Week 12, Extra Credit

Ok, so it's time for Week 12 Extra Credit. Also, just to point out that picks wise I'm now 57-30 since I started in week 7, which equals out at just over a 65% success rate, which isn't too shabby. It would be more if a) I didn't keep picking against the Saints, b) the Dolphins would stop trying to throw the ball and c) The Panthers would just do as they're darn well told. I hate the Panthers. Lets get going: Charles Woodson (Packers) -- 6 tackles, an assist, a sack, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble. I hear he also bakes a nice cake. Aaron Rodgers (Packers) -- Only sacked once. That's really good from his perspective. Bruce Gradkowski (Raiders) -- Who else in this league could complete just 18/35 passes and still be hailed as a big improvement? Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and Marion Barber (Cowboys) -- Proving that they will be the key to the Cowboys success or failure this year. Miles Austin (Cowboys) -- 7 catches for 145 yards and TD. Showing who's really the number 1 receiver in Dallas. Eli Manning (Giants) -- 24/40, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. This is pretty much a weekly occurrence, yet somehow still manages to reduce Brandon Jacobs to just 11 carries. He must have the gift of the gab. Brandon Marshall (Broncos) -- Not one, but two, one handed catches in one game. Nice. Brian Dawkins (Broncos) -- 8 tackles and a forced fumble. The Eagles must have been nuts to let this guy go. Chris Redman (Falcons) -- Journeyman Redman popped up again to fill in for Matt Ryan and clocked 23/41 for 243 yards and 2 TDs with no pick. Barrett Ruud (Buccaneers) -- 9 tackles, 2 assists and a forced fumble. That's about as good as you're going to get from the Buc's D this year. Ryan Fitzpatrick (Bills) -- 17/26, 246 yards and a TD, plus 50 yards on the ground as well. Someone is after a long term starting job. Yeremiah Bell (Dolphins) -- 8 tackles, 5 assists, and an interception. To think that all that good work was wasted by his offense.... Jason Avant (Eagles) -- Has been largely shunned in favour of younger weapons, but came up big in this one with 5 really tough catches for 94 yards. London Fletcher (Redskins) -- Is making a habit of appearing on this list with 11 tackles, an assist and a sack. One good reason why the Redskins D does as well as it has been. Justin Forsett (Seahawks) -- 22 carries, 130 yards and 2 TDs. Making an argument for Seattle to throw the ball less. Jordan Babineaux (Seahawks) -- 12 tackles, 1 assist and an INT. Even against the Rams that's still worth a mention. James Laurinaitis (Rams) -- 9 tackles and a sack for the rookie. Maybe there's hope for the Rams yet............... na. Mark Sanchez (Jets) -- What? Only throwing one pick is good by his usual standards.... Jake Delhomme (Panthers) -- Threw 4 interceptions. That's down one from his playoff game against the Cardinals last year. Also did the Panthers a favour and dislocated a finger. Jon Beason (Panthers) -- 11 tackles and 6 assists. Someone either wants a pay rise or just really loves hitting things. Maybe a bit of both. Bengals Offensive Line (Bengals) -- Proved they can make any running back look good. Kris Brown (Texans) -- Actually remembered to kick the ball between the posts this time. Twice. LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers) -- Other than having one of the most inconvenient names to spell correctly, (up there with Visanthe Shiancoe) he clocked another 2 TDs in the Redzone to add to his all time list. This is important because Norv Turners offense's have always been criticised for a lack of red zone punch. This one has plenty. Antonio Gates (Chargers) -- 7 catches, 118 yards and 2 TDs. Up there with Visanthe Shiancoe and Vernon Davis as trail blazers from the TE position this season. David Garrard (Jaguars) -- Managed to confine Maurice Jones-Drew to just 15 carries. There has to be something special about you to do that, right? Must be slipping the same potion into his coaches coffee as Eli Manning and Jake Delhomme. Jay Cutler (Bears) -- 18/23 and only 2 interceptions. That's probably the best Cutlers been all year.... Brett Favre (Vikings) -- How can you throw 48 passes and yet not throw at least one pick? And 32 completions? I'm beginning to think the real Brett Favre is hiding at his home in the South while a NASA robot version of Favre is tested out for the Vikings. Vince Young (Titans) -- The big question has always been, can he carry the Titans on his back? Yes he can. Darnell Dockett (Cardinals) -- 4 tackles, 2 assists, 3 sacks, and the craziest hair in football. Dennis Dixon (Steelers) -- Manfully tried to take on the Ravens. Shame he wasn't rewarded. Great TD run. Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley (Steelers) -- Combined for 17 tackles, 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Don't count the Steelers out of the playoffs yet. Drew Brees (Saints) -- Only threw 23 passes but completed 18 and clocked 371 yards and 5 TDs. Either he's in a class of his own or the Patriots D was just that bad. Probably a mixture of the two. Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem (Saints) -- We talk about all the offensive weapons that New Orleans has in the pass game, but these guys are the main targets. Combined for 12 catches, 306 yards and 3 TDs. Saints Offensive Line (Saints) -- Don't get any credit, but they've given up the third fewest sacks (14) and the third fewest QB hits (35) in the league. It's about time they got some credit, so here it is guys. Leigh Bodden (Patriots) -- Just purely because I mis-labelled him as a linebacker the other day. This is my apology. Right, that's that for tonight. Tomorrow night it'll be pick time ahead of Thursday Night football. I think I used the word 'night' enough in the last two sentences. Goodnight!

