NFL 2011

[Dan Michler]

I just heard Forte is playing in the pro bowl. I think that is a really bad idea.

Forte is desperate to get paid immediately.  The Bears would be foolish to pay him.  No other team will give him the contract he wants.  There is no market for feature RB's anymore.  Passing wins games now, not running the ball.  Abuse your RB's for 2 or 3 years and then say goodbye.  Its a bitter pill to swallow for Matt Forte, but if he's smart he'll accept the franchise tag next year, get paid $7M, and not count on ever getting a big payday.

As awesome as Adrian Peterson is, he didn't win a hell of a lot of games for the Vikings last year.  I'd trade Matt Forte for a #1WR for Cutler to throw to in a heartbeat.

[Sr.]

Forte is going to the Pro Bowl to enjoy the beach with his family. Nothing more.

[Sr.]

MY IDOL
RENO, Nev. (AP)—Lawyers for Ben Roethlisberger and a woman who accused him of raping her at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino in 2008 have reached a settlement that ends her civil lawsuit against the Steelers quarterback.

Cal Dunlap, the Reno lawyer representing the woman, confirmed the settlement on Friday but declined to discuss the terms of the agreement.

"The matter has been resolved and I have no further comment," he told The Associated Press.

The Reno Gazette-Journal first reported the settlement on its website. It also dismisses claims against Harrah's employees whom the woman had accused of covering up the alleged sexual assault in Roethlisberger's penthouse suite in July 2008.

Dunlap first told Washoe District Court Judge Brent Adams in papers filed last Nov. 30 that his client wanted to have a stay lifted so the case could be dismissed because a settlement was pending.

"All parties have reached a resolution of all claims and counterclaims," he wrote.

Adams formally dismissed the case Dec. 27 but neither side had publicized it until now.

David Cornwell, Roethlisberger's lawyer, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment on Friday. His agent, Ryan Tollner, said neither he nor Roethlisberger would have any comment.

The Nevada Supreme Court had ruled against the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback's request in August to have the case moved from Reno to Carson City because it was closer to where the alleged incident had occurred at Harrah's in Stateline.

The woman was a VIP casino hostess at Harrah's when she said Roethlisberger allegedly lured her to his room under the pretense of fixing his television. Roethlisberger was in town at the time to play in a celebrity golf tournament.

Roethlisberger denied the allegations.

The original lawsuit filed in 2009 sought a minimum of $440,000 in damages from the quarterback, at least $50,000 in damages from the Harrah's officials and an unspecified amount in punitive damages.

The woman said she never filed a criminal complaint because she feared Harrah's would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired.

[pdga#7648]

Pats 31
Ravens 17


Giants 23
49ers 20

[Dan Michler]

If the Ravens were ever going to beat the Pats on the road in the playoffs, that was definitely the game. 
Brady 22/36 230 yds 0 TD 2 INT...and they win?  Weird game.  He missed a lot of open receivers from what I saw.

[pdga#7648]

it's Joe "Can't Get To The Big Game" Flacco.          how do you miss a 32 yd FG?  lol

[tacimala]

Yes, I can't believe they let Joe Flacco kick that field goal to try and tie the game!

[pdga#7648]

not what I was saying Taylor. The Ravens wont win a SB or even get to one with Flacco at QB was my point!  Baltimore has and always will be a defensive team.

[pdga#7648]

Come on Giants. don't let the cheaters win their 4th! you already beat the over rated Packers, now in 2 weeks beat the over rated coach and his team!

[airspuds]

Pro Bowl Today

Hockey All Star Game

Bulls

if you are not out disc 'n

[Dan Michler]

Anybody else watch this Peyton interview with Trey Wingo on ESPN today?  Very strange interview.  He was extremely elusive about anything relevant to his current situation and repeatedly tried to turn the conversation to how great Gatorade is.  My gut feeling is that he's frightened to death that his career might actually be over.

[pdga#7648]

didn't see the interview, but if it is over, I'm glad to have gotten to see his entire career. No one player changed any position more than he changed the QB position, IMO. All these QB's now that want to run a hurry up and change the play, are just trying to be Peyton. Only a few actually pull it off.  I will miss him on Sundays if this is it?

