Bears @ Lions
God. I'm now going to have to have to listen to talk about the Lions going to the Super Bowl for at least another week. In fact the Lions have three weeks till their bye, and each of those games has the potential for the opposition to slip up and fuel the Lions hype fire.
Because let's face it, that's what it is. I don't care about the Lions record. I'm not a huge stats fan anyway. I include numbers on this blog for the sole purpose of giving people a guide and because I know a lot of people care more about Fantasy football than actual football.
Me personally, I'm interested in what happens on the field. I'm interested only in whether I think a team can win the Super Bowl, because what you do in the regular season means nothing once you reach the playoffs. And the only team anyone ever remembers is the team that lifts the Lombardi trophy.
And I'm saying now, I don't think the Lions will.
It happens every year in the NFL. There's always at least one team, sometimes two that enter the playoffs with grossly inflated opinions of themselves. Last year it was two teams; the Falcons and the Bears. By any reasonable stretch of the imagination, neither team should really have been there. How the Bears made it as far as they did says more about their opponents than it does them.
This year it's the Lions, and as much as I hate to admit it, my own 49ers. Both teams are doing well... on paper. On the field it's a different story. Anyone who watches a 49ers game this season and thinks that team could win the Super Bowl this year is dreaming. The same applies to the Lions.
Detroit got mauled in the first half of both the Vikings and Cowboys games. If the Vikings had applied the same winning game plan from week 5 to week 3 (hammering the ball on the ground in the second half), then the Lions would have gone in to the Cowboys game at 2-1 having been trashed the week before. Then if only, if only the Cowboys (re: Romo and Garrett) hadn't blown the massive lead they built up, then the Lions would have come into this game 2-2, having been blown off the field in back to back games.
But sadly the footballing gods have deemed that Detroit came into this one 4-0, with all the hype that entails. They set about proving that they were the real deal and not just the all hype team by having a terrible first quarter, followed by a terrible second quarter, with the bomb to Calvin Johnson being the exception to their play, not the rule.
At least things got a bit better in the third. They put together a much better drive that ended with the Pettigrew TD. Then they ripped off an 88 yard touchdown run by Best, which basically ended the game. From that point onwards the Bears pretty much stuck their heads in the sand and tried to just avoid being beaten any further. They certainly didn't look like they were fighting to get back in it.
And that's what frustrates me. For the next week the media and the Lions fans will be going ape shit over this win and the Lions 5-0 record. The stupid thing is, last season I was saying that this season might be the year Detroit pulled it all together! Now they're 5-0, which in a way proves my point, but actually watching them play I think I might have been wrong. If you follow me.
I just look at it this way. If a) Johnson doesn't get such a massive free release on his touchdown and b) someone actually plugs that run gap on Best's 88 yard scamper, then the Lions probably don't win this. And that fact they struggled so much in such a scrappy game against the Bears of all people doesn't bode well.
The Bears have absolutely got more to worry about than the Lions though. One of the reasons I don't like statistics is because the official records will say that the Lions only had 3 sacks, which doesn't tell the story of just how chronically bad the Bears O-line were. They were even back to their old tricks of putting Cutler under center despite an empty backfield, an issue I've moaned about at length before.
The Bears just can't protect Cutler. Each pass play seems to consist of him either panicking, getting hit, or running for his life. It's an old complaint about Mike Martz and his system. Just ask Alex Smith how it worked out for him. I don't think Bears fans care how they do it, but somebody needs to step in and find a way to keep him clean. Maybe a little more play action, maybe some more eight man protections. But something has to be done.
The sole glimmer of hope for the Bears was Matt Forte, who carried 22 times for 116 yards (longest; 23). Though considering the game was never really out of sight until perhaps the Best TD went in, I'm surprised that Forte didn't carry more. It's the old cliche about putting the ball in the hands of your best players, playing to your strengths etc.
It took the Vikings five weeks to learn how to do it properly, that is to close out the win by sticking with the hot hand that you put you so far out in front. I presumed foolishly that the Bears had learnt from their 34 point offensive show against the Panthers, but apparently not. And I except that under normal circumstances, when you're behind you throw a lot to get yourself back in the game, taking the gamble because if you don't then you lose anyway.
But that's the sad thing about the Bears. Their O-line is so horrible in pass protection and Cutler is so nervous now behind that shaky line that running the football is literally the Bears best chance of picking up any significant yardage and scoring.
Of course we can't blame it all on the offense. The defense is not what it was in 2010. The pass rush is steadily going flat, the coverage has wide open holes in it and the run defense - as evidenced by the 163 yards that Jahvid Best put up on just 12 carries - needs some serious attention.
It's going to take more than a few Devin Hester kick and punt returns to fix the Bears woes. At least their bye is only three weeks away, after entertaining the Vikings next week and then playing in a half empty stadium against Tampa in week 7 (I got a phone call today from the official ticket agents for the Wembley game, who are trying desperately to flog off cut price tickets. Oh dear).
The Lions - the jammy bastards that they are - have a nice schedule ahead. They have two more home games against the 49ers and Falcons, who are apt to piss games away. Then the Lions travel to Denver and we'll know more in the coming week about whether Tebow starts in week 6, which will have a significant impact on the potential for the Lions to go 8-0 into their bye.
The second half of the season looks much tougher for the Lions, with two games against the Packers, a trip to Oakland, a visit from Adrian Peterson and the Vikings, and a trip to the Saints. We'll see how long that -0 lasts...
Right, that's your lot for today. I'm off to write a complaint letter to ESPN, kindly requesting that they gag Jon Gruden in future so we don't have to listen to him giving effusive praise to everyone on the field, regardless of how good or bad they may be.
Tomorrow... I had something planned, but I can't remember what it was now. I'll probably just end up drawing a random diagram of something as a result. Also, if the site appearance changes over the coming days don't be alarmed, I'm just trying to figure out ways of squeezing more money out of you.
Did I say that out loud? I meant to say, enhancing your reading experience.
To help with this, I highly recommend you click that Facebook like button thing at the bottom of this post. Go on, you know you want to find out what it does.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
2011 Week 5 recap (so far)
Right, round up time;
Eagles @ Bills
- I don't know why, but there's something hilarious about Mike Vick throwing four picks. It just is.
- A while back I wrote a post on the difficulties of putting together a bunch of stars and expecting them to gel into a miraculous squad. I also pondered out loud how long it would be before the Eagles started turning on each other, and the press in Philly began turning on them. Self destruction due in 5, 4, 3, ....
- Vick had 5 carries for 90 yards, plus 315 yards through the air. LeSean McCoy had 11 carries for 80 yards. Jason Avant had nearly 140 yards receiving. The Eagles would probably be a decent team, possibly even 5-0 or 4-1, if they could just stop killing themselves with turnovers. For the record, after today's action the top five teams in turnover ratio (positive turnover ratio) are a combined 20-3. The bottom five (including the Eagles) are 7-17.
- Fred Jackson had another outstanding game. 111 yards and a TD on the ground, plus another 85 yards receiving. Jackson is the lynch pin holding the Bills offense together this season.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, other than his interception, was mostly efficient; 21/27 for 193 yards, 1 touchdown.
- Linebacker Nick Barnett was a brilliant acquisition for the Bills. He added another two interceptions to his list of good deeds this season. Safety George Wilson also had a good game, with 11 tackles and an interception.
Saints @ Panthers
- The Panthers actually had a pass rush! Sods law though, the game where they finally find it is against Drew Brees.
- Tight end Jimmy Graham continues to show why the Saints let Jeremy Shockey go. Graham had 8 catches for 129 yards. Shockey, now with the Panthers, had 3 catches for 21 yards.
- Cam Newton was 16/31 for 224 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. He still hasn't quite got past the "chuck the ball up in the air and hope someone comes down with it" stage yet. But this was a better performance. He ran 7 times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
- Steve Smith is still the biggest threat on the Panthers. He only caught 3 of the 7 passes aimed at him, but his ability to jump high, his speed and his strength make him dangerous. I can't help but laugh when I see teams leaving him single covered. The words "you brought this on yourself" should accompany any touchdown they give up to Smith.
- DeAngelo Williams remembered he could run again. He had 9 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown. Kind of makes you wonder why he only had 9 carries?
- Drew Brees was Drew Brees; 32/45 for 359 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Raiders @ Texans
- The combination of Rock Cartwright and Sebastian Janikowski may just make the Raiders special teams the best in the NFL right now. Janikowski had 3 field goals over 50 yards and Cartwright (who always seems to be making special teams plays) took a fake punt 35 yards.
- Jason Campbell was shaky, completing just 15/35 for 190 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
- The Texans D managed to hold Darren McFadden to just 51 yards.
- Darius Heyward-Bey arrives! Well, kind of. Seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. A few more games like that wouldn't go amiss for the Raiders, though the return of Jacoby Ford and the emergence of rookie Denarius Moore means the Raiders passing attack is probably the most dangerous it's been in years.
- Raiders safety Michael Huff marked his return to action with a last ditch pick to ice the game.
- Richard Seymour had a good day, putting up two more sacks for the season.
- Matt Schaub was 24/51, for 416 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In a year when the passing yardage is going off the charts, there's a lot of people throwing big numbers without the touchdowns to match.
- The loss of Mario Williams to injury really hindered the Texans.
- Lawrence Vickers had the opportunity to win the game for the Texans. His drop was critical.
- On an emotional day for the Raiders, they did it. They just won, baby. For Al.
Chiefs @ Colts
- I'm not sure I can believe I'm typing this but; Curtis Painter, 15/27 (ok, that part is normal), 277 yards and 2 touchdowns, no picks.
- Pierre Garcon had 5 catches for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- At one point the Colts lead by 17. I know it's against the Chiefs, but it should make team pay attention. I don't think the Colts will make the playoffs, but they might upset a few apple carts along the way. They're (specifically Painter is) getting better each week.
- Matt Cassel spoilt the party though, emerging from nowhere with 21/29 for 257 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Colts just cant catch a break right now.
- Jerome Battle filled in nicely for Jamaal Charles, carrying the ball 19 times for 119 yards.
- Dwayne Bowe was a beast for a change, taking 7 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
- Free agent signing Steve Breaston also had two touchdowns.
- Dwight Freeney's 1.5 sacks and Mathis's half sack weren't enough, but the Colts defense is stepping up. The Colts now face three tough road games against the Bengals, Saints and Titans.
Bengals @ Jaguars
- Speaking of the Bengals, the scoreline belies the fact that the game was pretty close. The Jaguars miscues helped Cincinnati big time.
- Blaine Gabbert; 15/28, 221 yards, 1 touchdown. And even that is giving him too much credit. On the touchdown pass to Jason Hill, Hill was wide open.... and it still took Gabbert a few seconds to find him. And even then he a) under threw him and b) pulled him in towards to the safety, when he should have just dropped it into his path. Luckily Hill made a good adjustment. After the game ProFootballTalk added its voice to the increasing number of people questioning Gabberts pocket presence. My question is simply this; How did you not see that on his college tape? This is an article I wrote back in May, highlighting precisely that. If you want we can go back further, to mid-March? This was all over his college film, yet somehow people are having this sudden realisation? I'm honestly gutted that Gabbert is earning first round money while Jeff VanCamp is probably working at McDonalds.
- I still don't understand how Jack Del Rio justifies not giving Maurice Jones-Drew more than 19 carries. He took those for 85 yards and a touchdown. Just stupid.
- Andy Dalton was 21/33 for 179 yards and two touchdowns, one interception. He looked pretty good and connected well with fellow rookie A.J. Green (5 catches, 90 yards, 1 touchdown). Probably Dalton's finest moment though was tackling Dawan Landry to save a touchdown after Landry picked him off. Landry's hang time was impressive.
- The Jaguars D is still its biggest weakness. They had two sacks, but that's the exception not the rule for them these days.
Cardinals @ Vikings
- The Vikings are probably the most insane team in football right now. For all the talk about the Packers and the Saints, the Bills and the Patriots, and all those other high power offenses, the Vikings put up 28 points in less than 15 minutes. In 5 weeks the Vikings have put up 89 first half points. As stupid as it sounds, the Vikings are ripping people to pieces in the first 30 minutes.
- Adrian Peterson finished with 29 carries for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now that he's sorted his problems with fumbles, he is easily the best back in the NFL. At one point he was hit by a safety (I think it was Wilson) on the 6 yard line, but managed to stand him up and then drive him back the six yards needed to reach the goal line. It's the most fun you can have watching offensive football.
- Most importantly, Peterson had 13 carries in the first half, with the majority of his work load coming in the second as Minnesota ran down the clock. The Vikings are starting to learn how to close games out.
- Kevin Kolb was 21/42 for 232 yards, two interceptions and a fumble. He never really stood a chance though. Once the Cardinals went that far behind it was obvious they would have to throw their way back into it.
- And didn't the Vikings D know it. Jared Allen had two sacks and a fumble recovery, Brian Robison had two sacks and a forced fumble, and credit to third year safety Jamarca Sanford for his two picks.
Seahawks @ Giants
- Only the Giants. Only the Giants could have this much talent on their team and still blow it to the Seahawks.
- A big part of that is due to Eli Manning; 24/39, 420 yards, 3 touchdowns.... 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles (one lost) . You can rack up all the yards you want. You can drive up and down the field all day long. But when you turn the ball over 4 times, and then one of your receivers fumbles another ball away, you're simply going to lose most games.
- Seattle tried their best give it back though, with an interception from Tavaris Jackson and two fumbles from the running backs.
- Tavaris Jackson was doing ok (15/22, 166 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) until the Seahawks tried running a College style zone read, which lead to Jackson taking preciously the kind of injury inducing shot that will exclude pure running quarterbacks from the NFL for many years still.
- His replacement Charlie Whitehurst was 11/19 for 149 yards and a touchdown. Not great, but at least he didn't turn the ball over which is all the Seahawks needed from him.
- Marshawn Lynch had another good game, nearly hitting one hundred yards and scoring a touchdown.
- Giants receiver Victor Cruz was unlucky to be on the losing side. He had 8 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown, played with great concentration, and nearly scooped up a badly thrown pass from Manning. Unfortunately the ball was snagged by Brandon Browner who returned it 94 yards for the score.
- The pass rushes were flying today. The Seahawks had 3 sacks, including 2 for Chris Clemons. The Giants had six, with Jason Pierre-Paul picking up 2.5 and Osi Umenyiora getting 1.5. That's one of the frustrating things about the Giants, they have such a good defense, if only they could stop pulling a "Dream Team Eagles" and turning the ball over so much, their defense could probably win them a few games.
Titans @ Steelers
- Just when you thought the Steelers were down...
- With James Harrison gone through injury, someone had to step up. Enter James Farrior with 9 solo tackles and LaMarr Woodley with 1.5 sacks and a pick.
- Matt Hasselbeck ended up throwing 49 times, completing 29 for 262 yards, but just one touchdown and also an interception.
- Young Steelers running back Jonathan Dwyer had a big run (76 yards) to bump up his total yardage for the game to 107 yards off 11 carries.
- The story of the game though was Ben Roethlisberger. 24/34 for 228 yards, 1 interception, and five touchdowns. Count them. Five. All of this with a busted left ankle. I say this all the time but I'll throw it out there again for kicks; whatever you think of Roethlisberger off the field, on the field he can straight up play. It's shame for the Steelers that he hasn't played like this more often this season.
Buccaneers @ 49ers
- As a 49ers fan, I'm still in a mild state of shock.
- However, even in my state of shock I'm alert enough to understand that people are getting way too carried away by Alex smith. Yes he threw three touchdowns, but he was only 11/19 for 170 yards.
- How do you score that many times, with such small yardage? Part of it is Frank Gore rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown from 20 carries. Part of it is rookie Kendall Hunter taking it 65 yards off nine carries.
- But the biggest part of it is the defense. Jim Harbaugh is getting all the credit for turning the 49ers around, for his good coaching, for "saving" Alex Smith etc, but it's the defense that has really changed this year. Carlos Rogers had another interceptions, as did Chris Culliver. Those two alone have made a massive impact in what has easily been the 49ers biggest problem area for years; the secondary.
- Rookie D-lineman Aldon Smith has also had a big impact. He had another two sacks against Tampa, along with a third from Justin Smith. Those two have done more for the 49ers than Smith.
- Josh Freeman was 17/33 for 187 yards and two interceptions. With the 49ers opening up such a big early lead, it basically committed the Buc's to throwing.
- Just when we thought the Buccaneers were starting to show promise, they only came away with three points from the game. They were 7/16 on third downs (46%) and only made it into the red zone once.
- To highlight why I and other 49er fans shouldn't get too excited (I'm not) about the offense; red zone efficiency was 3/6, third down efficiency was 2/7. Just hold off on the Alex Smith street naming party for now.
Chargers @ Broncos
- Kyle Orton needed a good game to shut the crowd up. He didn't have it; 6/13 for 34 yards and a pick.
- Meanwhile Phillip Rivers was doing what he does best; hitting 18/29 for 250 yards and one touchdown, but also one pick. That's the trouble with Rivers this year. He's still picking up the yards, but can't see to find the end product to go with it.
- Running back Ryan Matthews came to his aid though with 24 carries for 125 yards.
- The crowd was getting restless though. They chanted for Tebow and in the second half they got their wish.
- I've been a Tebow supporter, and I think inventor of the term "Tebowleiver", since day one, so I was psyched to see him take the field and hit... 4/10 for 79 yards and a touchdown. The numbers don't always tell the tale though, as he carried 6 times for 38 yards and a touchdown, leading the Broncos back into the game with a turnover-less performance. It just wasn't quite enough though.
- Lost in all of this was the performance of Willis McGahee, who carried 16 times for 125 yards. Say it with me now "doesn't get enough credit..."
- The Broncos D found a second gear and came up with four sacks. If Tebow is going to take over the starting job then they need to keep bringing that production to the table each week to give him more help than they did for Kyle Orton.
Jets @ Patriots
- Tom Brady went over 300 yards again, but his 24/33 for 321 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception performance was not the key.
- The key was running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, with 27 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The amusing fact (amusing if you're not a Rex Ryan fan at least) is that the Patriots, probably the Jets biggest rival, have the kind of running game that Rex Ryan wishes he did.
- Speaking of which, his best runner was Shonne Greene, who put up 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
- Mark Sanchez looked a lot better this week, throwing 16/26 for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no turnovers.
- Also looking better was the Jets O-line, which only gave up two sacks and generally looked a lot more solid. Part of that is down to the Patriots weaker pass rush.
- Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson did manage to squeeze through 2 times though, being officially awarded 1.5 sacks.
- For me the big disappointment was the Jets D. David Harris had 7 solo tackles and a sack, Jamaal Westerman put two more sacks on the board, and they also picked up a fourth, plus a red zone pick of Tom Brady. But they gave up 152 yards on the ground and failed to contain Wes Welker. I expected a coordinator as good as Rex to find a way of doubling up on Welker, but instead they bought their own hype over Revis and his single coverage skills. Without the opportunity to pull Welkers shirt (too quick for that), Revis was unable to stop Welker putting up 124 yards off 5 catches. One of these days, someone actually will take Welker seriously and put together a proper game plan for him.
- The Jets offense could help out more still; 3/11 in the red zone.
Packers @ Falcons
- There is definitely a curse on Sunday Night Football that makes their games more interesting. Hint; it has nothing to do with the TV coverage.
