VERY LONG NFL INJURY LIST & SATURDAY'S PRIMO MATCHUPS
The league's list of who's playing & who's not is really long going into week eight, the lockout is having an effect on the injury list around the NFL. Here's some of the major ones for you fantasy players & the guys who like to make a wager every now & then.
Seattle will have backup QB Charlie Whitehurst starting again Sunday.
Dallas will be without RB's Felix Jones & Tashard Choice for their Sunday night game in Philly. DeMarco Murray, fresh off a 253-yard performance last week & Phillip Tanner(who?) will be the only healthy Cowboy runners.
Hines Ward is unlikely to play vs. the Patriots because of a high ankle sprain.
Cleveland will probably be without RB Peyton Hillis(that Madden cover really is a curse) & WR Mohamed Massaquoi(concussion).
St. Louis was already facing a terrible matchup with New Orleans, but it's worsened with starting QB Sam Bradford(high ankle sprain), ORT Jason Smith(neck) & WR Danario Alexander(hamstring) all doubtful for Sunday.
Lions rookie DT Nick Fairley has aggravated the foot injury that kept him sidelined for the first 6 games & he is doubtful for their game in Denver.
Ravens WR Lee Evans(ankle) & guard Ben Grubbs won't play Sunday.
The winless Indianapolis Colts will be missing three starters on their offensive line, LT Anthony Castonzo, LG Ryan Diem & center Mike Pollack. RB Joseph Addai(hamstring) returned to practice Friday, but not at full speed, so he reamins doubtful.
Redskins starting left tackle Trent Williams will miss another game with an ankle sprain. Backup QB John Beck is now missing three very important skill position starters with WR Santana Moss(hand), TE Chris Cooley(knee-finger-I.R.) & RB Tim Hightower(torn ACL-I.R.). Mike Shanahan doesn't have the quality depth to cover these loses & Washington will fade from contention very quickly.
The NFL is investigating the concussion suffered by San Diego guard Kris Dielman. They believe they have isolated the play in which he sustained the injury & a few plays later, Dielman is back in the game, a 27-21 loss to the Jets. Dielman suffered thru "violent seizures" on the plane trip back to the West Coast Sunday night & was hospitalized. The league wants to know who authorized Dielman's return to the game. As long as there are not impartial doctors on the sidelines of NFL games to make these calls, dangerous decisions like this one will happen over & over until someone is more seriously injured or dies. This league can certainly afford to have a neurologist at every game. So what if they charge $3,000 for their time, the alternative could be devastating.
Back in August I was ragging on Scott Pioli for bringing in the worst camp fodder I had ever seen. I believe many of these players, who had a less-than-zero chance of ever sticking in the NFL, actually hurt the Chiefs preparedness for the season. I was especially hard on Kansas City's acquisition of WR Chris Manno, a player from the Arena League II, indoor's minor league. I caught some crap from a few readers who believed Manno would cause me to eat my words. By my count, the 32 NFL teams have brought in 51 different wide receivers for a look-see-test-drive since the season opened September 8th. Not one of them was Chris Manno. The reason I bring this up is Tennessee brought in 5 WR's last Tuesday & I knew about all of them, scouted them as college players. When Scott Pioli signs players the caliber of Chris Manno, his level of play is so far beneath real NFL receivers, it actually hurts the offense as well as the defensive backs covering guys of his ilk.
I failed to mention last night in my recap of the Rice-Houston game that the game total was 70 1/2 points. That's damn high, even for a Conference-USA game involving Houston. The final score was Houston 73-Rice 34, for a total of 107. Often the Vegas lines continue to creep up or down & usually it's a smart move to just go with it & make your wager. This one was no-sweat, the total was surpassed with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
We've got some dandy matchups today & I'll give you a little preview of my favorites:
#9 Oklahoma at #8 Kansas State
The Sooners were exposed last week as a team that can be beat by a team that can throw the ball effectively. Their corner play wasn't good & they were especially vulnerable to bubble screens over the middle. Unfortunately, Kansas State isn't even an average passing team. How often do you see a lower ranked team, playing on the road as a 13 1/2 point favorite. The answer is never. Bob Stoops hasn't had a 2-game losing streak since 2003 & has never lost consecutive conference games. I love the job Wildcat coach Bill Snyder has done, but I don't buck trends that stand for 8-years or have the word "never" in them. OU in a close game.
