For a 14-3 final score, Thursday's Steelers/Browns game was actually pretty watchable…Maybe leading the NFL in touches last season has had something to do with it, but Rashard Mendenhall just hasn't looked great running the ball this year. In fact, his 2.2 YPC after contact ranks 52nd among running backs. He'll probably reach double-digit touchdowns for the second straight season, but because he also offers next to nothing as a receiver, I can't recommend him as a top-20 pick in 2012…What a horrible fourth quarter drop by Greg Little…What's less likely to stop Ben Roethlisberger - an injury or the word "no?" Seriously, that ankle sprain looked brutal, but at this point, it should have come as no surprise he was able to shake it off and return for the second half. I love how there are still some people actually questioning whether he'll play Monday night…What a brutal hit by James Harrison on Colt McCoy. It's a joke Cleveland didn't even check him for a concussion and let him return to the game. McCoy's ensuing interception probably shouldn't be blamed on him, since he was blacked out.
Rob Gronkowski has 11 touchdowns over his past six games and at times looks unstoppable, like during his ridiculous 37-yard TD grab Sunday. If you were guaranteed his 2011 stats next year, he'd easily be the No. 1 overall pick at fantasy drafts…My wife wanted to play Doug Baldwin over BenJarvus Green-Ellis, but I told her not to. It was the difference between her losing and winning her playoff game, and she's seriously pissed. The Law Firm needs to file for bankruptcy – he's done…It was nice to see a 49-yard touchdown catch by Santana Moss, but realize it came on a trick play with WR Brandon Banks throwing to him. Moss has another favorable matchup Sunday, but he hadn't reached 8.5 yards-per-catch in a game previously since Week 6…That's three straight games Roy Helu has got 100 yards rushing, totaling 436 yards over that span. Maybe he wasn't ready for every down work earlier on like the coaches insisted, but the more likely scenario is they once again misevaluated their own talent.
This anchor doesn't exactly seem sober. Again, local news is the best.
Jake Locker sure has impressed whenever given the chance this season. The sample is tiny, and outcomes are often different when defenses have time to prepare for the opposing starter, but he's highly intriguing, exhibiting good arm strength and even better athleticism. Of course the stellar 8.7 YPA has also come with a 46.0 completion percentage, so accuracy remains his biggest issue. Still, I must say, this rookie QB class in general has performed far better than I expected…Considering upcoming schedules (and the fact they are also just plain better), the Saints are now favorites to finish as the No. 2 seed in the NFC over my beloved 49ers. I guess that means SF at least has a better chance of winning its lone home playoff game I'll go to…I'm finished trying to analyze Chris Johnson this season, but at least he chipped in as a receiver during his second game in four weeks he produced fewer than 25 rushing yards.
Gordon Ramsay tells you how to treat a lady.
Funny the biggest worry about LeSean McCoy entering the year was a possible lack of touchdowns, since he saw just six goal-line carries last season, as he currently leads the NFL with 17 scores…Brandon Marshall owners better hope Matt Moore doesn't miss any more time with his injury, because J.P. Losman will likely be a significant downgrade…While Michael Vick's injury concerns proved true in 2011, his performance while on the field has to be equally as worrisome. While his INT|PERCENT| predictably increased, it's done so markedly, and his completion|PERCENT|, TD|PERCENT| and YPA are all way down. And after rushing for nine touchdowns last season, he's recorded zero this year. Vick will likely be ranked behind Rodgers, Newton, Brady and Brees on almost all draft boards entering 2012.
This is awesome: "Pulp Fiction" in chronological order.
Michael Turner looks clearly slowed by his groin injury, so it's been a perfect time for Atlanta's passing attack to pick things up. Matt Ryan has thrown 14 touchdowns over the past six games, and not only does Julio Jones appear back to full strength if Sunday was any indication, Roddy White has racked up 28 catches for 402 yards with three scores over the past four contests as well…Choosing between DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart appears to be a weekly venture not worth guessing.
Maurice Jones-Drew has racked up a whopping 745 yards from scrimmage over the past five games. He's also scored seven touchdowns over that span, including four during the most important week yet of the fantasy season. And after gaining just 85 receiving yards over the first eight games, he's suddenly on pace to finish the year with 428, which would be his most since 2008. All while playing for one of the five worst offenses in football. Impressive stuff…Looking ahead to their schedule, it's a safe bet the Bucs finish the year on a 10-game losing streak…After having failed to score more than 20 points in a single game this season, Jacksonville scored 28 points over the final 7:36 in the second quarter alone Sunday.
