Vorstellung » eye on them and be prepared t

It would be easy enough to drop Peyton Manning in as the number one quarterback this year and worry about slotting the rest after that, but that doesnt have to be automatic either. Yes, Manning is coming off a career-best season, one for the ages, but after three consecutive seasons with more than 5,000 yards passing, Drew Brees can make a reasonable claim for top spot too. No matter which one is on top -- and I have Brees -- they are a cut above the rest at the position. The way that passing has evolved in the NFL, there are now lots of quarterbacks who can throw for 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns -- there were eight last season -- but Manning and Brees were the only ones north of 5,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, so consider them Tier One. After that, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers are accomplished passers. Over the past three seasons, Stafford ranks second (behind only Brees) with 14,655 passing yards and that gives him a slight edge on Rodgers, who ranks second in that time (again behind Brees) with 101 touchdown passes. Those are still elite options but, after that, the warts start to become a little more apparent, even among quality options. Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton are brilliant runners and while thats a potential fantasy goldmine for yardage and touchdowns, it also presents a risk of injury. Working in Kaepernicks favour is that he has an improved receiving corps, with a healthy Michael Crabtree and newcomers Stevie Johnson joining Anquan Boldin and tight end Vernon Davis, Kaepernick doesnt lack weapons. Newton, on the other hand, requires a leap of faith, because his supporting cast is suspect, at best. Tight end Greg Olsen is a good one, but Newtons No. 1 wideout appears to be Jerricho Cotchery, a 32-year-old who had a nice season (46 REC, 602 YDS, 10 TD) last year, as Pittsburghs number three receiver, but he has one 1,000-yard receiving season in his career and last year was the only time in Cotcherys career that hes had more than half a dozen touchdowns in a year. On the other side, the Panthers have rookie Kelvin Benjamin, a 6-foot-5, 240-pounder who had a big year (54 REC, 1011 YDS, 15 TD) at Florida State, but its asking a lot to expect the 28th pick in the draft to immediately make an impact. In any case, these are some challenges that Newton faces as he tries to match the production of his first three seasons. They arent the only accomplished running quarterbacks. Further down the draft list, Robert Griffin III -- who ought to benefit from the addition of wide receiver DeSean Jackson -- and Russell Wilson, maybe with a healthy Percy Harvin at his disposal, have appeal as well. After a breakout performance last season, during which he threw for 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions in 13 games (10 starts), Nick Foles has exciting potential, if not the longest track record in the league. Andrew Luck has the pedigree, as a first overall pick, and has thrown for more than 8,000 yards with 46 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Its tempting to go for that potential. For more established options, maybe look to Atlantas Matt Ryan, who is likely to bounce back with a healthy Julio Jones in the lineup and Tom Brady has to be considered. Even though his passing touchdowns declined last year, to 25 his lowest since 2006, Brady has thrown for more than 4,300 yards in four of the past five seasons and the Patriots offence is still focused on him. Beyond that top dozen, there are proven veterans, like Andy Dalton, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, all of whom have been able to put up big numbers, just not with the same kind of consistency. Romo has, in fact, been pretty consistent in his production but, coming off back surgery, hes perhaps a little riskier than in previous years. Among the younger quarterbacks looking for a breakthrough, maybe Ryan Tannehill, Geno Smith or E.J. Manuel are ready to move up, but they are still second-stringers, at best, for fantasy purposes. As for rookies Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater, keep an eye on them and be prepared to work the waiver wire, but none of the three appear to be set for big production right off the start. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Fake Sneakers . On Monday night, many fans in this city placed the blame squarely on the captain for his role in the James Neal overtime winner against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Fake Nike Shoes . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. https://www.fakeshoes.net/. -- Jane Kish stopped all 25 shots she faced as the Weyburn Gold Wings blanked the Sudbury Lady Wolves 3-0 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game at the Esso Cup. Wholesake Fake Air Jordan 1 . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello. Cheap Fake Shoes . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster.5. 