Using my custom position-by-position Field Impact Counter (FIC), we can safely and accurately rank quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends by an objective statistical measurement. The importance placed on specific positions is far different in football than it is in basketball, baseball, and hockey. Because of this, we have separated salaries by position instead of having a single common pool. Quarterbacks are compared to quarterbacks. Running backs are compared to running backs. Wide receivers are compared to wide receivers. There are only four positions on the football field where we can truly use statistics to rank a player?s performance in the same ways we can for the other three major sports. Intangibles such as how a running back picks up the blitz or how well a wide receiver blocks for his downfield runners do not appear on stat sheets and in order to get a truly objective statistical ranking, these elements are unfortunately overlooked. Players are ranked from highest to lowest by the total FIC for the season, not per game because players only give contribute to a team when they are playing. * More information about the FIC at the bottom of this article. Beside each player?s actual salary, we slide in raw cap value figures of the position, ranked top to bottom, which determines their ?deserved? salary. The player who has the highest FIC receives the highest ?deserved? salary. The player with the second highest FIC receives the second highest salary. The player with the hundredth highest FIC receives the hundredth highest salary. We then calculate the percentage increase or decrease from the actual and deserved and that figure becomes their Reina Value. The Reina Value is a valuation system that quickly determines how players perform in relation to their contracts or in the case of the NFL, their cap value. - Only Cutler has attempted more passes than Brees, and nobody has completed their attempts at a better rate (72.3). Would Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson be averaging 40.8 and 35.5 yards per reception respectively without Brees? - Cutler has completed a pass for 20 or more yards in 19 of his 102 completions. - Romo has been somewhat vulnerable to the blitz this season with an 85.9 rating, compared to 117.8 in 2007. - Favre now leads the NFL in passer rating with 110.8 following his six-TD performance against the Cardinals. He has now thrown a touchdown once for every 10 pass attempts. - Rivers has an excellent 139.3 QB rating during the 4th quarter. - Campbell still hasn't thrown an interception this season, and he's also lost 141 passing yards because of penalties. - Delhomme and Flacco have each been sacked on 7% of their pass attempts. - Russell's first interception of the season came on a deflected pass against the Chargers, and he continues to excel in the shotgun, with an NFL-best 135.8 rating. - Bush had his worst game of 2008 against the Niners as they held him to just 1.4 yards per reception, but the reemergence of Deuce McAllister (73 yards) should free up the RB FIC leader in coming weeks for more big plays. - Steven Jackson has been far more successful running up the middle and to the left tackle than he has on the right or around either side on the outside. - 281 of Turner's 422 yards have come on 1st & 10. - Is Larry Johnson back? He's rushed for 198 and 121 yards in the past two games after being held to 22 by the Raiders. - Norwood is averaging an NFL-best 7.0 yards per carry. - Jennings is averaging 19.3 yards per catch, and his 120.5 yards per game trails only Brandon Marshall. - Santana Moss is in the best three-game stretch of his career since early in 2005. - White is averaging 11.2 more yards per catch on the turf than he is on grass. - Muhammad is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2004, his last with Carolina. - Owens was the good teammate in Green Bay when he only had two receptions for 17 yards during a win but is complaining after his seven-reception, 71 yard day against Washington. Owens has now gone seven games without a 100-yard outing, his longest drought since 1999. - Witten has 158 more yards than Gates, who is second in yards among tight ends, but Witten has just one touchdown. - Gates' yards remain modest, but he has reached the end zone in two straight games. - Scheffler's production has gone from 72 to 64 to 32 and down to 26 yards against the Chiefs this week. - Zach Miller's 63-yard touchdown is the longest by a tight end this season. Field Impact Counter Formulas Quarterbacks .25 Completions - .5 Incomplete Passes + .1 Yards + 4 Touchdowns - Interceptions + First Downs - Sacks .5 Rushing Yards - Rushing Attempts + 5 Rushing Touchdowns + Rushing First downs - Lost Fumbles Running Backs + 5 Rushing Touchdowns + .5 Rushing Yards - Rushing Attempts + Rushing First downs - 5 Rushing Fumbles + Receptions + .5 Receiving Yards + 5 Receiving Touchdowns + Receiving First Downs - 5 Receiving Fumbles Wide Receivers/Tight Ends 5 Touchdowns +.5 Receiving Yards + Receptions + First Downs - 5 Fumbles

The NFL has reportedly fined Saints head coach Sean Payton $15,000 for critical comments he made of the officiating during the team's loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday. Payton is expected to appeal the fine. He was critical in his Monday press conference. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to all teams this week, clarifying league policy on criticism of game officials.

Saints' Coach Sean Payton said he's hopeful that Jeremy Shockey could be back as early as the Saints' home game against Oakland in two weeks after positive reports from Shockey's hernia surgery earlier this week. The damage to Shockey's ligaments wasn't as extensive as some sports hernias can be, so the recovery time should be in the three-week range. Payton said Shockey feels more comfortable already and said he is excited to see Shockey when he's no longer limited by the nagging injury. "Although he played well last week, you guys haven't seen what I know (he's capable of)," Payton said.

