: Russell Wilson
The Jets have just agreed with Seattle to a trade sending WR Percy Harvin to New York for conditional pick.
This came out of nowhere. NFL trades are a rare occurrence, especially ones that involve a major name like Harvin. His departure opens up some snaps and targets for the other receivers on the roster, namely Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Ricardo Lockette. It's also a blow to Russell Wilson's stock, as he has one fewer explosive weapon in a passing game that is already struggling with the big play. Baldwin was a preseason 4for4 favorite, and he should be able to get his season on track as the team's most dependable receiver. Kearse will also have weekly sleeper appeal. As for Harvin, his usage may go up, but it's unclear if OC Marty Mornhinweg is creative enough to utilize him effectively.
Since the 2011 postseason, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has...
Since the 2011 postseason, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has played in 13 games that have been either playoff contests or games where he faced a defense that finished the year ranked in the top 10. The 2014 Seahawks are included on that list because they're the defending Super Bowl champion and were ranked No. 1 in all major defensive categories last season.
In those 13 contests, Rodgers and the Packers are 5-8. Rodgers hasn't been bad in these games. He just hasn't been special like he was in 2010.
In those 13 games, Rodgers has a passer rating of 96.4. He's completed 64.8% of his passes, averaged 259.4 passing yards per game, and has 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Rodgers is 0-6 against NFC powers San Francisco and Seattle since the start of the 2012 season. He's 1-3 in the postseason the last three years. And up-and-comers Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson have gotten the better of him.
As the story points out, no one will argue that Rodgers remains one of the NFL's elite players and brightest stars. But he hasn't been as dynamic in big games, the kind that cement a player's legacy. And what that means for fantasy owners is he hasn't put up stud numbers against some top defenses recently. Most QBs probably don't. While it's hard to sit Rodgers if he's healthy against anyone, this is why a lot of owners use the QB by committee approach. And something else to think about for Rodgers owners: Weeks 6-10 (bye Week 9) he's scheduled to play four-straight, top-10 defenses in terms of allowing fantasy points to QB, according to our Strength of Schedule. The good news is after that it's pretty clear sailing including fantasy playoff weeks...
Griffin's transition from gimmick offense to pocket passer was fully expected to feature a few bumps in the road. What has had us concerned since the preseason opener, though, is that the bad habits in his footwork and throwing motion seem to have carried over from last season's return from ACL surgery.
Appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd this week, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski confirmed, after watching hours of preseason film, that Griffin's mechanics have regressed.
"They have regressed in the fundamental way of throwing the football," Jaworski said, via The Washington Post. "His throwing slot, his footwork, his inability to remain consistent in that."
We've been on the low side on Griffin for the entire offseason due to minor concerns about the knee and moderate concerns about the installation of a new offense. He has a very good receiving corps, and may very well work out his preseason issues during the regular season, but it's tough to draft him over (seemingly) more reliable options like Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick.
Seahawks WR Percy Harvin has been unhindered in trainin...
Seahawks WR Percy Harvin has been unhindered in training camp by the hip injury that limited him to just one regular-season game last year. Harvin said he hasn't felt this good since before his college days at the University of Florida and he's found gears he didn't realize he had.
"I definitely feel a lot better," Harvin said. "I've got a lot more motion than I'm used to having. I can do a lot more cuts and just a lot of different motions that I wasn't able to do before."
Considering he was a league MVP candidate before getting hurt with the Minnesota Vikings two seasons ago, that's a scary thought for the rest of the league. Harvin's presence is already being felt this preseason. He's caught seven passes for 92 yards in Seattle's last two preseason games and returned the opening kickoff 46 yards Friday night against the Chicago Bears.
With Harvin in the lineup, the Seahawks' first-team offense scored on nine consecutive possessions over the last two games with seven possessions ending with touchdowns, the story said. Harvin is ranked 20th on our list of WRs and just needs to stay healthy. He along with QB Russell Wilson could prove to be great additions to your fantasy lineups.
The offense didn’t have any touchdowns in Saturday’s mo...
The offense didn’t have any touchdowns in Saturday’s mock game scrimmage, but Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson isn’t concerned. It’s not unusual for the defense to be ahead of the offense at this point of training camp, especially a defense as good as this one.
