Fumbled

Peyton Manning underwent his third neck surgery this year, a single-level anterior fusion, the surgery was successful and went well, but the bad news is, experts say it takes at least 3 months to recover from surgery like this.

Dr. Neel Anand, director of Orthopedic Spine Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Spine Center in Los Angeles had this to day about those kinds of procedures.

“It takes time. It takes between three and six months,” Anand said. “You want this fusion to heal, which means strong bones and stabilize the spine. But I certainly don’t think it’s career-threatening. He absolutely can come back next season.

“If everything goes well, there’s no reason he could not come back playing football.”

Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, concurred. He said this kind of procedure requires at least a three-month recovery period.

“Surgeons initially tried a less invasive approach, but the single-level anterior fusion he just underwent is a more definitive procedure that will correct the problem but requires a longer healing process,” Cohen said. “It’s highly unlikely that he will play this year.”

Here is the original article and it goes into more detail.

I think if this is the case, they won’t risk him coming back in the middle of the season if he is not fully healed, also if they are not playoff bound they won’t rush him back to the field, in either case, I think Indy could be in for a rough year without Peyton, even if he comes back mid season, he might be rusty and they will still struggle.

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It seems the already battered Giants D has taken another blow, starting middle linebacker Jonathan Goff is out for the season with a torn ACL, adding to the list of an already injury plagued defense, joining  DB Terrell Thomas, DB Brian Witherspoon, DB Bruce Johnson and DT Marvin Austin with season ending injuries.

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Peyton Manning has been ruled out of the Patriots first game at Houston, ending his 227 consecutive start streak, second only to Brett Favre among NFL quarterbacks.

On my 23, Manning underwent neck surgery, and it has taken longer then expected for him to fully recover, putting him on the physically unable to perform list for training camp and wasn’t activated until last Monday.

He partook in limited practice last week, which lead him to have pain in his back, and after a re-evaluation by team doctors, they told him to stop practicing to undergo more tests. Manning had this to say about the situation.

“To say I am disappointed in not being able to play is an understatement,” Manning said in a statement released by the team. “The best part about football is being out there on the field playing with my teammates. It will be tough not to be out there playing for the organization and our fans. I simply am not healthy enough to play, and I am doing everything I can to get my health back. The team will do fine without me, and I know for sure that I will miss them much more than they miss me.”

Veteran Kerry Collins will start in his place, which leads to some questions, can the Colts win without Manning? Is the Manning era over?

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Lance Brigg’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, formally asked the Bear’s front office for permission to seek a trade, because Lance Briggs wants a new contract and more money. So far the Bears have said nothing on the trade issue, and did not give him any more money.

Briggs had this to say to the Chicago Tribune, “The Bears made their decision, now I have to make mine,” Briggs said. “It’s just how the business works. It’s not going to take away from what I do on the field. I’m 100 percent a Bear, until I’m not a Bear anymore.”

Briggs has 3 more years on his contract with the Bears, and is set to make $3.9 million dollars this year, $4 million next year, and $6.5 million the year after that.

Briggs asked for a new contract after seeing younger linebackers were getting more money than him.

Coach Lovie Smith had this to say about the situation, “If a guy has something that he needs to do, then he can deal with it off the field,” Smith said. “As far as how I see him, I just see him coming to work every day, like he has done. Lance Briggs has to get ready for the football season, which he has done.

“Who doesn’t want a new contract? All of us would want a new contract. But still, you go to work every day and do your job, and that’s what he’s doing. I have no complaints about him.”

The last time Rosenhaus went to the the Bears looking for a trade,  tight end Greg Olsen ended up being sent to the Panthers for a third-round pick.

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Well, here it is, the final week of the preseason, the final game before the teams have to cut their roster to 53 players, to some it matters very little, to others, mainly those players looking for a position on the team, it is one of the most important games,  where they will be battling each other for that coveted spot on the roster, expect to see some hard hits, flashy plays and those players giving it 110%, pouring their hearts and souls out on the field for the chance to make that 53 man roster on a team the NFL, I wish them all good luck in their endeavours.

