FanHouse JamesJones

Miami has myriad concerns but only three real problems heading into 2008-09: the point guard position, fitting the team's three starter quality forwards together, and perimeter depth. The Heat remains damned on the PG tip until Mario Chalmers has an epiphany or the trade market ratchets up, and I count myself again the horde which finds the Shawn Marion-Michael Beasley-Udonis Haslem triumvirate more interesting than problematic. But depth ... with only James Jones, Dorell Wright, Daequan Cook and Yakhouba Diawara available behind Dwyane Wade and Marion at the swing positions. That's a little good but a whole lotta bad, at least on offense.

Now Jones is out at least three months after ripping a tendon in his wrist. That ensures Wright or Diawara will get some minutes; in the event of an injury or a Marion trade that doesn't send a quality wing back, this ensures substantial burn for both those guys as well as Cook, who appears to sit on the fringes of the NBA (which is where Diawara rightfully exists). Mention was made during the summer that Shaun Livingston could play some two-guard or small forward, but no one will say when he'll be ready for real NBA action.

Another blow to the bench brigade: Jamaal Magloire will be out until December at the earliest with a broken hand. As Erik Spoelstra resists Forwardpalooza, Mark Blount will be the starting center. Magloire's a zombie, but he's better than Joel Anthony and potentially better than Blount. Alonzo Mourning is working out in some secluded bunker or something, but he doesn't figure to get live until at least January.

This is all to say that Miami could be the shocker we all dream of, but it could also be a really bad team with nothing past Wade and a good forward rotation.

As currently constructed, the Heat don't have a whole lot of room under the salary cap, but they may be able to fill a glaring need for outside shooting by inking James Jones, who hit 43.7% of his shots from long distance last year for the Trail Blazers. From Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

With the free-agent signing period to commence at midnight, a five-year offer has been extended to Jones, starting at $4 million for next season. The final three years of the contract would be conditional, to protect the Heat for the 2010 free-agency period.

Jones has yet to commit, but working in the team's favor is the fact that he'd be returning home -- he was born and raised in Miami and spent four years at the University of Miami before being drafted. Winderman doesn't offer up any other info about the last three conditional seasons, but I'm going to go out on a limb and predict those will be team option years.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...

Team that won't miss a beat without a certain someone. Yeah, that's right. With Ryan Grant ready to keep this the same balanced offense that he made it in the second half of last season, a QB (Aaron Rodgers) that won't mind becoming a "game manager, and a very strong defense; the Pack is armed and ready to be just as solid as they were in 2007.

The Breakout

Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for his chance for three years, and the timing couldn't be better. Had it been last year that he took the reins, there would have been issues. Now the emergence of Grant makes the offense more balanced, though. The defense is good enough that Rodgers will never be forced to become a gunslinger, and the receiving corps is very solid with the growth of Greg Jennings and expected emergence of a couple young wideouts. He's got a good offensive line that knows how to pass protect, and a reliable tight end ... plus, he's in a place that loves their QBs. As long as he doesn't think of himself as the "replacement," he'll be a fantasy stud before the season ends.

To get you ready for week 12, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers preview.

2007 Records:
Green Bay Packers: 9-1 (1st in NFC North)
Detroit Lions: 6-4 (2nd in NFC North)

Last Week:
Packers 31, Panthers 17
Giants 16, Lions 10

Why We Care: Two of the biggest surprises in the league this year are going at it in a game that could have playoff ramifications. It's Detroit's first meaningful Thanksgiving game since Barry Sanders. Oh, and it'll give everyone a chance to play "What'll Make You Puke First" between what will be unending heights of Brett Favre love and an abundance of lame Thanksgiving wordplay (2-to-1 odds on a defensive line "stuffing" a running back at some point).

Word came out on Wednesday that Koren Robinson would be allowed to return to the Packers, a year after his suspension for violating the league's substance abuse program. The one year suspension was the result of Robinson's third substance abuse violation; Commissioner Goodell has been harsh on repeat offenders. So now that he's available for Green Bay, will he be able to contribute? Can he even make a difference?

Robinson says he's been doing two-a-days the last two months, dropping his body fat to 4.9%. He also adds that his knee is fully-recovered from surgery. As of now, the Packers are seeking word from the league as to whether or not Koren can be activated on the 53-man roster for the Monday Night Football game against Denver on October 29th (the Packers are on a bye this week).

Robinson's likely immediate contribution to the team will come in special teams -- as a kick returner. He will probably compete as a fourth or fifth receiver in the offense, behind Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones. We've already see a player like Larry Johnson struggle after missing training camp, so this won't be an easy task for Robinson. I'm not expecting Robinson to make a difference for Green Bay, but the most important factor is that Robinson is clean, and on-track to reviving his life.

In my preview of the Sunday night match up between Chicago and Green Bay, I surmised that the Bears would be out of the division and playoff race if they lost to the Packers. Looks like they won't have to worry about that just yet. Chicago rallied from down 17-7 at halftime to win 27-20. The final six possessions for the Bears resulted in the following: touchdown, punt, field goal, interception, punt, touchdown. The final six possessions for the Packers ended with two interceptions (one on a hail mary) sandwiched by four consecutive three-and-outs. Clearly Brett Favre and Brian Griese switched jerseys at the half.

