Category: NFL (Page 1098 of 1282)

      Meshawn attacks Ocho Cinco

      October 26, 2007 /

      The talk from last weekend’s NFL action was the interview Keyshawn Johnson did with Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson for ESPN’s “NFL Countdown”. Keyshawn is taking some heat for being overly critical of Chad’s elaborate touchdown celebrations.

      You be the judge of if Keyshawn was unfair during the interview:

      While he was a bit over the top at times (the dreaded theme music in the background was a nice touch, ESPN), Keyshawn was just doing his job as a reporter. The problem, however, is that Keyshawn was way worse during his playing days than Chad has ever been.

      Chad dances and draws attention to himself. Keyshawn drew attention to himself, but by berating teammates. So, while the interview itself was rather fair, the choice for interviewer wasn’t. Chad may be a distraction at times, but so is T.J. Houshmanzadeh when he’s complaining on the sidelines about the Bengals offense not clicking. Chad has never been malicious in his actions – the same cannot be said for Keyshawn. If ESPN had another interviewer ask similar questions, it’s highly doubtful the segment would have received this much attention.

      NFL

      Week 8 Preview

      October 25, 2007 /

      Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      START ‘EM

      QB: Brian Griese has been putting up monster stats and has a terrific matchup against the Lions this week. Detroit is 30th against the pass, allowing 269 yards and 2 TD per game…For those in desperate at QB, Alex Smith is practicing fully this week and he has a nice matchup with the Saints, who are 27th against the pass…Jay Cutler and Brett Favre both have pretty favorable matchups in that Broncos/Packers tilt.

      RB: Cedric Benson has a terrific matchup against the Lions, who have yielded an average of 116 rush yards and 1.2 rush TD per game this season…LenDale White is worth another start against the Raiders, who are 29th against the rush…Surprisingly, Kevin Jones is worth a start against the Bears who have been uncharacteristically bad against the run this season…Whoever the starter is in Cleveland – Jason Wright or Jamal Lewis – is a good fantasy play against the Rams, who have given up 130 yards and 1.3 TD on the ground this season…Thomas Jones is also worth a start against the Bills, who are 25th against the run.

      WR: Both Chicago WRs – Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad – should be solid starts this week as they face a very bad Detroit secondary…Santonio Holmes should definitely be in the lineup against the Bengals, who have yielded 249 yards and 2.7 TD through the air this season…Kevin Curtis has a nice matchup against the Vikings, who are terrific against the run, but are last in the league against the pass…Ronald Curry faces the Titans, who are 9th against the pass…Kevin Walter and Andre Davis have a pretty nice matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed an average of 240 yards per game through the air this season.

      SIT ‘EM

      QB: I still like Jason Campbell, but he faces a very good Pats defense this week and should be benched if possible…Even if Vince Young suits up, he should be benched against the Raiders, who are 12th against the pass and have only allowed six pass TD all season…David Carr should be avoided. He faces the Colts, who have given up a league-best 162 pass yards per game (and just five pass TD) this season.

      RB: Don’t expect much from Kenny Watson (or Rudi Johnson, if he plays) against the Steelers. They are the league’s 3rd best rush defense (though Watson should be able to catch some passes)…LaMont Jordan faces a tough test against Tennessee’s stingy front seven, who have yielded a league-best 60 yards per game on the ground…Ahman Green has several nice matchups coming up, but this week’s game against the Chargers isn’t one of them.

      WR: Ted Ginn and Marty Booker should be benched this week. They face the Giants, who are on fire defensively right now…Ike Hilliard has been playing well, but this week he faces the Jags, who have allowed a league-best four pass TD thus far this season.

      THINKING DEFENSIVELY

      Last week, my top three picks were Tampa Bay, Seattle and the NY Giants. The Seahawks and Giants were terrific, but the Bucs defense laid an egg in Detroit. Here are a few defenses that have nice matchups this week and are available in at least 40% of ESPN leagues (in order of strength of play):

      TEN, IND, HOU, OAK and NO

      SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

      Marc Bulger, Rams
      It’s strange to see Bulger’s name mentioned as a sleeper, and I know he’s been pretty awful, but if he can’t put up good stats against the Browns (who have allowed an average of 264 yards and 2.8 TD through the air), then he’s in serious trouble. For some owners, this will be Bulger’s last chance.

      TOUGH SLEDDING

      Adrian Peterson, Vikings
      He’s a must-start these days, but the Eagles have a pretty stingy rush defense that has allowed just 88 yards and 0.3 TD per game on the ground this season. At some point, teams are going to bring nine guys into the box and dare Tarvaris Jackson to throw the ball…aren’t they?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Falcons’ Hall says he wants to be cut

      October 24, 2007 /

      The owner of the Atlanta Falcons voodoo doll has struck again. After the team cut DT Grady Jackson Tuesday night, several players – including CB DeAngelo Hall – voiced their displeasure on Wednesday. Hall noted that due to head coach Bobby Petrino’s silence on the Jackson issue, he wants to be cut.

      When Hall was told Petrino said the move was a football decision, he responded: “If that’s the case they need to cut about 52 [players], they can cut me too, they can cut all 53 of us. Ain’t nobody playing the way they should be playing right now. Obviously. We’re 1-6. To single out Grady is asinine. It’s ridiculous. We got so many players that haven’t made a play around here. It don’t make no sense. We gave a lot of people jobs. To sit there and single Grady out and say that’s the reason why, that’s ludicrous. If you’ve got something else better and more concrete to go off of, I’d love to hear it. I’m not buying that one.”

      It’s clear that – like most losing teams – the Falcons are in the midst of a midseason upheaval. Word is that Jackson was playing selfishly and was lazy at practice, so if that was the case, then Petrino did the right thing. Jim Mora was every player’s best friend last year and allowed guys like Hall to get away with everything. Now it’s Petrino’s duty to clean up the mess. The message is clear: If you don’t want to play like a team, then we’ll find players that will. If you want to act like selfish brats instead of professionals that are highly compensated, then you’re gone.

      Things look extremely bleak in Atlanta, but maybe Petrino is just getting rid of the weeds so he can have a fresh lawn in due time.

      NFL

      Goodell strikes again

      October 23, 2007 /

      Due to the title of this blog, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Wow, did another freaking NFL player get suspended?” No, this news is positive. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office have decided to shorten the time teams get during the first two rounds of the draft. Instead of the agonizing 15 minutes teams used to get to make a selection in the first round, they now only get 10. And in the second round, teams now get seven minutes instead of 10, plus the draft time will be moved from 12:00pm ET to 3:00pm ET and only the first two rounds will be conducted on the first day. Usually the first three rounds occur on the first day, but now rounds 3-7 will be moved to day two.

      “We believe this will make for a more streamlined and efficient draft,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement issued during the league owners meetings in Philadelphia.

      Good call. Anyone who sat through the first round of last year’s draft saw it go six hours and eight minutes – the longest first round in the history of the draft. These new changes might not be best for the teams, but they certainly are better for those fans that don’t want to donate 24 hours to watching the entire first round.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

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