NFL '08

I'm all of a sudden getting excited about the NFL pre-season about to start in a week. I know it's only pre-season but it just reminds me that football is here.

Anyone else getting excited? Besides Longneck?

I know I'm one of the many homers here on the board but I have to start by talking about my Raiders. I'm interested to see how JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden do together. With all the potential those two have it could be a fun season, or at least a glimpse into the future when they get a little experience.

Of course us Raider fans are all counting down the time until there is the inevitable Al Davis episode and Lane Kiffin is fired or whatever else happens. Oh the drama.

Anyway, talk about your teams

You know, Toronto really should have an NFL team. Half cheering for the Bills just isn't the same.

The Raiders are a clusterfuck with some young developing talent. This is a team that could be similar to the Tennessee Titans if they had a competent owner.

Oh Don't worry, the Bills will move to Toronto soon enough.


Marvin Harrison is doing better than expected but isn't expected to play tonight.

TONIGHT!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Jim Sorgi express is on it's way!

I'll DVR it because I work at 10pm. I don't care how much the Colts are winning or losing by, I watch every second I can of every game.

If we're at a restaurant (and we've been there a few hours) watching a Colts game (because they don't always show them here -- Chicago market) and there is 3 minutes left and we're ahead by 21. I stay. My wife gets ready to go at half time.




I've drafted for 3 fantasy leagues already. Including this one:

Peyton Manning
(Ind - QB)

Marvin Harrison
(Ind - WR)

Santana Moss
(Was - WR)

Devin Hester
(Chi - WR)

LaDainian Tomlinson
(SD - RB)

Brandon Jacobs
(NYG - RB)

Dallas Clark
(Ind - TE)

Vinatieri and Indy D as well.

Steelers! Steelers!

Why has no one signed Shaun Alexander? I wonder if there is some injury we don't know about.

From what I've heard, he still wants to get paid like a top running back, and nobody is willing to meet his price.

I agree Alexander is worth a look, but he is over 30 and has a lot of miles on him. The other side of 30 is the wasteland for NFL running backs.

Getting back to Blibble's topic, I am cautiously optimistic about the Browns this year. They look good on paper and have a 2nd year with their offensive system in place. My main concerns are 1) beating the Steelers at least one time this season, 2) how the defensive line will hold up, 3) the inexperienced cornerbacks, and 4) whether Derek Anderson and Jamal Lewis can follow-up last year's numbers. Anderson in particular tailed off the last 7 games of the season, which worries me. He has a stronger arm than Quinn, but I think DA lacks the "QB brain" that Quinn displayed in college and in his limited time in the NFL.

I think 9-7 will be enough to win the division, with the Steelers & Browns battling it out. Baltimore doesn't even know who its QB is going to be and has a rookie coach. Cincy may bounce back, but then again, they are the Bungles. If Lewis shores up the defense, they'll be okay. But Rudi Johnson is no longer what he once was and Kenny Graham is not really proven. I think the Bengals will rely again on Johnson, TJ, and Palmer to carry the team.

I went through Bill Polian's regular season record as a GM. He averages 9.52 wins a season 200-119 (.595). That's an impressive track record.

A Steeler fan in Texas? Are you a transplant oli? or just a little upside down?

BTW, Go, NY Football Giants, Super Bowl Champions and sure to repeat.

From Pittsburgh.

Eli did everything except an arm transplant to win last season. He's out of tricks. No repeat.

This is for olivant. If you can't bring the boy back to the Burgh, we'll bring the Burgh to the boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZx3ZH7GUtE

My favorite is Uncle Pat.

Mille grazie, Kly. I should be leaving for Pgh. this weekend. Despite the fact that I've been down here since the 60s, I still remain loyal to Pgh., the Steelers, and the Pirates. I take very opportunity to drive back there. Again, thanks.

Ewwwww,

Steelers.

Well, as Nov. 9 gets closer and closer, Peyton will complain more and more about his knee injury.

He's had them before, he'll do fine. Plus, as I've mentioned elsewhere, the Colts have a lot of weapons to destroy your precious Stillers with. I predict a Colts victory with a score of 48-7.

Make sure Big Ben wears a helmet too.

And make sure that Peyton knows where in the stands Archie is sitting so that he can hear Peyton's cries of "Hep me Daddy, hep me! It hurts so much Daddy! I don't want to play anymore!

Yeah, because Peyton Manning is so horrible against the blitz...wait, no, he's not. Nevermind.

It should be a good game, 2 great defenses but the Colts have a great offense where the Stillers is just good.

Pre-season is over. I'm looking forward to the season opener of the Washington Redskins Against the defending superbowl Champion New York Giants. It is also a division game so I hope the skins eke out a win...

IS IT THURSDAY YET!?!?!?!?!

Not yet!

NOW!?!?!?!?!???

Impressive performance by the Giants. Would've liked some more 2nd half production from the Giants though if I were a Giants fan, but a W is a W.

First half was good, 2nd half not so much.

Tom Brady just left the game with an apparent knee injury....

The incredibly morose irony of Brady's injury is that this game marked the FIRST time in 53 games that he has NOT been on the injured list.

Belichik has this little thing where he never talks about his team's health, and thinks it's cute to list Brady on the injured list (shoulder) every week despite the fact that he and everyone else knows he is perfectly capable of playing.

He's back on the that list and I don't think he'll be upgraded to Probable again anytime soon...

In other news:
Felix Jones might have a better career than his former teammate and higher touted Arkansas teammate, Darrin McFaddin....Wooooooo Pig Sooie!!!! Razorbacks!!!! (The Boys are going to the bowl).

Why do you think that?

Eh, D. Mac is one of the sickest talents ever, don't get me wrong. But he doesn't have Dallas's O-line, a complimentary back like Barber, or any of the other caliber weapons that Jones has around him. He looked GREAT today against Cleveland, though Cleveland's D was porous, to say the least.

Saw a bit of Rashard Mendenhall b/c we got the stupid Texans game today, and he also looked like a BEAST. And again, considering both his size, and the offensive weapons around him, he too could have a better overall career than McFadden.

If Mendenhall learns to hang on to the football, he could be a star. Bringing him in fresh against a defensive line that's wearing down could be scary. The Steelers were flawless today with Parker running wild and Roethlisberger completing 13 of 14 before giving the ball to Leftwich, but it's one game of 16.

Congratulations to the Panthers and Titans for pulling off upsets, but the biggest upset perhaps was Kyle Orton and rookie Forte blasting the Colts at home.

Tom Brady is out for the season.

I didn't get to see the second half of the game, I figured the Colts would have come back. Not only is it amazing the Bears won but they won by 16!

Maybe those Super Bowl Predictions weren't that far off giving Chicago 18/1

Still not sold that the Bears will finish with even a breakeven record, but it's nice to start out with an upset win.

The Bears looked like a team that could win the NFC if they kept it up all year, the Colts looked like Peyton Manning's knee was bothering him and they forgot to call some running plays. The defense looked bad too. Marvin Harrison had a costly fumble, again. This was supposed to be an easy game on a tough schedule. Bah. There's still 18 games to go

Indeed, the Colts just couldn't Bear it!

You may be right about the knee. I knew Manning was certainly not a fleet footed QB, but he appeared more immobile than I had remembered. The defense kept getting into third and short situations, and it seemed the Bears would always convert by just a yard. Harrison was looking his age.

I agree that they could have run the ball more although they weren't getting a lot on the ground.

LN, did you think that the Colts were throwing too many passes beneath the coverage. While I didn't see the whole game, it looked as though Manning was very accurate on longer passes for a guy, who missed the preseason.

I agree with DS that this was a good win for the Bears, but they may have a way to go before they can think about the playoffs. They're headed in the right direction though.

Yeah, should have thrown more long passes sooner than the 3rd quarter and opened up some running room for Addai. Something I find frustrating now and then is the Colts become too pass heavy and Manning tries to do all of it himself sometimes. He's been better about it the past few seasons but last night it was like 2003-2004 all over again.

Fuck.



Dammit! He was a good player, a much needed player. I guess you could say good for the Colts for cutting anyone who gets arrested i.e. Kenton Keith, also didn't re-sign Rhodes after his DUI so he was sent to hell (Oakland) for a year before resigning with the Colts..... but damn man. Ed Johnson?

Well, he should be signed with the Bengals within a few days...

Colts picked up rookie RB Justin Forsett off the waiver wire from Seattle. I don't know why Seattle would cut him, he looked awesome in preseason. Disappointed that they cut Courtney Roby to do it though. He'll return kicks and punts. An area the Colts have trouble in.

I can't wait until the Colts O-Line is healthy...

I'm glad the Patriots are putting to rest the notion that the Jets are the team to beat in the AFC East.

Wow. The Chargers got burned big time by horrific officiating, and broken replay equipment.

I had to step out for a second and My DVR recorded up until Cutler's "incomplete pass/fumble" and the ball was at the 10 yard line and then -

Bah!

Yep, the Chargers got burned. I disagree with the call on the field, but once the whistle blows, of course, you can't challenge the ruling of an incomplete pass.

The referee, in retrospect, should not have blown the whistle and allowed the play to continue even if he saw it as an incomplete pass. After the ball was scooped up and taken out of bounds, he should have made the incomplete call, and then subject the call to review.

If the game had been played in San Diego, there is no way the referee would have announced on the field that the call should have been ruled a fumble, but because the whistle blew, it's Denver's ball.

Doesn't matter what sport it is,there will always be controversy!

With all this talk about the Raiders getting ready (supposedly) to fire their coach, I think the head coach, who is probably most deserving of being shown the door is Marvin Lewis. They keep going bacwaards, and Carson Palmer is not the QB many thought he would be.

Also, Romeo Crenell seems to have trouble managing the game. Last yer against Pittsburgh he took a timeout to decide if they should challenge a call. He challenged; it wasn't overturned; and they lost two timeouts, which were critical.

Last night, he let too much time elapse in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter, and even though they were in easy field goal range, they ran a play with eight seconds, which was picked off.

I thought that when he was down by 7 with 3:20 in the game he should have gone for the first down on 4th and 7, instead of the field goal. They never got the ball back, plus they let 7-10 seconds run off the clock before taking two of the timeouts.

Goombah would be the best guy to weigh in on this.

Watched Dallas v Eagles last night (well early hours of this morn for me) and it was a damn good game.

Why oh why did that stupid rookie Johnson throw the ball away like that before he broke the line?

Hardly a way to ingratiate himself to coaches,players and fans is it?

The kid obviously has talent though,just needs to think a bit more!

Marvin Lewis needs to go, he can't get the Bengals past 9-7, 8-8, 7-9 type of records and he got rid of a Pro-Bowl Caliber RB in favor of a guy who has not been healthy for a full season in the 3 years he's been in the league. Carson Palmer is an elite passer, one of the few bright spots on the team this year.

Lane Kiffin needs to go just because he can find a better job somewhere else and the Raiders and self-implode without him. Al Davis is really the one who needs to go here, but that won't happen unless he dies.

Romeo Crennel just doesn't seem to be made out for the job to me. Great coordinator maybe, not so much as Head Coach. He has done some good things as far as changing the attitude of the Browns a bit but I don't know how much further he can take them.

Huh?

He's off to a rough start this year but he remains an elite passer. 104 TDs vs 66 INTs in his NFL career. 88.8 Career passer rating including this year.

Personally I'm getting a kick out of Lane Kiffin. He is the only guy to ever push Al Davis' buttons while still working for him. While it may be unprofessional I don't know anybody who doesn't respect him for it. Al Davis has and will continue to ruin this team so I hope Kiffin is around for a while just to add amusement to the chaotic environment.

The Raiders could be so good if Al Davis would just step back and let coaches coach. I don't know how much more of it I can take.

I completely agree with everything you just said.

I'm a little late on the discussion but, aside from how the San Diego/Denver game ended in controversy, Does anyone else think Mike Shanahan is awesome for going for the two point conversion to win the game rather than playing for the tie? That guy has guts because he could have looked stupid if it didn't work.

Has anyone heard him talk about why he did that? I wonder if it's because he knew the game was handed to them with that blown call, so he thought he might as well work for the win. Or maybe he had a hot date and didn't want to go to overtime?

I thought it was awesome, missed it because of my DVR though

Shanahan said post-game that he didn't like their chances in overtime if San Diego got the ball first and thought his offense could get the 2 points easier than relying on a coin toss.

It was a gutsy move, but he had a couple things going for him. The Chargers were on their heels. A minute ago they were celebrating a victory, and therefore they went through a roller coaster of emotion. Also, the Chargers weren't expecting it. It was a good call.

Shanahan's teams have underachieved the last several years, so I'm not sold on Denver, and think the Chargers will eventually have the last laugh in that division.

Probably, but I'm also not convinced of Norv Turner's ability to be a head coach. I think he's a great offensive coordinator, but nothing more.

With Jay Cutler's problem with diabetes last year, I wouldn't be surprised if Denver is legit. It looked like Cutler was going to be a good quarterback early on but people forgot about him with his health issues, which he supposedly has under control and is in much better physical and, I'm sure, mental health. The Bronco's could be a surprise story this year.

I'm also not impressed with Norv Turner. I think Denver is going to be this year's surprise team. They look better at least offensively. The defense....

