Colts Football

lazysubmit asked:


When two teams go to the Super Bowl, the toughest challenge they face the following season is living up to the success of the past season.

Expectations from playoff teams are always high at the beginning of a new season, mostly because of their recent success from the prior year, as their successful season is still fresh in the public’s mind. Therefore, these teams are viewed in a positive light and the bookmakers will inflate their season total wins.
Keeping that in mind, let’s review the past 11 NFL seasons and see how the Super Bowl winners and losers have done the following year. Since 1995, the Super Bowl winner made the playoffs the following year 8 out of 11 times for 72.7% with the average season total of wins being 11.75 games. However, it’s a different scenario for the Super Bowl loser, as they’ve only advanced 5 out of 11 times and those other 6 teams who didn’t make the playoffs, their average season wins the following year was 6.0 games.

Now, from a weekly ATS betting perspective and keeping in mind perception being the bookmaker’s friend, the betting public will always have “last week” syndrome when betting football. Most novice bettors tend to look back to the last weekend when doing their weekly picks and an experience handicapper will take last week’s results with a grain of salt and focus on the current situation at hand. In fact, when looking at those 22 teams who went to the Super Bowl from 1995 to 2006, the public’s perception has been that since they went to the Super Bowl last year, they should have a good season and cover the spread most weeks. However, as you can see from the chart below, only 6 teams out of 22 had a successful ATS season the following year with the OVER/UNDER edge going towards the UNDER.

In summary, if you look at the teams who’ve been successful the following season after going to the Super Bowl, you can clearly see those were teams of destiny with Hall of fame QB’s. Therefore, this brings us to the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears for the upcoming 2007 season. Manning is clearly a Hall of Fame QB and with the consistency the Indianapolis Colts have displayed in the past, it would be tough to bet the UNDER in their total season wins. However, my top recommendation for the 2007 season is to bet the UNDER on the total season wins for the Chicago Bears. The Bears relied heavily on their defense last season and were beneficiaries of a soft schedule in my opinion. But that won’t be the case this season; they will have a tough challenge right out of the gate, which could lead them to a 0-3 start. With that said, I look for the bears to have a 7-9 SU season in ’07 and would recommend betting the UNDER on their total season wins when the numbers come out.

Enjoy the ’07 campaign.

Bears 2007 Regular Season Schedule



KIRK

William Parsons asked:


After months of analysis and projections leading up to the April 25-26 NFL draft followed by days of draft recap and team grades, we focus on what really matters to us; how the draft affects our fantasy football leagues. While we may have thoughts on the absurdity of the contracts signed by high draft picks, it has no effect on our fantasy football team’s payroll. Players may have been drafted higher or lower than projected, but that has no impact on where they will be drafted in our leagues. What matters most to us is if the player will play and if it will be this year or in upcoming years. Let’s take a quick spin through the league and look at each team’s new additions that could factor into our fantasy football drafts.
AFC

Baltimore - Baltimore’s best pick was on the offensive line with G Michael Oher. I cannot see this changing the draft position of any of the Ravens’ three-headed backfield. DE Paul Kruger was a nice addition to an aging defense.

Buffalo - Buffalo added players across the board, except for the offensive skill positions (Terrell Owens was added via free agency). DE Aaron Maybin will be a stud on defense, bumping the defense up a few positions. They did add TE Shawn Nelson who could have a sneaky year catching passes underneath. Hopefully, Owens won’t catch him conspiring with QB Trent Edwards on individual plays.

Cincinnati - The Bengals had a great overall draft, but their improvements on the offensive line OT Andre Smith and defense with LB Rey Maualuga and DE Michael Johnson does little to make their defense draftable or increase the draftability of any offensive players. I do love TE Chase Coffman and will take my chances on him with a late round pick.

Cleveland - Rookie wide receivers rarely do much in the NFL, but the Browns added two that I would recommend taking as a late round pick; Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi.

Denver - The Broncos addressed their biggest weakness; their defense. However, their defense should only be rostered when facing Kansas City and Oakland. RB Knowshon Moreno is worth drafting, but I would not draft him too high as Denver signed 4 free agent RBs so I don’t see Moreno as their primary back.

Houston - The Texans added a few starters on defense to help out Mario Williams. The jury is out on whether or not it makes the position draftable or not cuz they were the 27th-ranked fantasy defense in 2008.

Indianapolis - DT Fili Moala helps the defense immediately, but the player to focus on is RB Donald Brown. Brown quietly lead the NCAA in rushing yards in 2008 and will step in right away for the Colts. Joseph Addai is still the number 1 running back, but has proven to be injury-prone, so Brown will get reps right away to minimize Addai’s touches. He should be selected in middle rounds and a few rounds higher in Keeper Leagues.

Jacksonville - The Jags grabbed a pair of offensive tackles to help restore their running game. This should keep Maurice Jones-Drew as a second round pick. WR Mike Thomas is worth a late-round flier.

Kansas City - The Chiefs signed a few good players on defense in DT Alex Magee and LB Tyson Jackson, but they will not make their defense worth drafting.

