Here are my quick cuts and jukes from the past week’s football
College
Fiesta! Fiesta!
I calledBoise State heartless earlier this year for not making sure Lagerrette Blount got knocked out after striking one of their teammates. They rolled through a weak WAC conference. I was certain TCU was going to give them the business, but I was wrong because Boise State came to play and TCU was the team that backed down. The surprise of the evening was Boise State’s defense, which shut the prolific TCU offense down. Sidenote, Andy Dalton, TCU QB, has no arm strength at all. Did you see the ducks he was throwing on the deep out routes? Geesh. Either way, both teams were evenly matched and Boise State just fought harder point blank. Congrats Broncos, I hope you all have accepted my apology.
Uhh…the BORE – ange Bowl
Umm…Iowa beasted Georgia Tech. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Is the Big Ten back? That’s 4-3 in bowl games this year with two BCS wins.
Iowa won the game, but what is up with fake field goal call my Kirk Ferentz? Where are all these coaches getting these balls of steel from. Bill Belichick opened the flood gates for weird ass calls when he pulled that shit in Indianapolis earlier this season. Jim Zorn’s wild ass call on Monday Night Football, Jim Caldwell, and most recently Kirk Ferentz’s crazy call have been many of odd decisions by coaches this season. Pretty soon we won’t have anymore punters and kickers the way these daredevils play.
GMAC = BCS?
LOL, last week I wrote about the Central Michigan vs. Troy game last weekend. I was given the business by several CMU fans. I refuse to make the same mistake again. CMU was ranked #25 and I said they were unranked. Neither team has any control over when the bowl game is played. I still think it’s stupid to have this game this late in the bowl season. The game wasn’t a good game, it was a good half. You guys can shoot me if you want to, but from beginning to end there were better bowl games this year. This game had the best half of the bowl season hands down. Thank you for your comments last week as well, you guys really made me feel hated like Colin Cowherd, who I look up too, so I was on my high horse thanks to you guys.
National Championship Game
Well damn football gods, did you really have to take Colt McCoy out of the game five plays in? What did he do to you guys? Either way the whole entire landscape of the game changed once he went out. You can’t argue that at all. I picked Texas to win, and if he stays in I think they do, but shoulda, coulda, woulda you know. Backup Texas QB, Garrett Gilbert, played well for the most part. He was deer in headlights the first couple of series, but once he realized Jordan Shipley was on the field, it was all good. McCoy got all the love this year, but imagine if he didn’t have Shipley to throw the ball to? I think Shipley is the Longhorn MVP this year, he certainly was for this game. The key plays in the game are Malcolm Williams dropping that touchdown pass which would have made it a 17 – 13 ball game. The next key play was the shovel pass pick six. If either of those two plays are in Texas’ favor the game is 17-13 at halftime with Texas getting the ball to start the second half.
I have no clue where Bama went in the 3rd qtr. I’m still looking for them right now. I won’t mention the Bama QB’s name, because he sucks that bad. Give some love to the Bama O-line, when you throw the ball 11 times, and win a national championship game, that means your running game cannot be touched. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson got it in! Congrats to Bama, but deep down, you can’t feel totally good about this victory, because Texas didn’t have their best player. Granted you all knocked him out of the game on a clean hit, and injuries are apart of the game. But don’t you want to beat the Texas Longhorns? And all season long everyone and their unborn babies haven’t been able mention the Texas Longhorns without saying Colt McCoy.
NFL
The wildcard weekend was the rematch weekend. Three of the four games played were rematches, which I found pretty cool. Two out of the three of the teams that won last weekend, won this weekend.
Well a Jet is faster than a Bengal
The Jets flat out kicked the Bengals’ ass. Rex Ryan’s defense was “all the way turnt up”. Darrelle Revis continued his case for defensive player of the year (even though I don’t think postseason play should count, with his recent performance it’ll be hard to keep it out of the voters’ minds.) Mark Sanchez played virtually mistake free and his running game allowed him to not be in situations where he’d have to win the entire game.
Murder in Jerry Land
Speaking of flat out ass kickings. We’ll it wasn’t an ass kicking, someone died in Dallas. Not someone, but something or somethings. The Eagles died. Yep, they were put to death in Jerry Land. Is it Jerry Land or Jerry’s World? Has there been a consensus on what we’re going to call it yet? Either way outside of a long td strike from Mike Vick, the Eagles were extinct. The Eagles’ power was their offense and Dallas’ defense shut that down with ease. Tony Romo was flawless and Miles Austin showed out as always. Things were going so well in Dallas that Roy Williams showed up to the party as well and boy did Mr. Odessa cut a rug in Jerry Land/World. The Chargers are not the hottest team in football, it is the Cowboys.
Quote the Raven, “i dislike Patriots”
Umm…I’ve said this all year when it comes to the Patriots. “You Get What You Pay For” in several key areas of their ball club, the Pats went cheap and they got cheap performance. Most specifically they went cheap on defense, but in their defense’s defense when the offense is turning the ball over in their own territory several times it’s hard to win. The Ravens defense played like they should have been playing all year long. We can shoulda woulda coulda all day long in terms of Wes Welker being able to play but he wasn’t thus the Pats were in effective all game long with the Ravens rolling coverage to Randy Moss and Ben Watson dropping passes. On the other note their dynasty is not over, please stop with the nonsense. The Steelers didn’t make the playoffs this year, are they over?
Welcome to the conversation…We’re talking about nominations for the best games in history.
I was pissed all weekend long. I just wanted to watch some good football. All three previous playoff games were blowouts. Thank you Green Bay and Arizona for making this game interesting. The highest scoring game in NFL history interesting. Don’t blame Aaron Rodgers Packers fans, he played a great game and brought the team back. It was just a fluke play to be honest.
The defense made enough stops to get the team back even as well. It’s like guarding Lebron James, he’s going to get his points. I mean once both offenses got into their grooves, the 2000 Ravens or ‘85 Bears couldn’t have stopped either team. It is odd that the game ended on a defensive play, and I know for certain Neil Rackers is the happiest person in the state of Arizona right now. Kurt Warner threw four incompletions and five touchdown passes. I just thought I’d throw that fact out there.
Random ish….
So, Tommy Tuberville is the new man at Texas Tech. You don’t say. I hope you have something to say because I don’t. It feels like they went after the biggest name they could find at the time. Mike Leach’s system is totally different from what Tuberville is going to bring in. I wouldn’t say Tuberville has to win fast, because the administration has been dying to get rid of Leach so they’ll give Tuberville his due time to get his own players in Lubbock. The fans; however, will not give Tuberville his due time because they never wanted Leach gone in the first place. We’ll see how it plays out though.
