2011 Pre-season week 3 (Part 2)

Right, finally time to put all my thoughts together on the weekends pre-season action. First...

Bills @ Jags; Man does Ryan Fitzpatrick look in the groove right now! 11/12 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. Back up Tyler Thigpen has a long way to go though, throwing 12/28 for 101 yards, a TD and 2 INT's, one of which was just plain horrible. In general the Bills offense looked good and has done now all throughout the pre-season. I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump on the growing "Bills in the 'Bowl" bandwagon just yet though. The defense still gave up 32 points, to David Garrard and Blaine Gabbert no less.

Talking of which, Gabbert threw his first TD! I'm sure the TV pundits had a great time slapping each other on the back over that one, despite Gabbert finishing 6/13 for 52 yards and also throwing a pick. Garrard wasn't a whole lot better (11/21 for 106 yards). He did manage to put on a great escape, evading three tacklers and then running four yards into the end zone. But while the crowd and the announcers were going crazy with delight, the old instinctive coaching part of me was saying "look at that ball security, it's terrible!". And it was. The only miracle on that play was that the ball wasn't stripped.

Falcons @ Steelers; Fact - Matt Ryan looks like a pro, with clean footwork and a great throwing motion. Fact - he doesn't always play like one. Fact - Throwing the ball 42 times often leads to interceptions, just through sheer numbers. Fact - This style is getting tired now.

So, Matt Ryan. 22/42, 220 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. 22 passes produced just (he says) 220 yards? That's still 10 yards per completion, but factor in the misses and that total drops to just a little over 5 yards per pass. That's not very Matt Ryan-esque, at least not on one of his good days. Conversely Ben Roethlisberger was having a great time (not involving alcohol, motorcycles, hotel rooms or bathrooms for once), going 11/16 for 214 yards and 2 TD's.

The Falcons D wasn't having such a great time. Against an offensive line that has a hard won reputation for being shaky as hell in pass protection, the Falcons defense was only able to produce 2 sacks. Still, that was one more than the Steelers. They made up some ground however with two picks.

The story for me though was centered around two young receivers, one on each side. The first was third year Falcons receiver Harry Douglas, who had a relatively quiet game for a change (3 catches for 31 yards), but hustled back hard after a Kevin Kolb interception to make the tackle on Lawrence Timmons. Kid looks good and could be the perfect foil for Roddy White (8 catches, 101 yards and a TD).

On the Steelers side I'm looking at 2nd year receiver Antonio Brown (4 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs). We saw last year that the kid has some talent and against the Falcons he looked like he had speed to burn. He played in 9 games last year with no starts. Expect an appearance game one this year, along with a big season ahead.

Dolphins @ Buccaneers; Chad Henne looking... good? What? 10/13 for 175 yards and a TD. Not bad. Certainly an improvement over the struggling pre-season performances we've seen prior to this. A Big part of that success was WR Brandon Marshall, who caught 2 passes (actually three, but he fumbled one) for 90 yards and a TD. Marshall looked strong, driven, and very much back to his best. If he can keep that up for another 16 games the Dolphins might be in with a shout. Well, of not finishing last in the AFC East maybe.

Josh Freeman had a more so-so game for the Buc's. 12/23 for 149 yards. But it's Rudy Carpenter kicking butt this pre-season (did I really just write that?) with 5/8 for 59 yards and a TD! The receiving corps isn't helping much though. Some nice play from rookie tight ends Daniel Hardy and Nathan Overbay, plus a long catch and run by running back LaGarrette Blount, but that's about it.

Luckily for the Buc's that defense is finally starting to live up to some of its potential - 5 sacks between them, including one each for rookies Da'Quan Bowers and George Johnson, and one for 2nd year linebacker Dekoda Watson who was on last years watch list (a 7th round pick no less).

Patriots @ Lions; The story de jour coming out of this game was the deal with Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh throwing a punch at Patriots guard Logan Mankins. At the minute a lot of the big media outlets appear to be trying to string together a narrative that Suh is a dirty player etc, but I'm not really buying it.

The "throw" he was fined for the other week was pathetic and perhaps had that been any other player then nobody would have batted an eye lid. The punch in this game was for good reason (sort of), because Mankins was pulling Suh's team mate to the ground by the facemask. In fact Mankins was flagged for this very reason.

But this is what you have to love, is people taking incidents like that Suh punch completely out of context. He didn't just throw a punch at Mankins for no reason; Mankins was doing something that is widely recognised as a potential source of serious injury, hence why grabbing the face mask is considered a major penalty. But there you go.

Moving on, there was actually a proper game of football played and the Lions won it handily. Matthew Stafford was calm and precise with 12/14 for 200 yards and 2 TD's. If he can actually stay healthy this year then he looks like he's finally got a handle on that offense. Tom Brady on the opposite side looked a little rougher, with 12/22 for 145 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He also took his fair share of licks as the Lions pass rush started hitting home. Cliff Avril had two sacks and the pressure was certainly there on Brady.

Rookie Ryan Mallett had a better game in some ways finishing 9/14, but for only 65 yards. The Patriots rushing attack was also flat for the most part. Their defense did have some bright spots, notably 3rd year corner Kyle Arrington who had an interception and a sack.

Cowboys @ Vikings; It must be satisfying for the Cowboys every time they beat Donovan McNabb these days. Not least because the Cowboys aren't always that accustomed to winning. Tony Romo looked better than normal, with 15/20 for 141 yards. But it was still defense and special teams that did most of the work for the Cowboys, including three sacks and an interception, plus a blocked field goal attempt that was returned for a TD.

McNabb wasn't bad I guess. 12/18 for 164 yards, a TD and an INT, but you still get that "boom or bust" feeling out of McNabb, like he's either going to haul in a fat catch of yards - or just a few tiny minnows. Under study Joe Webb was perhaps more of the sparkler, with 4/7 for 81 yards, plus 2 scrambles for 46 yards and a TD. Rookie Christian Ponder looked surprisingly shit, with just 3/8 for 60 yards.

Adrian Peterson also saw some significant action, running for 81 yards on 14 carries, and generally looked healthy. On defense for the Vikings their were sacks for rookie linemen Christian Ballard and Cedric McKinley

Texans @ 49ers; Do I really have to cover this? Really? Are you sure? Oh c'mon!! Fuck.

So yeah, the 49ers got beaten, pounded, destroyed. It started so brightly. Matt Schaub dropped back to throw his first pass of the game, but instead of hitting the screen he gifted the ball to Ahmad Brooks who ran it back for six. At precisely this point the wheels dropped off and the 49ers dreams went careening over a cliff into the dark abyss below... shut up. This is my team, my blog, and I'll have a sulk about the 49ers shit forthcoming season if I choose to!

