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.

We're talking about "Holy crap, that was one hell of a hit... oh wait, he didn't have the ball" type interference

Recently I bashed NFL networks Mike Mayock a little for some analysis that he did. Today I just watched a couple of videos on NFL.com that re-affirmed why, overall, I think he's top notch. Basically it revolves around two plays; Jabari Greers interception against the Falcons, and Leonard Weavers TD run against the Giants. The point he made was that in both cases the play had a big effect on the game, and in both cases, the plays should have been scrubbed by penalties. Now first up let me point out that this is not an argument or attack on the referees. The NFL is, at least in my opinion, one of the leading sports in the world for officiating. We now have several umpires dotted around the field (though I wish they'd remove the official from amongst the linebackers), there are TV replays, booth reviews inside of 2 mins and coaches have the challenge ability as well. Compared to the officiating of many other sports, and in particular I'm levelling my finger at Soccer in Europe, the officiating in the NFL is exceptional. But still, humans are humans, mistakes will be made. And so it was that the Saints got away with pass interference and the Eagles got away with holding. In the Eagles case it was Brent Celek who got a reasonably blatant hold of, I believe, Justin Tuck. This prevented Tuck making a tackle that would have stuffed the play for no gain. That's how much of a swing we're talking about. No gain compared to a touchdown. And that has an affect on teams. It has an affect on defenses and coaches. It affects the outcome of the game. And it's why I'm still a little apprehensive about the Eagles rushing attack. The next is gonna seem like pure bullying. I pick on the Saints every week it seems. But hey, if you wanna be the best 1) expect everyone to be taking shots at you and 2) expect to have to prove it on a regular basis. And what Mike Mayock proved was that Greer's interception was the result of nothing shorter than blatant pass interference. Not by Greer (I forget who it was). But it was blatant. Honestly, we're not talking about "now, does that level of contact constitute interference" type interference. We're talking about "Holy crap, that was one hell of a hit... oh wait, he didn't have the ball" type interference. And without it and the resulting pick 6 it created, we finish with a tie game. So what is this all in aid of? Nothing more really than a rant. Just to point out that the Saints aren't all they're being made out to be and the Eagles rushing attack may well collapse this week. Oh and yeah, there was some love on NFL Total Access for Darren Sharper. And yeah, it included the jump ball interception. And no, no-one gave Tracy Porter, Greer or Randall Gay the credit they deserve. It's all about the numbers. Which is why NFL scouts end up picking some real duds. (*cough* JaMarcus Russell *cough*)