Ken Zalis's Blog

Never too early to start talking Fantasy Football

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:01:18 GMT

So, since I will miss another Chicken Box Friday...last one til July....I figured a blog...

My early top 5 picks this year:

1. LT...until someone consitently does what he does...he is still number 1

2. Brian Westbrook...maybe a bit risky...because of injury, but no one does more for their team.

3. Steven Jackson...I still believe

4. Joseph Addai...again I love 3 down back that catch the ball...

5. Adrian Peterson...before you all start a revolt...he still does not catch the ball out of the backfield...still has C. Taylor stealing 5 to 10 touches a week and is still only going into his second year...lets not crown him yet...plus MN still has no passing game so teams will have to key on him.

BEST ROOKIE: Jonathan Stewart

SLEEPER ROOKIE: Matt Forte

Beware of: TOM BRADY and RANDY MOSS...not saying they will be bad, but just do not draft them based on records...draft them based off a solid pro-bowl year..

IT's Chicken Box Friday...and I have no clue what has happened in a week in sports!

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:49:08 GMT

Vacations are wonderful...especially after the NFL draft..time to clear my head after shoving more information then I should into it...so I took a week off from sports...all sports...and when I got back...what did I find?

1. Roger Clemens...OK...who really cares anymore...you cheated...like Bonds cheated...but do we really need to know that the Mother of the 15 years old girl Clemens had an affair with, does not think he took HGH or Steriods, because she went through his suitcases and everything? Sorry that could be the funniest thing I saw yesterday!

2. O's come back to earth...and in a weeks time it went from should we add a bat to who should we trade away...WOW...hey gang this team is still playing hard and seems fun to watch...lets just all relax and finally enjoy a season.

3. SPY GATE...so it took all this time and no Super Bowl practice video from Walsh? What a waste of time...can this please go away...please...

4. MLB investigating why BONDS has not been signed...hmmmm...let me help MLB out here...(FOR THE RECORD I AM A HUGE BONDS FAN)..but...Bonds can;t play the OF anymore...so that cuts his chances in half...Bonds would demand a 1 years 10 million dollor contract I figure...so that cuts everyone but the YANKEES, RED SOX, ANGLES and the TIGERS I figure...RED SOX have ORTIZ as ther DH...so they are out, TIGERS have SHEF has their DH, so they are out, so we have the Angles and Yankees...Angels are 22 - 14 and cruising...I do not think they would really want to disrupt their team with the sideshow that is Bonds...so the only team in MLB who could possible sign him are the YANKEES...the fact that they have not is clearly not colusion.

5. LEBRON is not LEBRICK...its not you LEBRON...its your teammates...no really it is...oh but you approved the trade to get you the teammates you now have...so its really you..

6. AVERY AND MIKE...got fired...well Mike hasn't but will be...that was fair! How are those GM's still employeed again...someone help me here

7. FLACCO, SMITH or BOLLER...I vote SMITH til he proves he can be the guy or til FLACCO is ready.

Talk to you all around 2pm...

Ravens Draft with Scouts, Inc take

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:09:04 GMT

18. Baltimore Ravens (from Houston)
The pick: Joe Flacco, QB, Delaware | Video
What he brings: Baltimore fills its greatest need here. Flacco certainly has the makings of a franchise quarterback. He's tall enough to scan the field from the pocket, flashes good pocket presence and has the strongest arm of any quarterback in this year's class. However, he isn't nearly as polished as Matt Ryan and he played against a lower level of competition at Delaware. Keeping that in mind, he's going to have a steeper learning curve, so it's going to take time for him to realize his potential.
How he fits: He is a prototypical pocket passer who should fit in well with Cam Cameron's passing offense. He easily has the ability to attack all levels in the passing game. He is their franchise quarterback of the future, even though he may not start right away. We are not sold on Kyle Boller or Troy Smith, however, and Flacco will compete right away. This team has some good pieces in place on the offensive side of the ball, including RB Willis McGahee, TE Todd Heap and WRs Mark Clayton and Derrick Mason. However, the Ravens' defense is ready to win now and the offense is still not there based on the quarterback questions.

55. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers
What he brings: Rice is undersized and runs like a power back, so teams are concerned about his ability to take a pounding at the professional level. Also, he needs to improve his route-running ability before making a substantial contribution on passing downs. On the plus side, he reads his blocks well and has excellent lower-body strength, so he's far more effective between the tackles than his size suggest. He also has the hands to develop into a reliable receiver, and he's a surprisingly effective pass-blocker.
How he fits: He brings another dimension to the Ravens' offense with Willis McGahee. They have a good, young offensive line and Rice adds another option on the offense as a playmaker. He will be a change-of-pace back who can take pressure off the quarterback. This was a good pick by Baltimore.

71. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Tavares Gooden, ILB, Miami (Fla.)
What he brings: Gooden isn't as physical against the run as you would like. He doesn't show great instincts in coverage, either. However, he clearly has the athletic ability and speed to develop excellent man-to-man cover skills. He also is versatile enough to line up on the inside or the outside and is a sideline-to-sideline run defender.
How he fits: The Ravens finally addressed the defense. Even though Ray Lewis is very productive, he is getting older. Gooden is a versatile player who can fit in Rex Ryan's defensive schemes. He will be developed slowly behind two great players and contribute on special teams right away.

86. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Tom Zbikowski, S, Notre Dame
What he brings: Zbikowski is overaggressive at times and lacks the hip fluidity to recover when he gets caught too close to the line of scrimmage. However, he has great toughness and is a sound open-field tackler who fills hard in run support. He also is a fearless punt returner.
How he fits: He will immediately help on special teams and instant depth at safety. He is smart player who will play close to the line while he develops in his nickel package. A golden gloves champion boxer, Zbikowski is a tough player.

99. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Oniel Cousins, G, UTEP
What he brings: Cousins moved from defensive tackle to offensive tackle in 2005. In addition he's going to have to move inside to guard as he simply doesn't have the balance to hold up in pass protection on the edge. On the other hand, he has the range, toughness and size to develop into a starting guard.
How he fits: He will switch to guard at the NFL level. He is a good value pick at the end of Round 3 as he has position versatility. This will provide good depth on Ravens' offensive line, something they needed.

106. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Marcus Smith, WR, New Mexico
Smith has good size and enough speed to stretch the field, but he isn't a great route-runner and drops some passes. Still, he will provide depth in the receiving corps, as the Ravens are trying to find playmakers and Derrick Mason is getting older.

133. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: David Hale, OT, Weber State
Hale has adequate feet and uses his hands well. He also sustains his blocks and plays with a mean streak. He will play too high at times and hasn't shown good lower-body strength.

206. Baltimore Ravens
The pick: Haruki Nakamura, S, Cincinnati
He was a tackling machine in college with good instincts, but he is a strong safety in a free safety's body.

8(215)	Baltimore	Justin Harper	WR	VIRGINIA TECH
	He doesn't have the burst to consistently separate from man coverage and he drops some passes that should be routine catches. However, he has the wide frame to shield defenders from the ball. He also has excellent leaping ability, making him a candidate to develop into a productive red zone target.

33(240)	Baltimore	Allen Patrick	RB	OKLAHOMA
	Runs hard between the tackles and can pick up yardage after contact. The concern with him is how his slight frame will hold up given his physical running style and the big hits NFL running backs take.

FINAL FFF MOCK DRAFT

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:18:58 GMT

SATURDAY MORNING ADDITION...let the fun begin

Chicken Box Friday's Mock Draft

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:20:38 GMT

Today, on Chicken Box Friday, Rob and I took part in our yearly mock draft. Spencer Folau played the part as commissioner and even threw in some trades. Here are our selections for the first round.

1. Miami Dolphins – Jake Long

2. St. Louis Rams – Chris Long

3. Atlanta Falcons – Glenn Dorsey

4. Dallas Cowboys (From the Raiders) – Darren McFadden

5. Kansas City Chiefs – Ryan Clady

6. New York Jets – Vernon Gholston

7. New Orleans Saints (From the Patriots) – Sedrick Ellis

8. Baltimore Ravens – Leodis McKelvin

9. Cincinnati Bengals – Keith Rivers

10. New England Patriots (From the Saints) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

11. Buffalo Bills – Derrick Harvey

12. Denver Broncos – Chris Williams

13. Carolina Panthers – Matt Ryan

14. Chicago Bears – Jeff Otah

15. Detroit Lions – Rashard Mendenhall

16. Arizona Cardinals – Mike Jenkins

17. Kansas City Chiefs – Phillip Merling

18. Houston Texans – Branden Albert

19. Philadelphia Eagles – Kenny Phillips

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Brian Brohm

21. Washington Redskins – Devin Thomas

22. Oakland Raiders (From the Cowboys) – Kentwan Balmer

23. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jonathan Stewart

24. Tennessee Titans – Limas Sweed

25. Seattle Seahawks – Malcolm Kelly

26. Jacksonville Jaguars – Aqib Talib

27. San Diego Chargers – Gosder Cherilus

28. Dallas Cowboys – DeSean Jackson

29. San Francisco 49ers – James Hardy

30. Green Bay Packers - Antoine Cason

31. New England Patriots (Forfeited)

32. New York Giants – Tyrell Johnson

FANS FANTASY FOOTBALL FINAL MOCK DRAFT

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:37:37 GMT

also My Ravens 7 round draft at the bottom...they should call these GUESS DRAFTS...lol

If you could have this as your draft right now...would you?

