Fish Fry PIT 26-19

After the game coach Keller pointed out, "The Steelers really dominated this one".  In response, coach Weiss said, "in every category, including the 4 big turnovers that will do any team in".  And so the story of the Steelers trip to South Florida goes.  Big Ben Roethlisberger threw 2 huge INT's + 2 big fumbles did in the Pittsburgh.  Keller's boys did exactly what they needed to do.  They played error free football and got the win.  Miami had a 17-6 halftime lead, but Ben moved his team 80 yards in 6 plays and hit Heath Miller for a TD to make it 17-13 mid way throught the 3rd.  Chad Pennington countered with a 67 play drive of his own to make it 24-13.  With 5:08 left to go Mwelde Moor ran one in from 11 yards out to make it 24-19.  Pittsburgh blew the 2 point conversion and for good measure former Steeler Joey Porter sacked Ben in the end zone for a safety.  Hines Ward had a killer day (7-162), but on a day when your team turns the ball over individual accolades mean nothing.  Pennington's 17-32-202-2td day make him the games MVP.  Nate Jones and Randy Starks had the key INT's in this contest.

Ravens intercept Manning 6 times.

In December, the 2009 Indianapolis Colts were 14-0 and on the verge of perfection. Deciding that perfection was not the goal but instead going in to the postseason well rested was more important. Even without those last two games there was strong agreement that these Colts were one of the best teams of all times. And so it made sense that in the CFL Late 2000’s draft Tom Davis would take over the reins of this impressive team.

And then there were the 2006 Baltimore Ravens. A great defense, but they had lost in the playoffs to the 2006 version of the Colts. Going in to last night’s CFL game most people would have put money on the Colts. There were even rumors that Coach MacDonald was putting his money on the 09 Colts.

But then the game began. The Ravens jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Peyton Manning threw two interceptions in the first quarter, so it was obvious that the Ravens defense was having its desired effect. Put pressure on Manning and hope.

After his second interception, Manning put on his game face and let the Colts down the field for a 9 play, 84 yard touchdown drive,
finished off by a Dallas Clark 29 yard touchdown reception.

After trading possessions, the Colts once had the ball, this time
starting on their own 19. Manning to Wayne for 8 yards. Manning to Clark for 22 yards. Then Manning threw his third interception of the half. Chris McAlister picked off Manning, returning the pick 31 yards before he fumbled the ball. But heads up play by Ed Reed recovered the ball and the Ravens were ready to make Manning pay for his mistake.

But, wait. There was laundry on the field. That’s right, the Ravens
were called for Holding, and the interception never happened. The
Colts had the ball on the Ravens 46. And just to show that he was not gun shy Manning connected two plays later with Collie on a 40 yard pass play, setting the Colts up with a First and Goal from the 9.  Addai sealed the deal with a 7 yard touchdown run.

And so the first half came to a close. The Ravens defense had played well, but it wasn’t good enough.

The scoring resumed halfway through the third quarter, when the Ravens regained the lead on a quarterback sneak by Steve McNair. The Ravens were ahead 17-14. But everyone in attendance was just waiting for Manning to take it to the next level and teach the Ravens that he was not intimidated by their constant blitzing.

The Colts went three and out, but so did the Ravens.

The Colts had a short field to work with after forcing the Ravens to
punt from their own 2. Manning was only 43 yards from the end zone, with more than 2 minutes left in the third quarter. Addai outside for 5. Manning to Wayne incomplete. Manning to Wayne for 17. Manning to Wayne for21 and the touchdown.

Matt Stover who had the kicking duties for both teams – a sort of all time kicker, put the Colts ahead 21-17. The Colts were feeling pretty good, after giving up 14 points in the first half, the Ravens only scored 3 in the third. And as long as Manning did not make any more bad decisions, it looked the Colts would be able to secure the victory.

On the next Ravens possession, they picked up one first down, but
nothing more.

Manning had the lead, the ball and 13 minutes to milk the clock,
starting on his own 6. Far too many times had Colts’ opponents been subjected to watching Manning work his magic.

