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November 30, 2008

Lane Kiffin to be introduced as Tennessee Volunteers coach Monday

I'm not sure that Phillip Fulmer, who won a national championship 10 years ago and 2 SEC championships, should have lost his job. He struggled more recently, especially against their biggest rivals, but he was successful (152-52 over 17 seasons).

Nonetheless, Fulmer was fired agreed to step down at the end of the season, in what will be his second losing season out of 17.

Tomorrow the Volunteers will introduce Lane Kiffin as Fulmer's replacement.
"We have had unbelievable interest from great coaches," athletic director Mike Hamilton said Sunday. "When it was all said and done, we felt like Lane Kiffin was a perfect fit for Tennessee. He's energetic, charismatic, consumed with recruiting and has had a lifelong love affair with football."
Kiffin is a perfect fit for a big time college football program. He should be able to recruit well like he did when he was at USC.

And reports are that his father will follow him to be defensive coordinator. Of course, Monte Kiffin, DC for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, denies that.
"It's all just speculation," Monte Kiffin said after Tampa Bay's 23-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. "That's all it is. I can honestly tell you it's just speculation. Just like it came up with the Raiders. It came up two years ago. It came up last year. I'm still here."
It was good to see Fulmer beat Kentucky in his last game at Tennessee and end on a positive note.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:40 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Derek Anderson out for rest of season?

Before today, Ken Dorsey threw 1 (incomplete) pass in the past 2 seasons. Today, he threw 3 more after Derek Anderson suffered what is likely to be a season-ending injury. DA sprained his left MCL in today's game.

Reports were that Romeo Crennel needed a "miracle finish" to retain his job. With the heady third-stringer now the starter, it doesn't look very likely that the Browns will get that "miracle finish."

The Browns are 4-8, but the consolation is they are the best professional football team in the state of Ohio. The Bengals lost today as well and are 1-10-1 on the season.

On the season, Anderson had a QB Rating of 66.0 and completed only 49% of his passes for 1505 yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bills Trent Edwards out indefinitely

In the summer, Donte Whitner guaranteed that the Buffalo Bills would make the playoffs in 2008. I argued that it is good to be confident but unnecessary to make guarantees.

It looked like the Bills would make good on Whitner's guarantee. The Bills started the NFL season with a 5-1 record and it looked like the AFC East was theirs to lose. Well, they've lost it.

The Bills lost today to the San Francisco 49ers 10-3 and are now 6-6 (and still in last place in the AFC East). As I wrote this, the Dolphins won today, but the Pats are losing 23-10 and the Jets are losing 27-17. The Bills could have made the division much more interesting heading into December with a win today of the Niners.

In the game, the Bills lost Trent Edwards to a groin injury and they have announced that he will be out "indefinitely."

In the Bills' 6 wins, Edwards completed 70% of his passes and threw 7 TDs to 2 INTs. In the Bills' 6 losses, Edwards completed 61% of his passes and threw 3 TDs to 8 INTs.

In the 2 partial games that J.P. Losman has played QB for the Bills, he has a QB Rating over 100 and has completed over 70% of his passes.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Record-setting performance for DeAngelo Williams

Last week, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 45-28. In that game, Michael Turner tied a Falcons' record with 4 rushing TDs.

Today, the Panthers beat the Green Bay Packers 35-21 today in large part thanks to DeAngelo Williams. Williams set a franchise record with 4 rushing TDs and tied a franchise record for scoring a TD in 6 consecutive games.

The Panthers face a tougher rushing defense in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Over the past 5 weeks, Williams has rushed for 541 yards on 90 carries (6.01 ypc). He has scored 9 rushing TDs in that span.

In the first 7 weeks of the season, Williams rushed for 414 yards on 103 carries (4.02 ypc). He had 2 rushing TDs and 2 receiving TDs in that span.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:40 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Time's up for Weis (or, at least, it should be)

Despite losing back-to-back Fiesta Bowls, Charlie Weis started his Notre Dame coaching career as well as one could have expected. In his first 2 seasons, Weis and Notre Dame were a combined 19-6.

He has followed up his first 2 seasons as coach with performances of 3-9 and 6-6. The 15 losses during these past 2 seasons is a record for Notre Dame. And last week's loss to Syracuse marked the first time in Notre Dame history that it lost to a team with 8 losses.

Last night, Notre Dame capped their 2 seasons of disappointment with a 38-3 loss at the hands of the USC Trojans. Notre Dame managed only 9 yards of offense in the first half and 91 for the game.
"I'm the head coach at Notre Dame," he said. "When the time comes sometime in my career, either by my choice or their choice, they're going to tell me I'm not the head coach at Notre Dame. But right now, my intent is to finish this press conference, be cordial, worry about my players, get them off to the airport and go on this recruiting trip tomorrow."
Weis and Notre Dame have been bringing in great recruiting classes despite all the talk of how difficult it is to get top talent to come to a prestigious university like Notre Dame. But what has Weis done to develop that talent?

So now it will even more difficult to get top talent to come to Notre Dame. He may have the "stability" of a monster contract, but recruits know that his job is in jeopardy. It will be exponentially more difficult for Weis to recruit with the potential of a buyout than how it has been over the past couple of years.

If Notre Dame fired Ty Willingham for lack of performance, they have to fire Charlie Weis now. The Willingham era (21-15, .583) in South Bend has been more successful than that of Charlie Weis (28-21, .571).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:26 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chris Gamble and Panthers agree to extension through 2014

The Carolina Panthers and CB Chris Gamble agreed to a 6-year contract extension worth $50+ million. Gamble will now remain in a Panthers' uniform until 2014.
"I wanted to be in Carolina. I didn't want to be with any other team," Gamble said. "I like the organization, the coaching staff, the fans, my teammates and I just wanted to get it out of the way."

"Just knowing that I'll be in Carolina is very important," Gamble said. "I don't have to worry about looking for another team to approach me or anything like that. I can just stay focused knowing I'm going to be a Carolina Panther for seven more years. It's just very exciting."

"Chris is an extremely talented player and is playing at a high level," general manager Marty Hurney said. "He started his career with us and this extension is another step toward the possibility of his finishing his career as a Panther."
Chris Gamble has 19 career interceptions in his 5-year NFL career. Gamble was the Panthers 1st-round draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Their 2 first-round draft picks from the previous 2 drafts (Jordan Gross and Julius Peppers) are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:51 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Both Jacobs and Portis to play

Both Brandon Jacobs and Clinton Portis will play in today's game.

Jacobs, who missed last week's game, will play today against the Redskins. He has 879 yards / 11 TDs on the season despite getting over 20 carries only twice. He had 21 carries for 116 yards against the Redskins in week 1.

Clinton Portis, who was questionable, had 143 yards on 29 carries last week against the Seahawks. On the season, Portis has 1206 rushing yards and 7 TDs. He has had 20+ carries every week except 2 weeks (both losses). In fact, he has 100+ yards every week in the past 8 weeks with the exception of those 2 games in which he had fewer than 20 carries.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:43 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Plaxico Burress shot himself in leg

Headline in the New York Post reads: "GIANT JERK SHOOTS HIMSELF." As Cris Carter just asked on Sunday NFL Countdown, with Plaxico's history, does it surprise you that he shot himself. The answer to his question is a resounding NO!

He was already going to miss today's Redskins game with a sore hamstring, but that is the least of Plaxico's problems.

Plaxico is facing felony charges for incident by NYPD.

Initially, reports were that the bullet grazed his leg. But now reports are that it went through the leg although it didn't hit any main arteries.
"We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night. We have been in contact with Plaxico since shortly after the incident," the team said in a statement. "Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital at approximately 2 p.m. today.
He was in the club with LB Antonio Pierce, who took the gun afterwards. A key question is what did Pierce do with the gun afterwards. He will start in today's Redskins game despite any involvement he had.

