NFL - Week Eight Review

QB Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are 7-0 this season.

The Atlanta Falcons continued their perfect start in the 2012 NFL season with a 30-17 pasting of the host Philadelphia Eagles behind three touchdown passes from quarterback Matt Ryan, the Heftyinfo NFL  Player of the Week.
Ryan passed for 262 yards along with the touchdown strikes and the Atlanta defense limited the Eagles to just 270 yards of offense to improve to 7-0 this year.

The Denver Broncos dominated the New Orleans Saints, 34-14 on the Sunday Night Football game behind three TD passes from Comeback Player of the Year (YES HE ALREADY IS)  Peyton Manning and a defense that limited Saints' QB Drew Brees to just 213 passing yards. Manning threw for 305 yards passing in the win, which put the Broncos in sole possession of first place in the AFC West.

The Miami Dolphins smashed the host New York Jets, 30-9 as reserve QB Matt Moore led an efficient attack for the 'Fins, who improved to 4-3 for the season. The Jets slipped to 3-5 and people are starting to call for Tim Tebow to take over at quarterback.

Andrew Luck led the Colts to OT win.

Indianapolis improved to 4-3 as well with an overtime win at Tennessee, 19-13 behind a TD pass from rookie QB Andrew Luck. The Colts won just two games all of last season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers buried the Washington Redskins, 27-12 as the defense held RG3 in check.

In the Thursday night game, the Tampa Bay Bucs stunned the host Minnesota Vikings, 36-17 behind a big game from QB Josh Freeman (262 pass yards and three TD) and running back Doug Martin, who ran for 135 yards and a score.

Across the pond in London, England, Tom Brady (four TD passes) and the New England Patriots crushed the St. Louis Rams, 45-7. Pats' Tight End Rob Gronkowski had two TD receptions in the rout.

The Chicago Bears got a pre-Halloween scare from the visiting Carolina Panthers but were able to eek out a 23-22 win on a last second 41-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould. For the third straight game, the Chicago defense scored a TD when defensive back Tim Jennings, who already has six interceptions this season, took back a pick for the score.

Green Bay beat the stubborn Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-15 as QB Aaron Rodgers found veteran wideout Donald Driver for the deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the win.

The New York Giants blew a 23-point lead but managed to come back in the fourth quarter as kicker Lawrence Tynes, who made five field goals in the game, drilled a pair of kicks to decide the outcome in a 29-24 win at Dallas.

The Cowboys had a chance to win the game, but WR Dez Bryant was out of the end zone when he caught a potential TD pass from QB Tony Romo  (pictured right), who was intercepted four times in the Cowboys' loss.

Oakland improved to 3-4 and is just one game back of AFC West leader Denver as they blasted the host Kansas City Chiefs, 26-16. Raiders' kicker Sebastian Janikowski made four field goals and QB Carson Palmer threw two TD passes against the hapless Chiefs (1-6).

Cleveland rode the legs of running back Trent Richardson (122 yards rushing) who scored the only touchdown of the game on a sloppy field to beat the visiting San Diego Chargers, 7-6. San Diego has lost three straight games.

The Detroit Lions scored a TD on a one-yard scoring pass from QB Matthew Stafford to WR Titus Young with just twenty seconds left in the game to beat the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 28-24.

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the showdown in the desert against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, winning the game, 24-3 behind solid defense that limited the Cards to just SEVEN yards rushing for the game.
49ers' quarterback Alex Smith threw for 232 yards and had three TD passes, including two to Michael Crabtree and a 47-yard hook-up with Randy Moss for another score.

WORLD CHAMPS

The San Francisco Giants won their second World Series title in three years with a 4-3 win in ten innings to wrap up a four game sweep of the Detroit Tigers.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten      (Week ending October 28)     

1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Oregon (8-0)
3. Notre Dame (8-0)
4. Kansas State (8-0)
5. LSU (7-1)
6. Florida State (8-1)
7. Georgia (7-1)
8. Ohio State (9-0)
9. Florida (7-1)
10. Clemson (7-1)

NFL - Week Eight Preview

The NFL is entering the midway point of the 2012 season already and the AFC has just three teams (Houston, Baltimore and New England) with winning records.

The NFC has shown to be a stronger conference so far with the likes of defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons. Not to mention the Green Bay Packers seem to be awakening from their early season funk to improve to a 4-3 record entering this weekend.
The bigger matchups this week have the Falcons traveling to Philadelphia to face the Eagles, quarterbacked by Michael Vick and himself a former Falcons' quarterback in the early 2000's.
The New Orleans Saints face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City on Sunday Night Football while the Dallas Cowboys host the Giants, a team they beat in the season opener.
The rest of the schedule has some interesting games and some potential yawners as well. With that in view, here's a capsule style break down of the games for Week Eight around the NFL.