But then Manning did the unthinkable. He threw another interception.  Bart Scott had his second interception. The Ravens had the ball in Colts territory but could only come out of it with a field goal. The Colts still lead 21-20.

And once again Manning had the ball. And the lead. One nice long drive and the Colts could seal the victory.  But the Ravens Defense had other ideas. There was not going to be a long drive. Instead the Colts were forced to punt from their own 37.

The Ravens figured they could milk the clock. And get at least a field goal. A few short passes and a draw got a first down. And then on third and two from their own 43, McNair could not hook up with Todd Heap and the Colts were going to get the ball back.

Now surely THIS TIME, Manning was going to work his magic. A one point lead. The ball. An incredible receiving corps.

Manning threw his FOURTH interception of the game. And even worse Chris McAlister returned this one for a touchdown. The Ravens retook the lead with less than 3 minutes to go. A missed two point conversion made the score 26-21.

Manning was soon facing 4th down from his own 35. And Terrell Suggs added an exclamation mark to the day the Ravens D was having with an 8 yard sack.  A quick Ravens touchdown put them ahead 32-21 after another missed two point conversion.

On their final drive Manning managed to throw two more interceptions (one of them was fumbled by the Ravens and recovered by the Colts.)

And the team that could have and probably should have gone 16-0, after all just the week before in CFL play, they had beaten the unbeatable New England Patriots, fell to the 2006 Ravens and their blitzing and bruising defense.

--submitted by K.A. MacDonald--

Packers 27, Vikes 23

Green Bay jumped out to a 13-3 lead, but Brett Favre (24-40, 263, 2 TD) took advantage of 3 GB turnovers to lead the Vikings to 17 unanswered points and a 20-13 lead after 3 quarters.  Green Bay put together their longest drive of the day to open the 4th- 12 plays for 81 yards, which culminated in Ryan Grant's (18-68, TD) 3-yard run to tie the game at 20.  Green Bay then forced a 3-and-out, but the euphoria at Lambeau didn't last long as Grant fumbled at the GB 28 on the Pack's next possession.  Green Bay's D rose to the challenge, forcing Minnesota to settle for a FG.  But the Vikings were now up 23-20, and they had managed to chew four minutes off the clock.  Aaron Rodgers (26-42, 340, 2 TD, 2 Int) and Green Bay took over at their own 16 with 2:38 to play.  They overcame a quick 4th-and-2 on their first set of downs, and on the next play Rodgers found Greg Jennings (6-121) for a deep 37-yard bomb to move them within FG distance.  Rodgers and Jermichael Finley (6-49, TD) had other ideas, however, as they connected on a 13-yard TD strike with 13 ticks left to give the Packers a 27-23 win.  

Green Bay 23, San Diego 3

The Chargers appeared ready to draw first blood late in the 1st with a 1st-and-goal from the 2. The Packers D stuffed LaDanian Tomlinson (25-63) on two plays, and then on 3rd down Tramon Williams intercepted a Philip Rivers (21-37, 186, 2 Int) pass and returned it to the 32. Aaron Rodgers (18-29, 226, TD) led the Pack on a 68-yard drive, and on the 1st play of the 2nd quarter Ryan Grant (18-40, TD) plunged in from a yard out to give Green Bay a 7-0 lead. Rivers marched San Diego across midfield on the Chargers' next possession, but Green Bay's Charles Woodson intercepted a medium long pass intended for Vincent Jackson (2-20). Again, Rogers and Green Bay capitalized; 9 plays and 62 yards later Rogers found Jermichael Finley (4-36, TD) for a 9-yard TD toss. Green Bay's Mason Crosby (3-3 40+, long 51) added a late 45-yard FG to make it 17-0 Packers at the half.