Baylor at #3 Oklahoma State
The total in this game is 79 1/2, which is astronomical. I give the 14-point underdog Bears a puncher's chance mainly because OSU thrives on turnovers & Baylor doesn't commit many. Senior wide receiver Hubert Anyiam is now out for the season & he'll be missed. The other starting WR, all-everything Justin Blackmon, is recovering from a concussion he suffered at Mizzou last Saturday. This is a great matchup of quarterbacks, OSU's Brandon Weedon & Baylor's Heisman hopeful, Robert Griffin III. If you can, watch some of this game for the QB play alone. Cowboys in a very high-scoring contest.
#11 Michigan State at #14 Nebraska
I smell let-down here. The last-play drama of Sparty's upset win vs. Wisconsin last Saturday night coupled with their difficulty scoring points on the road, make me believe the underachieving Cornhuskers can win this game. I say neither team scores 21-points & Nebraska pulls the mild upset.
#5 Clemson at Georgia Tech
Undefeated Clemson is in a very tough place to win & facing a bad matchup. Clemson's run defense has been very disappointing. They go on the road to face the nation's #1 ranked rushing team. Tech averages 321-yards per game on the ground, with a staggering 5.9 per carry average. They've scored 30 touchdowns on the ground. I like the Yellowjackets in an upset, another of the undefeated falls.
#6 Stanford at #21 USC
Another great quarterback matchup, two first round draft prospects to be sure, Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck from Stanford & USC's Matt Barkley. Stanford has won 10 in a row by more than 25-points. That's unheard of & I believe the Cardinal is the only team that could beat an SEC opponent in the BCS title game in January. First things first tho, they have to win today & again on the 12th vs. #7 Oregon. This team isn't just Andrew Luck, they have an excellent running game as well. Stanford destroyed #25 Washington 65-21 & in the process, they ran for 416-yards. Yes they have good skill position players, but they excel because of an offensive line that is comparable to LSU, Bama or Wisconsin. USC has tailback issues & Lane Kiffin doesn't impress me as a big game coach. Stanford, a 7 1/2 point road favorite, by 17.
#22 Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville
To say this game has lost it's luster this season is an understatement. For decades this game has been known as the "World's largest cocktail party" but the game itself just hasn't been competitive for far too long. The Gators have won 18 of the last 21 games played in Jacksonville. But I think the time has come for the 5-2 Bulldogs to win one over the 4-3 Gators. Florida's offense has been horrible & even if starter John Brantley returns from injury, I doubt it will be enough. Florida has scored just 27-points in their last three games, all against ranked teams. After being embarrassed by Boise State in their opener & losing by 3 to South Carolina, Mark Richt's team has been very tough to stay with. Georgia in a close one.
Seattle will have backup QB Charlie Whitehurst starting again Sunday.
Dallas will be without RB's Felix Jones & Tashard Choice for their Sunday night game in Philly. DeMarco Murray, fresh off a 253-yard performance last week & Phillip Tanner(who?) will be the only healthy Cowboy runners.
Hines Ward is unlikely to play vs. the Patriots because of a high ankle sprain.
Cleveland will probably be without RB Peyton Hillis(that Madden cover really is a curse) & WR Mohamed Massaquoi(concussion).
St. Louis was already facing a terrible matchup with New Orleans, but it's worsened with starting QB Sam Bradford(high ankle sprain), ORT Jason Smith(neck) & WR Danario Alexander(hamstring) all doubtful for Sunday.
Lions rookie DT Nick Fairley has aggravated the foot injury that kept him sidelined for the first 6 games & he is doubtful for their game in Denver.
Ravens WR Lee Evans(ankle) & guard Ben Grubbs won't play Sunday.
The winless Indianapolis Colts will be missing three starters on their offensive line, LT Anthony Castonzo, LG Ryan Diem & center Mike Pollack. RB Joseph Addai(hamstring) returned to practice Friday, but not at full speed, so he reamins doubtful.
Redskins starting left tackle Trent Williams will miss another game with an ankle sprain. Backup QB John Beck is now missing three very important skill position starters with WR Santana Moss(hand), TE Chris Cooley(knee-finger-I.R.) & RB Tim Hightower(torn ACL-I.R.). Mike Shanahan doesn't have the quality depth to cover these loses & Washington will fade from contention very quickly.
The NFL is investigating the concussion suffered by San Diego guard Kris Dielman. They believe they have isolated the play in which he sustained the injury & a few plays later, Dielman is back in the game, a 27-21 loss to the Jets. Dielman suffered thru "violent seizures" on the plane trip back to the West Coast Sunday night & was hospitalized. The league wants to know who authorized Dielman's return to the game. As long as there are not impartial doctors on the sidelines of NFL games to make these calls, dangerous decisions like this one will happen over & over until someone is more seriously injured or dies. This league can certainly afford to have a neurologist at every game. So what if they charge $3,000 for their time, the alternative could be devastating.
