Mock Me

I'm a girl, and I love sports. I love football, and I love fantasy football. Put a sports article, magazine, or blog in front of me, and I become completely captivated. I've been doing my research for the past few weeks, and have compiled my own personal rank list of fantasy players and teams. While I don't promote this list as foolproof, I did want to share it with the intent that it will spark conversation, and probably disagreement. Believe me, I'm not oblivious to preseason injury scares either. So, go ahead, argue with me, tell me what you think, or borrow it for your own fantasy draft. Here it goes...

QUARTERBACKS                  

1. Aaron Rodgers

2. Tom Brady

3. Drew Brees

4. Matthew Stafford

5. Cam Newton

6. Eli Manning

7. Tony Romo

8. Matt Ryan

9. Peyton Manning

10. Philip Rivers

11. Michael Vick

12. Ben Roethlisberger

13. Matt Schaub

14. Jay Cutler

15. Joe Flacco

RECEIVERS

1. Calvin Johnson

2. Larry Fitzgerald

3. Greg Jennings

4. Andre Johnson

5. Roddy White

6. Hakeem Nicks

7. Wes Welker

8. Victor Cruz

9. Steve Smith

10. Mike Wallace

11. Jordy Nelson

12. A.J. Green

13. Julio Jones

14. Demaryius Thomas

15. Marques Colston

RUNNING BACKS

1. Arian Foster

2. Ray Rice

3. LeSean McCoy

4. Maurice Jones-Drew

5. Marshawn Lynch

6. Chris Johnson

7. Darren Sproles

8. Jamaal Charles

9. Adrian Peterson

10. Matt Forte

11. Darren McFadden

12. DeMarco Murray

13. Steven Jackson

14. Michael Turner

15. Ahmad Bradshaw

TIGHT ENDS

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Jimmy Graham

3. Vernon Davis

4. Jermichael Finley

5. Aaron Hernandez

6. Antonio Gates

7. Fred Davis

8. Brandon Pettigrew

9. Tony Gonzalez

10. Jermaine Gresham

KICKERS

1. David Akers

2. Stephen Gostkowski

3. Sebastian Jankowski

4. Mason Crosby

5. Garrett Hartley 

TEAM DEFENSE

1. San Francisco

2. Baltimore

3. New England

4. NY Giants

5. Green Bay

STANDINGS

NFC East                   AFC East      

Philadelphia                 New England

NY Giants                   Buffalo

Dallas                          NY Jets

Washington                  Miami

NFC North                  AFC North

Green Bay                    Baltimore

Detroit                          Pittsburgh

Chicago                        Cincinnati

Minnesota                     Cleveland

NFC South                  AFC South

Atlanta                         Houston

New Orleans               Tennessee

Carolina                       Jacksonville

Tampa Bay                  Indianapolis

NFC West                  AFC West

San Francisco             Denver

Seattle                        Oakland

Arizona                      San Diego

St. Louis                    Kansas City

Why the Avs Won't Make the Playoffs

I always try to look at the glass half-full, and be optimistic...albeit, cautiously optimistic. However, let's be frank here, the Avs just don't have it this year. They have shown glimpses of talent, drive, and championship-caliber play, but a glimpse implies nothing consistent. It probably would have been more ambitious of me to post this weeks ago when the Avs' demise wasn't so clear-cut, but sometimes the obvious is overlooked. They haven't officially been eliminated from the playoff race yet, though. With two games remaining in the season...both at home, they definitely still have a shot if all the stars align in their favor. BUT...let's be realistic. That ain't gonna happen.

I'm a pretty avid reader, and recently finished reading "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. The book describes just how some of the world's most successful people reached the top of the pyramid. Yeah, these people are undeniably intelligent and capable, but they also knew when to seize an opportunity...many times, though, luck played a significant role. What does this have to do with the Avs' chances of making (or not making the playoffs), you ask? Well, as I said before, all of the stars have to align like Bill Gates' stars aligned when he was able to practice his craft at a conveniently located IT building, in a year when the economy was thriving, and in the midst of the tech boom.

Despite gaining two points in last night's win over Calgary, the Colorado Avalanche still remain in 10th place in the Western Conference with 88 points. They sit behind San Jose, a team that also has 88 points, but with more games left on their schedule, they are given an advantage in the standings. Dallas, and Phoenix, the seventh and eighth place teams respectively, have 89 points. We all know that an Avs win in one of the remaining two games would allow them to leapfrog these teams. However, while the Avs have two games left, San Jose, Dallas, and Phoenix each have four games to play before the regular season ends. The greatest number of points the Avs can attain is 92. San Jose, would have to lose two of their remaining games for the Avs to be tied with them points-wise (again, assuming the Avs win these last two games), Phoenix and Dallas would have to lose three of their remaining four games. Feel free to do the math, the Avs' chances are slim to none at this point.

I'll go ahead and wager that the Avs will beat the Columbus Blue Jackets come Thursday night. I made the mistake of calling an Avs win over this same lowly team back on March 1st, a game in which the home team was shutout 2-0. The Avs are not going to defeat the Nashville Predators on the last game of the season, next Saturday. Nashville has been a dominant team all season, they have already clinched a playoff berth, and their goaltender, Pekka Rinne, is in contention for the Vezina. Put Hal Gill, Ryan Suter, and Shea Weber on defense, and you're not going to score...you're just not. Who cares if they don't have as much offensive punch as some of the other teams in the league? I've said it once, and I'll say it again, a strong defense wins games when it comes down to it.

So...hate to say it fellow Avs fans, there will not be any fireworks to close out the Colorado Avalanche's 2012 campaign. Personally, I hope Joe Sacco gets sacked before next season begins, but I said that after last year's dismal season, and no one listened to me. The Avs are still obviously in the rebuilding stage, and the team is so young and inexperienced, that this exclusion from the playoffs should not really come as a surprise. A 23-year old goaltender and a 20-year old rookie cannot carry your team.

To take a page out of a Cubs fans' handbook...there's always next year...