Tony Dungy is convinced the Colts will win the Super Bowl on Sunday. Dungy said on Dan Patrick’s radio show on Wednesday that he can’t see the Saints upsetting the Colts in Sunday’s Super Bowl. “I would be absolutely shocked, they haven’t lost a game yet this year that they were trying to win.” Dungy said of the possibility of Indianapolis losing.
Tiki Barber said during a radio interview that Vikings Adrian Peterson is becoming a liability to his team because of fumbling issues. “You know what? He’s becoming a liability for that team. Look at that conference championship game. It’s all mechanics. It’s the same thing I had to learn. You do something one way for so long, you get away with it and you don’t think it’s a problem. Once you get in the National Football League — safeties, linebackers, defensive linemen — they’re all taught to strip. If you have any kind of looseness in that football, it’s going to come out … Whether it’s down here close to your body, up at your chest close to your body, you have to keep it on your body so it can’t get knocked away. And then when you go in to contact, cover it with your other hand. It was simple. Most things that cause success are simple,” Barber said.
Cardinals Quarterback Kurt Warner announced his retirement Friday from the NFL after 12 seasons, a year after leading the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl and weeks after leading them to the second round of the playoffs. Warner, 38, a two-time MVP and Super Bowl champion, had added motivation for a quick retirement decision, he has multiple promotional appearance commitments during Super Bowl week in Miami.
“Obviously, it’s been 12 unbelievable years, some of the best years of my life but I want everybody to know that I’m just as excited about the next 12, that I’m excited about what lies in front of me and I’m excited about spending more time with my family and seeing what God’s going to do next.” Warner said Friday.
1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) @ Buffalo Bills – Do I really need to explain this? Brees is the Best QB in the NFL right now. Nobody can stop him.
2. Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts) @ Arizona – Peyton and Kurt Warner are going to light up the scoreboards against each other in week 3. And if you own Manning this is exactly the type of game you love. Sit back, relax and enjoy another 300+ yard game and at least 2 TDs.
3. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. Atlanta – Brady got his ass beat up last week against the Jets defense. My Jets still haven’t allowed a TD. This week against Atlanta he may find himself smack dab in the middle of the other shoot out of week 3. Brady will be looking to bounce back against the Falcons who just allowed Jake Delhomme to have a 300 yard game.
4. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) @ St. Louis – Threw for 261 yards and a TD last week. Kinda expected more against the Bengals. Kinda had him ranked first. Either way the numbers were still solid, and he has an easier match up this week against the Rams. The Rams have been giving up over 250 yards a game to QBs and 1.5 TDs.
5. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) @ New England – 549 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT. That is not a bad 2 week stat line. Ryan New England will be playing pissed after the JETS loss. Ryan will be playing catch u with Brady and the Pats, which means plenty of passing. And he’s got plenty of options to throw to. 275/2
1-1(1) - Drew Brees– It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Brees is an Elite # 1 Quarterback in the NFL. He fell 15 yards short of breaking Dan Marino’s yards record ending the season with an astounding 5,069 yards. He also tossed 34 TDs against 17 INTs. It wouldn’t be fair to expect another 5,000 yard season, but another 35 TDs is not out of the question in the pass happy bayou. And if Marques Colston can stay healthy the whole year, Brees will be able to top the QB ranks through 2009.
1-2(2) - Peyton Manning – Manning is probably the safest pick in all of Fantasy Football. Unless injured, which never happens he hasn’t missed a game yet, Manning will deliver # 1 numbers. The loss of Marvin Harrison will have no ill effects on Peyton’s passing game. He still managed over 4,000 yards and 37 TDs without him. He got off to a rough start with the bursa sac heard around the world, but with a full, healthy offseason, expect Peyton to be back to his old tricks.
1-3(3) - Tom Brady – Brady rounds out what would be considered the “tier 1” Quarterbacks. The mere fact the Patriots were willing to trade Matt Cassel is reason enough for us to believe Tom will be playing at a high level once again in 2009.
Tier Two
2-1(4) - Phillip Rivers – Rivers tied Brew Brees for the NFL lead in touchdown passes with 34. He only threw 11 picks against Drew’s 17, and threw for over 4,000 yards. He has a solid receiving corp in Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers, and of course Antonio Gates. Don’t forget, a simple screen to Darren Sproles can easily lead to an 80 yard TD pass. Rivers will, without a doubt, be a #1 fantasy QB in 2009.
2-2(5) - Tony Romo – Can Romo get it done without TO. Absolutely, and maybe even better. Roy Williams is a very talented WR and will fill TO’s vacancy well. The problem lies in the # 2 WR spot. Miles Austin or Patrick Crayton will need to step up to keep extra defenders off Jason Witten. The 3 headed RB corp of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice will only help open up the field for Tony. Romo has a bit of a turnover problem but maybe without TO breakin’ his balls every play, he won’t force the ball around the field. [click to continue…]
A major decision in the lawsuit of Minnesota Vikings players Pat and Kevin Williams was reached late Friday. It appears the suspensions will now be enforced for three New Orleans Saints players who sued along with Pat and Kevin Williams.
Jets RB Thomas Jones won’t be getting a restructured contract, it was reported earlier this week that Jones would end his boycott and report to OTA’s next Wednesday. But, it won’t be with a new deal.
Steelers left tackle Max Starks, and the team are far apart on contract negotiations. ”It appears to be at a standstill,” Starks said. “I thought I was a priority before. Then, they did James Harrison’s deal when he had one year left. So apparently, I’m a lower man on the totem pole than I thought.”
Browns WR Braylon Edwards says he doesn’t want to leave Cleveland. ”I didn’t get excited [about the rumors],” he said. “One, they were rumors and there was nothing to hold on to. And two, I felt like if I would have left Cleveland for any reason, I would have left with a bad taste in my mouth. “I wanted to get back to playing good football, definitely here. It’s a business and who knows what’s going to happen next year. But for me, it was just about getting back to what I know I can do and being the player the Browns drafted in ‘05 and that the fans saw in ‘07.”
The NFL has formally opened an investigation into charges by the Tennessee Titans that the Washington Redskins tampered with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth before the start of free agency in February.
Cardinals QB Kurt Warner thinks Anquan Boldin will come back to the Cardinals. “I feel pretty good he’s going to be with us,” Warner said. “The real question is, is he going to be happy? Are they going to be able to work something out, even in the short term, so he comes back and is excited about football.” Warner said he’s trying to tell the organization how important Boldin is to the team. “There’s no question Larry [Fitzgerald] is a better player because Anquan is there,” Warner said.
Patriots RB Fred Taylorskipped some of the “voluntary” organized team activities the last two years with the Jaguars. But with his new team he is attending all workouts. ”This is all voluntary,” he said. “If I’m going to be able to play with the guys that are on the team, then you volunteer to come in and try to not get ahead, but not be behind, not get yelled at too much. I decided to come out here with the rookies and the other guys returning to the team. It’s fun getting to know my teammates, getting to know all the different faces around here, the coaches.”
