2006
Redskins-Buccaneers
Washington
Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss will miss
tomorrow’s game at
with a left hamstring injury that kept him out of practice this week. Moss
suffered the injury Oct. 22 at
and even though the Redskins had a bye week following that game, Moss did not
play in the Redskins’ 22-19 victory over
on Nov. 5. In Sunday’s 27-3 loss at
Moss clearly was not himself, catching three balls for 17 yards. Moss is the
Redskins’ leading receiver this season, with 31 catches for 452 yards and three
touchdowns. All three of his touchdowns came in the same game, a 36-30 overtime
win over
frustration regarding the injury is mounting, especially because quarterback
Jason Campbell will make his debut tomorrow without the team’s best wide
receiver and best running back, Clinton Portis, who
was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week. Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs
said there was a “slim hope” that Moss would play and that it would be a
game-time decision. MasterLockLine.com has the top plays from the top
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Patriots-Packers
JS Online
Quarterback Brett
Favre might be at less than full strength Sunday when the Green Bay
Packers meet the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field. Coach Mike McCarthy disclosed that Favre had
suffered a groin injury Thursday during practice, an injury that the coach said
“really bothered” Favre as he took some but not all of the repetitions with the
No. 1 offense Friday. Favre had been listed as probable on the injury report with
an ankle injury. The Packers now list him as probable with ankle and groin
injuries. McCarthy was asked if he was at all worried about Favre and his
ability to move Sunday. “No,” he replied. “I’ve talked to him at length today.
He doesn’t think it’s a big deal.” It isn’t certain if wide receiver Greg Jennings (ankle) will start but
McCarthy said he expected the rookie to play more than Ruvell Martin.Tight
end David Martin (shoulder,
thigh) and cornerback Will Blackmon (rib)
returned to practice Friday. Martin will play. Blackmon remained doubtful.Defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (ankle) was downgraded from probable to
questionable after taking Friday off. Running back Vernand Morency (back) will play and probably
return kickoffs. Fullback Brandon Miree (elbow) practiced Friday, struggled and isn’t
expected to play. For the Patriots, the only players definitely out are
starting safeties Rodney Harrison (shoulder)
and Eugene Wilson (hamstring).
Game-time decisions probably will determine the availability of guard Stephen Neal (shoulder) and cornerback
Asante Samuel (knee). Neal has missed the
last three games but appears close to playing. Samuel finished the last game
but didn’t practice all week. If Samuel cannot play, the Patriots probably
would move safety Chad Scott back
to cornerback and start James Sanders at
strong safety. Sanders, a fourth-round draft choice in 2005,
has played sparingly from scrimmage and, when he has played, has been
ineffective. Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com
Boston
The Patriots should be closer to full strength when they
take on the Packers tomorrow – defensive end Ty
Warren is expected to play.
missed the first game of his career last week against the Jets with what was
listed as a bad shoulder. While
has been seen with both shoulders wrapped in recent weeks, sources say he
missed the Jets game because of a strained right calf. The team feared he might
tear it if he attempted to play. His importance to the defense was never more
apparent than last week, when the Jets ran for over 100 yards and the Patriots
were forced to shuffle their defensive line, moving Richard Seymour from his
comfortable right end spot to
left. Jarvis Green, a right-side player, took
spot. Warren, a fourth-year player out of Texas A&M,
is in the midst of his best season. He recorded 43 tackles, two sacks and a
safety in his first eight games, and remains on course to set career highs in
every defensive category. If he plays the second half like he did the first,
he’ll deserve serious All-Pro consideration. Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360.com is pioneer in forensic
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Colts-Cowboys
New York Times
The defense has been decimated by injuries. The run
defense, which was ranked in the middle of the N.F.L.
