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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Top 5 Lists... Fantasy Football...

OK everyone, so I wanted to touch on some "Top 5's" for the blog.  I did some research and the results were semi predictable.  Nonetheless here we go.

For the research, I used www.profootballfocus.com as they evaluate everything a player does, not just the stats we know and use for fantasy football.  A receiver for instance is judged on run blocking as well as receiving stats.  If you haven't checked out the site, go and enjoy.  Below is the link with the data.  I took only the highest FB, RB, TE and QB into account and the top 2 WR's per team.  Jerome Felton is not the highest ranked FB for Minnesota, nor is Mike Wallace the highest WR for Pittsburgh.  This is based solely on the 2012 season.  The fact that guys like Wes Welker is now with Denver is not reflected, but it's an interesting look at what Denver now has with Welker and Thomas at WR.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_A0sMi_Ka2id01fc3BvbjR3UWc/edit?usp=sharing

*Players highlighted are no longer with the team.

Top 5 "Big 3's" of the NFL in 2012 (QB/WR1/RB):
  1. Denver - Manning/D. Thomas/K. Moreno - 28.80
  2. New Orleans - Brees/L. Moore/P. Thomas - 23.37
  3. New England - Brady/Welker/Woodhead - 22.90
  4. Atlanta - Ryan/White/J. Rodgers - 22.80
  5. Seattle - Wilson/Rice/Lynch - 22.63
Top 5 HB/FB tandems of the NFL in 2012 (HB/FB):
  1. Minnesota - A. Peterson/Rhett Ellison - 22.30
  2. Baltimore - Ray Rice/Vonta Leach - 16.30
  3. Washington - Alfred Morris/Darrel Young - 13.20
  4. New Orleans - Pierre Thomas/Jed Collins - 11.95
  5. New York Giants - Ahmad Bradshaw/Henry Hynoski - 11.10
Top 5 Offensive Teams based on QB, Top 2 WR's, TE, RB, and FB (if the team used one) averaged out:
  1. Denver Broncos
  2. New England Patriots
  3. Atlanta Falcons
  4. New Orleans Saints
  5. Seattle Seahawks

Okay, so I mentioned Fantasy Football.  I have a pretty standard league created on NFL.com, registration is free.  First 9 people (10 with myself included) that join the league are in.  The way fantasy football works is you pick players on offense including a kicker, you add a defense that counts as all defensive and special teams (returns) for that team, and you earn points based on what those guys do.  You compete against other people in the league and you have a good time.  The league is free, no prizes or anything this first year, but it's pretty entertaining and you only have to check it once a week.  The link is posted below to join. 
http://fantasy.nfl.com/registration/privateleaguejoin?leagueId=1526960
League ID: 1526960
League Password: Connections

 And an image to leave on ....


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Friday, June 21, 2013

A quick jolt of thoughts....

This blog won't be long, the NBA Finals wrapped up last night with Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan failing at the end of game 7 to be clutch players and tie the game and send it to overtime.  LeBron James was able to sit under the basket on defense while his "man" was out in 3 point land, but he could sit there most of the game waiting for the rebound and not get called for 3 second violations, it's all good, guess that's why you play for home court advantage these days, it's not so much about your fans as it is the refs that will be there.  Again, the championship went to the highest bidder, feels almost like wrestling, but without the entertaining drama. 

Dallas released DE Anthony Hargrove after signing him just shy of a month ago... who knows why, not me.

Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez is not being ruled out as a suspect in a homicide that happened approximately an hour from his home.  The media in that area is already following him around as if he were O.J. and it was 1990 something again; helicopters spotlighting him as he goes from his home to Gillette stadium, and then from work back to home.  I feel horrible for him if he's innocent. 

Deacon Jones passed away recently and I wanted to make a post for him, he was amazing.  He alone made me realize that talking "trash" is just as effective if it's comical.  If you can get a guy to relax and be lazy for a second because he's thinking about what you just said, either trying to figure it out or taking it to heart, you won, for that split second, a mistake can be made, an interception thrown or fumble forced.  To all the young players out there, go and find footage of Deacon Jones.  If you're humble with yourself and don't rely on that side of the game, go find footage of Reggie White... or DeMarcus Ware when it comes to modern humble players.  I love the defensive side of the game as much as I do a good fullback (which is a lot if you know me). 

In my next post I hope to have done some research to provide a list of the best (by average finishes) offensive and defensive coordinators currently in the NFL.  I'd also like to do a similar list for "Big 3's" in the NFL, since LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh just won their 2nd championship, I'd like to take a look at the best QB/RB/WR threesomes in the modern NFL and maybe an All-Time list.  Just don't hate if your a Packer or Pats fan because you don't have a running game... or a Saints fan for that matter since you have a RB by committee. 

Anyway, those are some things I wanted to vent, so thank you for reading and I'll have more coming shortly.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read my simple little blog.  Maybe one day I'll include pictures (don't hold your breathe).

