NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell announced today that Drew Brees is the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Brees is the 57^th honoree since the magazine’s founding in 1954, joining a transcendent group of athletes and sports figures including Muhammad Ali, Arthur Ashe, Jack Nicklaus, Derek Jeter, John Wooden and Cal Ripken Jr. to receive the award.

The billing on the Sportsman cover, The Saints’ Super Bowl-Winning Quarterback Continues to Inspire a City on the Rebound, encapsulates what Brees means to his team and his town. “Drew’s accomplishments go far beyond delivering a Super Bowl title to a notoriously long-suffering franchise,” McDonell said. “He has been a driving force in a battered city’s ongoing efforts to rebuild and renew while simultaneously resurrecting his own career.”

As Senior Writer Tim Layden chronicles in the Sportsman cover story, Brees was coming off a devastating shoulder injury and his career was at a crossroads when he joined the New Orleans Saints in 2006, moving to a city that had become a shell of itself in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Brees told Layden:  “I needed New Orleans just as much as New Orleans needed me. People in New Orleans needed somebody to care about them. And it was the one place that cared about me.”

From 2006-09, Brees threw for the most yards (18,298) and tied for the most touchdown passes (122, with Peyton Manning) of any quarterback in the NFL. He was at the height of his brilliance during New Orleans’ championship run in 2010 – the first in the team’s 47-year history – culminating in an MVP performance during the Saints’ 31-17 upset of the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Yet while solid quarterbacking alone would have been enough to deify Brees in New Orleans, it is Brees the person who has earned the lasting trust and love of the city.

Established in 2003 to support cancer research and the education of children in need, The Brees Dream Foundation has worked with nearly 50 New Orleans schools and organizations to promote civic recovery. Its contributions include:

• $671,000 donated to the Lusher Charter School to rebuild its athletic facilities;
• $1,000,000 in funding for the American Cancer Society’s Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge, a residential facility for patients undergoing chemotherapy;
• $100,000 for completion of the G.W. Carver High School Field of Dreams;
• $300,000 to New Orleans Outreach for after-school assistance to several schools;
• $127,500 to the New Orleans Recreation Department to help with initial costs in the restoration of Ponchartrain Park;
• $78,000 to Best Buddies Louisiana, which provides one-to-one friendships for adults with intellectual disabilities;
• $74,000 to the Greater New Orleans Rebuild Child Care Cooperative to restore child-care facilities lost to Katrina.

As Layden reports, Brees’s impact has transcended athletics, culture and race: “New Orleans proper is nearly 70% ­black, and, says Ronald Markham, the 32-year-old ­African-American CEO of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, ‘It is a city with many schisms.’ Yet ­African-American fans wear number 9 too. ‘I’ll say this: Drew is definitely an honorary brother,’ says Troy Henry, 50, a black businessman who finished a distant second to Mitch Landrieu in the mayor’s race just before this year’s Super Bowl. ‘He transcends race, and he does it with class and dignity.’ “

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Layden: “It’s hard to point to a relationship in our league, between a player and a city, that’s more meaningful than the Saints and Drew Brees.”

Brees will be honored at a ceremony in New York this evening where he will be joined by past winners Bill Russell (1968), Billy Jean King (‘72), Mike Eruzione (‘80), Joe Montana (‘90) and Curt Schilling (‘01 and ‘04). CBS Evening News anchor and Managing Editor Katie Couric will also take part in the ceremony, accepting Brees’s invitation to participate as his mentor.

Brees is the sixth quarterback to win the award and the third in the past six years. The five previous quarterbacks to be named Sportsman of the Year are Terry Baker of Oregon State (‘62), Terry Bradshaw of the Steelers (along with Pittsburgh Pirates’ star Willie Stargel ['79]), Joe Montana of the 49ers (‘90), Tom Brady of the Patriots (‘05) and Brett Favre of the Packers (‘07).

It took them twelve weeks, but the Niners played every bit like the team that we thought they would be coming into the season. In their nationally televised Monday Night Football Matchup, the visiting Niners embarrassed the Arizona Cardinals, winning the game by 21 points.

This was a game that the Niners had from the beginning. While they did not score on their opening drive, a turnover by the Cards offense allowed them to open up the scoring and take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The TD came on a beautiful 38-yard play-action pass from Troy Smith to Michael Crabtree.

The TD pass to Crabtree was Smith's only TD pass of the night. He had 129 yards, connecting on 11 of his 23 pass attempts.

The surprise of the evening was the Niners running game. Frank Gore was phenomenal in the opening drive, gaining 52 yards on 5 carries. He would however not play for the rest of the game due to an undisclosed injury. No problem. Little used Brian Westbrook had a monster game. He had 136 rushing yards on 23 carries and a TD. Moreover, rookie RB Anthony Dixon did his part; he finished the night with 54 yards and a TD.

