Wow! What is there to say about this 62-7 embarrassment that hasn’t already been said? Drew Brees pretty much does whatever he wants to do with the football, and Sunday night’s snoozer against the Colts epitomized that. Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston. It’s unfair. The Colts? They’re pathetic.
Jaguars / Ravens
Speaking of pathetic, what a shitty showing by the Ravens offense. The Jacksonville Jaguars held you to 0 first half first downs. How do you not even accidently get one first half first down? The Ravens defense showed up, forcing a MJD fumble on seemingly every other carry, but they were upstaged by their Jaguar counterparts. I know this is the NFL and anyone can beat anyone, but that was absolutely ridiculous.
Falcons / Lions
Atlanta turned in a solid performance and looks to have avoided a major injury to Matt Ryan. They’re off this week and have a bye the following week in Indy. That’s two home losses in a row for the Lions. Stafford’s a little dinged up, and they’re heading to Denver, a place that’s never a cake walk for visitors.
Cowboys / Rams
Welcome to the NFL DeMarco Murray. Showing how easy it is to play in the NFL, Murray took his first carry of the game 91 yards for a the tone setting score. The rookie ended up with 253 yards on the day, breaking Emmitt Smith’s franchise single game rushing record. How Dez Bryant isn’t catching at least 8 passes for over 100 yards every game is beyond me. With his talent, he needs to see double digit targets weekly. I’m eager to see which Cowboys team shows up in Philly this Sunday night.
Packers / Vikings
Aaron Rodgers is unshakeable. You can’t watch him play without coming away impressed with the control he exerts over the offense and how smoothly he consistently leads his team down the field. I’m still waiting for James Starks to have that signature game where he really separates from Ryan Grant. It’s coming. Sure he got real familiar with Charles Woodson a couple of times, but you had to come away from that game impressed with Christian Ponder. They’re a substantially more threatening offense with him under center, and with teams now needing to respect the passing game beyond 15 yards, Adrian Peterson was able to do a lot more damage. See his 175 yards on 24 carries. Jared Allen continues to dominate. He now has 11.5 sacks in just 7 games.
Texans / Titans
I really didn’t see that ass kicking coming. Without their best weapon on both sides of the ball, the Texans went into Tennessee and laid a whooping on the Titans. Arian Foster totaled 234 yards from scrimmage on the day, smashing Chris Johnson’s pathetic 45 in a matchup of showcase backs. Matt Schaub was nearly flawless, and Matt Hasselbeck threw for a ridiculous 3.5 yards per attempt. Four Texans receivers tallied more yards than Tennessee’s top receiver. Houston looks to be back on track with three very winnable games ahead – v. JAX, v. CLE, and @ TB, while Tennessee is fading badly. How they play these next two weeks v. IND and v. CIN will say a lot about this team’s heart.
Jets / Chargers
There was a Shonn Greene sighting in this one. It was his first 100 yard game in over a year, so I’m not buying just yet. Sanchez again did just enough to not lose the game. After sitting out this week, the Jets will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in a matchup to keep pace with New England. If the Chargers want to be taken seriously, they need to win games like this. Something tells me San Diego is going to lose at Kansas City on MNF. Philip Rivers doesn’t look right, but he says he’s not hurt. Stay tuned.
Bears / Bucs
The comeback was nice and all, but a narrow loss is a loss. Here’s some Buccaneer word association:
Josh Freeman = sloppy, indecisive
Kregg Lumpkin = ineffective
Adrian Clayborn = improving
Rush offense = non-existent
Rush defense = more non-existent
Jackson-less secondary = unskilled
Bucs primary needs – CB, WLB, RB, S, RT, C, LG
Panthers / Redskins
No one is happier about Cam Newton’s development than Steve Smith. The veteran receiver put up his fourth 140+ yard game in seven contests. That’s amazing. If Jonathan Stewart is ever allowed to be the primary ball carrier this offense would be even more dangerous. John Beck didn’t flop in his first start as a Redskin, but losing both Tim Hightower and Santana Moss to injuries won’t help his development. Both teams have what I call “show me” games this weekend. Carolina will try and post consecutive wins for the first time this season against the Vikings while the Skins will look to stay in the NFC East race by beating the Bills in Buffalo.
Chiefs / Raiders
It’s tough to win a game without a player of Darren McFadden’s caliber, especially when your QB situation is as ugly as Oakland’s. Kyle Boller was awful, and Carson Palmer was rusty as hell. They combined for 6 interceptions, and their combined QB rating doesn’t break 40. Unless Palmer finds some game, this team isn’t going anywhere. Jason Campbell may not have been this team’s best player, but his loss may have the biggest impact of any other player on the Raiders roster. The Chiefs scored on two short runs and two pick sixes, so don’t go getting cocky Matt Cassel. He wasn’t much better than Palmer. I’m predicting a big MNF game from Steve Breaston this week. He’ll be lining up against a rookie first time starter, Marcus Gilchrist.
Steelers / Cardinals
Banged up or not, the Steelers had no business leaving Arizona with a loss. Ben Roethlisberger made sure that didn’t happen, throwing for 361 yards and 3 TDs. That secondary still can’t stop anyone, but the Steelers can’t like the fact that Rashard Mendenhall was only 13 for 32 on the ground. The NFL has its share of elite athletes, but Mike Wallace is really a joy to watch. The man is scary fast and separates better than anyone in the game. Kevin Kolb isn’t getting any better, and the Cardinals are no closer to having a franchise passer than they were before the season started.
Seahawks / Browns
275 combined passing yards in this one. Where’s the beef? Browns win a snoozer of two teams headed nowhere fast this season. Mike Tirico referred to this one as a pillow fight on MNF.
Broncos / Dolphins
What was worse – Tim Tebow’s first 50+ minutes of action or the Dolphins’ collapse? Only Tebow can look like garbage all afternoon and pull a win out of his ass to look like a savior. Losing Willis McGahee for at least a couple of weeks won’t help things.
Best and Worst
Best Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Packers (1)
Impressively plowing through this season just like they did last year’s playoffs.
2 – Saints (3)
If you weren’t paying attention to them before last Sunday, you are now.
3 – Patriots (4)
Strong, needed win against the Cowboys helps reassert them in the division.
4 – Ravens (2)
That’s two brutal, inexcusable losses for the Ravens this year. Championship teams don’t lose those games.
5 – Steelers (6)
They’re not interested in pity, just Ws.
6 – Texans (NR)
They’re focused even without Johnson and Williams and just won the first of a possible five game streak.
7 – Chargers (7)
This is probably too high for them, and if they stumble on MNF on the road against the Chiefs, you’re looking at likely three straight losses after a game against the Packers.
8 – Bills (8)
I expect the Bills to come out of their bye focused and win their next two games, both at home, against the Redskins and Jets.
OUT – Lions (5)
Worst Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Indianapolis (1)
Uh, that was embarrassing.
2 – St. Louis (5)
I just can’t make excuses for them any more. They’re bad.
3 – Miami (3)
Of these three pathetic teams, the Dolphins make me laugh the most. They’re inept offensively and are just a soft team.
4 – Jacksonville (2)
Bravo Jags for showing up on MNF. Where has that been, and will we see it again?
5 – Minnesota (4)
If they keep Christian Ponder under center, they’ll be off this list before Thanksgiving.
6 – Arizona (NR)
Winless since the opener, they get a pissed off Ravens team this Sunday. Enjoy.
7 – Denver (7)
Do it again Baby Jesus! Do it again!
8 – Seahawks (NR)
Their win against the Giants was a fluke. This is a average team with a low ceiling.
