On the ESPN scroll this morning during SportsCenter it said that Drew Henson has been named the backup to Daunte Culpepper. First, how is this news that made the ticker? Second, how can you not laugh after reading that? Drew Henson is the backup to Daunte Culpepper- that’s how awful the Lions are. Third, how is that Drew Stanton pick looking? Here’s hoping he’s injured or something, because that’s awful to be third on our depth chart, especially behind two wastes of spaces in Culpepper and Henson.
I lost again in fantasy this week, but I am happy. For once I did not lose to the first or second highest scorer. It just brings peace to my fantasy soul for some reason. My team did okay again, so I can’t complain. They’ve been consistently mediocre all year, so they lived up to their billing. Another benefit of losing this week means that Stacey jumps in front of Kevin for the last playoff spot. Since I hate Kevin, that makes me happy.
Listening to the debates about how the BCS is all screwed up (again) just makes me want to scream and yell. Adam, I just don’t get how you can love this sport so much when year after year we get this same drama. It’s getting old year after year, and the debates aren’t even fun because they will not come to any sort of satisfying resolution when the season is all said and done. Grrrr…just get a damn playoff!
Alright, onto the picks. Kevin has started his comeback charge…
Updated Standings:
Mike: 120
Kevin: 113
Adam: 106
Go make your picks! (Adam, don't forget the MNF game this week. You forgot it last week and I didn't notice until I was counting winners, sorry.)
Week 13 Picks
Philadelphia over Arizona
Tennessee over Detroit
Dallas over Seattle
Green Bay over Carolina
New York over Washington
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Indianapolis over Cleveland
Buffalo over San Francisco
Tampa Bay over New Orleans
Miami over St. Louis
San Diego over Atlanta
Kansas City over Oakland
New York over Denver
Minnesota over Chicago
New England over Pittsburgh
Houston over Jacksonville
Not picking the Lions this week…a smart decision on my part.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Mikey D
Updated Standings:
Mike: 110
Kevin: 100
Adam: 98
Go make your picks!
Week 12 Picks
Pittsburgh over Cincinnati
Cleveland over Houston
Kansas City over Buffalo
Miami over New England
Tennessee over New York
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Dallas over San Francisco
Detroit over Tampa Bay
Chicago over St. Louis
Denver over Oakland
Minnesota over Jacksonville
Atlanta over Carolina
New York over Arizona
Washington over Seattle
San Diego over Indianapolis
New Orleans over Green Bay
Yeah, I'm picking the Lions. Oops.
~Mikey D
I've been enamored the past couple of days with fantasy stats since Matt Cassell decided to have his best game of his career (probably at any level) on Thursday night.
I discovered that each and every week I've played either the top scorer for the week, or the 2nd highest scorer, in all nine of my losses. It doesn't upset me anymore as the season is lost for me, but now it just amazes me how it happens week in and week out, and thus far in Week 11 it appears it's going that route again.
But I delved in a little deeper into the stats of our league this year, and found some interesting things- well to me, because I'm a gigantic dork. Although Kevin probably spent hours making a fantasy video about Vince Young, so maybe that just makes me a dork.
I started looking at the FPA (Fantasy Points Against). Here's the list of the total points scored against each team thus far:
Mike: 996.88
Kevin: 891.08
Stacey: 846.77
Amber: 792.07
Grace: 770.54
Dave: 744.39
Brian: 732.17
Adam: 711.14
What to take away from these stats? Well, I've been scored on over a 100 points than the next highest person, for starters! But besides that, I was surprised to see that Kevin and Stacey were the next in line, given their overall records. What it means is that they are winning despite getting scored upon, which translates to their teams legit and good. If they play you and you have a down week, they are probably going to beat you.
Also, the top two teams in our league are Adam and Dave, and they're in the top 3 in least points scored against. Coincidence? Maybe. But it doesn't hurt when trying to win in fantasy. In looking a little deeper I was amazed to see Adam's schedule. No team all year has scored over 87.06 points against Adam! In fact, only two teams have broken 80 against Adam all year!!! And the two teams that did have given Adam his only two losses. That's some great luck with the schedule, but to Adam's credit his team has capitalized with good performances to take the wins. Luck and skill is a tough combination to beat.
One last curiosity...Brian's team, despite my record, is the worst team in the league. Despite being scored on the 3rd least, he's the worst in the amount of points he's scored. His team does not put up points, but because of bad weeks by other teams he's somehow pulling out a 4-6 record.
Another thing I noticed was the point differentials (points scored minus points scored by opponent). Look at the list:
Dave: +147.49
Adam: +81.77
Grace: +33.11
Amber: +19.27
Kevin: -37.83
Brian: -38.28
Stacey: -42.34
Mike: -163.21
Dave and Adam have taken care of business. Again, I think it's telling that Kevin and Stacey's teams have a negative differential but are right there in the playoff mix. If you had to project the four playoff teams right now, you'd have to Dave, Adam, Kevin, and Stacey. They have good squads. Me? Not so much.