Saturday, June 15, 2013

America's Team? Rob Ryan Overrated? Romo and more...

Ok, so my last blog I felt was a success, not many views yet, but that's okay with me.  I mentioned in that blog that I would hit on the term "America's Team" in the near future, so let's go ahead and start this post off with that.  This is a paraphrased version of the story as I know it.  I don't necessarily agree with it being Dallas, but I won't dispute it.

In the 60's or 70's NFL Films would do highlight reels of each team, as a way of pumping up the fans and getting the fan base of the NFL to grow.  They would come up with catchy names for the films, such as "The Steel Curtain" for the Steelers and other mantra's for various teams.  They got the idea to name one of these films "America's Team" but they didn't know which team should have that labeled as their film.  A member of NFL Films called various teams to see who wanted it, I believe the teams were the Chiefs, Steelers, NY Football Giants, and one other team, other than Dallas.  Dallas got the last call as I recall and Tex Schramm jumped at the opportunity for the publicity.  Here is the first bit from Wikipedia about this.

The term "America's Team" is a popular nickname in the United States that refers to the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The nickname originated with the team's 1978 highlight film, where the narrator opens with the following introduction:
They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, "America's Team".

That's how the name came about, if people and media had just "ignored it" like many things in sports, then we wouldn't be discussing it today.  The bottom line to me is that nobody else stepped up with the moxy or confidence to wear the name like the Cowboys have done.  It takes a lot of gall to say you're America's anything, much less their team.  The Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Buffalo Bills and others have tried to don the name "America's Team" but it's only ever stuck with one team, the Dallas Cowboys.  In this case, if the glove doesn't fit, you must quit.  This glove only fits the Cowboys.

The next thing I wanted to hit on was something that's bugged me ever since Dallas made the mistake of hiring Rob Ryan.  To me, this guy is totally over rated.  I've compiled some stats on him that I've posted a link to below based on defenses he's coached and their league rank.  Bottom line, this guy has never, I repeat, NEVER been the defensive coordinator on a team in the playoffs... did you catch that... NEVER... playoffs and this guy have never met.  The best a team has finished with Rob Ryan as Defensive Coordinator is 8-8, the past two seasons in Dallas where the Cowboys finished 8-8 and both seasons could have been 9-7 or better had the defense held up in week 17.

Here's a link to the stats which I pulled from http://www.pro-football-reference.com

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvA0sMi_Ka2idEMtOWRIN2NHYXlUaS1MQ3FzcFVicVE&usp=sharing

I feel bad that the Saints have this guy, but at least for his and their sake, they usually make the playoff's based off of Drew Brees/Sean Payton and that offense, not a defense. 

Now, onto Tony Romo, yes, this blog has been full of Cowboys information, both past and present.  Tony Romo signed a $108M contract this off-season, it was an extension and the new "total" is 108 million dollars over the course of the next 7 years.  I don't have a problem with the contract, I have a problem with the owner Jerry Jones coming out and saying that with this deal, Romo has to put in "Manning-Type Time" referring to Peyton Manning and the insane amount of time he puts into the film room and game planning for his team.  The problem lies in that comment, you don't need to make that public.  If he hasn't put in the time previously, then maybe nobody came to him and said, "Hey man, you're doing a great job, but imagine if you put in say 10% more time around here."  I don't care who you are or what you do for a living, the bottom line is this, if you don't own the business you're working for, you put in as much time as is asked of you.  You make $20M a year, that's awesome, but I bet you still get away from work and spend time at home with family/friends as much as you can.  Same for these players.  Want to know why they go on NFL Network or ESPN and do interviews?  It's a break from the monotony of doing the same drills all day long, sitting in the film room and watching their own mistakes.  I think that the only one at fault here is the head coaches that Romo has had along the way and Jerry Jones himself.  Romo almost has every Dallas Cowboys passing record, single season, game, and career, he's obviously done something right.  Bill Parcells/Sean Payton, Wade Phillips/Jason Garrett, and now Jason Garrett/Bill Callahan have been his head coaches/offensive coordinators since he was signed as an undrafted free agent.  Now, almost a decade after his first start, someone picks up on a notion that Romo hasn't put in Manning type time, I find that to be a load of garbage.  I'm not at Valley Ranch, I do watch as much NFL news as I can, but I think this team needs better strength and conditioning to keep players healthy.  They need to quit having a rotating door at defensive coordinator.  This team needs consistency starting with the coaches and trainers and have that trickle down into the players.  Health has been an issue, so has poor drafts.  If you can "find" guys like Tony Romo and Miles Austin undrafted, but you can't draft players better than guys that the ENTIRE NFL passed on, something needs to be done in the scouting department.  Yes, the Cowboys drafts over the past few years have shined light on some great picks, Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Tyran Smith, DeMarco Murray (when healthy) are prime examples of this, but you can't settle for this.  The 2013 draft was riddled with mistakes starting with a clear blindness for what this team needs.  Terrance Williams and Gavin Escobar were solid choices, Travis Frederick over Eric Reid or Shariff Floyd was embarrassing.  Nothing against Travis Frederick, but there were 77 picks between him and the next center taken off the board, he still would have been there had the team traded back again.  These poor decisions should keep Dallas fans complaining about Jerry being a poor GM, guess that's one way to stay in the limelight.

