Football Picks Against the Spread

We have a new section over at www.nflstartorsit.com… Who To Draft.

You can find all of our fantasy football content  by checking out the fantasy football tab on the top navigation bar. Be sure to check out our 2012 Fantasy Rankings.

We already have three fantasy debates posted and more to come.

• Darren McFadden or Chris Johnson?
• Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski?
• Larry Fitzgerald or Julio Jones?
• Tom Brady or Drew Brees? (Coming Soon)

I would bet you most people would go with Chris Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, and Larry Fitzgerald without hesitation. However, I make the case for Darren McFadden, Jimmy Graham, and Julio Jones.

If you have have a fantasy football question, shoot me an email and I’ll get your question posted on the site. Don’t forget to sign up for our pick ’em league.…

For our frequent and long-time visitors of THE PASS RUSH, we are renewing THE PASS RUSH’S Pick ‘Em League.

Click here to register.

League ID: 30163
Password: thepassrush.

In the pick ’em league, you’ll have an opportunity to compete against me and other visitors of THE PASS RUSH.  We had over 50 participants last year and I ended up in 6th place.

The rules are simple. You pick every single game against the spread. Whoever calls the most games correctly wins.

Not only do you get a chance to compete against me, but you’ll have a chance to win a custom NFL Shop t-shirt with the team, name, and number of your choice.

Sign up now and compete for the title!…

I’m starting to do some homework for my 2012 NFL Survivor Pool so I printed out the 2012 schedule, crossed off the games to avoid, highlighted the games to look at, and tried to narrow down my list. Here are the games on tap for you to choose from each week for your survivor pool.

The strategy here, look to see when the Browns (1-7), Dolphins (2-6), Colts (0-8), Vikings (2-6), Rams (1-7), Seahawks (3-5), Jaguars (1-7), Cardinals (2-6), and Buccaneers (1-7) are playing on the road and pick against them. Home team is in CAPS. Picks are in bold and underlined.

Week 1

Eagles over BROWNS
SAINTS over Redskins
TEXANS over Dolphins
LIONS over Rams
BEARS over Colts

Explanation: I have the Texans, Lions, and Bears appearing several times on my list so I want to save those picks. The Saints have a tough schedule playing the Falcons and Panthers twice. They have the Eagles, Chargers, and Broncos at home, which are by no means locks. Other than their home game in week 15 against the Bucs, this could be the best opportunity to take the Saints at home. The Saints were 8-0 at home last year. I don’t have the Eagles appearing on my list later this year due to their tough schedule, so it may be a good opportunity to take them, but I don’t want to take them on the road in week 1 of my survivor pool.

Update (9/1): I previously had the Saints, but I want to stay away due to the coaching situation and the Redskins may surprise some people with RGIII. Texans over the Dolphins is the biggest lock this week and I’ll play it safe to start out the year.

Week

I wanted to announce that I started a few new blogs that will be part of THE PASS RUSH community. Before we get to those, I wanted to let everyone in on my Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet. What you’ll get is all rankings sorted by position on one page. It serves as a great print sheet when drafting. If you’re trying to decide between players and need to look up some stats, it’s the perfect resource as well. Check it out.

Another site we just launched is www.nflstartorsit.com. Whenever you’re trying to select your starting lineup or trying to decide which players to start or sit, feel free to shoot us an email. We’ll post your question online with our answer and other readers can leave their advice as well.

We then rolled out the same concept for those in survivor pools. Need help selecting which team you should take in your survivor pool? Feel free to shoot us an email and we’ll give you our two cents while other fans can give theirs. Be sure to check www.survivorpoolpicks.com.

We’ll be renewing out pick ’em league shortly. Stay tuned.…

The 2011 National Champions went 12-1 last year, losing to LSU 9-6, before beating them 21-0 in the BCS Championship. Everyone knows about the loss of their rushing star Trent Richardson and the loss of lots of talent on their defense. Four of Alabama’s defensive players were drafted in the within the first 35 picks of the draft (Barron, Kirkpatrick,  Hightower, and Upshaw).

