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Tebowing and other things

From left, Denver Broncos defensive back Jonathan Wilhite (29), strong safety Chris Harris (25), wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88), wide receiver Quan Cosby (17), free safety Rahim Moore (26) and quarterback Brady Quinn (9) all pray in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in Denver. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

There’s been a lot of hubbub in the national sports media in the past few days about Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, so I thought I would talk about that a little today. But first, before I go off into a diatribe on why Tim Tebow is just plain silly, the news:

  • The Columbia Basin Big Nine is splitting into two divisions, north and south. Wa-Hi will now be in the south division along with Chiawana, Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, Hanford, Kamiakin and Southridge. Being my first year covering sports in this area, I can’t speak authoritatively on this, but it seems like a good thing.
  • We had my story on one lucky guy who’s wife took him to Chicago to see the Bears for his birthday. I need to make sure my wife reads this story. Not exactly hard hitting news, but it’s interesting to see how a Walla Walla local became a Brewers fan via Helena, Mont. and WWCC. It just goes to show, everyone has at least one interesting story up their sleeve.
  • The TNT had a report on the WIAA reworking the state volleyball tournament in an effort to avoid ridiculously late finishes like last season when the last matches in the first round didn’t end until after midnight. As someone trying to get stories in by deadline on Saturday nights, I can’t complain about that. We had a story on it in the paper, but a full version can be found online here.

That’s about it for local stuff that I find interesting, the rest can be found in the paper or with a quick look-see on our website.

Now for the good stuff.

*Update: this quote is what this post centers on, per John McGrath:

“How convinced is Tebow that Somebody Up There likes him? With just over two minutes remaining, while Chicago was preparing to put its 10-0 shutout on ice, Tebow approached linebacker Wesley Woodward on the Broncos sideline – this is according to the Denver Post – and told him: “Don’t worry about a thing. God has spoken to me.”"

Tim Tebow.

Those two words can alternatively inspire derision or adoration among the hoards of people now paying attention to the Broncs (8-5) since they have gone on a six-game rampage with Tebow at the helm. What’s more, all but one of those wins was by a touchdown or less, two went to overtime, and most of these wins have come in a fourth-quarter, last-minute, Tebow-pivotal fashion.

Count me among the derisive.

We had a column in Thursday’s paper from John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune that was pretty hilarious. It basically concluded that God doesn’t love the Broncos, he hates the Bears; and if he hates the Bears, then he must love the Packers. That’s a pretty funny take on it, but it’s not the direction I’m going.

No, no, no, what strikes me is what incredible delusions of grandeur Tim Tebow has. How can anyone — anyone! — believe that the almighty Lord has singled out one particular person, or one particular team, and decided on that given Sunday that they should win versus another team.

Did the other team not pray hard enough?

It’s easy to see how Tebow might come to believe in his own mythos as a chosen one. Being the home schooled son of a baptist Pastor, having a near-miraculous birth, winning a Heisman and two national championships at Florida , and being fawned over as the greatest college football player in history will do that to a person. And now, against all odds — and logic — the Broncos are winning games with one of the worst passing quarterbacks to grace Mile High Stadium.

And sure, maybe he is the next coming of Jesus Christ, or Tim Tebow as he shall be known from now on.

But I find that just a little hard to believe. And the idea that God will reach out and pick the Broncos to win against the Bears, even harder to believe. Maybe he had a bet going with Satan or something.

No, I have an idea, maybe there is some other explanation for why the Broncos are winning. Maybe, there are 10 other players on the field at any given time, who have a little something to do with it.

Let’s look at the numbers. 22.66 and 17. The Broncos have scored 22.66 points per game during those wins, while they have given up just 17 per game during the same period.

Compare those to the NFL season averages for all the teams in the NFL, and the Broncos slot in at an astounding 16th out of 32. Just a hair better than Oakland (7-6), and worse than the 5-8 Philadelphia Eagles. On the other hand, 17 ppg slots the Broncos defense at No. 5, just behind teams like 10-3 San Francisco and 10-3 Houston.

There are a lot of smart people who believe Tebow is at least partially responsible for the Broncos’ resurgence, and who am I to argue with them. It’s hard to argue with the correlation of the level of Tebow and winning in Denver, but it’s a lot easier to argue that God has nothing to do with it.

And oh the arrogance! That’s what slays me.

Filed under: Daily Post, Pro Sports, bears, broncos, CBBN, chicago, NFL, Tebow, Wa-Hi, wiaa

Zombies and other things

 

The Final Score is back from the dead!

Only slightly different.

Instead of sports editor Bret Rankin’s personal blog to muse about sports, it will now be the entire sports staff’s place to wax poetic on the sports happenings in the Walla Walla Valley, the Northwest and the nation, as well as help you keep tabs on trending topics which may not have made the print edition of the paper.

We will aim to update the The Final Score (hereafter known as “the blog”) on a daily basis, with occasional posts from Roy Elia (formerly of “Roy’s Corner”) Ben Wentz, Bret Rankin and whomever else the blog can rope into contributing.

So let’s get started. Continue reading →

Filed under: College Sports, Daily Post, Preps, Pro Sports, coaches, Cougars, Football, NCAA, NFL, Seahawks, WSU

Here we go again

It seems to be the latest fad for pro athletes, retiring, un-retiring, retiring, un-retiring, etc., etc.

Michael Jordan famously couldn’t make up his mind, retiring from the NBA to play minor league baseball and then starting his yo-yo’ing from playing to retirement.

Brett Favre’s soap opera sage over the last few offseason is the latest prime example. With any luck, we don’t have to watch another tear-soaked press conference this offseason.

But, whether Favre once again joins the fray,  it looks like linebacker Junior Seau is the latest to join the ranks of those that just can’t stick with a decision. He says he’s again retiring after coming out of retirement to rejoin the Patriots six games into this season. Seau retired in August 2006 after playing in San Diego and Miami, only to un-retire four days later to head to New England.

So, if the money’s right, you might see Seau once again on the field. But, at 41, maybe his soap opera is finally over.

Patriots LB Junior Seau retires again

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Junior Seau is retiring again and looking ahead to more time on his surfboard.
The 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker, who came out of retirement to rejoin the New England Patriots in their sixth game this season, said in remarks taped for broadcast Wednesday night on Showtime that he’s ending his career.

Junior Seau says he's once again retiring from pro football.

Junior Seau says he's once again retiring from pro football.

Seau played eight games for the Patriots this season, all as a backup, finishing with last Sunday’s 33-14 playoff loss to Baltimore in which he made a season-high five tackles.
“That’s going to be my last game,” he said during the interview taped on Wednesday.
That was more definitive than comments earlier in the interview when he said, “I’m going to go surf. … Whatever happens, I can say, honestly say, that that probably was my last game.”
Seau first left football briefly in August 2006 after 13 seasons with San Diego and three with Miami.
“I’m not retiring. I am graduating. Today is my graduation day,” he said then. “Retirement means that you’ll just go ahead and live on your laurels and surf all day in Oceanside (Calif.). It ain’t going to happen.”
He signed with the Patriots four days later and started 14 of the 27 games he played for them over two seasons. He retired after the 2007 season, then came out of retirement for the final four games in 2008 before retiring after that season.
Seau, who turns 41 on Tuesday, played seven regular-season games this season, all as a backup, and made 15 tackles. New England finished 10-6 and won the AFC East.
The Patriots fell behind 24-0 in the first quarter Sunday and allowed the Ravens to rush for 234 yards. Tom Brady threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
“You have to be accountable,” Seau said in the interview on Showtime’s Inside the NFL. “He’s going to be accountable to what he did, but there’s no one, no one can be exempt in that locker room as to what happened to us against the Baltimore Ravens. And that’s talking the coaches, offense, defense and special teams. So, we lost to the Baltimore Ravens because they are a better team.”
Seau first played this season in wins over Tennessee and Tampa Bay. But he didn’t play in the next three games and was inactive the following week despite being healthy for a 22-21 loss at Miami on Dec. 6. Then he played the remaining five regular-season games.
His return to the Patriots this season had been announced by Versus, the television network on which he has a show, “Sports Jobs with Junior Seau,” in which he does jobs in other sports, including riding a hockey Zamboni and working as a ballboy for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, left, argues with hosts Chris Collinsworth, center, and Phil Simms during a taping of Showtime's "Inside the NFL."

New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, left, argues with hosts Chris Collinsworth, center, and Phil Simms during a taping of Showtime's "Inside the NFL."

On the day of the Versus announcement, the club did not announce his return, but team owner Robert Kraft said, “He’s a unique individual. I’d love to have him part of our team for as long as he wants to.”
Seau was known for his passion and leadership, two qualities the Patriots needed after Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi retired and Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour were traded before the season.
“I’m too old to be excited,” Seau said when he signed on Oct. 14. “I’m too old to jump up for joy. I know that the only way this is all going to be exciting to anyone, (is) if it works.”

Filed under: NFL, retirement

Different year, same story

It seems like every football season about this time, two-thirds of the way through the 16-game regular season or so, a story comes out about the plight of pro players and their injuries.

This one focuses on the possibility of expanding the regular season to 17 or 18 games. They don’t want it for a variety of reasons.

But I figure all those complaints could be solved by reducing the preseason by the same number of games they add to the regular season. No more games played, just more games that actually mean something. Preseason can be taken care of in two games, coaches just have to make decisions on which players to keep on the roster quicker. If it’s that big of a deal, expand the regular-season roster five or six spots.

