BerniesElbow

wow

After 5 minutes and pile of players fighting for the ball, how can they telll who had it? lol

Colts.

If you blitz Peyton Manning, he's good. If you dont blitz him, he's better.

I expect the Saints to come up with all kinds of new looks defensively to disguise the coverage as well as they can. Lots of shifting and moving around. If Drew Brees gets in a rhythym with his receivers, they can be hard to stop. But can they score enough points to keep up with the Colts?

For the Colts let Manning do his job. I said it before and I'll say it again: Peyton Manning is a witch. Overall best QB in the game, IMO.

Defensively, All-Everything Defensive End Dwight Freeney is rumored as having torn ligaments in his right ankle. There is even some speculation as to whether or not he will play. Personally, I think the only way he DOESNT play is if his leg is cut off.

I see a high-scoring game with the Colts winning.

41-31 Colts

Interesting.

I dont think theres any doubt about the level of talent on their roster, so the question is who is responsible?

Is it the players for not caring enough or the coaches for not making them care?

And I agree with Harry Carson, that friendly chit-chat stuff between players on opposing teams during the game makes my blood boil.

I always approached any sports I participated in as I'll be your friend AFTER the game and shake your hand, but during the game I want to kill you.

THIS is "Rick-rolled"

Basically, you get an e-mail message sent to you stating something outrageous, like "Surveillance footage of The Spice Skanks running nude laps around Buckingham Palace"

"Holy cow! I gotta see THAT!" And this is what you get:

Congratulations, you've just been "Rick-rolled"!

Tell your friends! :wink:

Put a body on a body.

At the start, take someone off the bench to give their top man a good shot. Take the card and let them know you're here to play and not gonna lay down.

Win, lose or draw they will know they played AV.

I'm trying to find the game on the American TV listings, no luck so far.

ESPN2 is carrying a different game tommorrow morning.

Crapchester United is goin down, baby!

The (NFL) Browns beat the Steelers last night for the first time in a million years, so thats an omen.

I'm a fringe soccer fan and admittedly know very little about European football, but as a former athlete I can say that on any given day, anything can happen. How bad do they want it?

Shock the world baby, shock the world!

Nothing more danerous than a man who has nothing to lose.

Manure is gonna get "Rick-rolled"!

Browns could definitely use a veteran receiver, and I'm surprised they werent mentioned seeing how they cut their roster to 53 not 54.

Are you paying attention Mangini...?

Having a little get together here at my friends place. On Friday, he bought a 52-inch LCD flat screen Toshiba.

HERE WE GO CARDINALS HERE WE GO!!!

And you'd be getting on the bandwagon at a new starting point since the Browns have a new Coach, Coaching Staff and General Manager.

Its going be kinda slow in the NFL after the Super Bowl until Free Agency starts. Then you have the College Draft and Training Camps and before you know it, its September.

I had to vote for the Hilljacks, but I want the Cardinals to win.

At this point in the Browns season, the writing is pretty much on the wall for Romeo Crennel. Which do you feel is the most likely scenario to happen for next year.

Oh now I REALLY hope they lose! What an idiot.

The '72 Dolphins played a weak schedule.

Undefeated Patriots=Greatest team ever? Nah, top five MAYBE. IMO

...should there be an asterisk in the record books?

Tape runs out on Patriots; Dungy calls incident 'sad'

ESPN.com news services

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When he stands on an NFL sideline for 16 Sundays and a few more each year, Bill Belichick is an undisputed master, with a single-minded and cerebral approach that helped him win three Super Bowls during what might still be a Hall of Fame career.

It's everywhere else that he's had trouble.

The New England Patriots coach tried again Friday to move on from the sideline spying scandal in which he was fined $500,000 and ordered to forfeit a top draft choice -- the latest misstep in a year of distractions for the coach who preaches about avoiding them.

"It's over, and we're moving on," Belichick said. "Right now, all of my energy and focus and attention is on the San Diego Chargers and our game Sunday night. So, that's where we're at."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Thursday night that he would fine Belichick the maximum amount and dock the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick next year (or a lesser pick if the Patriots miss the playoffs). It was the biggest fine ever for a coach -- it represents 12 percent of Belichick's scheduled 2007 salary, which is believed to be $4.2 million -- and would be the first time in NFL history a first-round draft pick has been confiscated as a penalty.

In doing so, Goodell branded the Patriots as cheaters.

Belichick did say that video assistant Matt Estrella, whose camera was confiscated while he was on the Jets' sideline, will not be on the sideline for Sunday night's game. Estrella will not be punished, the NFL said.

"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field," the commissioner wrote in a letter to the team.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued a statement Friday.

"I believe that Coach Belichick always tries to do what is best for the team and he is always accountable for his decisions,'' Kraft said. "He has been a very important part of what our organization has accomplished over the last seven years. In this case, one of his decisions has resulted in a severe penalty for our franchise. He has paid a heavy price and so has our organization. He has apologized for his actions. I accept his apology and look forward to working with him as we move forward."

Belichick was peppered with questions on the scandal again Friday. But this time he seemed bemused by the repeated attempts to get him to expand on his earlier statement in which he accepted "full responsibility for the actions" that led to the punishment.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "It already happened. So right now, we're focusing in on what's in front of us, and that's the Chargers."

For Belichick, it is what it was.

Others weren't ready to put it in the past.

"Really, a sad day for the NFL," Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said after practice Friday. "It's another case of the 99 percent good things that are happening being overshadowed by 1 percent bad. Again, people aren't talking about our product, they're talking about a negative incident."

It's been that way all year for Belichick.

