You want a text book example of how anything can happen in the NFL? Witness the winless Rams beating the Saints this past Sunday. The Saints headed into this matchup fresh off a 62-7 shellacking of the Colts. Those 62 points were more than the Rams had scored in their previous 6 games (56). Veteran Steven Jackson carried the offense, resembling the guy we knew from a couple years ago. What a craptastic letdown by the saints. Pierre Thomas led the way on the ground with 23 yards, and Drew Brees threw more INTs (2) than TDs (1). St. Louis definitely came out readier to play than they had for any other game this season and actually put together four quarters of solid play. Still, New Orleans has no business losing to this team and has shown another chink in their armor. I think they beat the Bucs at home this week, but if they don’t, it’s time to start worrying.
Rookie Showdown
Cam Newton put up the better numbers, but Christian Ponder got the win. Ponder did a great job of running the offense. He threw for one TD and didn’t turn the ball over. He’s also forcing defenses to be more honest than they were for McNabb which has, through no coincidence, helped Adrian Peterson put up his best 2 game stretch of the year so far. Newton continues to impress, throwing for 3 TDs and nearly 300 yards. His two blemishes were two lost fumbles which came up huge in a 3 point loss. Cam threw a beautiful back shoulder fade to Steve Smith on a TD that was overruled. Neither team is going to play a meaningful game in January, but they’ve got to love what they’ve seen from their rookie passers so far.
Don’t Mess With Trends
I think the number is 13-0. That’s Andy Reid’s record coming off a bye. So that’s what the Dream Team was supposed to be like huh? Michael Vick had a quietly impressive game completing 21 of 28 passes for 279 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs, but the star of the game was no doubt LeSean McCoy. The second year back trashed the previously dominant Cowboy rush defense for 185 yards and 2 scores on 30 carries. I’ve said it before that it’s McCoy, not Vick, who’s the most valuable player on this team, and games like this highlight that nicely. With the rest of the division being the definition of beatable, the Eagles can definitely still win this thing despite their 3-4 record.
Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up? A week after thrashing the Rams 34-7 at home, they get throttled by that same score by the Eagles. The Eagles jumping out to an early lead really took the ball out of DeMarco Murray’s hands, but how do you explain Dez Bryant not getting one single first half target combined with Miles Austin only getting 3 targets in the whole game? I think they beat Seattle this week, but would a Seahawk win really surprise anyone at this point?
CJ No Way
These Titans look destined for 8-8 or worse. They show up for big wins against the Ravens and Browns but look like garbage against the Steelers and Texans. Of their remaining schedule I think they’ll be lucky to get 4 more wins. When you’re looking for someone to blame, you don’t have to look any further than Chris Johnson and the offensive line. Javon Ringer has been the more productive back this season which is just nuts when you consider Johnson’s talent and accomplishments. With one 100 yard performance surrounded by 24, 53, 21, 51, 18, and 34, I’m not getting the feeling that he’s going to snap out of this any time soon. Did this guy screw a lot of guys out of millions of dollars or what? Think teams aren’t going to hand out even less of the rarely seen long term RB deals? Thanks CJ.
The Colts are horrendous and look to be in the driver’s seat for the Luck lottery.
Wow, That Was Close…
The Giants are one of the more frustrating teams in the league. They get spanked by the Seahawks a few weeks ago and trail the majority of this one to the Dolphins. They’re 5-2, but I don’t take them that seriously. Eli had a huge game (349 yds, 2 TDs), but do you want to count on him every week? Lots of respect for Tom Coughlin, but I still think this team misses the playoffs. Reggie Bush was right. The Dolphins suck. I think they’ve got a better chance of winning a game than do the Colts, but their place in the top 5 of this coming draft is secure.
...But Not As Close As This
Great teams win tough games, but this one shouldn’t have come to that. The Ravens had one hell of a second quarter. Flacco gets sacked and fumbles inside his 5 yard line leading to a Beanie Wells TD. On their next series, they run four plays and punt to Patrick Peterson who takes it 82 yards for another TD. Ravens trail 17-3. Can’t get any worse right? On the first play of the next series, Flacco throws an interception, giving Miami the ball on Baltimore’s 25. Four plays later, Early Doucet scores and gives Arizona a 24-3 lead. Bravo for eventually waking up and winning this one, but if the Ravens pull that against the Steelers this week, this one’s over by halftime.