In 2012, Alabama comes with a pre-season ranking of No. 3 behind USC and LSU. The question on everyone’s mind is can Alabama repeat as National Champions with the loss of Richardson and their big four defensive players? The Tide return 5 starters on defense. Many are saying despite the loss of Donta’a Hightowner, this Alabama linebacker group is still the top LB units in the country. The star to watch on this 2012 Alabama defense is WLB Nico Johnson who is 6’3″ 245 lbs.

Where Alabam may see a decline in production in in their secondary. Last season the Tide’s secondary was ridicuous, giving up 4.3 yards per passing attempt and 111 passing yards per game. The loss of Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick really hurts this squad. Nick Saban will have his hands full trying to replace that stellar secondary from 2011.

2012 Alabama Schedule

Sept. 1: vs. Michigan (at Arlington, Tex.)
Sept. 8: Western Kentucky
Sept. 15: at Arkansas
Sept. 22: Florida Atlantic
Sept. 29: Mississippi
Oct. 6: Open Date
Oct. 13: at Missouri
Oct. 20: at Tennessee
Oct. 27: Mississippi State
Nov. 3: at LSU
Nov. 10: Texas A&M
Nov. 17: Western Carolina
Nov. 24: Auburn

2012 Alabama Predictions

Alabama’s 2012 schedule is fairly soft. Their only tests this year are in week 1 against Michigan, week 3 at Arkansas, at LSU on …

Now that teams are done handing out the franchise tag, free agency is just around the corner and this season should be another exciting season for free agency. There hasn’t been much to do in the last few weeks besides look at sportsbook reviews. Good thing free agency is ready to get started next week as free agency begins March 12.

The biggest prize in free agency will be Mario Williams. Williams was having another great season until his season came to an early end in week 5 due to a torn pectoral muscle. No worries though, Williams says the injury is completely heeled. The front-runner for Mario Williams is the New England Patriots followed by the Cowboys. Williams will fit perfectly in New England’ 3-4 scheme and how could Mario pass up on an opportunity of competing for  perennial Super Bowl contender? Mario stated that he loves how the Texans are coming together and may stay with the team, as long as the price is right.

For teams looking to boost their offensive line, New Orleans Saints OG Carl Nicks will hit the market now that the Saints decided to use the franchise tag on Drew Brees. As an Eagles fan, I’m certainly hoping the Eagles can make a run at Nicks since they’ll need to help Vick get protection. Last year the Eagles had to sign Evan Mathis who was cut by the Colts in order to fill him in as a starter on their line. Nicks would be a huge boost to the Eagles line.

For teams needing to boost their secondary, Titans CB Courtland Finnegan will be available. Finnegan will likely find a new team since he has publicly stated that he feels the …

If you could compare NFL running backs to WWE wrestlers, who would they compare to? We’ll break down NFL running backs and list their WWE counterparts in this series.

Adrian Peterson — Adrian Peterson is the cream of the crop of NFL running backs. Big, explosive, elusive, powerful — he has it all. In order to find his WWE counterpart, you have to look at the man who’s been at the top of the WWE for years. Although no longer an active WWE wrestler, other than his WrestleMania 28 match against John Cena, The Rock is to the WWE what Adrian Peterson is to NFL running backs — the prototype. He is the envy of fellow running backs and GMs around the league.

Chris Johnson — Although 2011 was a down year for Johnson after posting ridiculous numbers in his first three years, Chris Johnson is still the NFL’s fastest running back and the sole reason he was taken by the Titans in the first round of the NFL draft back in 2008. To find his WWE counterpart, you have to look for a WWE star with speed who is able to strike at any moment. That WWE star is none other than Randy Orton. Randy Orton is known for his quick and vicious attacks on WWE rivals. Orton is able to strike from anywhere, at any time, and often dominates unsuspecting opponents. Chris Johnson has the same ability. With a single snap, Johnson can strike opponents by taking the ball 80 yards for a touchdown and do it again on the very next drive.

LeSean McCoy — There is no doubt that LeSean McCoy was the breakout star of the 2011 NFL season. LeSean racked up 1,309 rushing …