Tag Archives: ben roethlisberger

The Coach and The Doc Take… The Patriots

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
tom brady surgery 218x300 The Coach and The Doc Take... The Patriots

Tom Brady

TAMPA… HEADING NORTH — There are people in the Heartland who believe that if Eli Manning wins Sunday’s Super Bowl, he’ll pass brother Peyton in all levels of the game. With a win on Sunday, Eli will be the bigger winner. Eli will be the greater leader. Honest, Eli will be a better quarterback than Peyton.

Poppycock.

Here are the numbers: Peyton has been named MVP four times, Eli none. Peyton has been to the Pro Bowl 11 times in 12 seasons; Eli, twice in eight seasons. Peyton has been first-team All-Pro five times, Eli none. Peyton’s career passer’s rating is 94.9, Eli’s is 82.1. Need more? Didn’t think so.

Peyton has one Super Bowl ring; Eli has one Super Bowl ring. Trent Dilfer has one Super Bowl ring.

Peyton is a better quarterback than his brother. Easy.

However, this weekend, Eli could join his brother with a ticket to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and that’s something nobody would expect with Eli’s numbers. If Eli ties Ben Roethlisberger and claims his second Super Bowl ring this Sunday aevening, Eli will punch his ticket to the Hall and that’s a surprise in itself.

Eli Manning 300x193 The Coach and The Doc Take... The Patriots

Eli Manning

This season, Eli was fourth in passing yards in the NFL with 4,933, 13th in passing percentage at 61.0, fifth in completions with 359, sixth in TD passes with 29 and seventh in interceptions with 16. He didn’t really have a great year, leading his team to a 9-7 record in the regular season, but he has been superb in the playoffs and that’s definitely when it counts the most.

Of course, on Sunday, Nov. 6, Manning threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants beat New England 24-20. If Manning can do it again on Sunday, his legacy is set.

Sadly, The Coach and Dr. Football aren’t sure he can. In fact, our two experts — two experts who had terrific seasons picking winners this year — believe that Eli just might get his butt handed to him.

newaerial2 300x199 The Coach and The Doc Take... The Patriots

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

SUPER BOWL XLVI

THE 2012 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR THE VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY

SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT 5 P.M. CST

 

NFC Champion New York Giants (12-7) vs. AFC Champion New England Patriots (15-3)

Line: Patriots by 3.5

Super Bowl Sunday is widely regarded as the Thanksgiving Day of sporting events, and wings have become its turkey-like centerpiece. Americans will scoff down 1.25 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone, as well as 8 million slices of pizza, 46 million pounds of potato chips and 71 million pounds of guacamole, probably before Madonna hits the stage.

That’s a good afternoon.

There happens to be a football game as well. Here are a few predictions. New England’s Tom Brady will throw for a bunch of touchdowns. And after each one, NBC will remind us that he is married to a “super model”. Giants Eli Manning will also throw a bunch of touchdown passes, and after each one NBC will show his brother Peyton cheering him on from some millionaires suite. NBC will also remind us that Eli and Peyton are brothers as if we didn’t know.

Anyway, expect the Patriots to get their revenge and cover the 3 ½ point spread.

This season the Doc was 174-92 straight up and 149-117 against the spread. The Coach, who picked both the Giants and Patriots two weeks ago, 178-88 straight up and 146-120 against the spread.

DR FOOTBALL: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER.

THE COACH: PATRIOTS TO WIN AND COVER.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Ponder and Newton Will Soon Play Some Memorable Games

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Christian+Ponder+Dallas+Cowboys+v+Minnesota+Kw9Sr57XBXnl 205x300 Ponder and Newton Will Soon Play Some Memorable Games

Christian Ponder

They both have byes this week and it’s unlikely a lot of NFL fantasy football players will notice.  In fact, while most fans tuned into the Patriots at Pittsburgh last weekend or Dallas at Philly and while others got all giggly over the Lions’ seven sacks on Tim Tebow in Denver, the game of the future was actually being played in Charlotte, N.C.

It might have drawn a few yawns this week, but quite frankly, it’s unlikely to ever draw yawns again.

The folks in Charlotte and the fans back in Minnesota, people who will always follow their Vikings and Panthers through thick and thin, probably thought they were just doing what they always do on Sunday afternoon. It was another football game in the middle of a tough season

Heading into Sunday’s matchup, the Panthers were 2-5 while the Vikings were 1-6. Neither team was thinking about the playoffs and most NFL fans ignored the game like it was a blight on the sport.

