Nov

30

Panthers Starting QB Delhomme Breaks Finger in Loss to Jets

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The Charlotte Observer reports that the teams starting QB, Jake Delhomme suffered a broken finger in the loss to the Jets:

Coach John Fox announced today in his weekly Monday news conference that quarterback Jake Delhomme suffered a broken finger on his right (throwing) hand late in Sunday’s 17-6 loss to the New York Jets. Fox said he became aware of the injury today, and that Delhomme apparently didn’t know he’d be injured Sunday until he had pain and swelling today. Other injuries sustained in the game included sprained ankles by running back DeAngelo WIlliams and receiver Dwayne Jjarett, and a sprained knee for defensive tackle Tank Tyler.

Nov

30

Falcons QB Ryan to Sit in Week 13 vs Philadelphia with Turf Toe

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Jay Glazer, of FOXSports.com, reports Falcons QB Matt Ryan has been diagnosed with turf toe and will not play in Week 13. He will meet with foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in the near future. The Falcons will take a week-by-week approach with Ryan. It means that Chris Redman will be back under center this week when the Falcons take on the Eagles at home.

Nov

30

Plenty of AnticiPATion for Pats-Saints MNF Game

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Monday. On Tuesday the headlines, columns and blogosphere will be full of Pats/Saints post-nearly-Superbowl news. Since I won’t be watching the game – we don’t get ESPN – and I don’t really think I could bear to sit through four long quarters glued to my computer screen while the little gridiron graphic on nfl.com does its play-by-play bar chart, I decided to write my own version of what will happen tonight in ‘Nawlins.

First Quarter. Having attended a Saints game in the Louisiana Superdome, I can assure you that for many fans (especially those from out of town) a good portion of the first minutes of the game won’t be about counting downs. Instead, they’ll be frantically hunting through the overpriced sweatshirts in the pro shop for something – anything – they can find to keep them warm. The Dome is Foxborough in December without the snow or New England fortitude. That’s how I ended up with a Saints insignia long-sleeved t-shirt that I will wear only when the Saints are playing a team I despise.

Second Quarter. Okay, the essentials have been handled so it’s time to focus on the field. What? The Pats are behind?? The score is 7-0, Saints, due to a long drive in the first quarter that resulted in a Mike Bell run-in from 5 yards out. The teams trade possession but with 5 minutes to go, Brady connects with Moss for a thrilling 43-yard run. Oh no! Drew Brees brings the Saints within 32 yards of the end zone — John Carney’s season-long kick hangs a pious angle off the left upright to make it 10-7 Saints at the half.

Third Quarter. The Pats, who chose to receive in the first half, come out strong as Vince Wilfork sacks Brees on the second drive resulting in a 3rd and 25. Despite an heroic dash by a slightly gimpy Reggie Bush, the Saints punt on 4th and 7. After some fairly workmanlike first down conversions, Wes Welker brings it home at the end of the quarter, making it 14-10 Patriots.

Fourth Quarter. Ah, the tension is as thick as an oyster po’boy! Back and forth it goes, with the Pats and Saints trading field position and failing to convert on third downs. Then Darren Sharper intercepts a Brady pass to Sam Aiken, whose hip must still be bothering him, and runs it back for a TD. 17-14 Saints, with only 1:43 left on the clock. Which, as Patriots Nation knows, makes it Brady Time. Starting on his own 17, Brady systematically brings the team down the field, administering a series of short passes to Welker and Brandon Meriweather. With :27 remaining the Pats find themselves at 4th and 7 on the Saints’ 41. Belichick, who suffered a ton of shit due to his 4th down conversion call against the Colts, demonstrates his tough-mindedness once and for all and does it again. As the Saints might say, “He smelled greatness!” Despite pressure from several large Saints individuals, Brady keeps his composure in the pocket and connects with Moss, who takes a balletic leap and brings that baby home. Gostkowski makes it 21 and as the seconds tick away, it’s Hard Times in the Big Easy.

Postgame: I happen to like the Saints, especially in the aftermath of Katrina. They’re a fun, gutsy team, inspiringly symbolic of resilience in the face of tragedy. Of course I want the Pats to win it all but if it can’t be them, I’ll be rooting for the fleur-de-lis.

