“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Wildcard Weekend

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Wildcard Weekend


For the playoffs I prefer to rate each position for those people who play in the Playoff Fantasy Leagues. Teams on bye (Indianapolis, San Diego, New Orleans and Minnesota) are not included in these rankings.

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay @ Arizona
Kurt Warner – Arizona versus Green Bay
Tony Romo – Dallas versus Philadelphia
Tom Brady – New England versus Baltimore
Donovan McNabb – Philadelphia @ Dallas
Joe Flacco – Baltimore @ New England
Carson Palmer – Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Mark Sanchez – New York Jets @ Cincinnati

Running Backs

Ray Rice – Baltimore @ New England
Thomas Jones - New York Jets @ Cincinnati
Ryan Grant - Green Bay @ Arizona
Cedric Benson - Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Marion Barber - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Laurence Maroney - New England versus Baltimore
Beanie Wells - Arizona versus Green Bay
Felix Jones - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Willis McGahee - Baltimore @ New England
Brian Westbrook - Philadelphia @ Dallas
Tim Hightower - Arizona versus Green Bay
Kevin Faulk - New England versus Baltimore
Leonard Weaver - Philadelphia @ Dallas

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald - Arizona versus Green Bay
Randy Moss - New England versus Baltimore
Donald Driver - Green Bay @ Arizona
Miles Austin - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Anquan Boldin - Arizona versus Green Bay
DeSean Jackson - Philadelphia @ Dallas
Braylon Edwards - New York Jets @ Cincinnati
Greg Jennings – Green Bay @ Arizona
Derrick Mason - Baltimore @ New England
Chad Ochocinco - Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Jerricho Cotchery – New York Jets @ Cincinnati
Laveranues Coles - Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Patrick Crayton - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Julian Edelman - New England versus Baltimore
Roy Williams - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Jeremy Macklin - Philadelphia @ Dallas
Steve Breaston - Arizona versus Green Bay
Brad Smith - New York Jets @ Cincinnati

Tight Ends

Brent Celek - Philadelphia @ Dallas
Jason Witten - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Todd Heap - Baltimore @ New England
Jermichael Finley - Green Bay @ Arizona
Dustin Keller - New York Jets @ Cincinnati
Ben Watson - New England versus Baltimore
Donald Lee - Green Bay @ Arizona
JP Foschi - Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Ben Patrick - Arizona versus Green Bay
Martellus Bennett - Dallas versus Philadelphia

Kickers

Neil Rackers - Arizona versus Green Bay
David Akers - Philadelphia @ Dallas
Shaun Suisham - Dallas versus Philadelphia
Mason Crosby - Green Bay @ Arizona
Stephen Gostkowski - New England versus Baltimore
Billy Cundiff - Baltimore @ New England
Jay Feely - New York Jets @ Cincinnati
Shayne Graham - Cincinnati versus New York Jets

Defenses

Dallas vs Philadelphia
New York Jets @ Cincinnati
New England versus Baltimore
Baltimore @ New England
Green Bay @ Arizona
Philadelphia @ Dallas
Cincinnati versus New York Jets
Arizona versus Green Bay

FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 14

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 14

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Joe Flacco started the first few games of the season like a top 5 fantasy QB, but as the season went on that ranking has dropped. This weekend the Lions and their league worst pass defense is coming to town. Although the Detroit Lions run defense isn’t much better the Ravens should look at this game as a great chance to work the kinks out of that passing game. With Pittsburgh’s recent downfall Baltimore is in prime position to move up into one of the wildcard positions. By the way, it’s December and that means it is time for Eli Manning to shine again.

Can I honestly recommend a Kansas City Chief? Well at home against the leagues worst rushing defense; I’ll have to put it out there. Last week against a nice Denver run defense Jamal Charles managed 65 yards and one TD. This week with a possible QB controversy in town, the Chiefs should run the ball into the ground. With Kellen Clemens starting for the Injured Mark Sanchez, rookie RB Shonn Greene could get some additional carries as the Jets attempt to run the ball on a poor Tampa Bay defense.

Rookie Titans WR Kenny Britt is primed for another great game. This weekend against an injury riddled St. Louis Rams secondary Britt should easily continue his streak of playable fantasy performances. As a bonus, if your league allows return yardage and TDs to count for offensive players, Britt seems to have locked up the kick returner position and looks like he’ll break one soon. With Robert Meachem drawing attention as New Orleans travels to Atlanta, don’t forget that Devery Henderson is the dome receiver.

TE John Carlson hasn’t been the fantasy stud that most people anticipated this off season, this weekend he may live up to it. This week Carlson’s Seattle Seahawks travel south to Houston to face a Texans team that historically struggles against TEs. Last week 2 different TEs from Jacksonville lead the team in receiving, and Dallas Clark put up 63 yards and a TD the week before. Greg Olsen against Green Bay would be my second possible sleeper TE.

The Tennessee Titans defense should be ready to feast on the St. Louis Rams. This team is starting a back up QB, and receivers found anywhere they could, but they do have a stud RB that could pose the biggest threat. The Titans to need the birdman Bud Adams to tell Coach Jeff Fisher that he needs to start CB Rod Hood over Nick Harper and opposite Cortland Finnegan. New Orleans and Baltimore are also nice Defenses this weekend.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Jay Cutler – 14 yards and one TD, wanted more but It’ll do.

Rashard Mendenhall – 103 yards and one TD, that’s about what I expect out of these picks maybe a few more yards.

Jason Avant – 36 yards, not even close, sorry.

Zach Miller – 43 yards, really wanted a score but that’ll do.

San Diego Chargers – Two sacks, one Fumble recovered, but allowed 23 points to Cleveland, sorry.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 11

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 11

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Short and sweet this week, since I have a weekend vacation:

Atlanta QB Matt Ryan against a still depleted Giants defense.

Pittsburgh RB Rashard Mendenhall against Kansas City.

Baltimore WR Derrick Mason against a depleted secondary in Indianapolis.

Chicago TE Greg Olsen against the Eagles.

Cincinnati Defense against Oakland with a new starting QB.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Donovan McNabb - 450 passing yards 2 TDs 1 INT, that’s what I like to see.

Laurence Maroney - 31 rush yards 15 receiving yards 1 TD and 1 Fumble, at least he scored.

Sidney Rice – 200 receiving yards, what a day!!!

Todd Heap – 43 receiving yards, I guess that’s O.K.

Dallas Cowboys – 4 sacks, Tennessee or Green Bay would have been better choices.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 10

Photo: Lucas Oil Stadium-Where Peyton Manning trumped Bill Belichick ....

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 10
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online


#5: WARNER STARTS SLOW, FINISHES STRONG TO TIE FOUTS

After starting the 2009 season 4-0 on the road but just 1-3 at home, Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals appeared headed for another head-scratching home defeat. They trailed Seattle, which came in 0-3 on the road, 14-0 more than halfway through the second quarter, after being stopped on their first five drives. Then, Warner and the Cardinals caught fire, scoring on their next three possessions and on five of their next six, spanning the game’s final three quarters. In the end, the Cardinals scored 31 of the game’s final 37 points, to beat the Seahawks, 31-20. Warner finished the game throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 29 of 38 passes for 340 yards. It marked the 51st career 300-yard game for Warner, tying him with the legendary Dan Fouts for fourth on the all-time NFL list.


#4: SIDNEY RICE COOKS LION’S DEFENSE

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson calls his teammate Sidney Rice “Showtime,” but he didn’t come up with the nickname himself. “He’s got it tattooed on his arm,” Peterson said. ”It fits him well.” It certainly did on Sunday, in the Vikings’ 27-10 victory over the Detroit Lions, who joined the Houston Oilers (1982-84) as the only NFL teams to lose 31 of 33 games. Rice caught seven passes, accounting for 201 of Brett Favre’s season high 344 yards, to help the Vikings to 492 total yards of offense. It was the third time in four games that “Showtime” put on a show, as the Vikings’ 2007 second-round pick followed up receiving games of 176 yards in a win over Baltimore in Week 6 and a 136-yard effort in a Week 7 loss at Pittsburgh.


#3: BENGALS BEAT STEELERS AT OWN GAME

The Cincinnati Bengals resurgence this season doesn’t surprise me. After all, I picked them on our FRO Show as my surprise turnaround team of 2009 after their 4-11-1 season last year. I have to admit though, I didn’t think it would be the Bengals defense that would lead them back this year. I figured their defense would be better, but I thought a strong year from Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco would be leading the charge. And, although a 7-2 isn’t far off from where I thought they’d be at this point in 2009, I do find it hard to fathom that the Bengals have matched last year’s win total solely against their two biggest division rivals, after already sweeping both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. On Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Bengals, using a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown and a punishing defense, beat the Steelers at their own game, not even needing an offensive touchdown, to win, 18-12. Cincinnati held Pittsburgh to 226 total yards, sacked Ben Roethlisberger four times, intercepted him once, and most importantly, did not allow a Steeler touchdown. As a result, there’s a new balance of power in the NFC North, as the Steelers and Ravens are now chasing the Bengals this year.


