Tag Archives: NFL

Another Day With the Circus

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
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Chris Johnson Should Be in the NFL Playoffs

New Year’s Day was disappointing. There were no real upsets in the NFL wars. Sure, Kansas City going into Denver and beating the Broncos 7-3 was a bit of an upset, but considering all the holes in the Broncos offense, it wasn’t a big surprise.

In the end, the finish to the NFL season created the usual stupid playoff matchups. Explain to me the logic behind the ridiculous fact that 12-4 Pittsburgh has to go on the road to play at 8-8 Denver in the first round of the post-season this coming weekend. That’s bloody senseless. Sure, Denver won a Division, but there are BCS teams that could have won the AFC West. The only surprise in the AFC West is that San Diego coach Norv Turner wasn’t fired on Monday.

Of course, it was a surprise that Norv Turner wasn’t fired seven weeks ago.

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Tim Tebow Should Not Be in the NFL Playoffs

When 9-7 teams are eliminated (Tennessee) and 8-8 teams (Denver) get in, you have a problem with your playoff structure. It’s time the NFL went to at least eight teams in the post-season. Or else the league should have a cross-over team. Denver has no business being in the playoffs. And they have no business being in the playoffs even if they upset Pittsburgh this week. The Broncos, a sorry team,  are in the playoffs only because the rest of their division is putrid and their presence is a post-season blight on the NFL’s good name.

OK, that rant is done. Now, to relax. At least, on the day after New Year’s, we were treated to some very good sporting events.

Loved the Wisconsin-Oregon Rose Bowl, won 45-38 by Oregon in what the critics are calling Nike’s victory over adidas.

It seems the teams themselves were perfectly matched. The difference in the game was the uniforms. adidas had developed special uniforms for Wisconsin while Nike had developed what it called, “the greatest technological advancement in uniform design in sports history.” (I love the fact that Nike doesn’t get all hyperbolic about itself).

In the end, Oregon won because they had cooler helmets. At least, that’s my guess.

I also enjoyed the Michigan State-Georgia Outback Bowl in Tampa. Considering the way the Buccaneers played in 2011, it was the best football game Tampa fans saw all year. Michigan State won 33-30 in triple overtime. Nice.

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Rangers Score to Win the Winter Classic

The one thing that wasn’t so nice on Jan. 2 was the Winter Classic, the NHL’s outdoor game in Philly. The hockey was decent and it’s always fun to watch one outdoor NHL game a year, but the officiating made the NHL look like professional wrestling.

I had a Sport Select ticket with the Flyers on it, but by the end of the game, I was cheering for the Rangers. That’s because, by the end of the game, referees Ian Walsh and Dennis LaRue were doing everything they possibly could to get Philly the tying goal. Why didn’t one of them just throw the puck in the net and say Scottie Hartnell shot it?

Ryan Callahan’s holding the stick penalty was one of the most mind-boggling calls in hockey history while the penalty shot call on Ryan McDonagh was weak (Covering the puck in the crease? Well, maybe, at absolute worst). In the end, Henrik Lundqvist beat the officials by himself and I didn’t even mind tearing up my Pro Line ticket.

Then, to top off a very interesting day, word arrived on my Twitter that the Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats were about to swap quarterbacks.

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Henry Burris Now No. 1 in Hamilton

You knew it was coming, didn’t you? You knew there was no way the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were going back into battle with Kevin Glenn as their No. 1 quarterback next season. And you also knew that Lyle Bauer, the president in Calgary, was NOT going to pay Henry Burris a bonus on Feb. 1, if he could help it. After all, he pulled the same trick with Kevin Glenn in 2009 when he released Glenn before he had to pay him a few thousand bones.

Anyway, we learned late in the day that there was a deal in place to send Glenn to Calgary as the backup to Drew Tate — along with offensive lineman Mark Dewit — while Burris would head to the Ticats to be the new No. 1 in Hamilton.

It was a huge trade, but absolutely no surprise.

It was quite a day. Throw in all the NFL firings and it was a lot more fun than NFL Sunday.

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Barresi’s Firing and Other Observations

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It didn’t take long for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to find someone to blame for their 34-23 loss in the 2011 Grey Cup game.

Barresis Firing and Other Observations

Jamie Barresi

It seems as if only moments after Bombers GM Joe Mack came back from Vancouver and railed about his offense, he fired offensive coordinator Jamie Barresi.

To be fair, it was a move that most Bomber fans expected. After all, while the Bombers defense was, for most of the season, quite worthy of its self-imposed nickname/state-of-being “Swaggerville,” the offense should have been called “Anemia City.” It was short blood, guts and, in the end, glory.

And when the team arrived back in Winnipeg, Mack made it clear that the offense would change (sure he was cryptic, but what else could the following comments have meant?)

“And there will be probably some changes made because they have to be made to get where we need to go,” Mack said. “I’m aware of what I want to do in that regard, and hopefully we’ll be able to execute that in the off-season.

“But we will never be complacent as long as I’m here. We’re always going to be on the razor’s edge trying to get better, because if not you’re going backwards.”

I remember when Doug Brown said that a couple of years ago. It was after another off-season in which the Bombers did little or nothing, just like the most recent off-season. Now in their favor in 2011, some good young defensive players improved dramatically and Winnipeg won, what turned out to be, and extremely weak CFL East — the Montreal defense was brutal, Kevin Glenn was 8-10 and the Argos were an embarrassment to the league (even though they beat the Bombers twice).

Now I won’t criticize the firing of Barresi. Mack was NOT going to fire Paul LaPolice who turned a 4-14 team into a 10-8 team and got to the Grey Cup by beating a horrid Hamilton team (that had beaten a horrid Montreal defense in the Eastern semi) in the Eastern final. But even when Winnipeg won the Eastern final, they only put up 19 points at home. The offense was bad this year and it wasn’t bad because Buck Pierce was occasionally out of the lineup.

It was bad because the offensive line, which was eaten alive in the Grey Cup game, wasn’t very good and because the play-calling was often vomit-inducing. How do you come off a 190-yard rushing game by Chris Garrett in the Eastern final and then don’t even try to establish a running game in the Grey Cup? Anyone with a brain knew somebody was going to get fired for that — al by itself.

It will be interesting to see what Mack does this winter because, as he says himself: “We’re always going to be on the razor’s edge trying to get better.”

Bet that hurts.

Here are a couple of questions I had this week…

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Browns-Bengals

1. Is the NFL fixed?

Watching the Cleveland-Cincinnati game on Sunday and the officials made a half-a-dozen questionable calls in favor of the Bengals. The game didn’t matter, except for the players’ pride and their jobs, but it still looked fishy.

