Fantasy Football

We’ll just come out and apologize for the lack of fantasy perspective in this post, we’ll get back to our roots later today.

Looking back on what I wrote yesterday, it was certainly an eventful week of NFL football. In fact, unless you include the end of college football’s 2007 season, I can’t recall a more eventful weekend. It was the perfect storm of match-ups, confidence and ineptitude. Those only come around every so often. It almost makes me wish that while I was at that bar on Sunday, I would’ve paid closer attention to the full slate of games, rather than ignoring everything else to crack stupid jokes about the awfulness of the Lions. Who at this point seem to be so pitiable that everyone is afraid to make fun of them. It’s an unusual phenomenon for the NFL set, really.

But I think Lions fans really need to quit bitching already. Need I remind you, you went 4-0 in the pre-season? How quickly we all forget our accomplishments when we’re looking for something to complain about.

In all seriousness though, I’m only half kidding. Going 4-0 in the pre-season before the same season that you go 0-16 has to stand as one of the greater achievements from the Matt Millen era. He, Marinelli and the rest of the team that isn’t Kevin Smith or Calvin Johnson (and really even the two of them) have to be feeling pretty ecstatic about the fact that it was such a monumental weekend of football, because it doesn’t feel like this is getting quite the attention it deserves.

The good news is, they can only improve.

But onward and upward, Lions fans. For 2008, to the best of my knowledge you have two first rounders, at least one second rounder, two third rounders and two sixth rounders (Thanks Dallas!). So a turnaround could come abruptly (See: Falcons, Dolphins, Ravens in the post-season) if they draft properly. I recommend either getting a real coach (*coughBillCowhercough*) to oversee the draft or bringing in a consultant to make sure you do not draft Michael Crabtree 1st overall. Do not get me wrong, Crabtree has difference making potential in the NFL. But none of you need him. And if you’re going to draft him, for the love of Christ have a trade lined up before you do. With the Lions this season and given that this year’s class is exceptionally deep, quantity is just as important as quality.

But if they can’t get a coach with a respectable track record with these sort of things, I recommend bringing in a consultant. And not a celebrity consultant like the Jets did with Larry David. I mean a real NFL adviser. Some grizzled vet who lives and breathes NFL prospects. They really cannot overpay this person. Because if they do not capitalize on that heist of the Cowboys earlier in the season, if you’re a Lions fan you can officially lose all hope.

Alright, enough about the Lions.

Speaking of the Dolphins, I haven’t paid as much attention to this story as I should have for a couple reasons: 1) It seems like it happens twice every season at this point, but never to this degree. That is, that a team makes a miraculous turnaround from one season to the next, usually with the introduction of a new coach. 2) I haven’t seen the Dolphins play a single down of live football all season.

Never the less, the rebound is quite remarkable. It’s going to be a shame when they fire Tony Sparano in under five years. Because that’s what NFL teams do. They bring in a coach, anoint him as the savior, they inevitably hit a rough patch some years down the line or fail to follow-up the success of the turnaround season with similar results the next year, the team and city panic and fire the coach because he is the easiest person to blame and the people running football are generally ex-players who’ve been hit in the head too many times and have no short-term memory. But hey, it was a good run. I don’t know, maybe Bill Parcells will bring a modicum of sanity to the front office and NFL teams will follow suit, but I’m not all that optimistic that we’ll see this happen. Immediate results are the name of the day in the NFL.

I was watching some NFL show on ESPN, as is the furthest thing from my wont. And I can’t remember who it was, but they were talking about the Browns firing Crennel, and whether or not they will be patient with the next coach that comes in. Now the Browns are probably too patient, at least compared to the rest of the league. But it isn’t a matter of a franchise being patient anymore, it’s just a matter of being reasonable. Will this team give their newly hired coach a fair shake or will they demand Belichick like results within the first season? I actually think what the Dolphins did this season will just raise the bar for new coaches. Improve our team’s record by ten wins in the first season or you’re fucking outta here, pal.

What we do find strange is that of all the coaches that are bound to be preemptively fired (for now, just Eric Mangini), Wade Philips is not one of them. Here is a coach with what most would deem one of the five most talented teams in the NFL (I do not necessarily agree, but whatever), his season ends with them playing for the final playoff spot and it results in them being humiliated on what was basically national television, he plays for one who fancies himself to be the shrewdest owner in the NFL…and he gets to keep his job?

Now, I do not think much of any of the parties involved here. Be it Jones, Phillips or the collective offensive and defensive units of the Cowboys. But everyone else (including Jones) would tell you that the ‘boys are sporting the best of everything. Phillips is the only person here who isn’t a marquee name and everyone would agree he’s at least partially to blame…so what gives? Is Jones still intent on eventually handing the reins over to Jason Garrett, but can’t justify it right now?

He can do whatever he wants, but Jerry Jones likes high profile names and media attention, Phillips offers neither of those things nor does he seem to be having a positive effect on the team. And the only explanation I can come up with is Garrett’s stock is probably even lower, especially after Romo and Owens question the play-calling from Sunday’s decimation. Which I find kind of hysterical. I’ve mentioned several times that the infatuation Jerry Jones has for Jason Garrett is inexplicably baffling. He has no credentials, no experience, no track-record as a player or even an assistant, and his star seems completely man made by one person: his employer.

But at the same time, you do not lose 44-6 and pin it solely on a coordinator. As much as I believe Jerry Jones is overrating Garrett (and anyone else who’s bought into the hype), I certainly doubt he drew up three plays for Tony Romo to fumble the ball and throw a pick-six. I mean, he’s bad but he’s no saboteur, at least I don’t think he is. Tony Romo just isn’t that good, I don’t know why this is so hard for everyone to except. But yeah, maybe if you publicly complain about the offensive scheme post-game, no one will remember how terrible you executed while the game was taking place. Nice PR job, Rosenhaus.

Anyhow, I think between this and yesterday’s post that should cover just about everything. Well, except for the Raiders beating the Buccaneers. Something we didn’t even consider but apparently we should have since they lost three straight heading into that game. Beat the Raiders and you become the third team from your division to make the playoffs, it’s that simple. And they pissed away the playoffs because that proved to be too daunting of a task. After looking at the record for west coast teams traveling east, all you can really say is that they were a fraud to begin with, and didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs in the first place. One of the few instances of justice actually being served in the NFL.

Back with a top five from week 17 later today.