A new perspective on the Jeremy Shockey trade was published in the New York Post (article by Paul Schwartz) on Thursday, suggesting that Shockey was suffering from some sort of mental breakdown prior to his exit from the team.

What became painfully evident to the team is that Shockey - always high-maintenance - had gone off the deep end, imagining conspiracies and persecution that never existed. Despite his incessant grumblings, all concerned believed the relationship could and would be repaired. Then Shockey, coming off leg and ankle surgery, showed up at the mid-June veteran mini-camp and his bizarre actions and ranting convinced the organization that he had to go.

Teammates who once enjoyed - or at least tolerated - Shockey’s edgy persona because they respected his work ethic and talent came to realize he was losing touch with reality. He accused players of leaking private information about him to the media, he got into a verbal confrontation with GM Jerry Reese and showed little regard for the urgings of Coughlin to at least make an appearance on the practice field along with the other injured players.

While it is possible that the team is simply trying to defend their decision to trade Shockey by smearing him in the press, the altercation with GM Jerry Reese was widely reported at the time of the confrontation, and it is a fact that Shockey refused to attend practices while physically present at the Giants facility.

We’ll see how Shockey behaves/integrates with his new team mates in New Orleans, but keep the above tidbit in mind while you work on your draft list at TE. Some of the behavior described in the article sounds quite ominous regarding Shockey’s mental health. As we saw with Ricky Williams during his years in New Orleans, mental problems can adversely affect a player’s ability to function within the high-pressure environment that is the NFL.

If he is losing his grip on reality, Shockey would definitely be a riskier pick at TE than other, more stable individuals - time will tell if he is really “going off the deep end” or if Shockey was simply working to speed his exit from New York. In fantasy circles, it is better to be forewarned rather than ignorant - forewarned is forearmed. Consider yourself warned…

The NFL is amping up training camps and that means fantasy football is right around the corner. The Chicago Bears were one of the first teams to open camp this year and, as you probably know, they are embarking on a good, old-fashioned QB duel this summer between Rex Grossman (who re-signed a one year deal) and Kyle Orton (2-year deal).

While competition is a good thing, particularly for a team that’s struggled to find a consistent signal caller, I couldn’t help but cringe at the following news blurb in the Chicago Tribune (by Vaughn McClure):

Also, Rex Grossman has won the starting quarterback job — for the first day of practice. There was a coin toss at a Wednesday morning quarterback meeting. Kyle Orton called it, but Grossman won it and will run with the first-team offense Wednesday.

A coin toss? Really?

I understand it’s symbolic and no more important than determining who gets “first dibs” on Day One (I’m presuming Orton will start today’s practices off and they’ll alternate from there), but still I think Lovie Smith has to be careful about what kind of symbolism he’s perpetuating.

How many NFL pundits not to mention Bears fans already feel like neither Grossman nor Orton are the answer?

Antonio Gates’ surgically repaired big toe (the operation to repair his torn plantar plate was performed in late February) hasn’t come along as quickly as anybody would like. The latest news is that Gates is only 65-70% healed as of July 23rd, and he is just now beginning some simple running drills to test his foot.

In other words, Gates isn’t going to be ready for training camp practices, and his availability for the start of regular season is in serious doubt. As Gates tells it: “Obviously, it’s a process. I’m a lot better than I felt a month ago. I can say that. I have no determinant on when and how fast I’ll be coming back. But right now, I feel good. It’s a little sore, but it’s tolerable.”

At this point, Gates has plummeted down my draft board to #9 at his position to represent my best guess that Gates will miss most or all of September as he continues to work back into football shape. I simply do not believe that he will be ready for full speed football at the start of regular season, although the team may field him occassionally as a decoy while he gets back into condition. I’ve slashed approximately 25% off his projections for 2008, down to 60/750/6 receiving, as a result of my analysis of his injury woes.

The Chargers do have some good injury news on the eve of training camp - QB Philip Rivers has come back from his torn ACL in fine form and the knee is not an issue for him at all. “I’ve been going full-go now for over a month,” Rivers said in late July. “There’s nothing I can’t do. There are times throughout the day I can’t tell which knee I hurt.”

