NFL Week 8: The League Strikes Back

[Sophie Scholl]

The upstart Danes have a pretty good chance of losing their first game as well.  I hope.

[sbr]

The Ravens turned in their most impressive total effort to date today.  Kyle Orton was a bitch today.

They did look good in the bit i saw of them.  As much as I hate to say it I may have ruined their season though, I think I have worked out a trade for Ray Rice in my fantasy league.  Sorry.

[CountDeMoney]

Poor Brownies.  You know you're bad when players are announcing retirements after the game.

CHICAGO -  Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis plans to retire at the end of the season.

Lewis told reporters after the Browns' 30-6 loss Sunday at Chicago that his 10th season will be his final one, adding, "When I talk, I mean what I say and I think you all know that."

Lewis, who missed two games in late September and early October with a hamstring injury, ran for 69 yards on 16 carries against the Bears. That gave him 349 this year and 10,456 in his career.

Lewis helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl as a rookie in 2000 and became the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 7,801 yards in seven seasons (he played in six, missing the 2001 season because of a knee injury) before signing with the Browns as a free agent in 2007.

He served prison time while with them in 2005 for using a cell phone to set up a drug buy five years earlier, and besides the off-the-field issues, there were questions about his durability and speed when he signed with Cleveland before the 2007 season.

Lewis answered those by running for 1,304 yards that year, his best since leading the NFL with 2,066 in '03. He followed that by going for 1,002 last season, the seventh time he reached the 1,000-yard mark, and with the lowly Browns at 1-7, his career appears to be coming to an end.

"It is very hard," he said. "Very. I think this is my last year. I think this is it. Honestly, the way it looks, you know, I had a good run."

Lewis acknowledged that finishing with the Browns stuck in a miserable season is not the easiest way to go out.

"But at the same time, I stuck my neck out and wanted to come in and help and do what I could do, even though I knew the consequences," he said. "I knew what we had and what was going to go with it, being that you do have new people coming in, new coaches, new staff, and all that -- there's a lot that comes with that."

[Liep]

The upstart Danes have a pretty good chance of losing their first game as well.  I hope.

Yeah, my guys haven't a chance against your Saints infested team. Unless Brees throws picks left and touchdowns to Henderson right.

[Liep]

Speaking of fantasy football, has anyone seen that new show The League?

[Neil]

Hopefully Jamal has been smart with his money over the last couple of years.

[Sophie Scholl]

The upstart Danes have a pretty good chance of losing their first game as well.  I hope.

Yeah, my guys haven't a chance against your Saints infested team. Unless Brees throws picks left and touchdowns to Henderson right.

I haven't been paying as close of attention to the LFFL this year as in years past.  I committed the sin of being in two leagues which I vowed not to do.  I do believe this will be a first and only year for that though.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Owen Daniels is out for the season.  That rookie I was talking about, James Casey, just had his knee scoped.  Heh.

The Texans have gone from being loaded at TE, with a pro bowler and a really promising rookie with gluehands, to being just barely adequate with only Joel Dreesen (who, to be fair, isn't too bad) and Anthony Hill (fumbles a lot, like they need more help with that).  Casey "may be back in two weeks."  Hopefully they're not lying like they seem to do a lot with injuries.

[CountDeMoney]

Hey Neil--

You're going to see more of yesterday's defensive schemes from the Ravens for the rest of the year than the base schemes you've seen in the the previous games.  They've made the decision to play a base D of 4-4-3 for the remainder of the season--point is, they've seen more swarming and productivity with 4 LBs on the field.  Even in nickel packages, you'll see more of a 2-4-5 configuration.  They're going to rededicate themselves to blitzing and shooting gaps against the run.
Use your strengths--and on this team, it's LBs.

[CountDeMoney]

Watching a post-game interview with Mike Singletary, I swear he looks like he's ready to suit up at a moment's notice and show these kids how it's done.

[Neil]

Hey Neil--

You're going to see more of yesterday's defensive schemes from the Ravens for the rest of the year than the base schemes you've seen in the the previous games.  They've made the decision to play a base D of 4-4-3 for the remainder of the season--point is, they've seen more swarming and productivity with 4 LBs on the field.  Even in nickel packages, you'll see more of a 2-4-5 configuration.  They're going to rededicate themselves to blitzing and shooting gaps against the run.
Use your strengths--and on this team, it's LBs.

The difference in schemes is night-and-day.  Look how much pressure Orton faced yesterday, even though Denver's line is fairly stout.  Pressure makes the secondary look a lot better.  They didn't give up a single big play yesterday, except for a bullshit PI call.

[Liep]

The Danes lose.

[katmai]

The Danes lose.

about time, you were making us 'merricans look bad