Kevin
06-30-2004, 01:19 PM
The Fantasy Hot Sheet
Fantasy Edge - Football
June 30, 2004
By Matt Watson
Michael Pittman pleaded guilty in March to a well-publicized domestic
violence offense stemming from a May 2003 incident. The NFL finally
imposed its punishment this past week: Pittman will be suspended three
games and fined a total of five game checks. The suspension was not a
surprise -- it's been hanging over his head for well over a year now and
was one of the primary reasons why the Bucs went out and acquired so many
running backs during the offseason.
Pittman will be eligible to participate in training camp as well as all
four of the exhibition games, but once the regular season comes around he
is not allowed to have any formal contact with the team. He will practice
on his own at a nearby sports complex owned by his management agency and
will report back to the team following Week 3.
Charlie Garner will assume the role of the featured back in Pittman's
absence, and there's no reason to think that will change in Week 4 or
thereafter. Garner -- whose recovery from left knee surgery should be
complete by the regular season -- has plenty of experience working with
coach Jon Gruden. Though Gruden coached Garner for only one year in
Oakland (2001), they did spend three years together in Philadelphia
(1995-97) when Gruden served as the Eagles' offensive coordinator.
Garner is one of those rare backs who is just as likely to record 100
yards through the air as he is on the ground in any given week. Though
he's hardly a lock for 1,000 rushing yards, he's still a viable option as
a second fantasy starter in leagues that reward rushing and receiving
yards on the same point scale. Although the Bucs will probably keep at
least some form of a running back committee together, Garner only needs
13-17 touches a game to put up solid combined yardage.
Fullback Mike Alstott, who missed most of last season with a neck injury,
will return in 2004 to handle short-yardage duties, though tailback
Brandon Bennett is another option. Jamel White, who can accurately be
described as a poor man's Garner, may find playing time hard to come by,
especially after Pittman returns. The Bucs have considered adding another
back to the mix -- both Antowain Smith and James Stewart have worked out
with the club -- but nobody currently available on the free agent market
will be a threat to Garner's status as the Bucs' top option.
CAN TAMPA MANAGE WITHOUT McCARDELL?
So now you know that Brad Johnson will be dumping the ball off to Garner,
but who will his starting wide receivers be? In a perfect world it would
be Keenan McCardell and Joey Galloway. However, McCardell has been a
no-show at minicamps thus far and has turned his nose on the $2.5 million
he's scheduled to make this year. He says he's willing to sit out the
entire season if he doesn't get a deal that pays him like a No. 1
receiver. Considering that McCardell is 34 years old and has two years
left on his deal, the Bucs have refused to budge.
It's too early to tell who will blink first, but through some deft
offseason dealings the Bucs have put themselves in position to manage
without McCardell. Galloway, who averaged 19.8 yards-per-catch last
season, is still one of the fastest receivers in the game. His career has
stalled during his time in Dallas, but being featured in a solid offensive
system like Gruden's should rejuvenate his career. Should McCardell really
sit out the season, the Bucs could do worse than rely on Galloway to be
their No. 1 option. The team lost some depth when Sylvester Morris went
down (likely for the year) with yet another knee injury, though Charles
Lee and a healthy Joe Jurevicius should make up for the loss.
Don't forget about first-round rookie Michael Clayton, either. At 6-4 and
197 pounds, Clayton has the physical tools to help compensate for the
rookie learning curve. He enjoyed increased practice time in McCardell's
absence and has impressed the coaching staff with crisp routes and solid
hands. Granted, rookie wide receivers rarely emerge as fantasy factors
early in the season, but he will be someone to watch later in the year
regardless of which way the McCardell situation turns.
MORE UNHAPPY RECEIVERS
McCardell isn't the only wide receiver in the game that's sick of being a
bargain. Hines Ward has been one of the most productive receivers in the
game the past three years but is scheduled to make just $2.1 million this
year, which ranks 29th among wide receivers [credit: Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review]. Just like McCardell, however, Ward has two years left on
his current deal. It's for that reason that the Steelers have been
unwilling to restructure his contract. But wait a second . . . didn't the
Steelers just ignore the final two years on Tommy Maddox's contract and
give him a new deal? Yes, they did, though the club claims that was a rare
exception to the rule. Ward's agent doesn't understand why it has to be so
rare, but the two situations aren't exactly comparable.
Maddox's base pay last year was actually less than that of second-string
Charlie Batch. Maddox's new four-year contract sounds impressive at first,
but he would need to hold off Ben Roethlisberger for the duration of his
contract in order to take home every penny of the announced $14 million
value. That's not going to happen. Instead, Maddox will continue to make
less than $1 million in base pay while pocketing a $2 million signing
bonus as thanks for quietly being such a bargain the past couple of years.
