jjessescott

I am one of the biggest Peyton Manning fans in the world.  He's a great player and he is one of the most consistent leaders in the history of the game.  The Colts typically have not been a great postseason team.  For some reason, they dominate during the regular season and get into the playoffs and lose to a team that is more physical and seemingly (I know this is hard to imagine) more prepared. 

I think back to 2005, the year before the Colts won their first Super Bowl.  They were the #1 seed, first round bye, and if I remember, they had a similar start, like a 13-0 run.  The Steelers marched into the then RCA dome, ran the ball, shoved their foot down their throat, harrassed Peyton Manning, and kicked their arse on the way to winning Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

I don't see the Patriots as a threat to the Colts this year.  There won't be another New England, Indianapolis AFC title tilt.  The Patriots just aren't that good.  Unlike years past, their defense is not what it was years ago.  They can't get pressure on the quarterback and their secondary is very shady.  Tom Brady looks better, engineering the NFL's 2nd ranked offense.  However, this isn't the team of year's past.  There is no Willie McGinest, no Richard Seymour, no Asante Samuel.  It's not the same group.

The San Diego Chargers, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Cincinnati Bengals, and if the Steelers get in, which they should, with a chance to defend their title, they have the running game, defense, quarterback, and pedigree, to knock the Colts off again. 

Make sure to keep your eyes on the AFC playoffs.  Watch closely who will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.  It won't be the Colts -- not this year...

Well, well, well.  Here we are, the official midpoint of the 13-week fantasy football season, Week 7.  After starting off 0-2 and feeling like I was headed for a disaster, we've rebounded to win 4 in a row! 

I'm the first one to complain in fantasy baseball about the all-important "points against" column.  Inevitably over the last 2 years in fantasy baseball, in a 10-team league, I will score the 2nd or 3rd most points of anybody in the week, only to play the guy who scores the MOST points.  I'm not a big excuse maker or believer in luck, but I do think that an element of good fortune (just like sports in real life) is paramount to you earning victories and going all the way!

Aaron Rodgers was my keeper and I could have kept him next year with a 6th round pick.  In hindsight, maybe I should have held on to him, but I made another trade which gave me another headline keeper - Rashard Mendenhall.  Back in Week 3, I traded Wes Welker, Marshawn Lynch, and Steve Breaston for Kevin Smith, Brandon Marshall, and Mendenhall.  Not bad, huh?  Welker has looked pretty good, but Smith is a good PPR guy, Marshall looks like his head is out of his ass now, and Mendenhall, well he should be the Steelers stud running back for the next 5-7 years.  Next year, I only have to give up a 13th round pick to keep him, then 11th, 9th, 7th, etc, in subsequent years. 

With Warner backing up Rodgers and Marques Colston and Brandon Marshall as my receivers, I felt like I needed another top of the line receiver.  Feeling a little more comfortable with Mendenhall as 1 of my 2 keepers (and I have plan for another keeper that I can't reveal yet), I chose to trade Aaron Rodgers and Santana Moss (who I picked up off of the waiver wire) for Kurt Warner (Kurtis) and Larry Fitzgerald (Lawrence).

Kurtis and Lawrence are my headline acts and I have turned into the biggest Arizona Cardinals fan in the world.  After all, I think a lot of people forget that they were in the SUPER BOWL last year.  Flanked by Marques Colston and Brandon Marshall (we only start 2 receivers), Jason Witten, the PPR stud Joseph Addai, the afore mentioned Kevin Smith, Rashard Mendenhall, and the slightly underachieving Ryan Grant, we have a great shot to get to our 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years.  Grant has been more of a 2nd half player and I'm hoping that the Packers signing of old ass Ahman Green will motivate him to ball out and step his game up.  

This week, I'm playing the division leader, who is 5-1 and beat me already, so this is a critical game.  He's stacked too; Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Cedric Benson, Andre Johnson, Donald Driver, Antonio Gates, Eagles defense.  This is going to be a big game.  I'm excited, not really nervous, but just a little anxious.  You know the drill.

Good luck to everybody this week.  Time to make it happen!!! 

Well, I got my arse kicked in Week 1.  I was worried about Wes Welker, since he was limited in practice all week and played on Monday night.  CBS predicted that Anthony Gonzalez would have 5 catches for 70 yards and a TD.  Home opener, check.  Jacksonville sucks, check!  Peyton Manning throwing the ball, check!  Good move, huh?

