“STARTIN’ TO COME TOGETHER, PEPPER!!”

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Ryan Burns, Editor-In-Chief

Lou Brown's wisdom-fueled optimism and persevering spirit are infectious.

Many thanks to the immortal Lou Brown for the titular inspiration.  With some help from the good people at GoDaddy and in the WordPress forums, I am finally beginning to make some progress on the new site format.  Plenty more to be added, but it feels good to get couple of major “issues” (at least, they were to me) out of the way.  We have the individual blog home pages back up again, and Mr. Anderson even has a new (if belatedly posted) Father’s Day post up.  Please have a look, and check back again soon, because, much like Lou’s Indians in May…it can only get better from here.  GET YOUR HELMET ON!!!!

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FANTASY SICKNESS: 2010 NFL LEAD DOGS

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Ryan Burns, Editor-In-Chief

I'm looking for a HUGE 2010 from Roddy White.

Since I’m still a relative zygote in the online football community, I’ll keep mentioning as a disclaimer (and, of course, to lay the foundation for future excuse-making) that I don’t claim to be a fantasy expert in the traditional sense.  But I’ve played a good bit, and it feeds the Sickness like nothing but the game itself.  Over the years, numerous friends have used me as a Friday morning, last-ditch sounding board before setting their rosters.  I doubt any of them made decisions based solely on what I said (which, again, would be foolishness), but all seemed to consider my thoughts.  I enjoy the back and forth, and any chance to talk football is a chance I’m taking, bottom line.  As a result, I’ve very humbly convinced myself that some of you out there would appreciate my occasional fantasy musings.  Over time, you’ll see that my philosophy is probably a little simple, but it goes roughly like this: Get as many guys as you can who you can be pretty sure will score the most possible points on a weekly basis, and put those guys in the lineup each week (*key takeaway).  Along those lines, a regular fantasy debate is which of a given team’s weapons you would most want on your roster.  Obviously, the needs you develop as you draft your team dictate this to some degree, but I want as many of these guys on my roster as possible:

