Bleacher Report - Articles by Scotty Kimberly

Lost at Sea: Whether To Cheer for a Good Record or a Good Draft Pick

Scotty Kimberly — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:10:04 -0500

For every team that misses the NFL Playoffs, there are two miserable points during the season.

The second, and most depressing, is when the team is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. For most teams, this occurs down the stretch run of the regular season, as the team ahead of them pulls away or their own play degenerates into a Lions-esque decline.

The first, however, is the controversial rejection point during the season. It’s the point in a season, prior to being mathematically eliminated, where the team (and its fans) realizes that the season is lost.

This epiphany could come in Week 14, as your team falls to 7-6 while the division leader is at 9-4. Sure, it's only a two-game gap, but it is virtually insurmountable if win percentages maintain themselves.

Conversely, this realization could come in Week Three, as your team drops its third straight, only to have the division leader sitting there at 3-0, and you realize it would take the Hand of God to put your team in the playoffs.

No matter when the realization strikes, it is never a concrete determination.

One part of the fan fights it, clutching to the slimmest of hopes that the team could turn it all around. Jake Delhomme will stop throwing picks, Brady Quinn will surely learn to throw like a man, and Matt Hasselbeck will return to his Pro Bowl form, right? Right?

The internal conflict begins when another part of a fan accepts the realization that the season is lost. Delhomme is going to keep throwing to the other team, Quinn’s NFL prospects are as bright as Charlie Weis’ coaching career, and Hasselbeck has to wait for another year and another offensive line for a chance to return to form.

So what is a fan to do when he realizes the season is lost?

If there is still a glimmer of hope (meaning they are not mathematically eliminated), part of the fan will cheer for his team to complete an improbable playoff run.

But if the team is eliminated, either mathematically or near-certainly, fans face the ultimate dilemma: cheer for a win, or cheer for a draft pick?

Reasons To Cheer for the Win

Because you're proud.

Because your team is better than that.

Because, if it weren't for injuries, or a certain player doing his best impersonation as a bum, your team would be 11-0 on the way to the Super Bowl.

I mean, come on, it's your team. They're virtually the best team in football.

Because the players didn't lose the game, the play call or the coaches did. Your players are better than that, so any given Sunday they can beat anyone!

Reasons To Cheer for the Draft Pick

Because you're smart.

Because your team can only get better with a better draft pick.

Because, as soon as that bum player is out the door, your new top-five draft pick is going to carry the franchise to glory. I mean, come on, he’s top-five! That's virtually a guaranteed championship for anyone not named Joey or JaMarcus.

Because no matter how much sugar you coat on top of that blowout, it was your players on the field that got demolished.

Because those players who got blown out will play better with more talent around them. How can your team get more talent? A higher draft pick.

The Conflict

The conflict is great, especially here in Seattle.

Talent remains throughout the Seahawks roster, but that talent is aging.

Some fans want the Seahawks to win at all costs because they are better than a 4-12 record.

Other fans want the Seahawks to play hard and gain experience, but lose, thereby improving their draft status.

I am doing a little bit of each as the Seahawks season winds to a close.

If the Seahawks win, I will be proud of their performance. If they lose, at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Sure, a blowout loss is embarrassing, but each loss vaults the Seahawks a few more pegs up the draft board.

To all Seahawks fans: What do you think? Are you cheering for the team to win, or are you alright with getting beat every Sunday? Post your thoughts in the comments.

sk.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week 12 Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:49:23 -0500

This just in: Drew Brees in on fi-yah!

Unfortunately, three contestants (including the man writing this) chose the Pats in Monday night's game...(insert sad face here).

Week 12 is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured-Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 2-2 in Week 12, once again securing a victory against one of their own (Seattle topping St. Louis). San Francisco had a stellar outing against the playoff-caliber Jacksonville Jaguars, while Arizona succumbed to a comeback by the Fighting Vince Youngs out of Tennessee.

Here are the results and honors from Week 12.

Week 12 Individual Standings (16 Games)

Ron 14, Chris 12, Dray 12, Rob 12, Andrew 11, Scotty 11, Seth 11, Steven 11

Week 12 Team Standings

St. Louis 25, Arizona 23, San Francisco 23, Seattle 23

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 131, Rob 130, Scotty 130, Seth 124, Chris 123, Ron 121, Steven 121, Dray 118

Season Team Standings

Seattle 260, San Francisco 249, St. Louis 245. Arizona 244

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 23, Arizona 22, St. Louis 22, Seattle 20

Pick of the Week - Chris (Houston over Indianapolis)

Yet another Pick of the Week features a losing effort, but I just can't help it, this pick came so close to a longshot upset pick!

Houston dominated the first half of Sunday's matchup with Indianapolis, at which point Chris was most likely preparing his Underdog Victory speech.

Indianapolis dominated the second half of Sunday's matchup, however, netting 21 in the fourth quarter and relegating Chris to the oh-so-familiar Underdog miss...

Almost a hero, Chris...

Fail of the Week - Seth (Kansas City over San Diego)

This should be re-titled "Epic Fail of the Week." There were a few swings and misses in Week 12 (a few guys taking Jax over SF, a few guys taking NE over NO), but none rose to the level of choosing the Fighting Matt Cassels to prevail on Sunday.

I don't hate the pick. In fact, my disdain for the Chargers almost took me to the same place. However, this pick ended in disaster.

Hey, at least Jamaal Charles had a good day in fantasy football, right?

The Underdog Remains Dead! - Zero Underdog Bonus Points

Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Houston are all on the hook for leaving the Underdog Bonus on life support in Week 12.

None of these three teams pulled off the upset for Andrew, Seth, and Chris, respectively.

The Underdog lives to fight another day, but could the Underdog Bonus have been a one or two week wonder?...

Hot Streak - Ron (14/16 in Week 12)

The raw score for Ron was outstanding in Week 12. Ron only missed two games (Miami over Buffalo, which all eight contestants missed, and St. Louis over Seattle) in Week 12, leading him to a first-place finish.

In even better news, Ron's performance this week vaulted the St. Louis FCs from fourth place into third at week's end.

Good work, Ron.

Struck Out Swinging - None

Just like Week 11, this was a very level week, so there wasn't a contestant who really screwed the pooch.

Last place in Week 12 comprised of four contestants, all of which had similar ups and downs across the board.

Once again, congratulations to the group for this accomplishment!

What Might Have Been - Had Pittsburgh topped Baltimore in OT

If Pittsburgh had seized one of the many chances they had to win on Sunday night, this competition would have had drastically different results for Week 12.

For starters, Andrew would have landed the Underdog choice, putting him at 13 points for the week, while every other contestant would have dropped back two points.

Additionally, San Francisco as a team would have reached 25 points, while Seattle, who it is chasing for first place, would have fallen to 21. Instead of trailing by 11 points in the season standings, San Francisco would only trail by seven.

All of it can change, just like that...

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week 12. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Twelve Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 06:00:02 -0500

Time for round 12 (it's getting LATE!) of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules, as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Each week, I will publish an article which announces the picks, such as this. Additionally, I will publish a results article once the games are completed, which will include weekly and yearly standings.

Observations from Week Nine Picks

Everybody likes the Dolphins, Bengals, Falcons, Eagles, and Vikings— Each of these teams have a fairly easy matchup in Week 12. In my opinion, the most likely undisputed pick to be upset is the Dolphins, but who knows, maybe life without Ronnie Brown will be just as peachy as it has been.

The Underdog Is Dead— Not really, but it's definitely on vacation. The Underdog had a few big weeks, but other than that there hasn't been much noise from the Bonus. In Week 12, there are three Underdog selections: Indy over Houston (Steven), KC over San Diego (Seth), and Pitt over Baltimore (Andrew). I hate the Pittsburgh pick, love the Houston pick (see Week Nine), and am secretly praying for the KC pick (I hate the Chargers). But again, just my opinion.

No Split Decisions— There are a lot of 5-3 votes in Week 12, but no split decisions to be found. The jury is almost out (a 5-3 vote) on Carolina over NY Jets, Seattle over St. Louis, San Francisco over Jacksonville, Arizona over Tennessee, and New Orleans over New England, but the contestants couldn't completely disagree a single time.

Homer Alert —Sure, the Seahawks have looked rough, but both of the St. Louis FCs are taking the Rams over the 'Hawks in Week 12. Please note that this could be the first (and probably last) time that these two have both endorsed the Rams in the same week. The Rams have a chance (Vegas says 4.5), but this looks at tad bit homer-istic...

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
GB@DET	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
OAK@DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
NYG@DEN	NYG	DEN	DEN	DEN	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG
MIA@BUF	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA
CLE@CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
IND@HOU	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	HOU	IND
TB@ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
WAS@PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
CAR@NYJ	CAR	CAR	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	CAR	CAR	CAR
SEA@STL	SEA	SEA	STL	STL	SEA	STL	SEA	SEA
JAX@SF	SF	JAX	SF	SF	JAX	SF	SF	JAX
KC@SD	SD	SD	SD	KC	SD	SD	SD	SD
CHI@MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
ARI@TEN	ARI	ARI	TEN	ARI	ARI	TEN	TEN	ARI
PIT@BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	PIT	BAL	BAL	BAL
NE@NO	NO	NE	NO	NE	NO	NO	NO	NE

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week 11 Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:28:52 -0500

Week 11 is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured-Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 1-3 in Week 11, and once again the only victory for this division came against themselves...This is becoming a sad trend in the NFL...Seattle was butchered by Minnesota, San Francisco fell short in a comeback bid against Green Bay, and St. Louis went down to Arizona, despite only having to face Matt Leinart for a significant portion of the game.

Here are the results and honors from Week 11.

Week 11 Individual Standings (16 Games)

Dray 12, Rob 12, Seth 12, Andrew 11, Chris 11, Scotty 11, Steven 11, Ron 10

Week 11 Team Standings

San Francisco 23, Seattle 23, Arizona 22, St. Louis 22

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 120, Scotty 119, Rob 118, Seth 113, Chris 110, Steven 110, Ron 107, Dray 106

Season Team Standings

Seattle 237, San Francisco 226, Arizona 220, St. Louis 220

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

St. Louis 21, Arizona 21, San Francisco 21, Seattle 19

Pick of the Week - Steven (Cleveland over Detroit)

Once again the Pick of the Week features a losing effort, but Steven showed faith in a miserable Browns team when no one else did...against the Lions! You know your franchise has reached rock bottom when you are playing the Lions, and seven-of-eight contestants favor Detroit...Ouch.

If it wasn't for Matthew Stafford "Leftwich-ing" the Lions to victory, you could have attained a great Underdog Pick, Steven.

Almost a brilliant call.

Fail of the Week - Chris (Denver over San Diego)

Yeah, they started 6-0, but the Broncos have looked awful in the last four weeks.

On top of virtually handing the division away to the Chargers, the Broncos' defense has disappeared (compare the PA over the first six and the last four...)

I understand thinking Denver might get the best of San Diego again, but this pick turned out to be an epic fail.

The Underdog Died! - Zero Underdog Bonus Points

A few contestants took chances in Week 11. Andrew and Steven tried the Niners, Chris and Dray took the Ravens, Steven chose the Browns, Andrew and Scotty put faith in the Falcons, and Chris (as previously noted) opted for the Broncos.

Despite all of these Underdog choices, not a single one hit.

I guess it was "Favorites Week".

Hot Streak - Andrew/Ron/Steven (Nearly Perfect on the Last Half)

It's hard to find a hot streak in a week with three unanimous missed picks, but these three guys really picked up their stride in the afternoon/night games.

The entire competition missed Oakland over Cincinnati (surprise), but aside from that, these three guys did not miss a single game past the morning games.

Good run, guys.

Struck Out Swinging - None

As previously noted, this was a very level week, so there wasn't a contestant who really screwed the pooch.

Congratulations to the group for this accomplishment!

What Might Have Been - Had Kris Brown hit that field goal (and Houston somehow won in OT)

Oh Kris Brown...The original Texan did in his team for the second time this season.

Had Kris Brown hit that field goal, the game goes to OT, and Houston has an equal chance at winning. Had Houston won, the standings for this week would have separated themselves.

Instead of SF23, SEA23, ARI22, STL22, we would be looking at SEA25, SF21, STL21, ARI20.

Bottom line: Had Houston somehow pulled off the comeback win, the Seattle FCs would have picked up this week's win in convincing fashion.

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week 11. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week 10 Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:36:36 -0500

Week 10 is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured-Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 2-2 in Week 10, with another win for the division coming against themselves . San Francisco stood tall on Thursday Night Football , Arizona had a comeback win over Seattle, and St. Louis was admirable in defeat to the undefeated Saints. Not a good week, per se, but not a bad week at all.

