SB Nation - Matt Birk

Saturday Injury Report: Ravens at Packers

Brandon — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:03:13 -0000

The Green Bay Packers have 11 players on the injury report including a few starters. It's even worse for the Ravens: several starters are among the 15 players listed.

The report includes CB Charles Woodson, QB Aaron Rodgers, and RB Ryan Grant, but all three players fully participated in practice on Saturday and should start on Monday. The most important player listed this week is LT Chad Clifton, who was limited in Saturday's practice, though Mike McCarthy said he did some team reps. I expect Clifton will play, but if he can't then his backup, OL T.J. Lang, is unlikely to play due to a concussion suffered in practice on Thursday. If neither Clifton or Lang were available, I thought LG Daryn Colledge would slide over to tackle, but McCarthy would rather leave Colledge at LG and start either OL Allen Barbre or OL Breno Giacomini at LT. The idea of Barbre at LT, after his disastrous stint at RT, is scary. LB Aaron Kampman is still listed, but there is no chance he'll play after tearing his ACL against the 49ers. LB Jeremy Thompson won't play after he spent Friday night in the hospital due to a neck injury suffered in practice on Friday, but McCarthy expects he'll be fine.

The Ravens have listed four key defensive players: S Ed Reed, LB Terrell Suggs, LB Ray Lewis, and DT Haloti Ngata. Reed wasn't able to practice until Saturday, but he expects to play. Suggs was expected to miss a month, but he said there is a chance he can play on Monday. Lewis might be slowed by his foot injury, but I haven't read anything to suggest he'll miss the Packer game. Ngata will play, but ankle injuries and defensive lineman are bad combinations, so he won't be 100%. The only other players who could miss the game are former practice squad S K.J. Gerard, and former Titans' practice squad player CB Cary Williams. TE L.J. Smith will miss the game too, but I think the Ravens can find a way to replace the 2 catches he's recorded so far this season.

The complete injury list is after the jump.

Player	Pos.	Injury	Saturday Participation	Saturday Status
Allen Barbre	T/G	Ankle	Full Participation	Probable
Brandon Chillar	LB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
Chad Clifton	T	Hamstring	Limited Participation	Probable
Ryan Grant	RB	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Ahman Green	RB	Groin	Full Participation	Probable
Aaron Kampman	LB	Knee	Out	Out
John Kuhn	FB	Hand	Full Participation	Probable
T.J. Lang	G/T	Concussion	Did Not Participate	Questionable
Aaron Rodgers	QB	Ribs	Full Participation	Probable
Jeremy Thompson	LB	Neck	Out	Out
Charles Woodson	CB	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable


Player	Pos.	Injury	Saturday Participation	Saturday Status
Matt Birk	C	Ankle & Elbow	Full Participation	Probable
Prescott Burgess	LB	Shoulder	Full Participation	Probable
Joe Flacco	QB	Concussion	Full Participation	Probable
Jared Gaither	T	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
K.J. Gerard	S	Shoulder	Limited Particpation	Questionable
Jarret Johnson	LB	Not Inj. Related	Full Participation	Probable
Ray Lewis	LB	Quadricep	Full Participation	Probable
Le'Ron McClain	RB	Not Inj. Related	Full Participation	Probable
Haloti Ngata	DT	Knee	Limited Particpation	Probable
Ed Reed	S	Back	Limited Particpation	Questionable
L.J. Smith	TE	Shoulder	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Terrell Suggs	LB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Kelley Washington	WR	Knee	Full Participation	Probable
Cary Williams	CB	Knee	Limited Particpation	Questionable
Demetrius Williams	WR	Knee	Full Participation	Probable

Week 11 Colts-Ravens Friday Injury Report

shake n bake — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:07:49 -0000

Colts

OUT: Kelvin Hayden, Anthony Gonzaelz, Adam Vinatieri, Aaron Francisco, Dan Federkeil,

Questionable (days of pratice): Dwight Freeney (1), Antoine Bethea (0.5), Eric Foster (1), Pierre Garcon (2), Gijon Robinson (0), Jim Sorgi (0),

Probable: Hank Baskett, Justin Snow

Colts.com

Ravens

OUT: DE/OLB Terrell Suggs, RB Matt Lawrence

Questionable: TE Todd Heap (no practice), DT Haloti Ngata (limited all week)

Probable: C Matt Birk, LB Tavares (T-Good) Gooden, QB Joe Flacco, LB Jarrett Johnson

BaltimoreRavens.com

Ravens/Colts Friday Injury Report

Bruce Raffel — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:57:50 -0000

Below is the final injury report and game status for both the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts for Sunday's key matchup. Looks like a long list of questionable players on both sides, but Indy's list is a lot longer than ours. Perhaps that's part of the reason that Indy is only a one point favorite over our Ravens, when it appears that the undefeated Colts should be at least a six or seven point road favorite based on this year's record, much less their recent success against us.

	A	B	C	D
1	INJURY REPORT - BALTIMORE RAVENS vs. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
2		SUNDAY, November 22, 2009
3
4
5
6
7	*WEDNESDAY*	*THURSDAY*	*FRIDAY*	*GAME STATUS*
8	*OUT*	*OUT*	*OUT*	*OUT*
9		RB Matt Lawrence (knee)	RB Matt Lawrence (knee)	RB Matt Lawrence (knee)
10			LB Terrell Suggs (knee)	LB Terrell Suggs (knee)
11
12	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	*DOUBTFUL*
13	C Matt Birk (neck)	TE Todd Heap (chest)	TE Todd Heap (chest)
14	TE Todd Heap (chest)	LB Terrell Suggs (knee)
15	RB Matt Lawrence (knee)
16	LB Terrell Suggs (knee)
17
18	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	*QUESTIONABLE*
19	DT Haloti Ngata (ankle)	DT Haloti Ngata (ankle)	DT Haloti Ngata (ankle)	TE Todd Heap (chest)
20				DT Haloti Ngata (ankle)
21
22
23	*FULL PARTICIPATION*	*FULL PARTICIPATION*	*FULL PARTICIPATION*	*PROBABLE*
24	QB Joe Flacco (knee)	C Matt Birk (neck)	C Matt Birk (neck)	C Matt Birk (neck)
25	LB Tavares Gooden (head)	QB Joe Flacco (knee)	QB Joe Flacco (knee)	QB Joe Flacco (knee)
26	LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder)	LB Tavares Gooden (head)	LB Tavares Gooden (head)	LB Tavares Gooden (head)
27		LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder)	LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder)	LB Jarret Johnson (shoulder)
28
29
30
31
32
33
34	*WEDNESDAY*	*THURSDAY*	*FRIDAY*	*GAME STATUS*
35	*OUT*	*OUT*	*OUT*	*OUT*
36				OT Dan Fedrkeil (concussion)
37	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	*DID NOT PARTICIPATE*	DB Aaron Francisco (ankle)
38	WR Hank Baskett (illness)	DB Antoine Bethea (foot)	OT Dan Fedrkeil (concussion)	WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee)
39	DB Antoine Bethea (foot)	WR Austin Collie (not injury related)	DB Aaron Francisco (ankle)	DB Kelvin Hayden (knee)
40	OT Dan Fedrkeil (concussion)	OT Dan Fedrkeil (concussion)	WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee)	K Adam Vinatieri (right knee)
41	DT Eric Foster (back)	DT Eric Foster (back)	DB Kelvin Hayden (knee)
42	DB Aaron Francisco (ankle)	DB Aaron Francisco (ankle)	TE Gijon Robinson (concussion)	*DOUBTFUL*
43	DE Dwight Freeney (not injury related)	*DE Dwight Freeney (hip)*	QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder)
44	WR Pierre Garcon (ankle)	WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee)	T Tony Ugoh (NIR - rested)
45	WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee)	DB Kelvin Hayden (knee)	K Adam Vinatieri (right knee)	*QUESTIONABLE*
46	DB Kelvin Hayden (knee)	TE Gijon Robinson (concussion)		DB Antoine Bethea (foot)
47	TE Gijon Robinson (concussion)	QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder)		DT Eric Foster (back)
48	LS Justin Snow (elbow)	K Adam Vinatieri (right knee)	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	DE Dwight Freeney (hip)
49	QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder)		DB Antoine Bethea (foot)	WR Pierre Garcon (ankle)
50	K Adam Vinatieri (right knee)			TE Gijon Robinson (concussion)
51			*FULL PARTICIPATION*	QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder)
52	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	*LIMITED PARTICIPATION*	WR Hank Baskett (illness)
53			WR Austin Collie (not injury related)
54	*FULL PARTICIPATION*	*FULL PARTICIPATION*	DT Eric Foster (back)	*PROBABLE*
55		WR Hank Baskett (illness)	DE Dwight Freeney (hip)	WR Hank Baskett (illness)
56		WR Pierre Garcon (ankle)	WR Pierre Garcon (ankle)	LS Justin Snow (elbow)
57		LS Justin Snow (elbow)	LS Justin Snow (elbow)
58	Limited Participation is less than 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions.
59	Full Participation is 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions.
60	Not Injury Related applies to situations in which a player is withheld from his normal repetitions for reasons other than injury.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:30:25 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

about 1 month ago: Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb, left, carries the ball for a touchdown as Denver Broncos safety David Bruton pursues during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, if you can manage one. Welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Well, this was bound to happen, right? Since Sunday afternoon, I have been thinking about what the right tone is to take with this week's ST&NO. I still haven't decided, and it's Monday at 5 PM as I write this paragraph. I guess I am just going to go with it, and play it like it feels. We had an ugly loss, and to top it off, there were only 4 late games, and no Sunday night game, so I didn't see a lot of live football, at all. We'll make do, because that's all we can do. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire y'all. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. The two plays which set the tone for yesterday's game happened at the beginning of each half. On the Broncos' first play from scrimmage, Jarret Johnson came in untouched and unrecognized off the defense's left side, and creamed Kyle Orton for a big loss. As I watched the play happen, I couldn't help but think that the Broncos may not be well-prepared if they weren't expecting a lot of blitzing.

