Saturday, October 30, 2010

Saints RBs Bush, Thomas to be out

Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have been ruled out for Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.


Bush

Thomas

Bush said Friday that the plan was for him to return against Pittsburgh when the week began, but after testing the recovery of his lower right leg from a fractured bone, he and trainers agreed he was not quite ready.

“It’s tough because this is such an important game for us,” Bush said. “I was still having some pain and I didn’t feel like I could be 100 percent in what I need to do on the football field.”

Bush said he might play at Carolina on Nov. 7, but he also acknowledged the wisdom of sitting out that game as well and then getting additional time to heal during the Saints’ Week 10 bye before returning in Week 11 against Seattle.

“We’re just kind of taking it week by week,” Bush said. “Obviously, if I didn’t play next week, that would give me a little more time with the bye week to come back after that. So I don’t know. There’s a lot of things up in the air.”

Bush said he started running on hard ground late last week and has been doing individual drills on the practice field in sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes.

“We’re not trying to overdo it, but still trying to push it to see where I’m at,” Bush said.

Bush has not played since breaking his fibula while recovering his muffed punt at San Francisco in Week 2.

Thomas has been out since spraining his left ankle in Week 3 and did not practice this week. He was on crutches after Thursday’s practice, saying trainers had advised him to keep weight off of his ankle after workouts and adding with apparent frustration that he had no timetable for his return.

Payton says linebacker Scott Shanle (left hamstring) and cornerback Tracy Porter (left knee) would be game-time decisions. Porter has been out since having surgery to repair his lateral meniscus in Week 5. Shanle has missed the past two games.

Cornerback Jabari Greer (left shoulder) was doubtful. Greer said that although he’s able to work at close to full speed during non-contact practices, trainers are concerned about how his shoulder would respond to heavy collision in a game.

“I’m progressing well,” said Greer, who was hurt two weeks ago at Tampa Bay. “I want to consider by self a guy that can battle through these things, but you never know until you take that first hit.”

Source: yahoo.com/sports
Author: The Associated Press

Panthers RB Williams won’t play against Rams

Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams has not made the trip to St. Louis and will miss Sunday’s game against the Rams with an injured foot.


Williams hobbled off the field in the final minute of Carolina’s win over San Francisco last weekend and hasn’t practiced since. The team has provided no update on the injury and Williams hasn’t talked to reporters.

Saturday’s decision means Jonathan Stewart will likely get the start against the Rams as the Panthers try to jump-start the league’s 23rd-ranked rushing offense.

After Williams rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season, the 2009 Pro Bowl selection has been held to 361 yards on 87 carries. Stewart has 148 yards on 50 carries.

Mike Goodson will likely be the No. 2 back Sunday.

Source: yahoo.com/sports
Author: The Associated Press

Rambling Gambler: Pick Six Week EIGHT

Ramblings and Gambling:

--------------------------------------------------
By Erik Laurinovics, for The Football ERA
--------------------------------------------------
 
 
Well, one more week of misery, down. It what is quickly threatening to be an entire season of anger, pain, and sorrow, I'm becoming numb. After seven weeks of surprising upsets and stunning meltdowns, there isn't much that shocks me anymore. The Chargers handing a live ball to the other team, the Browns beating the Saints, the Raiders dropping 59 points in three quarters... My reaction was "Oh well, that happens." That happens??!? I don't remember ever seeing this many crazy things in a given weekend, but it is quickly becoming the norm for the 2010 season. I expect my picks to be utterly wrong or to just miss based on one fluke play or bad call. It's terrible! My only hope is that this experience now somehow helps someone in the future; I do not want this suffering to go in vain! I'll continue the fight this week though, and I still believe there is plenty of time to get this season turned around.
 
Better than zero. Last week's results: -
 
 
LOSSES
 
Arizona +6 over SEATTLE: Bah. Nothing will convince me Seattle is actually good. Max Hall took a day off, and that's the risk you run betting on a rookie QB.
SAN DIEGO -2.5 over New England: I was laughing by the third San Diego fumble. I remember saying, "That's a backwards pass..." only to watch Jacob Hester stand and look at the football. What a miserably coached team they have become.
NEW ORLEANS -13.5 over Cleveland: And I quote from last week's post, "The only thing that can derail this pick is the Madden curse, and if the Saints somehow lose this game, I'm sure you'll be hearing about that." Called it. The Madden Curse is real.
DENVER -8 over Oakland: To make matters worse, McFadden was on my bench in my fantasy leagues.
Pittsburgh -3 over MIAMI: Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the rule was a fumble ruling could NOT be challenged (it becomes a "non-challengeable play") if there was no visual evidence of a clear recovery. Right? Which means it should have stood as a Steelers TD.
 
WINS
 
KANSAS CITY -9 over Jacksonville: Just one win for me, but a good one. Kansas City keeps winning games they are supposed to win.
 
