Preview of Week 6 2008 NFL Regular Season

Chicago Bears look to continue their winning streak when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Week 6 of 2008 NFL Regular Season.

Bears won both games and find themselves atop the NFC North at 3-2, as other players took up the fight in the Week 4 victory over the Eagles and again Sunday in rout at Detroit.

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris has missed the past two games, first with a knee injury and then because of a team suspension.

NFC South leader Atlanta Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers 27-24 in a tightly contested game. RB Michael Turner ran for 121 yards on 26 carries and scored one rushing touchdown against Green Bay. He has six rushing touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens looked energized as the two injured starters offensive tackle Adam Terry and cornerback Fabian Washington—will play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Terry sprained his right knee late in the second quarter and was replaced by Willie Anderson, a four-time Pro Bowl player while Washington sprained his right shoulder late in the third quarter and was replaced by Frank Walker.

Indianapolis Colts are trying to find some consistency in their offensive lines despite injuries and medical problems. Over the first four games of the 2008 NFL Regular Season Offensive line coach Howard Mudd has been forced to mix and match his starters on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis. In the win over Houston on Sunday, the Colts started a different offensive line combination for a third straight game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Brian Griese will sit out in Sunday’s game against Carolina Panthers and will be replaced by back up Jeff Garcia. Garcia, 38, had been the inactive third quarterback since getting benched following the Sept. 7 season opener at New Orleans. He was the backup Sunday at Denver and entered the game in the second half to lead the Bucs on a 90-yard touchdown drive. Griese and Garcia only managed to average five yards per completion.
The Carolina Panthers are ecstatic with the progress of second-year defensive end Charles Johnson, who has really elevated his game facing the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Johnson, who backs up left defensive end Tyler Brayton and plays primarily on passing downs, had one sack and was robbed of another when officials ruled one play an incompletion in Carolina’s 34-0 win over Kansas City on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals might have a new coach until Marvin Lewis step down from his throne. Lewis and his Bengals are 7-14 in their last 21 games. He also was rumored to be fired last week. Bengals 0-5 will face New York Jets 2-2 who will welcome the return of RB Jesse Chatman who practiced Monday. He has returned to the Jets after not being allowed to practice or attend team meetings during a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on steroids and related substances. Chatman is eligible to play against the Bengals and currently has replaced Smith on the roster. If Smith is reinstated by the NFL, the Jets will have to make another roster move to keep Chatman active

Dallas Cowboys 4-1 goes up against Arizona Cardinals 3-2 Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes, but the passing game was hit or miss much of the day. Romo threw for just 176 yards. He threw an interception, extending his streak to eight games. Terrell Owens only saw three passes come his way. Injured CB Terence Newman missed the Bengals game because he remains bothered by a torn groin he suffered in training camp. He might not play the game on Sunday.

Three Arizona Cardinals made their season debuts last Sunday. Nose tackle Gabe Watson played after missing the first four games while recovering from a fractured kneecap. Receiver Early Doucet was active because of the injury to Anquan Boldin. And running back J.J. Arrington was active for the first time in order to return kicks and play in the spread offense.

Winless Detroit Lions faces another tough challenge when they meet Minnesota Vikings 2-3. Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli is under fire and he is 0-4 this season and has been outscored by 81 points - the most through four games in franchise history.

Quarterback Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky left Sunday’s game at halftime because of back spasms and high ankle sprain and sore knee, respectively. Both players will be evaluated as the week progresses to determine if they can play Sunday at Minnesota.

Green Bay Packers are pitted against Seattle Seahawks in week 6 of 2008 NFL Regular Season.
Green Bay Packers 2-3, tries to regain some momentum after a loss against Atlanta on week 4. Packers will be bannered by Quarterback Aaron Rodgers who had one of his better performances this season, completing 25 of 37 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the Packers’ 27-24 loss.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Deion Branch suffered a bruised heel and is likely to miss the game against Green Bay on Sunday. On a positive note, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck should be able to practice and play this week after suffering a hyper extended knee.

Jacksonville Jaguars 2-3 are slated to play against Denver Broncos 4-1 on Sunday. Wide receiver Mike Walker, playing his first season, caught six passes for 107 yards against the Steelers. He also suffered a sprained MCL. While wide receiver Matt Jones who caught at least five passes in every game, was held to two catches for 25 yards, although one of them got a first down on the Jaguars’ final drive.

