Video: Gridiron Gals Week 8 NFL Picks

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49ers Week 7 Observations

This was an interesting week for the Niners. Coming off a bye week, the Niners needed a win against a Texans squad that people aren't too sure what to make of them. They also needed to prove that last game against the Falcons was a fluke. They didn't get the win but they did show resiliency in coming back from 21 down to make it a three point game.

There were two pluses in this loss: Michael Crabtree and Alex Smith. Crabtree had 5 catches for 56 yards. NFL RedZone is the best because they showed his first catch and some others during halftime of the games. He wasn't phenomenal but he was serviceable in his first game. As long as he doesn't get hurt, he can make an impact for the team.

Alex Smith replaced Shaun Hill in the second half and showed why he was the number one pick once upon a time. He threw 3 touchdowns, all to Vernon Davis, and only one pick. Singletary decided to make Smith the starter for the next game. We'll see how long he can produce as the started.

Defense and the running game both need to be improved before the next game. This was Gore's first game back since he went down in week 3 with a sprained ankle. He still has to get back into the game mentality. The defense has to play better in order to keep games close going forward. The next few games are going to be tough. 3 of the next 4 are against teams over .500. Let's get it going Niners!!!!

Ashley

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What do you do this for?

Once again I had to witness the Raiders get worked by a team they could have beat. Once again I received phone calls, text and tweets about how I still had time to jump on the Band Wagon of a winning team and once again I told all those people where they could put it. I'm a Raider fan. Win Lose or Tie but this is getting out of hand. If this was Madden 10 the game would've been turned off at 21 - 0. I dont know where to start. Should it be the missed tackles or the lost fumbles by JaMarcus? Should it be Coach Cable or Al Davis? I think I'll start with Al Davis since he is the root of the problem. Then again maybe not. We'd be here all day. Ill start with Cable. He talked about how disappointed he was that as an offense we "never gave ourselves a chance" and as a defense we "couldnt make a tackle." Coach also said that JaMarcus "was really out of sorts early in the game....I just did not feel like at that point he gave us the best chance to have the success we needed to have offensively and made the move" but will be the "starter" and in the same breath said Bruce did good and was accurate. "He moved us around and got where he needed to be instead of putting his team in a bad position" Why not stay with him them? Why continue to let this team suffer? Tom, let me explain something to you. If the defensive is on the field the whole game they aren't going to make a lot of the tackles and the ones they miss could very well be the most important.

The offensive didnt give themselves a chance? No! JaMarcus didnt give them a chance. He was tricking off plays in the first minute of the game. For the exception of last weekend JaMarcus has displayed no signs of skill, growth, accuracy and most important leadership. You need command the huddle. Im sure his team doesnt even listen to him. I was surpised to see that Russell was even benched. I cant tell a tale, I was happy. Bruce came in and did what he was supossed to do and I think if he took more snaps and worked with the offense more he'd be able to run that team accordingly and make something happen. All the signs are there and nothing is being done about it. Im starting to think that Al Davis uses this team as a tax right off. There is no way the way you feel about a player determines the fate of your team. Everybody deserves a chance at a winning season and we have the tools but unfortunatley are being thwarted by the owner and coaching staff.

6 of the 10 drives the Jets had resulted in scores. Five touchdowns and a field goal. 5 of the 10 drives Oakland had resulted in punts. 2 intercepted pass, 2 fumbles including one recovered by the JETS leading to their score and a turnover on downs. This is terrible. Russell had 13 turnovers and 61 yards and then had the nerve to say he was shocked about him being benched. We should have came in there gassed off our win over the Eagles and the fact that Napa police werent pressing charges against Coach Cable. Instead, we were defeated and disrespected as Mark Sanchez ate a mother effin hot dog on the sidelines. Are you serious?! Is this guy eating a hot dog?! I heard that. This is how they see us. Were like the laughing stock of the NFL. Seymour said he didnt think they could "have beaten an Oakland high school team today," it was just that bad.

We've got to get it together Raiders. We've got to get. it. together.

We play San Diego next week and yes I'm hoping to get sweet revenge as they stole the season opener from us, but we shall see!

I bleed Silver and Black dont ever get it twisted. Go Raiders

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Who Needs that Humboldt Green when you have Gang Green?

Football is so not at the front of my mind today. I have been on cloud nine since the Yankees punched their ticket to the World Series last night. Good news is good news regardless though-and the good news for the Jets? They finally snapped their three game losing streak yesterday. Of course they did it against the Raiders-but a win is a win right?

Losing Leon Washington for the rest of the season to a broken leg was certainly not what the doctor ordered-especially after losing Kris Jenkins for the season in last week's loss-but what can you do? On the bright side, young Shonn Greene and Calvin Pace played great yesterday, as did the nose tackle committee sent to replace Jenkins. Hopefully Greene's confidence is boosted enough for him to believe he can play well as the season goes on against real teams-they will really need him.

The best part? Mark Sanchez didn't turn the ball over once! Maybe there is something to him and playing well only when it's warm outside. He went 9/15 for 149 yards, a rushing TD and no interceptions-much better numbers than he has put up in the past few weeks. I want to believe he has turned a corner, but again-they played (and shut out) Oakland.

I found it particularly humorous when all ten Raider fans cheered Jemarcus Russell being pulled for Gradkowski. Lets see how long that lasts-everyone loves the backup until he proves why he's the backup. So much for all those playoff aspirations Richard Seymour was talking about last week.

It works for me...a nice confidence booster for next weeks rematch against Miami. Pray for warm weather. I am.

By Terita

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The Pack Gets Their Swagger Back

After the devastating loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings and a Bye week directly after; the Green Bay Packers are back to business with the 26-0 shut out of the Detroit Lions and this past Sundays 31-3 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Can somebody say DE-FENSE??????

The Pack Defense along with the guidance of Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers is ON! (Wipe Em Down!) I declare this past Sunday “The Day of the Packer Line Backers”.

California Line Backers are making a big impact on this Packer team. First it was USC’s Clay Matthews, now this week UCLA’s Brandon Chillar was taken names, swiping up the ball after veteran Charles Woods forced a fumble. Aaron Kampman is a power sacker and A.J. Hawk brought the pain to the Browns Jamal Lewis so much so they he didn’t even want the ball anymore.

The obvious problems with the Offensive Line must have been the focus of the last two weeks because adjustments were made and there have been huge improvements the last two Sundays.

The O-Line was phenomenal in protecting QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was given time to place the ball perfectly. He was able to look not only at “ace-in-the-hole” WR Donald Driver, but he found TE Spencer Havner whose early TD (which was the first touchdown of Havners career, CONGRATS!) gave the Pack Momentum. The O-Line BEASTED, which allowed Rodgers to have a career best passing rating and the only sack-free game of the season. Rolling like a Big Shot!

The Defense was clearly the star of the game, but there is one man whose performance must be highlighted.
You see this face? Look at it real good. Its #25 Running Back Ryan Grant (This week I added a picture of Ryan in his street clothes for the ladies. That helmet is cheating us of his full glory). Ryan Grant for the Packers is sorta what Lamar Odom is to the Lakers. If Grant can have a great game, we win. This Sunday just proves that. Grant rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries.
In fact Grants performance was so awesome that he was nominated Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week (click her to vote for him http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=players-air-and-ground )

Next week we face Favre and the Vikings again. It is crucial that we win this game. Not just because of pride and the need for revenge but beating the Vikings will put us in better position to be #1 in the North. Head coach Mike McCarthy stated on Packer.com "Our confidence is high, and it damn well should be.”

Oooh Coach McCarthy I like it when you get all gangsta…

Sunset Brown

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Steelers stole the Vikings streak 27-17

The Vikings outplayed the Steelers on Offense. The Steelers outplayed the Vikes on DEFENSE!! A great football team overcomes adversity. That's why they've won 2 super bowls out of the last 4. I was a winner either way while rooting for my Vikings & my homeboys on the opposing team Hines & Fox.

