Sunday with The Sports-Casters

The definitive live blog for all things football on 11/13/11.

Saturday Night:


It's still about twenty hours until the first football's are kicked nine-yards into the end zone for the first of many touchbacks across the country. Yet, here I am typing, erasing, deleting, typing, striking out, and fighting for the best way to introduce you to this new weekly feature that will be the driving force for a budding partnership between The Sports-Casters and Pro Player Insiders.

Honestly, I am making it much harder on myself that it actually is. I want the partnership to be a success so here I sit trying tp force out the 200 most profound words I have ever written. It isn't even Sunday yet. Perfectionists everywhere are nodding their heads and giggling out of the side of their mouths thankful that it isn't them this time. Well, I'm done fighting and ready to explain what the rest of this currently blank screen is going to turn into.

The idea is this. I watch football every week for about twelve straight hours. I watch it at home with my dog Colston as I pace back and forth with my Super Bowl XLIV commemorative football in my hands. I have a beautiful 52 inch screen just inches away from a 40 inch screen that's just inches away from a 24 inch iMac that I use to monitor the Red Zone Channel. On the biggest of screens, I watch my beloved New Orleans Saints. I have calmed a bit since Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton Manning and made me the fan of the Super Bowl Champions, but I still am the type of fan that wears his heart on his sleeve ready to slam my commemorative football if frustration dares to rear its ugly head on Sunday. On the smaller screen, I usually monitor whatever game I think is best. The smaller television, you could say, is reserved for the game of the week.

Tomorrow, instead of watching with just Colston, I am inviting all of you to stop by and watch the games with me. If you are a fan of the podcast, you have probably followed our blog, and maybe even have stopped by for a live blog in the past. I will update the blog every few minutes with an observation and react to the various story lines as they play out at stadiums around the country. I might give fantasy advise, complain about the Saints, debate controversial play calls and referee decisions, while being a good host and reacting to your comments to the blog or any questions you might ask on Twitter or Facebook.

Before I sign off for the night to eat dinner with the nervous Miss Caster, (she doesn't mind when I have friend over, but she does get nervous when all of the listeners and now all of the readers at Pro Player Insiders pack our house) we should set the table for tomorrow and list some of the week ten story lines that we will be following during the live blog.

Week 10 at a Glance:

• Bills vs. Cowboys: Can the Bills get up off the matt after being punched in the mouth by the Jets last week? Can the Cowboys keep pace with the Giants in the NFC East? Will DeMarco Murray continue to run for almost 9-yards per carry? 
• Titans vs. Panthers: After showing signs of life last week, can Chris Johnson still be Chris Johnson? Can the Titans beat an emerging Panthers team on the road? If not, Houston can just about start resting starters for the playoffs, right? What will Cam Newton do tomorrow to leave us all breathless? 
• Texans vs. Buccaneers: With Gerald McCoy gone for the season, can the Bucs stop the run? Arian Foster and Ben Tate have both rushed for over 100-yards in consecutive weeks and the Texans will be sure to see how the middle of the Bucs D stands up without McCoy. Will Andre Johnson play? If he does, how does that hamstring look? Serious question, is it possible while we weren't looking the Texans have gotten healthy and emerged as the best team in the AFC?
• Jaguars vs. Colts: If the Colts are to win a game this season at home against the 2-6 Jaguars might be their best chance. Can the Colts do enough on defense to slow down MJD and force Blaine Gabbert to beat them? Can Curtis Painter/Dan Orlovsky/Kerry Collins get the ball downfield to the talented Reggie Wayne or Pierre Garcon? 
• Cardinals vs. Eagles: The Eagles loss to the Bears on Monday night has left their season on life support. Can they pick themselves up? Will the deadly Patrick Peterson score another touchdown? 
• Saints vs. Falcons: The winner of this game will likely win the NFC South. The Saints were a missed field goal away from winning in Atlanta last year and it haunted them for the rest of the season. How will the Falcons try to stop Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles? Will Drew Brees extend his steak of games with a touchdown pass to 37 and pass Brett Favre for the second longest streak in NFL history? The Saints struggle against opposing tight ends, will they have an answer for Tony Gonzalez? 
• Rams vs. Browns: Is Sam Bradford healthy? Can he lead the Rams to some victories down the stretch? Can the Browns do anything to make Tony Rizzo happy? If a tree falls near Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday at 1:30 will anyone be around to hear it? 
• Redskins vs. Dolphins: Can Reggie Bush continue his hot streak? Will the Redskins ever win a game again? Can I make that tree joke for consecutive games? How does J-Lo feel about the short Kardashian nuptials poor play of the Dolphins this season?
• Broncos vs. Chiefs: This might be the most interesting game between a 4-4 team coming off a 28-point loss at home against a previously winless team and a 3-5 team with a starting QB that has yet to complete 15 passes in a game this season. The AFC West could easily be won by a 7-9 team this year. Can the Broncos win at Arrowhead and force a three-way tie for second place at 4-5? Can the Chiefs tie the Raiders for first place at 5-4? What will Tim Tebow do this week? Will Von Miller or Jon Baldwin be the best rookie on the field? This game being so dam interesting is so unique to the NFL. 
• Steelers vs. Bengals: Can the Steelers bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to the Ravens last week? Can the Bengals prove to everyone that they are for real? Is Andy Dalton ready for a defense as good as the Steelers? What game breaking wide receiver, Mike Wallace or AJ Green, will make more game breaking plays? Is this the best game of the week? Is Rashard Mendenhall alive? With injuries to Jermaine Gresham and Donald Lee will the Bengals have a healthy tight end? 
• Ravens vs. Seahawks: Can the Ravens avoid the Steelers hangover and make the long flight to Seattle ready to play the Seahawks? The Ravens put so much into the Steelers game last week that a west coast trip to Seattle could be the last thing most of the players had in mind. Can they avoid the letdown? 
• Lions vs. Bears: The Lions have lost two of their last three games and will still be without Jahvid Best. Best rushed for 163-yards the last time the Bears and Lions played. Do the Lions have a healthy back that can make a play against the Bears defense? Can anyone stop Calvin Johnson? The Bears give up a ton of yards and catches to tight ends, could this be a career day for Brandon Pettigrew? Can Matt Forte run against Suh? Is the loser of this game in danger of missing the playoffs? 
• Giants vs. 49ers: The winner of this game will walk away as the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs and will have the inside track at the second bye week. Who will be the better former first-overall pick, Eli Manning or Alex Smith? If Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks both miss another game will the Giants be able to find enough offense against the punishing 49ers defense to win on the road? 

That is all for tonight. A few links to keep in mind for tomorrow if you are interested in following the live blog. 

• Feel free to ask questions on twitter by following @sports_casters.
• Don't be afraid to leave a comment or a question right on this page in the comment section. 
• If you would like to listen to The Sports-Casters podcast Episode 50 with Dave Dameshek, Mike Tirico, and Kerry J. Byrne you can follow this link. 

