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I was going to write a ‘Brian Goes to Hollywood’ article this week. But it wouldn’t have been that interesting. So I will just note the following highlights
from my trip to Los Angeles (i.e. Parkerland).
Before I get into that, I would like to extend my thanks to Parker, Eric Oberland, and Sean McBride (aka, Parker’s two roommates) for their hospitality. I
got to meet Parker’s west coast crew and it was cool to finally get to know all of them. It was odd though, because everyone apparently knows me from
this fantasy football league. They’ve all read the draft book and heard stories about me. It’s a huge ego boost. I mean people who are not in the league
and who don’t have any idea who you are, read what you write and are fans. This must be how Bill Simmons feels, you know on a very small, small,
small, tiny, miniscule scale.
I also had the opportunity to meet Parker’s lady friend, Sarah, who is really cool and they make a cute couple. I almost felt bad for making her sleep on
the couch, while I took the bed with Parker. What can I say; Parker’s makes a good big spoon.
So thanks to everyone for making my trip a fun one. Anyway, back to the highlights of the trip.
Before we get into my football thoughts for the week, I would like to comment on the fall TV season so far.
A few other quick comments.
Finally, on to football.
Deuce McCallister (knee) – a top 20 back gone for the season. I think Aaron Stecker benefits more than Reggie Bush. I think Marc will have to drop
him, because of limited bench space and the fact that Deuce probably is not a keeper. But if we had an extra bench spot or an IR, then I’d hold on to
Deuce. You just know somebody else will pick him up towards the end of the season when they are out of the playoff hunt.
Steven Jackson (groin) – I still think he’s a top two player. Just bad luck. He’s going through what Shaun Alexander went through last year. So, I feel like
Jackson was on the cover of Madden, and not Vince Young. Brian Leonard suddenly becomes a steal and Dave Allocco looks like a genius.
Plaxico Burress (ankle) – the guy has the most TD catches in the league (tied with Randy Moss). A blow to Jay’s team if he is out for any time or if the
injury bothers him for the rest of the season.
Andre Johnson (knee) – he was headed for a true breakout season (highs in catches, TD’s, yards), but has already missed one week and will most
likely miss this week. A big blow to Dave’s team.
Rudi Johnson (hamstring) – not sure of the severity of the injury or if he’ll miss Monday nights game. But hamstrings don’t just go away without rest.
Rudi’s off to a somewhat slow start, but he’s still a first rounder who could miss some time.
Hines Ward (knee) – doubtful for this week, and he hasn’t played well since week one despite the new pass happy Pittsburgh offense. Still a #1
receiver though who would be tough to replace.
Calvin Johnson (back) – listed as day to day, so he may not miss a game. But he was headed for his first 100 yard game last week against Philly before
going down in the 2nd quarter. Could have even caught his 3rd TD in his first 3 career games.
Vernon Davis (knee) – starting to get a rep for not being able to stay healthy. Makes you wonder what all the muscles and physical specimen talk is
worth. Has yet to back up the hype and looks headed for another disappointing season.
Bears Defense (Harris, Briggs) – they already lost Mike Brown and will be without five of their defensive starters this week against the Lions. Are they
still a top two defense or are they headed for a down year? I’m starting to think the latter.
Ahman Green (knee) – Houston has been a surprise and it’s always good to be a starting RB on a contending team. But Green wasn’t a starter anyway
and is more of a bye week replacement.
Julius Jones (concussion) – A bigger loss to Gregg’s team considering he picked him so high. But Marion Barber is the man in Dallas and Jones was
not putting up huge stats anyway. So he won’t be too hard to replace.
JP Losman (knee) – out one to two weeks. He wasn’t doing much and Lee Evans has had to pay for it, but Losman is more of a second half player
anyway.
Marc Bulger (ribs) – he won’t miss this weekend’s game, but you have to be worried that the Rams will put in a more conservative offense to reduce
any further injury to Bulger. He’s still playable, but the Rams entire offense has been a huge disappointment so far.
Reggie Brown/Drew Brees/Larry Johnson/Maurice Jones Drew/Lee Evans/Mark Clayton – wait, these guys aren’t not hurt? You mean they put up those
kind of stats healthy? Lord help us…
Nice to be back on the East Coast, but I miss the West already…
Good luck to everyone in week four.
FINAL REMINDER - EVERYBODY WATCH ‘AMERICAN DAD’ THIS SUNDAY.
from my trip to Los Angeles (i.e. Parkerland).
Before I get into that, I would like to extend my thanks to Parker, Eric Oberland, and Sean McBride (aka, Parker’s two roommates) for their hospitality. I
got to meet Parker’s west coast crew and it was cool to finally get to know all of them. It was odd though, because everyone apparently knows me from
this fantasy football league. They’ve all read the draft book and heard stories about me. It’s a huge ego boost. I mean people who are not in the league
and who don’t have any idea who you are, read what you write and are fans. This must be how Bill Simmons feels, you know on a very small, small,
small, tiny, miniscule scale.