Here are the results and honors from Week 10.

Week 10 Individual Standings (15 Games)

Andrew 13, Scotty 13, Rob 11, Chris 10, Ron 10, Seth 9, Steven 9, Dray 8

Week 10 Team Standings

Seattle 24, San Francisco 21, Arizona 19, St. Louis 19

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 109, Scotty 108, Rob 106. Seth 101, Chris 99, Steven 99, Ron 97, Dray 94

Season Team Standings

Seattle 214, San Francisco 203, Arizona 198, St. Louis 198

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

St. Louis 20, Arizona 19, San Francisco 19, Seattle 19

Pick of the Week - Chris (Carolina over Atlanta) / Rob (Washington over Denver) / Scotty (Jacksonville over NY Jets)

Week 10 featured a staggering three Underdog Upset choices that were taken by only one team. In my opinion, the most impressive of these choices was Washington over Denver, followed closely by Carolina over Atlanta, then the not-too-impressive Jags over the Jets.

Some bold selections paid off for these contestants.

Fail of the Week - Ron/Steven (Oakland over Kansas City)

I kind of wish someone had taken the Browns, because that would have been an epic fail . But regardless, picking the Raiders is probably the next worse thing...

I get it. Matt Cassel sucks, Larry Johnson is gone, and there are a number of defensive busts on the field, but the Chiefs were still playing the Raiders .

This competition has already featured one contestant who proverbially wrote on the chalkboard "I will never pick the Raiders again... I will never pick the Raiders again..." and I think the competition would be better served if more people took this approach.

The Underdog Won't Go Away! - Five Underdog Choices

After a breakout week in Week Eight, the Underdog Bonus still doesn't want to go anywhere. This week, four different contestants capitalized on the Underdog Bonus, resulting in five total Underdog Scores.

Andrew (Cincinnati over Pittsburgh), Chris (Carolina over Atlanta), and Rob (Washington over Denver) all tallied one Underdog Bonus, while Scotty nailed two Underdog choices for the second time in three weeks (Cincinnati over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville over NY Jets).

Consider the fact that these four contestants finished first through fourth this week, and the Underdog Bonus becomes that much more appealing...

Hot Streak - Scotty (Nine Points Through Nine Afternoon Games)

The morning was promising for Scotty in Week 10, as he netted nine points through the first nine games of the week. He missed picks with Denver and Atlanta, but scored Underdog points with Jacksonville and Cincinnati to compensate, leaving him with a perfect nine-for-nine

Struck Out Swinging - Dray (Four Points Through Nine Afternoon Games)

Dray had a rough opening to Week 10, missing five of his first nine choices. He righted the ship in the afternoon games, landing all but two of the remaining games, but couldn't get over the slow start, and wound up in last place for the week.

What Might Have Been - Had New England Not Collapsed

I liked the call. There, I said it.

You have the best short-route passer in the NFL (Brady), the best slot receiver in the NFL (Welker), one of the best receivers out of the backfield in the NFL (Faulk), and a system designed for short, efficient throws (Belichick).

That being said, it busted, and Peyton Manning made them pay.

Had New England held on for the win, Chris, Scotty, and Seth all would have jumped up a point, while the rest of the competition fell. The results would not have been staggering for team standings (only San Francisco would have taken a serious blow), but Chris would have jumped to third for the week in individual standings.

It's a game of inches...

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week 10. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured-Columnist Competition: Week Nine Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:07:45 -0500

Week Nine is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured-Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 2-1 in Week Nine. Does anyone remember the last time the NFC West had a winning record for a week? Call me crazy, but I think the Rams being on a bye-week kind of helped .

Here are the results and honors from Week Nine.

Week Nine Individual Standings (13 Games)

Seth 11, Steven 11, Andrew 10, Ron 10, Chris 7, Dray 7, Rob 7, Scotty 7

Week Eight Team Standings

St. Louis 21, Arizona 18, San Francisco 17, Seattle 14

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 96, Rob 95, Scotty 95, Seth 92, Steven 90, Chris 89, Ron 87, Dray 86

Season Team Standings

Seattle 190, San Francisco 182, Arizona 179, St. Louis 179

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

St. Louis 18, Arizona 17, San Francisco 17, Seattle 17

Pick of the Week

Seth (Dallas over Philadelphia)

Seth secured the only solo Underdog Pick of the week by selecting Dallas to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe it's general disdain for the Cowboys, maybe it's Tony Romo in November, but no one wanted a piece of the Cowboys in this one...

...Except Seth, of course.

Good pick, Seth!

Fail of the Week

Rob (Chicago over Arizona)

I haven't seen a team beat this badly since the Pats-Bucs London debacle. Okay, so it hasn't been too long, but the Bears were absolutely owned in this one.

The Cardinals looked phenomenal, and to make matters worse, the guy I played in fantasy had Kurt Warner's four first-half touchdown passes (five total)...damn.

The Underdog Won't Go Away!

(Three Correct Underdog Picks)

After a breakout week in Week Eight, the Underdog Bonus doesn't want to go anywhere. This week, three different contestants capitalized on the Underdog Bonus.

Seth (Dallas over Philadelphia), Andrew (San Diego over NY Giants), and Steven (San Diego over NY Giants) all scored double points on their upset picks.

Hot Streak

Arizona FCs

Arizona has not finished in first place since Week Four, but their last two weeks have been admirable. Two consecutive silver medals landed the Cardinals FCs a league-high 37 points in that span.

Could it be time for an epic comeback?

Struck Out Swinging

Seattle FCs

Can't win 'em all, they say. After a few hot weeks, the Seattle FCs cooled off in prime fashion, missing a bevy of picks and landing in last place for the first time since Week One.

These two combined for three upset choices, all of which failed miserably. First place is still comfortably in tow, but a few more weeks like this and Rob and Scotty will start to sweat.

Closing the Gap

Yeah, the standings look pretty spaced out, but consider this: In Week Nine alone, the St. Louis FCs jumped seven points on the first place team. When that kind of movement is possible, who knows where this competition will be by year's end.

What Might Have Been

Had Houston held onto that fourth quarter lead...

Yeah, the Colts have looked dominant so far in 2009, but two men in this competition believed that the unbeaten streak would end this week (it didn't).

Despite a loss, Houston played well, holding a lead as late as the fourth quarter. Peyton Manning pulled a...Peyton Manning, however, and the Colts came back for the victory.

If Houston had held on to that lead, Steven and Scotty would have landed Underdog Bonus points, while everyone else would have taken a step back. It might not have shaken up the team standings too much, but hell if pride wasn't on the line.

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week Nine. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Nine Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:59:28 -0500

Time for round nine of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules, as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Nine Picks

Everybody likes the Falcons, Packers, Patriots, and...Seahawks? - This might not be so much liking the Seahawks as disliking the Detroit Lions...As one article on this site aptly pointed out: someone has to win! These were the only unanimous choices of the week, but there were a lot of all-but-one choices, which leads to the next point...
The Underdog Is Back With a Vengeance! — A whopping 10 PICKS are Underdog Eligible this week. Underdog choices include Kansas City over Jacksonville (Dray), Houston over Indianapolis (Scotty and Steven), Chicago over Arizona (Rob), Carolina over New Orleans (Chris), San Diego over the NY Giants (Andrew and Steven), Dallas over Philadelphia (Seth), and Denver over Pittsburgh (Andrew and Scotty). The only person not partaking in the Underdog this week is Ron...Way to rain on the parade, Ron!
Only One Split Decision —There are a number of heavily favored matchups this week, and a few close matchups that were still nearly unanimous in the competition. Due to this, there is only one split decision this week: Baltimore and Cincinnati. Rob, Scotty, Dray, and Chris selected Baltimore, while Ron, Seth, Andrew, and Steven sided with Cincinnati.
Rally Weekend! - Last week saw the Seattle FCs take a commanding lead in the competition, but the competition is only halfway through, and this could the beginning of a rally for one of the teams currently trailing Seattle. As one contestant put it, it's time for an "epic comeback."
Ron and Seth: The Even Couple - Ron and Seth agreed on a week-high 11 picks for week nine. The only games these two couldn't agree on were Tennessee/San Francisco and Dallas/Philadelphia.
Chris and Steven: The Odd Couple - For the alleged start of the rally, these two apparently decided to go at it. They do have three Underdog Selections, however, and if those hit they could erase the disagreements costing them some points...
Homer Alert — For the first time (and probably only time) in this competition, not a single contestant picked against his team. Rob and Scotty called Seattle over Detroit, Andrew and Dray picked San Francisco over Tennessee, and Chris and Steven chose Arizona over Chicago. Had the Rams been playing this week, this probably would not have been possible, but for now, the contestants can live in the joy of unanimously choosing their favorite teams.

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
WAS@ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
GB@TB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
MIA@NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
KC@JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	KC	JAX	JAX
HOU@IND	IND	HOU	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	HOU
BAL@CIN	BAL	BAL	CIN	CIN	CIN	BAL	BAL	CIN
ARI@CHI	CHI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI
DET@SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA
CAR@NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	CAR	NO
TEN@SF	SF	TEN	TEN	SF	SF	SF	SF	TEN
SD@NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	SD	NYG	NYG	SD
DAL@PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	DAL	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
PIT@DEN	PIT	DEN	PIT	PIT	DEN	PIT	PIT	PIT

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week 8 Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:21:07 -0500

Week Eight is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 1-3 in week eight of the regular season, with the only win belonging to... the Rams? Seattle was destroyed by Dallas, Arizona was upset by Carolina, and San Francisco fell just short of beating the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. At least for one week, the St. Louis Rams are the flag-bearers for the NFC West...

Here are the results and honors from Week Eight.

Week Eight Individual Standings (13 Games)

Scotty 13, Steven 10, Chris 9, Rob 8, Ron 8, Andrew 7, Seth 7, Dray 6

Week Eight Team Standings

Seattle 21, Arizona 19, St. Louis 15, San Francisco 13

Season Individual Standings

Rob 88, Scotty 88, Andrew 86, Chris 82, Seth 81, Dray 79, Steven 79, Ron 77

Season Team Standings

Seattle 176, San Francisco 165, Arizona 161, St. Louis 158

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 16, Seattle 16, St. Louis 16, Arizona 15

Pick of the Week —Dray (San Francisco over Indianapolis)

Sure, this pick went towards a losing cause, but let's be serious—no one saw this game being so close. San Francisco made a game of it, and Dray was four points away from being the sole winner on this one.

San Francisco, that's what you get for letting Joseph Addai throw a TD on you... for shame.

Four points from being a hero, Dray, but this was still a solid pick.

Fail of the Week —Andrew (Denver over Baltimore)

When searching for the Fail of the Week, I typically look for an Underdog Choice that just backfired . Steven taking Buffalo could have qualified, but Buffalo actually showed a pulse in the first half of that game (forget the second half beat-down).

Denver got embarrassed in Baltimore, falling 30-7, with a sputtering offense and a suddenly-vulnerable defense.

They will probably bounce back, but in terms of this week's game, this choice missed by a long shot.

The Underdog Strikes Back! (Four Correct Underdog Picks)

The Underdog Bonus has officially made its presence known in the 2009 NFC West Columnist Competition! In week eight, seven choices qualified as Underdog Picks, and four of those converted for their respective contestants.

Ironically, Scotty and Steven both shared two Underdog picks, as Miami upset the Jets and Minnesota beat Green Bay.

Someone will have to explain to me how Underdog points were doled out for the Vikings win, since several people (namely, the author of this piece) consider them the best team in football... But either way, Scotty and Steven will take it!

Hot Streak —Scotty (13 points in 13 games)

[Editor's Note: I know this seems self-serving, but for now I can bask in the light of being on the hottest streak in the competition]

For the first time this year, a contestant landed a 100 percent points to games ratio. With the Underdog Bonus, it is theoretically possible to finish with more than 100 percent, but for now the competition was waiting for someone to break even.

Over the past four weeks, Scotty has outpaced the competition by nine points, including a first-place finish in three of the last four weeks, and a quick ascension into a tie for first place.

The Seattle FCs also enjoyed a hot weekend...(see "Separation Sunday" below)

Struck Out Swinging —San Francisco FCs

San Francisco has fared well in the competition to date, but week eight didn't do them any favors. Dray tied for the season-low individual mark with a raw score of six, while Andrew and Dray set the team-low season mark with thirteen.

The worst loss of the week was in the standings. They remain in second place, but the first place Seattle team jumped eight points on San Francisco this week.

