NFL 1st Quarter Report

Here we are prior to Week 6, and The People's Champ- FINALLY- has something to say on the NFL. With respect to the millions of TPC's fans, without further pomp and circumstance, here we go......
Is there anything more surprising this year than Steve Smith- no, that Steve Smith- leading the NFL in receiving yards through Week5? Look at the other names on the list, in order- Wayne, Clark, Ward, Andre Johnson, Vince Jackson, and Randy Moss. How the heck is The Other Steve Smith doing it............
Eli Manning. He has slowly (and as TPC has been saying this for years) developed into a Top 5 NFL Quarterback- at worst, to this point. Going into this season, every single major NFL expert and Fantasy Football Guru, were saying how Manning would suffer greatly without Plaxico, and the Giants would only be able to win if Jacobs and Bradshaw went nuts. You know what, Eli is doing exactly what the Great Ones do. He is making players around him better. Smith, Manningham, Dixon, et al. The Giants have had a dominating passing attack and that falls squarely on the shoulders of Eli. His 2nd ranking NFL QB rating (Peyton is first) 0f 111.7 with 10 TD's and only 2 INT's is not a fluke. And he isn't doing it with Reggie Wayne or Randy Moss.
The second biggest surprise so far has been the job Josh McDaniels has done in Denver. It was only a short while ago that Denver fans (and all NFL fans for that matter) were calling for McDaniels head for dealing Cutler- a 25 year old franchise type QB- for a sub worthy Kyle Orton and a first round pick. For crying out loud, the Giants gave up a ton more than that for Eli- prior to him ever throwing an NFL pass. Well, Orton has proven to be a very good NFL QB in the right situation, McDaniels has built a surprisingly very solid defense in Denver (fewest points allowed and second to the Giants in yards allowed) and even Brandon Marshall is happy in the Mile High City. Looks like Denver made a great deal. Chicago is happy too. Cutler has performed admirably and the Bears are off to a very good 3-1 start. Looks like a deal which benefits both squads.
I love what Rex Ryan has done in NY. For anyone living in NY, living and breathing the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS, Ryan has given the J-E-T-S a personality and an edge that they haven't seen since Parcells was the coach. I love his brashness. I love his attacking defensive style and I love that he isn't afraid to let his Franchise Rookie QB make plays. On that note, Sanchez has proven to be the QB the J-E-T-S and their fans hoped he would be and the NY football scene has a very good QB situation, seemingly for a long time to come (although it wasn't that long ago that a young Chad Pennington was talk of the town and being compared to Montana and Brady, so let's just relax a little on Sanchez for now. These are the J-E-T-S, remember).
For all the annoyance that has become of Brett Farve, he has given the Vikings a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl title. His miracle play against the 'Niners was one for the ages, a play only Farve can make (interesting side note. While watching the game with my 7 year old son, prior to the last drive I told my son the game was over. he said "Daddy, but the Vikings have Brett Farve" and I explained he is no longer THAT Brett Farve. Well, a few plays later, I told my son "you know what, your right. he is Brett Farve"). While Farve might cost them at times, he can single handedly win games like that and gives the team a huge confidence factor in that huddle. Don't forget, the Jets were 8-3 last year and had people talking Super Bowl after the win against Tennessee, prior to his injury. He has the leagues best running back, a good defense and a game changer in Percy Harvin. I think they are the second best team in the NFC behind the Giants.
As long as Peyton Manning is playing at these levels, the Colts are always a force. Yes, their defense has holes. Yes, the running game is so-so. But Peyton is the great equalizer. Watching him play is truly a privilege. The guy gets better every year and to this point, the only better QB's I have ever seen play are Montana and Brady and even that is very arguable at this point.<
I don't remember a season where such a vast amount of horrible teams existed at one point. The Oakland Raiders might be the worst sports team I have ever seen and JaMarcus Russel is clearly the worst NFL QB I have ever seen. Their coach is facing possible criminal charges- for attacking his assistant coach!- and their prized Franchise RB (McFadden) cant stay on the field.
The Rams (although now with Bulger back they should go from Putrid to just very bad), the Chiefs, the Lions (both these teams at least seem to be heading in the right direction with young talent), the Bucs, Redskins, Browns (only win against the Bills), and the Bills (lost to a team that's starting QB went 2 for 17). It's really the first time I remember such horrid teams in the National Football League, where any given Sunday and Team can win. Well, not anymore. These teams cant beat good teams. They cant even beat average teams.
I like what the Saints and Bengals have done with their defense this year, but markedly improved from prior seasons, but I'm not 100% sold on either. I like Brees a lot, but I'm not putting him anywhere near Brady-Manning status because he has gaudy numbers in a great system. Let's see some long term success before you compare him to two of the Greatest Ever.

Marion- O'Neal and Moon Deal Fantasy Impact

In case you haven't heard, Shawn Marion (a card carrying member of The People's Champ in his Fantasy League) has been dealt along with Marcus "No Factor" Banks to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon.
Here's the breakdown from a fantasy perspective:

Marion- Marion should have an immediate boost in value for a number of reasons. First, he was playing in a system in Miami that was centered around Dwayne Wade and his shot first approach (not that there's anything wrong with that.....). Marion is an extremely talented and gifted athlete who has very little one on one skills. He is not a player that can create his own shots. He needs to be fed in transition to be most effective (as he was in Phoenix). Toronto's offense is run through a classic pass first point guard in Calderon and this will only help Marion. Second, Miami had no identity besides Wade. Beasley is an offensive weapon they haven't been able to utilize. They have no effective big men. Marion just got lost in the shuffle. Funny as it might sound, Toronto has a much more defined role system. I think Marion gets his averages closer to 18 points 10 rebounds without the other numbers falling (if anything just increasing).

Bargnani- Bargnani should have an immediate upside impact as he should replace O'Neal as the Raptors starting center.

O'Neal- O'Neal should have the same numbers generally, maybe a little upside in boards as he will have no one to compete against for them as he did with Bosh in Toronto.

Beasley- Beasley should step into the starting small forward role in Miami and will become the second option to Wade as Miami's main scorer. Since he wasn't starting the first half of the season his minutes increase shouldn't have the negative "rookie wall effect" that most have.

Moon- Moon should become either the 6th man in Miami or the starting small forward, either way he will be replacing the Marion role, which should have an increase in all his stats across the board.

All in all this trade will help all fantasy players involved.

A look back at TPC's NFL and Fantasy Predictions

One of the main reasons I started this blog was so I would have some accountability of my usually outlandish predictions.
For a full list of my preseason picks you can go to The People's Draft Review, The Fearless Forecast, and Week 1's review.

Without further ado, a look back with a special tribute- Mike and the Mad Dog Style:

"The J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS will make the playoffs and Brett Favre will finish in the top 5 of the league MVP voting"
That's an awful job Mikey. Awful, awful job. No excuse for that.........
Hey Dog, when they beat Tennessee and NE a few backs back, you weren't sayin' the same thing. You were cringin everytime Baningo walked through that door.

"Michael Westbrook will finally break down this season. So will Jamal Lewis."
You gotta give credit where it's do Mikey. TPC was right on the ball.......
Your right Dog. Westbrook had a nice season but still was banged up all year and had 700 fewer yards than last season with a much worse yards per carry and Lewis was a non factor on a just Putrid Cleveland football team.
"Eli, excuse me, ELI MANNING-SUPERBOWL XLII MVP will continue to grow and flourish in an offense that returns all 11 of it's starters from it's SUPER BOWL XLII victory."
You know Mikey, I'm sick of Eli this and Eli that. Enough of the Eli stuff already.
Hey Dog, the guy won the Super Bowl MVP against an unbeat-a-ble Patriots team. He led the Giants to the NFC's top seed despite losing his #1 Wide Receiver and his #1 Running back for large parts of the season. He had his best statistical year throwing a career low 10INT's his best QB rating ever, 21 TD's and his best yards per attempt ever. And Dog get this, in late and close games he had an astonishing 132.6 QB rating in 7 games with 4 TD's and 0 int's. You can make a veerrrrrrry good case, he's the best clutch QB in the game right now.

"Derek Anderson will be a huge disappointment this season and make the Browns regret paying him and last years #1 pick, Brady Quinn."
Not much to be said about that one Dog, except the kid was right on the money again.

"Chris Johnson will be a stud. This season. Bye Bye Lendale".
Well, Dog, he was right on about CJ. He's probably the most dynamic back inthe game right now behind Peterson and White pretty much just cleaned up his garbage.
Mikey--Are you crAYzy! Johnson had a great year. A GREAT year, but White had 15 TD's. FIFTEEN MIKEY.
Dog, he had a paltry 3.9 YPC compared to Johnsons 4.9. He was just fortunate to pick up Johnsons trash.
Hey Scuzari, get Sirius back on the phone here. This is why I left the FAN in the first place!
"Reggie Bush will have a big year. So will his QB Drew Brees."
Um, hmmmm....

"Michael Turner will flourish as a starting RB, something along the lines of 1300 yards rushing and 12 TD's+."

Mikey, here's what a reader- YaHooa's wrote to TPC after week 3:
"I still think Michael Turner is a joke, the season is still young and I will be proven right."
TPC was right on the money. People were killing him on the boards Mikey.
Yeah, Dog if anything he undersold Turner who had a HUUUUUUUUUUga year.
"Kurt Warner will continue his recent success and lead Arizona to a playoff spot."
And some MVP consideration along the way, Dog.

