Scoop's Weekly Roundup Season 3

SEASON 3 - WHAT TO EXPECT

Hurrah! Season 3 is finally here and your beloved Scoop McLeak has dusted down his turbo-charged pen to deliver a laser guided payload of SML Football.

So, what can we expect this season after the strongly tipped Minnesota Vikings made it to The Show and picked up their coveted rings, can they do what is so difficult in pro football - think (just kidding Terrell) repeat? Well, i have decided to allow you all into the dark recesses of my mind to see how the pro analysts do it: we start with the champs up in sunny Minneapolis:

Vikes: It will be harder for the record setting Vikes to repeat this year and even though they sent 7 to the pro(zac)-bowl the Madden Gods have decreed a tougher schedule to overcome. Teams with any serious designs on making the post season MUST be able to stop AP from getting outside and getting the ball out of the QB's hands quicker when facing Kev Williams and his Sith apprentice Marvin Austin (borrowed that line from Brza by the way - seems the Commish does have a sense of humour after all). If teams can do these 2 things the Vikes roster is good - but not great.
Elite players 6 Young studs 2 Prediction: Play-offs

Ravens: Made the SB but failed miserably stopping AP in the big game after brushing the Texans aside. The Ravens have lost their soul as the fantastic Mr Ray Lewis hangs up his pads forever and there is no young talent coming via the draft - hardly surprising as the management lost the keys to the Baltimore War Room! Ray Rice is back though and a new D line will try and make up for losing Ray. All said, the Ravens still have a fantastic secondary and are tough to score on.
Elite players 8 Young Studs 0 Prediction: Div

Panthers: Carolina got themselves a new owner last season and made it to the playoffs - not just made it there but gave the eventual champs Minnesota a real run for their money! If you take away Beason, Kalil and Johnson and a few youngsters what's left i hear you ask - SPEED thats what. The Panthers roster is not brimming with elite talent but if Coach installs an effective system i think these guys will be going places.
Elite players 3 Young studs 3 Prediction: Div deep playoffs

Texans: Season 2 champs and Conf finalists last season prove Houston have what it takes to perform at the top level in SML, but there are a few question marks appearing over the roster! Will Asa Fanning's speed ever get the nod over Arian Fosters power? Will rookie LE Merchant be able to ignite a sluggish D line? Maybe, but maybe not. The Texans may be suffering through lack of drafted talent over the passed couple of seasons and whilst dangerous with a SB winning coach they may make the playoffs due to a weak schedule.
Elite players 2 Young studs 2 Prediction: Playoffs

Packers: Give the Pack a couple of LB's and they could win it all! Seriously, thats all they need to add to what is probably the best roster in the league. The only team to beat the Vikes in recent times GB have elite players all around the pitch. Jimmy Starks and Ryan Grant in the backfield won't be scaring too many D's to death but are decent, and lets face it, more than capable of supporting Green Bay Air Show. However, the Pack will crumble with just a few injuries as their main weakness appears to be the 2nd string. I guess GB can expect some hard hitting then - especially in THAT division.
Elite players 9 Young studs 0 Prediction: Div

Eagles: Last season the Eagles were damn good and with a little luck could have made it to the SB - this season, they're STRONGER. Coach must get an award for best draft (2 years in a row) and this team are seriously stacked. The NFC appears to hold the balance of power once again and the only reason i see Philly failing is if Mr Vick doesn't perform and the rumblings are not so much 'brotherly love' but 'earn your pay packet' type scenario! Strength in depth combined with studs and experience. This just could be the season the Eagles soar!
Elite players 7 Young studs 4 Prediction: Superbowl

Raiders: Oakland will be hoping the old adage 'speed kills' comes true for them, they have the fastest offensive weapons in the league - its like a sprint relay team looking at the WR's, HB and TE! There are areas that the new Coach will want to address however, notably DT and the experts will be watching the newly assembled O line after taking 3 positions in the draft. Danger lurks for anyone not taking this team seriously!
Elite players 6 Young studs 3 Prediction: Division deep playoffs

