Armchair Idiots: Patriots

Showing posts with label Patriots. Show all posts

FANTASY IN FOCUS The New England Patriots defense continues to struggle. Credit that to their inability to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks. This is leaving their largely inexperienced secondary isolated and vulnerable. Opposing teams will continue to employ an aerial attack when facing them. This will only change provided their front seven can start generating pressure on a more consistent basis.

The current scenario is bad for Patriot fans but bodes well for Tom Brady, Wes Welker, & Randy Moss owners. The Patriots are 7-5. They hold a fragile one game lead in the AFC east division. Their remaining games are playoff caliber games. They haven’t had a very effective running game this year. So expect this offense to continue to rely heavily on the arm of Tom Brady. The Patriots upcoming schedule: Carolina, @Buffalo, Jacksonville, & @Houston.

Brady, Welker, & Moss are great options moving forward. Consider benching the Patriot defense if you have a better option.

What is going to become of the Indianapolis Colts offensive unit? Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, & Joseph Addai have consistently produced. The Colts stand at 12-0. Head coach Jim Caldwell has said he will be resting his starters once they have clinched a playoff bye. Manning, Wayne, & Clark in particular may see reduced playing time. Owners need to pay close attention to this situation.

The looming question is how playing time will be distributed amongst the backs? Maybe Joseph Addai will get fewer carries? Making way for Donald Brown & Chad Simpson to see increased reps? Watch this situation moving forward.

The 12-0 New Orleans Saints are on a roll. Their QB Drew Brees continues to engineer the leagues top ranked offensive unit.

In week 13 Brees hit WR Robert Meachem on a 53 yard bomb in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Meachem has emerged as this year’s Lance Moore. In recent weeks he has played like a #1 fantasy receiver, out of the #3 spot for the Saints. He has produced 6 TDs in the last 5 games. He is another receiver breaking out in his third year.

The Saints were able to manufacture 33 points against the Washington Redskins. The NFL’s #1 ranked pass defense.

Marques Colston Robert Meachem, & Devery Henderson remain Brees’ most dangerous weapons. I don’t see any of their remaining opponents being able to stop them.

Pay close attention to the running back situation. Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, & Reggie Bush crowd their backfield. Thomas is the best starting option of the three. That could change if head coach Sean Payton decides to rest some of his guys. Even though he has said his players will be playing down the stretch, in hopes of going 16-0. Regardless of that statement stay tuned, to see what will transpire over the coming weeks.

What happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers? They lost in week 12 at Arrowhead Stadium, to a terrible Kansas City Chiefs team. Pair that with a week 13 loss at Heinz Field, to an Oakland Raiders squad. A defeat that drops the defending champs to a meager 6-6 record.

With the Cincinnati Bengals on the verge of wrapping up that division, the Steelers will be fighting for a wild card spot. This is good news for Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, & Rashard Mendenhall owners. Expect them to post solid numbers down the stretch.

Heath Miller has been non-existent in this offense of late. Roethlisberger should find a way to get him re-involved in the offense.

Like the Patriots it is the Steelers defense that has been their downfall. The impending scenario is how long will Troy Polamalu remain sidelined? He is the heart & soul of this defense. Polamalu’s absence has extinguished the defenses spirit. If he remains sidelined consider using another defense.

The Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers & Donald Driver connection continues to roll. Rodgers remains the top fantasy scoring player in the majority of leagues. Donald Driver has served as a reliable safety valve for Rodgers all season. Driver & Jermichael Finley are Rodgers favorite targets, when his pocket prematurely collapses. But don’t make the mistake of leaving Greg Jennings out of the conversation. He has had a disappointing year to date. Poor blocking for Rodgers has hurt Jennings fantasy value. He is a lethal vertical threat when Rodgers is given the time. The Packers O-line has found some cohesion of late. They looked legit against a stout Baltimore Raven front seven. Owners have no excuses in not starting these guys.