For Rivers, the glass is half full. He’s healthy, but his top receiver over the last 4 years, Gates, isn’t ready to roll. We’ll see who benefits from the passes that would have flowed to Gates - backup Scott Chandler has been working as the substitute pass-catching TE in practices during the spring while Gates nursed his foot.

According to the Arizona Republic’s Kent Somers, WR Anquan Boldin and team mate Darnell Dockett will report to training camp on time despite indications otherwise earlier this spring.

“Anquan is not the type of guy to hold out,” said Drew Rosenhaus, who represents both players. “He’s a very principled guy. It’s just not in his makeup.”

Given the current situation at QB, with Matt Leinart working back up to speed after missing most of last season, the news that Boldin plans to participate in a full slate of practices/team meetings bodes well for his 2008 prospects. The Cardinals hope that Leinart is ready for a “breakout” season in his 3rd season in the league, and he appears focused on making his mark in the NFL this year. In late June, Leinart stated: . “It is time for me to step up and really time for me to go out there and play. I have to prove myself.”

Leinart’s time is now - if he is ready to join the club of elite NFL QBs this year, Boldin and company could surpass even the current high expectations that many have for the Cardinals’ WR stable. Boldin has enhanced his status as a premier fantasy talent with his decision to report to training camp with his team mates.

Jeremy Shockey has been traded to the New Orleans Saints, ending months of speculation. About six weeks ago I wrote an analysis on Eli Manning in our Player Spotlight feature. At the time, the Jeremy Shockey situation was in flux and I warned Giants fans to be careful what they wish for:

The Jeremy Shockey Factor. Rumors persist that Jeremy Shockey is going to be traded to the New Orleans Saints. Is it possible that trading away a 4-time Pro Bowler can be a positive development? The argument for moving Shockey is that New York won a Super Bowl without him and, in his absence, Eli Manning was more productive. The drama that surrounds Shockey is distracting and divisive; and GM Jerry Reese and HC Tom Coughlin have the goodwill to shed themselves of the headache. The argument against trading Shockey is that he’s not easily replaced. In spite of his personality quirks, Shockey has been a MAJOR portion of Eli Manning’s success. Over the last three seasons, Shockey has accounted for:

• 20.2% of the team’s receptions (188)
• 20.6% of the team’s receiving yards (2,133)
• 23.9% of the team’s receiving TDs (17)

No disrespect to Kevin Boss, but he’s not going to replicate that kind of productivity. The Giants are going to have to reshape their offense if the Shockey trade happens; and that’s unlikely to lead to better passing numbers over a full 16-game season.

Apologies to my colleague Mark Wimer, but he isn’t seeing the forest for the trees here. We, as football fans, tend to put way too much credence on a small subset of playoff games and not enough weight on a player’s entire body of work. Eli Manning has been VERY CONSISTENT over his three full seasons under center, so much so that his playoff run last year very likely equals the anomaly not the new rule. 

I would ask anyone to show me a QB that loses 20% of their passing productivity and IMPROVES the following year. Manning was already no better than a fringe fantasy starter and now, even if you assume other players pick up most of the slack, it’s hard to see Manning represent value at his current ADP.

Here’s a quick rundown of the fantasy implications from this trade:

• QB Drew Brees – Brees was already one of the “elite 4″ at his position, along with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Tony Romo. With the addition of Shockey, it makes Brees a safer bet because he could survive the loss of someone like Colston for a few weeks. Brees now becomes someone you can justify taking in the 2nd or 3rd round.
• QB Eli Manning — Manning just lost 20% of his yards and 24% of his TD passes. Even if you think Manning would’ve shown natural improvement this year, this trade almost assuredly offsets any natural gains. At his current ADP, it’s hard to get excited about Manning as a fantasy prospect, but there will be a number of owners in your league who disagree.
• TE Jeremy Shockey – Sean Payton used to coach Shockey and knows his talents. With an elite QB in Drew Brees, and a new lease on life, expect a bounce back season. Shockey need only stay healthy (meaning 14 or more games) to deliver another quality season. He’s an every week fantasy starter, but don’t go crazy and expect his numbers to skyrocket. The Saints have lots of other weapons, so Shockey will have to make due with some tough weeks while other players shine.
• TE Eric Johnson — Mark got this one right, Johnson goes from an intriguing fantasy backup and late round pick to someone that needs to stay on your waiver wire. He could conceivably be released and sign on with another team, but until that happens, he’s not worth paying attention to.
• TE Kevin Boss — Boss gets a chance to start and that could me a lot of targets. But understand that Boss isn’t the athlete or play-maker that Shockey is. As long as you set reasonable expectations, Boss now becomes worthy of a roster spot but purely as a long-shot backup and bye week fill in.
• WR Marques Colston — Colston makes his $$$ in the red zone, and Shockey does, too. Shockey’s addition makes Colston’s TD upside slightly less compelling, but ultimately not enough to dissuade us from drafting him at current ADP.
• WR Plaxico Burress – Burress was already a favorite target and that won’t change. If anything, this puts more pressure on Plax to deliver game in, game out. On the margin, Burress was already a top-12 fantasy prospect and remains so.

