NEW NBA2K11 COMMERCIAL - GENGHIS KHAN TRAILER

This might just be my favorite commercial ever! BULLS!!!

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JOAKIM NOAH ON MEDIA DAY

JOAKIM BABY!  Here are a couple of good Noah interviews, if you want to check them out...

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THE NEW BIG THREE

Check out this video of DRose, Noah, and Boozer messing around during their photo shoot...

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CHICAGO BULLS/ DERRICK ROSE COMMERCIAL

I love this commercial!  The Bulls season is just around the corner, and I can't wait! DROSE FOO!

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Working the Waiver Wire with Omar - by WBT

Omar did not make an appearance in Boardwalk Empire for some reason on Sunday to my disappointment, but (spoiler alert: I did see him in a preview firing off 2 pistols!)

My fantasy teams this week went 3-3, but I was the victim of Austin Collie, as I was the second-highest scorer in one league, but I was matched up against the team that had Collie/Peyton/Boldin and lost. I'm looking this week personally to add Kyle Orton or Mark Sanchez to a couple of teams to cement my backup QB spot. Also I would like Peyton Hillis as a 3rd RB, but it most likely will not happen since I am too high on the waiver priority list. Finally, I am hoping to add the Cincinnati defense to as many teams as possible. Without further ado:

QUARTERBACKS

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN - Josh McDaniels has finally put Tebow as the 3rd-string QB, which is a great sign for Neckbeard fans everywhere. If you are unaware of the NFL rule, a 3rd string QB cannot play until the 4th quarter of the game unless there is an injury to the top 2 quarterbacks. Inference - McDaniels is done using Tebow as a gadget player and Orton will play every snap.

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ - I cannot believe how well he has played the last 2 weeks - 6 TDs to 0 Ints against a pair of good defenses. Keller has established himself as a playmaking TE and this bodes well for fantasy owners that have stashed Santonio Holmes on their bench for the first 4 weeks of the season (though it would be nice to start him this week against the Bills). I would pick up Sanchez and probably even play him this week against the Bills.

RUNNING BACKS

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE - You can't just look at Hillis and think that he will be bad since he is on Cleveland (oh, were you thinking because he is a white running back, that too). Hillis is aided by an undervalued offensive line in Cleveland lead by Joe Thomas. I want to say Hillis is a spot-starter, but he accumulated 180 yards against the RAVENS!! Don't be shy to play him, but don't go benching Chris Johnson for him either.

Willis McGahee, RB, BAL - If Ray Rice misses time for some reason, look for Willis to get the bulk of the carries in Baltimore. He already gets the goalline carries as well, so he could be a good spot starter for a bye week.

Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis, RB, NE - Fred Taylor's toe might keep him out of his next game, and if he is out, BJGE is worth the spot start. He led the team in attempts and yards last week.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, BUF - best RB on a horrible team that will have to pass, he is a bye-week starter if needed, hopefully he gets traded to a team that needs him (hmm, like maybe the Packers?)

Ryan Torrain, RB, WAS - Torrain was with Denver, and now is back with Coach Leatherface in Washington. Coach Leatherface is known for using any RB available to him and making him successful. Portis has looked slow recently, don't be surprised if Torrain ends up with the majority of the carries at the end of the season...look for Portis to become Willis McGahee 2.0.

Kenneth Darby/Mo Morris, RB, STL - Not really sold on picking up Darby for sure, but with SJax already questionable for Sunday, Darby might be a good bye week fill in for your flex position. The Rams are moving the ball on offense, and Darby can catch the ball, so he could be worth a spot. Basically exactly what I said for Darby can go for Mo Morris. Best has turf toe, and it might keep him out on Sunday.

Chris Ivory, RB, NO - Reggie Bush is out, and Pierre Thomas hurt his ankle on Sunday. Because he plays on one of the best offenses in the league, Ivory is worth a pickup in your league, especially if Thomas is hurting.

Laurence Maroney, RB, DEN - Maroney knows the system already, and did look pretty good last weekend with the touches he got. The Denver offense is moving the ball pretty well, and look for him to get the goalline carries in Denver too.

WIDE RECEIVERS

WR Platoons - When people generally talk about platoons or timeshares, they are referring to a pair of running backs that teams use. I may be breaking new ground here, but I would like to transfer that over to the WR position, where 3 teams have a good to great passing attack, but no clearly defined #1 target. In order of skill these teams are: Saints, Broncos, Bears. I cannot endorse using any WR from these teams on a weekly basis, however, if you need a plug-n-play WR for one of your studs on a bye week, feel free to grab any WR from one of thees 3 teams and you may strike fantasy gold.

Saints - Colston is probably already taken, but there is still Lance Moore and Devery Henderson

Broncos - DeMaryius Thomas, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney

Bears - Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and to a lesser extent Devin Aromashadu

Kenny Britt, WR, TEN - The only knock on Britt is that he has Vince Young as a QB. Young has been looking to him more in the last 2 weeks, and could be his go-to target for the rest of the year

DEFENSES

Cincinnati - they have a favorable matchup against the Browns who are starting Seneca Wallace at QB, Cincy had one of the best defenses last year, and are still formidable this year, the New England game has ruined with their ranking

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Week 3 Bears Recap/Grades - THIS ISN'T YOUR DADDY'S BEARS - by Anil P.