Thursday Night Football picks

It's Wednesday night/Thursday morning, which can only mean one thing....... Thursday Night Football picks!!! Packers @ Detroit : Well, what can you say? Detroit has, without doubt, the worst pass defense I've seen in a long time. The Packers meanwhile have probably one of the best overall receiving corps in the league. And to cap it all, they're just finding their running game again. Last time these two teams met the Lions were missing QB Matthew Stafford, and by a cruel twist of fate they may be without him again for this game. I'm sorry Lions fans, I can't see how your team is gonna compete in this one. Packers win. Raiders @ Cowboys : Hmmm, not as bad a match up as you might think. Yes the Raiders suck, but so do the Cowboys at the moment. Expect the men in Silver and Black to put shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha on Cowboys receiver Miles Austin, and then get pressure on Tony Romo with trade scoop Richard Seymour. To counter, the Cowboys do have the kind of rushing attack that could rip Oakland apart, but they just don't have the balls to say no to Tony Romo so expect that great triple team to be under utilized once again. I think, as scary as this might be, that the Raiders might actually win this game. Raiders win (did I just say that?). Giants @ Broncos : Everyone is jumping on the New York bandwagon. And I'm not really sure why. They're not all that special of late. Last week they barely scraped a win against what's been a pretty average Falcons team this season. The only down point everyone is moaning about is the lack of production from their run game. Now I'm sorry, but it's obvious that it's not for a want of trying. The trouble is that the Giants don't run the ball anywhere near as often as they pass. You can't post gaudy numbers if you don't get the ball. Just ask Frank Gore or Terrell Owens. Why isn't the Panthers rushing attack leading the league? Is it because DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have gone cold? No, it's because the Panthers just love Jake Delhomme (I hate them Panthers). And that's the issue I have with the Giants in this game. They don't/won't run the ball enough. Instead they put it all on Eli and expect him to roll out a repeat of his Superbowl performance. And it's not gonna happen. Especially against two of the best defenders out there; Broncos Safety Brian Dawkins and Cornerback Champ Bailey. And what's more, people have been hitting the Broncos offense hard for not taking deep shots. But they did against the Redskins. And I think they will against this banged up Giants secondary. It's a bit of a hail mary still, but I'm taking the Broncos. Broncos win. And there is even a little bit of time left for me to shell out some extra, extra credit: Matthew Stafford (Lions) -- I know he already got some yesterday, but that's why it's called extra, extra credit. And I've now had the full chance to check out those last two plays from Sunday. The NFL Network did a great job putting up a video on NFL.com of Stafford wired for sound. What you realise listening to the things he said is that the guy is tough. Physically, but most importantly, mentally. He has the physical attributes, we know that. He will get better at reading coverage and making plays as time goes on. But that toughness he showed will endear him to his team more than any TD pass. It's the kind of thing that separates the men from the boys, and the Matthew Stafford's from the JaMarcus Russell's.

