Sports
Raven’s Sports and Professional Sports
My realistic 2011 fantasy football team
Last modified on 2011-11-02 14:35:32 GMT. 307 comments. Top.
by Michael Davies
This year, FPTV will be having a fantasy football challenge for the 2011-2012 NFL season. The owners in the league include current and old members of FPTV programming. In last year’s challenge, I had a 13-2 record, but lost in the first round of the playoffs and ended up coming in fourth. Needless to say I was not happy. This year I have a completely different approach to drafting my team.
A live draft will be held at lakeview 20 within the coming weeks. I have never done a live draft before and I am pumped to get it started. I am not messing around this year. Fantasy football needs to be taken as seriously as any class or occupation. If anything, I guarantee I will be checking my team nonstop during journalism class. Time for business.
Now that I have stressed my love for football, I need to go over my predraft strategies. So far I have taken two mock drafts on Yahoo Sports. My teams have been decent so far, but they could be better. Here are a few things I have gathered from these mock drafts.
I do not want a top five pick: I know that seems weird to most people. Who wouldn’t want Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson (not the Experience Director)? I just see better players that can be taken later in the first round. Michael Vick, for example, is a versatile player who is a must in all fantasy leagues. I have seen him go as early as second overall. Not surprising. I would rather have a later pick so I would have an early pick in the second round. My goal is to get the number seven pick. Not too late, but still a solid pick.
My first pick will be a RB: I don’t want to reveal what player I will take, but choosing a star running back is a guaranteed great season. I tend to take running backs from successful teams because they are in the red zone more often than bad teams. So don’t expect me to take Maurice Jones Drew.
Wide receiver depth is important: Do not get stuck with a poor receiving core. That was one of my team’s flaws last year and I am not making the same mistake again. I had average receivers getting balls thrown to them by below average qb’s. In some cases, a wide receiver is just as important as a running back.
I have more strategies, but a magician never reveals their tricks. Here are the first eight rounds of my realistic team. Good luck to all of you participating in fantasy football leagues!
Round 1. Darren McFadden (Oak - RB)
Round 2. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG - RB)
Round 3. Greg Jennings (GB - WR)
Round 4. Wes Welker (NE - WR)
Round 5. Matt Schaub (Hou - QB)
Round 6. Pierre Garcon (Ind - WR)
Round 7. Philadelphia (Phi - DEF)
Round 8. Dustin Keller (NYJ - TE)
NFL ends lockout, Ground Pound back for season three
Last modified on 2011-07-26 15:35:07 GMT. 78 comments. Top.
Millions of anxious football fans have been waiting for 132 days to answer this question: Are you ready for some football? The answer is yes after the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to a new ten year deal.
Thats right. Lockout over. Football guaranteed for the next ten years.
The league was celebrating the new deal yesterday, while also showing appreciation to New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft. Even though his wife Myra Kraft passed away last week, Kraft continued to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement to guarentee a full season of football for the 2011-2012 regular season.
The only game canceled was the Chicago Bears versus the St. Louis Rams preseason game, which was this year’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
With the season set to start on September 8th, FPTV is happy to announce the return of Ground Pound for season three. The weekly NFL review show will have new episodes every Tuesday with game recaps and game previews similar to the previous two seasons.
“Its such a relief to have the season back on schedule. Not only from a fan’s perspective, but also from an analyst’s point of view as well,” said Ground Pound analyst Mike Davies.
Season Two Super Bowl Preview Show
Because of the free agent frenzy occurring for the next couple of weeks, Ground Pound will film a new episode within the first week of returning to Franklin Pierce University for the 2011 fall semester. The first episode will include a free agent summary, a review of the preseason, a look ahead at week one of the regular season, and an early prediction of the super bowl champions.
Ground Pound is also looking for a third analyst after former analyst Andrew Berger graduated this past May. If you are interested in being on Ground Pound, please email connorsje@live.franklinpierce.edu.
In the end, fans around the world can take a sigh of relief now that our Sundays will be filled with football again.
Ravens’ Sports Recap - March 29, 2011
Last modified on 2011-04-15 22:31:24 GMT. 111 comments. Top.