#2: DUAL THREAT JOHNSON AND BIG 4TH QUARTER CARRY TITANS

At 3-6, the Tennessee Titans have had a very tough season overall, but one constant has been Chris Johnson. It’s just that now, Johnson’s exploits are leading to Titans’ victories. Johnson has been excelling all year long, but a lot of that came through an 0-6 start for Tennessee. Lately though, Johnson’s personal success has rubbed off on his teammates to the tune of a three-game winning streak. On Sunday, Johnson, as he has been all season, was a dangerous dual threat. This time, the talented running back reached triple digits both rushing and receiving, carrying 26 times for 132 yards while catching nine passes for another 100 yards. The second of his two rushing touchdowns broke a 17-17 tie with Buffalo, and started a huge 24-0 fourth quarter for Tennessee that was capped by the Titan’s defense returning two interceptions for touchdowns. Johnson is one of just three players in the NFL (the Ravens’ Ray Rice and the Rams’ Stephen Jackson, the others) who leads his team in both rushing and receiving.


#1: BELICHIK’S BLUNDER KEEPS COLTS UNBEATEN

Near the conclusion of NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast of the Indianapolis Colts’ stunning 35-34 comeback win over the New England Patriots, a happy Colts fan flashed a sign for the NBC cameras. It read simply, “Nobody Beats Colts.” Thanks to a huge miscalculation by Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick, those words remain true so far this season. The 9-0 Colts indeed had beaten everyone else so far this season, but to stay undefeated on Sunday, they needed someone else to beat themselves. With Belichik’s help, the Colts rallied from a 31-14 fourth quarter deficit to win a 35-34 thriller in the final seconds. Indianapolis still trailed 34-21 after a New England field goal with just 4:12 left in the game, but Peyton Manning led a 6-play, 79-yard drive in just 1:44, to cut the Patriots’ lead to 34-28 with 2:23 to go. Perhaps seeing how easily and how quickly the Colts marched down the field on that drive, Belichik then decided to do the unthinkable, going for a first down on 4th-and-2 from the Patriots’ own 28-yard line with 2:08 rather than punt the ball away and make Manning and the Colts earn the win with a typical long, two-minute drill type of drive. It initially appeared that the gamble worked, when Kevin Faulk had the ball past the first down marker, but he bobbled it, and was pushed backward while doing so, leaving him short of the first down. The Colts took advantage of Belichik’s failed risk, and moved to 9-0 on the season, going 29 yards on four plays in 1:47, winning the game on Manning’s fourth touchdown of the night, with just 13 seconds left. The irony in the Colts’ win is that it was their 18th straight regular season victory, finishing the 2008 regular season with nine wins and beginning the 2009 season with the same. That in itself isn’t ironic, what is though, is the fact that much is made (and rightfully so) of New England being the only team to go through an entire regular season with a perfect record of 16-0, and extending that to 18-0 in the playoffs. And, here was of all teams, New England, looking to prevent the Colts from going 18-0 over their past eighteen regular season games, and they had a great chance to do it on the Colts’ home field. But, because they couldn’t put the Indianapolis away with a big fourth quarter lead, Belichik panicked into giving the Colts a gift which allowed them to continue their own streak. Interesting stuff in Indy in the latest chapter of a great rivalry between two of the NFL’s best teams over the past decade or so.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 10

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 10

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Donovan McNabb should be back to form this weekend in San Diego. San Diego can not cover tight ends and they tend to get into shoot out games. McNabb’s top Philly wide receiver DeSean Jackson was held in check last weekend and his ego will not allow it to happen again. The Chargers are ranked middle of the pack in both passing TDs allowed and interceptions.

New England RB Laurence Maroney gets to face an Indianapolis defense that has been unbelievably injury plagued this (and most) season. Indy has given up 6 rushing TDs this season and allows just less than 110 rushing yards per game. Maroney has finally started to live up to his first round draft selection, but only after all the retread backs fell by the way side. Maroney has scored in three straight games and this should be the fourth.

I have a feeling that Minnesota WR Sidney Rice gets back in his fantasy owners good graces this weekend. The Vikings are coming off of there bye week and will be hosting the lowly Detroit Lions. Those Lions have allowed 19 passing TDs and an average of 263 passing yards per game. Rice trailed off last game against the Packers and hasn’t scored a TD since week four. This weekend against either P. Buchanon or W. James Rice’s 6ft 4 frame should be a nice target for Favre.

Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens TE Todd Heap against the Cleveland Browns ¾ defense. Baltimore is coming off a tough loss to Cincinnati and Cleveland is coming off of their bye. Most times these factors would point me towards a Cleveland win, most times. Cleveland still doesn’t now how to run their defense and Baltimore will be looking to get back into the playoff hunt. Heap and WR Derrick Mason should be able to steadily gain short to medium yardage all game long.


The Dallas Cowboys defense should have open season on Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers this weekend. The Packers offensive line has preformed like a sieve, allowing pass rushers through with ease. Unfortunately for the Packers the Dallas pass rushers have finally started performing up to expectations. Dallas has 20 sacks on the season and most have come in the last few games. The Dallas defensive backs have also started to pick off some passes and the special teams have started making plays.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Matt Hasselbeck – 329 yards 1 TD 1 INT, Not too bad.

Ryan Grant – 96 yards 1 TD, again not too bad.

Malcom Floyd – 29 yards, sorry. But stick with him.

Kevin Boss – 17 yars and 1 TD, wanted more yardage, but the TD saves it.

Green Bay Packers – 1 INT and 1 Sack, sorry again.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 9

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 9
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online


#5: RIVERS SHOCKS GIANTS

It was the type of mid-season drive that can change a season for both teams, and depending on what happens in the remainder of the 2009 season, it just may. The Chargers had come to the Meadowlands with a 4-3 record, winners of two straight after a very mediocre start to their season, looking to gain on Denver in the AFC West, and also keep pace in the very competitive AFC wild-card picture. The Giants meanwhile, were looking to get back on track after following a 5-0 start with three consecutive losses. So, a big game for both sides, and a bigger finish for San Diego and quarterback Phillip Rivers. Five years after being traded from the Giants for Eli Manning, Rivers got revenge on both, with a brilliant two-minute drill to win the game. Bouncing back from an interception that looked to seal the Chargers’ fate on their previous possession, Rivers and San Diego caught a big break when the Giants couldn’t score after a first-and-goal at the Charger 4-yard line, and New York had to settle for field goal. Rivers took advantage, completing 6 of 8 passes, taking the Chargers 80 yards in 8 plays, in just 1:44, throwing hid third touchdown pass of the game, an 18-yarder with just 21 seconds left, to upset the Giants, 21-20.


#4: CINCY ‘D’ RIPS RAVENS

In a big AFC North showdown, the Bengals, normally know in past years for their offense, have stepped up the defense this year, and they were all about the ‘D’ in beating the Ravens, 17-7. Shutting out Baltimore over the first three quarters, Cincinnati finished the game with six sacks, while forcing three turnovers, and allowing just 215 total yards. Instead of letting the Ravens tie the Bengals at 5-3, a game behind 6-2 Pittsburgh, the Bengals’ dominant defensive performance allows them to play the Steelers for first place next week, with both teams at 6-2, while Baltimore fell back to .500 at 4-4.


#3: TURNER TURNS IT UP

Atlanta running back Michael Turner was turned loose against Washington and he made the Redskins pay with a game-high 166 yards on just 18 carries, for a 9.2 ypc average. He also rushed for two touchdowns. His second came in the fourth quarter, on a 58-yard run, just 1:42 after Washington made it a game at 24-17, early in the fourth quarter. Turner accounted for all but 15 of the Falcons’ 181 rushing yards in helping Atlanta get to 5-3 at home.


#2: WARNER’S HUGE TURNAROUND

Talk about a change! Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw five touchdown passes one week after throwing five interceptions, in the Cardinals’ 41-21 win in Chicago. Warner led first-half drives of 81, 74, 70, and 86 yards the first four times Arizona touched the ball, with all resulting in touchdown passes. The Cardinals built a big 31-7 halftime lead on the strength of those scoring drives, and Warner finished the game 22 of 32 for 261 yards, and this time, no interceptions.


#1: IN THE OLD THREADS, THE BUCS STOP LOSING

I know a lot of people don’t like them, and I do like the new threads, but I still have a soft spot for the old light orange Tampa Bay uniforms and the old logo. The Buccaneers might like them better this season now, too. It took wearing their throwbacks, giving 2009 first-round pick, quarterback Josh Freeman his first start, and comebacks from 14-7, 21-14, and 28-17, but Tampa Bay finally got their first win of the season and broke the league’s longest losing streak, which stood at eleven games, dating back to least season. Freeman was only 14 of 31 for 205 yards in his NFL debut, but he threw just one interception and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter to rally the Bucs to a 38-28 victory. Tampa Bay also had a blocked punt returned 31 yards for a touchdown which tied the game 14-14 in the second quarter, and iced the game, returning a touchdown 35 yards with 35 seconds left.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 8

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 8
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online


#5: RAVENS REV UP THE DEFENSE

After winning three straight, then losing three in a row, the Baltimore Ravens needed a good win and a solid all-round game to get back on track, particularly from a usually good defense which had often underperformed this season. The Ravens got both. The good victory was a 30-7 rout of previously unbeaten Denver. The solid performance was in allowing just 200 yards of total offense, stopping the Broncos running game (held to just 66 yards) and passing attack (just 134 yards) very well. Offensively, Joe Flacco only threw for 175 yards, but he was a very accurate 20-25 including a fourth quarter touchdown pass which put the game out of reach at 23-7, as the Ravens scored 24 points in the second half to pull away after leading by a slim 6-0 margin at halftime.


