NFL WEEK 11, WHAT I SAW
Week 11 is done with the exception of the Monday night game, which should be a classic. Tom Brady vs. Tyler Palko, Rob Gronkowski vs. Leonard Pope & one sloppily dressed head coach vs. another sloppily dressed head coach. But we'll tune in won't we? Here's what I saw from Sunday's action.
Bears were just starting to look really dangerous & this happens.
Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a broken right thumb & will miss anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. The question is, can Caleb Hanie get them to the playoffs? He's no Tyler Palko, but then the Bears have a real defense which keeps them competitive every week. After beating the Chargers 31-20, they have the remainder of the AFC West the next three weeks plus Seattle & two road games in Green Bay & Minnesota. Chicago has 7 wins currently & even with Hanie, they can probably win another three, maybe four games. This is a severe blow to the Bears' playoff hopes, but they could still get in. Right now, their main wildcard competition is Atlanta & Detroit, only two will make it. Meanwhile, San Diego falls 2 games behind the Raiders with 6 to play, I think my preseason Super Bowl pick from the AFC is officially dead.
Cam Newton's big passing days might be behind him for now.
It appears the league has caught up with rookie quarterback Cam Newton. After some major numbers early on, Newton is looking more & more like a rookie. He's thrown 5 picks in the past two weeks, his yardage is way down & he's thrown only one touchdown. The Panthers jumped out to 10-0, 17-7, 24-7 leads, only to see the Detroit Lions, led by Matthew Stafford's 5 TD passes & RB Kevin Smith huge day, roar back to beat them 49-35. One week ago Smith was watching NFL games in his living room, having been released by the lions back in August. With Jahvid Best & Mikel LeShoure both injured, Detroit resigned Smith this past Wednesday. He ran for 140-yards, 2 touchdowns, caught 61-yards in passes & another TD, not bad for being off the past 11 weeks. Stafford threw for 335-yards & his 5 TD passes went to 5 different receivers. This Thanksgiving Day game vs. Green Bay might be very competitive & you can bet the Detroit fans will be louder than they've been since Barry Sanders left Motown.
Another rookie struggles, but puts his team in a position to win at the gun.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, they didn't get it done from the Baltimore 7-yardline in the closing seconds of a 31-24 Ravens' victory. We saw another one of those "Calvin Johnson touchdown/no touchdowns we saw last year. Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham caught what appeared to be the tying touchdown but after further review, the call was reversed. If you saw it, you know what I'm talking about, the NFL has to stop disallowing touchdowns like this. Gresham secured the ball with a foot on either side of the goal line, then took another step into the endzone, all the while having complete control after juggling the ball outside the endzone. When he was hit by a defender, he went to the ground outside the endzone & the ball touched the ground as he used it to steady himself. Dalton threw three interceptions, but a perfect throw from the fifty to Jerome Simpson at the Baltimore seven & there was hope in Southern Ohio. But the succeeding 4 plays were incomplete, intentional grounding, incomplete & a sack, game over. The Ravens remained tied with idle Pittsburgh for the division lead. The bengals have fallen back to earth with defeats at the hands of the Steelers & Ravens the past two weeks, they're now a game back.
What happened to the guys after they got their big $$$ deals?
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a $59-million deal 5 weeks ago & his team has nose-dived from wining four of five to begin the season to losing four of their last five games. They were hammered by the all of a sudden smokin' hot Miami Dolphins, 35-8. Fitzpatrick has thrown 10 interceptions in those 5 games since signing the contract. The other guy who heldout & griped his way into a new deal was Tennessee RB Chirs Johnson. With the exception of last week, he's been terrible this entire season. Yesterday CJ had 12 carries for 13-yards, that's pathetic. Also in this game, Matt Hasselbeck suffered an injury to his right elbow & left the game. Rookie Jake Locker went in & played pretty well in his first regular season action. He was 9 of 19 for 140-yards & 2 touchdown tosses to WR Nate Washington.
When you're the Jaguars, you're not going to get the calls, so you have to do it.
