Rookie Battle Royale: Week 13

Sorry for the lack of updates these last few days, I have been out of town on business and this has been the first chance I have had to post any thing. Of course, the Vikings chose this week to lay a crap at least 8 courics in size, and many of the rookies did the same. Ill go over as many of them as I can, as my time is limited.

Mark Sanchez

Another less than mediocre game for Sanchez, and with only 104 yards of passing, he is fading from ROY contention. Funny enough, the Jets have won two in a row, even though Sanchez has played like a rookie, so I guess he is fine for right now.

Matt Stafford

Stafford had a typical Lions performance this week, throwing for 143, a TD and 2 INTs. With the way that he is surrounded, its expected that his bad games will far exceed his good games at first, though he will definitely have to overcome problems to stay above the JaMarcus Russell memorial rookie bust line.

Josh Freeman

Although Freeman threw for over 300 yards, his team lost mainly due to his inability to throw to his team’s receivers. When your QB throws five picks, you are almost guaranteed a loss, and if he doesnt throw a TD, you will have even less of a chance. Freeman has been off and on, and the Bucs are in limbo at 1-11 in terms of how to proceed with him from here. I say let him play, as you really have nothing to lose other than the number one pick in the 2010 draft.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had 6 catches for 79 and a TD, though the TD came in relative garbage time when the Cardinals had already sealed it. He played well, regardless, and was really one of the only bright spots of the game for the Vikings. Harvin is now the top wide-receiver on his team in TDs, pretty interesting considering that Favre has thrown 25.

Louis Murphy

Back on this list for the first time since week one, welcome back. Murphy had the game of the week for all rookies, catching 4 balls for 128 and 2 TDs. He single handedly helped the Raiders over come huge odds to hand the Steelers their 4 loss in a row and was remarkable in doing so.

Knowshon Moreno

Denver killed KC and Moreno played a pretty good game, scoring 2 TDs on his way to 86 yards on the ground. Moreno has slowly crept into the top of the discussion for ROY as Sanchez and Stafford have fallen.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Watch

1. Percy Harvin – He padded his stats a little in a part of the game that didnt matter, but it was still enough to keep him securely at the top. (LW #1)

2. Knowshon Moreno – Another good game to add to his list of accomplishments (LW #2)

3. Mark Sanchez – The Jets have been winning, so he moves up (LW #4)

4. Matt Stafford – He will need another record game to convince people that he is the ROY (LW #3)

5. Hakeem Nicks – A key TD in last night’s game gets him back on this list (LW NR)

Rookie Battle Royale: Week 12

Hope you all had great thanksgivings, I know I had a great weekend of relaxing and watching football. The rookie class is shaping up to be pretty impressive, and some of them had their best games of the season. Without further adieu…