And yet, the two people who were in control of the afternoon will, one day, be the Tom Brady-Ben Roethlisberger or Michael Vick-Tony Romo, of our future Sunday afternoons.

Sure, the teams were done. Eight weeks into the season and they were already thinking about Cabo, not Indianapolis, in January. Regardless, the two quarterbacks proved that they will soon be the guys everyone wants to watch. I guarantee it. In fact, this was the debut of the Ponder-Newton Extravaganza, a matchup that could last for the next decade… -plus.

Last Sunday’s final score read: Minnesota 24, Carolina 21. For Minnesota, rookie quarterback Christian Ponder went 18-for-28 for 236 yards and a touchdown. For Carolina, rookie quarterback Cam Newton went 22-for-35 for 290 yards and three touchdowns. However, with the help of a great runningback named Adrian Peterson, the Vikings emerged victorious. Peterson carried 21 times for 86 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 76 yards and another TD.

But while Peterson had already arrived, Ponder and Newton were the new kids on the block and they were the talk of the afternoon. Not because what they did was particularly spectacular, but because of the hints they handed football fans. This was just another game midway through a long season, but it was also a glimpse into the future. Cam Newton and Christian Ponder are the Next Ones.

cam newton panthers 254x300 Ponder and Newton Will Soon Play Some Memorable Games

Cam Newton

Newton, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, had been nothing short of remarkable from the day he arrived in Charlotte. At 6-foot-5, 250-pounds he cuts an amazing figure on the football field. The fact he has 4.59 speed and a rocket arm doesn’t hurt either. As a rookie, he’s second to the Saints’ Drew Brees in passing yards with 2,393 already this season. He’s completed 60.6 per cent of his passes. He’s averaged 299.1 yards per game. He can also run, run for touchdowns, throw on the run and think on the run. He has every possible tool.  He will be this year’s rookie of the year and a future MVP.

The kid on the other side, who just happens to be 6-foot-2, 230-pounds was playing only his second game as a professional, but with the help of Peterson and his sidekick, the electrifying Percy Harvin, the rookie from Florida State sent a note to the rest of the NFL, “I can play, boys.”

Poised, bright and fearless, Christian Ponder proved that he was worth a No. 12 draft pick to acquire.

Here’s how good he was: On third downs requiring 10 yards or more to convert, Ponder was successful on four of his six attempts. And he did it with a sorry collection of receivers who had neither hands nor speed. Were it not for Peterson and Harvin – who were formidable – Ponder might have been out there alone.

“We just took what the defense gave us,” Ponder said. “We didn’t try to force the ball quite as much as we did last week against Green Bay. Whatever they gave us, we tried to exploit.”

Now let’s not go too overboard on Ponder. He did lead his team to a three-point victory, but this all might have been moot if veteran Carolina kicker Olindo Mare didn’t miss a 31-yeard chip shot in the dying seconds, a kick that would have sent the game into overtime and might have provided a different result. And let’s also give credit where it’s due: Newton deserved a better fate. He was terrific.

But Ponder provided the Vikings and their fans with exactly what many pundits claimed he would. He won. And there are people on the sidelines this week saying that if Ponder had started all eight games – the first six belonged to veteran Donovan McNabb – the Vikings might be 6-2 as opposed to 2-6.

That’s mere speculation, of course, but one thing is certain: Newton and Ponder will do this again. And there is perhaps a time in the not-too-distant future when they will do it in an NFC Final.

Even though both Carolina and Minnesota are now 2-6 and likely out of the playoff hunt, the two head coaches will probably be given a reprieve, thanks to the two young QBs. Fans are quick to forgive coaches who let rookie quarterbacks — young stars selected high in the draft — develop into regular starters and team leaders. Ron Rivera in Carolina and Leslie Frazier in Minnesota will now get a few weeks off before the vultures in the mainstream media and on the blogosphere start demanding their heads again.

Vikings fans have quickly learned that young Ponder can play well on the road and win. In Carolina, they already know that 2-6 isn’t Newton’s fault, it’s the fault of a defense that would have a challenge stopping the opposing team’s cheerleading unit.

In years to come, Sunday’s matchup between Cam Newton, 22, and the Carolina Panthers and Christian Ponder, 23, and the Minnesota Vikings will be as highly anticipated as today’s meeting between Brady and Brees or Rodgers and Roethlisberger.

