Yardbarker: Matt Ryan

Start & Sit: Week 1

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:00:31 -0500

Our first Start/Sit of the season did not go entirely as planned yesterday. I guess I still am shaking off some of the rust, as Jason Campbell looked lost in the new offensive system in Washington and Eli Manning was not as terrible as I thought he would be, though he probably was not good [...]

NFL Picks, Week 1: If These Picks Blow, It's Still Preseason

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:36:09 -0500

Welcome to another year of losing money with class, fellow degenerates. Here's how it works: I'm going to write and pick every single damn game of this here NFL season, and you're going to, if you are smart, go the opposite way and make money. Now that we all know what to expect, let's begin.

Washington at GIANTS (+3.5). How bad did the 'Skins look in the preseason? Bad enough that people are shying away from Clinton Portis as a fantasy pick not because he's kind of crazy and injury prone, but because they don't want to own a #1 running back from a team that's going to be behind by two touchdowns or more in most of their games. It's hard to imagine that Washington doesn't right the ship a little bit, at least before their offensive linemen suffer from their annual bout of polio, but oh, man, have they been bad... and it's very possible, given that their head coach hire (Jim Zorn) is a historic reach, that, well, they are going to be this bad.

The Giants, of course, are primed for the Super Bowl Hangover Year, especially with their pass rush corrupted by injury and retirement, but it won't hurt them in this game. Expect Manning to Burress after a steady diet of pounding runs, and the G-Men to pull away late.

NEW YORK 28, Washington 17.

Detroit (+4) at ATLANTA. How bad are the Falcons going to be this year? So bad that the team is having to discount the *season opener* to try to get them past the horror of an opening week blackout. Of course, this is Atlanta, home of the worst sports fans in America (you think I've forgotten about your half-empty baseball playoffs? Not so much), and the game does involve the sad-sack Falcons in Year Two of The Vick Penance. Matt Ryan gets the start and could surprise the world a little; I certainly do hate giving points on a road game involving Jon Kitna. Matter of fact, I'm not going to.

Detroit 24, ATLANTA 21.

Jets (+5.5) at MIAMI. Will Chad Pennington get his revenge? Will Brett Favre know what to do when the local media doesn't polish his knob in the post-game? Is Bill Parcells serious about this whole Ricky Williams timeshare with Ronnie Brown? And why am I asking so many questions of two teams that probably will both whiff on the playoffs, anyway?

Once again, I hate to lay the big number on the suspect road favorite, but this time I'm going to swallow my pride. I just can't see the Fish keeping the handle enough to prevent a little run up at the end here, and a bit of a coming-out party for Thomas Jones, who might even see a hole or two this year. Besides, with Favre on board, I'm pretty sure 10,000 Jets fans will fly out for the game.

Jets 31, MIAMI 24.

Tampa Bay at NEW ORLEANS (3.5). Did you know that home favorites covered the spread 85% of the time when they won the game in 2007? Neither did I, because it's not exactly true, but for a second you thought you were going to have a real gambling insight, didn't you?

Anyway, the Saints are going to have a pinball offense this year if they can run the ball at all. Against the Bucs at home, they'll be able to, and the Bucs won't be able to keep pace. Take the over, too.

SAINTS 34, Bucs 24.

Houston at PITTSBURGH (7.5). Can the Texans continue to make the slow walk up from Expansion Awful? I like their chances to stay close in Week 1, as Rashard Mendenhall is still combating rookie fumbling issues, and the Texans have some healthy weapons on offense and a much better running game than advertised. In the end, Big Ben will pull out a win, but not by the full nut.`

Jacksonville 17, Titans 10.

Carolina at SAN DIEGO (7). Can the Panthers pull off a week 1 road upset? Probably not, especially with Steve Smith on the voluntarily stupid list, but hope springs eternal with Norv Turner on the opposite sideline. The Panthers might be able to run and keep this game manageable, but I suspect that they won't be able to keep drives alive on third down... and that the Chargers will run the ball late to get the cover.

CHARGERS 24, Panthers 16.

Arizona (1) at SAN FRANCISCO. A shootout game awaits, with the road team going with their best quarterback (Kurt Warner) while the home squad will be debuting their Mike Martz Offense. Let's just say I'm not a Martz fan.

Cardinals 27, 49ers 21.

Dallas (+6) at CLEVELAND. The more I see the Browns this year, the less I like them. The offensive line might be good, but Derek Anderson has been terrible, Jamal Lewis could get old in a hurry, and I have no confidence that their defense has gotten a lot better. Dallas is loaded with talent that knows how to win in the regular season, and I'm smelling a blowout here. It's going to be a long year in Cleveland.

