fantasy pigskin

Monumental Court Ruling

2005-11-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

KNOXVILLE, TN (AP)-A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a Knoxville, Tennessee, courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt in keeping with child custody laws and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible.The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently away of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.
After two recesses to check legal references andconfer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to Phillip Fulmer of the University of Tennessee football team, whom the boy firmly believes is not capable of beating anyone.

Courtesy of Ericson

Urban "Legend"'s Quote of the Weekend

2005-09-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

Meyer said it was "a great day for Florida Football" moments after the Gators 16-7 victory over the UT Vols. Phil "Elmer Fudd" Fulmer was once again outcoached. If he wasn't such a good recruiter, he would have been coaching the Knoxville High School Rednecks years ago. Fudd's worst nightmare just came true: Urban really is the 'Ole Ball Coach revisited. Pitting Fudd in an Xs & Os match-up with the likes of Meyer, Spurrier, Nick Saban (former Coach at LSU), or even Mark Richt is like Homer Simpson going against Ken Jennings in a game of Jeopardy. Once Meyer gets his own players in place, their offense will eventually start clicking. You have to feel for Bubba Caldwell and Ray McDonald. After they went down, I thought our chances of winning went down with them but this team has heart. It didn't hurt having 90,000+ fans screaming theirs hearts out to let the players know they were literally right behind them. The defense came up huge for the third week in a row. If Leak ever figures out the offense, this team could be scary. Let's hope he does it before the "Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in the world. But if he doesn't, at least we put Fudd and the Vols back in their rightful place in the SEC--2nd place. D'Oh!

Fantasy pick-up of the week

2005-09-15T17:36:00.000-04:00

How 'bout that Willie Parker prediction? "Pick him up if you're in desperate need of a back" (see my blog below about the Steelers). He's gotta be gone already in most leagues but don't say I didn't warn ya. I managed to pick him up on all of my teams.
Yeah, I know, I forgot to mention Larry Fitzgerald for the Cards-I'm an idiot...who else did I forget?
Any advice on who to start, Kennison or Burleson??

Double D

2005-09-13T20:55:00.000-04:00

That would be my affectionate term for Dunkin' Donuts (DD). Damn how I love that stuff. I can barely stomach that gas station or restaurant crap any more. "Cream only please" (no sugar or any of that flavored syrup garbage). I love their ice coffee just as much as their hot coffee.
My addiction to coffee started back in my banking days in Orlando, Fl where there was a Starbucks on every corner. I found it so relaxing to read the paper and have a coffee outside before (or after) work. I couldn't get enough of their lattes. Well, I tried to limit my visits to every Friday morning but even that was too much of a dent in my wallet. Too bad they're so freakin' expensive. That's when I started grinding my own beans--making my own coffee on a consistent basis (percolator only please). It wasn't long before I discovered the DD...
My love affair with the DD started after a trip to my favorite city, Boston. In Boston, you either love 'em or hate 'em. If you're still reading this, I'm sure you've figured out I love 'em! Well, shortly after, the Boss (my affectionate term for the wife) and I got back, DDs started popping up on every corner. I started swearing by them soon after. The Boss didn't quite understand this realtionship I have with DD coffee. I did feel somewhat justified when a recent issue of Consumer Reports (love that mag) rated them #2 of all coffees! I hadn't even heard of most of the beans on their list but Starbucks was down on the list-surprisingly. When I stated this fact to the Boss, she just rolled her eyes but I have to admit she did give me some (rare) props on my taste...
I still love Starbucks lattes and although my sleepy little beach town FINALLY got their own 'Bucks, I've stayed loyal to the DD. Plus, with the kiddies frequently in the car, their drive-thrus are extremely caffeinient (I made that word up - duh).
That is way too much info about me & coffee but I love reading Peter King's (from Sports Illustrated online) Monday Morning QB and his "coffeenerdness" (addiction to Starbucks) so I thought I'd give my own opinion on that wonderfully legal drug. He is the best NFL writer out there by the way. My blogging dreams would be complete if he ever got the chance to read my low-brow blog. And if you are reading this Mr. King, 6 shots of espresso a day, damn! Seriously though, I look forward to reading your articles every Monday (and now Tuesdays again)...Thanks.

