Category: NFL (Page 300 of 1282)

      2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

      October 19, 2010 /
      New York Jets coach Rex Ryan yells from the sidelines in Indianapolis, Indiana in this January 24, 2010 file photo. It could prove to be a perfect match should tough-talking Ryan deliver on his promise of a return to football glory for a New York Jets team whose history was founded on a Super Bowl guarantee made good. To match Feature NFL-JETS/RYAN REUTERS/Shaun Best/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Two teams in the top 5 fall from last week, while the Packers continue to slide and the Giants continue to climb.

      Let’s get nasty…

      Check out Week 6’s Power Rankings

      1. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 1
      After shaking off the rust in the first half, Big Ben threw three touchdowns in his return to action last Sunday. If he’s already playing at the top of his game, this is the team to beat for the foreseeable future.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 2
      That wasn’t a very convincing performance in Washington on Sunday night, but a win is a win in the NFL. That said, something tells me the Jets will be moving into this spot within the next couple of weeks.

      3. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 4
      The Jets certainly didn’t dominate the Broncos last weekend and they were bailed out by Renaldo Hill’s pass interference call inside the 5-yard line in the closing minutes. But it’s never easy for East Coast teams to travel cross-country and beat the Broncos in Denver. Yet, that’s exactly what Rex Ryan’s team did.

      4. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 7
      Tom Brady wasn’t sharp until late in the Pats’ win over the Ravens, but he was efficient when it mattered most. Deion Branch isn’t Randy Moss, but he proved on Sunday that he doesn’t need to be in order to help New England win.

      5. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 3
      Tough loss for the Ravens in New England last Sunday. I wouldn’t say they dominated the Pats for most of the game, but they were definitely in control. In the end, they got Tom Brady’d.

      6. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 8
      I guess the Saints answered the question of whether or not the Bucs were for real. That’s the performance everyone has been waiting for out of this team.

      7. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 11
      I held off bringing the G-Men back into the top-10 until they proved they could stop beating themselves with costly turnovers. They’ve done that over the last three weeks and they might be the most confident team in the NFC right now.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 10
      The Eagles’ win on Sunday over the Falcons was one of the most dominating performances I’ve seen from a team against a playoff-caliber opponent. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect day was the injury sustained by DeSean Jackson. Get better soon, DeSean.

      9. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 5
      When a team starts 4-1 and has as much talent as the Falcons, not many people get fixated on how that team won those games. When a team travels Philly, allows Kevin Kolb to throw for over 300 yards and then gets dominated in every phase of the game, people start throwing the term “overrated” around when two of said team’s wins were courtesy of a missed field goal and a fluke fumble. The Falcons still have a lot to prove.

      10. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 6
      Three weeks ago the Packers were sitting atop these rankings as the clear-cut best team in football (in my eyes, anyway). But an ugly Monday night loss to the Bears and 40,034 injuries later, this team is on the verge of dropping out of the top-10.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Fantasy Football Q&A: Week 7

      October 19, 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 7 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

      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 7: Where Danny Woodhead stands tall

      October 19, 2010 /
      New England Patriots running back Danny Woodhead carries the ball against the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts October 17, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)


      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.

      Matthew Stafford (22.7)
      Shaun Hill has a broken arm, so the Lions are planning to bring Stafford back after the team’s Week 7 bye. His upcoming schedule is very favorable (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE), so he should make an excellent backup/borderline starter for the stretch run.

      Chad Henne (62.6)
      Henne has thrown 2 TDs in each of the last three weeks. His schedule gets tougher before it starts to ease up in Week 12 (@ OAK).

      Josh Freeman (13.8)
      Yesterday on Twitter, I mentioned that Freeman is the master of the garbage TD. He has thrown for six scores in five games, and his schedule is pretty reasonable the rest of the way.

      Matt Cassel (10.5)
      It’s not so much Cassel’s play of late, which has been better. It’s more about how favorable his schedule is over the next several weeks. He has JAX, BUF, OAK, ARI, SEA and DEN twice. He makes a decent QB2 going forward.

      Sam Bradford (30.3)
      With Mark Clayton out, I don’t feel as good about Bradford as I did a couple of weeks ago. That said, his schedule starting Week 10 is pretty favorable.

      Matt Hasselbeck (17.8)
      Except for the St. Louis game, Hasselbeck has thrown for at least 220 yards and one TD or for two TDs in the four other games.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.6)
      It’s tough to argue with seven TDs in the last three weeks, but his schedule gets pretty tough over the next three weeks (BAL, KC, CHI).

