Minnesota Vikings Looks to Have Locked up Ten Wins – Maybe More

By now everyone knows about the latest head-turning acquisition in the NFL. No ladies and gentleman, we are not talking about Michael Vick. This is the return of the return of Mr. Brett Favre. I got a look at the Vikings schedule which didn’t interest me much prior to the huge pickup. But let’s all take a look together now that Favre has joined the club.

The first five games should produce a 5-0 start; at Cleveland, at Detroit, home against rebuilding San Francisco, home against defensively struggling Green Bay, and at the inept St. Louis Rams.

The next three games are tough; home against Baltimore, at Pittsburgh, home at Green Bay. I’d say the Pittsburgh game is a loss. The one against Green Bay could be a shootout based on pure emotion alone that could go either way. The game against the Ravens figures to be hard-nosed and I’ll give the Vikes the edge in that one being at home to bring them to 6-2 midway.

After that they get to rest up for a week before they face the Lions again at home, then inconsistent Seattle at home, and Chicago who has defensive and wide receiving woes at home as well. I think all three are wins bringing them to 9-2.

The final stretch is where it gets tough; at Arizona, a trap-game like matchup against Cincinnati at home, at Carolina, at Chicago who may be in the division race at that time, and home against the New York Giants who might be in playoff or NFC East title contention as well.

If the Vikings turn out to be solid, they should win one or two of those last five games. If they mold into a great team then 12-13 wins should be on the horizon. Favre may be 40 years old, and have shown signs of decay over the last half of the previous year, but in Minnesota he has a proven deep threat in Bernard Berrian, and a put-the-team-on-my-back rusher in Adrian Peterson along with starter-worthy Chester Taylor.  

This team is much more balanced offensively and stronger defensively than the Jets were last year and that should be the difference in how well Favre plays through another 16 game stretch.

NFL Network’s NFL Football

If you need a football fix check out NFL Network. With Comcast Cable company it’s only around $7.00 and change. I’m not trying to promote for another company, I’m just trying to let people who are football heads know about a great spot where they can get a fix, and that is NFL network when they replay entire football games, usually matchups that had great finishes or were good mostly through all four quarters.

But that is not the best part. They show the games without the breaks in between plays so they go faster. If they showed thee old broadcasts in their entirety, then I could definitely see that being a problem. And for those of you thinking that an extra $7.00+ a month is too much to ask for one more channel, please note that is the price of an entire sports package that includes racing, fencing, (a whole bunch of other crap) but probably most importantly the NBA TV channel.

Don’t forget that this channel is great for the regular and post seasons as well as you can tune in any time of the day if you’re not satisfied with the converge from Sports Center.

Rex Ryan Could end up Being a Douche Bag

This Rex Ryan is certainly making a name for himself with a confident and brash mouth. Thus far, the big man is being noted for two occurrences of verbal notoriety and virtual nothing else past his reputation as Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator.

The first came when he was being interviewed on a radio show and was asked about facing New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick two times a year. He stated “I did not come here to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings” more or less. Let me analyze. Most people would give Belichick his proper dues and state that they definitely aim to compete/challenge their rival. However, he comes out and makes a statement similar to what a 1930’s era bootlegger might say.

The second issue was his comments about Miami Dolphins starting middle linebacker Channing Crowder here when he claimed to have never heard of him. Crowder certainly responded with truth. He said that Ryan is an “OTA Super Bowl winner” as in he has won the offseason and that if he was truly doing his homework, that he’d know who the Miami Dolphins starting middle linebacker was.

Now, I’m pretty sure Ryan did know him. I’m not saying that a guy talking like this out in the open isn’t interesting. But I am saying that if his team does not end up looking respectable, even this year, he might just look like a real douche bag. If he ends up having a short life in New York, then he will really look like an idiot. He could be the next Mike Tice; big, burly, fat cheeks, thinks he’s a thug, has the respect of his team, but can’t win a damn thing.

Top Five Fantasy QBs

1.  Tom Brady – You can think about that injury all you want, but when you factor in that a 100% Tom Brady threw for 50 TDs and over 4,800 yards with just 8 INTs, then the hampered mobility version of Brady can afford 5 to 10 less TDs and maybe 600 or so less yards. Don’t forget his team’s receiving core has been bolstered by Joey Galloway.

2. Drew Brees – It’s not wins that count in this game… it’s numbers. During his three year tenure in New Orleans, and because of the lack of production in the Saints’ running game, Drew Brees has 4,400+, 4,400+, and 5,000+ yards, with 26, 28, and 34 TDs all respectively. What he loses in a potentially high INT rate (11, 18, and 17 also respectively), he makes up for by averaging 289.79 yards per game and by only having missed one start in the last five years (none in New Orleans).

3. Kurt Warner – After one full year as the Cardinals undisputed starter, he reverted to his accurate past at a 67.1% completion rate, amassed 4,583 passing yards (good for 286.44 a game), and a cool 30 TDs against an up and down 14 INTs. And like Brees, it’s not how many wins you get in this game… it’s the numbers. Now that Larry Fitzgerald has become the LeBron James of his position after his postseason play, Kurt Warner should be in for another big year. Some of you may be worrying about the potential loss of Anquan Boldin, but remember, his playing time was very limited in those playoffs, and Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston surely produced.

4. Peyton Manning – It may come as a surprise that Peyton Manning is number four on my list. He is still good for a smooth 3,800-4,100 yards this season and an ample high 20’s to low 30’s in TD numbers. However, he does not have anywhere near the yards per game potential as the previously mentioned QBs as his team’s defense is definitely above Brees’ and Warner’s, and better than Brady’s as well.

5. Philip Rivers – Philip Rivers showed in 2008 that he can be a big numbers guy. He finished up with 4,009 yards, and a career high 34 TDs. It would not be a stretch to question his potential consistency due to his 2006 and 2007 seasons. In those years he threw for 3,300+ and 3,100+ yards, with 22 and 15 TDs, all respectively. However, last season we started to see huge signs of wear and tear on LaDainian Tomlinson, which is probably a big reason why his numbers soared this past year as compared to those previous two. So in that respect, it would not be a stretch as well to see him having a great fantasy type season again this year.

The Lions New Logo isn’t going to excite fans of a 0-16 team!

I hate how the NFL and the Lions are trying to be super secret about the new logo change. Trust me NFL this isn’t going to excite anyone. This team went 0-16 last season and instead of a new logo these fans deserve a new team with real players and coaches. It’s kind of dumb either way, this team is going to stink this year, new logo or not, it doesn’t matter, they are a second rate NFL organization and that’s not changing any time soon. The Lions are not the Bucs or Patriots of the past. They are not going to change their logo and then start being competitive, trust me. Both those teams had good O and D lines while the lions do not!  Well since the NFL is not going to unveil this new logo until closer to the season, I just want to ruin their fun and post the new logo concepts anyways. Suck on this Detroit and enjoy your new pussy cat logos!

Tedd Ginn Jr’s party at a Cleveland Night Club goes bad, when Bills Safety, Donte Whitner, tries to fight a cop

Honestly, If you haven’t heard about this yet, It’s because it involves lesser known NFL player. Yet, I am sure over the next couple of weeks it will make big news. This Saturday night Ted Ginn Jr. hosted what was to be his birthday party in a night club in Cleveland.

This is nothing out of the ordinary because the Miami WR was born and raised in Ohio right outside of Cleveland, and he has many friends in the area. Now, here is the juicy part. Ted is still friends with alot of his high school football buddies who he played with at Glenville High. Several players in this group were and are NFL players, including Donte Whitner Safety for the Buffalo Bills.

Now, I have no issue with this story up until this point. There is nothing wrong with a player hanging out near his hometown with his old school mates, but you need  to realize the where and when. NFL players at a night club, late in the night is a equation that is asking for disaster. Has anyone learned anything, form the tragic events over past 3 years? I mean really considering all the shootings and moronic fights, players should now realize that anywhere you go you are likely to be targeted by a true hater. Some one who wants to throw down or rob you just to say they did it to a celebrity! So back to the story, Donte Whitner at the Party at around 3:00 am had gotten into an altercation with some one at the club, and a pretty big brawl had broken out. Off Duty police officers who were at the club, attempted to slow down Whitner, then Whitner decided to push them off and continue fighting, which is where the story begins to get really bad. Soon, on-duty Police officers arrive at the scene and what does Donte do? He tries to square off with them, and then in doing so, gets tazered! That is just flat out stupid. Ted Ginn Jr. first should have known better than to have his party at a public club. But if you do plan on doing that, Ginn should have made sure that the party was secluded in a PRIVATE ROOM, that has it’s own bar, separate entrance and of course security .

Players need to be smarter than this, you are not a regular person and you are a target for the idiot haters, who want to brag that they beat up, robbed, or killed a NFL player. Donte Whitner gets no sympathy from me, especially considering he attempted to square up and “fight a police officer”. That is just stupid. He not only has made himself look foolish but he is making it 10 times harder for the League, which has be fighting the idea that many of it’s players are criminals. We have all heard the issues surrounding Pacman, Tank, Ray Lewis, Jamal Lewis and the many others that have had legal issues in the last 20 years. The NFL should start being more proactive about this problem. If you act like a jerk in society than you have no business being employed by the NFL.

Actions like this should not be associated with the NFL, but sadly enough they are due to players like this. I personally believe that Donte Whitner should be suspended without a doubt from the NFL. Actions like this are not acceptable, and any other course of action would just be a slap on the wrist. NFL players can not act like this, not for the children’s sake, and not for the fan’s sake, but for the sake of the game. Donte Whitner’s teammate Marshawn Lynch was the driver in a hit-and-run incident last summer but escaped with only a traffic ticket. This type of behavior needs to end, especially out of buffalo bills players. These players need to be held accountable just like everyone else. I know players mess up, but come on man! Who doesn’t! If you haven’t heard of Dante Whitner until now, I am sure you won’t forget his name. Moronic actions can sometimes spark a players popularity and that’s just terrible thought.  We are always looking for the player we can fix, and I think that is just dumb, because we are breeding and fostering this type of behavior. I am sick of news like this. Players have a tremendous gift and it is nothing short of a waste to act like this soiling the good name of the people who have not only come before you but also after you.

In closing I just want to say one thing to all NFL players, “after 1 am STAY OUT AND AWAY FROM THE CLUBS!” Just get a really nice vacation house or something!

Redskins sign Linebacker Robert Thomas

Well it is good to see the Redskins trying to fix the monster they created in Marcus Washington, by cutting him and letting him get injured somewhere else and on someone else’s paycheck. But they have made a pretty large mistake if they think that Robert Thomas is going to fill Marcus’s shoes. Thomas has never really been successful anywhere he has ever been in the NFL. Robert Thomas was drafted in the first round by the Rams, in hopes he could replace London Fletcher in 2002. That plan fizzled, when Robert Thomas posted only 36 tackles while playing in 16 games with the Rams.One Ram fan I know said, “that he was one of the most well known 1st round busts” in the 2002 draft. Then the Rams pawned Robert Thomas off to Green Bay in a trade took place at the end of 2005. Robert lasted only 1 season with the Packers and was cut. Thomas then got picked up by the Raiders and played ok for only 2 years, posting numbers like 36 tackles and 62 tackles. Then Thomas got pretty badly injured last season and booom now he is on the Redskins!! The best thing about this guy is in his 7 year career he has only been fully healthy for 2 of them. Expect this guy to get hurt early next year, without a doubt. He is a injury prone player and to replace Marcus Washington, whose biggest problem was injury, with him is just laughable. Washington has way more upside and therefore a higher asking price. I sure hope they don’t think they are going to start Thomas because that would just be dumb.  This 29 year old linebacker is not the answer for Washington and I sure hope they know it. I really hope they still try to get a great LB in the draft, someone like Brain Orakpo or James Laurinaitis would be great! Getting a LB early would ensure that this move would increase the Redskins depth at LB, understanding that Thomas would not be expected to start forever!

Is Matt Hasselbeck’s Tenure as Seahawks QB Running Out?

The Seattle Seahawks may be looking to get rid of Matt Hasselbeck or at least test out a potential replacement. There are talks around the league that the “Seabirds” have been contemplating this, and with the number four pick in this year’s draft, that can easily happen.

 

Matt Hasselbeck is already 33 years old, which is definitely right around the time most quarterback’s punch starts to go sour. This past season he only played in seven games, and even though he was injured to his credit, he still played horribly and unreliable which has been his best characteristic. His stats were a 57.8 rating, five TDs, 10INTs, and a mind-boggling 52.2% completion percentage.

 

I don’t get it. How do quarterbacks just go from great to bad like this? It seems that all great quarterbacks have things rolling along smoothly for many years in a row, and then one season, poof! They start stinkin up the house, throwing games away, and it’s all downhill from there.

 

I truly don’t get how the guys can’t rely on enough intelligence and veteran experience to at least stay competitive, but it is what it is, and getting beat on must really take its toll.

Plaxico Burress update: It seems as if he will play in 2010

Today, the Plaxico Burress case was adjured until the later date of June 15th. Many people were skeptical weither this would happen or not, but it may be a sign that his high priced legal team may be close to a plea deal that will allow him to play in the upcoming NFL season. Regardless it seems as if Plaxico will have to do some sort of jail time, but the question is when. As I recall Jamal Lewis spent his off-seasons in jail, a couple of years back due to drug trafficking charges, and maybe it’s possible we could see something similar for the Giants superstar Wide-out. There is no question that Plaxico does not want to spend any time in jail. Yet, it seems more and more evident that it will be tough for Plax to stay out of the big house. New York city guns laws are a bit overboard and are seemingly unconstitutional, so this will be a very interesting case, without a doubt, if it ever makes it to trial. The Sportsroids.com team will be supporting Plaxico on June 15th at New York city Criminal Court by picketing the trial! So if you wish to support the Giants Superbowl champion wide out, from the moronic liberal city government that wishes to jail him mostly due to his celebrity, please show up! Plaxico, hurt no one except himself and he is now being denied basic liberties that Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, fervently believed in. Jefferson stated his strong convictions in the right to bear arms consitently. One example of this fact is on Page 334 of his famous Thomas Jefferson Papers when he wrote, “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government”. Realize that no citizen in New York City can apply for a conceal permit, and to get a carry lisence is a very tough process, in hopes that people won’t try to get one. Sounds a bit unfair doens’t it? Regardless, I feel that the the cities gun laws are ridiculous, for this reason. Banning weapons and making them harder to aquire legally only strengthens those who don’t follow the rules, much like the steriods ban in sports. Those who cheat are winning, in the system. These laws only serve to help criminals stay finaiced and in power over the law abiding populous of New York City.

Why has no one Picked up Torry Holt or Marvin Harrison?

The off season has been here for about two months now and after Torry Holt was released from the St. Louis Rams to clear eight million dollars of cap space, and Marvin Harrison wasn’t resigned because of his age, they still are homeless. I think that’s a huge surprise, because even if Holt, 32, and Harrison, 36, are getting up there in age, they are still capable of helping a team out in a big way.

Holt’s totals this year were 64 catches for 796 yards. But that was with 14 starts, and the four seasons before that he has averaged 95.5 catches per season. Plus, he’s been playing with mistake-prone Marc Bulger for a lot of years, still put up those numbers, and had one skid and everyone seems ready to give up on him. In fact, the only team showing interest is the Jaguars, and that’s because they released Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, and Jerry Porter. So the fact that just one NFL team is interested in this guy and only because that team is desperate just baffles me.

 

As for Harrison, he has not been as productive as Holt the last two seasons with 20 and 60 catches respectively. However, the year he had 20 catches he only played five games, and although last year he was dropping huge passes, most notably in a game at Pittsburgh, he seemed to clean things up later on in the season in terms of drops. So honestly, to me, that season in which he played five games should not even factor into what kind of ability he might have left. Plus dropping the ball has nothing to do with age, and he has always had sure hands. If he was dropping big passes, that means he still knows how to get open for them. And how the heck is there not some suck-team like the Bears or Chiefs looking at him. That too surprises me.

 

I really hope each of them gets placed onto a contender, and I can see them both becoming huge possession receivers, especially Holt.

Bloggin Bills: Is TO shaking things up already? What are the Bills Chances at Success?

I wonder if TO looks to everyone like he is already troubling the waters in Buffalo by opting out of the team’s voluntary workouts, as he recently has reported. I mean, it’s the first real official function that has been held by his new team and he could already raise hairs as well as questions with this move. However, to me, just let the guy live.

 

First of all he’s already 35 years old. And seriously, how big a deal is this stupid mini three or four day work out? It must literally be a few weight lifting sessions, some standard conditioning, and three fine meals a day. I think if a 35 year old man who is in the 14th year of his career says he doesn’t want to go to the voluntary work out, who cares. TO has been in the league so long now, he knows how his body reacts to stress, or when too little is too little, and he’s led the league in TD catches over the last three years.

 

I wouldn’t jump on TO just yet. Let’s wait and see if he has a sideline tirade, or speaks his mind a little too much to the media before we start chastising him.

 

And seriously folks… the Bills suck. They don’t have a chance. They started the season 4-0 and stutter-stepped it the rest of the way to a 3-9 finish. That’s not the stuff of champions, and neither is Trent Edwards or the bum-butt Buffalo Bills. They will easily be swept by Tom Brady’s Patriots, and would get destroyed by many of last year’s playoff teams.

 

And if you ask me, I would liken watching the Bills hopeful run-oriented approach to a lower level online madden gamer attempting to beat someone in the 20s.

New York Giants are interested in Braylon Edwards

It really simple everyone, if you loose a 6′6 player like Plaxico Burress you better believe that you would be  looking for some sort of tall,fast long ball threat to replace him. The Giants are without a doubt interested in investigating so don’t believe the Media Hype! Also, don’t be surprised if you see the Giants make a trade on Draft day if Plaxico gets incarcerated on March 31st. I could see the Gmen trading a squadron of WR’s in order to make this deal happen. That includes Steve smith, regardless of the Giants saying otherwise. Mario Manningham is most definitely a chip in that deal and considering his study habits the Giants would be making off well. Don’t believe the media or the Giants representatives when researching this story, they want this whole thing very hush,hush until Plaxico’s future is completely out in the open and judged. Eric Mangini is defensive minded coach, so again, don’t be surprised if they make a trade that includes one of the Giant’s Defensive Linemen.

Also, I hope everyone knows that it is illegal for any Team representative to talk about a player who is currently under a contract with another team. So realize that Jerry Reese has to deny all allegations the media brings forth to him. Make no mistake the Giants will try to get Braylon but the only real question is how much are they willing to move to get him?

Jay Cutler should be a Lion after the NFL Draft Day

Personally, I hate the way the lions do business in the NFL. I believe that they are the worst run organization from the ground up. They chew through coaches and QB’s faster than any other team in the NFL. They were even would dumb enough to act as if Kitna was a franchise QB. I am not a coach and even I knew that wouldn’t work out. Since, the Lions destroyed their relationship with Barry Sanders, they have just made big mistake after big mistake in the NFL Draft. Just thinking that they picked Joey Harrington than Charles Rogers in the very next year with the 2nd overall selection makes me sick to my stomach. They have concentrated too much on skill positions in that last decade of drafts but they have never addressed their needs at QB properly.

The Lions need a overhaul on the offensive line, yet, this season, the draft will be deep with OL’s. Therefore, there is more potential to get a great O-lineman later in the draft. Understanding that fact, they can try to land Cutler, by trading down the 1st overall selection with the Broncos. They will still be able to land a great OT in the 12th pick selection. If they don’t trade down and just trade the pick for Cutler with no other considerations the lions would still have a 20th pick in the first round, to address whatever other concerns they wish to fix through the draft. If the Lions don’t lock up Cutler by trading picks, they are just plain dumb in my eyes, because Cutler is a “Known” Franchise QB that you can build your team on. He is the real deal and has the experience to prove it. Can you say that about any other QB in the draft? No. Sanchez has a lot of upside and Stafford is really not battle tested, at least in the NFL. Jay Cutler could fill this role immediately, and the Lions could get him by trading down or trading the pick entirely.

Take the sure thing and go with Cutler seems pretty simple to me, so don’t screw this up, Lions management!!

Awesome chew toy for Pitbulls, The Michael Vick Dog Toy!

Ever since the incarceration of Michael Vick, several business’s have promoted a new dog chew toy. This toy is one that is built tough enough that it can stand up to even the gamiest pitt’s.

These toys are honestly hysterical. So, let your dog bite Vick back! I admit, I have never seen one of these toys in person but I am sure not going to wait to get my hands on one. These probably won’t be available for long considering Vick is getting out of Jail soon. The reason I say this is because I feel that there is some sort of legal issues involved with this toy . We will all agree that a player is allowed to protect his own likeness, and I am pretty sure that Vick’s people did not come up with this concept. So when he exits jail i would assume Vick will sue, so that he can recover the funds that they made unfairly using his likeness. So if you think they are funny make sure to pick them up NOW! Before they disappear from the market forever!