Back in August I was ragging on Scott Pioli for bringing in the worst camp fodder I had ever seen. I believe many of these players, who had a less-than-zero chance of ever sticking in the NFL, actually hurt the Chiefs preparedness for the season. I was especially hard on Kansas City's acquisition of WR Chris Manno, a player from the Arena League II, indoor's minor league. I caught some crap from a few readers who believed Manno would cause me to eat my words. By my count, the 32 NFL teams have brought in 51 different wide receivers for a look-see-test-drive since the season opened September 8th. Not one of them was Chris Manno. The reason I bring this up is Tennessee brought in 5 WR's last Tuesday & I knew about all of them, scouted them as college players. When Scott Pioli signs players the caliber of Chris Manno, his level of play is so far beneath real NFL receivers, it actually hurts the offense as well as the defensive backs covering guys of his ilk.
I failed to mention last night in my recap of the Rice-Houston game that the game total was 70 1/2 points. That's damn high, even for a Conference-USA game involving Houston. The final score was Houston 73-Rice 34, for a total of 107. Often the Vegas lines continue to creep up or down & usually it's a smart move to just go with it & make your wager. This one was no-sweat, the total was surpassed with 8:20 left in the third quarter.
We've got some dandy matchups today & I'll give you a little preview of my favorites:
#9 Oklahoma at #8 Kansas State
The Sooners were exposed last week as a team that can be beat by a team that can throw the ball effectively. Their corner play wasn't good & they were especially vulnerable to bubble screens over the middle. Unfortunately, Kansas State isn't even an average passing team. How often do you see a lower ranked team, playing on the road as a 13 1/2 point favorite. The answer is never. Bob Stoops hasn't had a 2-game losing streak since 2003 & has never lost consecutive conference games. I love the job Wildcat coach Bill Snyder has done, but I don't buck trends that stand for 8-years or have the word "never" in them. OU in a close game.
Baylor at #3 Oklahoma State
The total in this game is 79 1/2, which is astronomical. I give the 14-point underdog Bears a puncher's chance mainly because OSU thrives on turnovers & Baylor doesn't commit many. Senior wide receiver Hubert Anyiam is now out for the season & he'll be missed. The other starting WR, all-everything Justin Blackmon, is recovering from a concussion he suffered at Mizzou last Saturday. This is a great matchup of quarterbacks, OSU's Brandon Weedon & Baylor's Heisman hopeful, Robert Griffin III. If you can, watch some of this game for the QB play alone. Cowboys in a very high-scoring contest.
#11 Michigan State at #14 Nebraska
I smell let-down here. The last-play drama of Sparty's upset win vs. Wisconsin last Saturday night coupled with their difficulty scoring points on the road, make me believe the underachieving Cornhuskers can win this game. I say neither team scores 21-points & Nebraska pulls the mild upset.
#5 Clemson at Georgia Tech
Undefeated Clemson is in a very tough place to win & facing a bad matchup. Clemson's run defense has been very disappointing. They go on the road to face the nation's #1 ranked rushing team. Tech averages 321-yards per game on the ground, with a staggering 5.9 per carry average. They've scored 30 touchdowns on the ground. I like the Yellowjackets in an upset, another of the undefeated falls.
#6 Stanford at #21 USC
Another great quarterback matchup, two first round draft prospects to be sure, Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck from Stanford & USC's Matt Barkley. Stanford has won 10 in a row by more than 25-points. That's unheard of & I believe the Cardinal is the only team that could beat an SEC opponent in the BCS title game in January. First things first tho, they have to win today & again on the 12th vs. #7 Oregon. This team isn't just Andrew Luck, they have an excellent running game as well. Stanford destroyed #25 Washington 65-21 & in the process, they ran for 416-yards. Yes they have good skill position players, but they excel because of an offensive line that is comparable to LSU, Bama or Wisconsin. USC has tailback issues & Lane Kiffin doesn't impress me as a big game coach. Stanford, a 7 1/2 point road favorite, by 17.
#22 Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville
To say this game has lost it's luster this season is an understatement. For decades this game has been known as the "World's largest cocktail party" but the game itself just hasn't been competitive for far too long. The Gators have won 18 of the last 21 games played in Jacksonville. But I think the time has come for the 5-2 Bulldogs to win one over the 4-3 Gators. Florida's offense has been horrible & even if starter John Brantley returns from injury, I doubt it will be enough. Florida has scored just 27-points in their last three games, all against ranked teams. After being embarrassed by Boise State in their opener & losing by 3 to South Carolina, Mark Richt's team has been very tough to stay with. Georgia in a close one.
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