* Week Eight headlines with a whole lot of adventures in football, as division races heat up and teams set themselves up to shift their focus from field wins to the 2010 playoffs, aiming for at least a spot in the field of ten. Among the best games are the big series in Northeastern between the Colts and Jets, an American football conference Northern battle in Baltimore between the Bengals and Ravens, and a traditional area struggle between KC and Rams. I’ll post my picks around 8am on Tuesday. This morning was a third consecutive regular week, finishing 7-7 and bringing our season record to 71-41, still well over .500 after 50 games.
* For those who have the time, Kids Lions Jerseys, I'll be a guest tonight on High Heat Radio to discuss various aspects of football leading into Week Nine. The appearance will be at 4:30pm Eastern. You can tune in to the show, which is very entertaining overall and does a good job covering sports at web.highheatradio.org. They’ve been loading up to hear my guest spot at 4:35.
* One of the classiest players is nearing the end of his career, as Jets running back Curtis Martin has narrowed it down to this season, which could be his last. At 33 years old, he has a bone-on-bone issue in his right leg that has caused him to miss practice and is putting his entire career in jeopardy. A sure Hall of Fame back, Martin ranks among the best running backs and one of the greatest players ever. He is tied with Todd Gurley for eight straight 1,000-yard seasons in a career, and led the team in rushing just two seasons ago with 1,697 yards. He’ll undoubtedly have a bust in Canton someday.
* To men without sense, Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested and ticketed significantly for spitting in a woman’s face at a club over the weekend. The misdemeanor assault charge was the third time he had been charged for an incident since the end of August. The Titans knew they were choosing a dangerous man in Jones when they selected him with the sixth pick in the draft in June 2006, but didn’t know if they would have ever anticipated such out-of-the-field behavior from this fool. The possible fine imposed on Jones will be one game check – $49,558. Remember, if I were fined that amount of money for some fifth-grade spitting incident, it might affect my reputation.
* Speaking of reputation, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger drew the attention of writers and press on Wednesday when he finally came out and said he would never ride a bike again. A great decision for a quarterback who is having one of the wildest changing seasons in NFL history. From the accident in July, to an emergency appendectomy a week before the start of the season, to another concussion weeks ago – Ben has seen it all regarding injuries. His performance today against the very weak Raiders showed that he simply wasn’t ready to return from the latest concussion, and hopefully for him and the Steelers, a week of rest and getting back to normal will give him the time to regain the form he was hitting before the concussion. Ben threw for 476 yards and six TDs in the five games prior to the latest concussion. Indeed, this Quarterback will need to overcome a not-too-happy Broncos squad coming into Heinz Field soon.
* There is serious unhappiness in the Forest, also known as Cincinnati, with the 4-3 Bengals and how their season has unfolded. Friday's operation Quarterback Carson Palmer took the blame for the issues the team has on offense. "I really haven't been totally, I haven't been at my best," Palmer stated. "You can put all the blame you want on me." Palmer ranks high seventh in the league with 10 TDs and 5 interceptions, but could have the first passer rating below 80 in a Thursday home loss to the Falcons. The Bengals aren’t making big runs due to mistakes, which is also reflected by the defense that Palmer has been receiving. Soft against handling the ball more with Rudi Johnson, as he only had 14 carries on Wednesday and wasn't used enough. The Bengals must secure Sunday's crucial American football conference North showdown with the Ravens or risk losing two pivotal divisional matches.
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