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QB Controversy In Windy City? Falta URL

By Tim Sullivan
Inspin.com Contributing Writer

If it’s late August, if NFL

Quarterback controversy.

This year is no different, as several teams are weighing the pros and cons of veterans vs. youngsters; highly paid vs. underpaid; and experience vs. potential.

Usually, these summertime signal-caller standoffs are reserved for the bottom-feeders. Again, this year appears no different as the Jets — with Chad Pennington and Patrick Ramsey — and the Bills — with J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb — have taken center stage.

But another team may creep into the equation before too long. And it might surprise you.

“Brian is doing a great job. He’s very smart, has got a great work ethic and is very quick with the ball. I’m also very impressed with his accuracy.”

Such are the words of Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, and they were used to describe one Brian Griese, Chicago’s backup — for now — who signed a five-year, incentive-laden deal March 21. Turner, as well as Coach Lovie Smith, has been impressed with the nine-year veteran’s grasp of the offense and overall pocket composure. Not to mention his three preseason touchdown passes.

But, surely, a healthy Rex Grossman will lead the charge as the mighty Bears (-$300 to win the NFC North, +800 to win the NFC, +1700 to win the Super Bowl on
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look to build on last season’s success, right?

“I know how those things work. To be honest, I’m not even thinking about that,” said Griese, who could earn $20 million over the life of the deal. “I’m thinking about trying to get better as a player, learning this offense, getting used to Turner and the way he calls plays, and really proving myself to the guys on the team.”

He appears well on his way. And with a team that’s built to win this year — the Bears’ season over/under is 9.5 wins on WagerWeb.com — a quarterback change could be in store if Grossman stumbles out of the box.

For now, though, let’s scrap the controversy part, and just call it a quarterback question. Or should we say questions?

After all, let’s face it: The fragile Grossman, in three seasons, has started just eight games and won just four of them. What’s more, the former Florida Gator is 0-1 in the postseason and has yet to establish that required rapport with his receivers.

Now, Griese isn’t an MVP candidate. In fact, in this same space last week, we knocked the former Michigan Wolverine for being a part of an average group of quarterbacks to don Dolphins jerseys in the past five seasons.

But he is 13-10 as a starter since leaving the Broncos in 2002. And, in his final six starts with the Buccaneers, he won five of them.

“Fans are going to scream for Griese, fans are going to scream for Grossman,” Chicago wide receiver Justin Gage said. “But as long as we’ve got two healthy good quarterbacks, then I’m good with that.”

Perhaps, by Week 1, Bears fans will agree with Gage. Remember, we’re talking about a team that will probably only go as far as its dominating defense will allow it, regardless of whom is under center. After all, unheralded rookie Kyle Orton went 10-5 as a starter last season.
So what are bettors to expect this season?

“Rex,” Smith said bluntly, “is our starting quarterback.”

For now.

RICKY AND DeANGELO: Panthers rookie running back DeAngelo Williams may be small — 5-foot-9, 213 pounds — but he has always thought big. Even when he was in high school, as he was grooming himself into a Division I recruit, he idolized former Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams.

For what Ricky did on the field, of course, not off it.
“I just thought that he had so much leg strength, so much power. He was able to make something out of nothing with his shiftiness, but he could also run you right over,” DeAngelo said of the former Dolphin and Saint. “Those are the same characteristics I wanted to have. I’ve developed that a little, but I still have work to do. I’m getting there.”

The Panthers agree, and they’re willing to wait as he continues his journey. Williams, who topped 1,900 rushing yards in each of his last two seasons at Memphis, won’t be thrown into the fire as DeShaun Foster will carry the load this season.

“I’m a little nervous,” Williams said. “But it’s great playing at this level and talking to DeShaun on the sidelines, asking him if I made the right read and cuts.”

Here’s thinking Foster, who compiled 1,251 total yards and eight touchdowns last season, will be a better influence on DeAngelo than Ricky the rest of the way.

KEEPING UP WITH JONES: Jimmy Smith’s sudden retirement May 11 simply shook the Jaguars and clearly threw a wrench into what was a feel-good period in Jacksonville. Coach Jack Del Rio’s crew was fresh off a 12-4 season and its first playoff appearance since 1999. Not exactly the best time to lose the franchise’s all-time leading receiver.

But the Jaguars have since moved on. And they may have found their next top gun, in the form of 2005 first-round pick Matt Jones. A former quarterback at Arkansas, the rangy 6-6, 229-pound Jones grabbed 36 passes for 432 yards and five touchdowns even though he started just one game as a rookie.

“I want to be a solid, all-around receiver,” Jones said. “If I continue in the weight room and continue doing some of the things I want to do, then I can be. I don’t know that I’m there yet.”

Regardless, Jones is a constant matchup problem, and now that Smith is gone, he’ll be on the field that much more.

“This season,” Del Rio said, “is going to be a special year for him.”

Keep that in mind on fantasy draft day.

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Fantasy WRs

By Chris Goudey
Inspin.com Contributing Writer

Now that you have my quarterback and running back rankings for the upcoming season, it’s time to give you my rankings for the last really important position in fantasy football, the wide receivers. Most leagues require that you start at least two WR and sometimes as many as four, so knowing which guys are going to produce is crucial to your success.