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:05:44 GMT

1. Ryan Clady OT, Boise St...

2. Joe Flacco QB, Delaware or Chad Henne, QB, Michigam

3. Jerome Simpson WR 6'2" 190 Coastal Carolona

4. Kevin Smith RB, Central Florida 6'1" 215

4b. Ezra Butler LB 6'2, 245, Nevada

6. Brian Johnson DE 6'5" 275, Gardner-Webb

6b. Darnell Terrell CB 6'2" 205, Missouri...runs a 4.4 40...could play safety

7. Jacob Tamme TE 6'3" 235, Kentucky...run a 4.58 40

7b. Martel Van Zant CB 6'1" 210, Oklahoma State

If it broke this way...would you be satisfied with this draft overall

OK RAVENS ARE ON THE CLOCK...what do you do?

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:58:53 GMT

OK GM's...

Ryan Clady , Matt Ryan and all the top CB's are on the board....

Who do you take?

Do you go Matt Ryan and then a CB in round 2?

Do you take Ryan Clady in round 1, then a QB (Flacco, Henne, Brohm) in round 2?

Do you get nuts and take Clady in the 1st, a CB in the 2nd....and then another QB in round 3 (johnson, dixon??)

OK what are you writting on your card...

Fans Fantasy Football Mock Draft 4.0

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:55:59 GMT

This should make R O B L O N G happier...lol

2008 NFL WNST BLOG MOCK DRAFT

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:13:04 GMT

Call in to Chicken Box Friday to discuss...we had the readers of the BLOG choose for each team...

Day 2 of the BLOG MOCK DRAFT

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:44:56 GMT

...almost there

The Draft is coming the Draft is coming

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:19:25 GMT

OK I NEED 31 Volunteers...One for each NFL team so we can do a WNST LISTENER MOCK DRAFT.....I am putting the final touches on my almost final MOCK...which will be released on CHICKEN BOX FRIDAY!

So who will step up...Miami is on the clock and they take....

JAKE LONG, OT , MICHIGAN...

now the next person in picks for ST. LOUIS RAMS...and so on...lets see if we can do this....here is the draft order...I will annouce the draft this FRIDAY on the ROB LONG SHOW...

Do this properly please...lets see how accurate the listeners are compared to a MEL KIPER or TODD McShay..

1	Miami Dolphins JAKE LONG	1	15	.063	.539	138-118
2	St. Louis Rams VERNON GOLSTEN	3	13	.188	.512	131-125
3	Atlanta Falcons GLENN DORSEY	4	12	.250	.516	132-124
4	Oakland Raiders DARREN McFADDEN	4	12	.250	.516	132-124
5	Kansas City Chiefs Branden Albert	4	12	.250	.516	132-124
6	New York Jets Leodis McKelvin	4	12	.250	.523	134-122
7	New England Patriots* (from 49ers) Chris Long	5	11	.313	.465	119-137
8	Baltimore Ravens Matt Ryan	5	11	.313	.516	132-124
9	Cincinnati Bengals Sedric Ellis	7	9	.438	..461	118-138
10	New Orleans Saints Dominique Cromarte	7	9	.438	.480	123-133
11	Buffalo Bills Limas Sweed	7	9	.438	.516	132-124
12	Denver Broncos Chris Williams	7	9	.438	.516	132-124
13	Carolina Panthers Derrick Harvey	7	9	.438	.523	134-122
14	Chicago Bears Ryan Clady	7	9	.438	.543	139-117
15	Detroit Lions Rashard Mendenhall	7	9	.438	.543	139-117
16	Arizona Cardinals Aquib Talib	8	8	.500	.434	111-145
17	Minnesota Vikings Keith Rivers	8	8	.500	.504	129-127
18	Houston Texans Mike Jenkins	8	8	.500	.516	132-124
19	Philadelphia Eagles Devin Thomas	8	8	.500	.563	144-112
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Desean Jackson	9	7	.563	.469	120-136
21	Washington Redskins Philip Merling	9	7	.563	.555	142-114
22	Dallas Cowboys* (from Browns) Felix Jones	10	6	.625	.430	110-146
23	Pittsburgh Steelers Jeff Otah	10	6	.625	.414	106-150
24	Tennessee Titans	10	6	.625	.453	116-140
25	Seattle Seahawks	10	6	.625	.500	128-128
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	10	6	.625	.516	132-124
27	San Diego Chargers	11	5	.688	.500	128-128
28	Dallas Cowboys	13	3	.813	.516	132-124
29	San Francisco 49ers* (from Colts)	13	3	.813	.469	120-136
30	Green Bay Packers	13	3	.813	.496	127-129
31	New York Giants

