2013 NFL PREVIEW
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August 23- August 29, 2013
Vol.11 Issue 52
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AROUND THE AREA
Aug 23 - Aug 29, 2013
Volume 11, Issue 52
sportspagedfw.com
established 2002
Big 12 Teams Ranked in Preseason AP Poll
Cover photo courtesy
SMU Athletics
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LOCAL NEWS OF INTEREST
AROUND THE AREA
RANGERS REPORT
WITH DIC HUMPHREY
TOM WARD
FALL DRILLS
GOLF NEWS
BY CHAD CONINE
COVER STORY
NFL PREVIEW
BY CHAD CONINE
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COVER STORY
11
12
13
14
18
COVER STORY
19
THE TICKET WINDOW
NFL PREVIEW
NFL PREVIEW
FANTASY FOOTBALL
BY TROY TESTA
FANTASY FOOTBALL
BY TROY TESTA
TECH VS SMU
BY BO CARTER
RESTAURANT REVIEW
BY RICHARD POLLAK
NORM WITH RICK GOSSLIN
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Dic Humphrey, Tom Ward, Bo
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Scott Rozsa
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Sixty percent of Big 12 football teams
enter the season either ranked or receiving
votes in the Preseason Associated Press
Poll. Oklahoma State leads the Big 12
crew at No. 13 followed by No. 15 Texas,
No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 20 TCU. Baylor
and K-State are among the vote-getters.
The same six teams are also listed in the
coaches’ preseason ratings.
The 2013 season gets underway will a
full slate of non-conference games over
Labor Day weekend beginning with two on
Friday, August. 30.
Associated Press Preseason Top 25
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Alabama (58) - 1,498
2. Ohio State (1) - 1,365
3. Oregon - 1,335
4. Stanford - 1,294
5. Georgia - 1,249
6. South Carolina - 1,154
7. Texas A&M - 1,104
8. Clemson - 1,083
9. Louisville - 1,042
10. Florida - 894
11. Florida State - 845
12. LSU - 802
13. Oklahoma State - 755
14. Notre Dame - 748
15. Texas - 677
16. Oklahoma - 579
17. Michigan - 531
18. Nebraska - 382
19. Boise State - 328
20. TCU - 323
21. UCLA - 286
22. Northwestern - 199
23. Wisconsin - 185
24. USC - 134
25. Oregon State - 129
courtesy big12sports.com
Texas Tech vs. Baylor University
Saturday, November 16, 2013
AT&T Stadium
Texas Tech and Baylor University will face
off in the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
Shootout at AT&T Stadium on November 16th.
As a Dallas Cowboys Fan, you will have
the opportunity to purchase tickets before the
general public, starting on Thursday, August
22nd at 10:00am.
Texas A&M, LSU to play on
Thanksgiving in 2014
Texas A&M will get to play on
Thanksgiving day again starting next
November....November 27, 2014 to be exact
with SEC West rival LSU. A&M and LSU,
have played each other 51 times over the years.
“It has all the trappings of a great rivalry —
passionate fan bases, bordering states, close
proximity, unmatched traditions and history,”
A&M athletic director Eric Hyman said in a
statement. “College football’s rivalry weekend
is the perfect home for the game.” The SEC
had to work through scheduling issues caused
when A&M and Missouri were added to the
league. The match up makes sense with their
shared history and border plus LSU has three
national championships and 11 SEC title which
raises the interest level of the game.
For editorial comments/suggestions,
e-mail srozsa@sportspagedallas.com
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Copyright 2012 Sports Page Weekly, Inc. All rights reserved. The Sports Page
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Sports Page Weekly are not necessarily the opinion of The Sports Page
Weekly, its staff or advertisers. The Sports Page Weekly does not knowingly
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issue.
Sean Lee has been a lock at inside linebacker for three years with the Cowboys. On
Wednesday evening, the team locked him up
through the 2019 season.
The Cowboys inked Lee, who is set to
begin his fourth NFL campaign next month, to
a six-year contract extension worth roughly $42
million, but could escalate as high as $51 million depending on play-time incentives.
Lee reportedly will get more than $16 million guaranteed over the life of the contract.
“I’m extremely excited. I’m blessed to be
drafted by a great franchise like this,” Lee said
Wednesday evening. “To have an opportunity to
be here for a long time, hopefully we can compete for Super Bowls, it’s fantastic. I’m blessed
to be here. I’m very grateful to the Joneses and
the opportunity they’ve given me.”
Lee had one year remaining on the original
four-year contract he signed as the No. 55 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In three seasons, he has started 21 games, including just six
last year when toe surgery cut his season short.
Currently, Jets linebacker David Harris is the
highest-paid inside linebacker with an average
salary of $9 million per season, followed by
Cleveland’s D’Qwell Jackson at $8.5 million.
Pittsburgh’s Lawrence Timmons makes $8.3
million per year, while Philly’s DeMeco Ryans
is making $8 million annually. San Francisco
Pro Bowler Patrick Willis averages $7.6 million
WEEKLY CALENDAR
AUGUST
To advertise in The Sports Page Weekly
call the contacts above or 214.683.1469
Sean Lee's Gets Six-Year Contract Extension
Dallas Sidekicks announce date of
2013-14 home opener
The Dallas Sidekicks will play their
2013-14 season home opener at 7 p.m. on
Saturday, November 2, 2013 at the Allen
Event Center.
The Sidekicks’ opponent and additional game dates will be announced later this
summer when the Professional Arena
Soccer League releases its complete schedule.
Early bird ticket reservations for the
game, as well as season tickets, are available by calling 214-550-6130. For more
information, visit www.dallassidekicks.net.
AUGUST
AUGUST
AUGUST
AUGUST
AUGUST
AUGUST
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26
27
28
29
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Rangers
at
White Sox
7:10
TXA 21
Rangers
at
White Sox
6:10
FSSW
Rangers
at
White Sox
1:10
FSSW
Rangers
at
Mariners
9:10
FSSW
Rangers
at
Mariners
9:10
FSSW
Rangers
at
Mariners
2:40
FSSW
Roughriders
at
San Antonio
7:05PM
Midland
vs
Roughriders
7:05PM
Midland
vs
Roughriders
6:05PM
Midland
vs
Roughriders
7:05PM
Roughriders
at
Corpus Christy
7:05PM
Roughriders
at
Corpus Christy
7:05PM
Roughriders
at
Corpus Christy
7:05PM
Airhogs
at
Witchita
7:05 PM
Airhogs
at
Witchita
7:05 PM
Airhogs
at
Wichita
3:15 PM
El Paso
vs
Airhogs
7:05 PM
El Paso
vs
Airhogs
7:05 PM
El Paso
vs
Airhogs
7:05 PM
El Paso
vs
Airhogs
7:05 PM
4 August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
San Jose
vs
FC Dallas
8:00 PM
Bengals
vs
Cowboys
7:00PM/CBS 11
RANGERS
WITH DIC HUMPHREY
The Odds and Ends Zone of Rangers Baseball
By Dic Humphrey
Special Contributor
dic.humphrey@yahoo.com
Kicking the gong around the Rangers'
odds and ends zone, while wondering
whatever happened to Frank Howard.
GARZA:
Rangers' starter Matt Garza has made
six starts for Texas since being acquired
from the Cubs. He is 3-1 with a 4.32 ERA
in those starts, and the Rangers have a 5-1
record in those games. Even in the loss - a
4-2 game against Oakland - Garza pitched
a complete game to give the Rangers'
bullpen a day off. Certainly, the Rangers
expected a more dominating pitcher when
they made the trade; but had the trade not
been made; those six starts would most
likely have been made by some combination of Justin Grimm, Ross Wolf and Josh
Lindblom. It is highly unlikely that the
Rangers would have five wins in those
starts with these pitchers, so Garza has
already been worth a minimum of three or
four wins.
Some in the local media anointed
Garza as number one starter material, probably the Rangers' second best starting
pitcher. He does at times have dominating
stuff and he's extremely competitive on the
mound. He helps the younger pitchers on
the Rangers' staff with his demeanor alone.
