NFL News & Rumors
Travis Henry Gets the Shanny Shocker, Released
While there was speculation that Travis Henry wasn’t exactly welcomed back this season to the Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan surprised us all by letting him go this early in the off-season workouts. After all, the guy has nine baby mamas with one child apiece. Eighteen mouths don’t feed themselves, and Shanahan has to have some heart inside that burned-brown, leather exterior.
Image details: Denver Broncos v Oakland Raiders served by picapp.com
Unfortunately for those 18 mouths, Henry injured his hamstring last month and most likely skipped out on treatments while he wasn’t showing up to OTAs. The situation didn’t win Henry any gold stars for effort and combined with Henry’s damaged rep from fighting a failed drug test suspension all of last season, the dogpile of problems probably caused Shanahan write him off as a bad influence on the litter of young running backs (RB) the Broncos currently have at quarterback camp practicing already (Selvin Young, Andre Hall, newly drafted Ryan Torain and last week’s new addition Michael Pittman).
Shanahan questioned Henry’s commitment to the game in his statement after the release. From ESPN.com:
“Although Travis has the ability to be one of the top running backs in the NFL, we have to make decisions that are in the best interests of our organization and its goal of winning a Super Bowl,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said in a statement. “We did not feel his commitment to the Broncos was enough to warrant a spot on this football team.”
Later Monday, Shanahan said the move was more about Henry’s personality than his play.
“He’s just too inconsistent as a person. When you’re too inconsistent as a person, you usually aren’t going to win championships,” Shanahan said during a spring workout later in the day.
With Travis Henry released, the Denver Broncos running game gets a little murky — and that’s clearer than it was before. The RB situation in Denver was a weak link in 2007, and along with an inconsistent stock of wide receivers (WR), the running game is one of the few elements keeping Jay Cutler from bringing his game together as a franchise quarterback (QB). (If you remember, I made some early off-season predictions for three Broncos stars in 2008, and I’m still standing behind them without Henry.)
Image details: Green Bay Packers v Denver Broncos served by picapp.com
Rising to the top, Selvin Young averaged 5.2 yards per carry last season but isn’t the type (at least at his current weight and skill) to carry the full load even if he claims he will hit 2,000 yards this season.
It’s likely Young will split time with Michael Pittman who obviously made Shanahan confident enough to let Henry go. Pittman, at 32, has past his prime, but he should contribute enough to spell Young and sub in on some passing plays until Ryan Torain, the powerful rookie, is ready to take on a larger role.
Until the starting role becomes clearer, the RB situation will be the talk of all the Broncos training camp reports. If Young becomes the starter, look for him as a risky RB2 or a promising RB3 in round 3 or 4.
Pittman might be worth a pick in late rounds if he gets a spot in a committee with Young. If not, he falls into the same indefinite boat as Andre Hall, but being lost in the RB depth chart in Denver doesn’t mean you won’t lead the team in rushing by the end of the year.
The real sleeper of this bunch is Ryan Torain. He could be the surprise RB to emerge for the Broncos this year and has nothing but upside. Stash him on your bench late or keep your eye on him on the waiver wire.
As for Henry, he is probably more likely to find work than Shaun Alexander, but there is not clear team interested in picking up him, his injury and his off-the-field problems right now. For now, he gets to stand in line with Alexander and Kevin Jones at the unemployment office.