But Wilson believes the offense is better now than it was a year ago.
“I think we’re way further ahead,’’ Wilson said after the scrimmage. “I truly believe that our receivers look extremely good. There are so many different guys catching the football. We have Percy Harvin who’s catching the football well, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, he’s doing a good job. And Phil Bates made another nice catch today."
Seahawks WR Percy Harvin might have been the player of ...
Seahawks WR Percy Harvin might have been the player of the day, making an 18-yard catch on an early third-and-15 and later catching a 38-yard pass on a third-and-five. He also had a nice gain on a fly sweep. Had it been a real game, you figure he would have been featured more. But he did enough to reiterate how much he figures to mean to the team this season. Both receptions came from QB Russell Wilson.
Quarterback Cam Newton is running the Carolina Panthers...
Quarterback Cam Newton is running the Carolina Panthers offense in practice. But coming off ankle surgery, he’s done none of the running around that is his extra dimension.
That’s not bad news. You don’t have to be an orthopedic surgeon to know it just makes sense.
Newton looks comfortable dropping back, bouncing around in the pocket, setting his feet and making all the throws. He’s getting to know all-new wide receivers.
For now, that’s all he has to do. The Cam Newton who can slip out of the pocket and run for a quick 20 yards can wait until the Panthers start playing for keeps Sept. 7 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I think it’s just a smart thing to do right now. What’s the use of running on it and go in the training room and it’s going to be swelled up,” Newton said after practice Monday, while wearing a sleeve on his repaired left ankle.
In March, Newton had surgery to tighten loose ligaments in the ankle. He sat out most of a June mini-camp except for some throws in a seven-on-seven drill the final day. He's expected to be fine by the start of the season. We rank Newton 10th among QBs this season with the big question being what will be the quality of WRs he'll have to throw to. He's going a little earlier in drafts than Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson who are both ranked ahead of him.
Bengals beat writer Geoff Hobson on the team's offensive philosophy under new OC Hue Jackson:
"Jackson is committed to changing it and I think he’s also committed to taking the load off Andy Dalton. A big adjustment that has to make is cutting his pass attempts from 586 to closer to Russell Wilson’s number of 407.
"To heck with the short stuff. The running game should open up the deep ball and with Jackson’s experience under Al Davis you can believe they’ll be running many more vertical routes."
Hobson writes this with an editorial slant, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. Dalton's pass attempts are very likely to drop, but it's not likely that they fall to Seattle's levels. For one, the Bengals don't have the running game that the Seahawks have, and their defense isn't as good, either. Giovani Bernard is better in the receiving game (than Marshawn Lynch) and the Bengals have an elite receiver in A.J. Green. The Bengals were pretty balanced in 2013 and may tilt a bit more towards the run in 2014.
In case some people thought Seahawks WR Paul Richardson's long touchdown receptions earlier were just a rookie-camp phenomenon, the wide receiver from Colorado put those thoughts to rest at Day 2 of the Seahawks' minicamp Wednesday.
Richardson showed off his blazing speed again, running right by two defenders to make a leaping catch on a 55-yard touchdown throw from Russell Wilson.
Richardson is going to have a tough time getting on the field behind Percy Harvin, Doug Baldwin, Sidney Rice and Jermaine Kearse, but he has blazing speed, so he could see some snaps as a deep threat.
Seahawks WR Paul Richardson can really run: That’s not a surprise, but the rookie receiver from Colorado has not disappointed anyone. This guy can fly.
Just in the days the media have been on the sidelines watching, Richardson has burned defenders on four deep throws for touchdowns. He did it again Monday, a 50-yard TD from Russell Wilson to Richardson when he had 5 yards on rookie defender Dion Bailey.
When the Seahawks have Percy Harvin and Richardson on the field at the same time this season, opposing teams will worry about getting beat over the top. They have to account for their speed and won’t be able to cheat up near the line of scrimmage.
Consequently, it will open things up for the other receivers, like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, and the tight ends, along with running backs on swing passes in the flat.
Harvin and Baldwin are likely to start, with Kearse and Sidney Rice rotating in, but Richardson could get snaps as a rookie due to his ability to stretch the field.
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