Some day, and some day soon, Cam Newton’s trip into Minnesota to exact revenge for a loss to Christian Ponder on that beautiful North Carolina afternoon of Oct. 30, 2011, will be the talk of football.



(The Coach and The Doc will have their NFL picks on Friday, Nov. 4)

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
Matthew Stafford1 199x300 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Matthew Stafford, a young man madly in love with his right arm.

MINNEAPOLIS – It could easily be suggested, without much argument by the way, that the greatest moment in Detroit Lions history was Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2008.

No, that was not the day the Lions drafted Ndamukong Suh. That was the day that Lions owner William Ford fired club president Matt Millen, the ex-player-turned-TV-broadcaster-turned bullshit-artist that almost completely destroyed the Lions franchise with a series of inane draft picks and horrid coaching hires.

From that day forward, the Lions have slowly, but surely returned to the glory they once enjoyed. A glory they last enjoyed in the 1950s, when a fellow named Bobby Layne played quarterback.

Sunday afternoon, in front of 62,466 witnesses at the Metrodome, the Lions showed just how far they’ve come. Trailing 20-0 at halftime, they battled all the way back and won 26-23 in overtime. Led by quarterback Matthew Stafford and an outstanding corps of receivers, the Lions improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1980. And that’s significant.

The last time the Lions were 3-0, Stafford – and most of his teammates had not been born.

The last time the Lions beat the Vikings in Minnesota, in 1997, Stafford was nine.

The Lions have won seven straight games dating back to last season – 11 if you count the four pre-season games this year.

These are the new Detroit Lions, a Lions team that doesn’t even remember the 2008 squad that went 0-16. After all, Millen is gone and a team that was 4-36 in their last 40 games against Minnesota and Green Bay is now 1-0 against the Vikings this season and they don’t even see the Packers until Thursday, Nov. 24 – Thanksgiving Day.

Since Millen was fired, the Lions have, almost over night, become one of the most feared teams in the NFL. This year’s team is now 3-0 and with their phenomenal receivers and cocky young quarterback, they have a legitimate chance to challenge in the very good NFC North. Ever since the Ford Family fired Millen and hired Tom Lewand as president and Martin Mayhew as general manager, the Lions have turned the corner.

Since Millen walked out the door, the Lions drafted quarterback Matthew Stafford, a young man who is madly in love with his right arm, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, wide receiver Titus Young, linebacker DeAndre Levy, defensive tackle Sammie Hill, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, runningback Jahvid Best, strong safety Amari Spievey, offensive tackle Jason Fox and defensive end Willie Young.

Detroit+Lions+Minicamp+ADf6A vNpkkl 197x300 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Brandon Pettigrew

Stafford, Suh, Levy, Spievey, Pettigrew and Best all started Sunday’s game and all played well. Stafford went 32-for-46 for 378 yards and two touchdowns. Pettigrew had 11 receptions for 112 yards. Best carried 12 times for 14 yards. Spievey had three tackles and a sack. Levy had three tackles. Suh had five tackles and a sack. Off the bench, Titus Young caught four passes for 51 yards, Sammie Hill had two tackles,

Meanwhile, kick and punt returner Stefan Logan was acquired as a free agent from Pittsburgh and was terrific on Sunday. He returned four punts for 37 yards and three kickoffs for 74 yards. Middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch was signed away from Tennessee and yesterday had seven tackles.

The moves this team has made since Millen was dispatched has made the Lions a surprisingly good team. The 3-0 start is no fluke.

“It was a difficult first half, we didn’t play that well,” said Lions quarterback Stafford, addressing the fact his team fell behind 20-0 at the half. “But then we started to do what we do best. We spread things out, we’d played quickly and we had guys make big plays for me.

“On the drive to the game-winning field goal, nothing needs to be said. We knew we were going to score. Like all good offences, we knew we’d make the plays that would get us into a position for Jason (Hanson) to kick the winning field goal.”

That’s the difference between a team that has won seven consecutive regular-season games, compared to a team that went 0-16 just four seasons ago. Good ownership finally put the right people in the right positions and they’ve given good young draft picks a chance to be successful.

It’s kind of the same reason I’ve taken over from Dr. Football as the Alpha Male of this prognostication team. Confidence. I buried the past, looked to future and decided that the Doc wasn’t really that smart.