Week 11 Extra Credit

The week is done, time to shell out some extra credit: Jake Delhomme (Panthers) -- The dude must be a magician or something. How else can you throw less than a 50% completion rate and still convince the coaches next week to place the game on your shoulders again? Even with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield. Joey Porter (Dolphins) -- 7 tackles, 1 assist and 2 sacks. Mean machine keeping the Dolphins D rolling. Derrick Mason (Ravens) -- When you hit 35, people start to question your ability to produce on the field. Mason caught 9 balls for 142 yards. Nice. London Fletcher (Redskins) -- 8 tackles, 5 assists, 1 interception and a forced fumble. The Redskins D can still do it. Shame their offense cant. Tony Romo (Cowboys) -- Only threw one touchdown, but still managed to win. The guy must eat lucky charms for breakfast. Patrick Crayton (Cowboys) -- When the Cowboys need a clutch play, either offensively or special teams, it's always this man stepping up to the plate. Brady Quinn (Browns) -- 21/33, 304 yards and 4 TDs are you kidding me? Now where did the real Browns offense go? Matthew Stafford (Lions) -- 26/43, 422 yards, 5 TDs and we'll overlook the 2 picks.Now, where did the real Lions offense go? Larry Foote (Lions) -- 9 tackles, 3 assists and a sack. Just what the Doctor ordered. Larry Foote might just qualify as being a human life support machine. Frank Gore (49'ers) -- thought he was going to be the center piece of the new 49'ers offense, but sadly he has to spend another year watching his team fruitlessly toss the ball around. The desire to involve Michael Crabtree likely has something to do with that. Shame. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) -- only sacked twice. He's getting better. Terrell Owens (Bills) -- 9 catches, 197 yards, and a TD. Now do you understand why he complains when he doesn't get the ball? Chris Chambers (Chiefs) -- Brought in a few weeks ago off waivers, he's learnt the system quickly, nabbing 4 catches for 119 yards against the Steelers. Brett Favre (Vikings) -- Just bow. That is all. Michael Boley (Giants) -- When they needed someone to come up big, he did. 11 tackles, 2 assists, and a sack. Pierre Thomas and Michael Bell (Saints) -- Forget about Reggie Bush's high flying antics, these two are the real drive that pushes the Saints to victory week in, week out. James Laurinaitis (Seahawks) -- Posted 16 tackles as he valiantly tried to stop the Cardinals. Mark Sanchez (Jets) -- 8/21, with 4 INTs. It's the "San-chise" now remember? Wes Welker (Patriots) -- 15 catches, 192 yards, and the guy is only 5'9. Tully Banta-Cain (Patriots) -- 4 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Nice days work. Leigh Bodden (Patriots) -- Only made 3 tackles, but 3 interceptions made a big impact. Bruce Gradkowski (Raiders) -- 17/34, 183 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT. On any other team that would be just a run of the mill performance, barely worth a mention. But for the Raiders, that practically makes you Tom Brady. I can't help but think all the hype surrounding this guy is gonna look stupid when he falls flat on his face soon. Tyvon Branch (Raiders) -- Who? Yeah I know. But 11 tackles, an assist, a sack and a forced fumble, may gain the 22 year old sophomore a little more attention. Michael Vick (Eagles) -- Busted out a 34 yard run. Yeah that's it. He might actually draw some hefty attention in the off season trade market though, what with the recent performances of Vince Young in Tennessee. Maybe Vick is paying Young a bonus every time he rushes for a first down. Lance Briggs (Bears) -- 10 tackles, an assist and a sack. The Bears could do with more play like this.... Charles Tillman (Bears) -- .... or this. 6 tackles, an assist and 3 forced fumbles. One of the few players it would seem who's learnt to punch the ball at the point where it meets the elbow. Vince Young (Titans) -- His throwing stats weren't stellar, and nor were his rushing stats. But he did do two key things; He didn't throw a pick (ok so he fumbled once but hey, at least he's not Jay Cutler), and when he did run, he picked up a collection of important first downs. That is gonna cause big problems for defensive co-ordinators in the future. Well, that's all we have time for this week. As always, if you like what you read, spread the word.

