In one week...

it will be the kick off to the NFL season. It has been along time coming, and let me say it took a long time.

It is now time for me to start my weekly column of...WHATS YOUR FANTASY! I will be posting who should you start and sit for the week. Now if you are all wondering how good I am at this, let me just say that I have the inside with these players. They tell how they are feeling for the week and what they feel they may perform against their oppenent for the week.

I do have to say the first week is usually the hardest to judge, because you can never tell how anybody going to perform until usually week 3 or 4. So this weeks post I'm going to take it a different direction, of who you might want to keep your eye on for the season.

So lets get started with the QB's:

I'm first going to say one QB I am watching this season because I feel it is make or break for him is Alex Smith of the 49ers. And if last season is a testiment for what this season should be, I feel he is the future of the franchise.

Next person to watch in the QB position is the man with the Madden Curse on his back. Though I have a bet for him to go down by week 4 or 5. Something inside me feels he may be the one to break the curse and have a break out season. He had a great freshman season with the Titans, but can he improve. My opinion, YES!

Last QB I pick to watch is Matt Schaub of the Texans. Now we all know that the Texans have the worst O-line in the league, and even though once again I have a bet that he will get sacked more than 64 times this season. I have a feeling the Falcons will kicking themselves for trading him away. Granted the Falcons didn't know that Vick was involved in organized crime and would be serving time. Thats beside the point. We are going to see if he really worth all that money they are paying him.

Next we have the RB:

A player that I will be definitely watchin not just because he is on my fantasy team is Laurence Maroney. Now that he will be taking a majority of snaps, the question is will he have that impact on the Patriots running game that Dillion was able to do for the team. I answer, YES, cause he better be getting me points or I will take him out at the knees.

Larry Johnson one of the many players that was part of the hold outs this season. I feel he has something to prove this season to me and to the owner of the Chiefs. He needs to prove that he can produce those numbers that he did last seaon to make him worthy to be demanding the money he was asking for all off-season. If he does, then I feel he worth more than that, because how many RB's out there can perform at the same level every season or even do better than the previous season, especially with his numbers.

Now this one isn't a player but still worth watching. The team that has been # 1 in rushing for the past couple of years. Of course I'm talking about my boys the Atlanta Falcons. Now that Michael Vick is going to be participating this season or ever again, will the Falcons still be #1. We all know Vick was a contributor to those stats, especially last season when he rushed for a thousand yards. So lets see, how they will perform with out Vick.

Lets talk WR:

Since there are so many players in this position it is almost hard to pick just 3 to watch I'm just going to list off a couple of them.

Randy Moss - will it be the Randy of Vikings
Joe Horn - Though old and almost broken will he have an impact on a new team with a young receiving core
Calvin Johnson - The man that will help the Lions win 10 games according to Kitna
Ted Ginn Jr. - Will Green be hitting the man with HANDS for TD's
Lee Evans - Will he live up to the expectations of mnay analysis this year
Texans WR's - With a better than average QB will they be scoring some pts.
Those are couple of things to watch for this season for this position.

Breakout TE's:

First one off the top of my head is Vernon Davis of the 49ers. He has a slow first season, but I feel with Alex Smith ready to show his worth, Vernon Davis is going to be his go to guy. So watch for him to make an impact.

Lets talk Rookie of the year Greg Olsen. Great blocker and receiver, this man is the total package when it comes to TE.

Man expected to do great things Mr. Winslow of the Browns. Many analysis feel this is his year to shine.

Now I can go into Defenses but talking defense there are a few teams to mention and they are usually the same every year so we won't get into them. I can say the same for kickers.

Now I do have to include my Dark Horse of the week. The man with the plan. For the season opening of games I will have to go with Matt Schaub. I think for the first game he is going to blow the minds of many, and make Arthur Blank beg him to come back.

That brings me to the conclusion of WHATS YOUR FANTASY! Look for this column every week for advice and and input. Email me at 4thandgoalshow@gmail.com if you would like to know who you should sit or start for your week in Fantasy Football.

Travis Henry Might Be Your Dad

What? Oh, I'm sorry. Travis Henry might be your dad if you are one of nine bastard children in the four southern states that Henry seems to frequent. The beauty of this? Henry has managed these nine children across nine different women. Sweet! Go Travis! At least we know he's slept with nine chicks and isn't a prude.

Anyway, the courts have ordered Henry and his new 5-year, $22.5 million contract to pay child support to 7 of the 9 children. For those kids' sake, I hope they got some athletic ability because mom might buy crack with the dough. Oh man... I'm kidding.

I wish the best to Travis, coming back from a slight pre-season injury and on his way to at least 1000 yards with the Broncos this season. Have a great, stress-free season. Oh wait, you have at least 15 (including yourself) mouths to feed... Bummer.

Holt unsure about his knee

Rams WR Torry Holt issued a statement about his recently scoped knee yesterday. Surgeons cleaned out some cartilage from the knee, a common procedure, but Holt says "It's just one of those deals where I'm not recovering as quick as I used to. It feels good some days and some days it doesn't feel so good." Horrible words to hear if you own Holt in your fantasy league. Holt approximated that his knee feels about "70-80 percent" healed. "I don't feel like I've lost too much explosiveness, I just haven't quite shown it yet," Holt said. "If I get into the week of the opener and things aren't looking good and I feel weak, then I'm concerned. Right now, I'm not concerned at all."

Not concerned at all? Predicting a 1,300 yard season and you aren't sure of your knee a week before kickoff weekend? (YAY)

Sorry, Torry, but you should be worried.

Hines Ward breaks his nose

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Hines Ward suffered a minor fracture of his nose in Sunday night's preseason game against the Eagles. Mike Tomlin did not disclose the injury in his post game press conference, but when asked about it today, he said "Hines is Hines." Nothing could be more true. Ward's nose was broken on a post route over the middle in which Brian Dawkins made the tackle. Dawkins was slow to get up. Hines wasn't. Ward participated in practice on Monday, leaving from the Steelers practice facility on the South Side to have surgery to reset the bone. Hines missed practice today because of the surgery, but has said he will not miss any more practice or any regular season action due to the injury. He also has not ruled out the Steelers final preseason game on Thursday night, but Mike Tomlin will most likely err on the side of caution.

Blue collar, baby...

One step closer to a starting quarterback in Oakland

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has been quiet about who will start at quarterback for their regular season opener against Detroit. While most believe Daunte Culpepper will get the start, based on his performance so far this preseason, Kiffin has insisted that the job is still wide open.

But not for one quarterback on the Raiders. Kiffin announced that the starting job was down to two players, Culpepper and Josh McCown, leaving Andrew Walter out to dry.

Not that this is surprising or anything. Walter, who was the quarterback in Oakland last year when Aaron Brooks was injured, just isn't a starting quarterback. Last year he had an abysmal season, completing only 53.3% of his passes, leading the league in sacks with 46, and tossing 13 interceptions with only 3 touchdown passes.

Walter could very well not have a roster spot in a couple of weeks either. Assuming Russell ever signs his contract, it's doubtful the Raiders would keep four quarterbacks.

So is the quarterback battle in Oakland really as close as Kiffin would want you to believe? I doubt it, and would be surprised if Culpepper doesn't get to start the regular season opener. He has shown flashes of his former self, and could be on the verge of a comeback season. Kiffin has also made comments that implies he is not announcing the starting quarterback job not because there isn't a winner, but because he doesn't want the Lions to have any advantage going into week 1. By announcing who is going to be the starter in Week 1 now, the Lions would have extra time to prepare for that quarterback. But by keeping the competition open, Kiffin feels the Lions will have to come up with two different gameplans depending on who will be the starter.

Sneaky? Yes. But is it worth it? Well, when you only win 2 games in a season, you need every advantage you can get.

Steelers - Eagles

In what is always touted as the most important week of the preseason, the Steelers and Eagles met where the three rivers come together and played some football.

The Steelers started off in their usual way. They squandered first an goals with turnovers on the one yard line, Ben Roethlisberger returned to last year's form for a brief second by being intercepted on a last ditch effort to his check down while being tackled instead of taking the sack. Daniel Sepulveda, the rookie punter out of Baylor shanked a 14 yard punt out of bounds at the Steeler 20. I guess there aren't perks to being handed the starting job immediately out of college. Seeing how well the offense looks until mistakes are made makes me wonder how good they'd be if they tied up those loose ends before the season starts. Mike Tomlin inherited the best job the NFL had to offer this offseason.

The Steelers defense stopped Donovan McNabb cold on every drive, holding him to 5/11-60 yards in a quarter and a half. Kevin Kolb, the rookie out of Houston, came in midway through the second quarter to look dumbfounded by Dick Lebeau's crazy zone blitz packages. He should take a hint from McNabb: just don't worry about Troy Polamalu before the snap. Wherever he is presnap is irrelevant, he'll be thirty yards from anywhere by the time you look up with the ball. Lebeau showed him a bunch of the same thing, which is "organized chaos." Safeties stunted, linebackers showing blitz and dropping into coverage, linemen doing the same. There may be a reason Romeo Crennel is choosing to sit Brady Quinn week one in Cleveland.

