~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 11, 2014
	@
Arizona Cardinals (11-2, 4-2 Away)		St. Louis Rams (6-7, 4-2 Home)
Injury Report NONE Shaun Hill(QB) Pectoral Tear(IR) Game Notes Week 15 kicks off with a NFC West Thursday Night Showdown as the Arizona Cardinals head to St. Louis to face the Rams. The Rams still have playoff hopes alive but must win every game left to try and hope for a Playoff spot. A loss to the Cards will officially eliminate them from January. The Rams led by Sam Bradford(23 Touchdowns, 6 picks, 2,439 yards) will try to knock off their West Rivals. Carson Palmer(19 Touchdowns, 10 picks, 3,566 yards) will try to keep playing Game Manager as the Cards Defense and Running Game look to keep winning Games for Arizona. Cardinals Offense: 17 Cardinals Defense: 4 Rams Offense: 12 Rams Defense: 21

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

RAMS knock off CARDINALS 20-14 in Defensive Slugfest on Thursday Night...









RECAP









St. Louis, MO- Kicking off Week 15 was a "Black and Blue" battle between NFC West Rivals, the Arizona Cardinals(11-3) and St. Louis Rams(7-7).

And it was ugly from the start.

"It was black and blue from the snap. Two Teams that are Rivals really knocking each other in the mouth." Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher stated.

The Rams stay alive in the Playoff hunt but depending on if the Seahawks win on Sunday the win tonight won't matter.

"Out of our hands. We need some help to make Playoffs but at the end of the day we can't blame anyone but ourselves." Fisher continued.

The Rams have won 3 straight to even their Record at 7-7 but it might be too little too late for the 2014 Season.

With the lights on bright tonight Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams had the Rams Defense ready to play.

And they made life miserable for the Cardinals Quarterbacks.

Yes, QUARTERBACKS.

All 3 of them.

Carson Palmer had 170 yards and 2 Touchdowns before going down with a back injury in the third quarter. He was sacked 6 times by the Rams.

He recovered but Head Coach Bruce Arians kept him out. Next was backup QB Drew Stanton.

Stanton had just 34 yards before taking a hit and rupturing his disk. He'll miss the next few games.

This left 3rd Stringer Ryan Lindley to finish the Game. He had 54 yards with no Touchdowns.

In all, the Rams Defense had 12 Sacks with Rookie Aaron Donald racking up 4 of them followed by Chris Long and Robert Quinn with 3 each.

The Rams(7-7) also forced two Turnovers off Larry Fitzgerald and Jonathan Dwyer who fumbled.

"No excuses on our end. They kicked our ***. Great job by them." Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians stated.

Also the Cardinals lost LB Kevin Minter with a broken collarbone. He'll miss the remainder of the year. Even the Cards Playoff run.

Cardinals Running Back Jonathan Dwyer was held to just 56 yards.

Larry Fitzgerald had 6 catches, 112 yards, and 2 Touchdowns but a fumble in the Second half sealed the fate for the Cards.

Rams Quarterback Sam Bradford had 266 yards and 2 Touchdowns as the Rams never turned the ball over once.

Running Back Zac Stacy was held to 75 yards as both Teams shut down the Run game.

In the second half, the Rams kept Arizona out of the end zone.

St. Louis took a 17-14 lead into halftime. The only points in the second half was a Rams Field Goal for the 20-14 victory.

The Rams also got a taste of how good the Cardinals Defense is as LB James Harrison had 4 sacks. He signed with Arizona back in Week 5 and really helped boost the Cards Defense.


UP NEXT

Cardinals(11-3) VS Seahawks(9-4) Next Sunday Night...

Rams(7-7) VS Giants(7-6) Next Sunday....

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Tensions run high on Friday Practice...



12/12/14



Written by: Adam Schefter




It's been a pattern all Season long for the Pittsburgh Steelers, tensions running high from Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's drama.

The Steelers sit at 5-8 last place in the AFC North heading into Sunday's Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Pittsburgh have lost 4 straight and tensions have been high all year long with Roethlisberger taking shots at his Teammates and Coaches on a weekly basis on his Radio Show.