SUNDAY AFTERNOON:

Waiting patiently...

3 More Things

MLB Playoffs, Stanley Cup Prediction, The Sports-Casters

1. It has been quite a while since I have blogged and since the show has been moving quickly. It seems like we just don't have enough time to cover all that is going on in the world of sports. The podcasts have been especially packed. Last week, we talked with McLovin from the Dan Patrick Show about the struggling Eagles. We talked to Tim Layden about his book, Sports Illustrated on the iPad, and his time at the track and field world championships in Daegu, Korea. Last, we started previewing the 2011 NHL season with the Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski. We will continue to preview the season with over the course of the next month.

This Tuesday is episode 46 and it might be our best show yet. Gregg Easterbrook from ESPN's Page 2 writes a weekly column called, Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Like Don and I, Mr. Easterbrook is from Buffalo, New York. Also from Buffalo is actor/comedian/producer/media everything Nick Bakay. Nick is new to twitter and was very kind in setting up his appearance on the show. We will also talk to Matt Crossman of The Sporting News. Matt worked extensively on the annual list of top sports markets in the country. The Sporting News is also undergoing some changes in distribution of the magazine and it will be interesting to see what he thinks about the magazines future. Look for EP46 of The Sports-Casters on Tuesday evening.

2. The Major League Baseball playoffs have been nothing if not dramatic. Yankees captain Derek Jeter just missed a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning that would have given the Yankees the lead in game five of their Division series against the Tigers. Instead, A-Rod shit the bit in the seventh inning and then made the last out of the game and the last out of the season for the second consecutive year. Tonight, the Brewers rode a walk off single in the tenth inning to their first appearance in the NLCS (They played in the ALCS in 1982). After the dramatic game in Milwaukee, the Phillies and their 102 regular season wins were eliminated by Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals. Carpenter was brilliant pitching eight innings and allowing only three hits. Ryan Howard (like the before mentioned A-Rod) also made his team's final out for the second consecutive season. As bad as that may have hurt Howard, the injury to his achilles could be a pain that continues to ale Phillies fans for years to come.

The baseball has been great, but I can't help but dislike the short five game series in the opening round of the playoffs. It seems like a team like the Phillies isn't given enough advantage for being the best team over the course of a 162 game season. The Phillies finished 12 games better than the Cardinals who didn't even earn a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season. The best of seven series would be more fair than the current format.

I am looking forward to the upcoming ALCS and NLCS. I will take the Rangers over the Tigers in six games and the Brewers over the Cardinals in seven. One last thing about baseball, remember in July at the all-star game when Prince Fielder hit a 3-run home run to give the National League a victory and home field advantage in the World Series? Well, Fielder and the Brewers are only four wins away from the World Series starting in Milwaukee where they were an incredible 57-24 during the regular season. That all-star game home run could turn in to one of the biggest in the games history.

3. As I mentioned earlier, we started previewing the upcoming NHL season last week when the Puck Daddy joined us on the podcast. We will continue to talk about the upcoming season in the coming weeks with Jon Buccigross, Katie Baker, and some of the smartest hockey minds in the media. We will also be doing some athletes spotlight podcasts with players from NCAA Hockey, the AHL, and hopefully the NHL.

In the meantime I wanted to get some predictions for the 2011 season on paper.

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams
Buffalo Sabres (Northeast Champions)
Pittsburgh Penguins (Atlantic Champions)
Washington Capitals (Southeast Champions)
Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins
Montreal Canadians
Tampa Bay Lightning
New York Rangers

Eastern Conference Champions- Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference Playoff Teams
Vancouver Canucks (Northwest Champions)
Chicago Blackhawaks (Central Champions)
Los Angelas Kings (Pacific Champions)
Detroit Red Wings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Calgary Flames

Western Conference Champions- Los Angelas Kings

Stanley Cup Finals- The Buffalo Sabers over the Los Angelas Kings in five games.

Last thing, I pre-ordered an iPhone 4S today and it wouldn't have been possible without the innovation of Steve Jobs. I have mentioned many times on this blog and on the podcast how much I enjoy the products that Apple makes. Steve Jobs was an incredible innovator and he will be missed. Rest in peace, Steve.

32 Things: A Preview of the 2011 NFL Season

Previewing the NFL Season: 1 Thing at a Time

If you are a fan of the show (and my guess is that you are if you're reading this), you know that we open each show with a segment called, "3Things." The segment gives Don and I a chance to recap the week in sports and discuss the moments, controversies and oddities from the last seven days. When I decided that the blog needed a special NFL preview post I figured it would work best if it was a print version of the podcast. So, what comes next is 32Things, one for each team in the NFL. Let's do it...

Team: Green Bay Packers Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Aaron Rogers Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Randall Cobb

1.) The bullseye is squarely on the backs of all 53 Green Bay Packer players. The Packers have gone from the hunter, as a sixth seed that won three road games before beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl, to the hunted as the team that has achieved what all of the other teams in the league set off to do. As a Saints fan, I watched how hard it is to be that team that everyone is trying to catch up to. The Packers won the Super Bowl last year without Jermichael Finley, but he is back and ready to create headaches for defensive coordinators everywhere. I don't think the Packers will repeat, but they might be the best equipped to do so since the Patriots earlier in the decade. (Projected Record: 15-1)

Team: New England Patriots Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Tom Brady Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Stevan Ridley

2.) I am very excited to watch, "Bill Belichick: A Football Life." The show is a two part documentary that will air on the NFL Network on September 15 and September 22. Belichick agreed to spend the entire 2009 football season wired for sound. If you are like me you feel like you know very little about the polarizing Belichick. Sports Programing like HBO's 24/7, Showtime's series about the 49ers and other behind the scenes type shows have given us insight we have never had before. I expect this show to be no different. (Projected Record: 14-2)

Team: Steelers Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Rashard Mendenhall Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Marcus Gilbert


3.) Last offseason was a zoo in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger was suspended for four games by the Commish and the Steelers season was in doubt before it started. In the end, the Steelers made another trip to the Super Bowl and without a late fumble by Mendenhall they might have won it. This offseason was much quieter. I expect much of the same from the Steelers this year. The Ravens will challenge them for the division and Cleveland is better. Despite that, the Steelers play the Bengals twice, the 49er, Rams, Cardinals, Colts (on 9/25 long before a potential Manning return), Jaguars, and Seahawks. If the Steelers defeat the Ravens on Sunday I will expect them to be 7-0 heading into a two game stretch against New England and Baltimore. (Projected Record: 13-3)


Team: New Orleans Saints Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Drew Brees Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Mark Ingram


4.) Anyone who listens to the show knows that I am a die hard Saints fan. I am sure, for that reason, anything that I write here will be taken with a grain of salt by most of you. The truth is, I am as critical of my team as anyone. I ditched my Saints blindfold years ago. I am always honest when it comes to the Saints. My expectation this season is another trip to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees is the best or second best QB in the NFC and he is surrounded by weapons. The defense is going to struggle early as they adjust to a ton of offseason changes. If the defense can get going and be around the lower top third in the NFC the Saints could be impossible to beat. I fully expect the season to come down to one game. Can the Saints beat the Packers in the NFC Championship? Maybe (Projected Record: 14-2)