If you read my past two articles, you know I think RB is the most important position to fill, followed by QB. WR is then the third-most important position, but the problem with the WR position is these players are very inconsistent for the most part. A good RB is going to be much more reliable week-in and week-out, while even the top WR might get 150 yards one week and 20 the next. A good pass defense can really stifle a WR’s numbers, so while it is important to get 1-2 top WRs, you can also play matchups every week by picking up guys who will be facing poor pass defenses.

Another reason I don’t focus on WR as much during the draft is because every year there are guys who come out of nowhere to become good players. You can almost always pick up at least one really good WR on waivers during the season, while that is almost never the case with QBs and RBs. Anyway, now that you know my rationale on the position, on to the rankings.

The Top 12:
These are the guys you should focus on getting in the first 5 rounds. As I’ve said before, by the end of Round 5 you should have your 2 RBs, your QB, and your top 2 WRs. You should be able to get at least 1 of these top 12 and probably 2. These are ranked in order of preference.

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Steve Smith, Carolina – Assuming his preseason hamstring injury is healed by opening day, Smith is the clear No. 1 guy, in my opinion. He is the most intense WR in the game and is a huge producer because his QB, Jake Delhomme, trusts him implicitly. Smith will get more balls thrown to him than any other WR, and assuming he stays healthy should put up another dominant season.

Chad Johnson, Cincinnati – If Carson Palmer is healthy to start the year, Johnson is my No. 2 guy. He is the face of the franchise, and because Cincy has a great second WR in T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Johnson cannot always have double coverage. Look for Johnson to continue his consistent dominance.

Torry Holt, St. Louis – Holt has really become the most consistent WR in the game the past 2-3 years. He is QB Marc Bulger’s favorite target, and even though Mike Martz has left town, new coach Scott Linehan knows what he has in the Bulger-Holt connection.

Terrell Owens, Dallas – Yes, T.O. is a pain in the you-know-what. Yes, T.O. has many off-field issues. Does it affect his on-field performance? Umm, no. The one thing any of T.O.’s coaches will tell you is the guy takes enormous pride in his ability and is a very hard worker on the field. Look for Owens to really try and make amends for his past discretions and be the good soldier. He knows Bill Parcells isn’t going to put up with any of his antics, and while Drew Bledsoe is an old QB, he still has a great arm and the ability to make T.O. the No. 1 WR in the game again.

Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis — Harrison just keeps doing what he does, which is consistent excellence. He does have a stinker of a game every now and then, but he is rarely injured and by the end of the year, always has the same great numbers. With the defection of Edgerrin James to Arizona, look for the Colts to throw even more, and for Harrison and running-mate Reggie Wayne to reap the benefits.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona – This is my breakout candidate of the year. Fitzgerald has all the tools to be the No. 1 guy, and now that he will have a good running game to take the pressure off him and QB Kurt Warner, he should really take a quantum leap up the rankings this season.

Randy Moss, Oakland – This could be the lowest Moss has ever been ranked going into a season. This is a make-or-break year for him. He’s not getting any younger, and now that he has a strong-armed and mobile QB again in Aaron Brooks, he could very well return to being the Randy Moss from 2-3 years ago. Moss has been injured off and on, so if he can stay healthy and with the Raiders’ penchant to throw the deep ball, he might just be a bit undervalued.

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh – Ward has always been underrated, but with last year’s Super Bowl performance I’m guessing he might actually be a bit overvalued this year. He is probably going to see more double-coverage than ever, and if Ben Roethlisberger shows any ill effects from his offseason accident, it could be a bit of a down year for Hines. On the flip side, he is Big Ben’s favorite target, and with the departure of Jerome Bettis, the Steelers should throw more near the end zone so he could have a few more TDs than he has had previously.

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis – As I stated above with Harrison, Indy is going to have to throw more this season, so Wayne’s numbers should hit new career-highs. Harrison is also getting older, so Peyton Manning might try to establish more of a connection with the guy who will be his No. 1 in the near future.

Chris Chambers, Miami – There was no more productive WR in the 2nd half of last season, and that was with Gus Frerotte as his QB. Imagine what he can do with the talent of Daunte Culpepper taking over the job this year! Chambers is the clear #1 WR in Miami, so look him to become Culpepper’s next Randy Moss.

Anquan Boldin, Arizona — Boldin is going to get a ton of yards this year, as teams will have to focus on James and Fitzgerald. The only question on Boldin is how many TDs will he score? Now that the Edge is in the backfield and Fitzgerald is becoming a star, Boldin might only see a handful. He is the ideal guy to target as your 2nd WR, but you might have problems if he’s your #1 guy.

Roy Williams, Detroit – Well, we know how much success Torry Holt has had the last few years. A lot of that was due to the offense designed by so-called genius Mike Martz, and Martz is now the offensive coordinator in D-Town. He will want Williams to play the Holt role in the offense, and if he can get decent QB play from Jon Kitna/Josh McCown, will have a career year.

2nd/3rd WR:
None of these guys should be targeted as anything but a 2nd or 3rd WR. They are all good players but not at the elite level. I wouldn’t draft any of these guys before Round 6.