Also, when looking at trades done this year, Adam is involved in most. So? When you push the action, good things happen. Well...most of the time. I'm the second most active, and it hasn't worked out so well. But in my three other leagues I have been active and it's brought much success. I'm sure Adam would agree trading and being active is a key part in fantasy success. Here's the list of trades and the winners:
-L.T. and Holt for Barber and Colston (Adam and Mike, slight advantage Mike based on points scored thus far)
-Dallas Clark for Tony Gonzalez (Mike and Amber, advantage Amber)
-Steven Jackson for Marshawn Lynch and Felix Jones (Mike and Stacey, advantage Stacey)
-Greg Jennings for Kellen Winslow (Adam and Kevin, advantage Adam)
-Kyle Orton for Laverneous Coles (Adam and Mike, advantage Adam)
-Peyton Manning for Muhammed and Rodgers (Adam and Brian, advantage Adam)
Adam recognized weaknesses in his team and then made it better. Remember he started the year with Hasselbeck and Anderson as his two starting QBs, and while he was fortunate A. Rodgers bailed him out, he is starting Peyton Manning and the surprising Orton (most of the time) now. Upgrade. And sorry Kev, but he got a stud #1 receiver when he needed it (with Moss' value down) for a tight end, an absolute steal. And with LT being a usual second half star, there's no reason to think he won't win our initial trade that began the year. I love the trades he made; that's what makes him good.
But enough love for Adam. I hope the rest of your team sucks this week you stupid fucker.
~Mikey D
Short and sweet.
Updated Standings:
Mike- 99
Kevin- 88
Adam- 87
Go make your picks!
Week 11 Picks
New England over New York
Atlanta over Denver
Indianapolis over Houston
Miami over Oakland
New York over Baltimore
Carolina over Detroit
Philadelphia over Cincinnati
New Orleans over Kansas City
Green Bay over Chicago
San Francisco over St. Louis
Minnesota over Tampa Bay
Arizona over Seattle
Tennessee over Jacksonville
Pittsburgh over San Diego
Washington over Dallas
Buffalo over Cleveland
~Mikey D
First, I cannot believe Michigan State could possibly be a 10-win team, Big Ten Champs, and Rose Bowl bound. I thought it could happen sometime in my lifetime, but this soon under Dantonio's tenure? Perhaps it's because the conference is down that we're still in it, but perhaps it's because for the first time in awhile we're legit. I'm guessing it's somewhere in the middle. A #18 ranking seems about right. I am ridiculously impressed though, and while I won't go as far as Adam to say I like Dantonio more than Izzo, I do hope he stays awhile and leaves his mark on this program.
And as much as I love MSU, I am just as in love with Texas Tech!!! I am such a fan of college football right now and it's because of this group. Name me a team that's more fun to watch? I cannot take my eyes off them. Their games are highly entertaining and they're just so damn likable. I mean for years all you hear about is Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and sometimes schools like K-State, Kansas, and Missouri in the Big 12. But Tech is for real.
And look how much fun their student body has! Faces painted up like the Joker?! That's just fucking awesome. How creepy is that to look into the stands and see?
And Michael Crabtree. Yes, here's my weekly Heisman plug. 13th straight game with at least 5 catches and a TD. The only other two to do that was Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss (good company). What's more impressive is he got 89 yards and 3 TDs yesterday against the #9 team in the land on a bum ankle. And if you watched Sportscenter this morning, after each one of his TDs they replayed the moves he put on the defender to get open. What more do you need??? On a bum ankle, against the 9th ranked team in the country, he hauls in 3 touchdowns! And not only that, the moves he put on the defenders were done effortlessly and given props by ESPN! Heisman, Heisman, Heisman!!!
I found this video on YouTube. It's from last year, but I kind of like it. I was doing the little crab-pinchers all during the game last night. If you watch this entire video (yes, it's dumb as all hell, so please, no comments about that), I will mail you one dollar. Now we are going off the honor system here, so I am trusting your integrity. If you can make it through...one dollar.
My updated top-5:
1. Alabama
2. Texas Tech
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. USC
And Tech would smoke Bama if they played. No doubt.
~Mikey D
Is Adam destined to be the fantasy champ? I wouldn't bet against it. Going into Monday night, Stacey had Jeff Reed and was trailing Adam by a few points. Stacey must have felt good knowing that the game was going to be low scoring (lots of field goals potentially). And while there were less field goals than anticipated, Jeff Reed got the 5 points that Stacey needed to put her on top. Except Adam ended up winning by four. Why? Jeff Reed inexcusably missed an extra point, thus costing Stacey the game. Destiny? When kickers start missing extra points and thus leading your team to victory, one has to wonder...
