Bucs Release Offensive Coordinator

Tampa released offenseive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski this morning. Yeah, he's the guy who was in the news for interviewing for the N.Y. Jets job while he was still a coach at Boston College. Kind of funny how he lost his BC job just for interviewing elsewhere, and now he doesn't have a job at all.
So far, it appears that personality issues might have been the cause for Jagodzinski's release. I'm wondering if it had anything to do with the fact that he's just plain got a weird name.
The Bucs have promoted quarterbacks coach Greg Olson to the job of offensive coordinator. This answers my first question, which was...I wonder if they'll go after Chan Gailey, who was just released by Kansas City.
I just wonder if there will be any hard feelings now within the organization between Olson and head coach Raheem Morris. Morris could have originally promoted Olson to the job of offensive coordinator, after he had spent a few years with that same title in St. Louis. Instead, Morris chose to go with Jagodzinski, and he left Olson at the QB coaching job. Now, it's likely that this promotion for Olson is a move from ouside Morris's reach. Remember, Raheem Morris got the head coaching job without ever even being a coordinator. He was promoted from a position coaching gig.


Things are definitely strange in Tampa these days. This move definitely won't have me changing my last prediction that the Bucs will finish last in the division this year.

Worst-to-first in the NFC South

The NFC South's "worst-to-first" pattern had an amazing streak going earlier this decade. From 2003-2007, the team that placed last in the division went on to win it the following season. Also, it seems that division winners tend to struggle the following season.

Carolina finished last in 2002 and won the division in 2003.

Atlanta finished last in 2003 and won the division in 2004.

Tampa Bay finished last in 2004 and won the division in 2005.

New Orleans finished last in 2005 and won the division in 2006.

Tampa Bay finished last in 2007 and won the division in 2007.

In 2008, Carolina hit a last second field goal to defeat New Orleans. If the Saints could have won that game, then the Falcons would have won the NFC South after finishing last in 2007. Still, Atlanta earned a playoff spot in 2008. So, if you are a believer of patterns or trends in sports, then you must be a believer in the Saints for the 2009 NFL season.

After watching a lot of preseason games so far this year, I really believe that 2009 will be no different than the past six years in the NFC South. I think the Saints will win the division, and the Panthers will really struggle.

Sure, Carolina has an outstanding running game to go along with one of football's greatest receivers. I just think they'll have to put up a ton of points to compete this year, considering how poor their defense will perform.

Replacing defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu with a guy like Louis Leonard just might still leave a little left to be desired on the defensive line. Also, the Panthers are experiencing very poor secondary production right now, not to mention the fact that Pro Bowl linebacker Jon Beason could miss a few games.

As for the Saints, I really see their defense picking it up a little this year. They've gotten better where they needed help, and their offense will still be just as strong as it was last year. I could even see Mike Bell and Robert Meachem stepping up this year to give the new offensive coordinator a few more options.

The Bucs will likely struggle in 2009, and I don't see the Falcons winning the division. Atlanta may finish second this year, but they will struggle defensively just like Carolina this season.

Here's how it will shake out for 2009:

Saints

Falcons

Panthers

Bucs

Don't worry Tampa fans. 2010 is your year!

I'm a Fraud!

I'm very embarrassed to admit it, but I recently went against everything this blog stands for. I was picking in my fantasy football league at work, and I was just too weak to pass up Roddy White in the fifth round. Several receivers rated below (worse than) him had already been selected when it was my turn. In all honesty, he was a steal at the place I got him in my draft. Still, I feel sick!

I drafted a Falcon. The Falcons Suck!!! How could I do this? I've beating myself up over this for a few days, and all I can come up with is that I was greedy.

We give a nice trophy to the fantasy football winner every year, and it was right there in front of me...just taunting me as I was up to make my selection. I could have taken a less proven wide-receiver, but I turned my back on all of my principles just for the chance to win a stupid trophy.

I've tried to make myself feel better by saying, "at least I didn't take Michael Turner or Matt Ryan", but I know I'm just letting myself off easy there. I should be ashamed of myself. Maybe I'll trade him. But then I'd still be benefitting from the speculation that a Falcon might actually live up to their potential. How many Falcons can you think of that have actually lived up to their potential in the NFL?

I'll understand if you want to bash me for my cowardice. I deserve it.

I apologize if I've let you down.

"What the hell is Brett Favre Doing Here?"

By now, I'm sure you've heard that Brett Favre has signed a two year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Personally, I never believed him three weeks ago when he said he wasn't coming back, but still, I guess this is newsworthy. What it means to the NFC South is very little, considering the fact that there's now way that the Vikings will compete for a playoff wildcard spot this year, and they only play one team from the division. Sure, they could make the playoffs, but they'll have to win the North to do that. I'd be willing to bet just about anything that the wildcards will come out of the South or the East again this year.

The one team in the division that will face Favre this year is the Panthers. Great news for Carolina fans...they don't play them until late December. That means that Favre will either be banged up and on the bench by then, or he'll be tired and throwing tons of INTs. Still, the Vikings were able to beat the Panthers last year without a solid quarterback even on the roster.

I'll definitely pick Carolina to win this game, I just hope they pick up a veteran defensive tackle before then.

Carolina looked rough at times in their first preseason game on Monday Night Football this week. It looks like Nick Hayden just won't be the guy to fill the hole at defensive tackle. He was getting pushed around like he was some high school player out there. Granted, the Giants have a strong offensive line, but still...that performance was a little ridiculous. I did however really like what I saw from linebacker J Leman. He could turn out to be a solid special-teamer for Carolina.