2008 NFL Mock Draft with Fantasy Impact [Final Take]
With just 24 hours to go until the draft happens, I present my final mock draft. This draft presumes that we get some great fantasy football value out of the first round, but it’s likely that many owners will play it safe or take big risks on some talent in the first. Here’s how I see tomorrow going down:
The Fantasy Football Fools 2008 NFL Mock Draft with Fantasy Impact
| No | Team | Player | Pos | Fantasy Impact |
| 1 | Miami Dolphins | Jake Long | OL | Parcells got his man. No real fantasy impact, but Long might allow John Beck to get a throw off and give Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams more room to run. |
| 2 | St. Louis Rams | Glenn Dorsey | DT | Doesn’t help Marc Bulger or Steven Jackson, but Dorsey will make a scary addition to the defensive line for St. Louis next year. Maybe the offensive line won’t have to do much. |
| 3 | Atlanta Falcons | Chris Long | DE | The original projected first pick — besides Dorsey — will get stuck in the position of becoming a face of the new Vick-less Falcons franchise. The defense gets a bump, but there is no chance you want to take them in a fantasy draft in 2008. Chris Redman will be QB — at least through round 1 — and he’s not completely horrible. |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | Vernon Gholston | DT | Do I think Al Davis is this smart? No. Does Oakland need a Darren McFadden? No. Michael Bush and Justin Fargas are enough. Take the tackle, Davis. Just do it. His value will be seen in fantasy defense and IDP when Oakland actually stops the run. |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | Ryan Clady | OT | The Chief’s line needs to significantly improve if they keep Brodie Croyle healthy and give Larry Johnson a decent chance at yardage. His impact helps both these guys’ fantasy value next year. |
| 6 | New York Jets | Darren McFadden | RB | Mangini will be shocked that he dropped to them, but he won’t question taking the most talked about player in this year’s draft. McFadden kills Leon Washington’s value, but he can do things with the newly-improved O-line that will give him huge potential for fantasy. He will probably end up somewhere between Adrian Peterson’s 2007 season and Reggie Bush’s rookie year. |
| 7 | New England Patriots (from San Francisco) | Leodis McKelvin | CB | I know you thought they would take Matt Ryan, but if McKelvin was guarding Plax in that fateful game, Tom Brady might have another ring. The Patriot defense still isn’t a safe bet in 2008 since they will inevitably run up the score and play loose on opponents. |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | Matt Ryan | QB | I’m just solving everyone’s problems. With Steve McNair out, they gotta go Ryan here. Kyle Boller immediately hates him, but Matt Ryan and Troy Smith are the only two who have any shot of being the next franchise QB in Baltimore. He might have value late in the season but isn’t draft-worthy except as a value pick late in the draft. |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | Sedrick Ellis | DT | A monster of a DT to finally make the Bengals stop something on defense. No fantasy value change because you still don’t want the Bengals, but Ellis could be IDP worthy. |
| 10 | New Orleans Saints | Keith Rivers | LB | Saints re-work their defense to compete and not play from behind. May be bad for fantasy, but maybe their linebackers will be getting some sacks next season. |
| 11 | Buffalo Bills | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | CB | No WR here worth taking to take heat of Lee Evans — can’t solve everyone’s fantasy problems in one draft. Rodgers-Cromartie adds some talent to the Buffalo defense with just one kidney, but they still have to play the Patriots. |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Chris Williams | OT | With Clady gone, they take Williams, and they love this guy. Williams will better protect Jay Cutler and give Selvin Young and Travis Henry some big play ability. |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | Jonathan Stewart | RB | His big back form will go nicely with DeAngelo Williams in Carolina, but Williams is the guy to watch there. Stewart should have little impact until late in the season so he’s probably waiver wire material. |
| 14 | Chicago Bears | Brandon Albert | OT | Albert + lighting a fire under Cedric Benson = Chicago might have a run game in 2008. |
| 15 | Detroit Lions | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | The Lions can’t pass on a RB with Tatum Bell currently starting. Mendenhall mixes it up with Bell and might be worth a early waiver if he shows to be a big part of the offense — the scoring part. Might try to snag him as a value pick late. |
