It's the final weekend before the NFL season officially kicks off next Thursday night!!! That means that if you are anything like me you will be drafting at least one fantasy team this weekend. With that in mind, the FINAL PRESEASON CHEAT SHEET is ready to go!!!

QUARTERBACKS 1 T. Brady NE 2 P. Manning IND 3 T. Romo DAL 4 D. Brees NO  5 C. Palmer CIN 6 B. Roethlisberger PIT 7 J. Cutler DEN 8 D. Anderson CLE 9 D. McNabb PHI 10 D. Garrard JCK

RUNNING BACKS 1 L. Tomlinson SD 2 A. Peterson MIN 3 S. Jackson STL 4 J. Addai IND 5 B. Westbrook PHI 6 M. Barber DAL 7 M. Lynch BUF 8 C. Portis WAS 9  F. Gore SF 10 M. Jones-Drew JCK

WIDE RECEIVERS 1 R. Moss NE 2 R. Wayne IND 3 T. Owens DAL 4 B. Edwards CLE 5 L. Fitzgerald ARI 6 A. Johnson HOU 7 M. Coltson NO 8 Houshmandzadeh CIN 9 P. Burress NYG 10 S. Smith CAR

TIGHT ENDS 1 J. Witten DAL 2 A. Gates SD 3 K. Winslow CLE 4 C. Cooley WAS 5 T. Gonzalez KC 6 D. Clark IND 7 J. Shockey NO 8 V. Davis ARI 9 T. Heap BAL 10 H. Miller PIT

COMPLETE RANKINGS 

Knowing which players are hurt going into your draft/auction is critical. I see every single time somebody takes a player that is hurt. In some leagues you might see everyone give owners a second chance. However, in REAL leagues we say, "thanks for the donation"!

Here's the list going into this holiday weekend where so many drafts are held that you will need to know about...

BAL
QB Kyle Boller (shoulder) - could be out for the season
RB Willis McGahee (knee) - expects to be ready for opener

CAR
WR D.J. Hackett (toe) - questionable for opener
WR Steve Smith (suspension) - team-imposed 2-game suspension

CIN
QB Carson Palmer (nose) - will start vs. BAL next week
WR Chad Johnson (shoulder) - playing through injury
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamsting) - expects to play Week 1
RB Rudi Johnson (hamsting) - has not played in a preseason game
WR Chris Henry (suspension) - out for first 4 weeks of '08

DEN
WR Brandon Marshall (suspenison) - reduced to just one game

GB
RB Ryan Grant (hamstring) - status for opener in question

HOU
RB Ahman Green (groin) - nagging injury hurting his value
RB Chris Brown (back) - spot on team in question at this point

IND
QB Peyton Manning (knee) - DNP in preseason; will play Week 1

JCK
RB Maurice-Jones Drew (ankle) - limited, but should play in opener

MIN
QB Tavaris Jackson (knee) - hopes to start Week 1 for Vikings
WR Bernard Berrian (toe) - status for Week 1 is unclear

NE
QB Tom Brady (foot) - sat out preseason, will play Week 1
WR Wes Welker (ribs) - not much info yet; keep your eyes on this

NO
RB Reggie Bush (quad) - should be fine for regular season
WR Marques Colston (ribs) - appears to be a go for Week 1
TE Jeremy Shockey (leg) - has yet to play a snap as a Saint

NYG
WR Plaxico Burress (ankle) - a slight risk, but he played thru it in past

NYJ
WR Laveranues Coles (leg) - missed preseason, but good for opener

PHI
WR Kevin Curtis (hernia) - likely to miss a month or more
WR Reggie Brown (hamstring) - questionable for opening week

SD
TE Antonio Gates (toe) - will start season at less than 100%

SEA
QB Matt Hasselbeck (back) - risky; hopes to be ready for Week 1
WR Bobby Engram (shoulder) - targeting a Week 5 return to line-up

SF
WR Bryant Johnson (hamstring) - status still in question for opener
WR Arnaz Battle (hamstring) - playing thru nagging injury

TB
WR Joey Galloway (groin) - missed preseason; questionable Week 1

Jason Giambi certainly earned his gigantic paycheck on Thursday.  Entering the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter, he drove an 0-1 pitch over the fence to tie the final New York-Boston regular-season game in Yankee Stadium history at 2-2.  Two innings later, Giambi was at the dish again, this time with the sacks packed and facing Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Down 0-2, Giambi stroked a game-winning single to center, sending the Yankee faithful home happy.

