ROMO PULLS HIS TEAM THRU, NAMATH DISSES REX'S JETS, MORE FAN VIOLENCE & A NOTE ABOUT ORLANDO BROWN
I'll admit I've been very tough on Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, he's kind of a poor man's Brett Favre in my mind, makes some of the "gunslinger-type" plays & then makes some of the worst decisions that cost his team. When Romo plays well I give him credit, like tonight. Playing with a fractured rib & many of his playmakers out or going at half speed, Romo played thru pain, 4 bad snaps, confused teammates going the wrong way or lining up in the wrong place. Thru it all, he kept the Cowboy offense in the game. Forget the dismal stats, it was one of the best games I have seen him play. The difference in a game where 9 field goals were kicked? It was the disparity between Romo & Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman. When the game was on the line late in the 4th quarter, Romo delivered & Grossman fumbled away his team's last chance. The number of mistakes made by the Cowboy offense was staggering. Center Phil Costa made 4 snaps before Romo was ready & it was no small miracle all 4 were recovered by Dallas. I'm guessing Jerry Jones was regretting his decision to release 6-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode last August. But one thing Jones could be glad about was after a 4-man placekicking derby during training camp, Jones settled on rookie Dan Bailey. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy was successful on all six of his field goal attempts to tally all 18 of Dallas' points. But on this Monday night, it was Tony Romo who pulled his team thru to a much needed win.
If you didn't see the brilliant special teams play in the Green Bay-Chicago game yesterday, I highly recommend you jump onto YouTube to view it. Just type in Johnny Knox Punt Return & you'll see the slickest gadget play I ever saw for a punt return. There's no way for me to describe it to you here, it would take 500 words, so just do yourself a favor & check it out on YouTube. It was definitely my play of the week.
Tennessee WR Kenny Britt suffered a torn ACL in yesterday's win over Denver. He will be placed on I.R. for the remainder of the season.
Here's what I believe to be the major reason for the Vikings 0-3 start. After leading 17-0, 17-7 & 20-0 at halftime, Minnesota has lost all three games. The problem? The Vikes have Adrian Peterson, arguably the best running back in the entire league right? Peterson has 230-yards rushing in the first half of the first three games but in the 2nd half, he has but 66-yards. Yesterday, he 73-yards on 12 carries in the first half vs. Detroit. In the second half, he had only 5 carries for 5 yards. When you have a 20-0 lead, your best friend as a head coach is a strong running game to eat up the clock. I hope they continue this strategy as they play the Chiefs on Sunday.
Joe Namath spoke out on Monday regarding his old team, the New York Jets. He made the point that Rex Ryan has his team believing they're better than they really are & it's hurting them. Namath was asked what was the difference between his victory guarantee before Super Bowl III & what Ryan does? His reply was was his boast days before their upset win over the Baltimore Colts was he was a player expressing confidence in himself & his leadership. Ryan telling the public & his team they are the best might get some of his players believing they're the best & not prepare the way they should. Namath thought the Jets weren't prepared for yesterday's game against the Raiders. I actually think there's something to Namath's comments. I said the Raiders would beat the Jets, but not strictly for the reasons Namath outlined. The Jets have O-line issues that really caused problems yesterday, that was my main reason for selecting Oakland. The Jets are having trouble getting to opposing passers without sending 5-6 guys, another problem I thought would be an issue Sunday.
Another point regarding the Raiders' win, running back Darren McFadden rushed for 171-yards. It was the highest total by a runner against any Rex Ryan coached defense.
One more interesting fact from week 3, the Buffalo Bills became the 1st team in NFL history to win consecutive games after being down by 18 or more points. They trailed the Raiders by 18 last week & by 21 to the Patriots yesterday. Coach Chan Gailey was asked about the comebacks & he said he always tells his team to "keep playing hard, never stop, good things will happen if you never give up." That Chan Gailey is a pretty sharp individual. Not sharp enough to be an offensive coordinator under Todd Haley, but he's pretty sharp.
