Not Cool-ey

I just stumbled across Chris Cooley's blog. First of all, he apparently had a picture of himself nude on the blog for a few hours. Claims he didn't know about it, and couldn't take it down because it was during the game. Yeah, right. The picture has since been removed, and he wrote a little apology.

Watch out: if it means I will get more people to access this blog, I might pull the same thing.

But he also has fantasy advice. And it's hilarious. Please refer to the video of Fred Smoot and Santana Moss...

Week 2: Reactions and Distractions

First off, let's talk distractions. Sunday turned out to be one steaming, sticky day in the state of New Jersey. Realizing this was perhaps one of my last opportunities to go to the beach, I decided to out and get a tan, get sunburned, have the sunburn ache, put aloe on my sunburn, go to a networking event with a sunburn, be embarrassed about my my sunburn...

Anyways, I didn't get to watch a whole lot of live action football. I caught the Jets/Pats game, which us Jets deserved to lose, and the the Browns/Steelers game, which further proves that owning anyone on the Browns on your fantasy team was a big mistake. Another mistake: thinking it'd be a good idea to nationally television six Browns games.

Tonight's Monday Night game (Eagles v. Cowboys)? Borderline epic. Certainly more epic then the Ohio State v. USC game. Do midwestern states have any football pride left? Honestly, it's like the South and West Coast have taken a straw and slurped up every drop of talent, enthusiasm, pride, etc. that happens to exist in that already unexciting region. So yeah, tonight's game should be a shootout.

After catching up on football matters this morning, and shedding a few tears for Lehman Brothers, I've brought to you the second annual Reactions and Distractions.

- Time to buy stock in the Arizona passing game. Kurt Warner and that quick release of his zipped it into his super-receivers all first-half, with both big boys driving for those extra yards after the catch. Three touchdown catches by Anquan Boldin should make him happier then he was a month ago, when he was demanding a trade. As one ESPN analyst has already pointed out, the Cardinals are suddenly the team to beat in the NFC West. Things should only get better, as the Cardinals played it cool and ran the ball in the second half against the outclassed Dolphins. Don't expect that in closer games. Paging Matt Lienhart... Matt... are you there... please, speak to me...

- Oh yeah, and please pick up Tim Hightower on the Cards. Edge hasn' played great, and Hightower is the future of that running game. He'll at least get TD's for the time being.

- Another rookie looking to take on a bigger load: Jonathon Stewart. He has outplayed Deangelo Williams since training camp, and busted it in for a couple TD's (and a tackle-breaking 24-yard rumble). He could turn out to be a decent RB2 for the rest of the season, but watch out: next week is against the run-stopping Vikings D.

- Aaron Rodgers looked agile and comfortable, even throwing outside the pocket. Is it too early to slot him as a top-ten quarterback for the rest of the season? I think not. He has a great sore of recievers and a solid offense line. He'll have some bumps down the road, but the Packers confidence in him during the off-season was certainly warranted.

- There's trouble brewing in Cincinnati. Bump down everyone on that team right now, including their defense.

- Brandon Marshall is the second coming of Terrell Owens (who also looked fantastic Monday night). With Jay Cutler looking like the real deal, B-Marsh could very well put up top-3 WR numbers from here on out. Shame on all those suckers who were scared away because of the suspension. I hope you're stuck with Braylon Edwards.

- Tiny little Darren Sproles looked tres speedy while LT sat on the bench. He's a must-add for any LT owners, leagues that award points for returns, or someone looking for trade bait.

- Meanwhile, husky Larry Johnson is pissed that he isn't getting carries. So are his fantasy owners. He's just not the same player anymore. Herm Edwards insists LJ will get more carries in the future, but with a 1.8 YPC, I don't see the point.

- So Matt Cassell isn't exactly the stud Tom Brady is, but he played relatively mistake-free football. He's not a great fantasy option, but don't go bumping down Moss and Welker too much. How about that badly underthrown bomb to Moss though? Hopefully he learned from it...

- I'm hungry. The only options I have are peanut butter, old grilled chicken, chips, and some soup. The soup sounds good. Cream of Broccoli... delicious

- That Seahawks tight end, John Carleson? What a beast. He'll put up good numbers as long as Seahawks have negative receivers. Poor Matt Hasselback though. This is not going to help the premature balding.

- The Mets are going to lead me to an early death.