His marriage broke up after he was named as the other man in a New Jersey divorce that set the gossip columns atwitter. Former linebacker Ted Johnson accused Belichick of overruling the doctors and sending him back onto the field too soon after a concussion.

And that's not to mention the loss to the Colts in the AFC championship, a game in which the Patriots had a 15-point lead at halftime. The Colts went on to beat the overmatched Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, a victory that could have given Belichick his fourth NFL title in six years.

"All I know is there better not be an asterisk by any of the Super Bowls I was with them," said Christian Fauria, a tight end on the 2003 and 2004 title teams, who is now with the Carolina Panthers. "I better call my wife and tell her to put [my rings] in a safe."

The Patriots locker room was busy Friday with players at the dominoes table or shooting baskets with balls made of athletic tape. Fullback Heath Evans joked about taking up a collection to pay Belichick's fine, but turned serious when asked whether the scandal would tarnish the team's accomplishments.

"This organization's success speaks for itself," Evans said. "I view Bill in my own way, and that's as my head coach and a man I really respect."

Most insisted that the scandal has not affected their preparation for Sunday night's game against San Diego. Some refused to discuss anything but football. "I am looking forward to playing the Chargers," quarterback Tom Brady said when offered the chance to weigh in. "But thank you for asking."

Belichick did say that video assistant Matt Estrella, whose camera was confiscated while he was on the Jets' sideline, will not be on the sideline for Sunday night's game. "We will change our procedure on that," the coach said.

Estrella will not be punished, league spokesman Greg Aiello said, adding that there is no investigation into claims that the Patriots have been doing this for years.

"Our goal is to stop this type of conduct going forward and level the playing field," Aiello said.

The Patriots have been caught spying in the past. Last November, during their 35-0 victory in Green Bay, the Packers caught Estrella shooting unauthorized video and told him to stop.

Meanwhile, in a story on Sports Illustrated's Web site Thursday, Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli said he suspected the Patriots of using a videotaper for similar tactics during their game last season. Marinelli reportedly made an in-game phone call to the press box and told his staff, "There's a camera pointed right at our defensive coach making his calls. Is that allowed?"

According to the report, a Lions employee called the league's booth and the videotaper was stopped, but not for long.

"You don't really know for sure," Marinelli was quoted as saying on the Web site. "I mean, you don't know whether he might be doing something for NFL Films or a coaches' show or whatever."

In the same story, an unnamed Lion said: "At one point, we had a good drive going against the Patriots. Mike Martz really had 'em going. They were getting fouled up, lining up wrong, we were moving the ball. Then boom, the headset from the sidelines to the coaches' booth goes out."

In a statement issued two hours after the punishment was announced Thursday, Belichick said he misinterpreted the league's rules but acknowledged that "part of my job as head coach is to ensure that our football operations are conducted in compliance of the league rules and all accepted interpretations of them."

"I accept full responsibility for the actions that led to tonight's ruling," the statement said. "Once again, I apologize to the Kraft family and every person directly or indirectly associated with the New England Patriots for the embarrassment, distraction and penalty my mistake caused. I also apologize to Patriots fans and would like to thank them for their support during the past few days and throughout my career."

But Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green was among those doubting the sincerity of Belichick's apology, comparing the coach to the megalomaniacal Marine played by Jack Nicholson in the movie "A Few Good Men."

"Belichick is sitting there, and you know he is getting peeved that he is even in there -- the audacity to bring him in and question him," Green said, laughing. "The visual I have is that eventually Belichick kind of snapped and said, 'You're darn right I [did].' "

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Hey if they're going to put an asterisk next to Barry Bonds records...

I went with the pedigree and took Manning.

No way I could a take goofball who grew up in Ohio and says he always rooted for the Squealers. Overrated frontrunner.

WE'RE#2! WE'RE#2!

Congratulations to LSU, they are the better team.

Our date with destiny awaits.

Hopefully it wont be one of those dates where we go out to dinner, the girl gets sick and I'm home by ten.

Yes, exactly. In college you dont get paid, per se, and each team can can only offer a limited number of football scholarships, i.e, if they play footbal their tuition is paid for. The rest do it for fun with hopes someday of maybe playing in the NFL. Only a very small percentage make it to the NFL.

Across the Field

-------------------------

Fight the team across the field,

Show them Ohio's here

Set the earth reverberating with a mighty cheer

Rah! Rah! Rah!

Hit them hard and see how they fall;

Never let the dirty old , stinky, nasty tigers get the ball,

Hail! Hail! The gang's all here,

So let's win that old conference now.

Buckeye Battle Cry

------------------------------

In old Ohio there's a team

That's known thru-out the land;

Eleven warriors, brave and bold,

Whose fame will ever stand.

And when the ball goes over,

Our cheers will reach the sky,

Ohio field will hear again

The Buckeye Battle Cry-

Drive! Drive on down the field,

Men of the scarlet and gray;

Don't let them thru that line,

We have to win this game today,

Come on, Ohio!

Smash through to victory.

We cheer you as you go:

Our honor defend

So we'll fight to the end for O-hi-o.

Listen, once again even if we dont win, we werent supposed to be here. Shock the world baby gonna shock the world!

In the 2008 season, Ohio State plays at USC. In 2009 the prophylactics, er, Trojans play at Columbus.

Yes, Wisconsin and Purdue were both ranked in the top 25 when they played; Illinois after they beat the Buckeyes.

This isnt professional sports but I just wanted to see what you thought about tommorow nights game

GO BUCKEYES! 8)

http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1041

I dont think it was HOF worthy, sorry Drew.