

As a fan, and one who consumes far more of your product and service than an average one, I would like to start this letter very bluntly. F$%@ you both.

I’m sorry, but that’s how I feel now that you’ve both decided that you need the courts to decide how the two parties should divvy up a near $10,000,000,000 piece of pie.

Before I get to why I say this about both parties, I have to admit that, as unhappy as I am, I get it. America is a great country for many reasons, but none bigger than the ability of a single person to become as rich possible. The 31 owners in the NFL are some of the richest in this country and probably because they worked hard (or there Daddies and Grand-Daddies atleast), took risks and made savvy moves financially. Great.

Looking at this whole debate from your side, I understand that you own private companies and as with any owner of any business, your number one priority is making sure your revenues grow year in and year out while keeping your costs at a minimum. So for reasons that you only know (so far), you feel you could and should be making more money from your business than you already obviously do. Power to you. You have no real obligation to show the players your books and why should you? If Starbucks wants to make more money on every cup of coffee by paying their employees less, they could do just that and would never have to tell employees why. Simply take this or walk as we’ll find someone to replace you.

Now obviously the players have a Union which certainly can’t make you guys too happy that now your businesses are about to be dragged through the courts. Boo hoo.

Also, aside from you wanting more money off the top of the already huge pie, you want to add to more games, cut rookie’s salaries (no argument here) and the like and again, it’s your business so why shouldn’t you be able to do that? Basically if the players don’t like it then find somewhere else to work is what you could tell them.

Now players, for lack of a better word, it just sucks to hear that you guys would be forced to take a pay cut from your bosses citing money issues to which they will not show you definitively by opening the books. But then again, no one says you had to play football with your lives. Even if the owners took another $1 billion of the top, you would still have one of the most lucrative careers in this country regardless.

But again, I get it. Who wants to take a pay cut to do the same or maybe more work (18 games) than you already do? Would that same Starbucks employee want to get paid less to serve the masses coffee and oh, you have to work for 2 more hours a shift as well. Doubtful. But to that I say, tough.

Again, it’s hard to side with players here when according to a March 23^rd, 2009 article in Sports Illustrated, “By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.” So honestly, despite the fact that you’re some of the highest paid people in the country, is it the owner’s fault you guys don’t know what to do with your money? Is it their fault you decided to leave college early? If you’re not an elite player in the NFL I think it’s easy to figure that out within your first year so why didn’t you continue taking classes, or continue attending school with the money you were making to better prepare for life outside the game?

On top of that too, you all sit there and say how violent a game it is and how the NFL needs to help people after they retire and such. Do they? If the average career is only 3 or so years, how could it be financially plausible to give every player benefits for an extended period anyway? Again, you knew the risks playing football. Also what about all the people who played football in high school or college, who never sniffed the NFL, who might be dealing with the same long term effects years later? Again, no one forces you to play.

But now you players are mad at your owners, who’ve made you all pretty wealthy, because they want to pay you a little less to play a game. If you really love the game so much, you could go play in the CFL, AFL or UFL right? Oh, but they don’t pay as well do they? You’d have to live an average lifestyle to do that.

So basically both player and owners won’t budge on $1 billion of the $9 billion pie so everyone has to suffer huh? To the owners, $1 billion comes out to $31,250,000 per team. Really? Are you going to use that money so you don’t have to ask taxpayers to fund your new stadiums when in need? What will an extra $31,250,000 really mean for your franchise in a league that’s been growing by leaps and bounds anyways? To the players, if there are 1,760 of you amongst 32, 55 man rosters that equates to roughly $586,818 each. And again, when only 22% of you will actually not lose that money and unless you’re a Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis type of player, you’re not getting that equally anyway, big whoop.

Back to my first initial statement of F$%& you, I say that because to us fans, we really could care less how that money is divided as long as our sport will be played on Sunday’s in this coming year. As we all are tired of hearing that this is a billionaire vs. millionaire dispute, it is just that but I doubt fans aren’t going to come right back to consuming the sport as we have done when you finally come to some sort of agreement, but I do ask…why now?

Football is just another form of entertainment that regular people use as an escape from the harshness of reality. It helps us take our mind off of real world issues that truly affect our lives and both parties here have to do this now? With all that wrong in the world from wars in the Middle East, political unrest, earthquakes, tsunami’s, hurricanes, unemployment, devaluing dollars, gas prices, taxes, education so on and so forth, can’t the one thing a majority of people love be left alone?

Both parties own and work in an industry that despite all the above problems, has continually grown at a significant rate yet neither of you can budge even in the slightest? Entertainment is a great thing and Football is one of its best. It brings people together for a few hours each week to help us cope with all that is wrong in the world and you’re willing to take that away now?

Also, it’s not just the players the owners are affecting and its not just the owners the players are affecting. So many people in this country rely on the NFL for primary and secondary incomes and will suffer because of this mess as well. The bar that relies on customers for half the year on Sundays and Monday’s, the vendors who work at the stadiums, security men, secretaries, writers and more could all potentially be out of work for what? An article on Yahoo goes deeper into the people that will be affected and it’s just a terrible thing all around.

So honestly, owners and players are both in the wrong here. It’s sad that most people love it so much, pretty much hopelessly and helplessly addicted to it like me, that we will all rush right back once this dispute is over but maybe we shouldn’t. I wish people could come together and give you guys the proverbial middle finger for once and show you that without us anyway, there would be no money for you guys to quarrel over.

Sure it’s wishful thinking and what does this pawn in your grand scheme matter anyway? Someone is going to win, someone is going to lose and the fans will be footing the bill as they always have. Your combined hubris is astonishing.

So in all seriousness, F@$& you both. From the bottom of my heart.

-BurL

Friday's Fantasy Feast: Early Top 12 WR Ranks!

2011-03-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

If only I could have him on my fantasy roster

Well, the owners or players wouldn’t budge so it looks as though we may not have football for at least the regularly scheduled start of the 2011 season but it doesn’t mean we still can’t have some early fantasy football preparation! I have my views on that subject and will bring those to you all on Monday, but now this is dedicated to the game I still begrudgingly love and am quite addicted to.

Last Friday I brought you my Top 12 Running Backs heading into next season and this week I want to get you geared up for the wide receivers that I see dominating in 2011.

Personally, I love trying to grab RB/RB in rounds 1 and 2, but if a stud wide receiver is sitting there depending on how a draft goes, than by all means I will grab him. Wide receivers are a whole different demon in fantasy football as opposed to running backs. Where there are so few options at running back every year that dominate the ball, there are always a plethora of wide receivers available and it seems every week there is someone on the waiver wire to help out at the position when in need.

That said, there are reasons why this is so. For years now the NFL has made it easier and easier for the wide receivers of the league to get open and harder for cornerback to cover (making Darelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha such precious commodities and defensive anomalies). Despite this, you’d think there would be more solid stud wide receiving options but truth be told, so many teams now employ 4 and 5 wide receiver sets that on any given week, the stud wide receivers don’t always end up as the weeks best performers.

This is why, in my opinion heading into 2011, if you have a chance to have two stud running backs in the first two rounds, you’ll definitely be able to add quality wide receivers that will produce, only they will be more of a headache figuring out which one will go off on any given week. So, despite their being lots of options at the wide receiving position in general, if you have any of the 12 guys that I am about to rank, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Before I get to my top twelve wide receiver rankings for next season, it’s imperative to analyze last years preseason top 12 and actual top 12 running backs in standard scoring leagues. (10 rush & receiving yards = 1 point, 1 touchdown = 6 points.) I used ESPN preseason projections; I know some may not like their rankings but the 12 guys on this list were pretty much the 12 wide receivers everyone had anyway; just ordered a bit differently.

2010 ESPN Preseason Top 12 Rankings

1. Andre Johnson – Houston Texans

2. Randy Moss – Tennessee Titans

3. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals

4. Reggie Wayne – Indianapolis Colts

5. Brandon Marshall – Miami Dolphins

6. Roddy White – Atlanta Falcons

7. Calvin Johnson – Detroit Lions

8. Miles Austin – Dallas Cowboys

9. DeSean Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles

10. Steve Smith – Carolina Panthers

11. Greg Jennings – Green Bay Packers

12. Marques Colston – New Orleans Saints

Actual Top 12 Wide Receiver Finish in 2010

1. Brandon Lloyd, Broncos – 77 Rec, 1448 Yards, 11 TD’s. 153 Tar. 203 Fan Pts.

2. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs – 72 Rec, 1162 Yards, 15 TD’s. 132 Tar. 200 Fan Pts.

