NFL INJURY REPORT FOR WEEK NINE - NFLMEDIA.COM

NFL Injury Report For Week 9 From NFLMedia.com

FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-PER-9B 11/3/06
WEEK 9 INJURY REPORT --_FRIDAY
Following is a list of quarterback injuries for Week 9 Games (November 5, 6):
Kansas City Chiefs Out Trent Green (Head)
Seattle Seahawks Out Matt Hasselbeck (Knee)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Out Chris Simms (Splenectomy)
Miami Dolphins Doubtful Daunte Culpepper (Knee)
Oakland Raiders Doubtful Aaron Brooks (Right Shoulder)
Jacksonville Jaguars Questionable Byron Leftwich (Ankle)
Cincinnati Bengals Probable Anthony Wright (Appendix)
New England Patriots Probable Matt Cassel (Right Shoulder)
New England Patriots Probable Tom Brady (Right Shoulder)
Washington Redskins Probable Mark Brunell (Ribs)
Following is a list of injured players for Week 9 Games:
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT CHICAGO BEARS
Miami Dolphins
DOUBTFUL QB Daunte Culpepper (Knee)
QUESTIONABLE LB Channing Crowder (Foot); CB Travis Daniels (Knee); LB
Derrick Pope (Hamstring); G Jeno James (Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Daunte Culpepper
THURS Daunte Culpepper
FRI Daunte Culpepper
Chicago Bears
QUESTIONABLE CB Devin Hester (Hamstring)
PROBABLE DT Tank Johnson (Shoulder)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED All Players Practiced
THURS All Players Practiced
FRI Devin Hester
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT ST. LOUIS RAMS
Kansas City Chiefs
OUT QB Trent Green (Head)
QUESTIONABLE T Kevin Sampson (Foot); LB Rich Scanlon (Knee); CB Benny
Sapp (Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Trent Green; Kevin Sampson
THURS Trent Green; Kevin Sampson
FRI Trent Green; Kevin Sampson
St. Louis Rams
QUESTIONABLE LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (Hand)
PROBABLE CB Travis Fisher (Ankle)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Pisa Tinoisamoa; Aaron Walker
THURS Pisa Tinoisamoa; Travis Fisher
FRI Pisa Tinoisamoa
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS
Cincinnati Bengals
OUT C Rich Braham (Knee); T Levi Jones (Knee); WR Kelley
Washington (Hamstring)
DOUBTFUL LB Brian Simmons (Neck)
PROBABLE DT Sam Adams (Knee); DE Robert Geathers (Neck); LB Rashad
Jeanty (Foot); CB Johnathan Joseph (Ankle); S Kevin
Kaesviharn (Knee); DT John Thornton (Wrist); QB Anthony
Wright (Appendix)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Rich Braham; Levi Jones; Kelley Washington; Brian Simmons;
Sam Adams; Kevin Kaesviharn; John Thornton
THURS Rich Braham; Levi Jones; Kelley Washington; Brian Simmons;
Johnathan Joseph
FRI Rich Braham; Levi Jones; Kelley Washington; Brian Simmons
Baltimore Ravens
QUESTIONABLE CB Corey Ivy (Abdomen)
PROBABLE TE Todd Heap (Thigh); WR Clarence Moore (Foot); PR B.J.
Sams (Shoulder); TE Quinn Sypniewski (Neck); S Dawan
Landry (Knee); S Gerome Sapp (Thigh); LB Adalius Thomas
(Neck); TE Daniel Wilcox (Back)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Corey Ivy; Clarence Moore; Quinn Sypniewski; Dawan Landry;
Adalius Thomas; Gerome Sapp
THURS Todd Heap; Corey Ivy; Clarence Moore; B.J. Sams; Quinn
Sypniewski; Dawan Landry; Gerome Sapp; Adalius Thomas
FRI Corey Ivy; Todd Heap; B.J. Sams; Dawan Landry
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT BUFFALO BILLS
Green Bay Packers
OUT RB Vernand Morency (Back); RB Brandon Miree (Elbow)
QUESTIONABLE CB Charles Woodson (Knee); LB Abdul Hodge (Knee); DT
Cullen Jenkins (Ankle); WR Greg Jennings (Ankle); DT Johnny
Jolly (Ankle)
PROBABLE DT Corey Williams (Knee); RB Ahman Green (Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Vernand Morency; Charles Woodson; Brandon Miree; Cullen
Jenkins; Greg Jennings; Corey Williams; Johnny Jolly; Ahman
Green
THURS Vernand Morency; Brandon Miree; Charles Woodson; Johnny
Jolly
FRI Vernand Morency; Brandon Miree
Buffalo Bills
QUESTIONABLE WR Sam Aiken (Hamstring); DE Ryan Denney (Hamstring); G
Tutan Reyes (Shoulder)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Sam Aiken; Ryan Denney; Tutan Reyes
THURS Sam Aiken; Tutan Reyes
FRI Sam Aiken; Tutan Reyes
ATLANTA FALCONS AT DETROIT LIONS
Atlanta Falcons
OUT DE John Abraham (Groin)
QUESTIONABLE G Kynan Forney (Shoulder); LB Edgerton Hartwell (Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED John Abraham; Kynan Forney; Edgerton Hartwell; Grady
Jackson; Fred McCrary
THURS John Abraham; Edgerton Hartwell
FRI John Abraham; Edgerton Hartwell
Detroit Lions
OUT DT Shaun Cody (Toe)
QUESTIONABLE DE James Hall (Shoulder)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Shaun Cody; James Hall
THURS Shaun Cody; James Hall
FRI Shaun Cody; James Hall
TENNESSEE TITANS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Tennessee Titans
OUT DE Antwan Odom (Knee)
QUESTIONABLE WR Roydell Williams (Finger); TE Ben Hartsock (Hamstring); DE
DeQuincy Scott (Foot); DT Randy Starks (Chest); LB Robert
Reynolds (Quadricep); LB David Thornton (Shoulder); WR
Bobby Wade (Shoulder); WR David Givens (Hand); G Benji
Olson (Ankle)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Antwan Odom; David Thornton; Bobby Wade; DeQuincy Scott;
Ben Hartsock
THURS Antwan Odom; Robert Reynolds; Ben Hartsock; DeQuincy Scott;
Bobby Wade
FRI Antwan Odom; Ben Hartsock; DeQuincy Scott; Robert Reynolds
Jacksonville Jaguars
OUT CB Terry Cousin (Groin); DT Marcus Stroud (Ankle); RB Derrick
Wimbush (Ankle); T Stockar McDougle (Ankle)
DOUBTFUL DE Brent Hawkins (Groin)
QUESTIONABLE QB Byron Leftwich (Ankle)
PROBABLE CB Rashean Mathis (Hamstring); RB Fred Taylor (Thigh); DE
Marcellus Wiley (Groin); WR Ernest Wilford (Hamstring); DE
Bobby McCray (Foot); S Donovin Darius (Knee); DT John
Henderson (Hamstring); RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Thigh)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Terry Cousin; Marcus Stroud; Derrick Wimbush; Stockar
McDougle; Brent Hawkins; Donovin Darius; Maurice Jones-Drew;
Fred Taylor; Rashean Mathis; John Henderson
THURS Terry Cousin; Marcus Stroud; Derrick Wimbush; Stockar
McDougle; Brent Hawkins; Byron Leftwich; John Henderson
FRI Terry Cousin; Marcus Stroud; Derrick Wimbush; Stockar
McDougle; Brent Hawkins; Byron Leftwich; John Henderson
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
New Orleans Saints
OUT TE Ernie Conwell (Knee)
QUESTIONABLE WR Joe Horn (Groin); T Jammal Brown (Ankle); RB Reggie
Bush (Ankle)
PROBABLE T Zach Strief (Finger); CB Fred Thomas (Hamstring); WR
Michael Lewis (Hamstring); T Jon Stinchcomb (Toe)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Ernie Conwell; Reggie Bush; Jammal Brown; Joe Horn
THURS Ernie Conwell; Jammal Brown; Joe Horn
FRI Ernie Conwell; Joe Horn; Jammal Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
OUT QB Chris Simms (Splenectomy)
QUESTIONABLE LB Shelton Quarles (Knee); DE Simeon Rice (Shoulder); DT
Ellis Wyms (Ankle)
PROBABLE CB Juran Bolden (Hip)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Chris Simms; Shelton Quarles; Simeon Rice; Ellis Wyms
THURS Chris Simms; Simeon Rice; Ellis Wyms
FRI Chris Simms; Simeon Rice; Ellis Wyms
DALLAS COWBOYS AT WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Dallas Cowboys
DOUBTFUL DE Jason Hatcher (Ankle)
PROBABLE WR Terry Glenn (Quadricep)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Tyson Thompson
THURS All Players Practiced
FRI Terry Glenn
Washington Redskins
DOUBTFUL WR Santana Moss (Hamstring)
PROBABLE WR Brandon Lloyd (Shoulder); T Chris Samuels (Calf); T Jon
Jansen (Calf); LB Lemar Marshall (Ankle); RB Clinton Portis
(Ankle); WR Antwaan Randle El (Heel); WR David Patten
(Hamstring); CB Carlos Rogers (Thumb); QB Mark Brunell (Ribs)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Santana Moss; David Patten
