NFL Football Blog - Goal-line Stand

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I bring you our Thursday night pick, video style:

In case you don't have Flash or Java or whatever the hell you need to watch videos on your computer or you simply don't want to hear my annoying voice for 76 seconds, here's what I'm thinking in nutshell:

The Chargers simply don't lose to teams with losing records at home (the Oakland game was an aberration).The 49ers simply don't beat teams with winning records (they haven't done so since last December).The Bolts are quite the big favourite, but San Francisco's losses this year have come by average of 12 points.

GLS Pick: Chargers 38, 49ers 17

read more December 15th, 2010 at 04:21 pm / #picks

How did we miss this?

So apparently Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi instructed players to form a wall on the sideline before throwing his knee out and performing the Trip Heard 'Round the World, and now everyone's up in arms. Now Alosi has been suspended indefinitely. Now he's an evil combination of Charles Manson, Hannibal Lector and the Green Goblin.

Am I the only one who has absolutely no problem with the Jets or any other team forming a wall on the sideline? What exactly is illegal about this act? If you're on your own sideline and behind the line that separates the field of play from what is out of bounds, you should be able to stand any damn way you want. Alosi could have gathered his inactive players and fellow coaches and rallied them to engage in a

read more December 15th, 2010 at 03:56 pm / #commentary

Wouldn't you like to unwrap memories of the Raiders' glory years on Christmas morning?

I'll never forget the year my dad thought it was a good idea to buy mom a tire iron for Christmas. She had recently been stranded with a flat tire, so it seemed like a perfectly practical gift. Wrapped and placed under the tree without any kind of a makeshift box, it looked like a bow and arrow set.

Sometimes the male breed learns that diamonds are indeed a girl's best friend, and sometimes that lesson takes a tire iron.

With just over a week left until Christmas, you're busy making sure little Sally gets her zhu zhu hamster, and Johnny gets his Bob the Builder set. But if there's an NFL fan running to a Christmas tree near you, there are options for all ages.

read more December 15th, 2010 at 03:19 pm / #the list

The path to rehabilitation has many twists and turns. Michael Vick would like to take a detour, and he'd like to unwrap a smiling, happy little puppy on Christmas morning.

Vick's crimes against dogs are well known, but they're especially infamous in the animal kingdom, a venomous group of dog lovers who will never forgive and forget after Vick spent time in prison for dog fighting. They don't care about his chemistry with DeSean Jackson, and probably think Jackson is a country singer. They don't care about how many interceptions Vick has thrown, and they scoff at any notion of a redemption story. They don't care about football, they care about dogs.

Vick's arms and legs can do some amazing things on the football field, but his mind can't seem to comprehend th

read more December 15th, 2010 at 01:20 pm / #commentary

The Giants host the Eagles Sunday night in what will surely be one of the most important games of the year. The winner will be on the fast track for a first-round bye while the loser will have an outside chance at missing the playoffs entirely.

And as is usually the case in December, the team that can best deal with injuries will likely end up prevailing.

The Eagles lost two defensive players for the remainder of the season this week, with middle linebacker Stewart Bradley dislocating his elbow and rookie defensive end Brandon Graham tearing the ACL in his right knee. The good news is that Bradley will likely be back in time for the playoffs; the bad news is that the Eagles will have an extra tough time making the playoffs without his services.

Philly made a big mistake this offseason by not bringing i

read more December 15th, 2010 at 01:10 pm / #around the league

From being booed on draft day to puking in the Super Bowl, things have never been easy for Donovan McNabb. Last week was just one of those ho-hum, maybe McNabb will get replaced again by Rex Grossman kind of weeks, the same quarterback who fumbled a game away earlier this season. Those rumours are popping up again this week, and being squashed again, at least for now. Meanwhile, McNabb just wants to leisurely enjoy a basketball game without getting booed. Good luck with that.That whole "injuries are part of the game blah blah…" cliché is getting pretty old for the Giants, especially in the wide receivers section of the locker room. Steve Smith just returned from an injury for Monday night's game against Minnesota, and now he's out for the year. He becomes the fifth New York wideout to be placed on injured reserve. Hakeem Nicks has emerged this year for the boys in blue, and he'll hav read more

December 15th, 2010 at 11:53 am / #links

Here's a look at the NFL's extremely muddled playoff picture with three weeks remaining in the season:

AFC1. New England Patriots (11-2) - The only team that has clinched a playoff spot. 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) - In cruise control with probable tiebreaker over Ravens. 3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) - Might have to win out to hold off the Chargers. 4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) - Might have to win out to hold off the Colts. 5. Baltimore Ravens (9-4) - Is there a chance both wild-card teams will be favoured? 6. New York Jets (9-4) - Thomas Jones vs. his ex-team on wild-card weekend? ------------------------------ 7. San Diego Chargers (7-6) - Another late-season dash began Sunday,

read more December 14th, 2010 at 06:29 pm / #around the league

It's already been a tremendously disappointing season for the Minnesota Vikings, and it doesn't look as though it's going to end on a positive note.

The team was supposed to hold their 50th anniversary celebration Monday night in their home finale against the division-rival Bears. But mother nature has rained - or snowed - on their parade. There's a decent chance the Metrodome won't be ready for Monday's game, meaning the Vikes could be hosting Chicago in the 50,085-seat TCF Bank Stadium, which is home to the University of Minnesota Gophers.

It's an open-air stadium, which might give the visiting Bears an advantage.

What also might give the Bears an advantage is the fact the Vikes could be down to their third-string quarterback, rookie Joe Webb. Brett Favre (old age) is a huge question mark, while Tarvaris Jackson has come down with turf toe.

This game was supposed to be the bright spot in an otherwise dep

read more December 14th, 2010 at 05:19 pm / #around the league

The Redskins are a mess.

They have a talented roster, and they get nothing out of it. Mike Shanahan has botched his attempts to flex his muscle with his star players and his team makes more mental errors than any team in football. They squandered what should have been an easy victory Sunday against Tampa Bay, missing two field goals from inside 35 yards and what would have been a game-tying extra point.

But their problems should be fixed now, because they've released their punter.

Yes, Hunter Smith was the guy who screwed up the extra point that would have forced overtime in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers, and his net average ranks 34th in the league, which is especially worrisome considering there are only 32 active punters. But the problem in Washington reaches far beyond special teams g

read more December 14th, 2010 at 04:47 pm / #around the league

The line between success and failure in the fantasy playoffs is so incredibly thin, and the one fleeting instant that dissolves all hope remains etched deep in the brain during the long, cold winter months.

We all have one. Alge Crumpler is the villain in my playoff nightmare story. If your hands are still shaking after a weekend fantasy disaster that either ended your fantasy playoffs or your shot at the post season, maybe my tale of woe will raise the spirits.

It happened in the before time, in the long, long ago before live stat tracking was free, and having a job mattered. It was the dreamy days of 2005, and down in Atlanta prior to Michael Vick's dogfighting debacle, the Falcons were cruising to a 36-17 Week 14 Monday night victory over the Saints. Crumpler was still a few years away from being

read more December 14th, 2010 at 04:07 pm / #fantasy

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