Last night was an exciting win done so in an unimpressive fashion. Exciting was watching Cutler win this game as the only offensive weapon leading the Bears in passing and rushing yards. Exciting was watching the Windy City Flyer return a 62-yard Touchdown to the house. Exciting was watching Knox and Olsen make big plays in 2nd/3rd and longs. Exciting was watching Urlacher, Briggs, Harris, Jennings and Peppers hit and hit hard on defense. Exciting was watching Peppers use all of his 6'7" length to block a kick. Unimpressive was the running game carrying the ball for only 2.8 YPC. Unimpressive was the number of back-footed, off balanced throws that were made by Jay Cutler. All being the result of a multiple QB hits and pressure by a failing offensive line. Unimpressive was the carelessness of the passing game allowing Nick Collins to get his hands on the ball three times. One of which was an interception called back due to pass interference on the Cornerback late in the 4th quarter. Unimpressive is losing time of possession by 11 minutes. Unimpressive was the other team committing more penalties than points and the game still coming down to a last minute field goal. Unimpressive was that the Bears played a bad game but they still won which makes me excited for the season.

Good teams win games they shouldn't and Monday night could've gone either way. The Bears needed all four phases this weekend and they received it. Week 3 was won because of our Quarterback, Defense bending and not breaking, Special Teams and flags, flags and more flags. If Week 2 featured a Cowboys team shooting themselves in the foot, this week had the Packers holding their weapon of choice behind the belt buckle and shooting off more than just a few toes and a heel. The Packers committed more penalties than points. Let me say that again, they committed 18 penalties but only had 17 points. Green Bay came into the game having only committed eight penalties in the two prior games; Monday they had eight by the first half. The 'let me throw up' stat of the night Monday was that Clay Matthews had more sacks than 'X' number of teams (Bears included - 2). The stat now is that the Packers committed more penalties on Monday night than 15 teams have all season (Bears included - 16).

Notes:

Where was Tommie Harris and Devin Aromashodu? The Bears are holding pat with coach's decision and nothing to do with play. Aromashodu for the 2nd straight week wasn't deemed valuable enough to be active and Tommie was looked over in favor of Marcus Harrison. I have to believe Tommie will have killer practices this week and Aromashodu needs to work on what he can do on special teams if he wants to play on Sundays.

Mark Tauscher was owned. You still don't think Peppers is worth that cash? Two false starts at their own 1 yard line may not have been too much damage but the holding call he had on Peppers that negated the Finley TD in the 3rd quarter was huge. Mark is in his 11th year and at 33 it may be his last.

Backups get some time. Tim Jennings, Josh Bullocks and J'Marcus Webb all got some playing time. Tim took over for Bowman and did an admirable job in tackling. He did miss the tackle that led to the Urlacher forced fumble in which he made up for it up staying in bounds and recovering. Bullocks took over for what I'm sure was a concussed Chris Harris and I'm not sure why Webb got a look at RT but no mishaps were had during his run.

If Collins had last name like Polumalu...the Bears may have lost the game if the safety was Troy from PIT. Collins had his hands on the ball three times. One of which could have been the game changing interception in the 4th quarter. It wasn't though because yet again another penalty was on hand. Nick was so frustrated that he let the fans get to him.

How many three and outs? By my count I saw one possession. When is the last time we can say that?

Grades

QB

When is the last time we could say the Bears won the game because of their QB? Cutler led in passing and rushing yards for the Bears with 221 and 37 respectively. No other Quarterback for the Bears in the past 20-30 years could've had the game Cutler did at Soldier Field. It wasn't the prettiest and it wasn't anywhere near his best game but he withstood the onslaught of the Packers rush and took numerous hits. Cutler even admitted that he didn't play well to his standards after the game and he was happy his teammates picked him up. With that said, you think Erik Kramer is avoiding those sacks? You think Rex Grossman has that pocket awareness and running head first for first downs? You think Kyle Orton is making those throws? Cutler didn't have a good game by his standards but it was good enough to beat a very good defense. Overall Grade: B+

RB

Take away Cutler's scrambling production, the Bears had 40 yards gained on the ground for a 2.86 YPC. Forte did well in pass protection and caught two balls for 14 yards. Taylor 'started' the game but only had three carries for nine yards. Overall Grade: C-

WR

Knox is the only person worth noting with 4 REC and 94 yards. Hester was targeted three times with one pass interference, one catch and one drop. Bennett was the dump off WR with 3 REC for 21 yards. As a whole this unit totaled 8 REC for 131 yards. Finley alone had 9 REC for 115 yards. Overall Grade: C+

TE

Some life does exist in this position. Olsen had his best game of the year with 5 REC, 64 yards and one athletically caught TD. Olsen was targeted the most by Cutler and made some key first down catches as well. Desmond Clark had one catch for a first down and one horribly dropped TD. Manumaleuna had some good pass protection and his best game as a Bear. Overall Grade: B+

