7070088's blog: "123"

. A team that used to be as capable of landing a playoff berth as a boy was of plopping a pebble on the moon with a slingshot has been transformed. Victor Cruz JerseyPackers fans, Vikings fans, football fans from across the league, Today we are here to pay our respects to 297 weeks of practices and pre-games; of sacks, hurries and knockdowns; of making defences look foolish one minute, then like heros the next; of helping Michael Strahan beat the single season sack record; of bringing Green Bay to the Lombardi Trophy and of teasing Minnesota with yet another NFC Championship game loss. Nick Collins Jersey . We are here to say goodbye to Brett Favres consecutive starts streak. We havent lost the man or the arm, Favre still throws as hard as he ever did. What we have lost is the legacy, which will be remembered now as the Hall of Fame quarterback who probably shouldnt have hit send on his cell phone, and whose desire to remain in the spotlight led to fans eventually wanting him to leave the field. Favres incredible durability helped him throw the most touchdowns ever by an NFL quarterback (507), but also the most interceptions (335). And for all the touting of Favres greatness, his 297 straight games over the course of 19 seasons produced one Super Bowl victory. In times like this we must look to the future, to players like Colts QB Peyton Manning who has never missed a game in his career and is sitting at 205 consecutive starts. If the NFL goes to an 18-game schedule, Manning could pass Favre in five years. If you want to follow a player who can play through injuries, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has shown the ability to take the field with a variety of ailments. Big Ben has been dealing with a foot injury, a broken nose thanks to Ravens DT Haloti Ngata, and most recently an ankle sprain suffered against the Bengals. Much like Favre, Roethlisberger just keeps on walking up to the line of scrimmage and taking snaps no matter how his body may be feeling. If game-winning drives were your favourite part of the old gunslingers game, then turn on a Patriots telecast and watch todays best field general Tom Brady lead his team to victory in critical moments. No one is playing the position better right now than New Englands signal caller. If its Favres timely interceptions that you will miss the most, then look no further than Bengals QB Carson Palmer, who has become quite fond of throwing the ball to defenders, including two pick sixes against the Steelers this past weekend. Palmer may not have the arm strength of Favre, but he certainly has the same knack for costly giveaways. Packers fans have already moved on thanks to Aaron Rodgers, who never missed a beat after taking over from Favre. Unfortunately for Vikings fans, Tarvaris Jackson is not Aaron Rodgers and after throwing for 118 yards and an interception on Monday night, Minnesota will most likely be in the market for a new passer next season. Whether Favre ends up on the injured reserve list in the next week or not doesnt really matter at this point since the Vikings are out of the playoff picture. While his records will always be remembered (until the day they are broken), it is his competitive spirit that made him so endearing. Sadly, like many before him, its that competitive spirit that led him to stay in the league one season too long. INS AND OUTS In Like FlynnAny time the Packers watch Matt Flynn take the field its a bad thing. Flynn entered the game against the Lions after Aaron Rodgers was driven into the turf by Landon Johnson, resulting in his second concussion of the season. Green Bay wants to be as careful as possible with their franchise quarterback, but they also desperately need wins down the stretch and cant afford to be without him. The Packers are one game back of the Bears in the NFC North and also one game back of a wild card spot. Out of the WoodworkThe alarm clock has gone off on Raiders RB Darren McFaddens NFL career. After being selected fourth overall in the 2008 NFL Draft, the all-round back was limited by injuries and inconsistent play his first two seasons. Now, he looks like a sure-fire top ten pick in next years fantasy drafts. On Sunday, McFadden added 209 yards and three scores in a losing effort against the Jaguars. Imagine what he could do if Oaklands head coach and offensive coordinator could get on the same page. In Full SwingDo you think the New Orleans Saints are jealous of the Atlanta Falcons? Not because the Falcons are 11-2 and a game up in the NFC South, but because in their final four weeks, the Falcons get the league-worst 1-12 Carolina Panthers twice. The Falcons and Saints hold the NFLs two longest winning streaks, with seven and six consecutive wins, respectively, but the Falcons only real challenge the rest of the way will be a head-to-head showdown with New Orleans in Week 16. Its a Jungle Out ThereThe Jacksonville Jaguars are one game away from clinching the AFC South. I almost feel the need to type that again so that we can let it sink in. With a game against the Colts on the horizon and the post-season in their sights, the Jags got past the Raiders thanks to