Month: September 2012

Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#28)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, Jaguars

Last week: 32 (+4)

Record: 0-1

Jacksonville moves up despite the loss because Blaine Gabbert showed some signs of life in his 2nd season debut, completing 23 of 39 for 260 yards, 2 touchdown, and no interceptions. Minnesota’s secondary is crap, but I was very impressed with Gabbert’s poise under pressure. I still didn’t like the matchup for Gabbert because of his struggles under pressure last season. Minnesota has one of the league’s best pass rushes and they lived up to their billing, pressured Gabbert on 18 of 43 drop backs, but Gabbert only took 2 sacks and completed 9 of 15 on those 18 drop backs (3 runs). Let’s see him face a real secondary first, but if he can continue to at least be serviceable, the Jaguars will continue to move up this list.

Studs

LT Eugene Monroe: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures allowed on 46 pass block plays, run blocked for 2 yards on 2 attempts

C Brad Meester: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures allowed on 46 pass block plays, run blocked for 27 yards on 5 attempts

WR Cecil Shorts: 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on 7 targets, 2.3 YAC per catch on 13 pass plays

TE Marcedes Lewis: 5 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on 5 targets, 7.8 YAC per catch on 22 pass plays, run blocked for 35 yards on 4 attempts

FS Dwight Lowery: 6 solo tackles, 2 stops on 28 run snaps, allowed 2 completions for 19 yards on 4 attempts

Duds

RG Uche Nwanari: Allowed 3 quarterback pressures on 45 pass block plays, run blocked for 14 yards on 7 attempts

RT Cameron Bradfield: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback pressures on 12 pass block plays, run blocked for 4 yards on 1 carry

RT Guy Whimper: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hits, and 4 quarterback pressures on 35 pass block plays, 2 penalties

WR Mike Thomas: Did not catch a pass on 1 target and 30 pass plays, 1 drop

WR Justin Blackmon: 3 catches for 24 yards on 5 targets, 1.0 YAC per catch on 45 pass plays, 1 penalty

RE Andre Branch: 0 sacks, 0 quarterback hits, and 0 quarterback pressures on 28 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops on 24 run snaps

CB Aaron Ross: Allowed 6 catches for 79 yards on 7 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle on 28 run snaps

SS Dawan Landry: Allowed 4 catches for 69 yards on 4 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle on 28 run snaps

MLB Paul Posluszny: 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 missed tackles, 2 stops, on 28 run snaps, allowed 3 catches for 35 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection

CB Kevin Rutland: Allowed 2 completions for 48 yards on 2 attempts, 1 solo tackle, 1 missed tackle, 1 assist on 4 run snaps

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Cincinnati Bengals: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#29)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, Bengals

Last week: 28 (-1)

Record: 0-1

I picked the Bengals as one of my overrated teams coming into the season and they certainly looked the part against the Ravens. Andy Dalton struggled mightily to complete anything longer than 10 yards downfield and had the week’s 7th worst adjusted QB rating despite a very clean pocket (9 pressured snaps) against a Baltimore defense missing several key players from last season and their defense struggled to contain a suddenly upstart Ravens offense. A lot of people are taking away from that game that the Ravens are better than last season. I’m taking away the opposite. That the Bengals are worse than last season, significantly, and if the Ravens end up making the playoffs, this will push Andy Dalton’s record to 0-9 against playoff teams in his career.

Studs

LG Clint Boling: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits or quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 39 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts

LT Andrew Whitworth: Allowed 0 sacks, quarterback hits or quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards and a touchdown on 2 attempts

WR Andrew Hawkins: Caught 8 passes for 86 yards on 9 targets on 26 pass plays, averaged 11.3 YAC per catch

FS Reggie Nelson: 7 solo tackles and 2 stops on 22 run snaps, allowed 2 completions for 8 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection

LOLB Thomas Howard: 2 solo tackles and 2 stops on 23 run snaps, 1 sack on 4 blitzes, allowed 1 completion for 3 yards on 2 attempts

Duds

QB Andy Dalton: 22 of 37 for 221 yards, 1 interception, 1 throw away, 2 batted passes, 1 drop, adjusted QB rating of 66.2, pressured 9 times

CB Leon Hall: Allowed 5 catches for 103 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 attempts, 3 solo tackles and 1 stop on 22 run snaps

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Arizona Cardinals: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#30)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, Cardinals

Last week: 30 (+0)

Record: 1-0

Consider me unimpressed by the Cardinals’ win over the Seahawks. The Seahawks were a poor road team starting a rookie 3rd round quarterback on the road in his 1st start with no offensive supporting cast, except a running back who was hurt. I had the Cardinals winning 3 games before the season and picked them to win this weekend. Nothing surprised me. Nothing changed.

