ICYMI: Ndamukong Suh Wins Appeal Will Play Sunday

Detroit Lions walking fine Ndamukong Suh somehow got his one game suspension for stepping on Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers overturned Tuesday evening.

Suh had appealed the suspension, which would have kept him out of the Lions wild-card game vs. Dallas. In his appeal he claimed his feet were "Numb from the Cold" and he couldn't tell if he was on the frozen turf in Green Bay or not. In lieu of the suspension, he will pay a $70,000 fine.

Uh...yeah.

Suh has a history of after the fact silly things like this. Yes, he made it through the 2014 season without incident but he's been fined and/or suspended several times for offenses similar to this one.

The move will help the Lions as they face the powerful Cowboys offense led by the NFL's leading rusher, DeMarco Murray on Sunday.

Black Monday: Bears Fire Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery

The house cleaning for teams that did not make the NFL Playoffs continues with the Chicago Bears cleaning house in their top management.

Head Coach Marc Trestman and General Manager Phil Emery were let got Monday morning by the underachieving Bears who finished 2014 at 5-11 with lots of tension.

Trestman finished his second season in the Windy City on a real down note as reports of internal fights among teammates and the general lack of performance by high paid QB Jay Cutler ultimately undid the team.

Like all the others, the Bears will begin the search for replacements immediately. No telling which direction the team will go....

Reports: Jim Harbaugh to Michigan is a Done Deal

((ht: csnbayarea.com))

So, it appears the Jim Harbaugh watch may already be over.

CSN Bay Area's Dave Feldman is reporting that the San Francisco 49ers head coach will be introduced at a press conference on Tuesday as the new head football coach at Michigan.

Confirmed: Harbaugh to Michigan! Press Conference Tues in Ann Arbor
— Dave Feldman (@FeldyCSN) December 28, 2014

CSN's story is RIGHT HERE

CBSSports.com had various tweets from all saying it's done RIGHT HERE

If so, that would put an end to the biggest fish potentially on the coaching carousel.

Of course Harbaugh still coaches the 49ers, who've already been eliminated from the NFC Playoffs. And the team plays their final game of the season Sunday afternoon vs. the Arizona Cardinals.

The move would mark a return to the college game for Harbaugh who was very successful at Stanford prior to taking the 49ers job. And it would also bring home the man Michigan supporters believe will be the one to revive the one-time powerhouse program that has lagged behind arch-rival Ohio State and pretty much everyone else in the Big 10 for quite a few years.

Mind you Harbaugh has not been let go by the Niners yet, though that is expected to happen Sunday night or Monday morning. By going from the NFL back to college, the Niners would not be entitled to any compensation, something they had hoped to get if he went looking for another NFL gig.

Multiple reports say the deal is official and is for close to what was reported last week. 6 years at roughly $48 million dollars which would make Harbaugh the highest paid coach in College Football. At least until the Alabama fans have a chance to boost Nick Saban's lifetime deal.

Michigan Fan Uses Matthew McConaughey Voice To Plead for Jim Harbaugh

((ht: bleacherreport.com))

Haha! By any means necessary...right?

Check out this video produced by a Michigan fan using Matthew McConaughey's voice over from the Lincoln commercials underneath photos of former Michigan grad and current San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh...

What better way to sell the program for a potential new coach right? Ha!

For those not aware, reports are circulating Harbaugh has a contract offer on the table from his alma mater. It's just a matter of waiting until til the Niners season ends in two weeks to see if he leaves.

Our guess: He will. And while Michigan is certainly trying to buy his love at $8 million a year, there's no guarantee he won't stay in the NFL...

Your video:

NFL Admits Refs Erred on Penalty for Prayer

The NFL admits that the referees in Monday nights Kansas City vs. New England game made a mistake when they penalized Chiefs DB Husain Abdullah for praying after he scored a TD on an interception return.

Abdullah and the Chiefs were penalized 15-yards for an unsportsman like conduct penalty after he slid to his knees and bowed down in the end zone for a brief Muslim prayer.

The NFL rulebook says "Players are prohibited from engaging in any celebrations or demonstrations while on the ground".

But the league also said that rule should not apply to expressions of religious freedom.

The call did not have any affect on the game, the Chiefs obliterated the hapless Patriots 41-14 in Kansas City.

