They might very well have been the worst franchise in sports for the past 20 years. As a Mets fan, there are two groups of fans I always took solace not being a part of. One is the Cubs, the other is the Pirates.
Imagine being in the basement of your division for every single season for 20 years. After seven years, I feel like I'd just stop watching baseball completely, sell all my gear on E-bay become a monk. How many years has it been since the Mets made the playoffs? Seven? I'll be right back.
In the first half of last season I reveled in Pittsburgh's fast start. A pretty tough division and they were giving the Cardinals and Reds fits. It was great. Then came the crash and burn.
This year's been different. And it's been wonderful.
The dread-locked wonder in Andrew McCutchen was always the light at the end of the tunnel for Pirates fans, but this one has actually worked out and hasn't been dealt away. Starling Marte is a stud and Pedro Alvarez has been providing all the power necessary.
Francisco Liriano is showing shades of why he was so highly touted with Minnesota and AJ Burnett has been a solid innings eater. Surprising for a Yankee to be productive after he's been dealt.
And here we have this team of misfits up at the top of the NL Central and they've been here for a majority of the season. No crash and burn yet, no break downs. Just solid play and a brand of hard-ball that has been fantastic to watch and a whole lot of sweating from the Cards and Reds.
As we get down to the nitty-gritty there are always buyers and sellers. Teams right on the brink are looking for that final piece to get over the hump.
Finally, the Pirates are wheeling and dealing and they've been making some pretty big splashes in the market. Calling up my Metropolitans, they acquire Marlon Byrd and John Buck for a prospect and player to be named later. Byrd homers in his first game as a Buc and Buck goes 3-for-3 against the Brewers on Thursday. Not bad.
Today the Pirates made another big deal that is low-risk, high reward. Acquiring first baseman Justin
Morneau from the Twins for nothing more than a couple prospects, it's deal that's easy on the wallet. Garrett Jones and Gaby Sanchez have been an okay platoon, but nothing special. Morneau, an AL MVP in 2006, could use a change of scenery.
Batting .259 with 17 home runs, he has every opportunity to raise that average and give that lineup at PNC Ball Park another big time threat. It's about time some small market teams got some big time spotlight.
My dream World Series this year would be the A's and the Pirates. Hey, it could happen.
Using my pre-season predictions as
the starting power rankings, let us see how things look in Serie A after one
weekend of play:
Before stepping into the power
rankings a few things of note this week in the transfer market. Roma have made
some intriguing moves in the transfer market. Tottenham’s coveting of Eric
Lamela finally had Roma sell him to the Premier League side, hoping for him to
replace the impending departure of Gareth Bale. While Lamela is a huge loss,
Roma were able to bring in Adem Ljajic from Fiorentina, which is a player of
similar style with actually somewhat similar stats. Roma continue to make smart
purchases, while making sales that overall put them in the black in the
transfer market. Fiorentina also signed youngster Ante Rebic this week to
replace Ljajic, he is less of a known commodity and more of an investment, but
one of talent.
Also in
this past week, AC Milan strengthened their strike force by adding Alessandro
Matri to their side, which gives them more depth up front behind Ballotelli.
They will however likely sell Kevin Prince Boeteng to Schalke in a move that
has come as a bit of a surprise. These are the big names that were thrown
around this week, but with the transfer window winding down, I would not be
surprised if after this weekend a few teams realized their needs and made some
more big purchases before it ends.
Now for rankings and awards
Player of the Week: Luca Toni (Hellas Verona)
Toni’s brace
in Hellas Verona’s win over Milan was an absolutely inspiring performance. The
striker continues to defy his age and will prove to be a solid signing for the
newly promoted side. Toni was deadly on the set pieces and was the clear
difference maker for his side. Toni gets a tip of the hat for being the most
important player for his team this week.
Goal of the Week: Daniele De Rossi
An absolute beauty from
distance is a big winner this week. De Rossi showing power and precision that
makes him absolutely deadly from distance.
