Patriots set to roll against Titans

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's been fairly obvious that Tom Brady and the rest of the New England offense has not been firing on all cylinders. They head into the game tomorrow sporting a very mediocre 3-2 record. They've been involved in tight games for every game so far except the 26-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in week 3. By most accounts, you would be getting ready for another barn burner when you originally looked at the schedule and see that they're playing the Tennessee Titans, but you'd be wrong. The New England Patriots, along with Tom Brady and the rest of the offense, will finally bust out of their shell and put up great offensive numbers.

Tennessee Titans:

The Titans enter the game 0-5 and fully deserve that record. While the Titans may be middle of the pack, 17th overall, in offensive yards per game, they are nearly at the bottom, 24th overall, for points scored with 16.8 per game. Chris Johnson is having a very good sophomore season rushing for 468 yards for 6 yards per carry. What hasn't been great are the meager two rushing touchdowns so far. Rushing the ball isn't the problem on offense. They're putting the ball in Kerry Collins hands far to much as he's already thrown 7 interceptions and an awful 67.4 passer rating. He's been so bad, many people are already looking to bench Collins and put Vince Young back in as starter.

What's been killing the Titans the most is their defense. They rank 23rd overall in team defense. They rank next to last, 31st overall, in pass defense allowing a whopping 287.6 yards per game through the air. They have zero pass rush, thanks in part to the departures of Albert Hayensworth and former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. They've also been hit hard by the injury bug. Already they've had Nick Harper, Courtland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, Jevon Kearse, Jason Jones & Vincent Fuller miss time. Courtland Finnegan, the Pro Bowl corner back, and Michael Griffin, the Pro Bowl safety, may both miss the game against the Patriots. If that's the case, and Brady is allowed the time in the pocket every other QB taking on the Titans has had, then watch out. Brady could easily top 400 yards and 3 touchdown passes.

New England Patriots:

The weather in Foxboro is supposed to be pretty nasty for the 4:15 start tomorrow, which could mean a heavy dose of the ground game. I fully expect Sammy Morris to get the bulk of the action while Kevin Faulk & Lawrence Maroney get more playing time in the absence of Fred Taylor. I still expect the Pats to come out throwing, regardless of the weather because of the Titans deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball. That should mean good games for Moss, Welker and Ben Watson. The most interesting development for tomorrow's game is the play of rookie tackle Sebastian Vollmer. The beast will be starting at left tackle in place of the injured Matt Light. If you know me, then you know I've been looking for a replacement for Matt Light for some time now. I've never been a fan of Light and feel like him being named to Pro Bowl is just as bad as Derek Jeter winning a gold glove. It's just something that should never happen.

The Patriots defense should be a good play if you have them in fantasy. Don't be surprised to see the Pats stack the box with 8 men and dare Kerry Collins to be them through the air. Chris Johnson is the only offensive weapon the Pats need to worry about, so why not take him out of the game. This should be a good game to start working Junior Seau back into football shape as he'll be able to get some garbage time in the second half.

Prediction:

Patriots win 38-17

Fantasy Football Friday: Week 6

Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Can you believe we're already 6 weeks into the NFL season? It might be hard to believe, but at least we are now entering the part of the season where teams, and players, begin to solidify what they're going to be for the year. With that being said, let's start looking at week 6, but first here are the teams on a bye this week: Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins & 49ers.

Week 6 Best Match ups:

1. Titans @ Patriots: Just like I said above, this is the week the real Patriots offense show itself. I fully expect Tom Brady, Randy Moss & Wes Welker to have big weeks. The team has made an effort to talk about not completing a single pass of 40 yards or longer, so watch out for at least two of those completed on Sunday. Ben Watson has 3 touchdowns in the past 5 games. The Titans pass defense is 31st in the league giving up an average of 287 yards per game.

2. Cardinals @ Seahawks: This is going to be a fantasy shootout in my opinion. The Seahawks pass defense may be better than you think, giving up on 208 per game, but it will not matter this weekend. The Cardinals looked much better last week, so I would suggest starting the obvious Warner, Fitzgerald & Boldin. Tim Hightower is a start as well. I fully expect Matt Hasselback to have another solid game as well making Nate Bureleson, TJ Houshmandzedah and John Carlson all fantasy starters this week. It helps that the Cardinals have the worst pass defense in the NFL.

3. Rams @ Jaguars: I am of the opinion that I would start any defense that is going up against the Rams this season. The St. Louis offense is just abysmal, with the exception of Steven Jackson. I am going to suggest starting David Garrard for the 2nd week in a row as well as Mike Sims-Walker, provided he's active. Watch out for Torry Holt this weekend. I predict he goes for 8 catches, 110 yards and a TD this weekend as he takes on his former team. The other obvious start for this game is Maurice Jones-Drew.