3. Roddy White, Falcons – 115 Rec, 1389 Yards, 10 TD’s. 179 Tar. 193 Fan Pts.

4. Greg Jennings, Packers – 76 Rec, 1265 Yards, 12 TD’s. 125 Tar. 193 Fan Pts.

5. Calvin Johnson, Lions – 77 Rec, 1120 Yards, 12 TD’s. 137 Tar. 182 Fan Pts.

6. Mike Wallace, Steelers – 60 Rec, 1257 Yards, 10 TD’s. 100 Tar. 182 Fan Pts.

7. Hakeem Nicks, Giants – 79 Rec, 1052 Yards, 11 TD’s. 128 Tar. 165 Fan Pts.

8. Andre Johnson, Texans – 86 Rec, 1216 Yards, 8 TD’s. 138 Tar. 164 Fan Pts.

9. Reggie Wayne, Colts – 111 Rec, 1355 Yards, 6 TD’s. 173 Tar. 162 Fan Pts.

10. Steve Johnson, Bills – 82 Rec, 1073 Yards, 10 TD’s. 143 Tar. 157 Fan Pts.

11. DeSean Jackson, Eagles – 47 Rec, 1056 Yards, 6 TD’s. 96 Tar. 152 Fan Pts.

*104 Rush Yards, 1 TD, 1 Ret TD.

12. Mike Williams, Buccaneers – 65 Rec, 964 Yards, 11 TD’s. 127 Tar. 151 Fan Pts.

So just like the running backs, half of the preseason top 12 wide receivers actually finished the season in the top 12. What’s wild about the wide receivers is that of the 6 that finished in the top 12; most weren’t even on anyone's radar. Brandon Lloyd finished as the best overall in 2010 but was an eight year veteran who was playing for his fourth team who never even had a season recording half the production. Another player, Mike Williams of Tampa Bay, was a rookie and usually it takes a wide receiver three years to become effective. Then Steve Johnson was a no name who made something of a struggling Buffalo Bills offense and would’ve finished even higher had God not did him wrong when he dropped that ball in the end zone. Add to it two second year men in Hakeem Nicks and Mike Wallace and you have quite a nice mix of veterans and newbies to drool over.

I think those players alone help show that the NFL is definitely becoming more of a passing league and that the rules the NFL employs for cornerbacks makes their job tough. Probably the hardest on the defensive side of the football. But, it will make fantasy football much better as lots of wide receivers are going to catch lots of balls for lots and lots of touchdowns.

Oh yeah, isn’t it amazing how Randy Moss was such a lock pick preseason? Brutal for those who drafted him in 2010. He isn’t making this list.

So that said, there are 12 wide receivers that no matter what are going to command attention in 2011, justifiably so, and will solidify a roster spot on your team as they should be played every week regardless of who covers them (except Revis and Asomugha, maybe). Without further adieu, here are my 12 must have wide receivers for 2011, as of March.

Burl’s Top 12 Wide Receivers for 2011

1. Roddy White. Atlanta Falcons WR. 6’0” 212lbs. 29 Yrs Old. 7^th Season

Get off me!

Entering his 7^th season, Roddy White, to me, has become the top wide receiver in the game for numerous reasons. First, his quarterback Matt Ryan is in love with him and it shows as he’s been a leader in targets the past few seasons and had 179 of them in 2010. Second, after three straight seasons of of 80+ receptions and over 1150 yards, last year he led the league with 115 receptions and added 1389 yards. He has amazing hands and seems to never drop a ball thrown his way and seeing as the Falcons finished with an NFC best record of 13-3; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I expect Roddy White to have another fantastic season in 2011 and should be the first wide receiver taken near the end of the 1^st or early 2^nd round.

2. Calvin Johnson. Detroit Lions WR. 6’5” 236lbs. 25 Yrs Old. 5^th Season.

Everyone has to love a 6’5” wide receiving monster nicknamed Megatron. Calvin Johnson is probably the most physically imposing player at his position and has all the skills you love your wide receiver to have. After struggling with rookie quarterback Mathew Stafford in 2009, Calvin rebounded back to his 2008 season last year posting 77 catches for 1120 yards and 12 touchdowns. Worst part about it was Stafford missed most the season with his shoulder and they seemed to be ready to do something special. I believe 2011 can be that year for this duo. With a healthy Jahvid Best keeping defenses honest, I think Calvin Johnson could be set up for a career year shattering his previous highs of 78 receptions, 1331 yards and 12 touchdowns. He can be safely drafted with a late 1^st or early second round pick in 2011.

3. Andre Johnson. Houston Texans WR. 6’3” 225lbs. 29 Yrs Old. 9^th Season.

Andre Johnson is a beast at wide receiver and everyone knows it. Entering his 9^th year (has it been that long?) he should be set up again to produce big time numbers. The Texans have nothing but talent on their offensive side; Matt Schaub started slow in 2011 but the rise of Arian Foster give them a perfect running option to make sure Andre Johnson can get free on play action’s in 2011. My only knock on this great receiver is that he has failed to record double digit touchdowns in any season thus far of an otherwise great career. That said, I don’t see why this isn’t going to be that year. He also can be safely drafted late in the 1^st round or early in the 2^nd of all drafts in 2011.

Get ready for an offensive explosion

- Honestly, I rate them 1a, 1b and 1c. I think these three wide receivers are the most talented and are in the best positions to make plays every Sunday for your fantasy team. Taking either one over the other won’t really make too much of a difference, comes down to preference really.

4. Hakeem Nicks. New York Giants WR. 6’0” 215lbs. 23 Yrs Old. 3^rd Season.

Hakeem Nicks exploded on the scene in his second season last year recording 79 receptions, 1052 yards and a fantastic 11 touchdown grabs. What’s even better about those numbers is he did it missing three games and battling a bum ankle for many of them. Imagine what he could do with a full year under his belt and even better if Steve Smith can return from his injury which would ease his double coverage much more. Giants quarterback Eli Manning also finally found a red zone option he can have faith in since losing Plaxico Burress two seasons ago. I think Nicks is primed to out produce his 2010 season next year and will be a solid fixture in fantasy lineups for any who draft him in 2011. Look to grab Nicks in the middle of round 2 in all drafts.

5. Vincent Jackson. San Diego Chargers WR. 6’5” 230lbs. 28 Yrs Old. 7^th Season.

Vincent Jackson’s contract dispute cost him 12 games last season much to fantasy owners dismay and fans of great wide receiving in general in 2011. With quarterback Phillip Rivers having such a fantastic season, Jackson could of put up a monster season with him and I believe that will be the case in 2011. I also believe Antonia Gates had such a tremendous year because of Vincent Jackson’s absence and despite missing all those games, in only his second game back he posted a 5 reception, 112 yard and 3 touchdown performance. I figure with a full season of production in an offense that wants to pass, Vincent Jackson should be the stud everyone expected to have last year. He can be safely taken in the middle of the 2^nd round of drafts in 2011.

6. Larry Fitzgerald. Arizona Cardinals WR. 6’3” 218lbs. 27 Yrs Old. 8^th Season.

I am not sure there is a more complete wide receiver in football like Larry Fitzgerald is. Last season the Arizona Cardinals were a mess on offense at the quarterback position and it really effected Fitzgerald usual consistency. Despite that, he still had a great season finishing 3^rd in receptions with 90 and 2^nd in overall targets with 174. I think the Cardinals make a run at a veteran quarterback like Kevin Kolb, who could stabilize the position and elevate Fitzgerald right back into the top of the wide receiving ranks where he belongs. Right now he is a bit of a risk but should be able to get his touchdown numbers back in the double digits in 2011. He can be taken in the 2^nd round of drafts in 2011.

7. Mike Wallace. Pittsburgh Steelers WR. 6’0” 199lbs. 24 Yrs Old. 3^rd Season.

Catch me if you can in 2011

It looks like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes replacement last year with home run hitter Mike Wallace. Despite only catching 60 balls in 2010, Wallace finished as the sixth best wide receiver in fantasy and showed just how much damage a speedy receiver can do with minimal balls thrown his way. The Steelers will always be a run first team but their play action may just be the best in football because of Mike Wallace’s capabilities. He posted seven 100 yard games in 2010 and scored at least one touchdown in 8 of them. He is a great number one wide receiver but is the ultimate risk/reward as well. He can be taken in the middle to late 2^nd round of drafts in 2011.

