Bears Sign Peppers; Rolle Becomes Richest Safety

By RACHEL COHEN AP Sports Writer

The Chicago Bears were big spenders as NFL teams entered the free agency period unconstrained by a salary cap, signing top prize Julius Peppers.

The New York Giants also got in on the action Friday, making Pro Bowler Antrel Rolle the richest safety in the league in the waning hours of the opening day of free agency.

Miami and Atlanta were also active, with the Dolphins agreeing to terms with Rolle's former Arizona teammate, linebacker Karlos Dansby, and the Falcons and cornerback Dunta Robinson also coming to terms.

The Bears also added running back Chester Taylor from Minnesota and blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from San Diego.

NFL Playoffs 2009

Really, the Steelers wouldn't be a hard pick when looking at the brackets from the get-go. The Cardinals are a bit of a shocker, with a 9-7 record coming into the Playoffs. I think they have made believers out of some people. The Cardinals are going to be the underdogs in this matchup, which shouldn't come as to a surprise to anyone, especially since the Steelers have the #1 defense.

Quick Pick for the Super Bowl: Cardinals (why not, right?)

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NFL Playoffs 2009

Here's my Quick Picks on who will be heading to the Super Bowl:

• Ravens against Steelers: I like the Ravens.
• Eagles against Cardinals: I like the Cardinals.

Birds in the Bowl? Well, there will be at least one team that has a bird logo... 75% of the remaining teams have a bird in their logo. The home team has won 3 of 8 times... with only three more games to play, still, with the Super Bowl considered a neutral location and that they "assign" a home team, should it really count in those standings?

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Divisional Playoff Brackets

Divisional Games:

• Saturday: Baltimore at Tennessee (3:30 CST)
• Saturday: Arizona at Carolina (7:15 CST)
• Sunday: Philadelphia at NY Giants (Noon CST)
• Sunday: San Diego at Pittsburgh (3:45 CST)

Quickpicks? Baltimore, Carolina, Giants and Steelers.

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Wild Card Game: Falcons at Cardinals

Atlanta is 11-5 and is the visitor in Arizona, who is 9-7. Atlanta is 4-4 on the road and the Cardinals are 6-2 at home, so this should be an interesting matchup.

Quarterback Comparison

Name	QB Rating	Comp-Att	Comp %	Yards	TD-Int	Fumbles
Kurt Warner	96.9	401-598	67.1%	4,583	30-14	2
Matt Ryan	87.7	265-434	61.1%	3,440	16-11	4

Cardinals have the better QB. Warner has more TDs, fewer fumbles, a higher completion ratio and over a thousand more passing yards.

Rushing Comparison

Name	Carries	Yards	TDs	Catches	Yards	TDs
Edgerrin James (Cards)	133	514	3	12	85	0
Tim Hightower (Cards)	143	399	10	34	237	0
Michael Turner	376	1,699	17	6	41	0

Falcons have the better running game. That really goes without saying when you look at these numbers. The Cardinals have two runningbacks and nothing to show for it.

Receiving Comparison

Name	Catches	Yards	TDs	Fumbles
Larry Fitzgerald	96	1,431	12	1
Anquan Boldin	89	1,038	11	3
Steve Breaston	77	1,006	3	0
Roddy White	88	1,382	7	1
Michael Jenkins	50	777	3	0
Jerious Norwood	36	338	2	0

Cardinals have the better receivers. Three receivers with over 1,000 yards is impressive. Very impressive. And the Falcons can't compete with that.

Defense Comparison

Name	Tackles	Sacks	Ints-TD	Deflections
Karlos Dansby	119	4.0	2-0	5
D. Rodgers-Cromartie	42	0.0	4-1	19
Chike Okeafor	60	4.5	1-0	3
Keith Brooking	102	0.0	0-0	3
John Abraham	38	16.5	0-0	1
Chris Houston	61	0.0	2-1	16

It appears that the defenses are pretty much the same, however the Cardinals do not have the pass rush that the Falcons do. They have better pass coverage, though, which is what makes it a little more even.

Forecast: I like the Cardinals in this one. I am not really sure why I like them more than the Falcons, but it just makes sense to me. So, Cardinals win this one 24-20.

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NFL Playoffs 2009

How will the playoffs go? Well... let's see the obvious.

• Titans will be one and done.
• Vikings will drop the wild-card game, thus sending the Eagles to play against the Giants.
• Arizona will also will be one and done.
• Panthers take out the Falcons.
• Giants vs. the Eagles... I will take the Giants, although I am tempted to pick the Eagles.
• Ravens vs. Dolphins... I am trying to care. Ravens have a better team. Ravens.
• Colts vs. Chargers... Chargers.