Battered players skeptical of expanding NFL season
By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — There’s an eyesore in the middle of the otherwise spacious and carpeted Washington Redskins locker room. Eight small, metal lockers have been moved in, the visual equivalent of a chain link fence installed in front of a multimillion dollar house.
The Redskins have no choice. They’ve placed five players on injured reserve in the last two weeks, and the replacements they keep signing need to have somewhere to hang their sweat pants.
Bodies are breaking down across the league, as they always do: 44 players were placed on injured reserve in the last two weeks. Last Sunday, both of the Super Bowl’s starting quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, were on the bench with concussions.
And there are still five weeks to go in the regular season and a month of playoffs to follow.
Imagine what would happen if the regular season were even longer. The NFL is looking at expanding from 16 games to 17 or possibly 18. At a time when there is heightened concern over injuries — particularly concussions — that hardly sounds like a good idea to the men in the trenches.
“To add those extra two games, that’s adding a lot more stress on your body as a player,” Denver Broncos defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. “Even when you’re talking about more compensation, when’s enough enough? And how much can your body take?”
Players interviewed league-wide by The Associated Press had numerous concerns about an expanded schedule. Some feel the quality of play would suffer. Many said the number of players on the roster almost certainly have to be expanded beyond the already cumbersome 53. They would want to be paid more, of course, but some openly questioned whether the extra wear and tear would be worth the extra money.
Then there’s the argument that longer seasons shorten careers. A starting offensive linemen might play 120 more snaps over two extra games. A running back might have 30 or 40 more carries. Adding one game doesn’t sound like much, but it would represent a 6 1/4 percent increase in the number of regular-season hits, tackles and presumably injuries. Add two games, and it’s a 12 1/2 percent increase.
“If you expand the roster, you would have a little bit more depth, but you’re getting guys in the league who would otherwise be on the street and the quality of the game could drop,” Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Terry Holt said. “It’ll be a very heated debate from both parties. The NFL wants to get more games, more exposure, give the fans more for their money, but it terms of body and healthy for the players, we’ve got an argument, too: You’re wearing us out, you’re beating us down.
“The average NFL career is three, four years. Now, you could be talking a year and half, maybe two. You’ve got to factor in all those things. It can’t be just about money all the time.”
Through Week 12, there were 203 players on injured reserve, a figure that’s been more or less consistent over the last six seasons. Despite rule changes designed to make the game safer, the tally shows no signs of going down.
The NFL points out, however, that an expanded regular season schedule would actually include the same number of total games because the preseason — currently consisting of four or five games — would be shortened by the same amount. Preseason games, however, aren’t played at the same intensity level, and starters see limited playing time.
“It’s the same number of games and presumably the same number of injuries,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “Now it may be different people getting injured with more regular-season games, but we’re looking at how to mitigate that in terms of larger rosters, potentially, different type of offseason work … and continuing to enforce our player safety rules and continue to look at other potential rule changes to enhance safety and reduce injuries.”
Aiello said the NFL has no strict timetable for implementing a longer regular season. He said concerns about hurting the quality of the game are not a mitigating issue as far as the league is concerned. In fact, it’s the low quality of preseason games that has helped spur the idea.
“The preseason is something that is not being well-accepted by fans and even players,” Aiello said. “Players have told us they don’t need four preseason games to get ready.”
Any change to the length of the season would have to be negotiated between the owners and players’ union. The subject is certain to be included in the current talks over a new collective bargaining agreement.
“We would want all relevant data before we even begin discussing possible extra games,” NFL Players Association assistant executive director George Atallah said in a telephone interview, “including injury data; per-team, per-game profits; and playoff revenues.”
Coaches would also have to adjust to a longer season. They would have to decide whether to rotate or rest players more often, something that would be easier with a larger roster but far from ideal because their best talent would spend less time on the field.
“I think the season’s long enough,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “I have concerns about the number of injuries that we already see, and you’re just going to see more by extending the season longer. I’m not a fan of that. I’d like to see our best players available at the end of the year when playoffs come around.”
Oddly enough, it’s the dream of every player to have a longer season. A good player on a Super Bowl team right now can play as many as 26 games: five preseason games, 16 regular season games, four playoff games and the Pro Bowl.
“I’ve already played 20 straight games in a season before, so it’s nothing new,” Steelers left tackle Max Starks said. “If they added two additional games, there’s still going to be injuries. We’re in a contact sport. Guys get injured the first game of the season, the preseason. For us, once you get to the point where you’re in December, it doesn’t matter. You’re all fighting for February. Even if you add the other two games, it really is the same length of time, your body’s still going to react the same way.”
Starks appears to be in the minority. Most linemen already say they never recover from the game-to-game soreness once December comes around. Outside the Redskins locker room — not far from the unsightly metal lockers — defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin wondered how many massages he would need to get through an 18-game slate.
“I already get one twice a week now,” Griffin said. “It would be good for the fans — the fans would love it — but as for players …”
Griffin shrugged. A few minutes later, teammate Antwaan Randle El essentially finished the thought.
“I hate to say it,” Randle El said. “But it’s going to shorten some careers.”
———
AP Sports Writers Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colo.; Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla.; Howard Fendrich in Washington and Alan Robinson in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

Filed under: injuries, NFL, schedule

Watch those tweets, boys

It seems the NFL isn’t very Twitter friendly. The San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Cromartie found that out the hard way:

Chargers’ Twitter cops bust Cromartie for tweet

By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO — Hey Antonio Cromartie, tweet this — you’re busted!
The San Diego Chargers have fined their star cornerback $2,500 for using Twitter to wonder whether the “nasty food” has contributed to the Bolts failing to make it to the Super Bowl in recent years.

The Chargers' Antonio Cromartie isn't as happy as he was at training camp last Friday after being fined for a Twitter post.

The Chargers' Antonio Cromartie isn't as happy as he was at training camp last Friday after being fined for a Twitter post.

Cromartie said he was pulled out of a meeting by Twitter cop/head coach Norv Turner and notified that he was being fined. Cromartie also was a given a letter that spelled out the fine.
The fourth-year pro had a good laugh over the matter, but said he’s going to be more careful. Still, he’s not going to stop tweeting.
He also thinks the fine is a bit excessive.
“But other than that, I mean, I ain’t going to take back what I said,” Cromartie said after practice Tuesday afternoon. “I said what I had to say. But at the end of the day, I mean, I got fined for talking about nutrition and that. I can’t really say too much else.
“I just thought it was harmless. It was just me talking about the food and stuff. I took it as a joke. But other people took it as a different kind of way.”
Cromartie thinks the mole occupies an office somewhere in the team’s executive suite.
“I didn’t think it would cause a stir like I did, but me being me, I think I’m going to keep my mouth shut from here on out,” he said. “I ain’t going to say nothing else. I want to make sure I keep everything positive. Obviously, I mean, I can’t really say what I really want to say. My freedom of speech has actually been taken away.”
Cromartie said Turner told the team not to tweet while in the building and not to make them critical of the organization.
The Chargers use Twitter as a promotional tool, but apparently are worried about the players being too honest. The team even scooped the NFL during the draft by announcing their first-round pick via both Twitter and on their Web site before commissioner Roger Goodell announced it in New York.
Asked if that was a double standard, Cromartie said: “I can’t say what I really want to say.”
Cromartie had his laptop in his locker. He tapped it out of standby mode and guess what? “It’s on Twitter right now,” he said with a laugh.
Some Chargers, such as Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson, want nothing to do with Twitter.
There are hard-core tweeters, including outside linebacker Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman.
Asked about Cromartie’s fine, Merriman said: “That’s steep man. That’s half a new set of rims or something. Those had better be some powerful words and they better be reaching a lot more than the 40,000 people I have right now.”
The fine set off some interesting tweets from Cromartie — whose user name is crimetime31 — and Merriman.
“lets make a deal if all yall pitch in a dollar ill tweet more they handing out fines like free turkeys on thanksgiving, ya dig?” Merriman tweeted.
A few minutes later he wrote: “you can be tough alllllll you want to but the first time you get hit for a $2500 fine my name goes from LightsOut to just switch lol.”
Cromartie posted this: “I wld like to think (sic) all my new followers since I got fine I promise I wnt let u down ok look forward to sum grt stuff 2 come..”
And this: “man we had a grt practice 2day The defense flow aroun nd we made a lot of plays every1 knows I have 2 watch wht i say now cause i got fined.”
Then this from Merriman: “And by the way i thought the food was AMAZING today haha yea im a suck up.”
Turner apparently doesn’t tweet.
“We’re trying to be open and give the fans a look at what we’re doing, but certainly we’re not going to go out of our way to give our opponents a competitive advantage or give them something that we feel should stay in our building,” Turner said “So that’s been our approach with any forms of media that we’re involved with.”
Chargers general manager A.J. didn’t return a call seeking comment.

And here’s a guy that needs to read the previous story, and be careful:

Long-shot receiver is Redskins’ ‘Twitter king’

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington receiver Trent Shelton is the Redskins self-proclaimed “Twitter King.”
The long-shot vying for a roster spot at training camp rattled off six in 16 minutes after Tuesday’s morning practice, including one about his interview with The Associated Press for this story.

Trent Shelton has posted more than 6,000 Tweets since opening his account in April.

Trent Shelton has posted more than 6,000 Tweets since opening his account in April.

Shelton has knocked out 6,111 tweets since launching his Twitter account in April — and he’s closing in on 20,000 followers.
“They tell me I’m the Twitter king so I’m sitting on the throne right now,” Shelton said. “It’s like a reality show. You get people in your life, read every minute of your life, see what you’re doing.
“The first week I was about to get off there. I said, ’This is crazy.’ It gets addictive like Facebook. It’s great networking. Some rapper millionaires wrote me back. Couple NFL players. I’m trying to get P. Diddy to write me back.”
The Redskins have a growing legion of tweeters on the training camp roster, running the gamut from Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley to marginal names such as Shelton.
Coach Jim Zorn has no rules concerning Twitter, beyond cautioning players to be smart. Cooley, for example, got into trouble last season for a blog photo that included secret team study material and some unintentional nudity.
“I don’t worry about it, but we talked about that,” Zorn said. “There are so many things players can do. You can Facebook, you can blog, you can tweet, you can e-mail, you can do all these things. How many things are there? We’re going to video conference very soon, whatever that’s going to be. We try to talk about it, and educate and talk about the perils. Talk about the cautions that need to be taken.”
Shelton’s tweets mainly revolve around football and religion. The son of a Ft. Worth pastor often recites Bible verses or discusses religion in the locker room.
“In the locker room the team is playing gospel music…man that word is more powerful than any crunk rap song!” stated one tweet. “I’m listening to my teammates talk about GOD…don’t get no better than that!”
Said Shelton: “Usually I write what’s the first thing that comes to my mind. Sometimes I think about it. An inspirational quote. But usually it’s what comes to mind and people laugh about it. “
Like asking the difference between “goons” and goblins. Saying Santa Claus won’t visit some of his followers. Pondering whether to be a palm tree or oak tree. Calling the large transport busses at nearby Dulles International Airport “i-robots.”
Shelton also mixes plenty of football-related into his 15 to 30 daily messages.
“I had four lady massaging me at once wow!!!l” he tweeted. “in the ice tub whoa….it is cold as a mug talk to me to keep the pain off. . . . the fire alarms are going off in our hotel.u can tell its training camp cuz everyone to tired to walk downstairs hope it really aint one lol.”
Shelton is trying to earn the No. 5 receiver slot after spending parts of two seasons on practice squads in Seattle (2008) and Indianapolis (2007). The former Baylor wideout says his long-shot status is one reason his tweets are often self-motivational.
“When I write I’m going to have a great day, I have to go out and have a great day or somebody’s going to write about it,” he said. “It’s a constant reminder that anything’s possible. I’m going to make the decision hard on the front office people. “