Let the games begin...

2005-09-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

Well, they actually started Thursday night but this is when the fun starts--I can't friggin wait!
Here are my three rosters:
Team #1
QBs: K. Collins, Harrington
RBs: E. James, C. Portis, R. Brown
WRs: Hines Ward, D. Bennett, K. McCardell, Stokley, L. Evans
TEs: Gates, D. Clark, Kleinsasser (because Gates & Clark might not play week1)
K: Vanderjagt
D: Philly
Team #2
QBs: Culpepper
RBs: J. Jones, A. Green, M. Anderson, C. Benson
WRs: R. Wayne. D. Driver, L. Evans, K. McCardell, M. Robinson, Travis Taylor
TEs: D. Clark, H. Miller
K: Vanderjagt
D: Carolina
Team #3
QBs: Brees
RBs:Tomlinson, J. Jones, Fred Taylor
WRs:Wayne, Burleson, Kennison, Stokley, McCardell, Travis Taylor
TEs: Crumpler, Ben Troupe
K: Vinatieri
D: New England

Urban "Legend"'s Quote of the Weekend

2005-09-11T10:52:00.000-04:00

On playing Tennessee next week …
“I know how you prepare for rivalries and that is to prepare like you’ve never prepared before. You don’t get game tough during practice, it’s either there or it isn’t, and we’ll really find out if it’s there next week."

Urban's Quote of the Weekend

2005-09-06T21:37:00.000-04:00

Urban Meyer, Florida Ballcoach, after their game against Wyoming: "I had a ball here tonight, I had a helluva time. I was actually chewing some kid out, and then I looked up and saw everybody swaying to 'We Are The Boys' so I just stopped and listened...then I went back to chewing him out."
Gotta love this guy!

The best of the rest...

