NFL - Week Eight Review

The big match up game of the week in the NFL was New England and Pittsburgh and the game was pretty much dominated by the host Steelers as they won 25-17 to improve to 6-2 and the top spot in the AFC.
The Steelers outgained the Patriots by a two-to-one margin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 365 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the defense limited Pats' QB Tom Brady to just 198 yards passing in the win.
The Baltimore Ravens won the game 30-27 but were really being spooked at home by the Arizona Cardinals, falling behind 24-3 at one point in the second quarter when rookie return man Patrick Peterson took back a punt 82 yards for a touchdown.
But then the Baltimore defense took over the rest of the way and the Ravens' offense put up 24 second half points behind three rushing touchdowns by running back Ray Rice. Kicker Billy Cundiff drilled a game wining 25-yard field goal as time expired.
Houston topped the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-14 to improve to 5-3 and first place in the AFC South division behind solid defense that held the Jags to just 174 total yards offense and a 112 yard rushing effort (including a touchdown run) from Arian Foster.
The St. Louis Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints, 31-21 at home behind a huge game from the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week Steven Jackson.

Rams' running back Steven Jackson

The Rams won their first game of the season as Jackson ran wild for 159 yards and two touchdowns in addition to making four catches for 32 yards.
The St. Louis defense intercepted Saints' QB Drew Brees twice and took one back for a score late in the game to seal the win.
The Detroit Lions shut up the fans of "Tebow Time" as they pounded the host Denver Broncos 45-10 to improve to 6-2.
The Lions' defense sacked Denver QB Tim Tebow seven times and scored twice. Lions' defensive back Chris Houston took an interception back 100 yards for a touchdown in the rout.
Meanwhile, Detroit QB Matthew Stafford threw for three touchdowns and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (six catches for 125 yards) made his 11th touchdown catch of the season.
Buffalo shut out the Washington Redskins, 23-0 as the defense limited the Redskins to 178 yards in offense and Bills' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick hit tight end Scott Chandler for two touchdown passes.
Tennessee knocked off winless Indianapolis 27-10 as Nate Washington scored twice for the Titans (4-3) to keep them within a game of the Houston Texans in the AFC South.
The New York Giants also had to stage a comeback win as they rallied for a 20-17 home victory over the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 25-yard touchdown pass to make the difference.
The Minnesota Vikings beat Carolina, 24-21 as Panthers' kicker Olindo Mare missed a 31-yard field goal in the closing seconds.
Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 86 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 19-yard scoring pass from QB Christian Ponder and Percy Harvin also scored in the win. Panthers' QB Cam Newton threw for three touchdowns in the loss.

49ers' running back Frank Gore

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 6-1 with an impressive 20-10 home win over the Cleveland Browns behind Frank Gore's 134 rushing yards and two turnovers from the defense, which included limiting the Browns to 66 yards rushing for the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals kept pace in the rugged AFC North division with a 34-12 beat down of the host Seattle Seahawks.
Rookie QB Andy Dalton hooked up with fellow rookie wide receiver A.J. Green for a score as Dalton threw two scoring passes and the Cincy D and special teams added touchdowns as well.
The Sunday Night Football game was no contest at all as the host Philadelphia Eagles thoroughly crushed the Dallas Cowboys, 34-7 to move into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East division.
 Eagles' QB Michael Vick threw a pair of touchdown passes to go with 279 yards and running back LeSean McCoy had 185 yards rushing and also scored twice in the rout.
 The Monday Night Football game fittingly had a bizarre conclusion on Halloween night as the Kansas City Chiefs managed to win at home in overtime against the San Diego Chargers, 23-20 on a Ryan Succop 30-yard field goal.
The only reason Kansas City was able to do this was because of a fumbled snap exchange by the Chargers QB Philip Rivers (three turnovers in this game) and center Nick Hardwick.
San Diego was at the Chiefs' 15-yard line with one minute remaining in regulation looking to just run the clock down and set up for a game winning field goal.
The AFC West is now in a three-way tie for the top spot between the Chargers, Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, which all have 4-3 records.

Police State USA - Occupy Denver

This is what is happening in Denver as the cops turn their aggression (and GUNS) on the peaceful protesters of the OCCUPY DENVER movement.

Sad it is that in the United States of America, the PEOPLE (the real people, not the bogus "corporations are people" crap the SCOTUS dictated)  are being oppressed.

Here's a good question... Where were all these police and these brutish tactics against the "Tea Party" protesters when they were showing up brandishing FIRE ARMS on them and also spitting on elected officials at the Congress in 2010 when the Health Care Bill was being passed.

Anybody remember that?

