Chucky too? I overlooked that one. Your commentary is funny

AnckSuNamun said:

Naw, I just thought it was funny for the post.

AnckSuNamun said:

I'll do anything to keep YOU laughing.

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

17/26

Vikings think silent snap counts may counteract noise

Minneapolis Star Tribune
Kevin Seifert and Judd Zulgad

The Vikings are dusting off their silent snap count, but they will stop short of simulating Seattle's noisy Qwest Field this week at Winter Park as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Seahawks.
Coach Brad Childress said that piping in crowd noise during practice usually causes as many problems as it solves.

"Most of the time it ends with coaches [having] a headache and players with a headache and bad vocal chords and the whole deal," Childress said. "You have to work on the silent count. ... [And] it's amazing if you make something happen, how things tend to settle down a little bit."

Seattle has won 24 of its past 27 games at Qwest Field, dating to the 2002 season, and the building has emerged as the NFL's loudest outdoor stadium. The New York Giants committed 11 false-start penalties in a game there last year, prompting General Manager Ernie Accorsi to lodge a complaint with the league office.

The Vikings have been called for 12 pre-snap penalties this season (either false starts or defensive encroachment), including eight in their two road games. They used a silent count for parts of a 19-16 victory Sept. 11 at Washington, but a game-opening 80-yard drive for a touchdown probably had more to do with keeping the FedEx Field crowd of 90,608 in check.

Qwest Field holds 67,000 fans but its partial roof helps keep crowd noise close to the field. Earlier this season, on-field volume exceeded 110 decibels -- roughly akin to sitting near the speakers at a rock concert.

The Vikings' experience playing at the Metrodome won't help much Sunday; typically, home crowds keep quiet for their team's offense.

"Seattle is a little bit different scenario," quarterback Brad Johnson said. "I think the Rolling Stones were there, and they said the games are little bit louder than the Rolling Stones. So we'll have to deal with that."

Injury report

The Vikings listed quarterback Tarvaris Jackson (knee) and linebacker Ben Leber (knee) as probable on their injury report. Both players practiced Wednesday.

Leber has discarded the knee brace he wore Oct. 8 against Detroit, calling it "a little cumbersome."

During the bye week, Leber remained in the Twin Cities and received treatment at the team's Winter Park complex. "It was huge," Leber said of the time off. "I can't really put a quantity on it as far as how good or what scale. But it feels great. I needed that rest."

Asked if there was a chance, he might need to wear the brace Sunday against Seattle, Leber said, "There might be a chance. But if it was up to me I'd throw it in the trash."

Cornerback Antoine Winfield also benefited from the bye, getting a chance to rest a partially torn quadriceps muscle just above his left knee. "It helped a lot," said Winfield, who was injured Oct. 1 at Buffalo. "It's like it never happened."

Etc.

• The Vikings rotated Troy Williamson and newcomer Bethel Johnson, among others, at kickoff return during practice Wednesday. Childress said Johnson's practice performances this week will determine if he'll be active Sunday.

Game Preview: Minnesota at Seattle

NFL.com wire reports

Matchup Breakdown

SEATTLE (Oct. 20, 2006) -- Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren hoped Shaun Alexander could play this week. The reigning MVP feels he is able to play.

Neither will take any chances, though, when the Seahawks try to match the best six-game start in franchise history on Sunday as they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Alexander, the 2005 league rushing leader who suffered a cracked bone in his left foot last month, is likely to miss a third straight game on Sunday and at least one additional week.

The Seahawks (4-1), with replacement Maurice Morris struggling, could have benefited from Alexander's return as they face the Vikings (3-2), who are allowing 74.4 rushing yards per game to rank fourth in the NFL.

"I suppose some people have put players out on the field a little earlier," Holmgren said. "In Shaun's case, because he is a running back and because we can't afford to have him re-injure that if we can avoid it, we are going to try to err on the side of caution."

Despite Alexander's injury, the Seahawks enter this week going for a 5-1 start, something only the 2003 team has accomplished since the franchise came into existence in 1976. Seattle opened 2-2 last season before winning 11 in a row en route to the Super Bowl.

Morris has been limited to 109 yards on 34 carries in two starts since replacing Alexander. Morris lost a fumble at St. Louis' 7-yard line with 2:48 left last Sunday, allowing the Rams to drive for a go-ahead score, before Seahawks kicker Josh Brown made a 54-yard field goal as time expired in Seattle's 30-28 road win.

"I kind of gave the team a heart attack," Morris said. "I put us in a situation that we shouldn't have even been in."

Alexander wasn't doing so well when he was healthy, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and failing to have one 100-yard game.

One reason the Seahawks often have struggled in the ground game and pass protection - they've allowed 17 sacks -- is because Steve Hutchinson is no longer part of the offensive line.