Deion Branch, New England
Andre Johnson, Houston
Donald Driver, Green Bay
Santana Moss, Washington
Plaxico Burress, NY Giants
Darrell Jackson, Seattle
Joe Horn, New Orleans
Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay
T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati

Sleepers:
All of these guys have some huge upside this year and will move to new heights with solid QB play and a lot of balls thrown to them. These players will be undervalued, so you might try and wait until later rounds to pick them up:

Lee Evans, Buffalo
Reggie Brown, Philadelphia
Matt Jones, Jacksonville
Drew Bennett, Tennessee
Nate Burleson, Seattle
Mark Clayton, Baltimore
Roddy White, Atlanta

Senior Citizens:
These are all veterans of the league who will be more reliable and should do well as a 3rd WR for you. All of these guys will still have plenty of passes thrown their way:

Muhsin Muhammad, Chicago
Derrick Mason, Baltimore
Rod Smith, Denver
Laveraneus Coles, NY Jets
Isaac Bruce, St. Louis
Eddie Kennison, Kansas City
Keenan McCardell, San Diego
Terry Glenn, Dallas
Eric Moulds, Houston

Question Marks:
These players could be huge or could be total busts, depending on their situation. If you’re a risk taker, target these guys ahead of the Senior Citizens above:

Javon Walker, Denver
Donte’ Stallworth, New Orleans
Antonio Bryant, San Francisco
Jerry Porter, Oakland
Braylon Edwards, Cleveland
Antwaan Randle-El, Washington

Rookies:
None of the rookies drafted this year will make much of an impact fantasy-wise, but here they are:

Chad Jackson, New England – Should be the best of the rookie class, might end up with the starting job and is probably not a bad pick in the late rounds.
Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh – Has had off-field issues and is the #3 WR in Pittsburgh, at best.
Sinorice Moss, NY Giants – Santana’s little brother will be the #3 guy. With Burress, Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey at TE, and Tiki Barber catching passes out of the backfield, he will not have many opportunities.

Super Sleepers:
These are the guys to target in the late rounds and might be those “players who seem to come out of nowhere” that I was discussing earlier:

Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville
Eric Parker, San Diego
Samie Parker, Kansas City
Mark Bradley, Chicago
Cedrick Wilson, Pittsburgh
Doug Gabriel, Oakland
Arnaz Battle, San Francisco
Charles Rogers, Detroit
Troy Williamson, Minnesota
Roscoe Parrish, Buffalo
Rod Gardner, Green Bay
Bryant Johnson, Arizona
Tyrone Calico, Tennessee

Hopefully you now have a better handle on this important position, but as I said don’t freak out if you don’t get 2 top WRs. All you have to do is pay attention to the box scores and your waiver wire each week and you should be fine. I guarantee there will be at least one guy that I haven’t even mentioned that will be starting on someone’s team at the end of the year. That’s just the way the WRs roll. Good luck!

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New CFB Coaches

By Dan The Man Leach
Host of The
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It is never too early to start thinking about college football, the pageantry, the passion, the brilliance. Over the next month or so, I will count down the top 10 stories of the college football offseason and look ahead to the new season. Today, at No. 7, a look at teams that have new head coaches and new hope for a winning season or return to prominence.

The Big Schools

Colorado-(Old Coach)-Gary Barnett-(New Coach)-Dan Hawkins
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To Win The Bcs National Title)-125-1: This was by far the biggest coaching change of the year as the embattled Barnett finally left Boulder and one of the hottest coaching candidates in years, Hawkins comes in. Look for the results to show immediately as Hawkins is one of the best football minds in the country, and his scheme is just what the Buffs need to reclaim their glory in the Big 12.

Kansas State-(Bill Snyder)-Ron Prince-200-1: Snyder took this team from one of the worst programs in college football to a true national power for a stretch. His legacy will never be forgotten, and Prince has Kansas roots and will look to bridge the gap between the immortal Snyder and the fans in Manhattan who might not know just how important Snyder was to this program. Look for the ‘Cats to turn some heads right off the bat as Prince’s first recruiting class has some blue-chippers that will make this team a scoring threat from Day 1.

Wisconsin-(Barry Alvarez)-Bret Bielema-70-1: Speaking of legends, Alvarez is the Bill Snyder of the Midwest/Big Ten. Bielema is a Big Ten guy and a defensive-minded guy, so Alvarez fans will fall in love with him right away. The Badgers will definitely need to reinvent themselves as much of their success was due to Alvarez’s amazing ability to recruit, but at 36 Bielema is already viewed as a uniter who can sell water to the ocean and is committed to keeping things fresh in Madison.

Big Coach On Campus

San Diego State-(Tom Craft)-Chuck Long-45-1: A familiar football name takes over a program that has been anything but familiar on the national stage since a guy named Faulk played RB there. Long has been groomed for the past several years under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma to take over a program, and it could not have come at a better time for the Aztecs. Long was on board for the Sooners’ national title in 2000 and immediately brings credibility to the recruiting process because of that. It will be sooner (no pun intended), rather than later when we see the Aztecs making some waves nationally again.

Boise State-(Dan Hawkins)-Chris Peterson- 45-1: Hawkins built a national power on that blue turf in Boise, and Peterson will pick up right were Hawkins left off. He was the offensive coordinator and QB coach for the past five seasons under Hawkins, and many feel he has what it takes to keep pushing the Broncos higher and higher to BCS legitimacy. Look for Boise to continue to score in bunches and continue to schedule some of the toughest teams that dare play on the blue turf.