Separation Sunday

For the first time in this competition, there was some serious separation in the team standings. Seattle's first place score of twenty-one points was compounded by the second-place San Francisco squad turning in a score of thirteen.

Suddenly, the Seattle FCs are in first-place by an eleven-point margin. Now, that is separation.

What Might Have Been —Had every game gone differently?...

This is one of those weeks where it is difficult to look back and pick out one game which tore things up.

Had Mark San-chise led the Jets on a game-winning drive, it would have robbed Scotty and Steven of Underdog points for the Dolphins win, which would have tightened the race, but that may have been the most dramatic possibility to swing the standings.

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week Eight. Chip in on what you think.

Breaking News: Seattle Seahawks OT Walter Jones Out for Season

Scotty Kimberly — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:23:53 -0400

The Seattle Seahawks announced on Wednesday that Pro Bowl offensive tackle Walter Jones will be placed on injured reserve, ending his 2009 season.

Jones underwent surgery on his left knee in December of 2008, hoping to be healthy for the 2009 season. He played less than a week in training camp this summer before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, which sidelined him indefinitely.

Jones battled through pain in his surgically repaired left knee all year, failing to play a single down for the Seahawks. Now, his season is finished.

Head coach Jim Mora said the team plans to give Jones some rest, allow the doctors to aid him in recovery, and reevaluate the situation prior to the 2010 season.

This injury is a devastating blow to the Seahawks' already bleak 2009 season and emphasizes the importance of offensive tackle Sean Locklear's health, as Locklear will start at left tackle upon his return from injury.

Thought and comments? Post them below.

sk.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Seven Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:59:23 -0400

Week Seven is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 1-2 in Week Six of the NFL regular season. The Cardinals pulled off an upset against the favored New York Giants, but Week Seven was particularly devastating for anyone outside of Arizona not named Alex Smith or Vernon Davis. The Rams were destroyed, as usual, while San Francisco fell short in a comeback attempt against Houston.

Here are the results and honors from Week Six.

Week Seven Individual Standings (13 Games)

Scotty 11, Chris 10, Andrew 9, Dray 9, Rob 9, Seth 9, Ron 8, Steven 7

Week Seven Team Standings

Seattle 20, San Francisco 18, Arizona 17, St. Louis 17

Season Individual Standings

Rob 80, Andrew 79, Scotty 75, Seth 74, Chris 73, Dray 73, Ron 69, Steven 69

Season Team Standings

Seattle 155, San Francisco 152, St. Louis 143, Arizona 142

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 14, Seattle 14, St. Louis 14, Arizona 13

Pick of the Week—Chris (Arizona over NY Giants)

I'm not sure how everyone missed the boat on this one. Arizona looked outstanding while ripping the Seahawks last week, and yet earned no respect against a team who was dismantled by New Orleans in that same week.

Chris sounded off the homer alarm, but this pick came through strong for him, and was the only underdog choice to hit with only one person selecting it (Ron and Scotty hit Dallas, but Chris was the only solo Underdog Winner).

Excellent pick, Chris.

Fail of the Week—Chris/Ron/Seth/Steven (Oakland over NY Jets)

I know Mark Sanchez looked bad, and I know Oakland actually won a game, but come on...we are talking about a team that started 3-0 on one side and the Fighting JaMarcus Russells on the other.

Don't forget that in this week's "Picks" piece I wrote the following: "I'm not saying JaMarcus Russell will personally dig these contestants' graves, but..."

Sorry boys, JaMarcus got out the shovel and did some work.

Hot Streak—Rob and Scotty (The Seattle FCs)

Rob and Scotty have been on a tear over the past three weeks. In that span, the two have notched 62 points, which is seven points greater than their nearest competition.

Had it not been for an atrocious Week One, which pitted the Seahawks FCs with a seven-point deficit, they could be out in front by a long shot.

Past Week One, the Seattle Seahawks combined score has finished no worse than second, including a first place finish in three of the last four weeks.

Smokin'.

Struck Out Swinging—Arizona and St. Louis FCs

For the second straight week, the combined scores of Arizona and St. Louis resulted in a tie. Unfortunately for all four men involved, the two teams have tied for last place over the past two weeks.

There is a potential rift growing in the standings board, in which Seattle and San Francisco are pulling away up top (with 155 and 152, respectively), while Arizona and St. Louis have double-digit deficits to overcome.

What Might Have Been—Had Chester Taylor held on to the damn rock

If Chester Taylor doesn't initiate a textbook tip drill in Pittsburgh territory, the Vikings at least tie that game. With the way Minnesota was marching down the field, it could have been more than a tie...

If Minnesota wins that game, Rob, Scotty, and Ron each gain a point, while the remaining five contestants lose a point. What would that do to the standings? A Seattle romp would have been the result.

Seattle FCs would have finished with a combined 22 points, while second place would have been five points behind at 17... Yikes. To date the largest margin of victory is a three-point lead (Seattle - Week Five). This could have blown that away...

Good week, guys.

That's it for Week Seven. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Seven Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:09:55 -0400

Time for round seven of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Seven Picks

Everybody likes the Packers, Colts, Pats, Panthers, and Eagles— I have a growing suspicion that the "Everybody Likes" section has just turned into a "Everybody Hates" section. Just kidding... But seriously... It seems that each week not a single contestant will endorse the Rams (against Indianapolis this week), Buccaneers (against New England this week), or Chiefs (against San Diego this week), etc...
The Underdog Picks —Six picks qualify for the Underdog Bonus this week. Not great, but it's better than nothing... Scotty (Dallas over Atlanta), Andrew (Chicago over Cincinnati), Chris (Arizona over NY Giants), and Steven (Chicago over Cincinnati) all put in one Underdog choice, while Ron took the "Go Big or Go Home" philosophy and took two Underdog choices (Dallas over Atlanta and Miami over New Orleans). Week seven could feature some serious Underdog choices...
Only One (Legitimate) Split —I know what you're thinking, Wait, where were two splits! That may be true, but I'm only counting one... The contestants split over the 49ers/Texans game, which seemed to perplex most predictions this week, but the unbelievable predictions came in the Jets/Raiders game. Somehow, the contestants split 4-4 in that game, with four contestants endorsing the Raiders. I'm not saying JaMarcus Russell will personally dig these contestants' graves, but...
Separation Weekend!— One of the split decisions this week has the potential to create some serious separation in this competition. In the Jets/Raiders game, the picks are split between the Seahawks/49ers and the Cardinals/Rams. Rob, Scotty, Andrew, and Dray all chose the Jets to win this game, while Ron, Seth, Chris, and Steven all chose the Raiders. This game could either close some ground between these teams, or expand the lead that the Hawks/Niners are enjoying.
Rob and Scotty: The Even Couple —Rob and Scotty are still high on life after assuming the competition lead. With that in mind, they seem to be quite fond of each other's picks. These two agreed on a competition-high 12 of 13 picks in week seven. This could either extend their lead, or drop them back into the fray...
Homer Alert —One enormous homer pick sticks out in week seven: Chris picking Arizona over the New York Giants. This isn't to say that Arizona has no chance, as they dismantled the Seattle Seahawks last week. Instead, this is to say that the New York Giants, by most predictions, are simply a better team. This could earn Chris some Underdog points, but is sure is a risky call...

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
GB@CLE	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
SF@HOU	HOU	HOU	SF	HOU	HOU	SF	SF	SF
SD@KC	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD
MIN@PIT	MIN	MIN	MIN	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
IND@STL	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND
NE@TB	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
BUF@CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR	CAR
NYJ@OAK	NYJ	NYJ	OAK	OAK	NYJ	NYJ	OAK	OAK
CHI@CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CHI	CIN	CIN	CHI
ATL@DAL	ATL	DAL	DAL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
NO@MIA	NO	NO	MIA	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
ARI@NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	ARI	NYG
PHI@WAS	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Six Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:24:23 -0400

Week Six is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 1-2 in Week Six of the NFL regular season. Arizona claimed the only victory (which came against a fellow NFC West team in Seattle), and St. Louis ALMOST pulled one out against the Jags. The 49ers mumbled something about a beatdown by the Falcons and some memory loss, then stumbled into their bye week.

This week saw some serious upsets for the first time in the competition, and scores suffered accordingly.

Here are the results and honors from Week Six.

Week Six Individual Standings (14 Games)

Dray 11, Scotty 10, Andrew 9, Rob 8, Steven 8, Ron 7, Seth 7, Chris 6

Week Six Team Standings

San Francisco 20, Seattle 18, Arizona 14, St. Louis 14

Season Individual Standings

Rob 71, Andrew 70, Seth 65, Dray 64, Scotty 64, Chris 63, Steven 62, Ron 61

Season Team Standings

Seattle 135, San Francisco 134, St. Louis 126, Arizona 125

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 12, Seattle 12, St. Louis 12, Arizona 11

Pick of the Week—Ron (St. Louis over Jacksonville)

This was a losing cause, but it was still a hell of a pick. Coming off a drubbing in Seattle, most people (7 of 8 contestants) picked Jacksonville to show well against the St. Louis Rams.

Instead, this game turned into an overtime nail-biter, that placed Ron a coin-flip away from a different verdict.

It didn't pan out, but still a good call, Ron.

Fail of the Week—Rob/Scotty/Seth/Chris/Steven (Seattle over Arizona)

Wow. As a Seahawks fan I feel bad putting this here, but hell if the Seahawks didn't get absolutely worked over on Sunday.

Chris and Steven sold out their loyalties to take the Seahawks, and the Cardinals responded by simply embarrassing the Seahawks at Qwest Field... Not an easy feat.

Seattle found themselves down 14-0 before they knew what happened, and the rest was downhill... Ouch.

Hot Streak—Scotty (Competition-High 22pts in the last two weeks)

The standings board flipped so dramatically this week that there really wasn't a consistent place-winner to put here. Also, with the scores so low due to some teams choking (coughPHILLYcough), there was no great streak or stat line to put here.

So I put myself. Why not? A first-place and a second-place finish in back-to-back weeks have finally pulled me out of the gutter, so I'll give myself some love.

Struck Out Swinging—Chris (6/14 Picks Correct)

This is the first time someone has dipped below the 50 percent threshold in a single week... Sorry, Chris.

Chris just lost on a lot of coin flips, and busted on a few gambles. All that adds up to one miserable week which dropped him a ways in the standings...

You'll bounce back, buddy. I believe.

What Might Have Been—Had that dude named How-sh-kah hit the field goal

Baltimore beating Minnesota would have flipped this competition upside down. Not really, but kinda.

Ron and Chris would have picked up Underdog Bonus points, while the rest of the competition would have dropped a peg. Consequently, Chris would not have been this week's "Struck Out Swinging."

What might have been, guys...

Consistently Mediocre

Consistently Mediocre is being suspended until the season returns to 16 games a week. With only 14 games to pick from, there will almost certainly be someone in single digits each week.

It will return...

That's it for Week Six. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Six Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:54:20 -0400

Time for round six of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Six Picks

Everybody likes the Bengals, Steelers, Packers, Jets, Patriots, and Falcons —No love for the Texans? Ouch... Other than that snub, the rest are fairly predictable. The Steelers should crush the Browns, the Pats are taking on the winless Titans, the Jets get the TO-plagued Bills, etc. We'll see if the unanimous picks go boom or bust...
The Underdog Picks —Five picks qualify for the Underdog Bonus this week. Ron picked St. Louis. Ron and Chris both chose Baltimore to win, and Chris and Seth went with Tampa Bay to top the Panthers. Last week, several contestants covered some serious ground through the Underdog Bonus, and this week might be the same. Look for these bold men to either get rich or die trying.
Only One Split —With only one split decision, these contestants refuse to split on nearly anything! The San Diego-Denver game, which is currently sitting at 4-4, is the only game where these teams could cover some serious ground on their opponents. Either way, this week is noticeably missing some disagreements.
No Even Couples! —Actually, there are even couples, but there are two of them. Rob/Scotty and Andrew/Dray each agree on 12 of 14 picks. These are the teams in first and second place of the competition, so look out for how their agreements can affect the standings
Ron and Seth: The Odd Couple —Ron and Seth are muddled in the middle of the competition, but they could be poised to make a move. Regardless of whether or not they make a move, it's clear they won't do it together. This week, they agree on a competition-low 8 of 14 picks... These two could need some relationship counseling to get things back together, but if their picks hit the right way (with some help of the Underdog Bonus) they could cover some ground on a five point deficit.
Homer Alert —Rob and Scotty both picked Seattle over Arizona (no surprise), while Chris and Steven both picked Seattle to beat Arizona (sellouts...). The shocker of the week is Ron committing a blatant homer-crime by choosing St. Louis to upset Jacksonville. In his e-mail, he labeled this his upset pick of the week. Ron is either going to look like a genius or a fool...