THURS Santana Moss; Brandon Lloyd; Jon Jansen; David Patten
FRI Santana Moss; Jon Jansen; David Patten
HOUSTON TEXANS AT NEW YORK GIANTS
Houston Texans
QUESTIONABLE T Ephraim Salaam (Ankle)
PROBABLE DE Anthony Weaver (Knee); DE Mario Williams (Foot); LB
Kailee Wong (Hamstring); RB Ron Dayne (Illness)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Ephraim Salaam; Mario Williams
THURS Ephraim Salaam
FRI Ron Dayne
New York Giants
DOUBTFUL WR Sinorice Moss (Quadricep); DE Justin Tuck (Foot)
QUESTIONABLE CB Sam Madison (Hamstring); LB Brandon Short (Quadricep);
WR Plaxico Burress (Back Spasms); DE Osi Umenyiora (Hip
Flexor)
PROBABLE CB Frank Walker (Hamstring); WR David Tyree (Ankle)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Sinorice Moss; Justin Tuck; Sam Madison; Brandon Short; David
Tyree; Osi Umenyiora; Plaxico Burress; Jim Finn; Amani Toomer;
Corey Webster
THURS Sinorice Moss; Justin Tuck; Sam Madison; Brandon Short; David
Tyree; Osi Umenyiora; Plaxico Burress
FRI Sinorice Moss; Justin Tuck; Sam Madison; Brandon Short;
Plaxico Burress; Osi Umenyiora
MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Minnesota Vikings
OUT WR Marcus Robinson (Back); LB Napoleon Harris (Wrist)
QUESTIONABLE DT Kevin Williams (Ankle)
PROBABLE LB Ben Leber (Illness); G Artis Hicks (Neck); T Marcus Johnson
(Ankle); S Darren Sharper (Knee); DT Pat Williams (Knee); C
Matt Birk (Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Marcus Robinson; Napoleon Harris; Pat Williams; Matt Birk;
Kevin Williams; Ben Leber; Artis Hicks; Marcus Johnson; Darren
Sharper
THURS Marcus Robinson; Napoleon Harris; Pat Williams; Matt Birk;
Kevin Williams; Ben Leber; Artis Hicks; Marcus Johnson; Darren
Sharper
FRI Marcus Robinson; Napoleon Harris; Kevin Williams; Ben Leber;
Artis Hicks; Marcus Johnson; Darren Sharper; Pat Williams; Matt
Birk
San Francisco 49ers
OUT TE Vernon Davis (Fibula)
QUESTIONABLE RB Maurice Hicks (Concussion); S Chad Williams (Quadricep)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Vernon Davis; Maurice Hicks
THURS Vernon Davis; Chad Williams; Maurice Hicks
FRI Vernon Davis; Chad Williams
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Cleveland Browns
OUT T Ryan Tucker (Illness)
QUESTIONABLE TE Kellen Winslow (Knee); LB Willie McGinest (Ankle); S Justin
Hamilton (Ankle); CB Daven Holly (Illness); G Joe Andruzzi
(Knee); CB Leigh Bodden (Ankle); DE Orpheus Roye
(Hamstring); WR Dennis Northcutt (Ribs)
PROBABLE CB Jereme Perry (Ankle)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Joe Andruzzi; Dennis Northcutt; Daven Holly; Ryan Tucker; Willie
McGinest; Orpheus Roye
THURS Joe Andruzzi; Leigh Bodden; Daven Holly; Willie McGinest;
Dennis Northcutt; Orpheus Roye; Ryan Tucker
FRI Ryan Tucker; Willie McGinest; Daven Holly; Joe Andruzzi; Leigh
Bodden; Orpheus Roye; Dennis Northcutt
San Diego Chargers
QUESTIONABLE LB Shaun Phillips (Calf)
PROBABLE S Bhawoh Jue (Knee); S Clinton Hart (Hip); DE Igor Olshansky
(Knee)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Igor Olshansky; Shaun Phillips; Bhawoh Jue; Clinton Hart
THURS Shaun Phillips; Igor Olshansky; Clinton Hart
FRI Shaun Phillips
DENVER BRONCOS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Denver Broncos
PROBABLE CB Champ Bailey (Ankle); RB Tatum Bell (Toe); RB Cedric
Cobbs (Ankle); LB Ian Gold (Hamstring); RB Kyle Johnson
(Ankle); C Chris Myers (Shoulder); TE Tony Scheffler (Hip); DT
Gerard Warren (Toe); LB D.J. Williams (Foot); LB Al Wilson
(Thumb)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED All Players Practiced
THURS All Players Practiced
FRI All Players Practiced
Pittsburgh Steelers
OUT LB James Harrison (Ankle); C Jeff Hartings (Knee); S Mike
Logan (Hamstring); WR Willie Reid (Foot)
PROBABLE LB Larry Foote (Shoulder); LB Clark Haggans (Ankle); DT Casey
Hampton (Hamstring); WR Santonio Holmes (Shoulder); G Chris
Kemoeatu (Ankle); RB Dan Kreider (Ankle); WR Sean Morey
(Toe); S Troy Polamalu (Foot); CB Deshea Townsend
(Quadricep); WR Cedrick Wilson (Groin)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED James Harrison; Jeff Hartings; Mike Logan; Willie Reid; Deshea
Townsend
THURS James Harrison; Jeff Hartings; Mike Logan; Willie Reid
FRI James Harrison; Jeff Hartings; Mike Logan; Willie Reid
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Indianapolis Colts
OUT DT Montae Reagor (Head)
QUESTIONABLE LB Keith O'Neil (Ankle); LB Rob Morris (Hamstring); WR Aaron
Moorehead (Back); CB Nicholas Harper (Knee); CB Matt
Giordano (Calf); DE Dwight Freeney (Shoulder); T Ryan Diem
(Upper Arm); LB Gary Brackett (Knee); RB Joseph Addai
(Wrist); WR Terrence Wilkins (Knee); TE Ben Utecht (Low
Back); WR Brandon Stokley (Knee); S Bob Sanders (Knee); RB
Dominic Rhodes (Low Back); DT Darrell Reid (Abdomen)
PROBABLE P Hunter Smith (Right Groin); K Adam Vinatieri (Right Groin)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Montae Reagor; Bob Sanders; Brandon Stokley; Rob Morris; Matt
Giordano; Ryan Diem; Nicholas Harper; Keith O'Neil
THURS Montae Reagor; Keith O'Neil; Ryan Diem; Matt Giordano; Rob
Morris; Brandon Stokley
FRI Montae Reagor; Keith O'Neil; Rob Morris; Matt Giordano; Ryan
Diem; Brandon Stokley; Bob Sanders
New England Patriots
QUESTIONABLE CB Willie Andrews (Thigh); WR Reche Caldwell (Knee); LB Don
Davis (Lower Leg); RB Kevin Faulk (Ankle); WR Jabar Gaffney
(Hand); TE Daniel Graham (Ankle); CB Ellis Hobbs (Wrist); G
Russ Hochstein (Knee); WR Chad Jackson (Hamstring); T Nick
Kaczur (Shoulder); T Matt Light (Hand); RB Laurence Maroney
(Ankle); TE Garrett Mills (Thigh); G Steve Neal (Shoulder); DE
Richard Seymour (Elbow); CB Antwain Spann (Shoulder); TE
David Thomas (Hand); DE Ty Warren (Shoulder); S Eugene
Wilson (Hamstring)
PROBABLE QB Tom Brady (Right Shoulder); QB Matt Cassel (Right
Shoulder)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Antwain Spann; David Thomas; Ty Warren; Eugene Wilson;
Richard Seymour; Russ Hochstein; Chad Jackson; Steve Neal;
Nick Kaczur; Garrett Mills; Daniel Graham; Ellis Hobbs; Willie
Andrews; Reche Caldwell; Don Davis; Kevin Faulk; Jabar
Gaffney
THURS Russ Hochstein; Daniel Graham; Ellis Hobbs; Kevin Faulk; Chad
Jackson; Nick Kaczur; Matt Light; Laurence Maroney; Garrett
Mills; Steve Neal; Richard Seymour; Antwain Spann; David
Thomas; Ty Warren; Eugene Wilson; Jabar Gaffney; Willie
Andrews; Reche Caldwell; Don Davis
FRI Willie Andrews; Reche Caldwell; Don Davis; Kevin Faulk; Jabar
Gaffney; Daniel Graham; Ellis Hobbs; Russ Hochstein; Chad
Jackson; Nick Kaczur; Matt Light; Laurence Maroney; Garrett
Mills; Steve Neal; Richard Seymour; Antwain Spann; David
Thomas; Ty Warren; Eugene Wilson
OAKLAND RAIDERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS on Monday
Oakland Raiders
DOUBTFUL QB Aaron Brooks (Right Shoulder)
QUESTIONABLE S Jarrod Cooper (Hamstring); RB Zack Crockett (Knee); S
Michael Huff (Shoulder); RB LaMont Jordan (Back); G Barry
Sims (Abdomen)
PROBABLE RB Justin Fargas (Shoulder); CB Tyrone Poole (Ankle); DT
Warren Sapp (Hip)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Barry Sims; Justin Fargas
THURS Barry Sims; Justin Fargas
FRI Practice Not Complete
Seattle Seahawks
OUT RB Shaun Alexander (Foot); QB Matt Hasselbeck (Knee)
DOUBTFUL LB D.D. Lewis (Toe); DT Marcus Tubbs (Knee)
QUESTIONABLE WR Bobby Engram (Illness); T Sean Locklear (Ankle); C Chris
Spencer (Knee)
PROBABLE DT Rocky Bernard (Toe); WR Darrell Jackson (Foot)
Listed players who did not participate in ''team'' practice:
(Defined as missing any portion of 11-on-11 team work)
WED Matt Hasselbeck; Shaun Alexander; D.D. Lewis; Marcus Tubbs;
Sean Locklear
THURS Matt Hasselbeck; Shaun Alexander; D.D. Lewis; Marcus Tubbs;
Chris Spencer; Sean Locklear; Darrell Jackson
FRI Shaun Alexander; Matt Hasselbeck; D.D. Lewis; Marcus Tubbs;
Sean Locklear; Chris Spencer

