NFL 2006: The road to Super Bowl XLI

[Master Rudy]

Well seeing that we had a baseball topic I think it's about time for an NFL topic to discuss anything football related. Games, trades, players, week to week matchups and just about anything else one can think of.

After this past week I'm really excited about how the Bengals are looking. Granted they had some mistakes in last week's game with the Steelers but they turned it around in the end. Personally I think this game would have been a good example of how the 2006 AFC Wild Card game would have really went had Palmer not been injured. The Bengals got revenge and are off to a nice 3-0 start.

And for the record if Palmer wasn't injured then that overrated team that wears black and gold wouldn't have won Super Bowl XL much less gone to it

[Scarlet Spider]

the bengals are pretty good despite their legal troubles, though carson palmer is playing a fraction of what he should be with all of his interceptions.

speaking of ints...my boy eli manning and the giants aren't looking very good right now. their defense has shown absolutely NOTHING this season and that eagles game was undeserving of a win, for the most part.

[Perfect Chaos]

I have to agree with Scarlet Spider (Giants fan here too). We got MURKED by Seattle last week, and we only managed to make "close" (if that's what you call it) because the defense went easy on us during the last quarter. And while I REALLY love Shockey, the d00d needs to shut his trap. We were outPLAYED, but I hardly consider us of being outCOACHED. Hopefully, we can rebound after the bye-week.

-Sean

[Master Rudy]

Yeah the Bengals sure have their hands full with Odell. All the reporters in Cincy keep asking Coach Lewis if they can get by without him but in all honesty I think they keep forgeting that we pretty much didn't have him last year either and we still got into the playoffs. Many people seem to forget that it's a TEAM effort. Granted losing certain players can really hurt but at the same time IMO your best teams will usually have a good mix of skill, experience and youth. If the guy doesn't straighten up his act real soon I see him having a very short NFL career.

As far as Carson goes give the guy time. He's never been seriously injured before but I think it won't be long before he's back to his old self. Granted I've never played football but I've gotten hurt before and done stupid things before. Sometimes when you go back to doing things you haven't done in a long time you second guess yourself. It takes time to get comfortable again.

[Drago]

I couldn't have ask for the playoffs to go any differently. Granted, I would've liked the Bengals to have gone to the Superbowl, they were a fantastic team, but if the Steelers didn't go any further, would Cincinnati have beaten the Colts? Maybe, maybe not. It's a risk I don't want to take. I don't care if it's the Steelers, Bengals, or even the stinkin' Ravens, just as long as Paidaton and the Dolts didn't make it to Detroit.

On a related note, I'm a Titans fan. Remember them? Dropping from a playoff team to the doldrums of the AFC ain't pretty... we're pretty bitter nowadays, us sunny tackheads.
I didn't think Kerry Collins could look much worse than he did in Oakland, but lo and behold, a 42.3 rating leads the Titans into action; I sure hope that mook is giving Vince some damn good pointers. Chris Brown is nicked up (a phrase which could be inserted into any season), Travis Henry had some rumble in him in the first half vs. the Dolphins but still hasn't broken the 100-yard mark, and LenDale White just may be the second coming of Eddie George after all... Dallas Cowboys Eddie George. (harsh. Haven't given up on LenDale yet, would just like to see some more authority in there)
I'm one of the bold who predicted an 0-3 start, and I'm too far beyond to feel disappointment over the Miami loss. Should've had that game, but if the Titans won on 'should'ves', we might have been 9-7 last year. (Even better, 10-7 with a surprise upset over the bye week)

Those Texans look like fair game for a Titans squad wading through a third straight year of futility, but I can't see us beating anyone else. Jacksonville will stay on alert in week 15 to keep a firm hold on the wildcard, but even if they play Garrard late in the game, that's still outclassing us. Buffalo in week 16? Long shot. Losman can stack some yards against porous pass defences (ie., Titans), and as of yet, Tennessee has not caught a single interception. (one of two teams in the AFC without a pick, one of four in the NFL). The Patriots haven't got a big threat in their division right now, but the Jets are scrappy and Miami may get its act together in the second half of the season. In any event, New England won't be willing to lie down for Tennessee in week 17 either.
Aww what the hey, I'll give Tennessee a chance at 3-13. That way we're only one loss worse than last year. I shudder to think that we'll have to take another DB with the first round pick, rather, Vince Young to Calvin Johnson sounds nice. But then, Steve McNair to Tyrone Calico sounded nice too.