I also had the opportunity to meet Parker’s lady friend, Sarah, who is really cool and they make a cute couple. I almost felt bad for making her sleep on
the couch, while I took the bed with Parker. What can I say; Parker’s makes a good big spoon.
So thanks to everyone for making my trip a fun one. Anyway, back to the highlights of the trip.
- On the flight to LA, I had my first celebrity encounter. Sitting several rows in front of me was none other than Amanda Beard. She is a multiple
Olympic gold medal winning swimmer and was recently featured in Playboy (for those of you who are not familiar with her). I did not get a chance
to speak to her though. - Thanks to a friend of Parker’s, I got to attend a taping of ‘Two and A Half Men’. It’s one of my favorite current shows on the air (I actually wrote a
spec script for the show) and we were allowed to walk around the set after the taping, which was really cool. I was within reach of all the stars,
although once again I did not say anything (I never know what to say to stars and always feel like I’m bothering them if I do say something). - As Dave Allocco will tell you, Sean McBride is an up and coming comedian and he just happened to be performing in a show during my visit. So
we got to catch Sean performing his act (it was a contest and he was one of six comedians selected to move on to the semifinal round) and he is
very good. He has a good presence and a good sense of timing, and will only get better with more practice. Some of his bits are on YouTube for
those that are interested. I highly recommend. - Lastly, the aforementioned other roommate (Eric) works in production on Scrubs, which is one of my favorite shows of all time (I own all the DVD’
s). Eric got me on the set and I was able to get a tour and sit in as they taped a scene. He also introduced me to two of the stars (Neil Flynn, who
plays the janitor; and Sarah Chalke, who plays Elliot). Zach Braff sat right in front of me and read a magazine, but I didn’t want to bother him. I
hear he is very moody. - So, those were the highlights of my trip. Yea; I went to Seaworld, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the beach, and did other touristy crap. But anybody
can go to LA and see that stuff. Not everybody gets to see a taping of ‘Two and A Half Men’, visit the ‘Scrubs’ set, and watch the birth of a future
comic star.
Before we get into my football thoughts for the week, I would like to comment on the fall TV season so far.
- How I Met Your Mother is my new favorite show on TV (Especially when Scrubs seven year run ends this season). I highly recommend ‘How I Met
Your Mother’, especially for those of you with significant others. - Gossip Girl is my new favorite show so far (not much competition so far). It’s chessy, it’s a teeny bopper show, but I like it and I love the female
lead: Blake Lively – you may have seen her in ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ with America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and ‘Accepted’ with Justin
Long. - Private Practice is a terrible show. It’s sad too, because I’m a fan of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and even more so, Kate Walsh. She deserves better. This
reminds me of ‘Joey’. Take a hit show, make an unnecessary spin-off with a likeable character, and watch it fail. We should have seen this
coming after last year’s uneven show introducing the characters and the fact that they replaced one of the main supporting characters. I’ll give it
another chance, but I don’t know. ABC has a lot riding on the show. I’m sure they could just bring her back to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ if it failed, but it’ll
probably do good numbers (at least the first week). - I think K-Ville may be the first show cancelled or at least put on hiatus, which is a shame. It’s bringing some pub to New Orleans and, even more
importantly, it’s bringing production work to the area. I hope it stays on the air, and I’m not only saying that because Parker’s old roommate, Sean
(who I also met on my trip to LA), works there. Ok, that is the only reason. - I was only going to watch Dancing With The Stars for Josie Maran, but she did not have a good showing in week one and is already gone. I heart
Josie and now have no interest in watching the rest of the season. - Best show of the summer was ‘Burn Notice’. Reminds me of an up-to-date McGyver.
- For those of you AMC watchers, Madmen got renewed for a second season.
- Does anybody watch ‘Californication’ (Showtime) and ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ (HBO) on cable? Seriously, is it necessary to see that much sex in
something that is not porn? Not that I’m complaining. But I don’t think that much frontal nudity is needed to advance the story. - The new show I’m looking forward to watching the most is ‘The Women’s Murder Club’ Fridays on ABC. It’s based on the James Patterson’s
books, and I’ve read all six of them. It’s my guilty pleasure of the week. - Everybody watch ‘American Dad’ this Sunday. I don’t care if football is on and you got guys playing. I don’t care if you aren’t a fan of the show.
We support our fellow league members at all times. No matter what.
A few other quick comments.
- I’m really digging the new Kanye West song ‘Good Life’ feat T-Pain. I’m sure I’ll be tired of hearing it in two weeks after every radio station plays it
to death. - I really want to see ‘Micheal Clayton’ and ‘Dan in Real Life’. Both coming soon to a theatre near you.
Finally, on to football.
- Injuries have started to rack up and it’s only week four. Bad timing, since bye weeks just started. Here are my thoughts on the injuries in order of
most devastating to least.
