Huskies DT Ta'amu drafted in 4th by Steelers; OT Kelemete drafted in 5th by Cardinals

By Kshell

This year just like the last two years the Washington Huskies had two guys drafted in this years NFL draft. Steve Sarkisian saw two of his former players who were both recruited by Tyrone Willingham get drafted in Alameda Ta'amu in the fourth round and Senio Kelemete in the fifth round. For the Huskies to produce two lineman in the draft has shown just how far this program has come along. For Kelemete he was the first Husky offensive lineman taken since Joe Toledo in the 2006 draft. While Ta'amu is the first defensive tackle taken since Terry Johnson in the 2004 draft. Those stats right there shows you why the Huskies program has struggled in the last couple of years.

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up to draft Ta'amu in the 4th round. Ta'mu who is 6'2" weighs 348 lbs is a perfect fit for the Steelers who run a 3-4 defense. In his career with the Huskies Ta'amu was a big time recruit for Tyrone Willingham out of Rainier Beach High School. Ta'amu started as a true freshman on the defensive line late as he played in all 12 games including the final five games as a starter. As a sophomore Ta'amu started 11 games. Then as a junior he started all 13 games was named Pac-10 honorable mention as well. He was also named Huskies defensive lineman of the year. He was a big force in the Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska and was due for a breakout year his senior year. Instead he stayed the same as a senior once again starting all 13 games and once again was only named honorable mention all Pac-12. He was also a team captain and at times the heart and soul of the defense. With the Steelers who run a 3-4 unlike the Huskies he'll be a big addition for them.

The other Huskies lineman who was drafted was Senio Kelemete another local product. He was picked by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round. As a true freshman who had his redshirt burned by Willingham Kelemete played eight games at defensive tackle making four starts. When Sarkisian took over the program he moved Kelemete to offensive line. Kelemete started as a true sophomore on the offensive line where started 11 of 12 games earning honorable mention. Then in 2010 Sarkisian moved him again to the blindside where Kelemete was the left tackle where he started 26 consecutive games and was a two year captain of the team. As a senior Kelemete was rock solid earning second-team all Pac-12. Kelemete is an athletic lineman who is 6'4" 307 lbs. The Cardinals can play him at tackle or guard and Kelemete will surely get the job done for the Seahawks divisional rivals.

This draft was a disappointment for the Huskies program as they expected to get four guys drafted instead they have just two. You know the program has arrived when the Huskies are getting multiple guys drafted not just two per year. Considering the Huskies did go back to back years in the 2008 and 2009 drafts with nobody selected at least they are getting some drafted. For Ta'amu and Kelemete they were both good Husky lineman and it was a shame there wasn't more players like these two on the lines for this program. I know both will do well in the NFL as they are going to teams where they fit their styles. For the Huskies program anytime you get guys drafted it can still be seen as a positive. I wish nothing but the best for Kelemete and Ta'amu!

Steelers shutout Seahawks 24-0

By  Kshell

The Pittsburgh Steelers(1-1) shutout the Seattle Seahawks(0-2) 24-0 for the Seahawks first shutout loss since the last time they played in Pittsburgh which was a 21-0 loss back in 2007. The Steelers have no shutout the Seahawks in back to back games since beating them in Super Bowl XL. There will be no blaming the refs this game as the Seahawks had just 164 total yards of offense. Meanwhile the Steelers had 421 yards of offense. The Steelers were led by Ben Roethlisberger who threw for 298 yards with a touchdown on the game. The Seahawks had just eight first downs. Their leading rusher was Tarvaris Jackson who had 12 yards rushing showing the Seahawks had no rushing game. The Seahawks longest play was only 17 yards on the day as their offense under second year coach Pete Carroll appears to be heading towards a very long season.

The Steelers began the game like a team looking to avenge their loss from the week before. On the opening drive the Steelers drove down the field 81 yards in eight plays highlighted by a Roethlisberger 30 yard pass. The Seahawks though had a great goaline stand to stop the Steelers on the one yard line. The Seahawks offense did go three and out from their own one yard line. So the Steelers took over on their own 40 yard line where they marched down the field again. After an incomplete pass by Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall ran for a gain of nine yards. Then on third and one, Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace for a gain of six. Mendenhall ran for nine yards followed up by a Roethlisberger completion to Isaac Redman for a gain of six yards to the Seahawks 30 yard line. Then on a double reverse pass to Hines Ward to the Seahawks 15 yard line, Mendenhall had two carries for 14 yards to the one yard line. Then Mendenhall ended the drive with a one yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead.

After the Seahawks offense continued to do nothing. The Steelers with the short field took over on their own 47 yard line. Isaac Redman started the drive off with a five yard run, then on third and five Roethlisberger again extended the drive with a nine yard pass. Roethlisberger hit Wallace for a gain of 16 yards to the Seahawks 23 yard line. After a short run of three yards, Redman then ran for a 20 yard touchdown run to give the Steelers a commanding 14-0 lead. The Seahawks continued to do nothing offensively. The Steelers once again continued to march on the Seahawks defense. The Steelers drove 81 yards on 14 plays but had to settle for a field goal. The Steelers would lead at halftime 17-0. In the first half the Steelers had 275 yards of total offense in the first half while not punting one time. Meanwhile the Seahawks had just 61 yards of total offense failing to reach the Steelers territory.

In the second half not much had changed. The Seahawks offense continued to do nothing while the Steelers in the third quarter still put up some nice drives. On the Steelers second drive they went on a nine play 71 yard touchdown drive. On second and 11 from their own 28 yard line, Mendenhall had a run of eight yards setting up a third and three. Once again Roethlisberger delivered hitting a 14 yard pass. He then hit Wallace for a gain of 23 yards. The Steelers after a 15 yard penalty were facing a first and 25 from the Seahawks 42 yard line. Roethlisberger hit Wallace for a five yard gain then hit an 18 yard pass setting up a third and two. He would hit Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward for a gain of 15 yards to the Seahawks four yard line. After a run of two yards Roethlisberger hit Wallace on a fade pass for a two yard touchdown to give the Steelers a 24-0 lead.