Temple-(Bobby Wallace)-Al Golden-45-1: One of the worst teams in recent I-A history has nowhere to go but up. The Owls are slated to join the MAC in 2007, but could be banished out of Division I-A altogether if they don’t get their attendance up. Golden has been a hot name in coaching the past couple of seasons, and the Temple AD is hoping that he has found the Rocky Balboa that this program needs desperately. Rocky’s odds were never has dismal as Temple’s, however.

Rice-(Ken Hatfield)-Todd Graham-45-1: The Owls have had their struggles for years now, but Graham is the kind of football mind and talent who could lead Rice out of the doldrums and into respectability in Conference USA. It has been 45 years since Rice was invited to a bowl game, but with Graham knowing the Texas landscape it shouldn’t be nearly as long as it once seemed for Rice to go bowling. Look for this team to make a gradual climb over this season to moderate respectability in C-USA.

Tragedy

Northwestern-(Randy Walker-Deceased)- Patrick Fitzgerald-45-1: Fitzgerald, 31, a former Wildcats linebacker, becomes the youngest head coach in Division I-A due to very tough circumstances as he takes over for Walker, who passed away from a heart attack at 52. Fitzgerald is loved by the players, the fans and the university and has a great opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Coach Walker as the 2006 season will be played in his memory. This may be a few years early before Fitzgerald was ready to become a head coach, but he has the talent, passion and desire to take the Wildcats to heights rarely reached before. Look for Northwestern to play truly inspired football all season in the tough and deep Big Ten.

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Fantasy Tip of the Week – RB Rankings

By Chris Goudey

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The key position you need to focus on to have a championship fantasy football team is running back. Running backs are the core of almost any winning team for two reasons: They usually score the most points of any player, and they are normally the most reliable players. In almost every league I draft, I will take RBs with my first two picks because they are that important. In my previous article, I gave you a breakdown on what your overall draft should look like, but this article will focus strictly on which RB you should target and when.

The Big 3
Larry Johnson, Kansas City
After taking over for the injured Priest Holmes midway through last season, all LJ did was set the league on fire and become the most dominant player in fantasy. With Holmes either not playing or on the bench this year, Johnson has a shot at breaking the single-season rushing record if he can stay healthy. He is the clear No. 1 pick.
Shaun Alexander, Seattle
The reigning league MVP should put up similar numbers to last year, and if you have the No.2 pick, you should feel lucky to grab such a great player. Alexander is the most consistent RB to come along in years, and he plays on a good team, so he should be churning out the yards late in games to close them out.
LaDanian Tomlinson, San Diego
I would say at least 75 percent of fantasy drafts this year are going to have LJ, Alexander and LT going in the top 3 spots. Tomlinson was the top-rated RB going into last year, and while he had a good year he has been passed up by the top two. San Diego might struggle this season, so LT might not have as many rushing opportunities as the other two, but he is a much better receiver than LJ and Alexander, so if your league counts receptions and/or receiving yards, you can’t go wrong with him.

The Next 3
Edgerrin James, Arizona
As I stated in my last article, the top 7 picks in my mind are the big 3 RBs, Peyton Manning and these next 3 RBs. These three RBs aren’t in any particular order, so be happy to get any one of these guys if you’re in the 4-7 slots in the first round. The Edge moves to the desert of Arizona and should continue to be a top-flight producer even though he moves away from the high-powered of offense of Indianapolis. Arizona actually might have as good a passing game as Indy this year, with Kurt Warner at QB and top 10 receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to take the focus off of James. The Cardinals also have a very good offensive line, so Edge should be just as good as he’s ever been.
Tiki Barber, NY Giants
No back has more heart than Tiki, and the past two years he has turned into a premier RB. His production is close to that of the top 3, but the only reason he is grouped lower is because of his age. Tiki is 31 this year, and most RBs really start to lose it once they hit the big 3-0. As I said, Tiki has a ton of heart and will always do everything he can to get on the field, but this should really be his last top-level year. If you’re drafting in a keeper league, I’d move Tiki down in your rankings.
Clinton Portis, Washington
Portis is the one back I really see making a noticeable improvement this year, and the reason is that the ‘Skins have hired former KC offensive coordinator Al Saunders. Saunders was the engineer of KC’s running game for the past few years and turned Priest Holmes (and Larry Johnson last year) into a fantasy force. The plan is to use Portis exactly the way Holmes was used the past few seasons, so if he can stay healthy Portis could put up top 3 numbers. The only X mark on Portis’ resume is he does get nicked up a lot, so make sure you draft Ladell Betts, his backup, in a middle-to-late round.