The Broncos passing game might not be completely healthy for a tough match up against Jacksonville this week. Receiver Eddie Royal and tight end Tony Scheffler both suffered injuries against Tampa Bay. Royal suffered a sprained ankle, and Scheffler injured his groin.

Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins go or back to back wins Sunday on week 6 of the 2008 NFL Regular Season. Quarterback Chad Pennington, directed a near-flawless passing attack for the second consecutive game. He used a no-huddle shotgun for large chunks of the game. He also completed 22 of 29 passes for 228 with no picks for the third straight game.

Matt Schaub will be ready to play this Sunday against Miami Dolphins after missing the game in week 5 due to a viral infection.

New England Patriots squares off San Diego Chargers. New England Patriots got back on track Sunday with a critical 30-21 win over San Francisco, two weeks after suffering a loss against Miami.

San Diego Chargers, a trendy pick to be a Super Bowl participant, are already two games behind the first-place Broncos and can’t trail by much more with a demanding slate of games awaiting: New England, at Buffalo, against the Saints in London.

OLB Jyles Tucker will be out several more weeks with a hamstring injury while Marques Harris is on back up. RB LaDainian Tomlinson’s toe injury would need three weeks to heal to get right.
Unbeaten New York Giants 4-0 is set to face the lowly Cleveland Browns.

New York Giants look to continue their winning streak to 9 after a blowout win versus Seattle Seahawks 44-6. They now go to Cleveland for a Monday night game and return home to face San Francisco, which means in the next two weeks they should be able to boost their record to 6-0. They haven’t won that many games to start a season since 1990, when they won 10 in a row.

The Browns will be a very happy team if wide receiver Donte Stallworth is finally able to play when they return from a bye for a Monday night game against the Giants.

Stallworth has not played this season due to a pulled quad injured in pre-game warm-ups prior to the opener against Dallas. That injury came from nowhere, and surprised many on the team. It kept Stallworth from even practicing for three weeks, and affected the offense significantly.

Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints will be facing each other Sunday. Tom Cable, preparing for his first game as head coach of the Raiders, thinks his team will be the better for it. Nnamdi Asomugha was limited in practice with a fractured elbow, but the hope is he will be ready to go this week and resume his role as a starter after playing on third downs against New Orleans. G Cooper Carlisle is back to nearly full strength after missing the San Diego game with an ankle injury.

Saints coach Sean Payton thought he’d ironed out his mistake-prone team’s penalty problems after they were flagged 13 times. Prior to the game, the Saints released new players to help fill in on their lengthy injury list namely third-string quarterback Joey Harrington and defensive end Josh Savage and signed two players from their practice squad—tight end Buck Ortega and defensive tackle Remi Ayodele.

Philadelphia Eagles set to battle against San Francisco 49ers.The Eagles are facing the prospect of being without running back Brian Westbrook for Sunday’s important game against the San Francisco 49ers. RB Brian Westbrook fractured two ribs in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Redskins. He hasn’t been ruled out of this week’s game against San Francisco yet. But it seems unlikely he’ll play at this point.

These are turning into anxious times for the 49ers. They have lost two consecutive games and have difficult upcoming tests against the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. One of the 49ers’ weaknesses has been its rushing defense.

Winless St. Louis Rams squares with Washington Redskins 4-1 on Sunday. After a tumultuous week that began with the firing of head coach Scott Linehan and ended with their scheduled bye week, the Rams are looking forward to a win this Sunday versus Redskins. Unfortunately, the Rams’ next three games are against Washington, Dallas and New England, teams that have a current combined record of 11-3.

Washington Redskins offense is sixth in the league after five games, the last four of which have been victories, including impressive triumphs over NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia on the road.

2008 NFL Week 4 Preview, Picks and Odds

The Arizona Cardinals meets New York Jets Sunday night to open week 4 festivities of the 2008-09 NFL Season.

Cardinals blew a chance to go 3-0 for the first time since 1974, but they didn’t seem too fret about it. If they beat the Jets, they will be 3-1 for the first time since 1985, three years before they moved to Arizona. WR Larry Fitzgerald’s 62-yard touchdown catch was the longest scoring play of his career. Fitzgerald had 109 yards receiving, the 15th time in his career that he’s passed the 100-yard mark.