Where Will Jay Cutler Go from Here?

Yesterday it was reported that the Pro Bowl Quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Jay Cutler, had officially requested a trade. Today, we the people, began contemplating where he might end up if his request is honored. I’m sure there are many fans out there whose team could use a guy in Jay Cutler who played like the potential franchise-type quarterback that many analysts foresaw. The scoop is that new head coach Josh McDaniels, who was offensive coordinator for the Patriots, wanted to trade Cutler for Matt Cassel since he was familiar with his system already. This has since angered the young Cutler and he now wants to go… but where?!

To start off an easy process of elimination, every team in the AFC is out since teams don’t usually like to send star players away to in-conference franchises. And although Cassel was finally traded to another AFC team, like his former Patriots, in the Chiefs, that was more of an “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” deal.

This was the widespread thought when that deal went down, because Scott Pioli, the former general manager of the Patriots moved onto Kansas City to try and resurrect that ball club.

So the AFC is out!

In the NFC East, Dallas has Tony Romo, NY has Eli Manning, and Philadelphia has Donovan McNabb. So far, Jason Campbell of the Washington Redskins still has a lot to prove, while Cutler seems way more promising than him thus far when both their careers are compared.

In the NFC North, the Packers have Aaron Rodgers, and the Vikings made moves to throw their young QB Tarvaris Jackson into a competition with newly acquired Sage Rosenfels from Houston. I don’t think that the Lions could attract an odor, so the Bears are definitely a hot spot. They’ve had no success with Rex Grossman, and minimal with Kyle Orton.

In the NFC South, the Saints boast Drew Brees, and the Falcons have a young star in rookie of the year Matt Ryan. The Panthers would have looked to have some great trade bait with the disgruntled Julius Peppers, but now it looks like he may be a Patriot soon. However, with Jake Delhomme being their current signal caller you still can’t count them out. Then there’s the Buccaneers who got rid of veteran Jeff Garcia.

After that, in the NFC West, the Seahawks have Matt Hasselbeck who is not past his better days yet, and Kurt Warner is obviously safe as the Cardinals QB. Cross those two teams out and you have the 49ers with the disappointing results of Alex Smith’s progress, and the St. Louis Rams, who should have started thinking about dropping Marc Bulger quite some time ago.

So there you have it. The top candidates to have Jay Cutler for President!

Julius Peppers traded to Patriots!

The Patriots are making more than a splash this year in the off season. Our Sportsroids sources have confirmed that this deal is very close to being completed. Peppers will probably play OLB in the Patriots system, so it will be a interesting change for Peppers. If the Patriots pull off this move they will be a very different team in 2010. They will receive an off season grade of A+ from me, since they signed Leigh Bodden, Julius Peppers,Joey Galloway, Shawn Springs and Fred Taylor. I expect them to win the division.

Jay Cutler will force a trade! Josh McDaniels needs a QB, so the big question is where will Cutler go?

This NFL off-season has had a lot of ups and downs. Two NFL players were lost at sea, Plaxico Burress faces the prospect of Jail time, T.O. has moved from America’s team to Buffalo, Donte Stallworth has killed a pedestrian. The funny thing is that I am sure they all don’t feel as overwhelmed as the New Bronco’s head coach, Josh McDaniels, who is being swallowed alive by his angry Franchise QB. Jay Cutler is upset and we all know that we won’t be happy in Denver. Asking for the trade, could just be a power move by Cutler but I really doubt it. He has no need to force his paycheck up. Personally, I know he needs to be moved. He has stated, he “does not trust his coach”, which is a bad recipe for both Jay and The Broncos. If they do deal him it seems that Tampa Bay, and New York are the two places that seem to be a great fit. The Jets are in need of a QB, I know Clemens and Ratliff will not be able to get it done. They made moves to secure Brett Farve and the turnaround was amazing. And since Brett retired they will need to make moves in order to be competitive this season. I am sure Rex Ryan understands that Ratliff is no Trent Dilfer, and he will see the value in Cutler, this off season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not kept it a secret that they are looking to replace Garcia, due to his advancing age. Everyone was aware of the attempted three team trade that would have sent Cassel to Denver, and Cutler to Tampa so they are without a doubt interested in the Diabetic young Quarterback. Personally Cutler has never been a favorite of mine, and It will be interesting to see him play without WR Marshall. I don’t believe Tampa is a good place for him but you never know. I sure hope Jay becomes a Jet in 2011. I sure hope the Johnson family doesn’t screw this one up!

Plaxico’s moment of truth. Court Date March 31st is upcoming. Did he really shoot himself in the foot?

The saga of Plaxico Burress has been forgotten by the media this off-season due to the release of so many great WR’s, which include Terrell Owens, Joey Galloway, Marvin Harrison, Laveranues Coles and TJ Houshmandzadeh. The Plaxico story started last year, when the New York Giants Veteran Superbowl hero, Plaxico Burress, shot himself in the leg while partying at a popular New York City Club around the Mid point of last years NFL season.  Outside of the fact that he shot himself, he was also carrying an unregistered firearm in the City of New York, a subject Mayor Bloomberg has been adamant about curbing.

I feel as though Bloomberg had been waiting for a Black man to screw up given he could not jail Sean Combs for the Gun charges several years back.  Bloomberg has changed the laws and now, conviently, a Black superstar is now in the line of fire to fall.  Now Plax is at Bloomberg’s mercy in addition to the NYC Courts. Both bodies are looking for an example, is Plaxico the perfect one? In any other state, this would be a misdemeanor offense which would have serious financial penalties and forced community service attached to it.  Yet, in New York City, Plaxico is facing 3 to 15 years in jail. I hope people realize that is just stupid. Guns don’t kill people, idiots with guns kill people. And since the New York State government thinks that their are too many idiots in New York, they find that gun bans and stiff penalties are the easiest way to deter criminals! Yet they forget to remember irreversable truth about murders and criminals is that THEY DON’T FOLLOW THE LAW! Yes Plaxico has put himself in a bad situation, and yes he really shot his team’s chances of a repeat last year in the foot, but one thing Plaxico has not done is made anyone else a victim. Plaxico is not a criminal and should not be penalized as one. Yet all Bloomberg sees is a chance to show the New York public what he can do to a black icon who chooses to own a gun. Plaxico’s trial will be held on March 31st and that will delegate how his rescheduled meeting with the NFLPA will go on April 1st. If Plaxico is incarcerated he will receive no money from the Giants or the NFL without a doubt. Him being cut immediately would be my assumption since it seems that the Giants are keeping thier distance from him at this point. Phil Simms seems to be the only person supporting the WR in public and he no longer has a termendous impact on the moves the New York Giants make. Bloomberg has taken away the Giants care and support by reportedly making threatening phone calls to New York owners. All I can hope for is that this young man gets a chance to keep on playing football and not in some prison upstate. For that reason Sportsroids.com will be in New York on March 31st, supporting Plaxico outside the courthouse with our official “Free Plax” T-shirts. You will be able to order these shirts through the site. When the page is up, I will post the link. Thank you all and Keep on roiding.

T.O. Out. Why not trade him?

 

Hold the Popcorn the Movie hasn’t started yet!!!

 

Well T.O. has been cut from the Cowboys and many people are asking why not trade him instead of cutting him.  The Cowboys gave up a lot to get Roy Williams and the possible could have gotten some of that back by trading T.O..  In this situation you have to weigh the pros and cons of this move, whenever you have a player like T.O. you can get a second round pick or proven vet in a trade but the trading block process is long and tedious (almost like litigation).   It could take all the way into the next season for them to get what they want from a trade and they might not even get what they want from trading T.O..  This would then bring the media circus back to Dallas again and put a lot of stress on the team.   The Cowboys decided to get rid of T.O. now,  just for the later reason.  By cutting T.O. he is no longer a part of the time and the organization can move on in new direction.   The main reason he was cut was because of the growing sentiment in the locker room and organization, with numerous people who are a part of the team both players and staff, that T.O. needed to go.  Also by doing this it is easy for the coaches to begin work on the plays and routes that they will focus on in the off-season if T.O. was on the trade block, they would still have to factor him in, just in case he was coming back next year.  Despite the value T.O. has as a trade the Cowboys made the right decision in cutting him.

Brian Dawkins to the Broncos: What Was He Thinking?

It was real surprising to me when I saw that Brian Dawkins had left the Philadelphia Eagles, the same place he played his entire career thus far. But it wasn’t so much the fact that he wasn’t going to be an Eagle anymore, but more so the fact of where he would be going… Denver. What the hell is he doing there?

We should all know now that just about any team has a chance to succeed and even win a Super Bowl every season. However, at the bottom of that list would have to be the Denver Broncos. I would have figured Dawkins to want to play for a proven team or a current contender, but in this case I cannot say he has found either.

The Denver Broncos, and it’s funny to say this, have not been successful since that had Jake Plummer! I mean, I know Jay Cutler is now coming into his own, but he isn’t there yet. Another thing that isn’t in Denver is a good defense. I don’t know if Dawkins figures himself to be their savior like I’m sure the naïve Broncos front office does, but it’s going to take a lot more than a great free safety to bolster a team that was 26th against the pass and 27th versus the run. On top of that, they gave up 28 points per game which is four touchdowns. That is ridiculous.

I mean, he can do what he wants of course. I’m not his daddy. And I don’t necessarily think it was a terrible idea to play for the Broncos. I just thought that he was a guy that would definitely be looking for a contender and nothing less. Oh well.

Whoseyomamma! The move happens tonight!

The biggest WR in this years free agent market will be moving teams at this weeks end! T.J. Houshmanzadeh will make his decision on where he wishes to play in 2009 tonight! The top two teams in this debate have been the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings. We will keep you all updated on this topic. Feel free to chime in a comment if you hear anything new develope or you just want to talk about Housh! TJ has stated that he would come to a final choice on the evening of March 1st! 

Why the Arizona Cardinals Can Still Be Considered Contenders

The Arizona Cardinals can still be considered contenders. They went very far this past NFL season… all the way to the Super Bowl. If it hadn’t been for a few costly mistakes (i.e. interception resulting in 100 yard TD return for longest play in Super Bowl history by linebacker James Harrison, and two fumbles by the Quarterback) and all things were to remain constant in that game, they would have been Champions.

 

But that doesn’t matter because they aren’t champions and the Pittsburgh Steelers created and/or forced the Cardinals into those mistakes. But make no bones about it; this team totally changed its approach when the playoffs began.

 

Their offense remained just as explosive as it had been in the air, and then they finally decided to rely on the run a little more. For next year, the Cardinals now know that they can run the ball effectively. With Edgerin James getting older, and Tim Hightower being nothing more than an effective backup, the Cardinals have plenty of room to draft a power or fast, or whatever kind of back that can be a pro-bowler. And honestly, they can’t be much worse than James and Hightower.  

 

Everyone knows about the trend of Super Bowl losers not making the playoffs the next year, but remember, the Cardinals are still in a poor division with two teams that have to rebuild, Rams and 49ers, and one team that was in real shambles this season and with an aging QB in Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks. I know that sounds hypocritical because Warner is 37 and was still dead nasty, but he is an exception to the rule of the old quarterbacks whose performances dwindle when they get older.

 

Another strong argument against their chances may be that if they can’t keep Anquan Boldin they won’t be as explosive. However, we must remember they either didn’t play with him or did while he was ailing with injuries during these playoffs, and Larry Fitzgerald still tore it up.

 

I believe the Arizona Cardinals are right where they need to be. They showed lots of heart in the Super Bowl defensively after being down 17-7 and 20-7, because they still stuck to their guns and held the Steelers shy of the end zone twice. Of course they blew it at the end, but they still showed a lot of moxie. Do not be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl if it does happen. Plus, with the way the NFL has been the past few seasons, I think the only teams that could surprise me in the Super Bowl are the Lions and 49ers. ‘Nuff said.

Ray Lewis will be a Jet in 2010

I am pretty sure that the Jets are making a move on Ray Lewis soon. They have released a lot of their depth at the Linebacker position, and seem to be positioning themselves monetarily to make a move on Ray Ray! I would love to see Ray Ray play for gang green because of the type of leader he is, however I don’t feel that Baltimore has left him with much in the tank, so I hope the Jets don’t go over a 2 year deal to aquire him!! If they don’t sign Ray Ray they will sign Baltimore’s other big free agent LB Scott. However, if Ray does come to New York, both New York teams would have great Inside Linebackers. I hope Mr Johnson doesn’t screw this one up because the Jets have a more of a chance with an accused murderer in the LB core, trust me!

Ray Ray Big Hit Video Below!

Blue Jackets Success Good for Hockey in the USA?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have registered a point in eight straight games and have won seven of those contests including a four game winning streak. This recent streak, backed by the stellar play of netminder Steve Mason, puts the Blue Jackets in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time in the team’s brief history. Helping Mason lead the Jackets success this season is mister Blue Jacket himself Rick Nash who has been a very bright spot on a team which has had very limited success—that is, until now. Offseason acquisitions Kristian Huselius (Calgary) and R.J Umberger (Philadelphia) have helped make the Jackets a viable contender this year and possibly for years to come. With a core group of relatively young players Columbus will be making plenty of noise on the ice for many years to come.

The success of the Blue Jackets thus far this year is only half the story because what we’re seeing is a potential hockey hotbed in its infancy. Until this year the only hockey presence in Ohio that has had any sustainable success has been via the Ohio State University. Although success at the University level is great the potential for Ohio to blossom in terms of hockey almost certainly requires the success of a major professional team. The significance of the Jackets being in Columbus is that they are the highest level of professional sport in the city which means there is no competition for fan fair from the popularity giant that is the NFL. Success for the Blue Jackets can make them the darlings of the city and would be the first of its kind in the U.S. since other cities tend to have other pro teams in one of the other three major sports. With that in mind, the on ice play of Rick Nash and company is not significant only to the potential of the Blue Jackets and the city of Columbus, but it could also be a major victory for the popularity of the sport of hockey in the U.S. So American hockey fans, if your team happens to fall out of contention throw a cheer the way of the Blue Jackets, their success might help you out more than you realize.

They want to trade Michael Vick…So where’s the story?

Yes it has become public that the Atlanta Falcons are actively looking for trades for Michael Vick, but all I want to know is, “where is the story in that?” Michael has so many negative strings attached to him now, you would either have to be a brilliant man or a complete idiot to want to employ him. So, let me ask you once again “where is the story in the fact that Atlanta wants to trade him?”

Larry O’Dell from the The Associated Press seems to think that the big news is that;

“Imprisoned NFL star Michael Vick’s suburban Atlanta home will be offered for sale to the highest bidder on March 10 2009″

Personally I don’t find it newsworthy when someone reports that someone who has claimed bankruptcy and is currently incarcerated, is being forced to auction off their house. No S%^* Sherlock!

I don’t hate Vick, I just don’t see importance of these recent story’s.  He has been kicked out of the NFL until Godell allows him back, and considering the current trend of rehablitated players like Pacman Jones, It is not hard to see that it won’t be easy for Vick to get back on the field. It just isn’t going to happen. If Godell just lets Vick play again in the NFL, The league would stand to take a massive hit in attendence as well as popularity! Plus, even if Vick were to return where would he even fit in? I think the real story is that the idiots in the Media are going to empower this moron and help him make some extra cash on his way to the NFL Hall of Shame, who recently enshrined Bam Norris and Rae Carruth.

The Falcons have no use for him as a QB considering that they drafted Matt Ryan who played pretty well this season(87.7 QB Rating, compared to Vick’s last campaign in 06 of 75.5 QB Rating). “I want to ask one more time where is the story in this guy?” Atlanta has a better QB and a better team, that has no need for Vick and his “hood life issues”.The Media should not talk about this guy until he is allowed back in the NFL. It’s just that simple, NO ONE WIlL TRADE FOR A PLAYER WHO IS SUSPENDED!!!! SO SHUT UP STUPID MEDIA! Go CRY ABOUT BARRY BONDS OR SOMETHING!!!

Another thing that has really upset me is the way people percieve Vick as a QB. I will agree that Vick has phenomenal atheletic talent, there is no denying that. Michael Vick has a gift for scrambling and sprinting, but I will tell you one thing people, for all the oooos and the aaghs this man isn’t worth his weight in dung as a QB. Vick is not a leader, and Vick is not a role model which he has never claimed to be thank god.

People think of Vick as the quintessential black QB, because he is fast, quick, shifty and he has a very strong arm. However, Vick is not a good representation of great African American QB and that is what really upsets me about this situation. There are plenty of great black QB’s who could be the benchmark for what is it to be a great African American QB, But for some reason when I ask someone to name a “Black QB” most people think of Michael Vick. Why is it that no one talks about Doug Williams, who was the first black QB to win a Superbowl. Why is it that the NFL has moved so far from empowering the legends of Steve Mcnair or Warren Moon?

We need to move on from morons like Vick and celebrate the players who actually played the  QB postion well, repositioning these greats back into the in the minds of NFL fans.  Yeah Vick is controversial and exciting, but at one point that wasn’t the only thing the NFL and all the media cared about! So I ask you, “when did that change?”

I Need A New Sport

My father used to say that Rodeo was the only sport. That no one was tougher than a Cowboy. He himself used to “bulldog” back in his day. Though those days were short lived after having seen a man have his head stomped in and spend the rest of his days talking to himself. Dear old Dad wore cowboy boots, snap button shirts and had a license plate that read RODEO: Everything Else Is Just A Game!

I have to say that with all that is going on in the seemingly unwatchable professional sports world that I must agree. Parity in football sucks. The last ten Superbowl champs just do not measure up to those before them. Baseball is a mockery now. The commissioner is coward. The players union is run by a s group of arrogant jackasses empowered by lazy good for nothing drug addict ball players. Even the government is standing on ceremony now in their day late and dollar short effort to rectify the situation. NBA basketball is a disgrace. Between what they allow on and off the court coupled with the FACT that they have a gambling problem how could anyone take it seriously? Hockey lost me when the Sabres lost to the Stars on a goal that should not have counted in a game that decided the Stanley Cup Champ. I would still rather be playing NHL Hockey on Sega. And don’t bother with any other sport. You are lucky I felt generous enough to include Hockey in the conversation. Next you will want to whine about soccer and tell me it is “so popular”. Yeah well not here in the real world United Stated where its biggest star bailed to go back over seas and play for less money. Soccer is a baby sitting service for terrible parents who do not love their kids and are afraid they might get hurt playing a real sport.

Which brings me to Rodeo. Beer drinking, tobacco chewing, jeans and denim shirt wearing men atop 1200lbs of raw power! Even the advertisements at these events are manly. You will not see advertisements (at least not yet) for weenie girlie men and their “E.D.” or hair loss. You see ads for trucks, guns, hunting, beer, sponsor tags for tobacco and even some good old fashioned down home Americana:  www.borderpatrol.gov. It is amazing. I love it. I can not get enough. I am sure one day ESPN and the advertising industry will ruin it like they have ruined every other sport worth watching. For now it really is the only thing worth watching.

The last three weeks, at work behind the bar, I have turned off both college and pro basketball, ESPN’s Sportscenter, MLB network and all three New York area hockey teams in favor of VS coverage of bull riding. At first I get “what the hell are doing?” or “Whoa, what the..” “Hey put that back”. Yet every time I put on the rodeo after the first bull comes out from the chute it gets very quiet as the entire bar is focused on the one tv that is showing the bull riding. The only noise you hear from the crowd is when a cowboy gets “throwed” from his horse. Absolutely no one is watching the other 5 tv’s that are all showing basketball, hockey etc.  And when I turn it off the whole place erupts with an emphatic “WHOAAAA, PUT IT BACK!”

Rodeo: Everything Else IS just a game.

Karlos Dansby could become a Giant?

I was shocked when I heard some people in a local bar talking about Karlos Dansby possibly becoming a Giant. First of all, I would like to state that I believe Dansby to be a hell of talent. He would be a great player for any NFL team, but my one question is how could they pay him and still keep the defense in tact? Antonio Peirce, who is the undisputed leader of the Big Blue defense is looking for more money, money which he knows he deserves. I would love to sure up the LB core, but at what cost? Antonio Peirce may be the reason for the recent successes the Gmen have had against the run, considering their effectiveness directly correlates when Antonio came from the Redskins. We know Dansby wants a big market, and we can only assume he wants a”Big Market Paycheck”. It is for this reason, I implore all New York Giants fans to be careful what they wish for, It would be nothing short of a tragedy to see Pierce (The Defense’s QB) walk since Reese might not be able to procure his needed funds, after the signing of such a LB as Dansby.

