NFL Headlines Cont’d

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eli manning, fantasy predictions, fantasy predictions week 1, Giants, jesue, Jets, mark sanchez, national football league, nfl, nfl headlines, nfl season, sports, tebow, tim tebow, week 1 fantasy predictions, week one fantasy predictions

I told you I would continue my previous post at another time. So here it goes-

Eli Manning throws for 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns and hosts Saturday Night Live once again. His brother Peyton joins him on Saturday Night Live.

Tim Tebow surplants Mark Sanchez on the depth chart by the fourth game of the season. Mark Sanchez is referred to as disciple in the locker room.

Ray Rice and Beanie Wells start a show on Food Network together. Ay thank you.

Darren McFadden plays a full season and wins the rushing title.

Drew Brees has a solid year despite his coach being suspended. His great play lands him endorsements from a fan company. The sales pitch is “Do you feel the Bree’s?”

Calvin Johnson is the first NFL player to not have the Madden curse. The Detroit Pistons think about signing him to their basketball team.

A.J. Green leads the league in reception yards. How about this projected statline 89/1400/10 TD’s

Roddy White continues to be one of the leagues best wide receivers. His stellar play lands him endorsements from fishing supply companies. Their slogan is “Roddy like our Rods, Why can’t you?”

Aaron Rodgers gets Jordy Nelson a Target gift card for his birthday. The Target card has a note on it that says you’re my new favorite Target.

Trent Richardson only rushes for 800 yards. Rookie running backs still have a tough time in their first year of play.

Marquis Colston experiences a setback in production and he is now known as Marquis COLDston. Ay thank you.

Frank Gore gets hurt once again this year and retires. He is now in the Horror Movie Industry.

Monday Night Observations: Jets vs. Texans

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3-4, 3-4 defense, 304, andre johnson, arian foster, arian foster fantasy, best draft advice, bilal powell, fantasy draft advice for beginners, fantasy football help, fantasy football predictions new york jets, fantasy week 1, football, football players, football predictions, football sports, houston texans, houston texans prediction, Jets, ladanian tomlinson, mark sanchez, mark sanzhez fantasy draft, matt schaub, Monday Night Football, national football league, new york, new york jets, new york jets vs. houston texans, nfl, Playoffs, predict fantasy, preseason fantasy predictions, preseason football, preseason predictions, sports, texans, vonta leach, wade phillips, who should i draft in fantasy

Tonight’s game was a sneak peak into two good teams that will contend this year.

The Houston Texans– The Texans showcased their new 3-4 defensive scheme powered by Wade Phillips. This defense will make some plays this year. They have two beasts on each end of the defensive line in rookie J.J. Watt and Mario Williams. The 3-4 scheme allows them to explode off the line giving them a chance to rack up the sacks this year and put serious pressure on the quarterback. University of Arizona standout Brooks Reed looks capable to step in and do some rotational work. Jonathon Joseph will add his skills to the secondary. Starter’s Vonta Leach and Arian Foster did not play and the running game still looked good behind an above average offensive line. T.J. Yates, the UNC alumni, looks like he will be a very good backup quarterback or starter some day with his cool-collected game play. This is the year the Texans will make a splash in the playoffs. Mark my words.

The New York Jets- The Jets were missing some pieces this game (See Plaxico Burress) but looked okay. Santonio Holmes was doing his usual slanting over the middle catching quick passes from “No Risk” Mark Sanchez. I get it though, that works for them and it works well. Derrick Mason looks as if he will fit into the Jets gameplan and looks as if he will play the mentor role to the younger players in New York. Greg McElroy felt his back hit the field many times but kept his composure and completed a lot of passes, he will end up being a good professional football player. Bilal Powell, the standout from Louisville, looks like he could be in the mix for 3rd string running back behind LaDanian Tomlinson and could provide a better change of pace than James McKnight. The Jets defensive line had some strong goal line stands and will be solid once again this year under Rex Ryan’s reign.

 

 If it came down to it, I think the Texans will be the better team this year. Wade Phillips is going to turn around this defense. I can see them making it to the 2nd round in the playoffs. The Jets on the other hand did not make to many upgrades. Do not forget that Plaxico Burress has not played in 2 years so you may want to come of the ESPN high you get every day and come back on down too reality.

Fantasy Draft Advice

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aaron rodgers, atlanta falcons, drew brees, drew brees or tom brady, fantasy, Fantasy football, fantasy football advice, fantasy football advice for dummies, fantasy football advice preseason, fantasy football advice week 1, fantasy football help, fantasy football league, fantasy football predicitons, fantasy football rules, fantasy for newcomers, fantasy for rookies, fantasy sports, fantasy start em sit em, football, green bay packers, michael vick, michael vick or peyton manning, Money, new england patriots, preseason fantasy football, quarterbacks, rewards, roddy white, sports, start or sit

Is this your first year playing fantasy football? Are you that guy at the bottom of  the league standing year in and year out? Do your friends scoff about your fantasy skills when you are not around? I am here today to save your fantasy lives and help you start winning some leagues and owning the bragging rights. 