| 16 | Arizona Cardinals | Aqib Talib | CB | This big CB will help the Cardinals start to lock down opposing passing games and replaces Rolle as Rolle moves to safety. Defense is better but not one of the top to snag in fantasy. Could be game-to-game depending on the match up. |
| 17 | Kansas City Chiefs (from Minnesota) | Derrick Harvey | DE | The Chiefs got the offensive line covered earlier so here they look to fill the hole that Jared Allen left. Harvey fills it, but the Chiefs D is likely to be game-to-game. |
| 18 | Houston Texans | Mike Jenkins | CB | Last elite corner goes to the Texans to fortify a pretty decent defense. I’ll classify them as “one to watch” for 2008 if the off-season goes well. |
| 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | Jeff Otah | OT | Andy Reid hates taking WRs in the first round, and he won’t. Otah helps Westbrook and McNabb out. |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Devin Thomas | WR | First WR off the board could be a star by mid-season. As the rest of the Tampa Bay WRs get older, he will stay the same age. |
| 21 | Washington Redskins | Philip Merling | DE | Merling brings backbone to a decent defense to stop the run. Possible low-end defense for 2008. |
| 22 | Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland) | Felix Jones | RB | The other Arkansas boy goes to Dallas to compliment Marion Barber. His fantasy value is slight, but his presence is felt nonetheless. He’ll mix it up but not take much from Barber. Could be a waiver late if he finds a role. |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Gosder Cherilus | OL | Cherilus improves a line that already worked well together last year. Maybe less rushing yards for Big Ben? He’ll have plenty of time to throw and the run game will stay good. |
| 24 | Tennessee Titans | Limas Sweed | WR | Vince Young gets his guy, and the Titans may just discover offense in 2008. If Sweed goes here, he is definitely worth catching as a late round value and could emerge as the No. 1 in Tennessee if VY and Sweed reconnect. |
| 25 | Seattle Seahawks | Kenny Phillips | S | Seahawks get a safety that can finally hang and improve the secondary. Seahawks D is always worth a play when home in the loudest stadium in the NFL and sometimes even when away. |
| 26 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Kentwan Balmer | DT | Balmer locks up the run defense of Jacksonville even more than last year. Already great defense gets better — very draftable for fantasy. |
| 27 | San Diego Chargers | Dan Connor | LB | A San Diego defense gets scarier, and once again, a very draft-worthy defense finds its guy. San Diego will have a top defense in 2008. |
| 28 | Dallas Cowboys | Brandon Flowers | CB | Pacman Jones is no lock to be reinstated and depth at CB would be nice. The Cowboys defense gets a significant upgrade if both Flowers and Pacman join the fold with Terrance Newmann already there. This defense is already draftable without Pacman. More fantasy value if Cowboys get crazy and take DeSean Jackson or James Hardy here. |
| 29 | San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis) | DeSean Jackson | WR | Mike Martz will want another playmaker to toy with in this 2008 debut in San Francisco, but there’s lots of toys there already for a Frank Gore centered offense. Jackson is likely not to show up this year but could emerge late if Bryant Johnson or Isaac Bruce doesn’t work out. |
| 30 | Green Bay Packers | Jerod Mayo | LB | Mayo improves the already good linebacking core of Green Bay in coverage. No way Green Bay wants the Giants to get this guy. Fantasy-wise Green Bay should be one of the tops next year as they will likely draft depth at cornerback in later rounds. |
| 31 | New England Patriots (from San Francisco) | Casper | SOL | Cheaters never win — at least, not their fourth Super Bowl. |
| 32 | New York Giants | Malcolm Kelly | WR | Loudmouth still makes the first round and battles with Steve Smith to take over the No. 2 spot. Watch for a mid-season emergence…depending on what kind of turf he has on game day. Kelly could be worth a waiver pick late in 2008. |
For more mock drafts, visit these databases:
hailRedskins! Mock Draft Database
The Football Expert Database
Walter Football Mock Draft Database
Fantasy Football Toolbox Mock Draft Directory
Sports Outlaw Fantasy Football Forums Mock Drafts
Sorry Shaun: A Fantasy Football Funeral for Shaun Alexander
Even though Shaun Alexander is almost guaranteed to be picked up by another team now that the Seattle Seahawks finally cut him, his fantasy career is all but dead. Oh, how the mighty fall.