Deuce McCallister (knee) – a top 20 back gone for the season. I think Aaron Stecker benefits more than Reggie Bush. I think Marc will have to drop
him, because of limited bench space and the fact that Deuce probably is not a keeper. But if we had an extra bench spot or an IR, then I’d hold on to
Deuce. You just know somebody else will pick him up towards the end of the season when they are out of the playoff hunt.
Steven Jackson (groin) – I still think he’s a top two player. Just bad luck. He’s going through what Shaun Alexander went through last year. So, I feel like
Jackson was on the cover of Madden, and not Vince Young. Brian Leonard suddenly becomes a steal and Dave Allocco looks like a genius.
Plaxico Burress (ankle) – the guy has the most TD catches in the league (tied with Randy Moss). A blow to Jay’s team if he is out for any time or if the
injury bothers him for the rest of the season.
Andre Johnson (knee) – he was headed for a true breakout season (highs in catches, TD’s, yards), but has already missed one week and will most
likely miss this week. A big blow to Dave’s team.
Rudi Johnson (hamstring) – not sure of the severity of the injury or if he’ll miss Monday nights game. But hamstrings don’t just go away without rest.
Rudi’s off to a somewhat slow start, but he’s still a first rounder who could miss some time.
Hines Ward (knee) – doubtful for this week, and he hasn’t played well since week one despite the new pass happy Pittsburgh offense. Still a #1
receiver though who would be tough to replace.
Calvin Johnson (back) – listed as day to day, so he may not miss a game. But he was headed for his first 100 yard game last week against Philly before
going down in the 2nd quarter. Could have even caught his 3rd TD in his first 3 career games.
Vernon Davis (knee) – starting to get a rep for not being able to stay healthy. Makes you wonder what all the muscles and physical specimen talk is
worth. Has yet to back up the hype and looks headed for another disappointing season.
Bears Defense (Harris, Briggs) – they already lost Mike Brown and will be without five of their defensive starters this week against the Lions. Are they
still a top two defense or are they headed for a down year? I’m starting to think the latter.
Ahman Green (knee) – Houston has been a surprise and it’s always good to be a starting RB on a contending team. But Green wasn’t a starter anyway
and is more of a bye week replacement.
Julius Jones (concussion) – A bigger loss to Gregg’s team considering he picked him so high. But Marion Barber is the man in Dallas and Jones was
not putting up huge stats anyway. So he won’t be too hard to replace.
JP Losman (knee) – out one to two weeks. He wasn’t doing much and Lee Evans has had to pay for it, but Losman is more of a second half player
anyway.
Marc Bulger (ribs) – he won’t miss this weekend’s game, but you have to be worried that the Rams will put in a more conservative offense to reduce
any further injury to Bulger. He’s still playable, but the Rams entire offense has been a huge disappointment so far.
Reggie Brown/Drew Brees/Larry Johnson/Maurice Jones Drew/Lee Evans/Mark Clayton – wait, these guys aren’t not hurt? You mean they put up those
kind of stats healthy? Lord help us…
- The standings are a perfect symmetry. One undefeated team. One winless team. Six teams with 2-1 records. And six teams with 1-2 records.
- I’m convinced that the two worst things to happen to fantasy sports are the Yahoo weekly Projections, and the start em’/sit em’ columns.
Everybody said to bench Tony Romo and most of the other Dallas regulars against Chicago, which worked out really well. And Yahoo still keeps
telling me Reggie Brown will score 10 points. - We have our second trade of the season. Hope it works out for both Marc and Jay.
- Parker has the best RB combo in the league. It’s not even a discussion.
- The race for most transactions is getting close. Josh and Chris have overtaken Scott for the lead.
- When will Dave pick up his first player off free agency/waivers? Over/under is week 13.
- I still think Jason’s team is a sleeping giant.
- I think the same thing about Navid’s team.
- It’s very early still, so to those on the bottom of the standings, try and not panic
- Tony Romo has officially supplanted Marc Bulger in the elite QB club. Great pick by Rich.
- LenDale White just might be Jarrett’s best RB. I don’t know if that is a good thing.
- Nick’s RB has stayed fairly healthy and productive since week one. He’s made some good pickups to hold him over till Brandon Jacobs returns.
Let’s just hope Jacobs still has the starting job, because Ward and Droughns have been productive in his absence. - Marc, way to put an end to the JV league discussion for now. For those of you who want to be future commissioner’s…I hope you’re taking notes.
- My guarantee of the week: Scott has most of his main guys on a bye this week. He knew it at the draft. He’s already called this weekend a loss. I’
m calling upset special. Scott beats Dave.
Nice to be back on the East Coast, but I miss the West already…
Good luck to everyone in week four.
FINAL REMINDER - EVERYBODY WATCH ‘AMERICAN DAD’ THIS SUNDAY.