Our pals at the 4-letter won't embed the highlights, so we had to search for video of said celebration. It's vertical video, but video never the less...

Here's A Way To Celebrate A Win In Seattle...

((HT: Alex Flanagan))

Seattle Seahawks corner DeShawn Shead proposed to his girlfriend after the team's 26-20 overtime win over the Denver Broncos.

Evidence below


About 30 minutes after the game he told his girlfriend, Jessica Martinez, to meet him to the field. Shead was successful in his questions and answer session and you saw all the teammates and family that were there to witness the moment.

Good deal and a way to finish the day...

Add Washington to List of NFL Teams Trying to Ban Phil Simms

Okay, so we aren't huge fans of CBS Sports lead NFL analyst Phil Simms, but he's certainly not the worst guy on TV.

But according to the ignorant masses in Denver and Washington, he's a biased fool who should be off the air. Or at least that's the impression being put out.

Denver Bronco fans started this bizarre story by organizing a change.org petition after Sunday's Broncos/Chiefs game to have Simms removed. It's gotten over 28,000 signatures.

You can look at the petition HERE

The cover says :

To CBS

CBS please ban Phil Simms from Broadcasting anymore Bronco games. We do not know why he is assigned to the Broncos games every year. It is sure and complete torture for us Bronco fans to have to listen to his biased drivel every week. Please hear us out on this, we are tired of Phil Simms in Denver.

---sigh---

It's really sad to see how many moronic NFL football fans there are in the world. This may be a sterling example of it.

Among the gems:

"Phil Simms is one of the most biased broadcasters (Cris Collins worth is the other). He is supposed to broadcast the game not throws his worthless opinions always against the Broncos."

"I don't like his face"

"Just like news, sports commentary should offer fact and unbiased opinions. If one can't keep his jaded opinions out of the game, he shouldn't be paid to do the job"

"He obviously doesn't like the Broncos. It's not the fans fault his son couldn't play"

We're guessing these dumb asses don't understand an analyst is supposed to analyze and offer his thoughts and opinions about what is happening. Of course the face is another issue.

What's worse, it's growing. The mentally inferior fans of Washington's NFL team have started their own petition.

They, or at least the group in the petition, are angry he won't use the name of the team during the broadcast. Something tons of News organizations, businesses and others have began to do because it's...oh, a racial slur....

The comments are quite funny:

"If the man can't pronounce the word "Red-----" then he needs to go"

"I feel that he is disrespectful towards my heritage for not say reds--- and trying to speak for us as native Americans"

"Redsk--- is a term of love & strength"

The petition is approaching 1,000 signatures.

Okay, now we rant....

This is perhaps one of the most idiotic things we've ever heard. Sadly, you could take a poll of fans for just about any team in the pros or even college and they'll say the announcers are biased, the refs are biased etc.

It's the same misguided, blind, foolish logic the predominates almost every political argument too. People hear what they want to hear. You read a sentence about an issue to 100 people and it's likely at least 25 of them will not interpret it the way it's intended.

The stupidest part of all this petition stuff---the reasoning. Denver fans think he hates them because they, along with a couple other teams cut his son?

Really?

Much like politics, you can take someone's statement and spin it anyway that makes it okay for you. And these days, everyone on TV is accused of being biased because they might say something that YOU don't like or agree with. Just because they say it, (a) doesn't mean it's not true and (b) is being said because they hate you.

Yeah, we know, we are perpetuating stupidity by reporting on this, but it really pisses us off. The OSG has over 60-years of combined experience in Sports Media and to this day have NEVER met a play-by-play guy or a game analyst who've had or acted on any vendetta against any team they've covered.

We challenge anyone who can prove (not offer opinion) that someone has it out for their team to come forward. **And no, Phil Simms criticizing one of your players for missing a block doesn't count***

Roger Goodell: Calls For His Head Increasing Fast (UPDATED)

((Ed Note--This was written before the breaking news late Wednesday that Law Enforcement officials tell the Associated Press they sent the NFL a copy of the video in question back in April. Source is not yet apparent, but this does not look good))

So, we can now add the National Organization for Women to the list of outside the NFL groups and writers calling for the resignation of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal.

And they make a fairly good argument quite honestly.

The group (NOW) issued a press release on their website stalking about the issues currently facing the league.