Team: Jets Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Santonio Holmes Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Muhammad Wilkerson


5.) I can't be the only person who missed spending the summer with the New York Jets on HBO's Hard Knocks. At one point my withdrawals got so bad that I was just walking around the house mumbling "let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack, let's go eat a god damn snack." It got ugly. The Jets have gotten within a game of the Super Bowl in the last two seasons before falling in the AFC Championship Game. The Jets need to get better on offense to expect to beat Pittsburgh or New England in January. Plaxico Burress has replaced Braylon Edwards but I don't see that as any kind of massive upgrade. If the Jets are going to improve on offense than Mark Sanchez has to take the next step and Shonn Greene needs to establish himself as an every down back. (Projected Record: 11-5)


Team: Baltimore Ravens Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Ray Rice Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Jimmy Smith


6.) The Ravens have made a few subtle moves in the offseason that I think will make their team much better than last year. First, the Ravens made a great trade for Lee Evans. Evans was rotting away in Buffalo and never seemed to click with the Bills ivy league QB. Joe Flacco throws and outstanding deep ball and Lee Evans is capable of getting deep and catching them. This allows Anquan Boldin to catch the ball closer to the line of scrimmage and rack up yards after the catch. A better passing game means more room for the mega talented Ray Rice and less pressure on Joe Flacco. Next, the Ravens picked Bryant McKinney off the scrap heap, prohibit him from eating cheeseburgers, and moved Michael Oher back to RT where he was dominate in his rookie season. Last, the Ravens signed Matt Birk to play center. Sure Matt Birk is in his 14th season, but I guarantee this is the last time you think about, read about, or talk about Birk the rest of the season. That is exactly what you want from your center. I predict big things from the Ravens this session and I can't wait to watch them battle it out with the Steelers. (Projected Record: 13-3) 


Team: Atlanta Falcons Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Roddy White Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Julio Jones


7.) The Falcons paid a shit ton to acquire Julio Jones in the draft. I have been following Jones since he was a 17-year old senior playing high school ball in Alabama. Jones was a 5-star all world recruit that had narrowed his decision for college down to Oklahoma or Alabama. Ultimately, he broke my heart and decided to ball at home with Nick Saban and ended up winning a National Championship. Jones is the real deal, sure the Falcons paid a King's ransom to team him up with Roddy White and Harry Douglas in an attempt to created the greatest show on turf part two, but if it works out no one is ever going to miss those draft picks. (Projected Record: 12-4)


Team: Philadelphia Eagles Most Coveted Fantasy Player: M. Vick Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Casey Matthews


8.) The Eagles spend the entire abbreviated offseason attempting to sign every free agent with a pulse. They succeeded. The Eagles added Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin, Ronnie Brown, and Steve Smith. The Eagles also got good news when strangely ill Jeremy Maclin started to feel better and was cleared of leukemia. The Eagles have surrounded Vick with tons of talent. LeSean McCoy is a multi-demensional threat. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Mackin, and Steve Smith should spread defenses all over the field. There is still something that just doesn't feel right about the Eagles to me. I can feel the eyes of every Eagles fan reading this rolling right now but when was the last time that the big winner in the offseason was the big winner in the regular season. Didn't the Eagles attempt what the Redskins have been trying to do for the entire time that Dan Snyder has owned the team? Has it ever worked? Personally, I wouldn't have traded Kevin Kolb. (Projected Record: 10-6)


Team: San Diego Chargers  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: VJack  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget


9.) We spent a lot of time talking about the Chargers with Sports Illustrated senior writer Jim Trotter on the last episode of The Sports-Casters. One thing I noticed about the Chargers roster is that they are loaded with veterans all over the field. It seems like the clock might be ticking. The Chargers has been progressively worse each season under Norv Turner. It will be nice to enter this season with Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeil on the field and not holding out like last season. The Chargers were number 1 on offense and number 1 on defense last season before awful special teams and a poor September kept them from extending their streak of AFC West division titles. If Bob Sanders can stay healthy all season he could be the steal of the offseason and the extra piece that the Chargers have been missing. Does anyone think that can happen?(Projected Record: 10-6) 


Team: Indianapolis Colts  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: Reggie Wayne  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget


10.) Life without Peyton Manning has slapped the Colts and all of their fans across the face this week. Its almost impossible to picture the Colts without Manning under center. A few year ago, Tom Brady was injured during the first game of the Patriots season. Some how they were able to plug in Matt Cassel, go 11-5, and make the playoffs. I don't think the Colts have a Matt Cassel on their roster. In fact, I know they don't. They will attempt to go to battle with Kerry Collins who isn't a completely awful player. I think the Colts will rally around themselves and do the best that they can but without Payton Manning this team just isn't built for success. At least the city of Indianapolis gets to host the Super Bowl in February. (Projected Record: 7-9)


Team: San Diego Chargers  Most Coveted Fantasy Player: VJack  Rookie Expected to Make Impact: Corey Liuget

32 Teams in 32 Run-on Sentences

It might surprise fans of the podcast to discover that I slack a bit when it comes to the blogs. I don't mean to and I actually like to write, I just feel like I'm not wired like a writer. Guys like Joe Posnanski have a brain that needs to unleash ideas through a keyboard or pen. Those guys are always writing many stories at once, where I have trouble coming up with an idea for one. It's an admirable trait and a big reason they are well paid and respected and I am stealing an idea Steve announced on the podcast to jump back into the 'blogosphere'.

Anyway, as an addendum to our latest podcast (http://www.sports-casters.com/ Epidsode 40) which is rich with information previewing the football season, we both offer up one last preview to the season that starts tomorrow. Steve's, I'm sure, will be in depth and factual and informative. My goal was to summarize every team in one sentence and maybe draw a laugh or two out of the reader. Judging by the amount of green squiggly lines under most of them, I failed to do it in a way that is grammatically accurate. Microsoft Office has yet to incorporate a ‘check’ for humor, so the level of success in that area remains to be seen.

Whatever… Without further ado, here is my take on the upcoming season. All teams are listed in the order I feel they'll finish in their divisions. I'll also throw in a few predictions at the end, to add to my word count. Once you have finished reading the blog, please send me nasty emails telling me where I was wrong. Just be sure to forget everything I wrote by the end of the year so you can't call me on my crap. Here goes…

AFC East
New England Patriots- Tom Brady is so annoyingly good that even when he has seemingly no one to throw to he has an MVP-esque season on the way to a league best 14-2 record, and without distractions there is no reason to think he (they) shouldn't do it again.
New York Jets- They are so brash, confident and winless in championship games, that ownership is considering a name change to the New York Phillip Rivers-es.
Buffalo Bills- The Bills will return to Jauron-Era form and win 6 or 7 games, while the city collectively wonders if that’s a good thing.
Miami Dolphins- Opposing defensive coordinators are going to have a hard time deciding whether to NOT game plan against the run, which coaches are so confident in they are considering signing Larry Johnson (again) or NOT game plan against the pass which boasts underwhelming Chad Henne.