Pete Carroll! Don’t do it. Seattle is on the fast track to becoming NFL purgatory between Cleveland and Oakland(Detroit is like Hell in Pluto). Too late. I feel like they are trapping you Pete, they are setting you up for failure. Who is they? I don’t know it sounds good. Either way, the defense is wretched in Seattle. I don’t know what they have done with Matt Hasslebeck. Mike Holmgren left the team better than he found it. Jim Mora was unfairly ousted too early. I mean they are giving Pete the money to go buy his own groceries to cook the dinner, per Bill Parcells. We’ll see if he manages his money well and buys good healthy organic foods or he wastes in on junk food. We’ll also see if he knows how to cook, because too much or too little salt and various spices on meals can completely ruin them. On a positive note, the defense is good and they play in a mediocre conference. The only way to go is up, right?
Here are my quick cuts and jukes from the weekend…..
College
Fresno State should have won their New Mexico Bowl game versus Wyoming. In the first OT, they had the ball on their 1-yard line and in four attempts Ryan Matthews, the nation’s leading rusher, they couldn’t convert. The Bulldogs were also unable to stop Wyoming in the final possession of regulation when they converted three 4th down conversions to set up the game tying field goal. I love Coach Hill and Ryan Matthews, but damn fellas!
Rutgers had Central Florida out matched all game long. Coach Greg Schiano’s now taken his Scarlet Knights to five straight bowl games winning four of them. I see you over there trying to start a dynasty Coach Schiano!I told yall Rutgers Freshman QB, Tom Savage, was cold!
Damn, I hate to see Damion Fletcher go out like that in his last game of his great career with a loss. On the other hand, I like this Middle Tennessee State QB, Dwight Dasher, who balled out of control last night. A quick side note, we say Colt McCoy is the perfect name for a Texas quarterback, but Dwight Dasher has to be the perfect name for a running quarteback, imagine this kid running the option for Nebraska back in the ’80s, man! Either way Dasher has his way with the Golden Eagles in the R + L New Orleans Carrier Bowl who had 366 all purpose yards and 4 touchdowns. Middle Tennessee State 42 Southern Mississippi 32.
NFL
The Colts and Jaguars game was a good one. The Jags let is slip bottom line. Hey Indy, I see chinks in your armor, the same chinks I saw against the Patriots.
Umm…”Who Dat”? No really who dat that was playing Saturday, because it sure wasn’t the New Orleans Saints I’ve seen all year. I mean yeah, you were down against the Dolphins and Redskins, but you guys put up points in those games. Jammal Brown was sorely missed as DeMarcus Ware had his way with the Saints, and that sloppy Saints run defense caught up to them as the Boys put up 145 rushing yards on the Saints.
Yeah, Randy Moss had a bounce back game, but the Patriots just don’t look the same man.
What is it with these extra sorry teams playing the most exciting games. The Browns were involved in both of them. This time they went wire to wire with the Chiefs winning, 41-34 in Kansas City. Josh Cribbs dominated the game with two kick off return touchdowns over 100 yards in the same quarter. Let me take that back, those were only two scores, Jerome Harrison, the backup running back set a team record rushing for 286 yards on 34 carries and 3 touchdowns. He broke the record of 238 yards formerly held by the great Jim Brown. Jamaal Charles got off for the Chiefs though with 154 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown.
Jets vs. Falcons….boring. Final score Falcons 10 Jets 7. No it wasn’t a defensive slug out. I appreciate those, nope, this was purely inept offense on both sides.
Texans won…barely over the Rams, 16-13. Andre Johnson is a beast, and I hope he gets outta Houston soon and gets a chance to play for a championship.
Vince Young threw 3 tds for the first time in his career. Chris Johnson ran for pedestrian 104 yards. Umm VY is now 25-12 as a starter. Numbers don’t lie, they just don’t, their like Pinocchio. Oh yah, Texans beat the Dolphins 27-24.
Arizona won….they won ugly. Cards 31 Lions 24.
Denver started out 6-0. They’ve only won 2 of their last 8 games and now stand at 8-6 losing to the Raiders who played 3 QBs yesterday.
The Bengals had an emotional game in San Diego yesterday. I’m proud of OchoCinco for not wearing #15. I wouldn’t have minded if he did, but I know the media would have made a field day out of it. Chad even stated that he wasn’t going to do so because he didn’t want to cause a distraction. Good move Chad, don’t give the media any ammo. But the lost 27-24 to the Chargers. RIP Chris Henry.
Oh my goodness Jay Cutler. Are you serious? 25 picks thrown for the year with only 19 touchdowns for the year. He threw 3 picks yesterday so it’s pretty obvious they didn’t win, actually the lost pretty bad, 31-7 to the Ravens.
Do I have to talk about Tampa Bay beating Seattle 24-7?
San Francisco should have won this game, but they have Mike Singletary coaching. It’s time for him to go. Eagles win 27-13.
Packers vs. Steelers, now that was some good offensive football. 37-36 Steelers, breaking their six game skid. So much for the vaunted running attacks of these historic franchises, both teams only ran the ball 31 times combined. They threw the ball 94 times for 886 yards and 6 touchdowns. Big Ben threw for 503 yards and 3 tds. Damn!
Minnesota Vikings are no longer allowed to play on Sunday night football. Not like they actually played either of the two times they’ve been there anyway. If Steve Smith is like the Olympics. He comes around every four years once he gets a consistent quarterback. It’s not his fault though, imagined if he played for the Colts. Oh well they got the win in their scrimmage against the Vikes 26-7.
I watched the College Football Awards last night which were okay. I wanted more, at least a montage damn. I couldn’t a highlight montage?
Maxwell Award (Outstanding Player) – Colt McCoy, Texas QB
The awards bother me because they go to the best players on the best team. The most outstanding player this year was C.J. Spiller of Clemson. He carried his team on his back, and the only player to score a touchdown in every single game this year. Some might argue Ndamukong Suh was the most outstanding player which I’d have a hard time arguing. I just know it wasn’t Colt McCoy not, 2009 Colt, 2008 yes, 2009 not even close. Against the two toughest defenses he faced, OU and Nebraska, he had subpar games.
Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year) – Colt McCoy, Texas QB
My thoughts? (See above). One more thing, what’s the difference between Outstanding Player and Player of the Year? These damn awards need better definitions. All of these sponsors making money off of these awards is all it is. Someone please explain the difference between the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp award and then I’ll probably expect you to tell me the cure for cancer because if you can find legitimate distinctions for these three awards you are a smart motherfucker foreal.
Home Depot Award (Coach of the Year) – Brian Kelly, Cincinnati Head Coach
I can’t argue with this one. He went 12-0. Played a tough schedule as well. If Northwestern head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, wins the Big Ten then I’d have to ride with him, but Kelly earned this one.
Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back) – Toby Gerhart, Stanford RB
Mark Ingram was…..not robbed. Gerhart has rushed for 1700 plus yards and 26 tds. His lowest rushing output this season was to Wake Forest for 82 yards. Ingram has a great offensive line, and isn’t even the best running back on his team because Trent Richardson who is only a true freshman is the real deal on this. For the sake of being an asshole, I must say Toby Gerhart isn’t the best running back in his own state, Ryan Matthews of Fresno State is, and the best running back in the country is CJ Spiller.
Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback) – Colt McCoy, Texas QB
Now I can live with this one, kinda. Quarterbacks must win games and Colt has done that. Only reason he wins this in my eyes is for his touchdown saving tackle in the Red River Rivalry game. If he doesn’t make that tackle, OU wins. Jimmy Claussen has thrown for more yards than Colt, has a higher QB rating, and has 28 tds/4 ints vs. Colt’s 27 tds/12 ints, but Colt didn’t get socked in the eye and he’s won all of his games so I have to ride with him on this one.
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award(Best Sr. QB) – Colt McCoy, Texas QB
I agree with this award, but what’s the point of it? Senior QB? Why the hell don’t we give an award to every other top senior at every other position then? The money for this award better be going to a good as foundation or charity and not someone’s pockets, but I fear the worst.
John Mackey Award(Best Tight End) – Aaron Hernandez, Florida TE
He’s lucky Jermaine Gresham was hurt. Not saying he’s not on the level of Gresham, but voters have a one track mind as you saw with the Thorpe award. Either way, he’s definitely better after the catch than Gresham and had a great year this year.
Fred Biletnikoff Award (Best Wide Receiver) – Golden Tate, Notre Dame WR
He barely gets this over Jordan Shipley, because of his spectacular runs after the catch and having to fight through double teams after Michael Floyd went down.
I need another definition. Eh, not definition more so of an explanation. Why the fuck is there an interior lineman award? Why don’t we just have a best offensive lineman award and a best defensive lineman award. They are all virtually doing the same thing. It’s like have a slot receiver of the year award, a deep receiver of the year award, a possession receiver of the year award, give me a fucking break. Eithe way, Suh won it and he deserved it.
Lombardi Award(Outstanding Lineman) – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska DT
(see above)
Chuck Bednarik & Bronko Nagurski (Defensive Player the Year) – Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska DT
Why, why, why do we have two defensive player of the year awards. I need a good explanation. Suh deserved it, but why do we have two?
Dick Butkus Award(Best Linebacker) – Rolando McClain, Alabama LB
Technically, I agree with this award. He outplayed Brandon Spikes, Eric Norwood, and Sean Weatherspoon. He did not outplay Sergio Kindle, but Kindle started nine games at DE and played more of a hybrid DE/LB role but spent most of his time at DE, so by default I gotta give it to McClain.
Ted Hendricks Award(Best Defensive End) – Jerry Hughes, TCU DE
Yeah, he has good stats(54 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 2 passes broken up, 7 QB hurries) but in the voters minds he won this award before the season started. I’d give it to Sergio Kindle who has faced double teams all year long and still managed the pressure the QB 25 times, 13 tackles for loss, and 3 passes defensed. Hughes was helped with TCU blitz happy defense which freed him up for more one on one opportunities with the offensive tackles.
Thorpe Award(Best Defensive Back) – Eric Berry, Tennessee FS
Earl Thomas was robbed point blank period. I may live in Austin but I’m a Sooner born and bred so there is no favoritism going on here. Just like the previous award, the voters voted on this award before the season even started. What has Eric Berry done this year? I’m glad that Thomas and Berry play the same position of safety because if they were both corners they you could contend that one team didn’t throw at this guy or that guy enough. They are both playing center field making plays. Who made more plays? Eric Berry had 83 tackles, 2 picks and 2 forced fumbles. Earl Thomas had 66 tackles, 8 picks, and housed 2 of them. Berry simply won this year because he was screwed last year because Taylor Mays of USC won it. Earl was under the radar this year as well. Please don’t bring up the fact that Berry had more tackles, he was playing in the box more this year as an extra linebacker and to be honest when he was in coverage he wasn’t making good plays on the ball and all he could do was tackle the receiver/tight end that made the catch in front of him. Bottom line, Thomas was robbed.
I don’t care if Berry won the award, I’m gonna show Earl Thomas highlights….
Lou Groza Award(Best Kicker) – Kai Forbath, UCLA kicker
You know good and damn well I don’t care about this award.
Ray Guy Award(Best Punter) – Drew Butler, Georgia punter
If I don’t care about the kicker award what makes you think I care about the punter award.
We’ll this really isn’t an official Big East championship game, because they don’t have one, but the winner will win the conference and go on to the BCS. Cincy is clearly the favorite in this one. Their offense cannot be stopped. I would love to see an upset this weekend and this looks to be where it may happen, but I doubt it. Cincinnati will win because their offensive passing attack is just to explosive and potent. The Panthers will be able to get good pressure on Pike has they have caused headaches for quarterbacks all season long. The Bearcat spread offense has many underneath crossing routes that will offset Pitt’s QB pressue. Pitt will try to play ball control and will be able to move the ball but with teams the lack rely on defense and ball control and lack a powerful offense are at a supreme disadvantage when their defense is known for missing tackles. Cincinnati will win because it will take Pitt a lot longer to score and the likely hood of Pitt not being able to sustain drives and put points on the board is very high as opposed to Cincy being able to move the ball at will.
SEC Championship
Florida vs. Alabama
This one is the hardest to call. Apart of me wants to say Florida, because Alabama had a tough week last week against Aurburn and Florida had an easy game against Florida State. You are not supposed to pick games based on emotion and gut feelings, but when those emotions align with the logic it’s tough to argue against. Nick Saban never loses twice in a row to the same team. Florida has a lot of explosion from last year. Julio Jones is healthy. Carlos Dunlap will miss this game. The key thing is that Alabama’s defense will be too much for Florida and even the great Tebow will not be able to win this one. Joe Haden and Julio Jones are gonna go at it too, I can’t wait.
Big 12 Championship
Texas vs. Nebraska
I have no clue why everyone thinks this will be a tough game or that Texas will get upset. Who has Nebraska played this year? Please tell me. Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick do not scare me. Colt McCoy will get the ball out of his hands quick. Texas will make plays. Nebraska’s defense is good, but all it takes is one mistake for the good ol momentum to switch. Nebraska doesn’t have the offense to stay in the game point blank.
ACC Championship
Georgia Tech vs. Clemson
I’m rolling with Clemson. I don’t think they’ll stop Georgia Tech’s triple option, I mean who can? But the Tigers will sustain it, causing Tech QB, Josh Nesbitt, to make some mistakes and not convert some crucial third downs. CJ Spiller is a beast and will keep his team in the as well as a big play from Jacoby Ford.
NFL
Titans vs. Colts
This will be the true test for Vince Young who has led the Titans to five straight victories. Granted, those five wins came against sub par teams and this is his first good team. The Colts are really good, like 11-0 good. I think Vince Young will play well, but Peyton Manning will play better. The Titans will not be able to get enough pressure on Manning and he will carve them up. As good as Vince Young has been playing, the Titans have been relying on Chris Johnson, but in a shootout they won’t be able to play ball control which will be to their demise.
