Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 667 of 1503)

      Jekyll and Hyde Texans strike again

      October 18, 2009 /

      If the Houston Texans could ever find some consistency from week-to-week, there’s no doubt they would be a playoff team. But one week they’re losing to the Jaguars at home and the next they’re beating a red-hot Bengals team in Cincinnati.

      Matt Schaub dissected the Bengals for 392 yards and four touchdowns in Houston’s 28-17 victory on Sunday. It might have been the best performance of his career, as he used multiple receivers and was incredibly patient while waiting for receivers to come out of their breaks. He was also extremely accurate, hooking up with Andre Johnson eight times for 135 yards, including once for 59 yards.

      The Texans have a good enough offense to hang with any opponent in the league. But it will be the play of their defense that decides whether or not they’ll make the playoffs. Today their defense was excellent, limiting the Bengals to only 46 yards on the ground and forcing three turnovers. But next week, who knows?

      One factor that could help Houston down the stretch defensively is the emerging play of rookie Brian Cushing. He has shown the ability to shed blockers, hang with backs and receivers in coverage and has displayed a knack for making the big play. He was outstanding on Sunday, intercepting Carson Palmer and forcing two fumbles. Houston has found a special player in this year’s first round pick.

      Cincinnati suffered today when defensive end Antwaan Odom left the game with an injury. The Bengals were also without Domata Peko, who has been their best run-stuffer. Without those two defenders, Schaub, Steve Slaton and Chris Brown were able to move the chains with consistency and the Bengals were in catch up mode the entire game outside of when they added a late field goal to take a 17-14 lead into halftime.

      This loss might wind up being good for the Bengals. They may have started to read their own press clippings after beating the Ravens in Baltimore last week and Marvin Lewis can use this loss to remind his team that there are 16 games in a NFL season.

      NFL

      The best team in the NFL routs Giants

      October 18, 2009 /

      The New Orleans Saints are the best team in the NFL. Not just the NFC, but in the entire league. And if you disagree, then make sure you watch the highlights of the Saints’ beat down of the Giants on Sunday.

      In what was supposed to be a battle of the two best teams in the NFC, the Saints absolutely guerrilla-smacked the Giants 48-27 at the Superdome. Soon-to-be MVP winner Drew Brees was brilliant, completing 23 of his 30 passing attempts for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He finished with a QB rating of 156.8.

      The Giants turned the ball over twice and had nine penalties that totaled 110 yards, but this wasn’t a matter of New York shooting itself in the foot. New Orleans was just flat out better in all facets of the game. The stepped on the Giants’ throats and kept it there for four quarters.

      For years, the one thing that had been missing for this Saints team was a stellar defense to go along with their explosive offense. Now now they have one under new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and we’re finally seeing what this team is capable of. New Orleans limited the Giants to only 84 rushing yards, 241 passing and as previously noted, they also caused two turnovers and sacked Eli Manning twice.

      Speaking of sacks, the Giants’ explosive pass-rush was limited to just one today. ONE. The Saints have one of the more underrated offensive lines in the league, which is something that is often overlooked when pundits gush about Brees and Sean Payton’s offense. One of the keys for the Giants today was being able to generate pressure on Brees and they couldn’t. New Orleans’ offensive line was that good and it doesn’t even have Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown, who was placed on injured reserve in late September after he had to have sports hernia surgery.

      As for the Giants, they saw today just how behind they are to the best team in the league. They certainly don’t have to go back to the drawing board, but they tried to match wits with another elite team and got their asses handed to them. They better get healthy defensively and figure out how to wake up Brandon Jacobs or else they won’t last in the postseason. Today was certainly a wake up call for the G-Men.

      I don’t think any NFC team can beat the Saints in the Superdome. If they earn the top seed in the NFC, they will be on the fast track to the Super Bowl.

      NFL

      Favre once again saves Vikings from second half collapse

      October 18, 2009 /

      Forget the fickleness, the wavering and the constant stroking of his ego – Brett Favre was worth it for the Minnesota Vikings.