#4: McNABB MAKES MOST OF GIANTS’ MISCUES

The Giants, for the third straight week, played careless, unfocused football, and Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb made them pay before the Giants could even blink. After the Eagles were already up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game, McNabb needed just two passes after a Giants’ turnover to throw a 17-yard touchdown pass for a 13-0 Philadelphia lead just 3:45 into the game. After New York made it a game at 16-7, with under two minutes left in the half, McNabb again struck like lightning with two touchdown passes in the final 98 seconds of the half to break the game open, 30-7, by halftime. Starting at the Eagles’ 54-yard line after a good kickoff return, McNabb needed just one play, a 54-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, for a 23-7 Eagles lead with 1:38 left in the half. After another Giants’ turnover, McNabb needed only two plays –- a 20-yard completion followed by a 23-yard touchdown pass –- to give the Eagles that 30-7 lead, 46 seconds before halftime.

#3: FAVRE’s HAPPY HOMECOMING

He already had beaten his former team once this season, with 3 touchdown passes, and returning home to Lambeau Field for the first time as a visiting player, Brett Favre helped his Minnesota Vikings complete the sweep of the Green Bay Packers. Favre was a rather pedestrian 17 of 28 for 244 yards, but he didn’t throw an interception, and he tossed four touchdown passes –- three in the second half, two in the fourth quarter –- to help the Vikings take a 24-3 lead and then hold off the Packers and Favre’s Green Bay successor, Aaron Rodgers (who had three touchdown passes of his own, all in the second half), 38-26, to help the Vikings take a commanding lead in the NFC North.


#2: MOATS RUNS AROUND BUFFALO

Houston statistically dominated its game in Buffalo. The Texans had nearly twice the time of possession (39:08–20:52),
almost three times as many first downs (24-9), and more than double the yardage (439-204) as the Bills. Yet, for the second week in a row, the Bills were poised to win even after being outplayed. That is, until RB Ryan Moats took over in the fourth quarter, with three touchdowns to help Houston turn a 10-9 deficit into a 31-10 win with a 22-0 fourth quarter. Moats finished the game with 23 rushes on 126 yards and the 3 TD’s… special note on this game: rookie safety Jarius Byrd’s two interceptions made him the first player since San Francisco’s Dave Baker in 1960 to have two or more interceptions in three straight games.


#1: GINN SAVES THE DOLPHINS

The top spot on this week’s list really ought to go to the New York Jets’ defense for allowing just 52 yards rushing and 52 yards passing. So, how DO you lose a game at home in which you score 25 points and hold your opposition to just 104 total yards on the day? Well, when you don’t cover kickoffs well, it can happen. Miami’s Ted Ginn not only blew by the Jets’ kickoff team the entire length of the field once, but he did it twice –- in the same quarter, just 6:44 apart! After the Jets’ Jay Feely kicked a 55-yard field goal to give New York a 6-3 lead, Ted Ginn returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 10:10 left in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, after the Jets scored a touchdown to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 17-13, Ginn struck again, going one more yard then before, just for good measure, this time, taking it 101 yards to the house, with 3:26 left in the third quarter, for a 24-13 Dolphins’ lead that they would not relinquish. When he crossed the goal line the second time, Ginn became the first player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same quarter since Green Bay’s Travis Williams, back in 1967.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 9

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 9

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks gets to face the woeful Detroit Lions this weekend. The Lions just lost at home to the Rams. Now they have to travel across the country to Seattle, the furthest city from any other. Usually it’s the west coast teams that struggle traveling east, but Seattle is a tough travel for any team. Hasselbeck played well this past weekend and seems to be over the rib injury. Advice: David Gerrard and Matt Cassel both have nice match ups this weekend, against each other. One will look good and one will not, do you really want to chance it? Stay away from both.

The Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant is facing a Tampa Bay team that has forgotten how to play defense. Grant has played reasonably well this season but only has on game with over 100 rushing yards this season and no multiple TD games. Against the Buccaneers he should achieve both of these feats. Tampa has given up over 100 yard rushing performances to DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw and, are you ready, Fred Jackson. Here I go beating up on the Lions again but, Seattle RBs, Julius Jones and Justin Forsett could have nice games against them. Remember what I said about J. Jones in Seattle.

The NY Giants defensive backs have been embarrassed over the last few weeks. Now the pass happy San Diego Chargers and new starting receiver Malcom Floyd come to town. Floyd, in the past has been a red zone threat but his recent play has convinced the Chargers brass that he could handle the job and they released former starter Chris Chambers (now a KC Chief). SD QB Phillip Rivers must love Floyd’s combination of size and speed. Third receiver Naanee could also be a nice high risk play. Rookie, former holdout, Michael Crabtree could also show out against the Titans this weekend.

While NY Giants QB Eli Manning has been struggling as of late, he and TE Kevin Boss should be able to put something together this weekend. The San Diego Chargers are coming into New York this weekend and even more than the other ¾ defenses they struggle mightily attempting to cover tight ends. Although it is a late game, San Diego will also be traveling west to east which as I stated before is a challenge, but more so for early game participants. Boss got going against Philly last week, now hopefully he can continue. Kellen Winslow also has a great match up this weekend.

The Green Bay Packers travel south to Tampa Bay to face new starting rookie QB Josh Freeman. Freeman will be starting his first game after only minimal live game experience this season. The Packers are still learning their new ¾ defense but against the Buccaneers they should be able to put up some stats this weekend. The Packers all Pro defensive backs Charles Woodson and Al Harris should be able to bait Freeman all game long. The Atlanta Falcons defense really showed up this weekend against the Saints, so I’m expecting them to really tee off against the Washington Redskins.

Last Weeks Favorite Five
Matt Stafford – 168 yards, 1TD (rushing) and a 2pt conversion – Not bad.

LenDale White – 47 yards – I wanted more but as a last resort….

Devin Hester – 81 yards (plus return yardage depending on your league) wanted a TD but this will work.

Dustin Keller – 76 yards and 1 TD – How many people said to avoid him? Not me.

Detroit Lions – 1 INT – Sorry.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 8

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 8

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com

In every one of my leagues my starting QB is in his bye week. And in every league I am picking up Detroit QB Matt Stafford and hoping that he and WR Calvin Johnson both start. The Lions have had two weeks to prepare for there week 8 opponent the St. Louis Rams. Except for the Washington game, the Rams have been blown out every week. Now if Stafford doesn’t play Culpepper could carry the load also. Other waiver wire QBs with decent match ups this week are M. Bulgar at those same Lions, V. Young at home against the Jaguars, and R. Fitzpatrick at home in a shoot out or blow out with Houston.

Coming completely out of left field, I will promote Tennessee Titans RB LenDale White. Surprised? Look at these scenarios that home come together for White this week. The Titans are at home after two weeks preparing for an opponent, after they were embarrassed by a pitiful performance in a blow out loss. Additionally, they are winless against an opponent they usually dominate, who beat them handily earlier this season. Lastly the Titans are starting a new QB this week and they should be leaning even heavier on the running game. As another alternative both Raiders backs could show up as long as the rest of the team can keep it close.

Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears is my WR this week. For some teams he may be an every week start but for some he is not. Hester is at home against a Cleveland Browns defense that is struggling on all levels. Hester participates on all those levels at least some in every game. Whether it be with a reception, a run, a wildcat pass, or even a return I have a feeling Hester will score at least one touchdown. The other WR I want to throw out there was almost my main guy this wee but I could not bring myself to do it, Terrell Owens. Owens has been a secondary option since Fitzpatrick took over for Edwards, but I got a feeling he shows up in a big way this weekend.

Since I’m going on instinct as much as, if not more than, stats this week I’ll throw Dustin Keller’s name into the mix. Keller started hot, but has dropped off almost completely these last few games. This weekend Keller’s NY Jets will play a Miami Dolphins team that they have already faced once this season in a tight game. The Dolphins run a ¾ defensive front. As I have stated before most ¾ teams can be hurt by tight ends down the middle of the field. For my second TE option I leave you with GB’s Donald Lee, If he doesn’t have to sit back and help pass protect, he could be effective.

I will go back to the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams game to get my Defense for this week. One of these two defenses should have a nice game, and because of the extra week of prep time I’ll go with the Lions. St. Louis’s O-line has struggled, their WRs are consistently hurt, and their QB seems to end up that way. Jim Swartz would like to use this game to give a glimpse into how his defense of the future will play. The Jaguars Titans game is another game where one of the defenses will show up, I’m picking the Titans but who knows.



