Sporting News Experts Draft -- This time it's for real

Just completed the draft with my fellow Sporting News experts that we'll play out this season. For the first time ever (in my six-year association with the magazine/web site), I had the first pick in the 12-team league.

Here's what I was able to do...

Round 1: Adrian Peterson, RB -- A no brainer, especially considering the worries associated with CJ2K and Arian Foster.

Round 2: Tom Brady, QB -- Rodgers, Rivers and Vick were gone. No complaints here.

Round 3: Steven Jackson, RB -- As I've written, I think S-Jax is a steal in the mid-2nd round or later. He should be huge this year as the workhorse of the Rams' improved offense. My backfield is now stacked.

Round 4: Santonio Holmes, WR, Jets -- The problem with going RB/QB/RB -- especially in a 12-team draft -- is that you miss out on the top-tier wideouts. Holmes was the best WR left on the board, in my opinion.

Round 5: Austin Collie, WR, Colts -- Boom or bust pick. I predict boom.

Round 6: Lance Moore, WR, Saints -- Could be Drew Brees' top receiver this season, especially if Colston isn't fully healthy.

Round 7: Owen Daniels, TE, Texans -- Dallas Clark almost fell to me. I like Daniels in a bounce-back season.

Round 8: Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints -- As much as I think Mark Ingram will dominate, Pierre is still expected to play an important role in New Orleans' offense.

Round 9: James Starks, RB, Packers -- Ryan Grant's starting job is anything but secure. Starks is the guy threatening his security.

Round 10: Johnny Knox, WR, Bears -- I'm expecting him to win back his starting job early on. Won't need him till Week 9, so there's plenty of time for Roy Williams to wear out his welcome.

Round 11: Eagles DST -- The run on elite units had started, and the Eagles are at the top of my rankings.

Round 12: Mike Williams, WR, Seahawks -- Yeah, I know. I wasn't jumping up and down about this pick either. Trust me...the draft board was awfully bare by this point.

Round 13: Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos -- Love him as a backup. I only need him to hold onto the starting job till Week 7 (Brady's bye).

Round 14: Aaron Hernandez, TE, Patriots -- His teammate Gronkowski almost made it to me. Hernandez is a good consolation prize, especially in a backup TE role.

Round 15: Brandon Gibson, WR, Rams -- I'm actually more excited about Gibson's potential than Williams'; but I figured I could wait until this round to bag him. He should be a starter for Sam Bradford, which makes him a decent WR5 with upside.

Round 16: Stephen Gostkowski, K, Patriots -- One of the very best.

Round 17: Cadillac Williams, RB, Rams -- S-Jax's handcuff.

Roster summary:
QBs - Brady, Orton
RBs - AD, S-Jax, Pierre Thomas, James Starks, Cadillac
WRs - Santonio, Collie, Lance Moore, Knox, Mike Williams (Sea), Gibson
TEs - Owen Daniels, Aaron Hernandez
K - Gostkowski
DST - Eagles

I hate 12-team leagues, because the pickings get so slim by the time you reach the double-digit rounds. But unlike the mock I did with this group a couple weeks ago, I'm pretty pleased with how this draft turned out. Sure, I could use some more WR firepower; but if Collie dominates this year like he did early in 2010 -- and keeps his head clear in the process -- I'll be just fine.

Week 13 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots – Torched the Jets for 326 yards and 4 TDs, without a turnover.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers – Passed for 298 yards and 3 TDs, and added 39 yards as a rusher.
Michael Vick, QB, Eagles – Tallied 302 yards passing, 48 yards rushing and 3 TDs, with just 1 INT.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings – Ran for 107 yards and a TD trifecta. I guess he’s OK.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks – Ran for 83 yards and 3 TDs, plus a 17-yard catch.
LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles – Ran for 44 yards and 1 TD, and caught 8 passes for 86 yards and another score.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots – Scored twice while rushing for 72 yards.
Chris Ivory, RB, Saints – Rumbled for 117 yards and 2 TDs.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans – Combined for 119 yards and 2 TDs.
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants – Totaled 105 yards and a pair of TDs.
Brandon Jacobs, RB, Giants – He had 103 yards and a pair of his own.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts – Collected 14 catches for 200 yards and 1 TD.
Greg Jennings, WR, Packers – Caught 6 passes for 122 yards and 2 TDs.
Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings – Hauled in 5 passes for 105 yards and a pair of scores.

Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers – Grabbed 4 passes for 126 yards and 1 TD.