As the second half got underway, Lardarius Webb took the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a TD. That took a manageable 6-0 halftime deficit to 13-0, and essentially dictated that the Broncos start playing come-from-behind football. You see the picture of this play, and I used it because it sticks in my craw (whatever a craw is), and I want it stick in yours, too. I guarantee it bothers the coaches and players. You can't have that happen and expect to win.

The final score, 30-7, sounds like a blowout, but this game wasn't really that. This game swung on field position, and third-down performance, which was directly driven by down-and-distance situations. The Ravens made key plays on 3rd down, and the Broncos missed opportunities to make those plays.

There's an offensive concept called staying on schedule, and it means that from first and 10, you get to 2nd and 6, and then to 3rd and 2. All your down-and-distance situations are manageable if you stay on schedule. It's a really good thing to do every game, but it's absolutely imperative against a team like Baltimore, which can bring a bunch of overload pressure and force a QB to either throw way short of the first down or eat the ball.

Actually, the Broncos did a great job throughout the game with first-down defense, and getting Baltimore off schedule themselves. The Ravens, though, led by Joe Flacco, made enough plays to negate those early-down advantages.

The world didn't end, and all we can hope is that some lessons are learned from the experience by the players and coaches, and that those lessons are applied to future situations. Sometimes a loss is a growth opportunity, and I think that there is a solid reson to think that this loss was one of those.

2. Information From My Eyes. Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens:

a. I thought Mitch Berger was awul on Sunday, despite Josh McDaniels' charitable comments about his performance. Hang time is fine, but I want changes in field position. The Broncos lost the field position game the whole first half, in large part because of bad punting.

b. I disliked the offensive game plan and the play calling. The 3rd-and-5 sweep for Correll Buckhalter on the second series is an example. I thought there were too many screens against a team which clearly came to stop the screen. I wanted to see more use of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal agains the Baltimore CBs, and I am perplexed as to why we didn't get more of that.

c. I was really pleased with the way that Mario Haggan was consistently setting the edge in this game. He has a physical style of play which is perfect for the position he plays. It's pretty shocking that he was basically a special teamer only in Buffalo, because he's a top-notch 3-4 OLB.

d. I don't blame Knowshon Moreno very much for the fumble (this time). That play was doomed from the start, with Jarret Johnson forcing a high throw and tough catch, and Moreno turning right into a thumping from Ed Reed.

e. Andra Davis is playing at a Pro Bowl level this season, when he is on the field. He plays downhill all the time and has a great sense of timing with the snap count. The great thing about him is that he seems to be cool with coming off the field on 3rd downs, and letting Wesley Woodyard play the long-yardage situations, which Woodyard's much better suited for.

f. There was a lot of dancing by Brandon Marshall on his four catches. I'd like to see him get upfield quicker after the catch. I'd also like to see him use his physicality to get open on some downfield stuff.

g. I was tired by 10:30 Monday night, when I re-watched this game, so I didn't tally anything, but anecdotally, the screen game was a complete disaster on offense for the Broncos.

h. Kyle Orton had two easy interceptions dropped in this game. One was on a play where he got crushed and the ball came out weakly, and the other was a terrible decision, with Jarret Johnson sitting in an underneath zone, and Dawan Landry right behind him. Orton needs to play better than he did Sunday, like the rest of the offense.

i. With the score 16-7 early in the 4th quarter, the Broncos had Baltimore in a 3rd and 12 near midfield. On consecutive plays, Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid jumped offsides. On the resulting 3rd and 2, Flacco escaped pressure and made a downfield throw to Derrick Mason. This basically ended the game, because soon after, Mason scored to make the score 23-7.

j. Renaldo Hill looked out of position on the aforementioned Mason TD. Andre' Goodman had outside leverage on the play, with good coverage, really, but Hill never got over the top to help him. He may have seen something that kept him in the shallow middle; but it was a bust, clear as day, because Brian Dawkins played the coverage like he had a deep half on the other side. Credit Flacco for seeing the blown coverage and making a perfect throw.

k. From the Ravens' side, I liked their use of the no-huddle stuff, and their attempts to vary tempo. The Broncos substitute very liberally, and are one of the most package-intensive defenses in the NFL. By having to hesitate on substituting at times, they assumed a disadvantaged position against the Ravens. Really, I think that the lack of freshness of some players, who had larger than usual workloads, is a lot of what got them in the 4th quarter.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. As I mentioned, I didn't see a lot of other live games, since most ran at the same time as the Broncos game. To make up for that, I recorded some Short Cuts Sunday night, and hurried home from Day 1 of month-end close Monday to watch them. I started with the Jets and Dolphins, and my first (Nearsighted) Observation is that the Jets played a dominant game on defense, which surprised me a little. I thought they'd miss Kris Jenkins a lot more than they seemed to, especially with all the Wildcat stuff going on. The Jets held the Dolphins to 104 total yards, 52 each passing and rushing.

b. It's really something to score 30 points with 104 yards of offense. Jason Taylor got a fumble recovery for a TD and Ted Ginn returned two kickoffs. I have highlighted Ginn's lack of suddenness before - but let me tell you, when he gets going, he's as fast as anybody in the NFL. He outran players who had good angles on both TD returns. He may never be a top WR, but he's elite as a kickoff returner.

c. I think Thomas Jones is the most underrated player in the NFL. He started slow in the NFL, largely due to his being drafted by a horrible Arizona Cardinals team, but once he got it going in Tampa Bay, he's been a consistently productive player. He's on pace for 1,400 yards and 14 TDs this season, and is a big part of the Jets' success on offense.

d. The most overrated player has to be Jason Peters, just ahead of Alan Faneca and Flozell Adams. The bloom is mostly off the Faneca and Adams roses, at this point, but Peters still gets a lot of love from the MSM. I have just seen him get beat too many times the last two years, and the jury is in for me. He looks like he'd make a good Right Tackle, but on the left side, he gets beaten constantly by quick pass rushers. Osi Umenyiora owned him several times on Sunday.

e. DeSean Jackson is already a great player, and he's improving. He needs to be played physically, because if you let him run free through a defense, he's going to shred you. He's not really a true number-one receiver, who's going to defeat double coverage, but he's a dynamic outside guy.

f. The Eagles have a pretty fearsome passing game, when their line isn't getting Donovan McNabb sacked. Jeremy Maclin is having a solid rookie year, but I'm especially impressed with Brent Celek, who does a great job of catching the ball in traffic. He's now on pace for over 1,000 receiving yards this season. Celek isn't much of a blocker, really, but he even had a good hold that didn't get called on Sunday, helping spring Leonard Weaver's long TD run.

g. ST&NO favorite Alex Smith had a pretty nice game on Sunday against Indianapolis. He looks really comfortable in the shotgun, and led a great hurry-up TD drive at the end of the first half. For his part, Smith looked good for most of the game. The 49ers offense just repeatedly found ways to take bad penalties or give up sacks, (especially in the second half, after Joe Staley got hurt), which kept stopping the offense. Smith is showing a good rapport with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, who looks like the real deal, already, two weeks into his career.

h. Peyton Manning was a little off on Sunday with his deep ball. That happens so infrequently that I thought it was worth highlighting.

i. I still can't figure out why the Colts cut Ed Johnson a couple weeks ago. They're very vulnerable to the inside running game without him. The Colts brass said the release was performance-related, but I don't buy that for a second. Johnson was definitely their best DT.

j. Very interesting news Monday evening that the Chargers had released Chris Chambers. He has been struggling to get the separation he used to get, but waiving him seems like a pretty extreme measure. You can't tell me that he couldn't beat nickel or dime CBs against most teams. I'd be very surprised if he isn't on a new team very quickly.

