Tuesday Morning Quarterback

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Jon Kitna is not a very good quarterback. The 7.6 YPA is nice, but that’s likely more a product of the Mike Martz engineered offense (as is the 44 sacks taken). He’s just way too inaccurate, and this team is going nowhere until they improve the position…Brett Favre, on the other hand, is playing unbelievably. I could not have been more wrong regarding his prospects at this stage of his career…Anyone who wasn’t too consumed with Thanksgiving witnessed a mini coming out party by Calvin Johnson, who was finally being targeted like the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft. Maybe his back is finally starting to get healthy, but it’s fairly evident this is going to be a special player for years to come.

Marion Barber is terrific and a top-10 fantasy back in most formats, but it’s pretty telling that the 103 rushing yards this week marked his season-high. He needs to get the ball more often than only in the fourth quarter of games already won…There’s something to be said about beating teams you are supposed to, and the Cowboys have done that with ease this year time and again. Remember, they’ve only lost to the undefeated Patriots.

How bad was the timing on Atlanta’s part to deal Matt Schaub this offseason?…Roddy White would probably be a top-15 fantasy WR if he had a capable quarterback…Reggie Wayne has had a fine season, but he’s left an awful lot of yardage on the field with uncharacteristic drops over the last few games.

I refuse to accept the Panther loss ATS on my record, as the late week injury to Vinny Testaverde made all the difference. David Carr shouldn’t be starting for a college team right now, let alone an NFL one…This Saints run D is underrated.

Completing a remarkable 84.2 percent of his 38 pass attempts Sunday, Carson Palmer was downright impressive…Not sure why DeDe Dorsey got more carries than Kenny Watson, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Triple-D 2.0…It’s too bad most Rudi Johnson owners likely missed the playoffs, because Cincinnati’s schedule weeks 14-16 is ridiculously good.

In a keeper-league, I’d still prefer Antonio Gates over Kellen Winslow because of durability, but it’s very, very close…I’ve slurped Braylon Edwards quite a bit this year, but he does drop too many balls still…Continuing our running conversation regarding starting a franchise, I’d make Matt Schaub a top-20 pick.

While in the minority, I’ve always viewed the Coen brothers as overrated. Not any more, as “No Country For Old Men” is a fantastic film and easily their best work. It’s on the short list of my best movies of the year and hysterical too. Probably one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years. Javier Bardem gives one of the finest performances in the history of cinema.

I’d love to see what David Garrard could do with an above average wide receiver to throw to…Remember Matt Jones’ off-the-charts measurables at the combine? Shocking how that didn’t translate into becoming an effective NFL receiver.

During a midseason draft I did before Week 8 this year, Justin Fargas and Ryan Grant weren’t even drafted – just goes to show how ever-changing this league is…To say Brodie Croyle still has some work to do would be an understatement…The Raiders run D is truly atrocious, but Kolby Smith came through Sunday, showing good burst and shiftiness. He’s going to get all the work he can handle from here on out.

Eli Manning has eight interceptions the last two games versus Minnesota – six of them returned for TDs. Even more worrisome for Giants fans was his postgame interview, in which he proceeded to answer questions about his shoddy play with a gee-gosh, happy-go-lucky grin on his face…Tarvaris Jackson still can’t pass, but he is quite elusive…The Giants run D is very, very good…The opposite is true regarding Reuben Droughns…Chester Taylor is better than I thought he was.

Marc Bulger is one of the most injury-prone athletes in all of sports…How about that goal line stand by the Rams’ offense? It started with Gus Frerotte missing a wide open Isaac Bruce from five yards away and ended with him fumbling the snap. The Seahawks did everything they could to give that game away Sunday, but clearly, St. Louis is more interested in the upcoming draft position…I’d be shocked if Shaun Alexander gets another start this year.

The Redskins were minus-six on the turnover battle Sunday yet still almost beat the Bucs. Tampa Bay was outgained 316 yards to 15 during the second half, as the team failed to gain one single first down over the game’s final 30 minutes. It’s safe to say the Bucs need a healthy Jeff Garcia on offense.

