Zoneblitz 2010 AFC South preview

by | Sep 10, 2010 | 2010 NFL Season Preview

Zoneblitz officials this year decided we wanted to put out some sort of preview issue but that we also wanted to do something different. So we contacted bloggers who cover each NFL team.

We contacted close to 70 blogs asking if they’d like to participate. We heard back from some and were turned down by a few. But we worked too hard on putting this together to not publish what we did receive, as did those who put the time into giving us responses — in fact when asked for a few sentences or a paragraph, many submitted as much as a page.

A big thank you to those who followed up and followed through. I’m very appreciative of your time.

We’ll kick off our NFL preview with a look at the AFC South, the lone division where a representative from each team in the division answered our call. And over the next couple days we’ll get the rest of the responses up as well.

Thank you again.

Andy Tellijohn, www.Zoneblitz.com

Indianapolis
Houston
Tennessee
Jacksonville

The way I see it the Colts have been the star of the division so long that I won’t believe they aren’t until I see it. Houston is up and coming but they have been for the last couple years. I need to see them do it before I’ll pick them to do so.

Houston and Tennessee will battle for second. It’ll be neck and neck and I could see this one going either way. In the end I give Houston the edge, but it’s by a coin flip.

Jacksonville has a smattering of skill topped of course by Maurice Jones Drew. I think there are too many weaknesses in too many spots for them to emerge from the cellar this season.
For the celebrity blogger perspectives, click here:

(more…)

Football season starts: Vikes v Saints, Zoneblitz v Vegas

by | Sep 9, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

LAS VEGAS — Zoneblitz has once again embarked on a week one trip to Las Vegas. We were here two years ago and can only hope that the tables treat us better this year than they did the last time around. So far … we’re not betting on it.

We may have been a bit distracted during our first rounds of Blackjack tonight because we were frequently sneaking glances at the television to watch the Vikings-Saints NFC Championship rematch that kicked off the season.

The game was far less important than its predecessor in January … and far less exciting. The final result, with the Saints winning again, was predictable given some of the injuries facing each side, with Brett Favre probably still knocking off some rust and with New Orleans just being a damn good team, especially in the Superdome.

But I was surprised at the score. I placed a foolish, last-minute bet on the Saints and Vikings going over the over/under, which was posted at 49 by kickoff. And when Drew Brees took the Saints down the field as though Minnesota forgot to show up on the first drive, I thought the bet was looking good.

The defenses stiffened and I was quickly out that cash. And so it goes.

We’re looking forward to some more Blackjack and to full slates of college and pro football over the next couple days. We’ll be bringing you some previews, which will feature thoughts from several bloggers who write about specific teams around the league.

And we’ll be getting back into the swing of things with more regular postings as football news hopefully swings back toward on-field activities and away from such supposedly newsworthy items as Troy Polamalu’s hair and Kendall Langford’s $50,000 earring.

Tom Boswell once wrote a book about Major League Baseball called “Why Time Begins on Opening Day.” I’ve never read it but I understand the sentiment of the title. But for me it’s most definitely the beginning of football season when everything seems right with the world.

FootballGuys help grade fantasy football teams

by | Aug 30, 2010 | Fantasy Football

Around this time of year if you go to football chat boards or fantasy football sites on facebook you’ll frequently see folks asking for opinions on their teams.

One facebook friend of mine in the industry has a couple dozen such questions just under one post – despite a note on his page saying he doesn’t have time to comment on fantasy football questions on facebook.

One of his friends today posted a comment to his site advising people to check out the website of www.fantasyfootballguys.com for assistance in grading teams. I thought it would probably be one of these two sentence deals where they said “nice team” or “better luck next year.”

I was wrong.

I entered two of the teams I was involved in drafting this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to see a five page report generated that I was able to see on the site and have emailed to me. It included analysis by position, advice on free agents that might be available to replace some of the rosters’ sub-par players, recent news hits and other useful information.

Plus, there are four people doing rankings, so you can click on another link to get three more reports.

I’m not going to say I agreed with everything they said. But it was nice to get some educated feedback from folks that added to the opinions I already have. They don’t know who is on the league’s other rosters. But they do let you enter your scoring systems (or close to them, anyway).

It’s not perfect. But it’s a pretty good instant analysis and a site I’ll probably revisit a few times during the upcoming season.

Tebow mechanics dicussed on Fox broadcast

by | Aug 29, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

I was one of many people who, a couple years ago, predicted that Tim Tebow would have to find another position if he was going to have a successful NFL career.

The jury is still out on his long-term prospects but it’s clear watching the Denver-Pittsburgh game on Fox tonight that he’s done a lot of work.

I preface this saying I am no expert on quarterback mechanics. But when he left Florida his throwing motion was put under a microscope. And it was clear even to a mere observer like me that his long, winding motion was going to hinder his chances for success.

His delivery still looks a little clunky, at least to me. But the long windup seems to have improved, at least some. His release appears quicker, again, at least to me.

He botched a short third-down pass to Eddie Royal in the middle of the third quarter that likely would have resulted in a first down. And in the fourth quarter he threw an ugly interception that set the Steelers up with a short field.

But in between, Tebow threw a couple bullets downfield in traffic that resulted in nice gains.

My guess is that he still has quite a ways to go before he’s ready to start in the NFL. I think Denver probably recognized that when they drafted him. Fox analyst Troy Aikman says it’s dangerous taking a guy who has played the position as long as Tebow has and completely reworking his mechanics as the Broncos appear to be doing with Tebow, and that process certainly is going to take time.

But even though this game is against a group of backups it seems as though he may have a better shot at making the transition to NFL quarterback than many originally believed. If he keeps leading drives like a couple of the ones he did in the third quarter, what it looks like won’t matter.

Fantasy football experts offer insight

by | Aug 28, 2010 | Fantasy Football

With the regular season a mere two weeks away fantasy football drafts are in full swing. We here at Zoneblitz are kicking off a marathon weekend ourselves with four between the two of us.

So, in our unending effort to gain an edge, to find that last minute sleeper that will bring us fantasy glory and obnoxious winnings, we sought out some advice from some of the experts of the industry.

We separately asked several folks questions on a multitude of fantasy topics. A couple responded right away. We’ll add to this document if and when anyone else responds, as well.

Here’s who they are:

Anthony Maggio is a veteran fantasy sports writer who has worked for Fanball and FFchamps.com. He currently covers the Minnesota Twins for www.foxsportsnorth.com. Follow him on Twitter @fsnorthmaggio

Michael Lambourne graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Finance and Psychology with a focus on behavioral economics, game theory, and entrepreneurship. Fantasy football was the perfect opportunity to combine his love for sports, especially football, with game theory and investment analysis. He has developed a passion for creating a detailed strategy to consistantly beat fantasy football. He has a website, fantasyfootballriches.com, and he’s written an e-book: The Expert Guide to Profitable Fantasy Football.

Zach Sundelius is a writer and editor at RotoWire.com.

And here’s what they had to say: (more…)