k. The Raiders had a legitimate shot to drive to a tying TD and 2-point conversion in the final minutes of Sunday's game against the Chargers. Then, something completely emblematic of the Raiders happened. Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey lined up on the offense's right side, and both ran vertical routes against man coverage. The inside receiver released outside of the DB covering him, and the outside receiver released inside. They bumped into each other, and both fell down. JaMarcus Russell had nowhere to throw the ball and got sacked, despite a 7-step drop and max protection on the play. The game was functionally over at that point.

l. Aaron Rodgers got beaten up mercilessly again on Sunday, particularly early in the game. I actually thought T.J. Lang was generally pretty solid at LT, but Jared Allen still got 3 sacks. He now has 7.5 sacks in 2 games against Green Bay this year, which is like giving him a handicap in the sack race with Elvis Dumervil.

m. I really thought that Arizona had gotten their act together, but they got hammered by Carolina on Sunday. They went into the game with the number-one run defense in the NFL, and then got run over by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. I think it was an aberration, but that remains to be seen.

n. I've never liked Matt Ryan's arm much, and Monday night reinforced that feeling for me. Because the Falcons have a below-average line in pass protection, they max-protect a lot, leaving few receivers in the pattern. If the coverage is tight, as it was Monday, Ryan always seems to struggle to make throws to beat the coverage. He's really not too dissimilar to Kyle Orton in that way, though Orton throws the ball with more velocity. Ryan needs to have a lot of options, where he can pick a guy who is open. For that reason, Atlanta needs to focus on building their offensive line. Sam Baker, particularly, isn't good enough at LT, and would make a better LG. Baker got annihilated by Will Smith throughout Monday night's game.

o. My man Thomas DeCoud was at it again for the Falcons on Monday night. He had a sack that forced a TD in the first quarter. This guy is a big-time young player.

p. Jeff Triplette is the worst referee in the NFL, and it's not even close. He just couldn't figure out the clock on Monday night, and he has no command with the crowd. It always seems like he lets them rattle him. When you're a referee, a sheepish smile is a bad thing. You need to command the stadium, like Ed Hochuli and Mike Carey do. Gene Steratore is a good younger referee, too.

r. Marques Colston is having a fantastic year for the Saints. Prior to this year, I've always thought of him as a fairly-average starting WR who has benfitted from strong QB play, and a friendly system. I really see him winning a lot of one-on-one battles with his physicality now. He was targeted 6 times Monday night, and made 6 catches for 85 yards and a TD. He really battled for the ball on a few of those catches, including the TD.

4. Between The Lines, Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

a. The Broncos had a very bad day in protection, and there's no way to sugarcoat that. The Ravens blitzed more often than what it seemed the Broncos were prepared for. Ryan Clady got beaten twice, which is twice more than usual, and got Orton hit. He was otherwise his normal self. The rag-doll was Ben Hamilton. I am getting tired of writing that every week, but if he's going to get his butt kicked, I'll keep writing it. Old friend Trevor Pryce destroyed Hamilton all game. Casey Wiegmann had his worst game of the year too, with Kelly Gregg beating him more often than not. I was pleased with Chris Kuper's play against Haloti Ngata, and I thought Tyler Polumbus did a very nice job filling in for Ryan Harris. The Broncos got Orton sacked twice (once by a DB) and pressured many more times than that. The passing game was a clear win for the Ravens defensive line.

b. The running aspect was actually better for the Broncos. They picked up a couple of 3rd and shorts, which was nice for a change, and generally held the line of scrimmage, and got a bit of surge against an excellent group for Baltimore. The only notable running play which was blown up was the 3rd-and-5 sweep. I liked the work of Clady and Kuper, and everybody was actually pretty solid in the running game. The Broncos only ran for 3.5 yards per carry - but against Baltimore, that's pretty solid. This was a draw, but one the Broncos would have been happy with if they'd protected better.

c. The Broncos did a good job pressuring Flacco throughout the game, and were beaten by some great throws and poise. These things happen. Jared Gaither held Elvis Dumervil repeatedly, but he didn't get penalized, so kudos to him, if he likes granola bars. Ben Grubbs and Michael Oher, the two best players on the Baltimore line, had good days, and the two weakest, Matt Birk and Chris Chester, didn't so much. A lot of the Broncos' pressure came from the Back 8, which is typical of them. The Ravens allowed a lot of pressure, but much like Ben Roethlisberger, Flacco showed a really good ability to evade the pressure, and make plays in spite of it.

d. The Broncos defense won big in the running game, until the last 10 minutes of the game, when it seemed like they wore down. The Broncos had 10 tackles for loss, which is the kind of performance that typically wins games. Unfortunately, Flacco's big plays negated a lot of this good work. When you consider it separately though, the Broncos won this battle for most of the game. Notable Broncos were Ronald Fields, Kenny Peterson, and Marcus Thomas. Ryan McBean got some penetration too, and Le Kevin Smith made a good play, also.

e. Overall, you have to give an edge to Baltimore, for how well they pressured Kyle Orton. It was the primary reason the Broncos never got untracked on offense. The Broncos did a more-than-respectable job in the other phases, though.

5. Word broke on Monday that the Browns had fired General Manager George Kokinis. I really can't imagine why they'd want to do that. Reportedly, Randy Lerner is displeased that Kokinis didn't take an active role in speaking to the media and communicating to the outside world. If that's really the problem, then I think it's clear that Lerner doesn't get professional football. During the season, the GM needs to be quiet and let the Head Coach be the voice of the team. This is the way it works everywhere, even a place like Baltimore, where GM Ozzie Newsome is the top football guy in the organization. That's where Kokinis came from.

Here in Cleveland, the Browns organization is really far too worried about public opinion. Remember how the Broncos organization ignored the DP message boards all offseason, and then the booing at the scrimmage? You have to do that, or you'll never get going in a coherent direction. I don't know if the Mangini plan is the right one, but it seems that Randy Lerner just canceled it before it even had half a season to work. Rumor has it that Lerner is trying to bring in Ernie Accorsi to join Bernie Kosar as a consultant. As respected as Accorsi is, this sounds like Lerner already blew the situation.

Phil Savage, who is still being paid for the next 3 1/2 years, had some interesting comments this past week. He said that the previous regime left this one with two quarterbacks, and that both of them look ruined at this point. The Browns will almost certainly be in the drafting-a-QB business again this coming spring, and that typically signals another full deep dive into rebuilding. While they're at it, they need a right side of the offensive line, two RBs, a WR, and a TE. Then they can turn their attention to the defense, which is currently solid enough to be part of a .500 team.

The team, led by Lerner, needs to definitively figure out what they want to be. They need to then formulate a plan to become that, and start executing the plan. Most importantly, though, they have to try to clearly articulate that plan to their stakeholders, and then prepare to stick to that plan, no matter what Joe in Berea, or Stanislaus in West Park have to say on the radio. You have to build your program, and winning will follow. As we all know, winning is the great deodorant.

More month-end closing activities are ahead for me this week. It seems like just last week I was closing September and complaining here about how busy I am. Now, it returns. The good news is that I will have a full Sunday of game-watching and channel-flipping next weekend, so expect a more-robust set of games which I'll be commenting on. Have a great week, friends, and remember to visit MileHighReport.com every day, for all your Broncos news and analysis.

Who will Win Purple Bowl IV?

ericj69 — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:11:45 -0000

I know I've been posting pictures of gorgeous women in this space the past few weeks. But when you talk about purple this much, you better give Grimace his props...or else. (Don't worry guys, the T&A pic just got pushed to after the jump. Grimace won't look there.)

View full size photo »

Mmm...purple.

In what's sure to make Paul Lukas of ESPN Page 2 and Uni Watch fame start dry heaving, the two purplest teams in the NFL will do battle on Sunday at the ~~PurpleDome~~ Metrodome. Wait, sorry, I better be official here--The Mall Of America Field at The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. (Ugh.)

Yes, there will be enough of The Color Purple on the field to keep Oprah, Prince, and even Grimace satisfied as the Ravens and Vikings meet for the fourth time ever and the first time in Minnesota. But which shade of purple will shine brighter on Sunday?

It doesn't take much analysis to see that these two teams share a lot more than jersey colors. Both teams have run-first offenses that have just started to enjoy the luxury of an effective passing game this year. Brett Favre and the Vikings receivers are finally the compliment that we've been looking for to The Best Player in the NFL Period. On the other side, Joe Flacco has made a meteoric leap in his sophomore season to compliment the three-headed Ravens RB monster of Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and LeRon McClain.

And of course, both teams have perennially excellent defenses that give offensive coordinators nightmares.

Wait a second...are we sure about that? Or are the Minnesota and Baltimore defenses getting by more on reputation than results?

