Who needs Jay Cutler? Well I'm sure the press and fans in Chicago will answer yes to that question. But more importantly when did Kyle Orton become and top NFL class quarterback?
Orton led the Broncos to an overtime victory over the New England Patriots. This was the first time that the Patriots have lost in overtime when King Brady has been under centre. Orton threw for 2 touchdowns and an interception but on both touchdowns he was helped by the brilliance on wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
One highlight from the game was Randy Moss intercepting Orton on a Hail Mary. The funny thing was this was Randy's first catch of the day.
In Kansas City the Chiefs pushed the Cowboys all the way into overtime. The Cowboys won on the back of receiver Miles Austin. Austin not only had a career day but a franchise day with 250 receiving yards on 10 receptions and 2 touchdowns. The second of which was for 60 yards and the game winner.
The Chiefs haven't won this season but you would have never known that by watching the game. Matt Cassel looks to have settled, however Larry Johnson can not get his running going. On defence the Chiefs looked good, they just need to wrap up on tackles as Austin broke tackles on both his touchdown scores.
The Rams shut down Adrian Peterson, but can anyone stop Brett Favre?
The old boy with the week shoulder threw for 232 yards in week 5 and helped his Vikings team make it 5-0 for the season. This is the first time in Favre's career that his have started the first 5 games undefeated.
As for the St. Louis Rams, can they get any worst? Maybe we should speak about the Rams and all the other winless teams later in the week. Week 5 was just another bad day at the office.
The Ravens fail for the second time of the season and the Bengals won close again.
I'm not sure if Carson Palmer can keep this up this late game winning form but this season the Bengals have won 4 games by 7, 3, 3 and 4 points.
The Ravens have not been great on defence and have given up a lot through the air. The Ravens will need to improve this part of the game if they want to go all the way this season.
The defending Superbowl champs the Pittsburgh Steelers have made hard work of this season so far. This Sunday against the Lions was no different, only 3 sacks on the Lions last offensive series stopped Detroit taking the game into overtime.
The Lions who were without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford because of his knee injury stayed in this game until the end. However star receiver Calvin Johnson had to come out of the game with what looked like a left knee injury. This is not helping a franchise who is just looking to win their second game of the season.
Rib injury, what rib injury. Quarterback Donavon McNabb is back and boy what a performance. The Eagles looked in great shape for this season and the return of McNabb and Westbrook only increases the Eagles play off chances.
The Buccaneers on the other hand need something to happen for them. On offence they could get anything going and on defence they gave up to many big plays. Allowing McNabb to throw the deep ball for touchdowns is the fastest way to get crashed.
Looks like the Carolina Panthers have found a way for quarterback Jake Delhomme to contribute to the offence. Late in the game when they Panthers needed a first down Delhomme ran for 10 yards. This and a touchdown pass are what seem like the only two things Delhomme has done right this season.
The Washington Redskins go for bad to worst, very quickly. Head coach Kim Zorn has to be favourite to be the first head coach to leave his post. The Skins have two more games before their bye week and Zorn's team will have to improve for him to keep his job.
Okay now on to the Oakland Raiders trip to the New York Giants. The Giants started with quarterback Eli Manning but soon didn't need him anymore as they quickly got into they grove.
Giants have a tough few weeks coming up but running back Ahmad Bradshaw looks like a man playing for a contract. Bradshaw ran in two touchdowns on the ground and had one reception of 55 yards. This is a great return for a player who is number two on the depth chart.
The Raiders however go from worst to unbelievable. Quarterback Russell was sacked 6 times fumbled 3 times and only threw for 100 yards on 8 completions. Can things get any worst for the Raiders Nation? I just feel sorry for everyone in Oakland that is not Al Davis or Tom "knockout" Cable.
I've looked at the draft for 2010 and there are 4 potential offensive tackles in the draft, please can someone get a message to Big Al, take one of them and protect somebody.
This next result had me in shock. After a strong performance last week the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to have a game off, losing this one 41-0. The returning Matt Hasselbeck threw for 241 yards and his offensive line protected him better than they didn't Wallace.
In the end this will go down as a great return for Hasselbeck and just one of though games for the Jaguars.
In another game which would have raised a few eyebrows the Atlanta Falcons beat the San Francisco 49ers 45-10. The reason this results would have been such a shock is the way which the 49ers let this one go. Head Coach Mike Singletary believes in smash mouth football and this was more shaky lip football.
Coming off their bye week the Falcons looked in good shape with quarterback Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez showing why the Falcons love this connection.
This game also had the funniest play of week 5 in it. Remembering the type of coach Mike Singletary is what was Dre' Bly thinking about when he was celebrating his interception before he made it to the end zone. What made manners worst he fumbled the ball and the Falcons recovered, I expect someone to be in trouble this week in training.
Here is that play.
The worst game of the season and possible ever was the Buffalo Bills v Cleveland Browns. The Browns won the game 6-3 with no touchdowns in the game. Get ready for this next stat, Browns quarterback Derek Anderson only completed 2 passes for 23 yards. One bright spark was Jamal Lewis pounding the ball for 117 yards.