Libby Chansky For "The Bachelorette"

I met Libby Chansky at the Stanford Athletics Hall Of Fame Dinner on Friday, November 3rd. She and I were part of a large group there to celebrate the induction of my good friend Michael Dotterer, who remains the only two-sport player to receive four letters in Stanford history.

Libby wants to be the bachelorette on "The Bachelorette" and to that end, we took this quick video. It's kind of a teaser. For more info contact info@sportsbusinesssims.com

Ted Haggard Admits To Buying Meth From Mike Jones, A Male Esccort Accuser

Ted Haggard, the outspoken enemy of Gay Marriage, was just filmed live on CNN explaining that he did buy sex from Mike Jones, the male prostitute who's accusing Haggard of having sex with him.

Haggard says he went to visit the Mike Jones but didn't exactly explain who referred him to the man, or for that matter why he purchased Meth from him. He would only say that he didn't use the drug -- "I threw it away."

There's more to this story. Stay tuned.

Zennie Weighing In On New Media And "Audience Engagement"

As the number of websites and blogs and video blogs grows, and the rate of increase of readers away from traditional media and to new media continues -- apparently unabated given the fact that the currently young population that gets 70 percent of its news online is only getting older -- there are more and more debates over the "value" of new media.

These discussions are generated by advertisers and marketers, understandably upset and vexed over this rather sudden traffic shift away from the properties they use to present ads to people. A large part of the problem that generates their concerns and questions is simply a lack of participation in new media; at a recent American Marketing Association convention, only five percent of the attendees at a conference session actually knew what Web 2.0 was. In other words, the best way to understand blogs and vlogs is to run blogs and vlogs -- it seems many advertiser and marketers do not.

But they do control considerable sums of money. And faced with the ever-growing prospect of spending that money on an ad that goes into a blog, they're asking questions about value -- and who can blame them. Yes, the questions are based on a certain lack of knoweldge, but to be rather frank (not Ze) they're not being assisted by the very operators of blogs and vlogs.

Very recently there was a rather interesting dust-up between Ze Frank and Rocketboom over traffic. Ze Frank points to results from the Alexa system, which I personally do not recomend using because it incorrectly measures the number of links to Sports Business Simulations, and therefore miscalculates our traffic and by a frightening amount. Alexa, it seems, can't really distinguish between one URL used to direct a person to another URL.

In SBS case, we have URLs that send people to specific pages within our site. Alexa has a massive problem with this. Alexa also can't combine traffic from various blogs we own that are in SBS branding and design but at different URLs. Frustrated with this massive problem, I searched for the perfect traffic tool and after a period I didn't think one existed. But after a chance encounter with someone who worked for AdBrite, at The Grove, a San Francisco Internet Cafe, I was directed to an onlne device called "Hitslink."

Hitslink is perfect. It allows SBS to not only combine our sites, but see where our traffic is coming from, where it goes from page to page, and what pages it exits from. I can see what links were used to get to our sites, navigation paths in the site, how long people stick around, and what pages they use to get out of the site. I can see specific visitors and what city they came from and what pages they've went to. I've even scared the heck out of some people I know by asking them why they were looking up information on, say, CalPac, on my blogsite! I've also been able to contact potential new users of our simulations and ask them about their needs.

I find Hitslink particularly useful for those SBS vlogs which contain a specific video. Our vlog "Kate On Sports" is designed by me and such that each video is a separate page in the vlog site. Thus, we can easy track not just video popularity, but who links to that specific video because they link to the page -- even far more than any YouTube or Blip.tv direct link.

So if you're looking for the perfect engagement masuring device, look no further than Hitslink, and forget Alexa.

In closing, I find the combination of Hitlink and the video view reports from Blip.tv and YouTube to be very effective. I can see what percentage of blog viewers are actually looking at the videos posted, as well as being able to count traffic "horizontally" -- accross video distribution platfors -- and "vertically" -- from video to video. (OK, I developed those terms for SBS. I had to as there was no vernacular to describe the various traffic origination directions. Problem solved.)
Try Hitslink; dump Alexa.

Bob Barker - American Icon and Host Of "Price Is Right" Retires - Video

I now know I've been around a bit when this happens. I have grown up with Bob Barker, patted myself on the back for rightly guessing a price, dreaming that I was the winner of the showcase, and drolling over the Price Is Right girls. Well, the last part of that remains, but Barker, the real symbol of the show and an American icon, has retired. Here's an article by E! Online and selected YouTube Clips to celebrate Bob Barker.

Bob Barker Retiring
by Natalie Finn - E!Online

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 06:44:50 PM PST



The price isn't going to be quite as right come next June.

Bob Barker announced Tuesday he will retire in 2007 after 50 years in television, 35 of which he spent as the host of The Price Is Right.

"I will be 83 years old on Dec. 12, and I've decided to retire while I'm still young," the famed daytime personality told the Associated Press. "I've gone on and on to this ancient age because I've enjoyed it. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm going to miss it."

While Barker has considered hanging it up for the past 10 years, he said he's been having too much fun to walk away for good, but he figured reaching his golden anniversary was an "appropriate" time.

"I'm just reaching the age where the constant effort to be there and do the show physically is a lot for me," he said, sounding a bit like another TV icon who announced his intention to slow down after half a century on the air, 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace.
Barker had a mild stroke in May 2002 and had prostate surgery six weeks later—none of which caused him to miss a show, mind you.

Since The Price Is Right premiered Sept. 4, 1972, with Barker enticing people for the first time to "come on down," he has only missed three episodes (back in 1974). The longest running game show on the air is currently on in two half-hour installments every weekday, with the later one averaging 5.5 million viewers a day, per Nielsen Media Research.





"We knew this day would come, but that doesn't make it any easier," CBS Corp. president Leslie Moonves said in a statement. "Bob Barker is a daytime legend, an entertainment icon and one of the most beloved television personalities of our time."

The former Miss Universe and Miss USA Pageant host got his start in radio before being discovered by eventual This Is Your Life host Ralph Edwards, who said he liked the sound of Barker's voice. Barker went on to host the TV game show Truth or Consequences from 1956 until 1975, overlapping with Price for a few years.

A CBS spokesperson told Reuters that Price will go on after Barker's departure, but "it's premature to discuss any transition plans right now. Our focus now will be giving Bob a proper sendoff." A CBS prime-time special celebrating the man is also in the works, he said.

Barker's advice for whomever signs on to replace him is this: Memorize everything.

"The games have to be just like riding a bicycle," he said, referring to the show's numerous pricing games (80 at last count) in which contestants make bids to win larger prizes, like cars and trips.

"Then he will be relaxed enough to have fun with the audience—to get the laughs with his contestants and make the show more than just straight games—to make it a lot of fun."

Well, Barker should know.

While the silver-haired emcee has always had a smile for his studio audience and millions of at-home viewers, it wasn't too long ago that Barker was accused of enjoying his hosting duties a little too much.

Comedy Central Cips Still On YouTube - Deal In the Works

Whew! Seeing Comedy Central clips was one of the best aspects of a visit to YouTube. Give it to Chad and the gang over there at YouTube for being the consumate deal makers.

Viacom Sticks with YouTube - Red Herring

Despite copyright violations, clips from Comedy Central stay on video-sharing site.
October 31, 2006

Fake news fans can still get their fix on YouTube—for now. Shorter clips from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will remain on the video-sharing site, a spokesperson for Viacom said Tuesday. The move hints that Google and Viacom are searching for a way to make money from the site’s popularity.

A formal agreement between YouTube’s parent company, Google, and Viacom, has not been announced. But Viacom’s interest in profiting from the popularity of its content on YouTube is evident in a statement issued by the company on Monday.

“We want our audiences to be able to access our programming on every platform and we're interested in having it live on all forms of distribution in ways that protect our talented artists, our loyal customers and our passionate audiences,” Viacom said in a statement sent to Red Herring by spokesperson Jeremy Zweig.

As of Tuesday, a search on YouTube for “The Daily Show” yielded 2,705 videos. A search for “Colbert” produced 2,328 clips. YouTube said it would not comment on the matter.

On Friday, Viacom requested that YouTube remove Comedy Central content, as well as programming from VHI, MTV, BET and Nickelodeon, from its site due to copyright violations.

Comedy Central has its own website, Motherload, where viewers can watch clips of shows with pre-roll commercials. Comedy Central also sells episodes of many of its top shows, including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, for $1.99 a pop via Apple's iTunes Store.

Many analysts have speculated that without illegally-uploaded content, like the clips from Comedy Central, YouTube may not be able to hang on to its audience. “There is a big risk there for YouTube in terms of its current status as the unchallenged number one site for sharing this kind of video,” said Joe Laszlo, an analyst with Jupiter Research.

YouTube struck a content-sharing deal with broadcast network NBC this summer (see Now Playing: YouTube, NBC). More recently, CBS, Showtime, and CSTV partnered with YouTube to provide short form video clips from shows including CSI, Survivor, and CBS Evening News. YouTube will share any revenue from ads placed next to CBS content uploaded by YouTube users with CBS, and CBS will have the right to remove such content from the site.

More content-licensing deals like those inked with NBC and CBS are likely to emerge, too. Negotiating and deal brokering stepped into high gear following Google’s $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube in October (see GooTube Feeding Frenzy).

“I think we’ll see a lot of this kind of activity where companies may threaten to sue one day and end up happy partners the next,” said Mr. Laszlo. “All of the major media companies are still feeling their way.”

Will Yahoo Buy AOL?

I ran accross an article in Fortune Magazine, and linked to here at the title of this post, annoucing that Yahoo!'s been flirting with AOL over the possible action of aquisition of the web portal.

I know AOL has its enemies but I really don't think being eaten by Yahoo!'s the best answer for the company's woes. Indeed, I think it should fashion itself as an alternative to AOL. It's already doing that, but I think AOL should keep up the work. My feeling is that Yahoo!'s lost it's creative drive and has become a giant bureaucracy. AOL would just make it a bigger one.

Rolling Stones Classic Song "Miss You" Video and Lyrics

This amazing song is almost 30 years old, yet it is still as new as tommorrow's sunrise. It's a classic and yet one more example of why the Rolling Stones are the kings of rock. It's rythmic, soulful, and yet guitar-dominated.



Ive been holding out so long
Ive been sleeping all alone
Lord I miss you
Ive been hanging on the phone
Ive been sleeping all alone
I want to kiss you

Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh

Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh oooh

Well, Ive been haunted in my sleep
Youve been starring in my dreams
Lord I miss you
Ive been waiting in the hall
Been waiting on your call
When the phone rings
Its just some friends of mine that say,
Hey, whats the matter man?
Were gonna come around at twelve
With some puerto rican girls that are just dyin to meet you.
Were gonna bring a case of wine
Hey, lets go mess and fool around
You know, like we used to

Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah

Oh everybody waits so long
Oh baby why you wait so long
Wont you come on! come on!

Ive been walking in central park
Singing after dark
People think Im crazy
Ive been stumbling on my feet
Shuffling through the street
Asking people, whats the matter with you boy?

