Clement’s Weekly Picks & Prognostications…Week 14

I’m taking a week sabbatical from NFL-viewing, mainly because I’m pouting about how my 8-3 Jets have plummeted to 8-5 and there appears little hope left to Jet fans right now. Even worse, I fear it’ll be the Patsies – not the Phins – who will eventually wind up AFC East champs.

Nevertheless, my picks and fantasy “advice” won’t suffer.
Lucky you…

NFL Picks: 39-24 [These .500 weeks are killing me. Much like the ‘Aints & Iggles have all season long.]
Upset Special: 9-10 [All bets were off as soon as Trent Edwards was ruled out and JP “Loss-Man” took the starting snaps at QB.]

Glad I listened to Armin and thought of Pierre Thomas as a talented RB.
Quite the reward in my pay league last night.
How about YOU???
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys (-2 ½)
It’d be a much different week in the NFL if Dallas had walked away victorious from Pittsburgh last week. However, we can’t play that game with any success…so I’ll try and analyze why Dallas has such a favorable spread. ??? Clearly it has to be the home field advantage, desperate nature of a 8-5 team, and perhaps the “complacency” of an 11-2 team. I’m not buying any of that. The G-Men are a better coaches team and despite suspensions and injuries mounting, they’re not about to start any type of losing streak; especially within the NFC East.

New England Patriots @ Oakland Raiders (+7)
One word will summarize this game (and it won’t be upset): blowout. New England escaped Seattle with a hard fought victory and now realizes it just takes one slip from the Jets or Phins (who play in Week 17 btw) for the Pats to walk away division champs. And they will. Dammit.

San Francisco 49ers @ Miami Dolphins (-6)
This game might be close; however, the Phins are playing excellent ball. Unlike several other playoff contenders, they’ve breezed through the easier opponents. Chad Pennington protects the ball as well as any QB and the defense is played inspired football. Anybody else think they miss Jason Taylor and his perceived ego? Nope. Amazingly, the Phins will be 9-5; mainly because west coast teams can’t travel east this season. Don’t watch this game unless you’re a Mike Singletary fan. It’s all you’ll hear about…for better or worse.

Upset Special #1
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets (-7)
Am I a bitter fan whose whinning and pinning for his team to finally win a game? Of course. Nevertheless, the weather won’t affect the Bills anymore than the Jets AND I still need to check the health of the QB situation. Jet fans want a blowout; however, this series splits way too many times (despite whom the home team is). While I’m not sure if Buffalo will win…I don’t like a team struggling as much as the Jets have the past two weeks getting a touchdown. Despite how well Thomas Jones has played this season.

Upset Special #2
Detroit Lions @ Indianapolis Colts (-17 ½)
Am I picking the outright upset? Not a chance. However, the Lions do play tough and they realize the impact of 0-16 is looming more and more. While the Colts are hot, they’re exactly torching any of their opponents. Addai and Rhodes continue to search for consistency and it appears no pair of Colt wideouts can perform well on any given weekend. Colts win,, but they are not worthy of this type of spread (even against Detroit).

Playoffs Advice in Fantasy
1) Try your best in your Consolation Bracket games. Why? It shows some fantasy insight to juggle people these weeks. Even if the game doesn’t matter, it’s always nice to gauge how you’re doing selection-wise.
2) Pierre Thomas was a very, very good start.
3) Lee Evans always plays the Jets well. Always.
4) Keep on starting John Carlson at TE.
5) Vincent Jackson isn’t a weekly start. No chance.
6) Start both Titan RBs if you have em.
7) Ryan Grant is gonna blow up this week.
8) Shaun Hill isn’t going to toss 2-TD this week. Might not even toss 1, actually.
9) Don’t start either Jet wideout or Dustin Keller.
10) Tim Hightower is a flex-play, at best.

See you next week. Hopefully not at 8-6 (but likely).

Finding the Next Manning-Harrison Connection

I grew up in the '80s and watched the beginning, the evolution, and the end of the Montana-Rice combo. It was a thing of pure beauty from start to finish ... Joe Cool dropping back, finding the greatest WR of all time cutting across the middle, or gliding down along the sidelines, and finding a way to place the football directly into Jerry's arms, time and time again. How fitting that the one time that Joe Montana didn't win a Super Bowl MVP award, Rice was the one to receive it. Sure, Young-to-Rice resulted in more touchdowns (and was a dynamic combo in and of itself), but Montana-Rice was the original to me ... and who knows? Would Rice have developed to be so great without the tutelage of Montana? Sadly, however, that connection ended after time, and many wondered if we'd see such a bond between QB and WR ever again.

Which duo will be the next to carry the torch of awesomeness?