The good news is the Giants won a Super Bowl without Shockey and have probably been planning to go this year without him from the start. The team is going to have to alter its offensive philosophy a bit, and be open to using more 3-WR and 4-WR sets; in which case the team’s total productivity could look relatively similar. The Saints are already putting up such big passing numbers that it’s hard to imagine a substantive increase. Shockey likely takes away production from the Saints WR corps and, possibly, RB Reggie Bush.

Be sure to check out Footballguys.com for our updated rankings and projections. We should have the Shockey impact modeled when the next set of projections are released later in the week.

Jeremy Shockey got his wish today, leaving the Giants’ organization that angered him during the Super Bowl by not allowing him on the sidelines. Whatever his fans or detractors think of how the situation shook out, there are several obvious (and a couple not-so-obvious) fantasy implications regarding this move.

First of all, Eric Johnson’s prospects in New Orleans just took a massive hit. He should plummet down (and probably off) your TE board. At the same time, Kevin Boss is looking like a possible top-10 candidate among fantasy TEs, given the new depth chart in New York (none of the guys behind Boss - Michael Matthews, Jerome Collins, Darcy Johnson, Eric Butler - are household names - Matthews caught 6 balls last season).

Boss was reasonably productive during the playoff push last year after Jeremy Shockey was out of the picture - and that will be the case from the get-go this year in the wake of Shockey’s trade to New Orleans. However, Boss only snagged 1 catch per game during the final 3 playoff games, so it remains to be seen how heavily the team will involve him in the passing game. Boss was reported to have added 20 pounds to his playing weight over the winter (up to 272) - we’ll see where he’s as training camp progresses, now that the pass-catching role is his to lose. Stay tuned to find out how the Giants utilize Boss in Shockey’s absence.

Regarding Shockey, the unknown quantity will be how he meshes with Drew Brees and company down in New Orleans - in their high-octane offense, he certainly is a candidate for reaching elite status among fantasy TEs. However, he’ll have to work hard and, more importantly, show good “coachability” as he gets fast-tracked into the Saints’ offense. It is an understatement to say that working well with others hasn’t been Shockey’s strong suit during his years in New York - we’ll see if his new destination brings out the best (or worst) in Shockey’s game.

Finally, many observers (including this one) believe that Eli Manning’s strong showing during the closing weeks of 2007 and during the playoffs was partly due to the elimination of the distractions caused by and the pressures/demands imposed by Shockey on Manning. Always wanting the ball is usually a good quality in a pro athlete, but in the case of the Giants’ offense, the subtraction of Shockey seemed to add to Manning’s prowess/confidence. He made better decisions with the ball and didn’t feel pressured to “force” throws into Boss’s arms. With the permanent elimination of Shockey from Manning’s offense, we may see Eli Manning continue to progress as a top-flight pro QB (especially in terms of his ability to utilize all the weapons at his disposal as opportunities present themselves).

The infamous phrase “nagging hamstring injury” had haunted Jerry Porter throughout spring workouts, and on Friday, July 18th the “nagging” injury became a reason for surgery. Porter is expected to be out 6-8 weeks due to the procedure, which repaired a torn hamstring tendon in his leg. On Saturday the 19th, coach Jack Del Rio asserted “Jerry had a successful surgical repair to a hamstring tendon that had continued to bother him. We expect a complete recovery in time for the regular season.”