I know, I get all obsessive about officiating, but goodness, gracious, it’s awful. Don’t these sports have rules? Did you watch the Grey Cup? Brutal. They can’t even get replay right.

Just sayin’.

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Victoria's Secret Ad

2. Why hasn’t in-store advertising kept up with our multi-racial community?

My wife’s a mall-walker and I joined her on Sunday. Didn’t realize ‘till that moment how hard she walks and for how long. Heck of a workout.

Anyway, mall walking for more than an hour can get boring so we both started counting those big advertising pictures in department, clothing, make-up, shoe and accessory stores. There are hundreds of them in the windows of high-end mall shops and there was one aspect of them that was unmistakable.

The women in the photos are almost all Caucasian. In fact, there was one Asian model in a photo in the window of an accessory store, but every other female model was white.

We counted four African-American men  and three Asian men, but there were dozens of female models and all but one of them was white.

Just an observation, but considering there were as many Asian mall-walkers as there were Caucasian mall walkers and that many of the stores’ employees are First Nation, Asian or African-American (or would Caribbean-Canadian be more appropriate?)  it just seems reasonable to think that the advertising community might want to take notice.

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Dustin Byfuglien

3. Why is Dustin Byfuglien a defenseman?

OK, OK, I know why. It’s because Craig Ramsay, the coach in Atlanta, decided last year that he was going to move Byfuglien from a forward position (where he helped Chicago win the 2009 Stanley Cup) back to defense because he was big, tough, skilled, fast and Ramsay wanted him on the ice 25 minutes a game. And what the hell? If it’s good enough for the guy True North wouldn’t keep on as head coach, it’s gotta be good enough for the guy they hired.

But that still doesn’t make it a good idea.

Tuesday night, Byfuglien had 12 shots on goal, the most in a single game by an NHL defenseman since Sergei Gonchar — another guy no one would call a pillar of defensive hockey — took 12 shots in a game in 2006. He also played 25 minutes and 53 seconds and, of course, Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff wants him to be on the at least 25 minutes a game.

But he was also a minus-one despite dishing out an assist and while he has five goals and 12 assists so far this season — sixth among NHL defensemen in scoring — he’s also a minus-10, the worst plus-minus in the league for the top 29 scorers among defensemen in the NHL (Anaheim’s shaky, young Cam Fowler, No. 30 in scoring, is minus-13).

Dustin Byfuglien turns over the puck too often and makes too many mistakes in the neutral and attacking zones, simply because he’s more interested in scoring than stopping the opposition from scoring and, to be fair, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For a forward.

And at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Dustin Byfuglien would make a GREAT forward.

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A Mid-Season Visit With Blitznak the Magnificent

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

LAKE WINNIPEGOSICH, Minn. — Was Donovan McNabb good enough? Was the Eagles spending spree worth it? Will Brett Favre show up again?

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Brett Favre, back when he played.

These are the questions we asked the man who owns the NFL’s Crystal Ball.

Blitznak the Magnificent is the man with the big ball. That’s singular.

Blitznak has all the answers to life’s most difficult questions. He’s always right – at least, HE believes he’s always right – and this past weekend, we went back to his cabin on Lake Winnipegosich deep in the northern Minnesota bush (OK, so he lives about eight miles northwest of Duluth near the Chippewa Casino on Hwy. 2, but who’s keeping score?) to interview the all-seeing NFL Oracle.

We posed 10 new and follow-up questions, none of them about Brett Favre:

RIVER CITY SPORTS BLOG: So, Mr. Blitznak, the All-Knowing, we asked you back in August if Donovan McNabb would make a difference to the Minnesota Vikings. You said no. Guess you were right.

Blitznak, the Magnificent: What did I tell you? “Short answer? No. Long answer? If he gets any time to throw, he could be terrific. Trouble is, that offensive line in Minnesota couldn’t block the Vikings Cheerleaders. The O-line will be better, but probably not enough better to make Donovan McNabb the Donovan McNabb of 2005. So, yeah, McNabb had to go. Young Christian Ponder will be the quarterback in Minnesota for the next 15 years – so long as the coaches don’t screw with his head, the offensive line doesn’t get him killed and the idiots in the state legislature get the damn stadium built.

RCS BLOG: We also asked you if the Eagles did the right thing, spending all that money on free agents. We wondered if it would make them good enough to win the Super Bowl?

B the M: I said at the time that you can never do the wrong thing by spending money to try to get good players in order to win games. At least the Eagles ownership was trying. I said it was up to Andy Reid to make that team a winner and it might take some time. But the Eagles are good and they will do well this season. Right now, the Eagles are 3-5, but they’ll win on Sunday and they will make the playoffs.

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Eli Manning, NY Giants

RCS BLOG: We also asked you who will be the best quarterback in the NFL this season. You said it wouldn’t be Eli Manning. What do you think now?

B the M: I still don’t think it will be either Manning — Eli or Peyton or even Archie. As I said in August, if you’re in a fantasy draft and you have Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Mark Sanchez, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady or Michael Vick, you’ll be just fine. Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, if he remains healthy, is still the big sleeper. Matt Schaub in Houston could have a very interesting season, as well. Schaub hasn’t had a great season, but he’s sure had an interesting one. He might not get big fantasy numbers, but he does know how to win.

I said, stay away from Kyle Orton, Chad Henne, Alex Smith, Matt Hasselbeck, Tarvaris Jackson and Andy Dalton. I was wrong about Smith and Dalton, but I’m not wrong about Henne, Hasselbeck or Jackson.

RCS BLOG: Do you think Green Bay can go 16-0?

B the M: Yep.

RCS BLOG: Would you elaborate?

B the M: Why didn’t you ask a two-part question, Grasshopper. The Packers biggest test was San Diego on the coast and they “survived” 45-38. You talked to Aaron Rodgers. He said the Packers “can get better.” What do you think that means? The Packers play the Vikings at home on Monday night, get Tampa at home, go to Detroit, go to the Giants, play Oakland at Lambeau, go to Kansas City, get the Bears at home and then finish with Detroit at home. If this team continues to play as well as it has in its first eight games, there is no reason to believe that 16-0 is impossible. Their toughest game is in New York against the Giants, but I’ll take Aaron Rodgers over Eli Manning any day.

RCS BLOG: What do you think of Tim Tebow? Is he as bad as ESPN says he is?