The Pittsburgh offense did get it going in the second quarter. Willie Parker scored on an 18 yard romp untouched due to some great blocks by Max Starks and Alan Faneca. Roethlisberger and Najeh "Dump Truck" Davenport(some of you may remember the present he left in his ex-girlfriend's closet while he was at Miami) hooked up a couple of times on a slip screen and a dump pass. Roethlisberger climbed his way to 247 yards passing leading the Steelers on three scoring drives (1 TD and 2 FGs) before retiring.

The backups came in for the second half and Kevin Kolb flourished. He ended up throwing 37 passes, connecting on 26 of them for 242 yards. He really looks like he will be able to carry that offense once McNabb is gone. I am sure Andy Reid likes him. As a son. What?

Steelers rookie CB William Gay sealed the deal by stripping Zac Collie of the football, which was recoverd by Jovon Johnson and ran back 77 yards for the clincher. The Steelers prevailed 27-13, on a night where John Madden mistook the darkest black man alive, Tyrone Carter, for Samoan Troy Polamalu. The end.

Can you forgive Michael Vick?

You'd have to be pretty cold hearted not to. I mean he grew up in a certain culture where these dogs are seen as destined for one purpose. The breed was created just to fight. Did he do some despicable stuff? Yes. Did he lie about it for months on end? Yes. Did he finally come clean and admit to the world in what sounded like a contrite and meaningful admission of guilt? Yes. Now that he has done that we can move on.

I don't have any problem seeing him pay his debt to society and living his life free of hindrances. One exception, though - he has forfeited his right to play football in the NFL if only for the sole fact that he violated the league's gambling policy and soiled the name of the NFL. Not to mention the fact that he lied to the commissioner face to face. It truly is a privilege and he has lost it.

And to all these people like Skip Bayless who think that his suspension should coincide with his jail sentence, think again. In my opinion, he should never play again, but if for some reason Goodell should be lenient and levy a termed suspension, it should no doubt give the league the time to recover from this blow without having it resurface as soon as he gets out of jail.

Vick is in a whole other quandary altogether with his plea agreement. He agreed to snitch on any and every illegal action - not just gambling or dog fighting - that he knows about in the NFL or otherwise. If he starts snitching on NFL players, he will NEVER PLAY AGAIN. It would be too dangerous. Those guys remember, and will be taking shots at his knees. He is in a tight situation, because on one hand if he snitches the US District Attorney will recommend a sentence that could be served as house arrest or at a halfway house. If he chooses that route, he can and will never play again. If he chooses not to dish on other players, he might serve the full 18 months for not cooperating, in which case he would be almost too old and too far removed from the NFL for teams to take a chance on him - with all the baggage that he brings. If someone does, it will be at league minimum.

So yeah, I can forgive him.

Odd Story of the Day, and it's not Michael Vick

The big news today is going to be Michael Vick entering his guilty plea today in court. But this story is just starting to come out, and while it's early, could provide for some interesting developments in the next couple of days.

A black Lamborghini was found wrecked outside of Chicago early Monday morning. When authorities ran the license and registration, they found that it is owned by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.

It's unclear who was driving the vehicle, but there is at least one claim that Briggs was seen running from the scene of the accident. Authorities have been trying to contact Briggs, but he cannot be found.

The vehicle was not reported stolen, and it's unclear who was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. But whoever the driver was could face misdemeanor charges for improper lane usage and leaving the scene of an accident.

UPDATE: According to this article from CBS Sportsline, Lance Briggs has contacted the police and has arranged a meeting time to speak with them, scheduled for later in the day, and confirm that he wasn't injured. But that is all Briggs has told the police so far, at least from what the police are saying. According to them Briggs has declined to comment on anything else about the accident.

Oh, Peyton

Peyton Manning put the stinky on the Detroit Lions in a preseason blowout. Yes, it was preseason. Yes, it was the Lions, but this team was predicted to win 10 games (the Lions, that is... hahahahhaha).

Anyway, Peyton's stat line looked very ridiculous. 23 for 27, 233 yards with 3 TDs. If he plays like that against lame teams during the regular season, his place in history will be further solidified by his climb up the all-time lists in several categories.

However, this game wasn't as important for Peyton as it was for the Lions. Despite losing 37-10, the Lions looked terrible. Oh, I was probably supposed to say something positive there. Well, I can't. They looked awful. At least their starting QB wasn't in there to get trounced by a bad defense. The Lions will not win 10 games. They'll probably struggle to win 5. Unless the Kitna to Johnson call echoes 10-15 times a game (folks, it won't), the Lions will lose.

But, it was cool to see Peyton running his offense, as he does so well. The Colts should win plenty of games again this season and if the defense can sandbag all regular season in an effort to save all of their magic until the post-season, the Indy Colts could be there again.

We'll just have to see.

Damon Huard will start the season for the Chiefs

Yup, he did it. Brodie Croyle was given the starting job, and threw it away. Literally. The chances for Croyle starting the season plummeted after he threw his third interception of the preseason. So this is a no brainer for the Chiefs to announce. Damon Huard will be the Chiefs starting quarterback.

First, Huard started last season for Trent Green, after he went down in the first week. In the 10 games he played in, he completed 148 of 244 passes for 1,878 yards, 11 TD's and 1 INT. That's good for a 98 quarterback rating, which was second in the league to Peyton Manning.

And, unlike with Croyle, you know what kind of play you are going to get from Huard. He's not going to go out there and light up a defense. But as his numbers from last year show, he's not going to make too many mistakes either. He's a good manager and can keep the Chiefs in a lot of games.

So does this mean Croyle lost his chance forever? No. Head coach Herm Edwards was quick to point out that Croyle is still the quarterback of the future in Kansas City. Chances are good Croyle will have some significant playing time this season. And if the Chiefs struggle early, don't be surprised if Croyle gets the start.

The Chiefs open with a tough road schedule. Three out of their first four games are on the road. They play at Houston and Chicago, then come home for Minnesota before going back on the road to play San Diego. If the team struggles during this stretch, and the offense finds they can't move the ball, Croyle could get the start as early as week 5. They would be starting a relatively easy stretch of their schedule, with 4 of their next 5 games being played in Arrowhead, including a Bye week. And, their lone road game would be at Oakland. It would be the perfect time for Croyle to get some much needed experience, and confidence, before they head into the playoff push.

Chargers RB Michael Turner suffers high ankle sprain

League MVP LaDainian Tomlinson doesn't play in the preseason. Period. But hey, when you are widely considered to be the best running back in the league, have rushed for 9,176 yards in just 6 seasons, and set the record for most touchdowns in a single season, you deserve a break.

And when you have a guy like that on your team, the backups are usually irrelevant. However, in San Diego, this is not true. Michael Turner has a significant role in the Chargers offense. Last year he rushed for just over 500 yards. He provides some much needed rest to LT, to prevent him from running too much and getting injured. It's why the Chargers offered Turner a one year contract worth $2.35 million this offseason.

So it will be interesting to see how LT and the Chargers fare without Turner, at least for a little bit anyway. In Saturday's shoot out against Arizona, Turner left in the second quarter with a high ankle sprain. It's not known how serious the sprain is, but these injuries tend to last for several weeks or even months. And even if Turner does play in the early stages of the season, sometimes these injuries can hamper a player all season long.

Culpepper looks strong against the Rams

Culpepper looked strong in his start against the Rams Friday night, and should have the starting job for the season opener against Detroit.

Culpepper led three drives in the game, two of them were scoring drives. And on Culpepper's only drive that didn't result in points, LaMont Jordan fumbled on the Rams 1-yard line. He avoided the rush in the pocket, scrambled for first downs, threw the ball deep, threw the ball short, he did everything that he used to be famous for. And through it all his knee doesn't look like it's a concern to him.

One has to wonder what is going on in Miami. First, they decide that Drew Brees is too much of a risk last offseason and instead make a move for Culpepper, who was fresh off of destroying his knee. Brees went on to have an MVP caliber season, and Culpepper was kicked off the field after only four games. Then, they kick Culpepper out of the clubhouse just before training camp started and trade for Trent Green, who was hit so hard last year that he went from being the city's hero to a player who wasn't even given the chance to compete with Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard for the starting job. And in this preseason, Green still looks uncomfortable and hasn't played well in his games, while Culpepper has thrived and looks to finally be healthy.

Miami made several poor decisions in a row, and once again it's looking like releasing Culpepper was a mistake. Had they not rushed him in to the game last year, he would have had time to heal properly and the Dolphins would have a solid quarterback on their roster.

Now, granted this is just the preseason, which means little. Green could very well return to his Pro Bowl form, and make the Dolphins a competitor for one of the Wild Card spots in the AFC. But based on what we have seen so far, Culpepper is way ahead of where Green is now.

Croyle doing his best to not be the starter

Just when it looked like Brodie Croyle had the starting quarterback job in Kansas City under wraps, he does his best to throw it all away.

In the Chiefs preseason game against the Saints, Croyle completed just 5 of 17 passes for 45 yards, and tossed his third interception of the preseason. This through three quarters of play, since Damon Huard, the other quarterback trying for the starting job, was out with a sore calf muscle.