O-Line

Cutler was sacked three times and mauled with some hits. The line utilized help from the TE's and RB's for max protection. The running game was at its worst YPC so far. Overall Grade: D+

D-Line

A group with no stats to back it up but plenty of flags to claim as their own. All three DE's that got some playing time in Peppers, Anderson and Idonjie owned Mark Tauscher. But with a mobile/great pocket awareness QB like Rodgers, sacks were hard to come by. Line still helped to control the line of scrimmage and did a workmanlike job. Overall Grade: B

LB

Mopped up most of the missed tackles the CB's let up and contained the running game. Take away Aaron's runs and Kuhn's 18 yard gain the Bears held Green Bay to 2.1 YPC. Big hits by Urlacher and Briggs dominated the game as they had 9 tackles a piece and a forced fumble to turn the game. The LB crew was two for most as the Bears were in a Nickel package. #54 did let a TD go right behind him on a well timed ball by Rodgers. Overall Grade: A

CB

Hard to criticize this unit as Rodgers is an elite QB who read the blitz and picked apart the zone very well. Rodgers did complete 75% of his pass attempts but didn't have any play longer than 28 yards. Bowman was benched in favor of Jennings who was physical on the field. Jennings did blow a tackle but did recover the fumble on the same play. Overall Grade: C+

Special Teams

Robbie didn't start off with a good foot here as he missed a 49 yard field goal and had some less than impressive kickoffs. Gould did kick the game winning 19-yard chip shot. Maynard did an excellent job punting with one inside the ten. Hester of course with his first punt return TD since 2007 was the highlight for this crew. Overall Grade: A

Coaching

Bears coaching staff did well this week. Defensively they held the Packers to a bend but don't break mentality and didn't allow any big plays. If you can hold this vaunted offense to only 17 points you have done your job. On the offensive side Martz and his crew only had the ball for 24:11 but still managed to move the ball and get into scoring opportunities. Bears left at least 9 points on the field as Robbie missed a FG, Jay throwing an interception on the Green Bay 25 and Lovie going for it again on 4th and 1. Even on the 4th down, the play called resulted in a man open but had poor execution on the throw and catch. Overall Grade: A

Bears take this gift/win and head to New York to take on the Giants. NY is playing at a horrible level currently and have some discipline problems themselves. 4-0 seems to be on the horizon. Bear Down!

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MARK'S KADDY KORNER - SAS CHAMPIONSHIP - CHAMPIONS TOUR - by Mark Huber

The two day drive to Cary was uneventful but very memorable. Passing through Indianapolis there were thoughts of Murph’s second win at The Broadmoor, Dad made the earlier morning drive for the Sunday round, we were rained out but he saw the trophy presentation. There were six or seven years of family fish frys the Huber family provided for the Senior Tour when we played at the Speedway. The last year we fed 175 players, caddies, family and friends in the Motel 6 courtyard.

Crisscrossing the Ohio River I remembered a two day road trip with Tom Wargo and his caddy Butch. We ended up snake dancing in the streets with small town locals dressed in frontier buckskin outfits. It was quite a night and started in a bar with dirt floors. Wargo was the ringleader, we just followed along.

When 9/11 wrecked havoc we were in Winston-Salem. The tournament was cancelled and nobody could get out of town. Todd, Sandy, Scotty, and I rented a cabin in Boone, NC and made the best of a terrible situation. Fishing, golfing, card games, and bar-b-ques took our mind off the world’s problems.

Reminiscing helps the miles pass but this was a week I needed to stay in the present. Bob’s playing well and has a good track record at Prestonwood CC, a win or top five was definitely a possibility. Arriving Tuesday afternoon I bought a new yardage book replacing my tattered and torn relic then roamed the course for a few hours. They had restructured the back nine greens so it took a little work but the general layout hadn’t changed. It was playing hard and fast without rain the last thirty days. We’re used to soggy conditions here and dodging hurricanes.

SAS and the Goodnight family brought the Senior Tour to Cary ten years ago.  They’ve poured a lot of money into Prestonwood and the tournament making it one of the most popular stops on tour.  The elegant clubhouse serves has the best buffet on tour and most players complain of putting on a few pounds here. The SAS employees make up the majority of the volunteer staff and the pro-am participants come from all over the world.

Playing two pro-ams gave us a lot of time to get used to the dry conditions and new greens. If I had to bet on Bob Wednesday I wouldn’t have liked our chances. He was suffering a bit from a long flight and stacking firewood the day before he left. We had fun but the game was ugly Wednesday morning. Thursday was a much better day.

Our group showed up with cocktails in hand, wry smiles, pretty good golf swings, and a veteran PGA Tour caddy in tow. We were in for a good time but my tip was in jeopardy. They fired the veteran caddy on the third hole, reloaded their coolers, and the fun was on. There was nothing sacred, nobody was untouchable, and I’m surprised a couple of them didn’t fall out of their cart. The team score was terrible but we had some fun and they filled my pocket nicely.

Bob was ready for Friday, I could feel it Thursday afternoon after a brief practice session. It was one of those days where I give the numbers and get out of the way; he was playing and putting well. The five birdie, one eagle, one bogey round put us in the final group Saturday and the juices were flowing. It had been awhile, I was a bit nervous, but it was those fun butterflies you get when you’re in the hunt. It was an up and down day but we managed a 71 and tied for sixth going into Sunday.