The Vikings offensive line just couldn't block the Steelers defensive line and linebackers, period. While the Steelers offensive line was outplayed, they were not dominated. "Dominated" would be appropriate if they were held to two field goals or something similar. C'mon son, Holmes and Williams had great catch and runs, Mendenhall had a 6.9 yards-per-carry average, compared with Adrian Peterson’s 3.8 yards-per-carry, the Vikings lost the turnover battle, Kluwe had a horrible day punting, and the Vikings were making mistakes and losing yardage due to penalties. Favre had a field day throwing because Childress wouldn't run Peterson. Steelers deserves credit for controlling the outcome of the game, causing mental errors by the Vikings offensive line, and for making Childress abandon the run game.

Fumbles and penalties add up and these guys need some more discipline if they want to beat teams like the Steelers. These kind of losses build character, and I expect the Vikings will be a better team for it and learn a thing or two. The disparity in penalties is ridiculous in this game. 11 for the Vikings and 3 for the Steelers. The Vikings happened to be key plays as well. The refs need to be disciplined for this. People get tired of watching their teams get ripped off by the refs and this is getting out of hand. It sounds like whining, but if you never say anything, nothing gets changed for the future. 4th and 1 you HAVE to go for it you idiot Chili. You either score or stick them on the half yard line. NEWS FLASH: AD is the best back in the NFL and the Offensive line is top 5. GIVE dude the Pig Skin!

Percy Harvin had a great Kickoff return for 88-yards. Kleinsausser made a clean, textbook block. Flag came out late once ref saw the touchdown. Loadholt was called for some bogus delay of game penalty. The announcers commented on it being a seldom called penalty. Favre threw a 35 yard rope to Rice and took a cheap shot at he knees from Harrison & no call…remember Roethlisberger barely got shoved out of bounds and the refs called roughing the passer, Where they do that at? I know Pittsburg. So heck yea Childress should complain to the league and get some answers.

I don't feel back about losing this one. If your 6 game winning streak has to be broken, it's better to have it broken by the defending Super Bowl champs. Chester Taylor had a screen pass deflect off his hands for an interception and 82-yard touchdown return by my homeboy J linebacker Keyaron Fox with one minute remaining. I didn’t know what to do but jump up & say Run Nicca Run lol!

Sunday’s game was the first in NFL history to have three return touchdowns of 75-plus yards in the fourth quarter. Great Game Vikings! In my opinion, we will see one of the best complete games this Sunday in the Frozen Tundra as WE take on the Packers.

~ Oneika “The Touring Empress”

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Saints remain undefeated, restoring faith in NOLA

By: Maya

An early BYE week didn’t seem to slow the Saints down one bit. The team is off to a beautiful, undefeated start! They have made the necessary adjustments to get them to where they are now, 5-0 with the latest 48-27 win against the previously undefeated New York Giants.

Sunday’s game was dubbed the “Battle of the Unbeatens”, but the hype in New Orleans made it seem more like a Pay-Per-View event than a regular Sunday game; and what a game it was. Talking about making great passes, great catches, great blocking, great tackles…greatness all over the field. Drew Brees escaped the game with no interceptions or sacks. He completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards; four touchdowns. There were great connections on almost every play. At one point it looked as if Saints route running completely baffled the Giants, but of course it worked in our favor. As one Big difference from Saints this season and Saints last season: consistency. Better play calling, impressive route running, and Brees is able to connect a lot better. Both ends looked good but for this game, offense deserves a standing ovation (clap for ‘em, clap for ‘em, clap for ‘em. Hey!) I’ll still praise the team as a whole, because they’re making it work.

Finally, the team is functioning as a TEAM. One man does not make the magic happen this go-round.

*Random side note: Still thinking about Aikman’s suggestion: where/how would Reggie Bush fit in a new position? Would Mr. Bush trade in his RB for WR? Interesting. Very interesting.

When the Saints win, they not only boost confidence for the team, but also for the city. Parties always start on Bourbon. Winning leads to bigger celebrations. Celebrations lead to more consumption of alcoholic beverages. Consumption of alcoholic beverages=big bucks for bars throughout the metro area. Win-win situation all around J

And so we have it, the Saints on a serious winning streak. Even typing that, I’m still in disbelief. I haven’t seen performances like this from the team since the early 90s. Can this be “our year”? The “our year” we’ve been speaking of since the team was established? Long season ahead, but still keeping the faith.

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Gridiron Gals Is Taking A Bye

Hey there GG fam.. Usually you know that, every Friday, Pigskin Loving Lady and myself do a video blog for the site. My co host is out of town for the weekend so we're take a bye this week, and coming back better than ever next week.

We know you guys and gals love our video blogs (who wouldn't, we ROCK! LOL), but we'll return next week with earrings dangling, lip gloss popping and pigskin picking.

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Beating Teams is What The Colts Do

Excuse my tardiness…I apologize but I have been drinking champagne on Sundays and doing cartwheels and somersaults the rest of the days of the week because The Colts are 5-0. Yes this is what happiness feels like and man I’m walking on sunshine, even as winter fast approaches. So let’s get you updated on my boys – The last time I wrote The Colts narrowly beat the Dolphins and then the team travelled to the desert to take on the Cardinals on Sept 27th. I swear I saw feathers flying in the air afterwards because in yet another memorable prime-time performance, Peyton threw four touchdown passes in the second and third quarters to four different receivers, in the process leading the Colts to a 31-10 victory over the turnover-plagued Cardinals. Now I know I’m in love with Peyton but even his most ardent detractors can attest that he has better field vision and reaction than any QB in the league. (If you don’t agree, you’re hallucinating) However, Peyton was able to find his receivers because our offensive line did a great job of protecting him. Kurt on the other hand had Dwight Freeney in his face and our defense collectively did an excellent job of pressuring the Cardinals the entire game.

On October 4th, we took on the Seahawks and Manning was back in fine form again, leading the Colts to touchdowns on four of their first five drives. Even Seahawks coach, Jim Mora said, “We played greatness today," DAMM RIGHT you did and after Manning threw his first TD pass to Reggie Wayne, he broke a new record – joining Marino as the only quarterbacks in league history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers. FYI - Manning threw 112 TDs to Marvin Harrison (Oh how I still miss you) However, I sure like the way Austin Collie caught the TD pass with less than 3 secs in the 2nd half. By the way, I love my young gun rookie receivers. Nevertheless, the game was set with Joseph Addai’s 12-yard run midway through the fourth quarter and two field goals from my one and only Adam “Kick Ass” Vinatieri (who might I add better get off the injured list) To be fair to the Seahawks they were without Hasselback and our solid defense limited Seattle to just 49 yards rushing. So after beating birds two Sundays in a row, The Colts played the Tennessee Titans on Oct 11th and Manning's near-perfect start to the season continued as he had 309 yards passing and one TD pass to Reggie Wayne and two to Austin Collie. The Colts never trailed in beating their AFC South rivals 31-9. WOW things can change in a season – remember when The Titans started 10-0 last season. However, it could have been a different game had our defense not hold the Titans without a first down after each turnover in the 1st half.

With that being said, our defense remains explosive and it was the third consecutive game in which the Colts have held their opponent under 100 yards rushing. Now I could go on about the milestones Manning either tied during this game or is going to break but hey we have weeks left to do that! In conclusion, I must mention how proud I’m of my whole TEAM – Coach Caldwell is doing an EXCELLENT job, Addai is rushing well, Dallas Clark is superb, Freeney is sackalicious (yes I made it up but when he sacks it’s simply delicious) Collie is no Rookie – why is he lying! And I just love Pierre Garcon’s name! But in terms of injuries, we really need Gonzales and Sanders back healthy as well as Kelvin Hayden, Charlie Johnson and Marlin Jackson. Aside from this, I love wins like any other fan, but I’m going to stay level headed because It's the fifth time in the last seven seasons that the Colts have won their first five games. They started 5-0 in 2003, 13-0 in 2005, 9-0 in 2006 and 7-0 in 2007. BUT WE ONLY HAVE 1 CHAMPIONSHIP RING since they moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and trust me I want another championship BADLY (I’m not as lucky as Steelers fans!) We are coming off a bye week and I hope my Somersault Sunday’s don’t stop after we take on the Rams.

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Thank God For Bye Weeks!!!

