Day 32: Crabtree, Broncos, Chris Chelios and more

HEADLINES

1) The San Francisco 49ers have stated that rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree will start in his NFL debut against the Houston Texans? Are the 49ers throwing Crabtree too much into the fire too soon?

Ben: I would say so. The guy just signed to the team two weeks ago and even if he was studying his playbook (doubt it!) he's going to be behind in conditioning and experience. Why rush him out there? I think Crabtree is a gifted player that will probably produce right away, but to get him performing to the level you'd like/expect I think a couple more weeks of seasoning on the practice field would do a lot of good.

Boz: No. He's most likely the most talented wide receiver that the 49ers have on their roster despite never playing a game yet in the NFL and missing all of training camp. The Niners need to be able to pack more punch in their offense and not just rely on Frank Gore 100%. Crabtree gives them a little more punch to pack with a deep threat for Shaun Hill. Braylon Edwards showed that a wide receiver can go to a team, barely know the playbook, and still run 70% of most routes that he needs to run. I know that Edwards is a veteran and Crabtree is a rookie, but Crabtree has had three weeks now and I see him making an impact on the 49ers offense.

2) Despite the non-belief from Ben and I, the Broncos beat the Chargers and moved to 6-0 on the season. Are you ready to call the Broncos legit? And if so, are they the best in the AFC?

Ben: Begrudgingly I'll admit they are a good football team. I will not say they are best in the AFC. There is a host of teams that are just as good, if not better then the Broncos, and while I think they might be a force to be reckoned with down the line, I do not think you can call them the class of the conference just yet.

Boz: We've done a lot of knocking on Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and the rest of the Broncos on this blog, but I'm ready to say that the Broncos are in fact a legit football team. Before last night I always made the argument that they were only winning with defense and that it wouldn't hold up for the remainder of the season. I also said that their tough opponents were all played at home. Well, last night they put up 34 points and won on the road at San Diego. Their special teams were hitting on all levels and Orton threw for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

However, they are not the best team in the AFC. The Colts are a better team and also 5-0. With Peyton Manning playing as well as ever before, their a tough team to beat. Despite the 4-2 record and losing to the Broncos in Denver, it looks like the Patriots are on their way back to old form and will be a better team than the Broncos in a couple weeks. The Broncos are playing well, but I'm still not ready to crown them the toast of the AFC.

3) 47-year old Chris Chelios has signed a contract to play hockey for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Would you rather see one of the greatest American-born hockey players retire or play minor league hockey?

Ben: C'mon Chris, hang 'em up. Look, I understand the thrill of the game and the love of the game make you want to come back every year -- but you aren't productive anymore. There's a reason you were on the bench almost all of last year. Time to retire bud.

Boz: I want to see him to ride off into the sunset and retire from hockey. I don't consider myself to be a huge hockey buff, but Chelios is one of my favorite hockey players from my day, especially when he was with the Blackhawks. I have to imagine this is similar to when Sammy Sosa or Rickey Henderson try to sign a minor-league contact in hopes of impressing enough people to make it back to the majors. Sometimes these veterans hang on to the sport too long and are usually better off just retiring.

4) The Phillies stole Game 4 away from the Dodgers to take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS. Are you ready to pronounce the series dead for the Dodgers?

Ben:  Yes. The Dodgers don't have the horses to hang with that lineup.

Boz: The Dodgers aren't dead yet, but they're on life support. If they win tomorrow night with Vincente Padilla on the mound (who has looked good this postseason) then they've taken the home field advantage back from the Phillies and move back to Los Angeles to play the final games of the series. They've got a lot of work to do and not many teams come back from down 3-1 in a league championship series. The Dodgers have been a comeback team all season long and have always seemed to make the impossible possible during games this season. They've dug themselves a pretty big hole after blowing the game last night, this time it's most likely too big.

TOSS-UP

1) Whose walk-off last night was more impressive? Phillies or Angels?

Ben: ANGELS. Just to hang in there with the Yanks and then come through in front of the home town fans -- that's big.

Boz: PHILLIES. They were down to their last out and had their lead off hitter Jimmy Rollins up against one of the best closers in the league in Jonathon Broxton, who can reach triple digits on the radar guns. Rollins, who had struggled this season, seemed to be sitting on the fastball from Broxton and brought both the tying and game-winning run home by depositing a ball into the right-field gap and quite possible a dagger in the heart of the Dodgers.

2) What's more depressing? The Lions losing 16 games in one season or the Rams losing 16 straight games over a span of two seasons?

Ben: PUSH. They are the same -- it is equally depressing. 16 games in a row is 16 games in a row.

Boz: LIONS. The Lions last season and the current Rams team are both pathetic. However, the Lions became the first team to record an 0-16 record, which sports enthusiasts will never forget. The Rams could win one game this season and no one will remember in 10 years that they lost 16 straight games over two seasons. However, the Rams look like they could join the Lions with an 0-16 record this season.

3) Who is going to throw more interceptions this season? Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez?

Ben: SANCHEZ. Stafford has improved since the beginning of the season and Sanchez has regressed -- at least on paper.

Boz: SANCHEZ. I'm going with the Sanchize for two reasons: (1) I'm unsure of when Stafford is going to return from his injury he suffered against the Bears and (2) it seems that teams are catching on to Sanchez's tendencies as he has thrown eight interceptions in his last three games.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 40th Birthday Herman Moore. One of my all-time favorite Lions had a stretch of very productive years in the mid-90's and help a mediocre Lions team reach the playoffs several years during that run. Thanks for the memories Herman, please help this current team while you can!

Boz: Happy 38th Birthday to Eddie Jones. After a stellar career at Temple, he was drafted by the Lakers in 1994 and spent five season before going the the Hornets, the the Heat, then to seveal teams for one-year stints. One of the best three-point shooters of his time, Jones was a career 37.3% three-point shooter.