Carolina (1-5) at Chicago (5-1) - Can the Panthers and Cam Newton get off the snide? Not against the strong Bears' defense.

San Diego (3-3) at Cleveland (1-6) - The Chargers have blown big leads in the second half in their last two games, but not this week against the Browns.

Seattle (4-3) at Detroit (2-4) - The Seahawks are strong at home, but this week they are on the road against an angry Lions' team that has struggled so far this season.

Jacksonville (1-5) at Green Bay (4-3) - The mismatch of the week. Packers roll!

Indianapolis (3-3) at Tennessee (3-4) - The Titans have been hot and they face a Colts team that struggles on the road.

New England (4-3) vs. St. Louis (3-4) in London, England - The Patriots face the Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl 36. Tom Brady and Head Coach Bill Belichick still remain from that New England squad that won it all.

Miami (3-3) at New York Jets (3-4) - Who cares?

Atlanta (6-0) at Philadelphia (3-3) - Can the Eagles soar above the Falcons in this battle of the birds?

Washington (3-4) at Pittsburgh (3-3) - The Steelers showed integrity in a come from behind win on the road last week and now they face the RG3 show.

Oakland (2-4) at Kansas City (1-5) - The Chiefs can win this game and potentially be just one game out of first place in the NFL's saddest division.

New York Giants (5-2) at Dallas (3-3) - Eli Manning and company travel to Big D trying to get revenge for the season opening loss.

New Orleans (2-4) at Denver (3-3) - The Broncos were fortunate to win their last game and now face Drew Brees and the Saints, who seem to be getting their mojo back.

San Francisco (5-2) at Arizona (4-3) - The  Monday Night Football Game in the desert ... with first place in the NFC West at stake.

The Heftyinfo picks for this week  . . .   (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

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

Last Week's Record:  12-1

SEASON RECORD:  64-40













 

Two More Assholes on Parade

Here's Republican U.S. Senate candidates Todd Akin (Missouri) and Richard Mourdock (Indiana) ... the comments they made recently regarding rape is disgusting and these two should be banished from the political races they are in.

Richard Mourdock

Todd Akin

                                                                                                            

       

The Last Debate

Score Round Three for President Barack Obama

NFL - Week Seven Review

Exciting finishes around the NFL once again this week as ten games (prior to Monday night's game) finished up as one score games.
The New York Giants pulled out another one as quarterback Eli Manning connected with wide receiver Victor Cruz for a 77-yard touchdown scoring pass in the final minute to win 27-23 against the Washington Redskins. Washington QB Robert Griffin III threw two TD passes to Santana Moss in the defeat.
The Minnesota Vikings righted their ship with a 21-14 home win against Arizona as running back Adrian Peterson led the way with 153 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Vikings defense recorded seven QB sacks and scored a touchdown on an interception off Cardinals' QB John Skelton.
Green Bay rolled past the St. Louis Rams, 30-20  for a road win behind three TD passes from QB Aaron Rodgers, who threw for 342 yards in the win.

Saints QB Drew Brees had four TD passes in win.

Perhaps the wildest finish of the day came in Tampa Bay, where the New Orleans Saints topped the Buccaneers, 35-28 behind four touchdown passes from Drew Brees, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week.
 Brees passed for 377 yards in the game, as the Saints stormed back from an early 14-point deficit. The Bucs saw QB Josh Freeman light up the New Orleans defense for 420 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Tampa Bay had the ball in the red zone in the last five seconds, but Freeman's TD pass to tie the game was wiped out because the receiver was out of the end zone and came back in to make the illegal catch.
New England held on for a 29-26 overtime home win against the New York Jets to take over sole possession of first place in the AFC East.
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who made five field goals, kicked a 48-yard field goal and the defense then sacked Jets' QB Mark Sanchez and recovered the fumble to end the game.
The Tennessee Titans beat the Buffalo Bills, 35-34 behind a big day from running back Chris Johnson, who scored two rushing touchdowns, including an 83-yard jaunt, to go with 195 rushing yards. Bills' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had three TD passes in the loss.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco had a rough day against Texans defense