Rain was in the forecast, the tee times were moved up and we were in the third group still with a chance to win. That’s what you want on Sunday is a chance and then see what happens. It was another roller-coaster round starting with a bogey. Every time we dropped a birdie or two a bogey popped up and destroyed out momentum. The wind was swirling, the greens were inconsistent but Bob hung in there. After birdies on 13 and 14 we were three shots back tied for third with a definite chance for victory.

You start looking at the leader board Sunday on the back nine, that’s when the fun begins and you may make a few decisions based on your position. We were behind so we had to be aggressive and that may have hurt us. We three putted the fifteenth after leaving our approach shot woefully short and then forced an eight iron to a back pin on sixteen. The back to back bogies knocked us out of contention and Bob’s head was down standing next to the seventeenth. We had a little pep talk, sucked it up, birdied the easy par five and finished tied for eighth. A good tournament with a touch of a bad taste Sunday afternoon, it’ll be better on Monday.

When you’re that close you replay every shot, decision, and putt. That’s what I did Sunday night, beat myself up a few times over some poor decisions, but felt better when I saw the paper Monday morning. It was the best tournament of the year but I don’t want to see what a couple of shots better would have finished.

Mark Huber is a semi-retired PGA Tour caddy doing a little writing. You can contact him at markskaddykorner@gmail.com or check outwww.MarksKaddyKorner.com for more stories about golf and life. He's caddied twenty-one years on every tour for over fifty players mainly Bob Murphy, Ray Floyd, Doug Tewell, and worked for Tom Watson twice in 2009. Mark grew up in Havana, IL attended Illinois State on a baseball scholarship and played semi-pro ball with the Eau Claire Cavaliers after spring training with the White Sox way back when. He is a die-hard Cubs fan. Mark has freelanced for many sites, including ESPN. He will now be contributing his insights to Docksquad Sports.

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BEARS WIN! HESTER RETURN!

How about DA BEARS! 3-0! 2-0 in the division! And a win vs. the Packers!  Sick! Gotta love it! BEAR DOWN!

And guess who is back....

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NEW NBA2K11 COMMERCIAL - MJ - BECOME THE GREATEST

Another sick commercial by NBA2K11!



Thanks to my friends at Sharapova's Thigh for the video...

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SCOTTIE PIPPEN TALKS WITH PHIL JACKSON

Thanks for the video Sam...

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BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS

If you are bored, check out the Lyric Opera's Bryan Griffin singing Bear Down, Chicago Bears to get you a little riled up for the big Bears/Packers game tonight!

Let's GO BEARS!

Thanks to one of our readers, Sam, for the video!

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STONE COLD LEAD PIPE DOCKS - WEEK 3

Girl of the Week = Jessica Alba

We are back with another week of NFL picks here at DSS.  We have some great matchups this weekend, so let's see if we can get you some winners.  Also Bears/Packers on MNF...going to be a great weekend!  Good luck playaz!


Suman's Pix:
(Last Week 1-4)
(Season 4-5-1)


Ravens -10.5

I hate the Cleveland Browns so much.  Every year all summer I think we've actually pieced together some parts, and that we are headed in the right direction.  If my hope lasts past the 1st half of the 1st game then I consider this a successful season.  After losing 2 games they should have and could have won, the Browns now face an angry Ravens team in their home opener.  Yikes.  The most interesting man in the world, Eric Mangini is playing mind games with the Ravens by not letting them know whether Jake "The Snake" Delhomme will dress or not.  THIS IS HIS MASTER PLAN TO HOLD THE THREAT OF JAKE DELHOMME OVER THE RAVENS........MIND CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.  Ravens by 3 touchdowns.

Buccaneers +3

Yes, I am stupid and high.  I'm going against the vaunted Steelers defense.  Why?  Because their quarterback is 9048 years old.  I'm sick of hearing the phrase, "The Steelers could plug in (fill in with any living human) at quarterback and win with this defense.  Is that true?  Probably a lot of the time.  But in the NFL all it takes is a few random bounces, and a team that shouldn't be winning is.   Josh Freeman has been very impressive early on, and they have something brewing here in Florida.  The defense is very young, but has some promising talent.  I think if they can either make a few plays on Charlie Batch and/or hit one deep with Freeman then it'll be very hard for the Steelers to score.  The Steelers have to basically play a perfect game.  Its worked the first 2 weeks, but I don't think it'll happen again.  The Bucs are at home, and this is the 2nd straight week the Steelers have to travel to the south.  I think the Bucs keep it close.

Cowboys +3

I'll always take the talented team with their backs up against the wall in any situation.  The Cowboys are in do or die mode right now.  Lose and their season is essentially over.  The suspension of Texans left tackle Duane Brown is huge not only because the new guy has to go up against Demarcus Ware but because the new guy is making his first pro start.  I also look for a slight letdown from the Texans after their first 2 weeks of compelling games.