FIGHT ON and NEVER GIVE UP Occupy Wall Street protesters... you people are the REAL Patriots in this country.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten (Week ending October 29)

1. Alabama (8-0)
2. LSU (8-0)
3. Oklahoma State (8-0)
4. Stanford (8-0)
5. Boise State (7-0)
6. Oklahoma (7-1)
7. Oregon (7-1)
8. Clemson (8-1)
9. Arkansas (7-1)
10. Penn State (8-1)

World Series Goes to the (Red)Birds

The St. Louis Cardinals capped off an improbable comeback and won the 2011 World Series in seven games with a 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers as David Freese walked off with the Most Valuable Player Award.
It was Freese's heroics in Game Six that allowed the Redbirds to have a shot at winning the title as he drilled a game tying two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth inning. Then Freese delivered a solo home run to win the game, 10-9 in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Game Seven saw Freese smack a two-run double to get things started for the Cardinals as he batted .364 and drove in seven runs during the Series.
Starting pitcher Chris Carpenter, on only three days rest, was the winning pitcher and Allen Craig hit a home run to put his team ahead for good at 3-2 as the Cardinals won their 11th World Series title.

NFL - Week Eight Preview

It's the end of October and the divisional races are heating up around the NFL with just one division leader, the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North,  having more than a one game edge over the second place team.
A huge AFC battle looming this week has the New England Patriots traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in a game featuring two division leaders. Tom Brady and the Pats seem to have Pittsburgh's number over the years and this year's mid-season tilt should be another good one.
In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys play at Philadelphia in the Sunday Night Football game. The Eagles will be looking for their second win in a row while the Cowboys look to keep pace with the Giants, who will be hosting the winless Miami Dolphins.
Something will have to give as the Indianapolis Colts play at the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Both teams got blasted last weekend by a combined 103-14 as the Colts lost 62-7 at New Orleans and Tennessee got  throttled by Houston 41-7.
Ouch!
The Baltimore Ravens will be plenty pissed off when they host the Arizona Cardinals this week after losing to Jacksonville on Monday Night Football. The Ravens will be looking to leap frog the Steelers in the AFC North.
Another team from the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals will travel west to face the Seattle Seahawks. The 4-2 Bengals are the surprise of the AFC along with Buffalo, which plays the Washington Redskins in Toronto, Canada.
The Monday Night Football game on Halloween will see the San Diego Chargers playing on the road at Kansas City and that place should be rocking as the Chiefs, winners of three in a row, will look to tie the Chargers for first place in the AFC West.
 The Chargers blew an 11-point lead and lost at New York to the Jets as quarterback Philip Rivers struggled yet again in that game.
The Chiefs, while winning three in a row, are not the team they were last season (10-6 and winners of the AFC West) as they recently won two close games against Minnesota (1-6) and Indianapolis (0-7) and beat a depleted Oakland team that was without starting QB Jason Campbell and star running back Darren McFadden, who left the game against KC with a foot injury on his first rushing attempt and did not return.

Here are the Heftyinfo predictions for Week Eight ... (Home teams listed in BOLD)

Minnesota over Carolina
New Orleans over St. Louis
NY Giants over Miami
Detroit over Denver
Buffalo over Washington (Game played in Toronto, Canada)
Houston over Jacksonville
Baltimore over Arizona
San Francisco over Cleveland
New England over Pittsburgh
Tennessee over Indianapolis
Seattle over Cincinnati
Philadelphia over Dallas
San Diego over Kansas City

Last Week's Record: 8-5


SEASON RECORD: 69-34

NFL - Week Seven Review

A mixed bag of things happened in Week Seven of the 2011 NFL Season as the New Orleans Saints showed no mercy, Tim Tebow was anointed as the second coming of John Elway in Denver (at least by ESPN) and the undefeated Green Bay Packers just keep rolling along.
The Packers had a tough game in Minnesota, but ultimately won the game, 33-27 behind 335 passing yards and three touchdown passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to improve to 7-0 going into their bye week. Vikings' QB Christian Ponder made his first start in this one, throwing two touchdown passes along with two interceptions. Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 175 yards in the loss.
The Chicago Bears topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-18 in London, England as running back Matt Forte' dominated, going for 145 yards on the ground, including a 32-yard touchdown run to help the Bears build up a 21-5 halftime lead.
The Chicago defense intercepted Bucs' QB Josh Freeman four times and limited Tampa Bay to just 280 yards in total offense, including a meager 30 yards on the ground.
The Atlanta Falcons rolled into Detroit and handed the Lions their second straight loss, 23-16 behind 122 rushing yards from Michael Turner and a defense that kept the Lions in check, with just 263 yards of total offense for the game.
Houston pasted the host Tennessee Titans, 41-7 as Arian Foster, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, went over 100 yards rushing and receiving in this one.

Arian Foster scored three TD in Texans' 41-7 win.

Foster scored three touchdowns, two on short runs and also hauled in a 78-yard scoring pass from quarterback Matt Schaub, who passed for 298 yards and had two TD passes in the rout.
The Texans racked up 518 yards in offense while holding the Titans to just 148 yards for the game.
The yawner of the season so far saw the Cleveland Browns topple the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 6-3 in a battle of field goals.
Carolina, led by rookie QB Cam Newton, dominated the visiting Washington Redskins, 33-20. Newton ran for a touchdown and passed for another while gaining 59 yards on the ground and passing for an additional 256 yards.
The Redskins lost for the second straight week as QB John Beck struggled at times in the loss. Beck had been named the starter, replacing Rex Grossman. Redskins' running back Tim Hightower (88 yards rushing) left the game and is out for the season with a knee injury.
The Denver Broncos nearly became the first team to lose to the Miami Dolphins, but rallied for a 18-15 overtime win in the "sunshine state."
Broncos' QB Tim Tebow was awful for three and a half quarters before rallying the team with two scores in the final three minutes of regulation to force  the OT session.
Denver scored on a Tebow TD pass to Demaryius Thomas to cut it to 15-7 with 2:44 left to play, then recovered the onside kickoff and scored on a Tebow to Daniel Fells three-yard scoring pass with 17 seconds left to play. Tebow ran in for the two-point conversion to tie the game. Denver kicker Matt Prater nailed a 52-yard field goal in overtime to win it.
Kansas City shocked the Oakland Raiders, 28-0 in the "Black Hole" as the Chiefs defense intercepted six passes and scored twice on the pick six returns.
Raiders' starting QB Kyle Boller threw three interceptions, including a pick six by KC defensive back Kendrick Lewis. Oakland replaced Boller with newly acquired QB Carson Palmer, who also was picked off three times, including a 58-yard INT return for touchdown by Brandon Flowers to seal the deal early in the fourth quarter.
 The Chiefs win puts them at 3-3 after a woeful start to the season and tightened things up in the AFC West as the Raiders slipped to to 4-3 and the front running San Diego Chargers are 4-2 following their disappointing loss at New York earlier in the day.
The Chargers blew a 21-10 halftime lead and lost to the Jets, 27-21 as wide receiver Plaxico Burress had three touchdown catches for the Jets to lead the comeback.
Chargers' QB Philip Rivers was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter as the Jets took over and improved to 4-3 in the NFC East.
The key play was a deflected pass that Jets' cornerback Darrelle Revis snagged and returned 64 yards deep into San Diego territory as the Chargers were looking to increase their 21-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) took over first place in the much improved AFC North division with a 32-20 win at Arizona.
Quarterback  Ben Roethlisberger had three touchdown passes and 361 passing yards in the Steelers third straight win.
Dallas rookie running back DeMarco Murray ran wild for 253 yards, including a 91-yard TD run to spark the Cowboys at home in an easy 34-7 win over the St. Louis Rams.
 The New Orleans Saints humiliated, embarrassed, annihilated, crushed, etc. the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 62-7 in the Sunday Night Football game as QB Drew Brees (pictured below left) threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns.
The Saints (5-2) took over first place in the NFC South as they poured it on the winless Colts, going for 236 yards on the ground and totaled 557 yards in offense for the game.
Finally, the Monday Night game saw Jacksonville stun the visiting Baltimore Ravens, 12-7 in a defensive struggle from start to finish.
Jaguars' kicker Josh Scobee made four field goals, including three from beyond 50 yards, to lead the way. The Jags' defense held the Ravens without a first down in the game until late in the third quarter.
All in all, an interesting week of football as the season now gets into the heart  of the schedule at the midway point in late October.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten (Week ending October 22)

1. Alabama (8-0)
2. LSU (8-0)
3. Stanford (7-0)
4. Oklahoma State (7-0)
5. Boise State (7-0)
6. Clemson (8-0)
7. Oregon (6-1)
8. Wisconsin (6-1)
9. Arkansas (6-1)
10. Oklahoma (6-1)

