Category: NFL (Page 349 of 1282)

      Top 5 Storylines of Week 1 in the NFL

      September 10, 2010 /
      SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 17: Head coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets stands on the field during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on January 17, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

      It’s Week 1 in the NFL, so you know there are going to be some juicy headlines heading into this weekend’s action. Here are my top 5…

      1. What will Rex Ryan and the Jets do for an encore?
      We’ll have to wait until Monday before we see “Hard Knocks” play out on the field, but Ryan’s squad is going to get a stiff test right off the bat. The Ravens are loaded offensively and some believe could challenge for a Super Bowl berth this season. Meanwhile, Darrelle Revis is back at practice after holding out for 36 days, but is he ready to play after missing all of training camp? How will his chemistry be with a defense that he hasn’t played a live game situation with in over seven months? Can the Jets live up to their own Super Bowl expectations? Something tells me we’re going to find out a lot about both of these teams in four nights.

      2. How will the new-look Redskins fair?
      The Redskins were a disaster under Jim Zorn last year, so owner Daniel Snyder hired Mike Shanahan to help restore order and then signed off on a trade for Donovan McNabb. Now questions remain not only about McNabb’s health, but about whether or not he has enough help around him. The O-line is still a major question mark, as are the running back and receiver positions. On the other side of the ball, Shanahan has been feuding with Albert Haynesworth for the better part of a decade and rumors have started to circulate that he could be traded to Tennessee (uh, Haynesworth – not Shanahan. That would be ridiculous.). Kind of a bad time to be playing on national television against a divisional rival that is expected to be a Super Bowl contender, huh?

      3. Kevin Kolb gets stiff opening test
      All eyes will be on Kolb this week in the first game of the McNabb-less era in Philly. He won’t have time to get acclimated to the situation for very long, because the Super Bowl-hopeful Packers are coming to town with their top ranked defense from a year ago. It’ll be interesting to see what the backfield combination of Kolb and Shady McCoy will produce in their first live run of 2010. The offensive line is good and Kolb has plenty of weapons in the passing game thanks to DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin, but if McCoy can’t find running room then the Packers will certainly amp up the pressure. This could wind up being the best matchup on the Week 1 schedule next to Ravens-Jets’ bout on Monday night.

      4. Mike Martz’s Windy City Debut
      If you’re like me, I’m waiting for one of two things to happen in Chicago this year: Jay Cutler becoming the second-coming of Jeff George in Martz’s offense…or Jay Cutler becoming the second-coming of Jeff George in Martz’s offense. George, if you remember, could zip the ball around a football field as well as any quarterback in the league. Too bad he also forced passes into small windows instead of throwing it out of bounds or take sacks. He was also a pistol when it came to dealing with teammates and coaches, which is not unlike Cutler. It stands to reason that given Cutler’s skill set, he could wind up having a great season under Martz. But considering his offensive line still isn’t that good and he’ll be throwing the ball even more than he did last year, he could also wind up breaking the NFL record for interceptions in a single season. Either way, it should be fun.

      5. Welcome to the NFL, Sam Bradford
      Unlike some people, I don’t mind when teams start rookies at quarterback. The best way to learn the game is to play and while young signal callers are going to make plenty of mistakes, they’re also going to gain valuable experience as well. Bradford needs a better set of receivers than what the Rams currently have on their roster, but it’s not like the team is sending him into a firefight with a water gun and a shank. The offensive line is improving and having Steven Jackson in the same backfield will help take some of the pressure off of the rookie’s shoulders. He’s going to make some dumb mistakes and chances are, he’s also going to make some plays that make you say, “Hmm, nice throw kid.” Either way, Week 1 isn’t going to make or beak his future. It’ll be fun to see how he does in his first NFL test though.

      Just missing the cut…

      6. Is Maurice Jones-Drew healthy?
      7. Brady and Welker sans car accidents and knee injuries
      8. T.O. and Ocho Act I
      9. Can the Texans finally get the Colts monkey off their backs?
      10. How will the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers fair with Dennis Dixon under center?
      11. Pete Carroll makes his debut in Seattle
      12. Will we actually see Brandon Jacobs’ head explode if Bradshaw gets more opportunities in the Giants’ offense?