The Steelers will not be as good as most think. Nor will the Vikings. The Steelers will still win their crappy division.
Mikey, he missed on this one. Both teams won their divisions and for crying out loud Mikey, The Steelers finished 12-4. TWELVE and Four.
Yeah Dog, but lets look at it a little closer. Against playoff teams. Playoff teams Dog, the Steelers lost to the Giants. They got manhandled by the Eagles. The Titans just ate them up with home field throughout on the line. Manning and Dungy beat them in Pittsburgh. Take away Baltimore and the 8-8 Chawgews and the Steelers didnt beat anyone. They look very beatable to me going into January.

The Raiders wont be as bad. JaMarcus will show flashes of greatness. As will RunDMC. Did I say Brandon Marshall will be huge this year? So will Calvin Johnson. Pennington will show he has something left in the tank. So will Ricky. Galloway wont. Neither will Marvelous Marvin Harrison

The Raiders were better than last year and Russel did show signs but TPC was off here. If they can keep McFadden on the field, he's a star.
I cant wait to see what Johnson will be like with a coach next year Mikey. That guy is unbelievable. If he was playing in Green Bay, they would call him Brett Favre HAHAHHHAHAHAH, oooooooooooooooh baby.
"Marion Barber will not be worthy of the #6-#9 draft position he most frequently went."
Dog, here what separates TPC from all the other guys out there. Here's how he explained his reasoning for that prediction.
"Barber is a very good back. He was utilized perfectly in the Dallas system, but now that he is the featured back I think he takes to many upright hits and wont be able to take the constant punishment." and here "Marion Barber will now need to shoulder the whole load and if he was so great, why did Dallas take Felix Jones with their #1 pick?".
And Dog, just for good measure here's how the Ducks, TPC's long standing rival answered.
Marion Barber didn't have great #s the past 2 years? I can't answer why the cowboys took jones, teams do dumb things sometimes. and the cowboys have been dumb often lately (i.e., wade phillips, pacman jones) but that has nothing to do with barber who will be the FT rb. he avged 4.8 ypc the past 2 season, tends to have one huge run every game and if you watch him (i am a giants nfc-east guy, so i do) you see more than even just those stats. i'm telling you, he looks like barry sanders to me. he won't be good, he will be GREAT.
See Dog, TPC sees beyond the numbers. He gets the game.

"Carson Palmer will once again disappoint."
No one saw that coming Mikey.

"Devin Hester will be electric as a WR for da Bears."
Ya know Dog, TPC took a lot of heat for this prediction, but at the end of the day, he wasnt far off. he led the Bears in receiving yards by a lot (665 yards0 and he missed the better part of 5 games. Not the greatest TPC prediction, but far from awful.

"Division Winners
Pats, Steelers, Jags and Chargers in the AFC
Cowboys, Pack, Saints and Cardinal in the NFC
Wild Cards
Jets and Colts in the AFC
Giants and 'Skins in the NFC"

Mikey, we'll give a pass on the Pats. The Jags were just awful Mikey. AW-FUL. TPC didnt even show up in the NFC except the Cards.
Your Dog, just a crazy, crazy NFL season and even the great TPC had a tough time figuring it all out.

Week 15 NFL Fantasy Preview

Tampa at Atlanta 1PM EST

Tampa's defensive got blasted last week by an extremely impressive Carolina running game. I don't expect the same results this week, but Turner is a must start. Ryan is not a must start and if you have better options, I would use them. Roddy White as always is a must.
Garcia has been playing pretty well and he should be considered, whereas Antonio Bryant is a must start and Dunn could be used as a back end RB #2 or a flex starter. I would also start Tampa's D as they have owned Atlanta in their last 3 meetings.
Washington at Cincinnati 1PM EST
The Redskins, despite their recent struggles, have a few high end ranking plays this week.
Their D, Portis and Cooley are all top 5 at their respective positions this week. Santana Moss is a good WR #2 play and you can even consider Campbell if you don't have a better alternative.
Cincy has been so awful lately, I would only consider TJ and possibly Ocho Cinco. Benson is a desperate flex player this week. Redskins should get back on track in a big way.
Tennesse at Houston 1PM EST

A very intriguing matchup, the AFC's best D against the AFC's 2nd best offense.
Houston plays well with Schaub at the helm and although Tenn. has one of the top pass defenses (currently #3) Schaub is still a play and Andre Johnson is a must play. You also have to start Slaton, but I wouldn't expect a huge game. Walters should only be considered as a WR #3 and Daniels only if you don't have a better option at TE (which you probably don't).
You have to start both White and Johnson, both should have big days against a very poor Houston run D (9th worst in the league). Only other offensive player worth starting is Scaife and if you have really no choice (which I don't see how) you can play Collins.
Detroit at Indy 1PM EST

Peyton Manning owners, start your engines! Manning is the #1 QB play this season and despite the inconsistent seasons of Addai, Wayne and Clark, all are a must go against one of the worst teams in recent NFL history (KEEP IN MIND-AS OF THIS WRITING ADDAI IS VERY QUESTIONABLE. IF HE'S OUT, RHODES BECOMES A MUST START). Gonzalez is also a start as a WR#2/3 and the Colts D, which has been playing very well since Sanders came back are a top 3 option.
The only Lion that should see a fantasy roster is Calvin Johnson.

Green Bay at Jacksonville 1PM EST

A game between two predicted Super Bowl contenders has lost any luster except to fantasy players. Both defenses have played poorly and have underachieved which presents this as a great fantasy matchup.
Rodgers is a great start as always. Grant is a must start, as is Jennings and even Driver.
With the season ending injury to Fred Taylor, MJ Drew becomes a top 5 fantasy back. With Matt Jones out the rest of the way, Reggie Williams becomes a decent WR #2/3 option. Jerry Porter looks like he's very questionable at this point to play.

San Diego at KC 1PM EST

The NFL's most disappointing team gets a chance at some redemption this week- at least for fantasy owners. Phillip Rivers is the #2 play behind Manning and should see a better day than the one a few weeks ago, where the Chargers barely survived a 20-19 win at home vs. the lowly Chiefs. LT is a must start despite his seasons struggles. Jackson and Gates are also must starts.
For K.C., Thigpen is a top 12 QB option this week (as he has been). Gonzalez and Bowe are must starts and LJ is a good #2 RB against a very suspect Chargers D.

San Francisco at Miami 1PM EST

Amazingly, the Dolphins control their own destiny for the AFC East Crown. If they win out, they win the East. This after a 1-15 season! Incredible job by Tony Sparano who should be coach of the decade for this performance.
With that being said, Mike Singeltary has turned around the 49ers since taking over, with 3 wins in their last 4 games, including wins against the Dolphins AFC rivals, the Jets and Bills.
SF's D has been playing well as of late, therefore don't go crazy with the Dolphins. Brown is a decent RB #2 option and I would consider Chad as a starter, only if your left with no better options. However, I would consider Davone Bess as a WR #2/#3 option especially in PPR leagues. He has 20 receptions in his last 3 contests.
On the 49ers side of the ball, Hill is a decent option at QB. Gore is very questionable as of Friday AM, so you need to consider other options. If Foster starts I wouldn't give him more than Flex credit. Bruce is a good #2/3 WR this week as well.
Bills at Jets 1PM EST

Just 2 weeks ago the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS were making Super Bowl plans and now they are tied with NE and Miami with the worst schedule of the 3 down the stretch. What should we expect?
I think the Jets turn it around right here against a reeling Bills team. Thomas Jones who is quietly having a monster season (1300+ yards and 14 TD's) is a must start. This is the game the Jets got Favre for, and it says here, he delivers and delivers big. Start him. Also start Cocthery and Coles as WR 2/3's and Keller. I think the Jet offense is in for a big day. I would also start the Jets D. Their achilles has been their pass d, but I don't see this Bills team hurting them. If you have Lynch, you have to start him but I don't expect much more than a decent Flex position type return.

Seattle at St. Louis 1PM EST

What a matchup! Two 2-11 teams going head to head in week 15, what else could you ask for? Seattle sports fans, we feel for you. Seriously, how bad can one city have it? As ESPN's Sports Guy has written over and over, they have the worst situation of any city in professional sports right now. Well, at least for one week they get the lowly Rams.
The truth is, I don't know who to start in this one. Both defenses are awful, but the offenses aren't much better. I guess you have to go with Bulger, Holt, Avery and Jackson. On the Seattle side, Branch and Morris are decent plays and Carlsson is a top 5 TE start. Good luck if you have to watch this one. You might want to start drinking NOW.

Arizona at Minnesota 4PM EST

Another very good matchup with serious playoff implications. With Chicago's win last night and their easier schedule, Minny needs to keep pace to win the division. The Cards already clinched their division but they are playing for positioning.
As always, All Day AP is a top 3 RB play. The QB position is still up in the air, but I would consider Berrian as WR #3.
As always, the Cards are matchup proof and you start Warner, Boldin and Fitzgerald. Breaston can be used as WR#2 as well. They will all produce.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore 4PM EST

The defensive matchup of the week, possibly even the season. Start both defenses as always.
Only offensive player I would even consider is FWP, although Santonio Holmes has 4 TD's in his last 3 games vs. the Ravens. He's worth a shot as a WR#3.

