PACK STAYS PERFECT, SUH MELTS DOWN, 'BOYS ESCAPE & FRISCO FALLS FLAT
We saw a lot of sloppy football today in all four games. A boatload of penalties, 65 in the 4 games, a couple of ejections & the end of a classic college rivalry made up our Thanksgiving Day slate of games. Oh yeah, Linda & her sister created culinary perfection & around 4:30 we dined. It was a great day, my nephew & I watched every minute of all four games & laughed a bunch. That's what holidays are all about, being with family & remembering how lucky you are in so many ways. Like I said, it was a great day & we'll do it all over again tomorrow, more football, a good movie & great leftovers.
Green Bay 27 Detroit 15
It took the Packers quite a while to get it going in today's first game, but for Detroit, it was even worse. They weren't able to score until the fourth quarter. After scoring only 7-points in the first half, a string of interceptions got Green Bay going after intermission. Detroit looked like they didn't belong on the same field as the Pack, they simply made too many mistakes & were victimized by numerous injuries. Running back Kevin Smith, who was the NFC offensive player of the week for his monster game vs. Carolina last week, suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter & did not return. Hard-hitting safety Louis Delmas, cornerbacks Chris Houston & Brandon McDonald all left with knee injuries. All-pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was ejected in the 3rd quarter while the Packers built enough of a lead to essentially cinch their 11-0 record, a franchise first.
I respected Suh's work ethic, preparation & production at Nebraska & in his first season in Motown as the NFL's defensive rookie of the year. But this season, I think he's made a wrong turn this season & someone he trusts needs to sit him down & explain very carefully & succinctly where he's going wrong. A few of the plays he has been penalized for really didn't seem that bad to my eyes, while others could easily draw hefty fines from the league. He's already been docked $42,500 this season & that will be just the tip of the iceberg after his actions vs. the Packers. After being pulled to the ground by an offensive lineman, Green Bay's Evan Dietrich-Smith, Suh slammed his head into the turf several times & as he was being pulled away from Dietrich-Smith, Suh stomped on his forearm. It was intentional, he'll receive a hefty fine from the league & I fully expect him to be suspended for at least one game. Suh made maters worse by appearing in the press room after the game & his explanation was embarrassing. The Lions are at fault here as well, they should've prohibited Suh from the press room where he could & did hang himself. Like I always say, "When you're in the hole, stop digging." Suh kept talking & digging, he didn't so himself or the Lions any favors. He's not the reason Detroit lost the game, but if he misses even one game, they could fall out of wildcard contention quickly with just 5 games remaining. At this point it's all hands on deck, especially with the secondary injuries the Lions sustained today, losing Suh only makes their goals tougher to attain.
Dallas 20 Miami 19
Cowboy kicker Dan Bailey kicked the game-winning 28-yard field goal with no time left. QB Tony Romo was nearly perfect in the fourth quarter, running his November career record to 20-2. The Dolphins performance was a perfect example of how they got to 3-8. They played hard, they kept it close, lead a couple of times but in the end, they couldn't close the deal. Dallas might be the NFC East frontrunner after this win, even with a pair of games left with the Giants, who have a brutal remaining schedule(New Orleans, Green Bay, the Jets & the two with Dallas).
Baltimore 16 San Francisco 6
Older brother John Harbaugh bested his baby brother Jim in the NFL nightcap. This game came down to just one thing, the Niners inability to protect quarterback Alex Smith. He was sacked 9 times & knocked down another 12 times. Frisco had but 170-total yards after you subtract the sack yardage. Right tackle Anthony Davis was completely overwhelmed by the Raven line stunts & zone blitzes. He was off balance & often knocked to the turf by a Raven on the way to smashing into his QB. My office pool picks went 2-1 today, losing with San Francisco.
Texas 27 Texas A&M 25
Once again Mike Sherman's Aggies blew a double-digit lead as they lost their final in-state rivalry game with the University of Texas. A&M is leaving the Big-12 because of the Longhorns & the Aggies & their fans wanted desperately to win this game. A&M lead 13-0 in the 2nd quarter & with 1:48 left in the game, a Ryan Tannehill pass to Jeff Fuller put them ahead 25-24. But Texas QB Case McCoy passed & ran the 'Horns into field goal range & with no time left, Justin Tucker kicked a 40-yard field goal to win the game. Texas was aided by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty that was really a bad call. Realistically, A&M should have put this game away in the first half but Tennehill couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for better than two quarters & his line couldn't provide any running room. The Aggies finish their last Big-12 season with a 6-6 record while Texas heads into their final versus Baylor with a 7-4 mark.
Friday doesn't have that many games that interest me, #8 Houston at Tulsa, Iowa at #21 Nebraska & #3 Arkansas at #1 LSU will be enough for me.
