Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

A lot of times when the season starts, we have a lot of high hopes for certain defensive units. Sometimes it may only be you having a strong indication that a team is going to turn things around or a certain defense is getting a lot of hype going into your fantasy football draft. Those teams usually end up being the biggest boom or bust picks, which is why you may have found some in THE GOOD Defenses article, or right where you are reading now.

In the Bruno Boys second installment of a three week long series titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” in which we’ll take a look back at the 2009 regular season and evaluate “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” at each position, Greg Warnock takes a look THE BAD defenses that were mediocre in 2009.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST — The top ranked defense from 2008 looked like they could easily be dominant once again, only losing two starters from a stellar unit. While their numbers were hard to repeat, the Steelers two offseason losses were not star players but instead role guys (linebacker Larry Foote and cornerback Bryant McFadden). What we couldn’t project from our top ranked defense was the injuries that would derail Pittsburgh in 2009. Losing both defensive end Aaron Smith and safety Troy Polamalu were two key players that the Steelers defense couldn’t afford to have go down with injuries. That’s why Pittsburgh was only able to score 111 fantasy football points in a standard scoring league.

This season the Steelers defense allowed 305.3 yards and 20.3 points per game with 47 sacks and 22 turnovers. The biggest problem for Pittsburgh on the year was the lack of turnovers, with their cornerbacks only registering two interceptions total on the season. Going into 2010, the Steelers defense will not be regarded as the best fantasy unit like a year ago but should be considered in the top 10. Pittsburgh has to re-sign couple key free agents in nose tackle Casey Hampton and safety Ryan Clark but the unit should continue being strong and if they get their act together can provide great value next season.

2. San Diego Chargers D/ST — One of the more talented defenses was once again a bit of a disappointment this season, as San Diego only totaled 118 fantasy football points. Considering that going into the year you knew the Chargers defense would face the pitiful Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs twice, it was with good reason for you to draft this unit. While San Diego did do well against those two teams (56 points in those four games), overall their unit did not play to the potential and talent they have on the defense.

On the year the Chargers defense gave up 326.9 yards and 20.0 points per game while totaling 35 sacks and 24 turnovers. San Diego had the same problem as the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was a lack of turnovers that led to their unit not scoring a lot of fantasy points. In 2010 the Chargers will probably continue to get some hype about their talented defense but unless they make some moves and add ball hawks, they should not be chosen in drafts. Instead, focus mainly on San Diego’s defense as a spot starter when they face those terrible offenses in their division.

3. New England Patriots D/ST — In the early season projections we knew of the losses of safety Rodney Harrison and linebacker Tedy Bruschi, but we never imagined the team trading their best defensive end in Richard Seymour right before the season starting. The loss of Seymour may have been the biggest for the Patriots defense, who were unable to get nearly as much pressure on the quarterback as they’re used to. That resulted in only 118 fantasy points.

This season the Patriots defense allowed 320.2 yards and 17.8 points per game while adding 31 sacks and 28 turnovers. In 2009 the New England defense was very young but talented, a sign that tells us that they should grow under head coach Bill Belicheck and become a solid fantasy contributor moving forward. What the Patriots do need is a powerful rush end and some depth at linebacker, things that can be picked up over the offseason. This could be a buy low defense coming into 2010.

4. Indianapolis Colts D/ST — While the Colts have never been a powerful defense, and they ended the season just as we projected (at 18th), their season could have been better. When you have the likes of defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis coming off the edge, you usually see a heavy dosage of sacks and turnovers created by all the pressure. One of the main reasons as to why Indianapolis was only able to tally 109 fantasy points was the loss of safety Bob Sanders to injury. Sanders played in only 2 games and had no affect on the times success.

On the year the Colts defense allowed 339.2 yards per game and 19.2 points per game with 34 sacks and 25 turnovers. Throughout the years Indianapolis has never shown they can be nothing more than a spot starter for your fantasy football team and that should be the case once again as we go to 2010. Although they do have some stellar players in Freeney, Mathis, and Sanders, if they are going to be a weekly start their younger players will need to make more plays and their studs need to stay healthy. In short, don’t depend on them to be your top notch defense on a weekly basis, but instead consider them a good bye week replacement and spot starter.

5. Carolina Panthers D/ST — You may wonder why the Carolina Panthers finish here in the bad defenses, considering the Bruno Boys were down on this unit to start the year (16th overall) and finished 12th best with 122 fantasy football points. The problem with Carolina’s defense was that they didn’t come on until the end of the season, which could have helped those in the postseason but absolutely haunted those who owned this unit all year long. Out of the 122 fantasy points Carolina totaled through 16 games, 73 of them came in the last six games. If Carolina could have found consistency, their defense would not have found themselves on this list.

This season the Panthers defense allowed 315.8 yards and 19.3 points per game while totaling 31 sacks and 37 turnovers. What was surprising throughout the year was how many owners continued to keep the Carolina defense on their team. A lesson should be learned here, as you never want to dump a struggling player or defensive unit after a game or two, but you can’t let yourself get burned by not making moves. In 2010, the ceiling for Carolina’s defense is similar to the totals they put up this year and really there isn’t much upside here, especially if stud defensive end Julius Peppers is no longer a member of the team.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST — A quick glance may have you wondering why the Tampa Bay defense only made the bad list and not the ugly considering the team went 3-13. But their poor record was mostly thanks to their offense, who continually put the defense in bad field position with costly turnovers. While the Buccaneers certainly did not shine and finished below their preseason ranking with 98 fantasy football points, they had their moments and at times their owners rewarded greatly for having the Buccaneers defense in their lineup.

On the year the Buccaneers defense gave up 365.6 yards and 25.0 points per game while adding 28 sacks and 29 turnovers. It’s obvious the team will need to address the defense in the offseason to get some more pressure on the quarterback and force turnovers with the secondary. Tampa Bay may get the opportunity to do so in the draft, with the possibility of drafting safety Eric Berry out of Tennessee plus choose from a deep talent pool of defensive lineman in the second round. While you may want to wait and see how the young guys blend in on defense for the Buccaneers before owning them in fantasy football, be sure to at least keep an eye on this unit over the seasons first month.

2009 The Good:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

2009 The Bad:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

2009 The Ugly:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K |  DEF

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