Three plays in this game determined the outcome, all went against the Jaguars. Play one was right before half when Jacksonville was called for pass interference in the endzone. Jags coach Jack Del Rio challenged the call saying the pass had been tipped at the line which voids any P.I. Ref Terry McCauley went under the hood, saw the same thing I did, the pass was clearly tipped but "after further review, the play stands as it was called on the field." Hmm. Play two, with 8-seconds remaining in the game & down 14-10, the Jags were at the Cleveland 2-yardline. Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert hit Jason Hill in the corner of the endzone right between the 8 & the 3, but untouched, Hill dropped what would've been the winning score. Play three, with 2-seconds left, instead of handing it to your hammer, Maurice Jones-Drew, Del Rio chose to call a pass play that fell incomplete, Browns win. Gabbert led a 90-yard drive with 2:37 left but they couldn't close the deal.
Big-mouth Rob Ryan lucky Gano blows.
I've really grown tired of the Ryan twins, Rex & Rob. They constantly shoot off their mouths, never much accountability when they get beat, they just start all over again trashing people. Rob, the D-coordinator for Dallas, was knocking Mike Shanahan Saturday, saying Shanahan used to "punk him" but not anymore. His team doesn't lose to the Redskins. They were beat twice yesterday, once in the 4th quarter & once in overtime, but Redskins kicker Graham Gano missed a pair of field goals. A 39-yarder for Dallas' Dan Bailey won the game 27-24. Tony Romo has an 18-2 lifetime record in the month of November.
Raiders hang on against Peterson-less Vikings to stay in first.
Minnesota's all-pro running back Adrian Peterson scored a first quarter touchdown but then went down with a very scary ankle injury in the next series. X-rays were negative, but he'll have an MRI today. The Raiders jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead & then hung on as rookie QB Christian Ponder rallied the Vikes with a pair of 4th quarter touchdown passes but the Raiders prevailed 27-21. Darius Heyward-Bey sustained a head/neck injury & was carted off the field. No word on his prognosis. Raiders coach Hue Jackson complained after the game about the officiating being "unfair" against his team. He went into great detail & whether he wants an audience with the commissioner, he'd better watch what he says, the league loves to fine coaches big money for questioning the officials.
Rams continue to disappoint on a large scale.
Yes, they were my NFC West pick & they're 2-8. But it how awful they look that should have everyone in St. Louis alarmed. They stink, Seattle went into the Edward Jones Dome & completely bottled up the Rams, winning 24-7. The Seahawks weren't anything special but they were infinitely better than the punchless Rams. I warned about protecting Sam Bradford but it wasn't to be, every time I looked at that screen Bradford was either scrambling, getting sacked or committing a turnover. Steven Jackson had all of his teams rushing yards, all 42 of them. Yes, they've lost both starting tackles, but Bradford was getting hammered before they got hurt. Steve Spagnuelo better get that line sorted out or Bradford's gonna become another David Carr.
Frisco rolls to their 9th win, now it's time for the Harbaugh Family Feud.
The Forty-Niners beat Arizona 23-7, running their record to 9-1. With their remaining schedule, I see the Niners with 13-wins, minimum. But right now, this week, it's the Harbaugh Family Feud, San Francisco at Baltimore, Thursday night. This ought to be a beauty.
Packers now 10-0, winning their 15th straight, now they have their own "Frig."
Remember William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who played defensive tackle for the 1985 World Champion Chicago Bears? He played fullback too in short yardage & goal line situations. He even scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Now the Packers have their own version of the "Frig." Defensive tackle B.J. Raji, a svelte 337-pounder, took a hand & scored yesterday in Green Bay's 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Aaron Rodgers was superb yet again throwing three touchdown passes, two to Jordy Nelson. RB James Starks injured his ankle & left the game. No word if he can play Thursday in Detroit.
The Eagles are 4-6 & I think I've been wrong on their games like 8 freakin' times.
No Michael Vick or Jeremy Maclin, playing on the road against a team that had already beaten them, I figured the Giants would prevail. Wrong.....of course. Philadelphia wins 17-10 despite Vince Young's 3 interceptions. He looked like he was guiding the ball most of the evening. Until late in the game when he led the Eagles on a 19-play, 80-yard drive culminating in a perfect 8-yard pass to Riley Cooper to put them ahead to stay. Eli Manning had a pick & a fumble at the Eagles 30-yard line with just under a minute left in the game. The G-man couldn't run the ball, 29-yards is pathetic. Did you see Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, inactivated by Andy Reid for missing a meeting, get called for taunting after a 50-yard catch & run? His team is backed up at their 2-yardline & after running out of bounds at the Giants' 48, he flips the ball to a New York coach & then says something to the players on the bench. The play gets erased on this guy's stupidity. This kid is the poster boy for the immature & selfish. The Eagles find themselves right back on their own goal line because of Jackson's antics.
