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| Peyton Manningstarted for the AFC in Sunday's Pro Bowl loss but did his part to get the team off to a 17-7 first quarter lead. Manning was 11-of-16 for 147 yards and a touchdown. |
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| Marion Barber , Dallas' new starting running back for 2008, was overshadowed by Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson in Sunday's Pro Bowl victory. Barber, who is forecast to be a fringe first-round selection in next year's fantasy drafts, carried the ball six times for 37 yards as the NFC defeated the AFC 42-30. |
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| Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars | Sunday 2/10, 10:39 PM CT |
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| Fred Taylor was the AFC leading rusher among running backs. Taylor carried the ball three times for 15-yards. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger led the AFC in rushing with his one carry for 18-yards. Fred's first Pro Bowl wasn't a memorable one from a statistical standpoint. |
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| Jeff Garcia, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sunday 2/10, 10:34 PM CT |
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| Jeff Garcia was effective despite his interception in Sunday's Pro Bowl connecting with Terrell Owens for the go-ahead fourth quarter score. Garcia was 8-of-10 for 117 yards with one touchdown and one interception. |
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| Matt Hasselbeck, like AFC representative Ben Roethlisberger, didn't contribute much in the way of yardage in Sunday's Pro Bowl, but did find Redskins tight end Chris Cooley for a 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter of the 42-30 win over the AFC. Hasselbeck was 7-of-9 for 78 yards and the one touchdown. |
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| Ben Roethlisberger contributed little in yardage in Sunday's AFC loss in the Pro Bowl, but did manage to find T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a one yard score in the second quarter. Big Ben finish 5-for-9 with 42 yards and the one touchdown. |
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| Derek Anderson struggled in Sunday's Pro Bowl loss to the NFC. The Cleveland signal-caller was an inaccurate 10-of-26 for 103-yards, no touchdowns and one interception. It's just the Pro Bowl, but a more productive effort in any contest goes a long way when negotiating a new contract. |
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| Future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez led all AFC receivers in Sunday's 42-30 Pro Bowl loss to the NFC. Gonzalez recorded four receptions for 79 yards. The all time tight end leader in receptions will be 32 next year, well past the point when most tight ends start showing a serious statistical decline. |
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| Antonio Cromartie ended his outstanding 2007-08 campaign with a stellar performance in the Pro Bowl. Cromartie registered two interceptions and two tackles in a losing effort for the AFC. Cromartie's 10 interceptions this season led the league.
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| Adrian Peterson told Mike McAllister of ESPN leading up to the Pro Bowl that he believes he'll produce a 2,000-yard season. In fact, he thinks he'll do it in 2008.
"Oh, yeah, I set my bar high," he said this week "That's definitely where I'd like to start." A sprained knee suffered by Peterson derailed the rookie after his 296-yard performance against the Chargers in Week 10. He missed the next two games, and even though he came back to rush for 116 yards in a rout of Detroit, he never really gained that burst, managing just 144 yards in the final four games of the season.
"I wasn't fully healthy," he acknowledged. "But I don't want to make excuses." Peterson will face many obstacles next year. The lack of a quality passing game and the dreaded sophomore jinx. He will be overvalued by fantasy owners leaving the draft board as one of the first four-picks in most formats. |
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| Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys | Sunday 2/10, 8:17 PM CT |
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| Teammates Terrell Owens and Tony Romo helped spark the NFC to a 42-30 comeback win over the AFC Sunday. Romo finished the game 9-for-16 for 87 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. |
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| Chris Cooley, TE, Washington Redskins | Sunday 2/10, 8:14 PM CT |
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| Chris Cooley helped Cowboys WR Terrell Owens and Vikings RB Adrian Peterson by catching 17-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck at 3:02 before halftime to bring the NFC within three-points of the AFC. The Skins tight end registered three total catches for 41 yards Sunday. |
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| T.J. Houshmandzadeh scored two Pro Bowl touchdowns in an AFC 42-30 losing effort. Houshmandzadeh recorded a 16-yard pass from Indianapolis' Peyton Manning late in the first quarter, and then an early second quarter one-yard catch from Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger. Houshmandzadeh helped the AFC build an early second quarter 24-7 lead, one the conference could not hold.
