Category: NFL (Page 985 of 1282)

      Bengals, NFL to recognize Chad as Chad Ocho Cinco

      September 5, 2008 /

      It’s official: Chad Johnson is Chad Ocho Cinco. The NFL and Bengals will recognize Ocho Cinco’s name change this weekend when Cincinnati takes on the Ravens in Baltimore.

      Chad Ocho CincoThe receiver had his name changed in his home state of Florida last week. It’s a reference to his uniform number—Ocho Cinco means “eight five” in Spanish. When the NFL celebrated Hispanic Heritage month in 2006, he wore it on the back of his uniform for pregame warmups, but had to remove it for the game because of NFL rules—it wasn’t his real name.

      The Pro Bowl receiver asked the media to start calling him by his new name this week. The Bengals couldn’t change the name on his uniform until the NFL gave permission.
      In an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday, league spokesman Greg Aiello said simply: “It’s his legal surname.”

      The receiver has declined to talk about the motivation for his attention-getting change. Coach Marvin Lewis said the receiver had been considering it since last March.

      The change to Ocho Cinco is the receiver’s latest promotional move. He’s also known for his touchdown celebrations, his golden Mohawk for one season, his race against a horse and his list of defensive backs who failed to cover him.

      This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous but as a sports writer I can’t wait to use this name in game previews and recaps. I know I’ll smile every time I write, “Palmer found Ocho Cinco in the back of the end zone for the Bengals’ go-ahead touchdown. Then Ocho Cinco got loose again in the Ravens’ secondary for a 15-yard gain. Ocho Cinco certainly didn’t take a siesta on Sunday as he torched the Ravens.” Ocho Cinco…ha!

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Week 1 NFL Primer

      September 5, 2008 /

      Derek AndersonSunday’s Best: Cowboys at Browns, 4:15pm ET
      Without a doubt, this is the best matchup on the Week 1 schedule. The Cowboys have the best overall talent in the NFC and the Browns are hoping to prove that 2007 wasn’t a fluke. It’ll be interesting to see how Derek Anderson plays after suffering a concussion in preseason. Some in Cleveland think Brady Quinn should be the starter and Romeo Crennel might feel the same way if Anderson struggles in the first couple of weeks. The Browns spent the offseason rebuilding their defense, especially on the line where they added former Lions’ DT Shaun Rogers and former Packers’ end Corey Williams. The Browns defense will need to get pressure throughout the game or else Tony Romo and his plethora of weapons could pick apart a young, inexperienced Cleveland secondary. Dallas is a 6-point road favorite.

      Upset Watch: Texans at Steelers, 1:00pm ET
      The Steelers have been one of the toughest teams to beat at home over the years. But their offensive line is a huge question mark this season and the Texans have built one of the better pass-rushing lines in the AFC. If the front seven can stop Willie Parker and the rest of the Steelers’ running game, youngsters Mario Williams and Amobi Okoye might be able to get a good push and put pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh defense will still be tough to score on (especially if Houston has no running game), but Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are healthy and they could strike for some big plays. Even if they don’t win the Texans should be able to keep the game close throughout. Pittsburgh is a 6.5-point favorite.

      Brett FavreIntriguing Matchup: Jets at Dolphins, 1:00pm ET
      Brett Favre makes his Jets’ debut while Chad Pennington looks to exact revenge on his former team. The Jets are legitimate playoff contenders now with Favre under center, but it’ll be interesting to see if all the offseason shenanigans took their toll on the former Packer great. The Dolphins are void of talent on defense and if Jets’ RB Thomas Jones can get going in the running game and keep New York balanced offensively, Favre might torch Miami’s secondary. The Jets are currently 3-point road favorites.

      Other Notable Games:
      Jaguars at Titans, 1:00pm ET
      Can the Jaguars put their recent off field troubles behind them and prove that they’re Super Bowl contenders?

      Bears at Colts, 8:15pm ET
      It’s a Super Bowl rematch as the Colts open up their new home digs. Is Peyton Manning healthy?

