It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we look at the AFC South's looming position battles.
Among the most tired arguments against fantasy football are that people playing it need to "get a girlfriend" or "get a life." First of all, as an avid fantasy football player, I'd like to point out that my wife probably wouldn't appreciate it if I got a girlfriend. Secondly, when seven well-known NFL players play, how can you really question if it's "cool" while comparing it to Dungeons and Dragons? Just get over yourself and try it before knocking it. It's fun.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
What started off as a promising season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned into an embarrassing finish, as the team lost its final four regular season games in 2008, missing the postseason for the third time in four years. When all was said and done, it was enough to cost head coach Jon Gruden his job, while the team said goodbye to several starters, including Derrick Brooks, Jeff Garcia and Cato June.
Marvin Harrison has been out of work for six weeks now, and there's no reason to think that'll change anytime soon.
Teams have shown no interest in the 36-year-old, 13-year veteran and Hall of Fame lock. He barely cracked the top-10 in FanHouse's list of top available free agents, which is remarkable when you see such luminaries as Byron Leftwich, Cato June and Dre Bly ahead of him.
When the Texans decided to promote from within to fill the defensive coordinator job, promoting Frank Bush to replace Richard Smith, there was a lot of expectations that Houston was putting a new face on the same defense, something that our own Stephanie Stradley has pointed out on her personal blog.
But after the signings this week of former Colts linebacker Buster Davis and former Bucs linebacker Cato June, it's fair to start wondering if the Texans are tweaking more than we originally thought.
Although June is a much more accomplished linebacker than Davis, they both have several things in common. For one, they are both undersized, Davis because he's short (5-foot-9) and June because he's light for a linebacker (6-foot, 227 pounds). And both have experience in the Tony Dungy style Tampa Two defense. The Texans apparently are also taking to ex-Colts linebacker Tyjuan Hagler.
After releasing Cato June and Derrick Brooks to open the offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quite a need for some help at the linebacker position. Apparently, they're not only willing to scour the free-agent market, but also think outside the box -- or blindly throw darts at the wall, depending on your perspective -- when it comes to improving the position.
On Wednesday, the team signed free-agent linebacker Angelo Crowell, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, to compete for the strongside linebacker spot. The Buccaneers also plan to move safety Jermaine Phillips to weakside linebacker.
Aside from having a new coaching staff and a new front office in 2009, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also going to have quite a few new faces on the field.
In addition to being the day when Tampa Bay essentially clinched the NFC South, Sunday was also June's birthday. And at 3 a.m. he was pulled over in Tampa because police suspected he was driving drunk. He refused to take a breathalyzer test and was booked into the Orient Road Jail.
It's disgraceful that NFL players, all of whom can easily afford a cab or a limo, still haven't learned that if you're going to go out drinking, you need to find a sober person to drive you home. That it happened after June celebrated his birthday is a reminder of Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who got drunk on his birthday in 1998 and killed a woman he crashed into on his drive home. June is lucky the same thing didn't happen last night.
Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.
This week I sat down with Jamie Kiefer of Atop the Crow's Nest, a Most Valuable Network column that covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dan Benton: "Although he was a little shaky last week, Jeff Garcia has played very good football this year. Has he been everything Bucs fans had hoped for, or do they still miss Chris Simms?"
Jamie Kiefer: "Jeff Garcia has been basically everything the Bucs fans had hoped for. You can't go wrong with a guy who had zero interceptions in the first seven weeks of the season. Chris Simms appeared to be the franchise quarterback, but due to a shaky beginning of the season last year, and his injury, he hasn't really had the chance to prove himself. I feel bad for him with all that he's been through, but I can't ignore what Garcia has done for the Bucs. The first seven weeks he had a passer rating over 100. If Garcia sticks around for the next few years, Chris Simms will be a distant memory."
When free agency began it was announced that Cato June's first visit would be paid to East Rutherford and the New York Giants. That meeting never happened and many figured any hope of June coming to the Giants was over. The talk eventually died down and the fans seemed to move on from those hopes. Well, now they're back. Cato June will visit the Giants at some point next week and I expected another "Lavar Arrington saga" to be underway.
A lot of people knock June for being an undersized linebacker but they are quick to forget that he makes up for that in other areas. He's extremely fast and can move and shift fluidly on the field. More importantly, he's very good in man-on-man coverage and can shut down almost any tight end in the league. That would be key for the Giants who struggled mightily in that area last season.
I have no real predictions at this point thought. I know June is looking for a good chunk of change and at this point it's clear that Jerry Reese is not that anxious to hand it out. At the same time, we all realize the Giants linebackers are a serious problem and I'm sure Reese realizes that as well. They have two linebacker spots to fill; one should be done in free agency and the other in the draft.
Among the most tired arguments against fantasy football are that people playing it need to "get a girlfriend" or "get a life." First of all, as an avid fantasy football player, I'd like to point out that my wife probably wouldn't appreciate it if I got a girlfriend. Secondly, when seven well-known NFL players play, how can you really question if it's "cool" while comparing it to Dungeons and Dragons? Just get over yourself and try it before knocking it. It's fun. 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
Marvin Harrison has been out of work for six weeks now, and there's no reason to think that'll change anytime soon. 
When the Texans decided to promote from within to fill the defensive coordinator job, promoting Frank Bush to replace Richard Smith, there was a lot of expectations that Houston was putting a new face on the same defense, something that our own Stephanie Stradley has pointed out on her personal blog.
After releasing Cato June and Derrick Brooks to open the offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quite a need for some help at the linebacker position. Apparently, they're not only willing to scour the free-agent market, but also think outside the box -- or blindly throw darts at the wall, depending on your perspective -- when it comes to improving the position. 
Aside from having a new coaching staff and a new front office in 2009, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also going to have quite a few new faces on the field.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Cato June was arrested Sunday on charges of driving under the influence just hours after the Bucs beat the Atlanta Falcons.
Welcome to another successful installment of Five Questions with an Enemy Blogger, where each week, via email, I will be exchanging hot questions and [sometimes] answers with a rival blogger about their team and the upcoming matchup.
When free agency began it was announced that Cato June's first visit would be paid to East Rutherford and the New York Giants. That meeting never happened and many figured any hope of June coming to the Giants was over. The talk eventually died down and the fans seemed to move on from those hopes. Well, now they're back. Cato June will visit the Giants at some point next week and I expected another "Lavar Arrington saga" to be underway.