A great year in fantasy would of course be to win the championship, but that’s not all that counts. There are injuries, trades, and other variables out of your control that can hinder your chances every year. I am here to tell you that you should atleast make the playoffs every year-that is a reflection of your fantasy skills. Your skills should qualify you for chances to win the big prize. Fantasy football is like poker. Yes, it is a game of chance, but there is a lot of skill involved. The same faces are always staring at each other from across the poker tables come tournament time.

This should be your focus:

• Identify the positions that have a lot of depth. Take a scan through the NFL and see which positions feature the most players that can score points. This will enable you to wait longer and pick up more value in the earlier rounds. It’s the basic concept of suppy and demand.
• Pick players in early rounds that comprise most of the league’s scoring style you are in. If you are in a league that favors quarterbacks you may want to draft a Tom Brady, Michael Vick, or Aaron Rodgers in the first round. If the league you are in is a PPR (Points Per Reception) you may want to take a player like Roddy White or Andre Johnson. Your primary focus is to focus on the best player possible relevant to the type of league you are in.
• Take Risks and Reap Rewards. Leave your wussy conservative style home on Draft day and take some risks. Who knew last year how good Mike Williams or Brandon Lloyd were going to be. Take your chances on sleepers and do not always count on the stats they had the year prior to this upcoming year.

I wish you luck this year unless you are in my draft. I have won 2 straight fantasy baseball championships, made the playoffs in all 4 football leagues I was in last year, and won championships in 2 out of the 3 leagues in Football the year prior to that.

Tell your friends on draft day to “Stop Hatin” on your game and draft like a champ.

 

 

 

Overlooked Cowboys

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The Cowboys will be contenders this year.

In the midst of the Eagle’s Dream team predictions they are going unnoticed like the pretty girl in 6th grade hidden behind glasses and frizzy hair.

They have a new head coach in Jason Garrett who turned the absymmal 2010-2011 Cowboys around. The Cowboys also bring in Rex Ryan’s evil brother to shape up the soft defense from a year ago. Wade Phillips will no longer be there to allow the Cowboy’s players to have a free for all on and off the field. The new philosphies that will be put into place in Texas will put the Cowboys back on the map.

Tony Romo will be able to pass the football to many weapons including: Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, and Miles Auston. I can gaurantee you that Felix Jones will be more than a valuable asset to the star studded offense as well. 

The only reservation I have about the Cowboys this year is the tough division that they are in. Playing against the Big Blue, Philadelphia, and a below average but hard hitting Redskins team each twice a year can be like putting a lot of miles on your car.

The Cowboys will end up being 9-7 or 10-6 and will wind up playing the last game of the year in desperation mode for a wildcard spot.

All I can ask you is ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

NFL Midseason Awards

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Championship, dallas cowboys, Defense, Fantasy football, football, Football Season, Grades, new york giants, nfl, Offense, Playoffs, Raheem Morris, sports, tampa bay bucs

Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports Blogger

Now that every team in the league has played 8 games, teams pretty much are who they are. There are no fluke teams left who are just winning games because they are lucky or are being looked past by other teams. The Raiders, Chiefs, and Bucs are better than expected, while the Cowboys, Vikings, Bengals and Chargers have left many unimpressed, although the Chargers always start slow and are in the mix at the end of the season every single year.

Since we’re halfway through the season, it’s only fair to start taking a look at some mid-season awards, so let’s get right to it.

Coach of the Year: Raheem Morris – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Call me a bit of a homer here, but this is a guy who was promoted from DB coach to Defensive Coordinator to Head Coach all at the same time before last season. With cries of rebuilding from the front office, the Bucs became the youngest team in the league and won only 3 games all of last year. This year, through only half of the season the Bucs are 5-3 with those 3 losses coming against the Steelers, who many believe are the best team in football, the Saints who are defending Super Bowl Champs, and the Falcons who are a very dangerous team with a very potent offense. The Bucs are the 28^th youngest team in the league this year and maybe people have taken that for granted. Raheem has the defense laying hat, and Josh Freeman has been improving every single game.

MVP – Peyton Manning, QB Indianapolis Colts – I hate this guy. I really do. I’ve hated “Seyton” since his days in ugly orange at Tennessee, but the guy can throw the rock around. So far this year he’s got 2,478 yards with 16 TDs to only 4 INTs, and that is with a depleted receiving core. Look for Peyton to keep putting up big numbers and take home yet another MVP trophy at year’s end.