Power Rankings
1. Juventus (E)
1
The Champs were rather impressive this week.
Sampdoria proved to be a tough challenge as usual for Juventus. Before this
past weekend Juventus had not beaten Sampdoria in it’s past 5 meetings. Being
able to get the win on the road despite a pesty Sampdoria Side is a good way
for Juventus to start. Additionally Tevez goal shows that he a Pogba have
already developed a very chemistry up front.
While they have not established dominance, one can’t really find too
much to criticize with the Juventus performance.
2.Napoli (E)
Solid win by the Naples side, with an even more
impressive performance from Merek Hamsik. While Bologna is not a side that is
going to pose Napoli a difficult time, they played solid defense, and were
stellar moving forward. Best offense of the week probably goes to Napoli, though
Hellas Verona gave them a run for their money in my book.
3.Fiorentina (E)
Montella was estatic with his sides Monday
victory over Catania, and he should have been. Fiorentina moved the ball well,
and despite not getting the clean sheet were rather solid defensively. We have
always known they were going to have a strong offense, so one can’t be to
surprised by their performance.
4.AS Roma (+1)
The main reason Roma has jumped up the fourth is
because Milan really dropped the ball, but we will get to that later. Without
Strootman and Destro though, Roma did something they had not done in five years
in winning their opening match. The first half was bland but an absolute beauty
from De Rossi, and a great run from Florenzi helped Roma start Rudi Garcia’s tenure
with a win. Additionally it was a positive sign for Roma’s fans to see a clean
sheet from a team with arguably one of the worst defenses last season.
5.Inter Milan (+1)
While I expected Inter to get the win, I did not
expect them to be troubled so much by Genoa early. They are bumped up because
they were able to do what AC Milan couldn’t, and beat a lesser opponent. Two
late goals in the second half was enough for Inter, but a number of calls going
against Genoa likely gave Inter some much needed breathing room.
6.AC Milan (-2)
AC Milan proved this weekend why I am just not
always satisfied with the job Allegri does managing this side. He has done a
fantastic job at developing talent, but he has one flaw I fear will give him
issues his entire managing career, his lack of aggressiveness. Once Milan has
the lead they were content to just counter, and sit back a let their defense
win them the game. This however was their downfall In the Champions league
against Barcelona last year, and in the first game of the season to Hellas
Verona. All the credit to Verona, but something has got to change this week or
Milan fans could start becoming unsettled.
7.Lazio (E)
Lazio were impressive in the first half,
specifically the first twenty minutes. Topping Udinese was a tough challenge to
say the least, but they were able to hold off a late comeback, despite a
lackluster second half from the Roman side.
8.Udinese (E)
Were sloppy on defense early, and that clearly
contributed to the fact they fell down 2-0 early on. Despite that a solid
second half, and near comeback allows them to keep the 8th ranking,
mainly for the fact that they did lose to an opponent I expected to win.
9.Cagliari (+3) While still Pessimistic about
Cagliari’s chances down the road, a strong performance against a tough Atalanta
side, showed they may have more in the tank that I gave them credit. Once they
went down early, they immediately responded and from that point looked to be
the stronger team in my mind. Quality win bumps them up three places in the
power rankings.
10.Atalanta (-1)
Atalanta looked very strong in the first
fifteen, and then they took the lead. From that moment, they gave up a quick
goal, and really seemed to lose their focus in the match. To their credit
Cagliari did really well in the game, so I can’t discredit them too much, but
Atalanta need to learn a lot from this defeat.
11.Torino (+2)
Still in my opinion one of the most intriguing
teams in Serie A, Torino played very well this past weekend, and bump
themselves up a few spots in the rankings. Really was very little to complain
about in their win.
12.Hellas Verona (+5)
No shock here, Hellas Verona were one of the
best teams this week. Luca Toni was fantastic on the set pieces, and the newly
promoted side is showing early that they deserve to be here. In addition fans
will be estatic, it is not every day you beat Milan on opening day. Big test
this weekend though in Roma, I expect Luca Toni to continue to be a pest in the
air, and help this side be a pest in Serie A.
