Category: NFL (Page 292 of 1282)

      2010 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

      October 26, 2010 /
      New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning talks to his offense in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at New Meadowlands Stadium in week 4 of the NFL in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 3, 2010. The Giants defeated the Bears 17-3. UPI /John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

      Thanks to a controversial finish in Miami, the Steelers retain their spot at the top for one week. After that, however, it’s pure, unadulterated chaos, as usual.

      Let’s get nasty, Ricky.


      Check out Week 7’s Power Rankings

      1. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Ranking: 1
      The NFL says that the officials in the Pittsburgh-Miami game got the call right on Big Ben’s fumble at the goal line. I think that’s crap, but it doesn’t change my opinion that this is currently the best team in the league. That may change with a loss to the Saints this Sunday though.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 2
      We’ll see how the Dallas Clark and Austin Collie injuries play out before moving the Colts from this spot. With the Texans coming to town on Monday night, we’re about to learn a lot about this Indy team.

      3. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 2
      The Jets are fortunate to get a banged up Packers team at home while coming off a bye this Sunday. Now they have to take advantage of it and keep pushing forward.

      4. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 4
      Not a very dominating performance out in San Diego last week, but wins are the only thing that matter. Good teams take advantage of the gifts that opponents give them, which is exactly what the Pats did last Sunday. That said, they’re fortunate not to have blown a double-digit fourth quarter lead.

      5. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 7
      There’s no doubt the Giants need to cut down on the turnovers (they’re averaging about 34 a game right now), but they’re dominating teams right now. Romo or no Romo, after the two early interceptions on Monday night, the Giants were in complete control. This is your favorite in the NFC East from here on out.

      6. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 5
      It looked like the Ravens had already gone into their bye last week against the Bills. There’s no excuse to give up 34 points to Buffalo at home, but John Harbaugh and Co. will get things straightened out this week.

      7. Tennessee Titans
      Previous Week: 11
      If Kenny Britt can stay out of Jeff Fisher’s doghouse long enough to stay on the field, then he gives the Titans what they’ve been desperately searching for in terms of a deep threat. This team is starting to play with a little more consistency from week to week and is now an under-the-radar contender in the AFC.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 8
      It’ll be interesting to see how Michael Vick performs coming off his injury. Kevin Kolb did his job to keep the Eagles afloat while Vick was out, but now it’s time to turn it up a notch because the Giants are rolling. I didn’t move the Eagles down this week after a bad second half in Tennessee because this is still the same team that absolutely dominated the Falcons two weeks ago.

      9. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 9
      Although they let the Bengals back into the game after building a 24-3 lead, it was impressive to watch the Falcons reinsert their foot on Cincinnati’s throat in the fourth quarter. Their offense also found the vertical passing game for one of the first times all year and Michael Turner bounced back after a poor outing in Philadelphia two weeks ago. The bye week comes at a great time for this team, as injuries are starting to mount.

      10. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 10
      The Packers hold onto their top-10 ranking after beating the Vikings, although they have another tough outing this week in East Rutherford. The Jets will be coming off their bye and it’s scary to think about what Rex Ryan will drum up in terms of a pass rush while game planning to face Aaron Rodgers.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Fantasy Football Q&A: Week 8

      October 26, 2010 /

      Wondering who to add/drop or whether or not a trade is fair?

      I’m here to help.

      After checking out our Waiver Wire Watch, you can post your questions here, and unless you say differently, I’m assuming your league has a standard (non-PPR) scoring system.

      If you are wondering who to start in a standard scoring league, please wait until later this week (usually Wednesday or Thursday) when I’ll release my official Week 8 rankings.

      And if you’re a regular visitor, please take a moment to rate my advice at Fantasy Pros (under Member Rating). I’d appreciate it.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      49ers owner John York commits to Mike Singletary for rest of season

      October 26, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Mike Singletary of the San Francisco 49ers watches on against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Fans that were hoping Mike Singletary would get the boot during the season won’t have their prayers (for lack of a better word) answered anytime soon.

      49ers owner John York says that he’s committed to Singletary through the duration of the season despite the team’s 1-6 start. The Niners were the preseason favorites to win the NFC West but despite all their talent they can’t get it together on Sundays.

      Barring a miracle second half, Singletary is likely out at the end of the year. His rah-rah style was great when the Niners showed steady improvements but it has obviously started to wear on players. And if the players don’t want to fight for their head coach in good or bad times, then there’s no sense keeping him employed.

      What’s really interesting is the idea that Singletary may not get another head coaching job after bombing so badly in San Francisco. That might be premature of me to write, but he’s shown an inability to make in-game adjustments and is turning into a P.R. nightmare. This isn’t a movie – you can’t give the “halftime speech” every week and then get your ass handed to you on the field. Winning is the only thing that matters in the NFL.

      Even if he’s fired by the 49ers, Singletary needs to use these last nine games as an audition for other teams. Because unless he wants to go back to being a linebackers coach, he needs to prove that he can outmatch other coaches in the league.

