AFC East
Ok, it’s definitely time to worry about the Patriots. They lose what was basically a reenactment of their Super Bowl loss to the Giants with a deflating defeat to put them in a three way tie for first with the Bills and Jets. On defense they can’t get to the passer, and they don’t cover anyone for a significant amount of time. On offense Tom Brady isn’t getting any time to throw, he has no viable downfield threats, and no one is stepping up in the run game. They look like a fringe playoff team at this point. Their schedule isn’t terribly tough the rest of the way, but I think they drop to 5-4 with a loss to the Jets this Sunday night.
Streaky team the Jets are. Two wins – three losses – three wins. I’m still not terribly high on this team, and that’s mostly due to Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene. Santonio Holmes is completely wasted in this offense, and it’s hard to watch. Greene has put together a few decent games, but ground-and-pound’s lead rusher has only two TDs on the year.
Buffalo disappointed me losing to the Jets in a type of game – playoff caliber division opponent – they need to win. The offense couldn’t get anything together, and now they think they’re going to be without NT Kyle Williams the rest of the year. Not good. Can they maintain at least a tie for first with a win at Dallas this week?
They finally got their win, but the Dolphins are still the surefire 4th place team in this division. I think they get 1 maybe 2 (Redskins, Bills, Raiders) wins the rest of the way and are looking at a draft pick in the top 5 behind Indy. Matt Barkley? Landry Jones?
AFC North
Wow! What a showing by the Ravens in Pittsburgh this past Sunday. They were the better team for three quarters and looked to be giving it away in the fourth when Joe Flacco hooked up with Torrey Smith for the game winner. Listening for Flacco after the game, you could tell this one meant a hell of lot to him. I think I heard that the Ravens converted a ridiculous 14 third downs against the Steeler defense. Great job of playing through adversity and winning a huge road game.
I didn’t lose anything for the Steelers with that loss; just think that Baltimore is the better team this year. Pittsburgh could let this loss get to them and cause them to lose focus in a big division game against the Bengals Sunday. If they stay focused, this team could go on quite a run the rest of the way as San Francisco and Cincinnati are their only remaining opponents with (currently) winning records.
Way to go Cincinnati. I struggle to give this team a ton of credit, but I really love what I’m seeing on offense with Andy Dalton and AJ Green. Dalton had done a great job taking over the offense, and Green is already a legit NFL playmaker. They’ve won five straight, against mostly subpar competition, but five straight is five straight. I don’t think they make the playoffs (five remaining against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston), but Marvin Lewis (another coach I’ve been down on) deserves a lot of credit for getting these guys ready to play every week. Let’s see if he/they can keep it up the rest of the way as the schedule gets a lot tougher.
The biggest story in Cleveland right now is about a player who hasn’t done much of anything on the field this year. Peyton Hillis re-aggravated a hamstring injury and isn’t getting back out there any time soon. The schedule is kind the next two weeks (Rams and Jags), but five of their last six games are against the division.
AFC South
The cheese stands alone. Houston is clearly the class of this division and should clinch the title any week now. Arian Foster is rolling offensively, racking up this third straight game of 112 or more rushing yards. He also has 5 TDs in those games. Tampa Bay is next up for Foster, and they’ll be without Gerald McCoy in a game where any and all defensive line talent is needed.
Like I said last week, these Titans look destined for 8-8 or worse. They were bad against the Bengals at home, surrendering a 10 point halftime lead by being shutout in the second half. Chris Johnson finally had a decent game, and he’ll get to face a porous Panthers defense that gave up 162 all purpose yards to Adrian Peterson two weeks ago.
Jacksonville and Indy get to share this last spot. Indy’s awfulness is the only thing keeping the Jags from the basement of this division and possibly the entire AFC. The Jags were on a bye, so things didn’t get any worse for them last week. The same can’t be said for Indy who lost Dallas Clark for what looks like a long time with a knee injury. With the Dolphins winning and the Colts looking like they won’t do that until next year, Andrew Luck will probably be a Colt if he comes out after this season.
AFC West
If the South is the football equivalent of a Pinto, the West is a Chevette. Sure they’ve go the Colts and Jags, but at least the South has a team with a winning record. The Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders are all tied for first at 4-4, but they all have plenty of warts.
The Chargers lost to the defending champs in a game that saw Philip Rivers throw two pick sixes and nearly a third. They had a nice comeback against a shaky Packers pass defense but ended up with their third straight loss. If I’m projecting a winner I still think it’s the Chargers, but that’s more a knock against the other teams than a shot of confidence in San Diego.
The Chiefs respond to a thrilling MNF win with an absolute dud against the previously winless Dolphins. How do you win 4 straight and then get smoked 31-3 at home by an 0-7 team? Who knows what to expect this week against the Broncos.
The Raiders spent a hell of a lot to acquire a QB who has thrown 6 INTs in less than 6 quarters of football so far. Carson Palmer did throw for 332 yards and 3 scores, but the turnovers can’t continue. Another concern is that they allowed the Broncos to run for 199 yards, including a 60 yard score by Willis McGahee. They get a short turnaround this week against the Chargers in the year’s first Thursday night game. It looks like Darren McFadden will miss yet another contest, but Michael Bush, possibly the best backup in the business, has run for just under 100 yards in back-to-back weeks on just 36 total carries. I’ve got to think Palmer gets better, but maintaining a solid ground game is crucial.
The Broncos pulled out off a huge comeback against the Raiders, spearheaded by two second half Willis McGahee TDs. The old man ran for 163 yards (8.2 avg) or 39 more than Tebow accrued with his arm. They get the Chiefs next, but I’m extremely anxious to see Tebow against the Jets next Thursday.
I admit I probably slight the Giants more than I should. They’re sitting at a pretty comfortable 6-2 in first place and are fresh off an impressive win at New England. I think this week’s trip to San Francisco is a tougher test and will prove to be an enjoyable game to watch. The one worry I have is Ahmad Bradshaw’s foot issue. They’re a much better team with him on the field. They’re probably the best team in the division, but their schedule is flat out brutal the rest of the way (@SF, v.PHI, @NO, v.GB, @DAL, v.WAS, @NYJ, v.DAL).
Dallas continued their seesaw season with a win over the nonthreatening Seahawks. I’ve got to think DeMarco Murray has assumed ownership of the starting tailback job with another 100+ yard game. He’s obviously their best running threat. They’re losing Miles Austin for at least a couple of weeks due to another hamstring injury, but I like how Laurent Robinson has stepped up the last two weeks. They’ll be counting on him even more now, especially if Dez Bryant keeps dropping footballs on his way to the endzone.
So much for that. After routing Dallas the previous week, the Eagles go out and get owned at home by Jay Cutler and the Bears. Their “dominant” defense gave up too many third down conversions, blew coverages, and committed stupid penalties. At the end of the night, they’re 3-5 and tied for last in the division. Michael Vick doesn’t look capable of winning games at this point. Think Philly regrets that contract yet? He’s erratic just doesn’t seem to have the confidence he showed last year. His 9 INTs already exceed his 6 from last year, and his QB rating is his lowest since Atlanta. Finishing .500 looks like a stretch at this point.
The Redskins continue their slide with a fourth straight loss, and I’m not convinced they keep Miami from getting their second win of the year this week. John Beck might not be a downgrade from Rex Grossman, but that doesn’t mean he should be starting in the NFL. This offense isn’t going very far with him at the helm, but Roy Helu’s 14 catches for 105 yards are worth noting.
NFC North
They just keep on keeping on. I don’t like how they let San Diego get right back into a game that should have been well in hand, but scoring 45 points on the road against the 4th ranked pass defense in the game is nothing to sneeze at. Green Bay’s pass defense on the other hand is second worst in the league to New England’s. If they lose a regular season game this year I think it’s going to be either at Detroit (week 12) or at home against the Bears (week 16).
Speaking of the Bears, that was quite the complete performance. The defense was on its game, especially Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and safeties Major Wright and Chris Conte. Matt Forte ran for over 5 yards a carry once again and is one of the game’s top offensive threats. He’s probably one of the three most truly valuable players in the league. The other bright spots were the play of Jay Cutler and the stellar blocking from his offensive line. Cutler has become the poster boy for sacks, but on MNF, the Eagles didn’t get to him once. Bravo Bears blockers. Cutler was comfortable in the pocket, consistently scanned the field, and kept the chains moving. That win should go a long way in helping their playoff chances.
Fresh off their bye, Detroit travels to Chicago where they’ll try to halt the Bears’ three game win streak. The last time the Bears lost was a month ago at Detroit. I think you’ll see a lot of Matt Forte running against this Lions defense and Matthew Stafford working the ball deep to Calvin Johnson. Detroit can separate themselves from Chicago quite a bit with a road win Sunday. They’d be two games up in the standings with a 2-0 record against the Bears this year.
