Sam Bradford gets his first career win
By Gayle Saunders
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Sam Bradford has his first NFL win. It may not have been his best performance, but Bradford did something that hadn’t been done in St. Louis in 14 games …win a game at home.
The rookie quarterback threw for 235 yards and a touchdown and backup running back Kenneth Darby had the go-ahead score to help St. Louis end a 14-game home losing streak with a 30-16 win over Washington.
“We’ve put in a lot of hard work for this,” Bradford said. “To get to celebrate with those guys, it was a great feeling.”
The Rams who are now 1 -2 won for only the second time in 29 games overall behind a strong start and even stronger finish, with the biggest offensive showing under second-year coach Steve Spagnulo.
“What I told the team was any win in the NFL feels good,” Spagnuolo said. “When you can rise above some adverse situations, it’s even better. Nobody bailed out, nobody panicked.”
St. Louis topped its previous best of 23 points under Spagnuolo in a five-point loss to the Saints last November and shook off disappointment from a pair of losses to open the season by a total of six points. Bradford was 23-for-37 for 235 yards and one touchdown and one interception for the Rams, spreading the ball to nine receivers.
Raiders legend George Blanda dies at 83
RIP George Blanda Sept.17, 1927 – Sept 27, 2010
George Blanda (September 17, 1927 to September 27, 2010) whose 26-year career set the standard for longevity in the NFL, died on Monday at age 83. He was a prime example of players who were called “NFL Rejects” by some. The NFL Chicago Bears thought the University of Kentucky’s Blanda wasn’t good enough to be a quarterback and wanted him to be a place kicker only.
In 1960, the formation of the American Football League led to Blanda’s signing by the Houston Oilers as a quarterback and kicker. He went on to lead the Oilers to the first two league titles in AFL history, and he won AFL Player of the Year honors in 1961. Blanda once passed for 7 TDs in one game, and 36 in a season, 1961.
Thirteen times he threw four or more touchdown passes in a game, and once he unleashed 68 passes, for Houston against Buffalo on Nov. 1, 1964. For three staight years, 1963 through 1965, he led the league in passing attempts and completions, and was in the top ten for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns for seven straight years. He was a four-time member of the American Football League All-Star team.
In 1967, when Blanda was almost 40, he left the Oilers but the Oakland Raiders saw him as a contributing backup passer and a dependable kicker so they picked him up. At Oakland, he was a clutch kicker and a valuable “reliever” who pulled games out if fellow Hall of Famer Daryle Lamonica was unavailable or ineffective. He was especially successful in this role in 1970, when he was named the NFL’s MVP.
“When the game was on the line George Blanda wanted the football or wanted to be kicking the football because he could win.” Raiders Al Davis
Blanda went on to become the oldest quarterback to start a title game, and the oldest professional football player, with the longest career, 26 years. He remains a strong supporter of the AFL heritage, recently saying: “That first year, the Houston Oilers or Los Angeles Chargers (24-16 losers to the Oilers in the title game) could have beaten the NFL champion (Philadelphia) in a Super Bowl.” Blanda said further: “I think the AFL was capable of beating the NFL in a Super Bowl game as far back as 1960 or ’61. I just regret we didn’t get the chance to prove it.”
He is the placekicker on the All-time All-AFL Team. Blanda was one of only 20 players to play all ten years of the AFL, one of only three who were in every AFL game their teams played, and is a member of the American Football League Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame.
Antoine Bethea gets Big hit on Eli Manning
By Gayle Saunders
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Antoine Bethea gets a big hit on Eli Manning and does what he does best lay the smack down on people!
Antoine Bethea delivers a monster hit
By Gayle Saunders
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Antoine Bethea delivers a monster hit against the Falcons…if you didnt know…now you know! Bethea brings the wood!
Fantasy Football – Week 3 Pickups
By Gayle Saunders
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QB’s
Week 3 Pickups
Josh Freeman – Buccaneers Believe it or not Freeman has been a top-10 quarterback each of the first two weeks and is also tied for sixth-best on the season, Freeman has four TDs . He’ll face the Steelers in Week 3, and then he’ll be on a bye. You might be ready to play him after that.
Kyle Orton – Denver Orton has produced for the Broncos and for fantasy owners in 2010. Orton’s targets are Eddie Royal, Demaryius Thomas, Jabar Gaffney, and Daniel Graham. There is some potential in that group, especially with Thomas back and healthy. .
