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Hache Man · 11-29-06, 04:45 PM

Loose Lips Sink Ships
Coach Tom Coughlin has all kinds of problems, from trying to get the injury-riddled Giants limping into the playoffs to saving his job, so it's understandable that his heart isn't totally into making excuses for Plaxico Burress right now. Despite that, I found Coughlin's "explanation" for Burress giving up on a play that led to an Eli Manning interception Sunday fascinating. Asked about the play in question during a radio interview, Coughlin responded that Burress has a hip injury that hurts his ability to jump.

That would be an excellent point to make, except for the fact that "jumping" wasn't even an option once Burress stopped running while the ball was sailing through the air. It's like saying an obese person's inability to stop chewing is behind their weight gain. Much like not chewing, "jumping" would have been nice in an odd, what-the-heck-is-he-doing sort of way, but it wouldn't have done much to stop Pacman Jones from intercepting the ball 20 feet downfield.

"Jumping" also wouldn't have played much of a factor in Burress tackling Jones afterward, or at least not as much of a factor as Burress deciding he simply didn't want to tackle him. Meanwhile, Michael Strahan said during a different radio interview that he plans to have a chat with Burress about "what his lack of motivation is," which will surely go well. Perhaps Burress will tell Strahan that not being to jump is the root of all evil in the world, including motivational problems.

As if that weren't enough, coach Bill Parcells is reportedly using various bulletin-board material from Jeremy Shockey to fire up the Cowboys in preparation for this week's game against the Giants, which brings up the question of whether or not the Giants—from Coughlin, Shockey, and Strahan to Burress, Antonio Pierce, and Tiki Barber—would be better off simply not talking to anyone in the media, ever.

Oh, and their blown lead against the Titans Sunday? The Elias Sports Bureau says it was just the third time in NFL history that a team has lost when leading by 21 or more points with less than 10 minutes left to play. Clearly, the problem was a lack of jumping.

While Giants fans send me angry e-mails to channel some of their frustration about the team in a new direction, here are some other notes from around football …

* Everyone seemingly agrees that Matt Hasselbeck suffered some kind of an injury to a finger on his non-throwing hand Monday night, but there are all sorts of conflicting reports about what exactly the problem is. A Seattle-area television station reported that an MRI exam Tuesday showed a fractured finger, which several print outlets quickly picked up on, but the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday morning that Hasselbeck never even had an MRI.

Coach Mike Holmgren is expected to update the situation at his press conference Wednesday, but whatever the case it doesn't seem likely that the injury will sideline Hasselbeck. A surgically repaired knee and broken finger on his left hand certainly aren't going to help him pile up numbers down the stretch, and make him particularly vulnerable on the road against Denver this week, but Hasselbeck remains a good bet for the fantasy playoff run.

* Coach Rod Marinelli indicated Tuesday that he's not considering a quarterback change, saying he thinks it would "hurt a lot" to switch from Jon Kitna to Josh McCown. From a real-life perspective it's not difficult to see the argument for Detroit benching Kitna down the stretch, because he's a 34-year-old journeyman on a 2-9 team whose quarterback rating is right in the middle of the pack.

For fantasy purposes, it's tough to envision McCown doing any better than Kitna, who's actually been one of the top QBs in the league this year. Playing in Mike Martz's pass-happy offense, Kitna trails only Drew Brees and Peyton Manning in yardage and has been somewhere around the eighth- or ninth-best QB in football depending on your league's scoring system. For the sake of Roy Williams and Mike Furrey owners everywhere, here's hoping Marinelli lets Kitna go down with the ship.

Two-Minute Drill: With one good game outside of a garbage-time role under his belt now, Cedric Benson has again started talking about taking Thomas Jones' job … Troy Williamson has dropped a startling 11 passes this season, but reportedly managed to catch a punch to the face while at a night club Monday night … Kurt Warner said earlier this week that he's leaning toward playing in 2007, but might change his mind … After Shaun Alexander's performance Monday night, Maurice Morris can officially be let go in most leagues … Expect the Raiders' offense to be horrible in all sorts of new and exciting ways after offensive coordinator Tom Walsh was replaced by John Shoop Tuesday.

Red Zone: As expected, the Chiefs officially ended Priest Holmes' (neck) season by failing to activate him from the PUP list Tuesday … Asked Tuesday when he might be healthy, Ronnie Brown (hand) said, "Before the end of the season, I look forward to playing again" … Michael Turner (hamstring) is expected to play this week after being inactive in Week 12, although his role figures to be limited … Jamal Lewis (foot) missed some of practice Tuesday after sitting out much of the second half Sunday and is listed as questionable for Week 13 … After being dinged up in Week 12, Ben Roethlisberger (chest) is listed as probable for a relatively favorable matchup against Tampa Bay this week … As usual Todd Heap (ankle) is on the Ravens' injury report, this time as questionable … Donovan McNabb reportedly underwent "successful" knee surgery Tuesday, setting his 8-12 month recovery period in motion.

Hache Man · 11-29-06, 04:47 PM

Bobby Engram - WR - Seahawks

Bobby Engram and TE Itula Mili probably will not play Sunday Night.

Engram's thyroid condition has sidelined him for most of the season. He's unlikely to help the Seahawks much down the stretch.
Nov. 29 - 4:20 p.m. ET

Source: The News Tribune

Hache Man · 11-29-06, 04:47 PM

Jamal Lewis - RB - Ravens

Jamal Lewis (foot) remains questionable after missing at least a portion of practice Wednesday.