On the verge of missing the Playoffs for the third straight year, Pittsburgh must win all 3 remaining Games to have a shot at a Wildcard. Depending on how San Diego finishes is another story....

All Season long, Ben has called out his Team on the Radio Show and refused to take any kind of blame during the losses.

Many Teammates including his WR Core Antonio Brown and Chad Hall have fired back at their Quarterback.

All year long Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been forced to put out fires started by his Franchise Quarterback.

Drama is so high right now that at a Steelers practice on Friday fights were breaking out. One source is saying Roethlisberger threw a Interception to Ike Taylor when targeting A.B.

The pass was underthrown and Ben scolded Brown for it. As Tomlin broke it up many Steelers began to get upset.

"Our focus cannot change. We have to finish these last 3 Games and try to win and hope for a playoff spot." Tomlin stated.

The Steelers currently sit in last place in the AFC North and rumors began to swirl around that should Pittsburgh lose on Sunday, Roethlisberger will be benched to end the drama.

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 14, 2014
	@
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8, 2-5 Away)		Atlanta Falcons (4-9, 0-6 Home)
Injury Report Leveon Bell(RB) Fractured Foot(IR) Javier Arenas(CB) Broken Collarbone(IR) Lawrence Timmons(LB) Dislocated Ankle(IR) Omar Moralles(LB) Broken Collarbone(IR) CJ Miller(R)(WR) Ruptured Disk(IR) Game Notes The Pittsburgh Steelers will try to stop the bleeding when they attempt to break their 4 game skid when they travel to Atlanta. The Falcons are a team that's already been eliminated from the Playoffs and Head Coach Mike Smith will more than likely be shown the door by January. The Dirty Birds are winless at home this Season, just a picture of how bad the Falcons have fallen off from their 2012 NFC Championship loss to San Francisco. Tensions are high for Pittsburgh as Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has consistently thrown his Team under the bus on his Radio Show. A fight broke out on Friday's practice before the Team left for the airport. Rumors are starting to swirl around Pittsburgh that if the Steelers are eliminated then Roethlisberger could be benched in hopes of ending the drama. QB Matchup Ben Roethlisberger(QB)- 3,494 yards, 26 Touchdowns, 21 Interceptions, 80.9 Rating. Matt Ryan(QB)- 3,609 yards, 19 Touchdowns, 10 Interceptions, 85.1 Rating.

[young22]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Pretty nuts game there with the Cards, in all my years of playing Madden/NCAA I don't think I've ever seen the starter and the backup both go out injured.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

STEELERS snap 4 game skid with epic Game Winning Drive 34-30 over FALCONS...Await San Diego result for Playoff fate...






RECAP







Atlanta, GA- The Pittsburgh Steelers(6-8) remain alive in the Playoff Race with their 34-30 victory over the Atlanta Falcons(4-10) today.

But fate is out of their hands as they must await the result of the Chargers-Broncos Game later today.

San Diego(8-5) sits in the 6th Seed of the AFC Playoffs. If the Chargers win vs the Broncos today, Pittsburgh will be eliminated from the race.

"It's tough being in this situation where it's out of your hands but we have no one to blame but ourselves. We put ourselves in this situation when we couldn't win Games." Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated.

The Steelers(6-8) are on the verge of missing the Playoffs for the third straight year.

Drama has been a storyline all year long.

The Atlanta Falcons(4-10) fell to (0-7) at home and rumor has it Head Coach Mike Smith will be fired by January.

In the game today saw many lead changes as Ben Roethlisberger had a Game Winning Drive that broke the Steelers 4 game skid coming in.

Big Ben finished with 375 yards, 2 Touchdowns and a Interception which was returned for a Touchdown.

Matt Ryan had 266 yards, 2 Touchdowns, and a Pick.

On the opening drive, Pittsburgh drove down for a 7-0 lead. Atlanta would follow suit.

The Steelers Defense struggled to stop Atlanta all game.

Interim Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler's first Game after the Steelers fired long time Defensive Coordinator Dick Lebeau last week was a challenge.

