Blogs

Jeff Hoffman

Sunday Surveillance

November 17, 2008 9:45am CST

Kissing Your Sister
I'm sure many will agree with me on this, but aren't ties the most disappointing finish to any sporting event? Sitting through nearly four hours of football just to see the game end in a draw is such a letdown. Apparently giving two professional football teams one entire quarter to come up with one point was too much to ask on Sunday, as the Eagles and Bengals finished in a 13-13 draw, a feat not seen in the NFL since '02. Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh made the best of the five quarters he was given, as he hooked up with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick a dozen times for 149 yards and one touchdown. Evidently Housh really enjoys playing against the NFC East, as all four of his touchdowns this season have come against that division's opponents (Giants-1, Cowboys-2 and Eagles-1). Can someone please tell me why Carson Palmer still insists on playing this season? Just go on IR already guy...your team's season is long over.


Gas Up The Caddy
In Sunday's victory over the Minnesota Vikings, starting running back Earnest Graham, who was questionable with a knee injury heading into the game, was forced to the sideline with an ankle injury. Graham was injured on the Bucs' first drive of the game and carried the ball only one time for three yards. In Graham's absence, veteran tailback Warrick Dunn stepped up and did his best (20 attempts, 53 yards) against the solid Vikings defense. Carnell Williams, who was activated from the PUP list early last week, was inactive for Sunday's game, but he could see his role increase greatly, pending the severity of Graham's injury.


Ryan Grant ran for 145 yards against a tough Bears defense.
Finally Worth $20M
For a guy who demanded a ridiculous amount of money based on a handful of productive games, Packers running back Ryan Grant really hasn't proven his worth so far this season. Against a Bears defense that held the Tennessee tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White to 22 rushing yards in Week 10, Grant was finally able to break out and ran for 145 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. Even though he managed to find the end zone for the second straight week, Grant has only three rushing touchdowns on the year and has broken the century mark in rushing yards only twice in '08. Let's hope that Grant continues his pattern from last season and comes out blazing the rest of November and through December.


Three's A Crowd
Over the past several seasons, fantasy owners have come to expect poor numbers from running backs when facing the Ravens defense...and for good reason. In a game that showed just how damaging the Giants' rushing attack truly is, three Giants rushers (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward) combined for 210 yards against Baltimore. On just 11 rushing attempts, Brandon Jacobs tumbled for 73 yards and made two trips to paydirt. Jacobs was limited in the second half with an apparent knee injury and will undergo a precautionary MRI on Monday. For a guy who scored only four times last season, Jacobs has excelled in '08 and has tallied five touchdowns the last three games. Just imagine what Jacobs' numbers would look like if Bradshaw and Ward weren't' around stealing carries.


Bogerald, Fitzoldin Pretty Good
Who would have imagined that in Week 11 of this 2008 fantasy season, owners would be scrambling and hoping to own a piece of the Arizona Cardinals offense. Arguably the leagues best one-two receiving combo, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, were in full stride on Sunday and together toasted the Seahawks defense for 337 yards on 24 receptions. Despite missing a couple games (jaw, face), Boldin has still managed to hook up with quarterback Kurt Warner 62 times for 792 yards and 10 touchdowns. Boldin has been the most consistent receiver in the league thus far, thanks in large to the play of Warner. Against Seattle on Sunday, Warner completed 32-of-44 passes for 395 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Warner and the Cards passing game might have a hard time finding success next week against the G-men, though.


Addai Very Much Alive
Between the Colts inconsistency on offense and nagging injuries, running back Joesph Addai has been a big disappoint through 10 weeks. In Sunday's throw-down against the Texans, Addai finally had a breakout game and played a huge role in all aspects of the offense. On 22 rushing attempts, Addai scampered for 105 yards and one touchdown and hauled in four receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Harrison, who led all Colts receivers on Sunday, connected with Peyton Manning nine times for 77 yards and one touchdown. On a side note, Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton had the best game of his career, as he rushed for 156 yards and one touchdown on 14 attempts. I think it might be time for Ahman Green to start filling out those retirement papers.


Praise The Football Lords
Thank heavens Tony Romo is back under center for America's team! Watching Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger try to play a grown man's game was very sad and painful. Even though Romo looked a little rusty in Sunday night's game against the Redskins, there's no doubt that a rusty Romo far exceeds a healthy Bollinger. Romo finished the game 19-for-27 for 198 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. While Romo was working off the rust in the passing game, running back Marion Barber continued to dominate and finished the game with 153 total yards and one touchdown. Now that Jerry Jones has guaranteed that the 'Boys will make the playoffs, I sure hope Romo can stay healthy...for Jerry's sake, of course. I would hate to see the reputation of an overzealous, billionaire owner tarnished (insert chuckle).

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