I detailed the pitiful performance of the St. Louis Rams already, but I had a few more thoughts. One was why did it take so long for the defensive coaches to give cornerback Justin King some help. He was torched by rookie speedster Torrey Smith for 3 TD's in the first quarter. Why didn't they get him some deep help with a safety? This game was essentially over after the quarter ended at 21-0. With a 3-score lead, John Harbaugh turned his defense loose to go after Ram's QB Sam Bradford. It worked perfectly, the Rams couldn't muster a score until late in the 3rd quarter. Bradford's post-game comments were telling, "we came out in the first half & it was like we weren't even playing." Also troubling to me was the play calling of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Down by three scores & facing a Raven defense that had been unleashed to penetrate & blow stuff up in the backfield, why oh why would McDaniels call a tight end around run by rookie Lance Kendricks. I know McDaniels is thought to be a budding offensive genius, but his play calling baffles me. I sincerely hope if Todd Haley is removed as the Chiefs' head coach, Scott Pioli doesn't offer the job to McDaniels. I doubt I'm alone in that belief.
Last week I detailed some ugly fan violence around the country. Sadly, I have to do it again, sorry but I refuse to stop talking about dangerous behavior by a few really immature & stupid people. I refuse to call them fans because fans wouldn't drop their team in the grease like this, opening the school up to massive lawsuits & terrible P.R. After LSU's 47-21 win in Morgantown West Virginia, four Tiger fans got into their rental car & headed toward the parking lot exit. Some moron threw a rock into the car & the fight was on. Three men allegedly pulled the driver from the car & beat him unconscious while his pregnant wife tried to protect him. He sustained a broken nose, broken orbital bone(eye socket) & a fractured frontal bone in the middle of his forehead. His wife, who is 5-months pregnant, suffered bruises to her arms, shoulders & a leg. The pair in the back seat were hit before they even got out of the car & were forced to stay there by the 6-8 people who attacked them. I say again, what the hell is wrong with people? Is this the image the University wants to portray? Is this what hey call a "Chamber of Commerce" moment? If you ever see such behavior, be a good fan, a decent human being & make sure the animals who act in this manner gets exactly what they deserve, time behind bars.
I always read Peter King's columns on Monday, he always has a lot of interesting insights & stories, Monday was no exception. He wrote a wonderful piece about the late Orlando Brown who was found dead in his Maryland home this past Friday. He was 40-years old. For those who don't know Brown, he was an offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns & Baltimore Ravens. He became famous/infamous when he was struck in the eye by referee Jeff Tripplett's BB-weighted penalty flag. Tripplett was horrified & ran to Brown's aid. After he was taken to the sideline, Tripplett went over to apologize during a timeout & Brown knocked the referee on his ass. Brown sustained permanent damage to his eye & was cut by the Browns. He sued the league & it was settled out of court for a reported $25 million. After some surgery three years later, he returned to the league for three additional seasons with the Ravens. He spent a lot of time as an unpaid line coach for the the Ravens as well as his oldest son's high school team. The cause of his death is still unknown.
In 1993, Cleveland Browns' scout, Scott Pioli, was sent to South Carolina State to workout a tight end. When he arrived a massive defensive tackle pleaded with Pioli for a tryout. Pioli refused but told assistant line coach Pat Hill(Fresno St head coach), line coach Kirk Ferentz(Iowa head coach) & personnel man Mike Lombardi(NFL Network) about this huge kid who might make a good right tackle if he could get his weight down. When Pioli met Orlando Brown, he was 6' 7" & 385 pounds. Head coach Bill Belichick told Pioli to go back & scout Brown. Cleveland ended up signing him as an undrafted free agent. Hill & Ferentz worked with Brown an hour before practice & an hour after. They used folding chairs to teach him how to play on the offensive line. Everyone who ever played with Brown said he was the first guy on the field for practice & the last to leave, even after he became a starter. Hill & scout Phil Savage(former Browns GM) had to teach Brown about bank accounts, he would cash his check & carry every cent of his money with him at all times. He called himself Zeus & so did everyone on his team. After he returned to football for the Ravens, he bought weight room equipment for his high school, he bought uniforms, helmets & even footballs for the school in the most impoverished part of Baltimore. He gave away hundreds of tickets for Raven games to basically everyone he came in contact with. He was an imposing figure but had a heart of gold & was a great father to his three sons.