Side note, are the Vikings going to try and get quarterback Jeff Garcia from Tampa Bay? He is apparently not in favor there and is still a decent quarterback.

Also, why isn't Daunte Culpepper playing for anyone? If the corpse of Gus Frerotte can play for Minnesota, it seems like the once great Culpepper would be a much better candidate.

I'm not a fan of Norv, but he did survive a bad start last year and got the team to the AFC Championship. I don't think you need to be Vince Lombardi to win the AFC West this year.

Cutler has a lively arm and can put up big numbers, but his recklessness has hindered him as he has always been plagued by more than his share of turnovers.

In fact, but for the blown call against SD, the story line of the game would have been Cutler's 4th quarter interception and fumble deep in SD territory.

That bridge is burned between Pepper and Minnesota.

I guess he had an offer from Green Bay for 1 mil but turned it down and retired saying no one would give him a shot.

I really don't know why Gruden would bench Garcia.

Chris Simms is still unsigned, and Tim Rattay. I'd give Simms a shot in Minnesota.

Chris Simms signed with the Titans last week.

Well hell.

Give Testaverde a call!

Ronnie Brown had a wicked LT type game...

I could see Garcia being dealt to the Vikes and taking them far...

Bret Favre looked every bit of his 38 years last night. And then some.

Jets have an easy schedule over the next 5 weeks or so, but I don't see them as a playoff contender at all. Favre ended the game with good completion and yardage numbers, but everything he got was given to him after the game was already decided.

If the Jets have a losing record this year, will Mangini get dumped? His team fell far below expectations last year and even with the big names they brought in over the offseason, they look bad.

I agree about the playoffs, Klyd. They look completely uninspired out there.

If they end up worse than 9 and 7, Eric the Wonder Boy is toast.

Matt Millen has finally been booted out of Detroit. Man, I wanted to see which wide receiver Detroit was going to pick next.

It's been a long time coming. The Lions could never turn the corner. Hell, they never saw the corner.

Millen had the balls to claim that the Lions were a better team than the Giants, after the Giants beat them last season. Of course the Lions finished the 2nd half of the year 1-7.

Favre's eyes looked glassy to me...



Torry Holt? No -- that's something else. I am amazed that he lasted this long.

The NY Media had Favre and the Jets as Super Bowl contenders last month. Now they're saying Favre is washed up.

Detroit's fans finally got what they wanted.

Boring week for me, no huge matchups and no Colts games.

Matt Bryant's postgame conference sure as hell made me tear up...

You're absolutely right. I commend him for a courageous performance.

Now they're going to the Super Bowl again.

You gotta love New York... There aren't any other teams as far as that city is concerned.

How ridiculous is it to get a penalty for more than one person jumping into the fans?

Watching Al Davis look crazy in his press conference right now. Plans on not paying Kiffin, we'll see how that goes.

Al was nuts in the 70s. I saw him at a Hall of Fame induction in 1990, and he introduced Ted Hendricks and his presentation was bizarre and disjointed. He accused people in the crowd, whom he didn't even know, of talking about him behind his back. At first I thought it was an awkward joke. He actually looks like an old mental patient now. This is par for the course for Davis as Shanahan is still waiting for his money.

The NFL is more prosperous and vibrant than ever, and should certainly consider removing him from the league because he is an embarrassment. No legitimate coach would consider coaching his team as he will not honor the contract.

Oakland has played better with Kiffen, but the franchise is in disarray. They can't win with the unstable Davis pulling the strings.

Kiffin had potential as a coach but not with Al Davis running the team. No one could succeed in that situation.

I'm still stunned that Davis gave Gibril Wilson $39 Million.

Davis has brought some good talent, he rattled off some really good names so I don't think it's all AD. However, that team needs to stop changing coaches every two years, find someone, and figure out a plan for the next 5 years. The team does have talent; but they don't have anyone to captain the ship.

Al Davis needs to be dropped in the Bay and by someone who knows how to drop people in the Bay.

I suppose they could get Michael Vick to dog him for awhile.

Oh, what, too soon?

I used the word "senile" to describe Al Davis, but after listening to him in that press conference he is definitely not that. He's just about everything else though. What a vindictive slimy bastard. I can't blame Davis completely though because Kiffin was asking for it. It was very entertaining but Kiffin also could have been more professional in the public's eye.

All over talk radio since the conference, the same talk radio that is normally dominated by 49ers talk, has been full of Raider fans who are fed up of Al. That may not seem surprising but Al Davis has always had respect from his fans for what he's done in the past, but fans have finally had enough.

Broncos Offensive Line Hoping Uniforms Make Them Look Fat

Weren't the Bronco uniforms designed so that when linemen went into their three point stance they would form the Nike swoosh with their side stripes?

Al Davis is reminding many people in Toronto about former Toronto Maple Leaf owner, Harold Ballard. Here are some of the comparisons that I see between them:

* Both are (were) too meddlesome in their respective franchises as they got older, undermining the role of executives and coaches.
* They both enjoyed initial success when they began their ownership of the team, although Ballard wasn't full owner during the Leafs 1960's dynasty.

The Leafs didn't start to turn things around (to a degree) until Ballard died in 1990 and unfortunately that same scenario might be applicable to the Oakland Raiders.

I mentioned this in the fantasy thread a bit, how the Colts run defense is horrible but they have the #2 pass defense. Really it doesn't hurt them much if the Colts play like they usually do. They like to open up a big lead with their explosive offense and force the other team to play to the Colts' strength on defense.

The rust is off, the O-Line is healthy for the most part (Lilja still on PUP and sounds like having set backs anyway), time for the Colts to do what they do.

Yes, Crennel has not improved in clock management. In fact, he has regressed. In addition to the scenario Klydon described, he let some unnecessary time elapse when the Dallas game was still winnable (insert your joke here).

I agree - Marvin Lewis needs to go. This was a supposed defensive guru (like Crennel) who has been given ample time. The defenses for Cincy & Cleveland have showed little-to-no improvement. Plus all of the horrible personnel moves Marvin has overseen with the players who have been in legal trouble. A few troublemakers is sometimes unavoidable, but I believe that Cincy has had 8 arrests in the past 2 years, including more than one player with multiple arrests.

Carson Palmer's career has never been the same since the 2006 Wild Card game in which he was injured against Pittsburgh. He was on his way to playing at the level of Manning, Favre & Brady until the injury. Now the Bengals have no running game, so defenses can pin their ears back and go after Palmer. Johnson & TJ are having very off years.

The Jaguars need to redesign their helmets. That's my NFL insight for the week.

Anyone else see the Colts game? Another crazy game...

Why? Do they not have a Jaguar on it? lol

Who names their team after a car? Seriously.

I know it's their name, but, ehhhhh, I think they would look better removing the jaguar.

Big Ben neutered the Jaguars last night.

That pass where he had a lineman dragging him down, and he hit Ward perfectly on an 18 yard crossing pattern to set up the winning TD pass, was simply amazing. If he had legitimate pass protection, there'sa no telling what he can do.

As an aside, the 4th quarter roughing the passer call against James Harrison was absolutely ridiculous. The refs called taunting penalties on both teams (Jaguars in the first half and Steelers in the 4th quarter). I disagreed with both on the basis that there is no consistency with their discretion in making these calls. It seems arbitrary.

Kly, I agree about the refs, but that is the human element that I treasure in sports.

Yes, Big Ben has to be just about the best in the NFL. I just hope the injuries don't debilitate him over time. I can't wait for the games against the Giants and the Redskins. Go Steelers!

Turned the Vikings-Saints game off after Bush's TD, go to bed and wake up the next morning to see that the Vikings won! Not pretty, but I'll take it.

Go Vikes!

I rarely watch an entire MNF game, but I did this past week. Mainly because I have Drew Brees in my non-BB fantasy league. New Orleans gave that game away with stupid penalties and turnovers. If you would have told me that Adrian Peterson would be held to 32 rushing yards and Reggie Bush would score on two punt returns, there is no way it would seem possible for the Saints to lose.

Monday, October 13, 2008
Source: Romo to miss four weeks with broken pinkie
ESPN.com

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand and will be out four weeks, a team source told ESPN's Michael Smith.

Romo initially was diagnosed with a pinkie sprain in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The injury will not require surgery, a member of the Cowboys' medical staff told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley.

Veteran quarterback Brad Johnson, the Cowboys' holder on kicks, is Romo's backup.

The Cowboys have lost two of their last three games after starting the season 3-0. If Romo's absence follows the four-week timeline, he would miss only three games (at St. Louis, home to Tampa Bay, at the New York Giants). Dallas has a bye on Nov. 9, then visits Washington on Nov. 16.

Pfft. The dude's got a sprained something alright. Just ask Jessica...

And since Dallas didn't get another backup like they had wanted to they have Brad Johnson at QB for the next month.

They also lost Felix Jones for a few weeks, and punter Mat McBriar and receiver Sam Hurd for the season. Also, Pacman Jones may have been drinking when he got into that fight, and violated his probation.

This is what I like about the NFL. Certain teams that seem like the obvious teams to win the Super Bowl end up with problems, like Dallas and New England this year. Who would have thought the Giants would have won the Super Bowl last year? It makes me wonder which team will step up now. There doesn't seem to be an obvious team anymore, which makes things very interesting.

The last thing I will sit here and do is gloat about the Browns win over the Giants. I only watched the first half, but was unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised that the Browns (for one game at least) looked like the 10-6 team from last year. To do it against the defending champs was an added bonus.

It means nothing if the Browns have a hangover against Washington on the road next week. I still do not trust Braylon Edwards or Derek Anderson on a consistent basis. But it was a good win on national TV and it may be something to build upon.

Heading into the game, I expected the Browns to be down double digits by halftime and for Brady Quinn to take the reins at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. But that will have to wait a little longer.

How are most Browns fans taking this season Goombah? I can imagine they have been pushing Quinn for a while now.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pacman suspended at least 4 games for violating conduct policy
ESPN.com news services

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has been suspended for at least four games for his most recent violation of the league's personal conduct policy, the NFL announced Tuesday.

The league said Jones was involved in an alcohol-related incident at a Dallas hotel on Oct. 8. Previous reports indicated Jones was involved in a scuffle with a bodyguard assigned to him by the Cowboys, and that hotel employees called the police.

Jones will not be paid during the suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine the ultimate length of Jones' suspension after Dallas' Week 11 game against Washington on Nov. 16.

In his letter to Jones informing the player of his latest suspension, Goodell said Jones' "disturbing pattern of behavior was clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL."

Jones began his time in Dallas under close scrutiny by the league after he was suspended for the entire 2007 season for multiple violations of the conduct policy while he was a member of the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys traded for Jones before his suspension was over and he was reinstated by Goodell on Aug. 28.

Goodell also said his decision on whether Jones can return to play will be based on Jones' strict compliance with the NFL and the Cowboys in relation to treatment plans and evaluations by clinical experts.

It's obvious to me.... The Colts!

I still say Colts-Giants Super Bowl

The diehards are on an emotional rollercoaster. Cleveland is, and always will be, a football-first city. The pining for Quinn has been there with the rough start Anderson has had (until yesterday). The louder drum has been calling for the figurative head of Crennel.

I am a Quinn advocate for this reason. Anderson is what he is: consistently inconsistent. He can be very good like last night, or he can stink up the joint. You never know from week-to-week or even from one quarter to the next. We do not know what we have in Quinn, other than that both QBs will NOT be on the roster next season. So I say see what the kid Quinn has considering what the team gave up to obtain him. I think he has the football smarts (intangible) to make up for the reduced arm strength when compared to Anderson. I do not mean to imply the Quinn has the weak arm of someone like Chad Pennington.

Blibble:
How is Raider nation dealing with this season? It seems like the same old/same old again. Is Russell showing glimpses of greatness or of being a bust? It's ironic - the year Cleveland drafted Winslow, the two guys I wanted more were Robert Gallery (complete bust) or Sean Taylor (shooting fatality). Despite Winslow's injuries in the 1st two years of his career, he's a tough-nosed player.

And Shaun Alexander signs with the Redskins!

And vote for the Pro Bowl here:

http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot

Exactly, same crap different day. I think Russell was looking good for a guy who is really in his first year, until this last game where they tried to make him throw too much. Lane Kiffin had it right... The running game is so strong that they could ease Russell into things. But Al Davis claims that "He's a great quarterback" so that means the current stooges/coaches are going to do whatever Al wants and that is to throw the ball a lot. It's still too early to tell how good he will be though.

I think Russell will be a bust. Like Blibble's fantasy team this week!

Why do you think Russell will be a bust? Or was that just a cheap shot at me?

Seriously he has such insane skills he could be incredible. He has even showed a pretty good ability to get away from tacklers and when they do get to him, he is so big that he can break away and then make a throw. When he does throw however, he throws every single pass a million mph so the receivers have a hard time catching it, especially when they are only a couple of yards away. But I think that is apart of him being young and inexperienced. As he grows as a NFL quarterback I think he will relax and learn he doesn't have to throw so hard every single time. At least I hope he will learn.

oh, and by the way Longneck, my fantasy team is going to do what Lou couldn't last week, give you a good 'ol fashioned whoopin'!

