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A glorious new season is upon us. There are many things to watch for this coming season and it all starts in Week 1. As fans, we are going to be spoiled early on with a plethora of great divisional matchups. Right from the start, the likes of Pittsburg…
What’s Worked So Far: When you look at Washington’s wins, you see that they were defensive slugfests. The Redskins aren’t a team that’s going to win pretty. When their defense is clicking, they’re a team that can make just enough plays to win. When it …
The ongoing mock draft at www.chinstrapninjas.com has been garnering plenty of attention and comments as we weave through the rounds. Some crazy picks and unorthodox moves have defined this draft.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5
For an easy-to-navigate list of all our 2010 fantasy football strategies, advice, rankings, sleepers, etc., go here.
What craziness happens in round six of our redraft mock? Check it out below:
6.01 Owen Daniels, HOU (jzak)
Second part of my Texas two-step, Daniels, much like Schaub, has an injury onus on him, but few seem to remember how dominating he was at tight end last year before succumbing to injury. He deserves to be selected before some of the other tight ends on this list, in my opinion, and considering how many TEs are off the board at this point, I’m happy to take him here.
6.02 Pierre Garcon (ep)
Bottom line: Garcon is the No. 2 receiver for the high-powered Colts offense and could outscore Reggie Wayne in fantasy leagues in 2010. That makes him an easy sixth-rounder.
6.03 Jay Cutler (consigliere)
What’s not to like here. He has put up big numbers the past two years and the interception number doesn’t scare me one bit. He has also had low INT totals dating back to his Vandy days.
He is the most talented quarterback Mike Martz has had, all due respect to Kurt Warner.
6.04 Arian Foster (sockonfl)
I was going to wait another round, but I feel he will be the full time starter in Houston. That’s worth a ton considering how well that offense played last year. He also caught the ball out of the backfield some last year too. He could turn into an every down back. Just the type of back I need to take a chance on.
6.05 – Marion Barber (jay-mo)
I’ll probably get some grief for this pick, but I’m not drafting to make friends nor am I following some cookie-cutter glossy magazine. I was looking at WR here, but I’m confident my target will last until the next round. So, why not take the best available player (in my opinion)?
Obviously, Barber is going to get compared to Felix Jones. Barber is the starter: advantage one. Barber scores more often (7 TDs vs. 3 TDs): advantage two. Barber had nearly twice as many carries than Felix (214 vs. 116): advantage three. More importantly to me, Barber is the No. 1 runner in the red zone: advantage four.
I know, I know … that was last year and all of the fantasy experts are saying differently. Well, are they calling the plays for Dallas? Don’t believe me, watch the preseason …
6.06 Fred Jackson, BUF (jzak)Not thrilled with Jackson, but he is the official starter in Buffalo. In fact, he’s the main fantasy weapon in Buffalo at the moment. He’s the starter, for what it’s worth, and helps provide some RB depth.
6.07 Ahmad Bradshaw (speedy)
This might be a little high for him, but he’s been getting the starting carries early in training camp.
6.08 – Terrell Owens (ryder)
I’m going to go ahead and pick one half of the co-diva reality star T.O. Although he is getting older he still has a good year left in him. He is in much better situation this year with the Bengals rather then the dreadful Buffalo offense from a season ago. I cant believe I’m going to say this, but I think Chad Ochocinco and T.O. will help each other. Here comes Batman & Robin.
6.09 – Joe Flacco, BAL (krause)
I was going to wait on a QB but I like Flacco’s upside this year. Everything Baltimore did in the offseason makes me think their going to score a lot. Now I have Flacco and Ray Rice so 90% of the time Baltimore scores, I score.
6.10 Matt Ryan (consigliere)
Looking for a bounce back year for Ryan here. He has some legit weapons and i expect Michael Turner to be a lot better this year.
I am grabbing a top-10 quarterback here and hoping he plays like it. Not really a lot to say i am happy to have my starting line up filled out, now i need to fix my bench.
6.11 — Vincent Jackson, SD (ep)
It’s a risk because of Jackson’s holdout, but no other receiver has a better chance to transform my team at this point in the draft. If one side caves — V-Jax, dude, you’re not Andre Johnson — I get a top-10 receiver in the sixth round.
6.12 Hines Ward (sockonfl)
Seeing that ep stole my pick here right before me, I had to make a change of plans. I decided to go with the ever consistent and highly underrated Hines Ward. He puts up consistent numbers year in and year out. I know Ben Roethlisberger is out early on, but he will still post some solid numbers throughout the season.
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It seems like every year since the Raiders lost to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, Raiders fans have found a reason to be excited about the upcoming season.
However, whether it was big name free agent signings like Dante Hall and Randy Moss or high draft picks like Darren McFadden, Robert Gallery and the quarterback who shall not be named, the results were always the same: The Raiders ended the season at the bottom third of the league.
This season looks like it could be different.
In the past, many of the moves made by the Raiders in the offseason were attempts at quick fixes. The Raiders are notorious for drafting workout warriors and mostly at the skill positions (see Darren McFadden, JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward Bey). In the years after the Super Bowl, they also made a name for themselves by signing big name free agents (see Dante Hall, Randy Moss and Javon Walker).
It appeared that the only offseason strategy by the Raiders front office was to try and luck into a franchise changing player. Anyone who follows the NFL closely knows that this type of player is almost impossible to come by.
This offseason, a distinctly different tactic was taken by the Raiders. First, there were no big name free agent signings. Instead, the Raiders addressed some key issues through solid veterans who came at a reasonable price. The Raiders added size and strength to their linebacking core by trading late round draft picks for Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves and added some much needed depth to the interior of their defensive line by signing free agent big John Henderson.
These pick ups were a breath of fresh air for Raider fans. They are not the type of flashy signing that some might have wanted, but they were all attained at reasonable prices and address core issues in the Raiders defense without much risk.
Of course, most will agree that the biggest offseason acquisition by the Raiders was the trade for quarterback Jason Campbell.
Campbell has proven himself to be a legitimate option at quarterback in the NFL. His numbers have improved every year in the league and have done so in spite of being part of a dysfunctional franchise, constantly having his starting job threatened and having to change offensive coordinators every year.
Cutting the quarterback who shall not be named was addition by subtraction, trading for Jason Campbell ensured that the most important position in football would be manned by a hard working and dedicated player with lots of potential.
After keeping a low profile in the free agent market, many analysts predicted the Raiders to make fools of themselves in the draft. Many made predictions that the Raiders would draft players like Mike Iupati, Jason Pierre-Paul and Bruce Campbell far earlier than they deserved to be picked. Well, for the second time this offseason, the Raiders surprised everyone with an incredibly well thought out draft.
The Raiders started by filling major holes in their defense in Rolando McClain and Lamarr Huston. By all accounts Rolando McClain should push for the ROY award and become an anchor for this defense for years to come. Lamarr Houston has proven to be one of the most promising picks from this year’s draft. He works hard and has a passion for the game that just cannot be taught.
Next, the Raiders added some much needed depth to their offensive line by drafting two monster offensive linemen in the third and fourth rounds. Both Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell need some work as they are still rather unpolished, but give these guys a year or two in the league and they could become dominant starters on the Raiders’ offensive line. In the meantime, Veldheer is already looking like a legitimate option to replace the new weakest link in the Raiders offensive line, Sampson Satele.
With their remaining picks, the Raiders added depth to the WR/KR, DB and LB positions. Travis Goethel and Walter McFadden (6th round and 5th round picks respectively) have already made strong arguments to make the roster with their play and Jacoby Ford (4th round pick) has the speed to make a difference in the return game while adding depth to the wide receiver position.
The Raiders’ offseason was not perfect, but it was a major step in turning this team around. No, the Raiders will not make the playoffs this season, but they should be able to stay in contention until the end of the season, which is a big improvement over the past seven years.
They still have a lot of work to do on their offensive line and the wide receiver and running back positions are a little thin in terms of depth. That being said, anyone who watched the Raiders’ 2010 offseason knows that they are on the right track. They are finally beginning to address the glaring weaknesses that have kept the Raiders in the cellar of the NFL standings. It should be a good year for the Silver and Black and I look forward to seeing it.
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The Bears Offensive Line vs The Raiders Defensive Line
Projected Starters:
Bears Offensive line:
LT Chris Williams, LG Roberto Garza, C Olin Kreutz, RG Lance Louis, RT Frank Omiyale
Raiders Defensive line:
LE Matt Shaughnessy, DT Richard Seymour, NT Tommy Kelly, RE LaMarr Houston
Match Ups:
1) LT Chris Williams vs. LE Matt Shaughnessy
My Picks:
Run: Williams was the best lineman last week. And he should get the better of this matchup against pass-rush specialist Shaughnessy in running situations.
Pass: Shaughnessy should win the battle on passing downs. So look for him to put pressure on Cutler and possibly finish with a sack.
2) LG Roberto Garza/C Olin Kreutz vs. Richard Seymour
My Picks:
A draw. Seymour will be double teamed for as long as he is on the field.
3) RG Lance Louis vs. NT Tommy Kelly
My Picks:
Run/Pass: Kelly should dominate. Louis was manhandled against the run last week. And one-on-one against the veteran Kelly, Louis will emulate a lawn chair in Autumn, he will get folded up. Look for Kelly to be Sapp-like on Saturday.
4) RT Frank Omiyale vs. RE LaMarr Houston
My Picks:
Run/Pass: Houston will dominate against Omiyale, who fared well last week against the Chargers top pass-rusher. However, Houston is a different breed of player—unique in the spirited Raiders Tradition of mean and gritty.
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