Denver at Carolina 4PM EST

Another good fantasy matchup. Both teams assure themselves of a playoff birth with a win, so much to play for.
Carolina's defense has been underwhelming the last few weeks and they get a real tough test with this Denver passing offense. However, the Denver offense has been less than stellar when they don't have a running game, and with Hillis out for the season, this puts it all on Cutlers shoulders. What does this mean? Good fantasy numbers for Cutler, Marshall, Schefler and Royal, but I think Carolina comes away with a win, with Denver playing catchup most of the day.
Add to that the fact that the Carolina running game has been on fire, led by the hottest fantasy back in the game Deangelo Williams, Denvers defense is in for a long game. Obviously, Williams is a top 5 start, Stewart is a must as a RB #2. Steve Smith is a must start as always and you could do worse than Delhomme this week, although Williams and Stewart will eat up the scoring.

New England at Oakland 4PM EST

I can't get the Raiders right this season. One week they play hard, next week they dont show up. Every week, they are still a very subpar football team.
Cassel is a top 10 play this week. Moss and Welker are usual starts. You could do worse than Sammy Morris as a RB #2 and Faulk as a Flex player. I also love the NE Defense this Sunday.
Oakland? If you own any of them besides Miller- a good start as a TE (and if you do, you're season is over and you probably aren't reading this anyway) leave them on the bench, unless you're desperate for a RB/ Flex, then go with Fargas. If your league counts poor QB play as a plus, JaMarcus is your man!

New York Giants at Dallas 8:15PM EST

In the featured matchup of the week, the Giants look to take a step closer to clinching home field throughout while the Cowboys hold on for dear playoff life. With all this going on, Terrel Owens decides to go into self destructive mode and criticize Romo for favoring Witten. Not a good thing to do especially with the Giants coming off that loss last week. It says here, hide the Dallas women and children, the Giants will be taking no prisoners this week. Only thing that can help Dallas is if Brandon Jacobs does not play Sunday.
For fantasy purposes, you can start Eli as a low 1st/ high 2nd option. I would start Ward if Jacobs cant go and Boss. I would play the Giants D.
You always have to start TO, Romo, and Witten. I would even consider Choice if Barber can't go.

Cleveland at Philadelphia Monday 8:30 PM EST

Cleveland has looked horrendous in recent weeks, while Philly is surging, trying to claim the last NFC wild card spot. Cleveland has scored a combined 21 points their last 3 weeks and it wont get easier here. Bench all Browns. Right now. Don't even make a mistake of over sleeping between now and Sunday. Just get them the heck out of your lineup. I almost feel bad for Dorsey this week- although not to bad as I start the Eagles D! Obviously, the Eagles D is a great play.
McNabb, Westbrook and Desean Jackson are great plays. This will be a romp and this could be one of those 3-4 TD type games for Westbrook.

Good luck to all those still in their playoffs!

Week 14 Fantasy Football Outlook- The Playoff Stretch

As we head down the stretch, many leagues are now starting their fantasy football playoffs. In TPC's head to head league, TPC has been officially eliminated and will not defend his 2007 fantasy crown. However, all is not lost in TPCville as The People's League enters the final 4 weeks of the season with TPC second to Plain Dan in his quest for Fantasy Glory.
Here are my week 13 thoughts and predictions:
The Raiders will keep it close tonight, but in the end LT should be too much for the inept Raiders run defense. Also, I'm not so sure Rivers will have his typical monster game. The Raiders defend the pass reasonably well.
I love Forte against Jax. He's a stud pick this week.
I don't like any Jags at all.
AP is the start of the week against the inept Lions and wouldn't be surprised to see him go for 200+. There isn't a player in the NFL more fun to watch than Mr. All Day.
I would also start Taylor if you have a flex position available. I think 75 yards and TD is well within his reach.
The Vikings D is also a solid play.
I like all the Packers main skill guys against the shoddy Texan D and I love Slaton against the porous Packers run defense. GB usually plays well against the pass, so I would only consider Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels here. Other plays are weak. They do get slightly upgraded if Schaub is playing. He also makes Daniels a much better option.
All Colts, as usual, are a go, including their D against Cincy. Manning and Co. are starting to really click and this week will be no exception.
I love Brees, Colston, Shockey, and Moore for New Orleans and Ryan, Turner and White for Atlana. Should be a shootout of a game.
As always, you need to start Westbrook, but I wouldn't go with any other Eagles unless you have to (unless you start Jackson as a WR #3). Jacobs, Boss and Toomer are all good plays (Toomer only as WR 3). I don't think you're going to see the scoring like the last time these two squads went head to head (NY winning 36-31). I would play Eli over McNabb as the Eagles will focus on stopping the run after the Giants pounded 219 rushing yards against them last meeting.
Quick Eli numbers: In 3 games without Plax he has completed 71% of his passes for 812 yards, 6 Td's and 1 INT, going 3-0 in those games. In other words, Giants will be just fine without Plax.
You can feel comfortable starting Johnson and White and the Tennessee D is the #1 defensive play this week against the Dorsey led Browns. This game will be over quickly and I wouldn't go near any Cleveland players this week.
I'm not sure which Buffalo team will show up this week, but their only must play is Lynch. Miami lucks out playing indoors in Toronto, rather than outside in Buffalo, therefore Pennington becomes a legit starter. As always, Brown is a start. I would consider Miami's D against Losman as well.
Cutler is the #1 QB play this week vs. KC. Hillis is a strong start. Brandon Marshall, Scheffler and Royal are all must plays. The will avenge their week 5 loss in a big way at home and take full control of the AFC West.
Thigpen is a good start as always. Larry Johnson is a great start. He ran for 198 yards in their last meeting. Bowe and Gonzalez are also stud plays for KC.
Start the Jets D. They will respond big time against SF. Jones is a great play. I would consider Favre if you don't have a clear better play. Cotchery and Coles are decent WR 2 and 3 options. Keller has become a must start each week.
You have to start Gore, but I think he's in for a long day against an angry Jets D.
Cassel should have a better game this week than last against a poor Seahawks D. I like the Pats D. Obviously, Moss and Welker are must starts. You could also get away with Morris as a RB #2 this week. I wouldn't start any Seahawks. There in for a long day after the whooping the Steelers put on the Pats last week.
Play all your Cards, as in the Arizona Cardinals. Warner is the #2 QB play this week. Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston are all good plays. Even Hightower is a good play. I would even consider the usually inept Arizona D here.
Only play for the Rams is Stephen Jackson. You can play Holt and Avery as WR 3's, but i wouldn't expect much out of either. Gun to my head, Avery is the better of the two this week.
In the Marquee matchup of the week, you got to start Big Ben, FWP, Holmes and Ward. I'm not sold on the Dallas D at all. You also have to play Barber, Romo, Wittin and TO (as you do every week), but I see Pitt winning this one 21-10 or something along those lines. I have no faith in Dallas in a physical matchup and the Steelers are the epitome of a physical D.
Stay away from all Redskins except Portis. I like Baltimore's D and Campbell hasn't shown much against a good D to date. Flacos is a decent play. I wouldn't start any of the Ravens RB. Mason is a good play especially in PPR leagues.
In the Monday night showdown featuring the NFC South's top two squads, I would feel very comfortable starting the Bucs D, Garcia and Dunn. Only Panther I would start is Steve Smith. They will show they are the worst 9-3 team in the game this week.

Good luck to all you still in the playoffs.

RotoNation - Fantasy Sports News, Notes, Jobs, Games, Tools

Looks like some industry experts picked up on our Garnett Gate and here is their view.


RotoNation - Fantasy Sports News, Notes, Jobs, Games, Tools

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New York- Capital of the Football World - Week 12 NFL thoughts

It's been a long time since football reigned supreme in the Capital of the World as it does this fine Monday, the 24th of November, 2008. Not since Week 11 of 1986 when the New York J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS started 10-1 and the New York Football Giants began the season at 9-2, has both team sat upon the Football World looking down at their competition. The Jets defeated the last standing undefeated team yesterday (Tennessee Titans) in convincing fashion 34-13, while the Football Giants cruised to another victory against a division leader; this time defeating the Arizona Cardinals, 37-29.
When the Jets signed Allen Fanacea and Kris Jenkins and made the biggest off season splash by trading for Brett Favre, they only hoped they would reach this type of success this quickly. TPC told everyone, even while the Jets were struggling early on this season that they would be serious AFC contenders, that Brett Favre brings them instant credibility and hope to a franchise that has always lacked both (in 1986 the Jets lost their last 5 games, won a wild card game and then missed 2 late FG's against Cleveland that would have gotten them into the AFC Championship game). TPC as always, was right. Favre is a serious MVP candidate. The Jets have an excellent offensive line, a dominating defensive line-primarily against the run, and an improving secondary. They have balance on both sides of the ball and a leader that they believe will get them over the top. And Mangini, a coach that has been much maligned by The People's Champ, just had his finest hour against the Titans.
The Giants just continue to roll. Without Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress, the Giants offense still managed to put up 37 points against a division leader, with Eli Manning playing a flawless game, going 26-33 with 240 yards and 3 TD's, proving once again he is the single most indispensible player on the New York Football Giants. The Giants also proved that Jacobs must be signed next season as he sets the tone for the entire running game. Ward and Bradshaw don't have the same effect without Jacobs and his 260+lb body beating on the opposing defense 20+ times a game. The Giants have now won their last 5 games against opponents that were a combined 28-13 coming into the game. That is domination folks. The Giants will more than likely have home field throughout the playoffs, and no one, and THE PEOPLES CHAMP says NO ONE, will be coming into Giants Stadium and beating the Football Giants in January. The Giants can start booking their tickets to Tampa because that's where they will be the weekend of Feb. 1, 2009, defending their Super Bowl XLII title in style.