It seems blasphemous to even mention, but maybe the defenses of the Vikings and Ravens aren't exactly carrying their teams these days. As far as yardage goes, the Ravens are 10th and the Vikes are 14th in the league so far. Both are still top 10 against the rush, but not in the top 3 like they have each been the past three seasons. The Vikings are 18th against the pass, which isn't too surprising since we're usually in the bottom half there. But the Ravens are currently 26th against the pass in 2009. That's one spot behind the Rams! I don't put too much emphasis on yardage numbers in the NFL, but any time you're behind the Rams in anything, it ain't good.

For the Vikings, it isn't all about the yardage. I know the Ravens have a lot of people that can hurt you, but I'm most afraid of Todd Heap this week. Why? Because the Vikings have made every tight end they've faced so far look like 1996 Shannon Sharpe. There have been times this season where the Vikes D has left the opposing tight end with so much space that it looks like he just he just cleared the room with a fart. They also just gave up 27 first downs and 400 yards to the Rams. Any time you allow the Rams to do that, it ain't good.

Baltimore's once-indestructible defense has been just pretty good in 2009. Their cornerbacks have looked more like turnstiles on some plays, and their lack of pressure is allowing opposing teams to move down the field. Maybe they're still getting used to Greg Mattison's new defense compared to Rex Ryan's former blitz-wacky scheme; maybe they're just a year older and a touch slower.

As for ~~God's Linebacker~~ Ray Lewis: I believe he is without a doubt the best defensive leader in the NFL today, but he's nowhere near an elite player any more. Ray-Ray makes everyone around him better; it shows when he's the last one in on a gang tackle and celebrates like he made the play all by himself. If it wasn't for his leadership, all his teammates wouldn't have been in the right place to make the tackle a full three seconds before he got there!

(Ray, if by some off chance you're reading this, I'm just kidding around. No need to "obstruct any justice" on me OK?)

That said, the Vikes are still 5-0 and the Ravens are still a respectable 3-2 (and could be 5-0 with a little help from those stinkin' refs, or a little more discipline on defense, depending on who you ask). Both teams are elbow deep in the playoff hunt. Heck, before the season, Ravens-Vikes was my Super Bowl matchup. (Now? Gun to my head, I'd have to choose The Manning Bowl. But there's still plenty of season to be played. Oh God, did I just say "gun to my head" a paragraph after making fun of Ray Lewis?! Let's move on, quickly!)

(More analysis and my Week 6 picks after the jump)

In the end, I see these teams pretty darn even both chromatically and personnel-wise. I think this game comes down to one of my favorite time-honored football cliches: whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins. It's no coincidence that the Vikings are undefeated and happen to lead the NFL in turnover margin. Contrast that with the silly mistakes and late meltdowns that the Ravens have endured the past two weeks, and I like MY purple team to win on Sunday. Unless of course Matt Birk memorized the entire Vikings playbook and recites it perfectly to the Ravens coaching staff. Which is entirely possible, because Matt Birk went to Harvard. (Welcome back Matt!)

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't keep with my weekly theme of posting barely-football-related gratuitous pictures of women in my article. After all, the Vikings are undefeated when I do so, and I'd hate for us to lose just because I didn't do my part!

As most of you know, when the original Nordic Vikings would conquer a foe, they would routinely burn their land and steal their women.

After our modern-day Vikings conquer Baltimore on Sunday, and after viewing this picture of the Ravens cheerleaders, Baltimore can just keep their land as far as I'm concerned. (Besides, I watched "The Wire". That city scares the living bejeezus out of me.)

Prediction: VIkings 27, Ravens 23

As for the rest of my Week 6 NFL picks, hitting at 40 games over .500 in 2009 (home team in CAPS):

Texans over BENGALS: Boom! Upset alert right out of the gate! This has Letdown Game written all over it for Cincy. And if any franchise knows how to do letdown the right way, it's the Cincinnati Bengals.

PACKERS over Lions: Of all the atrocious teams in the NFL this year, at least Jim Schwartz has the Lions giving a shit. And if I happen to get this pick wrong, I wouldn't give a shit. Actually, I'd be thrilled.

JAGUARS over Rams: I'd rather stand nude in the Sahara Desert for three weeks straight with no suntan lotion and then put on clothes made entirely of burlap than watch this game.

Giants over SAINTS: Game of the Year so far. Basically the Anti-Jags/Rams game. I'm picking the G-Men here because I like their defense more than the Flying Sharpers.

STEELERS over Browns: My Eliminator pick of the week, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Even though the Browns are flying high from their thrilling 6-3 shootout over the Bills last week with Derek Anderson setting single-game passing records (the bad kind), they're still Cleveland.

Panthers over BUCCANEERS: Hey, someone has to win. Although both teams will try very hard not to.

REDSKINS over Chiefs: Yes, the Skins are playing their sixth consecutive winless team. And I thought the Vikes had an easy schedule so far! Too many people picking the Chiefs to upset here, so I'll stick to the more offensive Native American stereotype.

Eagles over RAIDERS: The Raiders have become officially too easy to make fun of. If Al Davis was still alive, he would never let this happen.

SEAHAWKS over Cardinals: After the 49ers crapped the bed last week, the NFC West is officially back up for grabs! This is kind of like saying that Tori Spelling is back on the market. Sure, I guess it counts for something, but I wouldn't really get excited about it.

PATRIOTS over Titans: I have an exclusive transcript of the Titans Radio broadcast...from the FUTURE! Here's a sample of Sunday's broadcast:

"Vince Young now under center, Titans down 28-10, early 4th quarter...Young drops back...scanning the field...throws it up for grabs...PICKED OFF!"

JETS over Bills: At this rate, Buffalo residents will help pack the trucks for the Bills' inevitable move to Toronto.

FALCONS over Bears: The Falcons looked waaaay too good last week for me to pick against them this week. Plus I hate the Bears, so it makes my decision even easier.

CHARGERS over Broncos: This is mostly because I'm pretty sick of the Josh McDaniels 2009 Media Fellatio Tour already. I really hope San Diego can knock him down a peg or two.

Last week: 11-3

Season so far: 58-18

Carson Palmer says we're scoring. Andre Caldwell says I'll catch it. Everyone says win it for Zimmer. Bengals beat Ravens 17-14 and own AFC North

Kirkendall — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:34:09 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andre Caldwell crosses the goal line for the game-winning touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Baltimore. The Bengals won 17-14. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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The Ravens and the Steelers. Two teams that played in last year's AFC Championship game. Two teams that we knew we had to beat this year if we were going to make things happen. If the Bengals were to make a playoff run, a scenario in which many Bengals fans didn't feel confident heading into the season, they'd have to go through Pittsburgh and Baltimore. And through the first five games this year, the Bengals beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore. And if you really wanted to cake on that grand feeling of supporting a team that starts the season 4-1, as opposed to 0-5 last year, then know this. It took a fluke play to put a blemish on our record. How does that feel?

A couple of big-picture notes after the Bengals win over the Ravens Sunday.

Even though the Bengals only have a one game lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, until both teams face and beat the Bengals again, Cincinnati will hold the head-to-head tie-breaker, essentially giving them a two game division lead.
The Bengals have won seven of their past eight games.
The Bengals have won four of their past six games at Baltimore.
The Bengals have won four straight division games dating back to last year.
Johnathan Joseph has three interceptions in three straight games.
Marvin Lewis is 8-5 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Carson Palmer is 7-3 when starting against the Baltimore Ravens.

GAME BALL: First things first. Our game ball. We haven't instituted our player of the game awards this year because we got tired of doing it for a team that started last season with an eight-game losing streak. After that, it was forgotten. And I can't promise we won't forget it about again this year. S thus our first game ball award will be given. Marvin Lewis gave Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer the game ball after Sunday's win. I thought it was appropriate that we do the same. While going through a loss that most of us would have no idea how to deal with, Zimmer and his defense took it to a top-five ranked offense. We compare the Ravens averages coming into Sunday's game and the Ravens numbers on Sunday.

	AVG.	Sunday
Points Scored	31.0 (3rd)	14*
Yards Total	413.5 (3rd)	257
Passing	267.0 (6th)	175
Rushing	146.5 (5th)	82
* Only scored seven points on offense

A story about how a defense doesn't have to be flashy. Just reliable. The Ravens were driving the football during their first drive of the game. The ease in which the Ravens moved the ball was troubling. Eight-yard pass to Heap. Four-yard run by Rice. Nine-yard scramble by Flacco. Six-yard pass to Rice. Five-yard pass to Heap. Nine-yard pass to McClain. Twenty-one yard pass to Rice. These were chunk-yardage plays that quickly tires a defense. After Rey Maualuga tackled Rice for a one-yard loss at the Bengals 14-yard line, and after Flacco threw an incomplete pass, Johnathan Joseph jumped Flacco's third-down pass for a huge interception at the one-yard line (we talk about this later).

The defense bent. They bent hard. Break? Who the hell do you think you are? Haven't you seen this defense? Iron eventually breaks. The Bengals defense? We'll see.

