NFL Weekend Match Ups

Here is what to watch this weekend:

• New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts: The rivalry is renewed this week as QBs Tom Brady and Payton Manning face off. This year, the Pats have the momentum while the Colts are plagued with injuries. However, Payton is sure to have some tricks up his sleeve.
• Baltimore Ravens vs. Carolina Panthers: This is sure to be a thrashing, as the Ravens face the Panthers who are starting a stay-at-home dad as their QB. Brian St. Pierre the new QB for Carolina was at home last week taking care of his kids prior to being signed. Not sure navigating carpool will prepare him to read a defense.
• NY Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles: This is the game of the week with the NFC East top spot on the line. Michael Vick is coming off a superhuman week that he is unlikely to ever repeat, despite the numerous injuries on the Giants lineup. Eli better step it up and earn that $90 million plus.

Let me know on Monday what games you caught a glimpse of...

Vick's Redemption

I got some slack the last couple days for choosing not to highlight this week's Monday Night Football match up between rivals Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. Interestingly, the complaints came from Skins fans who wanted more attention for their team that has finally shown a bit of spark after years of disappointing performances. Well, maybe I should have previewed the MNF game, but not for the sake of Skins fans, because it was Eagles quarterback Michael Vick that came alive and dominated the field.

Vick scored a record SIX touchdowns in the game leading the Eagles to a 58-29 victory. He is the first quarterback to score four passing touchdowns, two rushing (running) touchdowns, and have at least 300 yards passing and 50 yards rushing in one game. Moreover, Vick still has not turned over the ball all season! The Eagles are now tied with the NY Giants for first place in the division and the two will face off next weekend.

What is even more ridiculous about Vick's performance last night, is that it followed the news of the Redskins signing their quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who used to be the Eagles star QB, to a five year $78 million deal (with $40 million guaranteed)! McNabb previously got benched, threw three interceptions, and embarrassingly lost, but clearly he is the real winner with the money rolling his way. Some say Vick got redemption last night for his dog fighting days, but ultimately it will come down to a new multi-million dollar contract for him to feel back on top.

What you Missed this Weekend

Since I'm sure you were out enjoying the first taste of fall this weekend, here is a brief rundown of the major sports highlights from the weekend:

MLB:

Roy Oswalt led the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 to tie up the series against the San Francisco Giants. Oswalt not only struck out eight batters but he also raced around the bases to score a run. Philly fans had lots to cheer about Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles beat out the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Vick's old team, earlier in the day.

NFL:

Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to his team with a win after being suspended due to some female indiscretions in the offseason.

The Dallas Cowboys, America's team, hit rock bottom by losing to the Minnesota Vikings yesterday. The Cowboys who were a Superbowl favorite have squandered all of their talent with penalties. There is little sympathy for the C'boys who continue to make the same penalties week after week - yes the players are at fault, but shouldn't the coaches do some better parenting too?

NCAA Football:

Wisconsin badgered the formerly No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, allowing Oklahoma to take the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings. Boise State is still hanging around at No. 3 in the rankings, but its championship bowl series chances are not looking good.

Hope for Dog Fighting Felons

Our favorite convict, dog fighting felon Michael Vick, got his first NFL start yesterday with the Philadelphia Eagles after getting out of the slammer. Vick led the Eagles to victory against the Detroit Lions completing 21 of 34 passes with two touchdowns and 37 rushing yards. Despite the win and solid starting preformance, Vick will relinquish his starting spot to first string quarterback Kevin Kolb next week who will be returning from an injury. That being said, it won't take much for Kolb to be back on the bench, since coach Andy Reid sure would be comfortable with Vick in the pocket.

I guess there is hope for all dog fighters out there....Maybe guys who shoot themselves have a comeback chance after all too? Hopefully, we will see Plaxico Burress back in blue real soon - we all know that the Giants sure do need him.

We Hate Lebron

Think you are popular? Well, the Q Scores reveal who takes "most popular" and who, well, doesn't.

In this year's rankings of athletes, Lebron James saw his rating take a huge hit. It is true, we the public, hate him. He abandoned his home in Cleveland to stack a team in Miami. He lacked all loyalty and "The Decision" just hurt his PR image. Truth is, we all love a winner, so if Lebron can lead Miami to a championships then his Q score will surely rise again.

Lebron James shared the athletes hate 'em category with Tiger Woods, Michael Vick, Terrell Ownes, Chad Ochocinco, and Kobe Bryant.

NFL Week 1 Recap

Here is what you need to know about NFL week 1. And read up, because it will be the talk of the week going into week 2. (Yes, the next 6 months will be consumed with NFL news week to week.)

• Upsets Galore Set the Tone for the new Season: First, the glitz and glamour Dallas Cowboys fell to old rival Washington Redskins. The 'Skins defense looked tough and put the C'boys in their place. The Seattle Seahawks tore apart the San Francisco 49ers who were projected to win their division. (I guess Pete Carroll, the Seahawks' new coach, escaped his violations at USC for bigger and better things.) Lastly of note, the Kansas City Chiefs took down QB Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers last night in MNF. The heavy rain that beat down during the game seemed to make the Chargers slip all over the field, while the Chiefs got faster and used their speed to pull out the win.
• Peyton Manning and his Indianapolis Colts fell to the Houston Texans. Not an upset, because the Texans are actually really really good this year, but notable, because Peyton always knows how to take his team to a win and this is the first time he has lost to the Texans.
• The Detroit Lions almost had a win against the not-so-good-looking Chicago Bears, but a last minute touchdown was taken back due to a rule technicality. Maybe a bad rule, but the Lions violated it and therefore lost the game. Yet, the upside is that they looked pretty decent and may actually win some games this season, despite losing their star quarterback to an injury that may last a few weeks.
• Michael Vick, yes that dog fighting machine, is back in the mix. After the Philadelphia Eagles starting QB, Kevin Kolb, suffered a concussion in the game, Vick took over. Despite the loss, Vick looked solid and may just have regained a starting spot.
• Hard Knocks for the NY Jets: The Jets probably enjoyed the Hollywood scene a bit too much during preseason, because their offense was just not up to speed yesterday in their loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Maybe the hard knocks the Ravens defense gave to Jets QB Mark Sanchez, are just what he needs to get his game back.