8. Greg Jennings. Green Bay Packers WR. 5’11” 198lbs. 27 Yrs Old. 6^th Season.

Greg Jennings had his best season ever in 2010, fantasy wise, recording 76 receptions for 1265 yards and 12 touchdowns helping lead his team to a Super Bowl XLV win. Despite that though, I think part of the reason his production was so stellar was the early loss of tight end Jermichael Finley. Quarterback Aaron Rodger was using Finely early and often before his injury but Jennings is also battling for balls with Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and maybe James Jones as well. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spreads the ball around and certainly Jennings will have great games, but he could easily go from a 2010 12 touchdown season and resort back to his 2009 campaign where he only had 4 touchdowns. He is still a number one wide receiving option in 2011 but there is risk involved in drafting him. I figure Jennings to be a late 2^nd round pick, possibly early 3^rd in 2011 drafts.

9. Dwayne Bowe. Kansas City Chiefs WR. 6’2” 221lbs. 26 Yrs Old. 5^th Season.

Other than Brandon Lloyd, no wide receiver burst on to the scene faster than Dwayne Bowe in 2010. Bowe had a career year posting 72 receptions, 1162 yards and an NFL best 15 touchdown grabs in 2010. He had a stretch where he recorded a touchdown in 7 straight games and in that span had 2 or more in five of them. Quarterback Matt Cassell will certainly be looking Bowe’s way in 2011 but I expect his touchdown numbers to decline but should still warrant him being a solid number one wide receiver. Remember, he finished 2011 having only one touchdown and one 100 yard effort in his last five games but should find more consistency with another year under his belt. Expect to get Bowe with an early 3^rd round pick in 2011.

10. Dez Bryant. Dallas Cowboys WR. 6’2” 217lbs. 22 Yrs Old. 2^nd Season.

Your gonna know my name in 2011

Being that every year a wide receiver bursts into the top, I think Dez Bryant will be that receiver in 2011. In his rookie year, he was phenomenal before his injury and seemed to replace Mile Austin as the go-to-guy when he was on the field. He recorded all 6 of his touchdowns in a six game stretch in the middle of the season and now with Jason Garrett as Head Coach, an offensive minded one too, Dez Bryant should find himself as the Cowboys heir apparent to Michael Irvin. Owner Jerry Jones didn’t don him the number 88 for nothing. Also add that Tony Romo missed more than half the season with injury and will return next year so expect nothing but big things in 2011 for Dez. He should be drafted with an early to middle 3^rd round pick in 2011.

11. Mike Williams. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR. 6’1” 212lbs. 23 Yrs Old. 2^nd Season.

It’s rare for rookies to come to the NFL and make as immediate an impact and supplant themselves a go-to-guy but Syracuse alumni Mike Williams did just that in 2010. The Buccaneers are a team with nothing but youth and upside and quarterback Josh Freeman showed just the beginnings of great a tandem he and Mike Williams can be. Williams posted 65 receptions for 964 yards and was a red zone monster with 11 touchdowns. Things are only looking up for Mike Williams and we should expect him to add only more receptions and yardage in his sophomore campaign making him a solid number one wide receiver in 2011 for all fantasy teams. Can be drafted as high as late 2^nd round or early 3^rd round in 2011 drafts.

12. DeSean Jackson. Philadelphia Eagles WR.

DeSean Jackson is the true anomaly at his position of all the wide receivers ranked above him. He is undersized at 5’10” 175lbs but makes up for it and more with his versatility and athleticism. Despite only having 47 receptions in 2010, he posted over 1,000 yards averaging over 22 yards per grab. On top of that, he is a threat to run the ball occasionally and if your awarded return points or touchdowns he can do that too. He is a perfect complement for Michael Vick as once Vick is on the run; Jackson can immediately change his route and catch a deep ball at anytime. He is the ultimate risk vs. reward wide receiver and it will take a risky owner to rely on him as their number 1 receiver, but his play-making abilities certainly make him a top wide receiver in the NFL. Draft DeSean Jackson with an early 3^rd round pick in 2011 drafts.

These are the top 12 wide receivers in my eyes for 2011 as of today. Who knows if we’ll even have a season, or how long of a season anyway, but I hope that we do and will continue to love the game despite the owners of it being greedy and selfish.

Next week I’ll give you my top 12 quarterbacks for 2011 and my show will go on because I drink tigers blood and have Adonis DNA. #WINNING

- BurL

Tiki Barber, A Lesson In Humility

2011-03-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

How does it feel to be alone, by your doing?

I never thought this headline would come across the sports world ever in a million years – Tiki Barber announces plans to return to the National Football League. He'll be a 36 year old running back who retired prematurely in the first place to pursue a career in broadcasting, an utter failure mind you, that thinks he can really help out an NFL team four years removed? Please Tiki, spare us.

As a Giants fan, I rode the rollercoaster that is now Tiki Barbers life (which is now a shade worse than Charlie Sheen, who at least is still popular, but I digress). When we drafted him in 1997, I thought he was too small and not the right fit but as he started to rise and become a premier running back in the league, like all fans, my love for him grew. But then, at the height of his success and midway through a season in which we were 6-2, Tiki announced out of nowhere that he would retire. The Giants promptly went 2-6 the rest of the way and that was only the beginning.

My disgust for him now is endless, but before I get to the downfall, let’s start with the things that led to Giants fans love of Tiki, which at the time was totally justifiable.

Here’s a man who was accomplishing things on the football field a running back of his small frame (5’9” 200 pounds soaking wet) and stature had never done before. After his first two seasons were pretty terrible and injury riddled, Tiki exploded on the scene in 1999 with 1639 all-purpose yards and supplanted himself as a dangerous playmaker in the open field. One year later, he recorded the first of six 1,000 yard rushing seasons with 1,041 yards and added 719 receiving yards and low and behold was an integral part to the Giants making Super Bowl XXXV. The Giants awarded him with a six year contract and after that season and how could we not? Tiki Barber was a superstar.

Barber doing what he did best, should never have left

Leading up to the drafting of Eli Manning, the Giants had some bad seasons following their Super Bowl appearance but Tiki Barber was our highlight show, and worth the price of admission. From 2002 until his final year, Tiki improved in so many facets of the game was the type of running back that could do it all, a la Marshall Faulk. He was a three time pro-bowler from 05’-07’, led the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 04’-05’, was the first player in NFL history with 1,800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in one season, became one of three players in NFL history with at least three 200-yard rushing games in a season in 2005 (O.J. Simpson and Earl Campbell were the other two) and became the third player in NFL history to gain more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in a NFL career, joining Marshall Faulk and Marcus Allen. Not mention that he holds numerous team records for running and receiving, what Giants fan could forget his performance in a 2005 week 8 game against the Washington Redskins? He promised an ailing Wellington Mara that we would win and when Mara passed two days prior, Tiki torched the rival Skins for 206 yards in a 36-0 rout.

That’s some pretty good company that Tiki Barber was running with. Had he never retired and played a few more years, was a part of the 2007 Super Bowl winning Giants, he could easily have made the a Hall of Fame at some point in the future. He showed class with how he played and who didn't love his kisses after each touchdown, Tiki we felt them!

But I guess he decided the Hall of Infamy was a better fit, all by his own doing.

Looking back, Tiki’s troubles probably started before 2006. Most Giants fans knew Tiki had a love of broadcasting as him and his brother Ronde hosted their own sports talk show The Barber Shop on satellite radio. Not that this is a bad thing, but they were current players talking about coworkers live on the air, during the season. Sports talk radio success is usually attributed to your ability to create controversy and Tiki started doing that early in that career. The first strike was in 2002 when he publicly criticized fellow Giants superstar teammate Michael Strahan during his contract dispute. He called him greedy and that by all accounts was a bad idea. After that whole fiasco, you’d think Tiki would have realized then that those problems need to stay in house, in the locker room but this seemed to start the decline of Tiki Barber.

