1st Down or 4th and Forever: Vol. 7

Alright sports fans here we are! The BEST part of the year; FOOTBALL SEASON! And with that is the ushering in of another great feature Sports Outlaw offers it’s readers, “1st Down or 4th and Forever”.

Since there are so many players to track and so little time for you to track them, we found the guy on our staff with no life at all to do all the dirty work for you. From high atop the Rocky Mountains Sports Outlaw’s Scott “The Ram” Henkel brings his biting commentary each and every week letting you know if that player in the news is a diamond in the rough or a fossilized piece of dinosaur poop.

Here’s the way it works:

A “1st Down” rating means this guy is either going nuts or showing signs of busting out of the straight jacket. Either way he’s someone you need to keep your eyes on in your fantasy football league or make a move on and start em’.



A “4th and Forever” rating means this guy was getting some love either in the pre-season or is a one week wonder and is now ready for the bench or the waiver wire OR JUST PLAIN PISSED ME OFF. I believe the chant goes a little something like this, “OOOOOVER RAAAATED!! Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap-clap!!!”



So let’s start lighting fires and breaking hearts:

1st Down



Runningbacks:



Ernest Graham: Welcome to the show! The year of the backup is upon us. Keith, Watson, Graham, Leonard….well for one game anyway. He put together a superb double threat performance getting 19 carries and 13 receptions for 90 plus each. That’s retarded good. Now it WAS against the Lions. But that is pretty damn good for a career backup who is now thrust into a starting role. He might be a pretty good option if you were lucky enough to pick him up.
Ernest Graham …..1ST DOWN!!!!


Wide Receivers:



Laveranues Coles: There are some guys in the league that I root for either secretly or in public. I’ve been a Coles fan for a while now and am glad to see him start to put things together this season. He’s been vastly underrated since his huge season in 2002 &03. He’s a class act on and off the field who has some serious talent. If Mangini pulls his head out of his ass and quits blaming the quarterback for his team’s crap performance he might just get his due credit.
Laveranues Coles …..1ST DOWN!!!!


Quarterbacks:



Kurt Warner: The man’s elbow tendon was hanging off the bone while he suited up and played. Balls. Brass ones. He might not have put together a Brady-esque performance (I still love you Tom) but he still strapped it on and competed in a tough loss. You do that and you’re all right in my book...even if your wife looks like that dude in The Crying Game.
Kurt Warner…..1ST DOWN!!!!



4th and Forever


Runningbacks:

Shaun Alexander: When you are one of the best runningbacks in the league you are expected to put up numbers. When you can’t put them up against bad teams that makes me go “Hmmmmm.” Nano & DaBomb have a theory regarding runningbacks and their carries, seeing a definite decline in production following huge seasons. I think we’re seeing that decline with Alexander.
Shaun Alexander…..4TH DOWN!!!!


Quarterbacks:

Tavaris Jackson: On the opposite side of good is Tavaris Jackson. If he’s the future of the Vikings then the Vikings are torched. He’s been given all the gifts a quarterback needs for success: unstoppable running game, stout defense, and decent receivers. So seriously, WTF? There isn’t much pity in 1st or 4th and no quarter will be given to a guy who himself can’t produce yet decides it is his obligation to argue with his head coach. Sorry tool, if TO can’t do it your punk ass certainly can’t.
Tavaris Jackson…..4TH DOWN!!!!

So that’s my opinion. If you don’t like it, sound off in the comments section below! If you like it, praise me for the bear trap tight logical thinker that I am. Thanks for your opinions either way. Until next week! See you in the forums!

-Scott “The Ram” Henkel