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Here are my quick cuts and jukes from the holiday weekend…..
College
Yes, Colt McCoy did ball out against Texas A&M. Was that his “Heisman” game? No, it wasn’t. His tackle after his interception in the OU game was his “Heisman” moment if he wins the Heisman Trophy. I hope he doesn’t, I think Toby Gerhart or CJ Spiller is more deserving of the award.
Why can’t Texas A&M play every game like they did against Texas? It makes no sense, and don’t give me that rivalry game excuse bullshit. Rivalry games are based on pride, but isn’t every game? No excuses.
Auburn gave Bama everything they had. The better team won in the end, it also got exposed just in time for Florida to take notes going into this weekends SEC championship game. Also it helps that Florida virtually had a bye week this past weekend and Bama had to fight for their lives. Hope those bruises heal up quick for the Tide.
If Tony Pike doesn’t get hurt this season he wins the Heisman. 6TDs on Senior day. Anyone catch that one handed grab in the back of the end zone by Mardy Gilyard? Sick! On the other hand, I’ve never seen anyone fall harder than Juice Williams. What happened? No really, what happened with Juice over the past two seasons?
Nevada and Colin Kaepernick gave Boise St. all they could, but Boise St. is just the better team overall.
Backyard Brawl was a great game. Both Pitt and WVU played great, but as with all the rivalry games this weekend, the underdog prevailed. Noel Devine and Dion Lewis put on a freaking show!
Tim Tebow’s final home game. I didn’t tear up like the rest of the world, but I could feel the emotional moment. He never lost against FSU. Those new Nike Pro Combat uniforms were nice too (pics below).
I hope FSU doesn’t push out Bobby Bowden. The man has changed college football and has earned the right to leave on his own terms. Florida State! He helped make you who you are, you push him out and might very well face the curse of the Bowdeno. 62 years of losing ain’t cool.
I can’t wait to see TCU and Bama in the consolation championship game. Hope Bama learned their lesson from last year, those Mountain West conference teams come to play!
Rivalry weekend casualty #4, Georgia Bulldogs 30 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 24. I”m lost on these teams playing their hearts out for rivalry games. I mean, you should play like that every weekend!
unranked OU Sooners defeates #12 ranked OSU Cowboys. How? “rivalry weekend” (crock of shit? i wholeheartedly agree). It must also be known they shut out the Cowboys 27-0. BOOMER SOONER BABY!
Rivalry weekend was full fledged in the Carolinas. South Carolina upset Clemson and NC State upset UNC. Damn rivalry weekend. I don’t believe in it, but they make for good ass games especially during the holiday weekend.
The Holy War was just that. BYU’s, Max Hall, didn’t play a great game but when you toss the game winning touchdown in OT, nothing else really matters but the win. BYU 26 Utah 23.
The Battle for Los Angeles was normal. USC putting a beat down on UCLA. The funny and hypocritical thing was Pete Carroll calling a deep ball to Damien Williams after UCLA called a timeout when USC was trying to go into the victory formation. Pete was upset when Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was running up the score on him, but he was doing the same thing to UCLA.
Oh Jevan Snead, Oh Jevan Snead. You made me look like an idiot. And to think I picked you for my dark horse Heisman candidate. Last year everyone wondered what would have happened if Snead stayed at Texas. Well buddy your making Mack Brown look like a genius for sticking with Colt. Ole Miss loses to Mississippi State in another rivalry game upset this weekend 41-27.
Bayou Bucket….Houston 73 to Rice’s 14 points. Ouch, Rice musta said something about somebody’s mama.
Best game of the college weekend was Notre Dame and Stanford. These two teams went back and forth. Michael Floyd who? It’s all about Golden Tate baby, that kid is a monster. Toby Gerhart needs to be in NYC for the Heisman. Oh well, at least Charlie Weis‘ last game was a thriller.
Here was the last installment of the Nike Pro Combat uniforms this weekend
Florida – “Finish the Mission”
Miami – “The U Knows”
LSU – “Cochon De Lait”
Texas – “Texas Fight/It Only Takes Eleven”
NFL
NFL Thanksgiving Day football….errr boring.
Charles Woodson, not Darren Sharper is the defensive player of the year. Hands down.
Of course the Cowboys looked good against the Raiders.
Darius Heyward-Bey caught his first touchdown pass of the year. I am not sure if we should be calling him out or calling out the Raiders quarterback play on Bey’s disappointing rookie season.
What has happened to the Giants….gahh lee.
Mattey Ice was ice cold at the end of the game yesterday to Roddy White to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Only in the NFL can a bottom cellar dweller of a team defeat a playoff team, i.e. Dolphins vs. Bills this weekend.
The Carolina Panthers want a quarterback for Christmas. Hell, I want one for them.
The Texans got on top of the Colts 17-0 yesterday. Why did the let off the gas. The started playing not to lose in the 2nd quarter, WTF! Well, you know what happens when you pussy foot with Peyton Manning, he wins, every single time leading his team to 28 unanswered points to win, 35-27. Colts are 10-0 and don’t look they are letting up anytime soon.
Brett Favre has 24 TDs and 3 Ints. Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.
Colin Cowherd isn’t buying any Vince Young stock, but I am. Matter of fact, I never sold any of my original stock, but I am buying some more. I”ve bought a little more each week and after that 99 yard drive, I’m stocking up for the winter so it can keep me warm.
Not sure what Hines Ward is talking about. Sure Ben Roethlisberger practiced all week long, because his injury heals overtime not overnight. So a smart team/coach/player will prepare for the best, which is for the doctors to deem Benny Roe good enough to play before the game. The doc didn’t do that so the Steelers rolled with Dennis Dixon. Hines might be tough, but if he keeps on being tough and plays with concussions he’ll be soft like the rest of the former NFL vegetable players. Hines Ward pulled a true T.O. He needs to go to his quarterback and apologize, point blank.
Yo what’s good. I’m going to run down a list of things that are still on my mind two days after the last week of football was played. Don’t worry next article will be about upcoming games this weekend.
First things is this, please get off of Bill Belichick’s back. He made the call point blank, bottom line. This man has three Super Bowl rings and should have had a fourth. He’s made countless risks before that have worked out just fine. In reality, he got a really bad spot. The only two bad decisions he made was calling a timeout before deciding to go for it on 4th and 2 giving the Colts a chance to get prepared for the play. The second mistake was not blitzing Peyton Manning after they didn’t get the didn’t get the conversion. I’d rather him blitz Manning and get burned early for the TD so they’ll have time to score rather than later with virtually no time left on the clock.