Baltimore's offense elected to go with three straight running plays to Ray Rice on the following drive. Sorry. Bad trick in an attempt to out-think us. Ravens go three-and-out. Ravens punt. Even though the Ravens didn't go three-and-out on the following drive, the did punt. After Todd Heap caught an 11-yard pass that converted a third-and-eight, Robert Geathers was credited with a quarterback sack (though we know the truth Fanene, you should at least get half). Chinedum Ndukwe nearly forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. However, the officials called it down, Ravens ball. Personally, I feel if the Ravens felt screwed because of bad officiating, then we could always say that the Bengals were screwed out of a defensive touchdown. Review or not. I still thought his knee was going down when the football started coming out. But I won't complain. Because we won. Flacco threw an incomplete pass after Antwan Odom jumped offsides and the Ravens punt.

This was the theme all day. The Ravens offense was nearly shutdown all game by the Bengals defense. Of the Ravens ten offensive possession, they picked up more than one first down on only three drives. Comparatively speaking, the Bengals had 11 possessions and five drives with two first downs or more.

After consecutive plays that picked up 27 yards on the Ravens third possession, Flacco was sacked on second down, then threw a six-yard pass to Rice that came up two yards short. Ravens punt. Starting the second half, After completing a five-yard pass to convert a third down, the Ravens offense stalled with a two-yard pass to Heap, three-yard run by Rice and a third-down incomplete pass. Ravens punt. Then they went three and out.

Bengals rolling. Ravens stalling.

With 13:49 left in the game, the Ravens finally put together a drive that ended with a touchdown. Ray Rice caught a short pass, forced a few missed tackles and ran down the sidelines to score on a 48-yard touchdown pass. After that... punt. After that... watch Bengals take the lead with :27 left in the game and throw an interception on desperation pass to end the game.

It was the Bengals defense that had to win this game. Mike Zimmer and the Bengals defense came to shutdown the Ravens offense. Even though they allowed seven points on defense, they did exactly what they needed to do for the Bengals to win Sunday.

It doesn't always start as scripted. It's not that the Bengals are forced to come from behind every week because the opposition puts them in that position. Most of the time, it's because the Bengals simply screw up. I know it's simplistic view of things. Other than the Steelers exploding for 13 points a few weeks ago, when has the Bengals offense not shot themselves in the foot, eventually taking on a deficit to overcome? For example, when the Bengals drove 12 plays for 60 yards to start the game, Brad St. Louis had a bad snap which disrupted Shayne Graham's timing on a 31-yard field goal attempt. Granted, it's special teams and not offense. Still, the point remains. On the ensuing possession, Carson Palmer threw to Ed Reed, who returned it for a touchdown. They converted a field goal on the next possession, when they had a first down at the Ravens four-yard line. After that, the Bengals punt, but only because Daniel Coats let a pass go through his hands that would have brought the Bengals well within field goal range. Speaking of which, if Chase Coffman is reading this, please become really good... and soon. Chad Ochocinco fumbles on the next possession to end the first half.

Plays	Yards	Result
12	60	Missed Field Goal
7	31	Interception (Pick-Six)
7	70	Field Goal
5	22	Punt
4	47	Fumble

The Ravens are a very good football team and I don't want to take anything away from them. But if the Bengals offense played mistake free football, there's a good chance that this game isn't nearly as close as the score would indicate. Over confidence? Homerism? Can it be disputed?

He might not get a lot of playing time, but Chris Henry makes the most of it. It wasn't the fact that Chris Henry only had three receptions on Sunday. No, of course not. With 11:30 left in the second quarter, Carson Palmer takes the shotgun snap on third-and-three at their own 23-yard line. Palmer unleashes the pass to the left, slightly underthrown. Chris Henry fights for the football, spins around and takes off. Henry was eventually caught from behind, tackled at the four-yard line. The Bengals wouldn't move the ball any further, after two incomplete passes and a quarterback sack. Shayne Graham converts the 32-yard field goal to put their first points on the board.

Let me return you to the original point. Carson Palmer just threw a 73-yard completion. This is Palmer's longest completion since a 74-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson on November 12, 2006 against the San Diego Chargers. Note: He was Johnson in 2006.

You don't have to catch the football to be effective (not a Laveranues Coles dedication).We could say that Cedric Benson ultimately had the best performance of the day. We could say that Carson Palmer had the best play of the day. But what about Chad Ochocinco? In the first series, Chad caught three passes for 46 yards receiving. All three receptions converted first downs; including two on third down; including one on third-and-15. Ochocinco caught a 10-yard pass setting up Benson's 28-yard touchdown run. What about what would become the game winning touchdown drive? Oddly enough, he didn't caught a pass. However, three passes went his way and two of them ended up being penalties that sustained the drive. Think Ray Lewis and Ochocinco are such pals now?

Laveranues Coles.
Drops: 1
Receptions 0

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water. Actually, it's never safe to go back into the water. That's why you set the water on fire (a tribute to Nightmare on Elm Street). It was a great opening game drive, moving the ball well enough on the ground and completing passes on third and however long it takes. However, the drive did stall on Baltimore's 14-yard line when Benson was dropped for a five-yard loss. For some reason, the Bengals ran the ball again for two yards setting up a third-and-13. Palmer, in shotgun, scrambles up in the pocket and picks up another eight yards. You crazy legged mother... Shayne Graham sets up for an easy 32-yard field goal. So easy, one could announce, "My dear sweet love, I'm going to the refresher. Please pour me some earl gray tea." This is not a re-enactment. Rather it's to prove that life is good. We just scored on the opening drive to take a commanding 3-0 lead over our division co-leaders.

What's that, my dear sweet love?

Oh. The snap was high, but Kevin Huber got it down. Graham stutter-stepped because of the bad snap and when he tried to kick it, it was both a bad kick (too low) and tipped by a Ravens defender. The Bengals moved the ball, coming away with no points because of a bad snap that resulted in Shayne Graham's timing being disrupted just enough to falter on an easy kick. I agree. St. Louis long-snapping on place kicking attempts is an absolute nightmare. It's horrifying. Discussions were being made that perhaps we should go for two-point conversions and kiss field goal attempts good bye. As Brad St. Louis says, in homeage to Scream, "I'll be right back."

With 1:01 left in the third quarter, the Bengals drove 84 yards on nine plays, which ended on a Cedric Benson 28-yard touchdown run. The room went quiet. The air still. The tension so strong, that I lost three pounds. Brad St. Louis' snap was so high, the flight controller had to tap on his radar when an unidentified flying object appeared for a brief second. Luckily, Baltimore had a defensive player lined up over the center and the Bengals were allowed to retry the attempt. Perfect snap. Perfect hold. Perfect kick. See. Not so hard. The Bengals would score a game-winning touchdown later in the game. St. Louis' snap was perfect and the Bengals converted back-to-back kicks, which is a victory in its own right.

Unfortunately, St. Louis' string of perfect snaps could mean the Bengals will give him another shot. That's kind of the season this year isn't it? No matter who it is. When they go down, make a bad play, the team as a whole picks 'em up, recovers, and wins football games. This my friends, is your 2009 Cincinnati Bengals.

Offensive player -- not named Carson Palmer -- of the game: Typically I would say Carson Palmer for engineering a game-winning touchdown drive. I would also nominate Chad Ochocinco for several big non-touchdown plays. Or Andre Caldwell for the game-winning touchdown reception. I'm going with Cedric Benson. Even though Benson was the first running back that recorded the first 100-yard rushing performance in 40 games against the Ravens, but he also recorded six first downs and a 28-yard touchdown run to take the lead in the third quarter.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: Rey Maualuga led the Bengals with eight tackles, two for loss. Dhani Jones and Robert Geathers (though Jonathan Fanene actually knocked Joe Flacco down) recorded sacks. Leon Hall had a game-sealing interception. So you pick. Johnathan Joseph needs a bit of recognition though. The Ravens take their opening drive from their own 23-yard line to the Cincinnati 15-yard line in 10 plays. After a Matt Birk false start, Joe Flacco looked for Todd Heap about a yard short of the endzone near the right pylon. Joseph noticed the route, let the wide receiver he was covering cross the field and trailed Heap. Flacco threw it up and Joseph cut off the route for the interception. Why is this important? If Heap catches the pass, he likely scores the touchdown and the Bengals allow a touchdown on the Ravens opening possession, which we've seen too often sets a tone. Instead, the Ravens don't score any points and, well, Palmer throws a pick-six to Ed Reed on the next possession. Balance is a bitch sometimes.

