Drew Brees

Describes motivation process for creativity with emphasis on intrinsic motivation by Corey K Katir

An NFL team desperately in need of a positive headline and a feel-good story isnat getting one from its quarterback.

Contract talks bion: close oive 1/4auaeuo”href=”http://stats.washingtonpost.com/fb/teamstats.asp?teamno=18&type=teamhome”>New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees continue to go nowhere. Now, though, the situation is reaching a new level of concern.Read full article >>

With the NFL regular season having ended, the fantasy football season is over. There were many great players who were deserving of the Fantasy Trackeras Year-End awards, particularly at quarterback, but Iam going to take this time to look at the best of the best at each position from the 2011-12 season.

Quarterback: Drew Brees

Just like the MVP race, Brees and Aaron Rodgers are neck-and-neck for the best fantasy QB award (with Tom Brady, Matt Stafford, Eli Manning and Cam Newton close behind). The wonderful thing about fantasy football is that weare not looking at intangibles or records, just statistics.

REUTERS Statistically, Brees was the best quarterback. Brees threw for 5,476 yards and had 47 combined TDs. Compare that to Rodgers, who threw for 4,643 yards and had 48 combined TDs (in 15 games), and itas clear who the superior fantasy QB was this year.

Runner Up: Aaron Rodgers

Running Back: Ray Rice

Rice finished second in rushing to Jacksonvilleas Maurice Jones-Drew (1,606) and behind Philadelphiaas LeSean McCoy in TDs (20) but Rice was the top fantasy back this season.

Getty Images Rice led all running backs with 2,068 combined yards, making him the only player at the position to top the 2,000-yard mark. Rice also had nine games where he surpassed 100 total yards and even had a game where he threw for a TD.

Runner Up: LeSean McCoy, Maurice Jones-Drew

Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson

If this award were based on value, the best receiver this year would have been the Giantsa Victor Cruz. Unfortunately, Iam handing these awards out based on who the best player at the position was. No one was close to Calvin Johnson this year, plan and simple.

AP Johnson started the season on a historic pace, scoring nine TDs in his first five games. There was a bit of a lull from Weeks 10-14 (one TD), but Megatron was able to dominate when it mattered most, the fantasy playoffs. In Weeks 15-17, Johnson caught 24 passes for 560 yards and four TDs. He was as dominant an offensive player that there was in the league this year.

Runner Up: Victor Cruz, Wes Welker

Tight End: Rob Gronkowski

As sick as it sounds, Rob Gronkowski might be a first-round draft pick next year. Gronkowski was a touchdown machine this season, scoring an NFL-record 17 TDs (he added one rushing TD) at tight end.

AP If that wasnat enough Gronkowski also edged out New Orleansa Jimmy Graham for the NFL record for receiving yards by a TE with 1,327.

Gronkowskias record-setting production, along with seven multiscore games, set him apart from the field and solidified his status as the NFLas elite tight end.

Runner Up: Jimmy Graham

Defense/Special Teams: San Francisco 49ers

Even though the 49ers scored one defensive TD all season, San Francisco managed to lead all defenses in scoring (standard format leagues).

AP The 49ers had the NFLas top-ranked rushing defense, allowing 77.2 yards per game, and were borderline historic after allowing three rushing TDs all season (the first came in Week 16 against Seattleas Marshawn Lynch).

San Francisco also led the league in fumble recoveries (15) and total turnovers (38) and were second in the NFL in points allowed (227). Its 42 sacks were also tied for the fifth-highest total in the NFL.

Runner Up: Chicago

Biggest Surprise: Reggie Bush

I find it highly unlikely that anyone though Reggie Bush would be more than a placeholder for rookie RB Daniel Thomas this season, but if you drafted the former first-round pick, you were pleasantly surprised.

Getty Images Bush was mediocre early this season, but began to hit his stride in Week 8 after having his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Bush finished the season with five 100+ yard games, including a 203-yard performance in Week 15 against the Bills.

Bush passed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career and had the highest YPC out of any running back who rushed for 1,000 or more yards. Bush silenced his doubters and will be a legitimate RB2 next season.

Runner Up: Victor Cruz, Marshawn Lynch

Biggest Disappointment: Tie a Peyton Hillis, Andre Johnson

It was difficult to decide which player was the bigger disappointment, Hillis or Johnson. Some will argue that Hillisa injury-prone season was to be expected following his appearance on the cover of Madden NFL a12 (another curse victim), but I will argue that because of the nature of the position, Johnsonas injury was more managable.

Getty/AP Johnson was projected to be the top-ranked WR according to Yahoo! Rankings entering 2011, but due to two hamstring injuries that limited him to seven games, Johnson caught 33 passes for 492 yards and two TDs.

Hillis, whose breakout season in 2010-11 made him a fantasy legend, bounced back late but was unable to recreate the 1,654 yard 13 TD performance from a season ago. Instead, in parts of 10 games, Hillis rushed for 587 yards and three TDs, adding 130 yards and zero TDs in the passing game.

Runner Up: Chris Johnson

Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton

I hate to toot my own horn, but I am going to. Out of five leagues, I either drafted Newton or picked him up right after the draft in three of them. Newton was absolutely unbelievable this season, throwing for 4,051 yards and 21 TDs. Newtonas real value came outside of the pocket though. The rookie QB rushed for 706 yards and 14 TDs.

REUTERS Newton will only get better with time and will benefit from a full training camp next season. He’s a surefire top-five QB heading into the 2012-13 season.

Runner Up: A.J. Green, Julio Jones

What a time for the Giants to put up a stinker!

For the most part the Giants were a major disappointment for fantasy owners who were depending on Eli Manning, Ahmad Bradshaw and Victor Cruz to carry them to the Super Bowl.

In fact, the Giantsa dismal performance most likely has those same owners playing for the Sacko rather than the Shiva this week (For those who do not know, that was a nod to one of the best comedies on TV, FXas “The League”).

Paul J. Bereswill Manning, who has been a borderline MVP candidate this season, had the worst game of the season last Sunday against the Redskins, throwing for 257 yards and being picked off three times. Manningas 45.5 QB rating was the lowest of the season thus far and he has now thrown for 528 yards, zero TDs and four interceptions against the Redskins this season.

Manning was not the only Giants player who let down fantasy owners. The entire Giants receiving corps was disappointing, with Hakeem Nicks notching the most catches (five) and highest yardage total (73) of the group. Cruz, the Giantsa leading receiver, had five catches but totaled 44 yards, his lowest total since Week 6 against the Bills.

Paul J. Bereswill The Giants also lost TE Jake Ballard to injury against the Redskins and will likely be without the breakout TE for Week 16 against the Jets.

While there was a bright spot in the Giantsa running game against the Cowboys, the two-headed monster (or disappointment) of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for a meager 91 yards and a garbage-time TD against the Redskins.

The Giants face two must-win games if they want to win the NFC East, make the playoffs and save Tom Coughlinas job, which may bode well for fantasy owners. Unfortunately, the teamas next two matchups come against the Jets (7th-ranked defense) and Cowboys (13th-ranked defense).

Roaring Back

Despite being an absolute beast early on this season, Lions WR Calvin Johnson had been a big letdown in the second half of this year. Prior to Sundayas 28-27 comeback win against the Oakland Raiders, Johnson had one TD (a three-yard score in Week 12) and had not surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark since Week 8.

Johnson had his best game all season against the Raiders, catching a season-high nine passes for 214 yards and two TDs. Johnsonas performance ranked him first overall for non-QBs and only Saints QB Drew Brees outscored him for the week.

Getty Images Johnson wasnat the only Lions player to turn in a superstar performance. Matthew Stafford threw for 391 yards and four TDs against Oaklandas defense. It was the second time all year Stafford has surpassed the 390-yard mark and the third time he has thrown for at least four TDs.

The Lionsa passing attack remains one of the NFLas best, and should provide nice returns against the Chargers (tied for seventh-worst with 24 TD passes allowed) and Packers (second-worst pass defense) in the closing weeks of the season.

Twin Billing

C.J. Spiller has been nowhere near as productive as Fred Jackson was earlier in the season, but against Miami in Week 15, the Clemson product looked like the dual threat everyone though he would be coming out of college.

Getty Images Spiller not only rushed for 91 yards and a score, but also caught a season-high nine passes (the same number as Calvin Johnson) for 76 yards and a TD. Spilleras ability to make plays in the passing game is what makes him so deadly, especially when he is getting 20+ touches like he did against the Dolphins.

For the rest of the season Spiller is a solid RB2 candidate and even projects as high as an RB1 in PPR leagues.

For as much as I have ripped Mark Sanchez as a fantasy quarterback, he has not been an absolute nightmare this season.