It wouldn't surprise me if Plaxico Burress has already played his last game in a Giants uniform.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:12 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 29, 2008

Colts' Bob Sanders to miss Browns game

Colts Safety Bob Sanders will not play in the Cleveland Browns game. This will be the third game in a row Sanders will have missed. It will also be the 8th game of the season that Sanders will have missed.

Sanders is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. However, he has had trouble staying healthy. In his 5 NFL seasons, he has played more than 6 games only twice.

The Colts are 3-1 in games Sanders has played and 4-3 in games he has missed this season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:42 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Plaxico Burress to miss Redskins game

Plaxico Burress will miss the Redskins game with a "sore right hamstring" and Domenik Hixon will start in his place.

This is a big game - but for the Redskins. The Giants are 10-1 and 3 games ahead in the win column over the Cowboys and Redskins with only a month to go. Since the Giants have the NFC East all but locked up, they should be careful to make sure Burress doesn't aggravate the hamstring further.

Plus, the Giants have shown they can play/win without Burress (or seemingly anyone).

In 10 games, Burress has 35 receptions, 454 yards receiving and only 4 receiving TDs. He had 12 TDs last year. Hixon has 21 receptions for 302 yards in 11 games but had 6 receptions last week against the Cardinals.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:56 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 28, 2008

Cowboys win 3 straight heading into December

You can only play the opponents that are on your schedule. So, it would be unfair to criticize the Dallas Cowboys for beating their past 3 opponents even though San Francisco and Seattle are horrible. Before those games, however, it was known that their schedule would get much tougher in December. Although the post-bye week games in November weren't "must-win," they were "can't-lose" games.

Despite winning those 3 post-bye games and creating more of a "we're back" type of excitement for Cowboys fans, injuries to Marion Barber (toe) and DeMarcus Ware (knee) would have sapped all the enthusiasm out of another win had their injuries appeared more serious. Barber's initial x-rays (halftime and end of 3rd quarter) were negative and Ware wanted to go back into the game.
"I wanted to go back out there, but they told me no," said Ware, who had his knee iced and propped on the bench after he left the game.
Counting playoff games, the Cowboys are 10-16 in the months of December and January since 2003. They are 10-13 in the regular season and 0-3 in the post-season in those months since 2003.

Their final four games of the season are at Pittsburgh, home against the Giants and Ravens and then at Philly. Definitely four tough games against playoff-bound (or caliber) opponents, but the first 2 of those 4 are even tougher than the second 2. As a Cowboys fan, I would be thrilled with a split heading into the home (and Texas Stadium) finale with a 9-5 record.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:02 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nathan Vasher to miss (at least) Vikings game

Chicago Bears DB Nathan Vasher, who fractured his hand last week, will not play in Sunday night's division battle against the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are 6-5 and tied for first in the NFC North.

Bears coach Lovie Smith has indicated that Vasher may miss more than Sunday's game while being non-committal at the same time.
"Whenever you have a fracture, you reinjure the same hand you had trouble with, you can go from there. Right now, I just know he's out this week."
Corey Graham will likely start in Vasher's place. Vasher has missed 3 games earlier this season and has 21 tackles and 1 interception in 8 games. Graham has 59 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception on the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:47 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 27, 2008

The Weekly Blitz - Week 13

In this week's edition of The Weekly Blitz, our picks against the spread (ATS), I've selected 2 of the 3 Turkey Day games. (See picks below)

On the season, I am 24-11-1 (68.6%) ATS. As a group, all 5 contributors have a positive record through week 12 and we are a combined 110-66-4 (62.5%) ATS.

But I think my lock of the week is this Sunday's Tampa Bay and New Orleans game. Click here to see who I took.

Tennessee Titans -11 (over Detroit Lions): The Detroit Lions, one of my picks last week to cover, jumped out to a 17-0 1st-quarter lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then, the Lions imploded only as the Lions can (o.k. maybe the Rams, Bengals and Chiefs can too). The Lions were losing at the half 21-17 and the Bucs never looked back. I have Calvin Johnson (by far, the Lions best player) and Chris Johnson (perhaps 2008 Rookie of the Year) on my most important fantasy football team and this week is the week before the playoffs. Unfortunately, this particular team is on the playoff fence. But what else can you look forward to in this game? Well, LenDale White publicly complained about only getting 3 carries in their loss to the Jets last week. He should get more carries this week, but if he doesn't, how will he react? Last week, Daunte Culpepper was benched and then reinserted into the lineup after Drew Stanton, Culpepper's replacement, was injured. This game should be over by halftime as the Lions have the first rushing defense in the NFL. My advice is to plan dinner for 2 p.m. ET (roughly half-time of this game) and then you have 2+ hours to enjoy your Turkey feast.

Philadelphia Eagles -3 (over Arizona Cardinals): The Arizona Cardinals are one of the best football teams in the NFL. Yes, the Arizona Cardinals. They have the best WR corps in football and Kurt Warner is a possible league MVP. However, after Donovan McNabb was benched last week, I expect him to come out swinging and the Eagles to bounce back. The one thing that Warner has struggled with in the past is hanging onto the ball with a fierce pass rush. I expect Joe Johnson and the Eagles to throw the kitchen sink at Warner. This will be a close game with lots of drama. Everyone should be "thankful" for the league adding a third Thanksgiving Day game.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 26, 2008

Willie Parker - Questionable against Patriots

Willie Parker, swelling in his knee, is questionable for Sunday's game at New England.

Parker has played in 6 games this season and has missed 5 games. If Parker doesn't play Sunday, Mewelde Moore will start in his place.

On the season, Parker has 485 yards and 4 TDs on 126 carries. Moore has 432 yards and 5 TDs on 109 carries.

The Steelers are currently 8-3 and 1 game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, who are in Cincinnati this weekend.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:41 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 25, 2008

Brady Quinn - out for rest of year?

In Brady Quinn's first career start, he played exceptionally well despite the Browns losing the game. Quinn completed over 65% of his passes, threw 2 TDs and no INTs and had a QB rating of 104.3.

Then, he suffered a broken index finger in his second game and played poorly the following week.

After seeing Dr. James Andrews, it was determined that Brady Quinn's season should be shut down "before the tendons tore from the bone."

Derek Anderson will start in place of the 2007 1st-round draft pick by the Browns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New Domination Index Released - Interesting Stat

Like every other Tuesday, EDSFootball.com released its Domination Index today.

The Domination Index ranks all 32 teams based on statistical differential categories and gives points similar to how rotisserie-scoring fantasy leagues works. For example, the team with the highest scoring margin gets 32 points, the team with the 2nd highest scoring margin gets 31 points, etc.

In our Week 12 Domination Index, it was no surprise that the New York Giants ranked as the "most dominant" team in the league. They have topped the list 7 weeks and every week since week 9.

Currently, they have a score of 218.0, which ties the highest total for the season. They also reached this total in week 5. Right now, they are 24.5 points more dominant than the 2nd most dominant team in the league. That is the largest gap between 1st and 2nd this season.

One of the stats (scoring margin in games lost) is interesting. There are only 3 teams to not have lost a game by double digits so far this season: Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and San Diego. In fact, the Bucs have the lowest scoring margin in losses (11) on the season. They lost by 4 at New Orleans, by 3 at Denver and by 4 at Dallas.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:16 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Shaun Alexander cut by Redskins

After playing just 5 games with the Washington Redskins, Shaun Alexander was cut by the 'Skins.

In his limited action, he had 24 yards on 11 carries. Half of those carries (6) came against the Detroit Lions and he only gained 11 yards (1.8 ypc). A 1.8 ypc against the winless Lions, who have the worst rushing defense in the NFL, is the true test of whether a RB is washed up.

It's amazing to think that Alexander had 1,880 rushing yards and 27 rushing TDs and led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005. He won the NFL MVP Award in 2005 as well.

In his career, Alexander has 9453 rushing yards and 100 rushing TDs. He also has 215 receptions for 1520 yards and 12 receiving TDs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Detroit Lions going 0-16?

