NY, NY ... city of dreams?

Have they been asleep at the wheel?
How else to explain the debacle which is the N.Y. Giants season?
I like the Giants, always have; their blue jerseys go well with my physique, but these aint no stinking Giants. These is ... Midgets.
Eli Manning is asleep.
"Plexiglas" is asleep.
Mike Strahan is sleep.
And Tom Coughlin?
Tom Coughlin has refused to even consider benching Eli Manning, but he's the real reason for N.Y.'s woes. And just think of all the other teams that want the G-men to lose. Quite a few. Well, the New York Giants face Desparation, Despair, and D.C. Sunday as they go to face the Redskins for their playoff lives. The Giants can make history Sunday, but not a good history. They could end up the worst team in NFL history to make the playoffs . Anyway, I pick ... G.

Bengals, uh, Bungles, tip their glass

The Cincinnati Bengals are holding on for dear life in the AFC playoff race (aint gonna happen). But they've got some impressive stats OFF the field as well. It all started last summer when one O' dem big sweaty Bengals got his butt tasered over a parking violation. Two weeks ago, cornerback Deltha O'Neal became the eighth Bengal player arrested this season when he was charged with drunk driving. Sort of like the NBA, but, still ... I love dis game.
http://mistux2.com/misgroup/funnies/drunk/help_the_drunk_get_home.php

MY MVP

People talk about LT in San Diego as the MVP. They talk about Drew Brees.
But the Most Valuable Player to his team is ...
PACMAN .
Adam "Pacman" Jones.
Dude, who gets his moniker from when he was a kid he used to drink milk with an unquenchable thirst, (ya now, like, Pacman) is like Dieon Sanders and Reggie Bush combined. Vince Young pulls the trigger in Tennessee but Pacman closes the caskets. He, even more than Young, is the reason for the Titans' (7-8) winning streak and faint hopes of the playoffs right now. Dude can just make big plays. The winning streak — and the big plays — started Nov. 19 in a 31-13 victory at Philadelphia. Rookie Vince Young completed only eight passes for 84 yards.
Pacman returned a punt 90 yards for a TD in that one to spark the onslaught.
Then, the Titans fell behind the New York Giants 21-0, then outscored them 24-0 thanks to Jones' two interceptions.
Rob Bironas won that game with a 49-yard field goal, then made history against the Indianapolis Colts with a 60-yarder that was only the third in NFL history to win a game. That 20-17 victory included two interceptions of two-time MVP Peyton Manning. No, Pac didn't get them but he did have a season-high 8 tackles.
Pacman then put on a show for the overtime thriller in Houston. Pac returned a kickoff 36 yards minutes after the Texans kicked the ball out of bounds trying to avoid him, and Young won the game with a 39-yard TD run that was the second-longest in overtime by a quarterback.
Against the Jaguars, Young again completed only eight passes, and the offense had 98 net yards. But the Titans set a franchise record with 370 yards in returns. Jones started the scoring when he picked off a pass and returned it 83 yards for a TD.
He also returned the opening kickoff of the second half 70 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal. What????

NFC: Who will make it? Who will fail?

Amazingly, if none of the five NFC teams vying for the final wild card spot can pull it off, the N.Y. Giants, at 7-9, would be the first team in NFL history to qualify for the postseason with a losing record.
NEW YORK has the best shot because they own most of the tiebreakers. Tom Coughlin should also be considered coach of the year, too. Think about it. His team is 7-8, but has won the a crucial 7 games that hold all the keys to the final playoff spot ( I mean, if you're just gonna win 7 games and make it, he knew which ones to show up for!).

If the New York Giants lose, then the Green Bay Packers (who have 5 ways to get to the dance) would have the best chance. And just think, Brett Favre never thought he'd get another chance to utter the joyous "P-word".
If the Packers lose, then the Carolina Panthers would be up to bat. Incredibly, the Panthers, who last week didn't even bother having a quarterback on a number of offensive plays, choosing to straddle two running backs, neither of which the Falcons could handle, are still alive despite no quarterback and no defense.
If the Panthers, Giants and Packers lose, then the St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons would get a chance. Oh, and here's why the Falcons are the
worst team in the NFL.
People keep saying, well, it's because of the weak NFC, but let's be honest: Just because Carolina was overhyped, and Seattle, which has always been in a weak division, didn't live up to expectatia, they say the NFC is weak. But New Orleans, the league's top offense, aint weak. Chicago, the league's best defense, aint weak.
In the AFC, the Broncos and New York Jets just need to win ... and they'll clinch the Nos. 5 and 6 playoff seeds.

NEW YORK STATE O' MIND

New York Giants receiver Plaxico"Plexiglas" Burress is BFN.
You know, the kind of dude that should be dominating defenders and towering over them in jump balls.
Burress is weak. He's soft. He's BFN.
You know, BFN. Big For Nothing.
Dude is 6-foot 5 and is coming off a 1214 yard season last year. He should be on pace to get 1,500 this year, but nooooo. He only has 907 with 2 games to go. That means he'll probably regress this year, and that's not good for somebody that talks as much as he does. He caught 7 touchdowns last year; he's got 9 this year, but he's just not seen as a dominant receiver. I mean, Steve "MightyMouse" Smith has a grand and some change on a Carolina team that's won just 6 games this year — and Smith is 4-foot three! But this dude "Plexiglas" got a "757" tattoo on his biceps, which he said represent his Norfolk area code.
The Saints didn't have a problem with Terrell Owens and they shouldn't have a problem with "Plexiglas". He's been known to talk noise, too.
"I don't see that happening," Burress said earlier this year when asked if the Eagles could shut him down. "They would be crazy to think they could do it. I am just going to go out and do what I have been doing, go out and make some plays."
Well, the G-men got the might Saints coming to town now. Let's see whose passing game is going to shine now? The Big Breezy or Eli Eli Oh? Michael "Da Gap" Strahan may play as well as being injured for 5 games. As for ole Plexi, I hope they put the notty dred McKenzie on him, too. From the fuzzy math going on, they say even if the G-men won their last two games they might not still make the playoffs.

DA EAGLES ARE ALIVE!!!

At the start of the season, if you would have told me that a 36-year-old, bald quarterback would be churning his team to the playoffs in Philadelphia I would have thought you were sipping on some syrup. Yet, that is just what Philly has in Last Page Jeff Garcia. Dude has put the Eagles in prime playoff position by going 3-0 and throwing 8 touchdowns to just one pick (oh, and a sick 108 passer rating). If they win, they're in: It's as simple as that. Not even the Dallas Cowboys can say that. And the New York Giants just can't make the grade. Oh, and the Falcons, they are Vicktims of their own demise.

VIN-SANITY HITS NFL

Vincent Paul Young, Jr. is making a believer out of the NFL (and hater out of the Houston Texans). Actually, he's made losers out of two NFL teams in dramatic fashion (Giants and Houston). The rookie phenom is the biggest thing the NFL has seen since, well, Michael Vick. If you remember, Vick took the league by storm and instantly made the Falcons a playoff contender. But, has the shine worn off a little bit? Or, to put it more strongly, is Vince Young a smarter Michael Vick?
The turning point for Young came in the third week of the season, with the Titans down big against the San Diego Chargers. They eventually lost 40-7 but Titans coach Jeff Fisher threw a barrage of plays at Young that he hadn't practiced. Young surprised Fisher with his progress, and the coach made him the starter on Oct. 1 against Dallas. Young started slow but has won 3 games in a row to take the city of Nashville, and the league by storm. The rookie has the Titans at 6-4 since taking over the starting job Oct. 1. Sunday, he was 19-for-29 for 218 yards and ran for a career-best 86 yards on seven carries in Houston.
Vick, on the other hand, hasn't made big news since he flipped his hometown fans the "dirty bird," after their home loss to the Saints. There's been talk that Vick still hasn't grasp the offense, despite the fact that it's stripped down to its core. Young, on the other hand, has a playbook that's ever expanding. People say Vick often runs when he should pass; they say Young always looks to pass first and then, when there's no other option, takes off. I don't know personally. I'll have to see who Young's receivers are. I know for a fact, that Vick has garbage to throw to. Actually garbage would at least catch the ball.
Also, the book is out on Vick. He's been in the league long enough now that the NFL has plenty of tape on him, while Young is still new, so guys haven't broke him down yet. Aside from being a "coach killer," (and apparently, a radio show host killer), Vick only needs about 30 yards to become the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 in a season. He should do that easily. He should also be booed easily if the Falcons lose Saturday night against Big D.

Can the Saints beat the Bears?

Let's look at the positions one by one for a comparison:

The Chicago Bears (11-2) have few weaknesses but they have one glaring one: Rex Grossman as quarterback. The Saints had almost 400 yards in their worst game of the season against Baltimore. The Bears managed a measly 107 yards of total offense against the Vikings in its worst offensive game of the season, BUT, they still won, getting touchdowns off a punt return from Devin Hester and an interception return from Ricky Manning Jr. But the point remains, the Bears can be shut down; if the Vikings can do it, then a playoff defense, which New Orleans has, certainly can.

The Saints(9-4) come into the final weeks of the season as a juggernaut. Having run circles around the Dallas Cowboys, the Saints have become, to everyone's surprise, The Greatest Show on Turf. Devery Henderson has had 169, 158, 14 & 92 receiving yards in his last 4 games and its becoming a natural beast. Reggie Bush has had 125, 131 yards on short throws that he has weaved into long receptions. But can the Saints beat the Bears?

