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Brandon Jacobs' two early TDs helped the Giants beat the Ravens 30-10.
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Another great weekend of sports. Not too many fireworks in college football, but the NFL Sunday was very interesting. Here are some of the key NFL topics we'll almost certainly tackle this week:
1. Is there any doubt the Giants are the team to beat in the NFL? They totally dismantled the Ravens. Can you imagine trying to tackle Brandon Jacobs.
2. Did you see the Broncos started rookie Spencer Larsen at middle linebacker and fullback? He must be the new Chuck Bednarik. The Broncos have a ridiculous amount of injuries, but they still managed to beat the Falcons 24-20.
3. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers tore apart the Bears defense in a 37-3 rout. Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota are all tied for the lead in the NFC North at 5-5. But you have to consider the Packers the favorite there, don't you?
4. Detroit fell to 0-10. Can the Lions win a game this year? Here's the rest of their schedule: Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, at Indianapolis, New Orleans and at Green Bay.
5. The Eagles and Bengals tied at 13-13 in one of the uglier games in recent memory. Donovan McNabb completed 28 of 58 passes for 339 yards and threw three interceptions. The Bengals dropped a couple of picks as well. Not a good day for Philly. Did anyone see Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid's postgame comments on how they didn't understand the concept of a tie?
6. The Colts edged the Texans 33-27. They're back in the playoff race, but are they a bona fide Super Bowl contender. They don't look like it yet.
7. How bad are the Rams?
8. Do the Steelers every play an easy game. Every contest is a knock-'em-down slug-'em-out affair that comes down to the wire? They beat the Chargers 11-10 in the muck at Heinz Field on Sunday.
9. Now that Kerry Collins can throw, maybe the Titans can go 16-0.
10. The Cardinals are going to the playoffs. The Cardinals are going to the playoffs. At least barring a miracle. Arizona improved to 7-3, while the 49ers are in second place at 3-7. |
NFL officiating czar Mike Pereira said that Troy Polamalu should have been awarded a touchdown at the end of the Steelers-Chargers game on Sunday.
Pittsburgh won 11-10, but Polamalu returned a fumble at the end of the game that was ruled a score on the field and made the score 17-10. The officials then went to the replay booth and mistakenly overruled it because of illegal forward passes. Pereira said it should have been a touchdown.
Pereira said they need a new procedure, because right now the replay official can't go back to the booth after making his call. So if the game was on the line, that could have been a big mistake that seriously affected the outcome of the game.
The crew got confused by the three passes. I'm confused by Pereira's explanation, so I'm not surprised they screwed it up in real time.
Pereira also talked about ties. He said that "guaranteed possessions" had been brought up before the NFL's competition committee, but no one had any interest.
Dan asked Pereira if NFL officials knew about betting lines. Pereira said that they absolutely don't pay attention to gambling information. Dan asked if they'd do a background check on the officials in the Pittsburgh-San Diego game. Pereira said "absolutely."
Reggie Miller thinks that Shaquille O'Neal's foul against the Pistons was not a suspendable offense. But not leaving the court is worth at least a fine and maybe a suspension. Miller said that Shaq was pushing everyone out of the way to get to the ref -- Steve Nash, his coach ... anyone who got in his way. And that is after the Suns' fracas with the Rockets last week.
Dan asked Miller if O.J. Mayo was just a scorer on a bad team or a good all-around player. Miller said that Mayo certainly isn't going to play any defense and compared him to the Thunder's Kevin Durant.
Miller also weighed in on Dan's failed bro hug with Snoop Dog. Reggie is disappointed and said he's coming to New York to help out.
Dan ran into Snoop Dog this weekend in New York City and is a little concerned about an awkward bro hug.
Snoop Dog was in town for MTV's TRL finale and was staying at the same hotel as Dan. Dan said all Snoop Dog wanted to talk about was his Steelers.
Fritzie will work on getting Snoop on the show. (You gotta love putting extra pressure on Fritzie by actually putting it in the blog!)
SI.com's Peter King brings it as usual. Here are some of his takes from Week 11:
-- King thinks that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb did not know there were ties in the NFL.
-- The Eagles aren't very good. McNabb is aging before our eyes. King says he's not nearly as mobile as he used to be.
-- The Cowboys' win over the Redskins keeps Dallas in the playoff mix. The 'Boys have a weak schedule coming up, then they have a tough December.
-- King thinks that the Titans biggest landmine game will be in Week 17 against Indianapolis. He says they have a good chance of entering that game at 15-0. But the Colts have had Tennessee's number in recent years in Indy.
-- King says the Titans want Kerry Collins to be their quarterback next year. They'll try to finesse the situation so they can keep Vince Young. King doesn't see any circumstance where Young beats out Collins next season.
-- King doesn't think teams will want to bring in Young next season. King asks, would you rather have Matt Cassel or Young? He thinks Cassel will follow Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels next year when McDaniels gets a head-coaching job.
-- King thinks rightn now the Giants would be favored over the Titans in the Super Bowl.
Did Donovan McNabb really not know about ties in the NFL? You decide.
Wow, what a wild Sunday in the NFL. SI.com's Peter King will join Dan to break down all the action. And Reggie Miller drops by to analyze the big NBA headlines.
Here are some of the big topics we should hit today:
1. Hope you didn't have money on the Steelers yesterday. A late Troy Polamalu touchdown was negated that would have covered the spread for Pittsburgh. Later, the official admitted he made a mistake.
2. The Eagles' Donovan McNabb said he didn't know the NFL had ties after Philly-Cincy ended at 13-13. Was he serious?
3. The Titans are still undefeated and the Lions are still winless. Will this continue?
4. The National League MVP award will be announced today. This could be a very controversial choice. Albert Pujols is the front-runner.
5. The Yankees are poised to give a lot of money to CC Sabathia. Is he worth it?
5. Congrats to Jimmie Johnson for winning his third straight NASCAR title. Carl Edwards did all he could on Sunday to ruin it for Johnson, but it wasn't meant to be.
Another great weekend of sports. Not too many fireworks in college football, but the NFL Sunday was very interesting. Here are some of the key NFL topics we'll almost certainly tackle this week:
1. Is there any doubt the Giants are the team to beat in the NFL? They totally dismantled the Ravens. Can you imagine trying to tackle Brandon Jacobs.
2. Did you see the Broncos started rookie Spencer Larsen at middle linebacker and fullback? He must be the new Chuck Bednarik. The Broncos have a ridiculous amount of injuries, but they still managed to beat the Falcons 24-20.
3. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers tore apart the Bears defense in a 37-3 rout. Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota are all tied for the lead in the NFC North at 5-5. But you have to consider the Packers the favorite there, don't you?
4. Detroit fell to 0-10. Can the Lions win a game this year? Here's the rest of their schedule: Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, at Indianapolis, New Orleans and at Green Bay.
5. The Eagles and Bengals tied at 13-13 in one of the uglier games in recent memory. Donovan McNabb completed 28 of 58 passes for 339 yards and threw three interceptions. The Bengals dropped a couple of picks as well. Not a good day for Philly. Did anyone see Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid's postgame comments on how they didn't understand the concept of a tie?
6. The Colts edged the Texans 33-27. They're back in the playoff race, but are they a bona fide Super Bowl contender. They don't look like it yet.
7. How bad are the Rams?
8. Do the Steelers every play an easy game. Every contest is a knock-'em-down slug-'em-out affair that comes down to the wire? They beat the Chargers 11-10 in the muck at Heinz Field on Sunday.
9. Now that Kerry Collins can throw, maybe the Titans can go 16-0.
10. The Cardinals are going to the playoffs. The Cardinals are going to the playoffs. At least barring a miracle. Arizona improved to 7-3, while the 49ers are in second place at 3-7.
New Indiana coach Tom Crean agrees with Dan that this year's season is like a reality show. He has to find guys out of nowhere since Kelvin Sampson left the cupboards so empty. Crean leads an incredibly young, inexperienced Hoosiers squad.
But Crean said he doesn't second-guess his decision to go there. Crean even seemed fired up about what he's trying to build in Bloomington. Crean described an enthusiastic atmosphere.
But when Dan asked if Crean knew how empty his roster was going to be, would he have thought twice? Crean said yes, he would have viewed the job differently. Crean said no one could have seen what was going to happen in Indiana. And yes, he would have viewed Indiana differently.
Crean said his young guys are going to get tested this year. There's going to be a lot of adversity. Fans and everyone involved with the team will have their patience tested.
Dan asked Crean if he could use these problems as a recruiting tool. Crean said absolutely. Crean said even though everyone picks Indiana to be in last place in the Big Ten, every game is on national TV (Crean counts the Big Ten Network). And the Hoosiers have one of the most loyal fan bases in sports and a historic arena. He sells all those things.
Crean said he hasn't talked to Bob Knight much lately. But Crean said that Knight's former players and the coach himself are still respected in Bloomington.
American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee stopped by the show. Lee said he's a laid-back guy and wasn't sitting by the phone waiting for the call. He seemed to know he was going to win it. Either that, or he really is extremely relaxed.
Lee said he got a ton of phone calls yesterday, including one from former teammate CC Sabathia. But no American League hitters called or texted him.
Dan had a suggestion for where to put the Cy Young award. He thinks he should mount it like a hunting trophy. Lee is really into hunting, but he said that his wife doesn't allow stuffed animals in the house.
Here is what Jerry Jones had to say about the Cowboys making the playoffs:
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Jerry Jones "absolutely" believes the Dallas Cowboys will make the playoffs, would welcome Adam "Pacman" Jones back to the team if he's reinstated and isn't considering a coaching change.
The Cowboys owner, in an impromptu gathering with reporters during practice Thursday, said he expects his struggling Cowboys to recover. They have gone from Super Bowl favorites to a 5-4 team tied for third place in the NFC East after losing four of their past six games.
"That's not optimism," Jones said. "I just see that we were going to have to be a team that (was) playing well and won a lot of games at the end of the year to be what we want to be anyway."