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens- This basically came down to my liking the Ravens chances of staying healthy at key position more than the Steelers…and I flipped a coin.
Pittsburgh Steelers- In the Super Bowl, Rodgers not only confused Polamalu and the Steelers secondary, he made them look very ordinary and NFL sources have told me that other coaches watched the game too.
Cleveland Browns- The division is too top heavy for the Browns to make a serious push, but McCoy looks ready to make a big step in the right direction, which makes it extra puzzling that there are no NFL receivers or tight ends on their 53 man roster.
Cincinnati Bengals- I’ve been on google for a half hour and still can only name three Bengals players, but to be totally fair I did get sidetracked by porn.

AFC South
Houston Texans- If they can’t win this division with Peyton missing what is looking like considerable time then the title of perennial sleeper pick moves to St. Louis.
Indianapolis Colts- He’s been pretty much garbage the last few seasons, but the Colts have to be wondering what Carson Palmer is up to these days.
Tennessee Titans- CJ2K better not look out of shape or get injured or his fantasy owners and twitter followers won’t be his only haters in Tennessee.
Jacksonville Jaguars- The entire Jaguars organization makes me feel good about being a Bills fan…yeah, I know, right?

AFC West
San Diego Chargers- San Diego is still waiting for Phillip Rivers to go all Phillip Rivers in a playoff game, meanwhile, they are still partying in New Orleans after Drew Brees’ Super Bowl XLIV win.
Kansas City Chiefs- I am not a Matt Cassel fan in the least, but I don’t dislike him enough to think his surrounding cast can’t keep them ahead of the Broncos and their inept defense.
Denver Broncos- Kyle Orton might not be as tight with Jesus as Tim Tebow, but Brandon Lloyd has to be praying to whoever he believes in that the coaching staff doesn’t get cute again this year.
Oakland Raiders- There is not a run on sentence long enough to try and decipher Al Davis and the Raiders’ plan.

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles- The more likable (barely) Miami Heat of the NFL, should contend for a championship, but they should also probably keep their backup quarterback quiet.
Dallas Cowboys- Unless Dez Bryant goes crazy and burns down Jerry World I think the Cowboys are finally going to run out of the quarterback's girlfriend and wide receiver and coaching related excuses.
New York Giants- Preseason issues like timing and shortened playbooks and are one thing, but Eli has looked really inaccurate and that’s reason for concern especially considering how he is now an elite guy in the class of Tom Brady.
Washington Redskins- Grossman v. Beck has to be the hands down, most intriguing match up in DC since JFK v. FDR (I’m not good at politics).

NFC North
Green Bay Packers- It’s scary and also entirely possible that with a full season of Starks to take some of the load off Grant, a healthy Jermichael Finley, and another season under Aaron Rodgers’ WWF-like (I refuse to acknowledge the change) belt, that this offense is going to be better.
Detroit Lions- It’s not an original thought to say their season rides on Matt Stafford’s brittle body so, umm, how cool would it be if the actual Megatron played receiver?
Chicago Bears- I have a hard time thinking a team whose offensive stars are Jay “I have trouble differentiating jerseys” Cutler, an ex-Lions first round pick not named Calvin, and a punt returner are going to be able to score enough to win consistently, even with their solid defense.
Minnesota Vikings- I wonder who McNabb is going to hideously under-throw if Harvin’s headaches flair up almost as much as I wonder if there has ever been an actual Viking in Minnesota.

NFC South
New Orleans Saints- I fully expect the Saints to bounce back after a year they seemed to spend basking in the afterglow of the Super Bowl victory, getting by on talent alone until Marshawn unceremoniously ended the party.
Atlanta Falcons- I asked Mrs. Caster her thoughts on the Falcons, and she said “they will fly to the top” and that “they’ll be better than the Bears” which as true as it may be, left me speechless.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- The Bucs don’t seem like a team too far from being a contender but unfortunately the Saints and Falcons already are, and I don’t know the last time a single division sent three teams to the playoffs because I didn’t look it up.
Carolina Panthers- Carolina’s method of improving their league worst record was to spend a boat-load of cash on players from last year’s 2-14 squad to go with their rookie entertainer…err, quarterback.

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals- Kolb isn’t exactly Kurt Warner, but he is strides better than the trail of disaster before him and Jim Trotter told us that Larry Fitzgerald couldn't be happier, which is good because he seems like a nice guy.
St. Louis Rams- This teaming is moving in the right direction but has a first half schedule so brutal they could easily be 2-5 by the time they head to Arizona to play the Cardinals.
San Francisco 49ers- Joe Montana and Steve Young were like, really, really good and I guess every season since then has been the football gods’ way of evening everything out, which has to help Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Patrick Willis sleep at night.
Seattle Seahawks- If the plan to trade for Charlie Whitehurst to have him sit behind a castoff from the Vikings (Tavarias Jackson) who couldn't beat out a guy that was basically deemed dispensable because of Rex Grossman (McNabb) is still in motion *inhale* I don’t get it.

Playoff Predictions
AFC

1. New England


2. San Diego


3. Baltimore


4. Houston


5. Pittsburgh


6. New York

NFC

1. Green Bay


2. Philadelphia


3. New Orleans


4. Arizona


5. Atlanta


6. Dallas

Championships
Batimore at New England
Philadelphia at Green Bay

Super Bowl
Green Bay over Baltimore

So there it is. Fifteen hundred words jumbled into of a bunch of worthless speculation. I'll be sure to check back at the end of the year to see how I did. Unless it is too embarassing and I conveniently 'forget'.

Live Blog: PreSeason Style

For the second straight week, Thursday is not just about fist pumping with the kids from Jersey and watching another poor soul leave the Big Brother house without a chance at winning the $500,000 prize. For the second straight week, Thursday is also about pre-season football. This week, Fox has blessed us with a game that many will predicts is just the first of two match-ups between cross state rivals Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Since, Big Brother doesn't start until 9:00 and the Jersey Shore isn't until 10:00, I figured tonight would be the perfect night for an abbreviated live blog. Live bloggers need pre-season too. So here we go...

8:00 PMEST: A few observations and thoughts off of the top:

• Joe Buck sounds terrible. It is painful to listen to a thing he says. Terry Bradshaw is in the booth with Joe and Troy Aikman. I hope that its just a pre-season thing. 
• I feel sorry for the kid that just sang the National Anthem. He is a little boy that can't be any older than 12. Miss Caster walked into the room while he was singing, looked at the television, looked again, and said, "Is that a boy?" I will leave it at that. 
• Watching football on Thursday has me very excited for the full-season Thursday night package that is part of the new CBA. It will be interesting to see what network ends up with the 8-game package that will lead into the NFL Network's package that will close the season. 