This also means that the week after, is the start of the regular season, where teams will be playing for real, where Sunday, and Monday will be looked forward to as people can’t wait to watch their favorite teams battle it out on the gridiron, where dreams, will be made, or shattered, where talk will be backed up, or put down, where you can brag, or be forced to eat humble pie, where your team will leave you feeling  as if you were on cloud 9, or in the pits of despair.

One thing is for certain though, all of us fans, are getting ready to watch our favorite teams and are thankful that football is back!!!!!!!!!

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In no particular order here are the most hated teams in the NFL.

The Jets. People hate the Jets because they talk a lot of trash, and in a lot of cases they can back it up, but it seems they talk too much trash and are hated for that.

The Steelers. People hate the Steelers because of Ben Roethlisberger, and the fact that they are a good franchise and play hard football. People love to hate the teams on top.

The Eagles. People hate the Eagles because of Michael Vick, they hate them because they are labeled “The Dream Team”, and perhaps most of all, they hate their fans.

The Patriots. People hate the Patriots because again this is a winning franchise, they also hate them because of the whole spygate incident and people also hate Tom Brady for the tuck rule and view him as whiney and soft.

The Cowboys. Perhaps the most hated team overall on this list, they run with the name “America’s Team”, the fact they are know for rewarding bad attitude players, Jerry Jones, their owner is hated, that and the fact that every year the critics pump them up making them seem to be the best team in the NFL doesn’t help their cause with people.

The Colts. People hate the Colts because of Peyton Manning, they also hate that the Colts are good and have the potential to beat their favorite team, they also hate Manning because if your teams D gets to him, they usually get a flag, or the fact that they usually don’t because he is that good at getting rid of the ball.

Of course there is going to be rivalries and fans will always hate the other team on that rivalry but this is a list of overall hated teams. It changes as other teams get good and get players in the spotlight that say dumb things or get too cocky and talk trash.

Who is your most hated team?

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NFC Sleeper Team

The Detroit Lions. For years the lions were the laughing stock of the NFL, making bad decision after bad decision, but fortune seems to have changed, and they have quietly been putting together a team that can compete, with an offense that has the potential to be very potent, they now have an O-line that can actually block, they have a real quarterback in Matthew Stafford, two good receivers in Megatron and Nate Burleson, they have a good running back in Jahivid Best and they have TE Brandon Pettigrew.  Couple that with a capable defense, though Suh needs to be careful, you have a team that has a potential to make the playoffs this year.

AFC Sleeper Team

The Cleveland Browns, another team that used to be terrible has now been adding much needed pieces to their puzzle and putting together a team that I think, can be a winning team. Colt McCoy is shaping up to be a good QB, along with a good RB in Peyton Hillis and an improved offensive line, add in Greg Little to the list, a revamped defense and a new coach, and they have the potential to be a winning team this year as well, perhaps making the wild card.

Will either of these teams make it to the big game? Not likely, but one of them may make the playoffs, and should definitely be better than last year, and I think have the ability to surprise people this year.

Who do you think can be a sleeper team this year?

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THU SEP 8th

New Orleans @ Green Bay 8:30pm EST on NBC

I am going to go ahead and say New Orleans  wins this one by 7, I am going with the old Superbowl hangover on this one. 21-28

SUN SEP 11th

Atlanta @ Chicago 1:00pm EST on FOX

Atlanta by 3, they were great last year and are only going to continue to get better. 20 – 17

Cincinnati @ Cleveland 1:00pm EST CBS

I say Cleveland 27- 10, they are going to smack the Bengals around, as I believe they are going to be a good team this year.

Buffalo @ Kansas City 1:00pm EST CBS

The Chiefs win this one as Buffalo sucks 17 – 7.