Make em' ride the bench:

QB - Eli Manning, Mark Sanchez & Brett Favre

Eli is going against a Saints defense that already has 13 interceptions on the season. Mark Sanchez is going against a defense that is better than you think and Brett Favre is facing the Ravens.

RB - Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson & LaDainian Tomlinson

The Bills offense is awful, and both Lynch and Jackson had poor games against the Browns last week. The last time I checked, the Jets defense is much better than the Browns. I just don't trust LT, especially against the Broncos defense.

WR - Calvin Johnson, Percy Harvin, Mario Manningham

Megatron is banged up, may not play, and going against the Packers. If you have another wideout to use, go with him. I like Percy Harvin, but it seems like he's not in the game any time the Vikings really need to pass the ball. Manningham has been relatively quiet lately and now he's banged up.

TE - Sean Ryan, Bo Scaife

Despite the fact Sean Ryan seems to be a favorite target of Matt Cassel, it's going to be tough for him to get the ball to Ryan against the Redskins. Same thing for Scaife against the Patriots.

DEF - Bears & Seahawks

I just don't like the Bears against a well rested Falcons offense. I know the Seahawks have played great defense at home, but I see Warner throwing the ball a lot on Sunday

Put em' in the game:

QB - Kyle Orton, Matt Hasselback, Jason Campbell

Kyle Orton has been very solid all season, and should continue that against a very suspect Chargers pass defense. Hasselback & Campbell take on the two worst pass defenses in the NFL.

RB - Cedric Benson, Sammy Morris, Cadillac Williams

Benson is now a must start every week. Sammy will get a lot of touches at the end of the game after the Pats jump out big, and Cadillac takes on a horrendous rush defense against the Panthers

WR - Torry Holt, Eddie Royal & Santana Moss

Like I mentioned above, Torry Holt will go off against his former team. Royal finally looked like he did last season as his chemistry with Orton is better, and I expect Santana Moss to get 10 catches this weekend against the Chiefs.

TE - Jeremy Shockey, JerMichael, Finley, Brandon Pettigrew

Like Holt, Shockey takes on his former team, and he hates the Giants. Expect him to be fired up and ready for a big game. Both Finely, and Pettigrew, are becoming large parts of their offense. Look for them to continue their progress and become fantasy starters as the year goes on.

DEF - Eagles, Redskins & Jaguars

All three of these teams are taking on terrible offenses.

Good luck!

Believe it or not, Saturday is a big test for USC, too

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that probably at least part of the reason Notre Dame is ranked in the Top-25 this week after being left out a week earlier is precisely to garner more excitement for this weekend's game between the Irish and USC. A lot of people at these universities, in the media and in the NCAA stand to make a lot of money from a "marquis matchup" between two Top-25 teams as opposed to a perceived powerhouse getting ready to pummel another unranked team.

That said, Notre Dame does have the potential to give USC, and most specifically its defense, its biggest test of the season.

USC is ranked fourth in the nation with an mere 8.6 points allowed per game. They're among the leaders in sacks. They haven't allowed a passing touchdown all season. Of course, those numbers have come against San Jose State (115th in scoring offense), Ohio State (46th), Washington (64th), Washington State (117th), California (41st) and Arizona (58th). This is not to take anything away from USC. Defensively, they are still one of the most talented groups in college football and despite their youth at several positions after graduating pretty much their entire front seven, the Trojans have been as good as advertised.

It all starts with the most veteran part of the defense, which is the secondary and it all starts in the secondary with safety Taylor Mays. At at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Mays is a beast with future NFL superstar written all over him. Both physically and emotionally, he is the catalyst.
But you can't dismiss the fact that if you look at the teams USC has faced, the Irish offense is by far the most explosive and they may be the most explosive the Trojans face until bowl season. The Irish rank 10th in total offense and 27th in scoring offense. The passing game averages 322 yards per game, good for eighth nationally, despite being without their primary deep threat. Jimmy Clausen has had just one game where he passed for less than 300 yards - the one against Purdue where he sat most of the second half until leading the team to a last-minute comback victory. Golden Tate is fourth in the nation in receiving. With all this being said, it looks as if Notre Dame's offensive strengths play right into the Trojans' strengths defensively. And if the Irish featured the same running game they did last year, that probably would be the case.