However, expecting a complete physical recovery for Porter is not the same thing as expecting him to contribute as the team’s #1 WR. Porter has been trying to build rapport with his new QB, David Garrard, and learn a new offensive system/nomenclature, but the nagging hamstring injury limited his repetitions during spring workouts. With the entire training camp now out of reach for Porter, fantasy owners have to revise their expectations for Porter with his new team.

The bottom line here is that Porter has not had a chance to get fully up to speed in the Jacksonville offense, and now he won’t get that chance during training camp. He may not be comfortable with his assignments until mid-season, if then - in my opinion, 2008 may be a “lost season” for Porter due to this combination of relocation and injury.

However, there may be a silver lining to this cloud for astute fantasy owners. Now that Porter is sidelined (and Matt Jones apparently headed out the door due to his drug arrest), Reggie Williams, Mike Williamson, Dennis Northcutt and Mike Walker all have a shot at headlining the passing attack, with Williams sporting an early edge as he was already penciled in as a starter. Marcedes Lewis may see more action at the TE position, as well. As training camp progresses, it may be possible to uncover a true “sleeper” WR among the Jacksonville wideouts - the situation is very fluid now, and somebody figures to benefit from Porter’s misfortune. Pay attention to the story as it unfolds, as you could snag a featured wide receiver on the cheap in your 2008 fantasy draft.

It’s hard to believe that it took the loss of Philip Daniels to season-ending knee surgery to get the always active Daniel Snyder to trade for sack master Jason Taylor. But shortly after Daniels was lost for the season in 7-on-7 drills in practice, the team put together a package (2nd and 6th round draft picks) to acquire the 33-year old defensive end from the Miami Dolphins.

It’s no secret that Taylor has been on the market since the day Bill Parcells took over the franchise. While it’s unclear why Parcells and Taylor seemed ill at ease with one another, the fact remains a deal to move the 6-time Pro Bowler has been in the works for a long time.

Taylor, who chose to spend his offseason Dancing with the Stars instead of practicing with the fins joins a team that plays a 4-3 defensive front and is in desperate need of another defensive playmaker. While Taylor isn’t a spring chicken, he’s inarguably among the best conditioned athletes in the league and remains highly effective:

• Taylor had 11 sacks last year
• His 117 career sacks put him 14th all-time
• He has six seasons of 10+ sacks, including the last three consecutively
• Taylor hasn’t missed a game since 1999

What does this mean for fantasy owners?

Washington ranked 16th last year with 33 sacks. The addition of Taylor should push them into the top-10; which means more chances for the defensive secondary to make big plays on the ball, to boot. The Redskins are a team in flux this year with a new head Coach (Jim Zorn), offensive coordinator (Sherm Smith) and defensive coordinator (Greg Blache) but now have a weapon that might make them competitive in the toughest division in the NFC. The ability to generate big plays (sacks, INTs, defensive TDs) is the difference between being a fantasy afterthought or an every week starting option. The Skins MAY have just moved from the former to the latter.

Brian Westbrook is apparently unhappy with his contract situation - unhappy enough to fire his current agent and switch to a new agency, according to the Delaware News Journal . As part of his agitation for a new contract, Westbrook is said to be considering a training camp holdout.

While this is a developing situation - we won’t know if Westbrook will follow through with his threat until next Thursday, when veterans are scheduled to report to the Eagles’ training camp - it is definitely worth keeping an eye on. The Eagles are known as some of the toughest customers in the NFL when it comes to contract renegotiations, and team president Joe Banner went on record about the matter back in February, stating “I would suggest one or two years into a five-year contract doesn’t make any sense…You start to get into the third or fourth year, and you have to look at situation by situation.”. Meanwhile, Westbrook’s position is that he has significantly out-produced his old deal in the last 2 years (which is quite evident in the numbers he’s posted since the deal was signed).

We’ll see how both sides react once Westbrook hires his new agents over the weekend and the two parties start (or re-start) talks - right now, there is time for an accomodation to be arrived at, although time is short.

Stay tuned…

QB Josh McCown was doing chores on his property in Jacksonville, Texas with his brother Luke when some bad luck rolled Josh’s way. The pair were clearing some brush when “I was holding down a little piece of a tree trunk and my little brother, Luke, had the chainsaw. He hit a knob and the chainsaw jumped.”

