Percy Harvin Named Offensive ROY

This was a pretty expected award for Percy Harvin, as he has been the odds on favorite for more than half the season. He put up great numbers for a rookie, was named to the pro-bowl as the NFC Kick Returner, and has meant a lot to a team that ended up 12-4 and the number 2 seed. He has also benefited quite tremendously from having Favre around, as the two have forged a student/teacher relationship that has made Harvin that much more dangerous. When it came to third down, Harvin caught more balls than any player on the team, and his eight total TDs were the difference in at least two games.

Harvin’s cards have already hit their peak as he has slowly become the top producer in the draft class, so there shouldnt be that much of a bump with the news. Oddly enough, Austin Collie and Mark Sanchez did not receive a single vote, with Michael Oher and Knowshon Moreno getting a few of the others.
MVP should be coming either later today or tomorrow, keep checking back.

Percy Harvin is the Ninth Viking To Make The Pro-Bowl

According to the Vikings Blog, Percy Harvin has been named to the team after they realized the roster would be short without a designated kick returner. Although the game matters little, the honor is what really counts, especially in a league where fan Voting only makes up a third of the decision.

Harvin ran two kicks back for TDs this year as a rookie, and averaged over 27 yards per return. It is second all time for the Vikings, and I expect him to be quite dangerous in that fashion for the playoffs. He is the only offensive skill player rookie to be named to the rosters this year, though im sure more will come as the rosters thin out due to so many players turning down their invites.
Hopefully he wont have to play due to the game the week after, if you catch my drift.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 8

It was a great weekend of football, as you can probably imagine, and there were quite a few rookies that performed pretty well. A few are still having trouble getting established, but others are falling into solid roles with their respective teams. The funny thing is that there isnt a clear cut rookie of the year candidate yet, though Sanchez does seem to have an advantage as a QB. Who knows at this point.

Matt Stafford
We all knew Stafford was going to have problems playing for a team as bad as the Lions. I warned those of you who were prospecting his stuff, that he was a POOR target for your collecting this year. He hasnt performed horribly, but he hasnt been great either. Then, when you factor in the injury, things are even worse. Well, he was back this week, but didnt do much in the loss to the Rams. He had 168 yards, 1 interception, and a rushing TD. Not a great game.
Mark Sanchez
Sanchez had a very good day, but they still lost to the Dolphins. This was really his first good game in a long time, and its probably a breath of fresh air for the people who bought up all his stuff at the beginning of the season. He is still the top guy of the 09 class by far, but he is going to need a playoff run to sustain his value. At this point im not sure, even though he put up 3 TDs and no interceptions yesterday.
Percy Harvin

If there was a rookie in focus this week, it was Percy Harvin. His game was one of the main reasons the Vikings were able to win the game, especially on his 51 yd TD catch. Then, when you factor in that he had a kick return average of 35 yards, with three going over 45, it becomes even more apparent how important he was. Harvin’s cards have been going for great prices, and should continue to do so. The guy is electric.
LeSean McCoy
What a game for the Eagles against their rivals, right? McCoy definitely did well to help that win, and his 69 yard TD run was fun to watch. He has been a great option for the Eagles during Westbrook’s absence, and you can tell that they were thinking ahead when they drafted him. Due to the Peterson Effect (All RB cards are more valuable because of the chance of a Peterson style rookie season) his cards are already pretty expensive, but this should help maintain those prices.
Jeremy Maclin
Im impressed with Maclin, the guy has turned it on lately, and has done so on a team that needed it. The Eagles are on a roll, and Maclin has scored 3 TDs in the last 3 games. He had 4 for 47 yards, including a TD at the end of the half that stunned a Giants crowd looking to stop their slide. Maclin was under the radar to begin with, and I think may end up as the best WR out of this class. I may start to pick up a few of his cards.
Michael Crabtree
Crabtree was held out of the endzone again, but managed 81 yards against the Colts. He also fumbled, which was problematic, but overall a pretty good game for a rookie who only has two games under his belt. Kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if he hadnt been a complete fucktard to begin the season.
Shonn Greene
I dont think there were many of us who were suprised when Greene didnt equal his game from last week, but there were a few shocked grins around my fantasy league to see him struggle with 8 carries for 18 yards. Im not expecting a whole lot out of him, but he needs to do better than 2 yards per carry.
Knowshon Moreno
The Broncos are no longer undefeated, and Knowshon did not have a very good game. Although the fumble he had looked questionable at best, it was still another tick on the league leading rookie fumble total. He did get into the endzone which helped, but he only had 10 carries for 39 total yards. Moreno’s cards arent going to drop, but this doesnt help. I still say its only a matter of time before he breaks out with a huge game.
The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey – The Raiders should have taken someone else, but we already knew that. He has done absolutely nothing, despite QB issues.
Brandon Pettigrew – Another bad team, but he should be doing more than 1 catch per game, especially when Calvin Johnson is on the shelf
Michael Crabtree – He needs a lot of production to erase the holdout. Im still shaking my head.
Beanie Wells – Another mediocre game for him losing to a team with problems. Doesnt help that Warner threw 5 interceptions either though.