Yesterday, before the Ravens took the field in St. Louis, head coach John Harbaugh told his team
"Let's salute Zeus, let's play the way he'd play, let's play relentless."
The Ravens hammered the Rams, 37-7. Zeus would have been proud.
If you didn't see the brilliant special teams play in the Green Bay-Chicago game yesterday, I highly recommend you jump onto YouTube to view it. Just type in Johnny Knox Punt Return & you'll see the slickest gadget play I ever saw for a punt return. There's no way for me to describe it to you here, it would take 500 words, so just do yourself a favor & check it out on YouTube. It was definitely my play of the week.
Tennessee WR Kenny Britt suffered a torn ACL in yesterday's win over Denver. He will be placed on I.R. for the remainder of the season.
Here's what I believe to be the major reason for the Vikings 0-3 start. After leading 17-0, 17-7 & 20-0 at halftime, Minnesota has lost all three games. The problem? The Vikes have Adrian Peterson, arguably the best running back in the entire league right? Peterson has 230-yards rushing in the first half of the first three games but in the 2nd half, he has but 66-yards. Yesterday, he 73-yards on 12 carries in the first half vs. Detroit. In the second half, he had only 5 carries for 5 yards. When you have a 20-0 lead, your best friend as a head coach is a strong running game to eat up the clock. I hope they continue this strategy as they play the Chiefs on Sunday.
Joe Namath spoke out on Monday regarding his old team, the New York Jets. He made the point that Rex Ryan has his team believing they're better than they really are & it's hurting them. Namath was asked what was the difference between his victory guarantee before Super Bowl III & what Ryan does? His reply was was his boast days before their upset win over the Baltimore Colts was he was a player expressing confidence in himself & his leadership. Ryan telling the public & his team they are the best might get some of his players believing they're the best & not prepare the way they should. Namath thought the Jets weren't prepared for yesterday's game against the Raiders. I actually think there's something to Namath's comments. I said the Raiders would beat the Jets, but not strictly for the reasons Namath outlined. The Jets have O-line issues that really caused problems yesterday, that was my main reason for selecting Oakland. The Jets are having trouble getting to opposing passers without sending 5-6 guys, another problem I thought would be an issue Sunday.
Another point regarding the Raiders' win, running back Darren McFadden rushed for 171-yards. It was the highest total by a runner against any Rex Ryan coached defense.
One more interesting fact from week 3, the Buffalo Bills became the 1st team in NFL history to win consecutive games after being down by 18 or more points. They trailed the Raiders by 18 last week & by 21 to the Patriots yesterday. Coach Chan Gailey was asked about the comebacks & he said he always tells his team to "keep playing hard, never stop, good things will happen if you never give up." That Chan Gailey is a pretty sharp individual. Not sharp enough to be an offensive coordinator under Todd Haley, but he's pretty sharp.
I detailed the pitiful performance of the St. Louis Rams already, but I had a few more thoughts. One was why did it take so long for the defensive coaches to give cornerback Justin King some help. He was torched by rookie speedster Torrey Smith for 3 TD's in the first quarter. Why didn't they get him some deep help with a safety? This game was essentially over after the quarter ended at 21-0. With a 3-score lead, John Harbaugh turned his defense loose to go after Ram's QB Sam Bradford. It worked perfectly, the Rams couldn't muster a score until late in the 3rd quarter. Bradford's post-game comments were telling, "we came out in the first half & it was like we weren't even playing." Also troubling to me was the play calling of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Down by three scores & facing a Raven defense that had been unleashed to penetrate & blow stuff up in the backfield, why oh why would McDaniels call a tight end around run by rookie Lance Kendricks. I know McDaniels is thought to be a budding offensive genius, but his play calling baffles me. I sincerely hope if Todd Haley is removed as the Chiefs' head coach, Scott Pioli doesn't offer the job to McDaniels. I doubt I'm alone in that belief.