Oakland should be using McFadden and their other backs more to take some pressure off Russell. That's interesting to hear that he is putting too much zip on the ball. Russell is missing (glaringly) good wide receivers. Oakland really has not had a great wideout since Tim Brown.

They had Moss, but no one to get him the ball.

Yeah, you'll give me a whooping like the Raiders did to Nawlins! OH WAIT, THEY DIDN'T THEY LOST HORRIBLY LIKE YOU WILL!

...



...In other news. Colts traded for a DT yesterday. Quiet with the Roy Williams news. Today the DT failed the physical. Colts get their 4th round pick back from the Bills. John McCargo, Former first round pick.

Jessica, my finger hurts! Kiss it and make it better!

Since last season I've been sick of teams calling timeouts right when the kicker is trying for a field goal with a couple of seconds to finish the game. So far it has worked for teams because the kickers miss the second attempt.

Leave up to the Raiders to BLOW IT!!! Feely missed the first one but, given a second chance thanks to the timeout, he made it. I can't watch the overtime... The Raiders always figure out a way to screw things up.

Whew!

It ain't easy being a Raiders fan.

Good win for the Raiders, Blibble.

I laughed. Dumbass.

Would have been funny if he lost a game because he was trying to lamely "ice the kicker"

Wow, you're a bitter bastard. You talk trash you better expect to lose.

???

Calling me a dumbass. Dumbass.

YOU'RE TOM CABLE!?

You should make that more clear when responding to a post. I typed two paragraphs and didn't mention Tom Cable. You quoted me and then said "Dumbass."

You talked about his call, therefore it only makes sense I'd be calling him the dumbass, dumbass.

My point is, it could be taken either way. Make it more clear next time. Man you're an annoying fuck. Leave me alone and start trash talking DM for next week so you can get your ass kicked in the fantasy league again.

I'll repeat that again just in case you read too fast or don't know how to read at all. MAKE IT MORE CLEAR NEXT TIME.

Longneck, it's probably too late but I apologize for my language. You lost to me today in the Fantasy league, you're pissed about the Colts game, and next thing I see you are calling me a Dumbass. Or so I thought. Pile on top of that you've been telling me I suck and the Raiders suck all week (Trash talk for fun, I know but still) I really thought you were calling me a Dumbass.

Anyway... You are right by the way about the Raiders. I'm going to enjoy this win while I can because it may be their last for a long time.

I would not call you a dumbass because you beat me in fantasy and The Colts lost. I thought it was pretty clear when I quoted you and even mentioned the "freeze the kicker" timeout afterwards. Ah well. It's over.

Watched the Pats crush the Broncos last night.

They did'nt look finished to me!

Somebody forgot to tell the Pats that they're not supposed to be winning without Tom Brady.

LN's Power Rankings

These are done in excel by taking win percentage x's point differential. I rank the top 12.

Week 8
1 Titans
2 NY Giants
3 Carolina
4 Philadelphia
5 Pittsburgh
6 Tampa Bay
7 Chicago
8 Green Bay
9 Arizona
10 Buffalo
11 Washington
12 New England

Pretty surprising that Philly is ranked ahead of the Redskins, but that's what the numbers are saying.

And just out of curiosity I did last year's rankings.

2007 Season

1 New England
2 Indianapolis
3 Green Bay
4 Dallas
5 San Diego
6 Pittsburgh
7 Jacksonville
8 Seattle
9 Tampa Bay
10 Minnesota
11 Philadelphia
12 New York Giants

The Colts REALLY need to beat the Pats tomorrow night. If they were to lose at home, I seriously doubt they could recover this year.

Giants-Cowboys. Let's send Jerry Jones and his boys back home with their tails between their legs. Shall we?

I'm hoping the Steelers bounce back after last week's loss and beat the hated 'Skins for us on Monday night.

The Jets have to beat Buffalo in Buffalo to prove to me that they even have a chance at being competitive should they make the playoffs.

You think Mercury Morris, Bob Griese and the boys will be wearing their "Cheeseheads" this weekend? This is usually the time of year that they start worrying about their undefeated season being matched.

Yeah, pretty much comes down to beating the Pats or forgetting the playoffs this year.

We get Bob Sanders, Antoine Bethea back in the secondary and lose CB Marlin Jackson for the year.

Get Addai back and Rhodes is questionable.

...It's just been that kind of year.

It's about time Brady Quinn took over for the Browns. The timing of this move, giving the keys to Quinn when the Browns play again this Thursday, is yet another example of Romeo Crennel's ineptitude. Then again, from everything I have heard locally, the naming of Quinn was NOT the head coach's decision. It most likely came from the GM or owner.

Regardless, it's about time to see what Quinn can bring. We gave up a lot to draft Quinn (two #1 picks), so it's pointless to have him sit.

I had no plans to watch this week's coming game since it was a weeknight prior to this announcement. Now I will watch. I do not expect much of Quinn with only a few days to prepare, but I like the move for the long-term. My opinion is that Quinn should have been named the starter after the Cincinnati game. Derek Anderson has looked bad in all but two games. His inexcusable INT against the Ravens was the final straw.

QB is not the lone issue as to what plagues the Browns. But a change with a natural leader like Quinn may be the spark the team needs.

NY sports radio is saying the Giants have a tough schedule ahead, while the Jets have an easy one. Super Bowl in the Meadowlands!

I agree it's tough to be named starter in a week where you play Thursday night. But at least they're playing one of the softest defenses in the league. I think he'll be alright.

I'm interested to see how Quinn does also, since it was him or Russell the Raiders were going to pick. I'm sure Quinn will be good also because it seems like every QB that bay area teams pass on does great.



I can't even put into words how embarrassing the Raiders were against Atlanta. A local writer here said this (Maybe it's an old saying, not sure) about the Niners and it applies to the Raiders as well: "The light at the end of the tunnel went out due to a power outage". I don't see anything getting better for Oakland for a long long time.

As far as Russell developing... I don't think he can under these conditions. I don't know if it is him or the team holding him down but either way nothing is getting better. One thing that has been talked about lately is that he is going down really easy when tackled. In college that didn't seem to be the case. Maybe someone told him it's not worth it to fight off the defender and get hurt which seems strange to me since he is such a huge guy.

Oh well, nothing makes sense in Bay Area sports anymore.

Blibble

Your teams have some skill players, but they need to solidy their lines. Russell will need a top notch wideout or TE, but they have the makings of a good offense with he & McFadden.



I'm excited about Quinn playing. As I said, the team waited too long, but they can't go back now. It was either this week or next week vs. Buffalo, which is the Monday Night game. I agree with Klydon - the Denver defense is much less to worry about. I think the plan will be to give the ball to Jamal Lewis and let Quinn manage the game. But really, at this point, they should air it out and open up the playbook. The season is already lost...

LN's Power Rankings

1 Titans
2 NY Giants
3 Philadelphia
4 Pittsburgh
5 Tampa Bay
6 Carolina
7 Chicago
7 Arizona
9 Baltimore
10 Green Bay
11 Atlanta
12 NY Jets

This is completely out of whack. The Jets!? Atlanta? Philly #3?

I need to see about adding a strength of schedule into the formula

Adam Schefter has too much time on his hands.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
What gives? Raiders cut highly paid corner Hall
By John Clayton
ESPN.com

Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall was the first player released by team owner Al Davis on Wednesday, a move expected to trigger a major shakeup of Oakland's roster.

Angered by the Raiders' 2-6 start, Davis asked his front-office staff to explore the possibility of releasing several players. By releasing Hall, who was acquired from Atlanta before this season, the Raiders are washing their hands of a seven-year, $72 million contract after only eight games.

Hall was paid $8 million for eight games; he received a $7 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary. Because he's a vested veteran, his $1 million salary is guaranteed. Atlanta received second- and fifth-round draft picks in the trade with Atlanta.

According to a source, the Raiders asked Hall if he would consider restructuring his contract. Hall declined, and then was notified of his release. Oakland is expected to make an announcement prior to practice Wednesday.

The Raiders are not expected to make additional roster moves before Thursday.

Raiders management began examining the roster Monday, a day after the team's embarrassing 24-0 loss to the Falcons. Davis, looking ahead to the rest of the season and to 2009, asked his staff to study a list of potential players who could be let go before the end of the week or after the season, sources said.

One source said the list included more than a dozen names. The front-office staff studied the salary-cap consequences of releasing high-priced veteran players. Davis also wanted his staff to see if other teams might claim any of these players on waivers.

Also under consideration to be let go is wide receiver Javon Walker, who received an $11 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary this year but has only 13 catches in his first seven games. The other players on Davis' list are unknown.

At his Monday news conference, interim Raiders coach Tom Cable said he was thinking of making more changes in the starting lineup. Since taking over for Lane Kiffin, Cable has benched receiver Ronald Curry and safety Michael Huff.

Hall does not have a skills guarantee for 2009, so the Raiders will not owe him a $9.05 million option bonus for the final six years of the deal. Hall also won't receive the $7.5 million base salary he was scheduled to make in 2009.

Colts could use a CB but they wouldn't put up with DeAngelo's shit. Cowboys might take him.

Yeah you don't want "Me"Angelo Hall on your team LN.

The Raiders just continue to do stuff that boggles the mind. Al Davis ranted forever about Kiffin when he fired him saying Kiffin wasn't happy with all the bad signings during the offseason. Now Davis is getting rid of at least one of those bad signings in Hall and probably Javon Walker and who knows who else! This team situation is so embarrassing that I just have to laugh. Things aren't any better across the bay either.

Did you guys hear about Singletary dropping his pants during the 49ers halftime? And it wasn't just a quick drop... supposedly his pants were down for 5 minutes! I'm starting to think Al Davis and the Yorks are having a behind the scenes competition to see who can run their team into the ground (Los Angeles?) first.

I've been seriously getting depressed about Bay Area sports. The Raiders, 49ers, Giants, A's and now the Warriors are adding their own drama... At least we have the Sharks, it's just too bad I'm not as passionate about Hockey as I am those other sports. I try to be but...

Maybe Obama can visit each team and make a change or two for the better.

I don't even know what to say about Oakland anymore...

Singletary seems to be doing well as coach, benching Just Turnovers Sullivan and Vernon Davis. Not sure I'd pull my pants down but whatever it takes.

Remember Ryan Leaf?

I think the league was shocked when the Raiders invested so much cash in Hall and Walker. Hall has always been a trouble maker, and I always thought he had average talent. Walker had a good year a couple of years ago, but was certainly on the down side of his career.

Mike Singleterry was a great linebacker, but his antics during and after his first game coachiung was bizarre. After Nolan was fired, the 49ers had their worst game of the season under Singletary, but his raving post-game press conference took the attention away from the horrible effort, and got the ESPN-type analysts to kiss up saying how intense he is. I don't necessarily buy it. I think that kind of stuff wears thin.

I saw that Singletary press conference.

He,indeed,appeared to have lost the plot somewhat....

I'm picking the Bears to knock off the Titans this week.

They have a shot, I think I have picked Da Bears in the pickem games.

Another 13 point second half lead blown by the Browns horrific defense last night. But I was impressed with Brady Quinn's first start. He didn't try to do too much and showed good composure. He tooks some hits and stayed to take the hit when necessary. His receivers continued to be drop passes, as has been the norm all season. I would have liked to see him throw a couple of deep balls to stretch the defense. But Quinn made some good reads and checked down to 2nd and 3rd options as the defense gave him.

While it was only one game, it was good start to his career as a Brown.

Quinn played well. It was a very nice debut. I don't know if Romeo is the best coach for him though. Brady Quinn is going to have a lot of great games in his career. Just as long as none come against Pittsburgh.

The Browns don't seem to know how to finish game under him. But I thought the Browns' defense was better than the Broncos, and I think the Browns are better than Denver.

Cutler had a great game, but the Broncos are going nowhere.

Being that I'm from Cleveland I was happy they finally put Quinn in the game, Derek Anderson is playing like shit this year and can't throw a pass to save his life. We really need to get rid of Romeo, he's a shitty coach and has brought nothing to the browns at all.

Requiem:

Welcome to the boards! I, too, am from Cleveland. Misery loves company when it comes to our sports teams.

I'm all for getting rid of Crennel, but who do you envision bringing in? I get the feeling Savage's days may be numbered, but I would like to give him a little more time. He has hit on some draft picks. Whomever they hire, it needs to be person with prior NFL head coaching experience.

I saw this in today's WSJ. I don't like it. The Player's Union needs to define limits on this sort of stuff. Right or wrong these are grown men. In my opinion the League has no business monitoring its players' private lives-which women they're seeing or who their friends are. Of course there are some players who are pure knuckleheads (Pacman Jones) but they should be dealt with on an individual basis

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122601853947707055.html#articleTabs%3Darticle


Why the NFL Spies on Its Players
To Buff Image, League Broadens Discipline, Hires Ex-Cops; 'A White Man in Sunglasses'
By HANNAH KARP

The National Football League's unprecedented new effort to protect its image by cracking down on loutish behavior is making some of the league's 1,952 players a little nervous.