This will be the third week The Coach has led this season and you’ll see when the picks are posted on Thursday. Last week, The Coach went 10-6 straight up (33-13 on the season) and a Matt Millen-like 5-11 (24-24) against the spread, but The Coach still leads and that’s all that matters. It’s the first time since we’ve started making these picks that The Coach has held the lead.

Yes, “The Roar” has been restored.

Let’s look back at Week 3, before we move forward on Thursday to Week 4:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Detroit 26 Minnesota 23 (OT)

percy harvin Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Percy Harvin, a great player who doesn't see the ball enough.

Detroit’s Jason Hanson kicked a 32-yard field goal on the fifth play of overtime to win it. The Lions trailed 20-0 at the half and came back to win and move to 3-0 while the Vikes fell to 0-3 with their third straight second-half collapse.

Buffalo 34 New England 31

The Bills came back from a 21-0 deficit and picked off four Tom Brady passes. Buffalo is the only unbeaten team in the AFC.

Carolina 16 Jacksonville 10

Cam Newton only threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, but this week he gets a win. He lost two straight despite throwing for more than 400 yards both times.

Denver+Broncos+v+San+Francisco+49ers+kGeEeqf1BlLl 300x224 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Alex Smith of the Niners

San Francisco 13 Cincinnati 8

Alex Smith was 20-for-30 for 201 yards and the Niners Kendall Hunter rushed for the game’s only touchdown.

Cleveland 17 Miami 16

Colt McCoy completed 19-of-39 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, the winning TD to Joshua Cribbs. The Browns played without Peyton Hillis and still won a big game at home to got to 2-1.

New Orleans 40 Houston 33

The Saints outscored the Texans 23-14 in a thrilling fourth quarter. The Saints Drew Brees finished 31-for-44 for 370 yards and three touchdowns. TE Jimmy Graham caught four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Tennessee 17 Denver 14

The Titans Matt Hasselbeck went 27-for-36 for 311 yards and two TDs including a four-yarder to Daniel Graham to win it.

Michael+Vick+Philadelphia+Eagles+v+Pittsburgh+KVmGj8slXETl 205x300 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Philly's Michael Vick injured his hand.

NY Giants 29 Philadelphia 16 

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was hit late and broke his right hand, non-throwing hand and then went off, saying the league’s referees don’t protect him like they do other quarterbacks. It’s true. If a defensive player so much as breathes on Tom Brady, there is a penalty. Vick takes a beating and there is seldom ever a flag.

Oakland 34 NY Jets 24

Raiders runningback Darren McFadden rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns as Oakland improved to 2-1. The Raiders have been improving dramatically and this season with Jason Campbell and McFadden, the offence might be good enough to challenge to the West.

San Diego 20 Kansas City 17

The Chargers’ Ryan Mathews carried 21 times for 98 yards and two TDs. Matt Cassel’s late interception cost Kansas City a comeback.

Baltimore 37 St. Louis 7

Ravens rookie receiver Torrey Smith’s first three career receptions went for 133 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with five catches for 152 yards. Joe Flacco went 27-for-48 for 389 yards and three TDs to Smith.

129 Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley 214x300 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Green Bay's Jermichael Finley

Green Bay 27 Chicago 17

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, all to tight end Jermichael Finley. Brandon’s Israel Idonije had another good game with four tackles for the Bears.

Seattle 13 Arizona 10

Neither offense was any good but Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson ran 11 yards for a TD in the third quarter and that’s all Seattle needed.

Tampa Bay 16 Atlanta 13

The Bucs Josh Freeman scored the first rushing touchdown of his career, and Tampa Bay’s defense forced three turnovers and sacked Atlanta QB Matt Ryan four times.

roethlisberger photo 218x300 Lions Look Great. Vikings Collapse Again. Week 3 Was Sure Interesting.

Ben Roethlisberger

SUNDAY NIGHT

Pittsburgh 23 Indianapolis 20

The Colts lost quarterback Kerry Collins to a concussion and that ultimately cost them the game. Pittsburgh’s Canadian kicker Sean Suisham booted a 38-yard field goal with only eight seconds left on the clock.

MONDAY NIGHT

Dallas 18 Washington 16

Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey booted six field goals to give Dallas all 18 of their points. Tremendous effort by Cowboys QB Tony Romo who played with that serious rib injury.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday Night Game Should be a Steelers Steal

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Week 16 in the NFL opens tonight with Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 on Rogers SportsNet.

