Yardbarker: Julius Jones

8/18 - Fantasy FootballNews and Advice (Pt. 2)

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:30:23 -0500

Pre-season is well under way and there is plenty of news coming out of the locker rooms! Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you view it), Bruno Boys Larry and Bruno Boys Ziza are all over the major news around the NFL! In part two of this weeks Newz and Viewz the dynamic duo debates focus on Bobby Engram's injury, the Chicago Bears TE duo of Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark and their expected increased role in the offense, and Chad Pennington's signing with the Miami Dolphins and the impact that it has had. So nestle snugly into your computer chair, close the doors, and turn off the phones, it is time for another edition of Newz and Viewz from two whacky, insane Detroit Lions fans, Bruno Boys Larry and Bruno Boys Ziza! ------------------- Newz: WR Bobby Engram has a cracked shoulder and will miss a minimum of 6-8 weeks making it a probability that he will not return to the Seattle Seahawks until at least Week 5. Bruno Boys Ziza Viewz: Down goes Bobby Engram! Does anyone believe in karma as much as I do? The man finally gets his shot to succeed with the Seattle Seahawks and the 35 year old WR decided to skip minicamp because of his contract since he is going into free agency this year! Um, what...... To read the rest of the article, click the link below...

Without Alexander, what can Seahawks expect from backfield?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:10:11 -0500

For the past eight seasons, Shaun Alexander has carried the Seattle Seahawks' running game. But after years of being the Hawks' rock in the backfield, Alexander succumbed to injuries in 2006 and 2007, which ultimately led to his release in April of this year. Free agents Julius Jones (Cowboys) and T.J. Duckett (Lions) were signed this offseason to compete with Maurice Morris to be Alexander's replacement. In four seasons with Dallas, Jones rushed for 3,484 yards on 885 carries (65.7 yards per game) and 18 touchdowns. Over the last two seasons, he split carries with Marion Barber, who often stole Jones' touchdown opportunities when the Cowboys reached the goal line. Duckett spent the last two years in Washington and Detroit after sharing a backfield with Warrick Dunn in Atlanta from 2002 to 2005. He was hobbled by nagging injuries most of last year, but he did rush for 102 yards on 15 carries in the Lions' Week 16 victory over the Chiefs, flashing the kind of speed and power that made him a first round draft pick in 2002. (Read entire article after jump)

Stinky Tees Expert Draft League - Round 6-8 Results

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:34:14 -0500

We are about to discuss what happened to the Bruno Boys during the Sixth-Eighth Rounds and our thoughts on the draft results. Bargain (players went later than they should have) picks, Even Money (players went where they should have) picks and Overpaid (players that went too early) picks! Since we are getting later in the draft we are not going to stretch out this column by trying to keep you on your seats in describing why teams went for a WR3 or RB4. Rather we are going to discuss why certain players should or should not go at this time. Our favorites and not so favorites you could say. Our strategy for the rest of the draft is to get as solid of players as possible that fit the needs of our teams without overpaying, continuously looking for bargains and filling our bench with talent! And of course not overpaying for a K or a DST. Let's get right down to it! Below you can see the Sixth-Eighth Round results for "The Stinky Tee's Expert League Live Draft"

NFL Punchlines: Shawn Who?

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:40:24 -0500

Julius Jones is making his Seahawks teammates forget about the guy he replaced. Who was that guy again? (Seattle Times)

"Discipline" is not a word you often hear in reference to Mike Martz's offensive scheme. (San Fran Chronicle)

A full season with Chris Chambers + Phil Rivers development should equal a more consistent offense for the Bolts. (Union-Tribune)

JaMarcus Russell is developing a nice rapport with his tight end, Zach Miller. (Sac Bee)

After minimal contribution from rookies last season Andy Reid is excited about this years crop. (Philly Inquirer)

Tony Sparano's reaction to the fight started in practice yesterday: "It's not smart." (Orlando Sentinel)

Ravens will show, hometown boy, Michael Phelps' last swim in stadium after tonight's preseason game. (Orlando Sentinel)

Do any Giants receivers ever practice? Or are just all always hurt and Eli Manning throws to the practice squad and Kevin Boss all day. (Newsday)

Deuce McAllister makes his return from microfracture surgery tonight. (Times-Picayune)

