Football News for Football Nuts

SUPER BOWL 45 takes place Sunday February 6, in North Texas.

Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears by a score of 21-14 to win the NFC title and book their Super Bowl place.

Pittsburgh Steelers overcame the NY Jets by 24-19, to to win the AFC Championship and book their slot at Super Bowl 45.

I pick the Green Bay Packers to win Super Bowl 45.

Green Bay Packers 21 - Pittsburgh Steelers 14

Labels: nfl news, nfl super bowl, super bowl 42

The 2010/11 NFL season officially gets under way with the NFL Hall of Fame Game. This year Cincinnati play Dallas in the season opener. Then we have 4 weeks of preseason football before regular season gets underway on September 9.

Labels: hall of fame game, nfl, nfl news, nfl schedule

Did you see the Seahawks game last weekend? Seattle Seahawks came from 17-0 behind to beat the Detroit Lions 32-20 in what was a great game.
The Seahawks also avoided the embarrassment of being the first home team to lose to the Lions in 25 months.
And how bad are the Lions? Stafford woefully underthrew a pass that Grant picked off at the Seahawks 16. Late in the third quarter, he overthrew 6-foot-5 Calvin Johnson by 5 yards for Hawthorne's second interception, and Seattle scored 25 consecutive points. Johnson caught just two passes for 27 yards in his first game since Oct. 11 following a right knee injury.
Detroit began looking like the same old Lions that have not won a game in 25 months.

Labels: detroit lions, nfl news, seattle seahawks

I was in a coma since October it seems...I was really too busy to blog, I was up to my neck in work. Teaching and correcting homework is tough going. I still got to see lots of NFL games, just didn't blog about them.

Anyways, NFL season is gone by already, and we're into the Playoffs.

Wild Card Weekend

January 3

Atlanta 24-30 Arizona
Indianapolis 17-23 San Diego

January 4

Baltimore 27-9 Miami
Philadelphia 26-14 Minnesota

Divisional Play-Offs

January 10

Baltimore at Tennessee (4.30pm)
Arizona at Carolina (8.15pm)

January 11

Philadelphia at New York Giants (1pm)
San Diego at Pittsburgh (4.45pm)

It'll be interesting to see who makes the playoffs this year with the Giants, Cowboys and Pats out.

Labels: nfl news, nfl playoffs

Grady Jackson of the Atlanta Falcons and Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings are the latest players to be named who reportedly tested positive for a drug on the NFL's list of banned substances.

The trio of defensive tackles and three players with the New Orleans Saints - running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant - have been identified in multiple media reports as testing positive for Bumetanide.

The drug is question is a diuretic which can mask the presence of a number of other other substances including steroids, horse tranquilizers, ecstasy and crack cocaine.

Labels: nfl, nfl news

Brett Favre threw six touchdowns (a career-high ) as the New York Jets beat the Arizona Cardinals 56-35.
Favre completed 24-of-34 attempts for 289 yards and helped the Jets build a 34-0 half-time lead despite being held scoreless in the first quarter.
Favre's sixth TD to Dustin Keller was on fourth down, with the Jets electing to continue the offensive push rather than outrun the clock.

Labels: brett favre, nfl news

Hey folks, here's a quick look at this year's NFL draft:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh's signing of Rashard Mendenhall takes the pressure off quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Monster picks also included Texas' brilliant wide receiver Linas Sweed and Oregon's one-time Heisman hope Dennis Dixon.

Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco's going to be a fantastic NFL quarterback, and Ray Rice and Allen Patrick were both stars in NCAA. Safety Tom Zbikowski and Justin Harper were good picks.

Oakland Raiders

The best running back pick: Darren McFadden. One of the best running backs to come out of college football in years, McFadden will be a star and a NFL Rookie of the Year candidate.

New York Giants

The 2008 Super Bowl Champions picked wide receiver Mario Manningham, and Andre Woodson - one of the best QBs in college football.

Minnesota Vikings

The pick of USCs John David Booty.

Miami Dolphins

Jake Long is a great offensive tackle, also Long's teammate at Michigan Chad Henne.

New York Jets

Vernon Gholston from Ohio State, and Erik Ainge out of Tennessee.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs improved their defence with the signing of giant Glenn Dorsey, they also signed Brandon Flowers (2nd round) and running back Jamaal Charles (3rd).