"It was a challenge for us absolutely. Atlanta has some high quality weapons that can burn you on Defense." Butler stated.

Falcons WR Roddy White had 9 catches for 121 yards and a Touchdown. Julio was held to 57 yards and no Touchdowns.

It was a back and fourth game going into halftime. Both Teams struggled to stop each other.

The Steelers took a 17-13 lead into halftime.

"Played well in the first half I thought. Could of been better." Falcons Head Coach Mike Smith stated.

In the second half Atlanta took the lead once again. On the Steelers first possession on their own 20, Roethlisberger threw a pick that was returned by Falcons CB Robert Alford that put the Falcons up 27-17.

But the Steelers wouldn't quit.

Roethlisberger drove the Steelers down to the one yard line. After 3 failed plays, Pittsburgh faced a 4th and Goal from the 1.

A handoff to LeGarrette Blount was stuffed by the Falcons Defense.

"That was tough for us." Tomlin added.

But the Steelers wouldn't quit.

Ryan's first pass from the 1 yard line was then intercepted by William Gay. Pittsburgh scored to cut the lead by 3.

The Steelers gave up a Falcons Field Goal late in the 4th that put them up 30-27.

Ben took the field with under 1:30 left driving for a Game Winning Drive that snapped the Steelers 4 game slide.

"Stuck together until the end. That's whats special about these group of guys." Roethlisberger said.

Antonio Brown had 8 catches for 149 yards. He caught a 59 yard slant on the Game winning drive when Atlanta had miscommunication leaving AB wide open.

"I made them pay when they made that mistake." Roethlisberger added.

The win for Pittsburgh(6-8) came at a cost as CB Cortez Allen tore his Abdomen and will be sidelined for the last 2 games. This marks the 4th Steelers Player placed on I.R this year.

Allen joins Bell, Timmons, and Miller.


UP NEXT

Steelers(6-8) VS Chiefs(10-3) Next Sunday...

Falcons(4-10) @ Saints(7-6) Next Sunday....

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Pretty nuts game there with the Cards, in all my years of playing Madden/NCAA I don't think I've ever seen the starter and the backup both go out injured.

Sent from my SM-A102W using Operation Sports mobile app

Yeah it was pretty insane to see. I was like holy **** when the Third Stringer Ryan Lindley came out.

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 14, 2014
	@
Washington Redskins (2-11, 1-6 Away)		New York Giants (7-6, 5-1 Home)
Injury Report Jordan Reed(TE) Ruptured Disk(IR) NONE Game Notes It's been a Season of rebuilding in our Nation's Capital D.C. The Redskins under first year Head Coach Jay Gruden have been building a foundation. QB RG3 has gone down 4 times this year with numerous injuries. Despite missing a lot of time, the Redskins are still committed to their 2012 Draft pick. Cousins has filled in and now third Stringer, Colt McCoy has taken over. RG3 is back healthy (Again) and could see some playing time if McCoy struggles against East rival Giants who are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. Big Blue has really fallen back down to earth after a 4-1 start. QB Matchup Colt McCoy(WAS)- 577 yards, 2 Touchdowns, 3 Interceptions. Eli Manning(NYG)- 3,692 yards, 29 Touchdowns, 15 Interceptions.

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

REDSKINS blowout GIANTS 28-7 at MetLife....








RECAP








East Rutherford, NJ- The Washington Redskins(3-11) are beginning to show exactly what kind of Football Team they can be under Jay Gruden. Washington completely destroyed their East Rivals, New York Giants(7-7) 28-7.

"Executed well today even on the road. New York is a tough Football Team and we needed to come in and prove what kind of Team we can be." Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden stated.

Washington(3-11) went up 21-0 into Halftime with Quarterback Colt McCoy throwing for 317 yards and a Touchdown on the day.

McCoy also rushed for 32 yards and 2 Touchdowns as Washington cruised to a 21-0 lead.

"Colt was the man today." Redskins Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay stated. "We just rallied around him and proud of how our Offense did today."

The Redskins had 466 yards of Offense and 537 Total.