ARIZONA CARDINALS: Larry Fitzgerald. No brainer.
ATLANTA FALCONS: Roddy White, and it’s not close.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  “If you have the means, I highly recommend it.”
BALTIMORE RAVENS: Ray Rice is in my top 10 overall.
BUFFALO BILLS: Do I have to?  Lee Evans edges CJ Spiller for fantasy points if not excitement.
CAROLINA PANTHERS: DeAngelo Williams.  Smith is slowing, Stewart is a health question.
CHICAGO BEARS: Jay Cutler is the only one I’m sure of.  And just barely.  Watch out for Devin Aromashodu, though.
CINCINNATI BENGALS: Toss-up between Ocho and Ced Benson, neither of whom I really want in a top 2 roster spot at their position.
CLEVELAND BROWNS: Your guess is as good as mine.  I have no idea what they’re really going to look like once they’re on the field.  Deep in the backfield.  I think it’s either Jerome Harrison or Montario Hardesty, and both could be useful.  Think Thomas Jones/Leon Washington, only if Thomas got fewer carries and Leon were more RB than return man.  Then again, they might run so much Wildcat that nobody is worth a damn.  The safe play, frankly, is to avoid them all.
DALLAS COWBOYS: Dez Bryant. Gut call in light of the Miles Austin/Kim Kardashian fiasco.  In related news, my outlook on Reggie Bush has never been higher.
DENVER BRONCOS:  Knowshon Moreno, who I have to think gets increased touches this year.  Baller.  Eddie Royal returns, though.
DETROIT LIONS: Jahvid Best. I am the conductor of this train, and it’s full speed ahead.  This guy is nasty, and I think Megatron suffers numbers-wise as a result of Burleson, Scheffler, Pettigrew and Best as a dump-off/screen option.  What, are you going to stop doubling Calvin Johnson?  No.  You’re going to let the other guys beat you. Moreover, The Schwartz does not strike me as a chuck-it-around coach.  PPR leaguers, you want this guy early.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Aaron Rodgers.  I have no problem with him going as early as #3 overall.  None.  It pains me to have chosen two Cal Bears in a row here, by the way.
HOUSTON TEXANS: Ummm, Andre Johnson?
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: I want #18.  But I want most of his receivers, too, if I can get ‘em.  Future post on how I think that all shakes out.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Fellow Bruin MJD, whom we UCLA fans have long believed is a superior back to Reggie Bush, is clearly that and also my #3 ranked player overall.  Touchdown machine, and a PPR monster.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Another team where I trust no one.  DeWayne Bowe.
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Brandon Marshall, who is part of my 3-headed MFL monster.  100 rec, 12 TD’s, 1200 yds.  Again.  Remember it, write it down, take a picture…
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Adrian Peterson.  Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice will be well worth your selection, though.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Tom Brady/Randy Moss toss-up.  Your call.  Can’t go wrong.  Hey, get ‘em both if you can.  I sense a big 2010 for this pair.
NEW YORK GIANTS: Steve Smith.  That was not a fluke, and Eli loves him.  Hakeem Nicks is right behind him and a better TD threat.
NEW YORK JETS: Brayl…just kidding.  Shonn Greene.  Top 10 RB, easy.  TD’s galore ahead.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: The Conductor of the New Orleans Symphony, Drew Brees.
OAKLAND RAIDERS: Michael Bush.  Their receivers (Louis Murphy, Chaz Schillens, and TE Zach Miller) will produce, though. Sidenote: To me, Darren McFadden is officially unreliable and I want no part of him whatsoever.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: DeSean Jackson.  An argument about the choice between he and Jeremy Maclin spawned this article, so I’m wearing it.  (The Fly took Maclin).
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Rashard Mendenhall, big time.
ST. LOUIS RAMS:  Steven Jackson.  And Donnie Avery, it needs to happen this year, buddy.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: To hear Norv tell it, Ryan Matthews might be the guy.  But give me Pip Rivers- he’s still the center of the wheel.  Everyone else?  Spokes.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Frank Gore.  He’s the RB I think could have a career year in 2010.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Eeeee.  TJ Houshmandzadeh, I guess.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Sammie Stroughter.  “Who,” you may ask?  Sammie Stroughter.  What, you want me to say Earnest Graham or Cadillac Williams or Derek Ward or Kellen Winslow?  You know what, just avoid all Bucs.  You’ll be better off.
TENNESSEE TITANS: Chris Johnson.  If he sits, I still want their starting RB, who would be Javon Ringer.  But he’s got to be my 2 at the absolute most.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS: I’ll take Donovan McNabb.  He has some talented young receivers to work with, so keep an eye on those guys.  Fred Davis is now the better TE, in my book.
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32 THINGS I EXPECT IN 2010

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Ryan Burns, Editor-In-Chief

Write this down: Pierre Garcon is not returning to the bench.

As the glorious sensory feast that is football season approaches, you will begin to see a more formal organization to the goings-on here at the Sickness.  We will cover both the NFL and the college game from our unique perspective with various weekly features, and will do our best to provide useful fantasy insights (though, again- if you’re looking for thorough, scientific analysis, you need to look elsewhere).  We will even drop a few nuggets from whatever personal football experiences we have during the season, be it an especially rousing victory by a son’s youth league team or a road trip to New Orleans to see the Browns get shellacked by the Super Bowl Champs.  You see, in some ways, FootballSickness.com is intended as a support group- a place you can come where you know people understand and accept your condition, rather than judge you for it. In addition to analysis, we share stories of football and good times, creating bonds borne of common experience.  I don’t know about you, but I can already smell the flame-kissed encased meats and frosty beer that will sustain us once again through our annual rituals.  It is almost here.  And, as with the approach of each new season, the sporting debates commence anew.

With that in mind, I thought a quick and random spin through the NFL was in order.  I’m not ready to make broad predictions about Super Bowl Champions or call my 6 playoff teams in either conference yet.  But I do feel comfortable making an observation or two.  One for each team, in fact.  How’s that for living on the edge?  So, with no further ado, in the 2010 NFL season I expect…

ARIZONA CARDINALS: …Beanie Wells to get every chance to be the workhorse.

ATLANTA FALCONS: …Matt Ryan and Roddy White to explode. This is happening.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: …Joe Flacco to forcibly persuade all doubters that he is the real deal.

BUFFALO BILLS…CJ Spiller to provide more fireworks than that franchise has seen in the past decade.

CAROLINA PANTHERS…at least two inexperienced quarterbacks to see playing time.