Maurice Jones-Drew’s coach influenced decision to not score the touchdown at the end of the game was a bad decision. They were down. Please stop saying it was a smart decision like Brian Westbrook made a few weeks ago. It was not, the Eagles were winning that game, the Jaguars were not winning. It is too big of a risk. The only reason Belichick gets a pass because he’s won three out of four Super Bowls in one decade.
Bob Stoops to Notre Dame? I don’t see it happening. I really don’t. He’s damn near a legend in Oklahoma. Granted, he’s not being fully appreciated as he once was, but he’s been in this position before in 2005 when they went 8-4. He’ll bounce back, I mean hell, look at all the injuries he’s had to deal with this season.
Now, these Mike Shanahan to the Chicago Bears rumors sound legit. They signed Jay Cutler to way too much money and gave up too much to get him last Summer, so Cutler is not going anywhere. Someone will be punished for all these loses the Bears are suffering. If it’s not the GM then it’s going to be head coach, Lovie Smith. Shanahan makes sense. Cutler played his best football for Shanahan in Denver last season throwing for over 4,500 yards and 25 TDs.
Why does this college football season suck so much? I knew something was up when highly touted true freshman Andre DeBose wasn’t going to play this year for Florida because of a hamstring injury, that was my omen. There are no clear cut stars. Jahvid Best was on his way, but his offensive line stopped blocking for him. Colt McCoy’s thrown too many interceptions. Jevan Snead is not who we thought he was. Tim Tebow has no one to throw the ball too. Jimmy Clausen plays for a Notre Dame team that has no defense, and Sam Bradford was done the first game. Cincinnati is undefeated and Mardy Gilyard is playing his ass off, why is he not getting any love. Yes C.J. Spiller is playing on a mediocre Clemson team, but he is by far the best player in the country and he should get some Heisman love as well. If only TCU or Boise State had a star, or Cincinnati marketing Mardy Gilyard.
LaGarrette Blount was reinstated to Oregon last week. Although he didn’t play, it was nice for his coach Chip Kelly to reinstate Blount. Now my confusion is this, Lane Kiffin boots Michael Edwards and Nu’Keese Richardson off the team for their role in an alleged attempted robbery with a pellet gun. It is similar to the Maurice Clarrett situation a few years back. Kelly didn’t ban Blount from the program and kick him off the team, he rehabilitated him. I wonder how Clarrett would have turned out if he had been given the opportunity to be rehabilitated and not left virtually naked in Columbus by Ohio State. I’m not condoning Clarrett’s actions, but you wonder how he would have turned out to be honest. I wonder what will happen with Richardson and Edwards. Both are only true freshman. Someone in the country will pick these two kids up. Kiffin’s reasons were that it would be hard for him to go into homes on recruiting trips and tell parents that their sons would be safe at Tennessee when he has players on the team robbing people. It is a very true statement from Kiffin, but I wonder what the coach that signs these two kids will say when he visits potential recruits. Do these kids get any slack for it only being a pellet gun? I’m not saying give them any, I’m just wondering because I am not a lawyer. Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you think.
Last thing on my mind is the BCS rankings. Are they even necessary. BCS comes out in Week 7. I think we should push it back to Week 9, and start letting the AP and Coaches start voting at week 6. It usually takes about six weeks for a team’s true character to show. We can’t do away with the BCS anytime soon, so why not control the most important thing which is the rankings. Where a team starts in the preseason rankings is the most vital component of the BCS rankings if you ask me. Let’s be honest, say TCU didn’t start out #17 in the preseason polls, and they were not going to be ranked until week 6, I am positive that some voter would rank TCU better than Florida right now. Honestly, the BCS doesn’t screw teams, (please don’t say Texas got screwed by the BCS, Texas got screwed by its own conference three way division tie breaker rules) the voters and polls screw teams. So we might as well do away with the polls until mid-season. Sound good? Great. Thanks for listening.
Neither Florida nor Georgia has forgotten the controversies from their last two meetings that have further flamed the rivalry.
The top-ranked Gators, though, have more important things to focus on as they prepare to take on the Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Fla. on Saturday.
In what has been a one-sided rivalry in recent years with Florida (7-0, 5-0 SEC) winning 16 of the last 19 matchups, the last two meetings have been memorable for reasons other than the result of the games.
In 2007, urged on by coach Mark Richt, the entire Georgia team stormed the field to celebrate its opening touchdown en route to a rare Bulldogs victory. Last year, in what many viewed as retaliation, Florida coach Urban Meyer called two timeouts in the final 44 seconds of the Gators’ 49-10 pounding of the Bulldogs.
Meyer denied calling the timeouts was about revenge, but Georgia players have a different take. A photo of Meyer with his hands raised in a T hangs all over the team’s training facility, providing a bitter reminder of what happened.
“Of course, that’s going to be a very big motivating factor for us,” Georgia safety Bryan Evans said. “Every time we see his hands in the timeout position, it reminds us of what happened last year.”
While Georgia players are using last season’s tense finish as extra motivation for the latest installment of the rivalry, Florida needs little incentive as it chases a second straight national championship.
The Gators, who also hold the top spot in the BCS poll, are coming off a 29-19 win at Mississippi State last Saturday. Mississippi State tied the game in the third quarter, but Florida ran off 16 straight points, capped by an interception returned for a touchdown. Replays show it may have been fumbled before crossing the goal line, but an officials review upheld the score.
The Gators weren’t interested this week in debating that call, however, as they have bigger concerns given the recent inconsistency of Tim Tebow, who was 12 for 22 for 127 yards Saturday and failed to throw a touchdown for the second time this season. He threw a season-high two interceptions, giving him four for the season.
After throwing six touchdowns and one interception in the first four games, Tebow has passed for two scores and three picks in the last three contests.
“I don’t think it’s getting to me,” Tebow said. “Do I put pressure on me? Yeah. I put a lot more pressure than y’all could possibly put on me, so I don’t think that’s getting to me. I think just wanting to excel, wanting everything to be right.”
Not all of Tebow’s problems are solely in his control, however. He’s been sacked 15 times this season, equaling his total from 14 games last season.
“Tim’s not trying to be a hero,” Meyer said. “But we might be asking him to do too much.”
Tebow has six rushing touchdowns this season and 49 for his career, one shy of breaking former Georgia standout Herschel Walker’s SEC record.
While Tebow breaking Walker’s record may be inevitable, Georgia (4-3, 3-2) will try its best to prevent him from doing it this weekend.
The Bulldogs are hoping that an upset of the Gators could push them back into the SEC East race. They rebounded from back-to-back losses against LSU and Tennessee with a 34-10 victory at Vanderbilt on Oct. 17 and are coming off a bye.
Georgia had one of its best games of the season the last time out. Joe Cox threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns while the team rushed for a season-high 173 yards. The Bulldogs are last in the SEC in rushing yards per game at 108.0.
