From: football@cnnsi.com
To: jreitme@enron.com
Date: 2004-02-04 02:23:47+00:00
Subject: PRO FOOTBALL EXTRA NEWSLETTER

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PRO FOOTBALL EXTRA NEWSLETTER
http://cnnsi.com/football
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MATCHUP OF THE WEEK by SI's Peter King
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I saw Jim Fassel the morning after the Monday night disaster and he was blunt about what margin for error his Giants team has after digging itself a five-loss hole with a stinker at Minnesota. "None," he said. "We just have to eliminate the little mistakes that are killing us." The Giants had their worst penalty game since 1949 against the Vikings -- 15 for 150 yards -- and put the ball on the ground four times. Plus, they abandoned the running game too soon. What has to be particularly worrisome is the play of Kerry Collins, who is an above-average quarterback when he has time to set up and throw but a below-average one when feeling pressure. He's now fumbled 10 times in the past five weeks, and he has a maddening penchant for taking bad sacks when on the edge of field-goal range. This game will be an acid test for Oakland, too. The Raiders are getting gashed on the ground and they'll need to close that floodgate in order to win home-field advantage in the AFC. Which, in my!
 h!
umble opinion, is crucial. You don't want to go to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game, and if the Jets continue to broil, you certainly don't want to play at the Meadowlands during the postseason. One more note: Rich Gannon must be the most consistent quarterback of the century. Two picks in a passing offense, especially with the running game in drydock? What a terrific player. I like the Raiders, 27-20.

Catch Sports Illustrated's Peter King live from Philadelphia with the latest football news Sunday at 10 a.m. on NFL Preview.

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POWER RANKINGS from SI's Dr. Z
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1) St. Louis Rams (8-1)
Nice try, Patriots. For a while your changing alignments and imaginative blitz schemes had 'em scratching their heads, but one thing that hasn't been written about this Rams team is its great intelligence on the go. I'm talking about the ability to make the proper adjustments while things are happening.  And even when a rusher or two leaks through, Warner can get to his hot reads so quickly and accurately that the defense is screwed.

2) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
This seems to be the script now.  People load up to stop Bettis, Kordell counterpunches 'em accurately and effectively. I'd say that the way he has been playing, he rates among the league's top half dozen or so QBs.  Of course, he has the luxury of a heavy running game behind him.

3) Chicago Bears (7-2)
Yeah, they beat a fired-up Bucs team by throwing long, imagine; but strategically, the end of the game was not indicative of the coach's Yale degree.  Four straight kneels, which stopped the clock and gave the Bucs the ball with 0:18 left and a chance to tie the game with a final field goal. In a similar situation, Bill Parcells once had Neil O'Donnell pivot and heave the ball into the stands for a deliberate safety.  Personally I would have had Jim Miller doing a slow jog toward his own end zone far away, back, back --my god, what's the blighter doing? -- until either the clock runs out or he has given up the safety and then the Bears get to free kick it with a couple of seconds left.  The only problem with this strategy is that it ruins your rushing stats for the year.

For more Power Rankings, click here:
http://cnnsi.com/football/news/2001/11/20/power_rankings/


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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW by SI's Peter King
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1. I'm sure Brian Billick will tell his players to put a sock in it  -- they're all taking jabs at his quarterback -- but it's becoming increasingly apparent that Elvis Grbac can't take the pressure, mentally and physically, of carrying an offense on his shoulders. Too bad. He's a good player. But he might be too psyched-out now to carry the Ravens to the playoffs.

2. Drew Bledsoe's future? Take this to the bank: It won't be in Houston, where former trusted Patriots offensive assistant Chris Palmer is the offensive coordinator. Bledsoe is too old -- 30 next season -- and too immobile for the Texans. If the draft were today, Houston would select Fresno State's David Carr, the quarterback with the best long-term chance for success as a passer in this class.

3. The change won't be made now, nor will it be made in the next week or two. But the Chargers can't take many more of those yo-yo performances from Doug Flutie. They won't hesistate to turn to Drew Brees. Norv Turner tells me Brees is the smartest quarterback he's ever been around, which is saying something considering he's coached Troy Aikman and Flutie and Trent Green and Jeff Hostetler.

Click here to send a question to Peter King's mailbag:
http://cnnsi.com/football/nfl/news/2000/08/30/submit/


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UNSUNG HEROES by CNNSI.com's Pat Kirwan
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Keep an eye on Seahawks defensive back Curtis Fuller. The 2001 fourth-round pick can play corner or safety and against the Bills had eight tackles and two passes defended. Mark my words: He will continue to get more playing time each week and will emerge as one of the best dime backs in the league by year's end.

Click here for more of Pat Kirwan's Unsung Heroes http://cnnsi.com/inside_game/pat_kirwan/news/2001/11/20/unsung_heroes/ 

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FANTASY TIP OF THE WEEK by CNNSI.com's James Quintong
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Rod Smith left Sunday's game early with his sprained ankle and he might be worth stashing on your bench this week. Given the short week because the Broncos will be playing on Thanksgiving, Smith may not have time to recover properly and may not be ready to go. If that happens, you could take a chance on one of the Denver tight ends since the backup receivers don't have much fantasy potential.

Lamar Smith has been very disappointing in recent weeks, averaging only 46 yards per game over his last five outings. He has a very favorable matchup this weekend as the Dolphins take on the Bills, so he should have a good game. If he struggles again, it may be time to send him to the bench permanently.    

For more fantasy news and tips click here:
http://cnnsi.com/fantasy/

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BEAT THE EXPERTS
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Do you think you can Beat the Experts? Prove it at CNNSI.com. Here are the standings through Week 10:

EXPERTS          WEEK 10       SEASON
Bob Lorenz       8-7           91-51
Pat Kirwan       10-5          90-52
Peter King       9-6           90-52
Jerry Glanville  9-6           90-52
Irving Fryar     10-5          89-53


CELEBRITIES      WEEK 10       SEASON
Clyde Drexler    10-5          94-48
Scott Winters    10-5          93-49
Larry King       8-7           89-53
Johnny Bravo     10-5          88-54
Cynthia Cooper   7-8           84-58 
 
Click here to sign-up today: http://football.cnnsi.com
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NFL PREVIEW POLL
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NFL PREVIEW POLL
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*Which is the NFL's Biggest Turkey this season?
     
*Bucs (4-5)
*Vikings (4-5)
*Giants (5-5) 
*Titans (4-5)
*Colts (4-5)
*Broncos (5-5)
     
Click here to vote
http://cnnsi.com/thenetwork/nflpreview_showpage/
     
Results on NFL Preview - Sunday, 10 a.m. on CNN

Click here to vote
http://cnnsi.com/thenetwork/nflpreview_showpage/

Results on NFL Preview - Sunday, 10 a.m. on CNN

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