But another story today is how well Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett had the Redskins Defense ready.

The Skins' sacked Eli Manning 9 times and CB Tracy Porter picked him off once.

"Defense was nasty. Ready to play." Redskins Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett stated.

New York(7-7) sacked McCoy only once.

Redskins RB Alfred Morris was held to 72 yards and a Touchdown in the third that put the Redskins up 28-0 over the Giants.

Giants Faithful began to rain down some boo's as the 4th Quarter started with the Redskins up 28-0.

A Manning Touchdown pass to Victor Cruz just made the score less lopsided.

Washington held on for the smooth 28-7 victory. In the final moments, Washington trotted out Robert Griffin III to just the run the ball and kill the clock. Griffin rushed for 59 yards and lost 2 fumbles.

But the Giants failed to do anything with it.

"Unacceptable. We're in a 21 point hole, get 2 fumbles and we can't get any points off them. Unacceptable loss." Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin stated.

The Giants(7-7) have fallen hard after a 4-1 start.

Giants RB Rashad Jennings was held to just 21 yards as the Redskins came to play.

The Redskins Defense was lights out today holding the Giants to just 212 yards of Offense. Giants Quarterback Eli Manning had 253 yards, 1 Touchdown, and a pick.

New York had just 235 Total Yards. Washington simply dominated the Game.

"Huge win for us against a Division Rival." Gruden explained.

"When you play like crap you're going to lose Football Games." Coughlin said.

New York(7-7) might need a miracle now to clinch a Playoff spot. A long hard fall after starting 4-1.


UP NEXT

Redskins(3-11) VS Eagles(6-7) Next Sunday...

Giants(7-7) @ Rams(7-7) Next Sunday...

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 14, 2014
	@
Miami Dolphins (5-8, 2-4 Away)		New England Patriots (10-3, 5-1 Home)
Injury Report NONE Tom Brady(QB) Shoulder Tear(2 Weeks) Game Notes Two weeks ago Quarterback Tom Brady went down with a shoulder injury in the Patriots loss in Green Bay. Last week, New England turned to Ryan Mallett to finish out the Season while Brady gets ready for Playoffs. Mallett lit up the Chargers answering any questions that the Pats can win without TB12. In Week 1, Miami upset the Patriots in South Beach and will look to sweep the Pats for the first time since 2000. At 5-8, Miami is still alive in the Playoff hunt thanks to the Chargers loss last week. However a loss to New England or a Chargers win later will eliminate the Dolphins. Wouldn't matter considering Head Coach Joe Philbin is being kicked to the curb by Seasons end.

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Mallett throws 5 Touchdowns as PATRIOTS eliminate DOLPHINS with 42-10 Blowout in Foxboro....








RECAP









Foxboro, MA- In 2008 with Tom Brady on the shelf, the Miami Dolphins clinched the AFC East Title.

This was the Fish first time back to the Playoffs since 2001.

The Dolphins would lose on Wildcard Weekend to the Baltimore Ravens.

Today after a blowout loss to the New England Patriots(11-3), the Miami Dolphins(5-9) will be home on the couch for the Post-Season.

Miami will miss the Playoffs for the 6th year in a row.

"Yeah it's rough but we fought all year long and just wasn't in the cards. New England is a really good Football Team." Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin stated.

On Opening Sunday, the Dolphins upset Brady and the Pats in South Beach 38-17. Today Miami attempted to sweep their East Rivals for the first time since 2000 before Brady even took over.

It wasn't meant to be.

With Brady on the shelf nursing a torn shoulder, New England turned to Ryan Mallett in hopes of replicating 2008 where New England finished with a 11-5 Record with Matt Cassel under center.

"The Belichick System" has continued to do wonders with Quarterbacks not named Tom Brady.

Ryan Mallett stepped in in Green Bay and struggled. Last week in San Diego he lit up the Chargers for 5 Touchdowns and over 450 yards after a week of preperations.

Today as the Dolphins were in town, Mallett didn't stop. The backup QB proceeded to own the Dolphins with 293 yards and 5 Touchdowns as New England(11-3) eliminated Miami(5-9) from Playoff contention.

