NFL News and Views

2011/12 NFL Season

2011-08-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

The new NFL season starts off with a Thursday night football game between the Saints and the Packers.

It's been a long off-season and football fans everywhere are looking forward to a return to the action.

The lockout was big news over the summer, and probably the other biggest NFL football story was the news that L.A. is to get it's own team again in the next few years. Speculation is rife as to which franchise will move to the west coast.
The Chargers are just a short distance down the freeway, so they could be looking for a move to that big new football stadium.

Anyways, forget speculation and let's stick to the real world-football is back and it's been too long!

Here's the full schedule for week 1 of the NFL:
NFL 2011/12 Season WEEK 1 Schedule:

Thursday September 8
New Orleans at Green Bay 8:30 PM

Sunday September 11

Atlanta at Chicago 1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Cleveland 1:00 PM
Buffalo at Kansas City 1:00 PM
Philadelphia at St. Louis 1:00 PM
Tennessee at Jacksonville 1:00 PM
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Houston 1:00 PM
Detroit at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM
NY Giants at Washington 4:15 PM
Carolina at Arizona 4:15 PM
Minnesota at San Diego 4:15 PM
Seattle at San Francisco 4:15 PM
Dallas at NY Jets 8:20 PM

Monday September 12

Monday Night Football
New England at Miami 7:00 PM
Oakland at Denver 10:15 PM

Green Bay Packers Win Super Bowl 45

2011-02-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Did you watch it? The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV in Dallas.

The half-time show featured the Black Eyed Peas, and was almost more entertaining than the game.

Great nfl tickets can be found through Vividseats.com. Check out our Dallas Cowboys tickets, New England Patriots tickets, Green Bay Packers tickets, Denver Broncos tickets and many more. Make sure to also check out our MLB tickets like Chicago Cubs tickets for games nationwide. Check out this ticket broker today!

Super Bowl XLV - Steelers Vs. Packers

2011-01-25T12:33:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl 45 (XLV) will be a match up between Green Bay Packers Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers beat the NY Jets 24-19, to clinch the AFC Championship and reserve their spot at the Super Bowl.

The Packers got past the Chicago Bears 21-14 to secure the NFC title and book their place at the Super Bowl extravaganza.

SUPER BOWL 45 takes place in North Texas, Sunday February 6, 2011.

See http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/45/guide for full details:

My pick for Super Bowl 45 - the black and yellow machine of Pittsburgh will win it.

Pittsburgh Steelers 24 to Green Bay Packers 14.

CFL - Canadian Football News

2010-11-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

You may not care but the CFL Super Bowl, or the Grey Cup as it's called was on yesterday. Canadian Football is not so well followed in the USA but it is a great spectacle. The Montreal Alouettes are Grey Cup Champions for the second straight year after a dramatic 21-18 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium.

I do follow CFL but my team were not in the final. My team is the BC Lions. They play out of BC Place in Vancouver BC. The Lions made it to the playoffs but were beat by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I have been to a few games in Vancouver and the stadium is pretty cool. The roof is getting replaced right now and will be retractable when it's finished. The new MLS team called the Vancouver Whitecaps will play there too. Each of these teams have websites Vancouver being a high tech hub you would expect them to have.

Find out more about Canadian Football at the CFL website, it ain't so bad.

NFL News This Week

2010-11-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Some Big shocks in the NFL this week:

Peyton Manning had a dreadful night (San Diego picked off Peyton Manning four times) as Indianapolis were crushed 36-14 at home by San Diego while Chicago continued their great run by beating Philadelphia.

The Bears stunned the Eagles - Jay Cutler starred with four TD passes as Chicago beat Philadelphia 31-26 on Sunday. Where was Vick?

The Seahawks were crushed - Matt Cassel threw four TD passes as Kansas City crushed Seattle 42-24! The Chiefs looked great!

Also...Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes as Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 17-10. The Ravens did a real job keeping the Buccs to a minimum.

Week 6 NFL News

2010-10-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well week 6 of the NFL already and time is breezing by. My blogging has declined lately due to work and family committments.

Here is some of my top NFL news picks from week 6:

The NFL will clamp down on helmet-to-helmet hits by issuing suspensions rather than fines. - there were some huge hits this week, and after all the brain injury stories in last year it's about time the NFL got tough on this.

Here are the Week 6 NFL Scores:

Jets 24 Broncos 20
Raiders 9 49ers 17
Cowboys 21 Vikings 24
Colts 27 Redskins 24
Browns 10 Steelers 28
Saints 31 Bucs 6
Chiefs 31 Texans 35
Ravens 20 Patriots 23 (OT)
Dolphins 23 Packers 20 (OT)
Falcons 17 Eagles 31
Chargers 17 Rams 20
Lions 20 Giants 28
Seahawks 23 Bears 20

NFL Football Returns

2010-07-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it's been a long wait during the offseason but NFL football is back. Preseason officially kicks off on Sunday August 8 with the Hall of Fame game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys at Fawcett Stadium.

I will preview this game and all the other preseason games in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Sam’s a Ram and other Big Draft Picks

2010-04-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

First round of the NFL draft
is in the books (I’m currently watching right now), and all 32 NFL
teams are hoping they improved with the moves they made. In any
case, some teams took the ‘sure thing’ while others chose to gamble
and are hoping to hit the jackpot like they’re playing at no deposit casinos.

The biggest news was made when
the St. Louis decided not to pass on an elite quarterback prospect for
a third straight year by taking Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford. It’s difficult to predict
how Bradford will do on a 1-15 team, but the Rams obviously overlooked
his injury issues when drafting.

Detroit was looking to shore
up their horrendous defense (especially against the run) with the second
pick. They took DT Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska hoping that his
lack of quickness isn’t an issue when plugging the middle

The first risky pick took place
at number four where the Washington Redskins drafted OT Trent Williams.
Williams is definitely a talent and is exactly what Shanahan wants at
left tackle, but his work ethic was questionable at Oklahoma.

Cleveland looked to bolster
one of the NFL’s worst secondaries with the selection of Florida cornerback
Joe Haden. Haden isn’t polished yet, but he does have a lot
of upside and could turn into a great defender in a season or two.
Many people were scratching
their heads after Buffalo took running back C.J. Spiller with the 9^th
pick. Spiller is definitely a great playmaker, but Marshawn Lynch
and Fred Jackson are also on the roster. Could a trade be in order?

With the twelfth pick, San
Diego took the first player from a non-BCS school when they drafted
RB Ryan Mathews. LaDainian Tomlinson is off to the Jets so Darren
Sproles obviously needed some help carrying the load.

Another interesting pick I
saw in the first round was the Giants taking South Florida DE Jason
Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul has the most upside of anybody, but he
is also the least experienced player in the draft (he didn’t start
playing until his junior year of HS). It will take forever for
him to develop in my opinion.

One final pick I’d like to
mention was Florida QB Tim Tebow going 25^th to Denver.
And the Broncos must have really saw something in Tebow that nobody
else did because they gave up their second, third, and fourth round
picks to get him.

NFL Off Season News

2010-03-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Some big news from the NFL off season:
New England Patriots hope to agree a new deal with QB Tom Brady
Former Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson has signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
Quarterback Rex Grossman has signed for the Washington Redskins.
The New York Giants will play their first game at their new $1.6 billion Meadowlands stadium.
Running back LaDainian Tomlinson has joined the New York Jets after signing a two-year deal.
The Miami Dolphins have moved to re-sign quarterback Chad Pennington.
Chicago Bears signed top free agent Julius Peppers on a six-year deal (this could be worth $91m).

NFL Update Going into Week 9

2009-11-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

Man, as of week 8 there were a lot of really bad teams so far this season – St. Louis (0-7), Tampa Bay (0-7), Tennessee (0-6), Kansas City (1-6), Cleveland (1-6) and Detroit (1-5) with the Redskins, Seahawks, Raiders and Panthers not too far behind with only two wins. Can it get any worse for these teams?

Well in week 8: A touchdown with 21 seconds to play gave San Diego Chargers a 21-20 win against the New York Giants. Michael Turner starred as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Washington Redskins 31-17. Seattle Seahawks came from 17-0 behind to defeat the Detroit Lions 32-20. New Orleans Saints have made the best start in their history after beating Carolina Panthers 30-20. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-16 in the 100th meeting between the teams. Cincinnati Bengals ground out a 17-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Tennessee Titans upset the 49ers in San Francisco with a 34-27 road win at Candlestick Park. Indianapolis kept their 100 per cent record intact with a 20-17 victory over Houston. Tom Brady and Randy Moss linked up to lead New England to a 27-17 victory over Miami. Tampa Bay picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, beating Green Bay 38-28. One-time Chicago target Kurt Waner led Arizona to a 41-21 victory over the Bears. Jacksonville returned to form with a 24-21 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. Cincinnati Bengals ground out a 17-7 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Dallas Cover the Spread Against Carolina

2009-09-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

Tony Romo played mistake-free football and the Dallas Cowboys rumbled for 212 rushing yards as they got back on track with a 21-7 win over Carolina in the NFL on Monday night.

Romo completed 22 of 33 passes for 255 yards as the Cowboys marked the first Monday night game in their new $1.15billion stadium with a win.
Dallas are now 2-1 with the win, while the Panthers drop to 0-3; a horrible start to the season.

NFL Returns

2009-09-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a long off-season, and a crazy pre-season but this Thursday NFL is back.

Some of the more interesting news this pre-season:

Quarterback Brett Favre is to come out of retirement to play for the Minnesota Vikings. He said his will to win another Super Bowl prompted his decision to join the Minnesota.

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed Michael Vick on a two-year contract. He will be allowed to return in week three of the regular season, after being released from prison for his involvement in a dog fighting ring.

Former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress is almost certain to do some jail time after shooting himself in the leg in a New York nightclub. He faces weapons charges.

Tom Brady Back in the Sack with Giselle

2009-06-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly feeling "great" after returning to practice this week following knee surgery.

The star quarterback missed all but a few minutes of the 2008 season when he was hurt in the Patriots' opening game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and underwent two operations to repair torn ligaments. Rumor had it that it was his bedroom antics with now-wife Giselle "Super Model" Bundchen that weaken Brady's knee.

Brady returned to practice on Tuesday and reported no problems other than the usual pre-season rust.

Coincidentally, Giselle was seen walking around with a big smile on her face. This could be from Brady banging her all night, or just possibly from a recent shopping trip. It's hard to speculate on that.

NFL Season to be Extended?

2009-04-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated a vote to extend the League's regular season may occur in May.

NFL officials and franchise owners are now discussing the future direction of the NFL at its annual meeting, and the possible extension of the regular season to 17 or 18 games per team would certainly bring more revenue opportunities for the sport.

Apart from revenue, it will give fans a whole lot more viewing enjoyment with an extra few games to watch.

According to reports:

A new collective bargaining agreement with the players' union must be secured in the next year or the NFL faces an uncapped 2010 season and a potential labour stoppage.

The parties would have to agree to additional player compensation for the extension measure to be enacted and that would likely see a cut in the number of pre-season encounters to keep the total number of games at 20 per team.

The only down side to this is--it is unlikely to come in before the 2011 season.

See these stories for details:

NFL eyes extension of season - The Denver Post
NFL ponder season extension | espnstar.com
NFL PONDER SEASON EXTENSION | Sporting Life

Super Bowl Beckons

2009-01-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl glory became a reality for the Arizona Cardinals following the team's NFC Championship clinch this past Sunday. The season's apparent underdog, the Arizona Cardinals, pulled off an amazing 32-25 win against the Philadelphia Eagles. This highly anticipated face-off between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers leaves fans wondering where they can find last-minute tickets for the Super Bowl. Vividseats.com is one site I use.

NFL Playoffs

2009-01-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

Playoffs results:
Eagles 26 Vikings 14
Ravens 27 Dolphins 9
Falcons 24 Cardinals 30
Colts 17 Chargers 23 (OT)

I should have taken heads over tails...1 out of 4. Oh well. There's still this week's games to look forward to:

Divisional Play-Offs

January 10

Baltimore at Tennessee (4.30pm)
Arizona at Carolina (8.15pm)

January 11

Philadelphia at New York Giants (1pm)
San Diego at Pittsburgh (4.45pm)

NFL Playoffs

2008-12-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

My Picks for the NFL Playoffs are as Follows:

Game 1:

Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers - Pick: Colts

Baltimore Ravens vs. Miami Dolphins - Pick: Dolphins

Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals - Pick: Cardinals

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings - Pick: Vikings

There's no science in this, just a flip of the coin--my lucky coin, that's 82% correct 50% of the time.

Good luck out there folks. Let's hope we get another great Playoffs run. Too bad about the Cowboys but what can you do?

Favre on Fire

2008-11-23T18:19:00.000-08:00

Brett Favre threw for 224 yards and two touchdown passes as the New York Jets put an end to the Tennessee Titans' perfect season with a 34-13 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Brett Favre and the New York Jets put an end to the Tennessee Titans' perfect season.

Tennessee (10-1), who were seeking its first 11-0 start in history and 14th consecutive regular-season victory, could mount little offence against the surging Jets (8-3), who notched their fifth straight win.

I had $100 on the Titans to go unbeaten all season at BetUS sportsbook. I guess I can kiss that goodbye!

Favre is still the man - Favre finished 25-of-32 for 224 yards with the two scoring passes and one interception. The three-time MVP added to his bevy of league records by throwing his 20th touchdown pass of the seasons.

That gave Favre 14th consecutive seasons with at least 20 scoring passes, breaking the record he shared with former Miami Dolphins standout Dan Marino.

Tennessee Titans are 9-0

2008-11-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Tennessee Titans are 9-0 for the season after they overcame the Chicago Bears 21-14 after a hard-fought tussle at Soldier Field.

Bo Scaife, Justing Gage and LenDale White all scored touchdowns to maintain the 100 per cent record for the AFC club.

New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills 20-10 at Gillette Stadium, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis recording his first career 100-yard game.

The defence forced four turnovers and Brett Favre and Thomas Jones took advantage by leading the New York Jets to eight straight scoring drives in a 47-3 demolition of St Louis.

Yeremiah Bell deflected a pass on a potential match-tying two-point conversion to preserve the Miami Dolphins' 21-19 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan engineered another Atlanta Falcons 34-20 victory as he passed for 248 yards and two scores against the New Orleans Saints.

Ryan completed a 16-of-23 passes, including a 67-yard TD strike to Jerious Norwood on the second play of fourth quarter that made it 27-6.

Maurice Jones-Drew scored three touchdowns and led a rushing attack that racked up 159 yards as the Jacksonville Jaguars routed the hapless Detroit Lions 38-14.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 192 yards on 30 carries, including a 29-yard touchdown with 2:22 remaining, as the Minnesota Vikings rallied to edge out the Green Bay Packers 28-27.

The Baltimore Ravens also beat the Houston Texans 41-13.