- Aaron Rodgers seems to cruise through games, even when his starting left tackle gets injured; 26/39, 396 yards, 2 touchdowns.
- Part of that is down to the pass rush he's facing. The four sacks the Falcons had hide the fact that they didn't really get enough pressure consistently over the 60 minutes, even with the injury woes on the Packers O-line.
- Of course letting Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones etc run free at your secondary doesn't help either. What happened to bump and run coverage? I'd like to see Aaron Rodgers try and whip that ball out quick to his receivers when they have a face full of their own shoulder pads.
- Speaking of pass rushes though, the Packers pass rush has died a death this year. Desmond Bishop managed one sack to go with his seven solo tackles, but that was it. Casey Matthews has been drawing extra attention, but not that much.
- Matt Ryan was 18/32 for 167 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions. For the first fifteen or so plays, which the Falcons coaching staff script, he looked great. He made some good checks at the line to. Once the script ran out and the Falcons had to start thinking on the fly, they fell apart.
- Surprisingly for the Packers they were 0/3 in the red zone. Their two touchdowns came off almost the same play-action play, while the boot of Mason Crosby did a lot of the damage.
So that's the game recaps done. And sitting here now, almost 5 hours after I first started them, I think to myself, "fuck, this new format was supposed to make all this quicker". Oh well, back to the drawing board. Before I disappear though, a quick Roger Goodell rant.
Roger Goodell
- Dear Roger, your stupid new rules are a sham. Tell me, why does a receiver who has caught the ball and got both feet down in bounds then have to "maintain possession through the process of going to the ground"? If a runner in the open field falls over or is tackled, and the ball is knocked loosed by the ground, we're told "the ground can't cause a fumble". But it can force a receiver to lose out on a perfectly legitimate pass? And yet when a receiver catches the ball and takes two steps or turns, and then gets hit and fumbles, that's an incomplete pass? It's ridiculous. We're getting to point where we're watching "officalball" or "replayball" instead of football. Used to be you could tell whether a play was good or not with your eyes. Now you need a 500 page rulebook, a set of slow motion cameras and a degree in contract law to make sure you understand the correct wording of the rules.
- Speaking of constant replays, can we please, please go back to the Coaches challenge? I'm sick of listening to a stadium go dead because the fans have to twiddle their thumbs waiting for permission to cheer. It's fucking boring and combined with all the other rules and regulations, it's killing off what makes football, football. I keep harping on about this, but there comes a tipping point. People watch football not because they have to, "oh you always watch it!" etc, but because they enjoy it. As soon as they stop enjoying it, they'll stop watching.
- The commissioner also announced recently that in a weeks time he will present to the owners a plan for a second game to be played in London. As someone who lives about 50 miles from London and has been to two of the Wembley games, let me say this... fuck you Roger.
That sounds odd, but here's the deal. You're not "growing" the game at all. I guarantee you that 95% of the fans who go to the Wembley games are like me. They watch football all the time. They know all about football. They run or participate in the amateur teams that play in the British league. They run or participate in the teams that play in the College league. They're the people that stay up till 4:30 in the morning just to watch Sunday/Monday Night Football. They're the people that endure the god forsaken mess that is NFL.com and it's video delivery system, just to keep themselves up to date with the game.
They're the people like me, that have been watching the game for many, many years now (17th season for me personally). Shit, most of the fans over here know more about football than Roger Goodell does! And that's why, despite being grateful for the chance to watch a game live in person, especially those of us who've been able to see "our" teams play, we also quietly resent the London games because we know that they're stealing home games from the fans who live in the cities where the teams play.
We resent the London games because we know they're part of a plan to introduce a London franchise that will fall flat on its face, because the simple fact is we all have our own teams here that we support. We don't need nor want a London based team. If they play the 49ers I'll go... to cheer on the 49ers and boo the London team.
It's just another example of Goodell thinking he knows what fans want when he doesn't. Like the 18 games debacle. People don't want 18 games and they don't hate the preseason. Most fans understand the purpose of the preseason and how valuable it is. What the fans don't like is having to pay full regular season prices for those games. If you cut the ticket prices in half and waived the parking fees, most of the games would probably sell out (excluding maybe Jacksonville, Tampa and San Diego, who can't even sell out their regular season games).
It's like him thinking that what people want to watch is basketball on grass, where the offenses stack up points and nobody tackles. It's not. Most people were attracted to football in the first place for the same reason I was; the hitting and the physicality. Football is a violent sport, that's just how it is. More importantly, that's just how people like it.
If Goodell really wants to "grow the game", then simple; sign a deal with a non-satellite TV provider (BBC, ITV, Channel Four or Channel Five) to show a game from either the 1pm Eastern (6pm GMT) or 4pm Eastern (9pm GMT) bracket. That's how to get your new fans.
Now I must sleep. It's 09:44 am.
Eagles @ Bills
- I don't know why, but there's something hilarious about Mike Vick throwing four picks. It just is.
- A while back I wrote a post on the difficulties of putting together a bunch of stars and expecting them to gel into a miraculous squad. I also pondered out loud how long it would be before the Eagles started turning on each other, and the press in Philly began turning on them. Self destruction due in 5, 4, 3, ....
- Vick had 5 carries for 90 yards, plus 315 yards through the air. LeSean McCoy had 11 carries for 80 yards. Jason Avant had nearly 140 yards receiving. The Eagles would probably be a decent team, possibly even 5-0 or 4-1, if they could just stop killing themselves with turnovers. For the record, after today's action the top five teams in turnover ratio (positive turnover ratio) are a combined 20-3. The bottom five (including the Eagles) are 7-17.
- Fred Jackson had another outstanding game. 111 yards and a TD on the ground, plus another 85 yards receiving. Jackson is the lynch pin holding the Bills offense together this season.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, other than his interception, was mostly efficient; 21/27 for 193 yards, 1 touchdown.
- Linebacker Nick Barnett was a brilliant acquisition for the Bills. He added another two interceptions to his list of good deeds this season. Safety George Wilson also had a good game, with 11 tackles and an interception.
Saints @ Panthers
- The Panthers actually had a pass rush! Sods law though, the game where they finally find it is against Drew Brees.
- Tight end Jimmy Graham continues to show why the Saints let Jeremy Shockey go. Graham had 8 catches for 129 yards. Shockey, now with the Panthers, had 3 catches for 21 yards.
- Cam Newton was 16/31 for 224 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. He still hasn't quite got past the "chuck the ball up in the air and hope someone comes down with it" stage yet. But this was a better performance. He ran 7 times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
- Steve Smith is still the biggest threat on the Panthers. He only caught 3 of the 7 passes aimed at him, but his ability to jump high, his speed and his strength make him dangerous. I can't help but laugh when I see teams leaving him single covered. The words "you brought this on yourself" should accompany any touchdown they give up to Smith.
- DeAngelo Williams remembered he could run again. He had 9 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown. Kind of makes you wonder why he only had 9 carries?
- Drew Brees was Drew Brees; 32/45 for 359 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Raiders @ Texans
- The combination of Rock Cartwright and Sebastian Janikowski may just make the Raiders special teams the best in the NFL right now. Janikowski had 3 field goals over 50 yards and Cartwright (who always seems to be making special teams plays) took a fake punt 35 yards.
- Jason Campbell was shaky, completing just 15/35 for 190 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
- The Texans D managed to hold Darren McFadden to just 51 yards.
- Darius Heyward-Bey arrives! Well, kind of. Seven catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. A few more games like that wouldn't go amiss for the Raiders, though the return of Jacoby Ford and the emergence of rookie Denarius Moore means the Raiders passing attack is probably the most dangerous it's been in years.
- Raiders safety Michael Huff marked his return to action with a last ditch pick to ice the game.
- Richard Seymour had a good day, putting up two more sacks for the season.
- Matt Schaub was 24/51, for 416 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In a year when the passing yardage is going off the charts, there's a lot of people throwing big numbers without the touchdowns to match.
- The loss of Mario Williams to injury really hindered the Texans.
- Lawrence Vickers had the opportunity to win the game for the Texans. His drop was critical.
- On an emotional day for the Raiders, they did it. They just won, baby. For Al.
Chiefs @ Colts
- I'm not sure I can believe I'm typing this but; Curtis Painter, 15/27 (ok, that part is normal), 277 yards and 2 touchdowns, no picks.
- Pierre Garcon had 5 catches for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- At one point the Colts lead by 17. I know it's against the Chiefs, but it should make team pay attention. I don't think the Colts will make the playoffs, but they might upset a few apple carts along the way. They're (specifically Painter is) getting better each week.
- Matt Cassel spoilt the party though, emerging from nowhere with 21/29 for 257 yards, four touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Colts just cant catch a break right now.
- Jerome Battle filled in nicely for Jamaal Charles, carrying the ball 19 times for 119 yards.
- Dwayne Bowe was a beast for a change, taking 7 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
- Free agent signing Steve Breaston also had two touchdowns.
- Dwight Freeney's 1.5 sacks and Mathis's half sack weren't enough, but the Colts defense is stepping up. The Colts now face three tough road games against the Bengals, Saints and Titans.
Bengals @ Jaguars
- Speaking of the Bengals, the scoreline belies the fact that the game was pretty close. The Jaguars miscues helped Cincinnati big time.
- Blaine Gabbert; 15/28, 221 yards, 1 touchdown. And even that is giving him too much credit. On the touchdown pass to Jason Hill, Hill was wide open.... and it still took Gabbert a few seconds to find him. And even then he a) under threw him and b) pulled him in towards to the safety, when he should have just dropped it into his path. Luckily Hill made a good adjustment. After the game ProFootballTalk added its voice to the increasing number of people questioning Gabberts pocket presence. My question is simply this; How did you not see that on his college tape? This is an article I wrote back in May, highlighting precisely that. If you want we can go back further, to mid-March? This was all over his college film, yet somehow people are having this sudden realisation? I'm honestly gutted that Gabbert is earning first round money while Jeff VanCamp is probably working at McDonalds.
- I still don't understand how Jack Del Rio justifies not giving Maurice Jones-Drew more than 19 carries. He took those for 85 yards and a touchdown. Just stupid.
- Andy Dalton was 21/33 for 179 yards and two touchdowns, one interception. He looked pretty good and connected well with fellow rookie A.J. Green (5 catches, 90 yards, 1 touchdown). Probably Dalton's finest moment though was tackling Dawan Landry to save a touchdown after Landry picked him off. Landry's hang time was impressive.
- The Jaguars D is still its biggest weakness. They had two sacks, but that's the exception not the rule for them these days.
Cardinals @ Vikings
- The Vikings are probably the most insane team in football right now. For all the talk about the Packers and the Saints, the Bills and the Patriots, and all those other high power offenses, the Vikings put up 28 points in less than 15 minutes. In 5 weeks the Vikings have put up 89 first half points. As stupid as it sounds, the Vikings are ripping people to pieces in the first 30 minutes.
- Adrian Peterson finished with 29 carries for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now that he's sorted his problems with fumbles, he is easily the best back in the NFL. At one point he was hit by a safety (I think it was Wilson) on the 6 yard line, but managed to stand him up and then drive him back the six yards needed to reach the goal line. It's the most fun you can have watching offensive football.
- Most importantly, Peterson had 13 carries in the first half, with the majority of his work load coming in the second as Minnesota ran down the clock. The Vikings are starting to learn how to close games out.
- Kevin Kolb was 21/42 for 232 yards, two interceptions and a fumble. He never really stood a chance though. Once the Cardinals went that far behind it was obvious they would have to throw their way back into it.
- And didn't the Vikings D know it. Jared Allen had two sacks and a fumble recovery, Brian Robison had two sacks and a forced fumble, and credit to third year safety Jamarca Sanford for his two picks.
Seahawks @ Giants
- Only the Giants. Only the Giants could have this much talent on their team and still blow it to the Seahawks.
- A big part of that is due to Eli Manning; 24/39, 420 yards, 3 touchdowns.... 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles (one lost) . You can rack up all the yards you want. You can drive up and down the field all day long. But when you turn the ball over 4 times, and then one of your receivers fumbles another ball away, you're simply going to lose most games.
- Seattle tried their best give it back though, with an interception from Tavaris Jackson and two fumbles from the running backs.
- Tavaris Jackson was doing ok (15/22, 166 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) until the Seahawks tried running a College style zone read, which lead to Jackson taking preciously the kind of injury inducing shot that will exclude pure running quarterbacks from the NFL for many years still.
- His replacement Charlie Whitehurst was 11/19 for 149 yards and a touchdown. Not great, but at least he didn't turn the ball over which is all the Seahawks needed from him.
- Marshawn Lynch had another good game, nearly hitting one hundred yards and scoring a touchdown.
- Giants receiver Victor Cruz was unlucky to be on the losing side. He had 8 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown, played with great concentration, and nearly scooped up a badly thrown pass from Manning. Unfortunately the ball was snagged by Brandon Browner who returned it 94 yards for the score.
- The pass rushes were flying today. The Seahawks had 3 sacks, including 2 for Chris Clemons. The Giants had six, with Jason Pierre-Paul picking up 2.5 and Osi Umenyiora getting 1.5. That's one of the frustrating things about the Giants, they have such a good defense, if only they could stop pulling a "Dream Team Eagles" and turning the ball over so much, their defense could probably win them a few games.
Titans @ Steelers
- Just when you thought the Steelers were down...
- With James Harrison gone through injury, someone had to step up. Enter James Farrior with 9 solo tackles and LaMarr Woodley with 1.5 sacks and a pick.
- Matt Hasselbeck ended up throwing 49 times, completing 29 for 262 yards, but just one touchdown and also an interception.
- Young Steelers running back Jonathan Dwyer had a big run (76 yards) to bump up his total yardage for the game to 107 yards off 11 carries.
- The story of the game though was Ben Roethlisberger. 24/34 for 228 yards, 1 interception, and five touchdowns. Count them. Five. All of this with a busted left ankle. I say this all the time but I'll throw it out there again for kicks; whatever you think of Roethlisberger off the field, on the field he can straight up play. It's shame for the Steelers that he hasn't played like this more often this season.
Buccaneers @ 49ers
- As a 49ers fan, I'm still in a mild state of shock.
- However, even in my state of shock I'm alert enough to understand that people are getting way too carried away by Alex smith. Yes he threw three touchdowns, but he was only 11/19 for 170 yards.
- How do you score that many times, with such small yardage? Part of it is Frank Gore rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown from 20 carries. Part of it is rookie Kendall Hunter taking it 65 yards off nine carries.
- But the biggest part of it is the defense. Jim Harbaugh is getting all the credit for turning the 49ers around, for his good coaching, for "saving" Alex Smith etc, but it's the defense that has really changed this year. Carlos Rogers had another interceptions, as did Chris Culliver. Those two alone have made a massive impact in what has easily been the 49ers biggest problem area for years; the secondary.
- Rookie D-lineman Aldon Smith has also had a big impact. He had another two sacks against Tampa, along with a third from Justin Smith. Those two have done more for the 49ers than Smith.
- Josh Freeman was 17/33 for 187 yards and two interceptions. With the 49ers opening up such a big early lead, it basically committed the Buc's to throwing.
- Just when we thought the Buccaneers were starting to show promise, they only came away with three points from the game. They were 7/16 on third downs (46%) and only made it into the red zone once.
- To highlight why I and other 49er fans shouldn't get too excited (I'm not) about the offense; red zone efficiency was 3/6, third down efficiency was 2/7. Just hold off on the Alex Smith street naming party for now.
Chargers @ Broncos
- Kyle Orton needed a good game to shut the crowd up. He didn't have it; 6/13 for 34 yards and a pick.
- Meanwhile Phillip Rivers was doing what he does best; hitting 18/29 for 250 yards and one touchdown, but also one pick. That's the trouble with Rivers this year. He's still picking up the yards, but can't see to find the end product to go with it.
- Running back Ryan Matthews came to his aid though with 24 carries for 125 yards.
- The crowd was getting restless though. They chanted for Tebow and in the second half they got their wish.
- I've been a Tebow supporter, and I think inventor of the term "Tebowleiver", since day one, so I was psyched to see him take the field and hit... 4/10 for 79 yards and a touchdown. The numbers don't always tell the tale though, as he carried 6 times for 38 yards and a touchdown, leading the Broncos back into the game with a turnover-less performance. It just wasn't quite enough though.
- Lost in all of this was the performance of Willis McGahee, who carried 16 times for 125 yards. Say it with me now "doesn't get enough credit..."
- The Broncos D found a second gear and came up with four sacks. If Tebow is going to take over the starting job then they need to keep bringing that production to the table each week to give him more help than they did for Kyle Orton.
Jets @ Patriots
- Tom Brady went over 300 yards again, but his 24/33 for 321 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception performance was not the key.
- The key was running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, with 27 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The amusing fact (amusing if you're not a Rex Ryan fan at least) is that the Patriots, probably the Jets biggest rival, have the kind of running game that Rex Ryan wishes he did.
- Speaking of which, his best runner was Shonne Greene, who put up 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
- Mark Sanchez looked a lot better this week, throwing 16/26 for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no turnovers.
- Also looking better was the Jets O-line, which only gave up two sacks and generally looked a lot more solid. Part of that is down to the Patriots weaker pass rush.
- Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson did manage to squeeze through 2 times though, being officially awarded 1.5 sacks.
- For me the big disappointment was the Jets D. David Harris had 7 solo tackles and a sack, Jamaal Westerman put two more sacks on the board, and they also picked up a fourth, plus a red zone pick of Tom Brady. But they gave up 152 yards on the ground and failed to contain Wes Welker. I expected a coordinator as good as Rex to find a way of doubling up on Welker, but instead they bought their own hype over Revis and his single coverage skills. Without the opportunity to pull Welkers shirt (too quick for that), Revis was unable to stop Welker putting up 124 yards off 5 catches. One of these days, someone actually will take Welker seriously and put together a proper game plan for him.
- The Jets offense could help out more still; 3/11 in the red zone.
Packers @ Falcons
- There is definitely a curse on Sunday Night Football that makes their games more interesting. Hint; it has nothing to do with the TV coverage.
- Aaron Rodgers seems to cruise through games, even when his starting left tackle gets injured; 26/39, 396 yards, 2 touchdowns.
- Part of that is down to the pass rush he's facing. The four sacks the Falcons had hide the fact that they didn't really get enough pressure consistently over the 60 minutes, even with the injury woes on the Packers O-line.
- Of course letting Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones etc run free at your secondary doesn't help either. What happened to bump and run coverage? I'd like to see Aaron Rodgers try and whip that ball out quick to his receivers when they have a face full of their own shoulder pads.
- Speaking of pass rushes though, the Packers pass rush has died a death this year. Desmond Bishop managed one sack to go with his seven solo tackles, but that was it. Casey Matthews has been drawing extra attention, but not that much.
- Matt Ryan was 18/32 for 167 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions. For the first fifteen or so plays, which the Falcons coaching staff script, he looked great. He made some good checks at the line to. Once the script ran out and the Falcons had to start thinking on the fly, they fell apart.
- Surprisingly for the Packers they were 0/3 in the red zone. Their two touchdowns came off almost the same play-action play, while the boot of Mason Crosby did a lot of the damage.
So that's the game recaps done. And sitting here now, almost 5 hours after I first started them, I think to myself, "fuck, this new format was supposed to make all this quicker". Oh well, back to the drawing board. Before I disappear though, a quick Roger Goodell rant.