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| Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots | Sunday 2/10, 7:38 PM CT |
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| Even with all the telephone calls he's been avoiding in the last week, since his name came up in the NFL's Spygate affair, Matt Walsh isn't complaining. Walsh currently resides in Hawaii and when asked about his involvement with the Patriots and their video taping sessions he was mum. The former Patriots video assistant sat in a chair overlooking the Kaanapali Resort with an easy smile on his face, according to ESPN, with only "no" answers to offer.
Walsh is a former assistant coach for the New England Patriots who performed some videotaping duties for the team. A few days before the Super Bowl, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) asked why Walsh was not interviewed during the NFL's investigation into Spygate.
Asked Saturday whether he'd been contacted by Specter's office or by the NFL, Walsh smiled and said, "I really can't answer that.''
Nor would Walsh say if he was under a gag order from his attorneys, even though that seems obvious. On Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned that his staff was talking with Walsh's representatives, trying to gauge whether Walsh had any new information to offer and if Walsh was free to talk to the league. |
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| Larry Fitzgerald received a six-yard-pass from Tony Romo with 7:08 left in the first quarter bringing the NFC even with the AFC, 7-7, in Sunday's Pro Bowl. |
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| Lorenzo Neal, who may have played his final game of his career, scored the first touchdown in Sunday's Pro Bowl; a one-yard-run with 10:59 remaining in the first quarter. Neal is expected to be released by the Chargers this offseason and could retire after a star studded career as one of the leagues best blocking fullbacks. |
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| The NFC was aided by Offensive Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson, whose 129 yards rushing was the first performance of more than 100 yards since Marshall Faulk had 180 in 1995. The Minnesota running back scored twice as the NFC rallied from a 24-7 deficit, earning himself MVP honors. Faulk is the only other rookie to be voted MVP of the Pro Bowl. |
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| Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns passes, including a 6-yarder from Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia for the winning points in the NFC's 42-30 victory over the AFC on Sunday. |
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| Unless some team gives the Eagles multiple first-round draft picks, which is highly unlikely, according to the Philly.com, Donovan McNabb will be back as the team's starter.
By using their franchise tag on L.J. Smith, the Eagles sent a signal of their commitment to making another - and perhaps final - run at a Super Bowl with their current core group. McNabb and the Eagles veterans are pushing the front office to be active in free agency and stock playmakers on both sides of the ball. The problem is there are no Randy Moss' currently available in the NFL market place. |
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| The Fox announcers, during Sunday's Pro Bowl, said AFC Coach Norv Turner was impressed with Braylon Edwards during the practice week, according to the Plain Dealer. What's not to like about Edwards? The Browns go-to wide out offered proof that receivers in their third season finally get it. Edwards registers 80 receptions for 1289 yards with a staggering 16 touchdowns this season. Fantasy websites this winter are already listing the Browns No. 1 offensive weapon as a Top-30 player in 2008 'Keeper' rankings. |
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| Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr was interviewed by the NFL's Network Adam Schefter on the Pro Bowl pre-game show and apparently, the Hawaiian sun must be therapeutic for his ailing right knee, according to the Plain Dealer. Winslow revealed that he went surfing with a group
called the Hawaiin Fire during the week. "It's not as easy as it looks,'' he
said.
During Super Bowl week, Winslow said he'll definitely need arthroscopic surgery on his knee in the off-season. But he said from the Pro Bowl that he'll have it looked at it again
when he gets back to determine what to do. If the Browns front office can ink quarterback Derek Anderson to a long-term deal, Winslow become a virtual lock as a Top-5 fantasy tight end this summer.
