By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Replacing starters is a weekly occurrence. Shifting from starters that had longevity though is not. There are a lot of teams gearing up their 2010 season with quarterbacks that have are inexperienced. Stats do not replace stats. Are there capable quarterbacks that can make a seamless transition from the old wily veteran to being a fantasy marginal option? Even a bye week filler. Lets see..

Old: Jamarcus Russell New: Jason Campbell

Campbell could step out week one and have a career day of three touchdowns and that would outdo a seasons worth from Russell. Oakland has finally made a wise move. Campbell has shown the skill set to be an NFL starter and a possible good one at that. He just needs to be set in a system where he can grow. That has not necessarily been the case in Oakland, but somehow an organization has to move forward. Oakland has some weapons offensively and Campbell should find a balance to keep the Raiders a dangerous team.

Old: Donovan McNabb New: Kevin Kolb

The spotlight will be the brightest on Mr. Kolb. Not only is he trying to show his value compared to McNabb, he also has to worry about Mike Vick who has one foot in bounds waiting for Andy Reid to tap him on the shoulder. Kolb may be more like Matt Schaub was when he left Atlanta. Looking great in a few spot starts but he is going to need a lot of on field action to develop into a pro starter. Expect a rough year in a city that is use to winning.

Old: Chad Pennington New: Chad Henne

Henne received some starts due to Pennington’s season ending injury last season. He showed that demeanor and attitude of a first string quarterback from day one. That was with Ted Ginn as his number one receiver, Davone Bess, and Greg Camarillo. Show us a tougher group of receivers for a rookie to break in the league with? When the wildcat had to be abandoned once Ronnie Brown was lost for the season, the Dolphins had to let their rookie Henne go. That’s when he began to get comfortable and had the type of outings that gave the appearance that Henne just needs more talent around him. Miami added Brandon Marshall which should be a great complement to Henne’s arm strength and accuracy for years to come.

Old: Jason Campbell New: Donovan McNabb

A new environment is not always the best. For McNabb becoming a Redskin was the last thing he wanted to do. Being an Eagle was what he had his hopes set out on. That obviously did not happen and now maybe McNabb will wake up and find that extra gear to finish out a season. He’ll build a winning attitude with Mike Shanahan from day one. Fizzling out and erratic play is what has notoriously plagued McNabb. Shanahan has loaded up on backs and will not be as pro pass as Reid has been in Philly. That will diminish McNabb’s numbers a bit and put into question if he is a fantasy starter.

Old: Kurt Warner New: Matt Leinart

This was flip flopped a few times but now is official with Warner being retired. All you can hope for Leinart’s sake is that he grasped and learned skills from Warner. Leinart is now 27 and it’s now or never. Arizona could have shipped him out or cut him to go in another direction. Now they’ll see if they can get a return on their first round investment. He allegedly has been working hard off the field. We’re hesitant to believe Leinart will be able to fill the shoes anywhere near the way Warner did. Arizona knows that and will find a way to cater to Leinart’s strengths. Quick passes and simplified decision making. Also expect the ground game not to abandon with ease as they would do almost on a weekly basis with Warner.

Old: Jake Delhomme New: Matt Moore

Delhomme never could recover from his catastrophic melt down performance against the Cardinals. It was similar to a pitcher getting lit up and not being able to get past it. Every time he dropped back he looked like a former NFL Europe player. Oh wait, he was. Matt Moore had semi decent success last year, as anyone should with a talented backfield as Carolina has. Likely the number one threat in the league. Moore is a hot sleeper that will stave off rookie Jimmy Clausen for a few years.

Old: Brady Quinn/Derek Anderson New: Jake Delhomme

Cleveland might be the only team to go from an awful quarterback situation to worse. We don’t know what’s going on in the front office at Cleveland, but we all know they love the back and forth musical quarterback game. What will be the games start split between Delhomme and Seneca Wallace? Will go with seven games for Delhomme and nine for Wallace.

Old: Kerry Collins New: Vince Young

Here’s another back and forth maneuver over the last few years. You’d think Tennessee would have ended all doubt for Young and cut Collins. Then you here of Young messing up off the field and think how smart of them. How Young keeps producing wins is almost as stupefying as how Jay Fiedler did it with the Dolphins. Young might make Jamarcus Russell type plays but he also has Chris Johnson alongside him. We don’t envision the Young project lasting several years, but will give it a few more. As far as being a fantasy performer, don’t even attempt to think about Young. Young’s games are going to be like a scatter plot. Games all over the place with no consistency.

