10 predictions for 2013

I did something like this a few years ago.  It was fun to read at the end of the year.

1.  Mike Vick  reemerges as a top 5 fantasy QB.  Sure he is a year older and a step slower but I really do believe this new offense will rejuvenate his career.  Keep in mind we are only 2 seasons removed from this gem.

2.  Larry Fitzgerald had exactly 0 catches over 40 yards last year, and only 2 catches over 30.  I find this hard to believe for one of the best jump ball guys of all time.  I think Carson gives Fitz a spark this year.  I am saying he triples his TD production this year which will get him to 12TDS.


3.  10th - Frank Gore (1212) / 3rd Marshawn Lynch (1590) / 2nd Alfred Morris (1610).  Quick what do all three of these runners have in common?................................That's right they played in spread offenses and all three of them finished in the top 10 in rushing yards--two of which finished in the top 3.  My bold prediction for this year is that none of these 3 RBs finish top 10 in rush yards this year.  I think the Redskins offense takes the biggest step back and "The Butler" rushes for 600 yards less than he did in 2012.

4.  Matt Stafford plays all 16 games.  He attempts 770 passes this season and ends the year with 5,555 yards to set the single season passing record.  The Lions win 6 games.

Good for you Matt.  Good for you.

5.  Quick---which NFL WR has had 1550+ receiving yard seasons 3 out of the past 5 years...if you said Andre Johnson then...

Lets not forgot that Andre has been known to get a little banged up.  My prediction that although he was drafted in the top 10 at his position in probably every league he will not finish in the top 20 at his position.  On the other hand....

6. I can't believe I didn't get my boy Cecil Shorts in any leagues.  The timing just never worked out.  Anyways I am saying Cecil finishes top 15 fantasy WR.

7.  I need a Dez Bryant prediction in here somewhere.  It has been no secret the tear he went on to finish the 2012 season.  Over his final 8 games he racked up 880 yards and 10 TD's.  I trust that you can multiply that X 2 to figure out what he could do over a full season.  20 TDs might be a bit much but I am going to say he leads the way in fantasy production for WR's in 2013.

8.  Enough WR predictions.  Let's talk about the bread and butter of fantasy football.  The running backs.  Anyone who knows anything about fantasy football knows that on average from year to year the top 10 Rb's from the previous year will have approximately 5 names repeat in the top 10 the following year.  This trend has been pretty consistent over the years.  So last years top 10.....
- Peterson
- Foster
- Dougie Martin
- Lynch
- Morris
- Rice
- Spiller
- Charles
- Ridley
- Gore
So when the smoke clears from this season you can bank on 5 of those names being back on the list again next year and the other 5 being somewhere outside the top 10.  Really a whole article could be dedicated to this sole prediction.
The 5 that stay...
Peterson
Foster
Lynch - I know I picked him to finish outside top 10 in rushing yards the he will score enough TD's to keep him top 10 total.
Spiller
Charles

The new blood
McCoy
Trent Richardson
Matt Forte
Steven Jackson
M.J.D

Ladies and Gentleman your top 10 rb's of 2013.


9.  I have seen quite a few Seahawk Superbowl predictions.  I hate to step right in line but I really do think its the best team that has the best home-field advantage in the league.  I think they win all their home-games this year.  They go 13-3 with losses coming against Houston upset special at the Rams and at SF in week 14.

10.  Lets get weird with the last one...Lets say Peyton Manning sets the all time record for TD passes in a single game with 7.  Guys with the last name Thomas will be on the business end of 4 of them / Wes Welker 2 of them and the brother of Reche "Headlights" Caldwell will score one as well.

2013 Barkman League Draft

Another one in the book, and another paper-champ to be crowned.

In a 10 team league more often than not your going to feel pretty good about your team coming out of the draft.  Anyone reading this that isn't in the draft should note that we re-draw every 2 rounds for picks.  Ex: Ryan had picks 10/11 for the redraw in round 3 he drew pick 1.

Will do a short team by team analysis...

Bob - Finishing last has its advantages.  That advantage for this year is being able to claim Adrian Peterson for your team.

