craveonline

Second Helpings…

I guess competitive football wasn’t on the menu for Thanksgiving (and sure, these games took place on a Thursday but it was a holiday weekend so that gives me a little slack in talking about them) as winners of those three games combined for an 83-23 lead…by halftime! The bright spots of these games were a) Detroit lost, bringing them ever closer, at 0-12, to that imperfect season and b) I had Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook on one of my Fantasy Football teams. They combined for 8 td’s, numerous yards, and 69 total points…that, my friends, is Fantasy Football Heaven right there.

I actually had to do a double-take on this one when I read it on the bottom line this weekend but it appears that Giants Wide-Receiver Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub Friday night. The receiver was illegally carrying a concealed weapon and could face up to seven years in prison for carrying the gun without a permit. The latest news has Burress being charged this morning, where he is expected to plead not guilty. On a football note, it appears the Giants are considering placing him on the non-football injured reserve list, effectively ending his season and costing him major bucks.

The Washington Redskins retired deceased Free Safety Sean Taylor’s number into their ring of fame on the one year anniversary of his shooting death this weekend in a touching moment. Now, what I’m about to say isn’t going to be popular with the majority of readers but it has to be said, I don’t believe he deserved it. Yes, he was a talented player who was taken from the world far too soon but when you are talking about a football teams Ring of Fame, you’re talking about the best players a team has ever had on the field. Sean Taylor was only in the league 4 years and while he may have eventually earned a spot in the Ring based on achievements, his numbers in those four years just wasn’t spectacular. The guy deserves praise for his ability and praise for the type of person he was but I don’t believe he should be in the Redskins Ring of Fame. Sorry, that’s how I feel.

Coming off back to back 400+ yards passing games, New England QB Matt Cassel ran into a buzz saw Sunday when the number one ranked Defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers came to town. The Steelers held Cassel to 169 yds on 39 attempts, getting 2 interceptions and forcing 2 fumbles on the beleaguered signal caller. The 33-10 victory by the Steelers puts New England in a precarious playoff situation. They are a game behind in both their division and the wild-card hunt, which may end up leaving them watching this postseason from an unfamiliar position…the couch.

In what is fast appearing to be the final run of Romeo Crennel’s coaching career in Cleveland, the Browns lost a heartbreaker to the Indianapolis Colts. In typical Browns fashion, they managed to corral the potent Indy O and hold them to a field goal only to have their offense look, well, offensive, while managing six points. But they did manage to get a touchdown when they fumbled the ball and allowed the Colts to run it in for the game winning score. As is expected when you underachieve with a talented team in the NFL, the rumor mill is buzzing with reports of Crennel being let go at the end of the season and being replaced by none other than…*gasp*…Bill Cower! Say it ain’t so, Bill, say it ain’t so.   

In case you haven’t noticed, the best division in football isn’t the NFC (B)East, it’s the NFC South. That’s right, I said the NFC South. All four teams are .500 or better with three of them with 8 wins or better (Carolina 9-3, Tampa Bay 9-3, and the surprise team, Atlanta, who is 8-4) and are going to provide us sports fan with a mammoth Monday Night game next week between the Panthers and the Bucs for first place in the division. Keep an eye on the NFC Wild Card race in the coming weeks; it’s sure to be interesting.

For you fans of huge hits, check out this one that Steelers Free Safety Ryan Clark puts on Patriots WR Wes Welker. And Yeah, it put him out of the game…