East
It wasn’t pretty, but I guess a win is a win. The Patriots nearly squandered a 21 point 4th quarter lead to the worst team in football, hanging on for a one score victory. Not sure what you can take away from this victory other than the fact that they close more like Papelbon than Rivera. The important thing is that they’re two games up on the Jets and own the tiebreaker with four left to play. This week is another “nothing to win” type games against the Redskins, but I want to see if they handle Washington any better than the Jets did. Speaking of the Jets, they beat the Skins behind three Shonn Greene scores, or one more than he totaled in his 11 previous games this year. This one was close until late, and while I expect them to win this week against the Chiefs, they could easily lose their last three (@PHI, v.NYG, @MIA). I still think they don’t make the playoffs. Miami stomped Oakland, giving them 4 wins in their last 5 games. It’s a shame they didn’t start churning out the Ws until halfway through the season. Tony Sparano just might have saved his job. Buffalo’s downward spiral continues. Their home loss to Tennessee was their 5th in a row, and they could easily make that a 9 game stretch to close out the year.
North
Yea! The Ravens didn’t do the post-big-game collapse this time, taking care of the bumbling Browns. Cam Cameron got with the program as Ray Rice carried the ball 29 times for a career high 204 yards. With the win, Baltimore still controls its own fate and will look to drop the Colts to 0-13 this week. For Cleveland, Colt McCoy continues to demonstrate that he could be a damn decent #2 QB. Pittsburgh had it clicking big time against the Bengals, dominating them 21-0 at one point and not allowing a second half score. Ben Roethlisberger had another two TDs, both to Mike Wallace, but Rashard Mendenhall pounded the goal line twice as well. The Steelers also blocked a Mike Nugent FG attempt and got an Antonio Brown punt return TD. Cincinnati needs to get back on track against Houston if they want to get that last playoff spot ahead of the Jets. They’re both sitting at 7-5, and I see Cincinnati has having the easier schedule the rest of the way. AJ Green might be the offensive rookie of the year if it were not for Cam Newton.
South
Who needs Matt Schaub when you’ve got TJ Yates? Maybe Gary Kubiak wasn’t spouting coach speak when he said that they were very pleased with Yates’ progress as a rookie and were fine with him as their #1. Sure Arian Foster had 31 carries on the day, but Yates was able to consistently command the offense without turning it over. Matt Ryan looked more like a rookie than Yates. It wasn’t all good as the Texans lost Andre Johnson again, this time with another hamstring injury. Will they run their win streak to seven without him at Cincinnati? Tennessee won at Buffalo, giving them back to back victories for the first time since in two months. Sure it was the fading Bills, but Chris Johnson made it a second straight studly game with 153 yards and 2 TDs. Will he run that streak to three against the Saints? Yep, the Jags are still bad, and Blaine Gabbert is so soft he makes Mark Sanchez look tough. Indy is now an 0-12 heaping pile of manure.
West
Don’t look now, but the most uncompetitively competitive division in the league just got a little tighter. Denver moved their streak to five at Minnesota behind an opportunistic defense and, brace yourselves, a passing QB. Timmy stroked the genie’s lamp at halftime again, connecting with Demaryius Thomas for two 3rd quarter scores and eclipsing the ever so elusive 200 yard passing mark for the first time this year. All the media attention goes to Timmy, but that defense and Willis McGahee (20-111-1) were the difference in this one. That and two late Matt Prater FGs. The momentum express continues as they get the reeling Bears at home this Sunday. Oakland faceplanted in Miami, fallilng behind 34-0 before getting two garbage 4th quarter scores to avoid the (deserved) shutout. Michael Bush (10 carries, 18 yards) had his worst game of the year, and Richard Seymour was kicked out of the contest for throwing a punch at a Dolphin. Bully. The biggest story might be the off field troubles Rolando McClain got himself into. You know your basic assault and weapons charges. San Diego found the cure to their 6 game losing streak in Jacksonville, but I’m not chasing that bandwagon yet. Yes, they’re getting healthy, but this is a 5-7 team that still has Baltimore and Detroit on the schedule and will have a tough time reaching .500 let alone the playoffs; and .500 ain’t cutting in this the West this year. Kansas City continues to live the Tyler Palko dream as Kyle Orton dislocated his finger on his one pass attempt as a Chief. Party on Kansas City!
