Similar to their pre-draft counterparts, the ‘Mock Drafts’, the post-draft grading of NFL teams’ performances are anything but an exact science. It often takes anywhere up to five years before you can truly judge how successful a certain draft class has been, so assumptions made before training camp has even begun, should be treated with a reasonable amount of skepticism. That being said, certain factors, such as whether or not a team managed to fill their needs, whilst also trying to adhere to a ‘best player available’ policy, can be assessed.

Winners

Minnesota Vikings

When you wind up with three first round selections, chances are that you are going to have a successful draft. Minnesota took Shariff Floyd (23rd pick), Xavier Rhodes (25th pick) and Cordarrelle Patterson (29th pick) with their three first round selections, and cases could be made that they were arguably the best defensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver in the draft respectively.

All of the three were expected to be off the board before they were actually taken, and General Manager Rick Spielman deserves credit for his draft day maneuvering, and the value he was able to pick up with each selection. He was also able to address a need at linebacker later in the draft, bring in Gerald Hodges (4th round) and Michael Mauti (7th round) who will both provide depth, and potentially eventually compete for a starting role.

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers may not have had three first round picks like the Vikings did, but they did draft three first round talents. San Diego took D.J. Fluker with the 11th pick overall, and then added Manti Te’o (2nd round) and Keenan Allen (3rd round) shortly after, with both Te’o and Allen seen by many as late first round talents. New GM Tom Telesco should be applauded for adding a potential leader to his defense, and helping out quarterback Philip Rivers with a new offensive lineman in Fluker, and target in wide receiver Allen.

Losers

Cleveland Browns

You can forgive Cleveland fans for having a feeling of anti-climax after their draft which saw them make very little improvement, at least in the short-term, to their current roster. First round pick Barkevious Mingo will likely transition to an outside linebacker role in the Browns’ new 3-4 defense, but will most likely end up providing depth behind Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard in his rookie year as he develops his ability to drop back into coverage.

The Browns offloaded some of their picks for better selections in the 2014 draft, so outside of Mingo and cornerback Leon McFadden (3rd round), they’re unlikely to have much impact from their rookie class this season. GM Michael Lombardi may have laid foundations for Cleveland’s future, but it’s doubtful this class will be able to help the Browns move up the AFC North pecking order.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys did the right thing trading down from the 18th spot, presumably a decision made after Kenny Vaccaro was taken by New Orleans with the 15th pick, but spending their resulting first round pick on Travis Frederick was wasteful. The center is a good player, and will probably start on Dallas’ offensive line, but was a reach in the first round, as the Cowboys could have easily traded down once more, picking up extra picks, and still have taken Frederick.

Dallas also added a potential starter in J.J. Wilcox (3rd round) and good depth in Gavin Escobar (2nd round) and Terrance Williams (3rd round), but completely overlooked their defensive line. They have already lost players such as Marcus Spears on that side of the ball, and considering their shortage of cap space, could struggle to find reinforcements.

Image credit: San Diego Chargers via Facebook

The article Winners and Losers: 2013 NFL Draft appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Atlanta Falcons demolished the New York Giants 34-0, to improve to 12-2 and 7-0 at the Georgia Dome.

Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan completed 23 of 28 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. His 82.1 completion percentage and 142.6 quarterback rating were both season highs for the five-year starter. This was also Ryan’s sixth game this season throwing at least three touchdown passes.

Wide receiver Julio Jones was tied for a game-high six receptions for 74 yards and hauled in two touchdown catches. Jones has surpassed his eight touchdown rookie season, catching nine with for over 1,000 yards and still two games to go.

Veteran tight-end Tony Gonzalez also caught six receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown. Gonzalez leads the Falcons with 87 receptions.

As for the run game, Michael Turner carried the ball 16 times for 52 yards and punched in a one-yard run on the Falcons first offensive drive.

The Giants were out of sync from the start, opening their first drive with Eli Manning throwing an interception on 2 and 7 from their own 16 yard-line. Manning threw his second interception in the second quarter, resulting in a Falcons field goal.

Manning only completed 13 of 25 passes for 161 yards. His favorite target was wide receiver Domenik Hixon, who caught five passes for 80 yards.

The Giants were without running back Ahmad Bradshaw because of a foot-and-knee injury. Instead, rookie David Wilson got the nod for the start but was not nearly as explosive as last week. Wilson carried the ball 12 times for 55 yards.

With the loss, the Giants have fallen to 8-6 along with four other teams in the NFC. The Giants are currently third in the NFC East division at 8-6 behind the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, who are all 8-6. However, the Giants still control their own destiny and by winning out they will earn a wildcard playoff position. As for the Falcons, they will head to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions and control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Image Courtesy : Atlanta Falcons

The article Atlanta Falcons Torch New York Giants, 34-0 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After last weeks pivotal divisional loss over the Washington Redskins, the New York Giants bounced back strong, demolishing the New Orleans Saints 52-27.

Giants’ rookie running back and returner, David Wilson had a career day, single-handily becoming the Saints worse nightmare. Wilson compiled 327 all purpose yards, third-highest total for a rookie since the NFL-AFL merger.

Right after the Saints intercepted Eli Manning and went ahead 7-0, Wilson’s day started. On the ensuing kick-off Wilson jolted past the Saints special team unit and returned the the kick, 97-yards to the tie the game back up.

Wilson punched in a six yard run in the third quarter to give the Giants a 28-13 lead and then put the Saints to sleep with a career long 52 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal off the victory. Wilson averaged 7.7 yards per carry rushing for 100 yards on 13 carries, the rookie’s first 100 yard game of his career.

Manning quickly bounced back after throwing an interception on the Giants second offensive drive of the game. On the Giants’ next drive, Manning connected with tight-end Martellus Bennett on a six yard touchdown. Bennett caught five passes for 32 yards along with his touchdown.

Right before the half, Manning connected with wideout Domenik Hixon to take a 21-13 lead into the third quarter.

Manning also connected with wideout Hakeem Nicks for a 25 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Nicks caught four passes for 67 yards along with his touchdown. Nicks has been suffering through injury all season long and after the win over the Saints was re-examined. Coach Tom Coughlin expects Nicks to continue to play however it is unlikely he will be at 100% for the rest of the year.

Manning threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game at the start of the fourth quarter to wideout Victor Cruz. Cruz led the Giants in receiving hauling in eight catches for 121 yards along with his touchdown catch.

The Giants’ defense was on point, limiting Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees. Brees completed 26-of-43 passes for 354 yards one touchdown and two interceptions.

Brees lone touchdown came towards the end of the third quarter, connecting with speedster Darren Sproles. Sproles caught four passes for 28 yards along with his touchdown reception. He also had five carries for 56 yards and punched in 13 yard run in the third quarter.

Brees was picked off twice by Giants’ safety, Stevie Brown.

With the victory, the Giants remain atop the NFC East at 8-5 with both the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins breathing down their neck at 7-6. The Giants have a tough match-up next week on the road against the NFC’s current number one seed the Atlanta Falcons. As for the Saints, who have now dropped to 5-8,  they will face NFC South division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Image Courtesy : New York Giants

The article Giants Surge Past Saints appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins kept their playoff hopes alive with an important 17-16 victory over NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.

RGIII led the Redskins completing 13-of-21 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown. He also contributed on the ground with five carries for 72 yards. The Redskins took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, after RGIII fumbled and the ball landed directly into wide receiver, Joshua Morgan’s, hands and he burst into the end-zone.

Wide Receiver, Pierre Garcon, hauled in an 8 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the Redskins ahead 17-16. Garcon caught eight passes for 106 yards along with his touchdown.

Rookie running back, Alfred Morris, continued his dominance over the Giants’ defense in Monday night’s match-up. Morris carried the ball 22 times for 124 yards. In both games against the Giants this season, Morris ran for a combined 224 yards.

As for the Giants, they were led by quarterback Eli Manning. Manning completed 20-of-33 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown. His lone touchdown pass came in the second quarter to tight-end Martellus Bennett.

Wide-out Victor Cruz contributed with 5 receptions for 104 but was unable to get into the end- zone. Running back, Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 24 times for 103 yards, eclipsing the 100 yard mark for the third time this season.

Unfortunately, the Giants were unable to capitalize and settled for three-field goals. In addition, the Giants finished the game with nine penalties, accumulating 73 yards. Costly penalties down the stretch helped the Redskins hold onto the victory.

With the victory, the Redskins are now 6-6 and in the playoff mix. The Skins are tied with NFC East Rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, at 6-6, both just a game away from becoming closer to the top of the NFC East division.  The Redskins will have a tough match-up next week at home against the Baltimore Ravens. Also, before the end of the season they have two crucial match-ups against the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants are hanging onto the division lead by a thread and also face tough competition in the ensuing weeks. The Giants will welcome the Saints to MetLife next Sunday. The Giants still need to travel to Atlanta and Baltimore before they end the season against the Eagles.

Image Courtesy : Washington Redskins

The article Robert Griffin III Leads Redskins Past Giants appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Arlington, U.S.A. — The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys announced on October 28, that music superstar and football enthusiast Kenny Chesney will rock Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving Day to kick-off The Salvation Army’s 122nd annual Red Kettle Campaign.

Kenny’s performance will be televised Live nationally on FOX during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Redskins on November 22, 2012 at 3:15pm (CT). The concert marks the 16th year of the Thanksgiving Day partnership between the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army, in which time the Red Kettle Campaign has raised more than $1.5 billion.

And now through November 11, fans of the Cowboys and Kenny Chesney can visit www.SalvationArmyUSA.org/BoysofFall for a chance to win a trip for four to Dallas to see the Thanksgiving Day game — including on-field passes for the halftime show performance and a meet-and-greet with Kenny.

To enter, just submit a short (60-seconds or less) video featuring youth (pre-collegiate) football highlights. Selected videos may be featured during the Dallas Cowboys halftime show on Thanksgiving Day. One lucky Grand Prize winner will also win a trip for four to see the game live and in-person. Complete contest rules and details are available at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org/BoysofFall.

“There are great traditions in America — especially Thanksgiving, family and football. For 16 years the Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army have been an American tradition and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Kenny Chesney. “I’m calling on all of my fans to not only give back this year but also send in their best football highlights videos for a chance to see me live in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.”