Last Weeks Favorite Five

Matt Cassel – 1 TD 97 yards and 3 INTs, Not what I expected

Donald Brown – Injured, but his replacement scored.

Sam Aiken – 1 TD 66 yards, I love it when a plan comes together!

Heath Miller – 38 yards, Sorry.

Indianapolis Colts – 1 TD, 3 Sacks and 2 INTS, also only give up 6 points. Not bad.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 6

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 6
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online


HONORABLE MENTION: RAIDERS’ SECRET WEAPON ON KICKOFF COVERAGE? PIGEON POWER!

If they weren’t so embarrassed as 14-point favorites losing to the lowly Raiders, the Philadelphia Eagles might consider protesting their loss in Oakland since the Raiders weren’t flagged for having 12 men… well, make that the usual 11 men… and one pigeon... on kickoff coverage in the fourth quarter. So, the Eagles not only lose one to bad team they should have beaten easily, but a fellow winged creature turns on them. You just can’t make it up. Really, you can’t. Here’s the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2msmYpNXic

#5: SCHUAB MAKES SURE BENGALS CAN’T STEAL ANOTHER ONE
All five of the Cincinnati Bengals’ games this season had gone down to the wire this season, and the Bengals had pulled four of them out of the fire, including three in the final 22 seconds, for wins. Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub made sure that wouldn’t happen again. Schaub passed the Texans from a 17-14 halftime deficit to a 28-17 lead with a pair of third quarter touchdowns, as the Houston defense then held on to win by the same score. Schaub finished a great day completing 28 of 40 passes for 392 yards, while throwing 4 touchdowns and just one interception.

#4: EDDIE GIVES DENVER TEAMMATES HIS ROYAL TREAMENT
He did it so well the first time, Eddie Royal provided an encore a quarter later. After a 93-yard kickoff return gave Denver a 7-3 first-quarter lead, Royal returned a punt 71 yards a quarter later, to put Denver up 17-10 in San Diego, making him the 11th player in NFL history and the first Bronco ever to return both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same game. The Chargers would regain the lead, 20-17, on what else, a kick return –- a 77-yard punt return by Darren Sproles with 1:03 left in the half. But, Kyle Orton’s two second-half touchdowns keyed a 34-23 comeback win to keep the surprising Broncos undefeated at 6-0.

#3: CARDS STYMIE SEAHAWKS IN SEATTLE

Last week, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck made the number 5 spot on this list for his great performance at home against Jacksonville. A week later, he’s on the list for helping the Arizona Cardinals defense make themselves feel at home in Seattle. After averaging 29.3 points per game at home (in three previous home games), Seattle was held to just three points in an easy 27-3 Arizona rout. The Cardinals held the Seahawks to just 7 first downs all game, while allowing only 128 total yards, including just 14 rushing yards on 11 carries, and 114 passing yards, and forcing two turnovers (a fumble and an interception). A week after directing a 41-0 win over the Jaguars, Hasselbeck was limited to just 10 of 29 for 112 yards.


#2: FEELIN’ BREESY IN THE BIG EASY

True, the New York Giants’ secondary was depleted by injuries, but New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees was very impressive, going 23 of 30 for 369 yards, 4 touchdowns and no turnovers in a 48-27 thrashing of the G-Men in the Big Easy. Brees did pretty much whatever he wanted to do against the Giants’ ineffective two-deep zone, leading New Orleans to 34 points and 315 yards by halftime against a New York unit that came to The Superdome ranked easily as the NFL’s top defense. After directing a game-opening 15-play touchdown drive, Brees completed all six of his passes on a 6-play, 80 yard touchdown drive on the Saints’ next possession, en route to a near-perfect 17 of 20 for 247 yards and 3 TD’s by halftime. Brees made it look effortless, like a kid quarterback playing touch football in the street, all day long.


#1: BRADY’S SNOWY, RECORD-SETTING SECOND QUARTER

Whether or not the Tennessee Titans, as it seems, have simply quit on the season, and whether the weather –- as in early season snow in October in Foxborough -- had a lot to do with it, New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady was about as good as any passer could be on Sunday. Check out THIS stat line: 29-34, 380, 6 TD, 0 INT, 152.8 passer rating. Now consider that Brady didn’t even play the final 25 minutes of the game. As close to flawless as his overall performance was, that’s not the reason alone that the Patriots’ superstar earned the top spot for the Week 6 Favorite Five. No, it was because of a different five –- as in establishing a new NFL record for touchdown passes in a single quarter. Yes, five times in the second quarter, in the snow, no less, Brady threw a pass that a Patriot receiver took to the end zone for a score: first, a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randy Moss; back to Moss 57 seconds later on a 28-yard score; 2:39 after that, a 38-yard TD pass to running back Kevin Faulk; 4:27 later, a 30-yard strike to wide receiver Wes Welker; and finally, 1:41 later, a 5-yard touchdown toss, again, to Welker. A 35-0 quarter and a 45-0 Patriots halftime lead… wait, that’s worth repeating, since it now marks the biggest halftime lead in NFL history! … FORTY-FIVE TO NOTHING… AT HALFTIME! The game ended as a FIFTY-NINE TO NOTHING Patriots’ beatdown of the Titans. Amazing. This isn’t a college football mismatch on the schedule! THAT’S where you see 45-0 at the half and a 59-0 final (which tied the largest margin of victory since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970; the Los Angeles Rams beat the Atlanta Falcons by the same score in 1976 … You just NEVER see a blowout to this degree in the NFL. In fact, you have to go back to 1920, when a team like the Rochester Jeffersons beat a squad called Fort Porter 66-0 to have seen a whopping worse than this. Just incredible. Even more so since the Titans were 13-3 last year. From that, to 0-6 and a 59-0 loss. Wow. Here are some other impressive facts and figures on the Pats’ utter dominance… Brady’s 6 TD’s tied his own Patriots’ record… New England possessed the ball for 18 more minutes, an even 39 minutes to Tennessee’s 21… After a missed field goal on their first possession of the game, the Patriots scored on their next nine. They scored a touchdown followed by a field goal in the first quarter, and then scored touchdowns on all seven times they had the ball in the middle two quarters. In the fourth quarter, New England lost the ball on downs at the Tennessee 6 and on its last drive, at the Titans’ 41 after going a 4-yard rush and three kneel-downs by backup quarterback Brian Hoyer. So yes, it was 59-0, and it still could have been much worse… Now, here’s the real amazing thing about Brady’s performance (as if a 5-touchdown quarter wasn’t enough). Even in a game that was so lopsided, the Titans actually matched the Patriots in one of the most key statistical categories: each team rushed the ball for 193 yards (Tennessee on 36 rushes, New England on 30 carries); and the Titans had 6 rushing first downs to the Patriots’ 9. The difference though, which helped to account for a Patriots’ club record 619 total yards, was the in the passing game, led by Brady: New England had 21 passing first down to just one for Tennessee, while the Patriots outgained the Titans 426 to -7 (no, that’s not a typo with an extra character, that’s a MINUS 7 passing yards for Tennessee). Just one more number from this game that’s hard to believe.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 7

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 7

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com



Kansas City Chief’s QB Matt Cassel could put up enough numbers to cover for your regular starter during a bye week. Cassel is at home against a San Diego team that can not get pressure and is consistently in shoot out games. Just like last season Cassel started out cold but has gotten better on a weekly basis. Star WR Dwayne Bowe could be slowed down by Antonio Cromartie, but fellow receivers Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade have shown an ability to make clutch plays. The San Diego Chargers do not fare well against TEs so Sean Ryan should be useable last resort. If Cassel is not an option, Bills backup QB turned starter Ryan Fitzpatrick could show up, but try your best to find an alternative.

Unfortunately I could not find a real sleeper at RB this week. I guess I’ll have to consider the Indianapolis Colts Donald Brown as my play for this weekend. If you have Brown then there is a possibility that you are playing him weekly. If he’s not a weekly start for you and your feeling anxious about starting him this week, relax. Running backs are like H1N1 to St. Louis Rams; defenders either fall at their feet or just stay away in general. Michael Bush could perform this weekend, but it’s the freakin’ Raiders, so who knows.

Do you want a deep sleeper at WR this week? Hit or Miss I will put New England Patriots WR Sam Aiken out there with my stamp of approval. I wanted Julian Edleman, but guess who has a broken arm. Aiken signed a two year extension this week so now with Edleman out, we should get to see why. Whether it’s in garbage time or early in the game Aiken should get his share of the yardage that Tampa Bay is continually giving up. Tampa is transitioning from the Tampa 2 over to a more man defense and still has not gotten it down. Arizona’s Steve Breaston could also put up some stats especially if Anquan Boldin is out.

If you are losing your starting TE this week because of bye weeks, then you need a new starting TE, Period! If he’s on the waiver wire, Steelers’s Heath Miller should become your starting TE. The Steelers are against a Minnesota team that is fairly stout against the run but gives up a lot to TEs, and Big Ben will know where to find him. By The Way the match up of Big Ben versus Jared Allen should be fun to watch. When Allen gets to Ben, can he drag him down before Ben gets the throw off? Other TEs possibly on the waiver wire that could become your starter are Zack Miller (Raiders, agh.) and Sean Ryan of KC (last resort).