This sweeping new personal-conduct policy, which was announced before the 2007 season, allows the NFL to quickly and summarily fine and suspend players; not just for committing crimes, but for any act that's deemed harmful to the NFL's "integrity and reputation." To guard against these unpredictable suspensions (there have been 10 so far), NFL teams are hiring former police officers and FBI agents as security chiefs, ordering up extensive background checks, installing video-surveillance systems in locker rooms, chasing down rumors and sometimes forbidding players from talking to the press.

During a recent road trip, the San Diego Chargers not only conducted bed checks, but placed guards in the hotel hallways to make sure players didn't sneak out. The Seattle Seahawks have declared an entire downtown entertainment district off-limits, and the Denver Broncos have begun sending a former cop to local nightclubs on weekends to make sure the players behave.

The increased scrutiny has taken a toll on some players, including Broncos defensive tackle Marcus Thomas. Last year, after the policy was announced, Mr. Thomas had called his agent in a panic: He said he was convinced he was being followed by "a white man in sunglasses" who had been sent by the NFL. A league spokesman says NFL security did not follow Mr. Thomas.

Offensive lineman Langston Walker of the Buffalo Bills, who has an economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley, is no fan of the new code, which he considers too aggressive. When someone intentionally spilled a drink on him at a Los Angeles bar recently, Mr. Walker says he was worried about how the NFL's discipline czars might have reacted if things had escalated. "When you start not to trust your own organization or governing body, who can you trust?" he says.

The NFL's new standards move it ahead of other U.S. sports leagues, whose policies on player behavior outside of competition are not as explicit. These changes come at a time when NFL players continue to make headlines for off-field incidents. Last year, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation.

A study by the San Diego Union-Tribune found at least 57 NFL players have been arrested so far this year, and that about 10% of the league's players currently on rosters have been arrested during their playing careers. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says the league doesn't track arrest records. He says the 10% figure is misleading because it includes instances where charges were dropped.

The crackdown comes at a financially sensitive time for the league: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell warned last month that NFL revenues -- which total about $7 billion -- were "under pressure" and that it was searching "aggressively" for new sources of income. The NFL says the policy has nothing to do with economics.

Some recent suspensions to key players handed down by the league have put teams in a tough spot. The Dallas Cowboys suffered an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals last month after cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended indefinitely. Mr. Jones, who has a history of encounters with the law, was punished even though the incident -- an alleged tussle with one of his bodyguards -- didn't result in an arrest or any charges. (Mr. Jones, through his attorney, declined to comment).

The Minnesota Vikings lost three of their first four games this season while left tackle Bryant McKinnie was serving a suspension for an altercation at a Miami nightclub in February. Mr. McKinnie told reporters the incident was "blown out of proportion" and that he was surprised by the suspension's length. Under previous NFL policies, Mr. McKinnie would more likely have been fined or sent to counseling.

Kansas City's star running back Larry Johnson was suspended for this week's game after being charged with simple assault for allegedly pushing the side of a woman's face at a club in February. Mr. Johnson has declined to comment on the case, which has yet to be tried.

Dave Abrams, a retired police officer, was appointed security chief by the Broncos last year after a player was killed in a shooting. Mr. Abrams's BlackBerry is loaded with each player's personal information and he has trained dozens of bartenders and bouncers to call him when players show up. Sometimes he comes to take note of the women they're with and how much they've had to drink. "It's always fun to watch their eyes light up the first time they see me in a bar or a nightclub on a Friday night," he says. "It just makes them realize that someone's paying attention."


This June, when Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run accident in Buffalo, Chris Clark, the team's new security director, was texting him within six hours. Mr. Clark advised Mr. Lynch not to talk to police without an attorney. Mr. Lynch eventually pleaded guilty to a traffic violation, which is not a violation of the NFL's conduct policy. The following month, Mr. Goodell assured Mr. Lynch he wouldn't be suspended. "You can't make things go away, but you can make things go a little easier for them," says Mr. Clark.

The NFL first started addressing criminal activity a decade ago with fines and mandatory counseling. In 2000, two NFL players, Rae Carruth and Ray Lewis, were charged with murder. Mr. Carruth was convicted and Mr. Lewis was exonerated. After this, the league's pre-employment screening was expanded to identify "at risk" players and every team was instructed to hire a full-time security director. Not every team did. Before the Cincinnati Bengals hired one last year, the team famously saw nine of its players arrested in a nine-month span.

Since Mr. Goodell became commissioner in 2006, he has taken steps to promote a more wholesome image for the league. He's beefed up the NFL's program for rookies, adding sessions on media training and eight hours of "conduct-management" class. He added a stringent behavior code for fans and issued a rule forbidding cheerleaders from warming up in close proximity to visiting teams. At his annual address to reporters at the 2007 Super Bowl, Mr. Goodell said he felt the number of incidents had reached "a few too many." Mr. Aiello says the policy aims to "protect the integrity of the game" and that Mr. Goodell is always looking for ways to improve the league's operations "and to aggressively enforce our rules."

The NFL players union says the personal-conduct suspensions and fines have been excessive, "particularly in cases where a player has been accused of but not found guilty of a violation of law," says spokesman Carl Francis.

In a few cases, judgments have been amended. Last month, Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. saw another side of the policy. After developing a staph infection (the bug had been plaguing the team for some time) he received text messages from a press official who challenged the hospital's diagnosis, warned it would be "very bad" to talk about the situation to reporters, and suggested he invent another illness. "We can give [the media] something, but not staph," said one.

When he refused, the team suspended him for detrimental conduct, citing the NFL's new policy. After Mr. Winslow showed higher-up executives the messages, the suspension was rescinded. "I think the player-conduct policy can be very subjective at times and might need some restructuring to clearly define what is and is not considered conduct detrimental, so it is not improperly imposed," Mr. Winslow says. A Browns team spokesman says "the matter was resolved several weeks ago and we've moved on."

In any event, the days of teams taking a passive view of player discipline seem to be over.

Last season, shortly after several San Diego players were cited for sneaking out of a team hotel, the team fired security director Mike Cash without explanation, according to Mr. Cash.

Mr. Cash says he never expected his job to involve babysitting. "They're grown men," he says. "They're going to do what they want." The Chargers declined to comment.

Lamar Woodley fined for sacking quarterback in "an intimidating manner".

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/11/07/woodley-fined-for-campbell-sack/

This is a complete joke, as is the fine on Justin Tuck for "tackling with his full weight." Sacking the QB in an intimidating manner? What other way is there to sack him? Yes, Woodley threw him to the ground hard, but we have seen numerous examples of QBs breaking tackles and completing first downs

Hines Ward was fined twice this year for plays, which the league conceded were perfectly legal and not deserving of a penalty, but they concluded that he blocked the opponents too hard.

I understand that the league has an interest in avoiding injury, but the game is popular because it is a physical game. The league is slowly removing this element. The more physical teams are being punished and singled out.

I truly believe part of the fine against Woodley took into account that the Steelers, who sacked Jason Campbell 7 times Monday night, are playing Peyton Manning this week and the league is intimating that "if the Golden Boy so much as has a stubbed toe after the game, expect heads to roll."

That's ridiculous with the sacks...

I also think that the injury to Brady, the face of the league, may have affested the way the NFL is looking at things.

LN, how are the Colts looking this week?

The Colts need to get a running game going, overcome injuries to the secondary (Ratliff was on the street last Wednesday, guarded Randy Moss last Sunday), and keep playing good run defense like they have the past few weeks.

And Willie Parker is out for the Steelers, so that's good for the Colts.

It'll be a close game, Colts by 3.

Pittsburgh-Indy is a good game. It'll make the win that much more sweeter.

What's this I hear about Willie Parker tearing his labia?

I think this year Peyton Manning is really showing how good he is when playing from behind. Between the Vikings and Texans games and then him carrying us against Pittsburgh with no running game...

I watched the highlights from the last minute drive last night, and Singletary really fell apart in the last minute of last night's game. With no time outs it took the team 20-25 seconds to decide to spike the ball. That left them rushed when they got the ball inside the 5, and the play calling there was questionable.
I did think Gore though could have scored. He must have lost his footing because there was very little contact made when he headed for the end zone.

It was frustrating and I'm not even a 49ers fan.

LN's Power Rankings
1 Tennessee
2 NY Giants
3 Carolina
4 NY Jets
5 Baltimore
6 Philadelphia
7 Pittsburgh
8 Arizona
9 Tampa Bay
10 Atlanta
11 Chicago
12 New England


The Jets are not the 4th best team in the NFL.

Shaun Hill's effort to get the first down without his helmet was impressive and it was nice to see Vernon Davis giving Singletary a hug on the sidelines after his touchdown + unsportsmanlike conduct. After all the crap those two have taken the last two weeks it's good to see some positive communication.

Listen to me, things must really be bad for the Raiders if I'm looking for good things in the Niners game.

The Steelers' 11-10 win over the Chargers was the first time in the history of the NFL, that a game ended with that score.

The NFL has issued a statement, however, that the officials erroneously did not give Troy Polamalu credit for a touchdown that would have made the score 18-10.

Jeff Fischer has to be the most underappreciated coach in the history of the NFL. He doesn't have the personnel to blow teams out, and his teams lack the celebrity names that are overhyped in bigger markets, but the Titans consistently beat the hell out of whomever they play.

On Thanksgiving Day they may be 11-0, playing the 0-11 Lions.

How did that tradition of Detroit always playing on Thanksgiving Day get started? I think it's a cool tradition but I think the teams need to be different so that we can be thankful for good football on Thanksgiving. We shouldn't have to watch such a bad team every year. Watch though, they will be the ones to beat Tennessee.

Giants rout Ravens 30-10 to underline superiority


EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) – The New York Giants ran over the Baltimore Ravens 30-10 on Sunday to underline their status as top team in the NFC and serious threats to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

In a meeting between the National Football League's leading rushing team in the Giants and the Ravens, rated the best defense against the run, the New York attack won out.

The Giants rushed for 210 yards, getting 73 yards from Brandon Jacobs including two one-yard touchdown plunges in the first quarter, and a 77-yard fourth-quarter burst by Ahmad Bradshaw as they improved their NFC-best record to 9-1.

"We are excited about being 9-1 and being 6-0 at home," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters.

"Our offensive line has done an outstanding job, our fullback, our tight ends...our power runners. That is a very good team, the number one team defensively in the league against the run, and we were able to do some good things."

Baltimore, whose four-game winning streak had lifted them to a share of first place in the AFC North, slipped to 6-4 as they yielded 132 more yards on the ground than in any other game this season.

"I sure wish we could've given the Giants a better football game. That's a heck of a football team, and they proved that today," said Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

Jacobs spearheaded a 68-yard scoring drive on New York's first possession, reversing field on a 36-yard run to set up the touchdown. Derrick Ward had a nifty 22-yard run in his turn in the backfield and Bradshaw finished with 96 yards rushing.

"That's our three-headed monster," center Shaun O'Hara said about the Giants' trio of running backs. "They do a great job and make it easy on us, they make it fun.

"I think it's a luxury to have Brandon and how big he is and unleash him in the first quarter and let him run wild, and then have Derrick (Ward) come in as the change of pace guy.

"I think a lot of teams would love to have just those two guys but to have Ahmad come in as our clean-up guy, I mean he could be starting on just about any team in the NFL."

The Giants led 20-3 at the half and threatened to add more points before Ray Lewis intercepted an Eli Manning pass at the six-yard line with 19 seconds left.

After an anemic first half, the revitalized Ravens came out with a spark after intermission with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco hitting receivers and scrambling for first downs.

Baltimore drove 79 yards for a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter to make it 20-10, but New York restored their lead when cornerback Aaron Ross returned an interception of a Joe Flacco pass 50 yards for a touchdown.

Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce was impressed by the New York ground attack. "I was the biggest cheerleader on the sidelines," he said. "I took pride in that today. They made up their minds that they wanted to run."

O'Hara said the game was a measuring stick. "Any time you get a chance to play a number one in anything you look forward to that. You get to gauge yourself and that's what today was."

All these copied and pasted articles...

What are your thoughts JL?

My thoughts are, I better make plans to be in Tampa on February 1.

Hehe, you may be right.

What does everyone think about Tennessee? Are they really this good?

I'm not overly impressed. They've only played 2 teams over .500 all year.

The NFL needs to stop playing the Lions & Cowboys as the two home host teams on Thanksgiving Day - especially Detroit. The Lions are one of the most horrible organizations in all of professional sports. Why do we need to see them year after year? The "tradition" argument holds no weight IMO. The last time the Lions had any worthwhile reason to watch them on Thanksgiving was when Barry Sanders was playing. And he has been retired for a decade. I wish they would rotate teams on a yearly basis for these games. If it's a lousy matchup, so be it. But it's a guaranteed terrible game if the Lions are involved.

I am not a believer in Tennesee's 10-0 record. I think that they will lose in the divisional round to any of these possible opponents: New England, Indy, or Pittsburgh. I agree that Jeff Fischer is underappreciated, but the Titans are very vanilla offensively. Kerry Collins has not been in a playoff game in nearly a decade. By the time they reach the playoffs, I think rookie Chris Johnson will be out of gas and LenDale White is not the kind of player that opponents lose sleep over.