2005-09-06T19:42:00.000-04:00

AFC South:
Texans: D.Davis should be a Top 10 RB and A.Johnson will be Top 10 WR. After that I wouldn't take another player on their team...really.
Colts: Who wouldn't take Manning 1st in leagues with 6 pts for TD throws? I love Wayne almost as much as Harrison. Stokley kicked butt for me last year as a 3rd WR. Edge is a stud RB--top5 easily. Clark's a nice TE. Vanderjagt is a Top 3 kicker. Their D goes between 10 and 15.
Jagwires: Leftwich would be a decent backup. Fred Taylor has so much ability but his injuries constantly plague him--damn shame. He would be a nice pickup for a 3rd RB. Jimmy Smith could be a good #2. That's it for Jax.
Titans: With Norman Chow, formerly of the back-to-back National Champs USC Trojans, as their O.Coordinator, I foresee their offense putting up some big numbers. That said...McNair could be a nice surprise if he stays healthy. Bennett is the #1 WR but he still shouldn't be drafted too high. Some people are saying Travis Henry will take C.Brown's spot so I'd be weary taking Brown. Young Ben Troupe (Trooooooope) could be the next Antonio Gates but they still have Erron Kinney so who knows.
AFC West:
Broncos:Plummer's a tough call. I like him around the 10th best QB. RB is a fantasy owner's nightmare. Stick with M. Anderson. Lelie and Rod Smith are two good WR picks. Elam is a Top 5 Kicker.
Chiefs: Green is a possible Top 5 QB when he's healthy. Holmes is obviously a stud Top 5 RB but he's rpone to injuries and his back-up is legit (L. Johnson). I think Kennison should be drafted higher than what most people think. You know Tony Gonzales by now...I hope.
Raiders: I like Kerry Collins to have a huge year but that's just me. Moss is prime time and Porter's a nice #2 wideout. Janikowski cracks my Top 5 Kicker list--as long as he stays off the Stoli.
Chargers: Brees should have another great year but one solid year does not a star make--Master Yoda. LT is a Fantasy God. I got unbelievably lucky last year picking up Gates. he's not a secret anymore. McCardell will have a better year than most predict. Their kicker will be a Top 10 Kicker.
NFC East:
Skins: Portis is a Top 10 RB, easily. Poor Santana Moss has no one to throw to him. Their Defense should be great again. Overall though, this team sux. Snyder gets what he deserves, again.
Cowboys: I'm real high on Julius Jones. Bledsoe will be better than expected. Witten will gets lots of looks, take him as the 3rd best TE (behind TG and AG). Their D should crack the Top 10. I hate their WRs: MeShawn, T.Glenn, and P. Price (ha!).
Eagles: McNabb is Top 5 QB. Owens should be huge but I'm worried about his relationship with D.McNabb. I'm not a big Westbrook fan. Akers is a Top 5 Kicker as is their D.
Giants: Tiki won't have a year like last year but he'll still be up there. Plaxico is a flake but I'd take him as my 3rd WR. Shockey should be tough again.
NFC Central:
Da Bears: Muhammad will be a good #3 but he has no one throwing to him. Maybe Orton will be another Big Ben or Brees but I doubt it. Tiller (Purdue Coach) actually benched him at one point last year in college. Benson is my dark horse running back this year. I like their D more than most but its still not Top 10 material.
Packers: Favre has been so inconsistent lately I'd be scared to take him. Same with Ahman "Fumbleitis" Green. That said, they will come up huge for you in a number of games. Which ones is of course the question. Duh. Walker is a great WR and so is Driver. Bubba is a nice TE. Longwell makes my Top 10 Kicker list.
Vikings: Pepper is my man. It it weren't for Peyton, he'd be the QB everybody would be drooling over. Their RB is a big ? I actually like Ciatrick "C4" Fason to emerge as The Man so I'd be nervous drafting Bennett or Moore. Burleson is a nice WR. Word is Travis Taylor is giving M. Robinson competition for the #2 wideout job. And then there's the speedster from South Carolina, Troy Williamson. I bet the 'ole Ball Coach is wishing he wouldn't have left early. You'd think their K would be up there but he's awful.
Lions: K. Jones and R. Williams will be drafted pretty high. Their TE Pollard is capable. After that, I don't like much. Rogers maybe. Harrington as a back-up.
NFC South:
Falcons: Vick's still too inconsistent in my book. Crumpler is a great TE. Dunn & Duckett (not the law firm) are both pretty tough RBs.
Panthers: Delhomme's OK. Who will be their top RB, Davis or Foster?? Smith should have a nice year, barring injuries. Colbert could be a good #3 WR. I LOVE their D.
Saints: Deuce is Da Man. Horn is a Top 10 WR. Brooks should start somewhere. Anything else? Carney deserves a shot.
Bucs: I don't feel comfortable taking any of their players. Good Luck Chucky. Actually, Clayton will go high as a wideout. I'm not sold on Cadillac--he's still a Chrysler is my book. Their D will be Top 10
NFC West:
Cards: Next.
Well, their D is OK. Arrington and Boldin have skills.
Rams: Bulger will have a huge year. All of their skill players will be great except their TE. Wilkins is a Top 10 K.
49ers: Next.
I guess Barlow, B. Lloyd, and E.Johnson will be average.
Seahawks: Alexander is an Overall Top 5 pick. Hasselbeck I'm not sold on. Darrell Jackson is Top 15 WR. Stevens (TE) and Brown (K) are decent picks.
I'm sure I forgot A LOT of playas. Please remind me. And give me your sleepers, I'd love to hear.
Damn, that was harder than I thought. My blogs will be much shorter in the future, I promise.
I'm outta this bizzatch.

The skinny (actually it's kinda fatty)

2005-08-30T17:14:00.000-04:00

Here's the dealio on some fantasy football insights. Basically, I just read a bunch of stuff online all day and summarize it here for you draftniks. You gotta love the thrill of the live draft-- be it in a bar with a bunch of your fellas or sitting naked (now that's one repulsive thought) by yourself at your computer . If you've never done it, it's so easy now--and free! Nothing beats free sh%t. Anyhoo, all that's missing from my online drafts is Mel "Don't touch the hair" Kiper yelling in my ear. It's a great rush. Even if you can't do the live draft, try the automatic draft. It will make the football season more fun than ever. Everybody and their brother (and probably their sister too) has fantasy Top 100 lists and such, so I thought I'd make it interesting and break it down team by team. For now, here's my favorite 2 divisions. Now relax, grab a pencil ,paper, and a cold beverage.
Here's the skinny on all 30 teams or is it 32? I've lost count...