The Indianapolis Colts defense could be one of the top defenses this weekend when they travel to St. Louis. The Rams offensive line is still a liability and the colts speed rushers should make them look silly. St. Louis QB learned from Kurt Warner to sit back and wait until a receiver comes open. If he has not changed his ways we could see Kyle Boller again sooner rather than later. As long as the middle of the defensive line and safeties can contain RB Steven Jackson, this could be a shut out for Indy. San Diego is also a long shot play this weekend despite what I said about Cassel above, really it’s 50/50.


Last Weeks Favorite Five


Matt Hasselbeck – Looks like Arizona found their pass D, Sorry

LeSean McCoy – Does Andy Reid even look at what other teams have done to his opponents? Sorry

Mike Sims-Walker – 9 for 120, I’ll take it!

Jermichael Finley – 5 for 54, again I’ll take it!

New England Patriots – 2 INTs 3 Fumbles Recovered and a Shutout, I’ll take that too!!!

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 6

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 6
By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com



While it may seem like an over reaction to his sensational game last weekend, Seattle Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck should be up for another good game. Hasselbeck plays at home against an Arizona Cardinals defense that has stopped the run well but given up high yardage numbers to QBs. This fits perfectly into a Seattle offense that can not find a running game but has really good receivers. Other than the first game, Arizona has given up nearly 300 yards to each opposing passer either in garbage time or just throughout the course of a competitive game. So as long as Hasselbeck’s ribs hold up he should be a nice fill in play this weekend. This could also be one of your few opportunities to start Carolina QB Jake Delhomme.

Let’s pick on Oakland, everybody else seems to. The Philadelphia Eagles face the Oakland Raiders this weekend and since it should be a blowout back up running back LeSean McCoy could be a nice play this weekend. The Oakland Raiders held up fairly well against bruising Giants RB Brandon Jacobs. Then the speedy back up Ahmad Bradshaw racked up 110 rush yards and two touchdowns. Both McCoy and starter Brian Westbrook are in a more similar vein to Bradshaw, so at least split that production between these two. Oakland has a lot of problems on their hands and facing the Eagles may be the least of them. If you need a last resort, one of the Tampa Bay running backs could also play well this weekend against Carolina.

Remember the week everyone expected from Mike Sims-Walker last week? I say we just carry that over. Oakland isn’t the only team we enjoy picking on, how bout those St. Louis Rams! I really have no stats to back this up, only gut feelings. St. Louis has been beaten by TEs and RBs, but still I feel that Sims-Walker will attempt to redeem himself after last weeks embarrassing deactivation. If you want to go more with the stats Rams receiver Donnie Avery and the Original Steve Smith (Carolina) are both poised for break out performances.

The Green Bay Packer’s TE Jermichael Finley has a great match up this weekend. Fresh of their bye week, the Packers get to face the lowly Detroit Lions. The Lions have given up a touchdown to a TE every week except for their win against the Redskins, and multiple TE TDs twice. Even the Lions have to notice this trend, but I’m sure they’d rather be beaten by the TE than on a deep Bomb by the WRs. While Packers left tackle Chad Clifton should be back this weekend, starting TE Donald Lee should be kept in a lot to pass protect. This will leave Finley to go out in pass routes. As I said above the Rams are consistently beaten by TEs so look at Mercedes Lewis of the Jaguars.

The New England Patriots started out as a top 5 fantasy defense, but have fallen off recently. This weekend against a reeling Tennessee Titans team they should be able to regain their start worthy status. Everyone blames the Titans problems on their defense but Sunday night against the Colts that defense held early. Unfortunately the Titans offense could not take advantages of the turnovers and field position the defense produced, only managing three field goals. That offense also could not manage to sustain a drive but did manage to turn the ball over, leaving the defense on the field way too often. Vince Young could see significant action in this game, hopefully the Patriots don’t make him cry, (or quit). Since I’ve recommended most of their other positions, why not start the Jaguar’s defense against the Rams also.



Last Weeks Favorite Five

David Garrard – 188 yards and 2 lost fumbles, sorry (but the MSW deactivation, so not my fault? Kidding).

Ahmad Bradshaw – 110 yards and 2 TDs, 1 reception 55 yards, you’re welcome.

Dwayne Bowe – 74 yards and a TD, that will have to work.

Brandon Pettigrew – 3 for 27 yards, sorry.

Dallas Cowboys – 4 sacks, still no turnovers sorry.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 5

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 5
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kyle Orton’s 35-48, 330-yard, 2 TD, 1 INT game, which included Orton’s second 11-yard TD pass to Brandon Marshall of the day, to force overtime, in the Broncos 20-17 big extra session win over New England… Donovan McNabb’s 16 of 21, 264-yard, 3 TD, 0 INT day, posting a 157.2 passer rating, returning from injury in the Eagles’ 33-14 win over Tampa Bay… only to be outdone by Eli Manning’s perfect 158.3 passer rating, as Manning showed his sore heel was healthy, going 8 of 10 for 173 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, while leading two other scoring drives, to put the Giants up 28-0 before being pulled for precautionary reasons before halftime in the Giants’ 44-7 rout over the Raiders.


#5: HASSELBECK BACK IN FORCE

It didn’t matter that Seattle quarterback Matt Hasslebeck was returning from broken ribs, nor that he was missing seven of his starting teammates, including three-fifths of the offensive line that usually protects him, or even that the Jacksonville Jaguars came into town with two-game win streak off a 20-point win. Hasselbeck still dismantled the Jags, throwing four touchdown passes, including 34-yard and 44-yard scores on successive possessions in the second quarter. He finished 18 of 30 for 241 yards, no turnovers, and a 125.1 passer rating, in the Seahawks’ 41-0 rout of Jacksonville.


#4: ANOTHER 300-YARD GAME, ANOTHER COLTS WIN
Peyton Manning has been so consistent this season, the milestones he’s been reaching have come rather quietly, since it’s well… Peyton Manning, and when it’s done by number 18, such achievements are expected as much as Colts’ regular season wins. Indianapolis rolled to its 14th consecutive regular season victory, a 31-9 win at 0-5 Tennessee, behind Manning’s 36-44, 309-yard, 3 TD, 1 INT performance. Ironically, the Colts haven’t lost a regular season games sine a loss to Tennessee last October. Just how good is Manning? Well, imagine you’re an NFL coach with a 14-9 lead on the road, the ball at your on 7, and just :57 left in the half. Most of you would likely opt to run out the clock or play it safe. Not when you have Manning leading your offense. Going a perfect 5-for-5, Manning took the Colts 93 yards in a ridiculous 40 seconds, for a 21-9 Indianapolis halftime lead. Manning has passed for over 300 yards in all five games this season. His first-quarter touchdown, the 343rd of his career, moved him ahead of Fran Tarkenton into sole possession of third place all-time behind only Brett Favre and Dan Marino. Manning also became the third quarterback in NFL history to have 70 games with a passer rating of 100 or better.
#3: FALCONS FLY HIGH IN FRISCO
When you beat a first-place team on the road by five touchdowns, your whole team deserves some recognition. It was supposed to have been a big NFC showdown between Atlanta, a 2009 contender looking to return to the playoffs after earning a wild-card berth last season, and San Francisco, who was only a Favre TD pass with :02 left in a Week 3 loss from being a perfect 4-0. Instead, the Falcons took apart the 49ers early and often, jumping to a 14-0 lead just 8:28 into the game. After allowing San Francisco to pull within 14-10 in the second quarter, Atlanta scored the final 31 points of the game putting it away, 35-14, by halftime en route to a 45-10 rout. Defensively, Atlanta forced three turnovers, had three sacks. Offensively, Matt Ryan threw for 329 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, going 22-32. Ryan’s favorite target, Roddy White, caught 8 passes for 210 yards, including touchdown receptions of 31 and 90 yards, while Michael Turner rushed for 97 yards and 3 TD’s on 22 carries. Very impressive way to follow the loss at New England and a bye.


#2: MILES FROM DALLAS, AUSTIN GOES FOR 250 YARDS

As big favorites, the Cowboys were struggling against the winless Chiefs. So, who bailed them out from being embarrassed in an unexpected overtime game in Kansas City? Undrafted wide receiver Austin Miles, from Monmouth College, making his first career NFL start in place of injured starter Roy Williams, with a huge game. With 10 catches for 250 yards, Austin broke Hall of Famer Bob Hayes’ Cowboys’ franchise record of 246 receiving yards, set nearly 39 years ago. That alone was enough to earn Austin the top spot among FRO’s Favorite Five for Week Five. However, Austin also had the two biggest Cowboy scores of the game: a 59-yard touchdown catch giving Dallas a 20-13 lead with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter, and then winning the game, 26-20, with a 60-yard touchdown catch and run 6:38 into overtime. “It’s a feeling that’s unbelievable,” Austin said. “It’s amazing. I never seen that coming today. I was ready today, but you never expect a huge game like that.” … Side note: Although it was due to both teams wearing their throwbacks, it was great to see the Cowboys in blue jerseys and the Chiefs in red ones, instead of the typical, boring thing we always see with one team wearing white. Let’s see more of that (as long the jersey colors would allow for easily telling the teams apart, of course).


