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Pro Sports Wrap - by Sam Ruesler

Crazy Week 6

October 16th 2012 18:24


The NFL season has already seen some crazy moments, and Week 6 didn't change from that at all. Many different things will be talked about all week so I'm just going to jump right into my top stories.

1) Ray Lewis Injured- This was easily the biggest story of the weekend. The 17 year vet went down against Dallas on Sunday with a torn tricep that will keep him out for the year. This could easily mean the end of one of the greatest careers in the history of the NFL. Hopefully he will fight and come back next year to end on his own terms. Also injured during the game was top corner Lardarius Webb, out for the year, and Haloti Ngata. This is a defense that has been struggling to live up to their own standards, now what?


2) Texans Fall- They not only received their first loss, leaving Atlanta as the only unbeaten, but they got it handed to them. Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards and 6 touchdowns. You could tell Houston was missing Brian Cushing. Being at home made it even worse, along with 3 dumb penalties that extended Green Bay drives. Rodgers missed some receivers early but you can't just give him another chance. No one should have worried about the Packers but should Texan fans be concerned?

3) Robert Griffin III Excels After Concussion- Whether or not he should play was a big debate all of last week, but RG3 played and showed why it was a good decision. He had 138 yards rushing for 2 scores including a 76 yarder where he showed his world class speed. His QBR was just under 100. While Andrew Luck struggled mightily RG3 continues to impress.


4) Giants Dominate 49ers- Another top team with a top defense got blown out at home. This might have been a more impressive showing for the Giants than the Packers win over Houston. No one runs on San Francisco, but that is exactly what Bradshaw and the Giants did. Beating them at their own game New York ran for 139 and picked Smith off 3 times. There was no running game for the 49ers and the end result was them feeling like the Jets and Bills did against them weeks before.

5) Seattle Makes a Comeback- The leagues top offense in New England went up to visit the top defense in hostile Seattle. Down 20-10 entering the 4th quarter the Seahawks looked done, but then Russell Wilson started completing some bombs down the field. While doing this the Patriots went away from their run game that had been dominant all year. Sidney Rice caught a 46 yard pass with under 2 minutes to complete the comeback. Tom Brady looked good but made 2 costly mistakes in the redzone that led to no points on the board. New England is now 3-3 and Seattle has beaten Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, and Aaron Rodgers*.

6) Thought I needed to add an extra to congratulate the Browns on their first win. Now their are no winless teams, and with the Broncons making an impressive comeback Monday night in San Diego there are only 2 teams in the whole AFC with a winning record. That's crazy.
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Swatter of the Week

October 10th 2012 16:11

6'5, 295 lbs of get after the ball and quarterback; that is the definition of J.J. Watt. The Texans defensive end is just a flat out beast. His 8.5 sacks on the year are tops in the NFL, while he also has deflected/batted down/swatted 8 passes at the line of scrimmage. He had 3 of them in the Monday night win over the Jets to push Houston to 5-0. One of his deflections was the play of the game as it led to an interception as Mark Sanchez was trying to put it into the endzone.

Along with his 3 pass deflections Watt also had 6 tackles and one sack against New York. He is part of the NFL's best defense and is probably the leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. It is still really early so anything can happen, and now that the defensive leader in Brian Cushing is out for the year Watt is going to have to step up even more.

I don't see a problem with that happening; he is huge and as athletic as Clay Matthews while having a bigger reach than Gronk. In only his 2nd year out of Wisconsin, there seems to be nothing this guy can do. Don't forget about the Texan's offense that seams to be unstoppable. With the combination of Arian Foster running all over people and Watt swatting and sacking everything in sight could this be the year Houston is celebrating in February?
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Week 5 in the NFL

October 9th 2012 17:33

Baseball playoffs have started and there have been some great games, but it is still football season. Sunday is dominated on the gridiron so missing the Stl Cardinals blow game 1 was ok with me; I did get to see them destroy in game 2 though. So what were the great moments from Week 5 in the NFL? Well it started Thursday night.

