Following the NFL Draft, there has been plenty of talk about which rookies will have the biggest impact in the NFL in their debut season and which teams ‘won’ the draft, but there has been little debate over which NFL veterans could benefit from their team’s recent additions. Here is a look at the NFL vets primed for a big season in 2013.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Johnson, or ‘CJ2K’, set the league alight in 2009 when he rushed for 2,006 yards, 14 touchdowns, and also notched up a useful 503 receiving yards, firmly establishing himself as one of the premiere running backs in the NFL. His last three seasons have been considerably less successful, however, and he has not been shy about laying at least some of the fault at the door of his offensive line.

It seems as if the Titans’ front office was listening. After signing one of the best guards in the NFL in the form of Andy Levitre, they went out and drafted Chance Warmack out of Alabama, a player that many had rated as the best guard in this years’ draft. They should help open up running lanes for Johnson up the middle, whilst fourth round pick Brian Schwenke will challenge Fernando Velasco for the starting center position, creating healthy competition on the interior of Tennessee’s offensive line. Throw into the mix two veteran tackles, Michael Roos and David Stewart, and Johnson has potentially one of the best offensive lines in the league to run behind.

There will be no excuses for ‘CJ2K’ this year.

Michael Huff and Lardarius Webb, Baltimore Ravens

Ed Reed may be gone, but the ‘ball hawks’ of the Ravens’ secondary could be primed for a big year. Injuries in Baltimore’s front seven last season often meant that they struggled to consistently pressure the passer. Premiere pass rusher Terrell Suggs was never at 100% after coming back from a potentially season-ending Achilles injury, while both Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee struggled with minor injuries throughout the season, leaving outside linebacker Paul Kruger responsible for getting to the quarterback. As a result, quarterbacks had more time to let receivers gain separation, and the Baltimore secondary had difficulty containing more explosive offenses.

The defensive line has been bolstered with the additions of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty, whilst Elvis Dumervil, one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, has also joined Baltimore’s ranks. If the likes of Ngata and Suggs can stay healthy, and emerging defensive stars like McPhee and Courtney Upshaw can continue their development, then both Huff and Webb could reap the rewards of the Ravens’ reinvigorated pass rush.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

It wouldn’t be too surprising if the Eagles ended up starting either Nick Foles or Matt Barkley ahead of Vick, but if the season started tomorrow, Vick would likely be the man under center for the Eagles. Last year Vick (and Foles) suffered from an offensive line bereft with injuries, and both struggled to stay upright and healthy when they faced teams with at least an average pass rush.

Their offensive line is healthy, at least for now, and has been bolstered by Lane Johnson, the fourth overall pick of the NFL Draft, who should fit a Chip Kelly offense perfectly. Johnson will most likely move to right tackle, opposite Jason Peters, allowing Todd Herremans to move inside, demoting disappointing first round pick Danny Watkins. Evan Mathis will retain his spot at left guard. Second-round pick Zach Ertz will compliment Brent Celek well, and give Vick more options in the passing game as both DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin stretch the field.

Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Bear with us on this selection. Adrian Peterson is potentially heading into this season fully healthy and gunning for a mind-boggling 2,500 yards, taking some pressure off of Ponder in terms of needing to put up the yards and points for the offense. Then there are the additions the Vikings have made on the offensive side of the ball: Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson. Both are playmakers and give Ponder a more dynamic receiving corps to target. Left tackle Matt Kalil, who had a very good rookie season, should also head into his second year as a more dominant lineman, and will give Ponder better protection from his blindside.

We are not suggesting Ponder will go on to post numbers worthy of mentioning him in the Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers class, or even the Joe Flacco/Matt Ryan class, but he could go a long way towards proving himself a capable franchise quarterback for the Vikings.

Image credit: Tennessee Titans via Facebook

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The New York Giants won in convincing fashion, beating NFC East Rivals the Philadelphia Eagles 42-7. Yet they will not be heading to the playoffs because of the Chicago Bears’ victory over the Detroit Lions.

The Eagles started the game off with trickery, recovering an onside kick to gain possession. Five plays later, quarterback Michael Vick dropped back, threw the ball deep down the middle and was intercepted by Giants safety Stevie Brown. Brown’s interception was his eighth of the season.

Vick started in his first game since Week 10 because rookie quarterback Nick Foles was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hairline fracture of his hand.

Eli Manning and the Giants offense were on point early, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions in the first quarter. Manning connected with Rueben Randle on a three yard pass to begin the scoring spree. On the following possession, Manning and Randle connected again on a 38 yard pass.

Rookie back David Wilson caught a 15 yard pass towards the end of the first quarter to give the Giants an early 21-0 lead.  Wilson finished the game with 15 carries for 75 yards.

The Eagles scored their one and only touchdown in the second quarter. Vick connected with wideout Jeremy Maclin on a seven yard pass. Vick finished the game completing 19 of 35 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 16 times for 107 yards and punched in a one yard touchdown in the second quarter. This was Bradshaw’s fourth game, surpassing the 100 yard mark in a game. Seconds before the end of the first half, Manning connected with wideout Victor Cruz on a 24 yard pass to take a 35-7 lead into the half.

Fullback Henry Hynoski caught his first touchdown of the season and Eli’s fifth touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake.

Manning finished the game completing 13 of 21 passes for 208 yards and five touchdowns. Manning’s 134.5 passer rating was a season best. His five touchdowns is a career best.

Both the Eagles and Giants will look to make offseason improvements with hopes of  making a playoff run next season.

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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.

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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.

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The Detroit Lions improved to 2-3, after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 26-23 in overtime.

A key defensive pass interference against the Eagles put the Lions at the one-yard line with an opportunity to win the game. Stafford and the Lions were unable to score and settled for a 19 yard field by kicker Jason Hanson to force overtime.

The Eagles won the toss but were unable to move the ball forward. Quarterback Michael Vick was sacked twice for a total of -21 yards. On the ensuing punt, the Lions started their drive at midfield. Quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson for a 17 yard gain on 1st and 20 from Philadelphia’s 44 yard line to put the Lions in field goal range. Two plays later, Hanson nailed a 45 yard field goal for the win.

The Lions were led by Stafford, who completed 22-of-45 passes for 311 yards, one touchdown and one interception. This was Stafford’s 3rd game throwing for over 300 yards this season. Stafford punched in his second rushing touchdown of the year in the fourth quarter.

Calvin Johnson led the Lions with six receptions for 135 yards. Johnson, has compiled 100+ yards three times this season. However, he only has one touchdown and was held without a touchdown for a second consecutive week. Stafford’s lone touchdown pass was to wideout Nate Burleson for his second of the season in the fourth quarter. Burleson finished the game with four catches for 24 yards.

Young running back Mikel Leshoure led the Lions ground attack with 15 carries for 70 yards. Leshoure also caught three passes for 24 yards. Detroit has still yet to develop a consistent run game.

Michael Vick continues to struggle turning the ball over. Vick fumbled and had two interceptions and completed 28-of-46 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Vick also ran nine times for 59 yards.

Eagles fans held their breath in the 3rd quarter when running back LeSean McCoy left the game with an apparent lower leg injury. McCoy returned, and finished the game with 14 carries for 22 yards. McCoy also caught seven passes for 26 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter.

Jeremy Maclin led the Eagles receiving core with six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown in the 4th quarter. This was Maclin’s first 100+ receiving game of the season. Receiver DeSean Jackson also caught five passes for 74 yards.

The Lions will be back in action next Monday, October 22 in a pivotal division rivalry game against the Chicago Bears. As for the 3-3 Eagles, they will be welcoming the undefeated Atlanta Falcons to Lincoln Financial Field.

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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. 

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The New York Giants came up short against division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles 19-17, and dropped to 2-2 on the season.

The Giants started their final drive on their own 35 yard-line without any timeouts, hoping Eli Manning would lead them to another 4^th quarter comeback victory. Eli slowly began picking apart the Eagles’ defense. However, time was not on the Giants’ side. On 3^rd and 10, on Philadelphia’s 35 yard-line, Eagles cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was flagged for defensive pass interference, putting the Giants in a much easier field goal situation.

Two plays later, Manning attempted to go deep against Ramses Barden, but he was flagged for offensive pass interference, pushing the Giants back to the Eagles’ 36 yard-line. Lawrence Tynes lined up for a game-winning field goal, and missed. Tynes was able to re-kick because the Eagles called timeout. On the retry, Tynes lined up for the 54-yard field goal, and came up just short.

Michael Vick and the Eagles kneeled their way to victory on the following play. Vick led the Eagles, with 241 passing yards and one touchdown. The Eagles’ offensive line was able to protect Vick from giving up two sacks. Vick also scrambled six times for 49 yards. He recorded a quarterback rating of 99.4, a season best for the veteran. Vick’s lone touchdown pass was to the electrifying receiver, DeSean Jackson, in the 2^nd quarter. Jackson led Philly with six receptions and 99 yards. The Eagles were able to open up running holes for star running back LeSean McCoy, who compiled 123 yards on the ground on 23 carries, and had three receptions for 17 yards.

Eli Manning threw for 309 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the tough loss. Manning was intercepted inside the Eagles’ 10 yard-line at the start of the 4^th quarter. Giants’ running back Ahmad Bradshaw returned from injury but was not very effective, rushing for 39 yards on 13 carries. In addition, Andre Brown struggled against the Eagles, only rushing for 14 yards on five carries. The Giants’ receiving core was without Hakeem Nicks once again.  Domenik Hixon carried the load for the Giants, catching six receptions for 114 yards. Victor Cruz also had a big game, catching nine passes for 109 yards. Manning threw his second touchdown pass to tight end Bear Pascoe in the 4^th quarter.

The Giants have now dropped to 0-2 in the division, suffering losses against the Cowboys and Eagles. New York will be back in action next week at MetLife Stadium, against the winless Cleveland Browns, looking to get back on the winning track.

For additional game or player statistics, click here. 

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A bad tempered affair at Lincoln Financial Field between the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens ended in a hard fought 24-23 victory for the home side. An explosive passing game from the Eagles was too much for the Baltimore defense to contain, as their offense failed to keep up their form from their Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Given Michael Vick’s poor performance the previous week against the Cleveland Browns, most people were expecting LeSean McCoy to be used extensively on Philadelphia’s opening drive. Head Coach Andy Reid had different plans, however, and Vick looked in tremendous form early on, finding receivers in space and marching the Eagles down the field. He finally came undone when he had to escape the pocket due to pressure and fired a pass into the hands of safety Bernard Pollard in the end zone.

The Eagles were able to open the scoring shortly after, when Trent Cole stripped the ball from Joe Flacco on the quarterbacks own 15-yard line and regained possession for Philadelphia. This time the Eagles decided to run the football and McCoy went over untouched from one yard out.

Baltimore hit back quickly though, as their new no-huddle offense had the Philadelphia defense on the back foot, with the Eagles unable to substitute their defensive personnel as much as they would like. The drive culminated in a rare rushing touchdown for fullback Vonta Leach after some impressive blocking from his offensive line.

The Ravens took the lead early in the second quarter following another effective drive involving large doses of running back Ray Rice, and Flacco found Jacoby Jones, who ran an excellent route to beat cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for a 21-yard pass. Rookie kicker Justin Tucker later extended the Baltimore’s lead, knocking over a kick from 56 yards, which ties him for a franchise record as well as bettering any successful kick he made in College Football, leaving the score at 17-7 to Baltimore at the half.

The third quarter saw a Vick-inspired comeback for the Eagles,  as Philadelphia quickly leveled the score at 17-17. Jeremy Maclin was found by Vick in the end zone after the quarterback rolled out of the pocket and showed great composure to still hit the waiting Maclin, and a field goal shortly after tied the game.

The Ravens offense struggled consistently throughout the third and fourth quarters, but two further field goals from Tucker put Baltimore back into the lead as time began to become an issue in the game.

Almost in identical fashion to his performance last week at Cleveland, Vick once again led his team downfield with just under two minutes left in the game, rushed for a 1-yard touchdown himself and give Philadelphia a lead that they would not surrender on Baltimore’s final drive of the game.

It was a game of two halves from the Baltimore offense, who looked in great shape during the first half in their no-huddle offense, but were poor in the second half, failing to utilize their fast paced offense. Flacco’s development towards becoming an elite quarterback certainly took a step backwards in the second half, and the Ravens had to rely on Rice to consistently earn them yards in both the rushing and passing games.

Philadelphia showed flashes of brilliance in the passing game, but Reid will be worried with the amount of turnovers they have committed in their opening two games. A very banged up offensive line will also be a worry as he hopes to hear good news on injuries to both King Dunlap and Jason Kelce.

Baltimore will now face the prospect of avenging their AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots next week, whilst the Eagles will make the long trip to Arizona to play the Cardinals.

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The Cleveland Browns kicked off an important season in their ongoing process of building a playoff caliber team by entertaining Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. A ferocious defensive effort from the visiting Eagles saw them pick up a hard fought 17-16 victory, which will be all the more heartbreaking for Cleveland fans considering how close they came to upsetting the odds and recording the win themselves.

The Browns got off to a good start in the match as Phil Dawson connected with a 43-yard field goal, before Craig Robertson picked off Vick in the Eagles next drive. Despite having taken the advantage early on in the game, neither Brandon Weeden nor Trent Richardson were able to make a significant impact in the first half. Weeden threw two interceptions in the second quarter, while Richardson was only able to put up 25 yards from 11 carries in the first half, mainly due to the uncompromising defense of DeMeco Ryans.

The Cleveland defense was keeping the Browns in the game during the first half, with Vick under constant pressure and unable to connect regularly with the likes of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The Philadelphia offensive line did, however, manage to give their quarterback good protection late in the second quarter. Vick stayed in the pocket and found Maclin in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass which, along with an earlier field goal, gave the Eagles a 10-3 lead at the half.

Both quarterbacks struggled in the third quarter, with Vick throwing two further interceptions and Weeden adding another to his own tally. The Browns were able to add two further field goals in the late third and early fourth quarter, thanks to interceptions by the Cleveland secondary, narrowing the Philadelphia lead to just one point.

Things went from bad to worse for Vick then, however, as D’Qwell Jackson picked off his pass on the Eagles 27-yard line and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Browns a six point lead with just over 10 minutes left to play in the final quarter.

A long drive late in the quarter by the Eagles resulted in a first and goal on the three yard line at the two minute warning. After a run by Bryce Brown, which culminated in a one yard loss, Vick threw a touchdown pass to tight end Clay Harbor. The extra point was good and Philadelphia once more regained the lead, leaving Weeden a difficult task with just over a minute left to play.

Unfortunately for Weeden and the Browns, any attempt to rescue the game was cut short as the quarterback was intercepted by Kurt Coleman, and the Eagles were able to safely see out the game.

This will be a game for rookies Weeden (12/35, 118 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INT) and Richardson (19 carries, 39 yards) to forget, as their personal performances do not do justice to how close and competitive this game was. Although Richardson’s performance could be attributed to his recent lack of practice due to injury, all but the most optimistic of Cleveland fans will be casting wary glances in the direction of Weeden, the franchise’s 17^th starting quarterback since 1999.

The Eagles weren’t without their own problems, specifically the pressure exerted on Vick by the opposing defense, and the offensive line will have to work hard to rectify this issue. Vick himself wasn’t terrible (29/56, 317 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INT) but the four interceptions he threw are a worry for Head Coach Andy Reid.

Both teams face challenging matches next week, with the Browns visiting divisional rivals the Cincinnati Bengals, while Philadelphia hosts the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns and Eagles will have to take much better care of the ball in those games if they are to stand any chance of beating two teams who both made it to the playoffs last season.

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With the 2012 NFL Draft all wrapped up, heated initial reactions have given way to more methodical and calculated analysis of who will look back on this draft as the pivotal moment that sent their franchise soaring towards Superbowl contention and those, who will have to endure further seasons of obscurity after setting their franchise back years.

Hit a Home Run: Patriots and Steelers.

- New England Patriots

The Patriots surprised a lot of people at the draft, trading up twice in the first round to snag both Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower, with Bill Belichick usually much more in favour of trading down and stockpiling picks. Both Jones and Hightower are elite prospects and combined with their second-round selection, safety Tavon Wilson, Belichick has upgraded his defense significantly.

Providing they can work through his off-field issues, they will have also gained great value with cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who slipped all the way to the seventh round despite being a potential second-round selection. New England already have a Superbowl caliber offense which needed very little strengthening after the free agency additions of Brandon Lloyd and Robert Gallery, and this draft will potentially go a long way to shoring up a defense which had become a bit of a liability for Tom Brady and Co.

- Pittsburgh Steelers

If the Steelers were asked prior to the draft where their biggest weakness lay, they would have replied ‘Offensive Line’ – cue the arrivals of David DeCastro and Mike Adams. Despite the lack of excitement generated by using your top two picks on offensive linesman, the Steelers added potentially the best guard and tackle (some had Adams rated higher than Riley Reiff) respectively in the draft.

Although Adams comes to Pittsburgh after testing positive for marijuana, both he and DeCastro will shore up an offensive line which was often out-muscled and outsmarted last season. The additions of both Shaun Spence and Alameda Ta’amu in the third and fourth rounds will also help invigorate an aging defense and could be the long term starters in place of both James Farrior and Casey Hampton.

Plenty of Potential: Eagles and Ravens.

- Philadelphia Eagles

The addition of Fletcher Cox in the first round will be huge for Andy Reid’s defense this season as they have lacked a good nose tackle for sometime now. Cox was arguably the best in this years’ draft class despite being picked after Dontari Poe. Despite Cox’s lauded ability and potential, it was in the second round that the Eagles really found success, drafting both Mychal Kendricks and Vinny Curry to bolster their defense. Both guys were predicted by many to possibly make it into the first round and should be able to make an instant impact for Philadelphia in the tough NFC East division.

- Baltimore Ravens

General Manager Ozzie Newsome continued the tradition of making great draft moves when he traded out of the first round, picked up an extra fourth-round selection, and still managed to draft a first-round talent in the form of Courtney Upshaw. Fellow second-round pick Kelechi Osemele will likely start on a Ravens’ offensive line bereft of guard Ben Grubbs, whilst running back Bernard Pierce, a third-round selection, could be used on short-yardage situations to help out Ray Rice in a way similar to Ricky Williams last season.

Fourth-round picks Gino Gradkowski and Christian Thompson both have the chance of being the long-term replacements for Matt Birk and Ed Reed respectively, whilst sixth-round pick Tommy Streeter has the physicality to be able to offer something in the receiving corps immediately for Joe Flacco.

Must Do Better: Browns and Broncos.

- Cleveland Browns

It is hard to admonish a team which picked up a player of Trent Richardson’s caliber, but the price they paid was big, perhaps too big. He will dramatically improve their running game, which is admirable, but the Browns have the misfortune of playing in a division with three of the best run defenses in the entire league.

They have also fallen for criticism with their other first-round pick, Brandon Weeden. The 28-year old is a good quarterback and should serve the Browns well, but there is no denying that he is a stopgap until they can found their franchise quarterback of the future. As such, Cleveland has been criticized for picking Weeden with the 22nd overall pick, with most experts suggesting he would have still been available later in the round and the Browns could have traded down and picked up a pick which they lost in the trade to ensure they got Richardson.

They also failed to draft a wide receiver until Travis Benjamin, who they took with the 100th overall pick, and look somewhat undermanned at the position.

- Denver Broncos

New arrival Peyton Manning may be happy to be a Bronco, but it is very doubtful he will be pleased with his new team’s performance in the draft. Similar to the Ravens, Denver traded out of the first round but picked up Derek Wolfe in the second. Wolfe, although a talented nose tackle, was tipped as a third, or even fourth, round pick by many experts, and was not deemed to be good value.

Running back Ronnie Hillman and corner Omar Bolden may eventually become starters, but in reality there is little for the Broncos fans to be excited about immediately, with quarterback Brock Osweiler, who will learn from Manning, as perhaps their most exciting pick.

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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.

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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.

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In one swift beat down the Philadelphia Eagles kept their playoff hopes alive while potentially ending the Jets playoff chances. In a 45-19 blowout over the Jets the Eagles have managed to stay alive for at least one more week.

They sit at 6-8 after two straight wins and trail the 8-6 Cowboys and the 7-7 Giants for the NFC East title with a very slim chance to overtake the two in the final two weeks to make the playoffs. Better than being eliminated though right?

“It feels good to still have a chance to even be considered in the playoff race,” quarterback Michael Vick said. “We’ve been through a lot, but we’re resilient.”

For the Jets it was the second time this season a three game winning streak was snapped in a big way and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Jets (8-6) controlled their destiny coming into the game, and now have fallen into a tie with the Bengals for the last spot in the AFC. The Jets do hold a tiebreaker over the Cincinnati with the better record against common opponents.

“Obviously, a horrendous performance by us,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “Go into the game thinking we have to run the table to control our own destiny, and we come out of the game needing to win out to control our own destiny.”

Vick finished 15 of 22 for 274 yards with one interception and one touchdown. He also had 32 yards and a score on 5 carries. LeSean McCoy also contributed with 102 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. He surpassed Steve Van Buren’s team record with his 19^th touchdown and 16^th rushing touchdown. Brent Celek also had a career day racking up 156 yards on 5 catches for one touchdown.

The Eagles turned three New York turnovers into 21-0 on their way to grabbing a quick 28-0 lead, and kept pounding it on the Jets after they made it 28-13 going into the half.

For Mark Sanchez, this was another one of those games he wishes he could forget. He finished 15 of 26 for 150 yards two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked four times, three by Jason Babin.

“It’s embarrassing,” Sanchez said. “It’s not good football. We just didn’t play our best speaking from an offense perspective, and it puts our defense in a hole. We are a much better football team than we showed.”

Santonio Holmes fumbled and it was returned 47 yards for the touchdown to put Philly ahead early. The Jets caught a break when they recovered a fumble at the 14 on a punt that DeSean Jackson let bounce and eventually caromed off his teammate, but gave it right back as Sanchez was picked by Asante Samuel at the 4.

Vick found Celek for a 26 yard score to put the Eagles up 14-0. Early into the second quarter Vick put them up 21-0 on an 11 yard run and the drive was helped by a roughing the passer penalty.

Sanchez fumbled on the next possession as he was hit running away on a busted play and it eventually led to McCoy’s first touchdown a 9 yard run to put the Eagles up 28-0. The Jets did try to fight back getting a field goal and then recovering a fumble on the kickoff and turning it into 7 as Sanchez found Holmes for a 25 yard touchdown which cut the game to 28-10.

McCoy fumbled on the next possession and the Jets go it at the 27, but had to settle for a field goal. After that it was all McCoy as he eventually scored from 1 and 33 yards which made it 45-13.

For Philadelphia they need to win out and hope the Jets beat the Giants and then the Giants beat the Cowboys in order to win the division. For the Jets they still control their destiny and have zero wiggle room with games against the Giants and Dolphins left.

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Andy Reid’s game plan definitely did not include allowing a blocked punt on the opening drive. It also did not embrace the idea of having a 16 yard Brandon Marshall touchdown reception occur just three plays later.

But in the end maybe that was all that he and his Eagles really needed to snap their two game losing streak on Sunday, moving their record to 5-8 with a 26-10 victory over the Dolphins.

Michael Vick’s return under center and Philadelphia’s 24 point second quarter outburst probably had a little more say, however.

“We’ve been through a lot, a lot of games we were supposed to win and didn’t finish,” said Vick. “I’m proud we won today.”

Vick finally played for the first time in a month after missing the previous three weeks due to broken ribs. After a prolonged absence he spoke of how he chose to respond to the physical effects of experiencing NFL action once again.

“I’m in a lot of pain, but I just wanted to finish and get through the game,” stated Vick. “I got hit a lot, and it kind of wore me down. I tried to hang in there.”

Getting back to game speed was certainly an issue for Vick, as he finished just 15-30 with one touchdown and one interception on 208 yards passing. Meanwhile, his legs were a non-factor, running for a mere nine yards on only two carries.

Miami’s defense did a solid job of containing Vick and the Philadelphia offense for most of the day. Unfortunately for the Dolphins the scope of the entire game changed late in the first quarter after missing a 55 yard field goal attempt that would have given them a 10-0 lead. The Eagles suddenly gained new life, and would respond with a 54 yard drive that ended with a two yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy in the second quarter. Philadelphia then proceeded to score an additional 17 points during the quarter. That was all the scoring that would be necessary to win the ball game.

“The Eagles have been inconsistent like we have,” said Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall. “But that’s a team with a lot of talent. At any moment they can be an undefeated team, or look like one.”

Philadelphia’s defense played an inspired second quarter following the team’s first score. On Miami’s next possession safety Kurt Coleman intercepted a deep pass from Matt Moore at the Dolphins 36 and returned it all the way to the one. The pass was intended for receiver Davone Bess.

The second play of the Dolphin’s goal line stand would result in McCoy’s second touchdown run of the day, giving the Eagles their first lead at 14-7. McCoy had a very unusual day. He did have two touchdowns but only rushed for 38 yards on 27 attempts.

Bess soon found himself in the middle of the Dolphins’ troubles once again. Eagles corner back Asante Samuel forced him to fumble after a 3^rd down completion on Miami’s next possession. Samuel also recovered the fumble at the Dolphins 34.

Luckily for the Dolphins they were able to keep it at just a two possession game by holding Philadelphia to a 40 yard field goal despite obtaining excellent field position.

But turnovers were Miami’s undoing in the second quarter. Matt Moore surrendered one right back to Philadelphia after the Dolphins recovered a fumbled punt return at the Eagles 24. It was a perfect opportunity for Miami to get right back into the game until Eagles defensive end Jason Babin forced Moore to fumble after sacking him at the Philadelphia 29.

Two minutes and five seconds later Vick connected with DeSean Jackson on a 34 yard touchdown throw to give the Eagles a commanding 24-7 lead going into the half.

Miami stopped turning the ball over in the second half and its defense returned to the strong form it established during the team’s recent 4-1 stretch.

But the story of the day was the Philadelphia defense. The Eagles had nine sacks, a late safety, and even knocked Matt Moore out of the game in the third quarter with a head injury. Moore’s final line was 11-19 for 95 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

His replacement J.P. Losman did not fare any better with 60 yards on 6-10 passing.

Philadelphia hopes to display more of that defensive firepower over their last three games for a potential playoff push.

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At the beginning of the year, the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles shared aspirations of winning a super bowl. The Patriots had Tom Brady, and the Eagles were hopeful after their multiple, big, free agent signings had been labeled a “dream team.”

Fast forward to Week 12, and the Patriots are in position to win the AFC East, securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs while the Eagles are sitting at 4-6, two games behind the Cowboys and Giants for first place. The Patriots’ final six games do not include a team with a winning record, and the Patriots are rolling after two straight blowout wins over the Jets and the Chiefs, outscoring the teams 71-19.

“We’re 7-3. I don’t think we’re really where we hoped to be at this point,” said Tom Brady. The Eagles would love to be where the Patriots are right now. They are looking to keep their momentum going following their 17-10 upset over the Giants at MetLife Stadium last Sunday. “You see the excitement and the smiles on the guys, and that’s what we need, what we have to have,” said Eagles quarterback, Vince Young.

Young looks like he will make his second straight start in place of the injured Michael Vick in the first meeting in almost five years between the two teams. The last meeting in 2007 saw the Patriots winning a close one, 31-28, behind Brady’s 380 yards and a touchdown.

Brady has recently been finding his tight end, Rob Gronkowski, who has 20 catches for 310 yards and five touchdowns in the Patriots past three games. Brady feels the team needs to make more improvements down the stretch, alluding to the slow start by the offense who was trailing Kansas City 3-0 in the first quarter.

“We’re going to need to play better than we did offensively (Monday), if we want to start making serious improvements down the stretch,” Brady said. The Patriots will need the defense to continue its recent good play. The defense which gives up a league high 404.2 yards per game has only allowed 357.7 yards over the past three games. “We have the possibility of being a pretty good defense as long as we play well and get better each week,” tackle Vince Wilfork said. “(We) can’t get complacent. That’s one thing we can’t do.”

The defense will have a tough test this week, facing an Eagles offense that features two superstar wide receivers, the league’s leading rusher LeSean McCoy, and even though he is not in the same caliber as Micahel Vick, Vince Young still provides problems with his ability to run the ball. “Both guys have been productive, and they have a lot of weapons to utilize,” New England coach Bill Belichick said.

“They do a good job of getting them the ball.” Young will have to improve from last week when he went 23 of 36 for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. He should have some help as DeSean Jackson hopes to play this week and Jeremy Maclin, who missed last week’s game, hopes to play as well.

The key for the Eagles will be how their defense, who has played better as of late, is able to handle Tom Brady and the Patriots. The Eagles have three  amazing cover corners in Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and former Patriot Asante Samuel, as well as a good pass rush which could cause some problems for the Patriots who are a pass first team.

New England will have to focus on the run a little more. Last week, they rushed for 157 yards on the ground, and facing a team that has struggled against the run, they will want to continue to build on that as they make their run toward a top seed in the AFC.

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Normally the backup quarterback for the recently injured Michael Vick, Vince Young, threw a late touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to secure the 17-10 victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the New York Giants on Sunday.

Although he threw three interceptions in the game, Young was the main man who helped to get the ball down the field for the Eagles, collecting 258 yards on 23 completed passes for two touchdowns. Receiver Riley Cooper was able to split the defense well, collecting 75 yards on five receptions for a touchdown. Steve Smith only caught one pass during the game, but from which he was able to collect 14 yards and a touchdown.

Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning helped in his team’s offense by throwing for 264 yards on 18 completed passes for one touchdown and one interception. Victor Cruz was the main target for Manning, gaining 128 yards on six receptions and one touchdown.

Philadelphia running back got a lot of action in the game, rushing for 113 yards on 23 attempts. The Giants, on the other hand, did not gain much on the running attack of Brandon Jacobs, who ran for only 21 yards on 12 attempts.

With no one able to score in the opening quarter, the Eagles were the first to get on the scoreboard with a 33-yard field goal from Alex Henery. The Eagles scored again with a minute left in the half with a 14-yard pass from Young to Smith. The Giants got the final points in the first half with Lawrence Tynes kicking a 48-yard field goal in the last second.

After the third quarter passed with no team being able to capitalize on offensive attempts, the Giants were able to tie the game up at 10-10 early in the fourth quarter off a 24-yard pass from Manning to Cruz. The Eagles would have the final say of the game, moving the ball 80 yards downfield on 18 plays and finishing up with an eight-yard pass from Young to Cooper to secure the win with two minutes left in the game.

The Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) head back home to prepare for a game against the New England Patriots, while the New York Giants (6-4) travel to Louisiana to face the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

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In American Football, like in most sports, entire games can be decided by one single momentum shift.  Last night was filled with different key shifts in the game, most notably in only the last two minutes of play prior to the end of the first half, in which possession of the ball switched four times.  What started with the Eagles finally putting three points on the board, was followed with a defensive stop while the Bears were deep in their own territory. Then Brian Rolle pried the ball free from the Bear’s running back Matt Forte, and ran it in for six points. It is important to mention Forte’s 133 yards, and an impressive opening drive.

When a game turns around from being down 10-0 and several plays later have the game be knotted at 10-10 with under 2 minutes to go in the half, a fan expects a good chance at victory.  The Eagles then forced Chicago to punt the ball to the dangerous DeSean Jackson, and were ready to take over the game going into the locker room after getting the ball at the start of the second half.  It seemed as though the Eagles were ready to take over the ball game.

It is tough when a team lets the momentum change to the opposition, but it is even more difficult when a team begins to over and is ready to take the momentum and run with it like it seemed the Eagles were going to do, only to see DeSean fumble the ball in the Bear’s redzone, ending up in seven points for Chicago.  This could have had a different outcome, but ultimately both teams in any given game will have mistakes. However, last night’s mistakes from the Philadelphia Eagles were abundant. The hard-nosed hitting linebackers from Chicago put the hurt on Michael Vick, while the Eagles couldn’t put enough pressure on Jay Cutler to throw too many bad passes.  In addition, the Bear’s had a great offensive weapon in Matt Forte, who could run it when the Eagle’s were expecting a Cutler pass.

The combination of strong play from Chicago’s offensive line, Cutler’s big play–avoiding a huge sack from three attacking Eagles– and with Forte’s legs, this team has proved it can grind out big wins over teams that are least expecting it.  Not to mention, the match-up we got to see last night met perfectly with the strength of the Bear’s defense arguably battling the fastest ground attack in the NFL.  The Bear’s were able to prove that a long time-tested defense will prevail over a newly put together and speedy offensive team.

Basically, here are the main points about the game.  Vick got banged around, Cutler proved his toughness, there is still some debate about if Forte or McCoy is better,  the Bear’s still have a solid defense, and finally…will the Eagles make the playoffs standing at 3-5?

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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.

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We all saw this coming. It wasn’t supposed to happen in week 5, 6 or even week 7 but here we are: the Tebow era has officially arrived. This entire situation was handled poorly by the Broncos from the off season. Fans are fickle so it makes sense that they would clamor for the backup quarterback after an 0-4 start. The problem is Tim Tebow was third on the depth chart.

This was not purely a coaching decision or even a front office decision. This sudden move was brought on by the Denver fans. Now we all will see what Tebow can do and what the coaches saw in practice that landed him third on the depth chart. It must be a first in the NFL to have a quarterback coming from third on the depth chart to starting without any injuries to the true backup. Only with Tebow is anything like this possible.

Best Team In NFL

Power rankings change from week to week in the NFL, so it is unlikely to find the same team leading that conversation from week 1 to week 6, but that is the case with the Green Bay Packers. It would not be surprising for this team to go 14-2 this season or even better, but of course injuries will play a large role in that.

They are by far the best team, but the way they are winning will have to change or expand if they are to win the whole thing again.  They are 22^nd in the league in rushing and 30^th in passing defense, meaning there is still room for improvement. Then again, maybe they don’t need anything but Aaron Rodgers -arguably the best quarterback in the NFL.

Michael Vick and the Eagles

Michael Vick and the Eagles are 1-4 right now after losing again this past weekend: a game where everything that could have gone wrong did in fact go wrong. There is a lot of blame to go around for this dismal start to the season, but at some point everyone assumes they will correct things.

There is too much talent for them not to. When watching the Eagles play, it is difficult to see where all the money went and what they got back in return.

They are second to last in rush defense and the huge holes they allow makes it impossible for their smaller and less experienced linebackers to make plays. Some of the blame has to go to the defensive coordinator, but more blame has to go to the head coach who hired a guy who has never coached on the pro level before.

Let’s not forget to blame Michael Vick for his inability to stop turning the ball over. Maybe they will turn things around, but they start next week against Washington, an improved division opponent who is 3-1 thus far.

Jets, Overrated?

The New York Jets have and will always be on the front pages and in every football conversation no matter what goes on in the game on Sundays.  Rex Ryan is a talker to say the least and his team usually responds, except for the last couple of games: games played against rivals New England and Baltimore.

They had horrible performances both resulting in loses. The Jets now stand at 2-3 early in the season and a must win game awaits them in Miami, a team without a quarterback and playing a major role in potentially winning the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes. The defense has been a letdown so far for the Jets but the offense has been worse, and after Miami the schedule only gets harder.

Andrew Luck Sweepstakes

It’s not every day you find a quarterback like Payton Manning who hasn’t played a down in the NFL. Yes, it’s true every year the talent evaluators become infatuated with a particular college player and proclaim him King, but this Andrew Luck thing is interesting and somewhat different.

Is Luck the next Manning or the next Favre or even Tom Brady? We won’t know for sure until he has gone through the pains of being a quarterback in the league. The pro football world has been all about Andrew Luck for a while and he would have been the top pick last year if he had chosen to leave and go pro.

But we must wait another year while the legend grows and he matures into what will hopefully be a great NFL Quarterback. Teams and professional athletes are not usually in the business of losing on purpose in hopes of landing a savior, but it sure would be nice for a team like the Miami dolphins or any other team looking for a quarterback.
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The first quarter of the NFL season is in the books. Bye weeks have begun and six teams are off: Baltimore Ravens; Dallas Cowboys; Miami Dolphins; St. Louis Rams; Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. Teams are starting to make identities for themselves as we enter week five.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills: Eagles have lost three games straight for the first time since 2007. Cincinnati handed the Bills their first loss last week. The Eagles defense should start to come together after a nightmare start. Eagles 28-21

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers: The Saints travel to Carolina in what seems to be a shootout in the making. Cam Newton has been great but the defense hasn’t helped at all. Saints 31-27          

Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans: The Raiders have been one of the better 2-2 teams. Their offensive and defensive lines match up with anybody in the league. They look to make the Texans one dimensional after Houston lost Andre Johnson to injury for the next three weeks. Raiders 21-14

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts: Kansas City picked up their first win of the season last week at home and now are looking for a road victory. Colts have played tough the last two weeks but are still win-less. Colts will break through this week behind Curtis Painter. Colts 17-13

Cincinnati Bengals @ Jacksonville Jaguars: The Bengals have been one of the best pass defenses after a month of play. The Jaguars game plan last week was to have Gabbert throw a bunch and limit their best players, Maurice Jones-Drew, touches. That didn’t really work out for the Jags. Bengals 20-14

Arizona Cardinals @ Minnesota Vikings: The Cardinals head on the road, giving up 12 sacks this season. The Vikings have 12 sacks themselves with DE Jared Allen leading the way. Vikings 23-16