East
Ok, does anyone want to win the NFC East? All four of them flopped last week, starting with Philadelphia’s enjoyable, now weekly, no show; this time in Seattle. Vince Young threw another 4 TDs, oops I mean disgustingly awful INTs, giving him 8 in 3 games. Way to go Vince! DeSean Jackson continues to show his ass and do very little football playing on the field. Write it down – whoever signs this guy is going to regret it. He’s exactly the kind of guy you don’t give a long term deal. He’s shown his softness and selfishness repeatedly and is a one trick pony, if that. I bet the end result in Philly is that Jackson and defensive coordinator Juan Castillo are out and Andy Reid and Michael Vick return. As for the rest of this year, they just need to try and not get embarrassed weekly. Dallas did the fade in Arizona, thanks in large part to the boneheadedness that was Jason Garrett’s decision to ice his own kicker, leading to an ensuing miss and eventual loss. Ok, so Garrett claimed to be trying to beat a delay of game, but I call “oops I screwed up” for 1000 Alex. They’ll take their one game lead into Sunday night’s game against the Gaints, a team that almost became THAT team in a thrilling loss to the milk country marvels. Instead of a historic victory, the Giants lost their 4th straight and will try to avoid falling two behind Dallas with three to play by beating them Sunday. In their defense, three of those four losses came to three of football’s best teams (GB, NO, SF). A tough call, but I might take the road team in this one, especially with Ahmad Bradshaw getting healthy. Washington got back into the loss column, dropping to 4-8 and doing nothing but chasing the Eagles for last place in the division.
North
Here you’ve got the good, the bad, and the ugly. After going back and forth with the Giants in the first half, the Packers were unable to pull away and needed a ho hum 58 second game winning drive from the robot that is Aaron Rodgers to keep their undefeated season alive. It wasn’t all good though. Rodgers threw an ugly INT that the Giants turned into a TD two plays later, Jermichael Finley continues to drop passes, and Charles Woodson suffered late in the game putting his status for this week in check. I don’t see how they don’t get to 12-0 against the Raiders. Anyone catch the time of death? It came with about 6 minutes left in the first quarter as Matt Forte went out with an MCL sprain. There’s no telling how long he’ll be out, and every week counts when you’re scratching and clawing for a wild card spot this late in the season with Caleb Hanie as your QB. Now for the ugly; make that disgustingly undisciplined. Brandon Pettigrew shoving an official. Titus Young pushing Malcolm Jenkins in the face when they were on the Saints’ doorstep. Stefan Logan throwing the ball at a Saints player like a dumbass. Someone teach Nate Burleson how to get separation without drawing a flag. Three offensive PIs??? If they can get their heads out of their asses, they should jump ahead of the Bears for a wild card spot. Minnesota suffered a crushing loss to the Broncos. Christian Ponder and Percy Harvin are establishing quite the chemistry, connecting for two huge TDs. Ponder has made some rookie throws, but I love how he’s working out there; big things ahead for him. Sure they’re a big disappointment at 2-10, but only 2 of those 10 losses were by more than 10 points. Matt Kalil would be a great pick in April to give them the best LT play they’ve had in years.
South
When the Lions weren’t shooting themselves in the foot, they were getting burnt by Drew Brees. Well on his way to breaking Dan Marino’s single season yardage record, the Saints’ slinger added another 342 to his season total. He threw 3 TDs, but the think that stands out most to me is that he’s gone three straight games without an INT. Now they head to Tennessee in a game that smells a bit like a trap. Of course they’re a better team at home, but I think they’ve learned their lesson with road letdowns (TB, STL). I think this one’s pretty simple at least strategy/success-wise – slow down Chris Johnson and the Saints win. While the Saints are running away with the division, the Falcons are another team doing the fade. After struggling to beat two mediocre teams (TEN, MIN), the Falcons fell on the road to a team with a QB named TJ. They don’t have that oomph this year; don’t seem to scare or even frighten anyone. I’d say 2-2 is a fair guesstimate the rest of the way (CAR, JAX, NO, TB), and that should be good enough to back into a wild card spot given what’s going on with the Bears, Giants, and Lions. Cam Newton set the rookie rushing TD record with three of them against the Succaneers who continue to find new ways to disappoint their fans. Awesome job by the Bucs letting Newton complete a desperate deep ball late in the first half to set up an Olindo Mare FG. Crap teams make crap plays.
