Monday Night Football

[BangTheBook]

Record to date 6-6 -2.9units.

Heres some news and notes on tonights games. Back later with my play
Ryan

[BangTheBook]

The New Orleans Saints have given the residents of their city their time and compassion, as well as a few hours of joy and distraction with a dramatic victory in their season opener.



Having seen the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Saints can understand why they aren't able to give them a true home game.

With their home opener moved to the Meadowlands, and from Sunday to Monday night, the Saints get set for another road contest when they face the New York Giants.

With the Louisiana Superdome becoming a place of misery for thousands of refugees following Katrina's devastation of New Orleans last month, the Saints knew they wouldn't be playing there this season, if ever again. On Sept. 2, the Saints officially found out the site of their first ``home'' game, with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announcing that the contest would be moved to Giants Stadium. With the Jets playing their home opener there Sunday, the league was forced to create an unusual Monday night doubleheader, with Washington playing Dallas in the regularly scheduled game.

This week, the NFL announced a deal for the Saints to play four home games in Baton Rouge and three more in San Antonio, but the league had needed to come up with a quick solution for this game.


Many Saints have helped with the relief effort and some have visited with evacuees in shelters. Having seen the tragedy up close, playing on the road again this week wasn't much of a concern for them.

Coach Jim Haslett read his team an emotional letter from New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin before last week's opener against Carolina.

``He talked about the things he had seen, babies dying,'' receiver Joe Horn said. ``You would only see it in a horror story. People were crying on his shoulder, saying they don't know where their son is, where the daughter is.

``I can't speak enough about how our heart goes out to them. The letter had an impact. We respect and acknowledge what everyone has gone through.''

Many of the people the Saints encountered throughout the Gulf Coast region asked them to win a game for them, and the team obliged Sunday, getting two touchdowns from Deuce McAllister and a 47-yard field goal from John Carney with 3 seconds left in a 23-20 victory over the Panthers.

``In the back of our minds, we know we have to give them one tiny bit of hope,'' New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks said. ``We have complete faith in what we are doing because every time we go out there, it is our job to give them hope that every day will be a better day.''

While the Saints will be trying to focus on football as they go for their sixth straight win this week, Giants quarterback Eli Manning will also be thinking about the tragedy as he looks to help his team build on a 42-19 rout of Arizona.

The son of former Saints quarterback Archie Manning, Eli is eager to face his hometown team for the first time. Eli, who has never played in the Superdome, flew to Baton Rouge with brother Peyton and assisted in the relief efforts.

``It's going to be special playing the Saints,'' Eli said. ``I was looking forward to playing in the Dome though. ... I was looking forward to having the opportunity to go in there and play -- Peyton's played twice there as a pro -- but it's still going to be a special game. It is the team that I grew up rooting for and the team that my dad played for.''

The Giants got contributions from up and down the roster in pounding the Cardinals last week. Willie Ponder returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Chad Morton did the same on a punt return, Manning threw for a pair of scores and Tiki Barber and rookie Brandon Jacobs each ran for a TD as New York easily overwhelmed Arizona.

The Giants, though, probably will have trouble duplicating that result against a physical, talented and inspired Saints team.

``It's a Monday night game, in and of itself it's an exciting thing and we are all aware of the tragedy and all are deeply touched by what has happened,'' New York coach Tom Coughlin said. ``But, I'm hoping that our players will rally around the fact that New Orleans is an outstanding football team that is 1-0. We played Carolina in the preseason, we know how good they are.'' The game will be part of a weekend-long, league-wide effort by the NFL to raise money for disaster relief in the Gulf Coast, capped by a televised fund-raising telethon during the Monday night doubleheader.

[BangTheBook]

On a night when the Dallas Cowboys will honor three of their all-time greats, Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell wants to continue to prove he is not at the end of his career.



Brunell takes over as the starter for the Redskins as they visit the Cowboys, who will make Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith the 13th, 14th and 15th inductees to the club's Ring of Honor.

Washington coach Joe Gibbs traded for Brunell last year and gave him the starting job. Brunell went on to put up some of the worst numbers in the league in nine starts before Patrick Ramsey took over and played well for the remainder of the season.

Ramsey entered this season as the starter, but that situation lasted just three series. A minor neck injury sidelined him in the second quarter of last week's opener against Chicago, but he was ready to re-enter the game at halftime -- only to be told that Brunell would stay in. Brunell went 8-for-14 for 70 yards and led drives of 43, 47 and 63 yards that ended in field goals as the Redskins posted a 9-7 victory over the Bears.

On Monday, Gibbs said the change was permanent.


``I know a lot of people would disagree with this, and I understand that,'' Gibbs said. ``For me, personally, I felt like it was a decision that I had to make. I think we've got a situation where two quarterbacks can win ball games for us. ... I know this is something that Patrick doesn't agree with -- he's a very competitive guy -- but it's something we're going to have to work through.''

Brunell was hampered by a hamstring injury and a flawed offense last season, but this year, the game plan is more to his liking.

``It's night and day,'' Brunell said. ``We've got different personnel. Our system's changed. We've got a lot of talent. We've got a good start, 1-0. Things have come a long way since 12 months ago.

``I am psyched. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity to get back in there. It's obviously a big challenge, playing the Cowboys at their place Monday night.''

Dallas should get a boost in its home opener with the ceremony for Smith, Aikman and Irvin, who together helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls.

``The Redskins are going to hate it. They better hate it because I don't care much for them,'' Smith said.

Dallas beat San Diego 28-24 last Sunday, winning its opener for the first time since 1999 when Smith, Aikman and Irvin were the focal points of the offense.

The Cowboys overcame three deficits, with the last rally putting them ahead for good with 3:06 left.

``For us to continue to fight and get this victory, it says a lot about this team,'' said cornerback Aaron Glenn, who intercepted the game's final pass to seal the victory.

``When we were down as a defense, the offense picked it up. When the offense was down, we went out and made plays to get those guys the ball back,'' he said. ``It was a big-time win for this team. Hopefully this win can be a stepping stone for us.''

Drew Bledsoe went 18-for-24 for 226 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in his Dallas debut, and Keyshawn Johnson made two touchdown catches, including the winning score, to lead the Cowboys.

``This game was very, very important for us, not only to win it but to win it the way that we did,'' said Bledsoe, who became the 10th player in NFL history to throw for 40,000 yards. ``It is the best feeling in the world to have a close game come down to just a couple of plays and you are able to do it.'' This meeting will be the 14th between Washington and Dallas on Monday night, tying Denver and Oakland for the most ever. The Cowboys lead 7-6 in those contests.

[BangTheBook]

The Cowboys are 9-0 SU, 7-2 ATS at home against the Redskins and 13-1 vs. the spread last 14 in this series, including the last 7 STRAIGHT

WASHINGTON :7-18 straight up and 7-18 vs. the pointspread on the road on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Defense has allowed 18 pts or less in 7 straight games and hasn't given up 100 YR in 6 straight games.

[BangTheBook]

staying off my Giants. I think they win here as the Saints may start to show the effects of everything going on. I cant seem them rallying for a full season. Sooner or later the adrenaline wears off. Tonight maybe different as its MNF but I think they will lose momentum today. also lean towards the over.

I am with the rest of the board. The Skins offense is too brutal to back on any play. Cowboys look like the right play.
Boys -5.5 3units

GL
Ryan