The reports have been that if Croyle can become a more consistent player, then the starting job will be his. Unfortunately, he has done nothing to show that he can cut out the mistakes that he keeps making.

The only thing that is obvious right now is that if one of these two quarterbacks don't step up and claim the job for themselves, it's going to be a long season in Kansas City.

Michael Vick Signs Plea Agreement

Michael Vick signed his plea agreement and Statement of Facts earlier today. In it, he admitted guilt to everything, despite a report from ESPN released Thursday night saying that he will not admit to gambling or that he actually participated in the killing of any dogs.

This report turned out to be mostly false. Vick did admit that "the enterprise", made up of all three of the co-defendants, including Vick, took part in the killings of six to eight dogs. The statement also says that Vick did not directly gamble on any of the fights. However, he did provide the funds for all of the gambling, and divided the winnings among the rest of the group.

Vick will be officially filing these papers Monday morning as scheduled, at which time the judge will set his sentencing date.

After the release, Roger Goodell has suspended Michael Vick indefinitely, which really isn't too big of a shock as this was his best move. Now Goodell has the luxury to wait and see how Vick's legal troubles will play out.

Here is the story and make sure to check out Pro Football Talks coverage of the case, as they have had solid coverage of this from the beginning and add details you might miss from just reading the articles on ESPN or other places.

4th and Goal, Episode 10

The loudest, and probably longest episode of 4th and Goal yet. It's our 10th episode spectacular, but instead of celebrating with cake and congratulating each other, we have to yell and scream about the Michael Vick fiasco. Plus our news and round robin segments that you have come to love.

Click here and select "Save As" to download the show!

As always, you can (and should) subscribe to the show by clicking here. And if you like what you hear, support the show by writing a review for us on iTunes or going to Digg.com and select Digg It. Registration is free and just takes a couple moments.

No help for M. Vick

OK so we all know that Vick has pleaded guilty to the crimes of dog fighting. My question is why do other athletes feel they need to put their two cents into the matter. First there was Portis saying that there is nothing wrong with dog fighting. Then Smith saying that so what if he was a dog fight or 5 or 20. No help from either one of them. Now we have a new person to chip in Stephon Marbury. He also agrees that there is nothing wrong with dog fighting saying, "I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors." I just can't understand why these athletes feel they need to say anything. Personally by saying thing means your pretty much saying that you participate in the dog fights. Matter you bought your dog from Vick and his dogs have won you some money. My advice keep you mouth shut before your dumb ass is under investigations.

Larry Johnson signs contract extension

Yes, the holdout is finally over. LJ's holdout is finally over. I'm a little surprised at how low his guaranteed money is however. Around $19 million guaranteed. Ok, so $19 million isn't exactly a low number, but I thought he was holding out for around $28 million? I could be wrong on that, but that was the impression I had.

And that seems, to me, to be a fairly low deal. If LJ was holding out this long, I would expect the contract to be a little bit higher than that. So what happened?

Apparently, Chiefs President and General Manager Carl Peterson called Johnson Monday night and spoke with him privately...no annoying agents to get in the way. Less than 24 hours later LJ is practicing with the team. That's going to be an interesting conversation the next time Johnson and his agent talks.

Johnson showed up to practice Tuesday completely unannounced. He took his teammates by surprise by showing up 45 minutes after they had already started. Cheers erupted and players started chanting his name.

Except for Priest Holmes, who was probably packing his suit case.

I'm back in full effect

I know readers, you were wondering what happened to the friendly negro that was on the best 6 episodes of the 4th And Goal Show? Well I am back now to save you from Reggie's abominable verbage. I have recently returned to the Naval Academy, things suck this year more than ever(even though I am a senior), and I finally have a free minute or two to impale you with my superior football knowledge. (And my superior mastery of the English language - something that apparently doesn't come with the Coral Snake package.)

In the AFC North, as I am sure you have heard, there is some turmoil with the Steelers' front five. The starting offensive line hasn't been set, Alan Faneca whines a lot about money, the Max Starks experiment at LT was a complete and utter failure (he telegraphs run or pass with his feet), and Sean Mahan believes that Ben Roethlisberger's knees is the correct placement when snapping the football. The Steelers' starters were outplayed in Saturday's preseason game, but the third string pulled it back in with 3 second half field goals. No injuries is the important take away.

Brady Quinn had a great game, giving many people in Cleveland a tragic dose false hope. He played against an equally tragic third string Detroit defense, and carved them up as he should. He'll be a good QB, but he shouldn't start this year, for his sake. And because the population in Cleveland will drop with all the aggravated cases of depression that will run rampant if he starts this year.

The Bengals defense continues to struggle. No news here, but the there lies a question mark with Rudi Johnson, as he injured his right foot in practice. If the injury lingers, the Bengals could be in trouble. Their passing offense got them to an 8-8 record last year, and it appears that their defense has only gotten worse, and if Chris Perry has to carry the running load, there could be a recurrence of the Bungles of old.

The Ravens lost receiver Mark Clayton along with CB Samari Rolle for a couple of games due to ankle sprains. Their offense, according to pundits from several sites including John Clayton, is the one to beat in the AFC North. His reasoning is that in order to beat them you have to shut down their offense totally. Their defense is good enough to carry them, unlike any other team in the AFC North. I sort of agree with them.

Preseason is almost over, the regular season is almost here, and that is when I go into a fantasy induced coma. Back to the drudge.

its been awhile

Some of the reader out there may have been wondering what has happen to Coral Snake, why hasn't he been posting anything. Well to be honest the only thing worth mentioning coming out of the NFC south is the Mike Vick situations. As most of you already he has pleaded guilty to all charges. Now the question is what is he going to do next after he gets out of jail. We all knwo thats where he is going. Will he return to football but in a different role? Will he get any respect, not saying he got much before all this happened. Yes, he may have been revolutionizing the game of football, but what aspect of the game was he revolutionizing. It wasn't the fact that he could run, because when it really comes down to winning games. It's usually that pocket QB that will win the game. It is however good to be somewhat mobile, but thats another topic. I guess a big question on my mind is there someone in the game that can bring the excitement that Vick brought to the game? And for the Falcons franchise are they going to lose money cause of Vick? I ask that because, I can say with confidence that maybe a majority of ticket sales is in part to Vick and what he brings to the game in his ability to run and elusivness.

Well I must run to class hopefully I can post more between classes. This the Coral Snake reporting from Whackadoo's with my 3/5 of a cent.

Croyle one step closer to being the starter in Kansas City

Everything over training camp has strongly suggested that Brodie Croyle will be the starting quarterback in Kansas City, beating out who everyone thought was going to be the starter, Damon Huard.

The battle might have become even more one sided this week, as Huard missed practice Monday with a sore right calf. While this is the same injury that has bothered Huard throughout camp, this is the first time he has missed any playing time from it. And the Chiefs aren't sure when he will be coming back.

There was no indication the injury would keep him out long term, but the Chiefs were unsure whether he would practice today or play in Thursday night’s preseason game against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I don’t know that,” coach Herm Edwards said. “I’ve got to check with the trainer to see what he says. We’ve got another couple of days to see where he is.”

Edwards goes on to say that Croyle is going to get the start Thursday night, and will play possibly into the third quarter. This is a decision that was made over the weekend, before Huard had missed any practice.

Washington, How I've forgotten you

Sorry Redskin fans. Sure, there probably aren't any who are frequent readers, BUT, I've neglected your team nonetheless and news actually happened regarding them.

Jason Campbell, the new and improved failure QB in Redskin Country ALMOST broke his knee off. He was tackled (by a Steeler, those cheating bastards) awkwardly and collapsed in a heap. To date, it has been negative on the MRI and listed as a bone bruise, which puts Campbell as day-to-day. Could Marky-Mark see some snaps, again? Probably.

Though, the woes for the Indians continues. WR Mike Espy had season ending surgery. He's gone. Defensive specialist (this is a ridiculous comment and I know this, but I find it a funny way to describe a player) Marcus Washington dislocated his elbow, but the doctors say it "looks good," whatever that means when your elbow is no longer properly attached.

All in all, they'll be fine, the Redskins, that is. Danny Snyder will pay too much for 6-9 victories and they will fizzle by the end of the season. Hurray, Redskins. The more important issue here is the absolute diabolical nature of the Stillers. Are they knee-targeters? This, could be a problem...

The Giants are looking... small

The pre-season injury bug has struck the Giants in a most unpleasant fashion. Six of their players are either on the IR or Questionable.

The IR list is: CB Bell, RB Finn, and TE Johnson.
The rest are: G Seuburt is Probable, TE Shockey is Questionable, and CB Dockery is Questionable.

Now, you may not have heard of any of these fellows, with the exception of Shockey, but Seuburt is a starting left guard (more problems for Deni Manning [yes, I made up a new nickname for him]).

The Giants have enough trouble keeping Deni's shirt clean, so hopefully Seuburt will get back to form by early September.

Go Giants!

You do not want to be a Bronco right now.

Apparently the Broncos are getting injured like it's going out of style. I'm going to let the article explaining the injuries take it from here.

They lost starting defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban for the season to a torn Achilles' tendon and workhorse running back Travis Henry sprained his left knee and might not play again until the season opener.