Rams: After getting themselves into all kinds of financial difficulties the Rams have manged to come out the other side in good shape. Curious decision to take HB Bolton as their 1st pick as they already have Steve Jackson in the backfield and not a lot of young talent coming through elsewhere. But what they do have is a successful system that utilises Sam Bradford expertly and will again be there or there-abouts come the play-offs.
Elite players 6 Young studs 1 Prediction: Wild card

Titans: Tennessee are an interesting bunch, who seem to lack an offensive identity! They have CJ but pass - when they do pass with Jake Locker, Torrey Sanders and kenny Britt ....... they throw interceptions. However, i don't think any of these guys will determine the Titans season as there are 2 new kids on the block who have not yet realised their importance to this potentially championship team - DT Carter Stone and MLB Burness Anthony. Stone can destroy O lines for breakfast, and the joint fastest MLB Anthony may just find a starting spot. If these guys perform, the sky's the limit!
Elite players 4 Young studs 4 ( Anthony) Prediction: Division

Saints: This is a re-building year for New Orleans and with the Panthers favourite to take the division the new management will no doubt be looking for ways to get the best out of Brees and Colston but the big question surrounds the running game. Who exactly? Hess's speed, Sproles elusive running or the strength of Ingram... here lies the riddle for the Saints. On the other side of the ball, apart from ROLB the Saints are sound but this season will be interesting to see how the new Coach adjusts to life in the big league.
Elite players 6 Young studs 1 Prediction: Re-build season

Jets: The Jets, like the Saints have new ownership and will likely take 5-6 games to establish some consistency. In a division with the Patriots its always re-assuring to have Darrelle Revis around although the FS position may be exploitable by a good passing attack. If the Jets can add some speed at receiver they have the talent to make a concerted tilt at the playoffs, although its unlikely a wild card team will come from the AFC East.
Elite players 6 Young studs 2 Prediction: 2nd in division

Bears: Last seasons SML poor relation, The Chicacrash Bears managed to win 2 games under the new Coach en route to winning the dubious distinction of the number 1 draft pick - with whom they decided to use on HB Rodman Brooks. Will he be a success or not, time will tell but what the Bears have done with certainty is assemble a dangerous team with experience in all areas. Chicago are likely to have a winning season but being in the 'Group Of Death' NFC North will have to prove themselves if they are to make it to the playoffs, not impossible as both WC's could come from here.
Elite players 8 Young studs 2 Prediction: Wild card

Patriots: Another team with a new owner and another team with a HB decision to make - Ben-Jarvus or might midget Danny Woodhead? With Brady, Gronk and Welker the Pats will be putting up points for sure but may be conceding them too as safeties Chung and Johnson can be got at. They are likely to end up in a fist fight with their long time rival Jets for the divisional crown and these 2 games will be crucial - winner takes all! However, i tip New England to edge the division and after that, who knows?
Elite players 7 Young studs 3 Prediction: Division

Steelers: Arguably one of the strongest rosters in the SML, Pitt will be looking to challenge divisional rival Baltimore and finally knock them off their lofty perch. They have the weapons, Mike Wallace is a top WR and will be expected to carry the offensive load along with the powerful Mendenhall. The Steelers will give up points though as Polamalu cant do it all in the secondary and the woeful lack of speed at corner may haunt their playoff ambitions. Sort the CB's and win the division or say goodbye to the Ravens - simple as that!
Elite players 9 Young studs 3 Prediction: Wild card

Cardinals: With an experienced Coach at the Arizona helm, the Cards will be pushing St Louis all the way this season. Offense is no problem led by Fitzgerald with rookie QB Toscano throwing the spirals and the explosive Ryan Williams but there are flaws on defense however. The D line and LB's are not up to the same standard as the amazing Pat Pete and the rest of a decent back four and this will be exploited in a division boasting powerbacks Jackson, Gore and Lynch. For the Cards to win the division they will have to outscore their opponents.
Elite players 2 Young studs 4 Prediction: Wild card

So, down to week 1 - nothing really exciting to report - apart from the 87 point spectacular down at Tennessee. The detailed game report is as follows: THE TITANS BLEW A 35-7 LEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good god almighty, after tipping them for greatness they go and do that! How is that possible - were the qtr lengths 1 hour each, did the Houston CB's swap shirts with Britt and Sanders - did the coach fall asleep - i'm not even sure its mathematically possible to achieve such a disaster and i hereby rename them the Tennessee Meltdowns!!! I cant even give the Texans much credit as some sort of bribery must have been involved!!!