1) Rams D Dominates Cardinals- While Houston and Atlanta continued on their winning ways to 5-0, Arizona added a 1 to their loss collumn. It was suppose to be a close game that the Cardinals win but Chris Long had other plans. The Rams defense has been great this year (along with the rest of the division) and sacking Kevin Kolb 9 times lead to an impressive victory. Saint Louis now has more wins this year than all of last year and have a winning record for the first time in 6 years. Playoff birth back in the Gateway City?

2) Luck Drives the Colts Over the Packers- Aaron Rodgers hasn't looked great all year really. Going in Green Bay was only 2-2 and only ahead of Detroit in the NFC North. Up 20-3 at half Colts fans might have wanted to turn to another game. Well Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne came out and helped make an impressive comeback with play after play. They did it for their coach in the hospital, and who knows what else they can accomplish.

3) Patriots Run Again- The year was 1978, 10 years before I was born. That was the last time New England ran for 200 yards in consectutive games. Just like last week against Buffallo, Tom Brady turned around and handed it off to a multitude of running backs who sped through the Denver defense. If the Pats can continue to excel at running along with Tom Brady's arm it could be scary how good this offense can become.

4) Breese Passes Unitas in 1st Win- 48 straight games Drew Breese has now thrown a touchdown pass. This sets a mark that had been held for a long time by Johnny Unitas.What is more important is that the Saints pulled out their first W of the year. No one thought they would go 0-16 but we all questioned when that first victory would come. Now that it's over how will the rest of their season go?

5) Cheer for Injury- Matt Cassel has struggled mightily in KC. Obviously fans are passionate and want to watch good football. This doesn't mean you cheer for someone getting hurt. People that were at Arrowhead have been on both sides, saying they weren't cheering his injury but that they got to see Brady Quinn (not sure thats any better) whlie others say they heard many celebrating the injury. Even if it was only a few it was still too much.
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Another Week to Remember

October 2nd 2012 20:41

With the real officials back everything was back to normal. Not every call was made but that was expected, and at least the ball was placed in the right spot every time and games didn't take forever. For the first time ever players embraced the officials while the fans cheered up until the first flag against the home team. A lot went on, including the Rams equalling their win total from last year and the Vikings staying on top in the NFC North at 3-1. Those were just a few of the stories from the NFL in week and here is what I took away from it.

1) 49ers still may be the best team in the league. They bounced back after a shocking loss to Minnesota. It was done in a big way; everyone knows the Jets offense is horrible but San Fran crushed them 34-0. It should have been worse but Alex Smith missed a few passes. Will we see more of Tebow soon? How bad will it really get for the Jets who lost Santonio Holmes to injury?

2) The 3 unbeatens move to 4-0 but in totally different ways. Houston faced a division rival in Tennessee but made it look way to easy once again. They alson knocked Jake Locker out of the game. Atlanta also had a division battle again Cam Newton and the Panthers. Once again Atlanta forced a fumble, by Newton, that forced a 4th down instead of a 1st to win the game. Then starting from their own 1 after a punt, Matty Ice threw a deep jump ball that White came down with leading to a game winning field goal. Then there are the Arizon Cardinals, probably the most surprising 4-0 team of the three. Going in it looked like an easy win against a Dolphins team with a rookie QB, but Kevin Kolb had to convert a 4th down touchdown to send it to extra time. Houston and Atlanta both have week divisions, but can Arizona keep it up in a much improved NFC West?

3) Detroit is bad and so are the Saints. The Lions finally made the playoffs last year and were an up and coming team, like the Texans. What in the world has happend to them this year? They probably should be 0-4 but they escaped in week 1 against Saint Louis. Matthew Stafford has not looked good at all and the "great" defense has been everything but that. Then there are the Saints. Even with all their trouble before the season 0-4 was not even considered. They finally lost to a team that had beaten someone else. Breese has not looked the same without Sean Peyton calling plays and that defense may be the worse in football. Good luck to both teams, you will need it.

4) The Patriots have a running game. They almost ran for 300 hundred yards against an improved Bills defense. Bolden had 137 on 16 carries with a touchdown, Ridley had 106 on 22 carries with 2 touchdowns, while Tom Brady also added a running score. Who would have thunk it? They are only 2-2 but if they can keep that up they are even better than we thought. Still no defense though.