Washington Redskins

Fred Davis was a superb tight end at USC, and will be in the NFL. Malcolm Kelly was one of college football's best wide receivers at Oklahoma, and Devin Thomas is highly-rated.

Green Bay Packers

Brian Brohm has been one of college football's best quarterbacks in the last two years. Jordy Nelson is a receiver with a superb future, and also Patrick Lee of Auburn.

Atlanta Falcons

Taking Matt Ryan as the top pick was a great draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Sam Baker (2nd round) is superb and Harry Douglas (3rd) is a good wide receiver.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys drafted running back Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

Arizona Cardinals

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Early Doucet at wide receiver.

St Louis Rams

Top pick (and 2nd overall) selection Chris Long.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs took Kansas cornerback Aquib Talib as top pick and receiver Dexter Jackson out of Appalachian State.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills drafted James Hardy, a wide receiver from Indiana.

Carolina Panthers

Dan Connor, Nick Hayden and Jonathan Stewart.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints picked defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis a star at Southern California and Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles were picked DeSean Jackson, one of the college football's fastest wide receivers.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The pick of Florida's defense, Derrick Harvey and also Quentin Groves.

Houston Texans

Houston picked up Steve Slaton in the third round.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals picked just one player Jason Shirley.

That was the highlights from the NFL Draft.

Labels: nfl draft, nfl news, nfl nut

The wait is over; the NFL Draft begins this Saturday:

ROUNDS 1-2: 3-8 p.m. Saturday, ESPN

ROUNDS 3-7: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, ESPN

There could be a few young millionaires ready to step up. First-round picks receive a four-year contract, and the club has the right to exercise the option for a fourth season. For example, the No. 1 pick receives a base salary of $4.01 million, then it moves to $4.32 million, $4.62 million and up to a 30 percent increase for the fourth season. The No. 2 pick starts his rookie season with a base salary of $3.595 million, and it escalates in the same fashion as the No. 1 pick.

Top 15 quarterbacks (from NFL combine):

Player School Ht. Wt.
1. Matt Ryan Boston College 6-4½ 228
2. Brian Brohm Louisville 6-2½ 230
3. Chad Henne Michigan 6-2½ 230
4. Joe Flacco Delaware 6-6 236
5. John David Booty USC 6-2 218
6. Andre Woodson Kentucky 6-4 229
7. Erik Ainge Tennessee 6-5½ 225
8. Kevin O'Connell San Diego St. 6-5 225
9. Josh Johnson San Diego 6-2½ 213
10. Matt Flynn LSU 6-2 231
11. T.C. Ostrander Stanford 6-2 227
12. Dennis Dixon Oregon 6-3 195
13. Colt Brennan Hawaii 6-2 207
14. Paul Smith Tulsa 6-1 208
15. Kyle Wright Miami 6-3 218

Top 15 halfbacks

Player School Ht. Wt.
1. Darren McFadden Arkansas 6-1 211
2. Rashard Mendenhall Illinois 5-10 225
3. Jonathan Stewart Oregon 5-10 235
4. Felix Jones Arkansas 5-10 207
5. Jamaal Charles Texas 5-11 200
6. Chris Johnson East Carolina 5-11 197
7. Kevin Smith Central Florida 6-1 217
8. Ray Rice Rutgers 5-8 199
9. Matt Forte Tulane 6-1 217
10. C. Washington USC 5-11 211
11. Tashard Choice Georgia Tech 5-10½ 215
12. Thomas Brown Georgia 5-8 204
13. Justin Forsett California 5-8 194
14. Mike Hart Michigan 5-8½ 206
15. Ryan Torain Arizona St. 6-0 222

Labels: nfl draft, nfl news

Week 3 NFL scores:

Titans 31 Saints 14
Cowboys 34 Bears 10
Browns 24 Raiders 26
Jaguars 23 Broncos 14
Bengals 21 Seahawks 24
Panthers 27 Falcons 20
Giants 24 Redskins 17
Chargers 24 Packers 31
Bills 7 Patriots 38
Colts 30 Texans 24
Lions 21 Eagles 56
Cardinals 23 Ravens 26
49ers 16 Steelers 37
Vikings 10 Chiefs 13
Rams 3 Buccaneers 24
Dolphins 28 Jets 31