The Steelers ended up hanging on for the win 24-0 over the Seahawks. The Steelers were led by Roethlisberger who was 22-30(73.3%) passing for 298 yards with a touchdown and a 115.7 QB rating. His main weapon who kept burning Brandon Browner all game long was Mike Wallace who had eight receptions for 126 yards with a touchdown. The Steelers couldn't really run the ball as Mendenhall had 66 yards(3.5 YPC) rushing with a touchdown while Redman had 49 yards(4.9 YPC) rushing with a touchdown. The Steelers offense had 421 yards of total offense while controlling the clock for 38:44 while grinding out 23 first downs. The Steelers owned this game against the Seahawks showing why they are the defending AFC champions while the Seahawks are a team in transition. The Steelers in the first half dominated the game going up 17-0 while just going through the motions in the second half. The defense proved to be too much for the Seahawks pathetic offense while the offense controlled the clock. The Steelers have a big time quarterback who can make plays while the Seahawks simply do not have that guy who can make his plays.

The Seahawks has some major problems this season. The offensive line hasn't been very good but the main problem is the quarterback play. The Seahawks had just 164 yards of total offense with eight first downs. The Seahawks averaged only 3.5 yards per play which is pathetic for an NFL offense. Tarvaris Jackson was 20-29(69.0%) passing for just 159 yards(5.5 YPA). He was sacked five times and couldn't find any offense. Marshawn Lynch had another pathetic outing with 11 yards rushing(1.8 YPC) on six carries. The Seahawks offense through the first two games and four games in preseason has looked rather pathetic. This offense looks like a team that is headed towards a top five draft pick.

All in all, the Seahawks are an offense which is the worst kind of offense to have. They are an ineffective offense. The Seahawks don't turn the ball over like crazy but they also don't do anything offensively which is highlighted by Jackson who refuses to go down field. The Seahawks offense is a plain mess and the secondary facing an elite quarterback was finally picked apart. The difference between these super bowl teams from Super Bowl XL is night and day. The Steelers have 17 players on their roster from their Super Bowl XL team while the Seahawks have just two. Carroll has this team in transition and his offseason appears to have busted. The Seahawks have yet to see Sidney Rice play while Robert Gallery was injured again. The Seahawks took a risk by letting go of Matt Hasselbeck who threw for 358 yards in a win over the Ravens on the same day the Seahawks were shutout. Now the Seahawks are 0-2 and have a fan base who is rooting for them to lose so they land Andrew Luck. The Seahawks in the present are in serious trouble and should think about making a quarterback change.

Observations:

- Marshawn Lynch finished the game with 11 yards on six carries. For the season Lynch has just 44 yards on 19 carries for a 2.3 YPC average which is terrible. In 16 games with the Seahawks he has ran for under 50 yards in 10 games, under 40 yards in eight games and under 30 yards in six games. He has averaged under 4.0 YPC in 11 games, under 3.0 YPC in eight games, under 2.0 YPC in three games. So in other words "beast mode" has been an absolute bust for the Seahawks since they have acquired. This is a position the Seahawks need to address in the NFL draft this upcoming season.

The offensive line isn't helping Lynch much as they are blocking very poorly. Still he spends way too much time dancing in the backfield instead of attacking a hole. He also is very slow as he is incapable of breaking off a big run on his own.  Lynch at this point in his career appears to be a short yardage specialist. He has shown that he isn't an every day starting NFL running back seeing how he he has ran for under 3.0 YPC in 50% of his games in a Seahawks uniform. He's had just five games in his career where he ran over 4.0 YPC and only six games where he ran more than 50 yards which shows he is doing a horrible job in Seattle. Time to end the Lynch era at running back after this season.

- The Seahawks need to make a change at quarterback. Pete Carroll is all about competition yet when it comes to Tarvaris Jackson he immediately named him the starting quarterback. In preseason when Charlie Whitehurst clearly out performed him Carroll still stuck with Jackson. Now when you look at Jackson's numbers which were 20-29(68.9%) for 159 yards with zero interception you are probably thinking I'm being unfair to him. The facts are with him as quarterback the Seahawks are an ineffective offense. For the season Jackson is 41-66(62.1%) passing but only 356 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He is also having just 5.4 YPA while taking seven sacks.

Jackson takes captain checkdown to a whole new level as he doesn't even attempt a pass down field. He just dumps it off every throw or hang onto the ball way too long to be dropped for unneccesary sacks. For an average quarterback you want him to have his YPA at 8.0 while Jackson for his career 6.5 while taking 57 sacks in 38 games. Jackson is a bum who should never be a starter in this league. He may not turn the ball over but he also doesn't do anything either as the Seahawks offense continues to score no points.

- By Pete Carroll letting Hasselbeck go whether the fans wanted to accept it or not he announced he was rebuilding. Now thankfully for Carroll he won the division title his first year so the fans will give him some time. Carroll is in a dangerous position as some fans will never like him from his USC days and how bailed on USC when times were rought.  He also burned the fan base by letting go fan favorites Matt Hasselbeck, Lofa Tatupu, and many others go. Under Carroll the franchise turned over. I still believe in Carroll but this year he'll have some heat on him that is for sure. He has still yet to prove he is an NFL coach. After this year the Seahawks will most likely be picking in the top five with Carroll having a terrible coaching record. He signed a five year deal so should be interesting if Paul Allen gives him the full five years or if he'll pull the Carroll plug early.