Miami - You will read a lot about how well QB Patrick White will fit into the Fins’ Wildcat offense, but how many touches can you realistically expect? They grabbed 6′ 5″ WR Patrick Thomas outta USC to help their passing game, but if their offense does not make Ted Ginn Jr an every week starter, Thomas has no chance.

New England - Much like Dallas, New England worked multiple trades to fill multiple holes, but none of them will help us in the fantasy world. No offensive players to note and their D will not change draft perception with the new additions.

New York Jets - The Jets were the most daring team during the draft and landed two draftable players out of their three picks in QB Mark Sanchez and RB Shonn Green. Many people questioned the Green pick, but I love this kid. He is as tough and powerful as they get. Thomas Jones is in his early 30s and threatening to hold out if he doesn’t get more cash and Leon Washington may become too expensive, so Green is not a bench warmer. Sanchez had a short starting career at USC, but excelled in a pro style offense and seems polished and ready to tackle the New York media. I would recommend Sanchez as a mid-round pick and can see taking Green as a double digit round pick. Bump Sanchez up considerably in Keeper leagues and bump Green up a few rounds in Keeper leagues as well.

Oakland - Oakland would receive much more ridicule for its draft choices if Detroit wasn’t in the league. However, in fantasy football, who cares if Oakland drafted a guy a round too early and bypassed a much better receiver to do it. WR Darius Heyward-Bey is a burner and can put up some serious numbers if JaMarcus Russell can get him the ball. A good mid-round pick.

Pittsburgh - The Steelers didn’t really do much to change fantasy football except add another solid DT to its defense in Evander Hood. They should still be the first or second defense drafted.

San Diego - The Chargers added DE Larry English, but will probably move him to LB, especially if Merriman is slowed from his knee surgery and Shaun Phillips can’t stay out of trouble. No impact on fantasy in the least.

Tennessee - WR Kenny Britt was their best pick, but he will be a third option in a run first, second and third offense. They replaced Albert Haynesworth with DT Sen’Derrick Marks (no misspelling on the name). He is a slight step back, but won’t change the location in the draft for the Tennessee D.

NFC

Arizona - The Cards happily grabbed RB Chris “Beanie” Wells with the first pick in the second round. He will play immediately as Edgerrin James was released and Tim Hightower appears to be best suited as a goal-line back. Beanie should be drafted in one-season in rounds 4-5 in standard 12-team leagues and rounds 3-4 in Keeper leagues.

Atlanta - Eight picks, all on defense. So, obviously, the Falcons D is the only position that improved. They have some solid additions to support their corners as well as help John Abraham, especially DT Peria Jerry, S William Moore and DE Lawrence Sidbury. This will propel them into the top half of draftable defenses.

Carolina - DE Everette Brown and S Sherrod Martin will help the defense a bit, though not near as much as keeping Julius Peppers will. Their defense should remain in the same draft position.

Chicago - The Bears did pretty well considering they only drafted on Day 2. WR Juaquin Iglesias is a nice addition to a weak receiving core and could be a productive late round pick on draft day. DT Jarron Gilbert will help the Bears D out a bit, though not altering their draft position.

Dallas - The Cowboys traded their way into a lot of worthless picks. Even though the Cowboys had no draftable backup QB last year, I do not believe that QB Stephen McGee is in that category this year. If you draft QB Tony Romo, your backup should be a starting QB on another team.

Detroit - QB Matthew Stafford is giddy knowing that he will be given the reigns to a winless team, so the bar for success in worm-high. It also brings a rare smile to his face when he envisions WR Calvin Johnson in his huddle. However, he is still a rookie QB on a winless team, so don’t pick him as your number 1 QB. He should be drafted higher in Keeper leagues. TE Brandon Pettigrew is a must-draft TE in later rounds.

Green Bay - Green Bay’s D was productive in the TD category last season, but was a bit of a sieve. Adding DT B.J. Raji and LB Clay Matthews enhances this position a few rounds.

Minnesota - The Vikings grabbed WR Percy Harvin to add a new dimension to their offense. The kid can flat-out play, if he adjusts to life in the Twin Cities. I would definitely recommend picking him up in early double-digit rounds.

New Orleans - The Saints’ D was startable at certain times last season coming off the waiver wire. That will change a bit this year with the additions of CB Malcolm Jenkins and S Chip Vaughn. I feel good recommending drafting them in the last round.

New York Giants - The G-Men addressed their biggest need right away by drafting WR Hakeem Nicks. He should be drafted in early double digit rounds. I would recommend a late round handcuff of RB Andre Brown if you draft Brandon Jacobs. RB Derrick Ward is now on Tampa so Brown will be taking over for him.

Philadelphia - Philly will have the most rookies drafted this year. They landed WR Jeremy Maclin, TE Cornelius Ingram and RB LeSean McCoy. Maclin may be a DeSean Jackson clone in playmaking ability, which is good if he waits until he crosses the goal line to celebrate his scores. Ingram will be a favorite target of McNabb when he needs a tough catch across the middle and McCoy is a must-draft handcuff to Westbrook.

Seattle - LB Aaron Curry will definitely help Seattle on defense, but makes no difference in fantasyland. WR Deon Butler was drafted to replace Bobby Engram, but I see no reason to draft him unless you are in a really deep league.