“(The running game) didn’t do a lot at first but if you keep driving the ball, it opens up play-action and then you’ll start getting big runs and that’s how you put teams away,” said Cox, who is third in the conference with 1,581 passing yards this season. “It wasn’t our best day running the ball, but it was effective when we needed it to be.”
The much-maligned defense also came up big. Ranked 100th nationally in scoring defense entering the game, Georgia came up with three sacks and had an interception that set up a touchdown.
This is the fourth time the Bulldogs are playing the nation’s No. 1 team. Two of the previous three were against Florida — in 1985 and 1996.
“The hatred is already there with the fans, the coaches, everyone,” Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said of the rivalry. “There’s no other way to put it: We just don’t like each other.”
Texas-Oklahoma St. Preview
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Texas star Colt McCoy is the reigning Big 12 offensive player of the week and the nation’s second-most accurate passer. Oklahoma State knows all too well about how difficult it is to defend against the Heisman Trophy candidate.
The lone remaining teams with perfect Big 12 records meet with first place in the South Division on the line when McCoy and the third-ranked Longhorns try to extend their 11-game winning streak over the 13th-ranked Cowboys on Saturday night in Stillwater.
Texas (7-0, 4-0) hasn’t lost to Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-0) since a 42-16 defeat Oct. 4, 1997, and leads the all-time series 21-2. The 1997 game was the last time the Longhorns entered this matchup as an unranked team while the Cowboys have been ranked just three times during the 11-game slide.
The Cowboys believe this is their best chance to end that run of futility, having won five straight since a 45-35 loss to Houston on Sept. 12.
“I haven’t beat them since I’ve been here, same for the guys in there,” senior quarterback Zac Robinson said. “It’s a little extra motivation obviously with what’s on the line and both teams playing well right now. Having them at our place will be a lot of fun.”
Oklahoma State will have to do a better job of slowing down McCoy, whose 71.7 completion percentage is second in the country to Arizona’s Nick Foles (72.3). McCoy has been even better against the Cowboys, completing 79.4 percent for 1,019 yards to go 3-0.
In his lone visit to Boone-Pickens Stadium on Nov. 3, 2007, McCoy was 20 of 28 for 282 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He helped engineer a comeback from a 21-point deficit entering the fourth quarter in a 38-35 victory.
“You can’t really see how good they really are on film because they are going to play like a different team when we are there,” McCoy said about the Cowboys’ defense. “Their intensity is going to rise. We are playing at their place at night, and it’s a conference game, so you can’t really see that side of it when you watch film.”
McCoy passed for 391 yards — his highest total in a Big 12 game — and two touchdowns while the Longhorns used two big defensive stands in the fourth quarter for a 28-24 win over the Cowboys last season in Austin.
Last week, McCoy threw for 269 yards and three scores while completing 26 of 31 passes in a 41-7 rout at Missouri, earning conference offensive player of the week honors and extending his school-record streak of consecutive games with a TD pass to 24.
The Longhorns also are trying to move up in the BCS standings as they currently trail Florida and Alabama.
“You can feel pressure or you can go in and say, ‘We are Texas,’” coach Mack Brown said. “We’ve earned the right to be good here so let’s go ahead and act like you’re good and walk into the stadium like you’re going to win the game.”
Although Texas lost three defensive starters in the first three rounds of the NFL draft in April, its current defense is ranked second in the nation. Three of the last four Texas opponents have managed fewer than 175 yards of offense, and the last five have averaged 0.8 yards per carry.
“They’re very athletic. They can run and they are physical,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said of the Longhorns’ defense. “They’ve been that way for a number of years and I think they’re very well-coached.
Robinson has thrown for 629 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in two career matchups with the Longhorns. He was sacked five times in last season’s loss.
The quarterback is 218 yards away from breaking Gundy’s school record for career passing yards (7,997). Robinson was 23 of 27 for 250 yards and a season-high three touchdowns in last Saturday’s 34-7 win at Baylor.
“He’s playing with more confidence. He’s managed the game very well,” Gundy said. “In my opinion, being a good quarterback is being able to manage the game in understanding what your strengths are and where their weaknesses are and try to attack those areas using what your strengths are as an offense. I think he’s done a pretty good job of that over the last few weeks.”
Cowboys running back Kendall Hunter, an all-Big 12 selection as the league’s leading rusher a season ago, has missed the last five games with a sprained ankle and is expected to have a limited role if he plays Saturday. Hunter ran for 161 yards on 18 carries at Texas last year.
Keith Toston has replaced Hunter the last five games, averaging 97.0 yards on the ground.
Oklahoma State learned Tuesday that the NCAA has upheld the suspension of All-American wide receiver Dez Bryant for the remainder of the 2009 season. The university announced on Oct. 7 Bryant was declared ineligible for lying about his relationship with former NFL star Deion Sanders.
Bryant, a junior, will be eligible to play in 2010. He caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns last season while also scoring twice on punt returns. This season, Bryant led the team with 17 catches for 323 yards and four touchdowns through OSU’s first three games.
Southern Cal-Oregon Preview
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While the Pac-10 champion won’t be crowned in Saturday’s top-10 matchup at Oregon, Southern California’s conference title hopes would all but end with a loss.
The fourth-ranked Trojans look to stay in the hunt for an eighth consecutive league title and shore up some defensive breakdowns when they visit the 10th-ranked Ducks and their prolific offense.
In less than two months, Oregon (6-1, 4-0) has made a season that could have become defined by an embarrassing loss at Boise State — and LeGarrette Blount’s infamous punch — into one with a chance to win its first Pac-10 title since 2001.
Riding a six-game winning streak, the Ducks, off to their best conference start since opening the 2000 season with seven straight league wins, stand alone atop the Pac-10.
Their lead is hardly safe.
USC (6-1, 3-1) and Arizona are tied for second, and either team could take the conference crown by winning out.
“Our conference is as tough right now, as I’m seeing it, as I’ve ever seen,” USC coach Pete Carroll said. “The team that makes it through it on top is going to be really good.”
The Trojans have owned at least a share of the Pac-10 title each season since Oregon last won it, but they’ll likely be out of the running should they lose this weekend.
To avoid that fate, USC’s defense will likely need to improve upon its performance from last Saturday’s 42-36 win over Oregon State.
The Trojans allowed the Beavers to roll up 482 yards of total offense, the most yielded by USC since giving up 556 yards to Texas in a 41-38 Rose Bowl loss following the 2005 season.
It was also the second straight shaky defensive effort for USC, which gave up 367 total yards in a 34-27 defeat at then-No. 25 Notre Dame on Oct. 17. The Trojans allowed an average of 8.6 points and 238.6 yards in their first five games.
Despite the disconcerting trend, defensive tackle Armond Armstead isn’t worried.
“It wasn’t like they were constantly moving down the field and scoring on us,” Armstead said. “The mistakes that were made can definitely be corrected. We know we have a good defense here, and we just need to play 60 minutes.”