The defense never allowed the Cards offense to get anything going. The Cardinals could not sustain any drives and twice settled for field goals. While the D only recorded one sack, Cards QB Derek Anderson never got into a rhythm. Takeo Spikes recorded an interception in the third quarter and that seemed to take any life out of the Cards.

When it comes to Special Teams, Ted Ginn was hard at his craft. He gave the Niners great field position throughout the night, especially so in the first half.

I was a bit peeved at Shane Andrus missing two field goals. The first missed FG was wide right, from 47 yards. The second missed FG was from 37 yards out but it was blocked by the Cards' D.

Now that the Niners have won this game, they now have to focus on the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are sitting at 7-4, but they are currently out of the playoff picture. The Niners need to enjoy this win tonight, and focus on the Packers as early as tomorrow.

Seattle’s lost two straight games, but, with a 5-6 record, still remains atop the NFC West – this week, in a tie with the St. Louis Rams.

With five games remaining SeahawksGab turns to the future of the team with this week’s Tuesday Two Deep.

Can't get enough NFLGridironGab? Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Senior writer jclombardi grades Packers loss to Falcons.

GAME BALLS: QB Rodgers; WR Jones; WR Jennings; LB Bishop.

INJURY REPORT: TE Havner (hamstring).  LB Chillar (shoulder).

Report Card Grades–Good, Bad, & Ugly (JC vs. SE):

PASSING OFFENSE:  B vs B+. After an awful first quarter start with two failures in the red zone, QB Rodgers threw for 341 yards, 1 touchdown, and 114.5 pass rating. In the 4^th quarter, he led the Packers on a magnificent comeback drive culiminating in a tying touchdown pass to WR Nelson. The game saw the successful return of "Big Five" offensive formation (five wide receivers), three receivers and a tight end, and four receivers' offensive formations. WR Jennings had 5 catches for 119 yards, WR Jones had 5 catches for 44 yards, and WR Swain had 2 catches for 40 yards.

RUSHING OFFENSE: D- vs D. If the 51 scrambling yards by QB Rodgers are excluded, the rush offense of RBs Jackson and Nance combined for only 26 yards. Simply, the offensive line's rush blocking completely failed lacking intensity against a fired up Falcons defense. In a telling statistic, the Packers failed to convert on four 3^rd and 1s.

PASSING DEFENSE: C- vs C-. The mature QB Ryan threw for 197 yards and 1 touchdown using effective quick short-yardage passing plays. While the Packers shut down WR White, QB Ryan spread his short-yardage passes to other receivers including big target TE Gonzalez. Gonzalez got six receptions for 51 yards and 1 touchdown. Twenty-four completions of his passes went to nine receivers with the completions less than 21 yards. The Packers got very little pressure getting only two sacks with LB Matthews marginalized with maximum protection.  

RUSHING DEFENSE: D vs D. The Packers suffered from shoddy tackling making their previous stout run defense appear to be mediocre. Thus, the Falcons were able to run an effective ground game to control the tempo of the game as RB Turner ran for 110 yards averaging 4.8 yards. He had three explosive runs of more than 12 yards with the biggest one to be a 26-yarder off the right side sprung by missed tackles by LB. Hawk and S Collins. Turner completed that long second-half drive with a well-designed 1-yard touchdown run outside left tackle that caught a pursuing Hawk inside on the fourth-and-goal play. The only bright spots were the outstanding performances by LB Bishop and SS Peprah.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F vs D-. The Falcons controlled field position throughout the game helped by 5 Packers penalties. The Packers started many drives inside the 20, while the Falcons averaged starting drives at their 30. With the game on the line at the end, the special teams again failed to prevent the big play after a Packers score. KR Weems took the subsequent kickoff to the 40 yards line. A face mask Packers penalty gave excellent field position to the Falcons at the 49 Packers yards line leading to the winning field goal.  KR Weems averaged a decent 31 yards in three kickoffs. KR Shields averaged only 21.8 yards in four kickoffs. PR Williams had two punt returns for two yards. P Masthay's two punts had a 44.0 gross average.

COACHING: D vs C-. Against a talented disciplined NFC team, coach McCarthy and his management staff were outcoached, outgunned, outdisciplined, and outplayed in the game raising the same old management issues. In glaring examples, the first quarter saw McCarthy fail to make a big game time adjustment admitting to the wrong offensive call (failing to call time out) against Falcons goal line defense in crucial game situation. Later, QB Rodgers fumbled in the red zone that was the game changer. Then, McCarthy dropped the ball with the subsequent failure to challenge (too late, too little) the "trapped" TE Gonzalez reception on the following Falcon scoring drive creating a 14 point swing in favor of the Falcons. In two telling statistics, the Packers converted only 4 of 11 third downs and went 0 for 5 on third down and less than three. Finally, as another "lack of discipline" management issue, the Packers committed untimely penalties and big turnovers to lose the game. We've witnessed elite college teams with better prepared game management. 