Sometimes I want to say to myself
Sometimes I say

Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh

Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
Oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh
I wont miss you child

I guess Im lying to myself
Its just you and no one else
Lord I wont miss you child
Youve been blotting out my mind
Fooling on my time
No, I wont miss you, baby, yeah

Lord, I miss you child

Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah

Lord, I miss you child

Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah

Lord, I miss you child

Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah aaah
Aaah aaah aaah aaah

Senator John Kerry: Don't Do Homework, Get Stuck In Iraq

Senator John Kerry's being cooked by the PR goose for making a statement that at first glance seems hurtful. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, told a college audience earlier this week that some young people might get "stuck in Iraq" if they don't make it through the educational system. While he's backpedaling on this, here's the video:



But is he wrong? When I was growing up the Military was where African American men went who really could not get it all together in the real world. So Kerry's remarks were familar to me; I grew up with them. "Get your education," was my Mom's mantra. She never wanted me to touch the military; never even suggested it. She never had to and I never considered it.

NBC Report On US Soldier Arrested For Raping Four Women In Iraq

While others stew about John Kerry's remarks, the hard reality is that there are terrible acts done by some soldiers in Iraq, this is one of them. The rape victim, Abeer Qassim Hamza, was 14 years old.

Accordin to reports: Steven D. Green, a 21-year-old former Army private first class in the 101st Airborne Division, appeared in a federal magistrate's courtroom in Charlotte on Monday. FBI agents had arrested Green on Friday and he is being held in Charlotte without bond pending a transfer to Louisville, Kentucky. He was honorably discharged from the Army in May 2006 because of an alleged "personality disorder."

Maybe Senator Kerry has a bit of a point, even though he stated it too honestly.

Here's the video:

Senator Allen's Staffer Jumps Overzealous Man

As the election draws closer, people go to more desparate actions to achieve an objective. For example, take this man in this video who was intent on chasing down Senator George Allen, Jr. (R) Virginia. He was a little too intense. So much so that Allen staffers fought him to the ground.

Here's the video:

Fire Yamia At Wikipedia - An Overzealous And Prejudicial "Gate Keeper" Who Goes Too Far

There's a person called "Yamia" at Wikipedia who I'm openly lobbying to be removed from his "gate keeper" role. Yamia's role has obviously caused the person to think more highly of who they are than what they do.

This all started when I was posting information on a subject that was from text from the SBS website. Yamia tried to claim that I don't own the site, which is totally stupid. But not willing to see example or listen to reason, this person decided to issue threats and not pay attention to the content of the text. So a relevant website or blog or text goes unpublished because of people like Yamia.

Wikipedia's a great source of information. People like Yamia do not check the source at all, they just use their own opinion, which they try to color as logic. Then, when you don't comply with their interpretation, they try to threaten you: "I'll ban you."

Come on.

Well, I could go on and on about this person. I'm done. I want Yamia removed from Wikipedia. ASAP I want to set an example for how Wikipedia nees to weed out overzealous gate-keepers.

Cutis Martin's Out - Injury Career Ending - ESPN

A sad end to a great career. Very different from Tiki Barber, who's ready to get out. What will Marin do with the rest of his life?

Martin out for 2006, unsure he'll ever play again
Assocaited Press

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Curtis Martin's season ended Wednesday because of a lingering knee injury, and the New York Jets' star running back isn't sure if he'll ever play again.

"I'm officially not playing this year," Martin said. "Retirement -- that may be the inevitable result. I just haven't gotten there yet."

The Jets placed the 33-year-old Martin on the reserved physically-unable-to perform list with a bone-on-bone condition in his right knee, ending his season before it ever got started and throwing his career in doubt.

"I think this is as good as my knee gets, where it is right now," Martin said.

He's not sure when -- or if -- he'll get back on the field, but said he isn't even thinking about that at this point.

"I don't know if it's even possible," Martin said, keeping his composure throughout the nearly half-hour news conference. "It hasn't been possible up to this point, so I'm not looking forward to saying I'll definitely be back next year. It's a long stretch, I'll put it that way. And that's the most honest answer I can give you."

Martin spoke with coach Eric Mangini on Tuesday night, and the NFL's No. 4 career rusher said he didn't think he'd be ready to practice next week -- the team's deadline for a decision on his availability this season.

"I sat in Eric's office and I said, 'Eric, you know what? I just need one last conversation with the doctors.' I said, 'I even know. I know what they're going to say and I know what the outcome is, but for some reason I just wanted that last conversation."

Martin, who said he's in game shape and at his playing weight, never got that final conversation, instead talking with general manager Mike Tannenbaum and deciding Wednesday was the day to end months of speculation.

He had one last request: "I had somebody actually ask Mike, 'When we turn in the papers for me that say I can't play anymore, I want to push the button."'

Mangini said Martin will still attend meetings and work with the team.

"I think his heart was saying one thing and, unfortunately, the injury was saying something else," Mangini said.

Martin said he injured the knee in Week 2 of 2005 when he took a hit from Miami's Zach Thomas and aggravated it two games later against Baltimore. Martin said the knee became a "bone-on-bone" situation when the damaged cartilage was removed during surgery in December.

"This is something beyond my threshold of pain," said Martin, who often played through injuries throughout his first 11 seasons.

Martin said doctors gave him a very clear indication of the severity of this injury.

"If I don't play, they're saying I have a chance to have a normal life," Martin said. "But if I do play, I can jeopardize that."

Martin said he can run fine, but it's making the cuts and turns that helped make him a star that worries him.

"I'm an instinctive guy, I'm an instinctive runner, and once I get out there, just like any other time that I've been in pain, the pain is not going to matter," he said. "But what I do instinctively, I'm equipped with the information to know that's probably going to jeopardize my future as a human being."

Mangini did not rule out Martin playing again next season. When asked if he would be willing to go through a similar situation next year with uncertainty surrounding Martin's availability, Mangini said, "For Curtis Martin, yes."

Martin, who has rushed for 14,101 yards, last year played in 12 games before ending his year. He underwent surgery in December, but was slow to recover. He was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list before training camp so he could rehabilitate the knee.

The five-time Pro Bowl player was eligible to come off the PUP list Oct. 16, but the team announced he'd remain on it until after the game at Cleveland last Sunday.

On Monday, Mangini said he spoke with Martin, Tannenbaum and the Jets' medical staff last week. They chose to hold off until next week on whether Martin would rejoin the team and practice.

Mangini reiterated that on Tuesday, but said things changed after talking with Martin on Tuesday night.

"I usually deal with things the way they are now, and with the information that I know about my future, it doesn't look like it's too bright as far as me having a further career," Martin said. "And if that happens, great."

Shawne Merriman Drops Appeal; Suspended Four Games - ESPN

I saw his press conference on The NFL Network, and I give him high praise for being forthcoming and honest. A great example of what to do in such a scenario.

Merriman drops appeal, will serve suspension
ESPN.com news services

Shawne Merriman made the right move in dropping his appeal of his four-game suspension for a steroid product found in a supplement.

The Chargers linebacker could have gone to a hearing next Tuesday in New York but he had little chance of winning. Players who test positive for a tainted supplement rarely win. Knowing that, it was a matter of figuring out the right time to fit in the four-game suspension.

Merriman, who's tied for the NFL lead with 8 1/2 sacks, and his attorney have blamed a tainted supplement for the player's positive test for the steroid nandrolone. Merriman couldn't be reached for comment.

The suspension won't officially begin until after Merriman addresses his teammates on Wednesday. After that, he'll be barred from the team's headquarters until he's eligible to return on Nov. 27.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Merriman had sought a deal with the league that would allow him to address his teammates on Wednesday before his suspension took effect, and the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that request was granted. Under NFL rules, suspended players are banned from their team facilities.

The Chargers, who were off Tuesday, vowed to press on without Merriman, a Pro Bowl starter who was voted the 2005 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

"He's upset because he let his team down, but we're OK," outside linebacker Shaun Phillips said in a phone interview. "We're behind him 100 percent. We know he's not that kind of guy, that he wouldn't do anything to boost his performance.

"We're a good team. We'll get over it," said Phillips, who moved into the starting lineup after Steve Foley was shot by an off-duty police officer on Sept. 3. Phillips missed Sunday's 38-24 win over the St. Louis Rams with a calf injury and has only a 50 percent chance of playing against the Browns.
Had Merriman gone through with the appeal and lost, there was the chance he'd miss both games against Denver. The Chargers host the Broncos on Dec. 10. Few people expected Merriman to win on appeal because the NFL holds players accountable for knowing the contents of the supplements they take.

Word of Merriman's positive test leaked on Oct. 22. Merriman announced last Tuesday he was appealing, and matched his career-high with three sacks against the Rams. He celebrated each as he usually does, by pretending to flip a switch tattooed on his forearm followed by a spasmodic dance.

Carlos Polk, who missed most of the last two seasons due to injuries, is expected to start in Merriman's place. Polk has no starts and one sack in six seasons..

"We're obviously going to support Shawne and we'll prepare for the alternatives much the way we would if we had a player who wasn't available for other reasons," coach Marty Schottenheimer said by phone. "We'll put the pieces together and go back to work."

Merriman apologized to his teammates last Monday for the distraction his positive test caused. But Schottenheimer and other players said it would be a distraction only if they let it.

"The way we performed with this information out there would indicate it was not a distraction," Schottenheimer said.

While Phillips is expected to be listed as questionable for the Browns game, end Igor Olshansky (knee) is expected to be doubtful due to a knee injury.

General manager A.J. Smith and Merriman's attorney, David Cornwell, didn't return calls seeking comment.

The team released this statement:

"We're proud of the standup way Shawne has taken responsibility for the mistake he made. We have faith in Shawne Merriman and we have faith in the players on this team. The Chargers have been resilient all season long, and we will continue to be resilient. It's a tough lesson learned for Shawne about the world of supplements."

Besides Merriman's suspension, the Chargers have had five separate off-field issues dating back to April.

Foley was shot three times near his suburban home early on Sept. 3 by an off-duty police officer who suspected him of drunk driving. Foley will miss the entire season and was charged with two counts of DUI.

Safety Terrence Kiel was arrested on five felony drug counts in September and has pleaded not . He missed one game.

Cornerback Markus Curry, who had been demoted to the practice squad, was released on Oct. 9, just hours after he was arrested on suspicion of committing domestic violence.

Foley and Phillips were each arrested for scuffling with San Diego police officers a week apart in April. Neither was charged.

Commissioner Goodell with T.J. Simers & Fred Roggin of AM 950 Los Angeles - NFLMedia.com

Roger weighs in on the LA situation in this interview.