Now, even those heroics still leave New York six games behind Boston in the American League wild card race, with Minnesota wedged in, trailing the Sox by 2.5 games.  It would take something close to a 2007-Rockies type of streak for the Bombers to reach the playoffs in their final season in The House That Ruth Built.  And while there will be few outside the Bronx disappointed to see the latest Yankees dynasty officially die, it is a momentous ocassion.

Say what you will about George Steinbrenner and the team's $200 million payroll, but King George never settled for anything less than a championship.  Unlike many owners who are content to pocket hefty profits while their teams wallow in mediocrity, Steinbrenner willingly opened up his admittedly-huge pocketbook when the time came to assemble a wrecking crew of a team.  Sometimes he got exactly what he paid for, sometimes not, but he always gave it his utmost.  There's no questioning that.

As I sit here and watch Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jeff Rowe both look pretty impressive against the Colts' eighth stringers, I am feeling a bit more secure about the Bengals' backup quarterback situation.

Fitzpatrick is smart, mobile, and accurate. He finished his brief stint in the game by completing 5 of his 8 passes for 35 yards and a TD while picking up another 35 yards on 4 carries. Rowe completed 6 of his first 9 passes and is a lock to be the team's No. 3 QB when the season begins. 

Though these backups are adequate, I am not feeling as comfortable as I did in 2005 when Jon Kitna was the team's No. 2 signal caller. At that time the Bengals arguably had the best 1-2 punch at the position. With that in mind who are the NFL's top backup quarterbacks this season? Here's my top 5:

• 1. Brian Griese (TB) - Laugh all you want, but Griese is the perfect fit for Jon Gruden's system and has experience. Just ask Bears' fans how much they would like to have him now.
  
• 2. Todd Collins (WAS) - He led the Redskins on a late-season run after getting the call and may get a shot to do so again this year even if Jason Campbell doesn't get hurt.
• 3. Billy Volek (SD) -  His playoff performance in Indy was enough to put him on this list. I still can't believe he didn't get a longer look at being a starter longer than he did.
• 4. Sage Rosenfels (HOU) - I'm not crazy about this guy, but he did go 4-1 as a starter in relief for the Texans in '07.
• 5. Trent Green (KC) - He should stay clear of concussions on the sidelines, but few backups have as much game experience as Green does. 

Last week I participated in my first fantasy football auction. Of the twelve teams in the league all have played fantasy sports for years but few have done an auction. We had a $200 cap and will be able to keep players based on their salaries. While there were many surprises throughout the day one of the more interesting things was how each position ended up being ranked. Here is the top five in dollar values for each offensive position based on our auction:

RUNNING BACK
1 - LaDainian Tomlinson $53
2 - Adrian Peterson $51
3 - Steven Jackson $50
4 - Marion Barber - $48
5 - Brian Westbrook - $46

QUARTERBACK
1 - Tom Brady $41
2 - Drew Brees $35
3 - Peyton Manning $33
3 - Tony Romo $33
5 - Carson Palmer $20

WIDE RECEIVER
1 - Braylon Edwards $35
2 - Randy Moss $31
2 - Terrell Owens $31
2 - Reggie Wayne $31
5 - Larry Fitzgerald $29 

TIGHT END
1 - Jason Witten $18
2 - Antonio Gates $16
2 - Kellen Winslow $16
4 - Dallas Clark $15
5 - Jeremy Shockey $12

Michael Phelps first swim... 

Before you spend a first round pick on Tom Brady and go after a top quarterback early, you need to consider the fact that the point-differential between the top 2 or 3 quarterbacks and the No. 8 and No. 9 quarterbacks isn't that great. Sure, when he was putting up 45 points per week mid-season in '07, Brady owners were unstoppable. There is no doubt Brady is a safe bet to be atop the QB rankings again and is a fairly safe first round pick, but waiting on a QB may be a better stategy. Not only will it allow you chance to get a stud RB or WR, but you can still get production at the QB position.

