Sports Betting Blog

The Indianapolis Colts have worked its way into becoming a very dominant team in the NFL. The Cleveland Indians took advantage of a weakened team and defeated the Colts by 29-19 Sunday. The Colts have won the 2006 Super Bowl, the AFC Conference Championship in 2006 and 2009, and the AFC South divisional Championship Every year from 2003-2010 with the sole exception of the 2008 season. For a while, we all knew that quarterback Peyton Manning was the man behind the Indianapolis Colts success. Since he was first drafted in 1998, Manning had been the player on which owner Jim Irsay wanted to build his whole team around. The No.1 pick in the 1998 draft had a long way to go before he could make his way into the quarterback world’s elite, but once there, he has dominated the sport for the better part of a decade.

Yes, there have been other great quarterbacks two. It’s not as if we don’t want to give credit to players like Brett Favre or Tom Brady, it’s just that as time goes by in this 2011 season, we come to realize that not only Peyton Manning was the man behind the Indianapolis Colts, not only was he the franchise player; The Colts’ success was the byproduct of a one-man show. We knew that the Colt’s were going to struggle this season as soon as the news broke out: Peyton Manning was going to miss the whole preseason and maybe lose the first few games. Little did we know that after his third neck surgery in the last 2 years, Peyton Manning was going to possibly miss 2 months of football and the Colt’s would have nothing to keep their ship from sinking.

I know we’ve only had two weekends of NFL football so far this season, but at the same time we need to get realistic. It wasn’t too much of a surprise for the Colt’s to lose their first game of the season against the Houston Texans. Truth be said, we were all expecting the Texans to give Indianapolis a rough game. But to lose 27-19 to the Cleveland Indians, a team that at its best we can call mediocre; well, that just underlines my point: the Colts are a total failure without their man, Peyton Manning.

The Indianapolis Colts are now 0-2 for the first time since 1998, Manning’s rookie season. Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers this next Sunday’s evening, we could go ahead and say that the Colt are pretty much 0-3 for the season, and that’s just ugly.             The panic alarm has officially gone off in the Lucas Oil Stadium. They need a way out of this hole, this Manning-less rout the’ve got stuck in. “We don’t have much time left,” Reggie Wayne said in the press conference. “We’ve got to figure it out fast, even though it’s just the second game. We have to figure out a way to win the close ones. I feel like that’s what it’s going to be from here on out.”

I’m starting to guess that the Colts need a replacement for Peyton Mannings replacement. Don’t get me wrong, I know Kerry Collins is doing his best, but Manning’s replacement, started the game 9 of 12 and yet completed only 10 of his last 26 passes. By that point, it really didn’t matter. He finished 19 of 38 with 191 yards, one interception and another lost fumble. He didn’t get the Colts into the end zone until 24 seconds remained. Oh Peyton Manning when are thou coming back?

It´s no secret: the game of football is build around the quarterback. That’s why they make the fattest checks, that’s why they tend to become the MVP, and that’s why only a selected few can actually make it. Every year talented players emerge from the NCAA and work their way into the NFL draft searching for a break, for a chance to play on Sundays. The NFL is Americas most followed sport and this billion dollar industry is thirsty for talent.

Success while in college is no guarantee for credibility and achievements as a pro. Yes, certainly there have been many players who have made the transition effortlessly, but then again, there have been many players who haven’t been able to live up to their NCAA expectations once they hit the NFL. Well, the graduate from the University of Texas, the leader of the NCAA Championship winning Longhorns, Colt McCoy could be ready to go into the big leagues with a mad drive.

The kid is focused and talented and has a strong work ethic that on the long run could very well pay off. The Cleveland Browns are in a desperate need to find that one player upon they can build a talented team. Knowing that there was plenty to learn and not happy with the NFL extended lockout that kept him from training early in the preseason, Colt McCoy worked his way around the lockout to learn the West Coast system. So McCoy hit the road and began his work earlier then the rest.

That’s why he left in the middle of the summer for Hattiesburg, Mississippi to spent a few days with the three-time NFL MVP and the West Coast master Brett Favre. One of the finest quarterback to have played the game had learned the West Coast system while playing for Browns president Mike Holmgren, then the coach in Green Bay; now he is going to take under his wing one of the newest football promises: one Colt McCoy.

“Since I couldn’t get coached, it was a great opportunity to pick the brain of a guy who played in the system for 20 years,” McCoy said in a press release given out by the Cleveland Browns. “It was a chance for me to get a lot of questions answered. We worked on footwork, progressions, reads and things like that. It was definitely a positive trip.”