QUARTERBACK — ADVANTAGE: SAINTS
Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the NFL. He has the highest passer rating in the league (101.2) and is on pace for 5000 yards.
Rex Grossman is one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. Grossman is 22nd in the league with a passer rating of 74.5. He has 20 touchdowns and 17 picks.


Last Page


RUNNING BACK — ADVANTAGE: SAINTS
Deuce McAllister is on pace for 1,000 yards. And is a bruising back with decent speed and power. Although he doesn't have the yards that Chicago's main back has neither has he gotten the carries. Yet he averages more yards per carry (4.5) than Chicago's main back, which is the more important statistic.
Reggie Bush is more of a scatback that can dodge defenders and run horizontically as well as vertically. And of course, he's a defensive mismatch catching in the ball.

Thomas Jones already has 1054 yards (4.1 yards a carry) and has the quickness to make a big play. But defenses can clamp down on him and dare Grossman to beat them, which he does only some of the time.


RECEIVERs — ADVANTAGE: EVEN
Let's be honest, Marques Colston is hurt more severely than we thought; Joe Horn is raggedy and can't go for many more games now. They both need an extended offseason before they return to game form. It'll be up to speedster Devery Henderson to save the receiving corps. Problem is, he won't be able to run the straight "Go" routes now that he's burned defenders in 3 of the past 4 games. Opposing teams will gameplan against him now. Still Reggie Bush, third in the league in receptions with 79, is on pace for 100 catches and 1,000 yards.

The Bears have a veteran blue-chipper in Muhsin Muhammad, who has lost a step from his Carolina days, but is saavy enough to make defenders pay. Muhammad has 687 yards receiving this year and 5 touchdowns, which is comparable to Henderson's 654 yards and 5 TDs. Still, he has experience that gives him an edge on many defenders.

SPECIAL TEAMS — ADVANTAGE: BEARS
Chicago has the premier playmaker at special teams kick returner Devin Hester. His touchdowns on kick returns leads the league (14 yards per) and Chicago's awesome game of field position make this hands down a Bears advantage. Hester set an NFL record Monday night with his fifth and sixth kickoff returns for touchdowns this season, a 94-yard kickoff runback in the second quarter and a 96-yarder in the 4th period. But, in the playoffs, will opposing teams kick to him? Not if they're smart.

Saints veteran returnman Michael Lewis is 15th in the league in kick returning but has yet to take one to the house this year. With the emergence of Henderson and Bush, expect Lewis' role to diminish even further. But with Bush returning punts the Saints have as good a chance as anyone to be lethal on special teams. Still, I give the advantage to: CHICAGO

DEFENSE — ADVANTAGE: BEARS
Chicago's defense has created 11 turnovers in the last 3 games. Chicago leads the league with 40 takeaways - 11 more than Baltimore - after having 34 last season. They have defensive backs that are decent but there bread-and-butter is the play of their linebackers. Brian Urlacher has 3 interceptions this year and interestingly, no sacks, since he's more likely to drop in coverage these days. But don't worry, the Bears get plenty of pressure from their front four.
New Orleans has unsung bunch that is quickly garnering attention. Mike Mckenzie woke up from a season-long slumber to pick off two passes against San Francisco. Fred Thomas and Stoutmire had picks against Dallas; and the defensive line causes just enough trouble to earn respect.

WEEK 12: Quotes around the League

Well, the playoffs are around the corner:


"I could tell it was very special for him," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was 26-of-38 for 384 yards. "He didn't put a lot of added pressure on us this week. He just went on with his business. But I could see in the gleam in his eye at the end of the game. ... I could tell it meant a lot." Saints whipped Dallas 42-17 in a game that was scoreless in the 4th quarter. I agreed with the playcalls that Sean Payton did but I think the onside kick was kind of corny. I think he did it to say "We gon MURDA yall!" but it was his old mentor he did it to. I didn't think it was right, especially if you're up by as big a margin as they were. On the other hand, I thought to kneel on the ball with a full 3 minutes to go was classy. Good move, Payton.



"I swear we are trying," Oakland QB Aaron Brooks said. "It's a lot of mishaps." Brooks' touchdown pass broke a streak of eight straight games without a fourth-quarter score, but they still lost to Cinncinatti, 27-10. The Bengals (8-5) looked at alot of tape of the Raiders (2-11), who have a pretty good defense and an offense that can't protect the quarterback or keep time of possession. 27-10

"However you dice it up and look at it, it's a positive — we won the game," Philly defensive end Darren Howard said after the Eagles hung on to beat Washington 21-19. The Eagles once led 21-3. "But if you keep having performances like that, sometimes you're going to get yourself in a bind and you're not going to be able to pull out a game. Those are the things we have to fix," Howard said.


"I haven't seen anything like that since I watched NFL Films," Jaguars defensive end Paul Spicer said of Jacksonville's thumping of the Indianapolis Colts, 44-17. What made it worse was that Indy (10-3) practiced all week on tackling, trying to correct the league's worst run defense. Still, the Jaguars (8-5) amassed 375 yards rushing — tied for the second-most in the NFL since the 1970 merger and the most since Cincinnati gained 407 yards against Denver in October 2000.


"If Cincy had lost, you might see a lot more celebration," defensive tackle Trevor Pryce said after Baltimore's 20-10 victory over Kansas City on Sunday. "We're looking at our division first." The Ravens (10-3) lead the Cincinnati Bengals by 2 games with 3 to play. Baltimore is the first visiting team to win at Arrowhead Stadium in December since Indianapolis beat the Chiefs 24-19 on Dec. 15, 1996.

"He is a king and he should be treated like one," San Diego left guard Kris Dielman said after hoisting LaDamlian Tomlinson onto his shoulders and carrying him toward the sideline, with Tomlinson holding the ball and waving. "That is what a king gets," Dielman said after the Chargers' 48-20 win over the Denver Broncos and the AFC West title. LT heard chants of "L.T.! L.T.!" and "MVP! MVP!" after Tomlinson's record 29th touchdown of the season on Sunday.



"If we win our next 3, I believe we'll definitely be in," Minnesota safety Darren Sharper said after the Vikings (6-7), losers of 5 of their last 6 games, beat the Lions 30-20 to stay in the playoff hunt. The Lions (2-11), meanwhile, have lost 5 straight.

"It was a great ending, just being from Houston," Titans quarterback Vince Young said after his 39-yard dash in overtime on Sunday lifted the Tennessee Titans to a 26-20 victory over the Texans, the team that passed over him in the draft. "And then being in front of my family and the fans who respect me as a person as well. It doesn't get any better than that," Young said. The rookie phenom weaved through the Houston Texans defense for the winning touchdown, ripped off his helmet and started screaming and dancing in front of his hometown fans.


"You play a young quarterback and it's very simple," Seattle defensive end Bryce Fisher said. "If you knock him down, he'll find a way to lose. If you don't knock him down, he'll look like he's on the way to the Pro Bowl." That's what happened as the Seattle Seahawks, runaway leaders in the NFC West, lost to the Cardinals 27-21 on Sunday, giving Arizona 3 victories in 4 games after an eight-game losing streak. The Cardinals' lone loss in the last month was a close one at Minnesota.


"I don't think any confidence is lost at all,"We just played bad and they played very, very well, they're a talented team. ... If you're going to have this type of game, this is the best time to have it.""Terrell Owens said after the Cowboys lost to the Saints, 42-17. Owens caught a fluke touchdown when it went through the hands of a Saints DB Fred Thomas and landed in Owens' hands at the 10 yard line.



"I didn't even know who the guys were," Plaxico Burress said on abusing and beating two Carolina Panthers defenders (one of which was on Tampa Bay's practice squad last month) on a 45-yard pass and a 28-yard TD that made it 10-0 in the second quarter. " I told one of the coaches I think we could jump some of the shorter routes and go up top a couple of times," Burress said. The Giants got the Panthers 27-10.


"It wasn't a championship game, it wasn't a playoff game, but I've grown to appreciate these more and more," 37-year-old Brett Favre said after a 30-19 win over the 49ers. "There may have been times in my career when I took these games for granted, but these wins are much harder to come by now. I don't want to sound crazy, but this one means as much as any of them, just because of circumstances." Favre tossed two long touchdown passes on his way to a 293-yard game that helped snap a three-game losing streak for the Packers (5-8).



"I've never seen him like that," Miami defensive end Kevin Carter said of Patriot QB Tom Brady, who was seen screaming at teammates as he trotted off the field as the game wore on, and again after he reached the bench. "He's always very composed and confident in the pocket. We got in his face a little bit. To see him frustrated like that meant good things for us," Carter said. The Patriots were blanked by the Dolphins, 21-0.


"It's one of those things that we practice every day. ... Get into the guy's area, you give him a head fake. They're going to miss you every time. You've got to break down, give him the tippy toes, then go on in," Justin Griffith said.The 232-pound Atlanta fullback Justin Griffith said after rumbling 21 yards for his first career rushing touchdown. He finished with a team-high 52 yards on 12 attempts as the Falcons kept their playoff hopes alive with a 17-6 win over Tampa Bay.

"It's not very often, in an NFL game, you see a player sitting on the bench eating a sandwich," Buffalo Bils coach Dick Jauron said of his out-of-gas running back Willis McGahee. "We had to get some food in him. He came back and obviously played really well." McGahee, who playfully told Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma during the week that he couldn't be stopped, had 125 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries — despite missing the second quarter with an upset stomach. He has gained 100 or more yards in each of his last five games against New York. The Bills pimp-slapped the Jets 31-13.