The Houston Texans dominated the visiting Baltimore Ravens, 43-13 as the defense intercepted Ravens' QB Joe Flacco twice and limited the Baltimore offense to just 176 yards.
Texans' running back Arian Foster ran for 98 yards and scored a touchdown while QB Matt Schaub threw for two scores.
The Indianapolis Colts were led by quarterback Andrew Luck's two rushing touchdowns in a 17-13 home win against the Cleveland Browns, which gives the Colts a 3-3 record after they won just two games a year ago.
The Oakland Raiders stormed back from a 14-point deficit to beat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-23 in OT as kicker Sebastian Janikowski made a 40-yard field goal for the win.
The Jags lost their top two offensive starters when quarterback Blaine Gabbert and running back Maurice Jones-Drew left the game with injuries.
The Dallas Cowboys knocked off the host Carolina Panthers, 19-14 behind four field goals from kicker Dan Bailey and solid defense that contained Panthers' QB Cam Newton.
The San Francisco 49ers topped the Seattle Seahawks, 13-6 in a listless game last Thursday night behind solid defense and a third quarter TD pass from QB Alex Smith to go with 131 yards rushing from Frank Gore.
Pittsburgh beat the host Cincinnati Bengals, 24-17 on Sunday night as their defense limited the Bengals to just 185 yards in total offense. Meanwhile, Steelers' running back Jonathan Dwyer ran for 122 yards and QB Ben Roethlisberger had a touchdown pass to pace the offense.
The Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football, 13-7 as QB Jay Cutler threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall in the first quarter.
The Bears defense forced four turnovers in the win as the Lions scored a touchdown in the final thirty seconds of the game to avoid the shutout.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten      (Week ending October 21)     

1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Oregon (7-0)
3. Notre Dame (7-0)
4. Kansas State (7-0)
5. Florida (7-0)
6. LSU (7-1)
7. USC (6-1)
8. Florida State (7-1)
9. Ohio State (8-0)
10. Oklahoma (5-1)

Memories

 One year ago, Dad and my older brother Gary passed away one day apart. Missing them both very much and just sending a message that life is precious, enjoy it.

NFL - Week Seven Preview

The NFL will have a lighter schedule this weekend with six teams getting their bye weeks here in late October.
Most notably, the San Diego Chargers could use the week off after laying another second half egg last week, blowing a 24-point lead at home in a 35-24 setback against the Denver Broncos, who also have a bye.
The football games on tap this weekend feature some good division matchups.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North game) play on Sunday night while the Monday Night Football game will be the Detroit Lions at the Chicago Bears in a NFC North tilt.
The Washington Redskins and New York Giants will go at it in a big game in the NFC East while the 3-3 New York Jets play the New England Patriots, also 3-3, in an AFC East battle.
Speaking of  3-3 teams (or worse) there are only two teams over .500 in the AFC and they square off against each other when the Baltimore Ravens (5-1) play at Houston against the Texans, who also sport a 5-1 record.
In a parity driven league, the NFL has been bizarre from week-to-week this season and it seems to get more bizarre from one season to the next.
Inconsistency is the term to use when describing the quality of play around pro football in recent years and that is ever so the case in the 2012 season.
Even with the inconsistent quality of play, it's still a great game to watch and a lot of games seem to go down to the wire these days.
Ah, you gotta' love the parity, don't you?
Here are the (inconsistent) picks for the following week's games  ...   (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

San Francisco over Seattle
Green Bay over St. Louis
Minnesota over Arizona
Dallas over Carolina
Washington over New York Giants
Tennessee over Buffalo
Houston over Baltimore
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Indianapolis over Cleveland
New England over New York Jets
Oakland over Jacksonville
Pittsburgh over Cincinnati
Chicago over Detroit

Last Week's Record:  6-8

SEASON RECORD:  52-39

Romnesia

IT'S ON!

President Barack Obama steamrolled Mitt Romney in the debate tonight! 

NFL - Week Six Review

Many of the NFL games this weekend came down to the kickers.

Heading into the Monday Night Football game between San Diego and Denver, six of the thirteen games this weekend came down to a field goal to decide the outcomes.
The Thursday night game started it all as the host Tennessee Titans surprised the Pittsburgh Steelers, 26-23 as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 40-yard field goal to win the game.
The Atlanta Falcons remained the only unbeaten in the league with a hard fought 23-20 win over stubborn Oakland in the Georgia Dome.
Falcons kicker Matt Bryant made a 55-yard field goal just after the Raiders had tied the score on a two-yard touchdown run by Darren McFadden.
The Detroit Lions mounted a furious comeback to beat the host Philadelphia Eagles, 26-23 in overtime as Jason Hanson drilled the winning kick from 45 yards out to cap the rally, which included the Lions scoring ten points in the final three and a half minutes of regulation to force the extra session.
Despite being outgained 462-192 in total offense, Miami beat the St. Louis Rams, 17-14 to improve to 3-3 and forge a four way tie in the AFC East as Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed on a 66-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds. Dolphins' QB Ryan Tannehill threw two TD strikes to lead the win.
Another missed opportunity on a late field try goal happened in Baltimore as the Dallas Cowboys lost 31-29 as kicker Dan Bailey blew it by missing on a 52-yarder in the final seconds.

Ravens'  LB Ray Lewis is out for the year.