If you're wondering why I'm 3 days in without a blog post on my Ravens loss to the Vikings... it's because I'm still numb. I'm emotionally exhausted (football wise, at least lol) and heartbroken.

So here we are Ravens lovers (and haters). We're 3-3. Three straight losses that were all tough to swallow. The first loss to New England was disappointing, but I didn't take too bad because I picked against them that week. The loss to Cincy was more shocking because they gave up a go-ahead TD with less than 30 seconds left. But the Vikings loss hurts the worst. To overcome a 17 point deficit and to lose because the kick was "wide left", still hurts, even 3 days later. Will I live? Of course I will. But geez, that one hurt bad... real bad!

This is the Ravens bye week, and if you ask me (and other Ravens fans), this bye couldn't have come at a better time. Time for the team to deprogram and start fresh. But first things first, let's fix the problems.

The biggest problem of concern, is the defense. What a difference a year makes. The Ravens went from being one of the most ferocious defenses to one that has given up the most big plays. The defensive line hasn't put enough pressure on the QB, and the secondary look pathetic. I point the finger at the defensive coordinator as well as the players on the field. This team needs to find out what they did last year that made them so successful and implement it in their defensive strategy from here, on out. The secondary in particular needs to step up and cover somebody... ANYBODY.. in order for us to win games. But they can't do so without a pass rush. They go hand in hand and this needs to be fixed ASAP!

Next thing is special teams. The Ravens have already taken the step in allowing DB LarDarius Webb take kickoffs over DB Chris Carr, so that's a great first step. However, Carr had a nice long kickoff run nullified in Sunday's game because of a penalty. The Ravens special teams get way too many penalties, which moves the offense back. They also allow too many yards on punt and kickoff situations also. And last but not least, they miss critical field goals that determines the outcome of games. Coach Harbaugh was a special teams coach for many years, so I hope he can add some input into the problem and help come up with a solution.

The offense has done a great job so far. Remember, I'm a Ravens fan, so for years, we had no idea what it meant to have an offense. I thank the football gods as much as I can for Flacco and Ray Rice. They've been nothing short of a miracle for us. One can only ask they continue to keep up the good work.

I'm a fan through thick and thin, win or lose. And I know this is a good team, all of the elements are there. I just hope that the coaches and players take this bye week to start fresh. Bring some new life to this team who has struggled to close out games.

From a broken hearted Ravens fan..........

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Vikings best friend “Left Hook”

My mind is going in so many different directions that I am going to jump all over the place with this entry, but needless to type & say you will Feel me 100%. Vikings Beat the Ravens 33-31, but it was too close for me! But I’m happy WE are 6-0 J

It was disappointing to see the Defense give up so much in the 4th Quarter. Part of that can be attributed to Antoine Winfield injuring his right foot. Leaving Karl Paymah to cover for Winfield. Paymah was out of position on too many plays & receptions. It was very obvious that the Ravens were picking on Paymah. He doesn't even know how to turn around for the ball...letting Clayton get that TD to make it 30-24! He should have knocked that ball away like Serena Williams or picked it off. I hate to admit this mu I realize my Vikings Defensive Backs are The WEAKEST LINKS & always have been with the exception of Antoine Winfield. Ok Flacco made some very good passes but, remember HE made some "great" passes to receivers who weren't covered. Flacco started slicing the secondary like he was on Top Chef. This was way closer than it should have been. Next time they better keep their cleats on the other team’s throat. Bringing Longwell in 4 times when they can't get the ball in from around the 10…GTFOH. I’m glad he made his points, but still I need TD’s!

Is it just me or were all the big runs on the defense all on the same side. I’m not even sure Ben Leber was even playing yesterday. Was he? Lol. Same side last week that gave up all the big runs, teams watch the film and know where your ass is suppose to be! On to the sorry ass Safety, Their plays have been bad all year as well. Madeau Williams is a weak tackler and misses tackles on a regular basis. I could have tackled better than him yesterday! Sidney Rice running for 63 yards on a pass from Favre was like a shot of Remy, very smooth. Darren Sharper’s Fine old self is looking much better than what we have seen in previous games.


Jared my favorite white boy had 2 hurries, 1 sack, 4 tackles for Loss ...and a few knockdowns... Oher better stay in his lane, because “This here Viking Country is for GROWN Ass Men”. Thanks Steven Hauschka for missing that Kick & making it my blog title a “Left Hook”, Call Lonwell to work on that kick. In all Fairness, Ray Lewis aka “Edward Scissor Hands” played his ass of I was hoping he didn’t stab AP as he made the few failed attempts to get in the end zone…Oh yeah Reeta “Shots Fired” lol

It’s safe to say we are not playing our best football, but that is what is so great about being 6-0 despite of that. Think of how amazing this team can be. Favre & the receivers still have so much they can improve on and our offensive line still has a lot of gelling to do! Winfield would have made a difference on a couple of the long pass plays and also his tackling. I pray he gets better soon. If the Ravens had been up by 2 points, the missed FG would not have mattered. Luck makes a difference ONLY when you are in a position where one play changes a game. Baltimore failed to make a play that could have won the game. That's not luck. It’s a Win for my VIKES and We have to do better next week.

~ O’neika

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Gridiron Gals Joke Of The Day

Justice in Cleveland , Ohio
Cleveland, OH (AP) - A seven-year old boy was at the center of a Cuyahoga County courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible..

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Washington Redskins, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

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Breaking Records And Hearts

Breaking the heel on my favorite pair of stilettos on cobble stone in the middle of January or losing my purse, probably wouldn't even measure up to what the Tennessee Titans probably felt leaving the field yesterday. Playing New England the week after a loss typically ends with the Pats beating up their opponents, they always seem to have an extra bit of umph in their plays, but this was something entirely different. The Patriots came hard, but the Titans made it pretty easy for them. They missed tackles, couldn't catch the ball, couldn't create problems on defense and couldn't hold onto the ball if there was millions of dollars attached to it, which some might say is actually the case for receivers lol. Now people will want to blame the October Snowbowl, Jeff Fisher, or scapegoat Kerry Collins, but this loss is to be shared all throughout the Titans locker room. They indeed lost as a complete team, I'm sure this isn't the silver lining that Jeff Fisher pointed out yesterday for his team. I can't imagine how the post-wrap up went but I can't imagine I'd have much to say after witnessing such a disastrous game.

I must, however, give some credit to my team. Aside from the poor performance of the Titans, this was the most efficient game I've seen from New England yet. They must get cheers for this because even though the Titans killed themselves, this week, thankfully, maybe even more importantly, we did not. Finally. Brady could have missed those passes, our receivers could have dropped those balls. Our defense could have let the other team get just one score down the stretch. But these were men on a mission. Lest we forget that Belichick's first love is Defense, and wow did his guys come to play, but it begs the question, were we that good, or were they simply that terrible? My honest thoughts are that the answer lies somewhere down the middle because it's very hard to argue with numbers and consistency, something we had been seriously lacking thus far this season. Brady was able to go to Welker and Moss consistently. Maroney got his runners groove back on the field and literally set the pace for the game. The Pats never looked back.

So yes, the Titans surely assisted in this win but numbers don't lie, and there are so many wonderful numbers to mention!

45 points in the First half, 35 in the Second quarter, both Franchise records. That 45 point Halftime lead, was also the largest for the NFL of all-time.

Tom Brady had 5 Touchdown passes in the Second Quarter which is the most in an NFL Quarter since 1950, and 345 passing yards in the First Half, his career high for a half.

59 total points and 622 total yards, both of which are Franchise records, and the 59 points was the largest margin of victory since 1976 when the then, LA Rams beat Atlanta 59-0.

These records garner the same tingle I get from listening to the Monday night football theme music. Hopefully the same consistency and will to win will consume each player as they journey across the pond to London next Sunday!

By Caprice

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An Eagles prey?