Edwards out: Making Sense of all the Coach Firings

Well this year we have seen an unprecedented amount of coaches losing their jobs, coaches with winning teams and coaches with losing teams, as well as coaches who didn’t even get to finish the season.  It is important to take note of what actually is happening in NFL.  Many people are confused or surprised by the amount of caches getting fired and while it may seem ridicules it is only logically.

The reason that so many coaches have been sent packing is because of the initial firings of Crennel and Mangini.   With a number of other coaches being sent packing the week following the end of the regular season a domino effect was created.  As the Marque coaching minds of Crennel and Mangini hit the market; well as a slew of coordinators that are ready to be head coaches teams took note.  What this meant is that teams the likes of the Rams, Lions, and Browns had a chance to lock these great coaches in.   While teams on the bubble like Denver, Tampa Bay, Kansa City, New York Jets, and Raiders who may have been happy with the performance or at least the skill of their coaches were forced to make a decision.  This meant that if they did not get rid of these good coaches they would not be able to pick up the next crop of great coaches for some time.   So they released their head coaches to hit what is really a coaching free agent market.   With the successive firing of each coach like Mangini, Shannahan, Gruden, and now Edwards, teams would be stupid to let other teams pick these great coaches up, so in turn they got rid of their coaches.  What you are going to see really is a giant change of hands as most of these coaches end up as head coaches at another team.  Don’t expect this to happen again anytime soon as you will see all the great coaches will get at least 3 years to prove their worth meaning little coaching firings occurring during that time.

This Year’s Super Bowl Continues an Interesting Trend

On February 1st, the Arizona Cardinals will do battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aside from the surprising appearance by Arizona to get to their first Super Bowl, there is a very surprising trend beginning to surmise… that is if the Steelers win the game.

In the Steelers last four Super Bowl appearances they have faced off against the L.A. Rams in 1979, winning 31-19, the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 losing 27-17, the Seattle Seahawks, winning 21-10, and now the Arizona Cardinals. If the Steelers win, that will mean that their last three titles will have come against present NFC West teams.

Back in 1979, the now St. Louis Rams, still were a part of the NFC West, but that division consisted of the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons. Since the arrival of the Houston Texans, that division now includes the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and the 49ers.

Another interesting tidbit, like this year’s Cardinals, the only other 9-7 team to ever make a Super Bowl were those same aforementioned L.A. Rams.

However, the most striking piece of trivia has to be that all three team’s Super Bowl appearances against the Steelers were their first ever. Could this mean that the Cardinals, although a great story, are doomed to drop the ball in the non-literal sense of the phrase? Who knows, and if the world is what it is, and the Cards do lose, it shouldn’t be viewed as much more than a wild coincidence. Either way, it’s pretty damn cool… especially if you’re a Steeler fan.

Tim Tebow To The Turf…Of The Metrodome?

I will be the first to admit that I just do not like Tim Tebow. I absolutely want to vomit every time he hits the pull up jumper down on the goal line. Until today I thought he would not make much of a career in the NFL either. However, last night my opinion began to change a bit. Certainly not because the Fox broadcasters convinced me he is the Messiah. (Were they terrible or what?) As I watched Percy Harvin bust that long run to put the Gators back in business it made me think about Adrian Peterson and this year’s NFL playoffs. All year long we had to listen to grumblings about the Vikings being a Super Bowl contender if they had a QB. So I thought to myself who are they going to find that could get them over the hump? They are built to win now. They need a leader on that offense and a veteran is just not going to be available to them and Tavaris Jackson will never be that guy. And I have news for you, Sam Bradford and the rest of the nation’s would-be rookie class of QB’s are no where near the level of last year’s draft class. So forget another Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco type playoff run. Then as the Gator offense got rolling I thought of Vince Youngs performance in both Rose Bowls and wondered if Jeff Fisher wouldn’t roll out the “Wildcat” this weekend with Vince against the Baltimore Ravens.

Then it hit me. Tebow to the Vikings. Just like that. I think he would be the perfect fit for the Vikings offense. He could run that offense all day with Adrian Peterson behind him or beside him. He easily becomes the leader of that offense and probably the team. He is perfect for the role. He would not have to worry about passing the ball all that much. With that defense and that run game behind that offensive line try to imagine having to stop both he and Peterson every down. Thrown in a short passing game the occasional deep ball and a pull up jumper here and there, you’ve got something. No?

Rutuu Bites, Wild Patient, Caps Finish

Tuesday night Jarkko Ruutu of the Ottawa Senators apparently bit Sabres’ defensemen Andrew Peters in the thumb. It is awful that Ruutu did that and hopefully he is severely punished, but it is the hope of hockey fans everywhere that the casual fan will not once again only see hockey in this light (since ESPN eats stuff like this up) and think that’s all that goes on in hockey. If all they did in NFL coverage was show guys getting poked in the eye or really bad facemask penalties and quarterbacks getting knocked out or guys getting paralyzed it would give football a bad name for sure but we all know that stuff does not happen frequently and the NHL should be given the same consideration. So please, if you have casual fans as friends and think this is how it is all the time please just get them to follow a number of games and they will quickly see it is not an every game occurrence.

Now to the better side of hockey and that would be two great match-ups Tuesday night between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, and the game of the night between Washington and Philadelphia. Boston was defeated 1-0 by Minnesota making it two in a row for Boston cooling off the then hottest team in the league. What is to be learned from that game is Minnesota is simply better at running the dreaded neutral zone trap than the Bruins head-to-head. Boston has been able to open up the ice to score more goals now but if other teams are paying attention Minnesota taught them a great lesson. If you slow the game down and play most of it at center ice Boston will get so frustrated because they are so hungry to score that they end up skating in circles and don’t get anything going. Patience is the best way to beat Boston not trying to outscore them.

As for Washington and Philly, all that needs to be said about that at the moment is that if you’re looking for the anti-Ruutu game, this was the one to watch. That game was everything that makes hockey such a great game to watch.

Overtime = Overrated

Why is it so hard for people to wrap their head around a tie? Why is it so important to have a winner be declared? More importantly why is the crucial outcome of such events decided by a coin flip? The NFL should eliminate overtime. What is the point? Can we just for once be satisfied with two teams being equal on “any given Sunday?” Not Superbowl Sunday of course but the third Sunday in November really should not be a big deal. Should it? The winning percentages straighten themselves out at season’s end anyway to determine all divisional champions as well as Wild Card teams. They have “tie breakers” in place for any possible confusion that may occur. “Winning isn’t everything” right?

I propose two things. First the NFL eliminate overtime completely from the regular season. I know I would be considered crazy to suggest it be eliminated from the playoffs and Superbowl as well so I will not go there. Regular season games will end in a tie at the end of regulation. Playoff games would be decided by letting time run out and continuing on without stopping using just the play clock until someone scores. To make it more challenging, eliminate field goal trys after regulation. Either punt or go for it on 4th down. Imagine the madness as Wade Phillips is rushing the field goal unit on to the field as time is winding down in regulation while Tony Romo and Terrell Owens are waving them off to keep running plays to try and win it in a runoff? Could you imagine that post game press conference with Jerry Jones?

Second I propose the elimination of coin flips all together including at the start of the game. Let’s face it, every team wants the same thing: To win the toss and defer to the second half. So why not just give the road team the ball to start every game and allow the home team to choose which goal to defend? Each team will start half their games with the ball and the other half on defense. In the playoffs the same rule should apply.

And this comes from a guy who bets on the coin toss before every Superbowl. TAILS NEVER FAILS!!!

Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens Playoff Primer

In this week, the Divisional Playoff Round of the NFL, hearts are truly broken. In my mind, there is nothing more embarrassing than being a bye team and losing your first game. It is almost as if all the good your team did was all-for-not, and similarly, for the road team, it means you were only good enough to win in the Wild Card round. The first game of Divisional Round weekend will feature the Baltimore Ravens attempting to go down to Tennessee to pull off a huge road victory.

 

Advantage Ravens

 

Once again, the Ravens Defense will be the phase of their game to rely on; 3^rd in the league in points allowed (15.2), 2^nd in yards (261.1ypg), 2^nd in passing (179.7ypg), and 3^rd against the run (81.4ypg). The stinginess of their defense showed up profusely in their Saturday victory in Miami against the Dolphins as they forced Chad Pennington into throwing four interceptions, when he had only seven up until that point. On top of that, they also forced a fumble which they recovered.

 

What is even more is they rank higher in almost every major category defensively than the Titans; 7^th in yards (293.6ypg), 9^th in passing (199.8ypg), and 6^th against the run (93.9ypg). The Titans beat them in points per game at 14.6, but that is only for a difference of 0.6 points.

 

Aside from the Ravens defense, the performance of Joe Flacco in his first ever playoff game should pay huge dividends for Baltimore as he now goes into his second. In that game, his numbers were far from solid; 9-23 with 135 yards. That was only good for a slunky 39% completion. But if there are any underlying factors in his performance, it was obviously the fact he committed no turnovers, and amazingly, averaged 15.0 yards per completion. What this suggests was that when he actually did find the right target, it was a big play.

 

He already had the one playoff game where he saw his defense carry him. Now he knows if he can just step it up a bit, and with his defense playing like it can, that his team is in prime position for success.

 

Advantage Titans

 

The difference between the Miami pass defense (25^th at 227.8ypg) and the Tennessee pass defense (9^th at 199.8ypg) is 16 spots in the rankings. If Joe Flacco cannot increase his completion percentage, and is forced to throw the ball more against the Titans solid rushing defense, then the Ravens could be in for a long day. Maybe even the type that sees Flacco performing somewhat like Pennington did.

 

After that, Kerry Collins threw seven interceptions on the season, ass opposed to Flacco’s 12. But sadly, that seems to be the only advantage that the Titans could have over the Ravens. And too bad for them Joe Flacco hasn’t been prone to throwing games away this season. Oh… and we also saw what happened to the last quarterback the Ravens faced who only three seven regular season INTs.

 

Conclusion

 

We already know that the Ravens have better defense. But what is even more is the fact that their offense isn’t too far off either. In total yards per game the Ravens are 18^th at 324, and the Titans 21^st at 313.6. Although the Titans are 27^th passing (172.6), versus the Ravens 28^th ranking (175.5), it is for a difference of 0.7 yards making them virtually equal in that aspect. The real kicker comes in the Ravens 4^th ranked rush offense at 148.5 yards per game against the Titan’s 7^th place ranking at 137.4 yards per game. The Ravens, as a matter of fact, even score more points per game with 24.1, against the Titans, 23.4. However, that points per game number is also for a mere difference of 0.7.

 

The real deciding factor offensively is going to be the Ravens stronger running game, and better play-making defensively. I also predict another deciding factor to be the performance of young Joe Flacco against that of old Kerry Collins. Their stat lines, although similar, are leaving one thing out. Where as last week I mentioned the experience of Kurt Warner would take over that of Matt Ryan’s, this week it will be the youth of Flacco over Collins. Warner is still a dynamic quarterback. Whereas Flacco and Collins roles in their team’s offenses is to manage the game and not turn the ball over, for Flacco it is more to help ease his transition as a rookie quarterback, and for Collins it is because he is on the downside of his career.

 

But aside from all this, the most telling stat is the following. The combined records of the Tennessee Titans regular season opponents was 92-115, and the Ravens was 123-94. This just tells me that the Ravens have been having their mettle tested a lot more often than the surprising Titans up to this point.

 

Ravens move to within one victory of the Super Bowl.

Top 10 reasons to fire your head coach in 2009…

10. He has a name that rhymes with “Big weeny!”

9. He likes to drop his pants during practice.

8. He takes pride in the fact that he coached the worst team in NFL history!

7. Even Brett Farve couldn’t win a superbowl for him…

6. He had 24 wins and 40 losses during his career with the team

5. He coaches the lions…

4. His daddy’s name is “Bum”

3. He just couldn’t decided on a RB and instead accomplished the feat of hurting all 5!

2. He started 8-3 this year, with a handpicked Superbowl squad and still failed to make the playoffs!

1. He was once the “Man-Genius” and now…He is only known as “Mangina”.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles Playoff Primer

The final game of Wild-Card weekend 2009 may be one of the toughest to predict. It exhibits two teams that struggled to secure playoff births, but at the same time are more than capable of advancing in the post season past the obvious win that one of them will be getting this weekend. The Eagles had blown a game in Washington against the Redskins in week 16 by a score of 10-3 to fall to a record of 8-6-1, and needed to beat the Cowboys in Philadelphia, and hope the Buccaneers and Bears would lose in week 17. Luckily for them, all three of those scenarios became a reality. As for the Vikings, they would have clinched the NFC North regardless, due to the Bears loss in Houston in week 17, but could guarantee the division title with a victory in the final week. Since they beat the Giants in Minnesota 20-19 on a last minute 50 yard field goal to finish 10-6, they were able to hold up their end of the bargain. Now what has unfolded for week 18 is a bout between two teams, one filled with wily veterans in Philadelphia, and another with a collection of young and perhaps budding talent in Minnesota.

 

Advantage Minnesota

 

One of the key factors that Minnesota can rely on to win this game is the fact that they own the league’s top rush defense giving up only 76.9 yards per game going up against an Eagles ground attack that ranked 22^nd with 106.1 yards per game. Couple that with the fact the Eagles were 4^th in the league in pass attempts and 22^nd in rushing yards with 106.1 per game, and the Vikings have a seldom-available luxury: the chance to play an opponent who is virtually one dimensional.

 

One of the most commonly preached strategies in defensive football is the ability to force an opponent to be one-dimensional, i.e. try to get the opponent to beat you with the pass by loading up the line of scrimmage with an eight-man front. What we have here is a team in Philadelphia who by preference already is one-dimensional and mainly likes to pass.

 

The second factor that helps the Vikings is the improved play of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson since he returned to the starting lineup. In his two games to start the season, he was 30-59, good for a 51 percent completion rate with one TD, while throwing for 178 and 130 yards respectively. Now, Jackson has risen to the occasion in the last three and a half games of the season posting 740 yards, 8 TDs, and only one interception while completing 64 percent of his passes. All this has provided the stability at the QB position the Vikings were looking for in Gus Frerotte.

 

Advantage Eagles

 

The Eagles strengths lie in their defense and experience. Even though the Vikings are sporting the 1^st ranked run defense, their pass defense is only 18^th in the league, giving up 215.6 yards per game. That does not match well with the defense of Philadelphia as they ranked 4^th in run defense, 92.2ypg, and 3^rd in total pass defense, 182.1ypg. That type of run defense is more-than solid and should be able to keep Adrian Peterson, the league’s top rusher with 1,760 yards, in check for the most part. And I stress “for the most part” as even though the Eagles rush D is just three spots behind the Vikings, Peterson is still the league’s leading rusher for a reason, and for that, I believe he will have at least one big run in the game.

 

What really stands out for the eagles defensively is their pass defense, because Jackson, although he has improved, is still only averaging 185 yards through the air in his return, which is only 2.9 yards more than what the eagles are giving up. This means that he could easily be limited to within 100-150 yards, and if the Vikings main threat is going to be one to, at the most, three big gainers from Peterson and only a game-management style of play by Jackson, things are not looking up.

 

Conclusion

 

Although the Vikings play at home this weekend, they face a veteran team in the Eagles who are more accustomed to playing in big games. Even if it took four straight NFC Championship games for Donovan McNabb to finally get his team to a Super Bowl, he is still much more playoff savvy than the young Tarvaris Jackson, as is the entire Eagles team. Although both teams are great at stopping the run, Philadelphia is averaging 244.4 yards per game through the air, and with the disparity in the rankings of the two clubs pass defenses being 15 spots (Vikings 18^th minus Eagles 3^rd equals 15), then that is where the true edge in this contest lies.

 

Eagles move on.

Miami Dolphins vs. Baltimore Ravens Playoff Primer

Game number three of Wild-Card weekend will feature two teams that had surprise turnarounds from last season. But of the two teams, the biggest surprise was last season’s hapless 1-15 Miami Dolphins doing a complete 180 with an 11-5 record this season while also earning the AFC East title. The Ravens, although always strong defensively, are nothing short of surprising either as they went from 5-11 last year to 11-5 this year. What makes their turnaround so remarkable was that they did it with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, and if it weren’t for injuries to both Kyle Boller and Troy Smith before week one, Joe Flacco may not have gotten his first start until later in the season and who knows what happens. With that being said, let’s take a look at the key phases of each team’s game.

Ravens’ Advantage

Both team’s offenses seem to even one another out. The Dolphins score 21.6 points per game and the Ravens 24.1 points per game. Although the Dolphins average only 118.6 yards on the ground to the Ravens 148.5, Miami out-throws Baltimore by a tune of 227 yards per game to 175.5. This shows that the Ravens outrun the Dolphins by 29.9 yards per game, and the Dolphins pass for 51.5 yards more than the Ravens.

Even with that being said, conventional wisdom shows that the team with the better running game will win. And that should be the case here. What’s even more is that the Ravens are 3^rd defensively against the run at 81.4ypg, and a whopping 2^nd versus the pass giving up 179.7ypg. The problem the Dolphins have, even though they get to play in the confines of their home stadium, is that they are 25^th against the pass at 227.8ypg, and 10^th versus the run at 101.2ypg. In all respects, giving up 101.2 yards a game on the ground is not that bad, but when the duo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams is good for a great total of 1,575 yards, and the Ravens trio of Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain, and Ray Rice combined for an outstanding number like 2,028, then not only are the Ravens defending the run better, but they are carrying the ball better as well.

Dolphins’ Advantage

Even though the Ravens outweigh the Dolphins in some key statistical categories necessary for playoff success, they have not been very good on the road playing against the projected playoff teams in the pre-season; at Indianapolis they lost 3-31, at the Giants they lost 10-30. Their only strong points against what were considered playoff teams were at Pittsburgh when they lost in OT 20-23, at the Dolphins when they won 27-13, and finally, when they beat Dallas 33-24.

Allow me to downplay. The Steelers and Ravens are diehard division rivals and always play each other tough. The Cowboys game had two aberration type plays on the Ravens final two drives; an 82 yard scoring run followed by a 77 yard scoring run. Any team would be lucky to get a run of either of those lengths all season long. Last but not least, when the Ravens beat the Dolphins in Miami in week 7, it dropped the Dolphins’ record to 2-4. Since then, Miami has gone 9-1 and are playing at a slightly different level than that period of time.

The other thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they had the fewest turnovers in the league with only 13. Chad Pennington had arguably his best season since his first ever rotator-cuff injury with a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes. Rookie QB Joe Flacco, although he had a great season for a rookie, 2,971 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs (not to mention his eleven fumbles) and completed 60.0 percent of his passes, he is still a rookie and is definitely mistake-prone.

Like one analyst put it… “What the Ravens thrive on, the Dolphins simply don’t do”… turn the ball over!

Conclusion

Although the Dolphins play at home, and are riding the emotional high an unprecedented successful season and comeback year of Chad Pennington, I have to go with the Ravens. They can negate their opponent’s run, and kill them with their own. Furthermore, Joe Flacco is quickly being molded into the confident game manager who can make a few plays here and there that Baltimore has been looking for. I only see Joe Flacco having, at the most, one turnover, and with their 2^nd ranked total defense (261.1ypg) and 3^rd ranked defense in points given up per game (15.2), the Ravens can easily overcome it. I cannot see a team who beat squads like Seattle without QB Matt Hasselbeck by two points, Oakland by two points as well, San Francisco by five, all at home, and Saint Louis by four on the road beating this gritty Ravens team.

Ravens will move on to play the one-seeded Tennessee Titans next week.

San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts Playoff Primer

The night cap of day one on Wild-Card Weekend will have two teams on display that can light up the scoreboard. Whereas the Colts have reverted to a more proficient scoring style over the past few years with the peak-point maturity of Peyton Manning, the Chargers have remained a team that can put up points in bunches. This game should have all the makings of a contest that comes down to which team does the best with it’s last offensive drive, and a last chance hail-mary or “lateral push” doesn’t count.

 

Everyone knows that both teams have more-than capable and playoff-tested quarterbacks. Peyton Manning has practically carried his team whose run game which ranked 31^st in the league with a meager 79.6 yards per game, and was able to post his ninth 4,000 yard plus season with 4,002 yards, threw 27 touchdowns against a respectable twelve interceptions, while completing 66.8 percent of his passes. These numbers were good enough to earn him a 95.0 QB rating.

 

Philip Rivers, for San Diego, threw his way to his first ever 4,000 yard plus season with 4,009 yards. He also tied with New Orleans’ Drew Brees for the most touchdowns with 34, completed 65.3 percent of his passes with eleven interceptions. All this was good for a passer rating of 105.5 which was tops in the NFL. Much like Peyton Manning, he too had to overcome his teams dip in rushing stats as LaDainian Tomlinson went from 1,462, 1,815, and 1,474 yards in the past three years respectively to his lowest output ever in his storied eight year career at 1,110 yards with 3.8 yards per carry. In those previously mentioned seasons, he had 4.3, 5.2, and 4.7 yards per carry respectively. So this should be the beginning of the down-hill part of his career.