Take a look at the average points per game by QB's over the last six weeks of last season (when it counted most:
Tom Brady NE - 25.7
Kurt Warner AZ - 24.9
Peyton Manning IND - 23.1
Tony Romo DAL - 22.6
Drew Brees NO - 22.4
David Garrard JAX - 21.4
Matt Hasselbeck SEA - 21.2
Jay Cutler DEN - 19.1
Derek Anderson CLE - 18.4
Ben Roethlisberger PIT - 18.3

I continue my division predictions with a look at the NFC West:

ORDER OF FINISH
1. ARIZONA CARDINALS (9-7): While questions remain as who will start at QB in Arizona, the Cardinals still have the best team in the league's weakest division. Larry Fitzgerald and Anqaun Boldin solidify the Cardinals as the division's best offense. They will need to get another trip out of the aging Edgerrin James, at least enough to keep opposing defenses honest, to have success. On defense, the Cardinals boast some great young talent but they did allow 24.9 ppg last year and lost one of their best players in LB Calvin Pace. I am banking on them being respectable, but not great.

2. ST. LOUIS RAMS (7-9): It amazes me when I talk to people who still think that the Rams have the "Greatest Show On Turf".  Attention, Kurt Warner is in Arizona, Issac Bruce is in San Fran, and Marshall Faulk is retired. What's left is Torry Holt, who though he's no longer a top 10 wideout is still a playmaker. Throw in an experienced an slightly above average Marc Bulger, assuming he can stay healthy, and you have a respectable passing game. Steven Jackson is an elite player though and will more than make up for the declining passing game and the fact that St. Louis possesses one of the league's worst defenses. Jackson's good, but he can't get them to the playoffs by himself.

3. SAN FRANCISCO (7-9): This was supposed to be the year 49ers' head coach Mike Nolan was supposed to have it all in place, that was until former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith turned out to be a bust. The team turns to J.T. O'Sullivan as their starter and that leaves a ton of question marks to me. The young defense anchored by second-year linebacker Patrick Willis is impressive and Frank Gore gives them a playmaker at RB. Playing in this division, the Niners should make a run at .500 and a NFC wildcard spot. I am betting against it though.

4. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-11): Mike Holmgren is going to which he retired a year earlier. The team already has major injury concerns in its passing game, including quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. They signed Julius Jones to compete with Maurice Morris at running back, but Seattle is about to find out the poor rushing attack was not Shaun Alexander's fault alone. The offensive line isn't anywhere nearly as it was three years ago and the defense is overrated. It's going to be Sleepless in Seattle come playoff time this year.

DIVISION AWARDS
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Julius Jones, RB

BIGGEST SURPRISE: J.T. O'Sullivan, SF

MVP: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Chris Long, STL

MORE STUFF
--Crystal Ball: NFC East
--GetSportsRadio.com: PRO FOOTBALL FACE-OFF (Preseason Picks)

From the Chicago Tribune:

Jay Mariotti, the opinionated and polarizing sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has resigned after 17 years with the paper, he told the Tribune on Tuesday night.

Just back from Beijing, where he covered the Olympics, Mariotti said in a phone interview that he decided to quit after it became clear while in China that sports journalism had become "entirely a Web site business. There were not many newspapers there." He added that most of the journalists covering the Games were "there writing for Web sites."

Mariotti, whose public battles with fellow staffers, team owners, managers, coaches and rival columnists are legendary, didn't disclose any specific plans except to say he will continue doing his regular stint on ESPN's "Around the Horn."

He said he "is talking with a lot of Web sites" and added that the future of his business "sadly is not in newspapers."

****
Mariotti is one of my favorite columnist in the country and he will land on his feet. The newspaper industry though is taking a huge hit and those organizations not smart enough to capitalize on new media opportunities are going to continue to see a decline in their content and business as a whole.

Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list of the top 75 sports movies:

What's different about this list is that it ranks the films by the best-reviewed, so it's not a subjective compilation. That is why some of these movies will make you say what?

Personal Best barely makes the cut at No. 75, and Dodgeball somehow squeezes in at No. 73. Let's take a look at the top 10...

1. Murderball - (I like it, but No. 1 is a big statement)
2. Touching the Void - (Huh???)
3. Bigger, Stonger, Faster - (a fast riser)
4. Offside - (a freakin' soccer movie...are you kidding?)
5. Raging Bull - (a classic, true top 5)
6. Million Dollar Baby - (Hillary Swank will kick your ass!)
7. Bull Durham - (my No. 1 pick)
8. Hoop Dreams - (one of the best documentaries ever)
9. Lagaan - (never even heard of it)
10. Surfwise -  (another huh???)