So yeah, the Texans. They were good I suppose. Schaub was 16/24 for 180 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Jesus even Matt Leinart was 7/10 for 69 yards. Running back Arian Foster managed just 8 carries for 38 yards before he got up off the turf cursing and nursing (see what I did there?) his hamstring. The Texans D had 3 sacks and two interceptions.

As for the '9ers? Well first of all, how fucking lazy do you have to be to shorten "the 49ers" down to "the '9ers"? You're telling me that pronouncing the word "forty" is really that much of a hassle? Anyway, we sucked. It's that simple. Alex Smith was 2/6 for 17 yards and one of the two interceptions. Colin Kaepernick produced the other one on his way to finishing 6/16 for 52 yards.

It was a bad/boring day for the 49ers receivers as well, as not a single one of them caught more than one pass. I'm not even joking now. 8 receivers, each of whom caught one pass, with the tie for the most yards being between tight end Delanie Walker and receiver Kyle Williams - with 15 each! Wanna be careful there San Francisco, we don't want you attracting unwelcome attention as a perceived threat from the big teams now do we?

Much of the blame for the above stems from an offensive line that makes the Bears look almost good. There are some good players, but there are also some fu..freaking awful players too. Literally Mike Person bad. I need coffee.

I hate the Texans.

Bears @ Titans; Speaking of the Bears terrible O-line, look who it is! Having run for his life at times, Jay Cutler finished 13/21 for 170 yards and an interception. Back up Caleb Haine did little better, ending 9/18  for 107 yards and a pick. A bright spot of sorts was running back Matt Forte who carried 17 times for 74 yards and a TD, and receiver Earl Bennett with 6 catches for 89 yards.

The day belonged to the Titans though. Sort of. Matt Hasselbeck was 12/22 for 135 yards, but at least looked a lot quicker with his drops, reads and getting the ball out of his hands, all good signs that he's starting to get more comfortable in the Titans offense. Jake Lockers spell produced all of 2/4 for 13 yards. The Titans running game was still a little anaemic without Chris Johnson, but oddly did just enough to help the team. This time at least. Receiver Nate Washington had 4 catches for 66 yards.

The Titans D threw up a sack and two interceptions, but the hero of the day had to be rookie Titans punter Chad Cunningham. Imagine the situation; it's 4th down and 3. Your a punter and a rookie no less, who doesn't even know if they'll make it to the final roster. The ball is snapped, you catch it and do your thing. Except here comes the pressure up the middle, someone has got an arm free and your punt is blocked. Disaster!

So naturally you do the only thing that a rookie punter who is desperate to make that 53 man roster can do - you run after that thing, pick it up on the bounce, and then run it down the sideline, outflanking most of the Bears return team, before cutting back inside bravely and diving home for the first down! We'll leave out the part where you get hit before reaching the ground and promptly fumble the ball out of bounds. Because it doesn't matter! Chad Cunningham, you sir are a hero!

Seahawks @ Broncos; They've done it! The Seahawks finally have an offensive touchdown this season! Tavaris Jackson floating the ball to the back of the end zone for tight end Dominique Byrd. But that's about where the Seahawks success ended, at least on offense. Jackson finished 13/22 for 93 yards. That's right, 22 passes that snagged a whole 93 yards. And that's before we start counting sacks.

Of which the Broncos D had 5, having been revitalised somewhat since John Fox arrived (as hard as that may be to believe). Two went to rookie Von Miller, who is beginning to look like he's every bit worthy of that second overall pick. "But Chris, didn't you say he'd be terrible?" I hear you cry. "No," says I, "...alright sort of. What I said - if you actually read the post on linebackers for the 2011 draft - was that his physical talents were pretty evident, but his technique was terrible. Which it truly was. But if he could be coached out of it then he might shine. Which he has. And now he is," which I'm going to class as a draw. Sorry, 'tie'.

The Seahawks defense wasn't to be outdone, except for the fact that they were, recording four sacks between them including two for rookie defensive end Lazarius Levingston.

On offense for the Broncos it was the Kyle Orton show again, with Orton throwing 16/23 for 1 TD and 1 INT. Then it was the Tebow show! Which... lead to a sack-fumble. And then another fumble. Still, he made some nice throws, finished 6/11 for 93 yards and lead two scoring drives to win the game. So there!

Chargers @ Cardinals; Life can be cruel sometimes. Like making the Cardinals third stringers think they had the win, only to have it snatched away. I like it when life is cruel to the Cardinals. It just seems right somehow. Kevin Kolb was 11/20 for 205 yards and a TD, including hooking up with Larry Fitzgerald for an 80 yards score. And man, Fitzgerald has just signed a big new deal and in this game he showed why. Just pure, raw, talent. Just a great individual player. Back up QB Richard Bartel also had his moment in the spotlight with 8/10 for 76 yards and a TD..

Standing opposite them was Phillip Rivers who finished 18/28 for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. In fact not just a pick, but a pick six, as Cardinals 1st round rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson finally managed to do something. The only down side was the high stepping through the end zone, which just smells like all kinds of diva. Chargers back up Billy Volek smoothed it all over though, going 9/17 for 123 yards and a TD to win the game.

Saints @ Raiders; When Chase Daniel is out throwing your starting quarterback, something is amiss. I like Chase Daniel, I think he's a great back up, and frankly given the choice of Alex Smith or Chase Daniel I'd take Daniel. But Drew Brees, 15/23 for 189 yards, while Daniel was 9/18 for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns. Something about that just looks wrong.

Oh wait I've spotted it! It's the Raiders defense giving up nearly 400 yards through the air. Plus over 100 yards on the ground. Throw in 3 sacks for the Saints defense, including two for rookie defensive tackle Swanson Miller (who?) and you have a 40-20 rout on your hands.

The only real consolation for the Raiders were that their back up quarterbacks didn't throw any interceptions to compound the problem, as well as the running of rookie back Taiwan Jones, who looked quick and read his blocks well to scamper home with 13 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown. If the Raiders can keep him, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush healthy all year then they have the makings of a good run game.

Jets @ Giants; And finally we have the traditional pre-season showdown between the New York rivals, delayed till Monday due to Hurricane Irene. Now while the storm may have passed by this point, you can always expect a storm on the field, which is exactly what we got, with Brandon Jacobs trading words with the Jets defense, then eventually trading punches with Jets rookie defensive tackle Muhammed Wilkerson.