There is also a game this week on Saturday, Christmas Day, as Dallas plays at Arizona. This Sunday, the big games include the 10-4 Jets at 10-4 Chicago, Indianapolis at Oakland, the Giants at struggling Green Bay on Sunday night and New Orleans at Atlanta in a battle of the two best teams in the NFC South on Monday night.

In Pittsburgh, all-pro safety Troy Polamalu will not play tonight when the Steelers meet Carolina. On the coast, Troy Smith, not Alex Smith, will start at quarterback for the 49ers on Sunday against St. Louis; Joe Webb is the likely starter for the Vikings on Sunday night when Minnesota plays at Philadelphia; and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is confident he’ll start on Sunday afternoon against the Giants after practicing yesterday.

Only two weeks remain in the 2010 regular season and 20 teams are still in contention for a trip to Super Bowl XLV in North Texas.  Chicago has locked up the NFC North, and Atlanta, New England and Pittsburgh have clinched playoff berths.

According to the NFL media folks in New York, seven of the eight divisions currently feature a team in or tied for the top spot that did not win its division in 2009. Chicago locked up the NFC North title with a win last week after finishing third last season.  Four other clubs that did not win division titles in 2009 – Atlanta, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh – can clinch a division championship this week.

We’ll look at Sunday’s games on Friday, but as for tonight’s matchup, I’ll take the keyboard and write this week’s summary:

Carolina Panthers (2-12) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) Line: Steelers by 15 (some books have 14.5)

Really? Seriously? I would never, ever, ever suggest to anyone to take 15 points. Ever. Except maybe in this Thursday night monstrosity. The Steelers won’t be as good without the injured Troy Polamalu, the Pittsburgh offensive line has not done a good job protecting Ben Roethlisberger in recent weeks and Pittsburgh doesn’t score a lot of points anyway (17th overall with 307) so there is a real reason to worry about the spread. Carolina is coming off a 19-12 home win against Arizona while Pittsburgh lost last week, at home, 22-17 to the Jets. I like Pittsburgh a lot, but not by 15.

Dr. Football: STEELERS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER.

The Coach: STEELERS TO WIN BUT NOT COVER

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Favre Hurt, Flacco Sacked and Manning All Over The Place As Week 13 Provides Plenty of Surprises

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

TAMPA, Fla. — It was a wild one Sunday as Week 13 in the National Football League provided all sorts of thrills and spills.

Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre injured his shoulder on the third play of the game, but tarvaris Jackson came off the bench the lead the Vikings to a 38-14 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Now, this morning, everyone it seems is screaming to start Jackson next week against the Giants. Sounds great, but remember, T-Jack just won at home against the UFL-like Bills. The Giants are a whole different argument.

Meanwhile, a big sack and forced fumble by Troy Polamalu led to a late touchdown by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Pittsburgh beat Baltimore 13-10 in a defensive struggle. I’m sure Baltimore’s Joe Flacco is a good quarterback, but he had so little time to throw and put so few points on the board that it’s hard to tell.

Meanwhile, Peyton Manning threw four interceptions, two were returned for touchdowns and the one in overtime led to the winning field goal while here in Tampa, the Bucs Josh Freeman did his best Peyton impersonation by throwing an INT in the dying seconds to seal a loss to Atlanta.

A lot of quarterbacks were great on Sunday. Many more were not. But it sure made for some interesting football:

Sunday night…

Pittsburgh 13 Baltimore 10

Ben Roethlisberger threw a nine-yard TD pass to Isaac Redman with 2:51 remaining after Troy Polamalu forced a Joe Flacco fumble on a sack. The Steelers are 9-3 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

Sunday afternoon….

Minnesota 38 Buffalo 14

Brett Favre injured his shoulder on the third play of the game and Tarvaris Jackson came in and was sensational. He threw two touchdown passes to Sidney Rice while Adrian Peterson rushed for 107 yards and three more touchdowns as the Vikings improved to 5-7. Jackson could start this coming Sunday at home against the Giants.

Chicago 24 Detroit 20

Jay Cutler hit Brandon Manumaleuna with the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter, right after a dreadful roughing call against the Lions Ndamukong Suh. The Bears re 9-3 while the 2-10 Lions have lost five straight.

Jacksonville 17 Tennessee 6

Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for a career-best 186 yards as the Jags took over first place in the AFC South with a 7-5 record.

