NFL Week 1 Review: Flyin' Flacco

*Special note: Analysis of the new AP Top 25 Poll will be posted this afternoon and a full analysis of the results from WWE Breaking Point will be posted on Tuesday.

Yesterday was one of the best days of the year as far as I’m concerned. The opening Sunday of the NFL season is like Christmas morning. There is so much excitement and anticipation as we get to unwrap another year of the best sport on Earth. Being in Baltimore, I am a huge Ravens fan and the excitement for a great season is high around here. I am not a fanatic by any means though, but I do have to admit that my expectations for the team have slowly risen during the preseason. The Ravens seemingly got an easy opener against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs. So let’s analyze how it all went down.

Even before the game, the Ravens got some good news when Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was finally declared inactive and would not start. That meant QB Brodie Croyle, who doesn’t really strike fear in defenses, would be under center for the game. In the first quarter, it looked like this game would be a total blowout. The Ravens’ defense was dominant and Kansas City was only able to manage 1 first down the entire half. They got nothing against the Ravens in the passing game and they were only able to manage a few decent runs. On offense, the Ravens came out swinging with the passing game. Baltimore was criticized last year for being too predictable and running the ball too much on early downs. But yesterday, they put an emphasis on throwing the ball early and often and did it a great deal on first down, unlike their approach last season.

QB Joe Flacco looked great. He made some really nice throws down the field and also showed good accuracy. He made good decisions and was brilliant on the Ravens’ only touchdown drive of the half. On a third and goal near the end zone, Flacco was able to scramble in the pocket and extend the play until he found RB Willis McGahee for a short 3–yard touchdown pass. This gave the Ravens a 10-0 lead and it looked like they would cruise. However, the offense started to bog down as Kansas City showed some good athleticism on defense. Kansas City also mixed in some luck by blocking a punt and recovering it in the end zone for a touchdown, cutting their deficit to 10-7 at halftime. So even though Baltimore controlled the first half and gave Kansas City nothing on offense, the scoreboard did not reflect the effort and it left the game in doubt. I admit to being a little worried because a few more bad bounces and the Ravens could have been in trouble.

In the second half, the Ravens needed to come out strong and try to put Kansas City away. You don’t want to let an underdog hang around because they start to gain confidence and they start to believe. Unfortunately, this did not happen as Flacco threw an interception that was returned inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line. The Chiefs punched it into the end zone and amazingly, they led 14-10 without moving the ball worth a damn on offense. Flacco continued to sling the ball around though and Baltimore answered with a Flacco 9-yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap to retake the lead.

Kansas City was able to finally move the ball on offense and caught a break when Croyle hit a jump-ball, 50 yard completion which set up a field goal to tie the game. The Ravens answered by slowly but surely taking control with their running game. Both RB Ray Rice and McGahee started to find some holes and the Ravens retook a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard TD run by RB Le’ron McClain. It was short lived though as the Chiefs were able to produce another good drive that ended with a Croyle TD pass to tie the game at 24-24 with about 5 minutes left in the game.

But Flacco and the Ravens would not be denied. Once again, they marched down the field and Flacco completed a beautiful 31-yard TD pass to WR Mark Clayton that put the Ravens up once and for all and they went on to win 38-24.

Flacco was brilliant in this game and he put up his first 300 yard passing game of his career. He finished 26-for-43 for 307 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT. The Ravens amassed 501 yards of total offense, which is a franchise record. The offensive line did a great job providing Flacco with protection and he was extremely crisp and looked very mature. He looked better than he did at any point last season and his decision making was vastly better. Todd Heap also looked very good and if he can stay healthy, it will be an immense help to the entire offense. I also think that WR Kelley Washington can step in as a good #3 and make some big catches during the course of the year.

