More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

Dick Jauron was the first head coach to be fired this season, but who will be the next? (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

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Being an NFL head coach is a tenuous job to say the least. In a league where most owners are only concerned with what you've done for them lately, head coaches are routinely fired after every season and sometimes even during it. Most likely you have already heard that Dick Jauron has been let go from his position as head coach of the Buffalo Bills. After going 7-9 in his first three seasons, and an embarrassing loss to Tennessee last week, Jauron is the first head coach to be fired this season.

Buffalo had hoped to improve their offensive production after signing wide receiver Terrell Owens to a one year contract. But after spending the entire offseason installing a no huddle offense, Jauron fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert on the eve of the regular season, and promoted quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt to the position. The results have been unsatisfactory to everyone, as the Bills rank 29th in total offense. Jauron's failures on the offensive side of the ball most likely doomed him to this fate.

He finishes his stay in Buffalo 60-82 as a head coach, and after signing an extension before the season he still has $6 Million remaining on his contract. The fact that he still has so much money left on his deal will probably prevent Buffalo from going after one of the big name coaches to replace him. The Bills have shown a tendency in the past to give former coordinators an opportunity as a head coach, and that is the most likely move for them in this scenario.

In the interim they have promoted defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to head coach for the remainder of the regular season. Fewell has been the team's defensive coordinator since 2006, and now becomes Buffalo's first African American head coach. The 47 year old has never been a head coach on any level, and he will make his debut this week when the Bills travel to Jacksonville.

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Their were a lot of moral victories in the NFL on Sunday.  The Rams won a moral victory by coming up just 32 yards short of beating the Saints, maybe the best team in the NFC.  The Bucaneers won a moral victory by being just 1:14 away from winning their first road game of the season against their cross state rivals, the Dolphins.  The Lions won a moral victory by hanging tough on the road against the now 8-1 Vikings.  The Patriots won a moral victory by knowing the should have beaten the Colts on the road except their coach thinks he's God and the normal rules of football don't apply to him.  The problem is that moral victories are a little like getting into a car accident while defending your right of way.  The other guy may be the one getting the ticket but your still stuck in a rental while your car gets fixed.  So let's jump into the action by starting with a game that wasn't even played on Sunday.

Bears 6, 49ers 10

Over the first half of the season, the 49ers had as many moral victories as actual victories.  The problem was that moral victories don't actually show up on their record.  So while their 10-6 win over the Bears was about as ugly a way to win a game as is possible to do, it still counts the same as their 35-0 beat down over the Rams a few weeks earlier.  Watching Jay Cutler single handedly lose the game for the Bears made me think of when I play games with my young kids.  I always let them win but sometimes I have to try really hard to let them win.  If Cutler was really trying to lose the game I can just imagine him thinking after every interception, "How bad do I actually have to play to get these guys to win?"  The one bright spot on offense for the 49ers was Frank Gore who rushed for 104 yards and a TD.  But after all those moral victories, I'll gladly take this ugly win any day.

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More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Can Peyton Manning and the Colts stay undefeated against Tom Brady and the Patriots? (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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I know that you all have been sitting on pins and needles just waiting for this week's edition of Any Given Sunday to be posted, and I'm pleased to announce that the wait is finally over. By the way, was anybody else's schedule thrown off by San Francisco's Thursday night game? Nevertheless we have made it to Sunday, and with a 49er win already in the bank let's see what we have to look forward to from the other fourteen games on the schedule this week.

Bye: Texans and Giants

Sunday 1 PM EST

Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers

After getting off to a slow start, Michael Turner is averaging 8.64 yards per carry in his last two games. I expect him to have continued to success against a Carolina defense that has struggled to stop the run at times and is giving up 4.4 yards per carry on the year. On the flipside, the Panther's DeAngelo Williams is averaging an astounding 6.6 yards per carry in his last three games. The Falcon's front seven is undersized so Carolina should be able to move the ball on the ground, which is a good thing because quarterback Jake Delhomme has been terrible all season. In the end, Atlanta's passing game has one too many weapons with wide receiver Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez both playing at a high level.

Prediction: Atlanta 24 Carolina 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Miami Dolphins

You may have heard that the hapless Bucs are no longer winless, and that news may have you itching to pick them against the 3-5 Dolphins. But if you are feeling the urge to jump on the Buccaneer bandwagon, please proceed with caution. Despite leading Tampa Bay to their first win of the year, rookie quarterback Josh Freeman looked lost at times last week. He only completed 1 of 10 passes when he lined up under center, a tendency that will make it easier for Miami to scheme against their interstate rivals. Tampa Bay's 30^th ranked rush defense will not be able to slow down the Dolphins rushing attack, and the end result will be a slow demoralizing loss for the Buccaneers.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 14 Miami 28

Detroit Lions v Minnesota Vikings

Many of Brett Favre's naysayers will tell you that his production will inevitably decline in the second half of the season. While that may be true, I just don't see it happening this week against a Lions secondary giving up 263 yards per game. After their Week 9 bye Favre and the Vikings will be well rested, and should able to put up a lot of points against Detroit.