BCS AINT GOT NUTTIN' ON THE NFC

SAINT BUSH:
Reginald Alfred Bush II finally had the game that we all knew he could have on Sunday. Dude had 4 TOUCHDOWNS. Bush had 19 touches and produced 168 yards. Mike McKenzie finally woke up from his season-long slumber and picked off two of Alex Smith's balls, this after being victimized on a long ball earlier. Saints now find themselves 8-4 in sole first place atop the NFC South.

Well the playoffs are becoming more and more solid, except for the NFC wild cards. Let's see if we can put Humpty back together again:


GIANTS GOT SOME 'SPLAININ' TO DO: Two weeks ago the Giants became only the third team in N.F.L. history to blow a 21-point lead or in the last 10 minutes of a game when they lost, 24-21, to the Tennessee Titans. Then they lost on a last-second field goal by Dallas. Now, they must face a schedule tougher than an alley fight with a 19-year-old Mike Tyson. And that's just on the field. Off it, they've got
crazy problems
with ya boi "Plexiglass" Burress and Michael "GAPEY" Strahan. Speaking of the "Baaallinn" defensive end, the New York papers are tearing his butt up as his
divorce has gotten nasty.
Last I hear, dude was "Balliinnn" with a gay doctor . Giants? Can you say "FALLINNNnnn."
Now the wild card races looks like so:
Giants (6-6)
Panthers (6-6)
Falcons (6-6)

Panthers got their tails whipped — again: Carolina, everybody and their mama picked them to represent the NFC. I was one of the few before the season that told you that Jake "The Fake" Delhomme was going to suck at quarterback. Why? Because he's a SuperBowl quarterback 3 seasons ago and unless his last name is Young or Montana or Elway, it's impossible for him to keep his career afloat. I mean, I like old dude, cuz he's a Cajun homeboy and all. The main problem with the Panthers is him; he throws the worst kind of interceptions, END ZONE interceptions. That will kill you everytime, ask Bledsoe.

ATLANTA FALCONS: WE FLY HIGH: The Falcons, who a week ago they were under .500 after a thrashing by the Saints, have caught back up in the pack with a 6-6 record by beating woeful Washington. This despite the fact that Michael Vick and his receivers have started to
blatantly defy the offensive coaches,
making up their own plays and everything else. And you know what? It's working. Hear it hear first: Falcons will make the playoffs, Panthers won't. All Atlanta has to do is beat those pesky Eagles.

THOSE PESKY EAGLES WON'T GO AWAY: Anybody who thought Philadelphia was going to go O-for after the loss of Donovan McNabb doesn't know the Eagles that well. They still got Jeremiah Trotter, still got Buckhalter, still got Dawkins, still got Lito Shepard, and they even got a guy by the name of Donte "Inferno" Stallworth. Don't sleep.

ARE THE GIANTS .... 'BALLLLiiinnn' — OR WHAT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fo6CQpiAw

THE DEBATE: WHO'S THE BETTER QB?

In San Diego, we hear it's "Drew, Who?"
In the Big Easy, they call it, "The Big Breesy" now.
But the question remains, WHO DA MAN? Who got away with the better deal, the San Diego Chargers? They refused to offer Brees franchise money after his shoulder got injured in the last game of the season and the squeaky-clean Philip Rivers was christianed the "new man" in San Diego.
Or did the Saints get the better end of the deal? Brees is just in the midst of having a season like no other Saints quarterback and very few QBs have had in league history.
But the debate rages on. So, really, now, who is the better QB?
Oh, we could use stories, or we could use the argument of "who makes his team better?"
Better yet, we could say, who's Most Valuable to his team? His city? But we need to compare the X's and O's. The only way to do it short of having both of them swing it out behind Grandma's house is to compare common oppenents. This year both quarterbacks have had to throw against the Ravens, Bengals and Steelers. Below is a comparison.

Philip Rivers has 331 attempts and 215 completions, that's 65 percent. Rivers has amassed 2440 yards at 7.37 yards per clip. He's longest throw is 57 yards and he has 15 TDs and only 6 picks. He's thrown 29 balls for more than 20 yards and three for more than 40. Passer rating: 94.5.

Drew Christopher Brees has 413 attempts and 275 completions, that's 66.6 percent. Brees has amassed 3463 yards at 8.38 yards per clip. He's longest throw is 86 yards and he has 19 TDs and 10 picks. He's thrown 49 balls for more than 20 yards and 13 for more than 40. Passer rating: 97.8.

Rivers has handed the ball off to the might LaDainian Tomlison 229 times (LT has churned out 1146 yards including 21 touchdowns).
Brees has handed the ball off to Reggie Bush(109) and Duece McAllister (155) 264 times. (Bush and McAllister combined have 985 yards and 10 touchdowns).

In the Saints' biggest deficit was when they were down 35-7 to the Baltimore Ravens.

COMMON OPPONENTS:
Baltimore Ravens
Rivers passed for 145 (13-23), 8 first downs and one interception, which was returned 24 yards. The Ravens held the Chargers to 2 of 13 on 3rd down and 1 of 3 on 4th down. He was sacked one for 11 yards. It must be noted that the Chargers led the entire game, mostly 13-7, until the last 34 seconds. LT rushed for 98 yards on 26 carries.

Brees passed for 368 (24 -46), 13 first downs and 3 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The Ravens held the Saints to 6 of 14 on 3rd down and 2 of 4 on 4th down. He was sacked twice for 15 yards. It must be noted that the Saints were down 35-7 at one point in the third quarter. Saints rushd for 35 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Rivers passed for 222 yards (24-37), 13 first downs and one interception. The Steelers held the Chargers to 9 of 16 on 3rd down. He was sacked 4 times for 20 yards. Chargers won 23-13 in Week 4. LT rushed for 98 yards on 26 carries. In the 2nd half, San Diego ditched the conservative "Martyball" philosophy and let their young quarterback loose. Rivers was 4-for-7 for 5 yards in the first quarter. He was 20-of-30 for 237 yards in the last three.

Brees passed for 393 yards (31-47), 19 first downs and no interceptions. The Steelers held the Saints to 10 of 16 on 3rd down. Brees was sacked once for 5 yards. Saints led 24-17 before Pittsburgh's Willie Parker zigged and zagged on two long touchdown runs of 72 and 76 yards. Saints rushd for 124 yards.



Cinncinati Bengals
Rivers passed for 324 (24-36) 17 first downs and no interceptions. The Bengals held the Chargers to 9 of 14 on 3rd down in losing one of the largest leads in NFL history. Rivers was sacked 3 times for 14 yards. San Diego was down 28-7 at the half. Rivers, who led the Chargers to 42 second-half points, had the decisive play with 2:29 to go. He lofted a soft toss in the endzone after scrambling to his left with two defenders 'bout to pop him. LT ran for 107 yards.

Brees passed for 504 yards (37-52), 25 first downs and 3 interceptions, two of which were in the end zone and one returned for 7. The Bengals held the Saints to 6 of 12 on 3rd down. Brees was sacked twice for 6 yards. Brees lost his leader receiver, Marques Colston, on the first offensive series and had to spread the ball around. Game was tied 10-10 early in the fourth until Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer played pitch-and-catch and an interception return made it 31-16 for the ballgame.
So, who's the best? You be the judge. Rivers had mighty trouble with the pesky Raiders last week. Young Breesy is, as they say in N.Y. BALLLINNNN (shoot the hoop) . We'll see how they act this week as the debate rages on.

All smiles in Dallas

All's well in Big D since new quarterback Antonio "Touchdown Tony" Romo threw 5 touchdown passes and didn't lay a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys are in the driver's seat in the NFC East now that the Giants have laid down and prostituted themselves. I was the first to say (in Week 2) that the Cowboys are going to be the best team in football (even tho I didn't think they shoulda benched Bledsoe) and now it's proved true. Romo has turned into a good quarterback, will he be Brady-good?
I doubt it seriously. Still, there's business to take care of in the NFC.
The Giants still will make the playoffs, and they might have the Cowboys to thank. The NFC rivals in the South — New Orleans and Atlanta — both must play the Cowboys and they both might lose. Since this is Louisiana Love, we'll show a little to our New Orleans product, Elisha Manning, even though under the word "choke" Webster's has his picture.
Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens seem to be vibing a bit closer than most receivers (T.O. calls him "a good dude.") They are the top tandem in the league when it comes to touchdowns (14). T.O. has a habit of humiliating defenders while Glenn just embarrasses them. And it was Glenn that big-upped T.O. when T.O. slammed one too many Flinstones down his throat.
But really though, although T.O. and T.G. are sick wid it, there relationship is ... unique. The Dallas Morning News reported this quote from T.O.: "We've talked to each other about things, and he's like, 'Just trust me,' " T.O. says of TG. "I'm like, 'Dude, you don't have to worry about me going outside my lines of trust.' That's how I am."
Dag, why don't they just go kiss somewhere? I mean seems like a line of "scrimmage" has been crossed somewhere. Seems like a "hash mark" has been passed, you know, like a "corner" has been turned in their relationship (he he). Hmmmm.
Anyway,
Speaking of offensive things, just when you thought all was well in Dallas Cowboy-related news, Michael Irvin proves to the world that he did more than just put his friend's crackpipe in his glove compartment last year. Dude — on national radio — said Romo had "some brother" in him. Yeah. Dude said Romo's people must've tip-toed to the slave quarters and go busy with a slave somewhere down the line. Needless to say, if he was another color, he'd be on the street. What do you think?