---The arrest of 49ers DT Ray McDonald who is playing while facing domestic violence charges.
---Greg Hardy of the Panthers, who is playing after being convicted of choking his ex-girlfriend and threatening to kill her
--The latest circus surrounding Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

NOW says "The only workable solution is for Roger Goodell to resign, and for his successor to appoint an independent investigator with full authority to gather factual data about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking within the NFL community and to recommend real and lasting reforms."

Read the entire release from NOW RIGHT HERE

Multiple Sports columnists in TV, Newspaper and on the web have been highly critical of the commissioner who essentially has pled innocence to knowing about the TMZ/Casino elevator tape showing Ray Race sucker punching his now wife Janay.

We won't get to the tape anymore, because the story is now what did the NFL know? And did they just pretend this issue would go away?

For their part, the NFL Owners have come out and said Goodell is safe. But how will they react the next time a big issue comes up?

Everyone brings up the line Goodell used on the New Orleans Saints last year "Ignorance of what's going on within your organization is no excuse". How does he stand now issuing the same line?

Not well. In the grand scheme of things, yeah, sure, most people are appalled about what happened with the Rice incident and they should be. And you can argue there's a segment of the population that is tired of Athletes, mostly pros, getting preferential treatment when they do something stupid. Which happens in the NFL, a lot.

But to make the argument there's an overwhelming public outcry is probably an overstatement. The guy giving up 6-months of pay for seasons tickets doesn't care as long as his team wins. And as long as the TV ratings continue skyrocketing while the revenue pot grows every year, the league won't be in a hurry to do something drastic.

That being said, to a lot of people who do pay attention to such things, they (The NFL) are running out of "Get out of Jail Free" cards. Right, wrong or otherwise, the perception is they have a crime problem and now are willing to overlook things.

At some point, maybe not today, but soon...it's going to catch up to them.

((NOTE--The Ravens, albeit a little late, admitted on Tuesday that they made a big mistake not pursuing the video harder than they did and taking Rice at his word. Again, it's late, but at least the team and owner Steve Bisciotti are willing to fess up to it. Still waiting on you NFL...))

In case you missed it, here again is the Jolly Roger defending himself by pleading ignorance on the CBS Morning show...who in a fortuitous bit of timing, just happen to start broadcasting Thursday night NFL games this week, with the now Rice-less Ravens playing.

Huh? Fox Loses Mind With Bizarre NFL Promos

Okay, while we are guessing the intent of FOX Sports's bizarre run of NFL promos lately is to see what might catch on in go viral, folks, they are just plain weird.

For some reason, the promo department decided that dressing up lead announce team Joe Buck and Troy Aikman as actors in a bad Spanish language video would be cool.

Or at least funny....

This is neither.

The only thing we could compare it with would be the god-awful creepy Burger King spots from a few years ago.

Not that FOX has to worry, bad promos or not, people will watch because after all, it's the NFL.

But in the interest of credibility, we might suggest having the top-flight talent do something just slightly more legit than this.

You can do better. All of you involved...

Here's the video in question:

Washington Post to Stop Using NFL Team's Name

((ht: washingtonpost.com))

The furor over the use of Washington's NFL Team nickname continues. And this time, while many will so...oh, okay, it's just the newspaper, nobody reads that anyway...it's not the point.

((Note--The Post's editorial board will not use the name, the Sports Department is free to do as they choose))

One of the most widely respected names in Journalism today has decided that the nickname should not be used for the simple fact that to a group of people, it's an insult.

The Washington Post and their editorial writers have decided they will not use said nickname when talking about the team.

This adds to the furor that's seen everyone from U.S Politicians, government agencies, former NFL officials and others weigh in on the subject.

Said the Post--"We don't believe that fans who are attached to the name have racist feeling or intent anymore than Mr. Snyder (Dan--the owner) does. But the fact remains: The word is insulting. You would not dream of calling anyone a (insert Washington NFL Team Name) to his or her face. You wouldn't let your son or daughter use it about a person, even in the privacy of your own home."

Read the Post's Editorial RIGHT HERE

What does it say that this action is taking place? That so many people, though not many team fans, are crying for a change?

We at OSG Sports (well, okay, me---Brother J-Dub is a fan of the team and probably won't adhere to this) wish to offer what little added heft we have to the debate.

We too will not use the name, rather we'll refer to them as Washington's NFL team or something similar.