As we head into week 12, the Detroit Lions remain the only winless team at 0-11. But they will win at least one game this year, won't they?

Well, it doesn't get much easier for Rod Marinelli and the Lions. Their remaining schedule has no lightweights left.

They play Thursday against the 10-1 Tennessee Titans, who suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the New York Jets last week. Their schedule finishes up with home games against Minnesota and New Orleans and road games against Indianapolis and Green Bay.

The Lions rank 31st in the NFL in total defense and 32nd in rushing defense. All 5 teams remaining on their schedule have strong offenses and the Titans and Vikings have great rushing attacks.

I thought the Lions had a fighting chance against the Bucs last week. And even more so when they jumped out to a 17-0 lead. But being in the losing NFL games business, the Lions quickly folded under pressure and the Bucs had a 21-17 halftime lead. They never looked back.

With a little (continued) bad luck and the umm...ability to implode at will, I really think the Lions will lose their remaining 5 games and become the first 0-16 team in NFL history.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:09 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Donovan McNabb to start against Arizona

Was Andy Reid just trying to send a message to Donovan McNabb? A message to the entire team? Reid and the Eagles benched McNabb at halftime, when the score was 10-7, of the Ravens game. Kevin Kolb didn't do much better.

Now, in a Lovie Smith kinda way, Reid says that Rex Grossman Donovan McNabb is his starting QB:
"Donovan is the quarterback. I don't want to leave here until you understand that," coach Andy Reid emphasized at his news conference Monday. "Donovan is the quarterback for this football team."
Perhaps Reid was trying to send a message to the rest of the last-place Eagles, however, considering that McNabb didn't know about the tie possibility and his poor performance and subsequent benching last week, I would venture to guess that McNabb's job security is not rock solid.

The real question is "for how long?" will he be the "quarterback for this football team."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:46 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greg Camarillo out for season

Aside from losing the Patriots 48-28, the Dolphins suffered another big loss losing WR Greg Camarillo for the remainder of the season.
“You don’t want to lose a player like that,” Sparano said. “He’s been really productive for us. To me, the guy’s been exactly what you’re looking for on your football team. I’m disappointed for him. I know how important it is for him.”
Camarillo was leading the team in both receptions (55) and receiving yards (613). He's also been the team's most consistent receiver - he has 2+ catches in every game and only fewer than 4 catches twice.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:20 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 24, 2008

Matt Light and Channing Crowder fight to be reviewed by NFL

Although I use the term loosely, the "fight" yesterday between Matt Light and Channing Crowder is going to be reviewed by the NFL. The fight happened on a Patriots field-goal. It was enough to get both players ejected from the game and may lead to additional discipline.
"I had no idea what was going on," Gostkowski said. "I was just worried about them falling on my leg. I didn't want to get hurt from something like that."
I understand that tempers flare and adrenaline is flowing during the heat of battle. But you got to maintain your composure.
"These guys are competitors," Sparano said. "At the same time, there's a right and a wrong way to do things. We have a standard here right now that we're trying to put in place. And for 10 solid games we've done that. Yesterday, we kind of got off the path a little bit for about eight minutes and that's not good enough. It has to be addressed."
The Patriots are now 1 game behind the Jets and the Dolphins are tied with the Bills and 2 games back.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:38 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 23, 2008

What a day for Rolle!

Yesterday, Florida State safety Myron Rolle had an interview for the Rhodes scholarship in Birmingham, Alabama. Rolle, one of seven finalists, won the scholarship.

After he finished the interview around 6 p.m., he boarded a private plane to head to Maryland as the Seminoles had a game against the Terrapins at 7:45 p.m.

Rolle hopes to become a neuorsurgeon some day. He graduated in 2 1/2 years with a 3.75 GPA.
"In the midst of the troubles that have gone on here at Florida State academically, there are still student-athletes doing the right thing," Rolle said. "Possibly we can move that perception from being a school that's just focused on partying and athletics."
Florida State steamROLLEd the Terrapins 37-3.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Michael Turner: 4 TDs against Panthers

Michael Turner just rushed for his 4th TD against the Panthers.

He has 117 yards on 24 carries and the Falcons are winning 45-28 with 54 seconds left.

On the season, Turner now has 13 TDs in 11 games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:17 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Donovan McNabb was benched at halftime

The Eagles lost big to the Ravens today and Donovan McNabb was benched at halftime. Although McNabb was having a bad performance, the Eagles were only trailing by 3 points at the half.

Donovan McNabb was 8/18 for 59 yards and 2 INTs in the first half.

Kevin Kolb was not much better: 10/23 for 73 yards and 2 INTs in the second half.

The Eagles 5 remaining games are against their 3 division rivals and 2 prime time matchups against the Cardinals and the Browns.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:48 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Edgerrin James wants to be released

The Arizona Cardinals are 7-3 on the season with a 4-game lead over the San Francisco 49ers. And the Cards are doing it with offense. They are currently 2nd in the NFL in offense yards per game (392.5) behind the New Orleans Saints and tied for 2nd in scoring offense (28.9 ppg).

And they've done it without the players that topped their pre-season depth chart at QB (Matt Leinart) and RB (Edgerrin James).

Now, Edge is asking to be released from the Cardinals, but the Cards have rejected his request.
"Edgerrin, I'm sure, is unhappy," Whisenhunt said. "I understand that. But that happens a lot in the NFL. Shoot, that happens a lot in life.

"You know, the mark of being a professional is continuing to work — and we expect Edgerrin to be a professional," Whisenhunt said. "And I think that's only reasonable based on the significant investment and financial obligation that we've made to Edgerrin."
Despite being benched in favor of rookie RB Tim Hightower, the team's 5th-round draft pick last year, James has been a good mentor to Hightower.

James is 13th all-time on the NFL's career rushing list and is 8 yards shy of 12,000.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:55 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bob Sanders out for Chargers game

Colts safety Bob Sanders, reigning Defensive Player of the Year, will miss his 2nd game in a row and his 7th game on the season.

The Colts are on a 3-game winning streak and enter tonight's game against the Chargers with a 6-4 record.

Last week, without Sanders in the lineup, the Texans ran for 177 yards and Steve Slaton had 156 yards on 11 carries.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:19 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 22, 2008

Ronald Curry - surprised to be starting Sunday

Ever see the scenes on sitcoms where a couple of family members aren't talking while they're eating dinner? And then they have their conversation by telling another family member to tell the person they're not talking to what they want to say? It's sort-of like what is happening with the dysfunctional Raiders.

Interim head coach Tom Cable is not talking to WR Ronald Curry. Curry is not talking to Cable. Cable benched Curry in one of his first moves as interim coach without telling him.

However, when someone told Curry on Friday that he was starting against the Broncos, he repsonded "that's news to me."
"Well, I don't know what he's really gone through," Cable said. "But I think he's done a nice job. He's been a pro, he's worked hard, prepared himself. So, I think he's really done a good job."

"Another chance to go out there and prove to people that I can still play," Curry said.
Curry is the only player to have a 100-yard receiving game since Randy Moss was in Oakland and has lead the team in receiving the past 2 seasons. This year, Curry has 14 receptions for 147 yards and 1 TD.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Erik Ainge suspended 4 games

I think the NFL gets the drug policy right. At least, in general terms. If a player is caught using performance-enhancing drugs, the player is suspended 4 games (or 1/4 of the season).

That is what has happened to Jets rookie QB Erik Ainge, the Jets' 5th-round draft pick last year, who was suspended by the NFL for four games for violating its steroids policy.

However, Ainge is currently out for the season with a foot injury. So, what this means is he is unable to be at the team's facilities until December 15th.

Ainge won't miss any games that he wouldn't have already missed due to his injury. I think the NFL should tweak their policy and have the suspension carry over to the next season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:35 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 21, 2008

Chad Johnson back at practice after being de-activated

For the game against the Steelers last night, Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson was de-activated for supposedly falling asleep during a team meeting on Wednesday and then had a verbal altercation with Marvin Lewis.