I'm not sure which makes me laugh the most - the fact that Jacobs got into trouble again and was ejected from the game, or the fact that players persist in throwing punches at each other, despite the fact they're both wearing helmets!! Ah well, stupid is as stupid does.

Talking of which, Eli Manning; 15/30 for 200 yards and 2 interceptions. Nice going kid, you keep slugging it out. Mind you, Mark Sanchez wasn't exactly blazing on the opposite side, finishing 8/16 for 64 yards and a TD.

The Jets D produced two sacks, one for rookie linebacker Nick Bellore who really impressed me at the combine (but I saw no film of pre-draft) and one for second year corner and first round pick Kyle Wilson who was on last years watch list. About damn time he did something useful. The Jets also had two interceptions, one for the old hand Jim Leonhard and one for linebacker David Harris.

The Giants D produced... a forced fumble by rookie safety David Sims. And yeah, that was the highlight. To be fair, they kept the Jets offense down to 17 points. I also have to tip my hat to rookie receiver Jerrel Jernigan who was returning punts for the Giants. Congratulations sir, I don't think I've never known someone to fumble the ball four times in one game. What is it with the Giants and fumbles?

Anyway, that's your week 3 round up done and dusted, which means we only have one more week of the pre-season and then ahhhhhh, real football.

But before I go I just want to touch on this week 4. A lot of people hate the pre-season and I get that. Maybe it's the aspect of looking at it from a coaching angle that interests me but I actually find week 4 the most interesting, because this is when the rookies and back ups are really competing. And I mean competing, for jobs. No gentleman's agreements. As far as pre-season goes, this is just about as intense as it gets.

Which leads me to wonder; why doesn't the NFL tap this resource more often? This league and the media frenzy that covers it is all about narratives, about weaving stories around a teams season and using the games to tell fans interesting tales about individual players or plucky underdogs. So instead of joking about the final pre-season games, why isn't the NFL making a big deal out of what is at stake.

Because there is a lot at stake.

Starting jobs for some. Back up jobs for others. Whole careers for others. By this time next week each team will be down to a roster of just 53 men heading into the season. That means some people are about to lose their job security and end up on the practice squad. Some people are about to outright lose their jobs and disappear from the NFL all together. In fact today is now Wednesday, which means teams have already begun the mandatory process of shaving down their rosters.

This - from my perspective - is serious business. One minute you're getting paid to do something you love and your full dream job is within touching distance. The next? Gone. Taken away from you without you having a real say in the matter. I just don't understand why the NFL and the networks don't hit this kind of thing up more?

I'm also really interested to see how some of the younger players get on. I'm assuming for the Broncos we'll see Tebow vs Quinn (round 3), we should get a good Blaine Gabbert vs Luke McCown fight in Jacksonville (McCown wins by utter, complete knockout). There's Christian Ponder in Minnesota. Jake Locker in Tennessee. Ryan Mallett could get a full game for New England. Two I'm really interested in are Ricky Stanzi leading the Chiefs, and Nathan Enderle leading the Bears. And that's just the quarterbacks.

There are lots of exciting young players who should get to show off their stuff in a few days time (all the games are being played on Thursday with the exception of Raiders @ Seahawks which is on Friday), along with all the desperate fringe kids and back ups fighting for jobs.

That to me makes pre-season week 4 almost as exciting as week one of the regular season. But then I'm sad like that. I'll see you guys again maybe Saturday, maybe Sunday, depending on when I have the time to recap all that action and then pick out the best of the roster cut cast offs.

Till then, enjoy the rest of your week.

Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football is done and dusted (obviously, being that it's now Tuesday Night). So, how did I do pick wise? 9-4 for Week 8 which isn't bad at all. That then leaves me at 58-59 for the season. One of those 4 misses was due to the Texans sinking to the Colts and I have to reiterate my hatred of the Texans this year. You have Arian Foster; who tore the Colts to pieces in week 1. In week 8 he took 15 carries for 102 yards and a TD (longest; 33 yards). Why just 15 carries? The Colts didn't take a 14 point lead until the second quarter and that's still a catchable score. This kind of thing just bugs me to no end. Other things that caught my eye were:

• Peyton Manning only completing 26/45, many of which were just screens.
• Andre Johnson putting up another 100+ yard game.
• The shocking state of the Texans defense, in particular their tackling.
• The shocking state of the Texans O-line, who were getting run down by Freeney and co.
• The Colts unusually taking 36 minutes, 25 seconds of the time of possession.

Have a great day everyone.