Green Bay 34 San Francisco 16

Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns while Greg Jennings caught six passes for 122 yards and two TDs.

Cleveland 13 Miami 10

Mike Adams interception in the final minute set up Phil Dawson’s game winning 23-yard field goal with no time left.

NY Giants 31 Washington 7

Brandon Jacobs rushed for 1-3 yards and two touchdowns while Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Seattle 31 Carolina 14

The Seahawks Marshawn Lynch rushed for 83 yards and three touchdowns.

Oakland 28 San Diego 13

What an upset, as Oakland quarterback Jason Campbell threw for one touchdown and an for another. The Raiders swept the season series with San Diego.

Kansas City 10 Denver 6

The Chiefs Jamaal Charles rushed for 116 yards while Matt Cassel threw a three-yard TD pass to Leonard Pope to win it.

Atlanta 28 Tampa Bay 24

Eric Weems scored on a 102-yard kickoff return and Matt Ryan threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins as the Falcons rallied from a 10-point deficit with 14 points in the fourth quarter.

New Orleans 34 Cincinnati 30

New Orleans QB Drew Brees hit Marques Colston with the game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left as the 9-3 Saints won their fifth straight.

St. Louis 19 Arizona 6

The Rams Steven Jackson rushed for 107 yards including 27 on the game’s lone touchdown and the 6-6 Rams stayed in a first-place tie with Seattle in the NFC West.

Dallas 38 Indianapolis 35 (OT)

Peyton Manning threw four interceptions. Two were returned for touchdowns while the fourth was returned far enough to get David Buehler in position to kick the game winning 38-yard field goal in overtime.

Tonight, in the Monday Nighter, it’s the 9-2 New York Jets against the 9-2 New England Patriots in a battle of the two best teams in the AFC East – and maybe in all of football. Thursday night this week, Week 14 starts with the Colts play the Titans.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The NFL To Give Officials a Pep Talk

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

In an unprecedented move, the NFL has scheduled a conference call on Friday with every member of every officiating team, to give what has been called “a pep talk and a clean up” for recent mistakes made by a number of officials.

The officials botched two huge calls last week, one on a Ben Roethlisberger fumble called a non-fumble in Miami and one on a Visanthe Shiancoe touchdown called no-touchdown in Green Bay that ultimately changed the outcome of both games.

The league wants to clean it up.

The league had better ask one or two important questions: Who is betting on the games and/or who is getting a pay off from the gamblers? Those calls last week were so bad, and they were bad because they were made AFTER the use of instant replay, that in both cases, the games appeared to be fixed.

And it’s not always what is true, but what appears to be true. And what those two calls appeared to be last week was fishy.

On the upside, the league has $35,000 from the Brad Childress fine (he was fined for calling last Sunday’s game “the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen.” on the K-FAN post-game show), so the long distance bill is covered.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , ,

Underpaid NFL (Amateur) Officials ‘Look’ More Corrupt Every Week

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

As I watch the NFL and become ever more impressed with the incredible athletic skills of the athletes, I must admit, I tend to watch The League now with a jaundiced eye. There is something wrong with the officiating.

I’m not sure what it is and I am sure it’s always been there, to some degree, but these days I watch certain crews and I wonder if something might be a little, umm, well, fishy.

For instance, there is holding, of some kind, on every, single play, but more often that not, holding is only called when it has an effect on a big play. And what is quite disconcerting is that, far too often, it only brings back the big plays of certain teams in certain situations. In other words, holding might be called early in a game on one team when a drive hasn’t even started. Suddenly, at midfield on their second possession, Team A, has a first-and-20, and well, so what?

However, Team B gets hit with a holding call on second and 10 from the opposition’s 15 with 0:45 to play and forces Team B into an impossible situation. It’s almost inevitable and it happens in almost every game.

Sunday, I watched a couple of plays that were simply, well, phony. And, interstingly, the NFL noticed. This from nfl.com:

MIAMI — An officiating mistake negated a late fumble at the goal line by Ben Roethlisberger and the Piuttsburgh Steelers kicked the game-winning field goal on the next play Sunday.

Jeff Reed  made an 18-yarder with 2:30 left, and the Steelers escaped with a 23-22 win.

One play earlier, with Pittsburgh trailing 20-19 and facing third-and-goal at the 2, Roethlisberger fumbled as he dived across the goal line on a quarterback draw. The play was ruled a touchdown as both teams scrambled for the loose ball in the end zone.

