Category: NFL (Page 656 of 1282)

      Bears to lose Urlacher for 4-6 weeks?

      September 14, 2009 /

      Footballoutsiders.com is reporting that Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on his dislocated wrist.

      From Rotoworld.com:

      The site doesn’t normally break news, but injury expert Will Carroll has connections with team medical staffs. Veteran Hunter Hillenmeyer will fill in for Urlacher, which will hurt the Bears run defense. We’d still sit Willie Parker against Chicago in Week 2.

      Things go from bad to worse for the Bears. Urlacher was reportedly in the best shape of his life this summer after struggling with neck and back issues last year. So it’s unfortunate that an injury like this will cause him to miss games.

      The good news is that the Chicago’s front four generated great pressure last night on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers so if they can continue that trend, it at least softens the blow of losing Urlacher.

      Update: The Chicago Tribune is now reporting that Urlacher is likely done for the season after having a dislocated bone put back into his wrist. This is obviously a huge blow to the Bears, who will either move Lance Briggs to middle linebacker or start Hunter Hillenmeyer in Urlacher’s place.

      NFL

      Cutler owes Bear fans more than what he showed against Packers

      September 14, 2009 /

      “We’ve got to go back and look at it. I think we’re still going to be a good football team, there’s no need to panic.” – Bears QB Jay Cutler following Chicago’s 21-15 loss to the Packers on Sunday night.

      Cutler’s right – there is no need to panic. For all we know, Chicago will run the table to finish 15-1 and win the Super Bowl this season.

      But even still, Cutler needed to show more than he did on Sunday night in Green Bay. Bad games are going to happen, but his four-interception night was trumped by only his poor attitude during and after the game. His receivers and his pass protection certainly didn’t provide him any help (a fact I’m sure isn’t lost on Cutler, who doesn’t mind dishing out blame), but Chicago’s defense gift-wrapped a win for this team and he did everything in his power to ensure that Green Bay would walk away with a victory.

      Cutler played like a rookie tonight. On multiple occasions, he threw against his body and into coverage. He had a screen pass intercepted by Johnny Jolly because he didn’t show enough awareness to see that the 325-pound defensive tackle had stayed home on the play. On Tramon Williams’ 62-yard interception, Cutler flat out threw the ball in the direction of a receiver, but clearly had no idea where the pass was going.

      If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn that Cutler had money on Green Bay tonight. And yet after the game what does he say?

      “There’s no need to panic.”

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      NFL

      Without Haley’s playcalling, Cardinals’ offense fails in crunch time

      September 13, 2009 /

      The Cardinals raised their 2008 NFC Championship banner on Sunday before their game against the 49ers, and then promptly saw their potent offense neutralized in a disappointing 20-16 loss.

      Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 288 yards and a touchdown, but he also finished with two interceptions and failed to get receiver Anquan Boldin (who had just two receptions for 19 yards) involved in the passing game. Warner did hook up with Larry Fitzgerald six times for 71 yards and a touchdown, but San Fran did an outstanding job mostly limiting the veteran signal caller to underneath passes and dump offs (which is why running back Tim Hightower racked up 121 yards on 12 receptions). Cornerbacks Nate Clements and Dre’ Bly did an outstanding job blanketing Fitzgerald and Boldin all game.

      The 49ers’ offense struggled to get into a rhythm for most of the day. But quarterback Shaun Hill delivered when it mattered most by leading San Fran on a 15-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown reception by Frank Gore.

      While it certainly isn’t panic time for Arizona considering this is only the first week, it must be worrisome for head coach Ken Whisenhunt that he lost playcaller Todd Haley this offseason and the Cardinals only mustered 16 points. Arizona’s offense wasn’t anemic by any means, but it’s interesting that when they absolutely needed to march down the field and score in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t muster more than one first down in each of their final three drives.

      NFL

      Cowboys minus T.O. = Perfect Harmony

      September 13, 2009 /

      …or at least that formula worked for the first week of the 2009 season, as the Cowboys defeated the Bucs 34-21 in Tampa on Sunday.

      Dallas had concerns about the chemistry between quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Roy Williams entering the season. After releasing Terrell Owens in the offseason, the Cowboys were praying that Romo and Williams (whom the team acquired from Detroit in exchange for a first round pick last season) would develop a connection.

      The Cowboys’ fears about the tandem were quelled early in the game on Sunday when Romo connected with Williams twice for 20 yards during a nine-play, 31-yard dive that ended with a Nick Folk 51-yard field goal. Romo also found Williams on a beautiful 66-yard touchdown pass early in the second half to give Dallas a 20-7 lead.

      On the day, Romo finished with 353 yards on 16 of 27 passing and three touchdowns, while Williams caught three passes for 86 yards and a TD. Patrick Crayton had a productive day as well, as he hauled in four passes for 135 yards and also caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Romo early in the fourth.

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      NFL

      Brees will challenge for the MVP all season

      September 13, 2009 /

      Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense is already in midseason form, which is a scary thought for teams in the NFC South.

      Brees completed 26 of 34 passes for 358 yards and threw six touchdowns in New Orleans’ 45-27 win over the Lions on Sunday. The Saints racked up 515 total yards of offense and was 9 of 13 on third down conversations.

      Granted, it’s important to keep in mind that the Saints were playing against a Lions defense that is severely lacking talent and clearly hasn’t had the chance to grasp the new scheme implemented by first-year head coach Jim Schwartz.

      But for a moment, set aside whom the Saints were playing; Brees looked like a surgeon slicing through Detroit’s pass defense and threw passes to eight different receivers. Jeremy Shockey (2 TDs), Devery Henderson (5 rec., 103 yards, 1 TD), Marques Colston (3 rec., 30 yards, 1 TD) and Robert Meachem (2 rec., 38 yards, 1 TD) all had productive days.

      Although they gave up 27 points, the Saints’ defensive performance was encouraging. They limited the Lions’ offense to 231 total yards and forced three turnovers. Darren Sharper, who was acquired in free agency this offseason, had two interceptions.

      The dark cloud for the Saints was their special teams. Reggie Bush muffled two punts, the punt coverage unit surrendered a big return and kicker John Carney had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked. Even with how potent the offense is New Orleans can’t have these kinds of miscues on special teams.

      Matthew Stafford had a rough debut, completing just 16 of 37 pass attempts for 205 yards and three interceptions. That said, he developed good chemistry with receiver Calvin Johnson (the pair hooked up on a nice 64-yard completion on a crossing route) and he did score a touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter. All in all, Stafford looked like a rookie making his first career start on the road.

      NFL

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