Old: Marc Bulger New: Sam Bradford/AJ Feeley

Bradford is going to get introduced quickly on how to lose. Taking those licks and growing pains is something some young quarterbacks never get over. Ahem, David Carr. St. Louis has to be careful how they bring Bradford along. Starting Feeley out to get pummeled may be a smart idea here.

Old: Byron Leftwich New: Josh Freeman

Freeman was able to get the traditional type of rookie experience. Sit and learn from the sidelines the first half of the year and then on the job training the second half. Freeman did not show much too prove being an every week starter. Developing from year one to year two is usually where you can see if a guy has it or not completely. Freeman’s likely ranked near or dead last in every fantasy quarterback ranking so we won’t delve any further here.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Trending for potential overall fantasy points is always looked at on the basis of a cumulative average of anticipated touchdowns and yards. Predicting those variables has become some what of a measurable task and decent assessment for most fantasy analysts. The part that is becoming more overlooked is in the area of turnovers. Side stepping those marks of fumbles and interceptions can be a deadly move. Just ask Jay Cutler and Jake Delhomme owners last season. Most owners predicate their drafts based on running backs. The intangible points that come from a back can suddenly be offset by that minus two. Nothing is more frustrating than glancing at your stat tracker and seeing points taken off the board.

We take a look at some backs that have to be looked at from this perspective. Goal line fumbling is a big no-no, Matt Forte.

I may be a sleeper but will coach give me enough carries?

The following backs did not have what you would call huge seasons last year. In fact they had around 100 to 125 carries for a seasons worth. Yet they had sky high numbers when it came to fumbling the football. All these backs except for Steve Slaton are expected to have similar amounts of carries or even higher. A quick tempered coach in the NFL does not put up with issues as such unless you’re Adrian Peterson. Before the yank comes in terms of a back to permanently being seated on your fantasy bench or sent to the waiver wire, consider this.

Shonne Greene- He did enough in the playoffs to make the Jets think that he is their capable back for the next five to seven years. With only 108 regular season carries though he fumbled the football three times. New York likes to pound the football quite a bit. An average of near twenty carries a game for Greene makes him a hot commodity for upcoming fantasy drafts. Who knows maybe Greene was trying to impress too much during his limited time last year. You can believe opposing defensive coordinators know that Greene will and can place that ball on the ground. They’ll attack him with an array of strip tactics with swarming gang tackling to test him.

Steve Slaton- Talk about a rough sophomore season. Slaton went extremely high in most drafts last season. Late first round status in most leagues in fact. Sorry for those fantasy owners that had to endure Slaton as their number one back. What an ugly season that made for you. More than likely Slaton will be relegated to a third down back as they look to rookie Ben Tate. Slaton just didn’t show the same durability and coughed up the football five times on 131 carries.

Matt Forte- Everyone’s target to curse about weekly when it came to why they’re team was not winning. It’s still mind boggling how a back so young can have a phenomenal rookie season and just lose all ability a year later. There was no excuse for it. Correlating his poor production with his fumbling issues would be a reasonable assessment, but we’re not buying it. Forte is scattered on most fantasy rankings but should belong as a bottom tier second back if that. He’ll be hard pressed to ever duplicate his rookie season.

Darren McFadden- Who would of thought that Felix Jones could end up being the better overall running back? It just goes to show how much different college football is compared to the NFL. It’s a mans world on so many different levels not just the aspect of talent that gets so many college athletes by. McFadden has yet to adjust to NFL speed and will likely be behind Michael Bush when week one comes. You’re a top five pick and carry the football 104 times and fumble four. As Chris Berman would say, “COME ON MAN”.

Take -10 please with Beanie Wells and Hightower

If Minnesota is using a purple overweight medicine ball shaped like a football to try and cure Adrian Peterson’s fumbling issues, than out in Arizona they will need too invent a one upper. Last year a prime reason Kurt Warner was drilled and laid flat on his back so often was because of Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. Poor pass protectors and a knack for dropping the pigskin. Beanie Wells is probably going to earn a higher share of carries from the almost 50/50 last season. You’ve got to be worried on how he will handle the burden of an extra five to eight carries a game. Fumbling issues do not go away in one season. A territory of five fumbles could be in sight for Wells.

