Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Written by: James Burulcich
Edited by: Allie Fontana

And then it was over. Just like that the 2011 NFL season has passed us by and I hope you all managed to win one or two of your fantasy leagues. What a way to finish the year as well with three 5,000-plus yard passers, lots of playoff drama and a Big Blue division title. Here’s what I learned on Sunday.

1.  QB Controversy?

Can you believe that there is a new Green Bay Packers record holder for most passing yards and touchdowns in a single game and he’s not named Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre? Neither can I. Backup Matt Flynn scorched the Detroit Lions on Sunday for an astonishing 480 yards and six touchdowns. It’s great for Packers fans too because that Rodgers guy was having an awful season. He needed to be replaced…NOT! That said, it’s good that Green Bay has a guy capable of carrying the team if Rodgers were to go down. 

2.  QB Controversy!

Well after some discussion that they could fall to No. 2 with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts did what they’ve done for most of the 2011 season. They lost on Sunday and are guaranteed the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. So it’s pretty set in stone that Andrew Luck will be a Colt next season, which means that Peyton Manning’s tenure in Indianapolis will come to an end as Joe Montana’s did in San Francisco. Luck will probably not want to wait for a spot like Aaron Rodgers did, and Manning surely won’t want to be a mentor. It will be strange to see Manning in a new uniform next year. 

3.  5,000-Yard Club.

Drew Brees and Dan Marino had been the only two quarterbacks to have ever thrown for over 5,000 yards in a single season. But after last Sunday, two more joined the club as Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford accomplished the feat. In fact, Brady turned in the second best season of all time only to be one-upped by Drew Brees who was just a bit better. New York Giants signal caller Eli Manning was also close to topping 5.000. He finished the season with 4,933 yards, which puts him at No. 6 overall. Now the question looms, are the quarterbacks and schemes just better? Are the defenses worse? Is it the rules? I’m not sure why, but I will tell you this—It’s fun to watch!

4.  Crash Landing.

While it’s true that even if the New York Jets had defeated the Miami Dolphins on Sunday , they would have still missed the playoffs, however for them to finish out the year on a three-game losing streak is embarrassing. The primary reason for this is because of their loud-mouthed head coach Rex Ryan. He’s so full of predictions and anecdotes, that it’s obvious he doesn’t spend much time on in-game adjustments. The Jets looked awful these last three weeks and they’ll head into 2012 with question marks all over the field. None bigger than what to do about cry baby wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

5.  Can I Get Some More Rice?

The Baltimore Ravens needed to win their final game of the regular season over a tough division opponent to guarantee themselves a first-round playoff bye and the AFC North Division title. To do it, they served the Cincinnati Bengals a heaping spoonful of Ray Rice. Rice is the player who makes this offense go and sometimes the Ravens inexplicably abandon him, but not on this day. He rushed 24 times for 191 yards punctuated by two long touchdown runs to wrap up a great season for Baltimore. This may be the year they get back to the Super Bowl.

6.  Megatron.

There isn’t a better nickname in the NFL than the one for Detroit Lions exceptional wide receiver Calvin Johnson. This season he surely lived up to his Megatron name. He opened the year scoring eight touchdowns in his first four games, had a bit of a lull midway, but then blew the doors off the barn to close out the season. On Sunday, he had 11 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown and it was the second time in the final three weeks that he posted 200-plus receiving yards. There should be no doubt as to who the first receiver off fantasy draft boards will be in 2012.

7.  Tampa Bay Nightmare.

What happened to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year? After a fantastic 2010 campaign that saw up-and-coming head coach Raheem Morris lead his young squad to a 10-win season, thing went horribly wrong in 2011. Rising stars including quarterback Josh Freeman, running back LeGarrette Blount and wide receiver Mike Williams were expected to build on last year’s success. While there was the occasional glimmer of hope, the Bucs never got it together on the field. This past Sunday, they lost their tenth game in a row and were absolutely embarrassed by the Atlanta Falcons. With 6:49 left in the first half, the Bucs were already down 42-0. Ouch. Morris and the entire coaching staff were justifiably fired on Monday. A once promising team looks to be back at ground zero.

8.  Damn ACLs!

Last week it was Adrian Peterson who went down with an ACL and MCL injury, and this past Sunday Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Rashard Mendenhall limped off the field in Cleveland after tearing his ACL. The Steelers hopes to return to the Super Bowl could be in jeopardy given that Ben Roethlisberger is still in obvious pain with the bum ankle and the potential loss of their best running back throughout the early rounds of the playoffs . They didn’t look too impressive in the passing game against the Cleveland Browns this week and I don’t see them being able to beat the Baltimore Ravens or New England Patriots without Mendenhall to keep defenses honest.

9.  Happy Blue Year!

I couldn’t have gotten a better New Year’s Day treat than watching the New York Giants stick it to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday night. After a very Blue Christmas win over the New York Jets in Week 16, the Giants clinched the NFC East Division title and a playoff berth in convincing fashion. I’m so impressed with how well Eli Manning has played this season and to see Jason Pierre-Paul become such a monster getting after opposing quarterbacks gives me hope the team’s playoff run won’t be a “one and done.”

10.  Playoff Predictions.

The playoff match-ups are all set and I thought I’d give you my quick take on this week’s Wild Card Round. I’ll start with the NFC, where we have four of the most prolific offenses in the league squaring off against each other. As much as I love Megatron and the Detroit Lions, letting Matt Flynn pass for six touchdowns makes me believe that Drew Brees in the Superdome might just throw 12 touchdowns. Saints should handle the Lions. Then because I’m a homer, I expect the New York Giants to defend their turf and beat the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan is infinitely worse on the road, and it will also be very cold for this dome team. Ryan won’t be ready for what Jason Pierre-Paul has in store for him. We have two pretty weak games to open up the AFC playoffs. While I love Tim Tebow, I give them absolutely no shot at beating the Pittsburgh Steelers even if it’s a home game for the Denver Broncos. And considering that the Houston Texans will roll with rookie quarterback Tim Yates, I believe the Cincinnati Bengals will find a way to end Houston’s first playoff appearance in just one game.

There you have it Bruno Boys Nation. I hope you all had an amazing fantasy football season and I wish you all a very Happy New Year. See you next week!