Random thoughts for the day

Ok so I'm gonna take the chance to share some random musings from around the NFL, the web, and anywhere else I can dig up something of note. -- I still think Belichick made the wrong the call, but it was much closer than I previously imagined. I've seen some film of the play from a high angle and what is clear is that Brady blew it. His O-line was using slide protection to the right, so at the snap everyone moves right and takes the man either head up or in the gap to their right. Normally in the shotgun you would have a back next to you and that guy would go left and take the free rusher (Dwight Freeney), but because this was an empty set, there was no-one picking him up. Brady had man coverage across the board. In this case, and I'm sure Belichick will have made the point in practice, you're looking for Wes Welker out of the slot. I don't care even if you had Randy Moss lined up against a nose tackle, you're still looking for Welker. He's your underneath guy, your possession guy, the guy with the safest hands. It's 4th & 2 with the game on the line, you go to your best player. That's Welker. Welker actually gets an inside release on his guy and is coming open behind the blitz. That's where the ball should have gone. That's where Belichick will be telling Brady he should have gone. That's where Brady will go next time. And the Pats WILL beat the Colts if they meet again. -- It's been probably about one week since I pointed out Ladell Betts and said he would go on to have a big game for the Redskins. Suddenly the media is all over Ladell Betts (in an understated way), with analysts picking him as their proverbial "dark horse" or "penny stock". This, after he posted a 100 yard rushing game last week and showed he was just as good as Clinton Portis. Better late than never guys I suppose. With that one out of the way, keep an eye out for rookie Rashad Jennings of the Jacksonville Jaguars. If he gets the chance to carry the load and give Jones-Drew a rest sometime, expect him to come flying out of the gates. Then a few days later wait for other analysts to start picking him as their 'dark horse', 'penny stock' etc, etc. -- Larry Johnson is headed to Cincinnati everyone! Let's not get mistaken here, Benson is still the man in Bengal land. But as the inclement weather closes in on the North American continent, look for the Bengals to lean a bit more on their run game, possibly including Johnson. And don't be surprised if he does pretty well. The Bengals have a tough O-line that is just dominating people right now. -- Brian Westbrook is possibly done for the season. This is just about the best news (in a really morbid and unfortunate way) that Eagles fans could hope for. Enter now LeSean 'Shady' McCoy and FB Leonard Weaver. McCoy has already shown that he brings big play potential to the Eagles rushing attack and Weaver is the power back that the Eagles desperately need in short yardage and goal line situations. This could spark an offensive riot for the Eagles. But then again, the way they call plays on offense, it could just be another season of missed opportunities. -- The Bills have sacked head coach Dick Jauron. Shame they've still got all the other pieces of their team in place really. I feel sorry for Jauron. By all accounts he's a good coach who knows his football and is a great guy. Unfortunately he just hasn't shown the required skills to bring together a team of players in a small market and get all the right pieces slotted in. There is optimism he will find a co-ordinators job somewhere else in the near future. As for the Bills, they have some issues. Trading away star LT Jason Peters in a league where star LTs are rare was not the best start. I'm also increasingly more concerned with the T.O. deal. Not because I don't like T.O., I do, but because his arrival has retarded the progress of young receivers, like James Hardy, and is taking receptions away from their true star receiver Lee Evans, the guy that they need to get the ball to more. And to cap it all, despite being one of the most northerly franchises and playing in the AFC East, they still don't have any run game to speak of. That's fine if you have Brady and the like, but when your QB is Trent Edwards, you need help. -- Ok, while we're talking about future nuggets of gold, remember the name Brit Miller. He's a FB for the 49'ers, a rookie, who can block and catch. He gets good yards after the catch and would be a perfect fit in any West Coast Offense. May take a year or two to see some regular action, but if he does then watch out.

Boldin knows best

Another week of football passes and more controversy arises. Well, partial controversy. Cardinals wideout Anquan Boldin returned from his pre-game warm up against the Bears only to discover that his kit had been removed and he was listed as inactive for the game. Understandably, he wasn't too happy. Now I know a lot of people dislike Boldin and his attitude, but I'm not one of them. I think he's an awesome player. Very physical, very intelligent, very determined. The guy just wanted to play. He, like many others in the league, is extremely competitive. He just wants to go out each week and play ball. That's it. He was unhappy because he was denied the chance to compete. And no-one had the balls to go tell him, man to man, "you're not playing today". I sympathise with the guy. Look for him to get out of Arizona in the offseason. Whoever gets him gets one hell of an asset. Looking into the much nearer future, former Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has now been released onto waivers and apparently there is some interest in him. Really? I wouldn't touch the guy with a barge pole. He's old & he's struggling to make 3 yards a carry average. And he's obviously not a tight fit in the locker room, as his homosexual slurs against Chiefs coach Todd Haley have shown. This is one guy I wouldn't want to bring to my franchise. It just seems like bad news all the way. Apparently the Houston Texans don't feel that way. Personally, I think they're undervaluing Steve Slaton and Ryan Moats.... And I've noticed that the vultures of NFL commentary/analysis are circling over 49'ers QB Alex Smith, who apparently has developed a 'tendency' to turn the ball over this season. Has he? I'm pretty damn sure one of those picks he threw against the Texans was just a jump ball at the end of the game. They needed a play and no one made one. It's harsh to put that on the QB. As for last week against the Titans? I seem to remember two of the three picks being due to butter fingered receivers not making the catch. Don't write Smith off yet. And while we're on the subject of Smiths pick woes against the Titans, I noticed that on NFL Gameday's highlights the blame for one of the picks (where Crabtree failed to catch the ball and instead tipped it up for the INT) was instantly laid on Smith by.... Deion Sanders. Who happened to have a hand in Crabtrees negotiations. Now don't get me wrong, I like Deion. I think he's funny and adds entertainment value to the program. But I do get annoyed when he stubbornly defends his 'babies' by laying the blame that should be theirs at other peoples feet. And it's starting to drive me nuts hearing him shout 'pay the man!!' as if the only reason anyone in football ever tries hard is because of money and contract issues. Mind you, in some cases he's not far off.... And I'd also like to apologise to Jay Ratliff, NT for the Dallas Cowboys. Yesterday I missed him off of my list for Extra Credit, when he clearly deserved it (I was tired). He chalked up 5 tackles and 2 sacks, and will be a key to the Cowboys D this season. He gets pressure up the middle which helps to put QB's out of rhythm, and he draws attention and blocking away from DeMarcus Ware. Expect Ware's stats to spike up a little bit in the coming weeks until some team figures out the best way to stop both guys.