*Teams in no particular order:

AFC East:
Pats: Tom "Mr. GQ" Brady barely makes my top ten QB list--isn't that sad, he's The Man in "real life" but this is what he amounts to in "fantasy life". I like Dillon in my top 10 RBs. I think he'll have a monster year. Branch & Givens could be good 3rd WRs--maybe 2nds. Vinatieri is always a lock for one of the top kickers as is their defense... although their D isn't what is has been (we keep saying that every year). I really think losing both of their coordinators will take its toll this year.

Phins: Their D will still be tough (top 10?). The QB situation's a joke--see my 2nd blog below. Don't waste a pick on Ricky yet. R.Brown could be a nice sleeper, I think he might have the starting position nailed down by the time Williams get back from his 4 game suspension. I still think Williams won't play a down as a Phin but that might be a good thing for fantasy owners. Without a QB, I'd stay aways from their WRs. McMichael's a tough TE--a definite top 10 TE. Mare has seen his day.

Jets: I don't think Chad "Truitt" Pennington has healed from his injuries--he's a risk right now. Too bad because he had serious potential. Martin was huge for me last year. He's hasn't seem to have lost a step but he's got to sooner than later. He's got a nice backup now (D. "Goldie" Blaylock) that could seriously hurt his #s--beware. L. Coles always has potential. He would be a nice #2 WR pickup. Their defense is Top 5 material.

Bills: Awesome fantasy D. McGahee is predicted to be the next big RB stud. I don't believe the hype just yet but he's definitely in my top 10 RBs, not top 5--yet. I like Evans better than Moulds this year. Either would be a nice 2 WR or a better 3. It all depends on J. P. "Don't call me P.J." Losman, we'll be eagerly awaiting his stats...not.

AFC Central:
Blitzburgh: RB situation is bleak now which is a shame but Willie Parker will be a nice fill-in. Pick him up if you're in desperate need of a back. Big Ben won't put up good numbers but he should be steady like last year as long as the running game holds up. He might be in the Top 20 QBs. Might. I love Hines "57" Ward, the inspirational leader of the team. He cracks my Top 10 WR list. Randle EL would be a good 3 WR. I like Heath Miller as an up-and-coming TE. I think he could be a nice surprise. You should be able to pick him late in your draft. Reed's a Top 10 Kicker in my book. If he kicked in a dome, he could really put up some points. The wind can really swirl in that new stadium. Their D is as tough as they come if you haven't figured that out yet.

Cleveland: Not much here. Willie Green is starting their next pre-season game but its still up for grabs. I liked him in college a lot but I'm not sure if he has star potential. Droughns is a real nice back but Suggs is obviously in the mix too. This spells headache for whichever back you have on your roster. I picked up Droughns early on in Denver last year and he had some huge games for me. But they say its the Denver O-line doing all the work. We'll see...Braylon Edwards is a bona fide stud but I don't see him putting up huge numbers with Dilfer under center. I don't like A. Bryant unless your desperate for a 4th WR. Does "Evel Knievel" Winslow even have a back-up?

Bengals: I wasn't as surprised as everyone else to see Peter "Mr. Dillards" Warrick get cut. He is a 'Nole after all. Chad Johnson was so erratic on my fantasy team last year but I'd do it all again because Carson Palmer has a lot of upside. He should be a Top 5 QB--next year. T.J. Houshmacallit will be a good 3 WR in most leagues. I'm not sure they even have a TE on the roster. Seriously. Their kicker, Graham, will be a Top 10 performer. You'd think with Marvin Lewis at the helm that their D would be lights-out but I'm not convinced yet.

Ravens: Always a stud Defense. I love Jamal Lewis. Mason did well for me last year but I don't like Boller in the pocket..or anywhere on the field for that matter. Heap is an awesome TE--top 5 easily. Stover is better than average as a kicker. And that's all I have to say about that...

