Tom Terrific’s Day Of Futility

In the real-world of the NFL, Tom Brady’s 140-yard, no TD, one INT day can be chalked up to some tough weather and the inability to adapt well to it. After all, the Patriots won the game and they will march on. But, many if not most fantasy football teams who have relied on Brady to get them where they were today will not march on. Brady is having one of the all-time great seasons for a quarterback- everybody knows that- but in the world of fantasy football, he may get remembered as much for what he did in Week 15 as he will for what he has done all season long to this point. Is that fair? Probably not. But, Brady’s counterpart (who hadn’t played in weeks) was able to throw for 46 more yards than Brady (albeit on more attempts), which has to make one think that better totals were indeed possible.

An example of how bizarre all of this was came from a game in my primary league where Aaron Stecker scored more than four times the number of points that Brady did in a head-to-head match up. Stecker, for what it’s worth, played in a dome.

We’ve been saying it here at the Buzz for weeks (and we get a lot of stuff wrong here, too): Location matters in December. Want more proof? Here you go...

Warm Weather Climates = Friendly Yardage Totals

Give it up for the three top QBs for the day in terms of passing yardage...and where did they play today? New Orleans, Miami, and San Diego. Certainly, Drew Brees having a big day was of little surprise, but Cleo Lemon and Jon Kitna also threw for 300 yards plus in games played where the air wasn’t cold. Rounding out the top five in yardage were Peyton Manning (in Oakland) and Matt Hasselbeck (in Carolina). All in all, passing games suffered today for the most part as they often do in December, but if you were wise enough to go with a QB playing outside of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, you likely got rewarded. At least Big Ben and David Garrard found ways to throw touchdowns...even if accumulating yards was like accumulating seashells in the middle of Kansas.

The Moral Of The Story: Running Backs Reign Supreme

That’s right. When the weather grounds the air attack, you have to rely on your “studs” to get you across the finish line. Today’s big-time performances from running backs demonstrate that while the position has been de-valued this year in the eyes of many, you’ve still got to have a guy to carry the load at crunch time.

Steven Jackson: I don’t know if many Steven Jackson owners were in the playoffs this year. His early season injuries caused a lot of teams to take on water in September and October. But, if you survived all of that, he has been fabulous down the stretch. Today’s 170 yard, 1 TD performance against a solid Green Bay run defense was another reminder of why Jackson will be a top five pick again next August.

Jamal Lewis: I thought Lewis would grind to a halt not long after his huge performance vs. the Bengals in Week Two. Man, have I been wrong. Lewis is having a huge bounce back season and today showed again that he is going to be on the roster of many a fantasy football champion when it’s all said and done. And, guess who he gets to play next week if you’re playing for a championship? That’s right...it’s those Bengals again.

Fred Taylor: Like Lewis, Taylor just seems to be getting stronger as the season reaches its conclusion. If you inserted him in your lineup each of the last two weeks, you got maximum return on your investment. Taylor is becoming a sentimental choice for going to his first Pro Bowl in February. He’s also carving out his name in fantasy football lore for those who are left and have been astute enough to get him in their lineups of late.

Clinton Portis: As any fantasy football vet can tell you- when Portis is healthy, he’s money in December.

And, Then There Were Those Other Two “Stud” Running Backs

Don’t get me wrong. LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook both had solid to superb days. But, if you came up just short of winning your game yesterday, you’re not talking about what they did, but what they DIDN”T do...

LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns. All one could ask for, right? Well, yes and no. Those were Tomlinson’s rushing totals...in the FIRST HALF. If you were following the Chargers game online, you had to be thinking Tomlinson was on his way to an all-time great game after those first thirty minutes. The problem was: Tomlinson never played a down in the second half. And, seldom used Darren Sproles ran wild, surpassing Tomlinson’s first half totals with his own post-intermission show.

As for Westbrook, if you lost by 6 points or less, the play will live in infamy from this point forward. Most of you have seen it by now if you didn’t watch it live. With two minutes to go vs. Dallas, Westbrook broke free for an easy touchdown run, but opted instead of going into the end zone to slide down at the one-yard line with nobody near him. The Eagles proceeded to run out the clock. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. But, the play fit in with the theme of the day just perfectly, so who am I to question it...

Surprises/Disappointments

As mentioned last week, the Buzz is going to briefly look back this morning at our choices for Biggest Surprises and Disappointments during this 2007 fantasy season. Unless you’ve advanced deep into your league’s playoffs, you too are beginning to reflect upon what was and wasn’t this season, so we’ll join you in that now:

Biggest Surprise of the 2007 Fantasy Football Season: The Cleveland Browns’ Offense

From the amazing rise of Derek Anderson as an every-week starting fantasy QB, to the comeback of Jamal Lewis, to the break-out seasons enjoyed by Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, Jr., nothing surprised me more in 2007 than this bunch. It just goes to show that when you’re looking at a team before the season starts, don’t ever forget to take notice of an up and coming offensive line. The Rams’ fantasy dynasty during the first part of this decade was built on that principle. The Browns were considered a fantasy waste land essentially in the fifteen years prior to this one. Quite a turn around indeed.

Honorable Mention: The resurrection of Randy Moss & the beginning of the Adrian Peterson era.

Biggest Disappointment of the 2007 Fantasy Football Season: First Round Redraft Running Back Selections

The names will only cause pain to most as they fill this paragraph: Shaun Alexander, Rudi Johnson, Travis Henry, Laurence Maroney...heck, even guys like Frank Gore and Reggie Bush fell way short of expectations. Usually, one or maybe two running backs grabbed early flop each year but in 2007, it was a theme we touched on here at the Buzz all year long. It was not the year of the running back. Especially the guys noted above.

Honorable Mention: Lee Evans. There are probably other solid choices of note, but I rode this rollercoaster all year long...and it wasn’t pleasant.

The Tight End That Came to Play:

I’ve been trying to figure out which tight end amongst the “Big Four” was going to come up the biggest here at the end of the season. Well, today, one guy shone above the rest. Jason Witten was the man you wanted to have. If you had Gates, Gonzalez, or Winslow, the day left you feeling empty. Only the Witten owner got the bang for the buck that was anticipated and hoped for.

Well, that’s it for another week here at the Buzz. Next week will be our final edition for this 2007 season and we’ll be doing some fun stuff to celebrate that by way of review and looking ahead. I hope you’ll stop by to check it all out. I need Adrian Peterson to stay cooled off tonight. Some of you may need him to bust loose. Look for the latter to happen rather than the former as I go down and others rejoice. Have a great week, everybody...Happy Holidays from the Buzz and God Bless!