Saturday Night Groove

NFL - Week Seven Preview

The NFL travels to London, England to play a game this week as the Chicago Bears mix it up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the annual trek "across the pond" in what is a big game for both teams.
The Bucs are tied for first place in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints at 4-2 and the Bears are 3-3 and looking up at both the Green Bay Packers (6-0) and Detroit Lions (5-1) in the NFC North division.
In an up-and-down year so far, the New York Jets will host the San Diego Chargers in a key AFC match up. The Jets are 3-3 and have struggled on offense, particularly in the running game while the Chargers offense has been erratic as well, including quarterback Philip Rivers, who so far has not looked like his usual consistent self through the first five games.
This game should be a good one and both teams have solid defenses.
San Diego is fourth overall on defense and number two in the NFL against the pass. The Jets are solid against the pass as well, but have uncharacteristically struggled against the run so far in the 2011 season.
The Oakland Raiders, with quarterback Carson Palmer now in tow, face the Kansas City Chiefs in a big AFC West battle in the "Black Hole."
There were rumors that Palmer would start this game after being traded to the Raiders from the Cincinnati Bengals early in the week, but don't count on Palmer even playing this weekend unless Kyle Boller goes down with an injury.
 The Green Bay Packers play up in Minnesota against the Vikings and rookie QB Christian Ponder, so that's a mismatch right?
We will see because the Packers strolled to an easy win last week against NFC weak sister St. Louis and now face the 1-5 Vikings in the Metro Dome. This game is a division battle and could be closer than people might think.
The Tim Tebow "era" is set to go in south Florida for the  Denver Broncos as they travel to face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Broncos (1-4) and the Dolphins (0-5) both stink so this game will not have anything to offer other than Tebow running around and occasionally floating a pass to a bunch of no name receivers because the Broncos dealt away their best wideout (Brandon Lloyd) to St. Louis at the trade deadline this week.
The two "prime time" games this weekend feature mismatches (at least on paper) as the Indianapolis Colts (0-6) travel to the Super Dome to face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night in a far cry from the Super Bowl rematch of two years ago.
Meanwhile, the Monday Night Football game has the Baltimore Ravens (4-1) playing the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) in Florida.
Two other games that should be good ones this week have the Atlanta Falcons (3-3) playing at the Detroit Lions, who are coming off their first loss of the season last week while the Houston Texans (3-3) travel to face the Tennessee Titans (3-2) in a battle for first place in the AFC South.

Here are the Heftyinfo NFL picks for this week... (Home teams are listed in BOLD)


Chicago over Tampa Bay (game played in London, England)
Carolina over Washington
San Diego over NY Jets
Miami over Denver
Dallas over St. Louis
Cleveland over Seattle
Detroit over Atlanta
Houston over Tennessee
Oakland over Kansas City 
Pittsburgh over Arizona
Green Bay over Minnesota
New Orleans over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Jacksonville

Last Week's Record: 11-2

SEASON RECORD: 61-29

NFL - Week Six Review

And then there was one.

The Green Bay Packers are the only remaining unbeaten team in the NFL following their 24-3 win at Lambeau Field over the St. Louis Rams while the Detroit Lions lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers, 25-19. The Packers lead the NFC North division with a 6-0 record while the Lions stand at 5-1 following the loss.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns in the second quarter as the Packers coasted to the win.
The Lions and 49ers played a thriller that saw four lead changes in the second half with the eventual winning

Head Coaches Jim Harbaugh (left) and Jim Schwartz (far right) had to be separated after the 49ers win in Detroit.

score coming on a six-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Delanie Walker in the final two minutes.
The Atlanta Falcons got off the mat and kept pace in the NFC South with a 31-17 win at home against Carolina. Falcons running back Michael Turner ran for 139 yards and scored two touchdowns to pace the win.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat back the New Orleans Saints, 26-20 to force a tie for first place in the NFC South. Both teams are 4-2.
Tampa Bay kicker Conner Barth kicked four field goals and the Bucs' defense intercepted Saints' QB Drew Brees three times, including an end zone pick in the closing minutes of the game.
The Philadelphia Eagles snapped a four-game losing streak with a road win at Washington, 20-13 with Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week Kurt Coleman (pictured below left) of the Eagles intercepting three passes.

Redskins' QB Rex Grossman threw four interceptions before being replaced by John Beck in the second half.
Pittsburgh, paced by Rashard Mendenhall's big day (146 rushing yards and one touchdown) beat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 17-13 to win their third straight game.
The Cincinnati Bengals knocked off the winless Indianapolis Colts, 27-17 as Carlos Dunlap returned a fumble 35 yards for a score with 2:22 remaining to seal the game.
Oakland made it two in a row with a 24-17 victory at home against the Cleveland Browns despite losing starting quarterback Jason Campbell to a broken collar bone.
The Raiders scored a touchdown on a fake field goal pass play of 35 yards from holder Shane Lechler to Kevin Boss and also had a touchdown run by Darren McFadden.
Baltimore rolled over visiting Houston, 29-14 as kicker Billy Cundiff nailed five field goals to go with solid defense that limited the explosive Texans' offense to 293 total yards.
The New York Giants won at home over the Buffalo Bills, 27-24 as quarterback Eli Manning had no interceptions and running back Ahmad Bradshaw scored three touchdowns to go with 104 yards rushing.