In conclusion, the Seahawks have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Whenever you start off 0-2 with getting shutout the quarterback will take heat. The Seahawks offense is beyond terrible and in the draft they will have to draft quarterback then running back with their first two draft picks.The offense needs playmakers which they lack. I look around the league and see all these great quarterbacks then I see the Seahawks with Tarvaris Jackson makes me sick. The Seahawks are bringing a broken twig to a gun fight unless they are facing the 49ers. The Seahawks are in for a long season which always sucks. The Seahawks defense is okay and really good against the run that is the only saving grace. The offense is going to make fans sick especially after six months of bad Mariners baseball. Going to be a long year guys especially if Carroll continues to stick with Jackson as his quarterback. Sticking with Jackson could eventually lose Carroll his job.

Seahawks Take On the Angry Steelers

(Photo Courtesy of @RGray525)

By Wyatt Lyles


Tomorrow, the Seahawks will be taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a matchup that a lot of Seahawks fans will react pretty negatively to given the fact that they're the ones who beat us in Super Bowl XL. So that already makes this a sort of grudge match. Couple that with the fact that the Seahawks just lost pretty badly to the 49ers last week and this is going to be a heated matchup to say the least. 

Last week, the Seahawks just did not look all that great against the 49ers. Well, everything except the defense, which was awesome, but I'll get to that later. The offense just could not get it going at all in the first half, and by the time they finally scored, it was in the 3rd quarter when they were down 16-0. That just can't happen. Period. If the Seahawks do that again this week against Pittsburgh, we're done for sure. 

The Steelers are going to come out swinging tomorrow. After being completely manhandled by the Ravens last week, they're going to be out for blood. I really wish that we didn't have to play them this week just for that reason. They don't want a repeat of last week, so they will make sure that it doesn't happen. I think they're going to be back to their normal selves this week, unfortunately for us. 

That being said, all hope is not lost for the Seahawks. The defense played very well last week against the 49ers, so if they can come back hard like that again, things may not go as everyone is predicting. The defense just needs to give the offense a chance to make something happen. If they can get some key stops against the Steelers, they just might be able to keep us in this game. 

But then the offense needs to take over, which is where the problem lies. The Seahawks offense just did not look good last week. Nothing happened until the second half, and even when it did happen, it was nothing spectacular. Yes, there was the 55-yard TD reception by Doug Baldwin, but you have to realize that the catch was only about 7 yards. The other 48 yards was from Baldwin's insane speed. So that TD wasn't because of how amazing Tarvaris Jackson is. Which, was a problem all day last Sunday. Tarvaris Jackson did not look like a guy who was comfortable running the offense at all. He often held onto the ball way too long, and when he finally passed, it was all short passes. He never looked down the field. That is something that has to change in order for the Seahawks to even have a chance of winning this game tomorrow. But I'm not too optimistic about it. 

The Seahawks will likely still be without their #1 receiver Sidney Rice, the one who Jackson is most comfortable with. So that is definitely continuing to be a big loss. Without him, I just don't see any big plays coming from this offense. While Mike Williams has the potential to do great things, he doesn't have the opportunity to do them when he doesn't get the ball. 

Robert Gallery will be back, though, which will hopefully mean that the offensive line will do better and Jackson will have more time to go through his progressions and maybe make some big plays. I wouldn't hold my breath, however. I know I sound like Debbie Downer right now, but the team didn't give me all that much confidence last week, and with this tough matchup, things don't bode well for our Seahawks. 

Overall, I think this will be a tough day for Seahawks fans. The Steelers are going to be pissed, and they will be taking it out on us. While I am totally down for them surprising me and stealing this game, I just don't think that it can realistically happen. I'm going to have to say that after tomorrow we will be 0-2. 

Seahawks 10 - Steelers 24

Top five reasons you can't blame the refs for the Seahawks losing Super Bowl XL

By Kshell

This week the Seattle Seahawks(0-1) take on the Pittsburgh Steelers(0-1) in a week two NFL matchup. For most NFL fans this is just a normal matchup that has a team in rebuilding mode traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the defending AFC Champions. For Seahawks fans though this is a revenge game from Super Bowl XL when the Steelers won 21-10 over the Seahawks. To make this game even more interesting is that Bill Levy will be the head ref of this week two contest. He was the head official in that Super Bowl XL game. If you've read any homer Seahawks fan(Big Lo) this has been brought up. The fans are already convinced he is out to screw the Seahawks once again this week. Now in this following post I'll explain five reasons you can't blame the refs for the Seahawks losing Super Bowl XL.

Now before I go into the five reasons let's examine those poor calls. Not to mention all the little calls the Steelers appeared to get away with there was four major calls that went against the Seahawks. The first call was the offensive pass interference on Darrell Jackson which wiped out a Seahawks touchdown. Jackson did appear to push off but it was a ticky tack call. The Seahawks had to settle for three points on that instead of the seven they wanted. The second missed call was on the Ben Roethlisberger one yard touchdown run. Roethlisberger even admitted on Dave Letterman that he didn't score but what isn't brought up is that was third and goal from the one yard line. Good chance the Steelers go for it on fourth and goal from the one. The third questionable call was the hold on Sean Locklear which nullified a completion to Jerramy Stevens down to the Steelers one yard line. The hold was very questionable but again in football there are no guarantees. You see teams fail to score from the one yard line quite a bit and even if the Seahawks do score there they are up 17-14 with around 10 minutes left in the game. Hasselbeck would throw an interception on the following play instead of overcoming that call. On the fourth call which was a bad call Hasselbeck was called for a tackle below the waste which is legal. What is lost in all that is that missed call didn't affect anything. So yes there was some missed calls and questionable calls in that game which a good team would have overcame. The Seahawks didn't overcome the Steelers that game for five reasons which I'm going to list.

5. Josh Brown missed two field goals.


During the game the Seahawks kicker Josh Brown missed two field goals. Now Brown's misses were of 54 and 50 yards which aren't chip shots at all. Still these kicks were in a dome and had Brown made his kicks the Seahawks would have trailed 21-16 going into their final drive which would have been for the win. In the NFL every point adds up. If Brown could have made those first half kicks that could have built the Seahawks lead where the Steelers would start to press a little bit. Not blaming the game on Brown but he's had better days during his time with the Seahawks that is for sure.