8:11: The opening kickoff sails into the end zone and continues a disturbing pre-season trend. During the first week of games, over 73% of the kickoffs were fielded in the end zone. The league has moved the kickoff from the 30 to the 35 for the sake of players safety. The idea behind the rule is that more kicks would reach the end zone thus resulting in more touchbacks and less injuries on kickoffs. Kickoffs have been the most dangerous play in football for years and this rule is clearly going to work to eliminate injuries on kickoffs. The downside is that we will have less returns and a tad less excitement.

8:13: On the first  play from scrimmage, Jonathan Scott the stating left tackle for the Steelers goes down with a right knee injury that should end his night. The Steelers have been thin on the offensive line and I would guess that Mike Tomlin will be holding his breath waiting for the news on the severity of the injury.

8:15: Big Ben Roethilisberger completes a pass on third down to Heath Miller. On the play, Ben is knocked down late but it didn't draw a flag.

8:17: Two things:

1. The Eagles seem to stall the Steelers opening drive but are flagged for a face mask. 
2. Joe Buck offers use of the teleprompter to Terry Bradshaw who says, "How the hell do you turn it on?" Its pre-season for everyone. 

8:20: Bradshaw says that in his day players had to get second jobs after the season to make ends meet. Terry claims he was a used-car salesman. 

8:23: Ben has all day in the pocket to complete a third-down pass to Arnaz Battle. Have you ever been to the Battlezone? I hope so because it doesn't seem to exist anymore. 

8:26: On what looks like a coverage breakdown, Antonio Brown is about ten-yards passed Asante Samuel for what ends up being an easy pitch and catch for a Steelers touchdown. 7-0 Steelers after a 10 play 80-yard drive that lasted 7:36.

8:30: I switched over to ESPN.COM to check the spelling of a name and noticed that the Patriots are up 21-0 on the Buccaneers early in the second quarter. I am a little worried that the Patriots are set to play this season in FU mode and blow teams out the way they did in 2007. 

8:31: The Steelers kick the ball well into the end zone for the second touchback of the night. 

8:32: On his first play of the night, Michael Vick scrambles to the left and throws deep past everyone and the ball falls harmlessly at the 10-yard line. 

8:32: I just heard Joe Buck's voice crack. I took my first look at my twitter timeline after typing the last sentence to find that its full of tweets about Buck's voice.

8:36: The Eagles punt, and its a beauty. The ball is downed at the 5-yard line. I hope we get at least one more drive from the Steelers starting offense.

8:38: Ben leads the Steelers onto the field for at least a second drive.

8:40: Ben shows his athleticism and makes a great play to scramble out of coverage and drop a short pass of to R. Mendenhall who makes an equally impressive play to gain a first down.

8:44: With the Steelers driving just past mid-field the clock runs out on the first quarter. After one, Steelers 7 Eagles 0


8:46: Marcus Gilbert, the tackle that took over for the injured Jonathan Scott also has left the game with a knee injury.


8:47: Mendenhall busts off a 7-yard run on first down. He has looked vert impressive and athletic so far.

8:49: Ben beats a blitz and dumps the ball off to a wide open Mewelde Moore. Moore takes the ball into the redzone.

8:50: After an Eagles sack forces a 3rd-18, Big Ben scrambles to buy time and finds Hines Ward in the end zone for a touchdown. 14 Steelers 0 Eagles 11:06 2nd Quarter


8:53: Another touchback...Another commercial...

8:55: The Eagles try a bubble screen to DeSean Jackson that is sniffed out by the Steelers. Roethlisberger has been fantastic tonight on third down.

8:57: Right after Bradshaw goes wax poetic on the snap and authority behind Michael Vick's passes, Vick floats one down the sideline and is picked off by Ryan Clark

9:00: Byron Leftwich has relieved Roethlisberger and that is the two-minute warning for this blog.

9:01: Terry Bradshaw has been a disaster in the booth so far. If he isn't interrupting Buck, then he is interrupting Aikman. On the night, Roethlisberger is 8-12 125 yards 2TD 0INT. ESPN has yet to release his Total QBR. I bet it was pretty good.

9:02: The Steelers fail to capitalize on the turnover as the Eagles swarm Swayze Waters and block his field goal attempt. Swayze Waters? That name sounds made up to me. His mother must have been a huge fan of Dirty Dancing. Samuel looked like he was the Eagle that got the block.

9:05: LeSean McCoy starts the drive with a nice change of direction run for about 11-yards.

9:06: Troy Polamalu jumps in front of a Vick pass and drops it. He should still be running.

9:07: On the next pass, Vick throws the ball into a crowd of Steelers and is picked off by Keenan Lewis. Somewhere, Matthew Berry is sweating his balls off. Vick has been a disaster tonight and Berry has screamed from the top of a mountain that Vick should be the first pick in any fantasy draft. Vick is 3-8 24 yards 0TD 2INT. ESPN has yet to release his Total QBR but I would bet it isn't very good.

9:09: Pam Oliver is in preseason mode as well. She totally botches a sideline report that left me wondering what she was talking about.

9:11: A great play by Leftwich on third down is called back on a holding penalty. On the next play, Leftwich throws a beauty down the seam for 29-yards to complete a 3rd and long to Jericho Cotchery.

9:14: The Steelers are killing the Eagles on third down.

9:16: It is the 2:00 warning in Pittsburgh. Terry has left the booth to take his spot on the halftime set. If this was an experiment to see if Terry would gel with Joe and Troy the Fox executives have gotten a clear answer tonight. Terry is pretty lousy and Joe and Troy don't want him around.

9:18: Former Saint, Anthony Hargrove sacks Leftwich and the Eagles finally get a stop on third down.

9:20: Vick is going to get a chance to run the 2-minute drill at the end of the half. I would think this is the last drive for starters on both sides. Next week, the third week of the preseason, is usually the "dress rehearsal" and starters usually see action into the third quarter.

9:23: I have to admit, Vick can really zing the ball when he wants to. He can run too, but on this night he isn't interested in being hit and kind of jogs out of bounds on a second down play.


9:24: On the next play, the football gods punish Vick for jogging out of bounds and he is crushed by James Harrison and a blitzer. Aikman scolds Vick for not getting rid of the ball sooner.

9:26: Vick makes some athletic plays to avoid another sack but then throws his third interception of the night. McCoy missed a blitz pickup and then threw the ball into coverage. Troy Polamalu was the recipient of that arrant pass by Vick.

9:30: This time the Steelers make Vick pay as Leftwich throws another beauty down the seem to Cotchery. Steelers 21-0 over the Dream Team with :18 seconds left in the first half.

9:31: That is it for the first pre-season live blog of the season. Looking back quickly I am glad to get the practice. I wasn't as bad as Michael Vick but not as good as the Steelers. The blog could have used some more pictures and a few links. I think the content was good but not quite mid-season form. If I had a backup I would demand him into the game. Since I don't, that will have to be it for now. Its time for Miss Caster and I to relax and enjoy Big Brother and the Jersey Shore.