Hopefully at some point Dan Snyder will open his eyes and realizing the marketing opportunity in front of him. That changing the name means multiple generations of fans will have the opportunity to spend money and buy team gear. That alone we'd think should be enough to prompt the change.

But Snyder, if nothing else does what he wants to do...and unfortunately it appears the "Name Change" will follow that same path....

Because we wish to present opposing arguments, here is former NFL coach and current ESPN commentator Mike Ditka stating it's "*&!#---"

Cowboys Print Playoff Tickets: Swear It's Not Motivational Ploy

((ht: dallasnews.com))

Supposedly, the reason the Dallas Cowboys sent season ticket holders playoff tickets before the season started as a way to increase ticket office efficiency.

And the team swears....that is the only reason they did it.

We aren't sure we believe it, but really they did ship out playoff tickets, including potential NFC Championship game tickets this week.

Team spokesman Rich Dalrymple told amused reporters that it cost less to print the tickets and mail them now instead of trying to rush them through at the end of the year and through the holiday's.

He also said the tickets will not be active UNLESS the team makes the playoffs. Though he didn't mention if those ticket holders were paying for said tickets.

We should also add that the Cowboys haven't made the playoffs since 2009, though they have been close. Many of us remain skeptical that printing tickets in advance will change that streak...

ICYMI: Coaching Legend Chuck Noll Passes Away

For those of us of a certain age, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll arguably may have been the best football coach who ever lived.

And if you are very young and don't know who we are talking about, you should take a few minutes and do a Google search to learn more about the man.

Noll, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, passed away Friday night of natural causes at his Pittsburgh area home. He was 82-years old.

Under his guidance, the Steel Curtain defense was born and the Steelers won 4 Super Bowls in 6 years in the mid and late 70's. Including back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975.

Guys like Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert and Mean Joe Greene, all Hall of Famers, all were developed under Noll's leadership.

Noll coached the team for 23-years and hung up the clipboard in 1991. Two years later he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

We here at OSG Sports, who are of a certain age, and who are well read in football history, bow are heads and salute Chuck Noll. An extraordinary man who did a extraordinary job and one of the few people in Sports who will always have the word "Legend" attached and in front of any mention of his name.

WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh brings us a look back at the Life and Times of a Football legend:

Wise Move: OWN PPD's Michael Sam Reality Show

((ht: cbssports.com))

Sometimes it's best to back off a bit.

On the heels of a press release announcing that the Oprah Winfrey Network was to produce a reality series following St Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam as he tries to make the team as the leagues first "Openly Gay" player, that series has been put on hold.

The network announced Friday night they shelved the series after reaction to it was a bit less positive than they were expecting.

Sam, a former SEC Defensive Player of the Year, who's exploits have now been well chronicled since announcing this winter he was gay and was going to try and play in the NFL has garnered an immense amount of publicity during the buildup to last weeks draft.

He was chosen in the 7th round by the St. Louis Rams a selection hailed by most but questioned by some who say he either should have been picked higher if he hadn't "Come Out" or that he shouldn't have been picked at all because of it.

We say he...or his advisors are at least somewhat self-aware. And that's a good thing.

After covering the NFL over the past 20-years, one thing we can say is most of the players in the league don't care about his personal life so much. They want to know essentially one thing--Can you help us win? If you can, you are good. Period.

One thing they don't want is a circus around someone who hasn't played a down, someone they don't know that well and don't know what to expect from. And "beginning" your career with a reality show is NOT a good way to get acquainted with your teammates. The impression given: You are exploiting your situation to make a buck instead of proving you belong.

Without going on and on, we fully believe that Sam will ultimately be judged by his performance on the field, despite what the "News" media says. If he can make plays and contribute, he will make the team. Period. If he's a liability, he won't.

The Rams and other teams are leery of situations like what happened with Tim Tebow. Someone who came with tons of hype...and thanks in large part to ESPN, essentially a traveling circus. NFL teams don't want that. They are willing to put up with some of it if you can perform at an exceptional level, but that's the exception, not the rule. Right, wrong or otherwise, the NFL is and always will be a "Put-Up" or "Shut-Up" league. They don't want 10-cameras following the every move of a low-round draft pick. Players won't stand for it.

If Sam makes the team and has some success, we are very happy for him. It means he put in some hard work and earned his way on the team through effort and success, not because there were cameras everywhere he went. And if he puts in that kind of effort, he should be rewarded in whatever way he, his teammates and his team sees fit.

