Skip to main content

Midsummer day's links

Need to be quick with my post today - I'll be back tomorrow with a lengthier, linkier (did I just make up a new word? sweeeeeet) post!
  • Late Round Targets from FFToolbox - I'm totally on the same page with these guys on Kevin Walter.
  • Seeing as we're moving and setting up a new tv package in the next few weeks, I'm quite interested in reading this note on DirectTV selling Sunday Ticket for iPhones. Can I really envision myself watching a game on my iPhone though at that exorbitant price?
  • If you're in a PPR league, take note of FantasySharks.com's guidance on receivers that are PPR-friendly and those that are not in You down with PPR? Yeah, you know me!
  • The rise and fall of dynasty QBs is noted in Rotoworld's Pancake Blocks blog.
  • Oh o-lines. I love, love, love them. And Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy has finally wrapped up their individual team review and put together their annual 2009 Offensive Line Rankings and Analysis article.
Labels:

Comments

Peter said…
I disagree with the O-line ranking for Minnesota as 'mediocre'. McKinnie is a mountain of a tackle, Hutch is the best guard in the league, and Herrera is a solid/underrated RG. Sullivan replaces Birk at C, sure, but when Birk replaced Christy that transition went very well. Sullivan is younger and can be more physical than Birk can anymore, and will pick up on the mental nuances of the game quickly. Birk and Sully both went to academically elite schools.

The biggest weakness of the line last year was RT Cook. Lots of false starts, mental mistakes, missed blocks, sacks allowed. (Of course, having Jackson and Frerotte doesn't help an o-line avoid sacks, but still) Rookie Loadholt will struggle to adapt to the game, but he's big and strong and will be a great runblocker in his first year.

I don't think they have the best line (like some are prone to say), but it's definitely top 10, right?
1:40 PM
Ultimate FF Strategy said…
Hey Peter, they're one of the o-lines that I have ranked lower than most people and here's why. Sure they have one of the best run blocking lines in the NFL but they allowed 43 sacks last year and 38 the year before.

They were above average in run blocking, below average in pass protection which makes them about an average line last season. This season they lost Birk so they'll see a small downgrade which outs them in the Mediocre category. My prediction is they may average somewhere between 4.0 and 4.4 yards per carry and allow 45 to 50 sacks, that's not a top 10 line.

I know they'd probably allow fewer sacks if they had a better QB but I still don't think they can be a top 10 line when they allowed so many sacks last year and lost their center.
8:02 AM
Peter said…
You make good points, and I still feel that both arguments are reasonable. You already know my two counters (bad QBs encourage sacks & Sullivan is more physical than Birk and should be a decent comparison mentally with time), so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Time will tell, of course.

Although, really, at the end of the season I'll laud the o-line for their runblocking and you'll criticize them for allowing sacks. I guess the bottom line is: does the o-line help the team win games or contribute to losses?
8:39 AM
Ultimate FF Strategy said…
Just to add one more thing, this is actually the main reason why I rank them in groups instead of 1 to 32, it's so subjective but even in groups there's a ton of disagreements.
As you said some prefer a run blocking line, some a pass protecting line, depends on the offense they play on etc.

If I were to build an NFL team, I'd choose the Vikings line ahead of a bunch of teams I have ahead of them knowing I can run any RB behind that line and have success and I'd compensate with a QB who gets rid of the ball quicker.

Problem is for a fantasy football website that becomes way too subjective so I just look at statistics from last year and see who got better or worse. Not a perfect way, maybe not the best way either but hey it's football, it's complicated, that's why we love it.
12:45 PM
Les Savy Ferd said…
I'm just happy to see that some view Buffalo's O-line as improved. I have to say that I am skeptical, based on past performance but I suppose that doesn't matter much when EVERY position will be manned by someone new this year.

The rooks really need to come together and of course Walker needs to 'translate' well at his new spot. But a solid O-line could make for a better passing game and allow Lynch to hit 'beast mode' all the more often.
1:29 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back on the fantasy wagon

With my library conferences behind me (for a few weeks at least), I can now concentrate on fantasy football again. If you happen to be a librarian and are interested in how my co-presenter and I tied together fantasy football and information literacy, check out my co-presenter’s blog . Though I imagine most of you would much rather catch up on the following football news and thoughts for the week: I remain a bit dazed and confused by my certainty last summer that Cedric Benson was going to rock my RB2 world in 2007. Didn’t happen and now he’s moved onto ankle surgery, alleged intoxication and resisting arrest on boats. Awesome. You can practically taste Matt Forte’s value skyrocketing here. In fact, wondering about rookie RBs in general? Well then check out FF Xtreme’s The Day After: Ranking the Rookie Running Backs . I love reading articles or stats that challenge my preconceived notions – The Fifth Down’s Chad the Completion Percentage Machine does just that. No offense to thos
8 comments
Read more

Streaming Defenses - Week 16

Don't know about you all, but in our house this week is just chock full of events, visiting with family, and getting organized for our upcoming time off over the holidays. Lots of scrambling going on around here and attempts to install some sense of gratitude in my boys. What am I grateful for this season? Many things but let's start with Bob. Bob has been my fantasy football rock, coming back week after week to post. Hats off to you, Bob, and thank you for your diligent work and research. So here he is with this year's final streaming defense post.  Well it’s the last week of the Fantasy Football Playoffs in most leagues, and my last post of the season. I hope you all found these posts useful. And if I failed you, you have to murder a lot more experts before you get to me. I myself have had a terrible playoff season. I’m out of all but one of my leagues due to the weird games the last two weeks. Between weather that didn’t materialize to normally consistent players co
20 comments
Read more

Start/Sit Week 4 and a smattering of rankings

It's been awhile, my fantasy football friends. I have lofty intentions of getting several posts up here each week, but life is busy and I will do my best. So in the intervening 6 years since I've posted regularly on here, our family added another child (now there are 3!), moved back to Boulder for a sabbatical year and then returned to Knoxville, and we have basically been chugging along like many of the rest of you. My two boys (who turn 12 and 9 soon) are in a fantasy football league for the first time this year with their buddies, which ostensibly is the just the dads (and mom!) playing one another of course. But my oldest is taking it super seriously and what kind of Fantasy Football Librarian would I be if I didn't step up my game for him? So I'm back - and am interested in the fantasy landscape - lots of the same awesome sites out there, but many new ones as well. I'll try to incorporate a mix. Please be sure to let me know if my 2006 ways aren't working i
Post a Comment
Read more