NFL WEEK 6, WHAT I SAW
My big 60th birthday weekend came to a close late last night after everyone went home & I finally got some real sleep. It was a lot of fun, my wife & especially my sister, did so much to make the weekend really special. Ann made breakfast burritos yesterday morning, we had a delicious dinner climaxed by a 3-layer, made completely from scratch, German Chocolate cake. The food was unbelievable & Linda was such a gracious host thruout the weekend. The best part is I have almost half a cake left over for me.....& only me. Thanks to the Nagels & Durhams for traveling so far for just over 24-hours, it meant a lot to me.
Just because there was a houseful here the last two days, they're extreme football fans plus they knew watching all these games was important to me & they unselfishly let me do it. Here's what I saw.
Was this the "Handshake heard round the world" or is it way overblown?
I'm going for way overblown. In the ridiculous reality TV sort of media environment we find ourselves, this was a huge deal, but seriously, was it? It didn't change the outcome, it didn't play an important part in shaping the outcome, the teams don't face each other again during the regular season, so how important was it? It wasn't, yeah it captivated NFL fans for the first 6 times we were forced to see it but after that, enough already. We saw it live, this was the big screen game of the early games. I can sympathize with both sides of this issue. Schwartz's team just lost their first game of the season, his vaunted defense got roughed up, the Niners rushed for 203-yards & scored the game's last 10-points on the road. He was deflated, I get that. Jim Harbaugh's team just completed a 3-game roadtrip, winning them all. His team was close to being run out of the building early on but they hung in & like we always say here, "keep playing & good things can happen." Harbaugh's team kept playing, right to the end. Jim was exuberant, demonstrative & a little too wound up when he met Schwartz at midfield. The slap on the back was over the top as was his obscene response to Schwart's response to the backslap. Harbaugh is wound really, really tight, it's part of what makes him so successful, I'll never forget his indifference to the self-proclaimed "King of the PAC-10" Pete Carroll after his Stanford team murdered them in the Coliseum & really rubbing their face in it. Harbaugh has long been Linda's favorite coach, she loves how demonstrative he is, his unapologetic passion for his team & winning. To me, this was one of those "heat of the moment" deals, if it happened between Tony Sparano & Steve Spagnuelo, it wouldn't be a story. It is my sincere hope, unless these two meet in the playoffs, we won't hear anymore about it after tomorrow.
Handshakes aside, let's talk about the game itself.
Having a productive running game & a rock solid defense has been a popular strategy for decades. That was the gameplan employed by San Francisco yesterday & it worked. The running plan reminded me of a Hank Stram gameplan, take the strength of the defense & use it against them. It worked to perfection in Super Bowl IV, use the Vikings speed in pursuit against them. The Niners didn't try to blow Ndamakong Suh off the line of scrimage, it can't be done. Instead they allowed Suh penetration & nullified him with a wham block coming from the opposite side of the offensive line. It worked repeatedly, allowing Frank Gore running lanes to exploit. Tight end Delani Walker came from Suh's blindspot to seal him off, no way Walker could blow him up, just seal him from the running lane long enough to allow Gore to slip thru. It was beautiful to watch. I doubt many people would've believed the Niners could run for over 200-yards against this front-7. Another major part of the Niners win was DE Justin Smith & OLB Aldon Smith, both former Mizzou Tigers, absolutely wore out Lions' left tackle Jeff Backus. They combined for 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass batted down & 4 QB knockdowns. One last note, referee Mike Carey got it right twice on replay reviews on Lion touchdown receptions. It was refreshing, Carey's been my favorite ref for years & both times he went under the hood I was confident he would make the right interpretation & call.
Guys, it's a 4-quarter game, don't fall asleep in the 2nd half.
I know, they were playing the 0-4 Rams & the 1-4 Jaguars, but just because you score 24 & 17-first half points against inferior opponents doesn't allow you to sleepwalk thru the 2nd half. The Packers & Steelers managed a total of seven 2nd half first downs & zero points playing at home. It's a little disconcerting if I'm a Steelers or Packers fan. For the Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk, giving the finger to your sideline is oh so clever, when it's seen by millions on TV, not so clever. Prepare for your wallet to bleed this week.
The real Rex Grossman finally stood up & it was exactly like we thought it would be.