Would ya Bob?

  The dynamic of this draft was that all owners had it in their minds they were waiting on QB.  Taking Rodgers at #20 overall on the surface seems about right but the rest of the owners were set on waiting as evidence by Brees going 2 rounds later.  By taking QB in rd 2 his WR corp suffered with Colston / Shorts / M. Austin leading the way.  I will give Cecil Shorts a ringing endorsement and predict that he will finish top 15 in fantasy production.  David Wilson was a guy I had my eye on if I could get him in the right spot.  Actually I think he was on most members radar after this run in preseason.

Best Pick: Cecil Shorts rd 6 - As mentioned above Shorts top 15.
Risk Pick: Montee Ball rd 5 - Could def pan out if he gets the work, but I like Moreno 4 rounds later.

Overall outlook:  A Peterson/Rodgers team should fair just fine.  I don't know if there is going to be enough production from the WR position on this team to make a big run.


Roy Munson - Mr. Munson did his homework and it showed early as he built a stable of studly Rb's in Martin / Bush / Murray.   I am not as high on Murray, through 2 NFL seasons he has yet to have a 900 yard season or a season with 5+ TD's.  With that said if he can stay healthy for full season he will produce numbers in that offense.  Having him as a RB3 is a nice luxury to have.  Lance Moore certainly isn't a flashy WR but if he can replicate  the 1000 / 6 he had last season that  will do more than satisfy the duties of a WR3.  Throw in a few fantasy HOF's in Manning and Gonzo and this team shaped up.

The best QB to ever play the game...

Best Pick: Mark Ingram rd 9 - Although I am not a big Ingram fan getting the starting running back in a top 5 offense that late is great value.
Risk Pick:  Mikel Leshoure - As good as Joique Bell looked in preseason I would have used him to cuff Bush.  On second thought, I am not going to tell you how to handcuff 'Bush.'

Overall outlook: Steady as they come QB and TE (check).  Stable full of RBs (check).  100 catch WR and 2 guys that play in arguably the 1st and 2nd best passing attacks (check).  If we see 2011 Jordy Nelson numbers Munson might be in for a payday.

Trent -  Winning the previous year + ending up with the 3rd overall pick + selecting a guy that has finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th in fantasy points in his 3 years in the league does not add up.  I can see how it happened this year though. 

Pairing A.J. Green and Fitzgerald up with Foster has this team looking as good as any through 3 picks.  Getting two stud WR's has a cost.  The cost in this case is two young unproven guys vying for the RB2 position.  Mike Vick has a high ceiling this year.  Philly ran an average of 75 plays per game in the preseason which is 11 more than the league average last year.  Sure he will get banged up this year but having Luck in your back pocket won't be much of a set back.

Best Pick: Ben Tate rd 8 - Foster owners must draft Tate in the off chance that Foster goes down.  Foster is obviously a good back but I don't really think there would be a huge drop off if Tate was the 24/7 man there.
Risk Pick: Lacy/Miller - While I do think at least one of these guys will pan out there is some risk involved with banking on a pair of guys with 51 career carries between them.

Overall outlook:  I know what I am getting out of Foster/Tate, AJ Green, and Fitz (now that he has a capable qb.)  The RB2 / Vick / Finley production will decide the fate of this team.

Crab - After not being able to crack the top 5 since entering the league Crabber has went ahead and finished 3rd (2011) and 2nd (2012).  He started his draft out with reacquiring the main piece of his 2012 run in Marshawn Lynch.  The 3rb/3wr method through 6 rounds is a nice way to lay a solid foundation. 

Another year that this dance will piss me off...

While I see low ceilings in the White/Cruz/Wayne trio I also see 3 of the most consistent producers that there is at the position.  Getting his boy Tom Brady in the 7th seems like a bit of a steal.  Pairing a QB/RB tandem together (Brady/Ridley) can have its pitfalls, but with as good as that offense can be I think there will be enough to go around.

