Toilet Times - More Rankings

I think you all know me pretty well, and know I carry opinions that are my own. So when you see these rankings, they will likely differ from others out there. Sure, I can totally see how this would come off as me being a contrarian or someone seeking a provocative reaction. So be it.

Wide Receivers

1.       Jordan Matthews [Vanderbilt] – I see Fitzgerald here. He has a 6’3” 212 lb frame, length, and big hands. Doubts about his athleticism were put to rest at the combine, and he is unquestionably refined.

2.       Brandin Cooks [Oregon State] – Confession. I’ve had a love affair with him for 2 yrs. He has acceleration, change of direction, sticky hands, and tough. But his 5’9” height is concerning.

3.       Sammy Watkins [Clemson] – Everyone’s #1 WR, and in other drafts I would too. I just think his body control and catching the ball away from his body fall behind the top two guys.

4.       Mike Evans [Texas A&M] – If he figures it out, he could be very good. He needs refinement with getting off the line and route running skills, but 35 inch arms and a 6’4” 231 lb frame… crazy.

5.       Allen Robinson [Penn State] – Extremely productive collegiate career, good size, strength, which should lead to an effective NFL career. That said, he might fly under the radar in this talented class.

6.       Martavis Bryant [Clemson] – No joke, I think he has Randy Moss freak potential. Height, speed, explosion, and length… scouts will emphatically pound the table for this guy. But raw raw raw.

7.       Kevin Norwood [Alabama] – 2^nd Confession, I hate hate hate Alabama prospects. That said, here is an exception. He has a very high floor and an unknown ceiling, very safe pick, will be a good pro.

8.       Marquise Lee [USC] – Gow must hate him, right? This is a STACKED draft class. Last year he would have been the #1 WR. Games speed is better than his 40, but his injury history is a concern.

9.       Odell Beckham [LSU] – A combine darling that showcased his athleticism, with quite the bandwagon. Could be wrong, but I see more athlete than football player… and Landry was better at LSU.

10.   Jared Abbrederis [Wisconsin] – White people can play WR too. Haters will hate, but he is the real deal. His game tape and measurable line up, so I am sold. And, he grows a mean Amish beard.

Offensive Tackles

1.       Greg Robinson [Auburn] – O-line coaches and scouts are crazy giddy over this guy. He dominates defenders, smacks them in the mouth, and flattens them. Could be the best OT in the last 10 years.

2.       Jake Matthews [Texas A&M] – Bloodlines are clearly impressive. He is a safe pick that can probably play all 5 positions. I just think he is a distant second to Greg Robinson.

3.       Morgan Moses [Virginia] – 6’6” 314 lbs frame, 35 inch go-go gadget arms, and good foot work. He is a 1^st round talent but might not get the pub that other guys will get in this process.

4.       Taylor Lewan [Michigan] – Agreed, the guy struggles with speed rushers and consistent play. That said, he is 6’7” with long arms and has a nasty streak. He can be molded into an All-Pro.

5.       Joel Bitonio [Nevada] – He had a solid Senior Bowl and was very fluid in Indy. The team that picks him will surely have an underwhelmed fan base with his selection, but he could be solid.

3-4 Outside Linebackers

1.       Khalil Mack [Buffalo] – Small school guy that won’t sneak up on casual fans anymore. Could be near-elite in an “attacking” 3-4, afterthought in a 4-3. Also lacks natural bend around the corner.

2.       Alex Barr [UCLA] – At the start of the year, he was thought to give Clowney a run for top defender. His 2013 play was uninspiring, but he has insane potential to be a dominant pass rusher.

3.       Dee Ford [Auburn] – He is an unreal edge rusher, who is best suited to rush the passer in a two-point stance. He needs to work on counter moves to his speed rush, and defend the run better.

4.       Jordan Tripp [Montana] – I don’t say this lightly, but this guy flat out lit the combine on fire. But because he is a white LB from Montana, he is seen more as a hidden gem than front-page news.