The NFC East leading Washington Redskins were flying high at 3-1, facing the struggling Eagles in FedEx Field with a chance to essentially bury the "Dream Team." The one lingering question about the Skins' hot start was would quarterback Rex Grossman revert to the Rex Grossman that was sent packing in other NFL cities? Asked & answered yesterday, Grossman was horrific yesterday, 9 of 22 with 4 interceptions in 3 quarters of football. Michael Vick wasn't a start either, that title fell to RB LeSean McCoy with 126-yards rushing & a touchdown. The biggest improvement for the Eagles was better pass protection for Vick & consistent running lanes for McCoy, the offensive line, beleaguered & blamed for the Eagles offensive woes, really stepped up yesterday.
When Eli doesn't turn the ball over, the Giants have a solid chance to win.
Really quite simple. In spite of all their injuries, the Giants can beat almost anyone in the league if Manning doesn't throw a pick or lose a fumble. He didn't throw a touchdown either, Ahmad Bradshaw ran in all three Giants' scores, but Manning spread the ball around & just as importantly, he didn't take a sack. Six games into the 2011 season, the Giants could be the team in the NFC East.
Cam starts falling back to earth with 3 interceptions in Atlanta.
I knew this was going to happen, Cam's a rookie, but he'd been so effective so far, I took a chance he could do it again, so I picked his Panthers in the Office Pool Picks. It looked good for 3-quarters, Carolina led at the end of three, 17-14. But Atlanta, on the strength of two huge third-down throws by QB Matt Ryan, scored 17-fourth quarter points to win 31-17. Newton threw two 4th quarter picks. He'll get there, it just wasn't yesterday. When he learns how to close the deal, they'll be a force.
Talk about a bad day, the Saints topped the list yesterday.
I picked the Saints in Tampa, I picked the Saints as my NFC Super Bowl team, but what happened yesterday might hamper those dreams. Early in the 1st quarter, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham was forced out of bounds right into the left leg of head coach Sean Payton, breaking his tibia & tearing his MCL. Payton missed much of the 2nd half in the trainers room. He is undergoing surgery this morning but it's doubtful he'll be back on the New Orleans' sideline in practice or on Sundays for a while. In the Martin Gramatica moment of the day, Bucs defensive back coach Jimmy Lake tore his patella tendon leaping into the air celebrating a game-clinching interception. The pick was the Brett Favre moment of the day, I haven't the foggiest idea what Drew Brees was looking at, he had two other receivers wide open in the endzone & he tries to jam one in. Brees had a tough day, throwing three picks & missing two receivers who had slipped behind the defense for sure scores.
Browns KO the Raiders' QB, but their special teams fail them in 24-17 loss.
Oakland QB Jason Campbell sustained a broken collarbone & will be lost for the season. But that didn't give the Cleveland Browns the opening they needed because their special teams failed them miserably. After tying the game 7-all, Raider kickoff return man, Jacoby Ford, roared back 101-yards to put Oakland back out front. Later in the third quarter, Oakland lined up for a 52-yard field goal attempt for long range specialist, Sebastian Janikowski. Holder Shane Lechler threw a short pass to tight end Kevin Boss who took it 35-yards for a touchdown, putting the Raiders ahead 24-7. Kyle Bollar took over at QB but I believe the Raiders have already begun searching for another quarterback. David Garrard comes to mind & even Denver's Kyle Orton, if the Broncos would be willing to trade him within the division. One slight problem for Oakland, they've already traded their 2nd, 3rd & 4th round picks in the 2012 draft.
I asked if the AFC South could become 2011's NFC West, I think we're there.
I think we're going to see something like 2010, a division winner with a .500 record or worse. The Houston Texans looked terrible again yesterday, losing in Baltimore 29-14. Tennessee had their bye week, they stand at 3-2 & face Houston next week. The Titans have a tough stretch next month with games in Carolina & Atlanta, home with Tampa, at Buffalo & home with New Orleans. The Texans schedule is nearly equal & they've shown the propensity to choke down the stretch. The two teams face each other the last Sunday of the season. With the Manningless Colts & 1-5 Jacksonville, this division is a mess. Quickly, the ageless Ray Lewis continues to amaze, the 36-year old wonder recorded 12 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss & a QB knock down yesterday vs. the Texans. Baltimore keeps gaining momentum, they're a handful for anyone right now.
Jason Garrett is truly "damned if you do, damned if you don't."