Who’s In First?
Now this game made sense. After a hot start, the Redskins have begun to fade a bit. The Bills came into this one looking to continue their impressive season, and handed the Redskins a 23-0 shutout. Buffalo hadn’t done much in the sack column heading into this one, but they got to John Beck and eye-popping 10 times. Fred Jackson had 194 all purpose yards and continues to making a name for himself in the league. Love it. Washington hosts San Francisco this week and will likely suffer their fourth straight defeat. First place Buffalo has yet to lose back to back games this season, and we’re entering week 9. You’ve got to take them seriously. Love it. They host the Jets this Sunday, and you’ve got to think they’ll be dialed in. Prediction – the Bills will still be in first place this time next week.
Texans on Top
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Blaine Gabbert throws for under 100 yards and commits multiple turnovers, MJD has no room to run, and the Jags have trouble containing Arian Foster. The Colts might outsuck the Jags in the end, but Jacksonville’s offense is every bit as bad as Indy’s. Perfect in the division, I like Houston’s schedule the rest of the way and still think they finish in first. Indy and Jacksonville are awful, and the luster has worn off the Titans. I know they’d like to get Andre Johnson back asap, but it doesn’t look like they’re too optimistic about him playing this week.
Teblownout
Turns out all the Lions needed to get back on track was to line up across from Tim Tebow. After losing two tough games at home, the Lions headed to Mile High and stomped on the Broncos. Matthew Stafford had 3 TDs to three different receivers, and Calvin Johnson (6-125-1) was his usual dominant self. The real story in this one was how gawd awful Tebow played. He completed a pathetic 46% of his passes for a 4.4 yard average, fumbled thrice, and was sacked seven times. I don’t have much of an opinion on the Lions mocking his “Tebowing” pose, but it does make you think. Guys don’t openly mock other players in this league, but the Lions held nothing back against Tebow. One anonymous Lions defender was quoted as saying “Come on — that’s embarrassing. I mean, it’s a joke. We knew all week that if we brought any kind of defensive pressure, he couldn’t do anything. In the second half it got boring out there. We were like, ‘Come on — that’s your quarterback? Seriously?” He’s not long for the league with more performances like that.
Trick or Treat
It’s one of this week’s biggest stories – the Steelers flipped the script, went man coverage, and befuddled Tom Brady and the Patriots. Welker was held under 40 yards, and the Patriots ran for 43 total yards as a team in a game that wasn’t as close as the scoreboard indicates. Rashard Mendenhall had a productive 70 yards on 13 carries, but the story on offense was Ben Roethlisberger throwing 50 times for 365 yards, completing passes to 9 different receivers. Antonio Brown has stepped up big time as his number two receiver and has pumped life into a waning offense. I think the Patriots get back on track this week against the Giants, and the Steelers have the momentum they need heading into a big one against the Ravens. I still like Baltimore better as a team, but I’m not sure they leave Pittsburgh with a win Sunday night.
Gore Grounds Browns
Run the ball. Stop the run. If you can do both of those well, you’ll go far in this league. This year’s 49ers are that team. They dominated the Browns en route to their fifth straight win and are sitting at a surprising 6-1. No joke, they probably clinch the division with two more wins. Frank Gore looked great, running for 134 yards and a score. The most impressive thing is how unscathed he came out of a game where he toted the rock 31 times. Michael Crabtree finally got into the endzone and is fairly relevant after catching at least 5 passes for the third time in 4 games. Similarly to Buffalo last week, I think the 49ers will take it to the Redskins. 7-1 they’ll be. The Browns are quickly establishing themselves as one of the league’s worst teams. I think Colt McCoy’s days as an NFL starter are extremely limited. Cleveland has to look for a QB (Landry Jones or Matt Barkley) in the draft. McCoy’s a non-threat in the vertical game allowing defenses to stack the box regularly. He’s not awful, but he’s the NFL definition of limited.