Vikings and Packers in a Bloodbath For The Ages

Considering there is a bye week next week, I needed something to help me through the void that is coming for the Vikings. The game today definitely qualified under that category without a doubt. A great win, not only for the morale it gives Favre and the team, but also because a good portion of the team played great.

Brett Favre
I was dreading what was going to happen in this game because of the adrenaline involved, but Favre performed like the master he is. Four TDs and no picks makes Brett a great QB, and I couldnt help but cheer like hell for him all game. You could just see the Packers fans getting more and more frustrated as the first half went on, and then again at the end of the game. It was great, to say the least, and I loved every minute of the Packer fans misery. On top of the pressure of the game that Brett seemed to shrug off, he made some great throws. The Berrian TD throw to seal it was phenomenal, and the Harvin TD was just as good. Just a great game all around for him.
Percy Harvin
When the Vikings drafted him, I cringed. Another pot smoking idiot, that brings back memories of Moss’ attitude, right? WRONG. The guy plays with an intensity that rivals Peterson, but the finesse and explosiveness of someone like Andre Johnson. Harvin looked like a veteran out there today, and his plays on special teams were the reason this game ended the way it did. Four kickoff returns that set the Vikings up with great field position, as well as a 51 yard TD catch that was his best of the year. I cant say enough good things about him. I am so fucking glad I have as many of his cards as I do.
Adrian Peterson
Peterson didnt have a memorable game, but he had a VERY solid performance. 140+ yards from scrimmage, a TD on fourth and goal, and a catch that sealed it for the Vikes in the fourth. Im sure he is just as glad as I am that we can score 38 points when he has just an okay game. Never would have happened a few years ago.
Jared Allen
If there is one person that loves playing against the Packers more than Favre, its Jared Allen. Three more sacks, as well as a few batted passes, and you have another amazing game from a guy that is quickly cementing his place as the best defensive end in the league.
Aaron Rodgers
This guy must be hating himself right now. The guy he replaced just came in and torched them for the SECOND time, and he had a great game despite it. He must be thinking “What the crap do I have to do to beat these mother fuckers?” I actually felt pretty bad for him because he just looked dead out there once the game got out of reach. Favre’s shadow looms over him no matter what he does, and you can see that he hates every second of it.
Karl Paymah, Madieu Williams, Cedric Griffin
How long until Winfield gets back? Seriously, I spent most of the second half shouting horrible things at these guys, as they could not have played a worse game coming out of that locker room for quarter 3. Paymah completely looks overmatched, which says something playing across from horrid Cedric Griffin. Madieu Williams has to be one of the worst Safeties I have ever seen, never really putting anything into his tackles. Just to illustrate how bad it was, on Rodgers’ 35 yard scramble, Paymah didnt even bother to turn around until Rodgers was right behind him. I hope they cut these fuckers.
Overall, I am extremely happy with the game today. Everything happened as it should. Funny enough, I played a game on Madden the night before against a guy who chose the Packers against my Vikings. I won on the last play of the game with a TD to Shiancoe, and much like today’s game, it was dominated by Allen and the D-Line. I am truly excited to see how the rest of the season will turn out, and I think it could actually turn out to be one of the best seasons I have been able to watch.

