Boy, a few years ago, that headline would have sent the entire city of New Orleans into a panic, but new techniques in microfracture surgery have really improved long-term results.
Reggie Bush’s knee surgery was more serious than the Saints initially indicated last month, but General Manager Mickey Loomis said the team still expects the running back to be ready for minicamp in early June.
Loomis said Bush had a microfracture procedure performed on his left knee after he was placed on injured reserve in mid-December. Bush’s injury initially was reported as a sprained medial collateral ligament, which doesn’t usually require surgery, but Coach Sean Payton indicated last week that Bush had an arthroscopic procedure performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.
Loomis did not give details about the surgery, but he said it was not a “major” procedure.
There is no doubt that Bush has loads of talent, but over the last two seasons he has missed 10 games with various ailments. From a fantasy football perspective, he’s a monster in PPR leagues, but in the real NFL, his injury history and inability to consistently gain yards between the tackles have some calling him a bust. I think he’s been productive enough thus far to gain a reprieve, pending the results of this surgery. If he returns in 2009 with a 1500-yard season, he should be back on track.
Going a bit deeper into the fantasy impact of this news, Pierre Thomas suddenly looks like a darkhorse to finish in the top 10 next season. He figures to have solid value even with Bush healthy and productive, as the Saints’ offense is explosive enough to support two good fantasy RBs. If Bush is hobbled or misses anytime, he could blow up.
Jerry Jones handpicked the Ravens for the Cowboys’ final game at Texas Stadium because he apparently thought they would be an easy victory. Oops. (SPORTSbyBROOKS.com)
Peter King discusses Sammy Baugh, the playoff race in each conference, and breaks down the current MVP watch in his latest edition of Monday Morning Quarterback. (SI.com)
The Love of Sports compiles its “All-Disappointment Team” for the 2008 NFL Season. (The Love of Sports)
Detroit News columnist Rob Parker recently asked Lions head coach Rod Marinelli if “he wishes his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator?” Ouch. (Deadspin.com)
Best headline from the Week 16 in the NFL: “You Stay Classy, Fatback Who Rides the Coat-tails of Reggie Bush and Chris Johnson.” (Kissing Suzy Kolber.com)
Here are your Top Ten Boston Sports Stories of 2008. Good for Boston…makes everyone else want to throw up. (Small White Ball)
Listen in as Anthony and I discuss Brandon Jacobs’ and Marion Barber’s status, Tarvaris Jackson’s chances against the Falcons, and the RB situation in New Orleans.
Bush injured his left knee against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 19, and had arthroscopic surgery the next day to repair a torn meniscus. He missed four games for rehabilitation.
He returned to action against Tampa Bay on Nov. 30, but struggled and Coach Sean Payton reduced his playing time because of ineffectiveness.
Bush scored a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 7 and appeared to be back on track. But he suffered a setback against the Chicago Bears the next week and was benched in the second half, again because of ineffectiveness.
This news obviously elevates Pierre Thomas’s fantasy value ten-fold. Anyone fortunate enough to have him on their roster heading into their championship game this week should feel pretty good about his matchup with the Lions on Sunday.
One has to wonder about the long-term status of Bush in New Orleans. Thomas has been incredibly effective as the workhorse back for the Saints over the second half of the season and is clearly ready to take over Deuce McAllister’s role in Sean Payton’s offense next season. If Bush can’t stay healthy, there’s no way the Saints will re-up once his contract expires. No sense in overpaying for a back that can’t run between the tackles and misses games with various alignments.
John Paulsen and I discussed this topic on our weekly fantasy podcast chat (which will post sometime Thursday morning), so make sure to check it out.
New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton was rightfully criticized throughout the week for not maintaining enough offensive balance this season. While the Saints statistically rank as the best offense in the league, they entered Sunday’s game against the Falcons as a 6-6 team with slim playoff hopes. No offense – not even the best in the league – can win consistently if they can’t run the ball. But the Saints rushed for 184 yards and beat division rival Atlanta 29-25 on Sunday.
Their running game was essentially the key because it opened everything up for Drew Brees and the passing game. Outside of the opening drive of the first quarter and most of the third, the Falcons’ defense looked befuddled at what Payton was throwing at them. They had no answer for New Orleans’ offense and allowed Pierre Thomas to rumble for 102 yards on just 16 carries. If Payton can keep himself from going Andy Reid on everybody, the Saints are going to be tough to beat the rest of the way.
For the Falcons, their loss cannot be placed on rookie Matt Ryan (24 of 33 for 315 yards, 1 TD) and the offense. Ryan was unbelievable and got a ton of help from Roddy White (10 catches, 164 yards) and Michael Jenkins (5 catches, 69 yards), who made the rookie quarterback look good on a couple of errant passes. Outside of a rookie mistake on an interception thrown in the first quarter, Ryan was damn near perfect and constantly kept drives alive with pinpoint passes.
The Falcons really put themselves in a hole with this loss, however. At 8-5, they’re still very much alive in the playoff race, but they host a tough Buccaneers team next week and then travel to Minnesota before finishing with the hapless Rams. They’ll have to win at least two of their next three games to make the playoffs, so a win over the Saints could have gone a long way.
We’ll see what Ryan and the young Falcons are made of over these next three weeks.
Every year, the voters are forced to decide the winner too darned early.
For years, this has been the most annoying thing of all about the Heisman. The committee just can’t wait to give it out. The movie is still going on, and already, these guys want to toss Academy Awards at the screen.
This year, for instance, voters are supposed to have their ballots returned by Dec. 10. At least the voters can wait until after Tebow and his Florida teammates play top-ranked Alabama for the SEC title and until either Bradford or Harrell or Texas’ Colt McCoy play for the Big 12 title.
On the other hand, the national championship game won’t be played until Jan. 8, almost a month after the deadline. Who knows? Perhaps it will be Tebow vs. Bradford. Maybe Tebow vs. Harrell.
Just asking here, but shouldn’t that game be factored into the voting?
In his article, Shelton has a table that illustrates how several winners in the past decade (Ohio State’s Troy Smith, USC’s Reggie Bush, Oklahoma’s Jason White, Nebraska’s Eric Crouch) all won the Heisman and then turned in average to atrocious bowl game performances.
He brings up a fantastic point – why isn’t the national championship factored in to Heisman voting? It’s supposed to be the most important game in the college football season, yet it doesn’t play a factor in determining who the best player in college football is? It’s not fair for a player to lose the Heisman with one bad performance, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to (and I’m borrowing Shelton’s point) hand out season awards when the season isn’t even over.
Sunday’s Best:Giants (7-1) at Eagles (5-3)
If you don’t like a good ‘ol fashion NFC East battle than you don’t like America. The Giants need a win to stay two games up on the Redskins in the division while the Eagles need a victory just to keep pace. Neither team has huge injury concerns so we’re about to see the best each squad has to offer. The G-Men swept the series between these two teams last year and sacked Donovan McNabb 12 times, which tied an NFL record. But the Eagles have won three straight and have averaged 31 points per game in those victories. Keeping McNabb healthy and upright has been the key, which will again be a main concern for the Eagles against a stout Giants’ pass rush. Perhaps no team in the league plays better on the road than Tom Coughlin’s bunch, but Philadelphia is always a tough environment to play in and the Giants will look to neutralize Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense by running the back effectively with Brandon Jacobs. Neither team turns the ball over very much, so this game will likely come down to which squad forces their opponent out of their game plan first.
Upset Watch:Seahawks at Dolphins, 1:00 PM ET
An easier upset to call might be Detroit over Jacksonville with how bad the Jaguars have looked the past two weeks. But I’m willing to bet the Jags can handle Daunte Culpepper much better than they did Ryan Fitzpatrick last Sunday. There’s everything to love about the Dolphins and nothing about the Seahawks, but that’s exactly why I like Mike Holmgren’s bunch this week. Typically teams that travel from the West to East don’t fare well, but the Hawks were just in Florida to play the Bucs so they’re used to the travel preparations. Miami has been the talk of the NFL the past two weeks, which means they’re in uncharted territory. They’re due for a letdown and while the Seahawks are missing six starters and have zero offense, the underdog has covered the last six games involving the Dolphins. Okay, so Miami might win. But the Hawks cover the 9-point spread after falling behind early.
Intriguing matchup:Titans at Bears, 1:00 PM ET
Even though pundits have been impressed with the Titans’ start, you get the feeling that everyone is waiting for them to stumble eventually. They aren’t blowing teams out by any means and narrowly escaped defeat last week at home against Green Bay. Chicago starts a pissed off Rex Grossman this weekend and while that normally spells trouble, he did rally the Bears last week against Detroit. Word is that it’s supposed to snow in Chicago this Sunday, which only plays into the Bears’ hands. They’re so banged up on defense that the Titans still have the advantage, but don’t be surprised if this is the week Tennessee is finally tripped.
