The injury news for the Browns has been crazy as of late, as it looks as if they will get WR Donte Stallworth back, but now the big news surrounds TE Kellen Winslow. The tight end was hospitalized Thrusday with an undisclosed illness and could miss Monday night's game against the Giants according to reports.A [...]

To quote a famous 50's sitcom "Lucy, you got some splainin' to do." It appears that recently fired Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin is still trying to coach JaMarcus Russell.

In a report in the Contra Costa Times Kiffin has spoken to the youg quarterback as early as this past Monday. I am sure this is [...]

The Baltimore Ravens enter into Indianapolis eager to get back on track after consecutive three point losses and the Colts hope to build on their late game heroics over the Texans last week. Both teams sit at 2-2 and it certainly isn't time to panic but you need to start looking ahead and above you in the standings and you don't want any more distance if you can help it.

The Colts haven't been their usual explosive selves. Peyton Manning's knee injury, a young makeshift line and the loss of hard hitting Bob Sanders had them dropping games to the Bears and Jags. Even in their victories they have had to come from behind and use the passing game to get things done. Most surprising has been the absence of the running game as they only average 67 yards a game. They also have yet gain a win in the new Lucas Oil stadium and hope to not have the trend continue.

The Ravens meet the city's previous incarnation for the fifth straight time and each time the result was the same a€" a Colts victory. The defense which has been superb so far this season will need to continue to frustrate Peyton Manning and find ways to force him into some bad throws, never an easy task. The key seems to again lean on the ground game as a heavy dose of Le'Ron McClain, Willis McGahee and Ray Rice could help keep the pressure off Joe Flacco.

This game is a study in contrasts as the Colts will leave the game in the capable hands of Peyton Manning, who has had success against the defense in all of their previous meetings. They will use speed and finesse to gain the edge, while the Baltimore will need physical play from both sides of the ball to control the clock and get turnovers.

As I see it, the Ravens desperately need a victory. They have proven so far that the defense is back up the snuff and will always keep Baltimore in games. The real question, as always, is will the offense score enough points? Joe Flacco, given the nod as the starter for the rest of the year must make good decisions and use all of his receivers. Todd Heap must be a part of the offensive game plan and not just used as a blocker. It will be important to control the clock and to score touchdown and not field goals when the opportunity presents itself. This game reminds me way too much of an earlier game when the Vikings played the Colts in Week two. If the Vikings had even average play from the QB, they win in a rout. The coaching staff still doesn't have enough faith in Flacco to mix it up enough and if you give Manning the ball with time he can still kill you.

Colts 21 Ravens 13

The number one question for Rams fans this week is can the Rams combine the two most common reasons for in-season improvement to get their first win?A Can the Rams get a bounce from having two weeks to prepare for the surging Washington Redskins?A Can the Rams show fight for their new head coach, Jim Haslett?A Can the Rams get their confidence up so that they don't fall apart at the first sign of trouble?A I know that is four questions, but with the 2008 Rams there are more questions than answers.

But, these are all questions that will be answered in Week 6 in Washington against the Redskins.A Rams players are saying all the right things about playing hard for Haslett.A Practices have looked faster and more spirited since Scott Linehan's firing.A Haslett has made the team run conditioning drills so that they do not fall flat in the fourth quarter because of conditioning.

The most important point is contained in the Week 4 loss to the Buffalo Bills.A The Rams started out strong and held a lead for the first time for the season.A The Rams were able to stuff the run and block for Steven Jackson.A They were able to defend the pass enough to keep the Bills out of the end zone in the first half.A But, as momentum started turning against the Rams, so did the Rams turn on themselves.A

Correspondingly, the most important point for the Rams in Week 6 is to not get down on themselves and know that they can come back late in the game if need be.A The Rams need to take a page from Tony LaRussa and "play a hard [60 minutes]" and good things will happen.A A With the increased conditioning and the fire and reinforcement of Jim Haslett, the Rams should (emphasis on the word "should") have an improved performance in Week 6.

The Redskins are a good and improving team, hardened in the NFC East; however look for the Rams to at least cover the 13.5 point spread.A It should be interesting to see how the Rams come out against Washington and even more interesting to see if they can keep playing at a high level after something goes wrong.

The 3-2 Cardinals enter Sunday's game against the Cowboys atop the NFC West. They are looking for their sixth straight home victory as well as a chance to move to 4-2 heading into their bye week.

The game will match two of the NFL's top offenses. Arizona's unit is ranked 5th overall (3rd passing) while [...]

The Carolina Panthers enter Sunday's showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looking to put a strangle hold on the NFC South. At 4-1, the Panthers can move up two games over the Bucs, and depending on other results Sunday can have a solid early lead in the division. On the other hand, the Bucs want to ruin the early momentum that the Panthers have had, and get back to even in the division.

Carolina last week played about as well as they could have played, shutting out the weak KC Chiefs at home 34-0. Jake Delhomme, who has a QB rating of 90.6 in five games, threw for two scores, and the team ran the ball well all afternoon. Their defense made life tough for the Chiefs, and by the end of the day wore out KC to the point where they probably had the plane running midway through the third quarter.