#1: AFC EAST THRILLER ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

There had already been several entertaining national television games on either Sunday or Monday night this season, but the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played the best of the bunch -- in fact, the game of the season -- thus far. In an absolutely fantastic NFL game, the Jets rallied from a 7-0 deficit to go ahead 13-10 entering a wild fourth quarter which saw five lead changes on five touchdowns -- only the second time in NFL history in which five go-ahead touchdowns were scored in the fouth quarter. But, it wasn’t just that such history took place, but how, in thrilling fashion, with lots of subplots, twists, and great plays. There was the physicality of two longtime division rivals, and the continued maturation of both Mark Sanchez (making some big throws in just his fifth NFL start) and Chad Henne (going 20-26, for 241 yards, 2 TD, and 0 INT in only his second NFL start). There was the chess match of Rex Ryan’s defensive schemes being surprisingly outmatched by Miami’s effective wildcat offense which helped to roll up 151 rushing yards on long, time-consuming drives. There was Braylon Edwards, playing as only the third NFL player since 1970 to start with one team in one week and start with a new team the next, having a good first game, with 5 catches for 64 yards, including his first TD as a Jet on nice catch in the back of the end zone, to tie the score at 7-7 in the first quarter. Later, Edwards made a sensational mid-air, spinning reception, barely getting both feet down inbounds at the Miami 1, setting the Jets up to go ahead 20-17 early in the fourth quarter. Sanchez said of his new receiver, “Braylon was just lights out. I’ve never seen anyone catch the ball like that.” But then, there was the answer to that play on the next drive, on which former Buckeye Ted Ginn caught an over-the-shoulder 53-yard TD pass from the former Wolverine Henne, with three Jets on Ginn’s back, for a 24-20 Dolphin lead. And then, with Miami trailing 27-24, there was one final, methodical, wildcat drive of 70 yards in 13 plays which included two great throws by Henne on consecutive third downs inside the Jets’ 30 within the final two minutes to set up Ronnie Brown’s wildcat, game-winning 2-yard touchdown run with just :06 left, giving the Dolphins a frantic and exhilarating 31-27 victory.

FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 5

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 5
By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Jacksonville Jaguar’s Quarterback David Garrard looked great Sunday against the Tennessee Titans this past weekend. Hopefully that momentum will carry across country to Seattle where he will face a depleted Seahawk’s secondary. Seattle has been terrible at stopping the run so they should concentrate on holding Maurice Jones-Drew in check. If they do focus on MJD that should open up downfield for the other hyphenated rising star WR Mike Sims-Walker, and it seems that once Jacksonville abandons the run, they tend to forget to go back to it. In case you forget, whichever Philly QB starts this weekend against Tampa Bay should be in your line up.

The New York Giants RBs have a dream scenario this weekend. First they are playing the lowly Oakland Raiders who can’t stop a running back. Second, their star QB Eli Manning is hurt for a game that they should be able to win without him. Needless to say start Brandon Jacobs this weekend. Since I don’t give the easy choices here, let’s go deeper, as in Ahmad Bradshaw and deeper still, Gartrell Johnson. Only one of these two backs will be playable so watch the injury report, If Bradshaw plays, then he is your man. If he doesn’t, and you need a flex player or are in dire need of a RB, pick up Johnson as a long shot that could pan out. Also, If you have Mendenhall, get him in against Detroit, and Julius Jones is home against the Jags, get him in.

Up to this point Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs hasn’t had the all-star season that he was projected to have. Neither was Denver’s Brandon Marshall until he ran into Bowe’s next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas’s defense has been shamed by the likes of Byron Leftwich and Kyle Orton. In fact every QB facing the Cowboys is putting up over 200 yards and at least one td. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel should be able to keep up the trend. Although Cassel has favored new addition Bobby Wade in the Red Zone, Bowe matches up perfectly with Dallas’s smaller CB, not to mention they have a starting safety out in this game. As a side note, keep an eye on Cleveland’s Mohamed Massaquoi, with Braylon Edwards out of town Massaquoi should continue as Derek Anderson’s favorite target.

TE was difficult this week, but I want to test a new theory. Most ¾ defenses struggle to cover TEs. I looked at the New England Denver Match up, but neither team has a true starting TE. Then I looked at Dustin Keller in Miami, I liked the talent but Miami does seem to cover TEs. Tony Gonzalez against the 49ers? Who isn’t starting him? Unfortunately I settled on Brandon Pettigrew of the Detroit Lions who should be playing catch up with the Pittsburg Steelers. The Steelers have given up yards and scores to tight ends this season and the Lions should be passing plenty. If Matt Stafford toughs it out and play I love this match up, but Culpepper is a wildcard. Back up QBs, like Culpepper, tend to favor the number three WR, which could be Dennis Northcutt or even Derrick Williams. I’ll take my chances. By the way, Owners should play Keller if they can.

Defense might have been harder than TE this week. All the Poor teams (St. Louis, Oakland, and Tampa Bay) are playing Defenses that you would start anyway (Minnesota, NY Giants, and Philly). That left me choosing between Dallas at KC, Buffalo versus Cleveland, and Washington at Carolina. Washington and Buffalo have both let me down in the past, so let’s give the Dallas Cowboys a shot. The secondary scares me, but hopefully, KC’s offensive line allows the Cowboys outside rushers to finally pressure a QB into some mistakes. Washington could also show up If Delhomme hasn’t improved.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Carson Palmer – 2 Tds, That’ll work

Darren McFadden – Injured after a terrible start, sorry.

Devin Hester – Injured early in the game, sorry.

Zach Miller – Injured, are you serious, did I jinx these three or something? I guess Palmer lucked out.

Buffalo Bills – 6 Sacks is pretty good, too bad they couldn’t recover one of those fumbles.


Fantasy Tips:
Do not play Seattle Running Back Julius Jones when his team is on the road!
Backup QBs favor the third receiver, who was probably the starting receiver on the second team.
3-4 defenses struggle against TEs, so do Houston and Minnesota.


By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 3 by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 3
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

#5: THOMAS MAKES THE MOST OF HIS TIME

That New Orleans Saints’ running back Pierre Thomas had a career high 126 yards? Good. That he ran for that much on just 14 carries for a 9.0 yards per carry average? Even better. That he put up those numbers without touching the ball on offense for the game’s first 32 minutes? Outstanding. All of Thomas’ carries came over the final 28 minutes in the Saints’ 27-7 victory in Buffalo, including a 34-yard touchdown run that gave the Saints some separation with 9:45 left in the game, and a 19-yard score to ice the victory with 2:03 remaining.

#4: PEYTON PASSES COLTS TO VICTORY

It was supposed to a wild west shootout between Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner, but it was Manning who fired all of the early shots for the Indianapolis Colts in the desert, and neither Warner nor the Arizona Cardinals could keep up in a 31-10 Colts’ rout. Manning threw three touchdown passes on three straight possessions in a span of 7:12 in the second quarter to give the Colts a 21-3 halftime lead. Manning finished 24 of 35 for 379 yards, four touchdowns (to four different receivers), and just one interception.

#3: GIANT DOMINANCE IN TAMPA

The score was 24-0, but it might as well have been 84-0. The Giants’ performance, particularly defensively, of the Buccaneers on Tampa Bay’s own home field, was that dominant. On the game’s opening drive, the Giants had as many first downs (5) and almost as many yards (80) as Tampa Bay had all game. The Giants, who had 27 first downs for the game, outgained the Bucs 397-86, including 226-28 on the ground, possessing the ball for 43:38 to the Bucs’ 16:22. New York also converted 10 of 16 third downs while the Bucs were 0-for-9 on such opportunities. The Giants also held Tampa Bay QB’s Brian Leftwich and Josh Johnson to a combined 11 of 26 for just 58 yards passing.

#2: THE LIONS FINALLY ROAR

Tampa Bay losing that badly? Perfect segue… Lions’ owner William Clay Ford said, “We not only got the monkey off our back, we got King Kong off our back.” That’s how it feels when you finally win after losing 19 straight and avoid joining the 1970’s Bucs in losing at least 20 in a row. Beating the Redskins so far this year is nothing special, but beating ANYONE when you’re coming off the NFL’s only 0-16 season in history and you follow that up with an 0-2 start the following year, is worth the number two spot on this week’s list. The Lions used a 13-0 halftime lead and then held on to finally break the string.