Someone on ESPN said it best: "The Giants were able to beat a very good team by 3 touchdowns, and they didn't even bring their A game". (Eli: 13 completions, 1 INT, 153 yards. Defense: 1 sack)

I guess the old adage is true, Just Lou: on any given Sunday any team can win. But I still cannot get over how the Giants lost to the Browns by 21 points. Conventional wisdom says that the Giants should have beaten Cleveland 41-17 or something along those lines. The Browns obviously suck, but had it clicking on that particular Monday night.

If the Browns and Giants played 20 more times, the Giants would definitely win the other 19 games.

If there is such a thing as a good lose, then that was it. The Giants are already under a lot of pressure. People are picking them to repeat, and perhaps even be a possible dynasty. I think the Giants are starting to believe their own headlines a little. The lose to a weak team hopefully opened their eyes that they have to do more than just show up to win.

How is it the Browns get another Monday night game? And do the Browns play the Giants again this year?

That Browns/Giants game still pisses my Daughter off. She's a die hard Giants fan. I think if she has her way she'd walk down the aisle wearing a Giants jersey instead of a wedding dress next year.

The Browns landed 5 primetime games (3 MNF, a Thursday and a Sunday night game) based upon last year's 10-6 record. It happens every year. A team plays well one year, gets the hype and a primetime schedule, and then falls flat on its face.

Mig - the Browns play Philadelphia on MNF next month. No the Giants & Browns are not in the same division and will not play again this year.

So why did they play at all then?

All NFL teams play required games within their division, a fixed number within their conference, and then rotate from year to year with a division within the opposing conference. Every 4 years the Browns play the NFC East, which is where the Giants reside. They've already played Dallas, NYG, and Washington. Then the Browns still have Philly on the schedule for next month. Next season, they'll play another set of teams from the NFC (perhaps the NFC Central).

Thanks Goombah. Did ya get any snow there today?

Tennessee is a very good team. Solid would probably be the best word to describe them. They quietly went 10-6 last year. Jeff Fisher is a great coach, so as long as they are healthy they are a threat.

The Colts played like The Colts yesterday, divisional games are always close. I think they have a real shot at ripping off 6 more wins in a row and finishing 12-4. Won't be good for a division title but would give us a Wildcard home game. Bob Sanders was out, and we allowed a lot of rushing yards again. How can he make that big of a difference? His replacement, Melvin Bullit got another interception. He's a good fill in for Sanders but they need to find a way to stop the run without Sanders.

The Giants are looking good. Maybe playing better than any other team right now. I could see them losing to a divisional opponent in the playoffs though.

I have no clue how the San Diego Chargers can be 4-6 right now. They are a better team than that. They've lost a lot of very close games.

The only team that can beat the Giants right now is the Giants. The reason is, their running game right now is ridiculous. Nobody can stop them. Yesterday's weather at Giants stadium was very bad. Winds were blowing 35+ MPH. Everyone in the stadium, including the Ravens and their #1 rushing defense, knew the Giants were going to run the ball all day, and there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop it. Right now, the Giants offensive line as a whole is the best I've ever seen in my life.

Just a dusting. I, thankfully, live nowhere near the snowbelt.

I do hope that Buffalo is a repeat of last year's weather b/w the Browns & Bills. These were from Cleveland on Dec. 15th.

I couldn't copy and paste these for some reason: Browns vs. Bills last year's blizzard game

The Lions are indeed an infliction on the game of football. Locally, people are actually rooting for them to go 0-16 just to get some sort of record and hopefully shame the owner into selling. I don't think that would help.

This local columnist actually thinks that in the current economy the Fords may be "forced" to sell the team.

http://www.freep.com/article/20081116/COL08/811160434/?imw=Y

Of course this columnist is locally infamous for always being a pessimistic contrarian who just writes negative stuff for the hell of it. There is some local interest in removing the Thanksgiving game from Detroit, in the hopes again of forcing a change in ownership.

They are a great team and have a legit shot of repeating but it's very possible that they falter in the playoffs. Especially to a divisional opponent. More likely the Redskins than the Cowboys. I don't see the Cowboys going anywhere if they even make the playoffs.

The only teams in the NFC I see posing a threat to the Giants are the healthy Cowboys, and possibly the Panthers. I'm not sold on the Panters yet.

Panthers have struggled against Oakland and Detroit, but they have a solid running game, a QB who has taken them to the Super Bowl before, and a good coach so if they can keep it together they can be a threat.

Tweaked my formula a tiny bit, think it's better.

LN's Power Rankings

1 Tennessee -
2 NY Giants -
3 Carolina -
4 NY Jets -
5 Arizona ^
6 Tampa Bay ^
7 Pittsburgh -
8 Baltimore v
9 Atlanta ^
10 New England ^
11 Philadelphia v
12 Miami ^

Philly fell 5 places with their tie, they shouldn't be in the list at all and as time goes on I don't think they will be.

Cowboys and Colts are just outside the list and creeping up.

The Jets #4?
The Steelers only #7?
Arizona playing in the joke NFC West #5?
Philly in last place in the NFC East, 0-3 in the Division, ahead of Dallas and Washington?

This is strictly from a formula and not my opinion at all.

The formula stinks.

Any formula that has a last place team that has lost to every team in the division without winning a single division game, still ahead of 2 of those teams, is messed up.

The conspiracy theorists are out:

There have been assertions that the officials in the San Diego/Pittsburgh game kept the winning margin low to prevent the Steelers from covering the spread. The Steelers, favored by 4, won 11-10. I don't buy it, but the circumstances are interesting.

The controversial play that was upheld as a Steeler touchdown on the field when Polamalu returned a fumbled lateral, was oddly overturned by the officials on the field after a hurried on-field conference as the teams were lining up for the obligatory extra point. There was no logic behind overturning the call. While I don't think there was a conspiracy, I certainly don't buy the referee's postgame explanation that there was confusion about an illegal forward pass because there was no flag on the field and this was not mentioned among the officials while the play was being reviewed upstairs.

Also, the Steelers, one of the less penalized teams in the league, were flagged 13 times for 115 yards (the most penalties they had in over 6 years), and the Chargers only had 5 yards of penalties. Of interest is the pass interference penalty that set up the only TD of the game for SD. The pass was sailing in the opposite direction, in which the receiver was cutting and did not appear catchable. But 5 of the penalties took away Steeler first downs, and one (on the winning drive of the game) was a phantom holding call on Hines Ward.

There was another holding call on a would-be TD that would have beaten the spread, but that call was certainly proper.

It was also reported that an unusually high percentage of gambling money was placed on the Steelers; it was the highest percentage of the year at about 65%. The lines generally guarantee a 50/50 split, which guarantees a profit for the bookies, so Vegas was apparently looking at this game with more interest than any other.

I think the most interesting stat is that the Steelers had no turnovers and controlled the ball 36 1/2 minutes and doubled the Chargers, who had 2 turnovers, in rushing and passing yards, yet needed a last minute field goal to win. I therefore have to conclude that the disparity and timing of penalties, whether legitimate or not, played a major factor in keeping the game close.

Again, I don't buy a conspiracy, absent more definitive proof. You can probably dissect a lot of games to imply wrongdoing.It was an interesting game though.

If you look closely at the head official in that Steelers game you'll notice that he has an uncanny resemblance to one of the "tramps" arrested in Dealey Plaza.

Is anybody else here just blown away that an NFL player (now it sounds like plenty of them) did not know that a regular season game could end in a tie? I still have a hard time believing Donovan McNabb is that stupid and made such a ridiculous statement.

Even more idiotic is Hines Ward, who stated that he did not know that a regular season tie could happen when he actually played in the last NFL tie in November 2002. How could he not know about a significant scoring rule in which he actually participated?!!

I do not expect that every rule is known by every player in the NFL. However, for the money these players make, they should know all of the rules pertaining to scoring and the game clock. Even more ridiculous is that McNabb, while claiming not to know the rule, never sought clarification from his coaches during the game. I'm sure Andy Reid thought his QB knew this basic rule, so I do not hold Reid as much to blame as McNabb.

That is just unbelievable!

Maybe it's because Philly has awesome RBs?

Not as awesome as Brandon Jacobs.

Well Duh, that's why the Giants are #2.

Philly (+71) has a bigger point differential than Washington (-1) and Dallas (+1), and they have 1 less win than those teams.

They're still in last place, and lost to both teams.

Giants lost to the Browns, should the Browns be #2?

The Browns do not have a better record than the Giants. The Cowboys and Redskins have a better record than the Eagles.

It was just a fluke. It'll never happen again.(According to my Daughter)

The answer could be yes depending on your definition of "#2".

Just watched the highlights of the Steelers v Bengals. Steelers look good and deserved the win but i was impressed by the Bengals scrapping performance. They did'nt look like a team who haven't won a game all season. They showed a bit of fight,especially on defence!

By what, half a game?

A 1/2 a game, is 1/2 a game. They're a last place team. Why are the Titans ranked higher than the Giants? It's only 1 game, yet the Giants play in a much better division, and the Titans schedule so far this year has been a joke.

Come up with a formula with data that's easy to import into excel that's better then.

FWIW, Fox Sports, ESPN, and S.I. don't the Eagles ranked in the top 15 in their power rankings.

THEY USE OPINIONS AND NOT FORMULAS

Well, their opinions are better than your formula, since you ranked a last place team with 0 division wins higher than other teams in the division.

Maybe you missed it after your fit of rage from seeing the Giants not ranked #1, but I said Philly shouldn't be in there when I posted it.

I can't argue the Titans being #1 since they haven't lost a game, even though my "opinion" is that the Giants would destroy them head to head.
And I'm glad you admit your formula is wrong.

I agree, Lou. But you gotta admit, Kerry Collins is a nice story.

Yes.

In week one when Vince Young was injured after telling his coach he wanted to be taken out of the game, and then he started acting strangely, suggesting to some he was on the brink of suicide, I thought the Titans might tank.

Kerry Collins has been outstanding. While the Titans are a team that looks to pound you with the run, Collins is capable of throwing the big pass at any time.

It's a nice story. He was under-appreciated in NY, despite taking the Giants to a Super Bowl. It's hard to believe the job Collins and Warner are doing this year at their ages.

I think the QB position is at a point now where it is so complex it usually takes awhile (Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco aside) to really be able to play the position at full capacity.

Older guys seem to be doing well now because they have experience and that seems to be the most important thing besides talent in most cases.

Drew Brees was mediocre for his first few years in the league, and now he's on pace to break Dan Marino's single season passing yardage record.

As an individual, when you participate in team sports, more often than not one player can be credited for a big loss, even though you play as a team and lose as a team. On a professional level, after losing a championship game, or choking, for lack of a better word, it has to be close to impossible to withstand the media scrutiny, especially here in New York.

In a lifetime of watching New York sports, I have seen exactly two guys step up like men and take absolute acceptance of responsibilty for the loss of their respective teams. The first was John Starks, after shooting 2 for 18 in game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against the Rockets. The second was Kerry Collins, after the Giants lost the 2001 Super Bowl, in which Collins was just awful. They didn't duck the press conferences, they both put the loss squarely on themselves, even though neither of their respective teams would have made it to the championship game without them. Tough, classy guys, both of them.

Kerry Collins was a great story in 2001, beating alcoholism to make it to the Super Bowl. He's an even better story this year.

Think Favre and Collins will go to a bar and hang out after this week's game?

Hmm. Try this unusuality:

"As a rookie quarterback in the NFL, Ben Roethlisberger exceeded all expectations, engineering wins over the unbeaten New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles on his way to a unbelievable 15-1 season for the team. Ben's first loss in his rookie season came in the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. Injuries kept Ben Roethlisberger sidelined for several games in the 2005-2006 season, but he came back to take the Pittsburgh Steelers to an AFC Championship win and [a] Super Bowl victory."

There are definitely ones who do well right out of the gate like I mentioned but it seems like a lot of times they don't do well for the first few years. Of course it helps to have a good defense and a running game.

Tommy Maddox played the game they lost so really Ben was undefeated until that playoff game. I think part of his success was a running game and a good defense, he didn't have to do too much so it took the pressure off of him.

This year Ben seems to have regressed a little bit, he's had some bad games. Maybe it's the injuries and the O-Line, but maybe David Carr could have succeeded if he didn't lead the league in sacks (received) year after year with the Texans.

LN's Formula Rankings
1 NY Giants ^
2 Tennessee v
3 NY Jets ^
4 Tampa Bay ^
5 Pittsburgh ^
6 Carolina v
7 Arizona v
8 Baltimore -
9 Atlanta -
10 New England -
11 Dallas ^
12 Indianapolis ^


I'll do one later when I am in more of a typing mood just for JL.

Poor old Detroit......


They suck

I really wish Culpepper could get back to his form like his crazy 39 TD year that got overshadowed by Manning breaking the TD record. He got injured and hasn't been the same since.

To be fair to him he hasn't got much to play with, has he?
Calvin Johnson apart,they are a poor bunch.

They looked whipped just singing the anthem

Actually, locally some spectators (Lions don't really have "fans" any more) are hoping that the Lions go 0-16 to either get the Fords to sell the team, have the league intervene and "suggest" the next GM/Coach for the Fords to hire or just for the Lions to be able to say they had the "perfect" season...

