QUARTERBACK REVIEW & PRO WRAP-UP
A quarterback review has to start with Brett Favre's performance in his return to Lambeau Field. The Vikings won yesterday 38-26 & coupled with their Monday night win last month, it's easy to see the disparity in the 2 teams. Favre played lights out for the 2nd time against his old team. In those 2 games he threw 7 touchdown passes without an interception, giving him 16 for the season against only 3 picks. No doubt this is the best offensive line he's ever played behind & Adrian Peterson is the finest back he's shared the backfield with and this defense might be slightly better than the '96 Packer D. But the biggest difference is the receiving corps. The Viking group in no way compares with the '96 Super Bowl winners. Don Beebe, Robert Brooks, Antonio Freeman, Desmond Howard, Andre Rison, Mark Chmura & Keith Jackson are far superior to the group Favre has now. So I guess what I'm saying is Favre is playing brilliantly, right now they're the 2nd best team in the NFC, behind only New Orleans. These 2 don't play during the regular season & with only a trip to Arizona & a season ending home game against the Giants, if the key people stay healthy, the Vikings could be looking at 14 wins. I think the Saints could win 14 or 15 under the same circumstances. I've never seen this level of play by a quarterback this age, it's been amazing.
I think the plantar faciaitis Eli Manning suffered in his trip to Arrowhead a month ago, is hurting his performance. When a quarterback injures his plant foot, the ball tends to sail on him. Manning has thrown 7 interceptions in the last 3 games plus he's not moving laterally in the pocket as well, hard to push off on the injured foot. The Giants were my Super Bowl pick, but with their difficult schedule, I question whether they make the playoffs. Looks like a 4-team race for the wild card with Dallas, Atlanta, Green Bay & the Giants. They need to win this Sunday in their home game with San Diego & then hope manning's foot heals sufficiently over their bye week. Without him at full strength, the G-men have no shot.
The last 3 games that have gone so poorly for the Eli Manning have been just the opposite for Dallas' Tony Romo. Romo has tossed 7 touchdowns with no picks in the same 3-game span. The emergence of WR Myles Austin has been huge, but even the so far disappointing Roy Williams has gotten involved. With Jason Witten, Romo's favorite receiver, if the offensive line gives him time, the Cowboys may make a playoff run. Their trip to Philadelphia next Sunday night is huge.
Arizona's Kurt Warner played so well vs. Houston, Seattle & the Giants before laying a giant egg yesterday against Carolina. His receivers didn't help much yesterday, but he looked pretty sad overall. They should still be able to win this division now that the Seahawks are crippled with injuries, but Warner can't have these lapses every few weeks like he had yesterday. Carolina exorcised the demons from their humiliating 33-13 defeat at home to Arizona in the playoffs. They ran over, around & thru an Cardinal defense that had previously been almost impregnable on the ground.
Speaking of demons, Vince Young returned as Tennessee's starting quarterback yesterday against Jacksonville. The Titans won 30-13 & Young looked pretty good after not playing in a regular season game since early in the '08 season when he benched himself. His teammates felt as tho he had bailed on them & it was interesting to watch them slowly warmup to him as the game progressed. RB Chris Johnson had a monster day rushing for 228 yards, but before you attribute the Titan win to his performance alone, remember he has been the starter all season & had two 175+-yard games while Kerry Collins was still the starting QB. Young was 15 of 18 for 125 yards & 1 touchdown. I expect him to start the rest of the season in an effort to evaluate his status with the team. The Titans will owe Young a $4.2 million roster bonus in March if he's still with the team.
Oakland's JaMarcus Russell continues to disappoint in every aspect of the game, but he doesn't think so "I think I played pretty good out there today". Really??? Is 14 of 22 for 109 yards, an interception & a lost fumble "pretty good"? Is losing your 13th straight game to the Chargers progress? Is not gaining more than 200 total yards in a game for the 5th time this season "pretty good"? JaMarcus needs a reality check, his performance as the Raiders starting quarterback is laughable, but sadly the joke's on Raider fans. The fans that dress up like it's Halloween every Sunday hoping this is the Sunday our quarterback shows us he's worth being the 1st overall pick 3 years ago. For those still clinging to this dream, that what it is a dream, or a nightmare. This kid will never be an NFL quality starting quarterback, never.
And when will the Browns admit quarterback Derek Anderson's 2007 season was a total fluke? Anderson continues to stink up Cleveland, he was 6 of 17 yesterday for 76 yards, 2 interceptions & a fumble. I won't be surprised to see them jettison both Anderson & Brady Quinn in the off-season.
