Numbers in parentheses denote Final Preseason Ranking/2009 Finish. Fantasy football stats based on Default IDP Manor Scoring. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Patrick Willis – ILB, San Francisco 49ers (LB1/LB1) Willis produced another monster season in 2009, logging an NFL-leading 152 tackles along with four sacks, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions en route to his second #1 finish at linebacker in three years and third consecutive top-three finish at his position. With 8 double-digit tackle games vs. only two with less [...]
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The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga, who had 63 tackles, a sack, and 3 forced fumbles before a Week 16 ankle injury ended his rookie year, was arrested Friday in Covington, Kentucky on drunken driving charges after the car he was allegedly driving hit two parked cars and a parking meter. Maualuga, 23, had a blood alcohol level of .157, nearly twice the legal limit in Kentucky. The Ball Says: Not an auspicious start to the offseason [...]
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin, who tore his ACL covering the overtime kickoff in the NFC Championship Game, will undergo surgery to repair the ligament within a week and is in danger of missing the beginning of the 2010 season, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The 4th-Year pro had 78 tackles and a career-high 4 interceptions in 2009. The Ball Says: Griffin was a bit of an IDP disappointment in 2009, as he posted his lowest tackle numbers since his rookie [...]
Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who engineered an improvement that saw the Broncos defense go from 29th in total defense in 2008 to 7th in 2009, resigned Monday and is expected to join the Miami Dolphins in the same capacity sometime this week, according to a report in the Denver Post. Nolan, 50, spent one season in the Mile High City after 2 and a half seasons as Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers, and will likely be [...]
The Chicago Tribune reports that Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died Sunday from cardiac arrest while visiting his girlfriend in South Carolina. Autopsy results revealed that an enlarged heart was the cause of the former fourth overall pick’s death, and it has been ruled the 26 year-old died of natural causes. The Ball Says: Adams was our selection as IDP Bust of The Year at DL after a miserable 2009 season that saw him manage only seven tackles in limited [...]
2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Charles Woodson, sacks leader Elvis Dumervil, and tackles leader Patrick Willis headline the defensive players on the 2009 NFL All-Pro team, as selected by the Associated Press and reported in the Boston Globe. The Ball Says: First team selections also include defensive ends Jared Allen of the Vikings and Dwight Freeney of the Colts, tackles Jay Ratliff of the Cowboys and Kevin Williams of Minnesota, linebackers DeMarcus Ware of Dallas and Ray Lewis [...]
Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson has been voted the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, receiving twice as many votes as second-place finisher Darrelle Revis, according to a report in the Janesville Gazette. The 33 year old Woodson had 74 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and an NFL-leading 9 interceptions (3 of which he returned for scores) in a 2009 campaign that saw him voted to his sixth Pro Bowl. The Ball Says: It’s hard to argue [...]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jermaine Phillips is being held without bond after being arrested for domestic battery by strangulation following an altercation with his wife, according to a report in the Tampa Tribune. The 30 year old Phillips had 11 tackles in 2009 and played in only two games before suffering a thumb injury that ended his season. The Ball Says: This sort of off-the-field trouble won’t help things at all for the impending free agent, who would already likely [...]
Numbers in parentheses denote Final Preseason Ranking/2009 Finish. Fantasy football stats based on Default IDP Manor Scoring. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jared Allen – DE, Minnesota Vikings (DL1/DL1) Allen was the first defensive lineman selected in many IDP drafts last summer and certainly didn’t disappoint team owners who drafted him, racking up 51 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and an interception on his way to out-producing the second-best fantasy DL by 27 points. Some owners may have been disappointed by [...]
Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing was a runaway selection as 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, garnering 39 of 50 possible votes, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle. Cushing, who beat out Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd for the honor, logged 134 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions during his exceptional rookie campaign, which earned him a trip to the 2010 Pro Bowl in Miami. The Ball Says: It’s no surprise that Cushing won [...]