Of the games left for the Lions, I think their best chance of winning is next Sunday when they host the Vikings. I don't see them competing in a road game, and I think the Saints will score 45 points against them.

I didn't think it was really possible for an NFL team to lose all 16 games in today's game where competitive balance and weighted schedules are the norm, but Detroit is making it close. I still think they'll get a win this year.

LN's Formula Rankings

1 NY Giants -
2 Tennessee -
3 Tampa Bay ^
4 Pittsburgh ^
5 Carolina ^
6 NY Jets v
7 Baltimore ^
8 Atlanta ^
9 Dallas ^
10 Indianapolis ^
11 Arizona v
12 Minnesota ^

Tampa Bay vs Carolina should be important to playoff implications next week.

Is Jack Del Rio the coolest head coach in the NFL?

I certainly think he is. his team are no great shakes this year but he just stands there in his shirt and tie and his leather jacket looking cool and tough

He even smiles every now and then,which you don't see from many other coaches,apart form Bill Belichik

He's a great coach, Jacksonville has had some injuries to their O-Line early on and haven't recovered. They are always a tough opponent for the Colts. I like how he dresses up instead of wearing a hoodie or whatnot.

Del Rio, I always thought, was one of the dirtiest players, going back to his days at USC. He actually had a clothing deal where he's paid to wear the clothing on the sidelines. He and former coach Mike Nolan had to get special league permission to wear suits although now his look is more casual. In the 70s it was common for coaches like Dick Nolan, Hank Stram, John Madden and Tom Landry to wear suits and ties while coaching.

Del Rio's had some success coaching, but this year has been a belly flop for him and the Jaguars. They had some injuries, but who hasn't? Their defense lacks the fire and intensity they had last year.

Yes, i watched the game last night(or rather early this morning) and i thought the Jags were poor. Their defense just fell apart in the last quarter.

The Giants fined and suspended Burress for four games on Tuesday, four days after he accidentally shot himself in the right thigh over the weekend at a Manhattan nightclub. He was officially placed on the reserve non-football injury list, which restricts him from practicing or returning to the teams's active roster for the remainder of the season.

I'm thinking it might be due to the loss of Mike Smith as D-Coordinator (Head Coach of the Falcons).

You may be right. If so, that shows where a lot of the credit for Jacksonville's success last year belongs.

Smith is a candidate for coach of the year honors. I'm leaning towards Jeff Fischer though.

Titans won 10 games last year, they haven't surprised anyone who remembers that.

Mike Smith and Tony Sparano have led their teams to tremendous turnarounds. A 1-15 team last year has a chance at making the playoffs this year! Fisher is a good coach and all but what he has done this year isn't a huge improvement over last year.

Sparano certainly is in the conversation among several others, but don't base coach of the year solely, or even mostly, on change of record. The Dolphins were 1-15 last year, but much of their turnaround is due to personnel changes, implemented by Parcells (this year they have a QB), and the return of Ronnie Brown.

The NFL's unbalanced schedule also favors the Dolphins. Their division benefits by being hooked up with the NFC West and AFC West. The Bills and Jets also have improved winning percentages, compared to last year. Also, the last place teams of the preceding year get matched up with the other last placed teams of their division in order to make the road easier to be competitive.

I give the edge to Fischer because when he lost his starting QB to injury on day #1 and then the QB apparently threatens suicide, I thought the Titan ship was going to sink, but they raised their play from a team that snuck into the playoffs to a dominating and very consistent team in the league. For the same reason Coughlin has to be considered even though the Giants ended the postseason as the best team in football.

That said, it's still very early to give out the award yet. Coaches should be judged more closely this time of year, and the Titans could finish the year losing two of the next four.

I'd really love for the Titans to lose all their remaining games and the Colts to win all their games.

Well, the Coilts have some easy games coming up against the Bengals and Lions.

Patriots v Bucs the London game for next year.

Good match up that. I hope to be in attendance again!

I thought of you when they announced this game. Good luck in the ticket lottery.

Will you be rooting for the team who's name is based on beating your country in a war or the other team, Yogi?

Ha ha. Very droll as always LN

I have no particular affinity to either of these teams. It is a Bucs "home game" so we may have a plastic pirate ship in the corner of Wembley as oppose to a bunch of old geezers firing muskets into the air every five minutes

Wow... Coles sounds like an asshole!


But not for nothing, since I drafted him, he's 1000% right!

Tony Romo: "Jessicaaaaaaa!!!"

I'm glad the Steelers won, should shut up some talk about the Cowboys going to the Super Bowl.

I really hope Atlanta gets in the playoffs and Dallas doesn't

Titans clenched the AFC south. Usually the Colts have it about now... The 5 year streak ends.

Remember how two weeks ago people, like Mike Lupica were talking about how the Jets were the best team in the AFC?

Coles' comments are hysterical. Is he complaining that the offense is no longer driven through him? When it was driven through him the Jets were 3-12.

Tough week for football in the State of New York. The Giants, Jets and Bills all had bad losses.

Not so bad for the Giants, Klyd.

Yes, they lost, but to a very tough Philly team that's capable of playing with anyone on any given Sunday. They still clinched their division and look to be the number one seed in the NFC. Factor in the Plaxico distraction this week, and a letdown was almost expected. I'm glad they got it out of their system.

Prediction: They'll be very "up" for Sunday's primetime game against Dallas, with the opportunity to pretty much knock them out of the playoffs.

As for Buffalo, they're pathetic. And as for those clowns who had the Jets in the Super Bowl, look at some of my recent posts about that team.

Prediction: Jets fans will turn on Favre faster than you can say, Pass the Wild Turkey, if they don't hang on and win their division.

And what's with Eric Mangini? He looks like a nice kid, but I swear to God, he looks like he's going to cry EVERY single time he addresses the media after a loss.

Good game tonight on Monday Night Football.

Deangelo Williams looked like a beast running against the stout Tampa defense. He broke more tackles in this game than a lot of running backs do in a season. I'm not talking about flimsy arm tackles either (although some of them were).

Antonio Bryant had an amazing one handed touchdown catch where he had to stretch his body out to get. Jeff Garcia was in the process of being tackled when he threw that pass. It kept Tampa Bay in the game in the 4th quarter. Too bad the extra point was missed and the onside kick wasn't recovered. The Bucs used up too much time on that drive with Carolina allowing short passes to the inside.

LN's Formula Rankings

1 Tennessee ^
2 NY Giants v
3 Carolina ^
4 Pittsburgh -
5 Baltimore ^
6 Tampa Bay v
7 Indianapolis ^
8 NY Jets v
9 Arizona ^
10 Atlanta v
11 Dallas v
12 Minnesota -

LN'S Power Rankings

1. NY Giants
They had 1 bad game, still the best team.

2. Tennessee
Clinched the AFC South and First Round Bye in the playoffs

3. Carolina
Deangelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart provide a 1-2 punch as good as Muhammad Ali. My question is which one floats like a butterfly while the other one stings like a bee?

4. Indianapolis
They have won lot of close games this year, the hallmark of the Patriots back when they were winning Super Bowls every year.

5. Pittsburgh
A dangerous team in the playoffs with their ferocious defense. Their offense is questionable at times though.

6. Baltimore
Cam Cameron is definitely a better coordinator than coach.

7. Tampa Bay
Jeff Garcia looks to be guiding yet another team to the playoffs.

8. Dallas
They looked good for 3 and a half quarters...too many divas on this team from the owner to the players and their girlfriends.

9. New England
Defense has been decimated by injuries, still in the hunt for playoffs

10. Miami
Has a chance to win the division one year after going 1-15. Might be the most solid team in the AFC East.

11. Atlanta
Matt Ryan is not just in the running for ROY but MVP too.

12. Ney York Jets
Jekyll and Hyde type of team. Like Denver but with a better defense.

8:33
[Comment From Casey]
Any injury news for Addai?

8:34
PHIL B: He went back in briefly, but we don't know for sure. Tony Dungy made it sound like Addai could be iffy for this week, that he would know more as the week progressed. If the Colts make a roster move on Tuesday or Wednesday, that means either Addai or Chad Simpson probably won't be able to play on Sunday. Personally, I don't mind if they give Addai the week off against Detroit.


....Colts chat at IndyStar.com

Colts signed Najeh Davenport today

I pretty much agree with your ranking except I'd swap Pittsburgh and Indy. Baltimore and TB. And maybe have the Jets a little higher.

Why higher for the Jets? It's strange that they lost to the Raiders and the 49ers, both terrible teams. I think I agree with Longneck, Jekyll and Hyde... I think they should be above Miami, but maybe not Atlanta. I would also bring Tampa Bay down below New England and Dallas.

I think the Jets are better than Miami, and probably better than Atlanta. Tampa Bay is still a very solid team, despite their awful performance last week against Carolina.

Anyone watching the Bills/Jets game? If Turk Schonert and Dick Juron aren't fired for calling that pass play on 2nd and 4, trying to run out the clock with under 2 minutes to play, then I feel sorry for Bills' fans.

That was a great game! But fock Farve for not throwing to Coles more

I still can't believe the Bills called that pass play. The game was over. The Jets had no answer to stopping the Bills running backs in the 4th quarter.

Jeff Fisher must be trying be trying to top Dick Juron. He goes for it on 4th down, instead of trying to kick a 49 yard FG to take the lead with under 2 minutes.

Yeah... a LOT of crazy stuff today. Tennessee's last passing play anyone?

Edit: 4 secs ahead of me lol

This is why I stopped betting on football.

LN's Formula Rankings

1 Tennessee -
2 NY Giants -
3 Carolina -
4 Pittsburgh -
5 Indianapolis ^
6 NY Jets ^
7 Baltimore v
8 New England ^
9 Minnesota ^
10 Atlanta -
11 Tampa Bay v
12 Dallas v


LN's Power Rankings

1. Carolina
This team is going to be another tough opponent for the Giants Sunday night

2. Tennessee
Lost a squeaker to a Houston team that is better than their record. Fisher usually doesn't make the kind of mistakes he did yesterday.

3. NY Giants
They have lost two in a row and are looking dysfunctional right now. They need to get it together quickly.

4. Indianapolis
The Lions game was closer than it should have been. Dominic Rhodes should be the starter from here on out. Addai is too fragile to be an every down back. After a 3-4 start they have a chance at another 12 win season.

5. Pittsburgh
Questionable call to end the game at Baltimore but after they went 93 yard to get there you can make the argument they would have gotten the rest anyway.

6. Dallas
The defense is playing excellent. The Cowboys have sacked Eli Manning more than the other 12 teams that have played them.

7. Baltimore
Hard to win games scoring field goals instead of touchdowns.

8. New England
Tom who?

9. Miami
I'd love a week 17 showdown in the Meadowlands for the AFC East division with Pennington getting his revenge against the fans who cheered him getting injured.

10. Atlanta
Matt Ryan didn't have a great game but Michael Turner carried them with 152 yards on the ground.

11. New York Jets
Rex Grossman Sr. is Brett Favre's REAL name.

12. Tampa Bay
They should probably be up higher, but then who would I knock down?

Is Matt Cassel legit? Or is he a decent QB on a really great team with a great coach?

I hear alot about him around here because a lot of people want the 49ers to sign him in the offseason. I'm sure every team who needs a QB is thinking the same thing. But I'm wondering if he will be as good on a bad team.

It's really kind of a wild card. Seeing Tom Brady and Matt Cassell both do so well makes you wonder a bit if it's the system or the QBs.

LN's Formula Rankings

1 Tennessee -
2 NY Giants -
3 Carolina -
4 Indianapolis ^
5 Pittsburgh v
6 New England ^
7 Baltimore -
8 Atlanta ^
9 NY Jets v
10 Minnesota v
11 Tampa Bay -
12 Dallas -


LN's Power Rankings

1. Tennessee
Beat the Steelers for Home Field Advantage in the playoffs.

2. NY Giants
Edged out a game against Carolina for Home Field Advantage with Home Field Advantage. Swirling Meadowlands winds...

3. Carolina
Very good team and could pose a huge danger to a lot of teams in the playoffs.

4. Indianapolis
Locked up their playoff spot in a close game against Jacksonville, will be resting players next week but maybe Sorgi can keep the momentum going?

5. Pittsburgh
A good team but they have lost to both Tennessee and Indianapolis and if they met either of those teams in the playoffs I don't see a different result happening.

6. Baltimore
Gutted out a win with their running game making big plays at the end of the game to spoil the last game in Texas Stadium.

7. Atlanta
In the past 2 weeks they have knocked off Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Two teams playing to get into the playoffs.

8. Miami
They have a chance to win 10 more games than they did last year while sticking it to their divisional rivals with Pennington getting his shot to beat his former team in a very meaningful game.

9. New England
I am rooting for Miami to win if only to keep New England out of the playoffs.

10. San Diego
They were 4-8 and almost knocked out of the playoffs but they've won 3 straight and have a chance to get into the playoffs riding a streak and playing the underdog card.

11. Dallas
They can be good but too many mistakes at critical times.

12. Chicago
Need some help to get into the playoffs but they have won 3 straight and if Arizona has to play at Soldier Field who do you think wins?

The NFL coaching purge has begun. No surprises with the firing of Crennel and Marinelli. I was surprised that Mangini was axed.

