CHAMPS! This one is for you, Mr. Izzo.
To be honest, I was going to be really disappointed if I didn’t win it all this year. I had a pretty stacked team, and probably won’t have a team with that many top-5 or top-10 guys on it for quite awhile. Whenever you get a loaded team, you better win with it. I keep thinking back to when Adam had the Brees-LT-Gates combo and dominated the league. How disappointing would that have been to lose the championship with that team (He also had Randy Moss, Brian Westbrook, and Brett Favre)?
But The WhIZ Kids pulled through in the end. I’m definitely happy to welcome the belt back into my household for the 3rd time. And after the parade, the trip to Disney World, and the late-night talk show appearances, the focus is all on one-word: REPEAT!
Alright, let’s do a little recap:
AWARDS:
Fantasy MVP:
1) Arian Foster- He was the #1 running back by about 40 points over Adrian Peterson. He had about 2,000 yards running and receiving and was a consistent producer for me. It will be interesting to see if he can replicate this type of year again. My initial thought is no.
2) Michael Vick- Was an elite-caliber fantasy QB. Could be debated he should have been the MVP, but Foster’s distance from all the other top-RBs was the difference for me. Definite first-round pick next year in my book.
3) Tom Brady- Number one scoring player in fantasy. The guy threw 34 TDs, but what was more impressive was that he almost never threw a pick. He was the top-scoring guy by almost 20 points, and led Kevin to the playoffs.
(Others for consideration: Dwayne Bowe, Peyton Hillis, Philip Rivers)
Fantasy LVP:
1) Randy Moss- How does a guy go from a 1,000 yards and double-digit TDs to a nobody overnight? This is a mystery to me. I mean, he still had Brady, Favre, VY/Collins- capable QBs- slinging him the ball. It’s not like he was playing for Cardinals. Grace basically wasted a 2nd round pick on this tool.
2) Shonn Greene- 766 yards rushing and 2 TDs from a consensus 2nd round pick? Awful. LT started strong this year, but Greene could never take touches away from him as the year progressed. It will be interesting to see how people view him next year, because you’d have to imagine the Jets will still want to be a run-first team.
3) Brandon Marshall- 917 yards and 3TDs. Not what you want out of your potentially #1 WR. He finished with a good amount of catches, but Miami remained a run-first team that never utilized Marshall’s receiving skills in the vertical passing game or the redzone.
(Others for consideration: Ryan Mathews, DeAngelo Williams, Brett Favre)
Best Waiver-Wire Pickups
1) Michael Vick- I don’t really need to explain this one, do I?
2) Peyton Hillis- Was the #3 overall back, and only three points behind Adrian Peterson. Adam, with Chris Johnson (4th overall), had probably the best 1-2 combo at running back. Hillis wore down as the year went on, but the “Avalanche” helped keep Adam’s team at the top of the standings throughout the year.
3) Brandon Lloyd- I needed WR help as soon as the draft ended, and getting Lloyd, Orton’s #1 man, was huge. Lloyd was the #4 fantasy receiver this year, with almost 1400 yards receiving and 10TDs. Thank you, Brandon. Oh, and if you hadn’t heard his Pro-Bowl comments yet, go listen to them (“I want to say fuck-you in the most professional way”).
(Others for Consideration: Matt Cassell, Stevie Johnson, Mike Williams(TB), Danny Woodhead)
Best Draft Picks
Let’s do a top-ten list. There were some pretty good values people got late. Here’s how I’d rank them:
1) Arian Foster- WhIZ Kids- 11th Round (#1 RB)
2) Dwayne Bowe- WhIZ Kids- 10th Round (#1 WR)
3) Matt Forte- TakingItToTheIzzone- 15th Round (#10 RB)
4) LeSean McCoy- Kevinexhaustible- 8th Round (#6 RB)
5) Mike Wallace- We Are The CHAMPIONS- 12th Round (#7 WR)
6) Hakeem Nicks- I’m Not a Pig-Cow!- 7th Round (#6 WR)
7) Kenny Britt- TakingItToTheIzzone- 14th Round (#21 WR)
8) Ahmad Bradshaw- We Are The CHAMPIONS- 11th Round (#12 RB)
9) Kyle Orton- TakingItToTheIzzone- 11th Round (#16 QB)
10) Dez Bryant- Kevinexhaustible- 15th Round (#31 WR)
MY PRESEASON FANTASY PREDICTIONS
1) Prediction: Jamaal Charles will look a lot like Chris Johnson, only in a red jersey. More specifically, I said that Charles would be a top-ten back, despite sharing with Thomas Jones. Finish? Ninth. And the comparison with Chris Johnson? Well Johnson ended up with about 1500 yards, and Charles with 1800. Pretty darn close. I’ll say good prediction.
2) Prediction: Mark Sanchez will throw at least 18 picks this year. He threw 13 INTs, but was never a good or reliable fantasy QB. Still, wrong on the prediction.
3) Prediction: Bernard Scott will be this year’s waiver-wire darling. Well that didn’t pan out. Why didn’t I just say Stevie Johnson??? Oh yeah, that’s right, because I never heard of him.
4) Prediction: JerMichael Finley will be this year’s top fantasy tight end. He might have had an outside chance if he hadn’t gotten hurt, but Antonio Gates was a TD-machine this year. Wrong again.
5) Prediction: Joseph Addai will reach 850 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving, and 10 total touchdowns. Donald Brown will basically be irrelevant. Again, probably would have been true if Addai hadn’t gotten hurt. At least I was right on one part: Donald Brown was basically irrelevant.
6) Prediction: Jay Cutler will throw for 4000+ yards, 27+ TDs, and less than 26 INTS, bettering every one of his 2009 stats. Barely got over 3,000 and had 23 TDs. Only 14 INTs though, which is surprising. I guess Martz’s offense just ain’t what it used to be.
7) Prediction: The top fantasy running back this year will be…Adrian Peterson. #2 this year. Hard to envision Arian Foster having the year he did. Oh well.
8) Prediction: Larry Fitzgerald will finish with 7 or less touchdowns this season. Nailed it! He did finish with a 1,000 yards, but only had 5 TDs. The Arizona QB situation, as I suspected, was his downfall.
9) Prediction: Vince Young will be a starter for Kevin's team by Week 3. Hahaha, Week 1! Right on.
OVERALL: 3 out of 9. The usual going rate for my fantasy predictions.
***
Well, another year in the books. It’s been fun as always. Hopefully we have football next year…
~Mikey D
Game Thoughts:
~Defense was pretty poor, but I suppose that's to be expected for the first game of the season. Guys have to get used to playing with each other and the different line-up combinations, as well as work on the rotations, switches, etc. Still, there were way too many uncontested shots. Lapses on defense are understandable at this point, but putting a hand in a guy's face isn't too hard, is it? That said, we did have 10 blocks and 9 steals. I'll take that every game for sure.
~Draymond Green got tore up on the defensive end by EMU's Brandon Bowdry. Even though Green lost some weight, he's still going to struggle at the small forward spot against quicker players. All the analysts are pretty spot on in saying that this is where we are going to miss Raymar Morgan the most. He may have made dumb fouls and have been invisible on the court from time to time (okay, a majority of the time), but he would have never been blown by the way Green was last night. We'll see how Izzo adapts to this weakness going forward.