Proving it for 60 minutes against a high-powered Oregon offense led by a healthy quarterback Jeremiah Masoli should be quite a challenge.
Masoli missed the Ducks’ 24-10 win over UCLA on Oct. 10 with a knee injury, and the offense never got in sync. He returned to the lineup last Saturday and didn’t seem to miss a beat, passing for 157 yards and a touchdown and running for 54 yards and two scores in a 43-19 victory over Washington.
The versatile quarterback is the key to Oregon’s offense, with the team averaging 45.7 points and 484.7 yards in the last three games he has played.
Masoli isn’t the only playmaker the Trojans need to contain.
LaMichael James, Oregon’s workhorse since Blount’s suspension, has rushed for 657 yards and six touchdowns in his last five games. The redshirt freshman running back totaled 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Huskies, and has had at least one run of at least 26 yards in each of his last six games.
“He’s got great vision and toughness,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s a hard player to knock down because of his size. He’s pretty solid and I think he’s just gotten better each week and it will be exciting to see him match up with this team that USC has on defense.”
While Masoli and James lead the offense, the Ducks’ defense has been just as impressive.
Oregon limited Washington to three points through three quarters last week, and has held three of its last four opponents to 211 yards or fewer.
The Ducks’ 19 takeaways are tied for the Pac-10 lead — posing a tough challenge for mistake-prone Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley.
The freshman has thrown at least one interception in each of his last three games, including two last week. Barkley has thrown for 1,540 yards with seven TDs and five interceptions in six games this season.
USC may need its steady ground attack featuring Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford to take the pressure off Barkley.
McKnight was limited last week because of sore hands and finished with 65 rushing yards on 11 carries, but Bradford ran for a career-high 147 yards and two scores.
“This is a great task for us and we are going to have to put together a terrific plan on both sides of the ball and on special teams to matchup,” Carroll said.
The Trojans defeated Oregon 44-10 last season but lost 24-17 loss to the then-No. 5 Ducks in their last trip to Autzen Stadium in 2007. That was USC’s only defeat in the last five meetings.
NFL
Dolphins-Jets Preview
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The New York Jets’ three-game losing streak is over thanks to last week’s blowout victory, but it would mean a lot more if they can get some revenge against the archrival Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Giants Stadium.
It’s the same venue where the Dolphins secured the AFC East title with a 24-17 victory over the Jets to close the 2008 regular season. New York didn’t fare better in the rematch Oct. 12, losing 31-27.
However, it’s the Dolphins (2-4) who are at the bottom of the division while New York (4-3) is on first-place New England’s heels after a much-needed victory last Sunday.
That 38-0 win in Oakland let the Jets not only snap their skid but regain some confidence. Their defense forced four turnovers and blanked an opponent for the first time in nearly six years despite playing its first game without nose tackle Kris Jenkins, who was lost for the season to a torn ACL the previous week against Buffalo.
“It makes it so easy on the offense when your defense is playing like that,” rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “Hats off to them, they had a heck of a game to shut that team out. I don’t care who we’re playing, that’s a big-time accomplishment for our team.”
Sanchez, who had thrown five interceptions in a 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills, was just 9 of 15 for 143 yards and a touchdown last Sunday while embattled receiver Braylon Edwards was held to one catch for 14 yards. Edwards was charged with misdemeanor assault this week stemming from an altercation in Cleveland before he was traded to the Jets.
But the passing game had the pressure relieved as the Jets rolled up more than 300 yards on the ground for the second straight week — the first team to do that since Buffalo in 1975. New York achieved the feat even though running back Leon Washington suffered a season-ending broken leg early in the game.
While starter Thomas Jones had 26 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, perhaps the more impressive performance came from rookie Shonn Greene, who racked up 144 yards and two TDs on 19 carries in his first extended action.
“I just look forward to more opportunities,” Greene said. “I’m not going to fill Leon’s shoes, but I’m going to do the best I can.”
New York has the league’s best rushing offense, averaging 184.9 yards per game, but the Dolphins hold second place in that category (170.3).
Miami had 151 rushing yards in its Week 5 win over the Jets, with Ronnie Brown’s two-yard touchdown out of the wildcat formation providing the winning score with six seconds to play.
“I used to see all those gimmicks when I was coaching back in college,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said of the tactic, blaming his own team’s defense. “I’ve been a part of some bad performances before on defense, just not this bad.”
Even though Miami’s wildcat struggled against New Orleans on Sunday, totaling 30 yards in 14 plays, the Dolphins still had a chance to knock off the unbeaten Saints. Miami was up 21 in the first half and 10 early in the fourth quarter only to allow the final 22 points in a 46-34 loss.
After throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions in his first two NFL starts, Chad Henne had two picks returned for scores, including the decisive blow with two minutes to play.
Wide receiver Ted Ginn also struggled, dropping three passes and tipping one of the interceptions.
“We have to have good timing with the wideouts, have to run good routes, and I have to put the ball where it needs to be,” Henne said. “There were some miscues there with me and the wide receivers.”
Henne played much better against the Jets three weeks ago, going 20 for 26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns — one a 53-yarder to Ginn, the No. 9 overall draft pick in 2007.
“We made (Henne) look like Dan Marino,” Jets linebacker Calvin Pace said. “They did what they want, and they did it at will.”
The Dolphins are trying to avoid a fifth loss, which would equal their total from the entire 2008 regular season. Coach Tony Sparano said his team isn’t thinking about its already dimming hopes of returning to the playoffs.
“When you put yourself in the hole that we put ourselves into, we can’t have those thoughts,” Sparano said. “We just have to think about our next week, and I think right now we have to worry about the Jets and winning a ballgame on the road, and another division game.”
The Dolphins are 2-0 in AFC East games, but they’ll have to move on without starting cornerback Will Allen, who tore his ACL against New Orleans and will miss the rest of the season.
Giants-Eagles Preview
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Although the cities of New York and Philadelphia will no doubt be focusing on the World Series matchup of the Yankees and Phillies this weekend, it will be difficult for fans not to turn their attention to the meeting between the Giants and Eagles.
Making the game between the NFC East rivals all the more enticing is the fact that the Eagles ruined the Giants’ hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions last season.
A busy Sunday of sports in Philadelphia starts at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles look to hand the suddenly vulnerable Giants a third straight loss and gain at least a share of first place in the division.
Before the Yankees and Phillies play Game 4 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park, one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries will continue across the street.
“We love it, we love it,” Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said. “Everyone can tune into our game first and go to the bathroom and refresh your popcorn and drinks and then go out and watch the excellent baseball game.”
The Giants (5-2) lead Philadelphia (4-2) and Dallas in the division, with the Eagles set to host the Cowboys next weekend.
“It is a divisional game; we have a half-a-game lead on the Philadelphia Eagles,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “The game is in Philadelphia. I don’t know that it gets any more exciting.”