Alex Smith – San Francisco Smith has some nice weapons to play with in San Francisco, which always make him worth a start depending on the opponent. Right now he’s struggled to get Crabtree in the mix…once they get their chemistry back things could get brighter.
Mark Sanchez – New York Jets Sanchez got busy in the 2nd half against the Patriots. He had 3 passing touchdowns. You have to remember that the Jets will continue run the rock with Greene and Tomlinson, which doesn’t mean huge numbers in the passing game but he has his good days ahead of him as Dustin Keller has come alive.
Bruce Gradkowski – Raiders Bruce gets the nod. either way you can expect a gutsy performance. Keep a watch on him, he could provide a spark plug for the passing game in Oakland. But don’t plan on relying on Gradkowski as your savior.
Jimmy Clausen – Carolina Clausen is a shaky start, but if you need someone to fill in he’s worth putting in. The Panthers tote the rock heavy and will rely on the run game more than Clausen’s shoulders.
Ryan Fitzpatrick – Buffalo Fitzpatrick has been named the starter in Buffalo, Its tough to see a huge upside for the Buffalo offense. But Ryan is 5-4 as a starter that is the only positive I have for you. The Bills offensive line is really suspect and their big receiving threat is Lee Evans. (I’ve been waiting years for him to produce for fantasy) No Bueno!
RB’s
Thomas Jones – Kansas City Todd Haley continues to rely heavy on the savvy vet Thomas Jones. Jamaal Charles is always a threat to steal carries or some how take his position. Charles is the more explosive option, but Thomas Jones is getting more touches case and point.
Marshawn Lynch – Buffalo Lynch got allot of love and was used heavily on Sunday, but will still has Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller to deal with going forward. He might be worth a bench spot depending on your situation and desperate need.
Donald Brown – Indianapolis Brown got a nice amount of touches on Sunday. He touched the ball 17 times against the G-men and brought in a score. Brown is def worth a bench spot on your roster.
Michael Bush – Oakland Problem is Darren McFadden has been doing his thing this season, where does that leave Michael Bush. Bush is no longer a starting option however he should steal touches from McFadden down the road.
Jason Snelling – Atlanta Snelling had a tremendous game filling in for Turner and Norwood. The Falcons will rely on the run as much as possible, Michael Turner pays the light bill, but Snelling will get his “shine on” from time to time. Turner’s groin is back to normal so they say but keep Snelling on your bench in the time being.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots did have the Wutang of Running backs however, Maroney and Faulk are now gone…that’s right gone! So between Fred Taylor & Sammie Morris look for Green-Ellis to get some carries in there. Bill Belichick will rely on no feature back, which scares us all!
Mike Tolbert – Chargers if you own Ryan Mathews Tolbert should be looked at. He had a good game in his opener against the Chiefs, he had two carries for 26 yards. Mathews left with an injury and Tolbert got 95 total yards and two scores. Important fact is Tolbert got his first score while Mathews was still in the game. Looks like you can add “vulture” to Tolberts resume. He is a must-grab for any Mathews owner.
John Kuhn – Green Bay Brandon Jackson didn’t quite impress like we thought he would as a starter, Which allowed Kuhn to steal some carries. Kuhn could likely see 5-8 carries a game. Kuhn is an option if you are desperate.
Rashad Jennings – Jacksonville Maurice Jones-Drew didn’t play the whole game, which opened up a window for Jennings to get some stats. Jones-Drew will lock on to the starter position as the main feature. Jennings is worthy to hold a spot on your bench, nothing more nothing less. Maurice Jones-Drew goes down he’s your guy!
Chris Ivory /DeShawn Wynn– New Orleans
Reggie Bush is probably out up to 4-6 weeks, DeShawn Wynn or Chris Ivory will be happy to take some snaps from Thomas. Ivory is still nursing an injury so Wynn looks like he has a slight advantage. If healthy Ivory is my pick though.
WR’s
Devin Hester – Chicago Many people let Hester go after week 1, It might be time to go scoop him back up! He rebounded nicely in week 2 and is worthy of starting position, especially since Devin Aromashodu got the bench. Jay Cutler has out performed himself this season and with the numbers up as well as attempt he’s bound to get in the mix. Knox is considered thee guy in from the WR corp. If you cant get him your next best target is Hester.