Offensive Player of the Year – Philip Rivers, QB San Diego Chargers – If it wasn’t for his team being under .500, Rivers would be a lock for MVP. He’s on pace to throw for 3 million yards this season and has a QB rating of 102.9, which ranks third among quarterbacks in the league behind only Mike Vick and Vince Young (really, that is not a typo), coupled with the most TDs in the league (19). This guy gets his stats every week. If the Chargers can make a push and get to the playoffs, Rivers may take the MVP award home, leaving Peyton empty handed.

Defensive Player of the Year – James Harrison, LB Pittsburgh Steelers – This was really a tossup between Harrison and Clay Matthews of the Packers. Harrison takes the edge while trailing Matthews in overall sacks because Harrison has more overall tackles, more INTs and just has a way of getting it done week in and week out.

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Mike Williams, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers –  Williams leads all rookies in receptions with 36, yards with 559, and receiving TDs with 5. He is and has been the Bucs #1 WR since training camp and has the offense in Tampa looking a lot better than it has in recent years. The only player who may come close to taking this trophy away from Williams is Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford.

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Eric Berry, S Kansas City Chiefs – This is one race that is still wide open for the taking. Berry gets the nod thus far for having 45 tackles, 2 INTs and a Forced Fumble, and being on the Chiefs who surprised just about everyone with their play this year.

Comeback Player of the Year – Mike Vick, QB Philadelphia Eagles – Vick has the best QB rating in the league at 105.3, and having 261 yards rushing in only 5 games played (two of which he didn’t play the whole game). He has been nothing short of the most entertaining player on the field at all times no matter who the opponent is and has show vast improvement in his passing game since his “me first” days in Atlanta.

So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me know why in the comments.

Interview with Professional Boxer Marcus Willis

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Boxing, Dunbar, sports, Ticketmaster

Contributed by Mike Mills-CityofSports Blogger

If you’ve opened the sports page of the Ft. Myers News Press anytime over the last 10 years, chances are you’ve seen Marcus Willis’s face. He grew up in a boxing ring inside of the gym at the STARS complex, and his accomplishments throughout his stellar amateur career and budding professional career have been read and admire by many. Dunbar High School is where I first met Marcus when we entered the school as 9^th graders, and a friendship was built and has lasted still to this day.

On Friday, November 12, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel in Tampa, Marcus (won 5 (KO 2) + lost 1 (KO 0) + drawn 2) will be fighting his 9^th professional bout in the “Ballroom Brawl” against Gerald Johnson (won 7 (KO 5) + lost 2 (KO 1) + drawn 1). I got a chance to catch up with “Magic” Marcus during a break in training, and here’s what went down:

 CoS: What was your amateur record and achievements?

MW: 107-18, 26x state champ, 8x S.E. Regional champ, 2004 under 19 national silver medalist, 2006 golden glove bronze medalist, ranked nationally in top 10 from 2004-2008

CoS: That’s beyond impressive. You’re fighting in the Ballroom Brawl on the 12^th. How do I get tickets?

MW: You can search “ballroom brawl” on ticketmaster.com, call 813-503-8109 or just buy them at the door.

CoS: What weight are you fighting at?

MW: a catch weight at 152.

CoS: Do you do anything special leading up to the fight to prepare yourself?

MW: Not really, just pray a little more.

CoS: What gym do you train at?

MW: the Ft. Myers Police Athletic League and Fight Zone.

CoS: How many hours a day do you spend in the gym leading up to a fight versus just staying in shape?

MW: Well, I’m always in the gym. I’m somewhat of a gym rat, I can’t stay away for too long. Sometimes I find myself in the gym like all day anywhere from 3 to 7 hours in preparation for a fight. When I’m just staying in shape I’ll train on average an hour and a half to 2 hours.

CoS: Do you watch film of your opponent?

MW: Because of my career is at its starting ages its really not much video out there of opponents. If I find something, I’ll watch maybe once or twice to check for habits. I let my dad/trainer do the opponent studying.

CoS: What do you feel the benefits of having your dad as a trainer?

MW: He’s known me and my habits and how to get in my head all my life, and. I’m not going to find another trainer that’s going to care about my well being more than my dad. It’s a chemistry that we’ve built. It’s not always smooth, but what is? We’ve always got the job done.

CoS: Do you go in to a fight with a game plan or adapt to what your opponent is doing or how you’re feeling on fight night?

MW: my game plan is always to establish my jab and control the fight. I don’t really read much into having a game plan. Once you’re in the ring and the adrenaline is flowing, some things change, but if it’s something that we have trained and worked on constantly in the gym it will come naturally.

CoS: What do you feel is your best asset as a boxer?

MW: My determination, hard work and dedication. I have a lot of God given abilities, but if I didn’t work hard those wouldn’t produce the way God meant for it.

CoS: Who are some of the people you have sparred with that a lot of people would recognize?

MW:  Winky Wright, Andre Berto, Kasim Ouma, and Nate Campbell are the biggest names that I’ve sparred, all world champions.