As one of the most exciting performers in country music, Kenny has sold more than 10 million concert tickets over the past 10 years. Kenny’s performance comes on the heels of his most recent studio album,Welcome to the Fishbowl, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and has yielded the hit singles “Feel Like a Rock Star” “Come Over” and the current “El Cerrito Place.” Kenny has sold more than 27 million albums and had 24 #1 singles. He is a four time Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year and is nominated again this year for the award. He also has four Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Awards.

Kenny’s live halftime performance will mark the 16th year of the musical tradition during the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game to launch The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. Over the previous 15 years, the American public has generously given more than $1.5 billion to Salvation Army red kettles to help 30 million people a year in 5,000 communities each year.

Now in its 122nd year, the Red Kettle Campaign is one of the largest and longest-running charitable fundraisers, raising $147.6 million last year alone. Previous halftime performers who brought awareness to the campaign include Enrique Iglesias, Keith Urban, Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson, Billy Gillman, Clint Black, Randy Travis and Reba McEntire.

“Without a doubt, Kenny will electrify Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. His performance will not only kick-off The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign, but also get everyone singing along to his great music,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President of Brand Management and Chairperson of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board. “The longstanding partnership between the Cowboys and The Salvation Army is deeply meaningful especially for those in need. We know Kenny and his commitment to the Army will make this a year to remember.”

In addition to giving to traditional kettles, supporters can also give online through the Army’s Online Red Kettles or the Army’s text-to-give program. Through www.OnlineRedKettle.org, supporters can create a virtual red kettle to raise donations from friends and family. Last year, more than $1.7 million was raised through Online Red Kettles to support the Christmas campaign. In addition, through December 24, donors can text the word “GIVE” to 80888 to make a $10 donation to the Red Kettle Campaign.

“Since the Red Kettle Campaign began more than a century ago, The Salvation Army has been providing food, clothing, shelter, toys and other assistance to families and individuals during Christmas thanks to the American donor. Without the public’s support, our services would not be possible,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army. “Between Kenny Chesney and the Dallas Cowboys highlighting the kick-off event, we know that this year will be special and that we’ll be able to continue providing critical services to millions of people in need.”

From its humble origin as a fundraiser started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States. As part of the campaign, more than 25,000 Salvation Army workers and volunteers spread throughout the country to ring bells and solicit spare change donations to the iconic red kettles from holiday shoppers.

In 2011, the campaign raised more than $147.6 million nationwide, a new record supported by the public’s  nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars, credit cards (and the occasional diamond ring or gold tooth) all collected and used to help people in the communities in which the funds were raised. Last year, money raised helped The Salvation Army provide food, clothing, toys and other assistance to 30 million Americans in need.

For more information on The Salvation Army and the Red Kettle Kickoff, please visit http://blog.SalvationArmyUSA.org/, www.Facebook.com/SalvationArmyUSA or www.Twitter.com/SalvationArmyUS.

Image Courtesy of  Kenny Chesney

The article Kenny Chesney to Kick-Off 122nd Red Kettle Campaign appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The New York Giants’ defense forced six turnovers and held off the Dallas Cowboys 29-24 after blowing a 23 point lead to improve to 6-2 on the season.

On 2nd and 6 at the Giants 37 yard-line Dallas quarterback, Tony Romo dropped back and threw the ball to wideout Dez Bryant in the end-zone. Bryant caught the ball and the play was initially called a touchdown. The play was reviewed and overturned because Bryant’s hand touched out of bounds. Romo converted a first down to tight-end Jason Witten to move up to the 27 yard-line.

Romo, threw an incomplete pass to Miles Austin and was left with one second on the clock. On the final play Romo scrambled out of the pocket and threw the ball out of the back of the end-zone handing the Giants the victory.

Romo struggled early and often against the Giants. Romo completed 36-of-62 yards for a career high 437 yards one touchdown, one rushing touchdown and four interceptions. Dallas’ first four drives resulted in three interceptions. Romo’s third interception was intercepted by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul who took it back 28 yards for seven.

Tight-end Jason Witten had a career day catching 18 passes for 167 yards. Witten’s 18 catches broke his previous team record. In addition, his 18 catches was the most by an NFL tight-end. Austin also caught nine passes for 133 yards and Bryant caught five receptions for 110 yards.

The Cowboys were unable to run the ball against the Giants front seven. They compiled 19 yards on 17 carries.

As for Eli Manning and the Giants offense they were unable to move the ball very effectively. Manning completed 15-of-29 passes for 192 yards and one interception. Wideout Ruben Randle led the receiving crew with 68 yards. Both Hakeem Nicks and tight-end Martellus Bennett caught four passes. The Cowboys secondary contained Victor Cruz limiting him to two catches for 23 yards.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, carried the ball 22 times for 78 yards and one fumble. Also running back Andre Brown carried the ball three times for 21 yards and punched in a touchdown towards the end of the first quarter.

Giants kicker, Lawrence Tynes was a perfect 5/5 scoring 17 of the Giants 29 points. Tynes play was essential considering the Giants offense was unable to produce anything inside Cowboys territory.

Giants safety, Stevie Brown, was the defensive MVP for New York. Brown, led the team with eight tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The victory gives the Giants an early NFC East lead with the second place Eagles and Cowboys sitting at 3-4. The Giants will look to expand their winning streak to five games next week as they welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to MetLife Stadium. As for the Cowboys they will have another tough match-up against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons.

Image Courtesy of New York Giants

The article Giants Overcome Cowboy Surge appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The New York Giants were able to hold off divisional rivals the Washington Redskins, and their impressive running attack, 27-23 to earn their first divisional win of the season.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning waited till the end of the game to show how elite he truly is. After the Redskins pulled ahead 23-20 thanks to quarterback Robert Griffin III connecting with veteran wideout Santana Moss, Eli Manning and the New York Giants had one last opportunity.

Manning and the Giants offense started their drive on their own 23 yard-line. Manning started off the drive  with an incomplete pass to running back Ahmad Bradshaw. On 2nd and 10, in Shotgun Manning dropped back and connected with wideout Victor Cruz down the middle of the field for a 77 yard touchdown to regain the lead.

On the ensuing drive, with just over a minute left, the Redskins began their final drive of the game on their own 20 yard-line. Robert Griffin III, RGIII, connected with wideout Josh Morgan, who fumbled and recovered the ball for a 12 yard gain. RGIII looked over the middle for Moss but they couldn’t connect. On 2nd and 10 from their own 32 yard-line, RGIII hit Moss over the middle but Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn forced a fumble and it was recovered by cornerback Jayron Hosley. The Giants offense kneeled their way to a much needed divisional victory.

Manning finished the game, completing 26-of-40 completions for 337 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw struggled running the ball, compiling only 43 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Back-up running back Andre Brown also had one touchdown on five carries for 17 yards.

RGIII competed 20-of-28 passes for 258 yards two touchdowns and one interception. RGIII  also ran nine times for 89 yards. Redskins running back, Alfred Morris ran the ball 22 times for 120 yards. Morris has ran for over 100 yards in three of the last four games. Back-up tight-end Logan Paulsen had four receptions for 76 yards. Paulsen entered the game after starting tight-end Fred Davis left the game with an apparent achilles injury. Wideout Santana Moss was the recipient to both of RGIII’s touchdown passes.

The Redskins struggled protecting the ball on offense. The Redskins turned the ball over four times; meanwhile, they turned the ball over five times all season prior to this game. Safety Stevie Brown had one interception; defensive tackle Linval Joseph, cornerback Jayron Hosley and linebacker Michael Boley all recovered fumbles for the Giants.

The Giants will be back in action next week against divisional rivals the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Giants are atop of the NFC East Division and their remaining schedule will continue to get tougher as the season progresses.

Image Courtesy of  Washington Redskins

The article Giants Hold Off Divisional Rivals Washington Redskins appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After an early 14-0 lead for the Cleveland Browns, the New York Giants prevailed to rout the winless Browns  41-27.

It was a shaky start at MetLife Stadium for the Giants after running back Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled on the first play of the game. The Browns capitalized on the ensuing play with a 15 yard touchdown run by rookie running back Trent Richardson. Bradshaw regained his composure after his fumble, and rushed for a career high 200 yards on a career high 30 carries, along with one touchdown. The Giants were without backup; Andre Brown was ruled out with a concussion. Giants rookie running back David Wilson stepped up and punched in his first career NFL touchdown on two carries for 44 yards.

The Giants were depleted at wide receiver, missing Hakeem Nicks for a third straight week with a knee and foot injury. Furthermore, the Giants were without wide receiver Ramses Barden because of a concussion. This didn’t stop Eli Manning from having a field day against the Browns. Manning threw 259 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Rookie Rueben Randle stepped up, catching a career high six passes for 82 yards. Victor Cruz caught five passes for 50 yards and all three of Manning’s touchdown passes. Cruz’s three touchdown passes is a career high in a single game.

Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden completed 22-of-35 passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Richardson finished off  the game with 17 carries for 81 yards and one touchdown.

Two year wideout Jordan Norwood led the Browns receiving core with nine receptions for 82 yards. In addition, rookie Josh Gordon caught his first career touchdown pass on a 62 yard bomb early in the first quarter. Gordon caught his second touchdown pass in the 4th quarter.

The Browns are 0-5 for the first time since the 1999 NFL season. Additionally, the Browns matched a franchise record 11th straight loss.

The Giants improved to 3-2 on the season, a much needed victory after last weeks gut wrenching loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. Luckily, the Eagles lost against the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-13, the Washington Redskins lost against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons 24-17 and the Dallas Cowboys were on their bye week. The Giants victory keeps them in second behind the Eagles.

New York will have a tough task next week on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. As for the Cleveland Browns, they will be home against division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, and hope to snap their losing streak.

For additional player and game statistics click here. 

Image Courtesy of  The Official Cleveland Browns

The article Giants OverPower Browns appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Chicago Bears forced Tony Romo to throw five interception to improve to 3-1 and defeat  the Dallas Cowboys 34-18.

The Bears defense had a busy evening, forcing turnovers the entire night. Bears safety, Major Wright, had two interceptions giving him a total of three on the season, and the second best in the NFL.  Cornerback, Charles Tillman, picked off Romo in the 1st quarter and ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker, Lance Briggs, picked Romo off in the 3rd quarter and took it back 75 yards for another touchdown. Cornerback, D.J Moore, also had an interception. The Bears lead the NFL with a total of 11 interceptions. Bears Safety, Chris Conte, led the Bears with 11 tackles.

Romo’s five interceptions tied a career high for the Dallas quarterback. Interestingly enough, Romo’s first five interception game was back in 2007, also on Monday night. Four weeks in, and Romo currently leads the NFL with eight interceptions. Romo did throw one touchdown to wide receiver, Miles Austin. Austin finished the game with four receptions for 57 yards.

Romo’s awful performance ended late in the 4th quarter and back-up, Kyle Orton, took over. On Orton’s only drive, he completed 8-of-9 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. Orton’s lone touchdown was too tight-end, Jason Witten; Witten finished the game with 13 receptions for 112 yards. Cowboys running back, DeMarco Murray, struggled running the ball for a third straight week. Murray had 11 carries for 24 yards. Murray was featured in the pass game, catching seven passes for 57 yards.

Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler had a season best 75% completion percentage, threw for 275 yards and had two touchdowns. After being contained under 100 receiving yards the last two weeks, Brandon Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. Devin Hester caught Cutler’s first touchdown pass of the night, and Hester caught three passes for 38 yards. The Bears were delighted to welcome Matt Forte back after missing last week because of an injury. Forte had 13 carries for 52 yards.

The Bears are currently atop the NFC North Division with the Minnesota Vikings at 3-1. Chicago will be on the road again next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As for the Dallas Cowboys, they are in a three-way tie at 2-2 in the NFC East Division. Luckily for the Cowboys, they can rebuild and get things together during their bye week. The Cowboys will be back in action in Baltimore to take on the Ravens October 14th.

Image Courtesy of  Chicago Bears

The article Bears’ Defense Crushes Cowboys appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants, welcomed one of their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, to MetLife Stadium to kickoff the 2012 NFL season.

Unfortunately, the Giants did not look as good as they did last time they faced the Cowboys in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In an early defensive gridlock, the Giants took the lead in the 2nd quarter thanks to a Lawrence Tynes 22 yard field goal. Their lead did not last long: two drives later, from their own 22 yard line, the Dallas Cowboys marched right down the field. On 2nd and 5, at the Giants 10 yard line, Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo found wide receiver Kevin Ogletree for a 10 yard touchdown to help retake the lead 7-3.

Dallas started the 2nd half right where they left off. On their first drive, once again Romo connected with Ogletree for a 40 yard touchdown to put the Cowboys up 14-3. Eli Manning and the New York Giants jumped right back into it on their first possession. Manning drove from his own 11 yard line to the Cowboys 10, where Ahmad Bradshaw punched in a 10 yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 4 points. Dallas extended their lead back to 7, toward the end of the 3rd quarter with a Dan Bailey 33 yard field goal.

Dallas extended the lead even further after the Giants failed to drive down the field and were forced to punt. Starting at their own 18, running back DeMarco Murray started picking apart the Giants defense with his quick and explosive runs. At the Giants own 34 yard line, Romo was quick to realize the defensive mismatch, and connected with wideout Miles Austin for a touchdown.

With little time left, and down by 14, the Giants converted two key 4th down attempts to stay in the game. At the Cowboys own 9 yard line, Manning dropped back and connected with ex Cowboy Martellus Bennet. However, it just was not enough after Dallas converted on 3rd and 10. Romo kneeled the Cowboys to a 24-17 victory.

Romo finished the game with 307 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a quarterback rating of 129.5. In what is going to be a pressure-filled season for Romo, he certainly did not let it effect him week 1. As for Dallas’ run game, Murray averaged 6.6 yards per carry and rushed for 131 yards. Ogletree led all receivers with 8 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was evident that Romo took advantage of the Giants banged up secondary.

Defensively for the Cowboys,  linebacker Sean Lee stole the show and had 12 tackles as well as one forced fumble. In addition, defensive menace DeMarcus Ware hit the 100 sack milestone and is the 28th player in NFL history to do so after his 5 tackles and two sacks against the Giants.

As for the Giants, Manning finished the game off with 213 yards and one touchdown. Bradshaw led the giants in rushing, compiling 78 yards on the ground and on touchdown. As for their receiving core, Victor Cruz led all Giants receivers with 6 receptions and 58 yards. Cruz could have easily bumped his stat sheet but dropped a few passes.

The Giants have some serious concern regarding their secondary. An already injured battered secondary became worse after: Michael Coe got injured in the 2nd half. Coe was already replacing injured corner Prince Amukamara. The Giants had no choice but to put in 5th year defensive back Justin Tryon. If the Giants do not get healthy quickly, many teams will pick them apart via passing game.

Both the Cowboys and the Giants will be back in action Sunday, September 16. The Cowboys will be on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. As for the Giants, they are hoping to bounce back next week when they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to MetLife Stadium.

Image Courtesy of  New York Giants

The article Cowboys Spoil Giants Opener appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Green Bay Packers traveled to the West Coast for their first preseason game of the year against the San Diego Chargers. Both teams were off to a sloppy preseason start, combining for 5 turnovers in the first quarter, however the Chargers seemed to have a bit more in them to hold off the Packers 21-13.

The Packers are coming off their best regular season year in franchise history, finishing with a record of 15-1. Unfortunately for Green Bay, their postseason ended early after defeat by Super Bowl Champions, New York Giants. Offensively the Packers were elite, averaging 35 points per game, the best in the NFL, 3rd in total offense, averaging 405.1 yards per game, and 3rd in passing yards per game, averaging 307.8.

Most of Green Bay’s offensive greatness was due to their leader under center, NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers finished last season with a passer rating of 122.5, threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 68.3. Rodgers was a threat in and out of the pocket and continued to keep defenses guessing throughout the season.

Although the Packers pass game was top-notch, their run game was below mediocre. The Packers were ranked 27th in the NFL, averaging only 97.4 rush yards per game. The departure of Ryan Grant does not help the situation this upcoming season either, with the burden falling on James Starks and Alex Green to battle it out to see who will be the number one guy. With injury concerns surrounding both backs, the biggest question offensively is, can the Packers find someone to solidify the running back position consistently for 16 weeks and help them become less predictable?

Defensively Green Bay struggled all season and were last in the NFL in yard allowed per game, 411.6. Although they lead the NFL with 31 interceptions, they still allowed offense after offense to march down the field consistently. In their attempt to improve defensively, the Packers brought in some young talent via draft, USC defensive end/outside linebacker Nick Perry, and Michigan State defensive tackle, Jerel Worthy, were their first two picks. Both rookies are expected to have some type of impact in terms of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

As for the San Diego Chargers, they finished last season with an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. Philip Rivers is coming off his 4th consecutive 4,000+ yard season, as well as his 4th consecutive 25+ touchdown season. However, Rivers’ biggest  flaw last season was his turnovers. Rivers threw a career high 20 interceptions and lost a career high 7 fumbles. Charger fans will be hoping Rivers can be a bit more patient and execute efficiently to lead the team back into the playoffs.

The Chargers’ biggest defensive flaw was their 3rd down defense. They were ranked last in the NFL, allowing opposing offenses to convert 49.2% of the time on 3rd down, and have consequently addressed this issue with free agent acquisitions and through the draft.

Rodgers only completed 2-of-8 passes for 16 yards and threw an interception in Thursday nights loss. Rodgers did not look as comfortable in the pocket last night because of the lack of protection he received from his offensive line.

As for Rivers, he completed 3-of-5 passes for 37 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Rivers was able to connect with tight end, Antonio Gates, for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Gates has been battling an ongoing foot injury but looked in good form on the night, something the Chargers will be hoping is a positive sign going into the regular season.

The Packers continued to struggle running the ball as James Starks, the player most likely to start at running back come the beginning of the season, carried the ball five times for 16 yards and fumbled once. In addition, Alex Green and Marc Tyler did not help make a name for themselves, averaging less than three yards per carry.

The Chargers run game took a big hit after Ryan Mathews exited the game following his first carry, suffering from a broken clavicle which was reported later, leaving San Diego without Mathews for 4-6 weeks. Newly acquired Charger Ronnie Brown will likely get the nod for the starting role until Mathews return.

Green Bay rookie Perry finished the game with with three tackles and one sack, an optimistic sign for the Packers ahead of the regular season. Opposing defensive rookie Melvin Ingram finished the game with two tackles, and the pressure he exerted on Rodgers helped to force an interception.

The Packers are back in action, Thursday, August 16th against the Cleveland Browns, and will be looking for a more efficient offensive display. As for the Chargers, they will be back in action, Saturday, August 18th against the Dallas Cowboys. Luckily for both teams it was only preseason, and there is still plenty of time to assemble good chemistry as well as better execution on the field.

Image Courtesy of   San Diego Chargers

The article Chargers Top Packers in a Sloppy Start appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

With the Giants defeating the Jets just moments after this game started, one would have expected the Eagles to be the team that would play uninspired football after their playoff hopes had diminished. Ironically enough, the Cowboys, who at the very least could have played for the sake of guaranteeing a better seed than the Falcons, were the team who did not show up. One can easily point towards Tony Romo’s injury early in the first quarter, sidelining him for the remainder of the game, but the real reasons for the loss leave plenty to be concerned about.

Going into the game, the match up that was likely to be the most critical was the Cowboys’ tackle tandem of Doug Free and Tyron Smith vs. the Eagles’ DEs Trent Cole and Jason Babin. Being able to keep these two pass rushers in check is what was going to allow the Cowboys to rely on the deep ball in order to expose the poor safety play that has plagued the Eagles all season long. Unfortunately, both Smith and Free had their hands full for seemingly every play.

While Stephen McGee did not play badly considering he was under duress for a majority of the game, the lack of pass protection is ultimately what led to his being unable to let the deep routes develop. It obviously did not help that the Cowboys were unable to establish any type of threat on the ground as the ancient Sammy Morris managed just 29 yards on 13 carries.

An Air Coryell offense like Jason Garrett’s is the type of offense that needs a decent running game and good pass protection to work. As much as this may be true for any type of offense, it is especially so with an offense like Jason Garrett’s, since the Coryell offensive system relies on stretching the defense with the running game in order to open up vertical passing lanes.

Without any type of running game the defense will never feel obligated to stack eight in the box at the expense of being vulnerable to deep passes (a staple to Garrett’s offense being effective). Lack of pass protection will without a doubt, make it very difficult for deep routes to develop, and as such both, elements of the Cowboys’ offense were rendered ineffective. Ultimately, this is the reason that the Cowboys struggled to move the ball on Saturday.

On the defensive side of the ball the Cowboys seemed to be favoring a lot of zone coverage, as Rob Ryan often likes to do. Unfortunately, there were several instances in which various defenders looked completely lost, which is a recipe for disaster for a zone defense. Often times a receiver would be passed off only for someone to blow the coverage, while other times it would appear as if nobody in the secondary even knew what they were supposed to do.

While the Cowboys did do a half decent job at getting pressure, they did not do quite good enough in order to contain an elusive, mobile QB like Michael Vick. As a result, Vick was able to expose all of the poor discipline by the Cowboys’ defense whenever they were in zone. This would prove to be so effective for the Eagles that anyone who watched the game would completely forget that the Cowboys managed to contain LeSean McCoy in the running game.

The lopsided nature of this game is of course bad for the Cowboys’ momentum going in to next week’s game against the Giants for the NFC East divisional title. However, the concerns that arise from this game transcend both momentum as well as Tony Romo having to play next week with an injured hand. There are also question marks surrounding Rob Ryan’s ability as a defensive coordinator due to the inconsistent play of the defense in recent weeks.

Even if Ryan is not the one who deserves the blame, the quality of the talent that the Cowboys have on defense contributes to these concerns. Lastly, it remains to be seen whether or not Doug Free and Tyron Smith will be able to keep Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck in next week’s game, especially after the poor job they did at protecting Stephen McGee on Saturday.

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

The article Cowboys lead Uninspired Effort Against Eagles appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

By now, the dramatic stakes to this match-up are almost universally known. The Cowboys went into this game controlling their own destiny, while the Eagles have managed to surprisingly remain in the hunt, despite initially appearing to be the disappointment of the year. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in the Eagles enjoying a one-sided 34-7 win at home, which only adds fuel to the fire for Saturday’s game in Arlington.

Ever since that week eight game in Philadelphia, the Eagles have remained somewhat inconsistent, but established themselves as a dangerous team after last week’s blowout victory over the Jets. This will prove to make things rather difficult for the Cowboys team, who still has a bad taste in their mouth after the disappointing losses at the last second to the Cardinals and the Giants. In the event of a Giants loss to the Jets, a win this week would not only guarantee a playoff spot for the Cowboys, but also provide them with much needed momentum.

Although the Eagles made a strong statement last week with a dominant win over the Jets, there is still reason to question their defense. This comes off as a bit ironic considering the main off-season acquisitions that dubbed the Eagles a “Dream Team” were the defensive acquisitions of Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, and Jason Babin. In spite of these acquisitions, the Eagles have consistently struggled against the run due to the poor LB play as well as Juan Castillo’s poor usage of the Wide 9.

In the passing game, Nnamdi Asomugha has proven to be less effective playing zone as opposed to when he was able to shut down opposing receivers in man-to-man with Oakland. Even so, Asomugha has not had a bad season, by any means, contrary to what many have claimed. He and Asante Samuel are arguably the best CB duo in the league, but most of the liabilities on the back end have belonged to the safeties. Whether Kurt Coleman has played alongside Jerrod Page or Nate Allen, neither combination has managed to be an effective security blanket for the Eagles.

Luckily, Jason Garrett’s Coryell offense is one that relies on combining a power running game with a deep passing attack. The idea, of course, is to stretch the defense vertically with the running game, effectively opening up deep passing lanes. Based on how the Eagles defense has been described earlier, this type of offense is one that can induce the biggest mismatch for them. Their poor run defense should allow the Cowboys to vertically stretch the safeties, while the poor safety play should be the perfect catalyst for the Cowboys to expose the defense with the deep ball. A key match-up to watch for during this game will, therefore, be Miles Austin versus Asomugha/Samuel. If Austin can use his deep speed to his advantage, it will be very hard for the Eagles to defend the Cowboys’ vertical passing attack.

Of course, this is all dependent on which version of Felix Jones decides to show up, as well as whether or not Doug Free and Tyron Smith are able to stop Trent Cole and Jason Babin, respectively. Both match-ups will prove to be huge x-factors in the outcome of the game. Jason Babin currently leads the league in sacks with 18, while Tyron Smith is a highly regarded prospect who, despite being disappointing at the start of the season, has proven to be a huge rookie sensation. Watching him try to block Jason Babin will be interesting, considering Babin got the best of him in week eight.

While Jason Babin on Tyron Smith may be the more interesting match-up, Trent Cole on Doug Free will likely be more crucial. Doug Free is having an off year after playing so well last season and has especially struggled the past two weeks against Jason Pierre-Paul and Adrian Clayborn. If this pattern of struggling heavily against good pass rushers continues, Trent Cole is going to have a field day. This will prove to be a critical component to the outcome of the game, since Romo will not be able to expose the highly suspect safety play of the Eagles if he is not given enough time to let the vertical routes develop.

On the opposite side of the ball, a very good match-up will be DeMarcus Ware on Eagles Left Tackle Jason Peters. Assuming that DeMarcus Ware plays through his minor injury suffered a couple weeks ago against the Giants (he is listed as questionable), this match up will display the premier pass rusher in the NFL against someone who has played like a candidate for the premier offensive tackle in the NFL since joining the Eagles. When these two went head-to-head in week eight, Ware was able to pick up four sacks against Peters. However, these numbers are a bit misleading considering most of the sacks were of the coverage variety.

D-Ware has to be able to put Michael Vick under pressure consistently in order for the Dallas defense to even stand a chance against the Philadelphia offense. It is doubtful that the Cowboys will be able to contain LeSean McCoy, and the Eagles’ receivers will likely wreak havoc on a very shoddy Cowboys secondary. As such, DeMarcus Ware’s performance is, in fact, crucial towards the Cowboys’ success in this game. Taking into account all other aspects of the game, however, it appears as if things are a lot more certain for the Eagles. Simply put, it is much safer to say that Trent Cole will be able to get pressure against Doug Free than it is to say that Ware will be equally good against Peters. In addition to that, one can feel a lot more confident in LeSean McCoy being able to run on the Cowboys, than the inconsistent Felix Jones being able to run on the Eagles. With these factors in mind the Eagles may have a slight edge over the Cowboys going into this game despite the home field advantage favoring the Cowboys.

The article Cowboys vs. Eagles Week 16 Preview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After back-to-back heartbreaking losses, Tony Romo and the Cowboys weren’t going to leave this one to chance.

Four Romo touchdowns on the team’s first five drives easily propelled Dallas to a 31-15 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday night. The Dallas quarterback looked as focused as ever during one of his best performances on the year.

“I was just finding guys who were open and the guys do the rest,” said Romo. “I thought the offense played good as a whole.”

At 8-6 the Cowboys now control their own destiny in the NFC East. Wins over the Eagles and Giants over the last two weeks would earn them a postseason berth as division champions.

And while all is good and well for America’s team, things could not be any worse for the Buccaneers (the Bucs). The loss was Tampa Bay’s eighth in a row, dropping their record to 4-10 after an impressive 4-2 start. The losing streak has head coach Raheem Morris on the hot seat just one year removed from a 10-6 season.

The players openly acknowledged a sense of fear for Morris’ future before the kickoff. With playoff aspirations long gone, they admitted that their main motivation to finally win lay in protecting his job.

A 25 yard third down run by Josh Freeman on the game’s opening drive created the immediate positive atmosphere that the players have been searching for so desperately. However, that enthusiasm lasted for literally less than a minute.

With no one open, Freeman ran up the middle once again on the next play. As he went into his slide, Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer chased him down from behind and punched the ball loose. Bradie James would recover Tampa Bay’s league-leading 32^nd turnover for Dallas at their 44 line yard.

Romo would then lead a 7 play drive that ended with a scrambling 8 yard touchdown throw to Miles Austin to give the Cowboys an early 7-0 lead. Austin showed great fight as he out-wrestled Tampa safety Sean Jones for the ball all the way to the ground.

The Bucs offense was unable to rebound for the remainder of the first half. Not only were they shut out, but they also couldn’t attain a single first down following Freeman’s opening drive run.

While Tampa was completely inefficient offensively over the first 30 minutes, Dallas was the exact opposite. The Cowboys went into halftime with a 28-0 lead behind three Romo touchdown passes and one rushing score.

Romo’s second touchdown was an 8 yard throw to Dez Bryant that capped off a 10 play, 69 yard drive. He would then lead a 64 yard drive in the second quarter that ended with a 9 yard touchdown throw to Laurent Robinson. And with 20 seconds remaining in the half, Romo called his own number to finish off a 62 yard drive with a one yard touchdown run.

Romo looked nearly perfect during the first half. He completely cut up the Bucs defense, going 18-22 for 189 yards. With the luxury of a big lead, he took it rather easily in the second half. He was not responsible for any more touchdowns and his final line read 23-30 for 249 yards.

“I thought he just had a good feel for what we were doing against what they were doing,” said coach Jason Garrett. “I thought he got back quickly and got the ball out of his hands, and when he had to move and make plays, he was able to do that too. He made a lot of big plays and not many bad plays.”

Freeman’s night was a completely different story. He passed for only 14 yards in the first half and had a total of just 148 yards through the air going 17-27 with one touchdown toss.

Tampa Bay tried to get back into the game after opening the second half with a strip-sack of Romo that was recovered by linebacker Dekoda Watson and run back 4 yards for a touchdown. Following a Dallas field goal, the Bucs were able to make it a two possession game thanks to a touchdown catch by Dezmon Briscoe and a successful two point conversion to cut the lead to 31-15 with 23 seconds remaining in the third, but the Cowboys held the Bucs scoreless in the fourth and held on to win by the same score.

Tampa Bay will now look to end the losing streak in Carolina next week, while the Cowboys will continue their playoff push hosting Philadelphia.

The article Romo’s Four Touchdowns Put Bucs on Losing Side for Eighth Straight Time appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Miami Dolphins (3-8) and Dallas Cowboys (7-4) played what turned out to be a highly competitive game on Thanksgiving 2011, as Dallas edged Miami 20-19 on the game’s final play. Both teams entered on three game win streaks entering this one, and neither of them wanted theirs to end.

Two Tony Romo interceptions in the first quarter to Dolphins’ cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith gave Miami excellent field position, first to their own 42, then to the Dallas 26. However, the Cowboys defense stood their ground and only surrendered a field goal off those turnovers.

The takeaways were certainly a rarity for Miami, who entered the game ranked 31^st in the league in the department with just eight all season. What made them even more surprising was that Romo had gone 128 consecutive throws without an interception until his first on Thursday.

Dallas was extremely effective on the ground early on, as running back DeMarco Murray continued in his recent success accumulating 51 rushing yards over his first ten carries of the game. And despite becoming a non-factor during the middle of the game, Murray was able to gain significant yardage once again on the final drive of the game. Miami maintained its 3-0 lead until a 47 yard missed field goal attempt by Dolphins’ kicker Dan Bailey in the second quarter set up Dallas at its own 38, and eventually led to a Cowboys’ field goal.

Both sides struggled in the first half to finish off drives, even after beginning with good field position. With the exception of the Romo turnovers at the beginning of the game, drives were ending with either field goals or punts. This was the case until Dolphins’ quarterback Matt Moore fumbled a shotgun snap near his own end zone, which was recovered by the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware at the 4 with about a minute remaining in the half.

Romo proceeded to throw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Laurent Robinson on a play action fake, making this his fifth straight game with a touchdown reception. It also gave Dallas a 10-3 lead, their first of the game, with 55 seconds remaining in the first half. The Cowboys aspired to go into the tunnel with their one touchdown lead, but Miami added another field goal to end the half and cut the deficit to 10-6.

The second quarter ended quite strangely in comparison to the way the rest of the first half was played. The teams combined to score ten points over the final 61 seconds of the half after only putting up a total of only six over the first 58 minutes and 59 seconds.

Matt Moore led his team out of the locker room on a 70 yard drive, but had to settle for yet another field goal to cut the lead to 10-9. But after forcing a punt they finally got the ball into the end zone to acquire a 17-10 lead after a five play, 74 yard drive concluded with an outstanding 35 yard over the shoulder touchdown reception by wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was also interfered with on the play.

Tony Romo then decided that it was his turn. The Cowboys covered 77 yards and concluded their drive with another touchdown reception by Robinson to begin the fourth quarter. This one went for 18 yards and gave Dallas a 17-16 lead. The Dolphins then regained the lead with another field goal with 7:14 remaining after starting at their own 19.

Dallas was forced to punt on the following drive, but got the ball back with 2:59 remaining after their defense forced one of their own. The drive began at the Dallas 36 after a 19 yard return from Dez Bryant. The Cowboys handed the ball off to Murray who had some solid carries to put his team into field goal range after a 23 yard completion from Romo to tight end Jason Witten.

Miami ran out of timeouts and Dallas called one with three seconds remaining at the 11 yard line, setting up a 28 yard field goal attempt for rookie kicker Dan Bailey. Bailey, who had made 24 consecutive attempts coming into this one, drilled it right down the middle as time expired to give Dallas a 20-19 victory.

With the victory, Dallas moves into first place in the NFC East after beginning the season just 3-4. Miami, the polar opposite, is one week closer to a great 2012 first round draft pick.

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

The article Dallas Cowboys Defeats Dolphins on Final Play appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

To the typical NFL fan, Thanksgiving traditions, such as eating turkey and rejoicing in familial love, will always fall short of watching the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys host back-to-back games at their respective stadiums.

This year’s match-ups managed not to disappoint as the Lions and their undefeated division Packers rival remained scoreless throughout most of the first half before the Packers began to break the game open shortly after halftime Aaron Rodgers had no problem picking apart a depleted Lions secondary, which was missing one of its starting cornerbacks, as well as a very underrated safety in Louis Delmas.

Due to the relatively one-sided nature of this game, the main story line that came along with it mostly pertains to Ndamukong Suh’s ejection. As most people know by now, Suh’s ejection came after aggressively stomping Packers linemen Evan Dietrich-Smith shortly after the play had ended.

The first thing most people would think upon seeing this is that it certainly is not the first time that Suh has been involved in an incident with an opposing player, leading one to question if he can ever learn from his mistakes.

However, what makes the incident even more absurd is that it happened just days after Sports Center ran a segment reporting that he and Lions running back, Jahvid Best, donated equipment to a high school football team that had all of their equipment stolen.

This was certain to come off as an attempt to clean up Suh’s image after he had previously established himself as one of the NFL’s dirtiest players. However, after his ejection on Thanksgiving, he has clearly cemented himself into the the dreaded thug stereotype.

The odd thing about this is, disregarding Suh’s on-the-field shenanigans, he actually appears to be a well-spoken person in interviews and press conferences.  Yet, for whatever reason, the intensity that goes along with being a defensive tackle in the NFL seems to overcome him whenever he is on the field.

With this in mind, it now remains to be seen whether or not Ndamukong Suh can truly clean up his image or if his reputation is a product of some sort of compulsive behavior that he is incapable of controlling.

Moving on to the Cowboys-Dolphins game afterwards, the excitement came down to the last second of the game. Both offenses struggled early on with two early interceptions from Tony Romo, who was able to rebound significantly throughout the rest of the game, in addition to DeMarco Murray having yet another solid performance despite the poor run blocking from the offensive line.

Despite this rebound, the Cowboys secondary had a difficult time keeping Matt Moore in check throughout the second half of the game after holding them to just 6 points at halftime. The Dolphins’ first touchdown drive came after Terence Newman committed a pass interference penalty, which involved Newman practically strangling Brandon Marshall on a pass which placed the ball on the 1 yard line.

While Terence Newman certainly showed that his speed is not what it used to be on that particular play, he should take no blame for the decision to commit what appeared to be a deliberate penalty. Brandon Marshall clearly had Newman beat on the play with Abram Elam being fairly slow to provide help over the top.

This eventually proved to be a microcosm for the Cowboys’ second half struggles on the back end. Even after the Cowboys answered back with a touchdown of their own to take a 17-16 lead, Abram Elam managed to commit a penalty of his own to keep the Dolphins’ ensuing drive alive.

It obviously did not help that Orlando Scandrick and Alan Ball were both having some difficulty covering the Dolphins’ receivers, which led to a field goal that gave the Dolphins a late 4th quarter lead. After this happened, the outcome of the game became dependent on which Tony Romo would decide to show up, the mentally tough-clutch version or the reputed choker.

Luckily, for the Cowboys, Romo made some key throws in the face of pressure to put the Cowboys in field goal range before Dan Bailey made a last second field goal to give the Cowboys a relieving one point win over the Dolphins.

Although the win puts the Cowboys in first place of the NFC East, there is obviously some area of concern such as the aforementioned secondary woes. Terence Newman has not aged quite as well as anyone would have liked, while Scandrick and Ball are both average cornerbacks at best.

A game in which a quarterback such as Matt Moore was able to have a great statistical performance is, without question, something that should only highlight these issues, even in spite of the victory.

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

The article Thoughts to Take Away From Thanksgiving’s NFL Games appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

A 39-yard field goal off the boot of Dan Bailey helped secure the victory in overtime for the Dallas Cowboys, beating the Washington Redskins 27-24 on Sunday.

Tony Romo was another key factor to the comeback victory, throwing for 292 yards on 23 completed passes for three touchdowns. Recievers Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, and Laurent Robinson caught one touchdown pass apiece, making 10 receptions altogether for a grand total of 187 yards.

Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman also played very well throughout the game, throwing for 289 yards on 25 completed passes for two touchdowns and one interception. Receiver Jabar Gaffney was his main target, collecting 115 yards on seven receptions for one touchdown. Donte Stallworth also caught a touchdown pass, along with 51 yards on four receptions.

Running back Demarco Murray helped the Cowboys move the ball down the field, collecting 73 yards on 25 rushing attempts. Redskins’ running back Roy Helu only had eight rushing attempts, averaging four yards per carry.

After a slow start for both teams, the Cowboys were first to take the lead with a 22-yard pass from Romo to Bryant halfway through the first quarter. Bailey gave the Cowboys a 10-point lead with 10 minutes left in the second quarter after kicking a 37-yard field goal.

The Redskins got their first points of the night thanks to a four-yard rushing touchdown by Grossman with four minutes to go before halftime. Grossman then was able to hit Gaffney with a 16-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the quarter, making the score 10-14 going into halftime.

The only action in the third quarter happened in the first five minutes, when Graham Gano kicked a 40-yard field goal to give the Redskins an eight-point lead going into the final quarter.

Romo shined in the fourth quarter, making a 7-yard touchdown pass to Robinson on the first drive of the quarter, then throwing a huge 59-yard pass to Witten later on to take the lead at 24-17. However, the Redskins were able to get a touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter, a 4-yard pass from Grossman to Stallworth, to tie the game up and bring them into overtime.

Both teams battled strong in extra time, but the Cowboys were able to defend a lead given by a 39-yard field goal from Bailey until the final whistle blew with the Cowboys winning 27-24.

The Dallas Cowboys (6-4) travel back home to face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, while the Redskins (3-7) travel to Washington to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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

The article Cowboys Come From Behind to Beat the Redskins in Overtime appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys offense looks like its back to full power and with a solid defense the Cowboys are looking strong. They dominated the Bills in more than convincing fashion with a 44-7 victory. With the Cowboys schedule getting even easier, Tony Romo torched the Bills defense on their first four series all ending in touchdowns.

Terence Newman added two interceptions, one which he ran back for the score and the Cowboys cruised to victory. This was the second straight victory for Dallas who moves to 5-4 and one game behind the Giants. The difference is the Giants have one of the hardest remaining schedules and the Cowboys have one of the easiest. The Cowboys next three opponents have a combined record of 6-18.