Filed under: fined, NFL, Twitter

Fantasy football time

OK, here’s info for all the fantasy football geeks out there. Way too much to run in the paper, but there’s plenty of room here, so don’t say we didn’t give it to you:

Don’t worry about Brady’s knee, just draft him

By JOHN McFARLAND
Associated Press Writer
Tom Brady is just two years removed from an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes, but his statistics since are enough to scare even Patriots fans.FANTASY_FOOTBALL_LOGO
Since throwing his last TD on Dec. 29, 2007, Brady has amassed these numbers: 0 touchdowns, 11 pass attempts, 15 missed games, two surgeries, one reconstructed knee and one offensive guru hired away by another team.
All that may frighten fantasy football players into passing on Brady in favor of safer picks like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or Philip Rivers, but there are plenty more reasons to take Brady first.
Most importantly, by all accounts Brady has recovered from the torn left knee ligament that dropped him on opening day last year.
There’s no way to truly tell until the season starts, but Brady says he feels great and is well within the typical time line of 8-12 months for full recovery. The 32-year-old Brady says he doesn’t feel at all limited physically and would prefer not to wear the brace, but will because New England’s trainers want him to. He threw at the team’s first OTA and is expected to be ready for the season-opener against Buffalo on Sept. 14.
Don’t just take Brady’s word for it, though. Consider the actions of his team. The Patriots traded away backup Matt Cassel in the offseason — and even did so on the cheap. That left the roster with this collection of backups and their total of seven career NFL passes: Kevin O’Connell, Matt Gutierrez and Brian Hoyer. It’s hard to imagine such a move without full confidence that Brady will be back without problems.
When Brady does return, he’ll have an even more explosive passing attack than the one that set the league scoring with 589 points in 2007.
Randy Moss (34 touchdowns the past two years) and Wes Welker (223 catches the past two years) return as the primary stat-producers.
The Patriots added veterans Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis to the four-wide set. Those names don’t really scare anyone, but they’re great options if they’re wandering around all alone while coverages focus on Moss and Welker. Galloway’s especially dangerous. While at 37 he’s a long, long, long way from his featured receiver days, he’s certainly still fast enough to make big plays when no defenders are near.
The Patriots also added tight ends Chris Baker and Alex Smith, as well as a couple of linemen.
Perhaps more important for Brady’s fantasy value is what the Pats don’t have: a reliable running game. They went out and got Fred Taylor, but he’s 33 and really looked it last year. It’s also very near the time to call Laurence Maroney a bust after he missed 13 games last year. Second-year man BenJarvis Green-Ellis and a handful of other really old guys round out the position.
As for the departure of offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels, who left New England to become Denver’s head coach, there’s no reason to worry. Coach Bill Belichick is not known as a mad genius for nothing. He will fix it because, well, he always does.
Perhaps the biggest reason fantasy players shouldn’t worry about Brady is the least tangible: He’s a freak.
Even before he broke the touchdown record his resume was one of unexplainable accomplishment. To go from sixth-round draft pick and backup to two-time Super Bowl MVP with three championships is stunning. (Throw in a supermodel wife and it’s ridiculously stunning.)
Plus, think about how he threw all those scores back in 2007. He was relentless, and so were his coaches. They poured it on, passing and passing when at times it didn’t seem necessary anymore. Now Brady wants to prove he’s back and Belichick wants to prove he’s still a genius, which could make them an even more heartless duo.
The other top quarterback choices might indeed be safer fantasy picks, but it’s all about risk-reward. They’ll surely have good numbers, but Brady seems to have the best shot at absurd numbers.
Last year Brees was passing almost every down and didn’t come close to Brady’s 2007 numbers. Manning’s been good for about 30 scores a year since going for 49 in 2004, and there are questions about whether the offense will change much. Rivers may break out, but he also may hand off every down.
Even if Brady is a big miss, it’s worth the gamble. And it’s a gamble that you can prepare for, too.
Just take a backup quarterback a little earlier than you normally would. There’s a backup every year who delivers good enough numbers, and there’s also always that surprise guy who develops as a free agent.
Then just hope that pretty good backup stays on the bench while Brady’s busy breaking the 60-touchdown mark.

____________________________

A look at key offseason NFL moves

By The Associated Press
A look at offseason changes in the NFL that could affect fantasy football rosters, with rookies designated by (R):
—ARIZONA: ADDED: RB Chris Wells (R), RB Jason Wright, Mike Miller promoted from receivers coach to passing game coordinator, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Russ Grimm also made running game coordinator. GONE: RB Edgerrin James, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, RB J.J. Arrington.
—ATLANTA: ADDED: TE Tony Gonzalez, RB Verron Haynes, C Brett Romberg.
—BALTIMORE: ADDED: TE L.J. Smith, WR Kelley Washington, C Matt Birk, T Michael Oher (R). GONE: WR Derrick Mason, QB Kyle Boller, QB Todd Bouman, T Willie Anderson, C Jason Brown, K Matt Stover.
—BUFFALO: ADDED: WR Terrell Owens, RB Dominic Rhodes, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, OL Geoff Hangartner, OL Seth McKinney, C Eric Wood (R), G Andy Levitre (R). GONE: QB J.P. Losman, TE Robert Royal, G Derrick Dockery, G Duke Preston, OL Melvin Fowler, T Jason Peters.
—CAROLINA: ADDED: G Justin Geisinger. GONE: WR D.J. Hackett, RB Nick Goings, OL Geoff Hangartner, OL Frank Omiyale, G Jeremy Bridges, G Toniu Fotoni.
—CHICAGO: ADDED: QB Jay Cutler, TE Michael Gaines, T Orlando Pace, OL Frank Omiyale, G Kevin Shaffer. GONE: QB Rex Grossman, WR Marty Booker, WR Brandon Lloyd, T John Tait, T John St. Clair.
—CINCINNATI: ADDED: WR Laveranues Coles, RB Brian Leonard, QB J.T. O’Sullivan, FB Dan Kreider, T Andre Smith (R). GONE: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, RB Chris Perry, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, OL Stacy Andrews, T Levi Jones, G James Blair, C Eric Ghiaciuc.
—CLEVELAND: ADDED: WR David Patten, WR Mike Furrey, TE Robert Royal, WR Brian Robiskie (R), WR Mohamed Massaquoi (R), RB Noah Herron, T John St. Clair, T George Foster, OL Floyd Womack, C Alex Mack (R), coach Eric Mangini, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll (former Jets QBs coach). GONE: TE Kellen Winslow, WR Donte’ Stallworth (suspended indefinitely), RB Jason Wright, WR Joe Jurevicius, QB Bruce Gradkowski, T Kevin Shaffer, OL Seth McKinney, coach Romeo Crenell, offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
—DALLAS: ADDED: QB Jon Kitna. GONE: WR Terrell Owens, QB Brad Johnson, TE Tony Curtis.
—DENVER: ADDED: QB Kyle Orton, RB Knowshon Moreno (R), RB LaMont Jordan, RB Darius Walker, RB Correll Buckhalter, WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Brandon Lloyd, QB Chris Simms, TE Richard Quinn (R), coach Josh McDaniels (the former New England offensive guru), offensive coordinator Mike McCoy (Carolina offensive assistant for past 9 years). GONE: QB Jay Cutler, RB Selvin Young, TE Adam Bergen, QB Patrick Ramsey, coach Mike Shanahan.
—DETROIT: ADDED: QB Matthew Stafford (R), RB Maurice Morris, WR Bryant Johnson, WR Ronald Curry, WR Dennis Northcutt, TE Brandon Pettigrew (R), FB Terrelle Smith, T Ephraim Salaam, T Jon Jansen, G Matt Lentz, G Toniu Fonoti, coach Jim Schwartz, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan (former coordinator in Minnesota and Miami before coaching Rams). GONE: QB Jon Kitna, WR Shaun McDonald, WR Mike Furrey, QB Dan Orlovsky, QB Drew Henson, TE John Owens, TE Michael Gaines, T George Foster, coach Rod Marinelli, offensive coordinator Jim Colletto.
—GREEN BAY: ADDED: G Duke Preston.
—HOUSTON: ADDED: QB Rex Grossman, QB Dan Orlovsky, G Adrian Jones. GONE: QB Sage Rosenfels, RB Darius Walker, RB Ahman Green, TE Courtney Anderson, C Bryan Pittman, T Ephraim Salaam.
—INDIANAPOLIS: ADDED: RB Donald Brown (R), coach Jim Caldwell, longtime offensive assistant Clyde Christensen promoted to offensive coordinator. GONE: WR Marvin Harrison, RB Dominic Rhodes, coach Tony Dungy, offensive coordinator Tom Moore, offensive line coach Howard Mudd (though Moore and Mudd will remain as consultants).
—JACKSONVILLE: ADDED: WR Torry Holt, TE Zach Miller, QB Todd Bouman, T Tra Thomas, T Eugene Monroe (R), T Eben Britton (R). GONE: RB Fred Taylor, WR Jerry Porter, WR Dennis Northcutt, WR Matt Jones, TE George Wrighster, QB Cleo Lemon, OL Tutan Reyes, T Khalif Barnes.
—KANSAS CITY: ADDED: QB Matt Cassel, WR Bobby Engram, WR Terrance Copper, TE Tony Curtis, G Mike Goff, C Eric Ghiaciuc, coach Todd Haley (offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was retained). GONE: TE Tony Gonzalez, QB Damon Huard, QB Quinn Gray, G Adrian Jones, coach Herman Edwards.
—MIAMI: ADDED: QB Pat White (R), C Jake Grove. GONE: QB John Beck, C Samson Satele.
—MINNESOTA: ADDED: QB Sage Rosenfels, WR Percy Harvin (R), T Phil Loadholt (R). GONE: C Matt Birk, T Marcus Johnson.
—NEW ENGLAND: ADDED: RB Fred Taylor, WR Joey Galloway, WR Greg Lewis, TE Chris Baker, TE Alex Smith, C Al Johnson, T Sebastian Vollmer (R). GONE: QB Matt Cassel, offensive assistant and guru Josh McDaniels, RB LaMont Jordan, WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Kelley Washington, FB Heath Evans, G Billy Yates.
—NEW ORLEANS: ADDED FB Heath Evans, C Nick Leckey. GONE: WR David Patten, WR Terrance Copper, FB Mike Karney, C Kevin Houser.
—NY GIANTS: ADDED: WR Hakeem Nicks (R), TE George Wrighster, OL Tutan Reyes, T Will Beatty (R). GONE: WR Plaxico Burress, RB Derrick Ward, WR Amani Toomer, RB Patrick Pass.
—NY JETS: ADDED: QB Mark Sanchez (R), RB Shonn Greene (R), coach Rex Ryan. GONE: QB Brett Favre, WR Laveranues Coles, TE Bubba Franks, K Mike Nugent, TE Chris Baker, coach Eric Mangini (but offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer retained).
—OAKLAND: ADDED: QB Jeff Garcia, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (R), RB Gary Russell, QB Bruce Gradkowski, QB Charlie Frye, FB Lorenzo Neal, C Samson Satele, T Khalif Barnes, T Marcus Johnson (coach Tom Cable will call plays in conjunction with assistants Ted Tollner and Paul Hackett). GONE: RB LaMont Jordan, WR Ronald Curry, FB Justin Griffith, T Kwame Harris, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
—PHILADELPHIA: ADDED: WR Jeremy Maclin (R), RB LeSean McCoy (R), FB Leonard Weaver, OL Stacy Andrews, T Jason Peters. GONE: RB Correll Buckhalter, TE L.J. Smith, WR Greg Lewis, T Tra Thomas.
—PITTSBURGH: ADDED: WR Shaun McDonald, GONE: QB Byron Leftwich, WR Nate Washington, RB Gary Russell, T Marvel Smith, G Kendall Simmons, G Matt Lentz.
—SAN DIEGO: GONE: G Mike Goff, C Jeremy Newberry.
—SAN FRANCISCO: ADDED: WR Michael Crabtree (R), WR Brandon Jones, longtime NFL assistant Jimmy Raye named offensive coordinator, QB Damon Huard, T Marvel Smith. GONE: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz, WR Bryant Johnson, QB J.T. O’Sullivan, T Jonas Jennings, OL Damane Duckett.
—SEATTLE: ADDED: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, TE John Owens, FB Justin Griffith, C Bryan Pittman, C Max Unger (R), coach Jim Mora, former Oakland, Atlanta and San Francisco offensive coordinator Greg Knapp (known for powerful run-oriented offenses). GONE: WR Bobby Engram, RB Maurice Morris, QB Charlie Frye, FB Leonard Weaver, OL Floyd Womack, C Steve McKinney, coach Mike Holmgren.
—ST. LOUIS: ADDED: QB Kyle Boller, C Jason Brown, T Jason Smith (R), coach Steve Spagnuolo, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur (the Eagles’ QBs coach for the past 7 years). GONE: WR Torry Holt, RB Brian Leonard, QB Trent Green, T Orlando Pace, C Brett Romberg, C Nick Leckey.
—TAMPA BAY: ADDED: RB Derrick Ward, TE Kellen Winslow, QB Byron Leftwich, QB Josh Freeman (R), K Mike Nugent, coach Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski (former Boston College coach). GONE: Coach Jon Gruden, QB Jeff Garcia, QB Brian Griese, RB Warrick Dunn, WR Joey Galloway, WR Ike Hilliard, TE Alex Smith, RB Noah Herron.
—TENNESSEE: ADDED: WR Nate Washington, QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Kenny Britt (R). GONE: WR Brandon Jones, WR Roydell Williams, QB Chris Simms.
—WASHINGTON: ADDED: WR Roydell Williams, OL Derrick Dockery, G Jeremy Bridges. GONE: WR James Thrash, T Jon Jansen, G Pete Kendall, G Justin Geisinger, G Jason Fabini.