Bout all that will make the Hall of Fame for you

Fast forward to 2006. The Giants are 6-2 now after a 1-2 start and seem primed for a Super Bowl run but Tiki Barber decides, midseason and publicly announce that he’ll retire, with two years left on his contract. It was a shocking blow to not only the fans, but ownership, coaching staff and obviously the players. We finished 8-8 and lost to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.

During that season though, after he announced his retirement and knew he wouldn’t be with the team any more, he reverted back to his 2002 days by publically criticizing Giants coach Tom Coughlin after a loss to Jacksonville saying that he abandoned the run to early. Was he right? Maybe, but again Tiki, keep that in house. Either way, though he was retiring and obviously was ready to broadcast by broadcasting his opinions any chance he had.

I still wasn’t ready to denounce Tiki Barber at the time, who is anyone to tell someone what to do with their lives and how they should live it. He obviously had a passion to get into broadcasting and felt the wear and tear of each passing NFL season was too much for him and he always seemed like a guy who didn’t care about his career legacy or statistical accumulation. So despite causing chaos for our organization and being a factor of that season’s demise, best of luck to you Tiki, we’ll miss you.

But did we ever expect what was to come? Not a chance.

Tiki then exploded on the broadcasting scene with a spot on NBC’s Today Show and NBC’s Sunday Night Football in America. He decided that he needed to be controversial to boot and figured why not bash his former team? The team that helped pave the way for his on field and off field success anyway, our New York Giants.

Right after his retirement he went after both Head Coach Coughlin and Quarterback Eli Manning. Saying of his former coach, "(Coughlin) pushed me in the direction (of television)," said Barber. "I don't know if you realize this, but we were in full pads for 17 weeks, and with the amount of injuries that we had, it just takes a toll on you. You physically don't want to be out there, when your body feels the way you do, in full pads." And of his former quarterback Manning's motivational pre-game speeches sounded "almost comical."

Really Tiki? You’re not even weeks removed from your career and you’re going to bash the team and the fans who wished you nothing but the best despite feeling a little depressed by your leaving too early? Shame on you.

Your comments toward Coughlin were ridiculous anyway because hey buddy, being in football pads during practice seems like a perfect way to practice and you never said before your retirement that Coughlin was pushing you to broadcasting either. You were well into a broadcasting career long before you retired, so spare us on that. Then to say what you said about Eli was just uncalled for. Why try and degrade a team of guys that fought for you the way you did?

Most of your teammates disliked your actions and here's former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce reflecting on Tiki’s last season and him running his mouth on ESPN’s NFL Live…

The silver lining of all this, to Tiki’s dismay, was that same coach, quarterback and team went on to win Super Bowl XLII the very next season…without YOU.

Those acts alone by Tiki were enough for me to end my love for him and take him off my list of Giants players I admire. To do what he did was a conscience decision and unwarranted in my eyes. Now, I will not deny the fact that Tiki is an intelligent man, but his arrogance cost him the love of the fans of his former team, but that hubris also cost him much more.

Was she worth ruining this?

In June of 2010, Tiki Barber ended his marriage of 11 years with his wife while she was 8 months pregnant with twins due to an affair with a 23 year old NBC intern. That right there is pretty scummy to me. You had two kids already, two more on the way but thought you were so invincible and on top of the world that you could get away with cheating on your wife. If you feel the need to cheat, then be a man and ask your wife for a divorce at the very least. Now, a messy divorce that’s left you unemployed and in need of cash has brought you back to the game you abandoned for better things.

I’m sorry Tiki, but to hear that this return is to try and live out a dream of playing once again with your brother is ridiculous. You retired because of the toll it took on your body and at 36 you all of a sudden don’t care about that? We all know that this is solely a monetary decision because you feel you have no other options.

Here’s a lesson, don’t burn bridges in the first place. Tiki Barber should have been a revered retired New York Giant and someone, who unlike 78% of the NFL who end up broke after football, finds super success afterwards, but it’s not. The sad thing about it all is that Tiki Barber consciously made the choices he did that led him to this situation in the first place. Unlike a former Giant great Lawrence Taylor who at least has drugs to blame for his failure at life, you only had arrogance. You Tiki, decided to ruin your legacy with the Giants by verbally assaulting players and coaches and you Tiki, ended your broadcasting career and marriage by deciding to sleep around with a 23 year old intern. You did these things consciously and for that I have no pity.

I believe in second chances and if a team is willing to take you on then by all means go for it, but I certainly won’t be wishing you all the best. Tiki Barber for all intensive purposes is dead to me.

I actually do hope we get a chance to face him if there even is a 2011 NFL season.

-BurL

What a JOKE!

Winning in the NBA, My 2 Out Of 3 Rule.

2011-03-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

For Knicks fans like I, who’ve had to endure a decade of mediocrity (that’s being nice), the arrival of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to team up with Amar’e Stoudemire, has rejuvenated my fandom for the NBA. There are a slew of reasons why that is so; they are now exciting to watch as they are at least competitive, have two dominate players that can take over games on any given night at any given time, I get to break out my Knicks jerseys from the 90’s and can wear them proudly (maybe not), but most importantly the hope for an NBA title in my lifetime seems closer than ever.

For this I am happy. (And even happier for this video! Kids a genius.)

The NBA is not a hard league to understand. On any given night during a grueling 82 game season, any team can win, much like football, but the regular season is not that important. The playoffs are what matter. Does your team have enough fire power to beat another team in a seven game series and more importantly, could they do this four times in a row to achieve the NBA title?

Every decade has only so many superstars that can transcend the game and history has proven, that in the playoffs, to win consecutive seven game series and take your team to the title comes down to one glaring reality. Does your team have two of the top three players in the entire series?

Sure there are upsets in the NBA playoffs, the 1995 8^th seed Denver Nuggets knocking off the #1 Seattle Supersonics and the Knicks of 99’ doing the same to the New Jersey Nets, but never, ever has those teams pulled the unthinkable and won the entire thing. There are one series upsets, maybe two, but to win four in a row is just plain hard. Talent always wins out when teams are able to practice only for each other and to prove that fact; here are the last 21 NBA Finals matchups (since 1990), who won and the three best players on the court in each.

1990 – Detroit Pistons beat Portland Trailblazers 4-1

Isaiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, Joe Dumars

1991 – Chicago Bulls beat LA Lakers 4-1

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen

1992 – Chicago Bulls beat Portland Trailblazers 4-2

Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen

1993 – Chicago Bulls beat Phoenix Suns 4-2

Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen

1994 – Houston Rockets beat NY Knicks 4-3

Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Kenny Smith

(Sorry Knick fans, as much I loved Oak, Mason, Starks and Harper...none were a solid #2....we should have traded for Mitch Richmond and we win this series!)

1995 – Houston Rockets beat Orlando Magic 4-0

Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Clyde Drexler

1996 – Chicago Bulls beat Seattle Supersonics 4-2

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Gary Payton

1997 – Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz 4-2

Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen

1998 – Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz 4-2

Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen

1999 – San Antonio Spurs beat NY Knicks 4-1

Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Latrell Sprewell

2000 – LA Lakers beat Indiana Pacers 4-2

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Reggie Miller

2001 – LA Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers 4-1

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson

2002 – LA Lakers beat NJ Nets 4-0

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd

2003 – San Antonio Spurs beat NJ Nets 4-2

Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Jason Kidd

2004 – Detroit Pistons beat LA Lakers 4-1

Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, (One of the 4 Pistons stars)

2005 – San Antonio Spurs beat Detroit Pistons 4-3

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups

2006 – Miami Heat beat Dallas Mavericks 4-2

Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitski, Shaquille O’Neal

2007 – San Antonio Spurs beat Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0

Lebron James, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker

2008 – Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers 4-2

Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett

2009 – LA Lakers beat Orlando Magic 4-1

Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol

2010 – LA Lakers beat Boston Celtics 4-3

Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol

The trend is pretty obvious here. 2 of the best 3 players in every finals series were on the winning side. Sure there can be some debate like with the Bulls/Jazz matchups of the late 90’s. John Stockton was a phenomenal player, even with Pippen, but then going deeper into those rosters you’ll see that Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr and Ron Harper were much stouter than anyone else those Jazz teams had (Byron Russell, Jeff Hornacek and Greg Ostertag? Please). More recent, last year’s Lakers and Celtics teams were pretty even but that’s why the series went to a seventh game because both rosters were stout, no matter who won, they each had a slew of great NBA talent; hence why they got there in the first place.

The only exception to this rule is the 2004 Detroit Pistons, but looking back on those teams, one could argue that the Pistons had four all-star caliber players that were better than the third best player on the Lakers behind Shaq and Kobe. The Lakers were a mess that year yet still made the finals behind those two superstars. Shaq and Kobe were at odds and basically weren’t speaking to each other, they signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton who were far removed from the players they had been and Rick Fox and Robert Horry were in fast decline. The Pistons Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace, none of whom could be considered superstars, were very good players who came out of a weak Eastern Conference and to their credit, were a dominating defensive team.

Basically though, having talented players at the top is the key to winning NBA championships and the Knicks acquiring Carmelo Anthony to pair with Amar’e Stoudemire is great start toward having an opportunity for that ultimate goal. The problem they face now is that they are one of a bunch of teams that also have multiple superstars. I think that Knicks fans have to temper expectations for this season and realize that this trade was not for immediate returns, but future rewards.

As a Knick fan, I think the best we should hope for this season would be a first round upset, but that will be no easy task. As we all know, the trade hasn’t seemed to help our defense that much; if at all, and again, it takes time to build chemistry within a team. Also, I don’t think Landry Fields, Shawne Williams or Ronny Turiaf make for good starters in this league. The Knicks will still need to add a center who can rebound and deter shots and a shooting guard who can defend the quicker guards in the league in the coming years (but where are they?).

So taking the NBA finals observation from above, I do think the Knicks could make noise in the playoffs this year and give us fans something to take with us leading into next year. Now which team would we love to face in the first round?

The obvious choice would be the Atlanta Hawks. After last night’s win in Atlanta, not only did we prove we could play with them, it appears like we would have home court advantage anyway seeing how the entire Atlanta crowd was chanting MVP for Stoudemire while he was shooting free throws and decimating the home team. The Hawks have a team of good players but none on the level of Amar’e and Carmelo but the only problem is, one of Boston, Chicago, Miami or Orlando will have to fall to the sixth seed…not happening. So basically, we will be facing one of the four best teams in the East and all seem to be pretty dominant (Yes, even crying Miami).

As of right now the Knicks at the 6^th spot would face Miami who is in 3^rd place in the first round. Sure we beat them the other day after another Lebron James missed shot, but this does not make me believe we could handle them for a seven game series. Doing my 2 of the best 3 players on the court analysis from above, it would easily be Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony. Over the course of seven games, I think they would figure out how to beat us by attacking our weakest links and run us out of the gym. Remember, a seven game series is much different than a random night in March.

If we were to somehow fall to the 8^th spot, not only would D’Antoni be fired after the year, (which may be a good thing for this team as constructed, but that’s a whole different article) we would get to play Boston, than the analysis looks like this. Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce. Yay, a win!?!? Not a chance Knick fans. Despite having the best two players in this one, Rondo, Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are right behind our two studs and Shaq, Davis, Green and Krystic destroy the two starters we currently have playing with Billups, Melo and Amar’e as well as our whole bench. We’d go down in 4, 5 if we’re lucky.

So honestly, I think our best shots would be against either Orlando or Chicago. Again, no easy task and we’d be the underdog of course, but having no pressure is never a bad thing. Doing the 2 out of 3 analysis for these matchups; versus Chicago its, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Amar’e Stoudemire and versus Orlando it’s Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire. Now sure, the role players working around Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard are deeper than ours, but they aren’t superstars by any means.

This new Knicks team has yet to face Chicago but I think having Carmelo, Amar’e and Chauncey will give them a run for their money in a seven game series. I still think having a point guard who is your leading scorer, doesn’t make for a winning NBA team despite how great Derrick Rose is. Look at Allen Iverson with the 76ers. Sure they can get through a regular season and win tons of games, but a grueling playoff series is a whole different beast and if Derrick Rose brings his team to the promise land by winning the title this year, he’d be the first ever. I think having two guys who can blow up on any given night would give us a chance to pull off the upset here.

Now take the Magic. It’s a similar matchup for our Knicks like the Bulls would be. Honestly, I think the Magic were better with Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis and despite us blowing a big lead to them at home, again we are still only two weeks into this trade and since we are playing pretty much every night, with multiple back-to-back games, we haven’t had all that much practice. The Knicks could take a team like this the distance. I certainly think we could win 2 games, have a good chance at getting 3 wins and then anything can happen in a seventh game.

So basically Knick fans, we have a ton to look forward too. Even if we get ousted in the first round, the best is yet to come. We have a good amount of years to fill in the roster gaps around this team for the coming seasons. We have two megastars that can score at will, now we need to find our John Paxson, Robert Horry, Dennis Rodman, or Lamar Odom. Also, the Celtics might have one more year left in them and the Lakers probably two. Having the Celtics removed from this equation, should put the Knicks as one of the top four teams in the East and once again we can enjoy the beauty that is New York playoff basketball.

I am ready for the playoffs this year and hope this time OJ Simpson doesn’t jump in his Bronco and drive down the turnpike, because I still remember having to watch the Knicks game in the small little box on the upper left hand corner of my television…and it was still fantastic.

Go NY, Go NY, Go!

-Burl

Friday's Fantasy Feast: Early Top 12 RB Ranks!

2011-03-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

***These are my own opinions of fantasy football. As I do work for BrunoBoys.net, these ranking are in no way associated with Bruno Boys. What your about to read and any fantasy information I write about here going forward is of my opinion only***

Ever since fantasy football started, as long as I could remember, running backs are the meat and potatoes of your fantasy team. Achieving the ultimate success, winning your fantasy championship, usually always comes down to who you had anchoring your team on the ground and at least for one more year, this will be the case almost certainly.

As of right now the NFL and the NFLPA are negotiating a myriad of items but one that I think the owners will win on is the advent of an 18 game schedule for 2011, which will certainly change the dynamic of football and fantasy football no doubt. Two more games a year will just mean more injury risk to the already high impact position of running back and being that we’ve seen more and more teams already make the switch to running back by committee (RBBC), then we will no doubt see even more, if not all, teams make the switch to better preserve their backs as the grueling season progresses.

(Lets' dedicate this post to the best running back ever)

Basically, the days of your fantasy team having two running backs that dominate the carries for their franchise are coming to an end and we are more than likely witnessing the last of a dying breed right now. So in 2011, making sure you anchor your franchise with at least one of these premier running backs as it will be crucial to your success through the long haul. It seems that in the years to come drafting running backs will mean just taking the guy you expect to get 51% of his teams carries and not the 90% or better that running backs of the past have enjoyed.

Before I get to my top twelve running back rankings for next season, it’s imperative to analyze last years preseason top 12 and actual top 12 running backs in standard scoring leagues. (10 rush & receiving yards = 1 point, 1 touchdown = 6 points.) I used ESPN preseason projections, I know some may not like their rankings but the 12 guys on this list were pretty much the 12 running backs everyone had, just ordered a bit differently.

Last Season Preseason ESPN RB Ranking.