1999-00 - The first post-season Record: 45-37 Result: 3rd in Central Division, 6th in Eastern Conference Playoffs: Lost in three games (best of five) to the Knicks in first round Coach: Butch Carter Leaders: Vince Carter (25.7 points, 5.8 rebounds), Tracy McGrady (15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds), Antonio Davis (11.5 points, 8.8 rebounds) Key transactions ? Acquired Davis from Indiana for the draft rights to their fifth overall pick, Jonathan Bender (Aug. 1) ? Re-signed Charles Oakley (Aug. 31) ? Signed Muggsy Bogues (Sept. 23) Highlights ? Raptors qualified for the post-season for the first time in franchise history. ? First full season at the Air Canada Centre. ? Raptors say goodbye to the pinstriped dino jerseys, debut in solid purple and black. ? Carter wins an iconic Dunk Contest a day before becoming the first Raptor to start and play in an NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 12-13) ? Carter scores a franchise single-game record 51 points vs Phoenix (Feb. 27). ? They did not have a losing month during the campaign. ? One of the better late-game teams in the league, despite their youth, the Raptors completed the year with a 13-4 record in contests decided by three points or less. ? Toronto finished second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. How it ended: Struggling in their first ever playoff series, Vince Carter (shooting 30 per cent) and Tracy McGrady (39 per cent) were swept in three games by the Knicks. 4. 2006-07 - The first division title Record: 47-35 Result: 1st in Atlantic Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference Playoffs: Lost in six games (best of seven) to the Nets in first round Coach: Sam Mitchell Leaders: Chris Bosh (22.6 points, 10.7 rebounds), T.J. Ford (14.0 points, 7.9 assists), Anthony Parker (12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds) Key transactions ? Acquired Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley from Utah for Rafael Araujo (Jun. 8) ? Acquired Rasho Nesterovic from San Antonio for Eric Williams, Matt Bonner and a second-round pick (Jun. 21) ? Selected Andrea Bargnani first overall in the NBA draft, the first European to be taken with the first pick (Jun. 28) ? Acquired T.J. Ford from Milwaukee for Charlie Villanueva (Jun. 30) ? Signed Parker (Jul. 13) ? Signed Bosh to a contract extension (Jul. 14) ? Signed Jorge Garbajosa (Jul. 24) Highlights ? Raptors won their first division title and secured home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. ? They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2001-02 and matched the franchise record (at the time) with 47 wins. ? Torontos .667 winning percentage after Jan. 1 led the East. ? Mitchell became the first Raptor coach to win NBA Coach of the Year. ? Bryan Colangelo was named NBA Executive of the Year. ? Bosh was named a starter for the East in the NBA All-Star Game. ? Toronto became the first team in NBA history to sweep all three NBA Eastern Conference awards for the month of January - Bargnani was named Rookie of the Month, Mitchell was named Coach of the Month and Bosh was named Player of the Month. ? In addition to receiving the honour in January, Bargnani was named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February. ? Morris Petersons franchise-record streak of 371 consecutive games played came to an end (Nov. 22) ? Garbajosa was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December. How it ended: With 8.3 seconds left in Game 6, Richard Jefferson hit the go-ahead bucket. Looking to extend the series on the games final possession, Jose Calderons pass to Chris Bosh was intercepted and the Raptors would go on to lose by one point. 3. 2001-02 - The late-season run Record: 42-40 Result: 3rd in Central Division, 7th in Eastern Conference Playoffs: Lost in five games (best of five) to the Pistons in first round Coach: Lenny Wilkens Leaders: Vince Carter (24.7 points, 5.2 rebounds), Antonio Davis (14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds), Alvin Williams (11.8 points, 5.7 assists) Key transactions ? Re-signed Jerome Williams (Jul. 18), Alvin Williams and Davis (Jul. 20). ? Signed Carter to a contract extension (Aug 1) ? Acquired Hakeem Olajuwon from Houston for a first and second-round pick (Aug. 2) Highlights ? Toronto finished the season with 12 wins in its last 14 games, without the injured Carter, to squeeze into the playoffs (included a franchise-record nine-game winning streak). ? They became the only team in NBA history to advance to the playoffs despite suffering a 13-game losing streak that season. ? Raptors qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, a franchise-best. ? Set a franchise record, holding opponents to 91.8 points per game. ? Set a record for home sellouts, filling the ACC in 40 of 41 games. ? Carter finished seventh in the NBA in scoring and was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game (but could not participate due to injury) How it ended: Locked in a one possession game, trailing by three with four secondss to go in a deciding Game 5, Chris Childs - forgetting the score - launched a shot from inside the arc, ultimately sealing Torontos fate in the series.dddddddddddd 2. 