The bottom line though is that Garza has a
66-63 career record in 184 starts and three
relief appearances. He is essentially a .500
pitcher, no matter how tantalizing his
assortment of pitches looks on the mound.
He'll help this team, but Yu Darvish and
Derrick Holland are still the top two starting pitchers in the rotation.
OGANDO:
With Alexi Ogando unable to make his
Tuesday start and subsequently placed on
the disabled list for the third time this season, the Rangers turned to left-hander
Travis Blackley, who was acquired for cash
considerations from Houston just last
week. Blackley went into Tuesday's game
with a career record of 8-8. Ironically, four
of those eight wins came at the expense of
the Rangers, including one this year for the
Astros. Blackley became the 23rd pitcher
to appear for the Rangers this year, not
counting David Murphy, and he is the first
Australian born player in Rangers' franchise history. He has been used as a reliever this season, and had not thrown more
than 40 pitches in a game before this start.
He went four innings on 66 pitches on
Tuesday, allowing two runs, an excellent
outing under the circumstances. The usually reliable Ranger bullpen was at its best,
following Blackley's start with five shutout
innings to secure the win.
Ogando is eligible to be activated from
the disabled list on August 29, so it is
anticipated, though not officially
announced, that Blackley will start next
Monday in Seattle, when Ogando would
have next pitched. The rotation spot then
comes up again on September 1. It is
expected that Ogando will be utilized as a
starting pitcher when he returns, most likely taking the starting assignment on
September 1.
Neftali Feliz has made five minor
league rehab appearances and is expected
to be activated from the disabled list when
rosters expand on September 1. The
Rangers intend to use him as a reliever
when he returns, but GM Jon Daniels has
indicated that nothing has been decided
about how Feliz or Ogando will be utilized
after this season.
LIFE WITHOUT NELLIE
In the first 14 games after Nelson Cruz
was suspended, the Rangers have an 11-3
record, scoring 91 runs, an average of 6.5
runs per game. (The Rangers are averaging 4.5 runs per game overall this year.)
Texas has scored in double digits three
times in the 14 games, and the 11 wins
include a season high seven game winning
streak. Earlier this week, the Rangers tallied 11 runs in one inning, the most scored
in an inning this year in Major League
baseball. Oddly, the Rangers have scored
all these runs despite hitting just seven
home runs in Cruz's absence. Texas failed
to hit a home run last weekend in the three
game series with Seattle, just the eighth
time since the ballpark opened in 1994 that
the Rangers have failed to hit a home run
in a series in Arlington of at least three
games.
Alex Rios was acquired this month to
essentially replace Cruz. In his first 10
games as a Ranger, Rios hit .268 with no
home runs and three RBIs.
Cruz will return soon from the
Dominican Republic. He is allowed to
work out with the team during the suspension. ESPN's Pedro Gomez recently tweeted that his sources indicate that it is highly
unlikely that Cruz will be on the Rangers'
playoff roster if Texas qualifies for postseason play. Daniels said later that he had
seen the report but indicated that no decision has been made. He initially said that
the players would have input into the decision, and there is strong support for Cruz in
the clubhouse, as he is one of the most
likeable Ranger players ever. However,
there is the practical problem of getting
Cruz's offensive game into playing shape.
By the end of September, there are few
options for minor league rehab stints.
NOT GOOD:
The Rangers have made 54 outs on
bases, a total that leads the MLB.
MINOR MATTERS:
Last week, four Ranger minor leaguers
won Player or Pitcher of the Week awards.
They are infielder Drew Robinson and
pitcher Alec Asher at Myrtle Beach in the
Carolina League, outfielder Nick Williams
for Hickory in the South Atlantic League,
and pitcher Richard Alvarez for Spokane in
the Northwest League.
FRANK HOWARD:
Howard's nicknames included “The
Washington Monument”, “Hondo” and
“The Capitol Punisher”. He was an imposing presence at 6' 8” and 275 pounds. He
hit the last home run for the Washington
Senators in 1971 and the first Ranger home
run in the first game ever played in
Arlington in 1972. He was an AllAmerican baseball and basketball player at
Ohio State, before being drafted by the
Philadelphia Warriors. He chose however
to sign with the Dodgers and forego an
NBA career. He was the Minor League
Player of the Year in 1960 and the National
League's Rookie of the Year in 1961. He
finished his 16-year Major League career
with a .273 batting average, 382 home
runs, and 1,119 RBIs in 1,895 games.
Watch All The Games Here
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Best Burger in Dallas
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P e t e C a t e r ’s !
2730 Commerce Street • Dallas, TX 75226
Phone 214.698.1511
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August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
GOLF
WITH TOM WARD
Tom’s mid season tune up drills that work
By Tom Ward
Senior Golf Writer
tompward@sbcglobal.net
As the summer begins to wind down
and the kids are heading back to school
perhaps this is a good time to access your
golf game. If you’ve battled with inconsistencies, I have a drill that may help remedy
these issues and get a leg up on your competitors.
This drill may look and feel awkward
to you initially, however the overall payoff
is well worth while. As seen in the accompanying photographs I have one of my students demonstrating the drills with his left
leg off the ground and the other shot is
with his left leg hooked around his right
leg. I usually do these drills when performing golf exhibitions around the world.
People get a kick out of thinking it’s a trick
shot. It really isn’t a trick shot, it showcases the importance of staying balanced and
having a good solid foundation on which to
support your swing.
When you lift your leg off the ground
(left or right) you’re activating your body
to stabilize itself. When you try this exercise for the first time it will become immediately apparent if you have too much lateral motion in your swing.... this is what is
commonly called swaying. You’ll probably
lose your balance going back and won’t
even be able to make a completed swing.
Another scenario might be if you try picking the club up too abruptly and taking it
back to the outside or too steep on your
backswing as this will draw you off balance as well. The beauty of this exercise is
that you can’t cheat it.
Once you come to the realization of
making some improper moves that were
wreaking havoc on your swing, you’ll soon
come to see the benefits are plentiful, especially after you get past the obvious awkwardness of the drill.
I first started incorporating these type
of drills into my teaching seminars over 25
years ago after working with golfers who
had physical disabilities. Some of my students had lost a leg and in order to teach
them I wanted to try to simulate what they
must be feeling if I only had one leg to
stand on. After some diligent practicing I
was amazed at how well I could hit a ball
with only one leg and not lose hardly any
distance at all in the process.
First, by having your leg raised slightly
off the ground, as you take your setup, just
allow the club to go back on its natural
inside path on your takeaway. You’ll see
and feel that you’re automatically going to
maintain better balance. You’re not fighting
the laws of physics now as your club head
makes its way on the correct swing plane
relative to your particular physical build.
Secondly, in this case your right leg
provides a solid fixed foundation that
makes your leg stay flexed and braced,
instead of locking or straightening up. This
is critical because if your right leg locks up
as you reach your backswing this will
throw your whole body off kilter and you’ll
be like a wobbly wheel out of control.
Having your right leg flexed on your
initial setup is one of the essential keys for
success in pulling off this drill. Take a
close look at my students right leg in both
photos and you’ll clearly see he has maintained a great degree of knee flex. One picture is his setup up over the ball and the
other is as he reaches the top of backswing.
By hitting shots on one leg it will help
to limit or slightly restrict you from getting
too long in your backswing or what’s
called over swinging. Over swinging is a
chronic problem I see a lot of golfers battle
on a daily basis because it causes breakdowns in your mechanics. I will discuss
over swinging in a future article.
The downswing is where the dividends
of your discipline of this drill pays off.
Your shoulders will remain more passive
because you’re in balance which will allow
your arms to whip the club head through
the impact area with lightning speed. This,
in turn, translates into powerful shots. By
not allowing your right leg to lock up
going back you’ve created a spring like
effect governing your lower body to create
a dynamic pulling effect on the downswing. This helps to keep your left hip
from prematurely spinning out and assists
you in maintaining the correct degree of
balance in your swing.
You can alternate legs when practicig
and will notice quickly which leg is easier
to stay balanced on throughout your entire
swing. I would spend more time practicing
on the weaker leg to build strength which
will become a real asset in the long run.
