NFL chat thread

[Van Basten II]

How about those Bengals.

[sal]

I thought the Eagles were finished after McNabb's injury....Garcia's leadership has been really impressive. Suddenly the NFC has another contender.

[GA Russell]

Sal, as a Canadian league fan I've always liked Garcia. (See the CFL Hot Stove League thread.)

But I think the big change for the Eagles has been their defense. Garcia's first start was against the Colts on Sunday night, and the Eagles defense was just terrible. Now, they are getting the job done.

[Big Al]

Sal, as a Canadian league fan I've always liked Garcia. (See the CFL Hot Stove League thread.)

But I think the big change for the Eagles has been their defense. Garcia's first start was against the Colts on Sunday night, and the Eagles defense was just terrible. Now, they are getting the job done.

Yes they are. Unlike the Cowboys waaaaaay-overrated defense, which is SERIOUSLY hurting without the presence of Greg Ellis.

[Soulstation1]

the best news i could report

the steelers ain't going to the play-offs this season

[Templejazz]

I think Garcia has a few more strengths than McNabb that are really helping the Birds. Westbrook has really stepped up to fill the hole that Deuce Staley left a few years ago. Stallworth is not too shabby....

Defense was on against the Cow-bitches.....Dallas played like crap too.

Any South Jersey folks want to catch the game at Champps in Marlton Sunday night? I work till 5 and will probably check it out afterward.

Happy New Year folks!!

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!!!

[Soulstation1]

BROWNS PICK

CLEVELAND + 4 VS HOU

BROWNS ARE IN TROUBLE

LOCK

BALT - 9 VS BUFF

UPSET

JAX + 2.5 VS KC

OTHERS

NE + 3 VS TENN... WTF IS UP WITH THIS SPREAD?????

PHILLY - 8 VS ATL...FALCONS' SHIP IS SINKIN'

NO + 3 VS CAROLINA

DET + 12.5 VS DALLAS... TOO MANY POINTS

PITTS + 6 VS CINCY... I GOTTA FEELING ON THIS ONE...I HOPE I'M WRONG

SUNDAY NIGHT

CHI- 3 VS GB

FAVRE 3 INTS

[Jim Alfredson]

Holy crap! The Lions beat the Cowboys?! This is the Lions' first win since November 5th when they beat the Falcons! When I saw it on Sports Center, I couldn't believe it! I didn't even bother to watch the game as I had too many other things to do and wanted to spend my TV time watching the Pistons instead.

Ha!

[Chalupa]

Losing to the Lions at home?? That's pathetic.

You know the Cowboys' loss today actually works for them seeding wise. They get to play Seattle on the road. The Boys have a better road record this year than at home. I think Dallas will spank them. Then they go to Chicago. At this point I think they would rather face the Bears than the Saints after the whippin' NO put on them a few weeks back. Still pick the Bears.

Giants and Eagles?? My heart bleeds green but after watching their two games this season I'm hesitant to make a pick. Although the Eagles are definitely the hotter team right now.

I think we're looking at a SD/NO Super Bowl.

[Soulstation1]

I wonder why the cowgirlzzz' fans ain't hoopin' n hollerin'?

Bengals screwed it up....

Ain't no way the bears will win the super bowl

Edited January 1, 2007 by Soulstation1

[ejp626]

Ain't no way the bears will win the super bowl

It hurts, but I have to agree with you. The wheels have fallen off the Bear's little orange wagon. Can somebody find who body-snatched the team that played the first half of the season, because these guys are just imposters...

[sal]

I'm not commenting on the Bears' Super Bowl chances, but in defense of the Bears, I don't think that last night was indicative at all about the team's quality of playing. There was obvious disinterest in the game on both the defensive and offensive sides. Nobody was getting fired up over anything. The lack of emotion from the coaching as well as the players was very visible. All I'm hearing on the local news is how dis-heartening this loss was, and how significant its going to be going into the playoffs. I don't agree.

The great thing about this sport is that anything can happen on any given Sunday. Bears fans need to only worry about the quarterback situation. When Grossman is firing on all cylinders, they can beat practicaly anyone. I am excited for the playoffs, not nervous. The unpredictability of all this is what makes this time of year so much fun.

Its hard to judge a team at this time of year. Look at the Eagles. Look at the Cowboys, or the Patriots. Their situations have been changing so quickly. The only team I can say I'm "confident" in are the Chargers, and even then...... everything else here is completely up for grabs to anyone. Its going to be a great month of football!