Nov

30

Watching the Rams Not an Easy Task These Days

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The Rams just got beat and beat badly by another bad team, in this case the hated Seattle Seahawks.  The Seahawks have beaten the Rams 10 times in a row.  To put that in more perspective, the Rams have not beaten the Seahawks in five seasons.  Five seasons in the NFL is an eternity.

I’m having a hard time putting to words anything about how the Rams played on Sunday.  The run defense was doing all they could to fall over themselves to let the Seahawks through the line.  The Rams offensive line added another injury to insult as center Jason Brown left the game with a knee injury.  That left the Rams with backups at three offensive line positions.  The Rams were getting minimal push on the offensive line to that point, but after Brown left the game, the Rams offensive line went backwards.

The Seahawks rushed for 4 yards last week against Minnesota. 4!  And they easily plowed over the Rams for over 170 yards rushing.

With sieves at both offensive and defensive lines, the Rams had no chance to beat a terrible Seattle Seahawks team at home.  And that is saying something for how bad the Rams are playing.

Nov

30

Overlooking the Obvious Costs the Steelers in Baltimore

Filed Under Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 Comment


The Steelers were at a total disadvantage entering Sunday night’s critical game in Baltimore aganist a Ravens team that was equally as desperate to try and stay in the AFC playoff race. The team was down to their third QB, Dennis Dixon, and still was missing Troy Polamalu on defense.

Not to say that Dixon was the problem, as he ran for a score and threw for another, and actually had the team up 3 with just over 6 minutes left. The defense, which again allowed a fourth quarter comeback, and didn’t stop the run as they normally did should squarely be to blame for this one. Anytime you score 17 points in Baltimore, you have to find a way to win.

The issue on this gloomy Monday is how the situation with Ben Roethlisberger was handled. The team and fans felt all week he would play, and it wasn’t suddenly till Saturday about 11am that he was ruled out for the huge contest. The story goes that Ben was fine all week, passed all tests, but then told the club he was having headaches on Friday.

It was then that doctors said he shouldn’t play, and despite a NBC report that said Roethlisberger begged to play, the team said no.

That’s where the issue comes in.

The team knew full well that there was a chance, big or small that Roethlisberger would have a setback. Yet instead of spending the week making sure that Dixon got enough reps to make sure he was ready if called upon, they just kept pushing forward that Roethlisberger was going to play.

Then he didn’t.

The club also spent time trying out possible emergency QB’s – Todd Bouman and Patrick Ramsey, yet decided to make Tyler Palko the 2nd string as they pulled him from the practice squad. Ugh.

Hines Ward also shed some light on the way the situation was handled, saying that he felt Roethlisberger should have played. It was in an interview that played before the game where Ward pointed out that he’s even played with a concussion.

“This game is almost like a playoff game,” Ward told NBC-TV in a Saturday interview broadcast last night. “It’s almost a must-win. I could see some players or teammates questioning, like, ‘It’s just a concussion. I’ve played with a concussion before.’ It’s almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room. Should he play? Shouldn’t he play? It’s really hard to say.”

It was a must-win. And yet the team seemed to almost play it safe. Bad move.

While the broadcast crew kept harping on how important it was for the Ravens to win the game, no one seemed to mention how big it was for the Steelers to break a two-game losing streak and stay in the race in the AFC North. Now there’s almost no shot for them to win the division, and they are almost going to have for sure win the final five games to have a shot at a wild card.

Mike Tomlin and the organization botched this one. I know it’s never easy to lose your two best players and win, but in the case of last night, they gave themselves a great shot, only to see it again slip away due to all the things that have haunted them all year – attention to detail.

Another slip up, and you can kiss the season good-bye.

Nov

30

FootballFanatics Cyber Monday Specials!

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Our friends at FootballFanatics.com are running a special promotion today, but it’s only good until Midnight!

They’re offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $50. Just enter the promo code FreeShip when checking out to receive the shipping discount.

In addition, they’re offering 20% off all sale items, and no code is needed to receive that discount!

If you’ve been thinking about getting some NFL gear, there’s no better time than right now!

Nov

30

Smith Throws Pair Of TD Passes, 49ers Declaw Jaguars 20-3

Filed Under Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers | 2 Comments

Frank Gore

Typically, the San Francisco’s game plan is usually dictated by the run and their defense. During Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Candlestick Park, there was a slight change of plans in the team playbook as the pass would take center stage, with decent results. Alex Smith threw for a pair of touchdowns while the defense was airtight, allowing San Francisco ti annihilate Jacksonville 20-3.

