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He's a freshman, he'll learn. Jimmy Claussen was the same way a couple of years ago and he turned out ok. Aaron Corp is actually a redshirt sophomore, but this is his first year getting collegiate playing time.

I wonder if the Cubs could get anything for him in the off season? I don't see a point in that, he is cheap and very talented and should have the inside track for a set-up role next year. unless we pull off a big trade that needs his involvement, there really is no reason to trade him. The idea behind trading him would be the thought that he might not be healthy enough to be effective after this season. He's been fragile throughout his career and, while if healthy he can be cheap and very effective, he may or may not be healthy after this season. Trading him now would be selling high - but he should only be traded if we can get something good for him in return. I wouldn't trade him just to deal him.

Here's the problem with situational stats like batting average with RISP. Overall, Bradley is OPSing .701 with RISP. However, he's OPSing .831 with a runner on 2nd and he's OPSing .883 with the bases loaded. The situational numbers that are closest to his overall OPS are with men on and with the bases empty (he's been better with men on, by the way). Also, those situations are, logically, the situations in which he has had the most ABs. With the exception of RISP, the more ABs he gets, the better he's done. The likely reasoning behind that is sample size. His overall RISP numbers are being dragged down by a few situations where he hasn't gotten many opportunities and has not come through in those very few opportunities. That's the flaw with trying to analyze a player's performance in specific situations. Incidentally, Bradley's OPS with RISP last year was better than DeRosa's (.971 vs .924). Also, Bradley's career OPS with RISP is higher than DeRo's (.804 vs .788).

I definitely still pull for Peyton - so long as he's not playing the Titans. I'm still hoping for a realignment that separates the Titans and Colts into separate divisions so that my rooting for Peyton isn't as difficult.

A lot of bad run defenses? When both teams get 200+ rushing, one team has to lose.... That could be bs...I haven't looked at the numbers. Well last night it was more due to Manning's quick strike ability. The Colts were putting up 7 points on long drives that took less than 1 minute. So I guess in that case it was poor pass D, and very poor tackling by the Dolphins. I haven't checked the particulars in that Titans/Texans game though. Andre Johnson. And Owen Daniels, Jacoby Jones and pretty much every other Texan wide receiver. Schaub threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns and Andre Johnson had 149 yards receiving. The Texans only had 63 yards rushing, but our secondary couldn't begin to slow down the passing game. A brief look at the box score shows that the Texans actually owned the time of possession edge in that game too, which is very unlike what happened last night. Yeah, both teams had big plays, but the Texans routinely drove down the field with 10-15 yard passes. Three of the Titans' scores were 50-90 yard Chris Johnson runs.

A lot of bad run defenses? When both teams get 200+ rushing, one team has to lose.... That could be bs...I haven't looked at the numbers. Well last night it was more due to Manning's quick strike ability. The Colts were putting up 7 points on long drives that took less than 1 minute. So I guess in that case it was poor pass D, and very poor tackling by the Dolphins. I haven't checked the particulars in that Titans/Texans game though. Andre Johnson. And Owen Daniels, Jacoby Jones and pretty much every other Texan wide receiver. Schaub threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns and Andre Johnson had 149 yards receiving. The Texans only had 63 yards rushing, but our secondary couldn't begin to slow down the passing game.

That was very impressive by Miami. The Colts need Bob Sanders. All that effort and bang, Colts are almost to the red zone in 30 seconds. Haha, oh the times I've seen him do that against the Titans. That's the joy of playing against Peyton.

He's been consistently at a very high level, though. Most of the kickers around him in FG% have been doing it for 2-5 years, while Vinatieri has been doing it since 1996. He may not be a sure fire, first ballot hall of famer (he has a lower career FG% than I originally thought) but I think he should get in - similarly to guys like Carney, Stover and Hanson.

Generally, I think, the first two years are considered underclassmen. Thus, true freshman, RS freshman and true sophomore would be underclassmen. That's my opinion, at least.

That was very impressive by Miami. The Colts need Bob Sanders.

I think there might have been. Warp can tell you more accurately than I can, though. The biggest thing Mallett showed Saturday was great arm strength and accuracy - especially deep. The consistency (to improve the completion percentage) needs to improve, though.

I forgot about Stenerud and Blanda. If you support them being in, though, I think you have to support Vinatieri - if for no other reason than great consistency. Vinatieri is 15th all-time in field goal % and has been kicking longer than any other kicker ahead of him other than Jason Hanson, Matt Stover and John Carney - three kickers I'd argue could also eventually be in. Stenerud had a career FG% of 66.8% and Blanda had a career FG% of 52.4%. Vinatieri is .1% behind Blanda in extra point % and a few percentage points ahead of Stenerud. He's also 15th all-time in points scored - with mostly guys I'd have in consideration for the hall of fame ahead of him (including Blanda and Stenerud). The Anderson's are the two that immediately jump to my mind. Definitely. Both of them are 1-2 in points scored all-time. Plus, both are only 1-2 percentage points behind Vinatieri in career FG accuracy. Both should be in, along with the three names I mentioned above.

