by Eddie Mayrose

Was actually encouraged by the way the New York Knicks started the season.  Not that I had any expectations about a championship or even a playoff appearance, for that matter. Rather, I was just happy that the roster was now populated with players that I could actually root for; a stark contrast to the band of miscreants that wore the uniform over the course of Isiah Thomas’ reign of error.  Gone were Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson and Jerome James, replaced by hard-working players like Toney Douglas and Ronny Turiaf, not to mention A’mare Stoudamire,the biggest talent to hit the Garden floor in a long time.  However, my optimism was dashed very quickly last week after I sat through Knicks-Warriors.

In a display of basketball that would give a men’s over-40 league a bad name, the defenseless home team surrendered the whopping total of 74 points in the paint; a total you wouldn’t expect if Golden State were playing in an empty gym.  The Knicks complete inability to get a stop at any point in the game, coupled with their relentless brickfest from behind the three point arc made it abundantly clear as to the real problem at MSG: Mike D’Antoni.

Brought in as what was supposed to be a lure for LeBron James, D’Antoni received a free pass over his first two seasons as Donnie Walsh rid the team of the terrible contracts that were Isiah’s legacy. Forced to go to battle with a band of selfish misfits, D’Antoni was rarely held accountable for the team’s poor performance.  Now, however, with a team that is much improved, we’re seeing the results of the coach’s “offense first and always” philosophy.  Looks like it’ll be another quite spring on 32nd and 7th.

New York Jets On a Roll

After becoming the first team in NFL history to win two consecutive road games in overtime, it seems as though the Jets may have finally stumbled on to a winning formula: Spread as many former Jets across the rosters of their opponents and wait for them to act as if they were still in the Meadowlands.

Each of Gang Green’s last four wins has been a nail-biter that was in doubt until the final gun.  In  the first, old friend Brett Favre, gearing up for a game winning drive, instead threw an interception that Dwight Lowery returned for a game clinching score.  Then, on Sunday, former Jet receiver Chansi Stuckey fumbled away an opportunity for a game winning field goal before Eric Mangini mismanaged the clock and gift wrapped one final scoring opportunity for Mark sanchez.

Don’t know how the rest of the season will pan out for Big Rexy and his boys, but, as long as there’s an ex-Jet on the other sideline, maybe they have a chance.

Jeter Contract No Walk in the Park

Got a good laugh from Yankee fans this week; indignant at the thought of Derek Jeter having to go through the same process of negotiating a contract that everyone else is forced to endure.  Many feel that GM Brian Cashman should issue a blank check for Jeter to sign as an homage to his career accomplishments.  A nice thought, sure, but a very stupid thing for Cashman to do.  I wonder how many of those same fans would be interested in signing an aging shortstop with little pop, a weak arm, limited range and coming off of the worst offensive season of his career.  The fact of the matter is that Jeter will be overpaid at any price as there is no market for him anywhere else in Major League Baseball.  That he’ll likely be paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million dollars for three years is incredibly generous.  Think about that, Bomber backers, when your boy is 38 and you’re complaining about the pitching staff .

by Eddie Mayrose

Waggie and his partner, son Timothy, survived another week in the McGee Survivor League, actually turning in the highest total for the week, despite the gaping hole in their backfield that has been a problem all season.  Even their mainstay, Ahmad Bradshaw of the Giants, has been a problem. Even though he’s been piling up yardage, Brandon Jacobs gets all of the touches inside the 10 yard line.  Things are looking up, however, as the Professor and son woke up early on Tuesday and managed to beat the sleepy heads in their league to Chris Ivory of the Saints.  Fresh off a 150 yard game and likely to get most of the work with Pierre Thomas out, he’s a great acquisition for a team facing the joint bye weeks of Andre and Calvin Johnson.  It’ll be touch and go this weekend for Home Alone 2 but, if they survive, things are looking up the rest of the way.

Fantasy Football Studs

Love Philip Rivers this week in his matchup with the Patriots.  For that matter, Tom Brady deserves a stud ranking also as this game should be a shootout.  Rivers should feast on the Pats’ soft pass defense while Brady seems much more comfortable with Deion Branch than he did with Randy Moss.

Fantasy Football Stiffs

Bench Brett Favre as the Vikings head into Green Bay on Monday.  He’ll try to do too much against his old team and will likely throw a few picks. In Miami, Ronnie Brown has failed to fire for most of the season and will find it even tougher sledding against the Steel Curtain.

