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      Austin steps up for Cowboys in win over Chiefs

      October 11, 2009 /

      Brady

      Since being acquired in a midseason trade from Detroit last season, receiver Roy Williams has been a huge disappointment. Whether it’s injuries or his inability to get open, Williams has been largely ineffective.

      Williams was inactive for Dallas’ Week 5 matchup against the Chiefs in Kansas City, but Miles Austin stepped up in his place by hauling in 10 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 26-20 overtime victory.

      Austin has always had the talent, but up until today he never showed the ability to dominate a game. He has terrific speed, big-play potential and excellent leaping-ability. He abused inexperienced cornerbacks Mauirce Leggett and Brandon Carr on Sunday, even when the defensive backs had safety help over the top.

      Now that T.O. is in Buffalo, Tony Romo needs a receiver to step up the way Austin did today. Romo completed 20 of 34 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns but more importantly, he didn’t throw any interceptions and looked confident in his throws.

      This wasn’t a pretty win for Dallas, but Kansas City is always a tough environment to play in (no matter how bad the Chiefs are) and a win is a win. Romo and Austin needed a victory like this, especially with the team’s bye week coming up next Sunday. This will give the Cowboys confidence heading into their off week and despite not playing particularly well, they’re still 3-2 on the season.

      NFL

      Culpepper gives Steelers issues in Lions’ loss

      October 11, 2009 /

      Okay, who played quarterback for the Detroit Lions on Sunday? Because it sure as hell wasn’t Daunte Culpepper.

      In the Steelers’ 28-20 win over the Lions on Sunday, somebody resembling Culpepper (wearing Culpepper’s jersey) totaled 282 yards and one touchdown on 23-of-37 passing. Imposter Culpepper also rushed for 44 yards in the loss and actually kept the Lions in contention despite not having receiver Calvin Johnson, who suffered an injury and left the game.

      Despite the surprising performance, Culpepper’s decision-making was as brutal as ever, which was evident in his second half interception. He was also sacked seven times and apparently bathed his hands in butter before the game because he fumbled three times. Still, he performed admirably against a tough Pittsburgh defense.

      Looking at the stats, it’s amazing that the Steelers didn’t win this game by four touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns, while Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 5.1 YPC (despite only gaining 77 rushing yards). But Pittsburgh’s defense allowed Culpepper to keep the chains moving and couldn’t get off the field as Detroit converted 11 of its 18 third down attempts.

      I wouldn’t say that the Steelers regressed after their convincing 38-28 win last Sunday night over the Chargers, but Mike Tomlin has to be somewhat disappointed that his team only compiled 82 yards on the ground against a suspect Detroit run defense. (Not to mention his defense allowed Daunte freaking Culpepper to keep this game close in the end.)

      NFL

      Bengals prove their legitimacy with win over Ravens

      October 11, 2009 /

      Brady

      With their 17-14 come-from-behind victory over the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, questioning whether or not the Bengals are for real is over.

      They’re for real, they’re not pretenders, they’re going to challenge for a playoff spot in the AFC.

      How the Bengals arrived at 4-1 is no fluke. In fact, the only fluke so far this season was their opening week loss to the Broncos because otherwise this team would be undefeated. They’ve already defeated the Packers in Green Bay, the defending champion Steelers at home and the Ravens in Baltimore. It’s not like they’ve racked up wins against below average teams at home – they’ve won in hostile environments against postseason contenders.

      Granted, the Ravens shot themselves in the foot on Sunday with two huge penalties. Chris Carr’s illegal contact penalty was bad, but the unnecessary roughness call against Ray Lewis was a killer as it wiped out a third-and-16 incompletion by Carson Palmer.

      But give the Bengals credit – they held Baltimore’s potent offense to 257 total yards, including only 82 on the ground. Regular readers know I’ve described Cincinnati’s defense as “underrated” for the past couple weeks but I may have been wrong. They’ve not just underrated, but they’re also a damn good unit. They picked off Joe Flacco twice today and held him to under 200 passing yards (186 to be exact).

      It’s still early, but again, it’s time to stop wondering if this Bengals team can hang with the elite competition in the AFC. Palmer is healthy, the defense has been solid, Cedric Benson (120 yards, 1 TD) has been great and the offensive line has played better than expected. They’re going to challenge for a playoff spot at this rate.

      NFL

      Active/Inactive: Week 5

      October 11, 2009 /

      ACTIVE
      Eli Manning (John Clayton is reporting that he’s starting)
      Jamal Lewis (downgrade for Jerome Harrison)
      Jonathan Stewart
      Antonio Bryant
      Dwayne Bowe

      INACTIVE
      Kevin Curtis (upgrade for Jeremy Maclin)
      Willie Parker (start Rashard Mendenhall!)
      Phil Dawson (Billy Cundiff takes over)
      Roy Williams (upgrades for Crayton, Austin and Hurd)
      Earnest Graham
      Matthew Stafford
      Kevin Boss

      Fantasy Football, News, NFL

      Dodgers/Cardinals reaction

      October 11, 2009 /

      T.J. Simers, L.A. Times: This is why [Torre] gave it another run after a disappointing finish in New York, why he travels from city to city, 162 games in 180 days at age 69, still amazed at what young people can do when given the opportunity and a little direction. “Different contributions,” he says, and he says it over and over as he shakes off the champagne chill, the reward for sweeping the Cardinals in the NL division series. He’s still talking about Casey Blake’s amazing at-bat in Game 2, Manny Ramirez coming up huge with two out not once but twice in Game 3, “this amazing kid here” in Andre Ethier, and Vicente Padilla living up to the faith Torre has put in him.

      Joe Strauss, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “I don’t like the stigma attached to being swept — but that’s what happened,” La Russa said upon exiting his office more than an hour after the loss. “The series was more competitive than that. But that’s what it is.” The Dodgers, who finished with the league’s top record but lost five of seven to the Cardinals during the season, emerged after handing Chris Carpenter his roughest start of the season in Game 1 and then exploiting left fielder Matt Holliday’s ninth-inning error in Game 2. Saturday’s win was more thorough, as they jumped Cardinals starter Joel Piñeiro for four early runs and never offered an opening to a struggling offense.”They came out on fire, and we didn’t,” Piñeiro said. The sweep concluded a stretch in which the Cardinals lost 11 of their last 13 while futilely searching for an offensive spark.

      MLB

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