Alexander George “Alex” Karras was born in Gary, Indiana on July 15, 1935. He played his college football as an Iowa Hawkeye and was later drafted in the first round (10^th overall) by the Lions in the 1958 NFL Draft.

Karras was a stellar defensive tackle during his 12 seasons in the NFL (1958-1962, 1964-1970). He was a 4-time Pro Bowler and a 3-time First-Team All-Pro. The Lions named him to their All-Decade Team for the 1960s.

In 1963, Karras was warned by NFL officials to sell his ownership in Detroit’s Lindell AC Bar. There were accusations of gambling and organized crime going on in the bar. After being threatened, Karras admitted to placing bets on NFL games. He was suspended for the entire 1963 NFL season.

Aside from football and the controversy, Karras had a great acting career. He starred in the movie “Paper Lion” which was based off a nonfictional book about him. During his suspension, he took part in pro wrestling as the character, Dick the Bruiser.

He focused on Hollywood after his NFL career had ended, making appearances on such shows as “MASH” and “The Odd Couple”. His longest role was on the television show “Webster“.  He played the adoptive father of the character Webster, played by Emmanuel Lewis.  He also was well known for his portrayal of Mongo in the movie “Blazing Saddles”

He also worked in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth from 1974 to 1976.

Our  condolences go out to his wife and children.

Here is a quick look at the games that mean the most to the GIANTS this weekend (these games will be updated at halftime and conclusion):

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at Carolina Panthers (4-9); The Atlanta Falcons won. The Atlanta Falcons currently are projected as the 6th and final seed in the NFC Play-Offs. They are a tie breaker behind the Bears and a tie breaker ahead of the Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS.We want the Panthers to win this game.

Minnesota Vikings (2-11) at Detroit Lions (8-5); The Lions Won (huge missed face mask call at the end of the game). The Lions are currently a tie breaker behind the Bears and Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Vikings to win this game.

Chicago Bears (7-6) at Denver Broncos (8-5); Tim Tebow did it again. He did it again. Broncos won 13-10. The Chicago Bears currently are projected as the 5th seed in the NFC Play-offs. They are a tie breaker ahead of the Falcons and Lions and one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Broncos to win this game.

San Francisco 49ers (10-3) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7); The Cardinals won 27-19. The Cardinals are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the 49ers to win this game.  A loss by the Cardinals all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

St. Louis (2-10) at Seattle Seahwaks (5-7); 8:33 Monday Night. The Seahawks are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the Rams to win this game.  A loss by the Seahawks all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals. Dallas lost in overtime. The Cowboys are 7-5. They are half game ahead of the GIANTS.

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints. The Lions are 7-4 and one game ahead of the GIANTS. The Lions are one game behind the Falcons/Bears for the final playoff spot.

Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears. Kansas City won 10-3 . The Bears are 7-5 and are a tiebreaker ahead of the Lions and .5 games ahead of the Giants for the final playoff spot.

Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans. Houston won 17-10. The Falcons are 7-5 and are a tiebreaker ahead of the Lions and .5 games ahead of the Giants for the final playoff spot.

New York Jets at Washington Redskins. The Jets won 34-19.  The Redskins are 4-8 and are  basically eliminated from the playoffs.

Jack Del RIo has been fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Jaguars who currently rank 4th in defense, but last in points scored sit at 3-8 and have struggled since day one.  It has been surmised that defensive coordinator Mel Tucker will be the interim coach. Hired by the Jaguars in 2003, Del Rio finishes his career in Jacksonville with a 69-73 overall record, including a 1-2 mark in the postseason. His team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2007, when Jacksonville finished 11-5 and qualified as a wild card.

In a strange move that might be a sign of things to come, the Indianapolis Colts fired Defensive Coordinator Larry Coyer.  Not sure how replacing the defensive coordinator after an 0-11 start sends any kind of message, but like I said this might be a sign of things to come.

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!

If you’re like me and kicking yourself for not picking up Kevin Smith last week, who went on to score 3 touchdowns, then take a look at the following players who should be available in your league to help you out for the playoffs

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The New York Giants sit atop of the NFC East in Week 7. They also find themselves with a much needed Bye Week. Fret not, football fans. There is still plenty of pigskin to go around this week! There are some great games that you won’t want to miss…and some that you would probably prefer to watch paint dry instead.

We hop over the fence to see what teams the experts over at ESPN are picking this week, as well as gawk at their results from last week. Naturally, we’ll be doing the same for yours truly. Each week, I go head to head with the big boys and live to tell about it. How did I do last week? Who am I picking this week? Come on in and take a look at my breakdown and analysis for each game.
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