A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
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Update: ESPN reports that RB LaDainian Tomlinson could be cut by the San Diego Chargers by March 5 if they don't plan on going forward with him, so that they can avoid a $2 million bonus.
Fantasy Impact: Tomlinson did not have the Renaissance year some people were expecting for him last year, and if he gets cut by the Chargers, he will likely have to sign as a backup somewhere else, causing his fantasy value to plummet.
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Update: 2/7/10: The latest on Reggie Wayne, per Suzy Kolber on ESPN, is that he is fine and good to go this evening. Exhale Colts fans. Now, as for Dwight Freeney…
All week, Colts fans and Super Bowl observers have been playing close attention to the injury status of DE Dwight Freeney.
Yesterday, it looked like another Colts star might be added to the questionable list for Sunday night.
WR Reggie Wayne, among the most productive receivers of this decade and one of the most underrated players in the NFL, had to leave Friday’s practice early after aggravating a right knee injury.
So how serious is the injury and will Wayne be on the field Sunday night?
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The search for the next Bears’ defensive coordinator is over, but presents no new faces. Instead the job was given to the now former defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli.
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It’s Monday morning, and you know what that means: time for me to give my gut instinct spread pick for Sunday’s games.
Of course, there are not “games” this weekend, just one game – the Super Bowl – which represents my final chance at salvaging some playoff pride.
By going 2-0 last weekend against the spread, courtesy of the Vikings sneaking by with a three point loss against a 3.5 point spread, I am now 4-6 during the playoffs after my stellar 135-106 regular season record.
Can I finish with a bang and pick the Super Bowl correctly? We’ll find out.
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We are now only days away from the big game as the Super Bowl betting on this last week of NFL picks keeps flooding in.
This year’s matchup faces the top teams in each conference; The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.
It will be a star-studded affair in Miami, Florida this Sunday for Super Bowl XLIV.
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Update: The South Florida Sun Sentinel is reporting that Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed has not decided whether or not he will retire of return for another season with the team. Reed made it known that he is considering retirement.
Fantasy Impact: Reed battled a number of injuries this season, and was forced to miss some significant time. It is likely that he will return, but look for the Ravens to give youngster Tommy Zbikowski more playing time as he is clearly the future in the Ravens secondary.
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Update: ESPN reports that OT Walter Jones is unsure of his return next year, but that it is a possibility. Walter is currently going to wait and see how he feels.
Fantasy Impact: If Walter Jones returns and is able to play as even a shadow of his former self, he will likely be able to help the Seattle offense.
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Update: The Boston Globe reports that RB Fred Taylor hopes to return to New England next season after only getting to play in 6 games because of an injury.
Fantasy Impact: In real football, this is probably a fine move. In fantasy, however, less running backs in the ever-crowded New England backfield would be better. It will need to be seen what happens there before value can be assessed.
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Update: ESPN reports that Titans RB Chris Johnson will likely have to wait for the payday he hinted at earlier in the off-season for 2 reasons: 1) head coach Jeff Fisher said he thought it was premature of Johnson to already be asking for a bigger contract, and 2) ESPN's Adam Schefter says that in any renegotiation, a player's salary may only increase 30%. Johnson's salary this year was $385,000.
Fantasy Impact: Johnson has said that he won't make a big deal out of this or put up a stink, so he should go into next being the high pick we all expect.
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Update: The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate Cleveland Browns WR Donte Stallworth after the Super Bowl.
Fantasy Impact: He hasn't played in over a calendar year, so the Browns might not keep him. It not clear where he might end up at this time, but Stallworth probably won't have much value next year.
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Update: The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate Cleveland Browns WR Donte Stallworth after the Super Bowl.
Fantasy Impact: He hasn't played in over a calendar year, so the Browns might not keep him. It not clear where he might end up at this time, but Stallworth probably won't have much value next year.
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Update: ESPN reports that it if RB Reggie Bush does not return to the Saints this offseason, he may head to Seattle to reunite with college head coach Pete Carroll. The other team that could move on Bush would be the 49ers to fill a complementary role to Frank Gore.
Fantasy Impact: If Bush goes to San Fran or stays in New Orleans, he will likely have similar value next year. If he goes to Seattle, though, you could see Pete Carroll giving him a much bigger role in a backfield that he only shares with RB Justin Forsett.
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Update: Sean Jensen, of Chicago Sun-Times, reports Chicago Bears WR Devin Hester said he is looking forward to working with offensive coordinator Mike Martz because what Martz has done with offenses in the past. "That's a guy a receiver would love to work with, the type of coach who spreads the receivers out. That's what we're looking forward to. If he brings that offense he had in St. Louis, we're going to be a tough team to beat," Hester said.
Fantasy Impact: Hester who is still young in his career was stymied by injuries all season long hindering his performance but it is now looking ahead to a potentially healthy season with Martz on his side to bring back the explosiveness to his step that made his one of the league most dangerous players with the ball in his hands.
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Update: Bill Williamson, of ESPN.com, reports Oakland Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is training in Arizona and is said to have lost some weight. He is also working on improving his mechanics.
Fantasy Impact: Russell, a former #1 overall draft pick has been criticized numerous times about his weight and struggled all year with turnovers via fumble and interception. The Raiders who have had no luck with a starting QB must be running out of patience with Russell.
Gatorade to Unveil Redesigned Coolers, Bottles at Super Bowl
As is often the case around big events like the Super Bowl, I was contacted this week by many companies who wanted me to shill their products here on MSF.
Usually I issue a polite no thank you and go back to my regularly scheduled serious duties like creating videos of the Colts dancing like Chippendales.
However, I decided that I would give a voice to one company, Gatorade, mainly because I have been such a big consumer of their products over the years (and because they sent me a cooler autographed by Bill Parcells!)
[Read more...]
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