BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/teamreports.htm
samples.....
GAME PLAN: The Rams will look to run the ball more effectively to stay out of difficult third-down situations and lessen the pressure on Bulger. Bulger was sacked six times against San Francisco and was hit another seven times in the game.
Defensively, as they mostly did with San Francisco's Frank Gore, the Rams will try and limit big plays from RB Cadillac Williams and keep WR Joey Galloway from hitting any explosive plays.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Rams DLE Leonard Little vs. Buccaneers RT Jeremy Trueblood. Little has one of the quickest first steps in the league, and Trueblood is in his second year as a starter after being selected in the second round of the 2006 draft.
Rams CBs Ron Bartell and Lenny Walls vs. Buccaneers WR Joey Galloway. Like the Rams' Isaac Bruce, Galloway doesn't seem to have slowed down, and he will be a handful for both Bartell and Galloway.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Rams RB Steven Jackson vs. Bucs MLB Barrett Ruud. Jackson is off to a slow start, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and has fumbled twice. Ruud was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 16 tackles and forcing two fumbles, recovering one against the Saints.
Rams LT Alex Barron vs. Bucs DE Gaines Adams. Barron is attempting to replace Orlando Pace. Adams has yet to make much of an impact as a pass rusher for the Bucs and needs to prove worthy of the fourth overall pick.
—Bucs WR Joey Galloway vs. Rams CB Ron Bartell. Galloway is off to a hot start and caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns last week vs. the Saints. Bartell and Lenny Walls will have their hands full.
GAME PLAN: The Raiders got their running game going against Denver and there's no reason to stop now. Jordan has 260 yards rushing in his last two games against the Browns, both in Oakland, and is coming off a career-best 159 yards. The more the Raiders run the ball, the more they'll keep their suddenly leaky defense off the field. Look for the Raiders to try and free up Ronald Curry and Jerry Porter deep against a Browns secondary considerably less talented than Denver and get quarterback Josh McCown some confidence.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Raiders SS Michael Huff vs. Browns TE Kellen Winslow. Huff was credited with his first career sack and had one of his better all-around games against the Broncos, supporting the run and playing a role in holding Denver tight end Daniel Graham to one catch for nine yards. Winslow is coming off the most productive game of his career, catching six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Although he doesn't have a career interception, Huff has held his own with elite tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates in the AFC West.
Cleveland CB Eric Wright vs. Raiders WR Ronald Curry. A 5-10, 193-pound rookie out of Nevada-Las Vegas, Wright gives away a considerable size advantage to Curry, who is adept at using his body and athletic skill to gain positioning and screen off opposing corners. Curry is coming off his least productive game (two receptions, 12 yards) since taking over as a starter with five games to play in the 2006 season.
GAME PLAN: The Titans won't stray far from their formula, where they want to run the ball, control time of possession and wear down the Saints. But because New Orleans has been susceptible to big pass plays, Vince Young could get his best chance yet to make some downfield connections. Look for continued use of the spread formations that benefit his game and open space for running backs LenDale White and Chris Brown. Defensively, the Titans will look to continue their solid run defense and get disruptive hits on quarterback Drew Brees.
GAME PLAN: The Giants would like to achieve a balance of running and passing, but they can't do that when they fall behind. That leaves the onus on the defense, especially since QB Eli Manning is having a superlative season thus far. They will attempt to slow down the two-headed Redskins backfield — Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts — although they have been fairly efficient stopping the run. The thought here is to give young Jason Campbell, who hasn't even started at QB for a full season, more pressure and force him to throw more often. That could be a two-edged sword, of course, but they have no real choice.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Giants WLB Mathias Kiwanuka and SS James Butler vs. Redskins TE Chris Cooley. This should be another mismatch, since Kiwanuka hasn't yet mastered the position (he was a DE, and a first-round pick at that) last season, and Butler is starting quite simply because there isn't anyone else. He replaced Gibril Wilson, who moved to FS to replace Will Demps (subsequently waived and now with Houston).
GAME PLAN: Despite New York's weak pass defense, don't expect an aerial circus unless the Giants start racking up the points. The Redskins want to stick with the formula that has worked so far: plenty of handoffs to Clinton Portis with enough deep throws from Jason Campbell to Santana Moss and company to keep the Giants honest. Tight end Chris Cooley could be in line for a big day since the Giants couldn't cover similar Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The big concern for Washington's offense is new
right guard Jason Fabini, a career tackle who has never started at guard and whom the Cowboys thought was done after last season.
Despite an 0-2 record and the offseason retirement of offensive linchpin Tiki Barber, the Giants have kept rolling on that side of the ball. WRs Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer have hurt the Redskins in recent years. The Redskins have been giving up the underneath stuff, focusing on not giving up the deep balls that killed them during their dreadful 2006 season on defense. Washington leads the NFC in red-zone defense despite a mediocre pass rush and forcing a lone turnover. New MLB London Fletcher quarterbacks the defense and is a tackling machine. New starting WLB Rocky McIntosh has also been flying to the ball.
ect;.........
samples.....
GAME PLAN: The Rams will look to run the ball more effectively to stay out of difficult third-down situations and lessen the pressure on Bulger. Bulger was sacked six times against San Francisco and was hit another seven times in the game.
Defensively, as they mostly did with San Francisco's Frank Gore, the Rams will try and limit big plays from RB Cadillac Williams and keep WR Joey Galloway from hitting any explosive plays.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Rams DLE Leonard Little vs. Buccaneers RT Jeremy Trueblood. Little has one of the quickest first steps in the league, and Trueblood is in his second year as a starter after being selected in the second round of the 2006 draft.
Rams CBs Ron Bartell and Lenny Walls vs. Buccaneers WR Joey Galloway. Like the Rams' Isaac Bruce, Galloway doesn't seem to have slowed down, and he will be a handful for both Bartell and Galloway.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Rams RB Steven Jackson vs. Bucs MLB Barrett Ruud. Jackson is off to a slow start, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and has fumbled twice. Ruud was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 16 tackles and forcing two fumbles, recovering one against the Saints.
Rams LT Alex Barron vs. Bucs DE Gaines Adams. Barron is attempting to replace Orlando Pace. Adams has yet to make much of an impact as a pass rusher for the Bucs and needs to prove worthy of the fourth overall pick.
—Bucs WR Joey Galloway vs. Rams CB Ron Bartell. Galloway is off to a hot start and caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns last week vs. the Saints. Bartell and Lenny Walls will have their hands full.
GAME PLAN: The Raiders got their running game going against Denver and there's no reason to stop now. Jordan has 260 yards rushing in his last two games against the Browns, both in Oakland, and is coming off a career-best 159 yards. The more the Raiders run the ball, the more they'll keep their suddenly leaky defense off the field. Look for the Raiders to try and free up Ronald Curry and Jerry Porter deep against a Browns secondary considerably less talented than Denver and get quarterback Josh McCown some confidence.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Raiders SS Michael Huff vs. Browns TE Kellen Winslow. Huff was credited with his first career sack and had one of his better all-around games against the Broncos, supporting the run and playing a role in holding Denver tight end Daniel Graham to one catch for nine yards. Winslow is coming off the most productive game of his career, catching six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Although he doesn't have a career interception, Huff has held his own with elite tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates in the AFC West.
Cleveland CB Eric Wright vs. Raiders WR Ronald Curry. A 5-10, 193-pound rookie out of Nevada-Las Vegas, Wright gives away a considerable size advantage to Curry, who is adept at using his body and athletic skill to gain positioning and screen off opposing corners. Curry is coming off his least productive game (two receptions, 12 yards) since taking over as a starter with five games to play in the 2006 season.
GAME PLAN: The Titans won't stray far from their formula, where they want to run the ball, control time of possession and wear down the Saints. But because New Orleans has been susceptible to big pass plays, Vince Young could get his best chance yet to make some downfield connections. Look for continued use of the spread formations that benefit his game and open space for running backs LenDale White and Chris Brown. Defensively, the Titans will look to continue their solid run defense and get disruptive hits on quarterback Drew Brees.
GAME PLAN: The Giants would like to achieve a balance of running and passing, but they can't do that when they fall behind. That leaves the onus on the defense, especially since QB Eli Manning is having a superlative season thus far. They will attempt to slow down the two-headed Redskins backfield — Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts — although they have been fairly efficient stopping the run. The thought here is to give young Jason Campbell, who hasn't even started at QB for a full season, more pressure and force him to throw more often. That could be a two-edged sword, of course, but they have no real choice.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Giants WLB Mathias Kiwanuka and SS James Butler vs. Redskins TE Chris Cooley. This should be another mismatch, since Kiwanuka hasn't yet mastered the position (he was a DE, and a first-round pick at that) last season, and Butler is starting quite simply because there isn't anyone else. He replaced Gibril Wilson, who moved to FS to replace Will Demps (subsequently waived and now with Houston).
GAME PLAN: Despite New York's weak pass defense, don't expect an aerial circus unless the Giants start racking up the points. The Redskins want to stick with the formula that has worked so far: plenty of handoffs to Clinton Portis with enough deep throws from Jason Campbell to Santana Moss and company to keep the Giants honest. Tight end Chris Cooley could be in line for a big day since the Giants couldn't cover similar Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The big concern for Washington's offense is new
right guard Jason Fabini, a career tackle who has never started at guard and whom the Cowboys thought was done after last season.
Despite an 0-2 record and the offseason retirement of offensive linchpin Tiki Barber, the Giants have kept rolling on that side of the ball. WRs Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer have hurt the Redskins in recent years. The Redskins have been giving up the underneath stuff, focusing on not giving up the deep balls that killed them during their dreadful 2006 season on defense. Washington leads the NFC in red-zone defense despite a mediocre pass rush and forcing a lone turnover. New MLB London Fletcher quarterbacks the defense and is a tackling machine. New starting WLB Rocky McIntosh has also been flying to the ball.
ect;.........