Apart from that - Vikes pillage Colts, Steelers iron out Skins, Cards zona in on Lions, Rams have Bears picnic, Panthers lasso cowboys, Pack strike gold v 9ers, Raiders re-patriate New England, Ravens shut out Cleveland Clowns, Eagles reduce Giants stature, Jets drowned by Dolphins and the Saints had their asses Bucc'ed.

See you next week - i'm off to watch the Texans/Titans re-run, so much better than Oprah!

Great preview for all the teams & nice round up for week one scoops! Keep them coming

THX for the work

Excellent Scoop - putting all that pressure on the eagles!

Nice picture scoop

King Scoop the First

But Where is the virgin ???

Good work Scoop!

Greetings football addicts, Super Scoop here with your weekly fix from the blood stained grass of the SML battlefields. Week 2 provided thrills, spills and pain killing pills as 3 big clashes came thundering onto our widescreen TV's (we can see ALL of B.J.Raji then?).

WEEK 2: SPILLS, THRILLS AND PAIN KILLING PILLS

So, where to start? After the Tennessee Meltdown's opener against Houston we had no choice but to see how the leagues great entertainers followed it up against the New York Jets ....... well ........ they led 21-0 at the half .......... and then ............ you'll never guess ......................... MELTDOWN!!!!!!!! Oh i love these guys, game is in the bag, CJ is running well, so what do you do? You let Jake Locker loose throwing passes to his secret interception routes and before you know it the scores are level as Santonio Holmes took the Tennessee secondary apart! But, on this occasion the Tennessee MD's managed to compose themselves and kick a game winning FG as time expired - just a shame all the Titans fans had left and gone for therapy by then! Fair play to NY for the spirited comeback, and fair play to Tennessee to grit their teeth and claim the win.

Next, a match-up that many believe is an early season candidate for a play-off game later on - Packers v Panthers. It turned out the defenses were excellent and Jimmy Starks won this one single-handedly with his combined stats of 27 touches, 203 yards and both of GB's TD's. I love defense personally and hope to see more low scoring games like this during the season (Tennessee excluded of course).

And the 3rd big game of the week was at the Metrodome, always hard to play there, you just dont know if your O line or the roof will cave in! The Vikes got out early and led 23-0 at the half thanks to the mercurial HB Purple Jesus, Big Kev said 'hi' to Jay Cutler twice and poor old number 1 draft pick himself Rodman Brooks could only watch and admire as it seems the Bears are saving him for the post season! Maybe someone should tell Chica-crash management there WILL NOT BE a post season unless they start giving HotRod the ball!

Elsewhere, The Steelers provided us with our offensive POW in Rashard Mendenhall (16/138/4 td's) against Dallas and RE Cam Heyward ran riot leading the D to 8 sacks as Romo was blitzed constantly. Although the Cowgirls QB still managed to torch the dodgy Steelers secondary for 339 yards but Mike Wallace eventually led the offense to a 41-31 win.

Whilst we're on the subject of hard hitting D's - the Eagles savaged Atlanta QB Matt (well iced) Ryan with LE Brandon Graham bagging 3 sacks and then everyone else on the Philly D joined in adding 6 more! Tell you what though - rumours about Djax are rife that he's still not happy, just 4 short range catches in a game easily won, whats going on? If you offer Philly a good punter you just may get a decent trade!!!

The Ravens and Texans had straight-forward wins over the Giants and Chiefs respectively. Both D's also dominant as Baltimore had 6 sacks led by Rob Mathis and Houston held KC to just 7 first downs. The Cards eased past Seattle 24-17 with Ry Williams bagging a TD and 127 yards on 25 carries, even after a spirited showing from Hawks HB Marshawn Lynch. New England got their 1st win for the new Coach - 31-16 against a tough Miami team. This weeks defensive theme continued as the Pats forced 3 turnovers to win the game, however the run game still struggles - good job Tom Brady's around then with a fine display of 17/25/220 and 3 td's.