at the end of last season, is the lowest ranked in the league, allowing more
than 5 yards a rush. The defense is yielding 49 more rushing yards a game than
last season. There is a rookie running back, Joseph Addai,
replacing the departed Edgerrin James. The offense has been limited in its use
of three-receiver plays because of an injury to receiver Brandon Stokely. The Colts have already needed fourth-quarter
comebacks in three games to remain unbeaten, and their average margin of
victory is 6.6 points — nearly 10 points less than their margin of victory
during their 13-0 start last season. Only two victories this season have come
by double digits; 9 of the first 13 last year were by double digits. And the
Colts have already had two 1-point victories this season. That did not happen
at all last season. By popular request, check out our new “Bet It
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Falcons-Ravens
Atlanta
In a game that
could end a losing streak or leave them with a .500 record, the Falcons could,
at times, field a defensive line Sunday at Baltimore with two undrafted rookies
and two second-year players . Atlanta has lost both starting defensive ends
(John Abraham and Patrick Kerney), two defensive backs (Jason Webster and Kevin
Mathis) and having to replace both offensive guards (Kynan Forney and Matt
Lehr) as the Falcons have. The Falcons (5-4) are left having to count on three
players who never started an NFL game until this season and 11 undrafted
players to rescue a season that, once again, started well but has leveled off
and is at a crossroads. Approved
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Steelers-Browns
Post Gazette
Steelers Troy Polamalu went
through an entire practice for the first time this week without difficulty and,
barring some type of setback, should play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. “He’s
gotten better each day,” coach Bill Cowher said of his two-time Pro Bowl safety. Also, center Jeff Hartings
(knee/questionable), who has missed the past two games, practiced for the
second day in a row and likely will play in
Raiders-Chiefs
San Francisco
Chronicle
Raiders coach Art Shell isn’t saying, but all indicators
point to Aaron Brooks taking over as the starting quarterback Sunday against
the Kansas City Chiefs. Brooks took the majority of first-team snaps at
practice Friday, according to a person who watched practice. Shell said he won’t
announce his starter until game day. Brooks, signed in
the offseason and named the starter in training camp, has been out with a
strained pectoral muscle near his right throwing shoulder since the first
quarter of Week 2’s game at
He ran the scout team offense last week, then declared himself
fit to play this week as he shared first-team snaps with Andrew Walter. Friday,
the team’s final practice before boarding a plane for
City
the starters. Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com Walter,
a third-round draft pick last year, is 2-5 as a starter with the NFL’s
worst-rated total offense and passing offense. He threw nine interceptions
versus three touchdowns for the league’s lowest quarterback rating. Chiefs
coach Herm Edwards, who named Trent Green his starter this week, thought Brooks
would start all along, and prepared for as much.
Rams-Panthers
St. Louis
The Carolina Panthers seemed poised for greatness this
season, topping many a preseason list as the team most likely to represent the
NFC in Super Bowl XLI. Yet they prepare to face the Rams with a record of 5-4,
one of eight teams in the conference within a game of .500. The Panthers
entered the opener without wide receiver Steve Smith, who led the NFL last year
in receiving yards and tied for the lead in receptions and receiving TDs but suffered a hamstring injury in camp. Before the end
of their 20-6 loss to
Panthers had lost two starters on the offensive line. MasterLockLine.com has the top plays from the top
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Center Justin Hartwig has played in just one game since then and was
listed as out for Sunday. Left tackle Travelle
Wharton was placed on the injured-reserve list. The losses have been felt most
keenly in
The Panthers hoped that DeShaun Foster and rookie
DeAngelo Williams would form a 1-2 punch to soften defenses for the passing
game. Instead,
28th in rushing yardage. Foster has gained 588 yards, 19th
in the NFL. Williams has just 158 yards but has missed almost four games
because of an ankle injury. Perhaps more devastating was the concussion
suffered in the opener by middle linebacker Dan Morgan. He was inactive for the
next four games, then was placed on injured reserve.
The defense ranks in the middle of the pack in rushing, passing and total yards
allowed, though defensive end Julius Peppers has stood out. Peppers
leads the league with 11 sacks and was named defensive player of the
month for October. The Panthers lost their first two games but reeled off four
consecutive victories with Smith’s return.
Bengals-Saints
Cincinnati
Starting right guard Bobbie Williams had an emergency
appendectomy Wednesday afternoon and is out for the game Sunday at New Orleans.Since signing as a free agent before the 2004
season, Williams has started 42 consecutive games. Playing alongside tackle
Willie Anderson, Williams is a key part in the Bengals’ power run game. The Bengals
played the past four games with the same starting line after juggling the
quintet the first five games because of injuries to starting left tackle Levi
Jones and starting center Rich Braham. Backup Eric Ghiaciuc
has started six games at center, and rookie backup Andrew Whitworth four at
left tackle and two at left guard.
2006
Giants-Jaguars
New York Times
Using the same 11 starters from last season, the unit
glided through the early stages of this season. It featured an array of star
players swirling around the nucleus of an underrated offensive line, usually
moving downfield. Now, in the second half of the season, there is concern. Left
tackle Luke Petitgout and wide receiver Amani Toomer are on injured
reserve. The Giants’ offense has become less a model of cool efficiency and
more a contraption of fits and starts. The Giants (6-3) averaged 27.2 points in
their first six games, but 17 in their past three. Now they are headed south to
play the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) on Monday night. The Jaguars have allowed
14.1 points a game, third lowest in the N.F.L.