Quarter Breakdown

Bengals Offense
	YRDs	PLAYS	1STD	3RD
1st	73	14	4	2-3-67%
2nd	157	19	5	1-4-25%
3rd	101	12	5	1-2-50%
4th	72	21	8	1-4-25%

Ravens Offense
	YRDs	PLAYS	1STD	3RD
1st	62	11	4	0-1-0%
2nd	51	15	3	1-4-25%
3rd	27	10	1	0-1-0%
4th	117	15	4	1-3-33%

Carson Palmer
	ATT	COMP	YRDS	TDS	INTS	RATING
1st	6	4	51	0	0	93.1
2nd	10	5	123	0	1	55.4
3rd	5	5	48	0	0	106.7
4th	10	4	49	1	0	89.2

Cedric Benson
	ATT	YARDS	AVG	LG	TDS
1st	7	14	2.0	7	0
2nd	8	44	5.5	15	0
3rd	6	50	8.3	28	1
4th	6	12	2.0	6	0

Get Ready for the Biggest Most Important Game Ever of All Time Ever. Or Something.

ericj69 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:00:47 -0000

Of course this picture has to do with Monday's game--this is a picture from the 2009 Vikings Cheerleaders swimsuit calendar. These girls are going to be a big part of the game! I would NEVER post a gratuitous picture to get more attention drawn to my articles.

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So yeah, has anyone heard about the game coming up on Monday? To borrow from Ron Burgundy: I don't know how to put this, but, it's kind of a big deal. This has to be the most-hyped Week 4 game of all time. Depending on who you talk to, the importance of this game ranks somewhere between the invention of fire and sliced bread. I would be absolutely shocked if it doesn't break all sorts of ESPN ratings records. (Unless of course ESPN makes 98% of the country throw their TV sets out the window with their ridiculous Sports Nation stunt on Monday afternoon.)

Of course there is that one little detail that makes this Vikings/Packers matchup just slightly different than the previous 95. Judas or Savior (depending on which side of the fence you're on) Favre is going to suit up for...well, let's face it, the wrong team this time around. After sixteen years of despising Ye Olde Gunslinger, Vikings fans will be cheering for him. And after sixteen years of borderline-uncomfortable idol worship of #4, Packer fans will undoubtedly infiltrate the Dome with the odd perspective of venomously despising their former deity.

I've stated this before, and although I've had more time to get familiar with it, Favre playing against the Packers is still really, really weird to me. I have started to mentally reprogram all those years of loathing Brett, but I'm not there yet. I'll admit that last week's heroics didn't hurt the process of learning to love, but my guard is still up. Favre has the most unbreakable record in sports (the career interception mark) for a reason. I just hope he doesn't have one of "those games" I used to enjoy so much in his first game against the Packers.

Although you won't hear about it at all from the media, other players will actually take the field on Monday night. I believe the biggest key to the game won't be how Favre or his counterpart Aaron Rodgers play, but which offensive line does the better job keeping their quarterback upright. The Packers have given up a league-high 12 sacks through three games, and their tackle play has been sub-par to be generous. Jared Allen and the Williams Wall are probably drooling after looking at Packers game film.

On the other side, the pass protection for the Vikings hasn't exactly been stellar either. First year starting center John Sullivan has been decent after struggling in Week 1 against the Browns, but he isn't Matt Birk. Favre has spent too much time on the ground this year, and the Vikings can't keep letting that happen. Because, you know, just look at him. He's old. You can just let him get hit like that, he's...too old.

More analysis and my Week 4 NFL picks after the jump.

On the defensive side, we pretty much know what to expect from the Vikings. The rushing defense hasn't been as stout as the back-to-back-to-back top-ranked unit it has been, but we're starting to see some improvement. The pass rush hasn't been outstanding, but after seeing Green Bay's O-line, that may change this week. If we can keep Rodgers running for his life, it will go a long way towards a Vikings win.

Green Bay's transition to the 3-4 defense has gone much more smoothly than I had anticipated. Although Dom Capers made Brad Childress look like Chuck Noll as a head coach, the man knows his defense. He has the Packers D playing well in the new scheme and causing a lot of turnovers. The Vikings have already faced a 3-4 this season including last week against the 49ers, so hopefully they'll be prepared for what Capers throws at them.

I haven't heard anyone say that this game will be a blowout either way, and I'm no different. These two teams know each other way too well, especially when you throw Brett into the mix. I think it will be back-and-forth all night, but in the end, I just like Minnesota's array of weapons more than Green Bay's. Percy Harvin is downright scary every time he touches the ball, and I think he makes another big play on the big stage. Unless Chad Clifton is 100% (which sounds doubtful), we should see plenty of this on Monday.

Before I move on to my picks, I have an easy drinking game for you to play during the game to make sure you aren't hung over for work on Tuesday. Every time a full minute goes by during ESPN's broadcast and somebody doesn't mention Brett Favre, take a drink. I'm guessing you'll take three drinks the entire night, tops. Five if you include commercials while you count. (Remember, Sears and Wrangler will probably be heavily involved.)

Prediciton: Vikings 34, Packers 31

As for the rest of the NFL in Week 4 that doesn't matter nearly as much as The Biggest Most Important Game Ever of All Time Ever (home team in CAPS):

BEARS over Lions: Congratulations Detroit, you won for the first time in 20 games! Just don't get greedy. I wouldn't expect two wins in a row for another decade or so.

Bengals over BROWNS: This game falls under one of my sacred picking rules: whenever a team puts their backup quarterback in after halftime, said backup throws three interceptions, and the same backup STILL GETS THE START THE FOLLOWING WEEK, don't pick that team.

TEXANS over Raiders: I have no idea what to make of this Houston team. Except that they're easily better than the Raiders no matter how they play. I'm picking the Texans as my Eliminator pick because JaMarcus Russell has a QB rating of 39.7 this year. If I played quarterback for the Raiders, took every snap and immediately spiked it into the ground, my QB rating would be 39.6. So Al Davis, if you're reading this, I can guarantee you a QB rating only 0.1 less than your current starter, and I'll only ask for 10% of his salary.

COLTS over Seahawks: Even if I thought Seattle was going to win this game, I'd still pick against them because of the irreparable damage they caused my retinas last week.

Titans over JAGUARS: Tennessee can't be 0-4, can they? If the Jags keep feeding Maurice Jones-Drew like they finally did last week, perhaps. But I think Jeff Fisher's mustache still has some of its mystical power left.

Giants over CHIEFS: Wow, the G-Men get Tampa followed by KC? Now I don't feel so guilty about starting our season with the Browns and Lions.

Ravens over PATRIOTS: The game of the week in the AFC. I think Baltimore's surprising offense will be too much for the Pats D to handle, although the Ravens defense hasn't looked great so far either. I also think that if you told me two years ago that I would have typed that previous sentence, I would have laughed you out of the room.

REDSKINS over Buccaneers: I'd rather thrust a rusty corkscrew in my eye than watch this I-bet-the-final-will-be-something-like-9-to-6 snooze fest. Yuck.

DOLPHINS over Bills: My quasi-upset pick of the week. I don't think it matters which mediocre Chad the Dolphins start at QB. I just think they have a better team overall than Buffalo. And yes, I'm cheering for another zero-catch game for T.O. He can't keep it bottled up forever.

SAINTS over Jets: If it wasn't for Favregeddon, this would probably be the game of the week. I dare Rex Ryan to blitz Drew Brees as much as the Jets have blitzed the first three weeks. Brees will pick that apart all day with his quick release. I'm calling a Darren Shaper pick off of Mark Sanchez this week too.

Cowboys over BRONCOS: Denver, welcome to the part of your 2009 season where you come crashing down to Earth. I know Felix Jones is out and Marion Barber is still a little banged up, but Tashard Choice is still a great option. Dallas just has more talent. The next four games for Denver after this: New England, Baltimore, San Diego, Pittsburgh. Don't be surprised if the Broncos are 3-5 halfway into the season.

49ERS over Rams: Even if San Fran is dwelling on their heartbreaking loss to the Vikings last week, they'll still stomp the hapless Rams. Speaking of the Rams, is there a secret competition for Most Dreadful Team in 2009 that I don't know about? Between the Rams, Browns, Raiders, and Chiefs, I'm wondering if the NFL should instate some English Premier League-style relegation rules so we don't have to see the awful brand of football these teams are playing.

Steelers over Chargers: I'm rooting for the Steelers here because I don't want to see anyone's head explode from the sheer force of Mike Tomlin's menacing stare if Pittsburgh loses this game.

Last week: 12-4

Season so far: 36-12

The Fight For First Place: Round One

Mitchell_M — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:02:24 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

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CAN YOU FEEL THE TENSION? If you can't, it's probably because you're comatose. Either that, or you don't rightly care about either team involved in Monday Night's NFC North showdown. Which is fine, I guess.

For the rest of you that can feel the tension, let's take a deep breath and relax for a second. Here, watch Daniel Tosh make fun of Nebraska. It always makes me feel better.

As someone who has spent several fortnight-long excursions to Nebraska, I can't think of a state that would be more appropriate for Mr. Tosh's message. Unless you say Montana, but I'm convinced that Montana just flat-out doesn't exist.

