NFL 2009

[gunnar hendershow]

It took one game and already I'm reading people talking about how the Eagles need to get rid of McNabb. Last I checked it wasn't McNabb who sucked on defense. The Eagles linebackers are horrendous, and their secondary was banged up going into the game (and got more banged up during it). At home, against Tony Romo, Miles Austin, and Jason Witten it was a guarantee the Eagles would get shredded

McNabb completed 2 passes in the first half and the Eagles had the ball for roughly 5 minutes out of the opening 30, any defence would be gassed after that. Considering McNabb has been around so long and is taking up so much cap space, he should be making plays in these situations, not Mike Vick. McNabb was always going to be fucked when Jackson finally got shut down, which the Cowboys did in all 3 games. Not saying thdy should oust him, but it's not as if he played well.

Yes, the Eagles had the ball for 5 minutes in the first half. The Cowboys were able to have the ball for awhile, and the defense did little to give it back to the Eagles. How can a team win when the defense doesn't let the offense even get the chance to have the ball consistently enough to get any rhythm? The Cowboys know how to beat Philly. You just tire out their defense and chug along up to the endzone. Their linebackers are some of the worst in the NFL.

Edited January 11, 2010 by damshow

[Lint]

This is one of those stories that just makes you feel good I think..

Hey, Baltimore fans, this might make you spit out your crab cakes.

You realize who's been calling the first play of Ravens' games lately? Like the one that went for an 83-yard touchdown against the Patriots?

If you said head coach John Harbaugh, you'd be wrong.

Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron? Wrong again.

QB Joe Flacco? Strike three.

The guy who's been calling the first play lately isn't a guy at all. It's a 14-year-old Baltimore kid. His name is Matthew Costello, he's got an inoperable brain tumor and he's on a lucky streak.

"You gotta meet this kid," says Cameron.

This all started when Matt, a third baseman and pitcher for Loyola Blakefield Middle School, was hit in the eye with a pitch that tipped off his bat. He ended up with double vision. A few dozen doctors later, they found a malignant tumor. Now his days are mostly going to chemo sessions and wondering if he's ever going to get back to playing any of the three sports he loves.

Cameron's son, Danny -- Matthew's classmate -- told his dad about him, how he lives for the Ravens. Next thing you know, Cam Cameron was driving through the biggest snowstorm to hit Baltimore in years -- getting stuck three times -- with a Flacco-signed football, a signed hat and glad tidings for Matthew.

Why? Maybe because Cameron survived serious melanoma cancer at age 28.

Matthew's dad is a morning news anchor at WMAR in Baltimore and he was on the air, live, when his phone spit out this befuddling text from his wife, Donna: Cam Cameron is on his way.

"I'm like, 'What?'" Jamie Costello recalls. "'In a driving snowstorm?'"

Yep. Cameron talked with Matt for 20 minutes, and then, as he was leaving, turned and said, "Hey, Matthew, whaddya wanna call for our first play Sunday?"

Mouth open. Eyes not blinking.

Since the chemo took his brown hair and a whole mess of his white blood cells, he only leaves the house to go to the hospital. Instead, he listens to comedy on his MP3 player. It's a crazy thing to see a kid, fighting for his life, constantly laughing.

"Seriously," Cameron said.

Since Matt played QB for the school team, he knew when it was time to audible. "Play-action pass," he said. "Be cool if you could get it to Todd Heap."

Sure enough, first snap against the Chicago Bears in Week 15 -- with the Ravens trying to make the playoffs -- Flacco fakes the handoff and drops back to pass. Only he bounces the ball off the turf for an incomplete pass. But later in that series Cameron looks at his play sheet. Scrawled on the side, he's written Matthew Costello. So he calls Matt's play again and it goes for a 14-yard touchdown to Heap, the tight end. Ravens win, 31-7.

End of story, right? Except, three weeks later, the night before the Ravens' playoff game with New England, Cameron calls again.

"OK, Matt, whaddya wanna do Sunday?"

"Run the ball," pronounced Matt. "Ray Rice. He's hot."

So, first play against the Patriots, Flacco hands to Rice. There's a hole and Rice is through it like he's being chased by a bear.

"And I'm thinking to myself, 'Don't tell me this is going to go all the way,'" Cameron remembers. It does -- 83 yards, untouched, for a touchdown. "The whole way, I'm thinking of Matthew," Cameron says.

Nobody knows any of this except Cameron's and Matt's families. Jamie Costello is in the press box, screaming like his underwear is on fire. He hadn't told anybody that his teenage son was the new brains behind the Ravens' offense, so every single person gives him the stink eye. There's no cheering in the press box, dude. Unless you're cheering for a kid who's trying to survive.