Ahmad Bradshaw

Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was picked off twice to offset two TD passes and Lawrence Tynes drilled a 23-yard field goal in the final minute to clinch the win for the Giants.
The New England Patriots got a late game scoring pass from quarterback Tom Brady to tight end Aaron Hernandez in a 20-16 home win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots were out gained by Dallas and the Cowboys' defense intercepted Brady twice but couldn't get it done in crunch time as the Pats improved to 5-1 and first place in the AFC East.
In the Sunday Night Football game, the Chicago Bears blasted the visiting Minnesota Vikings, 39-10.
Bears' wide receiver/kick returner Devin Hester scored two touchdowns, including a 48-yard touchdown reception to get things started and later scored on a 98-yard kickoff return right after Minnesota trimmed the Bears' lead to 26-10. The Vikings pulled starting quarterback Donovan McNabb in the second half in favor of rookie Christian Ponder.
Bears' QB Jay Cutler passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked only one time in the win.
 Darrelle Revis returned an interception 100 yards and quarterback Mark Sanchez ran for a touchdown and passed for another to lead the host New York Jets over the Miami Dolphins, 24-6 in the Monday Night Football game.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten (Week ending October 15)

1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Oklahoma (6-0)
3. LSU (7-0)
4. Stanford (6-0)
5. Wisconsin (6-0)
6. Boise State (6-0)
7. Oklahoma State (6-0)
8. Clemson (7-0)
9. Oregon (5-1)
10. Arkansas (5-1)

OCCUPY EVERYWHERE: Fight Corporate Greed

What Would Ronald Say?

NFL - Week Six Preview

Already one-third of the season is in the books for most teams around the NFL in 2011 and this weekend's games feature some big match ups.
The Dallas Cowboys travel to play the New England Patriots while the Philadelphia Eagles, grounded with four consecutive losses, travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the surprising, first-place Redskins.
How about the Baltimore Ravens playing host to the Houston Texans? Meanwhile, the New York Giants, smarting from their disappointing performance (at  home) last week against Seattle, take on the visiting Buffalo Bills,  the AFC's biggest surprise in 2011.
Here is a capsule style breakdown of the action for Week Six, with the Heftyinfo predictions for all the games to follow.

Carolina (1-4) at Atlanta (2-3) - What's up with the Falcons? QB Matt Ryan hasn't looked at all like the top notch passer from last year while Carolina's rookie QB Cam Newton is well on his way to capturing the NFL Rookie of the Year Award.

Jacksonville (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-2) - The Steelers rebounded nicely last week vs. Tennessee while Jacksonville coughed one up against Cincinnati. Steelers roll!

Philadelphia (1-4) at Washington (3-1) - The Redskins have been on fire in the early part of 2011 while the Eagles have crashed and burned so far. This should be a good game.

St. Louis (0-4) at Green Bay (5-0) - Unbeaten team at home against winless team is a no brainer, right? Not necessarily, but take the Packers in what might be a closer game than most "experts" may be expecting.

San Francisco (4-1) at Detroit (5-0) - Someone's bubble is gonna get burst in this early season tilt.

Indianapolis (0-5) at Cincinnati (3-2) - The Bengals have been a surprise indeed while the Colts continue to flounder without Peyton Manning.

Buffalo (4-1) at NY Giants (3-2) - Can the Bills keep it up? Can the Giants get some consistency? Stay tuned.

Cleveland (2-2) at Oakland (3-2) - The Raiders win another one for Al, this time at home.

Houston (3-2) at Baltimore (3-1) - Houston has no Andre Johnson once again this week. The Ravens playing over their heads? Perhaps, but the ageless wonders continue to shine on defense so far in 2011.  Take the Ravens in a rout.

Dallas (2-2) at New England (4-1) - The Patriots have won 29 consecutive regular season home games with Tom Brady at quarterback, so don't count on the Cowboys stopping that streak.

New Orleans (4-1) at Tampa Bay (3-2) - The Saints are quietly winning games and now face the Bucs in a key NFC South match up. The Bucs were smacked silly last week in San Francisco. This one should come down to the wire.

Minnesota (1-4) at Chicago (2-3) - The stinker game of the week as far as national TV broadcast games are concerned. Who scheduled this one for prime time Sunday night? Oops!

Miami (0-4) at NY Jets (2-3) - The Jets have lost three in a row while the Dolphins haven't won a game yet in 2011... something has to give.