With that said, I still think the Ravens threw the ball too much yesterday, but they did send a message to the rest of the league that they are not just a running team. Baltimore will have to strike a balance though and get back to ball control and trying to dominant the line of scrimmage with their running game. Kansas City got very lucky to hang in the game as long as they did. The Ravens deserved a blowout victory for how well they played. But that is what a few bad breaks will do and good teams find a way to win even when they are not playing their best. I was pleased to see the Ravens overcome the errors and play well down the stretch. I saw a bunch of other stinker scores out there, so it is clear that not every team was hitting on all cylinders. My hopes remain high after this performance. It wasn’t a perfect opening game, but I saw a ton of good things out there on the field and it was a more than solid effort all the way around.

NFL Wrap Up:

Eagles 38, Panthers 10 – The biggest story of the day happened in Carolina. Even though I expected the Eagles to win this game, I did not expect this big of a blowout. The Eagles were dominant in this game and established themselves as a clear favorite in the NFC. But that is not the big story. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was slammed by several tacklers on a 3-yard TD run in the 3rd quarter and the hit resulted in McNabb walking off the field with cracked ribs. At this point, there is no exact word on the severity of the injury or if McNabb will miss any playing time. Coach Andy Reid said “there’s a chance” he will play next week. This is not good news for the Eagles and especially for McNabb, who seems to find an injury hitting him every year. This could be an extremely painful injury to play through and even if McNabb does, it could severely limit his effectiveness and he would be putting himself at risk of further injury. If McNabb can’t go next week, the Eagles will have to go with QB Kevin Kolb and there will be no Michael Vick to back him up. Vick is suspended for 1 more game and will not be available until week 3. I’m sure there will be more news on this to come, but if McNabb misses extended time, it could make this dominant performance a distant memory. A healthy McNabb can take the Eagles far, but now we have a huge question mark.

On the flip side, the Panthers looked absolutely horrible. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme accounted for 5 turnovers, throwing 4 interceptions and losing 1 fumble. The Eagles’ defense totally dominated them and they looked nothing like the team that was undefeated at home during the regular season last year. As I speculated in my NFL season preview, I felt that the Panthers would fall off this year. After this performance, I am convinced that is a good call and it will be a supreme struggle for Carolina to regain confidence and get things going. They need to get back to running the ball and find a way to play some better defense. The aerial attack seems to be in bad shape and who knows what Delhomme will bring to the table in subsequent weeks.

Vikings 34, Browns 20 – Vikings RB Adrian Peterson put in a dominating performance to help make QB Brett Favre’s regular season debut with the team a rousing success. Peterson carried the ball 25 times and racked up 180 yards and 3 TDs on the day as he slashed the Browns’ defense to shreds. Favre did exactly what I expect he will do all season. He managed the game well and leaned on Peterson and the Vikings’ defense to do the heavy lifting. Favre was only 14-for-21 for 110 yards and 1 TD, but he did not turn the ball over and he did what was needed to win. The Vikings will be a serious threat in the NFC if they can duplicate this formula all year long. The Browns on the other hand were exactly what you would expect…bad. QB Brady Quinn really did not do anything in the passing game and the only spark they got was Josh Cribbs’ 67-yard punt return TD. Cleveland was also bad on defense and got destroyed by Adrian Peterson. Considering that the Browns will have to deal with the Steelers and Ravens 2 times each this season, it will be a long and mediocre year for the Browns.

Broncos 12, Bengals 7 – The Browns/Bengals game was downright ugly. It only gets a mention this high due to the bizarre ending that occurred. Both teams did squat on offense the entire game and with under a minute to play in the game, the score was 6-0 Broncos. However, the Bengals finally put together a drive on offense that was capped by RB Cedric Benson scoring on a 1-yard TD run to give Cincy a 7-6 lead. The game seemed to be over until a Kyle Orton pass was tipped by the Bengals’ defense and it fell right into the hands of Broncos WR Brandon Stokley. He then proceeded to run down the sideline 87 yards to score and give the Broncos a 12-7 victory. This is definitely one of the craziest finishes I have ever seen. But without question, this game proves that neither the Bengals nor the Broncos are a good team. I heard some so-called “experts” say that the Bengals will finish second in the AFC North and make the playoffs instead of the Ravens. The thought just makes me laugh. QB Carson Palmer was supposed to bring back some punch to the Bengals’ offense and that amounted to a whole bunch of nothing, at least in this game. I see an up and down year for both of these teams and neither will be a contender.