But I digress... Around the league, it's ups and downs all over the shop. Random thoughts... GO!
Superbowl looks hazy, maybe that's the tragic haze of Colts blue... The Bears and Ravens are a scary kind of mirror, how would that game play? I like defence as much as the next guy but it's better when there's an offence to play against... Carson Palmer will improve as the year goes on (scary when you consider he's already got a 92.9 rating), whereas Shaun Alexander is strugglin' like I thought he would (I mostly thought it'd be Hutchinson's absence, didn't see the injury coming)... The Cards look better on paper each year, but do a damn good job staying mediocre... The Thurmanator and Pacman Jones have a lot in common, the only difference is one of them doesn't have any interceptions... Peyton Manning has legs??? I thought he was just a torso with an arm, a noggin and a funny accent... My post-draft picks for rookies of the year was the duo of LenDale White and A.J. Hawk. Not any longer, I'd say Mr. Jennings would be a more likely Green Bay candidate... and finally, welcome back, Donovan McNabb. We missed you last year.

[mr_pikachu]

Breaking News

The drama surrounding Terrell Owens gets crazier... quite literally.

Police: T.O. tried to kill himself

Yeah. You'll want to read this. Whoa.

[Roy Karrde]

Go WFAA for breaking this!!!!

So the question comes to this: Do the Cowboys let him go, do they let him rest for a year, or do they let him come and heal by playing the most important game of HIS LIFE

[mr_pikachu]

...My name isn't WFAA.

Frankly, I was surprised that anyone would be crazy enough to take T.O. for this season, and I doubt he'll be playing football after this year. Apparently GMs and coaches will deal with someone who doesn't care to practice or stay for the games, but I doubt they'll stand for a guy who's trying to really break his contract.

[Roy Karrde]

DALLAS (AP) -- Flamboyant Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens tried to kill himself by overdosing on pain medication, police said, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

A Dallas police report released Wednesday morning said Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the report were first released by WFAA-TV.

So XP Mr Pikachu! WFAA by the way is a local Television station who I guess just made world news. But really I dont see this as TO getting out of his contract, if he was on really strong pain meds then he could have just been out of it. If he really is depressed, then I know what he is going through, and maybe this will be a turning point for him.

Edit: TO is having a Press Conference, he did not attempt suicide, he was very out of it when he made a Police Statement ( Something I can relate to, when your on Pain Meds you are OUT of it ) and he will play on Sunday!

[Master Rudy]

And it looks like the Madden Curse has struck again....
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6008578

Having gone to Shaun's high school I can tell you that not being able to get out there to play is going to drive him nuts. Such a shame this had to happen. I can tell he wants to play so bad but I'm also hoping Shaun takes it esy and lets it heal properly.

[dratinihaunter13]

And for the record if Palmer wasn't injured then that overrated team that wears black and gold wouldn't have won Super Bowl XL much less gone to it

This is pretty unfair to say. It's likely that the Bengals, sharing a division with the Steelers and seeing them twice a year, may have had the best chance in last year's playoffs to knock them out with Palmer. Maybe even a better chance than Indy and the Broncos. But after the caliber of teams which Pittsburgh beat last year in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl, it'd be ridiculous to take any credit away from them, or to suggest Palmer's injury had anything to do with matchups between the Steelers and any other team not named Cincinatti. The superbowl winner every year is the team who got hot at the right time. The Steelers went in as the SIXTH seed in the AFC so it's kinda impossible to call them OVERrated that year. This year they could definitely be called overrated, but no matter how bitter an opposing fan is they should really show some respect to the superbowl champ.

And I love football and follow it religiously =D! Been following the steelers, seahawks, lions and eagles for a while now - so i guess those are my favorite teams. I'm really rooting for the Eagles this year, so donny mac can have a great season without "the player" as tuna so affectionately calls him.