Seriously, how good is Jon "Bones" Jones?!! After taking the biggest punch he has in his career Saturday night, he shook it off and delivered a blow so strong to Lyoto Machida that referee John McCarthy called the doctor to see if he was fit to continue, and while he was, Jones later ended the fight in the same round with a standing guillotine choke that made Machida unconscious – it was the first time he had ever been submitted, and he went nighty night. Jones is coming off possibly the most impressive fighting calendar year in the history of MMA, winning four fights against all top competition. Jones' only loss of his career came on a disqualification (illegal elbows) in a fight he was absolutely killing Matt Hamill. He's now going to take a much deserved respite, and fighting fans can only hope Manny Pacquiao mans up and accepts a match against Floyd Mayweather (unlikely).
Sticking with MMA, this one-armed fighter is the man.
Not only did T.J. Yates' touchdown pass with two seconds left win the game for Houston by one point Sunday, it also changed the outcome both ATS and the over/under…Tough loss for the Bengals, who could easily win their final three games this season and have finished with 11 wins…Arian Foster owners shouldn't worry too much about Sunday's performance (assuming it didn't contribute to knocking you out of your playoffs, of course), as he should bounce back in a big way in Week 15 at home against a Carolina defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
I'm a fan of "Sons Of Anarchy" in general, but I couldn't agree with Alan Sepinwall's review of this season any more.
For a game that was 21-0 nine minutes in, the Detroit/Minnesota contest was awfully close, with the former not covering and needing a stop at the 1-yard line (with the help of a face mask) during the last play of the game…Not sure why the Vikings started a clearly injured Christian Ponder in a lost season to begin with, but man is Joe Webb fast…It's pretty crazy how much a team misses Kevin Smith…There might not be a hotter receiver in the league than Percy Harvin, who's finally living up to the hype. If he proves he can be somewhat as productive once Adrian Peterson returns to the lineup, he'll enter 2012 as a top-15 fantasy WR.
Speaking of reviews, my early one for the new "Black Keys" album is positive, but I'm not sure they are capable of making bad music, so it's not exactly shocking.
The Jets outgained the Chiefs 253-4 yards at halftime Sunday. That's right, four yards. The only thing more laughable than that in Week 14 came in the same game, when the Chiefs attempted an onside kick that didn't even go four yards…I'm beginning to think Tyler Palko isn't KC's long-term answer at the quarterback position…Shonn Greene's 187 yards from scrimmage marked a career-high, and after totaling just 16 receptions over the first 29 games of his career, he's recorded nine over his past three contests, going for 96 yards. That latest development would be big news for his fantasy value if it's a sign of things to come, which isn't implausible with LaDainian Tomlinson's career winding down.
What a ridiculous backdoor cover by the Colts on literally the final play of the game. The Ravens' 7-0 record at home this season is the best in the NFL (of course, the Packers and Saints are both 6-0)…I'm not wasting any more calories talking about this dreadful Colts game, so let me talk about me recently spending Friday-Monday at a bachelor party in Reno. I'm about to turn 30, but apparently I'm already slower to recover than back in the day, as I'm still hurting. Of course, I treated my body like a sewer for a 60-hour stretch, so I have no one to blame but myself. I'm a big fan of going to a sportsbook during March Madness, but Sundays during the NFL season are pretty awesome as well.
Speaking of backdoors, I'll challenge anyone to find a better fart than this.
Seriously, how many more times can the Denver Tebows do this? Down 10 points with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter with no timeouts left? Of course the Broncos still win. No problem. As someone who had them in a parlay on the money line, I'm embarrassed for ever questioning the ultimate outcome, no matter how bleak it looked. What was Marion Barber thinking running out of bounds? Chicago definitely should have just kneeled. Game over. And then the fumble, poor Barber. What crazy clutch kicking by Matt Prater…Demayrius Thomas dropped another backbreaking pass Sunday, this one a would-be sure 55-yard touchdown early in the third quarter…Tebow has attempted just 10 passes when playing with the lead this season. He's completed three of them. That's pretty insane.
While there may be some ugly rumors Tim Tebow contributed to the end of Lindsey Vonn's marriage, I'd like to think his pious reputation is made clear by this image in which he's completely ignoring two bikini clad coeds.