WEEK 4 Schedule: (All Times EST)
Sunday, Sep. 30
Baltimore at Cleveland 1:00 pm
Chicago at Detroit 1:00 pm
Green Bay at Minnesota 1:00 pm
Houston at Atlanta 1:00 pm
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Oakland at Miami 1:00 pm
St. Louis at Dallas 1:00 pm
Seattle at San Francisco 4:05 pm
Tampa Bay at Carolina 4:05 pm
Denver at Indianapolis 4:15 pm
Kansas City at San Diego 4:15 pm
Pittsburgh at Arizona 4:15 pm
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants 8:15 pm

Monday, Oct. 1
New England at Cincinnati 8:30 pm
Open date: Jacksonville, New Orleans, Tennessee, Washington

Labels: nfl news, nfl preview

Here's a quick run down of what we might expect in the 2007/08 NFL season:

NFC North

CHICAO Bears (14-2): Their off-season may look like complacency to most, but subtle additions and subtractions have made this year's squad better than last year's. Safety Adam Archuleta brings experience to a position where youth gave the Bears problems last year and will fit right back into the system he thrived in with Lovie Smith as his defensive coordinator in St. Louis. Darwin Walker, who ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks the last five seasons, will do more than fill in for Tank Johnson, and rookie tight end Greg Olsen gives beleaguered quarterback Rex Grossman another target that can stretch the field. Have faith in Cedric Benson, who was a workhorse for all of his four years at Texas. He can carry the load and has the potential to be better than Thomas Jones as an all-around back.

MINNESOTA Vikings (9-7): You have to like a team that ranked top in the league last year in rushing defense. With a veteran offensive line, they will control the line of scrimmage. What will hurt them the most this year is inexperience at the quarterback position, where Tarvaris Jackson will start in only his second year. Head coach Brad Childress, who was offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles before taking the plunge with the Vikes, thinks he can be as good as Donovan McNaab, and if that means he's on the bench 10 games a season, that's fine with me.

Green Bay Packers (5-11): So the old gunslinger felt like getting his butt kicked for one more season, eh? I can hear the cheers from Halas Hall. The thing is, he could get away with his inconsistent play (a.k.a. oldness) if he had a good running game to brunt the load and move the offense. But they don't. Their run offense is anchored by some guys named Vernand Morency, Noah Herron and rookie Brandon Jackson. Have fun with that, Packers fans. Their defense will be average at best with the 13th-ranked run defense and 17th-ranked pass defense coming back from last season. I would have put them last but the Lions are in this division too.
Detroit Lions (4-12): No matter what ESPN tells you about the Lions being a possible surprise team, don't listen to them. The Lions will be terrible again this year. They took another wide receiver in the first round, though they didn't really have much of a choice with all-world (just like Charles Rogers, right?) Calvin Johnson falling to them at No. 2. But Dre Bly is gone making an already bad defense even worse, and John Kitna is still the quarterback. Last place it is.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (10-6): Losing a hall-of-fame coach is usually a bad thing, but it won't be for the Cowboys. The departure of Bill Parcells means everybody can loosen up a little, mainly prima donna wide receiver Terrell Owens. With a more lax atmosphere, T.O. might actually be good again. Real good again. Rookie quarterback Tony Romo has a year under his belt and isn't holding snaps anymore (stop crying, Cowboys fans). The combination of poise and potential he showed last tells me he's going to have a big big year. Plus, they have man-child DeMarcus Ware and veteran Roy Williams anchoring the defense, putting the Cowboys over the top for me in the East.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-7): The Eagles remind me a lot of the Chicago Cubs the past couple of years. They pour money into a couple of oft-injured superstars they expect to carry the team, who end up getting hurt every year, hampering the team on the field and in the pocketbook. (Damn you, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood!) With the Eagles, those players are quarterback Donovan McNaab and running back Brian Westbrook, and if those players actually manage to stay healthy, then the Eagles are set. But NFL fans know the drill by now: By week six they'll both be on the bench and the Eagles will be struggling for points. They just didn't make enough moves to push the Cowboys for top spot.

New York Giants (9-7): I don't think I've ever seen as much turmoil thrust upon a team from a couple of guys that weren't even suiting up. But with all the noise made by Tiki Barber's new book stating that head coach Tom Coughlin drove him away from the game and defensive end Michael Strahan "contemplating retirement" (he was pissed because he didn't get more money and didn't want to look like a bad guy), the Giants have already gone through their season's worth of adversity without even stepping onto a field. Quarterback Eli Manning has enough weapons and enough chances to have proven himself by now, but has failed to do so.

