Look Ahead: St. Louis Rams

23. July 2012  - Published by Dan Clasgens

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Sam Bradford
is entering his third season in the NFL and will have his third different offensive coordinator. After a promising rookie season that saw him throw for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdowns, Bradford took a step back during his sophomore campaign as he limited by injuries. In his 10 starts a year ago Bradford threw as many interceptions (6) as he did touchdowns (6).  During his two-year career and his 26 starts the Rams’ signal caller has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in just three games.

SCHEDULE
St. Louis’ slate is an easy one, but it remains to be seen if they can take advantage of it. Nine of their 16 contests come indoors and they only have one true cold-weather game on tap. Only five of their 16 games are against teams that finished with 10 or more wins a year ago. They only have one prime time game as they host Arizona on Thursday night in Week 5. The fantasy playoff matchups at Buffalo, Vikings and at Tampa Bay in Weeks 14-16 are extremely favorable.

STUD

The most consistent fantasy performer on the Rams is hands down Steven Jackson. The running back has cranked out seven consecutive 1000-yard seasons and has caught at least 40 balls out of the backfield in each of the past four years. He’ll be 29 by time the season gets underway which raises some area of concern, but he will continue to be the focal point of the Rams’ offense. Jackson is a low-end RB1 and is likely to slip to the end of Round 2 into Round 3 on draft day.

DUD
Despite showing great flashes since his days at Missouri, wide receiver Danario Alexander has been unable to shake the injury bug.  His blazing speed and 6-foot-5 frame has made him a favorite sleeper for fantasy owners the past two seasons, but the fact he’s only played in 18 games during that span makes him hard to count on. The team added plenty of depth at the position in the offseason and that coupled with the durability concerns has caused Alexander to no longer be fantasy worthy.

SLEEPER
With Josh McDaniels no longer calling the plays, tight end Lance Kendricks is expected to be a much larger factor in the Rams’ passing attack.  He caught 28 balls for 352 yards during his rookie season, but he is still searching for his first career touchdown. Look for big strides in year two for the young tight end, but with so much depth at the position entering this season fantasy owners are better off to monitor his progress early in the season as a potential waiver wire grab rather than drafting him.

NEW ADDITIONS
Head coach Jeff Fisher has arrived in St. Louis and he brings offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer with him. The duo is expected to change things up and that should lead to the Rams grinding it out more frequently. Despite posting a 142-120 record during his 17-year reign in Tennessee, Fisher led teams only finished as a top 10 scoring offense twice during his tenure.

POSITION BATTLE

The organization completely overhauled its receiver corps during the offseason. Big things are expected from second-round pick Brian Quick, who could quickly emerge as the team team’s top option in the passing game.  Fourth-round pick Chris Givens slid in the draft and could start opposite of Quick with a good camp. Veteran Steve Smith was added and his experience could help him land the starting job early on.  Danny Amendola is a great slot player, but needs to prove he’s 100 percent. The battle for targets is going to be important to watch early on.

BENCH BUILDER

The Rams added Isaiah Pead to serve as Jackson’s primary backup in the running game. Pead has the ability to be a capable passing game weapon and should be the primary kick returner out of the gate. With the team hoping to keep Jackson fresh, expect him to get touches. If Jackson goes down with an injury, Pead would immediately become a fantasy commodity. Jackson owners should be sure to add him as insurance, but any owner could benefit from the depth, especially in PPR formats.

Fantasy Football, NFL , , , , , , , , , ,

Game Balls: Week 12

29. November 2010  - Published by Jim Humbert

RB Game Ball - Peyton Hillis, Cleveland - 26 carries, 131 yards, 3 TD, 6 catches, 63 yards
It's not that tough to figure out where the Browns may be without their stud running back. Winless would be a pretty good bet. Right not Hillis is everything for Cleveland. The team has had a merry-go-round at the QB position and Jake Delhomme did not look very good against his former team on Sunday with no TDs and two interceptions. Hillis led the team in receiving yards against the Panthers and leads the team in receptions for the year. And if the Browns score, it's usually Hillis doing the dance. He has accounted for 13 of the teams 21 TDs this season. Just imagine how good he might be if someone actually helped him out.