 

But even with that being said, the Chargers still gained 107.9 yards per game on the ground (20^th in the league, and eleven better than Indy’s 31^st) and even with his 2008 swoon, Tomlinson is still one of the most prolific rushers in the league. Furthermore, his production is still better than the Colt’s duo of Dominic Rhodes, 538ypg, 3.5ypc, and Joseph Addai, 544ypg, and also 3.5ypc. The two of them alone gained 1,082 yards. This isn’t good, as the Chargers second option, Darren Sproles, had 330ypg with 5.4ypc. If you combine his total with Tomlinson’s you’ll get 358 yards of extra ground over the two Indianapolis runners.

 

As far as defenses go, the Chargers were 27^th in the league versus the pass, giving up 247.4 yards per game. On the other hand, the Colts were very good with a 6^th rated passing defense giving up 188.1 yards per contest. As for the rushing defenses, the Chargers ranked 11^th and gave up a respectable 102.6 yards per game. With teams rarely giving every single carry to a feature back, 102.6 yards per game between two to three players isn’t terrible. The Colts, however, were 24^th, and they gave up 122.9 yards per outing. That kind of number suggests that their opponent’s feature back was typically able to get at least over 90 yards on his own. Seemingly, the Colts allowed seven of their opponent’s backs to gain over 90 yards to the Charger’s three.

 

Now for the X factors.

 

Both teams are entering the post-season on hot streaks; the Colts have won nine straight, and the Chargers have won four straight. You would think the Colts did their duty better with that kind of disparity, but let’s not forget a few “gimme” games they won this season; The first time they played Houston, when QB Sage Rosenfels fumbled the ball away twice in the waning moments of the game, the game against Pittsburgh when they were down 17-7 at one point and Ben Roethlisberger threw three terrible interceptions, and the game against Cleveland when they were down 6-3 in the fourth quarter and Robert Mathis returned a fumble by QB Ken Dorsey 37 yards for a 10-6 victory. Without those three wins, the Colts wouldn’t even be in the playoffs.

 

In the Charger’s four game streak, their only luck-job win was in Kansas City when they scored twelve points in the final 1:19 of the game to win 22-21. Other than that, they have soared in beating Oakland 34-7, Tampa Bay 41-24, and most recently, Denver 52-21.

 

With all of that being said, the Chargers having a passing game that is actually complimented by the run, the Colts having to rely on Peyton manning for most of the season, and a renewed vigor of the San Diego Chargers by their miracle playoff push after overcoming a 4-8 record, I just simply have to give the game to San Diego at home. There is a reason the Colts passing defense was 6th in the league, and that is because their opponents had field days against their 31^st ranked run defense. I am not saying the game won’t be close and that Peyton Manning isn’t great on the road just as he is at home, but the game can easily slip away from Indianapolis in the second half if they have to go score for score in this contest.

 

Chargers win.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons Playoff Primer

The first game of Wild-Card Weekend features two teams that I’m sure many people would argue are “one-and-done” teams. However, the fact is, one of these one-and-doners will definitely be advancing with the question of course being who.

 

The Atlanta Falcons do not have too much upside defensively. The only standout player this season was John Abraham who accounted for 47% of Atlanta’s 35 sacks with 16.5 total. That isn’t very good. That means of the other typical sackers on a standard NFL team, the three linebackers, the other defensive end, and perhaps the strong safety in some cases would have produced an average of 3.8 sacks a-piece. Too bad for the Falcons that Mr. Milloy, the strong safety, had none. Their 21^st ranked pass defense gave up 220.4 yards per game, and their 25^th ranked run D gave up 127.5 yards per game.

 

That type of passing defense won’t bode well against a quarterback in Kurt Warner who threw for over 4,500 yards this season. As far as the Falcons run defense goes, I guess that isn’t too bad as the Cardinals rush offense was good for last with 73.6 yards per game, meaning if they just don’t screw up any assignments and miss any tackles, they should be able to post a solid to admirable effort against the run.

 

But Edgerin James against the Seahawks this week amassed 100 yards on 14 carries. He has been off this season, but he perhaps could be trying to prove that he still has some gas left in the tank since that was his first game in a while, and if there was ever a game for him to do so, this could be it. And I know the argument can be that he did it against Seattle, but with a 25^th ranked run defense, the Falcons aren’t much better. Who knows? Maybe the Cards will run a two-back system with James and Tim Hightower, and they could stay fresh and get a couple decent gainers here and there.

 

On the flipside of things, the Cardinals defense gave up 26.6 points per game. Most teams wouldn’t even stand a chance at being in contention in the finals weeks of most regular NFL seasons with that kind of defense, but luckily for the Cardinals, they played in a bad division. On top of that, Arizona’s pass D was 22^nd giving up 221.2 yards per game. But the worst part is that their run defense, who faces Michael Turner (1,699 yards and 2^nd in the NFL), was 16^th giving up 110.2 yards per game.

 

The Falcons MO all year has been to give the ball to Turner as much as possible so that Matt Ryan only needs to make 2-3 good or big plays a game, usually to Roddy White who was fourth among all wide receivers with 1,382 yards and had seven of Ryan’s 16 total TDs.

 

The bottom line is, with the virtually identical defenses of both teams, if the Matt Ryan-led Falcons had more experience under their belt, this game would have had the makings for an Atlanta win as they could have grinded out the run game and kept the passes to a minimum as the Arizona run game and run defense has basically been non-existent for most of the season.

 

However… I just have to go with Kurt Warner’s will, experience, two stud wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, and the home crowd to come out on top. The tandem of Boldin and Fitzgerald are enough to make up for not having a running game against a young team like Atlanta. I think Matt Ryan is just too young to take this game, and for all the criticism that the Cardinals have received in losing four of their last five games, it is almost like Kurt Warner gets to start off fresh again. And I say this because in their recent losses, the Cardinals were getting blown out early to the point where Warner didn’t need to bother even trying the rest of whatever game they were playing. And if convention says that players need to stay hot going into the post season, I don’t see that as being the case here with Kurt Warner.

                                                                                                                           

Basically, both teams are not looking like Super Bowl contenders, and ultimately, when it comes down to two “one-and-done” type teams, you gotta go with the guys playing at home and especially with having the more experienced quarterback. Cardinals win.

Monday Night Guarantee

This week we have the longest rivalry in the NFL, two teams that give it their all every time they play each other.   The Bears still have a shot at the playoffs but the Packers would like nothing more than to spoil their hopes.   These two teams are equal in talent but the edge has to go to the Bears.   Look for the Bears to just find a way to win, with a true team effort.  

 

Point Spread 27-18 Bears

Atlanta Falcons to Gain the Two Seed in the NFC?

One thing pissing me off big time after week 16 is the following… why is no one mentioning that the Falcons have a chance to lock up the number two seed in the NFL? If The Falcons accomplish the highly un-venerable task of defeating the waste-filled Saint Louis Rams in Atlanta this weekend, and the Carolina Panthers are defeated in New Orleans next week, the Atlanta Falcons end up winning the NFC South. We already know that the Giants have locked up the top seed by beating Carolina in OT Sunday night, but the Cardinals at best can finish 9-7 in the NFC West, and the Bears or Vikings can only finish at 10-6 to win the NFC North. What does this mean? Either the Falcons or Panthers are guaranteed the two seed.

But why is no one talking about it? Because every dumb analyst has it in their mind that the Falcons wonderful turn-around in the post Michael Vick mortem was simply in clinching their Wild Card berth. But hello! They can even get a bye! That would be totally huge!

Not only do they overcome last year’s fiasco and make the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they now have a chance to put themselves in a highly viable position of reaching a Super Bowl with one home win and one road win, as long as the Giants win their first game. I mean, geez, they could end up hosting the NFC Championship if the Giants lose their first game!

Someone please talk about it. I’ve watched PTI, Sports Center, and heard every FOX, CBS, and NBC analyst and commentator and not one of them has thought about this. It pisses me off and I almost hope to god that the Falcons get the two seed to see if they all have dumb looks on their faces.

Carolina… pleeeeease lose. I already know the Falcons have the Rams game in their back pocket, so I’m not worried about you. Later.

Chargers Host Broncos in Deciding AFC West Showdown in Week 17 Sunday Night

It’s official. The word literally just came through about thirty seconds ago, and it will be the San Diego Chargers, who were widely thought to be finished with their season, having a chance to make a miraculous comeback and enter the playoffs by winning their division. What’s even more is the fact that they’d be doing it with an 8-8 record if they were to win.

 

This game showcases two of the big number producing quarterbacks in the league in Philip Rivers who has the league-high in TDs, 32, and Jay Cutler whose been shredding defenses for a good portion of the season. This game also features two teams who have been highly inconsistent, and where now, it is truly “put up or shut up” time.

 

Everybody whose anybody remembers what happened the first time these two teams met this season, when referee Ed Hochuli called a fumble by Jay Cutler as an incomplete pass that cost the Chargers the game in Denver. Now it’s either going to be the Chargers getting their revenge, or Jay Cutler proving that the Broncos were the better team all along… and I simply can’t wait to see what happens.

NFL Playoff Outlook

With just two weeks of play left in the regular season of the 2008-2009 year, a few teams have locked up a spot in the playoffs while others are still fighting to make it. What is about to unfold in this article is, what are in my mind, the teams that will make it.

We already know the Steelers and Titans have locked up spots and first round byes in the AFC. In the NFC the Giants have clinched their division while the Cardinals have as well. First I will go over the locks to get in.

In the AFC the only sure-fire lock I have is the Indianapolis Colts. If they beat Jacksonville this Thursday in Florida, they’re in. With the way the Jags have disappointed, I do not even see them using the rivalry bug as added motivation to beat Indianapolis.

In the NFC, surprisingly, the Carolina Panthers have not clinched even with an 11-3 record, which is a testament to the competitiveness of the NFC. However, one more win or one more loss from another team or two would put them in. The Cowboys have been hot lately. I don’t care about Romo’s performance in Pittsburgh. The game was still close, and it has been their only slip up since his return from injury. They face the Ravens at home, and Eagles in Philadelphia. The Eagle game should be tough and they easily can lose, but to me, I think all of the air got sucked out of the Raven team with their last minute loss to Pittsburgh last weekend.

The Vikings should clinch their division as the Bears face the Packers on Monday Night at home, but then travel to Houston the last week. Houston is on pace to finish up 9-7 and Andre Johnson should be able to shred their weak pass defense.

After that I don’t think Tampa will get in as they have slipped up and their weaknesses are beginning to be exposed. The Falcons and Eagles to me will be the ones to fighting for the 6th seed in the NFL as they have both been consistent as of late.

Back in the AFC, I’ll take the Patriots to win their division. They are at home against the Cardinals who have clinched, and then at a bum Buffalo team. That would put them at 11-5. The reason I see this happening is because the as-of-late inconsistent Jets should lose in Seattle this weekend, and the Dolphins will beat the Kansas City Chiefs. But when they play each other in New York, I’ll take a last-ditch effort by Favre to even their records at 10-6, giving one of them the 6th seed.

The only seed I am unsure of is the 4th seed in the AFC as the Broncos are 8-6 and Chargers 6-8. If the Chargers beat Tampa Bay in Tampa this weekend, which is not an oversight, and the Broncos lose at home to the Bills, which is still a bit of a stretch even if the Broncos aren’t so consistent, then they will be playing in San Diego for the division in week 17. If that happens, I’ll take the Chargers.

So that’s how I believe the “tournament” brackets will be set up come January.

Monday Night Guarntee

Monday Night Guarantee

 

This week we have Cleveland vs Philadelphia this is an easy one I have Philly in the playoffs and they need a win this week.  Expect the McNabb to have a big game as well as Jackson.  Cleveland will not be able to handle the fire power that the Eagles have.

 

 Point Spread (28-14 eagles)

Weekly top 10

The top ten for this week is a little late but that is because I actually had to do some research for this one.  It seems like when I came back from vacation the NFL was in turmoil. Pac’Man was reinstated. Players were in trouble for using banned substances. Plaxico Burress had even shot himself in the leg. In light of all these circumstances I have decided to do the NFL’s top 10 f*”&k ups.  My criteria is not solely based on behavior, but on the talent of the player as well, meaning bums who got into trouble don’t make the list.  Here you go.

 

1)O.J. Simpson

“Come on O.J. really?”  I am not going to talk about what O.J. did He just should have known that when they had the chance they would get him.  O.J. is the clear number one on this list. After dodging one major bullet, O.J. decides that he is going to step in front on another one 13 years later.

 

2)Rae Carruth

This guy was on a budding franchise known as the Carolina Panthers, and then does one of the most horendous crimes you can commit… murder.  This guy set his wife up, and thought he had gotten away with it.  When the cops came to get him he tried to hide in the trunk of his car? What!!!? Clearly this guy makes one of the top spots on the list.

 

3)Nate Newton

The infamous Nate Newton from the infamous Dallas Cowboys - this guy was just crazy.  He was busted with an unbelievable 213 pounds of marijuana.  Nate was quoted as saying “I wanted to be the biggest drug dealer ever.” 

Well Nate, if you believe it you can achieve it. Way to dream big.

 

4)Bam Morris

Big Bam Morris played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Ravens, and like his friend Nate Newton, he got busted for drugs.  However unlike Nate, he just kept messing up; he was charged with possession of 4 kilograms of marijuana and 1 gram of cocaine in 1996, then charged with battery in 1997 and then pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in 2000.  Then just to ice the cake he violated his parole in 2001 and was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

 

5)Maurice Clarett

This guy wasn’t in the league but for a split second, but it doesn’t matter now. Still, you really couldn’t doubt that he was talented.  However, after getting drafted, despite being out of shape and overweight, he decided that he wasn’t going to bust his butt to get into shape for camp.  This lead to him being cut which lead to him trying to rob a store and subsequently being sentenced to jail, for robbery, and holding a concealed weapon without a permit.    

 

You should have taken the guaranteed money Maurice.

 

6)Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Burress f&**ed up just in time to make this list. Instead of being known as the guy who caught the winning touchdown in the Superbowl, he is now known as the guy who shot himself in the leg. 

That is an NFL first congrats to Plax.

 

7)Mike Vick

Well we all know the story of Mike Vick and his dog fighting (not to mention that his brother also got into a lot of trouble). Mike only comes in at 7 on the list because he is a genetic f”*&k up. It is in his genes to mess up. I honestly believe that he can’t help it. Again, just look at his brother.

 

8)Pac’Man jones

Pac’Man is another one of those gentic f*&k ups. It seems like he just can’t help but to mess up.  Pac’Man made it rain in Las Vegas to the tune of $80,000, but then decided that he wanted the rain back.  When he couldn’t get it back there was a scuffle and someone got shot.  “Great job Pac’Man”; and that is just the most publicized incident. He has some many others that it would take 3 articles to go through all of them.

 

9) Ricky Williams

Ricky is low on the list because he is just plain silly. The guy is one of the most talented backs ever, but he loves to smoke weed.  So much so that after he got suspended multiple times for it, he decided that he would just retire so he could smoke all the weed he wanted.

That is what I call dedication.

 

10)Antonio Bryant                                                                  

A more recent name is Antonio Bryant. He is on the list because of his off-field troubles as well, but what really puts him on the list is his talent.  Antonio is one of the most talented receivers in the league but the guy was not even in the league last year.  After some smaller off the field troubles in Dallas, and Cleveland, he capped it off by driving over 100 mph in his Lamborghini while intoxicated which lead to his suspension in San Francisco, and ultimately his dismissal from the team. The guy was such a f*&k up that last year he was eligible to play in the NFL, but no team wanted to take a chance on him and now look at him.  All I can say is “Don’t blow it Antonio.”

 

 

Stick a fork in them, yep they’re done! Sorry Cowboy fans…

The cowboys may have to play the remainder of the season without Adam Jones in the defensive backfield, which is a huge deal considering they don’t have any depth at DB. This week THE BOYS will start their swiss cheese secondary against the Giants. I expect Eli to have a big game. The Pacman news may seem like small news, but when you take into account their laundry list of injuries, its not hard to jump to grasp it’s severity. Jerry Jones may have been better suited to have picked up some free agents DB’s rather than wasting 3 draft picks on Odessa’s #1 WR Roy Williams. Just look at the secondary for this week’s Giants game, I am starting to think they will have no one to actually play Safety. Hamlin (Ankle) probably won’t be ready and Keith Davis (MCL) is not likely to play and remember that Roy Williams is on IR. So who is going to start? That is a question that I don’t think Wade Phillips knows the answer to either. Right now it looks like Tra Battle and Courtney Brown will get the start, at the Safety spots. Yet again because of this you should expect a big game for Eli and Giants second year TE Kevin Boss for several reasons. The First reason is that Tra Battle, who was cut earlier this season by the Chargers, is severely undersized and will be expected to cover the TE during certain man packages during this game. In the Red Zone this will really kill the boys. Also Courtney Brown is a ex-corner who just wasn’t agile enough to play CB at the NFL level. He is not a reliable player and in this big game he could be exploited. This duo just won’t match up against Big Blue’s crew of Wide-Outs.

Sorry Boy’s fans, your season is already over, finito!

The Cowboys have a pretty rough upcoming schedule, in which they will face the New York Giants (11-2), Baltimore Ravens (9-4) and Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1). These are teams that I don’t know if they could beat even when they were healthy. So now with the cowboys all banged up, I have to say is, “Stick a fork in it. Good job for beating Seattle and San Francisco, but the reality is your still not making the playoffs! SO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!!!!”

Steelers Defense Looking Tough, but Not so Much on the Offense

That Steelers defense must be really strong. It has to be with the offensive performance the Steelers put on in their near-miss, 20-13 victory over the Dallas cowboys on Sunday.

 

The Steelers were able to put up seventeen unanswered points in the fourth quarter after riding three total since the close of the first half. When the Steelers had just about enough time for two more scoring drives after failing to punch it in on 4^th and one from the one yard line, the Pittsburgh offense finally came through.

 

But why is it that once again, another team with great defense is having trouble finding an offense that can’t return the favor? Even with the Cowboys putting on a great show as their corners continuously blanketed their receivers, save for a big play to Holmes in the second half, one would think that Ben Roethlisberger could easily guide his team to at least seventeen to twenty-one points per game against the Cowboys? The final seven points came on defense off an errant throw from Tony Romo that was picked off by Deshea Townsend and taken 25 yards into the end zone.

 

Either way, the Steelers are 10-3 and in the driver seat for at least the two seed and a first round bye in the playoffs. But, they still show signs of another of plenty teams who look too inconsistent to call a Super Bowl shoe contender.

Fantasy Stock Rising: Antonio Bryant “The New Fantasy Stud WR!”

I don’t have much to say about Bryant. He does do some silly things as proved by his delay of game penalty during monday night’s game. It’s hard to believe that no NFL team wanted to employ him last year! Honestly a 200 yard 2TD game on monday night against a good secondary is an accomplishment that deserves to be acknowledged. Without a doubt, Antonio has cemented himself as Garcia’s number 1 target and everyone who can should pick him up now, in thier respective fantasy leagues! He will go up against Atlanta next week and could put up some great numbers for you. Anyone who doesn’t beleve in this guy should be brought outside and shot. Antonio has gone over 110 yards in three of his the last seven games, lets all stand up and give the man some respect! At 6′4 Antonio is a huge redzone target, who also has the skill set to brake big gains for the remainder of this season!

Monday Night Guarantee

This week we have the Panthers and the Bucs,  Coming back from vacation I feel like I have a renewed dedication to my picks.     The Bucs gave the Panthers the smackdown last time but this time it will be different.   Look for Steve Smith to come up big this week against the Bucs as the panthers try to win the division.

 

Point Spread (28-17) Panthers

NFL Player’s Association and Minneapolis Judge Assist Suspended Players

It seems as though a judge in Minnesota by the name of Gary Larson has decided to halt the suspensions of the two mammoth nose tackles, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings. It also seems as though this judge in Minnesota may manage to find another loophole for players that deserve to be punished.

 

Although the momentary clearing of these suspensions doesn’t give the two players the right to play on Sunday, but rather to be on site and remain somewhat employed, they still may get a chance when the NFL Player’s association asks a federal judge to nullify these suspension so that they, and Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, Will Smith, and Bryan Pittman can all get off on the same account as well for eligibility to play this Sunday.

 

Assuming that this judge and the NFL Player’s Association are successful, what does this mean for Roger Goodell’s plight to clean up the league and regulate it with a firm hand? In a nation where celebrities constantly get out of legal punishments on technicalities and loopholes, how can the NFL ever expect to police the conduct of its players when they are all practically celebrities?

