Tag: Jay Cutler (Page 30 of 32)

      NFL Week 6 Primer

      October 10, 2008 /

      Jake DelhommeSunday’s Best: Panthers (4-1) at Buccaneers (3-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      This isn’t the sexiest matchup on the Week 6 schedule, but it’s a battle for first place in the NFC South. Carolina is coming off a 34-0 rout of the Chiefs, a game in which they held Larry Johnson to only two yards rushing, while Tampa dropped a close one in Denver. The Panthers can thank a healthy Jake Delhomme and a stingy run defense for their hot start this season. With Delhomme back under center and a nice 1-2 punch of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart in the backfield, the Panthers’ offense has been incredibly balanced this season and therefore, hard to stop. And Carolina’s front seven has kept opponents from averaging over 100 yards on the ground. The Bucs will go back to Jeff Garcia at quarterback with Brian Griese nursing an injured arm. It’ll be interesting to see if the Panthers take away Tampa’s 8th-best rushing attack, because the last time the Bucs couldn’t run the ball was against the Bears – a game in which Griese attempted 67 passes. Will Garcia have to do the same this week?

      Upset Watch: Cowboys (4-1) at Cardinals (3-2), 4:15 PM ET FOX
      I’m going right back to the well. In my primer last week, I warned to watch out for the Cards upsetting the previously unbeaten Bills. I’ll do the same this week as the Cowboys roll into the desert after almost blowing a 17-point lead to the Bengals last Sunday. Dallas has more talent than any other team in the NFC, but they’ve proven to be as fragile as T.O.’s emotions. Arizona flat out plays a different brand of football at home and could have wideout Anquan Boldin back this week, although it’s doubtful. Even without Boldin, the Cards have more than enough weapons to score on a Dallas defense that is giving up close to 23 points a game. The key obviously will be whether or not Arizona can stop the Cowboys’ high-powered offense. Dallas is racking up over 400 yards and 30 points a game and the Cards are just two games removed from surrendering 56 points to the Jets. Even if ‘Zona can’t pull off the upset, I would expect one wild shootout.


      LaDainain Tomlinson      Intriguing Matchup: Patriots (3-1) at Chargers (2-3) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Remember when New England mocked Shawne Merriman’s “Lights Out” dance after a playoff win in San Diego a couple of years ago and hurt LaDainian Tomlinson’s feelings? The Pats return to the scene of the crime and no team plays with a bigger chip on their shoulder (and for really no reason) than the Chargers. Even though they won in convincing fashion against the 49ers last week, this is clearly a different Patriots team without Tom Brady. (What a statement, I know). It’ll be interesting to see if Matt Cassel can have a coming out party this weekend, because no team in the entire NFL is playing worse against the pass right now than San Diego.

      Other Notable Games:
      Bears (3-2) at Falcons (3-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The last time rookie QB Matt Ryan faced the Tampa 2 defense he had his worst outing as a pro, throwing two interceptions in a loss to the Bucs in Week 2. He’ll get a chance for redemption this week against Chicago, a team that has typically owned Atlanta in the past.

      Jaguars (2-3) at Broncos (4-1), 4:15 PM ET FOX
      Big Ben and the Steelers lit up Jacksonville’s defense last week. Will Jay Cutler and the Broncos’ offense do the same on Sunday?

      Ravens (2-2) at Colts (2-2), 1:00 PM ET CBS
      Peyton Manning vs. Ray Lewis is always fun to watch.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Thirty-Two reasons to love the 2008 NFL Season so far

      October 6, 2008 /

      The 2008 NFL Season is only a quarter of the way finished, but it already looks like it could be one of the craziest years in some time. And as if anyone needed a reason to tune in this year, I’ve gone ahead and listed 32 of them below.

      In no particular order:

      1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?

      2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.

      3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.

      4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.

      5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.

      6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.

      7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.

      8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.

      9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.