5) Tony Romo makes things worse. I am not a Cowboys fan at all and they should not be considered "America's Team". Maybe back when they were good but not now, there are more people who dislike them than there are fans. Romo is a good QB but he always falls apart. Only down 3-0 close to half time miscommunication between him and Dez Bryant leads to a pick 6. What does Romo do? He leads a great drive to end the half only down 10-7. Just like the announcers I thought that he would bring that momentun into the 2nd half for a victory. Shocker, he did the complete opposite. 5 interceptions, another was taken to the house but that should have been called a fumble, before game was over and he was taken out. Everyone always wants to pick them for the Super Bowl and I cannot figure out why. This year people waited til after an impressive week 1 win over the Giants, but Dallas has not been good for a while. Not going to say good luck the them though, for one it wont help but also I don't want them to get lucky.
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Molina Equals MVP

October 1st 2012 23:15

Being a huge Stl Cardinals I'm probably extremely bias here, but I don't care. Yadier Molina should be the NL MVP. He definitely is the most important. The team is totally different without him in there. Best defensive player in all of baseball; he has the best arm and handles the pitching staff perfectly.

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Wednesday Player of the Week

September 26th 2012 16:59

Most plays/player of the week come during the weekend, but I thought Wednesday was a perfect day for mine. Play is obviously the most important factor in my decision; there are other things I think about as well. This weeks winner went up and beyond for his team.

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Bo Harris Player Profile

December 10th 2011 15:25
Bo Harris was a left outside linebacker who played with the Cincinnati Bengals for eight seasons from 1975-1982. A third rounder out of LSU, Harris would wear the No. 53 and would be worth 44 AV during his entire career. Pro-Football Reference's similarity score says that Harris's career was similar to current linebackers Karlos Dansby and D.J. Williams.

After a poor rookie year in which Harris didn't really have much of a chance to play, he had the best season of his career as a sophomore in the NFL. He was worth 10 AV and picked off two passes while also recovering two fumbles and fumbling once on his own. The net return yardage on those four turnovers was -5, and he had 13 fumble return yards on five fumble recoveries in his career (2.6 yards per fumble return


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Tony Pashos Player Profile

December 9th 2011 15:23
Cleveland Browns right tackle Tony Pashos is an injury prone offensive lineman who is slightly above-average when he is healthy. Pashos has been the second best player on the team's offensive line this season, as he has been one of only two players who have helped keep Colt McCoy's jersey clean. Pashos, however, has never been lauded for his pass protection, and this is the only season in which he has been good as a pass blocker. In fact, Pashos has been tearing it up and is the team's best pass protector this season- even better than Joe Thomas. However, Pashos's run blocking has been poor, making him "only" slightly above-average on the year. He is much better than backups Oniel Cousins and Artis Hicks, so Browns fans can't really complain too much about his 2011 season.

Pashos gives up minimal pressure and is one of the only players on offense who has provided some value. The Browns are an above-average pass blocking team and a poor run blocking team overall, which makes them an average line overall. The team averages a high 4.9 yards per carry off the right tackle, but they average an atrocious, league-worst 0.4 carries off the right end. In any case, Pashos is not going to mistaken as one of the premier run blockers in the NFL for this season


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A.J. Smith on hot seat

December 4th 2011 15:16
I wrote up a player profile on Nnamdi Asomugha a few days ago, and Nnamdi might be suffering from a concussion that was sustained in the second quarter of Thursday's game. The Eagles are hoping that he will recover before the team takes on the Miami Dolphins next week. Asomugha landed awkwardly and hit Seahawks wide receiver Mike Williams with his head, and Nnamdi is already suffering from a knee injury.

The healing process is moving ahead for Peyton Manning, and Dr. Robert Watkins said the surgery was a success; Manning will be able to increase the length and intensity of his workouts. The Colts have been vague about their plans for the future concerning Manning and a certain draft-bound quarterback


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I don't want to make this an "I told you so" post, but I really did. It was a long time ago when I made the bold statement that Jeremy Maclin is the better receiver than DeSean Jackson. A few of you readers agreed with me, but most of you called me an idiot for saying this. Sure Jackson can make the big play, but he is extremely inconsistent, and Maclin is also capable of making a big play. And plus, Maclin doesn't drop as many passes and is far more consistent.