Minnesota sat out last week as well, but they’ve got to be pleased with the direction they’re headed with Christian Ponder at QB. They’re facing the Packers for the second time in three games, so while this will likely end in defeat, I think they’re going to be a bit of a spoiler (Oakland, Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago) the rest of the way.
NFC South
New Orleans got back on track last week at home against the Bucs avenging that road loss from last month. The Saints were in control of this one throughout despite not getting a signature statistical ‘splosion from Drew Brees. Mark Ingram sat out another game, but Chris Ivory ran very well in his place. Pierre Thomas continues to produce when called upon, and Darren Sproles simply makes plays.
The Falcons became the latest team to victimize the Colts with a 31-7 snoozer of a win. Julio Jones caught only three passes, but he turned two of them into scores and totaled 131 yards receiving. I wouldn’t call him a disappointment, but Roddy White isn’t putting up near the numbers from last year. Aside from Jones, Tony Gonzalez is getting a lot of action as well, which is taking away from White’s targets. They host the first place Saints Sunday where a victory gets them a share of the top spot in the division.
The Bucs sit third in the South, and that’s likely where they’ll finish. Their brand of sloppy, inconsistent football isn’t a recipe for success, as has been well exhibited in their last two contests. They host the Texans this week in a game that I expect the Texans to control. As I mentioned earlier, Arian Foster is on a roll, and the Bucs are getting thin in the middle of that defensive line. The outside linebackers aren’t contributing, and the secondary play outside of Tanard Jackson and an occasional Ronde Barber spark is atrocious. After Houston it’s on the road to Green Bay. The Bucs could very well be riding a four game losing streak and a 4-6 record to Tennessee Thanksgiving Sunday.
Carolina’s 2-6, but only one of their losses was by more than 7 points. They’re losing, but they’re competitive. Reason #1 is Cam Newton who’s playing the QB position a hell of a lot better and a doing so a hell of a lot quicker than I thought he would. Steve Smith has to be the happiest player in the league with Newton revitalizing his career. And Smith was supposedly finished and on his way out of town. They’ll be Tennessee this week.
NFC West
This one’s about wrapped up already. The Niners are now 7-1 and are an overtime loss to Dallas from being a stunning 8-0. They’ve got the Giants coming to town this week, and while I’m a converted believer, they could really say something by beating another division leader. This one has game of the week potential. After this one, the only two tough games remaining on their schedule are the Ravens and Steelers. Way to go Jim Harbaugh!
The rest of this division gets lumped together. As surprised as I am in the 49ers impressive season, I might be more surprised that the Rams are 1-7. This has become a wasted season for Sam Bradford, and the Rams have to just hope he gets through this without any further injuries. The Seahawks have looked bad three weeks in a row and now have Baltimore coming into town. Make that four weeks in a row. Arizona won their second game of the year and did so with John Skelton at QB. How’s that Kolb trade look now? Hell of a game winning return by Patrick Peterson! Love that dude.
Best Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Green Bay (1)
Gotta love how they continue to roll through everyone even with the target on their backs.
2 – Baltimore (2)
HUGE win at Pittsburgh. Their two road flops from being an unbeaten 8-0.
3 – New Orleans (3)
Got a redemption win against the Bucs last week and have a tougher task this week in Atlanta.
4 – Pittsburgh (4)
Won’t penalize them for losing a tough game to a great team. I think they rebound against the Bengals.
5 – San Francisco (5)
Show me more!
6 – Houston (NR)
I think they’re good, but something is keeping me from going all in with them.
7 – Detroit (8)
The luster is wearing off a bit, but a win at Chicago could get me back on the bandwagon.
8 – NY Giants (NR)
Like the Niners, I’ve got to list these guys until they prove they don’t belong.
OUT – New England (6), Buffalo (7)
Worst Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Indianapolis (1)
Luck Fever! Can you smell it Indianapolis?!
2 – Miami (2)
Dare to dream that they win two in a row?
3 – Jacksonville (4)
I think the Jags suck, and I still expect them to outclass Indy Sunday.
4 – St. Louis (6)
An awful season hits a new low if they lose to the Browns.
5 – Cleveland (8)
If not for having two more wins, I’d list them above the Rams. I’ll give it time. They’re a worse team.
6 – Arizona (3)
If only they had a few more Patrick Petersons.
7 – Denver (5)
I don’t think magic makes the trip this week. They’ll lose at KC.