 

Although it truly hurts the Vikings to have these two players out, as well as the Saints two starting DEs in Grant and Smith, and their power running back in McAllister, and even Pittman who is a long snapper for the Houston Texans, this is no way to help set the example if they all get off.

 

What is even more discerning is that the NFLPA is assisting these players to void a ruling that they agreed upon with the NFL that the masking agent for steroids they all tested positive for would be enough grounds to merit a suspension.

 

No matter the ruling, this makes the NFLPA look somewhat irresponsible, and could make the NFL look hopeless in its ability to keep the league steroid and drug-free.

Big Time Matchup – Pittsburgh Steelers Host Dallas Cowboys

This week the Dallas Cowboys face the Pittsburgh Steelers in PA… and both teams are actually good. I for one, am very thankful that this classic matchup will feature two definite Super Bowl contenders who might actually both be in that game at the end of the season. Not much gets better than the Pittsburgh Steelers black and yellow (not gold… sorry Steeler fans. That distinction goes to the New Orleans Saints) jerseys meshing with the Cowboy’s blue, gray, and white. Add to that the Cowboys are 8-4 and the Steelers 9-3, this game should be fantastic!

 

The Cowboys have the right amount of offensive capability to get good production against Pittsburgh’s number one ranked defense. Romo’s return has been vital to the Cowboy offense as they have now averaged 27.6 points per game since he came back as opposed to 13.6 in the three games without him. Pittsburgh is giving up an average of 14.2 points per game, which is first in the league. That makes this as classic as their three Super Bowl matchups as those Cowboys were all known for great offense, and those Steelers were known for their defense.

 

Now Romo will see if he is really back up to speed as he has opted to go without the splint he had on his throwing hand pinky finger. Ben Roethlisberger seems to have made up for his string of bad performances where he had one passing TD against eight INTs in a three game stretch against the Giants, Redskins, and Colts, to having three TDs against two INTs. Although that isn’t great, that’s close enough to the mistake-free kind of game that a number one ranked defense usually asks of their quarterback. Plus, he’ll be playing at home.

 

Another interesting tidbit is the similar adversity that both teams have faced in the middle portion of the season; when the cowboys lost 3 of four, and when Ben Roethlisberger had his team looking quite mediocre with his poor play. Now, both squads have won three straight games, and only one’s streak will continue (the NFL already had its tie for the next many seasons when the Bengals and Eagles finished 13-13 in week 11). Even more fascinating are the striking resemblance of all three wins.

 

The Steelers beat the Chargers at home 11-10 with a field goal in the waning seconds of the game. The Cowboys ran out the clock in Washington for a 14-10 victory. After that, both teams have won convincingly by an average of 30 and 19 points respectively.

 

This matchup is almost guaranteed to live up to its historic building, and if you’re out of both team’s markets and are privileged to get its television feed this Sunday at 4:15pm, you better not miss it.  

Marshawn Lynch and Gaines Adams funny “Beast Mode” video

I saw this and just started laughing. Just watch Marshawn’s face when he tries to answer what his skill set is! This is priceless. Haha he goes retarded for a split second. Just look at the difference some time in the league can make, honestly Lynch is such a better interviewer now it’s amazing. This video was shot during the combine and may have been featured by Nike in a rookie commercial.

Third Quarter NFL Contenders

The NFL has hit its third quarter mark, and after twelve of the most up-and-down weeks of football in recent history, it is still a bit of a stretch to call anybody a true lock for the Super Bowl save for the New York Giants. However, there are still a few teams that are definitely pulling away from most others as viable Super Bowl contenders.

 

The first team, resoundingly, is the Giants. This is the best team in the league as far as everyone being on the same page. They have shown great depth to overcome almost all injuries, and even self-imposed gunshot wounds. Their one loss to the Browns in Cleveland where they went down by a score of 14 to 35 was a true head-scratcher. However, that game can definitely hold an asterisk for being an aberration since the Brownies have been terrible for the most part. The Giants have gone from a team with potential who plays on emotion, to a team that just flat out knows how to win. They are a well-oiled machine and are unphased by whatever distractions, whatever home field advantages their opponents have, and whichever fallen soldier opponents might be playing for.

 

The second team that comes to mind in my view is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their loss to the Eagles was just one of those days where nothing goes good offensively. They had a slump against the two Manning led teams but seem to have their act together as they have won convincingly for the most part ever since.

 

A team like the Jets had their slumps early on against teams like Oakland where they lost 16-13, and only scored ten points at home against the Patriots, then rip off a five game winning streak, blow out the previously undefeated Titans in Tennessee, and suffer another inexcusable slump to the no-defense Broncos at home losing 34-17. That is not the stuff of a contender, but rather a team with potential but a little too inconsistent to have faith in.

 

My next team is the Baltimore Ravens. Say what you want about their rookie quarterback. They are playing lights out and beating opponents they are supposed to beat the way the good teams are supposed to… big. They have had their share of slumps, namely a 30-10 loss to the Giants, and a 31-3 loss to the Colts. However, they already took Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania to OT and lost 20-23, but that was in just the fourth week of young Joe Flacco’s already budding career. If the Ravens get into the playoffs and meet up with the Colts or Giants again, it should be a lot closer as typically, second meetings between two teams in the same season are rarely ever a duplicate of the first meeting. Oh, and don’t count them out to win the AFC North as they still get Pittsburgh one last time for sure at home in two weeks and trail the Steelers by just one game.

 

After the Ravens, the Colts should not be overlooked. They keep finding ways to win, and a handful of those wins were handed to them. However, that kind of luck coupled with their post season experience can be a bad omen for their opponents come playoff time if they get in. And yes, I am counting luck as a factor. They have shown the kind of luck that is too good to be true, i.e. Titans, Steelers, and Browns games.

 

After that, I would say the Cowboys are the sleeper. They slumped big time early on. They did not have their act together as they seemed to display the heir of a team who already saw themselves in the Super Bowl. Now with their backs against the wall, they are looking like that kind of team again.

 

As for other squads like the Panthers and Bucs, their efforts are certainly admirable, but their quarterbacks, Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia respectively, are just too inconsistent. The Arizona Cardinals are like the Saints… great passing attack and not much more. The only difference is their division stinks. The one team that could be close to a contender is the Atlanta Falcons. They are moving milestones ahead in their rebuilding process at 8-4, and are perhaps one or two more productive seasons, and a good losing post season experience away from becoming a perennial contender.

 

Other than that, all of the other teams are just a little too consistent for my blood.

Donovan McNabb Sportsroid’s Salute!

Donovan Mcnabb is proving that even with all the garbage he gets from philly fans that he is the best QB for the eagles. This week he threw for 4 td’s and no ints as he lead the eagles to victory over the surging Arizona Cardinals. DONOVAN even got boo’d after going 8-8 in the first quarter when he threw his first incomplete pass! Damn I can’t wait until he gets out of philly and ends up somewhere were people will appreciate him. Seriously, without McNabb eagles stink ! I mean sure go ahead throw your Star QB under the bus when you season does not pan out the way you cheese-steak eating idiots planned it. Yeah Kolb now that’s the answer. Seriously Dnabb is the 4th most winning-est QB in league history and he has the best winning percentage among all active QB’s so how are you going to tell me Kolb gives you the best chance to win? Honestly their must be a lot of blushing people in Philly on this day. I hope the media apologizes to Dnabb because after the last week of punishment they deliberated, they ought to.  I love philly i just wish they took care of their hero’s that’s all!

Free Sample Wonderlic Test!

So you think you are smarter than Donovan Mcnabb? or your team’s starting QB try to prove it here with this sample Wonderlic Test, that we dugg up on the Net!

Please enjoy this sample Wonderlic test.

1. Look at the row of numbers below. What number should come next? ___________

8   4   2   1   1/2   1/4   ?

2. Assume the first two statements are true.

1. The boy plays baseball.
2. All baseball players wear hats.
3. The boy wears a hat

Is the final one:
True
False
Not Certain

3. Paper sells for 21 cents per pad. What will four pads cost? ___________

4. How many of the five pairs listed below are exact duplicates? ___________

Nieman, K. M.

Neiman, K. M.

Thomas, G. K.

Thomas, C. K.

Hoff, J. P.

Hoff, J. P.

Pino, L. R.

Pina, L. R.

Warner, T. S.

Wanner, T. S.

5. PRESENT/RESERVE, Do these words:

have similar meanings;
have contradictory meaning;
mean neither the same nor opposite?

6. One of the number figures in the following drawing is most different from the others.
What is the number in that figure? ___________

7. A train travels 20 feet in 1/5 second. At this same speed, how many feet will it travel in
three seconds? ___________

8. When rope is selling at $.10 a foot, how many feet can you buy for sixty cents? ___________

9. The ninth month of the year is:

October
January
June
September
May

10. Which number in the following group of numbers represent the smallest amount? _________

7   .8   31   .33   2  .43

11. In printing an article of 48,000 words, a printer decides to use two sizes of type. Using the
larger type, a printed page contains 1,800 words. Using a smaller type, a page contains
2,400 words. The article is allotted 21 full pages in a magazine. How many pages must be
in smaller type? ___________

12. The hours of daylight and darkness in September are nearest equal to the hours of daylight
and darkness in:

June
March
May
November;
13. Three individuals form a partnership and agree to divide the profits equally. X invests
$9,000, Y invests $7,000, Z invests $4,000. If the profits are $4,800, how much less
does x receive compared to having the profits divided in proportion to the amounts
invested by X, Y, and Z?

14. Assume the first two statements are true.

1. Tom greeted Beth.
2. Beth greeted Dawn
3. Tom did not greet Dawn

Is the final one:
True
False
Not Certain

15. A boy is 17 years old and his sister is twice as old as he is. When the boy is 23 what will be the age
of his sister? ___________

These are sample test questions and are intended for demonstration purposes only. The Wonderlic Personnel Test is published by Wonderlic, Inc.

Answers

Weekly top 10 (Holiday style)

This weeks top ten is focused on the holidays; we here at Sportsroids put together the top ten things that NFL Players are thankful for. Enjoy.

1)      They are thankful for Pacman Jones for taking all the attention off of them so they are free to get high without having the NFL on their back

 

2) They are thankful for guaranteed money on contracts so that way even if they never play a down and  get cut they can still get paid.

3) Thankful for team sponsorships because even though they make millions of dollars there is nothing like getting everything for free anyway.

 

4) Thankful for the fact that when the entire teams sucks no matter how bad they are personally the coaches are the ones to get fired.

5) They are also thankful for the fact that they make more money the people who are in charge of them (buck the establishment)

6) Of course they are thankful for helmets that way nobody really recognizes their face so when scrubs and back-ups go out at night all they have to say is “I play professional football” and the females are none the wiser on whether they are the all-star that ran for 200 yards last week, or the guy who got signed off waivers on a 1 week contract because the other full time bum got put on the IR list.

7) Their thankful that there is no such thing as a thanksgiving diet in the NFL and they get to eat whatever they want at this time of year.

Their thankful for the playoffs because if rankings were deiced by a computer anybody with both the Lions and the Bengals on their schedule would automatically be out of the running.

9) NFL Players are thankful for their superior athletic ability because  when a 5’0ft tall man who weighs 300lbs and can barley walk up the steps without reaching for an oxygen mask; calls into a radio station or writes a blog about how much they suck, it is easy for them to shrug it off.

 

 

 

 

 

10) And once again NFL Players are thankful for their money, money, money, money……. (in high pitched tone) money.

 

 

Mad’Nuff Mad Skills Player of the Week (week12)

Mad’Nuff Mad Skills Player of the week

This week’s award goes to Randy Moss I know their were a lot of impressive performances this week but 3 receiving TDs that’s the truth straight up Homie, Matt Cassell has to put in more work to get this prestigious award plus without Randy Moss none of his stats would be possible. After being “disrespected” as Randy put it when they played him single coverage he torched the Dolphins. Randy managed to get 8 receptions for 125 yards and 3TDS , and now the Dolphins know when you disrespect Randy Moss you disrespect yourself and that my friends is why Randy Moss has Mad Skills.

Randy Moss Autographed Duke Football

This Duke Pro football has been personally hand signed by the New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss. This product is officially licensed by the National Football League and comes with an individually numbered; tamper evident hologram from Mounted Memories. To ensure authenticity- the hologram can be reviewed online. This process helps to ensure that the product purchased is authentic and eliminates any possibility of duplication or fraud.

McNabb, has always needed more respect from philly fans

Seriously what is going on in Philly? Honestly, Donovan is heart of the team. With Westbrook hurting, he is their only option. Kevin Kolb is no Jeff Garcia. Donovan has proven his worth, over the past years, winning games with sub par personal. This organization has done nothing to set up Mcnabb, besides the acquisition of Terrell Owens. Philadelphia fans should realize he has put up great numbers without a star receiver over the past 10 years. This guy is the real deal and if you boo him and don’t respect him your future really to me looks grim. Donovan has shown to be more than just talent and is without a doubt under appreciated. This team and organization and fan base is ass backwards. This kid is a winner, there is no arguing that. Philly fans better think next time they cheer his benching, because come next year he could be a Bear or even worse a Redskin.

Even after being a college standout

Donovan has been criticized in the NFL from his very first day

Weekly top 10

Weekly top 10

This weeks top 10 is the top 10 NFL teammates that you would not want to run into in an alley.  We all know the NFL has some scary guys out their but certain teams have  two guys that you just do not want to run into here is my top ten list .

1.   

 

Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs:

 

You do not want to run into these guys in an alley, or in your house, or at a party hell you don’t want to bump into one of these guys at Disney World, who knows what they would do to you if drop some Mickey Mouse ice cream on one of their shoes.

 

2.Brandon Jacobs, Justin tuck:

 

These dudes are huge  rumor has it that Justin tuck can rip a mans heart out with his bare hands and give it to Brandon Jacobs who will then take it and run over your entire family on his way to spike your heart in the middle of the endzone at Giants Stadium.

 

3.Brian Urlacher, Tommie Harris:

 

Brain Urlacer may have been a chump before he started using swagger, but now he is defiantly not a person you want to run into in an alley, hell the guy looks like he should be in Universal soldier, and Tommie Harris is closest thing to the real life Debo I have ever seen god forbid you run it him and your name is Craig.

 

     

 

 

4.Takeo Spikes, Patrick Willis:

 

Takeo Spikes just looks like he wants to murder you, and Patick Willis looks like he wants to help.

 

5.Pat William, E.J. Henderson:

 

E.J. Henderson looks pissed of at the world and if you are a part of the world well….That means he is mad at you to, Pat Williams eats babies…..of elephants, so you would just be a snack to him, but unluckily for you he is always snacking.

 

6.James Harrison, Aaron smith:

James Harrison and Aaron Smith look like they are straight out of a prison movie, if you run into these guys in an alley you are going to need more than a Shawshank Redemption.

 

 

       

7. Joey Porter, Randy Starks:

Joey Porter was the first (you don’t want to see me in an alley) guy, and rightfully so; because you don’t see Joey Porter in a alley.  If you are in a alley and Joey Porter is at the same time you just cease to exist.  Hell Randy really doesn’t even need to be on this list because of that.

 

8.Adam Jones, Tank Williams:

I would put these guys higher on the list but there is only so much that they can do to you in alley because the FEDS are probably watching them.

 

 

 

9.A.J. Hawk, Nick Barnett:

Well we have all seen Ninja turtles right?  Remember Tokka and Rahzar, yeah? Well after that movie they apparently became linebackers for the Green Bay Packers, I mean  these two guys are beast, if you bump into them you better make sure that you have some num nums.

10. John Henderson, Mike Peterson:

John Henderson is 6’7 and weighs over 300 pounds odds are if you ran into him in a alley Mike Peterson would be sitting on his shoulder talking trash while Henderson slaps you in the mouth just to get hype for a game.

Mad’Nuff Mad Skills Player of the Week

Mad’Nuff Mad skills award week 11

 

This weeks award goes to Anquan Boldin he just missed 200 receiving yards for the game by one catch.  Anquan Boldin has been a monster all season and this week the Seahawks couldn’t find the silver bullet to stop him.  Anqaun piled up 186 receiving yards on Sunday and did it in such an impressive fashion that it was almost like he was playing against High School kids.  It doesn’t help that he is also a giant for a receiver and plays next to Larry Fitzgerald another monster receiver, however Anquan was making plays non-stop despite the Seahawks efforts to stop him and that is why Anquan has mad skills.

Marvin Harrison: Still plays while suspected for murder?

Honestly, with all the fines that have been going around the league because of retard Roger Goodell, you would think they would have something to say about Marvin Harrison! “Oh wait, Haven’t you heard? I was under the impression that everyone heard yeah ! yeah the bird bird bird bird is the word!”

No seriously, though Marvin Harrison probably shot someone!

Yet let that sink in, NFL hero Marvin Harrison is under review for attempted murder!

Now, how do you feel ?

It sucks I know. but what do you expect he is from Philadelphia…

I am very upset that they(NFL league office) let Marvin Harrison still play even though he is pretty much under review of attempted Murder. The story goes that Marvin was visiting his home town of Philadelphia. Marvin frequents and owns a bar called “Playmakers”. Pretty stupid name,  I know. Nevertheless during his night at the bar, he got into a altercation with a man. After around 5:20 PM, witness’s said that the man left the bar, and then Witness’s then saw Marvin leave the bar following the man, then soon after this, gunshots ensued. The man who Marvin had the disagreement was shot in the hand and his son had some serious injuries due to the broken glass in his eyes. They were together in their car, when the bullets hit them. The bullets casings recovered from the incident matched in a ballistics test to a gun that Marvin owns! The ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom made Belgian weapon, and police already have determined that Harrison owned such a gun. This is a custom gun, Marvin this just isn’t good.

The Police Reported to the press immediately, in hopes of defusing the situation

Early Media Reactions

In a shocking turn, it is sad to see that one of the stand up players in the NFL actually has turned out to be a complete moron.Regardless if he is the shooter, he gun was nevertheless used in this shooting. So what if he didn’t shot him, then he is negligent with his firearms and that makes me not respect the All-pro just as well. I know that there are many reports that these charges are bogus, but lets be honest with ourselves, if he did do it would the NFL do everything in their power to cover it up? Yeah I think so. We have once again been let down by one of our NFL hero’s (Future HOF) and the NFL has said nothing about this. They instead have just swept it under the carpet, due to Marvin’s reputation, and trust me they fear this would hurt the league, and it probably would, but no more than the recent phantom roughing the passer calls. All I am saying is nobody is perfect, and Marvin is an AS*HOLE!! I loved you Marvin how could you do this 2 me!!! I think you did it, and that makes me upset!

The Cops have all the evidence they need to charge Marvin. They have ballistics weapon test and victim cooperation, so there has definitely been something fishy going on. Can you say NFL cover up?

Just look at this list of evidence.

1.Ballistics tests have proved that the shell casings found at the shooting had been fired from Harrison’s gun, which is a Belgian-made FN5.7.

2. They have found the weapon at one of Marvin Harrison nearby business’s “Chucky’s Garage” on Thompson street. Which was close to the incident, even though Marvin had supposedly had reported to the police that the gun was at his home and had never left his home residence.

3. He and Dixon have had a long traceable history, and this incident was definitely building up.

This makes me sick! Marvin regardless even he didn’t fire, Marvin must have allowed some one else to fire upon Dixon with his pistol. The police have a match. What else do they need? Oh right, the Ok from the NFL lawyers ! If Harrison’s name was spelled “P.A.C.M.A.N” he would already be receiving the death penalty.

Bradyless Patriots lose to Jets

Well it seems that Brett Favre will achieve the goals that the organization has set for him and that is to take the team to the Playoffs.  The Jets jumped on the Pats early in the game though the Pats were able to come back, it wasn’t enough.   You can’t help to think that if Brady was playing they would have won that game.   However he is not and will not. The Pats with this loss, have solidified themselves at second place in the AFC East.  Why?  Because of the two teams, the Pats have to play tougher teams, and the Jets look really good, while the Pats are getting by on coaching alone.   Look for the Jets to win the Division and the Pats to struggle to grab a birth in the playoffs.

Week 11 NFL Picks

NYJ 6-3 at N.E. 6-3

The Jets are starting to show some consistency winning convincingly against the Buffalo Bills and Rams in the last two weeks. They now face the biggest game of their season thus far in New England on Thursday night. New England has been proving that life without Brady is still manageable, but I think the Jets steady improvement on defense, solid ground game behind Thomas Jones, and lately less turnover-prone passing by Brett Favre will rue the day.

DEN 5-4 at ATL 6-3

The Falcons are becoming a model of consistency. Their ability to jump out to big early leads is remarkable for a young team. They play at home against the league’s 28^th ranked passing defense and 27^th ranked rushing defense. That doesn’t bode well for a Bronco team playing against an efficient Matt Ryan, and yard-racking Michael Turner. Falcons win.