Bears were just starting to look really dangerous & this happens.
Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a broken right thumb & will miss anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. The question is, can Caleb Hanie get them to the playoffs? He's no Tyler Palko, but then the Bears have a real defense which keeps them competitive every week. After beating the Chargers 31-20, they have the remainder of the AFC West the next three weeks plus Seattle & two road games in Green Bay & Minnesota. Chicago has 7 wins currently & even with Hanie, they can probably win another three, maybe four games. This is a severe blow to the Bears' playoff hopes, but they could still get in. Right now, their main wildcard competition is Atlanta & Detroit, only two will make it. Meanwhile, San Diego falls 2 games behind the Raiders with 6 to play, I think my preseason Super Bowl pick from the AFC is officially dead.
Cam Newton's big passing days might be behind him for now.
It appears the league has caught up with rookie quarterback Cam Newton. After some major numbers early on, Newton is looking more & more like a rookie. He's thrown 5 picks in the past two weeks, his yardage is way down & he's thrown only one touchdown. The Panthers jumped out to 10-0, 17-7, 24-7 leads, only to see the Detroit Lions, led by Matthew Stafford's 5 TD passes & RB Kevin Smith huge day, roar back to beat them 49-35. One week ago Smith was watching NFL games in his living room, having been released by the lions back in August. With Jahvid Best & Mikel LeShoure both injured, Detroit resigned Smith this past Wednesday. He ran for 140-yards, 2 touchdowns, caught 61-yards in passes & another TD, not bad for being off the past 11 weeks. Stafford threw for 335-yards & his 5 TD passes went to 5 different receivers. This Thanksgiving Day game vs. Green Bay might be very competitive & you can bet the Detroit fans will be louder than they've been since Barry Sanders left Motown.
Another rookie struggles, but puts his team in a position to win at the gun.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, they didn't get it done from the Baltimore 7-yardline in the closing seconds of a 31-24 Ravens' victory. We saw another one of those "Calvin Johnson touchdown/no touchdowns we saw last year. Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham caught what appeared to be the tying touchdown but after further review, the call was reversed. If you saw it, you know what I'm talking about, the NFL has to stop disallowing touchdowns like this. Gresham secured the ball with a foot on either side of the goal line, then took another step into the endzone, all the while having complete control after juggling the ball outside the endzone. When he was hit by a defender, he went to the ground outside the endzone & the ball touched the ground as he used it to steady himself. Dalton threw three interceptions, but a perfect throw from the fifty to Jerome Simpson at the Baltimore seven & there was hope in Southern Ohio. But the succeeding 4 plays were incomplete, intentional grounding, incomplete & a sack, game over. The Ravens remained tied with idle Pittsburgh for the division lead. The bengals have fallen back to earth with defeats at the hands of the Steelers & Ravens the past two weeks, they're now a game back.
What happened to the guys after they got their big $$$ deals?
Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick signed a $59-million deal 5 weeks ago & his team has nose-dived from wining four of five to begin the season to losing four of their last five games. They were hammered by the all of a sudden smokin' hot Miami Dolphins, 35-8. Fitzpatrick has thrown 10 interceptions in those 5 games since signing the contract. The other guy who heldout & griped his way into a new deal was Tennessee RB Chirs Johnson. With the exception of last week, he's been terrible this entire season. Yesterday CJ had 12 carries for 13-yards, that's pathetic. Also in this game, Matt Hasselbeck suffered an injury to his right elbow & left the game. Rookie Jake Locker went in & played pretty well in his first regular season action. He was 9 of 19 for 140-yards & 2 touchdown tosses to WR Nate Washington.
When you're the Jaguars, you're not going to get the calls, so you have to do it.
Three plays in this game determined the outcome, all went against the Jaguars. Play one was right before half when Jacksonville was called for pass interference in the endzone. Jags coach Jack Del Rio challenged the call saying the pass had been tipped at the line which voids any P.I. Ref Terry McCauley went under the hood, saw the same thing I did, the pass was clearly tipped but "after further review, the play stands as it was called on the field." Hmm. Play two, with 8-seconds remaining in the game & down 14-10, the Jags were at the Cleveland 2-yardline. Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert hit Jason Hill in the corner of the endzone right between the 8 & the 3, but untouched, Hill dropped what would've been the winning score. Play three, with 2-seconds left, instead of handing it to your hammer, Maurice Jones-Drew, Del Rio chose to call a pass play that fell incomplete, Browns win. Gabbert led a 90-yard drive with 2:37 left but they couldn't close the deal.
