National Football League

[Amsterhammer]

Amazingly enough, I also bounced back with a 10-4.

I will confess to having aged several years during the second half of the Skins game, which was the only complete game that I saw. Again, the Skins almost lost a game that they had been leading in from the beginning. It should never have been that close, though. Billy Cund-iff missed three before hitting that one in the last seconds.

Indeed Alpe, the legend of RG3 rightly grows weekly. His head set was apparently 'broken' so he called that last drive to set up the last second FG himself! He's smart, he's confident, he fires bullets (really!) and he can make moves and run. You could not script a more complete QB

Worried Skins fans have suggested that he'd probably also be better at Safety than anyone playing the position now.

This is due to the glaring awfulness of our pass defense, worst in the league and it's easy to see why. Something will need to be done, and quick, if they aspire to more than just a (joint) last place in the east. The offense has great potential and will always score. RG3 is a super-star in the making. No sh!t!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

As an aside, I have never, NEVER understood calling a time out to "freeze" the kicker a split second before the ball is snapped...

QB Ratings are interesting to look at. Matt Ryan tops, Roethlisbger 2nd. Schaub, RGIII, Dalton round out the top 5. Brady is at 6, Alex Smith 7. Ponder 8, Kolb 9. Now, ask yourself, would you have put those names at the top of such a list before the season started? Peyton is 10, Rodgers 12 (and most sacked QB in NFL), Eli is 13, Brees is 19, Stafford 22, Luck 24, Vick 27, Sanchez 29, and Cutler at the bottom of 32.

on3m@n@rmy - Living on the east coast sucks for football. I much preferred having the games start in the morning, and the last game (and MNF) end around 8 or 9pm. Here on the east coast the night game often ends at midnight. Consider yourself lucky where you live!

Remember one of the Pats games last year (in playoffs I think) where Bellichick did NOT ice the kicker... and the kicker missed. That is one instance where reverse psychology seemed to pay off. But to make it work the coach has to ice a kicker once in a while in a tight end-of-game situation to keep the opposition honest. But that's about the ONLY time I can see icing the kicker.

On QB ratings, I'm not surprised at all about Ryan-Roth-Schaub. Last year, I though Matt and Matt were about to have break out years. Ben, well... is Ben. While RGIII and Dalton are huge talents, I would not have projected them this high, yet ... so that was a surprise. But more surprising are the Cubes outside the top 5 or near the bottom... I would have projected Brady higher, Smith lower, Ponder lower (but Pond is benefiting from AP), Kolb (A Chris Berman-screached "what"? where'd he come from all of a sudden?... meaning loooower), PM higher, Rogers higher, and higher for the rest except Luck and Sanchize who are both about where I would have expected.

On coastal preference for football, the thought frequently comes to mind when watching NFL night games that I'm glad to be on the west coast. During football season there are only 2 nights or days a week when I'm not watching football... Tuesday and Wednesday, cos Thursday = TNF, Friday = local HS football, Saturday = road trip college day game, then OFC Sunday-Monday = the usual NFL games. And I don't get footballed-out. But, with that kind of schedule, if I were on the east cost I'd prolly miss the end of some of those late night finishes. So I feel for ya man!

Couple thoughts on tonight's Dallas-Chicago tilt:
- Cutler did not look like he belongs at #32 of the QB ratings
- (but he was going against Dallas)
- Brandon Marshall is looking like a new man on and apparently off the field (big congrats there!)
- Dez Bryant needs to be recalibrated... to many drops of balls that should have been caught
- My advice to Romo = stop hanging your head on the sideline when the chips are down dagnabbit!!! "Attitude (of others) reflect leadership... captain!"
- Witten was getting back in the groove with a big night

Finally, my Paul Harvey slant on Dallas: Dallas has far too many distractions in the off-season, punctuated by the distractions provided in their new stadium design, for them to be a successful NFL team. "And that's the way the ball bounces."

Edit: After tonight's game I ended up 11-4. So looks like we are all in good company.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

We were right in there with the 'regulars' picks on ESPN.go.com/nfl/picks:
Allen 11-4, Golic 11-4, Hoge 14-1, Jaworski 10-5, Mortensen 14-1, Schefter 11-4,
Schlereth 11-4, Wickersham 11-4, Jackson 11-4, Johnson 12-3, Ditka 12-3,
Carter 9-6 (who's actually doing well overall)

ahem: c'mon Foxxy! Stop studying stats and start pickin!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

The Cowboys are apparently the team we all expected. A lot of talent. Some great plays and drives. And some costly mistakes. Romo hasn't changed much over the last five years. Some great throws, some perfect reads, and some very costly picks and fumbles, let down by those around him as well. I heard Jerry Jones once say he made a deal with God to get the three SB wins he had, and now he's asking for another. I'm guessing God doesn't like to be pandered to.

Good win for the Bears and Jay Cutler though. They looked good.