[connoisseur series500]

Ain't no way the bears will win the super bowl

It hurts, but I have to agree with you. The wheels have fallen off the Bear's little orange wagon. Can somebody find who body-snatched the team that played the first half of the season, because these guys are just imposters...

You can't discount the effect that injuries have made on the Bears D. I don't remember all the names, but they've lost one of their starting safeties, their starting nose tackle, and a linebacker. I believe there are a few other important injuries as well.

The Bears D has weakened owing to attrition. We New England fans know all about that. We've been fairly fortunate regarding injuries so far this season.

[ejp626]

I'm not commenting on the Bears' Super Bowl chances, but in defense of the Bears, I don't think that last night was indicative at all about the team's quality of playing. There was obvious disinterest in the game on both the defensive and offensive sides. Nobody was getting fired up over anything. The lack of emotion from the coaching as well as the players was very visible. All I'm hearing on the local news is how dis-heartening this loss was, and how significant its going to be going into the playoffs. I don't agree.

The great thing about this sport is that anything can happen on any given Sunday. Bears fans need to only worry about the quarterback situation. When Grossman is firing on all cylinders, they can beat practicaly anyone. I am excited for the playoffs, not nervous. The unpredictability of all this is what makes this time of year so much fun.

Its hard to judge a team at this time of year. Look at the Eagles. Look at the Cowboys, or the Patriots. Their situations have been changing so quickly. The only team I can say I'm "confident" in are the Chargers, and even then...... everything else here is completely up for grabs to anyone. Its going to be a great month of football!

Sal, I'm going to disagree with you here. What I've seen is that every week, the Defense has gotten worse, whether through injuries or peaking too early or what have you. I don't think they've played playoff-caliber football in four or five weeks, even when the games meant something. Sure, I hope Grossman bounces back, but I'm not counting on it. Now maybe he will get to be a bit more reliable in a couple of years, but it's been tough not knowing which quarterback is showing up to play.

[ghost of miles]

Broncos cornerback shot and killed in drive-by

By ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writer

January 1, 2007

AP - Jan 1, 3:07 pm EST

DENVER (AP) -- Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday when his white stretch Hummer was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party.

Police have no motive and no indication the 24-year-old player was targeted in the drive-by shooting of the limousine. The burst of violence occurred hours after the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention.

"All of us are devastated by this tragedy," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. "To lose a young player, and more important, a great young man such as Darrent Williams, is incomprehensible. To lose him in such a senseless manner as this is beyond words."

A little after 2 a.m., the limousine was fired on from a vehicle that pulled up along its side, hitting three people, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. As many as a dozen bullet holes were visible on the driver's side of the vehicle. One window was blown out.

Another man and a woman who were shot were not identified. They were taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital.

Coach Mike Shanahan said the killing left him "speechless with sadness."

"We all know that Darrent was an excellent player, but as a person, he was a first-class young man who brightened every room with his smile, attitude and personality," Shanahan said. "I cannot express how heartsick I feel at this loss."

Jackson said there was a dispute at a nightclub several blocks from the shooting where Williams and his group had attended a party. He said the argument didn't specifically involve Williams, according to witnesses, and the confrontation wasn't physical, just taunts.

"Why this happened, we're not sure," Jackson said.

Police were searching for a white Suburban or Tahoe with dark-tinted windows. Jackson wouldn't identify any of the other passengers nor would he confirm whether any other Broncos players were in the limo, which can hold 23 people.

The club identified by police advertised a New Year's Eve event celebrating the birthday of Denver Nuggets basketball player Kenyon Martin. Mark Warkentien, Denver's vice president of basketball operations, spoke with police, who instructed him not to comment, team spokesman Eric Sebastian said.

The club -- variously called Shelter or Safari -- is on the second floor of an building in a once-seedy stretch south of downtown that has a growing number of trendy bars, clubs and restaurants. Outside, the building was unmarked except for a big sign from a former occupant, Jonas Bros Furs. Inside, the ceiling was strung with Christmas lights and set off with several fireplaces.

Hours after the shooting, the limo sat in a snowbank beside Speer Boulevard, a main street through downtown. Police and technicians worked amid snow and ice from recent storms, using small yellow plastic markers to indicate possible evidence.

The previous active NFL player to die was Thomas Herrion of San Francisco. He had a heart attack following an exhibition game in Denver on Aug. 20, 2005.

Williams was a second-round draft choice in 2005 out of Oklahoma State and teamed with Champ Bailey to give Denver one of the NFL's top cornerback tandems. Williams finished the season with 88 tackles, 78 of them solo, and four interceptions.