Roger Goodell
- Dear Roger, your stupid new rules are a sham. Tell me, why does a receiver who has caught the ball and got both feet down in bounds then have to "maintain possession through the process of going to the ground"? If a runner in the open field falls over or is tackled, and the ball is knocked loosed by the ground, we're told "the ground can't cause a fumble". But it can force a receiver to lose out on a perfectly legitimate pass? And yet when a receiver catches the ball and takes two steps or turns, and then gets hit and fumbles, that's an incomplete pass? It's ridiculous. We're getting to point where we're watching "officalball" or "replayball" instead of football. Used to be you could tell whether a play was good or not with your eyes. Now you need a 500 page rulebook, a set of slow motion cameras and a degree in contract law to make sure you understand the correct wording of the rules.
- Speaking of constant replays, can we please, please go back to the Coaches challenge? I'm sick of listening to a stadium go dead because the fans have to twiddle their thumbs waiting for permission to cheer. It's fucking boring and combined with all the other rules and regulations, it's killing off what makes football, football. I keep harping on about this, but there comes a tipping point. People watch football not because they have to, "oh you always watch it!" etc, but because they enjoy it. As soon as they stop enjoying it, they'll stop watching.
- The commissioner also announced recently that in a weeks time he will present to the owners a plan for a second game to be played in London. As someone who lives about 50 miles from London and has been to two of the Wembley games, let me say this... fuck you Roger.
That sounds odd, but here's the deal. You're not "growing" the game at all. I guarantee you that 95% of the fans who go to the Wembley games are like me. They watch football all the time. They know all about football. They run or participate in the amateur teams that play in the British league. They run or participate in the teams that play in the College league. They're the people that stay up till 4:30 in the morning just to watch Sunday/Monday Night Football. They're the people that endure the god forsaken mess that is NFL.com and it's video delivery system, just to keep themselves up to date with the game.
They're the people like me, that have been watching the game for many, many years now (17th season for me personally). Shit, most of the fans over here know more about football than Roger Goodell does! And that's why, despite being grateful for the chance to watch a game live in person, especially those of us who've been able to see "our" teams play, we also quietly resent the London games because we know that they're stealing home games from the fans who live in the cities where the teams play.
We resent the London games because we know they're part of a plan to introduce a London franchise that will fall flat on its face, because the simple fact is we all have our own teams here that we support. We don't need nor want a London based team. If they play the 49ers I'll go... to cheer on the 49ers and boo the London team.
It's just another example of Goodell thinking he knows what fans want when he doesn't. Like the 18 games debacle. People don't want 18 games and they don't hate the preseason. Most fans understand the purpose of the preseason and how valuable it is. What the fans don't like is having to pay full regular season prices for those games. If you cut the ticket prices in half and waived the parking fees, most of the games would probably sell out (excluding maybe Jacksonville, Tampa and San Diego, who can't even sell out their regular season games).
It's like him thinking that what people want to watch is basketball on grass, where the offenses stack up points and nobody tackles. It's not. Most people were attracted to football in the first place for the same reason I was; the hitting and the physicality. Football is a violent sport, that's just how it is. More importantly, that's just how people like it.
If Goodell really wants to "grow the game", then simple; sign a deal with a non-satellite TV provider (BBC, ITV, Channel Four or Channel Five) to show a game from either the 1pm Eastern (6pm GMT) or 4pm Eastern (9pm GMT) bracket. That's how to get your new fans.
Now I must sleep. It's 09:44 am.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Rest In Peace; Al Davis
So my plans for Saturday Night (Sunday Morning) didn't involve a post. But things changed when I woke up and checked out the general footballing news.
At first I couldn't believe it. The news was so out of the blue that I assumed it was some sort of double meaning headline, maybe suggesting that the man had been pushed out of the ownership or something and had 'died a little inside' or some other cliche phrase. I'm afraid not though. The headline was exactly what it said on the tin;
"Al Davis has died."
At 82 years old Al Davis, the owner and managing general partner of the Oakland Raiders, had passed away. One of the key figures in shaping the NFL of today had been lost. Across the country, and I like to think the world, many people paused for a moment to spare a though for Al and his surviving family.
For although many people, myself included, have been very critical of Al's decision making in the last few years, mostly with regard to player personnel and coaching, the legacy he leaves behind and how he impacted the game is undeniable, and worth recapping, if only briefly.
Al Davis, like most pro coaches of those days, started his career in college, filling various roles as a position coach, Head Coach and recruiter at a number of different universities. Then in 1960 he got his big break into the professional leagues, recruited onto Sid Gillmans staff at San Diego. He spent a few years there as the offensive ends coach, before finally coming into contact with the Raiders for the first time when he was recruited as their Head Coach and general manager in 1963 at the age of 33, which at the time made him the youngest man to hold said positions.
Davis would go on to win the AFL coach of the year award in his first season, as he installed his version of Gillmans high power, vertical passing offense. His first stint with the Raiders would last three years, in which the team did moderately well on field, while off it he began to forge the identity of the Raiders that would last until this day.
But in April 1966 he had other matters to attend to, as he was elected commissioner of the AFL. At first things were fine. The AFL and the NFL may have been involved in bidding wars for college prospects, but at least they had agreed not to poach each others players who were under contract. That came to an end when the New York Giants signed kicker Pete Gogolak from the Bills. The war had started and Al Davis got stuck right in, helping to bring a swathe of big names from the NFL to the AFL.
Behind his back though, a deal was being brokered. NFL owners, worried about the long term damage to their league, approached various AFL owners with talks of a merger between the two organisations. In June a deal was announced that would eventually see the two rival leagues come together, with the AFL disappearing and the NFL taking the center stage.
Davis, embittered at the penalty payments that the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders would have to pay to the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers respectively, as well as his belief that the AFL had capitulated when it could have gone on to be the superior league, stepped down in disgust. He had been commissioner of the AFL for just four months.
With plenty of time on his hands again, Davis bought a share of the Raiders and set in motion the events that would lead to his hall of fame selection. Named as the director of football operations, Davis oversaw a Raiders team that would go first to Super Bowl II where they lost to the Vince Lombardi lead Green Bay Packers, then won another two division titles, though in both cases were knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champions.
In 1969 another name well known to modern readers was brought into the organisation, when Davis hired John Madden to be the Raiders head coach. The Raiders became part of the new AFC Western division when the AFL and NFL finally merged, and Madden and Davis began building a future Super Bowl winning team. Controversy was still close at hand though, as it always seemed to be with Davis.
In 1972, Wayne Valley, one of the three Raiders owners (with Davis and Ed McGah being the others), went to Munich, Germany, to see the 1972 Summer Olympiad. He returned to find that Davis and McGah had signed a new and legally binding partnership agreement that significantly expanded the amount of control that Davis possessed over the team. This was really the true start of Al's effective control over almost every day to day operation.
Under this tenure, the Raiders went on to appear in another four Super Bowl's, winning three. In 1982 the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame by his old head coach, John Madden. In 1995 the Raiders returned to Oakland after having failed to secure the modern stadium that Davis so desired.
But it's not just the success on the field that will mark out Al Davis in footballing history. Off the field, Davis will be remembered for hiring the first Hispanic coach in NFL history, Tom Flores. He'll be remembered for hiring the first black head coach, Art Shell, way back in 1989 - almost 15 years before the much lauded Rooney ruling came into effect. And he'll be remembered for hiring Amy Trask as the Raiders chief executive officer, a rarity in a sport dominated by the male half of the species.
And yeah, he'll also be remembered for moves like trading his head coach Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers, for the famous over head projector press conference after firing Lane Kiffen, and for drafting JaMarcus Russell. For now though we should put the bad things to one side and acknowledge the good, safely knowing that when people look back in the future, the good that Al Davis did for football will out weigh the bad.
Rest In Peace; Al Davis.
At first I couldn't believe it. The news was so out of the blue that I assumed it was some sort of double meaning headline, maybe suggesting that the man had been pushed out of the ownership or something and had 'died a little inside' or some other cliche phrase. I'm afraid not though. The headline was exactly what it said on the tin;
"Al Davis has died."
At 82 years old Al Davis, the owner and managing general partner of the Oakland Raiders, had passed away. One of the key figures in shaping the NFL of today had been lost. Across the country, and I like to think the world, many people paused for a moment to spare a though for Al and his surviving family.
For although many people, myself included, have been very critical of Al's decision making in the last few years, mostly with regard to player personnel and coaching, the legacy he leaves behind and how he impacted the game is undeniable, and worth recapping, if only briefly.
Al Davis, like most pro coaches of those days, started his career in college, filling various roles as a position coach, Head Coach and recruiter at a number of different universities. Then in 1960 he got his big break into the professional leagues, recruited onto Sid Gillmans staff at San Diego. He spent a few years there as the offensive ends coach, before finally coming into contact with the Raiders for the first time when he was recruited as their Head Coach and general manager in 1963 at the age of 33, which at the time made him the youngest man to hold said positions.
Davis would go on to win the AFL coach of the year award in his first season, as he installed his version of Gillmans high power, vertical passing offense. His first stint with the Raiders would last three years, in which the team did moderately well on field, while off it he began to forge the identity of the Raiders that would last until this day.
But in April 1966 he had other matters to attend to, as he was elected commissioner of the AFL. At first things were fine. The AFL and the NFL may have been involved in bidding wars for college prospects, but at least they had agreed not to poach each others players who were under contract. That came to an end when the New York Giants signed kicker Pete Gogolak from the Bills. The war had started and Al Davis got stuck right in, helping to bring a swathe of big names from the NFL to the AFL.
Behind his back though, a deal was being brokered. NFL owners, worried about the long term damage to their league, approached various AFL owners with talks of a merger between the two organisations. In June a deal was announced that would eventually see the two rival leagues come together, with the AFL disappearing and the NFL taking the center stage.
Davis, embittered at the penalty payments that the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders would have to pay to the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers respectively, as well as his belief that the AFL had capitulated when it could have gone on to be the superior league, stepped down in disgust. He had been commissioner of the AFL for just four months.
With plenty of time on his hands again, Davis bought a share of the Raiders and set in motion the events that would lead to his hall of fame selection. Named as the director of football operations, Davis oversaw a Raiders team that would go first to Super Bowl II where they lost to the Vince Lombardi lead Green Bay Packers, then won another two division titles, though in both cases were knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champions.
In 1969 another name well known to modern readers was brought into the organisation, when Davis hired John Madden to be the Raiders head coach. The Raiders became part of the new AFC Western division when the AFL and NFL finally merged, and Madden and Davis began building a future Super Bowl winning team. Controversy was still close at hand though, as it always seemed to be with Davis.
In 1972, Wayne Valley, one of the three Raiders owners (with Davis and Ed McGah being the others), went to Munich, Germany, to see the 1972 Summer Olympiad. He returned to find that Davis and McGah had signed a new and legally binding partnership agreement that significantly expanded the amount of control that Davis possessed over the team. This was really the true start of Al's effective control over almost every day to day operation.
Under this tenure, the Raiders went on to appear in another four Super Bowl's, winning three. In 1982 the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame by his old head coach, John Madden. In 1995 the Raiders returned to Oakland after having failed to secure the modern stadium that Davis so desired.
But it's not just the success on the field that will mark out Al Davis in footballing history. Off the field, Davis will be remembered for hiring the first Hispanic coach in NFL history, Tom Flores. He'll be remembered for hiring the first black head coach, Art Shell, way back in 1989 - almost 15 years before the much lauded Rooney ruling came into effect. And he'll be remembered for hiring Amy Trask as the Raiders chief executive officer, a rarity in a sport dominated by the male half of the species.
And yeah, he'll also be remembered for moves like trading his head coach Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers, for the famous over head projector press conference after firing Lane Kiffen, and for drafting JaMarcus Russell. For now though we should put the bad things to one side and acknowledge the good, safely knowing that when people look back in the future, the good that Al Davis did for football will out weigh the bad.
Rest In Peace; Al Davis.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
2011 week 5 picks
Nearly forgot, week 5 picks!
Eagles @ Bills
Not happy starting with this one. The Eagles have looked bad lately. Yesterday I went over their red zone woes, but it's more than that. Their run defense is terrible, their secondary is nowhere near 'Dream Team' levels, and they turn the ball over way too much. Against a Bills team that can pack a good passing game and a good rushing attack, that shouldn't bode well. But then again... the Eagles can move the ball on people. It's almost coin flip territory to decide it, though on balance I think Buffalo just edges it. Bills win.
Saints @ Panthers
Carolina is at home. That's all I can think of in their favour, literally. Everything else just shouts "Saints win!" at me. The Panthers can't rush the passer, they can't stop the run, their secondary can't cover, their offensive line struggles at times, their running attack has been largely flat, and they only move the ball through the air when Cam throws that thing up for grabs. I just think a defensive coordinator like Gregg Williams is way too smart for that. There's no way he's going to let Cam Newton throw the ball to Steve Smith without him threading the needle between two defenders. He'll chuck all kinds of looks at the rookie QB, confusing him and forcing him into turnovers. Meanwhile Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be ripping up Carolina's D. Saints win. Comfortably.
Raiders @ Texans
The big question I have is this; how much will losing Andre Johnson affect the Texans? That's a big blow to lose a guy that talented. Can Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter fill in? They are pretty good and don't get anywhere near enough credit for what they do (it's tough with Andre Johnson dominating the scene) but can they carry the team along? Will Houston's running attack hold up to the Raiders D? How will Wade Phillips's scheme match up against a strong Raiders rushing attack? Man those are some tough asks. And that's the problem I have. There's just too many questions over the Texans still. I'm not a huge fan of this pick, but, I'm taking Oakland. Raiders win.
Chiefs @ Colts
Christ. What a game! Presuming your idea of fun is to watch two bad teams duke it out. How bad though is the deciding factor. Curtis Painter has actually been getting better, slowly but surely. The Colts defense is finding ways to somehow hang on and keep their team in games. Joseph Addai is gradually picking up the offensive slack in the running game. And it's not like the Chiefs are some dominant force waiting to crush the lowly Colts. They themselves have struggled, hurting from the loss of Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Eric Berry. They're just not the same defense as last year and they love Matt Cassel too much on offense. So as stupid as this sounds, and God knows I could end up regretting it, I'm going to back Indianapolis for the first time this season. Colts win.
Bengals @ Jaguars
These are two teams headed in opposite directions. As Andy Dalton slowly settles in to the Bengals offense and starts to figure things out, so the Bengals coaches are also starting to find the right mix of run and pass, and Jay Gruden is getting his play calling in order. The Bengals defense is also picking up, perhaps not in the form of a wild pass rush but certainly with a more disciplined defense. The Jaguars however are fumbling around (almost literally at times) in the dark, trying to put square pegs into round holes. Blaine Gabbert is not the quarterback of the future and will continue to avoid throwing long passes, to run away from 3 man rushes, and to throw interceptions. The Jaguars defense will singularly fail to generate pressure and they will give Maurice Jones-Drew as few carries as possible. Hence, Bengals win.
Cardinals @ Vikings
In all the talk of the Vikings giving away leads, the Cardinals have been somewhat let off the hook. Granted, the Cardinals aren't blowing twenty point half time leads, but they do have a tendency to let close games slip away and are really struggling on defense. If I could, I'd bin this game from my picks, writing it off as both teams being too incompetent to viably judge. But I can't so I must pick. I just... I'd like to think that the Vikings will 'unleash the Peterson' whose been having a great year so far, but just isn't getting the second half carries. Will they though? How many chances can you give a team to change their ways? And the Cardinals have been steadily increasing the work load for Chris "Beanie" Wells with good results, so maybe now is the time to trust them? Ahh I can't make up my mind. Fuck it, I'm taking Minnesota, on the principle that I think by now the pressure will have mounted sufficiently for them to sit up and take notice. Vikings win.
Seahawks @ Giants
Right now I wouldn't trust the Seahawks to get drunk at a Christmas party, even if that party involved a wild orgy of drink and women, with free champagne on offer and a mandatory shot of whisky for all guests every half hour. I certainly don't trust the Seahawks to beat the Giants. Their offense consists of random plays that occasionally work, almost to the surprise of Tavaris Jackson and the coaching staff. Their defense has seen high picks and free agent money invested in it recently, trying to build a pass rush of some form, which to date has failed to produce much of note. On the other side of the field, the Giants are still the Giants. Providing they can avoid fumbling the ball once per quarter, they should have enough to win it. Giants win.
Titans @ Steelers
This is, for me at least, a gimmie for the Titans. The Steelers have been awful so far and things are only set to get worse. The loss of James Harrison to injury is a massive blow for the Steelers, as is the loss of probably their best offensive lineman (only decent lineman?) Chris Kemoeatu and the possible loss of nose tackle Casey Hampton. Just about the only good news for the Steelers is the return of Brett Keisel. I just can't see where the Steelers are going to improve? And with the Titans playing the way they are, on both sides of the ball, it's difficult to look past Tennessee in this one. Titans win.
Buccaneers @ 49ers
Last week I didn't think the 49ers had a chance. Coming from a 49ers homer (something about that doesn't sound right), that should make people worried about San Francisco. But credit to them, they came back into it and got the job done. The defense is finding ways to get turnovers in the back end, largely thanks to corner Carlos Rogers (the 49ers tie the league lead in turnovers with +8). Frank Gore is slowly getting back to his old form and the 49ers D-line is getting pressure up front, largely courtesy of rookie 1st rounder Aldon Smith. The Buc's have done ok, but they seem to be struggling a little more than they really should be. Josh Freeman is a bit hit and miss right now, while the D-line should be (but isn't) piling on the sacks. I dunno, there's just something about this game that says to me San Francisco may just pull one out of the bag. 49ers win.
Chargers @ Broncos
As much as I think the Chargers are not firing on all cylinders, particularly Phillip Rivers, they have to be favourites in this one. The Broncos put up three touchdowns through the air last week, and yet still managed to turn the ball over three times as well. The Broncos D is also horrific. Just like seemingly everything else that John Fox touches, the defense has become a car crash of a unit, blowing assignments and wandering around the field aimlessly at times in a manner that would embarrass a high school coach. I hate John Fox. Chargers win.
Jets @ Patriots
It's this old game again! Rex Ryan has been in his usual form in the run up to the game, trying to take the heat off his team by focusing the media on himself. This week it might be the perfect strategy, because the Jets looked rancid last week. The defense was - as you might suspect - the bright spot. But even they didn't really get going until the second half. The offense was just.... lets not even talk about, for to do so is sure to bring up nightmarish memories of fumbled snaps, blown protections and a quarterback so unresponsive to pressure that it would take him 3 days to register being punched in the face. Just about the only hope New York has is if they can scheme to take away Wes Welker. Now if anyone can do it, Rex and his weapons can. And that actually catches my eye. See here's what I'm thinking; the Jets can shut Welker down and put a lot of pressure on Brady, while the Patriots lack the pass rush to really get after Mark Sanchez. As crazy, stupid, insane and whatever other adjectives you can think of, I actually think this might be the perfect game for New York right now. Jets win.
Packers @ Falcons
Really? The Falcons? God this team has gone downhill, from playoffs to laughed off in one season. They can't protect Matt Ryan. They can't catch enough of his passes, even when he does hit people in the hands. They can't seem to get after the quarterback, despite having some of the (on paper) best pass rushers in the league, and they suck in the secondary. Just putrid. Meanwhile the Packers are the Packers. They're routinely putting up big numbers on people, with the touchdowns to back it up. Their defense has a few issues compared to last year, but it's holding up enough to give the offense breathing space. I really think this will be one sided. Packers win.