8 – Seattle (7)
Things aren’t turning around for the Seahawks as quickly as Pete Carroll or anyone else in Seattle would like.
“Ok, it’s definitely time to worry about the Patriots….On defense they can’t get to the passer, and they don’t cover anyone for a significant amount of time.”
ReplyDeleteI thought when they acquired Albert Haynesworth they had become a sure bet to get to the Super Bowl. Wrong again! Currently the only thing keeping them over .500 is the ruthless favoritism shown by NFL referees towards their receivers and O-lineman. Any time the game is called in a balanced way, things get dicey for them, since they are certainly not going to overwhelm any other good team by brunt of talent.
“On offense Tom Brady isn’t getting any time to throw, he has no viable downfield threats, and no one is stepping up in the run game.”
I think “isn’t getting time to throw” is a relative thing. It looks to me (granted, without the benefit of a stopwatch) as if he’s getting roughly the NFL average. He’s getting way more time that Philip Rivers, for one example. Earlier this season on Brady would stand flat footed and take his sweet time, but as of late, he’s feeling a normal level of pocket heat. BTW, in 40+ years of watching football, Mr. Brady displays the biggest performance drop off by an elite QB when getting no pressure vs. when he gets hit a couple of times that I’ve ever seen.
“Streaky team the Jets are. Two wins – three losses – three wins. I’m still not terribly high on this team, and that’s mostly due to Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene.”
Shonn Greene is an average running back that popped off his best play in a big situation and no one ever lets us forget it. If I feel generous, I can call Mark Sanchez an average quarterback. I say around he’s around 15/32, you say around 25/32, but I will concede this: When he looks bad he looks much closer to 31/32 (#32 is reserved for Tim Tebow) than a 8/32 when he’s as playing as well as he can. They still talk about him like he’s some damn rookie, and you know my theory: 1000 pass attempts and the ‘he is a young QB and he has to develop this or that as part of his game’ conversations are silly. Whatever those things that need to develop are, they never will. It would be very interesting to see what that Alabama kid could do with a start after taking all the reps in practice.
“and now they think they’re going to be without NT Kyle Williams the rest of the year. Not good.”
ReplyDeleteThat guy is really, really good. Their ability to control getting gashed up the middle will be very suspect from here on. It doesn’t look promising for them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go 2-6 down the stretch.
“I think I heard that the Ravens converted a ridiculous 14 third downs against the Steeler defense.”
I watched it not believing what I was seeing. Precision, controlled passing with smart decisions by Flacco??! What next, Bizarro Superman being admitted to Harvard? I will say this: I take nothing away from the Ravens, and it was a great win, but they still have to prove they can beat the Steelers in the playoffs.
There was something I saw in this game that surprised me. Heath Miller caught a ball near the sideline, broke a tackle and began to head up field. The camera angle caught future first ballot Hall of Famer Ed Reed appearing very, very reluctant to make an aggressive tackle on Miller, and made a very perfunctory effort to get Miller on the ground. It was not a particularly flattering moment for Mr. Reed.
“Way to go Cincinnati. I struggle to give this team a ton of credit, but I really love what I’m seeing on offense with Andy Dalton and AJ Green.”
Chris Collingsworth said something interesting on that NFL recap show of his on Showtime, which I, unlike Peyton Manning, do try to watch on occasion. He believes that Dalton has the quickest release in the game (I assume he meant along with Aaron Rogers). I haven’t seen much of the kid, but next time they rotate the Bengals through on Red Zone, I may pay more attention. Maybe the Falcons should have traded up to get A.J. Greene instead of J. Jones, although Jones has looked pretty good this year too.
“Tampa Bay is next up for Foster, and they’ll be without Gerald McCoy in a game where any and all defensive line talent is needed.”
Well, looks like they went out and got talent. Fat, lazy, underperforming talent with a shitty attitude, and I predict they will get nothing out of him. In fact, I would put the over/under on the number of games he plays in a Buc uniform at 4.5. My out on the limb guess is he will eventually end up with the Jets for their playoff push, where he probably will make a huge difference for them.
“Indy’s awfulness is the only thing keeping the Jags from the basement of this division and possibly the entire AFC.”
Tom Brady goes out and the Pats go 11-5. Peyton Manning goes out and the Colts might go 0-16. I will grant that Matt Cassell is a starting QB and Curtis Painter….err…isn’t…BUT MANNING IS BETTER THAN BRADY OK!?!!?