The Jets QB had arguably his best fantasy performance this past week against the Bills, throwing for 180 yards and four TDs. For what itas worth, Sanchez tied with Saints QB Drew Brees for the highest TD total in Week 12, although his yardage total was 22nd among all other fantasy QBs.

Richard Brightly Sanchez has turned into a servicable fantasy QB, and though he is still not close to being elite, Sanchez is ranked 11th at the quarterback position in standard scoring leagues and could be a nice stop-gap for Schaub/Leinart, Vick or Cassel owners.

Sanchez isnat the only Jets player who showed he has value this weekend, with almost all of the main playmakers on the team making a significant contribution for their fantasy owners.

Dustin Keller, TE: Four catches, 61 yards, two TDs

Plaxico Burress, WR: Four catches, 54 yards, TD

Santonio Holmes, WR: Four touches, 50 yards (28 receiving, 22 rushing), TD

Shonn Greene, RB: 16 touches, 90 yards (78 rushing, 12 receiving)

The Jetsa main players will not provide jaw-dropping numbers, but if they can get sustained and consistent production out of their offense, fantasy owners will be pleased.

Card Luck

Beanie Wells owners were pleased with the Cardinals running backas performance in Week 12, but does that mean he is an automatic start this week? Not exactly.

Wells carried the ball 27 times for 228 yards and a TD in the Cardinalsa 23-20 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Itas hard not to get excited about that kind of performance, but there are three factors that make me a bit skeptical when it comes to Wellsa value for not only this week, but also down the stretch.

AP First, Wellsa combined output from the three weeks before Sundayas outburst was 41 carries, 115 yards and 0 TDs. Wells was having a strong season before a knee injury limited him over that three-week span so there is some precedent, but the best rushing day of his career did come against St. Louis and their abysmal run defense.

Wells and the Cardinals play the Cowboys, 49ers, Bengals and Seahawks over the next five weeks, which does not bode well for owners of the Arizona running back. All four of those teams sport run defenses ranked 11th or better, with the 49ers and Bengals ranked first and fifth, respectively.

Combine that with Wellsa knee injury, which flared up again this week in practice, and he could be a disappointment for fantasy owners as they head into the playoffs.

Patriot-ic Push

There has been a lot of negative chatter surrounding New Englandas defense, but from a fantasy perspective, they should be among the most coveted heading into the seasonas final five weeks.

New Englandas opponents for Week 13-17 (Indianapolis, Washington, Denver, Miami and Buffalo) have a combined record of 8-37 and all sport offenses in the bottom half of the NFL, with Buffalo the only exception (14th overall).

EPA In addition, New Englandas pass defense may yards through the air, but they also force turnovers. New England is tied for second in the NFL with 16 interceptions, seven of which belong to cornerback Kyle Arrington.

New Englandas defense has improved over the past three weeks, allowing an average of 13.3 points per game, and that is including a garbage-time touchdown pass to Jason Avant in Week 12as 38-20 thrashing of the Eagles.

As the old adage goes, defense wins championships, and thatas including fantasy.

Post fantasy football writer Anthony Sulla-Heffinger took your questions earlier today.

Some of the questions this week surrounded the future value of Arizona RB Beanie Wells for the rest of the season and if Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez is a better start than Giants TE Jake Ballard or 49ers TE Vernon Davis. Sulla-Heffinger also advised readers to start Carolina QB Cam Newton over Saints QB Drew Brees as well as predicting a nice week for Jets QB Mark Sanchez.

If you missed this week’s chat or just want to recap the advice dished out read the chat recap below.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says he isn’t taking any of Drew Brees’ recent complaints about the slow pace of contract negotiations personally.

Drew Brees said in a radio interview Wednesday night that he is frustrated by what he views as a lack of communication with the New Orleans Saints in his ongoing contract negotiations, adding the club should have shown more urgency to get a long-term deal done.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says he isn’t taking any of Drew Brees’ recent complaints about the slow pace of contract negotiations personally.

Drew Brees said in a radio interview Wednesday night that he is frustrated by what he views as a lack of communication with the New Orleans Saints in his ongoing contract negotiations, adding the club should have shown more urgency to get a long-term deal done.

Drew Brees, Barry Sanders and Tim Tebow were among players at Madden Bowl XVIII. EA Sports says the Madden “Clutch Team” featuring Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and Tim Tebow were defeated at the end of the game when Brees pushed the wrong button and fumbled. Take a look:

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