4. Darrell Jackson ran horrible routes which cost the Seahawks 11 points.

The Seahawks big play receiver Darrell Jackson during his career with the Seahawks was the defination of a system receiver. He ran horrible routes during his time with the Seahawks and had terrible hands. The Seahawks had a touchdown called back due to Jackson pushing off the Steelers defender. It was unnecessary to do that as well. Hasselbeck delivered a nice pass to Jackson who simply decided to push off as the Seahawks had to settle for three points. Then right before halftime the picture I have is of Jackson attempting to catch a long bomb. As you can see he has the catch but he had zero sideline awareness as he didn't drag that second foot. The following season same thing happened in the Dallas Cowboys  playoff game and announcer John Madden said "It's amazing how I see Jackson and a year later he is still running horrible routes right on the sidelines giving his quarterback no chance to complete that pass ". Jackson's poor route running cost the Seahawks 11 points and seeing how they lost by just 11 points those were huge.

3. Mike Holmgren didn't feature league MVP Shaun Alexander as much as he should have.

During the 2005 season the Seahawks had the best record in the NFC at 13-3. The Seahawks also had two all-pro offensive lineman in Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks featured Mack Strong who was also first-team all-pro as well as pro bowl center Robbie Tobeck. Behind those great blockers Shaun Alexander in a contract year was a man who couldn't be stopped. Alexander that season rushed for 1,880 yards(5.1 YPC) for an NFL record 27 rushing touchdowns.  During the NFC championship game win over the Carolina Panthers Alexander ran for a playoff franchise record 132 yards with two touchdowns.

That is why everyone was surprised that Alexander had just 95 yards on only 20 carries. It wasn't like he was being shut down as he was averaging 4.8 YPC during that game. Instead the Seahawks threw the ball 49 times with Matt Hasselbeck when the game was a one possession game throughout the entire contest. Mike Holmgren  in some of the Seahawks big playoff losses and regular season losses would forget about the running game. Hasselbeck is a good quarterback but the games where he is asked to carry the team the Seahawks usually lost those games. If Holmgren pounds Alexander instead of blaming the refs Alexander would have been Super Bowl MVP instead of hated on by the Seahawks fan base.

2. Jerramy Stevens opens up mouth but couldn't hang onto the ball.

Heading into the Super Bowl Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens had a war of words with Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter(thanks to Walter Jones was a non factor). During the Super Bowl game Stevens was costly to his team dropping at least four passes during that game. Stevens may be the only Seahawk who has ever scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl but he also stalled plenty of Seahawks drives. During the 2003 and 2004 seasons the Seahawks had a problem with dropped passes which cost them big games. This game was no different with Stevens drops. If Stevens had played like he had all season long(his only good season) there is no blaming of the refs. Instead the Seahawks are remembering what a great season they had. That game appeared to have affected Stevens as the following year the Seahawks fans turned on him booing him and he simply was never the same player. Stevens proved that it's one thing to talk crap but it takes a real player to back it up. Stevens failed to back up his war of the words and it cost the Seahawks the Super Bowl win.

1. Seahawks were missing two key safeties during the game.

Earlier in the season the Seahawks had crushed the Houston Texans on Sunday Night football 42-10 to improve to 4-2 on the season. Later that night starting free safety Ken Hamlin who was at a night club(in the wrong part of town) decided to pick a fight with some other guys at the bar. There was a huge brawl and when the dust had settled Hamlin was knocked unconcious. Hamlin was lucky to have survived his act of stupidity but was out for the remaining of the season.

Filling in for Hamlin was safety Marquand Manuel who had played great in replacing Hamlin during the season. He would play so well the Green Bay Packers the following offseason would grossly overpay for him. During the game Manuel would end up pulling a hamstring and would have to miss the rest of the game. He was replaced by what should have been third string safety Etric Pruitt who was exposed as was fellow safety Michael Boulware. The Seahawks would allow the longest run in super bowl history when Willie Parker would open up the second half with a 75 yard touchdown run. Boulware would whiff on the tackle while Pruitt took a terrible angle on the play. Earlier in the game on a third and 30 Roethlisberger would complete the pass setting up their first touchdown because the safety play allowed the receiver to get behind them. Then the dagger of the game with the Steelers up 14-10 the Steelers did a reverse touchdown pass to Hines Ward for a 43 yard touchdown. Neither safety was in sight as Ward had blown past Marcus Trufant for the touchdown to go up 21-10.

In conclusion, that is a shame the NFL is having Bill Levy ref this game because it showed the NFL how idiotic some of our fans can be. The officiating in that game was pretty bad but as I pointed out with better execution the Seahawks walk away hoisting the Lombardi trophy. Some fans just love to live in denial but they don't realize they give the Seahawks a bad name. You'll hear words like "revenge" this week but with both teams making so many changes it's just another game. The Super Bowl loss will always haunt this franchise but I feel like the Seahawks fans aren't look at the whole picture. Instead of making excuses remember the Seahawks didn't play well enough to win that game. This sunday when Levy throws his first flag on the Seahawks I'm sure homers will be complaining but keep in mind there are always other factors that dictate an NFL game. That loss still hurts but the Seahawks lost for more reasons besides the officiating. The Seahawks take on the Steelers this week hopefully win or lose fans can simply accept the outcome without having to make excuses.

Fantasy Football cheat guide

By Kshell

Everywhere across the United States and perhaps the world fans are eagerly awaiting the 2011 NFL season. With the NFL season starting that means fantasy football drafts are currently going on. I'm in three leagues and I've drafted in one league with two more left to go. Now I'm afraid I'm pulling a Billy Beane in money ball where I'm telling my secrets so my opponents will catch up to me. In this following post I'll give some basic advice and give you some insight on what I think to do for fantasy football drafts. Keep in mind everyone loves how they drafted and a good chance the winner of your league is based on who played the waiver wire the best. I'll give plenty of basic advice to follow which should land you in the playoffs and hopefully win your fantasy football league(unless your playing with me of course). This is like in poker where I'll be telling you ABC poker.