A split second later, Josh had a chunk of his index finger missing as the chain saw chewed into his hand. The injured QB was rushed to the hospital and received 6 stitches to close the wound, but it appears that the McCowns were fortunate in that no serious damage was done to Josh’s hand. “I clenched my fist to make sure the tendon was working. I walked out of the emergency room and got a football out of the trunk and fired a few passes to Luke, and knew I could’ve played that day. My daddy would say, ‘Let’s get it sewn up and go to work.’”

Josh McCown has since decided that he will refrain from operating chain saws in the future - at least, until his days playing in the NFL are over.

Dolphins’ teams doctors will inspect the wound and supervise McCown’s recovery - he is not expected to miss any time in training camp due to the accident. Hopefully, McCown will not suffer a setback due to infection (chain saw cuts are notorious for having complications due to the jagged wounds they cause and because foreign matter gets incorporated into the wound - dirt, chips of bark/splinters of wood, and etc.).

Kevin Jones signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears today. The talented but oft-injured running back lands in one of the few places where he could conceivably earn a large role presuming he’s healthy enough. The Bears parted ways with Cedric Benson earlier this summer and Jones is obviously betting on the opportunity for playing time.

Jones’ talent isn’t in question…

At 5′11″, 221 pounds, Jones is a bruising runner with a straight-ahead style befitting of the smash mouth history of Soldier Field. Although Jones has never been a fantasy star, he has shown considerable promise when healthy:

• As a rookie, Jones ran for 1,133 yards and caught another 28 passes for 180 yards
• In 2006, Jones was asked to play a role as a receiver and answered the call with 61 receptions for 520 yards
• Last year, despite running injured and behind a bad Lions offensive line, he had 8 rushing TDs in just 153 carries

What Jones hasn’t done is put together a full season where all of his myriad talents are simultaneously on display.

Jones’ health, on the other hand, IS in question…

• Bruised shoulder
• Hyperextended elbow
• Concussion
• Hip pointer
• Thigh contusion

…those were just some of the reasons Kevin Jones appeared on the injury report early in his career. And those were nothing compared to his two latest maladies:

• Lisfranc – Jones injured his foot and had to undergo surgery to repair his Lisfranc injury. He surprised many by rehabbing fast enough to get back on the field early in 2007
• Torn ACL — But that enthusiasm didn’t last for the entire season as Jones tore his ACL late in the 2007 season, putting  him on IR
  

So if he’s got a torn ACL, how did he work out for teams and why did Chicago sign him?

Jones is proving to be as much a fast healer as he is easily hurt. He, by all accounts, is ahead of the normal schedule for rehabbing a torn ACL and was able to showcase some of his talents (as well as show structural integrity of the knee) at a private workout several weeks ago.

Chicago is taking no risk here. They have need of RB depth, and are committing nothing more than a few hundred thousand dollars this year. Even if Jones isn’t healthy enough to suit up this season, it’s a financial bet worth making. Because if he IS 100% healthy, they’ve landed arguably the best veteran free agent RB on the market.

What does this mean for Matt Forte? 

I wouldn’t read much into the Jones signing if you’re a fan of Matt Forte. Jones is getting the veteran minimum to try an earn a place on the team. That doesn’t obviate the need for a young, workhorse back and the only one of the roster that fits that bill is rookie Matt Forte. On the margin, the Bears may give Forte a few less carries each game if Jones is healthy and sticks on the roster, but don’t think this signing means Forte can’t or won’t win the lead job.

Is there now a greater chance of a true RB-by-Committee approach in Chicago? Unfortunately yes. But at Forte’s current ADP, you don’t have to pay up to get him.

As Jason Wood pointed out after the news of Peyton Manning’s knee surgery broke, if there is any QB in the league able to miss training camp without too much of an ill effect, it is surely Peyton Manning, who could probably run the Indianapolis offense while asleep.

However, according to our resident FBG doctor Jene Bramel, the usual recovery time for a surgery that removes a bursa sack is 6-8 weeks, not the more optimistic 4-6 weeks that the Colts floated in their initial press conference relating to this situation - and if complications arise from the procedure, we could be talking even longer than 8 weeks before Manning is under center once again.

