NFL Weekly

Dallas Cowboys: It seems like every week I am writing about the Cowboys, but they were one of the Super Bowl favorites going into this season and they now seem to be in danger of possibly not even making the playoffs. The Cowboys took a beatdown from the Rams on Sunday, losing 34-14 and letting Steven Jackson run all over them. Now losing to Arizona is one thing, but getting blown out by the Rams is not a good sign for this team. The offense struggled mightily without Brad Johnson and I would argue that the offense was not that crisp looking even when Tony Romo had been playing. The defense is horrible against the pass and now looks to be suspect all together after the Rams dismantled them. Jerry Jones has said that head coach Wade Phillips job is not in danger, but I find that hard to believe. A few more weeks like this and Wade will be sitting at home in no time. I seriously doubt he will make it through the season, because the Cowboys have too many issues between their offense, the defense, Tony Romo's injury, T.O. ego, and the whole Pacman Jones ordeal. Wade Phillips is not the right man for this job and the Cowboys are probably going to pay for it this season. One thought crossed my mind as a possible replacement and that was Bill Cowher. However, I'm not sure if he would want to go to Dallas for a few reasons. The first being that I don't think he would want to work for Jerry Jones, but of course a huge paycheck can change anyone's mind. The second reason is that the Cowboys are seen as one of the Steelers biggest rivals and I think the fans in Pittsburgh wouldn't appreciate it too much if Cowher went to coach them. Jason Garrett would probably be named the coach if the can Phillips, but I'm not sure he's a strong enough personality to handle this team. One thing is for sure though, the circus in Dallas continues.

New Orleans Saints: Coming into this season I felt like the New Orleans Saints were a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Drew Brees has certainly played like a QB who could lead his team to a Super Bowl and is having an outstanding season. Brees has thrown for 2,224 yards passing, 12 TDs, and has a 98.4 passing rating. However, the team around Brees has simply fallen apart and there is probably no team in the NFL who has been bitten by the injury bug more than the Saints. Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, and many key members of their defense have all missed significant time already and now Reggie Bush may miss several weeks with a knee injury. The Saints currently have a 3-4 record and certainly could still make the playoffs, but when a team has this many injuries in a season already, you kind of have to believe that they are just not going to be able to put a healthy team out on the field at any point this season. That really is a shame because I feel like the Saints when healthy are one of the better teams in the NFC.

Other NFL News:

- The 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan and he will be be replaced by assistant head coach and former Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary. You never like to see anyone fired, but it's nice to see that Singletary is going to get a chance as a head coach in the NFL.

- The Patriots placed running back Laurence Maroney on IR and he will be out for the season with a shoulder injury.

- DeMarcus Ware recorded a sack for the 10th consecutive game, which tied an NFL record that is also held by former DE Simon Fletcher.

- The Miami Dolphins are looking at free agent CB Ty Law to possibly help out their pass defense and could bring him in for a workout.

- The Detroit Lions placed QB Jon Kitna on injured reserve ending his season.

Fantasy Stars of the Week:

Adrian Peterson: 121 yards rushing, 2 TDs

Steven Jackson: 160 yards rushing, 3 TDs

Mewelde Moore: 120 yards rushing, 3 TDs

Lendale White: 143 yards rushing, 3 TDs

Chris Johnson: 168 yards rushing, 1 TD

Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week:

Donnie Avery, WR, Rams: 5 receptions, 65 yards receiving, 1 TD

Derrick Mason, WR, Ravens: 6 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD

Matt Cassell, QB, Patriots: 185 yards passing, 3 TDs

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