The win for the Ravens (5-1) was costly as they lost two starters on defense for the season. Linebacker Ray Lewis is done for the year with a torn triceps and defensive back Ledarius Webb tore a knee ligament to end his season.
Ravens running back Ray Rice ran for two scores and QB Joe Flacco had a TD pass to go with Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return for another score. Dallas QB Tony Romo threw for two scores in the loss.
The Buffalo Bills survived the desert as they beat back the Arizona Cardinals, 19-16 in OT when kicker Ryan Lindell made good on a 25-yard field goal.
The Cardinals had tied the game on a 61-yard field goal by Jay Feely with just over a minute to go in regulation. However, the Cards kicker missed a 38-yard try as time expired to take the game into overtime.
The loss by Arizona, coupled with a loss by San Francisco and a win by Seattle, forces a three way tie for the top spot in the NFC West with all three teams sporting a 4-2 record.
The Seattle Seahawks stunned the visiting New England Patriots, 24-23 as they over came a 13-point deficit in the final seven minutes of the game on a pair of TD passes by rookie QB Russell Wilson, including a huge 46-yard scoring pass to Sidney Rice with just 1:18 remaining.
The stellar Seahawks' defense, which held the Pats to just six points in the second half, stopped Tom Brady on fourth down to seal the win.
The San Francisco 49ers were thoroughly embarrassed by the visiting New York Giants, 26-3 behind four field goals from Lawrence Tynes and a TD pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, who did his "salsa" dance in the end zone, much to the chagrin of the 49ers' fans. The Giants' defense intercepted Alex Smith three times in the win.
The Cleveland Browns earned their first win of the season by storming back to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 34-24 behind two TD passes from QB Brandon Weeden, a defensive score and a rushing touchdown by Montario Hardesty. The Browns' defense picked off three passes by the Bengals' Andy Dalton to help in the winning effort.

Shonn Greene

The New York Jets rode the legs of Shonn Greene (pictured left), the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, who gained 161 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns to pace the 35-9 rout of the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Jets QB Mark Sanchez had two TD passes as well.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled past the hapless Kansas City Chiefs, 38-10 in Florida behind three TD passes from QB Josh Freeman, who also threw for 328 yards and hooked up with wide receiver Vincent Jackson for two scoring strikes.

Aaron Rodgers threw six TD passes in Packers' win.

The Washington Redskins snapped an eight game home field losing streak with a 38-26 pasting of the Minnesota Vikings as rookie QB Robert Griffin III ran wild for two touchdowns, including a 76-yard run to clinch the win late in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota QB Christian Ponder threw for 352 yards  and two touchdowns in the loss, but also threw two picks, including one taken back for a score by Madieu Williams in the fourth quarter.
The Sunday Night Football game saw the Green Bay Packers throttle the host Houston Texans, 42-24 to get back to .500 as QB Aaron Rodgers, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 338 yards and threw for SIX touchdowns to send the Texans to their first defeat of the season. Three of Rodgers TD strikes went to WR Jordy Nelson, who made nine catches for 121 yards.
The Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning's three touchdown passes and two defensive scores, roared back to top the host San Diego Chargers, 35-24 on the Monday Night Football game. The win for the Broncos leaves them and the Chargers in a first place tie at 3-3 in the AFC West.
Chargers' QB Philip Rivers, who enjoyed a strong first half while leading his team to a 24-0 edge at the break, was intercepted four times, including one taken back for a score. In addition, Rivers also fumbled on a sack and that was also taken back by the Denver defense for a touchdown to help provide the difference in the outcome.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten  (Week ending October 14)   

1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Oregon (6-0)
3. Notre Dame (6-0)
4. Kansas State (6-0)
5. Florida (6-0)
6. LSU (6-1)
7. USC (5-1)
8. Florida State (6-1)
9. Ohio State (7-0)
10. South Carolina (6-1)
10. (tie) Oklahoma (4-1)

NFL - Week Six Preview

There are some big games in Week Six as the Green Bay Packers, who are struggling so far in 2012, travel to take on the Houston Texans on Sunday night.
The New York Giants will face the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game, which was won by the Giants.
Dallas plays at Baltimore in a good matchup on paper while Minnesota, the season's biggest surprise so far, travels to Washington to face the Redskins, who may be without quarterback Robert Griffin III after he suffered a concussion in last week's game.
The Monday Night Football Game will have the Denver Broncos, led by Peyton Manning, playing at San Diego in a big AFC West clash. The Chargers (3-2) lead the Broncos (2-3) by one game and Chargers' QB Philip Rivers is 4-1 lifetime in head-to-head matchups against Manning, including two playoff victories while Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts.

Here are the Week Six predictions  . . .      (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Miami over St. Louis
Tampa Bay over Kansas City
New England over Seattle
New York Jets over Indianapolis
Atlanta over Oakland
Baltimore over Dallas
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Philadelphia over Detroit
Washington over Minnesota
San Francisco over New York Giants
Arizona over Buffalo
Houston over Green Bay
San Diego over Denver

Last Week's Record: 8-6

SEASON RECORD: 46-31

The Romney-Ryan Ticket

Here is the Mitt Romney- Paul Ryan campaign mantra in a nutshell . .