Sucking in Seattle
I still don’t think the Bengals are all that good, despite the 5-2 record, but I like what I’m seeing between Andy Dalton and AJ Green. It’s only going to get better. You know you’re bad when you’re clearly the #2 QB on a team where Tarvaris Jackson is the #1. I think the Charlie Whitehurst experiment in Seattle is over, but it doesn’t matter who’s at QB with this team. They’re 2-5 and have Dallas, Baltimore, and St. Louis coming up on the schedule. I’m calling for 2-8 after that stretch.
Sad Diego
My intuitions were correct. The Chargers did lose as I proposed, but they only have themselves to blame. Philip Rivers threw an interception on KC’s 26, Ryan Mathews fumbled on KC’s 18, and in the worst of them all, Rivers fumbled with under a minute to go in the fourth when all they had to do was line up and kick a game winning chip shot. Antonio Gates also got hosed on a bs PI call on a TD catch. If the Chargers aren’t worrying yet, they will after Green Bay blows through town Sunday and leaves them at 4-4. Steve Breaston didn’t have the big game I predicted, but he did set up the game winning field goal in overtime. One a 3rd and 14 at the Chargers 47, Breaston went for 17 yards and kept the drive alive. Bravo to the Chiefs. After an 0-3 start, they’ve won four straight, including two on the road, and are making a run at back to back division titles. I was clearly wrong about them being one of the league’s worst teams, and they can shove it in a lot more folks’ faces this Sunday by beating the Dolphins.
Best and Worst
Best Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Green Bay (1)
Their grip on the #1 spot got a lot firmer without even playing.
2 – Baltimore (4)
This is a timid number two. I’m not ready to put Pittsburgh above them, and New Orleans falls because they couldn’t complete the comeback Baltimore did.
3 – New Orleans (2)
I expect a bounce back at home against the Bucs, but a loss could be devastating.
4 – Pittsburgh (5)
Quietly creeping.
5 – San Francisco (NR)
Gotta start listing these guys until they fall on their faces.
6 – New England (4)
I’m seriously worried about this team. Their defense can’t stop anyone, and they lose if Brady has even the slightest off day.
7 – Buffalo (8)
Love it!
8 – Detroit (NR)
They win a toss up with the Texans by virtue of their Teblowout.
OUT – San Diego (7), Houston (6)
Worst Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Indianapolis (1)
Of the three teams winless heading into last week, they put up (clearly) the weakest fight.\
2 – Miami (3)
If they can’t get a win in the next two weeks (KC, WAS), they’re flirting with 0-16.
3 – Arizona (6)
They play the Rams twice in the next four weeks with Philly and San Fran mixed in. Ouch!
4 – Jacksonville (4)
A sound 24-14 beating. Those are the Jags I know.
5 – Denver (7)
Can it get uglier?
6 – St. Louis (2)
Finally!
7 – Seattle (8)
They’re not one of the worst five teams in the league, but they’re safely in the bottom ten.
8 – Cleveland (NR)
I only see four winnable games on their schedule, and they’ll likely lose two of them.
OUT – Minnesota (5)
The Vikings look like an entirely different team just by making a change at QB. Go figure.
Once again, thoroughly convinced of my own acumen, perspicacity and vaguely disturbing good looks, I, TPE offer the following....
ReplyDelete“What a craptastic letdown by the saints. Pierre Thomas led the way on the ground with 23 yards, and I think they beat the Bucs at home this week, but if they don’t, it’s time to start worrying.”
Absolutely they should worry. I like to use something like an Olympic figure skating scoring method (NOT THAT I HAVE EVER WATCHED FIGURE SKATING) for teams like the Saints: I throw out the loss to the best team and a win over the worst team they play. The Packers loss? Eh, it happens. The win over the Colts? Counts for nothing, not even style points. But losing to the Rams? Not a good sign. My best guess is that at some point, Payton is going to stick the ball in Mark Ingram’s belly 15 times a game and get them righted.
“Cam Newton put up the better numbers, but Christian Ponder got the win. Ponder did a great job of running the offense.”
