What Went Right

Peyton Manning tossed 31 scores and accumulated just over 4,000 passing yards. Ho-hum. Just about the same as every other year for the Golden Boy. Reggie Wayne dominated to the tune of 1,500 yards and ten touchdowns. Dallas Clark also chipped in with 11 scores of his own. The running game wasn’t quite as fluid. Joseph Addai deserves some mention in this section because of his 1,000 yards and 15 total scores, but there is room for improvement.

What Went Wrong

Marvin Harrison went all sorts of wrong. He only appeared in five games due to injury and was pedestrian in those contests. One score in five games is just brutal for someone taken as a top wide out. Other than that, nothing really went “wrong†in the strict sense. Anthony Gonzalez had a steep learning curve and only contributed late in the year. Addai only had four 100-yard games and a disappointing 4.1 yards per carry average. It appeared as though he wore down late in the season, which is troubling since he only received 260 carries — a decent total, but nowhere near a caution area for workhorse backs.

Off-season Outlook

The Colts did absolutely nothing to improve their offense through free agency. Instead, let’s all read up on how to ensure we can finagle 12 hours of television time each Sunday without breaking up marriages and serious relationships! Yes, it’s important.

Draft Recap

The Colts went ahead and drafted Mike Pollak, a centre with Arizona State. He has a chance to win a starting job at guard, but the impact players on the Colts, like most of the teams at the top of the league, are already around. They used the draft to stock up some depth along the line and at tight end.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Manning. Yawn.

Running Backs - Addai is getting a lot of pre-season hype as a top five, or god help us, a top three back. We worry that he doesn’t quite have that pedigree yet. He’s not the top offensive option for the Colts, obviously, and that makes for some rough games. Yes, he’ll have his share of monster games, but a lot of worthless ones as well.

Wide Receivers - Wayne is an obvious stud and Harrison will still get love on draft day, but Gonzalez is the most interesting wide out for Indy. Over the last five weeks of the season, he had two 100-yard games and three scores. If and when Harrison falters, Gonzalez will pick up the slack and makes for a nice late sleeper pick.

Tight Ends - Clark. Yawn.

Defense/Special Teams - We’re almost ready to be done with the Colt defense. Dwight Freeney was limited to doing spin moves on the sideline for about half the season. The lack of pressure up front (the Colts tied for 26th in sacks) hurt the entire defense. If Freeney comes back healthy, great, but we’re not sold on that.

July 19th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments

What Went Right

After LaDainian Tomlinson’s record-setting 2006 season, it’s inevitable that last year would feel like a huge letdown. It kind of did, but Tomlinson did lead the league in yardage again. Also, his 18 total scores are nothing to sneeze at, even if it was a 13 touchdown drop from 2006. On the plus side, Tomlinson didn’t fumble at all! Seriously, he’s making a claim to be considered the best running back of all time. Antonio Gates had another impressive campaign. He nearly hit 1,000 yards and ten scores. The receiving game was also bolstered by the addition of Chris Chambers, who averaged 63 yards and almost a half a score a game once he was put into the starting lineup.

What Went Wrong

Philip Rivers was one of the more popular pre-season sleeper picks at quarterback. He was supposed to use Gates and his ragtag crew of wide outs to firmly claim a spot in the top ten quarterback rankings. Well, that didn’t quite happen. In fact, Rivers regressed in every major statistical category. His struggles were due, to some degree, to the inferior wide out crew. Once Chambers entered the starting lineup, Rivers had four of six games with a quarterback rating over 100. It goes without saying that Vincent Jackson is probably more of a third wide out rather than a top option.

Off-season Outlook

The Chargers have one of the most talented rosters in the league, so they obviously didn’t feel the need to upgrade the offense all that much. Jeremy Newberry and L.J. Shelton add offensive line depth, which is good for Tomlinson, but the impact players are already on the team.

Draft Recap

The biggest worry for Tomlinson owners surrounds the fullback position. The now released Lorenzo Neal was certainly the best blocking fullback in the league, but the team selected Jacob Hester in the second round to fill Neal’s shoes. On one hand, Hester will be an offensive weapon for the Chargers. He’s got some quickness and is a reliable receiving option. Unfortunately, he’s not projected to be the best NFL blocker. Whether he works within the offense is anyone’s guess, but there’s certainly reason to worry about Tomlinson maintaining his torrid pace.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Rivers is locked into this slot. Billy Volek has had success when starting, and is worth a waiver pick if Rivers is injured or struggles, but there’s no reason to expect any shakeup for the signal caller position.