[Asilynne]

Ravens.
But all I know about football is what I learned in ESPN 2005 X-box game lol I learned that Jamal Lewis can run the ball really far and beat Rudy

[Master Rudy]

This is pretty unfair to say. It's likely that the Bengals, sharing a division with the Steelers and seeing them twice a year, may have had the best chance in last year's playoffs to knock them out with Palmer. Maybe even a better chance than Indy and the Broncos. But after the caliber of teams which Pittsburgh beat last year in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl, it'd be ridiculous to take any credit away from them, or to suggest Palmer's injury had anything to do with matchups between the Steelers and any other team not named Cincinatti. The superbowl winner every year is the team who got hot at the right time. The Steelers went in as the SIXTH seed in the AFC so it's kinda impossible to call them OVERrated that year. This year they could definitely be called overrated, but no matter how bitter an opposing fan is they should really show some respect to the superbowl champ.

And I love football and follow it religiously =D! Been following the steelers, seahawks, lions and eagles for a while now - so i guess those are my favorite teams. I'm really rooting for the Eagles this year, so donny mac can have a great season without "the player" as tuna so affectionately calls him.

Sorry but seeing as I like Cincy do you honestly think I'm gonna show them an ounce of respect? Likewise I'm sure they feel the same way about us. And for the record I abhor Ben Rolthis....howeverthehellIspellmyf***ingname. The son of a bitch clearly cheated in the Super Bowl. He was tackled near the endzone made a quick look to see where the ref was and AFTER HE WAS DOWN reached his arm and the ball into the endzone! The Seahawks challenged it, the replay clearly showed it yet the ref was blind enough to still called it a TD. I say the f***er should have lost a few more teeth when he wrecked his bike this past summer.

Oh and Brandy ESPN may have been a better football game than Madden but keep in mind that ESPN's AI was a bit lacking at times

[Perfect Chaos]

Yeah, I think the whole thing with T.O. was just another cry for attention by the biggest goddamn attentionwhore in NFL history. This guy is always begging to be in the news and I think at this point, he'll do almost ANYTHING to get in. Who knows, maybe in the next few weeks he'll slit his wrists, go to the hospital and then wake up saying that he "accidently" cut himself while trying to learn how to cook and that he didn't cut himself out of depression. Yeah, T.O., yeah, alot of people mistakenly overdose themselves because they don't know how much of their medicine their supposed to take even AFTER the damn doctor tells you how much to take.

Oh, and I hope the Giants rebound after the bye week and beat the living shit out of Redskins next week. That's definitely what we need.

Madden curse strikes again, as Rudy pointed out. I feel bad for Alexander too, I got MUCHO respect for the guy. Hopefully, he can come back within the two weeks and rush for another 1500-yd season.

And in the slight case he doesn't (don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to jinx him or anything) well....TIKI BARBER FOR THE RUSHING TITLE BABY, YEAH!!!!!!111111ONEONEONEONE.

Uh yeah, I think I'm done here

-Sean

[dratinihaunter13]

Sorry but seeing as I like Cincy do you honestly think I'm gonna show them an ounce of respect? Likewise I'm sure they feel the same way about us. And for the record I abhor Ben Rolthis....howeverthehellIspellmyf***ingname. The son of a bitch clearly cheated in the Super Bowl. He was tackled near the endzone made a quick look to see where the ref was and AFTER HE WAS DOWN reached his arm and the ball into the endzone! The Seahawks challenged it, the replay clearly showed it yet the ref was blind enough to still called it a TD. I say the f***er should have lost a few more teeth when he wrecked his bike this past summer.

i really like your enthusiasm, but yea you can still show respect and root for a diff team. i love the steelers but i still think cincy has a top tier offense with a great opportunistic defense. that's being a football fan. another part of being a football fan is knowing the game well enough to make decent arguments instead of calling people cheaters? cheaters are you serious? wishing their accidents roughed 'em up a bit more? this feels like 2nd grade kickball calling people cheaters - 4 weeks into the next season even. let go and focus on your team this year, they look good.