RB Honorable Mention - Arian Foster, Houston - 30 carries, 143 yards, 9 catches, 75 yards (getting close to Faulk/Tomlinson/Peterson fantasy numbers.)


QB Game Ball - Sam Bradford, St. Louis - 22/37, 308 yards, 3 TD
Before the season started, the NFC West looked pretty weak. And, well, it is. Most would have thought the 49ers would walk to an easy title. But that has not happened. It's actually the Rams with their rookie QB who are sitting in the driving seat for the playoffs. Bradford has a career-day against the Broncos on Sunday notching his first 300+ yard game and his first 3 TD performance. In his last six games he has 11 TDs and just one interception. And he has his team looked toward the post-season.

QB Honorable Mention - Jay Cutler, Chicago - 14/21, 247 yards, 4 TD (amazing what a running game can do to help the offense - Forte 117 rushing yards.)


WR Game Ball - Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City - 13 catches, 170 yards, 3 TD
If the Rams are the surprise in the NFC, the Chiefs hold that title in the AFC. KC has a solid offense with Matt Cassel putting up big numbers every week. They have a two-headed running back in veteran Thomas Jones and youngster Jamal Charles. And they have a stud receiver in Bowe. He has scored in seven straight games with a total of 13 in that span. Throw that in with 465 receiving yards in the last three games and you have one hot receiver.

WR Honorable Mention - Greg Jennings, Green Bay - 5 catches, 119 yards (may be the only guy hotter than Bowe in the last month and a half.)


GAME-USED SOCK AWARD
Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis - 31/48, 285, 2 TD, Int
Last week Peyton got the honorable mention in this column - this week the socks are all his. The 'stud' QB has thrown seven picks in his last two games and now has 11 on the season. Sure, he also has six TDs in the last two games and some nice yardage, but most of that has been in come-from-behind mode and the Colts ended up losing both of those games. Yeah, injuries have been a problem for Indy on both sides of the ball. But in the end the team l rests on Peyton's shoulders. And for now they have to live with his stinking socks.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention - Cortland Finnegan, CB, Tennessee - 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 ejection (no class.)

Fantasy Football, NFL , , , , , , ,

Game Balls: Week 4

3. October 2010  - Published by Jim Humbert

QB Game Ball - Kyle Orton, Denver - 35/50, 341 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int
It's doubtful anyone expected much fro the Broncos this season, but after four games Orton has them moving in the right direction. While the running game has been non-existent, the young QB has been able to sling the ball around to the likes of Eddie Royal and Brandon Llloyd with good success. Denver may be defying the trend of winning games by running the ball and playing good defense, but at least through four weeks, Orton has the team looking pretty good.

QB Honorable Mention - Sam Bradford, St. Louis - 23/41, 289 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int (looking to shake off that 'rookie' status.)


RB Game Ball - LaDainian Tomlinson, NY Jets - 19 carries, 133 yards, 2 TD, 3 catches, 22 yards
Before the season started LT looked to be a good fit for the Jets. He could spell a young RB and be a nice third-down back for a young QB. Well, that idea sure has changed. Tomlinson is not going to match the numbers he put up in his MVP-type seasons, but he sure is showing that he's still a stud. There is certainly plenty left in the tank for the veteran and he may end up being the key to the Jets success throughout the year.

RB Honorable Mention - Peyton Hillis, Browns - 27 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD (back-to-back huge games against tough D's.)


WR Game Ball - Terrell Owens, Bengals - 10 catches, 222 yards, 1 TD
Through the first few games with his new team, T.O. has been rather quiet. Actually most of the talk has been about the bad play from his new QB, Carson Palmer. But the two were certainly on the same page in Clevelnad on Sunday. Of course a win would have been nice.

WR Honorable Mention - Reggie Wayne - 15 catches, 196 yards (yeah, he's still Peyton's man.)