For the New York, one concern would be if Brett Favre will play on Sunday after rolling his ankle during the third quarter of the Jets’ 48-29 loss at San Diego on Monday. But coach Eric Mangini said that Favre is expected to play against Arizona. Favre has started NFL-record 256 straight regular-season games. Mangini said Favre received some treatment on the ankle when the team arrived home early Tuesday morning, and the quarterback was scheduled for more later in the evening. Favre was inconsistent against the Chargers, going 30-of-42 for 271 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions, including one returned 52 yards for a score by defensive back Antonio Cromartie. He and some of his receivers appeared out of sync at times, something Favre has warned would take some time to perfect after playing in Green Bay’s offensive system for the past 16 seasons.

Pick the Cardinals to win by two touchdowns.

Tampa Bay faces another tough, NFC North opponent when the Bucs host the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium.

Bucs believe they can grab some momentum from their 27-24 overtime win over the Chicago Bears Sunday. The victory improved the Bucs to 2-1 and left them in a three-way logjam atop the NFC South with Carolina and Atlanta while New Orleans is 1-2. Griese, who threw three interceptions in the Bucs’ 27-24 overtime win over the Bears, attempted a club record 67-passes Sunday, completing 38 for 407 yards and two touchdowns in his second straight start.

For the Green Bay Packers, they look to bounce back after suffering a 27-16 defeat to the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Green Bay’s season average against the run swelled to 151 yards per game. Head coach Mike McCarthy announced Monday that No. 3 halfback Kregg Lumpkin suffered a strained hamstring in the Packers’ 27-16 setback to Dallas on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

Pick Tampa to win by 10.

Tennessee Titans look to make it four in a row with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans/Oilers franchise has never been 4-0 in its 49-year history. The Titans are aiming to fill that power void as one of four unbeaten teams in the conference so far, say it is far too early to begin checking the standings or scoreboard watching.

Vikings Gus Frerotte got a positive feedback from coach Brad Childress after the veteran quarterback made his first start of the season. Frerotte, who replaced second-year starter Tarvaris Jackson after the Vikings fell to 0-2, completed 16 of 28 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Vikings’ 20-10 victory over Carolina at the Metrodome.
Titans to route the Vikings early in the first half.

Two winless teams – Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns slug it out on Sunday and would like to earn their first taste of victory in 2008 NFL Season.

Coach Marvin Lewis pleased with the improvement in the pass offense, despite the six sacks. Carson Palmer was 27-for-39 passing for 286 yards and his first touchdown of the season. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught the touchdown and 11 other passes for 146 yards.

“We still have to work it and make sure we’re being exact and give (Palmer) the opportunity to deliver the ball where he thinks it ought to be delivered and make sure we’re always in the right spots with everyone,” Lewis said.

The question still continues on quarterback Derek Anderson who had his third consecutive poor game in Cleveland’s 28-10 loss to Baltimore, throwing for 125 yards with three interceptions. Anderson completed 14-of-37 passes, and now has completed just 46 percent of his throws, with two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Coach Romeo Crennel said he would evaluate every position on the team in an effort to save the Browns’ season.

Jacksonville Jaguars showed everyone they can and avoided a 0-3 start. Can they make it two in a row against the Houston Texans Sunday? Another question for them is whether they can duplicate their 236-yard effort on other teams besides the Colts. Or even get 150 yards after they got a total of 131 while losing their first two games. The questions will be answered versus Texans, who will solely rely on Mario Williams plays in the backfield. Houston will need to keep up the defensive momentum to have a fighting chance against the Jags.

Atlanta Falcons will depend on the performance of quarterback Matt Ryan when they face the Carolina Panthers. Ryan stepped up in the pocket and launched a pass 57 yards in the air to a streaking Roddy White, who scored on a 70-yard touchdown. Ryan tossed a 62-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins in the season opener against Detroit after setting up the play with Turner’s runs. Look for the Panthers to win this game against the rebuilding Falcons.

Denver Broncos tries to make it four in a row against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. Coch Mike Shanahan is unlikely to change from the three-headed running back approach that he has used in the first three games. Selvin Young starts but rotates every five plays with Andre Hall. Michael Pittman has been effective near the goal line and in short-yardage situations. Denver has averaged 4.8 yards per carry so far this year. Kansas City Chiefs wants to end their woeful season with a win. They must regroup and make things happen if they want to snap their 12 game losing streak dating back to last season.