In Arizona the Cardinals hosted the Houston Texans and this was a game they nearly threw around. Leading 21-0 in the third quarter and should have had the game won but the Texans didn't see it that way.
First Chris Brown scored to make it 21-7, then Andre Johnson scored to make it 21-14. Andre Johnson then smashed, and I do mean smashed his way into the end zone to tie the game up.
The Texans Matt Schaub then made the game losing mistake when he threw an interception to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie took the ball all the way into the end zone giving the Cardinals a 7 point lead. However Houston had a couple of goes at levelling the game but man child Andre Johnson was not on the field. That had to be a coaching error and cost the Texans a chance at forcing overtime.
Last night on Monday Night football the New York Jets visited the Miami Dolphins.
This was a game of trick plays, as the Dolphins continued to show off the Wildcat and the Jets run a couple of fake punts, both for first downs.
In the end the difference was the running of Ronnie Brown who scored two touchdowns and quarterback Chad Henne coming of age in the passing game.
This was a great advert for football and a great game for Monday night football. Both teams lead the game, yet no big mistakes were made. This lead to great NFL football and I have to mention Braylon Edwards. Traded to the Jets only this week, Edwards had a monster debut with 5 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. This was from a player who has been in New York a full week and was known for his drops, Edwards didn't drop anything when he needed to make the catch.
The Dolphins won the game with only 6 seconds left on the clock with a Brown touchdown off of the Wildcat. We all love the Wildcat, but I do wonder just how much longer it will be so effective.
Another great week, roll on week 6.
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Saturday, 10 October 2009
BAFL: Premier Final
By Adam Etheridge
The Coventry Jets came up short in their attempt to repeat as National Champions falling 26-7 to old foe, the London Blitz. Mark Cohen had a monumental day in what was likely the final game of an illustrious career while on the other side of the ball Coventry’s defence managed to keep the Blitz’s offence under wraps for the most part even though they were consistently defending a short field.
London scored easily on their first possession and it looked like it was going to be a long day for the Jets' defence. Michael Casper making a good grab over Danny Wardell for an 18 yard touchdown and an early advantage. Nathan Holt missed the extra point wide left to leave the lead at 6-0. Stuart Franklin responded by picking the Blitz defence apart with strikes to Courtney Pope, Jeremy Simms and Mark Cohen with the later snaring a 9 yard touchdown. Dale Hawes showed how it should be done slotting his kick between the uprights to hand the Jets a 7-6 lead.
A bad punt handed London possession in scoring range but the Jets defence held firm and Holt made up for his earlier miss by sticking a 32 yard field goal. The Blitz ended the opening quarter with 9-7 lead but Coventry were driving deep into London's half. As the second period began the Jets were pushed back by a mammoth sack that took them nearer to the halfway line than the endzone.
Fred Boyle was starting to find his range and a 50 yard completion to Casper took the Blitz deep into Jet territory. Persistent penalties kept London from adding to the score as they took themselves out of scoring range. The Jets couldn't get anything going on the ground and it was clear that Franklin's arm was the only way that Coventry could move the football consistently. Clock management issues put paid to the chances of any further scoring in the first half.
Defences ruled the third quarter and Cedric Perrochaud’s 38 yard interception return stretched the Blitz lead to nine after Holt stuck on the extra point. London threatened again towards the end of the third but Boyle threw his second interception of the game, Wayne Gumbs was the recipient this time. Franklin couldn't take advantage of the gift from his former team and having bottled up Gareth Dauley for the first three quarters the Jets defence finally broke as the prolific running back bust a 68 yard touchdown run early in the fourth. Holt's kick put the Jets in a 16 point hole.
Injuries to Franklin and Kofi Campbell put paid to any lingering hopes of an unlikely comeback and Holt's 40 yard field goal iced the game with a scoreline of 26-7 in favour of the Blitz. A second title in three years underlines London’s credentials as one of the top clubs in Europe and gives the rebuilding Jets plenty to strive for over the next twelve months if they’re to regain their title.
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The Coventry Jets came up short in their attempt to repeat as National Champions falling 26-7 to old foe, the London Blitz. Mark Cohen had a monumental day in what was likely the final game of an illustrious career while on the other side of the ball Coventry’s defence managed to keep the Blitz’s offence under wraps for the most part even though they were consistently defending a short field.
London scored easily on their first possession and it looked like it was going to be a long day for the Jets' defence. Michael Casper making a good grab over Danny Wardell for an 18 yard touchdown and an early advantage. Nathan Holt missed the extra point wide left to leave the lead at 6-0. Stuart Franklin responded by picking the Blitz defence apart with strikes to Courtney Pope, Jeremy Simms and Mark Cohen with the later snaring a 9 yard touchdown. Dale Hawes showed how it should be done slotting his kick between the uprights to hand the Jets a 7-6 lead.