The Game-Used Sock Award

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks - 20/36, 191 yards, 1 Int
Not much was expected from Hassebeck and the Seattle offense when the season began. But they came out strong in their first couple of games and certainly turned a few heads. So when looking at the oppurtunity to play the lowly Rams most people would assume the veteran QB would put up some nice numbers. So much for assuming. Blame can be placed on the offensive line and even a weak running game. For that matter, Hasselbeck doesn't really have a 'go-to' guy as he spread the ball around - in desperation - to ten different guys against the Rams. But at some point a veteran quarterback has to take the fall. And he has to wear nasty stinking socks on the plane back to Seattle.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention - Donovan McNabb, Redskins - 8/19, 125 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int (sure, you beat your old team but are you bragging about those numbers?)

Fantasy Football, NFL , , , , , , ,

Position Battles: Quarterbacks

11. August 2010  - Published by Jimmy Dinsmore

(In the best John Facenda voice) Training camp is a time when men gather as a team and battle for individual position and prestige in the heat of summer. As training camp begins to unfold, there are some really interesting position battles taking shape. Here are a couple of the quarterback battles to keep an eye, each one with major fantasy implications:

Arizona: No other team has more uncertainty under center than the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner's retirement assured there would drama in Flagstaff this year. Matt Leinart is penciled in (ever so lightly) as the starter, but the offseason signing of Derek Anderson means the heat is on Leinart. In a recent scrimmage, Leinart seemed to separate himself from Anderson, but there is concern about his accuracy and arm strength, and some of the coaching staff believe Anderson has a better arm and might be better suited for their style of offense. When the dust settles in the desert, I think Leinart wins the job, but his grip will be tentative at best.

Fantasy perspective: Leinart has little value and should not be considered as anything more than a bye week filler. I love the Cardinals offensive weapons, but I don't love Leinart at all. Should Anderson win the job, I would consider Anderson a low end QB2.

Cleveland: Call this position battle, the cluster in Cleveland. A crowded field of mediocrity stands alongside the "future" Cleveland quarterback, Colt McCoy. Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace were brought into Cleveland to play out this season while new President and GM Mike Holmgren grooms McCoy to take over. The real question is, when will McCoy be deemed ready and will Delhomme improve at all over his putrid performance last season?

Fantasy perspective: Don't even think about drafting Delhomme or Wallace. They are both terrible and have very few offensive weapons to help them excel. In keeper leagues, a case can be made for McCoy being a late round steal. He's a perfect west coast offense-type of quarterback, but if your goal is this year only, avoid any of Cleveland's QB candidates.

Denver: It's not necessarily a real competition in Denver's training camp yet between Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow. Orton is clearly going to be the starter and will likely hold onto that job all season. The real competition comes between Quinn and Tebow. Who will be the #2 QB? Normally that is an irrelevant question when it comes to fantasy, but when one of the candidates was a first round pick and is as hyped as Tebow, it bares watching. The Broncos management loves Tebow. He's obviously not ready to take the ball as QB, but can they find a way to work him into the playbook? They can't do that if he's the emergency/third string QB, so look for Tebow to surpass mega-bust Brady Quinn in training camp.

Fantasy perspective: Orton has decent value as a high end QB2 (nothing more) and in a keeper league, you may consider Tebow with a lot of potential, but for me, there are much better options for quarterbacks of the future. Someone in your keeper league will take the chance on Tebow though.

St. Louis: Not much of a battle between the band aid (AJ Feeley) and the franchise (Sam Bradford). However, Steve Spagnuolo has said that Feeley will start the year under center for the Rams. This is probably a good idea for the long-term health and value of Sam Bradford, but, make no mistake, Bradford will get some reps and eventually move in the starting role this year.

Fantasy perspective: Feeley has no value and Bradford has decent value as a backup QB. If you're in a keeper league, Bradford is THE QB to target. All observers have marveled at his accuracy and poise. If he can stay healthy, he could be a cornerstone to your fantasy squad for years to come.

Follow me on Twitter @dafantasygeek or find me on Facebook

Fantasy Football, NFL , , , , ,

Look Ahead: Big 12

11. August 2009  - Published by Rick Broering

As we continue our series previewing the college football conferences here on GetSportsInfo, it's time to take a look at the star-studded Big 12. 