San Francisco - The Niners get a gift in picking up WR Michael Crabtree with the 10th pick. He is the class of the receiving group and will be a flat-out receiving stud in the NFL. I don’t think you’ll get him if you wait until the middle rounds of your draft. You especially want to grab him early in your Keeper Leagues. In addition to Crabtree, the Niners picked up RB Glen Coffey who should be your handcuff to Frank Gore.

St. Louis - The Rams picked up T Jason Smith to replace Orlando Pace and will show immediate dividends in the passing and running game as Pace is vastly overrated and almost stationary nowadays. That being said, Marc Bulger is a late draft pick and Steven Jackson is still a first round pick. As much as I love LB James Laurinaitis, he doesn’t make the Rams D draftable in any format.

Tampa Bay - Good luck with QB Josh Freeman. If he only played as well as he talks. He has the size for an NFL QB (6′ 6″), but I don’t even recommend drafting him in a Keeper League.

Washington - The Skins further enhanced their defensive front by drafting DE Brian Orakpo. In addition to line help, they also grabbed two LBs and CB Kevin Barnes. This greatly enhances the attraction of the Washington D and moves them into the top 8-10 defenses to draft.



BILL

Alex The Great asked:


QB’s

Joey Harrington, Miami Dolphins 414 pass yds, 2 TD’s, 3 INT’s

Daunte Culpepper was supposed to make Miami a Super Bowl contender, but he hasn’t lived up to the player he once was and eventually got hurt again. In his place while he recovers is once promising Joey Harrington. The 414 passing yards from Sunday sure looks impressive, but that came from 62 pass attempts. He completed 33 of those for a 53% completion rate, not exactly awe inspiring. To his defense though, two of those interceptions came on tipped balls & 7 seven of his passes were dropped. In any case, don’t go racing to waiver wire to pick him up. His performance came against a putrid Green Bay secondary and outside of a game against Detroit; the rest of Miami’s schedule isn’t very favorable. Will Culpepper reclaim the starting job once he returns? Who knows, but I do know not to buy into this situation. PASS

Mark Brunell, Washington Redskins 226 pass yds, 2 TD’s

Mark Brunell has been one of the most inconsistent Fantasy QB’s this year. He’ll do well against good secondaries and then play horrible against bad ones. While Indianapolis doesn’t have a great secondary, they aren’t bad either, and he managed to get 226 yards & 2 touchdowns. The offensive coordinator, Al Saunders, was supposed to spark this Washington offense, but for some reason he hasn’t done so. One might look no further than his inability to correctly use Santana Moss. They are constantly using short routes; however their best receiver is an awesome deep threat. All things considered, Brunell is an intriguing pickup because of the favorable schedule he has the rest of the way & he has the tools on offense to put up better numbers. Can’t recommend him as a starter, but he certainly is worthy of a roster spot as a backup if you are in need of one. BUY

Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions 269 pass yds, 3 TD’s, 2 INT’s

If you look at the top fantasy QB’s, you will see Jon Kitna on that list. Wait, Jon Kitna? Surprisingly enough, he hasn’t thrown for less than 225 in a game this year and has 10 total touchdowns in his last 5 games. On the other hand, he’s also been consistent with turnovers by turning the ball over at least once in his last 6 games, a total of 12 turnovers overall. So unfortunately what you see is what you get with Kitna. His schedule is a mixed bag the rest of the way, but he does posses a very nice matchup against Green Bay during the Fantasy Football playoffs. If he’s still available, grab him and put him on your bench. He’s worth the roster spot. BUY

David Carr, Houston Texans 224 pass yds, 2 TD’s
David Carr has been one of the nicer stories in the NFL. Thought to be on the bubble for his job as the season began, he’s compiled a nice 97.9 passer rating & completing 70% of his passes. While that’s certainly starting QB worthy in the NFL, in the Fantasy Football world, we need more than that. If you throw out the Dallas game, Carr has been very consistent. He still plays with a poor offensive line, so instead of worrying about interceptions, you’ll still be worried about fumbles. He has some nice matchups mixed with some bad ones, so it’s hard to say what to expect the rest of the way. Carr plays on a poor team, but if they start playing better (like they just did against Jacksonville), then he’d be worth a pickup down the road. WATCH

Charlie Batch, Pittsburgh Steelers 195 pass yds, 2 TD’s

During the middle of the third quarter against the Falcons on Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger got knocked out of the game, allowing veteran Charlie Batch to come in and do some damage. Batch completed 8 of 13 passes for 195 yards & 2 TD’s. This isn’t the first time this season Batch has looked good. He started the season opener against Miami and threw for 209 yards and 3 touchdowns in that game. The Steelers offense doesn’t seem to miss a beat when he’s in, and personally I think he looks better than Roethlisberger does. Even if Batch finds more starts due to Roethlistberger’s injuries, the schedule is not very favorable, though he did dismantle a good Falcons secondary. Pay attention to what’s happening in Pittsburgh. Batch may be a nice play if he finds the time. WATCH

