Evans World 2009 - Week 10

So, Week 10 has come and gone and little has changed. I'm getting an early start on this week's blog since I doubt many people (besides Marshall) who really care about the outcome of tonight's game, much less doubt who will win it.

I HATE TO BE THE ONE TO SAY IT
Well, Gary, you've officially tied your own record of longest losing streak at 10 losses. Next week against Rob is your last chance to break the dreaded cycle. There's time to trade, pray and sacrifice whatever live animals you think would work best. I'd hate for this record to be broken.

That being said, I look at the teams that don't have a shot at the playoffs at this point and I say BE THE SPOILER! Of course, the most obvious choice for this to work is the Week 11 matchup between Mike and me. Mike, you don't always have to do what I think, although you and I both know how right I am. Instead, let's look to Tom who, in a fit of unexplainable karma, will find a way to defeat Chris in Week 11 and put his playoff hopes in jeopardy.

BEST QUOTE OF THE YEAR
I was so proud to read this quote this morning:

"I'd like to apologize to all the fantasy football players out there. Sorry for taking the knee."
- Maurice Jones-Drew

Finally, an NFL player stands up and recognizes the massive cadre of fans they have that don't necessarily spend $50 on his jersey. Not that Kevin needed any more help this week to defeat Joel and swap spots in the standings. I'm sure Kevin would agree with him, me and anyone who knows football that the best thing for him to have done was to take the knee, allow the team to eat the clock and win the game. Now, if this were the playoffs, I'm sure the man would be drawn and quartered.

WHY YOU SHOULD FEAR MY TEAM
Whew ... broke the 3-game losing streak after the trade. This season has taught me to never break up a team doing well. Sure, having Eli at QB would have hurt a lot, but keeping Fitzgerald and Grant probably would have worked out better in the playoffs. Only time will tell for sure, but I do worry about my guaranteed 2nd place finish. But, why should YOU fear my team? Simple. This week, NONE of my players scored a TD (except for Peyton's passing TD's) and I still managed to outscore most of you. Imagine what I'll do in a few weeks when money is on the line. Snifffffff. Ahhhh ... I can smell your fear through my blog.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE KEVIN-TOM TRADE
3 players for 1? Never, you may say. No player is worth that much! Perhaps, and considering Colston only earned 1.15 points for Kevin this week you may be right. However, I will point out that those 3 players will help setup Tom as a spoiler in the weeks to come ... Joel and Chris take note. In the end, I think acquiring Colston all but solidified Kevin's team with a first-round bye. Look who the Saints play in the next few weeks! Frightening. I've got a feeling Kevin has a very, very good chance of beating Nathan next week.

WHO DOES TONY ROOT FOR?
Tony, I have many friends who would hate themselves if they were in your position. Week in and out, you must choose between Cutler and Orton for your QB. I think Chris and Rob would agree that it's hard to choose and then SUPPORT either QB fully. I know a few Broncos' fans who would have laughed at you (this week) or yelled at you (last week) for starting Cutler. Just between you, me and everyone who reads this blog, I still think Cutler is the better QB, but the game he played Thursday night was just plain horrible. Let's hope that's the last time this season (*stiffles laughter in keyboard*).

BRAD WENDEL, NFL COACH
On 4th down, staring at your side of the field, up by only 6 points with 2 minutes on the clock, you punt the ball. I don't care if you're playing Peyton Manning or Brady Quinn. I think Bill looked at his defense (who were so tired and haggard they barely put pressure on Peyton in that last drive) and decided, "It's only 2 yards." Well, 2 yards and home-field advantage, both of which went up in smoke. Bad call, Bill. Bad call. Of course, I'm willing to leave it at that, but any article that talks about the Patriots from now until February is going to bring up that call. Ug.

WILL IT LAST?
Chris Johnson (Mike) and Steven Jackson (Berk).
No.

YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT MORE POINTS FOR QB, NATHAN?
450 yards! Let me say that again, 450 YARDS! Good god. That's like 3 games for Brady Quinn. And all McNabb and Nathan get out of it is 11 points (taking away the 2 TDs). I'm just saying, a game like that should be rewarded better than that.

Speaking of Nathan, should we feel sorry for him now that he has problems deciding which receivers to start again? Yeah, me neither. If he doesn't start Welker and Moss every week from now on I'd have him take a breathalyzer test.

JUST SAY NO TO 18 GAMES
The most depressing month of the year is February. Not because of Valentine's Day or Lincoln's Birthday (what, you don't get weepy?), but because the football season is officially over. Winter truly starts to set in and I commit mental suicide by turning to ... god, I hate to admit it ... basketball for entertainment. A few months later I hit rock bottom watching golf on a Saturday afternoon. With 18 games, football would extend deep enough into February to save me from this hell. Even still, this weekend should prove to owners everywhere (fantasy and otherwise) why 18 games in a regular season is a really, Really bad idea. Michael Turner, Cedric Benson, Julius Jones injured, offensive and defensive lines crippled. And it's just week 10! These players already tax themselves enough in the year for our entertainment. Let's not outright kill them just so they can sell one more week of overpriced tickets.

ME DON'T GET IT
I took a look, and 79% of Yahoo! Fantasy teams still own Terrell Owens. Why??? I think we, as part of the other 21% who have let him sit on the waiver wire for almost a month now, have got it right. A sad ending to the sad career of a sad man.

HOW THE CHIEFS CAN WIN NEXT YEAR
The Chiefs, although tempted to use a high draft pick for a linesman, should pick Oregan's RB LaGarrett Blount. Here's a kid who sat out most of his senior year and will be fresh and ready for the NFL. He's the perfect mixture of what the Chiefs wanted from Johnson and Charles, tough and fast. Not to mention, if he gets in another fist fight on the field, it will be the most aggressive energy to be seen in Arrowhead in almost 5 years. I say with him in the backfield and Cassell throwing to Bowe and Chambers they're on their way.

COACH OF THE YEAR ...
... goes to Mike Zimmer, hands down, if it's possible to give a Defensive Coordinator the honor. Look at the defense he has built in just 2 seasons without drafting any big-name players! And then to play with all the bad things that have happened to him this year and in the division they're in! Every story I read about the man and what's he's done impresses me more and more. He'll be a head coach someday, I'm sure, but for now let's enjoy the hard play of a guy named Fanene (pronounced FAH-NAY-NAY, believe it or not) thanks to him.

My second place finish goes to Mike Singletary. Not so much for his season record, but for what he's done to that team. As much as I HATED the NFL Network coverage last Thursday night (they had to look up what school Robbie Gould played at!), they did a great story on how Singletary turned upstart Vernon Davis around and made him into a professional player just by sending him to the showers once. That, my friends, is a COACH.

OOPS, ALMOST FINISHED WITHOUT MENTIONING THE PACK
Dom Capers' 3-4 defense finally showed up. Two weeks too late, if you ask me. I wonder if there is a way to ensure that Charles Woodsen never retires. I swear, that guy is going to play until they have to cart his ass to the nursing home.

FUCK A CONSERVATIVE OFFENSE
Despite calling a good game against Kansas this past week, Shawn Watson has got to go. His laisse-faire game plan against the Sooners was a spit in the face of Husker football tradition. Play to WIN, not to survive. If we get conservative in any game the rest of the way, even late into the fourth quarter, I'll be throwing things at my TV rather than the one at Old Chicago this week.

SHOWDOWNS IN WEEK 11
Good luck to you all in Week 11. HUGE matchups between Nathan and Kevin, Tony and Berk and Angi and Joel. The losers will have two weeks to regain their standings and I think it can be done, but right now every point counts. It's going to be a great weekend of football.