Shonn Greene

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FANTASY FOOTBALL: Avoid drafting these 10 potential busts…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 26, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 16 Comments

You spend so much time preparing for your draft; studying player’s past perfomanaces, checking out possible sleepers, breakout candidates, and up and coming rookies. Yet your season can be lost with just a couple of draft picks that fail to meet your  expectations. Here are some potential busts that you should consider avoiding if possible…

1. Reggie Bush-RB- Dolphins- Whenever his name comes up, not long after, the word ‘injury’ undoubtedly follows. Although last year was an anomaly for Bush, he did manage to miss 20 games over the 2010 and 2009 seasons. He rushed for 1086 yards and 6 TDs last season but can you sleep at night without wondering if or when another injury could impede his season? Is his 6 TD’s worth that kind of worry?

#22 Reggie Bush is a tackle away from yet another injury. RB Daniel Thomas will take more carries away from Bush as well. Photo: Marc Serota/Getty Images

2. Rashard Mendenhall-RB-Steelers- My rule of thumb when it comes to running backs coming off of ACL or MCL or any major injury is “let the buyer beware.” Mendenhall is such a back. He tore his right ACL in week 17 and more than likely will begin the season on the PUP list. He wasn’t having a great season before his injury and without knowing how viable a RB he’ll be this year, try to avoid drafting the sexy name, and seek another option instead.

3. Josh Freeman-QB-Buccaneers- Freeman and the next potential bust, Vincent Jackson almost go hand in hand. Mark Sanchez wasn’t the only QB to regress last year. Freeman managed to finish the season with the league’s second most picks, 22 against 16 TDs. Rookie sensation Doug Martin, (one of our Rookie’s to consider this season), will be making up the majority of an already lackluster offense in Tampa Bay; taking some of the pressure off of Freeman. Unfortunately when games get out of hand, he’ll be forced to air it out and that’s when INT’s begin to mount up. Stay clear.

4. Vincent Jackson-WR-Buccaneers- Staying in Tampa Bay, we’re suggesting that V-Jax be avoided if possible as their are danger signs on the outspoken $56 million T.B. pickup in the off season. The offense, as stated above, will be a run heavy one (so says new head coach Greg Schiano), and by leaving the very capable passing prowess of Philip Rivers for a much lower tierd QB in Josh Freeman… well, can you spell bust?

5. Laurent Robinson-WR-Jaguars- In some ways similar to Vincent Jackson, the speedster who exploded for 11 TD’s last year with Dallas, now finds himself on a Jags team with unproven and unimpressive QB Blaine Gabbert istead of a more seasoned Tony Romo. Forget about double-digit touchdowns from Robinson this year. Maurice Jones-Drew and another rookie that we like, Justin Blackmon, will probably make up the major portion  of the Jags’ offense although as Gabbert goes, so will the Jags. Avoid or draft with caution.

6. Mark Sanchez-QB-Jets- The ‘Sanchise’ did a 180 last year and like Josh Freeman,  Sanchez suffered through a regression leading his team to a pedestrian and under achieving 8-8 finish. With the signing of  Tim Terrific, Sanchez, besides losing snaps to the southpaw will find his passes to the endzone limited because of Tebow scampering in on wildcat type of plays. Therefore don’t look for him to put up even ‘Sanchez type of numbers’ like he did in ’09 and ’10. There are other QBs to consider before grabbing this potential and probable bust.

#6 QB Mark Sanchez’ numbers will make him a potentional bust with the addition of Tim Tebow on offense. Photo: nasorb.com

Other potenial busts that you might want to consider leaving on the draft board for someone else are:

Adrian Peterson-RB-Vikings- ACL and MCL tear last Christmas Eve.

Shonn Greene- RB-Jets- Tebow will get short yardage opportunities.

Antonio Gates-TE-Chargers- Foot injuries the last two seasons.

LeGarrette Blount-RB-Buccaneers- Will take a back seat to Doug Martin.

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Jets schedule should have them to ‘flying’ into the playoffs…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on April 22, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

The N.Y. Jets finished the 2010 season 11-5 which earned them a trip to the playoffs. Rex Ryan’s bold Super Bowl predictions prior to the 2011 season, set the bar a bit too high for the over-achieving Jets and the pressure seemed to get the best of them as Mark Sanchez and his band of merry men regressed and finished with an 8-8 season, keeping them out of the playoffs. However, and just hear me out on this, their 2012 schedule is really a Jet-friendly one, if you were to analyze some of it’s components. It’s one that I feel will surely get them another playoff birth at season’s end.

With the way the N.Y. Jets schedule is set up, they should be 'flying high' come playoff time. Photo: Dave Campbell

Here is how the schedule helps them and also what they must do in order to increase their chances for success in 2012.

For starters, after looking at the quarterbacks on their opposing teams, there are only five Pro-Bowl caliber QB’s to be found: Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, Matt Schaub, and Alex Smith. Although not a perennial Pro-Bowl type quarterback, I threw Smith into the mix by virtue of last season’s  performance where he led the 49ers to a 13-3 season; one very much improved over the previous campaign when they were 6-10.

Of course, this does not guarantee that the Jets will win all the other games because the quality of their opponent’s quarterbacks are not as good; it just means their chances of success increases. Especially if they hope to return to the days when rushing the passer was their number one priority on defense. In 2010, when the Jets went 11-5, they had 40 sacks, just 7 behind the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers who led the league that year.

Ben Roethlisberger getting sacked by a group of Jets defenders at Heinz Field in a 24-19 loss to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game on January 23, 2011. Photo: UPI/Kevin Dietsch

The other glaring note of interest in the Jets 2012 schedule is that they will only face two teams on the road that made it to the playoffs last year. The Jets went 6-2 on the road in 2010 and 2-6 last season. The two playoff teams that they’ll face on the road this season are the Steelers and the Patriots.