Cowboys 34, Browns 20.

Chicago at INDIANAPOLIS (8). The Colts can't ask for a better match-up to start their year -- a grass team, a bad quarterback, in a dome in the night game -- and yet it still has to be worrisome, given the injuries to center Jeff Saturday and health issues of Peyton Manning. But to go the other way means taking Kyle Orton, and there's no more of that sentence that needs to be written. It's the Super Bowl all over again, really.

Colts 27, Bears 16.

Minnesota (1) at GREEN BAY. Welcome to the first slap in the face to Aaron Rodgers, in that the bookkeepers aren't even making him a home favorite in their first game of the year against a team with a terrible quarterback. I think the Pack rolls here, and that the questions will be more on the Vikings quarterback situation than the Packers.

PACKERS 21, Vikings 17.

Denver (0.5) at OAKLAND. As part of ESPN's continuing effort to make Monday Night Football utterly unwatchable, here's a home game in Oakland that will make you forget that you missed football. As usual, it will make Bronco Fan think they've got a better team than they do.

Broncos 28, RAIDERS 17.

NFL Powerless Rankings - September 3rd, 2008

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:38:54 -0500

After some low to mild success with my MLB Powerless Rankings, I felt it was only right to spread the nearly non-existent buzz to the wondrous NFL world we all know and love. If you've never read any types of Power Rankings then you're either lying to yourself or you don't know how to read. Since your

Falcons at Ravens

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:25:02 -0500

Ravens WR Demetrius Williams: Williams has been out of the lineup with an Achilles tendon injury, but he passed a physical this week and Harbaugh said the team hopes he'll be on the field for at least a few snaps on Thursday.Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan: The Falcons named the third overall pick in this year's draft their starting quarterback this week. This game will be his last chance to work out the kinks before the regular season starts next weekend.http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=2983...=tab_gamecenter (http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29837&season=2008&displayPage=tab_gamecenter)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OFFENSEPos. In - Bubble - Long shot QB Boller, Smith, Flacco - None - None RB McGahee, Rice - Ross, Patrick - Haynes FB L.McClain, Neal - None - None WR Mason, Clayton, Figurs-x, D.Williams, M. Smith - Harper, Wheelwright, Willis - Carter TE Heap, Wilcox - Jones, Bergen, Heinrich - None OL Gaither, Grubbs, Brown, Yanda, Terry, Chester, Cousins, Kracalik - Slaughter, Hale - Kraus, Clarke, Reitz DEFENSEPos. In - Bubble - Long shot DL Pryce, Ngata, Gregg, Bannan, Douglas - Parker, Gordon - L. Williams, Campbell LB Lewis, Scott, Suggs, Johnson, Barnes, Ayanbadejo, Greisen, Gooden - Stills, J. McClain - McCune CB McAlister, Rolle, Washington, Walker, Ivy, Martin - Prude, Pittman - Phillips S Reed, Landry, Leonhard, Zbikowski, Nakamura - None - None http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/footbal...0,2707923.story (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.ravens28aug28,0,2707923.story)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~at Baltimore 2 33 1/2 Atlanta

Game-by-Game Season Preview: Week 5

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:12:07 -0500

Week 5 Sunday, October 5, 2008 Atlanta Falcons @ Green Bay Packers 1 PM ET Fox If this game had taken place in 2007, there would be much more meaning behind this game, as the Falcons traded some quarterback to the Packers back in 1992 who did a bunch of things while playing 16 years for the Packers.

Atlanta Shows They Deserve Respect; Beat Baltimore 10 to 9 to End Preseason

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:49:43 -0500

Atlanta finished the preseason with an even record of 2 wins and 2 losses but established the foundation of their season with confidence in their rookie starting quarterback and a defense that may become their saving grace. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan (2/7, 17 yards) did not play much in the game but has already been named [...]

Falcons at Ravens

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:45:18 -0500

Falcons Get Win On The Road Thursday Night

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:20:01 -0500

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan leads the Falcons to a 10-9 preseason win on the road over the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night. Former UGA quarterback D.J. Shockley saw some action Thursday night, connecting with veteran wide receiver Brian Finneran on a seam route for a 20 yard touchdown that put the Falcons up 7-6. Shockley also led [...]