Latest NFL updates are that Jake Locker may be out for the season with a shoulder injury.

After this week's poor performance, Pete Carroll is sticking with Russell Wilson, despite external calls to start Flynn.

There are currently ten 2-2 teams. Historically only three of them make the playoffs at this point. Which of the 10 will? Article here.

NFL Power Rankings are up. No surprise to see Houston on top. They are clearly the best team in the NFL right now.

1. Houston - No question. Great D, solid O.
2. Atlanta - Ryan is great. But I question their OL and DL, and think they are ripe for an upset.
3. SF 49ers - Demolition of NYJ puts them back on deep playoff track.
4. Baltimore - O very good, but D giving up too many yards, points. Need Suggs back late in the year to truly contend.
5. Arizona - Excellent pass D, Kolb playing well, but they are ripe for an upset too.
6. NE - Ignore the 2-2 record...right?
7. Philly - Still have all the tools (except consistent QB).
8. GB - Should be 3-1. Offense better, defense worse this week.
9. NYG - Still a great D. But not consistent enough overall.
10. Chicago - Playing well.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Bummer for Locker. And can't argue with those power rankings at this point.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

NFL Network's Mike Mayock says there are only a handful of elite (where elite = franchize) QBs in the NFL (Full article).

How many franchise quarterbacks are in the NFL? Well, according to Mayock, there aren't many. He believes a franchise quarterback is a guy who can carry his team to the Super Bowl, meaning that right now, there are only six active franchise guys in the NFL: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers.

I agree with the name above the Mayock included in the elite. Who else might we throw into the elite category? Rivers, Ryan, Romo, Cutler, Flacco? Those are just some of the names tossed into the discussion in the link. I definately would not put Romo or Cutler in that list right now. How about Schaub?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

His definition of "Elite" is rather loose, undefined. Even he questions it. Completely agree on Brady, Rodgers. Brees is headed to the HOF, but is he currently "elite", when his team is 0-4? Peyton was elite and headed to the HOF. Is he still elite? With all the mistakes Romo makes, same with Cutler, I wouldn't call them elite. I don't think of Eli as being elite. I think of him being on a team with a great defense. But he does have 2 SB rings, and plays well in the clutch. Ryan looks elite, through 4 games this season anyway. Flacco might be heading there, same with Schaub. Heck, Alex Smith might be heading there. Stafford maybe someday. RGIII too. But they aren't now.

Edit - Joe Thiesman tore into Tony Romo today. Personally, I think Joe was being a bitter jerk about it. Yes, Tony had a terrible game. And yes, he's had some bad games, and often folds when the game is getting out of hand, making things seem worse. But as I look back, especially considering the teams he played for, Thiesman really wasn't that good of a QB. I wonder if he flashes back on Super Bowl XVIII very often?

Weekly predictions hopefully later today.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Okay, week 5 predictions:

Arizona at St. Louis - Cards ripe for upset, but not this week.
Miami at Cincy - Fins improving, but Bengals are too.
Green Bay at Indy - Might be close though.
Baltimore at KC - Chiefs no defense, Cassell done.
Cleveland at NYG - Browns continue losing streak.
Philly at Pitt - Must win for Steelers at home.
Atlanta at Wash - Falcons will give up points, but so will Skins.
Seattle at Carolina - Home pick. Wilson struggling.
Chicago at Jax - Bears playing well, but this could be a strange upset.
Tenn at Minn - Hasselback more then capable, but Vikings better team.
Denver at NE - Don't see Brady losing this game.
Buffalo at SF - 49ers way too many tools.
SD at NO - Saints, at home, finally win.
Houston at NYJ - Lock of the week.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Well, I am going to make this boring for debate... I'm picking same as Alpe except one:
Seattle over Carolina - Hawks bounce back from missed opportunities

the only other games I see possibly going the other way might be the ones underlined:
Philly at Pitt -
Atlanta at Wash - Atl could be ripe
SD at NO -
Tenn at Minn - if Hass gets em going

...but I'm sticking with the picks in bold.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Haven't been able to log in for days.........tried my old IE7 that I never use and hey presto, here I am. Am hoping to find out what it is about my FF that suddenly prevents me from logging in, despite Adblock being off.

So Alpe, I can post my own picks now.

Arizona at St. Louis - Cards not yet ready to lose.
Miami at Cincy - Fins keep disappointing.
Green Bay at Indy - They'll need more than Luck to beat the Pack.
Baltimore at KC - Ravens without a doubt.
Cleveland at NYG - Giants should be too good.
Philly at Pitt - Eagle's luck can't go on.
Atlanta at Wash - Falcons should be too good, but I'm sticking with my boys.
Seattle at Carolina - Newton & Co. should be too good at home
Chicago at Jax - Bears on the prowl.
Tenn at Minn - Titans disappointing, Vikings surprising
Denver at NE - Brady to win shoot out of the big guns.
Buffalo at SF - 49ers should be way too good
SD at NO - Saints surely can't lose again
Houston at NYJ - Certainly looks like the lock of the week.