His college coach, Mike Gundy, called the death a "tragic loss for the Broncos family, Oklahoma State University and anyone who knew Darrent Williams. It's a loss that goes far beyond the football field."

Players and coaches didn't have to report to work Monday but about 20 of them gathered at team headquarters to console each other, including receiver Javon Walker, who the Rocky Mountain News said was in the limo when Williams was killed.

"Any time you lose a guy who was close to everyone, it hurts," punter Paul Ernster said. "From the get-go, he was like one of your good friends."

Anthony Criss, Williams' high school football coach in Fort Worth, Texas, said: "When he was younger, he always gravitated to the wrong crowd. I remember he went to church and the minister was talking to him about needing to pray and stop hanging around with the wrong people, and he started straightening up and doing the right thing."

In December, Williams spoke of returning to his hometown this offseason to talk to youngsters about staying out of gangs. Williams, who has two young children in the Fort Worth area, recently talked to Criss about establishing a free football camp for youth players.

"He wanted to be a good parent, a good father, a good example for his kids," Criss said. "He will be missed."

Last April, Nuggets guard Julius Hodge was shot while driving on Interstate 76 in Denver. In 2003, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, who played at Colorado State, was shot outside a Denver sports bar.

"Since then, I carry myself in a different type of way," Porter said Monday. "I respect my situation whenever I go out. I take a whole different outlook when I go out. I make sure I feel like I'm safe and if I'm not, I'm not going."

AP Sports Writers Pat Graham in Denver, Dave Campbell in Minneapolis and Alan Robinson in Pittsburgh and Associated Press Writers Steven K. Paulson in Denver and Jeff Carlton in Fort Worth contributed to this report.

[chris olivarez]

Darrent Williams was just five foot eight but he played like a giant. The little man was the shooter who took away all of Darrent Williams tomorrows. If there is any justice the shooter will be caught,convicted and given lifetime residence in Canon City.

Edited January 2, 2007 by chris olivarez

[Big Al]

The Cowboys suck, plain and simple. They've been falling apart all month, and the loss to the Lions was the cherry on top of this dungheap. What scares me is that there are worse teams out there than the Cows, but how many of them had the high expectations the Boys had? I'm still a fan of Romo, but it's obvious he still has some growing to do.

Things oughta be interesting around here once Seattle walks all over them next weekend.

[sal]

If the Colts defence keeps playing like this, who could stop them?

[JSngry]

Absolutely the most self-destructive performance by a Cowboys team I've ever seen.

Firt the Mavs, now this. What, is "Dallas" Latin for "choke"?

[Soulstation1]

live by the rookie qb, you die by the rookie qb.....

get your popcorn ready, TO

[Aggie87]

Absolutely the most self-destructive performance by a Cowboys team I've ever seen.

Firt the Mavs, now this. What, is "Dallas" Latin for "choke"?

I don't think either team particularly deserved to win this game. Dallas maybe played a little better up until that weird safety, then the botched field goal.

Unless the Seahawks play a helluva lot better than they did tonight, they're going to lose to whoever they end up playing next.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Well, the chokes just keep on coming. If I was 10 years younger I would be crying, but that botched field goal was such an absurd display of ineptitude that I am laughing. And I am a Cowboy fan.

[Dan Gould]

I just feel badly for Romo, who spent over half the season showing that he can play in this league and then dropped the snap on the FG.

I am glad that they reviewed the spot on the play before. By almost a full yard that was a horrendous pro-Dallas spot. Amazing that in the past that would have stood and Dallas surely would have won given three chances to punch it in from the 1.

[Big Al]

I just feel badly for Romo, who spent over half the season showing that he can play in this league and then dropped the snap on the FG.

Amen to THAT. I just hope he's able to shake this off and come back strong next year. He's not the only reason the Cows lost tonight. Terry Glenn needs to be hanging his head in shame, too!

[Shawn]

Crazy game...one of the craziest from recent memory. I feel sorry for Romo, he shouldn't blame only himself for the loss.

On another note...some credit has to be given to Seattle. They have been obliterated by injuries all season long. 8 different starting offensive line sets, losing their QB for 4 weeks, the league MVP for 6 weeks, multiple injuries to the receiver core...and not to mention losing 3 of their 4 starting cornerbacks for this game. But those backups stepped up and played solid defense tonight...the Seahawks haven't had much heart this season (and even worse luck) but they showed heart tonight.