Football Diary

Football Diary-By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online
[Saturday Edition]

Dear Diary

The Pursuit of Excellence

One down and one more to go this week. Earlier on Thursday night the Colts continued their pursuit of excellence remaining undefeated. It took a late 4th quarter drive by Peyton Manning the Colts to hold off the upstart Jaguars, but that has been characteristic of this team all season long. Now tonight we'll get to see act two with the Saints and the Cowboys.

Like the Colts the New Orleans Saints have been making it fashionable to pull out late game comebacks and rallys, and for fantasy owners it has truly been a committee responsible for the work. Drew Brees (3,832-yards, 32 touchdowns) is the only constant in the Saints offensive attack and has proven to be one of the best fantasy players the past couple of seasons. This season in the team's run for perfection, Brees has used a committee of receivers to get the job done that include' Marques Colston (9 touchdowns), Robert Meachem (8 touchdowns), Devery Henderson (43 receptions), Jeremy Shockey (48 receptions), Dave Thomas (22 receptions), and Reggie Bush (39 receptions).

The committee does not stop there with both running backs Mike Bell (598 yards rushing) and Pierre Thomas (713 yards rushing) being significant contributors on the ground this season. Not only is it difficult for fantasy owners to know which Saints dice to roll, but tonight for the Dallas Cowboys their defense will face a monumental task in trying to stop this Saints offense.

Brees has been spectacular that past couple of weeks, passing for 296-yards, 419-yards, and 371-yards, while throwing a total of 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys secondary had fits trying to cover the Charger's receivers last week and they won't catch any kind of a break this week. This one could get ugly fast.
(Editors note: this was written prior to last night's Late result: Dallas Beat New Orleans)

Fantasy Notes:

The Broncos super-stud receiver Brandon Marshall has gone from the doghouse to the outhouse and has now arrived in the penthouse. In his last three starts he has 34 receptions for 380 yards and three touchdowns and will have a good matchup on Sunday against the Raiders. In the first meeting Marshall caught five balls for 67 yards and a score.

The Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has been running the ball well over the past month. In his last five games Charles is averaging 91 yards rushing and over five yards a carry. He has also scored a touchdown in his last three starts and has five total in his last five starts. He has a favorable matchup this week against the Browns 29th ranked run defense.


10 Things on
My Sunday Watch-List

1. The only chance the Bills will have Sunday, they have to get the ball into the hands of Terrell Ownes, can they?
2. Last week against the Steelers Josh Cribbs and Chris Jennings combined for 160 yards on the ground; how will they do against the Chiefs?
3. The Jets running back Thomas Jones has been solid in 2009 and will undoubtedly be featured on Sunday against the Falcons; will he top 100-yards for the sixth time this season?
4. Last week an injured Matt Schaub stepped up and tossed for 365 yards. Can the Texans quarterback do it again?
5. The Titans running back Chris Johnson has been on a tear with Vince Young under center. Young will play Sunday and I will be watching Mr. Johnson.
6. On Monday night Kurt Warner and the Cardinals passing game could not get off the ground. I expect to see great redemption on Sunday against the Lions 32nd (last) ranked pass defense.
7. The Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno has yet to top 100-yards this season; he should get plenty of carries to do just that on Sunday against the Raiders.
8. With Westbrook and Maclin, can McNabb and Jackson light up the Niners secondary just as they did the Giants last week?
9. Last week the Steelers dropped their five game in a row, can Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense make it a six-Pack!
10. And like all of the NFL nation I too will be watching Ochocinco and the Bengals on Sunday as we all remember Slim!!

Friday Football Diary(Saturday Edition)-By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online

Friday Football Diary-By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online
[Saturday Edition]

Dear Diary

Week 12 presents one of the biggest and likely one of the most anticipated matchups this season. Just like the Colts and Patriots in week 10 gave us one fot he ages, this Monday night when the Patriots visit the Sainst this matchup promises to be just that and everything more!

A Classic in the Making

There's no secret that both the Patriots and the Saints are loaded with tremendous talent on offense and have one of the premiere passers in today's game. Monday night's matchup promises to be a great matchup of two high scoring potented offenses.

Over their past five games the Patriots have scored no fewer than 27 points and are averaging 37 points per game. Their offense has been led by none other than quarterback Tom Brady (3,049 yards) who has passed for over 300-yards in each of the five games. Brady has also sprayed 14 touchdowns in the same time span. With his two trusty receivers Randy Moss (eight touchdowns) and Wes Welker (79 receptions), expect Brady's bunch to continue the show.

The Saints on the other hand boast just as an explosive offense as the Patriots, but they are finding more balance ways to put points on the board. Quarterback Drew Brees (22 touchdowns) still leads the offense with his plethora of receiving options; Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Jeremy Shockey, but this year the Saints have added balance with a running attack. Both running backs Pierre Thomas (584 yards) and Mike Bell (514 yards) anchor the leagues 5th ranked rushing attack.

When these two teams meet on Monday night, it will be a fantasy owner's dream matchup with big plays, lots of yards, and plenty of scores.

Fantasy Notes:

While some of Brees passing numbers are down (274 passing yards per game) this season, he's become more efficient with over 68 percent of his passes completed and 22 touchdown. His leading receiver is Marques Colston who has 44 receptions this season, but has not gone over 100-yards in his last five games.

The Patriots offense has been on a roll this season and no one has been quite on fire as quarterback Tom Brady. Brady has passed for 300-yards in five straight games and thrown 20 touchdowns this season, while his wide receiver Wes Welker has also been sizzling along the way. Welker has 61 receptions in his last six starts including three games with at least 10 receptions. Running back Laurence Maroney has not seen a lot of carries this season, but he's finding the end-zone often; Maroney has scored a touchdown in five straight games.



10 Things
On my Sunday's Watch-List

1. If he's plays Sunday, Steven Jackson against the Seahawks will be a key watch. The Hawks are ranked 16th against the run and Jackson has been a beast of late.
2. If Kurt Warner plays, he's been plenty good the past couple of weeks throwing nine touchdowns and on Sunday he faces the Titan's 31st ranked pass defense.
3. Can Terrell Owens follow up his big game last week with another this week against the Dolphins 22nd ranked pass defense.
4. The Texans let one get away Monday night, but on Sunday I'll be watching to see if Matt Schaub and the offense can exploit the Colts 18th ranked pass defense.
5. Brady Quinn finally had his first big passing day last week against the Lions, can he do it again this week facing the leagues 20th ranked pass defense (Bengals)?
6. The Chargers have been on a roll and running back LaDanian Tomlinson has been playing well scoring three times in his last two games. Can he continue against the Chiefs 27th ranked run defense.
7. The Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has been playing as well as any quarterback in the league with nine touchdowns in his last three games. On Sunday Favre will get the Bears 8th ranked pass defense that has allowed 18 touchdowns this season.
8. With Portis and WEstbrook out, I will be watching to see which back has the bigger day Rock Cartwright (135 yards rushing) or LeSean McCoy (452 yards).
9. Quietly the Jets are the leagues number two ranked rushing offense and on Sunday they play the Carolina Panthers (ranked 26th against the run). I will be watching running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene.
10. Monday night I will be watching both the Saints and Patriot's offense with all of their playmakers; Brady, Brees, Colston, and Moss to name a few.