It was just 2005 when Alexander was MVP and on top of the world. Ever since, he has bounced around the top of fantasy football drafts even as his numbers fell. A foot injury, a cast and one huge contract later, Alexander is now in the dumps, and sadly, he is partly to blame for his release.
Take a look at the drop off in Alexander’s stats after 2005:
| Year | Missed Games | Total Yards | Yards/Carry | TDs |
| 2005 | 1 | 1880 | 5.1 | 27 |
| 2006 | 7 | 896 | 3.6 | 7 |
| 2007 | 4 | 716 | 3.5 | 4 |
Stats via The Fifth Down and The Seattle Times
Alexander’s contract after his 2005 season was unrealistic. Some say he is soft and selfish, and they would probably argue that Alexander wanted that kind of contract after his 2005 season if for no other reason then to know he signed the biggest running back contract ever.
Even if he demanded it, it was bad management for Seattle to give him that much money knowing that he was on his way out. His age was going to play into the picture eventually — fantasy football analysts knew it — but both the Seahawks and Alexander let the contract lead to this disaster. After two injury-plagued, disappointing seasons, the Seahawks had no choice but to release Alexander to save the team money and give Mike Holmgren a team he could make his last run with as head coach.
It looks like Pete Prisco was right.
The fall of Alexander has been a swift one, not unusual for an NFL runner. It is pretty amazing, though, when you consider in two seasons he’s gone from star to expendable.
Now some team is going to put a jersey on Alexander. There are arguments that he could be a Detroit Lion or Carolina Panther and other arguments that he could help the Chicago Bears.
He’s not entirely out of the picture. There’s probably one more season in the tank, but I wouldn’t take a chance on Alexander unless you can take him as a late round value pick — very probably considering many fantasy owners burned by him the last two seasons will be avoiding him like the plague. Depending on where he ends up, Alexander’s fantasy value will never be as high as it was the past several seasons as he declined.
Let this fantasy funeral stand as a reminder to every fantasy football manager that you should never take a running back early in the draft who has age issues. The magic number tends to be 30. When running backs hit it, they are never the same. Keep that in mind or ye be burned. L.T. will probably be the next to push it to the limit.
Sorry, Shaun, and thanks for the memories — and by memories, I mean the 2005 season.
photo credit: mr.l
“That article up there speaks the truth.”
2008 NFL Mock Drafts Revisited
I compiled a list of mock drafts when only the cool kids were doing it before the Combine, but now it’s blowing up like Pokemon. I guess we should pump out another big long list of info for you. Would that make you happy?
Those other mocks were long before all the info leaks, late pro days and insider info we have gathered since the Combine. I guess they’re sort of like that third-grade teacher that you had a crush on decades ago. Why was she so hot back then? Now she’s just old news.
Here’s what football sites around the Web are projecting for next weekend’s festivities now.
Team Needs
Sports Data Hub’s breaking down each team’s needs throughout the draft starting with Miami and working their way down. The team needs are also being exposed over at The Football Expert and Scott Wright’s Draft Countdown.
Massive Link Dump of Mock Drafts
Mike Mayock is always a pro at these draft things. It’s like he’s an expert that specializes in just this time of year.
What’s that you say? He lives in a cave for the other 9 months of the year? I don’t believe that, but it would explain why he has such a big grin in all his mugshots.
For the insider perspective, Matt Mosley has updated his Hash Mock on ESPN’s Hashmarks blog. He claims his is going to be almost perfect. Do you believe him?
FFToolbox’s writers have a majority in Chris Long going first overall.
Football Jabber had to go and make everything sound so permanent with his “Final” Football Jabber Mock Draft. He does provide three rounds and two rounds of very satifying commentary–or “jabber” I guess might be more appropriate.
NFL GridIron Gab serves up their latest with Matt Ryan going to the Jets. Wait, the Jets? That’s crazy talk. They already have Kellen Clemens and Chad Pennington–oh wait, maybe they should take Matt Ryan.