The Achilles' tendon has always slightly bothered me, or at least the story of Achilles' has. I mean, why would his mother go to all of that trouble to make him invincible, and yet be so lazy as to not dip him once, grab the other leg, and dip again? Or make him walk in the river or something. Seriously, what the hell?

And the Broncos were ill-equipped to handle that because they had already lost right tackle Adam Meadows to a severely strained calf during the week of workouts in Dallas -- along with rookie defensive end Tim Crowder -- and left guard Ben Hamilton (concussion), left tackle Ryan Harris (back surgery) and right tackle Jacob Rogers (knee) are all ailing.

That left tight end Chad Mustard to take snaps at right tackle Saturday night.

Ouch. That's never a good thing.

Broncos RB Travis Henry injures knee Saturday

Fantasy owners who do NOT have Travis Henry on their team enjoyed a moment of sinister joy Saturday night, when Henry left the game against the Cowboys early with a potentially serious knee injury. However, an MRI performed Sunday confirmed that there was no serious damage done to the knee. It is not known how long Henry will be out of practice.

Before you get excited about Quinn's performance...

Ok, so Brady Quinn had a strong debut with the Browns in their pre-season loss to the Lions. He went 13/20 for 155 yards and 2 touchdown tosses. All of that happened in the fourth quarter, which means Quinn was throwing against the backups to the backups of one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year. This is a defense that in 2006 came in 28th overall in the NFL, and 30th in points allowed per game.

So before you wet your pants over this guy, remember that this is the pre-season, and it was the Lions. If Quinn can do it against a team that doesn't suck, then you may begin to get excited.

Then again, if you are a Browns fan, you need to get excited over something. So you can wet your pants. We wont think less of you.

Broncos trade Warren to Raiders

The only surprise is the team they traded him to. On Monday, the Denver Broncos announced that they had traded DT Gerard Warren to the Oakland Raiders for an undisclosed draft pick. Warren had been with the team for two years and played in 31 out of 32 regular season games. He had a strong 2005 season, but last year suffered through injuries to his big toes...stop laughing...and is now a Raider.

This isn't a shocker at all. They've been shopping him around the league for weeks now, and he hasn't traveled with the team to any of their away games this pre-season. But this is the first trade they have made with the Raiders in 14 years.

More on the Vick plea agreement

As everyone already knows already, Michael Vick has agreed to plea guilty today for his dog fighting charges. This isn't really a shocker to anyone, since he pretty much had no other options. According to ESPN.com and The Associated Press, the prosecutors will be recommending 12 to 18 months in jail. And, even though it is highly unlikely, the judge could add to this if he so chooses, although the safe bet is that he will stick within these guidelines. Although the rumors I have been hearing say that this judge leans towards the maximum allowed, so we will have to just wait and see.

Vick is scheduled to plead guilty on Monday, August 27th. But, I believe this doesn't mean he will be sentenced on Monday. In the cases of Vick's three co-defendants, they all plead guilty but will not find out how long they will be in jail until December. I see no reason why it would be different in Vick's case, but I'm not a lawyer.

This isn't the worst news for Vick though, and if what I have heard is correct, the easy part is over for Vick. The state of Virginia is still possibly going to press charges, and according to this article published last Friday, they will.

The bad newz for Vick here is that if he pleads guilty to killing any of the dogs, the state of Virginia will be able to use that in their case against him, and the penalties from the state are much worse than what the federal court is offering. Virginia's penalty is 5 years in jail per animal.

So what does this all mean for Vick and his days in the NFL? Well, they are almost done.

The NFL noted in a statement that Vick's admission wasn't in line with what he told commissioner Roger Goodell shortly after he was initially charged. League sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Goodell likely will suspend Vick indefinitely and that a final decision on Vick's suspension will be made after his legal case is resolved.

The NFL is most likely waiting to see what Vick signs on his plea agreement Monday morning, so they have a better idea of what they need to suspend him for. If he admits to the gambling, he could be looking at a lifetime ban right from that. The question will also be whether or not his suspension will start after he is released from jail, or if it will include the time that he spends in jail.

4th and Goal, Episode 9

This week, we talk about Vick and his options after his other two defendants both plea guilty*. We also talk about Larry Johnson and if he is close to signing with the Chiefs or not. All that, plus a lengthy news segment and another round table discussion. Oh yeah, and another edition of Corrections and Rejections.

Right click here and select "Save As" to download.

If you subscribe to the show you might have noticed a problem when iTunes or whatever service you use tried to download the new show. I was switching the feed from it's old spot over to Feed Burner, which will allow us to know how many people subscribe to the show. But this caused problems with my iTunes and with Craig's as well. So if 4th and Goal has disappeared from your list, you will have to subscribe again. Yeah...my bad on that one.

Anyway, click here to subscribe to the show. Also, if you want to support the show, write a review for us on iTunes or Digg us at Digg.com. Registration is free and it only takes a moment to support the show.

*Hey, we recorded this show last Monday. Give us a break.

We're back

Sorry for the absence of new posts this past week. A combination of things have kept me away. Things at work have kept me from using the Internet at work, and I have been without Internet at home now for a couple days.

But I'm back, my list of things to post is long, and this weekend there were a ton of injuries and things that happened in the NFL, so let's get to it.

On a side note, the podcast is going to be delayed this week. I also never posted last weeks episode here, but subscribers still got the show (one more reason you need to subscribe to the show). This weeks show will be recorded Thursday, and up hopefully Friday morning. Then after that we will move the recordings to Tuesday nights, with the show up by Wednesday.

Quick Vick

Sorry for the delay in postings, beloved readers. I know you missed us.

This is just a brief quick-Vick update.

He agreed to plead guilty. Mixed reports are coming in. Pollard's boy at NFL Network seems to think that Vick will only get 8-12 months of prison time. For Vick's sake, I hope so. Apparently ESPN reporters are saying that the judge may not heed the plea bargain and max sentence him, which appears to be about five years. There are too many people saying too many different things, but the hearing is set for August 27, so by Monday evening, the world will know just how long Vick will be in pinstripes (or orange).

Ouch. Sorry to hear it, Mike Vick. Shouldn't have scrambled puppy brains on your garage walls. Bad move.

I'm taking bets on how long his prison sentence will be. If you'd like to make a wager, email me at cbprowler at gmail.com

We can do something basic... Over/Under of 16 months. We can go specific and I'll spread odds.

Think about the opportunities. But, if you come up short, the Coral Snake will have to come and collect.

Vick reportedly is contemplating a plea agreement

Right now, Michael Vick is running out of options. With reports that his two co-defendants are going to now plead guilty by the end of the week and agree to help the government prosecute Vick, Michael's options have pretty much dropped to "Go to jail" and "Go to jail for a very long time."

We all know the government doesn't mess around. When they throw an indictment at you, they mean business. So Vick's chances of squirming away from the charges were already slim to none, and that was when he had his friends with him. Now it is just his word against a lot of other people's, and whatever proof the government has which we still don't know about yet.

Along with Vick's co-defendants pleading guilty, sources close to the investigation are claiming that Vick has until the end of the week to reach a plea agreement before that option is taken off the table, and at least two more indictments are brought against him. If he were to plead guilty now, the government would not be able to charge him for additional crimes.

So, with all this information, it isn't surprising that Michael Vick's lawyers are reportedly having talks with government prosecutors.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site that attorneys for Vick were in plea negotiations Tuesday afternoon with federal prosecutors. Collins R. Spencer III, a spokesman for Vick's lawyers, declined to comment when reached by the newspaper.

Sources told ESPN's Kelly Naqi that Vick attorneys Larry Woodward and Billy Martin met with federal prosecutor Michael Gill and the investigators on Monday afternoon. At that time, the attorneys planned to speak with the quarterback to see what direction he wants to go in.

At this point, I wouldn't be shocked if anything happens. We'll have to wait and see what Vick is going to do. I find it unlikely that Vick can do anything but reach a plea agreement.

Raiders Coach looks at his quarterbacks - gets rushed to hospital

Raiders Coach Lane Kiffin was rushed to the hospital Sunday afternoon.

Kiffin felt ill Sunday afternoon but tried to work through it. By Monday, things had worsened, so the Raiders said Kiffin was taken to a hospital for observation for a viral infection.

"It's something he's been fighting for the last two or three days," said offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who addressed the media in Kiffin's absence. "I had a little bit of a sinus infection myself, so it's one of those things that just passed through camp."

Maybe Kiffin just realized how bad the Raiders are, and figured it would be better for his career as a head coach to pretend to be sick and not be able to coach the team anymore.

Let's call him "Gingerly"

The Colts are taking extra-special care with bringing along Bob Sanders in camp. Arguably their best defensive player, Sanders is returning from an injury-prone 2006 season. He had off-season shoulder surgery and the Colts desperately NEED him on defense. With the loss of McFarland, Simon, and a few other starters, the Colts defense looks like Bob Sanders and any given ten dudes that Tony Dungy can groom quickly. The good new is that Dungy is a defense guy (remember Tampa Bay and Gruden's stolen ring). The bad news is that Tony Dungy doesn't know magic tricks and he can't fabricate a run defense. The Colts secondary might be able to hold it down, but people are going to run for 170+ yards on them all year, which is really going to hurt and put pressure on the offense.