Potential, Potential, Potential
I will rank these guys in order of preference, with a note about each. Remember, once the top 7 are gone you can start to pick these guys and feel just fine about it. If you are at the end of the first round (pick 8 or later) go ahead and draft a RB here and then assuming it’s a snake draft (where you’ll pick near the beginning of the 2nd round), take the next best RB. There are no QBs or WRs who are as good a value here as having two good RBs.
Steven Jackson, St. Louis – Look for Jackson to have a career year this year due to two things: Marshall Faulk is now out for the year (and possibly his career), and new coach Scott Linehan wants to focus on the run.
Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati – Rudi has slimmed down and wants to take a step up to the top level of RBs. He has been very productive and reliable thus far, but the only drawback to him is that he isn’t much of a receiver and the Bengals love his backup, Chris Perry.
Kevin Jones, Detroit – I probably have him ranked a lot higher than most other experts, but I really think Mike Martz will do wonders with him. He sees him as his next Marshall Faulk and is going to do everything he can to get him the ball. If Detroit can get decent QB play out of Jon Kitna (or Josh McCown), KJ is going to be a stud.
LaMont Jordan, Oakland – After having watched Jordan play in college and play behind Curtis Martin for a couple of years with the Jets, I knew he’d be a great player if given the opportunity. He got that shot last year with the Raiders, and much like Kevin Jones just needs good QB play to turn him into a star.
Ronnie Brown, Miami – With Ricky Williams heading to Canada to do whatever it is Ricky does, Brown gets his shot as the lead RB for the Fins. Coach Nick Saban has big plans for Brown and needs him to be the complement to the passing game he is trying to implement with Daunte Culpepper. There’s a reason Miami took him so high in the draft last year, and this year we’ll see why.
Julius Jones, Dallas – JJ could be a superstar if only Bill Parcells would let him. Parcells seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Marion Barber III and plans to give him more carries than he should. Watching Jones in his rookie year I saw a lot of the same things Walter Payton brought to the table and thought he would be incredible in his sophomore season. This is a situation to monitor closely in the preseason. If Jones looks like he’ll get 25 carries per game, I’d rank him even higher. If not, he stays here or moves down if Barber gets more carries.
Cadillac Williams, Tampa Bay – Cadillac had a great rookie year and is very tough. The only reason I have him this low is the presence of Michael Pittman and the fact that Williams is a little on the smallish side. He is a great runner, but I have a feeling he’s going to be injury-prone once he takes a lot of pounding.
Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia – Westbrook is like Tomlinson-lite. If you’re in a league where receiving is important, Westbrook moves to the top of this group. With the departure of Terrell Owens, coach Andy Reid has stated he plans to run the ball a lot more and Westbrook will be the beneficiary, IF he can stay healthy.
Willis McGahee, Buffalo – McGahee is just as talented as those above him, but he has a lot of question marks coming into this year. His primary problem is lack of good QB play. Without a good passing game, teams are going to stack eight in the box and shut Willis down. If JP Losman can take some pressure off McGahee, then he can return to the level he was at going into last year.
Domanick Davis, Houston – Davis has potential to move to the top of this list, but like the others here he has issues to overcome. The first issue is he is currently injured and is a question mark to begin the season. The second is lack of a passing game, much like McGahee. If David Carr can get a solid connection going with Andre Johnson and new WR Eric Moulds, then Davis should be a top-10 guy.
Jamal Lewis, Baltimore – Potential, potential, potential. Every year Lewis is ranked highly, and every year except one he has not lived up to it. He’s either been hurt or in jail and now he has competition in Mike Anderson. Lewis has the skills to be a top-3 guy but he is really a question mark this year.
Reggie Bush, New Orleans – He will probably be overvalued in your drafts and will go much higher than he should. There happens to be an All-Pro back already in the New Orleans backfield going by the name of Deuce. He’s going to take a lot of the carries Bush should get, but like Westbrook Bush will be much more valuable in a league with receptions and/or a big emphasis on receiving yards.

The Rookies
All of these guys are in similar situations, currently the backup but with poor performance or injury by the starting RB, they could shine:
Laurence Maroney, New England
Joseph Addai, Indianapolis
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
LenDale White, Tennessee
Keep an eye on their situations during the preseason and try to grab them in a middle round if it looks like they’ll help you. These are also guys to grab as backups to the main guy. I often like to grab a tandem of guys, and then I’m guaranteed to have the starter every week.

The Best Of The Rest
All of these guys have issues: age, uncertain playing time or just not as good as what they once were. These should be guys you target as your third back. These are in preferential order.
Cedric Benson, Chicago — assuming he wins the job over Thomas Jones
Tatum Bell, Denver — assuming he wins the job over Ron Dayne
Chester Taylor, Minnesota — I like him as a sleeper
Warrick Dunn, Atlanta — bound to breakdown sometime and has T.J. Duckett to share carries with
Reuben Droughns, Cleveland – has the job but just isn’t that great.
Willie Parker, Pittsburgh – Good for yards but not for TDs.
Deuce McAllister, New Orleans – Moves way up if Bush doesn’t sign soon but will still be a decent 3rd RB for your team even if he splits time.
DeShaun Foster, Carolina – Productive when he plays but has injury issues and DeAngelo Williams to deal with.
Frank Gore, San Francisco – Splits carries with Kevan Barlow but should take over the starting job by the end of the year.
Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis – Will start out with the job but Joseph Addai is more talented.
Thomas Jones, Chicago – Will probably lose his job to Benson, but if he starts he moves up to a top-15 guy.
Fred Taylor, Jacksonville – Avoid if possible, but he has a shot to be productive. He’s just so unreliable.
Ahman Green, Green Bay – How the mighty have fallen. He was a top-two RB two years ago and is now fighting to stay on the field and to keep his job. Age, a bad offense and Samkon Gado are his problems.
Ron Dayne, Denver – Will probably back up Bell, but should he get the job he moves up to the top 15. Denver always gets great RB production. I’d draft the Bell-Dayne tandem and hope for the best.
Curtis Martin, NY Jets – Stay away. Stay far away. He’s half the player he once was and will get picked much earlier than he should.

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Handicapping The Chase Field

By Bill Kiser

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went to its present championship format two years ago, the thinking was that the “Chase for the Championship” would rivet race fans to their televisions for the final 10 races of the season.