CHICAGO BEARS…Devin Aromashodu to be the best WR, and Greg Olsen to disappear through no fault of his own.

CINCINNATI BENGALS… last season’s AFC North dominance to prove impossible to repeat.

CLEVELAND BROWNS… Jake Delhomme to be infinitely better than their 2009 QB’s.

DALLAS COWBOYS…Dez Bryant to show that he is the best football player in the 2009 rookie class.

DENVER BRONCOS…Josh McDaniels to regret numerous decisions, but none more than allowing Mike Nolan to get away.

DETROIT LIONS…Jahvid Best to remind us that a lot of people were calling him the best player in the country before he got hurt.

GREEN BAY PACKERS…Jermichael…Finley.  That is all.

HOUSTON TEXANS…that yes, Houston, this is finally the year.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS…Pierre Garcon to run away with the #2 WR job.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS…Rashad Jennings to grow into a larger role to keep MJD fresh.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS…Dexter McCluster to play the Wes Welker role, and play it well.

MIAMI DOLPHINS…Cameron Wake to provide some ROI in the form of double-digit sacks. He’ll get killed in the run game, though.  He’s not Peezy, who remains an underrated villain and could still play for me any time.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS…Percy Harvin to take the next step into sheer greatness as Grandpa Favre facilitates.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS…one last monster year from the Brady-Moss connection before Randy chases one last (probably misguided) payday.

NEW YORK GIANTS…a lot of Eli.  It’s been a process, but he’s taking the reigns completely in 2010.  You don’t put Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Kevin Boss all on the field just to run the power sweep.

NEW YORK JETS…Jets fans to be absolutely livid should I jinx it for them.  So I won’t.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS…a little less good fortune, but no less fun (until it ends).

OAKLAND RAIDERS…8 wins or more.  Michael Bush is the thunder, Darren McFadden is the lightning.  Tom Cable teams will run the ball on you whether you like it or not, and now he has a serviceable quarterback.  Get ready to hear a lot about Chaz Schillens, Louis Murphy and Zach Miller, and prepare for at least a bomb per game to DHB.  Not a Raider fan, but I believe.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES…Brandon Graham to have 10+ sacks and win Defensive ROY.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS…Dennis Dixon to make Mike Tomlin and the Rooneys seriously re-consider the degree of their affection for Ben Roethlisberger. The Sausage King of Pittsburgh, as I now call him, is in trouble.

ST. LOUIS RAMS…Sam Bradford to be really glad he has Steven Jackson as his dump-off option.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS…Norv Turner to continue to show us all what a truly masterful offensive coordinator looks like.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS…big things from one Alex P. Smith.  But I won’t be shocked if he lets me down, either.  And though I assume you have no doubt, let me assure you that Michael Crabtree is indeed the truth.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS…Justin Forsett to put to rest the question of who the #1 back is.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS…Gerald McCoy and Brian Price to wreak havoc on the defensive front.

TENNESSEE TITANS…Chris Johnson to discover the meaning of the phrase “career year.”

WASHINGTON REDSKINS…that despite a backfield with a collective age rivaling that of the cast of “Cocoon,” Mike Shanahan will find a way to put a productive running game on the field, as always.

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“IT APPEARS (OUR) HYPOCRISY KNOWS NO BOUNDS.”

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Ryan Burns, Editor-In-Chief

The NCAA is punishing the wrong Trojans.

It appears that a near-death (and Hollywood-ized) Doc Holliday had far more self awareness than those in the college football world.  It’s no newsflash that the system is broken.  I mean, do you know anyone not wholly invested in the bowl system who does not want a playoff?  Who thinks it’s a good idea to have a bunch of coffee-and-donut-slamming writers decide who the best team is (and again, I’m not judging. I’m just saying.)?