Other notable games: Saints (4-4) at Falcons (5-3), 1:00 PM ET
This game is going to reach the mid-50’s or 60’s by its conclusion. Even without Reggie Bush, the Saints’ offense is a juggernaut, but they’ve struggled defensively and will be without DE Charles Grant for the rest of the year due to injury. Rookie Matt Ryan has been nothing short of phenomenal this year and has the Falcons thinking playoffs. Teams have forced him to beat them through the air, which he has. This is one of the more underrated rivalries in the league and a sure bet for a shootout this weekend.
Bills (5-3) at Patriots (5-3), 1:00 PM ET
Bill Belichick should be ashamed of the way he game planned for the Colts last week and will no doubt be looking to smoke division rival Buffalo to get back on track. The Bills, meanwhile, have lost two games in a row because Trent Edwards can’t keep the turnovers low. The Jets are right in the mix too, but a win in this game is huge for the division.
Colts (4-4) at Steelers (6-2), 4:15 PM ET
Indy got back on track last week with a win over the Patriots, now they have to show that they can be consistent. The Steelers thumped the Skins on the road last Monday, but are coming off a short week and could be without Ben Roethlisberger. Can Byron Leftwich lead Pittsburgh to another victory? Or has the return of Bob Sanders lifted the Colts?
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?
Josina Anderson of My Fox Colorado cites a NFL source that claims there has been a “rash of positive tests” under the steroid policy and at least two New Orleans Saints players (Deuce McAllister and Will Smith) have been named.
McAllister and Smith are in a group of players that have tested positive specifically for a diuretic known as Bumetanide. Some of the players in the group of six to ten tested positive for a different substance.
“Most of them tested positive for Bumetanide,” said the league source. “The last few tested positive for another substance that works similarly.”
Experts at the Mayo Clinic describe Bumetanide as a drug belonging to a group of medicines called loop diuretics or “water pills.” Its uses include the treatment of fluid retention and swelling caused by medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, liver disease, and kidney disease.
However, the source told Anderson that Bumetanide has another use which makes it one of the NFL’s banned substances.
“[Bumetanide] can also mask the use of other drugs or steroids.”
The source also suggested some of the players may not have known Bumetanide is on the NFL’s list of banned substances.
“I don’t think many of them are attempting to cheat, or even know it is on the list. We are talking big guys who have likely never seen a steroid in their life. My understanding of the steroid policy is that it was intended to catch cheaters or people using performance enhancing substances to gain a competitive edge. These guys don’t fall into that category,” said the source.
Regardless, all of the players in this group of positive tests, including McAllister and Smith, are subject to a suspension pending an appeal to the league. Under the NFL’s steroid policy, a player’s first positive test results in a four-game suspension.
When there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. But I urge everyone to take this information with a grain of salt considering Anderson’s NFL source is unnamed. The media has a tendency to take a story like this and run with it before all the facts come out. There’s no sense in assuming anything until the league comes out with a statement (if it even does).
Still, this is damning news for a Saints team trying to prepare for a game in London this Sunday. (Not too mention a Saints team without Reggie Bush.)
LT2 did some damage in PPR leagues (with six catches), but he totaled 67 yards on 20 touches and failed to score. After his Week 9 bye, he has four nice matchups over the next six weeks, but that might be too late for his owners to make a run…Reggie Bush (10 touches, 60 yards) is out for the next 3-4 weeks with a meniscus injury in his knee. This is the downside of drafting Bush. Deuce McAllister looks like he will get the bulk of the work in his absence…Chris Johnson (20 touches, 172 yards, TD) and LenDale White (18 touches, 156 yards, 3 TD) both went nuts against the worst rush defense in the league (KC)…Willis McGahee (21 touches, 152 yards, TD) is still RB1 in Baltimore when he can play…Ronnie Brown’s (14 carries, 28 yards) schedule is pretty easy from here on out, so if you might want to buy low after a bad game against the Ravens…Steven Jackson (27 touches, 176 yards, 3 TD) ran like a madman this week. He’s definitely back in must-start territory…Ryan Grant (33 touches, 117 yards, TD) looked pretty good against a very bad Colts rush defense. His schedule isn’t very favorable over the next several weeks, so you might want to think about selling high…Thomas Jones (25 touches, 159 yards) is looking good and he has a favorable upcoming schedule. It might not be a bad idea to try to snatch him away from an unsuspecting owner…Clinton Portis (28 touches, 183 yards, TD) is looking like a top 5 back. He shrugged off a hip flexor to post big numbers against the Browns…Jamal Lewis (20 touches, 98 yards) played better than his stats would indicate. He almost scored on a catch and had a couple of goal line opportunities, but the Browns’ line failed to get the necessary push…Julius Jones (8 touches, 37 yards) and Maurice Morris (8 touches, 68 yards) are back in a timeshare now that Morris is healthy again.