OUT – Chiefs (6), Cleveland (8)
Best Performances
Drew Brees (NO) – 27/31, 310 yds, 4 TDs, 147.9 QB rating
Aaron Rodgers (GB) – 24/30, 335 yds, 3 TDs, 146.5 QB rating
Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) – 26/39, 361 yds, 3 TDs, 121.8 QB rating
Matt Schaub (HOU) – 18/23,. 296 yds, 2 TDs, 147.7 QB rating
Arian Foster (HOU) – 25 carries, 115 yds, 2 TDs, 5 catches, 119 yds, 1 TD
DeMarco Murray (DAL) – 25 carries, 253 yds, 1 TD
Adrian Peterson (MIN) – 24 carries, 175 yds, 1 TD
Matt Forte (CHI) – 25 carries, 145 yds, 1 TD, 2 catches, 38 yds
Greg Jennings (GB) – 7 catches, 147 yds, 1 TD
Steve Smith (CAR) – 7 catches, 143 yds
Calvin Johnson (DET) – 5 catches, 115 yds, 1 TD
Marques Colston (NO) – 7 catches, 98 yds, 2 TDs
James Anderson (CAR) – 12 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 FR
David Hawthorne (SEA) – 11 total tackles,1 sack, 1 INT
Brandon Flowers (KC) – 3 total tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD
LaMarr Woodley (PIT) – 7 total tackles, 2 sacks
Worst Performances
Carson Palmer (OAK) – 8/21, 116 yds, 3 INTs, 17.3 QB rating
Kyle Boller (OAK) – 7/14, 61 yds, 3 INTs, 22.3 QB rating
Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) – 14/30, 104 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 38.7 QB rating
Charlie Whitehurst (SEA) – 12/30, 97 yds, 0 TSs, 1 INT, 35.0 QB rating
Chris Johnson (TEN) – 10 carries, 18 yds, 6 catches, 27 yds
Rashard Mendenhall (PIT) – 13 carries, 32 yds, 1 catch, 5 yds
Daniel Thomas (MIA) – 19 carries, 53 yds, 2 catches, 0 yds
Ryan Mathews (SD) – 13 carries, 39 yds, 4 catches, 26 yds
Dallas Clark (IND) – 0 catches, 0 targets
Miles Austin (DAL) – 2 catches, 16 yds
Vincent Jackson (SD) – 1 catch, 15 yds
Santonio Holmes (NYJ) – 2 catches, 24 yds
Nate Washington (TEN) – 1 catch, 10 yds
I would like to announce this is TPEs ‘Third Person’ contribution (such as it is) to your blog.
ReplyDelete“Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Marques Colston. It’s unfair.”
TPE does not understand how this NO team lost to the Bucs. Obviously, divisional games are always closer contents due to the familiarity between the teams…but man, look at our equivalent personnel: Winslow (fading), Parker, Blount, Graham, Williams (Claytonitis). It gets grotesquely unbalanced when you do the Brees/Freeman and Payton/Morris comparison. TPE’s conjecture is that perhaps it was a Wiccan holiday and many of the Saints are Druids.
“Speaking of pathetic, what a shitty showing by the Ravens offense. The Jacksonville Jaguars held you to 0 first half first downs. How do you not even accidently get one first half first down?”
Much of the discredit must go to Joe Flacco. TPE’s Sicilian mother had a theory about Testaverde that might apply to Flacco: Never draft an Italian boy to be your quarterback. They are overprotected by their Moms so don’t deal well with adversity, and they are too concerned about their hair (that is TPEs contribution to the theory). Hey, I didn’t say it, my mother did.
“How Dez Bryant isn’t catching at least 8 passes for over 100 yards every game is beyond me. With his talent, he needs to see double digit targets weekly.”
TPE agrees, and if we see it, clearly so must Jason Garrett. That leads TPE to believe either he isn’t working hard enough to get open (there have been questions about his conditioning) or Romo doesn’t trust him to be in the right spot. Neither possibility speaks well of Mr. Bryant, who from what little TPE has to go on, is apparently quite stupid.
“Aaron Rodgers is unshakeable. You can’t watch him play without coming away impressed with the control he exerts over the offense and how smoothly he consistently leads his team down the field.”
TPE can’t watch him play without being amazed how accurate he is delivering the ball from unorthodox positions WHILE RUNNING. RUNNING. TPE really thinksthat sometimes the Packers are in close games because they figure they can coast a little with #12 back there. He’s hands down the MVP of the first half of the season.
“Sure he got real familiar with Charles Woodson a couple of times, but you had to come away from that game impressed with Christian Ponder.”
TPE can understand the Woodson INTs. He’s made a living baiting QBs into throwing balls right into his arms. Ponder looked better than I thought he would. He certainly wasn’t afraid to throw it downfield, which probably made Vikings fans happy.
