Manning to Colston - TOUCHDOWN!!

So yeah, in my Fantasy League I have Eli Manning as my QB and Marques Colston as my #1 receiver, so in fantasy terms aren't I technically correct in pretending that Eli tosses those fantasy passes to Colston in the weekly matchup? No...? Well, it's my first year.

So the picks:

San Franciso @ Minnesota
The Vikings got the run stopping Williams Wall, and the Niners will pound it, pound it, pound it. Have to go with the Vikes at home though, with Brett Favre the Game Manager continuing to victimize the 49ers, as he has done over most of his career. Vikings 23-13 over the Niners.

Denver @ Oakland
Pretty easy here: Denver looks decent, Oakland looks lucky to be 1 and 1. JaMarcus looks worse that Alex Smith ever did, whil Denver messed off a franchise QB in Jay Cutler during the offseason, and still got a decent QB in return (Kyle Orton). The Raiders cut a decent QB in Jeff Garcia and have no options other than JaMarcus who is most kindly described these days as "raw". Denver should roll by 2 TD's at least. With that in mind, I choose Oakland to somehow get the victory. There is some attractiveness in that scrappy defense and the young QB who looks horrible for most of a game but can make big throws at the end. Raiders over the Broncos 18-17.

Tennessee @ New York Jets
I like Sanchez. The Jet fans probably love him. Tennessee is bad - NYJ is bad, but at least the Jets have Sanchez. Jets over Titans 28-16.

Miami @ San Diego
Go Wildcat, it's your birthday... Miami is also stuffing the run this year, besides thier Wildcat hi jinks. LaDainian is hobbled and Merriman is hurting, but they will probably be out here for this home loss to the Dolphins. Miami Dolphins over San Diego Padres... er, Chargers, 24-9.

Sllaacs' Ballers are 2-0. Sousa's lame-ass squad is 1-1. What's lame-er, is that our teams don't play each other during the regular fantasy season. You'll have to make the playoffs to get rolled by the Ballers, Sousa - I'd say good luck, though you won't need it with this weeks opponent.

Sllaacs

How do you raise a champion?

Not to be a dick or anything, Mrs. Tomlinson, but you haven't really raised a champion, have you? That's probably the reason you didn't know you were raising one in the first place.

An Inflection Point

We come to week 4 in approximately the position we feared. The Raiders are 1-2, Lane Kiffin is a dead man walking, injuries have decimated a wafer-thin lineup, and recent tormentors the San Diego Chargers come to town. Then we get a week off to perhaps fire our coach and wallow in the despair of another season that effectively comes to an end before the opening pitch of the World Series is thrown.

This is an odd rivalry, arguably more of a Southern California thing. Despite LaDainian Tomlinson having shredded the Raider defense throughout his career, I hadn't even bothered disliking him until I drafted him #1 overall in fantasy football this year and he single-handedly cost me victory each of the past two weeks, this past Monday from my bench/doghouse. But it is a rivalry, and circumstances are lining up for it to be a very difficult Sunday.

If the distractions, injuries, and high powered San Diego offense turn the Oakland crowd - who, admirably, sold out the stadium this week - into an angry mob by halftime, we know how the next week will go. Davis will fire Kiffin, James Lofton will step into his place, uncertainty for 2009 will reign, and our descent into utter chaos will accelerate.

But what if - bear with me here - they win?

Initially I considered that the resulting inflection point might be a turn towards respectability. Al would let Kiffin stay. Players would bond, rally, believe. A week off would heal wounds and prepare a Raiders team at .500 and second place in the AFC West for further growth.

I'm not so sure. The dysfunction in the organization that for many years Raiders fans like myself considered frustrating but ultimately not the point, is the point. A decades-old lack of structured leadership and accountability has devolved into a vacuum of chaos and distrust. Al has become more insular than ever. By his silence, the actions of his cronies, and insight from pretty much every writer to step near Alameda this year, it's clear that Al wants Kiffin gone. But can he fire him after a win over San Diego?

If he does not, one could argue that we will be just that much further away from beginning the healing process that we hope kicks off upon Kiffin's departure. But no coach hired by Al Davis under these - or likely any other - circumstances will have the authority or support to take on the wholesale organizational changes necessary to turn this around. Jason Cole from Yahoo!, previously infamous for his assertion that Al Davis began to regret his offseason spending spree, added more insight on Raider dysfunction in last week's column. It's a frightening read.

Organizational success is not a matter of throwing together a bunch of talent and hoping good things happen. It requires discipline, leadership, and an alignment of goals. I don't see any of that improving after a game against the Chargers.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be thrilled if the Raiders win. I want to believe. I'll take any win, any competitive outing, any hope.

But I sure did put LT in my starting lineup this week.