Usually, when you first start to make
swings on one leg you’re going to top the
ball or miss it completely. Don’t get discouraged just relax a little and slow your
swing down, practice making swings in
slow motion without trying to hit a ball at
all. This will allow your natural athletic
instincts to take over. Swinging on one leg
will help you feel how your arms must
swing around your body instead of trying
to lift the club up and down. This somewhat restrictive motion on your backswing
will help you see and feel how your arms
work in unison with the rest of your body,
like a perfect lever system.
You play great golf by feel, and you
learn feel through the proper motion. Golf
is a game of fluid movements, not a series
of abrupt actions.
Finally, I believe you’ll come to enjoy
practicing this particular drill. When you’re
out on the course playing you’ll will be
faced with an assortment of awkward shots
and be forced to hit your ball using an off
balance approach. After you put some time
in hitting balls on one leg, I don’t think
anything or anyone is going to intimidate
you anymore.
Tom Ward can be reached at www.teetimewithtom.com
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7
GOLF
WITH CHAD CONINE
Skyrocketing Spieth appears comfortable at high altitudes
By Chad Conine
Special Contributor
csconine@gmail.com
One of the best parts of covering a
variety of sports around this state is that
sometimes you get a glimpse of an athlete
earlier in his or her career and then have
the thrill of seeing that athlete climb to the
top of his or her sport.
It's the best possible use of the phrase "I
knew them when … "
Such was my experience with Jordan
Spieth, whom I first encountered when he
played in the boys' championship division
of the Starburst Junior Golf Classic in June
of 2007. At the time he was 13 years old
(his birthday is in July), but Spieth was
already lapping the older kids.
He claimed the championship division
title that week. Here's an excerpt from the
story I wrote following the second round:
New flight, same result so far for Jordan
Spieth.
Last summer, Spieth ran away with the
Boys 12 flight at the Starburst Junior Golf
Classic. To challenge himself this time
around, he stepped up to the Championship
Boys.
Through two rounds he's shown he's up
to it.
Spieth, 13, shot 3-under-par 69 at Bear
Ridge Golf Club on Tuesday to climb from
a tie for ninth to the lead in the top boys
bracket at 1-under 141 through 36 holes.
"I wanted to play the longer yardage, to
see how the feel is with the older kids,"
said Spieth, who will be a freshman at
Dallas Jesuit High School in the fall. "I'm
used to playing against a bunch of older
kids, so I'm not really intimidated by them.
As long as my iron shots are close and the
putter works, I can play with them."
Spieth opened the tournament with a 2over 72 at Ridgewood Country Club on
Monday. The score surprised at least one
other player in the field.
Austin Beck, of Coppell, knew that was
too high for his buddy. Beck and Spieth,
along with 18-hole leader Key Young, play
together at Brookhaven Country Club.
"His 69 today is more like him," said
Beck about Spieth.
Beck shot 2-over 74 and is tied for second with Davis Kirkland of Woodland
Hills, Calif.
"I know that Jordan Spieth is the man
to beat," Beck said. "He's got a natural
8
Spieth won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur championships and in between accepted an invitation in 2010 to play in the Byron Nelson, where he tied for 16th
swing. He doesn't miss and he makes every
putt he looks at."
When you see a young kid playing
against and defeating older kids like Spieth
did six years ago at the Starburst, you feel
like it's a pretty good bet that the kid is
going to eventually make it big.
It's a good bet, but still not a guarantee.
Spieth, though, skyrocketed like few
young athletes I've ever seen (RG3 comes
to mind). He won the 2009 and 2011 U.S.
Junior Amateur championships and in
between accepted an invitation in 2010 to
play in the Byron Nelson, where he tied for
16th. As a Texas golfer in 2012, he won
three tournaments, earned Big 12 player of
the year honors and helped the Longhorns
win the national championship.
But Spieth doesn't linger.
So, last December, he turned pro after
his third semester of college. The burning
question at the time was "how many tournaments will he be able to play?" Q-School
had already passed, meaning Spieth would
need sponsor exemptions.
I'd say that question has been put to
rest, seeing as how Spieth enters the FedEx
Cup playoffs portion of the PGA Tour season ranked No. 8 in FedEx Cup points.
He's also 14th on the money list, having
pocketed $2.631 million this season.
He won the John Deere Classic, outlasting Zach Johnson and David Hearn in a
playoff, and almost won again last week
when he fell to Patrick Reed in a playoff at
the Wyndham Championship.
So just to recap, as a 13-year-old Spieth
said: "I wanted to play the longer yardage,
to see how the feel is with the older kids."
And as a 19-year-old PGA Tour winner, he
surprised himself and said: "I didn't think it
would happen this early. I had a plan. I
guess the plan got exceeded."
Let’s see. Was the plan to begin playing
tournaments above his age group at 13,
progress to the top of the junior ranks and
then the college ranks in a single season
and then turn pro and perform well enough
to stay around for a while? Because that’s a
August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
pretty tall order.
And he exceeded that plan!
So it’s time for Spieth to recalibrate. At
this point, finishing in the top 10 of FedEx
Cup points would seem like setting the bar
a little low. Why not notch another win?
That should convince President’s Cup captain Fred Couples to make Spieth a captain’s pick.
And then in 2014? Well, the only mountain left to climb would be a major title. So
far, Spieth’s best major finish was a tie for
21st in the 2012 U.S. Open (he was the low
amateur). Better get his planner focused on
that goal.
COVER STORY NFL FOOTBALL
A look ahead to the 2013 NFL Season
By Chad Conine
Special Contributor
chad@sportspagedallas.com
Looking for a good way to ruin Sunday
afternoons and at the same time lose a lot
of money?
Bet the NFL.
A Google search of NFL parity can
probably explain this better than me. Leave
it to sports-stat-crazed amateur graphic
designers to create a chart that supposedly
proves that anybody can beat anybody. All
I know is that I’ve been in the position to
attempt to pick NFL games both straight
up and against the line on a weekly basis
and it seemed impossible. It’s a horrible
cliche to write that any team can beat any
other team on any given Sunday. But, like
most horrible cliches, it exists because it’s
proven over and over again.
So the best way to understand the NFL
is to understand that there are three types
of teams: the well-built franchises that contend every season (Patriots, Ravens,
Packers, Giants, Steelers), teams on the rise
(Redskins and Vikings in 2012, 49ers and
Lions in 2011, etc), and the stagnant (Bills,
Jaguars, Jets, Raiders, and, sadly,
Cowboys).
How do teams end up in the latter category? By trying to build a real NFL football team the way the rest of us construct
our fantasy teams.
The NFC East was formerly known as
the toughest division in football for quite a
while. Now, experts cite the toughest as the
NFC West. Despite that, the East is one of
the most competitive in the league. The
quarterback position in the East is by far
the most intriguing. With Eli Manning,
Tony Romo, Michael Vick and Robert
Griffen III, each game will be hard to predict and exciting to watch. We’ll see how
the division plays out this year, however, as
each team has its fair share of flaws (and
misfortunes, especially injuries).
This division is up for grabs – any
team can win, and the division can end up
in any order. But I believe wisdom, experience, and establishment will trump all in
the division this year and end up on top.
That’s why I want to look at each division and attempt (emphasis on the word
attempt) to size up which team looks like it
was put together by a sports-dork fantasy
football owner, which team could be on the
rise and which team can be relied upon to
be there at the end.
NFC EAST
FANTASY PUNCH: The NFC East has
two teams with front-line fantasy football
talent — the Cowboys and the Eagles —
it’s the perfect division to illustrate what
the “fantasy punch” category is all about
because either of these teams could end up
being terrible. Dallas’ cast of Tony Romo,
Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and DeMarco
Murray could all be picks in the first few
rounds of a fantasy football draft. But the
Cowboys’ problems on the offensive and
defensive lines could also keep them from
seriously contending for a playoff spot.
Similarly, the Eagles have flash in Michael
Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson
and an evil genius running the show with
new coach Chip Kelly. But if Kelly stumbles in trying to convert his innovative college schemes to the NFL, all of the Eagles
offensive talent could go to waste.