A bad punt handed London possession in scoring range but the Jets defence held firm and Holt made up for his earlier miss by sticking a 32 yard field goal. The Blitz ended the opening quarter with 9-7 lead but Coventry were driving deep into London's half. As the second period began the Jets were pushed back by a mammoth sack that took them nearer to the halfway line than the endzone.
Fred Boyle was starting to find his range and a 50 yard completion to Casper took the Blitz deep into Jet territory. Persistent penalties kept London from adding to the score as they took themselves out of scoring range. The Jets couldn't get anything going on the ground and it was clear that Franklin's arm was the only way that Coventry could move the football consistently. Clock management issues put paid to the chances of any further scoring in the first half.
Defences ruled the third quarter and Cedric Perrochaud’s 38 yard interception return stretched the Blitz lead to nine after Holt stuck on the extra point. London threatened again towards the end of the third but Boyle threw his second interception of the game, Wayne Gumbs was the recipient this time. Franklin couldn't take advantage of the gift from his former team and having bottled up Gareth Dauley for the first three quarters the Jets defence finally broke as the prolific running back bust a 68 yard touchdown run early in the fourth. Holt's kick put the Jets in a 16 point hole.
Injuries to Franklin and Kofi Campbell put paid to any lingering hopes of an unlikely comeback and Holt's 40 yard field goal iced the game with a scoreline of 26-7 in favour of the Blitz. A second title in three years underlines London’s credentials as one of the top clubs in Europe and gives the rebuilding Jets plenty to strive for over the next twelve months if they’re to regain their title.
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Colchester Gladiators v Leicester Falcons
By Flag on the Play
26th September 2009
Colchester Gladiators……….32
Leicester Falcons……….……33
Both teams entered the Keepmoat Stadium to a rapturous welcome from the crowd who were clearly hoping for a good match and they were not disappointed, as it turned out.
Falcons received the kick off and #45 Davis returned the ball thirty five yards to set up good field position on the forty nine yard line, followed by Falcons’ Timi Dada with the first three carries bringing up first down on the forty two yard line. Sanchez now opened the passing game to #16 Glenn Herring and Dada carried the ball for Leicester. Sanchez from the eighteen yard line kept the ball to score the first touchdown but the point after touchdown failed, opening the score at 0-6 to the Falcons. From the kick off Gladiators ran the ball back to the 42 yard line and on third and eight #8 Rich Thomas swept left avoiding the Falcons’ defense to stroll in and tie the scores. Point after touchdown good – score 7-6 to the Gladiators.
From the kick off Leicester utilized the diverse offense with #19 Williams taking good short passes and #24 Dada running the ball. Falcons continued to move the chains and looked good on offense when Dada coughed up the ball for Gladiators to recover around the midfield area and set up another drive.
Gladiators, controlling the ball, stopped in the Falcons’ half and punted to the Falcons’ 20 yard area. Falcons ran the ball with Dada carrying who broke coverage to run the seventy nine yards into the endzone to push Falcons into the lead 13-7. Point after touchdown missed so the score remained 13-7.
The ensuing kick off saw Gladiators #38 Leo Beckford bring the ball back to the twenty seven yard line. Thomas, carrying the ball and always a threat was tackled by Falcons’ #88 Bernie Hackshaw and the quarter finished 13-7 to the Falcons.
At the start of the second quarter Gladiators were in good field position the Falcons were holding firm on fourth and goal when #8 Richard Thomas burst into the endzone to tie the score 13-13. The point after touchdown was good and the scoreline now swung in the Gladiators favour, 13-14.
Falcons’ Rich Davis, returned the kick to the forty one yard line but they were unable to move the ball, however the ensuring punt by Williams was shanked and only gained fifteen yards. Gladiators #38 Beckford, with only 11-12 seconds on the clock ran the ball for a fist down inside the ten yard line. Thomas kept things moving on the eight yard line and the scoreboard now read 20-13 but the point after touchdown was missed.
Gladiators now moved the ball into the Falcons red zone and took the two minute warning. Unable to get on the scoreboard, end of the half score 20-13.
Second half and Dada Puts Falcons back on the scoreboard with Ben Longlands adding the extra point bringing the score very quickly to 20-20 with everything still to play for and an exciting second half ahead.
Gladiators quickly got the ball back and went back into the lead 20-26. From the kick off #45 Rich Davis returned the ball to midfield and Timi Dada skipped wide and left through the covering defense for a first down; Ben Williams took a short pass to keep the chains moving. Dada, with the ball in his hands passed the coverage into the endzone to put the Falcons on the scoreboard 26-26. Point after touchdown was good; 27-26 Falcons.
With 12 minutes and 1 second left in the fourth quarter, Gladiators did what they do best; sweep, sweep and then sweep some more and move the chains. A fumbled centre to Quarterback exchange saw Falcons recover the ball in great field position. Sanchez on third and long carried the ball to bring up first down. #45 Rich Davis, a third down specialist, on third and long took a pitch and gained nine yards for a first down. Davis, now seeing more of the ball, moved the chains before breaking into the endzone give Falcons a 30-26 lead. Two flags on the play for unsportsmanlike conduct are assessed on the kick meaning the Falcons took a restart from their own seven and a half yard line to give Gladiators good field position.