Don't forget to check out Episode 36 of The Sports-Casters with Dave Dameshek from NFL.COM and Todd Fritz from the Dan Patrick Show.

Say goodnight fist pumpers...

Fantasy Football Web Host: Pay to Play or Play for Free?

My Fallen Friend

Most of the (okay all) fantasy football leagues that I play in are of the pay to play variety. I wouldn't call the stakes astronomical, but I am in leagues that cost anywhere from $50-$110 to enter. I have started seasons already $500 in the hole just from entry fees. The thing about the entry fee is that its all relative. If you play in a cheap league you win cheap prizes. If you play in an expensive league you can win expensive prizes. 


With money at stake, it sometimes shocks me how blasé a commissioner can be when choosing the website for the league. I always ask the commissioner why he has chosen the site and nine times out of ten the answer is something like this, "Well, it was free and easy to set up so what the fuck's difference? Go eat a chicken wing and stop being a pain in the ass." Occasionally a commissioner will say that the league has run on specific site for a long time and the website preserves the leagues history. That is maybe the best reason for a league to stay on an otherwise terrible website. 


For years, I wouldn't be in a league that didn't use the software of Statsworld. Statsworld was a small company in Cincinnati way ahead of their time. Way back in 1994  (believe it or not that was 17-years ago), Statsworld had a desktop version of their software that made running leagues much easier than my previous method. Okay, ill tell, that method was walking my ass to the corner store for a slushy and the Monday edition of the USA Today. Then I went home and had to go through each box score to determine the winners in my league. I would of course have to repeat the process on Tuesday so I could track the Monday Night Football game and then later in the season the league would play on Saturday and I would have to use the Buffalo News to get those box scores. 


As Statsworld evolved, so did I. At some point the desktop version gave way to an online version and dial up internet gave way to high speed internet and fantasy football was changed forever. I never needed to buy another slushy again. (I just couldn't write newspaper. I love the newspaper, and I don't want to be responsible for it being obsolete)


About three years ago, my worst nightmare came true. My dog had cancer  Statsworld had been sold to some bullies that called themselves MyFantasyLeague.Com. They promised to be everything that Statsworld was and more. I knew it couldn't be possible. I didn't want to believe it was possible. I turned my back on MyFantasyLeague.Com so fast that I drafted Sam Bradford as my second QB in my first draft of the 2008 season. 


Since the death of Statsworld, the same question has hung over the head of each league I have ever started or continued to be the commissioner of; What website should I host this league on? 


Let's break down the choices (One more thing, It's no longer good enough to be a quality website. In todays world of smartphones and tablet computers your website better have an app for iPhone and Android users. If you don't, I'm not interested in you. Also, I didn't write much about live scoring because everyone does it and everyone sees, to do it just fine.)


ESPN: The World Wide leader in sports has made their site almost unbeatable. 


First, if you have an auction league and you can't have a live draft (meaning your draft needs to be had with members behind computers in various corners of the country or world) ESPN IS BY FAR THE BEST SITE FOR YOUR LEAGUE. Their auction software is second to none and everything is free. They have an app that is also free that works for iOS and Android. They do not have a native iPad app but that feature could be added at any time. Also, there are third party apps such as Fantasy Football Monster '11 HD that will allow you to manage your ESPN league team on the iPad. 


If your league is a snake draft ESPN is still very appealing. They have plenty of content right on their site including podcasts, rankings, projections, and all kinds of other bells and whistles to help their game be the most appealing. Again, they have a free app, free drafts, a mock draft center for practice, and an onsite injury expert. They also have a nicely packaged drat kit that can be easily printed out and be your main companion at your draft. With magazines taking a huge hit due to the lockout, more of us are going to be turning to online cheat sheets. ESPN has this covered and covered well with opinions from multiple personalities and their consensus choices. 


So ESPN is a no brainer right? If all of the above is free, why in the world would I use any other website? Well, a few reasons. First, the standard game that ESPN plays is nothing close to the fantasy football I have ever played. Some enjoy the standard ESPN game, but if I were to run a league on ESPN it would be a custom league and not a standard. ESPN claims to fully customizable but they really aren't. Especially tricky is adding bonus points for yards in a game or yards on a play. ESPN is very limited in their choices. Another drawback to ESPN is that they only allow so many drafts on a given day or time. Basically, if you snooze you loose. If you think ESPN is best for you (and it might be) then you should schedule your draft as soon as you can so that you will have access to the site on the date and time that you want. 


Overall: ESPN is far and away the best FREE website. If you want to play a standard game of fantasy football then there is no better place on the internet. 


Sample League: http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=408077


MyFantasyLeague.COM: This site once broke my heart, but its impossible to ignore all of possibilities. 


ESPN is the best free site. I think that MyFantasyLeague (MFL) is the best pay site. This site it jam packed with options, that even after two seasons of running games on it, I don't think I have discovered everything. MFL is packed with stats and ways to organize those stats. Your league is truly customizable on MFL. ESPN claims to be fully customizable but like I said before that is only true to an extent. On MFL, you can set scoring options for anything you can think of. Last year, my league had a rule that awarded a player .5 point for having his ass tapped. We thought it would be hard to track, but MFL was there for us. 


MFL is in the strange position of having almost too many features. Starting a league on MFL from scratch can seem like a choir that was made for a United States President not a fantasy football commissioner. The site is complicated. The good news is that MFL has a great staff and they are always available to help you solve whatever problem you might have. 


My favorite feature of MFL is the infinite amount of ways you can decorate the league home page. You can post polls, assign each team a logo, give the league a logo, keep track of money, transactions and standings without ever making a click. MFL also has an app that works of the iPhone, iPad, and Android. 


Overall: MFL is the perfect alternative for the complicated league. A complicated league needs complicated options and ESPN isn't quite built for that. MFL will cost you, but it isn't as expensive as you might think. MFL will offer a switching league the same price as their former pay site or 50% off. The basic price is $89.95 but if you run multiple leagues the second league receives a $10 discount. If I were you, I would shoot an email to sales@myfantasyleague.com and make a deal. 


Sample League: http://www29.myfantasyleague.com/2010/home/67229#0


Some Other Free Sites:


If ESPN doesn't make your sister giggle there are some other free options out there. 


NFL.COM has been stepping up their game the past few seasons. NFL.COM can offer you a free game with a basic list of customizations. They have recently added an iPhone app and a secondary app that can be used as an in draft tool. The site while customizable, like ESPN, is only customizable to their specifications. Here is an example. NFL's standard game does not award bonus points for rushing totals. I am in a league that awards points when a runner advances past 125 yards. That rule wouldn't be possible on NFL.COM. You could however award points for gaining 100-199 or/and 200plus. In this case you either need to adjust your rule or pick another site. It's a very little thing, but when there are so many options we have no choice but to split hairs. 