New Orleans also have running problems as they still start Mark Ingram at HB but are not seeing any results and went down 34-6 to Denver. The crowd were heard chanting the name of rookie 'Wes Hess' as the D tried its best to stem the flow from the Broncos but the offensive unit is becoming ....... well, offensive!

Our defensive POW was provided by the Oakland Speedsters as MLB Rolando McLain nailed 7 tackles and equalled last seasons FF total of 2 in just one game with a couple of monster hits. Jacoby Ford caught a short pass and 'tripped' over for 51 yards and found himself in the endzone and DE's Wallace and Houston got a pair of sacks each as the black & silver coasted to a 42-14 demolition of the Chargers.

And finally, interesting fact of the week: The Baltimore Ravens lead the league in fumbles lost (3) AND fumbles won (4). Means nothing i know, but i just love defense!
Catch you all after week 3 when i'll give you my thoughts on the Vikes/Rams game and a massive AFC East showdown - Patriots v Jets, not often you get critical games this early in the season but the winner will be in the AFC East playoff driving seat!

Oh, and dont forget - r.e.s.p.e.c.t (not the Aretha song) any more sillyness when the game is won and i will be naming and shaming in neon lights!

Got to go, i'm having a 'beer hat' surgically attached to my head! Bye for now!

Great round up! Get better and better every time scoops! Great writing

NIIIIICE!

LINEBACKERS ARE WEAKER THAN PUNTERS

Welcome to week 3's round up of all things SML and no, my friends, i am not happy! As i sift through stats, rumours and drinks vouchers here at League Headquarters Bar (where else?) a large grey cloud hangs over me like a gigantic pair of Julius Peppers used under garments. What is so upsetting i hear you cry? - well i'll tell you my uninformed disciples - the Tennessee Meltdowns have a bye week! I have had to watch videos of SML Bowl 1 to cheer me up - that Eli Manning bloke is such a laugh! Ok, down to week 3 business:-

Never mind the games, we'll get to that in good time, what concerns me is the pathetic, under nourished,' weak as a newborn Bengals fan' STAR linebackers in the league right now. We have 6 long term injuries and 4 of them are backers (more like bakers) Brian Urlacher of the Chica-crash Bears, O'brien Schofield (Arizona Cads) Jameel McClain (Faultymore Ravens) and James Harrison (Pittsburgh Squealers). Broken collarbone being the 'alleged' main problem - more like herniated bank account if you ask me. On the 'broken collarbone' saga, Panthers CB Captain Munnerlyn is also out for half the season - his father Admiral Munnerlyn said it's a family weakness, his Uncle General Munnerlyn and son Lieutenant Munnerlyn have all had the same problem! Whatever happened to real men eh? Oh how i miss the 70's and 80's - the Giants, Bears, Steelers, topless darts ...........

So, our big games of the week turned out a bit of a letdown as owners went awol and as a result the Vikes stomped all over the rudderless Rams 49-10 with 10 million offensive yards (ok, 600 - but still impressive) with QB Ponder having an almost flawless day throwing 21/23/430 yards and 4 td's. 28 2nd qtr points wrapped it up as Vince Jackson scored a 97 yarder as the half (and Rams) expired. The Patriots beat the Jets in a simmed game 21-6 that could come back and haunt NY and Pittsburgh also lost a sim 23-17 to the Browns giving Baltimore an early divisional edge.

Philly crushed Dallas 34-3 as Mike Vicktim hit on 21/35/323 yds, 3 td's and a pick. Just the 5 sacks recorded and Nnamdi bagged 3 INT's in another supreme defensive effort. And Djax? just the 4 short range passes again as all other Eagle receivers caught 4 or more balls - we need answers???

Houston have a new threat - officially known as AFX2 - running backs Asa Fanning and Arian Foster combined for 19/159/3 td's as the former champs smacked Peyton Manning around a bit! (well done there!)

The Saints D has officially requested a trade on offense - THE WHOLE OFFENSE! After another shellacking NO surely need to bench Mark Ingram who averaged about a yard per carry again - but Drew Brees went 5 of 31, a td and 4 more INT's. CB Chris Cook had a sack and 2 INT's as he watched the other side of the ball don their red noses and orange wigs!

