With attention spans dwindling, we forgo full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.
The Early Games
New Orleans (9-0) at Tampa Bay (1-8): New Orleans was tested last week -- in fact, they've been tested in each of their last four games. Drew Brees has thrown seven interceptions and only six touchdown passes in those four games. You can expect the Saints to come out on Sunday and look to clean up their act a bit on offense as they play a divisional foe who doesn't have the arsenal to put up much of a fight.
Josh Freeman's play since taking over at quarterback is giving hope for the future in Tampa. He's thrown four touchdown passes and only two interceptions and seems to enjoy throwing to Kellen Winslow who has 11 receptions in his last two games. The Saints defense is a little beaten up, but should be able to hold off the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Whatever, the organization that continually strives for mediocrity continues to fall woefully short. Which is why we've decided to distract ourselves from the putridity by creating a roster of non-football-playing professional athletes who would immediately make the Browns better. That's not hyperbole.
I think I'd be less appalled if Joe Flacco and Ray Lewis actually got married. Instead, we're treated to some hardcore Ravens fans celebrating their nuptials by donning the jerseys of their favorite players and forcing the wedding party to do the same.
And no homage to the unexceptional would be complete without the groom busting out the Ray-Ray Dance. (He forgot to rub grass all over himself! Bogus!)
Week 10's punt-fest between the Browns and Ravens was one of the worst Monday Night games in recent memory. The Ravens' offense struggled to move the ball consistently, and the Browns' offense was nothing but two-yard dive plays into the middle of the line and wide receiver screens that Baltimore's defense blew up before they even had a chance to develop.
As a result, the only thing anybody still wants to talk about after the Ravens' 16-0 win is Brady Quinn's low-block on an interception return in the third quarter, when he knocked linebacker Terrell Suggs out of the game with a knee injury. According to Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times, early MRI results revealed a partially torn MCL for the pass-rushing linebacker, and he could miss the next two to three weeks.
How would you feel if you were an ineffective starter who may only keep his job one more week because the backup is injured? Worse, what if you were so bad that you lost your job to a guy who was injured? Well, Oakland's JaMarcus Russell may be on the verge of finding out how that feels.
The plan was supposed to work something like this: disgruntled Browns fan, as a show of their repugnance at how the organization was systematically being run into the ground, wouldn't be in their seats for the opening kickoff of the nationally televised Monday night game against the Ravens.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Even after Baltimore had punished Brady Quinn, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis got in one more vicious hit on Cleveland's quarterback.
Angered over Quinn's questionable chop block on Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs following an interception, Lewis accused Quinn of a dirty play.
"Heck yeah it was a cheap shot,'' Lewis snapped after Baltimore rocked Cleveland 16-0. "When you're running down and you're looking at the quarterback going at somebody's knees who doesn't even have the ball. I want to see if he gets the same fine I got or even higher. Now this man is out four or five weeks because of some baloney like that.''
Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.
There are two receivers on the Miami Dolphins roster who are barely owned in fantasy football leagues -- I think that they should be shown more love. FanHouse fantasy football guru R.J. White wrote a little about Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo earlier on Wednesday, I wanted to add a few more numbers to the mix.
These two guys just combined for 127 yards on 11 catches against the Patriots. Take a second to soak that in. Following the demotion of Ted Ginn, Bess and Camarillo saw a quick bump in fantasy value. Bess finds his way onto a roster in many more leagues than Camarillo, but they hold similar value. The Buccaneers will spend a good portion of practice prepping for the wildcat look, and the two Miami wideouts should benefit.
After weeks of embarrassing, historic, and somewhat hysterical futility under the guidance of Derek Anderson, the Cleveland Browns have finally completed their quarterback cycle.