Running Backs - Everyone knows about Tomlinson. The big question will be who takes over the primary back-up role with Michael Turner out in Atlanta. Hester might be the early frontrunner, and he’ll most definitely be on the field more, but the Chargers also drafted Marcus Thomas out of Texas-El Paso. We might see a situation similar to Denver when Mike Anderson played fullback and probably could have been a starter, but maintained that position even when a backup came in. Of course, that’s all speculation. Any Tomlinson owner (especially those in dynasty leagues) should keep a close watch on who picks up the junk late carries.

Wide Receivers - Chambers is a definite starter. The other side could get interesting. Jackson will probably get the early nod, but don’t be surprised to see Craig Davis seeing more field time and more looks before the season gets too old.

Tight Ends - And God created Antonio Gates and it was good. Umm, well, that’s basically true.

Defense/Special Teams - In many scoring systems, the Chargers were the top scoring defensive unit. They have playmakers on every level and can create turnovers, sacks, and defensive scores at will. If we cared even a little about defenses, we might even care about this team.

July 15th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments

What Went Right

This will come across as rather mean, but I can’t think of a worse NFL team that has ever won four consecutive division titles. Seattle has achieved that distinction thanks in large part due to their inept division mates. Since 2003, no NFC West team other than the Seahawks has gone over .500. Still, we certainly underestimated Matt Hasselbeck last season. We had him outside our top ten quarterbacks, but he continued his ultra consistent play and finished as a reliable week-in, week-out fantasy starter. Bobby Engram, of all people, was Hasselbeck’s top receiving target, as he managed a respectable six scores and over 1,100 yards. Engram was one of fantasy football’s more surprising waiver gems this past season.

What Went Wrong

We normally don’t point out when we get something exactly right (okay, that’s not true at all), but what the hell, check this out. Shaun Alexander was so bad that he actually lost his job, which allowed the “experts” over at ESPN to finally catch up to us. What, Tom Jackson? Alexander isn’t a good running back anymore? Where were you one and a half years ago? Anyway, we also don’t like how far the pendulum has swung. Now Alexander is a “terrible player who only cared about money and has no heart.” That’s also not true. He was a fine player who was abused into submission by the cavalcade of dolts that coached him. Whether he “was only in it for the money” is pure speculation and probably not for anyone to answer other than Alexander himself.

Anyway, no one catching passes other than Engram was worth a damn, unless Nate Burleson helped you in your touchdown-only league. Deion Branch was especially disappointing as he only played in 11 games because of injury. Oh, and if the first paragraph for this section didn’t make it clear, the Seahawk running game was terrible. Alexander lost his job and Maurice Morris tried to give it back to him every week. Okay, that might be a bit harsh, but when the addition of lowly Julius Jones feels like an upgrade, not much else needs to be said.

Off-season Outlook

The aforementioned Jones was brought in to right the running back position, and as sad as that is, he’s being backed up by T.J. Duckett, who really deserves a chance to start somewhere. Still, Jones should have a few decent weeks in him, which means he’s an okay backup for the right price. The other off-season moves of impact were all on the defensive side of the ball, which means we really don’t care about them. Sorry, defenses!

Draft Recap

When it comes to tight ends, both the offensive gameplan and the quarterback have to make concerted efforts to get them the ball. The Seahawk offense has never really made the tight end the top target in many plays and Hasselbeck seems to much prefer throwing to his speedier wide outs anyway. Thus, the fact that fantasy owners have gotten basically nothing out of the position since Mike Holmgren took over shouldn’t be much of a surprise. When they drafted John Carlson, Notre Dame tight end, it should pique some interest. Does this mean a philosophy change for the offense? Will Hasselbeck let Carlson find the holes in zone defenses? The pieces are in place for Carlson to contribute, but there are certainly a number of variables.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Hasselbeck has alternated good and bad seasons for a while now, which means he’s due for a down year. That could happen if the running game can’t take pressure off him. Of course, that’s what we said last year, so who the hell knows what to think? (Yes, we’re still bitter about last season.)