 

GET THE POINT!

NFL - Week Five Review

The New England Patriots topped the visiting Denver Broncos, 31-21 as Tom Brady improved to 9-4 all-time in the head-to-head match up with Peyton Manning.

The Patriots outrushed the Broncos, 251-70 in the win while Brady (pictured left) passed for a touchdown and ran for another while Manning threw for 345 yards and three scores.
In New Orleans on the Sunday Night Football Game, the Saints beat the San Diego Chargers, 31-24 for their first win of the season as quarterback Drew Brees passed the legendary Johnny Unitas in the record books by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th consecutive game.
Brees outdueled former teammate Philip Rivers in the win by throwing for 370 yards and four touchdowns along with an interception. Rivers had 354 passing yards with two TD and an INT and also fumbled when sacked late in the game as the Chargers were driving for the tying score.
A second pick thrown by Brees, which was taken back for a touchdown, was negated by a roughing the passer call against the Chargers' defense. That proved to be the turning point of the game as the San Diego lead stayed at 24-14 late in the third quarter.
Atlanta stayed unbeaten as running back Michael Turner scored on a 13-yard run to lead the way in a 24-17 road win against the Washington Redskins. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan added a pair of scoring passes along with 345 yards in the win.
Robert Griffin III, the 'Skins' rookie QB, was knocked out of the game with a concussion and is questionable for next week's game.
The New York Giants stormed back from a 14-point deficit to pound the Cleveland Browns, 41-27 as QB Eli Manning found his favorite target, Victor Cruz for three touchdowns.

QB Andrew Luck led the Colts to comeback win over Green Bay.

The Indianapolis Colts stunned the visiting Green Bay Packers, 30-27 as they overcame an 18-point halftime deficit behind the passing of rookie QB Andrew Luck, who hit Reggie Wayne for the game winning four-yard strike with just 35 seconds remaining.
Luck threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for another score to lead the comeback. The Colts' defense sacked Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers five times and limited the Pack to just six points in the second half.
Packers' kicker Mason Crosby missed a 51-yard field goal that would have tied the game at the end of regulation. 
San Francisco annihilated the Buffalo Bills, 45-3 as quarterback Alex Smith had three TD passes to go with 303 yards passing while the 49ers rang up 621 yards in total offense to just 204 yards for the Bills.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got a 34-yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham at the final gun to knock off the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, 16-14,
The yawner game of the day saw the Baltimore Ravens kick their way (literally) past the host Kansas City Chiefs, 9-6 as all the points came from field goals.
The Minnesota Vikings continued their winning ways with a 30-7 thumping of the Tennessee Titans as QB Christian Ponder had a pair of touchdown passes while the Vikings' defense limited Titans' RB Chris Johnson to just 24 rushing yards.
The Seattle Seahawks bottled up Carolina QB Cam Newton in a 16-12 road win as they limited the Panthers' offense to only 190 yards for the game.
The Miami Dolphins shocked the host Cincinnati Bengals, 17-13 in a grinder game that saw the Dolphins get rushing touchdowns from Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush. The Miami defense chipped in the win with a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery and three sacks of Bengals' QB Andy Dalton.
The Chicago Bears woke up in the second half and completely dominated the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 41-3 as their defense led the way with two more scores as Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs each scored on interception returns for the second straight game.

Lance Briggs

Charles Tillman

It was the first time in NFL history that two teammates scored defensive touchdowns in consecutive games and earns both Tillman and Briggs the Heftyinfo NFL co-Players of the Week.
The Bears outgained the Jags, 501-189 in total offense, including a 214-60 edge on the ground. Chicago QB Jay Cutler had two TD passes to go with 292 yards in the air and Matt Forte' ran for 107 yards as the Bears improved to 4-1 to gain a first place tie in the NFC North with Minnesota.
The St. Louis Rams manhandled the visiting Arizona Cardinals on the Thursday night game, 17-3 as quarterback Sam Bradford threw for two scores to help knock the Cardinals from the ranks of the undefeated.
The Houston Texans stayed unbeaten with a 23-17 road win on Monday night against the New York Jets as Arian Foster ran for 152 yards and scored a touchdown to go with a touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Schaub.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten  (Week ending October 7)   

1. Alabama (5-0)
2. Oregon (6-0)
3. South Carolina (6-0)
4. West Virginia (5-0)
5. Notre Dame (5-0)
6. Florida (5-0)
7. LSU (5-1)
8. Florida State (5-1)
9. USC (4-1)
10. Ohio State (6-0)

NFL - Week Five Preview

Two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history will go against each other one more time this weekend when the Denver Broncos travel to play the New England Patriots.
The Sunday afternoon tilt will feature the Patriots' Tom Brady going up against Broncos' starter Peyton Manning. Both are sure fire future first ballot Hall-of-Famers.
When Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts, both he and Brady put on some classic battles with the Patriots winning the majority of the games, including two out of three in the post-season.