Defensive Monster Corner:- Greg Hardy 2 sacks 1 FF (Panthers 36-14 Chiefs), Rob Mathis 2 sacks (Ravens 17-10 Bengals) and Lamarr Houston 2 sacks (Raiders 39-3 Broncos) - these guys seem to be in a race for the sack crown and it really is hotting up as the QB Killers pin their ears back - love it!

Offensive Monster Corner:- GB back Jimmy Starks is turning a few heads as he once again dragged the Pack from a tricky situation to a win with 21/150/3 tds. GB had to come from behind as Sparky Starky did his thang in the 4th. Cards Ry Williams is on fire (if only!!!) as he storms up the rushing charts after a 27/159/1 td performance and, like Sparky, is carrying his team through a tricky period.

And to finish - i shall remind you of the time when a great coach once described the forward pass 'only 4 things can happen to a pass, 3 are bad'. If you are unfamiliar with this quote i shall explain - the 3 bad things he refers to are 1) Interception 2) Incomplete and 3) let Drew Brees throw it!

Goodbye for now and work those punters in the gym!!!

hahaha great! what else?!

Great round up!! Can't wait to start my punter at LBer, he'll do a better job at stopping the run. the current LBers are doing, they couldn't stop a granny on a zimmer frame at the moment.

Another great roundup! Love it.

Nice roundup once again Scoop! But don't try to stir the controversy pot with Desean and Andy. You know they're homies:

Seems to me Djax is giving Andy the elbow - look at the pain on his face and the gritted teeth on Desean!

And those guys behind are clapping - they're Giants fans!

WEEK 4 - STICK OR TWIST? RISK TAKERS GET REWARDS

Week 4 is upon us and the action is getting better and better! Big plays won out in a week that saw 2 massive games which, interestingly enough, had the NFC win on both occasions. So, off to the games 1st big showdown with the speed of an Oakland Raider:-

Eagles 24-13 Ravens.
Wow. This game was a top quality affair with skill, tactics, big plays and (my personal favourite) hard hitting. Mick Vick produced an excellent display (20/28/319/2 td's) but the reason Philly came through against a tough Ravens D was their own super tough D! If ever you want proof of how important defense is just take a look at 1st round pick MLB Markis Savoie's sack on Sky Sports - it was late in the game, Eagles up 20-14 and the Ravens had the ball thanks to a big play of their own when Terrell Suggs FF stopped the Eagles from a score that would have meant certain victory for Philly. Flacco came out knowing the Eagles would come after him as they had 3 sacks and a bunch of hits already in the game, and on 3rd & 9 Savoie gave us the play of the game by flying up the middle at the speed of light and nailed Flacco before he had even made his 1st read! And that was it, a worthy end to a great game as Philly then worked the clock (by passing) and added another td. The 'risk and reward' gameplan worked by being aggressive on both sides of the ball - lots of QB pressure, forced into passing as the Ravens shutdown McCoy, blitzing on 3rd and long - sometimes you get burnt, but today Philly executed perfectly and although they couldn't stop Ray Rice the pressure D confused and ultimately rattled Flacco. Great game!

Vikes 38-21 Titans.
Mouth watering possibilities here - The Tennessee Interception Machine versus the Minnesota Purple People Eating Machine. The Vikes strolled to a 38-21 victory on the back of AP (19/112/2 td's) and Ponder (14/20/267/2 td's) as they had done their homework and found the secret code (like everyone else) to Jake Locker's INT routes - 4 picks later and 'perfect season' is already being mentioned down the White Swan Public House. Special praise for CB Laquon Charles as he picked another 2 today and is becoming a bit of a game-changer. The Titans, as usual were entertaining, passionate, defeated!

Season 1 SML Bowl winners Houston went 'easy ' on the Jags - 42-10. They only had the ball for 10 mins but wow - when they had it they used it! AFX2 put up more staggering numbers - 12 rushes, 209 yds and 2 td's between them whilst in the air Johnson and Kilgo went 3 catches, 168 yds and 2 td's. Thats a ridiculous stat of 15 touches for 377 yds and 4 td's - seems the crest fallen previous champs are getting it together again - watch out, as proved today these guys can score in a hurry!