Ravens’ Sports Recap with your host Casey Williams
Check out more videos at FPTV’s YouTube Page!!
Let the Playoffs Begin
Last modified on 2011-01-21 15:47:05 GMT. 387 comments. Top.
by Mike Davies
After 17 weeks of hard fought football, the NFL playoffs have officially begun. Twelve teams will be competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Dallas on February 6th, 2011. This season was extremely unpredictable to say the least. All of these teams had different pathways to the playoffs, but every team gets a fresh start entering the postseason. Here is a look at the AFC and NFC Wild Card match
ups:
The NFC has fairly strong teams entering the postseason. A team with a losing record, Seattle Seahawks (7-9), will be hosting a playoff game for the first time in NFL history when they face the New Orleans Saints (11-5). The NFL will be put under a lot of scrutiny after teams like the Buccaneers (10-6) and the Giants (10-6) were not able to make the playoffs even though they had abetter record than the Seahawks. Other than this controversy, the rest of the playoffs are filled with great matchups. The Seahawks are entering the game with a little momentum after beating the Rams for the NFC West title. It appears the Saints are still recovering from a Super Bowl hangover and will try to repeat as champions for the first time since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots. They will take a step in this direction when they beat the Seahawks by a large margin.
The other NFC Wild Card matchup is the Green Bay Packers (10-6) versus the Philadelphia Eagles (10-6). Similar to last season, the Eagles are limping into the playoffs and have lost two straight games. Michael Vick had a leg injury against the Vikings a few weeks back and did not play last Sunday. Vick says he feels a lot better after having the week off. 
The Packers have been on a roll for the past two weeks after their loss to the Patriots during Week 15. The Packers beat the Chicago Bears last Sunday to earn the number six seed in the playoffs. Although they are on the road for the remainder of the playoffs, I expect the Packers to be very successful. They will beat the Eagles in a very close game in Philadelphia, which is something the Packers have experience with. They lost to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime during last year’s wild card matchup. The Packers offense will be clicking and should book their flights to Atlanta to face the Falcons.
Moving now the AFC comes a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game. The New York Jets (11-5) have cooled down after starting the season with a 9-2 record. Still led by Rex Ryan, the team needs to find a way to find Mark Sanchez some confidence. Ryan also hopes to improve his defense after not meeting last year’s expectations. They will have to be spot on when they play Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (10-6). It is rare to see a super bowl runner-up make
the playoffs the following year; Luckily history was not on the Colts’ side. Key injuries to Dallas Clark and Austin Collie have slowed down the Colts’ high-powered offense; however, they enter the playoffs with a four game winning streak. The Jets have been lucky at times this season and I expect the Jets to pull out a win driven by their defense. Peyton has proven to have poor performances in the playoffs (9-9 overall) and he will lose even with the home field advantage.
The final and possibly most interesting match is the Baltimore Ravens (12-4) versus the Kansas City Chiefs (10-6). The Ravens are always a postseason threat especially with success in the past three seasons. It will be interesting to see if Joe Flacco can make some plays in the postseason. The Chiefs on the other hand are 
extremely inexperienced. The Chiefs are a team many people thought could make some noise in the playoffs, but a loss to the Raiders last week made analysts skeptic. I agree with the analysts because the Ravens’ run defense will be a burden for the Jamaal Charles.
If my predictions are correct, the Jets will travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots, the Saints will play the Bears, the Packers will play the Falcons, and the Ravens will play the Steelers. The playoffs begin this Saturday at 4:30pm and a new episode of Ground Pound will air Thursday, January 20th only on FPTV-25.
A Backwards Season
Last modified on 2011-01-21 15:46:23 GMT. 256 comments. Top.
by Mike Davies
After ten weeks of football, there is no clear front-runner for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. There has been a hand full of surprising and disappointing teams in every division. Before the season started, I made predictions of the AFC standings. So far I have not been too accurate. Here’s a breakdown of every division in the AFC and my new predictions:
The Pittsburg Steelers have reestablished their defense to be the AFC North leader. Ben Roethlisberger has made some questionable decisions since his suspension, but none too drastic. The Baltimore Ravens are tied for the North lead with their high-powered defense. The only flaw in their game is the offense, which has been disappointing so far. The Cleveland Browns have shown hope with surprising games versus the Patriots and Jets. This team is by no means a playoff team, but at least they are showing that Colt McCoy is a contender. Finally, the most disappointing team in the NFL goes to the Cincinnati Bengals. Carson Palmer cannot even make completions to Owens or Ochocinco while Benson struggles to establish the run game. My prediction for the AFC North crown goes to the Ravens with the Steelers as the wild card.