Monday night round up

Ok so It's time to check out my final pick from week 10: Ravens 16 @ Browns 0 : I just threw up a little on the carpet. I'm not ill & I'm not drunk (unfortunately). No, I've just been watching highlights that involved the Browns. I said last week that it doesn't matter if you use Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn, because the Browns receivers can't catch. What a surprise, Quinn goes 13/31 for 99 yards and 2 INTs. That's just repugnent. If I was a Browns fan I'd be disgusted. And I'd want Head Coach Eric Mangini's head. Mid-season coaching changes rarely turn out well, but in this case it can only get worse if Mangini stays. Fire the guy and make Rob Ryan the temporary coach. But to be honest, the team that came out of this worse off is probably the Ravens. Their only offensive TD came because the Browns messed up their substitution. They got a TD on a pick and then a field goal to round it off. If that's all they can manage against the Browns, then they have problems. Big problems. Still, that win takes me to 11-4 for the week, 37-17 so far after 4 weeks of this. Time I think now, for some extra credit: Michael Turner (Falcons) -- Turned 9 carries into 111 yards. His ball security is solid. Best running back in the league right now. Jonathan Stewart (Panthers) -- Is supposed to be the slow and powerful one of the two Panthers RBs. On his touchdown run, he was gaining separation on the defenders. Channing Crowder (Dolphins) -- Likes to talk the talk, but can also walk the walk. 9 tackles and an interception against the Buccaneers. Ricky Williams (Dolphins) -- Picked up the slack after Ronnie Brown went down injured with 20 carries for 102 yards. Josh Freeman (Buccaneers) -- Nice throws and showed a physical side to his game running with the ball. Kellen Winslow II (Buccaneers) -- Great hands, great strength. I love watching this guy. Breet Favre (Vikings) -- Still the king of the QB position. Sidney Rice (Vikings) -- 7 catches, 201 yards. Just read that again. Yeah, he's good. Adrian Peterson (Vikings) -- Speed, agility, strength, determination. If he could just sort out his ball handling issues he'd unquestionably be the best football player in the NFL right now. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) -- Can't say enough about his heads up play at the end of the game. The guy is an all round beast. Mark Sanchez (Jets) -- Has somehow convinced the press and his coaching staff that he's a lot better than he really is. Maybe this should got to his agent? Jonathan Joseph & Leon Hall (Bengals) -- Make the list for the second week in a row as a pair. Along with the rest of the Bengals secondary they basically shut down one of the best passing attacks in the league right now. That's damn impressive. Steven Jackson (Rams) -- 26 carries, 131 yards and a TD. This guy makes the Rams look a hell of a lot better than they really are. Would probably have a Superbowl ring by now if he was playing anywhere else. Vince Young (Titans) -- Over 200 yards and a TD throwing, running the option and making blocks for Chris Johnson. Someone wants to keep their starting job real bad. I really like Vince Youngs attitude. Fred Jackson (Bills) -- Did nothing special running the ball, but that TD pass on a wildcat play was pinpoint. This guy should be the starting QB. He couldn't do any worse down in Buffalo. Terrell Owens (Bills) -- 3 catches, 85 yards. The guy still has it, even if the Bills refuse to throw him the ball. Chris Johnson (Titans) -- Over a 100 yards rushing and then another 100 receiving. This guy is the reason why the Titans were so good last year. Todd Yoder (Redskins) -- Taking a break from his Star Wars obligations to fill in for the injured Chris Cooley. Caught a TD pass. He's one to maybe keep an eye on as he finds his slot in this offense. Brian Dawkins (Broncos) -- 12 tackles + 2 assists. Great Player. JaMarcus Russell (Raiders) -- What? 8 completions out of 23 attempts is pretty good by his standards.... Kirk Morrison (Raiders) -- Who? 10 tackles and a forced fumble, that's who. Chris 'Beanie' Wells (Cardinals) -- When you're a running back that hits and knocks over opposition linebackers, you deserve all the credit you get. Antrel Rolle (Cardinals) -- 9 tackles and 1 INT, came out of the shadow of Adrian Wilson a little in this game. Charles Woodson (Packers) -- 8 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, and a partridge in a pear tree. Donovan McNabb (Eagles) -- 450 yards passing exactly. Even with 2 TD's tagged on they still couldn't win the game. LaDanian Tomlinson (Chargers) -- 24 carries, 96 yards. It's nothing special. But it's a warning shot. Listening to Tomlinson's comments about his newly pregnant wife and the way he talks about his game, I think he's getting ready to lower his pads and start being the old LT again. Kevin Faulk (Patriots) -- He may be 33 years old but he spanked team mate Laurence Maroney for rushing this week. Chad Simspon (Colts) -- Made a case for replacing Joseph Addai. Sebastian Vollmer (Patriots) -- The reason Dwight Freeney recorded no tackles, no assists, no sacks, nothing. Dominated the Colts pass rusher.