There is a very real possibility that Indianapolis could be starting the 2008 season with Jim Sorgi under center for a significant portion of September (at the least). Sorgi has been with the Colts his entire career (he’s entering his 5th year in the league), so he’s had plenty of reps in the offense over the years. He’s actually been pretty good with the football in his limited appearances during regular season, compiling 78/127 for 751 yards, 6 TDs and 1 interception in 15 appearances. That’s a very respectable 61.4% completion rate, with only 1 pick out of 127 chances. Obviously, there isn’t a huge book on Sorgi so far, but another 6th round pick out of the Big 10 conference has fared pretty well in this league when given his chance (Tom Brady, anyone?).

As Sorgi is the only other QB on the roster as of today, and the only other QB in the NFL with extensive experience running Tom Moore’s offense as it has evolved over the past half-decade, he’s going to be the guy under the gun if Manning can’t get back in the mix as of September.

Those fantasy owners out there plotting to scoop Manning at a discounted price due to his knee surgery had better plan on acquiring Sorgi in the closing rounds of your draft as well. Those of you who play in cut-throat leagues with opposing owners who like to draft back-up players and then hold the owners of the starters up for ransom in situations like this one may wish to spend a late mid-round pick on Sorgi if you’ve invested in Manning.

Good luck, and Happy Drafting!

The NFL’s reigning iron man, Peyton Manning, underwent knee surgery today to remove an infected bursa sac in his left knee and will miss the next 4 to 6 weeks. Bill Polian had the following to say on the matter, according to Scout.com:

“Peyton Manning had an infected bursa sac removed from his left knee this afternoon,” Polian said. “The procedure was routine. The Colts’ medical staff expects a full and complete return to action in four to six weeks.”

Polian added that the knee had been bothering Manning since the end of the 2007-08 season and only recently escalated, requiring surgery.

“Peyton had been receiving conservative treatment for an inflamed bursa sac in consultation with the club’s medical staff since February, 2008,” Polian said in his statement. “This course of treatment was productive until Peyton experienced increased pain and early signs of infection. Peyton will meet with the press as normally scheduled at the opening of training camp.”

Let’s be clear about one thing, there’s no such thing as “routine” knee surgery in the middle of July.  While I’m no doctor, the fact this was a pre-existing condition that worsened to the point of requiring surgery has to be a concern, particularly for a guy that we’ve come to blindly expect to start 16 games every season.

The Good News: 

Manning is better suited than most NFL QBs to miss training camp. He’s obviously a master of OC Tom Moore’s offensive system at this point in his career and doesn’t require a lot of reps to get back into the swing of things. Importantly, the majority of his offensive supporting cast is also experienced enough to not require a massive amount of reps with Manning in order to operate at a high level once the season gets underway.

The Bad News:

Again, knee surgery in July has to raise some eyebrows. While the Colts are characterizing this as a “procedure”, there’s absolutely no reason to give Manning or the Colts the benefit of the doubt until he’s back on the field and practicing fully.

Fantasy Implications:

Only 12 NFL QBs played all 16 games last year, we have a tendency to take for granted just how durable guys like Manning really are. There’s no question that Manning’s rock solid health has played a part in fantasy owners willingness to spend a 1st or 2nd round pick on him. While this knee surgery may turn out to be nothing more than a few weeks off from training camp, it’s probably going to cast enough doubt to drop his ADP a round or two. Manning will still be the 2nd QB off the boards in most leagues, barring news of a further setback. If you draft in late August or early September, make sure Manning is back on the practice field before spending a high pick on him. If you draft beforehand, we strongly recommend you pass on him unless he falls at least a round beyond his current Average Draft Position (13th player drafted, 2nd QB). 

It appears that the Jaguars are fed up with Matt Jones. Pro Football Weekly reports “In the words of one team source we talked to, it would be “shocking” to see him in a Jags uniform in 2008.”

The exit of Jones will give Mike Walker and Troy Williamson some breathing room at the end of the Jacksonville bench - Walker has been showing no ill effects from last year’s knee injury during OTAs, and several Footballguys think he is a “sleeper” candidate for a surprising season this year.