That's going to be the extent for now. I'm still sick from the Cowboys loss.

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Game 6: Cowboys at Cardinals

Since the Cardinals moved from St. Louis to Arizona (calling themselves the Phoenix Cardinals for five years in the process), the Cowboys have dominated them, winning all but 10 of the 33 games they've played against Arizona. For 41 seasons, from 1961 to 2001, the two teams played each other twice a season since they were in the same division. Since being moved to the NFC West in 2002, the Cardinals have played the Cowboys four times, winning only once. Dallas holds the series lead by a large margin, 55-28-1.

The 1988 season was the Cardinals' first playing in Arizona, having moved from St. Louis after the Cowboys had faced them for their first 28 years while located in St. Louis. Their first home game in Sun Devil Stadium was against the Cowboys, and that did not end on a high note for them. The Cardinals (called the Phoenix Cardinals at the time) may have moved to a different locale and may have been playing in front of a larger crowd, but they still couldn't stop Cowboys running back Herschel Walker, who had 161 all-purpose yards. The game was actually up for grabs, the Cowboys leading only 10-7 going into the fourth quarter. With Walker's help, Dallas engineered a 13-play, 81-yard drive lasting nearly five minutes, ending it with a touchdown on a sneak by Cowboys quarterback Steve Pelluer. The Cardinals weren't done, though, as Phoenix quarterback Neil Lomax threw a touchdown pass to teammate (and future Cowboys tight end) Jay Novacek, closing the margin to three points with just as many minutes left on the clock. But the Cardinals would perish at the feet of Walker, who ran the ball on eight of the final nine plays before the final gun sounded.

The Cardinals and the Cowboys look very much the same... on paper. The Cowboys have scored 151 points to the 147 of the Cardinals. The Cowboys defense has given up 111 compared to the 120 by the Cardinals. Dallas is undefeated on the road and Arizona is undefeated at home.

Tony Romo currently holds the longest streaks with an interception, going back to last season with 8 consecutive games. DeMarcus Ware holds a consecutive game streak, too. He's sacked the QB for 8 straight games.

Cardinals to Watch:

• Kurt Warner: 127-183 for 1472 yards. He has 10 TDs and 4 Ints along with 12 sacks.
• Edgerrin James: 92 carries for 334 yards with 3 TDs
• Tim Hightower: 36 carries for 110 yards with 5 TDs
• Larry Fitzgerald: 31 catches for 467 yards with 4 TDs
• Anquan Boldin: 27 catches for 366 yards with 5 TDs and one lost fumble.
• Travis LaBoy: 17 tackles, 4 sacks and one forced fumble.

Cowboys to Watch:

• Tony Romo: 104-162 for 1368 yards. He has 11 TDs with 5 Ints and 4 sacks.
• Marion Barber: 93 carries for 395 yards with 4 TDs and one lost fumble.
• Felix Jones: 27 carries for 244 yards with 3 TDs; 15 KO returns for 412 yards and 1 TD.
• Jason Witten: 35 catches for 442 yards with 2 TDs
• TO: 19 catches for 331 yards with 5 TDs
• DeMarcus Ware: 26 tackles, 2 for a loss, and 5 sacks.
• Adam Jones: 20 tackles, one forced fumble, and 6 pass deflections.

Forecast: This is going to be a tough game. If Romo plays in this game the way he played last Sunday, it could spell out to be an Arizona victory. Still, the Cowboys find ways to win. And what is weird is how the media is talking about this team as if they are 1-4 and not 4-1. I told my wife the other day that if the Cowboys don't beat their opponent by 30 points every week, they just aren't good enough for the media around here. They're good enough for me, though. And I think they walk into the Cardinals house with the swagger that a 4-1 team should have and walk out 5-1. Score: 34-31, Cowboys.

Note: Cowboys go into fourth quater trailing and win it there.

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Sports Picks up to Halloween

Sports Picks up to Halloween

Friday
Stars (5-3-1) vs. Oilers (3-6-1)
Stars beat Oilers earlier this month in Edmonton. Look to see them do it again but in Dallas. Stars 4-2.