~Payne and Appling were in regular rotation last night, and will be for the remainder of the year. Those two are the real deal. Appling had 14 pts, on 3-4 shooting, 1-1 from 3pt, and was 7-7 from the free throw line with 2 blocks and 3 assists to boot. He also committed 5 turnovers, but they weren't "what are you doing!?!" turnovers- just nervous first game freshman turnovers. Payne is pretty special. He can do things that no one else on our roster can do because he is such a freak athlete. He has a lot of learning to do (he made many dumb fouls), but he still had 10 points and 7 rebounds...in only 14 minutes of play. I already love watching the guy, and he's going to be a definite spark off our bench this year.
~My goodness, is it possible Derrick Nix has regressed? He no-showed last night. He missed a couple of shots and was just 2-4 from the free throw line in 15 minutes of play. Garrick Sherman far and away out played him (and so did Payne). I think the thing that was most disappointing was the way that Nix looked down low. Both of his shots were off balance and awkward. For a guy his size, he should be imposing his will, not trying to get cute with spin moves and head-fakes. And to be fair, the game was very up-tempo last night, which definitely does not favor Nix's game. Perhaps he'll be better in the Big Ten slug fests, but he better get it together right quick or he'll be lost in the rotation behind Roe, Sherman, and Payne.
~Austin Thornton remains my favorite Spartan through the first two exhibition games and first regular season game. 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4-4 from the free throw line. He did a little bit of everything last night. He could be that guy that is a difference maker come March. The guy who when we play teams of equal starting talent that puts us over the top with his stellar contribution off the bench. At the very least his contributions last night made me forget all about the absence of Chris Allen.
~Speaking of absence, Korie Lucious and Mike Kebler were both out last night. The team will only get deeper.
~Lucas was awesome again last night. Any worries about his Achilles are over. He's back. Now lets hope he doesn't pull a Hummel and hurt himself again now that he's back.
~Summers made his presence known last night with 17 points (3-4 from 3's). That was the big question going into the season: Would he contribute like he did in the tournament, or would he fade into the background? He was very assertive and made it a point to take shots when he was open. He has such a sweet stroke that I don't mind if he shot the ball every time down the court. It was nice to seem him unleash his game (and not just for alley-oop passes).
~Even though Roe is healthy, I don't think he's ever going to be that offensive force down low. He'll definitely be a beast on the defensive end though, and I'll take that.
~Next game: Tuesday at 10:00pm, at home against South Carolina, on ESPN (part of their marathon college basketball day, hence the late start time). Big Ten-SEC clash, but I'll be disappointed if we don't beat them by at least ten.
~Mikey D
Tomorrow, 8:30, Big Ten Network, versus Eastern Michigan.
And for a more well written MSU basketball preview than my own, check out The Only Colors.
~Mikey D
Ah, it never gets old raising one of these bad boys, does it? It was one hell of a tournament run last year, that’s for sure. The injuries, the close games, and the buzzer beater- it was improbable to say the least, but a joy to witness. The tournament run is what I’ll remember most- and be the most proud of- about the 2009-2010 Spartans. But other than that, the season was, well, forgettable.
I have to be honest. Other than the tournament, it was tough watching MSU basketball last year. We had such high expectations, perhaps too high, but injuries and suspensions ravaged our roster and team play. Sure it was great watching Lucas drill jumpers to beat Michigan and Minnesota, but let’s be real- we should have beaten both of those teams handily. The team never clicked on or off the court. The chemistry was never there.
So when the season ended with that two-point loss to Butler (fuck them) there was a mixture of disappointment and relief. I was just glad to get on with the off season and start the next chapter. You know, the chapter of MSU basketball where guys weren’t getting suspended because of grades, or being a “bad teammate”, or getting hurt every other game. I was ready for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the off season was nothing but more stress. The whole Izzo to the Cavs ordeal, Chris Allen being dismissed from the team, Korie Lucious receiving a DUI (2-4 game suspension), and the almost sexual assault charges against to MSU players this past September- it’s been tiring. To top it all off, our team is still not 100% healthy. Lucas, Roe, Green, Thornton, Lucious, Byrd, Sherman, Gauna, and Payne all have been down and out for some period of time over the summer and early fall.
“[Kalin] and Durrell spend more time in this building than I do. I said I needed them to be focused and do the things they need to do. And so far this year they’ve demonstrated that.”
~Tom Izzo
It will definitely be interesting to see how this team meshes. With some outgoing troublesome players, some new faces, and some motivated guys, I'm hoping that this team puts together a season we will be proud of from start to finish.
So what's our roster looking like? From seniors to freshmen, here's a look:
MSU 2010-2011 Roster
Kalin Lucas-G (senior)
Durrell Summers-G (senior)
Mike Kebler-G (senior)
Anthony Ianni-C (senior)
Delvon Roe-F (junior)
Draymond Green-F (junior)
Korie Lucious-G (junior)
Austin Thornton-G (junior)
Derrick Nix-C (sophomore)
Garrick Sherman-C (sophomore)
Russell Byrd-G (freshman)
Keith Appling-G (freshman)
Adriean Payne-F (freshman)
Alex Gauna-C (freshman)
Throughout the summer it's been pretty well known that Izzo would like to start Draymond Green at the 3-spot. So Green has spent the majority of his off season losing weight (looks like a success) to become quicker, as well as hone his outside shot (looked pretty good in the first exhibition game). Here's how I think Izzo would like his starting line-up to look:
PG- Kalin Lucas
SG- Durrell Summers
SF- Draymond Green
PF- Delvon Roe
C- Derrick Nix/Garrick Sherman
This line-up is the most logical. You've got your most experienced players starting, which makes sense. I think, depending on the match-ups, you could see MSU go small, moving Green and Roe to the forward spots, Durrell to the small forward, and either Lucious, Appling, or Thornton playing the two. That's the nice thing about depth; you can play around with your starting squad.
Schedule
You think Izzo scheduled tough before? Take a look at this non-conference slate:
South Carolina
Maui Invitational (potentially UConn and Kentucky/Oklahoma/Washington)
@Duke
@Syracuse
Texas
I have a feeling we'll find out real quick if this squad is for real. I'm not going to be upset if we lose at Duke or Syracuse (tough going on the road there), but if we are competitive, I'll be happy. I do, however, expect us to win the Maui Tournament and all of our home match-ups.
Moving on to the Big Ten. Here's a look at our conference schedule:
Minnesota
@Northwestern
@Penn State
Wisconsin
Northwestern
@Illinois
@Purdue
Michigan
Indiana
@Iowa
@Wisconsin
Penn State
@Ohio State
Illinois
@Minnesota
Purdue
Iowa
@Michigan
I think this schedule sets up nicely for us to start off at least 5-0. I think after our tough non-conference schedule this "easy" start to the conference season might be just what we need. There are two obvious tough stretches: the back-to-back road games against Illinois and Purdue, and the end stretch, where we play @Wisconsin, @Ohio State, @Minnesota, Illinois, and Purdue, with PSU thrown in the middle. We only play Ohio State once (what the fuck?!), as well as Indiana a single time (I want to see Izzo vs. Crean!) this year.
The Freshmen
You may already know how excited I am about these guys. We bring in a four man group: Keith Appling (PG/SG), Russell Byrd (SG/SF), Adrian Payne (PF/C), and Alex Gauna (PF/C). Gentlemen, this is a top-5 national recruiting class. We have a five-star recruit (Payne- who spurned Kentucky for us), a McDonald’s All-American guard (Appling), a four-star 6’8” SG and 61st overall player in the country (Byrd), and a home-grown talent that looks like the rebirth of Goran Suton (Gauna). Let me go one-by-one.