Cowher has already told Browns owner Randy Lerner that he is not interested in coming to Cleveland. The way Lerner has operated this franchise, I do not blame Cowher one bit. According to the local media reports, Cowher was Plan A. Scott Pioli as GM is the Plan B, but who the coach is remains to be seen.

I was surprised about Mangini being fired too, but I don't think he'll be jobless for long.

Marinelli might make a good D coordinator for a team like Indy. I'm not a big fan of Ron Meeks.

Crennel might be one of those coaches that's a better coordinator than a head coach.

Marvin Lewis and the Bengals need to part ways.

LN's Formula Season Ending Rankings
1 Tennessee -
2 NY Giants -
3 Carolina -
4 Indianapolis -
5 Pittsburgh -
6 Baltimore ^
7 New England v
8 Atlanta -
9 Miami ^
10 Philadelphia ^
11 Minnesota v
12 NY Jets v


I'll do some playoff rankings in the playoff thread.

Crennel is a good coordinator, but he's not a leader of an entire team. He never learned from his mistakes and continually repeated them. There was a reason that he never landed his first head job until age 58 and it was evident the past four seasons.

How on earth could Cincy keep Lewis? His forte was defense, but that appears to be inflated by the great Baltimore players he has as their coordinator. Cincy's defense has not improved under Lewis. He's only had one winning season there.

I agree that Marvin Lewis hasn't worked out in Cincy. The Bengal winning streak at the end of the season may have saved his job, but I don't expect a winning team next year.

I think he could be a successful head coach somewhere else. Cincy needs more of a disciplinarian, like a Parcells-type guy because of the constant distractions that seemed to have snowballed with this team. Lewisdidn't have this problem with the unit he had in Baltimore where the defense was professionally focused.

I agree with the Crennel firing even though I think teams frequently err when they fire coaches. Romeo always seemed to me to be too complacent and passive. Of course, my perspective is limited to what is broadcast, but it seemed he was silent and noncommunicative during the games. As a Steeler fan, I'm sorry to see him go.

Marinelli is a nice guy, but was in way over his head as a head coach. I'm surprised he lasted the season.

Mangini's firing didn't shock me as the Jets needed a scape goat. They felt that with some big off season signings, they belonged in the playoffs, and losing four of the last five with the only win being a gift from the Bills, soured them. Losing to Chad Pennington burned the Jets even more.

I think that it may be time for some team to bring back Jim Fassel.

Storybook ending is the Colts win it all and Dungy announces his retirement.

What about Shanahan? Why did that happen?

I was very surprised about Shanahan's ouster too, Olivant. Perhaps ownership felt that the team underachieved and needed a new voice after 14 seasons. If he wants to pick right up and continue coaching, he will not be out of work long. He may want to take a year off and re-energize and then come back to an AFC West team and rub it in Denver's face twice per year (read: coach San Diego).

I too didn't expect Shanahan's firing. He won two Super Bowls and always had a competitive offensive team. At the beginning of the year I thought Denver had below average talent, particularly on defense. I also think that Cutler, despite posting some big stats, is a proven winning QB.

Shsnahan was treated unfairly in Oakland by Al Davis, and has had the better of Oakland since coaching the Broncos. He'll land somewhere.

Also, I heard where Cowher is no longer interested in the Jets' job. I wonder if Tannenbaum wouldn't relinquish full control of the team to Cowher. If that was the deal breaker (and I'm only speculating), then I think the Jets made a mistake. Wherever Cowher goes, whether it's this year or next, he will have full authority over all personnel and coaching decisions.

From what I have heard on talk radio, it sounds as if Shanahan was fired more for his poor decisions as the GM rather (remember the 3rd rounder wasted on Maurice Clarrett?) than as the actual coach. His 1997-98 Elway teams were well balanced in all three phases of the game, whereas his defenses in particular have been poor the last several years. And 2008 was the first in a long time in which the patented running attack of the Broncos was not there, albeit much of that due to continous injuries.

I think NY could be a good fit for Shanahan, but he needs a young QB to mentor. Then again, he might opt to sit out a year and wait for a better organization to surface than the choice among the Jets, Browns, and Lions.

Dungy will probably leave after the Colts win the Super Bowl on February 1st, but it's not a good fit and Jim Caldwell is next in line. Bill Polian has a system and I'd rather have him as GM than any coach out there. Also, I hope his son Chris stays with the organization rather than taking a job elsewhere so he can be the GM after his father retires.

Shannahan would be an improvement for most teams. The Browns might fit with Quinn.

What I'm concerned about is with the Colts constantly making the playoffs is that their seasons are always longer than everyone else's and they play more games and maybe that leads to more injuries over the years. I think the Pats missing the playoffs could actually help them rest up and be better for next year.

But that all sounds a little crazy too.

Jets are interviewing Ron Meeks, Indy's D coordinator. Please take him, Jets. Please.

You should see what's happening to the Raiders. They are losing all the coaches. Assistant Offensive Line coach already left during the season to join Lane Kiffin in Tennessee, and today I heard defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is going to the Browns with Mangini and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp is headed to Seattle to rejoin Mora.

I just have to laugh at my own team. There's nothing else to do!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Pacman out as 2007 shooting surfaces
ESPN.com news services

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys have released Adam "Pacman" Jones and a team source told ESPN's Ed Werder that the move was made after the team learned of new allegations against the troubled cornerback from his time with the Titans.

Jones' release came after "Outside the Lines" reporter John Barr contacted the NFL, the Cowboys and Jones' attorneys about a piece scheduled to air Sunday in which three Atlanta-area men allege that Jones arranged for someone to shoot at them two months after the football player was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2007.

The June 2007 shooting occurred outside a suburban Atlanta strip club. One of the shooting victims told "Outside the Lines" that he had a dispute with Jones inside the strip club and that not long after he and the two others left the club, a hail of bullets struck their car. The NFL knew about that incident, but charges were never brought against anyone because the victims did not see the shooter.

"Outside the Lines" obtained information that police, investigating a separate Atlanta-area case, had been told by an informant that Jones ordered the June 2007 shooting following his dispute with one of the men. Police have said while the case remains open they are not actively investigating.

Jones denied the report and told the Dallas Morning News: "It will be a lawsuit in a week against ESPN. That's stupid. It's so stupid I have no more comments."

The Cowboys traded for Jones before the season even though he had been suspended in 2007 because of a series of off-field incidents. Jones, expected to give the Cowboys a boost on defense and special teams, had no interceptions and averaged just 4.6 yards per punt return.

"He was surprised, and I think he was obviously somewhat hurt," said Worrick Robinson, Jones' agent. "At the same time, he understands the business behind what is happening here."

Jones missed six games this season for violating the league's player conduct policy after an Oct. 7 scuffle with a team bodyguard at a Dallas hotel. He missed a seventh game with an injury.

The 25-year-old Jones spent part of his time away from football taking part in an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Robinson said he did not think Jones' suspension was a factor in the Cowboys' decision to release the cornerback.

"We don't have any reason to believe at this point that that off-the-field incident had anything to do with the team's decision today," Robinson said. "I know there was certainly a lot of bad that came out of that situation, but there was some good that came out of that situation as well."

Jones' attorney added he expects the cornerback will be back with some team in 2009.

"He is young. He has a lot of ability and he is eager to get back on the field," Robinson said.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple declined to comment on the team's decision and said owner Jerry Jones was unavailable. Coach Wade Phillips and linebacker Greg Ellis, who is the team's representative to the players' union, did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press.

The Cowboys traded for Jones despite the cornerback's suspension for the 2007 season after multiple off-field incidents while with the Titans. He was given another chance and cleared to play in 2008 by commissioner Roger Goodell.

When Jones was traded to Dallas in April, Tennessee received a fourth-round draft pick. The Titans were also supposed to get a sixth-rounder next year, but because Jones was suspended again, Dallas will instead receive a fifth-round pick in 2009.

Before coming to Dallas, Jones was arrested six times and involved in 12 instances requiring police intervention after Tennessee drafted him in the first round in 2005.

For Pacman it's Game Over.

His signing was a blunder for Jerry Jones. So was the Roy Williams trade.

I'm curious what the Jets fans here thought of Mangini. I am not that excited that the Browns hired him, particularly so fast. No other teams were beating down the door for him. I don't think he's a bad coach, but he has relatively little experience. I have also heard criticism of his gametime decisions, but that can always be improved upon.

Additionally, Browns ownership (again) bungled the process by hiring a coach before a GM. Then again, ownership has no regard for money, so I could see them still making an offer to Cowher next year and eating the remaining 3 yrs on Mangini's contract.

Maybe that's good, now if they could just get rid of the owner...

They don't like Archie in San Diego? Gee, I wonder why.

ESPN reports that Tony Dungy will retire as coach of the Colts. A press conference is scheduled later this afternoon to announce that Jim Caldwell will be named head coach.

Big shoes to fill for the Colts. One of the classiest head coaches to ever grace the sideline.

Yeah...I don't know much about Caldwell but he's been with Dungy since 2001.

Jim Caldwell took over more coaching duties this season so he's better prepared than a lot of first time NFL head coaches.

Here's some of his Bio from Colts.com

Irsay sounds like he wants to cry at this press conference.

Holy shit, Polian about to cry? He's such a hard ass most of the time.

Tony Dungy is a Genius Facebook group I've had for a few years.

The NFL loses a great coach but he'll be able to get more involved in charities and ministering.

I must admit being surprised that Tampa fired "Chucky" Gruden. I did not see this coming. If he still wants to coach next season, and since he's only 39, I assume he will get snatched up quickly. I think he still has plenty of room for improvement as a coach and I always felt his Super Bowl win was tainted based on taking over Dungy's team (much like Switzer taking over for Jimmy Johnson in Dallas).

Okay, predictions time: Steelers 30; Baltimore 10

Philly 21; Arizona 18.

Broncos, Lions, and Browns positions are taken. Jets? or maybe Oakland?

It's hard to believe but Raiders fans were actually calling the local sports talk radio station and suggesting he comes back to Oakland. Most Raider fans embarrass me!

I was shocked to hear he got fired as well. I wonder if he'll take a college coaching job?

Yes, and no. He's the one who built the Oakland juggernaut which he and the Bucs then dismantled in the Super Bowl. Whether he stayed in Oakland or left for Tampa, I think he would have ended up with a ring in either place.

I feel so sorry for you, and all oakland fans. But, hey at least oakland is far better off than detroit lol.

I predict Detroit makes the playoffs within 4 years.

I'd take that bet with just about any team, given the success of revenue sharing, the draft system and the weighted schedules. I think that the Lions have improved significantly just by jettisoning Millen and Marinelli.

While it may be tempting to grab a QB with the first overall pick, I'd pass on Stafford and Sanchez, and perhaps trade the pick for defensive talent or a lineman to improve the running game and a later first round pick.

They have a long way to go, but the league is designed to allow dramatic improvement.

If I had the first pick, I'd pass until I got down to a range where the player I wanted would normally be picked. Gets you out of paying unnecessary money by reaching.

They have a superstar WR and a solid young RB, but I would build the Lines first and use a temporary QB until they could draft one in a position to succeed.

The Colts Drafted Harrison, Faulk, Tarik Glenn before getting Peyton Manning.

They need to start with defense. Decent QBs, RBs, and receivers are plentiful. But it's defense that means the most at this point.

Spoken like a true Pittsburgh guy.

hey is there any talk in kansas city of herm edwards job because i havent heard much if he is going to be fired or not.

Not sure, guess it depends on Pioli.

I was wondering the same thing about Herm Edwards.

KC is in rebuilding mode anyway, Pioli may want a coach who uses the 3-4 on defense.

I think tonight's game says it all: defense! defense!

It'll be interesting to watch them try to shut down Fitzgerald and Boldin.

I think Edge will be shut down by the Pittsburgh defense.

Steelers win, by 10.

It's fitting that two classy teams like the Steelers and Cardinals are going to the SB instead of those who welcome criminals into their ranks or have owners who are frustrated coaches.

Lot of Rumors about Ron Meeks being fired (D-Coordinator for Colts).

This would make me like Caldwell even more after he let the special teams coach go. Maybe we can get Leslie Frazier back from the Vikings.

AND IT'S OFFICIAL!

From ESPN:

so, who do you think is going to take over for defense then?

Lots of rumors of Herm Edwards or the DB coach, not sure yet.

LT and the Chargers isn't getting much attention...



When your GM mocks someone who has contributed that much to your club...

I don't see LT being a Charger too much longer.

A lot of people believe LT's days of being one of the top backs are over. They think he's lost 2 steps, and is just about done. Should be interesting.

Yeah, he's had a lot of carries on his body (close to 3000 I think) but LT at 80-90% is better than a lot of backs.

I say he has a few good years left.

Colts have talked to Tampa Bay's D-line coach, Larry Coyer.

who ever gets him will be in good position...i can see him going to kansas city since i think every team is good with a running back.

It'd be neat to see him back with Drew Brees down in New Orleans.

He was fired today.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3855917

yea i saw that...not surprised though.

I still can't believe Marvin Lewis is still in Cincy.

Ron Meeks didn't have to wait long to get another job.

