The Whole Delivery

The Patriots are the healthiest they have been all season, with Jerrod Mayo the only player of significance gone. The team has adjusted to his loss, and has long forgotten about both Stevan Ridley and Alfonzo Dennard . Meanwhile, a plethora of injuries for a Seattle team not as good as it was last year. With an offense not as clinical as its 2014 version, the absences of emerging rookie Paul Richardson and safety net tight end Zach Miller are conspicuous. Also notable are losses of underrated tackles Brandon Mebane and Jordan Hill . And this does not included how all three members of their Legion of Boom are now with notable injuries to play through. More to come on TWD's Super Bowl Sunday runthrough. 

This underrated gem from six years ago never ages, and neither does Raphael Saadiq's underrated brilliance. The happy return of the Sunday Soulful series, here is "100 Yard Dash" from Raphael Saadiq. This is The Whole Delivery. 

Special teams : Both kickers Steven Hauschka and Matt Prater  have emerged as two of the elite kickers in the game and have kicked at Metlife this season. Hauschka may have more of an advantage since he kicks regularly in swirling winds in Seattle, though it won't be as windy as most thought it would be, so Prater shouldn't have too much of a disadvantage 33 for 35 was Hauschka for the season while Prater was even better at 25 for 26. Britton Colquitt is firmly among the best punters in the league, while Jon Ryan is a little bit of a weakness at the moment. Eric Decker , or Trindon Holliday , could provide quality returns needed, while Colquitt could make it hard on either Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate or Percy Harvin by pinning them deep. Field position, as in every playoff game, is so vital. Holliday and Harvin of course are elite, dynamic returners, and both Tate and Decker are among the best punt returners in the league. Special teams really is a push, but a

Photo from Metlife Stadium Roger Goodell and the NFL has lucked out with this weather today, a week after it snowed and bitter cold had dominated the headlines in the tri-state area, Christe Bridgegate aside. Nevertheless, it will not stop the total cost it was to make MetLife Stadium. The design of the stadium is influenced by the Allianz Arena of both Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich. It is the most expensive stadium in the world as it cost $1.6 billion to make . And what makes it even better was the fact that the two teams, the Jets and the Giants, paid for it and not the New Jersey taxpayers. In an era where taxpayers are always fitting the bill (or some parts of the bill) for these expensive stadiums (and the NFL getting tax breaks all over the place), it is a miracle and a relief that the most expensive stadium in the world is paid 100% by the teams' itself.

Screenshot from NFL.com  Ever since Rahim Moore misjudged Joe Flacco's "Hail Flacco" deep ball to Jacoby Jones last playoff season, Peyton Manning, John Fox, and the Denver Broncos have been hell bent on reaching the final destination and not wasting home field advantage in the AFC. The record setting 55 touchdown season for the older Manning further cemented his legendary legacy, with his four headed monster of the Thomas boys, Wes Welker, and Eric Decker being a matchup headache for any defensive coordinator. But it is the defense of Jack Del Rio that has made this team into more than just its offense. Despite the devastating losses to arguably their two best defensive players in Von Miller and Chris Harris, the likes of Shaun Phillips and Terrance Knighton up front, Kentucky linebacking alums Danny Trevathan and Wesley Woodyard, and cornerback standouts Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Champ Bailey had great days against the New England Patriots a few weeks ba

More to come...

Wild day it was indeed.  Been a wild day with wild closing left. 

FT: Manchester City 6-0 Tottenham  It was that type of nightmare afternoon for Tottenham Hotspur. Still, Lloris' awful mistake has nothing on Boruc's all time gaffe from yesterday. The Other Notable Events The great Llorente and Tevez new partnership for Juventus is truly coming around these days, though Pogba is without a doubt the inspiration when Vidal isn't there. JUVENTUS VS LIVORNO I 2-0 | Highlights I All... by GEntertianment With Roma playing tomorrow, Juventus take the lead in Serie A for the first time this season. In fact, it was a weekend like the old 90's days of Serie A, with only one high scoring effort from 4-goal Torino on hapless Catania. Despite the Premier League's tightness this season, no Big 6/7 UEFA league is as tight as they great Eredivisie, a league that has gone from a three team domination into a wonderful league filled with parody but enough quality, like the Brasileiro and unlike MLS.  The tweets from go

Glad to have this series back, and one of the smoothest songs in the last 10-15 years in the genre, it's Jaheim's "Backtight." "When I slide in the rain, all night."