In other games:

Denver continues to show everyone how Jay Cutler is a statistically good Quarterback but in reality, average at best. They also continue to show that Mike Shanahan still cant build a defense and cant compete with a team that plays a more physical game than they do.
They also cant defend the pass at all. Even Jamarcus Russell was awesome against them, going 10-11 with 152 yards and a TD for an almost perfect 149.1 QB rating (almost triple his 52.2 abysmal rating for the season). Yep, throwing against the Broncos is as tough as hooking up with Tara Reed after her 9th cocktail.
The Falcons continue to roll led by Matt "Ice" Ryan and Michael Turner. Where are all the Turner prediction jokes now? Huh? Where? Turner now has 1100 yards and 13 TD's and we have 5 weeks to go. The Falcons destroyed their division rival Panthers and are now a game behind the Panthers and Bucs. Folks, welcome to the Mattie Ice Era. Get used to it because this kid is here to stay and he is already amongst the NFL elite.
I dont think I remember two worse 8-3 teams than the current Panthers and Bucs. Is anyone actually scared to face these guys?
The Steelers improve to 8-3 as Big Ben finally gets his act together, but as TPC has said all season, the Steelers are not a serious threat because they have a very weak offensive line and get bullied by tough physical defenses (as the Giants and Eagles proved).
Speaking of the Eagles, has there ever been a bigger enigma than Donovan McNabb? When he's on his game there is no one more fun to watch, no one who can bring all the elements of the game together quite like he. However, when he's off (or when the pressure increases) he turns into Dave Brown. He's just awful. Not to mention, how does anyone associated with an NFL team not know there are regular season ties? My six year old son knows this, how does a franchise QB who has played 129 NFL games, thrown for over 28,000 yards, run for another 3000+ not know this? Someone please get a hold of McNabb's Wonderlic test. Please.
Matt Cassell made himself $30M-$40M richer the last two weeks and will make some NFL franchise make a $30M-$40M mistake next season. I still dont understand why NFL coaches dont cheat the safeties in on this guy and make him beat you over 15 yards. He hasn't proven he can do it. Make him. He's got great mobility and great accuracy throwing underneath, why not make him get away from his strengths?
Well, I guess the Cowboys really did miss Mr. Romo. Once again proving that the NFL QB is the single most important player in professional sports. Dallas looks like a different team on both sides of the ball just with Romo playing. He gives the team hope which makes everyone step their game up a notch.
It's the same in Minny, where Ferrotte has the Vikings tied for the division lead with the Bears at 6-5. He's not in Romo's class, but he's also a far cry from Tavaris Jackson. No wonder the Vikings are now a credible threat in the NFC's Norris Division.
Looks like Manning and the Colts are somewhat healthy again these days, Vinatierri showed once again how clutch he is and all those people who TPC warned shouldnt bury the Colts just yet are having Jason Voorhees flashbacks.
The Chargers are now officially done and it's because of these reasons, in order:

• Norv Turner should not be a head coach in the NFL. Period. (for more info go to FIRENORV.NET). He is a failure everywhere he goes taking a team that was a play away from the Super Bowl just two years ago (and a 14-2 record under Marty Schottenheimer) to a team that is now 4-7 in the worst divison in football. Just inexcusable. He should not be coaching next year.
• Shawn Merriman being injured and/or not being juiced up was a tremendous hit to their defense. It also showed what lack of character and heart their defense has. The Giants lose Strahan and Osi and are still cruising along because of character and talent. The Chargers have talent, just no character.
• LT, the greatest all around RB I have ever seen, has lost a few miles off his fast ball. He's no longer the same LT as we knew and awed. He's now just a good NFL back and that's not good enough for that offense. That offense is built around LT making things happen.
  
• Phil Rivers is not as good as his statistics show him to be. He makes big mistakes in inopportune times- mostly of the careless variety. They made the right call by keeping Rivers over Brees, but only financially as Brees is the much better NFL QB.

While looking ahead to Thanksgiving (TPC gives thanks to the Creator many days EVERY day) TPC would like to be especially thankful for Thursday with 3 games of National Football League Action. TPC is not thankful tht he has to wait all day to watch the high flying Cardinals, led by MVP candidate Kurt Warner play The Donovan Wonderlics. Well, you cant have everything...........

Garnett-Gate- The most despicable event in Fantasy Sports History

This week in The Shark Tank, The Wild Samoans (TPC's team along with DTA) experienced the single most despicable, vile, and lowly move in the history of fantasy sports.

(Here's the link from the Draft Review so you can refer to the players involved- click here).

Here is the sequence of events:

NOV 19th 5:13 PM, the Ducks write this post (keep in mind the Ducks are in the bottom 3 in the league currently, albeit early in the season).

The Ducks are Panicking Early Posted by: Jeff (Ducks)

Message ID: 137 Nov 19 5:13pm

We are making KG or Granger (NOT both) very available. We will trade one of them for TWO very good players. That does not mean 1 good player and a scrub. That means TWO very good players. If we get a fair offer we will accept first come first serve. To encourage trade submissions, we don't intend to wait to compare offers. We intend to accept the first offer that we feel helps us. So a deal could happen quickly.

Duck Views: Remember, 2 very good players.

By 6:30, TPC and The Ducks work out a deal where the Ducks send Kevin Garnett to The Wild Samoans (currently in the top 3 in the league) for Marvin Williams and Rudy Fernandez. The deal helps both teams, but especially The Wild Samoans.

(Now, keep in mind that this league has an insane rule that if 4 managers decide to Veto the deal FOR ANY APPARENT REASON (or as the Commish so eloquently explained, for "displeasure").

Dolph Schayes veto's right away, going nuts and even calling the Ducks out for trying to sabotage the league and colluding to help the Wild Samoans (Dolph Schayes is managed by the same person that ran Fat Mats last season, the team as stated in the draft review that tanked the first half of the season, purposely benching his best players, so he could win the Most Improved Award, a prize that goes to the team that gains the most teams post All Star Break).

The N Connection quickly jumped on the Schayes bandwagon, vetoing the deal, and calling for The Ducks to have their team locked from making any moves and be thrown out of the league. Perhaps because his team is also on the bottom and he's in danger of not winning his 3rd staright title, or perhaps because he didnt get KG-we'll get to this soon.

BONZNNUTS, managed by the incorigible Barzini, veto'd the deal as did one other squad- making the neccessary 4.

The Commish (who's in 4th place) quickly pulls the "cancel trade" button without finding out why the deal was made, why the veto'ers vetoed, going strictly by The Rule. He then questions the Ducks integrity, locking his team from making any moves, without a) finding out why the deal was made, and b) without even looking if the deal helped the Ducks (which TPC so brilliantly pointed out in a later post, how it helped the Ducks). Keep in mind, the Commish has been in over 10 leagues with the Ducks and has seen the Ducks

-TPC bitter history and the Ducks integrity (which has never been questioned).

TPC in all his eloquence and his Tag Team partner, DTA, in his typical wrath, layed the Smackdown on the League. It was like a Royal Rumble with the newest entrant cleaning house. People's Elbows, Sweet Chin Musics, Pedigrees, Tombstones, and of course some Stone Cold Stunners. As Jim Ross would say "They're cleaninghouse. It's Pandemonium here. The Wild Samoans are IRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATEEE!!!!!!!!!'.

The Ducks showed similar disatisfaction. They made a deal that clearly helped them (TPC in his analytical brilliance, posted the exact FACTUAL statistical help it brought the Ducks). They knew The Samoans got the better of the deal, but they didnt care. They made the deal in good faith and bettered their team. There was a litanny of posts regarding The Ducks character (all of which have since been apologized for) , regarding how The Samoans robbed them and they (specifically Dolph) would have made MUCH better offers, etc. There were also complaints of "not having enough time to make an offer", "I would have made a better offer" etc, without actually reading the Ducks post stating he wouldnt wait and he will accept the first offer he feels helps his team.

What was missing from all the posts was one legitimate reason why the trade was vetoed. Not a single one. You know why? There wasn't any. Yes, The Samoans got the better of the deal (as TPC told Ducks in a private email PRIOR to any one post), but they did it fairly. The reason why it was vetoed was simple. It helped The Samoans too much. An insane reason to veto a legitimate trade that helped both squads.

The Commissioner, if he cared about the leagues integrity and not about his personal pursuit of the leagues title, would have listened to all parties (trade participants, trade vetoers, other league members) and then held a league wide vote for a veto, and not listen to a couple of message board posts 10 minutes after the trade was done.

By the way, the Ducks havent posted them yet, but he will be posting all the other great offers (interestingly many teams, including the ones that vetoed the deal and claimed they would make better offers, didnt make one offer).

So what happened? The Ducks re-Shopped KG. The Samoans disgusted by the leagues actions, pulled out of the running and The Ducks traded Garnett to N Connection, of all the self serving hypocricy we have seen so far, N Conectiion getting or even bidding for KG is unfathomable, detestable and should have never been allowed by the Commish, for two slightly better players than the ones in the Samoans deal, albeit a few days later and after the fact. (in defense of The Ducks he doesnt really know all the players involved, and wasnt aware that the N Connection was the same team as the vetoing squad that called for his teams expulsion of the league. I assume he wouldnt have dealt with him if he did know).

What did we learn from all this?