Studs

LE Darnell Dockett: 3 quarterback hits and 7 quarterback pressures on 45 pass rush snaps, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops, and 2 missed tackles on 25 run snaps

MLB Daryl Washington: 9 solo tackles, 7 stops, and 2 missed tackles on 29 run snaps, 1 sack, 1 quarterback pressures on 13 blitzes, allowed 3 completions for 36 yards on 3 attempts

Duds

QB John Skelton: Completed 14 of 28 for 149 yards and 1 interception, 2 hit as throwns, 3 batted passes, 1 drop, adjusted QB rating of 60.2, pressured 13 times

LT D’Anthony Baptiste: 1 sack and 5 quarterback pressures allowed on 42 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 4 yards on 2 attempts

RG Adam Snyder: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback pressures on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 3 attempts

RB Ryan Williams: 9 yards (6 after contact) on 8 carries, 1 fumble, 2 catches for 17 yards on 3 targets, 1 quarterback pressure allowed on 2 pass block snaps

LOLB O’Brien Schofield: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback pressure on 37 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 missed tackle, and 1 stop on 27 run snaps

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Oakland Raiders: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#31)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, Raiders

Last week: 31 (+0)

Record: 0-1

It’s tough to learn much about the Raiders for their first game, except that they seem to be unable to not shoot themselves in the foot. An injury to their long snapper did them in as they went on to bungle 3 punts (1 blocked, 2 fumbled snaps), but they might have lost anyway. They only gave up 9 points off their 3 mistakes and they lost by 8. There’s no guarantee they would have held them scoreless on all 3 of those drives and 8 of their points game on a garbage time touchdown against prevent defense. It was an ugly game all around. The Chargers will get better as the season goes on. They’re always like this when the season starts. But that probably won’t be the case for the Raiders and I saw no reason to move them up from the bottom end of my Power Rankings.

Studs

ROLB Phillip Wheeler: Allowed 7 completions for 41 yards on 8 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 6 solo tackles and 4 stops on 22 run snaps, 1 quarterback pressure on 8 blitzes

MLB Rolando McClain: Allowed 1 completion for 4 yards on 1 attempt, 4 solo tackles, 3 assists, 4 stops on 22 run snaps, 2 quarterback pressures on 6 blitzes

Duds

RT Khalif Barnes: Allowed 1 sack and 4 quarterback pressures on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 1 yard on 1 attempt

LG Cooper Carlisle: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback pressures on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards on 5 attempts

RG Mike Brisiel: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback pressures on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

WR Rod Streater: 4 catches for 27 yards and a touchdown on 9 targets, 1 drop

CB Ronald Bartell: Allowed 4 catches for 73 yards on 4 attempts, 3 solo tackles and 1 missed tackle on 6 run snaps

DT Tommy Kelly: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 26 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles and 3 stops on 18 run snaps, 2 penalties

MLB Travis Goethel: 2 fumbled snaps, 1 missed tackle on special teams

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Cleveland Browns: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#32)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 2 NFL Power Rankings, Browns

Last week: 29 (-3)

Record: 0-1

Yikes. 12 of 35 for 118 yards and 4 interceptions. That is one of the worst quarterback performances I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty clear, Weeden, despite his age, is not a nearly finished product. It wasn’t all his fault; his supporting cast sucks. He’ll also probably improve as the season goes on, but this offense is incredibly young and will have many growing pains, to say the least. They started a rookie at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and on the offensive line, as well as a 2nd year player in the at wide receiver and a 2nd year player on the offensive line. Also, the Browns just lost their best defensive player, Joe Haden, for 4 games. Wins are going to be hard to come by for this team.

