Broncos' Spygate Reeks of Cover-Up

Filed under: Broncos, Patriots

It was all done by "one employee." That's how the Denver Broncos front office kept referring to Steve Scarnecchia, videographer.

You don't use his name, because referring to him as "employee" dehumanizes him. Say he was "one" because that means he's the bad guy, the one bad guy, the only bad guy.

That way, the Broncos are just poor, helpless victims in Spygate II.

Ha!

What we saw Saturday from the Broncos and the NFL was scapegoating, pure and simple. Some guy named Steve Scarnecchia is not the mastermind. He is not the problem. There is no such thing as a rogue videographer.

 

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John Abraham Critical to Falcons' Chances Against Aaron Rodgers

Filed under: Atlanta Falcons, NFC South

It is one thing to give time in the pocket to a rookie quarterback with decent wide receivers like last week in St. Louis. It is another to let a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers sit back and find the likes of Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Falcons can't afford to let Rodgers stay clean, which is why John Abraham's health is a major concern.

Abraham, the Falcons defensive end, returned to practice Thursday, but Friday he was still listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers with a groin injury. Abraham leads the Falcons with eight sacks.

Green Bay (7-3) and Atlanta (8-2) is a major game in the NFC on Sunday considering how tight the race is for a playoff berth and home field advantage. The Falcons have a particular interest in home field advantage given how dominant they have been in the Georgia Dome in Matt Ryan's three years in the NFL (18-1).

Green Bay, meanwhile, has won four straight games with strong offense and excelllet defense.

How dominant can the Falcons be with Abraham unable to play? Already, the Falcons have started to slip on third down. It had been a point of emphasis this season and improved for six or seven weeks, but the success of getting teams off the field on third down is waning.

The Falcons did not get any sacks of St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford last week, but got some help with a late interception.

The Atlanta offense has rescued the Falcons defense in recent weeks. Green Bay, however, is playing well on both sides of the ball and Atlanta needs to do the same.

In addition to Abraham, there was concern over the Falcons' wide receiver Roddy White (knee), but he will play Sunday.

 

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Will Weather Be a Factor in Auburn-Alabama Showdown?

Filed under: Alabama, Auburn, SEC, All That and a Bag of Mail

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Cold, windy weather -- let's not forget the 40 percent chance of rain either -- has greeted Friday's 75th Iron Bowl between No. 2 Auburn and No. 9 Alabama here at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Will it impact the outcome?

Most likely not, simply judging by history. Eighteen of the last 22 meetings have been decided by 10 points or less, rain or shine. Mother Nature aside, this game also has a different feel to it for obvious reasons.

For openers, there's Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who has been engulfed in controversy for the past three weeks but has managed to keep a low profile.

 

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Mike Modano Out After Surgery for Severed Tendon in Wrist

Filed under: Red Wings, NHL Injuries

It's been business as usual for the Detroit Red Wings this season, winning 14 of their first 20 games and currently on top of the Central Division. They're in the middle of a big home-and-home series with the Columbus Blue Jackets, winning the first leg on Friday by a 2-1 margin at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. It was also a costly win for the Wings, as veteran Mike Modano suffered what general manager Ken Holland called "a real fluke injury" when he was cut by skate after falling to the ice in the defensive zone.

Modano underwent surgery to repair what's been reported as a severed tendon in his right wrist on Saturday and will be out indefinitely.

A Michigan native, the 40-year-old Modano signed with the Red Wings this summer after spending his entire career with the Dallas Stars organization. He has two goals and six assists this season, with all six helpers coming in the past 10 games. He had been skating mostly on a line with Jiri Hudler and Dan Cleary, while Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported that Justin Abdelkader centered that line during practice on Saturday.

 

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2011 preseason details announced

UNITED HEADING BACK TO CHARLESTONThe first details of D.C. United's 2011 preseason schedule were released today, with the Black-and-Red set to play in their sixth Carolina Challenge Cup in March of next year. The tournament is hosted by United's lower division rival Charleston Battery, and...

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Miami Heat Still Looking to Match Celtics' Chemistry, Rhythm

Filed under: Celtics, Heat

MIAMI -- Unsurprisingly, many NBA experts, analysts and fans are sharpening their claws, ready to pounce on everything the Miami Heat did wrong on their way to a second consecutive letdown in front of their home crowd at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Some of it is justified, of course, especially when only one of the five Heat starters showed up for the entire game.

But while there's no question the Heat are a work in progress (and perhaps even their roster is, as well), not enough focus will be given to the Boston Celtics' game plan and execution, as their accomplishments are overshadowed by the Heat's failures.

"I talked about greatness with the team this morning," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra before the game, presumably to motivate his players though he could have easily been talking about their opponent. "There is nothing flashy a lot of times. Greatness, really, is consistency; doing the little things and the same things every single time, every single possession."

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Moreno to assist Rongen's U.S. U-20's

MORENO TO JOIN RONGEN WITH U.S. U-20'SD.C. United recently said farewell to a legend on October 23 as forward Jaime Moreno played his final match for the Black-and-Red after a historic 15-season MLS career. After taking some well-deserved personal time, Moreno was back at RFK Stadium this morning...

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