The first quarter was relatively a feeling out session as the only scoring that took place was a 46-yard field goal by Joe Nedney, giving the 49ers a 3-0 lead; the second quarter was more productive for San Francisco as Smith connected with tight end Vernon Davis on a 3-yard touchdown pass, upping their advantage to 10-0; eight minutes later, Smith would toss a 4-yard TD pass to Frank Gore, increasing their lead to 17-0; Josh Scobee would convert a 32-yard FG with no time left in the half, putting Jacksonville on the scoreboard at 17-3. The third and fourth quarters were basically a battle for ball control not to mention an airtight 49ers defense as the only scoring in the second half was a 27-yard FG by Nedney with 7:29 left in the third quarter, icing the game for San Francisco.

Smith had a decent day, going 27-for-41 for 232 yards with 2 TD’s while David Garrard went 25-for-36 for 307 yards. Gore led the 49ers rushers with 33 yards on 16 carries while catching 7 passes for 14 yards and a score; Maurice Jones-Drew led the Jaguars with 15 carries for 75 yards while catching 5 passes for 35 yards.

Davis led all 49ers receivers with 6 receptions for 69 yards and a TD while Michael Crabtree caught 4 for 54 yards; Delanie Walker caught 4 passes for 52 yards while Josh Morgan caught 6 for 42 yards. Mike Thomas led the Jaguars receivers with 4 receptions for 62 yards while Torry Holt caught 4 passes for 50 yards; Mike Sims-Walker caught 4 for 46 yards.

San Francisco (5-6) plays again next Sunday when they travel north to Seattle to take on the Seahawks while Jacksonville (6-5) returns home to host the Houston Texans – also next Sunday.

Nov

30

McNabb Rallies Eagles To 27-24 Win Over Redskins, Lose Jackson

Filed Under Injuries, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins | Leave a Comment

David Akers

While Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is the undisputed king of comebacks, Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb isn’t too shabby, either. Sunday’s game between the Eagles and Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field would find McNabb performing the familiar; he would lead a drive which led to a 24-all score and kicker David Akers would convert the game-winning field goal, allowing Philadelphia to rally and defeat Washington 27-24.

The Redskins would strike first as they needed only four plays to score as Jason Campbell ran in from a yard out; the Eagles would strike back as they scored ten points on a 6-minute span, capped by a 35-yard McNabb-to-DeSean Jackson TD pass, giving Philadelphia a 10-7 lead. However, the Eagles would lose Jackson later in the second quarter with a concussion. Washington would enter the second quarter scoring first on a 4-yard TD pass from Campbell to Santana Moss with 11:44 left in the half, allowing the Redskins to regain the lead; a pair of Akers field goals 46 seconds apart would help the Eagles take a 16-14 lead.

Washington went ahead 21-16 on their first possession of the second half, driving 80 yards on nine plays, capped by a 10-yard TD pass from Campbell to Fred Davis; the Redskins would up their lead to 24-16 on a Shaun Suisham FG. But then McNabb would drive the Eagles 90 yards, capped by a 1-yard run by Eldra Buckley and a two-point conversion, tying the game at 24-all. Akers would ice the victory for Philadelphia when he kicked a 32-yard FG with 1:48 left in the game.

McNabb went 21-of-35 for 260 yards with a TD and an interception while Campbell went 22-of-37 for 231 yards with 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. LeSean McCoy led all Eagles rushers with 76 yards on 17 rushes while Rock Cartwright led the Redskins with 38 yards on 15 carries.

Jason Avant led all Eagles receivers with 5 receptions for 94 yards while Jeremy Maclin caught 5 passes for 63 yards; Jackson caught a pair for 41 yards and a TD. Malcolm Kelly led the Redskins receivers with 2 receptions for 50 yards while Devin Thomas caught 4 for 46 yards; Davis caught 4 passes for 43 yards and a score. Philadelphia (7-4) plays again on Sunday when they travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons while Washington (3-8) returns home to host the New Orleans Saints – also on Sunday.