It's hard to forecast exactly what will happen in Week Four of the NFL season, but RealGM is here to help you make some critical fantasy football decisions. The first rule of fantasy football is always to start your studs, but you can never over-prepare, either. Bye Week Advisory: Detroit, Indianapolis, Miami, N.Y. Giants, Seattle, New England Based On Prior Week Performance And Matchups Quarterbacks 1. Drew Brees, New Orleans vs. San Francisco 2. Jay Cutler, Denver @ Kansas City 3. Philip Rivers, San Diego @ Oakland 4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay @ Tampa Bay 5. Tony Romo, Dallas vs. Washington 6. Kurt Warner, Arizona @ N.Y. Jets 7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia vs. Chicago 8. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets vs. Arizona 9. J.T. O?Sullivan, San Francisco @ New Orleans 10. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore Sleeper: Jason Campbell, Washington @ Dallas Running Backs 1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego @ Oakland 2. Frank Gore, San Francisco @ New Orleans 3. Marion Barber, Dallas vs. Washington 4. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo @ St. Louis 5. Reggie Bush, New Orleans vs. San Francisco 6. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia @ Chicago (injury risk) 7. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota @ Tennessee 8. LenDale White, Tennessee vs. Minnesota 9. Larry Johnson, Kansas City vs. Denver 10. Michael Turner, Atlanta @ Carolina Wide Receivers 1. Anquan Boldin, Arizona @ N.Y. Jets 2. Brandon Marshall, Denver @ Kansas City 3. Terrell Owens, Dallas vs. Washington 4. Chris Chambers, San Diego @ Oakland 5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona @ N.Y. Jets 6. Greg Jennings, Green Bay @ Tampa Bay 7. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati vs. Cleveland 8. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore 9. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland @ Cincinnati 10. Roddy White, Atlanta @ Carolina Sleeper: Chansi Stuckey, N.Y. Jets vs. Arizona Tight Ends 1. Jason Witten, Dallas vs. Washington 2. Antonio Gates, San Diego @ Oakland 3. Tony Scheffler, Denver @ Kansas City 4. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City vs. Denver 5. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland @ Cincinnati 6. Chris Cooley, Washington @ Dallas 7. Robert Royal, Buffalo @ St. Louis 8. Jeremy Stevens, Tampa Bay vs. Green Bay 9. Donald Lee, Green Bay @ Tampa Bay 10. Vernon Davis, San Francisco @ New Orleans Sleeper: Dustin Keller, N.Y. Jets vs. Arizona Kickers 1. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota @ Tennessee 2. Nate Kaeding, San Diego @ Oakland 3. Matt Prater, Denver @ Kansas City 4. Jason Elam, Atlanta @ Carolina 5. John Kasay, Carolina vs. Atlanta 6. Josh Scobee, Jacksonville vs. Houston 7. Nick Folk, Dallas vs. Washington 8. Joe Nedney, San Francisco @ New Orleans 9. Neil Rackers, Arizona @ N.Y. Jets 10. Robbie Gould, Chicago vs. Philadelphia Sleeper: Rob Bironas, Tennessee vs. Minnesota Defense/Special Teams 1. Tennessee Titans, vs. Minnesota Vikings 2. Philadelphia Eagles, @ Chicago Bears 3. Pittsburgh Steelers, vs. Baltimore Ravens 4. Green Bay Packers, @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5. Baltimore Ravens, @ Pittsburgh Steelers 6. Buffalo Bills, @ St. Louis Rams 7. Minnesota Vikings, @ Tennessee Titans 8. Jacksonville Jaguars, vs. Houston Texans 9. San Diego Chargers, @ Oakland Raiders 10. Carolina Panthers, vs. Atlanta Falcons Sleeper: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vs. Green Bay Packers Click for more fantasy insight:

Reggie Bush has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL during the first three weeks of 2008, and because of injuries to Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey, the 49ers will pay special attention to the versatile back. "I think it's important right now to find out where he is on every play," Coach Mike Nolan said. "Everybody has to know where he is at all times because he does line up in the backfield, he lines up strong side, weak side, and he's very active in the offense."

The Saints released recently signed quarterback Joey Harrington and replaced him on the roster with tight end Sean Ryan.