The Chargers just released WR Chris Chambers, I figure Todd Haley will want a look by tomorrow afternoon. Chambers hadn't been very productive this season, catching only 7 passes & 1 touchdown. One real key injury yesterday was Houston TE Owen Daniels who suffered a torn ACL & will be lost for the season. After WR Andre Johnson, Daniels was QB Matt Schaub's favorite target, it's a major loss for the Texans. The other injury of note occurred this week in practice when New Orleans' defensive tackle, Sedrick Ellis, sprained his MCL. He has been a force in the Saints' improved run defense as well as getting a push up the middle in his pass rush. Atlanta has had trouble running Michael Turner between the tackles, let's see how well the middle of the New Orleans defense holds up tonight.
I mentioned yesterday the total disdain Jets coach Rex Ryan has for the Miami Dolphins. After yesterday's 30-25 loss at home to the 'Phish, he's fuming even more. Inside linebacker Bart Scott joined in his coach's bitter whining after the game saying "Miami is a great team, they have a great offensive line, they have an all-pro quarterback, they have a great tight end, they have great receivers, they'll go to the Super Bowl no doubt". The Jets held the punchless Dolphins to 104 yards of total offense yesterday. I guess Ryan & Scott haven't heard the old saying "there are 3 phases to every game, offense, defense & special teams". It's the last 2 that beat the Jets. Jason Taylor picked up a Shonn Greene fumble & ran it back 48-yards for a touchdown. Ted Ginn Jr. returned not 1, but 2 kickoffs 100-yards for touchdowns. After the first one, maybe kicking away from Ginn would've been a smart move 'eh Rex? You gave the Dolphins no credit for beating you last month, you took all the blame. You ought to shoulder the blame for allowing someone to bring 2 kickoffs back in the same quarter.
The no-longer undefeated Denver Broncos looked pretty ordinary yesterday in their 30-7 loss in Baltimore. I still think they can win the AFC West, but just barely. How they respond to Pittsburgh's visit next Monday night will tell you a lot about their chances to take the West. Speaking of Baltimore, how good does their '08 draft look right now? QB Joe Flacco & RB Ray Rice with their first 2 picks. Should be a tandem they can depend on for many years to come.
I'm going to pile on the Raiders again, it's pretty easy to do. Their #1 pick, WR Darius Heyward-Bey, is still sitting on 4 receptions for 64 yards, starting every game for Oakland. The other 5 wide receivers taken after DHB in the 1st round have done slightly better. Jeremy Maclin has scored 3 touchdowns, Percy Harvin & Hakeem Nicks 4 each. Tennessee's Kenny Britt has snagged 20 passes good for 296 yards & Michael Crabtree, a 4-month holdout who missed all of training camp & Frisco's first 5 games, has caught 11 passes good for 137 yards in his 2 appearances this year. Almost every scout & draft pundit figured DHB as the 6th or 7th best receiver in last April's draft. But the Raiders knew better, yeah, sure they did.
I think the plantar faciaitis Eli Manning suffered in his trip to Arrowhead a month ago, is hurting his performance. When a quarterback injures his plant foot, the ball tends to sail on him. Manning has thrown 7 interceptions in the last 3 games plus he's not moving laterally in the pocket as well, hard to push off on the injured foot. The Giants were my Super Bowl pick, but with their difficult schedule, I question whether they make the playoffs. Looks like a 4-team race for the wild card with Dallas, Atlanta, Green Bay & the Giants. They need to win this Sunday in their home game with San Diego & then hope manning's foot heals sufficiently over their bye week. Without him at full strength, the G-men have no shot.
The last 3 games that have gone so poorly for the Eli Manning have been just the opposite for Dallas' Tony Romo. Romo has tossed 7 touchdowns with no picks in the same 3-game span. The emergence of WR Myles Austin has been huge, but even the so far disappointing Roy Williams has gotten involved. With Jason Witten, Romo's favorite receiver, if the offensive line gives him time, the Cowboys may make a playoff run. Their trip to Philadelphia next Sunday night is huge.
Arizona's Kurt Warner played so well vs. Houston, Seattle & the Giants before laying a giant egg yesterday against Carolina. His receivers didn't help much yesterday, but he looked pretty sad overall. They should still be able to win this division now that the Seahawks are crippled with injuries, but Warner can't have these lapses every few weeks like he had yesterday. Carolina exorcised the demons from their humiliating 33-13 defeat at home to Arizona in the playoffs. They ran over, around & thru an Cardinal defense that had previously been almost impregnable on the ground.