Last weeks blog was just as bad as the game we played against the Giants. This week I vowed to get my life together and hoped the Raiders did the exact same. I was worried about this weekend just a month ago. I had school, football and an AIDS walk to attend and watch the Raiders game but as luck would have it. I was able to do it all. It turned out my sons’ football game was under lights and that gave me an opportunity to go to school on Saturday morning. It freed me Sunday morning and allowed me to walk on behalf of the Trevor Ariza Foundation in support of AIDS walk LA. Just to shout out my son, he had an interception, extra point, a sack and a few key stops. He’s a monster on both sides. Their special teams didn’t even want to see him. It took me about 2 hours to complete the 6.2 mile walk. I made it home at the half of the Raiders game. I sat down and ran the TiVo back to watch the first half of the game. The last time Philly was in Oakland the Raiders won 48-17.

We were coming off a blow out and I was banking on Coach making the changes needed for us to get a win. I picked up the schedule and as I looked at the ‘W’ I wrote next to this game, I pressed play and was ready for anything. After last weeks massacre had taken place, Coach Cable said. “At some point you have to say enough is enough and start thinking about the rest of the team”. I figured him to be talking about Russell but as the starting lineup took the field, I saw that wasn’t it. The Raiders first possession ended in a 3 and out with a pass nearly intercepted as Russell threw it behind Heyward-Bey. Oaklands second possession ended in another 3 and out and included Russell being sacked. All I could think about is Murphy saying last week, “We have to be able to come out and give our defense a rest, keep our defense off the field and to just continue to move the chains. We have to go 10 yards at a time, constantly move down the field, and continue to build momentum”. With that said, our Defense was back on the field but I remained optimistic. I can say that our first two opening drives were the only ones that I had a problem with. We had control after that for the majority of the game if not the rest of it. The offense played well and our defense was showing out. Our penalties accounted for 23 yards which was also an improvement. Trevor Scott set the tone with a sack during the Eagles first drive. The emotion he had after the play, I felt as I watched it at home. Scott came right back on Phillys second drive and sacked McNabb again. I said immediately to myself ‘oh this aint gon be no easy ass whooping Cletus’.

He was in a zone and I was right there with him. McNabb escaped a third sack by Scott. Eagles’ kicker Akers misses a field goal. The Raiders looked like they came to play. They must have been reading those emails I’ve been sending (smile). JaMarcus threw a pass to Zach Miller and he ran for 86 of his 139 yards for a TD. (Longest TD by a TE in Raider history)His TD was assisted by 2 good blocks from rookie Wide Receiver Louis Murphy. If you didn’t see them you missed a good play by the former Gator. I’m glad he didn’t hurt himself. Routts pick 6 hyped the crowd and they stayed hype even after they called it back. Raider Nation was in the building and as well as the Raiders were playing the stadium wasn’t going to get quiet until the game was over. Vargas looked out there picking up 87 yards. He looks healthier and hopefully he’ll continue to progress and stay healthy. The offense complimented the defense this game. It was rough out there on McNabb. Donovan escaped a sack by Tommy Kelly and then escaped another one by Seymour. Since Richard missed him the last time, Seymour came back so he could reintroduce himself with back to back sacks on McNabb. McNabb was so shook up; he was calling time outs he didn’t have. He’s become the CWebb of football. Philly had three consecutive 3 and outs, 2 missed field goals and 6 dropped passes. I wonder if the way the Raiders played had anything to do with those comments that Antonio Pierce made or if we did some serious soul searching. Whatever the case, I hope they keep it up. The Eagles were shut down, converting 2 out of 16 third downs and unable to get in the end zone.
Russell finished the game with 224 yards and 2 interceptions. It seemed as if he was tired of letting his team down, like he was mad at himself for playing like trash. Russell stepped up Sunday, like he actually knew how to play some football. Raider Nation was pleased. Some make jokes that it was the pigeon that stayed on the field the whole second half but we were on at every aspect, beating them all over the field. 18 first downs to their 14, 325 total yards compared to their 283 and even controlling the time of possession with 33 minutes to the Eagles 26. John Marshall handled his business with the defense. McNabb was sacked 6 times. As terrible as it is, a 1-5 record shouldn’t be taken lightly. That’s the team that really has nothing to lose. Mix it with the heart of a Raider and I’d say you’re in some trouble. Eagles didn’t eat 14 years ago and they weren’t eating on Sunday. We prepared well for this game and executed as we should. Was it a fluke, some might say yes. There are still things we need to work on but the win Sunday proved that we are capable of doing so. We practiced hard and when you practice hard you play hard and when you play hard you win easy. Next up the J-E-T-S… Sanchez better watch out. We're on one!

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Jets "re-crap"

Every fall I find out the same thing about myself. I am a glutton for punishment. Week in and week out I root for the Jets. Sometimes I get lucky, but most of the time I just get smacked and punished.

This week has been no exception. My Sunday afternoon was spent watching two sub-par teams try to give each other the game. There was nothing spectacular about it, just bad play after bad play-with the exception of two Thomas Jones runs; and at least on the Jets side, interception after interception.

They also lost one of their biggest defensive weapons in Kris Jenkins, with what is being called a "probably severe" knee injury. Of course things could be worse, but really? This is just all bad.

I had kind of fallen in love with the idea of the Jets being a contender this year, but as the past three weeks have proven, they are looking more and more like pretenders. It's sad. They seemed to have the right pieces in place, but none of them seem to be clicking at the right time (or anytime really).

So, it's off to have another pity party, complete with delicious Thai food and lots of beer, because lets face it, watching the Jets recap is something I'll want to do only while distracted by a hangover, with the sounds of my cookies being tossed to drown it all out.

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Video: Gridiron Gals Week 6 NFL Picks

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Too Many Lost Opportunities For The Buccaneers

Five games of regular season have been played by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and all five have resulted in a loss. Fortunately, we are still not the first bad team that most football fans mention, that designation usually goes to the Raiders, Rams or Chiefs. The Bucs traveled to the City of Brotherly Love to play the Eagles in week five, and Donovan McNabb returned from a rib injury.
On the first play of the game, Josh Johnson threw a long ball to Michael Clayton who attempted a one-hand catch which should've been done with two. At the two minute mark in the first half, Johnson found Kellen Winslow for a touchdown, his first of two touchdowns in the game (102 yards total).

The Eagles committed a lot of penalties totaling over 100 yards from flags. There were so many dropped passes in this game that I started wondering if our wide receivers had become Braylon Edwards (Cleveland Browns version). The defense, though seemingly causing more stops than previous weeks, continued to give up big plays, especially to Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. We were able to contain DeSean Jackson (upsetting some fantasy owners) but the Eagles
simply had too many weapons.

Center Jeff Faine will likely be returning in week 6 from an injury that he suffered earlier this season, which should give Josh Johnson some extra time to throw. Although Johnson is a lot more mobile than former starting quarterback Byron Leftwich, he can't always count on his feet to get a first down. If Johnson gets into trouble, he needs to throw the ball away and not keep twirling in the backfield.

Submitted by Shirley.

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Do The Ravens' Defense Miss Rex Ryan???

Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was a real reality check for the Ravens, particularly the defense. The Ravens gave up over 400 yards of offense to the Bengals, and allowed Chad Ocho Cinco to own the middle of the field. And while S Ed Reed made two spectacular plays to keep the Ravens in the game, it wasn't enough to overshadow penalties and mistakes that ultimately was the seal of defeat for the 3-2 Ravens.

I'm very well aware that the offense didn't hold up their end of the bargain in the Ravens' loss on Sunday, but I want to focus on defense for a sec. The defense of 2009 clearly aren't the Ravens of old. They aren't getting pressure on the QB, their cornerbacks aren't covering well and their star players look like they may have lost a step. The Ravens defense was ranked #2 in 2008, only to be #16 through 5 games in the 2009 season. Many blame defensive coordinator Greg Mattison for not scheming properly and not making adjustments at halftime. While that may be true, I'd like to remind folks that this is a new coordinator and we are only 5 weeks into the season. I'm not ready to write off Mattison just yet.