Alright, enough of that foolishness. If you're looking for a breakdown of Packers-Vikings, have I got the treat for you...after the jump.

MIN rushing vs. GB defense: You've probably seen it, but it's pretty freakin' cool, so I'm gonna have you watch it again.

There are two glaring mistakes in this video: real life isn't in black and white, and AP doesn't have hexagonical scales that make him look like a cybernetic human-dinosaur-hybrid gladiator-assassin.

Everything else is fairly realistic. AP will smash, dash, cut, juke, spin, hurdle, and quite possibly double-stiff-arm his way through all challengers because, well, he's AP. Granted, San Francisco did manage to hold him to 85 yards on 19 carries. (WEAK! I SCOFF AT ADRIAN PETERSON AND HIS PUNY 4.5 YARDS PER CARRY!) That said, he's still managed to rack up 357 yards and 4 TDs with a 6.1 average. Yikes. But they have few other options to run the ball. Chester Taylor is averaging less than 3 yards on his 17 carries, and Percy Harvin only has five carries. They've generally been decent gains, but he lost 8 yards in his lone rushing attempt against San Francisco. This doesn't mean that neither of them are capable of putting up yards on the ground, but they haven't shown it in a way that's demonstrable through numbers.

It helps that the blocking is usually superb. Bryant McKinnie (6'8", 335) and Steve Hutchinson (6'5", 313) are stalwarts on the left side, but are 30 and 31, respectively. On the right side, Anthony Herrera (6'2", 315) and Phil Loadholt (6'8", 343) have significantly less experience, but are competent in opening running lanes. The weak link is definitely new center John Sullivan (6'4", 301), who is no Matt Birk. But these guys are big, they are nasty, and they don't like it when defenses try to tackle Peterson behind the line (even though it happens more frequently than you'd think).

Green Bay extended the consecutive streak of 100+ yard outings from opposing running backs when Steven Jackson gained 117 on 27 attempts. Jackson's performance was more impressive than Cedric Benson's before him because a) Jackson managed to break off some big gains (including a 20-yarder), b) he had weaker blocking than Cincinnati has, and c) the linebackers played well on Sunday. A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, and Nick Barnett combined for 19 tackles and looked much better (but far from perfect) in run support.

Green Bay's best chance of corralling AP is to get good penetration from Jenkins, Jolly, Pickett, and Raji (if he is healthy enough) and string Peterson's runs to the outside where the linebackers and corners have a chance to flow and gang-tackle or use the sidelines. Of course, it might help to use Peterson's violent running style against him to force a fumble or two; his biggest weakness is carrying the football consistantly (9 fumbles in 2008).

Advantage: Minnesota. Unless Green Bay uses the 3-5-3 alignment with Kampman, Matthews, Hawk, Barnett, and Chillar to clog running lanes and direct defensive pursuit, which could actually keep AP under 100 yards.

Or if Peterson's "troublesome" back gives out. Because he's, you know, carrying the team. And some of those guys are heavy.

MIN passing vs. GB defense: Well, well, well, look who came crawling back to play Green Bay. Wait...you say he's not crawling back? He's playing well? He did this? Undefeated? Oh. Nevermind. Let's skip all the drama (or at least save it for the other posts) and get down to brass tacks; we need to talk about Brett Favre v.2009.

After skipping training camp, people said that the only way Favre could succeed early in the season is if he played the role of game manager and let Adrian Peterson carry the offensive load. Those people were correct. In the first two weeks, Favre was 37 for 48 (77% completion) with 265 yards and 3 TD's. Those are good-day Kyle Orton-esque stats, especially the 0 INTs and the 5.5 yards per attempt. Peterson did what he did best, and the Vikings won both games despite being somewhat hampered by slow starts.

Whether it's simply getting into the groove of the offense, or healing from his bicep injury and subsequent surgeries, or even a result of the Vikings wanting him to get warmed up only in the week before the Packer game (/conspiracy theory'd), Favre was not the same quarterback against the 49ers. Against a tough defense, he went 24 of 46 for 301 yards and 2 TDs. He actually put some force behind his throws and displayed the touch on the deep ball and mobility in the pocket we came to know and love.

His biggest vulnerability is his pass protection, surprisingly. Over three games, Favre has been sacked 9 times, and it would have been 10 were it not for a sweet side-step on the last play in week 3. He is showing his age when defenses come at him, and his offensive line is showing a weakness I didn't know they had. Part of it might be McKinnie's age (unlikely), Loadholt's inexperience (possible), or Sullivan's poor line adjustments (probable). I don't follow the team well enough to know why Favre has been hit so many times against teams like Cleveland and Detroit. But he is vulnerable back there.

As far as receivers go, there are three main targets that pose a significant threat: Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe, and Chester Taylor. Adrian Peterson would be dynamic in the passing game if he were a better catcher, and Bernard Berrian's deep route skills have not yet been displayed in the regular season (and I'm not sure they've done it in practice). Harvin is extremely adept after the catch, Shiancoe has developed into a solid underneath and seam TE, and Taylor has always been an excellent 3rd down back.

Green Bay's pass rush isn't imposing statistically (5 sacks), but they do a good job of getting to the quarterback, disrupting his rhythm, and giving him a good hit when they're close enough. Jenkins and Jolly should be able to get decent pursuit on passing downs, and Pickett and Raji should draw enough double teams to open up a lane for one or two of the linebackers, primarily Clay Matthews and Aaron Kampman.

The best hope Green Bay has of stopping Minny's offense is by baiting Favre into bad throws and forcing interceptions. Charles Woodson, Nick Collins, Tramon Williams, and Al Harris are all outstanding ball hawks who can take advantage of poor routes by some of Minnesota's lesser receivers. Favre has historically struggled against 3-4 zone blitzes, and he is certainly capable of a ~~Favre-esque~~ Cutler-esque multiple INT day.

Advantage: Green Bay by the slightest of margins. Again Favre has struggled against zone blitzes from the 3-4, so let's hope this week is when Dom Capers earns his paycheck. But don't think that Favre isn't licking his chops to get a chance at his old team, especially if they load the box with 8 defenders.

GB rushing vs. MIN defense: Green Bay's rushing attack is the very definition of the term "meh". As a team, the Packers have 317 yards through three games (meh). They're averaging 4.1 yards per carry (meh). They have four touchdowns against one fumble (meh). There's just nothing notable about this team's rushing attack.

I'm at a disadvantage because I haven't watched the games from the last two weeks, but either Grant isn't finding the running lanes or the offensive line isn't opening any up for him. Grant is notorious for running into the backs of his linemen, but he's also well-known for his ability to break off a huge gain. Considering his longest run of the season is 17 yards, I might be inclined to blame the offensive line.

Minnesota's rush defense has struggled to return to their regular insurmountable selves on a regular basis. While they held San Francisco to 58 yards on the ground, 54 of those yards were after Frank Gore's first (and last) attempt of the game. They did allow Jamal Lewis to rack up a 5.2 ypc against them in Week 1, and then Kevin Smith and Maurice Morris put up decent numbers before Detroit fell behind and abandoned the rush. So it's not like they're a seive, but they aren't as suffocating as we're used to.

A big reason for that is the alleged decline of Pat Williams. While I'm not sure it's true, it is certainly a feasible argument to say that a 36 year old defensive tackle might start to fall off after 13 seasons. Regardless, he's still a mammoth load in the middle of the line and will eat up space in a hurry. His line-mate and namesake Kevin Williams is significantly younger and more athletic. Jared Allen is above average against the run, as is Ray Edwards. E.J. Henderson's return from his freak toe injury gave the defense a huge boost, mainly because it took the pressure off of Chad Greenway and Ben Leber, who are outstanding complimentary linebackers but falter when burdened with higher-level responsibilities.

Advantage: Minnesota, but Ryan Grant has historically found success playing against the Vikings. I would be more surprised if he was held below 50 yards than if he breaks 100.

GB passing vs. MIN defense: There are two statistics in the passing game that have been huge in keeping Green Bay at 2-1 rather than 1-2 or even 0-3: Rodgers has been sacked 12 times this season (losing 92 yards in the process), but has committed exactly 0 turnovers. That's downright remarkable. His yardage (714), completion percentage (56.7), and QB rating (97.2) are middling at best, but he has kept the team afloat whenever he was able. Those 12 sacks are the most troubling thing, though. While I'm glad that Rodgers has kept the ball despite getting smacked around (one fumble, which was recovered by Allen Barbre), I'm doubtful that he can keep such a streak alive for long.

My biggest concern has actually been the receiving corps. Donald Driver has been the only guy to really step it up so far in 2009 (he's playing as if he's a #1 guy again). Greg Jennings seems to have reverted to being a deep-route specialist. James Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Jermichael Finley were supposed to be dynamic contributors, but none of them have stood out yet. Perhaps the offensive line's issues have disrupted the timing so much that the receivers' routes need to be recalibrated, and only the eldest member (Driver) has figured out how to do it. Still, Green Bay's passing game remains a highly potent group that hasn't performed to capacity yet.