Just our 2-cents...

The guys from ESPN's NFL Live speak well to this issue:

Report: How about 43-yard Extra Points in Football?

((ht: nfl.com))

Whoa! This suggestion would certainly change the dynamic of NFL football and probably the way kickers are thought of too.

NFL.com reporter Judy Battista says the league is tossing around the idea of moving extra point snaps back from the 2-yard line to the 25. Add on 8-yards to the holder and the 10-yard set back for the goal post and you are looking at 43-yard extra points.

Battista says the league wants to make it more of a challenge since 99.6 percent of all extra points this past season (2013) were good. And apparently while mostly accurate, from the longer range, that accuracy rate drops to 83% (40-49 yds).

Hmmm...

Read more of Battista's report on NFL.com RIGHT HERE

So...what do you think about this? Is it feasible? Does it make you nervous? Does your team have a good enough kicker that you wouldn't have to worry about it?

All good questions. And as much as kickers have a certain stereotype about them...there's also the risk of this:



But if they're good at it...the payoff for things like what happened below. And yeah, it's a pretty good payoff:

"Thursday Night Football" On CBS

[HT: NFL.com]

The NFL opened up bids for networks to partner with the NFL Network for it's created franchise "Thursday Night Football."

We have a winner.  It's CBS.

"We are very pleased to build on our outstanding partnership with the NFL by expanding our coverage to Thursday nights," Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS corp. said. "CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is. I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule."

"NFL Network built Thursday into a night for NFL fans," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our goal is to bring these games to more fans on broadcast television with unprecedented promotion and visibility for 'Thursday Night Football' on CBS."

With CBS in the mix for "Thursday Night Football" you will get more of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, CBS's #1 team will call the Thursday Night games.

Brad Nessler was solid during the games but Mike Mayock was outstanding.  Mayock needs a regular NFL gig.

CBS will produce the games however the network will only air the first eight games.  The NFL Network will air the last eight games on the season and two Saturday games leading up to the playoffs.

You won't get J.B. (James Brown) Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason or Shannon Sharpe on Thursday night.  NFL Network hosts and analyst will be used for pregame and halftime.

All we can say in the OSG HQ is "Thank God more football."

Twin Cities Wants 2018 Super Bowl

((HT: KSTP-TV))

In the light of this outdoor Roman Numeral Classic in the metroplex, the Twin Cities are chasing the idea of having the 52nd renewal in their new building...

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was surrounded by the normal amount of muckety-mucks who said that they wanted the game in the city...

There's a three-person campaign team and a five-person steering committee
Whatever those are...

Here's the presser and the initial amount of publicity the state is chasing...


The last time a game of that type was in Minneapolis-St. Paul was 1992...

SMH: Hulk Hogan With Bizarre Promo Supporting New England Patriots

((ht: sportsgrid.com))

Huh?

There was a time, a decade or 3 ago, where pro wrestler Hulk Hogan was cool, relevant and sometimes kind of interesting when he would cut a promo.

Then there's this.

Mind you, we don't hate on old professional wrestlers, Ric Flair cutting a promo to pump on the San Francisco 49ers last week was great.

But the Hulkster, well, he's kind of devolved into a bit of a parody of his former self.

Check out this 2 minute or so promo he cuts for the New England Patriots. No, it probably won't make you hate either the Hulkster, or the Patriots (ok, maybe the Patriots), but will leave you shaking your head and asking: "What the heck did he just say?"

No Tailgating, No Walking and Limited Parking at Super Bowl (No Fun For You)

((ht: espn.com))

Of course the catch with this story is you actually have to get a ticket to Super Bowl XLVIII, which, unless you are a sponsor, corporate executive, a-d level celebrity you are not likely to get.

Super Bowl committee chairman Al Kelly told ESPN.com that all the rules listed in the title will be in play. And of course that means even more limited access to America's most popular sporting event.

Kelly says only 13,000 parking spaces/passes will be available at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium and as long as you stay within the confines of your parking spaces lines, you can do whatever you want. But he also adds, they'll be looking for you.

Kelly also added that anyone looking to get dropped off (that's you celebrities) will need a pass for their limo. For everyone else, the recommendation is they take a bus.

Yes, the committee will provide buses (The Fan Express) from 9 different lots, at a charge of $51 for potential riders.