But the public’s attention hasn’t so much been drawn to those final 10 races, but to the 10 races leading up to the Chase.

The “Chase for the Chase,” as some media have coined it, has seen the top 10 in the NASCAR
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Nextel Cupstandings change drastically from race to race, with drivers in the top 10 one week and on the outside looking in the next.

According to NASCAR’s computations, 34 drivers are mathematically in contention to make the Chase for the Championship; realistically, the number of drivers who have a chance entering next week’s Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not half that.

And even sitting in the top 10 in points — heck, even in the top five — at this point of the season won’t ensure a driver a spot in the final 10 come September.

There’s historical precedent backing that up — last year, Elliott Sadler was third in points entering the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway and was considered locked in for the Chase.

But Sadler and his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing team slumped badly down the stretch, falling 10 spots in the point standings and ultimately failing to make the Chase.

With six races left in the “Chase for the Chase,” only two drivers — points leader Jimmie Johnson and No. 2 Matt Kenseth — appear to be near-locks to make the final 10.

Beyond that, however, things are still very much up in the air — only 188 points separate third through 12th place in the Nextel Cup standings.

Here’s a quick look at how I believe the “Chase for the Chase” is stacking up, followed by my picks to make the Chase for the Championship.

99.9 PERCENT THERE: Jimmie Johnson (first in standings), Matt Kenseth (second in standings, 97 back of Johnson).

THEY’RE IN, BUT …: Jeff Burton (third in standings, 318 back of Johnson), Kyle Busch (fourth in standings, 39 points behind Burton), Kevin Harvick (fifth in standings, 19 points behind Busch), Mark Martin (sixth in points, six points behind Harvick).

ON THE FENCE: Kasey Kahne (seventh in standings, 42 points behind Martin), Denny Hamlin (eighth in standings, one point behind Kahne), Jeff Gordon (ninth in standings, two points behind Hamlin).

NEEDS SOME HELP: Tony Stewart (10th in standings, 35 points behind Gordon), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (11th in standings, 15 points behind Stewart), Greg Biffle (12th in standings, 29 points behind Earnhardt).

FORGET IT: Kurt Busch (13th in standings, 122 points behind Biffle), Carl Edwards (14th in standings, 69 points behind Busch), Casey Mears (15th in standings, 57 points behind Edwards), Brian Vickers (16th in standings, 51 points behind Mears), Jamie McMurray (17th in standings, 46 points behind Vickers), Ryan Newman (18th in standings, eight points behind McMurray), Clint Bowyer (19th in standings, 16 points behind Newman), Elliott Sadler (20th in standings, 29 points behind Bowyer).

KISER’S PICKS: Johnson, Kenseth, Burton, Busch, Harvick, Martin, Kahne, Gordon, Stewart, Earnhardt.

WagerWeb

WagerWeb Writer

Sports Can Unite

By Sean William Toth
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

It seemed just like yesterday, didn’t it? Billions and billions of people got together on this planet, set aside their differences, found common ground and “harmoniously converged” for what unfortunately was all too short of a time.

No, I’m not talking about the latest Kitaro concert tour. I’m referring to the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany. The same thing has happened on a regular basis over the years in the Olympics. Many, many diverse cultures have been gathering and participating in friendly competitions with very very few outbursts of hatred and intolerance.

I play quite a bit of backgammon online. I’m probably borderline an online backgammon addict … 15-20 games a day. But I rationalize it is by saying to myself, “I guess I could have much worse addictions.” I enjoy playing people from all over the world.

Backgammon is very popular in countries I never thought it would be … such as Bulgaria. Who would have guess that? But there are literally thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of Bulgarians playing backgammon online right now as you read this! It doesn’t seem to be very popular among the Asian populations. Every once in a while I’ll play somebody that has a Japanese flag next to their name or sometimes China, but other than that, I see very few people from Asian countries on any of the four sites I play on. Interesting, eh?

Whatever game or games you enjoy playing, chances are that there are web sites where you can play among thousands of people from anywhere in the world any time of day. I highly recommend it. You get to meet and chat with people from all over the world, sharpen your skills in that particular game, and you learn the world’s flags very quickly … which may not seem very interesting, but believe me it is once you get into it. People are usually very friendly and are usually open to talk about their culture, language, politics, etc. Many times, the backgammon game becomes secondary and we find ourselves chatting away (I can’t wait until we are able to actually talk by voice!).

The greatest thing about that I have learned from the hundreds of conservations I’ve had with people from all over the world is how much alike we all really are. You wouldn’t think that by the way each country’s “leaders” and media carry on about how different we are, how hostile many countries are towards each other … blah, blah, blah, you know the dialog.

I would say I have had 400-500 conversations with people since I’ve been playing online, and of those I have probably only have had 10 or so hostile conversations. Even from people in countries that are not particularly fond of Americans. I was surprised at first, but have learned that people know that most average Americans are not bad people. I was pleasantly surprised how many people realize that the United States is a good country with many truly good people, but a country that is going through a very difficult identity and political time right now. To the few hostile players I meet, I just try and be as friendly as possible with the hopes that they will calm down and maybe they’ll see that we aren’t all the snobs that are gung-ho militarily … in fact, quite the opposite. Maybe they will change their minds, maybe they won’t, but I try and put out that fire before it gets out of control because you never know whom you’re talking to.