Minnesota's pass defense has been outstanding, allowing only 167.7 yards per game (4th in the NFL). That stat needs to be tempered with the list of quarterbacks Minnesota has faced: Brady Quinn, Matthew Stafford, and Shaun Hill. Additionally, they have only played against two receivers that can be compared to Green Bay's receivers: Braylon Edwards and Calvin Johnson. While the duo of Driver and Jennings will give cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin and safeties Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson a difficult test, the more concerning matchup is the duo of Edwards and Allen against Green Bay's tackles.

Allen Barbre is lucky that Ray Edwards is not nearly as dangerous as his counterpart, but he will still have his hands full if McCarthy trusts Barbre to take on Edwards one-on-one. Green Bay faces a tough decision on who to put against Jared Allen. On the one hand, Chad Clifton may be available from his ankle sprain, and he has been somewhat effective against Allen in the past. On the other hand, Clifton routinely resorted to holding Allen whenever he got beat, and his lateral quickness was in decline before he injured his ankle.

As counterintuitive as it seems, I actually think Daryn Colledge might stand a better chance of locking down Allen. Colledge is much faster than most LTs, which matches up well against Allen's speed rushing. He also plays higher than most LTs are taught to play, which is usually a problem, but playing higher will make lateral movement easier and could help him ride Allen out of the pocket. It also makes him more susceptible to double moves, which Allen is highly proficient at, so Colledge might give up some hits all the same. In any case, I feel more comfortable matching up the younger, healthier, more athletic Colledge against Jared Allen than the older, injured, and surgically-repaired Clifton.

Advantage: Push. If the trends from this season continue, Minnesota has the edge. If the players actually perform up to their potential, Green Bay has it.

Preliminary verdict: This is a game that both fans are overly optimistic about their team's chances. Both teams have significant strengths and weaknesses, and both fan bases are convinced that their team will have the upper hand. I am firmly on the fence about what's going to happen on Monday, but I can tell you that there will be a whole lot of Favre-centric coverage.

Just imagine what this scene would look like if it were being played in Green Bay. Yikes.

Poll

What outcome do you see for Week 4 vs. Minnesota?

Big GB win.

142 votes

Slim GB win.

434 votes

Too close to call.

271 votes

Slim MIN win.

361 votes

Big MN win.

262 votes

1470 votes | Poll has closed

Arizona Cardinals Weekly Flock: Sean Morey's Brain Donation Edition

Hawkwind — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Three active NFL players are joining former players in agreeing to donate their brains after death to a Boston University medical school program that studies sports brain injuries.The donations by Mark Birk of the Baltimore Ravens, Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks and Morey of the Cardinals were announced Monday, Sept. 14, 2009. Morey says his donation will help improve the safety of retired and future athletes. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Browse more photos »

Obviously no one is quite over the Arizona Cardinals season opening loss but here on this 'hump day' we begin to look forward to a new game. Today will be the biggest day of practice as soon as we get an injury report, we'll pass it along. The biggest news of this mid-week time frame has centered around Sean Morey's brain......

Brain Donation Shows Morey’s Passion - The Cardinals’ wide receiver and Pro Bowl special teamer became one of three active NFL players – along with Baltimore center Matt Birk and Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu – to announce this week they would allow their brains to be studied when they die. The purpose is to learn about head injuries for NFL players and how concussions can lead to problems later in life.
Cards' Morey promises brain for research - Cardinals receiver and special teams player Sean Morey is one of three NFL players who on Monday agreed to donate their brains after death to a Boston University medical school program that studies sports brain injuries.
Offensive adjustments from Whiz - Ken Whisenhunt didn't get into specifics for obvious reasons, but he said Monday that design alterations on offense should help the team in Jacksonville this Sunday. Whisenhunt said the offense was thrown off by last-minute changes at receiver. Steve Breaston had practiced all week to replace Anquan Boldin at the "Z" spot, but Breaston's knee was too painful on Sunday for him to play. Boldin played and Jerheme Urban also took snaps at the "Z" position. "We had a number of guys playing out of their normal position," Whisenhunt said. "That will lend to us not being as sharp. Now, I'm not going to make an excuse because we have been able to overcome those things in the past. As far as how we are going to design things offensively, we will make sure that we are better suited for the game."
No suspension for Wilson's big hit - Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson won't be suspended for his hit Sunday on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, according to an NFL source, although league officials are reviewing the play and a fine is still possible.
NFL makes right call on Cardinals' Wilson - The Cardinals do not have to worry about losing their most feared defensive player, Adrian Wilson, to an NFL suspension following the safety's huge hit on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis in Week 1.
Cardinals' Wilson to restructure contract - Cardinals' Wilson to restructure contract, Adrian Wilson has agreed to restructure his contract, giving the team more cap space. Here's a look at what the new structure means for the Wilson, the Cards and even Boldin.

Cards Have Long Way To Go - With only one game over and 15 yet to play, the Cardinals were coping with their season-opening loss Monday. The sky isn’t falling, after all. There’s no reason to overreact. Right? "I’m not an even-keeled kind of person," safety Adrian Wilson said, chuckling. "You’re going to hear some pretty bad things in here for the next 48 hours. Hopefully, Wednesday will come fast." Wednesday will be the tell-tale day, because that’s usually the first big day of the new week. It’s the first day of practice, the focus fully shifts – to Jacksonville, in this case – and the Cardinals can shove the disappointment of the 49ers’ game into the closet.
Cardinals hope to regroup quickly - The decade has not been kind to Super Bowl losers, and if the Arizona Cardinals had any doubts about whether it’s a jinx, a trend or something in between, they’ve now at least got an idea. Get this: According to the team’s Web site, safety Adrian Wilson has already proposed that some of the team’s leaders have a meeting to map out a strategy to regroup. If that’s not a signal from within that things aren’t right in the desert, I don’t know what is. They lost their opener on Sunday 20-16 to the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. The high-flying offense that guided the Cardinals to the Super Bowl last season was grounded. Who didn’t see this coming?

Ravens 53 Man Roster: My Picks

Bruce Raffel — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:24 -0000

Here are my picks for what the Ravens will end up doing later today when they announce the 53 man roster that they will be trimming down to when they release 22 guys to get down to the NFL max.

Offense

QB: Joe Flacco, Troy Smith, John Beck

WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Kelley Washington, Justin Harper

RB: Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, LeRon McClain, Jalen Parmele

TE: Todd Heap, L.J. Smith, Davon Drew, Edgar Jones

OL: Matt Birk, Ben Grubbs, Jared Gaither, Chris Chester, Marshal Yanda, Michael Oher, David Hale, Oniel Cousins

Defense

DB: Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, Fabian Washington, Domonique Foxworth, Haruki Nakamura, Tom Zbikowski, Chris Carr, Lardarius Webb, Frank Walker, Derrick Martin

LB: Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson, Tavares Gooden, Jameel McClain, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Paul Kruger, Prescott Burgess, Antwan Barnes

DL: Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce, Justin Bannan, Kelly Gregg, Dwan Edwards, Brandon McKinney

Specialists

P: Sam Koch

PK: Steven Hauschka

LS: Matt Katula

That’s only 52 guys and my final spot is a tough one to decide upon. I am looking at one of the following guys:

Yamon Figurs, Jason Cook, Jason Phillips, Joe Reitz, Kelly Talavou

Figurs still has the speed and with Webb looking a bit shaky on returns, Yamon gives us another option behind Chris Carr. Jason Cook gives us another fullback along with LeRon McClain. Jason Phillips was a 4^th round draft pick in 2009 and Ozzie doesn’t like to release draft picks. Perhaps Phillips will be IR’d to keep our hands on him (I expect the Ravens to IR undrafted rookie LB Dannell Ellerbe as well). Joe Reitz gives us more depth on the offensive line as well as Kelly Tavalou does the same for the defensive line.

I don’t want to take the easy way out by only selecting 52 players, so I will have to go out on a limb and make my selection and therefore the 53^rd spot on the Baltimore Ravens roster goes to Yamon Figurs.

The other players I was undecided about go onto our Practice Squad, where we can have up to eight players. Of course, I would expect the team to peruse other teams’ cuts to add a player or two to either our roster or Practice Squad, and vice versa for the rest of the league. However, in advance of that info, my Practice Squad would look like this:

Cook, Reitz, Talavou, Foster, Riley, Peerman, Smolko, Stallings

Additionally, as I stated earlier, the team would place both Dannell Ellerbe and Jason Phillips on Injured Reserve (IR), which would end their 2009 seasons, but ensure the team retains their rights while giving the players their full 2009 salaries, which do count against the team’s salary cap. However, being rookies, that should not be much of an issue.

Your thoughts and comments on those last few slots?