Studs

DT Ahytba Rubin: 4 quarterback hits, 3 quarterback pressures on 51 pass rush snaps, 1 assisted tackle on 26 run snaps

MLB D’Qwell Jackson: Allowed 3 catches for 28 yards on 7 attempts, 1 interception, 2 pass deflections, 3 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle on 30 run plays, 1 quarterback pressure on 8 blitzes

ROLB Craig Robertson: 8 solo tackles, 3 stops on 13 run plays, allowed 4 completions for 47 yards on 6 attempts, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 1 quarterback hit on 5 blitzes

RE Juqua Parker: 3 quarterback hits and 2 quarterback pressures on 36 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles and 2 stops on 12 run snaps

ROLB LJ Fort: 1 sack on 4 blitzes, 1 stop on 18 run plays, wasn’t thrown on, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection

WR Josh Cribbs: 6 punt returns for 78 yards, 3 kickoff returns for 91 yards

Duds

QB Brandon Weeden: 12 of 35 for 118 yards, 4 interceptions, 2 thrown aways, 3 drops, adjusted QB rating of 21.9, pressured 13 times

RG Shawn Lauvao: 1 sack and 3 quarterback pressures allowed on 40 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 2 attempt

RT Mitchell Schwartz: Allowed 2 quarterback hits and 1 quarterback pressure on 40 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

WR Greg Little: Played 33 pass snaps, did not catch a pass, targeted 4 times, once for an interception, 1 drop

LE Jabaal Sheard: 0 sacks, quarterback hits, or quarterback pressures on 45 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop on 26 run snaps

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Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Claims

stevenlourie 2012 Fantasy Football, 2012 Waiver Claims

QB Jake Locker (Tennessee)

Percent owned (ESPN): 18.0%

Locker left with injury, but it sounds like he’ll be fine for week 2. I was really high on Locker and the Tennessee offense before the season started, particularly in fantasy, and Locker certainly didn’t do anything to prove me wrong, completing 23 of 32 for 229 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. He should certainly be owned as QB2.

RB Alfred Morris (Washington)

Percent owned (ESPN): 10.0%

I had a suspicions throughout the week that Morris would get the start over Roy Helu and Evan Royster and I was proven right. Morris carried the load, carrying it 28 times for 96 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Helu and Royster were limited to 7 combined touches. Of course, Mike Shanahan is inconsistent with his backs on a weekly basis so while Morris didn’t do anything to lose the job, he’s no lock to start next week. Still, he’s worth a waiver claim if you can get him and he’ll probably lead the team in rushing this season. You’ll just have to monitor his status before the game if you own him.

WR Kevin Ogletree (Dallas)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.5%

Ogletree had a breakout game with 8 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opener against Dallas. He fit the Laurent Robinson role (54/858/11) like a glove. The issue is that Robinson, and Ogletree last night, only had that kind of production because of injuries to other guys. Robinson stepped up in the absence of Miles Austin last year and Ogletree stepped up with Austin and Jason Witten both playing hurt last night. Once all 3 of the Cowboys’ top receivers, Bryant, Austin, and Witten are healthy, which could be as soon as next week, there simply won’t be enough targets to go around for Ogletree to be a consistent fantasy starter on a week to week basis. However, he’s definitely worth a waiver claim and if you get him, you can trade him high and pick up a more consistent performer (we don’t use waivers in one of my leagues, so I picked him up right after the game and traded him for Ronnie Brown, who I desperately needed because my top 2 backs, Ryan Mathews and Jonathan Stewart, were hurt).

TE Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota)

Percent owned (ESPN): 14.2%

Lacking a true #2 wide receiver, Christian Ponder threw to Kyle Rudolph early and often this week, as the tight end caught 5 passes for 67 yards on 7 targets against the Jaguars. Ponder loved throwing to his tight ends last year, but Rudolph is now the lead guy at that position and in his 2nd year in the league, he should post low end TE1 numbers throughout the season.

