Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1108 of 1503)

      The warning signs for the Cowboys were there weeks ago

      October 19, 2008 /

      Wade PhillipsFor the second straight week, the Rams produced the upset of the day (or at least the upset of the early games) as they smoked the Cowboys 34-14 in St. Louis.

      While the Rams have been a nice story the past two weeks under interim head coach Jim Haslett, the story of this game has to be how out of sync Dallas looked offensively without Tony Romo (broken pinkie finger). Despite having a plethora of options in the passing game, Brad Johnson was absolutely brutal until late in the third quarter when the Rams’ defense was playing off the ball and allowed easy completions.

      What happened to “American’s Team?” They thumped the Packers in Green Bay and everyone said they were easily the best team in the NFC, if not in the NFL. But in hindsight, something that many overlooked was how bad the defense looked against the Eagles on Monday night in Week 2. Dallas was absolutely shredded and is a fumbled exchange between Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook away from being a .500 team. The warning signs were there, but people were so enamored with all of the individual talent Dallas had on offense that they overlooked the underlying issues on defense.

      The Cowboys obviously need a healthy Romo to get the offense back in sync. But more importantly, Wade Phillips needs to start making some wholesale changes on defense or else the ‘Boys won’t make the playoffs playing in a stacked NFC East.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Saints get crushed by Panthers, lose Reggie Bush for 3-4 weeks

      October 19, 2008 /

      Reggie BushFox’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?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      So maybe Martz isn’t a miracle worker after all

      October 19, 2008 /

      J.T. O'SullivanMike Martz may be known as the “Mad Scientist” but he also should have another nickname: “The coach who can turn crap quarterbacks into 3,200-yard quarterbacks.”

      Okay, so “crap” might be a harsh word. Marc Bulger wasn’t crap, he was more of a relative unknown, and Jon Kitna did have some productive seasons before his back to back 3,400-plus yard season. But Martz’s latest project, J.T. O’Sullivan, might fill the aforementioned use of the word crap.

      O’Sullivan’s final numbers (16 of 28 for 256 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs) in the Niners’ 29-17 loss to the Giants on Sunday weren’t bad, but don’t be fooled. He has zero pocket presence, bad footwork and his accuracy is below average. (And that’s putting it kindly.)

      If O’Sullivan’s first half effort is any indication of his potential, than there’s no way San Fran should give up on former first overall pick Alex Smith. Not that Smith has quelled doubts that he’s a first round bust, but O’Sullivan isn’t the answer either. And Mike Nolan has to be the next head coach on the chopping block. (Enough with the suit, will ya?)

      On a related topic but different note, this was a nice bounce back game for the Giants after their debacle on Monday night against the Browns. Eli Manning didn’t have an earth shattering performance, but he was solid and the G-Men got back to running the ball effectively again. I don’t know how much you can take from beating the 49ers at home, but again, they needed this after their loss to Cleveland.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Bears finally put together complete game

      October 19, 2008 /

      Kyle OrtonThere the Bears were, facing yet another opportunity for a fourth quarter meltdown. They had squandered double-digit fourth quarter leads in back to back losses to the Panthers and Buccaneers, then suffered a crushing defeat in the final 11 seconds to the Falcons last Sunday after mounting a dramatic fourth quarter comeback.

      But despite the Vikings best efforts at a comeback on Sunday, Chicago was able to put an opponent away late and walked away with a 48-41 win over Minnesota. It was an unusual win for the Bears, who got very little from their defense, but managed to score two touchdowns off of Minnesota special teams gaffs, and yet another solid performance out of quarterback Kyle Orton (21 of 32, 283 yards, 2 TDs).

      The Bears might be the most dangerous 4-3 team in the league right now and if they could put together more efforts like they did on Sunday (minus the brutal defense, of course), then they’re going to battle the Packers all year in the NFC North. It goes without saying though, that they need to get real healthy, real fast in the secondary in order to win their division. Because better passing teams are going to eat them alive.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Brodie Croyle is one unlucky S.O.B.

      October 19, 2008 /

      LenDale WhiteBrodie Croyle claimed his starting quarterback job Sunday in Kansas City after missing most of the season with a separated shoulder suffered in Week 1. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 63 yards and promptly was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. The team announced after the game – a 34-10 Titans’ victory – that he’ll miss the rest of the season.

      Croyle attempted just 29 passes in two starts this year. Talk about bad luck.

      As for the Titans, they thumped a team they should have thumped and looked impressive doing so. Chris Johnson made yet another push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushing for 168 yards and a score on just 18 carries. LenDale White also added 149 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

      It’s hard not to be impressed by Tennessee this year. Their defense is playing as well as anyone in the league and while Kerry Collins isn’t lighting up the stat sheet, he’s not making mistakes and isn’t forcing passes. There’s nothing flashy about this team, but they do all the little things right and have struck a nice balance on offense. In the upcoming weeks, they face the Colts, Packers, Bears and Jaguars, so they’ll get several tests over the next month to see where they’re at as a team.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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