Week 3 NFL recap

Don't you just love it when work stands in the way of an organised attempt at blogging? Still, here's the week 3 round up: Titans 29 @ Giants 10 -- There's an old belief that I believe stems from Bill Walsh that if you can just make 25 first downs, then you have a great chance to win the game. The Giants put up 26 to the Titans 17 and still managed to sink the game by 19 points. The Giants followed an increasing trend among NFL teams to put up huge yardage numbers without being able to finish the deal off at the business end of the field. Eli Manning was 34/48 for 386 yards and 2 interceptions. No touchdowns. All yards and no scores. Ahmad Bradshaw provided the Giants only TD, finishing with 88 yards off 15 carries. Vince Young of the Titans completed just 10/16 for 118 yards and a TD, but Chris Johnson carried 32 times for 125 yards and 2 TDs, kind of supporting my theory on giving number one backs the 30+ carry mark. On defense for the Titans there were three who stood tall in tackles; safety Michael Griffin (11 tackles and a FF), DB Vincent Fuller (9 tackles) and LB Stephen Tulloch (9 tackles). Bengals 20 @ Panthers 7 -- The Panthers placed the load on the shoulders of rookie QB Jimmy Clausen, and like a poorly designed bridge he crumbled beneath the weight. Kind of. 16/33 for 188 yards and an interception. I've seen a lot worse from rookie QBs. Still, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were handed just 18 carries between them, one of which Stewart punched in for a score. Carson Palmer went 19/37 for 195 yards, a TD and 2 INTs, but was exasperated to see so many drops for his receivers. In the end Cincinnati went back to their plan of attack from last year as Cedric Benson carried 27 times for 81 yards and a TD. The only real defensive stand out for the game was Panthers safety Charles Godfrey with 9 tackles and an interception. Steelers 38 @ Buccaneers 13 -- Just as important as being right is acknowledging when you're wrong. Or nearly wrong. I nearly changed my pick at the last minute to the Bucs'. I was getting increasingly worried about the Steelers offense the more I thought about it. Turns out I had no cause for alarm. Charlie Batch only threw 17 times and only completed 12 for 186 yards. He even threw two INTs. But the key is that among his twelve completions he had three touchdown passes. Rashard Mendenhall piled on the hurt as well, taking his 19 carries for 143 yards (longest run; 34) and a touchdown. The Bucs' weren't nearly as lucky. Josh Freeman threw 20/31 for 184 yards and an interception. Finally his understudy was brought on with the game out of sight. Josh Johnson (yeah) went 6/6 for 67 yards. The Buc's only TD was scored by RB LaGarrette Blount (remember him from the Titans pre-season?) who finished with 6 carries for 27 yards and the TD. On defense I have to give credit to Steelers DE Brett Keisel for his Interception return... 79 yards for a TD!!!! I didn't think a 3-4 DE could run that far. 5 tackles and a sack for LB Lawrence Timmons was enough to lead a defense that didn't have much to do. Old man Ronde Barber led the Bucs' with 8 tackles, followed by a 5 tackle show from safety Cody Grimm who was featured in the NFL networks series "On The Fringe" this year. Well done Cody. Bills 30 @ Patriots 38 -- Question; name the Buffalo Bills first round pick in the 2010 draft? If you said C.J. Spiller (you did, didn't you?) then you were right. It's easy to forget bearing in mind that Spiller hasn't exactly featured in this offense this year. No longer though. Against the Patriots the Bills rolled him out. He took a kick off back 95 yards for a TD and caught a TD pass from Fitzpatrick. Admittedly his contribution really ended there (4 carries for 29 yards on the ground, longest; 19), but at least that was points the Bills normally dream of. Fitzpatrick ended 20/28 for 247 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. That's not bad as far as the Bills are concerned. It also doesn't say a lot about a Patriots D that has real questions hanging over it. Tom Brady was his usual efficient self, posting 21/27 for 252 yards and 3 TDs. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis carried 16 times for 98 yards and a TD. On defense, Patriots safety Pat Chung led the team in tackles with 7 plus an interception. LB Jerod Mayo bagged six plus a sack. The fact that the Patriots only produced one sack against a suspect Bills O-line further serves to condemn the Patriots pass rush which struggled all of last year. On a last note, the Bills have cut ties with QB Trent Edwards. Presumably they like the direction that Fitzpatrick took their offense in. And It's about time someone gave the Bills a kick up the a**. Browns 17 @ Ravens 24 -- Not the one sided affair that many people - including me - thought it might be. Seneca Wallace posted 18/24 for 141 yards and a TD. Peyton Hillis put in another strong show for the Browns on the ground, with 22 carries for 144 yards and a TD. Joe Flacco recovered somewhat from previous weeks, throwing 22/31 for 262 yards and 3 TDs. Of note was receiver Anquan Boldin who had 8 catches for 142 yards and 3 TDs. Maybe this is the point where he starts to emerge from the shadow of Larry Fitzgerald and establish himself as a true number one wideout. Ravens safety Dawan Landry led his team with 7 tackles and a sack, followed by LB Terrell Suggs with 6 tackles and a sack. 49ers 10 @ Chiefs 31 -- Do I really have to cover this one? (... yes) The sad fact is that the score does the 49ers more justice than they deserve. They didn't bag their sole TD till late in the game on garbage time. By that point it was already a done deal. Matt Cassel looked much better, throwing 16/27 for 250 yards, 3 TDs and an INT. More to the point he actually looked like an NFL QB for a change.