Favorite: Oklahoma

A lot of people are ready to write Oklahoma off after losing five bowl games in six years, including three National Championships, but if you look at the Sooners there's no reason to dismiss them so quickly. Sam Bradford deciding to come back and compete for a National Championship instead of cashing his check from the Jets makes the Sooners one of the top teams in the nation instantly. Bradford is a special player and the offense shouldn't lose anything coming off a year in which they averaged 51 points per contest. They have a backfield that could be the best in the nation with a 1-2 rushing punch of DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown and the coaches are high on the offensive line despite having to replace four of the five positions.  

On defense is where Oklahoma could really see improvements however. Last year the offense came up short in some offensive shootouts because the defense couldn't stop anybody, but this year the Sooners could actually hold teams in check. The defensive line boasts quite possibly the most dominant front seven in college football. They could quite possibly have six legitimate draft picks on the front line alone. Couple that with Ryan Reynolds, Keenan Clayton and Travis Lewis at the linebacker positions and no one is going to have succcess running the football. The secondary will not be near as talented as the front seven, but they should be better than last year and not near as much of a weakness especially with the pressure being provided up front. 

Sleeper: Missouri

Everyone is expecting Missouri to slip back into mediocrity, and with good reason after losing players such as Chase Daniel, Chase Coffman, Jeff Wolfert, Jeremy Maclin, Stryker Sulak, Ziggy Hood, William Moore, Brock Christopher, and Tommy Saunders. However, the future is not as grim as many believe. Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff have done an unbelievable job when it comes to recruiting. They haven't let a single big recruit slip out of Missouri and have even been able to steal some top talents out of places like Texas and other locations with big name programs to actually upgrade the talent of the team. They will be young and will have a lot of potential that has to be realized before success will come, but this team has maybe as much talent as any in the conference.  New starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have to replace legend Chase Daniel, but he will actually allow the offense to do things that they couldn't with Daniel. He has more upside than Daniel did and with that flexibility he provides them it's not out of the question to say he could have Tigers fans forgetting about their beloved Daniel. 

Overrated: Texas

Now before everyone gets all pissed off about that, know that I'm not saying Texas won't be good and win a lot of games... Because they are and they will. However, when anything less than winning a Big 12 title and ending up in Pasadena in early January is acceptable there is a big chance that this team is overrated and won't achieve those standards. Oklahoma is better, Oklahoma State has the potential and maturity to pull an upset, unlike last year, and going to Missouri could be a letdown game for the Longhorns if the Red River rivalry doesn't go in their favor. 

Final Take: 

The Big 12 is not as good as the SEC is top to bottom, but it is a heck of a lot more fun to watch. With stars on every roster in this conference, Saturdays should consist of bigtime offensive shootouts on a regular basis. The Big 12 could boast seven of the top ten draft choices in next year's NFL draft.

College Football , , , , , , , ,

Like Tebow, Bradord Staying

14. January 2009  - Published by Dan Clasgens

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow let his fans know last weekend that he would return for his senior season and now it looks the like the quarterback that beat him out in the Heisman Trophy race this year, Sam Bradford, could be returning to college for another season too.

ESPN.com is reporting that Bradford is expected to announce that he's returning to Oklahoma. The Heisman Trophy winner is projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick if he enters the draft.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams, who said Wednesday that he would return to the Sooners next season, said he believes Bradford will return.

"My gut feeling is that Sam is coming back," said Williams, who spoke with Bradford. "The entire state may be very happy."

It would be nice to see Bradford return for another season, but I couldn't blame him if he left.

College Football , , , ,

College Bowl Game Pick 'Em Breakdown

16. December 2008  - Published by Chris Murdico

The bowl games finally start this weekend. Fellow GetSportsInfo.com writer, Jeremy Fischer, and myself have put together our picks including how confident we are in them. In case you've never done a pick 'em game like this before, here's how it works. In addition to picking who you think will win the game, you assign a number to that pick as to how confident you think that pick is going to be right. There are 34 bowl games this year (way too many in most people's opinion, but that's beside the point), so the max number of confidence points you can give to one game is, yep, you guessed it, 34. The game you are least confident in you assign one point too, and fill in everything in between.