On another note from that Panthers/Giants game, I really liked what Coach Gruden was able to bring to the broadcast booth. I'm pretty sure someone told him to talk more during the games, because last week he seemed very nervous, while this week he wouldn't shut up. I especially liked when he called DeAngelo Williams the NFL's best running back.

I enjoy the football knowledge he brings to a broadcast, and he just reminds me of how much I couldn't stand listening to Tony Kornheiser. I do enjoy PTI, I just don't want to hear about American Idol while watching Monday Night Football.

Fantasy Rankings: Quarterbacks

Deciding when to take a quarterback is pretty difficult in most leagues. Most fantasy draft tips suggest that picking a running back is the way to go with your first two picks. I actually disagree.

If you can pick up one of the top four quarterbacks this year, I'd definitely go that route before taking a middle-of-the road running back. The reason is because lots of running backs fit into the middle-of-the road category, and if you miss out on one guy, you'll probably be able to get someone fairly comparable in the next round. With the top-end quarterbacks, the points are just too hard to make up if you pass on them. For instance, last year, only five other quarterbacks scored within 100 points of Drew Brees (in my Yahoo league). Also, the fantasy team with the most successful quarterback has won my league, each of the last four years.

Then again, my league gives six points for a passing touchdown. Still, you should consider at least my top four guys earlier than the "expert" lists might suggest.

This is my QB list for 2009. Picking up a backup is necessary, so I'll list 24 (helpful for leagues of 12). As always, my list was made by looking at projections and last year's fantasy totals.

1. Drew Brees

2. Tom Brady

3. Peyton Manning

4. Aaron Rodgers

5. Phillip Rivers

6. Kurt Warner

7. Donovan McNabb

8. Tony Romo

9. Jay Cutler

10. Eli Manning

11. Carson Palmer

12. Matt Cassel

13. Matt Shaub

14. Matt Ryan

15. Jake Delhomme

16. Chad Pennington

17. David Garrard

18. Trent Edwards

19. Ben Roethlisberger

20. Kyle Orton

21. Jason Campbell

22. Matt Hasselbeck

23. Kerry Collins

24. Joe Flacco

Other backups to watch: Brady Quinn, Sage Rosenfels, Matt Stafford)

Fantasy Rankings: Running Backs

This is the big one. RB is the most important position for almost all fantasy leagues. Who is going to be this year's LT? Who is going to be this year's DeAngelo Williams. One of those guys was taken as a first pick in most leagues, while the other was picked as a bench player. LT was sort of a let-down, while Williams had more fantasy points than any other RB last year.

It's tough, but fun!

Here's my list of RBs for 2009. As always, I made my list by looking at "expert" opinions, last year's point totals, and a little intuition. I'll list 36 since I'm sure I'll pick up at least 3 in my fantasy draft. Enjoy.

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Matt Forte

3. DeAngelo Williams

4. Michael Turner

5. Clinton Portis

6. Brian Westbrook

7. Maurice Jones-Drew

8. LaDainian Tomlinson
9. Brandon Jacobs

10. Steve Slaton

11. Steven Jackson

12. Chris Johnson

13. Marion Barber

14. Thomas Jones

15. Frank Gore

16. Ronnie Brown

17. Ryan Grant

18. Marshawn Lynch

19. Larry Johnson

20. Jonathan Stewart

21. LenDale White

22. Willie Parker

23. Kevin Smith

24. Le'Ron McClain

25. Tim Hightower

26. Reggie Bush

27. Joseph Addai

28. Derrick Ward

29. Sammy Morris

30. Felix Jones

31. Jerious Norwood

32. Knowshon Moreno

33. Jamal Lewis

34. Julius Jones

35. LeSean McCoy

36. Leon Washington

Fantasy Rankings: Wide Receivers

Now we are getting into the good stuff. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are always the most exciting and anticipated picks in a fantasy draft. This year, to form my list for WRs, I printed out an "expert's" list, and compared it to the how many fantasy points each receiver scored last year. Throw in a little intuition, and that's how you form a solid rankings list.

Since my league requires a team to start 3 receivers, and there are 12 people in my league, I've got 36 WRs on the list. Enjoy.

1. Larry Fitzgerald

2. Andre Johnson

3. Randy Moss

4. Calvin Johnson

5. Steve Smith

6. Reggie Wayne

7. Roddy White

8. Terrell Owens

9. Greg Jennings

10. Anquan Boldin

11. Antonio Bryant

12. Roy Williams

13. Wes Welker

14. Vincent Jackson

15. Brandon Marshall

16. Lee Evans

17. Hines Ward

18. Braylon Edwards

19. Bernard Berrian

20. Dwayne Bowe

21. Santana Moss

22. DeSean Jackson

23. Devin Hester

24. Kevin Walker

25. Marques Colston

26. T.J. Houshmandzadeh

27. Santonio Holmes

28. Donald Driver

29. Lance Moore

30. Jerricho Cotchery

31. Chad Ochocinco

32. Anthony Gonzalez

33. Torry Holt

34. Laveranues Coles

35. Muhsin Muhammad

36. Patrick Crayton

37. Justin Gage

38. Domenik Hixon

39. Percy Harvin

40. Steve Breaston

41. Chris Chambers

42. Ted Ginn Jr.

43. Derrick Mason

44. Eddie Royal

45. Isaac Bruce

46. Steve Smith (NYG)

47. Nate Washington

48. Michael Jenkins

Okay, so I got a little carried away. As I was finishing my list of 36, I realized that I'll definitely need at least one backup WR. I'll do rankings for RBs and QBs in the next couple of days.