Speaking of demons, Vince Young returned as Tennessee's starting quarterback yesterday against Jacksonville. The Titans won 30-13 & Young looked pretty good after not playing in a regular season game since early in the '08 season when he benched himself. His teammates felt as tho he had bailed on them & it was interesting to watch them slowly warmup to him as the game progressed. RB Chris Johnson had a monster day rushing for 228 yards, but before you attribute the Titan win to his performance alone, remember he has been the starter all season & had two 175+-yard games while Kerry Collins was still the starting QB. Young was 15 of 18 for 125 yards & 1 touchdown. I expect him to start the rest of the season in an effort to evaluate his status with the team. The Titans will owe Young a $4.2 million roster bonus in March if he's still with the team.
Oakland's JaMarcus Russell continues to disappoint in every aspect of the game, but he doesn't think so "I think I played pretty good out there today". Really??? Is 14 of 22 for 109 yards, an interception & a lost fumble "pretty good"? Is losing your 13th straight game to the Chargers progress? Is not gaining more than 200 total yards in a game for the 5th time this season "pretty good"? JaMarcus needs a reality check, his performance as the Raiders starting quarterback is laughable, but sadly the joke's on Raider fans. The fans that dress up like it's Halloween every Sunday hoping this is the Sunday our quarterback shows us he's worth being the 1st overall pick 3 years ago. For those still clinging to this dream, that what it is a dream, or a nightmare. This kid will never be an NFL quality starting quarterback, never.
And when will the Browns admit quarterback Derek Anderson's 2007 season was a total fluke? Anderson continues to stink up Cleveland, he was 6 of 17 yesterday for 76 yards, 2 interceptions & a fumble. I won't be surprised to see them jettison both Anderson & Brady Quinn in the off-season.
The Chargers just released WR Chris Chambers, I figure Todd Haley will want a look by tomorrow afternoon. Chambers hadn't been very productive this season, catching only 7 passes & 1 touchdown. One real key injury yesterday was Houston TE Owen Daniels who suffered a torn ACL & will be lost for the season. After WR Andre Johnson, Daniels was QB Matt Schaub's favorite target, it's a major loss for the Texans. The other injury of note occurred this week in practice when New Orleans' defensive tackle, Sedrick Ellis, sprained his MCL. He has been a force in the Saints' improved run defense as well as getting a push up the middle in his pass rush. Atlanta has had trouble running Michael Turner between the tackles, let's see how well the middle of the New Orleans defense holds up tonight.
I mentioned yesterday the total disdain Jets coach Rex Ryan has for the Miami Dolphins. After yesterday's 30-25 loss at home to the 'Phish, he's fuming even more. Inside linebacker Bart Scott joined in his coach's bitter whining after the game saying "Miami is a great team, they have a great offensive line, they have an all-pro quarterback, they have a great tight end, they have great receivers, they'll go to the Super Bowl no doubt". The Jets held the punchless Dolphins to 104 yards of total offense yesterday. I guess Ryan & Scott haven't heard the old saying "there are 3 phases to every game, offense, defense & special teams". It's the last 2 that beat the Jets. Jason Taylor picked up a Shonn Greene fumble & ran it back 48-yards for a touchdown. Ted Ginn Jr. returned not 1, but 2 kickoffs 100-yards for touchdowns. After the first one, maybe kicking away from Ginn would've been a smart move 'eh Rex? You gave the Dolphins no credit for beating you last month, you took all the blame. You ought to shoulder the blame for allowing someone to bring 2 kickoffs back in the same quarter.
The no-longer undefeated Denver Broncos looked pretty ordinary yesterday in their 30-7 loss in Baltimore. I still think they can win the AFC West, but just barely. How they respond to Pittsburgh's visit next Monday night will tell you a lot about their chances to take the West. Speaking of Baltimore, how good does their '08 draft look right now? QB Joe Flacco & RB Ray Rice with their first 2 picks. Should be a tandem they can depend on for many years to come.
I'm going to pile on the Raiders again, it's pretty easy to do. Their #1 pick, WR Darius Heyward-Bey, is still sitting on 4 receptions for 64 yards, starting every game for Oakland. The other 5 wide receivers taken after DHB in the 1st round have done slightly better. Jeremy Maclin has scored 3 touchdowns, Percy Harvin & Hakeem Nicks 4 each. Tennessee's Kenny Britt has snagged 20 passes good for 296 yards & Michael Crabtree, a 4-month holdout who missed all of training camp & Frisco's first 5 games, has caught 11 passes good for 137 yards in his 2 appearances this year. Almost every scout & draft pundit figured DHB as the 6th or 7th best receiver in last April's draft. But the Raiders knew better, yeah, sure they did.
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