ON THE RISE: My gut reaction is to call
the Redskins the team on the rise in the
NFC East and name the Giants as the divisional frontrunner. But this wouldn’t make
sense as the Giants finished 9-7 last season,
missing the playoffs, while the Redskins
achieved a 10-6 mark. The Giants dipped
in 2012, but they belong in the excellent
franchise category, so it’s reasonable to
expect they’ve fixed problems in the offseason. Tony Romo, Michael Vick and
RG3 get a lot of attention in this division,
but Eli Manning is still the most accomplished and likely the best.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The
Redskins won the division in 2012 and
RG3 appears ready to go having successfully rehabbed his injured knee. How can
that not make the Redskins the frontrunner? Add to that RB Alfred Morris and an
offensive line that helped Washington rush
for an NFL-best 169.3 yards per game.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. New York Giants (10-6)
2. Washington Redskins (9-7)
3. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
4. Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)
The Giants will win the East being the
only team in playoffs from division
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9
NFC NORTH
NFC SOUTH
FANTASY PUNCH: Duh, the Lions.
Matthew Stafford, Calvin Megatron
Johnson and Reggie Bush give Detroit a
bright big three. But as we witnessed in
2012, when the Lions were expected to
take charge in the division and be one of
the NFC’s best teams following a breakout
2011, they meowed to a 4-12 finish.
FANTASY PUNCH: It’s scary how easy
this category is to write in the NFC. In a
division with no shortage of fantasy stars
(See: Saints and Falcons rosters) it’s a nobrainer which team is built on candy. The
Panthers big three of Cam Newton,
DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith might
make fantasy football owners drool. But do
the real Panthers scare other real NFL
teams?
ON THE RISE: The Vikings ascended to
10-6 in 2012 from the depths of a 3-13 season in 2011. It doesn’t get much more on
the rise than that. With Christian Ponder
bringing solidity at the QB position and
Adrian Peterson promising to rush for
2,000 yards per year for the next decade,
the Vikings could continue to rise in 2013.
They let go of WR Percy Harvin in the offseason and will roll with Greg Jennings
and Cordarrelle Patterson.
ON THE RISE: Justified or not, the
Saints were effectively disqualified from
being any good in 2012. New Orleans went
from being a 13-game winner to a 7-9
record last season. It’s an easy bet they’ll
bounce back and be closer to 13 than 7
wins in 2013 and that’s enough to make
them the “on the rise” team.
NFC WEST
FANTASY PUNCH: Carson Palmer and
Rashard Mendenhall are Cardinals now
and Larry Fitzgerald is still in Arizona.
Individually, each of these players have
been fantasy stars and real contributors to
contending teams. But it’s difficult to
imagine that what this trio needed was to
get together in Arizona.
ON THE RISE: The St. Louis Rams
haven’t shown a lot of signs why they
should be on the rise, thought they did elevate by five wins during Jeff Fisher’s first
season. Sam Bradford looks like a longterm great NFL quarterback and the Rams
got him a target in Tavon Austin. Let’s
assume Fisher has a handle on the defense
and someone will step in at running back
to replace Steven Jackson. That’s the sign
that the Rams will rise.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: As long
as Aaron Rodgers is running the show, the
Packers have a chance. Green Bay lost a
couple of WRs, but the Packers could
afford it and they got better at RB. This is
one of those organizations that stays solid,
so if they have a few of the right pieces in
place, which they do in 2013, then they’re
a Super Bowl contender.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The
Falcons won 13, 10 and 13 games the last
three seasons and they have essentially the
same pieces in place. Matt Ryan leads one
of if not the most dangerous offenses in the
NFL and the Falcons made moves to get
better on defense. Tony Gonzalez is back
for another shot at the Super Bowl and the
Falcons undoubtedly don’t want to see him
fall short again.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The 49ers
lost Michael Crabtree for most of the season when he injured his Achilles tendon.
But San Francisco should still be able to
move the ball with Colin Kaepernick,
Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Anquan
Boldin. Patrick Willis heads a top-tier
defense, so the 49ers are back at the head
of the NFL class.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
2. Chicago Bears (9-7)
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
4. Detroit Lions (6-10)
Green Bay will win the NFC North and
be the only playoff team in the division
PROJECTED FINISH
1. Atlanta Falcons (12-4)
2. New Orleans Saints (10-6)
3. Tampa Bay Bucs (8-8)
4. Carolina Panthers (7-9)
Atlanta will win the NFC South with
New Orleans also making a playoff spot
PROJECTED FINISH
1. San Francisco 49ers (11-5)
2. Seattle Seahawks (10-6)
3. St Louis Rams (9-7)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
San Francisco will win the NFC West.
The Seahawks also make the playoffs.
10
August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
AFC EAST
AFC NORTH
AFC SOUTH
AFC WEST
FANTASY PUNCH: If teams like the
Cowboys and Lions prove that it’s possible
to have flashy offensive weapons and still
be bad, then the Jets aggressively make the
case that the opposite is also true. Still,
maybe Geno Smith will take the reins of
the offense and help bring Santonio
Holmes back up to the level of a money
fantasy receiver or maybe Mark Sanchez
can overcome his status as the butt of
ESPN’s joke. Either way, the Jets don’t fit
this category, but neither do any of the
other AFC East teams.
FANTASY PUNCH: This is a tough one,
too. The Steelers shouldn’t fit this category.
Remember at the top of this preview how
they were listed with the Patriots, Ravens,
Packers and Giants. Well, the Steelers still
haven’t fallen into the all-flash-no-substance trap, but they have O-line questions.
Pittsburgh’s defense can qualify for fantasy
punch points, since the Steel Curtain is one
of the only defenses likely to be selected in
the first five rounds. BTW, if anybody in
your league picks a defense in the first five
rounds, breathe a sigh of relief. There’s at
least one team in your league that you can
beat.
FANTASY PUNCH: No team in the
AFC, with the possible exception of the
Raiders, is constructed more like a bad fantasy football team than the Jaguars.
Maurice Jones-Drew might be one of the
best running backs in the NFL, but he’s not
very reliable. Justin Blackmon is a big, fast
wide receiver, but he’ll be out on substance
abuse suspension for the first four games.
And Blaine Gabbert is like your second or
third string fantasy quarterback. You don’t
expect much, but you never know.
FANTASY PUNCH: Don’t be fooled by
the fact that Raiders QB Matt Flynn nor
receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford
are household names. The Raiders are like
the guy in your fantasy football league who
thinks he’s going to outsmart the room
with a bunch of spare parts and Darren
McFadden. Don’t lose any sleep over it.
ON THE RISE: Believe it or not, the
Dolphins. This division looks terrible. If
the Patriots take a step back because of
their subtractions at WR and TE, the sharks
are going to smell blood in the water any
time they see an AFC opponent on the
schedule. That stated, the Dolphins come
back with a somewhat proven starter in
Ryan Tannehill, who passed for more than
3,000 yards and only had one more interception (13) than touchdown passes (12).
An upgrade at WR and a defense that was
better than average last season could make
Miami a playoff team.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The
Patriots are innocent until proven guilty.
Sure, that’s questionable phrasing, but
think about it. Until the Patriots stumble to
an 8-8 season, they’re still the Patriots,
mostly because Tom Brady is still Tom
Brady.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. New England (10-6)
2. Buffalo Bills (7-9)
3. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
4. New York Jets (4-12)
New England will win the AFC East
again and the only team in the playoffs
ON THE RISE: Since Cincinnati has
been to the playoffs a couple of years in a
row, they don’t fit here, though the Bengals
could rise to more prominence. Instead,
we’re tabbing the Browns as the team that
makes the biggest move in 2013. New
coach Rod Chudzinski has a promising set
of young offensive weapons at his disposal
.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The
Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens,
of course. Sure, Ray Lewis retired and Ed
Reed is now a Texan; Anquan Boldin was
traded to the 49ers and Dennis Pitta is hurt.