Jets 24, Texans 7 – The hype will probably hit a new level as Jets QB Mark Sanchez looked very good in his debut and he was able to guide New York to an easy 24-7 win over the Texans. Sanchez went 18-for-31 for 272 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Coach Rex Ryan also brought a little flavor of the Ravens’ defense and the Jets totally shut down Houston on offense. The Texans only got past midfield once in the first 3 quarters and they only gained 183 yards for the entire game. I may have to reconsider how good of a season the Jets can have now. If Sanchez can play this well and limit his mistakes and Rex Ryan can bring in some magic on defense like he had in Baltimore, then the Jets could follow the exact same formula that Baltimore did last year. Ryan knows first hand how to get a rookie QB and a good defense into the playoffs, and he could possibly get it done this year. As for the playoffs, it seems like the Texans will be a tease once again. If QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson get shut down like this on numerous occasions, the Texans will disappoint again and they will only be a .500 team at best.

Saints 45, Lions 27 – Saints QB Drew Brees had a record setting day as the Saints extended the Lions’ losing streak to 18 straight games. Brees threw for 358 yards and 6 TDs in the huge 45-27 win. The 6 TD passes was a Saints’ record and it was the first time a QB threw 6 TDs on opening day since 1959. Detroit rookie QB Matthew Stafford had a very tough day as he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw 3 INTs with only 1 TD. The Lions’ defense is still as bad as advertised and it will be another long year in Detroit. I still believe QB Daunte Culpepper should be starting for the Lions and I have no idea when they will get a win. The Saints’ performance was impressive today, but it was against the lowly Lions, so it might not mean that much. Brees will be a beast all season long, but it remains to be seen what happens when New Orleans faces stiffer competition. I still think New Orleans will miss the playoffs, but maybe this could be a magical season for Brees and he will just carry the whole team on his back and win enough shootouts to get the job done.

Cowboys 34, Buccaneers 21 – Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo had a career-best 353 yards passing and threw 3 TDs to guide Dallas to a 34-21 victory over the Bucs. It appears that Dallas may actually be fine without Terrell Owens and they may have enough weapons to score points and win games. Romo showed good chemistry with his receivers and the offense was just on a roll. The Buccaneers are going nowhere this season, so we will have to wait and see what happens when the Cowboys get into the meat of their NFC East schedule. Dallas was able to get a good pass rush going in this game and more performances like this will be needed for success. I think Dallas has a shot to battle for a Wild Card spot and this was a good start on the year. As expected, the Buccaneers will struggle this year and the defense is no longer dominant enough to win games for them. In fact, the defense may be starting to turn into a downright bad unit. They will struggle to win games all year.

Colts 14, Jaguars 12 – The Colts and Jaguars had a surprisingly defensive battle and Indianapolis needed two stops in the 4th quarter to escape with a 14-12 win. Colts QB Peyton Manning was able come up with a 300-yard passing game, but the lack of a running game hurt the Colts as RB Joseph Addai only had 42 yards rushing. The star of the game for the Colts was their defense. They did just enough to hold Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew in check and the pass defense limited QB David Garrard to only 122 yards. The Colts lost WR Anthony Gonzalez to a knee injury and it was reported he strained ligaments in his right knee and could miss a few weeks. If the defense plays this well for Indianapolis, it will be a huge bonus and allow them to make another solid run at the playoffs. I have to think Manning will round into superior form like he always does and he will steal some victories for the Colts. I would have expected a more dominant performance at home in the opener, so I will remain a little weary as to how good they will be this season. The Jags will most likely struggle to put up points unless Jones-Drew runs wild. I just don’t see them staying consistent enough to be a real threat all year.

Falcons 19, Dolphins 7 – Like the Colts, the Falcons did not have that dominant of a home opener, but they did enough to get a win over the Dolphins. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan had a very solid day, as he went 22-for-36 for 229 yards and 2 TDs. TE Tony Gonzalez had a great debut, catching 5 passes for 73 yards and 1 TD. It is clear that Gonzalez will help the Falcons’ offense immensely. RB Michael Turner was held in check by the Dolphins, but I expect the Falcons to get cranked up as the season goes along. The defense was pretty sharp today and if they play this well all season, the Falcons could turn into a serious contender in the NFC. As I said in my season preview, the Dolphins will not do enough on offense this year and it showed today. The Dolphins were almost shut out and they got little production in the run game and QB Chad Pennington only managed 176 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Miami’s defense will be good enough to hold them in many games, but I believe the offense will let them down and I still think they miss the playoffs this year.

Giants 23, Redskins 17 – The Giants’ defense turned in a stout effort that was highlighted by a 37-yard fumble return TD by a healthy Osi Umenyiora, who played in his first game since the 2007 season after missing all of last year due to injury. The Giants were in control the entire game and they clearly showed that they are a step above the Redskins. New York did not have a great game on offense and there was no indication of who will become the go-to, game breaking receiver. Still, QB Eli Manning did enough to get the job done, while Redskins’ QB Jason Campbell did not. It is well documented that the Redskins tried to replace Campbell and it remains to be seen if he can drive the Redskins to victories. Washington has a soft schedule, but I just don’t see how they will become a playoff team, even with the money owner Daniel Snyder continues to spend. The Giants will wage a fierce battle with the Eagles for the division title, and those games between the two should be great.

49ers 20, Cardinals 16 – The big upset of the late afternoon games came in Arizona as the Cardinals got off to a bad start in defense of their NFC Championship. As I mentioned in my season preview, the loser of the Super Bowl has had trouble making the playoffs the next year and this performance from Arizona does not inspire confidence. This was a fairly sloppy game all around that was dominated by the defenses. The Cardinals had problems on offense in the preseason and they continued into this game. QB Kurt Warner and the rest of his offensive unit are just not meshing well and they look nothing like the NFC Champions. The defense was very good however, limiting 49ers RB Frank Gore on the ground and harassing QB Shaun Hill. The 49ers did absolutely nothing in the 2nd half, but on the one drive that mattered, Hill was great in directing an 80-yard march that he culminated with a game-winning 3-yard TD pass to Gore. I still think that Arizona can right the ship here, but they need to figure out what is wrong with their offense or they are going to miss the playoffs like so many other Super Bowl losers. Make no mistake, the 49ers will play hard in each and every game and they will probably pull off a few more upsets before the year is over.

Seahawks 28, Rams 0 – There is not much to be said about this one. QB Matt Hasselbeck got off to a shaky start by throwing 2 INTs in his first 3 throws, but then settled down to throw 3 TDs and lead the Seahawks to an easy win. The Rams looked like the same old Rams from last season. They got little on offense and poor play on defense. It will be another long year in St. Louis. It remains to be seen how good Seattle can be until they face tougher competition, but with the way Arizona looked today, I am starting to think that the NFC West title race could be closer than I thought.

Packers 21, Bears 15 – The Sunday night game was a typical slugfest that you would expect from the Packers and Bears. Both defenses showed up and gave the opposing quarterback a hard time, but it was Packers QB Aaron Rodgers who stepped up, while Bears QB Jay Culter faltered. Cutler had an extremely tough game and ended up throwing 4 interceptions. The Bears also made a costly mistake late in the game when they were up 12-10. They tried a fake punt in their own half of the field that failed and allowed Green Bay to hit a field goal and grab the lead. Cutler did manage to drive the Bears down for a field goal to take the lead back, but Rodgers fired a 50-yard TD to WR Greg Jennings with 1:11 left in the game to seal the victory. Green Bay lost a ton of close games last year, so it is a real confidence booster that they pulled this one out. It will be a hell of a battle in the NFC North, and if the Packers and Bears bring this type of defense to the Vikings, it will be something to see. Bears LB Brian Urlacher did not play in the 2nd half due to a dislocated wrist, so it remains to be seen how that could affect Chicago.