      External Sports, NFL

      Thanks to Romo’s injury, defense, Cowboys can essentially kiss 2010 season goodbye

      October 26, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 25: Quarterback Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys lies on the field after a left shoulder injury in the second quarter against the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium on October 25, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      It’s usually not wise to pronounce a team’s playoff chances dead after only seven weeks. But an exception can be made for the 2010 Cowboys.

      Tony Romo broke his left clavicle in an embarrassing 41-35 loss to the Giants at home on Monday night. As of this writing there hasn’t been a timetable given for his return, but it’s estimated that he’ll miss anywhere from six to 10 weeks, which means the 1-5 Cowboys can essentially put a bullet in their season.

      Jon Kitna did throw for 187 yards and two touchdowns while subbing for Romo, but after the Giants took a 38-20 lead midway through the third quarter it was evident that the game was well in hand. The ‘Boys scored on a 15-yard Dez Bryant touchdown with 40 seconds remaining to cut the Giants’ lead down to six, but New York dominated the game once Romo left early in the second quarter.

      It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Wade Phillips keeps his job. He’s come under fire for many things over the past few years but the one caveat is that his defensive game plans are usually sound. But the Cowboys’ defensive effort on Monday was atrocious.

      They were left on the field for long periods of time, but as a defense you still have to tackle. You still have to find ways to generate a pass rush and you can’t allow 497 total yards – 200 of which coming on the ground. The Cowboys did pick Eli Manning off three times, but he completed 25-of-35 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns and at one point he completed 18 of his 21 pass attempts. With how easy it was to find space in Dallas’ secondary, receivers Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham must have thought that they were lining up against their scout team.

      The Cowboys faced an uphill climb when Romo was healthy but now that he’s going to miss a big chunk of the season, it’s safe to say that the Cowboys aren’t realistic playoff contenders. The Giants are light years better right now and we’re talking about a team that turned the ball over five times on Monday. I can’t imagine what the score would have been had the Giants not given the Cowboys’ scoring chances throughout the game.

      The Cowboys suffered a tough break when Romo went out, but there’s no excuse for how the defense played tonight. Phillips and company are in for a long rest of the season.

      External Sports, NFL

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 8: Is LeGarrette Blount the new feature back in Tampa?

      October 26, 2010 /
      TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 24: Running back LeGarrette Blount of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers straight arms safety Oshiomogho Atogwe of the St. Louis Rams during the game at Raymond James Stadium on October 24, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

      Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

      Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

      Tony Romo owners: Don’t get depressed. It’s no fun to lose your star QB, but of all the positions in fantasy football, QB is one of the easiest to mask/fix. If you don’t already have a capable backup, target two decent QBs that look to have a fairly easy combined schedule and form your own midseason QBBC.

      Chad Henne (59.7)
      Henne has averaged 289 yards and 1.8 TD in the last four games, and Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess are a pretty good pair of wideouts to throw to.

      Matthew Stafford (21.9)
      Stafford should return in Week 8 and has several good matchups (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE) over the next five weeks.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.3)
      I thought Fitzy might struggle against the league’s 3rd-ranked pass defense, but that didn’t happen (374 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT). The Bills’ defense is pretty bad so he’ll have to throw, throw and throw some more, and Lee Evans and Steve Johnson are coming on. The schedule isn’t great, but after Week 7…does it matter?

      Jon Kitna (0.1)
      Kitna had a few good fantasy years in his day and he’ll take over as the starter or as long as Tony Romo is out. The Cowboys have a ton of offensive weapons, so he could be a serviceable starter.

      Matt Cassel (37.8)
      True, he looked brutal early in the season, but he has five TDs and zero picks in the last two games, and another easy matchup against the Bills in Week 8.

      Josh Freeman (16.5)
      Steady as she goes: Freeman has at least 212 yards or two TD passes in five of six games this season. And the one bad game was against Pittsburgh. With Arizona and Atlanta up next, Freeman is a decent spot starter in the short term.

      Sam Bradford (29.4)
      He didn’t throw for a lot of yards, but the rookie tossed two more TDs to give him a total of nine in seven games. A bad matchup with the Panthers awaits in Week 8, but things get a lot easier after his Week 9 bye.

      Matt Hasselbeck (21.5)
      With just four TDs in the last five games, Hasselbeck has little upside, but he can get you through a rough patch if he has a decent matchup.

      Matt Moore (1.2)
      Who is this guy? Moore looked terrific against the 49ers, and if rookies David Gettis and Brandon LaFell can grow up quickly, Moore could turn into a solid QB2.

      Jason Campbell (4.7)
      He filled in admirably and if he keeps winning, he could stick as the starter even when Bruce Gradkowski comes back.

      Colt McCoy (2.3)
      After a 281-yard, one-TD outing against the Steelers, McCoy only threw for 74 yards against the Saints. It just goes to show that the Browns are going to play conservative when they have the lead.

      Max Hall (1.6)
      He was replaced after a blow to the head, but Ken Whisenhunt says he’s still the starter if healthy. This is a situation to avoid if you can.

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      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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