Sports Then and Now

Sidney Rice will be going in a new direction as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

We are just three days into the NFL’s high-end version of a swap meet, but it is already clear that some teams have money to burn and are burning it as quick as they can. It will, of course, be months before we can determine the real winners and losers from these last few days, but here are some of the players and teams that seem to have done well and others that have not fared as well so far.

Smiling All The Way To The Bank

Charles Johnson and DeAngelo Williams – Carolina Panthers – Typically one of the stingier teams in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers whipped out the check book to retain two of their top veterans.

Johnson, who is coming off an 11.5 sack season in 2010, was one of the more sought-after players in free agency, but the Panthers didn’t give him any chance to get away as they agreed to a six-year $72 million contract (with #32 million guaranteed) the first day they could talk.

Though he was limited to just six games and 361 yards rushing in 2010, the Panthers agreed to a five-year, $43 million contract ($21 million guaranteed) with Williams. If he is healthy, it is a great move because it gives the Panthers one of the better one-two punches in the league with Williams (1,515 yards rushing in 2008, 1,117 in 2009) and Jonathan Stewart (1,133 yards in 2009, 770 yards in 2010).

Sidney Rice – Seattle Seahawks – Like Williams, Sidney Rice missed much of the 2010 season due to injury and is now being rewarded with a huge contract (five-years for $41 million with $18 million guaranteed). If he is able to repeat the success he had with Minnesota in 2009 (83 catches, 1,312 yards), then the signing will be a good one for Seattle. However, given that in his other three NFL seasons Rice has only 63 catches for 817 yards, you have to wonder at least a little if his success was a result of playing with Brett Favre at the top of his game as much as it was Rice’s ability to be a long-term superstar.

Santonio Holmes – New York Jets – It seems to be a trend that players who didn’t play a full season in 2010 are receiving huge contracts to start 2011. However, unlike Williams and Rice, Santonio Holmes missed four games in 2010 not because of injuries, but because of off the field issues. The New York Jets obviously aren’t concerned about the past as they inked Holmes to a five-year, $50 million contract even though according to the NFL’s conduct policy he is one-strike away from missing an entire season. In just 12 games last season he caught 52 passes for 746 yards and six touchdowns and in 16 games in 2009 had 79 catches for 1,248 yards and 5 touchdowns while with Pittsburgh. Read the rest of this entry →

If any team can help Albert Haynesworth return to greatness on the football field it would seem to be the New England Patriots.

There is risk in any trade. And this trade is certainly full of many risks. Will he be in shape? Will he care to play? Would he even be an impact?

Albert Haynesworth was a force with the Tennessee Titans. This all changed when the Washington Redskins made him a $100 million dollar man. He did not get along with Daniel Snyder or Mike Shanahan. He was never going to work out in DC. For the New England Patriots, this deal makes sense.

With Ty Warren returning and Vince Wilfork, the Patriots have two solid defensive linemen. At the same time, it was Mike Wright who led the team in sacks. Yeah, that can’t be happening. Other than the unproven Jermaine Cunningham, New England did not have any pass rushers. Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo will be used more for stuffing the run. Adding Haynesworth can really help the defense.

At the same time, there are tons of risks. He has not had motivation and the Redskins are not a winning organization. If he plays and plays hard, Haynesworth can make the Patriots defensive line the best in the league. If not, they can cut him and just the $5 million they owe him. It is low risk and high reward, and if he works out he can give the Patriots a dangerous defense to go along with their dynamic offense.

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Tom Brady threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns in his last game against the Jets.

The New York Jets did some soul searching at halftime of their game against the Colts, and found the answer they’d been looking for. It had eluded them for the first half, but they finally recalled their identity and started running the ball.

In other words, they got back to what has worked for them in the past and has rarely let them down.

It isn’t likely that the Jets will come out slinging the ball on Sunday.

Why? Because quite frankly, Sanchez has let them down before. In just two contests at Gillette Stadium, he has one touchdown, seven interceptions, and two fumbles.

He won’t thrown three or four picks if he doesn’t even throw the ball more than 15 times.

Quite simply, the Patriots will have to shut down the run. That’s not the question. The question marks pop up around the defensive line, where both Mike Wright and Ron Brace have been placed on season-ending injured reserve since the end of the regular season. The Patriots now boast a defensive line featuring Vince Wilfork, Gerard Warren, Kyle Love, Myron Pryor, Brandon Deaderick, Eric Moore and Landon Cohen.

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Peyton Manning led the Colts past Jacksonville, but they have to win their final two games to reach the playoffs.

With just two weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, there are still 20 teams which could conceivably end up winning the Super Bowl. Although this obviously shows just how competitive the NFL is, and more importantly how exciting the NFL can be, the fact remains that certain teams are still in a much better situation than others as they seek to reach the playoffs.

Super bowl betting pundits note that the Indianapolis Colts, despite enjoying a stellar season last year, are struggling to make the play-offs this time around after enduring a mixed season that has seen them hold an 8-6 record. As a result of this, the Colts know that their hopes of making at least the playoffs this season rest almost entirely on their star quarterback Peyton Manning displaying a run of top level performances for the rest of the regular season.

Contrast this to the predicament facing the Jets, had enjoyed a brilliant start to the season only to see their hopes of grabbing the AFC East crown dashed after they failed to maintain their form when it came to the crunch, leaving them destined for a wild card spot.

However, the most exciting division according to those looking at the Super Bowl betting odds regularly (despite the poor level of football that has been on show this season) has clearly been the NFC West, which could end the season with the division champion experiencing a season that falls below the .500 mark which is normally the minimum requirement for reaching the playoffs.

Whoever ends up making the playoffs this season, the one thing that is for certain is that it is going to take a massive change in form for either the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons not to end the season contesting the Super Bowl.

Despite this sack by Gerald Warren, Mark Sanchez and the Jets got the best of the Patriots the first time around.

With the NFL regular season approaching a crucial stage, the current leaders of the AFC conference, the New York Jets, are about to face a major test to their credibility as post-season contenders as they prepare to meet the New England Patriots.

The Patriots are currently snapping at their heels in the AFC East and both teams share a 9-2 record so far this season, so the Jets know that they need to overcome their division rivals when they meet on December 6th if they want to go all the way and the Super Bowl 2011 betting odds reflect this.

However, with the New England Patriots’ offence starting to put in some slick performances, the Jets know that the key to beating the Patriots will surely be shutting down Tom Brady. With the Jets well aware that when Brady gets into his rhythm he is almost entirely unplayable, they know that they will need to get into his head if they are to shut him down. Read the rest of this entry →

In week 3 of the 2005 NFL season, the New England Patriots traveled to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from the season before.

Eight months earlier, the Patriots traveled to Pittsburgh and knocked off the Steelers 41-27 and advance to Super Bowl XXXIX where they would win their third Super Bowl in four years.

Led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots had a dynasty and the top dog in the NFL.

Entering the 2005 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were seen to be one of the favorites to knock k off the Patriots.

The Steelers were led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who in his rookie year won his first 14 starts as he led the Steelers to a 15-1 regular season record before losing to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

One of the Steelers’ wins in the 2004 season was a 34-20 beat down of the Patriots on Halloween in Pittsburgh, which ended the Patriots’ 21-game winning streak.

For the third time in less than a year, the Patriots and the Steelers met in Heinz Field. Read the rest of this entry →