Ravens win, 33-14.

Says Cameron: "I just looked to the sky and said, 'Maybe there's something to this kid!'"

Oh, there's definitely something to this kid. Since the chemo took his brown hair (the family calls him "Barkley" now) and a whole mess of his white blood cells, he only leaves the house to go to the hospital. Instead, he listens to comedy on his MP3 player. It's a crazy thing to see a kid, fighting for his life, constantly laughing.

This month sometime, Matthew will gulp hard and find out if his tumor has shrunk enough to begin radiation. If not, it's back to the chemo, Frank Caliendo going through his brain, prayers going through everybody else's.

Cameron knows a little how the kid feels. Earlier this fall, he had another cancer scare -- this one prostate -- but a battery of tests turned up nothing.

"My three boys and I talk about Matthew all the time," he says. "Anytime we're going through something a little tough, we say, 'How do you think Matthew's doing?'"

As for Matthew's dad, he can't find the words. "I used to worship Brooks Robinson," Jamie says. "But Cam Cameron is higher than that now for me."

The Ravens play Super Bowl-favorite Indianapolis on Saturday, on the road. Cam is planning the Matthew call for Friday night.

So, Matthew, whaddya wanna do?

"I haven't decided yet," he says. Smart. The Colts could be reading.

Not that he doesn't have a game plan.

"When I get better, I wanna do what Coach Cam did for me. I wanna make some kid feel the way Coach made me feel."

Funny, right? How a kid with double vision can see so clearly?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=reilly_rick&id=4825585&sportCat=nfl

[SeanDMan]

Browns need a head coach.

[GhostMachine]

Browns need a head coach.

Eric Mangini to the University of Tennessee? :lmao:

[TCO]

49ers to play Broncos in London in 2010

LONDON -- The San Francisco 49ers will play the Denver Broncos next season at Wembley Stadium, the fourth straight year the NFL will stage a regular-season game in the British capital.

The 49ers will be listed as the home team for the Oct. 31 game.

"For the past three years we have seen the extraordinary passion that exists for NFL football in the U.K.," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We want to continue to build on that passion by strengthening our ties to our existing U.K. fans and creating new ones."

The game between the five-time Super Bowl champion 49ers and two-time winner Broncos may not be the only one in Britain next season.

"The NFL will continue to explore the possibility of playing a second game in the UK in 2010," the NFL said.

The 49ers and Broncos struggled to 8-8 records this season and missed the playoffs.

The NFL has played games at Wembley for the last three seasons, with more than 80,000 fans at each game. The first game featured the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants beating the Miami Dolphins 13-10. In 2008, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32. And this season, the New England Patriots defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7 in October.

"The previous games in London have had a playoff-like atmosphere to them, so that's always a good thing to play in that type of an environment," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "We'll be ready for the challenge."

The 49ers dominated the NFL in the 1980s, winning four Super Bowls with Joe Montana as the star quarterback. The team won another Super Bowl in 1994.

"London is a wonderful venue for two of the most storied franchises in NFL history to square off," 49ers president Jed York said.

San Francisco coach Mike Singletary, who is giving up a home game to play in London, said his players won't be bothered by the long flight to England.

"I have no doubt that our players will be ready to go," he said. "What a great opportunity it is for us to play in such a setting."

The Broncos have played seven international exhibition games in the past, and team president Pat Bowlen said they were "honored" to come to Britain again.

"It's a wonderful, historic opportunity for our franchise and will be an unforgettable experience for our players, coaches and fans," Bowlen said.

Aside from Wembley, Manchester and Glasgow, Scotland, are being looked at as potential venues to host NFL games.

In October, before the New England-Tampa Bay game, Goodell said the idea of eventually putting an expansion team in London was of "tremendous interest" to the NFL. He gave no timeline when such a decision might be taken.

49ers vs Broncos it is then. Doesn't seem massively appealing, I think I'll wait to hear the 2nd game, to make a judgement call on which game to go to.

[sahyder1]

I am going to take the Saints -7 vs Cardinals. I think the Birthday Boy (ok...so what if Brees' Birthday was actually yesterday) will outshine Kurt Warner and send him into retirement. Saints will not only but cover the spread comfortably taking this one 35-20.

I jumped all over the Colts for their decision to spit on history. I am a big Colts supporter and a big Peyton Manning supporter but that decision will come back to haunt the Colts today. The only way their decision gets justified is with a Super Bowl win and as much as I would like that today will be Ray Rice's day. Sure the Colts shut him down (relatively speaking) the last time they played but this is a man on a mission. This man can very well be the #1 pick overall in a lot of Fantasy Football leagues next year. I am going to take the Ravens (+6.5) outright in this one.