For those of you that want Jets head coach Rex Ryan to miraculously quit his job come back and come back to the Ravens, that won't happen. One, because of the obvious, he wouldn't be stupid enough to take a demotion. And two, because it's more about the personnel than the coordinator. To prove my point, let's take a look at the Ravens defensive stats during Week 5 as well as the NY Jets' D stats:

Ravens D Allowed- 17 pts, 403 total yards, 142 rush yds, 22 first downs, 5/13 3rd down conversions, 2 turnovers

NY Jets D Allowed- 31 pts , 413 total yards, 151 rush yds ,23 first downs, 9/14 3rd down conversions, 0 turnovers

Now, I'm no rocket scientist, but the Ravens and Jets defensive stats from Week 5 look almost identical. Actually, the Ravens did slightly better because they gave up less 3rd downs, total points and created turnovers. Add the fact that the Jets defense is ranked #15, one spot ahead of Baltimore, and I'd say they're pretty even.

I loved Rex Ryan and the things he could do for this defense. The truth is, that the right now his defense looks no different than the one Ravens fans have seen the past 5 weeks. Would this defense still be dominant had Rex stayed in Baltimore? I think the consensus answer would be yes. But given the talent that he has in NY, and to see similar results, makes you wonder.

The Ravens have a challenge ahead of them, as they will play Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. This seems to be the wrong week to finally right the defensive ship, but I haven't given up hope that this defense can still be a dominate one like the defense in years past. And with Samari Rolle expected to come back soon, the Ravens can possibly fix whatever the problems may be and make enough plays to win games like they once did.

Here's hoping that the REAL Ravens D shows up soon!

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Too Giant for JaMarcus

First, let me apologize for this blog coming two days after the game instead of one. This loss had me in a depression so great by Sunday night the only words I had typed were “yet again”. I even stayed off Twitter once the Giants went up 14-0. I look forward to watching the Raiders play no matter how much they disappoint me. For the past two weeks, I’ve had to TiVo the games because I have school from 9-12 on Sunday. This Sunday, I TiVo the game as well but not to go to school, to go to a pop warner football game. I threw on my Raiders jersey and my Raiders beanie, hit record on the TV and my son, my nephew and I left. The people are looking at me as I find a seat as if I’m crazy but who cares, this is what I do. I end up getting a text from a friend of mine who informs me the Raiders were losing 14-0. I sign onto Twitter and sure enough my timeline is filled with insults to the Raiders. I signed out and didn’t sign back in until Monday. I dint check my updates and enjoyed watching my friends son score a TD for the Crenshaw Colts. Let’s fast forward. I get back home, kick my shoes off, throw on my basketball shorts (Raiders jersey still on) and turn to channel 2 so I can watch the rest of the game live and I see Pitt vs. Det. I hit guide because I’m thinking, ‘I know I didn’t TiVo the wrong damn game’ & sure enough the guide even says Raiders vs. Giants. I turn back to channel 2 thinking that maybe it was just a highlight and it’s Det vs. Pitt. I hurry up and go to 708 to see if the Package channel is blacked out and it’s not. That’s when it clicked in. ‘they have taken us off the air, we were getting our asses kicked that bad that they took us off the air!’ I said out loud to myself. My son says, “You must be talking about your Raiders huh” I couldn’t believe it. I sit down already in a funk that 1. We were taken off the air and 2. We were losing 38-7. I can’t lie to you FAM; I didn’t even watch the half that was TiVo. I couldn’t do it. The half I watched was a testimony to the half that made the heads at channel 2 remove us from the television.

I’ve talked about JaMarcus Russell for the last couple of weeks and will continue to talk about him until he sits down. Russell had 100 yards. YES! This is not a typo. A Quarterback in the NFL only had 100 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw had 110! In addition to his 100 yard game, he had 3 fumbles that all resulted in scores for the Giants. I can’t be mad at anybody but him. I watched a snippet of an interview Coach Cable gave and a reporter asked him how he felt about Russell. He said that he “wasn’t worried about JaMarcus that sometimes you have to put your foot down and say enough is enough. I have to think about the rest of the team” Could this mean what I think it means? Does this mean that Russell will not start or even play for that matter vs. the Eagles? I hope he doesn’t.

7 first downs for the Raiders and 27 for the Giants. 124 total yards for the Raiders and 483 for the Giants. The defense gave up a few plays but they stay on the field longer than the offense does. Across the board we could have played better. We had 7 penalties for 67 yards. Our rushing average was 2.4. Where does this happen? We need to execute these passes. We need to be able to convert 3rd downs. We need more 1st downs. We need more hustle. I fell like the team is being brought down by the lack of leadership and skill Russell has. The rest of the teams goes out and fights for each yard and hustles each play only to be let down by a QB who couldn’t see a blitz coming a mile away. A QB who can’t smell a sack coming until he’s on his way down. This was a day for Oakland. I wouldn’t say it’s because of the loss. For me, it’s the fact that JaMarcus wasn’t benched, not even when Carr got in the game. Eli just sitting back, watching his back-up QB finishes what he started. Russell is just sitting back getting sacked and losing fumbles and not knowing what the hell is going on. I don’t agree with anybody that says the Raiders as a whole are good or that our WR can’t catch and that our defensive is terrible. This job is too big of a responsibility for Russell. He doesn’t possess leadership quality. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t possess football quality period. A good leader can either put his team on his back. A good teammate will sit himself. He is neither and therefore does neither. Jay-Z said it best. Men lie, Women lie but numbers don’t. Our QB isn’t putting up numbers so how else is the rest of the team supposed to. We can’t buy a first down or convert a 3rd down so how do we expect a tired defense to produce? We can’t and I don’t. Like I said we’ll end up 3-13 if Coach Cable doesn’t sit JaMarcus. I’m sure has had enough of this. Raider Nation has for sure.

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Vikings Rammed St. Louis 38-10

Vikes are 5-0 but has three difficult games coming up. Next Sunday at home against Baltimore followed by 2 road games at Pittsburgh and Green Bay before they have their bye. Vikes have taken advantage of the random things that have gone our way. However, whether they'll be lucky in the next game, or over the course of the season, no one can really say. If you look at how many points the Vikes score compared to the offensive yardage gained, we are doing very well compared to most Vikes teams in the past. Also, if you look at the opponents points compared to the yardage they gained against the Vikes, we have come out surprisingly well. The Rams game was a great example, but not the only one this year. Jared Allen Had a TD off of a 52-yard fumble . Kevin Williams 2 QB hurries, a pass breakup, 1 sack, 3 tackles, and 1 tackle for a loss. Favre As a 40-year-old passed for 242 yards and a touchdown. Including a 47-yard completion to Sidney Rice in the 3rd quarter.

Adrian Peterson is still low in carries and rushing I’m not counting him out yet. AP rushed for 69 yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries. Did you see the defender holding on to AP’s face mask…tisk tisk. Nickel back Benny Sapp showed up with his game face on and actually had a very good game 4 tackles, 1 QB hurry and a pass breakup in the end zone. Tyrell Johnson intercepted a pass in the end zone. I’m looking forward to see what Johnson can do in the upcoming weeks. In the past ten years or so, the Vikings have been on the opposite end of this. A good turnover ratio, far better special teams play, and far fewer penalties this year have been major contributors to this improvement in scoring efficiency.

When the Vikings offense is in the Red Zone, they seem to be especially good this year at scoring. And when our defense gets near the goal line, they get especially tough to score on. I wouldn’t care if every team the Vikes played fumbled 1000 times, a fumble, forced or otherwise, still has to be recovered by the DEFENSE in order for it to be a Turnover. I take any opportunity given!


Tight End Visanthe Shiancoe said it best, "We're getting a lot of pats on the back .But 5-0 can turn into 5-11 and we play a lot of good teams coming up."

Until Then..SKOL Vikings

O’neika “The Touring Empress”

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I know why reh dogg sings...

He's probably a Jet fan, and probably thought, like he does every year, that the Jets are going to play well. At least if they don't play well, beat Miami.

And then nights like last night happen. It wasn't the kind of game where it was the horrible play of one person that made it so bad. It was the collapse of a defense that gave up 31 points in one game, after averaging 12.5. There was no answer to the wildcat. No stout defense at the goal line. Just touchdown after touchdown. Two from a quarterback starting just his second game (who by the way, looked much better than Chad Pennington ever did) and two from the running team.