Commissioner Goodell with T.J. Simers & Fred Roggin of AM 950 Los Angeles

October 30, 2006
T.J. Simers: On how the NFL turned off all of Los Angeles coming out of the New Orleans owners meeting?

Roger Goodell: We’re trying to be direct with our fans, and tell them what our challenges are. You know that I’m a pretty direct person, but from our standpoint, we’ve been working on the L.A. solution and we’re trying to be part of that solution and doing something that’s good not only for the NFL, but the community. We are just being direct with what our challenges are.

Fred Roggin: On has the league made it impossible for Los Angeles to have a franchise?

Goodell: Has the league made it impossible? If you re-call back in the late nineties, we gave an expansion franchise to Los Angeles, and we did that on the expectation that we wanted to be there and as long as people felt like there was a solution that worked for us. What happened is a long story, but the bottom line is it was not a solution that worked for the NFL, and we’re not going to make a bad deal. I think what everyone has to understand is that the city of Los Angeles is a great city with or without the NFL. The NFL has done very well without the city of Los Angeles. We think that we’d be better together, but it has to be a solution that works for the community and the NFL.

Simers: On can this deal be made without the NFL getting any public money contributions from the city of Los Angeles?

Goodell: We haven’t been talking about public money. That is an issue that either the media or politicians raise all the time. Listen, you’re talking to an entity that is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to your community, and trying to solve an issue that you’re facing in your community, which is the state of the Coliseum. That is one of the things people have told us here, is that the Coliseum needs significant work done, and that’s why they’re looking at other alternatives to see what they can do. We are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Simers: On hasn’t the league already agreed to providing private funding?

Goodell: We have agreed to put private funding in. We have done that in many markets. As a matter of fact, we’re the only league in the world that I know of that puts league money into stadiums around the country. We would do that, but it has to make good business sense.

Simers: On is the main issue the cost of the stadium?

Goodell: The expense is one of the challenges we’re facing there. Here in New York, we’re trying to get a stadium built for two NFL franchises exceeding a billion dollars. It’s a tough nut to crack, and it’s a challenge we’re going to have to figure out, but we’ll figure it out.

Roggin: On it being as simple as if A, B and C to get done, then we’ll have a franchise in Los Angeles?

Goodell: I don’t think it’s that simple. I think the biggest thing we can do is to work with not only the political leaders, but also the business leaders to quietly try to figure out how we can find a win-win solution for the community and the NFL. I don’t like the roller coaster either. That’s why we’ve been trying to be very direct. We’ve had good dialogue with many of the leaders both politically and business wise, and we know there are fans out there who want to see NFL football back, and we want to bring it back. They just want to see the end game, when the team starts and we understand that.

Simers: On David Israel’s comments that the NFL and Los Angeles negotiations are dead?

Goodell: Is that a proclamation by Mr. Israel?

Simers: Yes, it was.

Goodell: I just wanted to understand what Mr. Israel was saying.

Simers: On Israel, speaking on the behalf Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor Schwarzenegger, states that the NFL has worn out its welcome in Los Angeles?

Goodell: I have had very good dialogue with the mayor, and I’ve had numerous conversations recently. I have been very direct with him and I think he’s appreciative of that. I know they want results, and we want results too, but I can only be direct on this. I’m not in this as a popularity contest. I’m in this to do what’s best for the NFL at the end of the day.

Simers: On what your dad would have said when you became the NFL commissioner?

Goodell: I hope that he would have been very proud. He knew before he passed away that I was pursuing my dream of working for the NFL, and that was a great thing, but I don’t think he would have ever imagined me sitting in this chair right now.

Simers: On how you started as an NFL intern in 1982 and how we have a high school kid in our office working with us?

Goodell: I just spoke with Jason, and I told him to choose his role models carefully (laughter). He told me he wanted to be a sportswriter like T.J. Simers (laughter).

Simers: On what’s been the biggest surprise since assuming the commissioner post?

Goodell: It’s a good question, and I have to tell you it’s really how people treat you differently. You’re of a different status, and that’s difficult for me because I feel like I’m just the same guy that was doing my job three months ago.

Roggin: On what was the process like waiting to find out if you would be the next commissioner, and how would you have felt if you weren’t selected?

Goodell: I was prepared for that. When I was sitting in the room I felt like I had done everything possible. That I had represented myself the way I wanted to be represented and put my best foot forward. If they had decided not to select me, I was prepared for that and ready to move on in life.

Tracy Simers: On have you spoken with Commissioner Tagliabue recently about Los Angeles?

Goodell: Yes, I have. I spoke with him in advance of the meeting in New Orleans. I told him where I thought we were and he understood. Again, I think you have to find a solution that works for all parties.

Simers: On how the NFL is going to play a game in Germany before a game in Los Angeles, and does that make any sense?

Goodell: I’ve heard that line before, and you’re using someone else’s line T.J., and I’m disappointed in you (laughter).

Simers: On a prediction of what year Los Angeles is going to have a franchise?

Goodell: I’ve never been on a timetable. I hope we can bring it back successfully and give all those fans something great to cheer about besides great football from USC, UCLA and a lot of high schools that play there. We want to be back in Los Angels with NFL football.

Simers: On can we be there before 2011?

Goodell: I sure hope so. I’ll work at it.
###

Broncos / Colts Game - View From The Third Deck At Invesco Field

Ever wonder what it looks like to watch a Denver Broncos game from the third deck of Invesco Field? Well, here's a video that gives you the view:

Tom Brady Shatters Vikings Pass Defense; Pats Win 31-7 - NFL.com

Brady leads Pats to 31-7 win over Vikings

NFL.com wire reports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minnesota counts itself among the many NFL franchises trying to copy the New England Patriots' plan for success. The Vikings learned on Monday night that they still have a lot of catching up to do.

Tom Brady beat Minnesota's relentless rushing defense by simply throwing over it for 372 yards and touchdowns to four different receivers, and the Patriots pounded the Vikings 31-7 to win their sixth straight regular-season road game.

New England's defense had four sacks and four interceptions, forcing Brad Johnson into a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes.

"The plan was to come out and put the ball in the air a little bit," Brady said, grinning. "The receivers made a lot of great plays, and it was a lot of fun, needless to say."

Still firing well into the fourth quarter, Brady didn't let up -- going 29-of-43 to beat a defense that had been pretty decent against the pass, too.

New England (6-1) more than doubled Minnesota's average of allowing 15.8 points per game, setting the tone for an easy victory with an opening drive on which Brady completed all six of his throws for 94 yards.

"Whatever holes we had in the coverage, he found it," Vikings safety Darren Sharper said.

Johnson was no match for the unflappable, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Picked off three times, Johnson was 20-of-33 for 185 yards and forced to watch from the sideline for the final 12 minutes when backup Brooks Bollinger went in.

"The turnovers played into that," Vikings coach Brad Childress said, when asked about the switch. "It's important you have respect for the football."

Minnesota's only score was a 71-yard punt return by Mewelde Moore in the third quarter, but Patriots rookie Laurence Maroney -- playing in the stadium where he became a college star -- answered that with a 74-yard kickoff return.

New England now has a big matchup, at least for November, at home against Indianapolis (7-0) on Sunday.

"We're happy to win," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, "but it doesn't get any easier. We have a tough challenge coming up this week against the Colts."

The Vikings (4-3) proved they weren't in their opponent's class just yet. Playing their first Monday night home game in five years, they were consistently outschemed and outworked. The jazzed-up crowd of 63,819 lost the buzz by halftime.

"You come into this environment, and you see the fans leaving midway through the fourth quarter," said Brady, who hasn't lost in 10 NFL games indoors.

Well, he's usually pretty good wherever he plays. Save for an up-for-grabs pass up the sideline that Sharper snagged for a one-handed interception as he fell down in the first quarter, Brady was brilliant.

The last time he was here, Brady was leading Michigan to a win over the University of Minnesota in 1998. And, boy, it sure looked like Brady was facing those defenseless Gophers again -- not a Vikings team that had held every prior opponent to 19 points or less and entered the game ranked seventh in the league in total yards allowed.

First-year defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin has helped create a dominant unit, but his charges were embarrassed on each of New England's three first-half scoring drives.

A frighteningly easy opening march ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Reche Caldwell. The Patriots drove 93 yards in eight plays to get a 23-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski in the second quarter. And just before halftime, they moved 74 yards in 11 plays to take a 17-0 lead on a 9-yard scoring toss to tight end Benjamin Watson.

Dillon and Maroney came into the game, combined, with nearly 700 yards rushing, but their impact was minimal except for Maroney's momentous kickoff return.

No, it was all Brady in this one, slinging his usual darts all over the field to 10 different receivers. He started the game in the shotgun, with an empty backfield, and lined up in that five-wide set several times throughout the first half. Ten of New England's first 11 plays were passes.

Minnesota just couldn't keep up.


Tom Brady enjoyed his best game of the season with 372 yards and four touchdown passes.
Childress has built the Vikings into a run-first, low-risk outfit that relies on a sound defense and a take-what-it-can-get offense to succeed. One problem with that is they're not made for big rallies.

Their largest deficit to date was 17-3 against Detroit, and they overcame that with a 23-point fourth quarter three weeks ago. But after Troy Brown's 7-yard touchdown catch, set up by Maroney's return, Minnesota was down 24-7. On the next possession, Troy Williamson dropped a should-be touchdown on a long pass up the sideline when he failed to adjust to the ball as it arrived.

The Vikings, then, were out of opportunities. After a career-best 169 yards last week at Seattle, Chester Taylor was bottled up -- gaining only 22 yards on 10 carries. He suffered a shoulder stinger in the third quarter and was a non-factor the entire night.

Brady gave rookie Chad Jackson his chance to score late in the third, a 10-yard completion that Jackson deftly converted by virtually crawling into the end zone to keep from falling down.

Mike Vrabel intercepted Johnson on the next possession, and when Minnesota had the ball again Bollinger was behind center. New England then provided the punctuation to a near-perfect night, forcing a three-and-out with three straight sacks.

"It's probably one of the most embarrassing games I've been a part of," Johnson said.

49er Look Terrible - Chicago Bears 41 Niners 10 - NFL.com

Bears pound Niners 41-10, improve to 7-0

NFL.com wire reports

CHICAGO (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Brian Urlacher 's one-handed interception was headed to the highlight reel as soon as he tumbled to the ground after somehow batting the ball to himself.