NFL WEEK 8 QUOTES OF THE 'WEAK'

"The force out part of that is not reviewable. Whether he caught the ball inbounds or out is (reviewable), but there was clearly no body part that landed inbounds. There was nothing to review."
- Referee Mike Carey, about the controversial, amazing, fourth-down catch by New York Jets tight end Chris Baker in the end zone in the final minute of the Browns a 20-13 win over the Jets.

"That's why you throw a lot in the offseason, with nobody covering. You pretend it's Champ Bailey covering. You have to throw a perfect throw and run a perfect route."
-Colts quarterback Peyton Manning after carving up the stifling Denver Broncos defense, including Champ Bailey en route to a 34-31 victory. Manning was 32-for-39 for 345 yards passing and three touchdowns.


"Larry is All-Pro, and let's get serious, they've got two All-Pro linemen in front of him. Anytime you can't stop the run, it is going to be a long day for us."
-Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, on Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, who ran for a bruising 39 times in a 35-28 KC win over the Seahawks.

"I wanted the fans to get my first touchdown. I don't care about the football. The memory will last forever. As soon as I knew it was me and him, I knew there was no way he was going to catch me."
-Raiders defensive back Chris Carr, on how during his game-breaking 100-yard interception return for a touchdown he wasn't going to let the Steelers quarterbackBen Roethlisberger catch him.

"I particularly like the play calls of the two interceptions for touchdowns."
- Ravens Coach Brian Billick, responding to how his team responded to him assuming the play-calling duties. The Ravens dismantled the Saints, 35-22 and instead of Reggie Bush breaking the ankles of Baltimore, it was Baltimore that pretty much broke the ankle of the rookie tail back. X-Rays were negative, but so were the stats. Nicca.

"Drew actually came up to me before the game (and) said he was rooting for me. Drew's a really, really class act. He's a very pleasant guy, and I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Drew."
- Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said of the guy he replaced, Drew Bledsoe. Romo basically had a ball, throwing for 270 and a TD as Dallas stormed back from a 14-point deficit in a 25-point fourth quarter in a 35-14 win over the Carolina Panthers.

"You could've put a middle school team out there today. If you can't stop the run, it's hard to win like that because you can't get off the field, can't give the offense a chance."
- Arizona Cardinals linebacker Calvin Pace said after his team lost to the Green Bay Packers, 31-14.

"I haven't got a whole lot to say. Four interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, you can't overcome that."
- Steelers coach Bill Cowher, after starting Ben Roethlisberger one week after a concussion and losing to the Oakland Raiders 20-13.


"We had some key drops. It was hard to do anything with the football today other than hand it off. It's hard to play catch-up in weather like that. We had some chances but we didn't get it done."
- Bucs coach Jon Gruden after his team could get nothing going in a 17-3 loss against the N.Y. Giants. It was billed the "Barber Bowl" since it was probably the last time retiring Giants running back Tiki Barber would face his evil twin brother Ronde Barber on Tampa's defense.

"So many questions start to come when you don't have 100 yards. People start to wonder, are you getting old or have you lost a step? For me, it's all motivation.
If I lost a step and had a day like this today, I'd hate to see if I was a young man what I would have done today with the kind of holes I ran through."
- LaDainian Tomlinson, who romped for 3 touchdowns and a season-best 183 yards in a 38-24 victory over the hapless St. Louis Rams.

"I feel I just need the opportunity to throw the ball. Just give me the chance to do it. I've felt like all along, this is what I could do. They were kind of scared, not knowing what I was going to do," said Vick.
- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who was 20-of-28 for 291 yards in a 29-27 win at Cincinatti. Vick's passer rating was140.6, the second-highest of his career.

"Right now, the offense is looking to find out where the next big play is coming from, instead of saying we're going to drive the ball down their throat. We're not going to get 40-yard passes every series. We have to go out and go three downs and get a first down. We haven't done that."
- Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, who rushed 13 times for 38 yards in a 13-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.


"You say, 'How did we pull it off?' He made some key plays. The keys with his legs, the touchdown run is something that we want to see."
- Titans coach Jeff Fisher, talking about his rookie phenom quarterback Vince Young. Young ran for 44 yards and threw for 87 more in a 28-22 win over his hometown Houston Texans.

RAVENS VS. SAINTS THIS WEEK

NEW ORLEANS -- Whew. A brother took a week off to chill, like my Saints did last week. Turns out the Baltimore Ravens also took a week to lick their wounds after dropping two in a row, including a 23-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The team returns with coach Brian Billick assuming play-calling duties.
Won't matter.
New Orleans has the league's best home-field advantage. Score one, 28-21, for the hometeam. Not even Ray Anthony Lewis can stop us.
Speaking of homes, former MVP quarterback Steve McNair knows a thing or two about the bayou. He's from little old Alcorn State in Mississippi. The Ravens (4-2) rank 22nd in the NFL with 18.3 points per game, 29th with 284.5 yards per game and 30th in total first downs with 94. That's not gon' get it down in the Big Easy.
Also, from these parts is Baltimore free safety, Ed Reed
. He was a standout prep star at nearby Destrehan High School. Aside from Ray Lewis, Reed is probably the baddest defensive player on the team and top 5 in the league. His best season was 2004. He picked off a team-high nine passes that he returned for a league-record 358 yards, knocked down 17 passes and accumulated 89 tackles en route to being voted the best defensive player in the league and a second straight Pro Bowl.

STATS:
BALTIMORE has won 4 consecutive games following bye, tying for 2nd longest active streak in NFL (Phi., 7)
In only career game vs. Saints, QB STEVE MC NAIR completed 22 of 33 (66.7 pct.) for 252 yards & 2 TDs (0 INTs).
McNair’s teams are 53-21 (.716) when he has 0 INTs …
Runningback JAMAL LEWIS has 336 rush yds (112 avg.)
Cornerback CHRIS MC ALISTER has 19 career INTs, including 2 in past 3 road games, & needs 1 to join ED REED (23) & Lewis (22) as only players in club history with 20.
Kicker MATT STOVER has made 30 FGs in row – longest active streak in NFL.

BY THE WAY, THIS DUDE IS HAVING A PARTY AT THE GAME.

WHAT'S POPPIN' THIS WEEK

BLEDSOE TO T.O.: 'STAY WIT A PLAYA': After the Cowboys demoralizing loss to the Eagles last week, Terrell Owens, who was fuming mad after the game, said his blowup was not directed to quarterback Drew McQueen Bledsoe , but the receiver's frustration with his lack of production.
" Even after the game, [Bledsoe] sent me a text that said, ' Stay with me, (he'll) play better' for me. You can only respect that," Owens said.
Bledsoe said he is trying to get on the same page with Owens, partly because of the missed practice time.
" I've never had a receiver, at least not one who is worth anything, that was happy with the number of times they touch the ball," Bledsoe said. "That's universal."




I'VE GOT TO SAY THAT LSU WAS OUTCOACHED AGAINST FLORIDA: Les Miles, and I half-way like the guy, but I don't know about his coaching a top 10 college program. He just refuses to be creative on offense and has no element of surprise at all. LSU had no answer for Tim Tebow (but I knew this last week!!!!) Still, they refused to adjust to the kid. I hate to put this out there (well, actually it's been out there for a while, but firelesmiles.com should be updated (It was originally started when he was at Oklahoma State.)

MORE LSU STUFF:


IS IT JAMARCUS' FAULT?: LSU coach Les Miles has defended quarterback JaMarcus Russell , who has played like dirt in the Tigers' two toughest games this season (Auburn & Florida) but looked good against the cupcakes.
Miles said of the three interceptions Russell threw in last week's 23-10 loss at Florida, none were the quarterback's fault.
One interception came in one-on-one coverage. The intended receiver was Brandon LaFell, who had a height advantage on the Florida defensive back.
"You certainly can't blame your quarterback ... on the throw to LaFell," Miles said. "There is no more secure one-on-one pass than an opportunity on the outside threshold of a play. You have a 6-foot-2 [receiver] going against a 5-foot-10 [defensive back]. It is a great jump ball with your guy having the great height. At the very worst it is an incomplete pass. LaFell leaves his feet way early, gives up the pick and gets injured."
Russell also isn't to blame for the second pick which was actually a pretty accurate throw to Dwayne Bowe, Miles said; Bowe seemed to catch the ball but it was hit by a Gators defender. The ball flew skyward due to the big hit.
"The one to Dwayne Bowe hits him in the belly and the [defender's] helmet hits Bowe in the belly. You can't blame your quarterback for that," Miles said.
Miles blamed the third interception on a breakdown in protection, forcing Russell to change his throwing motion on a pass to Bowe, who was open.
Miles, however, did not excuse Russell for a fumbled snap on the 1-yard line that cost LSU an almost certain touchdown.


FORMER SAINT IS POPPIN' OFF AT DA MOUF': Upon the Philadelphia Eagles' visit to New Orleans, the speedy former Saint Donte' Stallworth says it's a good thing he's coming back this weekend.
"I left three things in New Orleans," Stallworth said. "Actually, I should say I need to get three things in New Orleans. One of them is my winter coat, because it's getting cold here. I'm coming back to get some winter clothes. I'm coming back to get some Drago's. And I told (Saints cornerback) Mike McKenzie the other day I left about 400 or 500 yards in the Superdome when I was down there in New Orleans over my career, so I need to come get some of that."

CALI'S OWN JAY LUV SAYS ... PICK 'EM

My boy Jay Luv, Cali liver but Louisiana native, sends the luv with this week's NFL picks (If he's wrong I'll talk about him). You be da judge.

