Goal-Line Stand - The Score

Wild-card weekend picks

Last week: 12-4 (7-4-5 against the spread) Season record: 161-94-1 (114-112-30 against the spread) 2007 season: 174-82 (118-105-33 against the spread) Falcons @ Cardinals Atlanta has all the momentum and is probably the more confident team, but the Cards were 6-2 at home and have the more experienced quarterback. But here’s the thing: when is the last time the Falcons outplayed a good team? New England beat them by 40 points two weeks ago, Minnesota by 21 the week before, and Philadelphia by 28 two...

Published Sat, Jan 01 2009 1:18 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Picks, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers

Proof of Billick-Nolan hostility thanks to Coors

OK, so maybe we're just looking for an excuse to post what is easily one of the greatest commercials ever made, but as we were watching it for the 3,457th time the other day, we started to wonder who the hell Brian Billick was screaming at in his latest Coors Light side-splitter. Here's the video: "Put your headset on and listen to him, Michael!" We got thinking: Who's Michael? And why is he being laced into? The whole thing is kind of weird, isn't it? One colleague argued...

Published Fri, Dec 12 2008 3:33 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Baltimore Ravens, Mike Singletary, Mike Nolan, Brian Billick

The Ten: Week 17 (Christmas list)

It’s Christmas Eve, so we thought we’d do something really different, really cool. Really original. So we bring you the Goal-Line Stand’s Christmas list for the top 10 teams in football -- something that surely has never been done before. But it’s been a tough year for St. Nick’s pocketbook, too. So each team only gets to request one item, and there’s no guarantee Santa will deliver. If he does, there’s a good chance the recipients will be rewarded with a pleasant January. 1. Tennessee Titans Last...

Published Wed, Dec 12 2008 1:04 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers

Saturday night NFL live blog

Sports fans world-wide are faced with a dilemma Saturday night: Go to your wife's company Christmas party or watch a huge Ravens-Cowboys game. Go hang out with your friends, who are back from university for the holiday break or watch the final football game ever played at Texas Stadium. Science tells us it's a debate sports fans have had for thousands of years. But we at TheScore.com and ScoreMobile have a solution that will keep you out of the doghouse while allowing you to stay connected...

Published Fri, Dec 12 2008 3:43 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Live blog

The Ten: Week 16 (Pro Bowl comparison)

In case you missed it, we delivered our Pro Bowl rosters to loyal readers on Tuesday , hours before the actual rosters were released by the league. There were, of course, some shockers. Not surprisingly, it was the rookies and sophomores who got screwed. Eight guys who should be on the AFC team, but aren’t: Ben Roethlisberger, Steve Slaton, Ryan Clady, Jerod Mayo, Logan Mankins, Samson Satele, LaMarr Woodley, Michael Griffin. (It’s probably no coincidence that six of those guys are in their first...

Published Wed, Dec 12 2008 2:58 AM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers

The Ten: Week 15 (Dual backfields key)

This should come as no big surprise because the trend has been emerging for years, but let’s just reemphasize the importance of dual running backs. Whether you want to call them Thunder and Lightning or Smash and Dash or Earth Wind and Fire or Wash and Wear or whatever, multi-back systems have truly become vital to success in the National Football League. Want proof? At least eight of the top 10 teams in football (according to us) rely on more than one running back. On second thought, “rely” probably...

Published Wed, Dec 12 2008 9:50 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers

The Ten: Week 14 (Williams Wall should fall now)

The Minnesota Vikings are heating up. After a slow start, Minnesota’s won back-to-back games by a combined score of 64-26. Adrian Peterson’s rolling and the defence has finally smoothed out the rough edges after stumbling earlier. The Vikes haven’t been outplayed once this season at home (they lost to Indianapolis in week 2 despite controlling most of the game), and are making due with Gus Frerotte under centre. With all that said, Tuesday’s news that the “Williams Wall” -- defensive tackles Kevin...