Heftyinfo picks for this week's games  ... (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

Green Bay over St. Louis
Pittsburgh over Jacksonville
Philadelphia over Washington
Detroit over San Francisco
Atlanta over Carolina
Cincinnati over Indianapolis
NY Giants over Buffalo
Oakland over Cleveland
Baltimore over Houston
New England over Dallas
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Chicago over Minnesota
NY Jets over Miami

Last Week's Record: 7-6

SEASON RECORD: 50-27
 

NFL - Week Five Review

The NFL's  two undefeated teams, the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, remained that way while surprises were abounding again in Week Five around the league.
The Seattle Seahawks pulled off the biggest one by topping the host New York Giants, 36-25 behind a huge defensive play by Brandon Browner, a 94-yard interception return for touchdown to seal the game.
Charlie Whitehurst stepped in for injured quarterback Tavaris Jackson and threw a fourth quarter touchdown pass to give the 'Hawks a 29-25 lead prior to the big play by Browner.
The Buffalo Bills improved to 4-1 with a thrilling 31-24 win against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) behind a big day from running back Fred Jackson (111 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards) who scored a touchdown to go with a defensive score from linebacker Nick Barnett on a 31-yard interception return.
The Eagles' Michael Vick put up some big numbers (315 pass yards with two TD passes and 90 yards rushing) in the loss as he was intercepted a career high four times by the Buffalo defense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to form with a 38-17 pasting of the visiting Tennessee Titans behind Ben Roethlisberger (pictured below), the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week.

Big Ben threw five TD passes along with 228 yards passing and was sacked only once in the win. In addition, the Steelers also ran for 174 yards, including 107 yards by Jonathan Dwyer.
The Oakland Raiders won one for owner Al Davis, who had passed away a day earlier, in a 25-20 decision at Houston.
Despite being outgained 473-278 by the Texans, the Raiders used four field goals by kicker Sebastian Janikowski, including three from over 50 yards, and Michael Huff intercepted Matt Schaub's pass in the end zone on the final play of the game to help win the game.
Minnesota finally got in the win column with a 34-10 triumph against the visiting Arizona Cardinals behind three rushing touchdowns from Adrian Peterson (in the first quarter) and a stiff defense that came up with four turnovers, including three interceptions and also registered four quarterback sacks.
New Orleans and quarterback Drew Brees (359 yards passing with two TD) survived the host Carolina Panthers in a 30-27 win.
Brees found running back Pierre Thomas for the game winning score on a six-yard pass play with just under a minute remaining in the game.
Kansas City kept the Indianapolis Colts winless with a come from behind 28-24 victory as quarterback Matt Cassel threw for 257 yards and four TD passes. Colts' QB Curtis Painter passed for two scores in the loss.
The Cincinnati Bengals toppled the Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-20 to go to 3-2 as quarterback Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and the defense kept the Jags at bay late in the fourth quarter.
The New England Patriots kept pace with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East by beating the New york Jets, 30-21 as Tom Brady topped 300 yards passing (321) and running back Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis ran for 136 yards and scored twice on the ground the pace the attack.
The Patriots' defense, which was ranked last in the NFL, limited the Jets to 255 yards in total offense. It was the third consecutive loss for the Jets.
The San Francisco 49ers served notice they are no slouch as they crushed the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-3 behind three touchdown passes by Alex Smith and a defensive touchdown. Running back Frank Gore ran for 125 yards and scored a touchdown while tight end Vernon Davis had two TD grabs in the win.
The San Diego Chargers went into Denver and beat the Broncos, 29-24 to improve to 4-1 for the first time in five years as running back Ryan Mathews paced the ground game (206 yards) with a 125-yard effort.
Chargers' kicker Nick Novak made five field goals in the game and the defense limited Denver to just 113 passing yards in spite of Tim Tebow, who took over at quarterback in the third quarter and ran for a TD as well as passing for one to get the Broncos close before the Chargers defense held to seal the game.
In the Sunday Night Football game, Green Bay fell behind the host Atlanta Falcons, 14-0 before coming back for a 25-14 win to remain perfect in five games.
Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers had 396 passing yards and two TD passes, including a 70-yard strike for a score to James Jones (five catches for 140 yards) to put the Packers ahead for good in the third quarter.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford

The only other remaining unbeaten team, the Detroit Lions, topped the Chicago Bears, 24-13 in their first Monday Night home game in ten years.
Two big plays for the Lions, a 73-yard scoring pass from QB Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Calvin Johnson and a 88-yard touchdown run by Jahvid Best, made the difference in the outcome.
The Bears (2-3) were whistled for nine false start penalties in the game, which had 26 penalties called overall.

College Football Top Ten

The Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten (Week ending October 8)

1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Oklahoma (5-0)
3. LSU (6-0)
4. Stanford (5-0)
5. Wisconsin (5-0)
6. Boise State (5-0)
7. Oklahoma State (5-0)
8. Clemson (6-0)
9. Oregon (4-1)
10. Arkansas (5-1)

America's New Heroes

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been gaining and gaining and gaining momentum and is not going away as the American people let our nation's biggest banks and corporations, as well as the political leaders know that we have had enough.
This country is our country, not just the top income earners and mega multi-national corporations.
Good on you Occupy Wall Street protesters as well as the "occupations" going on across the United States of America.
And the best news about all of this is that it's NOT corporate sponsored of course, as the "tea party" has been for the past two years.