Gladiators took the field on the thirty nine yard line and looked to tie the score but unable to move the ball on the first three downs. On fourth and eight Beckford made a first down with one minute on the clock and on third and eight, Falcons desperately defending, the Gladiators looked to score. Second and ten on the fifteen yard line and Gladiators got into the endzone to make the score an amazing 33-32. Point after touchdown………one for the tie, two for the win……………..AND IT FAILED. Falcons win 33-32.
What a fantastic game, played by two great teams, superbly refereed and watched by an awesome crowd who lifted the whole event with their cheering, banter and good humour.
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26th September 2009
Colchester Gladiators……….32
Leicester Falcons……….……33
Both teams entered the Keepmoat Stadium to a rapturous welcome from the crowd who were clearly hoping for a good match and they were not disappointed, as it turned out.
Falcons received the kick off and #45 Davis returned the ball thirty five yards to set up good field position on the forty nine yard line, followed by Falcons’ Timi Dada with the first three carries bringing up first down on the forty two yard line. Sanchez now opened the passing game to #16 Glenn Herring and Dada carried the ball for Leicester. Sanchez from the eighteen yard line kept the ball to score the first touchdown but the point after touchdown failed, opening the score at 0-6 to the Falcons. From the kick off Gladiators ran the ball back to the 42 yard line and on third and eight #8 Rich Thomas swept left avoiding the Falcons’ defense to stroll in and tie the scores. Point after touchdown good – score 7-6 to the Gladiators.
From the kick off Leicester utilized the diverse offense with #19 Williams taking good short passes and #24 Dada running the ball. Falcons continued to move the chains and looked good on offense when Dada coughed up the ball for Gladiators to recover around the midfield area and set up another drive.
Gladiators, controlling the ball, stopped in the Falcons’ half and punted to the Falcons’ 20 yard area. Falcons ran the ball with Dada carrying who broke coverage to run the seventy nine yards into the endzone to push Falcons into the lead 13-7. Point after touchdown missed so the score remained 13-7.
The ensuing kick off saw Gladiators #38 Leo Beckford bring the ball back to the twenty seven yard line. Thomas, carrying the ball and always a threat was tackled by Falcons’ #88 Bernie Hackshaw and the quarter finished 13-7 to the Falcons.
At the start of the second quarter Gladiators were in good field position the Falcons were holding firm on fourth and goal when #8 Richard Thomas burst into the endzone to tie the score 13-13. The point after touchdown was good and the scoreline now swung in the Gladiators favour, 13-14.
Falcons’ Rich Davis, returned the kick to the forty one yard line but they were unable to move the ball, however the ensuring punt by Williams was shanked and only gained fifteen yards. Gladiators #38 Beckford, with only 11-12 seconds on the clock ran the ball for a fist down inside the ten yard line. Thomas kept things moving on the eight yard line and the scoreboard now read 20-13 but the point after touchdown was missed.
Gladiators now moved the ball into the Falcons red zone and took the two minute warning. Unable to get on the scoreboard, end of the half score 20-13.
Second half and Dada Puts Falcons back on the scoreboard with Ben Longlands adding the extra point bringing the score very quickly to 20-20 with everything still to play for and an exciting second half ahead.
Gladiators quickly got the ball back and went back into the lead 20-26. From the kick off #45 Rich Davis returned the ball to midfield and Timi Dada skipped wide and left through the covering defense for a first down; Ben Williams took a short pass to keep the chains moving. Dada, with the ball in his hands passed the coverage into the endzone to put the Falcons on the scoreboard 26-26. Point after touchdown was good; 27-26 Falcons.
With 12 minutes and 1 second left in the fourth quarter, Gladiators did what they do best; sweep, sweep and then sweep some more and move the chains. A fumbled centre to Quarterback exchange saw Falcons recover the ball in great field position. Sanchez on third and long carried the ball to bring up first down. #45 Rich Davis, a third down specialist, on third and long took a pitch and gained nine yards for a first down. Davis, now seeing more of the ball, moved the chains before breaking into the endzone give Falcons a 30-26 lead. Two flags on the play for unsportsmanlike conduct are assessed on the kick meaning the Falcons took a restart from their own seven and a half yard line to give Gladiators good field position.
Gladiators took the field on the thirty nine yard line and looked to tie the score but unable to move the ball on the first three downs. On fourth and eight Beckford made a first down with one minute on the clock and on third and eight, Falcons desperately defending, the Gladiators looked to score. Second and ten on the fifteen yard line and Gladiators got into the endzone to make the score an amazing 33-32. Point after touchdown………one for the tie, two for the win……………..AND IT FAILED. Falcons win 33-32.
What a fantastic game, played by two great teams, superbly refereed and watched by an awesome crowd who lifted the whole event with their cheering, banter and good humour.