Washington Redskins (4-12): This team has fallen off the map despite spending oodles of money on players and a hall-of-fame coach. Their offense (20th last year) and defense (27th) weren't any good and haven't gotten any better through off-season acquisitions. Too few moves to correct too many problems. They will be one of the worst teams this year.

NFC West

St. Louis Rams (13-3): While you probably won't see any surprises in the other NFC divisions, the NFC West is a division in flux. The perennial powerhouse Seattle Seahawks aren't as overwhelming as they once were, so the division is open for any one of these teams to take charge. The St. Louis Rams have a high-powered offense with Steven Jackson churning up unbelievable all-purpose yards and veteran quarterback Mark Bulger hitting future hall-of-famer Tory Holt for big gains through the air. The addition of wide out Drew Bennett will only make their offense better. In a division marked by big offenses, the Rams are the best prepared to take the top spot.

San Francisco 49ers (10-6): I've been really impressed with the progression of young quarterback Alex Smith from overwhelmed rookie to poised leader. He will be the key this year for a team with one of the league's best running backs, Frank Gore, coming out of the backfield. If Smith can produce through the air (He should now that the 49ers stole the Seahawks' main aerial weapon, Darrel Jackson.), it will give them the balance to pass up the old guard Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks (9-7): It's not that I think the Seahawks are bad, it's just that they didn't really get any better while the rest of the division was slowly catching up to them. They have health questions with quarterback Matt Hasselback and Shawn Alexander, and they lost their top wide out Darrel Jackson to the 49ers. They will be fighting for a playoff spot and may even make the postseason, but there are too many questions for me to put them back at the top.

Arizona Cardinals (5-11): "They are who we thought they were!" Sorry, I just had to use it one more time before the new season washed away all the memories from last year. Every year I hear about the Cardinals competing for a playoff spot, but I just don't see it. Matt Leinart will be good, and he's got good weapons to throw to, but their offensive line still stinks it up, and without a good line they aren't going anywhere.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (11-5): You wouldn't know it by their week one 41-10 drubbing at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts, but the Saints are far and away the best team in the division. Drew Brees is running an offense stacked with weapons, especially lightning-in-a-bottle back Reggie Bush. With tremendous balance on the ground and through the air, they are sure to put up a lot of points. They just have too much talent, even if it is just on one side of the ball, for the rest of the division to even stay close.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8): It was hard to put a team with this little talent on offense and diminishing talent on defense this high up, but they showed resiliency last season in winning some very close games. Quarterback Chris Simms has shown that he can be a good NFL quarterback before going down last year with a nasty spleen injury (anybody whose had a spleen injury has to have something good coming his way). Cadillac Williams figures to rebound after a down season as well. They'll just miss out on the playoffs this year.

Carolina Panthers (6-10): What's with this team? They're good, they're bad. They're up and down. I'm sick of picking this team to excel and watching them be inconsistent. So I'm putting the hammer down and putting them third in a weak division. Serves them right.

Atlanta Falcons (3-13): What is there left to say? They lost their only viable weapon in Michael Vick to prison, and their solution to a bad receiving core is old man extraordinare Joe Horn. To make it worse, Joey Harrington is now the starter. Gives you the feeling that Michael Vick got the good end of the deal.

Labels: nfl news, nfl preview

For once there's mostly crime in the NFL news headlines.

Check this out:

VICK INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
Atlanta have insisted that Michael Vick's current problems will not derail their pre-season plans.

CULPEPPER FINALLY LEAVES MIAMI
Miami Dolphins have officially released quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

ALLEN SUSPENDED FOR TWO GAMES
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen has been suspended for two games by the NFL.

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST McNAIR
A drink-driving charge against Baltimore quarter-back Steve McNair has been dropped.

RHODES AND COX HIT WITH BANS
Dominic Rhodes and Torrie Cox have been banned for four games for violating substance abuse policy.

COX HIT WITH FOUR-GAME BAN
Tampa's Torrie Cox has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

BEARS WAIVE JOHNSON
Troubled defensive tackle Tank Johnson has been waived by the Chicago Bears.

DOLPHINS' EVANS ARRESTED
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Fred Evans was arrested after a scuffle with police.

JONES TO FACE TWO FELONY CHARGES
Suspended Tennessee Titan Adam 'Pacman' Jones faces two felony charges.

Lots of bad press for the NFL and football in general.

Labels: nfl, nfl news