      Bucs at Saints, 1:00pm ET
      These two teams might battle it out all season for the NFC South crown.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout: Giants/Redskins

      September 4, 2008 /

      Here are a few fantasy observations from Thursday night’s game…

      1. Clinton Portis was not involved in Washington’s passing game. He was targeted on one pass, which he caught, but it was negated by a penalty. For a player that caught 47 passes last year (that’s almost three a game), this is pretty worrisome, especially for Portis owners in PPR leagues. 84 yards on 23 carries isn’t great (3.7 ypc), but at least we don’t have to worry about him not getting enough touches. It’s clear that he’s the centerpiece of the offense, even to a fault.

      2. Chris Cooley was targeted twice. He had an 18-yard gain negated by a penalty, so he didn’t get his first official catch until late in the second half. Jason Campbell spent most of his time looking to Santana Moss (5-37-1) and Antwaan Randle El (7-73). No other player caught more than a single pass. It’s important to note that Cooley has had poor games in each of the last three seasons, and he’s bounced back each time.

      3. The Redskins’ new West Coast Offense looks rough. The running game is okay, but Portis was behind the eight ball a little bit because the Giants were daring Washington to throw the ball. The Redskins’ season depends mainly on how quickly they can learn and execute the WCO. In fairness, they faced a tough Giants defense in an emotional road game, and they should fare better in their next two games, which are against the Saints and Cardinals (and are both at home).

      4. Eli Manning is still erratic. He seemed to hook up with Plaxico Burress (10-133) at will, but he didn’t throw for a score (though he did run for one), had one pass picked off and had three or four more that were almost intercepted. Eli is a bit of a gambler, and it doesn’t look like a Super Bowl win has changed that at all.

      5. Derrick Ward is Brandon Jacobs’ backup. There has been a lot of talk about a “Thunder and Lightning” combo with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, but Bradshaw didn’t get a carry in the game. Ward carried the ball nine times and had two catches, so he’s the better handcuff for Jacobs.

      6. Both defenses looked pretty solid. Admirable job by the Redskins to hold a pretty good Giants offense to 16 points despite getting no help from their offense. The Giants flew around the ball and seemed to pressure Campbell on just about every play. The injuries at DE are a concern, but the Giants DT looks good as a whole.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Did Giants lose another defensive end in season opening win?

      September 4, 2008 /

      The New York Giants started their title defense on a high note Thursday night, beating the Washington Redskins 16-7 in the 2008 NFL Season Opener.

      The G-Men relied mostly on running back Brandon Jacobs, who carried the ball 21 times for 116 yards. Eli Manning looked sharp in the first half, but struggled dramatically in the second as the Redskins found ways to disrupt his timing. Receiver Plaxico Burress had a big night, hauling in 10 passes for 133 yards.

      Even though the Giants won, an interesting situation occurred on the game’s final play. With the Redskins trying for desperation points with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game, Washington offensive tackle Chris Samuels held Giants’ defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka’s legs as Kiwanuka beat him around the edge. Kiwanuka fell awkwardly and struggled to get up with an apparent leg injury. The game ended on that play, so it’s unclear at this point how serious the injury was (if it was anything at all).

      What an incredible blow it would be if the Giants lost yet another defensive end following Michael Strahan’s retirement and Osi Umenyiora’s season ending knee injury. Kiwanuka had to make the transition from linebacker to end to fill in for Umenyiora, so New York is already thin at the position. Hopefully for the Giants’ sake, Kiwanuka is fine.

      Update: Kiwanuka had X-rays taken after the game and they were reportedly negative.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Redskins turn in brutal first half

      September 4, 2008 /

      I don’t know what’s worse, my prediction that the Redskins would keep their game tonight with the Giants close, or Washington’s first half performance.

      At the half, the Giants lead the Skins 16-7 and the only reason the game is that close is because Washington got a big kickoff return right before half and Jason Campbell was able to find Santana Moss for a touchdown on a drag route.

      You figured it would take Campbell and the offense time before they learned Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense, but they didn’t even complete their first pass tonight until 28 minutes and 50 seconds into the game. That’s ridiculous.

      Eli Manning has picked up right where he left off in last year’s postseason while Plaxico Burress is abusing Washington’s secondary. The G-Men’s running game also looks outstanding and the defense has shown no ill-effects of losing both Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, although a lot of that has to do with how bad the Skins’ offense looked outside of the final two minutes of the half.

      Hopefully the second half will be tighter and fans will get a better opening game to the season. Either way, football is back on my television and that feels damn good.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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