4-3 Outside Linebackers

1.       Ryan Shazier [Ohio State] – He could be the best WILL backer to come out in a while. He is extremely instinctive, explosive, and fast fast fast.

2.       Kevin Pierre-Louis [Boston College] – His combine woke up evaluators. Right there next to the aforementioned Jordan Tripp, his combine was elite. He made money in Indy.

Inside Linebackers

1.       C.J. Mosley [Alabama] – The self-proclaimed Bama hater is warming to crimson red. Mosley is fast, physical, instinctive and well-rounded in all facets. A notch below Kuechley, but All-Pro for sure.

2.       Christian Jones [Florida State] – FSU had an embarrassment of riches on defense, which gives me pause in ranking Jones highly. That said, he has elite speed and athletic ability.

3.       Chris Borland [Wisconsin] – Begrudgingly I put him on here. Borland is a thumping instinctive run-defender, but lacks speed and size. Technically a poor fit for both the 3-4 and 4-3.

Stay regular folks, Metamucil anybody?

So very pleased that we all pay appropriate attention to our poop schedules. So as a supportive friend, I’ll give you more reading fodder as you squeeze out your daily turds.

As usual, Crapswell had a pretty stupid request asking for position rankings. Does he know that he can get this on just about any website? That said, I’m probably more of an idiot to oblige such a request. So shown below are MY rankings of a few positions. I'll hit up the other positions later.

Quarterbacks:

1.       Derek Carr [Fresno State] – Great arm, touch, and leadership. But did not shine in bowl game versus USC, as offensive line struggled to give him clear throwing lanes and time.

2.       Johnny Manziel [Texas A&M] – Amazing elusiveness and playmaking ability. But might need a simplified offense scheme, as he struggles to make appropriate reads.

3.       Teddy Bridgewater [Louisville] – Technically sound and in-pocket movement. But more of a system QB, who played poor competition, and took the safe and short passes way too often.

4.       Blake Bortles [Central Florida] – Great poise in the pocket and is probably the safest QB in the draft. But lacks any wow factor, and I’m not sure if he has ever took over a game at UCF.

5.       Zach Mettenberger [LSU] – Best arm of the draft, and improved his QB IQ under Cam Cameron at LSU. But due to his ACL tear and one-year wonder tag, he could take a tumble in the draft.

6.       Brett Smith [Wyoming] – Think Johnny Football, but with a better arm and size. But without a combine invite, poor supporting cast, and coming out of Wyoming… scouts will have to sell him.

Tight Ends:

1.       Eric Ebron [North Carolina] – With great athleticism and ability to stretch the field, Mayock compares him to Vernon Davis. But his ability to catch in traffic and in-line blocking need work.

2.       Austin Seferian-Jenkins [Washington] – Great size, length, blocking, and catching in traffic… he is the perfect in-line TE, which is a rarity in today’s NFL. He lacks Amaro’s stats or Ebron’s 40 time.

3.       Colt Lyerla [Oregon] – It could have been Lyerla at the top of this crazy stacked list of TEs, that’s how good he is. But a cocaine possession arrest and a messy off-the-field history, UDFA?

4.       Troy Niklas [Notre Dame] – Lightning strikes twice, as here is another in-line TE that could light up the league. Though with only two years of work at TE he is raw, but is Kyle Rudolph-esque.

5.       Jace Amaro [Texas A&M] – I won’t say anything good about this guy. Coming out of a pass-happy offense, and a defense optional conference, he is overhyped. He is a very poor move TE.

6.       Xavier Grimble [USC] – A classic 5-star recruit that underachieved at USC, due to getting lost in the talent-filled offense that did not feature TEs. He’s my dark-horse long-shot in this class.

Defensive Ends (Classic 4-3 DE):

1.       Jadeveon Clowney [South Carolina] – His last 12 months have mirrored that of Quinton Coples, two years prior. Supremely talented stud that took a shit on the field for his last collegiate year.