As expected, the New England Patriots are on top of the division along side the New York Jets. The Patriots are the top offence in the league while the Jets have one of the top defenses. I did not expect the Jets to be this successful this early in the season, but both teams have shown flaws in their game. The Miami Dolphins are average at best and the injuries to Chad Pennington and Chad Henne have ended their playoff hopes. At least the Buffalo Bills have shown signs of hope with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback; however, they are not able to get W’s on the board. Expect the New England Patriots to be the AFC East winner with the Jets as the wild card.
The AFC South is the most wide-open division in the league. The Indianapolis Colts hold a one game lead, but do not look as dominating as year’s past. Manning’s offense has been destroyed by injuries, but he continues to put up big numbers. The Tennessee Titans are a work in progress with lingering injuries to Vince Young. Chris Johnson has yet to have a “huge” game, but the Titans are showing they can fight with the best teams. The addition of Randy Moss can only help, right? The Jacksonville Jaguars have surprised everyone with a tie for 2nd place in the division. David Garrard has shown he can still throw the ball, but the more he throws it the more likely he is to throw interceptions. As long as they can establish Maurice Jones-Drew in the running game, this team will be a contender. The Houston Texans have been somewhat of a disappointment so far, yet are only two games out of the division lead. Matt Schaub has yet to put up huge numbers, but he does not need to with the dominating performances by Arian Foster. My prediction for the AFC South winner goes to the Tennessee Titans because they have yet to face the Colts. If they can win these games, they will be able to dominate everyone else.
After a fast start by the Kansas City Chiefs, their record has fallen back to 5-4 in a wide-open AFC West. Even the unexpected Oakland Raiders have created a buzz with a share of the division lead. After a slow start, the San Diego Chargers have found their stride with MVP favorite Philip Rivers. The Chargers are a team destroyed by injuries, but have been able to stay afloat. One of my most disappointing teams thus far is the Denver Broncos because of their inconsistent offence and their lackluster defense. My prediction for the AFC West champion is the Chargers mainly because they have history of their side and the Chiefs and Raiders are too inexperienced in meaningful games.
I will not be revealing my pick for the super bowl, but I will mention it in my next article. Expect another article come playoff time to see if my predictions are correct. Remember you can see me every week on Ground Pound only on FPTV-25.
Ground Pound - NFL Week 4 Predictions
Last modified on 2010-10-02 21:26:01 GMT. 279 comments. Top.
Before you get ready to watch Week 4 of the NFL, see what our three football analysts have to say. Every week, check back here on Saturday to get our teams prediction for the next days games.
Preview: 2010 NFL AFC
Last modified on 2010-08-26 17:30:11 GMT. 675 comments. Top.
by Mike Davies
The AFC conference appeared to lose its toughness from season’s past. It was clear that the winner of the NFC Conference Championship would go on to win Super Bowl XLIV. Divisional Winners, including the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and San Diego Chargers, all failed to record a win in the postseason. Even the Indianapolis Colts appeared to have weaknesses through out the season. The AFC was also filled with below average teams with 8 of the 16 AFC teams failing to record a winning record. With all of this in consideration, I expect an AFC team to reclaim super bowl glory. Here are my predictions for the 2010 regular season:
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens 11-5
Cincinnati Bengals 9-7
Pittsburg Steelers 8-8
Cleveland Browns 3-13
The Baltimore Ravens are a clear favorite for divisional champions with a fierce rushing attack led by Ray Rice. The only flaws I see with this team is Joe Flacco, an inexperienced quarterback going into his 3rd year, and a weak secondary, destroyed by offseason injuries to Dominique Foxworth and Ed Reed. The Cincinnati Bengals were the comeback team of the 2009 season with a massive improvement to their record. The team should expect another winning season, especially after the signing of Terrell Owens; but if the Bengals want to be successful, Carson Palmer has to step up and lead this high-powered offence to victory. Consider this a throw away season for the Pittsburg Steelers with the suspension of Ben Roethlisberger for the first six games. Lack of experience will keep this team from even making the playoffs. The Cleveland Browns haven’t made a playoff appearance since the 2002 season, so why start now? The only positive from this team are the signings of Jake Delhomme and Colt McCoy.