The Saints are having a tough season so far and they will be playing home against the San Francisco 49ers, which 49ers were equally bad on offense and defense. But with their 31-13 victory over Detroit Lions on Sunday at Candlestick Park, the 49ers find themselves around the top third of the league in both offense and defense. Good news for the Saints is that Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie played in his first regular-season game since Dec. 23, 2007 in Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Broncos.

San Diego Chargers have started to look better each week and this time they will face the struggling Oakland Raiders. Chargers finally played up to their lofty expectations by dismantling the Jets, 48-29. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers added another solid performance to what has been a terrific start to the season. He was 19-for-25 passing for 250 yards and three touchdowns Monday and is the NFL’s leader in TD passes. Rivers has nine, while Denver’s Jay Cutler (eight) and Arizona’s Kurt Warner (six) follow behind. Pick the Chargers to win over the Oakland Raiders.
Unbeaten Buffalo Bills (3-0) takes on the winless St. Louis Rams (0-3) Sunday. Trent Edwards is a having a career start. He has only 12 NFL starts to his credit, but he already has three fourth-quarter comeback victories. His first came against Washington last year, and now he has back-to-back wins against Jacksonville and Oakland. In beating the Raiders he set new career highs for attempts (39), completions (24) and yards passing (279) and was particularly sharp in the fourth quarter when he went 13 of 18 for 177 yards which resulted in 17 points. On the other hand, Rams’ owner Chip Rosenbloom said changes would be made if the poor performances continued. Going back to the final three games of the 2007 season, the Rams have now allowed 33, 41, 48, 38, 41 and 37 points in six consecutive losses and been outscored, 238-86.

Pick the Bills to have an easy win over the Rams.

The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants are the teams in the NFC to beat. The Washington Redskins might be able to hang around with them for a quarter or two, but eventually the Cowboys will pull away in this NFC East match up. WR Antwaan Randle El has 14 catches and 149 yards, putting him on pace to surpass the career-high 51 and 728 yards he set last season.

The Chicago Bears gave away the game last weekend. While the Philadelphia Eagles, beat a very tough Pittsburgh team. The Eagles have looked good even when they’ve lost this year, and this week Kyle Orton will be having nightmares about defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and his exotic blitzes. WR Hank Baskett had a career-high eight catches against the Steelers. Baskett was in the game for 41 of 64 offensive snaps, the most of any of the team’s wideouts, including rookie DeSean Jackson.

Baltimore Ravens' defense looks like it’s back while the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense hasn’t gone anywhere, so look for this game to go down to the wire. This is going to be a good old-fashioned grind-it-out football game. Two very good running teams even without Willie Parker who are also two of the best in the league at stuffing the run. Big Ben is going to have to make a play with his arm to win this game in the fourth quarter. Good news for Ravens strong safety Dawan Landry is expected to return this season after sustaining a spinal cord concussion in Sunday's 28-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Tom Brady suffers season-ending injury

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will likely be out of action at least six to nine months after suffering a season-ending knee injury in week of the 2008-09 NFL Regular Season, according to orthopedic surgeons, but the good news is that quarterbacks typically return to pre-injury form more quickly than other athletes.

The Patriots announced yesterday that Tom Brady will miss the rest of the season because of the the injury to his left knee. Coach Bill Belichick declined to release any further information about the injury, but Brady is believed to have torn his anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, because of the angle of the tackle and the amount of time the team said he would miss.

The ACL is a fibrous band of tissue that runs from the thigh bone to the shin bone and provides stability for the knee during jumping, cutting and pivoting maneuvers. It is one of four major ligaments in the knee, and an ACL tear is one of the most common knee injuries suffered by athletes. It's possible Brady also suffered other damage to his knee, which could lengthen his recovery.

Orthopedic surgeons who routinely work with athletes say quarterbacks generally place less strain on their knees than athletes whose positions require more explosive, side-to-side movement. "Quarterbacks, in my experience, return more quickly then running backs and wide receivers, the guys who have to do the quick cutting and planting maneuvers," said Dr.Paul Weitzel, an orthopedic surgeon at the Boston Sports & Shoulder Center, which is affiliated with New England Baptist Hospital.