The Game’s Quick Hits

Quick results from WWE Breaking Point:
Jericho/Show defeat MVP/Henry to retain Tag Titles
Kingston defeats Miz to retain U.S. Title
Legacy defeats DX
Kane defeats The Great Khali
Christian defeats Regal to retain ECW Title
Cena defeats Orton to win WWE Title
Punk defeats Undertaker to retain W.H.C. (screwjob ending)

-Other NFL tidbits from the day: It was reported that signs are pointing toward 49ers’ unsigned 1st round draft pick Michael Crabtree electing to sit out the entire season and re-enter the NFL draft. Seriously, I can not believe this guy. As evidenced by San Francisco’s win over the Cardinals today, the 49ers under Mike Singletary are heading in the right direction and getting better. Crabtree could come in there and help the cause and be a part of the legacy of pulling San Francisco back up to an elite level. But no, this guy only wants to think about himself. He doesn’t think he is getting enough money and obviously has no concept of a sliding rookie wage scale. He also doesn’t think that the 49ers have a quarterback who can help him make Pro Bowls and making him a star. I say this is bullcrap and very selfish. I thought football was a team game and a wide receiver is supposed to try and make his quarterback better. I seriously have no patience for athletes like this. I hope that if Crabtree re-enters the draft, he is drafted by a team with quarterback issues and he falls flat on his face during his rookie season.

Speaking of “diva” wide receivers, it was also reported that former Denver coach Mike Shanahan was planning to cut WR Brandon Marshall before he was fired. Shanahan felt that Marshall was really not that good and was too much of a headache. Without question, Mike Shanahan knows talent and knows how to coach, so this is a pretty telling statement. Marshall did not have a particularly good game today and the jury is still out on whether he will come close to matching his production from the past 2 seasons. I don’t know if Coach Josh McDaniels’ system is going to allow Marshall to thrive, so maybe they should continue to try and get rid of him. I still think he will try to play for money this season, so they might as well try to milk him.

- Seattle Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki collected his 200th hit of the season last night. This was the 9th consecutive season that Ichiro has had 200 or more hits and that breaks the 108-year old record held by Willie Keeler, who had 8 straight seasons of 200 or more hits from 1894-1901. I don’t have much else to say here and I marvel at an accomplishment like this. Ichiro is one of the best pure hitters of our time and he is a surefire Hall of Famer.

- BMW Championship: Tiger Woods took the drama out of final round Sunday after his blistering course record 9-under par 62 that he shot on Saturday. He opened up a 7 shot lead and was expected to cruise home to victory. Tiger did just that as he shot a 3-under par 68 to finish at 19-under par, a full eight shots better than Jim Furyk and Marc Leishman. Tiger’s 6th win of the PGA Tour season was the 71st of his career, putting him just 2 behind Jack Nicklaus for 2nd most all-time. The win also gave Woods the #1 ranking in the FedEx Cup point standings heading into the last playoff event, the Tour Championship. He is followed by Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, and Heath “If ya got ‘em” Slocum. If any of these five win the Tour Championship, they will win the FedEx Cup. Obviously, Tiger will go in as the favorite in 2 weeks and if I had to bet, I sure would not bet against him. Considering that Woods came up empty in the majors this year, I am sure he will treat the Tour Championship like a major and he will go out to win it.