There is another big quarterback scenario this weekend when former teammates go at it in prime time in the Big Easy.

The New Orleans Saints (0-4) are off to a rough start in the 2012 season, but they play host to the San Diego Chargers (3-1) in the Sunday Night Football Game (on NBC-TV) as quarterback Drew Brees, a former Charger, will attempt to break the record he and the legendary Johnny Unitas (pictured  right) share with touchdown passes in 47 consecutive games.
Brees and Chargers' QB Philip Rivers were both on the San Diego roster for the 2004 and 2005 seasons prior to Brees leaving for free agency and signing with New Orleans in 2006.

The "Keystone State" battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers also takes place Sunday in the early games at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have struggled so far with a 1-2 record, but have battled injuries on the defensive side of the ball while the Eagles have lived on the edge so far to the tune of a 3-1 mark, which includes two victories by one point and the third by just two points.

After a rough week with predictions two weeks ago, Heftyinfo rebounded last weekend big time in picking the NFL games.
Here are the selections for the following week's games . . .  with the home teams listed in BOLD.

Arizona over St. Louis
Baltimore over Kansas City
Washington over Atlanta
Pittsburgh over Philadelphia
Green Bay over Indianapolis
New York Giants over Cleveland
Cincinnati over Miami
Carolina over Seattle
San Francisco over Buffalo
Minnesota over Tennessee
Chicago over Jacksonville
New England over Denver
San Diego over New Orleans
Houston over New York Jets

Last Week's Record: 12-3

SEASON RECORD: 38-25

For The Birds

The Cardinals and the Orioles advanced with road wins in the Wild Card games on Friday.

St. Louis doubled up the Atlanta Braves, 6-3 while the Baltimore Orioles knocked the Texas Rangers out of the post season with a 5-1 decision.

The Cardinals will now face the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series while the American League Division Series foe for the Orioles will be the mighty New York Yankees.
The Cardinals got a big home run from Matt Holliday to pace the win that was marred with an interruption when Atlanta fans littered the playing field with debris and beer bottles after the left field umpire called an "infield fly rule" on a sky high fly ball (with two runners on base) that dropped in betwen the left fielder and shortstop, who appeared to call each other off the ball.
That 8th inning play pretty much squashed the best chance the Braves had in the game to catch up as they trailed by three runs.
Meanwhile, the Orioles rode the pitching of veteran Joe Saunders, who allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Orioles outfielder Adam Jones drove in the go ahead run  with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to make it 2-1 and the Orioles were on their way after adding on three insurance runs over the last three innings.
Baltimore is now 75-0 when leading after seven innings this year thanks to a stellar bull pen, which did the job once again as closer Jim Johnson induced a weak fly ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to finish off the Rangers, who had been the American League champions the past two seasons.

Major League Baseball - Post-Season Preview

The regular season is in the books and now it is time for the post-season in the Major Leagues.

The three biggest surprises have to be, in no particular order, the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's and Washington Nationals.
Who really expected all three of these teams to make the post-season back in late March when Spring Training was getting ready to break?
The Nationals won the National League East and own the best record in baseball while the A's won the American League West. The Orioles nearly took the American League East from the Yankees down the stretch before settling for the wild card spot.
As expected, the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers won their respective divisions in the American League while the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants were no surprises by winning division titles in the National League.
It all gets started today with the Atlanta Braves (2nd place finishers in NL East) facing the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals (2nd in NL Central) in the "peach state" while the Baltimore Orioles (2nd in AL East) will travel to play the Texas Rangers, who finished in second place in the AL West after leading the division all season long until the final day of the season.

Here is a look at what may happen when the playoffs begin, with predictions for the World Series as well.


NATIONAL LEAGUE                                                   AMERICAN LEAGUE

Wild Card Game                                                             Wild Card Game

St. Louis over Atlanta                                                        Baltimore over Texas

DIVISION SERIES

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Cincinnati over San Francisco in five games
St. Louis over Washington in four games

AMERICAN LEAGUE

New York Yankees over Baltimore in four games
Detroit over Oakland in five games

NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Cincinnati over St. Louis in six games

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Detroit over New York Yankees in six games

                       WORLD SERIES   


                                              Cincinnati over Detroit in six games

As Expected, Corporate Media Fawns Over Romney in Debate

As far as Wednesday night's Presidential Debate, look for the so called mainstream (corporate controlled) media to claim that Mitt Romney, no matter what really happens in the debate, will be the winner because he did a great job and/or held his own against President Barack Obama.
Fact is, Romney will do nothing he hasn't already done in the numerous Republican debates the past two years... meaning he will duck the issues by skirting around them with no-content answers while also talking in circles and generalities and say nothing new at all.
Because the media and their advertisers want this election to be a "horse race," they will say and do anything to keep it as such.
Barring anything unforeseen, Barack Obama should win this election next month with approximately 320 (possibly more) Electoral Votes to gain re-election.