After the 49ers were denied a first down that was picked up during a fake field goal attempt thanks to a "malfunction" in Arizona's stadium regarding the replay system, David Akers missed a field goal (one of five he attempted in the first half). The following play was a 60-yard TD pass by the Cardinals. That's a turn of events if I've ever seen one right there. That touchdown was actually the first San Francisco has allowed in a first half in the last seven games…The 49ers' red-zone offense is the worst in the league and has been a huge problem this season…The Cardinals are now 5-1 over their past six games, and their defense is actually a sneaky fantasy start in Week 15 at home against the Browns.
What is David Stern thinking with the handling of the Chris Paul trade situations? Especially after the recent botching during the lockout, this looks really bad, to say the least. The NBA has a lot of making up to do, that's for sure.
My friend placed a sizable bet on the Chargers/Bills over/under, which was 48 points. The total came in at 47, with not a single point coming over the game's final nine minutes. Oh, and there was also a missed extra point. That's a bad beat. Although I guess in a way he was lucky it was even close considering the Bills' offense produced three points, unless you count a pick-six the other way…Philip Rivers is now 22-2 as a starter during his career in December…Ryan Mathews had two 100-yard rushing games over his first 21 career games, and he now has three in his last three contests. He's looked really good while doing so, getting 6.6 YPC over that span. If he stays healthy over the final three games of the season (admittedly a big if), Mathews will be a top-15 pick in most fantasy drafts next year.
Halfway through the second quarter Sunday, the Packers led 31-0. That's fairly impressive…Ryan Grant entered having not scored a touchdown since 2009, but he got 8.5 YPC and hit pay dirt twice, although he wasn't likely in many fantasy lineups, even with James Starks inactive. Oakland's rush defense is apparently that bad (its 5.2 YPC allowed this season is an NFL-worst). Grant still only saw 10 carries in the blowout, so in yet another enticing matchup in Week 15 in a game Green Bay is favored by more than two touchdowns, he's a risky fantasy start…With Greg Jennings (knee) out, Jermichael Finley, Jordy Nelson and James Jones' value all increase…Carson Palmer would be on pace to throw 32 interceptions over a full season this year. That would tie for the most since the merger.
I remember being a fan of "Mr. Belvedere" as a kid, but this joke doesn't exactly pass the test of time.
The Giants/Cowboys game was easily one of the best of the year, with eight lead changes and a team coming back from a 12-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Both quarterbacks played extremely well in the shootout, and while the defenses are partially to be blamed, these two signal callers deserve far more credit. Tony Romo's ability to extend plays is amazing, and while he's been getting killed for the overthrow to Miles Austin that would have won the game late, Austin wasn't THAT wide open when a rushed Romo released the ball…And as for Eli Manning, he's officially one of the most clutch players in the NFL of my generation. He tied the NFL record with his 14th TD pass in the fourth quarter in a season Sunday night – and he still has three games left to play this year. He also once again dealt with some egregious drops…Really tough break for DeMarco Murray owners (no pun intended). He was back being productive on a per play basis with his FB Tony Fiammetta returning too. Felix Jones benefits greatly as a result…While his snaps and targets were down, I sure feel stupid for calling Laurent Robinson a risky fantasy start with Miles Austin back in the fold…Jason Pierre-Paul is just scratching the surface, and we could be looking at a future Hall of Famer. He's been that impressive…The Cowboys have lost three games when leading by 12-plus points in the fourth quarter this season – more than the franchise had previously lost in the past 50 years combined.
iPhone records granny shooting her son-in-law (NSFW).
Not surprisingly, Monday night's game was pretty terrible, although with plenty of fantasy implications still on the line, it was still worth watching for many. I get Sam Bradford was playing hurt, and he was probably the team's best option even at less than 100 percent with newly signed Kellen Clemens apparently the next best option, but man was he bad. The Rams are likely to have a top-three draft pick next year, and they have a very interesting decision to make with some extremely intriguing QB options available. I actually think they should draft one, but I doubt they do so…If you read my earlier comments, you'll know what I mean when I say Doug Baldwin is going to put me in a "slump" for the near future. "Near" might be a best-case scenario actually…Marshawn Lynch has now scored in nine straight games with a total of 10 over that span. While his season YPC mark of 4.3 is far from overwhelming, he's also eclipsed 100 yards rushing in five of his past six games and has broken 39 tackles on the year, which is tied for the third-most among running backs. His punishing style may eventually catch up to him, but at age 25, he's going to be a top-15 fantasy pick next year barring a disastrous finish. I didn't see it coming, that's for sure.