After a replay review, referee Gene Steratore announced that Roethlisberger fumbled before scoring. But Steratore said his crew had no clear evidence as to which team recovered the ball, and the Steelers were awarded possession at the half-yard line, allowing Reed to kick the winner.

Wow! Everybody watching that game saw the replay and it seems everybody saw a Miami player come up with the football. Why did Steratore and his crew miss it? What is the purpose of replay? What is it with the Steelers and controversial wins? What is it with NFL officiating?

Having said that, I won’t get started on the Vikings-Packers game in Green Bay on Sunday night. That one smelled of fish and, of  course, every time Scott Green calls a game, he looks worried when a call goes against one team and quite enthusiastic when it goes against the other. It’s just an odd look and if it weren’t for HD TV, we’d probably never notice.

Of course, if it wasn’t for Sport Select here in Canada, we’d probably never care.

VIKINGS POST SCRIPT (3:18 p.m. Monday)

On a day when Vikings head coach Brad Childress announced that quarterback Brett Favre had two small ankle fractures, he also said the league had backed his assertion that Vikes tight end Visanthe Shiancoe should have been awarded a touchdown on a pass from Favre in the second quarter. The play was originally called a touchdown, but was overturned after a challenge and then, replay. Scott Green was the official who overturned the play on replay.

There is something fishy about Scott Green.

*          *           *

FINALLY. SOMEBODY SAID IT

Kudos to the Detroit Free Press for noticing this one:

Mike Florio from ProFootballTalk.com and now nbcsports.com, was talking about the NFL’s crackdown on head-to-head hits on a Boston radio show last Tuesday when, inexplicably, he went off.

His target: Matt Millen.

Apparently, Millen had debated the topic on “Monday Night Football.” The Detroit Free Press said he argued “on the side of you-can’t-legislate-the-violence-out-of-football.”

“How does no one realize that this guy has only demonstrated he doesn’t know anything?” Florio said incongruously. “I can’t listen to anything he says. … Every time I see his face on the screen, it’s like, in my brain, 0-16 superimposes over the screen, and I can’t get past that. Maybe other people can.

“But I don’t understand … how you can have no shame and want to continue to be out there?

“Kind of like, ‘Hey, look at me. You know what, I took all those millions from the Fords and I was completely inept, and now I’m taking even more money from ESPN and the NFL Network just because I can sit here and sound like I know what I’m talking about.”

Somebody had to say it. Thanks to the Detroit Free Press for hearing it and reporting on it.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sorry Dog Lovers. According to the NFL, Roethlisberger a Bigger Monster than Vick.

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for six games this week, a result of what was, apparently, alcohol-fueled misbehaviour in a bar in Georgia this winter.

Most American sports pundits believe the punishment fits the crime, even though there was no crime. In the mainstream media, however, crime and misbehaviour are one and the same because as the court of public opinion, media bloviators get to be district attorney, judge and jury.

Goodell has decided that a He-said/She-said bit of nastiness between a 28-year-old male and 20-year-old female in a bar  is deserving of a six-game suspension and, sure, maybe it is. But remember this, Michael Vick, who spent 18 months in prison after being convicted for his role in a dog-fighting (read: dog-killing) ring, also got six games. And that six-game suspension was shortened to two games.

Now, frankly, I had no argument with Vick’s suspension being shortened by four games. He did his time, he paid his debt to polite society and he deserved every opportunity to return to his old job. But the Roethlisberger suspension is a message that killing defenceless animals and drinking, carousing and acting like an idiot is on exactly the same level of  horrendous behaviour. That’s really, really wrong.

The commissioner needs to do what the commissioner needs to do but when killing animals and acting like a dick results in the same penalty, something is amiss.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , ,

The Super Bowl: Post-Game.

Posted on February 3, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The big game in the cold light of dawn…

ORLANDO — Live from the Ben Roethlisberger/Santonio Holmes Parade at the Magic Kingdom on Monday afternoon…

 

1) No doubt the Pittsburgh Steelers should be proud of their 27-23 victory in Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIII and while the game was certainly exciting and we’re told the TV coverage was wonderful, it was a game tainted with horrible plays, bad decisions and down right rotten officiating.

 

Terry McAulay’s officiating crew called 18 penalties, 11 against Arizona for 106 yards. There were holding calls missed (or ignored), but there were many called — right in the midst of big plays. There were some calls made and many more good calls missed.

