Cavaliere19

Yes, Shanahan did praise him lots in the offseason, but the most telling fact about his talent is the fact he was kept on the active roster despite suffering a 10-12 week injury. Normally, a 5th round rookie RB on a team with decent RB depth would NEVER take up a precious a roster spot for nearly half the season, UNLESS the coach felt he had tremendous talent, and could be a difference maker down the stretch. With roster space at an all time premium, and with a defense that sucks, I would have to assume that Torain is going to get a chance to be the primary ball carrier here the 2nd half of the year. The guy has tremendous talent, but he's been bitten with the injury bug several times. Luckily it's just an elbow, and he's been able to stay in good physical condition during his rehab. Shanahan has already said he's modeled his offense after NE last year, which means as the nasty weather comes in Nov and December, don't be shocked if Denver reverts to their old run first mentality. Both to protect the ball, and to protect their defense. If you've got dead weight on your roster, it can't hurt to add him now before someone else does. I actually drafted him in the last round of my 12-team keeper league and have been stashing him on my bench hoping he turns into an impact fantasy player late in the season.

Montana, I hear ya, but I just don't think anyone could have predicted that after 4 weeks Turner would be the #1 scoring back in most Fantasy Formats, and to have not only a 200 yard game under his belt, but a 3-TD game, in the span of just 4 weeks as well. I expected decent numbers, but those have to be nearly unheard of stats for a RB in just his first four starts.

Most people on this board had Turner pegged for 1000 yards rushing and 5 Tds. Well folks, he's already got the 5tds, and he's halfway to that 1k yards AFTER 4 GAMES! He hasn't had two good games and two bad games. He's had two MONSTER games and two subpar games. It's also funny how quickly a def can go from being "tough" to being beatable. Take the Packers for example. Week 1, this looked like a bad matchup for Tuner. Now, it looks quite favorable. The Packers D is in shambles, Rodgers probably won't play, and the Pack will be starting their own rookie QB. Things are very fluid from week to week in the NFL, so don't go crazy trying to over analyze a team's schedule. Turner is a young RB with only 4 starts on his resume, on a team with a young O-line and QB. This offense is only going to get better as the year goes on. Ask any Turner owner and they will tell you he has already surpassed their wildest expectations and the season is only 4 games old.

I think Peyton wanted a full stable of his most senior wrs vs the Monte Kiffin Tampa 2 defense. There needs to be lots of reads by the the QB/WRs against his schemes, and I believe Peyton didn't feel comfortable putting Meachem out there for his first regular season action. He also doesn't play on special teams, so unless he is game planned to be used as a WR3, he doesn't hold any value for the team. Remember though, the #2 receiver on this team is really Bush, and you could argue that Shockey will be #3. Expect Patten/Moore/Henderson/Meachem to be the flavor of the week.

Did you think Sammy Morris would take touches away from Maroney last year? NE doesn't sign people to sit the bench. Jordan is a bigger, faster version of Kevin Faulk. (When he isn't suffering with a balky back) NE will establish the run game earlier in the season this year, but they are going to do it with a hydra-like running game of all of those guys. It was quite obvious having Maroney fresh for late in the season/playoffs worked wonders last year, so I see no reason why they won't do the same thing this year. Maroney will get the majority of the touches % wise, but there are simply going to be too many hands in the NE running game cookie jar to make him anything more than a low end #2 and a frustrating start from week to week.

I don't get all the fuss. No one is trying to claim Portis is an elite, "win a game by himself" fantasy RB (not in his current situtation). What he is going to give you is a consistant weekly performance you can hang your hat on, with the occasional big game. In this day in the NFL, he's one of the every down backs left in the league, that alone gives him tons of value. He doesn't split time, won't come out for a situational sub, and plays (well) with nagging injuries. If I had to grab him as my #1 rb, I'd feel comfortable grabbing a rookie rb with some upside (stewart, K. Smith, Forte) and pair them both with a middle tier veteran (T. Jones, E. Graham).