Johnson was back with the team today, but will also be fined in addition to missing last night's game.
"I think, yeah, any time a player has a thing that occurs like that, you let your teammates down," Lewis said Friday. "I think any time that you have to sit a player down, it sends a message to players, because that's the only thing they get and understand."

"That's their livelihood, that's how they extend themselves, that's what they do and that's important to them. So when you take away playing time, that's the loudest voice they hear," Lewis said.
Johnson made public his desire to leave Cincinnati before the season began. The Bengals reportedly were offered two first-rounders and turned the offer down.

Johnson has had a disappointing season. He hasn't had more than 57 receiving yards in any game and has exceeded 5 receptions only once.

Although the Bengals will get less in return this upcoming off-season, they would foolish not to trade him.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:17 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Felix Jones is done for the season

Felix Jones is out for the season. His hamstring is better, but he has a torn ligament in his big toe that requires surgery and can't wait for the end of the season.
"We have got to really protect his future. He is a young guy," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Thursday afternoon. "I don’t mind telling you the last two days have been concerning because of what we thought he could bring to the table. Fortunately, we’ve got a lot of guys out there that can make plays."

"We felt that Tashard Choice was going to have to play more plays than he has, and that’s the direction we’ll go," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.
The Cowboys have and will continue to miss what Felix brings to the table. He was averaging nearly 9 yards per carry and over 27 yards per kickoff return.

But I'm not sure why the Cowboys haven't used Tashard Choice more often while Felix Jones has been out. Choice has 72 yards on 13 carries for a 5.5 average.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:15 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 12

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 12 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Peyton Manning, Colts (at SD) - see top 25 QBs for week 12
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers (vs IND) - see top 40 RBs for week 12
WR: Anquan Boldin, Cardinals (vs NYG) - see top 50 WRs for week 12
TE: Dallas Clark, Colts (at SD) - see top 20 TEs for week 12
K: Matt Prater, Broncos (vs OAK) - see top 20 Ks for week 12
DEF: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DET) - see top 20 DEFs for week 12

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 12 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:57 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 20, 2008

Pacman Jones reinstated

How many chances should Pacman Jones get? After serving a year-long suspension, he was reinstated during the pre-season. Six weeks later, he got into a scuffle with one of his bodyguards in the bathroom of a Dallas hotel.

I believed at that point that Jones should have never been allowed to play in the NFL again. However, Pacman was suspended for a "minimum" of four games and he later went to an alcohol treatment facility.

Now, Jerry Jones is saying that Pacman Jones will be reinstated under certain conditions and he is likely to play next on December 7th when the Cowboys play the Steelers.
"He much appreciates the Cowboys and Jerry Jones for standing behind him and encouraging him, and he's grateful to the commissioner," said Worrick Robinson, Adam Jones' Nashville-based attorney.

"It all starts with him and his decision-making," Robinson said. "He's comfortable making decisions for himself."
Jerry Jones won't provide bodyguards to keep Jones out of trouble. And it won't be long before we hear the latest Pacman gets in trouble headlines again. I'm setting the over/under at 3 1/2 weeks.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:54 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 19, 2008

Jonas Jennings to IR (again)

The San Francisco 49ers have placed Tackle Jonas Jennings on Injured Reserve. In fact, this is the third time in four seasons that Jennings has landed on IR. He has played a total of 23 (of 58) games with the 49ers.

Jennings had surgery on his dislocated shoulder on Tuesday.
“Everybody is built different, and some guys are more injury-prone than others,” McCloughan said. “But there’s no reason why he can’t come back from this once rehab is over and play again. There’s no reason whatsoever.”
The 49ers signed Jacob Bender, 6th-round pick by the Jets last year, from the Patriots practice squad to replace Jennings.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:03 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 18, 2008

Joey Porter vs Patriots Round 2

Both the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins trail the New York Jets by 1 game in the tight AFC East race and have a one game lead over the Buffalo Bills. This weekend, the Dolphins will host the Patriots.
"My message to the players is that if you walk through the door on Wednesday and your heart's not racing a million miles an hour, then you don't have a pulse," Sparano said, according to AP. "This is why we do what we do. We put ourselves in position to have a big game at home at the end of November. That's where we are. That being said, I don't think too much has to be said this week."
Maybe so Tony, but Joey Porter will do some talking. Here's what he said today:
"We don't like them," Porter said, according to The Associated Press. "They don't like us."

"They let us know how they feel about us," Porter said, according to AP. "Then they start punting over our heads -- like, you want the whole 100-yard field? You don't do that."
Porter did some talking in week 3 (let me clarify since he talks every week...he did some talking to the Pats) and the Dolphins won 31-13.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:41 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 17, 2008

Orlando Pace out up to a month

Orlando Pace will be sidelined for 2-4 weeks with an MCL injury. Pace will have an MRI on his knee as will Richie Incognito and Ron Bartell, who were also injured in yesterday's game vs the 49ers.
"I don't know what happened, but I felt the knee kind of gave in a little bit," Pace said.

"At this point, you've almost got to laugh about it. It's been a frustrating last few years for me."
Since 2006, Pace has only played in 18 games. Adam Goldberg replaced Pace on the line.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:46 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brandon Jacobs to have MRI

Brandon Jacobs and the New York Giants did something no other team in the NFL has done through the first 10 weeks of the NFL season. They hit the century mark in rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens, who was leading the NFL in rushing yards per game. (Two times.)

In its first 9 games, the Ravens gave up a season-high 76 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, who beat the Ravens 31-3 in week 6. Yesterday, they gave up 207 rushing yards to the Giants.

Brandon Jacobs, who had 77 rushing yards on 11 carries and 2 TDs, will have a MRI on his knee, although Tom Coughlin won't tell you which knee.
"There is a little swelling, he is walking really well," Coughlin said of Jacobs, fourth in the NFL with 879 yards rushing. "They are going to do all of the tests. But hopefully we can get this under control."

Asked which knee it was, Coughlin replied: "If you don't know which one it was, I'm not telling you."
The injury doesn't appear to be serious. The Giants play the Cardinals Sunday in Arizona.

Ahmad Bradshaw had 96 yards on 9 carries including a 77-yard scamper. Derrick Ward had 41 yards on 11 carries.

Brandon Jacobs has 879 rushing yards on the season and 11 rushing TDs. Ward has 531 rushing yards and Bradshaw has 301 rushing yards. All 3 are averaging over 5 yards per carry.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earnest Graham - out for rest of year?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Minnesota Vikings yesterday 19-13, but they may have lost Earnest Graham for the remainder of the season. On his only rushing attempt, a 3-yard gain, Graham injured his ankle.
"His status for the rest of the season is very much in question right now," Gruden said Monday. "I don't have the exact medical terms, but I will say right now, it doesn't look like he'll play anytime soon."

"Obviously we brought Cadillac up with the understanding he's ready to go," Gruden said. "We're very disappointed for Earnest. He means a lot to us. He's done so much for us here in the last couple of years. He a key reason why we are where we are."
Warrick Dunn handled the rushing duties and had 118 yards (rushing and receiving combined) against the Vikings.

Cadillac Williams, who hasn't played since September 2007, was inactive last week, but will be activated for this week's game against the Lions.
"I am ready to go," Williams told the Tampa Tribune. "I have put in a lot of work. I feel confident. I'm mentally ready and physically ready. I just hate the situation had to come like this with E.G. going down, but that's football. I'll make the best of the opportunity."
Fortunately for Cadillac, he faces a Lions defense that is the worst in the NFL against the run and that gave up 264 yards against the Carolina Panthers, which was a Panthers' franchise record. Every back should be so fortunate to play the Lions in their first game of the season.

On the season, Earnest Graham has 563 rushing yards on 132 attempts. He has 4 rushing TDs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:09 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 16, 2008

Donovan McNabb didn't know about tie possibility?