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Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

B the M: Hell, no. Tim Tebow is different and anything that is different makes morons like ESPN’s Merrill Hoge shit pancakes. Tebow is also outwardly religious and that drives some people nuts. Here’s the problem with Tebow: (a) he’s lefthanded and that’s different, (b) he loves to run with the football and that makes traditionalists crap and (c) he wins and that makes the Kyle Orton Fan Club, of which there are far too many members among the punditry class, whine like little babies with a diaper full of used formula. What Hoge did on Sunday morning — ripping Tebow simply because he’s turned ripping Tebow into a cottage industry — was a blight on ESPN’s good name. The Sports Leader has a Tebow fetish and it either has to back off or just admit that the only thing in sports that makes them all noticeably apoplectic is the Denver quarterback.

RCS BLOG: Back in August we asked you who was the best runningback in the NFL? Do you still believe Adrian Peterson is the guy?

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Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

B the M: More than ever before. Fred Jackson has had a good year in Buffalo, Frank Gore has been exceptional in San Francisco and LeSean McCoy and Matt Forte are very talented and have played well. But Chris Johnson isn’t half as good as he was last year and Michael Turner and Maurice Jones-Drew are one-trick ponies. Adrian Peterson does more than anyone else in the game and he gives his rookie quarterback an out on every play. Peterson is consistent and productive and absolutely your first pick on fantasy draft day. Even with that horse-pucky offensive line in Minnesota, he puts up big numbers. And he can catch. He is, without fear of legitimate argument, the best runningback in football.

RCS BLOG: Can the Cincinnati Bengals continue to win with a rookie quarterback?

B the M: I never would have believed it, but Andy Dalton is a remarkable young quarterback. I’m not wrong often, but I was wrong about Dalton. Cincinnati can win its division. And they can do it because Andy Dalton will challenge Cam Newton for the rookie of the year award. However, the Bengals aren’t as good as the pundits believe they are because they haven’t really beaten anybody yet.

RCS BLOG: Will Indianapolis finish the season 0-16 and win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes?

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Peyton Manning, back when he played.

B the M: It’s definitely possible. That’s a bad team. And it’s never been the same since Jim Caldwell and the coaching staff decided to rest Peyton Manning and the starters when the team was 14-0 in 2009. Dumb move, dumb coach. They play Jacksonville next week and could beat them. Then they have the bye and then they get Carolina at home, go to New England, go to Baltimore, get Tennessee at home and Houston at home and then go to Jacksonville. What the heck, Miami won this week. Indy could win a game, too. You know what they say about blind squirrels and nuts. Regardless, the real question shouldn’t be, “Will they win the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes?” but, “Will they draft Andrew Luck if they finish last?” If the Colts draft Luck, they don’t believe Peyton Manning will be back, but if they draft an offensive or defensive lineman or a runningback, you’ll know Manning will be around for at least the next four years.

RCS BLOG: Back in August we asked you if the Packers could repeat as champions. You thought they could. Do you still believe it?

B the M: Absolutely. It’s extremely difficult to go back-to-back these days, but when you have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, A.J. Hawk at linebacker and Clay Matthews anywhere within 15 miles of a football field, you have a chance to win. The Packers have the best quarterback in the NFL and the best offensive line in the NFL. That combination means they could easily win two Super Bowls in a row.

RCS BLOG: Did you think the Patriots and Eagles would have a combined seven losses through the first nine weeks?

B the M: No, and I guarantee they won’t have seven losses over the next seven weeks.

Satisfied, now? You’d better be because that’s your 10 questions, Chubby. You’re done. Now go away. I gotta go out and buy Thelma a couple of ice cold Grain Belts. Remember, Grain Belt: It’s the beer to have when you’re having more than a dozen.

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A Huge Weekend Coming Up: What Does it Mean?

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment
0915martinjpg2 300x198 A Huge Weekend Coming Up: What Does it Mean?

Josh Freeman

TAMPA, Fla. — There is nothing better than a long weekend. You don’t have to go to bed early, you don’t have to get up early and there is usually enough sports on the tube that there isn’t one dull moment.

This weekend here in sunny Florida, the Houston Texans take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, but don’t worry, there’s more. Lots more.

In fact, there’s a load of NFL games on TV, more than enough college football to fill your boots, plus hockey and fighting — both boxing and MMA. The CFL playoffs begin, Tiger is hot in Australia while John Daly is off in Oz playing Kevin Costner’s character in Tin Cup.

While we remember our fathers and grandfathers and all the people who fought to keep Canada free, we can also take comfort in the fact they left us a nation that loves sports — and really loves to argue about it.

So with that in mind, here are five outstanding sporting events taking place this Remembrance Day weekend.

Let’s have an argument.

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Tiger Woods

1. Tiger Woods Heats Up in Australia:

I know, the world is full of Tiger haters, but I’m afraid I’m not one of them. I hope Tiger shoots 62 every time he tees it up just to piss off the people who hate his guts. I also can’t watch golf on TV unless Tiger is in contention. Televised golf these days would put hyperactive children to sleep if Tiger isn’t playing.

So heading into the weekend, Tiger has gone 68-67 at the Lakes Country Club in Sydney and at nine under, he holds a one-shot lead over Peter O’Malley.

He talked after Round 2 as if he was ready to win again.

“I think experience comes with managing myself and my game,” Woods told reporters at the post-round news conference. “I’ve been there a few times and I understand how to do it. All the things that can happen, I’ve experienced a lot of it.”

Go get ‘em Tiger.

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Anthony Calvillo

2. The CFL Playoffs Start:

The Winnipeg Bombers don’t play again until Sunday, Nov. 20 when they play host to the CFL’s Eastern final at Canad Inns Stadium. More than 27,000 tickets have already been sold for that game and no doubt, it will be a sellout. Bomber fans have waited since 20o1 to cheer for a first place and this year they’ll be at the stadium screaming themselves horse.

Buck Pierce says he’ll be ready to start at quarterback when the Bombers face the winner of this Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal between the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The Alouettes are favored by 5.5 points. Game time is 12 Noon. Meanwhile, in the Western semifinal Calgary will play at Edmonton at 3:30. The Eskimos are favored by 2.5.

It says here that Montreal and Edmonton will emerge victorious this weekend, but both teams will lose in the Conference finals. That means we’re looking at a Winnipeg-B.C. Grey Cup on Nov. 27 at B.C. Place Stadium.

You heard it here first.

3. Two Gigantic Saturday Night Fights:

This Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines returns to the ring for a re-match against Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez and it will be a dandy. It’s being billed as Pacquiao-Marquez III at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and it’s the rubber match at 144 pounds for Pacquiao and Marquez.

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Manny Pacquiao

The first time Pacquiao fought Marquez in 2004, he knocked him down three times and settled for a draw. The second time, in 2008, Pacquiao won by split decision. There are some who think Marquez is a better fighter. Both Big Will Prince and I picked Pacquaio to win by a unanimous decision. This will be a long, hard, wonderful fight by two of the best pound-for-pound warriors on the planet.