But the Irish, thanks in part to a much-improved offensive line and in part to the running backs' commitment in the offseason to get better at not going down after the first hit, are more multi-faceted on offense than they have been in years. Not since Darius Walker graduated has Notre Dame had a really potent running game. This season the Irish don't have a dynamic running attack, but it is something defenses need to think about. They improved from a paltry 3.3 yards per carry last season to a more respectable 4.1 yards per carry as a team this year. And that came with starting tailback Armando Allen being hurt for the equivilent of two games. Allen and his 5.1 yards per carry will be completely recovered from an ankle injury. Robert Hughes is a bruising backup and Jonas Gray provides big play ability both with his speed and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. On top of that, lead blocker James Aldridge, who has been out since injuring his shoulder against Nevada, will be back. Long story short, the Trojans can't just sit back and wait for Jimmy Clausen. There is the very real possibility that Notre Dame will try to attack the young and banged up USC front four. It will keep the Trojans linebackers from focusing on blitzing and quarterback pursuit and could require the Trojans to pull their safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.

Still, as good as the offense may be, the real x-factor is the Irish defense and to this point it has not been outstanding. Three goal-line stands against Washington aside, the team has been pretty mediocre against everyone it has faced. Joe McKnight, not Matt Barkley will be called upon to carry the Trojans to a win. He's averaging 7.1 yards per carry and has by far been the most potent part of the Trojans' offense this season. There's little reason to think he can't have a big game against the Irish. The Irish do have the advantage of not having to worry about the kind of running threat at quarterback that guys like Jake Locker, Tate Forcier and Colin Kaepernick pose and those are the teams that have provided the most difficulty for the defense, but the bottom line is the Irish rank 68th in rushing defense.

Prediction: It will be an entertaining game, but USC just has a higher level of talent, especially defensively. USC 38, Notre Dame 29

Dodgers better equiped for NLCS rematch

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Tonight marks game 1 of the National League Championship Series, and brings us a rematch from last season. Last year, the Phillies easily took care of the Dodgers in 5 games on their way to a World Series title. The 2009 NLCS should have a much better feel for the Dodgers than last year. Why is that you ask? Well, let me run through my reasons:

1. The Dodgers are simply a better offensive team this year than last. I know Manny Ramirez has struggled, except for game three of the division series, but the lineup is has more balance, and is not nearly as dependent on Manny. Andre Ethier has been clutch all season, and continued that with a solid performance against the Cardinals in the division series.

2. The Dodgers starting rotation. The front end of this rotation is better suited to go against the left handed heavy Phillies lineup. Clayton Kershaw and Randy Wolf will start games 1 & 2 to go against the likes of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez.

3. Cliff Lee will be making his first start in this series in game 3. As you'll see in my prediction at the end of this article, Cliff Lee will only pitch once in this series. Just that alone is a huge boost for the Dodgers.

4. The Dodgers bullpen. I'll take Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill & Jonathon Broxton over anyone the Phillies can put up against them. the lefty duo of Kuo & Sherrill go back to my argument the starting rotation is better suited to handling to big, left handed bats of the Phillies.

Now don't get me wrong. The Phillies are still a very good baseball team. In fact, I think their lineup and rotation is better this season than last. I just think the Dodgers are a much improved team over last year as well. They have good enough pitching, solid defense up the middle, and have had timely hitting all season.

My prediction: Dodgers over Phillies in 6 games

What we learned this week in college football: Week 6

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Apologies for being late this week. Busy weekend. But no excuses. I'm going to play like a champion late in the game.

Anyway, Week 6 was not exactly the week for marquis matchups in the top 25. Florida at LSU was the big game of the week, and let's face it, who outside of the bayou thought that LSU had a chance of winning that game? Even with a very good defense capable of shutting down the Gators, LSU's offense continues to lack any kind of identity and while Tim Tebow gets all of the attention when it comes to Florida, it's the defense that could make a more legitimate claim of being the best in the nation than Tebow. Sure enough, the defense was the difference. The Gators sacked Jordan Jefferson five times and held LSU to 162 yards of total offense. And while we're on the subject of the Gators, let's move on to what we learned this week

Urban Meyer doesn't care about what happens to his players beyond what they can do for him at Florida.
Wow. I can understand wanting to have Tim Tebow play in what probably is the biggest game of your season, but you would also think that Meyer's play calling would involve trying to protect a 22-year-old who suffered a fairly serious brain injury. Florida's offense is based on threat of the quarterback running with the football, which is what made it hard to believe the Gators would be able to work as well with John Brantley, who is more of a pocket passer. I can understand using Tebow in the running game to accentuate the threat of him moving the football with his legs, but utilizing him as the team's leading rusher? Meyer had Tebow run the ball like he had never been injured having him carry the ball 17 times, one more than actual runner Jeffery Demps. So for all the talk Meyer mouthed about doing what's best for Tebow, he proved it was all empty words.

