Category: NFL (Page 281 of 1282)

      NFL Week 8 MVP, COY and ROY Power Rankings

      November 7, 2010 /


      It’s getting tougher and tougher, isn’t it? I’m glad the people who actually vote for these categories can do it at the end of the season, but they can’t possibly have this much fun trying to pick the winners from week to week. With that, here are our Week 8 power rankings…..

      MVP Power Rankings

      1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Manning’s stats have been consistent all season, but the fact that his Colts are now 5-2 and firmly in place to win another AFC South crown and possibly much more, you just can’t ignore him.

      2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—With or without Randy Moss, Brady gets it done, and he has less to work with now than he has in a while. Not to mention, he has to carry a less-than-stellar (by New England standards) defense this year.

      3. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—Matthews now leads the NFL with 10 sacks through seven games, and he has 27 tackles, one stuff, one forced fumble and one pass deflected. More than that, he helped pitch a shutout of the Jets last week. The dude is just sick.

      3 (tie). Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons—Go outside. Throw a football up in the air as high as you can throw it. Before you watch the ball hit the ground, Roddy White will have appeared out of nowhere to catch it. That’s how good this dude is.

      Honorable mention: Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants; Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers; LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers; Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Arian Foster, Houston Texans; James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers; Jerod May, New England Patriots, Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions

      Coach of the Year Power Rankings

      1. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—Last season, the Bucs were 3-13 and just flat-out awful. This season, they have almost doubled their win total through seven games (5-2) and Morris has them believing they are the best team in the NFC. It doesn’t matter if he’s right, it just matters that they believe, and thanks to Morris, it looks like they do.

      2. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—If the Chiefs win Sunday against the Raiders, they and their fans can start talking about an AFC West title. Just like Morris, this comes after an awful 2009 campaign (4-12).

      3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—I’m sorry to continue to back my guy, but even though the Giants had a bye last week, it’s still incredible that Coughlin brought his team from 1-2 and dead in the gutter to the class of the NFC (sorry, Raheem) with four straight convincing wins.

      Honorable mention: Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders; Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans, Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks;; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles, Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams; Bill Belichick, New England Patriots; Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons; Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders; Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

      Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

      1. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—The kid is putting up average numbers (1674 yards, 11 TDs, 8 picks), but the Rams are a respectable 4-4 and challenging for a division title, and they are led by this dude. Who would have thought?

      2. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—This rather large man is just a beast—a man-beast if you will—in the middle. When was the last time the Lions had a guy like that? And he’s leading all linebackers in the NFL with 7 sacks.

      3. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—Yeah, the Cowboys aren’t very good this year. But this kid is one reason to watch them play.

      Honorable mention: Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions; Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders; Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

      External Sports, NFL

      Vikings’ owner almost fired Childress over Moss decision

      November 5, 2010 /

      MINNEAPOLIS - JANUARY 17: Brad Childress, Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings, looks on during the first half of the game against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on January 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

      According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf nearly fired Brad Childress after the head coach waived Randy Moss earlier this week before talking to Wilf about the decision. The report states that Wilf was “furious about being circumvented” and almost kept Moss.

      I’m actually surprised Wilf didn’t fire Childress. His front office went out and traded a third round pick to acquire Moss and his lame-brain head coach waived him four weeks later because he doesn’t know how to handle big personalities like the ones Moss and Favre have. Given Wilf’s reaction to the situation, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Childress overstepped his boundaries here.

      Either way, I don’t see how Childress keeps his job past this season. He managed to get the Vikings to the NFC title game last year but now that everything has fallen apart, it’s apparent he has no idea how to right the ship. Granted, not having Sidney Rice has been a major blow to the offense and there’s no doubt that he was vital to the Vikes’ success last season. But this is still a talented team and it’s up to Childress to figure out ways to win when one of his star players goes down with an injury. That’s what he’s paid to do – that’s what his job is and he hasn’t delivered.

      That said, I credit Wilf for not making a snap decision and firing Childress the moment he heard about Moss being waived. He might as well stand by his head coach now and let Childress hang himself as the season wears on. Because the Vikings are toast – they’re not coming back. Wilf just has to ride out these next nine weeks and then he’ll have everything he needs to tell Childress to hit the road. (Even though the head coach still has three more years left on his current deal.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 9

      November 5, 2010 /

      New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning passes against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of their NFL football game in Arlington, Texas October 25, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Sharp (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Every week, I will 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 suggest you bench Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson because they have tough matchups – just go ahead and keep them in your lineup. Instead, I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances.

      As usual, I’ll discuss these players within the context of my weekly positional rankings, so remember — everything is relative.