Week 9, extra credit.

The Monday night game is done, so it's time to check out my final pick: Steelers 28 @ Broncos 10: Steelers win which takes me to 8-5 for the week, drawn with last week. Not bad, but not great either. Which kind of sums up the day that the Broncos had and in particular Kyle Orton. 23/38 for 221 yards is pretty impressive. However, 3 INT's is not. Especially when Steelers safety Tyrone Carter returns one of his two for a TD. Roethlisberger was 21/29, for 233 yards. Crucially though he only threw one pick compared to 3 TDs. That, coupled with a great game from Rashard Mendenhall (22 carries, 155 yards) pretty much sealed the deal. And as I have some time to spare, let's just run back through the rest of the games from week 9: Redskins 17 @ Falcons 31: The injury to Jason Campbell plus Clinton Portis's concussion are worrying news for the Redskins. One high point however was the play of Ladell Betts. The 30 year old RB picked up 70 yards and a TD off 15 carries, but the main thing is he looked strong running with the ball. Unfortunately for the Redskins their D looked terrible when tackling. I repeat, terrible. No wonder Michael Turner got 166 yards and 2 TD's off just 18 carries. Cardinals 41 @ Bears 21: How do you bounce back from throwing 5 INT's? Easy, throw 5 TD's!! Which is just what Kurt Warner did against a bad Bears team. Most intriguing though was the Cards ground game, which produced a combined 182 yds off 31 plays. On the opposite side, Cutlers pass numbers were ridiculously good. Trouble is, their run game is appallingly bad right now. Ravens 7 @ Bengals 17: Neither team really lit things up offensively, but for the second time this year the Ravens gave up 100 yards rushing to Cedric Benson. In a tight game that proved decisive, as the Bengals secondary shut down Flacco and the much vaunted (at least this season) Ravens pass attack. Disappointed to see Ray Rice only get 12 carries to Flaccos 32 passes, though his 8 catches for 87 yards contributed well. Rice looks like a player that might just explode into stardom in the next few years. Texans 17 @ Colts 20: Houston fans rejoice. Ok, so you lost. But hey, you're in a very good place as a team right now. The amount of offense being generated is good, which means next years draft can be a bit more defense heavy, and if they find a sparkling pass rusher in there to help draw double teams away from Mario Williams, then it's all good news. As for the Colts, they look mean. Real mean. I like the way that they get Addai involved in the pass game as well, as he's a great player. And just for fun I noticed this comment from NFL analyst Bucky Brooks on the NFL.com box analysis; "The Colts used a surprising 'air-it-out' approach in the first half to get off to a quick start". Surprising to whom exactly? Your honor, the defence for why this blog is necessary rests it's case.... Chiefs 21 @ Jaguars 24: The Chiefs have a new toy in WR Chris Chambers, which may just help to draw some of the coverage away from Dwayne Bowe. All they need now is to find a rushing attack from somewhere. The Jaguars meanwhile lent on Jones-Drew and it paid off for them. Rookie Rashad Jennings also got 2 carries and picked up a TD to finish a nice run. With him to complement Jones-Drew, that could turn out to be a solid backfield pair that might draw some more 8 man fronts and give Garrard some throwing room. Dolphins 17 @ Patriots 27: Brady put up over 300 yards passing (again) as the Pats beat the Dolphins (again) in a contest that ended a lot closer than many people (including me) thought it would. Was funny to see Pat White running the option play, including a pitch to Ricky Williams for a 15 yard TD, bearing in mind that every NFL analyst that's ever lived swears that the Option would never work in the Pros because Defences are too fast (White also took one carry himself for 33 yards). Random irritations? The 'phins (fins?), not using the excellent Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams enough to run the ball from traditional sets. And while I remember, the Dolphins not using Patrick Cobbs (who was injured for the season in week 5) enough. He's basically