Category: NFL (Page 590 of 1282)

      2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 10

      November 11, 2009 /

      Here’s how I see things 1-32 in the NFL with nine weeks in the books:

      1. New Orleans Saints (8-0)
      Nobody should be surprised that the Falcons and Panthers gave the Saints issues at home the past two weeks. After all, Atlanta and Carolina are familiar with New Orleans since they play them twice a year. The real story is how the Saints never panicked when they got down early and outplayed both the Falcons and Panthers in the fourth quarter.

      2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
      The Colts have the eighth best defense in the NFL, which is rather remarkable given that starters Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson haven’t played much at all. Dwight Freeney has terrorized opposing quarterbacks this season.

      3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
      Heading into the second half of the season, the only question I have about these Vikings is whether or not Brett Favre will stay healthy enough to lead this team deep into the playoffs. Last year, he couldn’t and the Jets tanked in the final month of the season.

      4. New England Patriots (6-2)
      We’ll get a great idea of how good this Patriots team is this weekend when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the undefeated Colts. Bill Belichick better figure out a way to get Dwight Freeney blocked so Tom Brady can build off the momentum he has created the past three games.

      5. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
      I get the feeling that people keep waiting for the Bengals to cave and sink back to reality. Those folks will be waiting a while because this team is underrated, not overrated. A win this week in Pittsburgh and everyone will be believers.

      6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
      Jon Gruden hit the nail on the head when he said on Monday night that the Steelers close out games better than anyone in the league. One of the rare times they didn’t close out a team was earlier this season in Cincinnati, when the Bengals beat them on a last-second touchdown. They’ll get a chance to avenge that loss this Sunday in Pittsburgh, as well as take a one-game lead in the AFC North if they can pull off a win.

      7. Denver Broncos (6-2)
      I’m not ready to suggest that Denver is overrated or will start to freefall, but it is a little troubling that they’ve played two good teams the past two weeks and were beaten soundly in both contests. It’s time for Josh McDaniels to prove that he can make adjustments and Kyle Orton needs to take better care of the ball when his team is trailing.

      8. Dallas Cowboys (6-2)
      Given all their talent, I want to believe that the Cowboys have turned the corner under Wade Phillips. But this isn’t the first time in the past couple years where they’ve stringed together a couple of good outings to get people to believe. Their win in Philadelphia was awfully impressive, but they need to prove that they can sustain their momentum.

      9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3)
      The Eagles had an opportunity to make a statement at home against the Cowboys last Sunday night and failed. Hopefully Brian Westbrook will return soon, because Philly’s offense can look stagnant at times without him.

      10. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
      Michael Turner started hearing the words “one-year wonder” being tossed around a couple weeks ago and didn’t like it. He’s responded with two 150-plus rushing performances and has looked like the back he did last year. It’s a good thing too, because Matt Ryan hasn’t played well since Atlanta’s win in San Francisco four weeks ago.

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      NFL

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 10

      November 11, 2009 /

      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 tell you about how Drew Brees or Adrian Peterson has a tough matchup – 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. 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 Tony Romo, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

      The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

      love-em

      Brett Favre is coming off a bye week and is facing Detroit’s 31st-ranked pass defense at home. This is not a good combination for the Lions, but it’s an excellent situation for his fantasy owners…The Bears are really struggling against the pass, so Alex Smith should be able to post a nice fantasy line on Thursday night. He has averaged 230 pass yards and 2.0 TD per game since taking over in Week 7…Matt Hasselbeck looks like a good start against the Cards’ 29th-ranked pass defense…Mark Sanchez is startable this week against the Jags, who are ranked 26th against the pass. Jacksonville is giving up an average of 242 yards and 1.9 TD through the air this season.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Brady Quinn gets a second chance in Cleveland

      November 11, 2009 /

      Brady Quinn won the Browns’ starting quarterback job in preseason and then promptly crapped himself as soon as the regular season started. In three starts, his average pass went less than six yards, he threw just one touchdown pass and was intercepted three times. He also had a horrific time with his decision-making and accuracy, and even when he did find ways to complete passes his receivers didn’t have a chance to make plays up field because Quinn couldn’t hit them in stride.