Poor Peyton. He's going to have to throw 3 TDs a game just to keep them in it. Addai will need to get 1200-1500 yards and 15 TDs of his own for the Colts to maintain their championship form. Perhaps by week 17 the defense will wake up anyway. Even rookies can have a good season, right?

Dreary for Houston

Not only do they allow more sacks than any other team, but now their starting safety will be riding the crutches. Strong safety Glenn Earl suffered a Lisfranc sprain to his left foot in Saturday's preseason game, taking him out for entire season. After surgery, he'll need to rehab for 9-12 months. Totally uncool for the Texans who need a rebound. Matt Schaub probably won't be enough AND he doesn't play defense (nor would he be any good on defense). Perhaps the Texans will not spend $48 million on a dude who has taken 16 snaps total and buy some O-line help. Well, this has gone away from the topic, which is that poor Glenn Earl is out and now the Texans secondary will be even more damaged than they may have already been. I expect the 11 picks that they had last year to not be affected much at all, because Earl only had one and even a rook can step in and catch one by accident. But, Earl's 74 tackles could be missed. Oh well. More woes for Houston. What else is new?

AH! My leg!

Backup RB Ryan Moats of the Philadelphia Eagles has broken his left ankle. His career has faltered as of late and now he will probably miss the entire 2007 season. When drafted, he was expected to be the 2-man in Philly, behind Westbrook. Unfortunately, Buckhalter and even rookie Tony Hunt creeped ahead of Moats on the depth chart due to performance. Now, Moats is relegated to the sidelines. Tough break for him, personally, but the Eagles should be fine being 3-deep at running back.

Go McNabb!

Is LJ close to ending his holdout?

According to the Kansas City Star, he is.

The Chiefs and Larry Johnson were closing in on agreement on a contract extension that could put him back in a Chiefs uniform in time for their third preseason game on Aug. 23 against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium.

Multiple sources told The Star today the sides had narrowed their once-considerable differences and a deal could be struck sometime this week.

There is even speculation that he could be back in uniform in time for their preseason game against Miami Thursday night.

Of course, the Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson had to come in and make sure KC fans don't get too excited. "I’m cautiously optimistic a deal will get concluded, but exactly when I can’t tell you. I really can’t,” Peterson said. “I would say we’re still communicating. Are we real close? Not from where I sit."

A coin toss away...

The Browns will decide who the starting quarterback is for this weekends preseason opener with a coin toss. Either Derek Anderson or Charlie Frye will take the start depending on chance. I'm glad to see that they take their decisions seriously in Cleveland. What a joke. They should Rochambeau for who gets to call the offense.

Irons juked himself to the IR

Bengals RB Kenny Irons was showing his finesse in his Thursday night NFL debut when he went down with what looked like an ankle sprain. He put a move on the Lions defender and immediately fell to the ground.

One day later, the AP reports that he tore his ACL and has been placed on the IR, ending his rookie season. Too bad, Cincy. Looks like Rudi and Chris are it this season.

Browns luck continues...

The Cleveland Browns' poor offseason luck continued today as LB Willie McGinest had back surgery for a "bulging disc" and should miss six weeks. He will be day-to-day after that. The 13 year veteran is the cornerstone of the Browns' linebacking corps, and they will miss him dearly.

LeCharles Bentley still can't play.

Brady Quinn still can't throw. Reports from Browns training camp are that Brady couldn't complete a pass if they paid him. And they did. Overthrowing nearly every reciever, he quickly reneged on his statement made yesterday. When asked on Wednesday if he would be the starter by the end of the season, his reply was "Without a doubt." This on Quinn's first day of camp, where he worked exclusively with the scout team. His second day of camp had him still with the scout team, and the passes were not pretty. The quote of the day from Brady was "You're seeing a guy that hasn't been in camp for 2 1/2 weeks."

Yeah, I'm drinking the haterade.

I'm embarassed...

Oh Junior. Why, why, why did having a mascot for the Steelers sound like a good idea to you? Your grandfather, your namesake, would have punched you in the mouth for giving the go-ahead for the mascot. He no doubt rolled over in his grave when he heard the name Steely McBeam spoken aloud at Saint Vincent's after morning practice yesterday. Hell, even your father, Dan, might be having second thoughts on giving you the reigns 4 years ago.

Nonetheless, I have found an option for the members of Steeler Nation. Two, options, that is. One, go to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's site and vote (the correct vote is "The Steelers don't need a mascot.") The second, go to this petition and list your vote.

There are arguably no serious Steeler fans that could or would ever be able to accept this as reality. Not even Stevie Steeler was well recieved back in the 80's. Boo Art Rooney II. Boo to you, sir. You are NOT the Chief.

Michael Vick

I happen to come across a funny video of Mr. Vick and McGruff the crime dog. I hope you enjoy...


http://www.thatvideosite.com/video/4738

Kinda funny, just thought I would put it for everyone to enjoy.

McCown to start for Raiders in preseason opener

Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin has announced that Josh McCown will get the start Saturday night when the Raiders open up their preseason against the Arizona Cardinals. Even though McCown is going to get the start though, Kiffin is planning on giving all three quarterbacks equal snaps.

Kiffin has gone on record in the past couple days and said that all three are in a "dead heat" for the starting job. Which is just really sad for Daunte Culpepper, who is listed as the last quarterback who will be getting playing time Saturday night after Andrew Walter.

But really, why Josh McCown as the starter?

"Josh has done a really good job and shown a lot of leadership in the way he handled himself during the scrimmage on the sidelines and around the team," Kiffin said. "Next game, it may be opposite."

Ok, sure. In other words, he has sucked the least.

A Celtic Good Time

Yeah, a basketball post. I had to do it. Why? Because I'm excited about the Washington Redskins of the NBA on steroids. Reports have been out now that Ainge and Rivers (GM and coach) of the Celtics have been making calls to Reggie Miller to join the squad for this upcoming season. Reggie is 42 and a successful TNT analyst. He still plays in pick up games, but isn't sure if he can do the 82-game grind, which isn't all he'll do because the Celtics are now paper candidates for an NBA championship. The first one since the 80s, I believe.

Why does this matter enough in sports to be written here on our wonderful football blog? Well, because the NBA is different from the NFL. When the Redskins buy a roster it is maybe inflated with MAX 5-10 overpaid veterans. Out of 53 guys, this is not a great percentage. Even out of 22 starters, this is not as much of a change as what is happening in Boston for the Celtics.

Their big three is going to be Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. There has not been a team that I can remember (been watching b-ball since early 90s) that has had that type of paper fire power. Teams will have 2 stars and really good supporting cast members, but those supporting guys are NEVER stars. It was Jordan, Pippen, and some dudes. Hakeem Olajuwon and some people. Kobe, Shaq, and anyone in yellow and purple. Now it's Duncan, Parker, and some would argue Ginobili, but he is not a star. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are all stars. So much so that many would rank all 3 in the top 25-35 players in the entire league. Garnett gracing the top 5 players in many opinions.

That is why the Boston Celtics are the NBA version of the Washington Redskins, only with performance enhancing drugs. Ainge injected those 'roids directly into his ball club by cajoling Kevin McHale (the biggest donkey of the off season) in to parting with his superduperstar. Way to go, Ainge. After years of draft failure and "building" with young guys, you may have a veteran group of ballers who will destroy the East. Of course, the could still lose to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Ginobili, and whoever else the Spurs get. Or how about Steve Nash, Amare, Marion, and newly added veteran Grant Hill? The West has it locked down lately, but the Celtics are the great Eastern Hope.

And that is all for b-ball today.

Congrats to Barry and his homeruns by the way. Maybe some of the pitchers throwing to him were on steroids too, so that almost evens some of it out. Right?

Bonds hits 756...

Some news stories transcend the boundaries of sports, and this is one of them. We are a football oriented show, but this is news to sports fans period.

Barry Bonds hit #756 in the bottom of the 5th inning last night, on a 3-2 pitch from Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik to right-center, going yard with a 435 ft bomb.

You can bet Bacsik is currently in some dark room somewhere, in the fetal position, crying and cursing Barry Bonds' name. He changed his future from being known as some guy who played professional baseball once to the guy who threw the pitch with which Bonds broke Henry Aaron's record. Shame for him.

As far as the asterisk that some are calling to be put in the record books, I say boo to the MLB for not testing adequately. Otherwise there would be no questions. Bonds never tested positive, and therefore there can be no asterisk (although I am about 97.3% sure he gained about 35 pounds in one offseason due to a needle and a tourniquet). Besides, as long as Alex Rodriguez doesn't get hurt, it'll be his record in a matter of ten years or so.

So enjoy your record, Barry. I think only you will know for sure if you really broke it. Oh, and don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you retire you can tell all your secrets. Your record will be out like a gay man at Disney.

How many more home runs does Barry Bonds hit? I am guessing Barry might have taken his last crack. He is partly robotic with all the attachments he uses. Don't they enhance his performance? What a conundrum.