"Great Football. Excellent execution. We're on to New York." Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick stated.

The Fish struggled out of the gate to get anything going as the Pats raced out to a 28-0 lead.

Miami scored a Touchdown from Ryan Tannehill right before halftime as New England sat in firm control with a 28-7 lead.

"We knew we needed to start as fast as we can. We fell behind and shot ourselves in the foot. Got into a hole and we never recovered." Philbin said.

Things got worse at the start of the Second half for Miami. Rookie Kick Returner Matt Hazel fumbled the ball at the 10 yard line which was recovered by the Pats.

New England punched it in to go up 35-7 over Miami.

Shane Vereen ran all over Miami for 152 yards and a score. Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno was held to just 25 yards.

He fumbled late in the 4th as Miami finished with 2 Turnovers to New Englands 0.

"Defense was great and did their part. We played well." Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia stated.

Patriots Defense smothered Miami holding them to constant 3 and outs. Ryan Tannehill had just 157 yards with a Touchdown.

Mallett found LaFell(129 yards, 1 Touchdown.) Edelman(70 yards and 2 Touchdowns.) And the best Tight End in Football, Gronk(58 yards and 2 Touchdowns.)

Edelman continues to lead the NFL in yards with 1,437. He has 4 Touchdowns on the year. The NFL Record for most yards in a Season is "Megatron's" 1,964 just 2 years ago in 2012.

"Coach (Bill) Belichick always preaches "Do your job." That's our mentality here." Edelman said.

New England(11-3) finished with 434 yards of Offense as Miami(5-9) had just 224 yards.

"They shut us down." Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor stated.


UP NEXT

Patriots(11-3) @ Jets(9-3-1) Next Sunday...

Dolphins(5-9) VS Vikings(3-10) Next Sunday...

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 14, 2014
	@
Oakland Raiders (0-13, 0-6 Away)		Kansas City Chiefs (10-3, 5-1 Home)
Injury Report NONE NONE Game Notes The Raiders are looking to make history, becoming the 2nd Team in NFL History to finish 0-16. Oakland is on a 19 Game losing streak dating back to last season. KC beat the Raiders Week 12 33-14 in the "Black Hole." Oakland should be having changes come January. Today all eyes on Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles as he's just 4 yards away from a new NFL Record of most rushing yards in a Season.

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~



CHIEFS sweep RAIDERS with 42-0 Shutout....







RECAP








Kansas City, MO- The Oakland Raiders(0-14) continue to push for that "0-16" Mark and becoming the 2nd Team in NFL history to do so.

"It's a record nobody wants. Detroit didn't want it either. Luckily we got 2 Games left and hopefully we win a Game." Raiders Owner Mark Davis stated.

The Chiefs(11-3) blew out their West Rivals 42-0, sweeping them in the process.

Quarterback Alex Smith had 262 yards and 3 Touchdowns. KC never turned the ball over once.

RB Jamaal Charles made history setting the new NFL Record for most rushing yards in a Season breaking Eric Dickerson's 1984 Record.

Oakland's Matt Schaub had just 108 yards with an Interception. The Raiders continue to struggle on the field.

They finished with just 208 yards Total to Kansas City's 577.

Oakland punted 8 times.


UP NEXT

Raiders(0-14) VS Bills(6-7) Next Sunday...

Chiefs(11-3) @ Steelers(6-8) Next Sunday...

[johnstone1987]

Re: ~~Lords of the Gridiron~~

Matchup Preview *|* December 14, 2014
	@
Houston Texans (4-9, 3-4 Away)		Indianapolis Colts (4-9, 2-5 Home)
Injury Report Louis Nix III(DT) Broken Tibia(IR) NONE Game Notes Despite both Houston and Indy being eliminated from the Playoffs won't stop them from trying to get a win over the other. If anything it's about pride and Draft positioning. Ryan Fitzpatrick will look to get Houston their 5th Win in O'Brien's first year as Head Coach. Meanwhile Indy and Luck are looking to sweep Houston and try to finish the Season strong after Luck missed half of it.