scherber830

Read this today in the Minneapolis Strib. http://www.startribune.com/507/story/637948-p2.html "Sometimes agents have a bad influence on a player, and some people close to ex- Gophers running back Laurence Maroney are convinced that one reason the Patriots' top draft choice didn't do well at the end of last season was that his agent was telling him to make sure he didn't get hurt. Maroney has beaten out Corey Dillon for the No. 1 running back spot with the Patriots, and his coaches are convinced he is going to be one of the league's most productive running backs." It's from Sid's column, so the part about Moroney being No. 1 could be total nonsense. But it IS scary to think of Moroney last season with the Gophers going half-ass and still putting up the numbers he did. It kinda shows he wasn't all for the team in college, just looking out for himself, but to think Moroney could be even better than advertised makes me want to draft him higher. Take it for what it's worth. But my prediction this year is that Moroney becomes the workhorse in New England.

Why would a Strib beat writer have any definitive info on the Indy RB situation? Am I missing something?

I drafted a couple weeks ago and Bush fell to me at 5.02. Prior to the draft I was in the camp that felt Bush was over-hyped as a 1-3 rounder ahead of Starting RBs who will get most of the carries (Dunn, Foster, Parker, etc). But in the 5th round I had to take him based on his hype and upside over guys like Fred Taylor or LenDale White. The fact is ITS FOCKING PRESEASON...whether you were hyping Bush following his Preseason Game 1 or saying "he is a total goat" following this game....ITS PRESEASON. Bush will be a dynamic talent who shares carries and breaks off the occasional big time highlight reel play, but also is not a dependable 20 carry back. This we knew before the preseason, and this is how it will be. So everyone find a new thread to be in. Wow u r g ay

Wow. He had 20 TDs with them one year....SLEEPER!!

I know. It's only preseason, but LJ has shown nothing and he's lost 3 of his starting lineman. Their passing game doesn't exactly sacre anyone outside of Gonzo and he is not the receiving threat Priest was. Defenses can run up 8 guys to stop him. I'm probably wrong but I might feel safer with LT or Shaun as of now. Preseason is never a good indicator of things to come though. I think the Roaf retirement could be huge to LJ. I dunno. Is he still in the top 2? ANY possibility for a letdown season. Or is he too good to pass up at #1 overall?

There aren't any real stories about this, but some of the KFAN guys talked briefly about whether Zygi and the Triangle would consider trading for this guy. I'm not saying it will happen, but Zygi and Co. have proven to be pretty proactive when it comes to personel. I'm in one of those leagues where we draft early due to people going back to school and other endeavors, and I drafted Lelie with the idea that he'd get traded somewhere where he had the chance to be #1. IMO the idea of Lelie on the Vikings is far more intriguing than if he went to the Niners or Eagles. The Vikes are in need of a Go-to-guy on Offense. Lelie could stretch the field and maybe just maybe he is more willing to work on becoming a complete WR if he is given such a lucrative opportunity. I know Lelie's got flaws but maybe he'd be a good get.

OKay. So I understand the hesitation to automatically annoint Reggie Bush as the NFL's version of Jordan. But for those of you who naysay him and say he is going to be a huge disappointment as a 2nd or 3rd round pick...Are the other options really that much safer/better? JLewis - looked tired and slow last year. Can a better offeseason make the difference? Mike Anderson was great last year, will he be religated to just being the backup? Is he anywhere near that JLewis we saw when he rushed for over 2K? D. Foster - He'll probably get hurt. DeAngelo sniping a few carries? Goalline? Denver RBs - Good luck. C. Dillon - Age. Declining production at least yardage-wise and ypc. L. Moroney, the Gopher, taking carries? W. Dunn - I hate on him every year and he always proves me wrong...but this is def. the year he sucks. Anyways, you get the picture. So basically what I'm sayin is why not Bush instead of one of these guys? It's not like you are taking his upside over some "sure things" at RB in these rounds. Bush has questions and some risk about him, but so do a lot of the other guys outside the top 10.

jeez. save the tears dude. I'll wait for your defensive probably sarcastic retort.

I've tried it. The year Ricky got too high and quit before the season, yep had him at like #9 overall or something....you'll never convince me that its better to draft early. But I can kinda see what you mean, there's a certain amount of stradegy that goes into drafting before preseason is over. Anyways, DeShaun Foster is my breakout player this year. After his solid playoffs last year, and the fact that I think Fox wants to run more this year I think Foster has loads of upside. But everyone knows he's a huge injury risk, this is nothing new. It just comes down to whether you have the balls to take him so early with all his risk AND you need to invest a higher draft pick on his handcuff than say FWP or JLewis. I say take him with confidence but Go with your gut man.

Fitz is in his third year and has had a chance to learn more of the ins and outs of the NFL. He improved on his solid rookie campaign and should only get better. The addition of Edge will not neccesarily decrease Fitz numbers because Fitz was the top redzone target and deep threat on the Cards. If anything Edge's arrival will limit the need for the short pass on 3rd and short (Boldin's speciality). Boldin will still get his, but I see Fitzgerald scoring a ton of TDs this year. As for Chambers, Daunte WILL make him a better WR...and he was top 10-15 before Daunte got there. That is all.

Koro is a lock as a starter already. Looks good in camp and even caught a long bomb last night against the KC Chiefs in their scrimmage/practice. Childress has already annointed him as a starter. The alcohol issues look to be behind him and the rehab story is a nonissue. He has had no problems off-the-field since joining the Vikes and looks like the "changed man" he claims to be. A nice sleeper this year. As for WR2 it is between Trav Taylor, Marcus Robinson, and Troy Williamson. Robinson is more of a situational type guy in the redzone and on third down than he is every-down wideout. His strength is winning jump balls either on deep throws or the endzone. Taylor is your prototypical crisp route runner/possession guy. Best suited for #3. TWill is def going to get every opportunity to win the starting role. Koro and TWill

Fitzgerald is in for a huge year. At the UofP he was clearly one of the most dynamic and consistent players in all of college football. I don't know the exact numbers offhand, but I know he scored a TD in a ridiculous amount of consecutive games. He got to the NFL and teamed with Boldin and instantly made an impact with 8 TDs in his rookie year. And in 2005, he made the jump to the elite of NFL wideouts. This year, he has another year of seasoning under his belt (his 3rd year) and with imporved understanding of the offense, opposing defenses tendencies, press coverage, and things of that nature he is poised for even better numbers. As a Minnesota homer, I remember the recent glory years with the Vikes with Moss, Carter, and Robert Smith. In 2001, Moss and CC went for 1437 and 15, and 1274 and 9, with Robert Smith still rushing for over 1500. I'm not trying to say Fitz, Boldin, and Edge can or will post similar numbers individually as the Vikings of 98-01, but it does give an example of how an offense under Denny can operate with so many weapons. I feel the addition of Edge can only help Fitz. If you look at the Cards offensive stats at season's end, they were in the middle of the pack in overall offense and scoring. This means there is plenty of room for improvement and that Edge getting his will not neccessarily means decreased #s for Fitzy. Fitz is a redzone beast with Moss-like ball skills and jump-ball-winning ability. Also more of a deep threat than Boldin, Fitzgerald will surely get enough opportunities to post Top 5 WR numbers.