Coach Mike McCarthy felt his team had the chance to blow the Bears out early in the game, but rookie receiver James Jones fumbled twice in Bears territory to keep the score within reason. McCarthy's right. Chicago didn't capitalize on Green Bay's mistakes until the second half, when they put up 20 points, all with Brian Griese -- yeah, Brian Griese -- at QB. Griese hit both his tight ends for long touchdowns, the first to rookie Greg Olsen, and the second to Desmond Clark.

What can't be overlooked is the difference some of the members of the Bears defense made. Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, and Tommie Harris were all banged up in week four, with Briggs and Tillman missing the contest against Detroit. This week, they all played. Briggs recorded 16 tackles, Tillman forced two fumbles, and Harris grabbed a sack. Clearly the Bears defense is still "the Bears defense" when they're healthy. Now that they have a semblance of an offense to go along with it, the Bears might actually be back.

I had a little trouble with the title. Did Doug Christie work for the Trail Blazers, or did he just work with the Trail Blazers? Because there are conflicting reports. From Christie's new blog on MVN:

Coming off my first workout for an NBA team, I am very happy and looking forward to the others I have planned. It felt great to be back on the court with the players and play basketball. When my agent called to tell me they wanted to see me workout, it was great news.

Mike Barrett, the team's play-by-play announcer, had a slightly different version on his blog:

Making a guest appearence at the practice facility today was Doug Christie, who's hoping to get back into the league. The Seattle native was just looking for a place to get a good NBA run in prior to training camp, and decided to come to Portland. He also knows some of the Blazer coaches well, and it never hurts to show someone what you still have left in the tank. The Blazers have 15 on the roster, and therefore don't have any room to sign someone like Christie to a contract. But, you never say never, so I'm not saying it.

So, are the Blazers seriously scouting Christie or simply doing him a favor? After reading both explanations ... I have no idea. I can understand Christie's motivation to make it sound like he's in demand, but it's also possible that Barrett's the one not getting the whole story. Either way, I can't imagine the Blazers will actually offer a contract. Not only is the team already over the roster limit, but they're (relatively) stacked with a crowded backcourt plus a bevy of young swingman in the form of James Jones, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster that all need a chance to play in order for the Blazers to see what they have for the future.

Also, and this is unrelated but I couldn't figure out how to shoehorn it anywhere else, Jackie Christie, Doug's wife, has a blog. Just thought you should know.

Previously on FanHouse:
You Can Not Kill Doug Christie, You Can Only Hope He'll Retire Someday

For the second week in a row, it appears as if the Packers will be without wide receiver Greg Jennings. Though the second year wideout was listed as questionable on the week's injury report, he did not practice Friday and is not expected to play. Jennings may have shown signs of being a productive receiver early in his rookie campaign last year, but he's now developing a reputation as an injury prone player.

Last year, Jennings struggled with an ankle injury which marred what had been a great debut through the first five weeks of the season. This year his kryptonite seems to be the hamstring. The problem with hamstring injuries is that they linger more than most injuries, and if you try to rush yourself back from one, chances are you'll just re-agravate it. Brett Favre still loves to sling the ball around, as evidenced by his 42 attempts in week one. We know he was outspoken about the Packers' inability to acquire Randy Moss, so he must not be happy that he has fewer passing options this weekend against the Giants. Jennings' absence will allow rookie James Jones the opportunity to see more action and step up for the Packers. Even without Jennings, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Packers go into the Meadowlands and beat the banged up Giants.

Although only 10 points were scored, the Green Bay Packers dominated the first two quarters against Jacksonville last night. Brett Favre (14 of 20 for 130 yards) seemed to be on the money with every single throw, while the tight ends, one of the Packers biggest concerns headed into the regular season, proved to be very effective.

Rookie wide receiver James Jones also had an extremely impressive night, hauling in six catches for 80 yards. His routes were run well, his cuts were decisive and crisp and his hands were soft. He really has the makings of a quality NFL wide receiver and I can see why Favre has raved about him this offseason. Unfortunately, he may become heavily relied on much sooner than anyone expected.

Starting wide receiver Donald Driver was carted off the sidelines with a foot injury, but the severity of that injury has not yet been determined.

"He's in good spirits," McCarthy said of Driver. "So we'll have more information tomorrow."

It would be potentially devastating to the Packers season if Driver was lost for any significant period of time.

One of Coach Mike McCarthy's objectives was to get the Packers offense rolling against Seattle yesterday. Well, he certainly did that and then some. Green Bay, led by Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre, scored 48 points in their 60 minute destruction of the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, they were so dominate that their defense actually outscored the Seahawks offense.

Two of the more notable performances were that of rookie running back Brandon Jackson and rookie wide receivers James Jones. Both players have made strong cases for themselves throughout training camp and that trend continued yesterday. Jackson, who struggled a bit in his first NFL game, really displayed his ability last night. He gained 54 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and added another 11 yards receiving.

And Jones, who Favre compared to Sterling Sharpe, had the standout performance of the night. He hauled in four passes for 58 yards two, count them two, touchdowns. What more can you say? That certainly was a sparkling home debut for him and the rest of the team.