(Note: The excerpt above is from Heftyinfo on Tuesday, October 2 about what to expect from the debate between Obama and Romney on Wednesday night and it pretty much went just that way.) 

A reminder: it is in media's financial interest to make a presidential election look close and few would ever allow people to say otherwise  - Keith Olbermann via Twitter

That being said, Romney still is saddled with his "swift boat" (see John Kerry in 2004 who was declared the winner of two of the three debates with George W. Bush)  of  his 47 percent comments  gaffe that will not go away.
Not to mention the income taxes he will not reveal and his foreign policy comments gaffe involving the deaths of four people, including a U.S. Ambassador three weeks ago.
He flip flopped (again) on his tax plans when questioned about them and also on health care and would not go near his record as governor of Massachusetts, which ranked 47th in the country in employment figures during the Romney era.
Plus, Romney proved to be a complete jackass by interrupting (mummified) moderator Jim Lehrer repeatedly and even told Lehrer he was going to finish his point. Get off the crack, Mitt because while you might have scored with the media in the first debate, you still haven't said anything about what your plans for this country are all about.
Can't wait for the Vice Presidential debate and the other two exchanges between Romney and Obama.
Stay tuned!

Let's Get It Started

The 2012 Presidential Campaign will have the first debate tonight between Republican challenger Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, the current President of the United States.

Here's hoping that relevant topics and issues are actually debated between the two and the "zingers" and nonsense is left to a minimum.

Time For Some Tidbits

Some political tidbits on this fine October day . . .

Today in the state of Pennsylvania, justice was served!
The ridiculous law known as a "Voter ID" law (really it is voter suppression ID law) in that state was struck down as unlawful today by a PA judge and will not be enforced in the upcoming Presidential election next month.
People will now have two full years to get an extremely hard to obtain photo ID to be used strictly for voring purposes. A simple photo ID should be all that is required ... period.
This says wonders about Voter ID laws in our country today, because in Texas, a gun card (with photo) can be used to prove identity in  order to vote, but a college student photo ID is not allowed. WTF?!

Enough on that, but first watch this video and laugh your ass off at this GOP clown ... HAH!





As far as tomorrow night's Presidential Debate, look for the so called mainstream (corporate controlled) media to claim that Mitt Romney, no matter what really happens in the debate, will be the winner because he did a great job and/or held his own against President Barack Obama.
Fact is, Romney will do nothing he hasn't already done in the numerous Republican debates the past two years... meaning he will duck the issues by skirting around them with no-content answers while also talking in circles and generalities and say nothing new at all.
Because the media and their advertisers want this election to be a "horse race," they will say and do anything to keep it as such.
Barring anything unforeseen, Barack Obama should win this election next month with approximately 320 (possibly more) Electoral Votes to gain re-election.

Why is Massachusetts U.S. Senator (Republican) Scott Brown constantly talking down his opponent, Elizabeth Warren?
Could it be he is so ego-maniacal he just cannot stand to be defeated by a female opponent?
Stay tuned, because that race is going to be a good one.

Back to voter suppression for a moment, it seems the GOP has been fixated with this going back to the Jim Crow Laws prior to the Voting Rights Act in the mid-1960's.
More recently than that, Paul Weyrich, who was heavily involved with both Bush Presidential campaigns as well as Ronald Reagan's, is featured in this following video clip ... take a good listen to what this guy was saying.

VOTER SUPPRESSION!

In addition to working on those GOP campaigns, Weyrich, who is now deceased, also helped to found ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and also the Heritage Foundation. ALEC is behind many of the bogus voter suppression ID laws going on around the country the past two years or so.

Here is Weyrich in 1980 while campaigning for Reagan.



Just goes to show you that the GOP has been looking to suppress voting rights for practically 30 plus years   . . . it's nothing new with these people.

Look for Obama and Romney to trade some barbs and zingers in the debates while hopefully discussing the real issues facing our country. If all goes according to script, it should really just solidify Barack Obama's hold on the polling leads he has going into the final four weeks of the campaign.

Speaking of the election campaigns, here's hoping the "tea party" gets it's come uppance and is kicked out of the leadership role in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Plus, keep that Kentucky Fried Idiot known as Senator Mitch McConnell from keeping his pledge as U.S. Senate minority leader to make President Obama "a one-term president."

And one last thing, if you choose to do so and your state has it, vote early as that has already begun in several states around the country.

NFL - Week Four Review

Break up the Minnesota Vikings!