CoS: Wow! That’s quite the line up. What did those people tell you about your future in boxing?

MW: They feel if I continue to put the hard work that I have been putting in I have a bright future ahead of me. Actually, Nate Campbell is my manager.

CoS: What is your prediction for the fight on the 12th?

MW: A knockout is how I want it to end, regardless a great fight.
CoS: What can we expect from you in the future?

MW: Hopefully some championship fights down the line. Definitely some entertaining crowd pleasing fights. Beyond the sky is the limit…nah there is no limit.

The Sissification of Modern Sports

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Baseball, Basketball, Defense, football, heat, hockey, james harrison, kobe bryant, lakers, lebron james, modern, Offense, Players, points, quarterback, quarterbacks, running back, sports, steelers, superstar, tackle

-Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports Blogger

Sports used to be exciting to watch because you never knew when that bone crunching hit was coming, you never knew when the pitcher would throw some chin music and the batter would rush the mound and punches would actually be thrown (although baseball does get credit for policing themselves during the course of a game), you never knew a smaller guard would be coming down the lane, and get pummeled by a center, leading to a fight (unless it was the Heat and Knicks, in which case you were pretty much guaranteed to see some fisticuffs). Now, quarterbacks are untouchable, when benches clear, it’s usually for a staring contest, and Ron Artest took things to the extreme on the hardwood, and ruined sports fights for everyone not in a ring or cage. 

There used to be a time in the NBA, not so long ago, in which there was this term “playoff basketball.” This meant the referees tended to look the other way on touch fouls. Hell, they used to look the other way unless there were punches thrown. Teams used to have nicknames like “the bad boys” and were KNOWN for playing rough, maybe even a little dirty. That is, until the “Jordan Rules” went in to effect. This meant no touching the superstar. Anytime you even thought about so much as breathing on His Airness, the whistles were out. These rules are still in effect for the stars in the league, when I would argue the issue that needs to be looked at is all the flopping that has become rampant the past few years. It used to only be Vlade Divac. Shawn Bradley was terrible, but at least he had the decency to stand there and get dunked on. Instead, the league has completely cut off players from trying to persuade the refs, even in a nice way. There will be an all time high in technical fouls given this year. Write it down. You are no longer allowed to:

• Make aggressive gestures, including air punches, anywhere on the court.

• Disagree with the ref in an overt manner, the whole look of amazement genre.

• Run directly at a ref to complain.

• Drag out the postmortem of a foul call with continued questions, even if it’s done politely.

• Display any body language that indicates the call is being protested.

Kevin Garnett got a technical foul in the preseason for looking at a ref. Not saying anything, or making any aggressive gesture, for question the ref; he simply looked at the ref as though he had made a bad call. Where will David Stern draw the line? My guess is anywhere that increases league revenue. 

Watching football this past weekend was entertaining for those who like to see points on the board, end zone celebrations (the ones that are still allowed), and quarterbacks smiling. Unfortunately, for those of us who like to see defense on the football field, new rules put in place have players scared of being suspended.  Players are now terrified to lower their head and bring the pain, because the NFL, while having the players health in mind, is becoming more and more offensive minded, which means keeping offensive players on the field.

A few years ago it was made so that quarterbacks, as sacred as they are, became even more untouchable. These guys might as well not even be considered football players anymore. I could have sworn that these guys wear helmets and pads just like everyone else on the field. In fact, the quarterback wears a flack jacket, which is another level of protection that isn’t given to any other position player on either side of the ball. If it isn’t a penalty to tackle a running back who has the ball below the knees, then there is no reason the quarterbacks should be protected from that same hit. The NFL came out after week 6, in which there were a number of injuries caused by big hits, and said that players who lead with their helmet will face not only a fine, which they were already subject to, but a suspension as well. Games were undoubtedly affected by this new punishment. Sadly, it may be exactly what the NFL wants to see, and not just in terms of player safety.

The problem with the new rules lies in the clarity of them. There isn’t a clear definition for what a defenseless receiver is. Unless these guys are running around with no helmets or shoulder pads, I would argue they are not defenseless. James Harrison, who said he leads with his head to hurt people, not injure them (say what?), was seen giving up on plays in which he otherwise would have tried to cause a turnover. I remember watching Monday Night Football, and hearing Jaws say countless times, “You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel.” Well, Mr. Jaworski, that’s just not the case anymore. The sissification of the NFL is nearly complete, all that’s left is the uniform changing from pants to skirts.

My main issue with the commissioners of these leagues, besides turning our sports in to hugging contests and battles of good sportsmanship, is that they are putting certain players, or certain positions above the overall entertainment value of the league. Quarterbacks are not special. Kobe Bryant should get the same calls as Luke Walton. As long as certain players are treated as untouchables, sports as we know it will become more and more sissified.