I still think the number one rule is to attack the running back position. In a basic 12 team league you typically start two running backs and then one or two flex positions. In the NFL only 32 starting running backs with some of them sharing time you want to have the monopoly on running backs. For an example Arian Foster last year racked up 307 points in fantasy while the second place guy was Peyton Hillis who had 220.19 and 10th was Rashard Mendenhall 188.49 then Mike Tolbert was 20th with 140.91 points. Also pay attention to the depth charts as Foster last year typically went in the fourth-sixth round while Hillis was a free agent pick up. Foster scored 118.51(7.41 points per week) more than the 10th ranked running back. I personally like to have drafted two running backs before I take my first receiver and three running backs if not four running backs before I take my first tight end. Ideally in a PPR league you want running backs who rack up receptions so even if they have a poor reality game they still have a good fantasy game. The top five pass catchers at the running back position were Lesean McCoy(78 receptions), Arian Foster(68 receptions), Ray Rice(63 receptions), Peyton Hillis(61 receptions) and Darren Sproles(59 receptions). Those first four should go in the first round although Hillis and McCoy seem to fall out of the top 10 so don't hesitate to draft them.

In fantasy football like teams do in real life you always have to be prepared for injuries. Many fantasy owners saw their season go down the drain in 2008 when Tom Brady was injured first game. Now a smart owner will take a backup quarterback who has upside in round seven or eight. You always want to make sure you have insurance on your first round pick. If he is in a friendly offense take his backup. So if you have Michael Vick don't be afraid to draft Vince Young. If you draft a running back in the first round always take his handcuff even if he sits on your bench doing nothing. You don't want to be the Priest Holmes owner in 2005 when he was injured then Larry Johnson blew up. In general I'd avoid taking a quarterback in the first round. Last year Aaron Rodgers scored 290.43 points and the second highest was Tom Brady with 287.03. The 10th ranked quarterback was Eli Manning with 218.05 points, the 20th ranked guy was Sam Bradford with 172.24 points. The difference between the #1 ranked quarter back and the 10th guy was only 72.38 points(4.52 points a week) which is half the difference between the #1 running back and #10 running back. If you have a late first round pick I'd do what I did my last draft take McCoy first round then on the way back take Drew Brees or Rodgers. If you have an early pick don't take Vick instead take a running back then on the way back take another running back then in the third round take a Tony Romo type. The different between the #1 quarterback and sixth quarterback isn't that much.

Speaking of Michael Vick he is a prime example of my previous paragraph. How many Kevin Kolb owners last year screamed "oh crap!" when Kolb went down then some owner snatched up Vick off free agency? Andy Reid has a friendly offense so having Vick on your roster would have been a smart move. This year I think Vick is being grossly overrated in fantasy. Now is Vick great? Yes but to take a quarterback in the top three of your draft is just being crazy. With so much talent at the quarterback position just stick to running backs. Although Vick is very tempting because he can run and pass. Vick is injury prone so if you take Vick early take running backs next three picks then as a backup acquire someone like Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman or Kevin Kolb. Hopefully your league has a waiver pick up so the guy who has the least life who sits on the computer all day doesn't just pick up a bunch of players week one. Vick changed leagues throughout fantasy last year although he didn't win one fantasy title in the three leagues I was in. If anything remember to take a quarterback in round three and go with running backs you'll thank me when you make the playoffs.

In most fantasy leagues it pays to be balanced not fantasy football. Let your buddy be "balanced" as he goes running back, quarterback, wide receiver, and then tight end. Go unbalance and go running back, running back, quarterback then running back. At the end of the day it's about who has the most points and the running backs especially those who rack up receptions rack up the most points. For receivers Roddy White had the most points with 228.29, Dwayne Bowe was second with 219.74. The 10th rated receiver was Stevie Johnson with 178.55. The difference between the top rated receiver and 10th was only 49.74(3.10 per week difference). The 20th ranked receiver Mario Manningham scored 151.07 points which is only 27.48 from the 10th receiver(1.71 points difference). There isn't much of a difference between the top tier receivers and mid tier receivers then bottom tier receivers. The same goes for tight ends as Witten led with 169.80, Antonio Gates was second with 143.14 while Zach Miller had 107.66. The difference was 62.14(3.88 points difference). The difference between Gates and Miller was just 35.48(2.21) points. So while someone in your league takes the top rated tight end because he is head and shoulders above everyone else remember that Witten scored just 28.89 points(1.80 per week) more than the 20th ranked running back and just 18.73 more than the 20th ranked wide receiver(1.17 per week). Witten is also scoring 2.44 less points than the 20th ranked quarter back. Like I said let someone else be balanced while you build an unbalanced team that is smashing your friend.

I have one rule I always obey when drafting in fantasy football which is I always take a kicker in the last round. I simply don't care about having the best kicker. As some chase the top kicker I'll be taking my fifth or sixth running back while getting some really good value. The top kicker was the Oakland Raiders Sebestian Janikowski who scored 158 points, the 10th kicker was Mason Crosby with 124 points and the 20th was Gano with 111 points. The difference between the #1 kicker and 10th is only 34 points(2.1 points per week) and 20th kicker is 47 points(2.93 points). I'll take a kicker the very last round and let my opponent be "balanced" while I stock up on running backs. You want to buy your running backs in bulk because some will bust but some will emerge. You will kick yourself for passing on a sleeper back but you'll never kick yourself for passing on the top kicker. Same goes for defenses as the New England Patriots scored the most points with 182, the Pittsburgh Steelers were second with 169 points. The Dallas Cowboys were 10th with 132 points and the Cleveland Browns were 20th with 118 points. The difference between the top defense and 10th defense is 64 points(4.0 points per week). I tend to grab two defenses who are ranked like eighth and 12th somewhere in that range and play matchups I feel that is better than picking high on a defense. I noticed when one guy takes a defense or a kicker everyone copies. Just sit back and take stock up on running backs.