ALLLLLLLLRIGHTTTTTTT AFFFFFFFFFROOOOOOO!!!!!!!

BUFF @ DET BY 3
BILLS OFFENSE — OVERALL (30), RUSH (19), PASS (29)
BILLS DEFENSE — OVERALL (15), RUSH (19), PASS (12)
LIONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (17), RUSH (32), PASS (6)
LIONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (28), RUSH (14), PASS (30)

CAR@ BALT. BY 10
PANTHERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (23), RUSH (12), PASS (25)
PANTHERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (18), RUSH (21), PASS (16)
RAVENS OFFENSE — OVERALL (29), RUSH (24), PASS (28)
RAVENS DEFENSE — OVERALL (2), RUSH (3), PASS (3)


CINN BY 17 @ TAMPA
BENGALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (16), RUSH (16), PASS (13)
BENGALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (25), RUSH (27), PASS (15)
BUCS OFFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (28), PASS (19)
BUCS DEFENSE — OVERALL (20), RUSH (30), PASS (7)

HOU. BY 6 @ DALLAS YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH NIGGGGGGGAAAAAA!! YA HEARD IT HERE FIRST!
TEXANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (28), RUSH (29), PASS (21)
TEXANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (32), RUSH (25), PASS (32)
COWBOYS OFFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (3), PASS (12)
COWBOYS DEFENSE — OVERALL (9), RUSH (5), PASS (20)

N.Y. GIA.@ ATL BY 10
GIANTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (2), RUSH (7), PASS (2)
GIANTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (17), RUSH (9), PASS (27)
FALCONS OFFENSE — OVERALL (8), RUSH (1), PASS (31)
FALCONS DEFENSE — OVERALL (6), RUSH (2), PASS (14)

PHILI @ N.O. BY 3 (A BROTHA CAN DREAM)
EAGLES OFFENSE — OVERALL (1), RUSH (11), PASS (1)
EAGLES DEFENSE — OVERALL (23T), RUSH (16), PASS (26)
SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (14), PASS (7)
SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH (23), PASS (9)

SEAT. @ ST. LOUIE BY 6
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE — OVERALL (21), RUSH (20), PASS (22)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE — OVERALL (11), RUSH (7), PASS (23)
RAMS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (17), PASS (8)
RAMS DEFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (20), PASS (19)

TENN. BY 7 @ WASH.
TITANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (27), RUSH (23), PASS (28)
TITANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (30), RUSH (32), PASS (18)
REDSKINS OFFENSE — OVERALL (12), RUSH (6), PASS (17)
REDSKINS DEFENSE — OVERALL (21), RUSH (13), PASS (28)

K.C. @ PITT. BY 3
CHIEFS OFFENSE — OVERALL (18T), RUSH (18), PASS (20)
CHIEFS DEFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (18), PASS (4)
STEELERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (25), RUSH (22), PASS (24)
STEELERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (10), PASS (22)

MIA. @ N.Y. JETS BY 14
DOLPHINS OFFENSE — OVERALL (24), RUSH (27), PASS (15)
DOLPHINS DEFENSE — OVERALL (5), RUSH (11), PASS (8)
JETS OFFENSE — OVERALL (20), RUSH (25), PASS (14)
JETS DEFENSE — OVERALL (29), RUSH (28), PASS (21)

SAN. DOG BY 17 @ SAN FRAN.
CHARGERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (6), RUSH (2), PASS (26)
CHARGERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (1), RUSH (1), PASS (1)
49ERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH (8), PASS (11)
49ERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (26), RUSH (24), PASS (25)

OKL. @ DENV. BY 21
RAIDERS OFFENSE — OVERALL (32), RUSH (9), PASS (32)
RAIDERS DEFENSE — OVERALL (10), RUSH (29), PASS (2)
BRONCOS OFFENSE — OVERALL (18T), RUSH (4), PASS (30)
BRONCOS DEFENSE — OVERALL (12), RUSH (17), PASS (13)

CHI. BY 7 @ ARIZONA (THE WAKE UP CALL OF THE LEAGUE)
BEARS OFFENSE — OVERALL (4), RUSH (15), PASS (4)
BEARS DEFENSE — OVERALL (3), RUSH (6), PASS (5)
CARDINALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (31), PASS (10)
CARDINALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (27), RUSH (22), PASS (29)

SAINTS AND EAGLES, GRRRR

New Orleans Saints face the hottest quarterback and one of the hottest teams in the league Sunday when they go up against the Philadelphia Eagles and Donovan Jamal McNabb. "Jamal" is on an insane pace this season after being poo-poo'd on by Terrell Owens last year. McNabb needs only 5 touchdowns to become the 3rd player in franchise history with 150 ((RON JAWORSKI, 175 & RANDALL CUNNINGHAM, 150). Not only has his leading receiver been different every week, but he's connected on at least two touchdown passes in the first five games. Dude don't eeb' much need the red zone. He's got 6 TDs of more than 30 yards.
NOW, interestingly, Saints head coach Sean Payton used to be QB coach right before old McNabb arrived, but still might know a thing or two about Andy Reid's system. Eagles wideout Donte' Stallworth used to be a Saints as well, so he might know tendencies that the receiving corps of Joe Horn and nem teach that could benefit the Eagles defense. It should be a good one. I'll go out on a limb. Saints 30-Eagles 27.

STORMIN' NORMAN?

Ernesto, Florence and John.
Do you know what these names have in common?
They're a few of this year's named storms. As we speak, Isaac is doing his thing out in the Atlantic. Take a look!

NFL WEEK 5

First off, it was a good weekend to be from Louisiana. It was awesome to be a Saints fan. It was painful to be an LSU fan. And it's always good to be a Southern U. fan. But first, are you tired of getting robbed by NFL officials? I mean the zebras are dictating the games more than the players these days. If you think like I do, sign the petition to make NFL referees' statistics public.


Notable quotes from the League of Extraordinary Gentleman:

"Once I turned that corner I was just trying to turn on the jets."
Reggie Bush, after his electrifying 65-yard punt return to give New Orleans a 24-21 lead and win the game.

"This is not a lot of fun. Losing is not a lot of fun. Not that it ever has been, but more so now."
Brett Favre, after a demoralizing 23-20 defeat by the Rams. Favre led the Pack to the St. Louis 11-yard line before fumbling with 44 seconds left.

"I'm not going to sit up here and point a finger, so you guys can create a story. It's not about that."
Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens, after losing to the Eagles 38-24. Owens finished with 3 catches for 45 yards.

"It's disappointing. Some of it was just overrunning things. We were a little too anxious, not tackling well, fundamental things."
Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, after his team escaped with a 14-13 win over Tennessee. Titans QB Vince Young made his first NFL start.

"We really didn't have any answer for them in the second half. He [Philip Rivers] was throwing the ball very accurately. We couldn't get off the field."
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, after his team is shellacked by the Chargers 23-13.

"He'll put his career on the line for this team. You have to admire that in the guy. So when he says he wanted to play, I know he did. I made that decision. I don't know if it was right or not, but it was a decision we had to make."
Miami coach Nick Saban, explaining his decision not to play Duante Culpepper. The Dolphins lost 20-10 to the Patriots, after Dolphins QB Joey Harrington was picked off twice.

"All anybody cares about is that we are 0-5. Right now, we have to suck it up. We have to find a way to win and find a way to break free from this mess that we are under right now."
Lions quarterback Kurt Kitna, after building a 17-3 lead over Minnesota only to lose 26-17.

"I don't see any improvement with what we're doing. We don't make a play, we don't make an adjustment to get momentum back on our side."
Oakland defensive tackle Warren Sapp, after the Raiders lose 34-20 to the 49ers.

"I think we can take it as a positive. I think we moved up a little bit as an offense. That was my first start. Now we can just go from there," Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart, after his first NFL start, a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Leinart was 22-of-35 for 253 yards.

"I don't have any explanation to what happened out there. I know we prepared very hard this week, had a good game plan and everybody was confident — including myself. The bottom fell out of it somehow."
Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, after his team was blanked 41-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"That's why he's in Hawaii every year. He plays with that motor. I thought we really focused on him and he still made plays. That shows you how good he is."
Cleveland quarterback Charlie Frye said about 2-time Pro Bowler Julius Peppers, after the Browns' loss to Carolina 20-12.

"We know that we have great talent on this football team, and what I told the guys before the start of the game was that we are not entitled to be successful because we have good talent. I think that is how we played today. We did not wait for someone else to make the big play."
Giants running back Tiki Barber, who rushed for 123 yards in his team's 19-3 win over Washington.

"It's one of those good problems to have — you give up seven points and guys are going mad," "Hopefully, it won't happen again."
Chicago lineman Tommie Harris, after the Bears almost shut out Buffalo save for a touchdown with 1:07 left in the game. Chicago is the NFC's only unbeaten team.
"I'm not going to sit up here and point a finger, so you guys can create a story," "It's not about that."
Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens , after losing to the Eagles 38-24. Owens finished with 3 catches for 45 yards.

"It's disappointing. Some of it was just overrunning things. We were a little too anxious, not tackling well, fundamental things."
Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, after his team escaped with a 14-13 win over Tennessee. Titans QB Vince Young made his first NFL start.

"We really didn't have any answer for them in the second half. He [Philip Rivers] was throwing the ball very accurately. We couldn't get off the field."
Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, after his team is shellacked by the Chargers 23-13.