The last thing I wanted to touch on in this blog isn't NFL related, it's actually for the 3 major sports not called the NFL.  To the NBA, MLB, and NHL:  Please see the NFL's example on profit sharing amongst clubs and how to effectively use the salary cap.  Yes there are players in the NFL overpaid, see the Dallas Cowboys and Doug Free's previous contract for that example, but the entire team has to fit under 'X' dollars for the year.  The NBA and MLB especially feel as though the championship goes to the highest bidder.  The best thing about the NFL is that every year all 32 teams have a shot at the title, some have better odds based on work done in the past years through the draft or free agency, but all 32 teams compete and are in the same market because of the profit sharing and salary cap. 

That's enough of my rantings for today, I hope you've enjoyed and please leave comments on how I can make the blog better. 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Monday, June 03, 2013 Tim Tebow, NFL Combine, SB Picks...

I initially jotted down these ideas for my sports blog a while back, before the draft while the combine was taking place, so I'm going to post those ideas here first and then catch up in the world of sports.

At the time, Tim Tebow was still in a back-up role to Mark Sanchez with the NY Jets.  Now he has signed a 2 year contract with the New England Patriots (I feel this is the 2nd best option that could have happened for him with the best option being the Jaguars (Tebow going home to Florida, fighting against Blaine Gabbert for the starting job, a great running back (Maurice Jones-Drew) and potentially great WR (Justin Blackmon) already in place, just makes sense).   Going back to the Jets, I felt the only reason they signed Tim Tebow in the first place (yes, I know they traded for him and he had his pick of where to go), they got Tebow because he beat them.  Plain and simple, I said it, Tebow beat, no embarrassed Rex Ryan and the Jets in the 2011 season.  Tebow beat the defense that was built to stop the Patriots (at least Rex Ryan claimed so).  You get the guy that beat you, shades of Welker to the Patriots, but instead of using him and winning with him, like Bill Belichick did with Welker, Rex Ryan decides to make Tebow the back-up... then when Sanchez gets hurt, he moved him to 3rd string. It was in my opinion one of the lowest and rudest things a coach can do to a player.  Hopefully his stay in New England will net better results, it's already guaranteed to have more class.

Enough about that though.  Time for my pre-season Super Bowl picks.  I made these picks before the NFL Draft but after the draft I stand by them.  I know these will come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I'm not picking the Dallas Cowboys to be in the Super Bowl.  As much as I love "America's Team" (A monicker I'll get into in another blog down the line), I am not picking them.  I think Romo is a great QB, top 10 in the NFL in my opinion, but the TEAM isn't there yet.  My picks are for the AFC, Denver Broncos vs. from the NFC the Seattle Seahawks.  The Broncos signed Wes Welker in one of the biggest moves of the off-season.  They did a lot of other stuff very quietly though, like bringing in Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie opposite Champ Bailey, signing Shaun Phillips to play LB, and drafting guys like Sylvester Williams to help with that defensive line that lost Elvis Dumervil.  Yes, they cut Willis McGahee in the past week, but they'll move right on to the Super Bowl without him, like Baltimore did.  The Seahawks also had an impressive off-season, first trading for Percy Harvin.  Percy is now back with Sydney Rice, his teammate for a few years in Minnesota.  They also brought in Antoine Winfield, some people are saying to play nickel, but he was the #1 corner last year in the NFL by ProFootballFocus.com and you team him with Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor and you have by far the top secondary in the NFC maybe even the NFL.  Seattle also has a head coach that isn't afraid to "do the wrong thing" and take chances on offense/special teams with gimmick plays.  Yes, losing Bruce Irvin for the first 4 games hurts, but does it really?  You have a 2-2 start possible with or without him.  Carolina should be a game the Seahawks win, SF is a toss up, Jacksonville should be a win and Houston being another toss-up.  This team could start 4-0 or 2-2 with any combination of results there.  Then comes week 5 and you get Indy, a toss-up, but then you get a 4 game stretch where you could possibly dominate all 4 opponents (Ten, Ari, StL, TB).  Seattle also has a week 12 bye week to rest up and make that final push to the playoffs and Super Bowl.  That's my prediction anyway.  Denver vs. Seattle, Super Bowl 48.  Manning vs. that Seattle Defense.  BeastMode and Skittles Nation against Von Miller and Champ Bailey.  That's my prediction.

Thanks for reading my sports blog, there will be more to come I'm sure.