There's 2 divisions down, 6 to go. Hopefully I haven't bored the three of you still reading this blog to death. If you are still reading, please have a nice cold Newcastle on me. Mine's going down awfully smooth.

Fantasy tip of the week:
Pick up Travis Taylor. He's probably still a Free Agent if you've already drafted. He's giving Marcus Robinson a run for his $ as the Vikings #2 WR. I'm not sure where that leaves speedster rookie Troy Williamson but...not my problem!
I'm outta this bizzatch...

How could I forget?

2005-08-25T22:30:00.000-04:00

In my first blog, I somehow forgot to mention that I'm a University of Florida Gator!?! My only excuse is that I was in an NFL-induced stupor at the time. A few words about my alma mater...Gators everywhere have us already penciled in as National Champs with new head ball Coach, Urban "Don't Call Me Pope" Meyer. This guys says and does all the right things. He seems too good to be true. But I'm hopping on the bandwagon with everyone else. All I know and most Gator fans can concur--he's got to be an upgrade from Ron "I hate the Internet" Zook. Meyer has a great track record at some lesser schools but this is the SEC where they'll be coming every single week. (After the SW Middle Northern LA A&M Technical Colleges of the world of course). The SEC is by far the best football conference in the country. Don't get me started Big 10, just look at the bottom half of your conference. You even let Penn State in and they ended up bringing you down even further. I don't think so ACC fans. You'll always be a basketball conference, 'nuff said. Getting back to the SEC schedule...Urban will have his work cut out for him but he seems to be the man for the job. The best of luck to him and Go Gators!

The soap opera that is Ricky

2005-08-25T11:49:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what the Phins are up to with Ricky "the real Puffy" Williams but my hunch is they are somehow trying to salvage some value for him as trade bait. I keep wondering if it's really worth it. He can't even play a meaningful game until the 5th game of the season. He's become a side-show at the Dophins training camp in Davie. Did you happen to see his interview yesterday w/Mike Wallace and others? The Phins definitely don't need a distraction like him--they have plenty of other stuff to worry about. Such as, who the heck will be blocking on that offensive line. Their O-line killed them last year and I'm not sure they really upgraded this year. Poor Ronnie Brown. The stud that he is, he won't get much help unless the passing game somehow starts clicking. It's a long way off so we'll wait and see. Coach Saban is a defensive guy and he's handed over a lot of the reins to Scott Linehan from the Vikings, which looks like a good move although Linehan had some studs of his own in Culpepper, Moss, etc. to work with. And these are the days of our lives...

1st blog ever...so what?

2005-08-22T23:52:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. I don't have one free second of the day to be doing this blog but pigskin news, gossip, b.s., etc. goes to the top of the priority list come the middle of August. Damn, it's already the 22nd (Happy Birthday Gary) and three pre-season games left and counting. I'm from a little town on the OH-PA border about the same distance to Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Since I grew up in the 70's, I naturally became a fan of the Steelers, who by the way, have the best bumper sticker around: "Blitzburgh: A drinking town with a football problem". (Lots of colleges use it now, I know). Well, I moved to the hot-ass state of Florida in '84 and quickly became a Dolfan. Damn how I loved those Dolphin teams of the 80's. I'm still saddened by the fact Dan the Man never made it back to the Bowl. It was great seeing what an amazing reception he got at the HOF ceremony recently. It actually brought a tear to my eye. No, wait a second, it was the sight of watching Gus "Mr. Mediocrity" Frerotte compete with A.J. "Mr. Heather Mitts" Feeley for the starting QB job of the Miami Freakin' Dolphins. Well, needless to say I'll be talking a lot about the trials and tribulations of my Fins, a lot about the Steelers, and even more about Fantasy Football. Plus, some other stupid stuff about golf, coffee, beer, eating out, grilling, poker, and probably a bunch of other crapola. Let me know what your opinions are of the online Fantasy Sites out there. Has anyone used the Madden Fantasy site yet? Anyhoo (what up Ericson), I have to put the kiddies to bed but I'll be back for more...