Category: NFL (Page 1084 of 1282)

The marquee matchup in the NFC (probably the only marquee matchup in the NFC) plays out Thursday night on the NFL Network when the Packers take on the Cowboys in Dallas. So I figured – what the heck, I’ll do a preview.

This isn’t a gambling site, but I felt compelled to mention that most sports books have the Cowboys as seven point favorites. Seven points? I could see home field advantage giving Dallas a three or maybe even a five-point edge, but seven? We’re not talking about a 7-3 team who has managed to get hot recently – Green Bay is 10-1 and Brett Favre is playing magnificently.

Personally, I like Green Bay. I like them with the points, straight up and with a side of coleslaw. Statistically, Dallas is better on both sides of the ball. But in a game of this magnitude, stats go out the window. The Cowboys secondary can be had and I know a certain #4 is the right man to expose a weaknesses in a team’s defensive backfield. Dallas is good against the run (excellent, actually), but the Packers are one of the few teams that don’t need to set up the pass with the run – they usually don’t have to worry about being one-dimensional if a defense shuts down the ground game. The Pack certainly have the offensive weapons to take advantage of safety Roy Williams in space and as long as Favre doesn’t start forcing passes and turning the ball over, Green Bay should be able to pull out a victory.

One thing Tony Romo does so well, however, is that he creates opportunities with his feet. Give this guy enough time and he’ll find Terrell Owens and Jason Witten streaking down the field. Aaron Kampman and Cullen Jenkins can’t let Romo move the pocket or else he’s going to have a field day. Either way, call the NFL Network thieves because they stole a great game from their television counterparts.

What’s a preview without a meaningless prediction, too? Packers 27, Cowboys 23. Thoughts?

I Miss Football Season took a stab at which NFL head coaches could be shown the door after the year.

1. Brian Billick, Baltimore–They were 13-3 last year and looked like they might go all the way. But ever since the Colts knocked them out of the playoffs, they haven’t been the same. This year they are 4-7 and have lost a lot of games they should have won. The defense isn’t the same, probably because it’s tired from being on the field all the time. The offense is, as always, atrocious. And remember that Billick is an offensive coach. See ya.

2. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati–This one is more of a longshot, because I think Marvin may have turned things around last week, and I think he deserves another year. But this season, the playoffs will be watched from the Bengals’ collective living room.

3. Tom Coughlin, NY Giants–For a minute there, it looked like ol’ Tom had saved his job. But alas, the Giants have begun their annual collapse. Look, he can’t stop Eli Manning from throwing picks and he can’t tackle players on the other team, but he sure can find a way to stop a second half losing skid, and he hasn’t done that yet. Bill Cowher, please keep your cell phone turned on when Jerry Reese calls.

4. John Fox, Carolina–This team has underachieved more than it has looked like world beaters, and though Fox can’t be blamed for injuries, this will be one of those change of scenery things.

5. Scott Linehan, St. Louis–Yes, his Rams have won 2 of 3, but fans were calling for his dismissal after 4 games. It’s just not working out, and I think they miss Mike Martz more than anyone will admit.

I agree about Billick – folks in Baltimore have been calling for his head for weeks now. He looks completely befuddled this year and out ofanswers after seemingly fixing the Ravens’ offensive woes last year. I think Fox is done too. Read the Carolina papers and you get the impression that he might not be the best fit for that team anymore. As far as Lewis and Coughlin, as IMFS suggested, they might be coaching for their jobs over the next five weeks. Linehan is probably safe for at least another year. The Rams definitely have underachieved this year, but you have to give a guy at least three seasons.

The one guy I’d add to IMFS’s list is Mike Nolan in San Fran. Mike Singletary’s name has been in the head coaching mix for two seasons now and maybe the Niners promote from within after this disastrous season.

Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post and ESPN’s “PTI” wrote an interesting column in the wake of Sean Taylor’s death.

I wasn’t surprised in the least when I heard the news Monday morning that Sean Taylor had been shot in his home by an intruder. Angry? Yes. Surprised? Not even a little. It was only in June 2006 that Taylor, originally charged with a felony, pleaded no contest to assault and battery charges after brandishing a gun during a battle over who took his all-terrain vehicles in Florida. After that, an angry crew pulled up on Taylor and his boys and pumped at least 15 bullets into his sport-utility vehicle. So why would anybody be surprised? Had it been Shawn Springs, I would have been stunned. But not Sean Taylor.

Coincidence? We have no idea, not yet anyway. Could have been a random act, a break-in, something that happens every day in America, something that could happen to any one of us no matter how safe we think our neighborhood is. Could have been just that. But would it surprise me if it was more than that, if there was a distinct reason Taylor was sleeping with a machete under his bed? A machete. Even though his attorney and friend Richard Sharpstein says his instincts tell him “this was not a murder or a hit,” would it stun me if Taylor was specifically targeted? Not one bit.

…But what they do share is dying too soon, unnecessarily so, while young and athletic, seemingly on top of the world. Though we’re likely to struggle in great frustration to understand the circumstances of how Taylor left so soon, how dare we not put forth an honest if sometimes uncomfortable effort to examine his life in some greater context than football.

Wilbon makes a great point in his final paragraph that some want to gloss over more underlining issues when an athlete dies. We should remember that Taylor was becoming a great player and a man who was starting to turn his lifestyle around for the better. But the fact of the matter is that he didn’t change quickly enough. A young man lost his life and therefore, it’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy that someone lost a son, father, brother and a friend. The bigger tragedy, however, is if another athlete with a similar background doesn’t view Taylor’s death (random or not) as a cautionary tale.