When Cortland Finnegan heard the offer of 4-years $17 million from the Titans he cried tears of joy. (Tennessean)

Cardinals receivers will be no open-book test for the young Chiefs cornerbacks. (KC Star)

Jay Cutler will need to play very well this season to cover up for their defense if the Broncos are to make the playoffs this season. (Denver Post)

Not sure how it can be such a great camp for the Bears when they do not have a QB. (Sun-Times)

Mushin Muhammad is "still buzzing a little bit" from a hit by the Eagles' Brian Dawkins. (Charlotte Observer)

Bruno Boys Crystal Ball - Josh Brown Fantasy Football Projections

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:10:55 -0500

Ouija Boards, magic eight balls, tarot cards. For centuries, man has looked for supernatural ways to try and get answers. We here at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football are no different. Always looking for an edge for the upcoming fantasy season, we look to higher powers and turn to our magical crystal ball. The article below is the sixteenth of many that will reveal what we have seen. This time our look into the future is focused on the likes of St. Louis Rams kicker, Josh Brown. Also, if you think Brown will be money in the bank because he will be kicking in a dome, you might want to check out the article, as the Bruno Boys have some interesting facts about Brown and his Dome statistics.. To see how Josh Brown will do in 2008, click on the link below....

RB battles: Carolina's Williams looks sharp

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:40:17 -0500

With Kevin Jones battling injuries, Matt Forte should have the edge to become Chicago's featured back, says John Juhasz. Read more for more RB battles in training camps and predictions on who will come out on top.

NFC EAST PREVIEW: DALLAS COWBOYS

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:31:17 -0500

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

Hey kids, no list today... instead, your old cellmate Shooter will stretch out these typing muscles and give you the Cowboys preview. But wait, you say, isn't Shooter an Eagles fan? Yes, but there wasn't a single person among the hundreds of thousands of people that Editing Overlord Scrap knows and/or blackmails who could commit to a single word of concern about America's Team. So it's been left to me, Your Nemesis, to write up the goods on one of the ever-shrinking number of franchises to not have a playoff win in this millennium. (Yes, that also includes every single other member of the division. It's a wonder you haven't all just put your heads in the oven, isn't it?) Let's begin.

Offense

Sorry, Cowboy Fan, but that just never gets old, either. It's just special.

The NFC's poor boy answer to the Patriots, this unit put up some pinball numbers during the early parts of the year, and benefited greatly from running into the Giants when life wasn't going so well for them. Every fantasy honk is more or less praying that they'll do it again, because Terrell Owens is always a boom or bust proposition, Marion Barber III (amazing, that three generations of Barbers have saddled a male child with a girl's name -- maybe that's why he runs so angry) needs to get an extra 50 to 100 touches to make him a true #1 back, Jason Witten will be a top five pick among TEs, and Tony Romo has been a winning part of many fantasy breakfasts in the last two years. Hell, there's even been sneaky residual goodness in Patrick Crayton, otherwise known as what happens when Wes Welker has to stretch to a #2 and put up with a less accurate QB. But there are three very large and very ticking time bombs in the middle of this delectable stat pie.

(A side note to the honks... Felix Jones will not be a better version of Julius Jones, you shouldn't expect him to match his freakish yards per carry mark as the change of pace back to Darren McFadden in Arkansas to carry over, and while he's fast, he's not overwhelming. He's also going to have real trouble in the bane of all speed backs, blitz pick-up. Expect the occasional play in space, but what you've really got here is a very poor man's Reggie Bush, who I think we can all agree by now isn't changing the world. Someone will waive him by early November. Moving on.)

First... The Cowboys' rise to regular-season-only prominence in the past couple of years has been matched by a spectacular run of health. The only major injuries among the offense last year was Terry Glenn, more or less a wash for Crayton at this point, and hardly unexpected, given that he's been dodging Bill Parcells' misrepresenting his presumed gender for over a decade now. (He's so old, he remembers when Drew Bledsoe wasn't a punchline.) If and when one of the offensive linemen finally succumb to football reality this year, there will be a spanner or three in the works.