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Wednesday, 7 October 2009
NFL: Jets Trade for Braylon Edwards
The New York Jets announced this morning that they have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Cleveland Brown's wide receiver Braylon Edwards in exchange for wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, linebacker Jason Trusnik and undisclosed draft choices.
The Browns picked Edwards 3rd overall in the 2005 draft.
This season he has caught 10 passes for 139 yards and no touchdown for the winless Browns.
His careers record stands at 238 catches for 3,697 and 28 touchdowns. Edwards will add to the Jets fire power and give Mark Sanchez a number 1 receiver.
The Jets are sending two players in the other direction, they are Chanso Stuckey wide receiver who has started 3 games this season and has 11 receptions for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Browns also get linebacker Jason Trusnik who has never started a game for the Jets in his 3 season. He does have 24 total career tackles and 1 force fumble.
Here are some of Brylon's highlights.
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The Browns picked Edwards 3rd overall in the 2005 draft.
This season he has caught 10 passes for 139 yards and no touchdown for the winless Browns.
His careers record stands at 238 catches for 3,697 and 28 touchdowns. Edwards will add to the Jets fire power and give Mark Sanchez a number 1 receiver.
The Jets are sending two players in the other direction, they are Chanso Stuckey wide receiver who has started 3 games this season and has 11 receptions for 120 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Browns also get linebacker Jason Trusnik who has never started a game for the Jets in his 3 season. He does have 24 total career tackles and 1 force fumble.
Here are some of Brylon's highlights.
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NFL: Michael Crabtree signs six year deal
Sources out of San Francisco are reporting that wide receiver Michael Crabtree has finally signed with the 49ers.
The 49ers selected Crabtree with the 10th pick in this year’s draft but he has been holding out ever since. Crabtree is reported to have signed a six year deal, which will be a relief to all Niners fans. However no news on the money Crabtree will be taking home, I would image it's more than the $20 million they offered after draft day.
Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker met into Tuesday night with 49ers owner Jed York, general manager Scot McCloughan and Paraag Marathe, vice president of football operations. The two sides had gone almost three weeks without talking.
Crabtree is expected to be at the team’s training facility today, however he has missed all of training camp, pre season and 4 weeks of the regular season.
49ers coach Mike Singletary, said on Monday that he would welcome Crabtree whenever he shows up to join the team. However don’t expect to see Crabtree in uniform this Sunday against the Falcons.
I would expect to see Crabtree in week 7 after San Francisco’s bye week.
This has to be great news to the 49ers fans, as Crabtree will be joining a team which is already 3-1 without his services.
Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last year during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. He finished his college career with 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Here are Crabtree's highlights...
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The 49ers selected Crabtree with the 10th pick in this year’s draft but he has been holding out ever since. Crabtree is reported to have signed a six year deal, which will be a relief to all Niners fans. However no news on the money Crabtree will be taking home, I would image it's more than the $20 million they offered after draft day.
Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker met into Tuesday night with 49ers owner Jed York, general manager Scot McCloughan and Paraag Marathe, vice president of football operations. The two sides had gone almost three weeks without talking.
Crabtree is expected to be at the team’s training facility today, however he has missed all of training camp, pre season and 4 weeks of the regular season.
49ers coach Mike Singletary, said on Monday that he would welcome Crabtree whenever he shows up to join the team. However don’t expect to see Crabtree in uniform this Sunday against the Falcons.
I would expect to see Crabtree in week 7 after San Francisco’s bye week.
This has to be great news to the 49ers fans, as Crabtree will be joining a team which is already 3-1 without his services.
Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last year during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. He finished his college career with 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns.
Here are Crabtree's highlights...
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Tuesday, 6 October 2009
NFL: Review
So Mark Sanchez is a rookie after all. The New York Jets quarterback has been getting rave reviews so far this season. But in week 4 he finally showed his in experience. Sanchez did have the worst performance of his short NFL career however he didn’t play that badly. The Saints however were in the mood to show that they have improved on defence this season and acquiring free safety Darren Sharper was the right move in the off season. The 13 year veteran adds experience and big play ability to the Saints back field.
Sharper picked Sanchez off twice and took the first interception all the way to the end zone. 99 yards is a very long way to run for a 33 year old, however Sharper looked like a rookie as he high stepped to 6 points.
Drew Brees continued his stellar start to the season. This week he showed the rest of the league how to pick apart the Jets much heralded defence. Brees didn’t pass for a touchdown however he controlled the Jets and allowed running back Pierre Thomas to run for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Over in Miami I’m wondering if T.O. is about to blow. He didn’t look very happy with Trent Edwards in the Buffalo Bills game against the Miami Dolphins.
Last week Edwards failed to complete a pass to T.O. and this week the Bills quarterback was unable to keep off the turf. Edwards was sacked 6 times and intercepted 3 times in a game he will want to forget.
Most of the blame for this lost will have to go to the Bills coaches, as they only called 17 running plays in the game. On his return from suspension Marshawn Lynch only ran the ball 8 times for 4 yards.