Meanwhile, on the MMA side of the ledger, the UFC heavyweight title will be up for grabs on Saturday night in the first UFC on Fox main event with champion Cain Velasquez taking on top contender Junior Dos Santos. There will be nine preliminary bouts but only one main event – that’s for Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight title and on Streetz 104.7 this week both Big Will and I picked the veteran warrior, Cain Velasquez, to defend his belt,

However, our fight expert, Marc-Andre Drolet from The Fight Network, said he was ready to place a bet on Dos Santos in an upset.

The fight is free on Fox on Saturday, live from the Honda Centre in Anaheim, Cal.

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Claude Noel

4. The Jets Play in Columbus:

The 5-8-3 Winnipeg Jets, coming off a heartbreaking 6-5 overtime loss in Buffalo on Tuesday night and a dud — a 5-2 loss to Florida — at home on Thursday, take to the road to face the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

The Jets can’t afford to sleep walk through this one like they did against Florida on Thursday.

After all, they get one game on the road and then return to Winnipeg to face Tampa on Monday, Washington on Thursday and Philly next Saturday. The road game will be the easiest of the next four.

After Thursday’s loss head coach Claude Noel said: “We were not good from the goaltender out, what do you want me to say?”

Thank you, coach, for the thoughtful, candid, honest response. I watched the game at Buffalo Wild Wings in Orlando on Thursday night and the locals laughed at my favorite hockey team. They had better be better on Saturday or a desperate Columbus team will rip them.

Meanwhile, there is still talk in Jets circles about moving Dustin Byfuglien from defense to forward, but head coach Claude Noel doesn’t want to make the move because Byfuglien “Doesn’t want to play forward,” and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff doesn’t want to make the move because he likes Byfuglien on the ice 22-24 minutes a night on defense while he’d only play 15-17 minutes at forward. Which, of course, didn’t matter much in Buffalo after two of Byfuglien’s mistakes cost the Jets a pair of goals.

This debate will continue for awhile.

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Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings

5. Indy to 0-10, Green Bay to 9-0:

I’m not convinced the Jacksonville Jaguars are any good, but I am convinced they’re better than the 0-9 Indianapolis Colts. However, the Colts aren’t going to go 0-16 this season (my Lions have already EARNED that notoriety) and if they’re going to win a game this year, this is it. It goes Sunday at Noon (CST) and yet if they were playing it in my back yard, I wouldn’t open the drapes to watch it. This might be one of the worst NFL games this season.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, the Green Bay Packers play host to the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay will win because Aaron Rodgers will throw a pantload of TD passes against that dreadful Vikings defensive secondary. How about 48-36 Green Bay?

The Packers will improve to 9-0 and will only have two semi-difficult games in their final seven. We could be witnessing another 16-0 season.

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Can the Packers Go 16-0?

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS – Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis, Aaron Rodgers delivered.

Of course, Rodgers has become so good at delivering lately that it’s hard to imagine there was a time not long ago when Packer fans demanded that Rodgers be relegated to No. 2 and the retired-unretired Brett Favre be given his job back.

Sunday in the Twin Cities, Rodgers brought his team back from a 17-13 halftime deficit against the Minnesota Vikings and in the din at the Dome, recorded a 33-27 victory. He also brought his team back in spectacular fashion. First he threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings on the second play of the third quarter and then he took Green Bay right back down the field again and before the second half was four minutes old, Rodgers’ Packers had 14 unanswered points.

aaron rodgers1 Can the Packers Go 16 0?

Aaron Rodgers Takes Apart the Vikings Secondary

Suddenly, a 17-13 deficit was a 27-17 lead and the Vikings never threatened again.

Sunday, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Rodgers (who actually looks much smaller in his street clothes) finished 24-for-30 for 335 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He eviscerated a weak Vikings secondary but it was still a remarkable performance considering the thunderous noise inside the Metrodome. Fans from both sides had gathered to see the Packers go to 7-0 and to watch the Vikings new star, rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, get his first start.

Neither story line disappointed. Ponder went 13-for-32 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and got post-game kudos from Rodgers and Green Bay defensive lineman Clay Matthews. He wasn’t an A-plus quarterback by any stretch, but for a first-timer, he was quite good and if nothing else, he gave Vikings fans a little hope.

Rodgers meanwhile, won his 13th consecutive game – count ‘em, the final two games of last year’s regular season, three playoff games then the Super Bowl, and now seven straight this season. It’s the longest winning streak in the history of this storied franchise and it will be remembered as an incredible run even if it stops in Week 9 (the week after this week’s Packers bye week, got it?).

The Packers have beaten New Orleans (42-34), Carolina (30-23), Chicago (27-17), Denver (49-23), Atlanta (25-14), St. Louis (24-3) and now Minnesota (33-27) so far this season. They beat Carolina, Chicago, Atlanta and Minnesota on the road.

If you take a close look at their schedule, there is now a legitimate chance the Packers could run the table: After this week’s bye, they go to San Diego (tough one), play the Vikings at home, get Tampa at home, go to Detroit (San Francisco and Atlanta have put an end to the “Myth of the Lions”), go to the Giants, play Oakland at Lambeau, go to Kansas City, get the Bears at home and then finish with Detroit at home. If this team continues to play as well as it has in its first six games, there is no reason to believe that 16-0 is an impossibility.

As ESPN wrote: “Whether Green Bay can achieve perfection is one question, but the fact that the question is being raised in late October proves how formidable the Packers are.”

“I’m not going there, I don’t want to talk about,” said tight end Jermichael Finlay on Sunday night. “We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”

Rodgers had a better sense of humour about what probably is, premature talk.

“I’m really looking forward to the bye this week,” he said with a grin. “Going undefeated? Not thinking about that. Although I do believe we can get better. We have seven wins and that’s nice, but there is no doubt in my mind that we can play better football.”

You would not have known that yesterday — especially if you watched the Packers offence. Green Bay had 25 first downs on 421 net yards. Rodgers’ quarterback rating was 146.5.

“It’s never easy coming to the Metrodome and never easy playing the Vikings,” said Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy. “But at the end of the day, our offence really stepped up. It was our offence that got us the victory.”

And the guy at the helm of that offence is a guy who didn’t get a Division 1 scholarship coming out of high school, played a year of junior college before he caught the eye of head coach Jeff Tedford at the University of California. Played two years at Cal and was told he’d be a top NFL draft pick, but ended going 24th to Green Bay in 2005. He was the butt of derision and anger in Green Bay when McCarthy decided that Favre was gone and Rodgers was now the quarterback.

And yet as he answered questions after Sunday’s game, he was a 27-year-old veteran with a Super Bowl championship, a 13-game winning streak and 7-0 record heading into his bye week.

And one more thing: After Sunday’s impressive win here in Minneapolis, there is now a legitimate reason to believe that if McCarthy and the Packers really wanted to try – and that means playing his starters regularly through all 16 games this season – they could go 16-0 this season.

Aaron Rodgers must stay healthy, of course. That goes without saying. But if he does, and if McCarthy gets on board with the idea, there is a chance this Packers team could defend its Super Bowl title by running the table.

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Things We’ve Learned This Week. Already.

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

It’s only Monday and yet, since Saturday, we’ve either learned a whole load of new stuff or had a pile of things we already knew, confirmed.

Three days of football, hockey and baseball on TV and one NHL game in downtown Winnipeg will do that for us.

To review:

058 ron rarling 300x300 Things Weve Learned This Week. Already.

Instant Mute Button: Ron Darling.

1) Instant mute button: Brian Anderson, Ron Darling and John Smoltz calling the playoffs on FOX. They aren’t as bad doing the Milwaukee-St. Louis series as they were doing the Yankees-Detroit series, but most of what they say is still nonsense.

Of course, nonsense beats the cheerleading that trio did for the Yankees in the ALDS. You know, I like the Yankees. I’ve interviewed Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, C.C. Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera on many occasions. They’re all decent guys and great ballplayers.

But the cheerleading from the national announcers is quite simply, sickening and that’s the biggest reason why I’m glad the Yankees were eliminated from the post-season. When you have to cheerlead on television for a $203 million payroll, something just isn’t right.

By the way, as a baseball broadcaster, Terry Francona makes a great manager.

2) The best part about the movie Moneyball is the reason so many American sportswriters hate it. It rips baseball scouts, the dumbest people in sports.

ESPN’s Keith Law, who once worked in the Blue Jays front office, wrote that the movie sucks because: ”The baseball stuff is not good. For starters, the lampooning of scouts, which draws from the book, isn’t any more welcome on screen than it was on the page; they are set up as dim-witted bowling pins for Beane and Brand to knock down with their spreadsheets.”

That’s exactly why I loved it. Moneyball is a great movie.

I have watched baseball scouts up close for 18 seasons. Not one of them would know a good ballplayer from a bad one. It’s why baseball spends so much money on so many failures. Only weather forecasters have a lower percentage of success than baseball scouts.

Of course, mainstream media people like baseball scouts because not one of them can keep a secret.

3) Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos speaks no known language.

Calvillo1 300x199 Things Weve Learned This Week. Already.

Anthony Calvillo

4) I’m a huge fan of Anthony Calvillo. Interviewed him a dozen times and a piece I wrote about Anthony and his wife was just published in SEVEN Magazine.

Like most CFL fans, I was thrilled that he broke Damon Allen’s record of 72,381 career passing yards on Monday. However, TSN’s suggestion that Calvillo is among the five greatest professional quarterbacks of all time is nonsense (there’s that word again).

Sorry, you simply cannot compare the CFL to the NFL. They are two completely different games. If you want to call Anthony Calvillo the greatest CFL quarterback off all time, knock yourself out. But to compare Calvillo to any quarterback in the NFL is like comparing a baseball pitcher to a cricket bowler — two completely different games.

5) The picture below, from Sunday’s Titans-Steelers game, is a classic example of why I do not believe that anyone can referee anything properly, anywhere at anytime. They’re all guessing:

refs are very confused 640x388 Things Weve Learned This Week. Already.

Nice call gentlemen.

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Week 4 in the NFL: All About The Undefeated Lions and Packers

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

It’s Week 5 in the National Football League and the bye weeks will start this week. So iof you are fantasy player, remember who’s in and who’s out.

There are 12 games on Sunday (not 15) and among the highlights, the 2-2 Jets play at 3-1 New England, 3-1 Tampa plays at 3-1 San Francisco; 1-3 Philadelphia is at 3-1 Buffalo and on Sunday night, 4-0 Green Bay is at 2-2 Atlanta. On Monday night, 2-2 Chicago plays at 4-0 Detroit. This week, the Ravens, Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams and Washington have the byes. Remember, if you have Joe Flacco in your fantasy pool, bench him this week. He’s not playing.

In the meantime, the NFL has never been as polarized as it is this year. There are good teams and bad teams and not many in the middle.

For instance, while only two teams – the NFC North’s Detroit Lions (4-0) and Green Bay Packers (4-0) – remain undefeated, there are 11 teams at 3-1. There are only eight teams at 2-2. There are seven teams at 1-3 and Miami, Indianapolis, Minnesota and St. Louis are all 0-4.

Meanwhile, with that huge come-from-behind 34-30 win over Dallas on Sunday (the Lions were down 27-3 in the third quarter), Detroit became only the fifth club since the 12-team format was adopted in 1990 to open a season 4-0 after opening the previous season at 0-4.

Meanwhile, according to the NFL’s statistics department, “13 teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1), currently own or share a division lead. Nine of those clubs did not reach the postseason in 2010, including five – Buffalo (3-1), Detroit (4-0), Houston (3-1), Tennessee (3-1) and Washington (3-1) – that finished in or tied for last place in their divisions.”

The good teams in the NFL are very good and we found that out in Week 4. Let’s take a look back:

matthew stafford getty 197x300 Week 4 in the NFL: All About The Undefeated Lions and Packers

Matthew Stafford

Detroit 34 Dallas 30

What a comeback. Dallas led 20-3 at the half and 27-3 in the third quarter and 30-17 entering the fourth quarter, but the Lions roared back with 17 unanswered in the fourth quarter as Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson and Detroit improved to 4-0 to start the season. Dallas QB Tony Romo threw two pick-sixes in a five minute span in the second half.

Kansas City 22 Minnesota 17

The Vikings fall to 0-4 as Donovan McNabb has yet to win as the Vikings quarterback. K.C. QB Matt Cassel’s 52-yard TD pass to Dwayne Bowe was the difference. There is a growing mob in Minnesota who want to see McNabb out and Christian Ponder in as the Vikings quarterback. And if they don’t get rid of McNabb, then that mob wants head coach Leslie Frazier out.