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
HOU@CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
CAR@TB	CAR	CAR	CAR	TB	CAR	CAR	TB	CAR
CLE@PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT
NYG@NO	NO	NO	NYG	NO	NYG	NO	NO	NYG
BAL@MIN	MIN	MIN	BAL	MIN	MIN	MIN	BAL	MIN
STL@JAX	JAX	JAX	STL	JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX	JAX
DET@GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
KC@WAS	WAS	KC	WAS	WAS	WAS	KC	WAS	KC
ARI@SEA	SEA	SEA	ARI	SEA	ARI	ARI	SEA	SEA
PHI@OAK	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
BUF@NYJ	NJY	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ
TEN@NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
CHI@ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
DEN@SD	SD	DEN	DEN	SD	DEN	DEN	SD	SD

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Five Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:07:27 -0400

Week Five is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details, and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 2-2 in Week Four of the NFL regular season. Seattle and St. Louis looked good for the first time in a long time, but San Francisco crashed down to earth and was blown out by Atlanta.

The picks this week were more like blowouts and less like victories. Translation: lots of red ink was used while grading this week's picks...

Here are the results and honors from Week Four.

Week Five Individual Standings (14 Games)

Rob 12, Scotty 12, Steven 11, Chris 10, Seth 10, Andrew 9, Ron 9, Dray 8

Week Five Team Standings

Seattle 24, Arizona 21, St. Louis 19, San Francisco 17

Season Individual Standings

Rob 63, Andrew 61, Seth 58, Chris 57, Ron 54, Scotty 54, Steven 54, Dray 53

Season Team Standings

Seattle 117, San Francisco 114, St. Louis 112, Arizona 111

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

Arizona 11, Seattle 11, St. Louis 11, San Francisco 10

Pick of the Week—Dray (Cincinnati over Baltimore)

Dray was the only contestant in week five who had an Underdog Bonus choice all to himself. Seven of the eight contestants were drinking the Baltimore Kool-Aid, but Dray saw through it and picked the Fighting Cedric Bensons to prevail.

Honorable Mention goes to Rob and Scotty for being the only two to pick Atlanta over San Francisco, but they were at least in support of each other. In this choice, Dray was all on his own.

Good call.

Fail of the Week—Derek Anderson (Cleveland Starting QB)

To be honest, there wasn't a single pick that was bad enough to warrant this choice.

Sure, anyone who took San Francisco (routed 45-10) or Jacksonville (ripped 41-0) could have been placed here, but pregame, those weren't awful picks.

So what to do with this space? Point out this stat line: 2-17, 23 Yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 15.1 QB Rating (somehow Cleveland won this game)

Interesting note: Vince Young was 0-3 for 0 yards and finished with a 39.6 QB Rating. This means that Anderson could have literally not completed a pass and been more efficient than he was...Ouch.

Hot Streak—Rob and Scotty (Identical Picks for 11/14)

For the first time in this competition, a set of teammates agreed on every single pick. It was going to be a boom or bust weekend for the Seattle contestants, and lucky for them it boomed.

Rob and Scotty hit a competition high 11 picks (Steven also hit 11 but did not hit an Underdog Bonus and was therefore in second place for points) en route to assuming the lead in the team competition.

How good was the week? For the first time all year, Scotty is out of last place!

Struck Out Swinging—Dray (7/14 Picks Correct)

At the close of the afternoon games, Dray had sole possession of first place in this competition. He hit seven of the eight games including an Underdog Score from the Bengals, giving him a competition-high eight points through eight games.

Then the afternoon and evening games struck...

Dray did not hit another game, going 0-4 in the afternoon games, and missing Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football.

Overall, it was a tough week, but everyone ends up in this spot some time...

What Might Have Been—Had Miami Not Punched in that Last TD

There was a huge range of scores this week, as the final tallies were 24, 21, 19, and 17.

Had Miami lost tonight's game, the final scores would have read 22, 19, 19, 19.

Crazy, huh?

Instead of minimal movement across the standings, there was a lot of movement (much to the agony of the J-E-T-S...)

We're Going Streaking! (Bring Your Green Hat!)

The last two weeks have been identical in terms of the first-place and last-place finishers in both individual and team standings.

Rob Staton has finished first place in the individual standings each of the last two weeks, while Seattle (Rob's team) has finished first in the team standings.

Conversely, Dray Miller has finished last place in the individual standings each of the last two weeks, while San Francisco (his team) has finished last in the standings.

Surely, this trend will turn, but it's interesting to note progression in picks.

Consistently Mediocre

Each week has featured a single-digit scoring effort from one of the contestants. One in week one, one in week two, one in week three, and two in week four.

The pace is quickening in week five, as Andrew (nine points), Ron (nine points), and Dray (eight points) continued the tradition...

That's it for Week Four. Chip in on what you think.

The Seattle Seahawks Thank God For The NFC West

Scotty Kimberly — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:02:42 -0400

Last Saturday found the Seattle Seahawks bruised, broken, and lacking optimism heading into a week five showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stricken with memories of losing its franchise quarterback to injury in week two, giving away a fourth quarter lead in week three, and getting dismantled by the Colts in week four, the Seahawks’ week five outlook was mediocre at best.

To make matters worse, Seattle's week two loss came against division rival San Francisco, who seemingly turned into the NFC West favorite overnight. San Francisco was favored in its week five matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, meaning that a loss to Jacksonville on Sunday could drive a nail in Seattle's proverbial coffin.

Entering week five, the San Francisco 49ers stood atop the NFC West at 3-1, while Seattle sat two games behind with a paltry 1-3 record.

It seemed that a Seahawks' loss could initiate a domino effect to end the Seattle Seahawks' 2009 season.

Then, the unexpected happened.

A Seattle Seahawks' victory wasn't wholly unexpected. In fact, the Seahawks were favored by 1.5 entering the contest. It's safe to say, however, that no one foresaw the one-sided victory that played out on Sunday.

Matt Hasselbeck returned with a vengeance, throwing four touchdown passes for the first time since December 2007. And Seattle's defense stifled a Jacksonville offense that had posted 30+ points in each of the last two weeks in a 41-0 rout.

Down the coast, QB Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons drummed the San Francisco 49ers 45-10, dropping the Niners to 3-2 on the season.

Suddenly, the Seattle Seahawks’ 2009 season didn't seem so bleak. After falling two games back through four weeks, and losing their offensive captain to a back injury, the Seahawks seemingly reversed their fortunes in one October afternoon.

This reversal of fortune isn’t all about the Seahawks. It also has to do with the worst division in the NFL not called the AFC West; the consistently mediocre NFC West.

Seattle’s 2-3 record is not much to talk about. In fact, it places them in the lower half of the NFL (19th out of 32 teams). This record looks better, however, when viewed in light of Seattle’s berth in the NFC West.

The Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington Redskins also sit at 2-3 on the year. Unlike the Seattle Seahawks, however, all three of these teams trail their respective division leaders by a staggering three games.

Conversely, the Seahawks trail the NFC West leading San Francisco 49ers by only one game.

Why are the previously mentioned teams unfortunate enough to be three games out with the same record? Quite simply, they play in better divisions.

Houston and Jacksonville play in the AFC South, which features the 5-0 Indianapolis Colts. Washington plays in the NFC East, which features the 5-0 New York Giants, the 3-1 Philadelphia Eagles, and the 3-2 Dallas Cowboys.

Compare these divisions to the NFC West, which features a could-be high school team in St. Louis, last year’s Super Bowl darlings in Arizona, and a youth movement in San Francisco, and Seattle’s 2009 forecast turns sunny with a chance of playoffs.

A long season awaits the Seattle Seahawks. Undoubtedly, if Seattle plans to compete in 2009 it needs to establish itself against division rivals Arizona and San Francisco. If it can do this, a .500 record against the rest of the league might be enough to reach the 2009 postseason.

Is it fair? No, but it’s what leaves the Seattle Seahawks thinking Thank God for the NFC West!

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Four Results

Scotty Kimberly — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:52:13 -0400

Week Four is in the books of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the competition, click here for details and please keep checking back for updates throughout the year!

The NFC West went 1-2 in Week Four of the NFL regular season, and the only victory came because they were playing each other!

Seattle was dominated, while San Francisco took care of business against the high school team posing as the St. Louis Rams.

Here are the results and honors from Week Four.

Week Four Individual Standings (14 Games)

Rob 14, Chris 13, Andrew 11, Ron 11, Seth 10, Steven 10, Scotty 9, Dray 8

Week Four Team Standings

Arizona 23, Seattle 23, St. Louis 21, San Francisco 19

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 52, Rob 51, Seth 48, Chris 47, Dray 45, Ron 45, Steven 43, Scotty 42

Season Team Standings

San Francisco 97, Seattle 93, St. Louis 93, Arizona 90

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 10, St. Louis 10, Arizona 9, Seattle 9

Pick of the Week—Rob (Jacksonville over Tennessee)

Seven of the eight contestants this week didn't believe that Tennessee was going to look this bad. One contestant, Rob Staton, put his faith in the rebirth of David Garrard... and it worked.

Rob hit this upset on the head, nailing the only Underdog Bonus Pick of the week, and launching him into first place for the week.

Fail of the Week—Scotty (St. Louis over San Francisco)

It looked good in my head... I swear.

Frank Gore was out, Shaun Hill has never been a dominant quarterback, and Kyle Boller actually looked like more than a practice dummy in Week Three. Despite all this, Patrick Willis and 'Niners D dominated the Rams and thoroughly destroyed any pride I had left.

For anyone who was wondering why I'm in last place...

Hot Streak—Rob and Chris (13/14 Correct Picks)

Rob and Chris nearly aced week four. Each missed only one game, and both jumped up a few pegs in the standings.

Rob trusted the Cowboys, who consequently let him down, while Chris was drinking the Tennessee Titans kool-aid that everyone not named Rob fell victim to.

Good week, gentlemen.

Struck Out Swinging—Dray (8/14 Picks Correct)

There wasn't really a bad pick among Dray's week four selections. Tennessee sank a lot of contestants, Baltimore was a split decision, the Jets were a sexy pick, Buffalo looked good in week one, Dallas was favored, and the Bucs nearly pulled off the win against Washington...

That being said, it truly was a swing and a miss. Lots of good swings, but just no contact...

What Might Have Been—Ron and Seth (Had Cleveland won in overtime against Cincinnati)

The St. Louis Rams 2009 season hasn't exactly been a cakewalk. In week four, Cleveland had a chance to turn the fortunes around for St. Louis. Not on the field, but for their contestants in this competition.

This game could have been the biggest competition-changer we would see all year.

If Cleveland wins, both Ron and Seth land Underdog Bonus points, while the rest of the competition loses a point per person. The result: St. Louis jumps up four points, while every other team falls back two. Suddenly, St. Louis is in first place by two points over San Francisco, enjoying a 25-point week, with its nearest competition netting 21 points.

Wow... What might have been?

Diversity Day!

It's been four weeks of competition, and each team has already finished in first place for one week. San Francisco (weeks two and three), St. Louis (week one), Arizona (week four), and Seattle (week four) have all finished a week either holding the lead or a share of it.

At least every team has had a bright spot somewhere along the way.

Four different men (Andrew, Rob, Seth, and Dray) have held all or a share of the individual high-score, while Chris, Ron, Steven, and Scotty are waiting for their moment to strike...

Consistently Mediocre

Each week has featured a single-digit scoring effort from one of the contestants. Scotty (nine points in Week One), Steven (eight points in Week Two), and Ron (nine points in Week Three) have contributed thus far.

No change of pace in week four, as Scotty (9 points) and Dray (8 points) continued the tradition...

Note: There were two less games this week. Had Scotty and Dray missed the same amount of games in a 16-game week, they would have finished with 11 and 9, respectively. At least there is a little silver lining..

That's it for Week Four. Chip in on what you think.

The Ballad of The 2009 Seattle Seahawks: It Could Happen To You

Scotty Kimberly — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:42:23 -0400

Last weekend was the end of the Major League Baseball season (for the Mariners, at least), and my wife and I decided to attend Friday night's matchup against the Texas Rangers.

Walking to Safeco Field, I caught a glance at Qwest Field's exterior display and enjoyed a quick laugh.

Three years ago, nothing would have struck me about the the Seattle Seahawks' 2009 schedule stretched next the North Entrance of Qwest Field. This year, however, the faces staring back at me stirred up loyalty, resent, and sorrow.