Fantasy Football Sleepers

Raiders Tight End, Zach Miller should enjoy a big day in Denver, especially with Oakland’s limited options elsewhere. Seahawks’ WR Mike Williams looks to string two solid weeks together as the Cards and Seahawks, battle for NFC West supremacy in Seattle.

Fantasy Football Slippers

Chad Henne is in for as difficult a day as Ronnie Brown against Pittsburgh as the Miami offense will struggle against Pittsburgh.  As long as the Bears’ O-Line continues on its mission to get QB Jay Cutler killed, each of the Bears’ receivers is a liability.

By Eddie Mayrose

Ranking  quarterbacks for a Fantasy Football Draft isn’t exactly rocket science.   Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers are the top three, followed closely by Tom Brady and Matt Schaub.  Easy stuff, actually, and pretty much universal.  Rating the next five becomes a little dicey, however, as you’ll get very different opinions from Fantasy Football Owners as to which signal callers warrant these spots.  The vast differences of opinion create the potential for selections that will make or break a Fantasy Football Season.  For Professor Wagstaff’s money, the one man in that second five with the best chance of producing on the same level as the top tier is the Ravens’ Joe Flacco.

In 2008, Flacco, then a rookie out of Delaware, led the Ravens to the AFC Championship game; mostly by managing an offensive system that had been scaled down significantly in order to limit his mistakes.  The handcuffs came off last year and Flacco owners benefited from an increase in his production although, Baltimore’s less than stellar wideouts limited the bump in Fantasy points.

This season, however, Flacco could be directing an offensive juggernaut; something Ravens’ fans have never seen before, even during their Super Bowl season.  WR Mark Clayton, last year’s go-to guy, is now the third option after the acquisitions of Anquan Boldin and Donte’ Stallworth while RB Ray Rice has become a first rounder in most Fantasy Football drafts due to his status as the NFL’s best receiver out of the backfield.  With the supporting cast now at Flacco’s disposal, he need only to continue the improvement he’s already shown to be that middle round pick you’ll point to when recounting how you managed to win your league in 2010.

Professor Wagstaff’s Top 20 Quarterbacks

1) Drew Brees
2) Peyton Manning
3) Matt Schaub
4) Tom Brady
5) Aaron Rodgers
6) Joe Flacco
7) Tony Romo
8 )Donovan McNabb
9) Carson Palmer
10)Matt Ryan
11)Philip Rivers
12)Brett Favre
13)Jay Cutler
14)Eli Manning
15)Kevin Kolb
16)Matt Cassell
17)Jason Campbell
18)Matt Hasselbeck
19)Matt Stafford
20)Kyle Orton

Things went better than expected last week for the star of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers.  He may not have won any money, but he did manage to break even on this season’s first venture into the world of pro football.  Gil, having assured us he’d confer with his wife, Jill, returns this week to give his two cents on who we might be watching two weeks from now in Super Bowl XLIV.

New Orleans -3 1/2 over Minnesota- When you take away the obligatory three points usually granted a home team, this one looks too close to call.  Both teams dominated their first round opponents after stumbling through the month of December.  I’m going with New Orleans here because I’m buying into Reggie Bush.  His performance last week brought back memories of his Heisman days at USC and served to make Drew Brees and his receivers that much more dangerous.  Strangely, he could be the best runner in the game as Brett Favre’s “me first” attitude has neutralized Adrian Peterson over the last two months.  Who’d a thunk AP would go eight weeks without a 100 yard game?  Look for New Orleans to go up early and then feast on Favre as he starts slinging the ball to anyone on the field.

New York + 7 1/2 over Indianapolis- How can I jump off the Rex Ryan bandwagon now?  This oversized Pied Piper has convinced players and fans alike that his team belongs in the Super Bowl.  As with San Diego, Gang Green matches up with an offense that can’t run the ball effectively and will have to deal with the loss of its best receiver; courtesy of Darrelle Revis.  Unlike San Diego, however, the Jets will have difficulty getting their different defensive packages on the field because of the Colts’ no huddle offense.  Then there’s the small problem of stopping Peyton Manning.  I agree with the many that see this contest as a close one so, I expect Indy to come out on top.  I mean, really, who picks against Manning in a close game?  That said, I think 7 1/2 points is too wide a margin.

Enjoy the games.