this t.o. story might be overblown. it's hard to know for sure what his intentions are with those pills. one quote that really intrigued me was from a report from ed werder, where he said both the niners and the eagles had suggested psychological treatment for t.o. during his team at each team. t.o. was a bit insulted and refused any of those offers. i think the media and everyone in general will find it easy to assume a whole lot in this case. i mean t.o.'s a lightning rod already and if an injured hammy in the preseason takes front page news, then imagine an alleged suicide attempt. you feel bad for him sometimes, but after seeing the way he's treated teammates like mcnabb, franchises like the niners and the eagles, and all the prima donna shit he's done the last few years - after all that i kinda believe t.o. deserves the scrutiny.

t.o. does love attention tho, and it's kinda sick to think it, but maybe he set up this "fake suicide attempt" to gain some sympathy and attention? who knows. i can't wait for like.. 20 years from now when he has a tell-all special on espn or something. no i don't think his book was 100% honest.

[Master Rudy]

Yeah, I think the whole thing with T.O. was just another cry for attention by the biggest goddamn attentionwhore in NFL history.

TO an attention whore? Hell yeah he's one but both Chad Johnson of the Bengals and former Cowboys player Deion Sanders are friends of his and both said they had spoken to him and that there was no was this could be true. Dallas police had recently released the 911 tapes and while I haven't heard them the police are admiting it was all a misunderstanding and that he wasn't trying to kill himself. As crazy as TO is I doubt he'd be crazy enough to OD on purpose.

When DH honestly your the first Steelers fan I've known that hasn't absolutely gone off on the Bengals. Grantd maybe I'm a bit harsh but I really did not like what I saw in the Super Bowl. Sportsmanship in sports is a big thing to me and when people do stupid things as far as I'm concerned it gives the younger kids that look up to them the wrong message. I don't care who it is. I know I always go on about how great Shaun Alexander is but had he done it instead of Ben I'd be going off on him just as much despite being Florence, KY's hometown hero. And let's use Chad Johnson as an example to prove I'm not biased. Some of the things he's done have been a bit over the top (the cell phone, the sign hidden in the endzone). Granted those two are mild IMO but he's got to be careful and not take it too over the top like TO did in Dallas a few years back when he was still with the Niners. Despite him being with the Cowboys now I still don't think I'd like seeing him do a jig on the star again (yes I also like the Cowboys). As far as Ben goes don't know if I could prove it since it's one play in paticular and no one else seemed to make a big deal about it but several people that I've worked with that saw that play agreed that he did cheat. I will say Ben's not a bad QB. He's far from it and he's got some skill but as far as respect went the little tiny bit I did have is absolutely gone now.

[dratinihaunter13]

definitely know how you feel. i was pretty inconsolable after the eagles lost that superbowl against the pats. i was the driver for that party, so needless to say on the way back home my three other buddies in the car were a little nervous with me behind the wheel, lol. sportsmanship is important. and if i get the feeling that some refs are screwing over my team or the other guys are getting away with penalties... yea i'll get pissed ^_^.

what's the angriest thing everyone's ever done in the name of football? I've taken off my kordell stewart jersey (you know the year) and dumped it in the trash, then threw some pillows around the living room and laid out in my driveway looking up at the sky for maybe 2 and a half hours. never went back and got that jersey out the trash.

[Master Rudy]

I'm tame.....at the most I've broken a few controllers over Madden..... ^_^;
And I was out of the NFL loop for awhile DH (up until about two years ago). Was that back when the Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX?

[Drago]

Angriest I ever was was after actually losing a football match. Not due to losing, but due to my sucking out on the field. Fortunately I was too tired to express that anger at the time. Didn't take me long to forget that I was angry, though I'm still pretty bummed I got stiff-armed hardcore.

[dratinihaunter13]

Didn't take me long to forget that I was angry, though I'm still pretty bummed I got stiff-armed hardcore.

ouch that's rough man >_<. we got flag football intramurals and it sucks when you know you aren't playing as well as ya can.

rudy i'm not sure it was that far back, it was the year when the steelers lost the afc championship game and the eagles lost the nfc championship game.