The Vikings made it two in a row after a 20-13 win in Detroit to improve to 3-1. The special teams were the difference as Percy Harvin took the opening kickoff back 105 yards for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels ran a punt back 77 yards for another score.
Minnesota totaled just 223 yards in offense, but the Lions brutal special teams play cost them as they allowed two kick returns for scores in the same game for the second straight week. Meanwhile, the Vikes are rolling, having beaten the San Francisco 49ers and the Lions in successive games.
The San Diego Chargers rolled six turnovers by the host Kansas City Chiefs into a 37-20 win as the defense recovered three fumbles and intercepted Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassel three times, including a 21-yard touchdown return of an interception by Donald Butler.
San Diego QB Philip Rivers threw two touchdown passes and former Chief Jackie Battle scored twice for the Chargers in the win.
The St. Louis Rams surprised the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 19-13 behind four field goals by Greg Zuerline  to offset Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch's effort of 118 yards rushing and a touchdown.
San Francisco bounced back from a stunning defeat last week by smashing the New York Jets on the road, 34-0 as their defense limited the Jets to just 145 yards in total offense.
Three rushing touchdowns and a defensive score set the tone for the 49ers win as they improved to 3-1 while the Jets slipped to 2-2 as QB Mark Sanchez had just 103 passing yards in the loss.
The Houston Texans stayed perfect for the young season (4-0) with a blowout home victory, 38-14 over the Tennessee Titans.
Despite being outgained by the Titans, the Texans' defense scored two touchdowns off interceptions and running back Arian Foster scored a touchdown while QB Matt Schaub threw two TD passes to pace the blowout.

QB Aaron Rodgers had 4 TD passes in Green Bay win

Green Bay knocked off the visiting New Orleans Saints, 28-27 behind four touchdown passes by QB Aaron Rodgers, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week.
In the losing effort, which dropped the Saints to 0-4, QB Drew Brees tied the NFL record (set by Hall-of-Famer Johnny Unitas) of a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games as he had three scoring tosses in the game.
The New England Patriots woke up in the second half and dismantled the host Buffalo Bills, 52-28 by scoring 45 points, including 31 in the final quarter as QB Tom Brady threw for three scores while also running for a score and the Pats amassed 580 yards in offense.
New England had two running backs top 100 yards and also had two receivers with over 100 yards.
Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was intercepted four times and also had four TD passes as the Bills turned the ball over six times in the loss.
The Atlanta Falcons dodged a bullet to stay unbeaten with a 30-28 win over Carolina.
Falcons' kicker Matt Bryant nailed a 40-yard field goal with five seconds remaining following a 60-yard pass play from QB Matt Ryan (369 yards with three TD passes) to WR Roddy White to set up the game winner. Panthers' QB Cam Newton ran for a touchdown and threw for a pair of scores in the loss.
Cincinnati improved to 3-1 with a 27-10 pasting over the host Jacksonville Jaguars as QB Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the way. The Bengals' defense limited the Jags to just 69 yards on the ground and 212 yards in total offense.

Denver rolled at home behind three TD passes and 338 yards from QB Peyton Manning (pictured left) in a 37-6 rout of the Oakland Raiders.
Arizona was another unbeaten team that barely survived as they topped the visiting Miami Dolphins, 24-21 in OT on a Jay Feely 46-yard field goal. The Cards tied the score with just 22 seconds left when QB Kevin Kolb drilled a fourth down, 15-yard scoring pass to Andre Roberts.
Miami QB Ryan Tannehill passed for 431 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss.
Washington rallied back to beat the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-22 as kicker Billy Cundiff made a 41-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to offset Conner Barth's 47-yard kick that the Bucs ahead with just 1:42 remaining in regulation.
The Thursday Night Football game was a yawner win for the Baltimore Ravens as they beat the visiting Cleveland Browns, 23-16. Ravens' QB Joe Flacco had 356 yards and a touchdown strike while defensive back Cary Williams took an interception back 63 yards for another score to provide the difference. Browns' kicker Phil Dawson made three field goals of over 50 yards in the loss.
The Sunday Night game saw the Philadelphia Eagles hold off the New York Giants, 19-17 to take over first place in the NFC East.
Giants' kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a 54-yard field goal in the waning seconds after Eagles' kicker Alex Henery (4-for-4) made a 26-yard field goal to give them the lead.

Tony Romo threw five picks in MNF loss.

Philly running back LeSean McCoy gained 123 yards on the ground and Michael Vick connected with DeSean Jackson for a touchdown pass to pace the offense. New York QB Eli Manning passed for 309 yards with two TD and an interception in the loss.
The Chicago Bears steam rolled the host Dallas Cowboys, 34-18 on Monday Night Football behind a sparkling defensive effort that included five interceptions of Cowboys' QB Tony Romo.
Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs took interceptions back for touchdowns and Bears' QB Jay Cutler threw TD passes to Devin Hester and Brandon Marshall to help out the win, which puts the Bears into a first place tie with Minnesota in the NFC North.