Demaryius Thomas – Denver Thomas was out week 1 due to injury. He made his NFL debut last week and he had an impressive 8 grabs with 97 yards and a TD. Denver has a need for a big wide receiver, and Thomas is that guy!
Louis Murphy – Raiders With Gradkowski in the mix he could be targeted early and often. Last week Murphy had 6 catches for 91 yards and a score. He was the No. 1 receiver for the Raiders this past Sunday. Raiders next 3 opponents are Arizona, Houston and San Diego expect them to try and air it out.
Kevin Walter – Texans You cant ignore that he now has scores in both games this season. His stat line in the comeback against the Redskins were 11 receptions and 144 yards. With Owen Daniels not completely healthy they look to involve Walter a bit more.
TE’s
Dustin Keller – New York Jets In week 1 Keller was a no show stats wise. However Keller pulled in 7 receptions, 115 yards, and a touchdown PLUS 9 targets in week 2. Look for Mark Sanchez’s to favor Keller down the stretch. Even though the Jets are run heavy, Keller could still be productive.
Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville In week 1 Lewis had 2 targets BUT they were both for touchdowns. In week 2 he pulled in 5 receptions and 70 yards with 9 targets however he did not score. If your in need grab him up now..but if you can wait make sure you keep your eye on him this week and act fast…that’s if he is still there by then.
Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Moeaki has a whopping 14 targets and a score in 2 games which has put him on the fantasy map. Look for Matt Cassel to rely on him in the passing game. The kid has upside, and could possibly be the teams second leading receiver behind Bowe
Aaron Hernandez – New England Hernandez had 6 grabs for 101 yards against the Jets, In week 1 he was targeted only twice. But for a rookie you have to admit he’s off to a good start, he has to compete with the like of Moss & Welker and fellow rookie TE Rob Gronkowski. Keep your eye on his production, It looks like Brady’s confidence is already there with the youngster.
Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Against the Eagles Pettigrew pulled in 7 receptions and 108 yds with 8 targets. Pettigrew is definitely talented but you have to remember Tony Sheffler is still hanging around as well. Either way you look at it, he’s worthy of keeping your eye on for the next couple of weeks until he shows us that he can be consistent.
Spencer Larsen: “You always want to dislodge the headgear.”
By Gayle Saunders
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Spencer Larsen of the Denver Broncos puts in work on the kickoff team as he goes to town on this returner. Spencer Larsen says it best right here and I quote “You always want to dislodge the headgear.”
Cedric Benson rings Troy Polamalu’s bell
By Gayle Saunders
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Cedric Benson takes it to Troy Polamalu on this run leaving Troy saying “huh…whatcha say” What a collision!
Week 2 – Steelers Defense!
They faced the daunting challenge of limiting all world Running Back Chris Johnson and they answered the call. The Front 7 dominated the line of Scrimmage and the Defense created turnovers, 4 in the first half alone, and limited Johnson to only 34 yards on 16 carries. It’s the first time that Johnson hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 6 of 2009! Troy Polamalu made his presence felt, intercepting a pass in the End Zone and was all over the field for the Steelers. The Defense had 4 sacks and 6 tackles for a loss and forced 7 fumbles, recovering 4 of them as the Defense dominated the Titans all day long. So flustered was the Titans Offense that Kerry Collins had to come in an sub for Vince Young who was ineffective on the day. Young passed for only 66 yards and had 2 interceptions and Collins didn’t fare much better. Kerry had a INT of his own and the two finished with Quarterback ratings of 80.2 for Collins and 48.3 for Young. With Ben Roethlisberger still serving his suspension, the Defense stepped up big time and were flying around the field making play after play taking the Steelers to 2-0 on the season!
Hat’s off the Steelers Defense, this Week’s “I’m a Beast”!!
Week 1 – Arian Foster
The kid from the University of Tennessee came out Week 1 swinging!! He led the Texans in 231 yards rushing, setting a new team record. Foster also tacked on 3 touchdowns as the Texans beat the Colts for the first time in 7 meetings. Not since OJ Simpson has a Running Back had a better opening day in the NFL as his 231 yards was the second best performance ever! What a great way to start off the season for the Texans, beating their Division rival and finding out that they have a legitimate threat at Running Back to go along with their dynamic passing attack.
Hat’s off to Arian Foster, this Week’s “I’m a Beast”!!
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