The schedule (image here) proudly boasts a trio of Seattle's best players; QB Matt Hasselbeck, CB Marcus Trufant, and LT Walter Jones.

The irony, as any football fan knows, is that these three pillars of the Seattle Seahawks organization have combined for (almost) one-and-a-half games played in the 2009 campaign.

Seattle's health problems peaked in week three against the Chicago Bears.

Seattle entered the contest without eight starters—QB Matt Hasselbeck, FB Justin Griffith, LT Walter Jones, RT Sean Locklear, LB Lofa Tatupu, LB Leroy Hill, CB Marcus Trufant, and CB Josh Wilson—and lost starting LG Rob Sims and starting CB Ken Lucas to injury during the game.

Sure, the pessimists proclaim that every team deals with injuries. Every team has lost a cornerstone player early in the year and been forced to play through it at one time or another, right?

So far in 2009, Chicago lost Pro Bowl LB Brian Urlacher, San Diego is without Pro Bowl NT Jamal Williams, and Miami lost Chad Pennington (and his 90.1 career passer rating) to the injured reserve.

The critical characteristic of Seattle's injuries so far in 2009 isn't the quantity or the quality, however, it is the lethal combination of both quantity and quality that have attacked the Seahawks' depth and leadership.

The 2009 Seattle Seahawks feature five players with a Pro Bowl appearance on their resume: QB Matt Hasselbeck, LT Walter Jones, DE Patrick Kerney, LB Lofa Tatupu, and CB Marcus Trufant. On Sept. 27, 2009, four of those five were inactive against the Chicago Bears.

The depletion of Seattle's leadership and experience got me thinking, how would another team respond to these type of injuries?

Let's find out.

I located teams with Pro Bowl caliber players at the four key positions that Seattle played without against the Chicago in week three: Quarterback, Left Tackle, Linebacker, and Cornerback. Additionally, I projected the rest of the losses based on Seattle's inactive list from that same game (listed above).

Please note that this is not a comparison, and is not to say that Seattle's talent level is equal to the teams listed below (a few of them clearly have more depth than the Seahawks). Instead, this is an attempt to show how another team would deal with these losses within their own franchise. In other words, this is trying to explain to fans of other franchises exactly how much injuries have affected the Seahawks thus far in 2009.

* Denotes Pro Bowl Appearance
# Denotes Pro Bowl Appearance over a Decade Ago

Dallas Cowboys

Players Lost
QB Tony Romo*
LT Flozell Adams*
LG Kyle Kozier
RT Marc Colombo
OLB DeMarcus Ware*
CB Terence Newman*
CB Mike Jenkins

In the Dallas Cowboys' new-look offense, QB Jon Kitna leads the troops. Marion Barber and Felix Jones struggle to find running lanes without three starting linemen, while Kitna gets David Carr treatment from opposing pass rushes.

Opposing offenses find running lanes quite easily without Pro Bowl LB DeMarcus Ware in the mix, while passing lanes are bountiful without both starting cornerbacks, including Pro Bowl CB Terence Newman.

New England

Players Lost
QB Tom Brady*
LT Matt Light*
LG Logan Mankins*
RT Nick Kaczur
LB Adalius Thomas*
CB Shawn Springs#
CB Leigh Bodden

At least in this scenario Wes Welker is available. Unfortunately, super-system QB Matt Cassel isn't around to pick up the slack. Instead, some guy named Brian Hoyer takes the reigns with a team of 40-somethings in Fred Taylor, Joey Galloway, and crew.

On the defensive side of the ball, youngster LB Jerod Mayo remains in the center of the defense, but the loss of former Pro Bowl LB Adalius Thomas stings, at best. Losing Asante Samuel would have hurt worse than losing Springs and Bolden, but he is already gone to Philadelphia, so at least that's a positive...kind of.

San Diego Chargers

Players Lost
QB Philip Rivers*
LT Marcus McNeill*
LG Kris Dielman*
RT Jeromey Clary
LB Shawne Merriman*
CB Antonio Cromartie*
CB Quentin Jammer

In San Diego's new-look scheme, QB Billy Volek will continue to hand it off to feature back LaDainian Tomlinson and dump it off in the flats to scatback Darren Sproles. It remains to be seen how much TE Antonio Gates and WR Vincent Jackson would see the rock, but while Volek is an admirable backup...He is no Philip Rivers.

San Diego's vaunted 3-4 pass-rush still features DE Luis Castillo and LB Shaun Phillips, but the loss of Shawne "the Juice" Merriman and the cornerback tandem of Cromartie and Jammer is quite a blow to the squad. Heavy blitzes will now leave a pair of backups matching up on opposing wideouts...Yikes.

What do you think? Is it fair to compare the losses of the Seahawks with other franchises?

Please comment/critique below.

sk.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Four Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:06:07 -0400

Time for round four of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Four Picks

Unanimous Consent Weekend! Everybody likes the Bears, Giants, Colts, and Vikings —This is turning into a "Usual Suspects" of sorts. Not for the teams who are selected unanimously, but for the teams who are picked against. This week again features the entire panel picking against the Lions and Chiefs, and if it weren't for a drug-induced selection by Scotty (see below), the Rams would be on this list.
The Underdog Returns - Last week featured only one "Underdog Bonus" eligible pick, but this week the Bonus returned with a vengeance. Week four features nine Underdog picks. Rob (Jacksonville), Scotty (St. Louis), Ron and Seth (Cleveland), Andrew and Dray (Tampa Bay), Dray again (NY Jets), and Steven (San Diego and Oakland) all partook, while Chris managed to escape drinking the Kool-Aid. If Dray can hit both Underdog choices he could cover some serious ground this week.
Teaming Up - The Underdog Bonus is one thing, but when teammates join up (and are the only two contestants to pick a certain upset) it makes the competition a little more intense. Ron and Seth partnered in picking Cleveland to upset Cincinnati, while Andrew and Dray partnered in picking Tampa Bay over the anaemic Redskins. If either of these Underdog Bonus picks hit, this could create some separation in the team standings.
No More Splits - Unlike week three, where the contestants were split on a number of decisions, there is only one game which split picks in week four: Baltimore at New England. Seattle and Arizona were torn on who to take, with one contestant taking each, while St. Louis both took New England, and San Francisco both took Baltimore.
Ron and Seth: The Even Couple—Starting in week four, there is a new league standard of compatibility. Ron and Seth agreed on an unprecedented FIFTEEN picks in week four. This could be a week when these two vault up the standings. Here's an example, using only two games: if New England and Cleveland both win, St. Louis will jump six points on San Francisco, who is currently in first place. If these two put together a successful week, they could rise quickly. If they put together a shoddy week... (you know where I'm going with this)
Homer Alert—There were no significant homer picks to be had in week four. Andrew and Dray supported the Niners, but San Francisco is heavily favored anyways, while Rob and Scotty dissed the Seahawks and Ron and Seth did the same for St. Louis. Arizona is on a bye, so Steven and Chris are taking a week off from having to choose their team or not.
Quick Note - For the first time, I (Scotty) picked against the Seahawks. Can they beat the Colts? Maybe, but they are 12 point underdogs and I've already been burned twice this week...It's time to be a man and at least try to pick objectively.

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
DET@CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI
BAL@NE	NE	BAL	NE	NE	BAL	BAL	NE	BAL
NYG@KC	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG
TEN@JAX	JAX	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN
SEA@IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND
OAK@HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	OAK
CIN@CLE	CIN	CIN	CLE	CLE	CIN	CIN	CIN	CIN
TB@WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	TB	TB	WAS	WAS
NYJ@NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NYJ	NO	NO
BUF@MIA	MIA	BUF	MIA	BUF	MIA	BUF	MIA	MIA
STL@SF	SF	STL	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF
DAL@DEN	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DEN	DAL	DEN	DEN
SD@PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	PIT	SD
GB@MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Three Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:49:51 -0400

The NFC West went 0-4 in Week Three of the NFL regular season.

Arizona was dominated, Seattle was outplayed, San Francisco was robbed, and St. Louis continued their 2008 Detroit Lions impersonation.

Despite a horrid week on the field, the FC's here at Bleacher Report kept on churning out (mostly) winning picks.

Here are the results and honors from Week Three.

Week Three Individual Standings

Andrew 14, Seth 14, Dray 13, Rob 13, Scotty 13, Steven 13, Chris 11, Ron 9

Week Two Team Standings

San Francisco 27, Seattle 26, Arizona 24, St. Louis 23

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 41, Seth 38, Dray 37, Rob 37, Chris 34, Ron 34, Scotty 33, Steven 33

Season Team Standings

San Francisco 78, St. Louis 72, Seattle 70, Arizona 67

Monday Night Football Team Tiebreaker

San Francisco 8, St. Louis 8, Arizona 7, Seattle 7

Pick of the Week—Chris/Rob/Scotty/Seth (Cincinnati over Pittsburgh)

There were no Underdog Bonus points awarded in Week Three, therefore no man stood in sole possession of an outstanding pick. Instead, this award goes to the quartet who chose against the reigning Super Bowl Champs in favor of the Fighting Cedric Bensons.

Good call, gentlemen.

Fail of the Week—Chris/Ron/Seth/Steven (Oakland over Denver)

I understand that there is only so much talent you can pack into one backfield before they win something. That being said, until JaMarcus Russell finds out how to complete a pass and/or retires, this team looks to be doomed.

Chris and Seth promptly squandered their "Pick of the Week" honors by endorsing Al Davis and the colossal waste of talent amassing in Oakland.

Hot Streak—Andrew Garda (8-for-9 in Early Games; On Fire in the Competition)

Andrew is simply torching the competition so far this year. He has finished tied for first each week, en route to a healthy three point lead over his nearest competitor. Andrew and Ron both scored 15 in Week One, which still stands as the competition high score.

Struck Out Swinging—Ron Clements (nine points scored in Week Three)

This isn't as much a case of bad selections as it is unlucky breaks. Ron made the right picks when he needed to (i.e. he chose the easy games correctly), but he seemed to be on the losing end of nearly every toss up.

Brett Favre's Hail Mary, Ryan Mouton's fumble-itis, Washington's goal line anemia, and Arizona's failing offensive line all contributed to a miserable weekend for Ron.

What Might Have Been—Had Greg Lewis Not Hauled in the Miracle TD in Minnesota

You wanna talk about a game changer? How about a competition changer?

If Greg Lewis doesn't make that play, San Francisco holds on to win the game, and the entire standings board for the week goes up in flames.

Seth would have finished in sole possession of first place, while his St. Louis Rams duo would have jumped two more points in the standings (both Ron and Seth picked San Francisco).

Conversely, Rob and Scotty, the Seattle representatives, would have slid back two points in the standings, as each picked Minnesota to win.

It will be interesting to see how Favre's late-game heroics will factor into the season-long competition...

Consistently Mediocre

Let's see if this trend of excellence can continue in Week Four...

That's it for Week Three. Chip in on what you think.

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Three Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:11:10 -0400

Time for round three of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Three Picks

Unanimous Consent Weekend! Everybody likes the Ravens, Eagles, Packers, Texans, Giants, Saints, Dolphins, and Cowboys—Some of these selections are based on how hot a team is (Saints), while some are made based on how bad the opposition is (Green Bay v. St. Louis). Regardless of motive, this week features an unprecedented eight unanimous selections. My apologies to the Cleveland Browns; no-one has faith in you.
Split Decision Weekend!—Week three certainly features some boring matchups (Baltimore v. Cleveland, to name one), but there are also some intriguing games. While the eight contestants split votes on only one matchup in week one and one matchup in week two, they are at odds four times in week three. San Francisco v. Minnesota, Pittsburgh v. Cincinnati, Washington v. Detroit, and Denver v. Oakland are apparently too close to call.
Couples Retreat—Speaking of split decisions, what happens when representatives pair up against each other? In the Denver v. Oakland matchup, notice that the decision is split, yet every contestant agrees with his partner. The San Francisco and Seattle representatives have chosen Denver, while Arizona and St. Louis opted for Oakland. This game could create some separation...
Patriot Games—Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are vying for the title of the best team in the NFC, while Tom Brady and the Patriots are coming off a subpar loss to the New York Jets. How did the contestants respond? By picking against the Falcons seven times out of eight. Rob Staton was the only contestant who showed faith in the Falcons.
Dogging the Underdog—Speaking of Rob Staton picking the Falcons, let it be noted that this selection is the only pick of the week which qualifies for the Underdog Bonus. Maybe it's because the picks were too easy, or maybe it's because the probability of landing an Underdog win are so small. Either way, there were few stray picks in week three.
Andrew and Dray: The Even Couple—Andrew and Dray's stint as the even couple propelled them into first place in week two. What did they do follow that up? Simple; they spent another week in agreement! In week three, these two agreed on a competition-high thirteen picks.
Homer Alert—Excluding the Rams, whose representatives have accepted the impossibility of favoring their team, all other teams were split decisions. Chris, Dray, and Scotty all stuck with their teams, despite the fact that none were favorites per this contest's selections. Conversely, Andrew, Rob, and Steven sold their teams down river for a chance of glory.
Quick note—Except for the Rams, who were unanimously chosen against, the NFC West teams found themselves in tight games this week. Arizona and San Francisco are both split decisions, while Chicago is slightly favored against Seattle five to three.