      Kevin Kolb (58.4)
      He’s playing well and a Week 7 matchup with the Titans isn’t bad, so if you need a spot starter, you could do a lot worse. But his long-term status as a starter is very much up in the air.

      Bruce Gradkowski (2.5)
      Gradkowski should be the starter once that shoulder is healthy. Hopefully, he’ll return this week in time for a matchup with the Broncos.

      Alex Smith (15.9)
      He has five TDs in the last two weeks and eight TDs on the season. His Week 7 matchup (@ CAR) isn’t the greatest, but things ease up down the stretch.

      Colt McCoy (1.2)

      Matt Moore (1.2)

      Max Hall (1.0)

      Trent Edwards (0.6)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Vince Young, David Garrard both hurt in MNF game

      October 18, 2010 /
      INDIANAPOLIS - DECEMBER 06: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans is pictured during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      Both starting quarterbacks in the Monday Night Football game were injured in the first half. Vince Young sprained his knee early in the first quarter, while David Garrard took a hit from a Tennessee pass rusher in the second quarter and went into the locker room just before half. (His injury is unknown at this point, but don’t rule out the possibility that he took himself out because he’s God awful.)

      The good thing for Tennessee is that Kerry Collins is Young’s backup. He hit Bo Scaife on a 2-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter and then orchestrated another scoring drive that netted the Titans a field goal. Tennessee currently lead 17-0 at half.

      Unfortunately for Jacksonville, their backup is not Kerry Collins but Trent Edwards, who was signed three weeks ago after Buffalo dumped him following two brutal starts at the beginning of the season. He came in and took the Jaguars right down the field, but then Mercedes Lewis crapped on the drive by fumbling inside the red zone. Tennessee recovered the loose ball and held Jacksonville scoreless in the first half.

      Edwards looked great on his lone drive, but soon enough he’ll remember he’s Trent Edwards and start checking down every chance he gets. Of course, he’s probably a better option than Garrard at this point, so even if Garrard is healthy to start the second half, Jack Del Rio might as well leave Edwards in.

      Update: ESPN will think twice about putting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football again after their performance tonight. Thanks to Collins and a dominating performance by their defense, the Titans rolled Jacksonville, 30-3. Maurice Jones-Drew never got going for the Jags and Edwards was picked off on the first possession of the second half.

      Reports say that Garrard suffered a concussion in the first half, which is why he never returned.

      External Sports, NFL

      Losing is a collective effort now for Cowboys

      October 18, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during a 27-20 loss against the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      Jerry Jones said Monday that he wouldn’t fire Wade Phillips during the season. He didn’t say whether or not he’d fire him a millisecond after the season, just that he wouldn’t give him the boot during the season.

      This may displease Dallas fans, but why should Jones fire him? Phillips isn’t the only reason the Cowboys are 1-4, nor is he even the main reason.

      The Cowboys racked up double-digit penalties in their loss to the Vikings on Sunday. They did the same thing in their loss to Tennessee two weeks ago and are now tied with Detroit as the most penalized team in the NFL.

      Is that on coaching or the players? Before you answer “coaching,” remember that Phillips made it a point of emphasis to his players after Marc Colombo was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the loss to the Titans not to jeopardize the team by making stupid mistakes. And yet there was Miles Austin on Sunday, leapfrogging over Roy Williams in celebration over Williams’ touchdown in the first quarter. Austin was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and although the penalty didn’t lead to a score for the opposition like Columbo’s did, it still put the ‘Boys in bad position.

      The penalty is a reminder that not everything is Phillips’ fault in Dallas. He didn’t leapfrog over Williams – Austin did. Those kinds of penalties are on the individual – not the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

      That said, Phillips and his crew don’t escape criticism here. When Tony Romo threw that horrendous interception to E.J. Henderson with under three minutes to play on Sunday, Marion Barber was 5-for-5 picking up first downs at that point. Yet with his team facing a 3rd-and-2 from the Dallas 22-yard line, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett called a pass play and the result was disastrous. He did the same thing earlier in the game from practically the same spot on the field and Romo threw an interception then, too.

      Garrett also out-thought himself at the beginning of the game when he ran Barber three straight times to pick up an easy first down on the Cowboys’ first possession, then called three straight passing plays which netted a punt. I know Minnesota’s claim to fame defensively is stopping the run, but for the love of foghorns, Jason, keep the ball on the ground if it’s working.

      But this is what the Cowboys do every week now. The players shoot themselves in the foot with dumb penalties while the coaching staff either fails to make the proper adjustments or winds up out-guessing itself. It’s a sick cycle right now and one that is sure to continue unless Phillips, the players or Jones does something about it.

      Something has to give in Dallas.

      External Sports, NFL

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