Full Results:
Broncos 34 Browns 30
Saints 20 Falcons 34
Titans 21 Bears 14
Jaguars 38 Lions 14
Ravens 41 Texans 13
Seahawks 19 Dolphins 21
Packers 27 Vikings 28
Bills 10 Patriots 20
Rams 3 Jets 47

New NFL Signings

2008-10-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

There has been a flurry of activity in NFL signings over the last few days. Here's a summary:

Hightower Could Replace James
Rookie running back Tim Hightower has impressed Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Patriots Release Ross
New England Patriots have released offensive lineman Oliver Ross.
Bengals Sign Busing
The Cincinnati Bengals signed free agent safety John Busing on Tuesday.
Steelers Sign Retkofsky
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed rookie Jared Retkofsky to a one-year contract.
Cardinals Sign Spach
The Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday signed tight end Stephen Spach to a one-year contract.

I bet on the Seahawks in last weekend's game. They were big underdogs against the 49ers. I bet $100 and got a pretty nice return. If you want to wager on football games I recommend BetUS Sportsbook.

Titans Still Unbeaten!

2008-10-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

Tennessee remain unbeaten after a 31-21 victory over Indianapolis on Monday. Rob Bironas kicked three field goals as the Tennessee Titans continued their unbeaten start with a 31-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Monday night's game.

Former Seahawk Shaun Alexander now a Redskin

2008-10-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Washington Redskins have moved to stabilise their injury-depleted backfield, signing former NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander on Tuesday.

Alexander had received little interest from other teams since being released by the Seattle Seahawks this past off-season, but could provide a boost for the Redskins.

With backup Ladell Betts expected to miss two weeks with a sprained left knee, Washington needed help in the backfield.

Alexander likely will be used as back-up behind star running back Clinton Portis.

Alexander, 31, was released by the Seahawks last April following two injury-marred campaigns.

The three-time Pro Bowler was not invited to training camp by any of the NFL's 31 other teams this summer and remained jobless six weeks into this season.

Alexander arguably was the NFL's most productive running back over a five-year stretch from 2001-05, rushing for at least 1,175 yards and scoring at least 16 touchdowns every season during that stint.

Alexander capped that run in 2005 with the best season of his career when he ran for 1,880 yards and 27 TDs, an NFL single-season record at the time.

But after signing an eight-year,

62 million contract which made him the richest running back in NFL history, Alexander struggled with injuries during the 2006 campaign, rushing for 896 yards while missing six games to nurse a broken foot.

The all-time rushing leader in Seahawks franchise history, Alexander appeared in 13 games - 10 starts - last season, rushing for just 716 yards and four touchdowns while battling an injured wrist.

Jaguars' Collier Loses Leg and is Now Paralysed

2008-09-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, who was shot several times earlier this month, is paralysed below the waist and had his left leg amputated.

Collier (26) has been at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center since he was shot several times in the early-morning hours on September 2 while he was sitting in a parked vehicle.

Rams Fire Linehan

2008-09-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

St Louis Rams have fired coach Scott Linehan, one day after the team fell to 0-4 following a 31-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Jim Haslett will replace Linehan on an interim basis.

Michael Vick Files for Bankrupcy

2008-07-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Disgraced former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday.

Vick, who is currently serving a 23-month prison sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas on federal dogfighting charges, filed Chapter 11 papers in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News on Monday claiming to owe between $10 and $50 million to various creditors. The seven largest creditors listed in the court papers are owed a total of about $12.8 million.

The debt includes a $3.75 million pro-rated signing bonus that the Falcons are attempting to recover. After the plea on dogfighting charges, the Falcons tried to recover about $20 million in bonuses Vick earned from 2004 to 2007. But a federal judge held that Vick is entitled to keep all but $3.75 million of the money paid to him for playing football through the 2014 season.

In May this year, a federal judge ordered Vick to repay about $2.5 million to a Canadian bank for defaulting on a loan. The Royal Bank of Canada had sued Vick in September, arguing his guilty plea to a federal dogfighting charge — and the resulting impact on his career — prevented him from repaying the loan.

After pleading guilty last year to financially supporting a Virginia-based dogfighting ring, the disgraced Vick was subsequently suspended indefinitely by the NFL without pay and lost all his major corporate sponsors.

Will Vick every play again? That's the big question. What a lot to lose!

Quiet Time in the NFL OFF Season

2008-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, I haven't been doing much postings lately as it's been fairly quiet in the NFL off season.
The NFL draft has also come and gone.

I will hopefully get back to full time posting as the NFL pre-season approaches.

I'm really looking forward to the 2008-2009 NFL regular season.

See you all soon!

Former Cardinal Jailed for Selling Crack & other stories

2008-05-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Former Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals running back Troy Hambrick was sentenced to five years in the jail for selling crack cocaine to an undercover cop.

Hambrick appeared in 61 games for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals from 2000 to 2004, and got nine touchdowns.

His best season was in 2003, when he ran for a team-leading 972 yards with the Dallas Cowboys.

Some other NFL stars to hit the crime headlines lately:

New England Patriots defensive back Willie Andrews will not face jail time - he entered a plea in his drug charges.

Atlanta Falcons star Michael Boley has been charged with battery.

Indianapolis Colt's Marvin Harrison apparently is not being investigated over a shooting.

Former Detroit Lions star Robert Porcher was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and a year of probation after pleading no contest to assaulting his former wife.

The Cincinnati Bengal's Ahmad Brooks was accused of punching a woman in the face recently.

NFL Schedule Released

2008-04-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's coming folks...the NFL regular season schedule has been released. Check out the NFL site for details.

The offseason has been relatively quiet. The draft comes tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on how that goes and bring you the latest NFL news and views on the 2008 NFL Draft.

Keep it here at NFL Mania.

Super Bowl 42 Results

2008-02-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

The NY Giants won 17-14 to end New England's quest for perfection. New York are the new world champions.

Super Bowl 42 - XLII

2008-01-22T17:36:00.000-08:00

Conference Recaps
Giants 23 Packers 20 (OT)
Chargers 12 Patriots 21

Divisional Recaps
Giants 21 Cowboys 17
Chargers 28 Colts 24
Jaguars 20 Patriots 31
Seahawks 20 Packers 42

Wild Card Recaps
Titans 6 Chargers 17
Giants 24 Buccaneers 14
Jaguars 31 Steelers 29
Redskins 14 Seahawks 35

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (18-0) will try to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to complete an undefeated season when they face Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.

The New England Patriots’ path to perfection has one last hurdle: a New York team of road warriors hoping for a Giant upset.

Brady and the Patriots (18-0) will try to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to complete an undefeated season when they face Eli Manning and the Giants on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.

Standing in the Patriots’ way are the Giants (13-6) and Manning — Peyton’s little brother, whose moxie and leadership abilities no longer can be questioned.

Check back often as game day approaches. We will continue to post important news & announcements.

Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, Arizona
Date: February 3, 2008
Kick-off: 4:18 p.m. (6:18 p.m. EST)
Television: FOX
Radio: Westwood One

NFL Playoffs Schedule

2008-01-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 12, 2008

Seattle 4:30 pm EST
Green Bay FOX

Jacksonville 8:00 pm EST
New England CBS

Sunday January 13, 2008

San Diego 1:00 pm EST
Indianapolis CBS

NY Giants 4:30 pm EST
Dallas FOX

NFL Playoffs Time

2008-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Wild-card weekend in the NFL - Jacksonville Jaguars knocked off the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in the first AFC matchup 31-29 Saturday, and the New York Giants dominated the fourth-seeded Buccaneers in Tampa 24-14 on Sunday.

The San Diego Chargers overcame some first-half sluggishness to knock off the visiting Tennessee Titans 17-6, and the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks stopped the resurgent Washington Redskins in Seattle 35-14.

Patriots Unbeatable?

2007-10-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

The NFL has not seen a dominating offensive team on the level of the Patriots since the 1999 Rams. Led by quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots seem to only be concerned with taking care of business each week as their team leaders and the coaching staff have preached that there is no room for complacency in their locker room and that nothing has been accomplished yet. All phases of the team have been amazing this year -- Offensive Line (only 8 sacks all year), Offense ( 432.9 yards per game, No. 1 ranked), Defense (269 yards per game, ranked No. 3), running the ball (133 yards per game, ranked No. 7), and Special Teams (Opponents only averaging 5.5 yards on punt returns and 9 of 10 on FGs) --- and it is hard to find a weakness on this team (maybe age on defense). They are focused totally on winning the Super Bowl and even past malcontent receivers Donte Stallworth (great run after the catch touchdowns in the last 2 games) and Randy Moss (10 TDs this season) have stepped in line and reaped the benefits of playing on this early season juggernaut. A scary stat is that the Patriots' 279 points through seven games is 52 points better than the second ranked Cowboys and the point total is more than six teams scored during the entire 2006 season.

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is obviously the star of the NFL right now. It seems you can pencil in Brady every week for a game ball, but he was even better than his usual amazing self this week in a 49-21 rout of the Dolphins. The Patriots signal caller showed why he is the leader so far in the MVP race throwing for 354 yards and a career-high six TDs (27 for the season), including 281 yards and five TDs in the first half. Brady may have Hollywood good looks, but he never puts himself ahead of his teammates and prefers to talk "team first" and what a team it is, maybe the NFL's best at 7-0. He also extended his NFL record for throwing at least three TD pass at the start of a season (7). The star quarterback even left the game in the second half, but returned after backup Matt Cassell threw a bad interception. Through seven games, the three time Pro Bowler has throwing numbers of 169-229 ( 73.8 %), 2125 yards, 9.3 yards per pass, 27 TDs, and 2 INTs and at his current pace he is on track to break Peyton Manning's 2004 touchdown record (49) and Dan Marino's 1984 yardage record (5084 yards).

NFL Report

2007-09-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

A big weekend of football action...Brett Favre tied Dan Marino's all-time record for career touchdown passes and more:

The New York Giants defence produced a stirring goal-line stand on the final possession of the game and Plaxico Burress caught the go-ahead touchdown to secure a 24-17 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Reuben Droughns had two TDs for New York (1-2), who scored 21 unanswered points after half-time to secure the victory.

The Carolina Panthers recovered from losing quarterback Jake Delhomme through injury to rally behind the running of DeShaun Foster to post a 27-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Matt Hasselbeck tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nate Burleson with just over a minute remaining to lift the Seattle Seahawks to a 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It was the 17th career fourth-quarter comeback for Hasselbeck, who completed 24-of-37 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

Burleson's touchdown capped a wild fourth quarter in which there were four lead changes.

The Jacksonville Jaguars used both their running game and the clock to edge out the Denver Broncos 23-14 at Invesco Field.

The Jaguars rushed for 186 yards and took up nearly 39 minutes of the clock to pick up the road win.

Tommy Kelly blocked Phil Dawson's 40-yard game-winning field goal attempt as time expired to preserve the Oakland Raiders' 26-24 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Brett Favre tied Dan Marino's all-time record for career touchdown passes as the surprising Green Bay Packers beat the San Diego Chargers 31-24.

The ageless Favre threw for three scores, giving him 420 in his career to tie Marino's mark.

Favre matched the mark in dramatic fashion, finding Greg Jennings over the middle for a 57-yard score with 2:30 remaining to give the Packers a 24-21 lead.

Linebacker Nick Barnett sealed things by intercepting Philip Rivers and breaking off a 38-yard return to the San Diego two.

Two plays later, Brandon Jackson scored on a one-yard run to make it 31-21 with 59 seconds left.

Joseph Addai rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns and Peyton Manning threw for 273 yards and one score, leading the Indianapolis Colts to a 30-24 victory over the Houston Texans.

The win left Indianapolis (3-0) in sole possesion of first place in the AFC South.

Tom Brady tied a career high with four touchdown passes as the New England Patriots cruised to a 38-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

Acquired from the Oakland Raiders this off-season, Randy Moss hauled in two of Brady's touchdown passes and finished with five receptions for 115 yards.

Tampa Bay held St Louis without a touchdown and kept them winless on the season with a 24-3 victory.

Tampa put together just enough offence, getting a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown runs from Earnest Graham, and took advantage of two misses by Rams placekicker Jeff Wilkins to win their second consecutive game.

The Kansas City Chiefs finally showed some signs of life on offence as they beat the Minnesota Vikings 13-10.

The Pittsburgh Steelers used Allen Rossum's 98-yard kick-off return for a touchdown, a punishing ground attack and more strong defense to post a 37-16 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Donovan McNabb threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns and Brian Westbrook also enjoyed a huge game as the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a 56-21 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Matt Stover's 46-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Baltimore Ravens to a 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Stover's kick allowed the Ravens to survive a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Cardinals led by Kurt Warner after Matt Leinart had been benched.

Chad Pennington shook off an ankle injury on his return to the starting lineup and threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the New York Jets beat the winless Miami Dolphins 31-28 in an AFC East clash.

Tank a Cowboy?

2007-09-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Tank Johnson, who is currently part of the way through an eight-week NFL ban over his personal conduct, has joined the Dallas Cowboys, according to a report in Texas.

What about his wrestling career?

Week 2 NFL Picks

2007-09-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here's my picks for some of this weekend's games:

Pittsburgh OVER vs Buffalo, Sunday, September 16, 1:00 PM EST

New Orleans to COVER -3 @ Tampa Bay, Sunday, September 16, 1:00 PM EST

Houston Covers +6 @ Carolina, Sunday, September 16, 1:00 PM EST

Dallas to COVER -3 at Miami, Sunday, September 16, 4:05 PM EST

I might bet my allowance...

Pats Vs Chargers & more

2007-09-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Two popular picks to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLII will engage in a potentially telling early-season test on Sunday night, when the New England Patriots host the San Diego Chargers in a rematch of a 2006 playoff thriller.

I'm taking the Pats to win this one.

It was last Jan. 14th when the Patriots traveled to San Diego as the underdog in an AFC Divisional Playoff, with the Chargers riding a 10-game win streak and sporting an NFL-best 14-2 record entering its first battle of the postseason. But New England shocked San Diego that day, rallying from a 21-13 fourth quarter deficit to win, 24-21, and igniting a much-discussed series of events.

Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson publicly admonished several members of the Patriots for what he viewed as a disrespectful postgame celebration, and more than a month after the season, the San Diego organization used the continued playoff failings of head coach Marty Schottenheimer as an impetus to firing the coach.

Schottenheimer was eventually replaced by Norv Turner, who opened his tenure with the Chargers by defeating the Bears, 14-3, last Sunday.

New England also got off to a winning start last week, humbling the Jets by a 38-14 count, but the victory was overshadowed by a brewing controversy.

The NFL reportedly seized a video tape recorded by a member of the Patriots staff that included footage of the hand signals of the Jets' defensive coaches. On Thursday night, the league handed down a penalty for the violation of NFL policy that included a $500,000 fine for head coach Bill Belichick, a $250,000 fine for the organization, and the loss of either a first-round 2008 Draft pick (if New England reaches the playoffs this year) or a second- and a third-round choice.