A lot of office pools are done like this and make it much more challenging than simply picking a winner for each game. As J-Fish states when it comes to doing a pick 'em game like this, "I have seen many strategies and I prefer the one that calls for using the higher confidence points on the bigger BCS games." He goes on to give his reasons as to why.

"Right or wrong, the larger conference teams get more coverage. The more information that is out there, the better informed pick you can make. The more informed you are, the more confident you'll be about a particular selection." Makes sense right? So picking the BCS bowl games really isn't as difficult as picking some of the more obscure games like the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Southern Mississippi and Troy that provide more difficulty in not only picking who will win, but deciding how confident you are in that pick.

J-Fish goes on to say, "Unless you fancy yourself as the next Jimmy the Greek, don't over analyze. The amount of games will definitely lead to paralysis-by-analysis." In my opinion, when it comes to picking some of the lower level bowl games, its almost more of a gut feeling when making that selection than anything else.

With all that said, let's get to the picks. What you'll find below is the bowl schedule starting with the first game on the docket all the way to the National Championship game on January 8th. With each pick you'll see both J-Fish's pick as well as my own with a little bit of analysis and how many confidence points (#) we have assigned to the pick we've made. Let's get to it with a look at the BCS games.

January 1st
ROSE - Penn State vs. USC
JFISH: USC (34) - Too much defense.
DICO: USC (32) - Too much USC! PSU hasn't seen anything like the Trojans this year. Ask OSU how things worked out for them. Plus this is a "home game" for the Trojans.

FEDEX ORANGE - Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
JFISH: Cincinnati (22) - 1st BCS bowl berth will drive the Bearcats.
DICO: Cincinnati (10) - Special teams could be the difference in this game. Mardy Gilyard for the Bearcats is one of the best in the country in the return game. A chance to finish the season in the Top 10 will push the Bearcats to a win.

January 2nd
ALLSTATE SUGAR - Utah vs. Alabama
JFISH: Alabama (32) - Utah hasn't faced a defense like this.
DICO: Alabama (33) - See JFISH's comments...the Utes will have a hard time stopping the 'Bama offense as well.

January 5th
TOSTITOS FIESTA - Ohio State vs. Texas
JFISH: Texas (33) - Too much speed on defense, and the Horns will be playing angry because of the whole BIG XII, BCS screw job.
DICO: Texas (31) - QB Colt McCoy will be too much even for a good Buckeyes' defense. Terrelle Pryor will see what team speed on defense is all about against the Longhorns.

January 8th
FEDEX BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - Florida vs. Oklahoma
JFISH: Florida (26) - Tebow/Harvin will find a way.
DICO: Oklahoma (22) - Bradford leads the most potent offense in the country. Even with the loss of DeMarco Murray at RB, the Sooners won't miss a beat. Expect a high scoring affair.

COMPLETE PICKS (ALL 34 GAMES) 

College Football , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bradford Right Choice For Heisman?

14. December 2008  - Published by Dan Clasgens

This year's Heisman race was a great debate and now that it is over it still is. Here are few different takes from around the web...

WORTHY CHOICE, WASN'T RIGHT CHOICE (Mike Bianchi - Orlando Sentinel)
"The Heisman Trophy is supposed to go to the "Most Outstanding Player" in college football. It did not Saturday. It went to the Most Dazzling Passer. Tebow was victimized by being Tebow — perhaps the most famous and highly publicized player in college football history. Some fans and voters are obviously sick of the massive Tebow lovefest that has permeated college football since Tebow signed with UF. How else do you explain Tebow receiving more first-place votes (309) than any of the other candidates, but finishing third because he was completely left off 154 of the 904 ballots?"


THE VOTERS GOT IT RIGHT
(Scott Hansen - BleacherReport.com)
"For the second straight year, the voters got it right. Well, most of them. In a not-as-close-as-expected but should-have-been-more-of-a-landslide vote, Oklahoma gunslinger Sam Bradford is the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner. True, Bradford didn’t receive the most first place votes, becoming the third winner to not win the majority vote. Tebow received the most in 2008. If Bradford has a similar junior season, he will be the best college quarterback of all-time. He might already be. After just two seasons, Bradford has thrown for 84 touchdowns—29 more than Rex Grossman did at Florida after two seasons. Bradford led his troops to 60 points or more in five straight games, something no other signal caller has done in the history of college football."