Urlacher's stellar play symbolized what kind of afternoon it was for the refreshed and still unbeaten Chicago Bears -- and how frustrating the day was for the San Francisco 49ers.

Wearing bright orange uniforms and showing their speed on defense and special teams, the Bears overwhelmed the 49ers from the outset. They jumped to a 24-0 first-quarter lead and 41-0 halftime cushion before coasting to a 41-10 victory.

At 7-0, Chicago is off to its best start since the 1985 Super Bowl champions won their first 12 games.

"It was amazing. Twenty-four points in the first quarter? That's pretty impressive, especially in this league. It doesn't happen a lot," said Rex Grossman, who rebounded from his poorest performance to throw three TD passes.

Urlacher's acrobatic interception, in which he batted Alex Smith 's pass and then caught it with one hand as he was being knocked down by the 49ers Justin Smiley, was one of four turnovers the Bears generated in the first half. All four led to touchdowns.

Urlacher's play came on the heels of a national sports magazine survey of NFL players in which he was rated the second-most overrated player to Terrell Owens.

Asked if he had any reaction to the poll, last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year said: "No, I don't. Watch the film. I don't know what people are saying. All I can do is go out there and play hard and try to help my team win."

Grossman rebounded from a four-interception, two-fumble performance in a narrow 24-23 win at Arizona before a bye week to complete 23 of 29 passes for 252 yards against the 49ers' woeful pass defense.


Thomas Jones and the dominant Bears proved to be too much for the hapless Niners to handle.
"I'm just glad I went out and did what the coaches asked me to do, respond from having a poor game and learn from some of the mistakes I made and continue to get better," Grossman said.

The 24 first-quarter points set a franchise record for the opening period and the 41 in the first half tied a mark set in 1948 against Washington.

"At halftime you just think to yourself, 'How did it get out of control so fast?"' said 49ers defensive lineman Bryant Young. "It happened so fast we were just trying to find a way to get it resolved. ... We have to give ourselves a chance."

San Francisco averted a shutout in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Joe Nedney and a 16-yard TD pass from Smith to Antonio Bryant.

Six plays after Urlacher's interception, Grossman's 5-yard TD pass to Muhsin Muhammad made it 17-0 and the Bears were on their way.

How good are they?

"No one expects us to do what we do. No one wants to give us any credit," Urlacher said. "Everyone wants to say they didn't play well. There's a reason they didn't play well."

Smith was stripped of the ball in the 49ers' next series, and Tommie Harris picked it up and ran to San Francisco's 13. That set up a 1-yard TD by Cedric Benson and a 24-0 lead with a minute to go in the opening quarter.

"Hopefully I will never have to deal with a halftime coming in 41-0 like that," Smith said. "We talked about it all week. This is a team that feeds off turnovers, a team that strives off turnovers."

The Bears had such a comfortable lead they went on fourth down from the San Francisco 1 early in the second quarter. Grossman lofted a TD pass to Desmond Clark.

After the Bears took an early 3-0 lead, the 49ers Maurice Hicks fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Cameron Worrell recovered at the 15, leading to a 7-yard TD run by Thomas Jones.

San Francisco entered giving up 32 points a game, but the defense wasn't to fault early on because turnovers allowed the Bears to work from short fields. Drives started at the 15, 41 and 13, and they turned all three into touchdowns to take the big opening-quarter lead.

The 49ers coughed up the ball a fourth time late in the half when Bryant caught a pass and fumbled, with Ricky Manning Jr. recovering.

Instead of running out the clock, the Bears capitalized again. Grossman's 27-yard TD pass to a wide-open Clark with 10 seconds left, which completed a quick four-play, 70-yard drive in just 62 seconds.

Bill Parcells Bounced Back: Dallas Cowboys Beat Carolina Panthers 35 - 14 - NFL.com

Romo, Dallas stun Carolina with big rally

NFL.com wire reports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Tony Romo found a way to put a smile back on Bill Parcells' face.

Romo rallied the Cowboys from a 14-point first-quarter deficit, passing for 270 yards and a touchdown, and Julius Jones ran for 94 yards and a score to help the Cowboys beat the Carolina Panthers 35-14. The Cowboys set a team record with 25 fourth-quarter points.

"He's a guy who's been miserable all week," said receiver Terrell Owens, Romo's top target with nine catches for 107 yards. "I asked him coming off the field on Friday, I asked him how it was going and he said he doesn't like to get his butt kicked. As a team, we're tired of losing; we know we have a decent team. We just have to go out and play like it."

Romo, starting in place of the benched Drew Bledsoe, showed poise in slowly leading the Cowboys (4-3) back, using a variety of short passes to different receivers.

Early in the fourth quarter, facing a third-and-12 from the Carolina 21, Romo sidestepped pressure and fired a 16-yard pass to Jason Witten. But the drive stalled when Romo misfired to Witten in the end zone on third down, and Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 24-yard field goal to cut the Panthers' lead to 14-13.

On the ensuing kickoff, Sam Hurd ripped the ball from Brad Hoover and recovered the fumble at the Carolina 14. On the next play, Jones ran untouched up the middle for the touchdown. The Cowboys added the 2-point conversion when Romo faked a draw and threw a pass to Owens to make it 21-14.

"It's been tough, you never know, the change that we made at quarterback," Romo said. "You never know what you're going to get ... with a new starter who is untested. I was anxious just like Bill was to see what we were going to do out their tonight."

Owens was impressed by Romo's poise.

"Tony gives us a different change of pace," Owens said. "He gets the ball out quick and he gave us some chances. Everybody came up with some big plays today. Jason Witten played tremendous over the middle."

Dallas sealed the win when Roy Williams intercepted Jake Delhomme's throw on Carolina's possession after Jones' touchdown. Delhomme lost another fumble with under 2 minutes to go, Carolina's third turnover in the fourth quarter.

"This is about as poor of a performance in the fourth quarter that I have been associated with," coach John Fox said. "I apologize for all the people who paid for tickets."

Marion Barber had touchdown runs of 3 and 14 yards late as Parcells won a game after trailing by 14 points in the first quarter for only the second time in his career. The victory justified his decision to sit Bledsoe and end his streak of 70 consecutive starts. Bledsoe paced the sideline for most of the game, wearing a visor and occasionally glancing down at the play chart on his wrist, while applauding Romo's performance.

"Drew actually came up to me before the game (and) said he was rooting for me," Romo said. "Drew's a really, really class act. He's a very pleasant guy, and I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Drew."


After one start, Tony Romo seems to have won the admiration of Terrell Owens AND Bill Parcells.
Romo completed 24 of 36 passes and had one interception, which led to Steve Smith's 24-yard touchdown run that made it 14-0 in the second quarter.

But the Panthers (4-4) were plagued by mistakes as they blew a double-digit lead for the second successive week. Instead of Romo struggling in his first NFL start, it was Delhomme, making his 62nd consecutive start, who had problems. He was 17-for-31 for 149 yards and an interception.

Smith, Michael Gaines, DeShaun Foster and Keyshawn Johnson all dropped passes. Johnson's might have been a touchdown in the third quarter, spoiling his first game against Dallas since he was released in a salary-cap move so the Cowboys could sign Owens.

"It's a team game. We all didn't get it done. We need to get better," Delhomme said.

Smith was angered when asked about his two drops, and his fumble of a punt return as the Panthers' once promising season has taken a turn for the worse.

"Just keep keeping your stats," Smith said. The Panthers were even plagued by a coaching miscue. Fox called a timeout late in the first half that wiped out Richard Marshall's blocked field goal. Given a second chance, Vanderjagt kicked a 38-yarder to make it 14-10 at halftime.

"Hopefully with the bye coming, that will give us a chance to get healthy and maybe find some guys who can finish games," Fox said.

Foster rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown for Carolina, which lost starting cornerback Ken Lucas to a groin injury in the first quarter, forcing rookie Richard Marshall to alternate coverage on Owens and Terry Glenn.

In a season filled with controversy, Parcells left the field with a grin.

"We haven't been having a lot of fun around here. They're having fun right now," Parcells said. "That's the thing that I enjoy the most -- when I see the faces of those players."

Vince Young Wins Again - Tennessee Titans 28, Houston Texans 22 - NFL.com

Young, Titans get better of Texans

NFL.com wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Vince Young danced on the grass, tossing his cap to cheering fans as he made his final exit from the Tennessee Titans' field.

David Carr spent most of the second half grabbing the neck of his jersey, angry at being benched for committing too many turnovers.

At least Young left some people in Houston happy: Young finally admitted he was glad to beat his hometown team after he ran for a touchdown and threw for another, and the Tennessee Titans won consecutive games for the first time since the end of the 2003 season by beating the Texans 28-22 Sunday.

"It means something to me, my family and all the fans back home in Houston, but at the same time, it meant the most here," Young said with a smile. "The Tennessee Titans wanted to get another victory coming off the bye."

The Titans had gone 39 games before putting together consecutive victories.

"It is certainly nice to get back-to-back wins now," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "Of course, our goal now is to go out and get the next one."

The Texans (2-5) lost their 11th straight road game, wasting backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels' three TD passes in the final 17 minutes. His last pulled them within 28-22 with 1:54 left, and the Texans tried an onside kick.

But Bobby Wade jumped up and grabbed the ball, allowing the Titans (2-5) to run out the clock.

That left Houston coach Gary Kubiak unhappy and Carr apologizing for his performance.

"I preached to this football team the step we have to take as a football team, we have to be able to go on the road, protect the football and play solid football ... We had too many bad things happen to us on the road," Kubiak said.

Kubiak said Carr will start again next week at the New York Giants.

"I'm going to demand whoever plays that position protect the ball. That's what I told David," Kubiak said.


Vince Young put on a good show against his hometown team.
The Texans passed up Young, the hometown favorite, because they had Carr and used the top pick in the draft on defensive end Mario Williams. Carr had justified the choice so far, completing an NFL-high 70.3 percent of his passes.

But the Titans harassed Carr into his worst performance this season, sacking him four times and forcing him into three of Houston's five turnovers. Kubiak pulled Carr midway through the third quarter and replaced him with Rosenfels.