1) The Commish known as Forties and Dimes in most leagues and the Yeshiva Bochers in this league) handled this matter in a disgraceful way, letting his personal motivations get in the way of the leagues integrity, standing on The Rule as his reason for the quick Trade Cancel, rather than waiting and hearing for reason from the league (interestingly if this would have happend the trade would have gone through as I will explain). In his posts he defended the leagues actions, he exaggerated and misquoted the Ducks original post to make the Ducks look worse (until TPC called him out and posted the EXACT post as seen above fromn the Ducks). All the leagues managers apologized to both the Samoans and Ducks for screwing us, EXCEPT the Commish (who generally is a great guy and good fantasy player) and his brother, Brazini the Knucklehead.

2) The Ducks gained respect from the league for being a team that although is currently in the bottom half of the league, a team that will try to improve and take a consistent stand on the issues.

3) Barzini was again showed what a fool he was as he then vetoed the second Ducks deal AFTER ALL THIS, for no reason but because he is a considerable morn and really should be committed to the closest mental institution. Seriously, the guy is off his rocker and he is a menace and threat to normal society. You dont believe me? Here's his exact post vetoing the second Ducks trade for the second time (yes, I assume the guy is sleazy enough to think his Commish brother is stupid enough to count them as two vetoes. Wait, let me inform theCommish, He actually might not realize this and Barzini can now veto deals all by himself.........).

vetoPosted by: barzini (Boneznnutz)
Message ID: 274 Nov 21 4:24pm
3 years of the nconnect raping little incompetent clowns ends here!!!! Veto , veto , veto nyet no hell no LO! nay nischt Barzin the Dream stop pannicking 9 games into the season !!!!

4) We found out-in practice-why this is the most ridiculous rule in the history of fantasy sports. How is it that less than 50% of the league can veto a deal by not allowing it- especially for no specific reason other than "displeasure"? This is ridiculous considering there is no reason or basis for a veto. "Displeasue" is enough. TPC's opinion is simple. If there is a trade negotiated in good faith and no collussion or chaeting is involved, there should never be a veto. Plain and simple being a good mananger and negotiator shoudl not be held against someone. Ridiculous.

5) the N Connection showed what a sleazy, hypocritical Fantasy Bastard he really is (he's a great guy in real life....) by posting initially That the Ducks should be thrown out of the league, their team locked, vetoing the deal without giving any reason and then going ahead and trading for the SAME PLAYER INVOLVED IN THE VETO. Am I crazy here, or is this the most insane thing of all time in fantasy sports??????

6) Dolph Schayes, after last years fiasco and now this, might have finally seen the light as he came forth apologizing to The Ducks and Samoans and rescinded his veto (albeit after the fact- as did two other teams, which if the Commish handled this right, the trade wouldnt have been vetoed).

If nothing else maybe Dolph Schayes becomes a better man for al this. If that's the case, maybe it was worth it.

Week 9 and Midseason NFL Thoughts

It's pretty clear that the NY Football Giants are defending the SB unlike any other team since the 2004 NE Patriots went back-to-back with a 14-2 record.
The Giants are blowing away teams even when they dont play their best game (like Sunday). They have a defense that is better today than it was when they conquered history, SB XLII and the 18-0 NE Patriots "greatest offense in NFL history". They have a franchise QB, 3 outstanding RB's, a good receiving core, and a great coaching staff. I'd be shocked, barring an injury to Manning or Tuck, if the Giants don't win at least 13 games and go to the SB.
I'm not as sold on the 8-0 Titans. Yes, the defense is solid, Chris Johnson is the most exciting player in the AFC right now, Kerry Collins has been very good so far, but I dont see them beating the Steelers, and possibly even the Colts and Chargers in a big game (even though the Colts have an uphill battle just to get there).
Speaking of the Titans, what an awful job by FOX on Sunday. How do you televise an amazing game (Titans -GB Sunday), have the game go into OT and then with the Titans lining up for the winning FG in OT, they cut out to 4 minutes of commercials. Now, as Mushnick wrote in the NY Post Monday, I understand the NFL TV rules (when the local team is playing the network must cut to their game, no questions asked), however, that isn't an excuse to just play 4 minutes of commercials prior to the kickoff. We just needed 15 more seconds to see if the FG was good (which it was). I mean, only a perfect 8-0 record for the Titans was riding on it. Damn FOX.
Well, TPC said Derek Anderson will be a bust and as usual he was right (insert you're Selvin Young jokes here). Brady Quinn takes over for the struggling Anderson vs. The Putrid Denver Broncos. Quinn will do just fine at the helm.
What happened to Cutler? After week 3 he was being hailed as the Next Great Thing, now he's just a regular young QB who gets very jittery, very quick. I think he'll right the ship, but there's a long way to go before he attains "superstud" status.
The J-E-T-S are 5-3, one more win than they had all of 2007 and are currently in First Place in the AFC East. With the Patriots being average at best, and Buffalo falling off a cliff, it seems the Jets and Dolphins could steal this division, amazing as that may sound.
Chad Pennington has been brilliant for Miami and deserves MVP consideration.
The Jags are done. Too many injuries to their offensive and defensive lines have left them crippled. They will be back in 2009.
I'm still not sure what to make of these Colts. Yes, they easily could be 1-7 (instead of the 4-4 record they currently own), the defense is awful (as usual) and the offense if not nearly what it once was. However, Sanders just returned and Manning has finally looked like Manning the last two weeks. I'm not ready to bury them just yet.
How awful are the Raiders? You can make a very good case that they are the worst franchise in sports over the last 6 years (21-57). Their franchise QB looks lost, they drafted a RB #1 this year when they had two decent backs and no offensive or defensive lines. Things look very bleak for the Silver and Black.
I still think the Chargers make a run and win the AFC West, but without Merriman they dont have enough defense to compete for the AFC title.
I dont think Baltimore is as good as their 5-3 record and I dont think Cincy is as bad as theirs 1-8.
Dallas will rebound big after their bye week, but I dont think they pass Washington, Philly or TB for the Two Wild Card spots. They need to dump Phillips and get a real head coach.
Philly is solid, but their whole season hinges on Westbrook playing at full strength. He's that good and important to that squad.
Washington plays good hard defense, but doesn't have the offense to win anything. Campbell might have been interception-less prior to last night, but he also doesnt take many chances.

The Vikings are looking very good with AP running and Ferrotte throwing. They are as formidable as any outside the NFC East. The Bears are in big trouble sans Orton. He's been a major reason the team is 5-3.

I love Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan. Both look like stars of the future. I would take either over Cutler today. However, I dont see either making it to the playoffs this year.

Detroit is a joke and teh Culpepper signing just adds to the punch line. What's the point of signing a washed up QB halfway through the season for an 0-8 squad? Shouldnt they be seeing what the current guys have and what the future holds? Dante is definitiley not the future.

Who would have thought the NFC South would have all 4 teams at .500 or better at the midway point?

I still don't believe in Carolina. They are 5-0 at home, which make sthem a very dangerous home team, I just dont see them beating the NFC East Boys in the playoffs.

I love Arizona and the are making the Peoples Preseason Sleeper Team prediction look great. They practically clinched their divison, Kurt Warner is having an MVP season, they have a great offense and an improving defense. Go Cards!



First Half AFC MVP- Albert Haynesworth, The best player on the best defense and the best team. Honorable mentions: Chad Pennington, Phillip Rivers and Carlton Finnegan.

First Half AFC Best Rookie- Chris Johnson.

First Half AFC Coach of the Year- Jeff Fischer with a close second to John Harbaugh.

Biggest AFC disappointment- I like to say the Chargers D or Jacksonville, but injuries have decimated their respective teams. I'm going to go with Peyton Manning. Basically at career lows in every meaningful QB category, he's a very big reason for the Colts dismal first half. Dishonorable mention: JaMarcus Russel and Derek Anderson.



First Half NFC MVP- Kurt Warner. He has his team with a 3 game lead in first place, has played magnificent at QB (leads the NFC in QB rating, TD's, Completion %, and has only thrown 6 picks). Statistically he's been better than the more acclaimed Brees and his team is also better. Honorable mentions: Brees, Jason Tuck and Michael Westbrook.

First Half NFC Best Rookie- Matt Ryan. He's played great, both iin reality and statistically and has his team at 5-3. His future looks very bright.

First Half NFC Coach of the Year- Mike Smith, Atlanta. He took over a reeling franchise that was hurting big time from the Michael Vick saga, has a Rookie QB starting and has his team in contention and totally transformed the climate in Atlanta. There is a future in Atlanta.

NFC First Half biggest disapointment- The Cowboys. Even with the Romo injury their defense has been putrid. Dishonorable Mentions: Marc Bulger.

Fantasy Football Trade- The People's take

A major trade this week took place in The People's League between Forties and The Ducks.
At the time of the trade Forties were in 3rd Place with 763.70 points, Ducks were 8th and 658.01 respectively. First Place currently has 802.7 points.

Here's the trade:

Forties Traded: Terrel Owens, Earnest Graham, Aaron Rodgers and Darren Sproles.
Ducks Traded: Big Ben, Antonio Bryant, Michael Westbrook and Correl Buchalter.

In any trade you need to look at the rosters because what might look like a "rape" on the surface can actually be a good deal for both squads Post trade.

Forties: QB- Warner and Big Ben, RB Chris Johnson, Brian Westbrook (and his handcuff Buchalter), Kevin Smith and Reggie Bush. WR R Moss, Cotchery, Antonio Bryant and Kevin Walter (keep in mind we start 1QB, 2RB's and 3 WR's).

Ducks: QB Rodgers,. RB's Jamal Lewis, Earnest Graham, Michael Pittman, Warrick Dunn, Ryan Torian and Selvin Young. WR's Braylon Edwards, Greg Jennings, Terrel Owens, Brandon Lloyd and Ted Ginn Jr.