AFC East
New England Patriots 12-4
New York Jets 10-6
Miami Dolphins 7-9
Buffalo Bills 4-12
The New England Patriots have been the king of the AFC East for a majority of the 21st century. Tom Brady and his highflying offence will need to regroup after struggling to find much success throughout the season. Also, if this team wants any success, the Patriots’ front seven must apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks. The New York Jets are expected to give the Patriots some intense competition with Rex Ryan and his league-leading defense. I am interested to see how Mark Sanchez will do with his new receivers. The Miami Dolphins had an average season at best but will need to improve if they want to make it to the postseason. All eyes will be on Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall to pick up the slack on the Dolphins offence. Karlos Dansby will be a key addition to their dismal defense so expect an improvement from last year. The Buffalo Bills are yet another team in the AFC currently in a rebuilding stage. It appears the team has given up hope on Marshawn Lynch and drafted C.J. Spiller in the first round of the draft. In the past few years, the Bills have always had problems with their quarterback position. Do not expect much from this team until they fix this problem.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts 12-4
Tennessee Titans 10-6
Houston Texans 9-7
Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11
The AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts had a disappointing end to their season after losing to the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. I question this team throughout the entire season because of all of their last second victories. Peyton Manning continued to stun audiences after he almost led the Colts to an undefeated record. In regards to this year, I think the colts have been overexposed so expect them to have a few more losses this season. One of my breakout teams of the year has to be the Tennessee Titans after ending the season with a 8-2 record. Vince Young has looked impressive this preseason and looked decent when he took over the starting position during Week 8 of last season. For this year, look for the Titans’ offence to utilize Chris Johnson in every way possible after an amazing statistical season. Another team to look out for is the Houston Texans, who just had their first winning record in their franchise history. Matt Schuab and Andre Johnson will be one of the top passing/receiving duos in the league and will rack up plenty of fantasy points. The defense took a big blow with the loss of free agent Dunta Robinson and a 4-game suspension handed to Brian Cushing. It was hard to predict a record for this team because this could be their breakout year or it could be another below average year. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going down a dangerous pathway. Once playoff regulars, the team has made poor decisions and has yet to find their identity. Expect a poor season from them until they use Maurice Jones-Drew and draft a new quarterback!
AFC West
San Diego Chargers 13-3
Denver Broncos 10-6
Kansas City Chiefs 6-10
Oakland Raiders 3-13
As always, the San Diego Chargers are heavy favorites to win the AFC West against an extremely weak division. Philip Rivers has become the top man in San Diego and has a wide variety of targets. The only questions I have are: How long will Vincent Jackson hold out? And when will the Chargers bring their regular season success to the postseason!? A team that went under the radar last year was the Denver Broncos, who began the season 6-0. Josh McDaniels is going into his second year as a head coach and will have a much better season now that Brandon Marshall is out of the picture. This guy certainly has the ability to make the right plays, lets just see if he has the right players. The Kansas City Chiefs are also going through some changes with the signings of Matt Cassell and head coach Todd Haley. Last season, the team was not able to connect and had a poor record. I expect a few more wins this year, but be ready for this team to shine next season. On the other hand, the Oakland Raiders are a team that has no direction for the upcoming future. They recently released former first overall pick, Jamarcus Russell, and traded next year’s first round to the Patriots for Richard Seymour. In conclusion, any team that plays them can mark up an easy win.
It’s not easy to predict how each team’s record will be, but there are just rough estimates. As far as the playoffs go, I will say that the AFC Championship game will be the Ravens versus the Chargers. Lets just say I have a good feeling about that San Diego offence.
Don’t forget to check out FPTV’s Ground Pound for all NFL news, highlights, and predictions throughout the whole season.