Giants defense – Amassed 4 sacks, 6 turnovers and held Washington to 7 points.
Cowboys defense – Intercepted Peyton Manning 4 times, including 2 returned for TDs.

This was a great week to play against…

Brett Favre, QB, Vikings – Threw an interception on his only pass before getting knocked out of the game.
Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos – Passed for a measly 117 yards without a TD, plus a fumble.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets – Against one of the league’s softest secondaries, passed for only 164 yards and 3 INTs, without a score.
Sam Bradford, QB, Rams – Came up small against Arizona, with 187 yards and an INT, without a TD.
Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs – Had just 196 yards and 1 TD on the day.
Eli Manning, QB, Giants – Let the RBs carry the load, throwing for just 161 yards and 1 INT, without a score.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Seahawks – Threw 2 INTs and just 229 yards, with no TDs.

Ryan Mathews, RB, Chargers – Was active, but you wouldn’t know it from the box score.
Donald Brown, RB, Colts – Limited to 4 yards apiece rushing and receiving. Mike Hart got 9 total yards while sharing carries.
Beanie Wells, RB, Cardinals – Held to 24 rushing yards.
Keiland Williams, RB, Redskins – Finished with 29 rushing yards.
Brian Westbrook, RB, 49ers – Split carries evenly with Anthony Dixon, and gained just 31 yards.
Maurice Morris, RB, Lions – Ran for a paltry 37 yards against the Bears.
Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – Totaled just 48 yards on the day.

Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs – The NFL's TD leader posted a goose egg.
Mike Williams, WR, Seahawks – Held catchless before leaving with another injury.
Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys – Caught a 14-yard pass before being lost for the season.
Santana Moss, WR, Redskins – Caught 2 passes for 24 yards.
Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos – His two catches for 31 yards led his entire team in receiving.
Steve Johnson, WR, Bills – Just 2 catches for 36 yards.
Mario Manningham, WR, Giants – Ditto.
Braylon Edwards, WR, Jets – He got 39 yards off his 2 receptions.

Week 12 Heroes & Zeros

This was a great week to start…

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots – Gave his owners 341 yards and 4 TDs to be thankful for.
Jay Cutler, QB, Bears – Threw for 247 yards and 4 TDs and ran for 17 yards.
Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs – Passed for 233 yards and 4 TDs, while running for 28 yards.
Kyle Orton, QB, Broncos – Accumulated 3 TDs and 347 yards without a turnover.
Sam Bradford, QB, Rams – Passed for 308 yards and 3 TDs.

Peyton Hillis, RB, Browns – Ran for 131 yards and a trio of TDs, and added 63 receiving yards on 6 catches.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs – Rushed for 173 yards and 1 TD.
Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Steelers – Rumbled for 151 yards and a score, with a fumble.
Mike Goodson, RB, Panthers – Withstood J-Stew’s presence to run for 55 yards and 1 TD, while adding 8 receptions for 81 yards.
Arian Foster, RB, Texans – Ran for 143 yards and caught 9 passes for 75 yards.
Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – Caught 5 passes for 104 yards and 1 TD, plus 59 rushing yards.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots – The Law Firm ran for 59 yards and 2 scores on Thanksgiving.
Chris Ivory, RB, Saints – Only ran for 38 yards, but scored twice in the process.


Dwayne Bowe, WR, Chiefs – Caught 13 passes for 170 yards and a TD hat trick.
Jacoby Ford, WR, Raiders – Caught 4 passes for 108 yards and 1 TD, ran for 13 yards and returned a kickoff 101 yards for another score.
Deion Branch, WR, Patriots – Torched the Lions for 113 yards and 2 TDs on just 3 catches.
Wes Welker, WR, Patriots – Scored twice on 8 catches for 90 yards.
Brandon Lloyd, WR, Broncos – Hauled in 4 passes for 76 yards and 2 TDs.

Chargers defense/special teams – Scored twice on INT returns, racked up five turnovers and added a sack, while holding Peyton Manning & Co. to 14 points.
Jets defense/special teams – Accumulated 3 sacks, 2 INTs, a safety and an 89-yard kickoff return score by Brad Smith, while holding Cincinnati to 10 points.

This was a great week to play against…

Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals – Threw for just 135 yards and 1 TD, with 2 INTs.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets – Managed only 166 yards, 1 TD and an INT.
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers – Just 246 yards passing and an 18-yard run against the lowly Bills defense.
Brett Favre, QB, Vikings – Passed for 172 yards without a score (or a turnover).
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers – Threw for 185 yards, but no TDs.

