These are so yummy!  Now folks, you have to be patient and follow all the steps.  It will be worth the time and you will become a better cook.

A rack of Baby Back Ribs from the meat section.

TURN THE RACK OVER AND PEEL OFF THE THIN MEMBRANE OF SKIN.  IT’S VERY EASY TO DO.

The rub is equal part of the following

chili powder, dry mustard, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and brown sugar.  I use a little less pepper and a bit more brown sugar.

You say you just said follow the recipe?  I have made the ribs over 20 times and think I know what I am talking about.

Get the gas grill set to 225 degrees.  Place the ribs back down, and LEAVE them alone for 2 hours.  Just leave them alone people.  You may want to allow 10 minutes to flip them if you think it will make you feel better.

Cut up and serve on a platter.  I usually make two racks at a time.  Yum1

Enjoy, Cashcow

Week #5 is upon us and all I can say is what a ride it has been.  The Rams, Chiefs and Bills have ZERO rushing touchdowns.  The Cardinals, Texans, Browns, and Redskins each have ONE.  Tampa, Oakland, Cleveland, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Indy, and Arizona are not even averaging 100 rushing yards per game. Tennesse and Jaxonville lead the league with 5 rushing plays of 20 yards or more.   The rushing attack has been weak all year long.  Or could it be that the rushing defenses are that good.

On defense, Minnesota, Baltimore, Pittsburg, San Fran, New England, Denver, Arizona, Tennessee, and Miami are all yielding less than 100 yds per game through week 4.  Minnesota and San Fransisco have not even given up a rushing touchdown all season.  And Arizona, New England, Pittsburg, and Washington have only given up 1.

It looks like Fantasy Football is definitely going through another change.  Several years ago, QB was the name of the game.  Then the RB position took the lead and now it seems as though the WR’s and TE’s are calling the shots.  To those who paid big dollars for WR’s and those who drafted WR’s high up,  your one step ahead of me.  I still have a lot to learn.

I was listening to Belichick give a post game news conference last season and he said something that nicely sums up the NFL for Fantasy Football players and folks who play the numbers.  They had lost a game that on paper should have won and he said “I don’t know how people can bet on the NFL.  NOBODY know what is going to happen from week to week.”

Some of us spend countless hours in our FF labs, crunching numbers, reading reports, and analyzing schedules.  Our hope is to draft the right combination of players that will lead us to championships in our prospective leagues.  Really though, is it not just a crap shoot?  Is it not just like the carnival game where you throw darts at a wall of balloons and hope that the balloon you pop has a extra large prize underneath?  Some may disagree, but I would bet that anyone of us who have put the time in, have in fact lost to an owner who bought their FF magazine on the way over to the draft.

With that said, I want people to know that as we head into week #1 of the season we are all starting equally.  If you think you know what is going to happen you are sadly mistaken.  My advice  to you is to watch the games.  Watch for peaks and valleys throughout the season.  Every team goes through them even if they are winning all the time.  Defenses break down very easily with an injury or nick to one key player.  Remember the Colts a couple of years ago?  They could not stop the run for 6-7 straight games.  All because their safety was hurt.  The Bears,  about half way through last season showed their age.  They were 1-2 steps slower and they could not stop the run.  Pay attention!

Pay attention to Seattle and the Rams.  They have easy schedules and they have talent.

Pay attention to Detroit.  My advice is get some huge value for Calvin Johnson right now!  They will be double teaming him all year long and will have a rookie QB throwing the ball into double coverage all year long.

Pay attention to games where teams could be playing from behind or ahead.  That has a huge impact on where the touches will be going.  Minnesota/Cleveland, Jax/Ind, and SF/AZ to name a few.

My draft went OK I feel.  After I landed my 5 big horses I was stuck and hit the waiver wire the next morning and made 5 roster changes.  Listed below is what I have.  I will work with it, pay attention, not make excuses, and look over them like they are a multi million dollar investment.  Some will not make it through the season, but I’m here to win and if you are not cutting it then out the door you go.

Team Top Shelf

QB Matt Ryan ATL 0 (start)
QB Donovan McNabb PHI 0
RB Chris Johnson TEN 0 (start)
RB DeAngelo Williams CAR 0 (start)
RB Le’Ron McClain BAL 0 (start)
RB Darren Sproles SD 0
RB Ricky Williams MIA 0
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh SEA 0 (start)
WR Steve Smith CAR 0 (start)
WR Anquan Boldin ARZ 0 (start)
WR Ted Ginn MIA 0
WR Earl Bennett CHI 0
WR Derrick Mason BAL 0
TE Greg Olsen CHI 0
K David Akers PHI 0 (start)
TDSP Tampa Bay Buccaneers TB 0 (start)

Good Luck!

