In 2005 - the fledgling NFL Network captured images from week 1 and converted them into promotional commercials. One in particular featured some amazing video of a second year running back from Pittsburgh - ripping through the Tennessee Titans defense with the speed and grace of a future Hall of Famer.

NFL Network decided to show the commercial, on average, about one thousand times an hour - every day for the rest of the season - to the point where I wanted to puncture my eardrums just so I didn’t have to hear the opening line one more time.

“Who is Willie Parker?”

Three years later- those words are ringing in my head again. It isn’t from the commercial though - it’s from my inner fantasy football manager. And it’s a question I really need an answer to.

For starters - I can’t help wondering if the Steelers coaching staff is confident with the answer they came up with in 2007. The numbers were good. His 1,316 yards was fourth best in the league. His 321 carries was 3^rd highest. His 4.1 yards per carry wasn’t great - but wasn’t awful by any means - good enough for 15^th on a list of the top 25 running backs. Can this season be classified a disappointment? Continue Reading »

OVERALL FANTASY IMPACT: Below Average

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK: The Bills major offseason acquisitions, through trade (DT Marcus Stroud), free agency (LB Kawika Mitchell) and the draft (CB Leodis McKelvin) were all aimed at the defensive side.

The offense will have to improve from within via the young players the coaches are trusting, but most Bills skill players seem like weak fantasy options.

QUARTERBACK: Trent Edwards appears to be the man for now, since the coaching staff seems to have lost all faith in J.P. Losman. The addition of rookie James Hardy gives Edwards a big target that he lacked last season, but that’s not enough to suggest that Edwards will improve dramatically from the 7 TD passes (4 of which came in one game against Miami) in 10 games he posted a year ago.

The ironic thing is that Losman is probably a better fantasy option with his gunslinger mentality and running ability, but neither should be considered as anything more than a stopgap fantasy option.

Continue Reading »

At the beginning of the 2007 season - I did my best to steer fantasy owners towards RB Jamal Lewis. I forecasted him as a top ten running back, and urged owners to pass on players like Frank Gore and Steven Jackson to get him on their roster. I predicted he would rush for 1,304 yards, score 11 times, and lead the Browns to a surprising 10-6 record.

Okay - part of that statement is true and part of it is not. Jamal Lewis really did accumulate those yards in leading the Browns ground attack - making him the 5^th most productive back in the league. He really was the 6^th best running back in most standard fantasy scoring systems - and he really was a steal where most owners selected him - around 44^th overall in most drafts. The only part that wasn’t true was that I expected any of it to happen.

Not many people did. In 2004 - fresh off a 2,000 yard season - injury limited Lewis to 12 games and barely 1,000 yards. In 2005 - fresh off a spring prison sentence - Lewis appeared a shell of his former self - and limped through a 906 yard, 3.4 yards per carry, 3 touchdown effort - giving credence to rumors that his career was brought to an end by off field problems. 2006, his final year in Baltimore - did little to dispel those reports. 314 carries yielded only 1,132 yards - a paltry 3.6 yards per carry. Continue Reading »

Jay Cutler has had one of those careers that seems longer than it actually is. Maybe it was being big name at the draft - and the subsequent selection to a team that just happen to be looking to replace a legend. Or maybe it was being on a team that had playoff potential - sitting the bench behind a struggling quarterback - and the crowd constantly chanting his name to convince the coach to put him in.

The reality is that Cutler enters ’08 as a third year player - and has only played one full NFL season. After a handful of games his rookie year in ‘06 - he was a solid starter when assuming the reigns in ’07.

The word that stands out on Cutler’s short resume is inconsistent. In 2007, he had non-consecutive games with excellent completion percentages of 74, 75, and 76. In between, he sprinkled in efforts of 54, 50, & 43 percent. His best QB rating of the season was a stellar 141 - but his worse was a nearly non-existent 32. His 20 TD’s were a solid sophomore effort. His 14 interceptions had him looking every bit the inexperienced passer that he is.

The inconsistency is not particularly alarming in a second year player - and the 9-7 record, while disappointing to some, proved he could manage a team from the huddle. Cutler finished 11^th among QB’s in most standard fantasy scoring systems - 12^th in the NFL for QB rating - and pocketed a healthy 3500 passing yards (10^th best in the league). There is every reason to think that Cutler will improve on those numbers - and on his league ranking. Continue Reading »

Entering the 2008 NFL draft, the Chicago Bears had needs. Following up an appearance in the Super Bowl after the 2006 season, the Bears fell flat. One season removed from taking their defensive dominance to the biggest stage, Da Bears finished a pitiful 7-9, including a 3-3 record in the woeful NFC North, and having been swept by the Detroit Lions. Yes, the LIONS!

Rex Grossman took a lot of the heat. And rightfully so - he averaged about 180 passing yards for each start and could only muster 4 touchdowns against 7 interceptions on the season. He struggled so mightily that Chicago benched him and turned to Brian Griese for a good part of the season.

The Bears needed a quarterback and so they would almost certainly grab one in the draft. Continue Reading »

It’s not a surprise when an unknown name rises to the top of the fantasy scoring leaders. It happens almost every year. Though the league will always be separated into back-up, quality, and superstar players - every player on a roster has a reason for being there - and that means they all have the potential to do something special.

Still, when it does happen, it’s difficult not to ask “Where did that guy come from?”

In ’07, the question was directed at Cleveland Browns back-up QB Derek Anderson - an unknown castoff from Baltimore clinging to his NFL life. In week 13 of 2006 - Anderson filled in for an injured Charlie Frye and led his team to a exciting OT victory. But three losses later (including a four interception effort against Tamp Bay), the return of Frye for the final week, and the subsequent drafting of top prospect Brady Quinn in the 2007 draft - the NFL tale of Derek Anderson seemed to be at an end.

But the planets aligned themselves properly for Anderson to get another shot. Rookie Brady Quinn held out in the early season - and wasn’t ready to start - particularly for a coach like Romeo Crennel. Then Charlie Frye played so badly in the first quarter of the season opener - that he wasn’t just pulled from the game - he was traded to Seattle the next day. The reigns were handed over to Anderson - presumably just to keep the spot warm until Brady was ready to go. Continue Reading »