Underrated storyline of the year was the Ravens not allowing Ray Lewis to do his pre-game dance at times. They wanted the focus to go back to the team. As far as I know, he started breaking it out towards the end of the season or during special occasions. Today would probably qualify.

And we're off...

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are some of the big questions that will help decide today's game...

1. Will Baltimore's blitz get to Manning?

EA NFL Matchup pointed out a few fascinating stats Saturday. Peyton Manning has the highest QB rating in the NFL when teams blitz him. Baltimore still blitzed him 80+% of the time when they played last season.

It may take Manning 2-3 quarters to figure out where the pressure is coming from, but he'll make Baltimore pay if he does. Indianapolis, on the other hand, blitzes less than almost any team in the league.

2. Can Samari Rolle hang with Reggie Wayne?

I think Wayne is the best receiver in the AFC. Marvin Harrison may be a close second. But Wayne will have a better chance to make big plays because Samari Rolle has lost a step.

3. Can Steve McNair stretch the field?

Bob Sanders is going to live as the "eighth man in the box" unless McNair can go over the top once or twice early. If McNair has a weakness, it's his deep ball.

4. Can Jamal Lewis make a difference?

People want to talk about Lewis' resurgence this season. But his 3.6 yards-per-carry average was weak. If he's ordinary, the Ravens will struggle to control the clock.

5. Were the Colts playing possum?

Indianapolis has done everything possible over the years in the regular season. After going 9-0, they were sluggish down the stretch. But this team knows that their season started last week. If the Chiefs game is any indication, their intensity will be different Saturday. I think it's their year, finally. Just when no one expects it.

Prediction: Colts 31 Ravens 24

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome to ... my apartment. This will be my first stab at blogging during a game. Should be fun.

No surprises among the inactives for both teams. Ravens LT Jonathan Ogden is starting, as expected. His matchup with Dwight Freeney will be a key to the game. Freeney has come on strong late in the season, and Ogden could struggle with him if he's not 100%. The Colts are known as a finesse team, but I think their speed could pose problems for Baltimore's offensive line. The Ravens short passing game could mitigate Indy's pass rush though.

Joseph Addai is active for the Colts, as expected. He'll probably start. CB Nick Harper is also active. Ricky Proehl, signed to be their third receiver is out. Other Colts that are out: WR Ricky Proehl, CB Tim Jennings, DB T.J. Rushing, LB Gilbert Gardner, DE Bo Shobel, G Matt Ulrich, T Dan Federkeil, and WR John Standeford.

The Colts rush defense has turned around since they benched Gardner late in the year. Rob Morris is going to pick up snaps and help defend the run. Look for Bob Sanders to be the eighth man in the box on rushing downs.

Comments aren't yet working, so send any in-game comments to GRosenthal@Rotoworld.com.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Perhaps Pete Caroll is feeling some wanderlust for the NFL, after all. As a Patriots fan, I'd certainly welcome him back to the AFC East. It makes you wonder how much money is enough. He's king of L.A, guaranteed to win 9 out of 11 games a year, and is headed for almost certain mediocrity if he goes back to the NFL again.

Just occured to me I'm supposed to blog after each Fix show and it looks like Tiffany beat me by an hour. Kiss up. Of course, she's probably in a hurry because she's going out on Friday night, while I'm catching up on Tivo. Tiffany wrote about our sweet new digs at the Bradfords Grill and Tavern.

Check out our show

Part of me is going to miss Bobby V's . Nothing beats eating on a table laminated with baseball cards of Rance Mulliniks and Garth Iorg. Another part of me is excited about Bradford's. Two words sum up the place: Beef stew. If you are one of the 14 people reading this blog that doesn't work for NBC and you happen to live in Stamford, stop by and say hello.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So it turns out profootballtalk.com wasn't totally wrong about their Mike Sherman report. FoxSports.com reported Friday that the Cardinals let Sherman walk after balking at his $4 million salary demands.