But the Ravens ultimately made improvements on defense and they still have a cast
that includes Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and
Torrey Smith behind an offensive line that
most teams would covet.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
3. Cincinnatti Bengals (9-7)
4. Cleveland Browns (6-10)
Atlanta will win the AFC North with
wild card going to New Orleans
ON THE RISE: Clearly it’s the Colts.
Andrew Luck was quick to give the franchise hope in the post-Manning era and
they bolstered the offense with Ahmad
Bradshaw and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Tight
end Coby Fleener could fill the roll as the
next great pass-catching TE for the Colts.
The defense wasn’t very good last season,
but the whole package was enough to notch
11 wins. If Luck is the new Manning, this
year needs to be a convincing step in that
direction.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: The
Houston Texans will never be the Cowboys
in the hearts of Texans, but they’re the best
football team in the state for now. Matt
Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson
give Houston one of the best big-3s in the
NFL, but Houston has plenty to go along
with them, including sack-machine J.J.
Watt and newly acquired safety Ed Reed.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. Houston Texas (11-5)
2. Indianapolis Colts (9-7)
3. Tennessee Titans (5-11)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
Houston will win the AFC South with a
possible spot for Indianapolis as well
ON THE RISE: Alex Smith was ready to
be a decent NFL quarterback in San
Francisco before Colin Kaepernick shot
into the ether. Smith joins a great cast in
Kansas City that includes Jamaal Charles
and Dwayne Bowe and new coach Andy
Reid, who is the kind of meat-and-potatoes
coach whom you assume will have a good
defense.
DIVISION FRONTRUNNER: It will be
fascinating to see if Peyton Manning can
use Wes Welker as well as Tom Brady did
in New England. The Broncos also added
Montee Ball, who figures to be the starting
RB. On the other side, Denver has one of
the NFL’s new stars on defense in thirdyear LB Von Miller, who posted 18.5 sacks
in 2012. The Broncos also have a pair of
stars at safety in Champ Bailey and
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
PROJECTED FINISH
1. Denver Broncos (12-4)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
3. San Diego Chargers (4-12)
4. Oakland Raiders (2-14)
Denver will win the AFC West with a
possible wild card spot fr Kansas City
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11
FANTASTY SPORTS
FOOTBALL
2013 Fantasy Football Strategy Guide
By Troy Testa
Special Contributor
troy.testa@yahoo.com
If you want to win your Fantasy
Football League in 2013 you need a plan.
A strategy. Something. You can't just go
into the draft and hope all the best players
fall in your lap, because chances are good
that your competitors know their stuff and
have done some homework. If you have a
job and a life, you probably haven't logged
the required hours of research needed to
take the 2013 Fantasy crown.
Fear not. Follow the strategy laid out
below and you are sure to finish in the
money. On these same pages a couple
years ago, yours truly provided a guide that
paid huge Fantasy dividends, yet only one
thank you email (your welcome mom).
Our first strategy for the 2013 season,
is to accumulate players that are playing
against the Saints. That means the more
players you compile from teams within the
NFC South that will play the Saints twice
the better. That's Atlanta, Tampa Bay and
Carolina for you scoring at home.
Last year, the Saints defense gave up
441 yards per game. That is an astonishingly bad 57 more yards *per game* than
the next worst defense in the league. The
7,040 yards given up by the Saints were
the most *ever* in the history of the NFL.
So what have the Saints done to address
the problem for 2013? They brought in the
over-hyped blow hard Rob Ryan to fix the
problem. As any Cowboy fan that watched
the Cowboys the last couple years will tell
you, Ryan is not the answer. In fact, things
could get worse for the Saints this season,
especially early while Ryan crams his over
sophisticated scheme down their confused
throats. Look for Matt Ryan to go nuts in
the season opener as the Saints defensive
backs look at each other wondering who in
the name of Pop Warner are they supposed
to cover on each play.
The second strategy is to accumulate
players in the NFC East. Both Washington
and the Giants finished in the bottom five
of the league in yards per game on defense
and Philadelphia was third worst in the
league in points per game allowing 27.8
per contest. Apologies to Monte Kiffin,
DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee, but Dallas
is breaking in a new scheme and just can't
seem to stay healthy long enough to see
what they could be if they could total the
sum of all their parts.
Now, in order to win your Fantasy
Football league you need to perform well
12
in four major aspects of the competition;
The draft, setting your lineup, picking up
free agents and then get lucky in the playoffs. We will discuss implementation of
our two guiding strategies within these four
categories below.
The Draft
If your draft is held at the local brewery, be sure not to over-serve yourself.
Stay sharp. Just like three beers makes the
frumpy, gap-toothed six at the bar a seven,
and six beers make her a take-home-special
eight and half, your fantasy team will be
unbeatable in your mind if you get sloppy
the night of the draft. Then morning
comes and you have text messages from
the 90s, saying they want their receivers
Jerry Rice and Terrell Ownes back.
In keeping with our Saints are the
worst defensive team ever strategy, take
Drew Brees if you can get him. The Saints
will have to outscore opponents to win, so
look for Brees and HC Sean Payton to
implement an up-tempo style offense,
where they will be trying to get as many
offensive snaps per game as possible.
Taking any QB from the NFC South should
pay dividends as well.
In a case like Bucs WR Vincent
Jackson, dont be afraid to reach a little to
get him. Jackson had the fifth most receiving yards last season with 1,384 and 8 TDs
and those numbers should go up with a
second year with QB Josh Freeman. Most
draft boards have Jackson between #10-#17
WR on the board. That's too high for a
player with his production that gets to play
the Saints twice.
Setting Your Lineup
Many Fantasy team owners have scuttled their season by mishandling their week
to week starters and losing a game or two
that they should have won. This is where
you can target statistically bad defenses
with your third WR or backup TE. Until
they prove otherwise, lining up your players against the NFC East defenses is a
good place to start.
Alternatively, for some people, having
to make a call on which of two average QB
options is best creates stress and the
inevitable Monday Morning
Quarterbacking of what you ultimately
should have done. If this is a problem for
you, find a trade partner who has worse
options than yours at that position and add
depth to another place on your roster.
Picking up Free Agents
This is the most difficult part of winning a Fantasy Football team because it
requires a little time. Many Fantasy teams
that start off 0-2 or worse get the privilege
of picking first on the waiver wire and free
agency. If you are off to a rocky start, this
is your chance to grab the over performer
nobody had heard of at the start of the year.
Last year, Packers starting WR Greg
Jennings was injured and little known
Randall Cobb was next man up to replace
him as the deep option of the Packer
attack. Cobb had 25 catches and one TD
in his career prior to the call up and he
responded with a breakout season with 80
catches for 954 yards and 8 TDs. Smart
Fantasy owners saw that Jennings went
down and lined up to add a major WR
force to their lineup.
Luck in the Playoffs
Anyone can beat anyone in Fantasy
playoffs. You can get extremely lucky or
unlucky depending on who your best players are facing come playoffs time. Your
job is to get your team into the playoffs.
By adding players within the NFC South
and players in the NFC East, you should
make the playoffs and give yourself a shot
at your league's ‘13 Fantasy Football Title.
2013 Fantasy Football Position
Rankings
QUARTERBACKS
#1 - Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints
Brees will attempt to become the first
quarterback in NFL history to pass for over
5,000 yards for three consecutive seasons.
Brees led the NFL in passing yards
(5,117) and TDs (46) last season and averaged 323.6 passing yards per game. Saints
horrific defense should keep Brees and the
offense gunning for TDs late into games.
#2 - Peyton Manning - Denver Broncos
Manning silenced his critics last year,
shaking off a neck injury and playing with
a new team by completing 400 passes
(68.6% completions)for 4,659 yards, 37
TDs and only 11 INTs. This year Manning
adds the best slot receiver in the game in
Wes Welker to the already potent receiving
combination of Demaryius Thomas and
Eric Decker. The Broncos have a run-bycommittee ground game (see porous), so
expect Manning to throw early and often.