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Fantasy football player rankings

By JOHN McFARLAND
Associated Press Writer
Fantasy football players ranked by position with age, 2008 statistics, comments: QUARTERBACKS
1. Tom Brady, New England, age 32: 76 yards. Sure, he only threw 11 passes last year before a season-ending injury, but he’s also the same guy who threw an NFL-record 50 touchdowns in 2007 and has even more weapons to work with.
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans, 30: 5,069 yards, 34 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, eight 300-yard games, two 400-yard games, 11 multiple-TD games, 1 dud game (defined as game without a TD or under 200 yards with 1 TD). Hopefully Saints won’t figure out they haven’t been so good while Brees throws every down.
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, 33: 4,002 yards, 28 TDs (1 rushing), 12 INTs, 4 300-yard games, 9 multiple-TD games, 3 duds. He’s a little older, but things probably won’t change all that much without Marvin Harrison and with the offensive brain trust sporting slightly different titles.
4. Philip Rivers, San Diego, 27: 4,009 yards, 34 TDs, 11 INTs, 5 300-yard games, 12 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. May be team’s biggest threat now that LaDainian Tomlinson’s starting to sputter. Or maybe he just hands off to two guys all the time.
5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay, 25: 4,038 yards, 32 TDs (4 rushing), 13 INTs, 4 300-yard games, 10 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. Amid the usual preseason Brett Favre talk, Rodgers returns to powerful offense that’s basically unchanged from his breakout year.
6. Tony Romo, Dallas, 29: 3,448 yards, 26 TDs, 14 INTs, 6 300-yard games, 8 multiple-TD games, 4 duds (including 3 games missed to injury). Says he’s really getting serious about football. Plus, offense is supposed to be more “Romo-friendly” without all Terrell Owens’ touchdowns.
7. Kurt Warner, Arizona, 38: 4,583 yards, 30 TDs, 14 INTs, 6 300-yard games, 1 400-yard game, 10 multiple-TD games, 2 duds. He’s thrown 57 touchdown passes the past two years, but it’s always scary drafting an injury-prone 38-year-old who just lost his offensive coordinator.
8. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia, 32: 3,916 yards, 25 TDs (2 rushing), 11 INTs, 3 300-yard games, 7 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. He’s often an injury concern but put in 16 games last year for the first time since 2003.
9. Matt Ryan, Atlanta, 24: 3,440 yards, 17 TDs (1 rushing), 11 INTs, 2 300-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 9 duds. Maybe arrival of Tony Gonzalez will convince team that running isn’t necessary on every first down.
10. Matt Cassel, Kansas City, 27: 3,693 yards, 23 TDs (2 rushing), 11 INTs, 1 300-yard game, 2 400-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. Without Randy Moss (or even Tony Gonzalez) may be more Tyler Thigpen than Tom Brady. Worth a shot, though.
11. Jay Cutler, Chicago, 26: 4,526 yards, 27 TDs (2 rushing), 18 INTs, 7 300-yard games, 1 400-yard game, 8 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. Major drop-off seems inevitable since his trade-inducing tantrum landed him with a team that doesn’t employ receivers.
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh: 27: 3,301 yards, 19 TDs (2 rushing), 15 INTs, 3 300-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 7 duds. That 32-TD season a few years ago starting to look a bit fluky, but he’s always good for about 20 scores.
13. Matt Schaub, Houston, 28: 3,043 yards, 17 TDS (2 rushing), 10 INTs, 3 300-yard games, 1 400-yard game, 5 multiple-TD games (8 duds, including 5 games missed to injury). Injury-prone Schaub would be awesome in college fantasy league, having played in 11 games in each of his two years as Houston’s starter.
14. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle, 33: 1,216 yards, 5 TDs, 10 INTs, 1 multiple-TD game, 15 duds (including 9 games missed to injury). His spine apparently is no longer the consistency of Silly Putty, he gets a great new receiver and tackle Walter Jones set to return. Had 28 TD passes two years ago and has shaky run game.
15. Trent Edwards, Buffalo, 25: 2,699 yards, 14 TDs (3 rushing), 10 INTs, 2 multiple-TD games, 9 duds (including 2 games missed to injury). Showed real signs of being kind of OK last year, and that was before he got Terrell Owens and the return of the Buffalo no-huddle offense.
16. David Garrard, Jacksonville, 31: 3,620 yards, 17 TDs (2 rushing), 13 INTs, 2 300-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. Torry Holt addition could be huge, or could just be footnote to season when Maurice Jones-Drew rushes for 30 TDs.
17. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati, 29: 731 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs, 14 duds (including 12 games missed to injury). Like Brady and Hasselbeck, attempting to return to big stats after a big injury. Unlike them, he doesn’t have a lot to work with and his team wants to run a lot more.
18. Kyle Orton, Denver, 26: 2,972 yards, 21 TDS (3 rushing), 12 INTs, 1 300-yard game, 7 multiple-TD games, 8 duds (including 1 game missed to injury). Had a spurt of decent fantasy games last year and could get a lot better with all Denver’s weapons.
19. Brett Favre, Minnesota, 55 (OK, so he’s really 39 but seems a lot older): 3,472 yards, 23 TDs (1 rushing), 22 INTs, 6 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. Let’s just go ahead and assume Favre says yes to the Vikings on July 30. Even his tired old arm can float more than a few TDs against schemes stacked up to stop Adrian Peterson.
20. Eli Manning, NY Giants, 28: 3,238 yards, 22 TDs (1 rushing), 10 INTs, 1 300-yard game, 5 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. Run-first (and second and third) approach led to Manning’s failure to reach 200 yards in 10 of final 12 games last year. No reliable receivers, either.
21. Jake Delhomme, Carolina, 34: 3,288 yards, 17 TDs (2 rushing), 12 INTs, 5 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. When he’s terrible, he’s Grossman-caliber terrible. May throw a lot less if he has two healthy RBs, but there will be those days when he goes crazy with Steve Smith.
22. Shaun Hill, San Francisco, 29: 2,046 yards, 15 TDs (2 rushing), 8 INTs, 6 multiple-TD games in 8 starts. Get the feeling 49ers coaches allowing a QB competition with Alex Smith as favor to front-office types who drafted Smith. Whoever wins gets seventh offensive coordinator in seven years.
23. Jason Campbell, Washington, 27: 3,245 yards, 14 TDs (1 rushing), 6 INTs, 2 300-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 9 duds. Made strides in first year with coach Jim Zorn, but Redskins were awfully busy trying to snag another QB in offseason.
24. Chad Pennington, Miami, 33: 3,653 yards, 20 TDs (1 rushing), 7 INTs, 2 300-yard games, 6 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. Was comeback player of the year in 2006, then stunk it up the next year. Was again comeback player last year, too, so another flop is pretty much guaranteed.
25. Marc Bulger, St. Louis, 32: 2,720 yards, 11 TDs, 13 INTs, 1 300-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 8 duds. Remember when he was considered a potential fantasy star? Now he’s that guy who hands off to Steven Jackson.
26. JaMarcus Russell, Oakland, 24: 2,423 yards, 14 TDs (1 rushing), 8 INTs, 5 multiple-TD games, 7 duds. Mostly looked horrible along with the rest of the Raiders, but did throw two TDs in each of his final three games.
27. Whoever emerges as the least harmful choice to start in Cleveland. Surely 2007’s big stats weren’t entirely fluky for Derek Anderson (26: 1,615 yards, 9 TDs, 8 INTs, 1 300-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 9 duds, 1 benching, 1 injury last year). And maybe that one time Brady Quinn had a pretty good game wasn’t fluky either.
28. Somebody in Detroit. Rookie Matt Stafford could be a pretty good gamble. Or Daunte Culpepper (32: 786 yards, 5 TDs, 6 INTS, 1 midseason unretirement, 1 multiple-TD game, 6 duds) could recapture some of his old magic with a much-improved supporting cast.
29. Joe Flacco, Baltimore, 24: 2,971 yards, 16 TDs (2 rushing), 12 INTs, 5 multiple-TD games, 10 duds. Should improve after nice rookie season, but Ravens still want to run first. (He should also quit shaving, eat more, scowl more, or do something so he doesn’t look like he’s 12.)
30. Whoever emerges out of the Tampa Bay gaggle could post good numbers with Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow and decent options out of the backfield.
31. Kerry Collins, Tennessee, 36: 2,676 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs, 3 multiple-TD games, 11 duds. Not a lot going for him fantasy-wise, but at this point on the list he’s a starter on a good team so what the heck.
32. Whoever wins the New York Jets competition. Fourth-year player Kellen Clemens and rookie Mark Sanchez combined for 0 NFL touchdowns last year.
RUNNING BACKS
1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 24: 1,760 yards and 10 TDs rushing (4.8 yards per carry), 21 catches for 125 yards, 10 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 3 duds (defined as games under 80 yards and no scores). Everyone picking first in every draft in America is required to take him.
2. Michael Turner, Atlanta, 27: 1,699 yards and 17 TDs rushing (4.5 yards per carry), 6 catches for 41 yards, 6 100-yard games, 2 200-yard games, 4 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. Most every back who carries as many times as Turner did last year flops in a big way the next year. But Turner’s legs are awfully fresh from all those years on San Diego’s bench.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville, 24: 824 yards and 12 TDs rushing (4.2 yards per carry), 62 catches for 565 yards and 2 TDs, 3 100-yard games (1 receiving), 4 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. He’s scored 38 times from scrimmage in three seasons — all before he was the featured back.
4. Matt Forte, Chicago, 23: 1,239 yards and 8 TDs rushing (3.9 yards per carry), 63 catches for 477 yards and 4 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 5 duds. The lack of receivers in Chicago sends his stock up.
5. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina, 26: 1,515 yards and 18 TDs rushing (5.5 yards per carry), 22 catches for 121 yards and 2 TDs, 8 100-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. Can he do it again if Jonathan Stewart’s completely healthy? (Here’s a hint: Stewart’s already been hurt twice in the offseason.)
6. Chris Johnson, Tennessee, 24: 1,228 yards and 9 TDs (4.9 yards per carry), 43 catches for 260 yards and 1 TD, 4 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. Technically he shares time with LenDale White, but he still averaged 20 touches a game. (Beware, though, if your league penalizes for ridiculous TD celebrations.)
7. Steve Slaton, Houston, 23: 1,282 yards and 9 TDs (4.8 yards per carry), 50 catches for 377 yards and 1 TDS, 5 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game. Was a monster once the Texans figured out what they had, with 4 100-yard games and 4 scores in his final 7 games.
8. Clinton Portis, Washington, 28: 1,487 yards and 9 TDs (4.3 yards per carry), 28 catches for 218 yards, 6 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. A little older, but should again be pretty much every option for the offense.
9. Brandon Jacobs, NY Giants, 27: 1,089 yards and 15 TDs (5.0 yards per carry), 6 catches for 36 yards, 4 100-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 5 duds (including 3 games missed to injury). Will he hold up for 16 games? Nope. But he will score a bunch before getting hurt (and have more cool highlights flattening little defensive backs).
10. Steven Jackson, St. Louis, 26: 1,042 yards and 7 TDs (4.1 yards per carry), 40 catches for 379 yards and 1 TD, 4 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 9 duds (including 4 games missed to injury). So good but so fragile. Before he gets hurt, will get plenty of touches behind an improved line.
11. Marion Barber, Dallas, 26: 885 yards and 7 TDs (3.7 yards per carry), 52 catches for 417 yards and 2 TDs, 4 100-yard games (1 receiving), 2 multiple-TD games, 7 duds (including 1 game missed to injury). First go as every-down back didn’t really pan out, so expect fewer carries. But he’s always going to be the guy on the goal line.
12. Frank Gore, San Francisco, 26: 1,036 yards and 6 TDs (4.3 yards per carry), 43 catches for 373 yards and 2 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 5 duds (including 2 games missed to injury). Lone bright spot in pathetic offense. (How many years have we been saying that?) Maybe the latest 49ers coordinator will realize he should have the ball.
13. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego, 30: 1,110 yards and 10 TDs (3.8 yards per carry), 52 catches for 426 yards and 1 TD, 2 100-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 5 duds. Sorry, LaDainian, but your first-round fantasy draft days are over. High-mileage back has hit the dreaded 30, and little Darren Sproles should swipe many carries.
14. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia, 30: 936 yards and 9 TDs (4.0 yards per carry), 54 catches for 402 yards and 5 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 5 multiple-TD games, 9 duds (including 2 games missed to injury). Shockingly low ranking due to big red flags: He’s 30, had 2 offseason surgeries, has never played a full 16 games, and the Eagles drafted a back with their second pick. (Take his backup, too.)
15. Ryan Grant, Green Bay, 26: 1,203 yards and 4 TDs (3.9 yards per carry), 18 catches for 116 yards and 1 TD, 4 100-yard games, 6 duds. Recovered from early season injury woes. Surely he’ll score more than 4 times this year.
16. Ronnie Brown, Miami, 27: 916 yards and 10 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 1 TD pass, 33 catches for 254 yards, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 8 duds. Vanished at the end of the season, going scoreless in 6 of his final 7 games.
17. Kevin Smith, Detroit, 22: 976 yards and 8 TDs rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 39 catches for 286 yards, 2 100-yard games, 6 duds. It took the Lions about half the season to realize they should give the ball to a good running back. Had 100 yards or a score in 4 of 6 games when he got 20 carries.
18. Pierre Thomas, New Orleans, 24: 625 yards and 9 TDs rushing (4.8 yards per carry), 31 catches for 281 yards and 3 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 4 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. Thomas scored 9 times in his final 7 games. Should get plenty of carries, even with Reggie Bush also getting a lot of touches before his next injury.
19. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh, 28: 791 yards and 5 TDs (3.8 yards per carry), 3 catches for 13 yards, 4 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 9 duds (including 5 games missed to injury). Yards per carry have dropped for four straight years, but a featured back for the Steelers is always money. (Just make sure you get his backup, too.)
20. Larry Johnson, Kansas City, 29: 874 yards and 5 TDs (4.5 yards per carry), 12 catches for 74 yards, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD games 11 duds, including 4 games lost to injury. Despite health problems, high mileage, legal woes and general surliness, should get plenty of touches. (Until he gets really mad about something.)
21. Thomas Jones, NY Jets, 31: 1,312 yards and 13 TDS (4.8 yards per carry), 36 catches for 207 yards and 2 TDs, 5 100-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 5 duds. Defied NFL history by being a good 30-year-old, and I’m too much of a believer in the 30-year-old-dropoff rule to believe he’ll repeat at 31.
22. Reggie Bush, New Orleans, 24: 404 yards and 2 TDs (3.8 yards per carry), 52 catches for 440 yards and 4 TDs, 1 100-yard receiving game, 2 multiple-TD games, 11 duds (including 6 games missed to injury). Emergence of Thomas as inside runner could mean fewer touches but bigger payoff as Bush gets more passes and chances to work in open space.
23. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo, 23: 1,036 yards and 8 TDs (4.1 yards per carry), 47 catches for 300 yards and 1 TD, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 6 duds (including 1 game lost to injury). Don’t forget he won’t be joining us until the fourth game, thanks to gun-related suspension. And he shares with Fred Jackson a bit too much.
24. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati, 26: 747 yards and 2 TDs (3.5 yards per carry), 20 catches for 185 yards, 3 100-yard games, 9 duds in 12 games played. Came on strong late and is now center of run-based offense, factors that would make for a higher ranking if he weren’t Cedric Benson and his team weren’t the Bengals.
25. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis, 26: 544 yards and 5 TDs (3.5 yards per carry), 25 catches for 206 yards and 2 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 11 duds (including 4 games missed to injury). Can be a TD machine when healthy, it’s just that he’s never healthy. Will be sharing carries with rookie Donald Brown.
26. LenDale White, Tennessee, 24: 773 yards and 15 TDs rushing (3.9 yards per carry), 5 catches for 16 yards, 2 100-yard games, 4 multiple-TD games, 6 duds. He gave way to Johnson as the season wore on, but he’ll still barrel into the end zone plenty.
27. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina, 22: 836 yards and 10 TDs (4.5 yards per carry), 8 catches for 47 yards, 2 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. He scores a lot for a guy who never starts, and plays a lot for a guy who seems to be injured a lot.
28. Darren Sproles, San Diego, 26: 330 yards and 1 TD (5.4 yards per carry), 29 catches for 342 yards and 5 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 12 duds. Explosiveness, big-money contract and slowing LT could spell surprisingly big numbers.
29. Knowshon Moreno, Denver, 22: Rookie. Broncos took a break from signing journeyman backs in the offseason long enough to spend a first-round pick on Moreno. Not the official starter yet, but could be soon. (Wasn’t the Denver RB confusion supposed to leave with Mike Shanahan?)
30. Darren McFadden, Oakland, 22: 499 yards and 4 TDs (4.4 yards per carry), 29 catches for 285 yards, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 13 duds (including 3 games missed to injury). Sorry for last year’s suggestion that he’d be good simply because the first back drafted each year usually is. Maybe now?
31. Tim Hightower, Arizona, 23: 399 yards and 10 TDs (2.8 yards per carry), 34 catches for 237 yards, 1 100-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. All those scores are great, but a run or two over 5 yards would be nice, too. Move him way up if he wins the camp battle with rookie Chris Wells, down if he doesn’t.
32. Donald Brown, Indianapolis, 22: Rookie. Last year at Connecticut led the nation in rushing with 2,083 yards and scored 18 times. Set to share time with Addai.
33. Derrick Ward, Tampa Bay, 29: 1,025 yards and 2 TDs (5.6 yards per carry), 41 catches for 384 yards, 1 100-yard game, 1 200-yard game, 11 duds. Left the Giants’ crowded backfield for … the Bucs’ crowded backfield. He’s expected to share carries with Earnest Graham.
34. Julius Jones, Seattle, 28: 698 yards and 2 TDs (4.4 yards per carry), 14 catches for 66 yards, 2 100-yard games, 14 duds. Could wind up as a solid pick because the Seahawks want to run more. Seahawks may still have rule that only T.J. Duckett gets to score touchdowns, though.
35. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland, 30: 1,002 yards and 4 TDs (3.6 yards per carry), 23 catches for 178 yards, 10 duds. He kind of looked like he’d had it last year, team’s rotten and now he’s 30.
36. Ahmad Bradshaw, NY Giants, 23: 355 yards and 1 TD (5.3 yards per carry), 5 catches for 42 yards and 1 TD, 13 duds. Moves into the No. 2 RB spot, which occasionally becomes the No. 1 spot when you play behind Jacobs.
37. Chris Wells, Arizona, 20: Rookie. Move him way up if he wins the starting job. Also let’s hope he finally shakes the “Beanie” nickname.
38. LaMont Jordan, Denver, 30: 363 yards and 4 TDs (4.5 yards per carry), 1 multiple-TD game, 13 duds. Starts atop the giant stack of Denver running backs, though it’s a little unclear how long he’ll remain there. Scored four times in final three games with Patriots last year.