Quinn deal finally gets done

Reports from Jay Glazer at FOXSports.com are that the Browns and Quinn have a deal.

Terms of the deal: $7.75mil guaranteed, $20.2 million total which could escalate to $30.

Finally, now get your ass into camp so you can carry Charlie Frye's shoulder pads.

NFC West... snooze

The Arizona Cardinals offensive line is straying away from everything they've known... ever. The standard for most offensive lines in the NFL is the short set. It involves a shorter step backwards, and getting your hands on the pass rusher as quickly as you can, keeping your hips low and your helmet in the defender's chest plate. Well, former Hog Russ Grimm, a guy with four rings, probably a Hall of Famer one day says different. He teaches the Cardinals O-line to drop deeper and do everything they can to get the guy blocked, no matter what. This simplifies the playbook and creates a deep pocket, but defenders get more speed before the first contact, and sacks happen more easily this way. With three Pro Bowlers in Pittsburgh (Faneca, Hartings, Marvel Smith)to do this well for Grimm in years past, he might be setting a poor O-line up for failure. We'll see how many times a DE or OLB gets to Matt Leinart this year.

On the other hand, Leinart is already impressed with the Cardinals offensive line so far in camp. So I guess its good that the Cardinals O-line can block the Cardinals D-line. But can they block a real team's defense? We'll see, Mr. Whisenhunt. We'll see on September 30th in Glendale. Bitch.

Former Seattle Seahawk and Hall of Famer Warren Moon plead guilty to negligent driving recently. He was fined $350 and sentenced to 40 hours of community service. I want to see the 15 year old kid that got caught with pot and is cleaning up the highway and looks up to see Warren Moon picking up cigarette butts. Classic!

Apparently Mike Holmgren is a real demigod. He knows things no one should know, even NFL head coaches. Seneca Wallace couldn't even get the play calls right in camp two years ago, and now he looks like a legitimate long term replacement for Matt Hasselbeck when he is ready to retire and get a hairpiece. Holmgren has held on to his talent and it is finally showing its head.

49ers NT Aubrayo Franklin will miss the entire preseason with a sprained MCL. Franklin is the centerpeice of Mike Nolan's new 3-4 defense, and a two-gap tackle in todays NFL is tough to find. Good news that it wasn't torn, but bad newz that he will miss so much practice.

Vernon Davis has a hot head, enough that he decided to go head to head with LT Larry Allen after a play in camp last week. It worries Mike Nolan, who does not want the referee's flags to fly when the season comes. Beat reporters in the Bay Area are asking questions like: "Is Vernon Davis a distracting diva or an emotional lynchpin?"
A lot of fans are wondering if he is the next TO without the TDs or receptions. I hope not...

Now to the Rams. WR Torry Holt is recovering nicely from his offseason knee scope. He had the common procedure done to clean up some scar tissue in his knee that had been bothering him for some time. The last time he had the procedure done, he had a monster season, racking up 1,700 yards and 12 TDs. Maybe the trend will continue.

AFC North Update

I am a happy blogger now that my Steelers have a commanding lead in the AFC North this preseason. The Steelers look to strengthen that lead this Saturday when they host the Packers at Heinz Field.

Speaking of the Steelers, (which I do often), Head Coach Mike Tomlin continues to impress. He has nerves of steel. He is about to begin his head coaching career in Canton, Ohio, and he shows no sign of nervousness or anything like it. After the game, all he talks about is what needs to be better. Among the people that are sure he will have a long career in Pittsburgh are Dick Vermeil, the late Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy, and of course myself. (I verified the Vermeil one personally)

Browns C LeCharles Bentley says his knee is approximately 70%. What does that mean? Well, once again the Browns shelled out a lot of hope and respect to a guy that can't/won't play for them.

Speaking of the devil, Brady Quinn's agent Tom Condon is hung up on the elevators in Quinn's contract. The Browns have stated that they will go above the slotted money for the #22 pick, but Condon wants a lot of incentive-based tomfoolery at the back end of Quinn's contract. Bad newz for Brady. He won't play a down this season if this continues much longer

Carson Palmer looks good in camp-- in the old, familiar knee brace that Kimo von Oelhoffen put him in. The most important body part in Cincinnati is being adequately protected.

Cincinnati will get a chance to practice with the New Orleans Saints in Paul Brown Stadium on August 16th. The scrimmages will be closed to the public. (Ocho Stinko will mar that defensive secondary). Two days later, the Bengals will host the Saints at Paul Brown for a preseason exhibition game.

Apparently Willis McGahee might be a top fantasy pick after this season. The Ravens are looking to keep the ball out of the air, and into McGahee's hands. A lot of fantasy owners just got excited. I'm not one of them...yet.

Knee Surgery

Well looks like Joey Porter had to have his knee opened up again. According to the report he should only be out 2-3 weeks. I for one an hoping that is the case, well that and I guess I am hoping they put some injury clause in his way to big contract.

Of course last time he had knee surgery the steelers went on to win the superbowl....perhaps this is a sign.......

....nah don't worry I am not smoking crack, I really dont expect the dolphins to be that good this year. I am just hoping they dont have to high a pick in the 1st round next draft...something tells me those idiots might try and take a kicker first or something moronic like that

Jarvis Moss injury not serious, could be in practice today

Yesterday was not a good day to be a Bronco. Your first round draft pick Jarvis Moss injured his knee, and was carted off the field. It looked serious enough that his whole season would be finished before he got to even play one down. Oh what a difference a day makes.

[T]he Broncos' first- round draft pick said Monday night he thinks he will be back on the practice field today.

"It was scary, but I'm good," Moss said. "At first, I thought it was bad, but we got pretty lucky."

Moss was taken off the field grimacing, on a cart, during the morning workout.

Coach Mike Shanahan isn't so sure he will put Moss back on the field today but was relieved the injury wasn't serious.

"He should be fine," Shanahan said. "But it's too early to say when he'll practice."

This is the second potentially serious injury that has turned out to be minor for the Broncos. Linebacker Warrick Holdman was injured last week in practice, and was carted off the field. But even though he hasn't practice since then, he claims he is ready to get back to work.

Chiefs welcome rookie WR Bowe to camp

The Chiefs just signed first round draft pick David Bowe and he spent his first day getting accustomed to the NFL. The first thing he did in practice? He was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and then strapped to a goal post and had a sports drink dumped all over him.

Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards said that Bowe was only placed on the PUP list because he has missed 15 practices and it wouldn't be fair to throw him out there with all the other players until he can get into the groove of camp. Edwards said that Bowe could be off the list in a couple of days.

But, the reasoning for him getting strapped to the goalpost wasn't nearly as nice.

Bowe’s first official act on the practice field was not to practice, but to have wide receiver Eddie Kennison tape him to a goalpost before Michael Bennett, Boomer Grigsby and Casey Printers poured a cooler of iced sports drink over Bowe’s head.

“This is for what you missed,” Grigsby said, referring to the first 10 days of training camp.

Welcome to the NFL, rookie.

The Colts are crying...

DE Anthony McFarland is out. For a long time. This is not good for the Colties. In fact, it is really bad. They've already lost Simon, Bobbie Sanders, and a select few other defensive starters. It will be nothing short of a miracle if the Colts don't allow more than 170 yards per game on the ground. Miracle, I say!

LB Rob Morris and DE Robert Mathis received MRIs last Friday (as well as McFarland). Things are looking piss-poor for the Indy Colt Defense. My advice? Run up the middle, run off tackle, pitch it outside, play-action roll-out swing pass to the wide open HB because 3rd string LB can't cover him.

Lucky for the Colts, they still have offensive firepower behind Manning, Addai, Harrison, Wayne, and company. Are 35 offensive points per game enough?

Damn You, TO

Yes, he is out. Sort of. Apparently, back spasms have TO sidelined currently. He was not at practice Monday and his MRI came up negative for anything serious. So, the question remains: What is TO's problem and will he be effective this season?

Was last year a highlight for him, even though he dropped approximately 1,000 passes? Yes, he scored 13 times (no one doubts his nose for the end zone), but with recurring injuries and all of the nonsense that surrounds him, perhaps he will end his career in Dallas. He was signed to a 5-year, $25 million contract a year ago. He is only 33. Feasibly, at his position, he could go to 40 and still catch balls effectively, but his body and image are broken.

Since his not on my fantasy team this year, I wish for him to stay sidelined by random back stiffness, quadricep pulls, and finger contusions. Print it.

4th and Goal, Episode 8

This week, we debut our new segment called "Over/Under", and have another round table discussion. Plus another long news segment and all of the inappropriate comments you have come to expect from us.

Right click here and select "Save As" to download the file.

Feel like supporting the show? Send us an email at 4thandgoalshow@gmail.com and write a review of the show on iTunes. And if you want to join in on the "Over/Under" debate, head on over to the forum and cast your picks.

Finally took care of it

No more complaining I have signed up.....I choose a different user name but the computer gave me omega_squad for some reason.....

Oh well

Chargers receiver out 10 weeks

Chargers wide receiver Eric Parker had surgery to repair a broken toe, and could be out for 10 weeks, and miss almost 6 games. Last year, Parker caught 48 passes for 659 yards.

