Category: NFL (Page 984 of 1282)

      NFL Week 1: 5 Things to Watch

      September 7, 2008 /

      1.Peyton Manning’s bursa sac/Colts’ offensive line play without Jeff Saturday. Manning had a bursa sac removed in one of his knees and might not be 100% by Sunday night when the Colts take on the Bears. Saturday is dealing with his own knee problems and will miss up to the first six weeks of the season. Chicago blitzes well, so it’ll be interesting to see how Manning moves in the pocket and if his timing will be off in the first quarter or half.

      2. Ricky Williams. The Dolphins host the Jets on Sunday, a team that didn’t play well against the run last year. Williams looked good in preseason and might be a candidate to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

      3. Tom Brady’s foot. Does he have a broken bone in his foot or not? The Patriots won’t tell, but it should be obvious if Brady looks hampered. He practiced all week and was taken off New England’s injury report so all indications are that he’s healthy. The Chiefs’ secondary is weak, but they do have a decent pass rush and could give Brady and the Pats some trouble.

      4. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco’s debuts. Forget about previous history – the Falcons and Ravens don’t care. They’re starting rookie quarterbacks and they’re ready to sink or swim with their young signal callers. Neither rookie QB plays a tough defense on Sunday (Ryan and the Falcons host Detroit, while Flacco and the Ravens host the Bengals) so maybe they could build some confidence in their first career starts.

      5. Shawne Merriman’s knee. Merriman will play with a brace for most, if not all of the season because of ligament damage in one of his knees. One hit could end his season (and possibly his career), but assuming he stays upright it’ll be interesting to see how well he moves with a brace on.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Jamal Lewis game-time decision for Browns

      September 5, 2008 /

      The Cleveland Plain-Dealer is reporting that Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis will be a game-time decision Sunday against the Cowboys due to a hamstring injury. Josh Cribbs, the Browns’ playmaking kick returner, will also be a game-time decision.

      Jamal LewisFive of the injured Browns will come down to game-time decisions. They are Josh Cribbs, Jamal Lewis, Brodney Pool, Rex Hadnot and Ryan Tucker.

      Pool (concussion) missed practice for the second day in a row Friday and will most likely sit out Sunday’s opener against Dallas. He’ll be replaced by Mike Adams.

      Hadnot and Tucker are also not expected to be ready.

      Cribbs and Lewis both participated in the first half-hour of practice, which is open to the media, but Cribbs reiterated that he didn’t want to hurt the team.

      If Lewis (hamstring) is unable to play, he will be replaced by Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison.

      The Browns have an explosive pass attack, but Lewis keeps them balanced offensively. Cleveland is going to need all of its weapons against the Cowboys and while Wright and Harrison have been decent in spot-duty, a healthy Lewis would go a long way in helping the Browns pull off the upset.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Couch Potato Alert: 9/5

      September 5, 2008 /

      U.S. Open semifinals and finals
      The men’s semifinals start at 12:00 PM ET on Saturday and the women’s final takes place at 8:00 PM ET that evening. The men’s final will take place on Sunday, starting at 4:00 PM. All matches will be broadcast on CBS. Here’s the TV schedule and Christopher Glotfelty’s preview of the matches.

      San Diego State at Notre Dame
      Both programs are reeling, hanging on for dear life, and just trying to find players to line up on the field. The Irish are on a roll, sort of, coming into this year’s opener with a modest two-game winning streak from last season. SDSU is coming off an embarrassing home-opening loss to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo, which was their second home loss to the Mustangs in three seasons. This contest will played on Saturday in front of a nationally-televised audience on NBC at 3:30 PM ET.

      Miami at Florida
      This prime-time matchup used to be circled on the calendar of all college football fans as a must-see game with the winner gaining the advantage in the battle for the top recruits from the state of Florida. But times have changed; the Canes are coming off a 5-7 season, and just trying to get the program back on its feet. Oddly enough, Miami has a 12-8 all-time record at “The Swamp.” Tune in Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN for another chapter in this in-state rivalry. [Official Smack Talk Thread]

      Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
      Less than a week ago, the Dodgers seemed to be free falling in the NL West pennant race. They lost 9-3 in the opener of a three-game series in Arizona, and things didn’t look good with the Diamondbacks starting Dan Haren and Brandon Webb that weekend. But the Dodgers turned their season around by scoring 13 runs against the Arizona’s top two pitchers and were able to win both games. The rematch is set for this weekend at Dodger Stadium, with Friday night’s game on ESPN and Saturday’s contest on Fox’s regional baseball telecast.

      Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns
      You could call this encounter “The Battle of the Media Darlings.” With five prime-time games this season, the Browns are trying to prove that their 10-6 record last season was no fluke. They play host to the Cowboys, who seem to be everyone’s fashionable Super Bowl pick. And if you’ve been watching “Hard Knocks” on HBO, you know that the Boys’ roster depth has taken a big with several pre-season injuries. Dallas fans shouldn’t be concerned, however, as every one of their 13 Pro Bowlers will be in uniform on Sunday. Check your local Fox listings to see if they are televising this game at 4:00 PM ET. [Anthony Stalter’s preview of the game.]

      College Football, Couch Potato Alert, General Sports, MLB, NFL, Television

      Giants-Patriots rematch most likely Super Bowl scenario?

      September 5, 2008 /

      Kevin Blackstone of AOL SPORTS writes that this year’s Super Bowl matchup will look awfully familiar to last year’s title game. Blackstone writes that the most likely Super Bowl matchup will again be Giants-Patriots.

      Eli ManningFor starters, it is difficult to pick against a team in the Patriots that lost just one outing all of last season, that final game. It is all but forgotten that they lost perfection only by the margin of a field goal, 17-14.

      The Giants don’t have the league’s second-easiest schedule. They aren’t even considered as the Patriots are the best team in their conference, or their division. That designation was reserved this offseason for Dallas.

      But the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since the last millennium and their new quarterback sensation Tony Romo seems to have as big a knack for blowing the big game as he does hanging with the newest bimbo. And all of a sudden, his receiving corps anchored by the thirtysomething T.O. is questionable with the waiving of veteran Terry Glenn due to a gimpy knee. Their coach Wade Phillips isn’t to be confused with Jimmy Johnson either.

      Good points, but as of right now I like the Cowboys, Saints and even the Eagles better than the Giants in the NFC. New York lost a lot of talent in the offseason and eventually it might catch up to them. And while it’s hard not to like the Pats’ chances, the AFC is absolutely stacked with talent (Jaguars, Colts, Chargers, Steelers, Browns). Both teams have tough roads to get back to the Super Bowl, but I like Blackstone’s bold prediction.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      McGahee may be game-time decision

      September 5, 2008 /

      Ravens beat reporter Jamison Hensley thinks that the Ravens are planning to start Ray Rice in Week 1.

      McGahee could be a game-time decision because he has been slow to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp. The Ravens’ mind-set right now is that Rice will be starting. If McGahee is ready, that will be a bonus. Even if McGahee plays, Rice could split time with him because McGahee won’t be at full strength. So drafting Rice in the second round might have been a surprise, but it seems like the Ravens’ best move on draft day.

      Whoever starts will have a pretty nice matchup against a Bengals team that allowed an average of 118 yards and 0.7 TD on the ground last season. I’d plan on Rice starting, but if McGahee is suddenly available, that will muddy the situation. Without McGahee, Rice is a solid RB2 option for Week 1.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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