Last year, when both receivers were actually healthy, Jackson caught just 49% of the passes thrown at him. He did, however, average 22.5 yards per catch; and his ability as a deep threat is the only reason why he had such a great year in 2010. And even then, Jackson's season was overrated, as he is a very one-dimensional player. The only asset he brings to the table is speed, and the arm of Michael Vick is the reason why he is able to haul in these long passes. That's not saying he's a bad player, because Jackson is a good receiver. However, he isn't great, and those who believe he is a top ten receiver are crazy


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11/2011 Player Profile: Nnamdi Asomugha

November 30th 2011 17:30
Nnamdi Asomugha is widely regarded as the second best corner in the NFL to Darrelle Revis, and he was a valued commodity when he hit free agency. Asomugha was given a five-year contract worth $80 million dollars by the Philadelphia Eagles, but he has been a disappointment in his first season with the Eagles. The usually perfect Asomugha has been beat a little too easily this year, and his work in run support- much like last season- has left a lot to be desired.

Asomugha is still a star corner, and I don't think he declined this sharply. Although Asomugha is getting older, he can still cover but is just having a poor season. The scheme he's in with the Eagles doesn't fit his skill set as well as the man-to-man coverage scheme in Oakland. But there really isn't any other way to say it, because Asomugha is in the midst of a poor year; especially by his lofty standards


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Larry Brooks was a little-known 14th round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1972 NFL Draft. Brooks was a Little All-American in 1971, but his impact on sports in Virginia wasn't; he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Coming out of a small school didn't help Brooks much, but he was starting for the Rams in the second half of his rookie season. He started with legends Merlin Olsen, Jack Youngblood, and Coy Bacon.

In 1973, he was firmly entrenched as a starter after being moved from right defensive tackle to left defensive tackle. Brooks had nine sacks in '73 and had the most tackles of any defensive lineman on the team with 76. He really broke out in his first full season, and the Rams defense wasn't to be messed with. They were a force to be reckoned with against the run, and they never allowed 300 yards during any game that season


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11/2011 Football Talk: The Detroit Lions

November 26th 2011 17:33
To me, the Lions as a team are really just like their quarterback; average and overrated. Matthew Stafford is about a league-average quarterback, and he makes a ton of mistakes because he forces throws and trusts in his ability too much. That's not to say he is a bad player, but he gets bailed out a ton by Calvin Johnson. Megatron is so talented that he is basically carrying an offense with help from Stafford. The rest of the skill position players aren't that good, although Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith are about average for their positions. Nate Burleson doesn't scare anybody, but he is about an average receiver as well.

The biggest problem on offense for the Lions is their offensive line. Their line doesn't stink, but it is too inconsistent and gets manhandled when facing a dominant player. The reason being is that they don't have a top 15 player at any position on the line and can't take on the elite players on the other side of the ball and win those respective one-on-one matchups. Their blocking is subpar for the most part, and they really don't get it done as a run blocking unit. However, they are actually an average bunch in pass protection


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After the Thanksgiving games have been played, it is now appropriate to start conjuring up early end of season award musings. With the MVP award all but given to Aaron Rodgers, I want to talk about the Rookie of the Year award. So far this season, there have been a handful of rookies playing at a high level, and this draft yielded some studs in the making. However, one of those guys is already a stud and stands out above the rest.

This special rookie's name isn't Cam Newton. The Panthers' quarterback does have a lot of hype surrounding him, but he takes a back seat to the less-heralded Von Miller. The Broncos outside linebacker was No. 2 to Newton's No. 1 in the draft, but that order should be reversed when talking about who is the better player. Newton may be a very mobile quarterback with a cannon of an arm, but he doesn't quite measure up to Von Miller


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11/2011 Team Scope: Cleveland Browns

November 20th 2011 18:09
The Cleveland Browns are clearly the worst team in their division, and their 3-6 record reflects a poor team filled with enormous holes on offense. Although their defense is actually quite good, their offense more than drags down all the good their defense does. You can't win if you can't score, and this truism rings true when examining the Cleveland Browns roster.