Michigan hasn't arrived quite yet, but Iowa is here to stay
Iowa is the only undefeated team remaining in the Big 10 and has experienced a meteoric rise though the ranking to No. 11. But after beating Penn State, the Buckeyes almost faltered against Arkansas State, pulling out a 24-21 victory. Even though Michigan isn't the Big 10 power it once was, the Wolverines are a team that has been giving opponents fits all year. They beat Notre Dame in the final seconds of the game, then lost their next two games by a combined eight points. Michigan is a legitimate conference opponent and Iowa proving they can come out on top of a close one adds even more credibility to their ranking.

Mississippi wasn't the only overrated team coming out of the SEC
Sure, we can talk about the embarrassing way Ole Miss lost to Alabama, but I think at this point we all know that Ole Miss was not the team the pollsters thought it was. Georgia, on the other hand, has been a bit of a surprise. Dropping games to Oklahoma State and LSU could at least be considered understandable, considering the quality of the opponent. But getting blown out by Tennessee is not acceptable. And with Florida coming up in two weeks, it's very possible the Bulldogs will be a four-loss team heading into the stretch run. This is assuming they can beat Vanderbilt. Quite the fall for a team ranked 13th at the beginning of the season.

Boston College's defense is truly overrated
The Eagles went into Week 6 with a defense that was ranked high in team defense. They had given up over 900 yards in their previous two games, but there was still reason to be impressed with the unit. In those two games they held two fairly decent offenses to 21 points or less through three quarters. But against a good offense, Boston College crumbled. They gave up yards, as they had in the past, but Virginia Tech turned those yards into points and a lot of them. What was possibly most surprising was the fact that the secondary was the most victimized, giving up 17.1 yards per pass play. Just plain ugly.

Week 5 Recap: Patriots Receive Rude Awakening

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

If New England sports fans were looking for the Patriots to ease some of the pain of the Red Sox getting swept out of the playoffs, they instead received a rude awakening. No doubt about it. It was a dark day in New England sports.

Broncos 20 (5-0)Patriots 17 (3-2)

The Patriots defense allowed a 98 yard TD drive to tie the game, and then allowed the Broncos to march right down the field to get the game winning field goal in OT. There was plenty of blame to go around however, as Tom Brady missed a wide open Randy Moss in the end zone in the 1st quarter, missed Wes Welker for a potential big gainer in the 4th quarter, and then fumbled late as the Patriots were attempting to get in position for a field goal. Brady led the offense to a grand total of zero points in the 2nd half. We still don't know if the Broncos are for real, but it's beginning to look like the Patriots are certainly not for real.

Cowboys 26 (3-2) Chiefs 20 (0-5)

The sigh of relief you heard coming out of Arrowhead was from Tony Romo, as Romo hit Miles Austin for a sixty yard TD in overtime to give the Cowboys the win. Austin had a huge day, gaining 250 yards and a pair of TDs in the win. Romo and the Cowboys may not have been allowed back into Texas if they had lost this one.

Bengals 17 (4-1) Raven 14 (3-2)

Another week, another game decided in the final seconds for the Bengals. Carson Palmer hit Andre Caldwell for the go ahead score with 22 seconds left to give the Bengals another last minute win, this time in Baltimore. Don't look now, but he Bengals are in first place in the AFC North.

Browns 6 (1-4) Bills 3 (1-4)

This was a text book example of an ugly win. Derek Anderson went 2 for 17 passing, but yet somehow the Browns still won. Roscoe Parrish fumbled on a punt return late in the 4th quarter, setting up a game winning 18 yard field goal. Dick Jauron could very well be the first coach fired this season.

Panthers 20 (1-3) Redskin 19 (2-3)

If Dick Jauron is the first coach fired this year, he won't be alone very long. Jim Zorn will be right behind him. After building a 17-2 lead in the 3rd quarter in Charlotte, the Redskins fumbled it away as an Antwaan Randle El fumbled punt lead to the go ahead TD by Jonathan Stewart. The Redskins offense was once again non-existent, gaining under 200 total yards for the game. To make matters worse, the Redskins have had the easiest schedule in the league, playing the Rams, Lions, Bucs, and Panthers. Next up are the Chiefs. You know you are a bad team when you will not have a winning record after that stretch of games.

Steelers 28 (3-2) Lions 20 (1-4)

As has been the case most of this season, the Steelers allowed their opponent to hang around. This time if did not hurt them, as Ben Roethlisberger's 3 TD passes helped the Steelers get by an improving Lions team in Detroit.