I think this is way too harsh.

NFL Season Preview

2007-09-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

It seems like every year at this time I read Season Previews from the "experts" and I always seem to disagree with them and wonder how they could be so stupid. After that, I talk about how I can't wait to go back and look at their picks after the season ends and make fun of them. Then, four days later I've completely forgotten about the entire thing and I never go back and check their predictions to see how they did.

Well, I've decided this year is different. This year, I am rolling out my First Annual NFL Season Preview. Will there even be a Second Annual Season Preview? Probably not. So let's celebrate my first/last/only crack at projecting records for all 32 (I counted them) NFL teams, so that in 6 months we can come back, measure my ineptitude, and make fun of me for spending countless hours actually putting this together.

Before we move into the predictions, I would like to take a second to tell you how they were done. I actually went through the NFL Schedule, week by week, and "played" every game, keeping track of win-loss records. In order to keep some dignity, I will not inform you that I did this three times to make sure I was being consistent. I believe it was some time during my second "season" where my girlfriend walked in, looked at the stacks of books, magazines, papers, and the two computers on my desk, rolled her eyes, made a semi-audible comment about "playing imaginary football games" and walked out. To the best of my knowledge we are still dating.

On to the standings, presented in tiered-order...

Division Champs

New England (12-4)
They were a second half collapse away from the SuperBowl last year, so what did they do in the off-season? Completely reloaded and are now the runaway favorite in the NFL for this season. I don't even have anything else to add except that between the Patriots, the Red Sox, and now the Celtics adding Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, if I ever hear a Boston resident complain about ANYTHING, I am ambushing him with a sock full of pennies. By the way, this team almost went to the SuperBowl last year with Reche' Caldwell as their top receiver. This is very surprising, especially since Reche' Caldwell is terrible. Actually, Reche' Caldwell was so surprised at finding out he was a team's top WR, that his face is permanently stuck like this.

Baltimore (11-5)
I'm big on the Ravens this year. They were dominant at times last year, and if their offense doesn't crap the bed (at home) against the Colts last year they are in the AFC Championship. I think adding McGahee will be a big plus for them, and they also added some offensive line help. Even though they lost Adalius Thomas, they still have THREE linebackers who were named to the Pro Bowl last season. As of right now, I say Baltimore plays New England in the AFC Championship Game.

Indianapolis (11-5)
Has a team every looked more complacent after winning a SuperBowl? How do you just let your entire defense walk away after winning a ring? Jason David, Nick Harper, Cato June, Mike Doss, and Montae Reagor all left. Unless Peyton Manning is going to somehow play defense, they could be in trouble.

San Diego (11-5)
They went 14-2 and fired their head coach. That is not a typo. However, I almost agree with it because they are sending the message that they are not just settling for successful regular seasons. Marty Schottenheimer proved time and time again that he was a good enough coach to get you to the postseason, but not good enough to do anything while he was there. I think Tomlinson's numbers will drop, but look for Phillip Rivers' numbers to increase.

New Orleans (11-5)
I promised myself to not put them higher than 10-6, but then I said screw it and actually had them at 12-4 after one of my projections. I think they're fine right here though. The defense should be improved, and if the light bulb has gone on for Mr. Bush, well, a lot of defenses could be in trouble this year. I do think the NFC South will be a lot tougher division than some people are predicting, though.

Philadelphia (10-6)
I was going to put an asterisk after this prediction because if Donovan McNabb's knee cap explodes during week 5 then all bets are off. If he stays healthy I think they are as dangerous as any team in the NFC. You do have to hand it to Andy Reid, he puts a very good team on the field year after year. With exception of 2005 (the T.O./McNabb fiasco), the Eagles have made the playoffs and won at least 10 games every year since 2000.

Chicago (10-6)
The Bears make me want to throw up. No comments for them. Hopefully Lance Briggs doesn't get mad at this and try to run a Ferrari over me.Then flee the scene. Then report it stolen. Then say there was no alcohol involved.

St. Louis (9-7)
This division was extremely hard to pick. Especially since Seattle is always solid and San Francisco is on the rise as well. In the end, I gave the Rams the nod because I think adding Adam Carriker will help out with their run defense, and I think Stephen Jackson is the biggest difference maker in the division.

Wild Cards

Denver 11-5
I almost had them topping San Diego for the division and then I changed my mind. Even though they have the same record, I'm giving the tie-breaker to the Chargers, largely due to Denver starting a young, inexperienced QB. I think Travis Henry is going to be a huge addition for them if he can stay healthy and avoid jail time by continuing to pay child support to 9 different women. Losing Ebeneezer Ekuban was a blow, but since they added Jarvis Moss in the draft I believe they will be fine at DE. Adding Dre' Bly to play opposite Champ Bailey won't hurt either. Also, we should all know better than to underestimate how much devastation (Darrent Williams, Damien Nash) can help a team pull together.

Jacksonville (10-6)
Ah, my first sleeper of the day. Do you realize that even with all the Byron Leftwich commotion, they still went 8-8 last year, and that includes two losses to the Texans? If they beat the Texans, like they should have, they're 10-6 (I did the math). Giving the reigns to Garrard and finally getting Leftwich out of the picture will be a boost to the offense. Also, all those young receivers they have are entering years 2, 3, or 4, and that's usually when the light goes on for WRs.

Carolina (10-6)
The only question mark on this team is Jake Delhomme, and now that there is a competent back up, I think he'll step up his play. They have two good RBs to platoon with, and adding Dwayne Jarrett alongside Steve Smith is a good move as well. I thought Carolina had a really good draft, also adding Jon Beason, Charles Johnson, and Ryan Kalil, in addition to the before mentioned Jarrett. If they get consistent QB play, Carolina will be dangerous.

Seattle (8-8)
If Shaun Alexander is back in his usual form, they could be a team to be reckoned with. Let's not forget that last year they went to Chicago in the playoffs and basically had the Bears all but beat. That would have made the NFC Championship game in New Orleans. And now I'm mad at Seattle so I'm done with their preview. (I had hotel reservations and everything. I'm so mad right now.) [Seriously, I'm so aggravated I keep coming back to their stupid preview just to add stuff.]

Just Missed Out

Pittsburgh (10-6)
I think they'll have a good season and fall just short of postseason play. I think Roethlisberger will have a better year than last year and I look for Willie Parker to duplicated last year's rushing numbers. Also look for Santonio Holmes to have a break-out season. Did you realized that over the last 8 weeks of the season he had over 600 yards receiving? I also thought they had a very good draft, taking Lawrence Timmons to replace Joey Porter, and then adding LaMarr Woodley in the second round.

New York Jets (9-7)
While I think the Jets will be a good team this year, I think they will come up just short. I like adding Thomas Jones, and I think Darrelle Revis is going to be a stud one day, but I don't think they did enough to address one of their weakest areas: run defense. The Jets gave up an average of 4.9 yards per carry last year. In 16 games last year, the Jets held only two RBs under their season rushing average. I still think they will be solid, but I don't see them making the playoffs. While we're here, is watching Jets fans on Draft Day not one of the funnest things ever? However, I can relate because I acted in a similar manner in 2003 when the Saints traded up to the 6th pick, only to watch Tagliabue announce that we were selected some clown instead of Marcus Trufant. However, while I was correct on that pick, I was also upset when they selected Jammal Brown instead of Derrick Johnson. At the time I claimed that I should be the GM for the Saints. The Lesson: I shouldn't be the GM for the Saints.

Cincinnati (9-7)
9-7 is also the hours of night/early morning you should keep your doors locked if you live near a Bengals' player's home. While I like this team, they just have no defense. They are the 2004 Colts. Minus Peyton. Not a good combination. Though they are perceived as one of the better teams in the AFC, they have made the playoffs exactly once in the last 16 years.

Washington (8-8)
I think they'll be improved from last year. I still can't believe they beat the Saints in the Superdome, but I actually think that game worked in the Saints favor. They were dominant the next week and the rest is history. While we're talking about them, was anybody more impressive running the ball the second half of last season than Ladell Betts? And the thing that kills me is that during his 5 consecutive 100 yard games streak, he signed an extension to stay with the team. He would have been a free agent! He could have gone to Green Bay or New York and signed a big deal. Instead, he'll stay in Washington for less money to be a backup. Wow.

Detroit (8-8)
I see them much improved from a year ago, but not as much as Jon Kitna thinks (he has openly predicted 10 wins). You would think at some point he would look in the mirror or somebody would call him by his name and that would remind him that he is Jon Kitna, but I guess not. I will, however, make a prediction that he leads the NFL in passing yardage. He threw for over 4,200 yards last year. Add Calvin Johnson and now he's in Year 2 under Mike Martz so I think we'll see an increase in his production. While we're talking about Mike Martz, do you think he out thinks himself in other facets of life just like he does in football? For example if he's standing at a drink machine that costs a dollar, does he drive around town instead looking for the Wal-Mart Sam's Choice drink machine to try and save 25 cents?

Tampa Bay (8-8)
Obviously I think they'll be better than last year's team. I think adding Garcia helps out A LOT. While he isn't Drew Brees, he's not Bruce Gradkowski either. He will open up their offense and that will enable more production from Cadillac as well. I also liked some moves they made on defense, drafting Gaines Adams and signing Cato June in free agency.

San Francisco (8-8)
Despite the moves they made in the offseason, I still think they will come up short. They're in a pretty tough division with Seattle and St. Louis, and if Frank Gore remembers that he is Frank Gore and tears/breaks his (insert body part here), then their season is over. Frank Gore is Fred Taylor version 2.0.

Houston (8-8)
I almost put them at 16-0 just for karma reasons and to thank them for drafting some man named after an Italian plumber in last year's draft. Too bad Mario Williams can't eat mushrooms to grow taller or throw fireballs like the other Mario though, then he may have been worth passing on Bush. Well, on second thought, nah.

Not Quite There Yet

Dallas (7-9)
I'm not a huge Romo fan and I think he has an average year at best. I also think T.O. is getting old and that Julius Jones will no longer be a Cowboy after this season. I also don't think I'd trust a guy named Wade to run a lemonade stand, much less a professional football team. It's just not a name that demands respect. Which sounds more likely to happen: "Hey Wade, great game. You guys just won the SuperBowl!" or "Hey Wade, you forgot to put pickles on my hamburger, you idiot!" Thought so.

Green Bay (7-9)
Yes they finished 8-8 last year with 4 straight wins, but 2 of those wins were against the Lions and Vikings, plus the final win was against the Bears in a game that meant nothing to Chicago. While I don't think losing Ahman Green will kill them, he did have over 1,400 total yards of offense.

Buffalo (6-10)
I was definitely surprised when Buffalo didn't win more games than this in my "seasons." I think they will be a team that is improved from last year, and I think Losman is starting to come into his own. However, it's hard to win when you play New England twice, New York twice, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Jacksonville and Philadelphia.

Oakland (6-10)
If you were to give a one sentence summary of Oakland last season, it would look like this: They signed Aaron Brooks and hired a guy away from running a bed and breakfast to coach him. How does that translate into this season? No where to go but up.

New York Giants (6-10)
They will go 6-10 this year and they will still play numerous prime time games and will still be talked about on ESPN constantly. This drives me insane. The only reason the Giants exist is so that ESPN has something to talk about when the Yankees and Red Sox are not playing. Heaven forbid they are ever a good team and win some games. That's the day we'll see the launch of ESPN 7: All Giants, All The Time

Not Even Close

Miami (5-11)
Quarterback? What? Why would we draft a quarterback? That makes no sense. What this team needs is a wide receiver with questionable wide receiver skills who can return the occasional kickoff or punt for a touchdown.

Cleveland (5-11)
Hey remember a few years ago when Jamal Lewis ran for like 500 yards against us? Yeah. Well, he's a free agent now. He'd be a great addition! So what if since then he's gone to jail and has been a shell of the player he once was! Also, I don't think it should be a red flag to us that his old team is our division rival, knows we are interested, and still has not made him an offer. Those guys are such idiots!

Side Note: My favorite Jamal Lewis story is when they asked defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau about him, and LeBeau said, "He's a dangerous guy. If he finds a little crack he's gone!" This was shortly after Lewis was arrested for cocaine distribution.

Kansas City (5-11)
Brodie Croyle was recently competing for the starting QB job. Awful team.

Arizona (5-11)
I actually don't think they'll be that dreadful. I thought they made some decent moves in the draft and in the offseason. They will definitely be the weakest team in their division, though.

Side Note: I loved how at the Draft Combine in 2006 Sean Payton asked Leinart, "So what's the deal with your posse?" Just goes to show you how Sean Payton builds a football team.

Tennessee (4-12)
It seems as if all offenses involving Vince Young do one of two things. Either he scrambles, or he makes poor throws and his receivers consistently make incredibly hard circus catches. I wouldn't be surprised at all if in the huddle before plays it sounded like this:

Vince: "Ok (insert name of terrible Titans receiver here), you are this piece of grass (pointing to a piece of grass), do this (moving the grass around with his finger) and I'll get you the ball, (turning to the line) you guys just block or something, (turning to other receivers) y'all just go deep."

Minnesota (4-12)
See: Kansas City and insert Tarvaris Jackson in place of Brodie Croyle.

Atlanta (4-12)
Believe it or not, this is a dream scenario for Bobby Petrino. He doesn't have to put up with Vick, and if Atlanta finishes last he can take his former QB, Brian Brohm. However, if this Vick ordeal has taught us one thing, it's that we can scratch his name off as a possible answer to the Baha Men's famous question of "Who Let The Dogs Out?"

Thankfully preseason comes to a close this weekend

2007-08-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thankfully preseason comes to a close this weekend. I'll be glad to see the end of these meaningless preseason games this week and get back to some real football games.

It is the fourth and final week of the NFL preseason, and it is likely that everybody is ready to get things rolling. Me too. Preseason is meaningless, and so are my preseason predictions. I have already received some emails regarding last week's picks, which shows the passion that fans really do have. But it is just that. Preseason. It is tough enough to pick the regular season games, let alone ones where most of the regulars hardly even play.

I am ready to take on all comers again this year, and emails with your thoughts and analysis are very welcome. I have taken a lot of playful abuse over the last couple of years, mainly due to jealousy of my football knowledge. That is understandable. However, it is not my fault that I happen to know more than you, and once again it will be proven this year. But that is part of the fun with this column. I will pick four preseason games this week, and then on to the regular season.

As always, home team in CAPS.