Steelers take HOF Game, 20-7

The Steelers looked impressive tonight, and the 1st string offense only played one 3 minute drive. Willie Parker sat the night out, and the Steelers' perennial Pro Bowlers were out after the 1st possesion. The Steeler defense held Drew Brees to 1/6-6 yards, and Big Ben went 2/3-73 yards. His first pass of the game was a 55 yarder over top to Cedrick Wilson. Four plays later Najeh Davenport took it in to set the tone for a game that ended more lopsided than the 20-7 score would show. The Steelers had 305 yards of offense in the first half to the Saints 56. The backups slowed the game down more and more as the teams went deeper into their rosters, but the Steelers prevailed. But it was just the first game of the preseason. No conclusions can be drawn, but I would like to.

Two takeaways: CB William Gay, the Steelers 5th round draft pick out of Louisville, absolutely lit Saints first round draft pick Robert Meachem out of LSU up. Ended his life for a brief moment. Better still was on the next play, where Meachem was given a chance to redeem himself, but upon seeing a riled up William Gay coming at him, decided he wanted nothing to do with the ball any longer, and avoided another huge hit. Gay later picked off Tyler Palko to seal the 20-7 victory for the Steelers.

Secondly, I was quickly and oft reminded of how much I hate Chris Collinsworth. It may be because he was a Cincinnati Bengal, it may be because he is the most retarded commentator to ever speak over the TV waves, but rest assured, I wanted him dead by halftime. MDK.

The Steelers and Saints will head back to their respective training camps; the Steelers to Latrobe, PA for another round of two-a-days, the Saints to wherever they practice for some sweltering heat and Jazz music playing negroes on the sidelines.

It is hard not to take away too much from this game, being the avid (if not affected) Steelers fan that I am, but rest assured, I am aware that it is just preseason, and the first game of preseason at that. But what a glorious preseason it started out to be. Next up, Packers - Saturday night.

Nice Quote

I was checking an article on ESPN that was talking about Russell and his not signing a contract yet. The article had this nice little quote, dealing with the three quarterbacks that ARE in camp.

With Russell back home in Alabama, Andrew Walter, Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper are sharing the quarterback duties for the Raiders. The three combined to throw four interceptions in the morning practice, something Kiffin said needs to be rectified immediately.

Ouch. Good job guys.

Denver lineback Holdman released from hospital

Warrick Holdman, the Broncos linebacker who was injured yesterday trying to tackle Mike Bell, was released from the hospital today. Holdman had a spinal cord concussion, which doesn't sound good. Coach Mike Shanahan said that he still had some numbness this morning, and didn't say when he would be cleared to practice again.

News Flash: Russell still not under contract

OK, so maybe that didn't deserve a News Flash, but whatever. The point is that first overall pick of this years draft, JaMarcus Russell, still isn't anywhere close to signing a contract. And, if you would believe this article, everyone is blaming something else for why the Raiders haven't signed their top pick.

One person familiar with the negotiations said the Raiders have offered Russell "substantially more than what Mario Williams got last season." That flies in the face of what another person familiar with the negotiations said, that as of now, the Raiders' best offer to Russell doesn't even match the $24 million guaranteed given 49ers quarterback Alex Smith — the top draft pick in'05.

Worse, the second person said, Smith gets that $24 million "under all scenarios." That includes injury, death, even if he flames out and joins Ryan Leaf as one of the all-time busts.

Davis said Wednesday that the main sticking point is the refusal of Russell's agent, Eric Metz, to include a provision in Russell's contract that empowers the Raiders to recoup some of the guaranteed money if Russell were to hold out, walk away from the deal or conduct himself in a manner that compromises his playing status.

Nonsense, the other person familiar with the negotiations said. Metz is willing to include such a provision as long as the financial part of the equation is acceptable, and Russell would "give the money back" if he violates the terms of his contract.

So yeah, this doesn't sound like it's going to end anytime soon. Raiders fans better hope their o-line can protect Daunte, because with Russell missing this much practice it would just be embarrassing for him to go out on the field at all early in the season.

Rookie TE Zack Miller is impressing Raiders

TE Zack Miller is making his case to be the starting tight end for the Raiders this year. He has been having a great training camp, and is catching anything thrown his way.

Miller out of Arizona State scored four times in a short span in his continued effort to emerge from training camp as the Raiders starting tight end.

"Yeah, I felt good today," Miller said after his eye-opening performance. "I got good opportunities (Thursday) and I took advantage, was able to make a few nice plays. So, I was pretty happy with myself."

He wasn't the only one giddy about the showing. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said Miller's play makes it easy to forget that Miller is a rookie and hasn't even been in camp for a week yet.

"He's great," Kiffin said. "He's everything we thought, as far as a competitor, the way he works, the way he is in the classroom. He comes out here and rarely ever does he make a mental mistake.

That's impressive, but then again it is the Raiders. Something tells me that it doesn't matter who they have lined up under center, or who is catching passes for them, they will still be in the hunt for worst team in the NFL this year.

Chiefs and Vikings to practice against each other

The Chiefs and Vikings have plans to combine two practices this weekend, with the first practice being tonight in Minnesota and the second one Saturday night in Kansas City.

“It’s kind of like a preseason game before the preseason starts,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “We’re going against another opponent, and that’s good for us. It’s a long training camp if you have to wait until your first preseason game before you actually play against somebody. If you don’t, that’s when all of the shoving and the kicking and the biting and the fighting start in the second week of training camp because you get tired of pushing each other around.

Edwards is referring to a fight that broke out in practice a couple days ago between Will Svitek and Turk McBride, which was cheered on by spectators watching the practice.

This is the second year that the Chiefs and Vikings have practiced against each other.

Chargers defense focusing on 3rd down

The Chargers defense has spent a lot of time in camp working on their third down performance.

Last year, the Chargers were 13th in the league overall on allowing opposing offenses to convert third downs. Not terrible, but they were near the bottom when it came to 3rd and 4 or 5 yards, allowing teams to convert nearly 54% of the time.

Safety Marlon McCree said: “If we can improve ... If we can get teams off the field 10 percent more of the time, that's 10 percent more times (LaDainian Tomlinson) can get the ball and get in the end zone.”

My fantasy team approves this message.

Dark Horse hits the IR

And it was written. Even though the NFC North is not within my assigned realm, I could not resist breaking the news to my esteemed (sometimes) colleague Craig.

Around Episode 2 of this fine p-cast we call the 4th and Goal Show, by friend Craig claimed that his dark horse QB in this year's draft would be the second rounder out of Michigan State, Drew Stanton. Well, due to a knee injury that would keep him out of the preseason, Drew Stanton was placed on the IR for the year. Now, this doesn't mean much in the light of his ability to play next year, but since there was only enough room on the roster for one more rookie, and since they chose CJ over the Dark Horse, Stanton doesn't even dress for the year. We'll wait and see, but for now, the Dark Horse will be wearing a suit or sweats on Sunday. And that can put a serious bruise on his psyche for years to come.

Ha.

Another Steroid Related Suspension

And further proof that the NFL is better than the Major Leagues. Cleveland Browns Offensive Tackle Ryan Tucker has been suspended for four games due to his violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy regarding anabolic steroids and the like.

This is the same guy that missed a couple of games last year on account of a "mental disorder." He is a team leader, and issued a respectable (as much as it could be) statement on the subject:

I didn't intend to compromise the integrity of the NFL, my team, I want to apologize to the fans, my family. It's been a long road. I was pretty down and out last year, and in my attempt to come back I took a banned substance. I'm going to fulfill this punishment and get it behind me.

Congrats to the Browns.

And... The Eagles

Once again, The Eagles place their hopes and prayers on the knee of Donovan McNabb. I fully support this, by the way, because he is my starting fantasy quarterback. Some will gripe about a "quarterback controversy" due to the drafting of Kevin Kolb, BUT, cooler heads prevail. And by cooler, I mean smarter. Andy Reid is not going to start a rook when he has an MVP-esque player taking snaps. Kolb won't see the pigskin during the regular season and playoffs unless McNabb is down and Feely is broken. The talk of controversy in Philly should only fuel McNabb to have a great season. Everyone is down on his legs, though he has looked superb in camp.

It is this amateur analysts opinion that D-Nabb will play well in his opening games, just like every year. If he can beat the injury bug, his season will be anywhere from moderate to very good. His team does not need him to win games or visit the playoffs, but (shown by his 3-year-in-a-row NFC Championship appearances) they benefit from him being at the helm. He is a leader and the best mobile QB in the game today (I think).

Most of the talk in Philly is D-Nabb, D-Nabb, Kolb, Andy Reid, D-Nabb. So, let's see how things shape up this last month before first snap.

Indy Colt Update

Owner Jim Irsay is apparently no longer interested in having Corey Simon on his team. The former Pro-Bowler is on the outs and Indy is looking to sever all ties by offering a compensation package that would allow Simon to sign with another NFL team. The Colts claim that Simon failed a physical exam and was sent home to Tallahassee, Florida. Simo did not report to camp and there is now a muck about the whole situation. Unfortunately, this has tainted the Colts organization on the free agent pool, so hopefully that doesn't hold through '08 when they will need some defensive assistance.