RB’s

Leon Washington, New York Jets 129 rush yds, 2 TD’s

It seems the New York Jets have finally decided on a starter in the form of Leon Washington. The rookie from Florida State is playing rather well, averaging 4.9 yards a carry & ran for his first 2 touchdowns last Sunday. While Jets head coach Eric Mangini says he’ll still share carries with Barlow, he did receive more on Sunday and it’ll be hard not to give him the football more based on his recent performances. Looking at the rest of the Jets schedule, 5 out of the 9 games are against poor run defenses. The only thing hurting Washington is that he may not receive the goal line carries, but you can’t pass up a productive starting running back. BUY

Wali Lundy, Houston Texans 93 rush yds, 15 rec yds, 1 TD

Another rookie making some noise was Wali Lundy. He ran for 93 yards on only 19 carries and a TD. He didn’t receive the start, but got more carries and was much more effective than Samkon Gado. Lundy has yet to receive the official label as starter but it could just be a matter time. Of course I would want to see more before deciding to pick him up, but Houston’s schedule the rest of the way is FULL of poor run defenses. This situation bears your full attention. WATCH

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars 10 rush yds, 58 rec yds, 1 TD

Another game, another touchdown for Maurice Jones-Drew. Though he only rushed for 10 yards on 8 carries against a poor run defense, he did get a total of 15 touches, showing that Jacksonville is including him heavily in the game plan. He now has 5 touchdowns in the last 4 games. Jacksonville also has a light schedule against run defenses & Fred Taylor always seems to get hurt sometime during the season. If he’s still available, you should go get him now while you have the chance. BUY

WR’s

Marty Booker, Miami Dolphins 110 rec yds, 1 TD

The Miami Dolphins offense threw the ball 62 times, and one of the beneficiaries was Marty Booker. But I’m going to make this short and sweet; his performance came against a very ugly Green Bay secondary, he still hasn’t separated himself from Derek Hagan or Wes Welker for more playing time & the quarterback situation is still unsettled. This is an anomaly. PASS

Mike Furrey, Pittsburgh Steelers 109 rec yds, 1 TD

Mike Furrey certainly surprised a lot of people by becoming the #2 wide receiver in Detroit. He played well again on Sunday, by hauling in 109 yards and a TD. He’s been a hot and cold receiver this season, looking good one week (82 yards & 2 TD’s against St. Louis) and then looking average the next (80 combined yards against Minnesota & Buffalo). He hasn’t played bad by any means, he’s just been consistently mediocre. There aren’t many good matchups the rest of the way, but as long as he’s starting in Detroit, he bears watching. WATCH

Marcus Robinson, Minnesota Vikings 77 rec yds, 1 TD

Marcus Robinson hauled in his third touchdown of the year and contributed 77 total receiving yards in the Vikings slaughter of the Seahawks. Robinson can be a nice deep threat from time to time, but he gets hurt too much & isn’t the focal point in the Vikings offense. Pretend like you have never even heard the name before. PASS

Nate Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers 76 rec yds, 1 TD

Everybody got into the act in that high scoring affair against the Falcons, including Nate Washington. For the second straight week he’s hauled in a touchdown and 65+ yards. He’s developing into a very nice #3 option for the Steelers, but that means nothing to your fantasy team. Hines Ward & Santonio Holmes are still ahead of him on the depth chart and both looked good on Sunday. Third receivers have no fantasy value. PASS

Do you have questions regarding your Fantasy Team? Send them to Alex The Great at http://sports.enterto.com/ask_alex.html. Every week I will answer a couple questions and post them directly at http://sports.enterto.com

This article is dedicated to the most charismatic and heroic king of all times!



VINCENT

Alex The Great asked:


Buy, Watch or Pass

Every week, I will examine some of the more obscure top performers in Fantasy Football. Here are the names I came across in Week 9:

QB’s

Jake Plummer, Denver Broncos 227 pass yds, 3 TD’s

While Jake Plummer isn’t really an obscure name, he more than likely is available in a good majority of leagues due to his poor start of this season. Before his game on Week 8, it was reported that if Plummer struggled the next 2 weeks, then he would be benched in favor of rookie first round pick Jay Cutler. Apparently that was all the motivation Plummer needed, as he was much improved for the second straight week against a tough Steelers defense. Is it time to jump on the bandwagon? I’m going to say not yet. The schedule isn’t in his favor, so I need to see more before I decide. He has some nice matchups come fantasy playoff time, so let’s see how he does the next couple weeks to make sure he has returned to form. WATCH

David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars 177 pass yds, 3 TD’s

Byron Leftwich may be done as Jacksonville’s starting QB this year, and maybe even forever. And I quote from head coach Jack Del Rio, “A healthy guy that’s playing well is a no-brainer for me. His (Leftwich) ankle is 85 to 90 percent and it’s probably not going to get much better than that until he gets a long period of time off.” It certainly sounds to me like David Garrard is now the man and he has without doubt played well enough to earn it. He threw for 177 yards & 3 touchdowns against Tennessee on Sunday and has a 102.9 passer rating on the year. While it has only been 2 games, he has a weak schedule against secondaries & the tools on offense to become a top fantasy QB the rest of the way. If you own Byron Leftwich, pick up Garrard immediately. BUY if you own Byron Leftwich, WATCH for everyone else.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys 284 pass yds, 2 TD’s