Dolphins -2

Dumbass Braylon Edwards really cost his team this week.  A Vontae Davis/Braylon Edwards big 10 battle would have been fun to watch.  But now Vontae will have an easy day shutting down whoever the Jets toss out there as there #1.  With no vertical threat the Jets will have to rely on their ground game.  LDT looks revitalized, but this Dolphins defense looks even tougher.  Normally I'd expect a little bit of a letdown by the Dolphins, but its a night game on national tv.  I look for a bruising knock-down drag-out affair between these two, until the Dolphins finally pull away for the win.  Too much off the field sh*t so far from the Jets, they just need to shutup now and play football.  We get it, you guys are cool.  Just shutup.

Bears +3

Mike Martz is doing a great job of letting Jay Cutler just rip it so far.  He hasn't had to sit back behind that line, and make decisions.  Its 1-2-3 and let 'er rip.  At home on Monday Night I expect that to continue.  This should be a high scoring affair, and I think it'll come down to the last possession.  So give me the home team and the points.  The Packers running game is struggling, but then again they don't rely on it that much.  It'll be fun to see Aaron Rodgers air it out against a revitalized Bears defense.  But again, the Bears looks different.  So I think they keep it close.

Vik's Pix:

(Last Week 2-3 )

(Season 3-5-2)

I've definitely started off slow this year, hopefully we can get that turned around this week.  I am playing all favorites, which I hate to do, but hopefully these matchups can play into our hands, and win us some money!

Pats -14
I'm sure the Hoody monster and Brady got on the Pats big time after their loss last weekend.  And what better way to take your anger out on a Sunday, than by playing one of the weaker teams in the NFL.  Look for the Pats to come out and annihilate the Bills in this game.  I watched the Packers Bills game last weekend, and even though the Packers didn't even play their best football, they were able to take care of the Bills easily.  The Bills secondary is weak, and the Bills can not generate a pass rush if their lives depended on it.  This works out great for this Pats offense, because they want to fling the ball all over the field on you.  On the flip side of the ball, the Bills are starting Ryan Fitzpatrick.  And even though the Pats pass defense is weak, I just don't see Fitzpatrick being able to put up points on them and move the ball in this game.  They will try to run the ball with their three headed monster, but that should play right into the Pats hands.  In the end, I see a pissed off Pats team coming out and putting up 35+ in this game like they did in week 1.  If you can get a team total for the Pats of 28, the over team total would be a good bet as well.

Steelers - 2.5
Steelers here. I know the Bucs are at home, have played solid football so far, and the line seems like a sucker bet, but I still can't help myself.  I will give the Bucs credit because they won 2 games I didn't think they could win, but they also won those games vs two other terrible teams in the Browns and Panthers.  I truly believe that this Steelers defense is one of the best D's in the League, and they are not going to lose to a rookie QB.  They shut down two very solid offenses, so look for them to put the clamps on the Bucs offense in this game.  Josh Freeman has been great so far, but he has never seen a defense like this one.  The Bucs OLine is also hurting, which helps the Steelers defense even more.  For the Bucs, the Caddy has run pretty well this year, but he will be shutdown this weekend for sure.  The Steelers don't let people run on them, and if CJ couldn't run on them, how is this guy going to do it?  Another reason the line is so low is because of the Steelers QB situation.  Charlie Batch will be starting in this game, and it's been a while since he has done that, to say the least.  I still think that his style of Qb'ing will help the Steelers win this game because he's a smart quarterback and won't really make that many mistakes.  The Steelers will be run heavy, and I see their running game and their defense carrying them to a cover in this game.

Ravens - 10
Let's face it, the Browns are terrible. And after losing the two games they should have won, I honestly think they might start the season 0-9.  And I have no clue what this Mangini is doing there. Last year when Jerome Harrison faced the two teams the Browns faced this year, he tore them up on the ground.  This year when he played those same teams, he didn't even get the rock...WTH? Mangenius? More like Manclown...Anyways, with Jake the Snake injured, Seneca Wallace gets the start again in this one.  How in the world is this Seneca Wallace going to score on this Ravens D?  And there is no way Alstott's relative Hillis is going to bust open this game vs this Ravens defense.  So in short, the Browns are missing their QB, their starting RB Harrison is hurt, so is their most explosive offensive player Josh Cribbs, and so is their best defensive player Shaun Rodgers.  Again, how is this Browns offense going to score vs this D?  The same Ravens D that will be amped up playing at home in their home opener.  Look for a heavy dosage of Ray Rice in this game.  And look for Flacco to shake off his terrible last game vs this Browns defense.  The Ravens win this game by two touchdowns.

Colts -5.5
Sometimes we forget just how good Peyton Manning is.  No one is even talking about him this year, but as usual, he is putting on a show.  The Broncos have no pass rush whatsoever, and with injuries to Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman, look for Peyton Manning to slice up the Broncos defense in this game.  On the flip side of the ball, the Broncos lost a big weapon vs this Colts defense, in Moreno.  I just don't see Buckhalter or Maroney being able to explode like Moreno can on the outside, where the Colts are weak.  Unfortunately, it's also been a rough week for the Broncos, as they have suffered another death within the organization.  This will definitely have an affect on the Broncos preparation leading up to this game.  All these factors combined is why I will be on the Colts in this one.