One last piece of advice is pay attention to the coach. Think what you want about Norv Turner but his quarterbacks thrive in his offense. Why Phillip Rivers despite losing Vincent Jackson keeps getting better. I drafted him in a keeper league in the seventh round back in 2007 and he guided me to a regular season fantasy championship in 2008 and won me a fantasy championship in 2009. Don't fall into the trap of the Denver Broncos passing numbers as Josh McDaniels is gone while John Fox who is more consertative is there. Instead look at Sam Bradford who McDaniels is now the offensive coordinator for. Other than Wes Welker avoid all New England receivers as Tom Brady likes to spread the ball around. One week your guy can blow up for you while the next week he does nothing for you. Mike Shannahan has a habit of producing good running games but he also likes to mix up who he starts. So keep an eye on who he is using at running back which it appears to be Tim Hightower so he could bust out. The key is knowing who is coaching your player if he leans on the pass or the run. Also draft guys on good offenses you don't want your team full of Seattle Seahawks or Buffalo Bills. You want plenty of players on high scoring teams which increases the chance of your guy scoring a touchdown.

In conclusion, if you remember anything from this post that is to go heavy on running backs. I know that is boring advice but that is winning advice. Don't worry about starting two receivers ranked in the teens and a tight end ranked lower than 10th. Just grab a top six quarterback and load up on running backs. If you go running back, quarterback, running back, and running back you'll make the playoffs. Just make sure to look on the waiver wire as plenty of big time guys emerge from the waiver wire. Hopefully your team can stay healthy as losing your first round pick is tough. Look at the tendancies of the coaching staff of the player you are drafting from. Keep in mind this is fantasy and not real life so although Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL don't waste a first round pick on him. Also try to avoid all Seattle Seahawks other than Zach Miller as he is the only player worth starting on your roster. Hopefully you enjoyed my fantasy football advice. I know I may have pulled a Billy Beane where my opponents will close the gap on me but I welcome the challenge.

Rodgers leads Packers to Super Bowl win over Steelers 31-25!

By Kshell

The Green Bay Packers are bringing the Lombardi trophy back home to Titletown, USA. The Packers were led by Aaron Rodgers who will no longer have to look over his shoulder and see Brett Favre's shadow. Rodgers the Super Bowl MVP was near perfect in the win over the Steelers throwing for 304 yards with three touchdowns despite several drops from his receivers. The Packers took advantage of three Steelers turnovers and turned those turnovers into 21 points. Despite a late rally by the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger the Packers were victorious. The Packers have won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history but first time since 1996 when Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre ran the show. The Packers will celebrate this victory while the Steelers will be kicking themselves as they blew their chance to become elite status. Both these franchises have young franchise quarterbacks so they'll have plenty of chances to get back to this big game. At the start of the year yours truly predicted the Packers would win the Super Bowl which you can read right here.



The Packers in this Super Bowl game never once trailed throughout the entire game. The Packers are dropping some early passes finally started to amount a drive against the Steelers defense. After a dropped pass killed the Packers first drive Rodgers as he would all game would hit his passes on the second drive. Rodgers would hit Jordy Nelson for a gain of nine to set up a third and one. Then James Starks would rush for eight yards for a first down to the Packers 37 yard line. After another first down conversation by Starks to the Packers 46 yard line. Rodgers would hit Brandon Jackson for a 14 yard gain to the Steelers 38 yard line. Then facing a third and one from the Steelers 29 yard line the Packers called for a play action pass to Nelson who had dropped an earlier touchdown. This time Rodgers hit Nelson for the 29 yard touchdown pass to the right corner of the end zone. The Packers would take an early 7-0 lead on the Steelers after a Rodgers touchdown pass.



The game went from bad to worse for the Steelers. After a holding penalty which backed the Steelers to their own seven yard line Roethlisberger would throw an ill-advised deep pass. That pass was intercepted by Nick Collins and was ran back 37 yards for the touchdown to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. Believe it or not that 14-0 lead was huge as no team had ever came back from 14 points down to win a Super Bowl. Collins did receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which would give the Steelers good field position. The Steelers starting on their own 36 yard line would go on a 13 play 49 yard drive which would eat up over seven minutes in time of possession. The Steelers would have to settle for a Shaun Suisham 33 yard field goal to cut the score to 14-3. After the Packers would go three and out the Steelers would have a chance to grab momentum. Roethlisberger would be intercepted once again at midfield with four minutes to go in the half. The Packers would try to take advantage of Roethlisberger's mistake and put the game away.



Aaron Rodgers would waste little time to take advantage of the Steelers mistake. Rodgers would hit Jennings for a four yard gain then would hit Nelson for a gain of 16 yards to the Steelers 33 yard line. Starks would then run for 12 yards to the Steelers 21 yard line. Rodgers would then fire a pass down the middle to Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown with 2:24 left in the half. For Rodgers that would be his second touchdown pass of the first half. The Packers would take a commanding 21-3 lead against the Steelers. No team had ever came back from 18 points down in the Super Bowl. The Steelers would make a game of it right before the half though. You see you can't put a team who has won two Super Bowls in the last five seasons away that easily. The Steelers were left plenty of time to still try and salvage the half and get some momentum going into halftime. This is when Roethlisberger would finally start hitting his passes to make the game interesting.