Best Pick: Knoshon Moreno - I really wanted to nab this guy up but Crab beat me to the punch.  I am not sure where he is listed on the depth chart but in crunch time I think this will be the guy they have on the field.  Honorable mention: Greg Jennings.
Risk Pick: Kyle Rudolph -  Through two season the red-nosed tight end has only surpassed 60 yards receiving in a grand total of.....2 games.  As random as touchdown catches are (Calvin Jonson scored 5 tds in 2012) Rudolph will need to match the 9 he scored last year or his owners may end up red-faced.

Overall outlook:  I will be interested to see how the Brady / Ridley combo will shake out.  He has nothing to worry about at WR  I would wager a cheese sandwich that White / Cruz / Wayne will combine for 3750yds / 22 tds (+/- 500 yards and 3 tds)  Only time will tell if he can 3pete the top 3.

Me - I normally would go last and say something corny like...saving the best for last, but the truth is I have only finished top half (4th 2011) of the league once since the epic 2008 season.  I have fallen into the trap of going sexy vs going steady.  For example, in round 1 I could have easily picked a guy like Ray Rice who is about as sure of a thing that there is.  Instead  I watched this video one too many times and ended up with...

By going WR in rounds 2-4 I was aware that I was going to be short-handed at RB2.  Using picks 5-7 on RBs I was happy to walk out with the trio of McFadden / Gio Bernard / and Ryan Mathews.  If one of these backs finish in the top 15 that would give me a great shot at making a run.

Best Pick: Matt Ryan round 10 - Waiting on QB was a must this year.  I see no reason why his numbers would decline this year either.  Last year the #1 qb was Drew Brees with 379 points.  Matt Ryan finished 7th at 336.  Quick math tells me that is just over 2.5 points per week.  So to reference an old algorithm that I used years back:
Brees > Ryan
but
Ryan 10th > Brees 4th

Risk Pick: Darren McFadden rd 5 - I am not even going to hope that he plays all 16 games.  I am about 95% sure he will not.  However, what I can hope for is that he goes into 2011 mode which he racked up 770 yards and 5 tds in 6 games before going down with a season ending injury.

Overall outlook:  I pity Danny Amendola when it comes time for team shower.

This has taken too long I am going to cut back a little for the final 5 teams.  In a 10 team league everyone should look pretty good post-draft.

Styer

Best Pick - Golden Tate rd 8 - I really really wanted Tate in at least one league this year.  I do not know if the stats would back me up on this but I feel like he is one of the best in the league after the catch.  I am going to say top 20 WR this year.

Risk Pick - Colin Kaepernick rd 6 - Much safer options on the board at the time of this pick, but with the massive upside he has I can't really fault him.

That's a QB and that wasn't even his best run that game.

Overall outlook: This would be a sick ppr league team.  As is should still be a pretty solid team.  I think we see CJ closer to 2k than 1k this year.

John

Best Pick - Steven Jackson / Quiz Rodgers - Locking up that backfield is a wise move.  Michael Turner was barely breathing last season and still barreled into the end zone 10 times.

Risk Pick - Not so much an individual pick but drafting a 5th WR before a 3rd RB is always going to leave you a little short.  Honorable mention: not having television

Overall outlook: The foundation is nice,  Richardson / SJax are two of the hardest runners in the league but he is a Trent Richardson injury away from being in trouble.

Chad

Best Pick - Jamaal Charles rd 1 - I still am not sure why I passed on him.  Having him for his last 2 healthy seasons I think had something to do with it.  I should not have let that decide it though.  He is my pick to lead the league in yards from scrimmage in 13.' honorable mention: Chris Givens.

Risk Pick - The guys went in the rounds they should have went, but taking a tight end and a QB in the first 5 rounds is going to set you awfully lean somewhere else.  In this case it was WR.

Overall outlook:  I will be interested to see how this strategy pays off.  Between deep-threats Wallace / Gordon / Givens he is going to have some big weeks.  Having the right guys in the line up when the big week hits will be the challenge. Of the 5 guys that took RB/RB I like this pair just barely edging out McCoy / CJ4.24

Ritch

Best Pick - Greg Olsen rd 10 - 2nd most productive tight end over final 6 (or 8?) weeks in 2012.

