WHAT WAS BELICHICK THINKING? BENGALS MAKE A STATEMENT & BUD ADAMS FLIPS THE BIRD
On an NFL Sunday with a lot of big stories, none come close to Bill Belichick's 4th quarter decision in last night's game in Indianapolis. With 2:08 left in the game, leading 34-28, Belichick called his punting team off the field & went for a 4th & 2 at the Patriots' 28-yard line. Running back Kevin Faulk bobbled Tom Brady's pass & by the time he secured it, he had been knocked back behind the 1st down marker. Colts ball & with :13 left, Peyton Manning threw a perfect slant pass to Reggie Wayne for the winning touchdown. Complicating the Pats' chances was the waste of 2 timeouts in their last possession, keeping the clock moving as the Colts moved down for the winning touchdown. Tedy Bruschi & Rodney Harrison, both former all-pro defenders for Belichick, said last night it was the worst decision they'd ever seen their old coach make. It was a second-guesser's dream. Tony Dungy, a pretty good coach in his day, thought it was absolutely the wrong choice to make. Punt it, play the percentages & make Indy go 70-80 yards to beat you. The Pats had intercepted Manning twice in the 2nd half, it just seemed Belichick was telling the world "my defense can't stop Manning & the Colts". Maybe he was right, I will have to give him some credit, punting it away & then watching Manning go down to beat them would bring much less heat than the decision he made to be sure. If it were my call, yeah, that's going to happen, but as a great Monday-morning quarterback, I'd punt & say my prayers. This was big as the Colts remain undefeated with a 2-game lead on the rest of the AFC for home field advantage in the playoffs.
Yesterday morning, I told you to expect Denver to lose, Green Bay & Kansas City to win & Atlanta to have trouble with Carolina. Right on all counts, well almost, I did say the Steelers would win a very close game. Cincinnati made a statement yesterday by defeating Pittsburgh. Their division record is 5-0 & they have but 2 games remaining on their schedule with winning teams, San Diego & Minnesota. This team could be the second playoff seed. The Broncos still have San Diego, the Giants, Indianapolis & Philly left, so I see no way they win the AFC West. Kyle Orton sustained what appeared to be a bad ankle sprain & Chris Simms looked lost in relief. Atlanta not only lost yesterday, but they might have lost running back Michael Turner for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. I predicted before the season the Falcons wouldn't make the playoffs & that it appears to be the case. Green Bay's so-called "Come to Jesus" meeting on Thursday apparently worked. They out played Dallas in every phase of the game. Does FOXSports' contract with Troy Aikman require that he & Joe Buck do the Cowboys' game every week?
Speaking of broadcasters, if you watched the Chiefs-Raiders game, CBS had the perfect team to handle the telecast. Gus Johnson & Steve Tasker were every bit as lame as the two teams they were covering. Then you watch the game last night & the Al Michaels, Chris Collingsworth team is soooooo good. Michaels just might be the best football TV broadcaster ever.
Eagles running back Brian Westbrook sustained his 2nd concussion in 3 weeks in yesterday's game in San Diego. I'm guessing there's a strong chance he won't play again this season. Carolina's LOT Jordan Gross broke his ankle yesterday & will miss the remainder of the season. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh's all-pro safety, aggravated his knee sprain in the 1st quarter yesterday & didn't return. Miami running back Ronnie Brown injured his ankle bad enough to be on crutches yesterday after the game. Seattle running back Julius Jones suffered a broken rib that might have punctured his lung. Jones was hospitalized in Phoenix last night after his lung began filling up with blood. Saints' cornerback Tracy Porter sustained an ACL injury yesterday. The severity of it won't be known until an MRI can be performed today. The Saints were playing with 3 new starters in their secondary by early in the 2nd quarter, allowing the Rams to hang in all day.
Did you catch the move Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew pulled near the end of yesterday's game with the Jets? With the Jags trailing 22-21 with less than 2 minutes left, Jones-Drew broke loose on a touchdown run that would've put them ahead by 6 with 1:30 left. He put on the brakes at the 1-yard line & was touched down. This enabled the Jags to keep the Jets from having one more chance. The Jets had no timeouts left & after taking a knee 3 times, the Jaguars kicked a winning field goal with no time left to win 24-22. Brian Westbrook did that a few years back in what can only be described as a heads up & unselfish play. In a related note, losing QB Mark Sanchez went to the postgame press conference with a prepared statement instead of fielding questions from the assembled reporters. What a reality check the last 6 weeks has been for this wide eyed rookie. After starting 3-0, the only team they've beaten is Oakland, which isn't anything to hang your hat on. He's now thrown 14 interceptions & is quickly learning just how tough the scrutiny is in the Big Apple.
Tennessee's running back Chris Johnson continues to excel, even on a 3-6 team. Johnson carried 26 times yesterday, good for 132 yards & 2 touchdowns. What makes this young man so special is he also caught 9 passes for 100 yards. The Titans won their 3rd straight game & could be a tough out for any contenders who have them on their schedule. Two other notes regarding this game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance & after the league 'Tweeted' he was in the house, a Titan fan Tweeted back she was sitting in the lower deck with an empty seat next to her & that she'd like to have him join her. He did, much to her surprise, join her for over a quarter. The Titans jumped out to a 17-7 lead but when the Bills tied the game up in the 3rd quarter, Titans' fans became restless, many of them booing. Owner Bud Adams stood up in his private box & flipped the bird to his own fans. He gave the finger, with both hands for about 15-seconds before returning to his seat. Talk about your public relations nightmare, plus I have to believe Goodell will get involved with a hefty fine. What a freakin' idiot.