been playing third string in his time at Miami, despite the fact that every time he's come on in the past for both the Dolphins and the Patriots (who originally drafted him), he's been fantastic. Look for someone to take him off their hands next year. Packers 28 @ Buccaneers 38: Holy crap. Green Bay has serious protection issues. Serious issues. But it's not all doom and gloom. The reality is that if they just ran a few more 5 step routes and asked Rodgers not to hold onto the ball so long they would actually have possibly one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the league. Their receivers are still some of the best for picking up Y.A.C. If their QB was Kurt Warner, they'd be on fire. But he's not, so they're not. As for the Bucs' they finally pick up a win. Josh Freeman looked impressive, so maybe Tampa has a future ahead of them as well. Panthers 20 @ Saints 30: In case I hadn't mentioned it over the last few weeks, I hate them Panthers. They're still chucking the rock 30 times a game while Williams gets just 21 carries. 5 fumbles is also not a good stat (two by Delhomme). And their defense ties Washington this week for worst tacklers. There were also times when Saints receivers were catching the ball, tucking it in anticipation of a big hit.. then looking surprised when they realised there was no-one near them yet. The Saints did well, but they still don't look like a match for some of the best teams out there. So far this season they've played (& beaten), in order; The Lions, The Eagles (who were missing McNabb), The Bills, The Jets, The Giants (who've been abysmal this season against any half decent opposition), The Dolphins (who essentially took the game in the the 1st half and then kindly handed it back to the Saints in the second half), The Falcons (1 missed penalty away from a tie), and the Panthers (blurgh!!). Next they have the Rams and the Bucs (holy sh*%), but then it starts to get interesting. The Patriots in week 12 & the Cowboys in week 15 (though that's December so we can't count on Romo yet). Other than that their schedule is pretty easy (Redskins, Falcons, Bucs, Panthers). So there's a good chance they might go 14-2..... then crash out when they play a decent team in the playoffs. Lions 20 @ Seahawks 32: 5 interceptions will not help rookie Matthew Staffords confidence. He just needs to dust himself down and strike that week off as a learning exercise. The fact that the Lions asked him to throw 42 times really doesn't help. Which is why Seahawks fans should also be worried. Hasselbeck threw 51 times. That's not good. Come December when it gets all wet and windy, that will lead to turnovers. Chargers 21 @ Giants 20: I'm a little annoyed that I lost this pick. Watching the film, turns out the Giants muffed the hold on a field goal. Complete that and it's 21-23 and I'm 9-4!! Still, 'grats to the Chargers. And while the Giants pass rush is disappearing rapidly, the Chargers pass rush is just starting to fire up. The Giants now go into a bye week with a lot to think about. They need to find their previously excellent rushing attack once more (for me this is the most frustrating thing in the NFL right now) and they need to work on their coverage schemes. They can bounce back. And the Chargers can still catch the Broncos. Titans 34 @ 49'ers 27: Probably the biggest thing that Vince Young has added to the Titans offense is to draw attention, whether warranted or not, away from Chris Johnson. Anytime you do that, you give the Titans a chance. On the other side of the field, Alex Smith threw 3 picks. But to be fair, a lot of that had to do with butter fingered receivers. Smith has been good. He's played well and is staring to lead this team offensively. But he needs help. And that means giving Pro bowl caliber running back Frank Gore more than just 15 carries (83 yds and 1 TD). Smith threw 45 times on Sunday. He's good, but he's not that good. Cowboys 20 @ Eagles 16: I had the pleasure of watching this one. I might as well have just gone to bed. It was nothing special. There are a few things that came out of the game which are worth noting. A) Eagles Head coach Andy Reid is drawing a lot of