According to Madden/Michaels during the HOF game sunday, Zorn only replaced the passing game with his west coast scheme, and is leaving much of Gibbs' running game in place, hence the reason they retained Joe Bugel as the o-line coach. The counter trey can work wonders for Portis as long as their athletic guards can stay healthy, something that didn't happen for most of last year, which had a negative effect on Portis' YPC. Based upon his years in Seattle, look for Portis to be very active in the Zorn version of the pass game with a heavy dose of screen passes, a la Green Bay. The Packers have always been an elite screen pass team, and Shaun Alexander thrived as a pass catcher early in his career (44, 59, 42 receptions in years 2, 3 and 4) when Holmgren arrived. (Remember that famous 5-TD game Alexander had that Monday night? He had an 80yard TD on a screen pass) For whatever reason the Seattle offense in recent years almost totally turned away from throwing to their RBs on running downs. Based upon the NFC east's glut of pass rushing teams, I can envision the Redskins using the screen game as a way to slow the rush. Look for Portis to make at least half a dozen big plays (30+ yards) in the passing game this year.

If they don't "trust" Maroney to carry the ball, they why have they not added a RB this offseason. No free agents, and none in the draft. This, despite the fact Sammy Morris is coming off a very serious chest injury, and is 30+, and Kevin Faulk is bail out option for Brady. They brought Maroney along slowly last year because of his shoulder injury, because they had the luxury to. When he got his chances at the end of the year and was healthy, he was excellent. If they roll into the preseason with their current stable of backs, I expect Maroney to be a big part of the offense. 1200yards, 10+ TD totals. Remember, the Pats on paper have a cake walk schedule in 08, but the Jets have greatly upgraded their pass rush, Dolphins and Bills will be better on defense and teams are going to gamble by coming after Brady with pressure. Best way to slow that down, is a running game.

Brees is up there. Shredded the best Def the'll play this year last week (sans maybe the Colts). Plays 6 of the last 8 games inside, and faces no "dominant" defenses the rest of the year. Carolina and Tampa being the toughest. They've adjusted to the loss of Deuce, and will contine to throw the ball twice as many times as they run it.

Every year there are a handful of back-up rbs that are good players to target in a keeper league. They can usually be obtained for cheap because they are current backups, but have the potential to score starting gigs in the following season because of free agency, or an aging player ahead of them. Two examples from the last few years that come to mind are LJ and Lamont Jordan. Both were playing behind pro bowl runners and became great fantasy players (ok, Jordan's lasted 1 season) when they got a chance to start. Here are a few guys you can get now, and stash on your roster in hopes they tab a starting gig in 2008. Michael Turner - He's been in this position for a few years now. But it sounds like he really is going to become a FA next year. Like LJ, he has shown flashes of brilliance in limited playing time. Could be a real stud depending on what team/scheme he goes to. DeAngelo Williams - Foster is signed to a big cap amount next year, and it seems unlikely the Pathers will retain him. The chances of Williams getting his shot increase if there is a coaching change in Carolina as well. He's been inconsistant, but has shown flashes of big play ability in both the running and passing game. Could be a poor man's Westbrook with enough touches. Julius Jones - If Dalls resigns Barber (RFA) it is likely Jones will be shipped out this offseason after almost being traded on draft day this year. Jones has a 1,000 yard season under his belt, and has the proven ability to be a 20 carry RB in the NFL. Hasn't played as well in a committe as he did when he was a starter. He's young and will be eager to prove himself. Couple that with a change of scenery, and he could be solid in 2008. Michael Bush - Jordan has regressed after a strong start and is due a big payday in 2008, Fargas is a FA, and the Raiders felt good enough about Bush to draft him in the middle rounds despite his injury. I expect the Raiders to resign Fargas, and hold on to Rhodes for depth, and make BUsh their "starter" in 2008 if he proves his injury is behind him. Jason Wright/ Jerome Harrison - Jamal Lewis only signed a 1-year deal, and is unlikely to be retained in 2008. If the Browns don't sign a FA or draft a RB, they could hand over the reigns to Wright or Harrison. Both players have showed ability in limited playing time. Wright will be in a contract year in 2008. It might be worth pickup up either of these guys and stashing them on your roster just in case. Selvin Young/Andre Hall - If Henry does end up getting suspended for a year, he will miss a majority of the 2008 season, meaning Young or Hall could be Denver's main ballcarrier next year. Then again, who knows what denver will do at RB from week to week.