Weitzel, who has viewed the video of the tackle that ended Brady's season and is not involved in his care, said the injury also likely includes damage to his medial collateral ligament, or MCL, which also connects the thigh bone to the shin bone.

"Fifty percent of ACL tears have a secondary injury at the same time," Weitzel said. Dr. Frederick Azar, an orthopedic surgeon at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., said that the MCL tends to be the first ligament damaged, either strained or torn, when an athlete's knee sustains a tackle or sudden blow. He said such injuries typically also include some damage to the rubbery cartilage that cushions the bones inside the knee, known as meniscus. Recovery can be more difficult and take longer if cartilage is torn, he said.

"Sometimes you can repair (meniscus), if you can't, you tear out the torn part and leave the rest," said Azar, who is the team physician for the NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies, and is also on the board of directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Brady's injury summons up images of the knee damage suffered by another NFL quarterback, Carson Palmer of the Cincinnati Bengals. He had a successful comeback.

Palmer tore his ACL and MCL back in 2006, during a playoff game. He underwent surgery two days later and was back in uniform to start the season opener exactly nine months later.

"He played very sparingly in the pre-season leading up to the (opening) game," said Bengals team spokesman Jack Brennan. "But he has been fully healthy since the rehab and the recovery He played every game of the 2006 and 2007 season."

Suffering the same injury was Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb tore his ACL back in November 2006 and was able to return to action in a preseason game in August 2007.
When Tom Brady will undergo surgery is not clear, but some specialists prefer to wait several days and perhaps a week to perform ACL surgery, to allow the swelling from the injury to subside. In some cases, professional athletes perform exercises, known as prehabilitation, even before surgery.

"Studies have suggested that patients that do prehabilitation do better because they don’t lose as much strength and range of motion and you can control the swelling," said Dr. Julio Martinez-Silvestrini, a rehabilitation specialist known as a physiatrist who works at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Silvestrini is the team doctor for the New England Mutiny, a professional women's soccer team.

"Athletes tend to recover faster from surgery if they do prehabilitation, but the end result after a year will be exactly the same" if you don’t have prehabilitation, Silvestrini said. "But if you have an athlete who wants to play immediately, prehabilitation may get them back closer to six months rather than nine."

Week 2 Preview NFL Regular Season 2008

Week 2 of the 2008-09 NFL Regular Season resumes Sunday afternoon starting off with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Detroit Lions. QB Aaron Rodgers filled in the spot of Brett Favre as they trounced the Minnesota Vikings 24-19 in their first game. Aaron Rodgers did a solid job scrambling for first downs and plunging into the end zone.

Rodgers—who spent most of the past three seasons backing up Favre after the Packers drafted him in the first round in 2005—passed his first real test Monday, going 18-of-22 for 178 yards with passing and rushing touchdowns. For the Detroit Lions, even though they lost their game 34-21 against Atlanta, the team is still confident and declared that they just had a bad game. “We had a bad day - a bad day at the office, no doubt about it,” Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. “But this is a group I saw Saturday night. It’s the same group, and I like them. I like them a lot. It’s a group I feel good about, and they will respond.”

Tennessee Titans looks for a 2-0 start when they clash Cincinnati Bengals. With QB Vince Young possibly on the shelf for a while, the Titans now turn their attention to backup QB Kerry Collins, who came off the bench Sunday and completed both of his passes for 65 yards, leading to the clinching touchdown.

Collins, a 14-year veteran, is eager to get a chance to contribute over the next few weeks.
“One of the problems with being a backup is that the team wins, and you don’t really get to be a part of it,” the former first-round pick of the Carolina Panthers said.

Cincinnati Bengals T.J. Houshmandzadeh said the offense “sucked” in the Bengals’ season-opening loss. He was asked Monday if his assessment held up after watching film—and it did. The Bengals ranked dead last in NFL rankings in total offense and pass offense, 27th in rush defense and 23rd in rush offense and total defense.

After the first week into the 2008 season the Bills are pretty happy with the trade that cost them third- and fifth-round picks in 2008. Marcus Stroud played a key role in Buffalo’s dismantling of the Seattle offense as the Bills held the Seahawks to 252 yards and won in a romp, 34-10 and will be ready when they face his former team Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jaguars will be shorthanded in this game as they lost their two starting guards, Vince Manuwai and Mo Williams, for the season with injuries suffered Sunday in Tennessee. Coach Jack Del Rio announced Monday that Manuwai suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, will undergo reconstructive surgery and will be lost for the season. The Jaguars couldn’t find any running room and gave up on it quickly. Fred Taylor had 18 yards in nine carries and Maurice Jones-Drew had 13 yards in five carries. The tone was set on the first play when Taylor was thrown for a two-yard loss.

