This Man Will Give You 15 Each Week.
A huge grab bag of NFL Week 9 Winners and Losers this week.
Let’s just get down to business.
The Winners
Michael Turner, RB, Falcons: A few low-yardage outings aside, The Burner has scored eight touchdowns in his last five games, punctuated by this week’s 18-166-2 performance. Turner is one of the few backs that does exactly what you’d expect in a given outing. His yardage may ebb once in a while, but there’s no question who’s getting the ball on the goal line.
Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: I never thought Warner’s wife was attractive, although she’s doing much better with the longer hair. There’s something about a female Marine Corps vet that scares my babymaker. I was sort of into Demi Moore in G.I. Jane. Anyway, Warner decimated the Bears for 265 and 5. Bet your fantasy team on him, just not your money.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals: Even as I lamented another Bears loss, I quietly rejoiced over Fitzgerald’s fantasy stats (9-123-2). He’s one of the few receivers you see in person (Calvin Johnson being another) and realize he’s on another level than everyone else on the field. With the Seahawks, Rams (twice), Titans and Lions still on the schedule, 1,400 yards and 15 scores isn’t out of the question.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers: Williams put up 21-149-2 against a competent Saints defense on Sunday. Things get a little tougher for him in the second half but he remains a must-start in all formats. By the way, have you ever seen a team more star-crossed team than the Panthers (okay, maybe the Titans)? Every time they start to pull things together, they come up a little short.
Greg Olsen, TE, Bears: Just what we all need, another feast or famine tight end. If I had my druthers, all fantasy football leagues would start two WRs and a single flex (WR/TE/RB). Starting a tight end is like going to a wedding where you only know your date. You’re either going to get shit-housed or sit quietly in the corner. There’s no in between.
Ray Rice, RB, Ravens: Rice gets the nod this week not because he blew you away (12-48-1) but because the guy’s lowest scoring outing this year is still close to double-digits. It’s like the academy giving Lord of the Rings: Return of the King best picture based on all three films. Sometimes, consistency counts. (Along those lines, I’ve watched various installments of The Matrix during my recent ‘time off.’ I think the second film gets a bad wrap. Like LotR: The Two Towers, it was basically stitching together the story. Had they only made two films, the first, and then a longer compilation of the second two — removing almost all of the Zion scenes — the series would be seen in a different light.).
Steelers DST: Anyone in an ESPN fantasy league knows two things. One, the site is unusually hard to navigate. Two, their ‘expert’ projections are either absurdly low or high. Anyone that didn’t think the Steelers defense would have a field day against Denver doesn’t watch the games. The ESPN experts projected 4, the defense delivered 17.
Jay Cutler, QB, Bears: In the long lineage of QB’s carrying bad teams, the comparison was made this week between Cutler and Archie Manning of the Saints. Reaching perhaps, but Cutler is putting up huge numbers (369-3-1 this week) for a Bears offense that really doesn’t have anything. His best receiver is a converted return guy still learning the position (although Devin Hester has shown great improvement this year).
Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals: No other back in the league is approaching 25 carries per game. There’s little doubt he’s going to break down before he turns 28 but as long as he continues to put up numbers like Sunday (34-117-1), Benson is a must-start in any format or matchup.
The Losers
Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles: I don’t know what to say about Westbrook. Obviously, this year’s performance isn’t his fault. Limited carries and a nasty concussion have limited the diminutive dynamo (47-197-1). But anyone that drafted him (myself included) has waited patiently for a triumphant return that may not come. Even if you handcuffed LeSean McCoy, this isn’t the situation you envisioned at the start of the season.
Willie Parker, RB, Steelers: Another victim of the changing guard in NFL backfields, Parker didn’t register a single carry in Pittsburgh’s win over Denver. Although healthy, FWP is now an afterthought in the Steelers offense, and only viable if second-year back Rashard Mendenhall gets hurt.
Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens: If you’ve watched a few Ravens games this year, you know the score on Flacco. Every thing he does is predicated on Ray Rice and his ability to turn screen passes into long gains. Sure, Flacco can throw the ball down field, and Derrick Mason is still a deep threat, but the Flacco owners will live and die on the short pass. This week, we died.
Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins: Another major concussion in the NFL this week. Against the backdrop of the congressional hearings, Westbrook’s injury and the Redskins being a playoff afterthought, don’t expect the team to rush Portis back on the field.
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers: After a few upticks (against the Raiders and Denver), L.T. is following FWP into fantasy irrelevance. It’s unfortunate to see such a talent fade so quickly. It wasn’t long ago that L.T. was the class of the league. How quickly that’s forgotten in the face of 12-22-0 performances.
Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons: The honeymoon is over for Ryan, who has seen his fantasy totals drop for five consecutive weeks (including 135-1 last week).
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions: It sucks to be a Johnson owner. The guy is so talented that he’s a threat to score even on this Lions squad. Unfortunately, Matt Stafford is more akin to throwing to the other team (5 Ints) than Johnson (2-27-0).
Anquan Boldin, WR, Cardinals. I feel bad for Boldin. After a lot of lip-service by the team in the off-season, Boldin suited up again this year. Yet, the team continues to devalue his contribution to the offense, whether he’s on the field or not. A once a nasty YAC guy is now just hoping for 2-3 catches a game. Why Ken Wisenhut didn’t trade him in a rich off-season market for receivers is beyond me. Could you imagine Boldin and Cutler together in Chicago? /Drool.