NEW ENGLAND 4 New York Giants
It is certainly a plus that Asante Samuel is now signed, but I still have some questions with the Patriots defensive backfield. That might be their only weakness though. They should be ready to roll, at least through the regular season. I am not so sure about the Giants. It looks like Michael Strahan is going to end his "retirement", but I think the Giants' offense is going to be the key, specifically Eli Manning. The Patriots should win this preseason finale though.
Patriots 20-13

MINNESOTA 1 1/2 Dallas
These two teams have a lot of issues, but being in the NFC is going to help. The Vikings just don't have a lot of talent, but their weak division is going to be a factor. As for the Cowboys, I think they are overrated. I think they have issues on offense, defense and coaching. I think their defense will be good, but probably not enough to carry them too far. And new coach Wade Phillips has not had a lot of success, and he has had his share of chances. Still, take the Cowboys here, as they are the better team, preseason or not.
Cowboys 23-17

SAN DIEGO 3 San Francisco
I don't seem to hear a lot of people talking about the Chargers in the AFC, but I think I know why. Norv Turner, plain and simple. He has had very little success as an NFL head coach, but he has so much talent in San Diego it might not matter. The Chargers are going to be a force in the AFC, and could very well go deep into the playoffs this year. The 49ers might well make the playoffs too. Defensive upgrades, a strong offense and mediocre division all play factors in San Francisco. They should be a team to watch. But don't watch them this week.
Chargers 26-14

NEW ORLEANS 1 1/2 Miami
The Saints look to be pretty good this year, and being an NFC team, they could have playoff aspirations. They do have Carolina in their division, which should be their main competition. The Dolphins are a big question mark. An entire new coaching staff, and questionable talent on both sides of the ball. I think Trent Green will help, but not that much. Take the Saints here. Why not?
Saints 20-10

Michael Vick involved in dog fighting ring?

2007-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Falcons have insisted the news that quarterback Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a dog fighting probe will not derail their pre-season plans.

I read on another NFL Football site that this could be part of an international dog fighting ring. Who's to say? I'm glad he was caught. Dumm shit.

Dog fighting is illegal throughout America and a felony in 48 states including Virginia.

Federal agents from the United States Department of Agriculture again searched the property owned by Vick in Smithfield, Virginia, on July 6

Agents seized nearly 70 live dogs, mostly pit bulls, on the land as well as dog carcasses. Investigators also found equipment commonly used in dog fighting.

Police had conducted a previous raid on April 25 as the property was part of a drug investigation that stemmed from the arrest of Vick's cousin, Davon Boddie, who claimed the residence as his house.

Police found dozens of mistreated dogs allegedly used for fighting. Vick had previously said that he rarely went to the house and did not know that a large kennel on the property could be involved in criminal activity.

This just brings bad press to the NFL and Football in general.

NFL Football Transfer News Headlines

2007-07-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here's some NFL Football Transfer News Headlines:

CULPEPPER FINALLY LEAVES MIAMI
Miami Dolphins have officially released quarterback Daunte Culpepper. (More)

REDDING AGREES $49 MILLION DEAL
The Detroit Lions have agreed a seven year $49 million contract with Cory Redding. (More)

LIONS RE-SIGN REDDING
Detroit Lions have re-signed defensive tackle Cory Redding to a multi-year contract. (More)

DUO MAKE SUPPLEMENTAL PICKS
The San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens each made a selection in the supplemental draft. (More)

RAIDERS SIGN DARIUS
Oakland Raiders bolstered their strong secondary by signing safety Donovin Darius from Jacksonville. (More)

AKAH JOINS BRONCOS
Offensive lineman Emmanuel Akah has joined Denver Broncos from Frankfurt Galaxy. (More)

BEARS SIGN OLSEN
The Chicago Bears have announced the signing of rookie tight end Greg Olsen on a five-year contract. (More)

VASHER SIGNS ON FOR BEARS
The Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher has signed a five-year contract extension. (More)

FALCONS SWOOP FOR HUFF
Atlanta Falcons have bolstered their linebacking ranks with the signing of Orlando Huff. (More)

BREASTON SIGNS THREE-YEAR DEAL
Arizona Cardinals have signed receiver Steve Breaston to a three-year deal. (More)

McCRAY SIGNS JAGUARS DEAL
Defensive end Bobby McCray has signed his tender offer with the Jacksonville Jaguars. (More)

McNABB BACK IN PRACTICE
Donovan McNabb has returned to practice following his serious knee injury. (More)

NINERS SIGN RAYBURN
The San Francisco 49ers have added depth to their defensive line by signing tackle Sam Rayburn. (More)

Tank Johnson released by the Chicago Bears

2007-06-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Bears decided to cut ties with Johnson just three days after he was stopped by police in Arizona, reportedly for driving while impaired.
Tank had already been suspended for eight games earlier this month by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league's personal conduct policy. He served 60 days in jail on a probation violation earlier this year. When Goodell suspended Johnson, he said in a letter that he would be willing to reduce the ban should Johnson meet certain conditions. One of the conditions was that Johnson have no further involvement with law enforcement.

Johnson, 25, was released from Cook County Jail on May 13 on good behaviour after serving half of his four-month sentence that was handed down on March 15 for violating his probation on a 2005 weapons conviction.

Tank Johnson received an eight-week suspension

2007-06-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Chicago's Tank Johnson has been banned for eight games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. He was recently released from jail after a probation violation.
Johnson received an eight-week suspension Monday from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating terms of probation, and he then spoke largely of moving ahead with his career and life now that he finally knows his penalty following weeks of waiting. The suspension can be reduced to six weeks with good behavior, and Johnson will not be paid during the suspension.

NFL No. 1 in Sports World?

2007-05-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting story from the star-telegram.com

NFL flawed and ugly, but it's No. 1 in sports world

"Of all the sports, the NFL continues to amaze in its marketing expertise. How else do you explain building a new billion dollar stadium and charging $900 per ticket for a Super Bowl, while the quality of the product on the field continues to diminish? Fascinating."

That's a bingo for Jim.

Locally, we celebrate this week the coming of a Super Bowl, and rightfully so.

We praise Jerry Jones for delivering on a promise to Arlington voters, and rightfully so.

Meanwhile, Jerry's football team is simply another of the many that is mired in the muck that is the NFL product of today. Blame it on whatever, but start with that combo of salary cap and a loosening of free agency movement.

Still, the NFL product is not close to what it once was, and will never again be there.

Yet, it doesn't matter. Doesn't matter at all in the heart, head and hip pocket of the public, or the almighty TV networks. The money continues to flow like the Trinity River after a good rain. The popularity of the league continues to soar. And nothing else, jock kingdom-wise, even compares. Fascinating, as Jim from Fort Worth noted.

In Vegas, where they will bet on anything, I suggest this new "prop wager" for the sports books:

"Will the Cowboys play in a Super Bowl before Arlington hosts one in 2011?"

Tell me, Cow Sheep, are you willing to put your money where your mouth is? A team that hasn't won a playoff game in more than a decade, a team that hasn't made a Super Bowl appearance since the '95 season, so speak up, Sheepsters. How would you bet?

Then again, does it really matter anymore how good the Cowboys will be next season or beyond? Texas Stadium will still fill up every Sunday, and when the new Boss Hawg Bowl opens in Arlington, fans and sponsors will be shoveling money at Jerry.

That's just the way it is for the NFL product of today. Flawed, and even ugly, but still The One and Only Game, locally and nationally.

By comparison, check out the so-called "competition."

The NBA?

All you need to know about the current status of professional basketball is that, for the first time in forever, two American-born "franchise saviors" are available in the draft next month, which is a good thing.

But then came the tale of the ping-pong balls this week, with a lottery system determining the eventual teams for Kevin Durant and Greg Oden.

One will end up in Portland, and the other in Seattle.

Durant and Oden have now become the "Big Foot" of professional sports. Playing in the Great Northwest, they will be reduced to myths for most of the country.

Another thing about the NBA -- not even those of us who love the game can actually watch the league's current version of the Final Four.

There is boredom in the West, and incompetence in the East.

But I'm sure glad David Stern personally destroyed the NBA's one remaining playoff series for entertainment. It's good to know Stern will enforce a stupid rule. And you are now left with what, Mr. Stern?

The NHL?

Anaheim and Ottawa in the Stanley Cup Finals. Anything else you need to know? (OK, I will watch, but would anyone else like to join me?)

Major League Baseball?

The local view is flawed because of our team. Actually, the game is doing well, nationally, but the shadow of Barry Bonds hangs over baseball, and as long as that's there, the image is smudged.

NASCAR?

I'm hesitant to put this sport in with the others, because even the Sumpin' Blowed (thank you, David Casstevens, for giving me that jewel years ago) crowd will have to admit to slippage in what was once a popularity boom.

Admittedly, however, NASCAR is bigger than the NHL, although I doubt Eddie Gossage will take that as a compliment.

Bottom Line:

We live in an NFL world. Flawed and ugly doesn't matter. The Super Bowl is coming to Arlington. And sorry, but I can't help you score tickets.

Randy Galloway's Galloway & Co. can be heard weekdays 3-6 p.m. on ESPN/103.3 FM.

SUPER COWBOYS?

So what are the Cowboys' chances of playing in Super Bowl XLV at their home stadium? Based on history, zero. A team has never played in its home stadium for a Super Bowl, but four teams have played a Super Bowl in their home state.

Super Bowl XI (Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.)

Oakland 32, Minnesota 14

The Raiders traveled downstate to win their first Super Bowl title before 81 million TV viewers, the largest audience to watch a sporting event at the time.

Super Bowl XIV (Rose Bowl)

Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles Rams 19

There was no home-field advantage for the Rams, who played their games at Los Angeles Coliseum, about 20 miles away. The Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl behind MVP Terry Bradshaw.

Super Bowl XIX (Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, Calif.)

San Francisco 38, Miami 16

The 49ers, who played their games at Candlestick Park, did not have to travel far for this rout of the Dolphins. MVP Joe Montana passed for 3 TDs and ran for another.

Super Bowl XXXVII

(Qualcomm Stadium,

San Diego)

Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21

This time, the Raiders had it handed to them in Southern California as the Bucs' defense intercepted five passes, returning three for touchdowns.

Pittsburgh Steelers' top two draft picks injured

2007-05-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Bad news for the Steelers...The Pittsburgh Steelers' top two draft picks, linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, were hurt Friday during the first day of a three-day minicamp and might not practise the rest of the weekend.

Timmons' groin was wrapped following the morning practice and Woodley injured a hamstring. Neither injury is believed to be serious, and both players will be re-examined before the first of two practices Saturday.

Timmons, from Florida State, was the 15th pick in last month's NFL draft. Woodley, from Michigan, was the 46th.

NFL 2007 Schedule Announced

2007-04-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

Big news finally - The NFL has announced its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule for 2007 and it will kick off on Thursday, September 6 when the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts host the New Orleans Saints.
That game will be a rematch of January's AFC title game, won by the Colts 38-34 after they fell behind 20-3. Indianapolis and Peyton Manning, who went on to beat Chicago in the Super Bowl, now have beaten Tom Brady and the Patriots three straight times, including the title game and a victory in Foxborough during the 2006 season.

For the second straight season, the opening Monday night has a doubleheader with Baltimore visiting Cincinnati and San Francisco hosting Arizona.

A few games already appear to be must-see encounters, like the San Diego Chargers visiting the New England Patriots on Monday, Sept. 17.

San Diego had the NFL's best record a year ago at 14-2 and had not lost at home all season but fell to the Patriots 24-21 in the AFC Divisional playoff.

I can't wait.

NFL Draft: New Players Sign the Dotted Line

2007-03-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

The New England Patriots signed free agent cornerback Eddie Jackson. The Patriots did not disclose the terms of the contract. Jackson, who spent the last two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, had six tackles in 14 games last year. . . .

The New York Jets re-signed offensive tackle Anthony Clement, who was an unrestricted free agent entering his 10th NFL season. . . .

Linebacker Colby Bockwoldt signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Bockwoldt played mostly on special teams for the Tennessee Titans last season after two years with the New Orleans Saints, starting 16 games in 2005. . . .

The Detroit Lions signed wide receiver Shaun McDonald to a two-year deal. In four seasons with the St. Louis Rams, McDonald had 106 receptions for 1,215 yards and four touchdowns.

Hard times in the NFL offseason...

2007-03-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Will the Patriots will be good in 2007? In previous years, it seemed the Colts' whole offseason game plan focused on finding a way to beat the Patriots. Now it seems to be reversed. The Pats are filling their holes quite effectively...

NFL Draft: Marcus Hamilton for the Bears?

2007-03-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Chicago Bears: On the surface, the Bears appear to be in pretty good shape at cornerback. Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman are a solid starting pair, and Ricky Manning Jr. played well last year in the nickel package. Nevertheless, Chicago talked to the agent of Virginia cornerback Marcus Hamilton at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Could he be creeping up GM Jerry Angelo's draft board?

Indianapolis Colts News

2007-03-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Buffalo Bills News

2007-03-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl XLI Review

2007-02-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking it easy until next NFL football season.

It pissed rain in Miami, but I watched the game on a big screen with a few cold beers and a few half-time fat burgers.

Feb. 4, 2007 -- Super Bowl XLI: This Recap:

Colts 29, Bears 17

Here's a review of the game I ripped off the Super Bowl site:

Tony Dungy, beaming and sporting an NFL champions cap, waded through the mob on the soggy field until he found his quarterback, Peyton Manning.

And there they stood in the rain, the winning Super Bowl coach and the MVP, finally savoring a moment that was a long time coming.

This wet and wild night of Super Bowl firsts brought Dungy, Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to the top of the NFL with a 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears.

This team built for indoors found its footing on a rain-soaked track. The Colts were far less sloppy, particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game -- the biggest game.

"Peyton is a tremendous player, a great leader," Dungy said. "He prepares, he works, does everything you can do to win games and lead your team. If people think he needed to win a Super Bowl, that is just wrong. This guy is a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest ever to play."

And now he is a champion. So is his coach.

"It's hard to put into words," said Manning, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "I'm proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game for our leader, Tony Dungy."

Dungy became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.

"It feels great. I thought about that as I was on the podium," Dungy said. "Being the first African-American coach to win it. I have to dedicate to some guys before me -- great coaches I know could have done this if they had gotten the opportunity. Lovie and I were able to take advantage of it. We certainly weren't the most qualified."

Dungy's ring wasn't the only first. It also was the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown, when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for 92 yards.

Over the final 49 minutes, Kelvin Hayden and the Colts defense outscored the Bears offense.
And not since the Buffalo Bills self-destructed with nine turnovers in losing to Dallas 14 years ago had there been so much messiness. The first half was marred by six turnovers, three for each team. Even football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal for the Colts, who botched an extra point attempt, too.

When much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbly pass was picked off and returned 56 yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, it was over.

"I'm so proud of our guys," Dungy said. "We took the hit early with Devin Hester. We talked about it; it's going to be a storm. Sometimes you have to work for it. Our guys played so hard and I can't tell you how proud I am of our group, our organization and our city."

Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two interceptions by Grossman.

"This frustrating loss," Grossman said. "There were definitely opportunities for us to take that game, and we didn't do it."

The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore.

It was confirmation of Manning's brilliance, even if he didn't need to be dynamic. The son of a quarterback who never got to the playoffs, Manning has been a star throughout his college career at Tennessee and his nine pro seasons with the Colts.