Using my custom position-by-position Field Impact Counter (FIC), we can safely and accurately rank quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends by an objective statistical measurement. The importance placed on specific positions is far different in football than it is in basketball, baseball, and hockey. Because of this, we have separated salaries by position instead of having a single common pool. Quarterbacks are compared to quarterbacks. Running backs are compared to running backs. Wide receivers are compared to wide receivers. There are only four positions on the football field where we can truly use statistics to rank a player?s performance in the same ways we can for the other three major sports. Intangibles such as how a running back picks up the blitz or how well a wide receiver blocks for his downfield runners do not appear on stat sheets and in order to get a truly objective statistical ranking, these elements are unfortunately overlooked. Players are ranked from highest to lowest by the total FIC for the season, not per game because players only give contribute to a team when they are playing. Beside each player?s actual salary, we slide in raw cap value figures of the position, ranked top to bottom, which determines their ?deserved? salary. The player who has the highest FIC receives the highest ?deserved? salary. The player with the second highest FIC receives the second highest salary. The player with the hundredth highest FIC receives the hundredth highest salary. We then calculate the percentage increase or decrease from the actual and deserved and that figure becomes their Reina Value. The Reina Value is a valuation system that quickly determines how players perform in relation to their contracts or in the case of the NFL, their cap value. - Cutler is 16-21 with two touchdowns and a 136.0 rating when blitzed through the first three games of the season. - Brees has attempted 24% of his passes to a receiver behind the line and only 21% of the attempts have gone more than 11 yards. Not surprisingly, the Saints lead the NFL in yards after the catch with 521, a full 103 yards better than the Cardinals who are second in the category. Reggie Bush accounts for 230 of the 521 yards. - Rivers has a 50.3 QB rating during the 1st quarter of the first three games but a 135.4 rating during the 2nd half. - Rodgers has a 128.2 rating during the 1st half of the first three games but just 78.2 during the 2nd half. - McNabb has thrown for fewer yards as each week has gone by, but his completion rating percentage has gone up. - Romo is 16-28 for a 57.1% success rate in passing for 1st down on 3rd down. - O'Sullivan has a 132.2 rating on 1st down but just 72.5 on 3rd down when the defense is anticipating a pass play. - Russell has a 135.8 rating when in the shotgun, the best in the NFL. - Bush is averaging 4.6 yards per carry on 1st down but running into problems on 2nd and 3rd with averages of 2.3 and 1.8 respectively. He also is much more successful as the lone setback (6.8) than when he carries in the I (1.4). - Gore is averaging 5.6 yards per carry in the 1st half and 4.1 during the 2nd, but he has been more effective as a receiver (13.7 yards per reception) after halftime. - While we all know Barber is a punishing runner who excels in short yardage situations; no back has more runs for 10 or more yards this year than the Cowboys' starter with 11. - Forte's yards per carry has predictably decreased from each preceding week (5.3 to 4.0 to 3.3) as the somewhat flukish nature of the 50-yard gain against the Colts hasn't been duplicated. But he has become better and more comfortable out of the backfield as a receiver, catching seven balls for 66 yards and a TD against Tampa Bay. - Peterson continues to be unable to duplicate his production from last season as a receiver. Against the Panthers on Sunday, he didn't catch a single ball. - Julius Jones' had a 6.4 yards per carry average, his highest total in a game when getting at least 10 carries since he rushed 10 times for 116 yards during Week 14 in 2006 against the Saints. - Ward has rushed for a 1st down in 11 of his 26 carries, which is the best percentage in the NFL. - Tomlinson has rushed for 2.6 yards per carry in each of the past two weeks, his worst output in back-to-back games since Weeks 1 and 2 last season when he rushed for 1.5 YPC against the Bears and 2.4 at New England. He's only rushed for less than 3.0 YPC six times since 2005. - Jennings has 278 of his yards during the 1st half and has yet to catch a pass during the 3rd quarter. - Marshall's 2008 debut against San Diego was the more buzzed about game because of the 18 receptions, but catching three times fewer balls for essentially the same yardage makes the Saints' performance also impressive. - With 150 YAC, Boldin is the current leader among wide receivers in the category. - Bowe has been targeted 34 times, more than any other receiver in the game. - With five drops apiece, Braylon Edwards and Calvin Johnson lead the NFL. - This is the only position where we have little doubt who will finish with the FIC lead, so it will be difficult to speak of Witten's statistical achievements on a weekly basis. This week we instead focus on the excellent block he had against Packers' end Mike Montgomery that initiated the Felix Jones' touchdown. - Gates has now gone eight straight games without reaching 100 yards receiving, his longest streak since early 2006. - Winslow has caught seven balls for 69 yards when lined up off the line, easily his most successful spot. - Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM

Jeremy Shockey will have sports hernia surgery this week, the team confirmed Monday. The Saints' top offseason offensive acquisition will be out an estimated three to six weeks.

Martin Gramatica's miss from 43-yards would have allowed the Saints to take a 35-34 lead over the Broncos with less than a minute left in the game. Gramatica declined to talk about his miss, darting out of the locker room without even showering. "The hold was good, and he made good contact," holder Steve Weatherford said. "Other than that, I can't tell much more. He may have been making an adjustment for the one he missed at the end of the half."

The Saints have signed six-year veteran Joey Harrington to be their third quarterback behind Drew Brees and Mark Brunell, according to Associated Press. Harrington signed with the Saints and participated in his first practice Friday at the team's suburban training center. He appeared in 12 games for the Falcons, completing nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions.