On Tuesday the Falcons announced that they have extended the contracts of receiver Michael Jenkins and defensive tackle Jonathon Babineaux. Jenkins signed a four-year, $20 million extension to stay with the only team he?s ever played for; Babineaux signed a five-year extension. ?We?re excited and pleased to extend the contracts of Falcons players who have made significant contributions to the overall success of our football team,? Falcons' GM Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. ?Michael and Jonathan are both team guys who work hard on and off the field and are both very productive on Sundays.?

Michael Vick pleaded guilty Tuesday to a state dogfighting charge in Virginia, a step that could make him eligible for early release from prison. "I want to apologize to the court, my family, and to all the kids who looked up to me as a role model," Vick told the judge. Vick is serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth, Kan., for a federal dogfighting conviction. He's scheduled for release on July 20, 2009, and will serve three years' probation.

The NCAA says the men's basketball Final Four will be played at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington in 2014. Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, will host the 2016 Final Four. The 2012 Final Four will be played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, with finals also awarded to Atlanta's Georgia Dome in 2013 and the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2015.

Michael Vick expects to return to pro football, according to his bankruptcy attorneys who laid out a plan to pay creditors based in part on his anticipated earnings. "The Debtor has every reason to believe that upon his release, he will be reinstated into the NFL, resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living," Vick's attorneys wrote in a disclosure statement filed before a hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Norfolk. The former Atlanta Falcons star is serving a 23-month sentence in a federal penitentiary for bankrolling a dogfighting ring in rural Virginia and is scheduled to be released on July 20.

The scoreboard is where games are officially won and lost, but they are largely decided by the team that wins the battles of yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards lost, first downs, and turnovers. For this reason, I created the following formula called the ?Trench Counter? to look at which team truly controls the game: (2x Yards per pass) + (2x Yards per carry) + (.5 First downs) - (Penalty yards/10) - (2.5 Turnovers) - (Opposing Team's Trench Counter) Click here for more information on the Trench Counter For the 2008 season, our weekly team rankings will be based solely off this formula. 1. New York Giants: 9.5 The Giants are easily leading the NFL in yard differential per game with a mark of 109.9. Second on this list are the Redskins, who average a differential of 33.7 fewer yards. 2. Philadelphia Eagles: 7.3 It is extremely easy to find fault in the late game running calls by Andy Reid. 3. Atlanta Falcons: 6.1 I highly doubt the Falcons would be the third best team in the NFL if we ran a simulator on 100 games, but any team will improve dramatically in one offseason when an All-Pro quarterback and running back are added. 4. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6.1 The Steelers have accumulated 34 sacks this season and got to Peyton Manning twice on Sunday. Offensively, though, they have also given up 31 sacks. 5. Washington Redskins: 6.0 The Redskins are a troublesome 23rd in third down conversion and will have an even tougher time converting against the Cowboys this week if they are without a healthy Clinton Portis. 6. Baltimore Ravens: 5.3 The Ravens absolutely needed to beat Houston on Sunday, as they must play all four NFC East teams, plus Pittsburgh and Jacksonville over their final seven games. Rex Ryan believes Ray Lewis is playing the best football of his career, and it's difficult to disagree with that assessment. 7. Tennessee Titans: 5.1 Kerry Collins and the Tennessee offensive line have given up just five sacks all season long. 8. Miami Dolphins: 5.0 The Dolphins are +10 in the takeaway department this season. 9. New York Jets: 4.4 Thomas Jones is one touchdown away from matching his career high in touchdowns that he set back in 2005 with Chicago. 10. Arizona Cardinals: 4.4 The Cardinals grossly outplayed San Francisco on Monday, but they were still just one or two more Frank Gore yards away from a loss. 11. Minnesota Vikings: 3.9 The Vikings are rushing for 1.4 more yards per carry than they are allowing on defense. 12. Carolina Panthers: 3.9 Wins are infrequent for a team with a quarterback who has a 12.3 rating as Jake Delhomme had at Oakland. 13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2.6 The Buccaneers could possibly get a talent boost in their backfield if Cadillac Williams is able to return from his knee injury. 14. Chicago Bears: 2.3 The Bears proved they could stop Tennessee's running game, but their corners were unable to stop Justin Gage and Brandon Jones. 15. New England Patriots: 1.9 How will the loss of Adalius Thomas hurt a Patriots' defense that has given up fewer than 13 points per game over the past four weeks? 16. Dallas Cowboys: 0.4 The lack of discipline of the Cowboys shows in the fact that they lead the NFL in penalties with 71. Is this something Wade Phillips corrected during a bye week that had to be about more than just getting healthy? 17. San Diego Chargers: 0.2 The Chargers are perhaps the most mysterious team in the NFL, and one answer to their inconsistency is that they are 24 in average yard differential per game. 18. Green Bay Packers: -0.8 Will Blackmon's punt return for a TD against the Vikings was one of the most spectacular in recent memory, but it will now be lost beyond the Adrian Peterson fueled comeback. 19. Indianapolis Colts: -0.9 The Colts are still last in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 69.2. 20. New Orleans Saints: -0.9 The Saints have alternated wins and losses during their past seven games, and with Kansas City this week, the trend is likely to continue. 21. Buffalo Bills: -1.5 The Bills are now 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per game and yards per rush. 22. Jacksonville Jaguars: -1.9 Maurice Jones-Drew accomplished the rare feat of scoring three TD's in the same quarter during their win at the winless Lions. 23. Houston Texans: -2.3 Andre Johnson caught only seven balls for 66 yards against Baltimore after he had four straight 100-yard games during the month of October. 24. Denver Broncos: -2.7 Denver's injuries in the backfield has led them back to Tatum Bell. 25. San Francisco 49ers: -3.6 Even the 49ers are getting in on the 'Wildcat' formation, as they tried it twice against Arizona. 26. Cleveland Browns: -5.6 With Brady Quinn throwing nothing deep, Braylon Edwards might be the guy Cleveland should look to deal this offeseaon, not Kellen Winslow. 27. Kansas City Chiefs: -5.9 The Chiefs' defense has allowed a first down in third down opportunities better than 50% of the time. 28. Seattle Seahawks: -5.9 The Seahawks are one of four teams (Kansas City, Detroit, and St. Louis being the others) that allow more than 100 yards per game than they accumulate. 29. Cincinnati Bengals: -8.7 After the bye, will Ryan Fitzpatrick improve upon a decent showing versus Jacksonville in the Bengals' first win of the season? 30. Detroit Lions: -10.1 More snaps for Drew Stanton should be on the docket for Detroit as they still search for a win. 31. Oakland Raiders: -10.1 The Raiders have converted a mere 22.4% of their third down opportunities and were 2-17 on Sunday against Carolina. 32. St. Louis Rams: -13.3 After beating the Redskins and Cowboys in consecutive weeks, the Rams now have a three-game losing streak in which they have been outscored 104-32.

Chances are you saw a majority of the thirteen games played on Sunday in the NFL's Week Nine, but there is no need to worry if you weren't watching all the action. RealGM is here to help summarize all that went down as NFL teams took the field in the first weekend of November. We will also calculate each team's Trench Counter*. Tennessee 19, Green Bay 16 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Titans +5, Packers -5 The Tennessee Titans (8-0) are still perfect after defeating the Green Bay Packers (4-4) in overtime at LP Field on Sunday. Kerry Collins went 18-for-37 with 180 yards in the victory, while Chris Johnson and LenDale White combined for 166 rushing yards and a touchdown. Johnson, who scored, also caught six passes for 72 yards against the Packers. Tennessee sacked Aaron Rodgers four times and forced a fumble (by Rodgers) as they kept their strong start intact. Rodgers went 22-for-41 with 314 yards, one touchdown and interception in the loss. Donald Driver was the recipient of seven passes from Rodgers for 136 yards and a score. Ryan Grant also had one of his better performances this season, rushing for 86 yards on twenty carries against the Titans? tough run defense. Rod Bironas missed a 47-yard field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the game, but redeemed himself after Tennessee won the toss and charged downfield on the first possession of the extra period to set up a successful 41-yard attempt. Arizona 34, St. Louis 13 Team Trench Counter: Cardinals +24, Rams -24 Kurt Warner was excellent once again as the Arizona Cardinals (5-3) maintained their lead in the NFC