College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

It’s the second straight edition of Thursday night football as the Miami Dolphins (4-5) are in Carolina to take on the Panthers (4-5). These teams are very similar. They have the same record, they love to run the ball and they play punishing defence. Also both teams are coming off big wins in week 10. Miami jumped out to a big lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and held on at the end to win 25-23. The Dolphins got a balanced running attack from explosive backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. Williams ran for over a hundred and Brown had 82 and a touchdown. What makes this duo so tough is that they’re good in a conventional offence and even deadlier in the wildcat formation. Yesterday the Dolphins were dealt some bad news. Brown is gone for the rest of the season with a foot injury. It’s the second time in three seasons he has dealt with an injury that cost him the remainder of the season. Brown is the focal point in Miami’s wildcat so it will be interesting to see how they adapt. Rookie Lex Hilliard takes his spot in the line up. Carolina is another team that relies on two very good running backs. The Panthers beat their division rivals Atlanta Falcons last week 28-19 thanks to the running of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. This duo combined for 174 yards on the ground and Stewart had two touchdowns. Carolina also got a boast from the return of 14-year veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad. Atlanta chose to double team wide out Steve Smith, so Muhammad had single coverage for most of the game and pulled in 6 catches for 91 yards. It’s a toss up who’s going to win this game, but one thing is for sure – if you like the ground game, this is one game you won’t want to miss.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

This one has been two years in the making, but finally tonight Michael Vick will make his return to the NFL as his new team the Philadelphia Eagles host the Jacksonville Jaguars in preseason action tonight. I know it’s only preseason, but this is big. For anyone that has lived under a rock for the last couple for years Vick has been in prison serving a two year sentence for his involvement in a dog fighting ring. Eagle’s coach Andy Reid has said that his opening day starters should play three quarters of tonight’s battle so Vick’s playing time at quarterback may be very limited. That being said you can be sure that Reid has a couple tricks up his sleeve when it comes to using Vick. There are numerous Wildcat formation possibilities, using him as a receiver or running back and maybe even having him return punts and kick offs. Imagine lining up on defence and seeing both Donovan McNabb and Vick in the backfield. How do you cover? Who’s throwing the ball? Even though Vick cannot return to regular season play until week six his presence in the Eagle’s lineup could make his team of the toughest to defend in the entire NFL.