Chris Johnson, RB, Titans – Somehow managed to amass a measly 5 rushing yards plus 2 more yards on 2 catches.
Jahvid Best, RB, Lions – Was active, but didn’t get a single carry.
Tim Hightower, RB, Cardinals – Couldn’t get a stinking yard on 5 carries.
Reggie Bush, RB, Saints – In his first action in several games, got just one 1-yard carry and a 12-yard reception.
Keiland Williams, RB, Redskins – Had 21 yards on 4 receptions, but just 5 rushing yards.
Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals – Held to 41 rushing yards.
Brandon Jackson, RB, Packers – Limited to 26 rushing yards and 3 receptions for 10 more.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seahawks – Ran for 20 yards and added 2 catches for 13 yards.
Frank Gore, RB, 49ers – Managed 52 rushing yards before leaving with a hip injury.

Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys – Held without a catch on Thanksgiving.
Vincent Jackson, WR, Chargers – Posted a goose egg in his first game back, thanks to groin and calf injuries.
Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers – Also held catchless.
Lee Evans, WR, Bills – One 9-yard reception on the day, with a fumble to boot.
Nate Washington, WR, Titans – Caught a 10-yard pass against the league’s worst secondary.
Terrell Owens, WR, Bengals – Marooned on Revis Island again, with just 3 catches for 17 yards.
Braylon Edwards, WR, Jets – Only 20 yards on 2 catches.
Mike Williams, WR, Buccaneers – Ditto.
Sidney Rice, WR, Vikings – Got his 20 yards on a single reception.
Randy Moss, WR, Titans – Tripled his catch total as a Titan with 3 for 23 yards.
Donald Driver, WR, Packers – His 2 catches were good for 26 yards.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles – Ditto.
Anquan Boldin, WR, Ravens – Notched 3 passes for 27 yards.
Steve Smith, WR, Panthers – Another disappointing day, with 33 yards on 2 catches.
Mike Wallace, WR, Steelers – Got his 33 yards on 3 catches.

I didn’t see that coming…

Maurice Morris, RB, Lions – Ran for 55 yards and 2 TDs and caught 5 passes for 20 yards.
Brian Westbrook, RB, 49ers – Subbing for an injured Frank Gore, Westy rushed for 136 yards and 1 TD, and looked good doing it.

Ben Obomanu, WR, Seahawks – Caught 5 passes for 159 yards and 1 TD.
Earl Bennett, WR, Bears – Reeled in 4 passes for 56 yards and 2 scores.

Billy Bajema, TE, Rams – Scored twice on 3 receptions for 32 yards.

Moon over Minnesota

While today's news isn't entirely surprising, it is nonetheless shocking.

The Pats have dealt Randy Moss back to his original club for a 3rd round draft pick. The Vikings are negotiating a contract extension for their once and future star, and they obviously intend to get him in the starting lineup by this weekend.

Wow.

As great a move as this is for Minnesota and Brett Favre, in particular, it seems like a huge loss for the Patriots and Tom Brady. I don't care how reliable Julian Edelman is, or how much promise they see in Brandon Tate, neither comes close to Randy Moss' explosiveness.

This is bad news for Brady's owners, and possibly even worrisome news for Wes Welker's owners, who will likely see their star receiver blanketed by opposing defenses who no longer have to double-up on Moss.

Tate may be the biggest beneficiary, since he's likely to step into Moss' deep-threat role. And I wouldn't think he'd draw two defenders on most plays. Edelman should likewise be worked into the offense more. Aaron Hernandez's rise up the TE rankings should also get a boost.

Obviously, Favre is the big winner in this blockbuster trade. Moss gives him the play-making target that was lost when Sidney Rice went down. And just imagine what Minnesota's offense will look like down the stretch when Rice returns. Moss, Rice, AP, Harvin, Shiancoe. Wow...

While I'd rather have Brady throwing to Moss than the ancient Favre, even Moss gets a slight uptick in that he won't have a bye week this season. Though I suppose you could count his Week 4 goose egg as worse than a bye...

Anyone still holding onto Bernard Berrian should dump him immediately.

Meanwhile, those wondering if Dwayne Jarrett would be a good pickup while Carolina's Steve Smith misses time with an ankle injury should look elsewhere. Jarrett was arrested for DUI (again), and summarily dismissed by the Panthers. Bonehead.