I'm not a Jason Garrett fan, a Cowboys fan, a Tony Romo fan, but I have to be fair. Two weeks ago when Garrett called an aggressive 2nd half while leading the Detroit Lions, Romo threw a couple of picks that were returned for scores, putting the eventual winner, Detroit, back into the game. Yesterday, leading by a field goal with less than 3-minutes remaining, Garrett went conservative, running the ball, forcing New England to use their timeouts. His defense had been playing very well & he was willing to punt the ball with 1:02 left & take his chances with his defenders. But giving Tom Brady, a QB who hasn't lost a home start since 2007, one more chance to beat you, might be a fatal mistake. It was, New England 20 Dallas 16, Brady to TE Aaron Hernandez for the deciding touchdown with 00:22 left on the clock. Brady had thrown 2 interceptions & the Pats didn't score but one touchdown prior to the game winner, they were stymied by Rob Ryan's defense pretty much all afternoon. But once again, giving Brady one more chance, didn't end well for the visitor.
The Bears should have let this guy play all along.
Before the draft, I was a huge fan of Stephen Paea. The Polynesian born in New Zealand, attended Oregon State. I was impressed with his non-stop motor, strength & his ability to blow up plays before they ever got started. He was a 2nd round pick of the Bears last April & I figured with Rod Marinelli now the defensive coordinator, Paea would excell in this attacking defense. He wasn't even dressed for a game until last night. He recorded a safety when he sacked Donovan McNabb in the endzone. He also got a tackle for loss & a QB knockdown. let this kid play, he could be a monster.
Yesterday's infirmary report:
Dallas guard Bill Nagy--fractured ankle--gone for the remainder of the season.
Dallas RB Felix Jones--high ankle sprain--will miss several weeks.
Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis--hamstring-could miss 2-3 weeks.
Cleveland OLB Scott Fijita--concussion--unknown at this time.
Washington tight end Chris Cooley--left index finger-if surgery is required, 2-3 weeks.
Washington guard Kory Lichtensteiger--ACL & MCL tears--out for remainder of season.
Washington left tackle--Trent Williams--high ankle sprain--2-3 weeks minimum.
Detroit RB Jahvid Best--concussion--probably to miss this week in Atlanta.
St. Louis left tackle Roger Saffold--ankle--unknown at this time
Last item: Brandon Lloyd is close to being a Ram.
If a new contract extension can be worked out, the Rams will receive WR Brandon Lloyd for a conditional draft pick. Lloyd is in the last year of his contract & the Broncos made no secret of his availability. The Rams, desperate to find someone to start alongside Danario Alexander, won't hesitate to bring Lloyd into their struggling offensive huddle. Unfortunately, Lloyd doesn't block pass rushers, which is the Rams' biggest problem right now, keeping Sam Bradford upright & uninjured.
Just because there was a houseful here the last two days, they're extreme football fans plus they knew watching all these games was important to me & they unselfishly let me do it. Here's what I saw.
Was this the "Handshake heard round the world" or is it way overblown?
I'm going for way overblown. In the ridiculous reality TV sort of media environment we find ourselves, this was a huge deal, but seriously, was it? It didn't change the outcome, it didn't play an important part in shaping the outcome, the teams don't face each other again during the regular season, so how important was it? It wasn't, yeah it captivated NFL fans for the first 6 times we were forced to see it but after that, enough already. We saw it live, this was the big screen game of the early games. I can sympathize with both sides of this issue. Schwartz's team just lost their first game of the season, his vaunted defense got roughed up, the Niners rushed for 203-yards & scored the game's last 10-points on the road. He was deflated, I get that. Jim Harbaugh's team just completed a 3-game roadtrip, winning them all. His team was close to being run out of the building early on but they hung in & like we always say here, "keep playing & good things can happen." Harbaugh's team kept playing, right to the end. Jim was exuberant, demonstrative & a little too wound up when he met Schwartz at midfield. The slap on the back was over the top as was his obscene response to Schwart's response to the backslap. Harbaugh is wound really, really tight, it's part of what makes him so successful, I'll never forget his indifference to the self-proclaimed "King of the PAC-10" Pete Carroll after his Stanford team murdered them in the Coliseum & really rubbing their face in it. Harbaugh has long been Linda's favorite coach, she loves how demonstrative he is, his unapologetic passion for his team & winning. To me, this was one of those "heat of the moment" deals, if it happened between Tony Sparano & Steve Spagnuelo, it wouldn't be a story. It is my sincere hope, unless these two meet in the playoffs, we won't hear anymore about it after tomorrow.
Handshakes aside, let's talk about the game itself.
