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      Frank Gore: The Eagles gave up

      October 7, 2011 /
      San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore scrambles across the goal line for the winning touchdown for San Francisco during fourth quarter San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia Eagles game action at Lincoln Financial Field October 10, 2011. San Francisco defeated Philadelphia 24-23. UPI/John Anderson

      Not only are they 1-3 after losing three-straight games, but now the Eagles are being called out by 49ers’ running back Frank Gore, who says they flat out gave up last Sunday in Philadelphia.

      From ESPN.com:

      “I think playing that second half and the way we came out, the Eagles didn’t want to play no more,” Gore said in an interview on ESPN’s “First Take.”

      The victory gave the 49ers the lead in the NFC West at 3-1; it dropped the 1-3 Eagles into the cellar of the NFC East.

      “We just kept pounding and kept pounding and making plays and we kind of knocked the fight out of them,” Gore said.

      Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, speaking to reporters Friday, disputed Gore’s version of events.

      “I don’t think the team quit,” Vick said. “I think we put up the effort for all four quarters.”

      Whether they threw in the towel or not, Reid has a ton of work to do before the Eagles right the ship. The pass protection for Vick has been bad. Despite adding Nnamdi Asomugha to the secondary, the pass coverage has been bad. And thanks to the fact that Andy Reid hired his former offensive line coach to be his defensive coordinator, the run defense ranks among the worst in the league.

      Honestly, Gore saying that the Eagles gave up last week is about the least of Philly’s concerns. The Eagles should have one focus right now: Beating the Bills and trying to get the ship righted.

      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Week 5 Primer

      October 6, 2011 /
      New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick encourages his team against the Oakland Raiders at the Coliseum in Oakland, California on October 2, 2011. The Patriots defeated the Raiders 31-19. UPI/Terry Schmitt

      Titans @ Steelers, 1:00PM ET
      Want to know how dire the Steelers’ situation is along their offensive line? They just signed a guy (Max Starks) whom they released in preseason. Ben Roethlisberger’s bruised foot was in a walking boot as he watched practice on Wednesday and the Titans have a couple of linemen in Karl Klug and Derrick Morgan that can get after the passer. Don’t be shocked if we see an upset in Pittsburgh this Sunday.

      Eagles @ Bills, 1:00PM ET
      Michael Vick says that the “Dream Team” moniker is now dead in Philadelphia and that the Eagles no longer want to be called that. Seeing as how they’re 1-3 and taking on a Buffalo team that has been unbeatable at home this year, I don’t think anyone will have a problem obliging Mikey’s request.

      Saints @ Panthers, 1:00PM ET
      Don’t be surprised if Cam Newton has another big day passing this week. The Panthers figure to be trailing in this one and the Saints have struggled defensively this year. Will Smith and Sedrick Ellis are about the only linemen who have helped generate a pass rush, while guys like Roman Harper have struggled in coverage. As expected, all three linebackers have had their issues as well. Jonathan Casillas has two sacks and four QB pressures, but he has struggled in coverage while Jonathan Vilma has been suspect against the run. There’s certainly holes in New Orleans’ defense that Newton can take advantage of.

      Seahawks @ Giants, 1:00PM ET
      Assuming the Giants win this week, who would have thought that their only loss this season would be against the Redskins in Week 1 and not at Philadelphia in Week 3? Give Tom Coughlin’s squad credit. They could have easily lost last Sunday in Arizona and looked like they would with about five minutes left to play. But they persevered and now have what should be an easy win this Sunday. Tarvaris Jackson played well against Atlanta’s soft zone last weekend but the Seahawks are a completely different team on the road than they are at home. New York should roll.

      Bengals @ Jaguars, 1:00PM ET
      Andy Dalton has certainly had his ups and downs through the first quarter of the season, but the Bengals have to be pleased with the way he’s battled. With the Bills up 17-3 last Sunday, Dalton and Cincinnati could have shut it down in the second half, especially considering how inept the offense looked versus the 49ers the week before. But they picked up a huge win and now go on the road to face a Jaguars team that has struggled with rookie Blaine Gabbert under center. It’s pretty remarkable to think that he Bengals could be 3-2 after this week when you consider how messy their offseason was.

      Cardinals @ Vikings, 1:00PM ET
      Is Leslie Frazier starting to warm up to the idea of starting Christian Ponder? Here was Frazier’s comments on the rookie this Wednesday: “He’s working hard in practice, doing the same thing in meetings. We feel like he’s progressing well and we’re optimistic, that, when his time comes, he’ll be ready to go.” A couple of more brutal showings by Donovan McNabb and Ponder’s time might be coming soon.

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      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Week 5 Point Spreads & Odds

      October 5, 2011 /
      Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates as he leaves the field following his team’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons at the NFC Divisional NFL playoff football game in Atlanta, January 15, 2011. REUTERS/Rich Addicks (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Five spreads of note:

      Packers –5.5 @ Falcons, 8:20PM ET Sunday
      The Packers return to the Georgia Dome roughly eight months after Aaron Rodgers and Co. burned it down back in January (metaphorically, of course). This line opened at 4 but is already up to 5.5 as public bettors continue to hammer the Packers, who beat the Falcons 48-21 in Atlanta during the Divisional Round playoffs last season. It’ll be interesting to see how far this spread climbs before the sharps come in and start pushing it back down. There’s no reason to believe the Falcons can hang with the Packers with the way they’ve looked in the early going, but at some point they become a value as a home dog. Will the line reach 6.5 or even 7 points?

      Bears +5.5 @ Lions, 8:30PM ET, Monday
      This is one of the more intriguing lines on the Week 5 schedule because it should get plenty of two-way action for sports books. The public is swarming to get a taste of that Lions Kool-Aid, but this spread is rather high for a divisional game. The Bears didn’t play well in their only road test of the season (Week 2 at New Orleans), but they’re an attractive play at 5.5. In fact, the opening line was Detroit –6 so the spread is already moving in Chicago’s direction.

      Jets +9.5 @ Patriots, 4:15PM ET
      Even though the Jets have looked awful the last two weeks, the road team is 18-7-1 against the number in the last 26 meetings between these two teams and you know Rex Ryan’s squad will be hyped for this one. The Patriots steamrolled the Jets 45-3 in New England last season but Gang Green returned the favor with a 28-21 victory in New York one month later. This is always an intriguing matchup and it’ll be interesting to see if the public pushes the line up to the key number of 10 or if sports books will leave the spread at 9.5 to entice plenty of two-way action.

      Saints –6.5 @ Panthers, 1:00PM ET
      This line is intriguing because of three reasons: 1) Cam Newton, 2) it’s a divisional game and 3) the Saints tend to play things more conservatively on the road than they do at home. While they covered last week against the Jaguars, they certainly didn’t blow them out. Now they go on the road for the second straight week to play a Carolina team that has covered the spread the past three weeks. The public seems to be backing New Orleans but Newton and the Panthers could certainly keep things close, especially when you consider that the Saints are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against Carolina.

      Chiefs +1.5 @ Colts, 1:00PM ET
      What do you do with this game? The Colts are 0-4 but are coming off two-straight covers despite having Curtis Painter under center. Assuming Painter holds onto the starting job (he should with how abysmal Kerry Collins looked in the early going), the Colts might be the play at –1.5. That said, the Chiefs finally got their offense going last week in Minnesota and maybe their situation has finally stabilized. With the spread highly unlikely to climb to the key number of 3, it might be best to stay far, far away from this one.

      All Week 5 Point Spreads:

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      External Sports, NFL

      Rangers advance to ALCS with Game 4 win over Rays

      October 4, 2011 /
      Texas Rangers starting pitcher Matt Harrison throws against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning of Game 4 in their MLB American League Divisional Series baseball playoffs in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 4, 2011. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      The Tampa Bay Rays had an incredible season, but the Texas Rangers were more than ready for them. Adrian Beltre smacked three solo home runs to power the Rangers to a 4-3 victory.

      Beltre has been a terrific — if imperfect — player over the course of his career. But many fans have viewed him as disappointment, especially in Seattle, after the Mariners signed him to a big free-agent contract following his monster 2004 season with the Dodgers and he was never able to replicate that .334, 48-homer season. But with the Mariners, I liked that he always played hard, played great defense (recognized with Gold Glove awards in 2007 and 2008) and hit for power in a tough park for right-handed pull hitters.

      After a year in Boston where he compiled his best numbers since 2004, the Rangers signed him to play third base. The signing was controversial, not because of Beltre’s abilities, but because it left Michael Young without a position. In the end, it all worked out. Young filled in at DH and around the infield while contending for the AL batting crown and Beltre loved hitting in The Ballpark in Arlington — he hit a .326/.372/.706 at home with 23 of his 32 home runs, compared to .271/.297/.440 on the road.

      Let’s see if the Tigers can wrap thing up against the Yankees tonight.

      External Sports, MLB

      The five biggest surprises through the NFL’s first quarter

      October 4, 2011 /
      Buffalo Bills’ head coach Chan Gailey looks on in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts September 26, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      The first quarter of the 2011 NFL season is in the books and as usual, there have been a handful of surprises thus far. Here are the five biggest.

      5. Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers
      Everyone knew the NFC West was going to be a crapshoot this season, just like it was a year ago. While many people thought that the Rams would emerge as division champs, it was easy to predict their horrid start given the difficulty of their schedule. The true surprise is the San Francisco 49ers, who are led by a head coach that was serving in the college ranks last year. What Jim Harbaugh has been able to do so far in San Francisco is impressive. The lockout should have caused teams like the 49ers to struggle early on because they didn’t have enough offseason preparation. But instead of floundering, the Niners have flourished. They’re one bad quarter against the Cowboys from being 4-0 and their come-from-behind victory against the Eagles last Sunday will give this team confidence heading forward. While the offensive line is still a major work in progress, the defense has really performed well thanks to guys like Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Patrick Willis and rookie Aldon Smith. With how poorly the rest of the division is, the Niners may finally claim the top spot in the NFC West again.

      4. The high-flying Bills
      I happen to think last week’s loss to the Bengals was an aberration and that the Bills will continue to be competitive all season. This team was due for a letdown. They were coming off an emotional win against a divisional opponent (the Patriots, no less) the week prior and had to go on the road to face a Cincinnati team that is better than people think. The loss will prove to be a valuable lesson for the Bills, who aren’t good enough yet to take any team for granted. This is still a squad that has practically done everything right to this point. Their passing attack is solid, their young offensive line is overachieving and their defense has been opportunistic and solid against the run. While they may not make the playoffs this season, Chan Gailey has this team headed in the right direction.

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      External Sports, NFL

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