It also was a validation of Dungy's leadership. The dude helped build Tampa Bay, one of the NFL's worst franchises, into a contender before being fired after the 2001 season. The next year, the Bucs won the Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.

Now it was finally was Dungy's turn. As his players hoisted their coach on their shoulders, he switched his blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions." Dungy was carried from the sideline, then was lowered so he could share a long embrace and a handshake with Smith.

"I just told Lovie how proud I was of the moment," Dungy said

The Colts reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete turnaround in the playoffs.

And with a running game that perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, who combined for 190 yards -- 113 on 21 carries by Rhodes and 77 on 19 carries by Addai, who also caught 10 passes for 66 yards.

Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since its powerhouse 1985 team. These Bears could have used Da Coach, Sweetness and their buddies.

It rained from start to finish; there was even Purple Rain during halftime when Prince sang some of his signature songs. And though Vinatieri twice was a victim of the slop, he kicked three field goals.

"We knew handling the ball would be tough," Dungy said. "We showed we could win many ways."

Hester's spectacular return provided a stunning beginning -- and a severe jolt to the Colts. The local product and only rookie All-Pro this season pumped his arms to excite the crowd before the kickoff, then lifted the fans from their seats with an electrifying run on which he never was touched.

He barely touched the ball again as Indy went to squibbing kickoffs.

Peyton Manning had only one touchdown pass, but consistently moved his team into field-goal range.
Leading 16-14 at halftime, the Colts spent half the third quarter with a march to Vinatieri's 24-yard field goal. Twice on the drive, Manning fell to the ground while throwing. But he completed them.

Grossman had it even worse on Chicago's initial possession of the second half, slipping and getting sacked on back-to-back plays. Maybe he would have done better on icy turf.

Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.

After Hester's opening dagger, Manning tried to force a pass to Marvin Harrison in double coverage and was picked off by Chris Harris to spoil Indy's first possession, but the Colts struck back on their next series, converting a trio of third downs. The final one was the most important -- Manning got everything on a long pass to the uncovered Reggie Wayne even though Tank Johnson had his hands on the quarterback. Wayne trotted into the end zone for a 47-yard score.

Then the rain ruined three plays in a row.

Holder Hunter Smith dropped the snap on the extra point and Vinatieri couldn't get off a kick. Then Vinatieri, well aware of who was lurking deep, squibbed the kickoff to tight end Gabe Reid, who fumbled at his 35, with Tyjuan Hagler recovering for the Colts.

But Manning and Addai botched the handoff on the next snap and Chicago's Mark Anderson recovered, the third turnover in the first 8½ minutes.

Couldn't anybody play this game?

Jones certainly could. The dude used a sharp cutback to break a 52-yard run, the longest of his career, to the Colts 5, and Grossman found Muhammad in the front of the end zone for a 14-6 lead.

Jones finished with 112 yards rushing.

This fourth giveaway in the opening quarter, by Benson on his first carry before injuring his knee, didn't damage Chicago.

Vinatieri, who made two Super Bowl-winning kicks for New England, nailed a 29-yard field goal early in the second period, but was wide left from 32 yards at the end of the half.

Vinatieri still set a record with 49 postseason points.

Colts join the Bears for Superbowl XLI

2007-01-22T00:07:00.000-08:00

WOW! AFC Championship game AFC=A Freakin Classic!! The Indianapolis Colts scored 32 second-half points to record a 38-34 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in a thrill-filled AFC Championship game. I was on the edge of my seat...Indianapolis will face the Chicago Bears (15-3) in Super Bowl XLI in Miami on February 4. I can't wait...

Bears in the Superbowl

2007-01-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Bears overpowered the New Orleans Saints 39-14 in the NFC Championship game.
Now we know half the line up for the 2007 Superbowl...who'll it be for the other half? Colts or Pats? We'll soon find out.

NFL Playoffs...

2007-01-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hey, I was away on vacation for a while so I didn't update. No computers on the beach and that was fine by me. What a great few games got played lately! Cowboys shot down, Giants, Jets and Chiefs all knocked out.
Lookin forward to the Divisional Play-Offs and the Conference Championships...then the big one: Super Bowl XLI in Miami!

NFL Playoffs: COLTS BEAT CHIEFS TO PROGRESS

2007-01-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Rookie Joseph Addai and a solid defensive performance helped the Indianapolis Colts register a 23-8 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Saturday's AFC wild-card game.

Entering the post-season most of the talk around the Colts centred on their porous run defense, which ranked last in the NFL after allowing 173 yards a game and a staggering 5.3 yards per carry.

However, the Colts (13-4) were able to restrict Kansas workhorse Larry Johnson while also having little trouble shutting down the rest of the Chiefs' sputtering offense.

Indianapolis limited Kansas City to 16 total yards on 18 plays in the first half and did not allow a first down until less than four minutes remained in the third quarter.

Johnson, who rushed for 1,789 yards on an NFL record 416 carries during the regular season, was limited to 32 yards on 13 attempts, while Kansas City rushed for just 44 yards.

Defensive end Dwight Freeney led the defensive charge for the Colts, registering a pair of sacks and forcing a fumble.

The Colts held a 435-126 advantage in total yards and gained 28 first downs to just seven for the Chiefs.

Addai had little trouble against the Chiefs' worn-out defense, rushing for 122 yards on 25 carries, while his six-yard touchdown run with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter gave the Colts a 16-0 lead.

Addai's running and three first-half field goals from kicker Adam Vinatieri helped the Colts overcome three interceptions by Payton Manning, who improved to just 4-6 in the post-season.

The Colts play-off journey will continue next weekend when they visit the second seeded Baltimore Ravens (13-3).

Kansas City's Trent Green completed 14-of-24 passes for just 107 yards and two interceptions.

Green found tight end Tony Gonzalez for a six-yard touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter and his two point conversion to Kris Wilson pulled the Chiefs within eight points.

However, Manning directed a nine-play, 71-yard drive, and capped it with a five-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 10:16 remaining, giving the Colts a 23-8 cushion.

The Chiefs needed two scores and went to a hurry-up offense, but Green was picked off in Colts territory by safety Bob Sanders.

Manning completed 30-of-38 passes for 268 yards, while tight end Dallas Clark had nine receptions for 103 yards.

Ty Law had two of the interceptions for the Chiefs (9-8), who were making their first play-off appearance since a 38-31 loss to the Colts in January 2004.

With the Chiefs trailing 6-0, Law's first pick and 43-yard return to the nine early in the second quarter looked like it would change momentum, but Lawrence Tynes hit the left upright with a 23-yard field goal.

The Colts had no such problem in the kicking game with Vinatieri, who was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams with New England before signing with Indianapolis.

Vinatieri connected on field goals of 48, 19 and 50 yards in the first-half, which ended with the Colts holding a 9-0 lead.

In the first half, the Colts held the ball for more than 21 minutes and amassed 15 first downs but failed to get into the end zone.

NFL Playoffs: DRUGSORE COWBOYS!

2007-01-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

Tony Romo mishandled a snap on a close-range field goal with just over a minute remaining as the Dallas Cowboys endured a painful 21-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card game.

Romo revitalised the Cowboys (9-8) this season after replacing veteran Drew Bledsoe as the starting quarterback, and looked like he had guided Dallas to victory after calmly leading his team into field-goal range.

The Cowboys set up for a 19-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining and looked to be on their way to their first play-off win in 10 years.

But Romo bobbled a perfect snap from LP Ladouceur before attempting to run the loose ball but was tripped by Jordan Babineaux just short of a first down at the one-yard line.

Romo had completed a seven-yard pass to Jason Witten on 3rd-and-7 to the 1, a play originally ruled a first down, but after a replay, Witten was ruled to be just shy of the first down - a major factor, as the Seahawks were out of timeouts.

Earlier in the fourth quarter the Cowboys had produced a goal-line stand and the Seahawks had recorded a safety.

Matt Hasselbeck's 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens with 4:24 remaining had given the Seahawks a 21-20 lead after the duo also hooked up for a 15-yard score in the third quarter.

The defending NFC champion Seahawks (10-7) will visit either Chicago or New Orleans next weekend.

NFL Playoffs: PATS SHOOT DOWN JETS

2007-01-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

Using a diversified offense that mixed Tom Brady's precision passing, an effective running attack and a defence that forced two critical turnovers, the New England Patriots strolled to a 37-16 victory over the New York Jets in the AFC wild-card round.

The game matched Bill Belichick, a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach, against Eric Mangini, the Jets' rookie coach who was an assistant under Belichick when the Patriots won championships in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

Mangini left New England to take over the Jets last January and guided them to a split with the Patriots in the two regular-season meetings between the AFC East rivals, including a 17-14 victory here on November 12.

Not much was expected of the Jets, who finished 4-12 last season. But Mangini orchestrated quite a turnaround as New York (10-7) earned the first wild card spot.

However, Belichick has never lost a home play-off game and was not about to drop one to his protege, improving to 7-0, including six wins with the Patriots.

Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

The backfield tandem of Corey Dillon and rookie Laurence Maroney combined to rush for more than 122 yards and Jabar Gaffney caught eight passes for 106 yards.

As is usually the case in the post-season, the Patriots (13-4) also got some big plays from their defence.

Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork recovered a lateral that was deflected by linebacker Rosevelt Colvin and returned it 31 yards to the New York 15.

That set up a 28-yard field goal by rookie Stephen Gostkowski with four seconds left in the third quarter, giving New England a 23-13 lead.

Cornerback Asante Samuel, who tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions this season, sealed the win when he picked off a pass by Chad Pennington and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game.

The fourth-seeded Patriots will play the top-seeded San Diego Chargers (14-2) in the divisional play-offs next Sunday.

NFL Playoffs: EAGLES SOAR TO VICTORY

2007-01-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

David Akers' 38-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Philadelphia Eagles to 23-20 play-off victory over the New York Giants.

The third-seeded Eagles (11-6), who closed the regular season with five straight wins to earn their fifth division title in six years under coach Andy Reid, will face second seeds the New Orleans Saints next Saturday.

Tiki Barber, the Giants' all-time leading rusher who was second in the NFC with 1,662 yards in 2006, ended his career with a disappointing defeat after announcing last month that he would retire at the end of the season.

The Giants (8-9) rallied from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit as Jay Feely kicked a 24-yard field goal 10 seconds into the fourth quarter to reduce the deficit to 20-13.

The Giants tied the game as Eli Manning connected with Plaxico Burress on an 11-yard scoring pass with 5:04 remaining.

But Brian Westbrook upstaged Barber, rushing for 33 yards on Philadelphia's winning drive to set up Akers' field goal, who has now kicked 10 games winning field goals in his career, two in the play-offs.

Westbrook finished with 141 yards on 20 carries, including a 49-yard touchdown, while Barber rushed for 137 yards on 26 carries.

TO fined for spitting

2006-12-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Dallas Cowboys big name TO has been fined US$35,000 by the NFL for spitting in the face of Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall in last Saturday's 38-28 win.

The fine by new commissioner Roger Goodell is more than double the US$17,000 fine levied by former commissioner Paul Tagliabue against Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman in a play-off game last season.

Taylor was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Owens spat on Hall after Dallas' sixth play from scrimmage, but it was not seen by the officials. Earlier in the series, Hall used his forearms to shove Owens.

Then after tight end Jason Witten caught a pass, Owens spat on Hall before heading back to the huddle.

"I got frustrated and I apologise for that (spitting)," Owens said. "It was a situation where he (Hall) kept bugging me and getting in my face."

"I lost all respect for the guy," Hall said of Owens. "You don't spit in another grown man's face."

Owens later beat Hall for a seven-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and a 51-yard score midway through the second quarter. He has 77 catches for 1,040 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Owens played just seven games with the Philadelphia Eagles last season before the club banished him for conduct detrimental to the team. He publicly criticised numerous members of the organisation - including star quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Signed to a three-year, US$25 million contract in the off-season by the Cowboys, Owens created quite a stir when he was admitted to a Dallas hospital on September 26 for what was classified by police as an "accidental overdose" of prescription painkillers.

Bad news for all you Dolphins fans...Culpepper Injured

2006-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Miami Dolphins have shut down Daunte Culpepper for the rest of the year, placing the quarterback on injured reserve.

On November 30, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee.

Culpepper, who turns 30 in January, appeared in just four games with the Dolphins this season before being sidelined with a shoulder injury.

The veteran looked shaky when he did play, throwing for 929 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked 21 times.

With Culpepper at the controls, Miami went just 1-3 and averaged fewer than 13 points. The Dolphins (6-7) have fared much better lately with backup Joey Harrington

who is 5-4 as the starter.

Culpepper underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, MCL and PCL last November while with the Minnesota Vikings. That did not deter the Dolphins from acquiring Culpepper from the Vikings last March for a second-round pick.

In seven-plus seasons with Minnesota and Miami, Culpepper has 21,091 career passing yards and 137 TDs with 89 interceptions.

Weeks 13 and 14 Recaps

2006-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Week 14 Recap

Bears 42-27 Rams
Saints 42-17 Cowboys
Broncos 20-48 Chargers
Bills 31-13 Jets
Seahawks 21-27 Cardinals
Packers 30-19 49ers
Titans 26-20 Texans
Vikings 30-20 Lions
Giants 27-13 Panthers
Eagles 21-19 Redskins
Falcons 17-6 Buccaneers
Colts 17-44 Jaguars
Patriots 0-21 Dolphins
Raiders 10-27 Bengals
Ravens 20-10 Chiefs
Browns 7-27 Steelers

WEEK 13 Recap

Baltimore 7-13 Cincinnati
Arizona 34-20 St. Louis
Atlanta 24-14 Washington
Detroit 21-28 New England
Indianapolis 17-20 Tennessee
Kansas City 28-31 Cleveland (OT)
Minnesota 13-23 Chicago
N.Y. Jets 38-10 Green Bay
San Diego 24-21 Buffalo
San Francisco 10-34 New Orleans
Jacksonville 24-10 Miami
Houston 23-14 Oakland
Tampa Bay 3-20 Pittsburgh
Dallas 23-20 N.Y. Giants
Seattle 23-20 Denver
Carolina 24-27 Philadelphia

NFL Week 12 Sunday Recap

2006-11-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

Don't mention my NFL picks for this week...ah well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad as Meatloaf one sang...

The upsets continued in Week 12. Losing teams such as the Titans, Redskins and Bills all won on Sunday. Meanwhile, we had a few predictable results mixed in for a change, as Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Minnesota took care of business.

Baltimore 27 Pittsburgh 0

The Steelers were like a train wreck in this one: horrible to watch and sad by the time it was over. Looks like the Ravens are digging in for a Super Bowl run.

Washington 17 Carolina 13

Rookie Jason Campbell wins in only his second NFL start and the Redskins really throw the Panthers for a loop. Jake Delhomme continues to struggle with his downfield decision-making and Ladell Betts did his best Clinton Portis impersonation.

