LITTLE ROCK — McFadden no longer the hare?
Former Arkansas Razorbacks standout Darren McFadden (Pulaski Oak Grove), now with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, hasn’t exactly been impressive this season, especially to fantasy football team owners.
McFadden, known as D-Mac or Run DMC, finished his college career as Arkansas’ all-time leader with 4,950 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns in three seasons. He was a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up and the fourth player selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.
This season, McFadden’s fifth in the NFL, the oft-injured running back had 455 yards and 2 touchdowns before going down with an ankle injury in the first half of Oakland’s Week 9 game against Tampa Bay.
McFadden missed his fourth consecutive game Sunday.
Early in the week, when it was thought McFadden might play, Scott Pianowski, Brad Evans and Brandon Funston of Yahoo!
Sports’ fantasy blog, Roto Arcade, weighed on which Oakland running back would prove more valuable to fantasy football owners in Week 13, McFadden or Marcel Reece.
Their responses were varied.
“Reece me, please,” Pianowski wrote. “I’m always betting against Walk DMC unless there’s a strong case against it. I can’t trust that guy on spec.”
Funston sided with McFadden.
“He’ll be the featured guy, but probably not by much - Reece has earned his place at the table.
In my rankings I’m giving the ever-so-slight nod to McFadden.”
Evans wrapped it up, sarcastically comparing McFadden to a reptile known for a long life and slow movements.
“Prior to exiting stage left with [an ankle] injury in Week 9, McFadden resembled a Galapagos tortoise without legs,” Evans wrote. “His very pedestrian 3.3 yards per carry and sorrowful after-contact numbers are evidence. Right now, Reece is the best back in black.”
A Galapagos tortoise without legs?
Tattoo hullabaloo
David Whitley, writing for Sporting News/AOL Fanhouse, found himself the subject of scorn after an article he wrote about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s tattoos, which, oddly enough, are mostly Bible verses.
“San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick is going to be a big time NFL quarterback,” Whitley wrote. “That must make the guys in San Quentin happy.
“Approximately 98.7 percent of the inmates at California’s state prison have tattoos. I don’t know that as fact, but I’ve watched enough Lockup to know it’s close to accurate.
“I’m also pretty sure less than 1.3 percent of NFL quarterbacks have tattoos. There’s a reason for that.
“NFL quarterback is the ultimate position of influence and responsibility. He is the CEO of a high-profile organization, and you don’t want your CEO to look like he just got paroled.”
Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports’ Shutdown Corner noted that even AOL might have had issues with Whitley’s column, which included this disclaimer: “David Whitley’s opinion is not reflective of the opinion of AOL, Inc.”
“That’s the kind of disclaimer TV networks use when they’re about to show you infomercials featuring products with extra asbestos,” Farrar wrote.
“AOL, Inc. owes Kaepernick an apology, and the apology should come from someone far more eloquent and coherent than the guy who got this ball rolling in the first place.”
Quote of the day
“It’s been a crazy weekend up here at Northern Illinois.” Rod Carey, the former Northern Illinois assistant coach who was promoted to head coach Sunday, just before learning his team made the Orange Bowl.
Sports, Pages 14 on 12/03/2012