philmckracken

Shula should be wary of throwing asterisks around By Jim Litke, AP Sports Columnist Name a coach and NFL team caught cheating and then forced to give up a first-round pick, only to gain a measure of revenge by roughing up an opponent or two en route to a perfect season and a Super Bowl title. Bill Belichick's New England Patriots? How about Don Shula's 1972 Miami Dolphins? The parallels aren't exact, since that Dolphins team is already in the record book and these Patriots are only halfway through their regular-season schedule. But Shula couldn't be bothered with distinctions earlier this week when he suggested an asterisk would be appropriate if the Patriots did make it onto the same page by season's end. "The Spygate thing has diminished what they've accomplished," the retired Hall of Fame coach told the New York Daily News. "You would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They've got it." If Shula believes that, then he ought to negotiate a two-fer and paste the other asterisk next to his own undefeated team. He was still the coach of the Baltimore Colts at the end of the 1969 season, when then-Miami owner Joe Robbie approached him and signed Shula to a contract. The NFL charged the Dolphins with tampering and awarded their first-round pick to the Colts. Undaunted, Miami reached the Super Bowl in 1971, then rebounded from a loss to the Dallas Cowboys by winning the next two, including the perfect 17-0 campaign. More..... http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/20...430459247_x.htm

#1 I'll be a lot of people have never seen or heard this story #2 The patriots got caught cheating during game #1 so they likely haven't cheated since. The dolphins stole shula and got to keep him all season. Also, I am closer to being a pats hater than a pats fan.

He's not as classless as the '72 dolphins.

T.O.

Winner, Winner, bear dinner. That D started to unravel last year. They couldn't stop #1 recievers all season and their ability to stop the run lessened as the season wore on. Indy exposed that for all to see. Much of their defensive success was due to the low quality of offenses they faced and the fact that they were very healthy compared to most teams. This year they are less healthy and have a tougher schedule. Presto-worse record. The signs were there last year but their much hyped march through the nfc obscured that. Some of their off-season troubles didn't help such as losing Ron Rivera, the Tank Johnson mess, Lance Briggs' whining and car wreck and losing Thomas Jones. Nobody can say how much that kind of stuff hurts a team but it surely doesn't help. Their D is still o.k. and special teams are very good. I still maintain that they need to improve at the skill positions. Grossman/Greiese-Benson/Peterson-Berrian/Muhammed, these guys just aren't the answer. Few teams are weaker at those positions.

Who knows? If all things are equal in deciding between two players, maybe you use such information to tip you in one direction. While many people don't want too much information, I'll take whatever I can get.

—Redskins running back Clinton Portis has had some monster performances in his three games against the Bears. In 2005, he rushed 21 times for 121 yards in a 9-7 opening-day Redskins victory. A year earlier he picked up 171 yards on 36 attempts to lead a 13-10 win, and in 2003, as a Bronco, he rushed for 165 yards on 14 carries, but the Bears won 19-10. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bears/home.htm

Oh my God. I thought mercury morris was a tool, but he outdid himself. He thinks NE going 19-0 won't mean as much as his team going 17-0. Unbelievable. He obviously forgot about his team having an easier schedule than 99% of all teams since 1950. I still can't believe what I saw.

"The biggest negative on the '72 Dolphins' résumé is the strength, or lack thereof, of their schedule. While it's true that they could only play who was scheduled, it's also true that with an opponents' winning percentage of .396, the Dolphins' schedule was one of the easiest since 1950. How easy? Basically, 99 percent of the teams since 1950 had a more difficult season schedule than the 1972 Dolphins. That is a very easy schedule." http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/epstein/72dolphins.html

"The biggest negative on the '72 Dolphins' résumé is the strength, or lack thereof, of their schedule. While it's true that they could only play who was scheduled, it's also true that with an opponents' winning percentage of .396, the Dolphins' schedule was one of the easiest since 1950. How easy? Basically, 99 percent of the teams since 1950 had a more difficult season schedule than the 1972 Dolphins. That is a very easy schedule." http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/epstein/72dolphins.html

?????? The '72 dolphins are all gay.

Does this mean that the raiders have been getting screwed every year for decades? Hmmm...

It was disgusting how they trotted out that scared old fool, Shula, who sat there like a vulture waiting to pick at the remains of the patriots' dead carcass if they lost. It must have been agony for him watching the time tick off the clock while the ravens still held the lead. Espn should be ashamed.

"1. They rely too heavily on the pass" First-not a pats fan here. They do not RELY on the pass. They simply have chosen not to run much. Everyone thinks Maroney must be in the doghouse. It's quite possible that NE has been 'saving' their running game for later in the year, when games get tougher and the weather gets bad. I think that they've been 'running up the score' on teams as a sort of practice. They're using every opportunity in every game to see what works and what doesn't so that they feel confident calling anything at any time in case they really need it. Also, don't be surprised if you see them become more of a running team in the playoffs. Maroney must be the freshest 1st team rb in the league. After an entire season of pass, pass, pass, teams are adjusting to play defense against that. NE will at some point break out the big running game and really catch some team napping. I could be crazy but I really do think that the pats' style of play all season has been at least a partial set-up for springing the running game on somebody when they don't expect it.

LT should switch to this: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/release.jsp?release_id=634

This guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZhXXQ9AjF8

Early season-mid season-late season-it doesn't matter. It's a classic. It's also harmless because it's about the Lions. It can't offend you in any way. It's just good. Enjoy it.

I'm not a Lions fan and you'll probably watch it more than once too. That is an absolute masterpiece. I just hope that my 2 or 3 Lions fans friends bother to click the link I send them. Masterpiece.

I'll bet you watch it more than once.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZhXXQ9AjF8

They already have Rudi Johnson.

It makes for a lot of tough decisions. At least a good possession receiver like Hines Ward should be a safe play. He had 9 catches for 88 yards in that slop last week. Beyond Hines, it gets really tough. This probably isn't a very comforting thought but the conditions surely won't be as bad as they were last week.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said the sod at Heinz Field is in "outstanding" condition for the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and that the team will take extra precaution to prevent some of the problems that existed in Monday night's soggy debacle against the Miami Dolphins. The forecast for tomorrow night is rain turning to snow, according to the National Weather Service. The Steelers will use an extra layer of tarpaulin to cover the field, an attempt to prevent water from leaking through the seams of the existing tarp, as it did Monday night. The Steelers had the field aerated and rolled after the game against the Dolphins and have used blowers in an attempt to dry the sod. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07335/83835...m?cmpid=HBETEXT

I'll bet that none of you can eat 2 slices of plain white bread (no drinking) in one minute. It cannot be done.

Nobody posted Wali Lundy?