Walker is now on my short list of “flyer” picks for the final rounds of my 2008 fantasy drafts. He should be available on the cheap, and he has a lot of upside potential with a dubious #1 WR, Jerry Porter, tottering atop the depth chart, followed by Reggie Williams and Dennis Northcutt - if Walker continues to impress in training camp, he could end up in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

In case you haven’t been following the Mike Vick saga closely since he was banished from the league, the disgraced quarterback continues to haunt the Falcons, even from his prison cell.

The reasons that Vick is still a bogeyman to the Falcons have to do with more than merely the continuing bad PR and the embarrassment of the Falcons’ front office. The NFL has mandated that unless the Falcons recover actual $ from Vick, they will receive no cap relief for the amount of money that Vick owes them for breach of his contract. In other words, even though the Falcons and their fans were defrauded by Vick and cheated out of the quarterback play that they paid for in advance, and even though a court has determined that Vick owes the team $3.75 million in bonus money for breaching his contract, unless Vick feels like handing over the cash, the team and Atlanta fans are out of luck. Too bad, so sad.

Of course, the felon is seeking bankruptcy protection, claiming to be between $10 and $50 million in debt (though how it is possible to owe somewhere between $10 and $50 million but not be able to be more specific than a range of $40 million is a mystery to me). If Vick is really broke or simply hiding his assets in off-shore accounts is something for the courts to sort out - the bottom line is that Atlanta is going to have less money than the rest of the NFL to spend in free agency and on their own players while they rebuild the squad in the wake of the Vick debacle.

It hardly seems fair that Atlanta’s team, players, and the few remaining Falcons’ fans should have to foot the bill for a deceptive, profligate, animal-abusing thug, but that is the effect of the NFL’s ruling in this matter. Vick is a specter who can’t be exorcised, it appears.

It appears that there may be a reason Matt Jones has failed to realize his potential in the NFL - he was arrested in Arkansas today in very compromising circumstances with a powdery white substance in his possession that is alleged to be cocaine. Apparently, Jones was in a known “drug area” when “an officer saw Jones sitting in the back seat of the car with a white card with a white powdery substance on it, and a credit card in his other hand.”

Since a player’s status in the NFL substance abuse program is confidential until they earn a suspension, it is not currently known whether Jones is a repeat offender or not - however, he was already on thin ice with the Jaguars due to under-performing expectations. This incident may well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, folks.

As far as fantasy owners are concerned, Jones was a long-shot to contribute during 2008, but his possible departure from the team (either due to suspension or outright release) would free up space for Footballguys.com favorite Mike Walker (recovering from a season-ending injury) and/or Troy Williamson to stick with the team and possibly get into the mix for a starting spot opposite Jerry Porter at some point during 2008.

Heads up!

Kevin Faulk has pled “no contest” to misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, due to a February 22nd incident at a Lil’ Wayne rap concert in Louisiana. Evidently, Faulk possessed 4 marijuana “cigars” when he was cited for the crime.

There is no word yet on any possible team or league sanctions related to the substance abuse conviction - but now that the legal system has run its course we may see action on one or both fronts.

Fantasy owners will want to stay tuned to the fallout from this event as Faulk’s production this year would drop if he receives a lengthy suspension. If Faulk were to be out of the picture for a chunk of time, TE Ben Watson would probably receive more pass targets in the short passing game, while Laurence Maroney could see an increase in his workload as primary ball carrier. The offensive mix in New England would definitely look different with Faulk off the field.

Trent Dilfer has something that Dan Marino doesn’t - a Super Bowl Championship ring. While he was never a top-tier quarterback (Dilfer’s career numbers were as follows: 131 games played, with 1758/3171 for 20,518 yards, 113 TDs and 129 interceptions), Dilfer was a steady pro who played 13 seasons in the NFL. During the 2000 season, he took over from Tony Banks in Baltimore at mid-season, piloting the team to a 34-7 victory over the Giants - Dilfer tossed 12/25 for 153 yards, 1 TD and 0 interceptions in the biggest game of his career.

Yesterday Dilfer revealed that he was hanging up his spikes. “I injured my Achilles’ while I was on vacation with my family. I was going to retire anyway. This just gives clarity to the situation. There will be a formal announcement in the next few days about that.”