Arizona’s run-first philosophy has officially been scrapped…Larry Fitzgerald will be worth an early second round fantasy pick next year…As far as skills go, Fran Gore is easily a top-5 running back in the NFL. It was only a matter of time before he busted out, although the offense has done about as good of a job as possible of slowing him down. Still, his proneness to injury will make him a risky first round fantasy pick next year…If he hadn’t been sacked, Kurt Warner would STILL probably be looking for the open receiver while standing in the end zone.

Imagine what Andre Hall would have done had he not suffered a high ankle sprain during his first carry of the game…There are two major criteria I look for in fantasy running backs – do they catch passes and are they fast? Travis Henry strikes out on both, and I seriously regret recommending him…How about a hand for Mike Bell – the guy gets his first carry since Week 3 and promptly fumbles. Cecil Sapp should be owned in all deep leagues..As if the Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Javon Walker trio didn’t already have a bright enough future, Tony Scheffler looks like a possible future star at the tight end position. The Broncos are going to own the AFC West over the next decade…You hate to see any injury, but any Cedric Benson/Adrian Peterson owner couldn’t have been sad to see Benson carted away Sunday…Devin Hester is a pretty good special teams player.

Watching Ray Lewis try to guard Antonio Gates makes you remember how good he USED to be…Philip Rivers has quite possibly the worst mechanics in the NFL…The Chargers do an excellent job of blowing out bad teams while playing at home from time to time, but don’t let Sunday’s game fool you again into thinking this is a good football team.

So the Patriots are mortal, after all. Not sure what the team’s plan is regarding Laurence Maroney, but I am positive their lack of running game doesn’t hurt their chances of winning the Super Bowl…Wes Welker has an uncanny ability to get open finding the seam down the middle. He’s a legitimate top-10 fantasy WR with New England throwing it 55 times a game.

I tried to find something more exciting to do during the awful Monday night game – like doing laundry. What a joke that was…The fact Ben Roethlisberger completed 85.7 percent of his passes during those conditions is pretty impressive…Sure, the sod didn’t help, but I’m thinking Willie Parker is more banged up than he’s letting on…What a return by Ricky Williams!


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4 responses to “Tuesday Morning Quarterback”

  1. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    ‘No Country’ is fantastic, I saw it at Mark Cuban’s theatre up in Lincoln Park here in Chicago when it first opened in limited release and have been raving about it like a lunatic ever since, hoping to get ppl to go see it. Bardem/Chigurh was insane. A shot of him strangling that deputy has actually been my team logo for the past few weeks (not that it has done any good, FUCKING FATE has me likely to miss the playoffs despite scoring the most points in the league, and I am on course to shatter our league’s all-time season scoring format in next week’s finale…..god I hate H2H, I am fucking done with that format, it’s points or nothing for me next year). There wasn’t a lot of depth or nuance to the performance, but the role didn’t call for it anyway, and he was just focused like a friggin’ laser beam the whole time. So awesome. The squabble with that gas station attendant was legendary. I had never read any of Cormac McCarthy’s stuff before seeing the movie (I tend to hate “modern literature” for a variety of reasons), but after seeing the flick I went and picked up a copy of ‘The Road’, which I highly recommend–very quick read, I did it in essentially two and a half sittings. I guess Darren Aronofsky has purchased the movie rights, which could be compelling. I’m going to get a copy of ‘Blood Meridian’ next. I get the impression I’ll like most of his work, and you probably would too.

    As for the Coens being overrated, ack, whaaaaaa? Granted, some of their stuff (‘Ladykillers’, to name one) has sucked big time, and I didn’t like ‘Barton Fink’ half as much as many others did, but honestly, I think a case can be made that ‘Miller’s Crossing’ is THE best gangster flick ever, possibly even eclipsing ‘Godfather Pt. I/II’ or ‘Scarface’…..it’s close. Fantastic movie. I’m originally from far northern Wisconsin, just across the St. Louis river from Minnesota, so ‘Fargo’ resonated a lot with me as well. ‘Big Lewbowski’? ‘Raising Arizona’? ‘Blood Simple’? ‘O Brother’? So much quality. They have some duds, but they hit far, far more often than not, and apart from the dearly departed (Kurosawa, Kubrick), I am struggling to think of anyone more consistent.