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
CLE@BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL
KC@PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
ATL@NE	ATL	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
TEN@NYJ	NYJ	TEN	TEN	NYJ	NYJ	TEN	TEN	TEN
GB@STL	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
SF@MIN	MIN	MIN	SF	SF	MIN	SF	SF	MIN
JAX@HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU	HOU
WAS@DET	WAS	WAS	WAS	DET	WAS	DET	DET	DET
NYG@TB	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG	NYG
CHI@SEA	CHI	SEA	SEA	CHI	CHI	CHI	SEA	CHI
NO@BUF	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
PIT@CIN	CIN	CIN	PIT	CIN	PIT	PIT	CIN	PIT
MIA@SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD
DEN@OAK	DEN	DEN	OAK	OAK	DEN	DEN	OAK	OAK
IND@ARI	ARI	IND	ARI	IND	IND	IND	ARI	IND
CAR@DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL

2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Two Results

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:18:19 -0400

Week Two of the 2009 NFC West FC Competition is in the books, and the standings didn't shift too much.

Here are the results and honors from Week Two.

Week Two Individual Standings

Andrew 12, Dray 12, Chris 11, Rob 11, Scotty 11, Ron 10, Seth 10, Steven 8

Week Two Team Standings

San Francisco 24, Seattle 22, St. Louis 20, Arizona 19

Season Individual Standings

Andrew 27, Ron 25, Dray 24, Rob 24, Seth 24, Chris 23, Scotty 20, Steven 20

Season Team Standings

San Francisco 51, St. Louis 49, Seattle 44, Arizona 43

Pick of the Week - Chris Farmer (Miami over Indianapolis)

Sure, Chris went down with the ship on this one, but I'd be lying if I said there was no point last night where I was convinced he was going to sneak out two Underdog Bonus points. Chris was the only contestant to pick Miami, and the Dolphins possession brigade on Monday night almost pulled through for him.

Unfortunately, this one cost Chris on the overall standings and tie-breaker.

Fail of the Week - Dray Miller and Steven Smith (Cleveland over Denver)

Honorable Mention here goes to Chris Farmer (Philly over New Orleans) and the Fearsome Foursome who chose Jacksonville over Arizona (Rob/Ron/Seth/Steven), but picking the Browns at any point really takes the cake.

Cleveland muscled their way to two field goals on Sunday, while amassing 200 net yards of offense, 11 first downs, 3 turnovers, and for some unknown reason still allowing Jamal Lewis to touch the rock 14 times. Not looking good for the Fighting Brady Quinns.

Hot Streak - Andrew Garda / Scotty Kimberly (7/9 in Early Games)

Sadly, this was the closest thing to a hot streak I could find. No one aced the early games, no one aced the late games, and nearly everyone hit both Sunday and Monday night games...Ouch. So kudos to Andrew and Scotty for pulling out a league high 7 of 9 in the early games!

Struck Out Swinging - Steven Smith (50 Percent in Week Two)

Steven attended the "Scotty Kimberly School for Picking Winners" between weeks one and two, and left with a desire to pick some upsets.

Several of Steven's misses were bad beats that hit a lot of the contestants (e.g. Tennessee, Green Bay, Pittsburgh), but anyone who takes Tampa Bay and Cleveland this week is just asking for it...

What Might Have Been - Chris Farmer

Had Ted Ginn Jr. caught the damn ball Miami would have topped Indianapolis and Chris Farmer would be cruising down easy street. Farmer was in pursuit of an unprecedented second Underdog score in the same week on Monday, but the Football Gods denied him this honor.

Had Ginn held on, the standings for week two would look like this: Chris 13, Nearest Competition 11. Additionally, he would be only one point out on the season standings (right now he sits four points behind).

Instead, Ginn dropped the ball and Chris finished one point off the lead for week two... What might have been...

That's it for Week Two. Chip in on what you think.

sk.

NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week Two Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:41:14 -0400

Time for round two of this year's NFC West featured columnist competition!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team which they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week Two Picks

Everybody likes the Falcons, Vikings, Packers, Titans, and Redskins—Favre Mania continues in Week Two, but are the contestants praising Minnesota, or simply following protocol by picking against Detroit? Most of these teams benefit from excellent matchups, but take note that a few of these teams may be susceptible to upsets...
Nobody likes the Panthers, Lions, Bengals, Texans, or Rams—This is a fairly accurate group of teams that will likely end up in the top ten of the 2010 NFL Draft. Our contestants either have faith in the teams picked to win, or refuse to pick one of these franchises to win. Does anyone else think that Houston might not belong in this bunch?
Chris and Steven: The Odd Couple—Smitten with rage over being labeled the even couple in Week One, the Arizona reps developed a "you pick one, I'll pick the other" approach in Week Two. These two agreed on a minuscule six of sixteen picks. There is potential for one of these two to ace Week Two, but the other to fail miserably. Check for updates via Facebook, Twitter, or classified ads seeking a new partner
Andrew and Dray: The Even Couple—Laced with joy over a second place finish in Week One, the San Francisco reps developed a "you pick one and I'm on board" approach in Week Two. They're just like Week One in Arizona, as these two shared minds on a competition-high fourteen picks in Week Two.
Everyone paid attention in Week One—Don't believe me? Take a look at the teams who showed poorly in week one. Baltimore's offensive explosion prompted the contestants to favor them over a San Diego squad who struggled mightily with Oakland; Baltimore is favored five to three. Most notably, the New England Patriots barely escaped a week one upset from Buffalo. This led the guys to shy away from them, picking against the Pats five of eight times.
Homer Alert—The San Francisco reps both support their team, the St. Louis reps both threw their team overboard, while Arizona and Seattle published split decisions. Scotty posted the only homer choice which is also Underdog Bonus eligible, and Chris took the Cardinals in a matchup which is split 4-4. Also, Andrew made a note in his picks that his selection of the New York Jets is a homer pick.

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth	Andrew	Dray	Chris	Steven
CAR @ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL	ATL
MIN@DET	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN
CIN@GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
ARI@JAX	JAX	ARI	JAX	JAX	ARI	ARI	ARI	JAX
OAK@KC	OAK	OAK	OAK	KC	OAK	OAK	KC	OAK
NE@NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NE	NYJ	NYJ	NE	NYJ	NE
NO@PHI	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	PHI	NO
HOU@TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN	TEN
STL@WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS	WAS
TB@BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF	TB
SEA@SF	SF	SEA	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF
PIT@CHI	CHI	PIT	PIT	CHI	PIT	PIT	CHI	PIT
CLE@DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	CLE	DEN	CLE
BAL@SD	SD	BAL	BAL	SD	BAL	BAL	SD	BAL
NYG@DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	NYG	NYG	DAL
IND@MIA	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	MIA	IND

How Brandon Stokley Hurt The Seattle Seahawks In Week One

Scotty Kimberly — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:37:44 -0400

At the 2009 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks traded away their second round pick to the Denver Broncos for the Broncos' first round pick in 2010.

Denver quickly selected cornerback Alphonso Smith, and the Seahawks gladly tucked the Broncos' first round choice in 2010 into their hip pocket.

This trade had two universal effects on the Seattle Seahawks fan base.

First, acquiring another first round pick in 2010 strengthened the Seahawks potential to bounce back from a dismal 2008 campaign. First-round picks in the NFL are expected to contribute immediately. Because of this, owning two first round picks opens endless possibilities of acquiring high-end talent, trading up for elite talent, and/or reinvigorating a team that seems to be collectively aging.

Second, acquiring Denver's first-round pick in 2010 immediately morphed the Seattle Seahawks fan base into a 2009 Anti-Broncos organization. The logic is simple; the worse Denver does, the better Seattle's acquired pick will be. Therefore, every Seahawks fan finds themselves reminiscing of the AFC West as they maliciously scour Denver Broncos box scores.

You may be thinking, Thanks for the history lesson, but how does Brandon Stokley tie into this?

Those of you who missed NFL Live this week, live in cave , or hail from Montana may not have heard of the best week one game not featuring Tom Brady; Denver at Cincinnati.

[Video Here]

With 0:38 left, Cedric Benson swerved into the end zone (pun intended) to give Cincinnati a 7-6 lead. Denver had a half a minute on the clock, but everyone in the stadium believed that Cincinnati had clinched it.

On second and ten, Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton threw an ill-advised pass in the general zip code of wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Bengals cornerback Leon Hall broke up the pass, but in doing so he lofted the ball downfield. Brandon Stokley eagerly plucked the ball out of the air and jetted towards pay dirt for a game-clinching 87-yard touchdown.

With one tipped pass the Denver Broncos earned a tick in the win column, and the Seattle Seahawks dropped a spot in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Every year, a proverbial race-for-last breaks out in the final weeks of the NFL Season. Aptly named the "[Insert College Star Here] Sweepstakes" this dash for mediocrity toys with the fate of the NFL's worst franchises (e.g. 2006 NFL Draft).

This year's contestants seem to be the usual suspects, as most experts have pegged the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs as potential top five picks in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Some experts have pegged the Denver Broncos as a top five pick in 2010, but if week one is any indicator, the Broncos could stick it to the Seahawks in 2009.

Consider the following and decide if Seahawks fans have reason to worry...

The 2009 Denver Broncos are supposed to be BAD...

How bad? Well that depends on who you ask. An array of AFC West previews project the Broncos to finish as high as 7-9 and as low as 1-15, but this much is unanimous: the Denver Broncos will be a lower-tier team in 2010.

What does this give Seahawks fans? Hope! Acquiring a first round draft pick is one thing, but when you can acquire a first round draft pick from a team that is universally projected to fail, the world seems a little brighter.

... But the 2009 AFC West is supposed to be worse

Sure, the 2009 Denver Broncos are supposed to be atrocious. What many experts fail to acknowledge, however, is that the 2009 AFC West is supposed to be worse.

San Diego is undoubtedly the cream of the crop in the AFC West, but even they looked awful in week one. Past the Chargers, the division barely registers a pulse.

Division previews are split on who will finish second, third, and fourth, but regardless of the order, it is generally accepted that the bottom three teams in the AFC West will all finish with terrible records. Consider this preview, which has the second place Kansas City Chiefs at 4-12!

Yes, the bottom three teams in the AFC West will likely finish with negative records, but when these teams play each other someone has to win (unless Donovan McNabb is around). This someone-has-to-win-even-if-both-teams-are-bad dilemma could benefit Denver.

Remember that the Denver Broncos have a week two matchup with Cleveland, as well as two games remaining against both the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders.

Even if the Broncos lose every other game on the schedule, they could go 6-10 by simply beating up the Browns, Chiefs, and Raiders.

One win can change everything in the NFL Draft

Let's say that Seahawks fans get their wish, and the Denver Broncos play miserably for the rest of the 2009 campaign. Even if the Broncos finished 3-12, Brandon Stokley's catch will still leave fans wondering what might have been?

In 2009, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished 5-11. Not to be bested, the Seattle Seahawks finished 4-12. No big deal, right? Wrong! Through a series of tiebreaks, the Seattle Seahawks received the fourth pick in the draft, while Jacksonville received the eighth.

That's four spots difference for a one win differential.

Now consider the 2009 Denver Broncos. Regardless of the rest of the season, Brandon Stokley's miracle touchdown, and the Denver Broncos' undeserved win over Cincinnati, could cost the Seahawks dearly in the 2010 NFL Draft.

There are no life-changing lessons to be learned here, but remember the following:

Brandon Stokley's miracle touchdown earned an undeserved victory for the Denver Broncos in week one
While the world expects Denver to fail in 2009, five or six easy matchups could lead the Broncos to an over-achieving record
Regardless of the Broncos' final record, Brandon Stokley's game-winning touchdown in week one undoubtedly cost the Seattle Seahawks at least one spot in the 2010 NFL Draft

If the Broncos' draft pick seems too low in 2010, Seahawks fans will know who to blame...

sk.

NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week One Results

Scotty Kimberly — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:02:02 -0400

Week One of the 2009 NFC West FC Competition is in the books, and there could already be some separation.

Andrew, Ron, and Seth took advantage of the Underdog Bonus in Week One, as each selected one winner who earned them extra points.

Here are the results and honors from Week One.

Individual Standings

Andrew 15, Ron 15, Seth 14, Rob 13, Chris 12, Dray 12, Steven 12, Scotty 9

Overall Standings

St. Louis 29, San Francisco 27, Arizona 24, Seattle 22

Pick of the Week - Seth Doria (San Francisco over Arizona)

Super Bowls be damned, Seth took the Niners to topple last year's NFC Champs. More impressively, he did so without the support of either San Francisco representative. Seth was the lone advocate of the Niners, but this correct choice netted him two points from the Underdog Bonus

Fail of the Week - Dray Miller (St. Louis over Seattle)

Honorable Mention here goes to Scotty (Kansas City over Baltimore) and Chris/Seth (Carolina over Philadelphia), but the St. Louis Rams were certainly the worst looking of the bunch.

St. Louis rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled their way to a shutout loss in Seattle, which, given the state of Seahawks football, doesn't paint a beautiful portrait of their 2009 outlook.

Hot Streak - Andrew Garda (Undefeated in Early Games)

Andrew was on fire in the early games of Week One. He began the day 9 for 9, including an Underdog Bonus choice of the Denver Broncos over Cincinnati. Andrew was finally tripped up when his San Francisco 49ers upset the Arizona Cardinals. He still finished tied for first with 15 points. Good week, Andrew!

Struck Out Swinging - Scotty Kimberly (four picks eligible for Underdog Bonus)

Picking Kansas City to win in any given week is bold. Picking Oakland to win in any given week is also bold. Picking them to win in the same week is suicide. Don't believe me? The last time Kansas City and Oakland won in the same week was in September... in 2007!

Scotty took courage to heart and picked four unpopular choices: Tennessee over Pittsburgh, Kansas City over Baltimore, Miami over Atlanta, and Oakland over San Diego. Not a single one hit, and he is currently in last place.

What Might Have Been - Seth Doria

Had Brandon Stokley not found an early Christmas present in his lap, the Bengals would have held on to a close victory over Denver, and Seth Doria would be sitting in first place.

Instead, he is nestled into third place, behind two men who earned Underdog points from that same Denver victory. If it weren't for the tip drill, Seth, you could have been in first.

That's it for Week One. Chip in on what you think.

sk.

NFC West Featured Columnist Competition: Week One Picks

Scotty Kimberly — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:03:44 -0400

Welcome to the first week of the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this competition, please click here for a brief outline of the rules as well as a small bio of each contestant.

In short, this is a pick 'em competition. Contestants are in teams of two, each representing the team which they write for on Bleacher Report.

Observations from Week One Picks

Everybody likes the Colts, Cowboys, Pats, and Saints—While a number of games are heavy favorites (six or seven selections), only the Colts, Cowboys, Patriots, and Saints took the honor of being unanimous choices.
Nobody likes the Bills, Bucs, Jags, and Lions—One of these teams will pull an upset, and all eight contestants will equally suffer. Book it.
Rob and Scotty: The Odd Couple—Rob and Scotty agreed on the fewest choices of anyone. Of the 16 games available, these two agreed on only ten.
Chris and Steven: The Even Couple—Conversely, Chris and Steven seemed to be in harmony while picking. These two agreed on an astonishing fourteen of the 16 games.
Scotty might not have been sober—Apologies in advance to Rob for a few ill-advised selections. Among four choices which qualify for the Underdog Bonus, I took the Titans over the Steelers, the Chiefs over the Ravens, and (drum roll please) the Raiders over the Chargers. In all honesty, I think the Titans could do it and the Chiefs will do it (the Raiders might need an act of God).

Without further ado, here are the picks. Please comment below with your thoughts.

	Chris	Steven	Andrew	Dray	Rob	Scotty	Ron	Seth
TEN@PIT	PITT	PITT	PITT	PITT	PITT	TENN	PITT	PITT
NYJ@HOU	HOU	HOU	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	HOU	HOU	NYJ
MIN@CLE	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	MIN	CLE
MIA@ATL	ATL	MIA	ATL	ATL	ATL	MIA	ATL	ATL
JAX@IND	INDY	INDY	INDY	INDY	INDY	INDY	INDY	INDY
DEN@CIN	CINCY	CINCY	DEN	CINCY	CINCY	CINCY	DEN	CINCY
PHI@CAR	CAR	PHILLY	PHILLY	PHILLY	PHILLY	PHILLY	PHILLY	CAR
DAL@TB	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
KC@BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	BAL	KC	BAL	BAL
DET@NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
SF@ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	ARI	SF
STL@SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	STL	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA
WAS@NYG	NYG	NYG	WAS	NYG	WAS	NYG	NYG	NYG
CHI@GB	GB	GB	GB	CHI	GB	GB	GB	GB
BUF@NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
SD@OAK	SD	SD	SD	SD	SD	OAK	SD	SD

Seattle Seahawks Cut S Brian Russell; Sign S Lawyer Milloy

Scotty Kimberly — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:12:26 -0400

The Seattle Seahawks released veteran safety Brian Russell on Saturday and replaced him with former Atlanta Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy.

Russell signed a five-year deal with the Seahawks in 2007, but has failed to provide consistency in the Seahawks secondary, leaving scores of Seahawks fans frustrated with his performance.

Milloy spent the last three seasons in Atlanta, amassing 93 tackles in 2008.

Milloy was not re-signed this offseason as Atlanta expressed an interest in pursuing a younger option at safety, subsequently drafting safety William Moore with their second round pick.

Here are my initial reactions:

1. The Seattle Seahawks secondary is thin

The Seahawks 53-man roster includes cornerbacks Ken Lucas, Josh Wilson, Kelly Jennings, and Travis Fisher, along with safeties Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux, C.J. Wallace, and Lawyer Milloy.

That's it.

New faces abound, as Lucas, Fisher, and Milloy were not with the club in 2008.

Conversely, familiar faces are absent. Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Trufant was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list this week, making him ineligible to play until week seven.

The Seahawks are praying for Jennings or Wilson to live up to their draft-day potential. Jennings was the Seattle Seahawks first round selection in 2006, while Wilson was selected in the second round in 2007.

It will be interesting to see if the Seahawks rely on their current roster or make a move for additional depth in the near future.

2. Even if it is minimal, Lawyer Milloy is an upgrade from Brian Russell

Sure, Milloy's coverage skills aren't the best, especially considering his date of birth (Milloy turns 36 in November), but think about this argument for a second.

Opponents to the Milloy signing cite his age and coverage abilities as grounds for discontent, yet fail to mention that Brian Russell has similar problems.

The 31-year old Brian Russell has been a detriment to pass coverage since his arrival in Seattle.

Also, consider aspects other than pass coverage.

Milloy is undoubtedly an upgrade at other safety responsibilities, including both tackling and run coverage.

I'm not saying that the upgrade is massive, but look at it this way: Milloy is a clear upgrade from Brian Russell in both tackling and run coverage.

3. Could the team have relied on Jordan Babineaux?

It is assumed that Milloy will need a few weeks before he is ready to contribute in the Seahawks defensive scheme.

In the mean time, Jordan Babineaux will start at strong safety.

That being said, what do the Seahawks do if Babineaux excels in this role?

Babineaux is a pure hitter who, like many Seahawks (see above section), struggles with pass coverage. He is a playmaker, which earned him the nickname "Big Play Babs," and is well liked by his teammates.

If Babineaux performs admirably in the first few weeks of the season, there will surely be grumblings to leave him in the starting role. This could raise the issue of why the Seahawks signed Milloy in the first place.

Then again, if Babineaux struggles with the starting gig, Milloy can step in and provide veteran leadership in a thin Seahawks secondary.

4. Haven't I encountered Lawyer Milloy before?

My knee-jerk reaction to the Milloy signing was "isn't that the guy who I played with on NFL Blitz?"

Short answer: yes.

Anyone who played the game knows that the combination of Bledsoe and Coates crushed on offense and Milloy dominated the defense.

This has no bearing on his actual signing, but damned if I wasn't excited nonetheless.

Comment with your reactions.

sk.

2009 Inaugural NFC West Featured Columnist Competition

Scotty Kimberly — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 05:24:25 -0400

Welcome to the introductory article for the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist Competition!

I am glad that you have found this article, and I hope this competition intrigues you enough for you to follow it all season long.

We developed this competition as a means for both camaraderie and competition among the NFC West writers, both of which are critical elements among men who are supposed to be rivals.

The premise of this competition is simple: take two prominent writers from a set of division rivals and pit them against each other in a competition which tests a man's football IQ.

The eight contestants in this year's competition will submit picks each week in hopes of outwitting their opponents and claiming the 2009 NFC West Featured Columnist crown.

There are several interesting features to this year's competition, so without further ado, here are the rules and guidelines.

2009 NFC West Competition Rules and Guidelines

Contestants
—Each team in the NFC West will be represented by two Featured Columnists, making a total of eight contestants.
—In the event that two Featured Columnists are unavailable for a certain team, the spots will be filled with regular writers from said team.

Submitting Picks
—Each week, every contestant will pick the winners of the full slate of NFL games.
—The picks will be turned in no later than 24 hours before the first kickoff of the week.
—Any contestant who fails to turn in a set of picks will receive the lowest total score achieved for that week by an active contestant (Example: Player A fails to turn in picks for Week Three. Player C finished in last place for Week Three by scoring only nine points. Since Player A failed to turn in his picks, he would be given the equivalent of the lowest score of the week: nine points).

Posting Picks
—The night before each week's first game, an article will be published showing every contestant's picks for that week.
—The article will include each contestant's picks, as well as any interesting trends which have developed that week (e.g. a unanimous selection, an underdog that several people selected, etc.).

Scoring
—Scoring is simple; each correct pick counts for one point.
—Underdog Bonus: Any correct pick which was selected by 25 percent or less of the contestants (typically this will be two or less contestants) will receive an additional point for predicting an Underdog victory.
—Tie Breaker: In the event of a tie at the end of the season, the winner will be determined by the most correct picks made for Monday Night Football games (17 total).

Posting Results
—Each Tuesday, an article will be published with the previous week's results.
—The picks will be scored and ranked, providing a standings board for both weekly and seasonal ranks.
—There will be an individual standings board, but the most important part of the competition will be teamwork, because...

Determining a Winner
—While individual success is impressive, team success wins championships
—Wedding Crashers Rule No. 65—When your crash partner fails, you fail. No man is an island.
—Each contestant's scores will be combined with his partner's scores to determine that team's overall rank (e.g. Seth Doria and Ron Clements scores will combine to produce the St. Louis Rams overall score).
—At the end of the year, the team with the highest combined score wins the competition!

Prizes
—Aside from bragging rights, this year's contestants have agreed to sweeten the pot for the winning duo.
—The two winners of this year's competition will receive a brand new NFL Replica jersey of their choice from NFLShop.com.

As if winning the bragging rights weren't enough, now each contestant has a shot at sporting some brand new threads...

With these rules in mind, now it is time to meet the contestants in the 2009 NFC West Competition!

2009 NFC West Competition Contestants

(Both teams and contestants are listed in alphabetical order)

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Chris Farmer
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Fan Since: 1970-1987, 2002-Present (Long Story)
Playing For: No. 34 Tim Hightower Home Jersey
2009 Breakout Player: WR Chris Henry—Cincinnati Bengals
2009 Breakout Team: Houston Texans
2009 BOLD Prediction: RB Ahmad Bradshaw will lead the NY Giants in yards from scrimmage.

Steven Smith
Hometown: Peoria, AZ
Fan Since: More of a Supporter than a Fan
Playing For: Just Wire the Money to a Foreign Account and I'll Pick a Jersey Later...
2009 Breakout Player: WR Nate Washington—Tennessee Titans
2009 Breakout Team: San Francisco 49ers
2009 BOLD Prediction: Louis Murphy leads all rookie WR in yards and touchdowns.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Andrew Garda (FC)
Hometown: Astoria, NY
Fan Since: 1991—The Beginning of the Young Years
Playing For: No.21 Frank Gore Jersey
2009 Breakout Player: WR Josh Morgan—San Francisco 49ers
2009 Breakout Team: New Orleans Saints—Always a Bridesmaid Never a Bride...UNTIL NOW! Playoffs, Baby!
2009 BOLD Prediction: With Carson Palmer Back Chad Ochocinco will Return to Form and hit 1500 yards (he will, however, still be ridiculous).