New Orleans 31 Atlanta 13

This was the day that Jim Mora, Jr. unofficially lost his job. The Falcons will not recover from this loss, that’s for darn certain. Meanwhile, it’s amazing how much better the Saints look when they don’t turn the ball over. The road dog prevailed.

St. Louis 20 San Francisco 17

A bad loss for the 49ers. They played a good road game and did cover the spread. But a last minute touchdown sealed their fate. No matter, this is a team on the upswing and they should be proud. As for the Rams? Well, they are now tied with the 49ers and ended a rather lengthy losing streak.

New York Jets 26 Houston 11

New York continued their winning ways against inferior opponents and are now in position to challenge for a playoff spot. They easily covered the spread at home. The Texans are a bad team that played hard enough to win a few games accidentally this season.

Minnesota 31 Arizona 26

This was a typical Cardinals game where they do just enough to lose the contest. It was a wild ending with a familiar result for Arizona money line backers. Meanwhile, Brad Johnson looked good for the first time in a while, but not good enough for the Vikings to cover as a home favorite.

Cincinnati 30 Cleveland 0

Another shutout in Week 12. So much for the notion that the Browns hadn’t packed in their season yet. Looks like Marvin Lewis is hell bent on fixing his defense. So far so good. A big cover for the road favorite and an under for the total in this outcome.

Buffalo 27 Jacksonville 24

It was the most predictable home dog cover in quite some time. Sure the final score was close, but the Jags never really showed they were ready to win this game outright. A nice over for total bettors here.

San Diego 21 Oakland 14

Too bad Oakland couldn’t pull off the monumental upset.

Tennessee 24 New York 21

Vince Young took over the fourth quarter and willed his team to victory. Sure, he was helped by some stupidity on the Giants’ part, but man he is fun to watch. A nice underdog win for the home team.

New England 17 Chicago 13

The Pats turned the ball over five times and managed to win anyway on the strength of Rex Grossman’s poor decision-making and four turnovers. New England is looking great, while Chicago simply wants to play a home game after three straight road games. The under was golden here as well.

Indianapolis 45 Philadelphia 21

The Colts were apparently tired of the talk that they couldn’t cover a big spread or blow out an opponent. They came out on fire and never let up. The Eagles were horrible on defense and allowed the Colts to cover the big spread and run the total points of the game over the number.

NFL Week 12 Picks

2006-11-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

Here's my picks. I won't be putting much money on them though...

If Thanksgiving Thursday was any indication, perhaps favorites are the way to go with our picks this week. Although, recent weeks’ results have suggested that the league is anything but predictable. Nevertheless, we feel we have three solid plays to give out this week.

Buffalo +3

The Bills entertain the Jaguars and are coming off a hard fought win over Houston. We know, it should never be a hard fought win against the Texans, but it certainly was for Buffalo in Week 11. J.P. Losman had career numbers and the Bills may very well get Willis McGahee back in the lineup this Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville is a very inconsistent team. They now have 12 players on IR and the ones that are playing are sore. The Jags may very well win this road game in the cold at Buffalo, but if they do it’ll be extremely close. Take the Bills and the points.

New England -3.5

The recent suspension of Chicago DB Ricky Manning for the game against the Patriots hasn’t gotten a lot of fanfare. However, with DB Mike Brown already gone for the season and Pats’ QB Tim Brady coming off a great game, it does not bode well for Chicago.

Rex Grossman has proven to be fallible and the New England secondary should be able to give him fits. The Pats have lost a couple of games at home in a row and we don’t see them losing a third. Take New England and lay the points.

San Francisco +5

Our only road pick of the week, the 49ers are coming off three straight wins. Their defense has been winning them games of late and Alex Smith has been managing the offense quite efficiently. But the real story has got to be Frank Gore. His sheer dominance has been nothing short of spectacular.

St. Louis is fresh off being shutout in Carolina. The Rams have always had a great offense and so this shutout has got to be rattling their confidence. Meanwhile, their defense has been horrible during their five-game losing streak. To ask them to win by at least six points right now is just not smart. Take the points and the 49ers.

NFL Thanksgiving Recap

2006-11-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

Eating Turkey, drinking beer and watching football is what Thanksgiving is all about...

Three predictable results happened on Thanksgiving. All three teams that were underdogs lost and it makes me wonder whether or not favorites will clean up on the weekend as well. Here’s a look back.

Dolphins 27 Lions 10

Joey Harrington had more touchdown passes in the first quarter in this game than he had in four previous Thanksgiving Day starts in Detroit. Miami was relentless on the defensive line and thoroughly embarrassed the Lions’ running game. The Dolphins have now won four games in a row and are primed to make a run at a wildcard spot. It was an under, and Miami covered.

Cowboys 38 Buccaneers 10

The legend of Tony Romo grows from week-to-week, as he threw a Cowboy record-tying five touchdown passes en route to an easy win over Tampa Bay. The Bucs’ offensive line is just not very good and their defense has suffered too many injuries to play with good teams. Terrell Owens is having a blast catching (and dropping) passes from Romo and that, in turn, is making Bill Parcells a happy man. It was an over and Dallas covered.

Chiefs 19 Broncos 10

Larry Johnson was simply too much for the Broncos in this one. The big back had a field day in the second half for Kansas City. Alas, it’s getting sad to watch Denver’s offense operate with kid gloves every week under Jake Plummer. We can only hope Cutler gets the call in 10 days versus the Seahawks. The Chiefs covered and the under prevailed.

NFL Week 11 Review

2006-11-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

It was a good weekend of NFL Football...

Dallas ended the last unbeaten record in the NFL this season by beating Indianapolis 21-14 on Sunday.

Marion Barber scored twice in the final period and quarterback Tony Romo was just about perfect in the second half as the Cowboys came from behind to win.

They move to 6-4 on the season and keep their playoff hopes very much alive while the Colts fall to 9-1.

Chicago continued their march towards the playoffs by shutting out the New York Jets 10-0 at the Meadowlands.

Chad Pennington and the Jets were able to move the ball against Chicago's vaunted defense.

But they were unable to get the points their yardage merited and it was the Bears who made the plays to move to 9-1 on the season.

A Robbie Gould field goal in the third quarter opened the scoring after the first half ended 0-0.

And then Rex Grossman hit Mark Bradley with a 57-yard touchdown pass to clinch victory.

New England bounced back to winning ways with a crushing 35-0 win over Green Bay.

Tom Brady threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns in a superb display, while opposite number Brett Favre left early with an elbow injury.

Baltimore continued their fine season by beating Atlanta 24-10 to move to 8-2.

Jamal Lewis rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns as the Ravens recovered from an early deficit to severely damage Atlanta's playoff hopes.

Philadelphia lost Donovan McNabb for the season with a torn cruciate ligament as their playoff hopes took a huge nosedive in a 31-13 defeat by Tennessee.

Travis Henry rushed for 143 yards - including a 70-yard score - as the Titans caused an upset.

San Francisco (5-5) are surprise contenders for the NFC West title after beating Seattle (6-4) 20-14.

Frank Gore powered his way to 212 yards rushing on just 24 carries to lead the 49ers to a famous victory.

Carolina (now 6-4) kept their post-season hopes alive by shutting out St Louis 15-0.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries as the Panthers controlled proceedings and Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith with a 62-yard scoring pass.

Cincinnati bounced back from that heartbreaking defeat by the Chargers last weekend to notch a surprise victory 31-16 in New Orleans.

Carson Palmer threw for 275 yards and three scores - all to the unstoppable Chad Johnson (six catches for 190 yards).

Cincy improves to 5-5 with the win while the Saints fall to 6-4.

Larry Johnson rumbled for 154 yards and two scores as Kansas City beat hapless Oakland 17-13 to improve to 6-4.

And Miami's defense produced two touchdowns as the Dolphins continued their recent renaissance by beating Minnesota 24-20.

Renaldo Hill returned a fumble 48 yards for a score while Jason Taylor brought back an interception 51 yards.

Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh needed two scores in the dying minutes to beat Cleveland 24-20.

Willie Parker obliged for both, the second a four-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger with just 32 seconds remaining.

Lee Evans caught 11 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns as Buffalo beat Houston 24-21.

Both of his scores were 83-yarders from JP Losman and both came in the opening quarter.

But it took a 15-yarder from Losman to Peerless Price in the final two minutes to clinch victory after the Bills had fallen behind.

Jason Campbell threw two TDs in his first start for Washington but it wasn't enough to avoid a 20-17 loss to Tampa Bay.

Matt Leinart got his first victory as a pro when Arizona beat Detroit 17-10. He threw for 233 yards and a score.

Bears Bite Back

2006-11-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Week 10 of the NFL gave us plenty of excitement...

Rookie Devin Hester matched the longest play in NFL history by returning a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bears made a loud statement with a 38-20 victory over the New York Giants.

Hester fielded Jay Feely's kick that came up short and after briefly hesitating, he raced untouched down the right sideline, picking up blocks along the way.

The Giants suffered more injury problems, including one to running back Tiki Barber, who played most of the game with a damaged hand.

Tony Romo threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 27-10 win over rookie Matt Leinart and the inept Arizona Cardinals.

Josh Brown kicked a 38-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to give the Seattle Seahawks a 24-22 victory over the St Louis Rams.

Jake Plummer completed 11 consecutive passes at one point in the second half and threw a pair of touchdowns to guide the Denver Broncos to a 17-13 triumph over AFC West rivals Oakland.

Willie Parker enjoyed the best rushing performance of the 2006 season as the Pittsburgh Steelers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 38-31 success over New Orleans.

Rian Lindell missed a 41-yard field goal attempt with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter and the Indianapolis Colts consumed the rest of the clock to beat the Buffalo Bills 17-16 on Sunday.

The lone unbeaten team left in the NFL, the Colts became the first team to start 9-0 in consecutive seasons. In 2005, they were 13-0 before losing at home to San Diego.

The Bills (3-6) nearly ruined the script.

Lindell made field goals of 22, 43 and 30 yards, but was wide right on his potential game-winning attempt.

Elsewhere, Brett Favre threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 23-17 victory over Minnesota.

Favre put on a vintage performance in carving up the Vikings' defence, including a go-ahead 82-yard TD pass to Donald Driver in the final minute of the first half.

He finished 24-of-42 with no interceptions.

There was a thrilling game in Cincinnati where San Diego posted a 49-41 victory.

LaDainian Tomlinson matched his career high and franchise record with four rushing touchdowns and Philip Rivers threw for 337 yards and three scores for the Chargers.

The Bengals (4-5) made 545 yards but still lost after blowing a 21-point lead.

Tomlinson now leads the NFL with 18 touchdowns, including 16 rushing. He finished with 104 yards on 22 carries.

Ronnie Brown rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown and the Miami Dolphins contained Larry Johnson en route to a 13-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brown carried 25 times, including a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which gave Miami a 13-0 lead.

Defensively, the Dolphins limited Johnson to 75 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown which wasn't enough.

The New York Jets beat AFC East rivals New England for the first time in eight attempts, winning 17-14.

Chad Pennington hooked up with Jerricho Cotchery for a key touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Jets capitalised on a late interception.

The result marked the first time since 2002 that the Patriots had lost consecutive games.

Houston also snapped an unwanted streak, winning for the first time on the road since December 2004, a run covering 12 winless games.

The Texans intercepted David Garrard four times en route to a 13-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dunta Robinson, Morlon Greenwood, Demarcus Faggins and Anthony Weaver had interceptions for Houston, who beat the Jags for the second time in three weeks.

Tennessee old boy Steve McNair hit Derrick Mason with an 11-yard touchdown pass with 3:35 remaining to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 27-26 victory over the Titans.

Thanks to McNair, the Ravens (7-2) have now made their best start in franchise history and own a commanding three-game lead over Cincinnati in the AFC North.

At first it appeared that McNair's return would be upstaged by rookie Vince Young as he helped the Titans build a 26-7 lead.

But McNair remained unflappable and chipped away at the lead before firing the winning touchdown to Mason, another former Titan.

In an all-NFC East clash, the Philadelphia Eagles coasted to a 27-3 victory over Washington.

Donte' Stallworth, Correll Buckhalter and cornerback Sheldon Brown all scored touchdowns for the Eagles, while the Redskins (3-6) lost Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis to a broken right hand in the first quarter.

The Cleveland Browns physically pounded Michael Vick en route to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Star quarterback Vick completed just 16-of-40 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions while also losing a fumble.

In the second quarter, Vick also briefly left the game after taking a hard shot as the Falcons suffered their second straight disappointing loss.

In the day's other game, Frank Gore rushed for a career-high 159 yards and a touchdown and Joe Nedney kicked four field goals to lead the San Francisco 49ers to a 19-13 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Dolphins Beat Bears

2006-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chris Chambers celebrates his 24-yard touchdown reception during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on November 5, 2006. The Dolphins won 31-13.

NFL Week 9 - Bears no longer perfect

2006-11-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

Joey Harrington tossed three TD passes as Miami Dolphins shocked Chicago
31-13 to hand the unbeaten Bears their first loss of the season yesterday.
With just one win this season the Dolphins (2-6) were not expected to present
the heavily favoured Bears with much of challenge, particularly at home
where they were unbeaten in their last 10 games at Soldier Field.

In other games yesterday:

Detroit Lions (2-6) polished off visiting Atlanta Falcons (5-3) in a 30-14
decision. The hometown Baltimore Ravens (6-2) jumped ahead 14-0 in the first five
minutes and never looked back in a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals (4-4).

Washington kicker Nick Novak had a second chance to kick a gamewinning FG in the dying
seconds, nailing this one after missing a 49-yarder with 31 seconds to go, to
lift the hometown Redskins (3-5) to a 22-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys (4-4).

Green Bay Packers (3-5) surrendered a 24-10 loss to the hometown Buffalo Bills (3-5).
Hometown NY Giants (6-2) knocked off the Houston Texans (2-6) by a score of 14-10.
Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) took a 31-17 win over the hometown St. Louis Rams (4-4).

Visiting New Orleans Saints (6-2) continued their winning ways with a 31-14
rollover of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6). Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) disposed of the visiting
Tennessee Titans (2-6) by a score of 37-7.

San Francisco 49ers (3-5) won a game of FGs in a 9-3 snorefest over the visiting Minnesota Vikings
(4-4). The hometown Super Bowl champs Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) again failed to show why they were
champs last season, in a 31-20 loss to the Denver Broncos (6-2).

San Diego Chargers (6-2) held off the visiting Cleveland Browns (2-6) by a score of 32-25.

NFL Football Picks Week 9 - Fantasy...

2006-11-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Fantasy football picks for week 9...I haven't been doing too well lately.