The goal for the Indiana Colts heading into Sunday’s road trip versus Minnesota Vikings is continue to improve. Indianapolis failed to stop Chicago rookie Matt Forte in the Colts’ 29-13 loss to the Bears Sunday night. Their task will get a lot tougher this week with the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. Indianapolis’ defense has struggled in stopping the run in recent years, but there has been a sharp improvement in that category over the last two seasons. But not so in the Chicago game. For the Vikings’ side, although they lost their season opener Vikings coach Brad Childress is optimistic about Tarvaris Jackson’s improvement several times during the off season. But the only problem was Jackson did not show any real progress as the Vikings opened the season with a 24-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Monday night at Lambeau Field. Adding insult to their loss, Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen had no tackles in his first game as a member of the Vikings on Monday after being acquired from Kansas City in the offseason. “This is one of the least productive games I’ve had in my life,” said Allen, who had 15.5 sacks last season. “I’m not going to let that happen again. They did some things to take me out of my rhythm, but there’s ways I’m going to make plays. I’m just going to work harder.”

New Orleans Saints had a stellar start as they battered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-20. The four-point win for the Saints means 14 of the last 19 matchups between the teams since 1992 have been decided by a touchdown or less—with the Saints holding a 9-5 edge in those close contests. For their opponent this Sunday, Washington Redskins would like to bounce back from a loss they suffered against New York Giants in their season opener. WR Santana Moss didn’t have big numbers on Thursday (five catches, 37 yards), but he did score Washington’s only touchdown. Moss has 29 catches for 530 yards and five touchdowns in seven games as a Redskin against the Giants.

Things are looking good for the Atlanta Falcons as Falcons running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood rushed for a team-record 318 yards behind a revamped offensive line and they will try to carry on when they meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that lost their season opener. And their woes continue to pile up as Quarterback Jeff Garcia has an ankle sprain and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. If Garcia is fails to play, veteran Brian Griese would likely start against the Falcons. And third quarterback Luke McCown might be back after he was the inactive against the Saints Sunday.

San Diego Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers would like to translate his words into actions when they play Denver Broncos Sunday. The loquacious quarterback Rivers said he plans on speaking with Cutler, just like he has every other time in the pregame warm-ups. Rivers has long said Cutler has among the most upside among quarterbacks in the league. Also Chargers are hoping that LaDainian Tomlinson’s toe is fine. Tomlinson was seen limping slightly after the game and X-rays were taken just to make sure the two-time defending NFL rushing leader will be OK Sunday. Broncos Eddie Royal was superb in the last game; the rookie second-round pick had nine catches for 146 yards against Oakland.

The focus for Houston Texans is how to rebound from a stifling defense just like the Pittsburgh Steelers and their next opponent will be the Baltimore Ravens who dominated in their season opener, thanks to an outstanding defense that gave up just 154 total yards.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub must focus on taking care of the ball. He threw two interceptions and lost one fumble against the Steelers. He has a tendency to force throws instead of just throwing the ball away.

Oakland Raiders try to regroup after being mobbed in their last game 41-14 loss to Denver. Oakland Raiders’ receivers struggled to get open for JaMarcus Russell until the game was well out of hand and the line often did not give the young quarterback ample time to throw.

Chicago Bears battle the Carolina Panthers as both teams are coming from wins and would like to carry the momentum in the early start of the 2008 NFL Season. Carolina are fresh of a win with the help of f DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined to out-gain San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson 139-97 on the ground in Carolina’s 26-24 win at Qualcomm Stadium. While the Bears saw a bright future in the name of rookie running back Matt Forte made a great impression on his coaches and veteran teammates with a 50-yard TD run.

New York Giants will still rely on Eli Manning, Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Buress. The duo of Jacobs and Buress gave offense to the Giants as running back Brandon Jacobs 21 for 116 yards for the game and wide receiver Plaxico Burress who was 10 for 133 for the game), but perhaps more impressive was the fact that Jacobs had 74 yards in 11 carries in the first half and Burress while seven catches for 98 yards.

