5 Runningbacks Looking for Big Numbers in 2010

The NFL is approaching very quickly, and every running back in the league, is yet again looking to run for as much yards and touchdowns as humanly possible, break all the records, and become the next Barry Sanders. Let's look at a few big dogs to look for come the 2010 season:

Chris Johnson

 This is the easiest pick of them all, Chris Johnson was just phenomenal last year, coming right to the precipice of breaking the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season (CJ ran for 2006 yards in 2009). In 2009, CJ had a fantastic 5.6 yard per carry average, over 500 yards receiving, he was nearly unstoppable. His athletic ability mixed in with unheard of speed, and elusiveness made him the best running back in the league last year and certainly sets him up to retain that title in 2010. CJ hopes a repeat performance of his over two thousand yard season can put him up for a Most Valuable Player award (he didn't receive one vote for MVP last year). What's disappointing is even with this dominating performance, the Titans were still 8 - 8 last year. 

 Maurice Jones-Drew

 

Maurice Jones-Drew was an elite fantasy back last year, ending up 4th overall in yards and 2nd in touchdowns, all while being on a pretty anemic Jaguars offensive unit. Don't expect his numbers to plummet this season though as Jones-Drew will no doubt produce similar numbers this season.

 Adrian Peterson

Peterson's numbers may have dropped from 2008 to 2009, but his touchdowns nearly doubled. The lowest production he's ever had in his 3 short years in the NFL was his rookie season in which he ran for over 1300 yards (while only starting nine games). Peterson is the player that in his rookie season, broke the all time NFL record for most rushing yards in a game (Peterson ran for 296). He is always dangerous, always turning small plays into highlight reel moments, and will be near the top of most every draft board.

Cedric Benson

 

Cedric Benson played his best season of his career last year, looking great in his second year with the Bengals rushing for over 1200 yards. If that wasn't enough, Benson is in a contract year, and history has shown that players put up some of their best statistics during this period to ensure that they get big financial rewards. The additions of Terrell Owens, Antonio Bryant and Jermaine Gresham lend a lot of help the the Bengals passing attack, balancing out the offense and freeing up defenders from hounding Benson.

Ray Rice

 Ray Rice ran for over 1300 yards last year, but their are a few reasons why he could see even more production this year. With the additions of Donte Stallworth and Anquan Boldin to help the Ravens offense evolve, it will balance out their previous run heavy game plan, allowing Ray Rice to get better coverages. And with only a few years under his belt, he is still a young player and as he gains experiences, his awareness will improve.

NFL Game Predictions & Outlooks; Week 2

Week one in the NFL has come and gone, and it was a great week of football, showcasing some great games, crazy plays, and classic competitiveness. Week 1's Predictions and Picks were not too spectacular, but it is routinely difficult to judge team's competency coming in to the first game of the season, simply based on the fact that it's the first time you get to see the team in action. All excuses aside, lets take a look into the match ups and predictions for week 2 in the NFL.

Houston Texans Vs Tennessee Titans

In the season opener the Tennessee Titans lost a close Over Time game to the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Look for them to rebound against the Houston Texans in this week 2 match up. Tennessee's defense played well in their first game and kept it close throughout the game. Houston on the other hand, in their week one loss to the New York Jets, looked stagnant on offense. They let the Jets rush for over a hundred yards so look for Tennessee to produce similar if not better rushing totals with speedster Chris Johnson.

Players to watch in this game:
Tennessee's WR Kenny Britt - Houston's QB Matt Schuab

Proposed Score: Tennessee 21 - Houston 13

New Orleans Saints Vs Philadelphia Eagles

The New Orleans Saint routed the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Carolina Panthers in their respected week one games. The Eagles forced a meltdown on Jake Delhomme, forcing four interceptions, while the Saints offense took apart Detroit, led by Drew Brees 6 touchdown passes. But how will these two fare against each other? Donovan Mcnabb has a fractured rib but is trying to play in this game, though its possible that even if he does play, his performance could be affected. This could go back and forth but I like New Orleans based on sheer offensive potential.