DET 0-9 at CAR 7-2

Carolina has the luxury of facing a team like the Raiders last week, who even if Delhomme throws four interceptions again to, should still beat. I don’t see Jake tossing that many picks this week. Panthers win handily.

PHI 5-4 at CIN 1-8

With Carson Palmer out again, and the Eagles reeling from a Sunday night loss at home to the giants, the Bengals are set to lose… again.

N.O. 4-5 at K.C. 1-8

The Saints are proving that all they have is a superb passing game that can’t save a running game hovering around mediocrity, and a defense benchmarking at incapability. The Chiefs have not been the walk-in-the-park they were earlier this season losing by one point to San Diego last weekend, losing to Tampa Bay at home in OT the week before, and only losing by four in New York to the Jets the week before that. I’m going with K.C.

BAL 6-3 at NYG 8-1

The Baltimore Ravens are actually scoring on offense these days. In fact, they are becoming a mirror image of the Giants; strong pressure-causing defense, a more than capable stable of running backs, and an efficient and play-making pass offense. Look for a close game with the more experienced Giants coming out on top.

MIN 5-4 at T.B. 6-3

If there is one thing that the Minnesota Vikings have to have learned in last week’s heart attack inducing one-point win to the Packers last week it is the following… give the ball to Adrian Peterson. I believe Gus Frerotte’s passing attempts will be cut down by almost half of last week’s 28. Even though the Bucs are known for solid defense, I will bank on Peterson to run rampant. Vikings win convincingly.

OAK 2-7 at MIA 5-4

Although the Raiders now share the same record as the underachieving Seahawks who came to within two points of upsetting the Dolphins in Miami last week, I wouldn’t count on a similar performance from them this week. The surprising Dolphins will move to 6-4 and second place in the AFC East.

CHI 5-4 at G.B. 4-5

Green Bay should count their lucky stars that they have this opportunity. They get the division leading Bears at home with a chance to get a tie-breaker on Chicago and second place in the division if they win, and a first place tie if they win and the Vikings lose. I’ll take the Packers to clean things up in their passing game this week after Rodgers was a not-so-great 15-25 with only 142 passing yards and no touchdowns. Pack wins.

HOU 3-6 at IND 5-4

The Texans look to make up for the 21 points they gave up in the last seven plus minutes of a week five loss to the Colts at home. However, the Colts have won two straight and look to be getting back in contention. Colts win.

STL 2-7 at S.F. 2-7

This division matchup may not even be worth discussing, but for the sake of fairness let’s do it. The Rams looked back to what they were with Scott Linehan as coach in their 47-3 loss to the Jets last week. On the other side, the 49ers looked more believable as a team with Shaun Hill under center on Monday Night. After the harrowing performance they put on in Arizona, I will take San Francisco to win.

ARI 6-3 at SEA 2-7

The Cardinals have a chance to clean house in Seattle this week with a win. They get to play another one of their weak divisional opponents, all of whom are 2-7 (Saint Louis and San Francisco are the other two). Even though the Hawks are at home, I cannot see the Cardinals having another close letdown like they did against the Niners this past Monday. Cardinals win.

TEN 9-0 at JAC 4-5

The performance of Kerry Collins last week (30-41, 289 yards, two TDs and no INTs) is making the Titans look all the more legitimate as the league’s lone unbeaten team. The Jaguars proved nothing in beating the Lions last weekend 38-14. Titans win easy.

S.D. 4-5 at PIT 6-3

The Steelers blew it last weekend at home to the Colts… or should I say Ben Roethlisberger blew it. History should say that Ben will be looking to make up for his performance, but I’m not so sure about his confidence right now. He has been getting hit too many times, and blew two games to the Manning brothers at home that should have been in the bag. On the other hand, San Diego has hardly been consistent this year. Steelers win convincingly with their number one defense and a better performance from Big Ben.

DAL 5-4 at WAS 6-3

This game marks the return to the Dallas lineup of Tony Romo. This team has been in quite a bind since he left. Look for Romo to have a huge game and perhaps put his team on his back. The Redskins are coming off their worst offensive performance since their week one loss to the Giants after scoring just six points in the week nine Monday night loss to Pittsburgh. Their points came from two field goals after going three-and-out when they recovered and opening onside kick attempt by the Steelers, and another three-and-out after an INT on Ben Roethlisberger. Look for the return of the Dallas high-octane offense along with the defensive play calling of Wade Phillips to take down the Redskins in Washington.

CLE 3-6 at BUF 5-4

The Bills have not been living up to the hype the last two weeks. And the fact that they have lost three of their four to Miami, New York, and New England (in order), who are all divisional opponents, does not bode well. Brady Quinn was solid in his first start going 23-35, 239 yards, with two TDs and no interceptions against Denver last Thursday. However, I’ll take the Bills on the national stage at home.

Redskins Acquire Bro Bowl Cornerback DeAngelo Hall

The Washington Redskins agreed to a one year deal worth just over $800,000 with cornerback DeAngelo Hall on Friday November 7^th, who had just been waived by the Oakland Raiders. It didn’t take too long for the Pro Bowler to find himself a new home. Although there has been a consensus that Hall has been underachieving this past half-season in Oakland, and the previous year in Atlanta, when looked at closely, it is easy to see why Hall can be a good fit for the Redskins.

First of all, Washington has been suffering from injuries in the secondary, and namely at cornerback; starter Shawn Springs, nickel back Fred Smoot, and backup Leigh Torrence. And although none of the three has been injured for extended periods of time, they have all been injured frequently and sporadically enough that the Redskins could not pass up this opportunity.

Aside from the injury bug in Washington, there is also the stable of wide receivers the Redskins have to face twice each year within their division. The New York Giants sport big game and big height, six foot five inch, Plaxico Burress. We all know about Dallas and Terrell Owens, but now with the pickup of big game, and six foot three, Roy Williams, the necessity for a player of Hall’s talents is ever more of the essence. Finally, the Eagles have a budding star in rookie DeSean Jackson, whose 34 receptions for 525 yards have him on pace to reach 1,050 total, and a quarterback in Donovan McNabb who has shown a propensity to do more with less over his career.

As long as DeAngelo Hall can resume the level play during his Pro Bowl garnering seasons, then the Redskins will have made a good choice. If not, they don’t lose much as they only signed him for the remainder of this season.

Are the Tennessee Titans for Real?

The Tennessee Titans have been the poster child of consistency thus far in the NFL. I mean, when you keep winning, it doesn’t get anymore consistent than that. However, they have had the luxury of a soft schedule for the better part of the 2008 season.

 

 

 

 

So far they’ve beaten the underachieving Jaguars, recently first-win getting Bengals, choppy Houston Texans, similar Minnesota Vikings at home, barely came back to beat the Ravens with a  dismal 13-10 final score, atrocious Kansas City Chiefs, struggling Colts, and got pushed into overtime at home to the promising 4-4 Green Bay Packers. This week, they get to play the Bears with Rex Grossman.

This team has received as much hype thus far as it has a favorable schedule. But seriously, how far can a 35 year old quarterback in Kerry Collins, sporting a 72.9 QB rating overall, with 3 total TD passes versus 3 INT passes expect to get? I know old-timers like Favre and Warner are still capable, but they are probably the first older quarterbacks to have Super Bowl potential since Randal Cunningham with the Vikings.

I know defense wins championships, but in recent history, the only team that can be considered to have become Super Bowl Champs solely on defense and good running with a game managing quarterback are the 2000 Baltimore Ravens who had Trent Dilfer.

 

Week 10 NFL Picks

DEN 4-4 at CLE 3-5

 

This one is a true toss-up. The Bronco defense is atrocious, and the Browns have Brady Quinn starting. Inexperience surrounded by some talent and a home crowd versus a lost, but not found defense, wins the game.

 

NO 4-4 at ATL 5-3

 

It seems as though now the Falcons have become a team that is consistent at what they do. Not to say what they do makes them an elite team. However, the things they are doing are playing solid and potentially explosive offense and better defense than the Saints. Falcons win.

 

TEN 8-0 at CHI 5-3

 

Rex Grossman is in, and that doesn’t look good for Chicago. Plus their defense has had a tendency to let opponents back in the game and put up some solid numbers. But I feel Kerry Collins has been getting lucky as the Packers and Colts, the Titans two previous opponents respectively, have eached let three interceptions slip away. The Bears don’t let those kinds of opportunities pass by, Grossman has something to prove, the Bears are at home… Bears hand Titans their first loss.

 

JAC 3-5 at DET 0-8

 

The Jags continue to play to the level of their opponent. The Lions have been getting closer to their first win of the season. Can they do it against the Jags? Not so optimistic. But with Jack Del Rio questioning his team’s chemistry, and upset is in the making. However, I believe the Jags will get their act together in this one and win.

 

BAL 5-3 at HOU 3-5

 

The Ravens defense gave up a lot of yardage and points last week to the Browns, but they are familiar with the Ravens as they play in the same division. On the other side, the Texans look good in some games, and don’t continue their production even in their losses. Ravens win with Joe Flacco seeming to get more comfortable as the weeks go by.

 

SEA 2-6 at MIA 4-4

 

Miami looks a like a squad that is truly building an identity, while the ‘Hawks are failing to give Mike Holmgren a going-away party to be proud of. Dolphins win easily at home.

 

BUF 5-3 at N.E. 5-3

 

New England looked solid against the Colts last Sunday night, as did Matt Cassel. The Bills show their true colors as a team that started 4-0 due to a soft schedule and a visiting west coast team in the Chargers. Pats win.

 

STL 2-6 at NYJ 5-3

 

Brett Favre is still mistake prone, but with the way the Rams played last weekend, I think the Jets can afford some mistakes in this one. Jets win.

 

CAR 6-2 at OAK 2-6

 

Boy do the Raiders ever look like trash. They have two wins, and yet the Lions and Bengals are much more competitive than they are as of late. The “under the radar” Panthers win easy.

 

IND 4-4 at PIT 6-2

 

Both teams had big wins last week that boosted confidence after big losses the week prior. However, Pittsburgh’s “Blitzburgh” defense is hitting it’s stride and coming into its own. Steelers win at home, with either Roethlisberger or Leftwich at the helm.

 

K.C. 1-7 at S.D. 3-5

 

What better way for the Chargers to get healthy this weekend than a date at home against the Chiefs. Even though the Chiefs showed spirit last week, they’ll still lose to the Chargers.

 

NYG 7-1 at PHI 5-3

 

The Eagles may be returning to form, but the fact remains that the Giants are a better team all around. Giants win despite the Eagles being at home.

 

S.F. 2-6 at ARI 5-3

 

What a shame this game had to be on Monday Night Football. Too bad they can’t move the schedule around on Mondays. Cardinals win, and San Fran will not be mustering any “Monday Night Magic.”

DeAngelo Hall on the Market after being Waived by Raiders

 

I also feel that New England has been missing Asante Samuel, so I wouldn’t count them out of the picture. The other teams I would put in the mix would be the Carolina Panthers as they would like to become the top D in the NFC south with the Falcons and Buccaneers defenses playing well for the most part.

Finally, I would go with Arizona as a very strong possibility. The Cardinals by now have to know that they are pretty much a lock to win their division, barring an upset this Monday Night at home in the desert by the 49ers. If they wish to matchup better with the true contenders and upstarts of the league then a strong corner like DeAngelo Hall would help them tremendously.

NFL Fantasy Football Strageties Week 10: Top Fantasy Free Agents

If you are worried about your fantasy squad and need to make a couple of big moves to separate yourself from the competition or put yourself back in the race, you’ve came to the right place.
I have complied a list of players who have great fantasy value and potential for the rest of your season.

NFL WEEK 10 Top Free Agent pickups:

Torain, Ryan RB Denver Broncos-

Has been suggested to be the Bronco’s starting back for week 10. Ryan has great speed and size and will definitely get all the short yardage carries for the broncos for the remainder of the season. Ryan is very highly thought of, and was originally expected to get the starting position in week 1. This is the type of pickup that could completely change your season. So you better pick him up now, because I am sure in at least 80% of leagues he won’t be available next week.He is currently available in around Half the fantasy leagues out there so go get him. Its an very simple move. If you need a RB this most indefinable should be your guy for the week 10.  He should have a pretty good game  against the below average San Diego Chargers.

Benson, Cedric RB Cincinnati Bengals

Had a great game last weekend against a pretty stout Jacksonville defense. He has proven that people can change, becoming a better player. He is currently owned in only 47% of Fantasy leagues out there, so definitely pick this fool up. After posting a 24 carry 104 yard 1 TD performance, he won’t fly under the radar for much longer. After his departure from the Bears, we think he has had a wake up call and is now running, practicing, and playing with more purpose. I have picked him up already for my team and would without any doubts tell you to do the same. Cedric Benson could be a key piece for your 2nd half of your fantasy season. He is on the bye this week, so you can pick him up now if you have the roster space

Quinn, Brady QB Cleveland Browns

Oh he is pretty dreamy isn’t he? Yeah well the fact of the matter is if your struggling at QB you might want to get this guy, considering he has be named the Starter for the Browns for Week 10. Brady has looked good whenever we have had the chance to see him. He has had a hell of career playing football, and finally he is getting his much awaited shot. He has a rocket arm and a very quick release which makes him a fantasy stud when he has weapons like Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. This guy is not a sleeper either so if you believe in him, just like Mike Golic does pick him up. Mike Golic is not the only fantasy player who has a man crush on Quinn so make sure you pull the trigger.

Williams, Carnell RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cadillac is back! Expect to see him return in Week 12. Tampa Bay Bucs starter Earnest Graham has fallen to a nagging Knee issue, and Warrick Dunn has a neck problem, so the need for him is there. He had one of the worst injuries last season I have ever seen, but once again do to modern technology they have rebuilt this guy with more pistons then ever. Also gruden loves this guy and we all know he plays favoriates!! Pick him up if you have the roster space!

My Fantasy Football Prediction:

CADILLAC is going to run me into another fantasy Football Championship!

Charles, Jamal RB Kansas City Cheifs

Had a great outing last week, producing 108 yards on 18 carries. This guy is the named starter for week 10 against the Soft San Diego defense, which may give up a lot of yardage against the Chiefs rushing attack. Pick this guy up for this week only, since Larry Johnson should be back come week 11 as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid.

If you need a wide out-

Try to get Derrick Mason, Antonio Byrant, Steve Breaston, Mark Clayton, and Anthony Gonzalez.

Alex V’s NFL Week 9 Picks

NYJ 4-3 at BUF 5-2

If Brett Favre can cut down on his mistakes for at least one week he can put his team in great position to perhaps win the AFC East. But the Buffalo Bills have shown more consistency and are better all around than the Jets. For this, the Bills should win at home.

DET 0-7 at CHI 4-3

The last time these two teams met was in week five when Kyle Orton torched the Lions for 334 yards and two TDs with no turnovers. Expect to see more of the same. Bears move to 5-3.

JAC 3-4 at CIN 0-8

The Bengals are a team in absolute despair. They may very well be worse than the 0-7 Lions as they are 32^nd in scoring with 13 points per game (while the Lions are 28^th with 16.3 per game). However, Carson Palmer returns and I’m feeling that the inconsistent Jaguars, who have shown over the years a propensity to play down to the level of their opponent, will be the prime candidate for this team to get its first win against. Bengals win.

BAL 4-3 at CLE 3-5

This is a tough one. Joe Flacco is improving and the Baltimore defense is playing as good as ever minus their 31-3 loss to the Colts. Meanwhile, the Browns have picked up their defense and Derek Anderson has been getting closer to what he looked like last year. I will take the Browns at home in a close game.

T.B. 5-3 at K.C. 1-6

Tampa Bay has a great opportunity to get back in the win column versus the lowly Chiefs. As long as Jeff Garcia can protect the ball, the Bucs should win this one. I’ll take Tampa Bay.

HOU 3-4 at MIN 3-4

Even though Minnesota is coming off a bye and playing at home, I am taking the Texans in this matchup. The Vikings can’t keep a streak going, while the Texans seem to be getting things back together as they are the second hottest team after the 7-0 Titans.

ARI 4-3 at STL 2-5

The Cardinals have been unable to solve their road woes where they have only won when they played the lowly 49ers in San Francisco back in week one. However, they weren’t far off last week losing 23-27 and owning the lead for the better part of the game against Carolina. The Rams have been more competitive with Jim Haslett at the helm, but I’m picking the Cards to snag the “W.”

G.B. 4-3 at TEN 7-0

The 31-21 win the Titans earned against Indy last Monday night was huge. They are looking like one of the strongest teams in the league. But Green Bay did a number on the Colts as well in week 7 winning 34-14 and forcing two pics by Manning just like the Titans on Monday. Although the Titans have better defense (1^st in pts per game), the Packers make up for the yardage they give up ranking 16^th in points with sacks and INTs. I’ll take the play of Aaron Rodgers over Kerry Collins to win this game for Green Bay.

MIA 3-5 at DEN 4-3

Get ready for the problems in Denver to unfold even further when they blow it against the strong ground game and 100.5 QB rating and 69.3% completion percentage that Chad Pennington is sporting thus far. Dolphins win big in Denver.

DAL 5-3 at NYG 6-1

The moment in the NFC East that we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Too bad it won’t truly show who the better team is if Brad Johnson is playing as Tony Romo looks to be a potential game-time decision… but just potentially. What’s worse is that Dallas’ three top corners are out as well, and no name rookie Orlando Scandrick will be called upon to pick up the slack which is great news for Eli Manning. Even if Romo comes in, he’ll still be favoring his right pinkie. Giants win.

ATL 4-3 at OAK 2-5

Atlanta looked sloppy in their loss to the Eagles last week, but they looked “rookie quarterback” sloppy. All Matt Ryan has to do to get his team a win against the sometimes feisty Raiders is keep his mistakes to a minimum. But even that might not be enough as I feel the Raiders will pull it out.

PHI 4-3 at SEA 2-5

Don’t look now, but Seattle with a 2-5 record is second in its division behind 4-3 Arizona. The Eagles have been somewhat inconsistent this season and a win against a young Atlanta team last week cannot really be taken as proof that they have solved their issues. Expect a tough battle out of both teams with the Eagles pulling out a close one.

N.E. 5-2 at IND 3-4

Who would have thought that with Brady gone that the Patriots would have a better record than the Colts this far into the season? Make that a records that is two more wins and two less losses better! This is a tough game to call. Matt Cassel may have led his team to victory last weekend and first place in the AFC East, but he still tossed two pics. But on the other end, the Colts’ offense seems out of sync as Manning tossed two pics as well. Both team’s starting running backs are out, Laurence Maroney for New England, and Joseph Addai for Indy, and both defenses have been questionable. Bottom line, until Cassel shows some more consistency I have to go with Peyton Manning and his team in this one.

PIT 5-2 at WAS 6-2

This is the game where the Redskins get to prove they’re no fluke. They may have beaten Dallas and Philly, but as the season has progressed, those two wins don’t look like such a surprise anymore. The Steelers are reeling after a mistake-filled, give-the-game-away performance to the Giants last weekend. But… I expect the mistakes to mount for the Steelers which derive mainly from an O-line that can’t block and gets called for penalties, while the Redskins will do what they’ve been doing thus far this season… rise to the occasion against another team that is perceived to be a contender.

Vince Young Not Smart enough to Start?

The Titans are 7-0 without the help of Vince Young this year but I think the real reason Vince Young isn’t starting is not because of his skills it is because of his smarts.  Kerry Collins is a manger for the Titans and there is no implication or even thought that he will replace Vince young in the long run.   Vince is a superior talent all round and his skills are not what’s in question.  It seems to me that Vince young just is not smart enough to hold and retain the information it takes to be a great QB.  His learning curve seems to be very low.  The Titans have been unable in 3 years with Vince to put together an entire playbook under Vince’s command.  This is because Vince is just taking too long to learn these things.  Eventually he will and that is the reason he is sitting this year, to give him more time to focus on learning the plays and calls it takes to bring a QB to the next level.

 

It is no Secret that Vince Young has managed to play well in the NFL but this is off of raw talent and instinct.  Vince’s scores on the wonderlic test at the combine were telling of this but most teams ignored his  very low scores, (I mean the scores almost said he was retarded) because of his upside, and rightfully so.  But it seems that those scores were telling, of what Vince’s situation is now.   Simply put Vince Young is just not smart enough to pick up the information needed to Start for a NFL team at QB and play right  away as well.  He should have sat his first 2 years so that he could learn and then start the 3^rd not the other way around which is the case right now.  Now don’t get me wrong Vince is going to be a great QB he practically is right now, but he cannot progress to the next level until he gains enough knowledge to run an entire NFL offense.  

49ers head coach, Mike Singletary could change the NFL for the better!