The Packers can still win the NFC north title. They need the Vikings to lose 3 out of their last 4, and they need to win outright. Every week is a big game.

At times Dom Capers has been able to orchestrate this young defense into NFL elitism. Rookies Clay Mathews Jr. & BJ Raji have played extremely well. Mathews Jr. is a fun one to watch. He flies all over the field and has a knack for the ball. Raji has been able to plug gaps and get a solid push up front. Combine that with perennial ball hawk Charles Woodson and you have a formidable defense in the making. Don’t make the mistake of sitting this defense.

Can The Saints Go Marching In? The New Orleans Saints are hands down the best team in the NFL right now. They made the New England Patriots look mediocre. They handed the Patriots their worst defeat since their 38-13, week 3 loss to the Miami Dolphins last season. Matt Cassel took over quarterback duties in place of Tom Brady due to his season ending knee injury. The Dolphins offense was invigorated by the newly found Wildcat offense. In some ways the outcome of that game wasn’t all that shocking. For one the Patriots didn’t have their pro bowl quarterback Tom Brady. Matt Cassel hadn’t started a game since high school. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have started an NFL game without starting in college. The defense had personnel changes it was trying to accommodate as well.

Teams don’t find their identity that early in the season. Suffering a demoralizing loss in week 12 is more alarming. Can the team psychologically recover from that loss? What type of character does this team possess? In order to be successful in this league you have to be able to bounce back. Have a short memory. Re-discover your swagger. It usually comes down to which teams are able to peak at the end of the season, most of the time. Last year the Arizona Cardinals looked terrible down the stretch. Their division, the NFC West, was equivalent to the AFC West division. The Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and Denver Broncos were all bad teams. The San Diego Chargers were the only respectable team to emerge from the AFC West last year. The NFC West had terrible teams in the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and St. Louis Rams last year. The Cardinals were the only one from that division to emerge as a respectable squad. They ended up winning the NFC West with a shoddy 9-7 record. Once the playoffs began the Cardinals defense played exceptionally well. Better than they had all season. Edgerrin James appeared to have reverted to the back he was three years prior to the actual calendar date. The passing game was firing on all cylinders. Larry Fitzgerald was having his best games of the season at the most crucial time. Everything was clicking for them. Hence Super Bowl XLIII hosted the Arizona Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

If the New Orleans Saints defense continues to fly around the field and playing with a chip on their shoulders, watch out. Combine that with their offense and Congress should pass legislation deeming the Saints an illegal organization. They make it seem unfair that opposing defenses can’t field 12 or 13 defenders to contain them. I do mean contain them. Don’t confuse that with stopping them. Talk about a defensive coordinators worst nightmare come to life.

Observing the Saints offense this year has been educational. It is a reminder that the game has evolved. Team speed has never been more essential. Gone are the days of the Lombardi sweep plays, physical bump ‘n run defenses, and Buddy Ryan hurling punches at fellow staffers on the sideline. The game resembles more of the AFL’s vertical passing style. To think, as fans we will be witnessing the three greatest offenses of all time, in the span of one decade. The 2001-’02 St. Louis Rams, 2007-’08 New England Patriots, and now the 2009-’10 New Orleans Saints.

Drew Brees has to be revered as one of the game’s elite. He possesses unbelievable passing accuracy. He was hitting his receivers in stride 30 or more yards down field at will. He was able to consistently throw the ball in seemingly impossible spaces, which only his receivers could get to. The entire Saints team has been nothing short of spectacular. It will be interesting to see if they can keep performing at such a high level.

The 2001-’02 St. Louis Rams lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI. The 2007-’08 New England Patriots, who entered the Super Bowl 18-0, lost to the New York Giants. The Giants were a 10-6 wild card team that year. The Two most dominant offensive teams in NFL history lost to teams that were considered to be inferior. To put it best, any given Sunday

SHOWDOWN IN THE FRENCH QUARTERS The (7-3) New England Patriots take the trip south to the Superdome, for a Monday night showdown with the (10-0) New Orleans Saints. The Saints are the only NFC team that remains undefeated. Only the Indianapolis Colts join them in a perfect season thus far.