On the ground Jamaal Charles carried 12 times for 97 yards, and Thomas Jones went for 95 yards and a TD off 19 carries as the Chiefs put on a ground and pound display that must have left Mike Singletary seething with envy on the plane ride back home. The next day he did something about it, dumping offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye (YES!! Ahem, excuse me) and promoting QBs coach Mike Johnson to offensive coordinator. For the 49ers, Frank Gore carried the ball 15 times for 43 yards. Alex Smith threw 23/42 for 232 yards, one TD and one INT. Gore's 9 catches for 102 yards seems to say a lot about Smith's relationship with his other receivers. On the other side of the ball the 49ers were led in tackles by..... Nate Clements? The corner put up 9 tackles to top LB Patrick Willis who had 7. It was the Chiefs D however that stole the show. Interesting for me has been the lack of hype after this game surrounding LB Tamba Hali. If this were Clay Matthews of the Packers then we'd be talking "defensive player of the year" candidate already. Hali had 3 sacks (of a team total 5) and a forced fumble (on top of an impressive pre-season). All night the Chiefs were impressive, effectively shutting the 49ers out of this one. Cowboys 27 @ Texans 13 -- As well as nearly going back and changing my Steelers pick to the Bucs' I nearly changed my Texans pick to Cowboys. I guess these things even themselves out. The Texans looked horrible. The loss of starting left tackle Duane Brown showed big time as DeMarcus Ware romped home with three sacks. Matt Schuab finished 23/32 for 241 yards, a TD and 2 INTs. RB Arian Foster had another 100+ yard game, clocking 106 yards off 17 yards. But the Texans just couldn't find their way in to the Cowboys end zone until a fourth quarter TD catch by under rated WR Kevin Walter. The Cowboys however found their way back into a groove. Tony Romo threw 23/30 for 284 yards and 2 TDs. Most surprising was that the Cowboys finally brushed the dust off their running game and let Marion Barber carry the ball 17 times for 55 yards and a TD. They even let Felix Jones carry the ball (!) for 7 carries and 43 yards (longest; 15). The big winner was Roy Williams, who caught 5 passes for 117 yards and 2 TDs. Defensively Cowboys corner Terence Newman and safety Gerald Sensabaugh led with 7 tackles each. LB Keith Brooking came alive with 6 tackles and a sack, while DeMarcus Ware also had 6 tackles, but topped Brooking with 3 sacks. LB Zac Diles led the Texans with 7 tackles. Safety Bernard Pollard (6 tackles, 9 assists) and LB DeMeco Ryans (5 tackles, 5 assists) are also notable. Lions 10 @ Vikings 24 -- This game is the perfect example of why making picks is hard. There are two basic approaches you can take to picking winners; 1) pick the team that seems "obvious". So based on last seasons records this would be the Vikings. It also means you're probably going to pick the Colts/Steelers/Saints/Packers 16 times this season. It'll be successful to a degree, but you'll never see the upsets coming and you'll routinely get punched in the gut by certain under achievers (Chargers, 49ers). 2) Try and actually predict the inter play of the various factors on both teams. This increases the likelihood of spotting an "upset" coming (my Chiefs over Chargers pick from week 1) but it also relies heavily on predicting the approach teams will take to the game. When they don't do what you think they will then your pick bombs; often in spectacular fashion. Exhibit A would be the Lions and the Vikings. I was convinced that after last week the Lions would be tripping over themselves to find ways to fit RB Jahvid Best into their gameplan, both on the ground and through the air. I also presumed the Vikings would continue to abandon Adrian Peterson in favour of trying to get Favre and the passing game to gel together better. The Lions proceeded to give Best 7 carries for 26 yards plus two catches in the passing game. Why? Why in Gods name would you do this after his showing last week? Sometimes I think teams out think themselves with the whole "they think we'll do A, so we'll do B instead because that's clever!". Not playing to your strengths will never be clever. Something the Vikings had proved up till this game, when suddenly they remembered they have probably one of the top three running backs in the league right now on their roster. So they handed the ball off to Peterson 23 times and the result was 160 yards (longest; 80) and 2 TDs. It's a miracle! Who'd have thought that if you give Adrian Peterson enough carries he might just bang home some good yards and a few TDs?! Shaun Hill finished 29/43 for 237 yards, a TD and 2 INTs. Brett Favre was still not back to his old self, throwing 23/34 for 201 yards, a TD and 2 INTs. On defense, Vikings LB Chad Greenway led his team in tackles with 9 and also recovered an important fumble. Corner Antoine Winfield had 8 tackles and an Interception. LB Ben Leber also came up with a crucial interception in the end zone. Falcons 27 @ Saints 24 (OT) -- Drew Brees turned back the clock to last season, throwing 30/38 for 365 yards and 3 TDs. He also threw 2 picks which didn't help. What helped even less was the Saints turning back the clock on their defense to 2008 as they gave up 19/30 to Matt Ryan for 228 yards and 2 TDs, with no Interceptions, as well as conceding 202 yards rushing. Falcons RB Michael Turner carried 30 times for 114 yards and a TD. What helped least of all was a chip shot field goal miss in over time. Last season I was very critical of the Saints given the amount of help they received from their opponents errors to make it to and ultimately win the Super Bowl, so it's only fair to acknowledge the fact that they basically handed the Falcons this one in the extra quarter. On defense, LB Sean Weathersppon (watch list) led the Falcons in tackles with 7 and LB Curtis Lofton & safety William Moore followed with 6 each. The Saints were led by Linebackers Jo-Lunn Dunbar and Jonathan Vilma with 8 each. Redskins 16 @ Rams 30 -- Oh dear! Don't think anyone saw this one coming. McNabb faltered to finish 19/32 for 236 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The Redskins rushing attack was all but a non-factor. The same could not be said for St. Louis... Steven Jackson carried 10 times for 58 yards and a TD to kick things off before leaving the game with injury. Back up Kenneth Darby entered the game and carried 14 times for 49 yards and another TD. On top of this QB Sam Bradford went 23/37 for 235 yards, a TD and an INT. LB James Laurinaitis led the Rams defense with 6 tackles. For the Redskins it was LB London Fletcher making 8 tackles against the team that he won the Super Bowl with all those years ago. Eagles 28 @ Jaguars 3 -- If you're a Jaguars fan then I sympathise. David Garrard threw 13/30 for just 105 yards and an INT. But it gets worse. 6 sacks took 51 yards back off the board, leaving the Jaguars with a net tally of 54 passing yards. 54. Meanwhile Michael Vick was busy thanking Andy Reid for his faith by completing 17/31 for 291 yards and 3 TDs. RB LeSean McCoy didn't have another burner on the ground, carrying just 11 times for 54 yards (good ol' Andy Reid) but the Jags at least tried to give Maurice Jones-Drew a chance with 22 carries, but he could only muster 88 yards. Still, that's more than Garrard contributed. WR DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin vied for Vicks attention, with Jackson getting 5 catches for 153 yards and a TD, while Maclin took 4 for 83 yards and 2 TDs. For the Eagles D it was a battle between DE Trent Cole and DT Trevor Laws for top defender, with both nabbing 6 tackles, but Cole winning with 2 sacks to Laws's one. Rookie safety Nate Allen continued an impressive season with another sack, with DE's Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker getting the remaining two. Safety Sean Considine led the Jaguars with 6 tackles and a sack. DT Terrance Knighton posted 1.5 sacks. Colts 27 @ Broncos 13 -- Remember what I was saying earlier about the Giants meeting a growing trend of putting up lots of yards with no end product? That applies to the Broncos too, as Kyle Orton went to the air 57 times, completing 37 for 476 yards.... but with just one TD and one INT. Peyton Manning must have been watching and thinking "jeez, even I don't pass THAT much!". But Manning came close, going 27/43 for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Take your pick as to who was the best receiver on the day. Austin Collie led the Colts with 12 catches for 171 yards and 2 TDs. The Broncos were led by Brandon Llyod with 6 catches for 169 yards and a TD. Jabar Gaffney snagged 12 for 140 yards. Key performances on defense were Colts corner Kelvin Hayden (10 tackles, 1 FF), safety Antoine Bethea (7 tackles) and corner Jacob Lacey (7 tackles, 1 interception). Broncos corner Perrish Cox (watch list) is notable for the wrong reasons, having been burned for two TDs and fumbling a punt that was recovered by Justin Tryon for the Colts. Raiders 23 @ Cardinals 24 -- So close. Sebastian Janikowski was 3/6 on field goals for the day. If any one of those misses had found a home between the uprights then the Raiders would have grabbed an important victory. Bruce Gradkowski finished 17/34 for 255 yards, one TD and one INT. For a Raiders QB that's practically Manning-esque. RB Darren McFadden had another good game on the ground, rushing 25 times for 105 yards and a TD. Cardinals QB Derek Anderson hardly led the charge against the Raiders, finishing 12/26 for 122 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. Chris "Beanie" Wells made his return with 14 carries for 75 yards. Safety Tyvon Branch led the Raiders D with 9 tackles and DE Richard Seymour pitched in with 4 tackles and a sack. The Cardinals were led in tackles by safety Kerry Rhodes with 8, but the hat has to come off to LB Paris Lenon who had another good game, with 7 tackles, a sack and an INT. DE Darnell Dockett had 6 tackles and a sack, while LB Joey Porter put up 4 tackles, a sack and a FF. Chargers 20 @ Seahawks 27 -- In case you hadn't guessed, a running theme I'm harping on this week is teams that pile on the yards and yet struggle to convert them into points. The Philip Rivers led Chargers are the latest example. 29/53 for 455 yards is great, except when you throw two interceptions and just two TDs.