Colt McCoy is pretty much as average as you can get at quarterback, and he basically has no help. All of his receivers are below-average, even if the two tight ends on the roster are decent. That's not really enough, and rookie Greg Little just can't get to the ball. When Little does, he makes plays by forcing missed tackles, but the main job of a receiver is to actually make the catch. The numbers below show us a poor receiver overall, and it's pathetic that he's their best receiver on offense


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I continue my recent string of Jaguars-themed Historical Player Profiles with their former star quarterback; Mark Brunell. The now-bankrupt backup Jets quarterback is probably shaking his head at the team's most recent loss. The lefty has lost most of his former glory, so I'm just going to focus on his notable seasons with the Jags and Washington Redskins.

Brunell is currently in his 17th season, and the three time Pro Bowler was a 5th round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. The Seahawks made a mistake in taking highly-regarded Notre Dame product Rick Mirer instead of waiting for Brunell to tumble. The Packers already had their answer in Brett Favre, and Brunell and the Jaguars struck gold when he was traded for a 3rd and fifth rounder


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2011 Week 11 Preview: Eagles and Giants

November 16th 2011 17:33
There is no way to understate the meaning of this game for the Philadelphia Eagles, because they have come off of a horrid performance against a poor Cardinals team. The Giants, on the other hand, lost to fellow NFC division leaders the San Francisco 49ers. This is an important rivalry matchup for both teams, and it's time to see whether or not the Eagles can right the ship.

In the Giants most recent loss, the key culprit was some of the worst offensive line play in a single game all season. Eli was constantly on the run, yet he still had a completion percentage of about 70% on such throws. It was Eli alone who kept the Giants in this game, because most other quarterbacks in this league wouldn't be able to make the throws he did; especially in the face of pressure. Although he isn't known for his ability to run with the football, the younger Manning is more than capable of evading the grasp of frustrated defenders who are looking for a sack


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11/2011 Player Profile: Brandon Flowers

November 13th 2011 14:49
In my piece yesterday, I ranked the top 50 corners in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs star Brandon Flowers with fifth on the list, and the 5'9 corner proves that you don't need height to be a successful player in this league. In fact, he matched up pretty well against Vincent Jackson in their last faceoff; V-Jax is one of the taller corners in the NFL. However, he did give up two touchdowns against Calvin Johnson, despite actually holding his own and playing well overall. Guys, please don't confuse him with the lead singer of the Killers who has the same exact name.

Among all cornerbacks this season, Brandon Flowers has the most passes defended with 15 break-ups. He also has four interceptions, although picks aren't really a good true evaluator of a corner. But it still shows us that he is capable of making plays in the secondary


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11/2011 Cornerback Rankings

November 12th 2011 15:43
1. Darrelle Revis- Revis is easily the best cornerback in the NFL right now, and he breaks up almost as many passes as receptions allowed.

2. Nnamdi Asomugha- Despite a poor 2011, I still believe in his ability as a pure cover guy. However, Nnamdi is awful in run support and can't tackle


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In the last Football Talk column, I spent the majority of the article defending Tony Romo. Before I get into this piece, I want to say that the song "Innocence" by Disturbed is a great one to listen to if you are angered by the men who did nothing at Penn State. I can't believe six grown men completely ignored what happened, but I'll leave it at that without going on to a rant. As a PSU fan, I just don't want to talk about it. I also have a rap-related question for you all, and it concerns Big L's "Put It On". Is the dude with the Jamaican accent really Kid Capri? Thanks in advanced to those of you who will attempt to answer this baffling- to an idiot like me- question.

Eli Manning doesn't have Steve Smith anymore and has been playing with inexperienced receivers who are talented, but they aren't very good route-runners. Manning has been an MVP candidate thus far, because he has basically led his team to the top in the NFC East and led an amazing comeback to take down the Pats. Deja vu aside, Manning has the second highest air yards per attempt, and this is a testament to his elite play and downfield proficiency. In fact, Aaron Rodgers- perhaps the greatest quarterback of all-time by the end of his career- is the only player higher in AY/A with an insane 8.3. Yeah, you read that right; 8.3


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