Quick Slants - Week 1

Waiver Wire:

Tom Brady owners are devastated like Owen Wilson last year when Kate Hudson broke up with him. However, unlike for Owen, there are no starlets to take Brady’s place. Here are some quarterbacks that are likely available in your league: Jon Kitna, Kerry Collins, Matt Cassel, Aaron Rodgers, Chad Pennington, and Brian Griese. My pick is Pennington. The Jets’ defense is not very good, but I liked what I saw on Sunday. The Dolphins are going to run the football, but Pennington will get chances to throw. Plus, the Dolphins are going to max protect for Pennington. I had Kitna a few years ago and it was a nightmare. Kerry Collins is not good and Garcia will be back soon for Tampa Bay. With Cassel and Rodgers, I fear an injury. What makes Brady, Manning, Favre, Marino, etc. great is their ability to perform consistently every week. Can Rodgers stay healthy?

In my Fantasy leagues, there are not very many options at running back. Kenny Watson from Cincinnati is a good pick up. He should be starting soon. Other options are Sammy Morris or Kevin Falk. Wait for other options to emerge from the shadows.

The injury to Marques Colston automatically increases the value for the other Saints’ WRs. David Patten, Devery Henderson, and Bobby Meachem are worth a waiver wire look. Of these three, my pick is Patten. He has better hands and a stronger bond with Brees. Keep an eye on Meachem over the next several weeks. I would drop Colston altogether. Other WRs possibilities are Eddie Royal and Darrell Jackson from Denver (Cutler looked very good Monday night), DeSean Jackson (over Hank Baskett), Kevin Walter, Chansi Stuckey (the Jets’ third WR), and Ashley Lelie (I know, I know that is awful; but, someone has to catch passes for the Raiders). Royal probably will be the first waiver wire pick in most leagues. I need to replace Drew Bennett--terrible draft choice.

At the TE position, there are a plethora of options. In one of my leagues, 6 out of the top 10 TEs are free agents. I like Anthony Fasano from the Dolphins. Others possible TEs are Robert Royal, Dante Rosario, Bo Scaife, and David Martin. Dante Rosario did put up better statistics, but his production will go down when Steve Smith comes back from suspension. The Panthers were using him wide most of the game. Dustin Keller of the Jets and Robert Royal of the Bills are rookies and bonafide options. I go with Royal over Keller.

Bananas. The Patriots are done. The party is over. You cannot replace Tom Cruise with Ryan Reynolds and expect big box office. Tom Brady is the most valuable player in the NFL. He is the leader on that offense. Guys play hard because they do not want to let him down. Do you think Randy Moss is going to run his pass patterns hard every play when he knows Matt Cassel cannot get him the football? Plus, the Patriots’ running game is not strong enough to get them to the playoffs. The line is built to pass block and their running backs are not All Pro caliber. People have been saying great things about Belichick making adjustments and so forth. The only reason the Patriots can make changes is that Brady covers up the mistakes. The only saving grace for this team is that they have the weakest schedule in the NFL.

My question is, if Vince Young is a grown man, why is his family even around to know he left the house without his cell phone? Buy your mother and sister a separate house. If my mommy had called the police every time I left the house in a bad state of mind, she would have been on the telephone every day. Vince has to grow up, and he has to realize the NFL is a “big boy” league. In LA, Norm Chow is smiling.

The whole BYU v. Washington celebration penalty is ridiculous. I am sure someone has mentioned this solution, but I have not heard it yet. Simply, allow the officials to call celebration penalties whenever the penalties are warranted, but enforce the penalty yards on the kick-off. Keep the PAT at the three yard-line. It is an untimed down. Additionally, you do not take away the opportunity to go for a 2-point conversion. Control the end zone celebrations, but do not affect the scoring chance of the PAT.

In my pre-season predictions, I had James Harrison, the defensive end for the Steelers, as my Defensive POY. All he did this week was bulldoze the Texans for 3 sacks and harass Matt Schaub all day long. Harrison played great and he is not getting the attention he deserves.

Monday night, I was reminded of Brent Musberger’s comments during Game 7 of the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics 1988 playoff series. He was talking about the greatness of Larry Bird. On Monday, I watched Roger Federer dominate Andy Murray in the US Open final. Federer is one of the true great players in all of sports. He hardly ever breaks a sweat, but last night you could see his determination and will to win. The only area where Andy Murray beats Federer is in the quality of girlfriend category. Awesome.

Other thoughts from Monday night, why is Audrina with Justin Bobby? And can we get more Whitney on the Hills?