August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
#3 -Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers
Rodgers threw for 4,295 yards and 39
TDs last year and led the league with a 108
QB rating. He was also sacked a leaguehigh 51 times. Both starting wideouts
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are out for
the preseason, but listed as probable
starters for the season opener. The addition
of Alabama RB Eddie Lacy will make the
Packers more balanced, but will also
reduce the number of pass attempts for
Rogers. Rodgers is arguably the best arm
talent in the NFL, but if the Packers continue to average 3 sacks a game, Rodgers
could get hurt.
#4 - Matt Ryan - Atlanta Falcons
Ryan has consistently put up solid if
not spectacular fantasy numbers the last
two years averaging 4,448 yards and 30.5
TDs. Ryan's passing yards totals have risen
every year since 2009 and with the return
of his favorite red zone target TE Tony
Gonzales, Ryan will take another step in
his ascension amongst the elite NFL QBs.
#5 - Matthew Stafford - Detroit Lions
Stafford has stayed healthy each of the
last two seasons, starting all 16 games and
averaging 5,002 passing yards and 30.5
TDs per season. Targeting the game's best
WR in Calvin Johnson and with little to no
running game, Stafford is an elite Fantasy
QB option. The addition of RB/WR
Reggie Bush to move the chains, should
help this offense and keep Stafford on the
field for more yards and additional points.
Sleeper:
Tony Romo - The Cowboys spent their
first three draft picks on an offense that finished sixth last year in offensive yards per
game at 374.6. Romo has more red zone
target options now and has much better
chemistry with WR Dez Bryant. who is
poised for a career season. Only Brees and
Stafford averaged more yards per game
than Romo's 306.4 last year, so if your
Fantasy Commissioner awards bonus
points for 300 yard passing games, Romo
is an excellent option.
Overrated:
Tom Brady - New England Patriots
Tom Terrific keeps losing his top targets
and no matter how good he is as a QB, the
effect will take its toll this year. Wes
Welker, his top target WR is gone as is
alleged gang-banging murderer Aaron
Hernandez. His other top receiving option
Rob Gronkowski is out after another surgery and is not expected back until week 3
or 4 at the earliest. Brady has thrown for
401 completions in each of the last two
seasons and is averaging 5,031 yards and
36.5 TDs per season, so he shouldn't be
dismissed. Just don't reach too soon as this
could be a tough year on the aging veteran.
2013 Fantasy Football Position Rankings
RUNNINGBACKS
#1 -Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings
Last year Peterson came back from a
knee injury and shocked the football world
by rushing for the second highest single
season total in NFL history with 2,097
yards and scoring 12 TDs. No other RB
was within 400 yards of Peterson's output.
With an improving QB in Christian Ponder
keeping defenses honest, Peterson should
be the first player off the board in most
Fantasy drafts in 2013.
#2 - Arian Foster - Houston Texans
With Peterson coming off knee surgery
last year, Foster became the consensus first
RB taken and he did not disappoint rushing
for 1,424 yards and 15 TDs. Houston
remains a run first offense and nobody had
more carries than Foster per game last year
averaging 21.9 attempts per contest. Foster
has more offensive touches (1,115) than
any other player in the NFL since 2010.
More touches equals more Fantasy goodness for Foster.
#3 - Marshawn Lynch -Seattle Seahawks
"Beast Mode" is Lynch's moniker for
his fourth quarter bruising rushing style,
where he becomes next to impossible to
tackle. Sadly for defenses around the
league, Lynch has started entering Beast
Mode earlier and has become a dominant
force in the NFL. In the last two years,
Lynch has finished second in total yards
and third in rushing TDs. Expect more
touches and more production from a back
already averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
#4 - Doug Martin - Tampa Bay Bucs
The Muscle Hamster averaged 20 carries for 91 yards per game on his way to
1,454 yards and 11 TDs as a rookie last
year for the Bucs. Martin played all 16
games and added 49 catches for 472 yards,
showing not only can he stay healthy for a
season, but he is an every down back.
Expect Martin to finish in the top 5 in
rushing yards and TDs in 2013. Added
bonus that you get to yell, "Go Muscle
Hamster" at the TV.
#5- LeSean McCoy - Philadelphia Eagles
Most Fantasy position rankings barely
have McCoy in the Top 10, but the addition
of Chip Kelly and his fast paced offense is
absolutely perfect for McCoy's speed
game. Elusive in space and faster than
every linebacker he faces twice on the NFC
East, McCoy is poised for a breakout season. Expect at least a 1,000 yards rushing
with 10TDs and another 350 receiving yds.
Sleeper
Alfred Morris - Washington Redskins
Morris was the only RB not named
Adrian Peterson to finish the season averaging over 100 yards per game rushing.
Besides his production last year, Morris
received a healthy 21 rush attempts per
game and his bruising style means he stays
on the field in goal line situations, where
he scored 13 TDs last season. Morris may
regress a little with QB RGIII coming off
an injury, but he could be a steal if he falls
to you late and you need a RB.
Overrated
Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens
Rice is steady but not spectacular and
this year the yards will be harder to come
by with the losses of TE Dennis Pitta and
WR Anquan Boldin. Rice seems to be
everyone's top 5 Fantasy darling, yet he
didnt finish last year in the top 10 in rushing yards. Let other players go early for
Rice.
your own peril. All he does is produce,
game after game and year after year. In the
last three seasons, White has missed one
game and averaged 103.2 catches, 1,345
yards and 8 TDs.
#4 Brandon Marshall - Chicago Bears
Reunited with QB Jay Cutler last year,
Marshall posted career numbers with 118
receptions for 1,508 yards and 11 TDs.
But he is a top 5 Fantasy WR because of
the whopping 188 targets he received last
year, second most in the NFL.
#5 - Vincent Jackson - Tampa Bay Bucs
Jackson became perhaps the first and
only NFL free agent to sign a huge guaranteed deal ($26 Mil), then have a career year
producing career highs in catches (69) and
yards (1,334). Jackson is a big body and a
deep threat, leading NFL receivers with at
least 12 catches with an average of 19.2
yards per catch.
Sleeper
Jason Witten - Dallas Cowboys
Witten led all TEs in receptions last
year and his 110 catches were fifth most in
the entire NFL. The only Fantasy knock
on Witten last year was he only scored
three TDs. Witten was targeted 150 times
in 2013 or nine time per game and the
more touches the more Fantasy goodness
for your team.
fizzle out in the red zone. Last year,
Detroit finished third in yards per game at
408.8, but averaged only 23.2 points per
game (17th). Hanson also delivers on long
kicks, going 16 of 19 on field goals
between 40-49 yards.
#3 - Dan Bailey - Dallas Cowboys
Last season the Cowboys finished sixth
in total yards per game at 374.6, but ranked
15th in points per game at 23.5. Bailey is
incredibly accurate connecting on 29 of 31
attempts, including 7-7 from 40-49 yards
and 3 of 5 from 50+.
#4 - Sebastian Janikowski - Oakland
Automowski is a machine when it
comes to kicking the football. Once again
he finished amongst the league leaders in
accuracy at 91.2%, hitting 31 of 34 with
his only three misses coming on 50+ yard
attempts. If your league scores more
points for longer kicks, Janikowski is a
great pickup.
#5 - Phil Dawson - Cleveland Browns
Dawson plays outdoors in foul weather
with a mediocre offense, but he remains a
solid Fantasy kicker option. He tied for
first in accuracy amongst regular starters,
hitting 29 of 31 (93.5%). But he really
proved his worth on the long balls, hitting
7-7 from 50+ yards and 6-6 from 40-49.
DEFENSE
Overrated
Andre Johnson - Houston Texans
Johnson quietly had the second most
receiving yards in the league last year with
1,598. But his forty players hit pay dirt
more often than Johnson's 4 TDs last year.
He doesn't have breakaway speed and isn't
the offensive focus inside the red zone.
#1 Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks allowed the fewest
points per game in the league last season. It
was also the fourth best in terms of
yardage allowed. The Seahawks recorded
eight games with double-digit fantasy
points last season. Their biggest game was
a 39-point explosion against the Arizona.
