Category: NFL (Page 618 of 1282)

      It’s official: Mark Sanchez is a rookie.

      October 19, 2009 /

      Mark Sanchez learned a valuable lesson on Sunday: In the NFL, things can always go from bad to worse.

      Three weeks ago, Sanchez threw thee interceptions and fumbled once in a 24-10 loss to the Saints. One of those interceptions was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Darren Sharper and the fumble produced a TD for New Orleans as well. It was the first time that the Jets’ quarterback looked like the rookie he is.

      Yesterday, Sanchez completed just 10 of 29 passes for 119 yards and finished with a career-high five interceptions in a 16-13 overtime loss to the Bills. He missed open receivers, he often threw into double coverage and at times, looked absolutely hopeless.

      But guess what? That’s going to happen with a rookie quarterback. When Sanchez led the Jets to a 3-0 start and beat the Patriots in Foxboro, everyone was ready to anoint him the next Joe Namath before he even had four games under his belt. But now that he’s playing like the love child of J.P. Losman and Joey Harrington, nobody should be ready to throw in the towel – especially the Jets.

      At least for the time being, Rex Ryan has to stick with Sanchez and ride him through the good and the bad this season. Sanchez was bound to struggle and now that he is, the first thing Ryan needs to do is make it known that the rookie is still his quarterback. Sanchez’s confidence is shaken right now and the last thing he needs is Kellen Clemens breathing down his neck.

      The Jets are going to find out what kind of quarterback they have over the next couple weeks. They play the Raiders next Sunday and host the Dolphins before their bye in Week 8. If Sanchez can lead the Jets to two victories, then he can build some confidence going into the off week and into the second half of the season. If he fails, then Ryan can reassess the situation in the bye and go from there.

      It’ll be interesting to see how Sanchez responds to Sunday’s performance. Ryan Leaf tanked after two strong performances his rookie year, while Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions but rebounded to be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

      Which way will Sanchez go?

      NFL

      In Pittsburgh, this is a first down (if you’re the Steelers)

      October 19, 2009 /

      Via Shutdown Corner…

      The play was close enough to warrant a measurement, and the picture above is a screenshot of that measurement. The guy pulled the big first down stick, the ball wasn’t quite there, so no first down, correct?

      Incorrect, as it turns out. The official, Walt Anderson, looked at what you’re seeing above, and he ruled that it was a first down. The Steelers ended up getting a field goal out of it.

      Odd. I would use a stronger word, but the Steelers were going to beat the Browns, regardless of that first down or the ensuing field goal. It didn’t affect the outcome.

      Predictably, the official in question stands by his call, saying that the ball broke the plane even if the angle on the TV didn’t show it. But that’s a fairly straight on shot of the football and even if the angle were changed by a few degrees, it would still be short.

      NFL, Rumors & Gossip, Television

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 6: QBs

      October 19, 2009 /



      – What can I say about Tom Brady (380 yards, 6 TDs)? This was the kind of day fantasy owners were expecting when they took him as the first QB off the board back in August. He completed 29 passes while the opposing QB, Kerry Collins, went just 2/12 for -7 yards.

      – Matt Schaub (392 yards, 4 TD, INT) looks like an every-week start as long as he stays healthy. I’d keep a good backup on my bench, however.

      – Predictably, Aaron Rodgers (358 yards, 2 TD, INT) torched the Lions.

      – Brett Favre (278 yards, 3 TD) had a very nice game against a Ravens defense that has traditionally been pretty good against the pass.

      – Drew Brees (369 yards, 4 TD) rewarded owners who had faith in the Saints’ offense despite a tough match against a very good Giants’ defense.

      – The Steelers let Ben Roethlisberger (417 yards, 2 TD, INT) throw, and he turned in a nice fantasy day. He’s a solid every-week starter going forward.

      – The Redskins benched Jason Campbell (89 yards, TD) and finished the game with Todd Collins (75 yards). This is a bad sign for the Washington pass offense.

      – The Eagles’ offense was terrible against the Raiders. Oakland brought a lot of pressure and Philly didn’t adjust. Donovan McNabb (269 yards) had a decent day yardage-wise, but didn’t throw a TD.

      – Coming into the game, Arizona had the worst passing defense in the league (in terms of yards allowed), but they held down Matt Hasselbeck (112 yards, INT), who torched Jacksonville last week. It just goes to show you how quickly things can change in the NFL.

      – Trent Edwards (43 yards) was knocked out of the game with a concussion and Ryan Fitzpatrick (116 yards, TD, INT) was pretty shaky in his stead.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 6: RBs

      October 19, 2009 /

      – Surprisingly, the NFL’s leading rusher, Cedric Benson (16-44-1), had a pretty quiet game against a suspect Texans rush defense.

      – Steve Slaton (25 touches, 145 yards, TD) didn’t do much in the rushing game, but had 6-102-1 through the air.

      – Maurice Jones-Drew (38 touches, 178 yards, 3 TD) had a day worthy of the second overall pick in fantasy leagues this year.

      – Steven Jackson (22 touches, 128 yards) didn’t score, but the Rams got him involved in the passing game.

      – Ray Rice (20 touches, 194, 2 TD) had a monster game against a pretty good Minnesota rush defense. Rice did much of his damage through the air (10-117).

      – He didn’t score, but Adrian Peterson’s Week 6 performance (26 touches, 166 yards) is nothing to sneeze at. (Does anyone ever “sneeze at” anything?)

      – The Saints’ RBBC worked out this way: Pierre Thomas (15 carries, 72 yards), Mike Bell (15 carries, 34 yards, TD) and Reggie Bush (7 touches, 24 yards, TD). When the Saints were inside the five, it was Bell who got most of the work. Thomas appeared to score on one play, but the replay did not show enough for the Saints to challenge.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 6: WRs

      October 19, 2009 /

      – Fresh off his “lady-friend rendezvous” suspension, Mike Sims-Walker (9-120) posted another nice game. He is averaging 7-100-0.8 per game over the last four games played. Torry Holt (5-101) was also a factor against his old team.

      – Donnie Avery (1-17-1) started the day with a TD catch, but left the game with a bruised hip. The guy just can’t seem to stay healthy.

      – Sidney Rice (6-176) is turning into a pretty startable wideout. He is averaging 4.8-91-0.5 over the last four games and Brett Favre looks his way often.

      – Derrick Mason (7-97-1) scared some people off with his goose egg last week against the Bengals, but he posted 5-118-1 in Week 3 and 7-88-1 in Week 4 to go along with a nice performance this week.

      – Lance Moore (6-78-1) finally looks completely healthy and seems to be the Saints’ WR2 once again. Meanwhile, Marques Colston (8-166-1) made it clear that he’s the team’s WR1.

      – Steve Smith 2.0 (4-44) had a quiet game, while rookie Hakeem Nicks (5-114-1) and Mario Manningham (4-50-1) both had nice games. Eli Manning just missed Smith on a TD pass in the first half. He’s still an every-week start.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

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