West
After a draining loss at Baltimore the 49ers got back on track by shutting out the Rams 26-0. David Akers owned the first half with 3 FGs, but Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree took over in the second half. The no hangover effect resembles a veteran team that can refocus quickly which will come in very handy come playoff time. Patrick Willis went down with a hamstring injury, so his health will be worth monitoring as the postseason draws closer. Like the Saints, the Niners hit the road this week in a game that sniffs a bit of a looming loss, but I’m buying into their focus. Their recipe is simple and doesn’t require their QB to be on point every week. I don’t like Pete Carroll, but I like the effort the Seahawks have shown over the last month. Speaking of effort, Marshawn Lynch did it again. Somewhat reminiscent of last year’s mega highlight playoff run, Lynch ran through a wall of Eagle defenders and a Jamar Chaney arm tackle to score an impressive TD at set the tone early. He’s now scored in 8 straight games. Their schedule the rest of the way minus San Fran (STL, CHI, ARI) sets up for a run at a .500 record and a middle of the road draft pick. Pete will have to deal up in order to get Matt Barkley. Arizona is playing better ball of late as well, getting another run-off win, this time on the jukes and jives of LaRod Stephens-Howling. The Rams have pretty much locked up last place and will have only the Colts separating them from the top of the draft board.
Best Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Green Bay (1)
Scare survived. Now back home for 3 of their last 4.
2 – New Orleans (2)
133 points in their last 4 games. Don’t let me down with a road letdown.
3 – Baltimore (3)
The focus was their against the Browns. One week at a time, and the #1 seed is theirs.
4 – San Francisco (4)
I’m all in with these guys against any team in the NFC except the top two on this list. That said, I think they can hit the Saints with a surprise given the right situation.
5 – Pittsburgh (6)
Solid showing against a playoff caliber team. Can’t wait to see them against the Niners next week.
6 – New England (5)
Chinks in the armor. I really believe their lack of formidable tests late in the season will be their undoing come playoff time.
7 – Houston (NR)
TJ is OK. If they can win on the road at Cincinnati this Sunday, the could end the year on a 10-0 run.
8 – Denver (NR)
As the only team to go from one list to the other this season, the Broncos close out this week’s rankings. When finishing this list, I asked myself a simple question. Of the Broncos, Falcons, Cowboys, Jets, and Lions, who do I feel most confident in going out and getting a win right now? M-O-J-O!
OUT – Dallas (7), Oakland (8)
Worst Teams (Previous Rank)
1 – Indianapolis (1)
Now Archie’s trying to get Peyton out of town.
Draft pick – Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford)
2 – St. Louis (2)
The only light at the end of this tunnel is the final week 17 whistle. I like the pairing of Sam Bradford and Brandon Lloyd and think adding another weapon would go a long way.
Draft pick – Justin Blackmon (WR, Oklahoma State)
3 – Jacksonville (3)
Wow, what a bad team being led by a QB wearing a kick me sign.
Draft pick – Quinton Coples (DE, UNC)
4 – Cleveland (4)
Colt McCoy hasn’t shown himself as the team’s future at QB. Will Mike Holmgren find his next QB out west?
Draft pick – Matt Barkley (QB, USC)
5 – Minnesota (6)
Forget the record, the product on the field has improved post-McNabb.
Draft pick – Matt Kalil (T, USC)
6 – Washington (NR)
The slide continues with the Patriots and Giants on deck.
Draft pick – Trent Richardson (RB, Alabama) – I’m being serious with this. I really think Shanahan would love to pair Richardson with Helu.
7 – Kansas City (7)
Their recent point totals – 3, 10, 3, 9, 10. 10 points won win them any of their remaining 4 games.
Draft pick – Robert Griffin III (QB, Baylor)
8 – Tampa Bay (NR)
I tried to be nice with these guys, but they are certainly among the worst eight teams in the NFL at the moment. A 5-11 finish might be optimistic at this point and would give Morris an 18-30 record over three years. Do I really need to see another year of this?
