Month: September 2008 (Page 49 of 61)

      Matt Ryan, Michael Turner era in Atlanta starts off with a bang

      September 7, 2008 /

      Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan won his first start in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons crushed the Detroit Lions 34-21. Ryan was 9 of 13 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown, but the real story was Michael Turner, who rushed for a whopping 220 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Turner set the Falcons’ franchise record for rushing in a single game.

      Ryan connected with Michael Jenkins on a 62-yard touchdown pass on just the third play of the game and then the Falcons turned the game over to Turner. Atlanta finished with 318 total rushing yards as they completely manhandled Detroit’s front seven, which might be the worst in the league.

      Many pundits still liked the Lions coming into the season because they returned a lot of the same personnel that made them an explosive offense in 2007. But Detroit is void of overall talent on defense and might struggle all year.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Favre wins in Jets’ debut

      September 7, 2008 /

      Brett Favre won his Jets’ debut as Chad Pennington lost his first game as a Dolphin. The Jets edged out Miami 20-14 as Favre went 15 of 22 passing and two touchdowns. Pennington also had a nice day, completing 26 of 43 passes for two touchdowns and one interception.

      – Brett Favre won his 161st game, extending his NFL record.
      – The Jets have now won five straight and 17 of their past 21 meetings with the Dolphins.
      – Ricky Williams was held to 24 yards rushing as the Dolphins lost for the 19th time in the last 20 games.

      I thought Williams would have a better day against a Jets’ run defense that struggled last year, especially with how he ran this preseason.

      Did Packer fans everywhere shed a tear when Favre hooked up with Jerricho Cotchery on a 56-yard pass in the first quarter? It’s not like Favre every did that in Green Bay ever…

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      USC hold on to the #1 spot in the AP Poll

      September 7, 2008 /

      Georgia played well this week, but not well enough to overtake USC at the #1 team in the country in the latest AP poll. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s sluggish performance vs. Ohio dropped them two spots to #5, setting up a #1 vs. #5 matchup at USC next Saturday.

      Also, East Carolina cracked the top 25:

      East Carolina’s latest big win was its third straight against a ranked opponent, dating to last season’s Hawaii Bowl victory against Boise State, and probably the Pirates’ most impressive.

      East Carolina manhandled previously No. 8 West Virginia 24-3, shutting down Pat White and the Mountaineers’ speedy spread offense. That came a week after the Pirates took out Virginia Tech.

      West Virginia dropped all the way to No. 25.

      The last time East Carolina was on a roll like this was 1999, when the Pirates were ranked most of the season before falling out on the final poll of the season. East Carolina hasn’t been ranked this highly since 1991, when the Pirates finished the season at No. 9.

      The Pirates now shift to being the favorite instead of the underdog. They open Conference USA play at Tulane this week, then travel to rebuilding North Carolina State. Their next home game is against Houston before they have a week off.

      It’s nice to see new particpants in the national polls. We’ll see if East Carolina can keep this up.

      College Football

      Tom Brady leaves game vs. Chiefs

      September 7, 2008 /

      Tom Brady got hit on his left knee and had to leave the game against the Chiefs.

      New England quarterback Tom Brady left Sunday’s game against Kansas City after being hit on the left leg, depriving the Patriots of the reigning NFL MVP.

      Tom Brady is hit Sunday by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, bottom, in Foxborough, Mass. Brady left and was taken to the locker room. The two-time Super Bowl MVP, who has started 128 consecutive games, limped off the field midway through the first quarter when he was hit in the pocket by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. The team announced Brady had a knee injury and his return was questionable.

      No word yet on the seriousness of Brady’s injury.

      NFL

      NFL Week 1 Game of the Week: Cowboys at Browns

      September 7, 2008 /

      Game Time: 4:15 PM ET on FOX
      Spread: Cowboys –5.5

      Tony RomoGame Preview:
      Dallas enters the season as the perennial favorite to represent the NFC in the 2009 Super Bowl. QB Tony Romo, RB Marion Barber III, WR Terrell Owens and TE Jason Witten form one of the more explosive offenses in the league. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett proved last year that he’s an outstanding play caller and the Cowboys shouldn’t have issues putting points on the board on a weekly basis. The defense is also stacked and head coach Wade Phillips is one of the better 3-4 schemers in league.

      Cleveland has high expectations after winning 10 games last season, but QB Derek Anderson has to prove that he wasn’t a one-year fluke and the offseason additions have to gel quickly on defense. Anderson certainly has enough playmakers around him to succeed, from TE Kellen Winslow Jr. to WR Braylon Edwards and RB Jamal Lewis. Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams were acquired in the offseason to help boost the defensive pass rush and hopefully take the pressure off a talented, but inexperienced secondary.

      Sean JonesOutlook:
      The Browns must get pressure on Romo like the Giants did in last year’s NFC Divisional Playoffs or else Garrett will keep Cleveland’s defense off balance all game. Stopping Barber and the Dallas’ run game will also be vital, but perhaps more important for the Browns is that they need to win the turnover and field position battles. They should be able to score points (even against a tough Dallas defense), but they don’t stand a chance if they can’t force a turnover or two without turning the ball over themselves. Lewis and returner Joshua Cribbs will be game-time decisions and if they can’t go, Cleveland’s defense will have to step up even more because the offense might struggle to stay balanced. Expect the Browns to double up Owens and take their chances with Patrick Crayton in one-on-one coverage. Keeping Witten from running down the seams will also be imperative, so safety Sean Jones might have a busy afternoon.

      Prediction: Cowboys 30, Browns 21. The Cowboys have depth concerns, but they still have so many weapons that are healthy. Cleveland wasn’t particularly sharp in preseason either, although that rarely is a telltale sign on how a team will do in the regular season.

      NFL

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