      When Eric Mangini decided to replace Quinn for Derek Anderson, some Cleveland fans were elated because at least Anderson had the ability to throw the ball vertically. Sure, he’d throw the occasional interception or two, but at least he could run the offense better than Quinn, right?

      Wrong.

      Over the past couple weeks, Anderson displayed some of the worst quarterbacking this side of Drew Henson. In six appearances, he failed to throw for over 100 yards in four of those games and threw nine interceptions compared to just two touchdowns. His performance in the past month and a half deserves to be mentioned in the Epic Failure Hall of Fame (EFHoF).

      Facing little to no choice given Anderson’s all-around suck, Mangini has decided to go back to Quinn and start him against the Ravens on Monday night. If Quinn doesn’t realize that this may be his final shot to impress in Cleveland, he should. Because if/when Mangini is fired at the end of the season there’s no guarantee that Quinn can fool the next coaching staff into believing that just because he has the size and frame to be a starting quarterback in this league, that he actually should be one.

      Who knows, maybe with a better supporting cast Quinn could actually be a decent starter in this league. Unfortunately for him he’s stuck with what’s around him around now and he better make the most of his situation or else people will continue to wonder whether or not he can be a starter in this league. He better make the most out of his second chance.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Will this be Tomlinson’s final year in San Diego?

      November 11, 2009 /

      According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, running back LaDainian Tomlinson is likely playing his last season for the Chargers.

      LaDainian Tomlinson is still a player who can help the Chargers win, but it seems clear he can no longer win games for them and is likely closing out his final season in San Diego.

      The Chargers are averaging 3.1 yards a carry, worst in the NFL. And unless they can start getting some leads and let Tomlinson and others pound the ball while the line gets in a rhythm, that doesn’t look to get much better.

      Sunday was the fourth time this season the Chargers rushed 21 times or fewer. They are on pace to rush just 364 times, which would be their fewest since 2000 and third-lowest total ever.

      Tomlinson is a player who has served the Chargers incredibly well over his career and it was good to see San Diego rework his contract in the offseason. But it’s been apparent the past two seasons that he’s running on empty and as the article suggests, it looks like his time in San Diego is coming to an end.

      That said, in LT’s defense the offensive line hasn’t been good either. The holes just aren’t there like they have been in years past and LT isn’t the only one suffering from it: Darren Sproles is only averaging 3.5 YPC, which is only a mild improvement over Tomlinson’s 3.2 YPC. I still don’t see the same explosion and decision-making out of LT as I did in previous years, but the O-line has played a part in Tomlinson’s decline.

      If the Chargers do decide to part ways with LT, they need to find a back that can run between the tackles in the offseason because they could pair him with Sproles to form a nice 1-2 combo. They need a back that can wear opponents down throughout the course of games, because they don’t have that now and their offense remains unbalanced.

      Looking back at things, it probably would have been wise to hang onto Michael Turner and part ways with LT, but how would the Chargers know that Tomlinson would break down the past two years? They probably had an idea that his time as a primary back was winding down, but they weren’t going to cut him before last season and pay Turner at the same time. It was unfortunate timing that Turner became a free agent when he did.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Are the Raiders getting ready to fire Cable?

      November 11, 2009 /

      Yahoo’s Jason Cole reports that Raiders owner Al Davis wants to fire head coach Tom Cable by the end of the season, but is working with the NFL to make sure that Cable can be fired for cause.

      If Davis had any wherewithal, he’d fire himself as GM and allow real football-minded people to run the team. But Davis won’t do that and now it appears that the Raiders will be making a head coaching change for the second time in two years.

      Davis is going to have one hell of a time filling the position, because no respectable coach wants that job. He won’t be able to hire a Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher because there’s no way either men would want to assume that mess. Davis can cross Mike Holmgren’s name off the list too.

      What the Raiders need most is a head coach that can somehow get through to quarterback JaMarcus Russell because if he can’t develop, then the franchise will continue to sputter. Or maybe it’s time for Davis to cut his losses and move forward without Cable and Russell, because it appears that the latter is destined to be a massive bust.

      No matter how he handles the situation, it’s almost a guarantee that Davis will muck things up. He has a knack for making horrible decisions and he thinks it’s more important to have a head coach under his thumb than one that will run his football team the right way. After all, Cable was hired after Kiffin was let go because he served as a “yes man” to Davis.

      NFL

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