And now, the Pac 10’s favorite villain (and, by no small coincidence, by far its most dominant program for the bulk of its history) has apparently been slapped with significant sanctions in connection with recruiting violations involving Reggie Bush, among others.  The Trojans will be out of postseason play for two years, losing major television dollars and recruiting showcase opportunities. This will matter now that USC will now be competing in the same conference with national powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas.  They lose 20 scholarships.  So much for all that depth and competition for which Trojan practices are now legendary.  I suspect Pete Carroll suspected, and that Lane Kiffin really did not.  Or his ego really is that impressive.  (I know. I’m 50-50 on that one, too.)
As a UCLA alum and lifelong Bruin fan, I know I’m supposed to be jovial this morning, but I’m not.  Not at all.  The bottom line is that I’m a football fan, and this is bad for the Pac 10 and bad for college football.  Much like with the Raiders and Cowboys in the NFL, college football and especially the Pac are infinitely healthier and more exciting when the Trojans are strong.
But more to the point for me, the punishment and the system by which it was levied is a total farce.  The coach most responsible for the violations involved is rolling around in money he obtained as a result, at least partially, of those violations.  Reggie Bush, whose Heisman appears in jeopardy, is in New Orleans earning millions (which he would’ve done with or without whatever benefits he got in exchange for his decision to attend one of the traditional powerhouses of college football). The violations are years in the past.  Nevertheless, the NCAA’s punishment will drop the hammer on USC’s current student athletes, and those high school athletes considering the Trojans.
What possible sense does this make?  If you want to punish the school, punish the school.  Moreover, the NCAA is responsible for the circumstances that lead to these kinds of violations! You’ve already long since decided that major college football is a money game first, foremost, and damn near exclusively.  USC benefits from that arrangement as much as any school in the country.  FINE THEM.  The sanctions handed down today make as much sense as witnessing your oldest child steal from the cookie jar, then grounding the middle one and sending the youngest one to her room as punishment while the oldest chows down on Chips Ahoy in the treehouse out back.  It’s absurd.
Somewhere on the dusty, faded summer grass of a Southern California high school football field, there is a kid whose parents can’t afford to send him to college.  A kid who has grown up watching the Trojans and dreaming of putting on the Cardinal and Gold and running out of that tunnel into the explosion of sound that greets the gladiator as he enters the hallowed grounds of a filled-to-capacity Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  He’s spent the last four years in two-a-days, running sprints, lifting weights, going to boring classes and getting decent grades, all so he might have this chance.  As it turns out, there is not just one of this kid.  There are hundreds, probably thousands of him.  And somewhere, from some office in Indianapolis, Indiana, a group of mostly old men just took 20 of those chances away.   I wish I were surprised.  “It’s always the same, it’s just a shame, and that’s all.”
UPDATE Thurs, 1:37 pm PAC 10 Time: So apparently it’s 30 scholarships.  Awesome.
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GOLDEN TATE REALLY LIKES DONUTS

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Ryan Burns, Editor-In-Chief

Golden and Homer have commonalities.

According to the boys at Pro Football Talk, former Golden Domer and Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Golden Tate was apparently apprehended last night inside a donut shop in Bellevue, Washington.  “Wait a minute,” you might say.  “What’s illegal about eating donuts?  Has the NFL finally gone too far with this substance abuse program thing?”

Well, it turns out the donut shop was closed at the time.  Minor detail.  Look, I’m not about to pretend I haven’t on numerous occasions considered breaking and entering a donut establishment in the dark of night.  You walk by the dark storefront without a care in the world, but like a siren from beyond the horizon, dimly-lit trays of day-old pastries call you.  I’ve been there.  And so, I rise in his defense.
But when you play in the NFL, you simply can’t do things like this.  Here’s why.  First, it makes you look like an idiot (this is bad in any profession).  The greater Seattle area is loaded with hippies and college students.  There’s a 24-hour donut shop around up there somewhere.  Find it.  Second, I can only assume that nothing sets off Commissioner Goodell’s Substance Abuse Program Red Flag Machine faster than a young man essentially committing burglarly (the breaking and entering of a dwelling house at night with the intent to commit a felony therein) to plow a tray of chocolate crullers, rainbow-sprinkled frosties, and maple twists.  If you want the Commish to think you’ve got a world-champion-level case of the munchies, this is probably the best way to go about it.
Fortunately, Golden avoided arrest this time.  If he stays on the right path from here on out, this little foolishness will eventually be forgotten and discarded as youthful stupidity.  But by indulging certain impulses that I think it’s safe to say we’ve all had from time to time, he just landed on a radar screen that it’s best to avoid.
*This message brought to you by the good folks at the 24-hour donut shop at the Newport Beach, CA pier.  For the first half of this decade, they kept my late night snacky cravings well sated.  Standard order: ham and cheese croissant- and no matter when you show up, they’ll tell you: It’s fresh out of the oven.
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