Players to watch in this game:
Philadelphia's QB Donovan Mcnabb - New Orleans TE Jeremy Shockey

Proposed Score : New Orleans 28 - Philadelphia 24

Arizona Cardinals Vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Both Arizona and Jacksonville are coming off week one losses, and in their up coming game, the match up could be close. Indianapolis was not able to run well on Jacksonville in week 1, and neither will Arizona in week 2. Jacksonville allowed 301 passing yards to Indy, which could be bad news since their up coming match up welcomes another predominantly passing team in Arizona. San Fransisco put a lot pf pressure on Kurt Warner which threw him off and led to two interceptions, this leads to bad news in turn for Arizona since Jacksonville's defense shows potential, stopping indy on both 4th down attempts, sacking manning once, and forcing Addai to fumble. This could go either way but I'm going to give it to Jacksonville because of their ability to protect the football and run the ball.

Players to watch in this game:
Jacksonville's WR Torry Holt - Arizona's RB Tim Hightower

Proposed Score : Jacksonville 23 - Arizona 14

Oakland Raiders Vs Kansas City Chiefs

As surprising as it sounds, Oakland looked like they are started emerging from bottom trawler of the league in their close loss to San Diego. Kansas City put some what of a fight up against Baltimore but but it was too little to help. I think Oakland emerges even more this week against Kansas City, the running game does better (as Baltimore rushed for a combined 198 yards) and Russell gains even more confidence in the passing game.

Players to watch in this game:

Oakland's TE Zach Miller - Kansas City's WR Mark Bradley

Proposed Score : Oakland 21 - Kansas City 17

Cincinnati Bengal's Vs Green Bay Packers

Last week Cincinnati lost a close game to the Broncos on a miracle tipped touchdown catch in the closing section of the 4th quarter (though the Bengals did not even put their own points on the board till the last minute of the 4th). Green Bay came back to reclaim the lead and the in win in the 4th quarter of their game as well. Look for Green Bay to have an easier time with Cincinnati then they did with Chicago. Chicago's pass rush pressured Rodgers constantly, sacking him 4 times and hitting him 9. After Greg Jennings big game, look for Rodgers to keep him as the go to guy in this game, and Ryan Grant should produce a little better on the ground.

Players to watch in this game:
Green Bay's WR Greg Jennings - Cincinatti's WR Chad Ochocinco

Proposed Score: Green Bay 17- Cincinatti 7

Minnesota Vikings Vs Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions do not look to be starting off the season well as they fell to 0-1 last week as Drew Brees threw 6 touchdowns and turned the Lions inside out. Rookie Matthew Stafford's had none and instead had 3 interceptions (though he did manage to run a TD in). The Minnesota Vikings defeated Cleveland last week as Adrian Peterson rushed for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. Look for him to post similar numbers this game against Detroit (they let New Orleans rush for over a 100 yards) as they rise to 2-0.

Players to watch in this game:
Minnesota's QB Brett Favre - Detroit's CB Anthony Henry

Proposed Score: Minnesota 28 - Detroit 13

St. Louis Rams Vs Washington Redskins

The Rams had a terrible season opener as they were shutdown by the Seattle Seahawks in a 28-0 loss. The Redskins in week one, lost a competitive game to the New York Giants in a failed comeback attempt. Washington should have far less trouble with the Rams this week as St. Louis attempts to find some rhythm on all sides of the ball. It might not be as embarrassing as week one for the Rams but look for them to get beat soundly by Washington this week.

Players to watch in this game:
St. Louis RB Steven Jackson - Washington's TE Chris Cooley

Proposed Score: Washington 23 - St. Louis 10

New England Patriots Vs New York Jets

The New England Patriots looked unready in their first game against Buffalo, but they managed to reclaim the lead and win the game in the 4th. The New York Jets looked solid as rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez led them to victory against the Houston Texans. I expect this to be another close game, but for the Patriots to look a little more like their on even footing and take his game home for the W.

