• With Brady Injured and Patriots Not Dominant, the 2008 NFL Season Seems Odd

    October 25th, 2008 | By Ryan Hogan Posted in NFL

    The 2008 NFL season is odd. There’s something missing. It lacks energy. Brett Favre is a New York Jet.

    Don’t misconstrue my message. I’ve enjoyed Read more…

  • Who is the 2nd Biggest Bust in Fantasy Football?

    October 16th, 2008 | By Jack Newhouse Posted in NFL

    Every NFL fan knows that the New England Patriots Tom Brady is without a doubt the biggest bust in fantasy football this season.  He was the #1 QB taken, and a first rounder in almost every draft.  Brady didn’t even make it a half before his season was over.  So, the question must be asked, who is the 2nd biggest bust in Fantasy Football?

    The person who wins this award must be a top 50 pick.  Having a 6th-8th round pick not work out is survivable.  Having a first round bust almost guarantees your season ending after week 13 (i.e. no playoffs)

    Here are the 10 nominees for the 2nd biggest bust in Fantasty Football. (we will list the contestants in alphabetical order by last name)

    Joseph Addai Indianapolis Colts   Addai was a mid first round pick this year.  In five games this season, he has yet to reach 100 yards in a game.  He has 3 games that are bad by any standards (44, 20, and 3 yards rushing).  Season to date, he has less rushing yards than Michael Turner had in week 1.  Worse still, he tore his hamstring in last weeks game and will be on the sideline for 2-4 weeks.  The only people more frustrated with Addai than Colts fans are Fantasy owners that drafted him.

    Marques Colston New Orleans Saints   This season, on average, Colston was drafted at the beginning of the 3rd round.  Colston tore a ligament in his left thumb week 1.  To date, he has 3 catches for 26 yards.  While his numbers are pathetic, it needs to be remembered that he was not a top draft pick this year. 

    Ryan Grant Green Bay Packers  In 2007, Ryan Grant was the surprise of the second half of the NFL season.  He ran for 100+ yards 5 times, and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.  This season, he was drafted in the middle to end of the 2nd round.  He has not hit 100 yards once this season.  Worse, Grant is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. 

    Steven Jackson St. Louis Rams  The Rams suck this year.  Jackson has 1 td, a long rush of 29 yards, and a rushing average of 3.6 yards.  While Jackson’s poor performance is probably due to his teams poor play, fantasy owners do not get bonus points for that.  Jackson has been totally unacceptable for a top 5 pick.

    Laurence Maroney New England Patriots  Yes, Maroney is still in the NFL.  Many Patriots have performed worse this season thanks to Tom Brady’s Injury.  Maroney is one of them.  Maroney was a mid 3rd round pick this season.  He has rushed for only 93 yards over the entire year.  Rookie Matt Forte did that before his first NFL game was over.  Maroney still has not seen an end zone this season.

    Willis McGahee Baltamore Ravens  McGahee has played in 4 games this season, has a season high 64 rushing yards in a game (18 last week), and has scored just once.  He holds a 3.2 yards/rush average.  Mcgahee was drafted at the end of the 3rd round this season.

    Randy Moss New England Patriots  Brady’s injury killed Moss.  He was the rare wide receiver taken in the first round.  Unfortunatly, Moss had been a bust.  He has 3 games this season where he did not reach 30 yards receiving.  It will be interesting to see if Moss keeps his head in the game for the rest of the season.

    Carson Palmer Cincinnati Bengals   The Bengals have been a joke this year.  Starting the season 0-6, nothing has worked for this team.  Even Chad Ocho Cinco can’t get his new name on his jersey.   Palmer has only played in 4 of the Bengals 6 games this year.  One stat that sums up his season, 4 ints and only 3tds.  On average, Palmer was a mid 4th rounder this year.

    LaDainian Tomlinson San Diego Chargers  How does a guy with over 500 total yards and 4 td’s through 6 games get included on this list?  Simple, because last season, LT was averaging 122 total yards per game and over 1td per game.  Taken #1 overall, the bar was set very high for LT.  He has been at best above average for a first rounder.  However, people that drafted him are not satisfied.

    Brian Westbrook Philadelphia Eagles  Westbrook was taken in the top 5 picks this year.  The Eagles have struggled, and Westbrook has been injured.  Never known for his durability, Westbrook missed both the Bears game and the 49ers game.  The Bears beat the Eagles.  Westbrook needed to play in that game.  While he does have 6 td’s in only 4 games, Westbrook’s yards are less than impressive.

  • Bill Belichick Says Matt Cassel “is our Starting Quarterback”

    October 15th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in Uncategorized

    … Bill Belichick is clearly:
    - not reading InGameNow
    - smoking his son’s weed
    - not watching football games on Sunday
    - confused about Tom Brady is not coming back this year

    Let there be no doubt. With Matt Cassel doing the Dow Jones - he’s up, he’s down - and with anxiety-filled Patriots followers riding the volatile highs and lows, Bill Belichick stepped forward yesterday with a rather strong statement. For those media types and fans clamoring for a quarterback switch, it’s not happening. “Matt is our starting quarterback,” Belichick said. “He gives our team the best chance to win.”
    – Boston Globe

  • Open Letter to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick: Dump Matt Cassel

    October 12th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in Uncategorized

    Aren’t you embarrassed? Or are you too proud to be embarrassed?

    I am certainly embarrassed and it’s only half-time of the Patriots vs. Chargers Sunday Night Football game. You know the game that the entire nation is watching? Against the NFL’s worst pass defense - measured by yardage, touchdowns and any other statistical data point you want to throw out.

    Against the weakest secondary in the NFL, Matt Cassel hasn’t completed a pass traveling more than three yards in the air. Did you read that correctly? He has only attempted three balls that would pass the first down marker… none were completed because they were all terrible (short, behind the receiver, and a duck).

    Last year’s prolific offense - which statistically is the greatest offense ever - hasn’t changed except at the quarterback position. The Patriots still have the best receiver in the NFL and another receiver who led the league in receptions.

    Meanwhile, that offense against the leagues worst defense is absolutely pathetic when led by Matt Cassel - who seems completely unable to throw the ball more than a few yards. On 3rd and long - he just dumps it off to the running back or to Wes Welker. I’m not sure whether it is an inability to read the defense, throw the ball effectively or a bad habit of holding the ball… and holding the ball… and holding the ball.

    It’s likely all of those.

    Face it - Matt Cassel is pathetic.

    Just as I typed that - he failed to convert on four attempts from the two yard line:

    - 1st down: ball thrown out of the endzone
    - 2nd down: run play
    - 3rd down: play action and a ball thrown wide and to the feet of his tight end
    - 4th down: he holds the ball for 6 seconds and tries to run into a collection of defenders

    The Patriots are a quarterback away from Super Bowl contention… assuming that quarterback isn’t named Matt Cassel. Swallow your pride and call up any of the available free agents (Daunte Culpepper might be a good place to start for god’s sake). In the meantime, call some NFC teams and request a trade (hell - you stockpile draft picks for this precise reason). There isn’t a single starting quarterback in the NFL that I would play Matt Cassel over.

    Swallow your pride and - at the very least - bring in other quarterbacks as competition. There is no way that this is the best you can field.

    And you are now a couple weeks away from total implosion: Randy Moss will flake on the team (after all, he has one ball thrown to him a half… and its not even catchable) and it’s very clear that no one on the sideline has faith in “your” man.

    By the way: now down 24-3 thanks to Cassel’s ineptitude, he just threw a horrific ball “to” Wes Welker on 1st down after a Chargers touchdown… interception.

  • Move Over Madonna, A-Rod Loves Tom Brady

    October 3rd, 2008 | By Jack Newhouse Posted in MLB, NFL

    The New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez has a man crush on Tom Brady.

    Rumors are circulating that A-Rod has fallen head over cleats for the injured New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. It appears that Madonna is no longer in the picture!

    The Boston Herald reported that A-Rod did a rain dance while on a recent road trip to Fenway, so that instead of playing, he could hang with Gisele’s man servant.

    Wierd, but on A-Rod’s baseball card, it says he bats righty….I guess he is really a switch hitter!

  • The 10 most shocking Sporting Turn of Events in 2008

    September 28th, 2008 | By InGameNow Posted in Uncategorized


    1. The Tampa Bay Rays Clinching the AL East

    We all thought it was cute when the  Rays were winning the American League in June. We thought it was funny and somewhat poignant in July. Well October first is around the corner and guess what: The Rays have clinched the AL East and are the 2nd most intimidating team in all of baseball (behind the Angels). They won 96 games (as of Sept 28th) and have a 7.5 game lead on the Yankees. And they are winning with a team that most baseball onlookers wouldn’t recognize a single player.

    One more thing: remember when everyone clamored that they needed to sign Barry Bonds? Worked out fine without him.

    2.       The New York Yankees Missing the Playoffs; Finishing 3rd in AL East

    Meanwhile, the Yankees are looking up to the AL East clinching Rays AND the 2007 World Series champion Red Sox. That means that their historic run of playoff appearances is over. In a year when they closed out Yankee Stadium (so fitting!), fired Joe Torre (so fitting!!), hired Don Mattingly who stunk as a manager (yes he did, you know it) and had a team of 40 year old broken down vets (so fitting!!!)

    3.       Duke Football Sitting Atop the ACC

    I went to Duke University and was a student athete there from 2000-2004. In that period:
    Duke went 0-11 in 2000
    0-11 in 2001
    2-9 in 2002

    Yes. My first three years saw three Duke Football wins. My first two years had NONE. Now Duke is 3-1 in 2008, pounded UVA yesterday and sits atop the ACC.

    4.       UNC Football Sharing the ACC Football Lead

    It’s not March folks. Duke and UNC sit atop the ACC in October! This is as much a story about the improvement of two previously terrible teams as it is an indictment of the ACCs collapse as a power football conference.

    5.       The New York Mets Having a Historical Collapse… Again

    Last year’s Mets collapse was historic and we don’t need to revisit it.
    Except, that the Mets are replaying it in 2008… so we are forced to revisit it.
    The Mets are doing it again and now Shea Stadium could see its last game played on the last game of the season as they are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the Wild Card. The Mets spent a fortune on Johan Santana and he’s been great – but after the starting pitcher has to turn the ball over to relief… the game is over. Statistics say they would have an 11 game lead on the NL East if games ended after 6 innings. Wow.

    6.       The Milwaukee Brewers Contending?!

    Meanwhile, the previously-who-cares-about-us Milwaukee Brewers are in contention after acquiring CC Sabbathia, knowing that they will lose him next season (no way he return to Milwaukee). CC has played three straight games on three days rest. Amazing. And they will likely win the Wild Card thanks to favorable scheduling: the Cubs are resting today and throwing a 7.1 ERA hurler on the mound. Against CC of course.

    7.       A Man FLYING Across the English Channel

    Seriously. A man flew across the English Channel. All 22 miles of it with a  121 pound jet pack on his back. Seriously.

    8.       Manny Ramirez Slays the NL… While Playing in the NL

    From SportsGuy: We must never forget that Scott Boras is the greediest, most manipulative agent in sports history. For example: Let’s say there was a happy-go-lucky slugger who was famous for sticking uncashed paychecks in his locker and glove compartment. Let’s say that same slugger hired Boras. Let’s say Boras got paid only if he could get the slugger’s team to drop his 2009 option, or else that commission would go to the old agents. Let’s say the slugger inexplicably became so moody and divisive that his team paid the rest of his 2008 salary for him to play somewhere else. Let’s say his new team immediately dropped that 2009 option. And let’s say the slugger immediately started hitting the crap out of the ball again, paving the way for one last monster deal this winter … and a big fat commission for Mr. Boras. Who do you think was the mastermind here? The happy-go-lucky slugger, or the greediest, most manipulative agent in sports history?

    Shame on everyone who blamed the slugger.

    9.       The New England Patriots Being Unimportant in 2008

    I am pained to write this: but the Patriots are irrelevant in 08. They started the season as massive favorites to win, potentially go undefeated thanks to revenge and a weak schedule, etc… well that lasted all of 8 minutes as Tom Brady went down and their season ended in a heart beat. Matt Cassel STINKS. 2008 is over.

    Also strangely irrelevant in 2008: Peyton Manning and the Colts look terrible and Peyton is definitely not the same as he once was.

    10.   Michael Phelps Whoring Himself Out In Ways That Make Peyton Manning Embarrassed

    Speaking of Peyton Manning: Michael Phelps has replaced him as the most eager to whore oneself out for cash money. Awful performances abound from the MTV Music Awards, Saturday Night Live, and commercial after commercial. Whore. 



 
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