Oh, he also added nobody will be able to "Walk Up" to the stadium.

Read the entire ESPN.com story RIGHT HERE

So...before you say we are just being snarky about the whole Super Bowl experience, we aren't. Do you actually know anyone who has gotten a ticket? And if they did, was it anywhere below the highest 15 rows of said stadium?

Trust us, we've worked Super Bowl games, they are a lot less fun in person than they are on TV. Even more so these days. With the added security measures now in place for the event, it will take hours for everyone to get in.

If you have a ticket.

As much as attending a Super Bowl is on almost every fans short list, we don't recommend it. And if you do it, bring your wallet.

The general public (you and me) aren't really welcome at the game. The NFL honestly doesn't care if you go or not. Unless you are a real VIP, own a large corporation or have been on TV before. It's true...really it's true.

ClubberSpeak: The Good, Old, GBU From Week 11

((HT: Jim Lang Blog))

It's the end of Week 11 of the regular season in tackle football...

Clubber vents- as is our want...

This tweet from the NFL Network’s Kurt Warner perfectly sums up the wackiness that is the 2013 season; “This NFL is crazy! How do u figure out who is going to show up every week?? I can’t & my picks reflect that! #airandground”

He makes a great point. Consider some of the starting quarterbacks who led their respective teams to victory yesterday. Mike Glennon, Matt McGloin, Josh McCown and EJ Manuel were all winners yesterday. While Manuel is a first round pick McCown is a back-up and Glennon and McGloin were not even expected to see any playing time this year. This speaks volumes to the long held theory Coaches try to pound into their players heads; “next man up”. If you are on a NFL roster you never know when you are going to be asked to play or, in some cases, start. With that in mind let us take a look back at week 11.

The Good

The Broncos – First off the entire Broncos offensive line deserves a game ball for their performance Sunday night in their win over the Chiefs. Going into the game the Chiefs were leading the NFL in sacks. Led by Toronto’s Orlando Franklin the Broncos O-line pitched a shut-out not allowing a single sack or allowing Peyton Manning to get hit once. All that time allowed Manning to complete 24 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown as the Broncos handed the Chiefs their first loss of the year and grabbed, for the time being, the hammer in the AFC West.

Russell Wilson – Wilson is quietly having an excellent season and his performance in the Seahawks win over the Vikings was a perfect example of that. Wilson passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns as the Seahawks won their sixth straight game and improved to 10-1 on the year. Wilson’s passer rating in the win over the Vikings was a phenomenal 151.4. That was the fourth time in his last six games Wilson has posted a passer rating of 100 or better. In his last three games Wilson has been lights out, completing a remarkable 72.9 per cent of his passes. You take Wilson’s high completion percentage, their power running game and their physical defence and you get a Seahawks team that can hang with any team in the league.

Nick Foles – The Eagles took over first place in the NFC East after they beat the Redskins. The Eagles have won three straight games and Nick Foles has a passer rating over 100 in each of the three games. The most impressive stat from Foles is the fact he has yet to turn the ball over this year. While Michael Vick had three interceptions and a fumble Foles has clean sheet next to his name. Foles efficiency and ball security has allowed the Eagles to find their rhythm on offence and the rest of team is feeding off it. Is Foles Mister Right in Phialdephia? Only time will tell but with the Eagles heading into their bye week Foles is Mister Right Now. He is giving them a chance to win every week. Going into the bye week Foles has the highest passer rating in the NFL and is 10th in completion percentage.

Bobby Rainey – Because of numerous injuries the Buccaneers had to reach down way down on their depth chart to find a running back for their game against the Falcons Sunday. Well Greg Schiano made a brilliant decision by starting Bobby Rainey. The five foot, eight inch Rainey had 30 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns as the Bucs beat up Falcons. Coming to the game Rainey had run for a grand total of 79 yards on the season. Schiano was as surprised as anyone when he spoke to reporters after the game; “I don’t think anybody thinks that a guy’s going to come out and rush for, whatever he did, 163 yards. But [we are] very proud of him.”

The Bill defence – The Bills defence had four sacks and three interceptions in their win over the Jets. In 2012 the Bills had 36 sacks. After week 11 the Bills now lead the NFL with 37 sacks. On top of that the Bills are tied with Seattle with the most interceptions in the NFL with 16. Of all the things Doug Marrone did in the off-season the hiring of Mike Pettine as his defensive coordinator was one of his smartest moves. The Bills defence had 21 takeaways the entire 2012 season; through 11 games this year they have 20. Only the Chiefs have more takeaways in the AFC.