2010 Overall Record: 12-28-2
 
Here are the picks for week 8. C'mon, no whammies!
 
 
NEW YORK JETS -5.5 over Green Bay
 
It's hard for me to bet against Green Bay, I admit. I was one of those people gushing about their offensive potential during the preseason, while pointing out that they also have a very good defense. At the point, however, Green Bay is looking one-dimensional. Minnesota was a nice win, but they got a pretty big present from Favre. The Jets bring a much stingier defense to the table, and I think stand a very good chance of shutting this Packer offense down. The loss of Jermichael Finley has slowed them down a bit passing, and they haven't run the ball well at all without Ryan Grant. New York brings the toughest defense that Green Bay has faced yet. With defensive injuries mounting for the Packers, the Jets will continue to establish the ground game, control the ball, and limit big plays. Mid-way through the season, the Jets are looking like the class of the AFC. Green Bay, however, has gone from looking like a Super Bowl contender to falling into the quagmire of "good" teams in the NFC. I'm looking for the Jets to keep it rolling.
 
 
ST. LOUIS -3 over Carolina
 
The 49ers can make any team look good. Carolina beating them does not mean they resemble anything close to a good team. Matt Moore did look much better than Jimmy Clausen, but the Panthers were pretty miserable in all other facets of the game. The defense allowed a 100 yard game for Gore and even made Alex Smith look good on a couple of drives. St. Louis has been very scrappy and lost a heart breaker last week, but they covered. The Rams are now 5-2 ATS; the Panthers are 2-4 ATS. Statistically, the Rams are better across the board except in passing defense. This isn't much of an issue as the Rams lean heavily on Steven Jackson in their offense. With DeAngelo Williams out, Carolina is lacking play makers, and they won't have many options other than Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart. The Rams have done a respectable job of limiting offensive mistakes considering the fact they have a rookie QB and should win if they continue to do so. Also of note, the Rams last played at home two weeks ago against San Diego, and proceeded to upset the Chargers as 8 point dogs.
 
 
OAKLAND -2.5 over Seattle
 
There are two immediate thoughts that enter my head for this pick:
1) There's NO WAY Seattle wins two in a row on the road, right? That win against Chicago should mean we've got a few road losses coming. Law of averages.
2) Oakland just score 59 points, and you don't stop betting because the team is hot.
That's what I think about it. Seattle's win in Chicago was an absolutely shocking game. They are consistently terrible on the road, and I don't think that one good performance should shake off that reputation. While it's unlikely that the Raiders will score 59 points again any time soon, there is no doubt that McFadden provides a bit of a spark to that offense. His successful return give the Raiders a great 1-2 punch and will take some pressure off Jason Campbell. Say what you will about his season so far, but he is a better quarterback than this. He delivered a solid performance last week (12/20, 204, 2, 0) and I think he can build on that. If he continues to play mistake-free football, Oakland will win some games. The Raider defense will keep them in this one. While the Raiders have a poor rush defense (28th), the Seahawks are only ranked 24th running the ball. As usual, Oakland has a great pass defense and is ranked 5th. I think the matchups in this game work really well for the Raiders. If they can at all continue the offensive momentum they built last week, they should win here.  
 
Minnesota +6 over NEW ENGLAND
 
Upset special. The stage is being set for some Brett Favre drama and heroics, but I don't think it matters. New England seemed very vulnerable to me in San Diego this past week. The Chargers literally handed them the ball, but they could not get the offense going. Brady only passed for 159 yards and the ground game generated a mere 51. Two weeks ago, it took a Ravens meltdown and Tom Brady comeback to get the job done. I still say they are going to regret the Moss trade and the offense will suffer. The Vikings have an above-average defense, rating 13th against the pass and 11th against the run. If the pass rush can get to Brady, the Patriots are in trouble. Offensively for the Vikings, I'm not too worried about the quarterback situation. While Favre is obviously the best quarterback, he's making pick sixes as often as I am. Tavaris Jackson is a downgrade, but the Vikings would likely run a more conservative offense, which make actually help them. More Adrian Peterson is never a bad thing. Consequently, I'm not concerned about who starts for Minnesota. I expect their defense to make it pretty easy on their offense, whether it's of the aggressive-interception-prone-Favre variety or the run-run-pass-Tavaris variety. Minnesota stand a great chance of winning outright, and I think keeping it within 6 will be easy.
 