- U.S. Open Update: After a long bout of rain delays, the sun finally came out and the men’s semifinals were able to take place. In the first semifinal, #3 seed Rafael Nadal looked totally out of it and was a step slow. He was blown off the court by #6 seed Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Nadal admitted that his strained abdominals played a factor, but del Potro blistered him with serves and forehands and was clearly better on this day. In the final, del Potro will have to face…who else, but #1 seed Roger Federer. The #4 seed Novak Djokovic tried his best to hang with Federer, but like he has done so many times before, Roger just turned up his game another notch and he dispatched of Djokovic in straight sets. Federer will now go for his 6th straight U.S. Open title and 16th Grand Slam title overall in today’s final.

The women finished up play in the nightcap of Sunday’s action and Kim Clijsters was able to complete her amazing comeback to the game after being away for 2 years due to having a baby. She took care of #9 seed Caroline Wozniacki to capture her 2nd U.S. Open Championship and become the first unseeded player to win the title. She is the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since 1980, so this is a pretty big accomplishment.

And in a related note, Serena Williams was fined $10,000 for her profanity-laced tirade directed at a linesperson who called a foot fault on her at a critical time in the match and eventually led to her defeat. The incident is still under investigation however, and more penalties could be levied against Williams. The $10,000 is less than 3% of her prize winnings at the Open, so I hope they hit her with more. There really is no excuse for what she did and an athlete should never abuse, whether verbally or physically, an official the way Serena did. It is possible she could be fined the entire amount of her winnings ($350,000) and I say she more than deserves it. If you want to make a statement that what she did will not be tolerated, then that is how you do it.

Monday Night FavreBall

* Note: I had planned to offer some thoughts on the documentary portion of WWE’s new DVD release, “The Rise and Fall of WCW”. However, today was so packed full of sports tidbits that my intended post grew to be very long. Therefore, I am deciding to delay posting the review until tomorrow. I will also offer up my thoughts on Monday Night Raw and ECW at that time. Stay tuned!

Monday Night Football Thoughts: Well tonight was really the big “debut” and test of new Vikings QB Brett Favre, but there was news even before Monday Night Football. Favre told ESPN that he believes he may have a cracked rib. Wow, that would be just a great omen already for the Vikings huh? The team had not officially examined Favre though and head coach Brad Childress stated right before kickoff that Favre was fine and ready to go. With all that swirling around, Favre was expected to play the entire 1st half of the game against the Houston Texans, so how did he look?

In my estimation, it was a solid performance for Favre, but it was not spectacular. But that is the whole point with this Vikings team. They have the pieces in place to be a great football team and they do not need spectacular QB play. All they require is solid and reliable efforts, which they have not had in years, and it looks like Favre will finally give it to them. He went 13-of-18 for 142 yards and 1 TD and did an effective job of moving the ball, not turning it over, and already showcased his ability to move the team and score points in the 2 minute drill. Not bad for a guy who has been with the team for 12 days.

I thought that Favre looked very good. He showed great mobility for a guy almost 40 years old and he actually was able to create a few plays moving his feet and escaping the pocket. The arm strength is still there and his accuracy was fairly decent last night as well. I would suggest that the Vikings try to work on their blocking however, because I thought Favre had to scramble a little too much and a few throws were rushed. To have a great season, the Vikings will need to keep Favre off his back and give him the time he needs to pick apart defenses. The only mistake Favre made last night was throwing a pretty bad crackback block, which he got flagged for. I don’t believe it was a dirty play at all, but it certainly was a bad decision for him to be trying that.

From what I saw, the Vikings could actually be real contenders after all if they play to this level. Adrian Peterson is an absolute beast and he will take a great deal of pressure off of Favre. If he improves in the passing game and players like rookie WR Percy Harvin develop as the season goes along, then the sky could be the limit. I saw Favre make some really nice decisions last night as well. That is another key to success. Favre does not have to be a reckless gunslinger on this team. If he manages the game and does not turn the ball over, the Vikings will be rolling. Throw in a stout defense and you have the makings of a dangerous team. The only big question out there now: can Favre stay healthy and not wear down like he did last season? I really did not notice any ill effects of a potentially cracked rib. Favre took 2 sacks and got hit numerous times and I did not see him wincing in pain at all. So I guess we will just have to wait and see if he can survive and if any new reports surface about the ribs.