The Bucs were losers in Denver to the Broncos 16-13. While their defense did a good job vs a good Denver offense, the teams offense had a major letdown vs a Broncos D that had given up a lot of points and yards. They lost QB Brian Griese to a shoulder injury in the second half, and while backup Jeff Garcia was able to get them a score, they were unable to pull it out in the three point loss.

Tampa Bay should get a lift playing at home. They will look to run the football with Earnest Graham to set up the passing game. Garcia appears to be the man to get the start, as Griese is still ailing from the shoulder injury from a week ago. Look for Garcia to be his usual scrambling self, meaning that the Panthers DB's are going to have to stay with the WR's longer. It's a part of the game that when done right, makes Garcia dangerous.

The Bucs D will look to put a stop to the Panthers two-headed monster of a running game of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They want to force Delhomme to throw, and at that point will unleash the dogs and try to force him into mistakes and turnovers. Delhomme has played well against the Bucs, throwing 13 TD's and 7 picks and has a QB rating of 93.6 in 9 games.

Look for this to be your typical NFC South slugfest between two teams that know each other all too well. The Bucs are going to come out swinging, and the Panthers have to weather the storm early and then come back with some throws to Steve Smith and Mushin Muhummad to spread the defense. Won't be easy. Look for a bunch up at the top of the division after this one as Tampa Bay takes home a three-point with with a late field goal.

Coming off a whirlwind win over the Saints on Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings are back at home Sunday as they play host to the awful 0-4 Detroit Lions in a NFC North battle. The Lions are coming off a 34-7 loss at home to the Bears, and the questions in the post game were not only about the team losing 11 of their last 12 games, but also the job security of the coaching staff.

The Lions are so bad that the numbers simply tell only half the story. On offense, they are scoring only 16.5 points per game, rushing for 72 yards per game and throwing for 263 yards per game. The defense is even worse. They are allowing an NFL worst 36.8 points per game - 429 yards total per game on defense, 249 passing and 180 rushing. Sounds like time for the Lions to think about starting over.

Problem is there are 12 games left in the 2008 season, and the Lions are forced, like it or not - to play them. It starts this week vs the Vikings, a team that needed in the worst way to pull out a win in New Orleans. They realize that at 2-3 they need to get back to .500, and have a golden shot to do that at home Sunday.

Gus Frerotte has played okay in this three starts. Sunday vs Detroit he and Bernard Berrian should continue to develop the chemistry they found on Monday night at the SuperDome. Frerotte is never going to light the world on fire, but the bottom line is needs to stay within himself, not suffer bad turnovers, and make a few plays like he did vs the Saints.

The team will of course turn to workhorse back Adrian Peterson, who was for the most part held in check by the Siants. Look for AP to have the 32 yards he had Monday night midway through the first quarter against the porus Lions run defense. Peterson should be able to put up 125-150 yards against the Lions.

The Vikings D should also have party vs whoever plays QB for the Lions. Jon Kitna had back spasms last week in the loss and didn't finish the game, and even backup Dan Orlovsky was hurt with an ankle sprain in the contest, and despite finishing it, he won't be 100 percent for the game neither. Kitna still gives Detroit their best shot to win.

Minnesota's defense has just eight sacks, but should have a good day vs the weak Lions O-line. Look for the Lions to have to be pass happy to want any chance to make this a game, as Jared Allen, Pat and Kevin Williams, and the rest of that D is going to make it near impossible to run, and won't make throwing much easier.

Bottom line - the Vikings are going to dominate this contest. The Lions are awful top to bottom, and you will see over their last 12 games just why this team will be picking no worst than second in the 09 draft. Vikings move to 3-3 with a 21-point thrashing.

The "Associated Press" has reported that Portland Trail Blazers forward Martell Webster has suffered a stress fracture of his left foot. The injury occurred Tuesday night as Portland defeated the Sacramento Kings in their first preseason game.A Ironically Webster was the leading scorer for the Blazers during the victory.A X-Rays taken after the game revealed [...]

It would have been easy to post up a few Joe Flacco highlights from his national tv debut. But my favorite thing so far this season has been watching the emergence of Le'Ron "Die Hard" McClain. He's a truck at 260 pounds. Watch as he pancakes Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons on his way to his fourth touchdown of the season. The angle is classic smashmouth football as you can see the line looking to get push for their runner.

AMATEUR & PROFESSIONAL SCOUTING ADDITIONS

The Cleveland Indians & Director of Scouting BRAD GRANT today announced that PAUL GILLISPIE has been promoted to Assistant Director of Scouting for the club. Paul has been a member of the Indians organization for 2 years, most recently as Area Supervisor for Georgia and South Carolina prior to today's [...]

Coming off a whirlwind win over the Saints on Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings are back at home Sunday as they play host to the awful 0-4 Detroit Lions in a NFC North battle. The Lions are coming off a 34-7 loss at home to the Bears, and the questions in the post game [...]