On the surface, it was a great game. A battle that went down to the last second that both teams had the opportunity to win. It was a coming out party of sorts for Braylon Edwards, who had been pretty much run out of Cleveland. Even Thomas Jones got into the act, scoring for the first time in what seemed like forever.
Of course, it was not to be, and the game ended with a bitter loss for the second week in a row. The Jets only claim on the AFC east being that they beat the team they are currently tied with in Week 2.

This too shall pass, and by Sunday I'm sure I'll feel better. And by Sunday I mean November 1st, when the two teams play again.

Meh.


Terita Murphy

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Broncos Crashes Patriots' Party & Birthday Weekend

By Caprice

NFL Week 5, Denver vs. New England, which just so happens to have coincided with my Birthday...perfect! Well thanks to two amazing people in my life I was able to experience it like I hadn't even imagined. Some would love to hit an Island for their big day, but hitting the 20 degree, sometimes snowy Denver weather couldn't even make me crack a frown. After all, that's real football weather, right? I was ready and beaming from the time I touched down!

So I've been trying to figure out my favorite part of Sunday, and since this is a girls blog, I must lead with Tom Brady. To hell with the technical football talk for a moment. Now people say that Tom is attractive, I mean he makes "most beautiful" lists for goodness sakes, but blame it on his PR people or whatever, this man has turned three steps past fine since I first saw him years ago before he was THE "Tom Brady." He walked over to say hello to an old friend, and old teammate, and my woman side went into heavy battle with my football fan side. I'm not sure how many words I actually got out, as I went into full on star struck mode, so unusual for me as I've had the odd fortune of meeting many a celebrity figure and only one other (Obama) left me just as speechless. The girl in me was able to inspect him from head-to-toe in the matter of only one full glance. Tailored grey pinstripe suit (which looked suspiciously like the one from his GQ cover), light brown dress shoes, the chin dimple and that "I didn't take all day with my hair look" that well, is signature Tom. I managed to suppress the back flips I was doing on the inside. He was the Tom u see on TV; ever handsome, ever cool, ever kind, even his subtle sense of humor was present, despite having just lost.

Which brings me back to the game, oh yeah, the game. Last year we blew Denver out 41-7, but this year I didn't feel as though they were such the underdog as everyone predicted. After all, their record was at 4-0 thus far. That's not easily dismissible for a team with a brand new Coach and brand new Quarterback. Something is obviously working for them. I went in knowing this game would be close. I also felt that the Pats old Offensive Coach, now the new Head Coach of Denver, Josh McDaniel's learned from the best and because of that actually had the upper hand. He knows Bill Belichick probably better than most of us onlookers, but how well does Bill know him? That question came into play after the first timeout was called for the Patriots when Denver managed to move the ball down the field a little too quickly for Bill on the first drive of the game. An adjustment was made and the Pats defense came back harder. It was a battle of the minds from that point on.

McDaniel's was triumphant in this game over his teacher, but this game showed the character of football. After I got over the pain of the cheers surrounding me for Denver, so odd for someone used to people ALWAYS cheering for the home team, I saw clearly how big this game was for football. Watching a torch get passed is a tremendous feeling. Bill, of course, is not going anywhere anytime soon, but he provided his undeniable gift to a younger and talented coach in his own right. While I was sad my team lost, this one had a different feel to it. I felt more of a respect and appreciation for the game of football. When I heard later that evening that Belichick who couldn't find McDaniel's directly after the game as he was in the midst of his own celebration, went to the locker room to congratulate his student, I felt a bit of pride for the game. THAT to me is how football should be played, with a sense of respect and love for the game, not just this team or that. I got to witness an amazing game. There were errors on both sides, but I believe each player fought for their respective Coach on every play, every down.

This goes into my mind vault as one of the best football days of my life. We'll save the talk about inconsistencies on our offense and how they managed to blow a 17 to 7 lead for next week. I literally forgot all about those things the minute Tom extended a warm hand and gave me (and my old Daniel Graham Patriots jersey) a warm smile after the game.

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The Somber, yet Sober Squad

That's the best way to describe the Buffalo Bills and their fans. We're somber due to the losses, yet sober because what we witness yesterday was real y'all. We lost to the winless Cleveland Browns, 6-3. I won't even describe the feeling of defeat, just know that it hurts.

If you asked most Buffalo Bills fans are we giving up on our team, they'd say no. Its early, so you keep hope alive, but some where, in the back of you mind, you've written them off. That's a sobering reality. We lost to the Cleveland Browns AT HOME. No touchdowns, just another injured defensive player. *le sigh*

Remember Monday Night football? We lost to the Patriots by 7? I clearly saw that as a moral victory. We'll build on that...that's what I told myself. Then we welcomed the Tampa Bay Bucs to the Ralph and we won. It wasn't pretty but we won. In week 3, here comes the high powered offense of the New Orleans Saints and we play hard. Eventually losing but I like what I saw. So then we traveled to Miami....SMMFH~

Yanno what, I can't even continue. What the hell do I have to write about that will make me feel better about my team? Somewhere, deep down in my soul, a part of me is yelling "Go Bills", I just don't know if I believe it anymore.

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Video: Gridiron Gals Week 5 NFL Picks

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Crabtree Finally Signs

Michael Crabtree has finally signed with the 49ers. It's a six year deal that can be changed to five if he meets certain performance clauses. The rest of the terms haven't been disclosed yet.

Crabtree's signing can be a good or bad thing depending on his attitude. If he gets this "I'm better than where I was picked" thought out of his mind, the players will respect him and be more accepting of him. He needs to move forward from this holdout and prove why he wanted so much money. Singletary will quickly put him in check if he steps out of line. Just ask Vernon Davis.

He will be a great asset to the team because they don't have a real threat at the receiver position. His size and speed are great and if he's fully recovered for his foot injury, he can be an immediate asset. I don't think he'll play until sometime in November. He has to learn the
playbook and get back into football shape. He'll be used sparingly at first until Singletary trusts him enough to give him more plays.

Ashley

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Almost Nekkid

On March 21, 1985 in Palestine, Texas a nude chocolate drop named Adrian Peterson was born...24 years later Vikings running back has been chosen for ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue".

For now we have to take what we can get ladies..."Almost Nekkid" :)

O'neika "The Touring Empress"

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When Will Jauron Get Fired?

This is what the Buffalo Bills' season has come to. Questions and a darn song. The guys over at "The Howard Simon" show is asking what we're all thinking. When will Jauron get fired? I laugh to keep from crying...I can't take this anymore. We got our butts handed to us in Miami. Initially the problems plagued the offensive, but not that game. Our defense couldn't stop a spinning top, let alone Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. I have no answers, only prayers. For all those that love football, say a word for me team. I'm being sincere here.

BTW the new logo is courtesy of ESPN's page 2. How appropriate and its only week 4. *exhales* The life of a Bills' fan.

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Monday Night Football: Vikings 30, Packers 23

I'm very happy that I made my flight...The Metrodome is a tough place to play in, the NFC rivalries there are unexplainable....Noise Level is off the charts, Beer & Food being thrown...Welcome to Viking Country!

After last night’s performance Favre is ranked number 3 in the NFL with a 104.7 rating after 4 games! Only P. Manning and Drew Breeze are ahead of him. They have 9 TD's to Favre’s 8 but he only has 1 interception even after being sacked 9 times. Manning has only been sacked twice, and Breeze 4 times. Both have thrown interceptions. If the O-line keeps playing like they did last night Favre will top the NFL QB rating chart....the first 40 year old to do it. Aaron Rodgers is a gifted quarterback but the problem with the Packers is that they DON’T have a LEADER. Brett Favre is also Leader whether you like it or not. This is an AMAZING time in history. But honestly I want people to get of Favre’s jock, because he has GREAT Teammates. The Offensive line needs to protect Favre to make sure he lasts the entire season. If the offense keys on AP, the short passing will be unstoppable.

Let me point out some very troubling this about last night’s game which are getting glossed over. The Packers drop a TD pass, had their QB sacked 8 times and hit a ton more and scored 23 points, The Vikes got a huge break when a penalty overturned a stupid interception. The Vikes had only 1 penalty on them last night. I didn’t get too excited about last night’s win.

