A PASSING FANTASY ISSUE 32 1998 SEASON WEEK TEN

NFLBP PLAYER NEWSLETTER ed. Robert Crowther

In this issue...
A slightly hurried newsletter this week (haven't got the hang of these Thursday deadlines yet). Apologies for the lack of a This Week in History section last week, but there wasn't enough room. The address for any articles is:

2 Lily Terrace

Edinburgh

EH11 1PN

Or email me at [email protected].

WEEK NINE REVIEW BY QUENTIN JENKINSON A fourth quarter TD gave Miami their win over the Browns in a close fought game. Cleveland had more possession and were, perhaps, unlucky not to come away from Florida with a victory. A hard fought defensive contest in up-state New York saw the Bills win out in overtime. Buffalo scored five field goals, simply because the Bengals D is a tough nut to crack. Cincinnati also couldn't register many points on the Bills strong defense. The ghost of Coach Rothwell is doing a splendid job this season. The Broncos fell behind at the half but came back well in the second half. Denver ran the ball well to set up some short passes. What an inevitable result in Foxboro! The only surprise was that the Patriots actually got eleven receptions. Oakland did a professional job, but they might need to send their kicker in for extra training as he missed 2 field goals. The Steelers earned a good win to give their confidence a boost. Kansas City scored two TD's in the second half but it wasn't enough to get back in it. The rumour mill is rife with reports that Pittsburgh are going to part company with Coach Ratcliffe, perhaps this win will change their minds. Jacksonville finally broke their duck for the season with an unexpected win at home to the Seahawks. Seattle ran well but missed a vital field goal that might have tied it up. Arizona stepped up offensively in their game against the Bucs, to the detriment of their run defense. I wouldn't take this as being a trend, more like a minor blip! In the end it was a comfortable victory as the Cardinal bandwagon rolls on. A touchdown in overtime gave the Lions their second win of the season while Dallas really should have got something from this game. The demise of the Cowboys is sad to see, their talented secondary should have disrupted Frank Reich a lot more than they did. A really good game was played out at Landover, Maryland. The Redskins are looking like the 'The Red Machine' (Cards of 96) and ran all over the Saints, but their second half surge was in vain as New Orleans sealed the win with a fourth quarter touchdown. San Francisco took their chances against the Eagles and so picked up another win. Their special teams did very well and might even be better than another much vaunted outfit. Meanwhile, in Green Bay, the Packer bandwagon rolls on...

Offensive performance of the week goes to Washington for 319 yards rushing against the Saints strong run defense. Defensive performance of the week goes to Buffalo for conceding only 253 yards against the Bengals. Special teams performance of the week goes to San Francisco for 139 yards on returns and four field goals.

MIDSEASON REPORT

The second instalment of Martin Devine's article. Denver Broncos [8-8] (7-1) The improvement here is down to an offensive revival and the ability to pull out close games - two of the wins have come in overtime. A change in emphasis on offence has been the key to this season's success - the shift towards the run, while improving the stats, has also kept the defence off the field for long stretches. GRADE: A-

Kansas City Chiefs [3-13] (4-4) Looking at the stats, it was surprising that this team managed to win three games, given the low-octane offence and weak defence, but this year has seen a big improvement in all areas. The offence is getting consistent yardage, especially through the air, while the defence is now capable of at least putting up some resistance. There is plenty of room for improvement, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but this will need personnel changes. GRADE: B

Oakland Raiders [16-0] (6-2) It's always going to be a difficult comparison when last year's team was one game away from perfection, but this team is not far behind last year's standard. The big difference is in the offence, with a dropoff in the effectiveness of the scheme due to the loss of the workhorse back. Statistically, the defence looks to have slipped also, but this is actually due to the problems with the offence - the defence has been on the field more this year. GRADE: C

Seattle Seahawks [6-10] (2-6) The main goal of last year's draft was to improve the offence - this has been achieved, but at the cost of the defence lacking the talent to stop the run effectively. Now a team which will win games purely through the sheer power of the offence, but not on a consistent basis because of the defence. GRADE: D

Arizona Cardinals [12-3-1] (8-0) A good team last year, but almost unbeatable this year. Offensively, the Cardinals don't do much, but take advantage of the plentiful opportunities which come their way through the crack defence and special teams. Drafting a kicker who hasn't missed so far is always a bonus. GRADE: A