2013-14 - We the North Record: 48-34 Result: 1st in Atlantic Division, 3rd in Eastern Conference Playoffs: Lost in seven games (best of seven) to the Nets in first round Coach: Dwane Casey Leaders: DeMar DeRozan (22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds), Kyle Lowry (17.9 points, 7.4 assists), Jonas Valanciunas (11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds) Key transactions ? Named Masai Ujiri President and General Manager (May 31) ? Traded Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks for Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson, a 2016 first-round draft pick and two second-round selections in 2014 and 2017 (Jul. 10) ? Traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Kings for Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes (Dec. 9) Highlights ? Raptors set a franchise record with 48 wins en-route to their second ever division title and first playoff appearance since 2008. ? Finished the season with a record of 41-22, best record in the East, after making a seven-player trade with Sacramento in December. ? Set a franchise record with 22 road wins, finishing over .500 away from home for the first time in team history. ? DeRozan was selected to his first All-Star Game. He finished the season tied for ninth in scoring, fourth in minutes and fourth in made free throws. ? Lowry was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 27 - Feb. 2). He ranked eighth in the NBA in assists and tied for eighth in three pointers made. He broke the franchise record for most three pointers made in a season. ? Casey was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December. ? The starting five - DeRozan, Lowry, Valanciunas, Amir Johnson and Terrence Ross - won 29 games, most by any starting lineup in team history. All five starters set career highs in both points and minutes. ? Ross tied Carters team record with 51 points Jan. 25 vs the Clippers. ? Toronto was the only Eastern Conference team to rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. How it ended: After leading the fourth-quarter comeback in Game 7, Lowry drove into the lane, split a pair of Nets defenders, lost his handle but managed to flip up a shot that was blocked by Paul Pierce to end the series. Consoled by his teammates, Lowry laid in the key as Brooklyn celebrated. The Raptors were one-point away from winning their first ever seven-game series and advancing to the Conference Semifinals for the second time in franchise history. 1. 2000-01 - The lone playoff-series win Record: 47-35 Result: 2nd in Central Division, 5th in Eastern Conference Playoffs: Won in five games (best of five) over the Knicks in first round, lost in seven games (best of seven) to the 76ers in Conference Semifinals Coach: Lenny Wilkens Leaders: Vince Carter (27.6 points, 5.5 rebounds), Antonio Davis (13.7 points, 10.1 rebounds), Charles Oakley (9.6 points, 9.5 rebounds) Key transactions ? Named Lenny Wilkens head coach, replacing Butch Carter (Jun. 21) ? Selected Morris Peterson with the 21st pick in the NBA Draft, their lowest ever pick in the first round (Jun. 28) ? Sent free agent Tracy McGrady to Orlando in a sign and trade for a first-round pick (Aug. 3) ? Signed Mark Jackson (Aug. 11) ? Traded Doug Christie to Sacramento for Corliss Williamson (Sept. 29) ? Acquired Keon Clark, Tracy Murray and Mamadou Ndiaye from Denver for Kevin Willis, Garth Joseph, Alexandar Radojevic and a second-round pick (Jan. 12) ? Acquired Chris Childs and a first-round pick from New York for Mark Jackson and Muggsy Bogues (Feb. 22) ? Acquired Jerome Williams and Eric Montross from Detroit for Williamson, Tyrone Corbin, Kornel Davis and a first-round pick (Feb. 22) Highlights ? Raptors won their first and only playoff series, defeating the Knicks in the deciding game of the opening round. ? Torontos 47 wins eclipsed the franchise-record of 45 at the time. ? They finished the season with a record of 19-8 following the pair of trade deadline deals. ? Carter finished fifth in the NBA in scoring and was the leading vote-getter for the NBA All-Star Game (second straight year) ? Davis was also selected to the All-Star team, marking the first and only time two Raptors have been represented in the game. He started alongside Carter for the East (Feb. 11). ? Carter was named NBA Player of the Week (Mar. 4) ? Carter was named second-team All-NBA, while Morris Peterson was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Team. How it ended: Having attending his graduation in the morning of a seventh and deciding game against Philadelphia, Carter missed the biggest shot in franchise history - a fall-away jumper over Tyrone Hill - to come one-point shy of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. They havent made it that far since. Expert picks: Jack Armstrong 1. 2000-01 2. 2013-14 3. 2006-07 4. 1999-00 5. 2001-02 ' ' '