      External Sports, NFL

      Family involved in Tom Brady car crash lashes out at media

      September 10, 2010 /
      August 19, 2010: New England's Tom Brady ( ) delivers a pass during the New England Patriots' pre-season game with the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Patriots defeated Atlanta, 28-10.

      The family that was directly or indirectly involved in Thursday’s car crash that also concerned Tom Brady is upset with the attention that the superstar quarterback is getting while one of their loved ones remains hospitalized.

      From the Boston Globe:

      “Why? Because we’re poor, we don’t have money, because Tom Brady is famous,” said the sister of Rogerio Rodrigues, the 49-year-old man who was injured in the accident. The sister asked that she not be identified to avoid publicizing the case any further.

      Rodrigues suffered critical injuries, including a broken back, she said, and is undergoing surgery today after a series of surgeries Thursday.

      Rodrigues’s 21-year-old son, Ludgero, was cited in the accident with running a red light and causing the crash. Ludgero Rodrigues has a lengthy driving record, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

      “His son was driving because he had a very bad back problem,” the sister said.

      She said Ludgero swears he did not run the red light. He told police he had a green light. The sister argued that the media and authorities sympathized with Brady.

      “Nobody talks about Tom Brady because he’s a rich guy, and we’re poor,” she said. “My brother is in very bad condition. We are upset. Leave the family alone because we are in pain.”

      I love how the sister mentions not once, but twice how their family is poor. In the grand scheme of things, what does that have to do with the situation? I would argue that it’s Brady’s fame that is garnering him more attention than the other victim in this situation – not his fortune. (Although one can make the argument that fame and fortunate run parallel to each other.)

      Either way, if the brother who was driving the vehicle a) was cited for running a red light and causing the accident and b) has a “lengthy driving record,” then I’m not quite sure what the sister is looking for here. Had Brady caused the accident and was getting sympathy from the media, then she would have a leg to stand on.

      But to play the we’re-getting-the-short-end-of-the-stick-because-we’re-poor card in this situation is weak. I feel bad that anyone suffered injuries, but get real. Don’t be mad at Brady because he’s a celebrity and receiving attention when it was your family member that was cited and that has the record.

      Besides, this was all about timing anyway after Brady signed his new $72 million deal (which included $48.5 million guaranteed). Of course he’s going to get attention – he’s Tom Brady and he’s now the highest-paid player in the NFL.

      External Sports, NFL

      Five fantasy takeaways from Saints/Vikings

      September 10, 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)

      Well, it wasn’t a particularly well-played first game of the NFL season, but it was a tight game nonetheless. Here are five things that fantasy owners can take away from last night’s opener:

      1. Pierre Thomas is a stud, and Sean Payton forgets that sometimes. (Adrian Peterson is a stud, and Brad Childress forgets that sometimes.)
      In the first half, Payton gave Thomas three touches for -1 yards. He did have a 10-yard catch that was called back due to penalty. In the second half, the Saints tried to establish the running game in earnest and Thomas 72 yards on his next 16 carries — an impressive 4.5 ypc average during that span against the league’s #1-rated rush defense of 2009. He also found the endzone and caught three passes for 15 yards.

      Meanwhile, “Chilly” abandoned the run when the Vikings were behind by just five points in the second half. Anthony Stalter has the details:

      Down 14-9 with just over nine minutes remaining, Childress called seven straight pass plays. There was plenty of time for him to remain balanced with his playcalling, but he went pass-heavy and the result was a stalled drive at the New Orleans’ 44. He essentially made Gregg Williams’ job a hell of a lot easier once the Saints’ DC new he didn’t have to respect the running game.

      The bottom line is that Childress appears to trust Favre more than AP, and that should be worrisome to Peterson owners. AP did finish with 101 yards on 22 touches, but failed to find the endzone.

      2. Brett Favre loves him some Visanthe Shiancoe. Not so much the Percy Harvin.
      Almost as important as actual production (catches, yards, TDs) is the number of targets each receiver gets throughout the course of the game. I’ve been high on Shiancoe all preseason — mostly due to Favre’s long-established affection for his tight ends — and he didn’t disappoint against the Saints, turning eight targets into 4-76-1. Conversely, Harvin only got five targets and looked out of sync with Favre all night. This is probably due to the time that both players missed in training camp due to migraines (Harvin) and being a total drama queen (Favre). I wouldn’t panic on Harvin just yet — it will probably just take a week or two for the chemistry to return, but I would consider sitting Harvin down next week if there’s a better option on the bench.