Fox’s Curt Menafee reported that Saints’ RB Reggie Bush will undergo surgery on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and will miss the next 3-4 weeks. He suffered the injury in New Orleans’ 30-7 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
This is a crushing blow for a team that has struggled this season despite being considered a Super Bowl contender in preseason. It’s been well noted that Bush isn’t an every down player and that he can’t run between the tackles, but he brings another dimension to the Saints’ offense in the passing game and can be explosive returning punts (which is how he got hurt Sunday).
New Orleans goes to London next week to play the Chargers, then have their bye before traveling to Atlanta to take on the surprising Falcons. And outside of the Chiefs and Lions, there isn’t a “gimmie” on their schedule the rest of the way.
The Saints ran into a brick wall in Carolina on Sunday. This was a nice bounce back with for the Panthers after they were steamrolled by Tampa last weekend. Steve Smith was absolutely phenomenal, hauling in six catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, which he caught falling down and between two defenders. Rookie Jonathan Stewart continues to impress, too, rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Who would have thought after seven weeks, the Saints would be the worst team (at least in terms of win/loss record) in the NFC South?
Mike Florio of SportingNews.com suggests that Saints’ RB Reggie Bush will never be a great NFL player.
But with two punt returns for touchdowns Monday night, folks now assume Bush, after two-plus years of average-to-mildly-above-average play, has arrived.
Um, not quite.
Bush had a great game. It’s still only one game. Less than four years ago, Eddie Drummond returned two punts for touchdowns on the same day and is now out of the league. Jermaine Lewis did it for the Ravens not once but twice, and he won’t ever get into Canton without paying admission.
Apart from those punt returns Monday night, Bush was ordinary. He ran the ball 12 times for 29 yards.
For the season, Bush is averaging 3.3 yards per carry. For his career, he is at 3.6 yards per carry. Monday night’s showing of less than 2.5 yards per attempt only brought down those numbers.
Bush also caught seven passes for 64 yards Monday. Solid, not spectacular.
I’m not saying Bush isn’t a solid player. I am saying Bush has a ceiling on his skill level, and that his performance on Monday night did nothing to shatter it.
He’s good, not great. He’s definitely not the guy everyone thought he would be.
Reggie Bush isn’t going to live up to the hype because the hype was too much to begin with. And that’s not Bush’s fault. Just like when Michael Vick came out of VA Tech, everyone had these grandioso ideas that just because the guy was a superb athlete, meant he was going to revolutionize the quarterback position. And then when he didn’t, writers like Florio jumped all over him and said he’ll never live up to the hype. Gee, you think? Joe Montana couldn’t live up to the hype that’s bestowed upon some athletes these days.
It’s the same deal with Bush. People who actually took the time to watch him in college knew that he was an amazing athlete, but that LenDale White got the bulk of the carries in between the tackles. Bush wasn’t all of a sudden going to be an every down back in the NFL and that’s why the Saints have wisely hung on to Deuce McAllister over the years. So will Bush ever be a great NFL player? Probably not, but he’s still the same player that lit it up at USC when you stop and think about it, only now the stage is a hell of a lot bigger and he’s not getting the same pub. It’s because of the media’s hype-machine that people even debate whether or not he’ll ever be a “great” player.
If the clock strikes Noon on Tuesday and Saints’ kicker Martin Gramatica still has a job, I’ll be shocked. Not only did the elf-like kicker shank a 46-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to aid the Vikings in their 30-27 victory over New Orleans Monday night, but the guy also had one blocked and returned for a touchdown in the first quarter because he didn’t get enough air under the kick.
In fairness to Gramatica, the Saints made a ton of mistakes in the loss, including racking up 102 yards on 11 penalties and turning the ball over four times. But considering M-Gram missed a FG earlier in the year that could have won a game in Denver, the guy has to be out of chances to play in this league. Morten Anderson may be 100 years old, but he proved last year that he’s still accurate - maybe Sean Payton needs to pick up the phone and give the ageless one a call.
