LaMont Jordan sees extensive time

by | Aug 8, 2008 | Fantasy Football, NFL Random Thoughts

Most mornings I keep the television off – it’s too easy a source of distractions while I try to get some real work done. But this morning I had it on with the sound off when NFL stats from last night started scrolling by. One line that jumped out at me was LaMont Jordan’s 19 carries.

The former Jet and Raider utilized those carries well, rumbling for 76 yards and one touchdown. Again, I try not to put too much stake in preseason football. But when I saw that I mentally moved Laurence Maroney’s down on my as-of-yet put-to-paper fantasy draft cheat sheets.

It’s not that I think Maroney is a bad running back or that he is going to be replaced as the starter in New England. But Bill Belichick last year seemed to show a preference for a more hard-nosed running style as opposed to Maroney’s breakaway style. Sammy Morris, before getting hurt, received 85 carries in six games, scoring three touchdowns before Maroney even once broke the stripe.

Maroney certainly came on toward the end of the season and into the playoffs and in games where Belichick needs to run more than pass I would expect that he will get a plurality of the carries, if not a clear majority. But in games where the coach thinks he can open up the deep passing game by pounding away with runs in between the tackles with a couple battering rams like Jordan and Morris, don’t discount the possibility that Maroney could become a non-factor in those games – much like he did at times last season.

I don’t expect Tom Brady to duplicate 50 touchdowns or Moss to match his 22. But Belichick loves the deep ball and at times it seems he feels more apt to get there without Maroney rather than with him.

Pennington to … Chicago?

by | Aug 8, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

Miami and Minnesota have been mentioned as the likely landing spots for former New York Jet signal caller Chad Pennington. But perhaps the team with the most inept current situation – and thus the biggest need – might be the Chicago Bears.

Kyle Orton completed seven of 10 passes for 56 yards and no interceptions but he did fumble for a 9-yard loss in the second quarter. Rex Grossman, who is slated to start at Seattle next Saturday, was four for eight with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wolfe, but he also threw an interception on the opening drive of the second half.

Orton and Grossman are both hampered by the lack of skilled wide receivers, but they are both of limited skills as well. Grossman has long been capable of the fantastic but has more often shown a penchant for the absurd while Orton has won a lot of games doing little more than managing the offense and attempting not to make mistakes.

If the Bears coaching staff has internally set this season aside as a building year it’s possible a move for the 32-year-old Pennington doesn’t make sense. But if that were the case why wouldn’t the Bears have brought in a young “quarterback of the future” to learn on the job, or at least figure it out from the sidelines? Caleb Hanie really hasn’t ever been mentioned as an heir apparent candidate.

So if the Bears are approaching this season thinking they can rebound from last season’s disaster a step up in quarterback play would go a long way in accomplishing that. Pennington doesn’t have a great arm, but he always completes a high percentage of his passes and he’s considered a good teammate.

At worst he could come in and perhaps offer the winner, err, lesser loser of the Orton-Grossman competition some sage veteran advice. At best he could come in and provide a steady upgrade at the position that could create enough of a passing threat to perhaps open some holes for Matt Forte, Kevin Jones, and a running game that could be fairly decent.

The Chicago Sun Times thinks it’s unlikely the Bears call, but the Chicago Tribune’s David Haugh thinks the subject at least warrants picking up the phone. Don’t you?

EDIT: ESPN News is reporting that Pennington’s agent says six teams have expressed interest in Pennington but the screen crawl does not say who those six teams are.

Johnson looks sharp, scores early

by | Aug 8, 2008 | Fantasy Football, NFL News

I watched maybe a single series of NFL preseason Thursday night continuing a several-year long promise to myself to not put much stock in games that generally amount to glorified scrimmages held between backup players, most of whom will be bagging groceries and supersizing french fry orders at McDonald’s in the weeks ahead.

Instead I follow preseason largely from game write-ups and comments from coaches. Based on most accounts one recovering star who apparently looked the part last night was Larry Johnson.

The overall numbers weren’t fantastic. He rushed eight times for 18 yards. But he scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive and “burst through the middle, past Brian Urlacher, for a 7-yard-gain on the second play from scrimmage,” according to the Associated Press.