Philadelphia @ St. Louis 1:00pm EST FOX

This depends on whether the Eagle’s O line decides to keep people out of Vick’s face, If that happens Eagles will smoke the Rams, if not, the Eagles still win, but not by much and will have a very tough game. O-line blocks 31 – 17 no blocking 20 – 17.

Detroit @ Tampa Bay 1:00pm EST FOX

No contest, Detroit is going to murder them, Detroit is my dark horse team in the NFC, watch out for these guys, 21 – 7.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville 1:00pm EST FOX

Tennessee gets their act together and wins this one 14 – 7.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore 1:00pm EST FOX

Tough tough game, going to be very good, I see Pittsburgh come out on top in this match up, though only by a little, 13 – 10.

Indianapolis @ Houston 1:00pm EST CBS

This one is going to depend on if Manning plays or not, if he is out Houston kills them 21 – 7, if Manning plays Indy wins 27 – 21.

NY Giants @ Washington 4:15pm EST FOX

This is another tough one, as they always play each other hard, I am going to have to go with the Giants on this one 17 -7.

Minnesota @ San Diego 4:15pm EST FOX

Bolts all the way with this one 24 – 10. Minnesota has too many question marks and Peterson can only do so much.

Seattle @ San Francisco 4:15pm EST FOX

49ers, 17 – 14.

Carolina @ Arizona 4:15pm EST FOX

The Cards win this one 21 – 7, they are just the better team right now, though I can see the Panthers getting better toward the end of the season.

Dallas @ NY Jets 8:20pm EST FOX

J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets are going to win this one, as I believe they have the better team and one of the best CB tandems in the league, Romo and the Boys just won’t be able to pull this one off.

MON SEPT 12th

New England @ Miami 7:00pm EST ESPN

This is my upset game, I think Miami is going to pull this one off, Miami comes out of the gates swinging and beats the Pats 24 – 21.

Oakland @ Denver 10:15pm EST ESPN

I gotta say that the Broncos win this one at Mile High, 13 – 7.

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It seems that Calvin Johnson, and Nate Burleson, are planning a touchdown celebration and are announcing it to the world.

Burleson told Mlive.com, “Certain things have to happen in the course of the play that will make this the best celebration you’ve ever seen, I guarantee it.”

When asked what it was he replied “You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said. “If the stars align, it’ll happen. But I’m not going to tell what it is right now.”

According to Nate Burleson, Calvin Johnson came up with the idea saying “He came up with it on his own, Calvin’s a lot more creative than you guys think. He has some stuff up his sleeve. You’ll see this year.”

I don’t know about you, but I am a fan of endzone celebrations, as long as they are tasteful, funny and creative, and laugh at them, even , sometimes, if done when somebody scores a touchdown against my favorite team. I may even have to watch more Lion’s games for this, but I’m sure if it is good enough it will make the highlight reels. Hopefully he can deliver his promise and make it as good as he says!

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LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson and other LSU players were allegedly involved in a fight at a bar near campus where four people were sent to the hospital with “minor injuries”. One witness claims that Jordan Jefferson kicked a man in the head while he was on the ground, other players were implicated, but are not named at this time. Police are still investigating the incident and plan on fining all who were involved in the fight. Depending on the outcome, Jordan Jefferson may not start for the Oregon game pending the police investigation.

According to this article, witnesses claimed it began when a person in a vehicle honked their horn to get people to move out of the way, and they drug them out of the van and beat the crap out of them and when another man went to help they beat him too and Jordan Jefferson kicked him in the head while in the ground.

Yet another promising young athlete gets themselves in trouble doing stupid things, some things I am thinking is , for one, why were they at a bar in the first place? You are one of the top football players in the NCAA, you should think first before doing things like this, you are not above everybody else and can get into trouble!