COMPLETE LIST

Every year at this time as a Reds' fan I find some pennant race to grab onto and take a hold of. It is what us REAL baseball fans in Cincinnati are forced to do if we want to enjoy the sport we love. The problem is every year more and more Reds' fans just stop watching altogether as they gear up for high school, college, and pro football. Sadly, the game of baseball loses more fans every year in this city and other perpetually losing franchises small markets.

With that in mind, I am clinching onto the NL East this year, where once again its a dogfight beteween the Mets and the Phillies. Currently, Philadelphia leads the Mets by 0.5 game. That lead didn't come easy though. The Phillies rallied back from a 7-0 deficit in the fourth inning to beat the Mets 8-7 in a marathon game at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.

It was unbelievable! This year looks just like last year. We all know about the Mets' collapse down the stretch last season, one that led to the eventuall firing of Willie Randolph this year. The Phillies are back at it again.

Jim Salisbury, of the Philadelphia Inquirer penned it perfectly, in words that as I as Reds' fan can only dream of:

"Citizens Bank Park, filled with electricity and victories, became the place to be in Philadelphia.

It has continued this season. Contenders once again - and back in first place after last night/this morning's surreal win - the Phillies have had 44 sellouts. You can bet on number 45 tonight, because the Bank is still the place to be, and the New York Mets are in town for one more game.

The two teams renewed their entertaining rivalry - it isn't Yankees-Red Sox but it ain't bad, either - with a first-place showdown that twisted stomachs until 12:24 this morning, when Chris Coste gave the Phils an 8-7 win with a bases-loaded hit in the bottom of the 13th inning.

The 5-hour, 17-minute game had a little bit of everything. Tension, drama, excitement. There was even some humor."

It took them until August 26th to do, but the Cincinnati Reds finally have a complete game in the books. They were the only team left to have a pitcher go all nine in a season before Bronson Arroyo went the distance to beat the Astros 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Arroyo gave up one earned run and five hits with two walks and three strikeouts on 107 pitches to give the Reds' bullpen, playing without its closer Fransico Cordero (birth of his son), a much-needed rest.

It's hard to imagine it taking this long for the Reds to pick up a complete game, but with so many young arms in the staff and workhorse ace Aaron Harang dinged up for most of the season it's not surprising.

Last season the Reds were second in the National League with 6 CG's - Harang (2), Arroyo (1), Kyle Lohse (2), Matt Belisle (1).

The bullpen despite being taxed though has been effective, boasting one of the best ERA's as a unit in the league and being third in NL in converted saves at 81% (64/79).

My name is Scott Heckle. I am proud to be a part of this site. I have been following and writing about college football years. Some old school, die hard, sports talk radio fans may remember me as the moderator for Lance McAlister's forum a couple of years ago. I plan to be a weekly contributor to this site of not more. I will post things I find as well as write my own thoughts about upcoming games that week and anything else that involves college football. I will try to cover local stories as well as national. I hope you enjoy and can't wait for the season to begin!

Growing up a Michigan football fan, watching what OSU has done to the Big 10 these past years has been a hard pill to swallow. While my boys in blue may be starting a walk on QB and Freshman at RB this week versus Utah, OSU looks to begin there march towards another shot at the BCS championship. 

As you will come to find out later on, I am a geek when it comes to college football recruiting. It is one of my hobbies. So obviously, this year it was hard for me to watch as I saw the talent that OSU received once again in this years class. How many of them will make an impact? Who knows. But my one big question for OSU fans is this...How long of a leash does the Vest have on Boeckman? Since the day that Terrell Pryor put on the scarlet and grey cap earlier this year, people have been calling for him to start and to sit Todd Boeckman. Pryor is a once in a decade type of talent, I will admit that. But I can't see starting this kid right now. I wonder how long will it take before Pryor gets the keys to the car for the next 3-4 years? If Boeckman struggles versus USC in a few weeks, is that it for Todd? This is just one of the questions I have for this years team. 

Now getting down to the season itself. IF OSU comes out of Southern California with a win, I truly believe that they will walk straight through the rest of the Big 10, and Beanie Wells will get a ring along with the Heisman Trophy. OSU does travel to Wisconsin, MSU, Northwestern and Illinois, but I feel the only team that has a chance to knock them off other than USC will be Illinois. Juice Williams will only get better, and I have heard that this game may be a night game as well. My mighty Wolverines, I predict will fall short this year...again...But I will get to them later on...