We the People!

Longtime Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis Dies at 82

Al Davis

Al Davis, the longtime iconic owner of the Oakland Raiders, has died at the age of 82.
The renegade who helped pioneer the old American Football League in the 1960's helped wield the Oakland Raiders into one of professional sports most successful franchises, in particular from the late 1960's until the mid 1980's.
 The Raiders won three Super Bowl titles (1976, 1980 and 1983) during the tenure of Davis, who's mantra was the phrase synonymous with the Oakland Raiders... "Just Win Baby!"

Major League Baseball Post-Season - October Surprises

Some things went as expected and others not so much as the Texas Rangers ousted the Tampa Bay Rays in four games while the Milwaukee Brewers survived the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the Division Series of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies choked yet again in the post-season.
The Yankees took it on the chin in five games against the Detroit Tigers while Philadelphia blew a 2-1 series lead and lost in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Phillies, baseball's only 100-plus game winning team in 2011, lost Game Five at home, 1-0 as the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter against them to clinch the series.

The turning point of the Divisional playoff between the Red Birds and Phils was Game Two, when with ace Cliff Lee pitching and the Phillies leading 4-0, the Cardinals stormed back to win that game in Philly and even the series.

The Yankees simply could not get the offense going in Game Five against the Tigers and lost, 3-2 as seldom used player Don Kelly hit a home run  in the top of the first inning for Detroit and eventually pitcher Jose Valverde, perfect in 50 save attempts during the regular season and post-season, nailed it down in the ninth inning for the Tigers.
Texas cruised past Tampa Bay enroute to the 3-1 series win after spotting the rays a 9-0 win in Game One in Texas by winning three straight, including two in Tampa.

The Milwaukee Brewers got a clutch single from Nyjer Morgan to win, 3-2 in 10 innings in the deciding Game Five against upstart Arizona, which had rallied from down 0-2 in the series to push the Brew Crew to the brink.

Now it is on to the next round, the League Championship Series for the Brewers and Cardinals in the National League while the Texas Rangers face the Tigers in the ALCS, starting Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

NFL - Week Five Preview

With only thirteen games on tap for the weekend, the NFL is in full swing as the schedule rolls into October with six teams getting the  "bye" this week.
There are some intriguing games this week as well as division battles looming large with teams looking to get back into their collective groove following the first four games that has seen some "surprise" teams shoot up to the top of the standings.
Who really expected the Buffalo Bills (AFC East) and Detroit Lions (NFC North) to be atop their divisions after the first four games?
The Lions face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football this week while the Buffalo Bills play host to the surprisingly disappointing Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) on Sunday.
The New England Patriots (3-1) will be hosting the New York Jets, who have struggled so far in their 2-2 start in the AFC East. These two rivals almost always provide an exciting game and they know each other so well.
The Oakland Raiders will be playing at Houston, who will be without All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson (hamstring) and possibly running back Ben Tate, who was dinged up last week during the Texans 17-10 win over Pittsburgh.
The Green Bay Packers travel to play the Atlanta Falcons on the Sunday Night Football game. The Packers crushed the Falcons, 48-21 last year in the playoffs in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons will definitely be looking to get some revenge for that one.
All in all, it looks to be another exciting week ahead around the NFL, so here are the Heftyinfo weekly picks, with the home teams listed in BOLD.

Philadelphia over Buffalo
New Orleans over Carolina
Houston over Oakland
Indianapolis over Kansas City
Jacksonville over Cincinnati
Minnesota over Arizona
NY Giants over Seattle
Pittsburgh over Tennessee
San Francisco over Tampa Bay
San Diego over Denver
New England over NY Jets
Green Bay over Atlanta
Chicago over Detroit

Last Week's Record: 10-6

SEASON RECORD: 43-21

More FOX NEWS Lies

Here is the video footage that Fox "News" would not show to viewers when interviewing the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City.