MCCOY SHOULD'VE WON HEISMAN (Nick Mordowanec - CollegeNews.com)
"Colt McCoy should win the Heisman. Although Tim Tebow has had a great season following last year’s amazing stats and put his Gators on his shoulders against Alabama, he still has a wide array of weapons surrounding him every Saturday. Sam Bradford has dead-on accuracy and a strong arm for his size, but he has the biggest and most athletic offensive line blocking for him every play. McCoy leads his team in passing, rushing and touchdowns. He has not had one bad game all season and he did lead his team past the Oklahoma Sooners on a neutral field. He did the most with the least and his team got snubbed out of the Big 12 Championship game and, essentially, the national title game.


FORGET THE QB's (Cory McCartney - SI.com)
"The Red Raiders sophomore wide receiver fits the Heisman's own criteria as "the most outstanding player in college football." He should be the one holding up that fabled trophy. But as we all know, "the most outstanding player" doesn't always take home the hardware. Michael Crabtree, this season, is that rare player that is both the nation's best individual player as well as the best player on a team in the title race, regardless of his position. With 78 receptions for 1,010 yards and 18 scores, his numbers are down from his record-setting freshman year in which he caught 134 balls for 1,962 yards and 22 TDs."

College Football , , , ,

Heisman Watch: Stock Up, Stock Down

10. November 2008  - Published by Chris Murdico
Last week I posted my top five candidates for the Heisman Trophy. After this past weekend's games one player has separated himself from the pack in my opinion. Another has moved up in my rankings. Below are my top five after week eleven and if they're rising or falling.

1. Graham Harrell: In a word, ridiculous! Harrell went 40-for-50 for 456 yards and six touchdowns and no interceptions against Oklahoma State Saturday night. In my opinion the guy has separated himself from the rest of the field and the Heisman is his to lose right now. His stats for the season: 4077 yards, 36 PaTDs, 5 INTs, 6 RuTDs and a completion percentage of 71.7%. Texas Tech has the week off in preparation for another big game against Oklahoma. Even if Harrell falters some in that game, I still don't see how he's not the choice for the Heisman
Stock - Holding Strong

2. Colt McCoy: He was ranked fourth in my rankings last week after Texas lost to Texas Tech. After throwing for 300 yards and five TDs against Baylor this past weekend he jumps up in the rankings. He's thrown for 2,879 yards on the season which is nothing to get excited about, but he's thrown for 28 scores and ran for another seven TDs and 449 yards. His completion percentage of 78% is crazy.
Stock - Up

3. Michael Crabtree: He's the best receiver in the country. With three more scores this past weekend against Oklahoma State, he now has 18 TDs on the season. He put himself on the map and in most "experts" top five last week with his performance and game winning catch and score against Texas. He has 78 catches this season and 1,010 yards. Having Harrell as his QB has definitely helped him come into strong consideration for the Heisman.
Stock - Holding

4. Sam Bradford: His 320 yards and four scores against Texas A&M this past weekend has him in definite consideration for the highest honor in college football. He leads the country in passing TDs with 38 and if it weren't for Harrell, Bradford would probably be leading in the chase for the Heisman right now. His 3,406 yards are second only to Harrell for those in the hunt for the trophy. Even though he's fallen one spot in my rankings, he's still making a stronger case for consideration.
Stock - Up

5. Tim Tebow: He doesn't do anything to excite me or standout, but he's the leader of his team and running a well oiled offensive machine for Florida. He's only thrown for 1,740 and rushed for 354, but he's scored a total of 27 TDs (10 rushing) on the season. He's efficient as well, completing almost 65% of his passes and only throwing two INTs this season.
Stock - Down

On the Bubble
Dez Bryant - WR - Oklahoma State: 64 Recs, 1,140 yards, 15 TDs  Stock - Up
Javon Ringer
- RB - Michigan State: 353 RuAtt, 1,548 yards, 20 TDs  Stock - Holding
Max Hall
- QB - Brigham Young: 3,070 Yards Passing, 32 TDs, 7 INTs  Stock - Up
Knowshon Moreno - RB - Georgia: 188 RuAtt, 1,113 yards, 15 TDs  Stock - Down

College Football , , , , , , , , ,

Heisman Watch: My Top 5

2. November 2008  - Published by Chris Murdico

With just a few weeks left in the college football season, its really time to start the Heisman consideration. Yes, its been talked about all season, but now most players have had the chance to play in big time games. To me, that's what should define the Heisman winner. Can you put up big numbers all season? And even more so, can you put up solid numbers in games against tough/ranked opponents?