Last week I detailed some ugly fan violence around the country. Sadly, I have to do it again, sorry but I refuse to stop talking about dangerous behavior by a few really immature & stupid people. I refuse to call them fans because fans wouldn't drop their team in the grease like this, opening the school up to massive lawsuits & terrible P.R. After LSU's 47-21 win in Morgantown West Virginia, four Tiger fans got into their rental car & headed toward the parking lot exit. Some moron threw a rock into the car & the fight was on. Three men allegedly pulled the driver from the car & beat him unconscious while his pregnant wife tried to protect him. He sustained a broken nose, broken orbital bone(eye socket) & a fractured frontal bone in the middle of his forehead. His wife, who is 5-months pregnant, suffered bruises to her arms, shoulders & a leg. The pair in the back seat were hit before they even got out of the car & were forced to stay there by the 6-8 people who attacked them. I say again, what the hell is wrong with people? Is this the image the University wants to portray? Is this what hey call a "Chamber of Commerce" moment? If you ever see such behavior, be a good fan, a decent human being & make sure the animals who act in this manner gets exactly what they deserve, time behind bars.
I always read Peter King's columns on Monday, he always has a lot of interesting insights & stories, Monday was no exception. He wrote a wonderful piece about the late Orlando Brown who was found dead in his Maryland home this past Friday. He was 40-years old. For those who don't know Brown, he was an offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns & Baltimore Ravens. He became famous/infamous when he was struck in the eye by referee Jeff Tripplett's BB-weighted penalty flag. Tripplett was horrified & ran to Brown's aid. After he was taken to the sideline, Tripplett went over to apologize during a timeout & Brown knocked the referee on his ass. Brown sustained permanent damage to his eye & was cut by the Browns. He sued the league & it was settled out of court for a reported $25 million. After some surgery three years later, he returned to the league for three additional seasons with the Ravens. He spent a lot of time as an unpaid line coach for the the Ravens as well as his oldest son's high school team. The cause of his death is still unknown.
In 1993, Cleveland Browns' scout, Scott Pioli, was sent to South Carolina State to workout a tight end. When he arrived a massive defensive tackle pleaded with Pioli for a tryout. Pioli refused but told assistant line coach Pat Hill(Fresno St head coach), line coach Kirk Ferentz(Iowa head coach) & personnel man Mike Lombardi(NFL Network) about this huge kid who might make a good right tackle if he could get his weight down. When Pioli met Orlando Brown, he was 6' 7" & 385 pounds. Head coach Bill Belichick told Pioli to go back & scout Brown. Cleveland ended up signing him as an undrafted free agent. Hill & Ferentz worked with Brown an hour before practice & an hour after. They used folding chairs to teach him how to play on the offensive line. Everyone who ever played with Brown said he was the first guy on the field for practice & the last to leave, even after he became a starter. Hill & scout Phil Savage(former Browns GM) had to teach Brown about bank accounts, he would cash his check & carry every cent of his money with him at all times. He called himself Zeus & so did everyone on his team. After he returned to football for the Ravens, he bought weight room equipment for his high school, he bought uniforms, helmets & even footballs for the school in the most impoverished part of Baltimore. He gave away hundreds of tickets for Raven games to basically everyone he came in contact with. He was an imposing figure but had a heart of gold & was a great father to his three sons.
Yesterday, before the Ravens took the field in St. Louis, head coach John Harbaugh told his team
"Let's salute Zeus, let's play the way he'd play, let's play relentless."
The Ravens hammered the Rams, 37-7. Zeus would have been proud.
Re: Johnny Knox punt return. I replayed that play on my DVR again and again and couldn't see how a hold could be called by that official at that time. No one seems to be claiming it was a bad call so I suppose it was legit. What are you hearing about it?
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Reed,
I saw the play over & over like you, I guess there was a hold, it was hard to say. The Chicago press & talk radio stroked out, but that's to be expected. It was a brilliantly designed & executed play wasn't it?
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