39. Fred Jackson, Buffalo, 28: 571 yards and 3 TDs (4.4 yards per carry), 37 catches for 317 yards, 1 100-yard game, 12 duds. He’s a starter for at least the first three games.
40. Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay, 29: 563 yards and 4 TDs (4.3 yards per carry), 23 catches for 174 yards, 2 100-yard games, 10 duds (including 6 games lost to injury). Returns from ankle injury to find himself sharing job with Ward.
41. Tashard Choice, Dallas, 24: 472 yards and 2 TDs (5.1 yards per carry), 21 catches for 185 yards, 13 duds. Hard to figure out exactly how Cowboys will spread carries. But Choice should be a prominent player, especially when the other two break down.
42. Felix Jones, Dallas, 22: 266 yards and 3 TDs (8.9 yards per carry), 2 catches for 10 yards, 14 duds (including 10 games lost to injury.) Speedy, but brittle.
43. Willis McGahee, Baltimore, 27: 671 yards and 7 TDs (3.9 yards per carry), 24 catches for 173 yards, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 10 duds, including 3 games lost to injury. Best to avoid Ravens backs until late in the draft. McGahee may be the best bet, but has injury problems and may lose job to Ray Rice. Whoever wins sits down near the goal line anyhow.
44. Laurence Maroney, New England, 24: 93 yards rushing, 13 games missed to injury. Could be huge in the very unlikely perfect storm in which he starts and stays healthy and doesn’t lose too many carries to Fred Taylor and the Patriots run more.
45. T.J. Duckett, Seattle, 28: 172 yards and 8 TDs (2.8 yards per carry), 2 multiple-TD games, 10 duds. Seahawks may run more. Even if they don’t, he’ll keep getting the 1-yarders at the goal line.
46. Le’Ron McClain, Baltimore, 24: 902 yards and 10 yards rushing (3.9 yards per carry), 19 catches for 123 yards and 1 TD, 1 100-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 5 duds. Think Maurice Jones-Drew, only rounder. Or Duckett, only smaller. Great in TD-only leagues, but should be moving back to fullback with Lorenzo Neal gone.
47. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City, 22: 357 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 27 catches for 272 yards and 1 TD, 1 100-yard game, 13 duds. Move him way up if L.J. gets the boot.
48. Shonn Greene, NY Jets, 23: Rookie. Could be goal-line back and pick up tons of carries when Thomas Jones’ old parts creak to a halt.
49. Chester Taylor, Minnesota, turns 30 Sept. 22: 399 yards and 4 TDs (4.0 yards per carry), 45 catches for 399 yards and 2 TDs, 10 duds. A must-have for Peterson owners.
50. Jerious Norwood, Atlanta, 26: 489 yards and 4 TDs (5.1 yards per carry), 36 catches for 338 yards and 2 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 10 duds. A must-have for Turner owners.
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona, 26: 96 catches for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns, 7 100-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 1 10-catch game, 2 duds (defined as any game under 80 yards with no TD). No reason to think he won’t have similar numbers.
2. Andre Johnson, Houston, 28: 115 catches for 1,575 yards and 8 TDs, 7 100-yard games, 1 200-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 5 duds. Texans only seem to have passing plays designed for Johnson, who had 10 or more catches seven times last year. And he stayed healthy.
3. Randy Moss, New England, 32: 69 catches for 1,008 yards and 11 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. Brady’s back, so Moss is back to unstoppable.
4. Steve Smith, Carolina, 30: 78 catches for 1,421 yards and 6 TDs, 8 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 6 duds (including 2 games missed to suspension). Imagine his numbers if he hadn’t been missed those 2 games. (Move him down some if he randomly punches another teammate in camp.)
5. Calvin Johnson, Detroit, 23: 78 catches for 1,331 yards and 12 TDs, 5 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 4 duds. Couldn’t be stopped even when the Lions only had all those backups named Drew throwing to him. Should benefit from overall offensive improvement in Detroit.
6. Greg Jennings, Green Bay, 25: 80 catches for 1,292 yards and 9 TDs, 5 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 4 duds. Rodgers’ favorite target should have another big year, as long as he doesn’t get fat and happy with rich new deal.
7. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis, 30: 82 catches for 1,145 yards and 6 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 8 duds. No more Marvin Harrison should spell 100-catch year.
8. Anquan Boldin, Arizona, 28: 89 catches for 1,038 yards and 11 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 3 multiple-TD games, 3 10-catch games, 7 duds (including 4 games missed to injury). This ranking assumes he’s still a Cardinal, which he would prefer not to be.
9. Roddy White, Atlanta, 27: 88 catches for 1,382 yards and 7 TDs, 7 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 1 10-catch game, 6 duds. Tony Gonzalez may help him get open, but he’ll also steal some catches.
10. Marques Colston, New Orleans, 26: 47 catches for 760 yards and 5 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 11 duds (including 5 games missed to injury). Hard to stop when he’s upright. Once he got healthy last year, had a TD or 100 yards in five of last six games.
11. Terrell Owens, Buffalo, 35: 69 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 TDs, 1 200-yard game, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 6 duds. Always does well in honeymoon period with new QB. He’ll surely blame lower fantasy rankings on Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia and perhaps Nicolette Sheridan.
12. Brandon Marshall, Denver, 25: 104 catches for 1,265 yards, 6 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 3 10-catch games. If his trade request doesn’t go through, expect a scene like this when camp opens: “Very funny, guys. Great Kyle Orton joke. … Now where’s Cutler?”
13. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle, 32: 92 catches for 904 yards, 4 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 2 10-catch games, 13 duds (including 1 game missed to injury). Numbers should return with a healthy Hasselbeck and no OchoCinco lobbying for more balls.
14. Wes Welker, New England, 28: 111 catches for 1,165 yards and 3 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 1 10-catch game, 9 duds. Surely he’ll top 3 TDs with Brady back. And how amazing is 223 catches the past two years?
15. Antonio Bryant, Tampa Bay, 28: 83 catches for 1,248 yards and 7 TDs, 5 100-yard games, 1 200-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 9 duds. Averaged 128 yards and a score in final 4 games. Still no real QB on the roster, but there wasn’t last year, either.
16. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City, 24: 86 catches for 1,022 and 7 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 4 duds. QB situation got a lot better, but with no Tony Gonzalez around he’s going to see far fewer open spaces.
17. Roy Williams, Dallas, 27: 36 catches for 430 yards and 2 TDs, 12 duds. Managed to underwhelm for two teams last year, but now takes over for T.O. as the No. 1 receiver. Still, really may be the third option behind Jason Witten and whoever’s taking handoffs at the time.
18. Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis, 25: 57 catches for 664 yards and 4 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 12 duds. Should slide right in to that No. 2 receiver spot.
19. Lance Moore, New Orleans, 26: 79 catches for 928 yards and 10 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 2 multiple-TD games, 8 duds. The clear No. 2 opposite Colston. And being the No. 2 receiver in this offense is not a bad thing (especially when the No. 1 gets carted off the field so frequently).
20. Vincent Jackson, San Diego, 26: 59 catches for 1,008 yards and 7 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 7 duds. Was huge at the end of the year, and could be ready to be break out in a big way. (Though it seems we’ve been predicting his big breakout for a while now.)
21. Torry Holt, Jacksonville, 33: 64 catches for 796 yards and 3 TDs, 11 duds. Really not as old as he seemed in St. Louis. Averaged nearly 1,400 yards and eight TDs in the eight seasons before last year’s disaster. Might rebound with a QB who can throw.
22. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh, 33: 81 catches for 1,043 yards and 7 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 7 duds. Old guy known most for his fierce blocks on a run-first team, but he always comes through.
23. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland, 26: 55 catches for 873 yards and 3 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 10 duds, 1 billion drops. Maybe he’s done a lot of finger exercises or gone to an opposable-thumb-usage clinic or something.
24. Santana Moss, Washington, 30: 79 catches for 1,044 yards and 6 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 9 duds. Stats suffered late, with one TD and no 100-yarders in his final eight games.
25. Eddie Royal, Denver, 23: 91 catches for 980 yards and 5 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 10 duds (including 1 game missed to injury). Vanished at end of season, and may vanish altogether without Cutler.
26. Chad OchoCinco (seriously, that’s how the NFL lists him these days), Cincinnati, 31: 53 catches for 540 yards and 4 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 13 duds. Never even hit 80 yards last year. Could be better with the return of Palmer. Could be worse as Bengals try to become more run-oriented.
27. Bernard Berrian, Minnesota, 28: 48 catches for 964 yards and 7 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 9 duds. Numbers could really jump if Favre stays upright and explosive rookie Percy Harvin stays healthy.
28. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia, 22: 62 catches for 912 yards and 2 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 10 duds. Exploded onto the scene as a rookie, with 100-yard games in his first two games, but didn’t have any after that.
30. Jerricho Cotchery, NY Jets, 27: 71 catches for 858 yards and 5 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 9 duds. Finally gets to be No. 1 receiver, but for a team that doesn’t have a QB.