Fans Fantasy Football Mock NFL Draft 3

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:19:51 GMT

Call in to Chicken Box Friday to discuss...I will do one more the day before the draft...15 days away...

So I wrote a blog today about What-if's

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:28:55 GMT

PLEASE READ THIS BLOG...PLEASE

Lets play the what if game

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:48:10 GMT

A few "what ifs?" to ponder...what would you do?

1. It's June 15th...the Orioles are 5 games over 500...they are 2 games out of a Wildcard....What trades do you make?

A. Trade Sherrill, who has 25 saves, pitched great, but Chris Ray is back next year...and James Hoey is tearing up AAA.

B. Trade Brian Roberts for 3 top prospects including a stud SS

C. Trade Melvin Mora to the Dodgers for a 2B prospect and a Pitching prospect

D. Forget that...we are going to add a bat ourselves and go for it.

2. Ravens pick 8th...the following players are available..who do you take?

A. Matt Ryan

B. Sedric Ellis

C. Ryan Clady

D. Leodis McKelvin

E. Trade Down and still get a player you need.

3. Ravens just took Matt Ryan number 8...who goes

A. McNair

B. Boller

C. Smith

D. Don't make me choose

4. Last one....If only one team can win a championship this year...who would you take and why?

A. Orioles

B. Ravens

C. TERPS Men

I would take the Orioles...I think it would be one of the greatest stories ever in the history of Baltimore sports and create more excitment then the other 2...The Ravens will win again in the future...the Terps will not win til Garyland moves on....so I go with the O's....ahhh what-if...

Random Weekend thoughts

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:24:39 GMT

As Ray Bachman is stating on the air right now...the O's are fun to watch...Markakis, Jones, Scott...and all are giving 100% and its fun to watch...will it last...probably not, but if they try like they are right now all year...I will love this team no matter what they do.

OK QUESTION OF THE DAY...ITS JUNE 15th the ORIOLES are 500...what do you do? continue the rebuilding or go for the playoffs? Come on its fun!

Kansas vs Memphis...could be a great game...I had UCLA and Kansas as my final 2, so Kansas is no surprise here...but Memphis with their 1 loss all year was a slight surprise to me...I just felt their Free Throw shooting or lach there of would catch up to them. To Memphis's credit they have shot over 70% in the last 2 games. With their talent if they do that tonight...they will be your champion!

Don't sleep on the Womans Championship game on Tuesday night...Stanford who ran through MD last week...did the same to UCONN the number 1 over all seed...and they get to play TENNESSEE, (who played a tough game against LSU and got a last second tap in for the win)...and their upset that she lost the player of the year Ms. Parker...Now...Candice Parker is the best player in Womens NCAA...and should be upset that she lost the award...but this is simple in my book....STANFORD wins this game...they have a deeper more talented overall team and WIGGINS is playing better right now then anyone else...plus Ms. Parker is hurt...no matter what she says...this may not be close...

NFL draft is 19 days away...I can't wait...Ravens will take Matt Ryan or Ryan Clady in my opinion today!

HAPPY CHICKEN BOX FRIDAY...

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:15:17 GMT

Its getting closer and closer...only 22 days til the NFL draft...I will do my 2 more Mocks between now and the draft...one in a week and once the day before the draft...but here is Mock 2...looking like a QB for the RAVENS

