MARTZ MADNESS GOES TO 49ERS?

With the Golden State Warriors already providing a fast break offense in the bay, rumors are circulating that the 49ers are following the same direction. Coach Mike Nolan has kept his on-field duties, only to lose his front office responsibilities. Changes haven’t stopped there. Offensive coordinator, Jim Hostler, was relieved of his duties and it is believed, Mike Martz will be his successor.

Martz is best known for his tenure in the late 90s/early 2000s, as Rams offensive coordinator and then later head coach of the St. Louis Rams. His Rams offenses were appropriately dubbed, “The Greatest Show on Turf”. As a Viking fan, I still haven’t forgotten the 49-37 thrashing the Rams put on Minnesota in the 2000 divisional playoff. The Rams scored through the air, on the ground, and back-breaking special team returns. The Vikings scored 37 points, but still got outclassed by a superior offensive team. Initially I don’t think a union of Martz and the 49ers were ideal. He would no longer scheme under the premise of playing 8 dome-games and the Niners don’t have the personnel at wide receiver to play his multi-motion, zigzag style. But they do have a good pass-catching running back in Frank Gore and quarterback Alex Smith played in a more open style during his collegiate career. Additionally, the general weather conditions in San Francisco would not hinder a wide-open style game, as evident to the 49ers glory years.

Martz would have to adjust his first year offense due to not having the ideal components. He would have to follow Al Saunders style of success in Kansas City, which means he would have to lean more heavily on an offense that is built up the middle and not on the perimeter. So for fantasy sake, I think this would actually help Gore as he would be the primary short route receiver. What does this mean for Vernon Davis, since the tight end was not a prominent part of the offense in either of Martz most recent stops? I believe Davis will also be utilized to help open up plays on the outside. His role would level off if Martz’s tenure becomes a long one and the Niners continue to accumulate receivers. Too early to tell, but one thing is for certain, if Martz becomes the guy who runs the offense, Alex Smith better hope he gets better line play if he is going to chuck it 45-50 times a game.

VIKINGS GET FANTASY RELEVANT?

Outside of the playmaking defense and perhaps dome kicker, Ryan Longwell, you wouldn’t start a lot of Minnesota Vikings on your fantasy team. That may change next season as the Vikings try to improve on a team that nearly made the playoffs. The most glaring need is at wide receiver. Ironically Randy Moss will be a 2008 unrestricted free-agent, but re-uniting with the Purple doesn’t seem likely. Instead some of the early names that have been surfacing should still be intriguing to fantasy owners. D.J. Hackett, Bernard Berrian, and Bryant Johnson have the size and speed to stretch the defense and would alleviate pressure on youngster Sidney Rice.

Berrian would seem the least likely to come to the Vikings. Although the Bears are stingy with the money, they would hate to lose a playmaker to a division rival. Some reports however indicate Berrian does not want to play with the Bears unless the team upgrades the quarterback position and has already turned down a big dollar contract extension. The Vikings did shell out big money on Steve Hutchinson, but I doubt they pull out the poison pill for Berrian.

D.J. Hackett has the knack to make plays in the red zone and Seattle does have depth at that position, so a move to Minnesota seems logical at first glance. Injuries have slowed him down for most of 2007. Still, he has flashed his big-play potential, just not over a 16-game schedule.

Perhaps the most likely candidate and intriguing name would be Arizona’s Bryant Johnson. Johnson played behind Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the best wide receiver duo in football. Cardinals’ coach, Ken Whisenhunt, prefers to play a power running style and two-receiver sets. Because of that, Johnson hasn’t seen the field often. He will be 27 in March.

It will be interesting to see who the Vikings end up with. After last season’s non-descript free-agent signings, I would not be surprised if the Vikings end up with a less exciting free-agent name like Drew Carter. But all indications point that they really make a run at a big name. This is Brad Childress’s third year and anything less than a playoff appearance would be a disappointment considering he inherited a 9-7 team (he has yet to match that as his teams have been 6-10 and 8-8). And remember the Vikings did offer more money to Kevin Curtis and also pursued Wes Welker last off season.

My call is that the Vikings go with Johnson. I think Berrian goes to the highest bidder (and I don’t see the Vikings breaking the bank for him) and D.J. Hackett will stay in Seattle. Johnson is more of a Vikings ‘signing’. He has promise and is relatively flying under the radar. The team can offer a nice, but not outrageous contract and more important, opportunity to be the team’s lead receiver. Opportunity is a key in fantasy football, which is why you should keep an open eye on who the Vikings sign at this position.

FANTASY BACKFIELD VACANCIES IN 2008

The fantasy season is over for 2007, but it’s never too early to think about being in a great position to either defend your title or make 2008 your comeback year. At present time there are some obvious hot spots for players to excel. This season Jamal Lewis, Willis McGahee, Marshawn Lynch, and Randy Moss successfully filled their team’s glaring needs. Here is an early look of the 2008 fantasy “vacancies” at the most important fantasy position, running back.

Houston – Ron Dayne is serviceable and Walker is proving he can play in the NFL, but look for the Texans to add a free agent like Michael Turner. Their best offensive players are in their prime, so look for the Houston offense to be prolific in ’08.

Detroit – Kevin Jones can’t stay healthy and is no guarantee to be a significant fantasy play in 2008. T.J. Duckett probably is not the preferred choice for the Lions, but has played well when given the chance.

Chicago – The starter for 2008 is going to be Adrian Peterson, unless Cedric Benson gets healthy AND outplays him. The Bears are too stingy to sign a big name free-agent and they just spent a high round draft pick on a running back in Benson.

Seattle – Shaun Alexander will be the starter and either will be another fantasy no-show or could be a surprise 30-something back like Fred Taylor. If Alexander is around rounds 7 and up, go ahead and take a flier. The Seahawks will draft a running back high this spring.

Oakland – Three different running backs rushed for over 100-yards. No we’re not talking about the Denver Broncos, we’re talking about the Oakland Raiders. With Russell under center next year, look for the Raiders to rely on the run again. Fargas had a breakout 2007 and will be rewarded with first dibs at the starting job in ’08.

New Orleans – Reggie Bush is looking more and more like Dave Meggett than Tiki Barber and Deuce McAllister suffers another season-ending ACL injury. The Saints can afford to try to find answers within thanks to the late season play of Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker.

Atlanta - The Falcons Warrick Dunn just said he will come back for his final year next season. That being said, there is no guarantee he is even on the roster in ’08. But who will beat him out even if he was, Jerious Norwood? Sure he had some spectacular runs, but he also had nagging injuries. Atlanta will draft high at running back. Maybe Darren McFadden.