The San Francisco 49ers started their preseason on a positive note after taking down the Minnesota Vikings 17-6.

49ers starting quarterback, Alex Smith, completed 3-of-3 passes for 16 yards and one touchdown pass in one series of play. Smith connected with fouth year wide receiver Brett Swain for a 4-yard touchdown pass towards the end of the first quarter. Michael Crabtree only caught one pass for three yards.

The Niners are trying to upgrade their pass game this season after finishing 29th in total passing yards last year. With the addition of veteran, Randy Moss, and Super Bowl XLVI standout, Mario Manningham, the Niners boast a revamped receiving corps for the 2012-13 campaign.  

On Friday night, most of the 49ers’ offense came from their strong running game, not to mention that starting running back Frank Gore did not play. Anthony Dixon had 12 carries for 46 yards, Rock Cartwright had 8 carries for 44 yards, and newly acquired Brandon Jacobs had four carries for 31 yards, including a breakout 23-yard run. Back-up quarterback Colin Kaepernick outran everybody and tallied up 92 yards on the ground, including a 78-yard quarterback keeper for the 49ers’ second touchdown. San Fran out ran the Vikings, 260 to 82.

The Niners have serious running back depth, especially with the addition of Brandon Jacobs to help in short down situations, but also by drafting rookie LaMichael James. Both Jacobs and James, along with Kendall Hunter, will be competing for 2nd string running back this offseason.

The Minnesota Vikings have some evident offensive issues that they should be concerned about, especially after tallying up only 208 total yards against the Niners. Quarterback Christian Ponder completed 4-of-9 passes for 80 yards in his first game of the year. Ponder, a second year starter, still has a lot to prove if he is going to continue to be a starter in Minnesota. Ponder was towards the bottom of the list for quarterbacks when it came to yards, touchdowns, quarterback rating, and competition percentage.

The Vikings offensive woes do not end there, they are also without star running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson suffered a gruesome knee injury towards the end of last season and is still not 100% better. Peterson has been practicing with the starters and is hoping to play towards the end of preseason. If Peterson is not ready, Toby Gerhart would most likely start. Gerhart carried the ball 5 times for 31 yards in Friday’s game against the Niners.

Ponder and the Vikings will be back in action Friday, August 17 against the Buffalo Bills. As for the Niners and their prolific run game, they will be back in action Saturday, August 18 against the Houston Texans.

Image Courtesy of  <<1977>>

The article 49ers Run Past Vikings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Although the contract details have not been made public as of this morning, it is being reported that Peyton Manning has chosen to take his talents to Denver.

The Denver Broncos won out against several other teams who were said to be in the running for the services of Manning who was just released by the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos won the division with an 8-8 record last year and made the playoffs with young polarizing Tim Tebow running the show. Tebow proved that he can win in the NFL but for the last 14 years, Peyton Manning has proven that he is a future Hall of Famer. The decision was simple, even for supporters of Tim Tebow.

At this point it is clear that Tebow will most likely be on the trading block and probably be shipped to another team before the ink dries on Payton’s new contract.

Peyton chose to go play in the AFC West instead of the NFC West with the 49ers, taking the more difficult route to the Super Bowl — considering how difficult their schedule will be for the upcoming season in Denver. The 49ers who were in hot pursuit would have given Peyton a top ten defense along with an improving receiving corps, not to mention a division with teams like the Rams and the Seahawks. Instead, Peyton will compete with the underachieving but tough San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders (who play hard) and the improving Kansas City Chiefs.

It is an interesting decision by Peyton because of what went on in Denver last season with Tebow mania and the talent, or lack thereof, on this roster. The last memory we have of this team is the post season blowout at the hands of the New England Patriots where the defense had no answers for the Patriot offense. Leader of defense Brian Dawkins, too, is a year older and the injuries continue to pile up. Champ Bailey, one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history, is also not getting any younger. Although he played at a pro bowl level last season, there were times where he looked slow and outclassed. Linebacker D.J Williams might be out for the first six games due to a drug suspension and the defense will most certainly suffer.

It won’t be as easy as people think, especially playing with the toughest schedule, but Peyton will bring balance to this team. We won’t see a tired defense forced to hold teams to 12 points in order to win eight games. The pressure will be high but Manning chose this team and must know what he is doing. It is fitting that he is likely to end his career playing for John Elway, maybe even winning a Super Bowl.

Image Courtesy Tennessee Journalist

The article Peyton Manning, A Denver Bronco appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Packers remain number one this week despite losing their first game of the season, but beyond that there’s some movement. The Saints now sit in the number two spot, moving up from fourth as the Ravens and Steelers both lose. The 49ers see themselves leap frog the Patriots to move into third after a solid win over the Steelers.

The big winners this week are the Cowboys, Chargers, and the Seahawks. The Cowboys break the top ten moving from 14^th to 10^th after their victory puts them in the driver’s seat in the NFC East. The Chargers moved up from 18^th to 14^th after knocking off the Ravens and moving back to .500. They need some help, but are definitely still alive in the AFC West. The Seahawks won their third straight and moved to 15^th from 20^th.