I’ve talked a lot about Tony Romo in my past articles, yet, I look around and he is still available in a lot of leagues. He continued to shine on Sunday against the Redskins by completing 66% of his passes for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He now has a very nice 93.7 passer rating. He has nothing but weak to average secondaries the rest of the way. With the weapons he has, he will be an elite QB from here on out. What are you waiting for!? BUY

Damon Huard, Kansas City Chiefs 148 pass yds, 3 TD’s

Trent Green is nearing his return, but Damon Huard is continuing to put up solid numbers in his stead. With Larry Johnson running all over St. Louis on Sunday, Huard just needed to manage game, which is what he did. He threw only 15 passes, completed 10 for 148 yards & 3 TD’s. Since coming in for Green, Huard has posted a robust 105.2 passer rating and has the Chiefs in the thick of the playoff hunt. There are many people who question whether or not Green should return as the starter, but head coach Herm Edwards says most likely Green will be back Week 11 against Oakland. There is one more team on the Chiefs schedule that has a mediocre secondary, and that’s next week against Miami. If you need a fill in QB for next week, Huard makes an excellent choice. The secondaries get rough after that, so even if Huard stays as the starter, his value may decrease in a hurry. Keep your eye on him though, 105.2 passer ratings don’t grow on trees. BUY for this week’s matchup, everyone else should continue to WATCH

RB’s

Anthony Thomas, Buffalo Bills 95 rush yds, 1 TD

Willis McGahee went down on Sunday with a broken rib and Anthony Thomas came in and played very well. So you would think Thomas would get the start next week, but its possible McGahee could be back and starting. I have a hard time believing that he’ll be back that quickly, but you never know. In any case, Thomas goes up against a very weak rushing defense in Indianapolis, so he could have some good value. It should be noted that Buffalo could be so far behind before half time that he may not have many chances to run, so you’ll need to take that into consideration. Buffalo has 4 opponents remaining with weak rushing defenses; next week against Indy, Week 11 against Houston, Week 14 against the New York Jets & Week 16 against Tennessee. If Buffalo decides to shut down McGahee at some point this season, Thomas could be a nice asset to have. BUY if you are a McGahee owner, for everyone else, WATCH

Maurice Morris, Seattle Seahawks 138 rush yds

It took awhile, but Maurice Morris finally had his first good game as a starter on Monday night. He rushed for 138 yards on 30 carries against the pitiful Oakland Raiders. If you did own Morris, I’d hope the only reason was because you also own Shaun Alexander, who will be back next week against St. Louis. Even if Alexander re-injures himself, Morris is a mediocre backup at best. The usefulness of Morris has reached its end. PASS

WR’s

Devery Henderson, New Orleans Saints 111 rec yds, 2 TD’s

With Joe Horn out with a groin injury, Devery Henderson stepped in and played well. He hauled in 3 catches for 111 yards & 2 touchdowns. While he could have been a nice pickup if Horn was out for an extended period of time, that is not the case, as Horn is expected to come back next week. Drew Brees is throwing the ball around nicely in New Orleans, but you can’t be a beneficiary if you aren’t starting full time. PASS

Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville Jaguars 44 rec yds, 2 TD’s

Ernest Wilford began the season as a sleeper, but didn’t end up doing much until Sunday. Even with those 2 touchdowns, he only had 3 receptions. Wilford is a big body that is useful in goal line situations, but hasn’t shown much else besides that. With Garrard now throwing the ball Wilford may become useful down the stretch, but until more develops, he’s too much of a risk to start. WATCH

Braylon Edwards, Cleveland Browns 61 rec yds, 1 TD

After 4 weeks into the season, Braylon Edwards had 324 yards on 20 catches & 1 TD. Most of us thought he was on his way to becoming a star, but has been anything but that since then. During his next three games, Edwards had 54 yards on 7 catches & zero touchdowns. Well, Mr. Edwards has finally shown up again, hauling in 6 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. While I can’t say he’s back, it was nice to see he still knows how to play football. I can’t entirely blame him, with a mediocre offensive line & young quarterback; a lot of offensive players have struggled in Cleveland this year. His schedule the rest of the way isn’t all that bad, so he might be a surprise player down the stretch if Cleveland’s offense has figured things out again. Keep an eye out for him if he’s available. WATCH

Do you have questions regarding your Fantasy Team? Send them to Alex The Great at http://sports.enterto.com/ask_alex.html. Every week I will answer a couple questions and post them directly at http://sports.enterto.com

This article is dedicated to the most charismatic and heroic king of all times!



ENRIQUE

Bob Johnson asked:


Marvin Harrison was born on August 25, 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At 6 feet tall and weighing 185 pounds Harrison is far from the biggest and strongest wide receiver in the NFL. But with that being said, he has always been able to do a lot with what he has. For this reason many people feel that Harrison is one of the best wide receivers of today, and may very well end up being the best of all time.