Take -12 please with Adrian Peterson

The constant talk of AP fixing his issues when it comes to fumbling are as prevalent as Brett Favre playing at age 41. Unless AP redefines the way he attacks opposing defenders than he will continue to be prone to this issue. Almost all his fumbles except against the Saints came when fighting for extra yards and trying to attack the opposing defender. Sure he can carry the ball higher and tighter to his chest. How many times though has he offset his fumbles with a daring leveling of a defender and then bursting for extra yardage? A ton. So with Peterson were not as worried that his fumbling will be as big a deal as advertised.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

One agent that deserves strong praise is that of Michael Vick’s. Away from the game over a year he landed Vick a contract over a million last year, and an option of 5.2 million for the second year. Well the Eagles brought him back after almost everyone expected them to part ways. That salary will make Vick one of the highest paid backups in the NFL. Pressure is on the young first year starting quarterback Kevin Kolb.

He knows the team made a huge sacrifice and gutsy move by parting ways with one of the biggest Eagles franchise players since the 80’s in Donovan McNabb. Playing in Philadelphia comes with expected results. Wins. Kolb needs to go out and produce from week one onward. If not guess who is awaiting in the wings to get out there and showcase his redemption attempt as a starting quarterback? Mr. Vick.

Last year was sort of like a tune up for Vick. We all know his capabilities and what his old weaknesses were. Those likely will not change. After all his time off though he looked out of gear sort of like when Michael Jordan came back in 1995 after a huge layoff playing baseball. Now that Vick has familiarized himself and been active in football like drills daily, his sense of the game is going to reappear on a stronger level. The Eagles must of saw some flashes of Vick’s old self or the project of brining him back would have ended abruptly.

Right now the Eagles have no clue what direction they’re headed. They will know by mid to late October though. This franchise is either getting turned over to Kevin Kolb or Michael Vick. The game of toying with Vick as a decoy and specially utilized player ten times a game will not happen anymore. It caused more harm to the flow of the teams overall chemistry than Andy Reid would of liked in 2009. Plus Vick is no longer the third string quarterback. As a backup entering 2010 they need to protect their insurance in case Kolb lands out with an injury. They surely do not want to have to start Mike Kafka.

Showcasing what the Eagles have done from a front office stand point it leaves them with options. They’re believing Kevin Kolb can get the job done but are they? They extended his contract that was set to expire after this year only an extra season. The value is only 12.2 million for both those years. Not the top of the heap when it comes to starting quarterbacks money. Vick will be making nearly just as much this season. Call it more of an investment strategy where the Eagles spent a combined 11 million to figure things out.

Fantasy discussions of Vick are premature but he will be a factor this season. It’s hard to name a first year starter that has come out and lit afire from the gate. It just does not happen and won’t for Kevin Kolb. There’s just a lot more things they can go wrong instead of go his way. Donovan McNabb basically led the Eagles to the playoffs like clockwork every season.

Bordering at or below .500 will only raise the pressure on Kolb and reasons to see Vick in action. If Kolb gets the team rolling, how will the typical string of losses affect him as they happen? Some quarterbacks fight it off and others succumb and fold even further. It’ll be interesting to see what happens but Vick will be ready to go. Once he gets out there what type of quarterback will we see? We think Vick can flourish in the Eagles system and create havoc just like he did a few years ago. This is not a dream like turn of events story that we envision happening. This is business related. You can see where this is headed with a binocular view from general manager Tom Heckert’s press box.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

When you think of Syracuse football the first thing that comes to mind is, do they play football there anymore. The program has been in disarray since 2000. Long gone are the days of Marvin Harrison, Rob Konrad, Donovan McNabb, and Dwight Freeney. Talented players that use to commit to Syracuse are finding their ways to Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and other opposing conference teams. Attracting prospects and turning them from a blue chip to a stud is what Syracuse footballs main challenge has been. That’s harder said than done, and the program has stunk it up the past decade.

Last year the team regained some notoriety even though losing was still apart of the fold. They hired Doug Marrone former Saints offensive coordinator to take over head coaching duties. Then a laughable story at first in bringing in Greg Paulus to quarterback the team actually fared decent. Paulus had a rough go at stretches but brought fans back to the Carrier Dome to watch football, and had them in many games they could of won. Paulus has now worked himself an opportunity to make the Saints team after getting an invite to training camp.