You should be setting an example for the rest of your team, and not be doing stupid things like this, you were out past team curfew, you were acting like an idiot and should have left the area when trouble started if you were not involved in it, hell you shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

With all the nonsense going on in college football, these kids really need to think before they do something, because they are going to come under the spotlight now with everything else going on, and the NCAA is going to hand our harsher punishments.

Its just a shame that they end up doing stupid stuff like this, that can ruin their entire careers, they need to wise up and start acting better than this, and focus more on their studies and football rather acting like idiots and getting into trouble.

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Stuart Scott, who is battling stomach cancer, had this to say on his cancer “Nah, dawg, I’m better. I’m stronger. You’re not going to beat me.”

He hasn’t said much publicly on his condition as he said he is too busy “kicking cancer’s ass” and said “It’s just who I am so it’s not a matter of it being impressive, it’s a matter of ‘I’m gonna win this’ and this is how I win. It motivates me to win,”

Scott is going through chemotherapy and other treatments for the cancer and is still doing his P90X workouts!! He is one tough S.O.B. in my book, he is maintaining a positive outlook on the whole situation and is fighting like a trooper, and not letting fear grip him and also had this to say about the situation “To me, it’s like a football game. I’m facing this, this wants to win,” Scott said. “You can try, but I’m just gonna come harder than you. I’m gonna come harder than you all day long. My prayers go out to you for a speedy and total recovery Stuart Scott!

The full article can be read here

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It seems that the Chief’s number one draft pick, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin, sustained a wrist injury during a fight with running back Thomas Jones in the locker room and is doubtful for the rest of the preseason.

Wow, this is a good way to start your NFL career, getting into fist fights with your fellow team mates, I’m sure that will get you a lot of respect in the locker room and add to the team’s chemistry. There is no word yet on why the fight took place and who started it yet.

My opinion is why? You are a professional now, leave that crap off the field and out of the locker room, there is no need for this at the NFL level, grow up, if you have a problem try to work it out instead of fighting with your team mates!

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Well, college football is right around the corner, and all I can say is, it can’t come soon enough! This year promises to be another exciting year, with Oklahoma topping the power rankings to start the season, with Alabama at #2 and LSU bringing up the #3 position, so get ready for the season to begin, with all the action packed, hard hitting, band playing, cheerleader screaming that is College Football!

Here is the ESPN power ranking going into week 1

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Well, you can add this scandal to the list of reasons why I hate Florida teams, football booster Nevin Shapiro has been giving players money, jewelery, and other things for for years, and that is only the tip of the iceburg, there was recruiting, prostitutes, rewards for big plays, bounties for injuring players from other teams and many other crazy incentives that broke countless NCAA football rules, all while running a multi-million dollar ponzi scheme to boot.

All I have to say is wow, this looks like it came out of a book! Gambling, stripclubs, cars, money, booze, prostitutes, wild yacht parties, wild house parties, and abortions!!??? This is terrible, and it has been going on for years, and from what Nevin Shapiro has said this scandal runs deep into the coaching staff for football and basketball as well as school officials.

The NCAA better drop the damned hammer on them, and drop it hard, this is a disgrace to the game, a huge black mark that action must be taken against, and get everybody that was involved in this.

We all know that giving the players things goes on everywhere behind the scenes, but this, this is rampant disregard for the rules and goes above and beyond, this is just absolutely classless, and I am interested in seeing what is going to happen with it.

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Here is a list of some of the NFL’s fastest 40 times.