13.Sampdoria (+1)
One of the few teams that would move up when
losing, Sampdoria were nothing but impressive despite not scoring in their loss
to Juventus. Defensively they were sound, and some great goalkeeping was
helpful as well.
14.Parma (-4)
Very disappointed with the performance by Parma
this weekend. They are going to need to perform well against a team like Chievo
if they are looking to finish even somewhat high in the table this year. A
scoreless draw to start off the season is not the start one would expect from a
well managed side. This may be a sign that they need to make some moves at the
end of this transfer window.
15.Sassuolo (E)
Frankly Torino was a team I expected to beat
Sassuolo, and despite the loss I do not feel they warranted a move in either
direction. Additionally some moves in the past week for transfers could help
them in gaining some strength.
16.Catania (+2)
Surprisingly decent performance against a strong
Fiorentina side, though the real reason they get bumped up is because of the
teams below them that played so poorly.
17.Bologna (-6)
Yes they were playing Napoli, yes they locked up
Diamanti for a while, but Bologna looked lousy on Sunday. Defensively they
allowed Napoli to trample them into the ground. While I did not expect them to
win, they should have put up a better performance for a side with better
offensive ability than they showed.
18.Genoa (-2)
-A number of calls did not go their way this
weekend, but Genoa seemed to let that get to their heads to much. A strong
first half gave them hope, but they gave Inter too much space to work with in
the second, making it frustrating to watch.
19.Chievo (E)
-Not an impressive showing against Parma, but
frankly they played better than I did expect them too. Going to have to see
consistency though before I consider jumping them up the rankings.
20.Livorno (E)
-Roma dominated Livorno the entire game. Some great
goalkeeping kept them alive in the first half, but a lack of offense and
experience hurt them the most in this game. However they did show some flashes
of talent, and may be able to do some damage if they can control their Talent
Texas A&M has shown us that they won't tolerate any of Johnny Manziel's antics and distractions. They're benching him...for one half.
The first half of a HUGE match-up against Rice in the Aggies' first game of the season.
If you can't tell, that whole first bit was riddled with sarcasm.
I mentioned last week that Major League Baseball was a joke. Well, the NCAA is a larger joke. They tend to not grant eligibility to those who deserve it and going lightly on those that don't. But I never liked Manziel. See here.
He's getting this enormous suspension, as explained by the University and the NCAA, because he violated bylaw 12.5.2.1. It states that "no player can permit their names or likenesses to be used for commercial purposes, including to advertise, recommend or promote sales of commercial products, or accept payment for the use of their names or likenesses." (ESPN)
Manziel also has to talk to his teammates about the lesson he learned from this whole ordeal. Spare me. He'll go in, say something along the lines of, "guys I really messed up, now let me know who is down to go to Cancun for spring break."
I don't agree that college athletes can't profit from their faces on shirts and numbers on jerseys and likeness in video games. Granted, they are getting a free education, it's a full-time job along with being a student. With that being said, rules are rules, and you can't break them. Manziel did and he doesn't even get a slap on the wrist. A&M wins this game by six touchdowns.
If there was humor among the college football gods, then the seventh-ranked Aggies lose to Rice and I laugh for a good week and a half.
As a Mets fan that has grown jaded to everything about this team in the past decade. It's a script to run by. Sure, there might be promise, but just give it time. Things will come hurdling down to earth sooner or later. It has gotten to a point where I am just numb to this team.
We take the endless abuse from literally everyone and we've gotten to a point that we, the loyal fans, are turning their backs on the team. I'll tell you the truth, I went to one game this year and that was because Nas was putting on a concert after. I refuse to give this team any more of my money.
But Matt Harvey was the answer to all our prayers, right? The golden boy! I was getting excited! The next Dr. K without the drugs! THERE'S SOMETHING HERE! Right? Guys?