On a final note, the Houston Texans still look like they will be a .500 team at best this year. QB Matt Schaub has had his own injury issues and questions and he goes out there and sprains his ankle just running out of bounds. The Texans do have weapons on offense but an injury to Schaub will not help, especially when the defense still looks like it has a ways to go. The Texans have a good pass rush with DE Mario Williams, but if they can not get pressure on the opposing QB, it looks like they will get picked apart in the secondary. I hear some people talking playoffs for the Texans this year, and I am not sure that I buy that yet.

The Game’s Quick Hits

- Word has finally come in that Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has a sprained MCL in his knee and could miss 2-4 weeks. This puts him in jeopardy of missing the Chiefs’ season opener against the Ravens on September 13. While I don’t like seeing players getting hurt, this is certainly good news for Ravens fans. Baltimore didn’t really need any extra help to beat the Chiefs come opening day, but if QB Tyler Thigpen is behind center for Kansas City, it could be an ugly day out there for them and a dominating performance for the Ravens to start the year. The Chiefs also fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey on Monday, seemingly in response to the team’s poor offensive efforts in the preseason and dating back to last year. Truly, it seems as if the Chiefs are in a bit of turmoil here.

- In more injury news, Baltimore Ravens CB Samari Rolle was placed on the physically unable to perform list and will miss at least the first 6 weeks of the season. Rolle continues to have problems with his neck that plagued him last year and he intends to have more surgery to stabilize it and allow him to continue his career and not retire. Obviously, this is not news that Ravens fans wanted to hear, but hopefully Rolle will be able to recover and rejoin the team for the stretch run. I have to say, the Ravens look like they do not miss Rolle with the way the defense has looked this preseason. He has not practiced with the team and did not even make it to training camp, so this news does not come as any type of blow to the team. However, Rolle would be able to provide more depth and tons of experience, so I hope that the Ravens don’t suffer a rash of injuries in the secondary. I would like to wish Rolle well on his recovery. He has always been an effective player and good citizen of the NFL, so here’s to hoping he makes it back this year.

- New England Patriots QB Tom Brady finally broke his silence and told Boston radio station WEEI that he expects to play in the regular season opener and is ready to play this week in the team’s final preseason game if he is allowed. Don’t expect that however since the Patriots usually sit their starters in the final preseason game. So slowly this story and injury seem to be much ado about nothing. Have to wonder if some of those defensive ends and linebackers try to target Brady’s shoulder though.

-And in other Patriots news, LB Tedy Bruschi retired today as expected. Bruschi told everyone that his work was finished in the game and he achieved everything that he wanted to achieve. Sources are also saying that Chiefs LB Zach Thomas will also retire. Being a Ravens fan and being able to watch the excellence of LB Ray Lewis for years has allowed me to have a great deal of appreciation for the linebacker position. Bruschi and Thomas are two class acts and were highly effective players, so they will be missed. Hearty congratulations to them both for excellent careers.

- It also seems like the injury story on Buffalo Bills WR Terrell Owens is coming to an end. Owens returned to the practice field on Monday and the Bills could start hoping he would revive an offensive that has looked dead in the preseason since he went down with a sprained toe. I still believe it is only a matter of time before Owens runs his mouth or blows up totally after the team struggles or QB Trent Edwards starts to not get him the ball.