Starting with Payne, there’s already a lot of speculation that he’s a one-and-done type player. You know the saying: you can’t teach height. The guy is a rebounding and block machine. Throw in the fact that he apparently has quite an outside stroke and can hit the jumper away from the basket, and he may become quite the threat. Now Payne is a pretty skinny dude, and couple that with a nagging shoulder injury and he’s probably not going to have the immediate impact like some will hope. I can see him slowly being worked into the lineup and getting acclimated to Izzo’s system, finding his groove in the 2nd half of the season.
Moving on to Keith Appling. The guy is out of Detroit and he is a playmaker. The guy has no fear driving to the rim. Joe Rexrode, MSU beat reporter, said he saw some practices with Lucas and Appling both out on the floor at the same time. Scary having that kind of speed together. His outside shot does need a bit of improvement, so I’m picturing him having the same kind of impact Lucas did his first couple of years. Unfortunately with Allen being dismissed, and Byrd hurt, as well as having Lucas not 100% and Lucious suspended to start the year, Appling may have to shoulder more of a load than Izzo would have originally liked. It will be interesting to see how the young guy handles it. But he will not lack confidence: he’s already declared himself the fastest guy on the team, something that has made Lucas and Summers laugh.
Russell Byrd may find himself redshirting this year. He is an absolute marksman from downtown, and from all accounts is a team-first kind of guy. He does have, however, a nagging foot injury that he recently had to go in and get surgery on. At the very earliest he’ll be cleared for practice in January, which means once he gets in game shape he may only have a month or so to play and fit into the team. Is it worth it to have him lose that year of eligibility? That’s Izzo’s call, and I think he’ll go with a play-it-by-ear approach and address the needs of the team accordingly. Who knows if Byrd will be needed with all the injuries this team seems to get…
And then there’s Gauna. Apparently he’s a beast down low, stronger than Sherman and Payne, and just as tough as Nix and Roe. He’s raw, but he already can drill it from downtown and has some solid passing skills. He seems like a perfect example of an MSU type of basketball player. He’s another redshirt candidate, however, as he might just be the victim of a numbers game with too many low post guys already in the rotation. Waiting a year to get more playing time might be the best route to go.
Prediction
National Championship. Third year in a row, so I'm sure you're rolling your eyes again. But seriously, we haven't been too far off the past two years. I do like this team a lot more than last year's squad. I think the freshmen class is stronger, and with Nix and Sherman a bit more seasoned, I feel as if we have solid inside-outside play. We've got battle-tested juniors and seniors, so you have to like our chances come March.
Of course that prediction is only as good as our health and chemistry. For some reason this team cannot stay healthy. Who is going to be the first to fall this year? Can we stay relatively healthy throughout the season? Can the team come together and blend their talents instead of sleeping with each other's girlfriends (cough cough Chris Allen cough cough)? Can we develop that strong chemistry? If the off season is any indication, you'd have to say no to both questions. But perhaps the bone-head off the court incidents and health issues are out of their systems, and it's 110% commitment to MSU basketball.
Looking at the college landscape, Duke is the obvious team to beat. It will be interesting to see how their talented newcomers fit in (Irving and Curry), as well as how they cope with the loss of Scheyer. After us there is a laundry list of teams that have to play to prove their ranking: Kansas State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Kansas, Purdue, and North Carolina. For the second year in a row, it's wide open. Who wants it?
2010-2011 Michigan State Spartans
Record: (26-7) (#3 seed in the NCAA Tournament)
---Losses: @Duke, @Syracuse, @Illinois, @Wisconsin, @Ohio State, @Minnesota, Loss in Big Ten Tournament
Big Ten Record: 14-4 (Co-Big Ten Champs with Illinois)
Big Ten Tournament: Semifinal Loss
National Champions
And to get you in the mood for basketball:
~Mikey D
Michigan State had their first scrimmage of the year against Saginaw Valley State last night, and the Big Ten Network had a replay of it today that I watched. As you know, I live and breathe MSU basketball, so I was giddy like a schoolgirl as I watched the Spartans take the court for the first time this season.
Here are my thoughts:
1) Lucas is back...already. All summer everyone was saying that Lucas would probably need some time to get back into the groove of things. I'm telling you, he looked like he hadn't lost a step. He was aggressive to the rim, and his shot was silky smooth (5-8, 2 of 4 from 3's). It was classic Lucas. We'll see how he reacts against stiffer competition, but he was impressive tonight. Welcome back, Kailin.
2) Nix was AWFUL. He worked his ass off all summer to drop some of his weight, and he does look much slimmer (he even dropped his number, from 50 to 25). But man...he was pushed around by an inferior team last night. He took many off-balance shots and didn't get anything to fall until late into the second half. On the plus side, he did shoot 3 of 5 from the free throw line. Disappointing start to the season, though.
3) Holy shit, Payne is a freak of nature. Okay, he definitely needs to add some muscle, but wait until you see this guy rebound. His arms are like Inspector Gadget arms. There were times he didn't even jump to get a rebound- it was amazing. He played 17 minutes last night and finished with 6 boards and 3 blocks. The dude is legit. On one sequence of plays Payne blocked an SVSU's player's shot from behind, ran back down court and hit an open three pointer, stole the ball at mid court on SVSU's next possession, and ran the fast break for a dunk. It was kind of awesome. It will take him a bit to learn Izzo's system, but when he does, watch out. He's the real deal.
4) Meet our replacement for Lucas...Mr. Keith Appling. He wears number 11, Lucas wears number 1. There will be many times this year you forget who is who out on the court. Appling went 5-9 from the field, but I think what I was most impressed with was the poise. He played 23 minutes and didn't commit a single turnover. That's really impressive for a freshman. Hell, Lucas is turnover prone at times. Appling is a natural scorer, but last night he was under control and played within the confines of the game. Like Payne, he's immediate impact.
5) Green...FOR THREE! Guess who worked on their outside shot all summer? Guess who's added the three point shot to his repertoire? Yep, Draymond Green. 2 of 3 from downtown last night, and all of his shots looked pretty (you know how some big guys look weird shooting it from deep...not Draymond). If he can hit that consistently for us, it would be huge. We really do have some gunners from downtown this year. Lucas, Summers, Lucious, Thornton, Appling, Green, Payne, Byrd, Gauna...there are some threats on this squad from deep.
6) Thornton deserves the game ball. It's about the little things. We need a scrapper out there, and Thornton was everywhere on the court. 3 of 5 from the field, 1 of 2 from threes, 7 (7!?!) rebounds, and two assists. When he was in, he made plays. I think between him and Kebler, it's Thornton that deserves the minutes. He looked much better out there.
7) The new look. New court logo, the Izzone has been moved, and the uniforms are no longer sporting the "State" script. I like having the Izzone in front of the camera now (although they were completely dead for last night's game, but it wasn't much of a game), but with the darker green in the MSU logo and jerseys, the Breslin has a much darker feel to it. Maybe I'm making that up in my head, so it'll be interesting to hear what you guys have to say about it when you watch a game.
8) Lucious, Sherman, and Byrd. Lucious began the first game of his 2-game suspension (yep, that's it). Sherman suffered a concussion in practice earlier in the week, but he should be back soon enough. Byrd is still out with foot surgery, and will be for the next couple of months. It's crazy to think, but this team has more guys to add to the army that will be big contributors. I can't wait to see the full squad in action.
Nebraska-Omaha next Monday! Yay for MSU basketball!