The Bills are now 1-3 for the season and I believe they will need to use their running game to set up big plays to T.O. and Lee Evans.
Over in Washington can someone please tell Jason Campbell that he doesn’t have to arm to throw the deep ball passed Aqib Talib. I understand that he did it once to Santana Moss and I understand that the Skins won the game. But getting intercepted by the same corner back 3 times is not a mistake a 5 year pro should be making. If Campbell makes it till the end of the season as the Redskins starting quarterback I will be surprised.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this will go down as a game they should have won. Quarterback Josh Johnson playing in his first start showed both the reasons why head coach Raheem Morris benched Byron Leftwich and started with Johnson. Johnson looked good at times and ran the ball well but his arm strength must be a concern to coach Morris.
Dwight Freeney who? In Indianapolis the Colts put on a show against the Settle Seahawks. The Seahawks have arguably the best linebacker core in the NFL but were made to look like a pub team as Peyton Manning and the Colts moved to a 4-0 record for the season.
Although Manning threw for over 300 yards again this week, he was helped by the Colts defence who was leaded by defensive end Robert Mathis who sacked the Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace 3 times in the game.
Wallace individually had a good game, posting numbers of 33 completions on 45 attempts for 257 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. For a long time now the Colts are weaker against the run but the Seahawks couldn’t get this side of their game going. Running back Julius Jones only ran for 25 yards on 11 touches and former Colts legend Edgerrin James only ran the ball 4 times for 16 yards.
The Seahawks are now 1-3 and will need to pick up their performance if they want to keep up with the 49ers and Cardinals in their division. The Colts are undefeated this season and Manning looks like he wants to break every single season passing record this year, watch this space.
In the battle of Ohio the Browns showed that they are not the worst team in the league. The Cleveland Browns hosted their state rivals the Cincinnati Bengals and took the 2-1 Bengals all the way into overtime. Well it was the Bengals who took the Browns into overtime with a 4th quarter touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco. Och only had 3 catches in the game but 2 of them were for touchdowns. The first will be high on Chad’s personal highlight reel.
Talking of the worst team in the NFL, the St Louis Rams were shut out again. To be honest I would prefer to talk about the 49ers.
Coach Singletary only asks his team to play hard and give 100% and boy are they doing that right now. The 49ers are clearly the best team in the NFC West and they are still without the services of first round draft pick Michael Crabtree.
One player who is now playing like the first round pick he was is Tight End Vernon Davis. Davis is even now a team captain and has come into his own this year with 3 touchdown receptions. Big V is the perfect blend of size, strength and speed and he is now showing the NFL that he could be a rival to Antonio Gates for the best Tight End in the NFL.
In Houston the Raiders showed yet again they will run the Rams close for the worst offence in the NFL. I love to say that the Texans played well but when you play the Raiders you only have to turn up it seems.
I know the Raiders have won a game this season but they really don’t look like they’ll be able to win another. Russell has no one to throw to in the passing game and they only used Michael Bush 3 times in the run game. Right that is enough Raiders bashing, time to be positive.
In Chicago the Lions were trying to win their second straight game of the season. The game turned out to be a game of 2 halves as the Lions held their own against the in form Bears. Not only did the Lions lose the game but they lost quarterback Matt Stafford in the 4th quarter to a dislocated right knee.
Yesterday the reports coming out of Detroit were that Stafford could be ready to start next week against the Steelers. Only time will tell on this story so I’d watch this space.
The Bears however move to a 3-1 record and after trading for Cutler in the off season they look like a much more balanced team. Now able to throw the ball on 4 and 1 near the goal line, the Bears have the ability to keep defences off balance in every situation.
In Denver, the Broncos moved to 4-0 with a win against the Dallas Cowboys. In the off season the Cowboys let go of T.O. in order to help the Tony Romo be the sole leader of the offence. This game shows me why that move was a mistake. Romo needed T.O. on the final drive of the game.
At the other end of the field the Broncos showed why premier number 1 receivers are at a premium and you should do all you can to hold onto them. Brandon Marshall has had his fair share of problems and run ins with Coach McDaniels but on Sunday night he showed why McDaniels didn’t just cut him loose. After the Broncos scored a field goal to tie the game at 10 each, the Broncos looked for Marshall. Marshall made a difficult catch then stayed on his feet and around and past the Cowboys defence for what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. If you haven’t seen this play yet, then find it and check it out.
Moving on to the Tennessee Titans, who went to Jacksonville looking for there first win of the season. Unfortunately David Garrad was up for the game. Quarterback Garrad threw for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Jags never looked in danger of losing this game.
In the game that I said would be game if the week, we weren’t disappointed. In a game that went back and fourth, Tom Brady and the Patriots showed that they are still the team to look up to and the Ravens showed that they still have a little way to go before they can be considered Super Bowl champs.
Much will be made of the three errors wide out Mark Clayton made in the game but I’m surprised Joe Flacco wasn’t looking for Derrick Mason and Todd Heap as the game was on the line.