Seattle has sorely missed the All-Pro guard, who makes his return to Qwest Field on Sunday. The Seahawks did not match the seven-year, $49 million offer the Vikings made to Hutchinson during the offseason, and he's ended up becoming part of a Minnesota offensive line which has surrendered only seven sacks.

The Seahawks responded to that signing by giving a deal -- for the same money and number of years -- to receiver Nate Burleson to leave the Vikings. Burleson is off to a poor start in a Seattle uniform with seven receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown this season, and he had no catches last week.

Seattle surely would like to see Burleson step up for its injury-depleted receiving corps. While receiver Bobby Engram (thyroid condition) will probably miss a second straight game, tight end Jerramy Stevens (knee) has not played this season and his status for this week is uncertain.

The absence of those targets did not seem to negatively affect Matt Hasselbeck last week as he threw for a season-high 268 yards and three touchdowns by completing 19 of 34 passes. Receiver Deion Branch had his best game since the Seahawks acquired him on Sept. 11 in a trade with New England, finishing with six catches for 76 yards and two TDs.

"We can build on a win like this," said Holmgren, whose defense contributed six sacks. "It was a very, very important game."

The Vikings come off their bye week looking to duplicate the defensive performance from their most recent game, a 26-17 win over Detroit on Oct. 8. Minnesota scored two defensive touchdowns in a 23-0 fourth quarter and allowed a season-low 217 yards of offense, including 16 rushing on 11 carries.

Minnesota's defense has scored three TDs this season, one fewer than the Vikings offense.

"Everytime we take the field, we try to score or get the ball back," defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin said. "That's our personality. That's how we play defense."

The game also saw Chester Taylor rush for 123 yards on 26 carries. He's run for 324 yards in Minnesota's three wins, compared to 97 in its two losses.

The Vikings' two defeats have been by a combined eight points.

"Right now it's about that time where the playoff race starts to become more true," linebacker Napoleon Harris said. "Weeks 6-10 basically shows the face of the teams that are pretenders and contenders."

The Vikings lost 27-23 to the Seahawks on Dec. 12, 2004, in the most recent meeting, and are 3-6 in this all-time series. Minnesota's only win in five trips to Seattle came on Nov. 18, 1990.


INJURIES: Minnesota

PROBABLE:
QB Tarvaris Jackson (Knee)
OLB Ben Leber (Knee)

INJURIES: Seattle

OUT:
RB Shaun Alexander (Foot)
WR Bobby Engram (Illness)
G Floyd Womack (Knee)

QUESTIONABLE:
OLB D.D. Lewis (Toe)
DE Joe Tafoya (Knee)

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

18/26

RAIDERSATION

Cincinnati
Detroit
Miami
Jacksonville
New England
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Kansas City
Cleveland
Arizona
Seattle
Indianapolis
Dallas

19/26

Carolina
Detroit
Miami
Jacksonville
New England
Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh
San Diego
Denver
Oakland
Seattle
Washington

NY Giants





***GO STEELERS!!!***

20/26

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

21/26

i'm picking right now gish!

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

22/26

some of u are cutting it close.....

23/26

need picks from

Byron
Revolution
Karmatornado
[Edited 10/22/06 8:39am]

Carolina at Cincinnati
Detroit at N.Y. Jets
Green Bay at Miami
Jacksonville at Houston
New England at Buffalo
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta
San Diego at Kansas City
Denver at Cleveland
Arizona at Oakland
Minnesota at Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis

Monday, Oct. 23

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

24/26

ALREADY off to a head-banging start.....looks like I may hit less than 50% this week.....

...c'mon....a friggin' 62 yard FG at the buzzer.. ..the TEXANS beating the crap out of J'ville.. ...and now the Raiders are pounding the Cards.....JEEBUS CRICE!!!
[Edited 10/22/06 15:10pm]

I just got home and missed all the games. WTF!!!!!
happened today?

Lots of upsets this week...

Tampa Beats Philly on a 62 yd FG at the end of the game...

Atlanta wins in a shootout vs Pittsburgh

Houston wins against J'Ville...WTF happened to Reggie Williams???

G'Bay wins at Miami...

Yep, I am at 50% myself, if not lower...DAMMIT!

AnckSuNamun said:

What'd I miss?
[Edited 10/22/06 16:33pm]

YEP!! It's official...I am below 50% for the first time....YEA for me...

at least there's a little consolation...seems the "experts" at ESPN had a horrid week too....take a peek....

http://sports.espn.go.com...res/talent

Revolution said:

That was a winnable game for GB, Miami was overrated coming into to season.

Sooooo many upsets.

Revolution said:

Google "Michael Vick Ron Mexico"