While the St. Louis Rams try to recover from their blow out loss to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-3. The Eagles had just two third-down plays that needed 10 yards or more. The Rams had six, including distances of 15, 16, 18 and 21 yards.

Tom Brady’s season ending loss is definitely a huge blow for the campaign of the New England Patriots but his teammates need to step up for another a successful season and a potential return to the Super Bowl. Their opponent this Sunday is the New York Jets, the Brett Favre will continue but Coach Eric Mangini doesn’t want his team giving the Patriots any bulletin-board material as they prepare to start untested Matt Cassel at quarterback against the Jets on Sunday.

Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals collide Sunday. Things need to improve on both teams as the Cardinals must improve their red-zone offense. Last year, the Cardinals finished third in the league, scoring touchdowns 68 percent of the time they were inside an opponent’s 20. For the Dolphins side, twenty of quarterback Chad Pennington’s 26 completions weren’t to the receivers. However, tight ends Anthony Fasano and David Martin combined for 12 receptions for 137 yards and two scores. It’s the first time that two different Dolphins tight ends have had a touchdown catch in the same game since Oct. 29, 2005 at Buffalo when Randy McMichael and Will Heller both accounted for scoring catches.

Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Cleveland Browns Sunday with the Steelers entering the season with questions in their offensive line, where they have two new starters and weren’t very good at protecting Roethlisberger the past two seasons (93 sacks). Roethlisberger was sacked twice by Mario Williams, but otherwise the line played a strong game. The Steelers had 183 yards rushing and Roethlisberger had plenty of time to throw, for the most part. For the Browns, they played dismally in a 28-10 loss to Dallas, giving up nearly 500 yards in offense and allowing the Cowboys to hold the ball for almost 38 minutes.

There were two main problems: A noticeable lack of a pass rush and poor coverage in the secondary. Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton all had strong games and got open almost at will.

And Monday Night Football in the NFL Season 2008 continues as the Philadelphia Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys. Philadelphia Eagles Donovan McNabb had one of the best season-opening performances of his career Sunday, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles’ 38-3 win over the St. Louis Rams. McNabb completed passes to eight different receivers, including wideouts DeSean Jackson, Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett. All three finished with 100-plus receiving yards. Area of concern for the Cowboys is RB Marion Barber who left the Browns game in the third quarter with bruised ribs. X-rays taken after the game were negative. Coach Wade Phillips announced at his Monday afternoon press conference that Barber should be fine and ready to go for the Eagles game on Monday night.

1972 Miami Dolphins benchmark of teams in NFL

This 2008-09 NFL Season, one can expect that history will again be re-written and records to be broken but the biggest question remains in NFL history is that can an NFL team match the perfect mark set by the 1972 Miami Dolphins?

Everyone know that the New England Patriots almost did the impossible winning all 16 2007-08 NFL Regular Season games but only to falter in the Super Bowl against the mighty New York Giants.

Looking back, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only National Football League team to have a "Perfect season", and win the Super Bowl, following the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Their undefeated campaign was led by Coach Don Shula and notable teammates Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka among many others. This team went 14-0 in the regular season prior to the extension of the regular season by the NFL, and won all three playoff games, including Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins, for a season record of 17-0.

The only answer one can give is that this remarkable feat can be done with the right players on the team. In the case of the Patriots, The first half was on the Pats side, but that slipped away as a defensive line kill them all through the second half. It's all about mentality, who wants it more, and not letting it get too much in your head, or too far away to make it a reality. This year even though its still preseason Patriots can not run their ball, create some offense and with their defense. They are showing a very weak form compared to last year.

As far as other teams are concerned, we've seen so many other teams try to do that, the '85 Bears are the best example, and then the Bears that went to the Super Bowl against the Colts, Miami torched them 31-13, the Vikings lost at 13-0, the Colts at 13-0. And the Broncos at 13-0. Teams have lasted well into the season only to be "upset" by another team.

For the 1972 Miami Dolphins, they had the right players that fit their system, players on the ground during that time were running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little and Pro Bowler Bob Kuechenberg. The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name Defense because Miami’s impressive offense received much more publicity, was the league’s best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, tackle Manny Fernandez, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott.