“Sanchez again did just enough to not lose the game.”
WYSIWYG. This is who he is. There is never going to be some breakthrough. Every Sunday/Monday (excepting byes) there will be 32 starting QBs taking the field in stadia across America and Mark Sanchez will always be around #15 on that list in perpetuity.
“The comeback was nice and all, but a narrow loss is a loss. Here’s some Buccaneer word association: Josh Freeman = sloppy, indecisive”
ReplyDeleteTPE knows you weren’t in his corner on draft day. You know TPE wasn’t in his corner on draft day. He shut TPE up last year, but in TPE’s estimation, the progress has ceased. Our fervent hope as Buc fans is we get stasis and not regression. TPE’s current working theory is after 1000 pass attempts in the league there is no further upside to be had. The player may look better or worse depending on his coaching, protection and weapons, but he will never be appreciably different post the 1K landmark. We had better all come to understand he isn’t going to get a lot better.
‘Bucs primary needs – CB, WLB, RB, S, RT, C, LG”
Please append ‘HC’ to this roster.
“The NFL has its share of elite athletes, but Mike Wallace is really a joy to watch. The man is scary fast and separates better than anyone in the game.”
If the Steelers are going to get back to where they want to go, it will have to be over the top They OL is too mediocre to sustain drives and the Steelers defense is a gas operated unit in atomic powered times, or to quote that Cajun dude talking about Joe Dirt’s mullet “Boy you outta date!”
“Kevin Kolb isn’t getting any better, and the Cardinals are no closer to having a franchise passer than they were before the season started.”
Just how bad was/is Donovan McNabb that Andy Reid was willing to turn his team over to THIS guy?!?
“Only Tebow can look like garbage all afternoon and pull a win out of his ass to look like a savior.”
Here’s the thing: This is as GOOD as he’s ever going to look. His unorthodox style is going to give some teams issues for a while, then it’s going to be lights out. If John Elway had two weeks to get in shape, he could give you 15 passing plays out of the gun than Tim Tebow.
Thank you TPE!!!
ReplyDelete“TPE does not understand how this NO team lost to the Bucs. Obviously, divisional games are always closer contents due to the familiarity between the teams…but man, look at our equivalent personnel: Winslow (fading), Parker, Blount, Graham, Williams (Claytonitis). It gets grotesquely unbalanced when you do the Brees/Freeman and Payton/Morris comparison. TPE’s conjecture is that perhaps it was a Wiccan holiday and many of the Saints are Druids.”
I seriously believe the #1 reason the Saints lost that game was because of Sean Payton’s injury. The play calling was out of whack the rest of the game, and on that day the Bucs happened to make the plays they normally don’t. It was also their third straight road game. Not sure how much that factored into it.
“Much of the discredit must go to Joe Flacco. TPE’s Sicilian mother had a theory about Testaverde that might apply to Flacco: Never draft an Italian boy to be your quarterback. They are overprotected by their Moms so don’t deal well with adversity, and they are too concerned about their hair (that is TPEs contribution to the theory). Hey, I didn’t say it, my mother did.”
Flacco certainly didn’t do anything to move the offense. The Jags are garbage, and you can’t throw for one single first half first down?!?! I called their no-show at the Titans an aberration, but this was an abomination. That was horrible offensive football by all personnel involved, coaching (play calling) included. I really like this team, but games like that give you a lot of pause. New Orleans and Baltimore have shown flaws in their game while the Packers keep on rolling on.
“TPE agrees, and if we see it, clearly so must Jason Garrett. That leads TPE to believe either he isn’t working hard enough to get open (there have been questions about his conditioning) or Romo doesn’t trust him to be in the right spot. Neither possibility speaks well of Mr. Bryant, who from what little TPE has to go on, is apparently quite stupid.”
Color me unsold on Garrett. Romo’s their punching bag, but how do you not consistently put together complete offensive games as an offensive coach with their personnel? It’s just odd how Bryant will go off for a quarter and then disappear for two. Is he any less open? Was that working too well? From what I’ve seen, St. Louis slashing aside, the play calling isn’t fluid. No rhythm. I’m not sure what to expect in this game against Philly. It could be a really ugly (sloppy) affair.
