Lou_Siffer

A guy on hockeyfights calls Downey/Roy a draw. He's a Jackets fan so theres no bias...so for now i'll go with that over any of your guys' radio opinions! No offense.

I dont think Downey is done yet. He knows this might be his last shot to make an impression. I predicted 3 fights for this game, and expect him to go for Tarnasky next ...if Clark took a bad loss against him. If Clark did ok, then he'll probably go for O'Brien.

Whats different about the Bears this year though is Cedric Benson instead of Thomas Jones...that was a big mistake on their part to trade the proven ground producer. The ground game is going to suffer because Benson sucks, and that will further drag down Grossman to gross levels. Combined with their superbowl hangover, I think they definitely are ripe for a loss to our boys. The Bears will still manage 8 or 9 wins because of their D, but most of those will probably come at home (and at Minnesota)

aint that the truth!

If Tarnasky/Roy and Downey/Clark are all in the lineup, i'd be in utter amazement if there isnt at least 2 fights in this game. Those are 2 ideal opponents for Downey. Even if its just 1 of the guys from each side dressed, i'd still say its a really strong bet. Well that confirms it. Im calling 3 fights tonight!

I like the Packers jerseys. The Bengals have to be by far the worst. They are one of the ones that would prevent me from getting a guy i really likes jersey if he played for them. Case in point I really liked Carson Palmer at USC, and had he played just about anywhere else i'd have gotten his NFL jersey. But hell no to Cincy...i'd never wear that hideous crap.

06/07 Playoff games - Jiri Hudler - 6 George Parros - 5 Just sayin'... Ottawa already had Chris Nei, along with a couple other toughs in the form of a Mike Fisher in every game. Anaheim already had May, Moen, as well as Shawn Thornton who served the SAME role as Parros and played 15. Dont forget that. These teams already had guys in addition to their enforcer who sat. The Wings have NOBODY. That is the point !!!!!!!

Didnt Boulerice get sent to St Louis in the Weight trade? He was on the team the majority of the year though, and they did have a couple other guys who were willing to go if need be.

Apparently the brunette in the front row thinks it should be an interference penalty.

You mention contributing defensively, well...does hitting and fighting not mean anything to you? Are these not contributions? By my count, thats 2 categories for Downey vs 1 for those guys! And thats IF they play decent defensively. Ellis and Hartigan offer nothing, just like Langfeld last season. What purpose did he serve playing all those games? ZERO. Is Brian McGrattan better offensively and defensively than every other guy on the Senators? How about George Parros? How about a boatload of other fighters in the NHL? It seems only the Wings organization feels the way you do, doesnt that strike you as odd?

I'd still have to go with the Ducks though. It really depends on which of the 3 i bolded are in the lineup on a given night. With Anaheim, you're consistantly going to get the trio of Parros, May, and Moen...along with the secondary crew of Beauchemin, Hnidy, Bertuzzi, and even Getzlaf and Perry. They still get the nod, but Dallas has definitely made it a point to set their sights on them and be able to compete with them physically. The games between these 2 teams should be REALLY good!

Oh hell yeah, ive never cared for the Stars much but theyre going to be really entertaining this year. You can definitely see theyre trying to turn into an Anaheim style team. And for that, I hope they do well.

I love the "you have to be able to score" argument. Just how many goals do people think guys like Ellis or Hartigan would put up? 3 max? Hell Downey could probably get that! There would be a minimal difference in scoring. So why not give the spot to the guy that will hit and fight? Its so frustrating... I wont be shocked at all if Hartigan makes the team though.

I hope to god more teams start playing like Anaheim. That is the only hope i have that may force the Wings to change their outlook and have some fighters. If having a bulk of toughness becomes the trend with alot of other teams around the league, they'll have to adapt.

Oh... my.... god Kevin Curtis just got a years worth of stats in 1 game. That display of defense was even worse than Michigan against Oregon. Eagles were just doing whatever the hell they wanted at will...despicable coverage, horrendous tackling...ugh. As crazy as it seems though, the Lions still have a winnable game at home against the Bears coming up.

Wow. Shogun taps to Forrest and Jardine beats Liddell. The UFC is just a jumbled mess right now! All of the big names have been suffering losses over the past year. This has to be a nightmare for the UFC, as now Shogun is nothing special to their audience and this ruins any build up for him. Liddell is done now, looks like age has finally caught up with him. Their hope was obviously for Liddell to win by knockout to set up him vs Wanderlei...but who'd even care about that fight now? I wouldnt. To me that fight is all about the decline of Liddell, and not the rise of Jardine. He's still not that good in my eyes. The buying of Pride is honestly turning out to be a flop, this is a total 180 of what was expected by all us MMA fans. I dont know if its the cage/ring thing or what...but never in a million years would i have expected these guys to be losing like this. Maybe their hearts arent into it fighting here in the States and not Japan? Who knows..

It sure doesnt sound like it You'd expect to at least see their names mentioned if they were being considered. Let another year of being pissed off begin!!! I definitely better make sure i get Center Ice this year.

If Mark Hartigan makes this team, i'll be fuming. He is one of those utterly useless guys like Matt Hussey...he'd play occasionally and do absolutely nothing. What the hell is the point of having someone like that...at least you know a Clark/Downey is going to contribute in some aspect when inserted. As for Clark over Downey,...I couldnt say because i know zippo about him. But im definitely not gung ho over Downey, so id have no problem with Clark making it, knowing that he's a fighter.

Purdue will most likely be 5-1 when they play Mich. The key will be how Purdue plays against Ohio St. If they get s***canned, then Mich most likely wouldnt be top 25 after beating them. However if Purdue plays the Buckeyes tough, then i think a win over them would be JUST enough to get them to #24 or 25. If the Purdue win doesnt put them in though, then why would beating Illinois and sorry Minnesota? Thats not going to change any pollsters minds. The Gophers will probably be sporting a 3-5 record at the time they play the Wolverines. Illinois could also easily be 3-4 since their next 2 games are really rough, and then their At Iowa.

IMO Michigan has to get to at least 5-2 before they sniff the top 25 again.

I agree this is definitely one of those scare games. You almost feel like if MSU doesnt win by blowout and the game is within 10, that they'll probably lose. I'll go with the blowout though! MSU - 44 ND - 14 Penn St - 38 Michigan - 24

This again seems to be a matchup where the Lions secondary shouldnt get exposed. Stop the Westbrook screen pass, score 21 pts, and you win the game. Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis is a s***ty recieving duo, and given the issues McNabb is having with the Philly fans and the media it does have the makings of a Lions victory!!!!

Its not about wanting to lose him, its about the need to spend for a good shortstop and top caliber reliever exceeding the need to keep Pudge at 13(?) million for another year. He is simply not worth that no matter what angle you look at it.

Just had my draft yesterday. 12 team league, 15 players per team. I drafted 6th: Starting lineup: QB - Vince Young RB- Frank Gore RB- Maurice Jones - Drew WR- Roy Williams WR- Lee Evans WR- Chris Chambers K- Shayne Graham DEF- Pittsburgh Reserves: QB - Trent Green , Brady Quinn RB - Julius Jones WR- Dwayne Bowe, Robert Meachem K- Jon Kasay (after naming off about 5 other guys who were already taken lol) DEF- cant remember, had a few too many by that point! I was really afraid to take Young because of the Madden jinx, but because of some bye week issues i didnt wanna take Cutler. I decided to go for a 2nd backup QB in Quinn just for the hell of it. Hey, you never know! Similar strategy was used for Bowe and Meachem...was pretty much all crap left so i went for the 2 1st rd picks and hoping one can emerge as a player. I do have legit sleeper belief in Bowe, Meachem is more of a stretch. If they dont do anything by week 4 its waiver wire time. Week 6 might be a rough one for me, as ill be having 3 players off, but i didnt wanna not take a guy i really wanted just because of one week. All in all im pretty happy, i think almost every guy i picked has a huge upside this year. Including Chambers, who now has a real QB in Trent Green. Hoping he can get back to what he was just a couple seasons ago. I do have mild concern in Gore just because its SF and they dont score alot, but we'll see. At pick 6 LT, Alexander, LJ, and Jackson all were gone. I didnt want Bryant Westbrook. Thoughts?

Its possible they could have both Renteria and Pudge, but thats up to good ol' Illitch! Renteria is having a monster year and is going to command alot of cash, so im just suggesting a cheaper alternative at catcher to offset that. If Pudge's salary is going to hinder any major signings, then he needs to be let go is all im saying. Another problem is we're going to definitely have to sign a couple good relievers, with one possibly being a closer if Jones isnt brought back. I also view Zumaya as a small question mark now. Im not sure what relievers are available but theres no doubt we're in dire need of a really good one! All of this is going to extend the payroll even more, I'd think there has to be some sort of limit that Illitch doesnt want to exceed. We'll see! Look at me, im already excited about the offseason and the regular season hasnt even ended yet!