And truth be said, McCoy might had actually learned a few tricks and tips because he was looking quite phenomenal in his first preseason game. McCoy looked prepared and comfortable in Cleveland’s new West Coast offense Saturday night. He even managed to outplay Super Bowl star Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and was nearly flawless in the Cleveland Browns 27-17 win. Cleveland’s rookie coach Pat Shurmur recorded a winner in his first NFL preseason game.

Now the big question is still out there: could McCoy play like he did on Saturday when the time comes and it really counts? The regular season is right around the corner, for all we know, if McCoy can keep up his numbers (he completed 9 of 10 passes for 135 yards, one touchdown and compiled a 152.1 passer’s rating against the Packers) in the regular season, McCoy could be exactly what the Browns have been longing for.

All good things must come to an end. That is one sorry reality, one unavoidable fate we all must have to accept, or at least learn how to live with it. And that must be the hardest part for the great Brett Favre. Let’s try to put it all into perspective. Brett Favre has started every single game his team has played since 1992. That is 297 games. That is 18 years of suiting up for one of the roughest and most physically demanding professional sports ever played. After 20 seasons as a professional player, Brett Favre, the quarterback that seemed made out of steel has come to a stop.

The 41-year-old quarterback has had a very rough 20th season with the Minnesota Vikings. He suffered a very rough hit against the Buffalo Bills last week when Arthur Moat hit him straight on his back and sent him straight to the ground very early in the game. Actually it was only the third play from scrimmage but it was good enough to send him away for the rest of the game.

But that was not the first beating that Brett Favre had taken this season. As a matter of fact, this one alone might rank among the roughest and most physically demanding seasons he has experienced as a professional player. He stayed in the field playing each of the games so far in the season, despite holding on an elbow tendinitis, 10 stitches on his chin and, two fractures in his left foot and constant aches in his neck, back and calf. That was before Arthur Moat hit him.

So, the bottom line is that Brett Favre’s body just simply gave up on him.  And that should perhaps be the end of his season. The Minnesota Vikings are 5-7 right now, and it seems as if there is little left for the team. The Vikings chances of making it to the playoffs this season are rather dim. And despite whatever happens at the end of the season, it is probably time for the great Brett Favre to take some time off and rest.

His career has been long, fruitful and to be sincere, there is very little left for him to prove the world. He has dominated most every possible statistic a quarterback could aim for. But this season, things have changed. He is now ranked as the 29th quarterback in the league. That is quite an inedited experience for a quarterback as Favre. He used to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown passes. Now he is toping the charts with his 18 interceptions.

On the sideline there is still the pending investigation by the NFL in regards to his alleged sexual harassment against the New York Jets pregame entertainer, Jenn Sterger. Sure there has been a lot to say in regards to the inappropriate messages he sent to her coworker, back when both worked for the Jets.

Tarvaris Jackson has started instead of Favre for the Minnesota Vikings in their game against the Jets. As of press time, there is very little chance for the Vikings to make it back from a 21-3 crushing by the Jets. With or without Favre, the Vikings are simply not having a very good NFL season. And that’s a bit of a shame.

Ah right. So Brett Favre is a 41 year-old-quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. He is a 20-season-old veteran who holds most every passing record worth holding in the NFL. He has started every game since 1992, and now, not only has he gone for over 70,000 miles, but he is the only quarterback to throw over 500 touchdowns. Yes, Brett Favre is a living legend. But yes, Brett Favre has lead the Vikings to a somewhat under par 2-5 season and his injuries are just worsening.

Last week, against the Green Bay Packers, he got hurt in his ankle. So this time around, when the Minnesota Vikings took on the New England Patriots, Brett Favre was suffering from two fractures in his left foot and tendinitis in his right elbow. Up to the part in the late fourth quarter, that is, right before he was hit by defensive tackle Myron Pryor, Favre was playing hurt, trying to keep on with his 292nd consecutive start. Favre couldn’t get up again after the hit. He had to be taken to the sidelined and received 10 stitches on his chin.

Tavaris Jackson replaced Favre and immediately threw a touchdown pass to Naufahu Tahin. He then completed a 2-point conversion with Percy Harving to bring in Minnesota within a three-point margin with just enough time to secure a win. But it didn’t work. The New England Patriots defeated the Minnesota Vikings by 28-18.

Brett Favre, despite the injuries, went for 259 yards completing 22 of 32 passes and 1 interception. Now, head coach Brad Childress is really going to have to analyze the team’s situation and play his chances. He has to decide whether to stick around with Favre for yet another week, or sit him down, break the streak and give Tavaris Jackson the chance to start.

The Minnesota Vikings will face the Arizona Cardinals at home this following Sunday. We’ll keep you updated with Favre’s condition as the week unfolds.