criticism for challenging the ball placement on two plays. Now to be fair, those decisions are not really in his hands. There are other people, usually in the press box, who watch the replays on a monitor and then tell him over the radio whether he should challenge or not. The mistakes are on them, not Coach Reid. B) Roy Williams bitched and moaned this week that he was still the number 1 guy in Dallas and that he wasn't getting favourable treatment from Romo. This week he got 5 catches (and a few more thrown his way) as Romo appeared to deliberately overlook other people in favour of Williams. That's not good. The Cowboys biggest threat at the moment is Miles Austin, who finally had one thrown his way in the 4th quarter.... and which he took for a 49 yard TD. If Romo is that easily swayed by pressure in the media, then bad things will happen for Dallas. C) When the Eagles are rushing as much as you and doing so for more yards, you have to worry. Marion Barber is a beast at RB, but he needs more carries. Right, that's the recap done. I think it's time for this weeks extra credit: Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers) -- 22 carries for 155 yards. Helps take the pressure off the QB and gives the Steelers a solid 4 minute offense to close out games. Troy Polamalu (Steelers) -- Made an important stop in the Broncos backfield, then comes right back on the next play for an interception. Brian Orakpo (Redskins) -- On a Redskins D that routinely fails to show up, registering 2 sacks is worth a mention. Good play by the rookie. Jonathan Babineaux (Falcons) -- 9 tackles & 2.5 sacks. Leading the Falcons D, and boy do they need it. Kurt Warner (Cardinals) -- You cant throw 5 TD passes and not make the list. Especially not when you threw 5 INTs the week before. Great comeback. Cedric Benson (Bengals) -- 117 yds wasn't the best tally among RB on the day. But against the Ravens each of those yards is more difficult to get. Benson will be key to Bengals playoff hopes this season. Andre Caldwell (Bengals) -- 3 catches for 15 yds and a TD? What's he doing here? He's the guy they go to when they need a clutch play. Jonathan Joseph & Leon Hall (Bengals) -- 2 INT's between them, but more importantly they shut down 'Air Flacco' this week. Matt Leinart (Cardinals) -- Came off the bench for 1 play and threw a pick. The reason Warners career has been so long and why he wasn't benched coming into this weeks game. Clint Session (Colts) -- 13 tackles, 1 INT. Big day on defence for the Colts. Mike Sims-Walker (Jaguars) -- 6 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD. The fact that he plays for the Jags makes that even more impressive. Randy Moss (Patriots) -- Said to Sims-Walker "anything you can do, I can do.... exactly the same" see above for his stats this week. Tracey Porter (Saints) -- 7 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Still the real power behind the Saints secondary. Matthew Stafford (Lions) -- Was the best player on the field for the Seahawks. Darren Sproles (Chargers) -- For not bitching to the media that he's better than Tomlinson and deserves the starting job at RB, even though both are true. Cortland Finnegan (Titans) -- Returned recently from injury. Made 7 tackles, 1 assist and 2 INT's against the 49'ers. Patrick Crayton (Cowboys) -- 2 catches, 74 yards. 'nuff said. Miles Austin (Cowboys) -- Had to wait till the 4th to get a reception, then took it for 49 yards to the house. Maybe that will shut Roy Williams up. Marion Barber (Cowboys) -- For having the patience & professionalism not to follow the usual Dallas trend and starting bitching to the cameras when your talent goes unused for a bit. I'd trade for this guy. Ellis Hobbs (Eagles) -- Returned a kickoff for a touchdown only to have it scrubbed by a flag. Shame. The guy has awesome speed. Right, that's all the credit I can dish out for one night. Don't forget to spread the word if you enjoy the blog. I dunno, get on Facebook or Twitter or something. And if you have time (like, about 2 seconds) use the feedback option at the bottom of the post to help me keep track of what's good and bad.

It's time to dish out some extra credit.