The Oakland Raiders are hoping a shift at the top of their coaching ranks will pay off as they travel to New Orleans on Sunday to take on the struggling 2-3 New Orleans Saints. Al Davis finally did what he said he was going to do for sometime, and that was fire coach Lane Kiffin in what turned into a circus by the time it was said and done. Now new coach Tom Cable has the task of trying to take a team that came close to winning games, and pushing them over the top.

The Siants are smarting after a stunning 30-27 loss to the Vikings on Monday night. They got two punt returns from Reggie Bush, yet could not overcome a blocked FG for a score, and a late Ryan Longwell field goal. They only allowed 44 yards on the ground, but still could not get the job done at home. Now they return home on a short week for the Raiders, a team that can run the ball, but struggle in other areas.

Mistakes plagued the Saints, who had four turnovers, several dropped passes and 11 penalties for 102 yards. They will attack the Raiders with their usual solid offense, with Drew Brees looking for leading pass catcher Reggie Bush (38 grabs) and more down the field threat Devery Henderson. Brees has already thrown for 1673 yards and 9 TD's on the season. Bush has added 212 yards and one TD on the ground.

The Saints D is ranked 24th, and will have to play as well stopping the run as they did Monday night. The Raiders have players that can run the ball, such as rookie Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. They are averaging 155 yards per game on the ground, good for 3rd in the league. Look for JaMarcus Russell to take some shots on the Saints D, as he has been throwing the ball better the past few weeks.

Oakland is ranked 17th in the league on D, and have been good early in games, but then they give up some big plays (like the last two games to Buffalo and San Diego) and fall late. This is why they are sitting at 1-3 on the season instead of possibly 3-1, and challenging the Broncos for the top spot in the AFC West.

This game is going to be critical to see how much fight both teams have. The Raiders are a group that has taken a beating due to the acts of their owner, but they are a better group this season than in years past. The Saints need a win to build some confidence, and should have better success at home this week than last. Look for New Orleans to have another big day from Bush and co. and come out with a 10-point win.

The Seahawks return home this week to face the Packers before spending the following two weekends on the road. Kickoff is slated for 1:15pm (PT) and the game will be televised on FOX (channel 13 in Seattle) and on News Talk 710 KIRO and 97.3 KIRO FM in Seattle.

In the regular season, Green Bay holds a 6-5 series edge but since Mike Holmgren took over as head coach in 1999 after seven years as head man in Green Bay, the two clubs have split the last four meetings. Eight of the 11 meetings have been held in Wisconsin, and Green Bay comes to Seattle for just the third time since 1996.

In Green Bay's last trip to Seattle on November 26, 2006, the Seahawks won on Monday night, 34-24, in the first-ever home game in the snow.

Last week at home vs the Bills the Cardinals played their best game of the year, coming out with a 41 point outburst vs a good Bills team that came in undefeated. This week they play another high scoring good team in the Dallas Cowboys in a NFC battle that down the road could [...]

How the St.Louis Rams will come out in their first game with new coach Jim Haslett is one of the interesting questions heading into week 6. How the Washington Redskins get up for a Rams team that is 0-4 and has been outscored 43 to 147 is another question that will need answered. So can the Rams hang with the Skins? Or will the Skins overlook the Rams and fall into the dreaded "trap game" at 4-1?

The Rams have flat out been awful so far in 08. They are putting up just 10.8 points per game, are allowing 36.8, and have already had a coach fired and a QB change, back to the starter from day one. So how can this team even compete? Well, getting back to basics would be a start. They have yet to have a complete game, but showed signs of getting there somewhat when they built a lead in the first half against the Bills two weeks ago.

Now with Scott Linehan gone, the team can focus on what Haslett wants them to do, which is play sound defense, and run the ball and take a few down the field shots on offense. Marc Bulger, who was benched in the final game for Linehan for Trent Green, is back as the starter, and will be encouraged to take a few chances with WR's Torry Holt and Dan Looker. Randy McMichael is done for the year, so he's going to be missed.

As far as running goes, Steven Jackson was given a ton of money in the offseason, but has not been able to get on track with the O-line still not playing well. He has just 269 yards in four games, good for just 67.3 yards per game with one TD. The Skins will focus on stopping him, then putting the heat on Bulger with their pass rush that did a good job vs the Eagles last week.

From an offensive standpoint for the Skins, they will do what they have been doing the last few weeks, which is get Jason Campbell going with the passing game, and Clinton Portis running between the tackles, putting up chunks of yards. Portis has put up 102.8 yards per game, while Campbell is hitting on 63 percent of his passes, and is putting up 210.8 yards per game.

Haslett will look to install some new looks for the Rams D, but it won't be easy against a Skins team that is playing well under Jim Zorn. Look for the Rams to play inspired for their new coach, but this is a Skins team that is playing at a high level, and at home they will be able to handle the Rams, winning by at least 14 points.