If the Lions are going to keep up with Minnesota it will have to happen through the air. Matthew Stafford is only completing 53% of his passes, but he and wide out Calvin Johnson give Detroit a big play threat and they will need to play well if the Lions are going to win. Running back Kevin Smith has struggled in this year, and he has only had one 100 yard rushing game all season. His second one will not come against Minnesota's sixth ranked rush defense, and neither will the Lion's second win.

Prediction: Detroit 14 Minnesota 34

Jacksonville Jaguars v New York Jets

Jacksonville will most likely look to emphasize the pass against New York's 2^nd ranked pass defense. Maurice Jones-Drew should have success running against a Kris Jenkins-less Jets defense, but that won't be enough to get Jacksonville a win against New York. The Jaguars are making the transition to a 4-3 defense after starting the season with a 3-4 alignment. The switch means that some members of Jacksonville's front seven will be playing out of position, which should mean a big day on the ground for New York's top ranked rush offense. Unless rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez completely implodes, this should be a Jets win.

Prediction: Jacksonville 21 New York 24

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers

I know most of you are probably more interested in watching Buffalo take on the Titans, but in my estimation this will be the best game during the 1 PM EST slot. These teams are ranked 1^st and 2^nd in rush defense, so don't expect a lot of big plays via the running game. The winner of this game will be decided by throwing the football. Ben Rothlisberger and the Steelers have already shown the ability to spread people out and move the ball through the air, something Cincinnati has not had much success doing this year. Rothlisberger is currently the 4^th highest rated passer in the league, and I think he will do just enough against the Bengals' 24^th ranked pass defense to get Pittsburgh the win.

Prediction: Cincinnati 20 Pittsburgh 21

The preview will continue after the jump...

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More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

8 days ago: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown (25) celebrates with safety Dashon Goldson (38) after a 51-yard interception return on a pass thrown by Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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The game wasn't pretty, and despite 5 interceptions, the San Francisco 49ers hung on for a 4-point win over the struggling Chicago Bears.  Michael Lewis intercepted Jay Cutler to end the Bears scary comeback drive with just seconds remaining on the clock.  If San Francisco can take one thing away from this game, it is a "W".  The team converted 5 INTs into just 10 points, and the defense kept everyone on the edge of their seats during the final drive.  Cutler had the Bears marching after Dre Bly's Illegal Contact penalty gave the Bears a fresh set of downs.

The Bears began their march, by heading backwards, being penalized 25 yards total in the next two plays.  Fifteen of those penalty yards came after a 12-yard catch by Matt Forte, which put the Bears back into a 2nd and long situation.  Cutler briefly took over, completing 3 passes to Devin Hester (28 yards), 2 passes to Forte (32 yards), and 3 passes to three separate receivers to get the Bears deep inside 49ers territory at the 12-yard line.  On First and Ten, Cutler over threw Greg Olsen in the end zone, leading to second down.  It was then, that Strong Safety Michael Lewis stepped up in front of Olsen and intercepting the pass to finish the Bears off completely.  A collective sigh of relief was heard through out Niners Nation. 

After all, it was Greg Olsen that was giving the 49ers problems much of the contest, catching 7 passes for 75 yards.  Matt Forte finished as the Bears leading receiver, with 8 catches for 120 yards.  Cutler finished 29 of 52 for 307 yards, with 5 interceptions (I'll discuss those more in a minute).  The San Francisco defense did a great job in shutting down the Bears for much of the game, especially against the run.  The Bears struggled to gain just 43 rushing yards, and 85 of Cutler's passing yards came on the final drive.  Chicago also didn't score in the red zone, attributed to Jay Cutlers 2 INTs inside the 49ers 20 yard line.  Until the final drive, the 49ers didn't bend much at all, and eventually broke the Bears' back.

After the jump, Cutler's INTs in more detail, and a recap on the 49ers performance on both sides of the ball...

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by Keith Srakocic - AP

Percy Harvin (12) has made an immediate impact on the Minnesota Vikings. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Since this week marks the halfway point in the season, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of this year's crop of first round picks. We all know how much money NFL teams spend on their first round picks and making the wrong choice can really set a franchise back. Conversely, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have shown that drafting well is the best way to be successful in the NFL. So what teams are getting a good early return on their first round investments?