I was watching football Sunday, and I began to realize something. Today we have big baby, players who only care about money and “loving me some me”. The true team concept may be fading away, in some professional sports. I remember when I would idolized all the players from the past who could play hurt and persevere through any type of pain, injuries and Media criticisms and still maintain their dignity. I mean does any one remember when Ronnie Lott had his finger amputated just so he could play in a playoff game? Could you see any pro Football player doing that now a days? If you dumb let me help you with that answer, NO!

How come today’s players have fallen so far from that “old school winning mentality” of whatever it takes? I mean it really can’t help that these players are getting 10 million dollar deals before they step foot on the field as rookies, or the fact that players are so babied when it comes to the medical care they receive. All I can think about right now is what I would say to Kellen Winslow Jr, after the grief he caused me this week. Seriously this cry baby is costing me points and I would tell him, “Seriously Kellen, you got a staph infection OK. If you want to blame it on your top Tier medical staff on your NFL football team, go right ahead. I mean hanging out with R. Kelly definitely had nothing to do with this right? Seriously, Kellen lets cry about it some more, oh I am here to listen. You know what F*** it, Kellen How are you going to play on my fantasy squad it is always about you? I want Players who want to win, I need team players. Kellen, You’re embarrassing yourself, and you could seriously help this team win more if you just showered up.” Seriously Kellen go into the rap industry and show that your a straight soldier or strap it up like you father did, and play and act like a man.

Also, whatever happened to “I can play” “I am going to play”. I mean Plax can’t practice but he sure can play in a game if he feels like it, right? I mean come on I think big blue should buy him like 3 or 4 cell phones because maybe he really can’t hear the one in his pants, since he is like 4 feet above it. Either way, Plax should be put on some sort of house arrest, because he obviously is way too arrogant to just show up to practice if he can and in the event that he can’t practice he makes habits of not showing to his medical appointments. I am starting to think Plax was the kid who always called in sick when he had a test in school or something. To be honest, thought, I am sick of watching Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward, Chad Johnson,  constantly taking practices off. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future NFL practices would be viewed as purely optional.

Regardless, I saw something that really grabbed me and made me feel a lot better though. There was a inkling of hope! The NFL has a new angel. This angel is the 49ers’s new head coach and NFL Legend, Mike Singletary. He made a great post game speech that everyone should watch. His attitude pays tribute to an era of football , which could only be described as great. Therefore, his speech hit home with me. I want to Salute Mike Singletary, who is a man I believe in. This team has the right man in the job not because he has all the football answers. Nope not at all. he is not the right man because he has an elite knowledge of defensive formations and schemes. He is the right guy for the 49ers job, however, because he doesn’t accept stupid “Me” “I” personality types. Regardless of what the media or the owners will say. He does not and will not accept losing. He wants to change the attitude of a losing team, and I believe with this speech he started his process of doing so.

He called out a “superstar” in Vernon Davis, who is also known as “Click Clack Davis” for his bs commercials. He is also likes to be called the “Cyborg”. He let Vernon know that he is not above the team. This is comical, because this player has his head so far up his a** and he didn’t even know till today. Vernon I am renaming you V.D. . Your like the 49ers infected draft pick, because your attitude about you is killing your team. Either way, I respect Coach Singletary calling Vernon out and making the speech he did. He might be the only hope to infusion some good ol bone crunching sweat and tears back into the NFL, in hopes to bring it back to the way things were, tough and gritty. You know back when whining wasn’t acceptable in Football!

Alex V’s NFL Week 8 Picks

OAK 2-4 at BAL 3-3

Oakland has been one feisty team as of late. I expect them to remain feisty, but it won’t be enough to overcome the Baltimore defense and improving play of QB Joe Flacco.

ARI 4-2 at CAR 5-2

Carolina slaughtered the inconsistent Saints last week winning 30-7. The Cardinals come off a huge win against Dallas and a bye week. I look to see Carolina showing some consistency. I’ll go with Carolina.

T.B. 5-2 at Dallas 4-3

Tampa is slowly coming into view from being under the radar. Either way, I don’t think Dallas is a smart enough team, collectively, to see this. I think they’ll lose at home!

WAS 5-2 at DET 0-6

Washington won already.

BUF 5-1 at MIA 2-4

Miami’s head-turning victories against the Pats and Chargers are becoming more and more distant with losses to the Texans and Ravens. The surging Bills continue to surge!

STL 2-4 at N.E. 4-2

Expect to see a partially competitive game. St. Louis has improved under Jim Haslett, but the Patriots look like they will be playing smart football for most of the remainder of this season. New England wins it.

S.D. 3-4 at New Orleans 3-4… in London

It’s funny. Both teams are highly inconsistent but have massive potential and both share equal records. This game won’t prove who’s ready to turn things around since they’re both so unpredictable. Both have great offense, but I’ll take the Chargers who have better defense. 

K.C. 1-5 at NYJ 3-3

The Jets need to make up for that “barn burner” in Oakland. One would think this is a great opportunity for them to do so, but who knows? I’ll still take the Jets at home against the struggling, running back-less, and quarterback-less Chiefs.

ATL 4-2 at PHI 3-3

Both of these teams are coming off of a bye. Even though Philadelphia looks to right its ship after a few stunning defeats this season, I just have a feeling that Atlanta is coming in confident while Philly is thinking it’s a team they should beat as long as they play well. Atlanta pulls the upset.

CLE 2-5 at JAC

Cleveland looked like they were righting the ship when they blasted the Giants on Monday Night Football. However, their showing in Washington last weekend wasn’t promising and Jacksonville is not a team to play around with. Jaguars win.

CIN 0-7 at HOU 2-4

Houston looks like they’re ready to keep opponents on their toes finally. But the Bengals aren’t a team you worry about keeping on their toes. Texans win at home.

NYG 5-1 at PIT 5-1

The Steelers will be without Willie Parker, and Santonio Holmes. But they do have Casey Hampton returning to help stop the Giants powerful run game. Eli’s stats have dipped lately and I think that will continue this week, and while both teams are getting to the quarterback at a high rate, I will go with the Steelers just because they’re at home.

SEA 1-5 at SF 2-5

In all honesty, the Niners should win this game. But in all honesty, both teams are pretty bad. Still, the Niners are a few notches more consistent than the Seahawks. San Fran wins.

IND 3-3 at TEN 6-0

It’s make or break time for the Colts. I believe it’s wake up time for the Titans who have been riding a fairly easy schedule. I’ll take the Colts to pull off what most people will call an upset by getting the victory.

 

 

Great offensive play for big gains in Madden 09

Take a look at the video, and try it out. You can manually create this play as well with hot routes. Always use hot routes and quick calls at the line to make sure you always have your opponent trying to guess your next move.

Gun
Split Slot formation
RB Cross

Beating Zone Coverages In Madden 09

Here are some tips to help you diagnose zones and exploit there weaknesses for Madden 09

Can Underachieving NFL Favorites Keep Pace with the Rest of the League?

Before the start of the 2008 NFL season there were four sure-fire Super Bowl favorites; the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. So far after seven weeks only the Patriots seem to have any type of competitive balance with a 4-2 record and only one game behind AFC East leading Buffalo Bills at 5-1.

The aforementioned teams have not faired so well and are a combined 10-10.

Even though Tony Romo is out, there is no excuse for the lack of effort the Cowboys showed in their 34-14 blowout in St. Louis. They have allowed two upstart teams, the Redskins and Cardinals, and a bottom-feeder in St. Louis get wins against them. Even though Romo was in against the two upstarts, he has averaged at least one turnover per game.

The Chargers have been the epitomy of inconsistency through seven games going loss, loss, win, win, loss, win, loss en-route to a 3-4 record. Traveling east has not helped them as they go forward three time zones every time. Now they have to go eight time zones to play the Saints in London this weekend!

Brady-Less Patriots Still a Force in the NFL

The 2008 week seven edition of Monday Night Football was not what most viewers probably expected it to be. They expected to see the highly-touted Broncos offense rack up yardage and if the Patriots were to have a chance at this game they would have had to keep up somehow behind the inexperience throwing arm of Matt Cassel.

However, the Broncos turned the ball over five different times and gave up huge rushing lanes to Sammy Morris and the other representatives of the New England backfield. Matt Cassel was able to complete an efficient outing going 18 for 24 passing, 185 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. And what’s more is that the Patriots have kept pace with the 5-1 Buffalo Bills after boosting their record to 4-2.

The Pats may not be a favorite Super Bowl pick anymore after the season ending injury of Tom Brady but they are doing what most coaches preach as the best way to secure a playoff berth, and that’s win your division. If the veteran talent of the New England Patriots can continue to support Matt Cassel and win some games, they may be able to surpass the young roster of the Buffalo Bills at the end of the season.

Indianapolis Colts’ Loss at Green Bay Drops their Record to 3-3

The Indianapolis Colts have proven to be an up-and-down team this season. They have lost a close game to the Jaguars at home, have had to pull off 4^th quarter comebacks to beat the Vikings and the Texans (which was a wild one-in-a-thousand type comeback), and have been blown out by a pair of NFC North teams in the Bears and Packers. There only convincing win has come against a team they usually beat and who was sporting a rookie quarterback in the Ravens.

 

 

 

In the past the Colts have been able to get away with torrid defense because they had a strong run game to back up their passing attack. However, this year their running game has been downright terrible. They are averaging an even 70 yards per game on the ground which is last in the league. Oppositely, they are 29^th on defense against the run in giving up 153.5 yards per game.

This is not the stuff of a recent Super Bowl champion, even if they do not have Bob Sanders who vaulted them to that title in the 06 playoffs. One would think that by now they could at least play average defense seeing as how experienced their unit is, but that has not been the case this season.

This has been one of the weirdest teams to follow so far and with their second toughest schedule based on opponents’ winning percentages the year prior, the future seems bleak… bleak as in no playoffs.

Fantasy Stock Falling, Reggie Bush is getting surgery!

Reggie bush admitted to the public that he will be getting arthroscopic knee surgery soon. The Saints are hopeful that the surgery only shows the assumed problem the meniscus in his left knee. He should be fine to go, they think in 3 to 4 weeks. There have also been some reports that he will could be back in 2 to 3 weeks. Bush was injured this week late in the 2nd Quarter while returning a punt. It is really a shame, Reggie was coming on strong, and now he is riding the pine. The only positive in this situation is that  due to the timing of the injury Reggie will get an extra week of free rest, due to the week 9 bye for the Saints. The Saints have definitely been bit by the injury bug this year.

Fantasy Advice

If you can definatly pick up Big Macallister for the time being. He is only owned in 70 % of fantasy leagues, so it is worth the time to check. He will be very productive for the next couple of weeks considering Bush’s absence.

Alex V’s NFL Week 7 Picks

S.D. at BUF-I’m sure by now everyone’s noticed the western teams don’t do too well when they travel to the far east. But I think San Diego’s got this.

N.O. at CAR-New Orleans is so inconsistent. But I think they’ll get it together in Carolina.

MIN at CHI-Both teams have good defense, good running games, and averaging passing games. I’ll take the team at home… Chicago.

PIT at CIN-Cincinnati is reeling and Big Ben is 5-0 all time in Cincinnati. Steelers win.

TEN at KC-Kansas City won’t even have Larry Johnson for this game. Titans win.

BAL at MIA-Miami is rolling too hard offensively for Joe Flacco to keep up with and pretty soon this Ravens’ defense will begin to slack since they have no offensive help.

S.F. at NYG-The giants blew it last week, but they can’t lose to this 2-4 trash at home. Giants win.

DAL at STL-Romo or Johnson? Who knows? The Cowboys are reeling losing two of their last three. I just have a feeling this is an upset in the making. Rams win. 

DET at HOU-Houston can at least play competitively and have shown offense. Detroit’s only close game was last week when they lost 10-12. Houston should shred them.

IND at G.B.-Even though Indianapolis seemed to hit its stride last week, Aaron Rodgers is playing pretty stellar and the Packer defense is better than the Colts’. I’ll go with Green Bay.

NYJ at OAK-Brett Favre is undefeated in Oakland all-time. That shall remain the same.

CLE at WAS-Both teams were complete opposites from one another last week. Washington was on the rise and lost to a bottom dweller, while Cleveland was a disappointment and beat a championship contender. Now that they’ve got their heads on straight, I’ll take Washington.

SEA at T.B.-Seattle is 1-4 and has been downright atrocious on both sides of the ball. Tampa wins.

DEN at N.E.-Denver has been inconsistent the last few weeks but the Patriots have been the same. I’ll take the Pats at home against Belichick’s football IQ.

Big Game Brewing in NFC South matchup between Saints and Panthers

Will Drew Brees stellar production continue this weekend in Carolina? He is currently averaging 332 yards per game through the air and is on pace to throw for over 5,300 yards. Even though that shouldn’t happen, it’s still pretty darn good for six weeks of play and he’ll definitely reach over 4,000.

Either way, this should be an exciting matchup as both teams are fighting to keep pace with 4-2 Tampa Bay in the NFC South who faces a real barn burner at home against the Seahawks this weekend.

Jerry Jones Dooms Dallas Cowboys Future

Jerry Jones does it again. Today he made a move to acquire all the Roy Williams in the final hours before the NFL trade deadline. Jerry now has A DB and a WR who share the same name. Yuppie!!! Sorry Jerry, this move is just flat out stupid. This is the type of trade where he will either look like a genius or look like a retard. We are pulling for retard. Sportsroids believes that the move won’t help him in win this year and is going to destroy his team in the future. Yes you’re getting a top talent wide-out. Yes he is better than Crayton or Austin. But why would you give up a 1st,3rd and 6th round picks for this guy? Not to mention now he has to learn a new playbook and system. Seriously Jerry what were you thinking? I bet it was something like this, “Ok, we just lost Pacman Jones, and Terrance Newman has been hurt, and our biggest issue is that our defensive backfield is in disarray. Oh wait I know! Lets get a new pre-madonna wide receiver, that will fix it!”.My question is, “How can better the team next year if you have only a 2nd round pick? I can’t wait to see T.O. loose his mind because of Roy Williams, I can’t wait to see it. Obvoiusly Jerry Jones thinks T.O. might fly the coup pretty soon if he is doing this. If Owen’s catches decrease and they loose its going to be WW3 in Dallas. On second thought, maybe the move was to scare T.O. into not exploding, but I doubt it. I love T.O. and all he wants is to win, and its his competitive nature is what makes him good. Jerry, don’t try to step on that. You’ll loose that battle Jerry. Hey don’t you think Jerry is starting to look a little like Al Davis. Maybe he should just slow down, and realize that he already has enough star power to get people talking about the cowboys and learn how and where to buy the right pieces to make his organization unstoppable. Roy Williams is a WR with great potential yet he has much to prove. Roy has only posted one 1000+ yard season in his 5 year career. Seriously 1st, 3rd and 6th round picks!!! Oh yeah they resigned Roy to a new contract as well. Its a 5 year contract!! Jerry your nuts!

How’ bout those cowboys? Personally, I think they are all bark no bite!

HEY JERRY !!! SPORTSROIDS has something to say to you…..

Bad moves = Bad News Jerry! You just doomed your team’s future.

.

Are the Buffalo Bills Really that Good?

The Buffalo Bills have been a topic of discussion all season long. Their early success has created much buzz about them being shoe-ins for the AFC East title. I don’t see why that is though. Sure, they were 4-0, and they went down in Arizona while JP Losman played most of the game. However, JP Losman didn’t give up 41 points. At the end of week 7, the look of the AFC East will be a lot different and it can all culminate fairly easy.

In week 7, the Jets are playing in Oakland who looked like they had no spirit when they played the Saints this past weekend losing 34-3. If the Jets win, they are 4-2 and that would be no surprise if they did.

New England plays host to Denver on Monday Night Football. This game should not be easy for New England to win. They’ll have to grind it out big time. However, they’re at home in front of a national audience and if they do pull it off, they’re 4-2 as well.

Finally, those loveable Bills play host to the San Diego Chargers. Albeit the Chargers are only 3-3, they are still a good 3-3. If the Bills lose, they’ll be 4-2. Now picture this possible version of the AFC East standings at the end of Week 7;

AFC East

BUF 4-2

N.E. 4-2

NYJ 4-2

MIA 3-3

Doesn’t look too clear cut anymore now, does it? I didn’t think so.

 

NFC North Race Tightens Up After NFL Week 6

Week six in the NFL once again proved how the nature of the league changes from week to week. One good example of this is three of the four teams in the NFC North.

The one team that doesn’t “count” is the Detroit Lions. They are rather sad getting smashed their first four games by a total score of 159-76 and losing by an average of 16.6 points which is over three scores. They are immediately excluded from this conversation.

 

 

The Bears looked to be in good shape in reaching a 3-2 record and playing the Falcons this past Sunday. However, they lost and dropped to 3-3. The Vikings are the opposite at 3-3 and looked to be in good shape since they were 1-3 and have now won two in a row to match the Bears. The two face off this weekend in Chicago, and the winner of that game will be tied for the division lead or in first with a 4-3 record barring a tie.

Meanwhile, the Packers, after dropping three straight, got a road win in Seattle and reached 3-3. However, they face the Colts in Green Bay this weekend and could easily lose and drop to 3-4. If they win, they’ll maintain their current division lead 4-3 (Green Bay holds server over the Vikings and Bears as they are 2-0 in their division).

Week seven is huge in the NFC and will do just what week six did… change the look of another NFL division after just one week of games.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Giants Need to Utilize Big Weapons

It is 12:20 am on October 14th, and I have just watched the worst Red-zone performance of all time. The one thing about the New York Giants that just doesn’t seem to be good this year is their red zone stragety. I understand that Plaxico is not in the good graces of the organization, but when you take him out of the game in the red zone in the third quarter it just makes no sense. 6′5 Plaxico Burress who has already proved to be one of the Gaints best red zone targets in the 2008 season, was taken out and Eli Manning threw a pass to Toomer instead, which resulted a costly pick 6. I realize that you can’t throw only to one player, However Plax deserves a target in every red zone trip, without fail. This is a man whose jumping abilities and size are unparalleled in the League. The Giants need to get off their high horses and get Plax the ball in the Red-Zone, or risk doing what they did today, just look terrible. I can’t help to wonder if this problems in play calling could be in response to Plaxico’s recent suspension. Regardless, If you pay a player you better use him as far as I am concerned. Also, trying to intercept a Pass high in the corner of the endzone is nearly impossible, especially if the defender is shorter than the WR by about 6 to 7 inches.

Andre Johnson is a fantasy stud!

Andre Johnson today proved to all the owners willing to take a chance on him that he was well worth the risk. He racked up 178 Yards today, with 1 TD on 10 catches today against the Miami Dolphins. Many would argue that he lead the Texans to their 1st win of the 2009 season today. Andre is a perfect Fantasy WR for several reasons. I really feel he is like the younger more gifted T. Owens. Andre has great speed and great size as well as great leaping ability, making him a fantasy #1 week in and week out. Before he was injuried in 2008 he was averaging around 100 yards per game and leader for WR in TD’s and yards. Sportsroids would like to salute all the fantasy football owners who took the chance on the repaired Andre Johnson.

TE Tony Gonzalez Might Be Traded To The New York Giants

There have been some pliminary reports that TE Tony Gonzalez is looking for a trade to a seroius contender. The teams that he has voiced an interest in included the New York Giants, a team that was at the top of his list. It is very possible that this trade could happen. He could get moved for as little as 3rd or a 5th round pick. Tony Gonzalez is a great player, however to come in right before the Oct 14 trade deadline and learn a entire Offense would be tough. He is at an advanced age but this move could definatly help the Gaints defend thier superbowl title this year. We think this could happen, and you heard it here first.

Kellen Winslow is out for Monday with Hydrocele

Kellen Winslow is in the hospital with swelling to his little “Soldiers”. The condition he has is called Hydrocele, which is when fliud accumulates the fleshy membranes that encase the testicles. It can be fixed very with simple surgery, however we don’t think Kellen will be able to play this monday. If he is on your fantasy squad barring a miracle you should look towards another TE this week.

However, it is nice to know I have the TE with the biggest balls in the NFL. There have been many reports that they were swollen to the size of Grapefruits on Thursday of this week.

Big Games on Sunday in NFL Week 6

The first game that holds some bearing is the 3-2 Bears at the 3-2 Falcons. Both teams have a chance to be 4-2 and both surprises in the league. Kyle Orton looks a little better and his defense is strong as ever, while the Falcons play inspired football with solid play from a rookie QB, Matt Ryan, and a first time fulltime starter at RB, Michael Turner. The defense has John Abraham, but not much else. Huge game for the NFC playoff race! I will have to go with the Bears experience on this one.

 

 

 

 

Baltimore plays host to Indianapolis. Both are 2-2 and need to get above .500. The Ravens’ defense may be tight, but the Colts’ defense has not been too bad without Bob Sanders, and Peyton Manning is something else compared to Joe Flacco. Colts win.

