NFL

[Avenger]

They also have the worst receiving corps I think I've ever seen in the NFL, just absolutely appalling.

It's a far cry from the 99 season where they had 4 top quality wideouts and Faulk in the backfield who was just as much of a threat through the air as he was on the ground - simply the best player I've ever seen.
Bruce and Holt were great for years too.

The current crop are young so I was surprised they didn't go after a veteran in free agency or trade. Avery out for the season after the NE game so that hasn't helped at all.
The rookie TE Hoomanawanui looks a threat so I'd say it'll be Jackson and TE passes most of this season for Sam. As long as they keep him healthy and gain some experience, this season will be useful.

[nelly the elephant]

Revis & Jets agree new deal-



Thanks be to Jebus............finally we have the deal done.

It did drag on for far too long and I know for some fans Revis has gone down in their estimation. For me? He was badly advised and has looked very greedy but we shouldn't be surprised,he did the same in his rookie year after signing as our 1st round pick.

Bottom line.......He's here, he's playing in green & white and he vastly improves our (already formidably strong)defence.


Bring on the Ravens!

[jezzer]

He won't look such a good deal as the NFL's most expensive defender when the Beast Marshall buys up all the real estate on Revis Island!

[nelly the elephant]

He won't look such a good deal as the NFL's most expensive defender when the Beast Marshall buys up all the real estate on Revis Island!

Feicfimid a Mhic, feicfimid!

[jezzer]

Indeed we will! TBH, I'm not convinced about any of the AFCE teams as divisional or SB contenders, incl the Fins. I don't see us beating you home and away again this year - would put it at 1 apiece.

[nelly the elephant]

Indeed we will! TBH, I'm not convinced about any of the AFCE teams as divisional or SB contenders, incl the Fins. I don't see us beating you home and away again this year - would put it at 1 apiece.

Not sure on that, Sanchez is the big imponderable for us. The liklihood(on preseason evidence) is that he will continue to throw lots of picks this year and end up losing us games we should have won. We've in very good shape it would appear elsewhere(Defence, Running Game & Special teams). Similar to yourselves, if you can provide good protection for Henne he certainly has the tools(Marshall) to have a big say in the division. There's also the Ronnie & Ricky show which we couldn't contain(at your place) last year. How you beat us at the Meadowlands with about 40 total yards of offence or something will remain one of the great mysteries.........
I keep waiting for the Pats decline to start but they'll still be there or thereabouts-Bodden is a big loss for them though on D and a lot expected of many rookies there this season.



The Bills? F**ked!

[jezzer]

Indeed we will! TBH, I'm not convinced about any of the AFCE teams as divisional or SB contenders, incl the Fins. I don't see us beating you home and away again this year - would put it at 1 apiece.

How you beat us at the Meadowlands with about 40 total yards of offence or something will remain one of the great mysteries.........



The Bills? F**ked!

Teddy ginn had a use after all it seems! Fins are in yet another rebuild year IMO. Jets have a lot of big names (and egos?) but I'm a little sceptical about whether they'll function as a team. Sanchez and Henne have both a lot to prove.

The Bills? I'd believe it next week after we've beaten them for the first time in ages!!!

[Donny B.]

This year the BEARS WILL BE BACK!!!!!!!!!!*













* Please note, I am not basing this on anything other than pure hope!

[Avenger]

This year the BEARS WILL BE BACK!!!!!!!!!!*












* Please note, I am not basing this on anything other than pure hope!

LOL.

If last in their division is back then you're spohon Donny.

[Donny B.]

If last in their division is back then you're spohon Donny.

Really? Are they that bad? Oh dear.

[nelly the elephant]

This year the BEARS WILL BE BACK!!!!!!!!!!*













* Please note, I am not basing this on anything other than pure hope!

What, shi**ing in the woods again???

[Armchair]

CURTAIN RAISES ON NEW CAMPAIGN

The New Orleans Saints will begin their bid to regain their Super Bowl crown when they face the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night ahead of one of the toughest NFL seasons to predict in years.

The Saints rode the crest of a wave to Super Bowl glory in February, and it is hard to imagine a repeat, but they still have the pieces in place to compete, namely the likes of quarterback Drew Brees and running back Reggie Bush.

The Indianapolis Colts also sport a largely unchanged roster, and proved last year that their precision offence could tick along just fine even without future Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison.

The fact that quarterback Peyton Manning is starting to get on - he turned 34 in March - means there is pressure to win again soon for the Colts.