Having said that, losing 21-27 to the Pats could help the Ravens in the rest of the season. If the media and public pressure for success is now reduced even a little that could let Flacco and co get on with business.
On Sunday Night the San Diego Chargers welcomed back running back LT and the Pittsburgh Steelers were missing back Willie Parker. In the end it was another running back Rashard Mendenhall who proved the difference in this game. Mendenhall is in his second year from the University of Illinois and what a game he had on Sunday Night. He ran for 165 yards, 2 touchdowns on 29 attempts, he helped the Steelers eat up the clock at the end of the game with his downhill and full blooded running style. In the passing game he caught 2 pass for 26 yards, in what was a monster game for the young man.
The Chargers will know that they lost this game because they didn’t start playing until the second half by which time the Steelers had a commanding lead. But Steelers fans should still be worried that their team couldn’t close this game out in an easier fashion.
The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the New York Giants on Sunday and this was a game between the unbeaten Giants and the unable to win Chiefs.
The Giants were in command of this game from start to finish, leading 17-3 at half time. The Chiefs had a small rally at the end of the game.
This game against highlighted the emergent of Steve Smith and not the wide receiver from the Carolina Panthers. This is Steve Smith, born in Alaska and drafted in the second round by the Giants in 2007. Smith went to college at USC and now he has become Eli Manning’s favourite target. In this game Smith caught 11 passes for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On Monday Night Football the Green Bay Packers visited Brett Favre, my apologies I meant the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings were undefeated going into this game but the Packers made a game of it. Favre however was the star of the show with 3 touchdown passes and 271 yard through the air. The game wasn’t all about Favre however, as defensive end Jared Allen picked up 4 and a half sacks in the game. One of which was for a safety late in the game.
Week 4 like the 3 weeks before, I think are proving that the NFL is the number one sport in American and the most entertain sport on TV anywhere in the world. I understand that the Premier League is heating up nicely but the NFL has total excitement and unpredictability each and every week.
Follow me on Twitter for all my latest updates on all things Football from both sides on the pond and my ramblings about Fantasy Games and other stuff.
Sharper picked Sanchez off twice and took the first interception all the way to the end zone. 99 yards is a very long way to run for a 33 year old, however Sharper looked like a rookie as he high stepped to 6 points.
Drew Brees continued his stellar start to the season. This week he showed the rest of the league how to pick apart the Jets much heralded defence. Brees didn’t pass for a touchdown however he controlled the Jets and allowed running back Pierre Thomas to run for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Over in Miami I’m wondering if T.O. is about to blow. He didn’t look very happy with Trent Edwards in the Buffalo Bills game against the Miami Dolphins.Last week Edwards failed to complete a pass to T.O. and this week the Bills quarterback was unable to keep off the turf. Edwards was sacked 6 times and intercepted 3 times in a game he will want to forget.
Most of the blame for this lost will have to go to the Bills coaches, as they only called 17 running plays in the game. On his return from suspension Marshawn Lynch only ran the ball 8 times for 4 yards.
The Bills are now 1-3 for the season and I believe they will need to use their running game to set up big plays to T.O. and Lee Evans.
Over in Washington can someone please tell Jason Campbell that he doesn’t have to arm to throw the deep ball passed Aqib Talib. I understand that he did it once to Santana Moss and I understand that the Skins won the game. But getting intercepted by the same corner back 3 times is not a mistake a 5 year pro should be making. If Campbell makes it till the end of the season as the Redskins starting quarterback I will be surprised.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this will go down as a game they should have won. Quarterback Josh Johnson playing in his first start showed both the reasons why head coach Raheem Morris benched Byron Leftwich and started with Johnson. Johnson looked good at times and ran the ball well but his arm strength must be a concern to coach Morris.
Dwight Freeney who? In Indianapolis the Colts put on a show against the Settle Seahawks. The Seahawks have arguably the best linebacker core in the NFL but were made to look like a pub team as Peyton Manning and the Colts moved to a 4-0 record for the season.Although Manning threw for over 300 yards again this week, he was helped by the Colts defence who was leaded by defensive end Robert Mathis who sacked the Seahawks quarterback Seneca Wallace 3 times in the game.
Wallace individually had a good game, posting numbers of 33 completions on 45 attempts for 257 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. For a long time now the Colts are weaker against the run but the Seahawks couldn’t get this side of their game going. Running back Julius Jones only ran for 25 yards on 11 touches and former Colts legend Edgerrin James only ran the ball 4 times for 16 yards.
The Seahawks are now 1-3 and will need to pick up their performance if they want to keep up with the 49ers and Cardinals in their division. The Colts are undefeated this season and Manning looks like he wants to break every single season passing record this year, watch this space.
In the battle of Ohio the Browns showed that they are not the worst team in the league. The Cleveland Browns hosted their state rivals the Cincinnati Bengals and took the 2-1 Bengals all the way into overtime. Well it was the Bengals who took the Browns into overtime with a 4th quarter touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco. Och only had 3 catches in the game but 2 of them were for touchdowns. The first will be high on Chad’s personal highlight reel.