FANS FANTASY FOOTBALL POST COMBINE MOCK DRAFT 2

1. Miami (1-15) : Chris Long

2. St. Louis (3-13) : Jake Long

3. Atlanta (4-12) : Glenn Dorsey

4. Oakland (4-12) : Darren McFadden

5. Kansas City (4-12) : Ryan Clady

6. New York Jets (4-12) : Vernon Gholsten

7. New England [from San Francisco (5-11)] : Dominigue Cromartie RDC

8. Baltimore (5-11) : Matt Ryan

9. Cincinnati (7-9) : Sedric Ellis

10. New Orleans (7-9) : Leodis McKelvin

11. Buffalo (7-9) : Limas Sweed

12. Denver (7-9) : Keith Rivers

13. Carolina (7-9) : Chris Williams

14. Chicago (7-9) : Rashard Mendelhall

15. Detroit (7-9) : Aqui Talib

16. Arizona (8-8) : Jonathan Stewart

17. Minnesota (8-8) Derrick Harvey

18. Houston (8-8) : Mike Jenkins

19. Philadelphia (8-8) : Kenny Phillips

20. Tampa Bay (9-7) : Kentwan Balmer

21. Washington (9-7) : Phillip Merling

22. Dallas [from Cleveland (10-6)] : Felix Jones

23. Pittsburgh (10-6) : Branden Albert

24. Tennessee (10-6) : DeShawn Jackson

25. Seattle (10-6) : Chris Johnson…Matt Forte….Ray Rice…Jamaal Charles

26. Jacksonville (11-5) :Calais Campbell

27. San Diego (11-5) : Jeff Otah

28. Dallas (13-3) : Mario Manningham

29. San Francisco [from Indianapolis (13-3)] :James Hardy

30. Green Bay (13-3) : Antoine Cason

31. New York Giants (10-6): Dan Conner

Baseball predictions and stuff

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:41:05 GMT

Ok a few predictions and other sports related stuff..

AL EAST: RED SOX

AL CENTRAL: TIGERS

AL WEST: ANGELES

NL EAST: ATLANTA

NL CENTRAL: BREWERS

NL WEST: PADRES

AL WILDCARD: CLEVELAND

NL WILDCARD: PHILLIES

WORLD SERIES: TIGERS over the BREWERS...why not!

ok enough of that....Cabrera for the Tigers just went deep...he is a stud..

I give wrestlemania a C+...it was ok...better then last year...but there was something missing...the BIG SHOW/MAYWEATHER match was better then I expected and the HBK/FLAIR match was nice but other then those two and the money in the bank match...I wanted more.

GO LADY TERPS...play STANFORD tonight to go to the final 4....this could be a classic game...look for Marissa Coleman to take this game over in the second half.

Wrestlemania is tomorrow..

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:00:56 GMT

So lets get up to speed...if RIC FLAIR beats HBK...then I must wear a FLORIDA STATE SHIRT or HAT or whatever ROB LONG brings me to wear on Friday and do the tomahawk chant coming out of the breaks....with all due respect to TODD HELMICK...that hurts a MIAMI guy deep...

Now if HBK ends Slick RIC's career then ROB LONG must wear an HBK red heart shirt he already has in his position...Ray has one as well....

ROB LONG is upset because deep down in places he refuses to talk about...he knows HBK is the greatest WWF/E superstar ever....he knows HOGAN is an ICON yet blows....lets review a HOGAN match....

Hogan gets dominated for 5 mins...HULKS up...3 punches..off the ropes...leg drop...1..2..3...woo hoo...unless you are SID and kick out...lol

HULK brought the people to wrestling...HBK kept them there and entertained...

Deal with it...lol

2 days til Wrestlemania

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:52:12 GMT

Apparently I was stuck on 4 yesterday when it was 3...FRIDAY...then SATURDAY...then WRESTLEMANIA...

2 things today...first the final card for WM 24..

Pre Show On WWE.com:

Raw/SmackDown/ECW 24-Man Battle Royal
- Winner gets a ECW Championship shot the night against Chavo Guerrero.
Confirmed Participants:
Raw: Snitsky, Brian Kendrick, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Hardcore Holly, Cody Rhodes, Val Venis, Hacksaw Jim Duggan

SmackDown: Mark Henry, Chuck Palumbo, The Great Khali, Deuce, Domino, Jesse, Festus, Kane, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore,

ECW: Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, The Miz, Tommy Dreamer, Kofi Kingston

Live On Pay-Per-View:

Triple-Threat WWE Championship Match
- Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
- Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

ECW Championship Match
- Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Raw/SmackDown/ECW Battle Royal Winner

Money In The Bank Ladder Match
- Ken Kennedy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. MVP vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison

Career Threatening Match
- Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Raw vs. SmackDown Match
- Umaga vs. Batista

BunnyMania Lumberjack Match
- Ashley & Maria vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina

Belfast Brawl
- Finlay vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather

SO QUESTION 1: What match are you looking forward to the most?

For me its Flair vs HBK, which if done right could be special...lets hope to see the original 4 horseman involved in this one!

PLEASE LISTEN TO CHICKEN BOX FRIDAY for more Wrestlemania talk today...we will discuss our favorite WM matches of all time...

QUESTION 2: Best WM match ever?