Anthony Gonzalez got hurt on the first play of the game and Wes Welker caught 12 passes Monday night.  Good job Coach Scott!  Luckily it didn't cost me the game.  That would have been the worst!

The Bears always play the Packers tough, so my Packers duo of Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant didn't do too much last week.  Quite honestly, I thought ONE of them would have a big game, but in retrospect, I'm kind of glad that they didn't.  If we're going to lose, let's go down shitting our pants.  No need to have a 4 TD game from your QB or RB and still lose.  Anybody who had Drew Brees last week and didn't win probably slit their wrists. 

So, this week, we get the Packers boys at home against Cincinnati.  All I hear is about how much improved their defense is, blah, blah, blah.  Their defense is so good that they let Brandon Stokley get behind them for a tipped ball, 76 yard touchdown last week.  Now, that was probably a mistake, but these are still the Bungles to me.  THEY SUCK!  Rodgers should have a 2 or 3 TD day and throw for at LEAST 250 yards.  If he can't do that then Michael Jordan didn't get fat.  Ryan Grant, you should have 90-100 yards just from being out there and carrying the ball 20-25 times.  If I'm right, Correll Buckhalter had 77 yards against them in Week 1.  Correll Buckhalter?  I think he's like 40. 

All of my friends have been giving me crap about Joseph Addai.  They all say that he sucks.  You know what?  Maybe he does!  The good news is that Peyton Manning is his quarterback and that alone means that he will NEVER run against 8 men in the box.  Addai doesn't suck, it's their offensive line.  It has gotten worse over the last 2-3 years.  I still think that when it's all said and done, he will have 1,000 yards rushing, 10 rushing TD's, 40 receptions, 350 receiving yards, and 3 receiving TD's.  Playing with Peyton Manning is good enough to get you SOME money, isn't it?

Marques Colston, you are the least of my concerns.  Just stay on the field my friend.  A 10 catch, 125 yard game is in your future.  It's what you do. 

Wes Welker, keep catching 15 passes for 39 yards.  I'll take it!  That's why I drafted you, PPR baby!!!

Jason Witten, I love you.  I didn't know whether to take Tony Gonzalez over you or not, but I like the Cowboys better and I figured that you would be one of the keys to the passing game.  90 for 900 and 8 when the year is over.  Make me proud.

Jason Elam has a hamstring problem, missed 2 kicks AND an extra point in Week 1.  That will get you dropped from my team yo!  Tonight I'm going to pick up Nate Kaeding in free agency.  He faces Baltimore, that should mean at least 2 FG attempts this week.

I think I'm going to make it a Packers sunday and ride out with the defense also.  Cincinnati's offensive line couldn't block my dog, kid, secretary and wife.  Green Bay should get to the QB pretty easily this week.  The Chargers are my other option, but I really think that the Ravens are going to win that game.  Funny how I'm so decisive (and probably correct) when I'm NOT in Las Vegas.  Betting on those damn games is intimidating.

Well, like I told my homey Pookie this morning, if I don't make the playoffs, I don't know what to do.  I KNOW that I have one of the three best teams in my division.  Now, we have to get a few breaks, play good ball, and go out and prove it.  Come on Green Bay!!!

She just said that all I talk about is football.  Well, guess what honey?  It's going to get worse over the next 4 to 5 months.  You didn't mop the floor, you didn't do this, and you didn't do that.  Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

What I really want to talk about is fantasy football!!!  Man, I can't wait.  My fantasy baseball team FLOPPED.  Despite having Josh Beckett, Mark Buehrle, Miguel Cabrera, Jorge Posada, Brandon Phillips, Jason Bartlett, Jermaine Dye, Andre Ethier, Jason Marquis, Javier Vazquez, Francisco Rodriguez, and Ichiro Suzuki, we came in 4th in a division of 5 teams.  Boy, that sucks.  In fact, this is the 2nd year in a row that I didn't make the playoffs in my fantasy baseball league.  I really can't believe it, I really can't.  Am I that bad?

My wife just yelled at me some more.  She said that my job is a "cake walk" compared to hers.  Well, I didn't know being a Campus Director was so easy -- the pressure that comes with my job she couldn't handle.  I'm going to switch places with her one day, she would shit her pretty little panties!