"He'll put his career on the line for this team. You have to admire that in the guy. So when he says he wanted to play, I know he did. I made that decision. I don't know if it was right or not, but it was a decision we had to make."
Miami coach Nick Saban, explaining his decision not to play Duante Culpepper. The Dolphins lost 20-10 to the Patriots, after Dolphins QB Joey Harrington was picked off twice.

"All anybody cares about is that we are 0-5. Right now, we have to suck it up. We have to find a way to win and find a way to break free from this mess that we are under right now."
Lions quarterback Kurt Kitna, after building a 17-3 lead over Minnesota only to lose 26-17.

"I don't see any improvement with what we're doing. We don't make a play, we don't make an adjustment to get momentum back on our side."
Oakland defensive tackle Warren Sapp, after the Raiders lose 34-20 to the 49ers.

"I think we can take it as a positive. I think we moved up a little bit as an offense. That was my first start. Now we can just go from there," Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart, after his first NFL start, a 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Leinart was 22-of-35 for 253 yards.

"I don't have any explanation to what happened out there. I know we prepared very hard this week, had a good game plan and everybody was confident — including myself. The bottom fell out of it somehow."
Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, after his team was blanked 41-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"That's why he's in Hawaii every year. He plays with that motor. I thought we really focused on him and he still made plays. That shows you how good he is."
Cleveland quarterback Charlie Frye said about 2-time Pro Bowler Julius Peppers, after the Browns' loss to Carolina 20-12.

"We know that we have great talent on this football team, and what I told the guys before the start of the game was that we are not entitled to be successful because we have good talent. I think that is how we played today. We did not wait for someone else to make the big play."
Giants running back Tiki Barber, who rushed for 123 yards in his team's 19-3 win over Washington.

"It's one of those good problems to have — you give up seven points and guys are going mad," "Hopefully, it won't happen again."
Chicago lineman Tommie Harris, after the Bears almost shut out Buffalo save for a touchdown with 1:07 left in the game. Chicago is the NFC's only unbeaten team.

REMEMBER THIS JOINT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXY5yRH4u6s

SAINTS BEAT BUCS, 24-21

MO' COOL STUFF

Alright, this is MO STUFF from the official cool stuff issue of Louisiana Love, check out the wonders of the Internet and all its splendors.

This family has been taking a picture of themselves on the same day EVERY YEAR. It's wild how it shows the aging process in a gradual way and shows what's happening to each of us.



Wonder where single women go to meet dudes? BET.com has gave up the goods. Orange apron, anyone?

IN DA, AHEM, BAAAAATHOOOMMM

Alright, this is the official cool stuff issue of Louisiana Love, check out the wonders of the Internet and all its splendors.

TFor those that don't know, the Male Bathroom is a sacred place of age-old ritual and natural bodily function. Check it out.

RANKING THE 'D' IN THE NFL

Numbers don't lie, but looking at NFL statistics, it's hard to pin down who has the No. 1 defense. There's just too many statistical categories that a team could thrive in. I mean, what's more important, points scored in game, or first downs given up in a game? How about fumble recoveries or interceptions? Or is it third down conversion rate or punt coverage? It's just too difficult. Take a look at all the teams that rank statistically in one thing or another.

Baltimore Ravens - have given up only 3 points in second half this season.
Broncos - have best red-zone defense in NFL, allowing one TD and four FGs in nine attempts. iDd not allow TD in first 11 quarters of season, tying NFL record by 1942 Chicago Cardinals.
Pittsburgh's - defense ranks fourth in NFL against the run (78.3 yards) and have posted top-five mark in league in four of past five years.
San Diego - leads NFL in fewest yards allowed (184.3). Leader: Shawne Merriman is one of two LBs with four or more sacks and an INT.
Philadelphia Eagles - DE Trent Cole is tied for NFL lead in sacks with five. .. ... All three Eagles wins have been by double-digit margins.
Kansas City Chiefs - Defense has not allowed TD pass in franchise-record 12 consecutive quarters to start season. It ranks third in league, allowing 239.7 yards per game. ...
Washington Redskins - Defense is fifth in NFL, allowing 79.5 yards rushing per game.
Tampa Bay's - defense ranks fifth in NFL, allowing 164.3 yards passing per game. ...
New Orleans' Saints - defense ranks second, allowing 4.9 yards per pass, and seventh by yielding 4.5 yards per play.
Miami's Dophins - Defense is second in AFC with 12 sacks
Detroit Lions - Defense allows 3.0 yards rushing per carry, fourth in NFL.
St. Louis Rams - Defense ranks second in NFL with 6.7 INT percentage (8 INTs in 119 attempts).
Buffalo Bills -Defense is ranked second in (296.8) in AFC.
Chicago Bears = Defense has allowed one TD or less in eight consecutive home games, longest active streak in NFL. The team has allowed NFL-low 29 points and ranks first, yielding 21.6 percent in third-down conversions (11 of 51). .


One strange Offensive fact: Indianapolis Colts WRs Marvin Harrison (413) and Reggie Wayne (358) have most yards in NFL by a receiving duo. Neither have caught a TD pass

IN THE SEC, SWAMP THING

Anonomyous SEC phonecall:
Caller: Tebow.
LSU: Who bow?
If the LSU Tigers are concerned about the hottest college quarterback in the state of Florida, they aint saying publicly. But privately, the Tigers have got to be a little scared of the freshman phenom.
The Florida Gators have been licking their chops since last season's demoralizing loss to LSU at Tiger Stadium. They didn't mope around too long; they did something about it: They recruited a raging bull-of-a-quarterback Tim Tebow. Word out da Swamp is that whenever Tebow enters the game the Florida fans stand up and cheer their homeboy like crazy, and when he is sent to the bench, they boo the mess out of senior QB Chris Leak. Talk about ungrateful.
At Florida high school, Nease High, Tebow finished with 9,772 yards passing. In his final game last December, dude led his team to the state championship, throwing for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns, while rushing for 183 and 2 more touchdowns. Senior Chris Leak is the official starter but everybody knows down there in Gatorland, Tebow is the one they pay to see. The Tigers may have trouble with him; he's a big boy: 6-foot-3, 229 lbs. (Leak is 6 feet, 207 lbs). LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, at 6-foot-6, 260, is a giant specimen himself, but he can't run like Tebow. Tebow is a threat with the ball, but how much is Florida willing to play him? He's only completed 8 passes (12 attempts) for 116 yards this season, but he's rushed for 193 yards on 32 carries and 2 TDS. That's good for 6 yards a carry. If the No. 9 LSU (4-1) can beat the No. 5 Gators (5-0) the Tigers could inch into a BCS BOWL. If not, the Gators will be half-way to vaulting into the No. 2 spot if it can get by Auburn next week.

QUARTER FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

NFL quarterbacks and the yards they've thrown after 4 weeks:

1. Peyton Manning - 1112
2. Rex Grossman - 1061 yards
2. Donovan McNabb - 1248 yards
3. Chad Pennington - 1015
5. Drew Brees - 1063
That's the top quarterbacks in the league, according to my brother. I will now dissect each one and tell you why they are not all that. Let's start with Peyton Williams Manning. Yes, his football pedigree is second-to-none and he's from the N.O., but is he all that? Being from Louisiana, I'm partial to the kid, but let's look at the facts. Manning's numbers are down this year compared to the first 4 games of last year. His competition (the Giants, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Jets) all have losses. Last year this time he'd already thrown for double the amount of touchdowns (Of course, he also set the record for most TDs in a season, so I'll give me a pass here). Now, he's only got 6 TDs and is on pace to get 24. That's down right mediocre for him! Pretender.


And Rex Grossman is not the real deal either. I can't front on his statistics, but his defense is making him look good (think Trent Dilfer and the SuperBowl-winning Ravens). I mean, the Chicago defense leads the league in stopping opponents on 3rd down (a wicked 21%). They also lead the league in fumble recoveries (7) and are tied for third in generating turnovers. I think it's safe to say that with a defense like that, yeah, you're gonna get some short fields and easy points (first defense to shut out Brett Favre). But how will he respond in December? He's had the best games of his short career the last 2 weeks, but can he continue? Pretender or Contender? Pretender.

Donovan Jamal McNabb is the bomb, and he can downright throw one, too. Dude is the sickest QB out there right now. He leads the League in yards and touchdowns (9) and is on pace to throw 36 touchdowns. All his wins have been blowouts except the collapse against the Giants in Week 2. If I can think of anything negative about him, it's that he can be taken out of games if you get into his head. Terrell Owens proved that last season, as the Eagles limped along the rest of the year after T.O. took shots at McNabb. But overall, dudes a Contender.


James Chadwick Pennington has had 2 surgeries for a bad shoulder, including a severly torn rotator cuff. After a stellar beginning in 2003, the last 2 seasons have seen his star fade in New Jersey. Yeah, he's posted two back-to-back 300 yard-passing games, but the competition was suspect (Tennessee, anyone?). He's off to a decent start with 6 Tds and 2 interceptions, but he's been sacked 10 times already (on pace for 40), and his team has been outrushed 200 yards by opponents. Pretender.