      It’s hard not to like Eli Manning (#4) this week. Seattle is a tough place to play, but Manning has nine TDs in his last three games and is coming off a bye week, so the Giants should be fully prepared to face the Seahawks, who are ranked 29th against the pass…Matt Ryan (#6) has a nice matchup with the Bucs, who have given up an average of 2.0 pass TDs through the first seven games…Josh Freeman (#11) has quietly become the league’s most underrated fantasy quarterback. He has thrown at least one TD in six of seven games this season, and he always seems to add 20-30 rushing yards to his fantasy total. With a great matchup against a sketchy Falcons secondary on tap, he should be in line for another solid day.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      2010 NFL Week 9 Picks

      November 5, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - DECEMBER 27: Head coach Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches from the sidelines during the game against the New Orleans Saints on December 27, 2009 at Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

      I missed out on my first 4-0 Sunday last week by picking the Steelers against the Saints, which was a mistake. It was a clear trap and had I trusted my gut, it would have been a clean sweep. I’ll take 3-1 every week though.

      On to this week’s picks…

      Chiefs (5-2) @ Raiders (4-4), 4:15PM ET
      I’m not buying this latest offensive surge from the Raiders. If he can stay healthy, there’s no question Darren McFadden can knock on the door of elite. But this is still Oakland Raider football, where consistency goes to die. This pick is less about the Chiefs and more about the Raiders coming back to earth, although I like Kansas City. Do I think they’ll keep up their strong play? Not really, but their defense is strong and their offense started to figure things out before last Sunday’s dud against Buffalo. Chiefs win outright, although I’ll gladly take the points with them playing on the road.
      THE PICK: CHIEFS +3

      Chargers (3-5) @ Texans (4-3), 1:00PM ET
      The Chargers, your official spokes team for traps. The past two weeks oddsmakers have laid traps with the Bolts, as they were favored against the Patriots and Titans at home. This week they go on the road (where they’re 0-4, mind you) to Houston and they’re favored again? Without Antonio Gates? Something smells like old asparagus. You look at this line and it screams out to take the Texans, which is exactly why I’m taking the Bolts. Take that oddsmakers!
      THE PICK: CHARGERS –3

      Bucs (5-2) @ Falcons (5-2), 1:00PM ET
      I’ll admit I’m not a big Bucs fan. I think their 5-2 record is a mirage and while it was cute of Raheem Morris to build up his team’s confidence by saying they were the best in the NFC, this team will come back down to earth at some point. That said, what a total slap in the face to be a 9-point dog against a team that they’ve played tough throughout the years. I know the Falcons are good at home (nearly unbeatable under Matt Ryan), but Tampa has always gives Atlanta fits. This is going to be a hard-fought, nasty, tooth-and-nail, down-to-the-wire finish in the Georgia Dome and I’ll gladly take the nine points.
      THE PICK: BUCS +9

      Saints (5-3) @ Panthers (1-6), 1:00PM ET
      The NFC South is an interesting division. The Saints always have a hard time with the Panthers, who always have a hard time with the Falcons, who always have a hard time with the Bucs, who always have a hard time with the Saints. But not this Sunday. Carolina is putrid and if it weren’t for Buffalo, we’d be referring to this team as the worst in the league. And without DeAngelo Williams, they don’t stand much of a chance this Sunday against the Saints. New Orleans may have righted the ship with a win last Sunday night against Pittsburgh, so maybe we’ll start to see glimpses of the ’09 Saints over the next couple of weeks. That, or at least a diet version of the ’09 Saints.
      THE PICK: SAINTS –6.5

      Season Record: 13-14-1

      External Sports, NFL

      Pierre Thomas was nearly a Patriot

      November 5, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - AUGUST 21: Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints scores a touchdown against the Houston Texans at the Louisiana Superdome on August 21, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      According to Brian Allee-Walsh of NewOrleans.com, the Saints nearly traded running back Pierre Thomas to the Patriots leading up to the October 19 deadline.

      The Saints were reportedly targeting a cornerback but talks fell through after New England asked for a draft pick to be thrown into the deal. Thomas has missed the last five games due to an ankle injury.

      It’s not surprising to hear that the Saints nearly dealt Thomas considering how frustrated coach Sean Payton has been with his running back’s injury issues over the last two years. Thomas was a vital piece down the stretch run last year, but he can never stay healthy. Not having Thomas and Reggie Bush in their backfield has hurt the Saints this season, as Payton’s offense has lost its balance.

      On the injury front, Thomas told the media on Thursday that doctors found something else wrong with his ankle when they re-examined him last week. That said, he was also told he can ditch his crutches during the Saints’ bye in Week 10, which is a positive sign for his status the rest of the year.

      External Sports, NFL

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