I just got back from my pilgrimage to Cooperstown and finished watching a goalless Chelsea/Manchester United tilt when my mother says, "Matt Harvey is out for the year."
A loud thud answered her statement. It was my heart hitting my stomach, falling out my caboose and going through the floor.
Looks about right.
A partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow. It might require surgery, but he said he'll try to avoid it by strengthening the area.
I took a breather before I started watching this and realized one thing:
Same old Mets. When they can't disappoint me anymore on the field, they'll take it into the clubhouse and wretch our hearts out in a new way.
From what I'm seeing, people are saying that you never know what to expect with a pitcher rebounding from this sort of injury. He might return to form after a year or so, which means 2014 will be as arduous and torturous as this year, but without Harvey Day. Sheesh.
I'm a pessimistic son of a gun so I'm not getting my hopes up. It's the Mets. The same old Mets. Why should anything go right for us now?
And there's Terry Collins saying that we'll have to "power through it," and that we have "plenty of depth at pitcher." Sure Terry, try and tell a mourning fan base that. Because that's exactly what we are right now. A mourning fan base with absolutely ZERO hope.
If you are an optimist, give it a go on how the Mets will be okay. I'd love to hear your point of view.
New faces from other leagues, New Managers from outside,
some switching squads, if nothing else the Serie A likely had one of the most
active transfer windows of any other league around the world. Rafael Benitez coming in to manage Napoli,
Rudi Garcia heading to Roma, Walter Mazzarri switching over to Inter were the
most noted managerial changes, and each has contributed to an active transfer
market for their respective clubs. Arguably the most competitive league next to
the Premiership, the Italian Serie A brought in numerous big names to their top
clubs, and is setting up to make the coming campaign one that will be without a
dull moment.
Gonzalo
Higuain (Napoli), Mario Gomez(Fiorentina), Carlos Tevez (Juventus), Kevin Strootman(Roma),
Fernando Llorente (Juventus) and Pepe Reina(Napoli) are only some of the names
that have been added to various rosters this season. This will not only make
their respective teams more competitive in the league, but will likely make
them competitive in the Champions League as well.
However
one cannot truly know exactly how the season is going to turn out. Despite this
though I am going to do my best to predict how the table will turn out come the
end of the season: 1. Juventus
Frankly Juventus is still leagues above everyone else in
Italy. With a world class manager in Antonio
Conte, and a ton of talent added to the squad including Carlos Tevez, The Old
Lady should have very little difficulty repeating as champions in Serie A as
long as they do not become complacent. It also does not hurt to have a world
class goalkeeper in Gigi Buffon. Additionally I think Juventus will do some
damage in the Champions League as well. Do not be surprised when the Turin club
makes it to the semi-finals and puts the talent of the Serie A in the global
limelight once again.
2. Napoli
The most impressive offseason by far was had by Napoli.
After losing Walter Mazzari to Inter Milan, they brought in Rafa Benitez to
helm the club. This was a huge move that allowed for Napoli to bring in some
big names. Losing Edinson Cavani will be a big loss but with all the additions
added to the squad, as well as a quality replacement for Cavani in Higuain from
Real Madrid, Napoli are actually looking to be a stronger side this season than
last. They may even show some strength in the Champions League, something they
were not able to do under Mazzari. If there is one team that could challenge
for the Scudetto this year, Napoli is it.
3. Fiorentina
Finishing the season just points away from a CL bid,
Fiorentina are going into this season with a new passion that should have
nobody doubting that they will be able to reach the top three given strong
additions and great coaching. Vincenzo Montella impressed in his first season
as manager of Fiorentina, and one should not doubt he will do so with some
impressive additions on the attacking end. The signing of German striker Mario
Gomez shows the team is willing to invest to make itself better up front. Along
with a healthy Giuseppe Rossi, Fiorentina’s front line will be one of the tops
in the league. Even with the loss of Stevan
Jovetic, I think Gomez actually makes Fiorentina better, and they may just find
themselves playing in the Champions League next year.