1. Chris Johnson

2. Adrian Peterson

3. Maurice Jones-Drew

4. Ray Rice

5. Steven Jackson

6. Frank Gore

7. Michael Turner

8. DeAngelo Williams

9. Ryan Grant

10. Cedric Benson

11. Rashard Mendenhall

12. Shonn Greene

Last Season Actual Top 12 RB’s in Standard Scoring

1. Arian Foster, Houston RB,

326 Rush, 1614 Yards, 16 TD’s. 66 Rec, 604 Yards, 2 TD’s. 2 Fum. 313 Fan Pts.

2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota RB,

283 Rush, 1298 Yards, 12 TD’s. 36 Rec, 341 Yards, 1 TD. 1 Fum. 232 Fan Pts.

3. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City RB,

230 Rush, 1467 Yards, 5 TD’s. 45 Rec, 468 Yards, 3 TD’s. 2 Fum. 223 Fan Pts.

4. Peyton Hillis, Cleveland RB,

270 Rush, 1177 Yards, 11 TD’s. 61 Rec, 477 Yards, 2 TD’s. 5 Fum. 218 Fan Pts.

5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee RB,

316 Rush, 1364 Yards, 11 TD’s. 44 Rec, 245 Yards, 1 TD. 2 Fum. 216 Fan Pts.

6. Darren McFadden, Oakland RB,

223 Rush, 1157 Yards, 7 TD’s. 47 Rec, 507 Yards, 3 TD’s. 3 Fum. 208 Fan Pts.

7. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia RB,

207 Rush, 1080 Yards, 7 TD’s. 78 Rec, 592 Yards, 2 TD’s. 1 Fum. 206 Fan Pts.

8. Michael Turner, Atlanta RB,

334 Rush, 1371 Yards, 12 TD’s. 12 Rec, 85 Yards, 0 TD. 2 Fum. 205 Fan Pts.

9. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh RB,

324 Rush, 1273 Yards, 13 TD’s. 23 Rec, 167 Yards, 0 TD. 2 Fum. 203 Fan Pts.

10. Ray Rice, Baltimore RB,

308 Rush, 1223 Yards, 5 TD’s. 63 Rec, 556 Yards, 1 TD. 0 Fum. 200 Fan Pts.

11. Matt Forte, Chicago RB,

237 Rush, 1069 Yards, 6 TD’s. 51 Rec, 547 Yards, 3 TD’s. 1 2P. 2 Fum. 199 Fan Pts.

12. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville RB,

299 Rush, 1324 Yards, 5 TD’s. 34 Rec, 317 Yards, 2 TD’s. 2 Fum. 186 Fan Pts.

So wow, right off the bat, there is one glaring observation. Only half of the preseason projected top 12 running backs actually finished years end as a top 12. So basically everyone in their drafts this season will have a 50% chance of drafting a homerun or a whiff and that’s just how fantasy football goes. Injuries and the like are going to happen no matter what.

As I stated before, this year may be more imperative than ever to make sure you get a running back that commands the ball as so few of them exist anymore. Seeing as in a standard 10 or 12 teams draft there are at least 12 quarterbacks that are more than fantasy starter worthy, I wouldn’t want to be the guy who drafts Aaron Rodgers or Michael Vick in round 1 when more than likely by round 2, none of these 12 running backs will be available and I would be pulling my hair out playing guessing games with the second tier running backs or hunting the waiver wire praying for an injury. If you are the type of fantasy player that needs to have a stud quarterback (it is nice to have no doubt) you’d be more inclined to get one of these backs in the first round as you’ll more than likely have the ability to grab Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers or Tony Romo between the second and fourth rounds anyway and they aren't too shabby at all.

So my philosophy for 2011 is the old adage. RB – RB. If your get one of these top 12’s early and another one is still available by round 2? Even better. As Charlie Sheen would say, your “Bi-Winning” with your fantasy team in 2011.

Okay, so here are Burl’s top 12 running backs for next season as of today.

1. Adrian Peterson. Minnesota Vikings RB. 25 Years Old, 5^th Season.

What’s not to like about “All Day” Adrian Peterson? Last season everyone had Chris Johnson pegged to be the #1 running back in fantasy but had him as consensus #2 and he finished as just that, two years in a row to boot. That’s consistency. Despite having down numbers for what we’d expect Adrian Peterson to have, I would argue this year was his most impressive of all. He “only” rushed for 1298 yards which was the worst of his career, but look at the mess that was the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. Dealing with Brett Favre issues, a coaching change, and injuries to both top wide receivers meant only that every defense had the ability to lock onto to Adrian more than ever, yet he still dominated them. Better yet, in his first 3 season’s Peterson fumbled 4, 6 and 9 time yet last year he only fumbled once. That’s makes me believe the best is still yet to come with “All Day.” As of writing this, Minnesota released Tavaris Jackson which leads me to believe the Vikings will be actively pursuing a quarterback either through the draft, or free agency. Being that this team was one interception away from the Super Bowl two years ago, if they get a quarterback that can settle the offense and take pressure off of Peterson, there is no reason to think he won’t finish near the top again next year. Taking Adrian Peterson is about the most risk free pick one could make in 2011.

2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans RB. 24 Years Old. 3^rd Season.

Where did this guy come from in 2010? An undrafted running back in 2009 out of Tennessee, where he had an up and down career mired with some off field issues, turned into the best running back in the NFL last year; and by a mile. He finished with 313 fantasy points which was 81 higher than the second best running back Adrian Peterson. A lot went into to that though. He opened the season with a 33 carry, 231 yard and 3 touchdown performance which got everyone’s attention but did you know that he only got 30+ carries three times all year? In fact, he rushed for 22 or less carries in 12 games and less than 20 in 9 of those. Houston is not all of a sudden going to forget that they have Andre Johnson working the outside and lean on Foster as an every down back which makes me want to temper expectations a bit (putting him at 2 vs. 1). I am totally impressed with him definitely and at 6’1” 230lbs. he is a bruiser who should be able to repeat that performance but despite how good he was and the weapons Houston has, they still finished marginally at 6-10. I expect Foster to finish in the top 5 no doubt but I don’t think he comes near what he accomplished last year. I also expect back up running back Ben Tate (remember him?) to spell him a bit in the coming year. You can’t go wrong with Foster with a Top 3 pick in 2011.

3. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers RB. 23 years Old. 4^th Season.

This may be the highest you’ll see Mendenhall ranked by anyone in Fantasy Football and I couldn’t blame you for saying it’s too high, but I have my reasons. Of the top 12 backs in my rankings, this guy has the best defense and quarterback and that will only help Rashard in his 4^th season. Having Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace keeping defenses honest and a defense that will keep them with great field position, I believe Mendenhall can improve on his 2010, 13 touchdown total and approach the 18 touchdown mark in 2011. Granted he only rushed for over 100 yards in three games last year but expect that to change next season. The Steelers are going to improve their offensive line around center Maurice Pouncey and continue to be a run first team. Mendenhall may not catch the ball like some of the other running backs but he has consistency where it matters with a great head coach and a great organization which makes him one of the least risky picks at the position next to Adrian Peterson.

4. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs RB. 24 Years Old. 4^th Season.

Jamaal Charles, to me, is the fantasy equivalent of Neo from the Matrix trilogies. He is anomaly that in the last two seasons no defense has been able to figure out. He boasts a career 6 yards per carry average and seems to do more with less than any running back maybe ever in history the NFL. His biggest knock is that when the Chiefs enter the goal line he isn’t on the field but despite that, he finished as the third best running back in fantasy last year. The reason I place him one slot higher than Chris Johnson is the fact that he has consistency within his organization. Sure offensive coordinator Charlie Wies moved on, but he still has the same head coach, quarterback and receiving threats as last season and plays in one of the weakest divisions defensively in the NFL. Also, Thomas Jones may have been the starter but he had one of his worst seasons last year and his age is starting to show. After two seasons with the Jets and having a 4.5 and 42 YPC average, last year he only average 3.7. I think this year Charles will get a couple more carries in each game and catch a few more balls and we all can see just how lethal he can be. I think Charles only gets better in his second season full season as major piece of the Chiefs offense and expect big things in 2011.

5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans RB. 25 Years Old. 4^th Season.

Look, I love Chris Johnson; he is a hell of a running back with all the talent in the world, even though I rank him “low” compared to other it’s mostly because of the inconsistency he’s facing within the Titans organization. Jeff Fisher is now out as head coach, they have no quarterback to speak of yet and will be implementing an entire new system for next year to boot. Also, if the new CBA isn’t reached early enough, the team as a whole is going to have limited time to learn the new system, and this definitely works against CJ2K. he still has a career 5.0 yards per carry average but in 2010 only had a 4.3. That’s a significant decline for the guy we all hastily pegged as the best fantasy back. As of right now, I think Chris Johnson carries a lot of risk and that’s what all fantasy owners want to avoid with their first draft choice. Sure his talent alone will allow him to post some big stat lines but like last year, where he had 6 games of 6 points or less, I expect more of those until they learn their new offense. He’s medium risk/high reward in 2011.

6. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens RB. 24 Years Old. 4^th Season.

Get ready ladies and gentleman. I think this is finally the year the Ravens realize Willis McGahee doesn’t deserve to steal this great running backs precious touchdowns. News right now is that McGahee is owed $6 million next season and unless he takes a pay cut will not asked to return and I hope he more the greedy type. Last year Rice started off sluggish while the Ravens played with their new receiving toys Anquan Boldin and TJ Houshmanzadeh and if you remove his first four outings in which he didn’t score a touchdown, he finished the last 12 games with 1472 yards from scrimmage and 6 touchdowns. I expect him to be fully involved in the offense next year and will also start receiving his share of the goal line carries. The Ravens are going to need him to be great if they expect to contend again and my money is they contend. I expect a bounce back year for Ray Rice and would be happy to build my team around him in 2011.

7. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars RB. 25 Years Old. 6^th Season.

This is a running back who I myself feel I may still be overvaluing but his numbers warrant his ranking. In five seasons as the Jaguars premier back he has averaged 275 touches a game. That’s a lot of tread on this young man’s tires and eventually it may have to give. MJD is a great back, no doubt but I have absolutely no faith in the pieces around him. In fact I am shocked every year that they win as many games as they do. He basically is the entire offense and teams know this yet he’s been unstoppable but that said, he is a running back I always tend to avoid. This offense needs a lot of help and strictly cannot rely on MJD alone and if they do then I don’t know he lasts another five seasons. I like him as the seventh best running back because I respect the numbers he put up, but last year he fell from 15 to 5 touchdowns the year prior and I think that’s about all you should expect again in 2011.

8. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons RB. 29 Years Old. 8^thSeason.

I was surprised to see that Turner is turned 29 this February. That’s a tough number to hear from your stud running back and a guy, who like Jones-Drew, has gotten a lot of wear on his treads. What makes him appealing though is the fact that his team is very good. The Falcons have all the pieces one could want in a football team with a competent quarterback, good head coach and great wide receiver that takes pressure off the Burner. Last year he rebounded from a poor injury plagued 2009, but the Falcons gave him 334 handoffs and he had his lowest yards per carry average ever at 4.1. Still a decent average, but I wonder how he’ll respond the following year. In 2008 they gave him 376 carries and that alone probably cost him the 2009 178 carry in 11 games debacle. I think given his age, usage in 2010 and Jason Snelling proving to be valuable make him the riskiest running back in my top 12. The number are there to warrant him being a top back still but he his high risk/high reward approaching 30 years old.

9. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles RB. 22 Years Old. 3^rd Season.

McCoy had a tremendous sophomore season for the Eagles in 2010. He achieved his first 1,000 yard season on only 207 carries having a 5.2 yards per average. On top of that, he was the perfect safety valve for Michael Vick to dump the ball too adding 78 receptions for 592 yards. Entering his third year, Michael Vick will be back and being that he is a threat with his feet makes it hard for defenses to key on McCoy leading me to believe he only improves in 2011. He’s a dynamic back that can make things happen like Jamaal Charles but like Charles, isn’t used much around the goal line. Other than that though, he’s still a lock for 20 touches a game and you couldn’t ask for more from a RB1 in fantasy.

10. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders RB. 23 Years Old. 4^th Season.

Run DMC finally had the year people expected of him when the Raiders drafted him with their 4^th pick in 2008 out of Arkansas. After 2 seasons of less than 500 yards on the ground, McFadden lit it up last year with 1157 rushing yards, 507 receiving yards, 10 total touchdowns in 13 games. That’s the only problem with McFadden is that he is brittle. He has yet to play a full season but the fact he finally proved his value makes him a quality RB1 for your fantasy team in 2011 with either a late first round or early second round selection. The Raiders finally got themselves back to .500 in 2010 after an 8 year drought and seem to be a team on the uptick. It also helps that they play in the AFC West where defense seems to go to die. I love his explosiveness and versatility at the position and but if you’re going to draft him in 2011, definitely follow him with another running back just in case. You can’t rely on him as a solo show just yet.

11. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams RB. 27 Years Old. 7^th Season.

The lost man. Steven Jackson may just be the most talented running back in all of football. He’s 6’2”, 235lbs, can run over you, around you and has great hands. His only problem was the Rams have been a horror show for most of his career. That all changed last season with the addition of a competent quarterback named Sam Bradford. Finally, Jackson has someone that defenses need to respect and will no longer stack 8-in-the-box against him and at 27 years old, I still think SJax has a few good years left in his tank. Last year he had his worst yards per average, but to his credit, the receiving core was injured all year long. Bradford never had a chance to grow with a wide out and I think they address that in the off season. I see no reason why the Rams can’t win their division in 2011 and I think Steven Jackson will finally have over 10 TD’s which he’s done only once in 2006. I still like him as a solid RB1 and finally has some upside to boot.

12. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers RB. 27 Years Old. 7^th Season.

Last but not least I am taking Frank Gore was the final running back in my rankings. Look, I can’t tell you a fractured hip doesn’t scare me, but all reports out of San Francisco have said that he’ll be more than ready to go. Thankfully it happened early enough in the season that he got more time than just an offseason to heal up. Will it ever be full strength? Maybe not, but the 49ers finally got themselves an offensive minded head coach with Jim Harbaugh who should be able to use Gore better than Singletary could. The 49ers are a team with tons of talent but no direction and Harbaugh should bring that to them. I also think Alex Smith will be replaced as well, but if not, Harbaugh should be able to get more out him than anyone ever has. I think Gore has his risks definitely, but he’s still young enough to do some damage and plays in a division that he could dominate with the right system. He still finished as the 20th best running back in fantasy last year misses the last quarter of the season. I would draft him early 2^nd round and pair him with another one of these 12 studs if possible in 2011.

Again, ranking in March are probably worthless, and I certainly will change my opinions based on whatever new information comes about. But right now, this is how I would rank these 12 fantastic running backs. There are some decent options I left out of these but it’s only because there is more risk involved than any of these guys. Cases could be made for LeGarrette Blount, Knowhson Moreno, Peyton Hillis, Matt Forte and Shonn Greene but for right now, these 12 are the least risky in my book and I will need one of them on my 2011 fantasy team.

I hope you enjoyed my Friday Fantasy Feast, and all year long I plan on giving you rankings, player profiles, draft strategy and game day strategies every Friday here on Burl’s Sports Beat.

Please, let me know your thoughts and who you’re high on in 2011.

Keep it classy San Diego,

-BurL

Labor Pains...

2011-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

As a fan of the NFL and everything that embodies it, I could really care less about who wins in this power struggle between Billionaires and Millionaires so long as come August of this year I am drafting my dominating fantasy football squads, having some beers, eating wings and preparing for Thursday Night Football to kick the festivities off.

With now one day looming until the NFL inevitably locks the players out, there are three major issues that the two sides can't seem to agree on, but will inevitably have too. Aside from the fact that the the way the NFL has been operating has been working as they have continually seen it's growth through the worst recession in this country since the 30's and shows no signs of slowing, but I guess that's not enough. Also though, I think all three issues can help each other in the long run. They need to worked out in combination and not in and of themselves...so here my take.

1. Money

The first and foremost issue in this whole nuisance is of course; money. The NFL already takes 1 billion off the top of all revenue's and is looking to take another $1 billion off the top for the next seven years. So in essence the players are losing $7 billion over the long run. Honestly though, I am surprised the NFL wants just another flat $1 billion. If ratings are any indication (advertising dollars are a huge revenue contributor) this years Super Bowl was the highest rated ever beating last years which was the highest rated ever beating the year's before and so on... So it's pretty safe to assume that with the economy seemingly bouncing back a bit that there's no reason the NFL isn't going to keep growing anyway, so I think if the owners would have said give me a percentage off the top rather than a flat number, they could have potentially made more money in the long run. Either way though, the NFL is definitely asking the players to give them more money claiming they are losing money but yet won't show them their books. Now of course, in almost any other job in America if your owner tells you that they want to cut your salary, they are not obligated to show you any proof as to why it is so because they probably know you'll take the cut or walk and they'll find someone else at the price they want. I get this argument too only, push come to shove, we the fans are the reason both of these parties can even be fighting, because basically they are fighting over who gets the bigger share of OUR money.

So now back to the money, if the NFL now takes 1 billion off the top already, basically when the everyone says the players get 60% and the owners get 40% that's really untrue. Lets say the total revenue last year was an even $10 billion. So the owners get 1 billion and they split the other $9 billion 60/40 so the players get $5.4 billion and the owners get $3.6. Add the $1 billion to that and its $4.6 billion for the owners. So roughly the players get 54% and the owners get 46%. Too me, I understand why the NFL owners are upset here, I don't know any business out there that would give that high a percentage to its workforce. So under what the NFL owners are proposing now, taking the same $10 billion, take $2 billion off the top. The owners also probably won't keep the 60/40 split on the rest of the money so lets say the players get forced into something like 55/45. So the players would get 55% of $8 billion which is $4.4 billion, meaning the owners would then be getting $3.6 billion plus the $2 billion they already took off the top. So basically they would flip sides as the owners would get $5.6 billion to the players $4.4 billion. Either way though, it seems that both side are still winning to the average man. But the other two main factors could help the players accept something like this which in the long run I think they are going to have too.