WR Stephen Hill (NY Jets)

Percent owned (ESPN): 2.9%

Hill may be a raw 2nd round rookie, but he looked like their best receiver in the preseason and that continued in the opener as he caught 5 passes for 89 yards and, like Plaxico Burress and Braylon Edwards before him, was a popular target in the end zone, hauling in two touchdowns. The Jets had a great day offensively and while I’m not convinced that will continue all year, their receiving corps is no longer “off limits” in fantasy.

WR Alshon Jeffery (Chicago)

Percent owned (ESPN): 15.0%

Jeffery looked very good against the Colts, catching 3 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. He only had 5 targets, which is somewhat concerning, but the rookie will see more snaps and be more frequently targeted as the season goes on and he earns the respect of the coaching staff and his quarterback. He might have already done that. The Bears’ passing offense is good enough to support two wide receivers in fantasy, if one can establish himself as a #2 receiver, since they don’t throw to the tight end much, so Jeffery has plenty of upside.

WR Danny Amendola (St. Louis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 18.2%

St. Louis’ passing offense isn’t very good, but Amendola is the St. Louis receiver to own. He was targeted 9 times this week, catching 5 of them for 70 yards. He’ll get a lot of volume yardage and lead this team in receiving. If he stays healthy, he might be able to approach 1000 yards now that he’s a starter and not just a slot receiver.

WR Randall Cobb (Green Bay)

Percent owned (ESPN): 13.9%

Cobb actually led the Packers in receiving and targets against the 49ers, hauling in 9 catches for 77 yards. Ordinarily I wouldn’t list him here because Green Bay has so many weapons it’s going to be tough for anyone other than Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson to be consistent on a weekly basis, but Jennings is hurt and it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to go on a short week against Chicago on Thursday Night Football.

RB Kendall Hunter (San Francisco)

Percent owned (ESPN): 12.7%

So much for LaMichael James and Brandon Jacobs. Hunter was Frank Gore’s primary backup against Green Bay, rushing for 41 yards on 9 carries. Why is this important? Well, the 49ers will run a lot so he’ll get carries even as a backup. On top of that, Gore is an injury prone, 29 year old running back, who averaged just 3.5 YPC in the 2nd half of last season. If/when Gore struggles or gets hurt, Hunter, a talented back, will be the primary beneficiary.

RB Jonathan Dwyer (Pittsburgh)

Jonathan Dwyer got just 11 touches to Isaac Redman’s 13, but he had 54 yards on his, while Redman had just 27. It seemed like Dwyer became more involved as the game went on and next week, he could be the starter. He’s worth picking up because Rashard Mendenhall probably won’t play until after the week 4 bye and even when he returns, he could split carries because Todd Haley runs a two back system. Dwyer, the more talented of the two backs, would be most likely to be that 2nd back and would be the beneficiary of any further Mendenhall injury.

WR Aldrick Robinson (Washington)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.0%

Pierre Garcon tore up the Saints’ secondary with 4 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on just 8 snaps before leaving with his injury. Robinson, a similar style player, came in and picked up where Garcon left off, leading the team in targets and catching 4 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Robinson is the type of receiver that Griffin loves, dating back to his days at Baylor (think Kendall Wright) and Garcon might not be able to go this week. If he can’t, Robinson might be a nice flex option. He’s worth a pickup for Garcon owners.

TE Heath Miller (Pittsburgh)

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.3%

Heath Miller is one of the most underrated players in the league. Miller was 3rd on the team with 7 targets against the Broncos, catching 4 passes for 50 yards. It’s not exciting production, but the Steelers mentioned getting Miller more involved in the offense in the offseason and he’s always been a nice bet for consistent low end tight end production throughout his career.

TE Martellus Bennett (NY Giants)

Percent owned (ESPN): 22.4%

Eli Manning has always loved throwing to his tight ends and that was once again the case with Bennett in the opener. Bennett was targeted 6 times, 2nd highest on the team, and though he only came away with 4 catches for 40 yards, he was thrown to on the goal line and caught a touchdown and if Eli and the Giants’ passing offense had a better game, which they’re certainly capable of, he would have had a very solid night. He’s a TE2 with TE1 upside in deeper leagues depending on the matchup.