Having a productive running game & a rock solid defense has been a popular strategy for decades. That was the gameplan employed by San Francisco yesterday & it worked. The running plan reminded me of a Hank Stram gameplan, take the strength of the defense & use it against them. It worked to perfection in Super Bowl IV, use the Vikings speed in pursuit against them. The Niners didn't try to blow Ndamakong Suh off the line of scrimage, it can't be done. Instead they allowed Suh penetration & nullified him with a wham block coming from the opposite side of the offensive line. It worked repeatedly, allowing Frank Gore running lanes to exploit. Tight end Delani Walker came from Suh's blindspot to seal him off, no way Walker could blow him up, just seal him from the running lane long enough to allow Gore to slip thru. It was beautiful to watch. I doubt many people would've believed the Niners could run for over 200-yards against this front-7. Another major part of the Niners win was DE Justin Smith & OLB Aldon Smith, both former Mizzou Tigers, absolutely wore out Lions' left tackle Jeff Backus. They combined for 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass batted down & 4 QB knockdowns. One last note, referee Mike Carey got it right twice on replay reviews on Lion touchdown receptions. It was refreshing, Carey's been my favorite ref for years & both times he went under the hood I was confident he would make the right interpretation & call.
Guys, it's a 4-quarter game, don't fall asleep in the 2nd half.
I know, they were playing the 0-4 Rams & the 1-4 Jaguars, but just because you score 24 & 17-first half points against inferior opponents doesn't allow you to sleepwalk thru the 2nd half. The Packers & Steelers managed a total of seven 2nd half first downs & zero points playing at home. It's a little disconcerting if I'm a Steelers or Packers fan. For the Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk, giving the finger to your sideline is oh so clever, when it's seen by millions on TV, not so clever. Prepare for your wallet to bleed this week.
The real Rex Grossman finally stood up & it was exactly like we thought it would be.
The NFC East leading Washington Redskins were flying high at 3-1, facing the struggling Eagles in FedEx Field with a chance to essentially bury the "Dream Team." The one lingering question about the Skins' hot start was would quarterback Rex Grossman revert to the Rex Grossman that was sent packing in other NFL cities? Asked & answered yesterday, Grossman was horrific yesterday, 9 of 22 with 4 interceptions in 3 quarters of football. Michael Vick wasn't a start either, that title fell to RB LeSean McCoy with 126-yards rushing & a touchdown. The biggest improvement for the Eagles was better pass protection for Vick & consistent running lanes for McCoy, the offensive line, beleaguered & blamed for the Eagles offensive woes, really stepped up yesterday.
When Eli doesn't turn the ball over, the Giants have a solid chance to win.
Really quite simple. In spite of all their injuries, the Giants can beat almost anyone in the league if Manning doesn't throw a pick or lose a fumble. He didn't throw a touchdown either, Ahmad Bradshaw ran in all three Giants' scores, but Manning spread the ball around & just as importantly, he didn't take a sack. Six games into the 2011 season, the Giants could be the team in the NFC East.
Cam starts falling back to earth with 3 interceptions in Atlanta.
I knew this was going to happen, Cam's a rookie, but he'd been so effective so far, I took a chance he could do it again, so I picked his Panthers in the Office Pool Picks. It looked good for 3-quarters, Carolina led at the end of three, 17-14. But Atlanta, on the strength of two huge third-down throws by QB Matt Ryan, scored 17-fourth quarter points to win 31-17. Newton threw two 4th quarter picks. He'll get there, it just wasn't yesterday. When he learns how to close the deal, they'll be a force.
Talk about a bad day, the Saints topped the list yesterday.
I picked the Saints in Tampa, I picked the Saints as my NFC Super Bowl team, but what happened yesterday might hamper those dreams. Early in the 1st quarter, New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham was forced out of bounds right into the left leg of head coach Sean Payton, breaking his tibia & tearing his MCL. Payton missed much of the 2nd half in the trainers room. He is undergoing surgery this morning but it's doubtful he'll be back on the New Orleans' sideline in practice or on Sundays for a while. In the Martin Gramatica moment of the day, Bucs defensive back coach Jimmy Lake tore his patella tendon leaping into the air celebrating a game-clinching interception. The pick was the Brett Favre moment of the day, I haven't the foggiest idea what Drew Brees was looking at, he had two other receivers wide open in the endzone & he tries to jam one in. Brees had a tough day, throwing three picks & missing two receivers who had slipped behind the defense for sure scores.
Browns KO the Raiders' QB, but their special teams fail them in 24-17 loss.
