Tag: Brandon Jacobs (Page 5 of 8)

      NFL Week 15 Primer

      December 12, 2008 /

      Tony RomoSunday’s Best: Giants (11-2) at Cowboys (8-5), 8:15 PM ET NBC
      We’re getting down to crunch time in the NFL and there’s nothing better than an NFC East battle with playoff implications. If the regular season ended today, the Cowboys would be in as the sixth seed. But the regular season doesn’t end today and Dallas has one of the toughest final stretches of any team with playoff aspirations. After playing host to the Giants on Sunday night, they’re home against the Ravens next week and then travel to Philadelphia in the season finale. That’s a brutal three-game stretch for any team, nevertheless one that is dealing with injuries (see Marion Barber) and internal bickering (see Cowboys’ wideouts vs. Tony Romo). The Giants, meanwhile, are sitting pretty for the top seed in the NFC, but they’ll have to earn it after losing to the Eagles at home last Sunday. Suddenly the Carolina Panthers are just one game behind the Giants in the quest for capturing home field advantage throughout the postseason and the two teams play each other next week in Jersey. Can the Cowboys bounce back from their collapse last Sunday in Pittsburgh? Will the Giants lose two in a row for the first time all season? Like several matchups on the Week 15 schedule, this game is must-see.

      Upset Watch: 49ers (5-8) at Dolphins (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, FOX
      Let me state for the record that I think the Dolphins have been one of the best storylines in the NFL this season. That said – they’re due for a letdown. Just when the public is ready to hop on a team’s bandwagon and ride its coattails the rest of the season, they hit a pothole and send everyone flying off. Miami is a better team than San Francisco and they should win Sunday in convincing fashion. But San Fran is a dangerous team right now because they have nothing to play for and have fiery Mike Singletary leading the way – the same fiery Mike Singletary that is trying to prove he deserves a head-coaching job. The Niners have been more competitive since Singletary took over and quarterback Shaun Hill has been a pleasant surprise. You might think I’m crazy (and I am) for predicting a 49er upset considering Frank Gore is expected to miss the game, but DeShaun Foster is no slouch and is likely craving the opportunity to carry the full load. Just when you think you’ve got the NFL figured out, it throws you a punch to the gut. Do we have another punch coming this Sunday in Miami?

      Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Buccaneers (9-4) at Falcons (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, FOX
      Call this “Sunday’s Best II.” With the Bucs’ loss to the Panthers in Carolina on Monday night, the NFC South is now 0-10 this season when playing on the road against other NFC South opponents. And considering Jeff Garcia has missed significant practice time this week due to a calf injury, things don’t bode well for Tampa. However, Monte Kiffin’s defense has always given the Falcons trouble. Both of these teams are coming off of divisional losses and both need a win to stay in the NFC playoff picture (especially Atlanta), so we can probably expect one hell of a fight. Look for Tampa to take away Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game and force rookie Matt Ryan to beat them through the air. They had this same approach in their Week 2 victory and Ryan failed miserably, although it’s safe to say he’s a completely different player nowadays and he showed once again last week in New Orleans that he can make every throw in the NFL. Will the Bucs get back on track this week or will the legend of Matt Ryan continue to grow?

      Other Notable Games:

      Steelers (10-3) at Ravens (9-4), 4:15 PM ET CBS
      Call this game “Sunday’s Best III” or “Sunday’s Best 1A.” Whatever you call it, it’s going to be one of the best games of week. Pittsburgh remains one game ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North and currently has the head to head advantage after beating the Ravens earlier in the year. No team is playing better defensively right now than Pittsburgh, but the Ravens have suddenly hit their offensive stride in recent weeks and still boasts one of the best defenses in the league. This game might wind up being a 6-3 final.

      Vikings (8-5) at Cardinals (8-5), 4:05 PM ET FOX
      The Cardinals may have locked up the NFC West crown last week, but they still have plenty to play for as they try to improve their playoff seeding. And with the Bears’ victory over the Saints on Thursday night, the Vikings must win to stay one game ahead of Chicago in the NFC North. Can backup Tarvaris Jackson lead Minnesota to victory?

      Broncos (8-5) at Panthers (10-3), 4:15 PM ET, CBS
      With their win over Tampa on Monday night, many purists are talking about Carolina possibly being the No. 1 seed in the NFC come playoff time. But they’ll get a challenge this Sunday from a Denver team trying to clinch the AFC West crown.

      Bills (6-7) at Jets (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, CBS
      After losing two straight, the Jets now find themselves in a three-way tie with the Dolphins and Patriots for first place in the AFC East. Can they get back on track or will the Bills play spoiler?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Brandon Jacobs will not play vs. Cowboys

      December 12, 2008 /

      The New York Giants have officially ruled out Brandon Jacobs playing against the Dallas Cowboys this week.

      Giants running back Brandon Jacobs has been declared out of the Giants game Sunday night in Dallas.

      Tom Coughlin made that announcement moments ago after Jacobs missed his third straight practice with an injured left knee.