Compared to Matt Hasselbecks 19/32 for 220 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, it should have been a winning show. Hasselbeck even got himself sacked in the end zone for a safety to help out. But alas it was not enough for San Diego (and my pick) as they let Leon Washington burn them on two kick off returns for TDs (101 yards, then 99).

On defense the real impact was made by Seattle (they certainly had plenty of opportunities). Safety Lawyer Milloy had 7 tackles and a FF. LB David Hawthorne had 6 and a FF. Rookie Safety Earl Thomas had 4 tackles but boosted his performance by snatching both of Rivers's interceptions. DE Chris Clemons accounted for two of the Seahawks 4 sacks.

Jets 31 @ Dolphins 23 -- Probably one of the most fun games I've seen in a while, there was a great tactical battle between Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning and Rex Ryan. At first the Dolphins abused rookie corner Kyle Wilson (watch list) in his match up against Davone Bess, but the Jets caught on and Wilson spent much of the later game tucked away inside.

Jets QB Mark Sanchez went 15/28 for 256 yards and 3 TDs. He wasn't a game breaker in terms of yards, but he made some great reads and throws on critical 3rd downs and in the red zone. RB Ladanian Tomlinson led the Jets on the ground with 15 carries for 70 yards and a TD (longest; 21). Chad Henne went 26/44 for 363 yards and 2 TDs, one INT. Ronnie Brown was the Dolphins leading rusher with 11 carries for 54 yards. Crucially again though the Dolphins struggled to get the ball into the end zone at times, nullifying all their hard work driving down the field.

LB David Harris led the Jets in tackles with 7. The Dolphins were led by safety Yeremiah Bell with 8.

Packers 17 @ Bears 20 -- Ho hum. So much for dismissing the Bears off hand. Guess I just didn't predict the 18 penalties for 152 yards. Some of them were ridiculous. I'd love to see a training film made by the league on how they expect teams to tackle QBs. I imagine it would be hilariously farcical.

Just how you're expected to make a tackle on the quarterback without accidently breaking the rules is beyond me. If you aim low and he steps away at the last second you get flagged for hitting below the knees. Go a little too high and your helmet will end up clipping the QBs and that's "contact to the head".

Anyway. Rodgers went 34/45 for 316 yards, a TD and an INT. Jay Cutler finished 16/27 for 221 yards, a TD and an INT. Neither team could truly be said to have had a run game of note. On defense, Packers corner Tramon Williams had 7 tackles and a sack. The Bears were led in tackles by linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher with 9 each (Briggs got an interception but Urlacher fought back with a FF).

So, there we have it. Another week done and I'm 7-9 pick wise, leaving me 21-27 over the first 3 weeks. Not good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go and put a ballerinas dress on my QB.....

Have a great day everyone.

