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(Issue 1.02: 4/8/08)
In this Issue:
- Rookie Watch – Who’s the top WR?
- News You Might Have Missed #1
- Speaking of Idiots in the News (NFL Version)
- Free Agents Moves Under the Radar
- News You Might Have Missed #2
- Interested in an/a Auction/Contract Dynasty League?
Welcome to another edition of “Hot Fries Ramblings” – a grab-bag of thoughts, observations, and real-life weirdness from a Fantasy Football fan with a twisted perspective and too much time on his hands…
Rookie Watch – Who’s the top WR?
The NFL draft is just over two weeks away and virtually every source I’ve seen has Darren McFadden as the #1 RB and FF high-impact rookie. It’s also becoming likely that either DE Chris Long (Virginia) or DT Glenn Dorsey (LSU) will end up as the draft’s #1 overall pick.
But when you get to WR, there doesn’t seem to be a clear-cut favorite, and rarely are any WRs listed in the top 20 overall picks. Instead, there are several names now being thrown around: Juniors DeSean Jackson (California), Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma), and Devin Thomas (Michigan State), and senior Limas Sweed (Texas).
But none of these WRs is head-and-shoulders above the rest, and most have question marks due to injuries: Jackson had a down year as a junior in part due to a series of injuries, and some wonder if he has the durability needed. Kelly has had his own injury concerns (lingering concerns over his knee and a quad tear) – enough that his agent just sent a letter to each NFL team with a written statement of health from Kelly’s doctor. Sweed had a significant wrist injury in his senior year and surgery that many are concerned about his recovery from.
All this uncertainty has helped Devin Thomas get serious mention as a likely candidate for the first WR taken off the board. But even if he is the first WR taken, Thomas is not a WR who I expect to make significant impact in his rookie year. He has frequently been labeled as “a project” and “raw”. He does have excellent size (6-2, 215), speed (4.40 40 at the combine), and the ball skills, but he will need time to develop to be effective in the NFL. Think more Calvin Johnson than Randy Moss in terms of rookie impact.
News You Might Have Missed #1
An actual news story:
Man Falls From Roof of Moving Minivan, Runs Naked Along Bypass
READING, PA (Reading Eagle, 4/5/2008) - A Reading man climbed atop a moving minivan Friday on the West Shore Bypass, stood on the roof and rode the vehicle until it crashed and catapulted him into the woods, West Reading police reported.
Witnesses told police that the man then climbed up an embankment, stripped naked and ran several hundred yards down the busy highway bleeding from a foot-long gash in his side.
"I’ve never seen anything like this in 22 years," West Reading police Detective Joseph M. Brown said of the 3 p.m. incident. "It is not a common call we get as police."
Police responding to calls from frantic motorists used three separate jolts from a Taser and pepper spray to subdue the nude man. The Taser had no effect, and police eventually tackled the 38-year-old from Reading, Brown said.
He was taken to Reading Hospital, police said. The hospital listed him in critical condition Friday night. Brown said the investigation continues and police are awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
The bizarre scene unfolded as witnesses reported seeing a minivan going about 55 mph and swerving in the westbound lanes of the bypass near the Penn Avenue interchange.
Witnesses driving on the West Shore Bypass, or Route 422, saw the driver of the minivan climb out the driver’s side window and onto the roof. The vehicle swerved and crashed into a concrete median.
The impact sent the vehicle back across the westbound lanes, and the man was thrown down a wooded embankment. Witnesses told police they thought the victim had been killed.
"They were shocked when he got back onto the road," Brown said, adding that the man had a foot-long gash in one side and his internal organs were exposed.
Brown said it was fortunate that no one else was injured, considering that the driverless minivan swerved across a lane of traffic.
"Drivers were alert enough to stay back," he said.
Traffic on the West Shore Bypass was backed up for more than an hour.
LINK:
http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=86959
Geez!!! How freakin’ bizarre!!! I’ve passed minivans driving erratically on the highway, but it’s usually because Mom’s trying to drive and yell at the kids in the back at the same time. This, on the other hand, is just warped.
Speaking of Idiots in the News (NFL Version)
OK – I love wacky news stories, and I’m always amused by how many idiots find themselves in the news thanks to their own stupidity. Of course the NFL is no exception.
This off-season’s top candidate so far for “NFL Idiot-in-the-News” would probably be Chris Henry for recurring criminal behavior that got him booted from the Bengals. “Honorable Mention for Careless Injuries” would go to Brandon Marshall, whose arm-into-the-TV may yet cost him playing time.
