Date Archives October 2012

Randy Moss and Exceptions to the Rule

You’ve seen this eRumor:

It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates.

Candidate A associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers.
He’s had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used
opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C was a decorated war hero. He’s a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, drinks an occasional beer, and never cheated on his wife.

Candidate A was Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B was Winston Churchill.
Candidate C was Adolph Hitler.

Although there is no record that Churchill ever used opium and Hitler’s “wife” became his wife shortly before he offed himself in his bunker, there’s a lot of documented truth in these statements that make a sound point: It is sometimes dangerous to deify or damn our public figures for behavior outside their role. This is especially true with athletes.

“To be great is to be misunderstood”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Given this point, I shouldn’t find it incredible that the NFL fan base is polarized when Randy Moss is mentioned as one of the greatest receivers in the history of the game. Continue reading

Fantasy Throwdown Tourney Results Round 2

Throwdown Tourney Round 2 Results

October 30th, 2012

Round 2 is in the books for our “For The Heck Of It” Tournaments. A few matches were still to be decided from the San Francisco 49ers-Arizona Cardinals yawner on Monday night.

For those who didn’t manage to stay up for the duration, Larry Fitzgerald was tackled half a yard short of the end zone on the Cards’ final play on offense. It made a difference in two of my traditional fantasy leagues, and here is hoping you weren’t on the wrong end in your Throwdown match as a result of that Kevin Dyson-Mike Jones-esque finish. (Sorry to dig up that analogy, Titans fans.) Continue reading

Who is Virgil Green?

Green was seventh round pick of the Broncos, but he was my top tight end for fantasy-oriented owners looking for a player with sizable upside from the 2011 NFL Draft class of tight ends. Photo by Jeffery Beall.

Virgil Green’s 3-catch, 44-yard debut (with 5:34 left in the game) with Peyton Manning might be a surprise to some. However, the tight end from Nevada is a well-known stash for those who get the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication each April. I don’t know if Green will be an option once Joel Dreessen returns from his injury but he is a talent to keep an eye on despite the fact that his draft status didn’t match my evaluation and Julius Thomas was the more regarded prospect. His performance was indicative of what I saw from him as a collegian. Below is my evaluation of Green prior to the 2011 NFL Draft.  Continue reading

Reads Listens Views 10/26/2012

My open letter to Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is to play career-saving matchmaker for Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams. Photo by Parker Anderson (PDA Photo).

(Views) Walk on the Wild Side: An Open Letter to Jerry Richardson 

While I can’t claim credit for the changes ahead, the news of Carolina making adjustments to its offense have been my sentiments for weeks.

Dear Jerry,

I’ve been watching your organization from afar. Like everybody’s Uncle Arthur Blank, you seem like a good guy. You were a calmer, assuring voice of reason during last year’s lockout. Unlike most of your pencil-necked geek peers at owners meetings, you actually played in the NFL. You may have only amassed 15 catches for 171 yards and 4 touchdowns in a one-season career, but you did play with Johnny Unitas on a championship team.

No bad, Jer. Not bad.

Anyway, I’m a fan of your state. Continue reading

Mike Gillislee and the Currency of Respect

Gators runner Mike Gillislee understands the currency for respect in the game of football. Photo by Photo-Gator.

Hitting and guts are the currency of respect in the game of football. A football player that can deliver a hit, take a hit, and play with abandon earns respect from teammates, opponents, and fans. When I watch a prospect, these three aspects of football stand out immediately when I see them. Said player may not have the technical or conceptual skills, or physical talent to become an NFL player, but hitting and guts make a great first impression.

Florida running back MIke Gillislee delivered a strong first impression against Texas A&M in the 2012 opener. Although I watched him carry the ball 14 times for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns, the box score only reveals the tip of the iceberg. What the stat line doesn’t show is that Gillislee’s best runs – both statistically and otherwise – came during his final eight carries after he injured his groin in the first offensive series and required an A-C bandage. Continue reading

Sunday Fantasy Mailbag 10/21/2012

Would you trade C.J. Spiller for Julio Jones and the Law Firm? I wouldn’t, see why in this week’s mail bag. Photo by Matt Britt

The weekend mailbag is back! I’m also going to field Twitter questions. I think “new” technology like Twitter is fantastic and fantastically comical because as people we’re always behind the curve with how to use new tools. So I’m probably going to make fun of the questions I get on Twitter. If I rag on you or your question, I will provide a serious answer.