Shawne Merriman tests positive for steroids and the biggest question is whether he will or won’t appeal. Would the public’s response be the same if a baseball player of his equivalent, such as Justin Morneau, tested positive for juicing? Somehow I doubt it. Here's my fantasy player match-ups:

Group 1

Carson Palmer
LaDainian Tomlinson
Andre Johnson

vs

Peyton Manning
Larry Johnson
Hines Ward

Both quarterbacks in this group head into hostile environments as Carson Palmer heads into Baltimore while Peyton Manning travels to Gillette Stadium in New England. Manning has thrown 14 INT’s in 11 games vs the Patriots and his team might have to rely heavily on Larry Johnson and Hines Ward to carry them. Palmer teams with Tomlinson, the hottest fantasy commodity at this point, and Andre Johnson, who leads the NFL in receiving. Pick: Carson Palmer, LaDainian Tomlinson, Andre Johnson

Group 2

Tom Brady
Willie Parker
Reggie Wayne

vs

Eli Manning
Tiki Barber
Jeremy Shockey

Tom Brady has led the Patriots to a quiet 6-1 but they won’t fly under the radar with a win this week. He teams with fast Willie Parker, whose five rushing touchdowns rank fourth-best in the NFL, and Reggie Wayne, who is off a monster three touchdown performance. They square off with an all-Giants team, led by the NFL’s leading rusher, Tiki Barber. They will host the Houston Texans this weekend. Pick: Eli Manning, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey

Group 3

Drew Brees
Steven Jackson
Marvin Harrison

vs

Philip Rivers
Clinton Portis
Torry Holt

The former Chargers’ quarterbacks face-off once again in our fantasy match-ups and while Philip Rivers has been a pillar of consistency, Drew Brees will look to get back to his winning ways after a couple of ugly interceptions last week. He teams with Steven Jackson, who has piled up over 800 total yards but only has three touchdowns to show for his efforts, and Marvin Harrison. Rivers will work with Clinton Portis, who is battling a high ankle sprain and Torry Holt, who leads the NFL with seven receiving touchowns. Pick: Philip Rivers, Clinton Portis, Torry Holt

Group 4

Michael Vick
Chester Taylor
Roy Williams

vs

Marc Bulger
Warrick Dunn
Steve Smith

Michael Vick has played like a fantasy stud the past two weeks, compiling 618 yards and seven touchdowns. Given his hot streak, he should have an easy time of things carving up the meager Detroit Lions. The quarterback on the other side, Marc Bulger, returns to his friendly indoor confines this week and will try to keep the Rams atop the NFC West. Look for both Warrick Dunn and Chester Taylor to get back on track after mild production last week. Pick: Marc Bulger, Warrick Dunn, Steve Smith

Group 5

Wide Receivers
Darrell Jackson
Anquan Boldin
Laveranues Coles
Javon Walker

Pick: Anquan Boldin

Group 6

Running Backs
Willis McGahee
Kevin Jones
Julius Jones
Rudi Johnson

Pick: Willis McGahee

Week 8 in the NFL

2006-10-31T10:09:00.000-08:00

Week 8 in the NFL was a doozy. More upsets, more great endings and hopefully more money won for all of you. The epic AFC showdown in Mile High lived up to its hype, the defending champs continued their freefall and a new star was born in Big D. Road teams were fantastic to bet on in Week 8. Here’s how I saw it.

Packers 31 Cardinals 14

It’s not rocket science. Brett Favre didn’t turn over the ball for the second consecutive week and the Packers once again got a good ground attack going. As for the Cards? Well, let’s just say the Dennis Green tenure is winding down. The Pack covered easily and pushed that total over.

Falcons 29 Bengals 27

Michael Vick a pocket passer? Well, seven TDs and only two INTs in his last two games say so. Atlanta is banged up on defense, so they’ll need to keep scoring in order to win. Cincy is a getting worse and worse on defense. A nice over and a road dog covered.

Ravens 35 Saints 22

The clock hasn’t exactly struck midnight on the Cinderella Saints. However, they were very rusty coming out of the bye week and Reggie Bush was terrible. Meanwhile, coach Billick called the plays and did a nice job for Baltimore. An easy over and another road dog covered.

Titans 28 Texans 22

It wasn’t pretty (no one thought it would be), but Vince Young racked up another win. The Texans flat out stink, especially in the defensive secondary. I saw the home team cover and a surprising over.

Jaguars 13 Eagles 6

Two of the more puzzling teams in the NFL squared off and it was a dogfight. Jacksonville seemed to have more bite than Philly, especially defensively. Despite the high spread favoring the hometown Eagles, Jacksonville forced an under and covered the spread easily.

Chiefs 35 Seahawks 28

Damon Huard continues to be the story in KC. While Seneca Wallace was decent in his first NFL start, the Chiefs wanted it more and got it. As expected, this was an over, but the spread was either a wash or a KC cover, depending on when you got it.

Bears 41 49ers 10

I told you the Bears would be angry and they took it out on the poor 49ers. It was ugly and most viewers turned it off at halftime. Despite the high spread, Chicago covered and pushed this to an over.

Giants 17 Bucs 3

New York continued their strong play and the Bucs failed once again to post any kind of offensive attack. Tiki Barker is the end all of the Giants’ offense and everyone knows it. Too bad there’s nothing you can do about it. It was a big cover for the Giants and an easy under the total.

Chargers 38 Rams 24

I knew it would be high-scoring, but I were skeptical at the Chargers covering the high number of points they had to lay. Nevertheless, San Diego rode a hot Rivers and Tomlinson, and St. Louis couldn’t keep up. The over prevailed as well.

Colts 34 Broncos 31

An epic performance by Peyton Manning made everyone believe in the Colts as a Super Bowl favorite once again. Denver was much better on offense, but their defense let them down for the first time all season. A road dog win by Indy and an over result for the total points.

Browns 20 Jets 13

Do I have to recap this game? No one likes to bet on either of these two teams. The Jets really disappointed us in this low-scoring affair. I don’t want to hear about them the rest of the season.

Raiders 20 Steelers 13

Oakland used an improving defense to prevail here. The Steelers have got to get Big Ben out of there, at least for now. Don’t look for the Raiders to cover every week, but it was a nice home underdog win and an under for the total.

Cowboys 35 Panthers 14

It didn’t look like an over midway through this one, but the Dallas offense took it up a notch in the fourth quarter. Tony Romo has the fans whipped into a frenzy in Texas. It was another road dog cover in this tilt, while the over was a nice bet as well. Jake Delhomme is costing his team some games right now.

Patriots 31 Vikings 7

Well, I knew Minnesota would eventually give up 20 points in a game, I just didn’t know it would be over 30 points! The under hung on to win here, but Tom Brady made sure the Pats covered easily.

Giants 36 Cowboys 22

2006-10-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

What the hell happened the Cowboys?

The NY Giants easily whipped the Cowboys, 36-22, in the Monday night football game, helped by Tiki Barber's individual performance.

It was the first time in history that the Giants (4-2) beat the Cowboys (3-3) on Monday night at Texas Stadium.

Barber had 114 yards rushing and another 32 receiving for the Giants, who won their third straight game and took over first place in the NFC East.

The running back is now just 60 receiving yards away from joining Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with 9,000 career rushing yards and 5,000 receiving.

Eli Manning threw for 189 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns; Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey each caught TD passes for New York. Michael Strahan notched two of the Giants' six sacks to tie the legendary Lawrence Taylor for the franchise record with 132 1/2 in his career.

Drew Bledsoe completed 7-of-12 passes for 112 yards with an interception for the Cowboys before being benched for ineffectiveness in the third quarter.

Good game, but the Cowboys should've done better!!

Week 7 NFL Recap

2006-10-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

It was another great weekend of football with another few surprizes:

Bengals 17 Panthers 14

Carolina shot out of the gate and just plain ran out of steam. Cincinnati was in bad shape early on, looking very pathetic on offense and very beatable on defense. But Marvin Lewis made better halftime adjustments than John Fox and Cincy got back on track. Most bettors got this one as a push and the under prevailed.

Jets 31 Lions 24

New York's Leon Washington ran the ball very well and the Detroit defense continued to allow too many yards on the ground. Kevin Jones was ok, but he needs to play hard for 60 minutes to make a difference. Jets backers were victorious, as were those who took the over.

Packers 34 Dolphins 24

Brett Favre didn’t turn the ball over and the result was a road win. Green Bay picked Joey Harrington three times and failed to get a good game from Ronnie Brown yet again. Meanwhile, Ahman Green returned and had a great day. A win here for the road dog and for over backers.

Texans 27 Jaguars 7

Huh? How did this happen? Byron Leftwich failed to stretch the field against a poor Houston secondary, that’s how. Throwing for only 125 yards is an embarrassment. When two of your top three receivers on the day are RBs, there’s a problem. A huge underdog play here and several Houston money line bettors cleaned up.

Patriots 28 Bills 6

It appears as though the Bills have mailed in their season. A pity, they were playing so hard the first four weeks of the season. Tom Brady is loving this two-headed running game he’s got going. He can consistently throw under 200 yards a game and they can still win big. An easy money line and spread cover for New England bettors.

Bucs 23 Eagles 21

Too many turnovers cost Philadelphia the game. McNabb made some poor decisions, while Tampa’s defense got back to making big play after big play. Ronde Barber covered the spread single handedly for Bucs backers. A nice home dog win.

Falcons 41 Steelers 38 (OT)

It was one of the most exciting games of the week and it was only fitting that overtime was required. Michael Vick showed up the critics with several big throws, including four touchdown passes. Pittsburgh’s pass defense was bad in the clutch and Willie Parker was stymied time after time. The unpredictable Falcons were a nice home dog and the over was accomplished in the first half!

Chiefs 30 Chargers 27

It’s hard to figure out these Chiefs, but the home dog prevailed in a wacky affair. They blew a big lead before getting a last second field goal for the win. San Diego’s running game never got on track, while Larry Johnson was the weapon of choice for Herm Edwards. We’re definitely not sold on KC as a road bet just yet.

Broncos 17 Browns 7

Jake Plummer haters got more fuel for the fire with his latest performance. However, that Denver defense is just out of this world right now. It was a road favorite covering here, simply because of the impenetrable nature of the Broncos stoppers.

Raiders 22 Cardinals 9

Wow, did Matt Leinart ever suck us in with his performance against the Bears, or what? Arizona layed an egg here, as their offensive line could be even worse than that of the Raiders. Despite having talented offensive players, I doubt they will get a 100-yard rushing performance the entire season! Randy Moss had a breakout game and Andrew Walter is getting better. You may want to watch the over in Oakland’s next game.

Vikings 31 Seahawks 13

This was an upset few people saw coming, as evidenced by the touchdown spread. The road dog covered by running the ball effectively and by knocking out Hasselbeck. Hmm, maybe the Super Bowl runner-up jinx is slowly taking effect in Seattle.

Colts 36 Redskins 22

A slow start by the Colts turned into a nice win by game’s end. The ground attack once again took a backseat to Peyton the magician, who had over 340 yards passing and four TDs. Brunell was good, but not nearly good enough. Indy needed a fairly easy win.

TO Interview: Corn in his What!?

2006-10-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

NFL Week 7: Two teams are still undefeated...

2006-10-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Two teams are still undefeated and with the Bears beating the Cardinals on Monday night, it assures us that at least one team will remain undefeated until at least Week 8 of this NFL season. Whether or not there are two unbeaten teams depends upon the the Indianapolis Colts as they ride in to take on the Broncos on Sunday. There are three divisional games this coming weekend, and there is plenty on the line as the Cowboys visit Carolina, the Jaguars visit the Eagles, Baltimore go into New Orleans and the Falcons drop in on the Bengals. Or maybe you’d like to watch the Texans take their game to the Tennessee Titans. But I wouldn’t bet on it!

Can the Bengals Continue to Roar?

2006-10-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Last month, it seemed the Cincinnati Bengals could do no wrong. They jumped out of the gate to a 3-0 record straight up and against the spread. How quickly a club’s fortunes can change; October hasn’t been nearly as kind. The offense is sputtering, the defense isn’t much better, and Cincinnati is in a funk after two upset losses. Yet the Bengals are still getting plenty of love at the books. Cincy is a 3-point home favorite for Sunday’s matchup against the surging Carolina Panthers. The total is set at 45.

Carson Palmer started off the season looking like an MVP. Now the rumblings from NFL scouts suggest Palmer is still not fully recovered from his offseason knee surgery. The former Heisman Trophy winner with USC hasn’t thrown a pick in Cincinnati’s two losses, but Palmer has also completed just one touchdown pass during that span, and he’s been sacked six times.

That number could go up sharply against the Panthers. Left tackle Levi Jones injured his knee in this past week’s 14-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the Bengals were 4.5-point road faves). Jones is staring at arthroscopic surgery, which would put him on the sidelines next to starting center Rich Braham, also out of commission with a knee injury. Palmer is already not the most mobile quarterback; with his offensive line racked by injuries, there will be a bright red target on Palmer’s back this Sunday.

The Bengals’ defense has managed to stay out of the infirmary (and the courthouse) for the most part this year. Now they need to do something to keep opposing running backs off the scoresheet. Cincinnati is allowing 140.4 yards per game on the ground, ranking 25th out of 32 teams in that department. Fortunately for the Bengals, Carolina’s rushing attack has been anything but stellar this season. DeShaun Foster has just one touchdown to his name, and according to Football Outsiders, was the worst-rated rusher in Week 6 with 58 yards on 26 carries against the Baltimore Ravens.

With Carolina’s future RB star DeAngelo Williams expected to miss this week’s game due to an ankle injury, all indications are that the Panthers will continue to give Foster plenty of touches in an attempt to pound the Bengals into submission. But the marquee player on the Cats remains QB Jake Delhomme, who threw for 365 yards against the Ravens and looks much more comfortable in the pocket these days than Palmer does. Delhomme led Carolina past Baltimore as a 3-point road dog to cash in for the second time in a row and improve to 4-2 SU and 2-4 ATS.

Bears Beat Cardinals in Killer Comeback

2006-10-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Arizona 23, Chicago 3? Turned out to be just a nail-biting game. Six turnovers, 3 points on offense, and somehow the Chicago Bears are still unbeaten.

Somehow, some way, the Bears rallied from 20 points down at halftime and escaped with a 24-23 victory in Arizona on Monday night, leaving the shellshocked Cardinals to ponder yet another excruciating late-game collapse.

The Bears are off to their best start in 20 years at 6-0. For that, they can thank their defense, punt returner Devin Hester and Arizona kicker Neil Rackers. Let's just see how long they can keep this run going for...

NFL Week 6 Recap

2006-10-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Upsets and drama were rampant in Week 6 of the NFL season. We saw several teams come through in the clutch, including some previously winless teams. Here's a look at how each team fared on Sunday.

Panthers 23 Ravens 21

It's hard to peg these Carolina Panthers. First they lose a couple of games and then they rattle off four wins in a row. While the running game didn't do much here, neither did that of the Ravens. Carolina's defense appears to be improving and getting the big stops, while Baltimore's offense is abysmal. It was a road dog cover and an over win for bettors here.

Cowboys 34 Texans 6

Dallas backers were nervous early on, as Houston managed to keep things close heading into the half. However, the Cowboys got their ground game going in the third quarter and got to David Carr the rest of the game. It was an easy cover for Dallas.