The Colts have stated that they prefer to rely on their drafting skills, which have been very fruitful this past decade.

Interesting...

Quinn Update

Cleveland Browns GM Phil Savage remarked about the state of the Brady Quinn contract negotiations today. Not good news for sure.

Per Savage, the Browns are trying their best to get places with Quinn as they did with Joe Thomas, but Quinn's agent, Tom Condon, is being unreasonable.

What we did in six hours with Joe Thomas seems to be taking almost two weeks with, you know, our other player. All of a sudden the Browns are gonna shift gears and try to extract blood from the quarterback that we picked, that we say is gonna be the face of the franchise, that we say is the future of this team? It makes no sense. It's not logical. I think people are smart enough to figure this out. We feel like we’re in the same neighborhood but not on the same street yet, I don't think it’s so much the money. It's how it's gonna be gotten to, playing time percentages, what happens in year 4 and 5.

So it's not so much the guaranteed money in the contract that Quinn's agent is making a big deal out of, which has been all the rage in contract talks of late, but more the incentives at the back end that are the hiccup. Well, if that is so, Condon should be spending every bit of time that he has available to get Quinn, and by extension him, his contract. At this point all of Condon's high value players are signed except Quinn and Simeon Rice, and Rice hasn't entered contract negotiations with anyone. Sounds like signing with Condon could be Quinn's worst career move.

Levi Brown Signs

The Arizona Steelers, I mean Cardinals, have finally reached an agreement with their first round draft pick, the fifth overall, Levi Brown out of Penn State. (Not to be confused with Levi Jones, who received a surprise beatdown from The Mouth last March.)

The deal looks to be more than $18.5 milly guaranteed, with possible earnings of $62 million. The slotting system seems to be working out pretty well with the draft picks in the top ten, with the exception of Adrian Peterson. (Who, by the way, took an elbow to the hip and will have to sit out for a while. Score another loss for Cuba.)

Nothing else happened in the NFC West. Mediocrity.

AFC North Update

Prepare yourselves 4th and Goal Show faithful, this Steelers update has fantasy implications (for me). Willie Parker is suffering from a knee contusion that will definitely sideline him for the Hall of Fame game (3 days away), and from then on he will be day to day. Other injuries (some continuing) include 1st String ROLB James Harrison (bruised ribs), 1st Round draft pick Lawrence Timmons (groin), and 2006 1st Round draft pick Santonio Holmes (undisclosed non-football related surgery). All except Timmons (sore vagina) are expected to be back in practice before camp breaks.

In other non-AFC North, non-football news, our condolences to all of the families affected by the unfortunate events surrounding the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota. 4 dead already, but 30 missing. Our thoughts are with the families of the missing and deceased.

NFC South - Atlanta Falcons

For the past 2 seasons the Atlant Falcons have lead the NFL in total rushing yards. Last season Vick and Dunn each ran for over a thousand yards. With one of the contributors to the Falcons rushing attack about to go to jail for the rest of him life. The Falcons now have a chance to become more of a 2 dimensional team.

Dunn commented, "Even if Mike was here, he'd be the first to say that Coach (Bobby) Petrino's offense would give us our best chance to have a balanced attack on offense."

Petrino new offensive scheme was going to put Vick's best assets to use like his cannon arm and his legs, but now they have to rely on backup QB Joey Harrington. And since Dunn just underwent back surgery, they will be using the ground game less.

"Petrino, who had a 41-9 record at Louisville the last four years, is renowned for deploying a spread offense that stretches the field.

With Vick unlikely to play this season and possibly facing the end of his career, Petrino has turned to Harrington, whose career record of 23-43 raises a red flag.

Even so, Petrino believes his scheme -- along with a receiving corps of tight end Alge Crumpler and wideouts Joe Horn, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins -- will restore confidence in an offense that lacks identity without Vick."

Broncos linebacker injures neck in practice

Outside linebacker Warrick Holdman provided a nice moment of fear for the Broncos and the crowd at their training camp facility. During practice Holdman was involved in a helmet to helmet hit and crumpled to the turf.

Holdman appeared to hit the crown of his helmet on another player's helmet. He stayed down for eight minutes but was rolled over onto his back after a minute.

Teammates gathered around him as he was strapped to a headboard and carried to an ambulance.

Shanahan said Holdman did lose feeling in his body for about 30-45 seconds, but the feeling quickly came back, which the coach said was a good sign.

There haven't been any announcements on how bad his injuries were, but he was moving his arms and legs. Shanahan is hoping that Holdman will be ok and can return to practice soon.

Moss injures leg, misses practice

Randy Moss injured his left leg halfway through Wednesday's practice, and did not practice with the team today.

Moss, acquired from Oakland in a trade during the draft, pulled up midway through Wednesday's practice. Medical trainers applied ice to his upper left leg, and he later left the field under his own power.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick did not discuss the specifics of Moss' injury and did not know when Moss would return to practice.

Apparently, Moss has been having a really good training camp. As usual, Belichick is not talking a lot about the injury, so we will just have to wait and see how long it is until he returns to practice.

Davis working for creation of Walsh Award

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has said he would like to have an award handed out each year to the NFL's best quarterback, in honor of Bill Walsh.

Wednesday, the Oakland Raiders owner proposed an award carrying Walsh's name that would be given annually to a quarterback, somewhat like the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award given each year to the top collegiate passer.

"I thought it would be thrilling, it would be an inspiration to us all," Davis said.

He also went on to complain about the east coast media and their bias on the teams in the east, saying that the only team to get coverage out here was the 49ers. To battle this, he wants to have the award presented on the west coast. If you can get past the ridiculous claim that the media is biased towards the east coast (that stopped years ago when a little thing called NFL Sunday Ticket appeared, coupled with a phenomenon known as a "sports bar"), then having the award ceremony on the west coast is only fitting since it is in honor of the father of the West Coast Offense.

Oh, Odell

Another Bengal in trouble isn't a highlight worthy of a post, but a Bengal who was banned from the league, denied reinstatement on July 16th with no explanation from the NFL front office, and then decided to violate his probation on July 24th might be.

Bengals LB Odell Thurman, the 48th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, has been accused of violating his probation by not checking in with his probation officer, assigned to him after his DUI conviction. It could result in jail time. His arraignment is on August 21st.

Shame. From candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, (only losing to Shawne Merriman) to another tried and true member of the impressive Cincinnati Bengals. Oh well, Odell.

NFC East Update

So, I'm in charge of some news stuff too, damn it.

It looks like T.O. is taking it easy this offseason, even though camp has started. He was found nursing a sore hamstring at practice yesterday and hasn't participated in the main drills. Wade Phillips (baby coach junior) has said that "he is sore, not injured," so let's hope that he is wrong and T.O. doesn't see a down of play. Why, you ask? Well, he isn't on my fantasy team and all of my news has the potential to be slighted by that fact. Screw you, Victor. Screw you.

In other news, Tony Romo has relinquished holding duties primarily. He still insists on holding Carrie Underwoods Ta-Ta's. So, in essence, he is still a holder of things valuable for a playoff run.

Moving forward, the Redskins are screwbied big time. Portis, Santana Moss, Chris Samuels, Marcus Washington AND Randy Thomas are all downed by some sort of injury. Rumor has it that Clinton was bit in the upper thigh by a rabid dog, fed up with his broom poking. Santana's problem is only a sore leg, so rest up, buddy, because I need 8 TDs from you this year.

That's all for now, folks.

AFC North Update

Since I am in charge of news from the AFC North, I have to try extra hard to not post articles about my Stillers that would be meaningless to the average NFL fan. I couldn't resist this one.

-Redefining the meaning of the fat boy packages, the Steelers might be placing 325 pound Nose tackle Casey Hampton at fullback for goal line and short yardage situations. Talk about a hole plugger.

-Ocho Cinco says he can't block. And he doesn't like to block. But he does offer this little gem:

Week 1, if I touch the end zone you will laugh for a lifetime. I guarantee you. Marvin (Lewis) might sit me down for the next game but it will live on for a lifetime.

-Steelers first round draft pick Lawrence Timmons is ailing again from the infamous groin injury that downs at least one Steeler each year. Lamarr Woodley, the Steelers' second round pick at the same position, however, is surprising people with his talent.

-Tom Condon is letting his client Brady Quinn take all the heat from the holdout. Don't know why. Get with Drew Rosenhaus Brady. He gets people paid.

-Ravens LT Jonathan Ogden is on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. For an unknown period of time. And Kyle Boller threw an interception

Juice at it again...

Thank you TMZ.com. Your filth is usually despicable, but on occasion you give us a jewel. Like this O.J. Simpson interview in which you allowed callers who visit your site to ask him questions.

Says one caller: "My kid Chris was wondering, do you think it was a bigger feat to break 2,000 yards in one season, or slice two necks in one night?"

O.J.'s response, to the clearly audible question: "I'm having a little trouble, Kevin, hearing you."

Says another: "It was reported back during the famous chase that when on in '94 . . . that you were squeezing your helmet."

Says O.J.: "That I was what?"

O.J., seriously. Just go into your hole and don't come out anymore. No more books, no more interviews. Be gone with you.