Fantasy football, this is my specialty.  I have 2 main leagues.  One league, I've had with my friends for the last 11 years.  I have been in the Super Bowl 3 times, winning twice.  2 of those 3 Super Bowl appearances have come in the last 3 years.  I've only missed the playoffs 2 times in 11 years.  I've had a pretty good run.  In the other league, this is year $7.  I have been in the Super Bowl 5 out of 6 years, winning only twice.  I've lost in the big game in each of the last 3 years.  It sucks, but at least I've been there.

Who do I like this year...  Well, here are some sleepers that I think will vastly outperform their draft position; Matt Cassel, Matt Hasselbeck, Kyle Orton, Carson Palmer, Jay Cutler, Marion Barber, Ryan Grant, Kevin Smith, Joseph Addai, Willie Parker, Jerious Norwood, Felix Jones, Chad Ochocinco, Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, Braylon Edwards, Anthony Gonzalez, Bernard Berrian, Steve Breaston, Donald Driver, Owen Daniels, John Carlson, Visanthe Shiancoe, Jeremy Shockey, Tony Scheffler, and Kevin Boss.  Those are just a few sleepers for you...

Well, time to go do some more research.  My son is still running around eating candy at 9:30 pm and my wife is mad so all is good with the world.  Good night, sleep tight, don't let the fantasy football bugs bite@!@#@#@!!!!!$#@!

...but I do believe in good fortune.  There's no such thing as luck though.  Just like in real sports, you have to have some bounces go your way to be successful in fantasy sports.  I'll tell you one thing though.  The "points against" column can decide a LOT of fantasy seasons.  Currently, in my fantasy baseball league, there are teams that I have more points than and I have 3 or 4 fewer wins.  Unfortunately, though, that's the name of the game in a head-to-head league.  You have to win the games that you play.  If you score 234 points in a week and you happen to play the highest scoring team in the league who scores 240, that's just the way that it goes.  Stuff happens sometimes, you know?  You can't just say "awwww, that's bull crap", you play the games on your schedule and you play the hand you're dealt. 

It does feel unfortunate when you face Tim Lincecum on one week and he puts up a 14 strikeout shutout, then the next week when that team plays another team in your division and you need them to win, he gives up 3 or 4 runs and loses.  That's not bad luck, it's bad fortune.  There has never been a BAD fantasy team that has won a title.  Everybody gets breaks along the way, but nobody is lucky. 

One team comes to mind... the 2007 New York Giants.  They weren't the best team, clearly.  The Patriots were 18-0 and set an NFL record for points scored in a season.  The Giants played a good game, had a great game plan and executed it to perfection.  On that particular day, the Giants were just better and it just so happened that the game was for the world championship.  The same thing happens in fantasy sometimes.  Sometimes a team can just be better, you may actually beat them 8 out of 10 (I like how CBS breaks that down for you in the "breakdown" part of the fantasy site).  In a season, you may have outscored a team 7 out of 8 weeks and in Week 9, they beat you.  It isn't luck.  It's bad fortune, but there's no such thing as luck.

I heard Peyton Manning say something once.  He said something to this effect, "You know, you have to think that if you keep preparing the right way, working hard, practicing hard, making good choices, that eventually, things are going to work out for you."  Peyton hasn't gotten all of the breaks in life, but he has gotten some things to go his way.  The same is true in fantasy sports.  Eventually, if you keep doing all of the right things, you will win -- and it won't be luck.

I used to think that fantasy baseball was actually rivaling fantasy football in relevance and excitement.  Not so fast my friends.  Fantasy baseball is fun, but it's so damn long.  I'm a bit biased, because all 3 of my teams suck this year.  It's more fun when you're winning, as is anything else.

I'm SO excited for the NFL.  There's nothing like 12:00 approaching on a Sunday in the fall and having a remote control in your hand, food at your fingertips, beer in the refrigerator, and 12-15 games to watch from noon until 10 p.m. that night.  My wife and I have been together 9 years, married for 7 of them, and she knows that on Sunday, I'm not MOVING from 12 p.m. - 10 p.m., so don't bother even asking me.  There's nothing better than good football on a Sunday afternoon.

The physicality of the game makes it intense, but how about the beauty of the execution?  Players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marion Barber, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Reggie Wayne, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman, Dwight Freeney, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, I mean when these guys are on, would you rather be watching anything else?  How about seeing Devin Hester take a punt back 74 yards for a touchdown?  The NFL is the greatest theatre in sports. 