Green Bay had a bitter scrap with division rivals Detroit in a tough 17-14 win. Jimmy Sparks (i just changed the 'T' to a 'P' - clever huh!) was held to 76 yds and NO td's as this one went down to the wire. A good rehearsal as next up are the Philly Eagles - i've already ordered extra booze in for that one!

The Raiders, Bears and Steelers had routine hammerings of the Browns, Hawks and Bengals. HotRod (more luke warm rod so far) Brooks finally got to touch the ball a few times for the Bears and went 24/122 and a td and the 'lightning twins' Ford and McFadden went over 100 yds apiece for Oakland. Pittsburgh managed to protect the back 4 as Mendenhall and Wallace also went over 100 each in a 33-10 rout of Cincy.

And finally, our week 4 action comes to a close with a few sentences about our cheeky chappies from down South, the New Orleans Saints (if you look closely, the word 'loser' is in Orleans). Seems we're on the verge of something big now as the defense was as bad as the offense this week in a 42 point shut-out by Carolina. I think you have to reach rock bottom before you can climb up and N.O. have managed that really well. Next up Atlanta - hmmmmm............

WEEK 5 - SAINTS WIN!

Welcome to week 5 my little puppy dog followers and we have 2 major headlines to report! First and most importantly - i would request that people stop bowing at me in the street. It makes my daily shopping of Jack Daniels and Benson & Hedges very difficult as crowds assemble real quick! And secondly - THE SAINTS WIN!!!!!

Yes, now you've got back up off the floor i can tell you New Orleans defeated Atlanta 14-9 to mark an excellent turn-around in Saints season. After watching all the action going towards their own endzone the new coach has installed Wes Hess as the No1 running back and the offense carried the ball 25 times, Brees went 10/16/125 and 2 td's (only marred by a couple of INT's) both snared by wideout Rob Meacham. The defense got so excited by this new found offensive strategy (actually getting first downs) they decided to crush the hapless Falcons and held them to just 121 yards, with 6 sacks thrown in for good measure. So, can the Saints build on this excellent result? Minnesota up next ................ (collective groan from SML HQ).

Once again the Philly Eagles were involved in a scorching game of the week against the Green Bay Packers. Both teams came in undefeated and neither disappointed, with Vick starring again throwing for 20/32/337 yds and 2 td's (1 INT) and Rodgers going 16/23/286 and 2 td's (2 INT's). Philadelphia controlled the clock and took what seemed an unassailable lead 27-10 early in the 3rd quarter, which, against a lesser team would have been game over but Green Bay have made a habit of being involved in great games with great comebacks and sure enough, thats what happened. 21 points later and we're inside 2 minutes and the Pack lead 31-27. However, this Eagle team has a resolve about them and when the pressure was on they came up big - driving downfield and scoring the game winning td with just seconds to go. Nice to see Jez Maclin is finally getting some catches (not surprising after the 70 yarder v Ravens) and he was the games star performer with 6/185/2 td's and the eagles D managed to bottle up Sparky Starks - although with Philly going up big early that didn't help! Great game between 2 SB faves.

The Vikes march on with the Cardinals their latest victims as you-know-who carried for 16/137/2 td's and Kev Williams thought he was playing Chicago and got 4 sacks. Arizona replied on the ground also with Williams and Wells going 17/131/1 td but the game was effectively over as a contest by half time. Can Minnesota be beaten?

Oakland seem to have a HB of their own worth mentioning these days - one Darren McFadden. After 5 games he tops the rushing charts with a blistering start to the campaign, carrying oakland to a 5-0 record and much hope on his shoulders for the Black & Silver horde! Although the 30-21 score doesn't sound like a blowout, thanks to DaMac it was routine.

Tennessee bounced back from week 4's defeat and Jake Locker had a GOOD game for once - 14/27/339 and 3 td's - and amazingly, just 1 INT. I hear the Titans OC has ripped out a few pages! However, remember my tip for DPOY - one Mr Carter Stone? This amazing DT added another 3 sacks to his already impressive tally, if you play the Titans make sure this guy is accounted for!