Anyway, I was playing a person from Israel a few days ago on a web site that has a very large Middle Eastern population on it (backgammon originated in the Middle East and is still extremely popular there). I asked how things were going where he was. “Not good,” he replied. I don’t know what I was expecting him to say … I knew the answer to that. We chatted for a while about what is currently going on in his part of the world and the U.S. response.
I was surprised, though I don’t know why, that many Israelis including him thought that his government is really overreacting.

By the way, you can find out quite a bit of things by just observing things on such web sites. For example: Since the beginning of the increased hostility in the Israel/Lebanon border, I have noticed the number of players on this particular Internet backgammon site from Israel has not changed much while the number of players from Lebanon has gone from scarce to almost non-existent. In fact, the only person I’ve played a backgammon game with a Lebanese flag by his name was currently stuck in Germany while there on business!

“They’ve been waiting for an excuse to kill and displace Lebanon ever since they were forced to pull out of there in 2001,” he said. He also said that many people in Israel feel the same way, but no media in any country is reporting that. Now that right there says quite a bit, doesn’t it? Do you know how big of a difference that could make if they were reporting that even occasionally?

He was right, I spend quite a bit of my waking and sleeping hours listening and/or watching many different politically themed shows, and nowhere in the mainstream media did I hear anything even remotely reporting that. Once again, I had to go to the Internet to find anything reporting the news from that part of the world from that perspective. I found several Internet-based radio stations and blogs that gave me many perspectives I never would have gotten from the big “monster media scoundrels.” Once again, the media resources we have become so dependent on over the past 100 or so years failed again. But what is perhaps most frightening is that I had time and initiative to seek these “alternative” news sources. Many people in many countries either won’t or can’t do this and thus form an opinion based on many different unreliable news sources with many different opinions and agendas. And chances are millions of people are doing the same thing … and I’m a firm believer that a mass of misinformed people is more dangerous than any arsenal of nuclear weapons.

So many times over the past 50 years, the big media outlets have intentionally lied and misled the masses in many different countries and cultures. But we as humans still continue to get their vital information from the same sources.

However grim that might sound, there are many reasons to hope. People are really beginning to take notice and, most importantly, action! People are now noticing that the mainstream media is often owned by billionaires and the reporters are millionaires, both of which have many interests to protect and are quite intimidated by “‘state-sponsored information sources.” How can a very select few amount of people who are not interacting and have very limited exposure with the general populous (with very few exceptions, but there are exceptions) profess to know what the masses need to know?

While most Internet-based news resources are experiencing exponential growth and have since the “rebirth” of the Internet in the mid-1990s, more traditional media outlets are falling all over each other trying to keep their ships from sinking. Instead of actually becoming more reliable and accurate, they are trying everything but that. They are catering to people on the go by making podcasts available; they are putting blogs on their sites, but restrict them greatly (which defeats the purpose of the whole reason why blogs exist and have gotten as big as they are); they have even put out web sites and media players making them look as though they are independent, but with a little investigating many of those sites and players are backed by big billion-dollar multinational new corporations. (i.e., NBC is owned by General Electric, Winamp media player is owned by AOL, etc.).

Don’t get me wrong, the big media companies still have their place in our world. They have access to the masses unlike anybody, else and they do use that to do plenty of good things. But they are having to compete with truly independent media, even single person blogs, and that (along with other things) is forcing them to straighten up! The two things keeping them afloat is access and money. That’s what their “ships” consist of now. Will they stay alive in these “turbulent waters?” We the people will decide that! And as long as they realize that, they should be OK. But the days of their total dominance are gone.

If you want to learn a lot on the Internet, go to one of the many free web sites that allow anybody to type in a media name, and the web site will tell you who owns them and what alliances that media source has … I promise you will be amazed and you will feel very empowered!

But again there is reason to be optimistic! The will of the people all over the world are speaking out! And the big trend now is to get their information on any topic from other sources other than the big media companies, and that is truly revolutionary! That is why web sites like Inspin are experiencing incredible growth! When I have talked to other people from Inspin, you can hear the excitement in their voice. Those of you who have been with Inspin from the very beginning have seen the web site grow so much in a short amount of time.

The greatest thing about Inspin is that you’re not getting your sportsinformation from a highly paid talking head with a “Ken Doll persona.”. But you are getting it from somebody that could be your neighbor … somebody whom you can relate to. And advocating the things that sports advocates and creates is something that I deem very important if we are going to survive. I don’t feel as though I’m above anybody because I do that … I feel honored and privileged for the opportunity to do this for the better!

So next time somebody tells you that sports is just a distraction from the real issues that affect us in life, ask them how often every weekend millions and millions of people from all different walks of life get together, put all their political and philosophical differences aside and root … root … root for the same team! (or at least the same outcome to an event) And hold on … football season, where tens of millions of people get together all over this great country is right around the corner.