After a successful career at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Harrison decided to take this game to Syracuse University. During his time at Syracuse he set numerous records, and made a name for himself across the college football world. Thanks to his great play on the field and high quality character off of it, NFL scouts began to take notice of him early on.

With the 19th pick of the 1996 NFL Draft the Indianapolis Colts picked Harrison. Although 18 other teams passed him by, this does not stop Harrison from performing at his peak from the moment that he set foot on an NFL field.

In his first season with the Colts Harrison took the league by storm. He finished the 1996 season with 64 receptions for 836 yards. He also added eight touchdowns during this season. Ever since then Harrison has been putting up equally impressive numbers year in and year out. Perhaps his best season ever was in 2002 when he pulled in 143 balls for more than 1,700 yards.

Although Marvin Harrison has compiled gaudy individual statistics, he is also known as one of the best team players in the NFL as well. This is evident by the way that he helped to lead the Colts to a win in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2006 season. With a few more years left in the tank it is safe to say that Harrison will finish his career ranked at the top of most statistical categories for wide receivers.



ANTONY

Robert Ferringo asked:


I often say that football is a violent, brutal game. So, quite naturally, the team that is more violent and brutal will usually win. Only the strong survive, and this maxim has borne itself out time and time again from the bloody core of this beloved, gladiatorial sport.

The standard-bearer for gridiron ********* over the past quarter-century was the 1985-86 Chicago Bears. That team redefined what it meant to dominate with defense and forged a blueprint that has been followed by such recent organizations as Pittsburgh, New England, Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

In 1985 the Monsters of the Midway had the NFL’s top-rated defense in both scoring and yards allowed. They rode that classic unit to three postseason wins by a combined 91-10 score, including a 46-10 maiming of New England in Super Bowl XX.

In the 21 years since the 1985 season kicked off there has not been a single Super Bowl champion that finished the regular season ranked lower than ninth in scoring defense. Twelve of those 21 champions boasted a defense rated in the top three in points allowed, and No. 1 units were a flawless 6-0. Further, of the two Super Bowl combatants the team that allowed fewer points per game during the regular season is 18-3 straight up.

I mean, I haven’t uncovered some Rosetta Stone to NFL success here. If you give up less points, you win. Easy enough. I’m just pointing out what a fantastic indicator that one regular season stat has been at predicting the Super Bowl victor (85.7 percent).

Also, there have been only three teams in the past 21 seasons that had a defense ranked outside of the Top 10 in total yardage and went on to win the title. Those three exceptions – New England in 2001, Denver in 1998 and Washington in 1987 – each had scoring defenses ranked in the league’s top eight, subscribing to the bend-but-don’t-break school.

The average defensive ranking for the past 21 Super Bowl champions was fourth in points allowed and sixth in yards allowed.

All of this is pertinent because the difference between the Chicago Bears defense and the Indianapolis Colts defense is about as prominent as the difference between Maria Sharapova and Star Jones.

The Bears have overwhelmed foes this year and have had the best unit in the NFL over the past two seasons. This year they were ranked third in scoring (15.9 points per game) and sixth in total yards (295.1 per game). Conversely, the Colts D was a dismal 23rd in scoring (22.5 ppg) and 21st in yardage (332.2 ypg).

I will give Indianapolis defenders credit for playing better lately. But you can definitely count me among those who are not completely sold on their defensive Renaissance. They allowed 34 points to the Patriots last week at home. Before that they shut down a toothless Ravens unit and a bumbling Chiefs offense that didn’t adjust its scheme and couldn’t get out of its own way.

Indianapolis has the worst rushing defense in the history of the NFL playoffs, and the images of Jacksonville rushing for nearly 400 yards in one game and Ron Dayne actually looking like a legit NFL back are still fresh in my memory. In nine games outside of the RCA Dome this season the Colts have surrendered an average of 34 rushes and 187 yards (5.4 yards per carry).

Therefore, based on the fact that an Indy victory in the Super Bowl with that defense would be unprecedented, it’s kind of hard to justify them as a seven-point favorite.

So I’ll leave you with this thought: explain to me what the difference is between this year’s Colts-Bears “mismatch” and other seemingly one-sided match-ups like the Rams-Patriots in 2002, the Broncos-Packers in 1998, and the Bills-Giants in 1991?

In each of those instances the club with the sexy, high-powered offense was at least a touchdown favorite against a team that was more physical and violent at its core. I don’t think I need to tell you how those three games worked out. Let’s just say that the strong survived.



RODGER

William Bishop asked:


I’m really not sure what the Colts going to do this year. This pre-season they have not looked all that bad. Then again pre-season does not mean much only in the first quarter. It was pretty funny though watching their defense get torn apart.

It is interesting that the Colts can go and pay Dwight Freeney a huge amount of money, but start over with the rest of their defense. They’re going to have three new starters in their secondary but Tony Dungy is saying that no one should be worried because they play a cover 2 defense. I’m not sure what he is talking about considering you still have to have smart players and talented players playing in the cover 2. They have none of that. The best thing they have is Bob Sanders.