4. AC Milan
It was just two years previous where Massimiliano Allegri
impressed everyone by leading Milan to the Scudetto. However, recently it seems
they have not been improving overall. While one can never leave out a team
sporting players such as Mario Ballotelli, I fear AC Milan will find themselves
out of the top three due to conservative management. Allegri is a great
builder, and helps young talent flourish, but in many cases he takes a much too
conservative approach to his management, and this is what I expect to be Milan’s
downfall. There was also not a whole lot of movement by the Rossoneri this past
mercato, so while most teams have been improving, Milan has not been
strengthening its position.
5. AS Roma
The Giallorossi are always an interesting team to watch. Two
seasons ago they tried to be a mini Barcelona with Luis Enrique, then last year
took the ‘YOLO’ approach with an all out attacking style with Zdenek Zemen.
This season Roma seems to be taking a middle ground, bringing in a manager with
a successful career at Lille in Rudi Garcia. Additionally Roma have brought in Dutch
stud Kevin Strootman to bolster their midfield, and strengthened their backline
with Medhi Benatia and Maicon. While the loss of a young Marquinos might hurt,
the sale of him covered most of Roma’s expenses this summer. The team is now
being linked with the likes of Chelsea’s Demba Ba, and Anzhi Makhachkala’s Samuel
Eto’o, who would boost Roma up a spot in this ranking. If starlet Lamela stays,
and is partnered up front with new addition Gervinho, and the ageless Francesco
Totti, Roma may prove to be a pest to the teams atop the league.
6. Inter Milan
Struggling team last season, now with a new hot manager in
Walter Mazzari. They did not get off to a great preseason, but an early Coppa
win may have put some confidence into this side. Mazzari has proven that he can
build a team, yet he has no real long term success with his squads. His time at
Inter could prove to be pivotal to the manager as he looks to return them to
the success they have had in this past decade. While I do think Mazzari will lead
Inter to success, I feel it will take a few years of building and development
to make it happen.
7. Lazio
Lazio is Rome’s second team and defending Coppa Italia
champions. Miroslav Klose headlines a strong Lazio side that last year
impressed in the Coppa, but also showed a lack of consistency towards the end
of last season. This season did not get off to a good start in the Supercoppa
with an embarrassing loss to Juventus. Lazio though still have the ability to
breach the top five, however I do not think they added enough to put themselves
back into serious contention.
8. Udinese
They sell their best young defender in Mehdi Benatia, but
keep their star in Antonio Di Natale. Also bringing in some unproven young
talent, Udinese is always an interesting side that proves a pest to the teams
atop the table. While they finished in sixth last season, I do not see them
achieving much the same this year. Di Natale is a year older, and the talent
above them just seems to continually improve.
9. Atalanta
Always a pest, Atalanta since it’s promotion two years ago (and
despite numerous penalties from the various involvement in the match-fixing
scandals), always seems to find a way to cause problems when a team plays
against them. They sometimes have proven to be pests for the top table clubs,
and because of this could see them once again just above the middle of the
table, and allow them to stay in Serie A.
10. Parma
Roberto Donadoni’s side intrigues me if nothing else. While
I do not see them as being one of the strongest teams in the league this
season, they are a very well managed side that could very easily gel together,
upset a few teams atop the table, and find themselves higher than tenth. But
that all depends on many different factors, so for now I will keep them
mid-table
11. Bologna
Below mid-table is where things get very close. Most of
these bottom 10 teams could very easily, with the exception of a few, leapfrog
others if certain details go their way. Bologna I feel will have their success
revolving around Alessandro Diamanti. If he stays the full season, they may be
able to rise above mid-table, if not, they will likely be closer to relegation.
My guess though is that Diamanti will be leaving in January if I had to guess.