#2 San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' staunch defense finished in
the top four in each of rushing and passing
yards against. It allowed the second-fewest
points against in 2013 and made life a
nightmare for opposing QB’s last season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
#1 - Calvin Johnson - Detroit Lions
Johnson is easily the first WR off the
board and most services have him as a top
10 overall pick. Last year, Megatron had
an unearthly 122 receptions for 1,964 yards
to become the first Fantasy WR to capture
back to back point crowns in a decade.
#2 Dez Bryant - Dallas Cowboys
Look for Bryant to improve on his
career season last year, where he caught 92
passes for 1,382 yards and 12 TDs. The
one-on-one battles he is fighting and winning in practice with CBs Claiborne and
Carr will translate to monster numbers versus inferior NFC East DBs come Sundays.
#3 Roddy White - Atlanta Falcons
Leave White off your Fantasy team at
#3 Houston Texans
J.J. Watt is a force to be reckoned with
on the defensive line. Ed Reed came over
from Baltimore to patrol the secondary, and
linebacker Brian Cushing looks to have
recovered from a torn ACL.
KICKERS
#1 - Blair Walsh - Minnesota
Nobody made more field goals than
Walsh's 35 last year and he did it while
taking only 38 attempts. But what makes
Walsh arguably the best kicker in Fantasy
football is his accuracy on long attempts.
Walsh connected on an unbelievable 10-10
from 50+ yards.
#2 - Jason Hanson - Detroit Lions
The best Fantasy kickers can be found
on dome teams, with great offenses that
#4 Chicago Bears
The Bears led the league with 10
defensive TD’s last year and 44 takeaways.
The big-name players are back in 2013.
#5 The Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens defense is the fifth and
final defense worth the reach. This is a unit
that lost Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe, Ed
Reed and Paul Kruger after last season. Yet
it's still going to produce. Elvis Dumervil
landed in Baltimore from Denver, and
Chris Canty joined the front seven as well.
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COLLEGE
FOOTBALL
Tussle of the Uncertains: SMU Hosts Tech on ESPN
By Bo Carter
Special Contributor
scarter5@mail.twu.edu
Texas Tech vs SMU
Friday, August 30, 2013
Ford Stadium, 7:00PM, ESPN
One thing is certain: SMU and Texas
Tech have mounds of uncertainties entering
their 2013 season opener Friday at 7 p.m.
at Ford Stadium when the Mustangs host
the Red Raiders in an ESPN national telecast.
For starters (pardoning the pun), the
Mustangs have to find a replacement for
All-Conference USA RB Zach Line (4,185
career yards rushing on 778 carries, and CUSA-record 47 touchdowns), and the Red
Raiders must replace graduated QB Seth
Doege who amassed 8,636 passing yards,
69 passing touchdowns, was 819-for-1,187
passing of which most of these stats were
over the last two campaigns.
SMU also has to plug several holes
along the front seven with newcomers and
transfers while the Red Raiders bring a relatively inexperienced (by Raider standards)
offense into a tough road atmosphere concentrated with thousands of friendly
Metroplex TTU alumni in the stands.
The Mustangs who have daily closed
practices have been enthused in recent days
over the upgraded health and speed of the
secondary, which will undergo the test of
possibly 60-65 pass attempts by the airminded Tech crew and debuting head
coach Kliff Kingsbury. The 33-year-old
Kingsbury was one of former TTU head
coach Mike Leach’s mainstays at quarterback when Tech teams routinely passed for
4,000-plus yards and rolled up 5,000-plus
yards of total offense while making annual
bowl trips.
“We know what kind of offense we
will be facing in an attacking group of
Texas Tech players,” said veteran
Mustangs’ head coach June Jones, starting
his 15th season overall (1999-2007 at
Hawai’i and 2008-present on The Hilltop)
with 107 collegiate wins. It’s also the
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beginning of his 31st season in the college
or pro coaching profession overall after a
six-year career in pro football (NFL and
CFL). “This is a tough opening game.”
Jones’ cautious optimism about the
2013 campaign also finds him pleased with
the development of young linebacking
corps and redshirt freshman QB Neal
Burcham, an Arkansas High School AllAmerica in 2011 and strong-armed passer
behind returning starter Garrett Gilbert in a
position where there is co experienced
depth. He also passed for 353 yards and
four TDs in a big victory over Houston last
fall and is a definite “given” in this opener
of multiple question marks for both teams.
Youngsters such as Deion Sanders Jr.
in the returning of kicks and “seasoned”
sophomore receiver Darius Joseph also are
projected contributors for the Ponies while
immediate run game impact may come
from transfer Traylon Snead, who started
his career at Texas, moved to Navarro
College and rolled to 1,194 yards and 17
TDs as a sophomore last season.
If Snead and Zach Line’s redshirt
freshman brother Prescott Line can cover
some infantry ground, SMU’s prospects for
a school-record fifth consecutive bowl
game cannot be out of the question. Of
course, Baylor, Texas A&M and Montana
still await in non-league play before the
Mustangs start inaugural competition in the
retooled American Athletic Conference
with the likes of Louisville, Rutgers,
Houston, and other probable bowl contenders.
Texas Tech football has the added burden of a back injury to projected starting
quarterback Michael Brewer, who emerged
from spring workouts as No. 1 or near the
top of the depth chart. Brewer has missed
over two weeks of work and is a major
unknown factor in the opening game
scheme.
Texas Tech defensive coordinator Matt
Wallerstedt also has expressed chagrin over
the possibility of having to deal with the
imaginative minds of both Jones and runand-shoot mastermind Hal Mumme who is
associate head coach at SMU in 2013 after
head coaching stops at Valdosta State,
Kentucky, New Mexico State, and
McMurry (which he took to postseason
play for the first time in school history in
recent years).
Standouts returning for the Red
Raiders such as safety Tre’ Porter, RB
Kenny Williams (143 carries for 824 yards,
a 5.8 average, long gainer of 47 yards, and
five TDs in the pass-oriented Tech attack)
and senior returning receiving leader wideout Eric Ward (82 catches for 1,053 yards
and 12 TDs) give hope that Tech can withstand the Mustangs’ offensive onslaught
and give plenty back in return even if the
quarterback situation is unsettled.
Texas Tech is expected to roll out a 3-4
defense under Wallerstedt (but who
knows), and the blitz and defensive confusion packages may be more like the Spike
Dykes’ coaching era than Leach’s days
when the defenses were relatively unknown
factors – especially to the colorful Leach
who spent all his time in meeting with the
offensive players and coaches.
Wallerstedt also promises some of the
old Air Force multiple defenses, which
were effective against bigger and faster
teams with multiple schemes and players
coming at quarterbacks from 10 different
directions seemingly.
That might be the biggest variable of
the contest if the team play to a score evidenced by a not-so-distant Tech-SMU bout
at Ford Stadium. That was a 24-14 defensive struggle in which the Red Raiders
were throwing toward the goal on the final
two plays of the game and the outcome little in doubt.
That triumph in Dallas left a little more
bitter taste in this rivalry, which dates back
to a 6-0 Tech win over the Mustangs in
1932 and in which the Red Raiders have
captured 14 consecutive games since 1989.
August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
SMU’s final team before the NCAA Death
Penalty edged Tech 13-7 at Lubbock in
1986 for the Ponies’ most recent series triumph.
SMU also is planning a popular
“whiteout” with free T-Shirts could have as
many as 10,000 Mustang partisans decked
out in white shirts. It’s the fifth consecutive
year for that promotion, and that could signal a bit of good fortune as the previous
four teams with whiteout openers advanced
to postseason play.
And in a move reminiscent of the
kindler, gentler days of the gridiron game,
fans will have access to special
$20 lawn passes for the grassy area in the
west end zone of Ford Stadium. Wistfully,
from the old days many drove horse and
buggy contraptions or early gasoline-powered cars along the sidelines of olden football facilities at both SMU and Texas Tech.
And some of the ghosts of those
ancient contests just might be around
Dallas to make maters even more complicated for two teams having to feel out just
about every aspect of their two game plans
in one of college football’s most intriguing
openers Friday night.