George was given his chances because he had other-wordly physical gifts. He was also a 1st overall pick, and was stuck on a bad team during his time with the Colts. Other coaches felt they could mold him into the QB they wanted. And while he did enjoy some success in the Run n' Gun offenses of the 90's,(oakland, atlanta, minnesota) his attitude and his limitations playing in conservative offensive systems was his downfall and the reason he couldn't stick with a team despite some really gaudy passing numbers. (Why else would Minnesota ditch a guy after he had 23 tds in only 12 games with a 94.2 rating) Age (see the 44 year old on carolina) has little to do with him not getting a chance. At 39 he is a spring chicken compared to Testaverde and only a year older than Favre, and by all accouts hasn't lost any of his arm strength. But no team runs the kind of offense he has had success in.

I remember several years ago when he was trying to hang on with the Raiders, one of the reason's they cut him was because he had an injury to his throwing shoulder that eventually required surgery. Either he never recovered from that, or it effected his velocity (arm strength being one trait that seperated him from other journeyman QBs) enough that he wasn't appealing anymore. Remember, the journeyman QBs who seem to hang around forever are either guys that are good game managers or they are familiar with popular offensive systems (West Coast for example). Brooks is neither of those. He was a free wheeling guy, and his game was based mostly on physical ability. It's pretty much the same reason why Jeff George can't get back in the league. He was always too careless with the football, and ran an offense (spread) that really isn't used in the NFL as a base offsensive scheme anymore. There will always be a place for the Tim Hasselbecks, Koy Detmers and Kyle Ortons of the world.

Why are people getting annoyed? Because this is America's Game (sorry baseball) Do you realize how much money is generated for a host city? Millions of dollars in revenue for local businesses. I witnessed first hand what good a Super Bowl can do for a city a few years ago when they had it in Detroit. It generated a positive buzz for a struggling city, and forced politicians to get certain parts of the cities infrastructure improved before the game. And not to mention the excitement of the fan base in the area, even if they don't get to go to the game. There is a week's worth of special events that take place, and if it gets moved overseas, we all lose the opportunity to participate. If the NFL was so popular in over there, NFL Europe wouldn't have been a gigantic failure. Soccer, is and always will be the #1 draw over there no matter how hard the NFL tries. Sure, have novelty games (preseason, regular season), but keep the biggest sporting event in the world right where it belongs, and with the fans who made the game what it is today.

It was 4th and 1. They couldn't run the clock out without running a play. Kneeling would have given the ball back to the cowboys. And if you don't like it, stop it. They had an undrafted rookie from Navy score, not Brady throwing to Moss. Have some pride, hunker down, and keep it from happening.

He played in two preseason games and played very well in both. Bulger still has man-love for him as well, as he nearly had 10 targets in the game vs the Chargers in just over a quarter of play (he had 4 catches in one drive) He's a 30+ wr coming off knee surgery. He'll never be 100% again, but he still is the focal point of an impressive passing team, and he's been in the league long enough to figure out how to compensate for his diminishing physical skills. While I expect his yardage to be down in the 1200 yard range again (the 1300+ years are over) he is still a near lock for double digit touchdowns, as speed gives way to technique down in the redzone and he is the best technical wr in the NFL. As long as Bulger stays upright and he doesn't further injure himself, expect Holt to be right around the numbers he finished with last year (1100-10)