 

Carolina will be in Tampa Bay where both teams at 4-1 battle to lead the NFC South. The Bucs offense has been trifle even though they still have a solid defense. The Panthers combine solid defense with above average offense. I’ll take the Panthers.

 

Finally, Dallas, 4-1, will meet Arizona, 3-2, on the road. Although the Cowboys have a stronger defense, I am going with the Cardinals to pull off the upset. The Cowboys may boast a powerful offense, but the Cardinal offense can be just as potent. I just have a feeling that Kurt Warner and his team are confident and excited to play the Cowboys who will be caught sleeping.

 

These are the best games between teams based on records of wins and losses.

Pacman Jones back in the hot seat!

Dallas Cowboy, Adam Jones has apparently been up to his previous antics again. After fighting his own security in a bathroom this past weekend, he may be looking at a fresh new suspension. I wish they had fantasy Fallout football, him and Chris Henry would be 1st and 2nd picks overall. Pac is already on his 2nd strike with commisioner Roger Goodell. It a shame to see that even the mighty Cowboys couldn’t save this young man from himself, let alone the story hungry media, who does breath down his neck a lot. I even heard that pacman ties his shoes wrong in a article I read somewhere!(Joke) Either way we as fans are very critical of pacman. There could be several reasons for the public criticisms. I think, mostly it is because he has the athletic talent and is in the position to make millions and it seems he just doesn’t care about embracing his opportunity. Realizing that one day Adam will grow up and out of this “I am a tough guy” charade. He will then realize that he was one of the lucky ones. I just hope it happens before it’s to late. He might get suspended again by the league, probably ending his career in the NFL. When asked about the new Pacman incident, Roger Goodell stated, “I don’t think there is any misunderstanding about the position Adam has put himself in with respect to his behavior,” he said. “There are certain things I expect of him. I would tell you I’m disappointed we’re even discussing this.”

Justin Fargas; Jimmy-Tapped on National TV

By Mark M

On Sunday Sept 14th Justin Fargas was injured in the second qtr of the Oakland vs Kansas City game. They said he had a pulled groin injury, however we at SportsRoids believe he was viciously assaulted by Pat Thomas. SportsRoids, believes that Justin is a victim of a horrific crime. Justin Fargas’s genitals public execution has not only effected his pay, but his starting position. He should be paid back the losses not only from the league but also by Pat Thomas. Fines must be handed out. SportsRoid’s wishes to have a moment of silence during the next Raiders match up commemorating the player that was.

Mark and Mad’Nuff Show

Hello, SportsRoids faithful:

Something new we have here as we continue to improve and add to this wonderful site is the Mark and Mad’Nuff show you can click the link at the bottom or just listen on the side of the page. We will be trying to give you as many shows as possible but feed back is very important. So please listen and give us some, also don’t be scared to offer up topics you the readers and listeners would like to hear. We will also be accepting any and all Fantasy related questions, so that we can help you push your team toward your goal of winning the championships. Click the link below for download or streaming media.

SportsRoids Mark & Mad’Nuff Sports Show Episode #1

Mark and Mad’Nuff Show

Hello, SportsRoids faithful:

Something new we have here as we continue to improve and add to this wonderful site is the Mark and Mad’Nuff show you can click the link at the bottom or just listen on the side of the page. We will be trying to give you as many shows as possible but feed back is very important. So please listen and give us some, also don’t be scared to offer up topics you the readers and listeners would like to hear. We will also be accepting any and all Fantasy related questions, so that we can help you push your team toward your goal of winning the championships. Click the link below for download or streaming media.

SportsRoids Mark & Mad’Nuff Sports Show Episode #1

Defense Wins Championships?

By Alex V

Defense Wins Championships or Great Quarterbacking?

One of the longest standing arguments in today’s NFL has been the viewpoint that it takes a strong defense to become a champion. Over the past few years teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to remain in at least competitive contention, if not championship contention, due to their outstandingly consistent play on defense. However, in this writer’s eyes, the most important factor in helping a team turn the corner from respectability to prominence has been the position of quarterback.

Over the past ten years alone, almost every Super Bowl champion has been led by a pro-bowl caliber, if not perennial pro-bowl quarterback. In most cases a good defense played a key role in each winner’s success, but on most of those teams, there was strong quarterback play involved as well.

During the 1998 season the Denver Broncos won the title with John Elway, and everyone knows how great he was. In 1999, the St. Louis Rams became league champions behind the light-out play of MVP quarterback Kurt Warner. Everybody will remember the Greatest Show on Turf as one of those teams that had such a great offense, they could overcome sub par-to-average defense to win games. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens would make a name in history as one of those teams that could overcome average, but not great, offensive play with a tenacious defense that created turnovers and stymied opponents week in and week out with its defense.

Let’s use a paragraph too look a little deeper at those 2000 Ravens. That team’s defense was so good that it held three regular season opponents to seven points, their Super Bowl opponent to seven points (the New York Giants), one regular season opponent to three points, and three post-season opponents to three points (the Wild Card Denver Broncos and the AFC Championship host Oakland Raiders), and four regular season opponents to zero points. How often does a defense that strong come along? Not too often I would say. I gahter that that the 2000 Ravens and the 1985 Bears were two teams in NFL history that literally succeeded almost an entire season based solely on excellent defense.

In 2001, Tom Brady came along and got his first Super Bowl title when he drove his team downfield to kick a game-winning field goal. In 2002, another team with a great defense raised the Lombardi Trophy and this time it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Brad Johnson was Tampa’s quarterback that year and in 13 regular season games, finished the season with 22 touchdown passes against six interceptions, a 62.3% completion percentage, and a 92.9 Quarterback rating (the best of his career). The next two years would conclude with Tom Brady’s Patriots coming out on top, where-in 2003 Tom Brady led yet another drive downfield for a game-winning field goal, and in 2004 it was Brady and the Patriots who got the trophy.

In 2005 the surprise Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top. Even though it was the defense that showed up in the Super Bowl and not Ben Roethlisberger, it was Big Ben’s dazzling play in Cincinnati in the Wild Card round (14-19 passing for 74%, 208 yards, and 3 TDs), in Indianapolis in the Divisional Round (14-24 passing, 197 yards, and 2 TDs with one INT), and in Denver in the AFC Championship Game (21-29 passing, 275 yards, 2 passing TDs, and one rushing TD) that got them there. In this case it was strong defense and strong quarterback play that produced a champion.

In 2006 Peyton Manning and the strong play of the Colts’ defense won the title. Finally, last year, even though the Giants had a great pass-rushing defense while leading the league in sacks, nobody would have picked New York to come out on top if it hadn’t been for Eli Manning’s highly unexpected pro-bowl level of play throughout the post-season, including the Super Bowl.

I want everybody to take a long step back when they think that defense wins championships, because in all reality it takes a solid defense coupled by strong quarterback play to win a Super Bowl, with a few exceptions every now and then on both sides of the ball. So remember, a great defense will bring you respectability, but it takes a great quarterback to take a team to prominence!

Super Bowl Winner and Quarterback

1997 John Elway

1996 Brett Favre

1995 Troy Aikman

1994 Steve Young

1993 Troy Aikman

1992 Troy Aikman

1991 Mark Rypien

1990 Jeff Hostetler

1989 Joe Montana

1988 Joe Montana

1987 Doug Williams

1986 Phil Simms

1985 Jim McMahon

1984 Joe Montana

1983 Jim Plunkett

1982 Joe Theismann

1981 Joe Montana

1980 Jim Plunkett

1979 Terry Bradshaw

1978 Terry Bradshaw

1977 Roger Staubach

1976 Ken Stabler

1975 Terry Bradshaw

1974 Terry Bradshaw

1973 Bob Griese

1972 Bob Griese

1971 Roger Staubach

1970 Johnny Unitas

1969 Len Dawson

1968 Joe Namath

1967 Bart Starr

1966 Bart Starr

Alex V’s Week 2 Predictions

by Alex V

It is hard to gauge a team after only one week of play. But that is what Alex V. is going to do anyways. We’ll see how I do and I’ll even keep track! Week in and week out from here-on-in. We’re gonna see who actually gives a shit!

CHI at CAR

The Panthers went toe-to-toe with the Chargers last weekend and showed a lot of heart pulling out a two-minute drill drive to pull out their victory. However, the Bears showed more consistency with their playmaking defense, strong running, and turnover free passing game. I say the Bears win.

TEN at CIN

Cincinnati is a team in shambles. They are starting this season right where they left off last year, and if they don’t improve soon they’ll easily finish the same way they did last year… going nowhere. The Titans won last week with their usual great defense and key, if not strong, offensive play. Aided by a veteran quarterback in Kerry Collins, and a strong defense, I’m going with the Titans over the defensively challenged and no-offensive chemistry having Bengals.

GB at DET

Detroit showed last week that they have no defense. Even though Michael Turner is highly-touted, there is no excuse for giving up that much yardage against a team who should have the box stacked against them while sporting a rookie quarterback. Aaron Rodgers showed a lot of promise last week, and just about every other piece of a 13-3 team from last year remains this year too. This is an easy one. Packers win.

BUF at JAC

Jacksonville did what they do best last week… play to the level of their opponent. Buffalo looks like a team on the rise. The Jaguars would be hard-pressed to play to the level of Buffalo, because they are running on pure youthful energy and excitement. I’m really feeling Buffalo pulling out the victory in a close contest.

OAK at KC

Honestly, who cares about this game aside from Raiders and Chiefs fans? In reality the NFL is crazy, and both these teams have many weeks to turn out one of the surprise teams of the year. But in a strong AFC, that is so not going to happen. This game is a toss-up! I’ll go with the veteran experience of the Chiefs over the undisciplined inexperience of the Raiders.

IND at MIN

Last week, Indy’s offense laid an egg against the Bears. On the contrary, the Vikings kept their game versus the Packers last week competitive. Indy is charged with facing another team like they did last week; strong defense, great running game, and desirably a game-managing quarterback. However, I don’t think Tarvaris Jackson is ready to lead this team. Surprisingly though, something in my gut tells me upset special once again. I’m going with the Vikings!

NYG at STL

The Rams are another team who have started this season right where they left off last season. The Rams looked like the standard defense they usually are as they missed tackles and gave up big plays, while their inept offense produced just 158 passing yards, and 36 rushing yards to the Eagles 368 passing yards, and 108 rushing yards. The Giants defense looked like they could be just as disruptive as they were last year, even without Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. I won’t even bother wasting another sentence analyzing the Rams. Giants win.

NO at WAS

New Orleans looks like they are ready to make good on the promise they displayed in 2006. The Redskins look like a team still trying to see where they stand with Jason Campbell at the helm. Even though the Skins won the last time these teams met, I believe it will be the Saints’ offense and improving defense that gets the better of Washington.

SF at SEA

The 49ers started off pretty decently against the Cardinals last week going up 10-3 at one point. However, they finished on the wrong end of a 23-13 score. The Seahawks look like they are on the usual road to mediocrity that they’ve been traveling the two years before the Super Bowl run, and the two years since. With JT O-Who taking snaps for the Niners, I give this one to Seattle since they play at home and tend to show a little more consistency there than on the road.

ATL at TB

Last week Matt Ryan played solidly going 9 for 13 with 161 yards, one touchdown, and no turnovers. But that was last week. And last week’s opponent was the untamed Lions. The Buccaneers will be coming off a crushing season-opening loss against a division rival, like the one they’ll be facing this week. And although the Bucs may be getting old, the coaching staff and players should still be wily enough to force the young QB into making a few mistakes. I’ll go with the Buccaneers.

MIA at ARI

The Dolphins will have no business improving too much this year. This team should be rebuilding, but they are starting an aging and skill deteriorating Chad Pennington, and have known highly-regarded draft picks. Even though the Cardinals start an older QB in Kurt Warner, at least he can throw deep consistently, whereas Pennington throws either low or to the other team rather consistently. Cardinals are on the rise, so Cardinals are in the “W” column.

SD at DEN

San Diego blew a home opener this weekend by losing. But they allowed that against a team who is easily a contender when Jake Delhomme is in the line-up and, most of all, healthy. Denver looked promising with their blow-out of the Raiders. But Oakland played so badly that it is tough to gauge the Broncos’ place in the 2008 season. Until the Broncos beat a worthy opponent, I’ll put my money on the Chargers to win this one.

NE at NYJ

This game is funny. It won’t b Brady vs. Pennington. It will be Cassel vs. Favre! Even though the Jets showed big play ability against the Dolphins last week, they still could have lost if Pennington would have been able to get Miami into the end zone in the final two minutes of their game last weekend. The Patriots also won in a rather nail biting fashion as they almost let one go into overtime against the Chiefs. Matt Cassel had to settle into a game he didn’t have the feel of from the beginning. The Jets are still growing, while every other piece on the Patriots knows where it stands aside from Matt Cassel. I’ll go with the Patriots.

PIT at CLE

The Steelers last week looked great in almost every facet of the game; an O-line pushing defensive front, ball-hawking and ball-carrier shadowing linebackers, solid secondary play, and great running mixed in with some efficient passing. Cleveland embarrassed themselves at home last weekend against a heavily favored Super Bowl contender in Dallas. But they still could have put up a better fight than they did last week based on their offensive potency during the 2007 campaign. The Browns are playing at home, on prime-time television Sunday night, and should be looking to make up for their virtual no-show from last week. However, until the Browns beat the Steelers as they haven’t managed to once in their last seven meetings, I’m still picking the Steelers.

PHI at DAL

Both teams laid waste to their opponents last week. Donovan McNabb looked great going 21 of 33 for 361 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers which shouldn’t come as a surprise to people. The only reason he hasn’t posted great numbers the last couple seasons is because of injuries and not because he is past his time as a good number of people believe. The Cowboys looked like a team that simply out-matched their opponent with the dynamic play of Tony Romo, great receivers in Owens, Crayton, Whitten, and a sound defense. However, I think what the Eagles have demonstrated over the last few years is that they always play with passion whereas the Cowboys seem to go through the motions and let their talent do the talking. I’m going with the Eagles to attain a close, but convincing win against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football

BAL at HOU

Good old hurricane Ike has forced these two teams to move their games to Monday Night as well… just not Monday Night Football. The Ravens managed to beat the hapless Bengals last week with good defense and a few key plays here and there on offense (namely rookie quarterback Joe Flacco’s 38 yard rushing TD). Houston looked downright awful last week as they struggled to move the ball all day, and didn’t tackle worth a lick on defense. However, the Texans are the same team from last year that finished 8-8 and looked to be improving, while the Ravens are still the same team that finished last year at 5-11 and looked like they needed to rebuild with the retirement of Steve McNair. I’m going with the Texans at home.

Randy Moss Highlight Videos

ROID RAGE: A SportsRoids Exclusive

Roid Rage

By Madison Mad’nuff

Well you may be thinking, “hey Sportsroids, how come you don’t have an article on steroids?”. Well here it is. Steroids is a touchy subject to try a just to bring it up to someone who has used them before. A close source of mine who deals with many NFL players said that they feel over %30 of players in the NFL are using some type of illegal performance enhancing drugs not necessarily steroids. I find this number to be high but my question is why. I feel that steroids users are cheaters, I mean any one can get an A on the test if the answers are right in front of them. Right? The whole entire fun of watching sports is partly in knowing that you yourself could never do the things most of these guys can. So when you add steroids to the mix you lose that. Hell if used roids I’d probably be in the NFL right now running a 4.4 forty at 250 pounds but why put my body through that. If I can’t do it through hard work alone I don’t’ want to do it, and my friends that is the American way. Every time someone brings up roids I think of the movie “The Program” where
Vlatamire gets caught using roids, and the black linebacker is like “what the hell you using that stuff for” and he is like “Come on man some people just aren’t as talented like you are man I just want to play” or something like that anyway. I always thought that was funny, how pathetic.

So my question to you is how do you feel about Roids my friends, not Sportsroids we all know you love us, but steroids, let me know.

Fantasy QBS: Who to start, Big Ben or Rodgers?

By Alex V

Let’s look at the both of these QBs in retrospect. Big Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, and Monday, respectively, both showed that they can pass, and run if necessary. They didn’t just merely pass, but they hit their receivers with good accuracy on a consistent basis. Aside from throwing the ball; they both display a knack for knowing when to leave the pocket and make a play with their feet, whether they’re scrambling results in a throw, or a rushing gain of their own.

This weekend, Big Ben amassed a mere 137 passing yards, but he got to that number going 13 of 14 with the one incompletion coming on an out-of-pocket sideline throw to avoid pressure. On two occasions, with no good looks downfield or in the intermediate passing lanes, Ben took off for a total of 17 yards (8.5 yards per carry). Aaron Rodgers was equally accurate going 18 for 22 passing, but he also tucked and ran with the football a total of eight times for 35 yards (4.4 yards per carry). In the end, Roethlisberger finished with two TD tosses and a 93% completion percentage, and Rodgers ended the night with an 82% completion percentage, one TD pass and

one rushing TD.

With numbers like these, both quarterbacks proved that efficiency can be deadly, even if they didn’t accomplish 200+ passing yards in their games. Some of the most effective quarterbacks are those that allow the game to come to them without forcing the issue. If a quarterback keeps to his mechanics at the outset of each play, and lets his natural ability come second, the law of averages is going to have to allow a big-play opportunity to develop here and there, just as much as the law of averages will tend to allow a smart, short-yardage pass or chance for a decent gainer on ground to develop.

With that being said, this weekend I would start Aaron Rodgers since he’s going against a weak defense in the Detroit lions. The Vikings have been constantly hyped up as a potential stout, havoc-wreaking defense for the 2008 NFL season, and Aaron Rodgers obviously didn’t think so. As for Big Ben, he too could have a big night, but I see some potential troubled waters as the Browns could end up having a big day defensively after their practical no-show against Dallas this past Sunday. Add that to the fact that they’re on live television this Sunday night at home, I would have to plead that Rodgers is the safest bet.

SportsRoids Author: Madison Mad’Nuff

SportsRoids Author, Madison, Mad’Nuff

Madison has extensive ties within NFL. From his father being a First Round Draft Pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers to his brother working as a trainer for several NFL Teams. It’s no wonder he is a great judge of NFL talent. However, Mad’Nuff is not empowered by relation alone. His previous work experience links him directly to the League, working for NFL Europe. This Division 1, AA Collegian Football Player, Mad’Nuff, has an extensive knowledge of the game surpassed by few. Madison graduated from Duquesne University with a BSBA, concentrating in Sports Marketing.”

Madison “Mad’Nuff,” has been nicknamed as such for being an elite Madden Player. Mad’Nuff is a derivative from the character Sho’Nuff in the Movie The Last Dragon, featuring Bruce Leroy. Madison “Mad’Nuff” without a doubt, is the Shogun of Madden.

SportsRoids Author: Madison Mad’Nuff

SportsRoids Author, Madison, Mad’Nuff

Madison has extensive ties within NFL. From his father being a First Round Draft Pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers to his brother working as a trainer for several NFL Teams. It’s no wonder he is a great judge of NFL talent. However, Mad’Nuff is not empowered by relation alone. His previous work experience links him directly to the League, working for NFL Europe. This Division 1, AA Collegian Football Player, Mad’Nuff, has an extensive knowledge of the game surpassed by few. Madison graduated from Duquesne University with a BSBA, concentrating in Sports Marketing.”

Madison “Mad’Nuff,” has been nicknamed as such for being an elite Madden Player. Mad’Nuff is a derivative from the character Sho’Nuff in the Movie The Last Dragon, featuring Bruce Leroy. Madison “Mad’Nuff” without a doubt, is the Shogun of Madden.

Brett Farve video tape of Halloween Prank

Brett Farve has been known for being one the biggest jokers in the NFL. He has played pranks on numerous players and teamates over the years. SportsRoids recently got a hold of one of his pranks that he played early in his career with don beebe. Watch as Brett Farve and Don Beebe play a joke on thier coach Mike Holmgrem, on Halloween

Early Predictions – “Don’t Worry Be Happy”

The Giants win the Superbowl and the 2008 Opening day game (wo who). Great, and on Sunday the rest of the league goes out to play, meaning at days end half the league will be undefeated and the other half will be left at 000 percent. But to me, the first 3 games of the NFL season are dicey at best. I bet any coach or player will tell you the same. The teams just aren’t firing on all 8 cylinders in these three games which is why it is so hard to see just who are the elites early in season. Take for example the Detroit Lions. That year they started off 3-1 and they didn’t even make the playoffs. So what am I saying you ask? Whats my point?

I just saying don’t get to excited if your team wins this week and be sure not to call of work Monday if your team loses, remember there are 15 games left to play and you won’t see your real team till week 4 anyways.

-Madison Mad’nuff

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