Draft pick – Morris Claiborne (CB, LSU)
This Week’s Predictions
Strongest wins (by more than 14)
Steelers v. Browns
Ravens v. Colts
Packers v. Raiders
Dolphins v. Eagles
Double digit dominance (at least 10)
Jets v. Chiefs
Patriots @ Redskins
49ers @ Cardinals
Seahawks v. Rams
Just win baby
Broncos v. Bears
Chargers v. Bills
Saints @ Titans
Lions v. Vikings
Jaguars v. Bucs
Upsetville – Population: 3
Texans @ Bengals
Panthers v. Falcons
Giants @ Cowboys
“The important thing is that they’re two games up on the Jets and own the tiebreaker with four left to play. This week is another “nothing to win” type games against the Redskins, but I want to see if they handle Washington any better than the Jets did.”
ReplyDeleteI think Washington is going to give the Pats a tough time. I’m not sure NE has faced anyone that can cause the problems Orapko can, with the exception of DeMarcus Ware. Do I think they will win? Nope. But I think they be within a touchdown at the half. Here’s the thing with the ONTENCs (Offensively Named Team Established in the Nation’s Capital): they have a guy in Rex Grossman makes that in half of the games of a season will make some outstanding throws, and if this is one of those games, look out. As a corollary to this point, I strongly believe Mike Shanahan should make an effort via séance or psychic consultation with Jeane Dixon, to determine which games Rex Grossman will look like Bill Grossman, my old car insurance guy in Tampa, and sit him those days. Let me add this: if you watch the ONTENCE-Pats game, watch for how few passes Brady completes to the sideline. I don’t think he trusts neither his receivers nor his arm to try to fit in tight spots at an angle.
“This one was close until late, and while I expect them to win this week against the Chiefs, they could easily lose their last three (@PHI, v.NYG, @MIA). I still think they don’t make the playoffs.”
At first I thought you were mistaken, but I realized the 2nd place team in the AFC West might end up with a better record than the Jets, as might the Bengals. I’m pretty sure Rex Ryan will predict a Super Bowl win by his team even after they are eliminated from the postseason.
“It’s a shame they didn’t start churning out the Ws until halfway through the season. Tony Sparano just might have saved his job.”
Oddly, no one has spoken about Matt More having a magic about him…hey, maybe he’s a Pagan and he uses Magick! Anyway, I’m pulling for Sporano; two of the metrics I employ to assess good coaching are a) if a team looks prepared early and b) do they play hard for 4 quarters. The Dolphins do. Hey, any nearby teams come to mind that do not?
“The Ravens didn’t do the post-big-game collapse this time, taking care of the bumbling Browns. Cam Cameron got with the program as Ray Rice carried the ball 29 times for a career high 204 yards….”
….thereby avoiding the need for Joe Flacco to make plays. This is a very wise strategy. The offensive game plan for Flacco should be
1. Turn around. Hand ball off to Ray.
2. Throw deep sideline route to that fast kid or hard slants to Anquan, thereby minimizing the damage done by his astoundingly slow reads and poor judgment.
“Pittsburgh had it clicking big time against the Bengals, dominating them 21-0 at one point and not allowing a second half score. Ben Roethlisberger had another two TDs, both to Mike Wallace, but Rashard Mendenhall pounded the goal line twice as well.”
Here is what I would do if I ran the Steelers. I would call the GM of the Browns and say “what would it take to get Joe Thomas from you?” Then I would give them what they wanted, including unlimited Heath Bar Blitzes at Dairy Queen, which is pretty much the ultimate currency around here. Clearly, no team is going to trade away an elite player to an in-division rival, but the Steelers need to make a run at an established LT that can play TODAY.
“Who needs Matt Schaub when you’ve got TJ Yates?”
I thought when he came out he was good enough to have a look by the Bucs as a upgrade over Josh Johnson. Maybe you ran across that column that discussed Yates being brought into the combine as a ‘slappy’, which evidently is the term used for those guys that are brought in to throw to receiving prospects. Kubiak got a kick out of that, because that’s what he was way back when. Hey, do you think Kubiak ever thought “Man, if I have a really good camp, I bet I could beat out Elway?”
“Yep, the Jags are still bad, and Blaine Gabbert is so soft he makes Mark Sanchez look tough. Indy is now an 0-12 heaping pile of manure.”
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, for a second there watching that game I thought Rob Johnson had died his hair and was making a comeback! I thought in my lifetime I would NEVER see another NFL quarterback as soft a Rob Johnson, but this Gabbert kids first instinct is to assume the fetal position if he feels a breeze.