Week 1 NFL round up

I was in a bad mood before. I didn't get to watch any of the games. Then I had a crappy day. Then I saw the scores. I don't believe it. It's recap time: Browns 14 @ Buccaneers 17 -- It's not often that you pick the Buccaneers and it pays off so I'm pretty ecstatic about this one. Well, as much as you can be over a Buc's/ Browns game. Delhomme lived up to form throwing two interceptions, one of which could be considered to have directly lead to a TD as Ronde Barber showed off his 35 year old legs on a return that fell just short of the end zone. Delhomme finished 20/37 for 227 yards and a TD in addition to those two picks. Bucs' QB Josh Freeman finished 17/28 for 182 yards and 2 TDs plus an interception. Cadillac Williams also helped the Bucs' offense with 22 caries for 75 yards and a score. Browns TE Evan Moore led all receivers with 3 catches for 87 yards. Defensively the Browns were led in tackles by DB T.J. Ward who posted 7 plus 3 assists and a forced fumble. Corner Mike Adams gets an honourable mention for his 5 tackles, 2 assists and an INT while LB Marcus Benard gets the same for his 1.5 sacks. The Bucs' were led by LB Barrett Ruud who had 7 tackles, an assist and a forced fumble while LB Geno Hayes did almost the same but without the forced fumble. Dolphins 15 @ Bills 10 -- I was almost there with the Bills. What makes this a truly bad result is that the Bills looked shocking from the video I've seen. Truly shocking. I'm talking blocking ineptitude (both pass and run) of unbelievable proportions. I would have hung my head in shame if I was a junior high line coach who had sent those men onto the field in that condition. So for the Dolphins to only win by 5 is not good. That is not the performance of a team that will challenge for the AFC East. The improvement had better be rapid and significant to off set such a shambolic display. Chad Henne finished 21/34 for 182 yards. And another thing. The organised media (as opposed to me being unorganised/unofficial) seem to be falling over themselves to talk up Brandon Marshall. 8 catches for 53 yards, including a drop despite being wide open is not the performance you expect from a man on his salary. And another thing (again). Given the quality of the 'Phins backs and how well they played, why give Henne 34 throws? Why tempt fate in such a tight game? Did they learn nothing from their loss to New Orleans last year? On the Bills side, Trent Edwards went 18/34 for 139 yards and a TD. But what about C.J. Spiller, your first round draft pick at RB? Seven carries? What the hell was the point? To be fair though, watching the way the Bills line blocked, it was a miracle that Marshawn Lynch was able to break the 15 yard run that proved to be the Bills longest of the day. Three sacks from the Dolphins D helped, including one from Koa Misi (watch list). Drayton Florence led the Bills in tackles with 9 plus an assist and credit to Bills LB Paul Posluszny for his 6 tackles, 2 assists and a sack. Bengals 24 @ Patriots 38 -- Don't let the score belittle how much of a game this was. The Patriots may have raced to an early first half lead, but the Bengals fought back. Subtract the pick six and the returned kick off (two things that happen infrequently and very randomly to teams) and you have a tied game. Take away Wes Welkers TD catch that never crossed the goal line and you have a Cincy win. This is what frustrates me sometimes about pundits. Ok, you've gotta cover kick offs better than that and you can't blame the Patriots for returning an interception to the end zone. But before checking out the highlights etc, I was led to believe by various game reports that this was some kind of domination show, that the Patriots first wiped the floor with the Bengals then dipped them in the bucket to have another go. That was not the case. Brady finished 25/35 for 258 yards and 3 TDs. Welker led the Pat's receivers with 8 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs & Fred Taylor led the Pat's backs with 14 carries for 71 yards. Carson Palmer led the chase with 34/50 for 345 yards, 2 TDs and an 1 INT; an indication that the Pats defense had just as many holes in it as the Bengals. I also noticed that nobody was prepared to give Chad Ochocinco the credit he rightly deserves for his 12 catches for 159 yards and a TD. And this is before we even get to Jordan Shipley (watch list). Now yes I know Welker came back from a bad injury and yes he scored two (?) TDs (the first was off a 4 yard screen play that just wasn't covered by enough defenders). But do we really have to fill pages with effusive praise for him when Shipley went 82 yards off just 5 catches? I've already mentioned Ochocino as well. Where was his praise? Hidden under a thick wad of Patriot loving I'm afraid. Defensively there were a few standouts, which kind of defeats the point of being a stand out. For the Bengals it was LBs Keith Rivers and Dhani Jones with 7 tackles each and 3 & 2 assists respectively. The Patriots were led by DB Pat Chung with 12 tackles and 4 assists, followed by LB Jerod Mayo (8 tackles, 4 assists) and corner Darius Butler (8 tackles). Colts 24 @ Texans 34 -- I hate the Panthers because they always do the opposite of what I predict they will. This week however they actually did what I thought they would while the Texans defy me once more. I now hate the Texans more than the Panthers! But oddly I kind of like the Texans as well. I've always believed that if you give a good back 30 carries, he should be able to rustle up 250 yards of offense. The Texans went some way to proving that. They also proved that throwing the ball 50 times versus running it 40 times does not necessarily mean the passing team will win, which is good because it will annoy the hell out of football statisticians. And finally, they beat the Colts, so what's not to like about that. Peyton Manning went 40/57 for 433 yards and 3 TDs, which is still bloody impressive. Joseph Addai was granted just 10 carries by the Sheriff. Matt Schaub by comparison looked flat with 9/17 for 107 yards, a TD and an INT. But Texans running back Arian Foster stole the day, with 33 carries for 231 yards and 3 TDs. Not that you'd know that if you were watching the NFL.com version of the games highlights, which included Peyton Manning, more Peyton Manning, more Peyton Manning, and just 38 seconds of the game changing Foster. Defensively I should point out first that Bob Sanders decided to get himself injured and potentially put on the scrap heap for another year. Antoine Bethea ably stepped up with 8 tackles and 5 assists. DE Robert Mathis finished with 5 tackles and a sack. For the Texans it was LB Zac Diles leading the way (9 tackles, 3 assists) followed by LB DeMeco Ryans (8 tackles, 2 assists) and Safety Bernard Pollard (8 tackles, 1 assist). Broncos 17 @ Jaguars 24 -- Once again the heavens opened and did everything they could to try and stop people from being put through another Jacksonville game, but alas the show went on and my pick went up in smoke. David Garrard finished with 16/21 for 170 yards and 3 TDs, while Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 23 times for 98 yards (also a mention for Rashad Jennings who got his obligatory 4 carries in for 26 yards). Kyle Orton on the other hand was slinging it out, finishing 21/33 for 295 yards, a TD and an INT. Credit to Brandon Llyod for his 5 catches for 117 yards. LB D.J. Williams led the Broncos D with 9 tackles and 2 assists. LB Daryl Smith was the Jaguars stand out with 5 tackles, 2 assists, an INT and a Forced Fumble. Noteworthy as well was rookie DE Tyson Alualu (watch list) who registered a sack and Aaron Kampman who bagged 1.5 sacks. Falcons 9 @ Steelers 15 (OT) -- A boring exchange of field goals that must have left Atlanta fans wishing they'd got tickets to some other game, any other game. Even a Browns game. In the end it was an ok day for the quarterbacks. Matt Ryan finished 27/44 for 252 yards and an INT. Dennis Dixon went 18/26 for 236 yards and an INT himself. On the ground though Michael Turners 19 carries for 42 yards were not a match for Rashard Mendenhalls 22 carries, 120 yards and a game winning TD scamper in overtime. Defensively the very impressive LB Curtis Lofton led the Falcons (8 tackles, 3 assists and a sack). Keep your eyes out for Lofton this season. He was backed up by Safety Erik Coleman (7 tackles, 2 assists) and LB Sean Weatherspoon (watch list) (7 tackles, 1 assist). For the Steelers it was DB Bryant McFadden who led the way with 12 tackles and 2 assists. LBs Lawrence Timmons (9 tackles, 2 assists) and James Harrison (4 tackles, 5 assists and a sack) followed. Raiders 13 @ Titans 38 -- The Raiders were smoked by the team who I think (no Chris, don't do it) may possibly have (Chris... don't do it) the best shot (you know it never works out) at going to the Super Bowl for the AFC (Ahhh.. he did it) and may even (no... not that as well) go on (don't!!) and win the big one itself (now you've cursed them. A**clown). Vince Young finished with 13/17 for 154 yards and 2 TDs, but it was Chris Johnson who stole the show again for the Titans with 27 carries for 142 yards and 2 TDs. Jason Campbell could manage just 22/37 for 180 