NFL Rookie Battle Royale: Week 7

For this week, I missed most of the action from being in San Diego for work, but after going through each game, looks like the rookies had a good week. Too bad my Vikings did not. Regardless, we also had a debut we had waited almost half a season for, and a few performances that impressed beyond expectations.

Mark Sanchez

Dirty finally shook off the interception bug, even though it was against one of the worst teams around. He threw for only 143, but had 2 TDs to offset that. Im guessing a lot of Jets fans were just happy they pitched a shutout, but I expected a little more from the rookie that is fixing to be the top value guy for the year.

Shonn Greene

For the first time, Sanchez wasn’t the focus of the rookie lens this week, as Shonn Greene had a ridiculous game at 144 and 2 TDs. One TD came after it was already decided, but he is the front runner right now for the rookie of the week. Leon Washington must have had an injury, and Greene did a great job filling in. Best game of any rookie RB so far, crazy that it came against the Raiders, right?

Michael Crabtree

Im not going to take him out of the graveyard quite yet, but he had a respectable debut with 5 catches for 56 yards. At least he showed he can be somewhat productive, though I think he will get better as he shakes off the rust. He didn’t explode, but definitely was the namesake for a few creative jerseys I saw in the 49er bar in San Diego.

Mike Wallace

Its tough for any Pittsburgh rookie to fly under the radar, but in terms of talk, Wallace is putting up one hell of a rookie campaign without much coverage. His values were high to begin with because he plays for the Steelers, but 72 and a TD will definitely help you out. Wallace’s TD was a good showing as to why the Vikings pass defense may cost them a trip deep in the playoffs, but he played a great game either way.

Hakeem Nicks

Nicks showed AGAIN why he is probably going to be the rookie WR of the year. Another TD, 80 yards, and a league lead in receiving TDs after a Knox mediocre game. Nicks has become a key cog in the NY passing offense, even though they got beat by the Cardinals.

Percy Harvin

Harvin was back returning kicks again after he aggravated his shoulder last week, and I was surprised to see him fly. Harvin ran back his second TD of the year, giving him 4 total TDs so far, as well as a few that set the Vikings up near the 50. He also caught 3 for 42, so a great game for a guy who is banged up.

Brian Hartline
Hartline caught 3 for 94 in a Dolphins game that they should have won, but they played like crap in the 4th quarter. He is a guy that I didnt know much about coming into the year, but he went to OSU, so you know he is going to get a bump this week in value. He does have a TD from week 4 against Buffalo, but hasnt done much else besides this game (10 for 157). I also dont believe he was a Rookie Premiere guy.
Austin Collie
This guy had another TD this week (though the game was over when he did), and continues to make me scratch my head as to where he is coming from. It helps when Peyton Manning is throwing you the ball, but still is impressive when you are pretty much unknown.
Beanie Wells

He finally got into the action with a TD, and against a good rush defense to boot. He ended up with 67 yards, so it wasn’t a stellar performance, but rushing is not the focus of his team with Fitz and Boldin around. Hightower is still getting all the goal line carries, which means that Beainie is not going to have many TDs. Im still not sold on him.

The Rookie Graveyard

Darrius Heyward-Bey – Its really too bad that he was drafted to the Raiders so high, as I think he could have been much better in a place that isnt a graveyard for the whole team.

Beanie Wells – had a TD, but still in the midst of a disappointing year.

Michael Crabtree – After holding out for the first 6 games, he needs to do better than 56 yards before getting out of here.

Brandon Pettigrew – Bye week.