West on Sunday with a win over the St. Louis Rams (2-6). Warner went 23-for-34 with 342 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinals scored 24 points in the second quarter after the Rams took an early 7-0 lead on an 80-yard pass from Marc Bulger to Derek Stanley. Tim Hightower tallied 109 yards and a touchdown on twenty-two carries, while disgruntled runner Edgerrin James failed to even rush once. Anquan Boldin (85 yards and a touchdown) and Larry Fitzgerald (six catches for 81 yards) led Arizona in receiving. Bulger struggled, going 16-for-33 with 186 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and a lost fumble as well in the loss. Steven Jackson, who took the field despite a thigh injury, had just 17 yards on seven carries. Bulger led the team in rushing, with 32 yards, as Antonio Pittman (10 carries for 12 yards) had difficulty running as well. Torry Holt, who complained prior to Week Nine about his touches, caught six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in defeat. Minnesota 28, Houston 21 Team Trench Counter: Vikings +10.4, Texans -10.4 The Minnesota Vikings (4-4) used a strong second quarter to beat the Houston Texans (3-5) on Sunday and end the team?s first three-game win streak in their history. Gus Frerotte went 11-for-18 with 182 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Adrian Peterson had success on the ground, rushing twenty-five times for 139 yards and a trip to the end zone. Bernard Berrian (two catches for 104 yards), Vinsanthe Shiancoe (one catches for 25 yards) and Sidney Rice (one catches for 8 yards) were the recipients of Frerotte?s touchdown strikes. Sage Rosenfels, who took over for Matt Schaub after a knee injury, went 21-for-29 with 224 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Rookie Steve Slaton had 62 yards against Minnesota?s stout rush defense, but Houston stayed in contention thanks to the pair of second half touchdowns that Rosenfels tossed. Owen Daniels led the Texans in receiving with eleven catches for 133 yards, while Andre Johnson grabbed four balls for 62 yards and a score. Tampa Bay 30, Kansas City 27 (OT) Team Trench Counter: Buccaneers -8.3, Chiefs +8.3 The Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) rushed out to an early lead, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime and steal a victory at Arrowhead Stadium. Jeff Garcia went 31-for-43 with 339 yards, one touchdown and an interception, while running back Earnest Graham tossed a 3-yard touchdown to Alex Smith early in the third period. Antonio Bryant, who has emerged as Tampa Bay?s leading receiver, caught eight passes for 115 yards and a score. Graham added 62 rushing yards on nineteen carries in the win. Tyler Thigpen played well in multiple roles for the Chiefs, going 14-for-25 with 164 yards and a touchdown in the close loss. He also lined up as a receiver and caught a 37-yard scoring strike from receiver Mark Bradley in the second quarter that briefly gave Kansas City a 21-3 lead over Tampa Bay. Jamaal Charles had 106 rushing yards for the Chiefs, who were without Larry Johnson (inactive) and lost Kolby Smith (46 yards and a touchdown) to a knee injury in the second quarter. Baltimore 37, Cleveland 27 Team Trench Counter: Ravens +15.2, Browns -15.2 The Baltimore Ravens (5-3) scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to come-from-behind and knock off the Cleveland Browns (3-5) in Ohio on Sunday. Joe Flacco went 17-for-29 with 248 yards and two touchdowns and fellow rookie Ray Rice exploded for 154 rushing yards on twenty-one carries in the victory. Derrick Mason continued to be Flacco?s favorite target, catching nine passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, a key 28-yard strike early in the fourth quarter. The Browns had the ball down 30-27 with less than four minutes to play, but Terrell Suggs sealed the victory for the Ravens with a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown at the 2:43 mark. Derek Anderson went 17-for-33 with 219 yards, two touchdowns and the aforementioned interception in the loss. Jamal Lewis was limited by his former team?s defense, rushing for just 49 yards on nineteen carries. Braylon Edwards scored just his third touchdown of the season, a 28-yard completion in the third quarter that gave Cleveland a 20-13 lead. Cincinnati 21, Jacksonville 19 Team Trench Counter: Bengals +6.4, Jaguars -6.4 The Cincinnati Bengals (1-8) earned their first victory of the season on Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-5) despite a strong comeback attempt by Jack Del Rio?s crew in the fourth quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 21-for-31 with 162 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Bengals, who also got 104 yards and a rushing score