Dilfer was never a fantasy football icon, but I respect his resiliency. Dilfer was widely considered a draft bust after a long stint with poor teams in Tampa Bay (back when Tampa still wore tangerine orange uniforms and the Tampa Bay franchise struggled to go .500 in a season), but proved able to rise above the negativity and win a championship. Putting together a 13-year NFL career is a notable feat in and of itself.

So, goodbye Trent Dilfer, and good luck! Some of us really respect your achievements!

Brett Favre still has what it takes to play QB in the NFL, folks. Over the last 5 years, he’s been a top-10 fantasy QB in 4 seasons, and ranked #8 among his peers last year in fantasy points, with 356/535 for 4157 yards, 28 TDs and 15 interceptions over 16 games (with a modest 29/12/0 rushing - he’s not a “scrambling QB” anymore). He also hasn’t missed a game in well over a decade, marking Favre as a model of durability.

Despite all of Favre’s impressive numbers and despite his status as a Green Bay icon, it appears that the Packers’ front office and coaching staff is distinctly chilly towards the notion of a come back by Favre this season.

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported on Monday, July 7th that Favre sent a text message to general manager Ted Thompson on the previous Saturday attempting to rejoin the team. The station reported that Thompson’s reply to Favre was that he was on vacation, and the two would have to talk later. Peter King’s Monday article on SI.com, aptly entitled “Nightmare in Green Bay” discusses the unfolding situation in detail, and concludes the following:

“They can take Favre and his $12.8-million cap number back onto the team and give him his starting job back, they can trade him or they can release him.

Every one of those options makes the Packers wretch.”

It is apparent that the Packers are ready to proceed with the Aaron Rodgers era, and that may be the right move for the franchise in the long term. However, from the fantasy perspective, the potential of Brett Favre, whether he plays for the Packers or elsewhere this season, cannot be ignored.

Watch and see what the Packers decide to do, and where Favre lands if he decides to un-retire - it appears that a new chapter in Favre’s already-legendary book is going to be written during 2008. Get ready to revise your QB board, fantasy owners!

As the spring passes into recent memory and we brace for the frenzy of training camps (the Ravens and the Redskins open camp on the 22nd of July, with the rest of the NFL following suit over the following week), one ongoing situation of interest to fantasy owners is the new-look rushing attack in Seattle. Shaun Alexander has been shown the door and NFL veterans Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett welcomed into the Seahawk’s backfield. They, together with holdover Maurice Morris, figure to split up the carries during coach Mike Holmgren’s final season as head coach in Seattle. So, on the eve of training camps, the pressing question for fantasy owners is this: who among the three candidates is the favorite to start for the Seahawks?

Unfortunately, the answer as of today (according to USA Today’s Larry Weisman) is “we don’t know who the starter is yet”. Coach Holmgren stated in early July “We probably won’t make that decision right until late. We’ll go into training camp. You know Mo (Morris) and Julius are going to carry the ball a good portion of the time. Leonard’s (Weaver) going to be our starting fullback. The one I have to figure out a little bit is how we are going to use Duckett.”

As coach Holmgren also points out, the progress of the young men on the offensive line are going to determine how much improvement the new players at RB can show over the old lineup - “I really thought we made too many errors last year, and I am not talking physical errors necessarily. I am talking mental errors, more than we have in the past. … I want to see that improved… Secondly, the technique of some of the fellas — they have been playing enough now. Some of the guys that I called young last year I am not going to call young anymore. They have played enough now; let’s get it going, and let’s see some improvement. Lastly, you have to see it come together — a cohesive unit — and then our new running backs have to learn it.”

The Seahawks averaged 3.8 yards per carry last year (tied for 22nd in the NFL) - there is plenty of room for improvement, without a doubt. Unless we see the O-line jell during training camp and the exhibition season, the name of the Seahawks’ starter come September may not matter too much.

Football is a team game, and right now the Seahawks’ rushing attack is a big question mark due to the lack of cohesion along the offensive line. Because of the ongoing process of building team chemistry on that unit in Seattle, fantasy owners need to pay attention to more than just who gets named the starter at RB.

Once we see if the offensive line can open decent holes, then we can worry about whether the Seahawks’ RBs will be stuck in a committee (or not).