Running Backs - We hope something definitive happens during training camp and preseason with Jones and Duckett. Because the potential reward is so low, it doesn’t make sense “handcuffing” these two. As it stands now, Jones is worth a mid-round selection, but some moron in your draft will probably take him in the fourth round. Oh well, don’t worry about it. There are better options out there.

Wide Receivers - Branch is the classic case of a player who gets overvalued due to a post-season performance. He has always been wildly inconsistent and that should continue assuming he comes back healthy from the ACL injury suffered last season. Engram is a good third wide out, as long as he doesn’t hold out, who might actually be available for the cheap due to the fact it’s Bobby freaking Engram.

Tight Ends - We know he’s not on the team anymore and it’s probably not the place to bring this up, but this article about Jerramy Stevens is utterly disgusting. All the enablers should be ashamed. Anyway, we talked about Carlson above, so we’ll leave it at that.

Defense/Special Teams - It used to be that just being in the NFC West was enough to make the Seahawk defense a worthwhile commodity. If anything, that’s the opposite now. The Rams, Cardinals, and even 49ers have all taken turns battering Seattle’s defense over the last few seasons. That’s not to say there’s no value here, but it’s not worth spending too much effort on.

The Skinny - We’re not bold enough to say Hasselbeck won’t be one of the top ten fantasy quarterbacks. He just won’t be on any of our teams.

July 7th, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: 6 Comments

What Went Right

The Steelers had plenty of mystery with Mike Tomlin taking over for longtime head coach Bill Cowher. Early on, Tomlin stayed conservative and threatened to run Willie Parker every play. That probably wouldn’t have worked out, and Ben Roethlisberger used Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller equally well to finish in the top eight of any scoring system. Parker, meanwhile, did account for 1,300 rushing yards, which is great for yardage-heavy leagues.

What Went Wrong

While Parker’s yardage totals were spot on, the touchdowns weren’t. He managed just two trips into the endzone, which is really quite an astonishing feat. Najeh Davenport stole five touchdowns, but Parker might have been dealing with an injury as well. Ward was definitely dealing with nagging injuries, but his production decline was still troubling. His yards per reception of 10.3 was the lowest of his career and almost a full three yards behind his 2006 number.

Off-season Outlook

The Steelers didn’t make too much of a splash in free agency, as signing running back Mewelde Moore was the biggest offensive acquisition. In other words, there’s nothing to see here.

Draft Recap

Fantasy owners have plenty to applaud or decry (depending on your situation) with the Steeler draft. In the first round, they took arguably the best back not named Darren in Rashard Mendenhall. For those of us that have Parker in dynasty leagues, we’re less than thrilled. Mendenhall, at the least, will be a more talented touchdown hawk than Davenport was last year. If he gets a shot at double-digit carries per game, he could steal the starting gig. In redraft leagues, he’s one of the most important handcuffs. Pittsburgh also took a top college producer at wide out. Limas Sweed flashed great talent at Texas when he was healthy. Unfortunately, he didn’t spend a lot of time being healthy. If he did, he probably would have been a first round selection. In this offense, he’ll have time to grow as a professional.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Some of us had Roethlisberger pegged as a fantasy starter quite a while ago. Ahem. If the Steeler defense just let opposing teams score some points, Roethlisberger could probably be a top performer. Unfortunately, he will have only one half to throw the ball consistently in some games.

Running Backs - Your guess is as good as ours. Parker spent the offseason recovering from his injuries and even if he does maintain the starting gig, Mendenhall will cut into his carries. Right now, you have to draft both just in case one emerges as the clear cut starter. If you could only take one, you still have to lean to Parker. That being said, dynasty leaguers shouldn’t wait long to scoop up Mendenhall. In fact, he is probably second on our rookie board right now. His long-term value in the running heaven that is Pittsburgh is off the charts.

Wide Receivers - Despite only playing 13 games, Holmes managed almost 950 yards on a measly 52 receptions. He is undoubtedly one of the best deep threats the NFL has right now. If he plays 16 games, he’s a lock for over 1,100 yards and should approach ten scores. That being said, because he’s a home run hitter, he will have some worthless games for you. In fact, five of his 13 games fell into the worthless category (under 60 yards and no scores) for us. On the other side of the field, the second spot is something of a question mark. Ward is still there and will certainly retain the “starter” moniker. That being said, his production dipped alarmingly, and others will have a chance to get more looks. Sweed might get there eventually, but Nate Washington played well in stretches last season and might repeat some of that success early in 2008.