Let me ask you something: Does Ponder’s release look a lot faster and more mechanically sound than when he was here? It does to me, which doesn’t speak ill of the FSU staff (they took a 3 star kid and made him a first round draft choice), but speaks well of a kid like Ponder who has taken to the full time coaching at the professional level. BTW, I like Newton, what with his discovering the universal law of gravitation, those laws of motion, and formulating the foundations of optics, but having seen every snap of his that has been televised in this market, his splashy plays might be making some people overlook that he still is capable of getting on some Freemanesque streaks of spraying it around.
“I’ve said it before that it’s McCoy, not Vick, who’s the most valuable player on this team, and games like this highlight that nicely.”
Vick, who has herpes and is capable of the kind of cruelty that would have him shunned as a sociopath and pariah in a healthier culture, will have games like those he had Sunday night. But the only way they get out of the first round of the playoffs is if McCoy has 25 touches/game.
“Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up?”
I am not blaming the loss on Tony Romo, but I would like to take the occasion to point out that if he played in Jacksonville he would be thought of pretty much the same was David Gerrard was during his tenure there. Gerrard can make some plays with his athleticism, make some plays with his arm, can have a 350 yard passing game one week and come back and throw four picks the next week. Now that I think about it though, Gerrard did it with nowhere near the weapons Romo has available to him.
"The Colts are horrendous and look to be in the driver’s seat for the Luck lottery."
The Luck nits have begun to be picked, what with Phil Simms questioning his arm strength. Mr. Simms certainly knows more about quarterbacking than nearly 7 billion people on the planet, but the velocity of a projectile launched by an external force isn’t a matter of opinion. The kid throws plenty hard. Hey, do you remember one of the points in the Manning/Leaf debate was arm strength? I wish I could find that clip of a scout that said on FSR in 1998 that Manning had ‘mediocre arm strength’ (I think it was Chris Landry, but please don’t quote me).
“The Giants are one of the more frustrating teams in the league. They get spanked by the Seahawks a few weeks ago and trail the majority of this one to the Dolphins. They’re 5-2, but I don’t take them that seriously. “
I don’t either today, but if their DL can get healthy by week 13 or so, they could pose a serious spoiler threat in the playoffs. Man, did I whiff on J-P Paul! I figured him to be this decades Jamal Reynolds, but he can play some. They also have Tom Coughlin, whom I believe is the best coach in the NFL.
...and I continue, since I refuse to acknowledge that the 4096 character limit was a not too subtle way of telling me to reduce the size of my posts...
ReplyDelete“Great teams win tough games, but this one shouldn’t have come to that. The Ravens had one hell of a second quarter.”
On the bright side, they might have stumbled into a strategy that could take them to the AFC title: put the ball in the air high and deep enough for Anquan Boldin to treat good coverage as an afterthought and catch the ball for a long gain. Did you see that dude in the second half??! The other contenders in the conference cannot be happy that the Ravens might have found a way to make even Joe Flacco look good.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Blaine Gabbert throws for under 100 yards and commits multiple turnovers, MJD has no room to run..”
Correct me if I am mistaken, but I seem to recall Blaine Gabbert being called the ‘most pro ready’ prospect in the 2011 draft and Cam Newton being the most ‘raw’?
“ The real story in this one was how gawd awful Tebow played.”
Like I said last week, I thought he would be better early. You gotta love his supporters though. Evidently his O-Line didn’t protect him very well, but he held the ball too long because he had no receivers to throw to! IF HE IS HOLDING THE BALL FOR FIVE SECONDS IT’S NOT A PROTECTION PROBLEM. In their mind the personnel problems Tebow had to deal with didn’t exist while Orton was their QB; only NOW that their guy is at the helm do they seem to be an issue.
“ I don’t have much of an opinion on the Lions mocking his “Tebowing” pose, but it does make you think.”
Here is what I say: If you are going to make a gesture that singles you out when you do something exceptional, be prepared to have it thrown in your face when you screw the pooch. This isn’t an NFL thing, it goes back to tossing a ball around when you’re 10 years old with your buddies. Speaking of which, when I was a kid, there was another kid we all called 'Tittyhead' and it never seemed to bother him. Is that not the greatest nickname ever?
