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Fantasy Focus: Should I Bench Chris Johnson this Week vs the Ravens?

September 16th 2011 19:46
This is not a question I would normally ask myself. One of my rules in fantasy football is you don't bench your star player because of a tough match-up. There are exceptions to this, of course, but in general it's a rule I live by.

Johnson missed basically all of training camp due to his holdout, and his touches were limited in week one. He carried the ball 9 times for 24 yards in the Titans' loss to the Jaguars. He also caught 5 passes for 25 yards. It was a pretty lame week for Johnson's fantasy owners, but we all knew going in that he would see limited action.

My concern was with the fact that the Titans made no attempt to establish the run. As a team they only ran the ball 13 times, one of those being a scramble by Matt Hasselbeck, and passed it 34 times. Coming from a team that has always preferred to establish the run to open up the passing game, and is coached by a former offensive lineman, that was surprising. They were down the whole game, but not by so much that they needed to abandon their game plan.

Titans head coach Mike Munchak is ready to give the ball to Johnson more, saying he thinks CJ could have as many as 25 touches on Sunday. Good thinking on Munchak's part considering the Titans are 17-7 when Johnson runs for 100 yards or more and 18-5 when he runs for a touchdown.

There isn't much history to look at when trying to decide whether or not to start Johnson against Baltimore. He faced them twice in his rookie season, 2008, and had mixed results. In week 5 he was held in check, getting 20 touches for a total of 48 yards. However, when the teams faced again in the playoffs he torched the Ravens for 100 yards and 1 touchdown on just 12 touches, before leaving the game with an ankle injury.

Johnson has always been an up and down, week to week fantasy player. Much of his value is based on big plays, and sometimes those plays just don't happen. Last season Johnson was held to 90 yards from scrimmage or less 8 times, and in 6 of those games he was also kept out of the end zone. In each of his other 8 games he had at least 124 yards from scrimmage, and scored at least one TD in 7 of them.

Don't be discouraged by Johnson's low totals in week 1. The potential for a big week is still there. I'm not saying that he's a guarantee for big points, but the potential for a great week is always there and you will miss out on it if you bench him.
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Following @ChrisJohnson28 on Twitter

September 1st 2011 06:16
CJ's Twitter Profile Pic
The good news is that Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans are working toward a deal that would end the running back”s holdout in time for him to participate in the team's regular season opener on September 11th. Both sides have been in close contact with each other. NFL analyst & sportswriter Michael Lombardi believes that a deal will be done by Friday.

The bad news is that he has joined the list of players who make themselves look like jerks on Twitter. To be clear, I do not think he is a bad guy. I think that people who want to take his comments the wrong way will see them as they want to see them.

This morning CJ tweeted:
"I like to thank everyone who have me in their prayers thru my situation, it's much needed"

He was mocked by the national media for this one. I'm assuming he tweeted this in response to many mentions from fans saying they were praying for him. I think that thanking those people was a classy move. To be honest, I may have snuck him into my prayers a little bit, but that's just me being a fan.

A few hours later he tweeted:
"Can these fake Titan fans STFU on my timeline I don't have a regular job so don't compare me to you and I can care less if uthink I'm greedy"

Well, he's right, but it's probably not something he should say. It comes across as condescending, but think about it. He is holding out from his job, so he's probably checking his Twitter account relentlessly, and probably wondering what his fans are saying about him. There's no doubt that in the last week or so the Titans have won the public relations battle. Support seems to be shifting to the team's side after being on CJ's side since the beginning. There's a very good chance that he started to see a lot of negative comments after being supported through most of his holdout. This was a tweet of frustration, not of judgement. Look at it from that perspective.

He must have gotten a very bad response from that tweet, because he quickly followed with:
"If you was a real fan my tweet would not bother you it only make the fake fans upset"

After seeing his last tweet I was wondering if he was mad at me. This tweet made me feel better, because it tells you how to know whether you are a "real fan" or a "fake fan". I qualify as a real fan because I was not offended by his other tweet. Whew! Dodged a bullet on that one.

Probably more bad response, because he tweeted a few hours later:
"My titan fans taking it all wrong I'm talking to the ones writing me racist Comments. I'm not call the Titan fans fake at all. #LUV"

This was the first mention of racist comments. I kind of hate it when people play the race card when they are backpedaling, but it's probably true. One thing I've learned about social media is that people will say lots of things that they wouldn't say to your face. Especially to someone who they will likely never meet.

Several hours later he tweeted:
"In Orlando downtown at the chophouse with Joel talking business over dinner"

Joel Segal is his agent, and they are talking about contract negotiations. This is the story we should be focusing on. Titans, please pay the man and get him back on the field.
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How High Will the Eagles Fly in 2011?

August 27th 2011 04:33
This is an interesting question. The Eagles have been one of the most active teams in free agency this year. They definitely signed the most high profile free agents skill position players. They were dubbed "Dream Team" by their recently acquired back up quarterback Vince Young, and many people have drawn a comparison between them and the Miami Heat. The Eagles will be good, but not the team to beat in the NFC, and maybe not quite as good as you think.

They added depth at wide receiver by signing former New York Giant, Steve Smith. Smith missed a good chunk of last season due to injury, but in 2009 he caught 107 passes for 1,220 yards and 7 touchdowns. He will likely be their third receiver behind Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson. Smith will round out an already formidable receiving corps. That makes Michael Vick smile.