Even if you are (or aren't) a starting NFL QB, my guess is that you know that there is the possibility that an NFL game may end in a tie. Believe it or not, Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb did not know that.

Today, the Eagles and McNabb played poorly against the Bengals, who had only 1 win entering today's game. I picked the Eagles in my weekly picks even though they were giving 9 points on the road. (Granted, I picked the other 2 games correctly to improve to 22-10-1 (68.8%) against the spread on the season.)

But after today's game ended in a 13-13 tie, McNabb did not know that it was possible for an NFL game to end in a tie. Although it hasn't happened since 2002 when the Steelers and Falcons played to a tie, it is not that obscure of a rule. I admire his honesty, but I am surprised by his stupidity.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:09 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Jim Fassel wants to coach the Raiders

Since 2003, the Oakland Raiders have not "just won baby." In fact, the Raiders are a combined 21-69 (including today's 17-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins) during that span.

Since 2003, the Raiders have had 5 coaches including Lane Kiffin, who started the season, and Tom Cable, current "interim" Raiders coach. For anyone that values success and security, you would expect there to be a desire to stay as far away from this football "Black Hole" as possible.

Well, there is a former head coach that is (a) gluten for punishment, (b) incapable of thinking coherently, which in turn makes said coach a perfect fit, (c) naive enough to think Al Davis will let him "coach" the team or (d) all of the above.

Jim Fassel has sent Al Davis a handwritten letter, in which he has expressed "his respect and admiration for Davis" and his desire to become Raiders coach.

Jim Fassel had a 60-56-1 record as head coach of the Giants.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 14, 2008

Steven Jackson - out vs Niners

In the Jim Haslett era (albeit an interim one), the Rams are 2-0 when Steven Jackson gets 20+ carries. And 0-3 when he doesn't. Since Jackson has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the 49ers, there's a good chance the Rams will lose another.
"I really didn't think I would miss a game, let alone two or three," Jackson said. "For it to linger like this, it really begins to make you wonder what's really going on."
Antonio Pittman should get the bulk of carries in Jackson's absence. Pittman has 129 yards on 43 carries for an average of 3.0 ypc.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 13, 2008

Javon Walker done for the season?

Javon Walker's season is over. Although I'm not sure I noticed that it ever began.

Javon Walker is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery. No official word yet from the Raiders, but the Walker says he's done.
"I'm done for the season," Walker said. "They've got to put some screws in."
With the exception of the game against the Jets, Javon Walker's best game was his week 4 performance against the Chargers. In that game, he had 2 catches for 34 yards.

Think on the bright side. It should start to rain more in the desert.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:42 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 11

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 11 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Kurt Warner, Cardinals (at SEA) - see top 25 QBs for week 11
RB: Frank Gore, 49ers (vs STL) - see top 40 RBs for week 11
WR: Anquan Boldin, Cardinals (at SEA) - see top 50 WRs for week 11
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (vs NE) - see top 20 TEs for week 11
K: Jason Elam, Falcons (vs DEN) - see top 20 Ks for week 11
DEF: Miami Dolphins (vs OAK) - see top 20 DEFs for week 11

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 11 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 12, 2008

Donte Whitner back at practice

Even though he has a separated his shoulder, Donte Whitner returned to practice on a limited basis. His status for Monday's game against Cleveland hasn't been determined yet.

The Bills are banged up and getting Whitner back sooner than is normal for this type of injury would be exactly what the doctor ordered for this team.

The Bills started the season 5-1 making Whitner's playoff guarantee seem very likely. But since their 5-1 start, the Bills have lost 3 straight. To make matters worse, their losses have been to all 3 division opponents.

The Bills next 3 games aren't as tough - Cleveland, Kansas City and San Francisco. But then 3 of their 4 December games are against division opponents.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:18 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 11, 2008

Jon Gruden not interested in Tennessee job

Phillip Fulmer is going to step down at the end of the season. One person who says he isn't interested in the job is Jon Gruden.
"I've said it from the beginning, this is the only job I've really ever wanted," Gruden said, as quoted by the St. Petersburg Times. "As long as the Glazers will have me, I'll be here. I've got a lot of respect for Tennessee. I grew up down there a little bit. My wife is from there. But this is where I want to be, and I can only make myself that clear."

"I've wanted to be in the NFL my whole life, and this is something I'm really excited to do," Gruden said. "This is where I want to be, and I'll leave it at that."
Then again, how often does a coach in the middle of the season say he isn't interested in another position? I don't think Gruden is interested considering he's been successful at the pro level. But never say never.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:01 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cadillac Williams could be activated against Vikings

Cadillac Williams hasn't played since September 30, 2007. But he may play this Sunday.
"We staged a couple of drills for Carnell Williams to get hit, and he responded to it. It's exciting," Gruden said Monday, when players went through a 90-minute workout in pads after not practicing at all during the team's bye week.

"I've said for a long time, it's almost like Christmas is here. Christmas is Wednesday, I hope. We'll see how he feels, talk to the trainer and medical people. If my eyes don't deceive me, I think he's got a chance to be a player this year for our team."
The Bucs have until Wednesday to make a decision on whether to active Williams or not.

Cadillac's potential return could be perfect considering Earnest Graham's status is in doubt and Warrick Dunn has only 1 carry in the past 2 weeks.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:35 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

NFL needs slower trigger with fines

First, the NFL fined Justin Tuck of the New York Giants $7,500 for a hit on Dallas Cowboys QB Brooks Bollinger. Then, after reviewing the details, the NFL rescinded it's fine.

Next, the NFL fined Randy Moss of the New England Patriots $20,000 for comments he made about NFL officiating. Then, after reviewing the details, the NFL rescinded it's fine.

I understand the desire to make decisions in a quick manner. But it makes no sense to me that the NFL fines players only to rescind the fines shortly thereafter. Why doesn't the league have some sort of system of checks and balances in place before issuing the fine?

If this was an isolated error/correction, I would understand. But the league is just too quick to judge.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:48 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Broncos re-sign Tatum Bell

The Denver Broncos have lost Andre Hall, Ryan Torain and Michael Pittman to season-ending injuries. Selvin Young is banged up as well so it was likely that rookie FB Peyton Hillis was going to get the bulk of carries against Atlanta on Sunday.

But the Broncos added Tatum Bell today and he will suit up Sunday in Atlanta.
"I'm humbled," Bell said. "I didn't think I was going to get another chance, to be honest. I thanked coach [Mike] Shanahan for giving me this chance. I'll do whatever it takes. I'll play special teams. I'll play center. I'll do whatever it takes to help the Denver Broncos win."
Tatum Bell was released from the Detroit Lions after the Lions signed Rudi Johnson. In Bell's last season in Denver (2006), he had his only 1000-yard rushing campaign.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Week 10 Domination Index Released

Each week, we (or more accurately the statistics) rank the 32 NFL teams on how dominant they've been thus far in the season. Here is our Domination Index through week 10 games:

1. New York Giants
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7. Washington Redskins
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Chicago Bears
10. Carolina Panthers

See full Domination Index for week 10.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:21 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 10, 2008

Matt Hasselbeck to start vs Arizona?

The Seahawks could be 4 games behind Arizona after tonight's Cardinals-49ers game. If it's any consolation, the Seahawks should get Matt Hasselbeck back as starting QB.
"His experience -- he sees more things," Holmgren said. "He can get us out of a bad play maybe a little bit easier. I think any time you get a player back, at any position, I think you get a little boost."
In Hasselbeck's 4 games on the season, he's completed 49.2% of his passes and has thrown 4 INTs and only 2 TDs. But considering who he had at WR in those games, the numbers need to be put into perspective.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:50 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Clinton Portis "50-50" for Cowboys game

Both the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys had a bye in week 10. Although I can't see Clinton Portis missing a game as important as their matchup with Dallas, there is a chance that he'll need another week of rest.
"He's questionable," Zorn said. "I'd say there's a 50-50 chance. I'm hoping that he'll be even better than that. Another day of rest, and then we'll see how he comes in on Wednesday. ... We've got to get the pain out of the knee and see how he progresses along."
On the season, Clinton Portis has 995 yards rushing. In the Redskins' week 4 win over the Cowboys, Clinton Portis began a 5-game, 100-yard rushing per game streak. Portis had 121 yards on 21 carries in that game.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:05 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 09, 2008

Mike McKenzie fractures kneecap

Near the end of last season, New Orleans Saints CB Mike McKenzie tore his ACL and meniscus.