    And regarding earlier (sorry, was out of town), yes, ‘AD’ meant Arrested Development, and yes, by all means, ‘Sunny’ is worth a netflix. Season 1 was very short, kind of like an audition season. Season 2 is longer and includes the addition of Danny DeVito to the cast, who I could take or leave in general, but to his credit he blends in really well with the existing characters and is fun to watch. Seasons 1 and 2 are sold together as a single unit and costs about $22….dunno how they’d set those up on Netflix, but the show is awesome. Definitely do yourself a favor and catch up. Then, you can catch re-runs of Season 3 as they come along on FX. Watch for the “Sweet Dee Dates a Retarded Person” episode especially, with Charlie’s “Night Man”/”Day Man” suite, rarely have I ever seen anything so hysterical, I was literally on the floor roaring with laughter for like half an hour, and the songs were stuck in my mind for weeks. I’m pretty sure they’re still up on YouTube, but it’s probably better to save the moment until you’ve seen a bit more of the series and can fully understand the group dynamics and the extent of Charlie’s dysfunction.

  2. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Good stuff Dreamweapon. Is Cuban’s theatre pretty ridiculous? I hear you regarding H2H – I’m already out of the playoffs in my main league, despite having a sick team. Sooo frustrating. My virtual defense was most certainly not impregnable.

    That gas station scene was sooooo good. If you paid close attention Bardem would actually cry during scenes for no apparent reason. Just the most intense guy ever. I’m a pretty big Aronofsky fan, so hopefully he does that book justice.

    I don’t necessarily dislike the Coen brothers, but their recent work (Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty) has been brutal. And I hated “O Brother.” Kingpin’s funnier than Big Lebowski, although it, Blood Simple and Raising Arizona are all def. solid. I remember really liking Fargo, but I haven’t seen it in years. Honestly, don’t think I’ve watched Miller’s Crossing, but I assume you suggest I do.

    OK, I’ll def. rent/buy “Sunny.” In general, I prefer comedies and am always seeking out hidden gems. I just rented “The Not Just the best of Larry Sanders show” and wasn’t impressed. Watched 2 or 3 and will skip the rest.

  3. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    I actually love his theatre (the Landmark Century)–I don’t know what their theatres are like in other cities, but the one here in Chicago exclusively plays indie/arthouse-type flicks of smaller scope. It’s a strange design, with a big open atrium and a large spiral staircase going up into the sky, with the individual theaters located along the route on different floors. The concession lines are horribly long, but they run movies the AMCs and Kerosotes of the world won’t touch, for whatever reason. Good place to take a date.

    I like Aronofsky myself, but I didn’t really like ‘Pi’ much at all, I more preferred ‘Requiem’. ‘The Fountain’ was actually pretty solid; I rented it from Blockbuster on Blu-Ray and it was gorgeous to look at, esp. the strange space scenes. Meditative. Weird. I’d love to see what he did with ‘The Road’. I think the book and his own personal style would mesh very well together.

    ‘Miller’s Crossing’ is a must. As good as ‘No Country’ was, I would still rate MC as their best movie. Albert Finney was fan-fucking-tastic; the “Danny Boy” scene, with the old man just going to town with a Tommy gun, is one of cinema’s most memorable moments. That said, incredibly, Turturro’s bawling “look into your heart” speech/plea when Byrne is supposed to clip him out in the woods might be even MORE memorable. All of the performances were great, the use of vernacular is almost unparalleled, it’s exquisitely shot, and the plot is just chalk-full of backstabbing turns. It’s just a great, great movie.

  4. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Requiem is on my all-time top-5 list.

    Enough with the Miller’s Crossing spoilers! It’s going on my queue..

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