The Arizona Cardinals – Come on now, don’t laugh. The Arizona Cardinals have won three straight and are 6-4 after 10 games. That is an impressive turn-around by Bruce Arians considering the Cardinals were a 5-11 team last year. What a lot people may not realize is that the Cardinals have the third best run defence in the entire NFL. Now comes the fun part. The Cardinals next game is at home against Arians’ old team the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bad

Jim Schwartz – Lions fans have every right to be pissed off at Jim Schwartz. With the Lions holding on to a 27-23 lead the Lions were in a fourth and five situation at the Steelers 10 yard line. But instead of kicking the easy chip shot field goal Schwartz decided to go for the fake field goal. The decision resulted in disaster for the Lions as Sam Martin fumbled after taking a huge hit. 16 plays later the Steelers scored what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. So instead of all but sealing the deal on what would have been their seventh win of the year, the Lions find themselves tied with the Bears atop the NFC North with a 6-4 record. Schwartz was in a snarky mood after the game when he spoke to reporters and tried to defend his decision to go for the fake field goal.

I am quite sure Lions fans don’t want to hear what Schwartz has to say right about now.

Roughing the passer in the NFL – Week in and week out there is a growing level of frustration of what constitutes “roughing the passer” in the NFL. Take a look at this sack of Drew Brees from the 49ers Ahmad Brooks.

Brooks was nowhere near the head of Brees yet he still got called for a game changing personal foul because the officials deemed hit the ‘neck area”. Yes, the league must protect the quarterback. But what Brooks did was a good football hit; there was nothing dirty about it. But officials are so trigger happy to call roughing the passer that anything, even it is borderline, is going to get called.

RG3 – Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Robert Griffin III. But there is no defence for his end of the game interception that he threw in the Redskins loss to the Eagles. RG3 was putting together what looked to be a thrilling fourth quarter comeback. On a third and one play at the Eagles 18 yard line RG3 was under pressure. But instead of doing the safe thing RG3 lofted up a prayer off of his back foot as he was falling down. The result was the easiest interception Brandon Boykin will ever have and another Redskins loss.

The Ugly

The Houston Texans – The season from hell for the Houston Texans just keeps getting worse. Sunday they lost their eight straight game. They lost it at home to a Raiders team who were forced to start an undrafted quarterback. According to the NFL, the Raiders Matt McGloin was the first undrafted rookie quarterback to throw three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game since 1967. While McGloin was doing his thing for the Raiders, Matt Schaub was yelling at Andre Johnson on the sidelines after their failed fourth down pass attempt sealed the win for Oakland. It is getting ugly in Houston and there are few signs that it is going to get much better before the end of the year.

The Trent Williams allegations – After the Redskins loss to the Eagles Washington offensive tackle told Comcast Sportsnet that he was cussed out by a ref during the game.

As of right now these are only allegations. But Albert Breer of the NFL Network reported that the incident is under league investigation. If any of this is found to be true the NFL needs to take action against the official. It was one thing for a player and an official to speak to each other during a game but there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour.

The Monday Night game – Finally, a Monday Night game that will be worth staying up for. The 6-3 Panthers will try to extend their winning streak to six games when they host Tom Brady and the 7-2 Patriots in what should be a real slobberknocker of a game. The Panthers are number one in the NFL in total defence and they are number in scoring defence. The Panthers are also out to prove to everyone that they are indeed for real. If the win over the 49ers last week didn’t do it, a win over Brady and the Patriots tonight certainly will.

Denver Broncos Head Coach John Fox Hospitalized in N.C

Things are a little antsy for the Denver Broncos and their head coach John Fox Saturday afternoon.

That's because Fox is currently in a Charlotte, North Carolina area hospital resting comfortably. Fox was taken to the hospital while playing golf on a bye week and reportedly felt "Light Headed".

Initial reports said he may have had a heart attack, but there's been no confirmation of that. Fox, who formerly coached the Carolina Panthers, still has a home and family living in the area and was visiting on the off week.

The 58-year old head coach has been undergoing tests and there's no word if this will impact him or the Broncos when they return to work next week.