Mark Sanchez
Another shitty game for Dirty, but the Jets won, so its not all that bad in the long run. 154 and a pick will not cut it this late in the season, and his team is starting to fade out of the long run playoff picture if they continue to play at this level. Yes, they won, but they just dont look like a great team. Sanchez is looking as human as ever, and he definitely has Darrelle Revis to thank for this one being expunged from his record.
Matt Stafford
Stafford had an abysmal game and threw four picks for another loss to the Packers. Stafford has been very up and down, which is how rookie QBs usually are, and lucky enough for him, his team is too horrible for it to matter all that much. Stafford has had a better season than Sanchez to this point, but he will need pieces around him to keep it going.
Josh Freeman
Freeman almost came away with a win if not for Roddy White. Freeman had 250 and 2 TDs with no INTs, so a good game there. Freeman has turned out to be a surprise rookie success story, I guess thats what happens when you have no pressure on a 1-10 team. Id be interested to see what happens when they get CJ Spiller or something in the backfield, as Freeman could turn out better than expected.
Percy Harvin
I will say this right now. ROY is Harvin’s to lose, and this game shows how versatile he can be in this league. Harvin had his first 100 yard game of the year, and even managed 45 extra yards on the ground. Considering the Bears defense is still pretty formidable, and Peterson only had 85, Harvin looks that much better. He also had a first quarter TD, so I would file this under one of the best games of his short career so far. What is it with Vikings’ rookies destroying the Bears?
Kenny Britt
Britt had a great game, including the game winning TD catch against the Cardinals. He had 128 receiving yards and was definitely one of the best rookies of this week, if not the best. Britt has done his best to put together a pretty good rookie campaign on a team that hasnt done well until 5 weeks ago.
Knowshon Moreno
A good game for Moreno, including a TD and 100 total yards. I expected him to have a little bit better of a game, especially when the Broncos were up big and running late in the game. Either way, they beat a failing team with good players, and that always is a nice boost. Next week should be another good game, so we will see what he can do.
LeSean McCoy
With Westbrook out indefinitely, McCoy will need to carry this team at the RB position. He had a pretty good game including a key two point conversion, as well as 100 total yards. They gave the goal line carry to the backup, so that sucks for his stats, but overall a game that wasnt a bad one. McCoy is turning out to be a viable option for McNabb, which can only help his stock.
Darrius Heyward-Bey
He finally caught a TD, and its been 11 weeks. Nice job Al Davis. Thats the only bright spot of the year for Hey Bey, and it was the only TD of the game for the Raiders. I guess that should count for something.
Jeremy Maclin
Maclin had a respectable five catches for 63 in the Eagles win, and he looked great on a few of those catches. Maclin will be good in the future, especially working on the other side from DeSean Jackson who will draw the coverage away from him. Jackson will be out next week, so we definitely get a good look at Maclin and what he can do.
Hakeem Nicks
Nicks had an okay game with 66 yards, but really hasnt shown the flashes of brilliance we saw from him earlier in the year. The Giants havent been doing very well, anyways, so Im guessing that has to be part of it.
Mike Wallace
Wallace was shut out in a key game, that hurts for the Steelers who havent had a very good couple of weeks.
Offensive Rookie of the Year Watch
1. Percy Harvin – another great game, his to lose (LW – #1)
2. Knowshon Moreno – a good week, and a great season (LW – NR)
3. Matt Stafford – best of the QB years so far (LW – #2)
4. Mark Sanchez – early good start will help him from falling off the board (LW – #2)
5. LeSean McCoy – great year in a pressure situation (LW – #4)

Rookie Battle Royale: Week 11

I love this week, I said it before, Ill say it again. The Vikings had an easy win, the Entire AFC North lost, some in epic fashion, and the rookies had great weeks, which is good for all of us. I think the playoff picture is becoming pretty clear in some parts, which is also cool, even though a few of my least favorite teams are pretty much in. Anyways, on with the show.

Mark Sanchez

Its been an up and down season so far for Sanchez, and this week was a major down week. He threw four interceptions en route to a Jets loss, again, and showed that rookie QBs usually don’t have the know how to figure out a tough D. Sanchez was once the runaway contender for ROY, but now isnt looking so hot. His cards have taken a hit as well, with some not cracking $100 where they used to be getting $120 and above. He is not going to be Jamarcus Russell, so don’t worry, but he still has a long way to go.

Matthew Stafford

Holy crap, what a week for Matthew Stafford. I guess the Browns really are that bad, and Stafford may be that good. He threw five TDs, a rookie record, and also passed for over 420 yards, again a rookie record. His Lions’ team had an epic comeback against the worst team in the league, and even though he broke all kinds of records, it just goes to show that the Browns suck that bad. Regardless, his cards will jump, and they deserve to, as he may have just catapulted ahead of Sanchez in the ROY watch.

Josh Freeman

Again, rookie QBs usually have a pretty bad game against good defenses, and Packers game aside, Freeman has done just that. 126 yards, a TD and a pick doesn’t leave you with much if you are the Bucs, especially so when you play against the Saints. Eh, growing pains are going to be common in Tampa Bay.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had a very good game against the Seahawks, including starting the scoring with a 23 yard TD. He ended up with 79 yards and 5 catches including one on third down for a nice gain. Harvin has quickly emerged as a top candidate for rookie of the year, and the Vikings seem to greatly benefit each time he catches the ball – kickoffs and otherwise.

Mohammed Massaquoi

Another great week for Massaquoi, even though it was against the Lions. He had a long TD, as well as 115 yards, so I guess the Browns fans should pleased that they ended up with Stuckey and him as their two guys instead of Braylon. I doubt that will remain the case, but for now, its not bad.

Bernard Scott

Bernie had a great week in a stunning loss. 115 yards rushing, though the Bengals were the second top team to lose to the Raiders. With Benson out, the Bengals are going to need some major help, especially with Larry Johnson dragging them down. Scott doesn’t look like a bad fill in, but he is little more than a stop-gap.

Michael Crabtree

Crabtree had his first good game of the year against the Packers, and it only took 11 weeks to do it with the hold out. Good for you buddy, smart move. He had 77 yards and a TD, though the Niners couldn’t pull off the late come back. Crabtree looks like he is going to be pretty good, but he will have that hold out tag on him until he explodes.