Last but not least, Drew Christopher Brees. This quarterback is like having Latoya Luckett on your arm, at a Destiny's Child concert: Not the best at the party, but a pretty date and a smile. Brees, battling major shoulder surgery in the offseason, is trying to prove himself. Fortunately, so is New Orleans right about now. And for a franchise that needs some good things to happen, he's doing a good job. He only has 4 touchdowns in 4 games (including one desperation pass to Marques Colston in the final minute last week against Carolina). His team's lack of a running game threatens to expose him if Duece McAllister and Reggie Bush don't have a breakout run pretty soon. Brees is showing that he can carve up a defense and has unexpectedly been unsackable except for the 4 downers he got at Green Bay (they almost downed McNabb 5 times on Monday night) but Brees' red zone mechanics are suspect. I'll say .... Contender

THE NFL LEADERS:

1. Peyton Manning - 1112 yards / 140 attempts
2. Drew Bledsoe - 662 / 91 attempts
3. Carson Palmer - 917 yards / 120 attempts
4. Donovan McNabb - 1248 yards / 143 attempts
5. Mark Brunell - 950 yards/118 attempts

SAINTS DUDE: Marques Colston is one of only 10 recievers with 3 touchdown receptions,(joining the ranks of Tory Holt and Santana Moss to name a few).

Louisiana ... Flavor

Okay, okay, you know that the most gangsta of the Flavor of Love girls had to be a Louisiana native, right? Why was "Chocolate," the one tossed off the show for fighting over a bed IN THE FIRST EPISODE of "Flavor of Love 2" from New Orleans? It's New Orleans love, but dag, girl. Actually, she says she was born in Lafayette.
I must confess when I see what Flav has accomplished, I feel "blessed like a mug" ... (remember when people use to finish they sentences with "like a mug"? No matter what it was, it was "like a mug" Example: "Man, I was frontin' like a mug at the party." Anyway, Never mind the fact that Flavor Flav could EASILY be in Hollywood if people would see what I see. Dude would have been the bomb as the Green Goblin in the Spiderman movies. Can you imagine? Every time he'd hop on that flying surfboard he could scream, "GREEEEN GOBLIIIIN!!" just like he does "FLAVOR FLAAAV!!"

NFL WEEK 'FO' MADNESS

Questions for the youg NFL Season:

When will the Atlanta Falcons admit that they miss T.J. Duckett and can't cash it in in the red zone? They cruised past Arizona 32-10, but had 5 field goals.

Will Tom Brady ask for a trade following the season (rumor says he's no longer happy in New England)? Still Pats roll over Cincy, 38-13.

Kansas City shuts down the 49ers 41-0, and Herman Edwards saves his job ... for now.

Rams beat Lions, 41-34. (Somebody finally scored 40 points in Detroit, but it wasn't Detroit).

Any team that has Mike Tice (former Vikings coach) employed as a coordinator is going to get exposed sooner or later. Jags get slapped 36-30 by Redskins.

Who has the better defense: Chicago Bears (37-6 over Seahawks) or Baltimore Ravens (16-13 over San Diego)?

What did Aaron Brooks do to Daunte' Culpepper? Texans whip Dolphins 17-15.

Why does Dallas look SuperBowl bound (3 Pro Bowl receivers, an explosive Julius Jones, and 'The Bledsoe 2.0'? They romp 54-14 over Titans.

Who told Peerless Price that he could still score touchdowns? Dude finally got a TD after a 2-season drought.

How long before Art Shell gets canned? Raiders gave up an 18-point lead Sunday to ... Cleveland?! Raiders lost 24-21.

When will Peyton Manning admit that defenses have found out how to contain him? Colts squeaked by the Jets 31-28 in Sunday's best game.

HIGH SCHOOLS INFO: Okay, I don't usually mess with prep ball but in West Virginia, this dude Paul McCoy, a The 5-foot-9, 170-pound senior, rushed for a state record 658 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in a 64-0 win.
The national record is 619 yards by Ronney Jenkins of Oxnard, Calif., in 1995, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
There is some confusion though. A national high school records historian in West Virginia says the record is held by John Giannantonio of Netcong, N.J., in 1950. He rushed for 739 yards in a game. Aint that sick?
But this dude McCoy had 29 carries and touchdown runs of 69, 1, 53, 56, 52, 20, 31, 84, 87 and 25 yards. He also had a 77-yard TD run called back because of a penalty.

His touchdowns aren't a record though. Ken Pearson of Hugo, Colo., in 1930, scored 12 TDs in a game.

Saints get nipped by 'Dem Cats', 21-18

Meow.
Just, kidding - ROOOOOOOAAAARRRR!!!
That's what the New Orleans Saints (3-1) found out as they fell hard to the Carolina Panthers (2-2)today in one of those I-pop-you-in-da-jaw-you-slap-me-in-the-eye kind of games. Louisiana homeboy Jake Delhomme overcame a weak game to toss a 4-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Drew Carter with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter for the winning points Sunday, 21-18.
The Saints answered the Panthers with rookie Marques Colston's 86-yard touchdown with 1:15 left in the game, a play that would have made John 'Earl' Madden salivate, but the onside kick wouldn't go.
Statistics:: Steve Smith had 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown while Keyshawn Johnson nabbed 6 balls for 63 yards. Last week I said Smith would have a buck-fiddy. Okay I was wrong, maybe dude is mellowing a bit because of his family.
Drew Brees was 28-of-38 for 349 yards and a TD. Colston had 5 132 yards on 5 grabs; Joe Horn had 5 catches for 63 yards.
Rookie Reggie Bush was pretty much shut down: 22 yard on 11 carries AND in the 2nd quarter he coughed up the ball at the Carolina 21. With the fumble and the Saints' missed field goal, they gave away 6 points.

Fantasy Football - or Fiction?

My brother's all into fantasy football. He talks with enthusiasm about people such as Tiki Barber, or Javon Walker. I'm sorry, I'm just into the real stuff. When I mention people like Steve Smith, or Donovan McNabb, these people have actually had good games in real, nonfictional situations. Most people into fantasy football always pull these obscure haven't-done-nothing-lately dudes out of the air. (If you say, well, Chad Morton average 28 yards last week in punt returns, they say 'Well Dante' Hall is the man at punt returns ...'. Please, Dante' Hall has been off the map for 2 years now. Let's deal in real-life sichy-A-tions, okay?
Reggie Bush will get 100 yards on the ground today.
Check this out.

FOR PETE'S SAKE, SOUTHERN, LOUD-HA-MUCY!!!

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Never mind the fact that Southern University lost to Prairie View A&M College 2 weeks ago and then laid an egg against North Carolina A&T, the Jags are still the team the beat, and Pete Richardson is the coach to beat.
At Southern, Richardson has won 4 HBCU national titles in 12 years and five Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles. He has never had a losing season. Prairie View beat the Jags for the first time in 35 years, even Richardson had hair back then.
Each of the last 3 seasons, Richardson has led an injury-plagued Jaguar squad to a winning record and has won SWAC Western Division almost every other year on average.
To be honest Prarie View, or "PV" as the locals say, is not the doormat it used to be. This year they have scholarships and the like and have turned around the program. Southern committed 4 turnovers and only rushed for 59 yards on 33 carries against Prairie View (The Jaguars are ranked 115th of 116 teams in Division I-AA with only 39 rushing yards a game) in the 26-23 overtime loss to PV. A week before they played Southern PV held Edward Waters College (I know, I know, WHO?!) to 31 yards while PV gained 475 yards. Against Southern the PV Panthers popped for 251 on the ground. But, hey, the Jags have been unable to stop the run all year. (The previous high under Richardson was 279 in the 2004 Bayou Classic to Grambling).
PV won 3 games in 2004, then went 5-6 last year. Now, they are 2-1 in the SWAC. Things are definitely bananas in the SWAC this year, with good teams being whupped by bad teams, and sad teams getting gangsta and whupping up on good teams. Don't believe me? Click
here to see it.

Saints face 'Dem Cats' on Sunday

When the Saints and Panthers renew their rivalry Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT in Charlotte, the hottest player will be kicker John Kasay, who set an NFL record last week with 4 field goals of 46 yards or longer. His Panthers escaped with a 24-23 win over Tampa Bay. But the 16-year veteran will find it tough going up against the special teams play of the Saints.
Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan and tight end Mike Seidman are both listed as questionable against New Orleans. So is safety Shaun Williams. Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith is a go though and the Panthers figure to need him. Last week Smith had 7 catches for 112 yards against the Buccaneers after missing the first two games with a strained right hamstring. He might get a buck-fiddy Sunday. That's not dissing the Saints secondary, that's just stating the facts. if it wasn't for the feel-good homecoming and some generous officiating (picking up a pass interference flag?), the score could have been drastically different.
Reggie Bush is 30th in the league in rushing, but defenses know they have to stop him. The Cleveland Browns defense had a plan to box him in and not let him get to the outside; the Packers gameplanned to not let him catch the ball; the Falcons tried to not let him run the ball. Eventually he will break one passing or rushing and defenses realize this too.
Last year N.O. beat Carolina 23-20 in week 1 after the emotional turmoil of Katrina.
Aaron Brooks was still a Saint back then. Brooks was 18-of-24 for 192 yards for the Saints while Deuce McAllister got 64 yards, including two touchdowns.
Jake Delhomme threw 2 picks but finished with 212 yards with a touchdown. Steve Smith caught eight passes for 138 yards.
For the second game between the two, Carolina soundly whipped tail 27-10. It was the first week the Saints benched Brooks. Todd Bouman threw 4 picks and fumbled.
This year, it'll be different. Can you say 'Bush?"