Can the Saints reel off an eleventh straight victory? Facing a New England Patriot team primed for a run. Tom Brady is back to his rare form. Wes Welker is coming off a career high 15 catch, 192 receiving yard performance. Randy Moss will be looking to post primetime numbers in a primetime game. Bill Belichick will be devising defensive schemes yet to be seen on film. Throw in New England’s heartbreaking week 10 loss to the Colts. Motivation couldn’t be any higher for this squad.

The Patriots defense made a huge statement in week 11. They dominated the Mark Sanchez led offense of the New York Jets. Sanchez threw four picks. Three of those picks complimentary of Leigh Bodden. One of which he returned for a TD. Belichick defenses eat up inexperienced quarterbacks. Peyton Manning struggled for years before getting over the hump.

Drew Brees is 2-0 versus the Patriots over his career. Both times he was sporting a Charger uniform. He played them in week 4 of 2002 and week 4 of 2005. In 2002 he threw for a meager 104 yards, 1TD. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 217 yards, 2TDS. In 2005 Brees threw for 248 yards, 2TDS. L.T. had 134 yards, 2TDS. Brees has found some success when facing Belichick defenses. It didn’t hurt that L.T. was the best running back on the planet at that time.

The Saints have a stable of dangerous wide receivers in Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, and Lance Moore. Tight ends Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas have great hands. Running backs Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell, and Reggie Bush are all capable of doing their share of damage. Sean Peyton has explosive offensive players capable of giving the NFL’s best defenses fits.

This game is a chess match. The Saints Sean Peyton is regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. Then you have Bill Belichick who is one of the NFL’s more innovative defensive strategists. This is going to be a game of constant adjustments. A game when the momentum can turn on a dime.

Will it come down to General Brady or General Brees, being summoned, to march their respective team down the field come crunch time? Expect this game to go down to the wire. Both of these teams have a ton of talent on their squads. Coaches and management included.

The Patriots have won their last six games on Monday night football. Is there a seventh in the works? The Saints offense is averaging 36.9 points per game. The Patriots pass defense ranks 6th. The Saints pass defense ranks 16th. I’m giving a slight advantage to the Patriots. They find a way to win this one on the road, spoiling the Saints campaign for a perfect season.

Fantasy Payoff Picks Even if you are not at the top of your league, let's feel good about some of the high draft picks you may have selected this year.

The Tennessee Titans players have been lousy this year. Chris Johnson has been the exception. He is a home run style runner. Johnson has had runs of 30 or more yards in 7 of 9 games this year. His 6.4 yards per carry average on 170 attempts is a testament to his explosive running style. Johnson will be a top three pick in fantasy drafts come the 2010 season.

It is safe to state that Tom Brady has officially returned to his expected form. He has had a career best four straight three-hundred yard games. In those games Brady has thrown 13 TDs. That is a TD/INT ratio just better than 3:1. His upcoming matchups are: NYJ, @NO, @MIA, CAR, @BUF, JAC, @HOU. Fantasy owners will continue smiling in the coming weeks.

Maurice Jones-Drew has been on fire his last four games. He had workhouse numbers in week 6, getting 33 carries for 133 and 3 TDs. Week 7 he was on a bye. In week 8 at Tennessee he accumulated a season high 177 yards on 8 carries! Drew found pay dirt twice that week. Week 9 brought 29 carries for 97 yards and 1 TD versus Kansas City. Week 10 was against a tough Jets defense, 24 carries for 123 yards and 1 TD. Drew would have had another TD at the end of the game but he took an intentional knee.

Aaron Rodgers has more than lived up to fantasy owner’s expectations. Despite having to run for his life every week he has produced. Rodgers has thrown double digit TDs six times this year. He is out scoring Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, & Drew Brees in most fantasy leagues. He was a solid second or third round pick.