Overall: In a year or two we might all be playing fantasy football on NFL.COM, but for now I am going to give them some more time to develop. 


Yahoo.Com is probably the second best free site out there. Yahoo is a free site that claims to be fully customizable. What I like about Yahoo is that this season they have added scoring flexibility to their already FULLY customizable game that they didn't offer last season. That shows me that they are listening to the needs of their players and adjusting accordingly. This also tells me that like ESPN and NFL they are only fully customizable to a point.


Yahoo also takes great pride in their mobile apps. They have an iPad and Android app with the promise that iPad support is coming soon. There are also many third party apps that will assist you with Yahoo leagues. 


This season Yahoo is offering 2 premium add-ons to enhance their game. For $9.99, you can puchase a scouting report that is loaded with rankings, team analysis, important news items, injury updates and more. According to Yahoo, this comprehensive weekly newsletter is the most complete and up-to-date source of information you can find anywhere. Also, for $14.99 you can purchase the Yahoo! Trade Review. If a trade protest is made, members of the Yahoo! Sports staff will review the trade. If the trade in question appears to be overly biased or unfair towards one team, the trade will be overturned. Trade Review is only available for purchase by a league's commissioner. That seems like a cool little feature, but it is grossly over priced. How often in your league is a trade made that is so unfair the members of the league can't sort it out themselves? Save your $15 bucks and create a committee in the league that does the same thing.


Overall: Yahoo is a solid alternative to ESPN.  


Some other Pay Sites: 


CBS Sports is a website that I can honestly say I have never had the chance to use for a whole season. It has always seemed to be too rich for my blood. The CBS Commissioner game is $159.95. For that price, CBS better send a couple of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to my draft to work the room and entertain my buddies. I will tip my cap to CBS for full app support for iPhone, iPad and Android. 


One awesome thing about CBS Sports is they offer support for people who want to play in leagues that cost big money. An individual can join a league for $499 and enter a prize pool worth $3,500. 


CBS also has a free game on their site for the casual gamer. 


Overall: I would be interested in trying CBS out sometime. I admit that I don't know enough about it to strongly recommend or strongly disapprove. They seem to offer a game for everyone, have app support, and easily customizable UI.  If you use, or have used CBS in the past send me an email and let me know what you think. I will post your opinion in a future column.  


Fanball: I mention Fanball because it went the way of the dodo this past offseason. I have been in a few Fanball leagues in the past, and I never embraced the site or enjoyed it that much. It seemed like a cheap version of my beloved Statsworld and for some reason their live scoring never seemed to work all that great on Sunday. I don't think they had the servers to handle it. 

Fanball has died and gone to the place of the dodo. 

  


Today, if you go to Fanball's website you are redirected to something called, CDM Sports. CDM is new to me and this year isn't going to be the year that I will try it.


Overall: There are too many other options for me to be sticking my nose in here. I am glad fanball and their awful live scoring and lack of any kind of functional app has disappeared. Fanball was the kind of partner that would say one thing and then do another. For example, the commissioner of the league that last year used Fanball, called them before our draft to see if they would be releasing an iPhone app. The guy on the phone said it would be released the day before the NFL Kickoff and we are still waiting to this day. He promised, made sure we drafted and were to the point of no return, and then broke the promise. 

I am sure I have left out a few fantastic sites that offer free or pay games that you like very much. Let me know about what I missed and why I should consider running my league there. I'm anxious to hear from you in the comments or by emailing me at thesportscasters@gmail.com. 


Fantasy Site Power Rankings 


1. Statsworld (always and forever)

2. My Fantasy League
3. ESPN
4. Yahoo
5. CBS (I want to know more)
6. NFL


I might be back later with ten more things spotted in the second night of the NFL Pre-Season. In the meantime, say goodnight sweet Bella. 

Pre-Season Football is Back... and still boring.

The NFL is Unlocked. The Preseason Still Stinks

Ten Observations from the First Five Games

1. The folks over at the NFL Network are always on their game. I had a blast watching the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last weekend, and it was an awesome treat to have the NFL Network jump from game to game tonight on a preseason version of the RedZone Channel. The NFL Network will show six live preseason games and the other 58 on tape delay. If you are really into preseason games then keep your television tuned to the NFL Network. It would really suck to be a Time-Warner subscriber. 

2. Twitter is good for a lot of things. One of the things that makes twitter great is when you can enjoy sporting events with the people on your timeline. Tonight, former head of NFL Officials, Mike Pereria (who just joined twitter yesterday) spent the whole first half of the Seahawks vs. Chargers game answering questions posed by his followers. It really felt like we all had the chance to watch the game with Mike. Even though he is new to twitter, he did a great job picking out questions to answer and offering knowledge. I am already working on getting Mike on the podcast and he was kind enough to return my initial message to try and work something out. 

3. I had fooled myself into thinking that one positive to come out of the lockout would be that the preseason would be more interesting. It isn't. The preseason games tonight felt, smelled, and looked a lot like the preseason games of years past. Tom Brady took the night off in New England. The Chargers were very carful with Philip Rivers and a second round QB from Northwestern named Mike Kafka was the leader of the Dream Team for most of the night in Philadelphia. Mike Vick didn't need much work. He played one drive and was 4-6 for 74-yards and a touchdown pass. 

4. Ryan Mallet might be the talk of the weekend after putting together an impressive professional debut as the Patriots drilled the Jaguars. Mallet was 12-19 with 164-yards and 1 touchdown. I can't wait for a few weeks when his TQB rating from tonights action is released. 

5. Offenses around the league might not be very crisp just yet. There were a ton of field goals kicked tonight. In the 2006 preseason, Drew Brees struggled during the preseason and failed to lead the Saints offense to a single touchdown. Finally, in the first game of the regular season Drew Brees hooked up with then rookie Marques Colston to get the monkey off of the offense's back. I guess my point is that it might not be unusual at all to see offenses settling for field goals this early in the preseason. The announcers of the Eagles and Ravens game did a good job pointing out that the offenses have yet to do much work in goal line situations. 

6. It should't mean much, but I can already hear Tim Tebow honks huffing and puffing about his 6/7 91 yards passing and 2 rushes for 15-yards. I am sure Tebow supporters will also mention that Kyle Orton was only 2/6 for 37-yards. All of this obviously means very little, but I am sure Tebow supporters will jump on the opportunity to mention his almost perfect 6/7 performance. The Broncos fans should be most excited that Matt Prater went 3/3 with a long 42-yard field goal. 

7. The Eagles are 1-0 and are one step closer to a 4-0 pre-season, a 16-0 regular season, and a 3-0 march through the playoffs to a Super Bowl victory. The Dream Team can not be stopped. Next week they will face an overmatched Lithuania squad. 