1. Devin Hester (4.24 @ Miami Pro Day, 4.45 @ 2006 NFL Combine, 100 speed in Madden 08)
2. Reggie Bush (4.33 @ University of USC at Pro Day 2006)
3. Ike Taylor (4.18 @ University of Louisiana at Lafayette Pro Day)
4. Laveranues Coles (4.16 @ Florida State University, 4.29 @ Jets Media Guide)
5. Ahman Green (4.19 @ Pre-Draft Workout in Nebraska)
6. Michael Puckett (4.19 @ Pre-Draft Workout at CCCC)
7. Zach Rehmert (4.20 @ Pre- Draft workout at Collin College)
8. Kevin Curtis (4.21 @ Utah State Pro Day)
9. Donte Stallworth (4.22 @ 2003 Tennessee Pro Day)
10. Willie Parker (4.23 @ 2004 North Carolina Pro Day)
11. Randy Moss (4.25 @ Marshall University)
12. Fabian Washington (4.29 @ 2005 NFL Combine)
13. Champ Bailey (4.28 @ 1999 NFL Combine)
14. Jerome Mathis (4.28 @ 2005 NFL Combine)
15. Willis McGahee (4.28 @ Miami Pre-Injury)
16. Michael Bennett (4.17 @ Wisconsin Pro Day, 4.37 @ 2001 NFL Combine)

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Apparently, Eli Manning thinks he is in the same class with quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, I am going to have to disagree, and say no he is not, he is by no means a terrible quarterback, but he is not the same caliber as Tom Brady, or his brother Peyton. He needs to tone down his ego a little bit there and not throw 25 interceptions before he can say that.

Can he be as good as them? Perhaps, but as of right now he is not and need to work more and talk less.

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This stupid new kickoff rule will be gone next year, they must do it!!!!!!

Eli Manning is going to suck this year, he is going to do worse than last year and Giants fans are going to be calling for his head.

Tony Romo is also going to suck this year, but this is true of every year, and people will still herald him as great for some odd unknown reason.

Cam Newton is going to have a terrible first year, statistics and averages don’t look good for rookie quarterbacks taken in the first round that start their first year, and 9 out of 10 times then end up doing terrible.

Tom Brady will whine about something and get a rule changed.

James Harrison is going to get a fine for wtfhitting somebody.

Rex Ryan will talk a bunch of trash.

Chad Ochocino will come up with an awesome endzone celebration!

Reggie Bush will suck in Miami.

McNabb will have a few good games, then go back to getting scared and throwing wormburners.

Detroit will make the playoffs!!!

Peyton Manning will have an off year.

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So now with this new 35 yardline kickoff rule, it looks like 90% of kickoffs are going to result in kneels or the ball flying out of the endzone, what is going on with the NFL? Why all these rules to sissify the league?  I thought the old way was just fine, as it made special teams more important and exciting to watch.

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Too many times I have heard about some player’s 40 time and people thin, wow his 40 time is great that must mean he is a great player, but all that does is show how fast the person can run in a controlled environment.

Look at the way a person starts the 40 at the combine, a person who needs to be that fast will never start on the field in that position, also there are things like other players in the way, how fast the person can move laterally, field awareness, sure hands, how much they grasp the game, route running, technique, that are much much more important than how fast they can run the 40.

Sure, having a fast player is a good thing, but if that speed doesn’t translate from the tests to the field it is worthless, if the player can’t run routes properly or get timing down, the speed is going to be useless, the fastest running back will do no good, if he can’t follow blockers, can’t read defenses, can’t find the holes or can’t hold on to the ball, same goes with recievers.

While I am not saying the measure is totally useless, it is always nice to know a person’s top end speed, it should not be given as much precedence as it is has, take Jerry Rice for example, his 40 time was 4.71 and would be considered terrible for a receiver, but look how that turned out, while they should keep it, they should rely on it less when scouts and teams give values to their players and look at more important aspects of the player, rather than 40 time.

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Chad Ochocinco is looking to room with a Patriots fan that lives near Foxborough, Mass. He says he wants to try something different and thinks this will be a good way to get to know the surrounding area and get acclimated to the area, until he can find his own house to live in.

So far the only requirements for the potential roommate is they need to have an X-BOX 360 and access to the Internet.

So, if you live near FoxBorough, are looking for a roommate,  have an X-BOX 360, Chad Ochocinco might just be the person for you!

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