But another name popped out at me recently for inclusion in the “NFL Idiots You Might Have Forgot About” category: Najeh Davenport. He was in court in Cleveland this past Monday (4/7) on charges of domestic violence stemming from an October 4th incident in which he is accused of choking, slapping, and punching the mother of his 5-year old child.
You may remember Davenport from his time at the University of Miami – he was charged back in 2002 with… ummm, defecating in the laundry basket of a woman in her dorm room (on April 1st, no less). Those charges were later dropped after he completed community service, but to this day he still renowned for the incident and even carries the nickname of “Dookie.”
At any rate, he may find himself in deep doo-doo again – if convicted in Cleveland, he could get over a year in jail and a likely suspension from the NFL.
Free Agent Moves Under the Radar
Some minor, but interesting QB shuffling this off-season:
- Joey Harrington cut and then re-signed in Atlanta. Odds are the Falcons will draft a QB for the future and lean on Chris Redman for the short-term, but weird things happen in the NFL. A former 1.03 pick by the Lions, Harrington has been plagued by inconsistency. However, as a back-up without the pressure of the starting role, he may actually be a decent option.
- Gus Frerotte going to the Vikings. Although Tavaris Jackson still has the starting slot sewn up, Frerotte gives them a viable option at backup, and probably moves the team out of drafting a QB in the early rounds.
- Trent Green signed by the Rams. Marc Bulger had a pretty dismal season last year, battling injuries and earning career lows in completion percentage and passer rating. Bulger is looking to rebound under new offensive coordinator Al Saunders. Adding to the mix is Trent Green, who played under Saunders in Kansas City. Green will begin the season as #2, but if Bulger has the same problems he did last year, Green may easily end up starting at some point.
News You Might Have Missed #2
Another actual news story:
Help Wanted: Drinking Buddy for Lonely Dad
LONDON (AFP, 4/3/2008) - The son of a retired widower has placed an advertisement looking for someone to have a few drinks with his father at a local pub for seven pounds ($14 dollars) an hour.
Jack Hammond, 88, and his son, Michael, will begin interviewing candidates for the position soon, after Michael posted the advertisement at their local post office in Hampshire, southern England.
The elder Hammond used to go to his local pub four times a week in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, with his neighbor, but had to stop the practice recently when he moved into a nursing home closer to the rest of his family.
"When you put an advertisement in a post office for 25p you don't expect anything to come of it, so the response has been amazing," Michael, a chef, said.
They have ruled out hiring a woman, as Michael Hammond said his father, a retired electrical engineer, would be uncomfortable having a drink with a woman he did not know, and are hoping to find "a gentleman who is not too bombastic and enjoys a nice pint" with an interest in engineering or golf.
"Dad will be going out with some of the candidates next week but we are going to do it properly, as he is vulnerable," Michael added.
LINK:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080403/od_afp/lifestylebritainelderlyfamilydrinkoffbeat_080403221713;_ylt=A0WTcWOCTvZHR4oAowOgOrgF
Whoa! I know several guys who have done an extensive amount of training for just this type of career. The only problem is where do you go after work – to a factory or an office somewhere?
Interested in an Auction / Contract Dynasty League?
If you’re familiar with The Whiz, you know about our popular “Badlands” dynasty leagues. These are active, competitive dynasty leagues featuring deep rosters, in-depth rules, and IDP scoring (what else would you expect from The Whiz?).
This year we’re going to add a version of Badlands that cranks up the involvement and detail, and makes it the ultimate for those guys who need the deepest dynasty experience possible: An auction-contract version!
The roster, scoring, starters, and basic rules of Badlands will still apply. But what will be different is that EVERY player is signed by auction, where their value is set by however much someone is willing to bid.
Really want LaDainian Tomlinson on your team? No problem – every owner has a shot at him, not just the guy lucky enough to be drafting at 1.01. But odds are you’ll have to spend a chunk of change, and then not have as much to spend at the other positions.
The Badlands Auction-Contract league will eliminate two of the drawbacks most A/C leagues suffer from:
- An artificial salary cap in addition to the “cash” that teams can spend. This creates “dead cash,” complex rules, and accounting nightmares. Here, every team starts will equal cash and can ‘spend it if they got it’, even if they collected in a trade.
- An arbitrary price put on rookies in a yearly draft and extra rules to limit rookie contracts. The solution is simple: No draft. Instead, we’ll have a yearly rookie auction, where every rookie signed is done so at fair market value determined by bidding by every owner.
Interested? Visit us in the forum and learn more!
--- Well, that’s another edition. Thanks for reading! Your comments, suggestions, and other feedback are always welcome. Visit our forum and chime in.
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(1) Forum Discussion