I split on yesterday's plays, once again losing only the vig, so I'm taking another "have vs. have-not" shot tonight. I'll lay the 11 with Baltimore against the hapless Browns. Brady Quinn will start for Cleveland & that ought to be good for at least 2 turnovers. RB Jamal Lewis has already said he's tired & doesn't want to play anymore, so he'll retire at season's end. If you've seen him run this season, it appears he's begun an early retirement. The Cleveland offense has scored only 4 touchdowns in their last 14 games. The only dangerous player in a Browns uniform tonight will be kick returner Josh Cribbs. The Ravens are hoppin' mad coming off their 17-7 loss at Cincinnati. Their hopes within the division are long gone, but they still have wildcard aspirations. Ravens by 17, at least.
Yesterday morning, I told you to expect Denver to lose, Green Bay & Kansas City to win & Atlanta to have trouble with Carolina. Right on all counts, well almost, I did say the Steelers would win a very close game. Cincinnati made a statement yesterday by defeating Pittsburgh. Their division record is 5-0 & they have but 2 games remaining on their schedule with winning teams, San Diego & Minnesota. This team could be the second playoff seed. The Broncos still have San Diego, the Giants, Indianapolis & Philly left, so I see no way they win the AFC West. Kyle Orton sustained what appeared to be a bad ankle sprain & Chris Simms looked lost in relief. Atlanta not only lost yesterday, but they might have lost running back Michael Turner for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. I predicted before the season the Falcons wouldn't make the playoffs & that it appears to be the case. Green Bay's so-called "Come to Jesus" meeting on Thursday apparently worked. They out played Dallas in every phase of the game. Does FOXSports' contract with Troy Aikman require that he & Joe Buck do the Cowboys' game every week?
Speaking of broadcasters, if you watched the Chiefs-Raiders game, CBS had the perfect team to handle the telecast. Gus Johnson & Steve Tasker were every bit as lame as the two teams they were covering. Then you watch the game last night & the Al Michaels, Chris Collingsworth team is soooooo good. Michaels just might be the best football TV broadcaster ever.
Eagles running back Brian Westbrook sustained his 2nd concussion in 3 weeks in yesterday's game in San Diego. I'm guessing there's a strong chance he won't play again this season. Carolina's LOT Jordan Gross broke his ankle yesterday & will miss the remainder of the season. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh's all-pro safety, aggravated his knee sprain in the 1st quarter yesterday & didn't return. Miami running back Ronnie Brown injured his ankle bad enough to be on crutches yesterday after the game. Seattle running back Julius Jones suffered a broken rib that might have punctured his lung. Jones was hospitalized in Phoenix last night after his lung began filling up with blood. Saints' cornerback Tracy Porter sustained an ACL injury yesterday. The severity of it won't be known until an MRI can be performed today. The Saints were playing with 3 new starters in their secondary by early in the 2nd quarter, allowing the Rams to hang in all day.
Did you catch the move Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew pulled near the end of yesterday's game with the Jets? With the Jags trailing 22-21 with less than 2 minutes left, Jones-Drew broke loose on a touchdown run that would've put them ahead by 6 with 1:30 left. He put on the brakes at the 1-yard line & was touched down. This enabled the Jags to keep the Jets from having one more chance. The Jets had no timeouts left & after taking a knee 3 times, the Jaguars kicked a winning field goal with no time left to win 24-22. Brian Westbrook did that a few years back in what can only be described as a heads up & unselfish play. In a related note, losing QB Mark Sanchez went to the postgame press conference with a prepared statement instead of fielding questions from the assembled reporters. What a reality check the last 6 weeks has been for this wide eyed rookie. After starting 3-0, the only team they've beaten is Oakland, which isn't anything to hang your hat on. He's now thrown 14 interceptions & is quickly learning just how tough the scrutiny is in the Big Apple.
Tennessee's running back Chris Johnson continues to excel, even on a 3-6 team. Johnson carried 26 times yesterday, good for 132 yards & 2 touchdowns. What makes this young man so special is he also caught 9 passes for 100 yards. The Titans won their 3rd straight game & could be a tough out for any contenders who have them on their schedule. Two other notes regarding this game, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was in attendance & after the league 'Tweeted' he was in the house, a Titan fan Tweeted back she was sitting in the lower deck with an empty seat next to her & that she'd like to have him join her. He did, much to her surprise, join her for over a quarter. The Titans jumped out to a 17-7 lead but when the Bills tied the game up in the 3rd quarter, Titans' fans became restless, many of them booing. Owner Bud Adams stood up in his private box & flipped the bird to his own fans. He gave the finger, with both hands for about 15-seconds before returning to his seat. Talk about your public relations nightmare, plus I have to believe Goodell will get involved with a hefty fine. What a freakin' idiot.
I split on yesterday's plays, once again losing only the vig, so I'm taking another "have vs. have-not" shot tonight. I'll lay the 11 with Baltimore against the hapless Browns. Brady Quinn will start for Cleveland & that ought to be good for at least 2 turnovers. RB Jamal Lewis has already said he's tired & doesn't want to play anymore, so he'll retire at season's end. If you've seen him run this season, it appears he's begun an early retirement. The Cleveland offense has scored only 4 touchdowns in their last 14 games. The only dangerous player in a Browns uniform tonight will be kick returner Josh Cribbs. The Ravens are hoppin' mad coming off their 17-7 loss at Cincinnati. Their hopes within the division are long gone, but they still have wildcard aspirations. Ravens by 17, at least.
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