“TPE can’t watch him play without being amazed how accurate he is delivering the ball from unorthodox positions WHILE RUNNING. RUNNING. TPE really thinksthat sometimes the Packers are in close games because they figure they can coast a little with #12 back there. He’s hands down the MVP of the first half of the season.”
You won’t get an argument from me. He’s taken the position of today’s game to another level IMO. We’ve seen guys throw. We’ve seen guys run. We’ve even seen some do both pretty well. Rodgers does everything so intelligently. It’s like he’s already seen how the play is going to turn out before he even runs it. I agree that he’s the first half MVP and that it will come down to him and Brees in the end.
“TPE can understand the Woodson INTs. He’s made a living baiting QBs into throwing balls right into his arms. Ponder looked better than I thought he would. He certainly wasn’t afraid to throw it downfield, which probably made Vikings fans happy.”
ReplyDeleteYou and I both know how confident a player Ponder is. I knew he wouldn’t be overwhelmed, but I was unsure how consistent he’d be with executing the offense in his first start. Two thumbs up. No, he doesn’t have the ceiling of most of your first round QBs, but he’s got a low floor and won’t take long to assume control of the offense. Poor McNabb. I read something today where he said he should absolutely still be the starter and that he’s not the reason they’re losing. Wow. I’ve got to think he’s done as an NFL starter.
“WYSIWYG. This is who he is. There is never going to be some breakthrough. Every Sunday/Monday (excepting byes) there will be 32 starting QBs taking the field in stadia across America and Mark Sanchez will always be around #15 on that list in perpetuity.”
Without even considering the rest of the league’s starters, I think you’re giving him too much credit at #15. I’ll provide an excuse for you and say that you accidently typed a 1 where a 2 should be. For me it’s like watching a bad Jeff Garcia at the helm of the Bucs offense. So damn frustrating.
“TPE knows you weren’t in his corner on draft day. You know TPE wasn’t in his corner on draft day. He shut TPE up last year, but in TPE’s estimation, the progress has ceased. Our fervent hope as Buc fans is we get stasis and not regression. TPE’s current working theory is after 1000 pass attempts in the league there is no further upside to be had. The player may look better or worse depending on his coaching, protection and weapons, but he will never be appreciably different post the 1K landmark. We had better all come to understand he isn’t going to get a lot better.”
Great take. What I’ve seen this year from him, specifically in the month of October has been some horrible football; lots of regression. Can’t read plays. Can’t execute plays. He’s definitely shown the ability to be a winner at this level, but if his lack of focus is as serious an issue as I’m hearing it is, then I’m officially concerned.
“Please append ‘HC’ to this roster.”
Oh, you know me. That’s priority 1, but I’m not expecting the traveling carnival budget Glazers to make a move unless the Bucs fall flat on their faces in the second half of the season. The Bucs aren’t going to go anywhere with Raheem, but he’s fairly cheep. I don’t think they could replace him with another experimental coach, and if they hire a big name / proven coach, they’ll have to pay for players too. That ain’t happening.
“If the Steelers are going to get back to where they want to go, it will have to be over the top They OL is too mediocre to sustain drives and the Steelers defense is a gas operated unit in atomic powered times, or to quote that Cajun dude talking about Joe Dirt’s mullet “Boy you outta date!”
Ha ha! True. It was obvious to anyone paying attention that going into the season the offensive line was going to be this team’s biggest weakness. They’re not proving anyone wrong so far.
“Just how bad was/is Donovan McNabb that Andy Reid was willing to turn his team over to THIS guy?!?”
Not sure I need to comment on that. Your question answers itself.
“Here’s the thing: This is as GOOD as he’s ever going to look. His unorthodox style is going to give some teams issues for a while, then it’s going to be lights out. If John Elway had two weeks to get in shape, he could give you 15 passing plays out of the gun than Tim Tebow.”
Their play calling wasn’t helping him any; needs to be on the move more, but his throws were awful. If Miami wasn’t so damn pitiful, this comeback doesn’t happen and it’s a horrid debut for Tebow. Detroit will be a much tougher test.