“All the media attention goes to Timmy, but that defense and Willis McGahee (20-111-1) were the difference in this one”
I’ll give him due credit in that he has looked a little better in the pocket, but I think he’s just about maxed out what he’s going to bring to the table. I though Steve Young said it best in an interview this week. He said Tebow can play winning football, because there are lots of ways to do that; but championship football means standing in the pocket, making reads and zipping the ball to open receivers.
“Yes, they’re getting healthy, but this is a 5-7 team that still has Baltimore and Detroit on the schedule and will have a tough time reaching .500 let alone the playoffs; and .500 ain’t cutting in this the West this year.”
Now that (apparently) the consensus is the Turner/Smith tandem is on its way out, the SD situation is going to be one of the more interesting things to watch in 2012. Norv Turner is a good football man, but there has been a steady decline in their performance since he got there. In fairness, their talent level is really overrated.
“All four of them flopped last week, starting with Philadelphia’s enjoyable, now weekly, no show; this time in Seattle.”
Given that my team is crap, I have to garner my enjoyment from teams I dislike losing, and let me tell you the enjoyment is multiplied when that team was in the estimation of many, a Super Bowl favorite. In the future they might want to consider that the football intelligence, work ethic and leadership qualities of a team’s quarterback filters down to the rest of the squad. Their starting quarterback has been repeatedly demonstrated lacking in those areas, however, he does have herpes.
“Dallas did the fade in Arizona, thanks in large part to the boneheadedness that was Jason Garrett’s decision to ice his own kicker, leading to an ensuing miss and eventual loss.”
So far I haven’t liked anything I’ve seen out of the new Dallas staff. I don’t generally criticize X’s and O’s because the playcaller knows a lot more about say, injuries to his players, but what does not bode well is that time management blunders are one of those things that you never seem to see coaches learn to completely overcome (see Edwards, Herm and Reid, Andy).
” the Packers were unable to pull away and needed a ho hum 58 second game winning drive from the robot that is Aaron Rodgers to keep their undefeated season alive.”
What’s it say about AR that with 58 seconds left on the clock you knew it was really bad news for the Giants? If I were Perry Fewell I’d have rushed 8 and took my chances, since clearly in those situations coverage makes little difference to Rodgers.
“Ponder has made some rookie throws, but I love how he’s working out there; big things ahead for him.”
I retract my earlier contention that Ponder would end up being a slightly more athletic Kyle Orton. I now agree that he’s got the goods, but already he’s probably going to miss a game due to injury, a story we saw a lot around here.
“When the Lions weren’t shooting themselves in the foot, they were getting burnt by Drew Brees…”
ReplyDeleteThat guy that hosts the JCS will sometimes use the phrase ‘a come to Jesus meeting’. It might be about time for Coach Swartz to call one of those. It was disgraceful. So those Lion players are going to tell me that they are subject to the kinds of things NO OTHER TEAM IN THE NFL experiences every week and hence are forced to respond to them unprofessionally? Balderdash, I say!
As I watched Brees, I started to ask myself if Fox, or whoever has the Super Bowl, can flex out of an AFC-NFC matchup and pair up the Saints and Packers. I’m pretty sure given the right weather and another Packer defensive injury, the Saints can’t handle them pretty well.
“…the Falcons are another team doing the fade.”
The Falcons are the least threatening team in the NFL with an above .500 record. Even the Broncos can worry you because of their gimmicky scheme, and Oakland, when healthy, has all kinds of guys you’d have to worry about. How can a team with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner not score 28 ppg? Could it be everyone now knows that Matt Ryan can’t get the ball to his guys on certain routes? Why, yes, I think it could be.
“Awesome job by the Bucs letting Newton complete a desperate deep ball late in the first half to set up an Olindo Mare FG. Crap teams make crap plays.”
I don’t care how many holes they have to fill. If I were Dominik or the new GM, I’d take the best available QB in the third round and tell every player in that locker room, all the while looking at Josh Freeman, that their job is up for grabs.