Bears @ Lions
Everyone is talking about the Lions looking to avenge their loss from last season, when the Calvin Johnson touchdown catch that wasn't a catch was ruled not a catch, or something. Things. Words. Stuff. Anyway, the Lions are basically the favourites by far for this, but I'm not buying it. This is a team that trailed 20-0 against the Vikings in week 3. In week 4 it was 20-3 at half time, then the Cowboys extended the lead by another seven. In both cases the Lions only came back into it when their opponents self destructed. In week 2 they mauled the Chiefs, but again it took 3 interceptions from the opposition to make the Lions look as good as they did. I just don't see the Bears doing the same. They saw what Matt Forte can do last week and Mike Martz will basically have two choices this week - 1) run the ball like mad with Matt Forte or 2) don't, and risk getting lynched by the fans, the press, the players, his head coach, his GM and the owners. Hell even Barrack Obama would get on a plane, fly to Detroit, and just slap Martz for being so stupid. You can never under estimate the ability of Jay Cutler to throw away games, or the ability of Mike Martz to call stupid plays, but I believe in Chicago for a change. Don't let me down now guys. Bears win.
Eagles @ Bills
Not happy starting with this one. The Eagles have looked bad lately. Yesterday I went over their red zone woes, but it's more than that. Their run defense is terrible, their secondary is nowhere near 'Dream Team' levels, and they turn the ball over way too much. Against a Bills team that can pack a good passing game and a good rushing attack, that shouldn't bode well. But then again... the Eagles can move the ball on people. It's almost coin flip territory to decide it, though on balance I think Buffalo just edges it. Bills win.
Saints @ Panthers
Carolina is at home. That's all I can think of in their favour, literally. Everything else just shouts "Saints win!" at me. The Panthers can't rush the passer, they can't stop the run, their secondary can't cover, their offensive line struggles at times, their running attack has been largely flat, and they only move the ball through the air when Cam throws that thing up for grabs. I just think a defensive coordinator like Gregg Williams is way too smart for that. There's no way he's going to let Cam Newton throw the ball to Steve Smith without him threading the needle between two defenders. He'll chuck all kinds of looks at the rookie QB, confusing him and forcing him into turnovers. Meanwhile Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be ripping up Carolina's D. Saints win. Comfortably.
Raiders @ Texans
The big question I have is this; how much will losing Andre Johnson affect the Texans? That's a big blow to lose a guy that talented. Can Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter fill in? They are pretty good and don't get anywhere near enough credit for what they do (it's tough with Andre Johnson dominating the scene) but can they carry the team along? Will Houston's running attack hold up to the Raiders D? How will Wade Phillips's scheme match up against a strong Raiders rushing attack? Man those are some tough asks. And that's the problem I have. There's just too many questions over the Texans still. I'm not a huge fan of this pick, but, I'm taking Oakland. Raiders win.
Chiefs @ Colts
Christ. What a game! Presuming your idea of fun is to watch two bad teams duke it out. How bad though is the deciding factor. Curtis Painter has actually been getting better, slowly but surely. The Colts defense is finding ways to somehow hang on and keep their team in games. Joseph Addai is gradually picking up the offensive slack in the running game. And it's not like the Chiefs are some dominant force waiting to crush the lowly Colts. They themselves have struggled, hurting from the loss of Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Eric Berry. They're just not the same defense as last year and they love Matt Cassel too much on offense. So as stupid as this sounds, and God knows I could end up regretting it, I'm going to back Indianapolis for the first time this season. Colts win.
Bengals @ Jaguars
These are two teams headed in opposite directions. As Andy Dalton slowly settles in to the Bengals offense and starts to figure things out, so the Bengals coaches are also starting to find the right mix of run and pass, and Jay Gruden is getting his play calling in order. The Bengals defense is also picking up, perhaps not in the form of a wild pass rush but certainly with a more disciplined defense. The Jaguars however are fumbling around (almost literally at times) in the dark, trying to put square pegs into round holes. Blaine Gabbert is not the quarterback of the future and will continue to avoid throwing long passes, to run away from 3 man rushes, and to throw interceptions. The Jaguars defense will singularly fail to generate pressure and they will give Maurice Jones-Drew as few carries as possible. Hence, Bengals win.
Cardinals @ Vikings
In all the talk of the Vikings giving away leads, the Cardinals have been somewhat let off the hook. Granted, the Cardinals aren't blowing twenty point half time leads, but they do have a tendency to let close games slip away and are really struggling on defense. If I could, I'd bin this game from my picks, writing it off as both teams being too incompetent to viably judge. But I can't so I must pick. I just... I'd like to think that the Vikings will 'unleash the Peterson' whose been having a great year so far, but just isn't getting the second half carries. Will they though? How many chances can you give a team to change their ways? And the Cardinals have been steadily increasing the work load for Chris "Beanie" Wells with good results, so maybe now is the time to trust them? Ahh I can't make up my mind. Fuck it, I'm taking Minnesota, on the principle that I think by now the pressure will have mounted sufficiently for them to sit up and take notice. Vikings win.
Seahawks @ Giants
Right now I wouldn't trust the Seahawks to get drunk at a Christmas party, even if that party involved a wild orgy of drink and women, with free champagne on offer and a mandatory shot of whisky for all guests every half hour. I certainly don't trust the Seahawks to beat the Giants. Their offense consists of random plays that occasionally work, almost to the surprise of Tavaris Jackson and the coaching staff. Their defense has seen high picks and free agent money invested in it recently, trying to build a pass rush of some form, which to date has failed to produce much of note. On the other side of the field, the Giants are still the Giants. Providing they can avoid fumbling the ball once per quarter, they should have enough to win it. Giants win.
Titans @ Steelers
This is, for me at least, a gimmie for the Titans. The Steelers have been awful so far and things are only set to get worse. The loss of James Harrison to injury is a massive blow for the Steelers, as is the loss of probably their best offensive lineman (only decent lineman?) Chris Kemoeatu and the possible loss of nose tackle Casey Hampton. Just about the only good news for the Steelers is the return of Brett Keisel. I just can't see where the Steelers are going to improve? And with the Titans playing the way they are, on both sides of the ball, it's difficult to look past Tennessee in this one. Titans win.
Buccaneers @ 49ers
Last week I didn't think the 49ers had a chance. Coming from a 49ers homer (something about that doesn't sound right), that should make people worried about San Francisco. But credit to them, they came back into it and got the job done. The defense is finding ways to get turnovers in the back end, largely thanks to corner Carlos Rogers (the 49ers tie the league lead in turnovers with +8). Frank Gore is slowly getting back to his old form and the 49ers D-line is getting pressure up front, largely courtesy of rookie 1st rounder Aldon Smith. The Buc's have done ok, but they seem to be struggling a little more than they really should be. Josh Freeman is a bit hit and miss right now, while the D-line should be (but isn't) piling on the sacks. I dunno, there's just something about this game that says to me San Francisco may just pull one out of the bag. 49ers win.
Chargers @ Broncos
As much as I think the Chargers are not firing on all cylinders, particularly Phillip Rivers, they have to be favourites in this one. The Broncos put up three touchdowns through the air last week, and yet still managed to turn the ball over three times as well. The Broncos D is also horrific. Just like seemingly everything else that John Fox touches, the defense has become a car crash of a unit, blowing assignments and wandering around the field aimlessly at times in a manner that would embarrass a high school coach. I hate John Fox. Chargers win.
Jets @ Patriots
It's this old game again! Rex Ryan has been in his usual form in the run up to the game, trying to take the heat off his team by focusing the media on himself. This week it might be the perfect strategy, because the Jets looked rancid last week. The defense was - as you might suspect - the bright spot. But even they didn't really get going until the second half. The offense was just.... lets not even talk about, for to do so is sure to bring up nightmarish memories of fumbled snaps, blown protections and a quarterback so unresponsive to pressure that it would take him 3 days to register being punched in the face. Just about the only hope New York has is if they can scheme to take away Wes Welker. Now if anyone can do it, Rex and his weapons can. And that actually catches my eye. See here's what I'm thinking; the Jets can shut Welker down and put a lot of pressure on Brady, while the Patriots lack the pass rush to really get after Mark Sanchez. As crazy, stupid, insane and whatever other adjectives you can think of, I actually think this might be the perfect game for New York right now. Jets win.
Packers @ Falcons
Really? The Falcons? God this team has gone downhill, from playoffs to laughed off in one season. They can't protect Matt Ryan. They can't catch enough of his passes, even when he does hit people in the hands. They can't seem to get after the quarterback, despite having some of the (on paper) best pass rushers in the league, and they suck in the secondary. Just putrid. Meanwhile the Packers are the Packers. They're routinely putting up big numbers on people, with the touchdowns to back it up. Their defense has a few issues compared to last year, but it's holding up enough to give the offense breathing space. I really think this will be one sided. Packers win.
Bears @ Lions
Everyone is talking about the Lions looking to avenge their loss from last season, when the Calvin Johnson touchdown catch that wasn't a catch was ruled not a catch, or something. Things. Words. Stuff. Anyway, the Lions are basically the favourites by far for this, but I'm not buying it. This is a team that trailed 20-0 against the Vikings in week 3. In week 4 it was 20-3 at half time, then the Cowboys extended the lead by another seven. In both cases the Lions only came back into it when their opponents self destructed. In week 2 they mauled the Chiefs, but again it took 3 interceptions from the opposition to make the Lions look as good as they did. I just don't see the Bears doing the same. They saw what Matt Forte can do last week and Mike Martz will basically have two choices this week - 1) run the ball like mad with Matt Forte or 2) don't, and risk getting lynched by the fans, the press, the players, his head coach, his GM and the owners. Hell even Barrack Obama would get on a plane, fly to Detroit, and just slap Martz for being so stupid. You can never under estimate the ability of Jay Cutler to throw away games, or the ability of Mike Martz to call stupid plays, but I believe in Chicago for a change. Don't let me down now guys. Bears win.
Friday, October 07, 2011
The Eagles and Panthers in the red zone
So I forgot to tally up my picks for Week 4. Largely on account of the fact that I shit out again, but there you go. For the record I was 11-5 in week 4, which looking at it now doesn't actually look that bad. That puts me up to 37-27 for the season, which looks worse than I just thought it would. Hmm, my perceptions are playing games with me today.
Which is almost coincidental because today I want to talk perceptions. Or more specifically, the perceptions surrounding certain offenses.
See, we all know what Cam Newton has achieved on the field so far this season, regularly lobbing the ball down field in a manner that appears to my cynical eyes to be a hail mary type pass. We've also seen the Eagles tear great chunks out of people with both the run and the pass. But what intrigues me about both of those teams is their lack of success at converting all that accumulated yardage into touchdowns. Which brings us to the wider question; why do some teams suck in the red zone?
The reasons are many. A lot of them boil down to the same issue though, time and time again; space. Or rather, a lack of space. Providing for the fact that the end zone itself is ten yards deep and the red zone is measured from the 20-yard line in, that gives an offense 30 yards to work with, vertically speaking. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that the defense only has 30 yards to defend vertically and that's really the crux of the problem.
It's not that offenses become inherently less capable the closer they get to the hallowed ground at the end of the field, it's the fact that defenses have less things to worry about all of a sudden. And as the space available gets more and more compressed, the less the defense has to worry about. The types of routes they're likely to face from wide receivers in the passing game gradually shrinks from a tree of about 10-12, down to maybe 8-9 around the 20 yard line, and then down to perhaps 5-6 from the 5 yard line, and then slowly down to 3-4 from there on in.
There are two mitigating factors, but we'll get to those later.
For now we need to concentrate on the wide outs and the first routes to go are the deep routes. The 40 yard fade route off a 5-step drop by the quarterback will - from the 20 yard line - mean that the receiver doesn't catch the ball until he's in the stands, in the tunnel, or has run into a wall. There is simply not enough room to execute that play without some sort of significant and beautifully timed delay by the receiver. Get it right and you might just make the catch in the end zone. Get it wrong and you wont make it far enough down field for the catch.
The deep post route is also off the menu. You can run a post of sorts, but in the slightly more compressed space it won't be caught until the receiver is in the end zone and he'll probably have to bend the route horizontally across the end zone, leading the quarterback dangerously close to the safety on the opposite side of the field. By extension this also nullifies the post-corner route somewhat.
The 20 yard comeback is also off the menu. In this route the receiver runs like the wind for 20 yards, then slams on the brakes and comes back to the sideline. Hence 20 yard comeback. Except this route is predicated on selling the 'go' route to the corner, the notion being that a full speed receiver running down field has the potential to go deep and must be covered full speed. Except now the corner knows that's not going to happen. He knows that you only have 30 yards to work with, so you're not going to be speeding anywhere. That sets him up perfectly to get under the comeback and jump it.
Most other routes are good for the next 15 or so yards until we come to the 5-7 yard line region. Here we start to lose some of the medium-deep routes, mainly those that kind of bridge the gap. The 15 yard deep in - often referred to as the 'Dig' - is basically lost, as by the time the receiver makes the break they'll be running out of the end zone. The deep out at the same depth is also gone. The fade route off a 3-step drop is largely gone (though not the one step fade). It becomes difficult but not impossible to run a form of the skinny post route. And finally the pure 10-yard hook is lost, as again the threat of a deeper route is lost, although a 10-yard curl is manageable.
It's around this time that the structure of the defense also begins to change. As the vertical depth of the field compresses, it becomes less and less useful for the defense to run a standard cover 2 shell, with both safeties back deep. They simply don't have the threats they otherwise would. This can allow corners (if cover 2 is still played) to take slightly wider alignments on their receivers, knowing that any inside break will be funnelled right into their safeties, who are now playing much closer to the line of scrimmage.
As the depth gets reduced right down, you also begin to see more man coverage, with a single high safety to cover the middle of the end zone, freeing up the strong safety to come down and play the run and/or blitz. Some teams will dispense with the high safety all together, preferring to bring both down close to the line, where they can blitz, play close run support and still get back into a coverage position in the middle of the end zone if needed.
The much more compacted nature of the defense now begins to favour variety and aggression on the part of the defensive coordinator. It's not like he's going to get burnt deep over the middle in this situation (off play action for example) and because of the short distances involved for dropping coverage players, he can be a lot more creative in his blitz schemes and still be confident that everyone will get into place on time.
Probably the most significant advantage conferred on the defense at this point - and why the offenses in Philadelphia and Carolina are struggling in particular - is that speed no longer kills. Someone like a DeSean Jackson or a Steve Smith (the Carolina version) derive much of their threat to opposition defenses due to their speed in the open field. Once you get DeSean Jackson humming along there's not a lot of people that can catch him.
But down in the red zone the space simply doesn't permit such free running. By the time Jackson has hit full stride he'll either be back in the locker room or his quarterback will be lying on the ground as a result of the heavy pressure. It's at times like this that tall, strong, wide bodied players come to the fore. Guys like your Andre Johnson's, your Calvin Johnson's, your Brandon Marshall's. Guys like Plaxico Burress for the Jets and Dez Bryant for the Cowboys. And tight ends.
Tight ends suddenly become big targets. They're strong enough to shed off most coverage defenders, and the linebackers that they can't out strength they can usually out run. They can make tough catches in tight spots and still hold onto the ball all the way to the ground. And in the face of additional pressure from the defense, the fact that they often run routes right down the eye line of the quarterback (in the middle of the field) makes them easy targets to find in quick decision situations.
It's precisely these kind of players that both the Eagles and Panthers lack. They both have tight ends, good ones at that, but down in the red zone that's about all they have.
Now I've painted a pretty bleak picture from the offenses stand point, but it's not all doom and gloom. As we've seen, a big bodied receiver can be very difficult to stop. Just look at the success Matthew Stafford has had this year with the Lions when throwing to Calvin Johnson in the red zone. But as I mentioned earlier, there are also two other advantages that the offense holds, and they're both advantages for a similar reason.
That reason is the short distance between the line of scrimmage and the goal line. Out in the open field a rushing play that only makes 3 yards is not a great gain. It's ok on first down I suppose, but not much use on third and ten. From the three yard line though, a three yard run is a touchdown. On third down and ten with the ball on the 50 yard line, a dump off pass to a running back who picks up 6 yards before being tackled is a win for the defense. The same situation from the 5 yard line results in another touchdown.
And that's what the defense has to be wary about. Short runs and passes suddenly become very dangerous. The shorter the distance, the more dangerous it is. With the ball on the two the defense has to make a choice; when they see run action in the backfield, do they plow in en masse? Doing so gives them a good shot at stopping the 2 yard run, maybe their only shot. But it also leaves them vulnerable to a simple play fake that gets a tight end in a few yards of space on one edge, and boom, you got another touchdown.
So what about if the offense lines up in an empty set? Let's say we're talking about the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now Rodgers isn't just one hell of a throwing quarterback, he can sprint to. So are you prepared to put a spy on him? Doing so leaves you one man down in your overall coverage. And are you even sure your guy can keep up with Rodgers? The only alternative is to bring six rushers, fill every gap along the offensive line, and hope that your remaining guys can cover Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley etc man to man. That's a decision I'm glad I don't have to make.
Even a simple screen pass can be dangerous. Whether it's hitting a wide receiver on the perimeter, or a little dump off to a back from ten yards out, the screen game has lots of damaging potential in the red zone, because even a small gain can result in a score.
Which is why I'm so surprised at the lack of scoring from both the Eagles and Panthers. They've had their opportunities, that's not their problem. They're getting down into the red zone and putting up video game numbers of yards along the way. And the stupid thing is both teams have the perfect set of tools for this kind of work. Having bashed DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith, allow me to now explain.
The Panthers have Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart. Even if we discount DeAngelo Williams for the second on account of his poor season thus far, the Panthers still have two perfect tools for scoring in the red zone. With Cam Newton you have an incredible athlete, whose strength and agility for his size is very impressive. We've seen flashes of what he can do, but the Panthers really need to give this guy a lot of latitude down in the red zone. Go empty, let him have a read of the field, and if he doesn't like it he can run it in himself.
You can even incorporate this with Stewart, a big back with great power who can deliver tremendous hits to defenders, by having run action in one direction with Stewart and with Cam Newton rolling out the opposite side. The threat of these two players travelling in two different directions is enough to give defenses nightmares. With the weapons they have, the Panthers really should be lethal in the red zone. Right now they're not.
The Eagles should be doing even better. They have Mike Vick for a start. He may not be quite as strong as Newton when it comes to breaking tackles, but Vick is probably a step or two quicker, and certainly accelerates quicker. The threat Vick poses to run out of empty sets or on bootlegs off the running game is probably the greatest among all quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet what do we see from the Eagles? Dive/Toss plays up the middle, with complicated blocking and ball handling that the Eagles don't seem to have got the hang of just yet.
To me it seems like a waste. Almost as much of a waste as their lack of a screen game right now. This is what the Eagles under Andy Reid have lived by for years. The combination of McNabb to Westbrook was one of the most dangerous screen games in the entire NFL (which makes it all the more puzzling as to why McNabb is struggling with the screen game in Minnesota). In all honesty, while LeSean McCoy may not be as comfortable with screens as Westbrook was, he's certainly faster than Westbrook was. Right around the red zone would be a great place to get that screen game rolling, especially as we've seen plenty of evidence this season demonstrating how athletic the Eagles linemen can be in open space.