[Jon Brakel]

didn't see the interview, but if it is over, I'm glad to have gotten to see his entire career. No one player changed any position more than he changed the QB position, IMO. All these QB's now that want to run a hurry up and change the play, are just trying to be Peyton. Only a few actually pull it off.  I will miss him on Sundays if this is it?

No matter when he retires I think he'll be remembered as one of the greatest NFL  QBs of all time but I don't think he'll be remembered as someone who reinvented the position.

[pdga#7648]

not too many QB's have the right to change plays all the time, and it was hardly ever done in the past. now alot o the QB's are trying to do what Peyton has been doing for years. that is changing the position Jon.

[Jon Brakel]

not too many QB's have the right to change plays all the time, and it was hardly ever done in the past. now alot o the QB's are trying to do what Peyton has been doing for years. that is changing the position Jon.

I disagree.

[pdga#7648]

and you have that right, no matter how wrong you are! just sayin

[Tom McManus]

Rodgers earned 48 votes to two for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. The Packers star is the first Green Bay player honored since Brett Favre concluded a run of three straight seasons as MVP in 1997.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/02/04/aaron.rodgers.mvp.ap/index.html#ixzz1lSwtriZg

You were right Dan. Not even close.

[Dan Michler]

Those 2 must have been a couple Saints homers.  Or maybe they only saw the last 3 weeks of the regular season.  Rodgers was just completely dominant for pretty much the entire regular season, home and away.  His record for QB rating might stand for awhile.

I think Calvin Johnson and Tom Brady had pretty good arguments for why they should have been MVP runner-ups.  Brady got his team to a #1 seed while Brees had to play on Wild Card weekend.  I think you can make a pretty convincing argument that Brees had a better team around him too.

Brees  QB Rating 110.6  46TD 14 INT
Brady  QB Rating 105.6  39TD 12 INT
Calvin Johnson 1681 yds 16 TD

CJ put up the 7th most rec yards in a season all-time and the most anybody has had in 8 years.  He was doubled frequently and it just didn't matter.  I thought he really carried that team offensively through a lot of games.  Its hard to be more 'valuable' than a QB though, so I probably would have voted Brees, then Brady, then Calvin.

[Dan Michler]

I thought that was a great game last night.  Brady and Eli both played exceptionally well on the big stage.  Felt like it flew by because there were so few incompletions and very few big offensive plays to stop the clock.  Giants dominated time-of-possession, which perhaps was their gameplan to keep the Pats offense off the field.  They kept failing to put up points or convert TD's though, which I thought would come back to haunt them.  They also got lucky with a couple fumbles that happened to bounce right back to them. 

2 plays I thought cost the Pats the game. 

1. Brady's interception.  It was on 1st down and the Pats were about to enter Giants territory.  There was no reason to throw that ball up for grabs.  If he throws it away or runs for a couple yards, its 2nd down and the Giants hadn't been able to stop the Pats offense for quite some time.  Good chance they go up 2 scores right there and win the game.

2. Obviously the Welker drop.  Pretty clear the Pats were about to put the game on ice with 4 min to go if Welker makes that catch.

I understand Belichick choosing to let Bradshaw score on that last drive.  What I do not understand is the Giants telling Bradshaw to take a knee.  If you don't want to score, then why hand it off and risk a fumble?  Just have Eli take a knee after the snap.

It was 2nd down.  If they take a knee, NE burns their last timeout with 57 sec left.  They take a knee on 3rd and the clock ticks down to about 20 sec.  Kick the chip shot FG to go up 1 pt and there is about 16 sec left.  What is less likely, the Pats scoring a TD with 57 sec and 1 timeout, or scoring a FG with 16 sec and no timeouts?  I'm actually not sure on that one.  There is always the chance that the Giants squib kick out of bounds or something ridiculous and Brady only needs 1 solid completition to setup a 55 yd FG indoors, which is very makeable.  I think scoring the TD was the safest play.  And you take a botched FG out of play (which already saved NE once in this playoffs).

[Tom McManus]

I agree about being a great game.  Much more fun to watch a game like this one then some crazy shoot out with only one or two punts.

The play where Bradshaw scored was similar to what happened in Super Bowl 32 where the Packers basically let Denver score at the end of the game to get the ball back.  Didn't work out for the Packers either.

Giants running game was amazing. Hinoski, or however his name is spelled made some spectacular blocks.  All around a great game, very fun to watch when you don't have a vested interest in either team and you are just hoping for a good game.  The NFL delivered big time.