Players to watch in this game:
New England's WR Wes Welker - New York's TE Dustin Keller

Proposed Score : New England 24 - New York 20

Carolina Panthers Vs Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons once again showed promise last week as they beat the Miami Dolphins with little opposition. Matt Ryan looked solid with 2 touch downs and a 98 quarterback rating. Carolina on the other hand, was dismantled by Philadelphia last week as Jake Delhomme self destructed, throwing 4 interceptions and keeping any chance of winning the game away from the hapless Panthers. Look for Michael Turner do better on the ground then in the Miami game as the Falcons take down the Panthers.

Players to watch in this game:
Atlanta's QB Matt Ryan - Carolina's RB DeAngelo Williams

Proposed Score: Atlanta 17 - Carolina 7




Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Buffalo Bills

Tampa Bay lost to a very potent looking Dallas offense, and Buffalo lost a game they should have won to the New England Patriots. One of my main interests in this match up, is that in Buffalo's previous game they allowed the Pats to throw for 378 yards, which should make things easier for Byron Leftwich and the Buccaneers, but then Tampa also let Tony Romo throw for 353 yards so the passing defenses on both teams could be lax. Cadillac Williams looked good in their first game and look for them to run on Buffalo with at least good success.

Players to watch in this game:
Tampa Bay's RB Cadillac Williams - Buffalo's RB Fred Jackson

Proposed Score : Tampa Bay 17 - Buffalo 10

Seattle Sea-hawks Vs San Fransisco 49ers

In week 1, Seattle shut out rival St. Louis and San Fransisco beat NFC champion Arizona. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 3 touchdowns in his NFL return but also threw two interceptions. San Fransisco's defense did well against the Cards but their offense failed to muster anything to write home about, though in the end they won the game. Seattle showed a balanced run and pass game in their opener, so if they can manage to retain this potency then look for them to win a competitive game.

Players to watch in this game:
San Fran's Frank Gore - Seattle's RB Julius Jones

Proposed Score : Seattle 23 - San Fran 17

Baltimore Ravens Vs San Diego Chargers

The Charger and Ravens won their respected games in the first week of the season, but in my eyes, the Ravens look to take this upcoming contest. Joe Flacco looks poise in the pocket, getting his team a lot of yards through the air as newcomer Ray Rice looks to run the ball effectively. The Ravens defense will most likely stop any potency in San Diego's rushing attack and limit their overall productivity. it will be a tough challenge to limit Philip Rivers efficiency, so the contest will be close.

Players to watch in this game:

Baltimore's RB Ray Rice - San Diego's TE Antonio Gates

Proposed Score : Baltimore 21 - San Diego 19

Pittsburgh Steelers Vs Chicago Bears

The Steelers and Bears meet up in this week 2 match up, that should leave the Steelers edging out the win. Pittsburgh got off slow against Tennessee in the season opener, but Big Ben played well as the game went on and they ended up winning in overtime. While Chicago dropped a close game to Green Bay on Sunday night. Among the pitfalls in Chicago's opener were Culters' 4 interceptions, the lack of running game, and losing Brian Urlacher for the season. Pittsburgh's defense should play well against Chicago and look for Big Ben to again open it up through the air.

Players to watch in this game:
Pittsburgh's TE Heath Miller - Chicago's RB Matt Forte

Proposed Score : Pittsburgh 23 - Chicago 10

Cleveland Browns Vs Denver Broncos

Denver stole the game from Cincinatti last week on one of the luckiest tipped passes Ive seen in a while and Cleveland was routed by Minnesota as Adrian Peterson used them as a track meet. I think Denver shows a little more promise this week and defeats the Browns. The've got some good wide receivers, Kyle Orton just needs to be comfortable learning how to utilize them.