2.       Scott Crichton [Oregon State] – I am a huge fan of this guy. He was constantly double-teamed and has an insane motor. I am eager to see how his arm length and broad jump will measure up.

3.       Kony Ealy [Missouri] – Prototypical height/weight combination, and is accompanied by pretty decent statistics. But reading between the lines, I think he is being elevated in a week DE class.

Defensive Ends (5-Technique, 3-4 DE):

1.       Ra’Shede Hageman [Minnesota] – Unique combination of size, length, strength, and athleticism. If he is put into an attacking odd front, he could be JJ Watt… otherwise he’ll be mediocre.

2.       Taylor Hart [Oregon] – For a 5T DE, he put up amazing tackle numbers. Which only speaks to his ability read, react, and shed blocks. Keeping things in perspective, he should be a 3^rd round pick.

3.       Stephon Tuitt [Notre Dame] – Tuitt failed to add positive bulk to his frame. In 2013, he was fat, lazy, and a non-factor. That said, he’ll likely get a pass on 2013 and teams will draft off of 2012 game tape.

Safeties:

1.       Calvin Pryor [Louisville] – Huge fan of this guy. I choose to trust that his domination is more so due to his ability, than the lack of talent offenses Louisville played. He is a stat sheet filler.

2.       Haha Clinton-Dix [Alabama] – If he has a good combine, I think he could be a 1^st rounder. That said, he seldom made splash plays. Which could be due to a conservative scheme, but no sure.

3.       Hakeem Smith [Louisville] – I have seen enough of Louisville games to know that Smith is solid against the pass and the run. I don’t know if any other eligible safeties cover as well.

Important Poll -- please respond as soon as possible!

When do you poop?
	Before work - I'm too busy during the day
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	Lunch - I like to multitask
	Afternoon - It's a good pick-me-up so I don't fall asleep at my desk
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	All of the above
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February false truths

February. The time to shovel your drive way, kick the frozen blocks of sand and salt off your car, and time for this guy to get into full NFL Draft prep mode. This year’s tweak to the NFL Draft process was pretty big. Some of the more notable changes were:

·         Senior Bowl was moved to the week before the Superbowl.

·         Free Agency was moved up sooner to March 11th.

·         NFL Draft was moved back to from the middle of April to early May.

All the aforementioned, was a shrewd move by the league to make the total NFL experience a continuous year-long ride. Now of course, this elongation has brought newfound opportunity for the NFL to capitalize on its product. Simply by shifting existing events around to bring each into its own spot-light... equating to TV revenues to pad the coffers.  So… what does this mean for the draft process?

Drawing out the draft process brings more time for decision-makers to scrutinize and mull over the minutia. GMs will over-analyze Jadeveon Clowney’s pad-level and Derek Carr throwing from an uneven base. As a Draft follower, it has created a ton of media group think… and has opened the door to a smoke-screen bonanza of false truths.

So here I will offer up what I believe to be reality. The “What I know, I know”.

·         There is no quarterback worth a top 3 pick in this draft, but there are at least 4 QBs better than any in last year’s class.

·         LT Greg Robinson (Auburn) is the best NFL prospect in this draft class. The buzz on this guy has not reached the level that it deserves. BTW, Jadeveon Clowney is easily the 2^nd best prospect.

·         This crop of Wide Receivers is the best that I have ever seen (by a mile). There will be WRs picked in 2^nd Round that will be better than 1^st rounders in a ton of other draft classes.

·         No one cares, but the Offensive Guard class has the same quality at the top and depth throughout the rounds. There will be draft parties across the country that will dial in a collective WTF, when their team drafts an OG in the first 2 rounds.

·         QB Brett Smith (Wyoming) getting snubbed by the NFL Combine is shocking. Who ever made that decision should be fired when this guy gets drafted in the 3^rd round (or better).

View this as a way to keep the blog alive in our FFB offseason. I’ll put some NFL Draft posts out here for your reading pleasure. Throw around some responses, and we’ll see where this takes us.