Here are my top five (dominated by QBs) complete with their stats from their last game and season stats along with an explanation as to why I have them ranked where they are.

  1. Graham Harrell (QB - Texas Tech) - Last game vs. Texas: 36/53, 474 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. Season stats: 3,621 yards, 36 total TDs (6 rushing), 5 INTs, 70.7% completion rate. Harrell looked amazing on Saturday night against Texas. He made precision passes and his game-winning pass to Michael Crabtree was just ridiculous. The slogan in Red Raider nation is, "Guns up!" Harrell, no doubt, is a gun-slinger but the touch he puts on the ball and the placement he has on his passes are, in my opinion, the best in the country. He has a tough stretch in his next two games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. If he can continue to put up these solid numbers in those two games, even if Texas Tech were to stumble and lose, he should be, in my opinion, the top vote getter in the country.
  2. Michael Crabtree (WR - Texas Tech) - Last game vs. Texas: 10 rec, 127 yards, 1 TD. Season stats: 70 rec, 921 yards, 15 TDs. His game-winning catch against Texas this week alone puts him in the Heisman talk I feel. But his solid numbers for the season should get him more consideration than they currently are. He's not a flashy receiver, but he's without a doubt the best in the country at his position. He'll get the recognition he deserves after the game he had against Texas, but I doubt he'll move up into anyone's top three, and here I have him at No. 2. I'll admit, I may be ranking him a little too high considering the guys that I have behind him, but to me, he embodies exactly what the winner of the Heisman Trophy should be.
  3. Sam Bradford (QB - Oklahoma) - Last game vs. Nebraska: 19/27, 311 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT. Season stats: 3,086 yards, 37 total TDs (3 rushing), 6 INTs, 68% completion rate. To say Bradford lit up the Nebraska defense on Saturday would be an understatement. Even in Oklahoma's only loss of the season, to Texas, he still threw for 387 yards and 5 TDs. He's only had two games this season where he threw for less than 300 yards and has thrown for over 400 yards twice, almost three times as he threw for 395 yards against Cincinnati. If Oklahoma can somehow run the table and win the Big 12 title, I could definitely see him winning the Heisman over a few other QBs within the same conference.
  4. Colt McCoy (QB - Texas): Last game vs. Texas Tech - 20/34, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Season stats - 2,579 yards, 30 total TDs (7 rushing), 5 INTs, 79% completion rate. McCoy is without a doubt one of the best players in the country. I could easily swap him and Harrell in my rankings, but after this last week's game, I think a No. 4 ranking fits. He's had a tough stretch of games in his last four having to face Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. McCoy has fared well though in those games, throwing for 1299 yards (almost half his season total), 7 TDs and just 2 INTs. Even if Texas had beaten Texas Tech, I think I'd still have McCoy here at No. 4, maybe No. 2 because that would mean Crabtree didn't have that game-winning catch.
  5. Tim Tebow (QB - Florida) - Last game vs. Georgia: 10/13, 154 yards, 5 total TDs (3 rushing). Season stats: 1,569 passing yards, 14 TDs, 2 INTs, 266 rushing yards, 8 TDs. The reinging Heisman winner isn't putting up jaw-dropping numbers by any means, but he is efficient and I wouldn't want any other QB in the country to run my goaline offense, that's for sure. The Gators have been lighting up the scoreboard lately, thanks in large part to Tebow.

On the bubble: Chase Daniel (QB - Missouri), Knowshown Moreno (RB - Georgia), Donald Brown (RB - UCONN), Javon Ringer (RB - Michigan State), and Kendall Hunter (RB - Oklahoma State)

College Football , , , , , , , , , ,