Of course, the late 1990s and this decade brought us the Manning-to-Harrison tandem, which proceeded to break the marks set by Montana and Rice. Like Montana and Rice, Manning and Harrison developed the bond that allowed them to know what the other was thinking before he thought it. And, of course, it led to many amazing passes and pass receptions for the viewing pleasure of NFL fans. But, alas, it seems that this bond is singing its own swan song, with Harrison missing most all of last season, and with neither of them at 100% this year. So, the question before the NFL is, will we ever see another fantastically prolific QB-WR duo? And if so, is that tandem together in the league right now? I'm going to venture out and analyze four potential duos that might soon vault to that level.

1. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall

Even though the season is young, and the two have only played one game together this season, this is the trendy pick. Both are young and dynamic players in their third seasons. Cutler has a cannon of an arm, and is a tough player who willed himself through a 40 pound weight loss, caused by diabetes, last season. His grit and playmaking abilities, in my opinion, remind me of a less-spastic Brett Favre. The question remains in his football intelligence, though that should be determined by season's end. Marshall is a playmaker through and through. Eighteen catches in his first appearance this season says enough. However, unlike Harrison, he's not the quiet type, and does have a bit of the T.O. "i love me some me" mentality, which could lead to excessive temper tantrums down the stretch, thereby diminishing his relationship with Cutler.

But, the strongest argument aside from their individual capacities, in my mind, that these two can become the next Manning-Harrison, stems from that brazen personality of Marshall. Last summer, when Marshall injured himself through his wayward antics, Cutler didn't hold back. He called out his #1 receiver in the public eye. While most may see that as a source of friction, I see it as the type of "calling out" that exists between two people who respect each other and hold one another in high regard ... like a guy telling his close friend to shape up. If I'm right in my reading of the situation, this duo should have many seasons of success before it, barring intervention by free agency.

2. Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress

This list couldn't be complete without including the younger Manning brother as a potential heir to his brother's spot. It took Eli four seasons to catch the Super Bowl win that it took Peyton nine seasons to grasp, and Archie has always said he feels Eli was the better player ... maybe there's something to that. Plaxico is no slouch either. Sure, I enjoyed referring to him as "Plexiglass" for his first few seasons, thanks to his countless injuries. But his tough play through injuries during all of last season earned him lots of respect. His talent was never a question, but he has excelled past where I had him ranked.

Eli, in his fifth year, has finally matured into a leader and has developed the calm swagger requisite for a QB to attain elite status, though he's still a total dork. That Eli has reached a higher level of play at the same time Plax has finally stepped up into a #1 WR role bodes well for the Giants and very well for the potential of keeping a Manning as part of the NFL's top QB-WR combination.

3. Trent Edwards and Lee Evans

Trent Edwards is only in his second season, but he has developed a solid relationship with his fifth-year wideout. The thing I like about this team is that Evans had three years to mature as a receiver before Edwards came along, much like Harrison having a two-year head start over Peyton Manning. This gap lets the receiver aid in tutoring the quarterback, thereby allowing Edwards the opportunity to not only learn how to be a good QB in the NFL, but also how to be a good QB for Evans.

Of course, there is less of a body of evidence to base this on than there is the Cutler-Marshall combo (the requisite "M" last name is also missing from this duo), but the situation is one that I like a lot. Even if it does not excel to the levels of Manning-Harrison greatness, it is one that will still excel for a few years.

4. Matt Ryan and Roddy White

This is probably the biggest gamble I'm taking, but then again each of these is a gamble. Matt Ryan had an awesome finish to his college career, and had an amazing start in the NFL, tossing a 62-yard touchdown pass on his very first professional throw. Roddy White is a talented fourth-year receiver who has the tools to be able to make it as a premier wideout. Unfortunately, this duo only has 120-minutes of game experience to be analyzed, so I cannot really say much. However, I can point to the six times they have connected for 113 yards, an average of nearly 19-yards per reception. That's not exactly the stuff of legends, but given the 2:1 run:pass ratio used by the Falcons thus far, the numbers aren't shabby. Ultimately my gut wants me to include them as the fourth option, given their individual talents, that White has three seasons already under his belt, and that Ryan seems to have a good football head on his shoulders.

Honorable Mention

If I were to include a fifth tandem, it would likely be Brees-Colston, however Brees has been too inconsistent over his first seven seasons and Colson will miss the next six weeks or so. I just don't see it. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. They have a lot going for them, but I'm not sure I see the possibility of that "connection" that is necessary to reach Montana/Rice or Manning/Harrison levels. Also, there are other duos capable of great successes, such as Romo/T.O., Brady/Moss, and McNabb/Jackson. However, in each of these pairs, there is one player who has at least reached the 10-year mark on his career (T.O., Moss and McNabb), which doesn't bode well in hoping for numerous years of awesomeness as a QB-WR duo. But still, they do get some props.