Both teams struggled to move the ball in the 2nd half. Mason Crosby added a 41-yard FG late in the 3rd to stretch GB's lead to 20-0, and SD's Nate Kaeding matched him with a 25-yarder early in the 4th to put the Chargers on board. Green Bay tacked on another 3 midway though the 4th when Crosby connected from 51. San Diego threatened late, but could not punch it into the end zone and turned the ball over on downs; Green Bay ran out the clock for the 23-3 win.
--submitted by Dan Donovan--

Keller to the rescue as Panthers overwhelm Browns 34-13

After being awarded a franchise in the CFL Eugene Knauber selected the 2008 Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately for him he was never able to get his franchise off the ground. Veteran CFL coach Terry Priest attempted for days to setup a time and place to play this opening day game, but to no avail. Countless e-mails and IM's were ignored, until we safely assumed it's time to pull the plug and along comes Bill Keller (aka..."Mr. Cleveland") who said, "Give me the Brownies and let's go".

So, the 2007 Cleveland Browns take over the slot held in name only by the 2008 Miami Dolphins. Without time to practice up his team Coach Keller swooped into action and after a tough half of football actually led '08 Panthers 10-7. But alas, it was not meant to be as Terry Priest's Pathers dropped 17 points on the Browns en route to an opening day victory. DeAngelo Williams (19-124-3td-6.5ypc) was truly the star of the game. Cleveland did not have an answer for his big ground gainers. Most impressive was his 42 yard TD run near the end of the 1st half that turned a 10-0 Browns lead into just a 3 point lead. Jake Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad for a 23 yarder to take the lead in the 3rd and never look back. Braylon Edwards had a workmanlike (7-53-td) day as the focal point of the Brown offense, which seemed to be able to run the ball at will, but once they were down they had to go to the air.

Colts 37, Patriots 27

This game promised to be an offensive show and it did not disappoint.

  The Colts won the toss and with a slight breeze elected to receive the kick. A 14 play drive from their own 32 ended with an Adam Vinatieri field goal.  Ellis Hobbs took the kickoff at his own 1 yard line and didn’t stop running until he reached the end zone.  Just that fast, the Patriots took a 7-3 lead.  But Chad Simpson wouldn’t be shown up.  He took the return kick on his 24 and he too stopped running only when he crossed the goal line.  The Colts were right back in the lead 10-7.  The two teams traded punts and then Tom Brady opened the second quarter by marching his Patriot offense to the 9 yard line.  A draw to Sammy Morris netted only two yards but cost the Patriots the services of Morris for the rest of the game and at least six more weeks.  The injury must have shaken up Brady because the next play resulted in an interception by Antoine Bethea.  The Patriot defense rose to the occasion and the Colts were forced to punt.  On a 4th and goal at the Colts 1, Heath Evans went in for the  score, but the Patriots were detected holding and had to settle for a field goal.  Starting from his own 37, Peyton Manning took just 7 plays to cover the 63 yards, finding Dallas Clark in the end zone for a 6 yard td pass and a 17-10 lead.  Stephen Gostowski and Vinatieri traded field goals to make the score 20-13.  Then Willie Andrews did an Ellis Hobbs imitation and starting at the 1, went 99 yards for the Pats second return for a touchdown today, tying the score at 20.  With 2:48 remaining in the half, Manning started at his own 32 and, using 2:05 off the clock, took his team into the end zone, again finding Clark (8-68-2), this time for a 16 yard catch.  The Pats did not have enough time left to put together a drive and the half ended 27-20.

  The Pats opened the second half with a three and out, followed by a Colt three and out.  The teams again traded punts and this time Brady started from his own 44.  Brady used up four and a half minutes before tossing a 14 yard td pass to Wes Welker (4-43-1) to again tie the game.  The Colts used the remaining time in the third quarter and started the fourth quarter of play with Manning hitting Reggie Wayne (8-160-1) for an 18 yard td pass.  The Patriots drive stalled and punted the ball to the Colts 2 with 11:23 remaining in the game.  Manning (33-40, 394 yds, 3 tds, 2 sacks) executed a 15 play drive that consumed nearly 9 and a half minutes ending with another Vinatieri field goal.  with 1:54 left in the game, Brady hit Donte Stallworth (3-85) for 36 yards.  Brady (15-28, 238 yds, 1 td, 2 ints, 2 sacks) was forced from the pocket on the next play for a 2 yard gain and then missed Randy Moss (1-18) deep.  The next pass to db Jacob lacey and the game ended there.  Laurence Maroney had 81 yards on 15 carries for the Pats.  Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie each caught 6 passes for 89 and 70 yards respectively. 

Colts 37  Patriots 27 – submitted by Tom “Crash” Davis--

America’s Team defeats Saints 20-10

1st Quarter: 

The Saints, fresh off their Super Bowl XLIV victory headed down to Irving Texas to show America's team that they are part of America too.  Drew Brees and company started out fast.  On the second play from scrimmage Brees hit Jeremy Shockey for a 29 yard catch to put the ball on the Cowboy 42.  On the following play he hit Marques Colston for 23 additional yards and just like that they were inside the Red Zone in 3 plays.  This had the look of a long afternoon for Big D, but just like the blink of an eye things changed.  Brees went to the draw play figuring Dallas would be looking pass.  That was not the case.  Mike Bell was stuffed and fell forward for a 1 yard gain, but a 15 yard Unnecessary Roughness penalty on Jonathan Stinchcomb pushed them back to the Saint 37.  An incomplete pass led to a 3rd and 24.  A reverse to Colston was snuffed out by Ken Hamlin and they were facing 4th and 23 from the 36.  A coffin corner kick by Thomas Morstead pinned the Cowboys on their 2, where they gained a grand total of 2 yards and were forced to punt back to the Saints took over in excellent field position on Dallas' 47.  Pierre Thomas gained 4 yards on an inside hand off.  Brees then went play action, but Dallas did not bite.  Jay Ratliff hurried Brees who was in the process of switching targets.  Instead of Devery Henderson getting the ball it wound up firmly in the hands of Terence Newman for the INT.  After a blocking in the back penalty on the run back Dallas took over on their own 22.  The Saints setup to key Marion Barber and Tony Romo countered it with a medium toss to TE Jason Witten, who busted a few tackles before getting knocked out of bounds on the Saint 20 by Pierson Prioleau for a gain of 54 yards.  3 plays late Romo hit Terrell Owens (T.O.) for a 9 yard slant for a 1st and goal from the 3.  After a few miscues and some great Saint defensive calls Romo face a 3rd and goal from the 2.  He dropped back to pass, but Flozell Adams missed his block and Charles Grant flushed Romo right into the outstretched arms of a blitzing Jonathan Vilma for a 7 yard loss on the sack.  Nick Folk came on to nail a 26 yard chip shot to break the scoreless tie and make it 3-0 Dallas.  By the end of the quarter the Saints were again driving deep into Cowboy territory.  The big play being a 29 yarder that Brees threaded the needle to get to Lance Moore.

2nd Quarter: 

Facing 2nd and 4 from the Cowboy 21 Reggie Bush broke free for a quick 1st down on the Cowboy 15.  After a holding penalty Brees hit Bush with a screen that gained 13 yards to make it 2nd and 7 from the 12.  On the following play Brees found Robert Meachem in the back of the end zone for a 12 yard TD score.  After the XP the Saints had a 7-3 lead with 13:20 left in the 2nd.  Back to back "3 and outs" slowed down the pace and looked to turn the game into a battle of field position.  With 9:38 left in the half the Cowboys began deep in their own territory on their own 4.  Vilma headed in on the blitz and Romo called the perfect dump off play to Julius Jones for 27 yards to the 33.  Facing a 3rd and 1 from their own 42 Romo followed Andre Gurode on a QB sneak that netted the key 1st down.  The drive stalled at midfield, but it served the purpose of shifting the battle of field position over to Dallas.  Facing a 3rd and 14 from their own 16 the Saints relied on Brees to dig them out of the hole.  His 24 yard toss to Devery Henderson did just that.  A string of great Dallas defensive plays and penalties hurt the Saints, who faced a crucial 3rd and 29 from their 31.  Dallas called an all out blitz and Brees threw one up for grabs in the general vicinity of Henderson, which was picked off by Jacques Reeves, who returned it to the Saint 42 with 2:23 left to go in the half.  New Orleans was keying Barber for the run, so Romo hit TO for a quick 10.  Dallas did not have to burn a time out, because Tracy Porter, who tackled TO was injured on the play.  Dallas could not advance the ball any further and settled for a 47 yarder by Nick Folk to make it 7-6, which is how the half ended.