Mr. Talbuc, the Rams and Seahawks is the best they could do? I let mystical interdimensional Shaman Tony Harrison express my reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCq8XDgrP0
“I think Washington is going to give the Pats a tough time. I’m not sure NE has faced anyone that can cause the problems Orapko can, with the exception of DeMarcus Ware. Do I think they will win? Nope. But I think they be within a touchdown at the half. Here’s the thing with the ONTENCs (Offensively Named Team Established in the Nation’s Capital): they have a guy in Rex Grossman makes that in half of the games of a season will make some outstanding throws, and if this is one of those games, look out. As a corollary to this point, I strongly believe Mike Shanahan should make an effort via séance or psychic consultation with Jeane Dixon, to determine which games Rex Grossman will look like Bill Grossman, my old car insurance guy in Tampa, and sit him those days. Let me add this: if you watch the ONTENCE-Pats game, watch for how few passes Brady completes to the sideline. I don’t think he trusts neither his receivers nor his arm to try to fit in tight spots at an angle.”
ReplyDeleteGreat call. That one came down to the wire. Regarding the Brady-sideline thing, I’m guessing that has to do more with the fact that his top three receivers, by far, do their work over the middle of the field.
“At first I thought you were mistaken, but I realized the 2nd place team in the AFC West might end up with a better record than the Jets, as might the Bengals. I’m pretty sure Rex Ryan will predict a Super Bowl win by his team even after they are eliminated from the postseason.”
Oh we can only hope.
“Oddly, no one has spoken about Matt More having a magic about him…hey, maybe he’s a Pagan and he uses Magick! Anyway, I’m pulling for Sporano; two of the metrics I employ to assess good coaching are a) if a team looks prepared early and b) do they play hard for 4 quarters. The Dolphins do. Hey, any nearby teams come to mind that do not?”
My opinion: As good as the team has played for Sparano, I think Moore has a better chance of returning (as a #2) than the head coach.
“….thereby avoiding the need for Joe Flacco to make plays. This is a very wise strategy. The offensive game plan for Flacco should be
ReplyDelete1. Turn around. Hand ball off to Ray.
2. Throw deep sideline route to that fast kid or hard slants to Anquan, thereby minimizing the damage done by his astoundingly slow reads and poor judgment.”
In an attempt to sidestep your Flacco flaming, following that simple game plan will win them the game most weeks.
“Here is what I would do if I ran the Steelers. I would call the GM of the Browns and say “what would it take to get Joe Thomas from you?” Then I would give them what they wanted, including unlimited Heath Bar Blitzes at Dairy Queen, which is pretty much the ultimate currency around here. Clearly, no team is going to trade away an elite player to an in-division rival, but the Steelers need to make a run at an established LT that can play TODAY.”
Great idea, but it would never happen. A problem for the Steelers (and this is reaching) is that they’ve been picking so late in R1 in every draft that they’re never able to get anywhere close to acquiring a franchise tackle.
“I thought when he came out he was good enough to have a look by the Bucs as a upgrade over Josh Johnson. Maybe you ran across that column that discussed Yates being brought into the combine as a ‘slappy’, which evidently is the term used for those guys that are brought in to throw to receiving prospects. Kubiak got a kick out of that, because that’s what he was way back when. Hey, do you think Kubiak ever thought “Man, if I have a really good camp, I bet I could beat out Elway?”
Ha ha. Kubiak seems like a bright guy, so I doubt that though crossed his mind in a conscious state. I knew that Yates was brought to the Combine to throw in the passing drills rather than be evaluated himself, but I hadn’t heard the “slappy” term before. Think Jacksonville would like to have their Gabbert pick back? Wow, a 3rd string 5th round pick outplaying the 10th overall pick big time!
“My goodness, for a second there watching that game I thought Rob Johnson had died his hair and was making a comeback! I thought in my lifetime I would NEVER see another NFL quarterback as soft a Rob Johnson, but this Gabbert kids first instinct is to assume the fetal position if he feels a breeze.”
ReplyDeleteGreat comparison there; hadn’t thought about Rob Johnson.
“I’ll give him due credit in that he has looked a little better in the pocket, but I think he’s just about maxed out what he’s going to bring to the table. I though Steve Young said it best in an interview this week. He said Tebow can play winning football, because there are lots of ways to do that; but championship football means standing in the pocket, making reads and zipping the ball to open receivers.”
It sounds bitter, but the stars align for this guy every single week; never seen anything like it. Good call by Steve Young, and I agree 100%.
“Now that (apparently) the consensus is the Turner/Smith tandem is on its way out, the SD situation is going to be one of the more interesting things to watch in 2012. Norv Turner is a good football man, but there has been a steady decline in their performance since he got there. In fairness, their talent level is really overrated.”
