Around the League with Edgerrin James, Anquan Boldin, and More
It's Thursday, and most are waiting for Friday to roll around. Let's get your day going with some items that have crossed my desk and my fantasy take on them. A partial fantasy take on some of it since it's so early in the season!
Let's get down to it with what's making headlines this offseason.
Let's take a look around the league
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Colts Release Kenny Moore
My Take: Steve Wyche reports Williams has not been cleared to practice.
For those who have forgotten, Williams tore the patella tendon in his left knee last year after dealing with his right knee the year before! Has the team moved on with the signing of Derrick Ward?
Of course they have, and they will look toward Ward and Earnest Graham as a one-two punch. This allows them to continue the slow process of bringing Cadillac along. Right now Williams has minimal value that will go up or down based on his rehabilitation.
Don't view him as that deep sleeper toward the end of your draft. I doubt, barring injuries to others, he'll see much of the field this year.
My Take: Drew Rosenhaus, super agent who screws not only fans but players (ask Errict Rhett), is stating that Edge will take his time to find a team. Translation: Edge doesn't want to do OTAs, minicamps or anything else for that matter.
Most veterans don't, so don't scream at Edge for being a malcontent! Unless Rosenhaus can squeeze a sweetheart deal for Edge, it would not be surprising to find him with an incentive-filled contract near training camp time.
Don't get me wrong, Rosenhaus is looking hard, but most general managers know that Edge's postseason production was due more to his fresh legs than his having anything left in the tank. Obviously, he has no value until we know which team will overpay, err, sign him!
My Take: Let's stick with the super chump, err, Rosenhaus as he states Boldin is not seeking $10 million per year. I don't believe him. I believe Boldin was seeking that, but since the market has dried up he's now willing to go for less. That's how it works.
Rosenhaus knows and understands people. That is, he's able to read a general manager and come up with the best deal for his player by pressing the proper "fear" buttons of the general manager. He's a great agent in doing his job at the cost of the team and fans.
That stated, even the great ones screw up now and then; I'll say again: Remember Errict Rhett, because Boldin will not see those dollars—at least not that much! Boldin deserves elite dollars, but because of his agent, his attitude and his potential to get a new deal only to ask for a new one two years from now, teams are staying away.
If I'm the Philadelphia Eagles, I try to trade for him, but if I'm the Cardinals, I hold firm. If I'm a fantasy owner, I draft him as if it's business as usual. Holdout or not, he'll play somewhere this year and post solid numbers as he's playing for a contract!
Finally, I don't care what anyone states about Eagles rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. He's not proven, while Boldin is. The Eagles are built to win now, not later, and Boldin can help speed that up. Maclin can't!
My Take: Jackson and the Bills have squared away a new contract for him,and it's an important one. Why? Well, with Marshawn Lynch gone for the first three weeks because of suspension, Jackson probably has the edge over free-agent signee Dominic Rhodes.
Look for a one-two punch here, but I would bank on Jackson, with his youth and knowledge of the playbook, over Rhodes to start.
That stated, I think both will play. The real issue arises with the return of Lynch. Though one would assume Jackson will be the backup, it's so far away that it's not worth delving into. Grab Jackson over Rhodes on draft day would be my advice though.
I guess I do have an opinion on who would be the backup to Lynch by telling you to grab Jackson. D'OH!
Michael Vick, Prisoner - "... here are guys who most people think aren't winners." My Take: As much as I despise Vick, the moron will have served his time and should be allowed to resume his career. It's the right thing to do, and we hope he comes out a different man.
However, the odds, IMHO, of his success are slim to none! The writer tries to state that Tony Dungy's talk will help Vick in the eyes of the NFL and the public. I disagree. No one will help Vick until he decides to help himself, and that will only happen through actions.
Humans are humans toward one another, but when you hurt kids or animals, the public is much less forgiving because children are precious despite what my thoughts are on kids.
OK, I'll give you my thoughts anyway: They're spoiled, they have excuses made for them by parents, and most believe they deserve an X-Box 360 just because. I digress by stating my thoughts on 95 percent of today's youth, but that's how I see it ... so sue me!
Back on topic: Animals give nothing but unconditional love and never deserve maltreatment from humans, so when it happens it's viewed almost being as low as you can go. Dungy's appearance is not going to help.
Proof? Dungy couldn't get the businesses that committed to his offender's job fair to show up now that he's not the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. I believe this is just another famous face visiting a prisoner and hoping for good PR—at least Vick hopes for good PR.
That stated, I can see Vick going to a team, and suddenly the Wildcat offense becomes productive. I think he could have his best years statistically on his return because of the Wildcat being the offensive scheme flavor of the year.
Obviously, Vick is just fun to talk about as he has no fantasy value right now!
My Take: This is an excellent blog by KFFL friend Jim Wyatt! The team wants to use Johnson in more ways than they did last year, and I like it. He's a devastating runner as his feet and speed make defenders miss and tackle open air.
If he had not gone down in the playoffs last year against the Baltimore Ravens, then the Titans easily win that game. You can talk to any analyst you want; 99 percent of them will agree on that assessment.
In the end, the Ravens just could not touch him, but injury took him out and gave the Ravens their controversial win. I'll go as far as saying if Johnson doesn't go down, then the Titans walk away with the Super Bowl.
That's how good he was and how important he was to the team. Fantasy owners can expect to see more receptions if they use him as a receiver as well. He's that good, and I agree with Wyatt: It's what many thought—I never did—Reggie Bush could become.
In my eyes, Johnson is easily a top-five fantasy player in point-per-reception leagues and a first-rounder in non-PPR leagues.
My Take: Do I need to comment? We've seen both receivers in action, and they are quality wideouts but not top-tier quality. Despite the fact that the Giants drafted Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, I believe they will have to sign a veteran.
While Anquan Boldin may not be of any interest today as OTAs and minicamps go, the team will probably realize they need help, and if they're smart they'll take a hard look at Boldin. He's upset about respect financially speaking and is not an off-the-field problem like Plaxico Burress is.
I predict they'll sign a veteran of some sort to come into camp when training camps open. I don't put much stock into this starting duo and believe when most drafts roll around, we will see different names listed as starters.
Minnesota Vikings, DTs Kevin Williams and Pat Williams - "... Williamses are seeking up to $10 million..."
My Take: The Williamses believe they are being railroaded. However, with the death of Korey Stringer in 2001 because of heatstroke after he had taken an ephedra-based product that morning, diuretic or not, I find them 100 percent culpable!
Why? Because you have to look toward your health always, and only you can be responsible for that! I know; the ingredients did not appear on the bottle.
However, to lose weight they were using unnatural means that could cause health problems if not done properly. I used to wrestle, and most wrestlers know every trick to lose weight, and if you're using diuretics, you're struggling.
If I have a child, I will have strict guidelines if he wants to wrestle, and professional players should be and need to be just as strict with their own bodies! The fact they are also looking for up to $10 million shows us how much greed is at the heart of this. Whatever happened to doing what's right in this world?
All that stated, the Williamses make the Vikings defense potent and easily a top-five fantasy defense. Their loss would hurt the team and fantasy owners. Resolving this during the offseason is the best alternative with their suspensions! In this country, we never learn until we're caught AND punished.
If they don't and instead continue down this road, odds are we won't have another Stringer with them, but someone else will see how they were able to get away with it, and he could be the next death. Instead of doing what's right, the NFLPA will do what's self-serving.
That's it for the second week of May 2009! Have a great weekend, be safe and we'll do it again next week.
As I always say, if you're looking for breaking news updates that get to you faster than e-mail, follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wdelpilar
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