Big-mouth Rob Ryan lucky Gano blows.
I've really grown tired of the Ryan twins, Rex & Rob. They constantly shoot off their mouths, never much accountability when they get beat, they just start all over again trashing people. Rob, the D-coordinator for Dallas, was knocking Mike Shanahan Saturday, saying Shanahan used to "punk him" but not anymore. His team doesn't lose to the Redskins. They were beat twice yesterday, once in the 4th quarter & once in overtime, but Redskins kicker Graham Gano missed a pair of field goals. A 39-yarder for Dallas' Dan Bailey won the game 27-24. Tony Romo has an 18-2 lifetime record in the month of November.
Raiders hang on against Peterson-less Vikings to stay in first.
Minnesota's all-pro running back Adrian Peterson scored a first quarter touchdown but then went down with a very scary ankle injury in the next series. X-rays were negative, but he'll have an MRI today. The Raiders jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead & then hung on as rookie QB Christian Ponder rallied the Vikes with a pair of 4th quarter touchdown passes but the Raiders prevailed 27-21. Darius Heyward-Bey sustained a head/neck injury & was carted off the field. No word on his prognosis. Raiders coach Hue Jackson complained after the game about the officiating being "unfair" against his team. He went into great detail & whether he wants an audience with the commissioner, he'd better watch what he says, the league loves to fine coaches big money for questioning the officials.
Rams continue to disappoint on a large scale.
Yes, they were my NFC West pick & they're 2-8. But it how awful they look that should have everyone in St. Louis alarmed. They stink, Seattle went into the Edward Jones Dome & completely bottled up the Rams, winning 24-7. The Seahawks weren't anything special but they were infinitely better than the punchless Rams. I warned about protecting Sam Bradford but it wasn't to be, every time I looked at that screen Bradford was either scrambling, getting sacked or committing a turnover. Steven Jackson had all of his teams rushing yards, all 42 of them. Yes, they've lost both starting tackles, but Bradford was getting hammered before they got hurt. Steve Spagnuelo better get that line sorted out or Bradford's gonna become another David Carr.
Frisco rolls to their 9th win, now it's time for the Harbaugh Family Feud.
The Forty-Niners beat Arizona 23-7, running their record to 9-1. With their remaining schedule, I see the Niners with 13-wins, minimum. But right now, this week, it's the Harbaugh Family Feud, San Francisco at Baltimore, Thursday night. This ought to be a beauty.
Packers now 10-0, winning their 15th straight, now they have their own "Frig."
Remember William "The Refrigerator" Perry, who played defensive tackle for the 1985 World Champion Chicago Bears? He played fullback too in short yardage & goal line situations. He even scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Now the Packers have their own version of the "Frig." Defensive tackle B.J. Raji, a svelte 337-pounder, took a hand & scored yesterday in Green Bay's 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Aaron Rodgers was superb yet again throwing three touchdown passes, two to Jordy Nelson. RB James Starks injured his ankle & left the game. No word if he can play Thursday in Detroit.
The Eagles are 4-6 & I think I've been wrong on their games like 8 freakin' times.
No Michael Vick or Jeremy Maclin, playing on the road against a team that had already beaten them, I figured the Giants would prevail. Wrong.....of course. Philadelphia wins 17-10 despite Vince Young's 3 interceptions. He looked like he was guiding the ball most of the evening. Until late in the game when he led the Eagles on a 19-play, 80-yard drive culminating in a perfect 8-yard pass to Riley Cooper to put them ahead to stay. Eli Manning had a pick & a fumble at the Eagles 30-yard line with just under a minute left in the game. The G-man couldn't run the ball, 29-yards is pathetic. Did you see Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, inactivated by Andy Reid for missing a meeting, get called for taunting after a 50-yard catch & run? His team is backed up at their 2-yardline & after running out of bounds at the Giants' 48, he flips the ball to a New York coach & then says something to the players on the bench. The play gets erased on this guy's stupidity. This kid is the poster boy for the immature & selfish. The Eagles find themselves right back on their own goal line because of Jackson's antics.
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