I dunno, it just baffles me that the Eagles and Panthers are struggling as bad as they are. They have the players to make it happen, no question. Play calling? Err.... not so much. Though given how bad they've been so far, I'd expect experienced coaches like Andy Reid and Ron Rivera to get their teams knuckled down into some red zone work during practice over the course of this week.
Of course I also keep waiting for the Cowboys and Vikings to learn how not to blow 20 point leads as well....
So there you have it. That's me vented for another day. Tomorrow I'll be back to do my picks for week 5, with a reduced work load this week as the bye weeks begin. Till then, have fun and spread the word about your favourite blog.
What do you mean which one?
Which is almost coincidental because today I want to talk perceptions. Or more specifically, the perceptions surrounding certain offenses.
See, we all know what Cam Newton has achieved on the field so far this season, regularly lobbing the ball down field in a manner that appears to my cynical eyes to be a hail mary type pass. We've also seen the Eagles tear great chunks out of people with both the run and the pass. But what intrigues me about both of those teams is their lack of success at converting all that accumulated yardage into touchdowns. Which brings us to the wider question; why do some teams suck in the red zone?
The reasons are many. A lot of them boil down to the same issue though, time and time again; space. Or rather, a lack of space. Providing for the fact that the end zone itself is ten yards deep and the red zone is measured from the 20-yard line in, that gives an offense 30 yards to work with, vertically speaking. Perhaps a better way of putting it is that the defense only has 30 yards to defend vertically and that's really the crux of the problem.
It's not that offenses become inherently less capable the closer they get to the hallowed ground at the end of the field, it's the fact that defenses have less things to worry about all of a sudden. And as the space available gets more and more compressed, the less the defense has to worry about. The types of routes they're likely to face from wide receivers in the passing game gradually shrinks from a tree of about 10-12, down to maybe 8-9 around the 20 yard line, and then down to perhaps 5-6 from the 5 yard line, and then slowly down to 3-4 from there on in.
There are two mitigating factors, but we'll get to those later.
For now we need to concentrate on the wide outs and the first routes to go are the deep routes. The 40 yard fade route off a 5-step drop by the quarterback will - from the 20 yard line - mean that the receiver doesn't catch the ball until he's in the stands, in the tunnel, or has run into a wall. There is simply not enough room to execute that play without some sort of significant and beautifully timed delay by the receiver. Get it right and you might just make the catch in the end zone. Get it wrong and you wont make it far enough down field for the catch.
The deep post route is also off the menu. You can run a post of sorts, but in the slightly more compressed space it won't be caught until the receiver is in the end zone and he'll probably have to bend the route horizontally across the end zone, leading the quarterback dangerously close to the safety on the opposite side of the field. By extension this also nullifies the post-corner route somewhat.
The 20 yard comeback is also off the menu. In this route the receiver runs like the wind for 20 yards, then slams on the brakes and comes back to the sideline. Hence 20 yard comeback. Except this route is predicated on selling the 'go' route to the corner, the notion being that a full speed receiver running down field has the potential to go deep and must be covered full speed. Except now the corner knows that's not going to happen. He knows that you only have 30 yards to work with, so you're not going to be speeding anywhere. That sets him up perfectly to get under the comeback and jump it.
Most other routes are good for the next 15 or so yards until we come to the 5-7 yard line region. Here we start to lose some of the medium-deep routes, mainly those that kind of bridge the gap. The 15 yard deep in - often referred to as the 'Dig' - is basically lost, as by the time the receiver makes the break they'll be running out of the end zone. The deep out at the same depth is also gone. The fade route off a 3-step drop is largely gone (though not the one step fade). It becomes difficult but not impossible to run a form of the skinny post route. And finally the pure 10-yard hook is lost, as again the threat of a deeper route is lost, although a 10-yard curl is manageable.
It's around this time that the structure of the defense also begins to change. As the vertical depth of the field compresses, it becomes less and less useful for the defense to run a standard cover 2 shell, with both safeties back deep. They simply don't have the threats they otherwise would. This can allow corners (if cover 2 is still played) to take slightly wider alignments on their receivers, knowing that any inside break will be funnelled right into their safeties, who are now playing much closer to the line of scrimmage.
As the depth gets reduced right down, you also begin to see more man coverage, with a single high safety to cover the middle of the end zone, freeing up the strong safety to come down and play the run and/or blitz. Some teams will dispense with the high safety all together, preferring to bring both down close to the line, where they can blitz, play close run support and still get back into a coverage position in the middle of the end zone if needed.
The much more compacted nature of the defense now begins to favour variety and aggression on the part of the defensive coordinator. It's not like he's going to get burnt deep over the middle in this situation (off play action for example) and because of the short distances involved for dropping coverage players, he can be a lot more creative in his blitz schemes and still be confident that everyone will get into place on time.
Probably the most significant advantage conferred on the defense at this point - and why the offenses in Philadelphia and Carolina are struggling in particular - is that speed no longer kills. Someone like a DeSean Jackson or a Steve Smith (the Carolina version) derive much of their threat to opposition defenses due to their speed in the open field. Once you get DeSean Jackson humming along there's not a lot of people that can catch him.
But down in the red zone the space simply doesn't permit such free running. By the time Jackson has hit full stride he'll either be back in the locker room or his quarterback will be lying on the ground as a result of the heavy pressure. It's at times like this that tall, strong, wide bodied players come to the fore. Guys like your Andre Johnson's, your Calvin Johnson's, your Brandon Marshall's. Guys like Plaxico Burress for the Jets and Dez Bryant for the Cowboys. And tight ends.
Tight ends suddenly become big targets. They're strong enough to shed off most coverage defenders, and the linebackers that they can't out strength they can usually out run. They can make tough catches in tight spots and still hold onto the ball all the way to the ground. And in the face of additional pressure from the defense, the fact that they often run routes right down the eye line of the quarterback (in the middle of the field) makes them easy targets to find in quick decision situations.
It's precisely these kind of players that both the Eagles and Panthers lack. They both have tight ends, good ones at that, but down in the red zone that's about all they have.
Now I've painted a pretty bleak picture from the offenses stand point, but it's not all doom and gloom. As we've seen, a big bodied receiver can be very difficult to stop. Just look at the success Matthew Stafford has had this year with the Lions when throwing to Calvin Johnson in the red zone. But as I mentioned earlier, there are also two other advantages that the offense holds, and they're both advantages for a similar reason.
That reason is the short distance between the line of scrimmage and the goal line. Out in the open field a rushing play that only makes 3 yards is not a great gain. It's ok on first down I suppose, but not much use on third and ten. From the three yard line though, a three yard run is a touchdown. On third down and ten with the ball on the 50 yard line, a dump off pass to a running back who picks up 6 yards before being tackled is a win for the defense. The same situation from the 5 yard line results in another touchdown.
And that's what the defense has to be wary about. Short runs and passes suddenly become very dangerous. The shorter the distance, the more dangerous it is. With the ball on the two the defense has to make a choice; when they see run action in the backfield, do they plow in en masse? Doing so gives them a good shot at stopping the 2 yard run, maybe their only shot. But it also leaves them vulnerable to a simple play fake that gets a tight end in a few yards of space on one edge, and boom, you got another touchdown.
So what about if the offense lines up in an empty set? Let's say we're talking about the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Now Rodgers isn't just one hell of a throwing quarterback, he can sprint to. So are you prepared to put a spy on him? Doing so leaves you one man down in your overall coverage. And are you even sure your guy can keep up with Rodgers? The only alternative is to bring six rushers, fill every gap along the offensive line, and hope that your remaining guys can cover Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jermichael Finley etc man to man. That's a decision I'm glad I don't have to make.
Even a simple screen pass can be dangerous. Whether it's hitting a wide receiver on the perimeter, or a little dump off to a back from ten yards out, the screen game has lots of damaging potential in the red zone, because even a small gain can result in a score.
Which is why I'm so surprised at the lack of scoring from both the Eagles and Panthers. They've had their opportunities, that's not their problem. They're getting down into the red zone and putting up video game numbers of yards along the way. And the stupid thing is both teams have the perfect set of tools for this kind of work. Having bashed DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith, allow me to now explain.
The Panthers have Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart. Even if we discount DeAngelo Williams for the second on account of his poor season thus far, the Panthers still have two perfect tools for scoring in the red zone. With Cam Newton you have an incredible athlete, whose strength and agility for his size is very impressive. We've seen flashes of what he can do, but the Panthers really need to give this guy a lot of latitude down in the red zone. Go empty, let him have a read of the field, and if he doesn't like it he can run it in himself.
You can even incorporate this with Stewart, a big back with great power who can deliver tremendous hits to defenders, by having run action in one direction with Stewart and with Cam Newton rolling out the opposite side. The threat of these two players travelling in two different directions is enough to give defenses nightmares. With the weapons they have, the Panthers really should be lethal in the red zone. Right now they're not.
The Eagles should be doing even better. They have Mike Vick for a start. He may not be quite as strong as Newton when it comes to breaking tackles, but Vick is probably a step or two quicker, and certainly accelerates quicker. The threat Vick poses to run out of empty sets or on bootlegs off the running game is probably the greatest among all quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet what do we see from the Eagles? Dive/Toss plays up the middle, with complicated blocking and ball handling that the Eagles don't seem to have got the hang of just yet.
To me it seems like a waste. Almost as much of a waste as their lack of a screen game right now. This is what the Eagles under Andy Reid have lived by for years. The combination of McNabb to Westbrook was one of the most dangerous screen games in the entire NFL (which makes it all the more puzzling as to why McNabb is struggling with the screen game in Minnesota). In all honesty, while LeSean McCoy may not be as comfortable with screens as Westbrook was, he's certainly faster than Westbrook was. Right around the red zone would be a great place to get that screen game rolling, especially as we've seen plenty of evidence this season demonstrating how athletic the Eagles linemen can be in open space.
I dunno, it just baffles me that the Eagles and Panthers are struggling as bad as they are. They have the players to make it happen, no question. Play calling? Err.... not so much. Though given how bad they've been so far, I'd expect experienced coaches like Andy Reid and Ron Rivera to get their teams knuckled down into some red zone work during practice over the course of this week.
Of course I also keep waiting for the Cowboys and Vikings to learn how not to blow 20 point leads as well....
So there you have it. That's me vented for another day. Tomorrow I'll be back to do my picks for week 5, with a reduced work load this week as the bye weeks begin. Till then, have fun and spread the word about your favourite blog.
What do you mean which one?
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
2011 week 4 round up
I've decided to go a different route with my round up this week, summarising it in bullet style points. Because I'm bored. You'll have to apologise for the swearing, I'm pretty riled up by the officiating this week:
- Cam Newton. The more I watch him, the more I dislike him, prancing around after his rushing touchdowns like he just won the game. Well he didn't. Again. Newton managed to throw 27/46 for 374 yards and a touchdown, but also threw away 7 points with an interception. The thing I don't like about Newton most though, or rather people talking about Newton, is this; he picks up most of his yardage by slinging the ball deep with almost hail mary type passes. Yeah sure, he racks up the yards... in open field play with his prayer passes. But in tight spots he can't get it done. He's not an NFL quarterback. So far he's been a lucky gambler and fuck all else.
- It wouldn't be so bad if the Panthers D actually contributed to games. But they don't, and that's an understatement.
- The Bears came out running it this time. Part of me thinks Mike Martz was just taking the piss, hoping to say to people "here, I'm running the ball! Look! And it's not working! So shut up and let me do my thing!". If that was intention then he got a rude awakening as the Bears rushed for 224 yards. Matt Forte had 205 yards and a touchdown alone. The Bears line slaughtered the Panthers D.
- Devin Hester had a 73 yard kick return, followed later by a 69 yard punt return for a touchdown, which puts him atop the all time list for punt return touchdowns. The guy is great at it. Which makes me wonder why they waste time trying to convert him into a receiver? He'd be better off as a specialist returner (e.g. the only guy on the team who returns kicks and punts) and perhaps a nickel corner. Oh I remember why they use him as receiver; Deion "poison" Sanders.
- Off on a tangent but... note to the Papa John's guy; I hate your face. And your stupid adverts. You're the classic corporate blowhard, just like Mike Florio trying to pin the ratings for Sunday Night Football on NBC's coverage. No. People watch/buy the product for what it is, not your "corporate culture". NBC doesn't make the ratings for SNF, the games selected do. The broadcaster is incidental.
- Back on track and the Bills offense looked a little shaky. Having rioted in recent weeks, scoring points almost for fun, Ryan Fitzpatrick was held to 199 yards and 1 touchdown.
- Andy Dalton's bizzaro season continues with 18/36 for 298 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. All that yardage wasn't nearly as important as his rushing touchdown which tied the game.
- Chris Johnson actually ran the ball well! A season first. He had 23 carries for 101 yards, but he's going to have to have plenty more of those before his contract seems worthwhile especially given how exceptionally many other backs in the league are playing.
- Matt Hasselbeck only completed 50% of his passes, yet still managed to chalk up 3 touchdowns. The Browns tackling plus a bit of lenient officiating made the Titans offense look better than it really is.
- The Titans D had another strong day, with four sacks and an interception as highlights.
- Seriously Cleveland, asking Colt McCoy to throw it 61 times? Are you nuts? Have you forgotten about that guy Peyton Hillis in your backfield? I heard from somewhere that he's pretty good you know. Just unbelievable. Credit to McCoy, he completed 40 of those passes for 350 yards, but managed just one touchdown.
- It's official; the Lions are the most over rated team in the NFL right now. Yeah, I just said that. Last week they got ripped apart by the Vikings in the first half and only found a way back in because of the Vikings ineptitude. Ditto this week, as the Cowboys blew a 27-3 lead. I'll give the Lions a bit of credit for taking their chances to come back, but good teams do not rely on their opponent shitting the bed each week.
- Talking of which, Tony Romo. Christ I bet Jerry Jones was going insane on the sideline watching that. The Cowboys were cruising to victory. Now a healthy dose of blame can be laid at the feet of Head Coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Simply put, the play calling sucked. But Tony Romo you have to realise that with a lead that big, all you have to do is play keep away. Just don't turn the ball over and you should win it..... ok, so you turned the ball over, take that as a lesson and learn from it. Play safer now. Eat the sack or throw it away, just don't take any more gambles.... ok, so you turned the ball over again. This is getting ridiculous, but it's still salvageable, just don't turn the ball over again... oh fuck you then! Seriously, who actually cares about all the good stuff that Romo does when the bad stuff keeps wiping it off the board? Dick. (and I don't even like the Cowboys).
- 34/47, 331 yards, 3 touchdowns. Those are Tony Romo's numbers by the way. Felix Jones had just 16 carries for 57 yards. Truly unbelievable. Truly pathetic as well. The Manning-less Colts might have started the season as the NFL's joke team, but the Cowboys have surpassed them easily.
- 21/43 for 240 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT. That was Matthew Staffords numbers for the day.
- Note to self, Calvin Johnson can Jump, with a capital J. Without him, the Lions would be largely screwed.
- The Steelers offensive line is like a bad B-movie right now; vomit inducing to watch. Ben Roethlisberger might be tough, but even he can't take the constant pounding (there'sa joke about B-movies to be had there somewhere).
- The Steelers/Texans game was decided by a strong defense coupled with a great rushing attack. Any other year and that would be the Steelers I was talking about, but in 2011 it's the Texans. Arian Foster had 30 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown, while the defense picked up 5 sacks (two for Mario Williams) and an interception.
- Don't ask me why, but I randomly ended up watching "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" the other day. In that film Yoda (the little green dude) says something like "there's always two of them, never more, never less". He was talking about the Sith, but he could easily have been talking about the Texans running backs, as Arian Foster returned from injury and Ben Tate picked up an injury. Chris Ogbonnaya is the other back, in case you're wondering.
- Drew Brees looked a little off. 31/44 for 351 yards isn't bad, but it only produced one touchdown and two interceptions.
- Tight end Jimmy Graham seems to be Brees's new favourite weapon. He caught 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
- Darren Sproles rushed for 75 yards off 7 carries for the Saints. Mark Ingram added another 55 off 17 carries. Pierre Thomas added another 36 from 6 carries. That's 166 yards off 30 carries combined, better than Arian Foster with the same amount of carries.
- Saints defensive end Will Smith added another two sacks to his season tally, and safety Roman Harper added another sack to his.
- Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny had 9 tackles and a sack. He's a good player, but he was over paid.
- Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert , the supposed best quarterback in the 2011 draft (according to almost all experts) was 16/42 for 196 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.
- Maurice Jones-Drew is perhaps the most under utilized asset in the NFL. 11 carries, 84 yards. Just 11 carries? Because Blaine Gabbert is the answer for the Jaguars right? Jesus.
- The Vikings didn't blow a half time lead for a change! But only because they didn't have one.
- Donovan McNabb completed just 18/30 passes and was picked off on a screen play. When you're struggling to get the ball to your back on a screen (tip; try not throwing the ball like a fucking rocket at a guy standing 8 yards away) then you know you have problems.
- Adrian Peterson had 80 yards on 23 carries. Many Vikings fans still wonder why he doesn't get more (which would you rather do, let Peterson carry another 15 times and not have McNabb throw it so much, or vice versa?)
- Jared Allen marked his return to Kansas with 2 sacks.
- Matt Cassel and Todd Haley got into it when Cassel chucked away a screen play that wasn't there. That's precisely the kind of heads up play that the Cowboys wish they could get out of Tony Romo.
- After me taking the piss out of Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe on Saturday, it was a 52 yard connection between them that won the game, though the Vikings crappy tackling played its part.
- On Saturday I said you'd have to be insane to take the 49ers over the Eagles. Looks like the nuts are poised to take over the nut house.
- Seriously Eagles? Seriously? To the 49ers? I know well enough how bad my team is, and you lost to us. Dream Team? Please. I didn't really buy the hype pre-season, but I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. As predicted, the Philadelphia press and fans are already in outrage. They kind of have a point. Kind of.
- Mike Vick was 30/46 for 416 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. He also had 8 carries for 75 yards on the ground. But guess what? The Eagles still suck in short yardage and red zone play. They were 5/13 (38%) on third down and 2/7 (28%) in the red zone. 2 of 7 in the red zone. That explains Vicks numbers but without the win. Like Cam Newton and the Panthers, the Eagles are great at hoofing the ball downfield but just can't find a way to convert big open field yardage into points. With the weapons the Eagles have available, that is pretty astounding.
- Jason Babin had three sacks for the Eagles D and made a case for his signing. The Eagles pass rush has looked much better this year.
- Nnamdi Asomugha looked nothing like a "shutdown corner". This is what I've been trying to say. I think the myth doesn't hold up to the hype.
- Alex Smith looked.... good? I had to check the sky and make sure the Moon wasn't falling on us, or that the Sun hadn't gone Super Nova. But no, everything in the heavens is fine. And yet Alex Smith managed to throw 21/33 for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns, without any interceptions. Some of the throws were pretty good. It's madness.
- Frank Gore rolled for 127 yards and a touchdown off just 15 carries. This seems to be the week for highly (over?) paid backs to find their feet and start putting up the yards again.
- Rookie Aldon Smith had another 1.5 sacks for the 49ers and corner Carlos Rogers got another interception.
- Weren't the Rams poised to have a great year this year? They just look hopeless. There's Steven Jackson the running back and then... nobody you can point to and say "that is a guy that will help this team win games,". They're just not getting it done anywhere on the field.