Walter Football’s latest mock draft pushes one of the Longs out of the top two. Currently, Walter holds down the first spot in The Football Expert’s ranking system and his very in-depth profiles of each player/team will show you why. (Shameless plug: check out Fantasy Football Fools among the rankings as well.)
Each of The Football Expert’s experts–did the world just explode when I said that?–is featured in the database, but Michael Abromowitz leads them all off with a frequently updated four-round draft.
In a perfect world, the draft might go down the way CBS’s Sports Xchange sees it, but not all team owners are as logical as they should be come draft day.
*cough* Al Davis *cough* Sorry, I have a cold.
The Sports Outlaw Forums’ Miller_time puts his mock draft to the boards.
The local boys–at least my local boys–have weighed in too with Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News) and Lance Zierlein (Houston Chronicle) posting their mock drafts. Is it blasphemy if Gosselin didn’t push a better receiver pick than James Hardy to the Cowboys at 28?
Consensus offers enough drafts to keep you reading them until the first pick on Saturday. No, really.
Draft Ace ranks the top 50 draft prospects by how much impact they can have in the NFL. Don’t look, Matt Ryan!
I know you still looked, Matt. Now your confidence is shot.
Well, War Room Report won’t give you much more confidence, Matty boy. Baltimore gets you in this one at eighth overall.
Pro Football Weekly doesn’t need your silly teams or reality. They just rank players based upon their grades from scouting reports. (Note: Matt Ryan, you can look at this one. It will make you feel better.)
Draft Stock lists them all out minus the frills–although they do have little helmet cuts to signify each NFL team. That’s classy.
Scott Wright goes three rounds with the top draft picks.
The Huddle has upgraded their mock draft to Version 2.0 after dropping Kenny Phillips, Calais Campbell, Jonathan “Peg Leg” Stewart, Aqib Talib and Early Doucet out. Improvement or not?
It feels so good to get it all out. Stay regular people. The draft is only days away now.
Off-season Update: Testaverde starts for 49ers; Shaun Alexander released; Belichick retires
UPDATE: Happy April Fools’ Day! Feel free to enjoy the links all the same.
photo credit: mr.l
Hitting the wires today, the San Francisco 49ers finally took sides in the starting QB debate in signing Vinny Testaverde. According to Mike Martz, he is the favorite to start in the offense that he will put in place for 2008.
Testaverde believes he has one more good season in him before he completely retires, and if he returned to play, he demanded to be guaranteed the starting role.
A devastated Alex Smith spoke to the media this afternoon from the 49ers locker room. His comments here.
In a not-so-surprise move, the Seattle Seahawks also leaked that they would be releasing Shaun Alexander for the June 1 cut.
Alexander did not appear at the press conference and probably isn’t too happy with the decision. Only time will tell if there is any demand for the running back as he rides off into the sunset of his career.
UPDATE: Shaun Alexander has commented through his agent on the situation. He expressed his very obvious anger at his former team and coach as he awaits any and all calls from other teams.
Finally, in light of all the controversy surrounding the Patriots illegal taping, the shame of the Super Bowl loss and the new rule change to allow defensive players to have headsets, Bill Belichick decided to call it quits.
Some sports talking heads are saying that he is not fit to run a team in the NFL now that he can’t have a heads up of what the defensive coordinator will call. The statement the Patriots issued today simply stated that Belichick felt that “his era in the NFL had come to an end.”
Certainly, this news makes Testaverde a valid fantasy draft choice to start 2008 and could mean the end of Shaun Alexander’s relevance in fantasy football. What a drop from being a top draft pick for the last several years.
No idea yet on how Belichick’s retirement will affect the Patriots, but I would assume their offense will remain mostly unchanged.
What do you think this means for these teams and fantasy football in 2008?
UPDATE: Happy April Fools’ Day! Hope you enjoyed the linkage.