“The biggest story in Cleveland right now is about a player who hasn’t done much of anything on the field this year.”
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don’t disagree, but to me the story that has been more deliberate in its telling is the exposure of Colt McCoy as a transitional QB rather than the type of player you want to guide your franchise even in the short term.
“The Chargers lost to the defending champs in a game that saw Philip Rivers throw two pick sixes and nearly a third. They had a nice comeback against a shaky Packers pass defense but ended up with their third straight loss.”
Now, see, unlike Tom Brady, Philip Rivers REALLY isn’t getting much protection or much help from his head coach. I think the Chargers down to guys they signed off the street to fill out their complement of offensive lineman. Unlike the rest of the known football fan universe, I think he’s still pretty damn good, but he has no Gates, no Sproles, no McNeil, and is constantly battling defensive push all up in his face. I see them finishing 8-8 with the Raiders at 9-7. I’m not going to address the issue of whether or not the Raiders overpaid form Carson Palmer (of course they did), I am just going to say that while I don’t believe Palmer is the player he was before the knee and elbow, he will end up better than Jason Campbell, and that is going to put them in the playoffs.
“They get the Chiefs next, but I’m extremely anxious to see Tebow against the Jets next Thursday.”
You might recall me writing that I expected Tebow to look pretty good for a few weeks. His performance against the Raiders was what I figured he could do, but that isn’t a recipe for long term success in the NFL, particularly once it’s out there for the world to see. I expect that the Broncos will find themselves trading field goals for touchdowns, then trading three and outs for field goals. Those other guys over there lining up on defense? Most of them didn’t play for Vanderbilt.
“I admit I probably slight the Giants more than I should. They’re sitting at a pretty comfortable 6-2 in first place and are fresh off an impressive win at New England.”
Did I mention that I thought the Giants have the best coach in the NFL?
“They’ll be counting on him even more now, especially if Dez Bryant keeps dropping footballs on his way to the endzone.”
Do you recall how this kid dropped in the draft because of ‘character issues’? Generally, when there are concerns about a kids character, they turn out not to be concerns made up out of thin air, although that’s kind of a misnomer, since a cubic yard of air weighs damn near 2.5 lbs., but never mind that, my point, and I do have one, is the only thing keeping Dez Bryant from being a dominant player is Dez Bryant.
“Michael Vick doesn’t look capable of winning games at this point.”
Given the weapons at his disposal, he can probably beat the bad to mediocre teams. However, to my mind, there was a very telling moment in the Bears game. Vick, who has herpes, and almost certainly would not score over 70 on a Stanford-Binet IQ test, scooted to his left after once again being confused by the coverage, and began to run for the 1st down marker. Lance Briggs caught him. A very good, but not elite linebacker CAUGHT HIM. That doesn’t happen to the 28 year old Michael Vick. As I watch him, I don’t really see much difference in him in the pocket from his Falcon days; what is hurting him is the loss of that explosive half step that would allow him to always get out of trouble and very often make a game changing play.
“They just keep on keeping on. I don’t like how they let San Diego get right back into a game that should have been well in hand, but scoring 45 points on the road against the 4th ranked pass defense in the game is nothing to sneeze at.”
ReplyDeleteRogers made a throw running to his right over that went from the his 22 to the other 22 and landed softly in Packers receivers arms AND IT WASN’T EVEN HIS BEST THROW OF THE GAME. I don’t play Madden or any of those things…can you even do the things he does against teams on Madden?
“The other bright spots were the play of Jay Cutler and the stellar blocking from his offensive line. Cutler has become the poster boy for sacks, but on MNF, the Eagles didn’t get to him once. Bravo Bears blockers.”
They seemed to go to max protect a lot of this game, and if you give him a second or two, Cutler is going hurt you even with average receivers. I ate shit for a couple of years because I wanted the Bucs to get him and was (as the kids say) ‘hatin’ on Freeman. The thing that was confirmed for me by this game was that Julius Peppers is the best all-around athlete in the NFL, which I will note in passing, says a lot about Chad Clifton.
“They’re facing the Packers for the second time in three games, so while this will likely end in defeat, I think they’re going to be a bit of a spoiler (Oakland, Atlanta, Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago) the rest of the way.”
One of the few things I have always admired about admitted cheater Bill Belichick was his ruthless commitment to putting the best players on the field, a lesson he learned as detailed in Halberstam’s book in Cleveland, where he did not and it cost him. I wonder if Leslie Frazier, as a first time head coach, had to learn that lesson first hand. Did he really need preseason and seven games to realize he had no chance with McNabb?