Less than a year later, McKenzie fractured his kneecap on a play defending Michael Jenkins of the Falcons during today's game. His rehab should run 3-6 months.
"I hope I get credit for that [tackle]," McKenzie said, forcing a smile while leaning on crutches after the game.

"It's real disappointing," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "His [last] rehab process was very long and tedious. I'm disappointed for him and I'm sure the rest of his teammates feel the same way. ... Certainly, it's a blow to our defense. We've just got to get him healthy and get him fixed."
McKenzie had 22 tackles and 1 interception on the season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Chris McAlister is done for year

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Chris McAlister is going to have surgery on his knee and miss the rest of the season. He has PCL and cartilage damage in his knee.
"He expressed to me that he felt like it was in his best interest," Harbaugh said. "The knee is a problem. It's a problem because of the position he plays. It just wears the knee down. So, he has to get that corrected."

"Chris is one of our best players. You definitely don't want to lose a guy like that," cornerback Fabian Washington said. "I feel like I'm going to have to step up and play big because those are some big shoes to fill. I've got to pretty much just do what I've been doing, but just raise the bar."

"He didn't even have to go out there and try to participate with that bad knee," cornerback Corey Ivy said. "Playing the position that he plays, you definitely need your legs. You need two healthy ones at that. So he hung in there and stuck it out as long as he could and decided to have the surgery, which is probably the best thing for him and his career."
The Baltimore Ravens currently rank 4th in the NFL in passing defense (182.1 ypg) and has one of 7 defenses to record double-digit interceptions as a team. They are also 2nd in the NFL in allowing opposing teams to complete only 52.4% of their passes.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 08, 2008

Tim Hightower humble despite success

In the Cardinals game vs Panthers on October 26th, Edgerrin James had 17 yards on 7 carries. And from then on Tim Hightower was going to get a bigger role in the Cardinals offense (at the expense of Edgerrin James).

Tim Hightower was drafted in the 5th round by the Cardinals with the 149th overall pick out of Richmond. Now, he has a streak of 1 100-yard games started last week when he rushed for 109 yards against the Rams in his first start. Hightower is also tied for third in the NFL in rushing TDs (7). Edgerrin James had no carries in the game.
"It's kind of bittersweet," he said of his situation. "You want to be happy and excited. But ... you don't want to get complacent and be too happy and too content. You want to keep your head to the ground and keep working ... and do what got me here."
Despite being displaced in the offense by Hightower, Edge has continued to be a good mentor for Hightower.
"I can't thank that guy enough. He's really been a big help," he said.

"I don't how to say it. I come off the field after I score, and he's the first guy on the sideline greeting me."
Monday night the Cards and Hightower face the 49ers. The 49ers have given up 10 rushing TDs (23rd in NFL) and 112 rushing ypg (19th) on the season. Hightower should have a big game.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:44 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

JaMarcus Russell likely out vs Carolina

JaMarcus Russell missed practice yesterday. ESPN is reporting that he is likely to not play on Sunday. Instead, Andrew Walter will start in his place.

Considering Russell is completing less than 50% of his passes, I'm not sure it will make a difference whether it's Russell or Walter in there. Last week, Russell was 6-19 for 31 yards. Andrew Walter hasn't played in 2008 yet.

JaMarcus Russell was the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. It's too soon to call him a bust, but it's hard to imagine him reaching his full potential with the dysfunctional Raiders.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:36 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Rams to start Kenneth Darby at RB

Steven Jackson continues to battle a quad injury so Kenneth Darby is going to get the start in place of Jackson. Darby was on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad just 3 weeks ago.
"I'm ready for it," Darby said. "I've been preparing all week for it. "I know I'm ready. This is a great opportunity for me and I want to take full advantage of it. This opportunity I'm getting this Sunday is very rare for most guys, especially guys of my caliber."
Interesting choice of words: "guys of my caliber." Young man, have more confidence in yourself.

But for a guy of Darby's "caliber" or for any other RB, rushing against the Jets defense is an uphill battle. Kris Jenkins and the Jets are allowing only 76 ypg (4th in the NFL).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Deangelo Hall signs 1-yr deal w/Redskins

The Oakland Raiders waived Deangelo Hall to rid themselves of his $72 million contract. Or, at least, all but the $8 million he stole earned. Since he cleared waivers, he was able to negotiate with any team and at least 15 teams were interested.

The Washington Redskins and Hall agreed to a $472,000 contract for the remainder of the season.

As teams seemed to pick on Hall, Warren Sapp's description of Hall seemed to fit while Hall was in Oakland.
DeAngelo Hall is the flashiest, burnt-up corner in the history of the game. He gets burnt more than anyone else, and he all of a sudden is this great Pro Bowl cover corner. I never saw that in DeAngelo Hall.
The Redskins are on a bye this week, but face the Cowboys, who are also on a bye, in week 11. The last time Hall and T.O. faced each other, there was the infamous spitting incident. Add the importance of the game and the hostility and hatred on this rivalry, arguably the best in the NFL, and I think you better "getcha popcorn ready."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:18 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ryan Torain out for season

I'm not sure what is worse for your health - to be a Seahawks WR or a Broncos RB. In any event, Ryan Torain, who was out 3 months with an elbow injury, will now miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

It was announced earlier in the week that Michael Pittman and Andre Hall would both be out for the rest of the season.

Although Selvin Young is not out for the season, he aggravated an injury in the Browns game and is likely out when the Broncos take on the Falcons next week.

Peyton Hillis, a FB drafted in the 7th-round of the 2008 NFL Draft, had 24 yards on 8 carries against Cleveland.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:54 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 07, 2008

Straight A's on mid-year review for rookie head coaches

Both the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Redskins have first-year head coaches in John Harbaugh and Jim Zorn. While they are doing better than I expected, I expected the other two first-year head coaches to really struggle and need a lot of time to turnaround their organizations.

I was wrong. Tony Sparano, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, is 4-4 and Mike Smith, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, is 5-3 heading into week 10.

Tony Sparano was brought to Miami from the Dallas Cowboys by Bill Parcells. And you can argue that the Tuna is the "coach," but Sparano has the respect of the Dolphins players. The Dolphins are 4-4 and a game out of first in the ultra-tight AFC East race. If they didn't give up a touchdown with 3 seconds to go in the Texans game, they would be in a 4-way tie for first.

In this copycat league, other teams are copying the Dolphins and employing some form of the "Wildcat" offense that the Dolphins successfully used to shock the Pats. The way that Sparano's presence is felt is where it is not. The Dallas Cowboys offensive line, led by several Pro-Bowlers and Sparano last year, look awful in 2008 without Sparano to keep them focused.

Mike Smith inherited a mess. Last year's coach, Bobby Petrino quit 13 games into the season like a coward. Mike Vick was sent to prison for his involvement in the dog-fighting scandal. Although the Falcons had more wins (4) than the Dolphins (1) did in 2007, you could argue that the Falcons were a worse team.

Fast forward a season and Smith has a rookie QB (Matt Ryan) playing like a poised veteran and Michael "The Burner" Turner, a first-time, every-week starter at RB. Ryan has only thrown 5 INTs in 8 games. Turner is averaging almost 100 yards rushing per game. Roddy White has picked up where he left off last year. In the past 6 games, he's had at least 5 receptions every week and 4 100-yard receiving games.

