Fantasy Preview: NFC East

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Is Michael Vick the clear-cut No. 1 fantasy QB in 2011?

Dallas Cowboys

Garrett, an offensive guru, demonstrated why Jerry Jones viewed him as a future head coach in the National Football League, helping a Jon Kitna-led squad to the seventh highest scoring team in the league, averaging over 360 yards per game. Now insert Romo into the mix. Since 2006, Romo has completed more than 60 percent of his passes, and since becoming a full-fledge starter in 2007 has averaged 4,000 yards through the air and nearly 30 touchdowns.

Romo’s best season came in 2009 during the emergence of wideout Miles Austin. He has always had a solid No. 1 WR to throw to (Terrell Owens included), but now has the combination of Austin and second-year stud Dez Bryant, not to mention Jason Witten and Felix Jones, a palpable option out of the backfield.

When healthy, Romo finishes among the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks. While I wouldn’t expect him to finish in the top tier – Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning – Romo could easily match stats withDrew Brees or Philip Rivers.

His weapons – Austin and Bryant – are one of the few duos in the league that both can be considered WR1 on the same team. Austin seemed to disappoint owners in 2010 after a breakout campaign the year prior, but aside from a drop in touchdowns (11 to seven) Austin still managed over 1,000 yards and averaged more than four receptions per game.

Kitna seemed more comfortable throwing to Bryant and Witten; he did not target Austin until Bryant was lost for the year. Romo has developed a comfort playing with Austin, and opposing defenses are going to have to target either him or Bryant. He’s in store for another huge year.

On the other side, Bryant is also likely to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. His superior athleticism and downfield speed, though, makes him more prone to making the big play. In 12 games Bryant had six touchdowns; he could be more of a threat in touchdown-heavy leagues, finishing the season with eight to 10 scores.

New York Giants

The G-Men resigned feature-back Ahmad Bradshaw, but other than that deserve an F for their free agency performance. The team lost tight end Kevin Boss, slot receiver Steve Smith and most of their starting offensive linemen. This means there will be a lot of younger players getting opportunities for snaps.

Smith fled New York to join the rival Eagles, opening the slot role for either Victor Cruz or Dominik Hixon. Cruz, according to offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and general manager Jerry Reese, is the likely successor to Smith. During the 2010 preseason, Cruz caught 15 balls for nearly 300 yards and four scores, but injuries and derailed any hopes of getting action in the regular season. Cruz has WR3 upside if he solidifies a spot in the starting lineup this year.

As Boss signed with Oakland Raiders this offseason, third-year tight end Travis Beckum will get the nod as the starter. Beckum’s an unproven commodity, with just 21 career receptions for 171 yards. In three years starting for the Giants, Boss averaged around 500 yards and five touchdowns; expect Beckum – who is more athletic than Boss – to produce similar numbers as a red zone target for Eli Manning.

The wide receiver carousel leaves Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham as the starting wideouts. Nicks, considered a top-five talent in some rankings, definitely has that sort of upside, especially after a 1,000-yard, 11-touchdown season in 2010. He may be the most under-the-radar top 10 wide receiver this year.

Manningham established himself last season as a legitimate NFL receiver. His nine touchdowns and 944 receiving yards are easily overlooked, as his finished in the top 20 for his position. He also had the longest reception last year. He could be a late-round steal as well.

Philadelphia Eagles

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – is Vick the No. 1 fantasy quarterback?

There are so many different perspectives on this: Does his proneness to injury affect his draft stock? Will he play in all 16 games this year? Are we overrating his 2010 statistics?

Here’s my view: Vick is such a threat, as a quarterback and running back, that even if he were to miss a handful of games, the numbers he will post will still be worth it for the games he does play in. and based on last season, if he were to stay healthy for all 16 games, his final season statistics would look like: 4,000 passing yards, 900 rushing yards and 40 total touchdowns. In other words, dominance.

If you’re in an eight-team league, or a 10-team league, it is still possible to find a capable fill-in for Vick if he were to miss time due to injury. There’s also his back-up, Vince Young, who could easily throw for touchdowns and run one in himself with the talent he’s surrounded with in Philly. In Tennessee, Young had Chris Johnson, but dealt with receivers like Justin Gage and Roydell Williams.

As for the rest of the Eagles, there’s no risk in drafting DeSean Jackson, who, every year is overlooked because he’s simply a big-play threat. He may only catch three to four passes per game, but he averaged 75 yards 7.5 touchdowns the past two years, while finishing with more than 1,000 yards. In leagues where 40-plus-yard touchdowns are rewards, Jackson’s a steal. But if you’re looking for PPR value, Jackson should be passed on.

Injury concerns are definitely understood with Jeremy Maclin, who is supposed to become the Eagles’ possession receiver this season. No one understands what’s going on with Maclin, but head coach Andy Reid said he was optimistic he’d be ready for Week 1.

Maclin improved drastically from year one to year two, increasing receptions, yardage total and touchdowns. He doesn’t have the prototypical makeup of a possession receiver (i.e. Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald), but with Jackson a threat to go deep every play, Maclin has the opportunity to catch the short and intermediate routes.

