(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 17
(4-4) Baltimore Ravens 7

So the Bengals are 4-0 in their division. Who saw that coming? Joe Flacco was less than his usual efficient self while Carson Palmer aired it out enough to win. The real difference maker was the running game. Baltimore’s Ray Rice only carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards while Cedric Benson garnered 117 yards on 34 carries. Benson definitely grinded it out, but he’s had two 100+ yard rushing days against the Ravens defense. That can’t be ignored. Also hard to miss is that Bengals defense. Yikes.

Continue reading "Joes Final Drive Week 9"

(6-2) Cincinnati Bengals 17
(4-4) Baltimore Ravens 7

So the Bengals are 4-0 in their division. Who saw that coming? Joe Flacco was less than his usual efficient self while Carson Palmer aired it out enough to win. The real difference maker was the running game. Baltimore’s Ray Rice only carried the ball 12 times for 48 yards while Cedric Benson garnered 117 yards on 34 carries. Benson definitely grinded it out, but he’s had two 100+ yard rushing days against the Ravens defense. That can’t be ignored. Also hard to miss is that Bengals defense. Yikes.

Continue reading "Joes Final Drive Week 9"

Continue reading "The Washington Redskins - Offseason Champs In season Chumps"

The first half looked painfully similar to the first half of the Bengals disaster, with Chicago’s defense unable to provide opposition to Kurt Warner and the explosive Cardinal offense. With four first half touchdown passes (two to Larry Fitzgerald), Warner all but obliterated any chance of a second straight win for Lovie Smith. Chicago looked lost defensively, as if they did not expect Larry Fitzgerald to be Warner’s top target. Nice job guys. With Anquan Boldin a late scratch, Fitzgerald caught 9 passes, most of which were 8-12 yards in length. The Cardinals didn’t need Boldin, with Warner finishing the game with 5 TD’s through the air. What didn’t help was losing corner Charles Tillman and safety Al Afalava through the course of the game, leaving an already struggling secondary without key performers.

Continue reading "Bears cant catch up to Cardinals lose 41-21"

Typically it’s reserved for a defending champion, but New England has been targeted for their success over the decade. Hanging a loss on the Pats, even two years after the undefeated regular season, still means a lot.

And to get that win, teams will try everything in order to show they measure up to one of the league’s best teams. That’s why Miami unveiled the Wildcat last year against the Pats. They know the road to the AFC East crown went through New England.

Even though the Dolphins are the defending AFC East champions, and bragged they hold the crown until some team knocks them off, they knew a win over the Patriots supports their boast.

Continue reading "Pick Six Week Nine"

New England signed free agent veteran cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Miami went the younger route and drafted Vonta Davis and Sean Smith.

Being division neighbors means they play almost the exact out of division opponents, save for Denver and Baltimore for the Patriots and San Diego and Pittsburgh for the Dolphins. Otherwise they both play the AFC South and NFC South.

Most of these teams feature large wide outs that are very tough to handle without the proper equipment: Atlanta’s Michael Jenkins (6’4” 217), New Orleans’ Marques Colston (6’4” 225), and Houston’s Andre Johnson (6’3” 225) to name a few.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff Week 9"

Continue reading "Big Daddys Unforgettable Halloween"

Probably the biggest surprise regarding New England’s draft class is that all 12 players made the final roster. Even DT Darryl Richard wasn’t visited by the turk.

It may take one to three years to find out if the whole draft class pans out or which ones get left on the side of the road. But how do the Pats rookies stack up against their peers?

The players have to get playing time in order to make these comparisons fair. It’s really a losing battle as it boils down to five against about 250 rookies. But New England’s newbies compare well overall:

Continue reading "Rookies vs Rookies"

A slew of division match-ups are highlighted in this week’s NFL schedule. First place is up for grabs in the NFC East and one team hopes to avoid falling further behind the Colts in the AFC South. What games should you be watching? Find out in the Opening Drive of week nine!

(4-3) Baltimore Ravens at (5-2) Cincinnati Bengals

With the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers all making a case for their place atop the AFC North, this game will go a long way in deciding the final two. If Baltimore is swept by Cincinnati, they’ll drop back to .500 while the Bengals and Steelers fight it out. The Ravens dominated Denver in the second half of last week’s game, thanks to Joe Flacco’s efficiency with the football. He’ll need a repeat performance if he’s going to keep up with Carson Palmer, who is playing on a Pro Bowl level. Both offenses have depending on a balanced attack, so look for each defense to shut down the run.

Continue reading "Joes Opening Drive Week 9"

Last night I watched one of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries. It was “Without Bias: The Len Bias Story” or something like that. It didn’t blow me away as far as storytelling goes, but it was well done.

Near the end of the program, the documentary quickly reviewed what happened the year Bias died. In 1986, the New England Patriots were stomped by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. The Red Sox blew the World Series against the New York Mets. And though the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship that year, Len’s June death began the 1986-87 season. A season the Celtics were unable to repeat as champions without Bias.

Not mentioned by the documentary was the Boston Bruins. The Black and Gold lost in the Division Semi-Finals in 85-86 and 86-87.

Continue reading "Deep 86-ed"