#1: MINNESOTA MIRACLE

As he’s done so many times in his career, the Favre-elous one pulled another game out of the fire in the final moments. Only, it wasn’t just Brett Favre scrambling and tossing a great ball into the back of the end zone on a 32-yard pass just as he was hit. It took a fantastic catch and incredible concentration and awareness by Minnesota wide receiver Greg Lewis to leap and very difficultly, get both feet just barely inside the back of the end zone with just two seconds left in Minnesota’s 27-24 miracle victory that the Vikings stole from the San Francisco 49ers. A sensational play by Lewis, and a great way for Favre, in his first game that counted in his new home, to endear himself to the fans who used to root against Favre and his Packers each year.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 4

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 4
By Frankie Underwood
Sr. Fantasy Football Writer-Football Reporters Online



Carson Palmer stays in state to face the lowly Cleveland Browns. This should be great for Palmers stats. Last weekend Cleveland gave up nearly 350 yards to second year Ravens QB Joe Flacco, and 260 to Denver’s Kyle Orton, the week before. Palmer’s had low yardage totals so far this season and is coming off a huge win against division rival and the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburg Steelers. After that big win this game against the winless Browns could turn into a trap game, but I believe Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals can put the past behind them and take care of business in Cleveland. I actually thought about recommending Trent Edwards again this week since he has a very nice match up against the Miami Dolphins, but thought I’d just mention it in pacing in case he lets me down again.

I selected Oakland’s Darren McFadden for my week two Favorite Five, and here he is again. Houston has been torched by running back this season. In week one Thomas Jones dropped 107 on them. Then in week two Chris Johnson broke two long runs for touchdowns and totaled 197 rushing yards not to mention a 90 yard plus touchdown reception. Finally this past weekend Maurice Jones-Drew scored three touchdowns and 119 rushing yards. As long as Oakland can stay in the game, McFadden should be a large part of the Oakland offense. Houston’s Steve Slaton in also a nice play since Oakland can not cover the run.

Who is the number one reliever in Chicago? If I run the team I’d start Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox and use Devin Hester as the third therefore freeing him up to be the full time punt and kick returner, maybe run him out of the victory formation as a desperation play (you can email me for further explanation of that idea). Well since I do not run the team and Hester is the so-called number one receiver, I look for him to have a nice game against the Detroit Lions. Santana Moss, a similar yet extensively more experienced receiver, put up 178 yards in a loss to the Lions on Sunday. Also Percy Harvin, again with a similar skill set, scored against them in week two. Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler should attempt to force feed Hester the ball, and depending on how banged up RB Matt Forte is Hester may see some rushing attempts to go with his returns and receptions. Third receiver Johnny Knox should also be considered this weekend.

If you are still holding on to an Oakland Raider besides McFadden, hopefully it is tight end Zach Miller. This may be the weekend that Miller lives up to his off season billing as a top twelve TE. As have I stated before Houston can not cover tight ends, add this to the fact that Oakland QB JaMarcus Russell can not seem to find his wide receivers, and it should equal a big day for Miller. Whether coming from behind or dumping off because of pressure, Miller and McFadden should both be heavily depended on this weekend. By The Way, keep an eye on the Green Bay Packers Jermichael Finley Monday night in Minnesota.

Although their team has been decimated by injuries, The Buffalo Bills defense could emerge as a nice desperation play. The Bills will face a Miami Dolphins team that just lost QB Chad Pennington, and will be starting a new era behind Chad Henne. Buffalo should pester an inexperienced Henne with multiple blitzes, which will lead to sacks and interceptions. The San Francisco 49ers is also a defense worth starting this weekend.



Last Weeks Favorite Five

Trent Edwards - Don’t get much more of a bust than that.

Tashard Choice – Touchdown and decent yardage, That’s average but he gives you a couple more games worth or use

Josh Cribbs – Again, BUST!!! Sorry

Vernon Davis – I’d say I nailed that one, 96 yards and 2 TDs!!!

Green Bay Packers – 3 turnovers and one Sack, I guess that’s an OK day.

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Performances Week 2 by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Performances
Week 2
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

#5: MAGIC TRICK NUMBER ONE

The NFL can be a funny league. In their season opener, the Oakland Raiders likely should have won but let a game get away against San Diego. A week later, the Raiders probably should have been blown out in Kansas City, yet found a way to win late, despite being thoroughly dominated by the Chiefs. Consider some statistics… First Downs: 25-11, Chiefs; Rushing Yards: 173-67, Chiefs; Passing Yards: 236-99, Chiefs; Total Yards: 409-166, Chiefs; Time Of Possession: 38:39 to 21:21, Chiefs. Now, consider: Raiders’ quarterback Jamarcus Russell finished 7 of 24 for just 109 yards, only 4.5 yards per attempt, with a 46.0 passer rating. For more than 58 minutes, the Raiders scored just 6 points on a couple of field goals, and Russell was 3 for 17, for 42 yards on the afternoon. At this point, any reasonable football follower would be saying, “Come on, now, the Chiefs won easily, right?” Nope. In some sort of football wizardry, the Raiders managed to be within 10-6 when they got the ball at their own 31 yard-line with 2:30 to play. Despite three Raider penalties from that point, Russell went 4 for 7, for 67 yards, engineering a 9-play, 69-yard drive capped by a Darren McFadden 5-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left in the game, to give Oakland a most improbable 13-10 victory.

#4: A RELENTLESS ANTWAN ODOM

Entering the season, Cincinnati defensive end Antwan Odom recorded 15.5 career sacks in four years with the Tennessee Titans and one season with the Bengals. In 60 minutes against Green Bay, Odom had nearly one-third as many sacks, dominating the Green Bay Packers’ porous pass protection for a team record-tying five sacks in the Bengals’ 31-24 victory at Green Bay. Odom took advantage of Packers’ starting left tackle Chad Clifton’s injury. Odom had four of his five sacks after Clifton left the game. How good was Odom’s day? Well, consider that Odom, who leads the NFL with 7.0 total sacks, had more sacks on Sunday than any other player in the league has over the first two weeks combined.

#3a: CHRIS JOHNSON’S RUNNING AND RECEIVING and…

Since two different running backs had outstanding games on Sunday, it was hard to pick just one without giving both their due. And, since this is technically FRO’s Favorite FIVE, let’s just divide the third best performance into a 3a and a 3b, starting first with Tennessee Titans’ running back Chris Johnson. Although it came in a Titans’ 34-31 loss to Houston, Johnson had a fantastic day as a dual threat, not only rushing for 197 yards on just 16 carries, for a 12.3 yards per carry average, but also catching 9 passes for 87 yards, finishing the day with 284 total yards. Okay, cue the special infomercial music… But wait, there’s more! Johnson also scored on three long touchdowns: Johnson’s 57-yard touchdown run gave the Titans a 7-0 first quarter lead; his 69-yard touchdown reception, also in the opening quarter, put Tennessee up 14-7; and his 91-yard touchdown burst up the middle of the field, gave Tennessee a 31-24 with 9:53 left in the third quarter. All worthy of perhaps the top spot on this list, except for the fact that there wasn’t much more after that. Those were Tennessee’s last points of the day as the Texans pretty much shut Johnson and the Titans’ offense down over almost the final 25 minutes of the game. Still, Johnson did more than enough over the first 35 minutes to be one of FRO’s top performances of the day.

#3b: FRANK GORE JUST RUNNING WILD

Now for the other great rushing act on Sunday… When a running back runs for 159 yards in the NFL, he had a good day. When he does that on just two carries, taking one for a 79-yard first-quarter touchdown run to give his team a 10-0 lead, and another on the first play of the third quarter for an 80-yard touchdown to put his team up 20-10, and then he adds another 48 yards throughout the game, to finish with 207 yards on just 16 rushes, that’s an amazing day. That was 49ers’ running back Frank Gore’s day in first place San Francisco’s 23-10 victory over Seattle. Fueled mostly both those two big touchdown runs, Gore finished the game with an extremely efficient 12.9 yards per carry.

#2: MAGIC TRICK NUMBER TWO

Whereas the Raiders’ magic trick was almost in spite of themselves, the Indianapolis Colts pulled off an opposite, yet even more amazing feat, making the most of the very limited time they had the ball. What odds would you give a team trying to win on the road on Monday Night Football if you knew that team would be given the ball for the equivalent of just one quarter to the home team’s three quarters with the ball? Well, maybe those odds would be better if you knew the road team was led on offense by Peyton Manning. The Miami Dolphins used their wildcat (actually, more of a slow, methodical pacing kitten) offense to run 84 plays to the Indianapolis Colts’ 35, while rushing for 239 yards and controlling the clock for 45:07 to the Colts’ mere 14:53. Holding the ball for two quarters less, while running 49 fewer plays? No problem for Manning and the Colts, who scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, to beat Miami 27-23, in an historic game in a few different ways. For Manning, it was the 37th time in his career that he led a comeback win in the fourth quarter or overtime. It was also his 119th career victory, moving him past the great Johnny Unitas and setting the franchise record for most wins by a Colts’ quarterback. But, perhaps most significant, and what makes the Colts’ win FRO’s second best moment in Week 2, was that the Colts possessed the ball for the least amount of time for a winning team since the NFL began keeping time of possession statistics in 1977. A football magic trick indeed.