One of their biggest losses of the off-season will be Cato June. They really began to believe that he was only good because of the cover 2 defense they use. As bad as their defense looked without him at the linebacker position I would begin to worry. He was a good tackler with good speed and strength. Right now, they’re looking at replacements that have none of that.

Another loss they had by injury is McFarland. He will be sitting out the whole season to rehabilitate. He was one of the main reasons that the defense was able to begin to stop the run throughout the playoffs. If they would never have got him from Tampa Bay I’m not sure that they would have won the Super Bowl. Okay, actually I’m positive they would have not won the Super Bowl. The defense is actually why they won in the first place. Payson Manning continued to play at one of the lowest levels in playoff history.

The offense does look good like always which always makes you feel better if you are a Colts fan. I’m not so sure that they’re going to have as good as an offense though. Peyton Manning is assuring us that Joseph Adai will have a huge year at the running back position. Remember though that this came when he had Dominic Rhodes to take off some of the load. Plus Peyton Manning’s backside offense of linemen retired giving him a new linemen that is yet to be named. You will finally now have a new backside lineman for the first time in his career. As we all saw this preseason, Manning was getting nailed from the backside, no pun intended.

For all the Colts fans I’m sorry to say that I would be worried for this upcoming season. You’d better really hope that Bob Sanders does not get injured as he will be the only reason that the defense is anything this year. If you are a fantasy player I would not go for the Colts defense, but that is just common sense.



MORTON

Martin Chase asked:


During my NFL career, I learned that leadership is a trait that all athletes have deep inside of them. Unfortunately, I found that most players do not know how to apply their leadership skills. It is the inability to apply leadership that sets the regular NFL players apart from the true greats such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre. These fine players are all strong leaders. It is their powerful leadership skills that inspire their teammates to come together as a team and play at the best of their ability - even when they are losing.

Sports leaders are able not only to lead people in the right direction but to also give them confidence. A leader makes his teammates believe deep in their hearts that if you follow me, we will win. This requires a lot of responsibility and charisma on the part of the leader, but it’s also what separates good players from the Hall of Fame players.

As a young athlete, if you want to make it first to college sports and then to professional sports, you must develop your leadership skills. It is the strength of your leadership skills that will help separate you from the competition. College and Pro teams want leaders. Leaders win games.

As a young athlete, if you want to someday make it to the pros, you must work on developing your leadership skills everyday. You need to learn how to motivate people and make them believe in you. To build your leadership skills, here are some tasks you should do.

1. Be on-time for your classes at school and work hard to get good grades. This shows your teachers that you are eager to learn and to work hard. It also shows your coaches that you are eager to learn and work hard. So, always show respect for your teachers and coaches and they in-turn will show respect for you. This is the first step for becoming a leader. You must show others that they can trust and respect you.

2. Be a leader in everything you do. At school, help your classmates learn. Lead them to going to class on-time and working hard to get good grades. Help your community. And, help your teammates improve their skills on and off the field. The sooner you take the role of being a leader who makes smart decisions, the sooner people will see that you are a leader and they will follow you. Also, when people who have power see that you are a strong leader, they will give you special opportunities that other people and players will not get.

3. Show leadership by example in your sport. Work at learning your skills and the strategies of the game harder than anybody else on your team. One trait the true sports leaders all have in common is they are always the first to arrive at the sports facility in the morning and the last to leave at night. They become the best players and the strongest leaders by working twice as hard as everybody else. If you choose to work twice as hard as everybody else, you will receive deep respect from both your teammates and from your coaches. And, you will become a master of your sport.

4. Being a leader is even more important during the bad times than the good times. A true leader remains confident and motives his team members even when they are losing. It is during bad times that a leader’s true colors will shine and he will do everything he can to help his team be confident and driven to win.

Finally, understand that leadership is not something that is given to you. Leadership is something that you give to others.



HERBERT

Alex The Great asked:


Buy, Watch or Pass

Every week, I will examine some of the more obscure top performers in Fantasy Football. Here are the names I came across in Week 12:

QB’s

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans 249 pass yds, 69 rush yds, 3 Total TD’s (2 passing, 1 rushing)

Down 21-0 in the 4th quarter, Vince Young led an incredible comeback against the New York Giants in a stunning 24-21 victory. Young did it all, throwing & rushing, as he accounted for 318 total yards and 3 touchdowns. This isn’t the first time Young has shown flashes of brilliance, but it certainly is the most impressive. He still shouldn’t be counted on as a fantasy starter just yet due to the fantasy playoffs approaching very quickly & a shaky schedule the rest of the way. When 2007 rolls around though, you’ll definitely want to keep him on your radar come draft day. PASS

Brad Johnson, Minnesota Vikings 271 pass yds, 3 TD’s

The Minnesota offense finally came alive on Sunday, as did Brad Johnson, throwing for 271 yards & 3 TD’s. Johnson makes an interesting pickup due to some favorable games coming up (Detroit, Green Bay), but he’s been far too inconsistent to rely upon this point in the season. Plus, if Minnesota falls out of the playoff hunt then he could be replaced by rookie Tarvaris Jackson. There is too much risk involved to warrant a pickup. PASS