NFL - Week Four Review

Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers served notice to the rest of the NFL that they are the king of the hill as they simply dismantled the visiting Denver Broncos, 49-23 behind four touchdown passes and two more rushing scores from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week,  threw for 408 yards and accounted for six of the team's seven scores in the rout that improved Green Bay to 4-0 and a first-place tie with the amazing Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
The Lions did it again as for the second game in a row, they came from 20 or more points down to win.
Dallas had a 27-3 lead early in the third quarter before QB Tony Romo got pass happy and was intercepted three times, including two that were taken back to the house for scores to get Detroit back in the game.
It was all Lions in the final quarter as they mauled the Cowboys, 17-0 to win, 34-30 and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1980.
The New England Patriots bounced back from their setback at Buffalo last week, pounding the host Oakland Raiders, 31-19 as they RUSHED the football for 183 yards to go with QB Tom Brady's 226 passing yards and two touchdown strikes.
The Raiders out gained New England for the game in yardage, but the Patriots out rushed Oakland and did not turn the football over to make the difference in the outcome.
Speaking of a solid rushing effort, how about the Chicago Bears' Matt Forte' going off for 205 yards on the ground in his team's 34-29 win over the visiting Carolina Panthers.

Devin Hester

Forte' and Marion Barber each ran for a score and premier return man Devin Hester ran a punt back 69 yards to set the all-time NFL record for career kick returns for touchdowns.
Panthers' QB Cam Newton threw for 374 yards and ran for two touchdowns in the losing effort.
The Buffalo Bills fell for the first time this season, losing at Cincinnati, 23-20 on a last second 43-yard field goal by Mike Nugent. The Bengals gave Buffalo a taste of their own medicine as they rallied from 14 points down to win the game.
Speaking of blowing big leads, the Philadelphia Eagles lost at home, 24-23 to the San Francisco 49ers as Frank Gore (127 yards rushing) ran in from 12 yards with three minutes remaining in the game.
Eagles' QB Michael Vick passed for a career high 416 yards in the loss while 49ers' QB Alex Smith passed for two scores to help lead his team back from the 20-point deficit.
The Houston Texans knocked off the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-10 as running back Arian Foster played and made an impact by running for 155 yards and scored on a 42-yard run to help seal the game.
The Tennessee Titans continued their early season success by blasting the host Cleveland Browns, 31-13 as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for three touchdowns and Titans' defensive back Jordan Babineaux ran back an interception 97 yards for another score.
The New York Giants rode a big fourth quarter comeback on the road in a 31-27 win against the Arizona Cardinals, which included two touchdown passes from Eli Manning, who threw for 321 yards.
Beanie Wells gained 138 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns in the loss.
New Orleans sleep walked through a 23-10 road win against Jacksonville, behind a TD pass from Drew Brees (351 passing yards) and a solid defensive effort that limited the Jaguars to 274 total yards in offense.
The Washington Redskins won in another yawner over the St. Louis Rams, 17-10 to send the Rams to 0-4 in the 2011 season. The Redskins' defense dominated, holding St. Louis to 172 yards in offense.
The San Diego Chargers continued a solid start at 3-1 with a home win over winless Miami, 26-16 behind solid defense and balanced offense.
Kansas City earned their first win of the season, beating  the visiting Minnesota Vikings, 22-17 as QB Matt Cassel connected with Dwayne Bowe for a 52-yard touchdown pass. Vikings' QB Donovan McNabb threw a pair of touchdowns in the loss, which dropped Minnesota to an 0-4 start.
Out in Seattle, the visiting Atlanta Falcons nearly became another team to blow a huge lead before hanging on for a 30-28 win over the Seahawks.
Atlanta running back Michael Turner scored twice on the ground and kicker Matt Bryant kicked three field goals to provide the difference. Seattle stormed back behind QB Tarvaris Jackson (319 passing yards and three TD passes) in the second half after falling behind by 20 points early in the third quarter.

In the Sunday Night Football game, the Baltimore Ravens defense throttled the visiting New York Jets in a 34-17 blowout win.

Jets' QB Mark Sanchez is sacked during a 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

 The game featured five touchdowns via returns as the Baltimore defense had three scores and the Jets' had a defensive score and kickoff return for a touchdown as well. The Jets were limited to 150 yards total offense while the Ravens managed just 267 yards in offense for the game.
LaGarrette Blount broke off for a 35-yard scoring run late in the fourth quarter to help lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 24-17 win over the visiting Indianapolis Colts on the Monday Night Football game.
The win left the Bucs with a 3-1 record and tied for first place with New Orleans in the NFC South. The Colts are still one of four winless teams in the NFL.

College Football Top Ten

The Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten (Week ending October 1)

1. Alabama (5-0)
2. Oklahoma (4-0)
3. LSU (5-0)
4. Stanford (4-0)
5. Wisconsin (5-0)
6. Boise State (4-0)
7. Oklahoma State (4-0)
8. Clemson (5-0)
9. Texas (4-0)
10. Oregon (3-1)

More Right Wing Lies and Intimidation Caught on Tape

The Andrew Breitbart goon squad was on display once again today in Schaumburg, Illinois at the "Tea Party" Tea Con event.
In the video below, the right wing goons attempt to harass and intimidate some protesters who were set up ACROSS THE STREET from the convention site.