Risk Pick - I was going to say for drafting 3 RBs over the age of 30.  BUT I just found a new candidate for "oldest young running back."

Bradshaw - feet of a 50 year old / face of a 40 year old / heart of a 27 year old

Overall outlook: I don't like Gore this year.  Nicks is always hurt.  Steve Smith is on the downside.  With that said Pete has done a nice job finishing in the top half of the league 4 years straight (in the money twice).  I do not think he has the personnel to get it done on talent alone so his managerial skills will be put to the test.

Ry

Best Pick - James Jones rd 5 / Eric Decker rd 6 -  Ry was able to take the WR's who scored the most (James Jones 14) and second most (Eric Decker 13) touchdowns in 2012 in rounds 5 and 6.  Those totals will be tough to match but still great value.

Risk Pick - Gronk round 4 - The time was right.  The reports from camp are encouraging as well.  With the Billy Ball handles things who knows what is actually going on.

Rehab is going well

Overall outlook: The foundation has been laid.  I like the Rb's I like the 35 potential tds at WR.  I think this team outcome squarely hinges on whether Stafford has a 2011 or 2012 season and what ends up happening with the Gronk.

There really are no "bad" teams on paper in a 10 man league.  I like some teams better than others.  Just for the sake of making a prediction...

in no particular order
top half
Munson
Trent
Crab
Me
Styer

bottom half no particular order
Ry
Chad
Ritch
John
Bob

Rams

 Was just watching my typical Monday night television programming ie: WWE Monday Night Raw and heard this great quote...

"If you can't feed em--don't breed em"
-Zeb Colter

One more random thing...

 Here is some footage from Bobby Huxta's trip to Lake Raystown...

Vegas Odds: O/U 7.5 wins

I really think this is a team on the up.  I just wish 1/4 of their games weren't against the 49ers and Seahawks.  After glancing over their schedule I see them definitely being favored in the following:
week 1 vs Arizona
week 5 vs Jags
week 9 vs Titans
week 16 vs Bucs

Their other 4 home games are vs:
week 4 vs 49ers
week 8 vs Seahawks
week 12 vs Bears
week 15 vs Saints

Hard to predict what teams will look like that far down the road.  I could see the lines all being fairly tight in those 4 games but Rams will be dogs.

The road schedule isn't easy either:
week 2 @ Falcons
week 3 @Cowboys
week 6 @ Texans
week 7 @ Panthers
week 10 @ Colts
week 13 @ 49ers
week 14 @ Cardinals
week 17 @ Seahawks

Week 14 at Arizona would be the only week I could see them being favored.

At the ABSOLUTE MOST I could see them being favored in 7 games (add Chi/Saints/@Cardinals to the initial list of 4.  That is being very generous and I think 4-5 games would be more realistic.

Even with the brutally tough road schedule I am going to stick with my gut on this team.  I think they are on the rise and will win 8 games this year.

Tavon Austin - Here is a good stat:  Since 2005 (28) receivers have been drafted in the first round.  Exactly 1 receiver has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark (AJ Green 2011).  It hasn't come any easier in the TD department as there has only been 1 to record 8+ touchdowns (Julio Jones 2011).  While those numbers don't exactly spell good news there is still hope for Tavon.

60/790/6 - That stat-line represents Percy Harvin's rookie season.  He also tacked on another 135 rushing bringing him to 925 total yards.  The Rams have said they are going to use Austin in a variety of ways.  He has already showed his ability as a punt returner and I would expect them to be getting the ball in his hands early and often.  I can't really picture the 170lb frame of Austin taking it between the tackles but I am sure they are going to find ways to get the ball in his hands

As history shows 1st round rookie receivers have not had much success, however; I think Tavon is a slightly different case because of his skill-set.  He is going to get his touches, whether it be quick screens or little flare passes.  If the Rams do decide to give him 2-3 touches a week out of the backfield that will only enhance his fantasy value.  I think the 925 yards that Harvin racked up in his rookie season is a decent ballpark for Tavon.  In mock drafts Tavon is currently the 31st WR being selected.  His upside certainly seems like fair value at that spot.

a laugh / a buy / a sell

Three years from now I might look back at this and laugh about how wrong I was.  However, for the time being I am laughing at something else.

It was a rough home debut for Geno.  Three 1st half interceptions + this gem closed the book on his night as well as any chance to start week 1 of the regular season.


Buy/Sell

Kenbrell Thompkins - Has opened some eyes this preseason and posted an 8-116 stat line in his last game.  If anyone had not heard of Thompkins yet Yahoo! sports writer Brad Evans did his part to make him a household name.  Anytime a player is the feature article on the yahoo news ticker he is no longer a sleeper.  The stars seem to be aligning for Thompkins.  No Brandon Lloyd.  No Hernandez.  No Gronk to start to the year.  No Welker (sorta).
The past few years the most fruitful of the Patriot Wr's have been the slot receiver think Welker--this years Amendola.  Here is a list of the best receiving years going back to 2002 from a Patriot WR who was not the slot WR

2002 - Patten: 61/824/5
2003 - Branch: 57/800/3
2004 - Givens: 56/874/3
2005 - Branch: 78/998/5
2006 - Caldwell: 61/760/4
2007- Moss: 98/1500/23
2008 - Injured
2009 - Moss: 83/1260/13
2010 - Branch: 48/706/5
2011 - Branch: 51/700/5
2012 - Lloyd: 74/911/4


Two of those years are not like the others, but I think we can all agree that a Thompkins/Moss comparison might be a bit much.  Brady has taken plenty of "no name" receivers and have made them contributing members to the team and fantasy relevant.  Looking at the numbers I think you can pencil Thompkins in for 60/800/4 which would have been good enough for just outside the top 30 best fantasy WRs in 2012.  So I am sorry Mr. Evans I am going to sell on Kenbrell Thompkins being the reason I win my fantasy league.

Maurice Jones-Drew - Currently on CBSsports the 3 resident fantasy football experts have MJD ranked as the 17th / 17th / and 15th best RB.  I really don't get this one.  Since taking over the reigns in 2009...
2009: 1765/16
2010: 1641/7 (14 games)
2011: 1980/11

2012 - He was on pace for another big year.  Before the injury in his 6th game he was averaging more ypc than any year in his career at 4.8, had accumulated over 500 yards of offense and had 5 TD's to go with it.

I get that he is coming off an injury and is now ancient at 28 years of age but ranking this guy as low as these experts have his borderline criminal. 

Hey, MJD you hear about your sportsline ranking?

I am buying MJD as a top 10 fantasy back this season.

bengals

As an AJ Green owner the previous 2 seasons I have found myself watching my fair share of Bengal ball.  The Bengals were probably just on the cusp of the top 5 trendiest teams coming into 2013, but now with their exposure on HBO's Hard Knocks they are racing up the board.  NFL.com writer Michael Silver actually picked the Bengals to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl only to lose to the trendiest of all teams (as documented in my March 12th blog) -- the Seattle Seahawks.

Vegas odds: O/U 8.5 (-180)

I would assume that with the -180 that the over has been pounded.  Lets take a look at the schedule.

week 1: @ CHI
week 2: vs PIT
week 3: vs GB
week 4: @ CLE
week 5: vs NE
week 6: @ BUF
week 7: @ DET
week 8: vs NYJ
week 9: @ MIA
week 10: @ BAL
week 11: vs CLE
week 12: BYE
week 13: @ SD
week 14: vs INDY
week 15: @ PIT
week 16:  vs MIN
week 17: vs Ravens

Looks like 10-6 to me.

Things I like
- Back 2 back road trips in week 6 and 7 will feature what I expect to be 2 bottom of the half league teams in Bills and Lions.
- 2 home games to end the year is nice as well
- Home games vs GB / NE 
- Late Bye should be beneficial

Things I don't like
- Even with the soft opponents in week 6/7 they are still on the road 4 out of 5 weeks 6-10.  That week 10 match up @ Baltimore is going to be tough.  Not only will it mark their 4th road game in 5 weeks but they have a history of getting beat down in Baltimore.  Since 2000 they have gone 4-9 at Baltimore and have lost their last 3 trips.  I normally don't like betting against Cincy while being under the same roof as brother Trent but Baltimore -3 will be look pretty strong that week.

Cincy's strong suit this season will be the defense.  Upfront they will be as stout as any team in the league with stud Geno Atkins anchoring the line.

The biggest problem with the defense is the safety position.  Not sure who is going to be the starter but I do know this guy is in contention.

I want to spend a little time on the enigma that is Taylor Mays.  

I remember years ago hearing about a 6 -foot-3 230 pound beast who hailed from USC and had a vertical leap of 41 inches, could bench 225 30 times, and ran a 4.32.  You hear stats like that and then see plays like this and this you expect that man to be a grade-A-badass.

And then this video surfaces...

 That most definitely is not how a bad-ass behaves.  Sure, he acts corny and a little strange in this video but I am just going to assume he went ahead and ran through about 3/4 of that squad over the following month.

So far through the first 3 episodes of Hard Knocks he has spent his time talking about how he loves/misses his girlfriend.  Sure, that is a fine past-time but certainly not a behavior that a badass would demonstrate amongst other grown men.

So which T. Mays is it?

The badass?

I love my girlfriend

Speaking of girlfriends congratulations to Giovani Bernard.

Fantasy Outlook

Giovani Bernard vs BJGE

Data collected from the last 1400 mock drafts on fantasy football calculator is showing Gio going on average 44th overall.  On the other hand incumbent running back BJGE is being selected on average 84th overall.

Bernard is definitely the sexy pick.  He has shown some nice explosion and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.  Two things that BJGE does not posses.  I can go on and on but the bottom line is this...

 Until you see the rookie riding dirty with the team owner BJGE is still the man...especially at the goal-line.  I think both guys will be productive.  I anticipate Bernard to have more total yards.  However, my prediction will be although he is going up to 40 picks later BJGE will outscore Bernard.

Dallas Cowboys

I am going to do a quick round up on a few teams that will consist of the teams predicted record.  Also I will highlight a player from each team and rank their value based on their ADP.

First up, my childhood team -- Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys - Vegas O/U 8.5 wins

Being matched up against the putrid AFC west gives them a 3-1 boost out of conference.  For easy figuring lets just say they split 3-3 in the division.  That would mean they would need to find 3 more wins on their schedule against the following.
vs STL -
@ DET -
vs MINN
@ N.O
@ CHI
vs G.B

As usual, Vegas is right on the money in setting this total at 8.5.  I see a pair of losses vs GB and in the dome on SNF vs the Saints. - (quick side note do not ever bet against the saints when they play at home in a prime time game...I am adding that to my cardinal rules of betting.

Also a good rule of thumb is to never bet against a team when hosting their first game after a national disaster has just hit said city.

Back to the Cowboys...

So we have 2 losses vs GB and @ N.O.  On the other hand I think there are 2 wins to be had vs STL and @ DET.  So it all comes down to games vs MINN and @ CHI.  Tough calls.  My gut says 8-8.  If history keeps repeating itself the Boys will be 8-7 going into their week 17 tilt vs Washington.  The Cowboys will need the win to lock up a WC spot...if that is the scenario you can take U 8.5 to the bank.

fan reaction...


Saying 8-8 almost feels like a cop out.  There is a tiny piece of me that thinks this season could be the straw that breaks that camels back; and by camels back I mean Jerry Jones heart---and by break I mean stop.

71? more like 91.  Not sure how many more INTs that heart can take.

Fantasy Outlook:

Dwayne Harris: ADP - 212

After getting no run on offense in the first 9 games of the season Harris finally broke onto the field in certain sets over the final 7 games.  In limited time he racked up 17 / 222 / 1.  He also made some big plays on special teams and has shown game-breaking ability.  If you gave me a piece of paper and said draw your idea of a good looking player it would look pretty close to what you see on the left.  Reports out of big D is that homegrown rookie Terrance Williams is pushing and might even have the edge for the 3rd WR spot.  Keep an eye on their 3rd preseason game and see who is getting 1st team reps.  Even if Williams and Harris end up splitting 3rd WR reps it will only be a matter of time until Miles Austin's hamstrings tweak for about the 4th straight year and then they will both see significant playing time.