      “We just didn’t feel like hed be ready to play,” Coughlin said.

      Derrick Ward will start in place of Jacobs. Asked if that meant Ahmad Bradshaw would get a little more work than usual, Coughlin said “Well see how the game goes.”

      LB Jonathan Goff (hamstring) has also been ruled out and DT Fred Robbins (shoulder) will be listed as “questionable”.

      The Cowboys’ defense has played better of late, but they’re still just average at best against the run. I wouldn’t trust Ward and Bradshaw to light up the fantasy scoreboard this week, although neither would necessarily be a bad start.

      NFL

      Ignorance is an excuse: Williams Wall cleared to play the rest of the season

      December 11, 2008 /

      It turns out you can take something that’s not on the list of approved substances and get away with it.

      A Minnesota judge on Thursday extended his preliminary injunction against the NFL’s suspension of five players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy, clearing the players to play for two more weeks.

      “This is consistent with the approach the judge has taken in giving careful consideration to these issues, which we fully respect,” an NFL spokesman said.

      Given that the parties have been asked to propose a schedule to file pleadings by Dec. 22, which precedes the actual pleadings, the hearing of the case and then the decision, it’s likely all of the players involved will be done playing by the time any decision is made. What it means is that the five Vikings and Saints players who tested positive for a banned diuretic are probably good to play for the rest of the season and the playoffs.

      From a fantasy point of view, this is very bad news for Tim Hightower this week, Michael Turner next week and Brandon Jacobs/Derrick Ward in Week 17 (for those leagues that have playoffs that last that long).

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Do the Giants miss Plaxico Burress now?

      December 7, 2008 /

      Eli ManningWhen the New York Giants placed wide receiver Plaxico Burress on the non-injury football list earlier this week and effectively ended his season, everyone said all the right things. The players said they could win with or without him and the media said the Giants were all about the team – both true.

      But nobody could say following their 20-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday that the Giants couldn’t have used Burress. Eli Manning was just 13 of 27 for 123 yards and a touchdown, while no Giant receiver had more than four catches or 40 yards.

      I don’t want to take anything away from the Eagles’ defense, because they blitzed and swarmed Manning the entire game. They also should have had at least one interception, but Asante Samuel and Brian Dawkins collided with each other and the pass fell to the ground.

      That said, Manning looked completely out of sync with his receivers and Domenik Hixon dropped a perfect pass that could have been a touchdown. And once Brandon Jacobs left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter, the Giants could have really used a playmaker like Burress to breathe life into their offense.

      Burress doesn’t deserve to be playing right now and it’s only fair he’s being punished for his selfish actions. But the idea that the Giants are a better team without him still remains to be seen and their loss Sunday proves that. They’re still the best team in the league and they will bounce back from their defeat. But it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the offensive woes that were on display on Sunday will reappear in the postseason without Burress in the lineup.

      As for the Eagles, this was a massive win and it keeps their slim playoff hopes alive. With the Saints’ win over the Falcons, the final NFC Wild Card spot is up for grabs and if Brian Westbrook (203 total yards, 2 total touchdowns) and the Eagles’ defense plays as well as they did against the Giants, than Philly’s playoff hopes are far from dead.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Boner of the Week: Plaxico Burress

      December 1, 2008 /

      I wanted to wait until (most of) the facts were in before giving Plaxico Burress this prestigious award.

      For those that have been living under a rock for the past few days, Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg with an unregistered hand gun while at a Manhattan night club.

      ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack reported that Burress could face up to seven years in prison if convicted on the felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

      Burress had a concealed-weapon permit issued to him in Florida but records show it expired in May and New York does not recognize out-of-state permits anyway, New York media have reported.

      Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for a full prosecution of state law that requires mandatory prison for carrying a loaded handgun.

      “I don’t think anybody should be exempt from that, and I think it would be an outrage if we didn’t prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, particularly people who live in the public domain, make their living because of their visibility — they’re the role models for our kids,” Bloomberg said.

      Brandon Jacobs added this brilliant analysis:

      “I called him and made a few jokes about the situation and his laugh is what I wanted to hear,” Jacobs said, according to Newsday. “If he didn’t laugh I knew he was going to be down, which he shouldn’t be down. It’s a mistake that happened, something that shouldn’t have happened and that’s that.”

      Burress “shouldn’t be down”? “It’s a mistake that happened”?

      On second thought, maybe Jacobs’ deserves this award. Mistakes just don’t randomly happen. People make mistakes. Accidents happen. Burress made the mistake of carrying an unregistered, concealed weapon around the streets of New York, which has the toughest unlicensed weapon laws in the country. When he shot himself in the leg – now that was an accident.

      I don’t know why Burress was at a night club anyway. He has a leg injury, yet he has the mobility and is healthy enough to party into the wee hours of the morning? The Giants are paying him $35 million over five years to play wide receiver, yet the guy endangers his career by carrying an unlicensed, concealed weapon around New York City.

      For this, he wins the Boner of the Week award. Congratulations, Plaxico.

      Humor, NFL

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