Doing “the opposite” catching on

by | Jun 18, 2008 | Fantasy Football

Fantasy football conventional wisdom says grab running backs early and often. And in many cases that’s true. Nobody is saying pass up LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook or Steven Jackson if you have one of the top four or five picks. But with the increasing propensity of the running back-by-committee and the humongous passing stats being put up by teams like New England and Indianapolis, that advice now comes with an asterisk.

Let fantasy drafts come to you. It’s no longer taboo to grab a top quarterback – Tom Brady or Peyton Manning – or the top ranked wide receiver in the latter half of round one. Paul Charchian, founder of the Web site Fanball.com, has long espoused a strategy he calls “Doing the opposite” and ever since I started being more purposeful in my own scouting and rankings I’ve had much more fantasy football success.

The truth is in most scoring systems Randy Moss had more points than any running back last season except Tomlinson and Braylon Edwards wasn’t far behind. If you had grabbed the combination of Terrell Owens and Reggie Wayne and then stolen Adrian Peterson in the third round you’d have been well on your way to a championship.

I’d been planning on writing a post like this for awhile. The folks at NFL.com sort of stole my thunder. But the fact remains – there’s more than one way to win a fantasy football championship. If you go RB, RB in the first two rounds you’re as likely to go bust as you are to go boom. Take a gander at this link and then adjust your draft lists accordingly. … and if you don’t, please invite me into your league so I can get a piece of that pot.

Cheers.

What the #$%^ was Walker thinking?

by | Jun 17, 2008 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

I don’t want this post misinterpreted. I’m not arguing in favor of physical violence against anybody nor do I have any respect for thugs who acquire things not through buying them but by beating the hell out of their fellow man and taking it.

But what in the hell was Javon Walker thinking in Las Vegas early Monday morning hanging around with $3,000 in cash and more than $100,000 worth of jewelry?

Various media outlets are reporting details surrounding the events of the evening that might have led to Walker getting his beating. Among other allegations is that Walker was at the Body English nightclub inside the Hard Rock Café into the wee hours of the morning and that he may have had another party earlier in the weekend where he engaged in spraying champagne in the direction of other patrons. (more…)

Specter of Spygate is over

by | Jun 17, 2008 | NFL News, NFL Random Thoughts

Rest easy, NFL. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., has given up his dream of a Congressional inquiry into Spygate, the “scandal” that rocked the 2007 NFL season creating controversy around the New England Patriots’ 16-0 regular season.

Specter, who has to have better things to do than worry about what is going on on NFL sidelines during games, told the Philadelphia Daily News in a statement picked up by other media outlets that his judiciary committee “has too much to do” and he’s “gone as far as I can.”

Apparently the demands of fighting a war, fixing health care, the national deficit, an ongoing presidential election, crumbling national infrastructure, environmental concerns, $4 per gallon gas prices, and Congress’ 11 percent approval rating are more important than Spygate. Good that he finally came to that realization. (more…)

Darling & Webb battling for No. 2 slot?

by | Jun 17, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

One had to guess that the Kansas City Chiefs were heading into rebuilding mode this year. They traded away arguably their best defensive player in Jared Allen for picks before the draft and they realized last year the need to rebuild their offensive line.

Just how far it had slipped wasn’t entirely clear until I read this story indicating that the team’s No. 2 WR slot is open for competition between, among others, Devard Darling and Jeff Webb.

No offense to Darling and Webb – I hope they do well and make it big. But if that’s the best you’ve got to roll with into training camp for an offense run by the also extremely questionable Brodie Croyle, you’ve got to be wringing your hands a bit.

Based on the numbers, Darling appears to be the more explosive of the duo. He’s joined the Chiefs this year from Baltimore and is entering his fourth season, though before last year he last appeared in a game in 2004. His career numbers include 20 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns, all but two catches for five yards accumulated last year.

Webb was a sixth round pick in 2006. He has 31 catches for 336 yards and one touchdown and he did appear to come on at the end of the 2007 season, finishing with 28 catches for 313 yards and that sole TD.

The Chiefs added some nice offensive pieces during the draft including potential left tackle Brandon Albert, running back Jamaal Charles from Texas and two tight ends. But the only additions at wide receiver were fourth rounder Will Franklin and sixth rounder Kevin Robinson – both of whom are written about more in project-like terms than in glowing, can’t-miss-type formats. I don’t think anyone expected the Chiefs to be looking at a playoff spot this season, but it could be a longer year than anyone expected in KC, Mo.

Irvin to Goodell: Show players the hall

by | Jun 15, 2008 | NFL Random Thoughts

I never liked Michael Irvin nor the Dallas Cowboys of the mid-1990s that were winning Super Bowl after Super Bowl. I thought Irvin was an arrogant jerk on the field and his off-the-field exploits involving hookers, cocaine and seedy Dallas hotels are the stuff of legend.

But recently Irvin has had at least one good idea – he convinced NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to make a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio mandatory for rookies when they enter the league. That’s the best thing the league has done since imposing upon its first-year players the Rookie Symposium.

With many of the bad seeds in the NFL apparently feeling they have arrived just by showing up it’s vital that these clowns get a look at the history of the game – the people who sacrificed, bled and breathed football during a time when most players had to take off-season jobs in order to make a complete living.

New Falcon Matt Ryan in this ESPN piece says it best. “It makes you realize you got a great opportunity,” he told the Web site. While his English leaves a bit to be desired, Ryan appropriately tipped his cap to what came before him and appreciation for his opportunity to become the next great quarterback.

Clearly this move isn’t single-handedly going to rid the league of thugs and clowns. But it can only help in providing some context and some appreciation for what makes the NFL the strongest professional sports league in the world. And that can’t be a bad thing.