Fantasy owners will want to check the pregame inactives Thursday night just in case, but Lewis is expected to start against the soft Bengals rush defense.
Nov. 29 - 3:49 p.m. ET

Hache Man · 11-29-06, 04:48 PM

Todd Heap - TE - Ravens

Todd Heap (ankle) and Jamal Lewis (foot) both missed a portion of practice Wednesday and will be game-time decisions Thursday.

Both players are expected to play, but Brian Billick is keeping their status a mystery for now. They are listed as questionable and can be counted on in fantasy leagues, but check back Thursday night in case.
Nov. 29 - 3:45 p.m. ET

Source: BaltimoreRavens.com

11-29-06, 04:45 PM	#1
Hache Man Moderator Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 52,030	Fantasy Football News 11/29/06 Loose Lips Sink Ships Coach Tom Coughlin has all kinds of problems, from trying to get the injury-riddled Giants limping into the playoffs to saving his job, so it's understandable that his heart isn't totally into making excuses for Plaxico Burress right now. Despite that, I found Coughlin's "explanation" for Burress giving up on a play that led to an Eli Manning interception Sunday fascinating. Asked about the play in question during a radio interview, Coughlin responded that Burress has a hip injury that hurts his ability to jump. That would be an excellent point to make, except for the fact that "jumping" wasn't even an option once Burress stopped running while the ball was sailing through the air. It's like saying an obese person's inability to stop chewing is behind their weight gain. Much like not chewing, "jumping" would have been nice in an odd, what-the-heck-is-he-doing sort of way, but it wouldn't have done much to stop Pacman Jones from intercepting the ball 20 feet downfield. "Jumping" also wouldn't have played much of a factor in Burress tackling Jones afterward, or at least not as much of a factor as Burress deciding he simply didn't want to tackle him. Meanwhile, Michael Strahan said during a different radio interview that he plans to have a chat with Burress about "what his lack of motivation is," which will surely go well. Perhaps Burress will tell Strahan that not being to jump is the root of all evil in the world, including motivational problems. As if that weren't enough, coach Bill Parcells is reportedly using various bulletin-board material from Jeremy Shockey to fire up the Cowboys in preparation for this week's game against the Giants, which brings up the question of whether or not the Giants—from Coughlin, Shockey, and Strahan to Burress, Antonio Pierce, and Tiki Barber—would be better off simply not talking to anyone in the media, ever. Oh, and their blown lead against the Titans Sunday? The Elias Sports Bureau says it was just the third time in NFL history that a team has lost when leading by 21 or more points with less than 10 minutes left to play. Clearly, the problem was a lack of jumping. While Giants fans send me angry e-mails to channel some of their frustration about the team in a new direction, here are some other notes from around football … * Everyone seemingly agrees that Matt Hasselbeck suffered some kind of an injury to a finger on his non-throwing hand Monday night, but there are all sorts of conflicting reports about what exactly the problem is. A Seattle-area television station reported that an MRI exam Tuesday showed a fractured finger, which several print outlets quickly picked up on, but the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday morning that Hasselbeck never even had an MRI. Coach Mike Holmgren is expected to update the situation at his press conference Wednesday, but whatever the case it doesn't seem likely that the injury will sideline Hasselbeck. A surgically repaired knee and broken finger on his left hand certainly aren't going to help him pile up numbers down the stretch, and make him particularly vulnerable on the road against Denver this week, but Hasselbeck remains a good bet for the fantasy playoff run. * Coach Rod Marinelli indicated Tuesday that he's not considering a quarterback change, saying he thinks it would "hurt a lot" to switch from Jon Kitna to Josh McCown. From a real-life perspective it's not difficult to see the argument for Detroit benching Kitna down the stretch, because he's a 34-year-old journeyman on a 2-9 team whose quarterback rating is right in the middle of the pack. For fantasy purposes, it's tough to envision McCown doing any better than Kitna, who's actually been one of the top QBs in the league this year. Playing in Mike Martz's pass-happy offense, Kitna trails only Drew Brees and Peyton Manning in yardage and has been somewhere around the eighth- or ninth-best QB in football depending on your league's scoring system. For the sake of Roy Williams and Mike Furrey owners everywhere, here's hoping Marinelli lets Kitna go down with the ship. Two-Minute Drill: With one good game outside of a garbage-time role under his belt now, Cedric Benson has again started talking about taking Thomas Jones' job … Troy Williamson has dropped a startling 11 passes this season, but reportedly managed to catch a punch to the face while at a night club Monday night … Kurt Warner said earlier this week that he's leaning toward playing in 2007, but might change his mind … After Shaun Alexander's performance Monday night, Maurice Morris can officially be let go in most leagues … Expect the Raiders' offense to be horrible in all sorts of new and exciting ways after offensive coordinator Tom Walsh was replaced by John Shoop Tuesday. Red Zone: As expected, the Chiefs officially ended Priest Holmes' (neck) season by failing to activate him from the PUP list Tuesday … Asked Tuesday when he might be healthy, Ronnie Brown (hand) said, "Before the end of the season, I look forward to playing again" … Michael Turner (hamstring) is expected to play this week after being inactive in Week 12, although his role figures to be limited … Jamal Lewis (foot) missed some of practice Tuesday after sitting out much of the second half Sunday and is listed as questionable for Week 13 … After being dinged up in Week 12, Ben Roethlisberger (chest) is listed as probable for a relatively favorable matchup against Tampa Bay this week … As usual Todd Heap (ankle) is on the Ravens' injury report, this time as questionable … Donovan McNabb reportedly underwent "successful" knee surgery Tuesday, setting his 8-12 month recovery period in motion.

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