~Mikey D
As a kid I used to love Reggie Miller. As a Piston fan I loved Ben, Chauncey, Tayshaun, and Rip. But now...I don't really have any favorite NBA players. I don't love one individual player like Miller, and I don't have a team that's any good with any real talent left.
But if I were to choose, these are the three guys I seriously enjoy watching: Brandon Jennings, Kevin Durant, and John Wall.
I actually made it a point to sit down and watch the Wizards home opener tonight against the Sixers just to see John Wall in his home debut. I hated him at Kentucky, but now that he's out of the college game, he's just fun to watch.
Here's his FIRST intro to the home fans.
I think I would actually pay for tickets to a Wizards game to see this guy.
~Mikey D
This.
Like many, I'm shocked he's reinstated so quickly. Although I'm not close to the situation as Dantonio insists, from an outsiders perspective it does seem like Dantonio has gone against his zero-tolerance policy.
What I would like to see is Rucker in uniform this weekend on the sideline mentoring Dennard. Having to watch such an important game from the sideline and not be able to participate would be a fitting end to his punishment.
We'll see though. I have to admit, when I heard about the decision, I was a tad embarrassed by it as an MSU alum and supporter.
~Mikey D
"A School That's Known to All"
I was just thinking today how we truly do have the superior sports teams in the state of Michigan. U of M is so far back in our rear view mirror at this point in time that it's not even a debate. Seriously.
And just looking at the two polls side by side...we do have one of the best places in the country to be a sports fan.
I have a big smile right now (so tomorrow we will probably get smoked by NU).
~Mikey D
First, how awesome is this picture?
Okay, lots to love about this game. I really enjoyed the Wisconsin game last week, and this one was just as good. Here are the things I was happiest to see, in order:
1) Zero Turnovers. What usually plagues MSU teams? Turnovers and penalties. When you're +3 in the turnover department, you got a good chance to beat anybody. There were no costly fumbles, or critical INTs. I thought this was key going into the game. If we turned the ball over and gave Denard Robinson a short field to work with...well it could have been a long day. But we didn't. And aside from a few penalties from the offensive line, it was a pretty clean game. To be honest, I don't remember a single penalty we made on the defensive side of the ball or special teams. That's just being prepared and disciplined. When was the last time we said that about MSU football?
2) Controlled Denard Robinson. The dude is U of M's offense, so despite the fact he racked up 300+ yards offense, we still held him to well below his season average. We kept him to a 4.0 yard per carry average. We forced him into 3 INTs. We got a few sacks and some pressure. It was definitely a "bend but don't break" defensive performance, but it got the job done. There were no huge plays (aside from the one right before half) that really pushed momentum Michigan's way. Their quick strike and explosive offense was forced to drive the field against us every time.
3) Tackling. Yet another thing I don't think we associate with MSU football. Michigan got their yards, but there were few plays that resulted in extra yards after contact. Some of our DBs made some nice open field tackles that limited potential big gains. For the most part, when a Michigan player got hit, they didn't go too far afterwards. So while Denard Robinson may have busted a 10 yard run here and there, it didn't turn into a 20 or 30 yard run. Same with the receivers. They might have completed a 15 yard pass, but there wasn't much after the catch. Solid job by the defense.
4) The Running Game. I enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd quarter immensely. I think I screamed "RAM IT DOWN THEIR FUCKING THROATS!" more times than I can count. It was a thing of beauty. We controlled the clock and just smashed it forward carry after carry. We kept pushing piles after being initially hit, and not just for one or two more yards, but for five and six more yards. It was Big Ten football at its finest. And all it did was set up some beautiful play action passes for Cousins, one such pass that sealed the game for us in the 4th. You want to know who the elite team is in the state of Michigan? Watch that game again. We ran all over their fucking asses. It was men against boys. We were too physical for them.
5) Poise and Confidence. Anybody else see the video of Cousins calming his offense down after a touchdown on the sideline? This team never got too high or too low. It's like they knew beforehand they were going to win this game if they executed their game plan. They knew they were better than Michigan. And despite falling down 3-0, and 10-7, with Michigan's defense playing well in the 1st quarter and their offense moving, State kept their wits about them and just kept doing what they do. I just can't stress enough how different this team looks than other State teams. It's refreshing, and it's damn fun to watch.
~Mikey D
One morning and one late afternoon car ride, and I've gotten through the new album a couple times.
~I've come to accept the fact that the band has evolved from their "Lost and Gone Forever" sound and are probably not going back to it. But "Ganging up on the Sun" four years ago was not very good. If they are going to stick with their "new" sound, well it better sound good. This album sounds good.
~My favorite track by far is "Stay With Me Jesus". Awesome track. Ryan's voice sounds uniquely different.
~"Architects & Engineers", "This is How it Feels to Have a Broken Heart", and "Do What You Want" all appeal to me.
~There wasn't a single track I felt like skipping on my iPod.
~There were numerous tracks that I said, "This would be awesome played live..."
~The album might eventually pass my love for "Keep it Together". Nothing touches the really old stuff, though.
~The lyrics may not be the most upbeat, but the music just feels happy. It puts me in a good mood.
Me Gusta Guster.
~Mikey D
October 5th!
Here's a Wall Street Journal article on Guster and a preview of their entire upcoming album.
Enjoy.
~Mikey D
An excellent video that looks at last night's play clock on MSU's trick play.
~Mikey D
Great win by MSU last night. I've already heard some people knocking the play call, saying that we shouldn't have gone for it down by 3, or because we were at home, blah blah blah. I have ZERO problem with the call as a 46-yard FG is no gimme, especially for a young kicker in that type of pressure situation. No guts no glory, right? I can't imagine ripping Dantonio if it didn't work. Now if it were a 20-yard chippy? Ehhhh well that's a different story. Anyway, these are the type of plays that can make a season special and galvanize a team.
And as always, I'm going to look at the MSU basketball side of things. Tom Izzo hosted a TON of his recruiting targets yesterday. We're talking all of his recent commitments, his 2013 targets, and one 2012 target, Gary Harris. Harris (a SG out of Indiana) is a top-20 national player that is getting the full court press from Izzo's staff. He's a dynamic play maker and desired by many schools. Yesterday they were treated to an open gym game (old MSU alum versus current guys), a tour of the campus, and of course, the MSU-ND game.
Talk about a full and exciting day. Tom Izzo needs to send Dantonio a fruit basket. As for Harris, he later tweeted, "Just got back to the hotel...I can safely say tonight was a success!"
Come on, Gary, become Green.
What an awesome Week 1 of football.
As I mentioned before, my dad and I are in a pick em' pool with 66 other guys. We each had to pay $100 to get in, and our goal was to win just one of the 17 weeks to get our money back and have a little extra spending cash.
One week in, and we've got our money! About $600!!!
We won the week, going 13-3. We missed on the Lions, 49ers, and Cowboys, but we nailed some good ones, and a lot of toss-up games. Getting the Texans, Jaguars, Buccanneers, Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens was huge, but it was the pick that won the week for us that made me the most proud.
It came down to the last Monday night game, Chargers and Chiefs. We were tied with a couple other people, both of whom picked the Chargers. In fact, only 2 out of the 66 people in the pool picked the Chiefs to win Monday night. We were one of those two. And of all the games this week, this was one of the ones I hesitated the least when making the picks.
On paper, it's San Diego all the way. If this were Week 13, and the Chargers were fighting for playoff position and Kansas City was a measly 1-12, then San Diego would be the pick. But this is Week 1. Teams are motivated. Fans are pumped. And the good teams sometimes haven't quite found their groove yet.