If Maclin is not healthy, expect Smith to assume his role when healthy. Second-year receiver Riley Cooper and slot man Jason Avant are also candidates for more catches if Maclin is not on the field, as well as Brent Celek and running back LeSean McCoy.

As for McCoy, don’t expect too much of a downgrade with the addition of Ronnie Brown. Although it could be argued Brown was brought in for goal-line duties, he’s not expected to be a major threat to McCoy’s workload. In the red zone, expect McCoy, Celek and Vick himself to be the primary targets.

Washington Redskins

Want to talk fantasy quarterbacks? Then I suggest we stay away from the Washington Redskins. The quarterback competition between Rex Grossman and John Beck is laughable, but you would have to expect that given his skill-set and his preseason performance thus far that Mike Shanahan would opt for the experienced Grossman this year. It will bring him that much closer to drafting Andrew Luck in April.

Shanahan prefers quarterbacks who can utilize the rollout effectively (i.e. Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler), which Grossman can actually do. At least Grossman, despite the doubters in Chicago in 2006, helped the Bears all the way to the Super Bowl. That season, he threw for just under 3,200 yards and 23 touchdowns, in addition to his 20 picks.

Fortunately, with a Shanahan offense comes a solid running game. It’s also a guessing game. The incumbent,Ryan Torain, is in the midst of competition with Tim Hightower, who the team traded for from the Arizona Cardinals. Torain, often injured, racked up 742 yards in 10 games last season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Hightower, who lost his job to first-round selection Beanie Wells, averaged 4.8 yards per carry in 2010, but managed 736 yards and five touchdowns in split duties.

Hightower will presumably be the starter, considering the Skins traded for him after already having Torain andKeiland Williams, and drafting Roy Helu from Nebraska and Evan Royster from Penn State. Like his M.O. with the Denver Broncos, the crowded backfield will be a week-to-week adventure for fantasy owners, so it’s suggested to draft cautiously. Many experts predict Helu will finish the season as the team’s starter, but with this much depth that’s hardly a lock.

The Skins bolstered their wide receiving corps with free agent Donte Stallworth and third-round draft choiceLeonard Hankerson from Miami (FL). Santana Moss is still the No. 1 wide receiver, though he barely possesses WR2 value. He should be drafted as a WR3, as he’s on his last legs on a really shaky offense.

Jabar Gaffney, who the Skins traded for from Denver, put together an 875-yard, two-touchdown season in 2010, his best season as a pro. He doesn’t have too much upside either. Anthony Armstrong, who finished second in receiving yards and touchdowns last year in D.C., likely has the most upside, and could surpass Gaffney on the depth chart at some point this season. Hankerson and Stallworth are long shots to have an impact this season.

Shanahan: Man Up

            He is not as fluent in the two-minute drill; he is not in good physical shape; and he has a hamstring injury. A lot of excuses for one controversial decision – what do you think tomorrow’s will be?

            After Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan opted to bench Donovan McNabb in favor of backup Rex Grossman in last Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, the football world watched in awe as the plan backfired. Grossman fumbled his first snap, which the Lions returned for a touchdown.

source: tbd.com

            And if that was not ugly enough, the head coach attempted to defend his decision – multiple times.

            Following the game, he thought Grossman gave the team a better chance to win in the two-minute drill. Monday, McNabb was not in good “cardiovascular health.” On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said McNabb was dealing with a hamstring injury.

            Pepper Rodgers said the head coach has the ultimate authority on a football team, so whatever his decision is it goes. If that is the case, then why is Shanahan scrambling for excuses?

             A lot of rumors have swirled since the McNabb incident inferring that Shanahan has been unhappy with his quarterback for a good deal of the season and was considering benching him on numerous occasions. That’s why you trade for a franchise quarterback in the offseason after all, right?

            When McNabb was brought into the Redskins organization, they thought their lingering quest for a quarterback for finally over. They ousted Jason Campbell as if he was a termite problem, and anointed McNabb was the team’s savior.

            Eight weeks into the 2010 season, McNabb has already matched the team’s win record from a season ago. By the way, the wins for the Skins in 2009 included St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Denver – let’s not get too excited about those triumphs.

            But the four losses this season are definitely McNabb’s fault though, right Shanahan? He has a tremendous offensive line, featuring a rookie left tackle and a $26.5M guard being benched. The team’s top running back has been injured for weeks, and his successor has fumbled twice in four starts. Oh, and their receiving core – aside from Santana Moss, McNabb is targeting a 38-year-old and a former Intense Football League player.

            Regardless, it is clearly McNabb’s fault they are .500.

source: bakersfieldnow.com

            Shanahan is an extremely well-respected head football in the National Football League. He has won multiple Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, and has coached some of the top stars the league has ever seen. However, that does not mean he’s immune to making mistakes.

            Benching McNabb was a glaring error, then and now. Believing that Rex Grossman of all people was the answer to the Redskins’ offensive woes was an even bigger mistake. But like Pepper Rodgers said, he is the coach; he makes the decisions, therefore he must live up to the decisions. If he lost confidence in his signal-caller, admit your mistake – do not give bologna about being out of shape or not as practiced in the two-minute drill. If he played 58 minutes in the game I think he would have lasted another two; if he hasn’t practiced the two-minute drill enough, it is your job to rehearse it in practice.