WagerWeb Writer

By Chris Goudey
Contributing Writer
WagerWeb MLB Baseball Odds

If you are still in contention to win your fantasy baseball league title, the All-Star break was the time to determine your end-game strategy. We are now slightly more than halfway through the season, and you should know if you have a shot at winning. If you do still have a chance at the title, there are several things you can do to help your chances.
The first thing you need to take a look at is your current rank in each specific category, and how far you are from moving both up and down within that category. For instance, if you are in sixth place in wins but could move up to second with just 2-3 more, then that is something to target. Likewise, if you are barely ahead of three other teams in stolen bases, it is imperative that you focus on that and make sure you have enough speed so you don’t lose precious points in that category.
At this point in the season there isn’t going to be a ton of help available on your league’s waiver wire, so the best way to acquire the help you need is via trade. Let’s say most of your closers lost their job or were hurt early in the year, so you are last in saves. If you are really far behind the teams just in front of you, it would be wise to just punt the category altogether and trade whatever closers you have left for help elsewhere.
If you need help in the other pitching categories, a solid starter is going to help you much more than holding a closer. Good starting pitchers eat up innings, so they will help your ERA/WHIP much more than a closer will. Also, if your league counts strikeouts, then that’s a fourth category you can get help in. Trade those closers for help in other categories.
Likewise, if you are strong in steals and think you can maintain your rank while trading a steals source, target a good power hitter if you need help there. A team with a lot of power and good numbers in HR/RBI is probably lacking in steals, so a trade where both teams are getting what they need makes a lot of sense. Batting average and runs scored can be acquired from power hitters and speed guys, so there is no real advantage either way. Obviously if you are low in average, runs and steals, a player like Ichiro is perfect for you, as he will be among the league leaders in all three. A player like Albert Pujols will get you the help in every category except steals, but he will obviously be much harder to trade for.
One more thing you can do to find a trade target is to look a player’s career numbers for the second half. There are lots of players who are much better in the second half than the first historically, so you might find a diamond in the rough if you do your research. All of the major sports sites and MLB.com have this information. The other thing you can do is to read the daily player notes on many roto-based sites or in USA Today. These notes will give you updates on playing time and injuries that can be crucial as we get down the stretch.
Trading is a delicate thing, especially if you are in a league with friends. Obviously you want to get the best of the trade, but at the same time you don’t want to develop a reputation as someone who is difficult to deal with. The best trade is one that helps both teams, but you just a little bit more than your trading partner. You want to try to make sure the person is getting value, but you don’t want to hurt your bottom line, which is your chance to win the title. If you’re trading with someone who is above you in the standings, don’t give them what they need to beat you. Usually you’ll want to try to trade with someone who is below you in the standings so they don’t hurt you long-term. As a rule I try to put myself in the other team’s shoes when I offer a trade. I look at their standing within each category and try to make sure they’re getting something they need. There’s no point in offering a closer to a guy who already leads the league in saves. It’s just a waste of time and will get you a bad reputation.
The stretch run is about to begin, and while the real pennant races are beginning to heat up so is your fantasy race. Be smart about what you need to do to get yourself over the top, and hopefully both you and your favorite team will be holding the trophy at the end of the season
Chris Goudey
WagerWeb MLB Baseball Odds

Poker Tip of the Week: Bad Beats »
By Chris Goudey
WagerWeb Casino

“#$%(&%#(&$)@&!!!”, I said for what seemed like the 10th time. Yes, I just got sucked out again on the river by a 2-outer and have now lost my last four sit-and-go tournaments in the same way. The donkey across the table has pulled one of the two or three cards in the deck that they needed to beat me after the flop. Those are known as bad beats, and as any player who plays regularly can tell you it seems to happen all the time.
Bad beats happen to the best poker players, the worst poker players, and everyone in between. There really isn’t a definition of what a bad beat is, but I would say it’s any time that you have your money in the pot and have at least a 75 percent chance of winning the hand. There are plenty of times where you have a 50/50, 55/45 or 60/40 chance of winning and you lose, but those aren’t really bad beats. They’re just part of the game. The times when you are in a “race” with someone, meaning one of you has a pocket pair and the other has two cards larger than your pair, are really not much more than a 50-55 percent chance for the person holding the pair to win. Also, a situation similar to this, where you have one overcard and your opponent has two cards higher than your kicker, you are only a 60 percent favorite to win.
The bad beats I’m talking about are the ones where you dominate your opponent, either with a higher pocket pair than his, a pair with a higher kicker or some other situation where he is a huge underdog once all the money goes in. Those are the ones that make you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut when you lose, and your reaction to these bad beats can make or break you as a poker player.
There is actually some good news in a continued string of bad beats. Bad beats happen to good players more often than they do to bad ones because the good players realize they have the best of it and get all their money in with the best hand more often. While a long run of beats will hurt your bottom line, you can take solace in the fact that you are playing solid poker. In the long run, getting your money in with the best hand a large percentage of the time is going to make you a ton of money. It’s hard to remember that sometimes when you’ve just been rivered, but if you can control your emotions and not go on tilt, you’ll be much better off. The key is just to tell yourself you made the right play and get on with it.
One way to lessen the effect of a bad beat in a tournament is to try to stay away from going all-in as much as possible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve suffered a stomach punch but still had enough chips to come back and do well. In fact, just the other day I was down to $40 in chips in a sit-and-go and came back to win. The saying “a chip and a chair” really does apply, so while you do want to maximize your profits when you have the best of it, you also want to try to insure that you don’t get yourself knocked out of a tournament if the fish catches what he’s looking for. You can be aggressive without over-betting.
As I said, bad beats happen to everyone who sits down at the table, but if you can remember that they are part of the game, don’t go on tilt when they do happen, leave yourself some wiggle room, and know that you are actually playing very well, you can live to fight another day.
Chris Goudey

WagerWeb Casino

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