Dallas Cowboys [7-9] (1-7) The problems here are defensive, despite the offensive overhaul earlier this season - the offence was so predictable last year that any change was likely to be an improvement. Last year's defence was impossible to run on - while this year's is still good, it's possible to move the ball on it. GRADE: D-

Philadelphia Eagles [4-12] (4-4) A great draft set the scene for a big improvement in the Eagles' fortunes this season. Slightly disappointing so far, but certainly improved so far, especially on defence and turnovers. GRADE: C+

Washington Redskins [5-11] (4-4) Defensively still weak, but have made up for it by going more to a ball-control offence. Really need an influx of talent in the trenches to be more successful, but doing well with the current squad. GRADE: B-

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

In season one: The Packers, despite committing eleven penalties, comfortably saw off the Eagles to claim their second ever win. Cincinnati got a second quarter safety in Seattle which turned out to be the difference between the two sides, dropping the Seahawks to only one game in front of the in form Raiders.

In season two: The Bills beat the Dolphins for the second time in three weeks to move into a tie with Miami for first place in the East. St Louis scored a touchdown in overtime against the Saints to claim their first win of the season.

WEEK TEN PREVIEW

Predictions an commentary from Martin Devine, other predictions from Quentin Jenkinson and myself.

Dolphins at Patriots

This one should be another win for Miami to keep their run going, as New England struggle against any team with a decent offence or defence. DOLPHINS BY 17

QJ - DOLPHINS BY 14 RC - DOLPHINS BY 14

Bills at Jets

A game the Jets need to win to have a chance at a playoff berth, but I can't see it happening - Buffalo are adept at keeping a hold of the ball, and their defence doesn't give up much. BILLS BY 7

QJ - BILLS BY 7 RC - BILLS BY 3

Steelers at Browns

A must-win for the Steelers if they're to get to the playoffs, but it's tough to see them winning - Cleveland have been very solid all year. BROWNS BY 9

QJ - BROWNS BY 7 RC - BROWNS BY 3

Jaguars at Bengals

Cincinnati should play better than in the week 8 meeting between these teams, which bodes ill for Jacksonville, as the Bengals won fairly easily then. BENGALS BY 14

QJ - BENGALS BY 10 RC - BENGALS BY 7

Broncos at Seahawks

Both teams run the ball well, but Seattle are on the verge of becoming too one-dimensional. Denver's defence should have an easy game, only having to worry about stuffing the run. BRONCOS BY 10

QJ - BRONCOS BY 10 RC - BRONCOS BY 7

Raiders at Chiefs

While performing well so far this season, the KC defence is still short of talent. Oakland aren't firing on all cylinders, especially offensively, but will be too good here. RAIDERS BY 12

QJ - RAIDERS BY 14 RC - NO PREDICTION

Cardinals at Eagles

The key to this game is the Arizona offence - if the Cardinals can move the ball, they should come away with an easy win, as they hold a clear advantage in all other areas. Philadelphia need to play a big offensive game to have any chance. CARDINALS BY 10

QJ - NO PREDICTION RC - CARDINALS BY 7

Cowboys at Redskins

You know what's coming when you play Washington - power running, and lots of it - but the Redskins have the offensive talent to get away with it. Dallas should be able to move the ball on a weak defence, but not well enough. REDSKINS BY 6

QJ - REDSKINS BY 7 RC - REDSKINS BY 10

Packers at Bucs

It's tough to see any team losing to Green Bay - free-scoring on offence and stingy on defence is a good combination whichever way you look at it. Tampa Bay will struggle to make an impact here, even in their own stadium. PACKERS BY 15

QJ - PACKERS BY 14 RC - PACKERS BY 14

Bears at Lions

Detroit are starting to come into form, even though their two wins have come against Chicago and Dallas, and have every chance to continue their run against a poor Bears outfit. LIONS BY 3

QJ - LIONS BY 1 RC - LIONS BY 3

Saints at Panthers

The question in this game: How much are New Orleans going to win by? It's that sort of matchup. I want the Saints to lose a couple, but there's no chance of that here. SAINTS BY 21

QJ - SAINTS BY 14 RC - SAINTS BY 10

49ers at Rams

A big test for the 49ers secondary against the league leading St. Louis passing offence, but the 49ers offence should be able to move the ball on a weak Rams defence.

QJ - 49ERS BY 14 RC - 49ERS BY 14

That's all for this week, thanks to all the usual suspects for the contributions. Rob

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