Month: September 2008 (Page 21 of 61)

      Ronnie Brown scores 5 TDs as Dolphins crush Patriots

      September 21, 2008 /

      Ronnie BrownMiami head coach Tony Soprano decided to give Ronnie Brown the start at running back Sunday in New England.

      Good call, coach.

      Brown rushed for four touchdowns and even threw for one in the Dolphins’ 38-13 thrashing of the Patriots.

      Lining up mostly in the “Wildcat” formation, which is largely used at the collegiate level, Brown rushed for 113 yards and his one pass attempt was good for a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Anthony Fasano. Brown’s touchdown runs were good from 2, 15, 5 and 62 yards.

      It was amazing to watch Brown and the Miami offense do absolutely anything they wanted to against Bill Belichick’s defense, shredding New England for 461 total yards and 38 points. Even when the Pats had no idea how to stop Brown, even though they knew he would run the ball when he was lined up at quarterback and in the shotgun.

      What a great idea for the Dolphins to run that offense knowing Belichick and the Patriots wouldn’t see it coming. Soprano and offensive coordinator Dan Henning look like geniuses. New England hasn’t lost a regular season game in 21 tries and a college offense beats them. Amazing.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Report: Chiefs inquire about Browns’ QB Brady Quinn

      September 21, 2008 /

      Cleveland BrownsRotoworld.com (via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.com) is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs contacted Cleveland about acquiring second year quarterback Brady Quinn, but the Browns turned them down.

      Cleveland turned them down and Quinn dynasty owners can only hope that the Browns don’t reconsider. With Cleveland 0-2 and Derek Anderson struggling mightily over his past seven games, Quinn’s chances of taking over at some point appear pretty good. Also interesting to note: Chiefs fans recently started a “GetBradyNow.com” website. We doubt a deal will happen.

      The Chiefs are hurting. Brodie Croyle wasn’t ready to be an NFL starter, but KC had little choice but to throw him into the fire this year and now he’s out with a separated shoulder. Croyle’s backup, Damon Huard, got hurt last week and now former Vikings-reject Tyler Thigpen is the starter. (Yikes.)

      With how bad Anderson has been in two games, the Browns had no choice but to turn the Chiefs away. If Anderson continues to struggle, there’s no doubt Romeo Crennel will throw Quinn into the mix in efforts to save his job.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Backup QB Jarrett Lee leads LSU over Auburn 26-21

      September 20, 2008 /

      Jarrett LeeLSU-Auburn lived up to the hype as LSU beat its SEC brethren 26-21 at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night.

      LSU backup quarterback Jarrett Lee was forced into the game after starter Andrew Hatch came out of the game after getting his bell run early in the second half. Lee actually had relieved Hatch in the second quarter, but was 0 for 5 on his first five passes and was intercepted by Gabe McKenzie, who returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.

      But Lee completed his first pass of the game, a 16-yard completion to Richard Dickson, when he replaced the injured Hatch early in the third quarter. Three plays later Lee, who was hit right before releasing the ball, connected with Mitchell for a 39-yard touchdown to cut Auburn’s deficit to 14-10. With less than two minutes remaining in the game and Auburn 21-20, Lee completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell, which wound up being the game-winning score for LSU.

      This game started off like many expected – a defensive struggle. Neither team’s quarterbacks could make plays in the first half, but once things got rolling, the second half was filled with exciting moments. While he did throw two interceptions in the game, Auburn QB Chris Todd finished with respectable numbers (17 of 32 passing for 250 yards) and a completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Dunn, which at that point gave AU a 21-20 lead.

      This game was again proved how superior the SEC is to any other conference. The top game in the ACC today, No. 18 Wake Forest vs. No. 24 Florida State, was a turnover-laden mess (which the Deacons won 12-3, by the way). And no game in the Big Ten or Pac 10 (USC was off again?!) was exciting, outside of maybe OSU QB Terrelle Pryor’s four-touchdown performance over unranked Troy. With the way Auburn and LSU went at it Saturday night, it’s hard to argue that any other college football conference produces the talent-level the SEC does. Some of the hits in this game were NFL-caliber.