- Bradford was 20/43 for 164 yards and a touchdown. That's not great numbers given how much is being placed on his shoulders. His line giving up six sacks is not helping.
- On which note, credit to the Redskins defense which is basically keeping them in games right now. Rookie Ryan Kerrigan had a sack-forced fumble, defensive end Steven Bowen had 1.5 sacks, and linebacker Brian Orakpo had 2.5 sacks. They also held the Rams to just 45 net rushing yards.
- The Redskins won in spite of Rex Grossman, not because of him. 15/29, 143 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions.
- I've been harping on about Ryan Torain for a while now. He had 19 carries for 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble. He played with aggression, delivering hits on his tacklers and made good reads of his blocks.
- Osi Umenyiora marked his return to the Giants line up with two sacks. Dave Tollefson also had two for the Giants as they put away the Cardinals.
- As a 49er fan I could easily be accused of being biased about the "controversial" late call in the Giants/Arizona game, but frankly there is nothing controversial about it. In fact you have to try pretty bloody hard to come up with a scenario where it is controversial (more on this later).
- Kevin Kolb isn't bad, he's just not all that good right now. 20/34 for 237 yards and an interception wasn't enough to get his team over the hump. Larry Fitzgerald had 8 catches for 102 yards.
- Running back Chris "Beanie" Wells had another big game for the Cardinals. 27 carries, 138 yards, 3 touchdowns. But even that wasn't enough to stop the Cardinals slipping to 1-3.
- Eli Manning was actually the Giants saviour for a change. Write that down. That's not going to be a line you'll read very often, especially not on here. Eli was 27/40 for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
- Hakeem Nicks had a big day for the Giants, with 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. Victor Cruz also had another good week, with 6 catches for 98 yards.
- The Falcons started well, but it must have been troubling for Head Coach Mike Smith to watch as the Seahawks clawed their way back into it.
- Michael Turner had 26 carries for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. But 15 of those carries came in the first half, which the Falcons finished ahead 27-7. Only 11 carries in the second? What is it with NFL teams this season and their aversion to just sitting on a lead and running out the clock with their running game? As we'll see later, it worked for the Ravens (eventually).
- The Falcons defense produced no sacks, but they had 9 hits on Tavaris Jackson. The pressure was there.
- Matt Ryan was 28/42 for 291 yards and a touchdown, but still looked a little shaky at times. I'm just not sure how trustworthy the Falcons offense is right now.
- Tavaris Jackson recovered from early mistakes to finish 25/38 for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. But the two picks killed his team in an otherwise close game.
- The Packers annihilated the Broncos. Denver's secondary looked bad enough, but Phil Simms really summed it up when he said "you just can't let these guys run off the line of scrimmage free, everytime!". Exactly Phil, good point. I have no idea, no conception of why people seem so intent to let the Packers receivers have a free release every down. At least give your pass rush a chance for Gods sake.
- Broncos Rookie Von Miller did get home twice for the sack, but it was fighting an uphill battle.
- Aaron Rodgers was supreme on Sunday. 29/38 for 408 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception, plus two rushing touchdowns to help pile on the scores.
- Broncos fans started chanting for Tim Tebow again, after Kyle Orton threw three interceptions. In all fairness he also threw three touchdowns and 273 yards, but those turnovers (including a pick six to Charles Woodson) are always going to kill you against the Packers, especially when your defense is playing like it is.
- Lost in the midst's of an ugly defeat were the performances of Broncos running back Willis McGahee (15 carries for 103 yards) and receiver Brandon Lloyd (8 catches, 136 yards).
- Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop never gets any love, but the guy had 9 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in this one. Maybe one day he'll get his well deserved dues.
- You know you're good when you don't play all that well and still win comfortably. Just ask the Patriots, who beat the Raiders 31-19 despite Brady only completing 16/30 passes for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- A big chunk of the Patriots success was down to the running game. Stevan Ridley had 10 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis had 16 carries for 75 yards and another touchdown.
- Of course it also helps when the opposing team ignores your number one receiver. Wes Welker had 9 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. After all, it's not like anyone could predict before the game that Welker would be Brady's number one target... (Chad Ochocino had 2 catches for 26 yards, then five other players caught just one pass each. No, I'm not kidding, go check the numbers. That's how keyed in on Welker Brady is).
- Jason Campbell was 25/39 for 344 yards for the Raiders, with 1 touchdown and two interceptions. All that yardage with such little end production won't cut it, especially against a good team like the Patriots. The Raiders were 2/5 in the red zone.
- Like the Broncos loss, the Raiders loss over shadowed some good performances. Darius Heyward-Bey had four catches for 115 yards and Darren McFadden carried 14 times for 75 yards.
- Having completed 3/4 passes, Chad Henne tried to carry it himself after a botched play. He busted his shoulder for his troubles, prompting an appearance by Matt Moore (formerly of Carolina). I'll leave you to decided whether you think that was a blessing in disguise or not.
- Moore was 17/26 for 167 yards and a pick. Not bad, but a bit too much dink and dunk at times, when Miami really needed to be pushing the ball aggressively down field. Miami's running game didn't help, being flat as a pancake.
- Phillip Rivers was 21/31 for 307 yards but just the one touchdown. Some of his throws looked a little erratic at times and I'm beginning to wonder what happened after the smooth and by the numbers pre-season that he had.
- Ryan Matthews pitched in well again. He had 16 carries for 81 yards which is helping the Chargers offense to stay balanced and keep defenses a little more honest.
- The Chargers defense continues to be a blessing and a liability at the same time. They have a knack right now of making big plays when they need to, but sloppy play early on is making things tighter than they need to be for San Diego.
- If it came to light in the future that NBC was bribing teams to play like ass on Sunday Night Football, it wouldn't surprise me. SNF has been packed this season with games that just keep on giving in terms of excitement. And no Mike Florio, it has nothing to do with NBC's coverage, not unless you guys really are paying people off.
- I don't know what to make of the Ravens-Jets game. It was bizarro land all over again.
- Rookie center Colin Baxter stood in for the injured Nick Mangold and was getting all the shit for missed exchanges and shotgun snaps but personally, from what I saw, the blame is on Sanchez. He didn't set his hands properly on either of the mistakes. But I guess nobody would dare to blame Sanchez, or any quarterback for that matter, not when there is a perfectly good rookie lineman to blame.
- On that point, I thought Cris Collinsworth's usually really good analyses was off the mark on Sunday. He was heaping a lot of blame on Baxter for his blocking, but you can't physically block two people at once, which is what the Ravens were doing later on, piling the pressure up the middle.
- Mark Sanchez finished 11/35 and Joe Flacco was 10/31, but they weren't even that good. Roger Goodell must have been having fits of rage watching defenses putting on such an exciting game.
- Or at least it was until the Ravens finally decided to sit on their lead. But that didn't happen until the second half and not before the Ravens had given away 10 points in a desperate attempt to piss away their lead and let the Jets back into it. When they eventually considered that a hefty lead might warrant them running out the clock they hit the running game, which did the job nicely, at one point slicing over six minutes off the clock.
- Ray Rice ended the night with 25 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown, but it was the manner of his running that was important, as he clipped off five yard runs along with Ricky Williams (12 carries, 49 yards) to keep the clock and the chains moving.
- The Ravens defense were back to their best form in this one. The front seven was dominant.
- The Jets O-line was shit. D'Brickashaw Ferguson looked like the worst tackle on the field for a change.
- The story of 'Revis Island' unravelled a bit further. I've never really noticed it before but Revis only kept up with Torrey Smith by tugging the crap out of his jersey. I've since gone and watched a bunch more Revis plays and the story repeats itself. Revis basically gets away with defensive pass interference on every play.
- The Colts almost, almost, pulled it out of the bag on Monday Night. Raheem Morris had to be getting a bit of that squeaky bum syndrome watching as the Colts took the lead into half time and then managed to hang around until the end.
- Curtis Painter looked a little better than he usually does at 13/30 for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no picks, but treat those numbers carefully. The Bucs defense and Pierre Garcon (2 catches, 146 yards, 2 touchdowns) did most of the work for him. The Colts O-line still looks like shit and Joseph Addai has regressed as a pass blocker.
- Josh Freeman did just enough tonight, finishing 25/39 for 287 yards and a touchdown (plus punching in one himself and picking up some key first downs with his feet) but he still looks suspect at times. Even with all the young talent they have on offense, they still look like they're just putting everything together and finding a path. Next years draft will be critical to this team.
- LaGarrette Blount carried 25 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. And credit to the Buc's; as they got down near the red zone they handed it to Blount who ran in the game winning touchdown from 35 yards. That's called trusting your best players to make the big plays. Pay attention Minnesota. And Baltimore. And Kansas. And... we could be here all night.
- Was I the only one who got a kick out of watching Josh Johnson running a counter into an option play on fourth down?
- Colts linebacker Kavell Connor earned his money this week with 14 tackles! Defensive End Jerry Hughes also popped up, finally getting a sack. Freeney and Mathis were good, but didn't have their normal impact.
- The Buc's D snagged four sacks, including one for Gerald McCoy, one for rookie Adrian Clayborn and two for Michael Bennett. Overall though the Buc's still looked suspect, especially their tackling.
And so with all that done and all the games covered in week 4, this post is nearly at an end. Before I go, just time to gripe about the weeks officiating/general state of rules and officiating in the NFL.
Bad Officiating
- The fucking tuck rule strikes again! Andy Dalton was sacked and fumbled. Yes, he did, he fumbled the ball. The tuck rule is such a bucket full of shit, yet every year we wait for the competition committee to dump it and yet every year they ignore it and the fans, favouring instead to increase the amount of protection their precious quarterbacks receive.
- In the same game as above, a perfectly legitimate catch by Steve Johnson was ruled out because of the fucking retarded rules about maintaining possession of the football through the act of going to the ground or whatever the hell it is now. It's just dumb. That was a catch. It was a catch. Every football fan on the planet would agree. But no, not under the new rule system, where referees seem to have more power than the President of the USA, and we spend more time watching fucking replays than we do watching the game.
- Nice to see the Titans picking up a touchdown on a pretty blatant rub/pick route. I keep harping on about this, but the simple fact is these plays are supposed to be illegal. It's supposed to be called as offensive pass interference. There's also supposed to be one official watching each of the receivers, yet they never seem to see it. The only reason I get so annoyed is because if defense's cause interference, they will normally get flagged (more on this later). When the offense does it though, none of the officials seem to care and it's a case of blatant bias in favour of "sexy" offensive football. Drives me fucking nuts.
- The roughing the passer call on Ndamukong Suh was ridiculous. You want players to try, you want players to compete, but then calls like that basically tell defensive guys not to bother. It's pathetic.
- The Texans blocked a field goal and ran it back for a score, only to have it wiped out by a stupid block in the back penalty. Two things about that annoy me; 1) it was more a block in the side than the back. 2) blocks in the back are the stupidest fucking penalties in all of football. There is no way in hell a great defensive play like the one the Texans made should be pulled back because somebody got nudged a little from behind. A fucking joke.
- Jonathan Joseph was the guy who returned the above play for a touchdown only to see it wiped out. He had a Deja vu moment later on, when his interception return for a touchdown was also called back, this time because of a roughing the passer penalty. Basically Texans linemen J.J. Watt tried to dive to sack Roethlisberger, but Big Ben had already thrown the ball and when Watt made contact milliseconds later, he was flagged for the hit, which was about knee height. Thus a perfectly legitimate interception was called back for no justifiable reason. If you really must make that a penalty (and 15 yards at that), then apply it to the next play. Don't ruin a good interception return over a penalty that had no effect on the eventual outcome of the play.
- On a day full of shitty officiating and league intrusion on the fluid game of football, the one play that drew the most attention in the media is the one play that should be without any controversy. It's the play from the Giants-Cardinals game, where Victor Cruz went to ground and let go of the ball, which was then picked up Arizona. The refs ruled that he gave himself up and refused to allow Ken Whisenhunt to challenge (challenge not permitted on that play). And personally I don't understand why everyone is getting their panties all bunched up. Cruz was clearly touched, then either stumbled or slipped to the ground (both knees and elbows were down). Once there, he stayed down and let get of the ball, making no attempt to stand up and run with it. There is no way anyone watching that could seriously contest that he did anything other than give himself up. Yet that is the major officiating controversy of Sunday? Give me a fucking break.
- As mentioned earlier, something needs to be done about Darrelle Revis. When facing Torrey Smith man-to-man on Sunday Night he pulled Smith's jersey about four separate times and then pinned his hands down just for good measure. If this was any other receiver who didn't have a big name attached, there would be yellow laundry flying in all directions. I'm in favour of giving defenses more of a chance to actually play in games, as opposed to just being spectators, but there is a line to that. Revis steps across the line, then puts his hands on it to stop it moving just for good measure. The league really needs to address this. When they do, expect to see "Revis Island" invaded on a weekly basis.
- The biggest bug I have is the constant reviewing of scoring plays. It's really getting on my nerves. Just give the coaches the challenge flag and lets get on with it. And this really sums the modern NFL up for me. Everything is so petty now. If a guys toe so much as brushes a white painted blade of grass he's ruled out of bounds. Everything is scrutinised to a ridiculous level and great plays on all sides of the ball are wiped out by nit picking rulings. I understand that sometimes it's gutting when your team comes out on the bad side of certain rulings, but usually these things balance themselves out. The increased flow of the game due to less administrative officiating would more than make up for it. And put a cap on the amount of time that can be used for a replay, say no more than 60 seconds? And why does the head official have to see it? Just let the booth guy do it and buzz down the result, like they do in many sports here in the UK (Tennis, Rugby League, Cricket). That way you get your replay review, but it also gets done in a matter of seconds (normally sub 30 seconds).
Why is all this important? Because I went looking at the United Football Leagues Internet homepage.
That's not a good sign. Usually that means you're reaching the tipping point, where people have actually had enough of your bullshit and are taking steps to rectify their displeasure by looking elsewhere. Luckily for the NFL, the UFL doesn't have a TV deal and isn't smart enough to post game highlights on its webpage. If it did, it might actually start getting some attention.
At first you'd expect people to watch both, something which the UFL is keen to try and do by scheduling its games so they don't conflict with the NFL. But eventually they're going to be looking to take away the viewers. If they could just put up a few more franchises (they have four active) they might just start doing that.
It sounds a little silly now, and how often have we heard of rival leagues starting up and closing down, but I don't think the NFL realises how much danger start up leagues pose to them right now, which is precisely the conditions needed for a business to suddenly find itself in the shit. Attendances are already down around the league and people are getting fed up with the splurge of new rules, fines and the general, what people seem to call, "wussification of football" (I believe part of the wider "wussification of America" theme that's kicking around).
A league that is just six teams strong could theoretically put together an eleven week schedule, with teams playing each other both home and away for a total of ten games and with a league wide bye week in week six. If costs could be kept down, heavily capping player salaries, while perhaps making it a regional league to start with, either in the North (Illinois/Michigan/Pennslyvania/New York/Connecticut) or maybe the South (Texas/Alabama/Georgia/Kentucky/Nebraska/Florida) then there is a good chance you could get a league up and running and keep it going.
There are plenty of kids who leave College football and don't get drafted or who get cut from pro teams who have more than enough skill to at least put on a semi-decent game (safety Mark Legree was cut by the Seahawks but trust me, that kid can ball), plus the "3 and out" (years, not downs) guys from pro teams who would love to get another shot at football.
If it was me I'd have a league wide fixed cost for all players (based somewhat on position but kept relatively close) plus an additional capped pool of money that each team could spend to boost the contracts of certain guys at their discretion.
As long as it was set up right, the website was used to its maximum advantage (the Internet is the future, as some guy said about ten years ago. He was right) to get highlights and information out to people, then I think the NFL could have a challenge on its hands.
I'm not saying it would be easy or that the NFL would melt down over night, but the fact is the NFL survives and is as successful as it is only because of it's dominant position. With College football where it is right now in terms of popularity, I'm not sure the NFL would survive a head to head battle against it.
And if the NFL keeps going the way it is, a half decent, small professional league could probably do the unthinkable and actually start to challenge the big boys for viewers.
In time....
You can e-mail me and tell me to shut the fuck up at this address; keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk
- Cam Newton. The more I watch him, the more I dislike him, prancing around after his rushing touchdowns like he just won the game. Well he didn't. Again. Newton managed to throw 27/46 for 374 yards and a touchdown, but also threw away 7 points with an interception. The thing I don't like about Newton most though, or rather people talking about Newton, is this; he picks up most of his yardage by slinging the ball deep with almost hail mary type passes. Yeah sure, he racks up the yards... in open field play with his prayer passes. But in tight spots he can't get it done. He's not an NFL quarterback. So far he's been a lucky gambler and fuck all else.
- It wouldn't be so bad if the Panthers D actually contributed to games. But they don't, and that's an understatement.
- The Bears came out running it this time. Part of me thinks Mike Martz was just taking the piss, hoping to say to people "here, I'm running the ball! Look! And it's not working! So shut up and let me do my thing!". If that was intention then he got a rude awakening as the Bears rushed for 224 yards. Matt Forte had 205 yards and a touchdown alone. The Bears line slaughtered the Panthers D.
- Devin Hester had a 73 yard kick return, followed later by a 69 yard punt return for a touchdown, which puts him atop the all time list for punt return touchdowns. The guy is great at it. Which makes me wonder why they waste time trying to convert him into a receiver? He'd be better off as a specialist returner (e.g. the only guy on the team who returns kicks and punts) and perhaps a nickel corner. Oh I remember why they use him as receiver; Deion "poison" Sanders.
- Off on a tangent but... note to the Papa John's guy; I hate your face. And your stupid adverts. You're the classic corporate blowhard, just like Mike Florio trying to pin the ratings for Sunday Night Football on NBC's coverage. No. People watch/buy the product for what it is, not your "corporate culture". NBC doesn't make the ratings for SNF, the games selected do. The broadcaster is incidental.
- Back on track and the Bills offense looked a little shaky. Having rioted in recent weeks, scoring points almost for fun, Ryan Fitzpatrick was held to 199 yards and 1 touchdown.
- Andy Dalton's bizzaro season continues with 18/36 for 298 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. All that yardage wasn't nearly as important as his rushing touchdown which tied the game.
- Chris Johnson actually ran the ball well! A season first. He had 23 carries for 101 yards, but he's going to have to have plenty more of those before his contract seems worthwhile especially given how exceptionally many other backs in the league are playing.
- Matt Hasselbeck only completed 50% of his passes, yet still managed to chalk up 3 touchdowns. The Browns tackling plus a bit of lenient officiating made the Titans offense look better than it really is.
- The Titans D had another strong day, with four sacks and an interception as highlights.
- Seriously Cleveland, asking Colt McCoy to throw it 61 times? Are you nuts? Have you forgotten about that guy Peyton Hillis in your backfield? I heard from somewhere that he's pretty good you know. Just unbelievable. Credit to McCoy, he completed 40 of those passes for 350 yards, but managed just one touchdown.
- It's official; the Lions are the most over rated team in the NFL right now. Yeah, I just said that. Last week they got ripped apart by the Vikings in the first half and only found a way back in because of the Vikings ineptitude. Ditto this week, as the Cowboys blew a 27-3 lead. I'll give the Lions a bit of credit for taking their chances to come back, but good teams do not rely on their opponent shitting the bed each week.