Panthers hired him to be D-Coordinator.

After starting the season 0-8, the Bengals actually had a winning record over the final half of the season, including three wins in a row to end the season. They also lost Carson Palmer for most of the year (even though I'm not a big fan of his) and played with a struggling backup QB. The second half saved his job probably.

Anyway, I think it was a good move for Cincy to keep him. He's a good coach, and the Bengals have had an ineffective front office and a host of internal problems separate from Lewis.

46-49-1 (0-1 playoffs) is not good enough after you've had 8 years to turn a team around. He has 1 season better than 8-8 in 8 years.

Lewis joined the team in 2003, which would give him 6 years, not 8.

In the six years preceding Lewis' arrival, the Bengals were 26-67, and had been the worst franchise in professional sports over the past 10-12 years. He inherited a mess, unlike any coach in memory. He instantly made them respectable. It was amazing they won their division in 2005.

I don't think the Bengals could get a better coach. Guys, like Cowher, Holmgren and Shanahan, would never think of going to Cincinnati with their front office not committed to winning. Cincy would have to tap a relatively unknown commodity and likely regress. I think the dysfunction of the Bengals rests squarely on the shoulders of Mike, Pete and Paul Brown.

1 winning season out of 6 is not acceptable. His teams have been mostly mediocre and undisciplined during his tenure. He's a defensive coach but none of his Bengals defenses have been outstanding. His teams have been better than the one he took over, but has done all he can for this team. Both parties need a new start.

I agree with Longneck. Yes, Lewis was starting at rock bottom with the franchise, which was one of the worst in all of professional sports. But where is the defensive improvement? Was he that great of a coach or was he the benefactor of coaching Ray Lewis and the rest of the 2000 Ravens defense? Carson Palmer, once an up-and-coming star, has not been the same since his playoff injury. The Bengals have a disproportionate number of players being arrested during the last few years.

The Colts haven't hired a D-Coordinator yet. Maybe they are waiting to interview a Steelers assistant?

The Indianapolis Colts today announced the promotion of Clyde Christensen to assistant head coach and confirmed the hiring of Larry Coyer as defensive coordinator and Ray Rychleski as special teams coordinator.

Coyer has most recently been the assistant head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, following a successful run as the Defensive Coordinator of the Denver Broncos.

Denver ranked in the top 4 defenses in yards per game allowed under Coyer in 2003 and 2004.

In addition, the Broncos ranked 6th in scoring defense during his four years as defensive coordinator.

Coyer has 44 years of coaching experience in both college and the pros. His college coaching career, includes stops at Ohio State, Iowa, Pitt, and UCLA among others.




And Haley hired for the Chief's HC job.

I hope poor Bibble is OK after once again Al Davis and Oakland Raiders prove they are clueless when it comes to the NFL draft. Heyward-Bey at #7?

and the 49ers went with the smart move by getting crabtree...man i feel bad for raider fans lol.

raiders just picked a safety who might had been their in the 5th round...just wow lol.

I just heard Chris Berman on ESPN announce that the Cowboys would be selcting next with the 51st OVERALL pick in the draft. I wonder what dunce who pays any attention to the NFL draft thinks that teams typically get 20, 30, 40, 50 or more picks.

Jints made a nice pick, huh Lou? Receiver Hakeem Nicks. I like it.

bears dont have a pick for the first day...what a fucking dumbass!

Dumbass?

They don't have a pick on the first day becuase they traded their first-round pick to Denver for quarterback Jay Cutler.

For some reason I always get hopeful that the Raiders will have a good draft, and it almost seems like they try to screw things up. For a while now I just have to laugh when I hear how stupid this team is. The Raiders make me wish I wasn't so loyal.

Did anyone see when they announced Heyward-Bey's name? They showed him on camera and he didn't crack a smile. He just sat there stiff with a look on face that seemed to say "Dammit.......". If that's what he was really thinking, about coming to the Raiders, I don't blame him.

To what extent is Al davis involved in Raider draft picks. That could explain alot.

Nobody really knows what goes on in the Raiders organization, but I don't think you can find anyone who thinks Al Davis sits back and let's someone else make any decisions. He does it all, I'm sad to say.

I don't dislike it, but the Giants need a #1 receiver this year. I don't expect Nicks making an impact right away. Unless there's another move in the works, I see Manning having a real tough year. Overall, I like all three draft picks, although I wished they used some of their extra picks to move up a few spots in round 2 to draft to draft Rey Maualuga.

And just when you thought the couldn't outdo themselves for reaching for Heyward-Bey at #7, they draft a Safety in the 2nd round that was projected to be a 7th rounder.

Al Davis' Motto: "I'm going to be wrong no matter what it takes."

Who did the Lions draft?

Another wide reciever

QB Stafford and a tight end.

i was talking about the 2nd round pick they still had

Well, the Giants loaded up with weapons today. A 6'6" monster receiver from a small school, and an H-Back (compared to Dallas Clark) from Wisconsin.

I believe that they gave away their second round pick for a third AND fourth round pick.

yea i know, but the reason why i called this a dumbass move at the time because they needed a wide out (there was a couple good ones left). also too i wasted 4 hours watching the draft, so yea lol.

I'm not even going to pay attention to the draft today. It wouldn't surprise me if the Raiders called out some names of guys who aren't even in the draft.

I was thinking about Heyward-Bey, and the only thing good I see out of it (and I'm reaching... really reaching) is that he is supposedly the fastest receiver in the draft. And since JaMarcus Russell can throw a 70 yard pass from his knees it makes sense to have a guy who can sprint down field and let Russell just throw as hard as he can to him. How often that actually works, I have no idea, but it's typical thinking of Al Davis.

I will still be excited when the NFL regular season starts up, so I'm just going to get my draft-day head shaking out of the way now, then warm up my neck to bang my head against the wall half way through the season when Cable gets fired, or a group of players publicly bash the Raiders management, or any of the usual drama.

i feel that raiders made a poor choice though because yes he does have speed, but how good is his hands. i mean look at hester he has speed, but at times poor hands.

I agree completely. Like I said, I was reaching for something positive. As a fan I have to, or I will turn into one of those fans who are angry 24/7 even when the team is good.

lol i feel you...at least with the bears we are improving, and this trade down i feel was good since they getting their needs...but yea i bet next year the raiders will get the #1 pick again, and draft a bum of the street.

I've always liked the bears, so I'm glad to see them get Cutler. I know a few Bears fans and I was getting tired of hearing about Rex Grossman. I'm not sure they should have gone after Cutler though, but I can't really make a huge argument against it either. The only reason I was a little against it is because I think Orton is better than he's been given credit for. He was having a great season until he got hurt last year. And what was really impressive was how he could lead the team when it mattered most, at the end of the game. I'm not sure Cutler is a true leader, and we'll see how he does without the good receiver's he had in Denver.

yea orton was good till he got injured, but the bears had a history of qb's who were good for one year then bad for the rest...really though we gave up a decent qb, and if coached right could end up a really good qb. if cutler just plays football, and perform like an all-star everybody will be happy...but it might be tough since we dont have a good wide out.

Heyward-Bey was a reach, but Oakland's mistake was not trading their pick and getting him later in the first round. Heyward-Bey is still a very good player, projected to go later in the first round. There are reports that the Giants were attempting to trade down to the high teens to get him. Also, if it makes you feel better, a lot of teams were turned off by Crabtree's diva-like, party boy behavior prior to the draft.

The Raiders always seem to look for the fastest guy out there. The problem is that in the NFL secondaries everybody runs. What Bey will do for them is eventually stretch the field and open up the passing game for the offense.

I don't think it was a bad pick, but the Raiders may have been able to get a later first round pick and an extra third round pick and still have been able to snag the guy they wanted.

Somebody needs to blindfold Al Davis on draft day and keep him out of the draftroom. He continues to make nonsensical picks each year. Year after year they draft the "glamour" positions: this year's WR, RB Darrin McFadden, J. Russell. Granted, none of them are busts, but none are All-Pros, either.

I didn't watch much of it, but this was a dull draft. I was glad to see the Browns trade out of #5, but they should have held out for another #1 from the Jets. I liked the fact that we drafted an offensive lineman, even though it is not glamorous. The mocks I read mostly thought Mack would fall to Pittsburgh, so it's good to take from a division rival. I also hated the Robiskie pick when Rey Maualuga was still on the board in Round Two.

They need WR pretty bad though with Donte Stallworth's legal troubles and Braylon Edwards might be traded....

I wanted the Colts to take Hakeem Nicks, I think he'd be the perfect replacement for Marvin Harrison.

But they got Donald Brown and he seems like a high character guy who can improve the team. I don't really like that we've used 2 of the last 4 1st round picks on RB though. Plus we have Mike Hart.

Colts got 2 300+ pound DTs so that is good. A CB in the 3rd round and a WR. I'm not a big fan of QB Curtis Painter and I'd be surprised if he made it past training camp.

I don't disagree, but there are multiple holes on the team. Why draft two WR only a few picks apart in the same round when there are other glaring needs to address.

I was not happy with the Cowboys draft. First they trade out of the second round. Then they never did address their glaring need at safety. Plus giving the Lions their first round pick to get Roy Williams last year pissed me off.

Roy Williams had better step up now that T.O. is gone(one of the very few good moves Jerry Jones made) if Roy proves to be a bust then the Cowboys scouting department should all be placed in front of a firing squad.


But overall this years draft was a rather weak one.

It was one of the weakest draft classes in years.

I thought the Eagles got a couple of bargains though with Maclin and our local hero here in Harrisburg, LeSean McCoy.

I was thrilled for McCoy, who amazed me when he was in high school. He tore up his knee late in his senior year, and was unable to go to Pitt, Notre Dame or Penn State because his grades weren't good. He went to a junior college, hit the books, got good grades and transferred to Pitt. He is a good example of hard work and determination. When he was selected, Drew Rosenhaus was by his side with $ signs in his eyes.

the raiders had the best draft ever! lol

YOU CAN'T TEACH SPEED!

WHOOOO HOOO, Johnson and Moala and the other 300+ pound DTs we have now.

Also,



Dang. I got his autograph and talked with him a little bit at last year's training camp.

Brett Favre a Minnesota Viking?



Let the 2nd annual Brett Favre un-retirement commence.

Favre to the Vikings. This is destined to happen. The Vikings had the best defense against the run and arguably the NFL's best rushing game with AP. Tavarias Jackson and Sage Rosenfelds weren't answers to the QB position, and neither is a rookie.

Favre has seen his best days, but he had some tremendous days for the Jets and was named to the Pro Bowl. If that biceps injury allows him to play, it's a significant upgrade. Also, as sick and tired everyone is of him retiring and coming back, Minnesota at Green Bay will be a much more interesting game.

Will Favre ever retire?

He looks about 90 already so how will he look in 20 years when he returns to Green Bay

Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio made a great point re: Favre. If he would just shut up and not say anything, then people would not dislike him so much. Why does he have to go through the press conferences and announce his retirement if he is not sure?

Mike & Mike gave a great comparison to Jerry Rice. Rice obviously hung around far too long as many athletes often do. Whether Favre fits that category is for another discussion. But Rice was never reviled like Favre because he just kept trying out for other teams and keeping a low profile. After leaving the 49ers, he played (well) for Oakland, then bounced around to at least Seattle & Denver (there may be more teams). But he did so without the hoopla, without the teary press conferences.

If you would have asked me 5 years ago whether Brett Favre could be hated, I would say only by fans from rivals of the Packers. With what has happened in the last two offseasons, I would say that Favre is seriously tarnishing his legacy. Not that this impacts his play from his heyday, but this is going to be a lasting image of Favre that will turn off even many hardcore Green Bay fans.

hey bring him on...the bears are ready to kick his old ass two more times. on the other hand i wont mind if he kicks the packers ass as well.

Steelers to meet president at the White House Thursday
Buzz up!By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, May 15, 2009

The Steelers, who defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, will visit the White House Thursday and meet with President Barack Obama.

The traditional visit by the Super Bowl champions falls on the same day as the team's final scheduled voluntary workout next week.

"Plain and simple. If we have an opportunity to go to the White House, we're going to the White House," said Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett.

The Steelers visited the White House after winning Super Bowl XL in 2006 when George W. Bush was president.

Damn. Tom Moore's a big loss. I met Howard Mudd at last year's training camp and got him to sign my hat while I stared at his huge super bowl ring.

By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

James Harrison said he is surprised that his decision not to visit the White House has generated national headlines.

That doesn't mean the All-Pro outside linebacker has had a change of heart and will be with the Steelers Thursday when they meet President Barack Obama.

"I decided not to go because I don't want to go," Harrison said, adding that he will stay in Pittsburgh to work out. "No personal feelings, no nothing. I just don't want to go."

Harrison did not accompany the Steelers to the White House in 2006 when they were hosted by President George W. Bush for winning Super Bowl XL.

I didn't completely understand his explanation other than the part where he said the trip wasn't a big deal to him. His absence made no news in 2006 when he skipped the trip. I don't know if it's news now because he is the NFL Defensive Player of the Year this year (he was pretty damn good 3 years ago too), or because it's Obama this year, not Bush.

Frankly, I respect his decision. "Silverback" is tops in my book.