Brandon Pettigrew

Pettigrew had a feast with his Lions teammates, including a game winning TD catch with no time on the clock. He almost dropped it, which was funny, but overall he had a pretty good game with 72 yards. Its going to be tough as a tight end for him to get any sort of value momentum while playing in Detroit, so don’t go rush to your local shops looking for his stuff.

Hakeem Nicks

Nicks has been notably absent during the Giants losing streak, and this week was just alright. 65 yards on 5 catches, but the Giants did squeak out a win. Nicks is losing steam, but that could be just that the 16 game season is starting to catch up with him. He was injured for 2 games early on, so who knows.

Beanie Wells

74 and a TD is pretty good, second good game in a row for Beanie. Now that Warner is banged up, he should have a much more prominent role in the Cardinals’ offense. Maybe that will do well for him to get even more back on track.

LeSean McCoy

I remember back when getting 100 yards against the Bears on the ground was an impossible feat. McCoy came awfully close with 99 and a TD last night, so I guess its not that much of an accomplishment anymore. McCoy has quietly put together a great season, but with Westbrook coming back again soon, I doubt he will get the same attention later on.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Watch

Now that the season is more than half over and the graveyard is coming to life, its time to switch gears. There are a lot of candidates for ROY, and here is my own version of a tracker to show you who deserves consideration to me.

1. Percy Harvin – 36 rec / 501 yards, 4 TDs, 2 KR TDs – he has helped his team the most, and has shown to be a very elusive runner and tough to tackle. Those KRs have been icing on the cake in some of the Vikings wins, where others have been the cake themselves.

2(T). Mark Sanchez – 1761 yards, 10 TDs, 16 INTs – Sanchez is here because so many of the rookie QBs are always the most visible. NY has a better record than DET, even though Stafford has generally played better.

2(T). Matt Stafford – 1911 yards, 11 TDs, 14 INTs – Stafford has brought 2 wins to a horrible team with his arm alone. His recent 5 TD game brings him into this conversation, especially after missing games with a knee injury.

4. LeSean McCoy – 452 yards, 4.3 YPC, 3 TDs – McCoy has done great in Westbrook’s absence considering the circumstances. I doubt he has a chance to win unless he puts up a monster game next week.

5. Mike Wallace – 28 rec / 500 yards 3 TDs – He has done pretty well as a 3rd wide receiver, though has been used more of a deep guy than someone integral to the offense. It has netted him a great YPC avg and a few TDs, but he will need to step it up to overcome the rest of the candidates.

Rookie Battle Royale: Week 10

Another week for the NFL, another good week by a few of the rookies who werent doing so well before. With both undefeated teams staying undefeated, the rookies werent as much of a focus as usual, but they definitely didn’t sleep the week away either.

Josh Freeman

Coming off the game of his life in his first start last week against the Packers, there were high expectations this week for him against a struggling Dolphins team. Freeman did not play half as well as he did in his debut, and the Dolphins took it on the last play of the game. He threw for 196 yards, a TD and an interception, but had four fumbles with one lost. Not great.

Mark Sanchez

Sanchez played like a rookie again this week, with a very mediocre game against a team they should have beat. This now shows that he is human after all, with more games this year on the rookie side than the spectacular side. He threw 2 interceptions and a touchdown, as well as 212 yards, so it wasn’t all that wonderful of a game for him. This should make it interesting come the end of the year ROY voting.

Matt Stafford

Of the three rookie QBs, Stafford had arguably the best game against the best team. On 51 throws, he didn’t have a pick, which is pretty good considering that last time he played the Vikings he threw 3. He was sacked 4 times, but really it was more of a receiver issue than anything. The guys he was throwing to also dropped 8 passes, so that will hurt in the long run. Stafford ended up with 224 yards and a TD. Not bad.

Beanie Wells

Finally, after nine weeks, Beanie had a really good game, best of the week for the rookie running backs. He had 85 yards and 2 TDs, which was only the second 2 TD game of the year for rookie RBs. His YPC avg, a concern in previous weeks was up considerably (5.3 this week), and he didn’t look lost out there in a nice Cardinals win. Beanie still has a long way to go, but things are starting to improve.

