- I had trouble deciding whether I should start Beanie Wells (vs. Lions) or Cedric Benson (vs. Chargers) in one of my fantasy leagues. It was a tough choice but I decided to go with Wells. He rewarded me with 110 yards and a touchdown. Benson was a must start earlier in the season, but the injury has definitely slowed him down. Hopefully he bounces back this week against the lowly Chiefs.
- I also benched Marion Barber this week for poor performance. He responded with 2 TDs. I would be upset, but I won all of my games, and he is still a fluky play. Barber remains on the bench for championship week.
- Free Safety Louis Delmas of the Detroit Lions is the truth. Although no one really knew who he was until he made that big play last week, I’ve been high on this guy since his days at Western Michigan. I’ve had a chance to watch him in the NFL a couple of times and he definitely stands out. Although his awareness could use some work, this guy definitely has range and he is a fierce hitter. I saw him almost decapitate a couple of players this season. But he does more than just make the big hit. He is second among rookies with 82 tackes and he has two touchdowns in his rookie campaign. He probably won’t get Defensive rookie of the year but he is definitely a playmaker in the mold of an Ed Reed.
- Speaking of rookies, is this not one of the best rookie classes ever? Even though Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco took the football world by storm, this rookie class seems to be matching them in terms of impact. Guys like Delmas, Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing, Brian Orakpo, Phil Loadholt, and Michael Oher blindsided us (pun intended) with their instant impact on their football teams. I feel like the draft classes are getting better each year. I’m not sure whether the colleges are producing better players or if NFL scouting has gotten better. I tend to lean toward the latter. Scouting has become a science and you can ill afford to miss on a draft prospect. This is why the Raiders are in the position they are now. They built their team through free agency when they went to the Super Bowl back in 2001, but they weren’t built for consecutive runs. Scouting is very precise in today’s NFL and you need to be able to “hit” on at least 5 of your picks. It’s not even shocking to see 6th and 7th round guys making a big impact now a days because you an coach those guys up to play in your system. They key word is “coach” because these guys have to be coachable and they have to have the desire. I’m already excited about next years draft.
- On an NBA note, I just want to mention that the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder are on my “watch list." Although Houston will always be my team, I like the exciting style of play that these two teams bring to the court. Atlanta has a realistic chance of making it to the finals. Their youth will serve them well later in the season when all the “old” teams start to wear down. Unfortunately they’ll be matched up with the Lakers who cannot be beaten in a seven game series. The Thunder also boast an exciting young line-up led by Kevin Durant. Durant looks like Pterodactyl and he plays like one too as he flies all over the floor. They gave the Lakers a run for their money last night and with some luck they may sneak into the playoffs and give one of those higher seeds a scare. We shall see…
- In the ironic news of the day, the Dallas Cowboys signed kicker Shaun Suisham to replace the struggling Nick Folk. Although there is no evidence to support me, I predicted that this move would happen after the loss to the Chargers. First of all, I thought the Cowboys would cut him after that game. But somehow they found a way to blame the holder (I’m pretty sure that’s first). So they replaced Mat McBriar with Tony Romo and then what happens? He misses a game clenching field goal against the Saints from 23 yards out. The move for Suisham made sense in my head for so many reasons. Before he missed two crucial field goals against the Cowboys and the final straw against the Saints, Suisham was 100% from various ranges. So he seems to be the best kicker available and he played for the Cowboys a couple of years ago as well. That’s not the only familiarity point as the Cowboys will be playing at Fed Ex field this Sunday and Suisham will have a chance to redeem himself against the team that cut him. Hopefully Suisham still has some confidence and makes the move work for both parties. Sorry Nick, it was good while it lasted.
- Is it safe to say Roy Williams is a bust yet? I’m going to go out on a really strong, thick, sturdy limb and say “Yes!” Jerry Jones won’t admit it publicly but he knows that this is not working out. And you can talk about chemistry and getting on the same page all you want but it doesn’t take this long for a good receiver to start making an impact. He’s a decent number two receiver but he’s not worth the money. The Cowboys need to keep looking for receivers in the draft and make sure they bring in a young prospect. These rookie receivers are getting better every year (Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell, and Louis Murphy) and the Cowboys do not need to miss out on the next crop. One of Deion Sanders’ “babies” Dez Bryant (hyperlink) is sure to drop a couple spots because of his suspension and the Cowboys should really look into trading up to get this kid. Just think, if they hadn’t traded away their first round pick for Roy Williams last year, they could have drafted Percy Harvin! Let’s not miss the boat again.
- And let’s put Ken Hamlin on that bust list, too. I know it may seem unfair because he’s been hurt much of this season, but the Cowboys definitely need to find his replacement soon. There are a lot of good safeties coming out next year and you can get starting quality late in the 1st or 2nd round.
- The Maywheather/Pacquaio fight is on hold because Pacquaio will only submit to Olympic drug screening at least 30 days before the fight and immediately after. His reasoning is that he doesn’t want to get his blood drawn. This should send up an immediate red flag. Although I respect Pacquaio as a fighter he is doing his reputation a disservice, especially when Maywheather (who is also not fond of needles) has already agreed to the testing. If this prevents the fight from happening then you have to think that Manny is afraid of facing Maywheather…at least on an even playing field.
That is all for now. Check back next week for a field report of the Cowboys-Redskins game. I will be in attendance, and I look forward to sharing my experience and my analysis.
Adios amigos.
Keywords: Beanie Wells, Cedric Benson, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, Louis Delmas, Oklahoma City Thunder, Roy Williams, Shaun Suisham