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I spent most of last week on the couch, allowing my body to purge whatever bug I caught flying back and forth from New York.
NFL 2009 Midseason Awards
Norm Approves of The These Awards.
A few years ago, my friends and I held an annual sojourn to Vegas. It was a magical time before the soul-crushing rigors of life, a five-year stretch in our mid-20′s, somewhere between college graduation and the first wedding engagements (and/or children for those early starters). We all had a little money, a little success, and a robust penchant for debauchery.
Our first trip was an epic 72-hour affair that started shortly after our departing flight. Anyone that’s gone to Vegas on such a venture knows the cheers that erupt just before landing on the strip. There’s a certain energy to cracking your first drink at 8am, knowing your colleagues are still slaving away at the office.
Those first few trips included at least a few of the following moments: one member always AWOL, incredible up-then-down blackjack moments, realizing that craps is the best game ever invented, almost closing the deal with a complete skank, paying $50 to get into a club and leaving 30 minutes later (after not closing on said skank), someone pissing the bed and another missing their flight home. There’s a reason Simmons talks about Vegas at least 4-5 times a year in his columns. Ahh Vegas.
Inevitably, that excitement wanes through the years.
Vegas becomes less about life-long friends cutting loose and more about couples enjoying a few days off. Late nights getting housed at the Golden Nugget tables (after we lose our ass on the main strip) are replaced by ‘we’re going to see a show, we’ll meet you guys later.’ After doing Vegas balls-to-the-wall for five years, it’s akin to the Rock Biter in The Neverending Story clinging to life as the world around him disintegrates.
Peyton Manning was on that last flight to Vegas this year, on the heals of Tony Dungie’s departure and facing the least experienced receiving corps of his career. When the flight landed, not even Manning had the energy to raise a toast to the upcoming season. Instead of racing to the closest blackjack table, he slowly eyeballed the Keno board in the hopes of riding out the weekend.
And then a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion. Nine weeks and 9 wins later, Manning is proving that not all things change.
Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. Although impressive (221-2545-16), the stats aren’t enough. Manning runs this franchise. The closest thing is Mike Brown coaching the Cavaliers, and that’s not even in the same realm. Tom Moore is a great offensive mind but let’s be clear — Manning calls the plays. He’s the closest thing to a player-coach the NFL has ever seen, and he’s doing it with [insert name] running routes. What starts with Reggie Wayne, an all-pro receiver, ends with Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon.
Runner Up: Drew Brees, QB, Saints.
Comeback Player of the Year: Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals. I’ve already touted Benson’s ability to stay healthy and productive with 25+ carries a game this year. The biggest surprise is his attitude and the way the offense rallied around him. Any Bears fan can tell you what I saw in two years in Chicago — a selfish player that complained about carries, couldn’t run through arm tackles or keep himself out of trouble. He’s a throwback to the days of a workhorse back and his team found balance in his rejuvenation.
Runner Up: Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos.
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, QB, Saints. It’s always a little weird when the MVP and best offensive player are different. The difference here is that New Orleans brings a lot more to the table offensively, but Brees (181-2336-17) remains the heart of the unit. It’s a tough case to make, but Brees doesn’t unload every time he can, just when he needs to. With a strong stable of backs and receivers, even Manning and the Colts don’t want to push Brees into shoot-out mode.
Runner Up: Peyton Manning, QB, Colts.
Defensive Player of the Year: Troy Polamalu, DB, Steelers. There’s no bigger game-changer in the league, especially for a 3-4 defense built on risk-taking and recovery. Not Ed Reed. Not Darren Sharper. Not Jared Allen. Not even the resurgent James Harrison. When Polamalu is in the lineup, the Steelers defense is a different animal. And that beast generally dismembers opposing offenses. He plays the run, covers like a shut-down corner and — like an 8 facing the dealers 10 — sticks it out to the bitter end.
Runner Up: Darren Sharper, DB, Saints.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin, WR, Vikings. At some point during training camp, Brad Childress woke up screaming in the middle of the night. His wife, terrified that this may be the one, calls the paramedics. Staring blankly at his cell phone, which reads ‘One Message Waiting’, Childress ejaculates at the mere thought of having Brett Favre build chemistry with versatile and speedy first-round pick. Paramedics arrive to Childress mumbling, As long as we win, this beard shall grow . . .
Runner Up: Michael Oher, OL, Ravens. (And not just because of the book. Yes, it was a book first.)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Brian Cushing, LB, Texans. I hate USC linebackers. I think they’re over-rated, under-sized and generally fit into schemes rather than stewarding defenses. But Cushing is second in the league in tackles (78) with two picks for a maturing Texans defense.
Runner Up: Brian Orakpo, DE, Redskins.
Coach of the Year: Sean Payton, Saints. After establishing offensive domain over the league last year, Payton re-tooled his defense into an opportunistic, and if need be, resilient unit. More so, he has the humility to hand the reigns over to Brees, helping mold the Saints into one of the league’s two unbeaten teams at the halfway point.
Runner Up: Mike Tomlin, Steelers.
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Posted in NFL, News and Commentary
Tagged NFL, Football, Cedric Benson, 2009, Midseason Awards, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Troy Polamalu, Percy Harvin, Brian Cushing, Sean Payton, Kyle Orton, Darren Sharper, Michael Oher, Brian Orakpo, Mike Tomlin