NFL
By Ryan McGowan
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2004, 8:04 PM: We’re live from Gillette Stadium in scenic Foxboro, Massachusetts. Well, we’re not actually live from there, we’re live from my living room in the just-as-scenic Oak Square neighborhood in Boston. But we can pretend we’re in the Big Razor tonight for opening night of the 2004 NFL season between the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and last year’s AFC Championship finalists, the Indianapolis Colts.
Opening day of the NFL season is probably the second best day in all of sports; number 1 being the first round of the NCAA tourney, which actually spans two days, but you know what I mean. So, instead of doing my usual post-game Eagles analysis, I’m going to cover the entire week 1. I couldn’t watch every game but with Sunday Ticket and by the grace of God, I was able to watch a hell of a lot of football.
The NFL season is almost upon us. I know I’m not the only person out there studying NFL depth charts for the purpose of having the best possible fantasy football team. What is it about the NFL that makes the most popular and exciting fantasy sport? Well it’s really quite simple.
We’re back! The Sportscolumn.com Football experts are returning this year with your weekly picks and your Locks of the Week. After kicking the ESPN experts’ ass last year, we feel confident we can outpick them again this year. So here we go.
Still haven’t done your draft? Here’s Big Philly’s one stop excel spreadsheet with ranking for QB, RB, WR, TE, K and Defense. It’s just been updated so you’ve got the last minute ranking changes based on preseason play.
Download the 2004 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet in excel format here.
If you want personalized advice from the Fantasy Guru, check our our forums.
The EAST league draft has come to a close and it was a resounding success. 10 out of 10 owners were in attendance and the time flew by!
The New York Giants are coming off a season in which they finished 4-12. The squad quit on their coach, and watched their starting Quarterback skip town. A new coach and seemingly new attitude is pervading throughout “big blue” camp, but there is one pressing question remaining on the offensive side of the ball. Who will be under center come Opening Day? Daniel Collins, host of “Sports Propaganda”, explains why the answer is simple, and the future is now.
Three teams with a vile hatred for each other once again resume their on going battle for AFC West supremacy. Denver and Kansas City both head into the 2004 NFL season trying to shake the nightmare of countless Peyton Manning TD passes; I think Brandon Stokley just scored again. While Oakland is still trying to fathom that Rick Mirer was their starting quarterback for half the season. All three teams have a legitimate shot to snatch the AFC Western crown in the upcoming season and below are my predictions. Don’t worry San Diego fans I didn’t forget about your beloved Chargers. I threw in a blurb about the `Bolts since they do have a shot at the division, well technically anyway.
Two playoff contending teams, two young quarterbacks, two legacies to prove. Chad Pennington and Mike Vick are a duo of fiery youngsters with unlimited potential and boundless jubilance. Both men started their careers illustriously as Pennington led the Jets past the first round of the playoffs in 2002, and Vick revolutionized the definition of a playmaker, while earning his spot as the poster boy for the Madden cover.
Both quarterbacks also suffered the horrific fate that all rookie stars dread, injury. Having fully recovered from injuries that had them sidelined for most of last season, these young superstars are out to show the world they belong in football.
Two vastly different players with the same goal in mind, to win. The only question now: whom would you take, Pennington or Vick?
It is never too early to start speculating which NFL head coaches are in trouble. With up to a third of the teams changing coaches each year, keeping up with the status of head coaches has become a habit for serious NFL fans. Some casinos have started betting lines on who will be the first coach fired. As another NFL season is about to begin, it is appropriate to evaluate the state of each Head Coach.