I have had a bit of a crush on this guy since his ECU days.  I really think he could do something if given the shot.

Yea so what it was preseason vs backups--big-whoop-wanna-fight-about-it

Only winners get wings

I tried out for this commercial, however I was informed that I did not meet the weight requirement.  I tried the muscle weighs more than fat routine but it wasn't happening.

Usually by mid August reciting the top 10-15 players at each position is something that I could do with great ease.  While I have been doing my homework, there has been something else that has my full attention.

Pittsburgh Pirate fever has been in full swing for a few weeks now and the bandwagon is filling up faster than a 5$ blackjack table at the Rivers.  I can't blame people for being excited.  I don't get on Facebook often but after a Pirate win you can bank on about 1 in 5 posts saying r.t.j.r or something to that effect.  Like I said I can't blame people--it's been 20 years.

Something just rubs me the wrong way about people who didn't suffer through the lean years.  Do names like Pat Mears, Abe Nunez, and Kris Benson mean anything to you?  What about Rob Mack-o-wak?  That should make you smile.  Be proud that you watched many Ian Snell fastballs go flying over the Clemente Wall and by the same token the vaunted Josh Fogg change-up that missed its spot and would suffer a similar fate.  Do you remember the big bat of Brian Bixler?  What about the grand-daddy of them all though--and possibly the lowest moment in the last 20 years belongs to this familiar face...

That's right folks--that is a professional athlete with a mustache painted on his face during an event.

To sum it up go ahead and have the water-cooler talk about the Pirates but make sure to pour a little out for the homies and pay homage to the guys who have been in for the long haul.

Just a few tidbits from the first two weeks of preseason.

- I am getting real tired real fast of hearing the daily report from Jets camp about who will be playing QB.  I think the Jets offense could be historically bad.  It doesn't matter who the QB is.  I think Geno Smith was a nice college QB in a nice system but coming into an offense that lacks any kind of play-maker is going to be a wake up call.  The brand of defense that is played in the NFL is a bit of an upgrade compared to the Baylor Bears.  Their defense is going to win them some ball games and this team could be an Under cash-cow this year.  Back the truck up on Under 6.5 wins.

For old times sake...

Sadly I think this is NYJ best QB option.

- Another QB battle that is wearing on me is the Vick v. Foles match up in Philly.  If they were running a pro-style offense with straight drop back passing there could maybe be a debate.  However, this offense was made for Vick.  It might just be a Chip Kelly smoke show but I am willing to bet my lunch money on Mike Vick lining up under center in week 1 of the season.  My lunch usually consists of 3 value menu items from BK so that wager is roughly $3.18.  Any takers?

- Speaking of bets you can still get under 7.5 on the SD Super Chargers win total this year.  Do not want to put too much stock into 1 half of a preseason game but the Chargers looked awful...

- Almost as as bad as the Oakland Raiders looked.  Matt Flynn might end up working out there but he sure is getting a lot of respect for being Aaron Rodgers back up and having a monstrous game  in a week 17 game vs the Lions 2 years ago.

- The Jacksonville Jaguars could be a team I might try to get behind at some point.  They have some nice weapons in MJD/Shorts/Blackmon.  I like the looks of Denard running around out there too.  I think their defense is pretty close to being good.  As much as I like all the other pieces of the puzzle the most important piece is also the most unreliable in Blaine Gabbert.  I would still feel pretty good about getting on the over 5.

2012 WW player of the year - Cecil Shorts III

- Were there really 60 better NFL prospects than the 61st pick in the 2013 NFL draft?  There were press going around that Lacy was out of shape.  He looked pretty good there and might be just what the Packer run game needed.

- We are 11 days from the greatest weekend of the year -- Draft weekend.