Continue reading

Futures: West Virginia WR Tavon Austin

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Evaluating players is a long process. It doesn’t end when an analyst watches a few games of a prospect. I want you to keep this in mind as you read this take or any take that I provide of a player before his college career has ended. My methodology of evaluation is as detailed as any and I often find that the third, fourth, or fifth game I’ve watched of a player only validates what I saw in the first performance. Even so, there are times that my fundamental opinion of a player will change with additional viewings of games.

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall comes to mind. I had initial concerns about his acceleration that eventually diminished after additional viewings of his performances.  The more I watched him, the more I liked him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the more I watched quarterback Matt Leinart the less confident I felt that he had the on-field makeup to become anything more than system player with fringe starter potential.

I share this because West Virginia receiver and return specialist Tavon Austin is one of those players where after my initial studies I have more questions than answers. Several draft analysts list Austin as one of the five best receiver prospects of the 2013 N.F.L. Draft class – including NFL Draft Scout and my buddy Josh Norris over at Rotoworld. I agree that the 5-9, 176-pound slot receiver and kick return specialist from West Virginia is among the most productive performers at his position in college football, but what I have seen of Austin continues to raise one question: Is there a slot receiver in pro football with the kind of marquee game that in hindsight would have deserved a first-day pick in April?

Read the rest at Football Outsiders

Reads Listens Views 10/19/2012

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Hat tip to E.C. Stoner for the Brees video.

Reads (Football)

Futures: Matt Barkley – This was last week’s column. Tomorrow’s analysis is on West Virginia Receiver Tavon Austin.

Russell Wilson’s Seam Pass to Zach Miller – Danny Kelly at Field Gulls is one of the cooler bloggers I’ve had the pleasure to interact with during my first year and a half doing this work. He has been extremely generous with posting my work on his site and I wish I had discovered his work as an analyst sooner. This is a fantastic piece on Russell Wilson that demonstrates why Wilson has skills to start in the N.F.L. Go ahead, bring up the 49ers game last night. You done? Good. Read.

A Former NFL Player’s Inside Scoop on Aaron RodgersIf you weren’t done about Wilson then I suggest this fascinating read about Rodgers at Cal from his former teammate Ryan Riddle. As usual, excellent stuff that describes a debut that left Rodgers crying the night away alone in his room. All quarterbacks go through rough patches.

New Grantland: Denver Dips Into the Old Colts Playbook for Some Vintage Peyton

Nick Saban Doesn’t Teach Back-Pedaling – Always good stuff at Smart Football.

Reads (Non-Football) Continue reading

Nathan Miller: Robert Griffin III – First Ballot Inductee? Not so Fast…

Contributing writer Nathan Miller believes Robert Griffin is an excellent prospect about to meet a brick wall. Miller thinks Griffin’s deficiencies have been masked by his gaudy box score totals and defenses that didn’t get to scout his tendencies. Photo by Mike Davis.

By Nathan Miller 

Nathan Miller is a guest contributor as a part of an invitation to readers and writers to submit material. You can find his other post on Darren McFadden here

First-ballot Hall of Famer. Sounds ridiculous? Well it should. Griffin has ridden a wave of excitement into the league and expectations are stratospheric thanks to the deafening sound of RG3 Groupies.

Some argued that he was the better choice than Andrew Luck in the NFL Draft. Others felt he was trying too hard to earn this No.1 overall pick and questioned his true intentions. They talk about Griffin’s football intelligence, his athletic prowess, and game-changing ability. Although Griffin has rewarded many fantasy owners who drafted him in the mid-rounds of their summer drafts, there is more to a quarterback’s game than great athleticism. Ask Michael Vick, Vince Young, Cam Newton, Steve Young, John Elway, and Terry Bradshaw.

It would be arrogant to not recognize his gifts as an athlete, and an inspiring captain of his offense. Robert Griffin has demonstrated that he is capable of playing at the highest level. He is an accurate passer, an intelligent player, and a super-human athlete. He will likely graduate into the company of elite players in the future, but only after honing his skills at the highest level and upon closer evaluation, this might take longer than many think.

The reason for the longer time frame is a two-fold question where the answers might prove troublesome: Can Griffin stay healthy long enough to realize his potential and can he correct a tendency to tip his hand to the defense? Continue reading

Sunday Fantasy Mailbag 10/14/2012

A.J. Green and Matt Stafford for Jimmy Graham and Michael Vick? Are you really going to ask a UGA employee this question? See below. Photo by Football Schedule.

The weekend mailbag is back! I’m also going to field Twitter questions. I think “new” technology like Twitter is fantastic and fantastically comical because as people we’re always behind the curve with how to use new tools. So I’m probably going to make fun of the questions I get on Twitter. If I rag on you or your question, I will provide a serious answer. Continue reading