New York will likely have the bitter end to last season on its mind. The Giants went 12-4 to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC but fell 23-11 to the Eagles in a divisional playoff game — one of two home losses to Philadelphia that season.
“We have a big game vs. Philly at Philly, it’s a huge game,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. “We know it’s going to be a tough battle, but we have to go out there, play well and eliminate the mistakes.”
Manning, 4-0 as a starter in the regular season at Philadelphia, knows he has to cut down on his miscues after the last two games. He had 10 touchdowns and two interceptions during the Giants’ 5-0 start but threw for two scores and four interceptions in the losses.
Manning was 19 of 37 for 243 yards with one touchdown and three INTs in last Sunday’s 24-17 home loss to Arizona. He was sacked three times, matching his total in that category over the first six games.
McNabb, meanwhile, proved to be very difficult to bring down for the Giants last season. New York sacked him 15 times in two wins during its Super Bowl season two years ago, but didn’t register any last season in three games with Osi Umenyiora missing the year due to knee surgery.
Umenyiora set a Giants record with six sacks of McNabb in a 16-3 win Oct. 5, 2007, as he took advantage of then-rookie left tackle Winston Justice. Now the Eagles’ right tackle, Justice will go up against Umenyiora or Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck — the cornerstones of New York’s top-ranked defense.
“We all know what type of player Osi is — he is an All-Pro guy; one that people focus in on,” McNabb said. “So I don’t think it is a change.
“The defense that they had — you always start off by saying Michael Strahan and Osi. Now you say Osi and Tuck. So there are two guys that you truly focus in on no matter if they are on the right side or left side. You just always know where they are.”
The Eagles bounced back from a 13-9 loss at lowly Oakland two weeks ago with a 27-17 road win over Washington on Monday night. DeSean Jackson scored on a 67-yard run and a 57-yard reception in the first half as Philadelphia built a 20-point lead and cruised.
The bad news for Philadelphia was the loss of running back Brian Westbrook in the first quarter with a concussion. His status for this week is uncertain.
“We’ll see what kind of improvement he makes,” coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. “He is doing the tests that the guys do throughout the week here. We’ll see how he does by the time we get to game time.”
New York receiver Steve Smith is second in the league with 45 catches and third with 594 yards through the air, but has failed to reach the end zone in his last three games. Rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks, though, had 194 yards in the last two games and scored a TD in each of the last four contests.
Manning believes the Giants should be able to correct their problems.
“We are 5-2, we’re not in a bad spot,” he said. “We are going to get back to playing better football.”
Vikings-Packers Preview
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For 16 seasons, Brett Favre was the face of the Green Bay Packers.
He enjoyed legendary status in Title Town, becoming the NFL’s all-time leading passer while winning three MVP awards and a Super Bowl. He was often cheered loudly at Lambeau Field, but this time he’ll be playing for the rival Minnesota Vikings, and likely won’t receive the same warm reception.
A mix of both cheers and boos is what Favre should expect as he takes the field for the first time as a visitor in Green Bay on Sunday as he tries to help the Vikings bounce back from their first loss and take a commanding lead in the NFC North.
A second-round pick by Atlanta in 1991, Favre was traded to Green Bay in 1992. He made his Packers debut later that year and eventually led the club to seven division titles, 11 playoff appearances and 13 winning seasons while starting 255 straight games. He set NFL records with 61,655 passing yards and 442 touchdowns and will one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Favre contemplated retirement for most of this decade, finally doing so shortly after Green Bay’s 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC championship game on Jan. 20, 2008.
A few months after Favre’s tearful goodbye news conference in March of that year, the Packers traded him to the New York Jets when he tried to come back, only to learn Green Bay was committed to Aaron Rodgers. Favre started strong in New York, but the team lost four of its final five games to finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs, leading to his second retirement.
The Jets released Favre after the draft and he spent the summer working out before signing with Minnesota (6-1) in August.
Joining perhaps the Packers’ most bitter rival has not gone over well in Green Bay and despite just one losing season in his tenure with the club, Favre could receive an unruly greeting from the faithful who once adored him.
“I don’t think it’ll be as bad,” Favre said, “but I don’t know that.
“If you’re a true fan, you’re a true fan. The people that have jumped ship or whatever completely, what can I do? … There was always Brett Favre haters out there, and that will never change.”
Favre is downplaying any anxiety about returning to Lambeau, and insists he’s more concerned about the division race.
Favre is excelling with the first-place Vikings — passing for 1,681 yards, 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions — yet another reason Packers fans are a little irked.
The 40-year-old led Minnesota to six straight wins, including a 30-23 home victory over Green Bay (4-2) on Oct. 5. He was unable to extend that streak as the Vikings fell 27-17 at Pittsburgh last Sunday.
Minnesota outgained the Steelers 386-259 and held the ball for nearly 37 minutes yet still lost thanks to 11 penalties, two turnovers in the red zone that went for touchdowns and an inability to put the ball in the end zone from 1 yard out in the third quarter.
“We left a lot of plays out there. We had many opportunities to win,” cornerback Karl Paymah said. “We’ve just got to learn from it and just keep pushing.”
Favre was forced to attempt 50 passes as the Vikings struggled to get the ground game going with Adrian Peterson rushing for 69 yards on 18 carries.
Minnesota will have to be much sharper against a Packers defense that is starting to come together under new coordinator Dom Capers and his 3-4 scheme.
Favre completed 24 of 31 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay in Week 4, but the Packers have yielded just 288 total yards and three points in winning two games since.
After defeating Detroit 26-0 on Oct. 18, Green Bay — which ranks third in total defense (284.8 yards per game) and fifth in scoring defense (16.0 points per game) — outgained Cleveland 460-139 in a 31-3 win last Sunday.
Although those victories have come against teams with a combined 2-11 record, they’ve helped boost the Packers’ confidence.
“It’s good to have two big wins,” linebacker Aaron Kampman said. “We haven’t done that back to back. Dominant performances on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously it’s going to help us going into a very large game, large stage again at Lambeau Field.”
While fans at Lambeau might have mixed feelings for Favre, they are all rallying behind Rodgers.
He threw for 246 yards and a season-high three touchdowns against the Browns, is second in the league with a 110.8 rating and has passed for 1,702 yards with 11 TDs and only two picks.
“He deserves everything that he accomplishes,” Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s just doing a really good job of running the offense and I can’t say enough about that.”
Rodgers finally had some time in the pocket last week as the offensive line didn’t allow a sack after giving up a league-worst 25 through the first five games.
He likely won’t have the same protection this week, though.
The Vikings lead the league with 24 sacks and sacked Rodgers eight times with Jared Allen accumulating 4 1/2, a forced fumble and a safety in the first meeting.
“We’re playing a much better opponent this week,” cornerback Charles Woodson said. “We can’t rest on the last two weeks.”
The Packers, 2-1 at home this season, have won three straight and 12 of 15 over the Vikings in Green Bay.