Seattle Seahawks @ N.Y. Giants: The Seahawks will have to make the dreadful west to east coast trip. The Giants are hot and have won three straight. They look to take full advantage. Giants 27-14

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers: The Titans have been solid on both sides of the ball this year and stand at 3-1. The Steelers are in big trouble after injuries to RB Mendenhall and QB Ben Roethlisberger. Couple that with horrible o-line play. Titans will also look to establish the run and get Chris Johnson going. Pittsburgh will compete tough at home but the edge goes to the Titans. Titans 24-17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers: The buccs have been on a roll since week one. The 49ers have been good at stopping the run and look to make Josh Freeman beat them Sunday. 49ers 21-17

San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos: Vincent Jackson tweaked his hamstring last week but is probable for a week five start. Broncos’ defense has been bad and got lit up for 48 points. Chargers 28-14

N.Y. Jets @ New England Patriots: The Jets are 0-2 on this current three game road trip. They are looking for the keys that got them to two straight title games, the “Ground and Pound”. Patriots get their TE Aaron Hernandez back to add more weapons to Tom Brady’s disposal. Jets should keep the ball out of Brady’s hands long enough. Jets 17-14

Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons: Aaron Rodgers is making an early case for MVP as he’s been simply amazing thus far. Atlanta has struggled in pass defensive this season and the Packers are second to last in that category. This matchup screams shootout. Matt Ryan has only one career regular season loss at home. Falcons 35-28

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions: Chicago ran it up on the Panthers for over 200 yards. That probably will not happen against one of the best defensive lines in football. Detroit also adds rookie DT, first round pick, Nick Fairly who has been sidelined with injury. The undefeated Lions just got better. Lions 23-17
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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
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The NY Post showed Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick with a bib on the front page. The picture has Vick’s face on the body of an infant with a quote from a Giant player telling him to “stop crying.” Vick’s comments after the game have caused quite a stir in the media, inspiring various analysts and former players to pile on opinions on the quarterback’s attempt to “not blame the referees.”

Vick felt that he was not receiving fair treatment from the refs and not getting the calls that other quarterbacks in the league get for a lot less. After that press conference, ESPN has shown on every show aired afterwards that it is not that simple — some of these stats in fact show the opposite of what the pro bowl quarterback claimed on Sunday.

Vick was speaking out of frustration and anger after being knocked out of the game. After taking a day to think about his comments with the help of the league and the coaches, he sort of took a step back saying that he wasn’t trying to “blame anybody and it is an unfortunate accident.”

After watching that game and watching several highlights of the hit in question, it is hard to blame Vick for believing he deserved a flag.  At the same time, it is even harder to blame the refs and place this on their lap for not doing their job. The league has become a passing league and the commissioner along with the league office has placed a premium on protecting signal callers in the NFL.

It is hard to judge the many hits that Vick takes within the span of a game because of the amount of running he does in and outside the pocket. Vick felt that other quarterbacks got calls that he didn’t but the elite quarterbacks in the NFL are ‘pocket-friendly’ quarterbacks in a sense.

The hits they take are judged in one realm which should not get intertwined with the other. Vick doesn’t make it easy for the referees. The Eagles’ offensive line is horrible at this point which makes it impossible to survive in the pocket for any Eagles quarterback.

The irony is that the line played a major factor in Vick becoming the starting quarterback for the Eagles and now he might not survive because of them.

Vick went 16/23 for 176 with one interception but left prematurely with a bruised hand. At this point, Vick is questionable for Sunday and the Eagles are now 1-2 looking ahead towards the San Francisco 49ers.
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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

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens: Ravens QB Joe Flacco, including the playoffs, has a record of 2-6 against the Steelers and both of those wins came without Ben Roethlisberger out. It will be a “knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out”-kind of game which comes as no surprise. Steelers 17-13

Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears: Both teams lost to the Packers last year in the playoffs. After an ugly beating by the Packers, Atlanta bounced back with a good offseason. They drafted the outstanding 6’3 wideout out of Alabama Julio Jones and signed Free Agent DE Ray Edwards. Meanwhile, Bears have OL problems after losing C Olin Kreutz. Atlanta 27-21

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns: Rookie Andy Dalton plus Rookie A.J. Green equals a promising future. Right now, this isn’t the future. Now the Bengals start on the road in the “Dawg Pound”. The Browns beat up New England at home last year and almost came up with a win against the Jets. Browns 24-10

Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans: With Peyton Manning declared out for week one and maybe longer, it’s time for the Texans to win the division and finally get into the playoffs. Houston has an injury concern of their own. Last year’s rushing leader, Arian Foster, didn’t practice Friday (hamstring) and his status is up in the air for Sunday. Even if he’s out, Houston still has enough to beat a Manning-less Colts. Houston 28-17

Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Chris Johnson gets his 4 year $53 million deal with $30 million of it guaranteed. Jaguars cut QB David Garrard only days before the season opener. That’s too quick of a turnaround for the team to overcome. Titans 21-17

Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Buffalo might be a better defensive team than people expect coming into the year. And understandably so after being a horrible run defense. They took Marcell Darius with the third overall pick and have a healthy pass rusher in Shawne Merriman. Chiefs may have been exposed after the blowout home loss to the Ravens in the playoffs. Upset alert. Bills 20-16

Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams: The “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles finally get to see how good they really are. They will be tested on the road against an upstart Rams team. One free agent the Eagles didn’t sign was WR Mike Sims-Walker who went to the Rams. Rams hope he can help stretch the field in the passing game. Eagles should pass their first test. Eagles 35-21

Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This game could mean a lot to both these teams by the season’s end. The winner gets an advantage in the head to head battle as both teams most likely will be battling for a wildcard playoff spot. Stafford is healthy –for now. Raheem Morris will have his guys ready. Toss up. Lions 28-27

Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Panthers rookie Cam Newton starts week one after winning the preseason QB battle. New team, new offense, new weapons for Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb.  A home start against the league’s worst team last year should be enough for Kolb to get his first win for Arizona. Cardinals 24-17

Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers: Everybody is healthy for the Chargers and Phillip Rivers and company are looking for a fast start to the season. Did McNabb get enough time to learn the offense with the shortened offseason? Chargers 30-20

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: Is the marquee matchup in this game really between the coaches? The same coaches who last played against each other when they were coaching for USC and Stanford? Jim Harbaugh won last time so we will take him again. 49ers 19-10