3rd Quarter: 

Dallas got the ball to start the 2nd half, but after a quick first down that got them near midfield they were forced to punt.  3 plays later the Saints booted the ball back to Dallas.  Dallas decided to one up the Saints and they went 3 and out as well.  At this point not a lot was going on.  On 2nd and 8 from his own 25 Brees countered Dallas' run blitz with a long crossing pattern toss to Marques Colston who raced 57 yards to the Cowboy 18 before being caught from behind by Anthony Henry.  Pierre Thomas busted up the middle for 11 more yards to the Cowboy 7, but the drive ended there.  John Carney came on and hit a 21 yard chip shot to make it 10-6 with 6:40 left to go in the 3rd.  Thomas Morstead booted the kickoff to the 2 and Tyson Thompson took off and followed his blockers 72 yards down to the Saint 26.  Romo hit his favorite target Witten in stride for 15 quick yards on 1st down.  Barber gobbled up 5 yards against a run defense to get down to the 6.  The Saints had too many men on the field so the officials marked it off half the distance to the goal line to make it 3rd and 2 from the 4.  New Orleans loaded up for the run and Romo once again found his "boy" Jason Witten in the flat.  Witten easily walked in to the end zone to give Dallas their first lead of the day (13-10) with 3:49 left in the 3rd.  After a short drive to nowhere the Saints punted and Dallas began moving the ball.  The final play of the 3rd quarter Romo hit Barber with a flare pass against a blitz and gained 26 yards to put the ball on the Saint 19.

4th Quarter:  The Saints guessed that Barber would get the ball and put everyone up on the line.  Romo called T.O's number and hit the enigmatic wide out on the 13 in stride.  T.O. walked into the end zone to make it 19-10 with the extra point pending (Folk made it).  Down by 10 Brees went to the air and moved the team past midfield, then tragedy struck again for the SB MVP.  Robert Meachem was slow in cutting on his route and Brees' errant pass wound up in the mitts of Mr. Horsecollar himself, Roy Williams.  This was New Orleans' 3rd turnover of the game.  At this point Romo wasn't going to play it close to the vest like the Saints thought he would.  After a delay of game penalty he faced first and 15 from his 33 when New Orleans again jammed the line looking for Julius Jones to run.  Romo faked the handoff to Jones and lofted one perfectly into T.O's hands for a 32 yard gain to the Saint 35.  The drive stalled and Folk missed a 47 yarder.  Brees immediately rallied the troops and began driving downfield.  A few plays later they were on the Cowboy 34 when he hit Devery Henderson on the 16.  As he turned upfield Henderson forgot to take the ball with him and Roy Williams became Johnny on the spot when he pounced on the pigskin for the fumble recovery and New Orleans 4th turnover of the game.  Dallas got a little conservative and faced a key 3rd and 4 from their own 22.  New Orleans thought run, but Romo thought medium pass to Miles Austin for 12 yards.  Romo thought right.  A new set of downs meant the ability to milk the clock further, which is exactly what happened.  A stellar Matt McBriar punt pinned the Saints deep in their own territory (13 yard line) with 6:11 left to go.  A "3 and out" forced a punt which didn't go far and allowed Dallas to start at midfield.  Romo decided to throw an ill advised pass to backup Tight End Anthony Fasano.  The pass was tipped and wound up in Darren Sharper's hands, who returned it 23 yards.  With 4:31 left to play the Saints were down by 10 with the ball on their own 41.  Brees began moving the team at will.  From the Cowboy 37 he hit Colston for a 27 yard strike down to the Coyboy 10.  Poised to make it a one score game Brees tried to go back to the well (Colston) one more time and was picked off for the 3rd time today.  Ken Hamlin jumped the route and advanced the ball 17 yards.  This just might have been the final nail in the proverbial coffin.  Dallas went 3 and out and New Orleans got the ball back and drove down to Dallas' 35 where they faced a 4th and 9 with 1:15 left to go.  Dallas coach Weinrib sent everyone on a blitz and Brees narrowly missed Shockey with a ball thrown a hair behind him.  Romo and company ran out the clock to defeat the Saints 20-10.