- Talking of which, Tony Romo. Christ I bet Jerry Jones was going insane on the sideline watching that. The Cowboys were cruising to victory. Now a healthy dose of blame can be laid at the feet of Head Coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Simply put, the play calling sucked. But Tony Romo you have to realise that with a lead that big, all you have to do is play keep away. Just don't turn the ball over and you should win it..... ok, so you turned the ball over, take that as a lesson and learn from it. Play safer now. Eat the sack or throw it away, just don't take any more gambles.... ok, so you turned the ball over again. This is getting ridiculous, but it's still salvageable, just don't turn the ball over again... oh fuck you then! Seriously, who actually cares about all the good stuff that Romo does when the bad stuff keeps wiping it off the board? Dick. (and I don't even like the Cowboys).
- 34/47, 331 yards, 3 touchdowns. Those are Tony Romo's numbers by the way. Felix Jones had just 16 carries for 57 yards. Truly unbelievable. Truly pathetic as well. The Manning-less Colts might have started the season as the NFL's joke team, but the Cowboys have surpassed them easily.
- 21/43 for 240 yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT. That was Matthew Staffords numbers for the day.
- Note to self, Calvin Johnson can Jump, with a capital J. Without him, the Lions would be largely screwed.
- The Steelers offensive line is like a bad B-movie right now; vomit inducing to watch. Ben Roethlisberger might be tough, but even he can't take the constant pounding (there'sa joke about B-movies to be had there somewhere).
- The Steelers/Texans game was decided by a strong defense coupled with a great rushing attack. Any other year and that would be the Steelers I was talking about, but in 2011 it's the Texans. Arian Foster had 30 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown, while the defense picked up 5 sacks (two for Mario Williams) and an interception.
- Don't ask me why, but I randomly ended up watching "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" the other day. In that film Yoda (the little green dude) says something like "there's always two of them, never more, never less". He was talking about the Sith, but he could easily have been talking about the Texans running backs, as Arian Foster returned from injury and Ben Tate picked up an injury. Chris Ogbonnaya is the other back, in case you're wondering.
- Drew Brees looked a little off. 31/44 for 351 yards isn't bad, but it only produced one touchdown and two interceptions.
- Tight end Jimmy Graham seems to be Brees's new favourite weapon. He caught 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.
- Darren Sproles rushed for 75 yards off 7 carries for the Saints. Mark Ingram added another 55 off 17 carries. Pierre Thomas added another 36 from 6 carries. That's 166 yards off 30 carries combined, better than Arian Foster with the same amount of carries.
- Saints defensive end Will Smith added another two sacks to his season tally, and safety Roman Harper added another sack to his.
- Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny had 9 tackles and a sack. He's a good player, but he was over paid.
- Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert , the supposed best quarterback in the 2011 draft (according to almost all experts) was 16/42 for 196 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.
- Maurice Jones-Drew is perhaps the most under utilized asset in the NFL. 11 carries, 84 yards. Just 11 carries? Because Blaine Gabbert is the answer for the Jaguars right? Jesus.
- The Vikings didn't blow a half time lead for a change! But only because they didn't have one.
- Donovan McNabb completed just 18/30 passes and was picked off on a screen play. When you're struggling to get the ball to your back on a screen (tip; try not throwing the ball like a fucking rocket at a guy standing 8 yards away) then you know you have problems.
- Adrian Peterson had 80 yards on 23 carries. Many Vikings fans still wonder why he doesn't get more (which would you rather do, let Peterson carry another 15 times and not have McNabb throw it so much, or vice versa?)
- Jared Allen marked his return to Kansas with 2 sacks.
- Matt Cassel and Todd Haley got into it when Cassel chucked away a screen play that wasn't there. That's precisely the kind of heads up play that the Cowboys wish they could get out of Tony Romo.
- After me taking the piss out of Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe on Saturday, it was a 52 yard connection between them that won the game, though the Vikings crappy tackling played its part.
- On Saturday I said you'd have to be insane to take the 49ers over the Eagles. Looks like the nuts are poised to take over the nut house.
- Seriously Eagles? Seriously? To the 49ers? I know well enough how bad my team is, and you lost to us. Dream Team? Please. I didn't really buy the hype pre-season, but I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. As predicted, the Philadelphia press and fans are already in outrage. They kind of have a point. Kind of.
- Mike Vick was 30/46 for 416 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. He also had 8 carries for 75 yards on the ground. But guess what? The Eagles still suck in short yardage and red zone play. They were 5/13 (38%) on third down and 2/7 (28%) in the red zone. 2 of 7 in the red zone. That explains Vicks numbers but without the win. Like Cam Newton and the Panthers, the Eagles are great at hoofing the ball downfield but just can't find a way to convert big open field yardage into points. With the weapons the Eagles have available, that is pretty astounding.
- Jason Babin had three sacks for the Eagles D and made a case for his signing. The Eagles pass rush has looked much better this year.
- Nnamdi Asomugha looked nothing like a "shutdown corner". This is what I've been trying to say. I think the myth doesn't hold up to the hype.
- Alex Smith looked.... good? I had to check the sky and make sure the Moon wasn't falling on us, or that the Sun hadn't gone Super Nova. But no, everything in the heavens is fine. And yet Alex Smith managed to throw 21/33 for 291 yards and 2 touchdowns, without any interceptions. Some of the throws were pretty good. It's madness.
- Frank Gore rolled for 127 yards and a touchdown off just 15 carries. This seems to be the week for highly (over?) paid backs to find their feet and start putting up the yards again.
- Rookie Aldon Smith had another 1.5 sacks for the 49ers and corner Carlos Rogers got another interception.
- Weren't the Rams poised to have a great year this year? They just look hopeless. There's Steven Jackson the running back and then... nobody you can point to and say "that is a guy that will help this team win games,". They're just not getting it done anywhere on the field.
- Bradford was 20/43 for 164 yards and a touchdown. That's not great numbers given how much is being placed on his shoulders. His line giving up six sacks is not helping.
- On which note, credit to the Redskins defense which is basically keeping them in games right now. Rookie Ryan Kerrigan had a sack-forced fumble, defensive end Steven Bowen had 1.5 sacks, and linebacker Brian Orakpo had 2.5 sacks. They also held the Rams to just 45 net rushing yards.
- The Redskins won in spite of Rex Grossman, not because of him. 15/29, 143 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions.
- I've been harping on about Ryan Torain for a while now. He had 19 carries for 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble. He played with aggression, delivering hits on his tacklers and made good reads of his blocks.
- Osi Umenyiora marked his return to the Giants line up with two sacks. Dave Tollefson also had two for the Giants as they put away the Cardinals.
- As a 49er fan I could easily be accused of being biased about the "controversial" late call in the Giants/Arizona game, but frankly there is nothing controversial about it. In fact you have to try pretty bloody hard to come up with a scenario where it is controversial (more on this later).
- Kevin Kolb isn't bad, he's just not all that good right now. 20/34 for 237 yards and an interception wasn't enough to get his team over the hump. Larry Fitzgerald had 8 catches for 102 yards.
- Running back Chris "Beanie" Wells had another big game for the Cardinals. 27 carries, 138 yards, 3 touchdowns. But even that wasn't enough to stop the Cardinals slipping to 1-3.
- Eli Manning was actually the Giants saviour for a change. Write that down. That's not going to be a line you'll read very often, especially not on here. Eli was 27/40 for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
- Hakeem Nicks had a big day for the Giants, with 10 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. Victor Cruz also had another good week, with 6 catches for 98 yards.
- The Falcons started well, but it must have been troubling for Head Coach Mike Smith to watch as the Seahawks clawed their way back into it.
- Michael Turner had 26 carries for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. But 15 of those carries came in the first half, which the Falcons finished ahead 27-7. Only 11 carries in the second? What is it with NFL teams this season and their aversion to just sitting on a lead and running out the clock with their running game? As we'll see later, it worked for the Ravens (eventually).
- The Falcons defense produced no sacks, but they had 9 hits on Tavaris Jackson. The pressure was there.
- Matt Ryan was 28/42 for 291 yards and a touchdown, but still looked a little shaky at times. I'm just not sure how trustworthy the Falcons offense is right now.
- Tavaris Jackson recovered from early mistakes to finish 25/38 for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. But the two picks killed his team in an otherwise close game.
- The Packers annihilated the Broncos. Denver's secondary looked bad enough, but Phil Simms really summed it up when he said "you just can't let these guys run off the line of scrimmage free, everytime!". Exactly Phil, good point. I have no idea, no conception of why people seem so intent to let the Packers receivers have a free release every down. At least give your pass rush a chance for Gods sake.
- Broncos Rookie Von Miller did get home twice for the sack, but it was fighting an uphill battle.
- Aaron Rodgers was supreme on Sunday. 29/38 for 408 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception, plus two rushing touchdowns to help pile on the scores.
- Broncos fans started chanting for Tim Tebow again, after Kyle Orton threw three interceptions. In all fairness he also threw three touchdowns and 273 yards, but those turnovers (including a pick six to Charles Woodson) are always going to kill you against the Packers, especially when your defense is playing like it is.
- Lost in the midst's of an ugly defeat were the performances of Broncos running back Willis McGahee (15 carries for 103 yards) and receiver Brandon Lloyd (8 catches, 136 yards).
- Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop never gets any love, but the guy had 9 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in this one. Maybe one day he'll get his well deserved dues.
- You know you're good when you don't play all that well and still win comfortably. Just ask the Patriots, who beat the Raiders 31-19 despite Brady only completing 16/30 passes for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- A big chunk of the Patriots success was down to the running game. Stevan Ridley had 10 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis had 16 carries for 75 yards and another touchdown.
- Of course it also helps when the opposing team ignores your number one receiver. Wes Welker had 9 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. After all, it's not like anyone could predict before the game that Welker would be Brady's number one target... (Chad Ochocino had 2 catches for 26 yards, then five other players caught just one pass each. No, I'm not kidding, go check the numbers. That's how keyed in on Welker Brady is).
- Jason Campbell was 25/39 for 344 yards for the Raiders, with 1 touchdown and two interceptions. All that yardage with such little end production won't cut it, especially against a good team like the Patriots. The Raiders were 2/5 in the red zone.
- Like the Broncos loss, the Raiders loss over shadowed some good performances. Darius Heyward-Bey had four catches for 115 yards and Darren McFadden carried 14 times for 75 yards.
- Having completed 3/4 passes, Chad Henne tried to carry it himself after a botched play. He busted his shoulder for his troubles, prompting an appearance by Matt Moore (formerly of Carolina). I'll leave you to decided whether you think that was a blessing in disguise or not.
- Moore was 17/26 for 167 yards and a pick. Not bad, but a bit too much dink and dunk at times, when Miami really needed to be pushing the ball aggressively down field. Miami's running game didn't help, being flat as a pancake.
- Phillip Rivers was 21/31 for 307 yards but just the one touchdown. Some of his throws looked a little erratic at times and I'm beginning to wonder what happened after the smooth and by the numbers pre-season that he had.
- Ryan Matthews pitched in well again. He had 16 carries for 81 yards which is helping the Chargers offense to stay balanced and keep defenses a little more honest.
- The Chargers defense continues to be a blessing and a liability at the same time. They have a knack right now of making big plays when they need to, but sloppy play early on is making things tighter than they need to be for San Diego.
- If it came to light in the future that NBC was bribing teams to play like ass on Sunday Night Football, it wouldn't surprise me. SNF has been packed this season with games that just keep on giving in terms of excitement. And no Mike Florio, it has nothing to do with NBC's coverage, not unless you guys really are paying people off.
- I don't know what to make of the Ravens-Jets game. It was bizarro land all over again.
- Rookie center Colin Baxter stood in for the injured Nick Mangold and was getting all the shit for missed exchanges and shotgun snaps but personally, from what I saw, the blame is on Sanchez. He didn't set his hands properly on either of the mistakes. But I guess nobody would dare to blame Sanchez, or any quarterback for that matter, not when there is a perfectly good rookie lineman to blame.
- On that point, I thought Cris Collinsworth's usually really good analyses was off the mark on Sunday. He was heaping a lot of blame on Baxter for his blocking, but you can't physically block two people at once, which is what the Ravens were doing later on, piling the pressure up the middle.
- Mark Sanchez finished 11/35 and Joe Flacco was 10/31, but they weren't even that good. Roger Goodell must have been having fits of rage watching defenses putting on such an exciting game.
- Or at least it was until the Ravens finally decided to sit on their lead. But that didn't happen until the second half and not before the Ravens had given away 10 points in a desperate attempt to piss away their lead and let the Jets back into it. When they eventually considered that a hefty lead might warrant them running out the clock they hit the running game, which did the job nicely, at one point slicing over six minutes off the clock.
- Ray Rice ended the night with 25 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown, but it was the manner of his running that was important, as he clipped off five yard runs along with Ricky Williams (12 carries, 49 yards) to keep the clock and the chains moving.
- The Ravens defense were back to their best form in this one. The front seven was dominant.
- The Jets O-line was shit. D'Brickashaw Ferguson looked like the worst tackle on the field for a change.
- The story of 'Revis Island' unravelled a bit further. I've never really noticed it before but Revis only kept up with Torrey Smith by tugging the crap out of his jersey. I've since gone and watched a bunch more Revis plays and the story repeats itself. Revis basically gets away with defensive pass interference on every play.
- The Colts almost, almost, pulled it out of the bag on Monday Night. Raheem Morris had to be getting a bit of that squeaky bum syndrome watching as the Colts took the lead into half time and then managed to hang around until the end.
- Curtis Painter looked a little better than he usually does at 13/30 for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns, with no picks, but treat those numbers carefully. The Bucs defense and Pierre Garcon (2 catches, 146 yards, 2 touchdowns) did most of the work for him. The Colts O-line still looks like shit and Joseph Addai has regressed as a pass blocker.
- Josh Freeman did just enough tonight, finishing 25/39 for 287 yards and a touchdown (plus punching in one himself and picking up some key first downs with his feet) but he still looks suspect at times. Even with all the young talent they have on offense, they still look like they're just putting everything together and finding a path. Next years draft will be critical to this team.
- LaGarrette Blount carried 25 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. And credit to the Buc's; as they got down near the red zone they handed it to Blount who ran in the game winning touchdown from 35 yards. That's called trusting your best players to make the big plays. Pay attention Minnesota. And Baltimore. And Kansas. And... we could be here all night.
- Was I the only one who got a kick out of watching Josh Johnson running a counter into an option play on fourth down?
- Colts linebacker Kavell Connor earned his money this week with 14 tackles! Defensive End Jerry Hughes also popped up, finally getting a sack. Freeney and Mathis were good, but didn't have their normal impact.
- The Buc's D snagged four sacks, including one for Gerald McCoy, one for rookie Adrian Clayborn and two for Michael Bennett. Overall though the Buc's still looked suspect, especially their tackling.
And so with all that done and all the games covered in week 4, this post is nearly at an end. Before I go, just time to gripe about the weeks officiating/general state of rules and officiating in the NFL.
Bad Officiating
- The fucking tuck rule strikes again! Andy Dalton was sacked and fumbled. Yes, he did, he fumbled the ball. The tuck rule is such a bucket full of shit, yet every year we wait for the competition committee to dump it and yet every year they ignore it and the fans, favouring instead to increase the amount of protection their precious quarterbacks receive.
- In the same game as above, a perfectly legitimate catch by Steve Johnson was ruled out because of the fucking retarded rules about maintaining possession of the football through the act of going to the ground or whatever the hell it is now. It's just dumb. That was a catch. It was a catch. Every football fan on the planet would agree. But no, not under the new rule system, where referees seem to have more power than the President of the USA, and we spend more time watching fucking replays than we do watching the game.
- Nice to see the Titans picking up a touchdown on a pretty blatant rub/pick route. I keep harping on about this, but the simple fact is these plays are supposed to be illegal. It's supposed to be called as offensive pass interference. There's also supposed to be one official watching each of the receivers, yet they never seem to see it. The only reason I get so annoyed is because if defense's cause interference, they will normally get flagged (more on this later). When the offense does it though, none of the officials seem to care and it's a case of blatant bias in favour of "sexy" offensive football. Drives me fucking nuts.
- The roughing the passer call on Ndamukong Suh was ridiculous. You want players to try, you want players to compete, but then calls like that basically tell defensive guys not to bother. It's pathetic.
- The Texans blocked a field goal and ran it back for a score, only to have it wiped out by a stupid block in the back penalty. Two things about that annoy me; 1) it was more a block in the side than the back. 2) blocks in the back are the stupidest fucking penalties in all of football. There is no way in hell a great defensive play like the one the Texans made should be pulled back because somebody got nudged a little from behind. A fucking joke.
- Jonathan Joseph was the guy who returned the above play for a touchdown only to see it wiped out. He had a Deja vu moment later on, when his interception return for a touchdown was also called back, this time because of a roughing the passer penalty. Basically Texans linemen J.J. Watt tried to dive to sack Roethlisberger, but Big Ben had already thrown the ball and when Watt made contact milliseconds later, he was flagged for the hit, which was about knee height. Thus a perfectly legitimate interception was called back for no justifiable reason. If you really must make that a penalty (and 15 yards at that), then apply it to the next play. Don't ruin a good interception return over a penalty that had no effect on the eventual outcome of the play.
- On a day full of shitty officiating and league intrusion on the fluid game of football, the one play that drew the most attention in the media is the one play that should be without any controversy. It's the play from the Giants-Cardinals game, where Victor Cruz went to ground and let go of the ball, which was then picked up Arizona. The refs ruled that he gave himself up and refused to allow Ken Whisenhunt to challenge (challenge not permitted on that play). And personally I don't understand why everyone is getting their panties all bunched up. Cruz was clearly touched, then either stumbled or slipped to the ground (both knees and elbows were down). Once there, he stayed down and let get of the ball, making no attempt to stand up and run with it. There is no way anyone watching that could seriously contest that he did anything other than give himself up. Yet that is the major officiating controversy of Sunday? Give me a fucking break.
- As mentioned earlier, something needs to be done about Darrelle Revis. When facing Torrey Smith man-to-man on Sunday Night he pulled Smith's jersey about four separate times and then pinned his hands down just for good measure. If this was any other receiver who didn't have a big name attached, there would be yellow laundry flying in all directions. I'm in favour of giving defenses more of a chance to actually play in games, as opposed to just being spectators, but there is a line to that. Revis steps across the line, then puts his hands on it to stop it moving just for good measure. The league really needs to address this. When they do, expect to see "Revis Island" invaded on a weekly basis.
- The biggest bug I have is the constant reviewing of scoring plays. It's really getting on my nerves. Just give the coaches the challenge flag and lets get on with it. And this really sums the modern NFL up for me. Everything is so petty now. If a guys toe so much as brushes a white painted blade of grass he's ruled out of bounds. Everything is scrutinised to a ridiculous level and great plays on all sides of the ball are wiped out by nit picking rulings. I understand that sometimes it's gutting when your team comes out on the bad side of certain rulings, but usually these things balance themselves out. The increased flow of the game due to less administrative officiating would more than make up for it. And put a cap on the amount of time that can be used for a replay, say no more than 60 seconds? And why does the head official have to see it? Just let the booth guy do it and buzz down the result, like they do in many sports here in the UK (Tennis, Rugby League, Cricket). That way you get your replay review, but it also gets done in a matter of seconds (normally sub 30 seconds).
Why is all this important? Because I went looking at the United Football Leagues Internet homepage.