[Roy Karrde]

HA! I can beat all of you in the angriest thing I have done in Football. It was in my Sophmore year, and I found out that some one that used to tease me and bully me was on the opposite team. We went into half time losing, and I was so pissed that I took my helmet off and threw it as hard as I could into the locker. Alot of my team mates freaked out, but I was PISSED.

Edit: Anyone see what Albert did during the Cowboys game? 300 Pound Defensive Linemen, took his foot and hit and scraped down a Offensive Linemen's face after his helmet was removed. And then he had the gaul to argue and throw his helmet down when the ref threw their flag. This man needs to be kicked out of the NFL. BTW The Offensive Linemen for the Cowboys got 30 Stiches to the eye, and had Blured vision afterwards.

[Drago]

I haven't seen it yet, but I heard about Albert's antics before I even heard what the final score was. It's damn scary, incredibly disappointing for me as a Titans fan, and simply inexcusable. Marcus Vick got dismissed for less (though that was the 'final straw', Albert has been maturing each year and hasn't had anything of this sort occur. His record isn't spotless, though), and I wonder what the result will be. A year-long suspension? Will he get cut from the Titans? Banned from the NFL?
The first seems most likely. The NFL has been dealing with fiddly things like uniform rules and taunting penalties, it better maintain order here. From there I don't know what Jeff Fisher would do (assuming Fish is gonna be around much longer...). Haynesworth is beside himself with shame. I await Andre Gurode's response, but moreso, that of the NFL. A four-game suspension would definitely not sit well, considering it's popular opinion to outright take Haynesworth out of the league.

No doubt this is what is surfacing from three years of mediocrity for the Titans (not using this as an excuse, of course). Albert needed to be a definitive veteran, to help keep things balanced and keep morale up during dark times. He's been getting progressively annoyed each week (with his own play moreso than that of the team), and it was only a matter of time before things erupted... So incredibly unfortunate that they did in this way. Keith Bulluck and others on the team are definitely going to have some things to say about this.

[Roy Karrde]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2609563

Here is a link to a ESPN article that has a picture of the action. Either way this guy should get down on his knees and thank God that Larry Allen is not with the Cowboys anymore. The NFL wouldn't get a chance to do anything for Albert, becuase Larry would have killed him on the spot. Too bad ;/

Also I wonder if any charges will be filed against Albert? It was clearly Assault, and hitting with a Clete *sp * that led to 30 Stiches could count as a Deadly Weapon. The guy should be behind bars right now. Or the Cowboys should bring back Larry Allen when ever we face Albert again ^___^

[Drago]

I just saw the footage for the first time on SportsCenter... It was worse than I had thought. It wasn't a quick, spur of the moment thing. It was slow. Albert had time to consider the whole affair, it was as though he didn't care. He was not thinking clearly, to have a momentary lapse of judgement is bad enough, but this was... meticulous, in a way.

[Scarlet Spider]

i just watched the video. brutalll hit.
i wouldnt be surprised if he was suspended for the rest of the season.

and did anyone notice that the giants played their best game this weekend?

[dratinihaunter13]

the giants did have a great bye week ss

as for haynesworth, it's despicable and the league's levied a 5 game suspension without pay. fisher did say that if the league's punishment didn't seem severe enough to the titans, then they'd take it upon themselves to punish haynesworth their own way. *scary* he was apologetic after an interview, but forget that, this was repulsive. an on field incident has never been penalized by more than a 2 game suspension until now...

[Scarlet Spider]

the giants did have a great bye week ss

haha yeah apparently the giants didn't play and eli STILL managed to throw 3 interceptions...

well that didn't happen...but i wouldn't be surprised either

[Master Rudy]

the giants did have a great bye week ss

as for haynesworth, it's despicable and the league's levied a 5 game suspension without pay. fisher did say that if the league's punishment didn't seem severe enough to the titans, then they'd take it upon themselves to punish haynesworth their own way. *scary* he was apologetic after an interview, but forget that, this was repulsive. an on field incident has never been penalized by more than a 2 game suspension until now...

