Cowboys Want Romo for the Long Haul
The Dallas Cowboys signed their star quarterback, Tony Romo, to a 6-year, $67.5 million dollar contact yesterday. The deal will make Romo the third highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and makes it clear that the Cowboys believe that Romo is expected to be the team’s leader for the long haul. The contract is remarkable for its size, and the fact that it as been given to a guy who went undrafted, and was basically unknown until very recently. While Romo has been with the Cowboy, the team has started several quarterbacks, including Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe.
Currently Tony Romo owns the fifth-highest QB Rating in the NFL. He has thrown for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns. But perhaps the real reason that Romo is the man now in Big D is that he has been getting this team wins. The Cowboys are considered by many to be the best, or one of the best, teams in the NFC. Even when he does poorly, such as his game versus Buffalo when he threw five interceptions, he still finds a way to win. If Romo can keep up his production, then the Cowboys look like one of the early favorites to get to the Super Bowl. Congratulations on the dough, Romo.
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Brady, Manning, and some Surprises
We all know that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but there are a few others that have had some fabulous performances that you wouldn’t have expected when the year began. This is highlighted by the fact that Brett Farve had an incredible game on Monday Night Football. Even though he is quite old, the rocket launcher was able to beat his younger, more virile competition, Jay Cutler, who was probably taken over Farve in many fantasy football leagues. Peter King, the Sports Illustrated writer, has written an article about some unlikely QB successes in the NFL.
Well, the article at least brings up Farve and Derek Anderson, the Browns quarterback. You might never have thought that Anderson would be doing well this season. In fact, you might have suspected that Brady Quinn would be the QB in Cleveland at this point. However, Anderson is ranked #2 in the league in touchdowns and #9 in total yards, so he would be a starting fantasy quarterback in almost any league. In 2006 Anderson played in only about half of the Browns games, and he was anything but spectacular. But this year, he looks like… a young Brett Farve.
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Scores and Highlights of Week 8
Week 8 of the NFL season will be over tonight after the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers are finished tonight in Denver. There were a ton of great games that you should have gotten tickets to see. The weekend was especially fun for fans of New England sports, who got to witness their Boston Red Sox win the World Series in a sweep on Sunday, as well as Tom Brady and the Patriots beat up on Washington 52-7, making them 8-0. Drew Brees went off on the 49ers as the Saints won in San Francisco. Jacksonville played some great defense against the Bucs to get a come-from-behind win. The San Diego Chargers won at home to brighten the spirits of Southern Californians coping with the fires. Indianapolis rolled to a record-setting victory over Carolina, moving to 8-0 on the season. This past weekend sets up a colossal matchup between the two unbeaten teams, New England and Indy next Sunday. It should be one for the ages.
Even though the Packers are an impressive 5-1 while the Denver Broncos are 4-4, they are still pretty equal in the stats categories. Plus many people have been comparing Jay Cutler to Brett Farve recently. This blogger gives the edge to Denver, because the city needs something to get over the Red Sox winning the World Series at Coors Field. It will be close, though, and it might not be very high-scoring. I say the Broncos will win 17-10, and both QB’s get intercepted a few times.
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Miami Hosts New York… In London, England
The Miami Dolphins will be playing a home game across the pond at Wembley Stadium in London, England this weekend. The Dolphins-Giants game is the first regular season contest played outside of American soil since the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers played in Mexico City in 2005. There are plenty of exhibition games that take pace outside of the United States every year, but as you well know, exhibition NFL games are pitiful compared to the real thing. That’s why so many people are feeling like this is a really good opportunity for the NFL to gain exposure in a market that might be quite lucrative if American football can catch on. Of course, the NFL is hoping that it can get a fan base in England and the European continent, a place where their football (our soccer) has been the only game in town for much too long.
Basketball has expanded into the international scene with great success. There is a huge market in Europe not only for talent to fill the NBA ranks, but for fans who would like to buy merchandise and watch the games on television. The NFL would be wise to expand like the NBA has, and this upcoming game is seen as a big step in the process.
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Peter King Picks ‘Em
Peter King, the famous Sports Illustrated NFL writer, picks who he thinks is going to win each and every game of the season. This week is the halfway point, Week 8. There are some very critical battles taking place, so if you have a stake in them, you might just want to take a look at what King has to say about your team and the game they are going to play this Sunday or Monday night. I won’t spoil the surprise for you about Peter King’s picks, but there are a few that will be sure to interest you, because they should be close
and meaningful. One of the best games might just be the Bears vs. the Lions. Frozen North competitors, these two might just be playing each other for a chance at a wildcard spot or a playoff appearance at the end of the year. The Packers are running away with the division right now, and these two teams are battling for the number two position.
The Panthers and Colts will do battle in Carolina, but although the Panthers are one of the best teams in the NFC, many people think that the Colts will win again, improving on their winning streak. Other great games include Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, Washington at New England and the Monday Night Football game, Green Bay at Denver. Interestingly enough, the MNF game will be played in Denver on the game night as a World Series game. Great time to be a Denver-area sports fan, huh?