They added depth at running back by signing former Miami Dolphin, Ronnie Brown. Brown is a smart veteran player with a 4.3 yards per carry average in his 6 year career. He is out to prove that there is still some tread left on his tires. However, Brown has had a very injury plagued career. He has missed 20 games due to injury, and has managed to play all 16 games just twice. Brown will back up LeSean McCoy, who is coming off of an excellent season in which he had 1,672 total yards from scrimmage. Both running backs are valuable in the passing game as well, which fits into Andy Reid's offense perfectly.

Michael Vick was solid last season. He tailed off a little bit down the stretch, but still put up solid numbers. It would be impossible for anyone not to tail off from how he played in his first five games. During that stretch he averaged 260 passing yards, 65 rushing yards and threw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. There was nowhere to go but down, so I think the "Vick is regressing" argument made by many, including ESPN's Skip Bayless, is not accurate. He finished the season with a 100.2 quarterback rating, passed for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 676 yards and 9 touchdowns in just 12 games.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think the Eagles will score some points. However, there are a few question marks on the offensive line, especially on the right side with King Dunlap starting at RT and rookie Danny Watkins starting at guard. Vick can avoid some pressure with his elusiveness, but the Eagles need him thinking pass first. If his protection breaks down he may be forced to run more often than he should.

They added a pair of top notch cornerbacks, signing Nnamdi Asomugha as a free agent and trading for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Along with Asante Samuel they will have the best cornerback trio in the league. But their most difficult loss was also in their defensive beckfield. Strong safety and team leading tackler Quintin Mikell signed with the St Louis Rams. Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the best safety in the league over the last 3 seasons. He is a very versatile safety and they will miss his presence, especially in run defense.

The biggest question I have about the Eagles is their linebacking group, which has been speculated by some to be the worst in the league. I'm not sure if I agree with that, but what I do believe is that Jamar Chaney, Moise Fokou and Casey Matthews are very young, very inexperienced and, in my opinion, not very talented.

The biggest problems that the Eagles will have this season are pass protection and stopping the run. Opponents will probably try to pound the ball on the ground, and teams with good tight ends will be able to take advantage of their match ups against the Eagle's safeties and linebackers. I think they will end up around 12-4 and probably win their division. But in the NFC I like the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers as better all around teams.
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Is Eli Manning a Top Five Quarterback?

August 20th 2011 04:00
First of all, what kind of a question is that to ask a guy about himself? Oh yeah, it's a question by a radio show host trying to make headlines. For those of you who missed it, here is a little bit of what Eli said when asked by ESPN New York's Michael Kay if he considers himself a top five quarterback:

"I consider myself in that class and Tom Brady is a great quarterback


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Top RB Money Isn't Enough For CJ: Is He Worth More?

August 16th 2011 19:52
The stalemate between Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans is still ongoing. Titans GM Mike Reinfeldt publicly stated that the team is willing to make Johnson the highest paid running back in the NFL. Adrian Peterson is currently the highest paid, scheduled to make $10.7 million this season. But that isn't enough for CJ. He is reportedly looking for a deal that will pay him an average of $13 million or more per season over the first three seasons. He wants to be paid, not like the best running back in the league, but one of the best offensive players overall. I don't think there is any dispute over whether or not he has outplayed his rookie contract, or that he is worth more than the $800,000 he is due. But the question is, is he worth that much money?

My initial thought was "Wow! That's too much." But Johnson is a special and unique player. He is one of only six players in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, which he did in 2009. He also set the record that season for total yards from scrimmage with 2,509. He has proven to be a dual threat, catching 134 passes in his three NFL seasons


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Please Pay CJ2k: A Few Thoughts from a Titans Fan

August 9th 2011 23:06

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson's hold out has now reached twelve days. More often than not I think it's lame when a player holds out for more money, but in this particular instance when i saw the numbers I just about fell out of my chair.

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T Jack or Clipboard Jesus: The Seahawks QB Battle?

August 7th 2011 05:45
After the departure of free agent quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks were faced with a tough decision. Stand firm at quarterback and go with Charlie Whitehurst, whom they had just traded for the previous season, or go after a signal caller via trade or free agency.

They could have tried to trade for Kevin Kolb or Kyle Orton, who were probably the hottest quarterbacks on the market. The Seahawks instead decided to sign unrestricted free agent Tarvaris Jackson to a two year, $8 million deal. That move left a lot of people wondering who would start, Charlie or T Jack


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Will Jake Locker Make it as an NFL QB?

August 5th 2011 00:02
I was as surprised as anyone when my favorite team, the Tennessee Titans, selected Jake Locker with the 8th overall pick in the NFL draft this year. I was expecting them to go with a defensive lineman, like Nick Fairly out of Auburn. I wasn't upset that they went with a quarterback, but I thought it was curious that they picked Locker over University of Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was higher on just about every analysts draft board.


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Top 10 Fantasy Quarterbacks in 2011

July 10th 2011 22:48
Obviously the lockout makes ranking fantasy players a little bit tricky, as if pre-season rankings weren't tricky enough. There is a lot of uncertainty about what different team's rosters will look like when all is said and done. You have seen my top 10 running back list. Here's my best guess about quarterbacks for the upcoming NFL season.

There is very little separation in my top six. For the most part these are the guys that get it done year after year


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Top 10 Fantasy Running Backs in 2011

July 7th 2011 05:10
Obviously the lockout makes ranking fantasy players a little bit tricky, as if pre-season rankings weren't tricky enough. There is a lot of uncertainty about what different team's rosters will look like when all is said and done. Here's my best guess about running backs for the upcoming NFL season.

1. Arian Foster - Houston Texans
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