For the Chiefs to have any chance this season Johnson is going to have to shoulder the load, taking pressure off of Brodie Croyle (or Tyler Thigpen, as it reportedly may be) and keeping the defense fresh. He missed half of last season with a broken foot and didn’t play ALL that well when he was available.

A solid performance by Johnson would also provide a sigh of relief to fantasy football players picking in the second half of round one or the early parts of round two selecting from the good-but-not-elite heap of running backs. Johnson, a consensus top three pick the last two seasons has faded some following his injury and the overuse he sustained in 2006. But this game against Chicago, whose defense is still pretty solid despite an offense devoid of, well, nearly anything, gives some hope that Johnson may prove worthy of a risk-taker’s pick despite a mediocre quarterback situation and an offensive line that has yet to recover from retirement and injury.

Favre trade brings fantasy ramifications

by | Aug 7, 2008 | Fantasy Football

The trade to New York reunites Brett Favre with a familiar tight end and improves the fantasy prospects of several Jet skill-position players.

Bubba Franks played with Favre for eight years and while he hasn’t had more than 34 catches since 2002, he provides the former Packer star with a familiar target and a big body in the red zone. Franks likely will be the number two tight end behind Dustin Keller, the athletic first-round pick from Purdue.

Keller was set to provide another weapon for whoever became the Jets’ signal caller this season, but the Favre acquisition likely accelerates Keller’s upward movement on tight end cheat sheets. He will be a fantasy factor this season.

Jerricho Cotchery caught 82 passes for 1,130 yards last season but scored only two touchdowns. The aging Laveranues Coles caught 55 passes and six touchdowns. Donald Driver’s numbers were almost identical last year to Cotchery’s while Greg Jennings’ reception totals mirrored Coles’ – but Jennings scored 12 touchdowns. My guess is each Jets wide receiver bumps up their touchdown totals this year with a stronger-armed, better-skilled quarterback at the helm.

But nobody benefits more than Thomas Jones. With the additions of Alan Faneca and Damien Woody to last year’s sieve-like offensive line, Jones already had to be happy about the team’s offseason improvements. But with a quarterback that can legitimately fling the rock it’ll open up running lanes for a back who eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing but only hit paydirt once. Those numbers, especially the touchdown one, will improve.

And don’t forget Leon Washington – Favre doesn’t mind throwing to his backs. Remember Ahman Green – during his first four seasons with the Packers, Green caught 73, 62, 57 and 50 passes from Favre and in the last of those four scored five touchdowns through the air. Washington could be the beneficiary of many of those touches.

Favre himself was a top five fantasy quarterback last year, throwing for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns. He’s unlikely to keep up that pace for any lengthy period of time, but he doesn’t have to in order to provide substantial improvements to the fantasy fortunes of his new teammates. Chad Pennington, while not terrible, has a rag arm and Kellen Clemens threw only five touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 2007.

The talent around him decreases somewhat from his Packers team that went 13-3. But the Jets have some skill players and while Favre will help them, they will help Favre retain his status among the top handful-and-change of fantasy quarterbacks as well.

Not a lot is expected of the Jets this year but this trade makes them an interesting team – and their skill players intriguing sleepers as this fantasy season gets underway.

Orton to start game one – but don’t read into that

by | Aug 6, 2008 | NFL Breaking News

In what might be more of a punishment than a reward Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith has tapped Kyle Orton as the team’s starting quarterback for the first preseason game Thursday against Kansas City.

Smith cautioned against reading too much into the announcement as the team intends to give Rex Grossman equal snaps with the first team … or whatever of the first team exists at the moment. Only two projected starters on the offensive line – center Olin Kreutz and right tackle John Tait – might be in action at their positions.

The two quarterbacks have rotated in camp and Grossman will start the second game, according to an Associated Press story posted at Yahoo! Sports.

“We want both guys to get an equal opportunity and that’s what we’re going to do,” Smith announced after the Tuesday practice.

It’s said that a team with two leaders truly has none. The Bears have enough struggles ahead on offense with a mediocre collection of receivers and an unproven – though full of potential – running game lead by Matt Forte and backed by the other Adrian Peterson and Kevin Jones. Those backs have the skills to be adequate – but they’ll only be so if one of the quarterbacks steps up and at least provides the threat of a passing game. Otherwise it’s Goodnight Irene for the Bears this season.