So the Cowboys finally win a playoff game and the trash talking Cowboys fans have all returned (not that they ever really left). Relax folks. This team has still only won one playoff game since I was in 7th grade! Coming off the high of last week I believe they'll fall flat this week. I expect to see a big game from Adrian Peterson to carry the Viking (-3) over the Cowboys and into the NFC Championship game.

The Jets/Chargers game is actually quiet interesting to me. Next to the Ravens/Colts this is the game I am most looking forward too. On paper you would think the Chargers should win this one big and the line at 9 points definitely reflects that but I don't think it is that simple. The Jets have a rookie QB and a rookie head coach. There is just no way they can win two playoff games this year....is it? Can they really be in a position to host the AFC Championship Game next Sunday? We have seen this Chargers team lose a lot of big games over the years. Revis got robbed this week, he definitely should have been the "Defensive Player of the Year" and I think he proves it on Sunday. I am expecting big games from Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene. I think the Jets (+9) pull off a huge upset here.

[Maxx]

I'd like to point out the two Cowboys fans on this board have been completely reserved since the win.

[sahyder1]

I'd like to point out the two Cowboys fans on this board have been completely reserved since the win.

oh yeah...by no means did I mean this board. I was talking in general. It just gets annoying with Cowboys fans. There are just so many of them and most of them talk like they are still in the middle of some dynasty when they have won 1 playoff game since '97.

[GhostMachine]

Colin Cowherd is such an idiot. A few days ago, he sided with Lane Kiffin over the move to USC and had a shitty explanation. Then yesterday on SportsNation he did picks for the current round of the playoffs and picked the Cardinals over the Saints because the Cardinals have players who were bigger stars in college, then calls the Colts a one man team and picks them over the Ravens anyway.

(I agree with those picks, but not his reason as far as the Cardinals/Saints game is concerned)

I'd like to point out the two Cowboys fans on this board have been completely reserved since the win.

oh yeah...by no means did I mean this board. I was talking in general. It just gets annoying with Cowboys fans. There are just so many of them and most of them talk like they are still in the middle of some dynasty when they have won 1 playoff game since '97.

Not me. I actually think the Vikings will beat them. But if they don't, then the Cowboys are my pick to go to the Super Bowl - which doesn't necessarily mean they'll win. I'd love a Cowboys-Colts Super Bowl, because it would be a win-win since I'm a Peyton Manning fan, but that's not gonna happen.

Edited January 16, 2010 by GhostMachine

[Mofoticon]

whew

no afc north team is going past the 2nd round!

[HailtotheYo]

After having the pleasure of listening to Redskins fan over the last two season ... I don't want to hear a thing about Cowboys fan.

[Lowerdeck]

Personally, with the Pats gone I'm hoping San Diego wins it all. I think they have a pretty good shot at it anyway. Though having said that, the Jets will probably make the Super Bowl now.

There's two London games this year?

And I just saw this on Yahoo Sports:

Breaking News

Report: Bears player dies

Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams has reportedly died at age 26 of an apparent heart attack.

Sad when so young.

[EddieG]

From what I've heard, one pre-season, one regular season game in London

[Tits McGee]

Wow Adams died? RIP if so.. he had a lot of potential.

And wtf was Terence Newman doing on that td pass?

[GhostMachine]

According to a report on ESPN.com, Adams had an enlarged heart which contributed to the heart attack.

I don't get it. Players take physicals and have medical exams all the time. How was this problem not discovered?

[HailtotheYo]

According to a report on ESPN.com, Adams had an enlarged heart which contributed to the heart attack.

I don't get it. Players take physicals and have medical exams all the time. How was this problem not discovered?

He may have developed it over time rather than had it to begin with. The heart is a muscle, and like all muscles undergoes hypertrophy with increased workloads.

[JStarr]

Ray Rice and Ed Reed looked like they showed out, but not many others did. Wonder if Corey Ivy had to walk home. (Y)

One step closer to Colts/Saints.

As for Gaines Adams, that's a sad story. Tampa may have given up on him too soon, and I'd hoped he'd start living up to his draft position as a Bear.

The college basketball player for Southern Indiana who died on the court the other night was also said to have an enlarged heart, and it'd be kind of interesting to hear about what puts a guy at risk for a condition like that.

[Mofoticon]

wade phillips vs norv turner in the pro bowl, absolutely fitting

[livid]

It's the losers of the Championship games that coach the Pro Bowl

[Mofoticon]

It's the losers of the Championship games that coach the Pro Bowl

not anymore its not, at least according to adam schefters twitter

http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter