NFL Week 13: Dierdorf knows you didn't win Powerball, will say it all game long

[CountDeMoney]

NFL Lines For Week 13 - NFL Football Line Week Thirteen
NFL Line 11/29 - 12/3, 2012

Date & Time    Favorite    Line    Underdog    Total
11/29 8:25 ET    At Atlanta    -3.5    New Orleans    54

12/2 1:00 ET    At Chicago    -3.5    Seattle    37.5
12/2 1:00 ET    At Green Bay    -8    Minnesota    46.5
12/2 1:00 ET    San Francisco    -7    At St. Louis    40
12/2 1:00 ET    At NY Jets    -4.5    Arizona    37
12/2 1:00 ET    Carolina    -3    At Kansas City    40.5
12/2 1:00 ET    At Detroit    -5    Indianapolis    51
12/2 1:00 ET    At Buffalo    -6    Jacksonville    44.5
12/2 1:00 ET    New England    -7.5    At Miami    51.5
12/2 1:00 ET    Houston    -6    At Tennessee    47

12/2 4:05 ET    At Denver    -7    Tampa Bay    50.5
12/2 4:25 ET    At Baltimore    -8    Pittsburgh    39.5
12/2 4:25 ET    Cleveland    -1    At Oakland    41.5
12/2 4:25 ET    Cincinnati    -1.5    At San Diego    46

12/2 8:30 ET    At Dallas    -10    Philadelphia    43

Yay for 4 pm starts.

[Ed Anger]

Yay! More Philip rivers to watch.

[jimmy olsen]

51.5 for Pats/Fish? Take the over.

[katmai]

Am i counting right that only four franchises have never made it to Super Bowl?

Lions, Texans, Browns & Jags?

[Grey Fox]

Am i counting right that only four franchises have never made it to Super Bowl?

Lions, Texans, Browns & Jags?

That's right. Included the Saints before Superbowl 44.

[CountDeMoney]

Here's a a piece on your boy Kruger, Neil:

The path to the quarterback is rarely twisted nowadays for Ravens outside linebacker Paul Kruger, a direct route no longer encumbered by the frustrating obstacles of his scarred past.

All Kruger thinks about nowadays is relentlessly chasing the quarterback. It is an aggressive pursuit fueled by power, speed and well-practiced pass-rushing moves.

Overpowering offensive tackles, Kruger has generated four sacks over the past three games heading into Sunday's AFC North showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following a slow start to the season, Kruger has emerged as the Ravens' top pass rusher while being utilized primarily as a situational player on third downs.

"I love rushing the passer," said Kruger, a 2009 second-round draft pick from the University of Utah. "It's pure intensity. It takes a little bit of technique, but you basically just do whatever it takes to get to the quarterback. It takes a lot of energy and effort, so I go as hard as I can.

"I've been playing football since I was a little kid, and I love the game. I love the intensity of football. It's the only sport where you have to play 100 percent full-speed the entire time."

Leading the Ravens with 5.5 sacks despite starting only twice, Kruger has relied upon his athleticism, aggressiveness and a burgeoning understanding of how to leverage blockers.

During the first quarter of a 16-13 overtime victory last week over the San Diego Chargers, Kruger barreled into the backfield to sack quarterback Philip Rivers after delivering a powerful hand punch to the chest of offensive tackle Jeromey Clary. That created an opening for Kruger to deck Rivers.

"Kruger's the most natural healthy pass rusher the Ravens have," said former Ravens scout Daniel Jeremiah, who's currently an NFL Network analyst. "He's got every tool you want to get to the quarterback consistently."

A similar scenario unfolded against the Steelers earlier this month during a 13-10 win at Heinz Field.

Kruger overwhelmed rookie offensive tackle Mike Adams with his quickness, forcing him to lose his balance. Then, he shoved the first-round draft pick aside to sack quarterback Byron Leftwich.

"White lightning, man," strong safety Bernard Pollard said of Kruger. "He's able to shake you. He can use the bull-rush. It's kind of rare you see an athlete like that. When I say athlete, I mean white athlete like that.  I told him he reminds me of [Minnesota Vikings star defensive end] Jared Allen.

"Jared is a bigger body than Kruger, but he's very similar with his hands, with his feet. He's a smart player. Krug' is capable of going out there and doing big things."
Discovering a purpose

Kruger overcame plenty of adversity to get to this point.

A gang attack nearly cost Kruger his life four years ago in Salt Lake City during his younger brother's recruiting visit to Utah, leaving him with a zigzag scar across his torso that resembles railroad tracks.

It provides a reminder of the stab wounds to his abdomen and ribs.

Kruger underwent four hours of surgery to repair his injuries, including a collapsed lung filled with blood. Surgeons removed portions of his stomach and intestines.

During the scary confrontation, Kruger, his younger brother, Dave, his sister, Jessica, and a Utah teammate were assaulted by an estimated 15 to 20 people.

Kruger was stabbed twice, and his brother's cheekbone was fractured by brass knuckles in the melee that ensued after an argument near the Sundance Film Festival.

It wasn't the first time that Kruger ended up in a hospital for emergency surgery.

When Kruger was 13 years old, he was four-wheeling in a Jeep Wrangler when it flipped and rolled on top of him. His kidney and spleen were damaged so badly that they had to be removed.

"I'm extremely blessed," Kruger said. "I've been through a lot of different things. It's definitely been something I've been able to draw from in life. You go through hard things and you see yourself and what you're going through.

"You may have tough circumstances. I had times where I wasn't playing and I was frustrated by things. You see other people, little kids that have been injured or people with cancer, and there's no room for complaints in life."

When Kruger was drafted 57th overall, he arrived in Baltimore with high expectations of building a formidable tandem with Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs.

Kruger didn't make an immediate impact, though. He had just a dozen tackles and an interception as a rookie. His second season was nearly as quiet with just one tackle, his first NFL sack.

By last year, the 6-foot-4, 270-pounder bulked up through diligent work in the weight room. And he put the added muscle to use, finishing the season with a career-high 5 ½ sacks.

But when Kruger entered the NFL, he admitted some of the problems he dealt with were because of his actions.

"I've matured a lot," said Kruger, who has a career-high 31 tackles. "I had never had money before in my life. You start being around a lot of different influences. I learned the hard way, being around bad agents, being around girls, being around parties.

"You start to realize, 'This is not the path I want to go down, this is not who I am.' A little bit of that stuff is OK, but you got to learn how to control it."

A Mormon, Kruger said he always maintained his religion throughout his growing pains.

Kruger credits his large family for giving him needed stability.

"I never lost touch," Kruger said. "I always held strong to and always had a passion for my faith and my family. They've been the biggest support and success in my life. That's who I am and what I'm all about."

Getting to the quarterback

Kruger only had 1.5 sacks through three games and went without a sack for four consecutive weeks prior to breaking out with two sacks against the Oakland Raiders.

Now, he's on a tear.

"Paul's playing really well," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The last two, three weeks he's really, really played well. He's been a huge impact in our sub packages."

Against the Raiders, Kruger had a season-high six tackles and an interception.

One reason attriibuted to Kruger's success is simplifying his role to more of a pure pass-rushing approach.

"I think part of it is what we've done a little bit schematically is change some of our packages and put guys in roles that we think they can flourish in and also sometimes take a little bit off of their plate in terms of having to know so much," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "We're just trying to concentrate on here's what we can do, here's where we're going to put you. He's accepted that role very, very well, and really done a good job with it."

[Neil]

Thanks for the article.

So, the Ravens are wearing their black shirts on Sunday.  I think that last year finally broke the curse on those alternate jerseys, when they beat the Niners and the Jets.  Before that, it had always seemed like bad juju when they wore those for a big game.

[CountDeMoney]

Ben Roethlisberger won't be playing against the Ravens on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was officially ruled out today due to shoulder and rib injuries suffered in an overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month.

He was unable to get to a point in practice where Steelers coach Mike Tomlin felt comfortable putting him back on the field.

Veteran backup Charlie Batch will start in place of Roethlisberger for Sunday's game at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Steelers also ruled out rookie offensive tackle Mike Adams (ankle), backup quarterback Byron Leftwich (ribs) and Pro Bowl outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley.

Meanwhile, Ravens tight end Ed Dickson is listed as doubtful with a sprained and bruised right knee and didn't practice all week.

Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (ankle, knee, thumbs) is questionable as well as cornerback Chris Johnson (hamstring) and defensive end Pernell McPhee (right thigh, knee).

The following players are probable for Baltimore: wide receiver Anquan Boldin (knee), nose guard Terrence Cody (elbow), cornerback Corey Graham (stomach virus), tight end Dennis Pitta (neck), safety Bernard Pollard (rib contusion), safety Ed Reed (torn labrum in his shoulder), wide receiver Torrey Smith (thigh) and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (Achilles tendon).

[MadBurgerMaker]

JJ Watt was fined $15,750 for that hit on Stafford.

[CountDeMoney]

Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin was fined $7,875 for his unnecessary roughness penalty against the San Diego Chargers, according to NFL spokesman Corry Rush.

While Boldin wasn't fined for his crushing and legal block on Chargers safety Eric Weddle on Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice's dramatic 4th-and-29 conversion, he was punished for a personal foul committed in the fourth quarter four plays before tight end Dennis Pitta's touchdown catch.

Meanwhile, strong safety Bernard Pollard wasn't fined for his penalty for a supposed helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver for his collision with Chargers wide receiver Danario Alexander.

Replays showed that Pollard actually led with his shoulder, though.

[dps]

Just read that an un-named KC Chiefs player has committed suicide at Arrowhead Stadium. 

[CountDeMoney]

Obviously it wasn't about their record.

Local reports say police are operating with the belief the player fatally shot his girlfriend at a house before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself at around 8 a.m local time. The Associated Press reported the player's age to be 25.

[dps]

Obviously it wasn't about their record.

Local reports say police are operating with the belief the player fatally shot his girlfriend at a house before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself at around 8 a.m local time. The Associated Press reported the player's age to be 25.

Well, maybe he blamed his girlfriend for all the losses, but I kind of doubt it.  Though they may have been having an argument and she mocked him about the team's record.

[Kleves]

The player was Jovan Belcher.

[daveracher]

Nasty business. Looks like they are still gonna play tomorrow too.