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Hi Folks, It's midweek already and we're rolling. Thanks to Footballguy Mark Wimer for gathering up these stories. Let's get to it. Joe ******************* Joe Bryant Owner www.footballguys.com /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ INSIDE THIS ISSUE Site News: A. Footballguys Welcomes Bang! Cartoons B. Face Off Articles Unveiled News and Notes: 1. QB Warner and NYG in Dialogue 2. IDP Alert: S Donovan Darius Back "In" With Jaguars: Holdout Averted 3. Editorial: Collier's Failure Is Wannstedt's Fault 4. Patriots Gather at White House 5. Packers: Looking at QB Huard Now - Couch on Back Burner 6. RB Johnson Resigns with Cincinnati: 1 Year Deal 7. Randy Moss: Getting His Head Into the Game in 2004? 8. Editorial: WR Burress Will Regret Absences 9. IDP LB Joey Porter (Pittsburgh) Determined to Excel 10. San Francisco QB Tim Rattay - Surgery Successful: Next Up, Rehab /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Site News: A. Footballguys Welcomes Bang! Cartoons - I sent you guys the link for John Tayman's outstanding NFL Draft cartoon a little while back. We liked him so much that we've been able to land a deal where Footballguys will be the exclusive Fantasy Football site featuring his work this season. Look for something new about every couple of weeks. His latest work is a very funny look at the Poston Brothers representing the "Chosen One". Check it out here (Note - just to be safe, keep a finger on the speaker volume the first time you view to make sure it fits with your work / home environment) John's also got some very cool shirts here Very funny stuff. Welcome aboard John! B. Face Off Articles Unveiled. Discussion (ok arguing) over Fantasy Football is one of the great things about our game. It's rare that everyone agrees on a player or topic and that's what makes it fun. We've taken that concept and run with it as we once again will be featuring our "Face Off" series. Here's what we've done so far: Who'll be the top QB? - Andy Hicks and Will Grant Kyle Boller - Upside / Downside by Will Grant and Colin Dowling Jerry Porter - Upside / Downside by David Yudkin and Will Grant Hines Ward - Upside / Downside by Andy Hicks and David Yudkin Freddie Jones - Upside / Downside by David Yudkin and Andy Hicks Which Rookie is the #1 Pick in a Dynasty League? By FBG Staff Donte' Stallworth - Upside / Downside by Colin Dowling and Mark Wimer News and Notes 1. QB Warner and NYG in Dialogue Clipped from: New York Post article by Paul Schwartz, 5/11/04 Kurt Warner arrived last week for a fact-finding meeting with the Giants and if the quarterback and team hit it off, he could eventually become the veteran needed to accompany Eli Manning through his rookie season. This was to be an "exploratory situational meeting," according to GM Ernie Accorsi. Warner remains under contract with the Rams and thus no financial discussions can take place. The Rams will release Warner after June 1 and have given permission for the former league MVP to find a new home. Warner last night went to dinner with head coach Tom Coughlin, accompanied most likely by offensive coordinator John Hufnagel and quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride. In between bites, they were expected to discuss Warner's role with the team as a mentor and backup to Manning, or else a role as a starter until Manning is deemed ready to play. The Giants are not permitted to work Warner out but they can and will give him a thorough physical today, which could be critical, considering there are concerns about past concussions and a lingering injury to Warner's right thumb. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] These are very preliminary meetings - stay tuned to see if Warner can gain the Giants' confidence. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 2. IDP Alert: S Donovan Darius Back "In" With Jaguars: Holdout Averted Clipped from: Jacksonville.com article by Vito Stellino, 5/11/04 Noting there's a "time for pay and a time for play," safety Donovin Darius decided on Monday it's time to play once again. After skipping the first several weeks of the team's offseason workout program and being excused from the mandatory minicamp 10 days ago, Darius told Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio during a meeting that he has decided to rejoin the team. The player then participated in his first offseason workout. Darius, 28, who signed the $4.1 million guaranteed franchise tag on March 11 after rejecting the Jaguars offer of a long-term deal with an average of $3 million per year, said, "The one thing I can guarantee is that I'm going to give 100 percent. That's the only speed I know." His return means Darius will be participating in the 14 organized team activities the team will conduct on the field from Tuesday, May 18, to Wednesday, June 16. Darius had been working out on his own with his own training regimen in the offseason. Since all the workouts and team drills except the minicamp are voluntary, Darius could have waited until the first day of training camp in late July, but decided it was time to become part of the team again. "Now is the time the team is developed. I had to have peace about it and make sure I didn't have any bitterness towards anybody," he said. "I want to become one of the strongest links on the team and a leader by example." This is the second consecutive year the Jaguars have offered Darius an average of less than the franchise tag. Last year, their long-term offer was $2.6 million and he played for the franchise tag of $3 million. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Darius is looking for a long-term deal, but the Jaguar's haven't offered him enough dollars to entice him to sign. At least, this means that Darius is heading into another "contract year". /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 3. Editorial: Collier's Failure Is Wannstedt's Fault Clipped from: Palm Beach Post Editorial by Charles Elmore, 5/11/04 Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt likes to say his job is putting players and coaches "in a position to succeed." He put a loyal friend, Joel Collier, in a position to fail. The results were sadly evident Monday. The Dolphins replaced their offensive coordinator after a handful of practices in mini-camp, almost unheard of for an NFL team. "I have a health issue that's kind of equated into a level of exhaustion," Collier said. "I'm struggling with that." Collier said he preferred not to get into details of his condition, but there is more going on here than bad luck. It marks a glaring failure of leadership by Wannstedt. How? Wannstedt hand-picked Collier for the job in January, even talking him out of leaving for a job with Mike Shula at Alabama. He knew Collier's personality -- passionate, emotional, hard on himself. Collier's father, Joe, himself a former NFL coordinator, once remarked about his son, "All I told him was to remember you'll have your ups and downs calling plays. You can't let your emotions get into it. You can't get frustrated. You just have to go on to the next play. If you let your emotions into it, you'll make a mistake." After Wannstedt called him in to promote him, Collier said his face felt like a trout's -- flushed and open-mouthed. He wasn't sure if he would be fired or perhaps get the vacant job of quarterbacks coach. Then Wannstedt promptly surrounded the first-time coordinator with new subordinates who had held the top play-calling job with other teams, or had been associated with more successful offenses. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] As we pointed out yesterday, there is more going on down in Miami with the offensive coaching staff than anybody outside the organization knows. Is there a lot of turmoil behind closed doors? How will it affect the production of the offensive skill position players? Keep an eye on this situation if you have any of the Dolphins on your keeper or dynasty roster - or if you are considering drafting one for your 2004 club. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 4. Patriots Gather at White House Clipped from: Providence Journal article by John E. Mulligan, 5/11/04 With a nod to their morale-building value to American troops around the world, President Bush yesterday hailed "the mighty New England Pats" for their second Super Bowl Championship. The Rose Garden tribute was the second in three years for many of the players posing between the columns outside the Oval Office. But the event still had some of the flavor of an undergraduate field trip to a fancy museum. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Anybody else reminded of the scene in Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks says "So I went to the White House, AGAIN, and I met the President of the United States, AGAIN"...? /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 5. Packers: Looking at QB Huard Now - Couch on Back Burner Clipped from: Wisconsin State Journal article by Jason Wilde Frustrated with the lack of progress in their talks with Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch, the Green Bay Packers will visit with free agent Damon Huard starting tonight, an NFL source confirmed Monday. After the post-draft minicamp, Packers coach Mike Sherman said he would move on to "Plan B and C" because Couch has balked at the Packers' demand for a reasonably priced two-year contract. Couch's agent, Tom Condon, wants a one-year deal or a two-year that would include a significant base salary in 2005. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Which side in these negotiations will flinch first? Couch, or the Packers - or will Damon Huard get to carry Brett Favre's clipboard? The only fantasy implications here will be if Favre gets injured (remember San Francisco's situation this pre-season). /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 6. RB Johnson Resigns with Cincinnati: 1 Year Deal Clipped from: ESPN.com article by Len Pasquarelli, 5/11/04 Restricted free agent tailback Rudi Johnson, coming off a 2003 season in which he wrested the starting job from Corey Dillon, re-signed Tuesday with the Cincinnati Bengals, landing a one-year contract for $1.824 million. Johnson essentially agreed to the one-year "high level" qualifying offer the Bengals made him in early March to retain right-of-first refusal on the three-year veteran. Despite a breakout season, Johnson did not generate interest in the restricted market, likely because other teams felt Cincinnati would match any offer sheet. The Bengals did not offer Johnson a multi-year deal over the past two months, although there remains a chance that a long-term contract could be negotiated at a later time. Johnson has indicated he would prefer a longer contract, but a few weeks ago he acknowledged such a deal wasn't likely, and said he would sign the qualifying offer. The one-year deal creates a multitude of intriguing possibilities for both Johnson and the Bengals, since the tailback will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] This is a calculated risk for the cost-conscious Bengals. If Johnson has a big season, he may get the big $ somewhere else and leave. If Johnson isn't the answer at RB - well, the Bengals did draft Chris Perry in the first round this year. Keep an eye on the situation as it develops over training camp. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 7. Randy Moss: Getting His Head Into the Game in 2004? Clipped from: ESPN.com article by John Clayton, 5/11/04 Randy Moss isn't going to let a lingering case of plantar fasciitis in his left foot slow down the pain the Vikings' offense hopes to inflict on opposing defensives. Mike Tice is stressing yards after the catch, in which the Vikings finished second to the Chiefs last season. Moss finished fifth among wide receivers with 439 yards after the catch, and he's added 15 pounds to better fight through tackles. Moss even paid $10,000 to buy a coaches' computer, which allows him to download breakdowns of every play. Six teammates followed Moss' lead and made similar purchases. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Plunking down $10,000 for a computer to analyze plays isn't as big an investment for Randy Moss as it would be for most guys, but it still indicates a dedication to the game that is all to the good for his fantasy owners. He is already the consensus #1 fantasy WR on the Footballguys.com April experts poll. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 8. Editorial: WR Burress Will Regret Absences Clipped from: Pittsburgh Post Gazette Editorial by Ron Cook, 5/11/04 It has been two days since the first of the Steelers' endless string of coaching sessions at their South Side headquarters came to a close and it's still hard to believe Plaxico Burress was a no-show. Players typically pull a contractual power play after a good season. Only fools do it after a lousy year. Burress is a fool. He's also immature, inconsistent, lazy, unpredictable and frequently unproductive. Other than that, he has every right to demand a big, new contract. It's nice to hear the Steelers aren't going to buckle. "It's not going to work," Dan Rooney said, bluntly, of Burress' minicamp stunt. The team has shown no interest in doing a new deal with Burress, which is, apparently, what has him so chapped. Give the Rooneys credit. They know it's pretty stupid to throw good money after bad. Some of us believe the Steelers blew it with Burress going back to draft day 2000 when they picked him instead of Chad Pennington. Certainly, it's arguable that they haven't received their money's worth from him. He's scheduled to make $535,000 this season in the final year of his original five-year contract -- a mere pittance in today's sports lunacy -- but that's deceptive because of his $6 million signing bonus. His original deal will end up being worth $10 million or more, counting incentives. Burress has said he's a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver and, at times, he played like it in 2001 and 2002. But he regressed badly last season and had as much to do with the Steelers' 6-10 record as their battered offensive line and overmatched cornerbacks. It wasn't just that his production dropped from 78 catches for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns in 2002 to 60 catches for 860 yards and four touchdowns. He dropped passes. He ran poor routes. He didn't set any records for time spent on film study. And, is it just me, or has there ever been another receiver who falls down so much? Hines Ward makes a catch and fights for 5 more yards. Burress makes a catch and slips down immediately. It was fairly obvious the Steelers made the wise decision after last season that they had invested enough in Burress. If they were really smart, they tried hard to trade him before the draft a few weeks ago. If they did, it's no surprise there were no takers. Burress' inconsistency and immaturity aren't exactly secrets around the NFL. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] The jury is out on Burress at this early point in the season, but the writer of this editorial makes several valid points about Burress' attitude and performance. If he continues this "foolish" holdout, you'll see him plummet down WR boards across the fantasy landscape. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 9. IDP LB Joey Porter (Pittsburgh) Determined to Excel Clipped from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article by Joe Starkey, 5/11/04 Steelers linebacker Joey Porter felt like he never caught up last season after a gunshot wound caused him to miss the first two games. That's why he was so determined to get a head start on 2004. As soon as last season ended, Porter went home to Bakersfield, Calif., for an unusually rigorous offseason. "Usually, I give my body a rest and take all of January and February off," Porter said from minicamp this past weekend. "But me being frustrated with what happened last year, I started working out immediately. I was working out at the beginning of January. "Usually, I think that if I work out too fast, I'll tire myself out for the season. This year, I was like, 'You know what? I gotta get back to my regular form, being able to go out there and play all the downs and not be tired.' " A week before last year's opener against Baltimore, Porter, an innocent bystander, was wounded in a shooting outside of a Denver sports bar. He needed surgery to remove a bullet that was lodged in his right thigh. Lucky to have survived, Porter returned to the lineup in Week 3 at Cincinnati. In the ensuing 14 games, however, he rarely displayed the form that won him a Pro Bowl invitation in 2002. That was the season Porter became the first player to record at least eight sacks and four interceptions since the NFL began recording sacks in 1982. Porter had nine sacks and four interceptions in 2002. Last year, those numbers dwindled to five and zero in 14 games. His 62 tackles were his fewest since his rookie year of 1999. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Porter wasn't at the top of his game last year - that could create opportunities for a value pick for savvy IDP owners. See how Porter looks in pre-season - he could be a bargain in your league come Draft Day. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ 10. San Francisco QB Tim Rattay - Surgery Successful: Next Up, Rehab Clipped from: ESPN.com AP article, 5/11/04 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay had successful surgery on his left groin Tuesday. Rattay tore a tendon in his groin during the first practice at San Francisco's minicamp last Friday. The 49ers expect him to return for training camp in late July, but acknowledge the injury could keep Rattay out longer. "We will see how it responds to treatment and rehabilitation," team doctor Michael Dillingham said. Rattay, the 49ers' longtime backup to Jeff Garcia, was expected to become the starter this season after the club released Garcia in a salary-cap move. Rattay started three games last season, leading San Francisco to two victories. [[[[[[[[[[ OUR VIEW ]]]]]]]]]] Nobody really knows how long Rattay's rehabilitation will take. We expect to see San Francisco pick up a veteran QB in the near future - they may wait to see who's available after June 1st, but they probably won't wait too much longer than that. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ That'll do it for today Folks. Have a great Wednesday and we'll see you tomorrow with the Update. Joe ******************* Joe Bryant Owner www.footballguys.com |
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