"It wasn't my best effort," said Carr, who called his benching the hardest thing he's had to deal with.

Houston came in having won two of its last three. The Texans outgained Tennessee 427-197 on offense and held the ball for more than 36 minutes. It wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes.

On Rosenfels' second play, his pass to league-leading receiver Andre Johnson's hands to Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones for his first career interception, which he returned to the Houston 24.

Young found Wade three plays later for a 20-yard TD pass and a 21-3 lead. The No. 3 pick overall in the draft ran for 44 yards and was 7-of-15 for 87 yards passing.

Jones, cited Saturday for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting on a woman in a nightclub, also returned a punt 52 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter against a unit that had been the NFL's stingiest on punt coverage.

Fisher said Jones still faces team punishment and may miss a game once the coach investigates further.

Tennessee defensive lineman Kyle Vanden Bosch, who sacked and stripped Carr of the ball just before halftime, said the Titans felt they had Carr rattled after Tony Brown picked up the ball and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

"We were back there in the backfield all day today," Vanden Bosch said.

Atlanta Falcons 29-27 Over Cincinnati Bengals - NFL.com

Vick tosses another win, 29-27 over Cincy

NFL.com wire reports

CINCINNATI (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Michael Vick has found a balance. His passer rating is just as impressive as his 40-yard dash these days.

Vick threw three more touchdown passes, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 29-27 victory over a Cincinnati Bengals team that had never seen anything quite like the show he put on.

Few teams have.

The mercurial quarterback has led the Falcons (5-2) to consecutive wins over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers and the defending AFC North champion Bengals by throwing the ball. Vick has thrown seven touchdown passes in the last two games, proving his point.

"I feel I just need the opportunity to throw the ball," said Vick, whose passer rating of 140.6 was the second highest of his career. "Just give me the chance to do it. I've felt like all along, this is what I could do."

No matter what they did, the Bengals (4-3) were helpless to run him down or shut him down.

Many of the Bengals' defenders had never faced Vick, who put on quite a show in his first career visit to Cincinnati. He went 20 of 28 for 291 yards and left would-be tacklers scattered all over the field while running for another 55 yards.

Seen enough, Bengals?

"He's a heck of a player," defensive end Bryan Robinson said. "When your goal is to keep him in the pocket and you do that and he still makes the play, that's frustrating."

In the last two games, Vick has gone 38 of 58 for 523 yards with those seven touchdowns and two interceptions, which translates into a passer rating of 119.5. Previously, Vick had never thrown more than four touchdowns in any two-game span of his career.

"He's leading like a champion," said tight end Alge Crumpler, who has caught four of those seven touchdowns. "He never points fingers at anybody in this locker room and is constantly encouraging everybody."


Michael Vick accounted for 346 total yards and three more passing touchdowns.
He was so good that Carson Palmer, last year's NFL leader in touchdown passes, and Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson were reduced to a sideshow.

Palmer made it close, throwing a 55-yard touchdown pass to Chris Henry that cut it to 29-27 with 3:41 to go. But Vick helped the Falcons run the clock down to 19 seconds before a punt pinned the Bengals at their 17-yard line.

Palmer fumbled while being sacked, ending one of his better performances of the season on a downcast note. Palmer was 24 of 36 for 266 yards in his failed quest to keep up with Vick.

"He's like nobody else in our league -- a Reggie Bush-type player," Palmer said. "He's exciting and fun to watch. He's one of the few guys you pay to go watch play."

The main event was supposed to be the matchup of Johnson and cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who had kept up a stream of trash talk since they met at the Pro Bowl last February. Eight months of dissing culminated in one last face-to-face exchange before the first play.

The Falcons took the bait.

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Hall threw Johnson to the ground emphatically on the first play, and safety Chris Crocker drew a late-hit penalty for knocking down Johnson again when he got up.

Johnson was under the Falcons' skin. Now, he had to get into the end zone.

He'd promised at least two touchdowns. He got one midway through the first quarter, taking a quick throw from Palmer and putting a move on Jason Webster to shake free for a 14-6 lead and his second touchdown of the season.

Johnson finished with six catches for a team-high 78 yards -- numbers that failed to back up the prolonged brag.

"Their game plan was to just throw away from me," Hall said. "For the most part, it was a relatively quiet day for him."

After the game, Johnson had nothing but good wishes and good words for Hall.

"It was a lot of fun," Johnson said. "I enjoyed it. It's not every day you get to play against one of the best in the NFL."

Vick let the Falcons get the final word.

In one say-it-all play, Vick eluded the rush, rolled left, pulled up and lobbed a 26-yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins in the third quarter. His 8-yard pass to fullback Justin Griffith put the Falcons ahead to stay at 26-20 -- a bad snap scuttled the extra point -- and showed that teams can't worry exclusively about his speed anymore.

"He's just getting comfortable," Hall said. "He's coming into his own."

Baltimore Ravens Over New Orleans Saints 35-22 - NFL.com

Ravens flex their muscle in 35-22 victory

NFL.com wire reports

NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Blasted off his feet as he threw, Steve McNair lay on his back for a moment, then propped up his head, grinning after another first-down pass.

In his return from a concussion and strained neck two weeks ago, McNair never shied away from contact, throwing accurately in the face of penetrating defenders or scrambling for key first downs.

By the time the New Orleans Saints figured out how to slow him down, McNair had run for one touchdown and thrown for two more as the Baltimore Ravens snapped a two-game losing streak with a 35-22 victory.

"Feeling confident and having the will to go out there and execute" is what McNair said about getting off to a fast start. "Our offense has been struggling and today was a good day."

The Ravens' defense was dominant as well, accounting for two touchdowns on a pair of 12-yard interception returns by Louisiana natives Ronnie Prude and Dawan Landry. They also knocked Reggie Bush out of the game in the fourth quarter. Bush went to the locker room favoring his left ankle, but later said he did not expect to miss a game.

Baltimore (5-2) became the first team to beat the Saints in the Louisiana Superdome this season and made it look easy, despite coach Brian Billick only recently taking over the play-calling after firing offensive coordinator Jim Fassel following the Ravens' last game two weeks ago.

"I particularly like the play calls of the two interceptions for touchdowns," Billick joked. "Today was players knowing what it is they needed to do, having worked it properly in practice."

Still, the play-calling wasn't bad, and several Saints said the Ravens surprised them by how often and when they threw.

The Ravens used crisp play-action fakes out of running formations to pass for several key first downs and took a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard quarterback draw.


Rookie Dawan Landry celebrates his second-ever INT and his first-ever touchdown.
McNair gave Baltimore a 14-0 lead on a quick third-down slant to Clarence Moore early in the second quarter. He finished 17 of 23 for 159 yards, which was more than enough with Ravens running back Jamal Lewis gaining 109 yards on 31 carries.

"He is running hard and physical and that's the style running game we're going to have," Billick said. "It's great to get him cranked up."

Even when McNair made a mistake that should have resulted in an interception, it worked out for a score. Late in the first half, his pass for tight end Todd Heap was underthrown and linebacker Scott Fujita was set to intercept it. But cornerback Jason Craft got a finger on it, tipping it over Fujita and straight to Heap, resulting in a 28-7 lead for the Ravens at halftime.

"It was a combination of them kind of beating our butt a little bit and us not getting any breaks," Fujita said.

New Orleans (5-2) kept fighting, but the deficit was far too large against Baltimore's hard-hitting defense.

Drew Brees was intercepted three times, twice on deflections, and sacked twice. Ray Lewis, who made six tackles, also thwarted the Saints' first decent scoring chance when he intercepted Bush's halfback pass intended for Marques Colston in the end zone. That was the second turnover for Bush, who fumbled at the Saints 43 when he was hit by blitzing safety Gerome Sapp as he took a handoff on the Saints' opening drive.

"When you make mistakes on your end of the field, they result in points for the opponent," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "In this case, if you look at the turnovers, that's what happened. It's not any magic formula. It went against everything we've been trying to accomplish and we've just got to go back and make the corrections."

Brees finished 24 of 45 for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Joe Horn became the Saints' all-time leader in touchdown catches when he hauled in a 32-yard scoring pass in the second quarter, passing Eric Martin. His 49th touchdown catch as a Saint made it 21-7, but New Orleans wouldn't get any closer. Rookie Colston had touchdown catches of 47 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter and has six TDs this season.

The Saints could not run the ball, however, finishing with only 35 yards on 14 carries.

The Baltimore secondary, meanwhile, did not miss an opportunity to punish the Saints for making mistakes.

Landry's touchdown on the first of his two interceptions made the score 35-7 about midway through the third quarter, prompting an initial flow of disappointed fans to the exits. His second interception early in the fourth quarter all but cleared out the place.

Video: NFL Coaching Meltdowns: Herman Edwards, Mike Ditka, Jim Mora, Dennis Green, Jim Fassel

In this video we see some classic meltdowns by NFL coaches Herman Edwards, Mike Ditka, Jim Mora, Dennis Green, and Jim Fassel after losing games, and including the most recent tirade given by Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green.

Wonder Woman: Joss Whedon May Be Rewriting The Script For The Movie

Wow, it's been since May that Wonder Woman Director Josh Whedon's finished the script for the Wonder Woman movie that he and Matrix enabler Joel Silver want to produce, and there's still no star selected.

My feeling is that he's rewriting it, and still has not created something that meets Warner Brother's standards. Why do I write this? Because Whedon reports that he was to meet Warner execs around August 29th, and now it's October. Late October. So it's logical to assume that he's got some rewriting to do.

I also still get the impression that he's not real into the job. He seems to be mailing it in at this point, and with too many other projects to occupy his time and passion.

I hope Warner Bros shapes up this ship.

Oakland Raiders Shock Pittsburgh Steelers 20 to 13; Win Two In A Row - NFL.com

Raiders KO defending champs 20-13

NFL.com wire reports

OAKLAND, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2006) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers might have been better off if Big Ben sat out this game.

Chris Carr returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, Nnamdi Asomugha also took back an interception by Ben Roethlisberger for a score and the Oakland Raiders mounted a late goal-line stand to hold on for a 20-13 victory over Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger, playing a week after being knocked out with a concussion against Atlanta, struggled from the start against the Raiders (2-5). He threw interceptions on two of Pittsburgh's first three possessions and then twice again in the fourth quarter when the Steelers (2-5) were driving for a potential tying score.