Falcons Get Win On The Road Thursday Night

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:20:01 -0500

Huge Night Tonight for QB Shockley

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:35:56 -0500

Tonight could very well be the biggest night of QB D.J. Shockley's professional career. While the Falcons already know that Matt Ryan is their QB, Shockley wants his shot to be the teams third or maybe second QB, and tonight will go a long way in seeing if that is going to happen. "It's huge, [...]

Create The Caption #268

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:19:41 -0500

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo from the AP or one of the bigger sites and you provide the caption. Hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Last Thurday's Winners....

"Seconds later, Beckham flopped, but it was the cellist who was given a red card."- Anon

"David Beckham attempts to set a new personal record by going 16 consecutive seconds without sustaining an injury."- Anon

"Associated Press: David Beckham suffered a career threatening knee injury as he kicked full force at what he thought was a soccer ball, only to find out that it was actually CGI'd in front of him."- JP

"In addition to Beckham you will see stars like Celine Dion, NBC's own Tracy Morgan and the fat guy from Lost. Not just TV, it's Must See TV only on NBC in 2012"- Blackhawk
_______________________________________

I've been saving this one for just the right day and I think this is that day. Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of A-Rod hanging with (the new) Menudo in NYC? (Via SI's Did You See That?)

Daily Links:

Don King On The "Grapple" (YBB)
Charles Barkley Heckling Jordan On The Golf Course (NESW Sports)
This Jericho Scott Nonsense Is Just Ridiculous (Rumors and Rants)
The Top 25 Marketable Athletes From The Olympics (CNBC)
Matt Ryan Is Officially Thrown To The Wolves (5 On Five)
Will Athletes Start Selling Their Seed More Regularly? (Sports by Brooks)
College Football Is Almost Here! (LOCG)
Are The Eagles Constantly Looking For Cheerleaders? (Uncoached)
The Top Ten Athletic Democrats (Real Clear Sports)
Jamal Lewis, Fantasy Team Killer Since 2005 (KSK)
Here Comes Yet Another Sox-Yanks Series (Yardbarker)

NFL Punchlines: Carson Palmer Suffers Broken Nose

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:53:25 -0500

The Raiders are in the market for a 3rd receiver after the injury to Drew Carter. Could they look to Joe Horn to fill that role? (San Fran Chronicle)

Shawn Merriman is still weighing his options after tearing 2 knee ligaments. (Union-Tribune)

The one man the Steelers "can't go without" might surprise you. (Post-Gazette)

Mathias Kiwanuka would gladly switch back to DE from LB if it will help the Giants in the wake of losing Osi Umenyiora for the season. (NY Post)

Jonathan Vilma is happy with the direction the Saints defense is headed. (Times-Picayune)

A mature Albert Haynesworth? Of course, he is playing for a long-term contract. (Tennessean)

Vikings fans: Tarvaris Jackson promises he will start the season opener. (Star Tribune)

Donald Driver is doing his part to aid Aaron Rodgers' development. (Journal Sentinel)

As expected, Chad Pennington will be named Dolphins starting QB for the opener vs the Jets. (Miami Herald)

Jason Witlock compares Carl Peterson to Al Davis. (KC Star)

Not many things went right for the Colts as they opened Lucas Oil Stadium last night vs. the Bills. We take that back actually, the roof worked just fine. (Indy Star)

Matt Leinart's stinker of a performance on Saturday has all but forced Ken Whisenhunt's hand to name Kurt Warner the starter in Arizona. (AZ Republic)

Greg Ellis plans on bettering his career best 12 1/2 sacks from last season. (Dallas Morning News)

Although Carson Palmer has a broken nose he is not even on the injury report for week one vs the Ravens. (Cincy Enquirer)

Jason Taylor will likely miss the season opener after spraining his knee Saturday night. (Baltimore Sun)

Who will backup Matt Ryan in Atlanta? (AJC)

Maybe If We All Stopped Thinking About Who Should Be the Ravens’ Quarterback…

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:51:41 -0500

…maybe the whole problem would just go away. The Birds lost their second straight preseason game on Saturday night, and not coincidentally, it was the second straight game that family commitments have blocked me from conducting the locally-famous Ravens live chat. But I apparently didn't miss much.

Ryan Ready; Rookie QB Gets the Call to Start the Opener

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:28:12 -0500

Forget the fact that he's making more money than any player on the Atlanta roster, Faclons rookie QB Matt Ryan was announced as the teams starting QB today for one reason - he's the best QB on the roster. Ryan was given the starting nod for the teams opener today by new coach Mike Smith, [...]

Ryan Ready; Rookie QB Gets the Call to Start the Opener

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:28:12 -0500