Posts Tagged ‘andrew luck’

17 Aug

Fantasy Football Friday: The Quarterback Question

Posted by Castlenut in Fantasy Football. Tagged: , , , , .

It’s that time of year again!

As football season approaches, fantasy leagues are preparing to create their teams and fill their rosters in the quest to become the next fantasy football legend.

The Great Debate

Every good fantasy team requires players who put up great numbers, but it’s not always easy to decide who those players will be.

Take the Quarterback position, for example.  There is a great debate among football fans about the statuses of certain players.  After all, there has been a lot of change amongst the NFL teams year!

The Quarterback Question

The question of who to draft is important.  Do I go with the big names, the studs from the previous years?  Or do I choose the steady, albeit not point-heavy names?  Having a great Quarterback can really make a mediocre Fantasy Football Team shine.  But who does one choose?  Here are some things to think about:

Peyton Manning has always been a popular favorite among Fantasy Managers for his ability to think quickly on the field and complete passes, but could this year prove different?  He spent the entirety of the 2011 season out due to injury and surgery recovery, only to be released by the Indianapolis Colts.  Now, he is working with a new team, in a new town, while coming back from injury!  These are enormous odds for any Quarterback to overcome.  Will this decrease his overall value?

Drew Brees put up great numbers last year for his Fantasy Football Managers.  However, the New Orleans Saints have experienced quite a bit of media backlash due to their sportsmanship issues (or lack thereof).  NFL investigations cost the Saints not only a large amount of money, but players as well.  Will the franchise turmoil affect team chemistry and Brees’ ability to play as strongly as previous years?

Aaron Rodgers is a stud both on and off the field.  Who could forget last year’s practically perfect season!  But, this is a new year.  Rodgers has lost his Offensive Coordinator to the Miami Dolphins.  Will working with a new Offensive Coordinator make him an even more lethal threat?  Or more of a dud?

The New York Jets have a truly interesting Battle going on!  Will Mark Sanchez emerge as the reigning Quarterback champ or will Tim Tebow, the darling of University of Florida fans, chomp down and take the prize as starting Quarterback?  Like I said, interesting.

Andrew Luck is tried and true… in the college arenas.  But how will he fare in the big leagues?  He has tremendous shoes to fill as Quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, as many fans are still unhappy with Peyton Manning’s dismissal!

Fantasy Fame

Being a Fantasy Football Legend is hard work.  It takes time, dedication, knowledge, and a healthy dose of luck!  Who will you choose as Quarterback for your Fantasy Football team?

5 Apr

Mock Draft 3.0

Posted by Ryan Craig in Mock Drafts. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

This is a cooperative mock draft. Ken made the oddnumbered selections and I (Ryan) made the even numbered selections.  On a couple of occasions Ken drafted for Tampa Bay when they picked on an even number and I for the Dolphins on odd numbers.  Also we would like to thank Walter Football for all of their help.

Note: In this mock draft the Miami Dolphins traded pick #8 to the Cincinnati Bengals for picks #17 and #53.

Ken’s picks are in Red

Ryan’s picks are in Black

*Picks with “Updated Commentaries” were selections that remained the same from the last draft and the updated commentary is the new analysis.

  1. Indianapolis – Andrew Luck – Griffin’s combine and pro day were so fantastic that some have suggested the Colts should be interested in drafting him at number one.  Personally, I think it’s a conversation worth having, but there is no way the Colts aren’t taking Luck.  They’re looking for the next Peyton Manning, and Luck went and had himself a superior combine and pro day too.  As has been mentioned everywhere, Luck’s measurables are virtually indistinguishable from Cam Newton’s a year ago.  Turns out Andrew is more of an athlete than we knew.  There is no way the Colts miss.
  2. Washington – Robert Griffin III – Maybe I am going way out on a limb here, but I don’t think that the Redskins traded four picks to get Matt Kalil…call me crazy.
  3. Minnesota – Matt Kalil – Kalil just makes sense for the Vikings.  They have a young and talented qb with Ponder and they need to protect his blindside, especially in a highly competitive NFC North.  More to the point, the Vikes seem to be attempting to restock their team with young top tier talent at key positions. This selection fills both of those requirements.

Updated Commentary:  Kalil had one of those combines where everyone just nods through all his drills.  No other tackle came close to looking as relaxed, fluid, and precise.  Kalil’s bench could have been a little more impressive, but that’s to be expected for a rangy, long-limbed lineman like him.  It’s important for Minnesota to select a superior left tackle to protect Matt Barkley when they draft him at number one next year.

  1. Cleveland – Justin Blackmon WR – The Browns need some weapons in their passing game, you know you are in dire straits when Josh Cribbs is your big play guy and most NFL fans would be lucky to be able to name another Wr on the team.  A year ago people were singing the praises of Colt McCoy but now he is at the trough of that wave.  However, I believe the Browns front office is not ready to get rid of him and Mike Holmgren is never going to sell the farm for a “athletic qb” like RGIII.  So the only way to give McCoy a fair shot is the start giving him a real weapon.

 Updated Commentary:  The Browns were simply not willing to cough up the draft picks that the Rams wanted and their consolation prize is the consensus #1 Wr in this draft.  They could do a lot worse and who knows maybe Colt McCoy could win a few more games if he had more weapons to works with.

  1. Tampa Bay – Morris Claiborne CB – Tampa’s defense was atrocious last year and while their starting cbs were not the primary problem there is cause for concern.  Ronde Barber is well into the twilight of his career and Aqib Talib seems better at catching negative headlines than he is at catching interceptions.  In addition, Claiborne is an elite prospect and has the potential to be a corner stone in this new regime.