Oakland QB Jason Campbell sustained a broken collarbone & will be lost for the season. But that didn't give the Cleveland Browns the opening they needed because their special teams failed them miserably. After tying the game 7-all, Raider kickoff return man, Jacoby Ford, roared back 101-yards to put Oakland back out front. Later in the third quarter, Oakland lined up for a 52-yard field goal attempt for long range specialist, Sebastian Janikowski. Holder Shane Lechler threw a short pass to tight end Kevin Boss who took it 35-yards for a touchdown, putting the Raiders ahead 24-7. Kyle Bollar took over at QB but I believe the Raiders have already begun searching for another quarterback. David Garrard comes to mind & even Denver's Kyle Orton, if the Broncos would be willing to trade him within the division. One slight problem for Oakland, they've already traded their 2nd, 3rd & 4th round picks in the 2012 draft.
I asked if the AFC South could become 2011's NFC West, I think we're there.
I think we're going to see something like 2010, a division winner with a .500 record or worse. The Houston Texans looked terrible again yesterday, losing in Baltimore 29-14. Tennessee had their bye week, they stand at 3-2 & face Houston next week. The Titans have a tough stretch next month with games in Carolina & Atlanta, home with Tampa, at Buffalo & home with New Orleans. The Texans schedule is nearly equal & they've shown the propensity to choke down the stretch. The two teams face each other the last Sunday of the season. With the Manningless Colts & 1-5 Jacksonville, this division is a mess. Quickly, the ageless Ray Lewis continues to amaze, the 36-year old wonder recorded 12 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss & a QB knock down yesterday vs. the Texans. Baltimore keeps gaining momentum, they're a handful for anyone right now.
Jason Garrett is truly "damned if you do, damned if you don't."
I'm not a Jason Garrett fan, a Cowboys fan, a Tony Romo fan, but I have to be fair. Two weeks ago when Garrett called an aggressive 2nd half while leading the Detroit Lions, Romo threw a couple of picks that were returned for scores, putting the eventual winner, Detroit, back into the game. Yesterday, leading by a field goal with less than 3-minutes remaining, Garrett went conservative, running the ball, forcing New England to use their timeouts. His defense had been playing very well & he was willing to punt the ball with 1:02 left & take his chances with his defenders. But giving Tom Brady, a QB who hasn't lost a home start since 2007, one more chance to beat you, might be a fatal mistake. It was, New England 20 Dallas 16, Brady to TE Aaron Hernandez for the deciding touchdown with 00:22 left on the clock. Brady had thrown 2 interceptions & the Pats didn't score but one touchdown prior to the game winner, they were stymied by Rob Ryan's defense pretty much all afternoon. But once again, giving Brady one more chance, didn't end well for the visitor.
The Bears should have let this guy play all along.
Before the draft, I was a huge fan of Stephen Paea. The Polynesian born in New Zealand, attended Oregon State. I was impressed with his non-stop motor, strength & his ability to blow up plays before they ever got started. He was a 2nd round pick of the Bears last April & I figured with Rod Marinelli now the defensive coordinator, Paea would excell in this attacking defense. He wasn't even dressed for a game until last night. He recorded a safety when he sacked Donovan McNabb in the endzone. He also got a tackle for loss & a QB knockdown. let this kid play, he could be a monster.
Yesterday's infirmary report:
Dallas guard Bill Nagy--fractured ankle--gone for the remainder of the season.
Dallas RB Felix Jones--high ankle sprain--will miss several weeks.
Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis--hamstring-could miss 2-3 weeks.
Cleveland OLB Scott Fijita--concussion--unknown at this time.
Washington tight end Chris Cooley--left index finger-if surgery is required, 2-3 weeks.
Washington guard Kory Lichtensteiger--ACL & MCL tears--out for remainder of season.
Washington left tackle--Trent Williams--high ankle sprain--2-3 weeks minimum.
Detroit RB Jahvid Best--concussion--probably to miss this week in Atlanta.
St. Louis left tackle Roger Saffold--ankle--unknown at this time
Last item: Brandon Lloyd is close to being a Ram.
If a new contract extension can be worked out, the Rams will receive WR Brandon Lloyd for a conditional draft pick. Lloyd is in the last year of his contract & the Broncos made no secret of his availability. The Rams, desperate to find someone to start alongside Danario Alexander, won't hesitate to bring Lloyd into their struggling offensive huddle. Unfortunately, Lloyd doesn't block pass rushers, which is the Rams' biggest problem right now, keeping Sam Bradford upright & uninjured.
Rich,
Happy birthday to my favorite football blogger, never miss a day here on your site. I had no idea you were 60-years old, your cool for a 60year old.
Keep up the good work and I'll be listening to your show tonight.
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