The Steelers started on their own 23 yard line knowing that they must get a score or any hopes at a championship would most likely end. Roethlisberger on the first play would hit Antwaan Randle El for a gain of 37 yards to the Packers 40 yard line. The Packers on this drive would lose both starting cornerbacks Charles Woodson(2009 Defensive MVP) and Sam Shields. Facing a third and 10 from the Packers 40 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Hines Ward down the middle for a 14 yard gain to the Packers 26 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Packers 25 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Ward once again down the middle for a gain of 17 yards to the Packers eight yard line. Then Roethlisberger once again hit Ward to complete the drive hitting Ward for an eight yard touchdown pass. Up until that touchdown Roethlisberger had five interceptions to just one touchdown in the Super Bowl. With that touchdown the Steelers close the gap to 21-10 at halftime. The Steelers trailed by just 11 points and the Packers two starting corners along with Donald Driver were out of the game.



The Steelers would begin the second half by three and outing the mighty Packers offense. After a poor punt and penalty the Steelers had the ball at midfield. The Steelers didn't even attempt a single pass on this scoring drive. The drive began with Rashard Mendenhall running for 17 yards to the Packers 33 yard line. Facing a second and seven from the Packers 30 yard line Roethlisberger would rush for six yards setting up a third and one from the Packers 24 yard line. Isaac Redman took the carry on the short yardage situation and ran 16 yards to the Packers eight yard line. That is when Mendenhall capped the drive with an eight yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to 21-17. The Steelers defense would three and out the Packers offense once again. The Steelers then went on a nine play drive to the Packers 29 yard line but Roethlisberger would get sacked. The Steelers would then miss the 52 yard field goal attempt.



The Steelers had all the momentum in the game and it had appeared they were going to complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The Steelers with the ball on the Packers 33 yard line would hand off to Mendenhall who had crushed the Packers to that point but Clay Matthews would force the fumble. The Steelers would turn the ball over for the third time in the game. The Packers then had new life on their own 45 yard line. Facing a critical third and seven from their own 48 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones who had dropped a few passes already. Jones made a great diving catch on the sideline for a gain of 12 yards to extend the drive. On second and 10 from the Steelers 40 yard line Rodgers would hit Nelson only Nelson would drop the pass. The Packers would have four drops on the game. Rodgers not losing faith in his teammate would hit Nelson on a key third down conversation for a gain of 38 yards to the Steelers two yard line. After getting sacked Rodgers would hit Jennings for an eight yard touchdown to take a commanding 28-17 lead with under 12 minutes to go. That would be Rodgers third touchdown pass of the game. The Steelers weren't willing to go away so easily though.



The Steelers with their season on the line would do what they've done all night which is answer back with a score of their own. After a Roethlisberger completion for nine yards he would hit Mike Wallace for 16 yards to the Packers 46 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Wallace once again for 14 yards to the Packers 32 yard line. After a holding penalty and a pass of two yards Roethlisberger was facing a critical second and 18 when he hit Ward for a gain of 15 to set up a third and three from the Packers 25 yard line. On third and three Roethlisberger would hit Wallace on a perfect fade pass for the touchdown to cut the lead to 28-23. The Steelers would go for two to cut the lead down to a field goal. Roethlisberger in shotgun would run a play that you would see at Autzen Stadium with the Oregon Ducks. Roethlisberger would take the snap run to his left then option pitch it to Randle El who scored on the two point conversation. With seven and a half minutes to go the Packers would have the ball up only 28-25. This would be Rodgers defining drive and the biggest drive of his life. Like he had all night long he would deliver once again.



The Packers would begin this crucial drive from their own 25 yard line. Rodgers would get sacked on the first play of the drive. Then Rodgers would hit Nelson for a gain of nine yards. After a critical false start penalty the Packers faced the biggest play of their lives which was third and 10 from the 25 yard line. This is when Rodgers despite throwing three touchdowns in the game would complete the biggest pass of his life. He would hit Jennings on a seam pattern down the middle for a gain of 31 to the Steelers 44 yard line. Had the Packers failed there the Steelers would have great field position with over five minutes to go in the game. Starks on the next play would rush for 15 yards to the Steelers 29 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Steelers 29 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones for a gain of 21 yards to the Steelers eight yard line. After two short completions the Packers faced a third and goal from the five yard line which Rodgers pass hit Nelson in both hands but was incomplete. The Packers would settle for a Mason Crosby 23 yard field goal to go up 31-25. The Steelers would have two minutes and only one timeout left to try and win the game.



The Steelers would have one last shot from their own 13 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Heath Miller down the middle for a gain of 15 yards to their own 28 yard line. After a pass for five yards to their own 33 yard line the Steelers would then have three straight incomplete passes. The last one hit Wallace in both his hands but was dropped. Steeler fans including Roethlisberger at the time would argue that there should have been pass interference called. There was no such call and the Green Bay Packers were going to win the Super Bowl! Head coach Mike McCarthy joins legends such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the third coach in Packers history to win a Super Bowl. The Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had to sit his first three years after falling to the late first round. Remember the San Francisco 49ers debated on who to take with the first pick overall Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith. Rodgers wins the MVP for the Packers and has now won as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre. Rodgers is creating his own legend in Green Bay and the Packers are experiencing a run of quarterbacks not seen since the 49ers had Joe Montana hand the torch over to Steve Young.

All in all the Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl champions led by Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was 24 of 39 passing for 304 yard with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Rodgers would have a quarterback rating of 111.5 for the game. His counterpart Ben Roethlisberger would have his struggles early but played well in the second half. For Roethlisberger he would finish completing 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns but two very costly interceptions. The Packers took advantage of the Steelers turnovers scoring 21 points off the Steelers three turnovers. The Packers themselves did not turn the ball over but were far from perfect. The Packers had a few dumb penalties but many were killed by dropped passes. Nonetheless the Packers led by Rodgers are the Super Bowl champions. Not like Ted Thompson and other Packers management needed "validation" on choosing Rodgers over Favre but today definately gave them that. The Packers are the world champions despite being in the smallest city in profesional sports. Nobody can ever take away this championship from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers!