The New England Patriots are doing what they do, and adding experienced veterans to their impressive core.

Torry Holt and Alge Crumpler bring big names and reputations to Foxboro, and coach Bill Belichick will have a smart way to use them worked out.

The question is whether the Colts and the Patriots have a smart way to extend the contracts of Manning and Tom Brady - both moves are needed soon - amid the salary cap uncertainty.

There is currently no cap in place as labour talks rumble on, meaning there could have been a free-for-all in the free agent market, but instead front offices around the country seem to be shrinking from the risk of inking players to long-term contracts they will not be able to meet should a new deal be agreed.

The logical conclusion from that might be to think this season will mirror the last, but there are still signs of change. And the biggest ones could come out west, where a number of teams seem to be ready to haul themselves out of the doldrums.

The record of teams in the NFC and AFC West divisions has been quite frankly embarrassing in recent seasons.

The NFC West has been particularly inept, having failed to produce more than two teams with winning records since 2003, while the AFC has been only marginally better. But that could be about to change.

The San Francisco 49ers, who will visit Wembley this season, have been rebuilding for several years now, and with Frank Gore still a bull through the middle and Vernon Davis finally showing his full potential, they are looking like a good pick to win the NFC West.

To do so, they will have to find a way past the Arizona Cardinals, winners in the previous two years, although the loss of Kurt Warner means Matt Leinart must step up for them at quarterback.

The Seattle Seahawks, reinvigorated by the arrival of new coach Pete Carroll, will also have a say.

Over in the AFC West, the San Diego Chargers start out as favourites, even with the ongoing saga of Shawne Merriman's contract holdout, but the Denver Broncos, who will meet the 49ers in London in October, are on their way back.

The idea that the Oakland Raiders could be a force still seems hard to process, but they should at least be less miserable with a competent starting quarterback - in the form of Jason Campbell - installed.

However, even as they get better, the teams out west will face a tough task in catching the eastern powerhouses.

[Armchair]

Rodgers will lead Packers to Super Bowl glory
Post categories: Jets, Packers, Saints, Vikings

Neil Reynolds | 16:13 UK time, Wednesday, 8 September 2010

The long NFL off-season is finally over and, while the past seven months have not lacked in terms of headlines and intrigue, I cannot wait for the real action to begin on the pitch.

It has been an off-season full of high-profile moves. Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Miami Dolphins, star quarterback Donovan McNabb joined the Washington Redskins after 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and a whole host of veteran stars inked deals with an ambitious New York Jets club gearing up for a Super Bowl run.

But, as has been the case for the previous three years, one man dominated the off-season news and all eyes were on future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre for much of the summer.

Given that Favre got severely beaten up in the NFC Championship Game at the end of January, underwent tricky ankle surgery in May and will turn 41 in October, Vikings fans could have been forgiven for thinking the man who threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2009 was not coming back.

Aaron Rodgers has finally stepped out of Brett Favre's shadow in Green Bay
But Favre re-signed with the Vikings for a 20th season in the NFL and gives them undoubted playmaking class from the quarterback position.
Although Favre demands considerable attention, I don't consider him to be the best quarterback in the NFC North division. I would give that honour to the rising star who replaced Favre in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers.

I feel the 2010 season will see Rodgers put himself in the same class as the likes of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees - and I think the result will be a Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers in February.

Rodgers, still only 26, has the arm strength to make every throw in the playbook, he takes care of the football and he rarely gets rattled under pressure.

The one knock on him during the first half of the 2009 campaign was that he held on to the ball for too long and took too many sacks. He wiped that problem from his game over the second half of last season and will receive a further confidence boost from the fact he will be playing behind a much-improved offensive line in 2010.

But it is in the skill positions that the Packers are most spoiled. In addition to Rodgers, they have outstanding receivers in Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, and a playmaking, athletic tight end in Jermichael Finley. Add in Ryan Grant, who rushed for more than 1,200 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in 2009 and you can see why the Packers will easily put points on the board.

Defensively, the Packers ranked second in the NFL last term and return playmakers across the board in the form of cornerback Charles Woodson and linebackers Nick Barnett and Clay Matthews.

But with quarterback being such a pivotal position in the NFL, Rodgers is the key man and he looks extremely capable of guiding the Packers on a special run to the Super Bowl.

Rodgers' career passer rating of 97.2 ranks as the highest in NFL history, ahead of Hall of Fame greats such as Steve Young, Joe Montana and Dan Marino.