Jeremy Maclin

Maclin is quietly putting together a great rookie campaign. He led all rookie WRs with 76 yards, as well as a touchdown, which makes his second consecutive with a score. Maclin is playing on a team where he will need to be the top guy eventually, so he really needs to come through, and this game was another notch in the bed post for him.

Bernard Scott

If I told you at the beginning of the Cincy/Steelers game that Bernard Scott would be the MVP, you would have laughed me out of the building. Yet, with a HUGE kickoff return TD, he was the reason the Bengals won. So, Steelers fans, you have given up KR TDs to two rookies this year, who is next, haha?

Knowshon Moreno

Moreno had a good game this week, but the Broncos lost to a team that they should have killed. He had 104 total yards and 97 on the ground, so it was definitely a solid effort. I also didn’t see any huge fumbles, which Im sure was a sigh of relief for his fans, but the loss was more than a shock irregardless.

Johnny Knox

Knox went from the top of the game to being right where he was expected to be. On Thursday, he had his third game in a row where he did nothing, and this time the Bears needed a big play. Knox hasn’t caught more than two passes in any of the games of late, and he is going to need to step up if the bears are going to recover.

Percy Harvin

Harvin had 3 for 53, but most of those yards came on an amazing catch where he pinballed around and ran for forty yards. Harvin’s impact was minimal, but the Vikings didn’t really need it with Favre, Peterson and Rice playing like fucking beasts. Not the best game of the year, but that catch was pretty awesome considering the hit he took and still stayed up.

The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey – 1 for 20? C’mon Al Davis, you suck at drafting.

Michael Crabtree – Nothing still, needs at least a TD to be worth the hold out.

Brandon Pettigrew – Had a couple drops and no production again this week.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 9

This week had a lot of byes or Monday night games for the top rookies, but we definitely have some newcomers to the list. We also see that more and more late rounders are coming out of the woodwork to become productive for their teams, so be sure to dig through your commons before tossing them in a shoebox for eternity.

Josh Freeman

Its rare that Aaron Rodgers is out performed. Its even rarer that a rookie does it. The odds in vegas may not have even fathomed that a rookie QB on a winless team would beat him. Freeman played the game of his life in his first game, and it is ridiculous to think that he did it against a surging team like the Packers. 3TDs 200 yards passing, and 20 yards rushing. Thats pretty damn good. He WILL NOT play this well every week, but he looks like he could at least have some potential, which the Bucs must be loving.
Matt Stafford
Stafford had a pretty bad week this week, throwing 5 interceptions against the Seahawks. People on the boards have already started calling him a bust, but we have to remember that he is still a first year fucking QB in the toughest game to play well in. He had a bad game, on one of the worst teams in the league. Im not saying anything yet, but I will continue to say that holding his cards from the beginning was stupid.
LeSean McCoy
McCoy put up 100 total yards this week against a very good team, and I am thinking he is turning out to be one of the best non-first round picks of the year. He didnt get into the end zone, but he played very well. The problem is, once Westbrook comes back, its back to normal bench work.
Brandon Pettigrew
Welcome to week 9 Brandon Pettigrew! Holy crap, took you long enough. He caught 7 passes for 70 yards with a TD, though he was the only bright spot for his team. Pettigrew still has a REALLY long way to go, but its interesting that it took him this long to get involved. I think he will continue to come around, but its going to take a while when you have as many problems as the Lions do. Of course, I pulled one of his cards too this weekend, just my luck.
Johnny Knox
Knox has been relatively silent since the Bears decided to take a swan dive into the shitter. He caught 4-30, and really did nothing for the second game in a row. Another passenger on the NFL rookie roller coaster I guess. I think if you are holding his cards, you should have sold a few weeks ago.
Hakeem Nicks
Same as Knox, Nicks was silent again this week with 3 for 39 yards. The Giants in general didnt do much against the Chargers, so when you are the number three guy, its tough to get involved. I am still in the house that thinks Nicks is still one of the top rookie receivers of the year, but he needs to do better to keep that designation.
Beanie Wells
Wells had a pretty good game with 13 rushes for 72 yards, though he still has yet to really impress anyone. The focus of the Cardinals offense may be to blame for his lack of success, but he also hasnt done much with what he has been given. At least this game shows his YPC avg has potential to improve.
The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey – Bye week
Brandon Pettigrew – May come out next week if he has another good game
Matthew Stafford – Has done little since his injury, so I have to put him here because of the body of work
Michael Crabtree – 3 for 30 isnt going to cut it when you hold out for as long as he did
Beanie Wells – Still not much for a guy who had the hype he did.