OFFENSE

Boeckman will be blessed to start off the season with what I believe to be one of the best WR duos in the nation with Robiske and Hartline. Former LaSalle product and current OSU Freshman DeVier Posey will also be a nice addition to the future of OSU WRs. Chris Wells is simply put, a beast. Anyone trying to tackle this load should brace themselves. Beanie is the best RB in the game today period. He is what OSU fans hoped Clarett would have been. Maurice Wells and Daniel Herron along with Beanie make for a nice RB corp. OSU fans will have nothing to worry about with the O-line this year. All 5 starters will help the offense to a great season offensively. You want to know something that many people aren't talking about? The incoming kids for 2008 that OSU has to play the O-line in the future will probably be the best ever. Mike Adams, Mike Brewester and J.B. Shugarts? WOW! Just remember those names in the future. 

DEFENSE
James Laurinaitis will go down as one of the greatest OSU LBs to have ever played. I am a huge fan of him. James, along with Freeman, Jenkins and Heyward will all help anchor this amazing OSU defense. Another name to remember- Etienne Sabino. This is the future at LB for OSU. Write his name down, store it away in your head because you will remember it some day. How soon? Depends on when the coaches get this kid in there to play. This 6'3" 225lb. LB from Miami FL., had 281 tackles in his final 2 years of high school and had offers on the table from Tennessee, USC, Florida St., Miami and Notre Dame. Rivals.com had him ranked as the #1 inside LB in the nation. It is hard to find weaknesses on this defense, but if I had to point the finger I would say that I am curious to see how the defensive backfield is. With future 1st round pick Malcolm Jenkins on one side, Sophomore, Chimdi Chekwa will be on the other. Juniors Anderson Russell and Kurt Coleman start at Safety for OSU, and I am sure they will do great things, I am just curious how this will all play out. 

From the Dayton Daily News: 

Reds rookie pitcher Johnny Cueto was examined today, Aug. 25, by team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek. It was determined that Cueto has a posterior strain of his right elbow, possibly due to hyperextension of that elbow.

He will be examined in Cincinnati again Friday and will miss his next start, scheduled for Saturday against the Giants.

In other Reds news, pitcher Homer Bailey has suffered a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament of his right knee.

He will miss his next start for Class AAA Louisville, scheduled for Thursday, and will be evaluated again by Kremchek at the end of the week.

MY TAKE: Shut them down please!!! Why would they even risk to further injury at this dismal point in the season. But this team has already left me asking why all season long. 

WILL CARROL'S TAKE: (from Baseball Prospectus to Lance McAlister) - "NOT good. If he's hyperextending, that's a mechanical flaw that will have to be corrected. If there's an upside it's that it's not ligament (yet) and would point to fatigue as the biggest causative."

It's Matt Leinart, no it's Kurt Warner. Wait a minute its Matt Leinart again. Keeping track of who the starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals is enough to make anybody dizzy and certain to give fantasy owners headaches.

Leinart remains the Cardinals' starting quarterback, despite a news report on Sunday that coach Ken Whisenhunt had decided to replace him with Warner, according to the Arizona Republic.

Whisenhunt denied that was his plan and said today that the evaluation process at quarterback is continuing. He met with Leinart this morning to talk about the reports, assuring the young quarterback that the information didn't come from the Cardinals.

Last year, Whisenhunt went to the Leinart to start the game and Warner to finish the game strategy early in the season. A Leinart injury then opened the door for Warner to take the job for the whole game. When the dust settled the numbers ended like this:

• Matt Leinart -  60/112, 2 TD, 4 INT
  
• Kurt Warner - 281/451, 3417 PaYd, 27 TD, 17 INT

Leinart has struggled since being taken since the first round and his best career highlight to this point as a pro has been hanging out in a hot tub with a bunch of scantily-clothed co-eds. Still, he carries a huge price tag and Warner is one good hit away from retirement. I am not crazy about either but Warner is likely to go much higher in drafts/auctions than he should. I am going to hold off on updating the CHEAT SHEET until later in the week, but for now it is a situation to keep your eyes on.

If either QB is eliminated from the equation, the signal caller left standing would make for a solid QB2 with weapons such as Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin at his disposal.