Green Bay 49 Denver 23

The Packers Aaron Rodgers was sensational: 29-for-38, 408 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for two touchdowns. The Packers are the best team in the NFL and Denver quarterback Kyle Orton is just a loser (and the U.S. mainstream media, led by ESPN and it’s incessant anti-Tim Tebow rhetoric have to be held responsible for enabling GM John Elway and head coach John Fox to allow the Broncos to become a dreadful offensive team).

matt forte chicaog bears 445 218x300 Week 4 in the NFL: All About The Undefeated Lions and Packers

Matt Forte

Chicago 34 Carolina 29

Matt Forte carried 25 times for 205 yards and a touchdown. In a losing effort, Cam Newton threw for 374 yards and a touchdown. Our good friend, Israel Idonije from Brandon, had another great game with two tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Cincinnati 23 Buffalo 20

The Bengals Cedric Benson carried for 104 yards while A.J. Green caught four passes for 118 yards. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Andy Dalton had a big second half for Cincinnati when the Bengals outscored the Bills 20-3. The Bengals proved on Sunday that they are a much better than most pundits believe they are.

Houston 17 Pittsburgh 10

A statement game by the Texans, who shut down the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger. Houston QB Matt Schaub threw for a touchdown while RB Arian Foster rushed for 155 yards and a TD.

Tennessee 31 Cleveland 13

Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns while RB Chris Johnson rushed for 101 yards. Cleveland outgained Tennessee but the Titans defense was just too good.

New Orleans 23 Jacksonville 10

The Saints’ Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and a touchdown while RB Darren Sproles added 188 all-purpose yards as the Saints improved to 3-1.

san franciscos frank gore 295 229x300 Week 4 in the NFL: All About The Undefeated Lions and Packers

Frank Gore

San Francisco 24 Philly 23

Niners QB Alex Smith was a solid 21-for-33 for 291 yards and two touchdowns while RB Frank Gore rushed for 127 yards and a fourth quarter TD. Philly’s Michael Vick was 30-for-46 for 416 yards and two TDs and yet the Niners improved to 3-1 while the Eagles fell to 1-3.

Washington 17  St. Louis 10

Washington’s defence sacked the Rams Sam Bradford six times. The Skins Ryan Torain carried for 135 yards and 20-yard TD. The Rams fell to 0-4 and nobody would have thought it would get that bad to start the season. The Rams have a brutal schedule in the first and a not-bad schedule in the second half. They could still finish 8-8.

NY Giants 31 Arizona 27

The Giants scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to win it. Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes in a 58-second span in the fourth quarter while Hakeem Nicks caught 10 passes for 169 yards and a TD.

Atlanta 30 Seattle 28

Atlanta QB Matt Ryan threw for 291 yards, and rookie wideout Julio Jones caught 11 passes for 127 yards as the Falcons held off a second-half Cards rally. 

wes welker 692 225x300 Week 4 in the NFL: All About The Undefeated Lions and Packers

Wes Welker

New England 31 Oakland 19

The Pats Tom Brady threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Wes Welker had nine receptions for 158 yards and a TD. 

San Diego 26 Miami 16

Chargers QB Phillip Rivers threw for 307 yards and a touchdown as Miami fell to 0-4 and lost QB Chad Henne to a shoulder injury.

Baltimore 34 New York 17

The Ravens outstanding defense scored three touchdowns, the most in franchise history.

MONDAY NIGHT

Tampa Bay 24 Indianapolis 17

Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman threw a TD pass to Preston Parker and rushed for another as Tampa improved to 3-1.

 

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This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. It’s Upset Week.

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

 To suggest there have been a few upsets this season would be understating the obvious.Take last week as a for instance. The Bills came from 21 down to beat New England. Minnesota had a 20-0 lead at halftime and lost 26-23 in overtime to Detroit. Seattle beat Arizona 13-10, Tampa knocked off Atlanta 16-13 and the New York Giants went into Philadelphia and whipped the Eagles 29-16.

New+York+Jets+v+Buffalo+Bills+JZubwKQii2Sl1 221x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Because of all these upsets, poor Doc Football had, as the say in Foxboro, Mass., a wicked-bad week. In fact, by his own admission, “The Doc shit the bed and went 9-7 and is 28-20 on the year; against the spread I was 7-9 and 24-24 YTD.”

Which is why, for the first time in the history of the River City Sports Blog’s weekly NFL picks, the Coach is the leader after three weeks. Last week, The Coach went 10-6 straight up (35-13 on the season) and a Matt Millen-like 5-11 (24-24) against the spread, but The Coach still leads straight up and that’s all that matters. As Denise Richards uttered in the motion picture cult classic Drop Dead Gorgeous, “I’m a winner and Jesus loves winner.”

In the meantime, here’s something to think about this week: Three teams, including the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers, have perfect 3-0 records through Week 3. The Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions, whose records also remain unblemished this year and trying to become the fifth and sixth teams since the 12-team playoff format was adopted in 1990 to open a season 4-0 after opening the previous season 0-4.

Three of the four teams to accomplish the feat qualified for the playoffs, with two reaching the Divisional Playoffs. Can the Lions and Bills pull it off this week. I kind of think they might. Let’s look more closely at Week 4 with the Doc writing our justifications:

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Matthew+Stafford+Detroit+Lions+v+Minnesota+Z 1NSqILMKjl 186x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford

Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
Line: Cowboys by 1

The Coach’s team is for real. The Lions offense has found their star in the newly toughened up Matthew Stafford and receivers such as Brandon Pettigrew and Calvin Johnson. Their defense is being lead by Ndamukong Suh and Stephen Tulloch. That’s a sweet combination for success…finally. The Cowboys are struggling a bit, barely winning late in games. Dallas QB Tony Romo has really shown some grit by playing with broken ribs and a punctured lung, but the Lions are going to dominate this game. They just have too much offensive firepower, too much defensive swagger (where have we heard that before) and two terrific special teams units. Detroit is simply better.

Dr. Football LIONS to win.

The Coach: LIONS to win

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
Line: Saints by 6.5

Blaine Gabbert will spend a lot of time on the turf while Drew Brees will spend a lot of time celebrating in the end zone. No contest.

Dr. Football: SAINTS to win and cover.

The Coach: SAINTS to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
Line: Eagles by 8

Michael Vick is expected to play. The Eagles need him to play. They need a win especially at home or the fans may riot as they are now questioning Vick’s heart. The 49ers defense has been stopping the run, their offense has been creating key opportunities, and their special teams have made some huge plays. This will be a close won.

Dr. Football: EAGLES to win but not cover.

The Coach: EAGLES to win and cover.

Washington Redskins (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)
Line: Rams by 1.

Sam+Bradford+St+Louis+Rams+v+Jacksonville+jzN l oImbBl This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Rams Sam Bradford

No one is sure what has happened to the Rams this year, but QB Sam Bradford is not playing up to his expectations at all. His receivers aren’t great, but that is no different than last year, so what gives? Nothing will give against the Redskins defense. They will be able to stop the Rams passing game and win on the road.

Dr. Football: REDSKINS TO WIN.

The Coach: RAMS to win and cover.