Tight Ends - Heath Miller should always do a little better than he does. His 566 yards and seven scores last year were pretty good, but he had seven games with two or fewer receptions. That shouldn’t happen.

Defense/Special Teams - We’re really not experts on defense. In fact, we can’t even name more than a few Steeler defenders without checking the web. That being said, we’re confident this group will be one of the top fantasy performers this season. They always are. And we hate them for it, unless we happen to have a Pittsburgh back running well. Other than that, fantasy football would be better off without the Steeler defense.

June 23rd, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: 3 Comments

What Went Right

Oh, it was mostly good for the Browns in 2007. The passing offense, with Derek Anderson, Kellen Winslow, and Braylon Edwards, went absolutely bananas. Anderson was the most surprising top performer since he wasn’t a starter until Week Two. In fact, his taking the reigns from Charlie Frye was about the most frightening prospect for fantasy owners. Okay, Frye maintaining the starting gig would have been scarier. Still, Anderson came out of nowhere to lead Edwards and Winslow to more than 1,100 receiving yards each. Oh, and Jamal Lewis ran for 1,300 yards and nine scores. We have no idea how that happened. Perhaps he was trying to outrun the law again.

What Went Wrong

Really, trying to find a negative aspect to the Browns’ fantasy performers is tough, and anything said will sound nitpicky. Obviously, the defense was, well, crappy. But that’s good for the offense. Anderson got 527 attempts and most of those came with the Browns needing to put up huge point totals. Also, we’re talking about defense? Please. The Browns were a fantasy goldmine in 2007. Hell, even Phil Dawson was a beast. Phil Dawson!

Off-Season Outlook

The Browns’ front office didn’t do too much to the offense, which is a good thing, we guess. The brass did bring in wide out Dónte Stallworth to compliment Edwards on the other side. Stallworth was his usual inconsistent self, and his injury prone label didn’t really change at all. Still, having another weapon that defenses have to at least pay attention to can’t hurt. Other than that, the only other big offensive news was the cutting of LeCharles Bentley. If Bentley played at all with the team, it might have been a more worrisome issue.

Draft Recap

Umm, since the Browns didn’t even have a first-day selection, we can just bypass this section, right? No? You want a random, yet hysterical video? Okay, try this.

State of the Team

Quarterbacks - Anderson was lights-out for fantasy owners last year, except for a couple points. First of all, he struggled over the last part of the season. This isn’t a deal-breaker exactly, but his last three games featured more interceptions than touchdowns. Maybe this because of the fault of cold-weather games, or maybe the league started to figure him out a bit. It’s probably one of those glass-half-empty things. The other red flag was his completion percentage. It wasn’t good. In fact, Tavaris Jackson beat him in this category. Ultimately, it was Anderson’s first season as a starter, and if a highly-touted first year guy (say, Brady Quinn) had that kind of year, we’d be calling him the next Manning.

Running Backs - Lewis was re-signed and he will get the carries as long as he’s healthy. Unfortunately, we refuse to believe whatever happened last season was true. It had to be a mirage. The Lewis we remember was slower than Eddie George and had fewer moves than Ron Dayne. Sorry, Dawg Pound, we don’t see nine scores for Lewis this season.

Wide Receivers - Edwards was possessed last season. Normally, 16 receiving touchdowns would be good enough to lead the league. Unfortunately, a certain wide out in New England was doing a little better. Still, Edwards should be a top three receiver in every scoring system. Stallworth is an okay second backup, as he will have a couple big games during the right matchup.

Tight Ends - Winslow, perhaps against the odds, has been one of the more consistent elite tight ends for the last couple seasons. He seems to be a lock for over 1,000 yards and five or six scores if healthy.

Defense/Special Teams - One of the reasons the Browns didn’t have any real draft picks this season is because they brought in Shaun Rogers, who will be expected to make a big splash on the defensive line. That would be great, as long as he doesn’t do too much to keep Cleveland in low-scoring games. Also, Josh Cribbs — try no returning kicks for scores this season! You are a fantasy thief, and no one likes you!

June 21st, 2008
Categories: Andy Goldstein, Derek Jones, FOOTBALL, Team report . Author: Andy Goldstein . Comments: No Comments