“New Orleans got back on track last week at home against the Bucs avenging that road loss from last month.”
If I’m Mike McCarthy, first I would thank the appropriate deity that AR fell to 24 in the draft, then I would be concerned about the one team that could put the kibosh on getting back to the SB: the Saints. Sproles is a matchup hell for them. A.J. Hawk or Woodson in the open field one on one with him? First down, Saints.
“Arizona won their second game of the year and did so with John Skelton at QB.”
I thought he had enough physical tools to get a shot in the NFL at least as a long term backup. I am not going to say he will be better than Kolb long term, but could he really be much worse?
Hey, who wordy? I wordy! TPE!
“I thought when they acquired Albert Haynesworth they had become a sure bet to get to the Super Bowl. Wrong again! Currently the only thing keeping them over .500 is the ruthless favoritism shown by NFL referees towards their receivers and O-lineman. Any time the game is called in a balanced way, things get dicey for them, since they are certainly not going to overwhelm any other good team by brunt of talent.
ReplyDeleteI think “isn’t getting time to throw” is a relative thing. It looks to me (granted, without the benefit of a stopwatch) as if he’s getting roughly the NFL average. He’s getting way more time that Philip Rivers, for one example. Earlier this season on Brady would stand flat footed and take his sweet time, but as of late, he’s feeling a normal level of pocket heat. BTW, in 40+ years of watching football, Mr. Brady displays the biggest performance drop off by an elite QB when getting no pressure vs. when he gets hit a couple of times that I’ve ever seen.”
Haynesworth was never a fit scheme-wise, which surprised me when they signed him. You’re right about the comparison to Rivers with the throwing time comment, but Rivers is really disappointing me from an improvisation standpoint this year. More on that in my next AFC West writeup. Brady has never had an elite defense, but he’s been able to rely on that side of the ball to put up some consistent and consecutive stops. They’re absolutely awful on that side of the ball, and when you combine playing from behind with no running game, reduced passing weapons, and defenses being able to play more aggressively against them, Brady isn’t going to be able to sit back and pick apart defenses as he’s done in the past. Yes, he does tend to go into his shell a bit when he gets hit a few times.
“Shonn Greene is an average running back that popped off his best play in a big situation and no one ever lets us forget it. If I feel generous, I can call Mark Sanchez an average quarterback. I say around he’s around 15/32, you say around 25/32, but I will concede this: When he looks bad he looks much closer to 31/32 (#32 is reserved for Tim Tebow) than a 8/32 when he’s as playing as well as he can. They still talk about him like he’s some damn rookie, and you know my theory: 1000 pass attempts and the ‘he is a young QB and he has to develop this or that as part of his game’ conversations are silly. Whatever those things that need to develop are, they never will. It would be very interesting to see what that Alabama kid could do with a start after taking all the reps in practice.”
I don’t think the Jets can even win anything significant unless they make an upgrade at either QB or RB, more so the former. This Jets defense isn’t as good as Trent Dilfer’s Ravens’ defense, and Sanchez isn’t near as good as Dilfer was. Dilfer wasn’t a guy that was going to win many games on his own, but he could certainly manage not to lose games his team was putting him in position to win. I’m not confident that Sanchez can do that consistently enough. I don’t see this huge growth potential for him either. He might get a little better with experience, but Sanchez is pretty much who he’s going to be. It will be interesting to see how long they stick with him as their guy. My prediction – in the next 2-3 years they’ll be presented with a situation in the draft where a QB unexpectedly falls to them. There’s not another guy they have to get there, so they go with the QB who eventually replaces Sanchez.
“That guy is really, really good. Their ability to control getting gashed up the middle will be very suspect from here on. It doesn’t look promising for them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go 2-6 down the stretch.”
ReplyDeleteYeah, Buffalo has likely peaked this year. With all respect to Fred Jackson and Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m not sure they’ll be able to rely on winning high scoring games the rest of the way. That’s not a reliable path to success.
“I watched it not believing what I was seeing. Precision, controlled passing with smart decisions by Flacco??! What next, Bizarro Superman being admitted to Harvard? I will say this: I take nothing away from the Ravens, and it was a great win, but they still have to prove they can beat the Steelers in the playoffs.