Vikings 38 (5-0) Rams 10 (0-5)

Brett Favre showed no signs of a let down a week after beating his old team, as the Vikings remained perfect on the season. Favre threw for 232 yards and a score, more than enough offense to get by the Rams. The Rams have scored only 4 touchdowns the entire year. It's hard to believe that there is an offense in the NFL worse than the Redskins.

Giants 44 (5-0) Raiders 7 (1-4)

The Giants scored touchdowns on their first four possessions, crushing the Raiders in the Meadowlands to stay unbeaten. The good news for the Raiders? JeMarcus Russell had a QB rating over 80 for the game, the first time his rating has been higher than 50 in any game this year. Plus, Tom Cable didn't punch anyone.

Eagles 33 (3-1) Buccaneers 14 (0-5)

McNabb showed non signs of rust in his first game back from injury, throwing for 264 yards and 3TD in an easy win at home against Tampa Bay. The Bucs remain winless, having now lost nine straight games dating back to last year.

Falcons 45 (3-1) 49ers 10 (3-2)

Roddy White finally had the kind of game his fantasy football owners had been waiting for, gaining 210 yards and cathcing a pair of TDs as the Falcons destroyed the 49ers in San Fransico. Last week the 49ers shut out the Rams. This week they allowed nearly 500 total yards and 45 points. Safe to say Mike Singletary will have a fun week of practice for his team.

Seahawks 41 (2-3) Jaguars 0 (2-3)

Behind 4 TD passes from Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks hammered the Jags in Seattle. Jacksonville is a tough team to figure out. After back to back games with 30 or more points, the Jaguars didn't even gain 200 total yards against the Seahawks.

Cardinals 28 (2-2) Texans 21 (2-3)

After building a 21-0 lead, the Cardinals had to turn to their defense to get the win. A last minute goal line stand kept the Texans from tying the game at 28 apiece. Both Matt Schaub and Kurt Warner had big days, each throwing for over 300 yards and 2TDs.

Colts 31 (5-0)Titans 9 (0-5)

Peyton Manning sure looks like the league MVP. Manning once again went over 300 yards passing, his fifth straight game over 300 yards, leading the Colts to an easy win over a disappointing Titans team.

Jets Looking to Bounce Back in Miami

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

For the first time this season, the New York Jets are facing some questions about their team as they head into Monday night's game in Miami.

Can Mark Sanchez bounce back from last weeks loss in New Orleans? Make no mistake about it, last weeks 24-10 loss at the hands of the Saints fell clearly on the rookie QB's shoulders. Sanchez turned the ball over 4 times (3 picks, 1 fumble), putting the Jets in a hole that they could not climb out of. How Sanchez responds will say a lot about the the QB's makeup.

Sanchez will not be the only member of the Jets looking to bounce back. Newly acquired Braylon Edwards is hoping to put his troubles in Cleveland behind him, and reestablish himself as one of the better wide receivers in the game. Can he do it under the bright lights of New York? Are all the dropped passes a thing of the past? Edwards better hope so, or the New York fan base will turn on him quickly.

Rex Ryan's defense will also be under the gun. Last week the Dolphins running game racked up 250 yards in an easy win against the Bills. A few weeks ago, the Dolphins nearly upset the Colts, going over 200 yards on the ground. Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano game plans have been simple this year -run the ball, control the clock, and keep the ball away from the other team's offense. With backs like Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, it does not matter that Chad Henne is at QB. All the QB has to do is hand the ball off. Chad Pennington was never asked to win many games with his arm, and neither will Chad Henne be asked to win any games with his. The quarterback only needs to manage the game in Miami, and when the QB does throw, just make sure the pass goes to the right team. The Dolphins may only be 1-3, and their season maybe on the line, but don't expect Henne to air it out anytime soon. I would not be surprised to see Ronnie Brown at QB in the wildcat more than seeing Henne under center. If Ronnie Brown is your best player, might as well put the ball in his hands as much as possible.

In the end this game comes down to one thing - the Jets ability to stop the run. Even though the Jets gave up over 150 yards on the ground to the Saints, the Jets still held New Orleans to only one offensive touchdown, giving up a late TD run by Pierre Thomas. If the New York defense can hold the Saints offense in check, they certainly should be able to do the same against the Dolphins.

If not for the turnovers by Sanchez at the Superdome last Sunday, the Jets would still be undefeated. It is for this reason that the Rex Ryan will have a conservative game plan for Sanchez, limiting his mistakes and putting the game in the hands of the New York defense. The Jets will return to form, and get out of Miami with an impressive win.

Prediction Jets 23 Dolphins 17