31. Lee Evans, Buffalo, 28: 63 catches for 1,017 and 3 TDs, 4 100-yard games, 8 duds. Deep threat should be able to stretch the field even more with T.O. in the lineup.
32. Steve Breaston, Arizona, 26: 77 catches for 1,006 yards and 3 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 8 duds. Move him way up if Boldin actually winds up somewhere else, and move him down a bit if Boldin sticks around Arizona.
33. Donald Driver, Green Bay, 34: 74 catches for 1,012 yards and 5 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 11 duds. A decent bye-week fill-in, but you just can’t count on him every week like you used to.
34. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh, 25: 55 catches for 821 yards and 5 TDs, 7 duds (including 1 missed game). Should be solid again, and no worries on the legal front now that marijuana charges against him have been dropped.
35. Laveranues Coles, Cincinnati, 31: 70 catches for 850 yards and 7 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 10 duds. You have to wonder about a guy who goes to Cincinnati on purpose.
36. Devin Hester, Chicago, 26: 51 catches for 665 yards and 3 TDs, 9 duds. Cutler’s used to big, sure-handed Denver receivers, but a tiny former defensive back’s about as good as it gets in Chicago.
37. Domenik Hixon, NY Giants, 24: 43 catches for 596 yards and 2 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 14 duds. Briefly looked like a poor man’s Plaxico Burress last year, then reverted to random tall and skinny guy. (Also keep an eye on the camp battles to see if Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss are worth drafting.)
38. Ted Ginn Jr., Miami, 24: 56 catches for 790 yards and 4 TDs (2 rushing), 1 100-yard game, 10 duds. Fast and dangerous, just doesn’t get many touches.
39. Donnie Avery, St. Louis, 25: 53 catches for 674 yards and 3 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 11 duds. He’s the only Rams receiver I can name, so he made the list.
40. Mark Clayton, Baltimore, 27: 41 catches for 695 yards and 3 TDs. Derrick Mason’s retirement promotes him to kind of mediocre Ravens starter.
41. Nate Burleson, Seattle, 28: 5 catches for 60 yards and 1 TD. Could be a late steal, if every Seahawk on offense doesn’t get hurt again.
42. Devery Henderson, New Orleans, 27: 32 catches for 793 yards and 3 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 10 duds. Not a bad guy to have on the bench since he seems to catch an 80-yarder every few weeks. He averaged about 25 yards a catch last year, but doesn’t get many touches.
43. Patrick Crayton, Dallas, 30: 39 catches for 550 yards and 4 TDs, 10 duds. If Williams isn’t so great and none of the backs stay healthy and Crayton can hold on to the ball with regularity … he’s a steal here.
44. Kevin Walter, Houston, 28: 60 catches for 899 yards and 8 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 2 multiple-TD games, 9 duds. Always wide open for those rare occasions when Johnson doesn’t get the ball.
45. Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia, 31: 33 catches for 390 yards and 2 touchdowns, 13 duds (including 7 games lost to injury). Retains shred of fantasy value based on memories of his 221-yard, 3-TD game against the Lions in 2007.
46. Chris Chambers, San Diego, 31: 33 catches for 462 yards and 5 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 12 duds. Had 5 scores in first 5 games last year, but really wasn’t heard from again. It’s been an awful long time since his only 1,000-yard season (2005).
47. Percy Harvin, Vikings, 21: Rookie. Has the speed to turn short passes into big plays.
48. Nate Washington, Tennessee, 26: 40 catches for 631 yards and 3TDs, 13 duds. The Titans seem to have a thing for barely recognizable veterans.
49. Michael Crabtree, San Francisco, Rookie: Guy from fluky college offense that throws every down joins quarterbackless team. But at this stage in the draft … why not?
50. Plaxico Burress, Unemployed, 32: 35 catches for 454 yards and 4 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 12 duds (including 6 games missed for a wide variety of reasons). Surely somebody will take a shot — er, gamble — because he’s still tall and good. Move him way up if he gets a job.
TIGHT ENDS
1. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta, 33: 96 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 TDs, 3 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 4 duds (defined as game under 60 yards with no TDs). Imagine how open he’ll be on an offense with other weapons.
2. Jason Witten, Dallas, 27: 81 catches for 952 yards and 4 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 8 duds. Should get more catches with T.O. gone.
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego, 29: 60 catches for 704 yards and 8 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 7 duds. Even with kind of an off 2008, averaging 10 scores over the past five seasons.
4. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis, 30: 77 catches for 848 yards and 6 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 8 duds (including 1 missed game). Should get more catches with Harrison gone.
5. Greg Olsen, Chicago, 24: 54 catches for 574 and 5 TDs, 10 duds. May be Cutler’s most reliable new target.
6. Chris Cooley, Washington, 27: 83 catches for 849 yards and 1 TD, 1 100-yard game, 10 duds. Surely he’ll score more than once this year.
7. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay: 43 catches for 428 yards and 3 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 13 duds (including 6 missed games). He’s used to producing with no real QB. He’s also extremely awesome, he says.
8: Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans, 29: 50 catches for 483 yards and 0 TDs, 14 duds (including 4 games lost to injury). Brash prediction: He won’t be held out of the end zone for two straight years.
9. Owen Daniels, Houston, 26: 70 catches for 862 yards and 2 TDs, 2 100-yard games, 1 multiple-TD game, 1 10-catch game, 9 duds. Always quietly solid.
10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota, 29: 42 catches for 596 yards and 7 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 1 multiple-TD game, 9 duds. Favre’s known to look for a big man in the end zone.
11. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh, 26: 48 catches for 514 yards and 3 TDs, 10 duds (including 2 games missed). Had career low in TDs last year.
12. John Carlson, Seattle, 25: 55 catches for 627 yards and 5 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 7 duds. Hasselbeck’s return helps.
13. Zach Miller, Oakland, 23: 56 catches for 778 yards and 1 TD, 10 duds. More than one score with an improved Russell?
14: Vernon Davis, San Francisco, 25: 31 for 358 yards and 2 TDs, 13 duds. Will the Niners ever figure out how to use musclebound TE?
15. Anthony Fasano, Miami, 25: 34 catches for 454 yards and 7 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 10 duds. Not many touches, but lots of scores.
16. Tony Scheffler, Denver, 26: 40 catches for 645 yards and 3 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 9 duds (including 3 games missed). Hard to figure his role in new offense.
17. Kevin Boss, NY Giants, 25: 33 catches for 384 yards and 6 TDs, 9 duds. Lots more blocking ahead, but did lead team in TD catches.
18. L.J. Smith, Baltimore, 29: 37 catches for 298 yards and 3 TDs, 13 duds (including 3 games lost to injury)
19. Bo Scaife, Tennessee, 28: 58 catches for 561 yards and 2 TDs, 1 100-yard game, 12 duds. Didn’t score or surpass 40 yards in final 7 games.
20: Todd Heap, Baltimore, 29: 35 catches for 403 yards and 3 TDs, 1 multiple-TD game, 13 duds. What happened to this guy?
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
1. Pittsburgh, 20 INTs, 51 sacks, 1 safety, 9 fumble recoveries, 3 TDs.
2. Minnesota, 12 INTs, 3 safeties, 45 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, 4 TDs.
3. Philadelphia, 15 INTs, 48 sacks, 1 safety, 14 fumble recoveries, 7 TDs.
4. NY Giants, 17 INTs, 3 safeties, 43 sacks, 5 fumble recoveries, 3 TDs.
5. Baltimore, 26 INTs, 35 sacks, 3 safeties, 9 fumble recoveries, 6 TDs.
6. Tennessee, 20 INTs, 44 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, 4 TDs.
7. Dallas, 8 INTs, 1 safety, 59 sacks, 14 fumble recoveries, 2 TDs.
8. New England, 14 INTs, 30 sacks, 8 fumble recoveries, 1 TD.
9. NY Jets, 14 INTs, 40 sacks, 16 fumble recoveries, 6 TDs.
10. Green Bay, 22 INTs, 27 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries, 9 TDs.
11. Tampa Bay, 22 INTs, 29 sacks, 8 fumble recoveries, 7 TDs.
12. Chicago, 22 INTs, 1 safety, 28 sacks, 10 fumble recoveries, 6 TDs.
13. Arizona, 13 INTs, 31 sacks, 17 fumble recoveries, 6 TDs.
14. San Diego, 15 INTs, 1 safety, 27 sacks, 9 fumble recoveries, 4 TDs.
15. Carolina, 12 INTs, 37 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, 2 TDs.
16. Seattle, 9 INTs, 35 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, 4 TDs.
17. Miami, 18 INTs, 1 safety, 41 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries, 2 TDs.
18. Indianapolis, 15 INTs, 31 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, 4 TDs.
19. Buffalo, 10 INTs, 24 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, 5 TDs.
20. Atlanta, 10 INTs, 1 safety, 34 sacks, 8 fumble recoveries, 3 TDs.
KICKERS:
1. Stephen Gostowski, New England, 148 points, 36 FGs.
2. David Akers, Philadelphia, 144 points, 33 FGs.
3. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay, 131 points, 32 FGs.
4. John Kasay, Carolina, 130 points, 28 FGs.
5. Rob Bironas, Tennessee, 127 points, 29 FGs.
6. Jason Elam, Atlanta, 129 points, 29 FGs.
7. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota, 127 points, 29 FGs.
8. Mason Crosby, Green Bay, 127 points, 27 FGs.
9. Nate Keading, San Diego, 127 points, 27 FGs.
10. Nick Folk, Dallas, 102 points, 20 FGs.
11. Garrett Hartley, New Orleans 67 points, 13 FGs.
12. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis, 103 points, 20 FGs
13. Lawrence Tynes, NY Giants, 4 points, 1 FG.
14. Rian Lindell, Buffalo, 124 points, 30 FGs.
15. Matt Prater, Denver, 114 points, 25 FGs.
16. Kris Brown, Houston, 124 points, 29 FGs.
17. Robbie Gould, Chicago, 119 points, 26 FGs.
18. Neil Rackers, Arizona, 119 points, 25 FGs.
19. Jeff Reed, Pittsburgh, 117 points, 27 FGs.
20. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland, 97 points, 24 FGs.