Without making fun of the Ducks and their crappy squad and why any team would have 3 Denver Broncos RB's when only one is even worth a thought of owning is a cloumn for another day let's just analyze the merits of the deal.

From Forties side he traded a very good backup QB for another very good backup QB- both very solid starting options, so in essence he traded away a big chip but got the same chip back (it says here Rodgers playing style will force him to be injured the second half, although he is a Stud QB in the making. Big Ben will rebound and be his usual excellent self). He also got BY FAR the best player in the deal and his handcuff. Now Westbrook is an injury risk but he is a top 3 RB and he insured himself with Buchalter. So, he upgraded greatly at RB from Graham. He has 3 excellent RB's now when Bush comes back and that gives him great flexibility for another deal with his backup QB if he needs to. He dealt Owens, who will have a tough week this week against the Giants without Romo and has a bye next week. I don't like Bryant much but he in essence traded TO for 7 weeks (who will return to greatness once Romo returns) and got 9 weeks of Westbrook (the better player either way). He did great in this trade. He actually sold high on Owens, if even possible, at this point of the season. Graham is only a bye week option at this point anyway, so he didn't lose anything there.

The Ducks panicked. They have an excellent QB in Big Ben. Remember, this is a 16 week season and Ben will put up the numbers in the end. He also has no backup and in my opinion, he actually took the bigger health risk in Rodgers. However, you cant discount Rodgers numbers. He has been great so far. With Owens, he got a guy who will be fine once Romo comes back. The problem is he basically loses two weeks of Owens (as explained) when he is already risking falling totally out of any chance of winning. And, he gave up a guy who can put up consistent monster numbers (Westbrook). Yes, he got Graham (who by the way also has a bye week 10) but Pittman is just as good at this point and he does have Dunn as an option at RB. I admire his gumption and sticktoitiveness (thanks Mick Foley) but in the end I think he hurt his squad more than helped it.


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Week 8- NFL Thoughts

This weeks premium matchup featuring two of the storied franchises in football, and more importantly, two of the 3 best team this season, between The New York Football Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, delivered as expected.
A hard fought game, extremely physical and also very telling.

• The Giants have the best offensive and defensive lines in the game. That is why the won the SB last year and it is why they will contend again this year. They dominate both sides of line, attack the QB with a vicious fury all the while protecting their own. Tuck and Kiwanuka are two of the best in the game right now at their positions.
  

• Eli proved again with the game on the line he is one of-if not THE- best QB in the league. Yes folks, with the game on the line there is no one better right now (being Brady is out). You want proof? Here is statistical proof to make that claim. 4th Quarter this season Eli has a 105.5 QB rating. 4th Quarter within 7 points he has a rating of 109.7. The last two minutes of a half his stats are as follows: 15-21 2 TD's, no interceptions and a rating of 119.5. We all remember what he did in the SB on the last drive. We saw it again last night. He is as cool as they get under pressure. The Anti-Arod perhaps. Right now, I dont see many clear cut QB's I'm taking over Eli. That includes Big Ben.
• I didn't like the early goal line play calling by the Giants but they finally got their act together calling that great play action for the winning TD. It's nice to run the ball down someone's throat, but you need TD's.
• Pittsburgh has been exposed twice to a good, hard and physical pass rush. Philly's D dominated them and the Giants the same. Except for two broken plays on the Giants part (the two long TD's) the Pitt offense was non existint. They will have trouble with Tennesee in the playoffs.

Other thoughts:

I love Mike Singeltary. Finally a coach with some balls. I love how he apologized to the fans on the way out, his benching of Davis and JT and most impressively- the best post game press conference I have seen in a long time.

"I told everyone at the beginning of the week, I will not tolerate players that think it's about them when it's about the team," Singletary said still in high-decibel mode. "We cannot make decisions that cost the team and then come off (to) the sideline and it's nonchalant. I would rather play with 10 people and just get penalized ... rather than play with 11 when I know that person is not sold out to be a part of the team. It's more about them than it is about the team. Can not play (with those players). Can not win with them; can not coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners."

Singletary then said that Davis tried to talk to him in the locker room, and Singletary told him, "You don't want to talk to me right now."

SF might not be good now, but they will with that type of coaching attitude.
I guess TPC was right about Cassel, unfortunately for his fantasy squad.
I love how Favre can totally blow a game and in one possession look the Favre of old. At least he keeps things interesting and the Jets have as many wins in 7 games as they had all year last season.
Carolina just keeps on pulling out these games they should lose. They are 5-2 and could have easily have been 2-5.
The Colts are a mess. They offense isnt what it was and unfortunately for them, the defense is what it was. Horrid. They will have a very difficult time getting in the playoffs this season.
Tennese is the class of the AFC right now but lets not get carried away with last nights win, as did Kornheiser and Jaworski. Seriously, you think they just beat the 18-0 Patriots. All they did was manhandle a team scoring on average 20 points a game with a horrid defense. Forget the last few years and their name. This isn't the same dominating Colts teams. I want to see them beat a tough NFC East team, or even a physical team like Pitt before we sign them up as the AFC representative in the SB.
I love the way Houston's offense has played in recent weeks, especially the incredible play of Andre Johnson. His catch in week 7 was one of the best catches you will ever see and he did it with the game on the line.
I love how Pennington is playing and how quickly Parcells has changed the climate and environment in Miami.
I think Buffalo is a very poor 5-2 squad. Same thing with the Pats.
Don't make too much of the Dallas victory against TB. TB has a bad offense and the Dallas offense didn't show much. The Giants will punish them this week.
Through 8 weeks Phillip Rivers leads the league with 19 TD passes and Brees with 2563 yards. Warner is in the top 4 of every major passing category along with Rivers, Brees and Romo.
Favre and O'Sullivan have thrown the most INT's with Peyton Manning next on the list.
Portis leads the league by a lot in Rushing Yards (944 to AP's 684) and LenDale leads the way with 10 TD's.
Andre johnson leads in receptions and receiving yards.
Joey Porter unbelievably leads the league with 10 1/2 sacks in his resurgent year just ahead of DeMarcus Ware and James Harrison.

Fantasy Basketball Draft Analysis

Welcome all to the first Public version of The People's Draft Analysis, NBA style and the first analysis PERIOD for TPC in the league called The Shark Tank.
For those unaware, The People's NBA League disbanded two seasons ago after a nice 7 year run. Unfortunately the interest in Fantasy Hoops didn't match the interest in Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football. However, TPC's round the clock fix of Fantasy action needed to be adhered to, so TPC joined DTA as The Wild Samoans in the league called The Shark Tank.
The Shark Tank is much different than The People's League. First off, most of the teams are jointly owned. A very weird dynamic. Second, the draft takes place in an AOL chat room. Two main problems with that:
1) AOL???????? Sorry fellas, this is no longer your Aunt Susan's internet of 2001. There are more efficient ways to do this. Which leads me to my next point.
2) There are only two ways top do a draft. 1- Live Draft where all the members are there making fun of each other, trash talking and hopefully eating some really good grilled animal of some kind. This is not too efficient but a lot of fun nonetheless, or 2- an online drafting service like Yahoo Sports which allows for a system that keeps track of all taken players (by team and position), all available positions and most importantly gives A TIME LIMIT for each pick. It also has a chat board for the mandatory trash talking portion of the draft.
The Shark Tanks draft system allows for people to in reality take as much time as they want and allows for the constant error of picking someone that was already picked (we will get into this a little later)...
With that being said, the only characters from this league that you have read about prior are DTA- my current tag team partner here, The Ducks- this is his rookie season , and Forties and Dimes (known as the Yeshiva Bochers in this league) who also handles the role of league Commissioner.

With that being said, as always, , I need to preface with the following.
This is not an analysis on who will win this seasons league. It is an analysis on how they drafted. Keep in mind this is extremely difficult in the current drafting format so we need to give everyone a little rope. not as much as The Ducks (which we will get to later) but in general. This draft was also tougher than usual because of the first year institution of keepers (basically anyone drafted last season can be kept by forfeiting this seasons pick 5 rounds earlier than last years draft. So, if you took someone in round 9 last year you can keep him in round 4 this year). I also dont know the players in this league that well, so many wont have much background.
The leagues roster and points settings are: PG, SG, G, SF, F, PF, C, C, Util, Util- 7 bench spots
Categories are points, reb, assists, blocks, steals, FG %, 3PT made and FT made.
Without further ado, The People's Analysis:

Yeshiva Bochers (Forties and Dimes)- A great job by the Commish for fixing........I mean earning the #1 pick in this draft. Lebron was the obvious and rightful choice. On the wraparound picking 24th and 25th, the YB picked Andre Iggy and David West. I like both picks however I think both were picked early especially with Butler, Jamison, Gasol, Pierce, Wallace and Rashard Lewis still available. Turk went to them in round 4 as their keeper (last pick) and Maggette in 5. I'm not sure if Hedo can repeat last years performance but being the draft position, a good keeper play by the YB. Maggette was a reach in round 5. I love their 6 round pick David Lee and although they reached with Mayo in 7, it was a great gamble as Mayo looks awesome early on. I think YB took two chances with Thorton and Nene at 8-9 which were big reaches, especially with proven assets like Al Harrington, Troy Murphy and Drew Gooden picked after. Plus there were many great keepers to target there if you wanted to go that route. I love Tyrus at 10 and Ridnour at 11. Both solid picks. Amir Johnson and Westbrook followed. Not much 2008 value but some possible value down the road. Two solid picks in Simmons and Posey ended things for the YB. Overall Grade: 5.5. Decent all around squad with many questions and many questionable picks.