Talking of the worst team in the NFL, the St Louis Rams were shut out again. To be honest I would prefer to talk about the 49ers.
Coach Singletary only asks his team to play hard and give 100% and boy are they doing that right now. The 49ers are clearly the best team in the NFC West and they are still without the services of first round draft pick Michael Crabtree.
One player who is now playing like the first round pick he was is Tight End Vernon Davis. Davis is even now a team captain and has come into his own this year with 3 touchdown receptions. Big V is the perfect blend of size, strength and speed and he is now showing the NFL that he could be a rival to Antonio Gates for the best Tight End in the NFL.
In Houston the Raiders showed yet again they will run the Rams close for the worst offence in the NFL. I love to say that the Texans played well but when you play the Raiders you only have to turn up it seems.
I know the Raiders have won a game this season but they really don’t look like they’ll be able to win another. Russell has no one to throw to in the passing game and they only used Michael Bush 3 times in the run game. Right that is enough Raiders bashing, time to be positive.
In Chicago the Lions were trying to win their second straight game of the season. The game turned out to be a game of 2 halves as the Lions held their own against the in form Bears. Not only did the Lions lose the game but they lost quarterback Matt Stafford in the 4th quarter to a dislocated right knee.
Yesterday the reports coming out of Detroit were that Stafford could be ready to start next week against the Steelers. Only time will tell on this story so I’d watch this space.
The Bears however move to a 3-1 record and after trading for Cutler in the off season they look like a much more balanced team. Now able to throw the ball on 4 and 1 near the goal line, the Bears have the ability to keep defences off balance in every situation.
In Denver, the Broncos moved to 4-0 with a win against the Dallas Cowboys. In the off season the Cowboys let go of T.O. in order to help the Tony Romo be the sole leader of the offence. This game shows me why that move was a mistake. Romo needed T.O. on the final drive of the game.
At the other end of the field the Broncos showed why premier number 1 receivers are at a premium and you should do all you can to hold onto them. Brandon Marshall has had his fair share of problems and run ins with Coach McDaniels but on Sunday night he showed why McDaniels didn’t just cut him loose. After the Broncos scored a field goal to tie the game at 10 each, the Broncos looked for Marshall. Marshall made a difficult catch then stayed on his feet and around and past the Cowboys defence for what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. If you haven’t seen this play yet, then find it and check it out.
Moving on to the Tennessee Titans, who went to Jacksonville looking for there first win of the season. Unfortunately David Garrad was up for the game. Quarterback Garrad threw for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Jags never looked in danger of losing this game.
In the game that I said would be game if the week, we weren’t disappointed. In a game that went back and fourth, Tom Brady and the Patriots showed that they are still the team to look up to and the Ravens showed that they still have a little way to go before they can be considered Super Bowl champs.
Much will be made of the three errors wide out Mark Clayton made in the game but I’m surprised Joe Flacco wasn’t looking for Derrick Mason and Todd Heap as the game was on the line.
Having said that, losing 21-27 to the Pats could help the Ravens in the rest of the season. If the media and public pressure for success is now reduced even a little that could let Flacco and co get on with business.
On Sunday Night the San Diego Chargers welcomed back running back LT and the Pittsburgh Steelers were missing back Willie Parker. In the end it was another running back Rashard Mendenhall who proved the difference in this game. Mendenhall is in his second year from the University of Illinois and what a game he had on Sunday Night. He ran for 165 yards, 2 touchdowns on 29 attempts, he helped the Steelers eat up the clock at the end of the game with his downhill and full blooded running style. In the passing game he caught 2 pass for 26 yards, in what was a monster game for the young man.
The Chargers will know that they lost this game because they didn’t start playing until the second half by which time the Steelers had a commanding lead. But Steelers fans should still be worried that their team couldn’t close this game out in an easier fashion.
The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the New York Giants on Sunday and this was a game between the unbeaten Giants and the unable to win Chiefs.
The Giants were in command of this game from start to finish, leading 17-3 at half time. The Chiefs had a small rally at the end of the game.
This game against highlighted the emergent of Steve Smith and not the wide receiver from the Carolina Panthers. This is Steve Smith, born in Alaska and drafted in the second round by the Giants in 2007. Smith went to college at USC and now he has become Eli Manning’s favourite target. In this game Smith caught 11 passes for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.
On Monday Night Football the Green Bay Packers visited Brett Favre, my apologies I meant the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings were undefeated going into this game but the Packers made a game of it. Favre however was the star of the show with 3 touchdown passes and 271 yard through the air. The game wasn’t all about Favre however, as defensive end Jared Allen picked up 4 and a half sacks in the game. One of which was for a safety late in the game.
Week 4 like the 3 weeks before, I think are proving that the NFL is the number one sport in American and the most entertain sport on TV anywhere in the world. I understand that the Premier League is heating up nicely but the NFL has total excitement and unpredictability each and every week.
Follow me on Twitter for all my latest updates on all things Football from both sides on the pond and my ramblings about Fantasy Games and other stuff.
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