Owners of Steven Jackson and Shaun Alexander will have a chance to see these two disappointing fantasy RBs square off against each other in Week 7.  Perhaps viewers should pay more attention to the offensive lines in the St. Louis/Seattle matchup than to the runners themselves.   

The Davis duo is quick to point out how we called last week’s big showdown in Dallas.  We posited that if the Patriot’s were to outscore Dallas, they’d win.  Our theory stood the test!  We also knew that if Tom Brady threw five touchdowns, while New England’s defense held Tony Romo and company in check, it would be a disappointing day for Dallas. 

Of course, things could have turned out differently.  Fear not, we were prepared for that instance as well. 

While we continue to reiterate the importance of keeping your expectations low regarding the CQ+, we are quite interested in seeing how other teams will stack up in this rating system, especially compared to the first two very successful teams we analyzed.  We are also quick to point out that while Randy Moss has certainly benefited Brady, the protection and time that the O Line has given Brady is incredible. 

As with the Cowboys and Patriots last week, we’ll analyze two teams facing off this week, with special focus on their CQ+.  Quite different from last week’s breakdown of a marquee match-up, this week we’ll look at two teams with RBs that were drafted very early and who have both put up disappointing numbers on teams whose playoffs hopes are already dimming:  the Rams and the Seahawks. 

Beginning the ’07 season, here is the CQ+ for the Rams: 38

Beginning the ’07 season, here is the CQ+ for the Seahawks: 68

Of course, a major event took place when Orlando Pace suffered an injury in Week 1 of this season.  While the team certainly took a step back by losing the perennial All-Pro Pace, their CQ+—which was terrible to begin with—didn’t really get that much worse, and has since improved. 

Through Week 6 of the ’07 season, here is the CQ+ for the Rams:  41

Through Week 6 of the ’07 season, here is the CQ+ for the ‘Hawks:   77

We urge the reader to compare the above CQ+s to those offered for the Cowboys and Patriots last week.  The differences are dramatic.  One begins to understand how Steven Jackson has performed so poorly, and why Shawn Alexander has looked so frustrated on the sidelines.   

This is a good juncture for us to point out a critical flaw of the CQ+:  when starting games represent such a low number—as with the Rams—the term continuity is useless.  For example, the “three,” and “four” that Romberg and Claude, respectively, contributed to the Rams’ CQ+ at the start of the season were games when they didn’t even play together.  There simply was no continuity in starts at all…yet our representation may give that impression.  Really, the number of NFL starts these guys have shared is so small it’s pathetic—from a continuity standpoint.  No wonder Marc Bulger got hurt! 

Through Week 6 of the NFL season, here are some pertinent facts: 

The only positives that come out of the above numbers are Seattle’s relative success passing the ball.  The Rams have just been atrocious.   

Here are some other notables about these two teams’ O Lines. 

The Rams have two starters (Barron and Claude), both in their third years, who have only played for one team.  Brown in his 6^th year has played for three teams, while Romberg in his 6^th year has played for two teams, and Goldberg is in his 4^th season and has played for two teams.   

The ‘Hawks have four starters who have only played in Seattle:  Jones in his 11^th year; Sims in his 2^nd year; Spencer in his 3^rd year; and Locklear in his 4^th year.  Gray is playing in his 15^th NFL season, and Seattle is his third stop on tour. 

Extra Points Archive