Did anybody notice who caught the passes on the last Packer drives? Backs and Tight Ends.... who is responsible for covering them and where were they? There was nobody within 10 yards when the catches were made. Why were all our linebackers in the game when GB had to pass the ball? Childress is going to get AP hurt if he does not change the play calling. First down? Predictable formation? Kleinsasser might as well come in and hold up a sign saying “Bro’s it's going to AP!" Teams used to have one spy keying on AP; Packers had three. Matthews ripped the football out of AP’s hands & ran it for a 42-yard touchdown. AP was shut down, it was a Grown Man’s game, he didn't have a chance, but the plays kept being called instead of play action and a pass to the Tight End. Some day, I hope to see a fake hand off to AP and then a short pass once he is past the line of scrimmage.

I’m a “Defensive Gal” so Jared Allen had me on my feet Several times! HE led the way with 4.5 sacks. Allen not only forced a fumble in the 1st quarter & sacked Rodgers for a safety in the fourth quarter…it was Déjà-Vu for Rodgers & Allen….Allen sacked Rodgers last year for a Safety. He stepped up for sure.

I'm not completely concerned over the big pass plays. When you put a team in a situation where they can't run the ball, there is bound to be passing yards given up, but that's when the sacks and turn over’s come. Attend and watch even though some of the coaching decisions drove me beyond nuts.

O'neika "The Touring Empress"

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Ooohhh Carolina!!

To describe the Carolina Panthers season outlook in a word – bleak.

The preseason, meant to audition potential new teammates and get the kinks out of the regulars proved to be a four-game display of the incompetence and lack of focus of the first string quarterback, the head coach and the defensive and offensive coordinators.

This is shaping up to be the longest season in the Cats 15-year history. If losing four straight preseason games weren’t enough to start the season, a pair of front office departures and the subsequent firing of defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac.

If that wasn’t enough of a rough start, injuries have been pouring in since the first week of training camp. Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu for the season to a torn Achilles. Linebacker Jon Beason, offensive tackle Jeff Otah, receivers Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammad have all been sidelined at some point this season for injuries that range from twisted ankles to tweaked hamstrings and shoulders.

With all that going on, it’s no wonder the Cats remain winless going into the fourth week of the season. Week 4 is the Panthers’ bye week and fans everywhere are hoping the team is using the off time to regroup and figure out what has gone wrong in the first three games of the season.

Week 1 versus the Philly Eagles turned out to be a disaster ending in a 28-point blowout. Week 2 proved to be better for the Cats against NFC South rival Atlanta, but they still left the Peach State without a win. In Monday Night Football in Week 3, the team worked well together to give the game to Dallas.

Jake Delhomme, looking like the same quarterback from last year’s playoffs, has been unable to connect with Steve Smith or Mushin Muhammad consistently. The one two punch of Jonathan Stewart and D’Angelo Williams has proven to be the team’s saving grace. Sadly, the offensive line has been unable to open up gaps for Williams and Stewart when they care making stupid mistakes that cost the team far too many yards in penalties.

While the offense has certainly done its part to cause the team detriment, the defense has yet to show up in a major way. Franchise player, and my future ex-husband, Julius Peppers has not made much of an impact this season. Peppers has been vocal about his desire to leave Carolina and play in a 3-4 defense rather than the 4-3 Carolina usually runs. Because he was made a franchise player, any team looking to nab Peppers will have to pony up $16 million. So, he won’t be going anywhere until next season.

Unless Carolina starts to make changes soon, the season will be over in a few weeks at the end of the regular season.

The Panthers traditionally start slow, but a winless preseason and a loss of the first three games is virtually unprecedented. As a 15-year fan, it pains me to admit that the only way we’re going to get out of this rut is to light a fire under John Fox and the choke artist Jake Delhomme.

As a diehard fan, I won’t falter during this tough time, but I think we’re in for a long ass season.

Submitted by Smarty Jones.

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Roped by the Texans

September 10th I said the Raiders would go 8-8 and after I looked at the schedule and the 1st week of games, we easily had the talent to go 11-5. Yeah I said it. 11-5. Then week 2 hits and even though we won, I could see that JaMarcus Russell had not developed into the QB we needed him to be and we had to do something about it or it was going to get real bad, real fast. Week 3 it did. I took a look at our upcoming schedule and while I still believe were capable of being 8-8 at the worst, 11-5 at our best, if the coaching staff doesn’t come to its senses, JaMarcus doesn’t get hurt or Al Davis is hospitalized were going to end up 3-13 with our next two wins coming in weeks 10 and 16 courtesy of the Chiefs and the Browns.

We enter week 4 with a QB that has more INT (4) than TDs (1). We enter week 4 with a QB that has 378 total yards and a quarterback rating of 39.8. We face a QB with 7 TDs & 2 INT, 823 total yards with a quarterback rating of 101.9. By looking at these numbers you never would have guessed that the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Texans are tied for 3rd in their respective division. Denver and San Diego are ahead and (Denver record is unbelievable) bringing in last is KC at 0-3. I sat down and hoped that in week 4 we’d have a new game plan. I sat down hoping to see JaMarcus had benched himself. I sat down in hopes that we had made changes to become the team I know we are. I sat down to see one thing….None of that happen. Once again Coach Cable failed at benching JaMarcus and JaMarcus failed at benching himself. This game makes our 2nd game in a row with a terrible performance. 8 first downs, QB is 12/33 3.6ypp. We had 0-1 Red Zone attempts made. 9 penalties for 60 yards and 3 lost fumbles. What the Eff?! All I could do Sunday as I watched the Texans pick us apart was shake my head as our leaders continue to let us crumble. Our defense, yet again, I can’t be mad at. Texans receive, go 7 plays and then we come up with a 3 and out. Texans go 5 plays and we give another 3 and out, defense is back on…you see where I’m going with this? The defense is TIRED! They come out to ball every Sunday and I love them for it, for every effort they give; Huff, Morrison, Nnamdi; Ellis and Seymore. I can’t call their names out enough. Shaughnessy, Ricky Brown and Chris Johnson even showed up Sunday. They just can’t do it alone. They’re robbing my guy Murphy of his catches, Hayward-Bey has to catch balls damn near thrown to the dirt and Watkins is just trying to make it happen. McFadden needs a break.

This is his second week on some bull! We need offensive help, adjustments need to be made and responsibility assumed! It’s no excuse for the Raiders to continue to allow JaMarcus to play. It’s no excuse for JaMarcus not to have discipline on the field. The Quarterback position should be played with a determination, a focus and a drive that makes you just want to get better so your team gets better and also played unselfishly. He doesn’t have the fire and lacks all of the above. He has Raider greats at his disposal and won’t use them. He should be the first one there and the last to leave. Garcia took the words out of my mouth “It’s just right now he’s still young, he has a lot of growth that needs to take place within him from a mental standpoint and a physical standpoint.” You hear that Russell? Did you read it? It’s within you! While I didn’t want Garcia to take Russell’s place because I believe he can be a good QB, I must come to grips with the fact that a good QB is not what we need. We need a great quarterback. Russell is failing mightily. I asked myself last night is this dude trying to be the next Ryan Leaf? Funny because as I read the reports on Russell, he’s already being compared…At this point, it’s up to him. Get ya mind right or get out the lime light!

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Clayton, Clayton, Clayton!!!!

So many components came to the Ravens' loss to the Patriots yesterday. Chris Carr's fumble during opening kickoff. Flacco's INT on the Pats' 9 before halftime. VERY SHADY officiating by Ron Winters and his crew, on both sides. But the one that hurts the most is the dropped pass by Clayton.

First off. Let me start by saying this. I think Clayton is a decent #2 WR. I think he's durable, good to have, and even a nice guy off-the-field. But he's always been an enigma to me. The former Sooner hasn't been too consistent since being drafted in the 1st round by the Ravens in 2005. Sure, he'll have a really good game now and then. But then, some days, I wouldn't even know if he suited up.

During the final drive in the Ravens-Pats game yesterday, Flacco looked to Clayton often, moving the chains. He had a 12 yard catch. Then another for 9 yards. Then another pass to Clayton. Surely he is reliable enough when the game was on the line, right?!