Steelers win defensive struggle vs Ravens 20-12

1st QTR: On their first possession of the game Steeler RB Mewelde Moore coughed the ball up on the Ravens 45. Baltimore capitalized when Matt Stover hit a 54 yard FG at 9:00. A tight defensive struggle ensued. With :21 left in the quarter Steve "Air" McNair hit Clarence Moore with a quick toss. Moore struggled for extra yards and LaMarr Woodley punched the ball out and recovered it for Pittsburgh. "Big" Ben Roethlisberger immediately went up top and hit Santonio Holmes for 37 yards to get down to Baltimore's 11.

2nd QTR: The Raven defense held firm and 26 yard Jeff Reed FG tied it at 3. Jamal Lewis returned the kickoff 2 yard and the Ravens started on their own 15. Pittsburgh sent the blitz and sacked McNair who lost the handle on the ball. James Farrior fell on it for the Steelers who now had gr8 field position. Again it was all about the "D" as Ray Lewis sacked Big Ben to make it 3rd and 20. Pittsburgh would not convert and would have to settle for a 40 yarder by Jeff Reed. Reed's kick never had a chance as Bart Scott blocked it and recovered the ball on his own 42. McNair hit Derrick Mason and Ovie Mughelli for medium passes, but the drive stalled on the Steeler 41. Mat Stover hit one from 41 yards out to make it 6-3 Baltimore. The Steelers started on their own 23 and after a 13 yard run by Gary Russell they had the ball on their 38. Ben hit Hines Ward in stride for 21 yards, but the crafty receive dropped the ball. A pile up ensued and thankfully for Pittsburgh Ward came out of it with possession. 4 plays later Ben would hit Hines Ward in the end zone for a 14 yard TD pass to make it 10-6 PIT. B.J. Sams almost broke a return for a TD, but had to settle for a 43 yard return to the Steeler 46. McNair spread the ball around and moved the offense, but ran out of time and downs on the Steeler 4 and had to settle for a Stover 29 yarder to make it 10-9 at the half.

3rd QTR: The start of the second half would not be kind to the offense. Roethlisberger was intercepted by Ray Lewis who returned it to the Steeler 29. Three plays later McNair would return the favor by putting the ball in Bryan McFadden's hands instead of Mark Clayton's. Two plays later Gary Russell would cough the ball up on his own 23 and Tim Johnson would recover it for Baltimore. Both defenses really stepped it up. It became literally impossible for the offense to hold on to the ball. Baltimore looked poised to score a TD after McNair hit Todd Heap for 12 yards on the Steeler 11, but on the following play he was blind sided by Lawrence Timmons and the ball once again came out. Thankfully Keydrick Vincent recovered. Three plays later the normally surehanded Jamal Lewis put the ball on the turf. Mike Flynn recovered that one for the Ravens who must have been ecstatic to settle for Matt Stover's 20 yard to grab the lead 12-10. Gary Russell returned the KO 26 yards to his own 31. Ben hit Ward for 25 yards against the blitz and the ball was now on the Raven 44. Terrell Suggs sacked Ben and stripped him of the ball. Luckily for the Steelers Justin Hartwig was aware of his surroundings and recovered the ball. Ben again went to the air and the Steelers OL picked up the blitz. Holmes caught one for 25 yards and Heath Miller caught one for 23 yards and a score. The Steelers were up 16-12, which is how it would stand as the quarter ended.