More than that, Kansas City had a lot going in it's favor:
~Crennel and Weis, the old Patriots coordinators, were brought in. Proven winners, and respected.
~Playmakers. Charles and McCluster. Those guys are electrifying, and good for at least one game changing play.
~They were playing a Chargers team without Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil, both All-Pros. A team without its weapons is a team with question marks. See Vikings, Minnesota.
~The game was in Kansas City! Arrowhead Stadium is not like Ford Field. It's crazy there! And it was deafening most of the night.
~The Chargers are notorious slow starters. Last year they opened up with Oakland and fell flat on their faces. That's just the way they've been in the past.
It makes me happy that was the pick that won it for us. Now next week I will probably be picking against Kansas City as they go on the road against Cleveland. Maybe.
***
And it was a good week in fantasy (for all of us). I'm not going to jump to conclusions based on one week, but I was happy with my team (duh). I got production from my quarterbacks and running backs, which are the strengths of my team, but I was most happy with my WRs. If they can combine for about 200 yards and 2 TDs every week, I will be ecstatic. It's obviously my biggest weakness, so any production is great. Good start.
Oh, interesting idea I read about. A group of guys are playing in a "Losers" fantasy league. It's basically a reverse of the current fantasy rules and scoring, where INTs are more valuable than TDs, and the more yards a RB racks up, the more it hurts your team. Fumbles are gold, and porous defenses are treasured. Obviously the draft consists of a lot of Rams, Bills, Lions, and Raiders being taken in the first couple of rounds. Just an interesting twist on fantasy. I think that it would be kind of fun.
~Mikey D
Travis Trice is point guard from Ohio that has verbally committed to MSU as part of their 2011 class. He's part of a class that includes highly touted Branden Dawson and local studs Brandon Kearney and Dwaun Anderson. According to recruiting websites he is three-star player and ranks as the #36 overall point guard in the 2011 class. Despite his size (only six foot and a buck sixty-five), he's a lights-out shooter and natural born leader (son of a coach and former Big Ten player). In a lot of respects his game is similar to that of Drew Neitzel.
I mentioned him back in August when I posted, ecstatically, about the Branden Dawson commitment. The thing with Trice is that NOBODY even knew Izzo was recruiting the kid. Heck, nobody even knew who he was.
A month or so later, Trice's recruitment and how he became a Spartan is becoming a little more clear. This article, from the Princeton Daily Clarion, gives the back story of Trice and insight on his recruitment. It's a great read, heartwarming, and makes Trice pretty darn likeable. It's nice to have players that want to bleed green.
Here are the cliff notes from the article if you don't feel like reading:
~Trice had picked up early offers from a lot of small schools, like Richmond and Bradley, earlier in the year, but lacked any major attention from big-time programs. Trice was "dejected" at the lack of interest, and leaned heavily on his family for support.
~After an outstanding summer on the AAU circuit, playing against some of the top guards in the country, Trice began to make a name for himself. Despite not hearing anything from MSU before the summer, Trice found himself on the phone with Izzo. “’I’m recruiting you. I’ll do the homework and I’ll see you in Atlanta.’”
~Izzo ended up seeing Trice play 22 times over the summer.
~Izzo felt comfortable enough in Trice's abilities to invite him to East Lansing for a visit and to watch the Spartans practice.
~During the car ride up to E.L., Tubby Smith from Minnesota called Trice, offering him a scholarship and asking him to turn the car around and head up to Minnesota. Trice didn't.
~Izzo offered Trice a scholarship during his visit, but Trice's family decided to sit down and think about the decision before making any commitment. They made it as far as the parking garage. “’Dad, this is where I want to be. I love Coach Izzo and the winning'" said Trice.
~Trice called Izzo from the garage and gave his verbal. He told Izzo, "'You talked way too long. You had me in the first two words. You didn’t have to do all that talking. You had me.'"
Trice seems like a really great kid. I know it's football season, and these recruits that Izzo has been landing aren't stepping foot on campus for another year or two, but these are really exciting times. Izzo is grabbing kids that are fitting his system perfectly, and while they may not be rated as high on some recruiting sites, they are Spartan material. In Izzo we trust.
Welcome aboard, Travis.
~Mikey D
Moe Ager has his own company, "Moe Ager Productions", and he comes up with songs for this year's MSU football season. He's had a couple songs up on the MSU website, and now he's got this song pumping on the crowd on gamedays in the stadium.
Make fun of it if you will, but I love it because it's Ager, and I love it because it's 100% Michigan State. "Throw our adversaries in the Red Cedar..."
FOREVER I'M A SPARTAN!!!!
~Mikey D
~I've been listening to a lot of "Third Eye Blind" lately. I tell you what, their stuff just never gets old. I can totally picture myself singing along to 'Motorcycle Drive By' when I'm eighty. Sadly, you mention 3EB to kids today and they have no idea what you're talking about. Yeah, it makes you feel old. My class roster this year is full of kids born in 1999. Justin Beiber is all they know. Anyway, 'Blinded' is the song I'm loving the most right now (with 'Crystal Baller' second). Kind of underrated.
~I'm excited about Guster's new album, but Joe will no longer be touring with Guster. He will be touring with k.d. lang from here on out. There is another multi-instrument specialist joining the group, and his name is Luke. Apparently Luke and Guster go wayyyyyy back and when Joe decided to leave he was the only one they wanted to join. Kevin, I'm not sure if you remember, but there was a group called "Blue Merle" that opened for Guster that night in Clutch Cargos way back when. Luke played for them, which even if you remembered the group, I'm sure you don't remember him. In any case, can't way for the new Guster!
~My dad and I are entering a huge NFL pick em' pool through his work this year. It's a $200 entry fee and we're splitting the cost (and any potential profits). The rules are pretty simple: you pick the winners for the week (no point spreads or any of that jazz), and the guy with the most winners at the end of each week takes home about $700. There's also a cash prize at the end of the year for the guy who picks the most winners. I love picking games and putting a little money down them, so this should be a good time. I figure it all averages out to six or seven bucks a week, which isn't too bad. Unfortunately my track record is less than stellar when it comes to picking games. Total gambling profits: $0.
~For Grace's birthday we went to a casino that's about an hour away from us in West Virginia. The nice thing about Columbia is that it's close to everything, including West Virginia. Anyway, we played the slots and I hit a nice $100 pot on one. Definitely the first time I'd ever won jack at a casino. After that Grace and I spent a lot of time picking numbers together on one of the Keno machines. We ended up plus $2, so it was a success. I do, however, want to learn to play roulette and craps. I have the general idea of roulette, but I'm sure there's some sort of strategy that I'm missing. With craps...it looks pretty fun with all the people gathered around the table. I'd like to be a part of that fun.
~School has been exhausting thus far. Planning is sucking the life out of me. I feel like I'm in school busting ass, which is all fine and good because I really don't mind working hard (I don't prefer it, but hey, I do it), but it's all the planning that is making my days longer. I get home from school and it's out with the curriculum guides, teacher guides, notebooks, and supplementary resources and activities. I sit at my desk and plan. And plan. And plan. And before I know it, it's bedtime, and I've put together just a couple of days worth of plans. I know I tell Grace that I would love a 9-5 job, but seriously, I really do crave that 9-5 sometimes. At least the lessons I've planned are pretty good.