Will this be the year for the record of the 1972 Miami Dolphins to be broken? Let us all find out in this year’s 2008-09 NFL Regular Season.

Preview of Week 1 2008-09 NFL Regular Season

2008-09 NFL Regular Season kick-starts with a 16-game schedule on Week 1 beginning on Thursday as the Washington Redskins tackle the New York Giants in the season opener.

New York Giants started an awful season with 0-2 and no one considered them to be a Super Bowl contender. But the Giants went 10-4 the rest of the way, then won four straight road games in the playoffs to capture their third Super Bowl championship. New York, which won 11 consecutive games away from Giants Stadium, ended New England’s bid for a perfect season with a 17-14 victory that is arguably the biggest upset in the Super Bowl history. However, the Redskins will be looking to do the same thing under new coach Jim Zorn, who replaces Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs.

Washington went 9-7 last season, winning its final four games following a four-game slide to make the playoffs for the second time in three years. The Redskins, though, lost 35-14 to Seattle in the wild-card round.

Football mania continues Sunday afternoon as 13 NFL teams of the 2008-09 NFL Regular Season will play beginning at 1pm. St. Louis Rams led by Steven Jackson could be more effective under new offensive coordinator Al Saunders as they battle Philadelphia Eagles. Cincinnati Bengals go up against the hard-nosed defense but at the same time questionable offense of Baltimore Ravens. As for the case of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, could be the weakest points at some position this start of the year as they take on New Orleans Saints, who has improved in terms of paper on defense but the question remains if the new pieces on the puzzle will fit together.

New York Jets new look team that consist new faces like Brett Favre, Alan Faneca, Kris Jenkins, and Calvin Pace will help make the Jets competitive against the Miami Dolphins. Kansas City will have their hands full with New England’s combination of Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Tennessee Titans has been a very solid team where it really counts; on both the offensive and defensive lines as this will be seen when they encounter Jacksonville Jaguars. Detroit Lions’ Rod Marinelli is overhauling this roster with players that fit his mold, and this is expected to show this season starting the game versus Atlanta Falcons.

Rounding up the 1pm of 2008 NFL game Week 1 are Seattle Seahawks taking on Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans visits Pittsburgh Steelers.

2008-09 NFL Regular Season resumes at 4:15 pm as Cleveland Browns are coming off a 10-6 season, the Browns defense, which was among the worst in the league in 2007, received a significant upgrade during the off season as their defense will be tested against the talent-laden squad of the Dallas Cowboys.

San Diego Chargers are one of the favorites to be a shoe in for the playoffs as they are one of the most talented teams in the league facing one of the easiest schedules pitted versus Carolina Panthers.

Arizona Cardinals engage season opener war versus San Francisco 49ers, while Chicago Bears takes on Indianapolis Colts led by superstar Peyton Manning.

2008-09 NFL Regular Season go on with games between Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers team of Brett Favre. Last game features Denver Broncos battling Oakland Raiders Justin Fargas and rookie Darren McFadden.

Denver Broncos preview in 2008-09 NFL Regular Season

Three years without a playoff appearance for Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos is an absolute drought. Worse yet, there are good players on this roster but not many exciting names or potential stars.

The Denver Broncos averaged 24.7 points per game 12th in the league and allowed 26.6 points 24th against a schedule featuring five games against 2007 playoff teams.

But there good things that Denver Broncos fans have something to look forward in the 2008-09 NFL Regular Season with their infamous running game is still considered to be a successful formula. With the high altitude that improves conditioning, zone blocking and no nonsense cut and go style Denver will always produce great system runners.

Denver Broncos needs a little luck in terms of injury and a back that understands the one cut and go system. With key additions on the team like LB Boss Bailey – who can instantly provide productive minutes alongside D.J Williams in the 2008-09 NFL Regular Season.

But the team on the Mile High City will need some little luck with injury with some serious consideration to start the season with Center Tom Nalen, who is having a surgery on his knee. Add to that the disappointing season that Travis Henry had last year.

Running back Ryan Torain will be the key factor for the success of Denver Broncos’ running game. Running Back Selvin Young did pretty well as a back up last year did as he was able to get 700 hundred yards. An interesting question is how Denver Broncos will manage this team with Andre hall and Michael Pittman back in the lineup.

2008-09 NFL Regular Season is just around the corner and fans are all excited to see some football action.