Putting their schedule aside, the first thing that the Jets need to consider doing as they prepare for the NFL draft that begins on Thursday, is to find a way to trade up and get a shot at the best RB in the draft-Trent Richardson. Before you shake you head and roll your eyes, consider this..the Jets have had a marked propensity for and a history of trading up in order to grab top notch players in drafts. They traded up in order  to get Darrelle Revis, Dustin Keller, and Mark Sanchez, for example, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for them to go after Richardson.. Improbable? Maybe. Impossible? No.

They need someone to compliment their very pedestrian RB Shonn Greene. Now that Schottenheimer is gone, Rex has said that he will return to the days of his ground and pound offense. Having Tim Tebow will help as Denver, thanks in part to Tebow, had more rushing yards than any team in the league last year. But they need to go after someone else. If Richardson is off the board, LaMichael James, who led the Oregon Ducks with 2,000 all purpose yards and 19 TD last season is probably one of the best of the rest. Although it wouldn’t be disappointing if the speedster Lamar Miller out of Miami or even the very strong, and agile Doug Martin out of Boise St. who has also been adept in returning kicks with blazing speed, were also on the Jets short list next week.

#21Oregon RB LaMichael James would be one of the best running backs to grab after Trent Richardson. Photo: GoDucks.com

Besides adding another running back, they also need to explore the draft in search of another WR and pass rusher. If they can score some decent players at these positions, if Tim Tebow’s presence is not an overwhelming distraction, if Mark Sanchez can learn to coexist with Tebow, and if Rex Ryan can duct tape his mouth shut, I think the Jets, mainly because of their schedule, will have a season that will surprise most.

OUR PICKS- The Next Day…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on December 12, 2011
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

1. Lions just squeak by the Vikings-

This was our first of 4 wins out of five on the day. We mentioned the Lion’s propensity for dirty plays and stupid penalties and they didn’t disappoint us. 10 penalties for 76 yards was the final tally, and then the game ended on the Lions 1 yard line with DeAndre Levy grabbing the facemask of QB sub Joe Webb with the ball slipping away to end the game. Of course the there was no call against Levy…An ineffective Christian Ponder through two intetceptions and with the score 31-14 in the 3rd, he was lifted for backup Joe Webb who through for 84 yards and  a TD and ran for 109 and a TD. It was Webb who kept the game as close as it was but the Lions prevailed and ran their record to 8-5.

Backup QB Joe Webb kept the game vs the Lions close by throwing & passing for a touchdown. Photo: Leon Halip/Getty Images

2. Jets handle the inept Chiefs 37-10- We didn’t think this was going to be the blowout that it was given the Chiefs normal stout defense but it was the complete play of QB Mark Sanchez that turned this game into one. He threw AND rushed for 2 touchdowns each and Shonn Greene, who we also mentioned in our Picks, just continued where he had left off the week prior when he scored 3 TD’s, He scored another yesterday on 129 rushing yards. Palko was sacked 5 times making it 11 in the four games he’s started. The Jets ‘D’ held the Chiefs to just 4 yards of offense in the first half! Jets win their 3rd in a row, are 8-5, and travel down the turnpike to play the Eagles next week.

Jets RB Shonn Grene had 187 total all purpose yards vs the Chiefs Sunday and a score. Photo: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

3. Dolphins loose to the Eagles 26-10- This is the one game that we lost last week. How bad did the Dolphins play? Well, it was the most points they gave up since week 4, and the fewest points they scored in a game all year! Philadelphia took advantage of three takeaways to score 24 points during a 9-minute span in the second quarter, and later sent Miami quarterback Matt Moore to the sideline with a head injury. He and backup QB J.P. Losman were sacked 9 times by the Eagles. We highlighted Reggie Bush in our picks and he had 130 yards of total offense; 103 on the ground. Other than him the Dolphins were just outplayed. Didn’t see this coming (nor did Miami…)

Miami head coach Tonty Sparano on the sidelines wondering what happened to his Dolphin offense vs the Eagles. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

4. Bolts blow away the Bills in a rout 37-10- We had said that Rivers was playing more like the Rivers of old and he put on another clinic for the home crowd. His numbers 24/33- 240- 3 and 0 INT with a QB rating of 123.3. Bills QB Fitzpatrick, who we said would have at least his usual 40 attempts passed 34 times with 0 TD and 2 picks to go along with an embarrassing QB rating of 31. Losers now of 6 straight, the Bills year cannot end quick enough. The Chargers who are 2 games behind the Broncos in the AFC West are still gunning for a wild card but won’t have an easy time as they’ll face the Ravens at home on Sunday night.

This Bills Santa looks on in disbelief yesterday in their 37-10 loss to the Chargers. Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images

5. Tebow & the Broncos in a another OT thriller over the Bears-

Tim Tebow takes a moment for prayer prior to facing the Bears at Mile High. Looks like his prayers were answered... Photo: AP

 The last five words that we wrote last week describing this game was “Broncos in a close one.” Now, that looks like an understatement! At first the game almost put you to sleep as the 0-0 score at halftime would indicate. Tebow was half asleep himself throwing 3 of 16 for 45 yards by the end of the half. And then it was Tebow being Tebow with an 18-24-191-1 performance in the second half. He just finds a way to turn it on every week and so it’s the one game we never turn off no matter what the score is. The Denver ‘D’, which we reccommended in our pickups last week, was strong as ever, giving up just 10 points, 5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Give K Matt Prater an assist in this one again kicking a 59  yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, and then a 51 yarder that won it in OT. Amazing!

Place Kicker Matt Prater kicking the 51 yard winning field goal in OT vs the Bears. Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

* Last week    4-1

** Season      41-24