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Game Two: Dolphins 19 Cowboys 20

Joe Tufaro — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:23:25 +0000

Another game, another close first half. If not for a late turnover on a bad shotgun snap by the ‘Fins, the Cowboys could have been held to just three points. The Dolphin defense is continuing their fine play of late. Tony Romo threw two first half interceptions, and the Cowboy defense brought relentless pressure all half. A score of 10-6 brings us to the second half.
The second half started with a great drive from the Dolphins. Matt Moore looks like a veteran Qb completely in control of his offense. Reegis Bush had some big plays on the drive, but it resulted in only three points with 8:02 in the third quarter leaving the Cowboys with a 10-9 lead.
With 3 and a half minutes to go in the 3rd quarter the Dolphins finally finished a drive with a TD when Matt Moore hit Brandon Marshall for 35 yards over the head of Terrence Newman who was riding him into the end zone. The Dolphins take a 16-10 lead. The Cowboy offense seems out of sync as they continue to take false start penalties in their own building. After barely beating the Redskins last week in overtime, the Cowboys find themselves needing a comeback effort to be victorious on this Thanksgiving Day.
The Cowboys did lead off the 4th quarter with a drive that resulted in another TD. They have been shut down on the ground so far, and Tony Romo is taking some big shots as his O-Line is no match for the Dolphins front. This is turning into a great game to watch as the 4th quarter finds us with a score of 17-16 with the Cowboys in the lead. Rob Ryan’s defense is giving up massive amounts of yardage as the ‘Fins have gained 300 yards with 14 minutes to go in the game. After another long drive by the Dolphins that results in a FG, the Cowboys fail to move the ball and are forced to punt with 4:47 to go in the game. The Dolphins have brought all they have today and have lived up to their end of the bargain in this game. With two timeouts remaining the Cowboys take over with 3 minutes to go trailing by just two. If the Dolphins lose this game it will mirror the earlier game in that you can’t kick 4 field goals when you reach the red zone in this league. Production is the name of the game these days in the NFL. Bad news for the Giants as the Cowboys run down the clock and kick a short fied goal with no time on the clock. A great game to watch, but no change in the expected outcome. Two down and one more to go later this evening.

Finally: A Football Thanksgiving Worth Watching….We Hope

Joe Tufaro — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:49:35 +0000

On Thanksgiving Days of the past I remember trying to enjoy this great day of football. However, the great games have been few and far between these past few years. When the Cowboys entered the mix they made a deal with the NFL that they would host the game every year, as long as they were also home the week before. So we have had the endless trek of teams traveling in a short week to Dallas and most getting trounced much to the delight of the Texas crowd, but doing nothing for ratings or interest from other fans. The Detroit Lions have been….well….The Detroit Lions. This year it looks like all this might change. Here’s the lineup for today.

Green Bay Packers (10-0) vs Detroit Lions (7-3) Thursday 12:30 EDT on Fox. The Lions finally bring a team to the Thanksgiving Day game. Not since the days of Barry Sanders have the Lions looked so capable, and they found a running game last week which will certainly serve them well. Green Bay, of course, is now in the position of chasing history. The ever elusive undefeated season on the line every week from now till February 5th in Indianapolis. Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the game currently, and should provide some pre meal entertainment for all.

Miami Dolphins (3-7) vs Dallas Cowboys (6-4) Thursday 4:15 EDT on CBS. This game just a month ago looked like it would be the worst game ever played on Thanksgiving Day. With the Cowboys struggling with injuries and the lack of a running game, and Tony Romo being inconsistent the Cowboys were going nowhere. In walks DeMarco Murray and suddenly the Cowboy offense works again. The Cowboys now lead the NFC East. The Dolphins on the other hand were a defeated team, had a coach that was about to be fired, and couldn’t win a game even when leading by 15 with 2 minutes to go. What’s changed? The last three weeks the Dolphin defense has allowed 3, 9, and 8 points respectively while scoring 31, 20, and 35. As a wise man once said….It’s not who you play, but when you play them. This game could rival the famous snow game between these two teams……or it could be another waste of three hours of advertising. We will see.

San Francisco 49ers (9-1) vs Baltimore Ravens (7-3) Thursday 8:20 EDT on NFL Network. In a game many won’t see, if you don’t get the NFL Network, the brothers Harbaugh clash in this Prime Time affair, The Surprising 9ers travel to Baltimore with their young QB Alex Smith, and a pretty good running game. The Ravens have a pretty good running game themselves and a struggling young Qb in Joe Flacco. The Ravens are showing some age on their great defense and the offense has just been too inconsistent, but they have been finding ways to win. This game will be all about hard hitting defense, and probably some trickery thrown in somewhere. This contest will without a doubt come down to Special Teams, Turnovers, and who has the nerve to pull out the big play. Look for these two brothers to have their guys ready to play, and a few tricks up their sleeves from the backyard as well.

So while their are no guarantees……except that we will all be stuffed by the end of the day…….this Thanksgiving Day at least gives hope to the prospect of three good football games to enjoy before, during, and after dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone form the staff of GMENHQ.COM and thank you for your support!

What They Say…Week 12 Power Rankings

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:43:15 +0000

Not too many happy faces in Giant land this week after an abysmal loss to the dreaded Eagles. It looks as though the Power Rankings this week are reflecting the black cloud hovering over all of us right now. In weeks past a loss hadn’t, for the most part, dropped the Giants too far because they were usually close, well matched games. But dropping two in a row, and this one being as flat as it was coupled with memories of second half season collapses, the Giants took a hit.

National Football Post has dropped them five points to number 11. Let’s see how they fared across the board. (more…)