~I'm upset with this assigned parking we've got in our place now. It's unnecessary, and the reasoning, "well now you don't have to worry about a spot because you have one" is dumb because I've never had a problem finding a spot! All they needed to do was paint the lines to define the parking spots and leave well enough alone. Now we have people given two parking spots who only have one car, so there are all these up-close spaces that are not going used. And the people that have more than two cars? Well their extra cars go into the five visitor spots we have. But now where do the visitors park!? Exactly, in the reserved spots! We've already come home and had that happen to us. Luckily we found it was our next door neighbor's friend's car, so they were able to move it quickly, but what if we weren't able to find out who it was? We'd need to call a tow truck! Ridiculous because there were other open spots! And the other reason behind the assigned parking is that in the winter we "can shovel out our space and not have to put something in it to "save it" when we leave". That, again, is bullshit! If I don't put something in my spot to save it, guess who's parking there? The visitors who don't have spots!!! Ugggh...
~Grace's office mate, Ashley, is part of the allocation team at Grace's work, but she's also in charge of the soundtrack that gets played at all the stores. How awesome is that? We were in the mall on Saturday, in the UA store, and all I was thinking about was how cool it was that this girl got to decide what music was going to be played. I am BEGGING Grace to beg her to let me pick the songs for the next month. I think that would be so much fun. "Everyone thinks a good mix should rise and fall. I think it should start high, and get higher!" ~Barney Stinson
~Did anybody see that trick play by Presbyterian against Wake Forest last week? Wake Forest smoked Presbyterian, but Presbyterian had one hell of a trick play. The QB threw a lateral behind the line of scrimmage to the WR on one hop, and on purpose. The WR grabbed the ball and pretended as if the ball was dead. The defenders who were zeroing in on him eased up and began to stop, thinking the pass was incomplete. All of a sudden the WR looks downfield and hits a streaking WR for a TD pass. Beautiful. One of the coolest trick plays I have ever seen.
~Korie Lucious pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving recklessly during MSU's welcome week, but it could have been a lot worse considering he was underage and drunk while behind the wheel. Seriously, when did the basketball team become so much like the football team with so much drama off the field(court)? I'm guessing at least a two game suspension for Lucious. Seems reasonable. Anyway, 67 days until tip off against Eastern Michigan at the Bres. That's Friday night, November 12th, @8:30 on the Big Ten Network, for those of you wanting to mark your calendars.
~Mikey D
~MSU's basketball schedule is out! Woo! All I can say is Jesus Christ this schedule is killer. Nobody can ever- and I mean ever- say Izzo doesn't play tough competition. Here are some of the highlights:
-South Carolina (ESPN's annual 24-hour college bball marathon)
-Connecticut (Potential matchup in the Maui Invitational)
-Kentucky (Potential matchup in the Maui Invitational final)
-@ Duke (ACC-Big Ten Challenge- The final game of the challenge)
-Syracuse (in NY, Coaches vs. Cancer)
-Texas (Continuing our annual home-and-home with the Longhorns)
And that's just non-conference! The conference schedule is always tough, but this year we only have to play the Buckeyes once (and Indiana once as well, too). That still means two against Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. And we finish the year against Michigan in Ann Arbor...during their spring break. Think the crowd might have an green and white feel to it?
~Sports Illustrated wrote a piece on some 5-year old kid that can hit an 85mph pitch. I haven't read the article, but that's pretty fucking insane. I did watch this video that shows him hitting a pitching machine set at 85mph. Very impressive. And his fielding is pretty damn slick, too.
~Okay, fantasy predictions...
Prediction: Jamaal Charles will look a lot like Chris Johnson, only in a red jersey.
Okay, Charles was an absolute beast at the end of last year. He would have been a sure-fire top-10 back if the Chiefs hadn’t gone and grabbed 1400 yd runner Thomas Jones. Heck, his draft stock is falling even more because Thomas Jones has been named the starter. But I’m still going to go ahead and predict Charles as a top-10 back.
First, some stats to marinate over from last year:
Top 3 RB YPC (yards per carry):
-Jamaal Charles, 5.9
-Chris Johnson, 5.6
-Ray Rice, 5.3
Runs Longer than 40+ Yards Leaders:
-Chris Johnson, 7
-Jamaal Charles, 5 (remember, only played half a season)
-Frank Gore, 4
-Ray Rice, 3
-MJD, 3
-AP, 3
And did you know Charles led all running backs in yards after contact? The guy does all the things Chris Johnson does, and in some cases, better.
If you paid attention to the preseason games it fairly obvious to see that Charles is on a different level than Jones. Earlier in the offseason new offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss dubbed Charles the “centerpiece” of his offense. Head coach Todd Haley recently said, in reference to Jamaal Charles, that the preseason is about getting guys practice, but also not showing your full hand. Could the Chiefs just be keeping their stud in the stables until the season starts?
With his skill set and talent, along with the number one most favorable schedule for running backs, I’m buying on Jamaal Charles this year in a big way.
Prediction: Mark Sanchez will throw at least 18 picks this year.
I’ve tried to talk myself into Sanchez as a decent fantasy quarterback, but I can’t do it. The guy has Braylon Edwards, Jericho Cotchery, Santonio Holmes, Dustin Keller, and now LT to throw to. He has one of the league’s best offensive line and a productive running game to keep defenses honest. He’s in his second year of Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. And yet I still think he’ll suck.
Most quarterbacks don’t make a significant jump in stats until their 3rd year (well, the good ones at least). Matt Ryan is a good example. He had a solid rookie year and everyone expected great things from him (including me) his sophomore campaign, but in many ways it looked like he regressed, at least stat-wise. But those are the growing pains. So when I look at Sanchez and his 12-20 TD-INT ratio, that’s a lot to improve on to even be a trustworthy fantasy backup. I watched him against the Giants in the first preseason game, and the interception he threw was absolutely horrid. I know it’s just one game, but that one was bad. I think he’s in for another long year.
Prediction: Bernard Scott will be this year’s waiver-wire darling.
Miles Austin. Jerome Harrison. Sidney Rice. Jamaal Charles. Every year they win leagues. The guys you get in Week 8 after a monster performance that you ride till the end of the year. My favorite to explode, given the opportunity, is Bernard Scott. He’s currently the second running back behind Cedric Benson, but given the chance to start you could see a Jamaal Charles-like finish to the season. He’s another explosive, dual-threat back that just needs that opportunity.
Prediction: JerMichael Finley will be this year’s top fantasy tight end.
Book it. The guy is a physical specimen. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Vernon Davis in that he’s got speed and hops. He broke out towards the end of last year, and especially in the playoffs with a 150-yard performance against the Cardinals. He’s a gigantic redzone threat, especially considering the undersized receivers the Packers have in Driver and Jennings. And it helps to have your QB say things like this: “He's a great player. He's going to be a big part of our offense. Anytime I get the ball, I'll look for him.” Throw in the fact he’s got the 2nd easiest schedule for tight ends and he could have a Vernon Davis-type breakout season.
Prediction: Joseph Addai will reach 850 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving, and 10 total touchdowns. Donald Brown will basically be irrelevant.
With Addai getting older and Brown being a former first-round pick, some people think this is the year Brown wins the lion share of the carries. After all, Addai’s overall numbers last year were far from impressive.
But while Addai might not break off 50 yard runs (or 20, for that matter), he does do all the little things. He’s a great redzone back. He’s a great receiver. And maybe most importantly, he’s a great pass protector. Those things keep you on the football field, and Addai’s just better than Brown at them. And the last time the Colts had a back that was entering his free agent year (Edgerin James), they worked him like a dog. I think one last hurrah and double-digit TD season is reasonable for Addai, and then it’s bye-bye.