Kyle Orton spoke to Todd Haley by phone & will not report to Kansas City until Friday. Haley said Tyler Palko will start for the Chiefs Sunday night against the Steelers. Looks like Orton will start the following Sunday against his former team, the Chicago Bears. Left guard Ryan Lilja has already been ruled out of Sunday's game with a head injury not believed to be a concussion.
Green Bay 27 Detroit 15
It took the Packers quite a while to get it going in today's first game, but for Detroit, it was even worse. They weren't able to score until the fourth quarter. After scoring only 7-points in the first half, a string of interceptions got Green Bay going after intermission. Detroit looked like they didn't belong on the same field as the Pack, they simply made too many mistakes & were victimized by numerous injuries. Running back Kevin Smith, who was the NFC offensive player of the week for his monster game vs. Carolina last week, suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter & did not return. Hard-hitting safety Louis Delmas, cornerbacks Chris Houston & Brandon McDonald all left with knee injuries. All-pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was ejected in the 3rd quarter while the Packers built enough of a lead to essentially cinch their 11-0 record, a franchise first.
I respected Suh's work ethic, preparation & production at Nebraska & in his first season in Motown as the NFL's defensive rookie of the year. But this season, I think he's made a wrong turn this season & someone he trusts needs to sit him down & explain very carefully & succinctly where he's going wrong. A few of the plays he has been penalized for really didn't seem that bad to my eyes, while others could easily draw hefty fines from the league. He's already been docked $42,500 this season & that will be just the tip of the iceberg after his actions vs. the Packers. After being pulled to the ground by an offensive lineman, Green Bay's Evan Dietrich-Smith, Suh slammed his head into the turf several times & as he was being pulled away from Dietrich-Smith, Suh stomped on his forearm. It was intentional, he'll receive a hefty fine from the league & I fully expect him to be suspended for at least one game. Suh made maters worse by appearing in the press room after the game & his explanation was embarrassing. The Lions are at fault here as well, they should've prohibited Suh from the press room where he could & did hang himself. Like I always say, "When you're in the hole, stop digging." Suh kept talking & digging, he didn't so himself or the Lions any favors. He's not the reason Detroit lost the game, but if he misses even one game, they could fall out of wildcard contention quickly with just 5 games remaining. At this point it's all hands on deck, especially with the secondary injuries the Lions sustained today, losing Suh only makes their goals tougher to attain.
Dallas 20 Miami 19
Cowboy kicker Dan Bailey kicked the game-winning 28-yard field goal with no time left. QB Tony Romo was nearly perfect in the fourth quarter, running his November career record to 20-2. The Dolphins performance was a perfect example of how they got to 3-8. They played hard, they kept it close, lead a couple of times but in the end, they couldn't close the deal. Dallas might be the NFC East frontrunner after this win, even with a pair of games left with the Giants, who have a brutal remaining schedule(New Orleans, Green Bay, the Jets & the two with Dallas).
Baltimore 16 San Francisco 6
Older brother John Harbaugh bested his baby brother Jim in the NFL nightcap. This game came down to just one thing, the Niners inability to protect quarterback Alex Smith. He was sacked 9 times & knocked down another 12 times. Frisco had but 170-total yards after you subtract the sack yardage. Right tackle Anthony Davis was completely overwhelmed by the Raven line stunts & zone blitzes. He was off balance & often knocked to the turf by a Raven on the way to smashing into his QB. My office pool picks went 2-1 today, losing with San Francisco.
Texas 27 Texas A&M 25
Once again Mike Sherman's Aggies blew a double-digit lead as they lost their final in-state rivalry game with the University of Texas. A&M is leaving the Big-12 because of the Longhorns & the Aggies & their fans wanted desperately to win this game. A&M lead 13-0 in the 2nd quarter & with 1:48 left in the game, a Ryan Tannehill pass to Jeff Fuller put them ahead 25-24. But Texas QB Case McCoy passed & ran the 'Horns into field goal range & with no time left, Justin Tucker kicked a 40-yard field goal to win the game. Texas was aided by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty that was really a bad call. Realistically, A&M should have put this game away in the first half but Tennehill couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for better than two quarters & his line couldn't provide any running room. The Aggies finish their last Big-12 season with a 6-6 record while Texas heads into their final versus Baylor with a 7-4 mark.
Friday doesn't have that many games that interest me, #8 Houston at Tulsa, Iowa at #21 Nebraska & #3 Arkansas at #1 LSU will be enough for me.
Kyle Orton spoke to Todd Haley by phone & will not report to Kansas City until Friday. Haley said Tyler Palko will start for the Chiefs Sunday night against the Steelers. Looks like Orton will start the following Sunday against his former team, the Chicago Bears. Left guard Ryan Lilja has already been ruled out of Sunday's game with a head injury not believed to be a concussion.
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