OVERALL: C vs. B (CBS Sportsline). The Packers’ defense could not tackle Michael Turner (110 yards, one touchdown), which allowed Atlanta to win the time-of-possession battle. Green Bay had its chances, but a costly Aaron Rodgers fumble on Atlanta’s 1-yard line and a turnover on downs in Falcons territory were the deciding factors.

It’s Monday night in the NFC West with the Niners in Arizona to take on the Cardinals, and both editors are hard at work with live in game chats going on.

Niners Fans – join us at www.49ersgab.com

Cardinals Fans – Be there at www.cardinalsgab.com

Get to those sites now during the Monday night showdown for two teams looking to get back in the thick of the NFC race!

In what should not come as a surprise based on how the officials seem to be calling Steeler games these days, the NFL has announced they have rejected linebacker James Harrison's appeals of his $75,000 fine for a hit on Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, and $25,000 fine for slamming into Saints quarterback Drew Brees back.

Harrison, a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker, learned Monday the league turned down his appeals. The NFL also did not reduce the fines. Harrison met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following the tackle on Massaquoi, one of two Harrison delivered Oct. 17 that caused concussions to Browns players. The Massaquoi helmet-to-helmet hit helped spur the league's stricter enforcement of dangerous hits.

Harrison, fined $100,000 this season for three separate hits, faces another possible fine for his roughing-the-passer penalty Sunday against Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and seeing how the refs seem to be totally against them, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a fine.

Senior writer jclombardi grades bloggers' reviews.

Commentary: Based upon massive research and conversations with the great fans in the Packers nation, we present the fair and balanced grades about the main Packers' bloggers reviews with their good, bad, & ugly analysis of the inexcusable Falcons loss. Whew, hard work!

“Big time players make big time plays in big time games”- Santana Moss

1. Matchup: #2 Auburn vs #11 Alabama

Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: The Tigers looked out of sync in the first half, falling behind 24-0 to Alabama. Cam Newton threw his first touchdown pass with five minutes left in the second quarter. He would be responsible for all of the games remaining touchdowns and finished the game 13-of-20 for 216 yards with three scores passing. Newton also added 39 yards rushing and 1 score on the ground. Cam Newton has been the best player in college football this season, and it really isn’t even close. He should be the Heisman Trophy winner when the award is handed out in December.

2. Matchup: #5 LSU vs #12 Arkansas

Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas: Knile Davis set a physical tone early against the LSU defense. It was Davis’ third straight game with over 150 yards rushing; finishing the game with 152 yards on 30 carries with one score. It was also Davis’ second straight game with 30 carries, which is remarkable when you consider that Davis only had 30 carries in the first five games of the season-total. There isn’t a more balanced runner in college football right now than Knile Davis, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his success throughout the 2011 season.

3. Matchup: #13 Oklahoma vs #9 Oklahoma State

Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma: Despite throwing three early interceptions, Jones stayed poised and collected, and connected on critical throws when it mattered to win the in-state rivalry matchup against the Cowboys. In a game that was a classic shootout, Jones finished 37-of-62 for 468 yards and four touchdowns; tying the school record for passing yards in a game.

4. Matchup: #4 Boise State vs #19 Nevada

Rishard Matthews, WR, Nevada: In a huge upset for the Wolf Pack, Rishard Matthews was reliable and sure handed; catching 10 passes for 172 yards and a score. Mathews also added a 44 yard touchdown run on an end-around. His touchdown catch came with 13 seconds left to play in regulation. It was Matthews’ first double digit reception game of his career. The win gives Nevada eleven total for the season with two games left to play; already a three game improvement over last season.

5. Matchup: #5 LSU vs #12 Arkansas

Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas: The Razorbacks came into the game facing a very stingy pass defense, ranking 4th against the pass and only allowing 150 yards per game. Mallett went 13-of-23 for 320 yards with three scores. The win was redemptive for Mallett and the Razorbacks, who had lost a big game against Alabama early in the year with bad throws that led to interceptions. In this game, Mallett made clutch throws on 3rd and 4th down to overcome two early interceptions and ultimately seal the win. The victory gives Arkansas a good chance to play in its first ever BCS bowl game.

Honorable Mention: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon, 28 carries 126 yards 2 td. Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State, 16-24 221 yards 3 td. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn, 2 sacks 4 tackles for loss.