Nov

30

Dixon’s OT Pick, Late Defensive Letdown Dooms Steelers in 20-17 Loss to Ravens

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In the end, it was a game effort, but the Steelers simply could not find enough to overcome a critical overtime interception in falling to the Ravens in Baltimore 20-17. The team held a 17-14 lead and the Ravens had a fourth down with just over three minutes left, but Joe Flacco hit Ray Rice for a 44-yard gain to put the Ravens in field goal range.

The field goal was good, and the teams went to overtime tied at 17. The Steelers couldn’t get more than a first down after getting the ball first, and then they held on defense to force the Ravens to have to kick from their own 10. The Steelers got the ball at the their 45, but on third down Dennis Dixon looked for Santonio Holmes, and the pass was picked off by the Ravens Paul Kruger, who took it to the Steelers 28.

Four Ray Rice runs and a Joe Flacco basic kneel down later, Billy Cundiff was good from 29 yards out, sending the Steelers to their third straight loss to drop them to 6-5 on the season. Dixon, who was a surprise starter after the team decided to sit Ben Roethlisberger on Saturday, was 12-for-26 for 145 yards with a touchdown and a pick. He also ran for 27 yards, including a 24-yard score that put the team up 17-14 with 6:24 left.

The defense though could not shut the door, as again they blew a fourth quarter lead. The Ravens game-tying drive was 10 plays and 84 yards, and ended with the chip shot Cundiff field goal from 24 yards out to tie the game. The Steelers tried to throw on their final regulation drive, but went three-and-out as Dixon was not able to complete a pass.

The team was able to put up 298 yards of offense, and while the defense was able to get two turnovers on fumbles and five sacks, they also gave up too many big plays, including the 44-yard play to Ray Rice with the Ravens down to one timeout with 3:31 left on their own 46 with a 4th-and-5. Overall Baltimore had 393 yards of offense.

Rashard Mendenhall ran for 95 yards on 24 carries, and Holmes had a score and 6 catches for 74 yards. Hines Ward had three grabs for 47 yards. The game could have been theirs, but again, the defense cannot hold a lead in the fourth quarter, a difference between a championship season of a year ago and a season now that seems to be lost.

The Steelers should be able to finally get back on track as they welcome the 3-8 Oakland Raiders on Sunday at 1pm at Heniz Field.

Nov

30

Big Fourth Quarter Allows Bills To Trample Dolphins 31-14

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Terrell Owens (#81)

Offense finally paid a visit to Ralph Wilson Stadium Sunday as the Miami Dolphins visited the Buffalo Bills. As of late, the Bills have began to pick up their offense, with the help of wide receiver Terrell Owens. Sunday afternoon wouldn’t be much different as Owens’ touchdown reception with 2:23 left in the game allowed Buffalo to make short work of Miami with an easy 31-14 win.

The first quarter was a battle of attrition as neither team scored in the first 15 minutes. The Dolphins would draw first blood at the 12:54 mark of the second quarter as Chad Henne tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hartline, giving Miami a 7-0 lead; about seven and one-half minute slater, Bills’ quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick would tie the score on a 31-yard TD run. Both teams would go their respective locker rooms tied at 7-all.

Ricky Williams would score from a yard out, putting the Dolphins up 14-7; however, everything began to collapse for Miami a little over 2 minutes into the fourth quarter as the Bills would explode for 24 unanswered points – 17 of them coming in a 2:15 span late in the period, capped by a 7-yard TD run by Fred Jackson, giving Buffalo a 31-14 lead that they would not relinquish.

Henne was pretty ineffective, going 17-of-31 for 175 yards with a TD and 3 interceptions while Fitzpatrick was decidedly better, going 17-of-26 for 246 yards with a TD and an INT while rushing for 50 yards and a TD. Jackson led the Bills with 73 yards on 15 carries along with 5 receptions for 43 yards while Williams led the Dolphins rushers with 27 carries for 115 yards and a TD.

Owens led the Bills receivers with 5 receptions for 96 yards and a TD while Lee Evans caught a pair of passes for 40 yards; Anthony Fasano led the Dolphins receivers with 5 receptions for 74 yards while Davone Bess caught 3 for 34 yards. Buffalo (4-7) plays again on Thursday when they host the New York Jets while Miami (5-6) returns home to host the New England Patriots next Sunday.

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