Weeks 7, 8, & 10 have brought good fortune to Stephen Jackson owners. Jackson rushed for 134 yards against Indianapolis in week 7. Week 8 at Detroit was even better. Jackson posted his first TD of the season to go with 149 yards. He was able to find pay dirt again in week 10 and ran for 131 yards against New Orleans. Jackson has run incredibly hard all year for a terrible team. Larry Johnson should try to emulate himself after Mr. Jackson.

Reggie Wayne is coming off a 10 catch, 126 yard, 2 TD Sunday evening. He is quite simply as good as any receiver in the NFL. Wayne will once again finish the season as a top five fantasy scorer among receivers.

RIVALRY The Patriots-Colts square off in a battle highlighting two of the games most gifted quarterbacks to have ever shouldered the NFL emblem. I praise the football Gods for games such as this! I will go so far as to state I firmly believe Monday the 16th of November should be declared a national holiday for 2009. If I were elected president this issue would be at the top of my list. Matters such as these would heed precedence over bringing peace to the Middle East or nuclear proliferation. I would make the day before, of, and after the Super Bowl a permanent national holiday. As your President my first official oval office meeting would be with my most trusted football advisors. We would meticulously dissect the upcoming NFL schedule in order to declare timely holidays for that given calendar year. What true red, white, and blue Patriot wouldn’t vote for me?

Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning! Can a headline get any sexier than that? Yes. The Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings saga beat out any feasible headline for the 2009 American football campaign.

The practical minds of the NFL’s schedulers chose to have these two elite franchises collide in week 10. What a flawless marketing decision. What were the odds that both organizations would be sitting at or near the top of the NFL come week 10? So good I would have bet everything I have ever owned on it. Even my soul provided it would have any potential monetary appeal.

This game exudes far than a headline consisting of Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. These teams have faced each other so many times in the course of both quarterbacks’ illustrious careers that it must be incredibly difficult to construct an innovated game plan. What can these coaches, who are extremely familiar with one another, conceivably disguise during the course of this game that will prove to be effective? It comes down to the X’s and O’s of the game. The team that executes, doesn’t turn the ball over, and wins special teams will be triumphant.

Can Patriots LT Matt Light contain Colts pro bowl DE Dwight Freeney? Freeney has caused Patriots pro bowl LT Matt Light fits in previous meetings. This will be one of the key matchups taking place Sunday. Due to the Colts being without defensive starters SS Bob Sanders, FS Marlin Jackson, and LCB Kelvin Hayden. Rookies Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey will be the Colts starting CBs.

Colts pro bowl TE Dallas Clark is fresh off a 14 catch performance in week 9. Expect Belichick’s to game plan to include plenty of attention directed Clark’s way. It should be difficult for him to get open in the middle of the field. In a similar fashion to the way the Patriots were able to neutralize Atlanta Falcon pro bowl TE Tony Gonzales.

This should be a spectacular game. Enjoy!

The Larry Johnson Sweepstakes - I Mean Door Prize When you are 75 yards short of the all-time rushing record for your NFL team and they place you on waivers, you have to know you messed up! That is where Larry Johnson is right now. No team claimed him and his 2+million dollar contract, which was really no surprise. Now however, will someone take the risk on him, his attitude, and his paltry 2.7 yard per carry average. We have seen the turn around for Cedric Benson and the Bengals rushing game, so will a team take a chance on him? The answer will be yes, so lets take a look at a few spots where he could fit in.

New England Patriots: The obvious choice and current NFL half way house. There seems to be a common consensus that Belichick can take on problem cases and turn them into contributing players. His success with Cory Dillon and Randy Moss have proven that a well run system can tame even the toughest of beasts. There really is no standout back in New England, and it seem to be running back by committee. A possibility at best for Larry to be a Patriot.

Cleveland Browns: Let's face it the Browns are a mess. The season is a wash, and it is time to develop Brady Quinn. Jamal Lewis only has a bit left in the tank and Larry Johnson could fit in with Jamal just fine. The Browns really have nothing to lose in singing Johnson. If there is any upside at all it could help them improve the run game and help Quinn get used to helming the team full time.

