Real to Reel: A weekly film-flam session

By Chris Cluff  |   Wednesday, November 07, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

NFL Football News
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Despite beating the Colts in Indianapolis in a major matchup Sunday, the New England Patriots apparently are pretty ticked off.

The Patriots, no strangers to cheating allegations (and proof), accused the Colts of piping in crowd noise, and then coach Bill Belichick vaguely hinted that the Colts might have had something to do with the fact that quarterback Tom Brady's headset wasn't working.

Not sure if that was why Belichick hardly acknowledged Colts coach Tony Dungy after the game. But we would guess that Belichick is more upset that his team didn't put up its typical 30-plus points and win by 20.

And with the Patriots' next game, against Buffalo in Week 11, bumped into prime time, we expect New England to come out firing.

The Patriots are ticked off, and the Bills will be the ones to pay.


OH, HENRYS

If NFL teams have learned one thing over the past few years, it should be not to draft anyone with the last name of Henry.

No fewer than three so-named fellows have caused their teams considerable angst this season. The primary offender, of course, has been Cincinnati receiver Chris Henry, who was reinstated Monday by the NFL after serving an eight-game suspension for various legal entanglements.

And just as that Chris Henry returns, Tennessee's Chris Henry might be headed to his own suspension for taking a banned supplement.

And then there is Denver's Travis Henry, who sat out four games last season for a drug violation and faces a year-long ban for another drug issue this year.

On a related note, we hear Dallas cornerback Anthony Henry is pondering changing his last name to Hank.


FORGING AN IDENTITY

The Pittsburgh Steelers recently scored highest in a consumer survey, ranking as the strongest brand in the local market among 122 teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and major-league baseball.

The Steelers' "hard-nosed work ethic" matched the fans in Pittsburgh, according to survey respondents.

No word on where the Baltimore Ravens ranked, but after that 38-7 blowout loss to the Steelers on Monday, we think Edgar Allan Poe's team probably reflects its fans' feelings of foreboding doom quite well today.


QUICK HITS

**Carolina's David Carr, the poster boy for posterized quarterbacks while in Houston, was sacked seven times by the Titans and knocked out of the game with a concussion late in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Panthers' medical personnel knew something was wrong because when they asked him to say his name, he added a syllable - David Carreck.

**They say Cincinnati's fun-loving, trash-talking wideout, Chad Johnson, suffered a strained neck against Buffalo on Sunday. We're surprised it took this long; usually the neck can't support such a big head for that many years.

**We think Minnesota QB Tarvaris Jackson is hurt worse than tests on his concussed head showed. After all, he "jokingly" introduced himself to his coach Monday as Donovan McNabb. Who in his right mind would want to be the beleaguered Philadelphia QB right now?


STAT LINES

**Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson, who set an NFL record with 296 rushing yards against San Diego, is on pace to become the sixth back in NFL history to go over 2,000 yards. O.J. Simpson was the only one to not make the playoffs. And the only one to, uh, try on gloves in court.

**Antonio Cromartie's 109-yard return of a missed field goal against Minnesota was the longest play in NFL history. Of course, a bunch of Vikings didn't even see it because they were headed back to the sideline as Cromartie ran up the opposite side of the field. But we understand they just wanted to get front-row seats to watch Peterson run over the Chargers' defense.

**LaDainian Tomlinson passed Jim Brown for fourth on the NFL career touchdown list, with 107. LT still has a long ways to go to break JB's records for most movies by a former running back, most jail time for domestic disputes and most gangsters rehabilitated.


LAST CALL

With Larry Johnson likely out for a while with a sprained foot, the Kansas City Chiefs' offense looks like it's ready for last rites.

Fortunately, the team has its own Priest.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding,...
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