Here are the current standings through week 10:

-- Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins (6-3, 2nd place in the NFC East)
-- John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens (5-3, 2nd place in the AFC North)
-- Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons (5-3, 3rd place in the NFC South)
-- Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins (4-4, 4th place in the AFC East)

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:46 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jonathan Stewart misses 2nd straight practice

Carolina Panthers rookie RB Jonathan Stewart missed his second practice in a row with a heel injury. It's still not known whether or not Stewart will be able to play Sunday in Oakland.

Stewart has been splitting carries with Deangelo Williams, who has 522 yards on 120 carries. Stewart has 362 yards on 96 carries and leads the team with 5 rushing TDs.

Only 3 rookies have rushed for more yards than Stewart this year - Chris Johnson of Tennessee, Matt Forte of Chicago and Steve Slaton of Houston. He is tied for 2nd among rookies in rushing TDs (5) - only Tim Hightower has more (7).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:22 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 06, 2008

Fantasy Football Rankings - Week 10

Our weekly consensus rankings by position have been released for week 10 fantasy football. Here are the top players at each position for this week:

QB: Drew Brees, Saints (at ATL) - see top 25 QBs for week 10
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers (vs KC) - see top 40 RBs for week 10
WR: Andre Johnson, Texans (vs BAL) - see top 50 WRs for week 10
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (at SD) - see top 20 TEs for week 10
K: Nate Kaeding, Chargers (vs KC) - see top 20 Ks for week 10
DEF: Tennessee Titans (at CHI) - see top 20 DEFs for week 10

Not signed up for our Survivor Fantasy Football? Free to play, cash prizes to win.

Good luck in your week 10 matchups to all!

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mike Peterson unable to practice with Jags again

In a team meeting where Del Rio was calling out players, he wanted no feedback from players. He wasn't happy with Peterson's muscle-flexing celebration after a sack when the Jaguars were losing 21-3 in the 3rd quarter to the Bengals.

When Peterson tried to defend himself, Del Rio kicked him out of the meeting.
"That's the first time I've seen a coach and player just disagree in front of everybody to the extent that they did," defensive end Reggie Hayward said Thursday. "It's extremely surprising, but this is a business and when things aren't going right, tempers flare.
It's still unknown whether Peterson will be inactive for Sunday's game or suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.

Peterson is in the last year of his 6-year contract.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:38 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Deangelo Hall clears waivers, now free agent

The Oakland Raiders cut Deangelo Hall yesterday. Today, he cleared waivers, which means he's free to negotiate with any team.

His agent says that roughly 15 teams are interested in Hall's services.

Nickleback Stanford Routt will remain the nickleback and Chris Johnson will start on Sunday for the Raiders.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:20 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 05, 2008

Ryan Leaf suspended indefinitely from West Texas A&M

Ryan Leaf, who was arguably the biggest bust in NFL Draft history, is now on personal and indefinite leave from West Texas A&M. He is the team's QB Coach.

Leaf supposedly asked one of the team's players for a pill to help him cope with pain in his wrist.
"Ryan doesn't want this to be a distraction from the team," McBroom said. "He and I agreed this is the best course of action until we figure everything out."
Ryan Leaf has completed only 48.4% of his NFL passes and threw 14 TDs and 36 INTs in his career.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:14 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Joey Porter still talking

Love him or hate him, Joey Porter keeps things interesting. Porter is never short on words and opinions. He said this (and I agree) about Matt Jones:
"If I knew the answers, I'd still have 20 more thousand dollars," said Porter, who was fined $20,000 last month for criticizing referee Ed Hochuli after a loss to Houston. "But I'm still trying to figure out how a guy gets caught with cocaine in his car and still plays the game and nothing happens.

"He got caught with cocaine and Matt Jones is still playing football. How does he get away with that? And then you fine people $20,000 for making comments to the media about the refs. The guy got caught with cocaine."
Granted Matt Jones was suspended 3 games by the NFL. However, he's appealed the suspension and is still playing.

And he responded to Brandon Marshall's comments about Porter being "soft" and having "popcorn muscles":
"Nope. I know Orville Redenbacher. I know popcorn," he said. "But I'm not worried about that. That game is over. I'm looking at Seattle. For him to still be on that, I did get in his head, obviously. He's wasting time. They have a game tomorrow. I'm worried about me. I left Denver three days ago."
Marshall should focus on the game at hand. They are on the road in a prime-time matchup against the Browns tomorrow night.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

John Henderson missed practice with sprained MCL

John Henderson missed practice after spraining his MCL in a game against Cincinnati on Sunday.

It is not known if he will be suspended by the league for his fight with Bengals Andrew Whitworth.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kyle Orton doesn't rule out Sunday vs Titans

It was expected that Kyle Orton would miss up to one month after injuring his ankle in the Detroit Lions game. Now, Orton says he won't rule out playing Sunday (yet).
"I'm certainly not ruling out anything," Orton said Wednesday. "I don't know exactly what the timetable's going to be, but I just feel if I keep on making improvement, I certainly can't rule out this week."
Many expected the Bears (and Kyle Orton) to be bad in 2008. Instead, they are tied for first place in the NFC North. Their next four games are home vs the undefeated Tennessee Titans and then 3 games on the road vs Green Bay, St. Louis and Minnesota. Having Orton back for the key matchups against the Packers and Vikings would be huge for the Bears.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:17 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Raiders release Deangelo Hall

The Oakland Raiders and Al Davis, Raiders owner, essentially threw away a 2nd-round and 5th-round draft pick. That is what they gave up to acquire CB Deangelo Hall from the Atlanta Falcons. Eight games into his Raiders' career, the Raiders released Hall.

The Raiders say that the release of Hall was based on performance and not salary. Remember that Warren Sapp called out Hall earlier in the year. They could have saved some money (and draft picks) had they consulted with the opinionated Sapp.
“DeAngelo Hall has been getting burnt since he was in Atlanta,” Sapp said. “This is nothing new. DeAngelo Hall is the flashiest, burnt-up corner in the history of the game. He gets burnt more than anyone else, and he all of a sudden is this great Pro Bowl cover corner. I never saw that in DeAngelo Hall. He would gamble and do everything unsound on the corner.
Stanford Routt should replace Hall in the starting lineup opposite Nnamdi Asomugha.

Javon Walker could be next, however, as many as a dozen players are on the Raiders list of players who could be released by the end of the season.

Since 2005, only 2 players (Champ Bailey and Asante Samuel, who both have 22) have more interceptions than Hall, who has 18.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:54 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 04, 2008

Ben Roethlisberger's status unknown for Sunday?

As Ben Roethlisberger's replacement last night, Byron Leftwich filled in admirably. Leftwich completed 7/10 for 129 yards and threw a TD and no INTs.
"He made a lot of friends in there," coach Mike Tomlin said.

"He's an experienced player. He's not new to this," running back Willie Parker said. "Nobody was surprised by how well he came out and played. Ben went down and Byron seamlessly came in and did what he had to do."
Roethlisberger had an MRI on his reinjured shoulder today, but his status is still unknown for Sunday's game vs the Colts.

On the season, Roethlisberger has a 79.6 QB Rating and has thrown 10 TDs to 8 INTs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:30 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Joey Porter, Brandon Marshall still jawing

Joey Porter, never accused of needing to come out of his shell, was critical of Broncos WR Brandon Marshall after the Dolphins beat the Broncos 26-17.
“He’s one of those soft receivers, where he has to have the ball all the time. If he don’t get it, he’s going to mope and cry. He did it to himself,” Porter suggested.
Brandon Marshall is also someone who likes to talk. And here's what he had to say about Joey Porter, who leads the NFL in sacks.
“Yeah, Joey Porter’s one of them guys, when you got guys who talk a lot of trash, just want to talk about people or put people down, they have their own insecurities,” Marshall said. “And his insecurities I don’t know. But he’s definitely one of those guys who all those muscles are popcorn muscles. He’s soft.”