 
Pittsburgh -1 over NEW ORLEANS
 
Madden Curse! Ho-ly cow! The Browns handled the Saints last week. This one wasn't a fluky upset; the Browns controlled that game. Aside from the game against Tampa two weeks ago, the New Orleans offense hasn't looked good in any game. The Pittsburgh defense, however, is looking good every game. Holding Miami to two field goals after the offense turned the ball over in its own territory won the Steelers that game. Even though Mendenhall couldn't get going, the offense manged over 300 yards passing. It takes a complete defense to shut down the Steelers, and the Saints don't have one. And even if they do manage to slow down the Steeler offense, will the Saints be able to move the ball on the Steelers? If they perform anything like last week, not likely. I don't think the Saints win this game, so I'm fine taking Pittsburgh -1. I don't see anything worse than a push here. Listen to the Saints schedule so far: Minnesota, @SF, Atlanta, Carolina, @Arizona, @TB, Cleveland. They've faced ONE team with a winning record this year. They haven't played a team anywhere near Pittsburgh's caliber and that will show on the field this week.
 
 
Houston +5.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
 
This is going to be a fun game. Offense will abound and touchdowns will fly. I don't expect much out of either defense in this contest, with Houston ranked 32nd overall and Indy at 21st. Offensively, it's fairly even as well, with Houston ranked 4th and the Colts ranked 2nd. The most significant variable to me in this game is injuries. The Colts lost several key offensive players this week. Austin Collie and Dallas Clark both had surgery and Clark is already on the IR. Addai is rumored to be out at least a couple of weeks and backup Donald Brown is questionable as well. The Colts are running out of weapons and won't have enough guns for this shootout. I'm sure the offense will still move the ball, but the Texans can really key in on Reggie Wayne this week without having to worry too much. Man coverage against Blaire White and Anthony Gonzalez does not sound nearly as frightening as man coverage against Austin Collie and Dallas Clark. Houston showed they can compete by winning their season opener at home against Indy. This will be the first week we see Peyton Manning without all of his weapons. Houston is another underdog with solid potential for an outright win this week.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Week 7 Football ERA Cumulative Results

Weekly 2010 Cumulative Football ERA Formula results are listed below with the usual cautionary disclaimer that these are NOT Power Rankings.
To analyze these results, we primarily have to look at how teams change within the Rankings rather than looking at the Rankings alone as a raw result.  Position is neither the best nor the sole criteria of analyzing the list as much as is observing change in the list (first derivative).  In other words, how teams rise and fall from week to week during the long season is more of a primary criteria for evaluating performance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



NYG 8289
SD 7364
Atl 6071
KC 5897
Bal 5178
NYJ 5163
Oak 4927
Pitt 4922
StL 4760
NO 4732
Phi 4462
Mia 4450
Tenn 4291
Ind 4070
Dall 4031
GB 3931
Sea 3563
Cinn 3404
Hou 3392
Minn 3290
NE 3251
Cleve 2714
Jax 2399
SF 2391
Chi 1990
Det 1961
Was 1326
Den 785
TB 416
Car 205
Buff -128
Arz -760


=============================

Week Seven Football ERA Composite Scores




Oak 39
Den 4
     
NYG 31
Dall 7
     
KC 29
Jax 11
     
Buff 24
Bal 15
     
Sea 23
Arz 17
     
SD 23
NE 14
     
Phi 22
Tenn 16
     
StL 22
TB 16
     
Atl 21
Cinn 16
     
Car 21
SF 16
     
Chi 21
Was 18
     
NO 20
Cleve 18
     
Minn 19
GB 19
     
Mia 18
Pitt   17

=============================

Week Seven Football ERA Game Results





Net Total
Off Total
Off Rushing
Off Drives
 Def Total
Def Rushing
Def Pressre








Oak
2494.3
1407
861
546
1087
751
336
Den
-1024.0
-350
-28
-322
-674
-751
78








NYG
1726.4
842
405
437
884
504
380
Dall
-670.3
-211
55
-266
-459
-504
44








KC
1446.4
903
627
277
543
353
191
Jax
-308.2
12
85
-73
-320
-353
33








Buff
1012.1
630
247
383
382
185
197
Bal
92.6
229
358
-129
-137
-185
48








Sea
916.8
474
199
276
442
249
194
Arz
330.59
115
292
-176
215
-249
464








SD
896.67
455
187
268
442
151
291
NE
-22.63
58
195
-137
-80
-151
71








Phi
807.67
427
257
170
381
160
221
Tenn
172.37
209
181
28
-37
-160
123








StL
774.48
354
311
44
420
101
319
TB
238.28
323
236
88
-85
-101
16








Atl
718.61
456
431
26
262
85
177
Cinn
184.73
344
113
231
-159
-85
-74








Car
711.3
469
162
308
242
-1
244
SF
227.29
113
269
-156
114
1
113








Chi
676.64
334
151
183
343
135
208
Was
382.07
157
219
-62
225
-135
360








NO
587.06
434
79
355
153
58
95
Cleve
429.73
103
342
-239
326
-58
384








Minn
512.31
479
389
91
33
-4
37
GB
475.7
378
274
104
98
4
94








Mia
436.57
208
161
48
228
26
202
Pitt
308.03
254
155
100
54
-26
80

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