Falcons@ Saints (27-35): Well, I made a mistake. I took the Falcons. It seems going against the Saints is a bad idea lately. But not for long I think. Last week I took the Dolphins to beat them, and if it wasn't for a poor timeout decision right before halftime and then some bizarre playcalling decisions in the second half, they would have. This week 7 points separated the Falcons from a tie game. And so if Ryan hadn't thrown that pick six, it might have been a very different result. Yes the Saints won, but don't count on them to keep this up all season. The last few games they've come up quite lucky against teams that you wouldn't exactly call stellar. Expect a loss soon. So thanks to Brees and co. I'm now 8-5 this week. Bad, but still a winner overall. Time I think to dish out some extra credit: -- Ryan Moats (Broncos): For snapping up the chance to step into Houstons backfield. Went for 126 yds of 23 carries, with 3 TD's to boot. Nice work. -- Jairus Byrd (Bills): Another 2 interceptions this week for the Bills safety. Keeps playing well and making plays despite the abysmal lack of talent around him. I've always believed that shining on a good team is easy, shining on a bad one takes real talent. -- The Fans (Browns): For travelling to Chicago and paying to watch their awful team go about it's business. I don't know how they do it, but they do, and for that they are probably the most deserving of this weeks extra credit. -- Brett Ratliff (Browns): For not speaking out in the press against his coaches for not playing him. He may not have even started a game yet in the NFL, but he sure as hell can't be worse than Anderson or Quinn. -- Sam Hurd (Cowboys): While Miles Austin has established himself as the number 1 receiver and reaps all the credit, Hurd is quietly going about his business as the number three receiver. Only had one catch in the game against Seattle, but he took it 36 yds for a TD. -- Patrick Crayton (Cowboys): Doesn't seem to feature much in the pass game anymore, but credit to him for giving his special teams role the maximum effort and coming up with another special teams TD this week. -- Ted Ginn Jr. (Dolphins): 2 kickoff returns for TD's; one of 100 yds, the other of 101 yds. The guy has some class moves and is pretty tough for a wideout. Made a huge impact in his teams win against the Jets. -- The Defence (49'ers): Didn't give up a rushing touchdown and only conceded an aerial one when the Colts ran a trick play with Addai throwing to Reggie Wayne. That's a tough task against any team, let alone the Colts. More power to them. -- Donovan McNabb (Eagles): After two weeks of mediocrity, he hit back with 17/23 for 240 yds and 3 TD's versus the Giants. That's the kind of form the Eagles need from him every week if they're going to make it in the postseason this year. -- DeSean Jackson (Eagles): Only had three catches, but managed to squeeze 78 yds and a TD out of them. -- LeSean McCoy (Eagles): 11 carries is usually nothing for a RB, the kind of work you give to a second string complimentary back. McCoy used his to go 82 yds and notch up a TD. Look for the Eagles to snap up any rookie in next years draft with the word 'Sean' in his first name. -- Leonard Weaver (Eagles): Fullbacks seem to be a dying breed in the NFL of late. Shame. But Weaver doesn't care, that's why he went for 75 yds and a TD on his 8 carries. -- Chris Johnson (Titans): 24 carries, 228 yds and 2 TD's. That's a mean afternoons work and the Titans are gonna need more of that if they want to put some more numbers in the win coloumn. -- Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars): How can you not sympathise with the guy? He takes just 8 carries and turns them into 177 yds and 2 TD's. Not only does this not win his team the game, but he gets outshone in the running stakes by Chris Johnson! Don't worry though Maurice, I'm more impressed with your tally simple because of the lower number of carries. Must be hard to be this good and still have to watch your team throw the ball 27 times, completeing just 14 and throwing two picks. This man is the future of the franchise. -- David Garrad (Jaguars): Based on my comments above you'll probably find this strange. But the fact is on one of Jones-Drew's runs he managed to sprint down the field, overtake his RB and then block a guy backwards into the endzone to finish the score. That's determination and effort that will sit well with his team mates. If only more players were this driven. -- Brett Favre (Vikings): No one in the league is playing on Favres level right now. The fact he's 40 makes this all the more amazing. Completed 17/28 passes, for 244 yds and 4 TD's, no INT's. In a bizarre twist this season, Favre is the guy taking centre stage, with Peterson as his back up. And I can only think of one word to describe him right now; legendary. -- Aaron Rodgers (Packers): Went 26/41 passing, for 287 yds and 3 TD's with no INT's. In addition he led his team in rushing with 5 carries for 52 yds. Tries as hard as anyone in the league but can do it all alone. He needs some more work from his offensive line and in the draft the Packers need to go and get a great RB to take some of the load. -- Jared Allen (Vikings): 5 tackles, 3 sacks. Allen is a beast that is feeding off opposition QB's (mainly Rodgers). With Linebacker Chad Greenway and Cornerback Antoine Winfield (when he returns) this defensive unit is looking mean. Dare I say it, Superbowl mean? We'll see. -- DeAngelo Williams (Panthers): After a no doubt frustrating wait, Williams finally gets a game where he gets 23 carries, and he duly converted them into 158 yds. No touchdowns, but then that is what Jonathan Stewart is for. -- Jonathan Stewart (Panthers): Must have been amazed to have been given the ball 17 times. He only managed 87 yds (only?!) but also picked up 2 TD's to help the Panthers overcome a usually stout Cardinals D. Must have something to do with Warners 5 INT's.