Of course, if it weren’t for Gramatica’s missed field goal, the real buffoon from this game would have been Minnesota head coach Brad Childress. This genius allowed his punter and special teams coach to kick to Reggie Bush not once, but three times on returns, two of which were returned for Saints’ touchdowns. The Vikes had a 10-point third quarter lead evaporate when Bush took a 71-yard punt return to the house, cutting the deficit to 20-17. Two punt returns later, Bush returned another kick for a touchdown, this one from 64-yards out. And both times Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe kicked a low line drive to give Bush plenty of space to make a return. Now maybe I’m casting the blame on the wrong person, but Childress is the man in charge. How the hell could he allow Bush the opportunity to make multiple momentum shifting plays on special teams? Just dumb decisions all he way around.
And how about Ed Hochuli’s crew blowing another call? That was a brutal missed call in the first half when Bush fumbled, but clearly had his facemask yanked by a Vikings’ defender. He wasn’t the one that missed the call, but Ed has had a rough start to the year.
On a less critical note, Gus Frerotte was gritty Monday night. He took a vicious hit in the fourth quarter but still managed to stay in the game and squeeze a 33-yard pass into Bernard Berrian despite two defenders in the area to tie the game at 27 all. Childress at least deserves praise for going to the veteran Frerotte a few weeks ago, because he has given the Vikes’ passing game a much-needed boost.
The 2008 NFL Season is only a quarter of the way finished, but it already looks like it could be one of the craziest years in some time. And as if anyone needed a reason to tune in this year, I’ve gone ahead and listed 32 of them below.
In no particular order:
1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?
2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.
3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.
4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.
5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.
6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.
7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.
8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.
9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.
10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.
11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?
12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.
13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.
14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).
15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.
16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.
17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.
18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.
19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.
20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.
21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.
22. Michael Turner’s running style.
23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.
24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…
25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.
26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.
27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.
28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.
29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.
30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.
31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.
32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.
Need something to do besides those TPS reports that are due Friday by Noon? SPORTSNET.ca has compiled a photo gallery of all the hot wives/girlfriends of professional athletes and asks you to rank them 1-14.
Here are some of the candidates for your ranking pleasure:
Jessica Simpson (Girlfriend of Tony Romo)
Brandi Garnett (Wife of Kevin Garnett)
Gisele Bundchen (Girlfriend of Tom Brady)
Elisa Cuthbert (Girlfriend of Dion Phaneuf)
Brooklyn Decker (Fiancée of Andy Roddick)
Hillary Duff (Girlfriend of Mike Comrie)
Carmella Decesare (Wife of Jeff Garcia)
Rachel Hunter (Fiancée of Jarret Stoll)
Ashley Judd (Wife of Dario Franchitti)
Kim Kardashian (Girlfriend of Reggie Bush)
Adrianna Lima (Girlfriend of Mario Jaric)
Eva Longoria (Wife of Tony Parker)
I went to vote but then I got lost in Carmella Decesare’s brea…personality.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Week 4. Click on the picture to see a bigger version at NFL.com.
This is a nice shot of a 49er defender hanging off of Reggie Bush, who is having a great season thus far. This picture captures how an improving San Francisco defense was able to contain Bush. (Unfortunately, they couldn’t contain anyone else in the Saints’ offense.)
The timing of this picture is incredible; the photo was snapped just as the ball reached the hands of Tony Gonzalez. There were probably 30 photographers trying to get this shot, but only one managed to capture it.
I like this shot because it represents the first bit of real adversity in Jay Cutler’s remarkable 2008 season. I especially like the contrast between his look of disgust and the faceless mass of out of focus Kansas City fans in the background, who were no doubt cheering their fool heads off.
At NFL.com, you can vote for the photo of the week. (But be warned, none of these were nominated.)
We’re only two weeks into the NFL season and some fantasy owners are already lamenting their teams. Nobody – not a NFL team and certainly not a fantasy team – likes to start 0-2, and while some owners are furiously trying to improve their teams, others are no doubt wondering, what if?
As always, I’m here to help. Below you’ll find the team you could have had. The rules? Pretty simple. To ensure the player is available, we have to draft him a round early. That is, if the player has an Average Draft Position (ADP) of 3.02, we have to take him in the second round. The plan is to start one QB, two RB, two WR and a TE, and I’ll leave the K and DT to your imagination. I’ll mow through the first twelve rounds so that we have a starter and a sub at each position.