NY Giants vs. Washington Redskins: These two division rivals battle in remembrance of 9/11. Giants seem to always get hit with the injury bug. Osi Umenyiora may be out. With that said, they always compete and that defense is good enough to shut down Rex Grossman. Giants 24-20

Dallas Cowboys vs. NY Jets: Tony Romo is back but CB Terrance Newman is out for the Cowboys. A banged up secondary could open the door for Sanchez, Burress and the Jets. Rex looks to take this battle of the Ryan’s’. Jets 26-17

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins: The Patriots usually have their trouble when they come down to Miami. Dolphins get to show off their free agent signed RB Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas. Pats defense seems to be improved. Patriots 31-14

Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: The last two teams to play week one in the Monday night double header. All the talk in the offseason was about Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow and you guessed it, Tim TebowKyle Orton is the starting QB. Along with John Fox, Brandon Llyod and what maybe an improved defense with Elvis Dumervil leading the way, watch out. Surprise team? Broncos 23-20

 
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The Philadelphia Eagles will win, not one, not two, not three, not four…

The Miami comparisons have already begun, the problem is however they are not very similar.  Vince Young, during a recent interview, has proclaimed this the “Dream Team,” a joke which has taken a life of its own.  We must remember that this is Philadelphia; Brotherly love doesn’t apply when it comes to its athletes.

The comparisons are few and far between and that might be a good thing, unless your goal is to reach the finals only to lose.  Philly has improved on paper but as we all know, the games are not played between the lines, they are played between the hash marks on Sundays thus they must prove themselves a yard at a time.  The team leader is Michael Vick who is in his 3^rd year after his stint behind bars; talk about full circle.

Michael Vick can be compared to Dwayne Wade, a popular athlete who convinced his friends to come play with him-a stretch by any sense of the word.  Vick has played a major role in acquiring the many free agents who now have taken their talents to the Eagles locker room.

It is well known that players in the NFL love, admire and respect the electrifying quarterback, not to mention the fact that they would rather play with him instead of against him.  The comparison ends there considering there is no Lebron or Bosh on this team.  All the Eagles have done is spread money around, not waste money because the players they have acquired are good solid players; nonetheless, aside from Nnamdi, none of the players are stars in this league.

Let’s focus on the Eagles and leave comparisons alone for now.

Looking at this team, the question still remains- what happens with number 1 corner of last season Asante Samuel.  He has stated that he doesn’t want to be traded and if he indeed stays put, the Eagles would have a trio of pro bowlers; but would the massive egos allow such a team to win?

It also becomes a question of what happens with Jackson who has yet to report, considering a hold out due to contract negotiations or lack thereof.  The situation with Maclin is also something people are not talking about as of right now.

With all these questions and unknowns, the most important factor in determining how far this team goes, is the health and effectiveness of Vick.  He showed us all what he was capable of last season but tailed off late, including an ill-advised throw in the playoffs which basically ended the season for the Eagles.  Will we get the same or better from the athletic quarterback or has the rest of the league figured out what to do against him?

The NFC East is stacked with good teams (minus the Redskins of course) but none have made as big a splash in free agency or via trades.  The cowboys were also in the Nnamdi sweepstakes but failed to nab the big free agent and they have been relatively quiet.

The giants are still battling with defensive end Osi Umenyiora who wants a resolution with the ongoing contract dilemma that may or may not result in a trade.  A sticky situation for the giants but one they will have to take care of soon because with the beginning of August, the season is right around the corner.

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This past week, the NFL released its list of its top 100 players. The list is voted by the players and can feature a player from any position or team. The voted superstars are revealed on NFL network with in a ten show special. Each player is presented by a fellow teammate or coach who then explains why the player honored is one of the games current greats. The list is very prestigious and let me repeat, it is for the top 100 players in the NFL. This means you had to have been extremely successful and respected around the league for the 2010 NFL season. In laments terms; you’re probably really good and at least start. So how does a benched quarterback for the dreadful, Washington Redskins land at #100 on the list? Maybe the players were filled in on a little secret that Donovan McNabb isn’t washed up after all. Eh, lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Donovan McNabb’s career ended on April 4^th, 2010. Well not technically, but this is the day that McNabb was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins.  The Eagles had to be so confident that McNabb’s best days were behind him that they dumped him to a division rival. That’s like if your smoking hot girlfriend is so over you that she tries to hook you up with her annoying fat friend.   Talk about getting slapped in the face; it wasn’t all heartbreak though.

Washington welcomed McNabb with open arms. The man was named DC Donovan and titled the savior of the franchise. In other words, the marriage got off to a great start. Washington attempted to convince the sports world the trade was a steal. They received a middle aged quarterback who has played in four NFC Championships (lost three) and one Super Bowl (lost that one too). Philadelphia received two extra draft picks and found their next pro bowl quarterback out of the U.S.  Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Guess the ‘skins thought all those losses were just flukes. Maybe he just needed a change of scenery? Yeah, to a retirement community in Boca.

McNabb went into the 2011 season looking to bring the Redskins back to the playoffs with new head coach, Mike Shanahan. He started off rather pedestrian going 4-3 in his first seven games, but looked promising after posting two comeback wins. It was in week 8 when we watched McNabb’s career slowly start to combust. In the fourth quarter in a game vs. the Detroit Lions, McNabb was benched due to poor play. The benching caused a rift between a disgruntled McNabb and new coach Mike Shanahan. McNabb would later be relegated to the 3^rd string quarterback behind Rex Grossman and John Beck. Sounds like a successful trade. Who wouldn’t give up a second round pick for the highest paid third string quarterback in the league?

If he was worried about being a back up in Philadelphia, how much more embarrassing is it that he now backs up Rex Grossman for a pitiful Washington squad? If I were him I’d do my best to build a time machine and go back to April 3^rd, 2010 and beg the Eagles to keep me to regain some pride. Why not take him back Philly? He’s a hero in the city and clearly most of the league has a man crush on him if they voted him as one of the NFL’s top 100 players. He’ll cause drama? Please; I am sure if Andy Reid can handle Michael Vick he can control McNabb’s ego. Face it Donovan, you’re a back up.

If you’re asking if you can hang up your #5 jersey, the answer is 100% yes. Not because McNabb is the 100^th best NFL player (there has to be an explanation for this) but because the guys done. Donovan, I wish you good luck on your 401k but please just get out while you still have a little respect. It’s been fun Donovan but your time on the playing field has come to an end. Philadelphia superstar to Washington wash up.

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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.

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