Week Two: Bump 'Em Up

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers (@ Det): Last week Rodgers looked poised and surprisingly Favre-esque against Minnesota's weak secondary. This week he'll have another defense, one that looks to be significantly worse, to pick apart. Grant's improving hamstring sure alleviate any concerns about the running game. Look for Rodgers to air it out a bit more. ETC Prediction: 20/29, 260yds, 2TD, 1INT

Ben Roethlisberger (@ Cle): The Browns secondary are looking to be the kids on the playground who perpetually get their lunch money stolen, atomic wedges, picked last, etc. This week's bully is Big Ben, who is battling a sore shoulder that doesn't appear to be anything serious. He'll have a better-than-average day, assuming Mike Tomlin doesn't get too conservative. ETC Prediction 21/33, 240yds, 3TD, 1INT

Worth mentioning: Eli Manning, Jay Cutler

Running Backs

Reggie Bush (@ Was): Throw in an injury to Marques Colston, mix it with an ailing Deuce McAllister, and sprinkle it with the Saints new and improved usage of Bush. What does that bake? Well, one delicious King Cake for Reggie Bush. Washington's defense got plowed by Brandon Jacobs in Week One, but will get wowed by Reggie Bush in week two. ETC Prediction: 18 carries, 75yds, 1 rushing TD, 8rec, 90yds, 1 receiving TD

Earnest Graham (vs. Atl): In Tampa, Brian Griese is starting over Jeff Garcia at quarterback this week, which sounds like a move taken straight from one of my Madden 2001 franchise teams. Griese's inexperience with the first team (at least this year) should give Graham a few extra carries. Plus, Atlanta's defense is nothing to write home about. Expect a lot of running on both sides in this one, but for Warrick Dunn to swipe a few too many carries. ETC Prediction: 19 carries, 85 yards, 2TD, 4rec, 30yds

Worth mentioning: Julius Jones, Sammy Morris

Wide Receivers

Randy Moss (at NYJ): Wait, bump him up? Oh yes. Bump him up high. And I'll tell you why. First off, Welker and Gaffney are limping around, so Moss should be targeted even more than usual. As a Jets fan, I can tell you first-hand the Jets secondary is fairly average, and will still cover Welker as if he's healthy. Plus, Moss and Cassell did hook-up for a sweet touchdown last week. But here's the real reason: while Brady is a legendary quarterback, he also a product of a great system. The Pats will adapt. I've seen Moss slip into the double-digits of other rankings this week, but he deserves to be top-3 material, at least for this match-up. ETC Prediction: 10rec, 130yds, TD

Bernard Berrian (vs. Ind): I still love the Vikings this year. Au contraire, the Colts just got embarrassed in that brand new stadium by the Bears. The Bears! Tavaris Jackson will air it out, and Berrian is the deep threat who will keep on pull 'em in. ETC Prediction: 6cec, 130yds, 1TD

Worth Mentioning: Courtney Taylor, Bryant Johnson

Tight End

Jeremy Shockey (@Was): Benefactor #2 of the Colston injury: Mr. Shockey. Brees loves to dump it off to the big guys underneath, and with Colston gone, he'll find himself a new favorite target. ETC Prediction: 6rec, 65yds, 1TD

Worth mentioning: John Carlson

Rookie Running Back Analysis

Oh, first days of school. I remember being eight years old, and being completely disillusioned by the foreignness of my new suburban New Jersey elementary school. Why do they all have Ninja Turtle lunchboxes? Why can't I get my hair to look like that? Who are all these girls laughing at me? Why am I always picked last at touch football? Where is my Mom?

It was a traumatic period, and has effectively served as a metaphor the remainder of my years. I learned some invaluable lessons though: first impressions can mean a lot, and a good debut can mask faults down the line. In the realm of fantasy football, big debuts can also mean a lot of hype. This season featured a slew of rookie backs getting some serious duty on Day One. More rookies, in fact, then I can recall (if you know another season with more rookies, please inform me).

The emergence of so many rookies is a testament to the two-back system taking over the NFL. It's shifting the landscape of fantasy football as well: minus the top tier of backs, most good to great running backs will have someone stealing carries from them. So it creates a predicament for fantasy owners: am I willing to start a guy who is only to get me 10-15 carries? Is it worth a second round pick on a guy like Stewart of McFaddon, who might get 25 carries per-game down the line?

This season should be interesting to study, as more teams transition over to the two (and even three) back system. The division of carries should set new precendents amongst NFL coaches and fantasy owners alike, and more teams will rely on rookies than ever before.