A prime reason for Paulus’s ascent and climb throughout last year at Syracuse was because of wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams stretched defenses and gave Paulus a safety net of trust on any type of throw. Paulus could air out a median type of pass or the quick throw and Williams would not disappoint. How else could you explain a quarterback that was held for hardly any yards throwing including only 36 passing yards in the second half against Minnesota, to a week later throwing for 346 yards? That just doesn’t happen. Take a glance at the guy who ate up over 200 yards receiving with two touchdowns in that game, Mike Williams.

Williams had a tumultuous ride at Syracuse. While the team was being dismantled on the field, Williams showed a glimmer of hope for Syracuse fans. As a sophomore he caught a touchdown in nine straight games in 2007. That’s when the off the field issues begun. He was suspended for the 2008 season for academic reasons,  and had to rededicate himself by enrolling at a nearby community college. This type of story has happened to many of athletes and some just give up. Even with how embarrassing the matter was Williams got his grades up and showed enough for Syracuse to reinstate him for 2009.

Last year was going fine for Williams and it seemed as if he did not miss a beat. Talks around college football began to label him as a potential first or second round pick, and a top talent receiver. Towards the end of the season things began to unravel again for Williams. As Syracuse’s chances for a bowl exited the team also began to deviate from rules laid down by head coach Marrone. Players on the team including Williams had went to a casino in New York and been involved in a minor accident. That led to a suspension imposed on all the players. Instead of facing the suspension Williams decided to quit the team. With only a few left he figured there was no value in finishing out the year as he had plans to put his name in the NFL Draft anyways.

You could see why his stock slipped and why teams were weary in adding him to their team. Williams fell all the way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round, but has every opportunity to show NFL franchises what they missed out on. Tampa Bay is going to give him a chance to win a starting job. The team has a lot of question marks especially offensively, and Williams will have his work cut out against opposing secondary’s. That’s nothing different from the way it was at Syracuse where teams tried to slow him down but couldn’t.

If Williams can stay out of trouble he is going to be a solid fantasy receiver in his first season. Tampa Bay is going to be down in a lot of ball games. That will open the door for Williams to get additional junk yardage and possible touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Out of the receivers selected this year Williams could end up being of the highest value right behind Dez Bryant. Call it crazy for a fourth round pick, but Williams has been bucking trends ever since he stepped foot at a Syracuse school that hasn’t seen his type of talent in years.

By Vidur Malik

Last off-season, one of the biggest disappointments around the Bay Area was Raiders wide receiver Chaz Schilens injuring his foot. Schilens looked to be one of the few bright spots for the Raider offense after emerging as a dependable target late in the 2008 season, which made his injury a tough one. After sitting out most of 2009, Schilens had another solid end of the season, putting up 365 yards and two touchdowns.

If he can avoid the foot problems that made him miss most of last year, Schilens can be a dependable fantasy pick. With quarterback Jason Campbell coming in, Schilens should have an accurate quarterback throwing him passes, and with other consistent players complementing him, he should have opportunities to make plays.

Fellow wide receiver Louis Murphy put up over 500 yards and four touchdowns last year, and if he can improve those numbers, Schilens should be able to either be a solid number two receiver, or compete for the number one spot. Johnnie Lee-Higgins is a threat on offense and special teams, and could be a deep threat for the team. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a disappointing rookie year, but if he can use his speed to be another playmaker, the offense should have a good amount of weapons.

Schilens should benefit from being a bigger target in a speedy receiving corps. While most of the other Raider playmakers are dangerous because of their speed, Schilens is a powerful receiver, who can run short and intermediate routes while the other receivers go over the top. On the ground, Darren McFadden has yet to become the game breaker he was in college, but Michael Bush and Justin Fargas are bruisers who can both put up 500-600 yards and a few touchdowns each. Both are consistent runners who have had multiple productive seasons, and they should continue producing. If Campbell can give the offense any consistency at all, it will be an improvement from the JaMarcus Russell years. Bruce Gradkowski led the team to some wins last year, and can be another option as well.

If the Raiders can stay healthy, they might be able to improve from their recent struggles on offense. It will be a long time before they get the consistency and character that an organization needs to be successful, but several players could have breakout seasons this year. Their recent draft picks have been questionable, but bringing in Campbell was a smart move. If he can become the reliable leader the Raiders need, look for Schilens to have a good year. If he can be on the field for most of the season, a 1,000 yard year might not be out of the question.