Ward does not anticipate missing any training camp over his contract,
citing that as a "last resort" to resolving this issue. Plaxico Burress,
also unhappy with his contract, has indicated that he plans to return in
time for training camp, though he hasn't endeared himself to management by
skipping all of the "voluntary" minicamp workouts so far. As distracted as
Ward and Burress appear to be, it would be all but impossible to expect
Antwaan Randle-El to bridge the gap and push either one out of the
starting lineup. As disappointing of a season as Burress turned in last
year (60-860-4), his combination of size and speed is extremely rare.
AT LEAST SOMEONE'S HAPPY
Robert Ferguson, whose first contract was set to expire at the end of the
season, signed a five-year extension to keep him in Green Bay through
2008. Ferguson was a highly- touted second-round pick in 2001, but a lazy
work ethic prevented him from getting into a game as a rookie. He
eventually came around and applied himself, but he caught just 22 balls in
2002 before recording 38 receptions (for 520 yards) last year. That's not
quite a breakout season in the traditional sense, but the Packers sense
better numbers are around the corner. When compiling your draft board,
however, you'll want to remember that Ferguson is still just the third
option behind Donald Driver and Javon Walker among Green Bay's wide
receivers.
TIGHT END IN TROUBLE
Apparently taking a page from the "Pittman Guide to Treating Women," Randy
McMichael was arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly hitting his
pregnant wife. He told sheriff's investigators that he celebrated his 25th
birthday Monday by going out drinking with his friends. After arriving
home, he became ill in a downstairs bathroom when he was confronted by his
angry wife. He claims she hit him across the head before he pushed her
back, at which point she fell to the ground. She claims that he grabbed
her and hit her several times. While we may never know what actually
happened, both parties were arrested and charged with domestic battery.
McMichael's charge -- aggravated battery on a pregnant women -- is a
second-degree felony in Florida and punishable by up to 15 years in
prison. While it's much too early to speculate on what the legal
ramifications of this incident will be, it's probably safe to imagine that
the NFL will impose a suspension, or at least a hefty fine. Before you
compare his situation directly with Pittman's, however, remember that
Pittman was repeat offender -- he missed the 2001 season opener after he
was suspended for a domestic violence charge earlier that year.
Fantasy Edge - Football
June 30, 2004
By Matt Watson
Michael Pittman pleaded guilty in March to a well-publicized domestic
violence offense stemming from a May 2003 incident. The NFL finally
imposed its punishment this past week: Pittman will be suspended three
games and fined a total of five game checks. The suspension was not a
surprise -- it's been hanging over his head for well over a year now and
was one of the primary reasons why the Bucs went out and acquired so many
running backs during the offseason.
Pittman will be eligible to participate in training camp as well as all
four of the exhibition games, but once the regular season comes around he
is not allowed to have any formal contact with the team. He will practice
on his own at a nearby sports complex owned by his management agency and
will report back to the team following Week 3.
Charlie Garner will assume the role of the featured back in Pittman's
absence, and there's no reason to think that will change in Week 4 or
thereafter. Garner -- whose recovery from left knee surgery should be
complete by the regular season -- has plenty of experience working with
coach Jon Gruden. Though Gruden coached Garner for only one year in
Oakland (2001), they did spend three years together in Philadelphia
(1995-97) when Gruden served as the Eagles' offensive coordinator.
Garner is one of those rare backs who is just as likely to record 100
yards through the air as he is on the ground in any given week. Though
he's hardly a lock for 1,000 rushing yards, he's still a viable option as
a second fantasy starter in leagues that reward rushing and receiving
yards on the same point scale. Although the Bucs will probably keep at
least some form of a running back committee together, Garner only needs
13-17 touches a game to put up solid combined yardage.
Fullback Mike Alstott, who missed most of last season with a neck injury,
will return in 2004 to handle short-yardage duties, though tailback
Brandon Bennett is another option. Jamel White, who can accurately be
described as a poor man's Garner, may find playing time hard to come by,
especially after Pittman returns. The Bucs have considered adding another
back to the mix -- both Antowain Smith and James Stewart have worked out
with the club -- but nobody currently available on the free agent market
will be a threat to Garner's status as the Bucs' top option.
CAN TAMPA MANAGE WITHOUT McCARDELL?
