Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Fantasy Football Draft Preview

It's that time of the year again; the time that average Joe's get to live out their dreams of becoming the next Wellington Mara or Al Davis (before Davis became the Archie Bunker of the NFL). Obviously Fantasy Football is not a part of our culture, you'd be hard press to find an office in the country that doesn't have some sort of fantasy football league every fall.

I'm no different, I love the last weeks of the preseason because it normally means my drafts are coming up. that being said here are some important points, trends, and players to look at going into your drafts.
  • Beware of Michael Turner...seriously - You've heard it all off-season, beware the curse of 370. I don't know what it is about the 370 carry mark but it does something to backs. Looking at the 27 backs in NFL history who have reached the mark of 370, only two ('03 Ladainian Tomlinson and '85 Walter Payton) matched or exceeded their Touchdown mark of the previous year. I'm not saying Turner is going to have a down year, I'm just saying I've got 4 other running backs ahead of him.
  • Just because Brett Favre is a Viking, don't expect the production of other Vikings to significantly increase - Look, obviously the receivers are going to get a bit better looking now that a decent QB is in town, but if Favre has another horrible stretch run those receivers are going to fail you right when you need them most. Maybe look at them a few picks higher, a round higher at most. And Adrian Peterson can't be ranked higher than 1.
  • DeAngelo Williams should be mentioned with the top fantasy backs - Jonathan Stewart is still bothered by the Achilles injury that shortened his '08 season. Williams is a great back to start with, but if Stewart is bugged by injury throughout the year, look for Williams' numbers to only improve from last years bust out season.
  • This is the year of the Wide Receiver - Forget the tried and true method of drafting Running Backs with your first two picks, this year you have to get a receiver early, because the drop off after the first two tiers (Moss, Fitzgerald, Wayne, A. Johnson, C. Johnson, Wayne, Colston) is drastic.


Happy Drafting everyone!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

It Has Begun!

You know a lot of people were making the joke that it wouldn't really be football season without a Brett Favre story. Well a few weeks ago everyone got their punchline, but it seemed like that was it. Well now there's a whole years worth of jokes and punchlines to be made, but who's going to be laughing?

In case you've been living in a shanty in a remote village in China, you've heard that Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier today, a contract worth somewhere between $10-$12 Million.

People had to know this was coming, they had to know that Favre was going to find a way to get on to the field this year, that he was going to find a way to play against the Packers this year.

Favre joining the Vikings makes the NFC North the most insteresting quarterback division in football. Every team has a story behind center this year.

  • Vikings - No explanation needed.
  • Bears - The rebirth of Jay Cutler or The decline of Jay Cutler
  • Lions - Can Stafford return the Lions to the top of the divison? or at least get them a win?
  • Packers - Was last year an fluke or is Aaron Rodgers the real deal?

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The Sports Voice Podcast - Episode #2!

In the second episode of The Sports Voice podcast, we look at the NBA Playoffs vs. The NHL Playoffs. We also talk about a possible trade brinign Shaq to the Cleveland Cavs, and I backtrack a bit from the statement that Lebron might be ready to take a seat next to “his airness”.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Sports Voice - Episode #1 Online Now!

The first episode of The Sports Voice Podcast is live and on the air! Check it out and let us know what you think!



Download this episode (right click and save)

Friday, May 15, 2009

When was the last time we had a playoff that was this good?

No matter who wins the game 7's tomorrow, one thing is for sure, This has been the best NBA playoffs season in recent memory. Honestly, think back to last year, what do you remember most about it? You remember the Celtics and Lakers in the finals...That's it. Maybe, if you're a big NBA fan, you'll remember the Lakers v. Jazz series or maybe the game 7 duel between Paul Pierce and Lebron James. But, on a whole just through 2 rounds, this years playoffs has been more entertaining then any in a long while.

- When was the last time you saw the defending champions taken to game 7 in the first round, while watching a budding rivalry between two of the best and youngest point guards in the league?

- When was the last time you saw such a dominating performance by one man, seemingly carrying his entire team through the playoffs mowing down anyone in their path?

- When was the last time you saw a Team put it all together at the exact right time, show that they could be a true championship contender when everyone viewed them as an afterthought?

- When was the last time you saw one of the best players in the league going off nearly every game in a series and still have his team pushed to a game 7 against an injury riddled team that no one thought had a chance?

And we're not even to the conference finals yet. In a league that has had some rather underwhelming playoff seasons as of late, this is just what the doctor ordered. I'll be watching both game 7s (flipping to check in with the NHL Conference finals as well) as I imagine everyone else who calls themselves a sports fan will be.