Tennessee Titans (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-1)
Line: Browns by 1

Cleveland pulled it off with less than a minute to go last week, without Peyton Hillis. This week, Hillis is back in the line up  but it will be against a Titan defense that restricted Ray Rice and the Ravens to just 45 rushing yards in Week 2. Titans QB Matt Hasselbeck has been effective for the Titans, however, Kenny Britt is hurt and out for the season. The Browns secondary will own the Britt-less Titans. Go with the home team.

Dr. Football: BROWNS to win and cover (duh).

The Coach: BROWNS to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
Line: Bills by 3

Beating New England last week proved the Bills are for real. The offense has shown over the last two weeks the ability to come back from huge deficits. The Bills defense is making the right plays at the right times, giving their offense the opportunity to put points on the board. The Bengals defense will wear down, and be unable to stop Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Dr. Football: BILLS to win and cover.

The Coach: BILLS to win and cover.

Adrian+Peterson+Minnesota+Vikings+v+San+Diego+yMkUYRoyQBkl 300x210 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Note to Vikings: Give Adrian Peterson the football.

Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Line: Vikings by 1.5

The Chiefs almost pulled off an upset last week in San Diego, and that was extremely unexpected, but QB Matt Cassel reminded everyone why they were 0-2. The Vikings have lost all three of their games after leading by double-digits at halftime. The Vikings have proven that safe play-calling in the second half will get you nowhere, but 0-3. A lot of people think that since KC were able to keep up with the Chargers last week that they will prevail at home…I don’t share that thought.

Dr. Football: VIKINGS to win and cover.

The Coach: VIKINGS to win and cover.

F3Is7O cam newton carolina panthers1 259x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Panthers Cam Newton

Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2)
Line: Bears by 6.5

The Panthers and Cam Newton are coming off a much needed win last week, but their prize is that they have to face the Bears. Chicago’s defense isn’t going to let them do much. Chicago’s offense, specifically QB Jay Cutler, hasn’t exactly been stellar the last two weeks, and this week will be a bit of a break as Carolina’s defense isn’t awful, but they are young and struggling a bit. The Bears offense will put up more points as Cutler will utilize the run and pass effectively. Bears defense will find away to school Cam Newton.

Dr. Football: BEARS to win and cover.

The Coach: BEARS to win and not cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1)
Line: Texans by 4

The Steelers may have snuck out a win last week against a weak Colts team, but they shouldn’t celebrate too much. Their offensive line is going to be exploited this week as the Texans do more damage that the Colts did. Houston’s offense is going to dominate this game on the ground and in the air.

Dr. Football: TEXANS to win and cover..

The Coach: TEXANS to win but not cover.

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
Line: Falcons by 4.5

How are the preseason Super Bowl favorites 1-2?  Matt Ryan hasn’t had the hot start he wanted for the Falcons, but he will get his team back on the right track against the pitiful Seattle Seahawks, home field advantage or not. Look for Ryan to lean on the ground game with Michael Turner and jump out to an early lead and quiet the usually boisterous crowd.

Dr. Football: FALCONS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: FALCONS to win and cover.

Eli Pumped 219x300 This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Giants Eli Manning

New York Giants (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Line: Giants by 1

If ever the Cardinals and Kevin Kolb had a reason to smile coming off a big loss, it’s the idea that Larry Fitzgerald will match up against an injury depleted Giants secondary. Though the Arizona Cardinals are at home, Kolb must look deep into his old Eagles playbooks to help his offense attack the Giants before Eli Manning can find a rhythm (Coach sez: Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL over the past six quarters. As a result the Giants are playing way over their collective little heads. It’s hard not to like that).

Dr. Football: CARDINALS to win.

The Coach: GIANTS to win and cover.

Miami Dolphins (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1)
Line: Chargers by 7

I don’t think Miami is really 0-3 bad.   But after this one, I do think they’ll be 0-4 bad.  Chargers and Rivers have not looked very good; their wins have come against winless teams. Miami’s defense is tough and will rattle Philip Rivers, but they won’t win.

Dr. Football: CHARGERS to win but not cover.

The Coach: CHARGERS to win but not cover.

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-0)
Line: Packers by 13

The Packers look like the class of the NFC.  The Broncos?  They look like they are failing class.  Horrible mismatch.

Dr. Football: PACKERS to win and cover.

The Coach: PACKERS to win and cover.

New England Patriots (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-1)
Line: Patriots by 4

Great matchup, and a great chance for the Pats to be 2-2 with a two game losing streak.  Darren McFadden may be the NFL’s best player right now.  New England is coming off a tough loss last week and will be looking for a win, and that’s it. The Raiders defense will contend for a while, but will eventually be worn down as their offense won’t keep be on the field long enough. Brady will rebound from last week’s debacle.

Dr. Football: PATRIOTS to win and cover.

The Coach: PATRIOTS to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

ray rice This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

The Ravens Ray Rice

New York Jets (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
Line: Ravens by 3

The Jet’s were beat up physically last week against the Raiders and didn’t win despite Mark Sanchez throwing for 369 yards.  All Sanchez got was a broken nose. The Jets ineffective running game is a big problem, tied mostly to their lousy offensive line.  That is an advantage for the Ravens.  Joe Flacco has been let loose, and he’s been very good. The Ravens rebounded nicely from that nightmare in Nashville and should have little trouble at home.

Dr. Football: RAVENS TO WIN AND COVER.

The Coach: RAVENS to win and cover.

MONDAY NIGHT

Indianapolis Colts (1-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Line: Buccaneers by 10

Kerry Collins Colts This Week we like the Lions, Rams and Vikings. Its Upset Week.

Kerry Collins is slow to get up. No kidding.

The Colts season is over before it ever began. Nice of ol’ Peyton to sign that big $100,000,000 deal then call in sick. The Colts put up a good fight on Sunday night against the Steelers, but QB Kerry Collins had his bell rung, and his back-up Curtis Painter is horrible. The Bucs are coming off a big win against the Falcons and this momentum will carry them on MNF.

Dr. Football: BUCCANEERS to win and cover.

The Coach: BUCCANEERS to win and cover.

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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.

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A Look Back at Week 2 in the NFL

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

Two weeks of NFL football are now in the books and seven teams remain undefeated — New England, Buffalo, the Jets and Houston in the AFC and Detroit, Washington and Green Bay in the NFC.

Tom Brady 226x300 A Look Back at Week 2 in the NFL

Tom Brady Just Keeps Winning

Meanwhile, some of the Divisions look crazy after two weeks. Talk about parity (or mediocrity). In the AFC North, all four teams are 1-1. In the AFC East, the Pats, Bills and Jets are 2-0 while the Dolphions are 0-2. In the NFC East, the Washington Redskins are 2-0 while Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants are all 1-1. And in the NFC South, the Saints, Bucs and Falcons are 1-1 while the Panthers, who have put up 854 passing yards in the first two games are 0-2.