Oakland won back-to-back games for the first time since last October and handed the defending Super Bowl champions their fifth loss in six games.

Pittsburgh still had a chance after the two late interceptions, getting a first-and-goal at the 1 trailing 20-13 with about three minutes left.

But Robert Thomas stuffed Willie Parker on first-and-goal and hit Najeh Davenport for a 4-yard loss on second down. After a false start by Davenport put the ball at the 10, Roethlisberger completed a 7-yard pass to Hines Ward.

On fourth down, Kirk Morrison broke up Roethlisberger's pass to Santonio Holmes in the end zone.

After the Steelers forced a punt, Pittsburgh had one last-ditch chance. Roethlisberger completed a 49-yard pass to Nate Washington down to the Oakland 4 on the final play.

The Steelers had their chances in this one.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Morrison made a leaping interception on a pass from Roethlisberger to Ward on fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 36.

Trailing 13-6, Pittsburgh drove to the Oakland 7 before Roethlisberger threw a pass over the middle that Carr stepped in front of at the goal line and raced the length of the field for the score that made it 20-6.

Oakland's pass defense lived up to its No. 1 ranking, which had been achieved in large part because the Raiders trailed so often early in the season opponents didn't need to pass.

But along with the four interceptions, Oakland also sacked Roethlisberger five times and allowed Pittsburgh's receivers little room to operate until after the Raiders went up 20-6. Willie Parker caught a 25-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger on the next drive.

Roethlisberger finished 25-for-37 for 301 yards, but most of the damage came after Pittsburgh fell behind 20-6.

The Steelers did their best impression of the Raiders by committing four turnovers and four personal fouls. Pittsburgh is in danger of being unable to defend their title in the playoffs, falling three games behind Baltimore in the AFC North.

The 2006 debut of last year's leading receiver Jerry Porter did little to help Oakland's anemic offense. The Raiders managed just 98 yards, giving up six sacks and failing to score on offensive touchdown as they once again struggled to block a blitzing opponent.

Porter, inactive the first four games and suspended the last two as part of a long-running feud with coach Art Shell, came in on Oakland's first play of the second quarter. He caught a 19-yard pass in the final minute of the half to set up Sebastian Janikowski's 19-yard field goal that made it 10-6 at the break.

Oakland's other score in the half came on Asomugha's 24-yard interception return.

Oakland's leading rusher LaMont Jordan played sparingly with a sore back and Justin Fargas led the rushing attack with 55 yards on 18 carries.

Indy Colts Beat Denver Broncos 34-31; Remain Undefeated At 7-0

Manning, Wayne help Colts escape Denver

NFL.com wire reports

DENVER (Oct. 29, 2006) -- Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne picked, poked and plowed their way through a Denver defense that was designed specifically to stop them.

Manning passed for 345 yards and three touchdowns - all to Wayne - and Adam Vinatieri kicked a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds left Sunday to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 34-31 victory over the baffled Broncos.

Wayne finished with 10 catches for 138 yards and did most of his damage against defensive back Darrent Williams. Williams was Denver's first pick of the 2005 draft, a defense-heavy class that was part of an ongoing effort by the Broncos (5-2) to shore things up after those embarrassing playoff debacles in Indy in 2003 and '04.

It looked as though things were coming together very nicely; Denver came in comparing favorably to the best defenses of all time, having allowed only 44 points through six games.

Then came Manning & Co., who gained 437 yards to become the first team to start 7-0 in consecutive seasons since the 1929-31 Green Bay Packers did it three straight times.

Manning went 32-for-39 for 345 yards with a passer rating of 129.2. He wasn't intercepted, wasn't sacked, was barely touched, in fact.

His counterpart, the much-maligned Jake Plummer, did a wonderful job matching Manning, leading a Denver offense that hadn't scored 20 points all season. Plummer went 13-for-21 for 174 yards and a passer rating of 104.1. Rookie running back Mike Bell came off the bench for 136 yards and two scores.

But this was one of those games where the team that has the ball last was going to win.

Wayne's third touchdown gave Indy a 31-28 lead with 3:35 left. But when Bell answered immediately with a 48-yard run, the Broncos stalled at the Colts 30 with 1:49 to go and had to settle for a tying field goal. It then became clear this would be Indy's game to win.

Manning did it cruelly and efficiently, working the sidelines and finding every soft spot in the zone defense the Broncos used, and surprisingly stuck with, even as Indy's yardage piled up.

The two big plays were Manning to Wayne for 14 yards and Manning to Wayne for 9 more - both catches made in front of Williams, who all week acknowledged this game was something of a referendum on his presence in Denver.

Vinatieri, brought to Indy to make kicks exactly like this one, nailed the 37-yarder to finish a 4-for-4 day and help the Colts finish a perfect second half - they scored each of the five times they touched the ball after halftime. Denver's desperation kickoff return went nowhere and the Broncos saw their 13-game, regular-season home winning streak ended.

Indy, meanwhile, re-established itself as the team to beat in the AFC, taking a two-game lead in the win column over Denver and all the closest contenders with the season nearing the halfway point.

Joseph Addai ran for 93 yards for Indy and Dallas Clark, the tight end who has long been tough for Denver to cover, finished with six catches for 68 yards, as Manning spread his 32 pass completions to seven receivers.

Pat Summerall's Calling 49ers v. Bears Game Today

I'm watching the Niners v. Bears game on Fox and to my surpise, am hearing a voice that for a long time I associated with the Dallas Cowboys and John Madden: Pat Summerall.

According to Wikipedia, Summerall retired in 2002, and after Super Bowl XXXVI, but was drawn back in this year.

It's really cool to have him back in the face of American Culture.

ESPN's Michael Irvin Take High Road On Tiki Barber's Comments

Last week, New York Giants Running Back Tiki Barber responded to Michael Irvin's assertion that Tiki Barber's a quitter by calling him an "idiot" on his radio show.

Given the chance to talk back on national television, the energetic Irvin took the high road, stating that his views were just that.

I say, good for Michael Irvin for, in one swoop of his tongue, effectively ending an unfortunate and immature feud.

Jerry Porter To Play For Oakland Raiders Today - Finally - ESPN

If this is true, it's about time, and too bad that The Raiders let the whole matter with Jerry Porter grow to such immature proportions.

Report: Reinstated Raiders WR Porter to play
Associated Press

Jerry Porter reportedly will see his first on-field action Sunday for the Oakland Raiders.

An unnamed person close to the wide receiver told The Contra-Costa Times that Porter would play against the Steelers. The person told the newspaper that Porter worked with the first-team offense upon his reinstatement from suspension.

Porter was reinstated by the Raiders on Wednesday after the NFL and the players association agreed to cut his four-game suspension in half.

Porter was suspended Oct. 15 for insubordination a day after being kicked out of practice by coach Art Shell. The NFL Players Association appealed the suspension the following week, calling it "excessive."

Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, union executive director Gene Upshaw and Harold Henderson, the NFL's executive vice president for labor relations, can agree to settle the grievance without a hearing.

Porter, Oakland's leading receiver a year ago, had been inactive the first four games before the suspension. Shell said he planned to talk to the receiver when he returned to the team but would not commit to using him in a game for the first time this season.

Shell and Porter clashed almost immediately after the coach was hired in February over Porter's offseason workout plans. Porter made public a trade demand at the start of training camp and was inactive for the four games before the suspension.

Porter had been working with the scout team in practice before being kicked out after an argument with the coach Oct. 14.

The Porter situation had led to some grumbling by players unhappy that one of the team's best players wasn't being used. Oakland struggled offensively without Porter, losing its first five games before finally breaking through with a 22-9 victory last week against Arizona.

Porter, in the second year of a five-year contract worth $20 million, was docked about $115,000 in pay for the two-game suspension.

Porter led the Raiders with 76 catches last season and had 942 yards receiving and five touchdown receptions in 2005.

Porter, a second-round pick out of West Virginia in 2000, has 239 catches for 3,215 yards and 24 touchdowns in six seasons with the Raiders. He has never reached 1,000 yards receiving in a season, missing the mark narrowly last season and with 998 yards in 2004.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

Michael J. Fox Talks To CBS' Katie Couric

I saw this and was both moved and discomforted at the same time. I pray that Michael J. Fox gets over this terrible problem if it's possible to do so. I thought Katie Couric did a fine job with this.

NFL 2006 - Year Of The Ticket Broker

The National Football League has proudly issued press releases annoucing the number of weeks where each team has sold out its home game, including some organizations that have been habitually non-sellout examples, like the Oakland Raiders.

In the case of the Raiders, this is the second year since their return that they've had more sellout games than non-sellout games, and they've had the worst record in the NFL until last Sunday. Why so many sellouts? It's not because people want to see the NFL's supposedly worst team, it's the secondary ticket market.

The rise of online ticket sales has changed the landscape of sellouts in the NFL. When this season started, RazorGator, an online ticket brokerage, came through and purchased the majority of Eagles seats, leaving none for public sale. Well, that's not quite fair, they were available publically, just through RazorGator. Some of the best seats went for over a grand. And the Eagles weren't the only NFL team bitten by the secondary ticket market.

While RazorGator's a brokerage, with StubHub.com, an online ticket market, everyone can be a ticket broker, charging whatever price, high or low. For example, one can get tickets to Sunday's Raiders / Steelers game for just $28. Yes, it's a nose-bleed seat, but it's below face value. But the simple fact that I can get such a ticket for cheap is a new development. It means that ticket prices are actually coming down.

Why?

Well, my theory on this is two fold-- at least for StubHub users -- that sellers are not all professional scalpers and really want to get rid of tickets, but for those who are pros, they may have an inventory they just want to dump. The result in either case is cheap tickets.

In fact, the tickets on Stubhub.com are generally lower than those sold on Craiglist, and safer, too. People using Craiglist have to meet the seller in person -- unless your lucky enough to find a post that links to a Stubhub-related website -- and risk being robbed by the seller or buyer. A problem that has worsened this year.

Still, one can get tickets to any NFL game. But when you go to a sold out game, and see sets of seats empty, you can both thank and blame the ticket broker who could not sell out his or her inventory. But their purchase of the tickets guarantees the rest of us will see NFL games on TV.