The big losers this week are the Ravens, Titans, and Bears. The Ravens lost their fourth game of the season and fell from 2^nd to 6^th moving one spot behind the Steelers. The Titans dropped seven spots from 13^th to 20^th after losing to the Colts giving them their first victory of the season. The Bears also saw themselves drop four spots falling to 21^st from 17^th.

The Vikings, Rams, and Colts again round out the bottom despite Indianapolis getting their first win of the season.

Image Courtesy of  Walter G Arce / Shutterstock.com

The article NFL: Week 16 Power Rankings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It is another week and another victory as the Packers are again atop the Power Rankings this week. The Ravens stand strong in the number two spot for the third straight week as they continue their quest for a bye in the playoffs. The Broncos find themselves cracking the top 10 after Tim Tebow yet again led an improbable comeback this week over the Bears moving Denver into the lead in the AFC West.

The big winners this week are the Saints, Jets, and Giants. The Saints, while only moving up 1 spot from 5^th to 4^th, got a gift from the Cardinals who beat the 49ers. With the 49ers squaring off with the Steelers, the Saints could potentially move into the 2^nd seed in the NFC. The Jets moved up from 10^th to 9^th, but, thanks to help from the rest of the NFL, the Jets now control their own destiny.

The Giants got a big late win over the Cowboys and jumped from 16^th to 12^th and more importantly are now 1^st in the NFC East with control over their destiny. It’s looking like the showdown at MetLife Stadium in a week between the Jets and Giants might mean a lot for both teams.

The big losers this week are the 49ers, Cowboys, and Bills. The 49ers fell from 3^rd to 6^th with a loss to the Cardinals and, more importantly, could lose the number two seed with a loss to Pittsburgh this weekend. The Cowboys fell five spots from 9^th to 14^th with a heartbreaking loss late to the Eli and the Giants.

After two straight losses the Cowboys are again looking up at the playoff teams. The Bills fell from 18^th to 22^nd after dropping their sixth straight and officially being eliminated from playoff contention. A season that started with so much promise has really taken a turn for the worst and they might end up finishing last in the AFC East.

Rounding out the bottom of the rankings again this week are the Vikings, Rams, and Colts. The Vikings have shut Adrian Peterson down for the season, the Rams are as far removed from the greatest show on turf as can be, and the Colts divisional rivals now have a chance to unleash years of torment by sending them to an imperfect season.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/Jets

The article Week 15 NFL Power Rankings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Packers are again at the top of the Power Rankings this week as they remain undefeated. The Ravens and Steelers switch spots after Joe Flacco led a late drive to win the game at Heinz Field. The Bears, Texans, and Bengals all cracked the top 10 this week with the Patriots and Bills both losing and falling out of the top ten.

The big winner this week is the Dallas Cowboys who jump from 21^st to 15^th, with a win over Seattle to stay within striking distance of the Giants who have a tough schedule coming up. Another big move was the Jets who while only moving from 13^th to 11^th with their win over Buffalo, have jumped both the Patriots and Bills to be the highest ranked AFC East team.

The big losers this week are the New England Patriots who fell from 6^th to 13^th after their second straight loss. The Bills also saw themselves fall from 14^th to 8^th after getting beat at home by the Jets. The Chiefs dropped from 21^st to 16^th after their four game win streak was snapped by the winless Miami Dolphins in a big way.

The Cardinals, who last week fell behind the Rams, switched with the Rams again this week after beating St. Louis in OT on an amazing punt return by rookie Patrick Peterson. Rounding out the bottom of the rankings again this week are the Indianapolis Colts who lost again this week and look like they’ll be the front runners for Andrew Luck in next year’s draft.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/MiamiDolphins

The article Week 10: NFL Power Rankings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Besides the Packers which are again atop the Power Rankings this week, there is some shake up near the top of this week’s rankings with some big losses and gains. The 49ers move up into the number 2 spot sitting at 6-1 atop the NFC West. The Steelers, after their big win over the Patriots, move up to number 3 and are the top team in the AFC just ahead of division rivals Baltimore who moved from 8^th to 5^th.

The Patriots and Saints saw themselves drop four spots from 2^nd and 3^rd to 6^th and 7^th respectively after bad losses this week. The Chargers are the big losers this week dropping all the way from 7^th down 15^th after a loss for the 2^nd straight week this time coming at the hands of division rivals the Chiefs.

The Eagles saw themselves jump four spots from 22^nd to 18^th after an impressive victory over the Cowboys. The Vikings also saw themselves making a jump from 28^th to 23^rd behind a second impressive game from rookie QB Christian Ponder and another stud performance from Adrian Peterson.

The Rams who got their first win of the season against the Saints saw themselves leapfrog the Cardinals who blew a 23-6 halftime lead against the Ravens. Bringing up the rear of the rankings again this week are the Dolphins at 31 and the Colts at 32 as both teams failed to get a win again and don’t look very good.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/Packers

The article NFL: Week 9 Power Rankings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Packers still hold the top spot in this week’s Power Rankings. The 49ers and Giants are the big winners both jumping five spots up to 4^th and 10^th respectively. This week’s big losers are the Texans who fall five spots down to 17^th and the Cowboys who dropped from 14^th down to 21^st. The Colts, Rams, and Dolphins still round out the bottom of the pack.

The article NFL Week 7 Power Rankings appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.