Prediction: Jay Cutler will throw for 4000+ yards, 27+ TDs, and less than 26 INTS, bettering every one of his 2009 stats.
Jay Cutler threw the ball the fourth most times last season and then the Bears brought in Martz. But how much more can the Bears throw? They threw a shit ton last season, and they’ll throw a shit ton this season. This year, however, they will throw more effectively. I think Cutler will improve on his 3600 yards and 27 TDs, and will lower his 26 INTS (wow that’s a lot). I’ll put Cuter at 4200 yards, 29 TDs, 20 INTs. The Martz effect.
Prediction: The top fantasy running back this year will be…Adrian Peterson
AP finished with 17 total touchdowns last year. That’s a lot, and that’s with Brett Favre throwing it all over the place. The offensive line is still decent, but Favre’s weapons have decreased due to injuries. You have to think that means more opportunities for All Day.
But nobody is really talking about the absence of Chester Taylor, who was the Viking’s primary 3rd down back because he was a receiving threat. This year the Vikings want AP to be that guy, so expect an uptick in APs receiving stats. He may not be the homerun hitter Chris Johnson is, but he’s still a playmaker. Get the ball in his hands and good things will happen. Plus what are the chances CJ rushes for 2000 yards again? Nahhhhhh that would never happen again…
Prediction: Larry Fitzgerald will finish with 7 or less touchdowns this season.
That's how much I hate the Arizona QB situation. Matt Leinart has already been benched. I mean the guy couldn't even make it to Game 1 before getting pulled. And his backup? Derrik Anderson? If only INTs counted as TDs, he'd be golden. And it's not like there are a lot of weapons to take the pressure of Fitzgerald. Early Doucet is unproven, and Steve Breasten is a great WR3, but really that's all he is. If I was a defensive coordinator I'd quadruple cover Fitz and let the rest of that junk for an offense try to beat me.
Prediction: Vince Young will be a starter for Kevin's team by Week 3.
He just loves him too much.
~Mikey D
Best and Worst Picks:
Round 1: Best- Aaron Rodgers (Wicked Weasels), Worst- Maurice Jones-Drew (1st and Goal) Big fan of Rodgers...I picked MJD as the worst because Amber wasn't there to draft. Boo.
Round 2: Best- Andre Johnson (1st and Goal), Worst- Shonne Greene (Royale with Cheese) Andre Johnson lasted until the 14th pick? That's a great steal...so why didn't you grab him, Jason?!? I think Greene might have come back to him in the 3rd round, in hindsight.
Round 3: Best- Calvin Johnson (I'm not a Pig-Cow!), Worst- Brett Favre (Royale with Cheese) Randy Moss and Megatron make a nice 1-2. It was the one guy Grace really wanted, so I'm glad she got him...I'm not too hot on Favre this year. I think the magic from last year is gone.
Round 4: Best- Greg Jennings (1st and Goal), Worst- Hines Ward (Wicked Weasels) I think Jennings bounces back big time this year...too early on to pick Hines; could have had him 3-4 rounds later.
Round 5: Best- Rashard Mendenhall (The WhIZ Kidz), Worst- Matthew Stafford (Royale with Cheese) The guy is the 11th ranked player overall...Stafford could have been had one or two rounds later.
Round 6: Best- Eli Manning (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Ronnie Brown (Dublin Daredevils) Eli isn't a sexy pick, but Adam waited on his 2nd QB and it paid off: he got the last of the "stable" quarterbacks. 20+ TDs is pretty much a guarantee...I like Brown, but he's too much of an injury risk. I would have taken Beanie, Pierre, Jamaal, Jahvid, or Cedric instead.
Round 7: Best- JerMichael Finley (Royale with Cheese), Worst- Terrell Owens (Wicked Weasels) All-in on Finley this year...Owens could have been had a round or two later.
Round 8: Best- Cedric Benson (Wicked Weasels), Worst- San Francisco Defense (Dublin Daredevils) Seriously? How did Benson slip this far!?! Awesome value...I think the SF defense would have been there a few rounds later.
Round 9: Best- Jonathan Stewart (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Mark Sanchez (Wicked Weasels) I was hoping Stewart would slip to me, but no dice. Nice job, Adam...HATE Sanchez. I don't see him making any sort of improvement over last year.
Round 10: Best- Vince Young (Kevinexhaustable), Worst- Stephen Gostkowski (1st and Goal) Not bad for a backup! And Kevin got his man. All is right with the world...this is what happens when you auto-draft. You get a fucking kicker in the 10th.
Round 11: Best- Arian Foster (The WhIZ Kidz), Worst- Sidney Rice (1st and Goal) Another starting running back, and in a high-powerd offense...had Amber been drafting, she would have known Sidney might not be back all year. Oh well.
Round 12: Best- Mike Wallace (Dublin Daredevils), Worst- Devin Aromashodu (The WhIZ Kidz) Anybody else see a DeShaun Jackson in the making with Wallace?...I took a guy who's listed as a #3 on his team's depth chart.
Round 13: Best- Jason Campbell (Dublin Daredevils), Worst- Ryan Longwell (Wicked Weasels) Great backup QB in the 13th...still too early for a kicker.
Round 14: Best- C.J. Spiller (Kevinexhaustable), Worst- TJ Houshmanzadeh (Dublin Daredevils) Of all the players in Round 14, Spiller has the most upside and potential...Thought about McGahee here, but even with Rice exploding last year McGahee had 14 TDs (14!!!) and is a Rice injury away from being a stud back. I just don't trust any Seahawk, and Houshmanzadeh disappeared last year.
Round 15: Best- Matt Forte (TakingItToTheIzzone), Worst- Kickers (Many Teams) Wow, Forte in the 15th? Bush and Dez Bryant too! It's amazing some of the players that slip through the cracks...kickers, bleah.
Round 16: Best- Heath Miller (Royale with Cheese), Worst- Josh Johnson (1st and Goal) Heath Miller is not a kicker or defense. He's a real player. Best pick....Whoa. Josh Johnson is the backup QB on the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. What???
My own personal thoughts on my team. I did a bunch of statistical work this summer because 1)I had the time, and 2)I lacked a real hobby. I looked at a lot of things, from rankings, to projections, to the previous year's points and draft results. From all the number crunching and analyzing, I basically reached the following conclusions:
1)After the top-7 QBs, there's quite a drop off in terms of production and uncertainty.
2)Andre Johnson and Randy Moss are clearly the top-2 WRs. But after that, 3-11 on most draft boards are basically interchangeable in terms of projected production, but the dropoff after the first 11 is significant.
3)WRs, compared to RBs, are safer picks. More WRs live up to their pre-draft ranking than RBs.
4)There is definitely an elite-tier of running backs, but the RB position on a whole is deeper than any other position. This is primarily due to the running back by committee approach, with more quality backs available. What makes CJ and AP so valuable? Talent AND opportunity. There are a lot of talented backs out there...it's guessing the ones that will get the most opportunity that's the hard part.
So with those thoughts in mind, my plan was to grab two elite QBs with my first two picks, followed by two of the WRs that were ranked in that 3-11 range. After that I wanted RBs, and I felt like there would probably be a RB or two that would slip down and be a great value pick. I could fill out my WR3 late with a Johnny Knox, Mike Wallace, or Malcom Floyd type player with some good upside.