Published Wed, Dec 12 2008 11:39 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kevin Williams, Roger Goodell, Tennessee Titans: Pittsburgh Steelers, Pat Williams

Rear-View Monday: Ravens finding a new way to win

Powered by one of the best defences in NFL history, the Baltimore Ravens have been a powerhouse of this era. But a new head coach and an assemblage of fresh faces have helped the once-offensively shallow Ravens establish a new -- and scary -- identity. Sometimes, change is just necessary. What once worked just loses luster. The Baltimore Ravens realized that on New Year’s Eve of last year, when they released Brian Billick, who had coached the team to its only Super Bowl title and a stretch of defensive...

Published Mon, Dec 12 2008 5:13 AM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Rear-view Monday, Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens, Willis McGahee, Joe Flacco, Mark Clayton, John Harbaugh

The Ten: Week 13 (Dedicated to Sinatra)

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today I want to be a part of it - New York, New York These vagabond shoes, they are longing to stray Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap These small town blues, are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it - in old New York If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere It's up to you - New York, New York New York, New...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2008 11:54 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Frank Sinatra

The Ten: Week 12 (Giants back on top)

After spending three weeks atop our weekly rankings of the best 10 teams in football, the Tennessee Titans are handing their crown back this week. Sorry, Titans. We don’t mean any disrespect. But as Sean famously told Will : “It’s not your fault.” It’s not your fault, because one week after proving you could win by passing the football, you proved that you can win on the road … against a good football team … and in comeback fashion. It’s not your fault that the team that surpassed you -- the New...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2008 10:06 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Good Will Hunting

The Ten: Week 11 (Defence rules)

They say it’s become an offensive league, all about deep balls and spread formations. But here’s something for you: Nine of the 10 teams in this week’s edition of The Ten are ranked higher defensively than offensively. At least seven (all but the Patriots, Jets and Falcons) would be considered defensive football teams. The NFL’s two highest rated offences (New Orleans and Denver) have a combined record of 9-9. In fact, six of the top 10 offensive teams in football are currently out of the playoff...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2008 6:56 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defence

Rear-View Monday: Ryan overshadows Brees

When the Saints and Falcons got together Sunday, you’d have expected the spotlight to be on Drew Brees, who’s well on his way to breaking a 24-year-old passing record. Brees had another huge game, but he wasn’t the best quarterback on the field. Maybe it’s because we’re only 9/16ths of the way to the finish line. Maybe it’s because his team hasn’t been winning. Maybe it’s because his performances have been a tad sloppy. Just a small sampling of the possible reasons why Drew Brees’ potentially historical...

Published Mon, Nov 11 2008 4:44 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Rear-view Monday, Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, Joe Flacco

The Ten: Week 10 (Plus a weird trend at the Ralph)

If you haven’t heard about the rather disturbing disturbance at Ralph Wilson Stadium last Sunday, we’ll sum it up: A man, a woman, and a bathroom stall. Understood? If not, you can read the gory details here . But amid the story of public copulation, one thing is bothering us. The Buffalo News is reporting 37 arrests were made at the Jets-Bills game Sunday. In all, 120 people have been arrested at Bills’ home games this season. And it’s only halfway done. The Buffalo News story goes on to list the...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2008 11:59 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Ten: Week 9 (Plus midseason awards)

Divide 17 by 2 and you get 8.5. If there’s a midway point of the NFL season, it’s right in between the eighth and ninth week. Coincidentally, that’s where we’re at today, which makes it all the more fitting that we bring you our midseason awards. MVP: Albert Haynesworth, Titans How smart do the Titans look for not giving Haynesworth a long-term contract in the offseason? They know the big guy plays best with fire in his belly, and now a guy who makes his money stuffing the run is seventh in the league...

Published Wed, Oct 10 2008 9:31 PM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Albert Haynesworth, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Drew Brees, Chris Johnson

5 Question Preview: Baltimore Ravens

1. Kyle Boller or Troy Smith? When previewing the Miami Dolphins , we said that you shouldn’t just start a young quarterback because you have nothing to lose, and that you should give him time to watch and learn before throwing him into the lion’s den. But we think Baltimore’s circumstances justify using Smith to start the season. First, the Ravens know what they have with Boller. He’s not going to go out and throw for 3,500 yards out of nowhere. Boller is a mediocre quarterback, and shouldn’t be...

Published Sat, Aug 08 2008 7:52 AM by Brad Gagnon

Filed under: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens, Willis McGahee, Kyler Boller, Troy Smith

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