5 games is not nearly enough for an act like that. Son of a bitch could have ended his career or worse. Explain to me how this guy gets only five games when Odell gets a suspension for the whole year for a DUI? Not saying Odell was right. Far from it. However I see this as saying to the kids that look up to these guys "Drugs and alcohol are bad but it's perfectly ok to kick a guy in the head......"

~_~;

[Drago]

I found what Albert Haynesworth did more offensive than what Travis Henry did last year... More than one game's worth of offensive, too.

[Scarlet Spider]

I was quite impressed this week with matt Leinart's performance, but unimpressed with their inability to hold the lead. he's looking pretty good though.

I was also impressed with the Giant's defense. they definitely should've had more than one touchdown however, especially considering how well Manning was able to lead this offense.

and i personally dont think reggie bush can be as good in the nfl as he was in college. i really hope he proves me wrong, though

[dratinihaunter13]

i'm trying to pick out a front runner so far for rookie of the year.. as far as the defense goes i haven't much of anything out of any defensive rookie. maybe a.j. hawk?

overall, i'd say the top rookie performer right now would be Greg Jennings. He looks great. Colston and Bush look good too.

[Master Rudy]

Yeah I caught the 2nd half of the Giants/Skins game yesterday at the local laundromat. While I'm far from being a Giants fan I must say they did play well. The funny thing was it was more like a sports bar with all the Skins fans getting pissed (lives near DC)

[mr_pikachu]

Sex! The Green Bay Packers! Sex WITH the Green Bay Packers!

Yeah, so it's not exactly anything to do with this year's NFL. But it's still worth a read. XD

[Jeff]

Dang, Ravens freakin lost, 13-3. At least they're off to a good start (undefeated up until now).

[Pokemaster Ash]

Remember me? The poor guy who cheered his butt off when the White Sox won the World Series last year and has since had his baseball hopes for the Sox and Cubs crash and burn this year? I think you know where this is going...

GO BEARS!!! Wow, 5-0, and with 4 blowouts and 1 shutout! (Take that, Green Bay!) I don't even remember the Bears ever being this awesome before (then again, I was only 1 when they last won the Super Bowl). This is looking to be a VERY promising year if they keep this up. They're going to the playoffs this year, no doubt about it with the performance thus far, but the Super Bowl... Well, we'll just see how it plays out.

I hope they go undefeated so that stupid Dolphins team from the 70s shuts up, but that's just me.

[dratinihaunter13]

how about donny mac outperforming t.o. last week? go eagles!!! the two deep balls from donovan really made my day. it showed he can make a deep threat out of somebody not named t.o., and that he can be a great quarterback without him. the eagles are just one of the surprise division leaders so far this year in the nfc - st. louis and new orleans are also heading their divisions. plus baltimore in the afc (good to see mcnair be successful).

[Master Rudy]

I hope they go undefeated so that stupid Dolphins team from the 70s shuts up, but that's just me.

There are a few teams I'd like to see do this someday for the very same reason (Of course the two I'd like to see do it the most aren't doing it this year). Until it happens the '72 Dolphins will never shut up about being the only unbeaten team in NFL history.

Mark my words. It'll happen but the question is who will do it? While I'm far from a fan for the team I'll say Da Bears have a shot. So far the '06 team is playing better than the '85 team in the fact that they've allowed even less points so far than their 1985 counterpart did after their first five games. And anyone that knows NFL football knows how scary that '85 Bears D was.

[Drago]

(good to see mcnair be successful).

Shaddup dh :p

I don't know if the Bears will be able to pull the goods this year; they've been dominating but nothing is certain in the NFL anymore. Why, tweak things here and there, and the Titans could've upset the Colts this week. It's always so damned random, no wonder I can't pick 'em worth a damn.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Okay, they cut it WAAAAAAY too close on that one, but we'll take that win. The Bears manage to take a hopeless game and go 6-0. Whew...

Hopefully they'll take their off week next week and get their focus back. These close games are just killing me...

[Roy Karrde]

My mouth is still on the floor. It is as if Arizona is TRYING to lose. I was talking to my mom on AIM a few minutes ago, and we both agree that: Arizona would find a way to lose against my 11 year old Brother's 5th Grade Flag Football team.