Houston's double headed monster AFX2 did it again this week, although in a slightly different way. Arian Foster carried 18 times for 89 yards and no td's - but Asa Fanning got handed the ball once and scampered 69 yards for a score, with a 'thats how you do it, Arian' type grin on his face. WR Kilgo chipped in with 3/102 and a td in a tricky 24-20 win over Miami.

The Ravens and Bears also had 'twitchy' games as they eventually defeated the Skins and Lions. Baltimore in particular having to wait until the last 12 seconds to win a heart attack game.

So, as is often the case - i will leave you with a pearl of wisdom from Doug Plank " Most football players are temperamental - 90% temper and 10% mental".

Bye for now .................... i'm preparing for the biggest upset of all time .................... who dat?

nice nice nice

Love it .....................

Thumbs up!!

great round up!!

WEEK 6 - FOOTBALL IS A TOUGH SPORT, APPARENTLY!

After much speculation, week 6 proved that Chicago management aren't stupid after all (i know - amazing!!!). Remember the overall No1 draft pick - one Mr Rodman Brooks? Well, i'm sure you do, and as all of you are pseudo statisticians (owners have to be) the curious lack of touches Mr Brooks had received during the 1st 4 weeks of the season was raising a few eyebrows and i am officially here to applaud the (living off the glory of 1985) Bears Bunch over at Halas Hall. Why? simple really, after being knocked out of several games for periods of time due to being tackled 'a bit roughly' he finally had his clock cleaned by the Arizona Cardinals and is now out for half the season after the majestic total of 91 carries. Coach obviously knew something we didn't! His complete stats are as follows: carries 91 - yards 424 - TD's 5 - herniated disk 1 - poorly thumb 1 - bad leg 2 - sore hair style 1 - rather cold a lot and always has a headache! Now we know why the talented but brittle Mr Brooks has not been allowed too much of the ball, maybe when he returns in week 14 he might play a full game before being injured again - i think harsh language would seriously damage this powder puff, fake tan wearing, weak as a kitten HB - THIS IS FOOTBALL YA BIG GIRL! YOU PLAY AT SOLDIER FIELD - NOT BOY SCOUT FIELD! Maybe someone ought to mention Walter Payton!

Anyhow - down to the game that saw HotRod snap and it was a most entertaining match up as the NFC West leading Cardinals brought their hot 'O' to town. Chicago won an offensive master-class by both teams 28-16 as Hotrod went 23/154/2 td's (and a herniated disk) and he was the difference as Arizona struggled with the Chicago run game all day. The Cards own excellent RB Ry Williams was held in check (11/51 yds) but the Zona pass attack kept the Bears secondary guessing and the chains moving. Not often you see both teams go over 70% on 3rd down completion as both sides executed almost perfectly as the punters fell asleep, but Hotrod was the MVP and earned himself a 2 month rest late in the 4th qtr. Add this game to the growing list of top quality contests this season!

The Pittsburgh Steelers provided us with our DPOW in Lawrence Timmons (2 sacks, 2 FF's) as Pitt strangled San Diego and held them to -12 yards of offense. Apart from Timmo, half the crowd sacked a bewildered Phil Rivers and Pitt blew them out 36-6. WR's Wallace and Cruz went 12/238/1 td between them as the Steelers gain momentum.

Offensive POW was the big half of AFX2 - Houston's Arian Foster (17/137/3 td's) and SS Glover Quin Jr chipped in with 1 FF and 1 INT. Good preparation for a massive game for the Texans as they start the tough part of their schedule against Tennessee next week - speaking of which - the Titans have officially allocated new meaning to 'OC' - On Cocaine! The Titans PB is utilising Jake Locker's impaired eyesight to its fullest! Tennessee beat the Jags 24-20 thanks to CJ (27/223/1 td) who appears to be doing the complete opposite of Mr Locker who tried to 'throw' the game and gave us another 4 INT's.

Green Bay bounced back after a tough loss to Philadelphia by trouncing the Detroit Pussycats 38 zip. Jimmy did it again (20/157/1 td) and Aaron Rodgers went 16/24/188/4 td's and 1 pick. Good preparation for GB as 2 massive games loom large as they meet the Vikes and Bears in successive weeks.

The Ravens and Panthers had comfortable wins against the Broncos and Buccs but a couple of surprise defeats for Oakland and New England by Atlanta and Buffalo.