“We needed a game like this,” tight end Jason Witten said. “This needs to be the foundation of what lies ahead for this team.” This marks the most points scored by a Cowboys team since 2007 when now-coach Jason Garrett had his first game as offensive coordinator.

The Cowboys have been benefiting from more balance on offense and much of that is thanks to the emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray. He rushed for 135 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown while contributing 35 yards receiving on 6 catches out of the backfield.

Murray has been helping to create space in the secondary by creating problems for opposing defenses. ”They can’t load the box on us and they can’t double-team wide receivers,” Murray said. This was the first game Romo played without a special vest protection for the broken rib he suffered back in Week 2.

Romo put the Cowboys up 21-0 with a 34 yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant, and a 58 and 5 yard passes to Laurent Robinson. He hit on his first 13 throws and finished 23 of 26 and 270 yards. His completion percentage, 88.5, set a franchise record for a single game. Though the offense was somewhat shutdown after those first scoring drives, they protected the lead with no interceptions from Romo and the offensive line doing their job and allowing no sacks for the second straight week.

“We are learning a little bit about who we are and what we can do and what we are capable of doing,” Romo said. Dallas handed Buffalo its second straight beat down and third loss in four games. They didn’t do much right in this game and need to turn things around quickly to stay in the playoff hunt.

We will regroup and continue to work to get better,” Gailey said. “But you have to go do it. Nobody’s going to give you anything in this league.” Ryan Fitzpatrick had another forgettable day. He was 20 of 31 for 146 yards a touchdown and three interceptions. The touchdown was a 3 yarder to David Nelson. The Bills were only able to convert 2 of 7 on third down.

After signing his new 6 year $59 million contract Fitzpatrick has had two bad games. ”We put in some good practice time and really thought we’d come out here and play well,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s hard to even think ahead right now because of how embarrassing that loss was.”

The Cowboys forced four total turnovers getting a fumble from Jackson, his second of the season. The lone bright spot was Jackson who racked up 114 yards on 13 carries. The Bills look to turn things around and avoid three straight losses with a trip to Miami next Sunday to face the Dolphins who are suddenly the winners of two straight, while the Cowboys head to Washington to face the Redskins losers of five straight.

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

The article Dallas Cowboys Blowout Bills at Home 44-7 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Bills come into the game on Sunday looking to avoid losing two in a row for the first time this season when they travel to Jerryworld to square off with the Cowboys who are trying to keep pace with the Giants for the NFC East. “The focus is trying to win a game. … We got everything in front of us — we hold our own destiny in our own hands, so we gotta go take care of business,” coach Chan Gailey said.

Buffalo, who sit at 5-3 tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and the Jets, failed to take care of any business last Sunday against the Jets. They fell 27-11 and saw their high power offense, which is tied for the highest scoring in the AFC with the Patriots at 27.8 points per game, sputter as the Jets made them look like the one win Dolphins. The Bills went 3 for 11 on third down and turned it over three times.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions and had his worst game of the year going 15 of 31 for 191 yards and a touchdown. ”It was a bad game,” said Fitzpatrick. “We certainly didn’t have our best effort out there, and I think that’s where a lot of disappointment and frustration comes in.”

Fitzpatrick will look to bounce back facing a Cowboys pass defense that’s right in the middle of the pack ranked 16^th giving up 232.5 yards per game. The Bills are led by running back Fred Jackson who is having a career year leading the AFC at 100.4 yards per game and helping the Bills to the 7^th ranked rushing attack with 135 yards per game.

However, the Jets held the team to only 96 yards on the ground and forced Jackson’s first fumble of the year. They will look to get back to the run, as Dallas has struggled lately giving up 401 yards on the ground the past two weeks. Dallas will get Sean Lee back who is their leading tackler and this should help them somewhat.

For Buffalo to keep pace for the AFC East title they’ll have to go at least 2-1 on their three game road trip facing Dallas, Miami, and then the Jets again before heading home to face Tennessee. ”It will be a difficult stretch, but we don’t have to play all three of them at the same time,” Jackson said. “If we go out and continue to make plays like we have been throughout the season, we feel like we’ll be OK.”

Buffalo has struggle so far on the road this year by going 1-2, but the losses came against the Giants and the Bengals, both who are in first place in their divisions. Each loss was only by three points. The Cowboys sit at 4-4, but are looking to make a push in the second half of the season as they benefit from an easy schedule. They also benefit from the first place Giants having a tough stretch over the next few weeks.

After the Bills the Cowboys face Washington, Miami, and Arizona who have a combined record of 6-18. After that, the Giants come to town in what looks to be a pivotal matchup. ”We’ve done a lot of things to build on over the first eight games, a lot we can be positive about. … But we have to get better,” said Garrett

When starting running back Felix Jones got hurt, people expected the running game to take a step back, but the opposite has happened with rookie DeMarco Murray shining rushing for 466 yards in three games. They hope he can keep it up against a Bills run defense that ranks 20^th giving up 120.8 yards per game.

“We are going to have a great 1-2 punch when Felix gets healthy,” Witten said. “It’s going to put us in a great situation.” The Cowboys are a little banged up with Felix Jones still being questionable and wide receiver Miles Austin out for possibly a month after he reinjured his hamstring last week.

With no Austin, Dez Bryant figures to see a lot more targets, along with tight end Kevin Ogletree and wide receiver Laurent Robinson. Buffalo’s defense, while rich with playmaking ability, they lead the AFC with 15 interceptions, isn’t that great. They rank 25^th against the pass giving up 260.4 yards per game.

The game should be a close contest as both teams can put up a lot of points in a hurry. Both teams need to win to keep pace in their respective races, but with the Bills on the road and Dallas’ defense being run by Rob Ryan, Rex’s twin brother, they will see a dose of the same stuff they saw against the Jets. The Cowboys should be able to get a win at home. Final Prediction: Bills 17 Cowboys 27.

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

The article Game Preview: Bills at Cowboys In A Must Win For Both Teams appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Dallas Cowboys were able to capitalize on their scoring chances in the second quarter to get the 23-13 victory on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, securing their fourth win of the season. The stars of the game were in the kicking teams, with most of the points in the game coming off the boots of Cowboys Dan Bailey and Seattle’s Steven Hauschka.

Bailey was the first to score for Dallas, putting a 20-yard field goal through the uprights with five minutes left in the first quarter. Hauschka tied up the game with a 45-yard field goal for Seattle with four seconds left in the first quarter. The second quarter ended just like the first, with Bailey and Hauschka kicking field goals to keep the game tied at six points going into the second half.

The only touchdown to happen in the third quarter came off a 33-yard pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten to give Dallas a seven point lead going into the fourth quarter. Laurent Robinson caught a six yard pass from Tony Romo five minutes into the fourth quarter, giving the Cowboys a 20-6 lead. Bailey kicked a 42-yard field goal two minutes later, giving him a total of 11 points for the game.

The Seahawks had the final say in the game with Marshawn Lynch running four yards for a touchdown with six minutes left in the game. With their fourth win of the season, the Cowboys are still questionable as to whether they will make the postseason. ”You can’t just hover around .500,” tight end Jason Witten said in an interview with Fox Sports. ”You need to make a run and make a push to stay in the hunt.”

The Cowboys (4-4) stay at home to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, with the Seattle Seahawks (2-6) travelling back home to welcome the Baltimore Ravens.

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

The article Dallas Cowboys Break Tie with Second Half Success appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Philadelphia Eagles controlled the game on Sunday through offensive and defensive standouts, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 7-34. The Eagles’ defense was able to stop any opportunities the Cowboys had in the rushing game; Dallas made ten rushing attempts for a total of 85 yards.

This was mostly due to the efforts made by Eagles defense Jamar Chaney and Asante Samuel, who made a total of 10 tackles throughout the game on the Dallas offense. The Eagles used their rushing attack effectively throughout the game to move the ball up field for scoring chances; Lesean McCoy ran for a total of 185 yards on 30 attempts for two touchdowns.

Quarterback Michael Vick also carried the ball on several runs, going for a total of 50 yards on seven attempts. The passing game was where Dallas fell short during the game. Quarterback Tony Romo threw for 203 yards on 18 completed catches, along with throwing for one touchdown and one interception.

Receiver Laurent Robinson made the touchdown catch, getting 103 yards in the game off of 5 receptions. Vick helped carry the team on to victory, throwing 28 passes all together for a total of 279 yards and two touchdowns. Receivers Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin both caught touchdown passes, adding up for a total of 148 yards off of ten receptions.

Kicker Alex Henery also provided points for the Philadelphia victory, kicking two field goals and four extra points for a total of 10 points in the game. The Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) face off at home against the Chicago Bears on Monday, November 7th, while the Dallas Cowboys (3-4) travel back home to welcome the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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

The article Philadelphia Eagles Control Entire Game to Win Over Cowboys appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Dallas Cowboys came out of the game against the St. Louis Rams with an easy 34-7 win, with the help of rookie running back DeMarco Murray. Murray, backup for starter Felix Jones, ran for a franchise record of 253 yards, including a 91 yard touchdown at the beginning of the game on Sunday.

Murray’s touchdown was the second-longest touchdown in the history of the Cowboys, second only to Tony Dorsett’s 99-yard touchdown, which holds the NFL record. The Cowboys (3-3) end their two game losing streak with help from quarterback Tony Romo, who threw 14 for 24 and two touchdowns to Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

A performance like this would be expected against a team like St. Louis, who has the worst defense against the run in the NFL, allowing 163 yards per game. The only points received by the Rams were due to a rushing touchdown by Steven Jackson. St. Louis quarterback A.J. Feeley threw 20 of 33 for 196 yards and one interception.

The Rams (0-6) were not even able to stop fourth-string running back Phillip Tanner from running a 35 yard drive for a touchdown after Murray was taken out of the game with an injury. The Cowboys travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, while the St. Louis Rams go back home to face the New Orleans Saints.

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

The article Murray Carries Dallas Cowboys to Victory over Rams appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After his last pitiful performance, New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez is looking a young quarterback again. Except he’s not getting any younger and the Jets can’t afford him to continue regressing. With big expectations on both the team and Sanchez coming into this season, he’s already been on a roller coaster.

