The Cardinals went up against the Philadelphia Eagles, who were also undefeated before yesterdays match up. For Cardinals quarterback, Kevin Kolb, this game was personal. The Eagles are Kolb’s former team, who were very high on him in seasons past. When Michael Vick came back, Kolb was pushed to the side and eventually traded to the Cardinals after Vick stole the starting job from him.

As the game rolled around, The Cardinals offense was on point as Kolb threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald finally came alive this week and caught nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown while becoming the youngest player in NFL history to reach 700 receptions.

The defense absolutely crushed Michael Vick, sacking him 5 times and causing him to fumble twice. In fact, James Sanders returned one of the fumbles for a 93 yard touchdown. The Cardinals are off to their best start since 1973.

Vick entered the game second in the NFL with 688 yards. He finished the day with 217 yards on 17-of-37 passing.

The Eagles performance was terrible all around. They turned the ball over 3 times yesterday and their solid offense was held to only two field goals in a 27-6 lose. They have a total of 12 turnovers already in this young season.

Hopefully the Eagles can look back at this game as just a bad loss against a shockingly good Cardinals team.

There were three high-profile injuries in the preseason openers last night:

1. QB Michael Vick  – In the first quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Micheal Vick hit his hand on the helmet of lineman Jason Kelce while throwing a pass. X-rays were negative and Vick is scheduled for an MRI today. Stay tuned to GmenHQ.com for details as they are released.
2. RB Ryan Matthews – In his first carry of the game, San Diego Charger running back Ryan Matthews broke his collarbone. He is undergoing surgery Friday morning and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Ryan missed four games in 2010 and two games in 2011. Ronnie Brown is expected to step into the starting roll until Matthews is healthy again.
3. LB Dane Fletcher – New England Patriots linebacker Dane Fletcher tore an ACL in the first quarter while running down the field covering a punt. He will not return this season. In the game, Fletcher was replaced by Dont’a Hightower and it is not clear who will play that position when the regular season begins.

We have landed at the halfway point of the 2011 season. Every team in the NFL have played out their first 8 games. Only two teams have played into the second half of a 16 game schedule, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. The second half is upon us and the playoff brackets are beginning to take shape.

The NFC East has always been a competitive division, in and of itself and outside of the conference/division. The first impressions that many had of the NFC East have been blown out of the water. Regardless of record, any team in this conference is capable, at any time, of making the opposition sorry for mistaking a losing record for terminal weakness. We’ve got the grades and projections for the remainder of the season right here. Welcome to the NFC EAST Midseason Report Card! Check it out!
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While the playoff race has begun in the MLB, football season has only just begun. This week we embark on the 2nd quarter of the 2011 NFL season. We’re beginning to see who’s hot and who’s…well…pretty damn awful. Those of you who tune into GmenHQ.com religiously have extra insight into each upcoming week of football before they happen.

Not only do we tap into the prize picking panel at ESPN to see who they favor each week, but the higher ups at Fansided.com have a unique extraction method that involves electrodes, Justin Bieber music and a plumbing snake, which is what brings you, our readers, my weekly predictions right here at GmenHQ.com. So, let’s take a look at how ESPN did last week, how I did and our collective predictions for Week 5. Quickly, I can’t take much more of this!
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Week 4 – the NFL lockout is slowly becoming a distant memory and the playoff race is taking shape…well not quite. But we are one quarter of that way done with a football season that almost didn’t happen. Tie flies when you’re having fun!

Keeping with tradition, we gaze into the crystal balls of the necromancers of the NFL over at ESPN. We’ll look into their picks from last week, this week and see how I rank among them. Who am I picking this week? What’s my record thus far? Read on for my breakdown and analysis of each game.
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It’s the day after, the day after the New York Giants gave the Philadelphia Eagles a lesson in humility, aka “a good spanking.” This particular Big Blue victory tastes just as sweet today as it did on Sunday. There are no taunts or tirades coming from Eagles country. In fact, if you listen closely you can hear the tumbleweeds blow by as the GIANT cold front continues to gust throughout the quieted ghost town of Philly.

The Giants did more than just beat the Eagles (29-16 for those of you who just love saying it) on Sunday. They poked holes in the self proclaimed…something or other…nickname that Philly bestowed upon themselves. The Gmen did more than just add another win to their record. They caused the NFL world, Eagles organization and its fans to question their entire offseason, acquisitions and decisions not to re-sign some of the birds who flew the coop. Only two short weeks ago, the Eagle Nation were sitting on top of the NFC East drooling over another fabled Super Bowl win. Today, they question whether or not the foundation of their team has been built on shaky ground.
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In a recent interview, Andy Reid gave his perspective on the upcoming game against the New York Giants. The interview seemed devoted to the pursuit of details regarding Michael Vick’s health issues and status for next Sunday’s game. However, the big guy couldn’t help but chime in on his thoughts about the Big Blue defense.

“I think they’ve given you about every look they could possibly give you over the last couple of games”

With the Philadelphia Eagles losing this past week’s game, where Michael Vick was booed off of the field, they have nothing to relish in but the days of yore. The New York Giants, of course, have the day off to relish in their victory over the St. Louis Rams last night.

It sounds to me like Andy Reid is currently concerned about what he already knows about the Big Blue Wrecking Crew. What he doesn’t know just might keep him awake at night. Let the battle of the Turnpike Fandom begin!

Don’t forget to—> —> for Giants/NFL news, updates, trivia and more!

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via Philly.com:

Under the terms of his agreement with creditors, Vick must dedicate a share of his earnings to paying back those to whom he owes money. The percentage he pays increases with his income, according to court documents. Ten percent of his first $750,000 in annual earnings goes to creditors, for example, with the share increasing to 40 percent of any money earned over and above $10 million.

Vick is due between $16 and $20million this year depending on what happens during his 2011 season, and that means the 40% clause will come into play immediately. His creditors are certainly happy about that.

And with this new $100 million contract, that’s not to say Vick is going to be undergoing any significant lifestyle changes. His bankruptcy laden prison term is still going to be affecting him for years to come:

Vick owed roughly $20 million when he filed for bankruptcy. Through the end of June, he had set aside about $2.1 million for the trust collecting money on behalf of his creditors, according to court documents. As part of his bankruptcy plan, Vick is restricted to a budget that limits him to about $300,000 of personal-living expenses. The budget is scheduled to be in place through 2015. But at the end of October, Vick can ask the court to remove the restrictions. After paying taxes and his creditors, and setting money aside for his budgeted spending, Vick has been putting his remaining income into savings he can access later.

Vick said of the contract:

“A lot of things happened in my life. Whether things were done right or wrong, it doesn’t matter anymore. I have an opportunity to move on with my life, and that’s all I prayed for, and that opportunity has come.”

It’s a good thing Vick has the pieces in place to do whats best for him going forward. Saving money, laying low, and paying his debts. It really is an amazing story, however controversial, and he’ll continue to have the spotlight on him with every move he makes.

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[Source: Philly.com]

On Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 1pm ET, TXN Sports and Big Lead Sports organized a conference call with NFL Analysts, Chris Collinsworth, Howie Long and Boomer Esiason. A select group of reporters were invited to join, myself included, to discuss the upcoming NFL Draft that will take place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City from April 28-30 2011.

The call was also organized to promote TXN, a newly formed website (txnsports.com) that will launch this coming Tuesday. TXN, “The Experts Network” will introduce a new way to interact with analysts such as the panel above and the launch of their site is highly anticipated. It was a round robin type of discussion with no shortage of Q & A from the media and experts alike. Click below for transcription of the key topics that we discussed.
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The regular season may be over, who knows better than us New York Giants fans, but football is still in FULL swing! This weekend marks the first round of the NFL playoffs and it’s going to get wild! Yes, folks, it’s time for all of those scrappers who were holding on for dear life to prove if they have the sand to move on to the next round. It’s Wildcard Weekend in the NFL! As the title indicates, the gurus over at ESPN have chosen the Green Bay Packers to win by a majority decision.

This week I am throwing my two cents into the playoff race along with the rest of the ESPN team. Last week was another week full of upset victories and shocking defeats. There were 9 unanimous ESPN picks. I went against the tide on a number of them. How did I fare against this panel of prophetic pundits? Who am I going with for this Wildcard Weekend? There’s only one way to find out. Click on the link below to check it out.
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The ESPN panel of prognosticators have reconvened once more to channel up their predictions for this, the final week of the regular season. But for us New York Giants fans, their predictions do not look kindly on us. While they have unanimously picked the Giants to win, they have also picked the Green Bay Packers across the board.

As everyone knows by now, in order for the G-Men to make it into the playoffs, they not only have to beat the Washington Redskins but they will need the Chicago Bears to beat the Pack. This week the ESPN experts are united on 9 outcomes. I will join this panel of prophets once more and offer up my thoughts, picks and insights into what is sure to be an unforgettable season ending. How did I do last week? Who am I going with this week? Click on the link below to find out.
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Two weeks ago I wrote an article about the “New York Giants And The Roman Numeral V.” Five has been a recurring number throughout the Giants’ season and this week is no exception. The Philadelphia Eagles have won five straight games against the G-Men. They have also won their last 5 consecutive games. Big Blue looks to end these streaks on Sunday.

By now, most readers know that Steve Smith is out for the season. After being sidelined with a pectoral injury for four weeks, Smith returned back to action against the Minnesota Vikings. He was targeted 3 times but only caught 1 pass for 12 yards. The Giants have gone 2-2 in his absence. Being down a Pro Bowl receiver certainly doesn’t help matters much for a team that has had to grapple with injuries all year long. Can they pull out their biggest win of the season without Steve Smith? Let’s crunch some numbers and find out.
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Sal Alosi, the New York Jets Strength and Conditioning Coach, spoke about the potential consequences that may be taken against him for his despicable sideline tripping of Miami Dolphins CB Nolan Carroll, “whatever the disciplinary actions are, I’m going to accept them. It’s on me.”

Well, what other choice does he have? He opened the press conference earlier today by saying, “Once again, I’d like to apologize.” Does anyone really think that Alosi is legitimately sorry for this heinous act? Or is his remorse more about getting caught? Would he have been so forthcoming with an apology if the video cameras didn’t capture, unequivocally, his blatant act or would he have fought tooth and nail professing his innocence if there were a lack of evidence?
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