Second, Owens. We're into Year Three of Relative Sanity from the Most Team Destructive WR in History (with the possible exception of Rae Carruth). He's 35, and probably just had his last very great year stretching defenses deep. He's also someone that doesn't take losing at all well (don't make me find the YouTube clip... OK, I'm finding the YouTube clip), and since the Cowboys were 13-3 before gagging at home in the playoffs last year... it's very likely they're going to give a few games back this year. When that happens, we'll see if Mr. Nice and Relatively Sane Guy takes a back seat to Shiva, Destroyer of Teams.

Last and far from least.. for the second straight year, Tony Romo faded in December and flushed in January. Nothing positive that the man does until the games turn to elimination status will matter to the faithful, and he's also a bad start and/or Yet Another Playoff Failure from losing the locker room, if not his owner.

Oh, and by the way, your back-up quarterback is Brad Johnson. Yes, that Brad Johnson. The one one didn't have an arm when he was middle-aged.

Now, plenty of QBs have come back from early-career playoff boneritis to have reasonable careers, and the media will continue to fellate him (so long as he isn't seen with Tom Brady's filthy thirds) for his Favre-like wackiness and ability to Have Fun Playing Football While White. But he's going to take more punishment this year with less aw-shucksian forgiveness from the fan base. Buyer beware.

Defense

Last year's wildly overrated secondary unit (seriously, anyone who wants to tell me how the fans shouldn't vote should look at the player-selected Pro Bowl NFC defensive backfield last year) returns, for the most part. They'll seem fine when the front seven is getting pressure, but when they aren't, look out. The topic that everyone will want to discuss is Adam "Mister" Jones and his impact on things. If he keeps his nose clean, pigs will fly and bloggers will mourn, but he'll also team up with good-not-great Terence Newman to provide reasonable value on the edges. It's a reasonable roll of the dice, but Jones isn't exactly a student of the game so much as he is a physical freak, so rust could be a big story early. But the big problem, as always, lies in the middle of the field.

Roy Williams is so overrated, even his own coaches admit it, and bench him in obvious passing downs, much to the puzzlement of broadcast teams who love to focus on safeties who make highlight hits. (In Green Bay, he's named Atari Bigby, with the small difference that Bigby might grow the hell out of it.) Williams is so bad he makes Ken Hamlin stink, too.

If the Cowboys really wanted to limit the damage back here, they'd recast Williams as as a pass rushing linebacker and designated RB cover guy. But seeing as those rules are already taken by players who don't commit jaw-droppingly stupid neck-breaker tackles on a routine basis, even that isn't a good exit strategy. For teams with a quality TE and/or slot receiver, the Cowboys are ripe for the plucking, so they were probably as happy as anyone to see Shockey get sent out of the division, and Chris Cooley to get a brand-new coordinator and coach in Skinsland.

Specials, Coaching, Etc.

The special teams are slipping as the Parcells Effect continues to take hold. Nick Folk had a great year last year, which means he'll probably give some of it back this year. For a team that's slipping in other areas, that could become a big deal.

Coach-wise, Wade Phillips has gotten a lot of credit for failing to win a playoff game, and you have to think the heat is on him hard by now. It also doesn't help that the Be Nice For New Dad period is just about over, and that the man is racking up a truly stupendous record of gut-busting playoff failures (Motor City Miracle! Romo's Blunder! The Giants Sack all of Texas and most of Oklahoma! Et cetera).

Finally, the schedule. Week 1 in Cleveland. Week 3 at Green Bay. And a final four weeks of at Pittsburgh, the Giants, Baltimore, and at Philly. Not exactly a way to coast into the playoffs without pain.

Prediction

There's too much top-level talent here, independent of the growing number of clubhouse cancers, to really fall apart, though the stretch run would test any team. If they stay healthy, they could easily go 12-4... but if they don't, they'll be 9-7 and (gasp!) out of the playoffs. I'd pencil them in for something more along the lines of 10-6, and a road loser on Wild Card Weekend. After all, the Curse of the Millennium is just too much to overcome.

Seattle Seahawks - Running Back Competition

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:36:30 -0500

Last week I listed Julius Jones as a potential fantasy football bust, saying that Maurice Morris may eat into his carries. Turns out, it may be the other way around...

