Chris Cooley out for the season
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/27/2009 @ 9:05 am)
As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Redskins, the Washington Post is reporting that tight end Chris Cooley suffered a broken right foot in Monday night’s loss to the Eagles and will miss the remainder of the season.
Cooley broke his foot in the second quarter after he caught a pass and tried to change direction. He had not missed a game up until this point, but will now land on injured reserve for the first time in his career.
Fred Davis will start in Cooley’s place, which could be a good or bad thing for the Redskins. Davis has great hands and a solid receiver, but he’s a major liability as a blocker and that’s the last thing Washington needs right now considering the pass protection for quarterback Jason Campbell hasn’t been great as it is.
NFL Week 8 Primer
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/26/2008 @ 10:45 am)
Sunday’s Best: Giants (5-1) at Steelers (5-1), 4:15 PM ET
Does a matchup get more physical than this? The biggest news surrounding this game on the injury front is that Willie Parker is expected to return to the Steelers’ backfield this week after missing last Sunday’s win over the Bengals after aggravating his knee injury. He faces a tough front seven of the Giants, who bounced back last Sunday against San Francisco after being embarrassed on Monday night football two weeks ago in Cleveland. New York’s defense complied six sacks, forced four fumbles, intercepted two passes and held the 49ers to 2 of 10 on third downs. One thing to note is that the Steelers were manhandled by an Eagles team early in the season that runs a similar defensive scheme as the Giants do. Expect the G-Men to game plan against the run while blitzing Ben Roethlisberger early and often. Pittsburgh’s banged up offensive line is ranked 28th in sacks allowed, which doesn’t paint a pretty picture for Big Ben this weekend. Still, expect a Steeler defense pumped for the opportunity to stifle Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs and the rest of New York’s explosive offense.
Upset Watch: Falcons (4-2) at Eagles (3-3), 1:00 PM ET
Bragging alert: I’ve called the last four upset-watches and five of the first seven this season. And if Martin Gramatica wasn’t awful, I would have nailed the Saints over the Broncos in Week 3 as well. I’m going out on a major limb this week in calling a Falcons upset over the Eagles. Not only is Philly a 9-point favorite, but the Eagles are also 9-0 under Andy Reid coming off the bye. But I’ve bought hard into the Matt Ryan hype and happen to believe Atlanta is better than what people are making them out to be. They trust Ryan to make throws in the passing game, can run the ball with Michael Turner and have beaten two quality teams in the Packers and Bears in their last two games. For them to walk away with a win on Sunday, however, the defense will need to step up. Donovan McNabb is shredding opposing defenses and will likely have Brian Westbrook, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis back from injuries. But the Falcons have moved the ball well this year, are protecting Ryan (which will be huge this week against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense) and are coming off a bye themselves. They have a lot of momentum after the win over the Bears and have been a more physical team under first-year head coach Mike Smith. A win might be out of reach, but at the very least, I’m calling for a Falcons cover.
Intriguing Matchup: Chargers at Saints, 1:00 PM ET
Both of these teams were highly regarded as playoff contenders in preseason – if not Super Bowl contenders. But both of struggled with inconsistency so far and the Saints will be without Reggie Bush for the next 3 to 4 weeks. LaDainian Tomlinson has not looked like the same MVP back he’s been in recent years, but QB Philip Rivers has more than picked up the slack. Which one of these teams can get back on track this week playing overseas in London? Chances are, the winner might be able to save its season while the loser could start to fall off the playoff radar. (Especially New Orleans, who now plays in a surprisingly tough NFC South.)
Other Notable Games:
Cardinals (4-2) at Panthers (5-2)
Had it not been for the Giants-Steelers game, this matchup might have been the best the NFL had to offer this week. Each team is starting to make some noise, but both have also looked incredibly bad at times this year (see the Cardinals effort against the Jets and the Panthers against the Buccaneers).
Buccaneers (5-2) at Cowboys (4-3), 1:00 PM ET
No Tony Romo again for Dallas – will Monte Kiffin’s defense eat Brad Johnson alive?
Colts (3-3) at Titans (6-0), 8:30 PM ET Monday
The Monday night matchup is a great one. Can Peyton Manning turn around the Colts’ misfortunes this year against the surprising undefeated Titans?
Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL
Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Ben Roethlisberger, Brandon Jacobs, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Indianapolis Colts, Kevin Curtis, LaDainian Tomlinson, Matt Ryan, Michael Westbrook, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL in London, NFL Week 8, NFL Week 8 injuries, NFL Week 8 odds, NFL Week 8 preview, Peyton Manning, Philadelphia Eagles, Philip Rivers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Reggie Brown, Reggie Bush, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Tony Romo, Willie Parker

NFL News & Notes: Larry Johnson to sit again
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/22/2008 @ 8:55 am)
- Chiefs’ RB Larry Johnson is likely to be suspended or inactive for Sunday’s game following an investigation that he recently spat in a woman’s face at a Kansas City nightclub. (ESPN.com)
- Broncos’ CB Champ Bailey will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a torn groin in Denver’s loss to the Patriots on Monday night. (ESPN.com)
- Tony Romo will not play in the Cowboys’ game this Sunday against Tampa Bay and could be out at least two more weeks with a broke pinkie finger. (Dallas Morning News)
- The Cleveland Browns have suspended Kellen Winslow one game for his rant Monday against GM Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel. Winslow questioned the team’s handling of his staph infection. (Rotoworld.com)
- Patriots’ safety Rodney Harrison’s season is over. He tore a quad muscle Monday in New England’s win over Denver and the injury likely will end his 15-year NFL career. (NFL.com)
Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL
Tags: Champ Bailey, Champ Bailey injury, Champ Bailey out 4-6 weeks, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs., Kellen Winslow, Kellen Winslow suspended, Larry Johnson, Larry Johnson suspended, New England Patriots, NFL injuries, NFL Week 8, NFL Week 8 injuries, NFL Week 8 news and notes, Rodney Harrison, Rodney Harrison season over, Tony Romo, Tony Romo injury, Tony Romo out
