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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...
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Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-24-2008
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
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In one of the strangest anomalies in NFL history, the league could have two 8-8 playoff teams while an 11-win team is left out of the picture. Every NFL season is predictably unpredictable; screwed beyond anyone’s prognostications. But this one has been especially capricious. It’s just … weird. That...
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Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-22-2008
Filed under: Matt Cassel, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Rear-view Monday, Peyton Manning, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Kurt Warner, Derrick Mason
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Officially, the AFC and NFC Championship games will be held on Sunday, January 18. But the hype machine is working extra hours this week in advance of what many are calling the prequels to those big games. The Panthers and the Giants are playing for the first seed in the NFC, while the Steelers and Titans...
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Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-20-2008
Filed under: Picks, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Sunday Preview, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers
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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...
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Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-17-2008
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
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It’s hard to remember the last time the league was this wide open. Remember back in November, when the Giants were walking to the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the Titans were thinking perfection? It feels like only a few weeks ago the Colts were in turmoil, the Redskins were considered the most efficient...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-15-2008
Filed under: New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Rear-view Monday, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-10-2008
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
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 12-03-2008
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
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If it’s possible to go uphill after winning the Super Bowl, the New York Giants have done just that. The 2008 season has been a fairytale follow-up to their XLII upset of the New England Patriots. Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning have to think they’ve been dreaming. For Plaxico Burress, it’s been a nightmare...
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 11-26-2008
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
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 11-19-2008
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
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 11-12-2008
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
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 11-05-2008
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
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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...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 10-29-2008
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
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Two and a half years after they let him leave for New Orleans , the San Diego Chargers got an up-close look at Drew Brees Sunday. With Brees dominating the league (and the Chargers), you’d have to think the team’s thinking twice about their decision. Three years ago, after the 2005 season, things were...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 10-27-2008
Filed under: New York Giants, Rear-view Monday, San Diego Chargers, Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints, Mathias Kiwanuka
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We classify teams in several ways: great, good, average, bad, and horrible. This year, we aren’t having problems finding horrible teams. The Bengals, Chiefs and Lions get the job done. There is no shortage of bad teams. The 49ers, Raiders and Vikings come to mind. Average teams? Please. The Bears, Broncos...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 10-22-2008
Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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No overreaction here. You’ll see it pretty much everywhere else, but we refuse to pull the New York Giants from the top spot on our list of the 10 best teams in the NFL. Sure, the Giants were dominated in pretty much every facet of the game Monday night against the Browns, but let’s call that a mulligan...
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If history has taught us anything, it’s that Terrell Owens can only hang on for so long. Owens needs a lot of things to go right to stay happy, which is why his welcomes wore out in San Francisco and Philadelphia. In Dallas, though, it’s been a different story. TO has been all smiles 35 games into his...
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If you asked us two weeks ago what the best division in football was, the AFC South was the winner, followed closely by the AFC North and then either the NFC North or NFC East. Oh, the difference a fortnight makes. Our top preseason division, the AFC South, is 3-4, with two of those wins coming from...
Posted to
Goal-Line Stand
by
Brad Gagnon
on 09-17-2008
Filed under: The Ten, New York Giants, NFC East, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
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Although the NFL season is officially underway, it doesn’t feel that way. We don’t get that special feeling until opening Sunday. The fact that the game wasn’t very good doesn’t help. • What’s up with these awful Thursday openers? Sure, the league wants the defending champ, thus its choices are limited...
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Since our Sunday Preview column won’t come until later in the week, we’ll get our Thursday night pick on the record right now. The Giants may be at home, but that doesn’t mean much. Last year, New York was one of the best road teams in football, going 7-1 away from New Jersey. But the...