Hasselbeck, Seahawks, gash Vikings defense

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:45:31 -0500

Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks had no problem with Minnesota's upgraded defense. Hasselbeck was 7-of-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown and the Seahawks racked up 187 total yards in three series against the Vikings' defensive starters in a 34-17 preseason victory on Friday night. After trading for sack champ Jared Allen and adding safety Madieu Williams from Cincinnati, defense figured to be the least of the Vikings' worries going into the season. Coach Brad Childress gave Williams and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Pat Williams the night off, and the Seahawks scored 17 points and averaged 9.4 yards per play against the rest of the No. 1 defense. Maurice Morris got the start at running back ahead of Julius Jones and rushed for 62 yards on six carries in the first three drives against what was the league's top-ranked run defense last season. And Hasselbeck was nearly perfect while taking snaps from brand new center Steve Vallos, who stepped in after starter Chris Spencer was injured and backup Chris Gray abruptly retired. Vallos spent all last season on the practice squad and was a tackle in college, but Allen and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kevin Williams never got a whiff of Hasselbeck on Friday night. He threw an 18-yard TD pass to Jordan Kent to cap the opening drive and led the Seahawks to a field goal in his only other series of the night. Backup QB Seneca Wallace also was impressive, completing 15 of 20 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Hasselbeck's success was expected from a 10-year veteran coming off a Pro Bowl season. There are many more questions surrounding Tarvaris Jackson, the third-year pro who is entering his second season as Minnesota's starting quarterback after an erratic debut. He showed fine command of the offense in his three series of the preseason opener, completing 8 of 11 passes for 118 yards and a score. With Adrian Peterson being used only as a decoy, the Vikings called passes on the first 11 plays Jackson was under center. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to new fullback Thomas Tapeh and hooked up with new receiver Bernard Berrian twice for 43 yards. Notes: Vikings reserve LB Heath Farwell (right knee) and backup tackle Drew Radovich (shoulder) left the game with injuries and did not return. ... Seattle rookie OT William Robinson was carted back to the locker room with an undisclosed injury in the fourth quarter. ... Seattle scored 20 points off five turnovers. ... Jones finished with 15 yards on four carries.

2008 NFL Position Battles - Running Backs

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:41:59 -0500

Position battles, especially ones that ensue at the RB position, can really swing the value of a player from starter status on your fantasy football roster to one that is thought of only as a handcuff at best. If you don't believe me, ask Chester Taylor owners from yester-year! Taylor left the Baltimore Ravens for the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and became the team's starter, immediately having an impact in the fantasy world. A year later the Vikings drafted a kid by the name of Adrian Peterson. In a blink of an eye Taylor goes from a key RB keeper on many fantasy teams to a guy that lost pretty much all the value that he had held. And, that is why my friends, the great Bruno Boys Nation, MUST pay attention to these battles closely. But, just so you don't get overwhelmed from having to do all of the homework yourself, we, the Bruno Boys, have done the work for you! Which is why you should pay particularly close attention to these articles as they all will contain key information that can really make or break your draft! To ease your pain about the RB battles, I, Bruno Boys Ziza, am here to carry you on my back and take on your burden! Just don't grab my man boobies! Now let's get the RB's ready to rumble… To read more, click the link...

Seattle Seahawks - Best In the West?

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:11:29 -0500

The Seattle Seahawks better watch out or they just might be the NFL's version of the Atlanta Braves. The team is the four-time defending champions of the NFC West and has been to the playoffs five consecutive years, but that hasn't translated into a lot of playoff success...

Offseason Fantasy Impacts: Offensive Free Agency

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:13:11 -0500

Moves around the league in free agency affecting fantasy football for the coming season.

Fantasy Football News Bleeps

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:43:10 -0500

Read about the latest news & notes from around the NFL which could impact your fantasy football draft decisions.

2008-2009 NFC Playoff Teams

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:47:48 -0500

The NFC East sends 3 teams again. The NFC is always a toss up but these are the teams I believe come out on top. Just missed the cut: Minnesota Vikings (8-8): An improving team but still no consistent QB play. Unless they get Brett Favre, teams want to challenge Jackson to beat them. Arizona Cardinals (8-8): Another young team on the rise. Experience will take it's toll late in the season. Watch out for AZ in the future. Washington Redskins (7-9): A streaky season for a streaky offense will prove that consistency is the key to a successful season. Plus the fact that the NFC East is too good.

Early View of the NFC Playoffs

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:44:40 -0500

While the AFC might have the top teams in the NFL, the race for the six spots in the NFC playoffs could be more exciting than the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal final Wimbledon match...