“You know, we hear stories floating around the league all the time about him as far (as being) in nightclubs dancing with his shirt off like a girl or in the playground getting beat up back in California,” Marshall said. “He’s one of those guys that no matter how big he is, he can still get knocked on his butt and he’s soft. He’s soft at heart and you can tell by the way he talks.
It doesn't really matter what people say off the field. It matters what happens on the field.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 03, 2008

Kyle Orton to miss one month?

In yesterday's game vs the Lions, Kyle Orton was carted off the field with an injury to his ankle. The extent of his loss is unconfirmed although reports have circulated that he will miss roughly 1 month.
"I'm not playing doctor; you shouldn't either," coach Lovie Smith said Monday. "You should let us come and tell you once we know for sure exactly what the injury is. We're hopeful, I'll just say that."
On the topic of bringing in another QB, Lovie Smith has no plans to do so now.
"To do that, you would say that Kyle will be out for a long period of time," Smith said. "We're not there. We're evaluating an ankle injury. That's about all we're doing right now."
In the past 4 games, Kyle Orton has completed 64.2% of his passes (79-123). In that span, Orton has thrown 5 TDs and 0 INTs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:03 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Matt Schaub is out 2-4 weeks

Matt Schaub injured his MCL in the Texans' loss to the Vikings yesterday. He will be out 2-4 weeks.

After starting the season with 1 TD and 5 INTs in the first 2 games, Schaub had 9 TDs to only 3 INTs in his 5 other games.

Sage Rosenfels replaced Schaub and completed 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:55 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Broncos RBs Pittman, Hall out for season

The Broncos lost RBs Michael Pittman and Andre Hall for the rest of the season. The only 2 RBs on their roster are Ryan Torain and Selvin Young.

Considering Young is banged up, Torain will likely get the majority of carries on Thursday versus Cleveland. Young has missed the previous 3 games with a groin injury.

Torain had 3 carries for 1 yard against the Dolphins.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:11 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Key injuries to Bills' defense

Currently, the Buffalo Bills are in a 3-way tie with the New York Jets and New England Patriots for first place. All 3 teams only have a 1/2 game lead over the Miami Dolphins, who are playing good football of late.

Aaron Schobel has missed three games with a torn tendon in his foot, but he could miss another month. He may even need surgery, which would end his season.

Donte Whitner suffered a separated shoulder vs the Jets and is likely out 2-4 weeks. Whitner made a "guarantee" that the Bills would make the playoffs this year.

The Bills take on the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, but then they play Cleveland, Kansas City and San Francisco. Even without those guys, they should go at least 2-2 over those 4 games. After that stretch, they play games against all 3 division rivals in the final 4 weeks.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:58 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kolby Smith out for year

Kolby Smith is done for the season. And LJ is suspended for the week 10 game vs San Diego.

Looks like Jamaal Charles will have plenty of opportunities to have a solid fantasy football day. Considering the Chiefs are 1-7 and in last place in the AFC West, there isn't much to look forward to in Kansas City except for fantasy football.

On the season, Charles is averaging 5.7 ypc and had his 100-yard rushing game of his career last week vs Tampa Bay.

The Chargers have been run-of-the-mill vs the run this season giving up 106.5 ypg, 4.0 ypc and 6 TDs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:45 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brady Quinn to start Thursday vs Broncos

Perhaps not as soon as most expected, but Quinn will get the start Thursday night vs Denver. (In fact, ESPN's fantasy football guy - Matthew Berry - predicted Quinn would start by week 9. Only off by a week.)

Hindsight is 20-20 but the Browns are definitely kicking themselves about not trading D.A., who got a new contract and won't likely be content sitting on the bench, in the off-season.

On the other hand, interesting timing for a switch - the shortest possible week (Sun to Thurs). One more week and Quinn would have had a week and a half to prepare.

Brady Quinn has only thrown 8 career passes, but was a highly-touted draft pick by the Browns in 2007. Derek Anderson has completed less than 50% of his passes and has thrown 9 TDs vs 7 INTs in 8 games after making the Pro Bowl last season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:24 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

November 02, 2008

Kyle Orton carted off against Lions

Chicago Bears QB Kyle Orton left today's game against the Lions with an ankle injury. Orton didn't return to the game after the injury and there is no word on his status for next week's game vs the Titans.

The good news for the Bears is they were playing the Detroit Lions, who blew a game they should have won. The bad news for the Bears is their back-up QB is Rex Grossman.

Grossman finished the game 9-19 passing for 58 yards. He threw for 1 TD, rushed for another and was also picked off on once.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:09 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Don't embarrass yourself Drew

Lions offensive coordinator Jim Coletto said that he didn't want to play Drew Stanton so that Stanton doesn't "embarrass" himself.

Has Coletto looked at the NFL standings lately? At 0-7, aren't the Lions embarrassing themselves in every sense of the word?
"What he's saying is, we want to make sure he's got enough tools to go into a game with," [Lions head coach Rod] Marinelli said Friday.
Marinelli tried to explain it away, but he makes no sense. So, it's o.k. for the other QBs to not have "enough tools"?

Coletto called Stanton into his office as well to try to clarify his comments to Stanton and here's what Stanton said:
"I don't know. Anytime that you play for somebody that says they don't want you to go out there and embarrass yourself, obviously it's not going to make you feel good.

"I think anybody who plays in this league thinks they're ready to go out and play," Stanton said. "You prepare and try to put yourself in a position that if you're called upon to play, you're going to go out there and play, not say, 'Hey, I'm going to embarrass myself.' "
Considering that Kitna and Orlovsky have been sacked 25 times through 7 games, maybe Stanton should consider this a blessing in disguise.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:22 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Packers sign Aaron Rodgers through 2014

The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers have agreed to an extension that will keep Rodgers in Green Bay until 2014.
"I appreciate the commitment that they've made, and I plan to reciprocate that commitment in my play and hopefully prove to them that they made the correct decision giving me this extension," Rodgers said Friday.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of stats through week 8 games:

Aaron Rodgers: 98.8 QB Rating, 65.6% comp., 1668 yards, 12 TDs, 4 INTs
Brett Favre: 89.5 QB Rating, 68.5% comp., 1611 yards, 15 TDs, 11 INTs

Rodgers threw 3 of his 4 INTs in 1 game - week 4 at TB. Favre, however, leads the NFL in INTs. Perhaps more impressively, Rodgers has played the last 3 games with a sprained right shoulder as he begins to shake off the "fragile", "injury-prone" rep.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:33 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Larry Johnson suspended 1 game by NFL

Larry Johnson is suspended for next week's game at San Diego. Does it really matter to anyone other than Larry Johnson himself? LJ stands to lose $147,000 (or a game check).
"We respect the decision of commissioner Goodell," said Carl Peterson, president of the Kansas City Chiefs. "The NFL player conduct policy sets forth a set of standards that all NFL players, coaches and staff members must abide by. Upon the completion of his suspension we sincerely hope that Larry will be ready to return to the field for the Chiefs determined to make a positive contribution to our team and, with the assistance of the people around him, turn his life around."
Really? "Ready to return?" "Make a positive contribution?"

He hasn't played since week 5 when he carried the ball for 2 yards on 7 carries in a 34-0 loss to the Panthers.

While he's suspended, he will need to search for a new agent.
"I did, indeed, decide to resign as Larry agent's this past Monday," Keels said in a statement. "I don't want to get into the specifics of why. But I think it's in the best interest for me and Larry to go our separate ways. I am fully confident Larry will rise above all of the adversity and get his career back on the track. I wish him the best in all of his career endeavors."
LJ has a court date on December 4th for an incident where he "pushed a women's face." Maybe Jerry Seinfeld can represent LJ, who "allegedly" spit his drink on a woman on Oct. 10th, they way he argued Keith Hernandez's case.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:17 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)