2. Rookie Wages

The second issue is the rookie wage scale. Inflating incomes in all sports as a whole is a pretty incredible thing given today's economic turmoil. As all companies out there are cutting salaries and jobs altogether, we have athletes now who year after year will only sign contracts that beat the player's the year before. In fact, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was able to turn down a 10 year $300 million GUARANTEED contract and probably because he knows someone out there will pay him more. Craziness but he's probably right. In the NFL, rookies have been getting the best end of the deal as every single season, the #1 pick commands a percentage more money than the #1 pick the year prior without having any work experience in the league in which they are entering. Something is fundamentally wrong with this picture when Sam Bradford entered the league making money that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are now making without ever having thrown a pass. So lets say the first issued got resolved in the way put forth (because I have a feeling the owners will outlast the players and make them make the concessions) above with the players now only splitting $4.4 billion. If the rookie's coming in got very modest contracts (as they should) then there would be much more money to go around to pay the veterans who earned it by far exceeding the NFL average career lifespan of 3.4 seasons. So yeah, overall the salaries of the players go down, but the veterans worthy of the bigger contracts would have more of the money and isn't that how it should be? Also remember, the league is continually growing so no matter the percentage they have, they should always be dividing more money amongst them.

Now quickly too, I am not so scared of the owners getting more money, because as ESPN's Colin Cowherd put it, I care about how viable my owner is rather than how many more cars my running back is able to buy. Sure will some of the owners be greedy and keep their funds for themselves? Of course. The Bengals owner will love this. But that's part of why they are owners, for most of them its a business and business is about maximizing profits and cutting costs. I do however also believe that with more money at their disposal, a good amount of owners can and will better keep their franchises afloat and provide more ways for the fans to enjoy the game overall.

3. 18 games

The third factor in this whole debate is the looming 18 game schedule. Now here's the kicker. Of course 2 more games means 2 more weeks that players can injure themselves but the NFL is hell bent on cleaning up the game as we all saw how hard they came down on illegal hits this year. Sorry to tell all the fans of the game, this is just the beginning. If they can change rules mid season this year than they will keep doing so until they feel they "helped" the players prevent injuries better, whether we the fans or the players themselves like it or not. Players and fans will be forced to evolve. Now I am unsure what 2 more games will mean pay wise for the player but I am sure the owners hope to be able to pay them the same only stretch it over 2 more weeks but I think they will have to compromise on this. They should have to pay their players 2 more game checks at regular value. But they will also have much more money to do this. 2 more games means 2 more full priced sell outs, for most teams, also 2 more weeks of advertisers paying top dollar for commercial space as right now they don't because pre-season ratings, though pretty high, don't compare to regular season games. Basically it seems that the NFL would find no issues paying their players properly for 2 more games if that's what inevitably happens.

As fan, I could really care less about who wins this battle. I just want football on Sunday in the fall and I am sure they will manage to get a deal done but the players have to realize something. The NFL agreed to this CBA in 2006 but made sure to include the opt out feature. Why? Because they probably aren't stupid and realized that this deal wasn't in their best interests in the first place. The players should of realized that then and been negotiating this thing for the last 5 years rather than only start now at the zero hour.

I see good and bad arguments coming from both sides and I am sure they will get something done or else the real losers in this whole battle is WE the FANS.

* As of writing this article, I would just like to acknowledge that the first owner to show up to the negotiations is New York Giants owner John Mara. Kudos to Mara, his father was a pioneer in the NFL and now his son takes the first steps to helping this situation. Further adding to why the Giants are awesome.

* For great information on the subject, the economist authors of the New York Times Bestseller Freakonomics talked about this on there recent podcast. Very informative, you can find it here http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519

Sweet Knicktory!

2011-02-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is the first of hopefully many blogs in the weeks and months to come and it couldn't start at a better time in my eyes. Although I would watch basketball a little bit while the Knicks were terrible, it's hard to watch every other team's and their all-stars succeed when your city had none. Not anymore...

For 10 or so years, New York Knicks basketball has been a joke, let's be honest here. After they traded away Patrick Ewing to the Seattle Supersonics of all teams, the Knicks have been the laughing stock of the league and rightfully so. I personally, even as a Knicks fan, couldn't waste my precious time or spend my money watching or caring about what the Knicks did seeing as the NBA is purely a stars driven league.

Lets face it, you can win Championships in the NFL and MLB without stars more so than you can in the NBA. In the last 25 years, maybe only the Detroit Pistons became Champions without a real superstar, but then again they had Mr. Big Shot Chauncey Billups and 3 other NBA Allstars in Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton.

So with Football now mostly revolved around the upcoming lockout and pretty meaningless combine, it's so nice to have meaningful basketball being played now that Carmelo Anthony has joined the Knicks. Yesterday they played a magnificent basketball game despite having a team thats been together less than one week and only having three practices to learn their new teammates styles and offense.

Sunday's game in Miami started out as most figured it would. The Knicks were able to score sure, but the Heat appeared to be on a rampage and hell bent on showing their the force everyone has figured they would and should be. They scored 34 points in the first quarter and were breaking so much that again, all Knicks fans could say to themselves "wow, we have no defense."

Then things changed in the second quarter. Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo Anthony know that they are going to have to make it a point to play defense if they expect to bring a title to New York and they did just that. Closing out the second quarter on a 16-0 run to take a one point lead certainly swung momentum in their favor.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, everyone knows, is not the defensive minded guy but I also think thats more so his system of play. If your mission is to push the ball up and down the floor, like Miami's is as well, then the pace of the game speeds up and your going to have a hard time slowing anybody down. Case in point, Friday night's loss to the atrocious Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now though, bringing in Carmelo and the best trade throw-in ever Chauncey Billups have given the Knicks something they haven't had since Ewing. They have the pieces to play a slower, half court game as Chauncey can walk the ball up court, and run the offense either through Amare or Carmelo. They held the fast break heavy Heat to only 35 points in the second half! They stepped up their defense sure, but I think the biggest reason was that they slowed the pace down to a level they are far more comfortable.

If your not taking shots within the first 8 seconds of every possession, then the other team can't score as much either. The teams in the NBA considered the best at defense are the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. What do they all have in common? Point guards that care less about scoring, but can, and great half court offenses! They play a slower paced game and thats also been a standard for winning Championships. No team wins without it...ever.

I am not going to jump to conclusions all of a sudden to say the Knicks can beat the Heat in a seven game series, but they showed that they could at least make it a series if they face them come June. The Heats big 3 are definitely individually better than the Knicks 3, but they don't seem to complement each other the way the Knicks do.

The Heat have two players that are nearly identical in Wade and James, and Bosh is a "big man" who seems lost in the one on one show that Dwayne and LeBron switch off on possession by possession. The Knicks, on the other hand, have the right pieces to be capable of being a better team. They have the big man in Amare, the wing offensive powerhouse in Carmelo and a point guard who is highly underrated but more importantly, doesn't care if he scores 5 points or 25 on any given night.

The Knicks 3 pieces are just a better fit when you play team basketball. Late in the game, the three of them just worked better together then Miami's and helped the Heat to a now 5-11 record this year when the game's go down to the final seconds. At the end of the game I just knew LeBron wouldn't be able to get it done as he has never gotten it done before. Also, does anyone else notice that when LeBron has the ball, Wade just stands there and vice versa?

Again, I am a Knicks fan and love their new look but I also have tempered expectations for this season. But they showed last night that they are a force to not be over looked and will contend for an NBA title in the next four to five years.

Also, the fact that Carmelo Anthony took it upon himself to d-up LeBron James for the final 7 minutes (even though he did foul him on that last Amare block, but I digress) is the type of player the Knicks need. He obviously WANTS to be here, and I certainly WANT to watch him.

Last night's game brought me back to the early 90's and all that was missing from Chauncey's big shot was Marv Albert yelling "YES!"

I'm glad the Knicks are back and I can't wait to ride this wave...