“It’s one of this week’s biggest stories – the Steelers flipped the script, went man coverage, and befuddled Tom Brady and the Patriots.”
I now proffer an opinion that has caused me to be the subject of scorn and ridicule the last several weeks amongst the cohort of fans with whom I occasionally discuss the game: Tom Brady can’t get the ball deep enough to worry anyone this year. Obviously, he doesn’t have a lot of talent out wide, but my eyes tell me he doesn’t have the zip he used to on throws over 25 yards. I think teams are crowding the middle more and daring him to beat them over the top at the edges. He never had the strongest arm, and if you watch him, his motion is more deliberate when he has to zip one. Doesn’t mean he isn’t great, and doesn’t mean they can’t win it all, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m right, but I think it bears watching.
“Antonio Brown has stepped up big time as his number two receiver and has pumped life into a waning offense.”
Hines Ward, please allow me to introduce you to Wally Pipp.
“Run the ball. Stop the run. If you can do both of those well, you’ll go far in this league. This year’s 49ers are that team.”
I would pick them to get to the NFC title game if they had, say, Sean King as their QB. No, no, just kidding. If they had Matt Hassleback, then maybe.
“My intuitions were correct. The Chargers did lose as I proposed, but they only have themselves to blame.”
No team in the league has more excuses made for them than the Chargers. Year after year…well, at least since Norv Turner assumed head coaching duties, commentators seem to feel compelled to remind us they have yet to ‘gel’. USE MOUSSE THEN, BUT STOP MAKING ASININE PENALTIES AND TURNOVERS AT HORRIBLE MOMENTS. I hope Ryan Mathews ends up being something for those guys, because Darren Sproles was a proven commodity and helped that Charger team win a lot of games
“Once again, thoroughly convinced of my own acumen, perspicacity and vaguely disturbing good looks, I, TPE offer the following....”
ReplyDeleteOnly vaguely disturbing?!?!
“Absolutely they should worry. I like to use something like an Olympic figure skating scoring method (NOT THAT I HAVE EVER WATCHED FIGURE SKATING) for teams like the Saints: I throw out the loss to the best team and a win over the worst team they play. The Packers loss? Eh, it happens. The win over the Colts? Counts for nothing, not even style points. But losing to the Rams? Not a good sign. My best guess is that at some point, Payton is going to stick the ball in Mark Ingram’s belly 15 times a game and get them righted.”
I hate to make excuses for them, but it just seemed like a game that the Rams were destined to win from the start. They made all the plays they hadn’t for the first (near) half of the season. They missed Ingram last week, and they’ll miss him tomorrow too with that bruised heel. New Orleans can beat the Bucs by featuring 3 players – Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham, and Marques Colston. Any time they get any of their receivers (especially Colston) out wide against Ronde, they need to go that way 150% of the time. He won’t stop them. No one on the Bucs can stop Sproles consistently – no ability to spy him. Graham can’t be stopped by almost anyone in the league, and I was surprised he wasn’t used more in their meeting a few weeks ago. Look for that to change tomorrow. Saints win 36-23.
“Let me ask you something: Does Ponder’s release look a lot faster and more mechanically sound than when he was here? It does to me, which doesn’t speak ill of the FSU staff (they took a 3 star kid and made him a first round draft choice), but speaks well of a kid like Ponder who has taken to the full time coaching at the professional level. BTW, I like Newton, what with his discovering the universal law of gravitation, those laws of motion, and formulating the foundations of optics, but having seen every snap of his that has been televised in this market, his splashy plays might be making some people overlook that he still is capable of getting on some Freemanesque streaks of spraying it around.”
I think you answered your own question; was thinking that way when I started reading the first line. You know how intelligent and coachable he is. Don’t think I’m making a straight up comparison, but Ponder has a bit of an Aaron Rodgers feel to me – intelligence, mobility, calm, field/game awareness. I thought he was the most pro-ready QB in this class, and Minnesota has to love what he’s done in his two games so far. Ha! I can’t say this is a 100% sound evaluation of Cam so far, but from what I’ve seen, he’s ok as long as he’s not being forced to make too many decisions. His combination of size, strength, and speed is nearly unmatched, but I want to see how he responds when he’s got to do a ton of thinking.