- In an update to the story on possible NCAA rules violations by University of Michigan football, former Michigan WR Toney Clemons, who has since transferred to Colorado, went on record and told ESPN that the allegation about Michigan violating NCAA rules on limiting how much time players can spend on training and practice are true. In fact, upwards of 10 players have spoken out and none dispute the report. Clemons told ESPN that he spent upwards of 12 hours on Sundays doing team activity and regularly went over the limits of 20 hours per week and 4 hours per day. As I speculated yesterday, these players have no reason to throw their team and University under the bus unless this story is true and it seems like it is. I am not surprised at all because Michigan football has been on a downward trend recently and Coach Rich Rodriguez has to be feeling the pressure. At a press conference on Monday, Rodriguez got teary several times and became emotional and flatly stated that he cares about the players, the coaches and the University know the rules and abide by them, and all this speculation is just an attempt to “tear up” the rebuilding efforts of the team. The University will have to try and argue that much of this time being put in by the players does not count against the “organized” time allotted because it is voluntary and they can claim that strength and conditioning personnel are only monitoring the workouts for safety purposes, which is allowed. To me, this is obviously an excuse to skirt the rules, so it will be interesting to see what ultimately goes down here. I hate to be cynical and all and maybe Rodriguez had nothing to do with any of this, but it seems obvious that the players got some kind of message to put in longer hours than they should have been. Or maybe it was just confusion and the time these players are putting in really is voluntary. My guess is that Michigan may “self-report” themselves for “minor” violations down the road and probably end up losing a scholarship or two.

- Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey has stated that C Yao Ming is progressing well from foot surgery and there is a slight chance he could actually return during the 2009-2010 season. Doctors have also stated that the injury does not appear to be career threatening any longer. Not much else to say on this except I am pleased to hear that Yao’s career is not in danger. He definitely is a dynamic player when healthy and one of the top centers in the league. Houston has seemingly had trouble, along with bad luck, finding a way to build a championship team around Yao, so they can only hope that he comes back healthy and they can begin to make progress.

- The Minnesota Timberwolves failed to reach an agreement to buyout PG Ricky Rubio’s contract and his rights were traded to FC Barcelona in Spain and he will not be able to join the Timberwolves until the summer of 2011. I have no desire to get into the specifics of the money and dealings and only wish to reiterate that the Timberwolves look like fools in this, in my opinion. This now becomes a wasted draft pick for 2 years and for a team that needs immediate help, I believe they should have traded this headache to another team because they had to have knowledge that this scenario could go down. I suppose the only consolation is that Rubio can still work on his game and will only be 20 years old in the summer of 2011. If this guy develops into a star, then I guess the whole thing will be worth it.

- Recently released P Brad Penny has cleared waivers and intends to sign with the San Francisco Giants. He is expected to immediately go into the starting rotation and replace Joe Martinez. Considering that I have never heard of Martinez and he is sporting a 7.52 ERA this year, this seems like an upgrade. If Penny can pitch 5 innings per outing and keep the Giants in games, then it is probably a good move. The Giants are now tied for the Wild Card with the Rockies, so maybe this move will put them over the top. Only time will tell…

- And staying in the NL West, the Dodgers tried to keep pace with the wheeling and dealing and last minute acquisitions of their rivals by trading for Jim Thome and P John Garland. They completed these transactions before the midnight deadline so that Thome and Garland are eligible to be on the Dodgers’ postseason roster. Thome has been strictly a DH the past two years with the White Sox, so who knows how they will be using him. Without question, it seems like LA is determined to try and win it with offense though. Garland could be an effective pickup and any added help when it comes to the rotation is welcomed. Only one more month to go until the postseason and things are certainly heating up.

- U.S. Open Update: #1 seed Roger Federer extended his U.S. Open winning streak to 35 matches by beating wild-card entry Devin Britton 6-1, 6-3, 7-5. A little surprising to see Federer get pushed to 7-5 in the 3rd against a wild-card, but obviously it is nothing of concern. No other big upsets occurred in today’s action, with only a few lower 20’s seeded players losing on the men’s and women’s side. The biggest surprise was probably the fact that #3 seed Venus Williams needed 3 sets and 2 hours, 43 minutes to win her first round match against 47th-ranked Vera Dushevina 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3.