That's not a good sign. Usually that means you're reaching the tipping point, where people have actually had enough of your bullshit and are taking steps to rectify their displeasure by looking elsewhere. Luckily for the NFL, the UFL doesn't have a TV deal and isn't smart enough to post game highlights on its webpage. If it did, it might actually start getting some attention.
At first you'd expect people to watch both, something which the UFL is keen to try and do by scheduling its games so they don't conflict with the NFL. But eventually they're going to be looking to take away the viewers. If they could just put up a few more franchises (they have four active) they might just start doing that.
It sounds a little silly now, and how often have we heard of rival leagues starting up and closing down, but I don't think the NFL realises how much danger start up leagues pose to them right now, which is precisely the conditions needed for a business to suddenly find itself in the shit. Attendances are already down around the league and people are getting fed up with the splurge of new rules, fines and the general, what people seem to call, "wussification of football" (I believe part of the wider "wussification of America" theme that's kicking around).
A league that is just six teams strong could theoretically put together an eleven week schedule, with teams playing each other both home and away for a total of ten games and with a league wide bye week in week six. If costs could be kept down, heavily capping player salaries, while perhaps making it a regional league to start with, either in the North (Illinois/Michigan/Pennslyvania/New York/Connecticut) or maybe the South (Texas/Alabama/Georgia/Kentucky/Nebraska/Florida) then there is a good chance you could get a league up and running and keep it going.
There are plenty of kids who leave College football and don't get drafted or who get cut from pro teams who have more than enough skill to at least put on a semi-decent game (safety Mark Legree was cut by the Seahawks but trust me, that kid can ball), plus the "3 and out" (years, not downs) guys from pro teams who would love to get another shot at football.
If it was me I'd have a league wide fixed cost for all players (based somewhat on position but kept relatively close) plus an additional capped pool of money that each team could spend to boost the contracts of certain guys at their discretion.
As long as it was set up right, the website was used to its maximum advantage (the Internet is the future, as some guy said about ten years ago. He was right) to get highlights and information out to people, then I think the NFL could have a challenge on its hands.
I'm not saying it would be easy or that the NFL would melt down over night, but the fact is the NFL survives and is as successful as it is only because of it's dominant position. With College football where it is right now in terms of popularity, I'm not sure the NFL would survive a head to head battle against it.
And if the NFL keeps going the way it is, a half decent, small professional league could probably do the unthinkable and actually start to challenge the big boys for viewers.
In time....
You can e-mail me and tell me to shut the fuck up at this address; keepingthechainsmoving@live.co.uk
Sunday, October 02, 2011
2011 week 4 picks
It's time for the weekly duck shoot that is my picks. Almost forgot to post them.
Before we get to that though, we spare a moment to remember offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. Mike died on Friday, aged 58, after battling valiantly against Cancer. Mike had previously coached with College teams such as Florida, Air Force Academy, North Texas State, Cal State Fullerton, Duke and Rice, before moving on to the NFL where his career encompassed work with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and most recently the Tennessee Titans. He is survived by his wife Kathie and his two children - Brian and Alicia. My thoughts go out to them at this tough time and I also remind everyone of the great work that is being done around the world everyday by various Cancer charities to try and beat cancer, with more promising results appearing by the month. So if you have a few spare bucks, those guys could really use the help.
Ok. On with the picks;
Panthers @ Bears
Yeah, yeah, Cam Newton is great. Cam Newton is wonderful. Or so we're told. Two questions - 1) how well will the Panthers O-line stand up to the Bears pass rush? 2) Can the Bears get something going offensively against a far from great secondary? The answers I don't know, nor will we know till Sunday afternoon. At a guess though I'd say the Bears front seven will cause Cam some discomfort and the Bears offense will see a slight improvement against a weak Panthers D. Bears win.
Bills @ Bengals
I think this is a little harder to pick than it looks on paper. I say this because the Bengals do still have a pass rush that could disrupt the Bills offense. It is - however - a long shot. Don't forget that the Bills defense picked off Tom Brady four times last week. Let me just reiterate that; Tom Brady. Four times. On that note, I think Andy Dalton is facing an uphill struggle. Bills win.
Titans @ Browns
Credit where it is due, the Browns have been trying. Colt McCoy is starting to develop a bit of chemistry with his receivers now and the defense is looking on the up. Unfortunately for them, so are the Titans. On a weekend that will no doubt be emotive for many on the Tennessee sideline, the Titans look to be the favourites to win this one. Titans win.
Lions @ Cowboys
Somehow, though I'm not really sure how they've done it, the Cowboys are winning games. I mean it beggars belief. Half the time they can't even seem to snap the damn ball properly, yet they still manage to beat teams that in all probability should be putting them away. Could the Lions be the next team to fall prey to the Cowboys incompetent brilliance? Erm, I dunno. Yes, yes, Calvin Johnson is great. But the Cowboys have a pass rush easily the equal of the Vikings from a week before, along with a better secondary to shut down Johnson. If the Cowboys O-line can avoid self destructing for four quarters, then I actually favour the Cowboys. Cowboys win.
Steelers @ Texans
A year ago I'd have just typed "Steelers win" and left it at that. This year... I'm not that sure. The Texans are much better than they were a year ago. Their defense is showing signs of life. Their offense can still roll just as well as it did last year. Which is more than we can say for the Steelers. Their D is good, sure. But their offensive line is hideous. Just... vomit inducing bad. I'm not sure whether losing the worst offender - Guard Doug Legursky - to injury will make them worse or actually a bit better. Alls I know is this; The Steelers look inept right now. I'm going to have to favour the high scoring Texans. Texans win.
Saints @ Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert versus that Gregg Williams coordinated Saints D. Drew Brees versus that terrible Jaguars D. This one could get very ugly, very quick. Saints win.
Vikings @ Chiefs
This is the first real deciding clash in what has come to be known as the "Luck sweepstakes" or "Suck for Luck", depending on your preference (I think the second one is a little catchier). Not that the Vikings really need to try, as I think they picked up the best quarterback in this years draft with Christian Ponder. And frankly, I know the Vikings have struggled in the second half of games this year, but this isn't the Chargers, Buccaneers or Lions they're playing. This is the Chiefs. The Lions had Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. The Chiefs have Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. I think the Vikings can buck the trend this week. Vikings win.
49ers @ Eagles
A lot of people seem to be riding the 49ers for the win right now. Honestly I don't understand why, and remember that I'm a 49ers fan. I'm a 49er fanboy and even I'm not that optimistic. Everyone is wetting themselves over the performance of the 49ers D so far, but that has been against the offensive juggernauts that are the Tavaris Jackson lead Seahawks, the Andy Dalton lead Bengals, and the Cowboys who were missing Tony Romo for a decent chunk of the game. You would have to be clinically insane to take the 49ers over the Eagles in this one. Short of a miracle performance (fingers crossed), then the "Dream Team" walks this. Eagles win.
Redskins @ Rams
Two teams who are tough to make out right now. The Redskins have played really well on defense, not so much on offense. The Rams have... sucked. In every aspect. That's why I have to side with Washington, even if I'm not leaping out of my chair with excitement for that pick. The Redskins pass rush is just too good for the Rams O-line, and on paper at least they look much better on offense too. Redskins win.
Giants @ Cardinals
I want you to just digest something for a second; the Cardinals scraped a win over the Panthers, lost to the Redskins, and then lost to the Seahawks. The Seahawks. How can anyone take this team seriously? How has Ken Whisenhunt not just sunk into a deep depression already? How can Giants fans justify to their families spending money in these tough economic times to go and watch a Cardinals game? All good questions and all slightly irrelevant. Giants win.
Falcons @ Seahawks
So how bad are the Falcons O-line? We'll find out when they play the Seahawks. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner must have been licking their chops pre-season when they saw this match up on offer. That's before they realised their offensive line was weaker than a wet sheet of toilet tissue and just as much use. Though in all fairness, they're up against the Seahawks, so two scores should probably see them home. Falcons win.
Broncos @ Packers
Kyle Orton returns to Lambeau field, this time with the Broncos. That means that he has arguably better receivers and a worse run game than he did when he was a Bear. And that's really not saying a lot. I just can't look past Green Bay. They haven't been as explosive on defense this year, mainly because people seem to be clamping down on Clay Matthews, but then the Packers offense should be more than enough to handle a Broncos D that has failed to capture the promising form that it showed in the pre-season. Packers win.
Patriots @ Raiders
It never crossed my mind prior to the season that I might be looking at this game and calling it a marquee match up. The Raiders? A team to watch? What has happened to the world? Well it's true. Head Coach Hue Jackson is a little too smug about it all for my liking, kind of claiming credit for all the work done by Tom Cable with the offensive line last year, but there you go. This is also an interesting battle because it pits the run heavy Raiders against the pass happy Patriots. Now I'm a run loving kind of guy, when it's done properly, but that's not why I'm taking the Raiders. I think the Raiders have the pass coverage to lock out Welker and Gronkowski, as well as the pass rush to get after Brady. I'm not sure if the reverse is true about the Patriots shutting down Denarius Moore and getting after Jason Campbell. Raiders win.
Dolphins @ Chargers
A year ago I would have been real interested in this game. Right now it makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I don't know what happened to the real Phillip Rivers, but the doppelganger that is out their right now masquerading as him has blown its cover with some horrible performances of late. Funnily enough, Cameron Wake's doppelganger is having the same problem for the Dolphins. These two teams just can't seem to get going. They played so well last year, at least in certain phases of the game, but right now they're both stinking it up. On balance I think the Chargers are stinking it up slightly less. Chargers win.
Jets @ Ravens
The fact is right now that the Jets are playing some great football at times and yet still losing. Revis is playing solid. Cromartie is playing solid. Dustin Keller is playing well at tight end. Plaxico Burress, much to my great surprise, has been a revelation for the Jets. Bart Scott is having a strong season. LaDanian Tomlinson is still making a big impact in the passing game at the ripe old age of 32, which in running back years is about 350, give or take a decade. Despite all this though, weak links keep letting the Jets down. Other than Scott, that defense lacks venom up front. Sanchez is still only flashing his potential, not living up to it. The running game has gone flat. The Ravens meanwhile are hot(ish) this year. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed can still go, Haloti Ngata is a dominant force, Flacco is somehow managing to play well, Ray Rice is Ray Rice, and Torrey Smith has just introduced himself to the league. I think the Ravens have more going for them right now. Ravens win.
Colts @ Buccaneers
I bet before the Peyton Manning injury became headline news, ESPN was rubbing its hands in glee at this one. Manning versus Freeman. The consummate veterans against the upstart youngsters. Now it just looks like a cake walk. The Colts are horrible. Even when their defense does make plays, unless they can run the interceptions or fumble recoveries back for touchdowns, then they get no points because out of it because the offense is so weak. Its simply a case of delaying the inevitable. Personally I think the Buccaneers may struggle a little offensively, but defensively they should rip the Colts to shreds. Like the Steelers/Colts game from last week, the scoreline could still be tight, but I have little doubt as to who will win this one. Buccaneers win.
Are we really a quarter way through the regular season already? Damn.
Before we get to that though, we spare a moment to remember offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. Mike died on Friday, aged 58, after battling valiantly against Cancer. Mike had previously coached with College teams such as Florida, Air Force Academy, North Texas State, Cal State Fullerton, Duke and Rice, before moving on to the NFL where his career encompassed work with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and most recently the Tennessee Titans. He is survived by his wife Kathie and his two children - Brian and Alicia. My thoughts go out to them at this tough time and I also remind everyone of the great work that is being done around the world everyday by various Cancer charities to try and beat cancer, with more promising results appearing by the month. So if you have a few spare bucks, those guys could really use the help.
Ok. On with the picks;
Panthers @ Bears
Yeah, yeah, Cam Newton is great. Cam Newton is wonderful. Or so we're told. Two questions - 1) how well will the Panthers O-line stand up to the Bears pass rush? 2) Can the Bears get something going offensively against a far from great secondary? The answers I don't know, nor will we know till Sunday afternoon. At a guess though I'd say the Bears front seven will cause Cam some discomfort and the Bears offense will see a slight improvement against a weak Panthers D. Bears win.
Bills @ Bengals
I think this is a little harder to pick than it looks on paper. I say this because the Bengals do still have a pass rush that could disrupt the Bills offense. It is - however - a long shot. Don't forget that the Bills defense picked off Tom Brady four times last week. Let me just reiterate that; Tom Brady. Four times. On that note, I think Andy Dalton is facing an uphill struggle. Bills win.
Titans @ Browns
Credit where it is due, the Browns have been trying. Colt McCoy is starting to develop a bit of chemistry with his receivers now and the defense is looking on the up. Unfortunately for them, so are the Titans. On a weekend that will no doubt be emotive for many on the Tennessee sideline, the Titans look to be the favourites to win this one. Titans win.
Lions @ Cowboys
Somehow, though I'm not really sure how they've done it, the Cowboys are winning games. I mean it beggars belief. Half the time they can't even seem to snap the damn ball properly, yet they still manage to beat teams that in all probability should be putting them away. Could the Lions be the next team to fall prey to the Cowboys incompetent brilliance? Erm, I dunno. Yes, yes, Calvin Johnson is great. But the Cowboys have a pass rush easily the equal of the Vikings from a week before, along with a better secondary to shut down Johnson. If the Cowboys O-line can avoid self destructing for four quarters, then I actually favour the Cowboys. Cowboys win.
Steelers @ Texans
A year ago I'd have just typed "Steelers win" and left it at that. This year... I'm not that sure. The Texans are much better than they were a year ago. Their defense is showing signs of life. Their offense can still roll just as well as it did last year. Which is more than we can say for the Steelers. Their D is good, sure. But their offensive line is hideous. Just... vomit inducing bad. I'm not sure whether losing the worst offender - Guard Doug Legursky - to injury will make them worse or actually a bit better. Alls I know is this; The Steelers look inept right now. I'm going to have to favour the high scoring Texans. Texans win.
Saints @ Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert versus that Gregg Williams coordinated Saints D. Drew Brees versus that terrible Jaguars D. This one could get very ugly, very quick. Saints win.
Vikings @ Chiefs
This is the first real deciding clash in what has come to be known as the "Luck sweepstakes" or "Suck for Luck", depending on your preference (I think the second one is a little catchier). Not that the Vikings really need to try, as I think they picked up the best quarterback in this years draft with Christian Ponder. And frankly, I know the Vikings have struggled in the second half of games this year, but this isn't the Chargers, Buccaneers or Lions they're playing. This is the Chiefs. The Lions had Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. The Chiefs have Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe. I think the Vikings can buck the trend this week. Vikings win.
49ers @ Eagles
A lot of people seem to be riding the 49ers for the win right now. Honestly I don't understand why, and remember that I'm a 49ers fan. I'm a 49er fanboy and even I'm not that optimistic. Everyone is wetting themselves over the performance of the 49ers D so far, but that has been against the offensive juggernauts that are the Tavaris Jackson lead Seahawks, the Andy Dalton lead Bengals, and the Cowboys who were missing Tony Romo for a decent chunk of the game. You would have to be clinically insane to take the 49ers over the Eagles in this one. Short of a miracle performance (fingers crossed), then the "Dream Team" walks this. Eagles win.
Redskins @ Rams
Two teams who are tough to make out right now. The Redskins have played really well on defense, not so much on offense. The Rams have... sucked. In every aspect. That's why I have to side with Washington, even if I'm not leaping out of my chair with excitement for that pick. The Redskins pass rush is just too good for the Rams O-line, and on paper at least they look much better on offense too. Redskins win.
Giants @ Cardinals
I want you to just digest something for a second; the Cardinals scraped a win over the Panthers, lost to the Redskins, and then lost to the Seahawks. The Seahawks. How can anyone take this team seriously? How has Ken Whisenhunt not just sunk into a deep depression already? How can Giants fans justify to their families spending money in these tough economic times to go and watch a Cardinals game? All good questions and all slightly irrelevant. Giants win.
Falcons @ Seahawks
So how bad are the Falcons O-line? We'll find out when they play the Seahawks. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner must have been licking their chops pre-season when they saw this match up on offer. That's before they realised their offensive line was weaker than a wet sheet of toilet tissue and just as much use. Though in all fairness, they're up against the Seahawks, so two scores should probably see them home. Falcons win.
Broncos @ Packers
Kyle Orton returns to Lambeau field, this time with the Broncos. That means that he has arguably better receivers and a worse run game than he did when he was a Bear. And that's really not saying a lot. I just can't look past Green Bay. They haven't been as explosive on defense this year, mainly because people seem to be clamping down on Clay Matthews, but then the Packers offense should be more than enough to handle a Broncos D that has failed to capture the promising form that it showed in the pre-season. Packers win.
Patriots @ Raiders
It never crossed my mind prior to the season that I might be looking at this game and calling it a marquee match up. The Raiders? A team to watch? What has happened to the world? Well it's true. Head Coach Hue Jackson is a little too smug about it all for my liking, kind of claiming credit for all the work done by Tom Cable with the offensive line last year, but there you go. This is also an interesting battle because it pits the run heavy Raiders against the pass happy Patriots. Now I'm a run loving kind of guy, when it's done properly, but that's not why I'm taking the Raiders. I think the Raiders have the pass coverage to lock out Welker and Gronkowski, as well as the pass rush to get after Brady. I'm not sure if the reverse is true about the Patriots shutting down Denarius Moore and getting after Jason Campbell. Raiders win.
Dolphins @ Chargers
A year ago I would have been real interested in this game. Right now it makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I don't know what happened to the real Phillip Rivers, but the doppelganger that is out their right now masquerading as him has blown its cover with some horrible performances of late. Funnily enough, Cameron Wake's doppelganger is having the same problem for the Dolphins. These two teams just can't seem to get going. They played so well last year, at least in certain phases of the game, but right now they're both stinking it up. On balance I think the Chargers are stinking it up slightly less. Chargers win.
Jets @ Ravens
The fact is right now that the Jets are playing some great football at times and yet still losing. Revis is playing solid. Cromartie is playing solid. Dustin Keller is playing well at tight end. Plaxico Burress, much to my great surprise, has been a revelation for the Jets. Bart Scott is having a strong season. LaDanian Tomlinson is still making a big impact in the passing game at the ripe old age of 32, which in running back years is about 350, give or take a decade. Despite all this though, weak links keep letting the Jets down. Other than Scott, that defense lacks venom up front. Sanchez is still only flashing his potential, not living up to it. The running game has gone flat. The Ravens meanwhile are hot(ish) this year. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed can still go, Haloti Ngata is a dominant force, Flacco is somehow managing to play well, Ray Rice is Ray Rice, and Torrey Smith has just introduced himself to the league. I think the Ravens have more going for them right now. Ravens win.
Colts @ Buccaneers
I bet before the Peyton Manning injury became headline news, ESPN was rubbing its hands in glee at this one. Manning versus Freeman. The consummate veterans against the upstart youngsters. Now it just looks like a cake walk. The Colts are horrible. Even when their defense does make plays, unless they can run the interceptions or fumble recoveries back for touchdowns, then they get no points because out of it because the offense is so weak. Its simply a case of delaying the inevitable. Personally I think the Buccaneers may struggle a little offensively, but defensively they should rip the Colts to shreds. Like the Steelers/Colts game from last week, the scoreline could still be tight, but I have little doubt as to who will win this one. Buccaneers win.
Are we really a quarter way through the regular season already? Damn.
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