FAMOUS LOUISIANIANS

People always tell me, "Hey why aint there any FAMOUS people from your state?" Well, there's a ton of famous people from Louisiana. You'd be surprised actually at all the people that are from there, and as a matter of fact, if all the famous people went BACK to La it'd be DA BOMB. I mean, you'd walk across the street and here sweet-playing jazz only to see the Marsalis brothers going through a dizzying around of tunes; you'd walk one block from there and here Fats Domino with those thick fingers dancing on the piano. As for potent musicians, there's not a place on Earth that can match the wizardry of the Bayou. The pianists, the guitarists, the horn blowers. Louisiana has it all. Can you imagine Mahalia Jackson wailing to a jazz standard with Louis Armstrong on trumpet? Awesome. Below is a partial list:
Geoffrey Beene fashion designer, Haynesville
Truman Capote writer, New Orleans
Kitty Carlisle singer, actress, New Orleans
Van Cliburn concert pianist, Shreveport
Michael De Bakey heart surgeon, Lake Charles
Fats Domino musician, New Orleans
Louis Moreau Gottschalk pianist, composer, New Orleans
Bryant Gumbel TV newscaster, New Orleans
Lillian Hellman playwright, New Orleans
Al Hirt trumpeter, New Orleans
Mahalia Jackson gospel singer, New Orleans
Dorothy Lamour actress, New Orleans
Jerry Lee Lewis singer, Ferriday
Huey P. Long politician, Winnfield
Wynton Marsalis musician, New Orleans
Jelly Roll Morton jazz musician, composer, New Orleans
Huey Newton black activist, New Orleans
Paul Prudhomme chef, Opelousas
Cokie Roberts journalist, New Orleans
Kordell Stewart football player, Marrero
Ray Walston actor, New Orleans
Edward Douglas White jurist, Lafourche Parish

Are you from Louisiana? If so, leave a comment.

Angola Gumbo

Thought you guys could use a little homemade Louisiana recipe. I call this De La Angola Gumbo.


* 2 gallons water
* 4 Tablespoons roux (more if you want it thicker and richer, and vice versa)
* 1 bell pepper, chopped
* 6 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 whole chicken cut up
* 2 large onions, chopped
* 2 pounds sausage (We use garlic pork sausage from LeJeune's Sausage Kitchen in Eunice and all who have tried it are willing to argue that it s the best. I truly recommend you treat yourself and your friends to this. Otherwise use whatever good firm sausage you can find. Many people use deer sausage or andouille when these are available.)
* 1 bunch scallions, chopped, tops only
* 1 bunch parsley, chopped
* salt, black pepper, cayenne

T.O. TRIES TO DO ... WHAT?!

Gnarls Barkley: "I think you're craaaazaay ... I think you're craaaaazAAAY ... I think you're craaaazaay.... probablyyyyy."

Say it aint so, T.O. Reports this morning are that the volatile Dallas Cowboys wide reciever tried to off himself yesterday after practice. T.O. had been taking pain medication for his injured hand. He appeared in good spirits at the Cowboys practice facility yesterday and the media reported that he was his regular self. The official police report says T.O. was admitted to the hospital late Tuesday and that doctors treated him for drug overdose. The police report states that he was "depressed." It also says that dude emptied the pain pills into his mouth, apparently trying to commit suicide.
Let's see, T.O.'s new contract with the Cowboys is like such:
$25 million for 3 years
That's roughly $8.3 million a season
That's roughly $500,000 a game per season
That's roughly $8,000 an hour (a game is 60 minutes)
In an actual game, roughly 35 minutes is actually spent playing football (the rest is clock wasting before and after each play)
T.O. is probably on the field roughly 30 minutes a game; that's $1600 per minute.
Now, I'm depressed!
Seriously, (no, I am depressed now, for real). T.O. is second on the team in receptions with 9 for 99 yards while Terry Glenn has 10 receptions for 175 yards. Each have a touchdown.

SAINTS, NEW ORLEANS BRING THE LOVE

I could scream 'I told cha! I told cha," but ... Well, you knew it was going to happen. The NFL Gods saw fit to sacrafice a lamb to the city of New Orleans, and that lamb was the Atlanta Falcons. Riding a feel-good story and a staunch defense, the Saints finally solved Michael Vick and the visiting Dirty Birds before 70,000 screaming fans and a national TV audience in the millions. The Falcons played the part of villian this night, but they did it with class and honor. Even Vick was in awe of the fan support. "I never in my life heard a crowd roar so loud," Vick said. "They deserve it."
"As tough as it is to lose a game, I'd be lying if I said there isn't a little, little, little piece of me that didn't appreciate what this game meant to this city," said Falcons coach Jim Mora. Mora worked in New Orleans under his dad during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The elder Mora is the winningest coach in Saints history and no doubt they still have some peeps in the city, so it was all good. GO SAINTS!

Monday Night Football: Introducing da 'TriggaMan'

Tonight is the night. The SuperDome will be ON FIYAH, ya understand me? ON FIYAH!! Reggie Bush will make a believer out of America tonight. Watch my words! He will score at least twice and leave the Falcons dumbfounded. Tonight, I just might pull out the old "Triggaman" for this one. For all you non-Louisianans, Triggaman is the musical soundtrack to the streets down in the dirty. I wonder if Reggie Bush be bumpin' Triggaman? He prolly don't know what that is yet; he's a SoCal dude yaknow. Anyway, this game will put New Orleans back in the hearts and minds of the people and get it the help it needs. Kick off is 8:30 EDT. GO SAINTS!!!!

WEEK 3 IN DA NFL: FREAK-SHIZZLE

WEEK 3 in the NFL was a laugher. My predictions were pretty good, a brotha went 9-4 (I'll be 10-4 when you count the Saints whupping da mess out dem Dirty Birds tonight!). John, where ya at? I still don't see what you predicted, nicca. Highlights:

W Panthers 26, Buccaneers 24: No way would I think Tampa woud score this many points. Well, Chris Simms finally threw a touchdown, and, hey, it only cost him a spleen! The 26-year-old QB was rushed to the hospital after the game and operated on after a game of punishing blows. He'll be alright but the Bucs say he'll be out about 6 weeks. For Carolina, Steve Smith returned and got 112 yards on 7 catches, while Keyshawn Johnson beat his former team with 7 catches for 97 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown reception.

W Colts 21, Jaguars 14: Peyton Manning was an ordinary 14-of-31 for 219 yards and the Colts needed an 82-yard punt return to score one of their 3 touchdowns. Still it was enough to beat the hard-hitting Jaguars, who outrushed Indianapolis 191 yards to 63 yards.

W Ravens 15, Browns 14: the Browns were up 14-3 and driving for the clincher when Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister (my early vote for MVP) snatched one in the end zone. Steve McNair then guided the Ravens down to set up the game-winning kick by 17-year veteran Matt Stover.

L Packers 31, Lions 24: "We're not good enough to overcome a lot of mistakes," Brett Favre said in an after-the-game news conference. Neither are the Detroit Lions, who I picked to win this game. Favre tossed 3 TDs Sunday, one of them a 75-yarder to rookie Greg Jennings.

W Bears 19, Vikings 16: Da Bears Rex Grossman has amassed 829 yards in 3 games this season to guide Chicago to 3-0. But they needed 4 field goals and a late fumble to squeak by the Vikes.

W Dolphins 13, Titans 10: Nick Saban told his boys to just "have fun," after an 0-2 start. Looks like they finally did. What's up with Dante Culpepper? No touchdowns and he got beat down with 5 sacks. Still the Fins win.

L Redskins 31, Texans 15: Mark Brunell broke the NFL record for most consecutive passes in an NFL game with 22 straight. The Texans' No. 1 pick Mario Williams didn't eeb much sniff Brunell, complaining after the game that he was being "triple-teamed". A rookie being triple-team? NIKKAplease!

L Seahawks 42, Giants 30: If you would have told me that the Seahawks would be up 42-3 in the fourth quarter, I'd have laughed in your face. If you would have told me that Eli Manning would engineer 27 straight points in the fourth I would have laughed and pointed. Seattle came out the gate with 4-reciever formations, something the Giants evidently had never seen before. Add some N.Y. turnovers, and it got ugly quick.

W Eagles 31, 49ers 24:
38-24. I was close on this one. Donovan McNabb threw for 296 and two touchdowns, building a 21-point lead at the half and driving a new nail in the coffin with each touchdown the Niners would score. Former Saints wideout Donte Stallworth watched in street clothes after a late hamstring injury before the game.

W Broncos 20, Patriots 16: The Pats should have lost both of their games yet they escaped to be 2-0. Not this time. The Branch trade finally catches up with them, big-time. Jake Plummer, after a horrible start, finally shows his gut.
New Orleans native Javon Walker scored two touchdowns (32 and 82 yards) as the Broncos nearly shut out the Pats. The Broncos hadn't allowed a TD all season until Tom Brady's toss in the endzone midway through the fourth quarter. Corey Dillon hurt his arm in the first half and did not return.

W Bengals 28, Steelers 20: This didn't exactly make up for the Bengals 31-17 defeat in last year's playoffs, but it just about did. In pre-game warmups, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter and Bengals wideout Chad Johnson was about to straight scrap before teammates separated the two. The Bengals now are tied atop first place with Baltimore.

L Jets 28, Bills 20: The Bills churned out 475 yards of offense and could only muster 20 points. The Jets' longest rush this season is 12 yards and it happened on a trick play: an end-around in the season opener. Somebody had to win. Right?

W Rams 21, Cardinals 13: This was the one that I said nobody cared about — and I was right! Kurt Warner continued to prove to his critics that his SuperBowl win with the Rams was a fluke. Dude tossed 3 picks and STILL Arizona had a last gasp at victory, driving inside the 20 yard line of the Rams with less than 2 minutes to play. But ... Warner fumbles the snap. The Cards lose. Coach Dennis Green goes ballistic in the locker room. Edgerrin James starts calling out names and saying he wants more carries. It's crazy. See, told cha nobody care.