2013's Boobs and Butts...I meant Booms and Busts

Keeping with some rules of no significant injuries where they missed more than two consecutive games, the player wasn't traded, dropped or picked up....I submit to you a few of the biggest BUSTs and BOOMs of the 2013 draft. A few that immediately stick out were...

Running Backs - BUSTS
Trent Richardson   $55 for 109.9 points = 1.99 pts/$  Ned
Ray Rice               $56 for 120.1 points = 2.14 pts/$  Crabs
CJ Spiller              $51 for 121.2 points = 2.37 pts/$  NewShoo

Wide Receviers - BOOM
Josh Gordon         $4 for 227.4 points = 56.85 pts/$  Crabs
Alshon Jeferry      $1 for 194.6 points = 194.6 pts/$   Juan

Yes these include week 17 numbers but I didn't care to look it up and subtract it.

Comment if you can find a better boom or bust...I only ran through the list once.

Monday Update: Final Standings & FF Playoffs

Gentlemen,

First day back in the office in over a week and lots to do, so I'm just doing the bare bones here. If Coconuts wants to brag, gloat, or call more attention to his Championship victory, he'll have to write his own blog post. 

Here's the final standings with $ that will be paid out via LeagueSafe shortly:

PLACE	TEAM	PRIZE $	POINTS $	LOSER $	EMPIRE $	TOTAL $
1st	Juan Coconuts	$400	$15	$10		$425
2nd	Andy Crapswell	$200	$30			$230
3rd	Rod Jerks	$100	$15	$5	$40	$160
4th	Kenni Hana		$30			$30
5th	NooShoo Gow		$15	$5		$20
6th	Ned Titwarmer			$5		$5
7th	Marcus Whitebread		$30	$10		$40
8th	Bill Fredricks		$45			$45
9th	Ike Crabs		$15	$15		$30
10th	Dick Dallus			$15		$15
						$1,000

The Empire $ is not being awarded to me, but it needs to carry over to next season. Thus, I'm awarding to myself and going to keep it in my LeagueSafe account until the 2014 season. My entry fee next year will be $140, and I believe we can set it up as an Empire League that will have a separate pool for carryover money each year. 

The only person that can win that money next season (which will be $80 at that point) is Juan Coconuts. He's officially Public Enemy #1. I look forward to us all ganging-up on him at the draft.

The Champions

I officially started this league in 2005 and we just now completed our 9th season, which means we've had 9 champions. Here they are:

2005 - Dick Dallus

2006 - NooShoo Gow

2007 - Bill Fredricks

2008 - Kenni Hana

2009 - Ike Crabs

2010 - Ike Crabs

2011 - Rod Jerks

2012 - Rod Jerks

2013 - JUAN COCONUTS!

Whenever we get a trophy, which hopefully will happen this offseason, these are the names that will be printed on it. Congratulations to Juan.

The list of those yet to win: 

• Andy Crapswell (Oh so close...)
• Marcus Whitebread (Mark Brunell's 5 TD's)
• Ned Titwarmer (Brian Westbrook's laydown)

Playoffs (INPUT NEEDED)

There has been some discussion about reformatting our current playoff setup - I'm up for whatever, but we need to figure this out quickly.

As a reminder, our typical playoff format allows you to submit as many teams as you're willing to pay for, similar to brackets for March Madness. Different combinations of players (1 from each team) filling out a roster of 2 QB, 4 RB, 4 WR/TE, 2 K. 

• Some have complained that this really comes down to submitting the most teams. While this isn't exactly true, it certainly does help your odds to submit multiple entries. And the more you submit, the better your chances.
• Some have also simply requested to "mix it up", both with our actual league and playoffs. We can debate our league another day, but I'm certainly willing to mix up the playoff format if the league desires to do so.

The option I would propose as an alternative actually mirrors our regular season league. We would have a draft, probably via email over a couple days, fill out individual rosters (we can determine size), and each player only gets drafted once. 