Final Early Game Thread  It was certainly a wild early window session as always, captured off by the wildest one, a 5-hour tornado storm delayed overtime thriller that the Bears edged the Ravens over 23-20. The win gives Chicago the 6-4 first place with the Lions, who saw Jim Schwartz making the bone headed decision to not take the field goal and a seven point lead, resulting in a turnover on 4th down and a huge Steelers win. The Original Thread & Halftime Thread  The best NFL song ever, that original NBC anthem. Magical. This will be updated when the Week 11 early games reach halftime. Halftime Thread Thoughts 1) Stay safe out there in Chicago folks. Also, Ray Rice has awoken.  2) Chad Henne needs to be the quarterback for the Jaguars. He just plays well for them when give a chance to start.  3) Matt Ryan just doesn't have Julio Jones and a line. Just a forgettable season 4) The Jets and Geno Smith, just getting trashed on the road again, no surprise th

Screenshot Image from NFL.com 1) Criticism of Colin Kaepernick has gone beyond insane. People have to recognize and acknowledge the obvious fact that he had no one to throw to last week and how that has been a problem with injuries to Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and Vernon Davis, with Anquan Boldin slowing down as well. I think with Manningham's second week back from absence and Davis being cleared to play that he will lead them to a huge win in New Orleans of all places, the site of where they lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl in February. 2) Key day for Andy Dalton for sure. He has to be the "good Andy," not the bad one today for Cincy. For me, I say that he will be his good self and give the Bengals a vital bounce back win in the battle of Ohio. 3) For me today, this is already a "Do or Die" game for the Jets, even with the Colts doing them a favor in coming back to beating the Colts. 4) Robert Griffin sure would love to shut up Darrell

More to come in this thread, later on in the day. 

An excellent first half for Joe Flacco against the Redskins (Photo from Patrick Semansky of the Associated Press) 1) Ugly first halves the Jets-Jaguars and Bills-Rams. The Jets and Rams offenses certainly aren't playing like they still have a realistic shot at being in the postseason. 2) Best first half of defense all season long by the Panthers, but the Falcons offensive line just has not showed up whatsoever. Just three rushing yards, 35 yards total? Cam Newton has completely dominated them. 3) It was always set up as a trap game for the Colts today against a Titans team that probably should have defeated them in their first game of the season. But Andrew Luck is at home, and is always ready to gunsling in a dome for a comeback. 4) Another Sunday where the Cowboys just can't run the football. Their line is not helping DeMarco Murray and Tony Romo against this vaunted pass of Cincinnati. 5) As expected, it's an offensive shoutout in the battle of the Beltway

Final: Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United  In all honesty, City were never truly deserving of a point. United through Rooney, Young, Valencia and Van Persie had much more cutting edge and clarity, as the first half showed.  Ever the constant playmaker for Van Persie at the start of the season, Wayne Rooney is definitely now finding himself in places to show his class finishing and get higher on the goal list. As always, at least in the league under Mancini the last season and a half, City play their best when it seems like everything is about to crumble. Tevez gave them the lead man play that Balotelli hasn't given them all season, and with Johnny Evans out, City's persistence was able to cause United's defense to leak more goals this year. But thankfully for United, they didn't start off on the back foot this time, and always kept their nerve whenever adversity hits in a match (Barcelona aside). Despite the comeback from City, Van Persie's de

In celebration of the 34 years young Nelly Furtado's B-day (she turns 34 today), here is this amazing moment that frankly has not gotten the attention it deserves. If Youtube existed in 2001, I can definitely say that this classic press conference would be easily well known and considered classic folklore.  At the 2001 MTV European Awards, a Turkish female journalist basically thought that Nelly Furtado was, well, not skinny.  Now despite Nelly never looking fat to anyone rational, this lady had to ask that. But instead of being just generic, Nelly made this an incredible spectacle.  She didn't let the lady off the hook, but she was blunt in her still loving, consistent, real way. There will be more Nelly Furtado Appreciation Day at The Whole Delivery, stay tuned. And also, just stay blessed too. 

Definitely a strong effort is why this is one of the great gospel songs of 2012, with Monica coming in from the secular grind and stopping to assist James Fortune with the solid, inspirational "Hold On." 

Checkered Flag: Sebastian Vettel has won the world championship for a third consecutive time  It was a great wild race that was not boring at all. Rather, it was just so fascinating to witness, as Jenson Button took the race, but the German 25-year-old took the world championship for a third season.    Vettel becomes only the 3rd driver to win three straight world titles, joining Schamucher and Fangio in that exclusive list.  The Final Overall Standings, both individually and for team: 

A famous double for the Czech Republic has been accomplished, as Radek Stepanek has won the 100th Davis Cup for his country in the dramatic decider against Nicolas Almagro of Spain. More on this remarkable achievement for this rising nation, as well as NFL Week 11, in a short while. First Update  This was a remarkable team accomplishment all season from both Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek. They were the two man team that carried this team all year long. Outside of Lukas Rosol two meaningless wins in dead rubber matches, Berdych and Stepanek accounted for all of the team's wins this year with all of them coming in live rubber matches in a live tie. The Czech Republic also became the first nation win all three ITF global competitions, having won the Hopman Cup way back in January as well. Second Update: Lewis Hamilton Takes US Grand Prix on Formula 1's return to the US.  Vettel remains the strong favorite for the title, but the ever determined Fernando A

This group's impact on 90's R&B will never be forgotten. Your Sunday Soulful for the night, it's Xscape's 1993 hit "Just Kickin' It." Xscape - Just Kickin' It by lachula And let that ride you into the week ahead. Goodnight.