:) Ha ha! I knew you’d appreciate Flacco’s performance. The Ravens won’t admit it, but I’m sure they don’t want to face the Steelers in the playoffs. Could they really beat them three times in one season? As much as I like Baltimore, even I would likely lean towards the law of numbers in that third matchup.
“There was something I saw in this game that surprised me. Heath Miller caught a ball near the sideline, broke a tackle and began to head up field. The camera angle caught future first ballot Hall of Famer Ed Reed appearing very, very reluctant to make an aggressive tackle on Miller, and made a very perfunctory effort to get Miller on the ground. It was not a particularly flattering moment for Mr. Reed.”
I missed that one. With as long as he’s played and with the injuries he’s had (still has), it’s pretty amazing that Reed has been able to stay as much of a factor at his position as he has. He’s 33 and has “only” 2 INTs this year. Is this finally the start of the slide? Regardless, he’s a first ballot HOF’er in everyone’s book.
“Chris Collingsworth said something interesting on that NFL recap show of his on Showtime, which I, unlike Peyton Manning, do try to watch on occasion. He believes that Dalton has the quickest release in the game (I assume he meant along with Aaron Rogers). I haven’t seen much of the kid, but next time they rotate the Bengals through on Red Zone, I may pay more attention. Maybe the Falcons should have traded up to get A.J. Greene instead of J. Jones, although Jones has looked pretty good this year too.”
I think Collinsworth is being a little nice to the rookie. Dalton does have a quick release, and I am impressed with how that has translated from college to the pros for him. That rarely works for rookies or young passers because of the mental aspect. Dalton’s handled that tremendously which is the biggest reason for his (and Cincinnati’s) success.
“Well, looks like they went out and got talent. Fat, lazy, underperforming talent with a shitty attitude, and I predict they will get nothing out of him. In fact, I would put the over/under on the number of games he plays in a Buc uniform at 4.5. My out on the limb guess is he will eventually end up with the Jets for their playoff push, where he probably will make a huge difference for them.”
ReplyDeleteThis might be Haynesworth’s last stop. If 4.5 is the number, I’m taking the under. Scheme aside, what is Raheem Morris going to get out of a guy that Bill Belichick couldn’t? The one positive I take from this move is that they saved a shitload of money by “allowing” him to sign that huge free agent deal with Washington and scooping him up after two teams have given up on him.
“Tom Brady goes out and the Pats go 11-5. Peyton Manning goes out and the Colts might go 0-16. I will grant that Matt Cassell is a starting QB and Curtis Painter….err…isn’t…BUT MANNING IS BETTER THAN BRADY OK!?!!?”
I’ve always been on Manning’s side of that debate. Sure he’s had weapons too, but at his best, nobody recognizes, attacks, and breaks down defenses better than Peyton.
“Yeah, I don’t disagree, but to me the story that has been more deliberate in its telling is the exposure of Colt McCoy as a transitional QB rather than the type of player you want to guide your franchise even in the short term.”
I think you’re right on with McCoy. They’re going nowhere with him.
“Now, see, unlike Tom Brady, Philip Rivers REALLY isn’t getting much protection or much help from his head coach. I think the Chargers down to guys they signed off the street to fill out their complement of offensive lineman. Unlike the rest of the known football fan universe, I think he’s still pretty damn good, but he has no Gates, no Sproles, no McNeil, and is constantly battling defensive push all up in his face. I see them finishing 8-8 with the Raiders at 9-7. I’m not going to address the issue of whether or not the Raiders overpaid form Carson Palmer (of course they did), I am just going to say that while I don’t believe Palmer is the player he was before the knee and elbow, he will end up better than Jason Campbell, and that is going to put them in the playoffs.”
The Raiders certainly look like the team on the upswing in that division. Palmer should only get better the rest of the way, and he’d be wise to continue looking Denarius Moore’s way. Rivers didn’t have any time to throw in Thursday’s game, but like I mentioned above, I’m disappointed in his lack of improvisation. This is what keeps him out of the elite for me. Rodgers, Manning, Brees, and Brady (until recently) can be counted on to make something out of nothing. Rivers can’t.
“You might recall me writing that I expected Tebow to look pretty good for a few weeks. His performance against the Raiders was what I figured he could do, but that isn’t a recipe for long term success in the NFL, particularly once it’s out there for the world to see. I expect that the Broncos will find themselves trading field goals for touchdowns, then trading three and outs for field goals. Those other guys over there lining up on defense? Most of them didn’t play for Vanderbilt.”