8. 47-12 can only be described one way...ass kicking. The Patriots pounded the Jaguars without Tom Brady. In fairness, the Jags were resting Maurice Jones-Drew. Regardless of who is playing, it's never a good thing to lose a game by 35-points, but I wouldn't go run and hide my head if I was one of the 18 Jaguars fans across the world. Stevan Ridley a rookie RB from LSU had 16 carries for 64-yards and 2 touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Ryan Medlin a rookie from Fayetteville State, and a player without a profile on the NFL's website, rushed for 54-yards and 2 touchdowns. Who is bagging all of the groceries in Jacksonville this week? It seems like the team brought them all to New England for the first preseason game of the season. 

9. Is Tarvaris Jackson really going to be the starting quarterback in Seattle? Is he really one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the world? Is he really better than Charlie Whitehurst? Why did the Seahawks give up a second and a third round pick for Whitehurst only to burry him behind Hasselbeck and then put him behind Tarvaris Jackson on the depth chart? What did they see in him then that they didn't see in him when they brought Tarvaris Jackson in and immediately named him the starter. The Seahawks treated Jackson like the starter today limiting his action to a drive or two and only letting him drop back for five passes. On the other hand, Whitehurst got a lot more work and went 14-20 for 120-yards leading the Seahawks to a 24-17 victory over the Chargers. 

10. To summarize the first night of football after a five month lockout that resulted in the cancelation of one game, I would say these things:

• New England destroyed Jacksonville and could be getting ready to having a huge season. 
• The field goal kickers were very busy tonight. 
• Despite the lockout, pre-season football is still pretty boring. 
• We are 27 days away from the real thing. 
• The tuck rule made an appearance tonight. 

Don't forget to give a listen to Episode 35 of The Sports-Casters featuring interviews with DJ Gallo from ESPN Page 2, and Jay Clemons and Matt Bowen from the National Football Post. I am already working on Episode 36 witch should include interviews with Dave Dameshek, Todd Fritz, and Don Banks. 

3 More Things

Where is Frank Drebin?

1. The Sports-Casters Spending Spree

I have been so excited about our fantastic show on Tuesday that I have been on a bit of a spending spree. Someone needs to get here quick and tie me down before Miss Caster snips off my balls. 

It started yesterday when I spent over an hour walking around at Barnes and Noble. I love to walk around and look at all of the books. I hate buying books from Barnes and Noble because they are so damn expensive. I basically walk around the store with my iPhone in hand and the Amazon Price Checker app open. I won't buy any book that is priced $5 higher than Amazon. 

This is what I ended up buying.

- "3 Nights in August, Strategy, Heartbreak and Joy. Inside the Mind of a Manager" by Buzz Bissinger

I have wanted to read this book for a long time and it was perfectly priced at $4.98 thanks to it's inclusion in the bargain books section of the store. 

- "Blood. Sweat and Chalk, The Ultimate Football Playbook: How the Great Coaches Built Today's Game" by Tim Layden 

I am working really hard to try and book Tim Layden on The Sports-Casters. Looking ahead, I figured I would be prepared and read his latest book. It has just been released on paperback and was 20% off. It ended up costing me only $11.99. 

- "The Ultimate Mac How to Handbook No. 5" Presented by Mac Life. 

I made my way to the magazine rack hoping to find a fantasy football magazine or an NFL season preview  magazine. I was really disappointed with the selection. There were three magazines worth my money and I had already purchased them all. Other than those three, the selection sucks this year. This is clearly an underrated casualty of the lockout. ESPN doesn't have a fantasy magazine this year, and the NFL didn't put one out either. 

Anyway, I got suckered into a horrible purchase. I have no one to blame but myself. I walked over to the Apple magazine section and got all pissed off to see that the new Macworld was on the rack but hadn't arrived in my mailbox yet. I didn't see the September edition of Mac Life just yet but I did see this cool looking magazine that seemed to offer ticks, tips, and fun ideas for the Apple products I am proud to own. Instead, I got a magazine full of re-printed articles from the monthly Mac Life magazine I subscribe to already. Price of this awful purchase? $9.99

Last night, I had a craving to watch The Naked Gun. I went to my DVD collection and was shocked to see that I didn't own The Naked Gun. How did I not own this OJ Simpson classic? Today, I wasted no time heading to Best Buy to purchase the complete Naked Gun box set. Instead, I ended up with this collection of Blu Ray and DVD Movies. I am proud to say that none of them were priced higher than that awful magazine purchase. 

-Major League "Wild Thing Edition"

-*61

-National Lampoon's Vacation

-Friday Night Lights 

After Best Buy, I stopped at Target and WalMart to try and find a copy of The Naked Gun. NO DICE. Apple to the rescue; I am going to rent The Naked Gun on Apple TV tonight for the small fee of 2.99. I can handle it. 

2. Upcoming Editions of The Sports-Casters 

Besides buying stuff that I don't really need, I have been working on booking the next couple of podcasts. Here is where we are at:

Episode 35

DJ Gallo from ESPN's Page 2 and SportsPickle

Jay Clemons from The National Football Post 

Matt Bowen from The National Football Post

Notes: DJ Gallo is someone I have been chasing for a long time. He has played a little hard to get. We talked a ways back on Twitter and he told me to email him. I never heard back. I tried again a day or two ago and we were able to work it out. Jay Clemons will join us to talk about Fantasy Football. Matt Bowen is a former NFL player and we will talk to him about the upcoming football season. 

Episode 36

Dave Dameshek from NFL.COM

Todd Fritz from the Dan Patrick Show

Don Banks form SI.COM

Notes: Fritz has big shoes to fill as fellow Danette knocked it out of the park on Episode 34 of The Sports-Casters. Don's #1 guest, Dave Dameshek will make his third appearance on the show. He also appeared on episode 4 and 20. 

Future Guests: 

We have a commitment from Richard Deitsch to preview the NFL/BCS on TV sometime towards the end of the month. I am also working on Tim Layden, Bob Ryan, Dan Levy, Jeff Duncan and Rob Demovsky to preview the Saints vs. Packers season opener. 

3. Fantasy Football Ranking/Five on Fantasy

Don and I have been working on a new show segment called, Five on Fantasy. FoF debuted on Season 1 Episode 32 and has also been on Episode 33 and 34. I am enjoying the segment and we have been trying to mix it up with not only information on the players, but also information on the strategy and the different ways that you can play fantasy football. 

Last week I started my fantasy football top 10's. I started with Wide Receiver, will do QB this week, and RB on episode 36. I also have thrown out some sleepers for WR and will continue to do it for RB and QB. 

Here is a recap of my top 10 Wide Receivers for the 2011 Fantasy Season          

1. Andre Johnson 

2. Roddy White

3. Calvin Johnson

4. Vincent Jackson

5. Hakeem Nicks 

6. Larry Fitzgerald

7. Reggie Wayne 

8. Greg Jennings 

9. Miles Austin

10. Mike Wallace

Here are five sleepers:

Steve Breaston, Lance Moore, Jacoby Ford, Mario Manningham, and Mike Thomas.