A.I. trade. I'm warming to it. I was intially against it for a few reasons. The main being I don't like A.I. as a player. I always thought he was a me-first guy who just didn't mesh well with teammates. If the game was all about going one-on-one, I'd love him. He's not a point guard, so just plugging him in where Billups was isn't logical. He's a scorer first and foremost, a passer second. Billups was the team leader, the floor general, the heart and soul of our team. If anyone were going, I thought it'd be Sheed...
All that being said, the trade makes a lot of sense for us now. Obviously we needed to shake things up. Mission accomplished. Whether the risk will end in reward remains to be seen, but if it doesn't work out we're not locked into anything. I think that's what's most important. If A.I. sucks in Detroit, we can let him walk and say we tried. His contract is expiring at the end of this year, which is fantastic for us as it clears all sorts of money off our books and puts us way under the salary cap. Stephen A. said the move opens up the possibility of going after a guy like LeBron, and while I could never see that happening, I do like the idea of going after other free agents from that crop, like Bosh or Wade. Thinking ahead, I'd love Bosh in Detroit. I'm picturing a starting five of Stuckey-Hamilton-Prince-Bosh-Maxiell. I'd go to battle with that. Notice there's no Sheed in the picture, as I'm hoping we move him for something that makes our roster better, either excellent parts off the bench or draft picks. So like I said, I can see the benefits of the trade now, especially long term. In Joe D I trust.
Okay, back to football.
Updated Standings after 9 Weeks:
Mike: 90 (12-2 last week, 10-4 on coin flip picks)
Kevin: 79 (11-3 last week, 8-6 on coin flip picks)
Adam: 78 (9-5 last week, 5-9 on coin flip picks)
Even though Adam picked the least amount correctly, he had the balls to pick Kansas City over Tampa Bay, and he should have been right on that one. That was almost the call of the year, and I don't think anyone would have predicted that anywhere in the country (outside of Kansas City).
Go make your picks!
Week 10 Picks
Cleveland over Denver
Jacksonville over Detroit
New York over St. Louis
Tennessee over Chicago
Baltimore over Houston
New Orleans over Atlanta
Buffalo over New England
Miami over Seattle
Minnesota over Green Bay
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
Carolina over Oakland
San Diego over Kansas City
Philadelphia over New York
Arizona over San Francisco
Upset Pick: I'm not sure what the lines are to see who's favored, but I'm imagining New England at home will be favored over Buffalo. I like Buffalo! They've been beat down their last two divisional games, so this is really a must-win for them. Give me a talented team with their backs against the wall! While everyone loves the Patriots resilience, their schedule has been s-o-f-t. Bottom line: They don't have Brady, they lost their RBs, and their defense is suspect. You can only go so far with Cassell and Kevin Faulk in your backfield. Trent Edwards hits Lee Evans deep, throw a couple TDs, and Lynch and Jackson control the game late on the ground.
Fantasy Guys I Was Impressed With This Week:
QB- Tyler Thigpen. I just love his stat line. 164 yards and 1 TD passing, 6 carries for 22 yards on the ground, and 1 catch for 37 yards and a TD. He outperformed 2 of the 3 guys who I started at receiver this week, haha. I am even more impressed he did all that against Tampa Bay, which is pretty stout on the defensive end.
RB- Ray Rice. Guessing who is coming out of the Baltimore backfield is becoming ridiculously difficult, and Grace has been burned twice this year. That being said, Rice emerged and ran for a 154 yards this week. Nice job, rook.
WR- Derek Mason- Woop! The juke move he put on the Cleveland corner was a thing of beauty. This old timer still has it, to the tune of 136 yards and a TD.
TE- Brent Celek- The backup to the backup tight end isn't supposed to catch 131 yards worth of passes and set a team record for yards caught by a tight end! Except that's what he did.
Fantasy Guys I Like This Week:
QB- Brady Quinn (a short week means less time to think about his start, and he's been waiting for this moment. And Denver is bad), RB- DeAngelo Williams (I think Oakland is bad, so I'm picturing Carolina with a lead and sitting on it), Roscoe Parish (I just think there's some big plays to be had against that NE secondary...), TE- Marcedes Lewis (Way out on a limb here, but we'll see)
Last week I was 3 out of 4. Not bad. I hit on Bulger (couple of TD tosses), Shiancoe (got a TD, which you will gladly take out of a tight end), and Graham (although his fumbles almost made his decent day bad). Missed on Hester, as his fumble hurt him, as well as losing Orton halfway through the game.