###
BASEBALL
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS
Rua joins the 30-home-run-club with first AA homer
Would you believe that a 17th round
draft pick from 2011 with 11 professional
home runs entering this season would end
up in the 30s in his home run count? Ryan
Rua has done just that this season.
The former Lake Erie College standout
went deep to lead off the bottom of the
third on against the Springfield Cardinals
for his first Double-A home run and his
30th this season. He has the fifth-most
homers in the minors this season.
The Rangers have had other players
reach the 30 home run mark in the minors.
Here’s at look at some from recent years:
Joey Gallo (this season), Mike Bianucci
(30 in 2009 and 2011), Nelson Cruz (37 in
2008) and Ian Gac (32 in 2008).
The 23-year-old is in his third year of
professional baseball after getting drafted
by the Rangers in the 17th round of the
2011 June Amateur Draft (same round as
former San Antonio Missions pitcher Matt
Stites who was traded to the
Diamondbacks in July in the Ian Kennedy
deal). Ryan is the first player to ever be
drafted out of Lake Erie College in
Painesville, Ohio.
If it seems he just came out of
nowhere this season, that because he really
did. In 2011 with AZL Rangers and
Spokane, Ryan knocked just four long
balls. Playing for Spokane in 2012, Rua
launched seven homers.
2013 has been a breakout year for the
Amherst, Ohio native. In Hickory, Ryan
slammed 29 home runs in 104 games and
367 at-bats. Ryan earned the promotion to
the RoughRiders on August 8, and he
knocked his 30th homer of the season and
his first at the Double-A level in his seventh game with Frisco.
This season, Ryan is second only to
Hickory third baseman Joey Gallo for the
most home runs in the Rangers system.
Rua also leads the Rangers system.
courtesy Frosco Roughriders
By Ryan Garrett
Special Contributor
media@ridersbaseball.com
the season against the Tulsa Drillers at Dr
Pepper Ballpark, The ‘Riders claimed an
improbable 6-5 win in 13 innings after
trailing 5-1 in the ninth. Frisco scored four
runs thanks to three singles, two errors and
a bases loaded walk, taking the game into
extras. After three scoreless extra innings,
Luis Sardinas doubled to open the 13th and
then Rougned Odor singled to right field to
bring in the winning run.
In game two of the series on Saturday,
Frisco trailed for the majority of the game,
just like the night before. Down 5-1 entering the last three frames, the ‘Riders scored
a run in the seventh and two in the eighth,
down by one heading to the ninth. With
two runners in scoring position, Sardinas
knocked a base hit to bring the tying run in
and then 19-year-old Odor singled to leftcenter to score the winning run for the
RoughRiders’ sixth walk-off of the season.
The ‘Riders swept the series on Sunday,
overpowering the Drillers in a 10-4 victory.
The RoughRiders are down to their last
three series of the season, and return to Dr
Pepper Ballpark on Saturday, August 24 for
the final home stand. Frisco will play
Midland for three games and the Corpus
Christi Hooks for four. The last day to see
the 2013 ‘Riders at home is Friday, August
30.
Rougned Odor, Frisco’s two-time walkoff hero
In game one of Frisco’s final series of
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17
FOOD REVIEW
By RICHARD POLLAK
Nothing beats Bob’s Staek And Chop House
smashed potatoes or skillet fried potatoes
topped with sautéed onions and peppercorn
gravy. Fantastic!
By Richard S. Pollak
The Traveling Gourmet
dallasentertain@aol.com
You can just ask my neighbor, next door,
on page 19, Norm Hitzges from Sports
Radio 1310 The Ticket and he will tell you
that Bob's Steak and Chop House is the
best steak house in DFW.
Just call for reservations and you will
her Norm himself tell it like it is, that Bob's
is so great that they don't even have to put
any Garnish on the plate. He continues on
his pre-recorded endorsement, as you wait
to make reservations at this truly stylist
Steak House, like Steak Houses are meant
to be.
Each mouthwatering Steak come with
a giant carrot. I finally learned the secret
receipe from Jodi, our server. Prepared in
Cinnamon, lots of Brown Sugar and who'd
guess, Orange Juice then covered in a special glaze. I couldn't wait to get to slice
into that gorgeous carrot even before testing my Steak for proper doneness.
Who needs to even test their Prime
Ribeye, Prime "Coute De Bouef" Bone-In
Ribeye, Filet Mignon, Bone-In Kansas City
Strip, T-Bone, Porterhouse or New York
Strip for doneness, it's always perfect. It
comes with a choice of baked potato,
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We started my wife's Birthday celebration with a Amuse Bouse of thinly sliced
Filet Mignon covered in light Horseradish
on a Crostini and topped with crispy finely
Fried Onion Rings. Then we had 3 deliciously Grilled Jumbo Shrimp that were
wrapped in bacon and stuffed with a
Serrano Pepper. I let my wife have the
extra crustacean after I ordered the Soup of
the Day, my favorite, the Lobster Bisque
with a fine Sherry pour.
After a perfectly Chopped Salad with Extra
Bacon and no Heart of Palms was perfectly
covered in Bob's unique Honey Poppy
Salad Dressings. It was all too much to
devour as my Perfectly Grilled Full Rack
of Lamb approached our coazy booth. I
headed right for the Glazed Carrot then
only a big chunk of Lamb before I sent the
rest of my meal packing for another
evening at home. Remember,I had just
returned from a week's vacation in Hawaii,
and then the Bahamas, so I had to be
graceful on my home turf with my wife's
Birthday dessert still approaching.
Bob's is a fabulous place for the entire
family for any celebration. OMG! The
Brownie Dessert appears to be served
"family style" as my wife, of Hotel St.
Germain Management fame, commented,
"Now that's the size a Brownie should be
served."
I've been reading my neighbor Norm's
column every week BUT I am even more
excited to agree to his recommendation
that Bob's Steak and Chop House is the
Best in DFW.
My rack of lamb was perfectly french cut and perfectly cut with fantastic flavor
August 23, 2013 - August 29, 2013 | The Sports Page Weekly | Volume 11 Issue 52 | sportspagedfw.com | follow us on twitter @sportspagdfw
TICKET WINDOW
Norm visit’s with former Mav Derek Harper
Norm: I’m going to start by
asking you about the Mavericks
that have been assembled this
year.
Harper: Yes
Norm: From the outside, it
looks like a pretty solid offensive
team with pretty significant defensive questions. Would you agree?
Harper: I would have to agree
with that and when you talk about
that offense I think you have to
start with the backcourt. Number
one, you bring in like Ellis and a
guy like Jose Calderon. Devin
Harris, a guy that has been a
Maverick prior to coming back this
offseason. Its solid, because in
order to be successful, especially
in the system that Rick Carlisle
runs, you really have to have great
guard play. And all due respect to
Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo,
some nights their decision making.
You could raise a question mark
with their decision making. And I
think bringing in those veteran
guys. Monta can score the basketball, a lot of talk about him being
the Robin to Dirk clearly being
Batman still, at the ladder part of
his career. I just think that when
you start talking playoff basketball, who have to find a way to be
solid defensively and that’s where
Dallas is going to really up the
ante and find a way to be consistent. I’m not talking about one
night and then take five nights off.
To be consistently good on the
defensive end you really have to
pay attention to detail.
Norm: Having played for
many coaches in the league.
Having any role as an analyst seeing loads of coaches in the league,
how good is coach Carlisle?
Harper: I say right up there
with the Popovich’s and the great
coaches that are in the league right
now. I don’t think you are going to
find a player or GM in the NBA
that wouldn’t take a guy like
Coach Carlisle. And I think the
thing that makes Rick so good is
how persistent he is about his system and what he wants done. He
doesn’t waiver regardless or just
being around the team on a regular
basis. I’ve never seen a guy that
no matter what’s going on in the
outside, on the inside, its detail,
its detail and its paying attention
to detail. It’s getting guys ready
and I think he knows when to turn
the light switch off and when to
turn it on as far as disciplining
guys and jumping his team, which
you have to do throughout an 82
game season. And, I just think he
gets it, especially on the offensive
end. He’s very clever and cunning
on the offensive end.
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