And so here it is, 4th and 3. All or nothing. Go hard or go home, as they say. Flacco throws a perfect pass right to Clayton. Dropped. You could hear a pin drop at that very moment, where I was. Pure and utter disbelief. What just happened??? Why couldn't he catch that??

"It was a perfect ball. I dropped it. I just wasn't able to come up with it, and it cost us the game.

"It hurts tremendously because you want to win the game and you want the ball in a critical situation. To not be able to come up with it is tough."

Damn right it hurts. But prior to the 4th down play, it hurts just as much because the ball was placed right in your right arm in the end zone and you couldn't cradle it in. You couldn't hold on. If that ball is caught, then there is no 4th down. And that may have been the game.

Clayton will learn from his mistakes. In fact, the entire team will. No one expected to go undefeated. A part of growth in football comes from losses. You look at tape, see what you did wrong, and fix it. The Ravens will overcome the obstacles and be a better team. But if I'm hurting, I know they are really feeling the pain from a game that they so easily could have had, starting with that one catch.

Clayton is a good player. It happens, so he'll rebound. Will he ever get the opportunity to win the game again?? Maybe so, but yesterday wasn't his time.

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Face Off: Who Will Win Ravens/Pats And Why

Caprice-
Why will the Pats win this game? Three reasons:

1. Wes Welker, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork and Laurence Maroney are all predicted to return to the game Sunday. This will strengthen the underrated defense even further as well as return another Brady "go to" guy to the offensive lineup. I must admit I'm a tad giddy about the return of Welker!

2. The Running backs (tied in my book with tight ends for favorite position),The Patriots displayed last week why their running game may be seriously underestimated. With the return of Maroney this strengthens the options and opportunities even further. Both Maroney and Fred Taylor (as a Jacksonville Jaguar) have had career high success running against the Ravens.

3. It's very difficult to beat the Pats at home and it's statistically harder to beat them in October. They are 4-0 against the Ravens since they became a franchise back in 1996 (only beating us in a pre-season game last summer), and The Pats themselves are 22-4 in October games since 2003. Add that to the fact that slowly but surely Tom is getting his groove back and will be playing in a back-to-back home game on friendly grass, and that spells definite trouble for the Ravens. We of course know that this is a different kind of Ravens team, but game 4 will probably be their toughest game thus far this season.

So throw on your fave pair of fall boots, pull out your Belichick sweatshirt, pour some cocoa or maybe some wine and cozy up to what will be a great game.

The NFL Chick
I know that I picked the Pats in our weekly video blog. But not by much. If I had to choose pct wise, I would say 51/49, in Pats favor. But the Ravens have every chance to win this game and here is why.

Wacko For Flacco- The Ravens have a legit QB in Joe Flacco. Although this is Flacco's second year, Cam Cameron has taken the training wheels off of Flacco and allowed him to make plays downfield. He has done a great job at getting the ball to open receivers and checking down to the running backs when nothing is available. Flacco is no Brady at this point, but he is completing over 65% of his passes. Brady only at 61%

Pats D' decimated- I know that Belichick is a great coach and I will never take that away from him. But The Pats defense has made a lot of changes from just a year ago. Gone are Harrison, Bruschi, Seymour and Vrabel, not to mention Vince Wilfork and Jared Mayo are banged up. This allows some more time for the Ravens to pick their poison. My guess is, Belichick will take one phase of the offense away and make the Ravens beat them one dimensionally. Their defense is ranked 6th overall but the Ravens have a great, young offensive line that creates running lanes and gives Joe the time he needs to throw the ball. Right now they are clicking on all cylinders, so it's hard to figure out which to shut down, although my guess would be, stopping the run

Ravens D re surging- After giving up over 400 yards the Philip Rivers and the Chargers, the Ravens defense knows they were out of character. I fully expect defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to make adjustments. Last week's game wasn't a good indication of that, since it was against the lowly Browns. But I fully expect pressure on Brady pretty much the entire game.

The Ravens have seen this before. They know that if they give Brady time, he will eat them alive. They have to disrupt the timing on his throws by attacking the middle of the line and making Brady go outside the pocket to make plays. Brady doesn't seem to be 100% confident in his knee, so making him throw out of his comfort zone would benefit the Ravens D, possibly creating turnovers.

This will be a great game to watch, I'm so excited. The sky is the limit on what the Ravens can do right now. If they can finally get a win against NE, this team can become even more dangerous

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Bleeding Blue While Waiting On Me!

Whew! Hello out there! I haven’t written since week 1! Damn I’m such a slacker! I apologize for the inconvenience as I am sure you were bleeding blue waiting on me! LOL

First things first, WOOOOHOOOO! We are now entering Week 4 of the NFL season and the GMEN are 3-0 headed into Kansas City Sunday. We kicked off the season with 2 games against division rivals and won, sorry Skins and Cowboys fans…well not really! All I have to say about the Dallas game is; THEY CALL HIM ELI MANNING!!! Dude was an animal marching the squad down the field in the 4th quarter and putting them in field goal position. However, in both of those games the Giants showed some serious issues scoring in the red zone, or what Coach Coughlin calls “the green zone”. But they seemed to fix some of those issues in Tampa the following week with a shutout in Tampa Bay last Sunday 24-0. After the game Tampa Bay’s coach, Raheem Morris was quoted as saying; “We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. … It wasn’t even close”. Well I think that just about summed that game up. Eli seemed very comfortable throwing to his available receivers and the GMEN rushed for 226 yards with Bradshaw leading with 104 yards on 14 carries. I know some of you on the various message boards have commented on the perceived “tip toeing” of Brandon Jacobs running style in that game, Jacobs spoke about it a day or so ago to the Star Ledger and said; “I definitely feel like I look too much sometimes, Because I understand (the scheme) more and know what it’s supposed to be like. But sometimes you’ve just got to let that go and make one read and go. I understand that, and that could be what it is, and that could be something that could spring me out here this week.” So it sounds like nothing major! Have faith people! The sky is not falling! LOL

So we are moving right along. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here, we all know how an upset can bust on in out of freakin’ nowhere, remember the loss to the Cleveland Browns last year? I don’t think that will be the case in Kansas City this Sunday but it’s always lingering in the back of my mind! But I do believe Sunday SHOULD by all accounts be a cake walk for the GMEN.

Anyway, let’s address the wounded warriors. This is the current NYG injury report:

RB Ahmad Bradshaw - Ankle/Foot

DE Justin Tuck - Shoulder

RB Danny Ware - Elbow

DT Chris Canty - Calf

CB Aaron Ross - Hamstring

WR Hakeem Nicks - Foot

CB Kevin Dockery - Hamstring

LB Clint Sintim - Groin

WR Domenik Hixon - Knee


Looking like a pretty banged up squad right now! However, Bradshaw, Tuck and Nicks are all expected to play Sunday. Dockery and Hixon are still not sure. And apparently Aaron Ross suffered another hold up with his hamstring injury earlier in the week while trying to do some individual drills at practice. I feel bad for this guy, at the same time I am loving how Terrell Thomas has stepped up in Ross’ absence and is doing a damn good job! The Giants are good for doing what they can with who they have and who shows up to play, and thus far I think they’ve been doing a phenomenal job.

Ok so here’s my last little note,…Lawrence Tynes…have you not wanted to dropkick this guy lately?! In the words of my brother P.J., “Dude is gonna lose a game for us this season”. While I would HATE for that to be the case, this guy is soooo shaky and I can actually see that being a possibility, this guy does not have my complete trust and confidence in being able to kick the ball through the uprights consistently. So let’s all collectively hope the special teams coordinator is working out whatever seems to be the issue with Tynes.

To close this blog out on a petty note, (lol) one person who is known for his consistency…Mr. Flozell Adams…who is still trippin’…that sounds like it could be the name to a rap album. LOL



In the words of Ed Lover,


C’mon Son! If you are getting beat, just be beat!

In any event you can’t hold Justin Tuck down!!! So big ups to him for getting out there and playing with an injury!



Alright everybody! Have a Happy and Safe Football Sunday and pending I don’t get to slacking again I will be back with another blog next week! Go Big Blue!!!

Asta La Pasta,
Ryan

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