 

It was THE big game and, yet, the officials weren’t ready for it. And as bad as Kurt Warner and Ken Whisenhunt called the offence in the third quarter, the officials were the true goats in this one.

 

And by the way, I still haven;’t seen a replay that clearly shows Santonio Holmes had both feet down in the end zone when he caught the game-winning pass. Just sayin’.

 

2) This year’s Super Bowl MVP was Pittsburgh Steelers’ wideout Santonio Holmes and quite frankly, it was an inspired selection by a group of people that more often than not picks the winning quarterback just because it’s the easy way out.

 

But Sunday night’s Super Bowl XLIII was Holmes’ game. He had nine catches for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown and he even set up the game-winning score on a terrific pass-and-run play. The kid from Ohio State was the best player on the winning team and that indeed makes him the MVP.

 

That’s why it’s amazing to me that people are still questioning the Holmes selection today.

 

3) It’s Pro Bowl Week in Honolulu and it just might be the last. That’s not to say it’s the last for the Pro Bowl, but the last for Honolulu.

 

It’s very likely that next year’s Pro Bowl will be held the week before the Super Bowl in South Florida as part of the Super Bowl festivities and if it’s successful, which it will likely be, the Pro Bowl will never return to Hawaii.

 

The move makes sense. Now, perhaps it’s time to think about dumping the all-star game for good. 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The NFL Championship Games: A Post-Mortem

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It will be the upstart Arizona Cardinals and the heavily-favoured Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII and don’t forget, the 92-CITI Sports Machine will be live at the big game all next week.

In the meantime, it was quite a Championship Sunday for a team headed to the big game for the first time in franchise history and a team going off to try to win its record sixth Super Bowl crown.

 

In Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals took a big halftime  lead (24-6), blew that lead (25-24) and yet came back to beat the Philadelphia Eagles with a tremendous drive late in the fourth quarter, 32-25. The Cards Kurt Warner was 21-for-28 for 279 yards and four touchdowns while wideout Larry Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns as the 9-7 Western Division champs won the NFC title. Some were calling that final drive, “Warner’s Hall of Fame drive.” They might be right.

 

Talk about red-hot (no colour-coded pun intended). It was only a month ago that the Cardinals were demolished 35-14 in their own building by the Minnesota Vikings and now, this team full of surprises is off to the Super Bowl.

 

However, as great a game as Kurt Warner had at the helm of the Cardinals yesterday – and yes, Warner becomes the first quarterback ever to return to the Super Bowl after an eight-year absence – it could be that his favourite target, Larry Fitzgerald, is the best football player in the game.

 

Fitzgerald, who grew up in Minneapolis and went to Pitt, was absolutely spectacular and during the Cards game-winning fourth-quarter drive, the Pro Bowl-bound Fitzgerald caught three important passes for 39 yards. 

 

Fitzgerald has caught 100 yards worth of passes in each of his team’s last five games. If he does it again on Feb. 1, the Cardinals could be Super Bowl champs.

 

Although, they do have to face a Steelers team that appears to have way too much on defence.

 

On Sunday, the Steelers (and their No. 1 NFL defence) beat Baltimore (and their No. 2 NFL defence) 23-14 in a game that had   Troy Polamalu’s stamp all over it. The Steelers monster defensive back had four tackles and an interception return for the game’s final touchdown.

 

It’s a little tired perhaps, but if offence fills buildings and defence wins championships, then it’s clear the Pittsburgh Steelers should win Super Bowl XLIII. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did what he needed to do, but it was that sensational defence that won the Steelers another AFC title

 

While Warner, Fitzgerald and the rest of the Arizona offence put up 32 points to win the NFC championship, the Steelers got seven of their 23 points from the defence en route to Tampa.

 

The Steelers defence was outstanding as LaMarr Woodley had seven tackles and two sacks, Ryan Clark had eight tackles and, of course, Polamalu was out of this world. It was a defensive masterpiece and late Sunday night, the Steelers were rewarded in one small way: They were made 6 ½-point favourites in the big game.

 

Of course, that’s something the Cardinals will pin up in their lockers at Raymond James Stadium next week.

 

See you at Super Bowl XLIII and if you aren’t going, listen for me on 92-CITI-FM in Winnipeg, The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton and The FAN 960 in Calgary.   

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Blog, NFL

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,