KARAT PLATINUM- KP took Kobe went #2 overall with his first ever draft pick in the Shark Tank; a big reach in my opinion. I think Kobe is on the wrong side of the Peak and CP would have been the much better choice. On the other hand, Kobe is still damn good so he wont hurt KP in the end. First rule: You dont win leagues in the first 2 rounds you can only lose them (as all Tom Brady owners can attest). Jason Kidd went 2nd which was just awful. Keep in mind, Kidd helps you in 3 categories (reb, st and assists). He kills you in 4 and is decent in 1. He's no better than a 4th rounder in my book. No way he goes 13 picks before Billups. The numbers arent even close. Vince Carter, another disaster in the making went in round 3. KP apparently hasn't watched the NBA much in the last 3 seasons. Okafor and Miller (Andre) then went, very safe picks, two of the best players available on the board. Bibby was a steal in round 6 while TF Ford was okay in 7, someone please explain to me the strategy of drafting 4 PG's with your first 7 picks? Kenyon Martin had no business going 8 except that KP is probably a closet Nets fan. I like Gooden at 9. Noah and Moon 10-11 are non factors, although there is some slight upside to each. Same with Boone at 12. Warrick was decent at 13. Mo Pete and Curry rounded up the lousy effort. Overall Score: 2. A very inaspicious debut to say the least. Just a horrible job. Team will win assists going away but basically booted the rest of the categories.

EAST SIDERS- The East Siders were the Champs in TPC's first season and have been the league doormat the last two. Has the game passed by one of the great all time Shark Tank franchises? ES took CP at #3, the no brainer pick there. Boozer went to them in round 2, a solid pick at that spot. Maybe he doesn't block enough shots (or any) for a big man, but he does everything else well. Joe Johnson went 3, another solid pick. Bogut at 4 and Dunleavy at 5 (their keeper pick). To this point, I dont think you can fault one pick. A great job so far. Plus, they locked up their frontcourt and have a great PG-SG combo. Beasley can become a monster at 6. Dalemebert was a questionable at 7 but nothing to fret over. Shaq at 8 was bad. He will be a non factor this season- at least until playoff time. I like Terry a lot at 9, Stuckey was a good keeper pick at 10, the East Siders version of trading for the future during last years dismal season. Anthony Parker is serviceable enough but at 11 there was more value out there. Quinn, Miami's #3 PG was awful at 12, I love Sessions at 13 and like Gomes at 14. Good value there on both and I liked the shot with Augustine at 15. Overall Grade: 8. Textbook first 6 rounds and didn't do much to screw up the rest. An excellent job.

2X Defending Champs (AKA N Connection). Like their namesake, NC is looking for their 3rd straight title. Lucky for us, lightning doesnt strike 3 times in the same place. Howard was the worst of all the first round picks (we'll get to the Baron Davis pick. I dont even consider it a pick therefore the qualification here). D-Howard is an extremely overrated fantasy player. He doesn't get a ton of points, so his FG %, while being excellent isnt as effective as one might think. He does dominate the boards and gets nice blocks, but for my money i take Amare over him easily. You cant take Yao in round 2. Yes, when he plays he's very good, but you already locked up a big man, you cant take a health risk in round 2 when you already have that position secure. You have to love Butler in round 3. Many expert drafts had him early round 2. Redd went in round 4, another overrated 2 category player. Tony Parker in 5 could pay huge dividends. Someone has to pick up Manu's slack and Mr. Eva can and will do just that. I still would rather have Mike Bibby who went 16 picks later, but thats nitpicking. I like Oden in round 6. I dont see how he doesnt average 12pts 10boards and 2.5 blocks a game. He has monster potential, although you have to question a 3rd center when the team donly has one real G or SF (depending on where you play Redd). I dont understand Arenas at 7 at all. he's out 3 months with knee surgery for a guy who makes a living using his knees. Plus, its his second one in 3 years. Doesn't a healthy Mike Miller make so much more sense? Not sure what the fascination with Udrih is. I dont like him at all. He showed me nothing as a starter last year, dont know what changed. Murphy was a solid pick at 9. Another good one at 10 with Prince. About time NC showed up to the draft. Took Bayless at 11. No value there. Same with Pietrus at 12. I like Q at 13 and took the wrong Lopez at 14. Hibbert could be one of the drafts major sleepers and a great keeper at 15. Overall Score: 3. That's giving a "curved score" for the Champs track record.

DOLPH SCHAYES- Named after the first great Jewish NBA player, DS gets extra credit for creativity. For background, Dolph was mired in the basement most of the season. He decided to puropsely tank the remainer of the games leading to the All Star Game in order to win Most Improved (an award given to the team with the most points improved over the 2nd half of the season). While technically within the rules a move that came under incredible criticism and in The People's opinion, rightfully so.
I know D-Wade plays the game looking to get hurt and I know Amare is the better and safer pick, but I think D-Wade is on a mission to remind people who he is. It says here he competes with Lebron for MVP consideration and posts monster numbers. Kevin Martin is a fine player but how he goes in round 2 is beyond anyone's explanation. I love Durant but still think Round 3 is a bit early for him. Brand was their keeper at 4, a steal considering where he would have been drafted (end of round 1). Lots of points and good FG for his first 4 picks. Richard Jefferson is ok at 5 but shouldn't you pick someone who can get an assist at this point? Not sure why you go for a risky O'Neal here with Beasley, Bibby and Lee still around. I like Rondo at 7 but this might be a case of too little too late. Kirilenko still gives you value and even more so in round 8. Nice pick. Thaddeus went 3 rounds too early. Still only one PG on this squad. Bargnani was a nice pick at 10 considering he's also O'Neals handcuff. I love Green at 11. Dont understand ANOTHER big man at 12 with Sean Williams. West, Anthony Carter and some upside in Farmar round out the draft. Overall Score: 3. Would have been a 2 but got Brand as a 4th rounder as a keeper. Some good talent but no plan. All big men or shooters and the big men are all question marks. Very little game plan if any.

BONEZ N NUTZ- The Don Morocco to TPC's Jimmy Snuka. The Mortgage Backed Security to TPC's Banking industry. The Obama to TPC's McCain and most fittingly, the Barzini to TPC's Don Michael Corleone. Going into last seasons trading deadline, TPC was negotiating 2 different deals. One with Bonez and one with his brother YB. TPC was at the time in 4th place and needed to make a chance. In a very controversial move, TPC dealt the #1 overall player at the time, Chris Paul to YB for Manu Ginobelli (the #11 rated player) and Jermaine O'Neal. There were reports that O'Neal would have been back for the remaining 6 weeks of the season (he actually played a very ineffective 3-4 weeks). Manu filled needs Paul didnt for TPC and the upside of O'Neal would have helped TPC finish in the money. What in fact happened is the opposite. Manu played okay but O'Neal was largely ineffective. The Wild Samoans ended up in 6th (where they were prior to the deal) and YB was helped by paul to a second place finish. Bonez' CEO, Barzini, was in an uproar. In TPC's opinion not so much because of the deal TPC did make, but rather the deal that TPC didn't make with Barzini. Either way, The Wild Samoans and Barzini have put that behind them (or at least they will after Barzini takes a little car ride..). Barzini, I knew it was him all along.
Barzini picking 6th was given the gift of Amare (the #2 player in TPC's preseason rankings) because of the above errors. He then took Duncan in round 2 in typical Barzini fashion (he loves Duncan. However he doesn't know this isn't 2003). Duncan is no longer the force he once was and is only getting older. Richardson, the 2007 steal of the draft for The Wild Samoans, went 3rd, a very solid choice. Here was possibly the most curious pick of the draft, Jamal Crawford, who at best is an 8th rounder, going before a ton of talent. Odom went 5th, normally a good spot for him, but the news he will be coming off the bench this season makes this a risky play. Josh Howard was a steal in round 6. I love Foye, just not sure if round 7 was the place for him. Interestingly, Bonez took Manu (a very injured Manu) in round 8. Alston solid enough in round 9. Raja at 10, Eric Gordon 11 (a nice sleeper), Ben Wallace at 12, Hawes another nice sleeper at 13. Varajeo at 14 and Gerald Green at 15. Overall Grade: 3. He started things great with Amare and made a great pick with Howard, but nothing else the rest of the draft.

CELCIUS (FKA TEAM TABC)- Team TABC has been a middle of the road squad since The Wild Samoans have entered the league, finishing 8th, 8th and 5th. Celcius grabbed Dirk #7 and being this isn't a playoff league, a very solid choice. Carmelo fell to them in the second round, a pick I really like this year. Camby could be a steal in the 3rd round if he plays as much as last year, but he is already showing signs of injury and Kaman will eat away at his rebound totals. Gay was a keeper in round 4, a TPC favorite this season. The highly underrated Devin Harris went in round 5 a great choice considering he went after Andre Miller and Tony Parker and is probably the better player with the most upside. Biedrins may have went a bit early at 6, but with all the points locked up in Mello, Dirk and Gay, the cats Biedrins brings was a smart choice for this squad. I love Ray Allen at 7. He might not 2004 Allen, but he's still better than a 7th round pick. He finished as the 42nd overall player last year. Good for a mid 3rd rounder. Felton went in round 8, a player I think who will lose time as the season goes on to DJ. Marc Gasol went 9th, a curious pick at best considering Al Harrington was picked two slots later. I dont know if he'll even contribute that much this season. Marcus Williams went 10, another non factor. Blatche was a keeper at 11, would probably have been a 13-14th rounder. Earl Watson could be a steal at 12 if he continues to start and since rookie PG's generally have trouble, it looks like that's how it's going to play out. I love Chandler at 13. While C-D Roberts might not bring much this season, he will be a great keeper going for next season. And to complete the rookie roundup, Brandon Rush went 15th. Overall Grade: 6. A lot of very good choices with no major blunders.