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Bills Name Edwards Starter, Might Play in Toronto
There are a couple of big NFL stories coming out of Buffalo this week. The first includes the immediate game that the Bills are set to play this next week. Against New York this next Sunday, the Bills will start rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, their third round draft pick. Edwards came in for J.P. Losman when he was sidelined with an injury a few weeks ago. In the three games that Edwards has played, he has produced two victories, including the latest, a 19-14 win over Baltimore. Losman had struggled to lead the team to a victory this season, which made many a Buffalo-area fan devise fitting puns with his last name. Bills coach Dick Jauron has stated that he will expound on the decision later in the week.
In other news, the Bills have reportedly been considering playing one of their regular season games in Toronto. This would mean that one game out of the year would be played on Canadian soil, where there are plenty of action-starved NFL football fans, and a potential market for the Buffalo Bills who reside just a 90 minute drive from Toronto. Clearly this will have affects on Buffalo football fans, and might interfere with the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts. However, it seems like a great opportunity to open the tickets market up to a lot more potential fans.
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Colts Beat Jags on Monday Night
The Indianapolis Colts thoroughly destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football, winning in Jacksonville 29-7. The Colts remain undefeated and atop the AFC South, while the Jaguars fell to 4-2. This blogger also got his prediction about the game horribly wrong if you check out the blog from yesterday. The Colts proved that they are the legitimate equal to the Patriots, and their opponents’ combined record shows it. If you go to the ESPN game recap, you can see that the Colts have played harder opponents while remaining undefeated. Everyone was in a tizzy about Tom Brady’s six touchdown passes on Sunday, but you have to remember that he did it against the pitiful Miami Dolphins. The Pats were able to beat undefeated Dallas in Big D, and the Colts now have a huge win over one of the best teams in the league as well. So who do you think is better, the Colts or the Patriots?
One of the most important factors in determining which one is the better team is asking the question: If they played each other, who would win? Well, going off of the history of their head-to-head matchups, the Pats have won more recently, but the Colts obviously had the edge in last year’s AFC Championship Game. Would the same thing happen this year, or has Randy Moss made the Pats better? You can rank your own teams at ESPN.com if you have an opinion, just by clicking here.
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NFL Fantasy Football Rankings; MNF: IND vs JAC
CBS Sportsline has a list of the best fantasy players in the NFL, and if you have a team, you should check it out. It might not help you out too much, but a least you will know about all the players you should have picked. Of course Tom Brady topped the list of quarterbacks, and I can tell you that without the fear that I will spoil your read. If you saw the Patriots latest game this past Sunday, then you know that he threw for six touchdowns, five of which were in the first half when the Patriots were still separating themselves form the poor Miami Dolphins. The list will be updated after the last game of the week is played, which just happens to be the Monday Night Football game that is taking place tonight.
The Jaguars and the Colts will get down to business tonight in Jacksonville. This game should be one of the most entertaining Monday Night Football contests of the season, as the Jags enter with a record of 4-1 an the Colts are 5-0. The two teams are AFC South powerhouses, so this game takes on more significance than usual. If the Jaguars’ defense can contain Peyton Manning and the Colts, then they will be tied for the lead in their division. Indy is trying to keep pace with the Patriots, who are still undefeated. For my MNF pick of the week, I’ll go with Jacksonville, the underdog. This won’t be high scoring, but will get interesting near the end. The Jags will win 23-17.
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Great Football Sunday Coming Up
The weekend is almost here, so we hope you either have your tickets to the game or are all set with some Bagel Bites, Pepsi and Doritos for another sweet Sunday of great NFL games. If your team has a bye, or you are looking around at other games during commercials and before your preferred game begins, you should check out which games are the most “watchable” according to Dominic Bonvissuto at SportsIllustrated.com. Without a matchup of unbeaten teams this weekend, the list is pretty helpful if you are trying to narrow down some potential games to flip to on Sunday.
Of course, probably the best game this week will happen on Monday Night Football, when there are no other football games to compete with it. The Indianapolis Colts, who are 6-0, will face the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) in Jacksonville, and the game should be very interesting to watch. Jacksonville is one of the league’s best defenses, but they will surely have their hands full with Peyton Manning and the Colts’ explosive offense. Right now the Jags are the 6th in the NFL in yardage allowed, but the Colts could make that number go up in the next week.
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Whitlock on Race, Culture, Winning in the NFL
If you have the time, you might want to check out a recent article at Fox Sports.com by Jason Whitlock. Though on the outside it might seem like a controversial piece, if you read through the whole thing, you might find that his assessment of things isn’t quite so appalling. Race can be a touchy subject in the sports world, but Whitlock switches the focus from race to hip-hop culture, a much more appropriate target for criticism and, as you might find, a much clearer source for the problem he finds in the NFL. Clearly, not all black athletes are the Chad Johnson-type, and not all white athletes are the Peyton Manning-type. There are countless examples- both black and white- of players who are class acts, and players who are, as Whitlock calls them, “buffoons.”
Where the article really gets interesting- to this blogger, anyways- is when Whitlock makes the connection between distraction players and losing teams. Of course, Randy Moss was one of those demanding, showboating players at one point, and he plays for the Patriots (one of the best teams in the league) and yet they haven’t lost a beat. Terrell Owens, a player Whitlock mentions in his article, plays for one of the best teams in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys. Since it’s Thursday and the NFL games won’t start for a while, why not spend some time thinking about a topic that’s a little outside the lines… then get back to searching for tickets.
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