Go figure.

It’s a huge week coming up in Week 3. Undefeated New England is at undefeated Buffalo; the Giants are at Philly, but it’s unlikely Michael Vick will be ready for the Eagles; undefeated Houston plays at New Orleans; two rivals, Atlanta and Tampa, go head-to-head at the Pirate Ship; in a pair of NFC North matchups, Green Bay is at Chicago while Detroit plays at Minnesota (the River City Sports Blog will be live at the Metrodome on Sunday); and on Monday night, undefeated Washington is at 1-1 Dallas.

Let’s take a look back at Week 2, just to set us up for Week 3. Dr. Football and I will have our picks posted on Thursday night.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Tampa Bay 24 Minnesota 20

Despite the fact Adrian Peterson rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, the Buccaneers scored in the final minute to win it. For the second straight week the Vikings blew it in the second half. Last week, Minnesota lead 17-7 at the half and lost 24-17, this week they led 17-0 at the half and lost 24-17.

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Matthew Stafford

Detroit 48 Kansas City 3

Detroit quarterback Matt Stafford was 23-for-39 for 294 yards and four touchdowns, but it was the Detroit defense that simply shut down the Chiefs.

Buffalo 38 Oakland 35

Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a six-yard TD pass to David Nelson with 14 seconds left to play to win it. The Bills scored TDs on all five of their second-half possessions to overcome a 21-3 halftime deficit. Fitzpatrick finished 28-for-46 for 264 yards and three TDs.

Green Bay 30 Carolina 23

Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns while Carolina’s rookie quarterback Cam Newton threw for 432 yards and two touchdowns and lost. Newton became the sixth NFL quarterback in history to have two straight 400-yard passing games and the third to lose both.

Cleveland 27 Indianapolis 19

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Cleveland's Peyton Hillis

The Browns Peyton Hillis ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns while QB Colt McCoy threw for a touchdown as Cleveland improved to 1-1 and the Peyton Manning-less Colts fell to 0-2.

New York Jets 32 Jacksonville 3

Jets QB Mark Sanchez threw for two touchdowns while cornerback Antonio Rodgers-Cromartie had two of the Jets four interceptions. The Jags didn’t get inside the Jets 20.

New Orleans 30 Chicago 13

Saints quarterback Drew Brees was sensational going 26-for-37 for 270 yards and three touchdowns while the Saints defence beat up on poor Jay Cutler. Despite the loss, Brandon’s Israel Idonije had a tremendous game. He had three tackles, three assisted tackles and a sack.

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Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace

Pittsburgh 24 Seattle 0

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 298 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 126 yards and that single TD. The Steelers were much sharper this week. After turning over the ball seven times a week earlier against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers did not make a major mistake and were quite efficient against a Seahawks defence that was better than its offence. The Seahawks were terrible on offence and didn’t take an offensive snap on the Steelers’ side of the field until midway through the fourth quarter. Seattle was shut out  for the first time since their last visit to Pittsburgh in 2007. As all Vikings fans know, QB Tarvaris Jackson just isn’t the answer for Seattle.

Tennessee 26 Baltimore 13

A bit of a shocker as Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck went 30-for-42 for 358 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens held Titans runningback Chris Johnson to 53 yards on 24 carries, but Hasselbeck beat the vaunted Ravens defense through the air.

Dallas 27 San Francisco 24 (OT)

Receiver Jesse Holley caught a 77-yard pass from Tony Romo to set up the winning field goal. It was the third pass Holley had ever caught in the NFL. Dallas outscored the Niners 13-3 down the stretch. Romo broke a rib on the third play of the game and still came back to win it for the Cowboys.

Washington 22 Arizona 21

Graham Gano kicked a 34-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining to win it for Washington. The Redskins are now 2-0. Washington rallied from an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Cardinals for the eighth straight time.

Denver 24 Cincinnati 22

Denver RB Willis McGahee rushed for 101 yards and a and touchdown while QB Kyle Orton threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Tim Tebow played briefly for the Broncos, not as a quarterback, but as a “blocking” wide receiver. The Broncos have now lost nine players to injury — six starters.

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Houston QB Matt Schaub

Houston 23 Miami 13

Houston QB Matt Schaub went 21-for-29 for 230 yards and two touchdowns while Ben Tate carried for 103 yards. Tate became only the 11th player in NFL history to rush for at least 100 yards in each of his first two NFL games. He joins a list that includes, Alan (The Horse) Ameche, Earl Campbell, Ottis Anderson, Billy Sims, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James and Carnell (Cadillac) Williams. Meanwhile, Andre Johnson caught seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown as the Texans improved to 2-0 and took sole possession of first place in the AFC South. Meanwhile, he Dolphins gave up a pair of turnovers, had a 22-yard field-goal attempt blocked and missed a 34-yarder to fall to 0-2 for the fifth time in the past six years.

New England 35 San Diego 21

Another great home opener for the Patriots who are now 61-12 (.836) since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002. Quarterback Tom Brady completed 31-of-40 passes for 423 yards and three touchdowns, two to tight end Rob Gronkowski. The Pats are now 2-0 this season and have 15 of their last 17 home openers. the Patriots have now won 10 consecutive regular-season games dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the NFL.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Atlanta 35 Philadelphia 31

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Tony Gonzalez (88) and Matt Ryan (2) of the Falcons.

This is how things went for Michael Vick in his return to Atlanta: Great first quarter, so-so-second quarter, a pretty decent third quarter and a concussion. Vick didn’t finish the game, but he left with a 31-21 lead. However, with Mike Kafka at quarterback, Philly did nothing, Atlanta outscored Philadelphia 14-0 in the fourth quarter and came back to win 35-31. Meanwhile, with seven catches on Sunday night, Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez moved past wideout Terrell Owens (1,078 career receptions) for fifth on the all-time receiving list.

MONDAY NIGHT

New York Giants 28 St. Louis 16

On Monday night football, the Giants took advantage of four huge mistakes by St. Louis to score four touchdowns and beat the visiting Rams. Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes and linebacker Michael Boley returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. It was a tough loss for the Rams who moved up[ and down the field at will, but couldn’t convert in the Red Zone. Sam Bradford threw one TD pass while Josh Brown kicked three short field goals.

The Coach went 12-4 (23-9) straight up last week and 10-6 (19-13)  against the spread. As we prepare to enter Week 3, it would appear most teams are playing according to form and that’s rare, early in the season. 

 

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