Entries Tagged 'Analysis' ↓

At this point in the New England-Buffalo game, you’ve probably already changed the channel if you’re a Bills’ fan. Or you’ve clubbed your television set with a baseball bat. Both are very therapeutic.

But on a more serious note — and one that goes beyond the realm of football — there was some fantastic news coming from Kevin Everett himself. Everett, in a statement broadcast on the Jumbotron in Buffalo just before kickoff, thanked the fans and his teammates for the support he has received and noted that his condition is improving.

Everitt suffered a life-threatening spinal cord injury in the first game of the season. But while the injury will keep Everett from every stepping foot on a playing field again, it won’t keep him from doing most anything else: he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Circle your calendar, Oakland fans. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that, according to sources, the Russell-era will begin December 2nd against the Denver Broncos. Evidently, that’s the perfect time.

The Raiders have circled Dec. 2 vs. the Broncos as the likely starting debut for the 2007 No. 1 overall pick, team sources told ESPN.

Russell’s “light came on” a couple of weeks ago, a source told ESPN.

Russell had a great week of practice, then weighed in at 259 on Friday after hovering in the 270s most of the season.

On a 6-game skid, the Raiders have decided that prioritizing the future may be in the best interests of the team, especially after locking up JaMarcus Russell with the largest rookie contract in NFL history — a 6 year, $68 million deal.

Unlike Chicago, where Brian Griese will be replaced by Grossman since the latter’s game-winning performance, Atlanta doesn’t treat quarterbacks based on their latest performances. If they did, Bobby Petrino wouldn’t have proclaimed Byron Leftwich the team’s starter as soon as he’s healthy.

“We made the decision a while back that Byron is the starter and Joey is the backup,” said Petrino after practice. “Right now, it’s just a health issue.”

The move is surprising mainly because Joey Harrington is coming off two consecutive wins, including a week 10 performance in which he posted a 106.6 quarterback rating against the Carolina Panthers. It’s also surprising Petrino told the media before he alerted Harrington.

Bad news for Colts fans: the team that has already been riddled with critical injuries and losses this season (and before it began) may now be missing Dwight Freeney for the rest of the season.

According to ESPN’s John Clayton, Freeney has suffered Lisfranc; one of football’s most dreaded injuries. The Lisfranc fracture is a fracture and dislocation of the joints in the midfoot, where a cluster of small bones forms an arch on top of the foot between the ankle and the toes. Already Freeney was expected to miss several weeks with the injury, but there was hope he’d be ready to return in time for the postseason. Lisfranc injuries typically take months of rehabilitation, regardless of whether surgery is required to repair the damage.

A lot of MVP hype is going to Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and, to some extent, Peyton Manning. All three are leading their respective teams to the postseason and all three are putting up spectacular numbers, with an emphasis on the first two.

But is any one of them the league’s MVP?

Think about this: if Randy Moss didn’t play for New England, Tom Brady wouldn’t be putting up these stratospheric numbers. I don’t think there’s any debate there. But the Patriots would still be a darn good team with a near spotless record (one or two losses, probably).

Do you want to know how good Indianapolis is? They played their worst game of the season offensively, and they still only lost by 2 points. In fact, it came down to a missed field goal by the game’s most clutch kicker.

Anyone out there unsure of this defense?

It held the San Diego Chargers from ever establishing itself, as Tomlinson finished with a 3.6 yard per carry average and Philip Rivers finished with just over 100 yards through the air.

And despite Peyton Manning throwing a very uncharacteristic 6 interceptions in this game, the Colts still dominated the clock from start to finish (time of possession: 36:12). San Diego managed only 11 first downs to the Colts’ 25 and Indianapolis ran 34 more plays.

It might have been one deep pass, but that just might be enough for Grossman to take back his starting spot with the Chicago Bears. A 59-yard bomb to Bernard Berrian meant the go-ahead score for Chicago on a day when neither Oakland nor the Bears could get any offense going and it seemed as if a 6-3 outcome was probable.

But Grossman’s one monster throw of the day — he was 7-14 for 142 yards and 1 score in the game — kept the Bears’ season alive.

“It was unbelievable, something you can’t describe to someone who hasn’t been in that position,” Grossman said. “It’s a great feeling to come in and be able to pull one out.”

The city of Philadelphia is losing patience with Donovan McNabb and the relationship between the two continues to worsen. This is not a city known for its love, not when it comes to sports. These fans are die-hards — the best kind — but there comes a point when you need to relax and not call for a rookie quarterback to replace your franchise quarterback.

But that’s the case. As one’s career nears its end, another is ready to step up (sort of). Kevin Kolb is no Donovan McNabb, at least not yet. His mechanics are still maturing, as is his adjustment to the pro game. Is he ready? No. But fans don’t care. They want to see Kolb step in and lead the team to the promised land.

A blog I enjoy reading recently asked this question. His argument is that “he simply makes too much money to stand around and watch” and “he needs to be on the field.”

The blog actually broke down all aspects of the argument, but those are a couple of the main points. And they make sense. Unfortunately, the Raiders haven’t been effective in pass protection and the team’s discipline on the football field hasn’t been on par with the rest of the NFL. In fact, it’s been much much worse as the team is at the bottom of the league when it comes to committing holding and false start penalties.

We’re through the first 9 weeks of the season and every NFL team has played at least 8 games. It’s been a fun ride so far and one undefeated team remains, one with a vendetta against the rest of the NFL and the talent to go 16-0.

But through the first eight weeks of the season, who has earned the prestigious MVP award? Or rookie of the year? Or coach of the year?

How about worst player? Most disappointing rookie? Worst coach?

They’re all below. Enjoy: