NFL Week 1 Live Blog

Football's baaaaaaaaaaaaack.  It's an NFC East trifecta for me.  I just hope I do not have to hear T-hom fellate over Tebow while calling the Eagles-Rams game.  The Broncos don't even play today!  Enjoy the games, leave comments, and don't be a troll.  I've dealt with enough trolls as it is on other sites this week.

NFL Week 1 Schedule

Woohoo!  It's a Tuesday before a Sunday where NFL football is going to be played, and you know what that means, schedule time!  I love putting these together, if only because they become an easily accessible resource on Sundays.  As you all know, these go on the top of the page, so when myself or someone needs scheduling information on Sunday, everything is in one quick and easy spot.  Now, onto the schedules. (all times PM ET unless otherwise indicated; games I get are in bold)

Thursday Night Football

New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Map of who gets what games Sunday afternoon (the506.com has conveniently attached both Fox and CBS maps to one link now)

CBS games

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens  1:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Phil Simms)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans  1:00 (CBS - Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf)
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts)
Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs  1:00 (CBS - Marv Albert and Rich Gannon)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns  1:00 (CBS - Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots)

Fox early games

Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears  1:00 (Fox - Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston, SA: Tony Siragusa)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams  1:00 (Fox - Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick, SR: Laura Okmin)
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  1:00 (Fox - Chris Myers and Tim Ryan)

Fox late games

New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins  4:15 (Fox - Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, SR: Pam Oliver)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers  4:15 (Fox - Dick Stockton and John Lynch)
Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers  4:15 (Fox - Ron Pitts and Jim Mora, Jr.)
Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals  4:15 (Fox - Sam Rosen and Chad Pennington)

Sunday Night Football

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets  8:30 (NBC - Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, SR: Michele Tafoya)

Monday Night Football

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins  7:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Wendi Nix)
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos  10:15 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Trent Dilfer)

NFC West: As Awful As Advertised

Here are some random facts and figures delineating how bad the NFC West is.

Of the 28 NFL teams outside the NFC West, 20 of them would be in 1st place if they played in the NFC West.

Net point differential (i.e. points scored - points against)
Rams: -18.
Seahawks: -66
49ers: -38
Cardinals: -125

The Arizona Cardinals are -125 in net points, and yet they are only 2 games out of 1st! The Carolina Panthers are -136 in net points, a league-wide laughing stock, and are all intents and purposes, are dead and buried for the year. Not to mention disgraced. Yet the Cardinals are 2 games out of 1st place.

No team has a winning record on the road. Hell, the best team in this department is the Rams and their road record is 2-4. That's only 33%. The Rams are alone in 1st in this department in the NFC West.

The Rams and Seahawks are tied for 1st place in the NFC West. They are each 5-6.

The teams each team in the NFC West has defeated and lost to this season.

St. Louis Rams
Wins: Redskins (5-6), Seahawks (5-6), Chargers (6-5), Panthers (1-10), Broncos (3-8)
Losses: Cardinals (3-8), Raiders (5-6), Lions (2-9), Buccaneers (7-4), 49ers (4-7), Falcons (9-2)
Teams beaten currently with a winning record: 1

Seattle Seahawks
Wins: 49ers (4-7), Chargers (6-5), Bears (8-3), Cardinals (3-8), Cardinals (3-8)
Losses: Broncos (3-8), Rams (5-6), Raiders (5-6), Giants (7-4), Saints (8-3), Chiefs (7-4)
Teams beaten currently with a winning record: 2

San Francisco 49ers
Wins: Raiders (5-6), Broncos (3-8), Rams (5-6), Cardinals (3-8)
Losses: Seahawks (5-6), Saints (8-3), Chiefs (7-4), Falcons (9-2), Eagles (7-4), Panthers (1-10), Buccaneers (7-4)
Teams beaten currently with a winning record: 0

Arizona Cardinals
Wins: Rams (5-6), Raiders (5-6), Saints (8-3)
Losses: Falcons (9-2), Chargers (6-5), Seahawks (5-6), Buccaneers (7-4), Vikings (4-7), Seahawks (5-6), Chiefs (7-4), 49ers (4-7).
Teams beaten currently with a winning record: 1

For comparison's sake, the Eagles have beaten 4 teams currently with a winning record (Jaguars, Falcons, Colts, Giants). In short, number of teams the Eagles have beaten with a winning record = the number of teams the entire NFC West has beaten with a winning record. Kind of pathetic on the part of the NFC West, eh? In order to make things fair, if the eventual NFC West "champion" loses by less than 30 in the wildcard round, it should really count as a win for said team.

I'd write more things about this terrible division, but alas, my stomach is really cramping. Excuse me while I go to the bathroom and drop an NFC West.

The Eagles Make One Of The Few Big Trade Deadline Moves Of The Year; Trade For LB Will Witherspoon

Lost in the fold of last night's dramatic Phillies victory (aspeaking of baseball, there is an ALCS open thread below), is the fact that today was the NFL's trade deadline. And while nothing completely earth-shattering occured, there was one move of note on the Eagles part, and that was trading WR Brandon Gibson and a 5th round draft pick for linebacker Will Witherspoon. Via Yahoo! Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon(notes) from the St. Louis Rams for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson(notes) and a fifth-round pick in 2010.

The Eagles made the trade Tuesday to get Witherspoon, an eight-year veteran who spent his first four seasons with Carolina. He was the Rams’ starter at the weakside spot and had 36 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

Witherspoon has recorded more than 100 tackles three times in his career and has missed only two games to injury.

Not the most earth-shattering move in Eagles history, but a good one nonetheless and an ultimate bang for the buck deal. While the draft pick can be anyone (you can't get this kind of analysis just anywhere, you know!), Brandon Gibson is a wide receiver who I liked in training camp and has shown a lot of potential, but due to the great depth of the Eagles at WR, was inactive every week this season. And while the kid could definitley be a really good wide receiver, Jeremiah Trotter was not the solution at middle linebacker. Ever since Stewart Bradley got hurt, it's been a carousel starting in the pre-season with Joe Mays, then Omar Gaither, then the Ax-Man, and now Will Witherspoon.

Witherspoon is a vet that has been around the block before so he should be well equipped to come into Philly and make a positive difference for the Eagles defensively.

Did I mention that there is an ALCS open thread below?

2009 NFL Preview: St. Louis Rams

By 49er16:

Remember when the Rams where "The Greatest Show on Turf"? Well those days are long gone. No more Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Issac Bruce, Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, and now Torry Holt is gone.

The Rams went out and hired Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo had a chance to be the Redskins coach last season but chose to stay in New York. Now he's made his way to a grease fire in St. Louis. Think he will regret that decision much?

Remember the Predator?: Steven Jackson at one time was one of the best running backs in the league. Before Brandon Jacobs and LenDale White, Jackson was the both of those guys two years ago. But injuries have derailed his career.

Jackson has missed five games in the past two season due to injuries. The Rams suffered when he was hurt. They are a completely different team with Jackson playing. He takes pressure off of Marc Bulger. Well Jackson is healthy this season and has a sledgehammer in front of him. The Rams signed fullback Mike Karney to be Jackson's lead blocker. If Jackson can stay healthy this season, the Rams should be vastly improved.

Who are the Receivers?: This unit will be green since the Rams released Torry Holt in the spring. Donnie Avery had a nice rookie year, but an hip injury hurt his production. Another rookie from last year Kennan Burton was also hobbled last season by an knee injury. So the Rams have two young receivers with injury problems already? Enjoy your season Marc Bulger.

Line Problems: The defensive line could be a big problem for the Rams. Adam Carriker is lost for the season and Leonard Little is past his prime. Last year's top pick Chris Long struggled in his first season only picking up four sacks. Long should have a better season though now that the Rams are switching from the 3-4 defense to the 4-3 defense. Also there isn't much depth at defensive tackle. The Rams line will have a long year.

Schedule: Their schedule is favorable to a rebuilding team like the Rams. Indianapolis, Green Bay, and New Orleans all travel to St. Louis. Their toughest road games are against Chicago and Tennessee. The perfect schedule for a rebuilding team.

Video: The Rams didn't have much to celebrate last year, but this beatdown they gave the Cowboys is worth celebrating.



Prediction: 4-12, 4th NFC West. Even with a favorable schedule, there just isn't enough there for the Rams to compete. Green receivers, a weak defensive line, and injuries will hurt this team in the long run. I do expect this team to improve from last season though under new coach Steve Spagnuolo.