So back to our running backs. Some look to join the popular crowds. Others were sent home early. Let us ponder together whether each is worthy of sustained success...

Matt Forte (Bears): He's not going to lead the NFL in rushing, but in one game, Matt Forte (left) solidified himself as the best weapon in the Bears offense. He has astonishing vision for a rookie: stopping momentarily, peaking around for a hole, and then smashing through it. If anything, he reminds me a bit of a young Deuce McAllister: a balance of burner and punisher. With that being said, the Bears should see more teams stacking the line as the Kyle Orton experiment will fail. The Colts defense simply did not show up, but upcoming games against Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Philly should pose a challenge. A rookie back shouldn't have to take that weekly beating, so don't be suprised to see Forte land on the injury list at some point. ETC Season Predicion: 1,050 yards rush yards, 10TD, 200 recieving yards, 1TD.

Chris Johnson (Titans): Don't let Vince Young's injury fool you: the biggest news out of Tennesse was the tres speedy Chris Johnson. They gave Johnson the ball 15 times for 93 yards, and he caught three passes, including one dive for a touchdown. He's splitting carries with Lendale White, but for such skinny guy, consider that a good thing. White is a back you want to punch it through on a 3rd and 3. Johnson is someone you throw a screen to on 2 and 10 and burst down the line. This one-two punch will have to be relied on heavily now that Vince Young is out, although Kerry Collins is probably a better all-around passer. In training camp Johnson was hailed a sleeper Rookie of the Year canidate. Now you can remove the word "sleeper". ETC Prediction: 1,080 yards rushing yards 10 TD, 450 recieving yards, 4TD

Darren McFaddon (Raiders): He's still sitting behind Justin Fargas on the depth-chart, but expect that to last for only 3 to 4 more weeks as the Raiders don't look to be very competitive at this point. McFaddon lined up at reciever and even quarterback at one point, so he'll be used aplenty this year. McFaddon didn't amaze, but his time will come. And don't worry about the shoulder injury: Lane Kiffen said McFaddon would have returned if it wasn't a rout. ETC Predicion: 930 rush yards, 6TD, 330 rushing yards, 2TD

Kevin Smith (Lions): The Lions looked awful. Smith looked... not bad for a movie director slash muted mallrat. Had a nifty touchdown as well. Smith and Rudi Johnson should split carries throughout the year. Keep in mind the Lions offense will be playing catch-up all year... dishing it out to Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams more then running the ball. ETC Prediction: 760 rushings yards, 4TD, 280 recieving yards, 1TD

Jonathon Stewart (Panthers): Splitting carries with DeAngelo Williams, he racked up 53 yards on 10 carries. In my humble opinion, he will eventually go down as the most successful running back of this group, but for now, he should see his carries increase throughout the season He'll be a second round pick fantasy pick in 2009. ETC Prediction: 970 rushing yards, 7TD, 120 recieving yards, 1TD

Felix Jones (Cowboys): He racked up a touchdown against the Browns and a huge run that was brought back by penalty. But not every team is as bad as the Browns, and Barber isn't missing any more time with those bruised ribs (9 of Jones 10 carries came after Barber left in the third quarter). Wade Philips is mum on how he wants to use Jones, but don't expect much. ETC Prediction: 370 yards rushing, 2TD, 90 yards recieving, 1TD

Ray Rice (Ravens): Starting in replacement of Willis McGahee, the Rutgers star didn't sieze the opportunity. Doesn't help that he has a rookie quarterback. Doesn't help that his fumble was returned for a touchdown. Doesn't help that McGahee is looking to return soon. But don't count him out: Rice is a speed demon, and should prove himself a legit starter sometime down the line. Just not this year. ETC Prediction: 490 rushing yards, 2TD, 210 recieving yards, 0TD

Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers): Wait, wasn't Mendenhall supposed to be the next rookie to carry them to a Super Bowl, a la Big Ben? Ah, apparently not. Willie Parker had a terrific day against the Texans, while Mendenhall had only 28 yards on 10 carries. Plus. his status as a goal-line back appears to have vanished with all those preseason fumbles. The Steelers are looking to spread the offense this year, so a banger like Mendenhall isn't going to benefit. He's a Parker-injury away from being a stud. But until that happens... ETC Prediction: 480 rushing yards, 5TD, 120 recievings yards 0TD