Dray Miller (FC)
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Fan Since: Birth (1980)
Playing For: Vintage Brent Jones 49ers Jersey or Pat Tillman Cardinals Jersey (Both Went to My High School)
2009 Breakout Player: DE Jarron Gilbert–Chicago Bears
2009 Breakout Team: San Francisco 49ers, of course.
2009 BOLD Prediction: Josh McDaniels will be fired after just one season, in which he manages to completely ruin the Denver Broncos organization.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Scotty Kimberly (FC)
Hometown: Bellingham, WA
Fan Since: Birth (1985)
Playing For: No. 51 Lofa Tatupu Home Jersey
2009 Breakout Player: RB Ray Rice—Baltimore Ravens
2009 Breakout Team: Detroit Lions (Expect 6+ Wins)
2009 BOLD Prediction: Pat White will finish the year with 15-plus combined TD (Rush/Receive/Throw).

Rob Staton (FC)
Hometown: Sheffield, United Kingdom
Fan Since: 2004
Playing For: No. 80 Steve Largent Retro or No. 89 John Carlson Home
2009 Breakout Player: RB Cedric Benson
2009 Breakout Team: Houston Texans
2009 BOLD Prediction: Knowshon Moreno will rush for 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Ron Clements (FC)
Hometown: La Crosse, WI
Fan Since: Packers Fan Since Birth (1974)
Playing For: No. 19 Derek Stanley (He's from Wisconsin)
2009 Breakout Player: TE Billy Bajema—St. Louis Rams
2009 Breakout Team: Green Bay Packers (10 Wins This Year)
2009 BOLD Prediction: Steven Jackson will lead the NFL in total yards from scrimmage AND Billy Bajema will finish the season with more receptions than Randy McMichael.

Seth Doria (FC)
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Fan Since: 2009
Playing For: Rams 2010 First-Round Draft Pick
2009 Breakout Player: RB Michael Bush—Oakland Raiders (the next Michael Turner)
2009 Breakout Team: Green Bay Packers
2009 BOLD Prediction: Vince Young will make more starts than Kerry Collins.

Please comment with what you like/dislike/expect and join in on the discussion.

Game on.

sk.

Breaking News: Seattle Seahawks Release RB T.J. Duckett

Scotty Kimberly — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:11:07 -0400

ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the Seattle Seahawks have released running back T.J. Duckett.

On Monday, the Seahawks' front office refused to comment on widespread speculation that the team had signed veteran running back Edgerrin James.

In the meantime, Seattle seemingly opened up a roster spot that James could fill by releasing Duckett, a former first-round pick out of Michigan State.

In 2008, Duckett tallied 172 yards on 68 carries, along with a team-high eight rushing touchdowns. Despite productive touchdown numbers, Duckett's potential as a feature back was clearly lacking.

According to sources, Duckett was informed of the decision on Monday night.

The Seahawks declined to comment until the team resumed practice on Tuesday, but both Duckett's release and James' signing are expected to be officially announced at that time.

Link to ProFootballTalk Report

Seattle Seahawks' Offensive Line Continues to Shift in Wake of Injuries

Scotty Kimberly — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:12:00 -0400

The Seattle Seahawks continue to face a myriad of injuries to their offensive line. The most recent casualty was Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones.

Jones left practice on Monday with back problems, and after sitting out practice for the following two days the team announced that he was scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery to remove scar tissue in his surgically repaired left knee (details here).

Jones' injury only magnifies the Seahawks Achilles heel over the past calendar year: the inability of the offensive line to remain healthy.

Every opening day starter for the 2008 Seattle Seahawks offensive line finished the season on the injured reserve.

Approaching the 2009 season, these health concerns have continued.

The first Seahawks loss on the offensive line occurred the day before training camp opened, when Pro Bowl left guard Mike Wahle was released by the Seahawks after failing his physical. Wahle had not wholly recovered from offseason shoulder surgery.

In the first week of training camp, incumbent center Chris Spencer sprained his ankle and has missed time intermittently since then. He was a game-time decision for the Chargers game last weekend and, if he continues to progress, should be ready for the season opener next month.

Tackle Ray Willis has also regularly missed time during training camp due to soreness in his left knee. This was planned, however, as the Seahawks have intentionally limited Willis' practice time due to a history of knee problems.

With the injury to Walter Jones, Willis' contributions are expected to increase greatly, which could place more strain on his bad knee.

Guard Mansfield Wrotto sat out on two different occasions with a leg bruise. The injury was not considered serious, but Wrotto is currently slated to start (although rookie Max Unger could wrestle the starting gig away from him), and any nicks and bruises cannot be taken lightly.

On top of Spencer, Willis, and Wrotto missing practice, veteran offensive linemen Cory Withrow and Grey Ruegamer have also missed significant time during training camp.

By utilizing the exceptional versatility of a number of offensive linemen, the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff has adapted quite well to the current injuries on the offensive line.

Rookie Max Unger was a center at the University of Oregon, and has already practiced with both the first and second teams at center, left guard, and right guard. Unger is projected to compete for playing time with Mansfield Wrotto at right guard since last year's starting right guard, Rob Sims, has shifted to left guard to replace Mike Wahle.

Third-year center Steve Vallos has also bounced around the offensive line in training camp. Vallos played left tackle at Wake Forest, but lacked the size to play tackle in the NFL, and therefore moved to the interior line.

In 2008, Vallos was called on to start the final five games of the year when Chris Spencer landed on the injured reserve. He has risen from a seventh round draft pick in 2007 to a key backup on the Seahawks offensive line.

Tackle Ray Willis is another unheralded offensive linemen who will be called upon in 2009. Willis, a fifth-year tackle out of Florida State, has only started ten games in his career, all of which came in the Seattle Seahawks injury-plagued 2008 season. He regularly rests his ailing knees, but Willis has shown the coaching staff enough to warrant a starting roster spot in place of the injured Walter Jones.

With a growing list of injury concerns, the Seahawks have marched a number of combinations onto the field for their first-team offensive line. Here is a sample of the combinations which have been used so far (from left tackle to right tackle):

Jones - Sims - Spencer - Wrotto - Locklear (Projected Starters)
Jones - Sims - Unger - Locklear - Willis
Locklear - Sims - Spencer - Wrotto - Willis
Locklear - Sims - Spencer - Unger - Willis
Locklear - Sims - Vallos - Unger - Willis
Locklear - Sims - Vallos - Wrotto - K.Williams
Locklear - Sims - Vallos - Wrotto - Willis

At least Rob Sims is healthy, right?

Every injury shifts the dynamics of the Seahawks offensive line.

Wahle's retirement forced Rob Sims' move to left guard, creating a vacancy at right guard which Mansfield Wrotto and Max Unger are battling for. Walter Jones' injury forced Sean Locklear's move to left tackle, which consequently thrust Ray Willis into the starting lineup at right tackle.

As injury concerns persist, keep watch for how the Seahawks coaching staff manages the offensive line. While health problems will certainly persist, the coaches seem quite capable of filling the holes that these injuries create.

From a Yankee Hater: Stop Booing Derek Jeter

Scotty Kimberly — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:11:57 -0400

Let me preface this article by reiterating the fact that this is coming from a seasoned Yankee hater.

Unlike most bandwagon Yankee haters, my disdain for the Evil Empire was born out of repeated post-season defeats in the most formative years of my fanhood (see the Seattle Mariners 2000 and 2001 ALCS losses to the Yankees).

I reveal this information to dispel any assertion that this article is written out of favoritism towards the New York Yankees.

That being said, let’s get cut to the chase.

In the first inning of Friday's Mariners-Yankees game, Seattle Mariners fans did what nearly every other baseball stadium outside of the Bronx has grown accustomed to; they booed Yankees team captain Derek Jeter, who was the leadoff batter.

While I have no qualms with booing the New York Yankees (in fact, I encourage such behavior), I am hesitant to boo Derek Jeter.

Let me explain why.

Reasons Not to Boo Derek Jeter

For those who disagree, and consequently support booing Derek Jeter, ask yourselves the following question: Why do I hate the New York Yankees?

The answer almost undoubtedly rests upon the Yankees aggressive financial dealings and arrogant ownership.

This can be phrased a million ways. I hate the Steinbrenners, the Yankees just buy all the best players in baseball, and the Yankees payroll is unfair to the game of baseball are examples, but the core idea remains the same.

While hatred for the Yankees financial endeavors is certainly legitimate (it certainly contributes to my own hatred for the pinstripes), I struggle to shift hatred to Derek Jeter based on such.

Derek Jeter was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1992. To give this some context, he was the sixth selection in the draft (which tells you how the Yankees had played the prior season).

At the time Jeter was drafted, the Yankees had not made the playoffs since a 1981 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While Jeter undoubtedly plays for a Yankees team that buys up every top-shelf free agent it can, it's unfair in my opinion to assign this trait to a player who was drafted nearly 20 years ago and came up through the Yankees system.

When Booing Derek Jeter Makes Sense

For the reasons stated above, I have a difficult time understanding why opposing team's fans pick Derek Jeter out of the Yankees lineup as the player to harass. There are times, however, when booing Derek Jeter is perfectly understandable.

First, booing Derek Jeter makes sense if the fans decide to simply boo anyone affiliated with the Yankees. Most people who boo Derek Jeter do so under the belief that Jeter represents the New York Yankees, therefore he should be booed.

If fans are going to adhere to this philosophy (booing players based on hatred for the Yankees) then they need to be consistent in doing so.

Ironically, the two hitters who followed Jeter on Friday night, Yankee stars Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira, received little to no fan response as they were announced over the PA.

Had the fans taken it upon themselves to boo Damon and Teixeira as aggressively as Jeter, then their actions would have been legitimate, as the fans would have clearly been booing Yankee players in general, not just Derek Jeter.

Second, booing Derek Jeter makes sense if it's coming from his most hated rivals. Fans of division rivals have every reason in the world to boo Derek Jeter. Why not? He plays for their mortal enemies...

This article isn't aimed at Red Sox fans who boo Derek Jeter, because that makes perfect sense. Instead, it is aimed at the majority of Major League Baseball stadiums which have developed the habit of booing Jeter (and only Jeter).

Booing Alternatives for Yankee Haters

While this article is defending the face of the New York Yankees franchise, it is in no way defending the Yankees themselves.

While I am encouraging fans to show Derek Jeter the respect he has earned throughout his career, I have no problem giving a green light to booing other prominent Yankees.

Boo Alex Rodriguez!

Boo A-Rod because of his ridiculous contract. Boo him for the ridiculous photo shoot he did earlier this year, because he could probably have his pick of the women in New York, and because he exercised this power to nail Madonna (weak).

Boo A-Rod because he is a traitor. He not only sold out the Mariners for a quarter of a billion dollars, but did so for the Rangers.

Boo A-Rod because of steroids. He cheated, he was caught, he admitted to a few years use, and let's be honest, he probably used a lot more.

Boo Johnny Damon!

Boo Johnny Damon because he pulled the biggest backstab in baseball history. Period. Boo him because he helped bring a championship to Boston for the first time in a century and promptly threw the fan base under the proverbial bus.

Boo Johnny Damon for the hair. Is it any coincidence those GEICO caveman commercials came out after Damon's run in Boston? There's a reason Dante's inner circle of hell was reserved for traitors...

Boo Mark Teixeira! Boo Mark Teixeira for being so damn good. I mean seriously, who doesn't want a switch-hitting, power-hitting, excellent fielding first baseman?

Boo Teixeira for leading on the Red Sox, and any other team chasing him. In fact, boo him for even entertaining the Washington Nationals. When an article asserts a "tough decision" between the Nationals and Red Sox, you know it must be fiction.

Boo Mark Teixeira for adding to the Evil Empire, cashing his enormous paychecks, and probably leading the New York Yankees to their first World Series in almost a decade...

I know I will catch some heat for defending Mr. Yankee, but I feel that someone needs to address Jeter being thrown under the bus along with the rest of the Yankees.

Sure, Jeter can be a little over-the-top sometimes. Yes, the fist pump annoys me, and yes, sometimes that jump throw is completely unnecessary. In fact, some Yankee Haters have provided as many as a hundred reasons to hate Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter has been a class act since entering baseball. He may not be the most talented hitter or the most talented fielder, but he has been a poster boy for consistency in his time in the league.

If you want to hate the Yankees, by all means do so. I'm not stopping you. But next time you wish to express this hatred, take it out on a player who actually stands for what you hate about the Evil Empire.

sk.