ReplyDeleteThis might be another good week for him as well, but reality should be quite the bitch next week.
“Did I mention that I thought the Giants have the best coach in the NFL?”
I think he’ definitely in the top three.
“Do you recall how this kid dropped in the draft because of ‘character issues’? Generally, when there are concerns about a kids character, they turn out not to be concerns made up out of thin air, although that’s kind of a misnomer, since a cubic yard of air weighs damn near 2.5 lbs., but never mind that, my point, and I do have one, is the only thing keeping Dez Bryant from being a dominant player is Dez Bryant.”
Now there’s a TPE comment! Yeah, Bryant’s got issues; didn’t pay for jewelry. I always have to question a millionaire who can’t pay off four figure debts. That’s lack of character. It doesn’t always translate to the field, but I believe in karma and this it sometimes likes to show up in opportune spots.
“Given the weapons at his disposal, he can probably beat the bad to mediocre teams. However, to my mind, there was a very telling moment in the Bears game. Vick, who has herpes, and almost certainly would not score over 70 on a Stanford-Binet IQ test, scooted to his left after once again being confused by the coverage, and began to run for the 1st down marker. Lance Briggs caught him. A very good, but not elite linebacker CAUGHT HIM. That doesn’t happen to the 28 year old Michael Vick. As I watch him, I don’t really see much difference in him in the pocket from his Falcon days; what is hurting him is the loss of that explosive half step that would allow him to always get out of trouble and very often make a game changing play.”
Yeah I was calling him VD Vick for a while. Tom Brady’s play seems to have slipped a bit as of late, but Vick has taken regression to a new low. He’s easily confused by defenses and isn’t making near as many plays as he used to purely on athleticism. Did I mention that I believe in karma?
“Rogers made a throw running to his right over that went from the his 22 to the other 22 and landed softly in Packers receivers arms AND IT WASN’T EVEN HIS BEST THROW OF THE GAME. I don’t play Madden or any of those things…can you even do the things he does against teams on Madden?”
He seems to make at least one throw like that every week. The only video games I get to play nowadays are Wii games with my son. He’s a Mario Kart stud.
“They seemed to go to max protect a lot of this game, and if you give him a second or two, Cutler is going hurt you even with average receivers. I ate shit for a couple of years because I wanted the Bucs to get him and was (as the kids say) ‘hatin’ on Freeman. The thing that was confirmed for me by this game was that Julius Peppers is the best all-around athlete in the NFL, which I will note in passing, says a lot about Chad Clifton.”
I was big on getting Cutler when Denver made him available. Is he Peyton’s mental equivalent? No, but the guy has a hell of a lot of talent and is someone who can win games for you. I think he’s as close a player as we still have to Favre, and I mean that in a good way. Philly is horribly overrated (I’m guilty of it too), but if Chicago can replicate that game plan or at least make that the core of who they are offensively, they’ll be extremely tough the rest of the way.
“One of the few things I have always admired about admitted cheater Bill Belichick was his ruthless commitment to putting the best players on the field, a lesson he learned as detailed in Halberstam’s book in Cleveland, where he did not and it cost him. I wonder if Leslie Frazier, as a first time head coach, had to learn that lesson first hand. Did he really need preseason and seven games to realize he had no chance with McNabb?”
ReplyDeleteThat trade made no sense. I’m not sure he was a Frazier acquisition, but once they dealt for him, they had to start him. McNabb isn’t the mentoring type, so bringing him in as a backup to Ponder wouldn’t make sense. Stupid, failed move on Minnesota’s part.
“If I’m Mike McCarthy, first I would thank the appropriate deity that AR fell to 24 in the draft, then I would be concerned about the one team that could put the kibosh on getting back to the SB: the Saints. Sproles is a matchup hell for them. A.J. Hawk or Woodson in the open field one on one with him? First down, Saints.”
I know you are what you are at some point, but Green Bay’s defense isn’t as bad as the points they’re surrendering. You’re right, New Orleans is the one team that could hang toe to toe with Green Bay, and Drew Brees already had a pretty good look at that defense this year.
“I thought he had enough physical tools to get a shot in the NFL at least as a long term backup. I am not going to say he will be better than Kolb long term, but could he really be much worse?”
Agreed. From what limited stuff I saw from Skelton at Fordham, he looked like he had what it take to not embarrass himself at the next level. I’m sure he’s still getting adjusted to the competition, but I don’t see Kolb being an “unusurpable” #1.
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