      The Vikings remained undefeated in 2009 following their thrilling 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. For all intents and purposes, the Vikings should have won by double-digit points but they blew leads as large as 14-0 in the first quarter and 27-10 in the fourth.

      It was Favre that once again stepped up when Minnesota needed it most. After Baltimore shocked the Metrodome crowd by taking its first lead of the game at 31-30 with just over three minutes remaining, Favre found Sidney Rice on a 58-yard reception that got Minnesota down to Baltimore’s 18-yard line. Head coach Brad Childress then decided to play for the field goal by calling three consecutive running plays and setting up a Ryan Longwell 31-yard field goal to give the Vikings the lead back at 33-31. Favre and Minneosta then had to hold their collective breaths as Ravens kicker Steven Hauschka missed a potential game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired.

      Putting aside Minnesota’s near-collapse for a second, Favre and Adrian Peterson were incredible. Favre completed 21 of 29 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, while Peterson rushed for 143 yards on 22 carries. I don’t know if Peterson is opening things up for Favre, Favre is opening things up for Peterson or if it’s just a perfect mix of both, but it’s working for the Vikings.

      But while I hate to pop the Favre-magic balloon, this was the second time this year that the Vikings got lucky inside the Metrodome. The first time was against the 49ers when Favre found Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone on an improbable touchdown pass. Had San Fran been in a normal defense, Minnesota would have suffered its first loss of the season. And had Hauschka made the field goal today, the Vikings would have lost again. It certainly wasn’t a chip-shot, but that’s a field goal Hauschka has to make while kicking inside a dome.

      That said, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. While the Vikings aren’t a perfect football team (the Ravens did whatever they wanted in the second half offensively, exposing some of the Vikings’ defensive issues), they have a perfect record and that’s the only thing that matters at this point.

      Oh, and having No. 4 under center certain helps too.

      NFL

      Connecticut football player stabbed to death after game

      October 18, 2009 /

      Jasper Howard, a cornerback for the University of Connecticut, was stabbed to death after an on-campus dance reports Yahoo! Sports. The dance took place just hours after the team’s victory over Louisville.

      UConn police said one of their officers was approached on Hillside Road around 12:33 a.m. and told that a stabbing had occurred. Police found Howard and another person with stab wounds, university police said in a statement. The name of the second person was not immediately released.

      Both were taken by ambulance to Windham Community Memorial Hospital. Howard was later airlifted by Lifestar helicopter to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he died from his injuries, police said. The second person was treated and released from Windham hospital.

      Howard made a key move in Saturday’s game, forcing a fumble just as Louisville was about to score. The Huskies were up 21-13 at the time. They later won 38-25. Following the game, Howard, who led the Big East in punt returns last season, talked to the AP about the play.

      You wonder why someone would feel the need to stab two people following a dance, especially a couple of kids.

      College Football

      VA Tech’s title dreams evaporate in loss to Georgia Tech

      October 17, 2009 /

      Only once in the history of the BCS has a two-loss team every played for the national title (LSU in 2007). So forgive the Virginia Tech Hokies if they’re not feeling too good about their title hopes after they were upset 28-23 by Georgia Tech on Saturday.

      The Hokies became yet another victim of the Yellow Jackets’ option attack as quarterback Josh Nesbitt passed for only 51 yards, but gained 122 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Running back Jonathan Dwyer added 82 yards on 20 carries in the victory.

      It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when VA Tech played like a team with something on the line. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor rushed for a 22-yard touchdown to cut Georgia Tech’s lead to 21-16, but Nesbitt scored on a 39-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining to put the Jackets back up 28-16. Ryan Williams scored on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Taylor with just under two minutes remaining, but it was too little too late. Despite making strides as a passer the past couple weeks, Taylor struggled outside of the fourth quarter.

      What a win for Georgia Tech. They quieted many pundits that deemed them overrated and one-dimensional by turning in a solid defensive effort to go along with their potent option attack. The Jackets turned some heads tonight.

      With the Hokies’ loss, the Coastal Division is now wide up. Between VA Tech, Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia, the division is completely up for grabs.

      College Football

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