4th QTR: Pittsburgh started the final quarter with the ball on their own 18. After two incomplete passes, Ben hit slot receiver Nate Washington for 29 yards to move the chains. On the next play he hit Ward for 25 more and just like that they were knocking on the door to score again. The crowd was hoping for another TD to break open the game, but they had to settle for a 43 yarder from Jeff Reed. Sams returned the KO to his 2. McNair hit Musa Smith with a screen pass that went for 27 yards just across midfield. Facing a 4th and 2 from the Steeler 40 Coach MacDonald decided to gamble and go for it. McNair hit Ovie Mughelli for 4 yards and another set of down. With 6:30 left to go in the game and down by 8 McNair attempted to force one into a double teamed Mark Clayton. Tyrone Carter stepped in front of Clayton and intercepted the ball on his own 16. Ben and company went 3 and out and the Ravens again had good field position (PIT 39), but time was now becoming a factor. On the Steeler 22 with 2:48 to go and facing a 3rd and 6 McNair again tried to force one into the double covered Clayton. This time William Gay was the beneficiary of the errant toss. Mewelde Moore was able to run for a first down on 3rd and 4. Baltimore had no more time outs and the Steelers ran out the clock and notched the victory.

09-Vikes 19, 05-Seahawks 15

1st Qtr: The first quarter was highlighted by Seahawk miscues that turned into Viking points. Jimmy Williams coughed up the ball on his own 16 while trying to receive a punt. The Seahawk defense rose to the occasion and held Brett Favre and company to 3 yards and a 24 yard Ryan Longwell FG. On the next series Matt Hasselbeck coughed up the ball when Jared Allen blindsided him on the blitz. Ray Edwards recovered for the Vikes, but once again the Seahawk defense held firm and a Ryan Longwell 33 yarder was all that the Vikes were able to get. Just before the quarter ended Hasselbeck hit Bobby Engram for 33 yards to move Seattle to the MIN 17.

2nd QTR: 3 plays later a Josh Brown 30 yd FG would make it 6-3. The 'hawks dodged a bullet when Jimmy Williams muffed another punt return, but thankfully Grant Wistrom was able to fall on it. After both teams exchanged punts Seattle took over on their own 16. Hasselbeck was patient and methodically moved his team downfield. The largest gain of the drive came on a 11 yard pass to Joe Jurevicius. The drive stalled on the Vike 18 and Josh Brown hit a 35 yarder to tie it a 6, which is where it stood at the half.

3rd QTR: The Vikes started the second half on their own 20. Fighting his gunslinger mentality Favre stayed in control and took his offense on a 17 play drive that lasted over seven and a half minutes. This time the Vikes were able to find the end zone when Brett Favre hit Bernard Berrian for 2 yards to make the score 13-6. Seattle answered back with a mini drive of their own that relied on a dump pass that Joe Jurevicius took for 55 yards down to the Vike 19. Th drive stalled 3 plays later and Josh Brown made it 13-9. No further scoring in the quarter, but the Vikes were driving deep into Seattle territory when it ended.

4th QTR: That drive would stall out on the Seahawk 13 and Ryan Longwell would hit a FG to make it 16-9. After both teams exchanged punts Seattle took over almost at midfield. Hasselbeck hit Darrell Jackson for 29 yards and then hit Jerramy Stevens with a 27 yard TD pass to make it 16-15. At this point second guessers will try to throw Coach Hopcroft of Seattle under the bus. With 7:14 remaining he chose to go for 2 and a 1 point lead and not kick the XP for the tie. This would come back to haunt him as the Vikes would later add a FG and the Seahawks were forced to play for a TD and not a game tying FG. During his post game press conference Hopcroft said, "I had a feeling we were not going to get the ball back and I wanted to show my boys some confidence"