Green Bay Packers: With an offensive line that is a mess, and Aaron Rodgers running for his life, the Packers could help their situation with a good number 2 back. Brandon Jackson has been a disappointment at number 2, and has now lost the job to an aged Ahman Greene. Ryan Grant is ok, but is not a punishing back. With Larry Johnson running in cold weather games, it could be a good fit if he can still lay out the punishment.

Oakland Raiders: Why the hell not. Do I really need to say any thing more? Well at least Johnson and Cable share a love of violence, and Fargas is somehow again their leading rusher.

Larry will get another chance, but will he do something with it or continue to twitter away what's left of his NFL career?

PRE-EMPTIVE PEARL? The Pittsburgh Steelers backfield didn’t quite work out the way I envisioned it would. Willie Parker did get hurt as expected but the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall has been impressive. Which has given Mewelde Moore limited opportunities.

I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t seem likely that I’ll be running the player personnel of any NFL team in the foreseeable future. Although I do believe I’d have a shot at doing so with the Raiders organization. If I so desired. But who would want to do that to themselves? My career would certainly end up in the graveyard. Then I’d have to seek therapy to deal with my Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome!

Enough of my jackass talk. BenJarvus Green-Ellis. You picking up what I’m putting down people? I would assume no unless you are an avid Patriots fan? He entered the season last on the New England Patriots depth chart. But with injuries to Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris his stock has quietly risen. Laurence Maroney should remain the featured back provided he doesn’t get injured or runs the way he so often has in his short career. I’m going to keep a keen eye on BenJarvus Green-Ellis over the course of the next two weeks in particular. Should something happen to Maroney or the Patriots start blowing out their opponents he will get a nice workload. Green-Ellis may have some value patch work wise if you play in a league that consists of 14 or more teams and you have bye week or injury problems. Consider him a desperate pick up at this point but one that may be worth keeping an eye on in the near future.

The Whining Clause

As Richard Seymour continues to refuse to show up in Oakland, let's examine the current trend of NFL player's attempts to force their team's hands.

There was something brewing back in Spring when Jay Cutler decided his feelings were hurt and began his demand to leave Denver. Although maybe the Broncos went about it the wrong way, it was strange that the team was allowing Cutler to make any sort of demands, since he was under contract. As Cutler was growing more frustrated and his demand for a trade more vocal, I remember thinking that if the team gave in to him, this could have serious repercussions concerning other NFL players.

They did and...

Well here we go!

Brandon Marshall took his cue and immediately started causing trouble. Hell why not, they gave Cutler what he wanted. Now we hear they may extend his contract! Act like a baby, get what you want.

Richard Seymour is our next contestant in this whining sweepstakes. In all fairness it has to be tough going from the Patriots to the Raiders. I don't think I am out on a limb here in stating that the Raiders are a bit dysfunctional, we all know this. However, Seymour was traded ,a fair move by the Patriots. Yes he held out twice on them, yes he gave everything he could to them, and yes he cashed their paychecks that they gave him.

Michael Crabtree is really just insane. No way he gets drafted in the first round if he sits out. Take the deal offered as it will take you years of actually playing to see this kind of money again. Funny, he has the same agent as Seymour!

There is a reason for contracts, and players seem to have no problem with the taking the money part, but this new form of acting out and making demands is pure silliness. NFL owners and GM's need to immediately stop this nonsense from ruining the teams they have tried so hard to build. Denver and New England both had contracts with their players, the players signed them, and the teams paid them. The teams owe them nothing more. If they want to talk about trading them, or trade them, that is their right that the players have signed off on. The players have referred to the actions of the teams as dishonorable, yet what kind of honor is found in refusing to play because you don't like the terms.

You get paid like a man to play your sport. Man up and honor your obligations that you signed off on. Or get an agent that puts in a "whining clause".

Photo Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkeleher/ / CC BY 2.0

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