from Cedric Benson. Chad ?Ocho Cinco? Johnson caught a pair of touchdowns from Fitzpatrick in the first half and finished with 37 yards on five catches. David Garrard went 23-for-38 with 229 yards and an interception, and sixteen of Jacksonville?s points came in the final fifteen minutes. Josh Scobee kicked a 26-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth, and Montell Owens returned a fumbled kickoff 18 yards for a touchdown to cut Cincinnati?s lead to 21-13 heading into the final twelve minutes. Maurice Jones-Drew then found the end zone with less than two minutes left to give Jacksonville a chance to tie the game, but Garrard?s pass to Jerry Porter on the 2-point conversion was unsuccessful. Chicago 27, Detroit 23 Team Trench Counter: Bears +6.3, Lions -6.3 The Chicago Bears (5-3) kept the Detroit Lions (0-8) from recording their first win of the season on Sunday at Soldier Field thanks to a late 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Rex Grossman. Kyle Orton, who went 8-for-14 with 108 yards, left with an ankle injury and was replaced by Grossman, who helped lead the team to a comeback victory with a touchdown through the air and on the ground. Rookie Matt Forte had 126 yards on twenty-two carries, helping the Bears control field position after 23 points were scored by the Lions in the second quarter. Dan Orlovsky, perhaps making his last start for Detroit with Daunte Culpepper signed, rallied from a first quarter interception to finish 28-for-47 with 292 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of turnovers. Kevin Smith rushed fourteen times for 37 yards and a score, while Calvin Johnson (eight catches for 94 yards) and Shaun McDonald (six catches for 65 yards) benefited from Orlovsky?s scoring throws. The Lions are now the NFL?s only winless team, and will face the Jacksonville, Carolina and Tampa Bay in the coming weeks. N.Y. Jets 26, Buffalo 17 Team Trench Counter: Jets +8.5, Bills -8.5 Brett Favre had more interceptions than touchdowns for the fourth-straight week, but the New York Jets (5-3) were still able to win their second consecutive game against the Buffalo Bills (5-3) on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Favre went 19-for-28 with 201 yards and an interception, but the Jets? running backs and defense picked up the slack. Thomas Jones had 107 total yards and a touchdown and Leon Washington added 125 all-purpose yards in the victory. Safety Abram Elam returned an interception 92 yards in the first quarter to give the Jets a 13-7 edge. Trent Edwards went 24-for-35 with 289 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss, Buffalo?s third in their last four games. Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson both struggled on the ground for the Bills, combining for just 31 yards on sixteen carries. Edwards was sacked five times, but Buffalo?s defense was only able to get to Favre once. Through nine weeks of action, all four AFC East teams are either at, or above, the .500 mark. Miami 26, Denver 17 Team Trench Counter: Dolphins +14.9, Broncos -14.9 The Miami Dolphins (4-4) crawled back to the .500 mark on Sunday after knocking off the Denver Broncos (4-4) at Invesco Field. Chad Pennington went 23-for-40 with 281 yards and an interception, while Ronnie Brown and the defense took care of the rest. Brown had 89 total yards and a touchdown, and cornerback Will Allen returned an interception 32 yards in the first quarter as Miami took an early 13-0 lead over Denver. Jay Cutler struggled early on, but rebounded to go 24-for-46 with 306 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The Broncos managed just 13 rushing yards on twelve attempts in the loss as Cutler was forced to sling the ball around due to their early deficit. Fullback Peyton Hillis caught seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown and rookie Eddie Royal added seven catches for 69 yards and a score. The Broncos have lost three-straight games after opening the season with a record of 4-1. Philadelphia 26, Seattle 7 Team Trench Counter: Eagles +6.4, Seahawks -6.4 The Seattle Seahawks (2-6) scored a touchdown on their first offensive play of the game, but never scored again as the Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) tightened up on defense and won their third-straight game. Donovan McNabb went 28-for-43 with 349 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and Brian Westbrook added 106 total yards in the win. After allowing the Seahawks to score on their first play, Philadelphia shut Seneca Wallace and Co. out and recorded four sacks. Tight end Brent Celek, playing in place of the injured L.J. Smith, caught six passes for a career-high 131 yards. Wallace went 13-for-29 with 169 yards and a touchdown, a 90-yard connection