      Brett Favre10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.

      11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?

      12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.

      13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.

      14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).

      15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.

      Miami Dolphins16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.

      17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.

      18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.

      19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.

      20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.

      21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.

      22. Michael Turner’s running style.

      23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.

      24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…

      Eli Manning25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.

      26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

      27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.

      28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.

      29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.

      Tony Romo and Terrell Owens30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.

      31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.

      32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Photos of the Week

      September 30, 2008 /

      Here are a few of my favorite photos from Week 4. Click on the picture to see a bigger version at NFL.com.


      This is a nice shot of a 49er defender hanging off of Reggie Bush, who is having a great season thus far. This picture captures how an improving San Francisco defense was able to contain Bush. (Unfortunately, they couldn’t contain anyone else in the Saints’ offense.)


      The timing of this picture is incredible; the photo was snapped just as the ball reached the hands of Tony Gonzalez. There were probably 30 photographers trying to get this shot, but only one managed to capture it.


      I like this shot because it represents the first bit of real adversity in Jay Cutler’s remarkable 2008 season. I especially like the contrast between his look of disgust and the faceless mass of out of focus Kansas City fans in the background, who were no doubt cheering their fool heads off.

      At NFL.com, you can vote for the photo of the week. (But be warned, none of these were nominated.)

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Larry Johnson rumbles as Chiefs shock Broncos 33-19

      September 28, 2008 /

      Larry JohnsonKansas City running back Larry Johnson totaled 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs dropkicked the previous undefeated Broncos 33-19 on Sunday.

      The poor play of Denver’s defense finally caught up with them today as the Chiefs had a ton of success moving the ball offensively. Damon Huard returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s loss to Atlanta and was efficient, completing 21 of 28 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.

      But the story was obviously Johnson, who has looked like the LJ of old the past two weeks. Tight end Tony Gonzalez also made a hell of a catch on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Huard to give KC a 23-13 lead early in the fourth.

      Aside from Johnson’s monster day, the Broncos shot themselves in the foot with four turnovers. Quarterback Jay Cutler finished with good numbers (29 of 49, 361 yards, 1 TD), but threw two costly interceptions as well. Cutler also lost a fumble, as did wide receiver Brandon Marshall (7 rec., 77 yards, 1 TD).

      The Chiefs’ defense deserves a lot of praise for holding the Broncos to only 19 points. Denver was averaging over 30 points a game coming into Sunday, but KC was able to force turnovers and hold the Broncos to field goals most of the game. It was an impressive first win for Herm Edwards and the Chiefs.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Broncos edge Saints in shootout

      September 21, 2008 /

      Brandon MarshallThe red-hot Broncos earned their third win of the year, edging out the New Orleans Saints in a wild 34-32 shootout in Denver on Sunday. Saints’ kicker Martin Gramatica missed a 43-yard field goal that would have given New Orleans a 35-34 lead late in the fourth quarter.

      Both quarterbacks put on an aerial show, with Drew Brees throwing for 421 yards and a touchdown and Jay Cutler finishing with 264 yards and two scores. Reggie Bush had another monster game, catching 11 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 73 yards and a score. And Denver WR Brandon Marshall was sick again, hauling in six passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. (How do you not triple cover that guy if you’re a defensive coordinator? He’s phenomenal.)

      The Broncos look great. Their defense hasn’t played as well as people expected them to, but Cutler and the offense is playing with a ton of confidence and they’re shredding defenses through the air. They play at Kansas City next week, then return home to play Tampa and Jacksonville in Weeks 5 and 6. It’ll be interesting to see how good Denver’s offense can be against two of the better defenses in the league.

      I really thought the Saints could be potential Super Bowl contenders this year and they still might be. But after all of the offseason additions, the defense still looks shaky. New Orleans still has issues in the secondary and especially in getting off the field on third downs. When your offense puts up 20-plus points a week, you should win more games than you lose.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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