After a poor start, Sanchez was able to lead the team back and steal one from the Dallas Cowboys the opening week. The following week the Jets handled business and beat up the lowly Jaguars with Sanchez having a good game. When the team left MetLife stadium, things took a turn for the worse.

Sanchez was abused by the Raiders front seven and seemed unable to complete a pass against Oakland’s questionable secondary. The Ravens gave him even more punishment. Sanchez had 4 fumbles (3 recovered by Baltimore) in Sunday’s game and one interception, but the worst part of the turnovers was that three of them were returned by the defense for touchdowns.

The one-dimensional offense has put a burden on Sanchez, who has nine turnovers in four games. Against the Ravens, he was rattled and completed only 31.4 percent of his passes, the lowest mark in team history for a quarterback with at least 35 attempts in a game. Ryan, who gave a harsh assessment of Sanchez after the game, softened his stance after reviewing the tape.

“I don’t care if Joe Monatana was back there, with that kind of pressure, it’s hard to execute,” Ryan said. The biggest issue has been Sanchez’s lack of leadership and confidence. He’s looking a lot like the kid who was overmatched in his rookie season by the NFL and not like the third year franchise quarterback the Jets need.

While the Jets have issues in the running game and offensive line, possibly adding to Sanchez’s early season woes, a lot of it is on him too. He’s not reading defenses well enough at the line, holding the ball too long, making errant throws when he needs to be more cautious, and fumbling way too many snaps.

Sanchez, who was named captain this season, needs to step up both on and off the field and show the coaches, organization, and fans that he is the player they believed him to be when they traded up to the 6^th overall pick to draft him. If he can’t do that it’s going to be a long season for gang green and Sanchez’s tenure in New York won’t be nearly as long as he or anyone expected.

The article Off the Mark: Mark Sanchez appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In the Monday night football game against the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboy star Tony Romo was outfitted with special Kevlar lined pads to protect his ailing ribs. Romo had to resort to wearing the pads after suffering a broken rib and a punctured lung. Romo’s injuries were caused by taking a brutal hit from San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks in Week 2.

The special pads were designed and developed by Unequal Technologies, and this was not the first time that the company has designed pads for an NFL quarterback. Last year Unequal Technologies mocked up similar types of pads for Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick after he damaged his rib cartilage in a game.

The material the pads are created with are reported to be five times stronger than steel and they are the no. 1 shock suppression material in the world, according to Unequal Technologies. However, there is some validity to the statements made by Unequal Technologies. On CBS’ The NFL Today Show, Dan Marino swung a bat at Boomer Esiason, as he shielded himself using some of the protective material.

While Boomer did feel the impact of the strike, he was able to walk away, unharmed. Albeit Marino’s shot was more on the side of an overly aggressive love tap than a full out swing, the material gave Boomer the willingness to be hit in the ribs with a baseball bat and not have any regrets about his decision.

The Kevlar pads obviously provide an extra layer of a protection, and the question that should be on every players lips is why these haven’t become league standard. The pads should not just become standard for QB’s, but for every player who gets on the field. In 2010 30 percent of all NFL players had to miss a game due to injury according to the NFLPA.

Jason Witten, the Cowboys star tight end, was also fitted with a pair of the pads for Monday night’s game so he could return to the football action early. Unequal Technologies’ creation could prevent some of these injuries from happening or from becoming a serious issue. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been quoted as saying “One of our most important priorities is protecting our players…”

It is encouraging to hear that from Commissioner Goodell , but first a plan of attack needs to be form to tackle the issue of lower body padding. The NFL doesn’t mandate that players wear knee and thigh pads, but does recommend the idea. As a result players, mostly running backs, tend to ignore the recommendation and choose not to wear lower pads.

It is believed by players they can obtain faster speeds quicker and for longer without the hindrance of bulky lower pads.  Without pads on the lower extremities chances of players getting injured are increased; this plays a part in why running backs are habitually sidelined for weeks at a time.

While there has been talk by league offices to enforce players to wear the lower padding, at the moment nothing has come to fruition. However the NFL should receive some credit because addressing the issue is a crucial first step on the path to maximum player safety.

With any luck in the near future, when players suit up on Sunday’s they will be covered from head to toe in best padding, even if that padding just happens to be made of Kevlar
Alexey Stiop / Shutterstock.com

The article Is there a Place for Kevlar in The NFL? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This is the question that the New York Jets need to ask themselves. If this was a year or two ago, the answer would’ve been simple: a ground and pound offense and a smash mouth defense. However, this year the Jets look like a team who are searching for their identity, which is not good considering this team is planning on winning it all.

At the beginning of the year, the Jets decided to make Shonn Greene their bell-cow running back and moved last year’s starter, LaDainian Tomlinson, to a third down receiver type back. The only problem is the Jets have been unable to run the ball in their first three games this season. The team that would beat you up with their big skilled offensive line now has to rely on the passing game for points.

Mark Sanchez threw the ball 44 times in the opener against the Cowboys, and has had to throw the ball a lot more than intended because of the inefficient run game, even throwing in a blow out against the Jaguars in Week 2.

Now a lot of this has to do with the Jets interior line who, without center Nick Mangold, is sporting two first year players and second year player, Matt Slauson. This a big difference from the line of last year and from two years ago in which tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who is a pro-bowler in his own right, was the weak point.

The spectacular Rex Ryan defense, which should be playing great as 10 of the 11 starters are now in at least their second year in the system, has at times looked bad. The Cowboys were able to expose the defense almost costing the Jets the home/season opener two weeks ago, and it cost them the game on Sunday against the Raiders who torched the Jets defense for 200+ yards on the ground.

Bad tackling combined with a lack of pass rush has plagued the Jets and the mental mistakes aren’t helping either. While I’m sure the defense had a bad game, and will be fine as the season goes on, the real problem is the offense and how the Jets are going to score points. If the Jets can’t find their identity as a team, they can stop all the Super Bowl talk now and kiss their season goodbye.

These next two weeks will really show what the Jets are made of. They travel to Baltimore this week for the Sunday night game against the Ravens, and then to Foxboro to square off with their nemesis, the New England Patriots.

The worse that could happen is the Jets lose both and fall to 2-3 in the season, which will not put them in a good spot considering the Bills, yes, you’re reading that right the Buffalo Bills, right now are atop the division at 3-0 and have easy games. The Patriots, assuming they beat the same Raiders the Jets just lost to, would be 4-1.

While the season is long and a lot can happen, the Jets need to ask themselves who they really are as a team, and they better figure it out quickly. Otherwise the answer to the question, “Who are the 2011 Jets?” will have one answer: a team with all the talent in the world that just couldn’t put it all together.

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

The article Who are The 2011 New York Jets? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills: Buffalo is 2-0 after coming back from a 21-3 halftime deficit last week against the Raiders. The Patriots are coming to town and have won 15 straight meeting against the Bills. They look to make it 16. Patriots 38-24

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Carolina Panthers: The quarterback carousel continues for the Jaguars. They will now start rookie QB Blaine Gabbert after Luke McGown’s awful performance against the Jets. Panthers found their guy in Cam Newton but he is still searching for his first win. Panthers 27-24

Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans: Denver’s defense has been bad over the first two weeks. Gave up 150 yards to McFadden in week one. In week two they allowed two receivers to go over 120 yards. The Titans might finally be able to get the run game going. Titans 24-17

N.Y. Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles: Since last year Vick is 9-2 in the regular season as the Eagles QB when he plays all four quarters. When he stays healthy, they have a good chance of winning. He’s cleared to start after he left last week with a concussion. Eagles 28-14

Houston Texans @ New Orleans Saints: Statistically, the Texans have one of the best pass defenses in the league. They will get their first real test on the road in the Dome when they take on Drew Brees and the Saints. Saints 24-23

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings: The Lions are off to an amazing start. Detroit has to come back to earth sometime. They haven’t won a divisional road game in years and Adrian Peterson runs well against them in his career. Vikings 23-16

Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns: Dolphins have found their RB in rookie Daniel Thomas. He ran for over 100 yards in his first game last week. Browns had an impressive road victory in Indianapolis for their first win last week. Dolphins have been better on the road. Dolphins 20-14

San Francisco 49ers @ Cincinnati Bengals: The 49ers run defense has been stout during the first two weeks. As good as their run defense has been, their pass defense has been just as bad. Andy Dalton has been a surprise for the Bengals. Dalton and the rookie WR A.J. Green have had a nice connection thus far. Bengals 16-10

N.Y Jets @ Oakland Raiders: The last time these two met at Oakland, the Jets won in a blowout 38-0. One of the storylines ended up being that Mark Sanchez was caught eating a hotdog on the sidelines. Do you mean that this was one of the stories on the side? Reports are the Raiders are using that as motivation. Jets are looking to repeat more of the same of the last meeting. Jets 24-21

Baltimore Ravens @ St. Louis Rams: The Ravens couldn’t stop the pass against the Titans. That seems to be their weakness over the past year. Lucky for them they go into St. Louis and face a struggling QB, and banged up receivers and backs. Ravens 23-10

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers: This could be a trap game for the Chargers. Despite the loss last week and the Chargers desire to win this game, it is a division game. It is also a game in September and these Chargers have struggled early in past seasons. Chiefs have not competed yet this year. Chargers 28-24

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Falcons take their balanced offensive attack into Tampa Sunday. Tampa had trouble defending the pass in week one and the run in week two. They could struggle with both in week three. Falcons 21-17

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks: Cardinals have played well in the first two games, going 1-1. The same can’t be said for Seattle who’s 0-2. This is the NFL, where unpredictable happens. Seahawks 21-20

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears: The Packers have had the worst pass defense in the NFL giving up 800 yards in the first two games. Bears don’t have a downfield threat to make that trend stand. Packers 31-17

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts: This won’t be pretty. The Steelers showed what happens when they play a bad team. It was a shutout victory for Pittsburgh. The Colts are lifeless without Manning. Steelers 28-7

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys: Coach Mike Shanahan looks like a genius after letting McNabb go, going with Grossman at QB and trading for Hightower. The Cowboys home openers start on Monday Night Football but comes with a cost. Injuries to Romo (punctured lungs) Dez Ryant (thigh) and Austin (hamstring) will set them back. CB Terrance Newman is back and the defense will keep them in it. Cowboys 24-17

Olga Bogatyrenko / Shutterstock.com

The article NFL: Week Three Predicitions appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After the Jets celebrated their win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was straight back to work and breaking down the tape of the game. There were some problems but least expected: issues on the the offensive line.