12. Cagliari
Cagliari is a team with a ton of talent that has not done an
extremely effective job of utilizing it. With Davide Astori continually linked
with Napoli, as well as other star players drawing interest from other clubs,
the look of Cagliari will be much different at the end of the season. If they
do not sell anyone in January, they very likely could finish higher, but I
doubt that is likely. Be prepared for them to have a rather poor second half of
the season to make them finish low.
13. Torino
Always in the shadow of their city rivals Juventus, Torino
is going to once again have to fight to stay in Serie A this season. They were
impressive at points last season and I expect them to stay up once again due to
the plethora of young talent at their disposal. With one more year of experience
in the top flight under their belt, Torino is set for a solid year.
14. Sampdoria
From a Champions League contender three years ago, to
relegation, and then promotion again, Sampdoria is a team who is relatively
unpredictable in how they are going to play. I am not extremely impressed with
their squad, which is why I do not expect them to have a great season, but then
again I would not be surprised if they did finish above mid-table.
15. Sassuolo
Headlining the teams promoted this year, I feel Sassuolo are
going to be somewhat impressive. They have made signings and brought in players
on loan with the obvious intention to stay in Serie A for more than a one and
done season. I expect Sassuolo to be like Torino was last year, and have a
desire to prove that they do really belong here.
16. Genoa
Genoa has not shown me enough in the mercato to justify them
being any higher. In addition, they tried to sell off their top striker in Alberto
Gilardino, as he was coveted by a number of teams. While keeping him will help
them out in the first half of the season, like Diamanti for Bologna, I feel he
will be leaving in January, and therefore contribute to this team dropping further.
17. Hellas Verona
I do not believe Hellas Verona will be relegated, however it
will be close. Luca Toni may be up front for them, but he is not as young as he
used to be. Toni does provide experience and leadership that could be very
helpful for a side looking to stay in the top league.
18. Catania
A squad that never seems to be toward the bottom of the
table, but never breaches the top. This year though I see Catania falling
toward the bottom three and being relegated. They could surprise people as
always, but I see this squad getting relegated this season, due to the stronger
teams promoted from Serie B this season.
19. Chievo
Similar to Catania, Chievo are a side that always seems to
find a way to the middle of the table, this year though I think will be the
year they get relegated. Sassuolo and Hellas Verona have both worked to get
some talent to help they prolong their stay in Serie A, and because of that I
do not see Chievo staying in Serie A after this season.
20. Livorno
Newly promoted side from Serie B, I fear Livorno are going
to be this year’s Pescara. They will likely be the punching bag of the teams in
the league and sadly find themselves relegated with only a year being back in
the top flight.
It all begins this weekend, with the first games starting
tomorrow. I feel it should be no surprise when I say this could be a big year
for the league that is looking to get back the Champions League bid it lost a
few years back.
Break out the quirky names, throw down the cash if you're feeling frisky, it's fantasy football time. I'm rather proud of my team's name this year actually:
Weeden the Brownies. Get it? Because the only way Browns fans can enjoy their team's games is by getting absolutely ripped. Wait, who is Brandon Weeden?
I'm terribly competitive, so even when it comes to fantasy football, I want to win. So here's ranking the top 30 quarterbacks to draft this year.
1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)
Brees is one of the best gunslingers of this generation and he has the supporting cast to have another huge season. 2013 Projected Stats 5,170 yards 40 touchdowns 18 interceptions 2. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
Give Rodgers the same support Brees has and he's the best in the game. But he does just fine with what he has. 2013 Projected Stats 4,279 yards 39 touchdowns 7 interceptions 3 rushing touchdowns 3. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)
He has a body like a power forward, the legs of a gazelle and an arm like a cannon. If he can become a true passer and keep his attitude in check he'll win you a lot of games. 2013 Projected Stats 3,883 yards 20 touchdowns 13 interceptions 726 rushing yards 8 rushing touchdowns
4. Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos)
Big brother Peyton is one of the best ever. He'll have a great season with Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas and he'll have another Peyton Manning-esque season. Oh, and he's healthier, too. 2013 Projected Stats 4,870 yards 38 touchdowns 13 interceptions
5. Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
He's lost his biggest targets, but he's Tom Brady. One of those guys that just makes everyone else around him better. This year won't be any different. 2013 Projected Stats 4,765 yards 34 touchdowns 8 interceptions 6. Robert Griffin III (Washington Redskins)
A healthy RG III would be higher, but he'll still go in the first crop of QB's in your draft. He has an arm better than Newton and can run faster.
7. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) My dad says it best, he's one of the most overrated quarterbacks in terms of getting you that big win. But he's a great fantasy QB. Big numbers again, no big wins.
Out of the big three rookies last season, Luck was by far the purest passer. More time in the league means more experience which means terror for secondaries. 2013 Projected Stats 4,061 yards 26 touchdowns 12 interceptions 3 rushing touchdowns 9. Eli Manning (New York Giants)
The guy's a winner and he has both his big targets back plus a new tight end. Plenty of options and a decent O-line should give Eli a nice year.
He has Calvin Johnson, what else do you need to know? A lot of yards with a good amount of touchdowns. 2013 Projected Stats 4,975 yards 28 touchdowns 16 interceptions 11. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)
He's an All-American kind of guy with wheels and a gun. Very smart QB that makes the right decisions and is capable of putting up some big fantasy numbers. 2013 Projected Stats 3,150 yards 26 touchdowns 13 interceptions 526 rushing yards 5 rushing touchdowns 12. Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers)
Still not completely sold on the guy. Thought the Niners should have stuck it out with Alex Smith, but the kid's dynamic and fun to watch. He'll have a great year.
He's a bum, but a good fantasy quarterback. My dislike for him didn't stop me from drafting him a few years ago. He gave me a solid year, much like he'll do for you this season.
Don't let that Super Bowl ring fool you, the Delaware (booooo) alum Joe Flacco is far from the best QB. Decent numbers with missing targets will result in a sub-par season.
Who does he have to throw to? Emmanuel Sanders? No thanks. Big Ben is on the way down and the punishment he's taken over the years won't help him either.
I'm not even sure if this guy will win the starting job in Philly, but if he does, you know someone will take a chance and he'll give you some big games. Scrambling QB's are always a more likely than not good options in fantasy.
2013 Projected Stats 2,676 yards 18 touchdowns 13 interceptions 417 rushing yards 19. Phillip Rivers (San Diego Chargers)
Phillip Rivers is a punk and his arm is slowly becoming a wet noodle. No running game means a lot of throws and defenses that know what's coming.
If you told me in 2006 that Carson Palmer was throwing to Larry Fitzgerald, I would've been pretty excited to see that. But the O-line is less than good and he hasn't been the smartest quarterback over the years.
He has a big-time arm, he has some speed and has decent decision making ability. What he doesn't have is the best accuracy. That's kind of a big problem if you're an NFL quarterback.
2013 Projected Stats 2,705 yards 15 touchdowns 14 interceptions 27. Geno Smith (New York Jets)
Bold prediction I guess. Geno will win the starting job and he'll do a pretty good job with it too. It doesn't matter though, Sportscenter will be talking about it anyway and he'll start splitting time with Mark Sanchez.
I feel like Ponder was the epitome of inconsistent last season. He has the potential and Greg Jennings coming in can't hurt.
2013 Projected Stats 2,679 yards 17 touchdowns 13 interceptions 29. EJ Manuel (Buffalo Bills)
He's built like a big time quarterback. Make sure he stays healthy and he could live up to the hype that the Bills saw for some reason during the draft. I'm still surprised with that pick.
I feel like Matt Flynn is the epitome of mediocre. But I still feel he has some potential. If Russell Wilson wasn't drafted, he would have been the starter in Seattle.
This year's been different. And it's been wonderful.
Today the Pirates made another big deal that is low-risk, high reward. Acquiring first baseman Justin 