Round 1 - Reggie Bush (2.07) Drafted: RB12
Actual: RB3
Someone actually gave me grief about considering Bush in the second round of my Industry Insiders league, and while there are a lot of (Reggie) Bush haters out there, the simple fact of the matter is that in a PPR league, the guy produces. Through two games, he’s averaging 127 total yards, 7.5 receptions, and 0.5 TD per game. He’s on pace for a 120-catch, 2000-yard season. Alternate: Tony Romo (2.09)
THE LOVE OF SPORTS has compiled a list of the all-time top 15 team turnarounds.
14. Atlanta Falcons (1998)
This team went from 7-9 and out of the playoffs in 1997 to 14-2 in 1998, winning the NFC West and putting together a magical Super Bowl run before losing to Denver and John Elway…
9. New England Patriots (2001)
This was the year that launched the Patriots’ dynasty, with their first of three Super Bowls coming in the 2001 season…
6. New Orleans Saints (2006)
This was, and quite possibly still remains, the best story in football in recent memory. It wasn’t only the Saints’ incredible turnaround on the field, but also how their play raised everyone’s spirits off the field…
2. St. Louis Rams (1999)
For decades, the Rams had always been a franchise that just couldn’t get it right, drafting poorly and lacking the necessary talent to compete in the NFL. The year before its miraculous turnaround, St. Louis had traded for dynamic running back Marshall Faulk, but it didn’t turn into immediate success, as the team finished 4-12…
The teams listed above are prime examples of why the NFL needs parity. Every year a team comes out of nowhere, makes a run and people enjoy jumping on the bandwagon. Remember how good the Rams were in 1999? They torched everybody that year and were fun to watch. And who didn’t get into the Saints’ 2006 season after Hurricane Katrina ruined their 2005 season? Can’t wait to see what team comes out of nowhere and emerges in 2008.
The Saints have lost their top receiving weapon, Marques Colston, to a torn ligament in his left thumb, FOXSports.com has learned. Colston, in fact, quietly had surgery on Tuesday to reattach the ligament and will miss the next month to six weeks.
The team will be counting on Deverey Henderson and David Patten to step up their production with its leading receiver shelved for the time being. It’s unclear when the Saints will announce his injury but they are scheduled to practice this afternoon, with Colston obviously slated to miss the workout
The article didn’t mention Robert Meachem, who had a nice preseason. Many thought that he’d work his way into the WR2 role in New Orleans, but he was a healthy scratch in Week 1.
My money is on David Patten being the best of the bunch, especially in PPR leagues. He has produced when given the opportunity, and he should have plenty of chances over the next few weeks. Henderson is more of a go-route type, so he may have a few 1-47 or 2-85-1 stat lines, but he could just as easily put up a goose egg. The wild card is Meachem. He definitely has the tools to be a breakout candidate, but it’s just not clear how much Sean Payton trusts him at this point.
Whoever emerges as the WR1 while Colston is out will probably be the third option in the passing game after Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey, so don’t give up a good player to grab one of these guys. I’d rather have Eddie Royal or DeSean Jackson on my roster. They should be good all season.
Every fan of every team does it to some degree after Week 1. Overreact, that is. Either their favorite team won big in their first game and is now a sure bet to reach the Super Bowl, or they lost and are the worst team in the NFL.
It’s fun to overreact and, better yet, it’s part of being a fan. When your favorite team is projected to go 2-14 and finish dead last in their respective division, it’s fun to play the “that idiot at the Scores Report has no idea what he’s talking about” card after winning Week 1. And when your team is on the losing end of a big upset, it’s almost therapeutic to go overboard in shredding them to pieces.
Below are 15 overreactions from the first week in the NFL. Some of these overreactions might prove to be true by the end of the season, while some might not even hold water after Week 2. They’re also premature, over the top, and in some cases ridiculous. But I guarantee that some football fans are thinking these exact thoughts a day after their team’s first game.
1. Without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots won’t even make the playoffs. Teams will use Matt Cassel’s inexperience against him and the Pats will unravel with a below average secondary.
2. Now that Tom Brady is likely done for the season, the Jets will win the AFC East. Brett Favre has made New York a legitimate playoff contender and Thomas Jones will have a bounce back season running behind an improved offensive line. And one of the big things that has hampere
Boy, a few years ago, that headline would have sent the entire city of New Orleans into a panic, but new techniques in microfracture surgery have really improved long-term results.