The finality of the NFL is also what makes it so appealing.  There are 16 games, not 82 or 162.  Playoffs are single elimination and not the best 4 out of 7.  If somebody gets hurt or you don't bring your A game that day and you get beat and go home, it's too bad.  Nobody feels sorry for you and nobody is going to listen to you cry.  I remember in 2005 when the Steelers won the Super Bowl, they were a 6 seed and they opened up at Cincinnati.  The Bengals had their number that year, may have even beaten them both games if I remember correctly.  Carson Palmer tore his knee on the first pass of the game and down he went.  Enter Jon Kitna and a Steelers victory.  If Palmer didn't go down, the Bengals probably win that game and who knows how different history would have been.  There wasn't another game or time to change the game plan.  You adjust on the fly and win with what you have.  It's the ultimate team sport.

Good luck to my fellow fantasy football bretheren out there...  I have some sleepers that I'd LOVE to share with you, but I can't for fear that some people in my league may read this blog entry (probably not, but I'm still paranoid).  Go Bears!

I posted an entry a few weeks ago saying how I couldn't bare watching the NBA playoffs and I was right.  Orlando vs. Philadelphia was some of the most boring playoff basketball in NBA history.  Today I was watching some of the NBA's top 60 playoff moments of all-time.  I suggest you take a look.  I saw Willis Reed limping out of the tunnel and hitting the jumper -- I think that was #3.  Michael Jordan hitting the jumper over Utah to win the title was of course #1.  They had Larry Bird stealing the ball from Isiah Thomas and I think that was #3.  How many of those moments will we have in this year's playoffs?  Who knows?

I'll tell you one thing though.  The first few games of the conference finals have had my glued to the tv set.  Cleveland-Orlando Game 1 was a thrilla from manilla.  LeBron James was amazing as usual and Dwight Howard played very well.  How about Rashard Lewis nailing that 3 to put them up 1 with a little time left?  That was nice.

Then, the marquee conference final has been breathtaking.  Anybody who says that Carmelo Anthony isn't one of the 5 best players in basketball doesn't know much about the NBA.  I mean, he is STANKY!!!  I'm a big fan of his, how he carries himself in interviews, his skill is impressive, and he just seems like a good teammate and a good person.  Kobe Bryant is annoying as all hell, but nobody can not say that he is not only one of the best, but one of the most clutch players in NBA history.  Yeah, he wants to be like Michael Jordan, but as a buddy of mine said the other day, "It's working out pretty good for him."  If I could walk around and copy all of Michael Jordan's moves and walk and talk like him, WHILE making millions of dollars in the process and being one of the best basketball players in the world, I would probably do it too.  That doesn't mean that it's not annoying.

SO, I admit that I was wrong.  The NBA is not dead.  All it needs to go back in the grave is for the Denver Nuggets to make the NBA Finals, so we can sit through 2 weeks of Denver vs. Cleveland.  I think I just went back to sleep!

I read some article the other day (on a website that I won't mention on cbs) that alluded to the fact that Phil Jackson is letting his team down and being outcoached by Rick Adelman.  Now, I will admit that Phil needs to do a better job of helping his team to defend the pick and roll, but his strength has always been in the management of players.  There's something to be said for having a certain mental mindset to be able to go out and win games -- particularly in the playoffs.

Jackson has the highest winning percentage in NBA playoff history and is tied for the most championships with Red Auerbach not just in basketball, but in American team sports history.  His pundits are quick to point out that he had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal.  Well, I am quick to point out that Michael Jordan NEVER won a championship without Phil Jackson.  One would argue that Jackson came along at just the right time, during Jordan's maturation, to capitalize on his success at the top.  Well, Jordan himself has said that Phil Jackson taught him the importance of being a leader, of incorporating his teammates, and of trusting others to help him reach his goals.  Because Kobe Bryant wants to be Michael Jordan so bad, he will say the same thing when his career is over.  Shaq is quick to dog every coach after he leaves the team, but in Phil Jackson's first year, he made it clear that the team would run through Shaq and NOT Kobe.  The result?  67 wins, Shaq's first and only NBA MVP award, and the Lakers' first NBA title in 12 years.  The guy knows a little basketball too.

So, sit back and watch tomorrow night, just as Phil will be sitting back and watching.  Everybody always wants to know what he is doing, there's something to be said for sometimes knowing what NOT to do.  As they say, the best decisions are the ones that you DON'T make sometimes.  Phil understands that leadership is about confidence and success and he is secure enough in himself to take a step back, let his players play, do his work behind the scenes, and continue to win.