“Vick, who has herpes and is capable of the kind of cruelty that would have him shunned as a sociopath and pariah in a healthier culture, will have games like those he had Sunday night. But the only way they get out of the first round of the playoffs is if McCoy has 25 touches/game.”
Won’t disagree with that. Andy Reid’s offenses haven’t been heavily run focused in the past, but I don’t see how you can’t hand it to him 15-20 times a game as a runner; not even counting his touches in the receiving game. He turns a loss into a 5 yard gain and is near impossible to get a solid hit on.
“I am not blaming the loss on Tony Romo, but I would like to take the occasion to point out that if he played in Jacksonville he would be thought of pretty much the same was David Gerrard was during his tenure there. Gerrard can make some plays with his athleticism, make some plays with his arm, can have a 350 yard passing game one week and come back and throw four picks the next week. Now that I think about it though, Gerrard did it with nowhere near the weapons Romo has available to him.”
Yeah Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, and Matt Jones aren’t going to remind many of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Az-Zahir Akim. Still, you’ve got to think Rodgers, Brees, Brady, Rivers, and probably even Eli would be able to win more games with those Dallas offensive weapons. Just as some guys simply have “it”, I think some simply don’t have “it”. Romo is fitting that description more and more all the time. His fault or not, the Cowboys aren’t putting together consistent scoring drives, and his weapons are noticeably out of sync.
ReplyDelete“The Luck nits have begun to be picked, what with Phil Simms questioning his arm strength. Mr. Simms certainly knows more about quarterbacking than nearly 7 billion people on the planet, but the velocity of a projectile launched by an external force isn’t a matter of opinion. The kid throws plenty hard. Hey, do you remember one of the points in the Manning/Leaf debate was arm strength? I wish I could find that clip of a scout that said on FSR in 1998 that Manning had ‘mediocre arm strength’ (I think it was Chris Landry, but please don’t quote me).”
Ditto here. I’m plenty sold on Luck being a winner in the pros, but if Simms says he’s not making/completing the type of throws (regardless of arm speed/strength) he’ll need to at the next level, it’s worth at least looking into. Also, you talk a guy up long enough, there’s bound to be some negative come up eventually.
“I don’t either today, but if their DL can get healthy by week 13 or so, they could pose a serious spoiler threat in the playoffs. Man, did I whiff on J-P Paul! I figured him to be this decades Jamal Reynolds, but he can play some. They also have Tom Coughlin, whom I believe is the best coach in the NFL.”
I don’t think I could play for Coughlin, but I definitely respect his leadership and knowledge. He’s always prepared, even when his team isn’t.
“...and I continue, since I refuse to acknowledge that the 4096 character limit was a not too subtle way of telling me to reduce the size of my posts...”
Bring it!
“On the bright side, they might have stumbled into a strategy that could take them to the AFC title: put the ball in the air high and deep enough for Anquan Boldin to treat good coverage as an afterthought and catch the ball for a long gain. Did you see that dude in the second half??! The other contenders in the conference cannot be happy that the Ravens might have found a way to make even Joe Flacco look good.”
Yes, I did. It was like a light went off in Flacco’s (more likely Cam Cameron’s) head that Boldin was on their team. I don’t say this to overreact, but if this offense doesn’t develop consistent rhythm in the second half of the season, moving on from Cameron might be the smart move.
“Correct me if I am mistaken, but I seem to recall Blaine Gabbert being called the ‘most pro ready’ prospect in the 2011 draft and Cam Newton being the most ‘raw’?”
Oh, not by this guy. Ponder got that honor. I wasn’t a fan of either of those two and am not surprised that Gabbert is struggling. He wasn’t ready to start (looked really bad this preseason) and doesn’t have a ton to work with in the receiving game. He’s facing quite an uphill battle in Jacksonville.