Filed under: Fantasy football, NFL, preseason

Reaching for the top

Had a couple interesting stories that didn’t make the cut this morning, both mountain climbing related. The first teams NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and new Seahawks head coach Jim Mora in a climb up Mount Rainier in July. The trip is a benefit for the United Way, and will be led by mountaineering legend Ed Viesturs.

Goodell, Mora to climb Mount Rainier
By GREGG BELL
AP Sports Writer
SEATTLE (AP) — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Seahawks coach Jim Mora are ready for a big trek — up Mount Rainier.

Seattle Seahawks coach Jim Mora pumps his fist as he talks about his expectation to complete a climb of Mount Rainier, during a news conference about the charity climb Tuesday.

Seattle Seahawks coach Jim Mora pumps his fist as he talks about his expectation to complete a climb of Mount Rainier, during a news conference about the charity climb Tuesday.

Mountaineering great Ed Viesturs will lead the climb up the 14,411-foot peak July 5. The group hopes to plant a flag at the summit three days later. The climb is to benefit the United Way of King County, Washington.
Also to make the climb behind Viesturs, who has summited all 14 of the world’s 26,000-plus-foot peaks without supplemental oxygen, are Seahawks chief executive officer Tod Leiweke, Jon Fine, president and CEO of United Way of King County, and climbing guide Peter Whittaker, among others.
The National Park Service says Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciered peak in the contiguous United States. Reaching the summit requires a vertical elevation gain of more than 9,000 feet over a distance of eight or more miles. Thousands of climbers reach the summit each year. Some have perished in accidents such as falling into icy crevasses.
Mora grew up in the Seattle area and is in his first season replacing Mike Holmgren as Seahawks coach.
The 47-year-old Mora is an avid runner who tromps up a rugged mountain trail near his suburban home in the pre-dawn hours multiple times each week. Seahawks players have run up that trail with Mora. They’ve had varying degrees of success — and pain.
Goodell, who turned 50 in February, is also known to be in great shape from working out daily.
The United Way says it has already received enough pledges for the “Climb for the Community” from Seattle-area corporations and foundations to provide 1.5 million pounds of additional food for the agency’s emergency food system in King County.
“The entire nation is feeling the weight of the economy,” Leiweke said. “Here in the Northwest, when people are hurting we rally together and do something about it. It is our hope that the whole community will join us by making a donation to our basic needs effort upon which so many of our neighbors rely.”

In another AP wire story, here’s a teen-ager trying to become the youngest ever to top the peaks of the seven continents’ tallest mountains, and he’s well on his way.

17-year-old California resident scales Everest
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 17-year-old California resident reached the summit of Mount Everest as part of his trek to become the youngest person to scale the tallest peaks on each of the world’s seven continents.

Mount Everest

Mount Everest

Johnny Strange, a senior in high school who resides in Malibu, Calif., reached the top of the 29,035-foot mountain on May 20. His Everest mountain climb was his sixth. He completed his final summit climb on June 8 when he scaled Australia’s 7,310-foot Mount Kosciuszko.
Strange broke the record of Samantha Larson of Long Beach, Calif., who was 18 when she finished the seven summits challenge in 2007.
Strange has been climbing mountains since he was 12. He tagged along with his dad, Brian — an attorney in Los Angeles — to Antarctica where the duo checked Mount Vinson Massif off the list in 2004.
Strange scaled the original seven summits, which included Everest, Vinson Massif, Kosciuszko, McKinley (20,320) in Alaska, Aconcagua (22,841) in South America, Kilimanjaro (19,340) in Africa and Elbrus (18,510) in Europe. Some consider the 16,024-foot Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia as an alternative.
Strange was traveling with his father from Australia on Tuesday and is expected to be back in Southern California by Wednesday.

Filed under: Climbing, everest, Mora, NFL, rainier, Seahawks

What’s in a name?

I’ve been following the movements of NFL free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh over the last few days. He visited Seattle Friday, and then apparently was wined and dined by the Vikings over the weekend as he shops himself around. He’s said be making a decision on whether to stay with the Bengals or make a move early this week. To follow that story, here’s a story from the Cincinnati Bengals’ Web site.

But seeing his name reminded me  of one the biggest pitfalls in sport writing, something that is one of the first things you learn in Journalism 101 but can still come back to bite you: spelling a person’s name correctly.

Spelling a name is one of the most basic fundamentals of journalism, and can be a challenge covering any story. But I’ve found, day in and day out, that you don’t deal with as many names covering other aspects of life as in sports writing.  You have to stay on your toes when  you’re taking game calls from six or eight basketball coaches in a two-hour period with deadline looming. If every player on both teams in a game sees time on the court, that’s more than two dozen last names you’ve got to make sure are spelled correctly in the statistics, with team leaders’ first names mentioned in the story. If you don’t double check any spelling you’re not absolutely sure of, you can get it wrong. That’s no excuse, athletes and their parents alike don’t like to see names spelled incorrectly for any reason.

But it can be challenging. Whitman’s women’s basketball team has had a couple of Vertatschitsch sisters playing over the five or six years. It doesn’t matter how many times I write that last name (and it’s a cool last name), I have to double check every letter. There’s a Bilhe (as in Billy) in Dayton, and you can find Ashley as Ashleigh, Ashlee, Asheley, Ashlie – parents love to get creative.

So double-checking every name is the first rule we tell our part-time reporters, most of whom don’t have any journalism background but have a love of sports and are instrumental in the U-B covering as many local sports as it does.

Here’s a compilation of toughest names to spell in the world of sports from Sports Illustrated that’s interesting.

But it still makes life easier when a coach on the phone can say, “Jim Smith, just like it sounds.”

Filed under: names, NFL, SI

True, or false?

A recent AP morning briefings had an interesting angle on the Super Bowl. The game gets so much coverage, it’s refreshing to get something besides X’s, O’s and player features: 

The Web site snopes.com, which takes a look at urban legends, proving many of them to be false, has turned its skeptical eye toward a myriad of Super Bowl legends.

Can you guess which of the following are true, and which are false?

1. Sewage systems have broken due to the tremendous number of toilets being flushed simultaneously at halftime.

2. More women are the victims of domestic violence on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year.

3. Two-thirds of all avocados sold in the U.S. are bought within three weeks of Super Bowl Sunday.

4. Before Super Bowl XXII, a reporter asked Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, “How long have you been a black quarterback?”

5. Super Bowl Sunday is a good time to visit Disneyland, because the park is virtually deserted.

Can you guess which are true?

?

?

?

?

And some trivia: Which player has played in the most Super Bowls? Answer at the end.

A real money changer: Want to know before the game begins whether Arizona or Pittsburgh will win Sunday?

The last four teams to win the coin toss to start the Super Bowl (Carolina, Philadelphia, Seattle, Chicago) have all lost the game.

Trivia answer: Defensive tackle Mike Lodish, who appeared in six. Four with Buffalo and two with Denver.

And, by the way, none of the urban legends are true. They are all false.

So, coin flip aside, will the Steelers win their record sixth Super Bowl, or can Kurt Warner keep his magic alive and lead the Cardinals to the most improbable championship ever?

Filed under: NFL, trivia

Super Bowl setup

NFL Conference Championship quick hits:

  • Kurt Warner secured his place in history by leading the Arizona Cardinals on their game-winning drive against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. After blowing an 18-point lead, the Cardinals would have folded up and called it a season without the leadership of the 37-year-old QB.
  • Mitch Berger had one of the better story lines punting for the Steelers in their win over the Ravens. His acting job drew a roughing-the-kicker penalty near the end of the second quarter that gave Pittsburgh the chance for a field goal before halftime. Clock mismanagement prevented the try, but it was great actingon Berger’s part. He also had one of the best tackles I’ve ever seen a kicker make. And then his botched punt gave the Ravens field position that led to a TD to get them back into the game.
  • What a hit on Ravens RB Willis McGahee near the end of the game by Steelers safety Ryan Clark. You hate to see anybody leave on a stretcher, but he’s apparently going to be OK. And hits like that are what football is all about.
  • And is there a more athletic player in the NFL than Steelers safety Troy Polamalu? The guy was everywhere Sunday:

Polamalu scoring on his 40-yard INT return. AP photo


  • The Steelers will win their sixth Super Bowl in two weeks, but will you be pulling for the Cardinals because they’re in the NFC West?

Here’s a story with some interesting tidbits on the upcoming Bowl:

Arizona and Pittsburgh have opposite histories
By DAVE GOLDBERG
AP Football Writer

Arizona and Pittsburgh will play a historic Super Bowl in Tampa in two weeks: a team with a history as bad as any in the NFL against one that will try to win a record sixth title.
Pittsburgh opens as a 6½-point favorite.
That’s fine with the Cardinals, who have been laughingstocks forever and won all three playoff games as underdogs, including Sunday’s 32-25 thumping of the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC title.
Arizona hasn’t won a title since the NFL championship in 1947 and has had only 10 postseason games since meandering from Chicago to St. Louis and finally to the desert 21 seasons ago.
Still, it is impossible to write them off, mainly because of their 37-year-old quarterback, Kurt Warner, who owns two MVP awards and was the Super Bowl MVP with the Rams in 2000.
“I want to say Arizona Cardinals and Super Bowl in the same sentence,” a jubilant Warner said. “The Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl. How about it?”
Then there is Larry Fitzgerald, who used to practice in the same facility as the Steelers when he played at Pitt. In just three games, he has emerged as the best receiver ever in the postseason — with 419 yards, he broke the great Jerry Rice’s record with the final game still to come.
“He’s been here before,” Fitzgerald said, referring to Warner. “He’s been where we’re all trying to go. He’s held that trophy up and we’ve leaned on him this whole postseason.”
Many of Pittsburgh’s stars have been through this before, including Hines Ward, the MVP of the 2006 Super Bowl win over Seattle.
The Steelers’ defense carried them past Baltimore 23-14 in the AFC title game. That’s what it’s been doing all season. The latest version of the storied Steel Curtain was the best statistically in the NFL and the most consistent.
Led by James Harrison, the defensive player of the year and another all-Pro, safety Troy Polamalu, it puts constant pressure on the quarterback. And that is where Warner is sometimes vulnerable. Injuries and turnovers cost him his job in St. Louis in 2002 and 2003 before he was shuffled off to the New York Giants and then to Arizona.
The Steelers have four title victories in six years during the 1970s and their fifth three years ago. No team has ever won six.
In an odd little twist, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has his roots with the Steelers, serving as offensive coordinator from 2004-2006, including the Super Bowl-winning team.
He was expected to get the Pittsburgh job when Bill Cowher stepped down two seasons ago. So was another Steelers coach, Russ Grimm, now Whisenhunt’s right-hand in Arizona.
Instead, the job went to Mike Tomlin, who returns to Tampa, the city where he began his coaching career.
One other bit of cross-pollination.
In 1944, the Steelers and Cardinals were the same team — Card-Pit, combined into one because of World War II, when there weren’t enough able-bodied men to fill out both rosters.
They finished 0-10.
They will finish a lot better this season, no matter what happens in Tampa.

Filed under: NFL, playoffs, Super Bowl