I forgot about Stenerud and Blanda. If you support them being in, though, I think you have to support Vinatieri - if for no other reason than great consistency. Vinatieri is 15th all-time in field goal % and has been kicking longer than any other kicker ahead of him other than Jason Hanson, Matt Stover and John Carney - three kickers I'd argue could also eventually be in. Stenerud had a career FG% of 66.8% and Blanda had a career FG% of 52.4%. Vinatieri is .1% behind Blanda in extra point % and a few percentage points ahead of Stenerud. He's also 15th all-time in points scored - with mostly guys I'd have in consideration for the hall of fame ahead of him (including Blanda and Stenerud).

Yeah, punters and kickers should be in - even if sparingly. Vinatieri should be there when he retires and Ray Guy should have already been there.

Fantastic game so far. And I really enjoy Jon Gruden on MNF.

Warp, you were asking earlier about Ryan Mallet - well, here's a decent read about him for you: There are some other interesting tidbits in there from Wes Bunting, including that he thinks Jake Locker is the best QB prospect in college football, that Jahvid Best is the best collegiate running back and a few big players analyzed.

I won this week to improve to 2-0 only because of Chris Johnson and his 55 points. Awesome.

Less proven as far as collegiate numbers and heisman hype. Though I will say Bradford's injury could allow Snead to catch up to him on a purely statistical basis.

Clausen is definitely in the top QB mix in 2011 and that's why I think he should (and might) return to ND in 2010. After this year, it'll be tough for Clausen to work his way ahead of Bradford to be the #1 QB taken in the draft. However, in 2011, he'll likely be battling less proven QBs - Mallet and Snead (if he doesn't leave this year). He could very realistically be the top QB taken next year and maybe the #1 pick in the draft - that's unlikely if he makes himself eligible for the 2010 draft. I don't think Weis will be fired, but it was a popular idea for a while so I included it in my potential scenarios.

Bradley and Theriot for Guillen and Gordon. Gordon would probably be a touch below average at 2B until Ramirez leaves, because Von Joshua turns him into a monster(hinge of the deal). Soriano/Guillen/Kosuke/Fuld/Johnson(or similar player if you don't want to pay him) are the 5 outfielders. Pick the best 3 for a given day, there's probably enough value to conjure up something non-terrible. Push hard after Reyes or other worthwhile SS trade options(Hardy), Scutaro would also be a good FA option. Defense is a big priority. Fukudome Fuld/Johnson Lee Ramirez Gordon Soriano Soto SS I'm not sure how much I like it, but it's a thought. That's definitely interesting. I'd like to get Alex Gordon somehow.

I'd prefer Colvin play, but even if he doesn't do much, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The minor league seasons are over, so it's not like he'd be sitting on the bench while he could be playing in AAA or AA. That said, though, I'd much rather he play significantly if for no other reason than just getting some experience.

I wouldn't be too surprised if he leaves early, especially if he has a really big year. I think it'll take a really big year for him to leave, though.

I know he plays for ND, so he has to suck, but Clausen's going to be right there. Of course, if he keeps playing at the level he's played at thus far, he might go this year. Yeah, Clausen will be a highly regarded NFL prospect, I think. After struggling the past couple of years, though, (for whatever reasons) I tend to think he'll stay one more year under Weis. If Weis is fired, though, Clausen may just go. He struggled for a wide variety of reasons, including absolute lack of team talent his first year. The injury to Floyd might hurt his numbers as much or more than it hurts the team overall. But his numbers the last 4 games have been ridiculous. I don't think he'll stay another year under Weis unless he doesn't like his projected draft status. And with Crist a junior next year, I don't think Weis has any reason to pressure Clausen the way Carroll did Sanchez, for example. Yeah, there were definitely numerous reasons Clausen struggled. But, I don't know if his physical tools are significantly better than Bradford's and Bradford has been much more productive in college. That may make it difficult for Clausen to pass Bradford on many boards. And I like Clausen as an NFL prospect. And my thinking about Weis was that he is still highly regarded in NFL circles (I believe) and the feedback may be from NFL evaluators that they want one more year of development under Weis because of the struggles of the past couple years. If Weis is fired, however, Clausen may not bother with a new system. Of course, if he ends up with a monster year, that may well become irrelevant.

Bradley + prospect(s) for Meche while swapping salaries (Meche: 10: $12; 11: $12 - Bradley: 10: $9; 11: $12) Then look to deal Lilly or Z for a right fielder Meche was decent in 07 and 08, but struggled this year. However, he was hurt this year so he might rebound next year. He's 30, so he's getting up there, but he's not old enough to expect him to fall off a cliff. It might not be a great option, but it might be better than most. Didn't Milton try and fight the KC announcer? That might not go over well with the organization. Hmmm, you make a good point. I forgot about that.

That may be true. The main interest I had in him was that we could get decent to good production for a 1-2 year deal. If we can't get that, I'd probably lower my interest considerably.