            Instead, Shanahan was too proud to admit his mistakes, and then he was too stubborn to go back on what he started. Now look what has happened.

            Recently, the Redskins worked out former NFL quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and J.P. Losman, formerly of the Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills, respectively. Give me a situation where you think Russell is a better quarterback to lean on than McNabb – you think Russell can lead a better two-minute drill? The guy can’t even make the Raiders’ roster.

            No matter what perspires out of the Redskins in the next two weeks leading up to their Monday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the damage has already been done. McNabb is a professional – we all saw how he handled the shots thrown at him during his time with Philly, and we see how he maintains him composure at times like these.

            McNabb will continue to play as if nothing happened, but the relationship between him and his head coach is already shattered. No matter how many times they called for him to be benched or traded in Philadelphia, And Reid always stood by his man. Shanahan, on the other hand, threw McNabb under the bus. How can you expect to play inspired under that kind of condition?

 source: renovomedia.com

            When McNabb’s contract expires at season’s end, do not expect the Redskins to be jumping at the chance to resign him. Shanahan is not going anywhere, and clearly he and McNabb have no chance of a future working together.

            You just have to wonder how things could have ended differently if Shanahan would have just admitted his mistake, and spoke man-to-man with his quarterback instead. Perhaps it’s the head coach who needs some schooling.

A Cutler-McNabb Swap Could Be The Best Move

A few years ago, one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the game became a regular headline in NFL news. Jay Cutler, then the quarterback of the Denver Broncos, was unhappy with the organization's decision to cut ties with head coach Mike Shanahan. The result: a trade to the quarterback-starved Chicago Bears for a blockbuster deal, including multiple draft picks and Kyle Orton, who succeeded Cutler in Denver.

While playing for Da Bears, Cutler continues to find himself among the daily headlines. No, it's not because he has finally emerged as the prolific passer the Chicago fans have been long awaiting. Instead, Cutler finds himself on the list of most disappointing sports figures in the city.

In 22 games with the Bears, Cutler's stat line reads 34 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions -- not exactly what the team thought they were getting when they traded the house to attain him. 

 source: Chicagonow.com

While franchise (or who we think are franchise) quarterback trades are not the reg in the NFL, we saw a somewhat similar trade go down last offseason when the Philadelphia Eagles traded their 11-year starter to a divisional rival for a second-round draft pick.

In Philly, McNabb led his team to multiple NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl, in which he fell to the decade's dynasty, the New England Patriots. And while much has been made about McNabb's success with the Eagles, an equal amount has been devoted to him hitting a wall.

McNabb's move to the Washington Redskins came due to the organization's move to bring in two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Shanahan, who is notorious for developing quarterbacks. 

 source: NYdailynews.com

But yeah, we both know these stories -- what gives? Despite a hot start by the Bears in 2010, Cutlers' Bears have suddenly fallen back to reality. Many expected Cutler to thrive in a Mike Martz-coordinated offense, but so far that has not been the case. Cuter is inclined to turning the ball over, and that just does not sit well in a game plan that focuses on throwing that many times during a game. And the last time Martz had success with this offense -- the St. Louis Rams and the Greatest Show on Turf -- had the likes of Hall of Famers Marshall  Faulk, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Kurt Warner.  Last time I checked, Cutler is no Kurt Warner. Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and Matt Forte...need I say more?

McNabb, on the other hand, was brought in to ignite a Redskins offense that ranked among the league's worse in 2009. While the team has improved to 4-4 this year, they sport just 20th-ranked offense, two spots better than when the offense was led by Jason Campbell. Their passing attack ranks right in the middle of the pack in the NFL.

So neither big move has had the effect that everyone wanted or expected them to have. The Bears and Skins both straddle that thin line of pretenders versus contenders in the league this year, both standing in the middle of their division races. But how much confidence can you have in the Bears with Cutler throwing interceptions in an attempt to get the ball out while defensive ends are jumping down his throat? And how do you expect the Skins to fare if the head coach thinks Rex Grossman gives his team the best shot to win with two minutes remaining in a close game against the Lions?

But as I mentioned earlier, there are some relationships that can still be revisited. Cutler thrived under Shanahan's tutelage in Denver, and if he favors Grossman over McNabb when the game in on the line, how inclined do you believe Daniel Snyder is to award McNabb a new deal when his contract expires at the conclusion of the season?

What's more interesting is McNabb helms from a little town where polish sausage is infamous, and they root for a little team called Da Bears. Every year, with the Philadelphia Eagles, trade speculation identified the Chicagoan roots as a possible reason to why McNabb would join the Bears, perhaps emerging as the quarterback they have always wanted and have continued to be live without (to this day).

All of the pieces to the puzzle are there, and yet another change of scenery for the two quarterbacks may be the best move of all. Let Shanny and Cutler reunite and recreate the magic they started with the Broncos; let McNabb run the Bears offense -- he clearly cannot thrive where he is not comfortable.