So it was mission accomplished with Brees and Brady (although I was shooting for a Rodgers-Romo pairing, but hey, elite is elite), and then Miles Austin in the 3rd round (apparently I like him more than most people). I was hoping Marshall would fall, but Kevin nabbed him on his back to back picks. I was looking at Jennings and Jackson, but I really wanted Finley as my TE, so I was nervous about taking two guys from the same team, which left me with just Jackson. I don't hate Jackson, but when I looked at the RBs, with DeAngelo and Mendenhall still there...I just couldn't resist. I just liked them more than Jackson.
In hindsight, I regret that decision because Mendenhall still made his way to me in Round 5, which is a great value, but I could have had my WR2 in the 4th and still gotten a good RB in the 5th. I liked Steve Smith (NYG) in the 5th as well, and would have taken him instead of Mendenhall, but like DeAngelo, the value was just too good. So given the choice...I went with the RB that will get 250+ touches.
If there was one player I really wanted, it was JerMichael Finley. I think he will be the number one tight end this year. I thought he'd make it around to me in Round 7, so I gambled and took my other pre-draft favorite, Jamaal Charles. Two questions: Who had the highest YPC last year? Charles. Highest YAC (yards after contact)? Charles. Yes please. I'm buying.
My hopes for Finley were washed away quickly when the run on tight ends occurred and Jason took him one spot before me. I figured I'd finally attend to my receiving corps, but then there was Jahvid Best. An electric starting running back that can run and catch? That's worth more than grabbing some crappy receiver like Dwayne Bowe (who I got a couple rounds later anyway).
I finally addressed my receivers with Bowe, Knox, Aromashadu, and Berrian. Sounds weak, but I think at least one will emerge as a weekly starter. I'm glad I grabbed both Chicago guys. I'm a believer in the Martz offense and the fact that it makes players better for fantasy purposes (case in point: Roy Williams and Jon Kitna). Knox has been raved about by the coaching staff thus far in the preseason. Aromashadu and Cutler developed a connection with monster games towards the end of last year. One will hopefully emerge. And Berrian (nicknamed BTwice)...look, Harvin is liability, and Rice is gone. Who's left? By default Berrian will be the team's number one, and with Favre throwing him the ball I could get 7-8 TDs possibly from this deep threat. In the 14th round I think I could have done worse.
The receivers are definitely a work in progress, and are my team's biggest question mark without a doubt. I'm pretty comfortable with my other positions (especially after trading for Finley), and given that I'm pretty deep at RB I'm hoping I can pull off a trade midway through the year and upgrade at WR. We'll see. Overall I thought my draft was a little crazy, but I'm more comfortable with this team than after last year's draft.
I'll probably do a post with some predictions in it the next day or so.
~Mikey D
I'm 110% sure this is how all the divisions will shake out at the end of the year.
NFC
NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants (Wild Card)
3. Washington Redskins
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas is the most complete team of the four, so by default they get to be first...I kind of like the Giants, now that they're healthy, got a couple of guys into their secondary, and are recommitted to the run...The Redskins will finish 9-7, just on the outside of the playoffs...The Eagles are too young for me (Kolb, McCoy, Maclin, Jackson) and their defense was a letdown last year, they need to go through some growing pains.
NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears
The Packers addressed their one weakness, offensive line, through the draft...I don't like the Vikings as much because I don't think Favre repeats last year, Rice and Harvin are injury concerns, and their schedule is pretty tough...Yes, the Lions top the Bears! Gotta start somewhere, from 4th to 3rd this year...Excuse me for not believing in a lame-duck coach in Smith, Mike Martz's offense, Jay "INT Machine" Cutler, the lackluster Matt Forte, an aging defense, and the non-existent offensive line.
NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay Buccanneers
4. Carolina Panthers
I will give the nod to the Champs, although I wouldn't be surprised if Atlanta overtook them...Now that Turner is back and healthy and the team is refocused and less hyped, watch out as Matt Ryan heads into his 3rd year...I like Tampa Bay, they're a fun young team and could pull off a couple upsets like they did last year against Green Bay and New Orleans...I just hate Carolina's QBs and they lost their best player in Peppers. Steve Smith isn't getting younger, so really what you have is a superb running game, but not much else.
NFC West:
1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. St. Louis Rams
I hate all the teams in this division, but San Francisco is mediocre instead of awful, so they get to be first...Matt Leinart will make the Cardinals choose a QB in next year's draft, mark my words...Matt Hasselback can't do it anymore, the offensive line is a mess, and their receivers are old. They should be a last-place team, but...St. Louis is in their division. Train wreck.
NFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
Atlanta at Dallas (Cowboys 24, Atlanta 14)
New York Giants at San Francisco (New York Giants 21, San Francisco 20)
Divisional:
Dallas at New Orleans (Cowboys 34, New Orleans 31)
New York Giants at Green Bay (Packers 38, New York 17)
NFC Championship:
Dallas at Green Bay (Packers 27, Cowboys 21)
NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers
AFC
AFC East:
1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets (Wild Card)
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Buffalo Bills
The Patriots are still pretty much the same team as last year, and oh yeah, they finished first in their division...Too much hype on the Jets. I actually considered putting them 3rd. Sanchez has more growing to do, and their are too many personalities on this team. Plus they're not sneaking up on anybody this year. And no Revis (as of yet)!...Like the Dolphins, if they can stay healthy at RB and WR,and if Henne can become the man, but that's one too many 'ifs' for my liking...Wow, I watched the Bills first preseason game and I have to say, they might be worse than the Rams.
AFC North:
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns
Baltimore wins one of the most competitive divisions in football with their nasty defense and improved offense...They trade Holmes, lose a starting offensive lineman and are without Big Ben for at least four games. Oh, and they will probably lose Troy P. to some sort of season ending injury at some point. Not a lot going for this team, yet they are always in the thick of things...I think the Bengals regress. Their schedule is tougher and I'm not sold on Palmer as a legit stud QB...I like the Browns. They have a good offensive line and will run the ball well I think. Watch out in a year or two.
AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Tennessee Titans (Wild Card)
3. Houston Texans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Peyton Manning plays for the Colts. Enough said...I like Vince this year as a starter for the whole year. He may not be a stat sheet stuffer, but he wins football games. It helps that Chris Johnson is on the team, too...There's something about Houston that just rubs me the wrong way. Schaub was great last year, but has only done it for one year. The expectations are high (much like Atlanta last year) and I just think the pressure will be too much...Jacksonville might be a bottom-5 team, even with MJD on it. I don't like their defense and David Garrard is going backwards in his development as a QB. He's a backup on pretty much every other team.
AFC West:
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Denver Broncos
San Diego will definitely take a step back this year, but they are still talented. They might not win their division by a lot, but they'll win it...Love the Raiiiiiderrrrrrrs this year. Good offensive line, better QB, a solid defense, and a weak division. That's a recipe for some surprise success...Like Kansas City too, but not as much. That defense is still missing some players, and I don't know if I trust Cassell that much...No me gusta Denver. No receivers, hurt RBs, porous offensive line, undersized defensive line, Kyle Orton at QB...eek.
AFC Playoffs:
Wild Card:
Tennessee at New England (New England 35, Tennessee 13)
New York Jets at San Diego (San Diego 13, New York Jets 10)
Divisional Playoffs:
San Diego at Indianapolis (Indianapolis 27, San Diego 14)
New England at Baltimore (Baltimore 23, New England 17)
AFC Championship:
Baltimore at Indianapolis (Indianapolis 26, Baltimore 24)
AFC Champion: Indianapolis Colts
***
Super Bowl: Green Bay Packers vs. Indianapolis Colts (Indianapolis 30, Green Bay 23)
Super Bowl Champion: Indianapolis Colts
~Mikey D