      College Football

      Rays, Cubs clinch playoff berths

      September 20, 2008 /

      Chicago CubsWith a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, the Tampa Bay rays clinched their first playoff spot in club history. And with their 5-4 victory over division rival St. Louis, the Chicago cubs are once again NL Central Champions.

      The Rays’ Division Series playoff destination will shake out in the final week of the season. Assuming the Rays win the AL East and Boston wins the Wild Card, the Rays will open at home against the Central winner, either the White Sox or Twins, while the Red Sox would open at the Angels, who have the AL’s best record. Should Boston win the East and the Rays get the Wild Card, the Rays would open at Anaheim, while the Red Sox would host the Central Division champion. The Division Series is a best-of-five set.

      What a magical run the Rays had this year. Finally, all of their young, exciting position talent came together and the pitching staff held up for an entire season. Too bad they don’t sell out in Tampa, because fans are missing one hell of a ride.

      If the standings hold, they will host the Wild Card-leading Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 1-2 in the first two games of a best-of-five National League Division Series. Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) would be in Philadelphia on Oct. 4-5. If the series goes to a decisive fifth game, it would be Oct. 7 at Wrigley Field. Philadelphia is only a half-game behind the Mets in the East, so the first-round opponent could easily change.

      Teams from the same division cannot face each other in the Division Series. If Milwaukee, Houston or St. Louis wins the Wild Card, the Cubs, if they don’t blow their seven-game lead atop the NL standings, will play the NL division champion with the worst record. The West-leading Dodgers are Chicago’s likely opponent in that scenario, since they are 6 1/2 games behind the East-leading Mets.

      How long before all the curse talk begins? Wait, it’s already started? The Cubs have the most balanced lineup in the NL and if Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden can stay healthy, the club also has an excellent 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation. But obviously the major question surrounding this team is whether or not they can get over the hump. They certainly have enough talent to make a World Series run, now it’s all about execution.

      MLB

      AFC, NFC even par in the NFL?

      September 20, 2008 /

      Is the AFC still the NFL’s dominant conference? Probably not. The reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants reside in the NFC. Two of the AFC’s best players (New England Patriots QB Tom Brady and San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman) are lost for the entire season. And the NFC is 4-2 vs. the AFC in interconference play after two weeks of the season.

      The NFC has not had a winning record against the AFC since 1995. Last season, the conferences were even (32-32) in head-to-head competition for the first time since 2001. And entering last season’s Super Bowl, the AFC had won six of the last seven title games.

      Improved offensive play is a big reason why the NFC is flourishing once again, as 13 of the 16 NFC teams are averaging 20 or more points per game this season. A few star players in the conference have successfully returned from injury this season. Donovan McNabb is healthy, rejuvenated, and the Philadelphia Eagles are once again one of the top scoring teams in the league. And Jake Delhomme has brought his signature enthusiasm and gunslinger personality back to the undefeated Carolina Panthers after missing all of last season due to ligament-replacement surgery in his right elbow.

      Scoring has been a staple in the AFC, thanks largely to the play of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Historically, the AFC has always been considered “the conference of the quarterback, “and on most Sundays they will have more first-round starting quarterbacks than their NFC rivals. But Brady’s season-ending knee injury and the struggles of Carson Palmer have hurt the QB quality in the AFC.

      Typically, the NFC has been a conference that features strong defenses and solid running games. But that philosophy could be changing, as some NFC teams are copying the AFC formula: basing their success on the play from the quarterback position. The statistical numbers do not lie; Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees are all having hot starts to their seasons. The passing numbers haven’t been this good in the NFC since the Kurt Warner era in St. Louis. And during this recent AFC’s domination, Brett Favre and McKnabb have been only premier quarterbacks the NFC had to offer in competition.

      The supremacy of the AFC could be ending this season, as the gap seems to be closing between the two conferences. Perhaps now the NFC will get the respect it deserves.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, General Sports, NFL, Television

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