He now needs a Super Bowl crown to truly win the love and admiration of Packers fans who still think back fondly to the Favre era. And I think this could be the year he does just that, guiding the Packers to victory over the Indianapolis Colts or Baltimore Ravens in February.

As someone who has handled himself with class and dignity in the face of so many questions about Favre in recent years, Rodgers would fully deserve that kind of success.


Week one on BBC 5 live sports extra

We have a couple of mouth-watering contests to listen out for on BBC Radio this week, beginning in the early hours of Friday morning at 0030 BST with the NFC Championship Game re-match between the Vikings and the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Greg Brady and Darren Fletcher will call the action live from the Superdome and I think Drew Brees and the Saints will have too much firepower for a Vikings side with question marks at receiver.

I'll take the Saints and their receivers every time, particularly with Brees firing the football around the field.

On Sunday from 2100 BST, Arlo White presents live coverage of the San Francisco 49ers' visit to the Seattle Seahawks. The hometown Seahawks are rebuilding under new head coach Pete Carroll but I think the 49ers will be too strong for them on this occasion.

Mike Singletary has introduced a feel-good vibe around the Wembley-bound 49ers and they are favourites to take the NFC West this season. Alex Smith has some offensive weapons around him and the defence remains as good as ever.

It should be a fascinating opening weekend and an action-packed, exciting 2010 campaign.

Enjoy the season!

You can catch Neil commentating on an NFL game every Sunday at 2100 BST on BBC 5 live sports extra throughout the season.(UK users only).

[Broken Wing]

For those of us in FTA land Cowboys @ Redskins is live on Channel 4 this Sunday night/Monday morning and Channel 4 will be showing the live Sunday night game through the season.

Sunday, September 12 Dallas @ Washington
Sunday, September 19 NY Giants @ Indianapolis
Sunday, September 26 NY Jets @ Miami
Sunday, October 3 Chicago @ NY Giants
Sunday, October 10 Philadelphia @ San Francisco
Sunday, October 17 Indianapolis @ Washington
Sunday, October 24 Minnesota @ Green Bay
Sunday, October 31 Pittsburgh @ New Orleans
Sunday, November 7 Dallas @ Green Bay
Sunday, November 14 New England @ Pittsburgh
Sunday, November 21 NY Giants @ Philadelphia
Sunday, November 28 San Diego @ Indianapolis
Sunday, December 5 Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
Sunday, December 12 Philadelphia @ Dallas
Sunday, December 19 Green Bay @ New England
Sunday, December 26 San Diego @ Cincinnati
Sunday, January 2 TBD @ TBD

Only one Bears game, one Vikings game and no Cards but it's better than nothing.

[hugonaut]

Only one Bears game, one Vikings game and no Cards but it's better than nothing.

I think that the Cards could just absolutely fall apart on offense this season. No Kurt Warner [who is Hall of Fame bound, I'm a little puzzled that some people don't think so] and no Anquan Boldin – as good as Larry Fitz is, he's going to have Derek Anderson throwing rocks at him. Hightower and Beanie Wells are going to have to step up in a big way as RBs, and I'm not sure a past-prime Alan Faneca is enough to give them the edge as a road-grading guard, though time will tell.

[Avenger]

No Kurt Warner [who is Hall of Fame bound, I'm a little puzzled that some people don't think so]

Kurt should be a lock for the HOF. I'm also amazed by people who don't rate him.
The number's he's put up are as good as any QB that's ever played in the league. He hurt himself a little by playing injured and had a few unproductive seasons but for a 3 year period with the Rams he was unstoppable and he's done great with the Cards too. Give him the weapons and he'd cut any defence to pieces.
And an all around nice guy too.

[nelly the elephant]

Hurrah.........long,lazy Sunday evenings with wall-to-wall NFL action starting today! The onset of winter brings Rugby and Gridiron back into my life.............AND IT FEELS GOOD!!!!!

[ronk]

So frustrating, that 49ers match.

[tate]

TB and co getting it done. Only first game of the season i know but the pats running game seemed more potent than in recent years (arguably since dillon retired). Defence seemed a bit meaner too. I know the bengals came back into it, but i thought the rookie CB McCourty did well against ocho cinqo and in the first half we didnt give them sh!t. Roll on week two!!

[Broken Wing]

If last in their division is back then you're spohon Donny.

Really? Are they that bad? Oh dear.

Ha! Bears win! In your face naysayers!

(Also, Go Cards!)