      3. Don’t expect another 2009 from #4.
      In all of his years in Green Bay, Favre never played with a receiver as physically gifted as Sidney Rice, and that was a big reason for his outstanding numbers last season. With Rice on the shelf for at least the first half of the season, Favre can’t just chuck the football downfield and expect Rice to go up and win virtually every jump ball. Without that deep threat, the Vikings are going to have to manufacture more first downs and longer drives, and as we saw last night, it’s not always going to be pretty.

      4. Garrett Hartley is on the hot seat.
      Good grief, Garrett. Make a field goal, will you? Hartley was often one of the first two or three kickers off the board and he was miserable last night, shanking two make-able field goal attempts. He’s lucky that it didn’t cost the Saints the game because there are a few capable kickers out there in free agency.

      5. Robert Meachem/Devery Henderson are both startable in deep formats, though they’re not dependable.
      On the heels of his breakout campaign last season, Meachem was going in the middle rounds (8th-10th) of fantasy drafts this summer, even though he’s coming off of a toe injury. Meanwhile, Henderson was available in the later rounds due to his inconsistency and history of burning fantasy owners. Both players saw four targets from Drew Brees. Henderson posted 2-38-1 while Meachem generated 3-33 and just missed a 14-yard TD early in the fourth quarter. I think Meachem is the better wideout and if he can stay healthy, he should finish the season as the Saints WR2, but Henderson looked pretty good in his own right. There’s enough offense for both of these players to finish in the Top 40, but don’t expect consistency week-to-week until one guy grabs the WR2 job (and WR2-type targets).

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Favre, Childress sink the Vikings in 14-9 loss to Saints

      September 9, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS - JANUARY 17: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings points while playing against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on January 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 34-3. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

      I can count on one hand how many throws Brett Favre made tonight that were even remotely impressive. Now, I understand he was on the road, playing in a tough environment and he didn’t have his best receiver.

      But the guy just didn’t get it done tonight.

      The Vikings started their season the same way they ended it last year – with a loss in New Orleans. Favre was 15-of-27 for 171 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, but the stat line doesn’t tell the whole story.

      Outside of their only touchdown drive of the game (which took place midway through the second quarter), Favre was highly erratic passing, looked uncomfortable in the pocket and rarely appeared to be in sync with his receivers – especially Percy Harvin.

      At the risk of sounding like the know-it-all sports blogger that makes statements after the fact, I’ll point out that this game is a prime example that training camp is vital – even to a quarterback like Favre who knows the system and doesn’t need the extra work. Instead of two-stepping training camp for the second straight year, he could have been in Minnesota building chemistry with his receivers. Instead, he used four quarters tonight to do that, and the result wound up being a loss for the Vikings to start the season.

      Now, he also skipped training camp last year and the Vikings started off hot. But that’s also because he got to warm up against the Browns and Lions in the first two weeks. He wasn’t afforded the same luxury this year and you saw the effects.

      Of course, all the blame doesn’t fall at Favre’s feet. Brad Childress played things too conservative early in the game by going run-heavy with Adrian Peterson, only to abandon the ground game when he saw the clock ticking away in the fourth quarter.

      Down 14-9 with just over nine minutes remaining, Childress called seven straight pass plays. There was plenty of time for him to remain balanced with his playcalling, but he went pass-heavy and the result was a stalled drive at the New Orleans’ 44. He essentially made Gregg Williams’ job a hell of a lot easier once the Saints’ DC new he didn’t have to respect the running game.

      Apparently all of the draw and screen plays fell out of Childress’ playbook on that drive.

      That said, give credit to a motivated Saints’ defense, one that held the Vikings to 253 yards of total offense and forced a turnover in Minnesota territory. Of course, had Favre just taken the sack instead of trying to force the action like he’s so accustomed to doing, the Vikings wouldn’t have turned the ball over.

      But enough on Favre – he’s had enough for one night.

      All in all, this game certainly didn’t live up to the hype. The Saints were impressive on their opening drive, but couldn’t take advantage of Minnesota miscues the rest of the way. Still, it was a good opening night for a New Orleans team that is going to have a target on its back all season.

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