Supposedly there’s a good chance that AJ Smith gets paired with Jon Gruden in Miami. Turner seems to have this voodoo to him that causes teams to consistently underperform. WHEN the Bucs get rid of Morris, I’m not sure Turner would be one of my top candidates. Yes he knows football, but for some reason his teams continue to disappoint.
“Given that my team is crap, I have to garner my enjoyment from teams I dislike losing, and let me tell you the enjoyment is multiplied when that team was in the estimation of many, a Super Bowl favorite. In the future they might want to consider that the football intelligence, work ethic and leadership qualities of a team’s quarterback filters down to the rest of the squad. Their starting quarterback has been repeatedly demonstrated lacking in those areas, however, he does have herpes.”
We’ll get to see if he falls on his face again next season because I don’t think there’s a chance they move on from him. Only way I see that happening is if they get rid of Reid, and even then it’s no sure thing.
“So far I haven’t liked anything I’ve seen out of the new Dallas staff. I don’t generally criticize X’s and O’s because the playcaller knows a lot more about say, injuries to his players, but what does not bode well is that time management blunders are one of those things that you never seem to see coaches learn to completely overcome (see Edwards, Herm and Reid, Andy).”
They disappoint and underwhelm every year; it’s a post-Aikman thing. As flaky as I think they are, I still believe they’re the best team in that division which should say something about the other three teams.
“What’s it say about AR that with 58 seconds left on the clock you knew it was really bad news for the Giants? If I were Perry Fewell I’d have rushed 8 and took my chances, since clearly in those situations coverage makes little difference to Rodgers.”
ReplyDeleteThe only way to beat the guy is to go ahead of the Packers on the last play of the game. I’m convinced he could go 90 yards in 10 seconds if needed.
“I retract my earlier contention that Ponder would end up being a slightly more athletic Kyle Orton. I now agree that he’s got the goods, but already he’s probably going to miss a game due to injury, a story we saw a lot around here.”
Oh he had an ugly outing today; more on that later. Yeah that injury situation will be something to monitor with him.
“That guy that hosts the JCS will sometimes use the phrase ‘a come to Jesus meeting’. It might be about time for Coach Swartz to call one of those. It was disgraceful. So those Lion players are going to tell me that they are subject to the kinds of things NO OTHER TEAM IN THE NFL experiences every week and hence are forced to respond to them unprofessionally? Balderdash, I say!”
As I’ve heard mentioned a few times this week, I believe it’s a maturity issue and not a case of the coach losing the team. These guys have been playing like a bunch of college underclassmen for over a month, and they nearly lost today’s game to a receiver playing QB.
“As I watched Brees, I started to ask myself if Fox, or whoever has the Super Bowl, can flex out of an AFC-NFC matchup and pair up the Saints and Packers. I’m pretty sure given the right weather and another Packer defensive injury, the Saints can’t handle them pretty well.”
Very true. I had it coming down to the Saints and Packers in my preseason predictions, and I’ll stick with the upset of the Saints winning the rematch. I also still like the Ravens (and Flacco) to get there as their opponent.
“The Falcons are the least threatening team in the NFL with an above .500 record. Even the Broncos can worry you because of their gimmicky scheme, and Oakland, when healthy, has all kinds of guys you’d have to worry about. How can a team with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner not score 28 ppg? Could it be everyone now knows that Matt Ryan can’t get the ball to his guys on certain routes? Why, yes, I think it could be.”
ReplyDeleteWell said; can’t add to that. No one fears these Falcons.
“I don’t care how many holes they have to fill. If I were Dominik or the new GM, I’d take the best available QB in the third round and tell every player in that locker room, all the while looking at Josh Freeman, that their job is up for grabs.”
That would certainly be one way to get their attention. I start getting upset if I have to think about the Bucs for too long at one time, so I’ll try to make this quick. Job #1 is to get rid of Morris. Once that’s done we can start to think about the type of talent to bring in. CB, LB, OL, and RB are in bad shape, and every other position could use a talent upgrade.
“Mr. Talbuc, the Rams and Seahawks is the best they could do? I let mystical interdimensional Shaman Tony Harrison express my reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCq8XDgrP0”
That’s one freaky little clip TPE. How do you find these things?
It's from one of my favorite shows, 'The Mighty Boosh'. Very difficult to describe, but more often than not, brilliant.
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