Gäste-Forum » but the Patriots can be conservative

DENVER -- Stronger, healthier, feistier than ever. Peyton Manning capped a spunky week by getting the first disciplinary penalty of his storied career Saturday night when he was whistled for taunting in the Denver Broncos 18-17 preseason loss to the Houston Texans. Manning was mad after D.J. Swearinger hit slot receiver Wes Welker in the face on a tackle. So, after throwing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders on the next play, Manning ran up to the Texans swaggering second-year safety and gave him a piece of his mind. "He didnt invite me to dinner," Swearinger said. Welker, who has a history of head injuries, sustained a concussion, coach John Fox said afterward. "Obviously, Im concerned about Wes," Manning said. "I didnt like seeing him come out of the game with a blow to the head. He had one of those last year that kept him out for a while." Besides, Manning said, 15 yards with 5 seconds left in the half, why not? "I think if youre going to get one, thats a good time to get one," said Manning, who has never had a personal foul among his 60 career infractions in the regular season and playoffs. Manning declined to reveal what he said to Swearinger, who was also at the centre of several skirmishes during the teams three days of intense joint practices during the week. As for what Swearinger replied, "he said, Thanks, appreciate it. Good luck to you as well," Manning cracked. Swearinger swore that he didnt cross the line with a cheap shot on Welker. "I led with my shoulder. Thats the only thing I could do. Hes a short guy," Swearinger said. "There are some fine lines with hits. I could have tried to go low, but he ducked his head. ... What am I supposed to do? I made a Hall of Famer mad." Out of respect for Manning, however, Swearinger declined to reveal what the five-time MVP said other than to confirm foul language was exchanged. "That is a Hall of Fame quarterback. I respect him," Swearinger said. "But he shouldnt have done what he did." Mannings teammates wholeheartedly disagreed. "I loved it," Marvin Austin said. "Its a beautiful thing. Peytons not really a trash-talking guy." Manning, who called out his offence earlier in the week for a sloppy practice, and Sanders found their rhythm after an early miscue. They connected for two long touchdowns in the final 67 seconds of the first half to give Denver a 17-7 lead. Sanders, who practiced only sparingly this month because of a nagging thigh injury, was targeted eight times by Manning and caught five passes for 128 yards. Manning texted Sanders on Wednesday night telling him hed better get back in the lineup so they could work on their timing. It was evident their rhythm was off when backup cornerback A.J. Bouye intercepted a pass to Sanders early in the second quarter that led to Jonathan Grimes 1-yard run that gave Houston a 7-3 lead. Sanders took the blame, but Manning called it "a poor throw and decision by me." Sanders made up for his blunder when he zipped past Bouye and strong safety Eddie Pleasant to haul in Mannings 67-yard touchdown pass with 1:07 left in the first half. Then, he zigzagged between the same defensive backs for the 29-yard score with :05 left. "It was good to get Emmanuel out there. I had not completed a pass to Emmanuel in a game yet," Manning said. "I wanted to get some completions to him. I think you want to complete some passes to a first-year receiver in this offence going into the season opener." With all the work the teams put in together during the week, both head coaches dialed back the work they gave their starters. Texans DE J.J. Watt played just part of the first series and Denver LB Von Miller played a single series in his first game since tearing his right ACL on Dec. 22. And that was more than fans got to see of top overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, who sat this one out. Running back Montee Ball started for Denver 19 days after his appendectomy and had four runs and four receptions on Denvers opening drive. That series ended with Matt Praters 32-yard field goal. Houston won it when third QB Tom Savage drove the Texans 74 yards, hitting Ryan Griffin for a 31-yard TD with 59 seconds left and finding Travis Labhart for the 2-point conversion. Notes: Manning finished 21 of 27 for 243 yards. Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 10 of 17 for 80 yards. ... Broncos CB Tony Carter (neck) came out in the second half. Bobby Knoop Jersey .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Michael Hermosillo Jersey . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game. https://www.cheapangels.com/1763j-dick-w...sey-angels.html. It all would have been for naught, however, had it not been for some clutch shooting in the fourth quarter by Kobe Bryant and a couple of equally critical hustle plays by Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol in the final minutes. Dick Williams Jersey . -- Darrelle Revis says at least 26 teams called after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kean Wong Jersey . And theyre pointing to the NHLs biggest market: Toronto. With Gretzky paid out for what is believed to be $7 to 8 million, Gretzky may be eager to get back into the NHL and TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that the Maple Leafs are very much interested in The Great Ones services.With an overall record of 76-72, including 8-5 last week, TSN football analyst Chris Schultz is back with his Week 11 NFL selections in Risky Business. Buffalo at Miami (-5) This is a very significant regular season game. Both teams are 5-4 but the Bills won the first game in Week 2, 29-10 at home. If Buffalo wins, they win the tiebreaker between the two teams. Both teams have a similar strength, that being the defensive lines. With 34 quarterback sacks, the Bills do create excellent pressure with four and can drop seven. The defensive line is responsible for 27 of the 34 sacks without linebacker blitz assistance. There are two key injuries: Brandon Albert at left tackle is out for the year and Cortland Finnegan at cornerback is coming off a bad ankle on a short week. This is a divisional game with a lot of significant meaning so neither team should dominate. Bills Minnesota at Chicago (-3.5) In the last two games, the Bears have allowed 51 and 55 points but that was against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers on the road. And they have been outscored 94-7 in the first half of last three games with no points in the first quarter of the last five games. There does just seem to be a lack of intensity with Chicago which is distressing to say the least. The overall mobility of Teddy Bridgewater can make up somewhat for his inexperience and he may need it. The offensive talent is there but an inability to slow down or stop the opposition is the #1 problem. Vikings Houston at Cleveland (-3) This is the beginning of Ryan Mallett as quarterback who has not played one down so far this season. Can Arian Foster run effectively all game long to offset the inexperience of Mallett and can the Texans, who have lost four of five, use the bye week productively? The Texans are rushing for 137 per game which is top 5 in the league. I have to go with the Browns because Brian Hoyer has nine games of experience and Mallett has none this year. Mallett has a cannon arm but is it accurate? Browns Atlanta at Carolina (-1.5) The point of logic is if Mark Sanchez can lead a team to 45 points, so can Matt Ryan. Yes, the Falcons are 2-11 in their last 13 road games and that is reality. But the reality also is that theyre playing a Carolina team that has protection problems which means quarterback confidence problems, confidence in his protection in pocket during key 3rd and long passing downs. The motivating aspect for both of these teams is that the NFC South is wide open. Even going into Week 11, Carolina, New 0rleans and Atlanta could win the division. This really is it for these two teams as a seventh loss means the magic 10-win season will not happen. Falcons Cincinnati at New Orleans (-6.5) The 24-3 loss by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night was one of the worst performances I and many have ever seen. Andy Daltons quarterback rating was 2.0. I dont think the Bengals are that bad and, with the Thursday to Sunday scenario, if they are dominated by the Saints, then they are. If the Bengals get back Giovani Bernard, Vontaze Burfict, Ray Maualuga and Leon Hall, it sure could help. Both teams lost at home last week - Bengals for the first time in 14 games and the Saints for the first time in 21. The Saints can still win the division and, as crazy as it seems after the Cleveland game, so can the Bengals in the AFC North. Bengals Tampa Bay at Washington (-7) The Bucs lost a fourth-quarter lead for the fifth time last week, losing 27-17 to Atlanta. Out side of their 27-24 win at home against Pittsburgh in Week 4, ever other game has been a loss. The have the 28th-ranked rushing offence and 29th-ranked offence in total yards. The problem for the Redskins is turnovers as they have given it away 17 times this year with a giveaway/takeaway mark of -9. In terms of talent, I like the Redskins. DeSean Jackson will keep the safeties deep and Alfred Morris should benefit. Robert Griffin III wants to cement his position as a true #1 asap. Redskins Denver (-9.5) at St. Louis I do give the Rams a chance as they have an exceptional pass rush and Manning is a stationary target. But can they cover Demaryius Thomas with 65 catches, Emmanuel Sanders with 62, Julius Thomas with 38, Wes Welker with 26 and Ronnie Hillman at running back with 20. Third down is a strength for the Broncos and a weakness for the Rams. Denver is a solid 45 per cent over the last nine games while the Rams are 8-33 over last three games. This could be like the Raiders game with a slow start before Manning figures it out and explodes on offence.dddddddddddd Broncos San Francisco at NY Giants (-4) In the last four games, the Giants have allowed 136 points and have scored 62. At 3-6, they are about to experience the dreaded seventh loss and with that, any playoff hope is gone. With Aldon Smith back and the ability to watch Seattle destroy the Giants run defence, this could be an easy win for San Francisco. Odell Beckham Jr. is going to be a star but I dont think the Giants have enough stars around Eli Manning to offset what Colin Kaepernick has around him. Yes, West coast to East coast but without a dominant running game, there will be too many 3rd and longs for the Giants. 49ers Seattle at KC (-1.5) The Seahawks are on the road and the Chiefs are at home so advantage Kansas City. When the Chiefs prepare this week, they will look at the 350 rushing yards the Seahawks produced against the Giants and say, we know what the priority is in this one: run defence. When the Seahawks look at the Chiefs win over Buffalo and the six sacks allowed on Alex Smith, they know what they have to do to win the game: duplicate the Bills pass rush. But Chiefs head coach Andy Reid seems to know how to win games as the game moves on. KC has won four in a row and outscored their opponents 54-9 in the second half and 38-6 in the fourth quarter. Chiefs Oakland at San Diego (-10) Pressure, pressure, pressure and the pressure is on in 0akland to win... at least once. After the Chargers, the Raiders have KC, at St Louis, San Francisco, at KC, Buffalo and at Denver. Not one easy game. For the season, the Raiders have 559 rushing yards which is a very low number. Seattle had 350 yards in one game last week. The Chargers do have to re-group coming off the bye week and the 37-0 loss in Miami and should win the game but in the division and against desperation, it could be close. Raiders Detroit at Arizona (-1.5) These are the two best 4th quarter teams in football. The Cardinals and the Lions in the 4th quarter have combined to outscore their respective opponents 91-22 over the last four games. Together, eight wins and no losses. The question for Arizona is Drew Stanton. Can he effectively replace Carson Palmer at quarterback? I am going to say yes, as Stanton is an eight-year pro, 30-years old, and is 2-1 as a starter this year. The other question is Antonio Cromartie and Patrick Peterson in 1-on-1 battles against Golden Tate and Calvin Johnson. The Arizona corners will not shut out the Lions receivers but may make one more game-winning play one more time. Cardinals Philadelphia at Green Bay (-5) The Philadelphia Eagles have nine defensive or special teams touchdowns this year. No team has had that type of success from these types of unusual plays. Key move of early success for Green Bay was moving Clay Matthews from outside linebacker/pass rusher to inside linebacker/full field defender. Eleven tackles against the Bears. Yes, Mark Sanchez did look good against the Panthers but he wasnt challenged. The Eagles took an early dominate lead and Carolina has no pass rush pressure. If Green Bay jumps on Philadelphia early, Sanchez cant manage the game he has to win it. Packers. New England at Indianapolis (-3) Both teams are coming off respective bye weeks so no schedule advantage. The difference to me is pass rush and pass coverage. The Colts have to design a pass rush bases on defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs being interchangeable. That can be risk-reward. The Patriots can produce pressure with four down lineman only dropping seven into coverage. That is fundamentally conservative, but the Patriots can be conservative and deceptive at the same moment. With two weeks to prepare for Belichick, his defense will be fundamentally sound but intelligently designed to limit Andrew Luck. 48 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions between these two quarterbacks, but the Patriots have the better overall team. Patriots Pittsburgh (-5.5) at Tennessee I expect the Steelers team that beat the Ravens by 20 and the Colts by 17 to be the team that shows up. Not the one that made mistake after mistake and lost to the Jets 20-13. Zach Mettenberger may be a good quarterback but against a Dick LeBeau defense, young quarterbacks struggle. The pressure is not on Tennessee, as at 2-7 they are not going to make the playoffs. It is on the Steelers to respond. Steelers ' ' '