a strong rushing combo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings, who both eclipsed the 100-yard mark. The game next week could be the biggest regular season game the Jaguars have ever played, but technically the Colts still control their own fate. If Indy wins out, then Jacksonville will be out come playoff time. THIS WEEK IN HYPERBOLE "It was the game of the year. The unfortunate thing is I feel bad for ourselves, obviously, our fans and, really, the NFL. The NFL deserved a better game than that, but we werent up to the task." Last week, after being blown out by the Patriots, Jets head coach Rex Ryan had to step to the podium and answer for his team not showing up. As usual, the game was built up as the "Game of the Year," but as Ryan pointed out his Jets team failed to deliver on their end of the deal. Ryan tried burying the game ball in front of his entire team, as a cathartic way of getting over the loss. Turns out that football was buried in vain as the Jets couldnt get the job done against the Dolphins this week either, falling 10-6. Mark Sanchez is in the middle of a slump and the Jets dont have quite as much swagger as they did earlier in the season. DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE The Eagles offence is scary. With the firepower to score from anywhere on the field, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy are averaging 34.5 points per game since their bye week. Their explosive attack has shown the ability to beat teams deep almost at will with Jackson getting past the Cowboys secondary for a 91-yard score on Sunday. The most impressive display came late in the game, when McCoy was able to run straight at Dallas defence, burning time off the clock and sealing the victory for Philadelphia. The prospect of an NFC Championship game where Vick returned to Atlanta to face his old Falcons team would be a remarkable story. EASIER SAID THAN DONE "That was, to me, one of those good old-fashion slugfests, where both teams are duking it out for 60 minutes on the field." The Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns opened the bowl season on Sunday with the Irrelevant Bowl. Chan Gailey came out on the winning end for the third time as the Bills head coach, as his club outlasted the Browns 13-6. The Browns put the ball on the turf five times, fumbling away two of them, while Jake Delhomme was held under 100 yards passing in addition to tossing up a pick. Buffalo continues to Plaxico Burress themselves in the foot by winning yet another game and lowering their draft status come April. HALFTIME The United Nations climate Change Conference is under way in Mexico with the hope that changes can be made to help reduce the warming effect happening on our planet. However, after Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns in the middle of a blizzard at Soldier Field in Chicago, perhaps we should reconsider. When asked how his team would prepare for the arctic weather conditions, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said "We just go outside." Once they got out there, the Patriots led by Brady dominated the Chicago "not quite polar" Bears. Maybe warm weather would help slow Brady. After all, his long hair would trap the heat in his body, and UGGs are certainly not the best choice of footwear in warm weather. At this point, defensive coordinators are willing to try anything. COACHING ADJUSTMENTS Is it cruel to think Josh McDaniels was sitting at home enjoying the Broncos demise Sunday against one of the NFL worsts teams, the Cardinals? Unlike Jason Garrett and Leslie Frazier, Eric Studesville was unable to get a win in his interim head coaching debut as the Broncos watched Cardinals kicker Jay Feely dominate them for three quarters. Feely had five field goals on the day and added a touchdown on a fake. It was a great call by Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff, since a stop on the fake attempt would have left the Broncos trapped deep in their zone anyway. Other than RB Knowshon Moreno, there isnt much to be excited for in Denver. THE DEFENCE RESTS With the holiday season upon us, Carson Palmer was in the gift giving mood on Sunday, tossing two pick-sixes to the Steelers defence. The Steelers offence didnt even need to score a touchdown to put up 23 points and down the Bengals. Troy Polamalu tormented Palmer all day long, coming up with two of the quarterbacks three interceptions. Pittsburghs defence is menacing and as long as Ben Roethlisberger can stay on the field, the Steelers are going to be a tough out in January. THE BIG SCREEN "Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane." - Red (Shawshank Redemption, 1994) Every year, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder tries to make the right decisions for his football team, whether it be by bringing in high-priced talent on the field or high-priced coaches off it. Unfortunately, the high prices he has paid havent amounted to much success. The Redskins organization appears to be where coaches are put out to pasture. Mike Shanahan is the latest example, but Joe Gibbs second stint with the team was less than advertised, Steve Spurriers