An Intense Idonije Alongside Tillman, Following A Defensive Stop For The “Monsters Of The Midway”

“They were considered the best team. Them and Atlanta were two of the best teams in the NFC. Nobody really talked about us. We don’t care. We like it that way. We were picked to lose this game at home, which is kind of a slap in the face. But we have a great team, a resilient team.”

-Bears safety Chris Harris, who caught Vick’s first interception of the season.

Uh-oh, NFL…the Bears may have found an offense to go with their league-leading D.

Thanks to 5 offensive plays of 30 yards or more, a near-perfect game from Jay Cutler, who finished with 4 TD passes, and a defense that held NFL posterboy Mike Vick in check, the Chicago Bears put together their best win of the season, a 31-26 eye-opener over the NFC East-leading Eagles.

The game-changing play that sparked the Bears to an 18-point third quarter lead came late in the first half.

With the Eagles trailing 14-13 but threatening to take the lead deep in Bears territory with under two minutes left, Tommie Harris tipped a Vick pass that was intercepted by Chris Harris, who returned it 39 yards to set the Bears up for points going into the half.

Six plays and 63 yards later, the Bears scored on a Cutler-to-Earl Bennett touchdown pass giving Chicago a 21-13 lead at half. The Vick INT was his first in nearly 250 passes this year.

On the offensive side, big plays in the run and pass game set the Bears up all day long…

• 61-yard run by Matt Forte
• 39-yard catch and run by Devin Hester
• 30-yard catch and run by Earl Bennett
• 34-yard catch and run by Hester
• 28-yard run by Forte

Cutler won the QB matchup, finishing 14 for 21 for 247 yards and 4 TDs. His 146.2 rating was the fourth-best in Bears history (thanks Comcast Sportsnet for the tidbit). Vick completed 29 of 44 for 333 yards, 2 TDs and the costly INT. Forte added 117 yards on only 14 carries.

While the Bears jumped out to an early 14-3 lead, the Eagles scored on three of their first five offensive possessions to stay in the game. But the Bears' bend-but-don't-break defense held the Eagles to field goals instead of touchdowns on two first-half occasions. The Bears were able to sack Vick 4 times from their front four, including one each by Julius Peppers, Matt Toeaina and Anthony Adams. Not having to bring pressure on Vick via the blitz allowed the Urlacher, Briggs and friends to contain #7.

After their late first-half touchdown, the Bears dominated the third quarter in every facet. They possessed the ball for 11-and-a-half minutes, scored on a Cutler-to-Greg Olsen 9-yard touchdown pass and a 23-yard Robbie Gould field goal. The 10-point third quarter – complemented by a shutout of the Eagles offense – gave the Bears an 18-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

The Eagles wouldn't go down easy though. After two fourth-quarter field goals cut the lead to 31-19, Mike Vick threw a perfectly placed 30-yard touchdown to TE Brent Celek on 4^th down with 1:48 to make the score 31-26. The ensuring onside kick was recovered by Johnny Knox and Jay Cutler took three knees to give the Bears the big W.

With the Packers' last-second loss to the Falcons, the Bears moved into 1^st place by a game and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Green Bay…at least until they meet in the final week of the season in Lambeau.

With their win over the NFL's team-of-the-moment, the spotlight will once again shine on the NFL's founding franchise for the first time since the Super Bowl season in 2006. Brian Urlacher and Co. have thrived playing off the no-respect card they think they've been dealt by the national media all-year long.

Makes you wonder how they'll handle the praise that's sure to follow after this impressive win.

After surviving yesterday’s 19-16 game over the Bills, there has to be a question posted this morning, and that is the one that seems to be popping up week after week – are the officials out for the Steelers – and more so James Harrison?

Sunday there was yet another 15-yard flag on Harrison, that being in the third quarter with the Steelers up 13-0 and totally outplaying the Bills.

Harrison was flagged for roughing the passer, and more so for “leading with the crown of his helmet” on Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“It’s not going to change the way I play,” Harrison told The Associated Press. “There was nothing wrong about the play.”

Harrison was flagged last week for roughing the quarterback against Raiders QB Jason Campbell, but the NFL didn’t fine him. A few weeks back he was flagged and fined for a hit on Drew Brees.

The flag on Harrison Sunday totally changed the tempo and feel of the game. The Bills went on to score a few plays later to cut it to 13-7, and once again, the refs seemed to take the aggressive nature a bit out of the Steelers defense.

So it needs to be asked, are the officials at this point out to get Harrison and the Steelers? Last week it was a team record in penalties, and Sunday the team was hit with 10 flags for 107 yards.

It’s getting out of hand, but it seems like it’s just going to continue. So is it time for Mike Tomlin and Dan Rooney to address the situation? Or does it matter what those two say – as the league seems to have it out for Harrison, the new “Mr.Bad Boy” of the NFL.