Observations:



- Mike McCarthy joins Mike Holmgren and of course Vince Lombardi as Super Bowl winning head coaches in Green Bay Packers history. When the Packers hired McCarthy he was a fairly unknown coach at the time. He had came from the San Francisco 49ers organization. McCarthy hired as head coach after the Packers went 4-12 in 2005. McCarthy was hired over Sean Payton who would join the Saints in 2006. McCarthy in his first year started off slow at 4-8 but the Packers won four in a row to go to 8-8. Meanwhile Payton led the Saints to the NFC title game so I'm sure some fans in Green Bay were thinking they hired the wrong guy.

In 2007 McCarthy in just his second season led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. Led by Brett Favre have a resurgence in his career the Packers hosted the NFC title game only to lose to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That is when the Packers underwent a change which was rough for a coach entering just his third season. The Packers decided to say good bye to Brett Favre despite being one game away from the Super Bowl. The Packers traded him to the Jets for a third round draft pick(Which was traded to move up in first round to select Clay Matthews). In 2008 the Packers suffered only their second losing season since 1993 with Aaron Rodgers.

Last year was another tough year for the Packers and McCarthy. The Packers finally made the playoffs again only to lose 51-45 in a wild Wild Card playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals. What made the year so tough was that Brett Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings and swept the Packers. The Vikings also played in the NFC Championship game. The Saints with Sean Payton who the Packers passed on won the Super Bowl that year.

This year the Packers were the trendy pick to go to the Super Bowl. The first game of the year they lost starting running back Ryan Grant. The Packers lost 13 players to the IR including stud tight end JerMichael Finley. The Packers had heartbreaking losses this year losing six games by just 20 points. The Packers never once trailed by seven points at any point in this season(20 games including playoffs). The Packers were out of the playoffs with two games to go had to beat the Giants and then the Bears to advance. Then the Packers had to upset the Eagles on the road, Falcons on the road and then the Bears. Now the Packers are the Super Bowl champions and nobody will ever question hiring Mike McCarthy. Seeing how the San Francisco 49ers had McCarthy the whole time but never promoted him. Now McCarthy is kind in Green Bay. The previous two Super Bowl winning coaches have a street named after them when will McCarthy get his?



- What do Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger all have in common? Won a Super Bowl right? Well that and those are the last four losing quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Showing that possibly experience in the big game is overrated.

In three of those four guys cases(Warner lost to Roethlisberger) the Super Bowl winning quarterback had never played in the big game before. Brady lost to Eli Manning who before that year had never won a playoff game in his career. Then Peyton Manning lost to Drew Brees who before that year had just one career playoff win. Now Roethlisberger lost to Rodgers who before this year had played in just one playoff game in his career.

Just goes to show you that Super Bowl experience could be overrated as Super Bowl winning quarterbacks are losing to first time quarterbacks. The days of Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Rex Grossman starting Super Bowls appear to be over. In the past four Super Bowls all seven quarterbacks(Roethlisberger went twice) have gone to a pro bowl. Since 2003 only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have been to the Super Bowl in the AFC. While 10 different teams in 10 years have gone to the Super Bowl in the NFC since 2001.



- This Super Bowl will be remembered as the Super Bowl that Aaron Rodgers finally escaped the Brett Favre shadow. He has been terrific taking over for Favre throwing for over 4,000 in his first two seasons and just missing it in his third season as a starter in the NFL. In the life of the NFL though you are measured by what you do in the playoffs especially if you are a quarterback.

Rodgers heading into this year was 0-1 in the playoffs but that playoff game was hardly his fault. In his first career playoff start the Packers lost 51-45 in overtime where Rodgers threw for 423 yards with four touchdowns including a rushing touchdown and just one interception. This year Rodgers was also on fire in the playoffs passing for nine touchdowns to just two interceptions while rushing for two touchdowns. In his career in five games he is 4-1 while completing 67.8% of his passes for 1,517(305.7 per game) yards. Rodgers has thrown for 13 touchdowns to three interceptions with three rushing touchdowns in his playoff career with a rating of 112.6.

Another decision the San Francisco 49ers fans have to be kicking themselves over. Just like Tim Lincecum with Seattle fans Rodgers is from the Bay Area. Rodgers was stellar for California yet the 49ers chose Alex Smith with the #1 pick overall. The 49ers haven't been to the playoffs since 2002 while the Packers have had just two losing seasons since 1993. The 49ers could have easily had the Rodgers-McCarthy combo instead they sit at home wondering what could have been?

The Packers chose Rodgers although he wasn't a need. The Packers had Brett Favre already who never gets injured as he started 296 consecutive games in his career from 1992-2010. Rodgers was to good of a value to pass up with the 24th pick plus Favre had threatened retirement since the 2003 season. The Packers didn't want to be like the Arizona Cardinals this year where their quarterback retires and the franchise falls apart. Instead the Packers did what the 49ers of the 80's did which was trade a second and fourth round picks to acquire Steve Young. The 49ers had a nice transition from Montana to Young where they enjoyed great success from 1981-1998where they were the premiere team of the NFL.

All in all this is why the Packers are a great organization. Unlike the Seahawks who didn't draft replacements for Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck or Shaun Alexander the Packers drafted Rodgers. The Packers had a rough 2008 season but that was one season and now they are World Champions. Just remember Seahawks fans the Packers are mostly a roster of draft picks and the guy who did the drafting for the Packers is current Seahawks general manager John Schneider. The Seahawks are in good hands with Schneider unlike Tim Ruskell who appeared clueless when it comes to the draft. This Super Bowl win was also good for the NFL. Shows why the NFL is the best sport that a small city like Green Bay can hoist it's fourth Super Bowl Championship is incredible. In baseball they would have already moved same goes for the NBA but in the NFL they are one of the better franchises. Well this Super Bowl wraps up a great NFL season. Hopefully in September we'll have a season but we shall see. I'll continue to post about the labor stuff in the offseason so don't worry. What a great season and congrats to the Green Bay Packers on winning the Super Bowl!