TEN THINGS I SAW IN YESTERDAY'S GAMES
1. I think the AFC's last playoff spot will likely comedown to Jacksonville or Baltimore. The Ravens had their best offensive day in years with 548 yards, 308 on the ground, albeit against the Lions. The Jaguars blew their one-game lead yesterday, falling to the Dolphins. With 3 games remaining on the schedule, Miami & the Jets also have 7-6 records. It's unlikely any of the 4 contenders can win all three, but I see Baltimore as a possibility, with Chicago, at Pittsburgh & at Oakland, they could win out & make the playoffs. If Denver wins 2 of 3, Baltimore would get the top wildcard seed since they pummeled the Broncos in week 8, 30-7.
2. The lack of effort shown by Patriots' wide receiver, Randy Moss, was pretty sad. Moss caught only 1 pass & Carolina defenders were really trashing Moss after the game regarding his effort & production. Panther CB Chris Gamble said they "knew if you pressed him early & shut him down, he'd quit, that's his reputation & it's obvious that's what happened." I have to admit I was locked in on 3 other games & didn't see much of New England's. But what I saw in the 2nd half wasn't good, Moss looked disinterested & uninvolved. I thought he had gotten past that when he came to Foxboro but it looks like he hasn't. The Adalius Thomas benching & now Moss being sent home from practice Wednesday, one has to wonder if Belichick has lost his grip on his team.
3. Brian Schottenheimer, Jets' offensive coordinator, should expand the Brad Smith-led Wildcat formation. Smith is a versatile athlete, while at Mizzou, he set the NCAA record for being the 1st QB to run for over 4,000 yards & throw for more than 6,000. Yesterday in Mark Sanchez's absence, Schottenheimer had Smith run the Wildcat & it was effective enough to continue with it. Smith threw one pass for a 27-yard completion, he had a 12-yard run & he caught a pass. Smith is the perfect type of QB to run this offense, run it some more Brian.
4. Peyton Manning proved he was mortal yesterday, having a so-so day. He threw 3 interceptions to go with his 4 touchdowns. More shocking was his 20 for 42 passing day, can you remember his last sub-.500 passing performance? His 65.6 passer rating was the worst he's had in over 2 years. Bottom line.......the Colts still won & clinched home field advantage thruout the playoffs.
5. The Raiders were down 17-10 to the Redskins late in the 1st half when QB Bruce Gradkowski sustained a knee injury. It was all bad after that. Enter JaMarcus Russell in relief, six sacks, an interception & a fumble later, Redskins 34, Raiders 13. All of the good vibrations Gradkowski had generated among his Raider teammates was gone, they looked the Raiders of old, on both sides of the ball. Here's a stat that says it all regarding the differences in the Oakland QB's. Russell has thrown a total of 2 touchdown passes in 33 quarters this season, Gradkowski threw 3 in the 4th quarter last week. If Gradkowski doesn't return, the Raiders will lose out.
6. Chicago's Jay Cutler continues to disappoint. The strong-armed gunslinger threw 2 picks yesterday, giving him 22 for the season, making him the league leader. Bear fans were putting playoff tickets into their household budgets when Cutler was traded to the Windy City. Beginning with a 4-pick season opener in Green Bay, he has done little to suggest he is the answer for Chicago's poor QB play the last 20 years.
7. Seeing Ndamakong Suh finish 4th in the Heisman voting brought to mind who are the contenders for defensive rookie of the year & defensive player of the year? Washington's Brian Orakpo has 11 sacks & has played very well, making more of an impact every week. Houston's Brian Cushing is 6th in the league with 112 tackles. He's also recorded 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions & 2 forced fumbles. Buffalo's Jarius Byrd could also be in the discussion before season's end. His 45 tackles are impressive, but what about 9 interceptions, which leads the league. By comparison, the 3rd overall pick in the draft, Kansas City's Tyson Jackson, has 25 tackles, zero sacks & zero forced fumbles. My pick for defensive player of the year right now is Green Bay's CB, Charles Woodson. I've watched about 80% of Green Bay's snaps, Woodson consistently jumps off the screen regardless of the opponent. His 8 interceptions is tied for second he's gotten his hands on 8 or 10 more he couldn't control. He makes superb plays in run defense. I think he's head & shoulders above the rest.
8. Terrell Owens no longer owns the one-game reception record, which makes me smile. Yesterday in Indianapolis, Denver WR Brandon Marshall caught 21 passes, one better than Owens had recorded, good for 200 yards. Marshall has come a long way since his temper tantrums disrupted practices & his trade demands annoyed both teammates & Bronco fans. He will get a healthy extension after the season & he's finally deserved everything he will receive.
9. I believe the Saints will have an undefeated regular season. They host Dallas Saturday night & the Cowboys' December swoons are well documented. Then Tampa Bay & a trip to Carolina finish the regular season. I don't see them losing & beating them in the Superdome will be very, very difficult come playoff time.