Bengals-3
Last weekend the Bengals looked like who they were last year, a solid defensive squad.  I know that the Panthers will be run heavy, but they will need to pass the ball to move the offense, and when they do, I think Coach Zim comes up with some tough blitzes and looks to confuse rookie Jimmy Clausen in this game.  I also see a huge weakness in the Panthers secondary, and I see the Bengals exploiting that this weekend.  Look for a huge game from all of the Bengals offensive weapons.  I got a chance to watch the Panthers play, and let me tell you, they looked terrible last weekend.  I think Peter King highly overrated this squad, that's for sure.  Their defense just does not look the same, and their offense looked terrible. Oh ya, I have no clue why they don't give Stewart the ball more either.  The X-Factor is Clausen in this game, and I don't see him playing that well.  That is why I'll put my money on this Bengals D to win this game for us, and to cover the spread....

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Bears 2010 - Week 3 Preview: Good Cut/Bad Cut? by Anil P.

The Chicago Bears desire to break out of their three year playoff drought is off to a solid 2-0 start. The last time the Bears started this well was 2006 when they went on to became NFC Champions. That's right, two wins and we're already talking about the Halas Trophy coming back home. Nevermind these two wins were a result of a horrible call against Calvin Johnson and an imploding Cowboys team, this team is going back to the Super Bowl! Cutler is the highest rated QB in the NFL and our Bears have the best passing attack in the NFL thanks to Mad Mike. Enjoy Martz while you can because the Tribune already has Mike gone after one season already. With all that said, the reality of the NFL will sink in after this weekend and Chicago will find that the only thing secured is that the Bears will finish this season no worse than 3-13. We have one more win with the annual visit to Detroit after all. In all seriousness I try to temper my emotions but it is Packer Week and the only thing better than Packer Week is Packer Week leading up to MNF.

Aaron Rodgers (the love child of former Creed lead singer Scott Stapp and actor/writer from The Office B.J. Novak) and the Green Bay Packers (2-0) pay a visit to Chicago Monday night and we can all look forward to the Green Bay fans migrating down. Packers were the chic pic to go to Dallas in February this preseason and have backed up their hype with two wins this season and in impressive fashion. Green Bay has the 3rd highest scoring average at 30.5 ppg and only allowed 13.5 ppg as well. While losing Ryan Grant will hurt their ground game, they were able to lean on the back of Rodgers for most of their offensive production. Some injuries on their offensive line at LT is a weakness the Bears need to take advantage of.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Speaking of exploiting weaknesses on the offensive line

Last week the Bears O-Line was able to adapt to losing Chris Williams and temper pressure in Week 2 against Dallas and DeMarcus Ware. This week they will be tested again as Green Bay employs their own 3-4 scheme and has an outstanding OLB in Clay Matthews as well. Matthews will undoubtably lineup opposite both tackles to exploit both Omiyale and Shaffer. This is the third straight week a conversation of weakness surrounds the Bears offensive line but take comfort because the Packers have issues themselves. Chad Clifton is questionable this week with his troublesome knees and the Pack are inserting their first round pick at LT in Bryan Bulaga. Anything less than a mauling on the blind side by Peppers, Anderson or Idonjie isn't acceptable. Lovie brings up how the fourth phase is so critical in the fans. If the fans are in the game, Soldier Field should hopefully provide some false starts by the rookie LT.

Keep them one-dimensional

Bears are #1 against stopping the run and should remain their with Brandon Jackson and John Kuhn in the backfield. As prolific of a passing attack the Packers have, they do employ a balanced offense in terms of attempts. Currently the Packers are right at 50/50 in terms of pass and rushing attempts (a good amount of the 10 rushing attempts Rodgers has can be on broken pass plays). With the weapons of Driver, Jennings, Jones and Finley the Bears secondary will rely on the front four to sustain constant pressure. The Bears were a frequent blitzing team last season. With the acquisition of Peppers at DE and Marinelli calling the plays, blitzing has fallen down dramatically and with good success. According to ESPN Status & Information, the Bears blitzed 30% of the time in Week 1 and 17.6% of the time in Week 2. The Bears' front is more than holding its own against the run, having allowed an NFL low 56 rushing yards. And although they have only two sacks in two games, the Bears have made up for it with six takeaways and are excelling with an extra man or two devoted to coverage.

Pretend it's a Sunday afternoon


Jay Cutler didn't exactly have tremendous outings last year under the lights. In five night games he had passer ratings of 43.2, 79.6, 33.6, 63.2 and 108.4 with a combined 8 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and most importantly a 1-4 record. This season the Bears success offensively has been due large in part to Cutler's pocket presence and his ability to either get the ball out of his hands quickly and/or scramble out of the pocket. For whatever reason #6 tends to have a brain cramp and his form goes from future HOF to a certain mental midget that used to QB the club. Which Cutler shows up this night will be a huge deciding factor in the Bears outcome.


