Two Minute Warning: Air Coryell, GSOT, Superfreak and Friends, Part II
Editor’s Note: Apparently, Derek has gone mad this week, dividing his already lengthy column into two parts this week. Part I can be found here.
Ten Things We Learned in Week 11
1. The Steelers/Chargers finish likely cost fantasy owners: “The illegal forward pass” at the end of the Steelers/Chargers game not only cost people a ton of money in Las Vegas, but also may short circuited a few owners of the Steeler defense, who could have used the last second touchdown.
2. The weather has arrived to the northeast: If you own Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, or Ben Roethlisberger, it’s time to start looking towards your backups. Monitor the weather conditions and proceed with care. Despite “Ben” going for over 300 yards in the snow, driving winds and precipitation doesn’t tend to lead to fantasy glory.
3. NFL officiating stinks: Perhaps it’s something in the water, but NFL officiating is in a bit of a slump this season. Whether it’s Scott Greene or Ed Hoculi, these guys seem extremely lost at times.
4. The Giants have the best team in the NFL, but…: They have perhaps the most famous game manager in league history in Eli Manning, the trio of Earth, Wind & Fire at running back and Plaxico Burress, who hasn’t eclipsed over 80 yards since Week Two. The world champs are great, but the team itself has little fantasy value right now.
5. Don’t trust a guy with one good hand: Tony Romo still looks a bit shaky. Some of his swing passes to Marion Barber had a bit too much float on them Sunday night. He’s not back to peak form quite yet.
6. Matt Cassel is going to be a rich man: San Francisco, Seattle, Minnesota, and the NY Jets (maybe) all will have question marks at quarterback next season. If Cassel ends the season in relatively strong fashion and lands the Pats in the playoffs, he’ll end up making close to $9 million a year. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?
7. Brian Westbrook owners are in deep trouble: Westbrook is suffering from a sore knee and bad ribs. He clearly is not right. Approaching fantasy playoff time, other options might be a better idea.
8. The Colts will go as far as Joseph Addai takes them: When the Colts run the football, they are a Super Bowl contender. Against Houston, Addai finally went over 100 yards for the first time this season and the Colts have a cake schedule down the stretch. Addai could be a late season star.
9. Speaking of the Colts, be sure to monitor Bob Sanders’ game time status every week: Steve Slaton partied like it was 1999 with Sanders out of the lineup. Slaton ran for 156 yards including a 71-yard jaunt.
10. Thomas Jones leads the AFC in rushing…no, seriously, he does: Jones scored again Thursday night and now has an AFC-best 854 yards rushing. My partner in crime Andy Goldstein calls him the most boring back in football. He still is a snorefest, but he has led the Jets to first place in the AFC East.
Fantasy Power Poll
Last week’s rankings are in parentheses
1. Kurt Warner (1) – The beat goes on for Warner and the Cards. Remember when he backed Eli? That seems like a lifetime ago.
2. Drew Brees (2) – Pretty soon the Saints will need to put a call into ex-Saint Dalton Hilliard to take handoffs.
3. Adrian Peterson (3) – He’s very testy these days. Would you like playing for the Viking coaching staff? Didn’t think so.
4. Anquan Boldin (5) – The man is a machine. My ultimate dream is for Boldin and Warner to share the MVP.
5. Clinton Portis (4) – Slowing down are we?
6. Frank Gore (7) – Thankfully he didn’t fall down in front of the goalline this week.
7. Larry Fitzgerald (NR) – Check out this week’s Sports Illustrated for a write-up on Boldin and Fitzgerald. Took them long enough.
8. Marion Barber (NR) – He’s the real meat and potatoes of the Dallas offense.
9. Michael Turner (NR) – He has cooled after the hot start, but is still finding the endzone.
10. Calvin Johnson (9) – He’s saddled with Daunte Culpepper and a tough schedule as of late.
Link of the Week
Honestly, I don’t like soccer. I think it’s boring, except for the World Cup which is actually somewhat enjoyable.
However, there is a brand of soccer I can get behind…the RoboCup 2008 final. That’s right, nothing says soccer quite like robots playing for a championship.
Next Week: Donovan McNabb asked that the tie issue go away. Well, Donovan, please don’t read my column next week.