Joey Harrington, Miami Dolphins 213 pass yds, 3 TD’s, 1 INT

Joey Harrington was brilliant in his return to Detroit, completing 65% of his passes for 213 yards & 3 TD’s in Miami’s Thanksgiving victory. However, with Jacksonville, New England & Indianapolis still on the schedule, his usefulness down the stretch will be very limited. Mark this off as a good performance against a very poor Lions team and leave him on the waiver wire for someone else. PASS

RB’s

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants 54 rush yds, 14 rec yds, 2 TD’s

Despite the New York Giants blowing a 4th quarter lead, Brandon Jacobs was one of the few fantasy standouts. He only rushed the ball 9 times, but had 54 yards and 2 TD’s. Jacobs is primarily a goal line & short yardage back, so he is a risk/reward type of back. With the fantasy playoffs approaching, you probably would want someone else as your number 2 back. But if you are in desperate need for a running back, there isn’t much else out there. BUY if you are in desperate need of a running back

Ladell Betts, Washington Redskins 104 rush yds

It looks like Joe Gibbs learned his lesson from last week’s meltdown against Tampa Bay. Gibbs went back to the run, giving the ball to Ladell Betts 24 times for 104 yards. Any ideas about T.J. Duckett stealing the starting job went out the window when he received only 7 carries. I mentioned earlier that Betts could become a decent number 2 running back down the stretch. Washington doesn’t have very many tough run defenses on the schedule, which makes Betts a sleeper down the stretch. If Gibbs continues to run the ball with a young QB at the helm, then you will be pleasantly surprised with Betts production. Pick him up if available. BUY

WR’s

Marty Booker, Miami Dolphins 115 rec yds, 2 TD’s

Marty Booker appeared back on the fantasy radar screen with an impressive 7 catch, 115 yard, 2 touchdown game. The bad news is that it was against the Detroit Lions. There aren’t very many favorable matchups the rest of the way for Booker, and his production has been sporadic. With Harrington at the helm, the risk outweighs the reward come fantasy playoff time. PASS

Devery Henderson, New Orleans 158 rec yds, 1 TD

When Marques Colston was ruled out for Sunday’s game against Atlanta, Devery Henderson received another start & was once again VERY impressive. He hauled in 4 catches for 158 yards & a touchdown. There is no doubting Henderson’s talent, it’s the opportunities that are getting in the way of him & fantasy stardom. He is still listed as the number 3 receiver and will only start if Colston or Joe Horn can’t play due to injury. The schedule isn’t favorable down the stretch, but with Drew Brees throwing the ball it shouldn’t matter as much. If Henderson is starting, he should be starting on your team as well. Pay very close attention to the injury situation in New Orleans. BUY

Chris Henry, Cincinnati Bengals 41 rec yds, 2 TD’s

Troubled yet talented wide receiver Chris Henry had 5 catches for 41 yards & 2 touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 30-0 beat down against Cleveland. Henry is one of the few number 3 wide receivers you would consider starting because of all the offensive talent surrounding Cincinnati. For the rest of the season however, the schedule does not favor Henry or any other Cincinnati wide outs. The fantasy playoffs are approaching, so it’s best to find another wide out option elsewhere. PASS

Marcus Robinson, Minnesota Vikins 82 rec yds, 1 TD

The Minnesota Vikings passing attack came alive on Sunday. One of the beneficiaries was Marcus Robinson, who had 7 catches for 82 yards & a TD. After this next week against Chicago, Robinson has a fairly easy schedule. Should you trust him? Not at all. Robinson hasn’t stayed healthy all season & even bruised his ankle in Sunday’s win over Arizona. Even when healthy, Brad Johnson hasn’t been a very good quarterback this year and struggles to get Robinson the ball down the field. Let someone else take the risk. PASS

Do you have questions regarding your Fantasy Team? Send them to Alex The Great at http://sports.enterto.com/ask_alex.html. Every week I will answer a couple questions and post them directly at http://sports.enterto.com



TOMMY

Bob Johnson asked:


Edgerrin James was born on August 1, 1978 in Immokalee, Florida. At 6 foot tall and 215 pounds James is known to be one of the most punishing runners in the NFL. And to go along with this size, James also has a high level of speed and strength. When you combine all of this with his knowledge of the game it is easy to see why he has become one of the best of the best. And it is safe to say that his career is only getting started.

After a successful high school career James decided to take his game to the University of Miami. Despite scholarship offers from many schools he felt that he would do best staying in state. And this ended up being a great decision because by the time that he left school he had established himself as one of the top runners in its history. Although most of his records have been broken, there was a time when he was at the top of the list for many running back statistical categories at the school.

In the 1999 NFL Draft James was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Soon after the draft he signed a seven year contract worth approximately $49 million. This was one of the largest deals in the entire draft class, and it did not take long for him to start earning his money. In his first season he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the AP. In fact, he won the NFL rushing title in both of his first two seasons.

After a successful career with the Colts, James decided to take his game across the country to play for the Arizona Cardinals. His first season with the Cardinals was 2006, and thanks to a poor offensive line he had one of the worst years of his career.

Edgerrin James will surely have his game back on track sooner rather than later.



RENE