“Like I said last week, I thought he would be better early. You gotta love his supporters though. Evidently his O-Line didn’t protect him very well, but he held the ball too long because he had no receivers to throw to! IF HE IS HOLDING THE BALL FOR FIVE SECONDS IT’S NOT A PROTECTION PROBLEM. In their mind the personnel problems Tebow had to deal with didn’t exist while Orton was their QB; only NOW that their guy is at the helm do they seem to be an issue.”
You can manipulate numbers to say whatever you want, and I guess you can come up with excuses whenever it pleases you. Still, there’s no hiding ineptitude. It’s so apparent how slow Tebow’s mental clock is. You can’t win in this league when you can’t go through your progressions and are dancing in the backfield the whole time. Denver’s QB isn’t on their roster.
ReplyDelete“Here is what I say: If you are going to make a gesture that singles you out when you do something exceptional, be prepared to have it thrown in your face when you screw the pooch. This isn’t an NFL thing, it goes back to tossing a ball around when you’re 10 years old with your buddies. Speaking of which, when I was a kid, there was another kid we all called 'Tittyhead' and it never seemed to bother him. Is that not the greatest nickname ever?”
Ha ha! Do I want to know how he got that nickname?
“I now proffer an opinion that has caused me to be the subject of scorn and ridicule the last several weeks amongst the cohort of fans with whom I occasionally discuss the game: Tom Brady can’t get the ball deep enough to worry anyone this year. Obviously, he doesn’t have a lot of talent out wide, but my eyes tell me he doesn’t have the zip he used to on throws over 25 yards. I think teams are crowding the middle more and daring him to beat them over the top at the edges. He never had the strongest arm, and if you watch him, his motion is more deliberate when he has to zip one. Doesn’t mean he isn’t great, and doesn’t mean they can’t win it all, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m right, but I think it bears watching.”
Great pick up. I hadn’t really noticed that. What I think is limiting this team is that Deion Branch is their only true deep threat, and he’s not an ideal one at that. His top targets – Walker, Hernandez, and Gronkowski – are all intermediate guys. Teams are starting to stuff that zone, limiting Brady’s options, and setting up long/unmanageable situations. He’s never been a guy that throws with a ton of effort, but there could definitely be something to your observation. I’ll start watching the zip on his passes.
“Hines Ward, please allow me to introduce you to Wally Pipp.”
No kidding – kind of a double Pipp here. Emmanuel Sanders was supposed to be the guy to step up and take Ward’s role this year, but Brown leapfrogged him as well. Brown is a guy I had on my radar coming out of Central Michigan, but he’s making a quicker impact than I expected he would.
“I would pick them to get to the NFC title game if they had, say, Sean King as their QB. No, no, just kidding. If they had Matt Hassleback, then maybe.”
Saw Sean King on tv a week or so ago – hasn’t stopped eating those cheeseburgers. I think the air comes out of San Fran’s balloon at some point, but Harbaugh has to be thinking about what he’ll be able to do with this team when he gets a real QB.
“No team in the league has more excuses made for them than the Chargers. Year after year…well, at least since Norv Turner assumed head coaching duties, commentators seem to feel compelled to remind us they have yet to ‘gel’. USE MOUSSE THEN, BUT STOP MAKING ASININE PENALTIES AND TURNOVERS AT HORRIBLE MOMENTS. I hope Ryan Mathews ends up being something for those guys, because Darren Sproles was a proven commodity and helped that Charger team win a lot of games.”
ReplyDeleteAt some point, the excuses wear off, and a team is who they present themselves to be. They’re this era’s NFL definition of underachiever; failing to win a meaningful game in years. You said it. They miss Sproles tremendously, and having a hobbled Gates doesn’t help things. He can deny it all he wants, but something does look wrong with Rivers. This team looks destined to repeat the failures of previous versions.
One more thing – Watching the 4th quarter of the Bama/LSU game right now, and if Nick Saban doesn’t give the ball to Trent Richardson 99% of the remaining snaps, he’s nuts. Richardson could play in the pros today and is head and shoulders the best offensive player on the field in that game tonight. Absolutely love that guy – strong runner, great vision, quick adjustments, can cut inside or outside with either foot.