SMOKING ANTELOPES- With the 8th pick of the draft, The SA's made a huge blunder taking Baron Davis. Remember TPC's rule- you dont win a league in rounds 1 and 2 you only lose them- well, SA just did by taking a player who last year played more than 67 games for the first time since 2001, oh and by the way-shocker of shocker- it was in the last year of his contract. Big mistake. If you want a PG yopu take Nash there. Or even AI. Not Davis. Chris Bosh, another frail player (a stud when he does play for 65 games or so) went in round 2. Not a good start. I like Jamison a lot. To drink and also as a 3rd round pick. Stephen Jackson- if he stays out of trouble- is a nice choice at 4. Mo Williams, another injury prone player- albeit a fine player, went 5. Are we following this pattern folks? I love Tyson Chandler in round 6. Same with Mike Miller in 7. Zach Randolph at 8 fills some needs and so far has looked good in D'Antoni's system. There are rumors he will be dealt so stay tuned there. Either way, a solid choice. I dont like the Nelson pick at 9. Not when Derrick Rose and Gordon are still on the board. Collison, a perennial disappointment at 10. Brewer, the keeper at 11- some say he is the sleeper of the year. I'm not sure about that but he's definitely worth a keeper at 11. Monta Ellis at 12 could be a great bargaining chip late in the season- except TABC is going to be needing to trade for keepers, not the other way around. I like the potential of Louis Williams at 13 and Diaw at 14. Two nice late value picks. Not exactly sure what Maxiel is doing on a roster right now at 15.
Overall Grade: 4. Some nice picks late made up for some horrible draft strategy. You dont fill a roster with injury prone players hoping everything works out "this year".

The Ducks- Yes, the same nagging and annoying Ducks from The People's League. For those who need a history lesson, The Ducks were once a fantasy force and despite a recent revival (getting nicked on the last day by Forties and Dimes for the TPL Baseball title) The Ducks have not been the same since their early TPL dominance, especially in hoops, which included a 3 peat early in the century. The Ducks also win the Award for this years most annoying drafter constantly picking players already taken, including trying to draft Baron Davis in round 6 and Kevin Love 2 picks after he was drafted. With that being said, The Ducks actual picks started with KG at #9 a great pick in 2005, not so great in 2008-9. KG has moved nicely into his role as complimentary player on the Champion Celtics and will continue in that role even more so since Pierce's ascendancy to the games elite. The Ducks went with the chalk with Granger at 2 a pick every major prognosticator likes, except TPC. I just dont see Granger as a top 20 pick at this point. I like Gasol at 3, a player who someone got lost in the Laker shuffle, but who will make Duck fans very happy. I think Calderon is overrated. he doesn't score much and doesn't get enough steals to be an elite Fantasy PG and with good talent still available, I dont see him going 4th. Bynum was a steal at 4. He will 18 ppg 11 reb and 2.5 blocks easily this season as he develops into the leading big man in the west. Okur was good value at 6 and is poised for a big season. Biggest problem I see at this point is not nearly enough scoring an assists. Barbosa will address some of that in round 7, although this is no longer the run and gun D'Antoni Suns, so we might see a drop off in production here. Love Rip at 8. While Rip's scoring totals have gone done his shooting percentage, steals and assists are rising. Points proving what a great all around and smart player Hamilton is. Harrington was another great choice at 9. Battier healthy is a reach at 10 and out at least a month increases that error. Obviously, the Ducks last two picks and this one (Grant Hill at 11) have shown why the Ducks were good in fantasy NBA 5 years, but have no clue. This is the point of the draft where The Ducks only know a few players. Interestingly though the Ducks make a good choice with Mike Conley at 12- a very solid keeper to add. I guess he remembered the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Round 13 got the Ducks back to form with JR Smith and Wally at 14. Chris Wilcox ended things for the Ducks at 15. Overall Grade: 5.5. A really good job for 9 rounds and his non NBA knowledge came through after that. Either way, a very decent draft for The Ducks.

The Mighty Moose- The league representative for the soon to be World Champion Phillies, MM was gifted Josh Smith at #10. There isn't anything Smith doesn't excel at. He can score. Rebound. Block shots and get steals, all the while playing any of the F positions. He is like the 2005 version of KG. Deron Williams, injured at draft time, ends up being a great choice as the early reports of him missing a month were exaggerated and the Utah Stud will probably only miss 2 games-4 games. Pierce went 3. A very solid choice for the 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES MVP. I love Roy at 4- he is primed for his breakout season along with Oden and Aldridge- the 5th round pick of MM- in Portland. While T-Mac might be a shadow of his former self, he is still a solid value at 6 especially considering the 5 players already on the MM's. MM's addressed one of their issues by taking the Big Z at 7 a player who always goes later than he should. Hinrich was a decent choice at 8 but Moose already had enough PG types. Villenueva at 9 could be a huge sleeper. A lot of upside on that pick. Not sure what Davis's role will be in LA, and he wont put up the numbers he did in recent years but then he would have been a 6th rounder not a 10th where he was grabbed. Scola is a steal at 11- a player The Samoans wanted at that slot. Klieza is a great upside choice in round 12. I dont see Niocioni being a factor anymore in Chicago (13). Marbury was a throw away pick at 14 and the Moose forfeited their 15th. Overall Grade: 6.5 . Yes, the picked great players and almost always the best player on the board, but sometimes you need to address your needs and the lack of big men on this squad is very apparent.

THE U- The hist of the draft and BBQ and probably reason #1 for the above ridiculous format (not his fault but the Commish's obvious need for grilled meat at a drafts fault) The U took AI with the 1th pick of the draft. AI is especially studly in this league as TO's do not count and he has shot a respectable 45% from the field the last two years. Marion went to them in round 2, I believe will be a major bust in his second year in Miami. Marion formerly the #1 roto player while in the Suns system decided he would rather play in Miami then contend for NBA titles. Well, he shot 46% to the field instead of the 52+ he was used to getting fed by Nash. I think his numbers will continue the downtrend as now Wade is healthy and Beasley is the #2 offensive option. As good as Artest is I like to stay away from those kind of players- too much risk this early in a draft. I love Rashard Lewis at 4. I dont see Rasheed as a viable 5th rounder anymore. His minutes and effectiveness are only decreasing. Horford is a nice breakout player in round 6 but you dont take him before Beasley, Chandler or Oden. More risk then the guys I mentioned without nearly the upside. I love Peja at 7. Great value at that spot. Miller, overrated in recent years, is now underrated and The U took advantage in Round 8. Kevin Love was a big reach at 9. He had enough big men at this spot and instead of going with Gordon or Rose, he was left with Fischer at 10. Big mistake there. Not sure what Garcia brings to the table at 11. McCants at 12 could prove to be very nice as he has looked great in the preseason. Haslem a very solid choice at 13 (sometimes it pays to pick local) The Chairman is a nice sleeper at 14, and the Darko pick at 15 has some upside but not much. Overall Grade: 4. Front court is very weak and made to many early errors.

THE WILD SAMOANS- The TPC- DTA team was named after their favorite wrestling tag team of the 80's- from the Isle of Samoa, led in by their Manager, Lou Albano, weighing in at a combined weight of 649 pounds, Affa and Seka, THE WILD SAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOANS.
The Wild Samoans started off the draft picking the Great White Hope- Steve Nash. In an election year where The White Man is doomed, TWS are trying to do their part by represent. That and the fact that Deron Williams was expected out for a month brought a great increase in value to Mr. Nash. On the back to back, TWS secured their #1 Center with emerging star, Al Jefferson. Round 3 ended with Billups falling to TWS- Billups still finished the 2008 season as the #10 overall player in The Shark Tank. After a large debate , the next pick was Gerald Wallace (over Rashard Lewis) a serious stud if he can stay healthy and early indications are he is being taught to play hard and RIGHT under Coach Larry Brown. Marvin Williams was a questionable keeper at 5. If we had to do it again, he would not have been kept. Although TWS do have high hopes for Marvelous Marv, we would rather have had other players at that spot. Kaman was a steal at 6. Same thing with Deng at 7. Deng should be a 4th rounder next year. TWS took a shot with sleeper John Salmons at 8, someone TWS thinks will have a breakout year. The next two picks were probably the best 9-10th rounders in draft history. Ben Gordon, a stud in his contact year should have gone no less than round 6. Derrick Rose, also an incredible keeper in round 10 went 3 rounds after TJ Ford, Rondo, etc. a joke. D-Rose will be a force for TWS for the next two seasons. It says here, he has a similar rookie campaign to CP's two years back. Round 11 brought TWS another major sleeper and potential stud in Matt Barnes. Rudy Fernandez, the Spanish sensation was nabbed at 12. Kendrick Perkins, a legitimate Center was taken at the end of round 13 and another incredible value- PG Chris Duhon of the Mike D'Antoni New York Knickerbockers was TWS 14th rounder. TWS mailed in Sean May with the 15th pick.
Overall Grade: 10- I spent two days on this damn write up, I get a 10. That's the rule. As for teh squad, incredible balance and players at every position. No real weaknesses and some major upside. Plus, D-Rose as TWS 2009 5th round pick.

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