CFL 2005-2009 League Preview - AFC East

2009 Indianapolis Colts - It all starts and stops with Peyton Manning.  With only 1 true star receiver (Reggie Wayne), Peyton was able to take non-household names like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie and make them look like pro-Bowlers.  Joseph Addai represents a change in pace when the offense isn't throwing.  Running out of the spread and with a line not geared for run blocking limits his effectiveness to under 4 yards per carry.  The defense is predicated on getting after the passer.  Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, when healthy, will combine for 24 sacks.  When they are out of the lineup it will be hard to get pressure on the opposing QB.  The kicking game could pose an issue with Adam Vinitieri being injured and Matt Stover not having the distance that  he had when he was in his prime.

2008 Miami Dolphins - Chad Pennington might have been the QB, but Ronnie Brown ran the "Wildcat" offense.  Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano put their heads together and rode this gadget offense all the way to a play appearance for a team that won only 1 game 2 years before.  Brown and cohort Ricky "up in smoke" Williams combined for almost 1,600 yards on the ground, while Ted Ginn Jr. was the deep threat.  Joey Porter (17.5) had almost half the team's sacks, while Andre Goodman (5) led the team in INT's.  Special Teams are pretty darn good with Davone Bess averaging about 11 yards a punt return and Brandon Fields making over 84% of his FG's.

2007 New England Patriots - To sum it all up in one sentence:  18 and 0 + one Giant loss.  This team was less than 3 minutes away from perfection.  Age and the lack of protection for Tom Brady did them in, in SB XLII.  If their opponents fail to rush Brady he will play pitch and catch with Randy Moss all day.  Moss had 23 TD receptions.  You can pick your poison trying to stop this offense.  Double cover Moss and Wes Welker will nickle and dime you to death.  Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris average 4.5 ypc on the ground, so there is no letting up.  The defense is well above average.  Mike Vrabel (12.5 sacks) had a career year blitzing the QB.  Don't throw the ball Asante Samuel's way or risk him getting another INT (he had 6).  Ellis Hobbs and Wes Welker are unstoppable returning kicks and if you stop this offense Stephen Gostkowski will make 88% of his FG's.  It's not hard to see how they didn't lose a game in the regular season and almost won it all.

2006 Baltimore Ravens - This defense is scary good.  Ed Reed (5 INT) is a playmaker back their in a secondary that had 28 picks and returned 5 for TD's.  Part of the reason their secondary was so strong was the attack / blitz style of defense Rex Ryan employed.  60 sacks says it all.  You never know which LB is coming.  Even Ray Lewis got into the blitz happy action.  They will have their work cut out for them playing in this offensive oriented division.  Speaking of offense, the late Steve McNair protects the ball and runs a steady ship.  His favorite target will be TE Todd Heap (73 catches).  Mark Clayton caught 67 passes and is the deep threat, but the offense revolves around a slow and plodding running game and Jamal Lewis (1,130 yards).  Lewis is a workhorse (300+ carries), but his ypc average 3.6 is low.

CFL Best of the Late 2000's Draft

 CFL Draft order for Winter/Spring 2010 (Season #10)

#	Coach	Draft Pick
*1	Bill Keller	2009 NO Saints
*2	Jay Schneider	2008 NY Giants
*3	Georges Bserani	2007 NE Patriots
*4	Tom Davis	2009 IND Colts
*5	Mike Hopcroft	2005 SEA Seahawks
*6	Greg Marcucci	2006 SD Chargers
*7	Andy Weinrib	2007 DAL Cowboys
*8	Keith MacDonald	2006 BAL Ravens
9	Stu Geller	2009 MIN Vikings
10	Ed Mikhli	2005 DEN Broncos
11	Marc Weiss	2008 PIT Steelers
12	Dan Donovan	2009 GB Packers
13	Terry Priest	2008 CAR Panthers
14	John Lowe	2006 CHI Bears
15	Jeff McConkey	2005 CIN Bengals
16	Gene Knauber	2008 MIA Dolphins