I spent yesterday busy in my Fantasy Football lab crunching the numbers. I was searching to find a secret formula that would lead Team Top Shelf to the Brass Pig.

The Power League holds it’s annual Fantasy Football auction today and the stakes have never been higher. With that in mind, I wanted to create a formula that would allow me to avoid being swept up in the emotion of the day. My experience has shown me that getting caught up in the pure emotion of any event can be down right costly.

I threw a bunch of numbers together, actually 9 different numbers together for each of the top players and came up with a formula that is sure to keep me focused and on task throughout the day.

Top 28 players and their rating according to the formula.

RB A. Peterson 7.0
RB C. Johnson 9.0
WR G. Jennings 10.8
QB B. Favre 11.2
QB P. Manning 11.4
WR R. Wayne 11.5
QB A. Rodgers 11.6
RB D. Williams 11.7
WR L. Fitzgerald 12.0
WR S. Smith 12
RB M. Forte 12.4
RB B. Jacobs 12.7
WR A. Johnson 12.7
RB M. Turner 13.5
RB F. Gore 13.5
WR A. Boldin 13.7
QB D. McNabb 14.0
WR R. White 14.0
QB J. Cutler 14.2
QB D. Brees 14.3
RB C. Portis 14.3
QB T. Brady 14.4
WR TJ Hou. 14.4
RB R. Grant 14.4
RB S. Slaton 14.4
QB M. Ryan 14.7
WR R. Moss 14.7
RB M. Westb 14.8

Will Cutler and Bennett run Lovie and Hester out of town? Jones says so, and he also thinks their great sleepers in Shy-Town.

It’s a two way street for both sides, the Fantasy Football owner and the players who will emerge from the depths of their teams rosters and live up to their pre season status as Sleeper picks. Fantasy Football Owners and Players alike will spend sleepless nights thinking about what THEY can do to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Countless hours of studying game film, weaknesses, and charts will present opportunities for both sides to gain that edge needed to catapult themselves from pretender to contender. Building depth on your roster is necessary if you want to be in the hunt at the end of the season. With that said, here are some of my Sleeper Picks for the 2009/2010 NFL season.

Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos. They say one bad apple can spoil a bunch and that’s what appears to be happening in Bronco Camp. Brandon Marshall is being downright selfish. However, I see the other 79 players on the roster anchoring in and moving forward. It’s like when you send your child to Time Out and they scream for hours and the rest of the family continues to function because the parents are calling the shots, not the kid. Orton will be throwing the ball through the mile high air 30-40 times per game. It will be like a hot knife cutting through butter compared to the frigid air in Chicogo. With a running game that is still sorting itself out, and a new offensive system in place, I feel the Broncos will play to their offensive strength and throw, throw, throw. This formula is bound to yield high Fantasy numbers for Orton. Oh, it’s a contract year for Orton as well.

Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore. Although the cat may be out of the bag with this one, Ray Rice is hungry. In his second year, Ray Rice sees the opportunity before him and in my opinion will snatch the majority of the carries from Willis McGahee who is soft, spoiled and content. With FB Leron McClain lead blocking there will be plenty of holes to shoot through. McClain is an offensive guard set in the backfield. Can you say new trend. Screw the wildcat formation. Find a guard with some agility, put him in the backfield and send him up into the linebackers. Rice will find some space and have big yardage with an average amount of TD’s this year. And he can catch! McClain will get the goal line carries and everyone will be happy.

Justin Forsett, RB, Seattle. I’m calling this my Super Sleeper. I spent an entire season with Jones and Duckett on my roster and neither of them did anything except irritate me. Why did Duckett get released? The answer, Justin Forsett. What do you know, Edge James is on the Seattle Roster. James will mentor Forsett into a very capable back this year. James is unselfish and will work hard to help the team. It’s like having personal trainer. Forsett, in his 2nd year out of Cal is hungry and sees opportunity. Forsett will get lots of carries as the season moves forward.

Earl Bennett, WR, Chicago. My opinion is that Cutler is and will be calling the shots in Chicago. Lovie Smith will be gone after this year. Devin Hester will be gone after this year and Cutler will continue to move forward as QB/Coach/GM. Earl Bennett catches everything. With the Vanderbilt tie, Cutler and Bennett will begin to establish themselves as a force in Chicago. Don’t underestimate loyalty.