10. Cincinnati's lack of offense the last month should be disturbing to their coaching staff, I know it is to their fans. Carson Palmer has thrown 3 touchdowns in the last 4 games, the entire offense only generated 210 yards yesterday in Minnesota. You could say playing in Minnesota is tough for any offense & I'd say "Bull". Arizona & Baltimore both scored over 30 in the dome. The Bengals have topped 18 points only once in the last 8 weeks, a 23-13 win over Detroit in Cincinnati. Their defense has played well for the most part, but don't look for this unit to hold teams under 17 points in the playoffs, ain't gonna happen.
2. The lack of effort shown by Patriots' wide receiver, Randy Moss, was pretty sad. Moss caught only 1 pass & Carolina defenders were really trashing Moss after the game regarding his effort & production. Panther CB Chris Gamble said they "knew if you pressed him early & shut him down, he'd quit, that's his reputation & it's obvious that's what happened." I have to admit I was locked in on 3 other games & didn't see much of New England's. But what I saw in the 2nd half wasn't good, Moss looked disinterested & uninvolved. I thought he had gotten past that when he came to Foxboro but it looks like he hasn't. The Adalius Thomas benching & now Moss being sent home from practice Wednesday, one has to wonder if Belichick has lost his grip on his team.
3. Brian Schottenheimer, Jets' offensive coordinator, should expand the Brad Smith-led Wildcat formation. Smith is a versatile athlete, while at Mizzou, he set the NCAA record for being the 1st QB to run for over 4,000 yards & throw for more than 6,000. Yesterday in Mark Sanchez's absence, Schottenheimer had Smith run the Wildcat & it was effective enough to continue with it. Smith threw one pass for a 27-yard completion, he had a 12-yard run & he caught a pass. Smith is the perfect type of QB to run this offense, run it some more Brian.
4. Peyton Manning proved he was mortal yesterday, having a so-so day. He threw 3 interceptions to go with his 4 touchdowns. More shocking was his 20 for 42 passing day, can you remember his last sub-.500 passing performance? His 65.6 passer rating was the worst he's had in over 2 years. Bottom line.......the Colts still won & clinched home field advantage thruout the playoffs.
5. The Raiders were down 17-10 to the Redskins late in the 1st half when QB Bruce Gradkowski sustained a knee injury. It was all bad after that. Enter JaMarcus Russell in relief, six sacks, an interception & a fumble later, Redskins 34, Raiders 13. All of the good vibrations Gradkowski had generated among his Raider teammates was gone, they looked the Raiders of old, on both sides of the ball. Here's a stat that says it all regarding the differences in the Oakland QB's. Russell has thrown a total of 2 touchdown passes in 33 quarters this season, Gradkowski threw 3 in the 4th quarter last week. If Gradkowski doesn't return, the Raiders will lose out.
6. Chicago's Jay Cutler continues to disappoint. The strong-armed gunslinger threw 2 picks yesterday, giving him 22 for the season, making him the league leader. Bear fans were putting playoff tickets into their household budgets when Cutler was traded to the Windy City. Beginning with a 4-pick season opener in Green Bay, he has done little to suggest he is the answer for Chicago's poor QB play the last 20 years.
7. Seeing Ndamakong Suh finish 4th in the Heisman voting brought to mind who are the contenders for defensive rookie of the year & defensive player of the year? Washington's Brian Orakpo has 11 sacks & has played very well, making more of an impact every week. Houston's Brian Cushing is 6th in the league with 112 tackles. He's also recorded 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions & 2 forced fumbles. Buffalo's Jarius Byrd could also be in the discussion before season's end. His 45 tackles are impressive, but what about 9 interceptions, which leads the league. By comparison, the 3rd overall pick in the draft, Kansas City's Tyson Jackson, has 25 tackles, zero sacks & zero forced fumbles. My pick for defensive player of the year right now is Green Bay's CB, Charles Woodson. I've watched about 80% of Green Bay's snaps, Woodson consistently jumps off the screen regardless of the opponent. His 8 interceptions is tied for second he's gotten his hands on 8 or 10 more he couldn't control. He makes superb plays in run defense. I think he's head & shoulders above the rest.
8. Terrell Owens no longer owns the one-game reception record, which makes me smile. Yesterday in Indianapolis, Denver WR Brandon Marshall caught 21 passes, one better than Owens had recorded, good for 200 yards. Marshall has come a long way since his temper tantrums disrupted practices & his trade demands annoyed both teammates & Bronco fans. He will get a healthy extension after the season & he's finally deserved everything he will receive.
9. I believe the Saints will have an undefeated regular season. They host Dallas Saturday night & the Cowboys' December swoons are well documented. Then Tampa Bay & a trip to Carolina finish the regular season. I don't see them losing & beating them in the Superdome will be very, very difficult come playoff time.
10. Cincinnati's lack of offense the last month should be disturbing to their coaching staff, I know it is to their fans. Carson Palmer has thrown 3 touchdowns in the last 4 games, the entire offense only generated 210 yards yesterday in Minnesota. You could say playing in Minnesota is tough for any offense & I'd say "Bull". Arizona & Baltimore both scored over 30 in the dome. The Bengals have topped 18 points only once in the last 8 weeks, a 23-13 win over Detroit in Cincinnati. Their defense has played well for the most part, but don't look for this unit to hold teams under 17 points in the playoffs, ain't gonna happen.
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