Efficiency and Execution


Bears were a horrible 1-11 on 3rd down conversions last week. Their dependability on the big play has sustained them so far this season. In fact their lone 3rd down conversion against the Cowboys was a 59-yard completion to Johnny Knox on a 3rd and 15 in the 2nd quarter. One of the ways to make sure Aaron Rodgers doesn't win the game is to make sure he doesn't have the ball for too much time. Bears will need to sustain some longer drives in order to win time of possession. Forte will need to have a better week than his total season output of 79 yards. Once again, the o-line will need to step up.

Do I know Football more than the person I’m related to by marriage and Madden 11?

Current Season Series is:

Pants: 2-0

Skirts: 1-1

Pixels: 0-2

Week 3 is Packers @ Bears; Vegas currently has the spread at -3 for the Green and Piss

Her Pick: Bears to win (more than three)

Her Reason: Not sure why, I just have a hunch...perhaps cuz the packers blow.

Madden Simulation has Green Bay dominating 23-6


I currently don't know if I should view this Bears team as an opportunistic overachieving team that lucked out in circumstance or dominate defense with a Pro Bowl QB as there are stats and film to point either way. I remain optimistic about their chances but I have to believe Green Bay is at a slightly better point in the season right now as an organization. Rodgers is a veteran under this offensive scheme while Cutler is on game three. While I don't believe in moral victories, I do think if the Bears are close with the Packers this can be viewed as successful progress to march back into the playoffs by the coaching staff. I currently see Green Bay winning this one 21-20 with the Bears beating the spread.





Bear Down! Recap on Tuesday.

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Over/Under - by WBT

Well, it was a bad week last week for me to say the least in Over/Under, where I only hit on the WR. I missed on Brandon Jackson, though he was able to get the cheap TD. Mark Clayton came through for me, and Mike Vick did what was expected of him against Detroit, but he did play better than Eli Manning and Tom Brady. In all my leagues, here are the moves that I made, just so you know I do take my own advice:

Added Demaryius Thoms, dropped Mohammed Massaquoi (not sure why I even had him)

Added San Francisco Def, dropped Atlanta Def

Added Mike Tolbert, dropped Brandon Jacobs

Added Louis Murphy, dropped Percy Harvin

Have a close call to make, take a look below and hopefully this will help:

Donovan McNabb, WAS, QB

It's hard to put McNabb with the top QBs this week since they all have great matchups, but if you are in need of a smart QB play this week, go with McNabb who will be playing against St. Louis

Play him Over: Chad Henne, Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning

Bench him for: Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, Mike Vick

Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG, RB

Bradshaw has always been associated with Brandon Jacobs since he entered the fantasy radar 3 years ago. However, Bradshaw is clearly the #1 back in New York, and after Jacobs played toss with his helmet last week, look for disciplinarian Coughlin to play Jacobs even less. I'm playing Bradshaw in most of my leagues this week, I like this play a lot.

Play him Over: Brandon Jackson, Ryan Mathews, Jamaal Charles

Bench him for: Rashard Mendenhall, Arian Foster, Pierre Thomas

Santana Moss, WAS, WR

I might as well stay in the NFC East, and pair my QB choice with his favorite WR. Moss is the most targeted of all the WR on Washington, and he was close to 3 TDs last week. Look for that trend to continue as McNabb will go to him and Cooley against St. Louis.

Play him Over: Dwayne Bowe, Hines Ward, Steve Smith (CAR)

Bench him for: Any Top flight WR, Anquan Boldin, Hakeem Nicks, Wes Welker

Defenses:

Green Bay
New England

Philadelphia

Minnesota

Pittsburgh

Tennessee

San Diego

New York Jets

Baltimore

Washington

Carolina

New Orleans

Oakland

Cincinnati

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FANTASY FOOTBALL TARGETS - by WBT

Every week we will bring you the target sheet from the past week, as well as the combined total for the season. Obviously for Week 1 the season total and the weekly targets are the same, if you think otherwise then you must be a Lions fan (and yes, that non-catch count as a target, so at least take solace in that Lions fans). If targets are a new concept to you, let me explain. Targets are the number of times that a quarterback throws to a receiver in the game. It is a good barometer of a wide receiver to see how much of the offense is going through him. Consider it like a carry for a running back. Usually 1 target equals about 2.25 targets. CTH% = catch percentage. This is the percentage of targets that each receiver caught. TD% = touchdown percentage. This is the percentage of catches that were touchdowns for each receiver.



