Checking Down:
-NE made a statement….that Pittsburgh can be beaten when they don’t have a LT or Aaron Smith
-ATL and BAL both impressed me, and it was a game where someone had to lose but both won in the long run. Baltimore came out much better than Pittsburgh this weekend
-Congrats Buffalo, you got one. You might only get that one, so enjoy it. Detroit would have won that game by 14 if they had Stafford healthy
-Say what you want about Chicago being the worst 6-3 team in history (they might be), but they find ways to win games, and Cutler looks good when protected. If they draft/sign some good O-Lineman and a good WR next year (Vincent Jackson?), this could be a good team next.
-That being said, I am praying the Bears get in the playoffs so I can pick against them first round
-Childress firing in 5,4,3,2….
-The Jets deserve to be about 5-3-1, winning maybe 1 out of 3 of their fluke games and getting a tie in another. I still think Sanchez will self destruct in the playoffs despite their inflated win total
-Houston, that was tough. KNOCK THE BALL DOWN!
-Carolina, wow
-Tampa Bay made a great case for a being a good but not great team. They are doing the “beat the bad teams” thing, but not rising up against tough teams. This team will benefit from a playoff experience and be a force next year
-Indy is getting it done and will be there in the end, but if they are on the road at Baltimore, Pitt, or New England in the playoffs in winter, it could be bad. Actually, we are getting a preview of that next week….
-Denver erupted, but it was just Kansas City unable to keep pace. This is why the Chiefs are going to top out at about 9 wins, and need to be more dynamic. However, Denver was due for a big week. They are going to wish they saved some energy when San Diego creams them next week.
-Seattle/Arizona….eh, meh
-The Giants got “CLE-NE”d, it was their trap game to a close foe, and that was it. However, I would take ATL/NO over them in the playoffs because this tremendous tendency to self destruct and look terrible
-And Vick scores again……and his salary goes up to 12 million a year next year….
-Sam Bradford proves, in a loss, how he is going to be awesome. Seriously, 12 of 42 passes hit the ground, with those receivers. STL must be doing back flips
-Troy Smith should remain the QB for San Fran until further notice….don’t worry Mike Singletary, I’ll tell you when to switch
Going Long:
-MIA winning despite their QB losses was admirable. Thigpen isn’t terrible, but this win was a more a statement of how Tennessee isn’t quite there yet. I don’t see enough to make them a true contender or even challenge a flawed and hurt Indianapolis for the division crown.
You know, Tennessee is pretty consistency a decent or better team but only has one Super Bowl appearance and 0 wins in the Jeff Fisher Era. This is because the team is tough on Defense, has good O-Line play, and good running. However, the quick, athletic QB does not win the big game. The field general does. Brady/Manning/Manning/Brees and Roeslithberger have won the Super Bowls this decade, and what is the correlation there? Good passing in the two minute drill and great WR play. Tennessee can get 10 wins on toughness, but not win the big game.
-Donovan McNabb confuses me.
Physically, he looks good. He is big, strong, and still really mobile. For 33, he looks pretty good in terms of energy and youthfulness. However, his numbers have never been awesome, especially because he never finishes complete seasons. And yet, because he is on year 13, he has a good chance to end up in the high echelon passing charts. He has gone to 4 Conference title games and over a decade of playoffs, but never won the Super Bowl. So, he’s Jim Kelly? You know, Andy Reid’s success with Kolb and Vick (and to a lesser degree with Feely, Detmer, Garcia, etc), leads me to believe while Donovan was good, Reid made him much better, as did the system they run.
So, Donovan got benched last week. They gave up a second round pick, have no real second QB (Rex Grossman, don’t get me started), and then benched him when they needed him most. Was he slow in the 2 minute drill? Yes, he was. But, he still gives them the best chance to win by my examination. So, he plays for this season. But, he is only going to get older and slower next year (as will Shanny, by the way). So, why ink him to a 5 year 78 million dollars extension? I understand that if he is cut before next year he only gets 4 million, but that 4 million is wasted money even by itself. They will probably end up playing him in 2011 due to lack of options, really figure out they are screwed, and then regret the 40 million guaranteed they gave him.
Wait, and why are the Washington Redskins unsuccessful every year again?
BLISS
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