And finally, New Orleans played the reigning, unbeaten champion Vikings in a game that some were predicting an upset (probably the Tennessee OC lol) however, it was not to be as Minnesota won 14-3 in a connection ruined game. The Saints did get a couple of picks though and can take this as a moral victory.

Until next week, i leave you with a quote from the Tennessee Titans post game interview - when asked about the Titans offensive execution Coach LT replied "yes, i'm in favour of it".

Bye for now.

great round up scoops..... waiting for week 7 now

(ALMOST) MID-SEASON REPORT

Well hello there all of you little, unimportant but pleasant people, sorry i'm a bit late but i got held up at another awards ceremony - i mean - seriously, just how many trophies can one man carry!!! So, this week i have donned my Sherlock Holmes cap and borrowed Yoda's vision (we're good mates, he is short in stature but more importantly short in pocket too - that means he buys the beer) to give you a kind of half-time report on who's going up, who's going down, and who's barely going at all. Most teams have played 7 games but a handful have played 8 so i got my 1970's calculator out, cranked it up for an hour and did a bit of math so you guys wont all be bitching about 'they played a game more than me', etc ....

Off we go - On the offensive side of the ball, the reigning champion Minnesota Vikings lead the way but shock of all shocks - not in rushing yards! No. the Raiders, Panthers and Titans (did someone just say Titans?) yes Titans all clear the Prince of the Purple People Eaters in the rushing category. However, Minnesota lead in 3rd down % (Raiders 2 and Bears 3) passing (Steelers 2 and Eagles 3) and OVR yards (Titans 2 and Steelers 3).

Defensively the Philly Eagles are overall top dogs - see below chart:-

Rank	Points	Total yards	Pass yds	Rush yds	INTs	Fumb Rec	Sacks	3rd D %
1	Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	Panthers	Vikes	Raiders	Eagles	Eagles
2	Raiders	Steelers	Cards	Raiders	Texans	Packers	Steelers	Raiders
3	Vikes	Raiders	Patriots	Steelers	Raiders	Steelers	Bears	Steelers

Now, at 1st glance we see there are teams regularly appearing in the top 3, namely the Steelers and the Raiders - but we have to take into account the schedules - and both Pitt and Oakland have only played 1 human opponent so far, compared to the 'group of death' NFC North where the Vikes (4), Pack (3) and Bears (3) seem a little more battle hardened at this point in the season. The Tennessee Titans have also had to carry the 'meltdown factory' to 4 human opponents and currently stand at 4-3, seems the Texans still have the 'hoodoo' over them though with 2 big divisional wins. Special mention also to the Vikes and Eagles who have both played some top teams and are still unbeaten - the champs and the 'heir apparent'?

The individual stats have thrown up a few surprises - apart from the obvious one (looking at you Darren mcFadden) - Christian Ponder leads the passers but Michael Vick is pushing hard after hitting a rich vein of form.
Mike Wallace is the league's leader in receiving yards but Jezza Maclin has come out of nowhere with a few big games on the spin.
Jamie Brooks sits atop the TE chart with Kyle Rudolph on his shoulder.
Julius Peppers has 14 sacks but Eagles Brandon Graham is just 1 behind the big eared, big shouldered, big salaried freak that is Pep! But after suffering a torn abdominal muscle which will sideline BG for the next 3 weeks Sgt. Pepper may be able to easily walk away with the sack crown.
Texans John Joseph leads with 6 INT's and the Raiders Rolando McClain leads the FF category with 4.

Where did JoJo come from - what a fab season the Houston CB is having. With all the vastly overpaid corners around up pops Joseph and puts Aso, DRC, Revis, Cro and all the rest in their gold plated places. Its also good to see the New England Patriots showing they're not a soft touch through the air after creeping into the top 3.

If you cast your minds back to my pre-season predictions you will see a stunningly accurate reflection of where we are at right now. And, in just a few weeks time i will be giving my post season predictions which, lets face it, makes the post season a little pointless as seeing into the future is just one of my world class talents!

Anyway gang, i'm off to read tomorrows horse racing results - tonight!

Bye for now

Nice one!

........You heard that AP????