QB Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) - The 5^th overall pick has certainly had his share of ups and downs during his short stay with the New York Jets, but overall he has been fairly effective. If you take out two dismal performances against the Saints and the Bills, Sanchez has posted a quarterback rating of over 80 in every game this season. The USC alum has the Jets in second place in the AFC East, and if he has a strong second-half they could sneak into the playoffs. Obviously Sanchez has benefited greatly from New York's running game and he has not yet shown the ability to win a game with his arm. But more often than not he has been able to effectively manage the game and give the Jets a chance to win, and that's all you can realistically ask of a rookie quarterback.

WR Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) - Despite the fact that Crabtree missed the first five games of the season and has yet to score a touchdown, there is no denying his impact on San Francisco's offense. Since the arrival of Crabtree, the 49ers have started to open things up a little bit more and shown the ability to move the ball with the passing game now that Alex Smith is back at quarterback. With the additions of Crabtree and Smith, San Francisco now has the ability to spread the defense out and attack through the air, something they weren't able to do during the beginning of the season. While it remains to be seen whether or not the 49er's new look offense will be able to reverse the club's fortunes, San Francisco has shown a commitment to getting Michael Crabtree the ball and I think that bodes very well for the second half of the season.

DE Brian Orakpo (Washington Redskins) - In a year that has been marred by disappointment, rookie defensive end Brian Orakpo has been one of the lone bright spots for the Redskins. The former Texas Longhorn has lined up at both strong side linebacker and defensive end this season, and while he is still adjusting to rushing the passer from his linebacker position, Orakpo leads all rookies with 5.5 sacks. He has also logged 26 tackles and a pass breakup. A lot of people felt that San Francisco might draft Orakpo to help improve their meager pass rush, but they passed on him when Crabtree was still available. Had he been drafted by the 49ers, his 5.5 sacks would lead the team. But, he is in Washington and I expect him to continue to improve as he gets more and more comfortable in the second half of the season.

We look at a few more rookies after the jump...

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Although their were some upsets, we're looking at you 49ers and Packers, week 9 saw favored teams winning and the dogs losing.  Even when the dogs jumped out to early leads, the better teams righted the ship and showed why they're the best.  So let's start with the game that was for supremicy in the NFC East.

Cowboys 20, Eagles 16

At the end of last season the Eagles and Cowboys met in a do or die game that would decide who would go to the playoffs and who would go home.  The Eagles crushed the Cowboys 44-6 and went on to play in the NFC championship game before losing to the Cardinals.  This game, while not quite do or die, was still important for deciding who would be in the drivers seat for the NFC East crown going into the second half of the season.  By beating the Eagles on their own field, the Cowboys were able to get a small measure of revenge.  Tony Romo completed 21 of 34 passes for 307 yards, including a go ahead 49 yard TD to Miles Austin.  Austin, not wanting a repeat of his failed goal post dunk from last week, took the safer route of just throwing the ball into the stands.  For the Eagles, rookie Moise Fokou made his first start of the season a memorable one, but for wrong reasons.  Trailing 10-6, Ellis Hobbs of the Eagles returned a second half kickoff 96 yards for a TD.  However, it was called back because of a holding penalty by Fokou.  Returning to the bench after the penalty, Fokou waved to fans who he thought were shouting out his name.  An embarrassed teammate had to tell him they were shouting something different.

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Happy Friday everyone and welcome to our Week 9 preview! This week's preview will be slightly abbreviated compared to past editions, but it will still have all the same information and format. As far as the games go, I'm looking forward to the Miami v New England game. These teams have two of the more interesting offenses in the NFL and it should be a close, exciting game.

Sunday and Monday night both feature interesting match ups as well, with Dallas going to Philadelphia on Sunday and Pittsburgh visiting Denver on Monday night. The Cowboys and Eagles almost always play good games, and we will get to see how the Broncos respond to their first loss of the season. So as you can see there is plenty to look forward to this weekend, now on with the preview.

Byes: Bills, Browns, Vikings, Jets, Raiders, Rams

Sunday 1 PM EST

Washington Redskins v. Atlanta Falcons - Georgia Dome

The 2-5 Washington Redskins travel to Atlanta to face a Falcon's team still reeling from a tough loss to New Orleans last week. Atlanta has to be disappointed after losing two consecutive games for the first time under Mike Smith, but the entire season has been a disappointment for Washington. Struggles on their offensive line have mired their entire offense in ineptitude. An inability to protect the quarterback has limited them to a mere 296 yards per game. The Redskins are tied for 5^th in the league having allowed 23 sacks this year.