RK PLAYER TEAM REC TAR CTH% YDS AVG TD TD%
1 Roddy White, WR ATL 20 35 57.1% 189 9.45 1 5.0%
2 Larry Fitzgerald, WR ARI 10 28 35.7% 126 12.6 1 10.0%
3 Miles Austin, WR DAL 20 26 76.9% 288 14.4 1 5.0%
4 Terrell Owens, WR CIN 10 24 41.7% 110 11 0 0.0%
5 Chad Ochocinco, WR CIN 16 22 72.7% 203 12.69 1 6.3%
  Santana Moss, WR WSH 16 22 72.7% 166 10.38 0 0.0%
  Andre Johnson, WR HOU 15 22 68.2% 191 12.73 1 6.7%
8 Mark Clayton, WR STL 12 21 57.1% 143 11.92 2 16.7%
  Brandon Marshall, WR MIA 12 21 57.1% 124 10.33 0 0.0%
  Calvin Johnson, WR DET 8 21 38.1% 95 11.88 1 12.5%
11 Dallas Clark, TE IND 16 20 80.0% 163 10.19 2 12.5%
  Jahvid Best, RB DET 14 20 70.0% 170 12.14 1 7.1%
13 Vernon Davis, TE SF 12 19 63.2% 151 12.58 0 0.0%
  Reggie Wayne, WR IND 14 19 73.7% 195 13.93 2 14.3%
15 Wes Welker, WR NE 14 18 77.8% 102 7.286 3 21.4%
  DeSean Jackson, WR PHI 8 18 44.4% 165 20.63 1 12.5%
  Randy Moss, WR NE 7 18 38.9% 97 13.86 1 14.3%
18 Todd Heap, TE BAL 10 17 58.8% 107 10.7 0 0.0%
  Anquan Boldin, WR BAL 12 17 70.6% 145 12.08 0 0.0%
  Steve Smith, WR CAR 8 17 47.1% 141 17.63 2 25.0%
  Steve Smith, WR NYG 9 17 52.9% 78 8.667 0 0.0%
  Louis Murphy, WR OAK 10 17 58.8% 119 11.9 1 10.0%
23 Malcom Floyd, WR SD 6 16 37.5% 143 23.83 1 16.7%
  Austin Collie, WR IND 15 16 93.8% 188 12.53 2 13.3%
  Mike Williams, WR TB 7 16 43.8% 84 12 2 28.6%
  Jason Witten, TE DAL 8 16 50.0% 78 9.75 0 0.0%
  Visanthe Shiancoe, TE MIN 10 16 62.5% 162 16.2 1 10.0%
  Frank Gore, RB SF 13 16 81.3% 101 7.769 1 7.7%
29 Greg Jennings, WR GB 8 15 53.3% 118 14.75 1 12.5%
  Eddie Royal, WR DEN 13 15 86.7% 163 12.54 1 7.7%
  Jermaine Gresham, TE CIN 9 15 60.0% 40 4.444 1 11.1%
  Danny Amendola, WR STL 10 15 66.7% 106 10.6 0 0.0%
  Marques Colston, WR NO 10 15 66.7% 129 12.9 0 0.0%
  Mike Thomas, WR JAC 10 15 66.7% 132 13.2 0 0.0%
  Jacoby Jones, WR HOU 8 15 53.3% 82 10.25 1 12.5%
  John Carlson, TE SEA 8 15 53.3% 84 10.5 0 0.0%
  Darrius Heyward-Bey OAK 7 15 46.7% 91 13 0 0.0%
38 Dez Bryant, WR DAL 10 14 71.4% 108 10.8 0 0.0%
  Steven Jackson, RB STL 8 14 57.1% 56 7 0 0.0%
  Roy E. Williams, WR DAL 7 14 50.0% 74 10.57 0 0.0%
  Antonio Gates, TE SD 10 14 71.4% 133 13.3 3 30.0%
  Mike Sims-Walker, WR JAC 10 14 71.4% 105 10.5 1 10.0%
  Dustin Keller, TE NYJ 9 14 64.3% 128 14.22 1 11.1%
  Tony Moeaki, TE KC 8 14 57.1% 79 9.875 1 12.5%
45 Laurent Robinson, WR STL 4 13 30.8% 22 5.5 1 25.0%
  Darren McFadden, RB OAK 8 13 61.5% 63 7.875 1 12.5%
  Hakeem Nicks, WR NYG 6 13 46.2% 113 18.83 4 66.7%
  Matt Forte, RB CHI 12 13 92.3% 188 15.67 3 25.0%
  Jordan Shipley, WR CIN 10 13 76.9% 124 12.4 0 0.0%
  Nate Washington, WR TEN 7 13 53.8% 122 17.43 2 28.6%
  Kevin Walter, WR HOU 13 13 100.0% 173 13.31 2 15.4%
  Josh Morgan, WR SF 9 13 69.2% 102 11.33 0 0.0%
53 Pierre Garcon, WR IND 4 12 33.3% 54 13.5 0 0.0%
  Chris Cooley, TE WSH 9 12 75.0% 144 16 1 11.1%
  Brandon Lloyd, WR DEN 8 12 66.7% 170 21.25 0 0.0%
  Percy Harvin, WR MIN 6 12 50.0% 44 7.333 0 0.0%
  Donald Driver, WR GB 9 12 75.0% 68 7.556 2 22.2%
  Jabar Gaffney, WR DEN 5 12 41.7% 49 9.8 1 20.0%
  Jason Avant, WR PHI 7 12 58.3% 74 10.57 0 0.0%
  Steve Breaston, WR ARI 10 12 83.3% 142 14.2 0 0.0%
  Benjamin Watson, TE CLE 7 12 58.3% 78 11.14 0 0.0%
  Jermichael Finley, TE GB 8 12 66.7% 150 18.75 0 0.0%
  Jerricho Cotchery, WR NYJ 6 12 50.0% 44 7.333 1 16.7%

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