So now you know that Brad Johnson will be dumping the ball off to Garner,
but who will his starting wide receivers be? In a perfect world it would
be Keenan McCardell and Joey Galloway. However, McCardell has been a
no-show at minicamps thus far and has turned his nose on the $2.5 million
he's scheduled to make this year. He says he's willing to sit out the
entire season if he doesn't get a deal that pays him like a No. 1
receiver. Considering that McCardell is 34 years old and has two years
left on his deal, the Bucs have refused to budge.
It's too early to tell who will blink first, but through some deft
offseason dealings the Bucs have put themselves in position to manage
without McCardell. Galloway, who averaged 19.8 yards-per-catch last
season, is still one of the fastest receivers in the game. His career has
stalled during his time in Dallas, but being featured in a solid offensive
system like Gruden's should rejuvenate his career. Should McCardell really
sit out the season, the Bucs could do worse than rely on Galloway to be
their No. 1 option. The team lost some depth when Sylvester Morris went
down (likely for the year) with yet another knee injury, though Charles
Lee and a healthy Joe Jurevicius should make up for the loss.
Don't forget about first-round rookie Michael Clayton, either. At 6-4 and
197 pounds, Clayton has the physical tools to help compensate for the
rookie learning curve. He enjoyed increased practice time in McCardell's
absence and has impressed the coaching staff with crisp routes and solid
hands. Granted, rookie wide receivers rarely emerge as fantasy factors
early in the season, but he will be someone to watch later in the year
regardless of which way the McCardell situation turns.
MORE UNHAPPY RECEIVERS
McCardell isn't the only wide receiver in the game that's sick of being a
bargain. Hines Ward has been one of the most productive receivers in the
game the past three years but is scheduled to make just $2.1 million this
year, which ranks 29th among wide receivers [credit: Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review]. Just like McCardell, however, Ward has two years left on
his current deal. It's for that reason that the Steelers have been
unwilling to restructure his contract. But wait a second . . . didn't the
Steelers just ignore the final two years on Tommy Maddox's contract and
give him a new deal? Yes, they did, though the club claims that was a rare
exception to the rule. Ward's agent doesn't understand why it has to be so
rare, but the two situations aren't exactly comparable.
Maddox's base pay last year was actually less than that of second-string
Charlie Batch. Maddox's new four-year contract sounds impressive at first,
but he would need to hold off Ben Roethlisberger for the duration of his
contract in order to take home every penny of the announced $14 million
value. That's not going to happen. Instead, Maddox will continue to make
less than $1 million in base pay while pocketing a $2 million signing
bonus as thanks for quietly being such a bargain the past couple of years.
Ward does not anticipate missing any training camp over his contract,
citing that as a "last resort" to resolving this issue. Plaxico Burress,
also unhappy with his contract, has indicated that he plans to return in
time for training camp, though he hasn't endeared himself to management by
skipping all of the "voluntary" minicamp workouts so far. As distracted as
Ward and Burress appear to be, it would be all but impossible to expect
Antwaan Randle-El to bridge the gap and push either one out of the
starting lineup. As disappointing of a season as Burress turned in last
year (60-860-4), his combination of size and speed is extremely rare.
AT LEAST SOMEONE'S HAPPY
Robert Ferguson, whose first contract was set to expire at the end of the
season, signed a five-year extension to keep him in Green Bay through
2008. Ferguson was a highly- touted second-round pick in 2001, but a lazy
work ethic prevented him from getting into a game as a rookie. He
eventually came around and applied himself, but he caught just 22 balls in
2002 before recording 38 receptions (for 520 yards) last year. That's not
quite a breakout season in the traditional sense, but the Packers sense
better numbers are around the corner. When compiling your draft board,
however, you'll want to remember that Ferguson is still just the third
option behind Donald Driver and Javon Walker among Green Bay's wide
receivers.
TIGHT END IN TROUBLE
Apparently taking a page from the "Pittman Guide to Treating Women," Randy
McMichael was arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly hitting his
pregnant wife. He told sheriff's investigators that he celebrated his 25th
birthday Monday by going out drinking with his friends. After arriving
home, he became ill in a downstairs bathroom when he was confronted by his
angry wife. He claims she hit him across the head before he pushed her
back, at which point she fell to the ground. She claims that he grabbed
her and hit her several times. While we may never know what actually
happened, both parties were arrested and charged with domestic battery.
McMichael's charge -- aggravated battery on a pregnant women -- is a
second-degree felony in Florida and punishable by up to 15 years in
prison. While it's much too early to speculate on what the legal
ramifications of this incident will be, it's probably safe to imagine that
the NFL will impose a suspension, or at least a hefty fine. Before you
compare his situation directly with Pittman's, however, remember that
Pittman was repeat offender -- he missed the 2001 season opener after he
was suspended for a domestic violence charge earlier that year.