#1: KURT WARNER’S NEAR-PERFECT DAY

We’ve seen many times how good Kurt Warner can be, but never as close to perfect as was in Jacksonville, in the Cardinals’ easy 31-17 victory on Sunday. Helping Arizona to a 31-3 third-quarter lead, Warner connected on his first 15 passes, en route to setting an NFL record for accuracy in a single game, completing 92.3 percent (24 of 26) of his throws for 243 yards, while throwing for two touchdowns and avoiding any interceptions or sacks. Warner didn’t complete a pass for more than 22 yards, but he spread the ball around to nine different receivers, six of those, for at least 13 yards apiece. Yet another way the former arena league star has etched his name into the NFL history books.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Performers From Week 1 by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Performers From Week 1
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online

It was tough to pick the top five for Week 1 as the opening week in the 2009 NFL regular season was a very eventful one with lots of good action. So, before we get to top five, here are a few well-deserved honorable mentions (okay, some of those are not "performers" as the above heading suggests but they were some fun Week 1 moments, and worth noting (in reverse order, saving the best for last):

Seattle Seahawks' Defense:
Okay, so they were at home, where the Seahawks are always more Jekyll than the Hyde they turn into on the road seemingly every year. And, the Rams figure to be one of the NFL's worst teams this season. Still, Seattle won 28-0, and any shutout in the NFL is worth some attention, especially when a team records 3 sacks and holds its opponent to just 247 yards of total offense, as the Seahawks did against the Rams.

Atlanta Falcons' Defense:
The Falcons were impressive, forcing and recovering 3 fumbles, while intercepting QB Chad Pennington once, and holding the Dolphins scoreless until 3:22 remained in an easy 19-7 win.
Denver Broncos' Upset Helped By A Solid Defense And An Alert Brandon Stokley:
Although the Bengals were able to amass respectable totals of 86 yards rushing and 221 yards passing, the Broncos defense bent but didn't break for most of Denver's game in Cincinnati. The general consensus says Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco will have a big year, but the Broncos were able to keep them off of the scoreboard until a Cedric Benson 1-yard plunge gave the Bengals a 7-6 lead with just 38 seconds left In the game. Two plays later though, Denver pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Week 1 when WR Brandon Stokley caught a deflected ball intended for Brandon Marshall, and raced up the left sideline for an 87-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game, his only catch of the game, and an incredible finish to a Broncos' 12-7 upset win in Cincinnati.

Philadelphia Eagles' Defense:
In a 38-10 rout (after trailing 7-0), the Eagles made Jake Delhomme look like he was playing last year's NFC Divisional playoff game against Arizona, over again. The Eagles had 5 sacks, forced 6 turnovers (2 fumbles and 4 INT's of Delhomme, who was limited to just 7 completions in 17 attempts, for 73 yards,
Throwback Uniforms:
Although the "Silver & White" doesn't look right in front of Raider Nation in Oakland, the throwback versions of the white jerseys with the old Raider helmets against the classic Charger powder blues look awesome, as did the old Bills uniforms (consider this a public plea to make those permanent in place of those ugly semi-pro-looking modern Bills uniforms), and most of all (although, I do like the new Pats uniforms), the old school white helmets with the Patriot snapping the football, and the Steve Groaganesque red jerseys and white pants were a great site!

Adrian Peterson:
The Vikings had an easy time with the hapless Browns, winning 34-20, paced by the NFL's best rusher, who finished the day with 180 yards on 25 carries, and 3 touchdowns, including a spectacular 64-yard scamper up the left sideline, on which he broke five tackles. If not for all of the great performances listed below, which barely edged Peterson out, his big game against the Browns would have made our top five this week. We're sure he'll have plenty more chances to make the top five as the season wears on.

Nationally Televised Night Games:
After what we saw in Week 1, maybe the rest of the NFL schedule should be moved to a nationally televised night slot. There wasn't a single non-thrilling game among the four night games, so much so, that two of the four night games played featured players who made this week's Top 5 list… Thursday night, the Steelers rallied to tie the Titans and win in overtime; Sunday night, the Packers rally to win on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings with just 1:24 left; as if those two weren't exciting enough, Monday Night Football had an outstanding doubleheader with the Patriots simply stealing what should have been a big Buffalo upset in the final minutes, and a seesaw battle that had three lead changes in the final 7:22, with the Chargers scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 18 seconds left.

#5 Tom Brady

It was supposed to be a triumphant return for Brady after missing just about all of the 2008 season with a bad knee injury. For over 55 minutes, it didn't look that way. The Buffalo Bills, which hadn't beat New England in 11 straight meetings, not since ironically, the 2003 regular season opener, came in as 11-point underdogs. However, instead of trailing by 11 points, the Bills led by that same amount, 24-13, after a Trent Edwards 22-yard touchdown pass with just 5:38 left in the game. That's when lightning struck twice, just 76 seconds apart. Brady completed 9 of 11 passes, leading the Patriots 81 yards in 3:26, hitting TE Ben Watson with a perfect strike on an 18-yard touchdown pass, to pull New England to within 24-19, with 2:06 remaining. After Brady and the Pats missed a two-point conversion, they needed help, and they got it, just 10 seconds later, when Pats' kicker Steven Gotkowski recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. two-point conversion, they needed help, and they got it, just 10 seconds later, when Pats' kicker Steven Gotkowski recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. You can't give a veteran quarterback the caliber of Brady a break like that. After two short completions, like Sherlock Holmes, the heady Brady went right back to Watson, who made a very grab after being turned around by a Brady pass, for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots grab after being turned around by a Brady pass, for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots were up 25-24 with 50 seconds left. That completed Brady's night with 39 completions (the second most, by just one, in the 40-year history of Monday Night Football) in 53 attempts, with 2 TD's, and a pick (returned for a TD), and it effectively finished the game for the Buffalo, whose losing streak against New England reached 12 consecutive games.


#4 Ben Roethlisberger

As he did in Super Bowl XLII, Big Ben came up big in the clutch and simply refused to lose down the stretch. Roethlisberger was an impressive 33 of 43 for 363 yards, but what gets him the number 4 spot on this list was his 16 of 18 in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Trailing 10-7, Roethlisberger engineered a 56-yard drive to the Tennessee 14-yard line, to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:57 left in regulation. After the Steelers got the ball back quickly, Roethlisberger then completed four straight passes, and would have put Pittsburgh in position to win, if not for a Hines Ward fumble at the Tennessee 4-yard line. But, on Pittsburgh's first possession of overtime, Roethlisberger went 5-for-7, taking the Steelers, from their own 22 to the Titans' 15 yard-line, to set up a game-winning 33-yard FG.



#3 The Philadelphia Eagles’ Defense

In a 38-10 rout (after trailing 7-0), the Eagles made Carolina QB Jake Delhomme look like he was playing last year's NFC Divisional playoff game against Arizona, over again. The Philadelphia defense had 5 sacks, forced 7 turnovers (2 fumbles and 5 INT's, 4 of those picks against Delhomme, who was limited to just 7 completions in 17 attempts, for 73 yards), and allowed less total yards (169 total; 86 rushing, 83 passing) than Peterson alone rushed for in Cleveland. The Eagles turned all of those Panther mistakes into 24 points in a dominating performance under new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, taking over for the late legend, Jim Johnson.


#2 Drew Brees

Dan Marino, be worried that your all-time single-season passing record may fall this year, one season after Drew Brees came within a completion or two of shattering that mark last December. Brees picked up in his 2009 season opener where he left off in 2008. Granted, it was against the Lions at home, but the Saints’ signal caller was unstoppable in New Orleans’ 45-27 rout of Detroit. Brees was nearly flawless in New Orleans’ spread offense, connecting with eight different receivers, completing 26 of 34 passes for 358 yards, and six (yes, SIX!) touchdowns, tying a Saints’ club record, while finishing the game with a 137.0 quarterback rating. But, But, don’t worry Dan, it’s not like all of the Saints games this year are against teams like the Lions. Brees still needs 4,727 yards for the record, and he can’t possibly average the 315.133 yards per game he would need for the rest the regular season. Or, can he? We think he can (look out our Brees Watch, profiling Brees' repeat chase of Marino's record, right here at FRO).



#1 The New York Jets’ Defense

The Rex Ryan era debuted in Houston with an auspicious beginning, with the New York Jets’ defense dominating one of the more dangerous offenses (at least on paper) in the NFL, in an easy 24-7 road win. All of the Texans’ big offensive weapons were taken out of their usual games by Ryan’s relentless and punishing Gang Green defense, which kept attacking. Matt Schaub? He was constantly blitzed by the Jets’ 3-4 scheme with five-man pressures, into just 18 completions in 33 attempts, for 166 yards, no touchdowns, while being picked once. His favorite target, Andre Johnson, harassed often by corner back Darrelle Revis, was found just 4 times for 35 yards, none longer than 17 yards, which happened to be the exact grand total that Steve Slaton rushed for on 9 carries, for a Houston ground game that was limited to only 38 yards on 13 rushes all day. The Texans ran just 48 plays (to the Jets' 73), managed only 11 first downs, and held the ball for just 21:14 (to New York’s 38:46). The most important statistic, however: no points offensively for the Texans. The only Houston score came on a harmless fourth-quarter interception and fumble return for a touchdown. For at least one week, Ryan’s new team delivered on new its head coach’s promise to bring what Ryan learned and taught in Baltimore, to change the culture in Jetville. The result was a stifling defensive performances that earned the Jets' defense the first-ever number one spot on FRO's Favorite Five.