with Koren Robinson, and Maurice Morris and Julius Jones combined for 84 yards in the loss. Seattle punted in eleven of their thirteen possessions, with eleven-straight bridging their opening touchdown and the end of the game. Atlanta 24, Oakland 0 Team Trench Counter: Falcons +31.3, Raiders -31.3 The Atlanta Falcons (5-3) absolutely dominated the Oakland Raiders (2-6) on Sunday in every facet of the game. Matt Ryan went 17-for-22 with 220 yards and two touchdowns, while Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood got plenty of work with the Falcons taking a 24-0 lead into halftime. Turner rushed thirty-one times for 139 yards and Norwood added 63 yards and a touchdown on thirteen attempts in the win. Michael Jenkins led the team in receiving with two catches for 64 yards and two scores. John Abraham had three sacks in the game and forced a fumble as well. JaMarcus Russell struggled mightily, going 6-for-19 with just 31 yards and an interception. He also turned the ball over on a lost fumble, while rushing for 46 yards on just two carries. Justin Fargas and Michael Bush combined for just 21 yards on the ground on nine attempts. Bush was Oakland?s leading receiver with three catches for 15 yards. The Raiders went 3-and-out on six of their ten drives, and had no possession that lasted longer than five plays or three minutes. N.Y. Giants 35, Dallas 14 Team Trench Counter: N.Y. Giants +13.4, Cowboys -13.4 Eli Manning led the New York Giants (7-1) to a big divisional win over the struggling Dallas Cowboys (5-4) on Sunday in New Jersey. Manning went 16-for-27 with 147 yards, three touchdowns and one interception (and two lost fumbles). Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward joined in on the fun as well, combining for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Kevin Boss (three catches for 30 yards), Steve Smith (five catches for 29 yards) and Amani Toomer (two catches for 29 yards) all caught touchdown passes from Manning in the win. Brad Johnson went 5-for-11 with 71 yards and two interceptions before being pulled in favor of Brooks Bollinger, who then went 9-for-16 with 63 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the loss. Marion Barber didn?t enjoy much success against the Giants either, rushing for 54 yards on nineteen carries. Terrell Owens had five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, and was the lone offensive star for the Cowboys, who have lost three of their last four games. Indianapolis 18, New England 15 Team Trench Counter: Colts +6.6, Patriots -6.6 The Indianapolis Colts (4-4) beat the New England Patriots (5-3) in a dogfight at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday night. Peyton Manning went 21-for-29 with 254 yards and two touchdowns, as the Colts were ineffective on the ground. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for just 47 yards on twenty-one carries in the win. Anthony Gonzalez was on the receiving end of both Manning touchdown passes, while Reggie Wayne (five catches for 65 yards) and Dallas Clark (four catches for 63 yards) helped move the ball downfield. Matt Cassel went 25-for-34 with 204 yards and an interception for the Patriots, who leaned heavily on running backs Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Faulk rushed for 60 yards on ten carries and Green-Ellis added 57 yards and a touchdown on fifteen attempts. Randy Moss led New England with six catches for 65 yards, but lost a fumble as well. Bill Belichick used up all of his timeouts with more than eleven minutes left, forcing the Pats to go for it on fourth down near midfield with a little more than four minutes remaining. They would force a punt by the Colts, but with less than a minute on the clock and no timeouts, they couldn't get downfield effectively. Pittsburgh 23, Washington 6 Team Trench Counter: Steelers +7.9, Redskins -7.9 The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Redskins (6-3) soundly at FedEx Field on Monday night. Ben Roethlisberger, who went 5-for-17 with 50 yards, an interception and a 1-yard touchdown rush, was replaced by Byron Leftwich in the second half after an apparent injury to his right shoulder. Leftwich excelled, going 7-for-10 with 129 yards and a touchdown in relief. Willie Parker, returning from a lingering knee injury, had 70 yards and a score in the win. Jason Campbell struggled mightily for the first time this season, going 24-for-43 with 206 yards and two interceptions. Clinton Portis had 124 total yards, but couldn't reach the end zone as Washington's only points came on back-to-back field goals by Shaun Suisham in the opening minutes of the game. The Steelers sacked Campbell seven times and held Portis to his lowest rushing total of the season. *Explaining The Trench Counter