Players to watch in this game:
Denver's QB Kyle Orton - Cleveland's TE Robert Royal

Proposed Score : Denver 14 - Cleveland 10

New York Giants Vs Dallas Cowboys

Two 1-0 teams match up this week when Dallas meets New York in what could one of the most competitive games of the week. New York just beat Washington, and Dallas flew past Tampa Bay. The Cowboys offense looked very potent in week one so I will give the close edge to them, though this game could be a complete toss up and I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants and their defense won the game, either way its gonna be close.

Players to watch in this game:
Dallas QB Tony Romo - Giants WR Steve Smith

Proposed Score : Dallas 23 - Giants 20

Indianapolis Colts Vs Miami Dolphins

Miami dropped to 0-1 this season after being routed by the Atlanta Falcons in their week one game. Indianapolis got off to a sloppy start but finished well as they won a close game with division rival Jacksonville. Look for the Colts to extend their win record to two as they meet the Dolphins on Monday night. The Dolphins will not likely be able to slow down the Colts aerial attack, Reggie Wayne is coming off a 160+ yard game and should be Mannings go to guy in this one as well, along with veteran tight end Dallas Clark.

Players to watch in this game:
Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne - Miami QB Chad Pennington

Proposed Score : Indianapolis 21 - Miami 10

The ComeBack Kid; Why Old Man Favre Could Be Good News For The Vikings

Once again, as the entire football world has heard by now, good old Brett Favre has come out of retirement (how many times now?), and finally made it to the team he desired to play before he was traded to the Jets.

Some of the football community is tired of his charades over his "to retire or not to retire"drama sessions, and some enjoy that the legend is still around playing the game, though the general consensus seems to be certain he will finish the self destruction he started last year.

Vikings fans could have a good reason to be happy about famous number four signing with their purple people eaters, because like it or not he could be the very push that helps them get through the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings are a solid football team but just a slight step down from Super Bowl contender. In 2008,they went 10-6 and lost in the playoffs to the Eagles, after having trouble converting 3rd downs in the second half, and having a QB capable of throwing only roughly half the yards Mcnabb threw for.

Last year the Vikings ranked 1st in rushing yards a game allowed with 76.9 yds, and 6th in total yards allowed a game also with 292.4 yds. These stats were very much indicative of a very well disciplined defensive unit.

On the other side of the ball, they had league's best running back in Adrian Peterson (1760 yds), and the 5th best run game (146.1)

The problem resided in their passing game, ranked a measly 25th overall, with their Quarter Back Gus Frerotte ranking 22nd in the league accompanied by his sub par 73.7 QB rating (5th from the worst) that year.

Even with this horrendous passing game to keep the offense creative, the Vikes still managed to rush an avg of 4.5 yds a play, 146.1 yds a game, even when the defensive knew pretty much what to expect.

Now bring in old man Favre, the fallen war hero with a passion for football and himself. He was traded to the Jets last year, led them to playoff possibilities and promptly self destructed. His QB rating was a mediocre 81 he was 11th in yards, 22nd in avg yds per pass, and had the league high in interceptions, and hearing this sounds like no good way to promote Favre into the Vikings savior, and maybe he's not. But Gus Frerotte threw the ball significantly less then Favre did with the Jets, and Favre had the 5th highest completion percentage compared to Frerotte's 24th ranked.

The biggest part of the puzzle regardless of the stats is that Favre does not have to carry the team, the amazing ground game has carried itself when the passing game had no help to give. Favre has the ability to make good throws and be a great QB, we've seen that. And we've also seen him throw to the other team just as often these days.

If Favre can come in, make himself seem like he has a lot of potential to improve the passing game, and seems a viable threat (that Frerotte and Jackson are not), then defenses will have to start actually accounting for the idea that maybe just maybe the vikings will show some promise through the air, instead of on the ground where they normally stay (and stay well).

Remember how well All Day Adrian Peterson runs the ball even when the defenses know he's coming, then imagine what he could do if the defenses had to account for the passing game as well, backing off from the line for fear that the guy getting the ball hiked to him in the purple uniform actually is a threat, then ladies and gentlemen the vikings just might be unstoppable...Providing that Favre can still identify his receivers from the defenders.