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Houston Texans extend QB Matt Schaub

stevenlourie News, Texans

Not a bad day for Matt Schaub. He got the win over Miami and he got paid. Techinically this deal was done last night at about midnight, but it wasn’t announced until the end of the game. Schaub got 62 million over 4 years with 30 million guaranteed. Schaub is injury prone and has never played in a playoff game, but when he’s healthy he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league and the fact that he’s never played in a playoff game is a result of his team’s poor defense for so many years and Schaub’s injury late last season when they had a good defense. He’s definitely worth this money as the Texans gear up for what could be a very big season. This deal also frees up the franchise tag for Connor Barwin next offseason.

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Patriots’ Logan Mankins played all of 2011 with a torn ACL

stevenlourie News, Patriots

The Patriots are notorious for being secretive with injuries, but this is crazy. It was originally reported that Mankins partially tore his ACL in the Super Bowl and had surgery immediately after, though that was not even reported until about a month later. However, it appears that was not even accurate as, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mankins suffered the injury against the Dolphins, week 1 of the 2011 season and played not just the rest of the game, not just the other 15 games of the regular season, but 3 more playoff games before getting surgery. Schefter calls him “one of the rare, if not the only, player ever to have played an entire 16-game season with a torn ACL,” and I would agree with that. I’ve never heard of anything like this.

I’ve mentioned at times before that Mankins had a slightly down season in 2011. He wasn’t bad or anything, but he wasn’t his normal dominant self. A top-6 guard on ProFootballFocus every season from 2008-2010 (1st, 6th, 3rd), something no one else can say, Mankins ranked “just” 31st last season, pretty middle of the pack out of 76 eligible. Considering his injury status, that might be the most impressive season of his career. Now fully healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t go back to being his normal dominant self in 2012 and make his 5th Pro Bowl (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). He’s a true, dependable bright spot on an otherwise question filled offensive line for the Patriots.

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Could this be Greg Jennings’ final year with the Packers?

stevenlourie News, Packers

Heading into his contract year, Greg Jennings admits that this could be his final year with the Packers, saying “Whether the contract comes with Green Bay in the near future or (with) one of the other 31 teams, that’s the reality of it.” Aaron Rodgers echoed that sentiment saying “I think you have to be realistic about it and think that it might be (our last year together).” Jennings did say he wouldn’t let it effect him this year, saying “I’ve never allowed my individual off the field dealings that I need to take care of become a distraction to myself, let alone the team. It’s one of those deals where I can’t control the situation. I have an agent. He’s working diligently on that. He knows my stance on that.”

Jennings has been an incredibly productive receiver over the past few years, catching 389 passes for 6171 yards and 49 touchdowns and probably could get Vincent Jackson money on the open market (5 years, 55 million), at least. The Packers don’t like to commit big money to guys and have plenty of receiving depth with Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Randall Cobb, so it makes sense that they could let him leave, heading into his age 30 season in 2013. There’s also his health issue with 3 concussions as a pro on his record.

I just don’t understand why Jennings would want to leave though. Sure, he’ll probably have to take less money to stay, but playing for a team like the Packers with Aaron Rodgers throwing you the football is a wide receiver’s dream and it’s a lot of money either way. He’s unlikely to be anywhere near this productive elsewhere, as he’s only ever had Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre throwing him the football, and any team that signs him to a giant contract would be making a bad deal. Jennings needs the Packers more than the Packers need him. One option that would make a lot of sense for both sides is the franchise tag, which the Packers should have available next offseason, with no other major free agents to lock up.

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Browns’ Joe Haden has not been suspended…yet

stevenlourie Browns, News

Earlier this offseason, there was some speculation that Joe Haden would be suspended for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. That speculation was confirmed this week, after the NFL retested the sample, but Haden has appealed the suspension and will be allowed to play until the appeal is over, which sometimes can take months. He’ll be in uniform and shadow DeSean Jackson against the Eagles this week.

If Haden were to miss any time, it would be a huge blow to a team with so little talent. Haden has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL over the last 2 seasons and was a major Pro Bowl snub in 2011. He’s really been the only bright spot on an overall disappointing Browns team.  He’s allowed just 83 completions on 162 attempts (51.2%) for 1165 yards (7.2 YPA), 5 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, while deflecting 28 passes and committing 12 penalties in the last 2 seasons.

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