yards, a TD and an INT. More to the point, if Campbell keeps taking shots like he did in this game then he's going to be spending a lot of time sitting on the bench watching games with broken joints. The Raiders hardly had what I would call a stand out, though Kamerion Wimbley did ok with 4 tackles, an assist, a sack and a Forced Fumble. The Titans D cooked up 4 sacks with one being claimed by MLB Will Witherspoon (6 tackles and a sack). Watch for Witherspoon this year. Like Lofton in Atlanta he will be the glue that binds this defense. Safety Michael Griffin will be the child in the corner drinking the glue and going on a rampage collecting 10 tackles and 2 assists. Panthers 18 @ Giants 31 -- I don't hate the Panthers anymore. I cant. They did exactly what I expected they would. They believed all the hyperbole dumped on Matt Moore last year after having one good game (including numerous comments of the "he looked like a pro bowler" variety). Please explain then the 14/33 for 182 yards, one TD and 3 INTs against a defense not renowned for its ability to shut down the pass last year. Manning did better finishing 20/30 for 263 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs. Credit (and in this case blame) where it is due though, at least two of the Giants interceptions I've seen were caused by butter fingered receivers. Nice to see Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs put together 32 carries for a combined 120 yards and a TD. Two Panthers defensive standouts; LB Dan Connor (10 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack) and James Anderson LB (7 tackles, 2 assists, and an INT). Safety Charles Godfrey gets an honourable mention for his 5 tackles, assist and 2 INTs. For the Giants the defensive highlights are; Antrel Rolle (7 tackles and an assist), Osi Umenyiora (4 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble) and Mathias Kiwanuka (3 tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble). Lions 14 @ Bears 19 -- This was a legit pick ruined by another of the more stupid rules in the NFL. The Lions left it late, but that catch by Calvin Johnson was good. I don't give a crap about all this "possession through the act of going to the ground" etc. He was on the ground. He had it plain and simple. As he gets up to turn away the ball clips the ground and comes loose. Now what happened to the ground not being able to cause a fumble? Anyway, Matthew Stafford took a big hit from Julius Peppers and will now sit for at least three weeks. Jahvid Best led the Lions on the ground with 14 carries for 20 yards and 2 TDs. Shame that such a talented young kid is not getting the work load he deserves. That's a problem Bears RB Matt Forte doesn't share. Only 17 carries on the ground for 50 yards, but 7 catches produced 151 yards and 2 TDs as the Bears finally found a way to get him the ball without being ploughed over immediately thanks to the Bears suspect O-line. I was surprised to see the Lions create 4 sacks on defense! Without doubt their leader was Kyle Vanden Bosch (10 tackles, 1 assist) supported by Safety Louis Delmas (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble) and Tackle Corey Williams (5 tackles, 1 sack). For the Bears it was Linebackers Lance Briggs (9 tackles, 1 assist, 1 forced fumble) and Brian Urlacher (who I didn't think was going to play; 8 tackles and a sack). Cardinals 17 @ Rams 13 -- Ahhh, again denied by the smallest of margins. Can I just thank the NFL Network once more for their judicious use of time by failing to include the Rams near fumble return for a TD in the highlight package. I guess they were finding more room for Peyton Manning or Tom Brady clips elsewhere in the show. And while I'm at it, the extended highlights featuring the radio commentary from the teams commentators is much better/more fun to watch than the crappy game day highlights. Anyway, back to the game. So you have a rookie QB and you want to nurture the kid, build him and his confidence up slowly right? Well in that case, try not having him throw 55 times in a game. 33 completions is good. 253 yards is good. The TD pass is good (literally). 3 INTs is BAD!! Mark Clayton looks like a peach of a trade for the Rams, costing them a 7th round pick to Baltimore. Clayton finished with 10 catches for 119 yards. Steve Breaston was the star of the show though. The Cardinals WR caught 7 passes for 132 yards (Derek Anderson; 22/41 for 297 yards, 1 TD) and was also the man who came roaring back down the field to strip the ball after a fumble that was nearly returned by Clifton Ryan for a TD. Great all round game. Defensively for the Rams credit goes to Safety O.J. Atogwe (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble) and Linebacker Larry Grant (4 tackles, 2 forced fumbles). For the Cardinals it was corner Greg Toler leading the team in tackles (13 tackles(!!) and a forced fumble) & LB Paris Lenon (7 tackles, 1 assist). Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson may have only clocked 2 tackles, but a sack and two forced fumbles is impressive once more from the Cardinals most under rated defender. Packers 27 @ Eagles 20 -- One mans loss is another mans gain. In this case lots of men lost (to injury) and others gained. Prime among them was Michael Vick, who walked on for the second half after Kevin Kolb went down with a concussion... and promptly blew away those in attendance with some mazy, speedy runs and some beautifully crisp passes. 16/24 for 175 yards and a TD, but he'll be remembered most looking back at this game for his 11 carries for 103 yards. Aaron Rodgers wasn't quite as athletic producing 9 yards off 5 carries, but he did throw 19/31 for 188 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. For the Eagles D it was Trent Cole who predictably topped the charts with 6 tackles and a sack, but look out at the DE spot for Juqua Parker! Parker had 8 sacks last year, only to find out that he had potentially lost his spot to Brandon Graham. That is until Parker went out and produced two sacks against Green Bay last night. LB Clay Matthews stormed for the Packers D with 7 tackles, 2 sacks (of 5 Green Bay sacks on the night) and a forced fumble. 49ers 6 @ Seahawks 31 -- As a 49ers fan I type this with an almost tear in the eye. As an analyst (of sorts) I type this in just utter disbelief. What in the name of god happened? Matt Hasselbeck went 18/23 for 170 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. Alex Smith went 26/45 for 225 yards and 2 INTs. The question that immediately crops up is why is Alex Smith throwing 45 passes. Lay aside my natural bias to the run and just think about it for a second; Mike Singletary has always said he wanted to run the football and play good defense. The Texans ran the ball and played good defense against the Colts (well... they ran the ball at least). The Titans ran the ball and played great defense. The 49ers ran the ball 19 times and played horrible defense. Chris Johnson had 27 carries. Arian Foster had 33. Frank Gore had 17. That is not what I expected out of the 49ers. What was the point in using two first round picks on Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati who both really come alive in the running game, only to not bother running it? Defensively for the 49ers it was Patrick Willis, surprise, surprise, who led the team in tackles with 10. But then on a defense that tackled that badly, it wasn't hard. Seahawks standouts (of sorts) were; Safety Jordan Babineaux (5 tackles, 2 assists, and an INT) & LB Lofa Tatupu (5 tackles, 3 assists). Cowboys 7 @ Redskins 13 -- What the hell? How do you lose to the Redskins! McNabb went 15/32 for 171 yards. Romo put up 31/47 for 282 yards and a TD. That's good numbers from Tony. But what's this? Just 21 carries for the three headed monster that is the Cowboys backfield (95 yards)? And how does Marion Barber get more carries than Tashard Choice? Even Clinton Portis nearly racked up as many carries alone for the Redskins (18 for 63 yards). A truly woeful game, but a bright spot for the Cowboys was the play of their receivers; Miles Austin, Roy Williams & Dez Bryant all looking comfortable going up for catches. And the Cowboys cant really complain about the last second TD wiped off the board. It's just a pity that more holding calls aren't made (and I see at least 5 or 6 holds like that go uncalled, per game, every game). Safety Alan Ball stood out for the Cowboys with 6 tackles and a forced fumble, while LB DeMarcus Ware left the game with an injury after posting 6 tackles and a sack. The Redskins had some serious D going on, with 4 players posting 7 or more tackles. Safety LaRon Landry led in tackles with 13 and 3 assists. LB Rocky McIntosh clocked 8 tackles, 2 assists and a sack, DeAngelo Hall finished with 7 tackles, an assist and a forced fumble (which he then returned 32 yards for the sole Redskins TD), and finally London Fletcher rounds off the group with 7 tackles and 4 assists. Right, that's all of Sundays games in the bag then. Pick wise for this week I am now officially 4-10. I blame this solely on the Texans... because I can. I'll be back probably tomorrow to round up all of Monday Nights action. Till then, Have a great day everyone.