Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Offense -- They stormed out of the gate last season, on the shoulders of Clinton Portis. In the second half of the season, though, the offensive line began to wear down and Jason Campbell wasn't productive enough downfield to take attention away from CP26. This season, there are reasons for optimism. The offensive line has been retooled. The growth of second-year wideouts Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly will give Campbell more reliable options in the passing attack in addition to the solid Chris Cooley and Santana Moss.
Cut-N-Go is Fantasy FootballFanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.
The third week of the preseason is officially underway with Michael Vick coming at you live right now. For most teams this is a dress rehearsal to see just what they've got. Yup, the stars will get some extensive first-half action and then it's on to prepare for Week 1 or the first meaningful games. Remind me why they play the final preseason game again? Anyhow, for us fantasy football pundits our drafts have already taken place or are right around the corner, and thus this is our last chance to get a glimpse at certain players or prospect potential sleepers.
(Quick Update: Michael Vick finished the game 4-for-4 passing).
So, let's dive right into what's going on around the league on this Thursday.
From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from training camp. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster rocketing up the depth chart, we'll let you know the fantasy implications.
Dallas Cowboys What if I told you that one of the most impressive players for the Dallas Cowboys thus far has been quarterback Tony Romo? In two preseason games he's completed 22-of-30 passes and thrown for 228 yards and a touchdown. In camp he's building a nice relationship with Roy Williams and he's making good on his off-season promise to work on protecting the ball. He's going to miss the top-tier talent of wide receiver Terrell Owens, but not the antics. Even without Owens, Romo is showing that by spreading the ball around he's going to produce this season very similarly to years past, maybe even more.
One of my favorite moves on fantasy football draft day is taking a late-round gamble and letting everyone else laugh at me. You can have the first round, just let me pick late. To illustrate, here's an actual message board post last season after one of my drafts: "Commish Snyder purposefully did not draft a kicker so he could take a flier on yet another long shot (Steve Slaton of the Texans). I'm sure he'll say it will pay off in the long run."
My response? "I'll end up dropping Patrick Crayton (my fifth WR) for a kicker before week 1 when Slaton wins the Houston gig -- unless someone suffers a season-ending injury, in which case I'll drop that person."
When it comes to training camp in Redskins Park, it's pretty easy to find the question marks, or -- probably a better way of putting it -- areas in which the team needs to improve. The defense is dominant, and it is already showing as much in practice. And you more or less know Clinton Portis is going to be the rock of the running game.
Washington's aerial attack, however, is where most of the focus will fall in the preseason, even with Washington's questionable offensive line scrambling to gel. In addition to the stupendous amount of attention quarterback Jason Campbell will receive for the rest of 2009, the receiving corps bears watching as well.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet the ... Second consecutive season under the same playbook. This is quite significant because the Redskins' current signal-caller hasn't been afforded this "luxury" since his senior year in high school. I can't even imagine what Jason Campbell has done with all his extra time this offseason, what with not having to learn an entire new playbook. Every other player has to know his own job on each play. The quarterback has to know the job of all 11 players on each play. Comfort matters.
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 take a look at some burning questions in the NFC East. As a bonus, we also predict the order of finish (though we admit it's ridiculously early).
As the Redskins go through mini-camps this spring, the most important development will be how things progress with their starting quarterback, Jason Campbell. It's no secret the Redskins pursued other options during the offseason, only to come up short and end up "stuck" with the 27-year-old Auburn product.
After three seasons, and finally one full one, under his belt, it's time for Campbell to take the next step and become a franchise quarterback. Finally getting a second season in the same offensive system -- 2009 will be the first time -- is a great start for the 6-foot-5 signal-caller. He's also getting more comfortable in his leadership role.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
The Redskins made the biggest early splash this offseason, luring beastly defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth from Tennessee to anchor their defensive line. Their work, however, is not done. Unfortunately for Washington, it plays in arguably the best division in the NFL. Fortunately, the few holes the Redskins still have on their roster should be perfectly fixable. In fact, many could be done in-house, with younger players developing further.
Devin Thomas, a second-round pick of the Redskins in last year's draft, can make a significant impact on the Washington offense this season. If he shows some of the talent we saw at Michigan State, he gives Jason Campbell another weapon -- a much more explosive one than Antwaan Randle-El -- through the air.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
From now until the regular season begins, 
When it comes to training camp in Redskins Park, it's pretty easy to find the question marks, or -- probably a better way of putting it -- areas in which the team needs to improve. The defense is dominant, and 
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
As the Redskins go through mini-camps this spring, the most important development will be how things progress with their starting quarterback, 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