And before I go, I was perusing YouTube when I found this old clip of Plaxico during his MSU days abusing David Terrell. It makes me happy. I am still enjoying and smiling about our victory over U of M this year. I feel like with 8+ wins, a win over U of M, and U of M not going to a bowl this year, our season has been like a dream. Just finish strong, MSU!
Was that Mike Golic doing the announcing?
~Mikey D
Love me some Texas Tech!
Besides Michigan State this is by far my favorite college team. Love the offense. Love the coach (did you know he went to law school?). Love that each member of the offensive line has a nickname, like 'Mankind'. Love that their kicker was a student two weeks ago and won a contest for free rent, and then the starting kicker job.
Oh, and I love Michael Crabtree...did you know?
College football is not my favorite sport, I am a pro guy, and I've made that known before. But yesterday I was actually excited to watch Texas-Texas Tech. It's been a long while since I've been this pumped about a college football game- and it delivered.
Hell of a game, and if it was on Texas' turf, they probably would have won it. They were a few seconds away from winning this one. But I don't want to get into all the details of the game. Just the last play of the game.
Michael fucking Crabtree. Game on the line. 28 yards from the win. Last chance. Watch that play. Harrell got him the ball, but then Michael Crabtree, with two defenders, spins off one, and just races to the endzone. If you watch it, he does it so effortlessly. Think about it though- if just one of them can push Crabtree just a few more inches to the sideline and out of bounds, the game is over. No more time on the clock. Tech will lose the game. Crabtree gets away from both defenders for the game winning score. Fantastic.
Crabtree's final line was 10 catches, 127 yards, and that game winning score. He put up those numbers against the number one team, and you have to remember that defenses now are trying to stop him! He's the guy secondaries are paying the most attention to! Amazing.
Please give him some Heisman love. I don't care if he doesn't win it, just put his name in the mix. Even Herbstreit said, "Michael Crabtree, the best player in college football." What's the definition of the Heisman again?
And if I had a choice, I'd love to see Florida-Texas Tech in the National Championship. I think SEC-Big 12 would be the match-up of the two premiere conferences, and in my opinion, these are the two most exciting teams from each.
My Top 5:
1. Penn State
2. Alabama
3. Texas Tech
4. Florida
5. USC
~Mikey D
I'll be honest, I want more baseball. I'm sad to see it go. But I'm glad to see it go the way it did- with the Phillies on top (the only thing better would have been the Tigers!). They are clearly my second favorite team now, with Grace's undying loyalty and the love I felt after catching Jimmy Rollins' homerun ball up in Philly. I can actually name every player on the Phillies roster, but not every Tigers player. Eek.
Yesterday was the parade for the Phillies championship, and over two million people showed. I tried to watch as much of it as I could at work online, and when I got home. It was pretty awesome, just based on the enthusiasm of the fans. You could tell this championship meant a lot to the city, which is great. I like it better that way. Teams from New York, Boston, L.A.- it happens all the time, and while I'm sure it's special, a championship doesn't have the same meaning to the city as it does elsewhere.
But yes, the parade. It had all your usually parade shit, minus all the gigantic floats. My favorite part was when a reporter interviewed a kid and asked, "Shouldn't you be in school?" and the kid said, "Hell no!" And instead of laughing, the reporter just agreed with the kid and said, "That's right! You get an 'A' for social studies today!" It was funny. And the parade "announcers" continually made fun of people that didn't take off work or went to school. They showed shots of the side streets with cars, and they would call them out, saying they shouldn't be driving, but out in the streets. Good times.
The parade ended at the ballpark and all the players gave a little speech. And Chase Utley stole the show. I'm sure people in the Phillies front office were none to happy with him, but of well. To preface, Chase got in a little hot water at the All-Star game for swearing on national television. When introduced at Yankee Stadium, the fans booed him (Mets-Phillies hate each other, mind you), and Chase, straight into the camera said, "Boo? Fuck you!" Not the classiest of moves, but I do say he embodies that Philadelphia spirit. That's a town of people that doesn't take crap from anyone.
So Chase got up yesterday, and gave his small speech. This speech was shown live on MLB.com, as well as all the Philadelphia tv stations (Fox, NBC, etc.). Chase, again, had the live tv spotlight...
Haha, ah Chase Utley. A Philadelphia Phillie for life.
Congrats, Phillies. 2008 World Series Champions. And for those who discount them, think about these things. They were 11-3 in the postseason and undefeated at home. They beat the team that was best set up for a short series in the Brewers in four, knocked off the hottest team in baseball in the Dodgers in five, and smoked the team that had the league's best record in Tampa Bay in five. There were no flukes, there were no, "well the Phillies just got hot". If that was the case people would have actually picked the "hot" team in each of those series, but nobody did. The majority went with the Brewers. The majority went with the Dodgers. The majority went with the Rays. And the Phillies, EASILY, beat them all.
World Champs.
~Mikey D