Lions 20 Bills 17

Detroit was one of three winless teams to get their first win Sunday. It was a hard fought victory over Buffalo. The Bills started slow in this one and it cost them. Kevin Jones had a couple of key first down runs in the final quarter, as Detroit finally learned how to finish a ball game and was home underdog winner.

Saints 27 Eagles 24

It's official, I am now believer in the Saints. At 5-1, there's no more disputing them as a top tier team. The Eagles' defense was just not good enough in this one, as Drew Brees was able to bring his team back late after they had given up a big lead. He held his own with Donovan McNabb and now Saints bettors after sitting on a pile of money.

Giants 27 Falcons 14

It was a case of the New York defensive line duplicating their performance from Week 5 and Michael Vick being kept in the pocket. Jeremy Shockey played and was great, as was Tikki Barker. Giants backers not only covered as a road dog, but they won the game outright! Atlanta looks like a shaky bet right now.

Jets 20 Dolphins 17

Did people really sit down and watch this entire game? Wow, brave souls. It wasn't pretty, but New York covered and got the job done. Defense and sloppy offensive play ruled this contest, as New York squared their record and proved once and for all that Joey Harrington is not an NFL quarterback.

Broncos 13 Raiders 3

Denver continued their strong defensive play and Oakland continued to give the ball away. Bad penalties and poor decision-making marred this Raiders team in Denver. Oakland actually outgained the Broncos, but Denver made fewer mistakes.

Steelers 45 Chiefs 7

Finally, the real Steelers showed up for a full game. That big play defense made big plays and Pittsburgh climbed right back into the thick of things in the AFC North. Ben Roethlisberger had his best game of the season and Damon Huard didn't. The Steelers covered the big touchdown spread midway in the first quarter!

Chargers 48 49ers 19

Philip Rivers is getting more and more comfortable in that offense and LaDanaian Tomlinson proved why he is the best runningback in the game. San Francisco looked okay on offense, but their defensive secondary was brutal. The Chargers covered the huge spread easily.

Seahawks 30 Rams 28

This one was the most exciting game of the day. Seattle failed to cover as a road favorite, as St. Louis raced out to a big lead before crumbling late. A 54-yard game-winning field goal sent Seattle money line bettors to the bank.

Bucs 14 Bengals 13

Another winless team gets a victory in Week 6, albeit not without a little controversy. A reviewed TD by Clayton seals the deal for Tampa Bay. The Bengals played well on defense, but their offense looked rusty coming off a bye week. Bettors saw another home underdog pay off.

Titans 25 Redskins 22

Speaking of winless teams getting their first victory... How about being a 10.5 point underdog and winning outright! Tennessee got a fantastic day on the ground from Travis Henry and a composed start from Vince Young. Mark Brunell and the Washington offense was sub par and their defense had some tackling issues.

TO Suicide Attempt?

2006-10-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

No way...that's all I say, not until he blows all those millions he's sitting on.

Will the Terrell Owens Media Hype Damage the Cowboys?

2006-10-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Cowboys 2007 Super Bowl odds continue to get worse following the reported suicide attempt of controversial receiver Terrell Owens.

According to reports, Owens tried to kill himself by overdosing on pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened, according to a police report obtained Wednesday.

The report said Owens was asked by rescue workers if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time (he) stated, "Yes".

The Dallas police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV. Police scheduled a news conference for later Wednesday morning. A spokesperson for Owens denied he had tried to commit suicide, instead claiming that the NFL star had mixed pain killers with other supplements by accident.

In response to the news, bookmaker BetUS.com gave the Cowboys longer odds of winning a 2007 Super Bowl championship, now listing them with odds of 20-1.

Bears on a Roll?

2006-10-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

At 5-0 on the season, the Chicago Bears are widely considered the top team in the NFL. How good are they? Chicago ranks fourth in offensive ypg, third in defensive ypg, they’re allowing a league-low 7.2 ppg, their kicker hasn’t missed a field goal and they have one shutout to their credit.

You know what the next logical question has to be, right? The dreaded talk of an undefeated season. Everything is going right for this Bears team. The offense is balanced and lighting the league on fire, the defense is feared in every opposing city and there doesn’t seem to be any controversy in sight surrounding the club.

Indeed, everything is perfect in the Midwest. So why not talk about a perfect season in 2006? Forget the notion of a jinx or superstition, this team is well above those things. It starts with the steady demeanor of Coach Lovie Smith, continues with the tremendous leadership and work ethic of Brian Urlacher, and ends with the intensity and fire that Rex Grossman brings to the table. Don’t bet against the Bears going undefeated.

You may want to write down the noteworthy date of August 25th. That was the last time Chicago lost a game- albeit in preseason. It was a 23-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, who just happen to be this week’s opponents (who gave a woeful organization like the Cardinals a Monday night game anyway?).

Monday night will be win number six on the season and one that will come at the expense of young quarterback Matt Leinart. Making only his second start in the NFL, young Mr. Leinart will be in for a very rocky ride. With Swiss cheese for an offensive line, expect the 2006 first round pick to spend a lot of time getting to know the field intimately.

Amazingly, the following week Chicago has a chance to avenge their other preseason loss, this time playing San Francisco. The 49ers beat the Bears 28-14 on August 11 and so Chicago will already be familiar with their victims for win number seven.

After that, there are only a couple of games on the slate that appear to be challenges. The Bears visit the Giants and Patriots in the month of November, both tough opponents. However, if the Bears continue to get a good ground attack, there’s no reason to think they can’t win both affairs. While New York will probably need the victory very badly in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, New England should be coasting to another division crown by then. We should make mention that the Giants did spoil the ’98 Broncos’ attempt at a perfect season with a home win, so anything can and does happen in the NFL.

Other than those two tough tests, the rest of the 2006 Bears schedule reads like the list of teams picking in the top 10 at the draft next April. Chicago will surely steamroll over Miami, NY (Jets), Detroit, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, etc…

Some will point to games versus the 4-1 Rams and the 3-2 Vikings as potential obstacles to an undefeated season. Why? St. Louis could easily be 1-4 if you look at their suspect wins and Minnesota has already blown one game to Chicago this season.

In summary, let’s not put the ’06 Bears in the same category as the ’85 Bears or ’98 Vikings, teams that went 15-1 and were so close, yet so far away from perfection. Instead, let’s give this club a legitimate shot at shutting up those old farts from the ’72 Dolphins that celebrate each year with champagne when there are no longer threats to their undefeated season. Rather, the celebration would still involve champagne, it would just be Champagne, Illinois, among other places.

Colts are Hot

2006-10-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Oddsmakers aren't giving the Tennessee Titans any respect against the Indianapolis Colts. The huge spread is the biggest since 2002, when the Philadelphia Eagles were favored by -19.5 points against the Houston Texans, and was not covered in a 35-17 Eagles' win.

The Colts own the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. Indianapolis (4-0 SU & 3-1 ATS) has scored 121 points this season - one of just three teams in the league to surpass the 100-point mark - and has led the AFC in scoring the last two seasons.

The high-octane offense is the main reason for the colossal line, because we all know the Colts can put up points in bunches and in a hurry. Last week, the Colts scored 17 fourth-quarter points in their 31-28 win over the New York Jets, but the defense missed tackles costing the Colts any chance of covering the spread as the -7.5 favorites.

In 1987, the powerful San Francisco 49ers were favored by an amazing -23.5 points over the Atlanta Falcons. It was another mismatch were the chalk team failed to cover, as the 49ers won 25-17. In 1993, the 49ers were again favored by -23.5 points against the Cincinnati Bengals, and again the huge favorite failed to cover.

In fact, dating back to 1987 there's been eleven NFL teams favored by -19.5 points or more, and the chalked has prevailed just three times during that span. These numbers should make Colts' investors shutter this weekend and bolster the Titan's chances of barking as the +18 point dogs.

Indianapolis has won six consecutive games SU over Tennessee, and outscored them 66-13 in sweeping the series last year. But the average defense of the Colts may be just enough to create another failed cover by a heavily favored team.

Indianapolis allowed 321 total yards to the Jets in the before mentioned game, which converted 7-of-13 third down attempts. On the season, the Colts have allowed the second-most rushing yards in the league at 620, as opponents are gaining an average of 4.8 yards per rush.

It will be entertaining for bettors to watch if the Colts can cover. The outcome will most likely be determined by play of Peyton Manning. Manning is 6-2 SU in eight career games against the Titans, passing for 2,155 yards with 16 TDs and six interceptions. Manning has thrown for the second-most yards in the NFL this season with 1,112, and has six touchdowns to just one interception.

The Colts, along with the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears, are the only undefeated teams in the league, and a win Sunday would give them their third 5-0 start in the last four years.

Indianapolis is 16-2 at the RCA Dome since the start of the 2004 season, while Tennessee is just 4-14 on the road in that span. The Colts have outscored the Titans 119-34 in their last three home games.

Tennessee is in the midst of its worst start since 1984, when it started 0-10 while the franchise was located in Houston. The Titans have seven straight losses since last December - the longest skid under coach Jeff Fisher and the worst since 11 straight losses in 1994. As well, the Titans are 2-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

The Colts are a profitable 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 games as a favorite, but covering the huge spread on Sunday won't be easy.

Top 12 NFL Teams

2006-10-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

The only thing we know for certain is that the Bears are the number one team in the league. Every other ranked club can be debated. We have one team wiped off the rankings (Cowboys) and another joining the top 12 for the first time (Rams).

Meanwhile, the Pats and Eagles continue to climb, while the Ravens were the biggest losers of the week. Yes, they're still 4-1, but that offense has yet to produce a 100-yard game for Jamal Lewis and Steve McNair is still trying to understand the playbook. On the plus side, the Saints didn't embarrass us after we kept them on the top 12 last week. Their win, albeit over a winless Bucs team, proved to us that they are legit.

Rank (PVR) Team Reason

1 1 Bears They might not lose a game all season. What’s their weakness right now?

2 2 Colts While their defense continues to battle injuries and inconsistent play, they’re still worthy of this ranking.

3 3 Eagles Number three with a bullet. Philadelphia continues to find ways to eke out victories. Let’s see how they do in the Big Easy.

4 4 Patriots Talk about a team rounding into form. The Pats are getting better and better each week and we believe they are contenders.

5 5 Benglas Let’s see what a bye week does for them. It looks like a trap game in Tampa Bay, but we think Marvin Lewis & co. will be prepared.

6 6 Seahawks This is the biggest game of the season for a team that was already given the division in August. Put the Rams away Mike.

7 9 Chargers Marty Ball has the Chargers back in the number seven spot again. Check that, Philip Rivers has them back in the seven spot.

8 3 Ravens You might say it is harsh to drop Baltimore. However, do you really think they are better than any other team ahead of them?

9 10 Broncos We still need to see more out of the offense in order to move them higher. No matter, they play the Raiders this week, an easy game.

10 7 Falcons Granted, Atlanta shouldn’t be dropped during a bye. But, who would you put them ahead of? Exactly.

11 12 Saints That win over the Bucs showed guts- and how good Reggie Bush is. No wonder coach Payton was so highly touted.

12 - Rams We have delayed ranking them long enough. I still say they could easily be 2-3 or 1-4. They’ll earn it this week if they beat Seattle.

Honorable Mentions

Panthers (At 3-2, they are relevant once more in the playoff picture), Giants (A season-saving win over Washington), Cowboys (They're still good enough to make a run), Vikings (Still a sloppy team, but they are 3-2), Jaguars (They're almost right back on the map after a rout of the Jets), Chiefs (KC jumps into the mix if they can upset Pittsburgh in Week 6).

Week 5 NFL Recap

2006-10-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Week 5 did not disappoint in terms of the marquee matchups. The Eagles squeaked one out versus a sloppy Dallas squad, the Chargers proved themselves against Pittsburgh and the Broncos bettered the Ravens defense.

Bears 40 Bills 7

You know what I love about this game? That Chicago is actually mad they blew the shutout, saying they lost focus. They are for real people.

Panthers 20 Browns 12

Ho…hum... we expected this result and sure enough it came through. Carolina is getting a better effort up front from the o-line, allowing the rushing game to get going. But wait, it was only Cleveland.

Vikings 26 Lions 17

That’s it. I give up. No more backing the Lions. For two straight weeks, this team was good enough to win on the road and they shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Wow, are they ugly or what? We now know why Jon Kitna was run out of a couple of cities.

Patriots 20 Dolphins 10

Another predictable result. In fact, it finished exactly on the spread. Sure, Joey Harrington was better than Culpepper had been, but is that saying much? Tom Brady didn’t have to do much here; his defense took care of things.

Rams 23 Packers 20

It’s getting embarrassing for Brett Favre. He should have packed it in already. Too bad, it’s getting harder and harder to remember the good times. As for the Rams? Let’s see what they do against Seattle in Week 6.

Saints 24 Bucs 21

A nice win for Reggie and the Saints. This was a trap game, one that bettors were steering clear of and for good reason. New Orleans did not cover, and they may not again in Week 6 as a dog to Philly.

Colts 14 Titans 13

This would have been one of the biggest upsets in recent NFL regular season history. Vince Young may just win a couple of games this season. Or, maybe it’s that the Indy defense is very, very suspect. It’s probably a little of both.

Giants 19 Redskins 3

That’s more like it. We didn’t buy Washington as a playoff team coming into the season and this game showed what they’re capable of when it counts. New York HAD to have this game to salvage their season and it showed.

Chiefs 23 Cardinals 20

We liked Matt Leinart’s composure and determination. However, now that Larry Fitzgerald is out we don’t give him much success, especially against the Bears in Week 6. A nice win for KC. Herman Edwards has this team believing and we can’t really refute him at this point.

Jaguars 41 Jets 0

No one could predict an utter meltdown from the Jets. We saw this type of result for New York before the season, but not after a 2-2 start elevated expectations. Coach Mangini’s wisdom will be tested. As for the Jags? This was a statement, but they have to be more consistent for statements to mean anything.

49ers 34 Raiders 20

A nice rebound effort by San Francisco over a hapless Oakland squad. Could the Raiders go winless? It’s possible. San Francisco has got to work on their defense though, as their offense is shaping up nicely.

Eagles 38 Cowboys 24

What a great game it was. We appreciate the talents and leadership abilities that Donovan McNabb brings to the table- especially when you consider how bad Drew Bledsoe is. Philadelphia looks very, very strong.

Chargers 23 Steelers 13

We really thought the Steelers would prevail here. Their defense is just missing that big play ability right now and that in turn is exposing their offense as being average.

Broncos 13 Ravens 3

This was a battle to find out who the second best defense is in the league and we now know. Clearly Denver’s stoppers are putting together a prolific season, as they’ve given up only one TD in 4 games. Ravens fans have got to see more out of their running game if they want to dream Super Bowl

NFL Mania Welcomes You!!

2006-10-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

NFL Mania Welcomes You!!
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