We're not sure who looks more foolish here. The Cardinals, for not simply paying their top choice for the most important member of the organization. Or Sherman, who isn't likely to get many head coaching offers again. We'll vote for Sherman. The Cardinals have a great looking offense. If he won some games, he'd get paid. And it's not like he's rolling in the dough as an offensive line coach.

My fiance says this blog is boring and I can't disagree so far. Just getting started. Check back this weekend, when I'll liveblog some NFL action. I don't think that's what she had in mind in terms of spicing the place up.

Alright, time to head out for the Fix's Football/Baseball Friday night doubleheader ...

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Profootballtalk.com reported earlier Thursday that former Packers coach Mike Sherman will take over the Cardinals head coaching job. While that report proved premature, he looks like the favorite. The choice would be an uninspiring one.

Sherman racked up regular season wins in Green Bay, but he was given Brett Favre in his prime. The Packers still had the remnants of their Super Bowl championship team - it was a cushy gig.

Sherman's was not an effective gameday coach and it showed up in his 2-4 postseason record. Green Bay's collapses against Philadelphia and Minnesota under Sherman particularly showed an undisciplined defense.

Of course, the Cardinals would be happy just to make the playoffs. Arizona has the best young offensive talent in the NFC and Sherman's Green Bay did consistently score points. Sherman would bring the West Coast offense, which is a fine fit for Matt Leinart's skills.

Anquan Boldin is a protypical flanker and should continue to rack up 100 catches a season. Both Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald will struggle to post as many garbage-time stats as they did under Dennis Green. It's uncertain if Sherman would bring a zone blocking scheme to Arizona like he coached in Houston. If nothing else there is hope Sherman can produce numbers in Arizona, if not wins. Just like Dennis Green!

Franchises almost always hire the opposite of their most recent failed coach. Dennis Green was emotional and reportedly disorganized. Sherman is blander than milquetoast and a former executive.

Update: The The East Valley Tribune reports that Ken Whisenhunt will get a second interview in Arizona. Either way, it's not a done deal.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tiffany and I just taped our Thursday Goal Line Stand Fix. I love doing the show, but the one part that kills me every time is the sign off. I'm entirely comfortable (maybe too comfortable) talking about football until I'm blue in the face. But I still haven't overcome the awkwardness of "saying goodbye" to no one in particular in a mostly empty studio. It's just not natural.

I've gone with "see you later" or "see you then" for most of the season. Pretty weak. Today our producer Harriet wrote "Go Pats" for me, and I said it despite showing my obvious homerism. She also asked both Tiffany and I to write a blog entry about the show. The lesson, as always: listen to whatever Harriet says.

Now I don't want to go all Katie Couric, but I'm taking this time to ask both of my readers out there for some ideas on a signoff. I'm looking for something in between "Stay Classy" and "Goodnight, and Good Luck." Since the comments aren't quite working here yet, send any ideas to me at GRosenthal@Rotoworld.com.

See you later.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Relatively quiet morning, at least until the Giants decided their coach for 2007 ...

The Broncos fired defensive coordinator Larry Coyer Tuesday. It's not a huge surprise considering the uneven play of his unit. In 2005, they blitzed like crazy and it caught up to them down the stretch. In 2006, they played in their base defense ad naseum and it caught up to them. If the Broncos defense had a trademark the last two seasons, it was the ability to play far better in September than December and lose leads late in games.

In an odd ending to his tenure, Coyer released a 537-word statement on his way out including a shoutout to the custodian. Here's the part that interested me.

"Prior to the season's end I opted to put all my efforts into game planning. At least we were able to win two of the last three games. Did (we) always coach and play to our best ability? No! No one does. There is always room to do better. However, I am not the person judging my decision to put all of game-planning efforts into the last three games while I was laying plans for changes I would like to see at season's end or the decision to replace me. I have the highest regard for (Mike Shanahan) and have no choice but to accept his decision and do so with as much dignity and grace as I can muster."

Huh? Was he trying to dig Shanahan there? If Coyer's game plans were half as confusing as that paragraph, you can see why it's time for a change.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)