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| Buffalo RB Marshawn Lynch (1,115 yards) joined Minnesota's Adrian Peterson as the only NFL rookie running backs to top 1,000 yards according to Fox Sports. The last time the league had at least two 1,000-yard rookies was 2001, when San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, Chicago's Anthony Thomas and Indianapolis Dominic Rhodes completed the feat. Barring offseason injuries, both Lynch and Peterson figure to be first-round fantasy selections in 2008. |
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| Jeff Garcia, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sunday 2/10, 10:41 AM CT |
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| Jeff Garcia hopes to begin talks with the Bucs about extending his contract with the team so he can end his career there. "...I feel like what I'm attempting to grasp or what coach Gruden would like me to grasp is still out there. I'm still working to get to that point, but it feels good to be challenged in those ways." No QB has been the starter for the Bucs in back-to-back seasons since 2002-04 (Brad Johnson), and with the team trying to lure Jake Plummer out of retirement, it's no sure thing that Garcia will be the starter next season, though a whole lot of things would have to happen to knock him out of the role since he is clearly the team's top option if healthy. St. Petersberg Times |
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| Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers will likely embark upon negotiations this week to extend the QBs stay in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract believes things will go smoothly. "I'm eager, anxious, because I want to get it done with. I want to say let's go, let's get it over with so the talks can stop, people can stop bugging me about it. Because I just want to play football." After throwing for a career best 32 TD while only tossing 11 INT, Roethlisberger is fully recovered from his injury filled 2006 season and should be able to lead the Steelers for the foreseeable future as the face of the franchise. Pittsburgh-Post Gazette |
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| Justin Smith, DE, San Francisco 49ers | Sunday 2/10, 10:22 AM CT |
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| Justin Smith may be tagged with the Bengals Franchise tag this off-season, a year after they did the same thing to him. Last year Smith signed a 1-year $8.644 million deal, and he becomes an unrestricted free agent on February 29th if not franchised. Smith has been consistent missing only one game in seven seasons, but if the team shakes things up and goes with a base 3-4, there would seem to be little reason to bring him back at such a high price since he is coming off a season of a career-low two sacks. Cincinnati Enquirer |
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| David Pollack will visit another specialist this week regarding his injured neck before deciding whether or not he wants to return to the field. Pollack suffered a fractured C6 vertebrae in his neck and ultimately had surgery to help repair the fracture. Pollack stated that if he were to attempt a comeback he would feel more comfortable playing d-line vs. LB. We wish him luck with his appointment. Cincinnati Enquirer |
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| Todd Heap, TE, Baltimore Ravens | Sunday 2/10, 10:00 AM CT |
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| Todd Heap, who missed 10 games because of an injured hamstring last season, is looking forward to a fresh start with the new coaching staff. "I sat down and talked with [OC Cam Cameron] on Monday," said Heap. "The biggest thing that sticks out is what he did in San Diego. You see what he did with their talent, how he used their receivers as playmakers. He was extremely successful with that offense." No one doubts his talent, but Heap will need to stay on the field in '08 to prove his worth all over again. Of course, his value depends not only on the new system that will be put on place but on who will be getting him the ball in the Ravens offense. Baltimore Sun |
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| Anquan Boldin would like to see his contract reworked leaving the Cardinals to deal with both of their top WR salary requests this off-season (Larry Fitzgerald is the other). Boldin battle multiple injuries all year and gutted things out to the tune of 71 receptions, 853 yards and nine TD. Fitzgerald is the more explosive of the duo, but its Boldin who moves the chains with the tough catches. Look for a deal to get done. Arizona Republic |
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| Derek Anderson and the Browns have not hit a dead end in negotiations over the QBs long-term future with the team despite reports to the contrary. "We've talked about a contract from anywhere from two years to seven years," GM Phil Savage said. "Primarily two-, three- and maybe even a four-year deal. They've talked about a six- or seven-year deal." Anderson simply has to be brought back after tossing the ball for 3,787 yards and 29 TDs in his first full season at the helm of the Browns offense, so look for the tricky negotiations to continue. Akron Beacon Journal |
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