Saturday
Stars (5-3-1) vs. Coyotes (4-6-1)
Should be a good game. Dallas will be playing a back-to-back and Tyson Nash looks really good. Coyotes and Stars tie: 3-3

FC Dallas (13-10-11) vs. Rapids (13-7-13)
The records are actually Wins-Draws-Loses, by the way. In the point system, Dallas is ahead of them by 3 points. They are playing here, and honestly, the Rapids just stink on the road (3-4-9) with a winning percentage of .313. Dallas, however, has a winning percentage of .656 at home. Dallas is going to tear them a new head: 3-1. Yes, that’s tearing a new head in the world of Soccer.

Sunday
Cowboys (4-3) vs. Cardinals (2-4)
As far as points scored, Dallas doesn’t look all that bad. But, I am not all that impressed personally. The reason the ‘boys have won what they have is because the defense is stellar. The defense, however, seems to give up with the remainder of the 4th quarter to go… it varies game to game. I think that Dallas’ offense will be average at best during this game and Arizona will be held down a bit. Josh McCown has shown spark with a 2-1 mark in his last three and the game the Cards lost was by 4 to Carolina (4-2). I think if Arizona is in the game going into the final quarter, they realistically have a chance. And looking at the Cowboys season, they more than likely will be very much into the game at that point in time. The problem with Arizona is the rushing game. Arizona has not had a leading rusher over 54 yards. So the Cowboys will be thinking pass on just about every down and that will hurt Arizona’s chances in the long “run.” (Pun not intended, but in a way, it is) Cowboys take this one: 20-17.

Panthers (4-2) vs. Vikings (2-4)
In what is shaping up to be a very good division for the NFC South, Carolina stands as third. Delhomme, Foster, and Peppers are on the injured list. Delhomme is the one I am concerned about. Vikes are 0-3 on the road and Cats are 2-1 at home. Cats are coming off a well needed bye, and that will give them the well needed edge. Culpepper throws an interception 6% of the time. So, for every 20 passes, 1 is a pick. For every touchdown he throws, he connects twice to his opponent. Panthers 24-20.

Bears (3-3) vs. Lions (3-3)
The battle for the top. At least in their division. Chicago gives up only 11 points a game. Bears, however, are 0-2 on the road this year. The Liars, I mean Lions, are 2-1 at home. Where is Barry? On average, the Bears give up 15 points a game on the road. The two have played already this year, Bears destroying Detroit 38-6. Well, I don’t see that this time, but I do see the Bears taking this one. Look for Jones to be Barry re-incarnated. The guy has 3 games already over 130 yards! I think he takes that Pink Floyd song a little seriously (Run! Run! Run…). The thing, though is the Bears passing game… or lack there of. Bears win this one: 20-10.

Back from Jamaica - time to talk

OK, so the Rangers aren't looking so good. But alas, so goes the wide world of sports. We have a number of things to talk about. First, the Rangers suck. They have now tied a major league record for most consecutive games where the loosing team scores 5 or more runs. In case you haven't noticed, the Strangers have now lost 10 million in a row. But not is all lost. Rangers can still put together a good season and finish over 500 again for a second straight season, finish a disappointing 3rd in the division and then recoup for a better next season. As it goes, "there's next year."

Now, the Cowboys are starting their first preseason tonight. Against the Cards. Preseason doesn't justify predictions due to who-is-playing-for-how-long, means Joe Blow will get more snaps due to nobody knows who Joe is, including the coach. Hence, preseason.

Braves Rock, once again. I can always depend on the Braves to take care of enough business to go Post!

So, for fun, I shall make predictions for the Braves games, Ranger Games, & Cowboys


Sunday, August 14th -
Braves:
My take: The Braves. Hampton to rebound from his last start against the Mets and will take charge against the D-Backs. Score: 7-3

Rangers:
My take: Yankees. Rangers have lost 6 in a row, and Chacon is hot right now. Did very well against the WSox - 3 hits and 1 run in seven innings for a loss. Score: 6-2 (Rangers will not take the MLB record for 7 straight over 5 or more runs in a loss)

Astros:
My take: Pirates. Astros have been coming on strong all year, at least since the slow start, they have maintained strength. Still the Pirates have a better starter on the hill and Williams is strong on the road. Score: 5-1

Cowboys:
My take: Cowboys. Why not. I think the 'boys will be playing a lot of the starters to get a good feel of what they have before them. Cards? Well, look at the history. 'Nuff Said. Score: 24-7

Panthers:
My take: 'Skins. Panthers struggled last year, not too sure how they look now, so I guess I need to do my homework a little more. However, a shoot from the hip take would be the skins. They have had more press this offseason, and that is generally a good thing. Score: 17-14