The Falcons' offense has not been playing well either as of late. In his last three games, quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown 7 interceptions. Fortunately for Ryan, he may be able to rely on running back Michael Turner to carry the team. Turner is coming off his best game of the season after rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown last week against the Saints. If he can have success against the Redskins' 22^nd ranked run defense, the Falcons should be able to win this one at home.

Score: Washington 10 Atlanta 24

Arizona Cardinals v. Chicago Bears - Soldier Field

The Cardinals are coming off a disappointing home loss to the Panthers. Arizona has been inconsistent all season, but they have played better on the road than at home. They have already matched last season's number of road victories with three. If the visiting Cardinals are going to get another win on the road, they will need improved play from their quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner matched his career high with 5 interceptions against Carolina in Week 8, and he also lost a fumble. So far this season his yards per attempt (y/a) is down by almost 1 y/a, from 7.7 y/a last season to 6.8 y/a now. Warner may also be without one of his top playmakers if wide receiver Anquan Boldin is forced to sit out with his ankle injury.

Warner's counterpart, Jay Cutler, has made poor decisions at times. He has thrown eleven touchdowns but also has eleven interceptions. Chicago needs running back Matt Forte to rebound from his slow start and take some of the pressure off of Cutler. Forte had a strong game last week against Cleveland, running for 90 yards and two touchdowns. He will look to continue that success in Week 9 against a Cardinal run defense that gave up 270 rushing yards last week to Carolina. If Chicago is able to win the turnover battle I think they can win this game at home.

Prediction: Arizona 24 Chicago 28

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More photos » by David Duprey - AP

Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills have not had much to smile about this season. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

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If you've been paying attention, you've probably heard a lot of talk about the teams that have overachieved this year. One oft cited example is the Denver Broncos, who have exceeded everyone's expectations by starting 6-0 before losing to Baltimore last week. Many individual players have had surprising starts as well, for instance Cedric "formerly known as a bust" Benson, who ranks fourth in the league with 720 rushing yards.

What about the other end of the spectrum? Who are the teams and players that have been a disappointment so far this year? Sure there are the Tennessee Titans, who after last year's playoff run started this season 0-6. But surely they are not the only ones struggling to live up to their own hype. Here, in no particular order, are my top three disappointments of the 2009 NFL season.

Terrell Owens - Owens has been one of the league's biggest superstars throughout most of his career. Before arriving in Buffalo he had played on three different NFL teams, and at every stop along the way he brought big plays, drama, and antics. He was always is the news, but Terrell has become largely invisible this season.

The Bills signed Owens to a one year $6.5 million contract in the off-season. They hoped the acquisition of one of the league's top playmakers would make them more dynamic on offense, and take some of the pressure off their younger players. But the offense has remained stagnant and by some measures may even be worse than last year's group. Buffalo's offense averaged 5.9 net yards per attempt (NY/A) in 2008, 22^nd in the league. However, since the addition of Owens the Bills have regressed to 5 NY/A.

Certainly Terrell is not the only one at fault for Buffalo's struggles, his quarterback Trent Edwards is also to blame, but his production has dropped precipitously. At age 35, the 14 year veteran is 2^nd among active players with 143 career touchdowns. But Owens only has one touchdown this year, a catch in Week 2 against Tampa Bay. His 281 receiving yards rank him 69^th in the league, and he has only caught 23 passes at this point in the season. What do you think the future holds for Terrell if he does not improve in the second half of the year?

Larry Johnson - Remember a couple of years ago when Larry Johnson was thought of by some as the best pure runner in the NFL? The former Nittany Lion ran for over 1,700 yards in '05 and '06, but his production has dropped to a career low this year. In seven games the 2-time Pro Bowler has rushed for only 358 yards on 132 attempts, a career low 3.2 yards per attempt. He has not scored a touchdown this season.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about Johnson hasn't been his struggles on the field, but his recent comments which included the use of gay slurs. Such language is ignorant and hurtful, and it's disappointing to hear anybody using words like that. The fact that Larry Johnson is a public figure only makes it worse. While nothing he did was illegal, Larry has been arrested four times since being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003 and this latest incident has some fans calling for his release.

Larry Johnson was once regarded as one of the most promising players in the NFL, but his career has now become mired in controversy. At only 29 years of age he could still return to Pro Bowl form, but it is unclear if and when he will get an opportunity to continue his career. Do you think Johnson should be allowed to continue his career? If so, do you think he will regain his former success?

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