Updated Commentary: The difference between Claiborne and the other corners at the combine was immense.  Some eyebrows went up when he ran a slower-than-expected 40 on his first attempt, but Claiborne corrected it with a 4.47 on his second run.  He measured an inch shorter than expected at 5’11, but that makes his arm length even more impressive (only two other DBs had arms longer and they were both safeties).  That physical range plus his excellent ball skills add up to a true cover corner – one who will come down with plenty of interceptions, unlike guys like Kirkpatrick, Jenkins, and Gilmore who will break up many passes but not pick the ball off.  His Wonderlic score is completely inconsequential and the guy who leaked it should get slapped in the face in front of his kids.

  1. St. Louis – Michael Floyd – Outside of Sam Bradford the Rams are talent deficient.  They might try and talk themselves into Reiff or Richardson at this pick, but I think that they absolutely need to find a big time target for Bradford to throw to and Floyd fits that bill.  Moreover, Floyd’s stock has been on the rise and I would argue that he is a more complete receiver right now than Justin Blackmon.   Continue reading »

24 Mar

Ryan’s 2012 NFL Draft Big Board

Posted by Ryan Craig in NFL Draft. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Ryan’s Big Board

This big board does not reflect where I think players will get drafted rather how I perceive their chances of succeeding in the NFL.

  1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford – Simply put, Luck is the best QB prospect since John Elway.
  2. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – Richardson would be the starter for 27 out of 32 NFL teams right now.  The five exceptions are Minnesota, Houston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago.  No other prospect in this draft can boast that.
  3. Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU – This kid could be the next Deion Sanders.  He is as natural at CB as I have ever seen in college.
  4. Robert Griffin III – There is a ton to like about this kid, but the gap between him and Luck is a lot bigger than many like to acknowledge.  Griffin needs to improve his throwing mechanics, his footwork, and he needs to learn a pro system.
  5. David DeCastro, G, Stanford – DeCastro is the best offensive linemen in this draft, and arguably the best prospect at guard since Steve Hutchinson.  He is an excellent run and pass blocker, but he will fall out of the top 10 because of his position.  Continue reading »

25 Feb

2012 NFL Mock Draft 2.0

Posted by Ryan Craig in Mock Drafts. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Before people get too crazy about how different this mock draft is from our last one, let me note that in this mock Ken made the even numbered selections and I (Ryan) made the odd numbered selections. This is the opposite ordering from our previous draft.

Ryan’s picks are in Red

Ken’s picks are in Black

*Picks with “Updated Commentaries” feature new analysis for selections that are unchanged from the first mock draft.

We would also like thank Walter Football for their support in posting this mock draft on their database and Draft Database our partner in scouting reports and positional analysis.

  1. Indianapolis (2-14) – Andrew Luck, Stanford – He has been the #1 pick in the NFL draft for at least 15 months.
  2. Washington (2-14) – Robert Griffin III, Baylor – Trade – On a recent Bill Simmons podcast, Mike Lombardi guaranteed that Robert Griffin III will be the second overall selection in the draft.  Whenever you hear a front office executive who drafted with Al Davis for eight years make a guarantee, you listen.  I’ve been resisting it, but RGIII’s draft momentum is reaching velocities that can only be compared to the final twenty minutes of the film Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (a fine effort from the suddenly swollen and surly Denzel.  Does this guy ask his agent to burn every script requiring him to smile?).  Cleveland is the only real competitor, and maybe they pull this trade off, but I’ll put my money with Snyder (who puts his money everywhere, as long as it doesn’t make sense).  This franchise needs a franchise quarterback and RGIII is the only other one in this class.  (Note:  Washington will likely have to give up at least this year’s 2, next year’s 2, and this year’s 3 or 4 to make this trade happen.)
  3. Minnesota (3-13) – Matt Kalil, USC – Kalil just makes sense for the Vikings.  They have a young and talented qb with Ponder and they need to protect his blindside, especially in a highly competitive NFC North.  More to the point, the Vikes seem to be attempting to restock their team with young top tier talent at key positions. This selection fills both of those requirements.
  4. Cleveland (4-12) – Justin Blackmon WR, OSU – The Browns need some weapons in their passing game, you know you are in dire straits when Josh Cribbs is your big play guy and most NFL fans would be lucky to be able to name another WR on the team.  A year ago people were singing the praises of Colt McCoy but now he is at the trough of that wave.  However, I believe the Browns front office is not ready to get rid of him and Mike Holmgren is never going to sell the farm for a “athletic qb” like RGIII.  So the only way to give McCoy a fair shot is the start giving him a real weapon.

Updated Commentary:  Cleveland misses out on a franchise QB, but lands the top consensus WR in this class.  There are indications that Holmgren and his staff have not yet given up on Colt McCoy.  This move will give the young QB his first real weapon in that offense and ought to reveal to us (and his coaches) whether he’s got the goods to make it in this league.

  1. Tampa Bay (4-12) – Morris Claiborne CB, LSU – Tampa’s defense was atrocious last year and while their starting CBs were not the primary problem there is cause for concern.  Ronde Barber is well into the twilight of his career and Aqib Talib seems better at catching negative headlines than he is at catching interceptions.  In addition, Claiborne is an elite prospect and has the potential to be a cornerstone in this new regime.

Updated Commentary: The Buccaneers just hired LSU DBs coach Ron Cooper to fill the same position in Tampa.  While this doesn’t guarantee that Claiborne will be the choice, it certainly suggests that the Bucs will be well informed about the former Tiger.

  1. Continue reading »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.