• The draft would be fun because it not only factors in taking the best players, but also the ones that you believe will advance and play the most games. 
• Personally, I want to try this, but we need everyone on board. Especially to keep the draft moving...

Would love your thoughts in the comments. We need everyone to chime in, if not below then via text. If we decide to go the second route, I'll draw names and we can start the draft today.

Finally

Not sure when my next post will be... I'll try to keep an update on here for the Playoff FF, whatever format we choose.

But in the meantime, thanks for another awesome season. You all know I dig Fantasy Football more than most, but I wouldn't like it this much if we all didn't participate to the level we do. I know lots of people that have not kept in touch with their college buddies as much as we have, and I feel like this league gives us a reason to do so... And as your commissioner, that makes me feel like a proud papa. 

Not to get all sentimental, but I really love this league and look forward to continuing on as your commish for many years to comes, hopefully with this exact same group of guys. 

And a special thanks to those that began their blogging career this season. I think Bottball stepped up to a new level this year, and hope to have it continue even more next season. We need to figure out different posts to have during the offseason...

Anyway, getting long-winded here... You guys are the best. Love you all.

Keep on keepin' on, boys.

Ra'Shede Hageman for real or not?

Knowing that there is a football void, of the fantasy nature, I thought I would fill that space in your heart with some draft analysis.

Watching the Gophers square off against the Syracuse Orangemen, I paid particular attention to Ra'Shede Hageman. Many experts have touted Hageman as a first rounder, but Whitebread and Titwarmer have casted doubt on this assessment. I believe the most common thing I'd heard from these two, were that Hageman doesn't make plays... and disappears at times.

Here are my observations of Hageman from the bowl game:

• The Gopher defense rotates their defensive linemen way too often. Sure it keeps the linemen fresh and healthy, but this limits statistical output. My guess is that this is a contributing factor to Marcus' and Ned's comments, as the guy isn't on the field for half of the defensive snaps. Which is pretty lame for your supposed best defender.
• Hageman is a man amongst boys. At 6'6"/311 lbs, great arm length, athletic nimble feet, and a nasty demeanor... there is no wonder why NFL evaluators are drooling over this guy.
• To his advantage, he keeps linemen away from his body with those crazy long arms. This ability keeps him in almost every play, or at the very least a positively contributing defender eating up blockers.
• The Gophers line him up in a number of positions (NT, 3-Technique, DE/5-Technique), which adds to Hageman's resume as a scheme diverse down lineman.
• Purely guess-work, but what I saw was that Hageman was asked to do a ton of read-and-react assignments... as opposed to going after the quarterback. But when he did go after the QB, his speed/strength and good mix of pass rush moves were flat out unstoppable.
• The blemishes in Hageman's games were: [1] Tendencies to not anchor well, and play high when playing inside. [2] That same poor leverage would cause him to loose ground and allow him to be pushed back.

Overall, I see Ra'Shede Hageman as an near elite 5-Technique DE (in a 3-4 Defense) who could easily be drafted in the middle of the first round. With the abundance of teams utilizing the 3-4, this possibility is very high. Also, if Hageman participates at the NFL combine, yes he seems good enough to opt out, he will likely cause a frenzy as a combine freak. That said, if a 4-3 team drafts him to play inside... he won't be all that special. His splash plays will be few and far between, and will just be another guy... so lets hope that a 3-4 team drafts him.


Off subject: I just heard that Brett Smith (QB from Wyoming) surprisingly declared for the draft. Seeing this guy play in two games, with zero intention of following this guy or Wyoming football, but his ability jumps out. With this news, and Mettenberger's unfortunate ACL/MCL injury, Smith rises up.

Top QBs:

1. Derek Carr - Fresno State
2. Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M
3. Brett Smith - Wyoming
4. Teddy Bridgewater - Louisville
5. (Tie) Black Bortles - UCF ... and ... Zach Mettenberger - LSU