foray into the NFL world led to two losing seasons in Washington and Marty Schottenheimer barely got his feet wet, leaving after one 8-8 season. Synder continues to hope that success will find his franchise, but that hasnt been the case so far. "Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of [expletive] smelling foulness I cant even imagine, or maybe I just dont want to. Five hundred yards... thats the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile." - Red (Shawshank Redemption, 1994) Even though you can understand how the Redskins organization might seem like a bit of a prison, thats no excuse for how Albert Haynesworth acted this season. While Shanahan left much to be desired with his handling of Haynesworth, there is no excuse for the leagues highest-paid defensive tackle to not arrive on time and ready to serve his club as best he could. After almost a full season of questionable behaviour from both sides, Haynesworth has been suspended by the team for the final four games of the year. He may be closer now to being free, but he had to go through an awful lot to get there. WEEKLY WOUNDED S Chinedum Ndukwe, Bengals (Knee)WR Lee Evans, Bills, (Ankle)DT Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers (Biceps)RB Beanie Wells, Cardinals (Illness)WR Kevin Ogletree, Cowboys (Foot)LB Stewart Bradley Eagles (Elbow)DE Brandon Graham, Eagles (Torn ACL)WR DeSean Jackson, Eagles (Ankle)RB Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (Wrist)WR Mario Manningham, Giants (Hip)WR Steve Smith, Giants (Hamstring)RB Shonn Greene, Jets (Neck)OT Damien Woody, Jets (Knee)QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers (Concussion)QB Jason Campbell, Raiders (Stinger)RB Chris Ivory, Saints (Hamstring)WR Deon Butler, Seahawks (Broken Leg)WR brandon Stokley, Seahawks (Hamstring)QB Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (Ankle)WR Emmanuel Sanders, Steelers (Ankle) FINAL WHISTLE The Jaguars and Colts wont be the only game of significance in Week 15. Several matchups will have heavy playoff implications as we count down towards the post-season. The Eagles will head to New York to face the Giants with first place in the NFC East on the line. The Saints and Ravens will meet in a battle between two teams that are expected to make noise come January. The Jets will try to right the ship when they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Packers will head to Foxboro, with or without Aaron Rodgers, to try to stop the juggernaut that is the New England Patriots. Tony Gonzalez Womens Jersey . The Chicago Gay Hockey Association invited the Blackhawks to join Sundays Gay Pride Parade after the team won its first Stanley Cup title since 1961 - and the team said yes. So did the Chicago Cubs, who will have their own float in the parade for the first time. Calvin Johnson Womens Jersey . -- Lakers centre Andrew Bynum has apologized profusely for his flagrant foul on Dallas guard J. Aldon Smith Jersey . 1 and 3 nations, respectively, in the latest International Ice Hockey Federation world rankings, have not had showings in the IIHF World Championship that are consistent with their super-power reputations, nor rekindled images of their dominance at the Vancouver Olympics, when both presented a dazzling, for-the-ages gold-medal game. Marques Colston Jersey . Today China is the worlds second largest economy. China has achieved this success through hard work, ingenuity, and above all the wisdom and vision of its leadership, Prime Minister Gilani said while speaking at a function here marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Eli Manning Youth Jersey . The Oilers have won their last three games, one shy of their season-opening four-game winning streak that is their longest such run of the campaign so far. Sam Gagner, who has been out with a concussion is scheduled to return tonight.ORLANDO, Fla. - Tiger Woods is beefing up his international schedule at the end of the year, saying Wednesday that hell play the HSBC Champions in China the week before he heads to Melbourne for the Australian Masters. Woods shut down his overseas travel in 2007 after the birth of his first child, and couldnt play last year as he recovered from knee surgery. He announced last week he would play in Australia for the first time since the Presidents Cup in 1998. The trip Down Under comes with a US$3-million appearance fee, half of which comes from taxpayers in the state of Victoria. Woods defended the appearance money when asked about it at the Arnold Pallmer Invitational. Ndamukong Suh Jersey. This is the only place that doesnt have appearance fees, Woods said of the PGA Tour. Most of the guys get appearance fees to play around the world. Ive played all around the world and Ive thoroughly enjoyed going. Obviously, theres some controversy behind it, but Im really looking forward to getting down there and competing. The HSBC Champions is expected to become a World Golf Championship, and when it does, it will be the only WGC event that Woods has not won. But it wont be his first appearance at the tournament in Shanghai. He was runner-up in 2005 and 2006. Phil Mickelson won the HSBC a year later. ' ' '