The O-line for the Jets has for years been a strong point of the team, but in the game against the Cowboys’ Sanchez, it was sacked four times and knocked down at least three separate times. If Sanchez is the key to the Jets run at the Super Bowl then the Jets line needs to protect him better.

After the game, Sanchez took concussion tests though he seems to be fine. However, this could turn out to be a bad omen of what might happen if he keeps taking abuse like he did against the Cowboys on a game to game basis. Ryan picked on the offensive line during Wednesday’s meeting and according to players, called out the offensive line for their poor performance.

Now, there are some factors playing into their game. For starters, this isn’t the same line it used to be. Secondly, Sanchez threw the ball 44 times. That is an extremely high number for Sanchez since the Jets are usually a ‘run first’ team. If any QB drops back that many times, he’s bound to get hit at some point.

To protect their franchise quarterback, the Jets line will have to play better — not just on pass plays. Shonn Greene only had 26 yards last week as the Jets ground and pound was pounded by Rob Ryan and his various run blitzes.

This is a line very capable of playing up to the standards the Jets are used to, however the Jets need them to actually play up to those standards if they are meant to have any hope of ending this year with a trip to the White House.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.newyorkjets.com/

The article O-No? Rex Challenges O-Line appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It was an emotional day for all of America with the opening Sunday of football falling on the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. There was no bigger game Sunday that that between America’s team the Dallas Cowboys and the new kings of New York the Jets. Both teams with Super Bowl ambitions started their long quest to obtain a ring with a thrilling game.

The Cowboys came out firing on all cylinders marching right down the field on the opening drive making the Jets defense look like a practice squad.  The Jets had trouble covering TE Jason Witten all game who torched them for 110 yards and CB Antonio Cromartie didn’t have his best game getting beaten twice for both the Cowboys passing touchdowns.

The Jets offense led by Mark Sanchez got off to a real slow start, which unfortunately is becoming a regular thing, and were virtually useless until a good two minute drill to end the 1^st half was capped by a 4 yard pass from Sanchez to Dustin Keller for the score. The “ground n pound” that has run the Jets offense was non-existent as newly appointed feature back Shonn Greene only rushed 10 times for 26 yards, yet Sanchez had 44 attempts.

The Jets defense kept them in the game as best they could, but the Jets found themselves down by two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter and it was looking like the Cowboys would come into MetLife stadium and steal a win from a Super Bowl contender on a day where everyone was honoring New York.

The Jets fighting to stay in it put together a nice quick drive down the field capped by another Sanchez touchdown this time finding new wide receiver Plaxico Burress for a 26 yard pass. This was Burress’ first game since spending two years in jail on a weapons possession charge and his first touchdown which cut the defecit to 7.

Burress would finish the game with 4 catches for 72 yards and the 1 score a respectable game for his first game back. Then on a punt RB Joe McKnight who has been scrapping to find anyway to stay in the good graces of the organization was able to get free in the middle and made a diving one handed block on a punt causing the ball to bounce backwards.

It was picked up by unlikely hero CB Isaiah Trufant who was the 46^th man of the 46 man roster and was promoted from the practice squad Saturday and he ran it into the end zone to tie the game up at 24. With the Jets missing an opportunity to drive down the field for the winning score Tony Romo and the Cowboys had the chance to do the same thing.

Then Romo broke the one rule that just about every QB in the league abides by. He threw the ball to Darrelle Revis’ side of the field and ended up stranded on Revis Island. A great play call baited Romo into throwing to his side thinking there was man to man coverage on a blitz and Revis was right there for his first interception since his pick against the Chargers in the playoffs two years ago.

He returned the pick to the Cowboys’ 34. A few plays later K Nick Folk got revenge against the team that cut him two years ago nailing a 50 yard field goal which sealed an improbable comeback victory by the Jets for their first win of the season in dramatic fashion. This was a game every bit as dramatic as the day in which it was held on and the Jets are flying high as they prepare for their Week 2 opponent the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The article Flying High: Jets Win Wild Season Opener 27-24 Over Cowboys appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Adrian Peterson is one of the top running backs in the NFL. His ability to run over defenders with electric speed has made the Minnesota Viking, a once in a lifetime talent.  Known mostly by his alter ego, “All Day”, Peterson is known for his constant work ethic and the ability to never take off a down. His relentless on the field effort must have been his excuse for skipping his own youth camp; he was probably too tired.

The Old Spice Adrian Peterson Football Camp is a held at Peterson’s alma mater, Oklahoma University. The camp, that ran “All Day” this past Thursday and Friday, was for 7-14 year olds looking to improve their game from the NFL’s best. Unfortunately, that never happened.

A few days prior to the camps start date, an announcement was made over its website that Adrian Peterson would be unable to make an appearance. An announcement on the camps website cited scheduling conflicts for the reason of Peterson’s absence and that he will be featured on the NFL’s top 100 players list. Peterson apologized to the camp goers and says he is very excited to be back in 2012 to host the camp.

Scheduling conflicts? Is this a joke? I have a man crush on Adrian Peterson as much as the next guy, but man what about the kids? If not for anything, do it for them. Or maybe do it for the parents. The parents that just dropped $200 (when most NFL players are holding free youth camps) for their children to have a chance to spend two days with their football idol; just to get their hearts broken when he doesn’t show up.

Kids, get your money back because an Adrian Peterson camp without well, Adrian Peterson, is a waste of time. The camp tried to save its reputation by getting some notable football names to take over Peterson’s duties as camp host.  Former Sooner Standouts, Mark Clayton of the St. Louis Rams, Rookie Dallas Cowboys running back, DeMarco Murray, and former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Jason White will be running the show in Peterson’s place. Sounds like a great bargain if you signed up for the Adrian Peterson camp ran by mediocre ex- Oklahoma Sooners. When I first read this I thought that those three were on the list of camp attendees. Wait; is it stretching it to praise Jason White as mediocre? Doesn’t he sell insurance now?

I want to personally apologize to all of the children who were looking forward to some football tutelage from the games best. I know I would be heartbroken and probably keep my #28 Peterson jersey in the back of the closet for awhile. Just the back of the closet though, lets not go doing anything heinous like  a Lebron James burning parade, part ll. All in all, the man did apologize and is missing the camp to be part of a very prestigious league event. Would the NFL have taken him off the Top 100 list if he missed the festivities? Probably not, but hey, the guy is in no contention for a Super Bowl ring anytime soon so let’s let him enjoy his moments of glory. Am I still disappointed? Yes, but It seems as if “All Day” just needed a few days off.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/vikingsfrenzy/

The article Adrian Peterson Runs, Jumps, and Skips Over Youth Camp appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The NFC East has always been a tough if not the toughest division in football.  Expect that to be the case once more during the upcoming season, if they ever get their act together, they being the players and the owners.

The NFC East is known for their defense and tough minded teams with hardnosed veteran coaches, coaches who have remained the same over the years and have resisted the many calls for change from many of their own players.  As much as things have changed in the NFL, many things remain and as much as these teams beat up on each other year in year out, there is always a sense of the cream rising to the top.

Last season the Philadelphia eagles held the top spot in the division posting a 10-6 record, while the league once again discovered the talents of former inmate Michael Vick.  The Giants with the younger Manning at the helm also posted a 10-6 record, at times looking like a great team and at times playing to the level of their lesser opponents.

The Dallas Cowboys or America’s team went 6 -10 in a disappointing season that they will look to reverse this upcoming year in an improved division.  At the bottom of this ever-changing order is the Washington Redskins…finishing a drama plagued season at 6-10 and without a true quarterback for the future.

The New York Giants are a solid team with the pieces necessary to improve on their 2010 season but it will have to start from the leadership on the field. Eli Manning who threw for 4000 yards this past season is a proven winner but at this point in his career the mistakes must go. Mistakes that led to 25 interceptions will not get it done. Also, a leading rusher who can’t seem to hold on to the ball leading the team in fumbles will not get the job done.  They sired up the defensive back position with their 1^st pick in the draft with Prince Amukamara and with their young receivers developing and D line continuing the onslaught on the backfield, look for the Giants to go back to the top of the NFC East…11-5 and top of the division.

The Eagles on the other hand finished on top of the division with a quarterback although talented had not played a down in about 2 years. It is no longer a question who the starting quarterback should be after Michael Vick posted his best season in the NFL statistically. He has two young fast energetic receivers who are still learning… I would also like the Eagles to bring in Plaxico Burress to add to this young core of pass catchers who are not the biggest or the most experienced; Burress would only help in my opinion.  They will need to improve their offensive line to help out aging Vick and improve their defense…try to stay balanced with McCoy not fall in love with the arm of Vick.  I don’t see much improvement offensively and there will be no improvement in terms of their record…10-6 once again.

The lowly Washington Redskins on the other hand can’t seem to get out of their own way and manage to waste money every year with little results.  I don’t know who is to blame but I don’t think coach Shanahan is the answer.  After a tough season with his top defensive tackle who he tried to change positions, to telling us that Donovan McNabb couldn’t grasped his offense or run it for that matter, I don’t see much improvement for this team.  In fact, I don’t see them winning more than 5 games this upcoming season.  They drafted for defense but none of these investments in m y opinion will bear any fruit… 4-12 at best.

The hardest team to gage in this tough division is America’s team who was disappointing last season…losing their starting quarterback after a horrible start in which they managed to fall behind and never really recovered with backup Kitna at the helm.  John Kitna played well and we got a glimpse of the fire power that can be unleashed given the right signal caller. The problem is that the leadership and consistency wasn’t there and hasn’t been in Dallas for a while.  I do see an improvement this season given that Romo will return and hopefully he will play at a high level… 9-7 if the offense plays well and the defense improves.

Jerry Zitterman / Shutterstock.com

The article NFC East Breakdown appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.