Football News and Notes

Friday, January 15, 2010
By Roz Juarbe

by Roz Juarbe

Think the Ravens are going to be keeping a close eye on Dallas Clark this weekend? The Ravens struggled at times in the second half of the season against tight ends. The Green Bay Packers' Jermichael Finley had 79 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens, and the Oakland Raiders' Zach Miller scored a 12-yard touchdown against them.

But the Ravens have kept the Colts' Dallas Clark in check for the most part. In the past four meetings, Clark has been limited to six catches for 76 yards (19 receiving yards per game). His only touchdown was earlier this season, when he made a one-handed grab in the end zone. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth said a miscommunication between him and safety Ed Reed on that play allowed Clark to get open. "Dallas Clark is not only a great athlete and a great football player, he's one of those guys that plays hard every snap," Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said. "When you have that combination, that's a guy you've got to really deal with."

Baltimore has another hurdke to think about: The Ravens are 7-0 against teams with losing records this season, 3-7 against winning ones. The Ravens have also lost five of the last six games against quarterbacks ranked in the top 10 (Brady, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning).

Speaking of valuable tight ends, Saints TE 6-5 Jeremey Shockey says he is healthy to go against the Cardinals this weekend. He caught 48 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season, but his impact is bigger than just receptions and yardage. Perhaps his presence was never missed more than in the Saints' 24-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 19. With Shockey out, the Cowboys' safeties stayed close to Saints deep-threat receiver Robert Meachem, who has 11 receptions of at least 25 yards, and Devery Henderson, who has seven.

The Saints also couldn't use their two tight end alignment to help provide more protection for Brees, who was sacked four times and didn't have much time to find receivers deep. The Saints have had 39 pass plays of 25 yards or more this season. However, only three have come in the last three games while Shockey was resting his injured toe. Look for Cardinals inside linebacker Karlos Dansby to play like a wildcat in the postseason. He's a terrific player, leading the team with 113 tackles. But he's also an unrestricted free agent, so a big payday is looming. And what better place to showcase your skills than the playoffs!

In San Diego, the Jets bring their aggressive, blitzing defense to town, one that hit opposing quarterbacks 134 times this season and held them to a league-low 58.8 passer rating. QB Philip Rivers agreed this will be "the toughest test for us" in terms of the pressure they expect to face. But, San Diego has also excelled at neutralizing such pressure this season, allowing Rivers to be sacked just 25 times and standing up well to similarly attacking defenses like the Ravens and Eagles.

Screens are known as blitz beaters, and San Diego has more varieties than any other team they have faced this season. Look for LT and Darren Sproles to get plenty of screen opportunities.

So which QB in the Metrodome will shine? Dallas QB Tony Romo leads the No. 3 offense in the league, with 397 yards and 23 ppg. Romo (28 TDs, 9 INTs) has strong targets WR Miles Austin (1,320 receiving yards), WR Roy Williams and Pro Bowl TE Jason Witten to throw to, plus RBs Marion Barber and Felix Jones for balance. Dallas is on a 7-2 run under the total and 5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS on the road.

The Vikings (12-4 SU, 9-6-1 ATS) are rested off a bye week. Brett Favre (33 TDs, 7 INTs) has great pieces around him in RB Adrian Peterson (1,383 yards). WR Sidney Rice (1,312 yards) has emerged as a playmaker along with rookie Percy Harvin as Minnesota ranks fifth in total offense (13th in rushing, 8th passing). Favre is 12-10 in his career in the postseason but has lost seven of his past 10 playoff games.

The defense ranks sixth overall with DE Jared Allen (14½ sacks) and NT Pat Williams, but losing LB E.J. Henderson was a big blow. The Vikings carry a 2-3 Su/ATS run into the postseason. Minnesota is on a 7-3 run under the total. The Vikings are 8-0 SU, 5-2-1 ATS at home. I can't wait for the weekend, bring on the games!