Although we all appear to agree on most of these, we've all made one or two picks that certainly could go the other way - should be fun!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes, this week looks like it's easy to predict. But I thought the same thing two weeks ago. If anything, there are a few games that should not be shocking if I'm wrong. And I'll probably be wrong on a few more.

•The Cardinals are ripe for an upset. I just don't see St. Louis doing it.
•Seattle could actually beat Carolina. They have a very good defense, Wilson could have a good game, Newton is having a sophomore slump and too emotional, and the Panthers aren't that good.
•Philly could beat the Steelers, who have many injuries, and the Eagles do have a lot of talent.
•Washington could definitely upset Atlanta, who is ripe for an upset as well.
•The Saints are 0-4, and San Diego has a lot of talent. I could easily see the Chargers winning a 30-24 type game.
•Finally, Tennessee could definitely beat Minnesota. The Vikings are better than we thought, but not great, they just surprised some people, and Hasselback outplayed Locker in the pre-season and is a solid, if aging, vet.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Welp, we are off to a great start as the Rams beat up the Cards! Hehe.

I liked what I saw from the Ram defense. But I think if the Cards had a good QB it could have been a different outcome. What I mean is, Kolb tossed a lot of inaccurate passes. Credit the Ram defense though because 9 sacks and some pressure likely caused some of those inaccurate throws.

Steven Jackson is still a great RB, but rookie Daryl Richardson is a nice find. Looks like a smal version of Jackson... well, maybe with helmets on.

5'10" 196 lbs

6'2" 240 lbs

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Well, I did say the Cardinals were ripe for an upset...

I think the Rams defense deserves as much credit as Kolb or the Cards deserve criticism. Richardson (and perhaps Pead) is the obvious replacement for Jackson, who just voided the last year of his contract and will be playing next season somewhere else. But he is nearing the end of his shelf life. So it remains to be seen where he goes. My guess is to a very good team, with a cut in pay in the hopes of winning a SB.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Haven't been able to log in for days.........tried my old IE7 that I never use and hey presto, here I am. Am hoping to find out what it is about my FF ...!

Something seems to be going on for sure. My PC is less than 6 months old and I've got IE9 64-bit and Google Chrome with Adblock. Trying to logon to the Cyclingnews forum lately with Google is very, very sloooooow. And sometimes it just won't take. But if I switch to IE9 and I can login fine, but it is slower than normal. I don't have any problems with Google or IE9 on ANY other websites. It all seemed to change with Cyclingnews logins when they went to that new format for the login prompt.... Alpe, what did you guys do??!!!!!!

As for Rams, I recall Alpe put the "ripe for upset" tag on the Cards. When I saw that BEFORE posting this week's predictions, I had a hunch that might happen after last week's game. But I still was not a firm believer in the Rams and went with the Cards.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Something seems to be going on for sure. My PC is less than 6 months old and I've got IE9 64-bit and Google Chrome with Adblock. Trying to logon to the Cyclingnews forum lately with Google is very, very sloooooow. And sometimes it just won't take. But if I switch to IE9 and I can login fine, but it is slower than normal. I don't have any problems with Google or IE9 on ANY other websites. It all seemed to change with Cyclingnews logins when they went to that new format for the login prompt.... Alpe, what did you guys do??!!!!!!

As for Rams, I recall Alpe put the "ripe for upset" tag on the Cards. When I saw that BEFORE posting this week's predictions, I had a hunch that might happen after last week's game. But I still was not a firm believer in the Rams and went with the Cards.

Yup, the hassles only started after the brilliant new 'easier' login was introduced.

So the Cards only manage one FG! Yeah, "ripe for upset" for sure....good start this week, guys.

Foxxy, I think it's shocking that you're not playing. Come on dude, man up and go for it.

 

[Potomac]

If the Redksins can find some defense they will make the playoffs.

The Griffining has begun.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

I´ll be back tomorrow, but i won´t put my lager down.
We´ve got a great TV schedule for my comeback:
NE vs. Playoff-Nervous-Peyton
and
The bionic arm vs. ATL.
I am satisfied.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Too bad RGIII and his bionic arm can't play defense. Thy are going to have a heck of a time stopping Ryan and the Falcons assault. But I question the Falcons pass defense (and OL) so it could be one of those 42-38 games that are fun to watch. Plus we are basically seeing the MVP and ROY (so far) in the same game, going head to head.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Too bad RGIII and his bionic arm can't play defense. Thy are going to have a heck of a time stopping Ryan and the Falcons assault. But I question the Falcons pass defense (and OL) so it could be one of those 42-38 games that are fun to watch. Plus we are basically seeing the MVP and ROY (so far) in the same game, going head to head.

I've already seen it suggested that he'd be a better safety than the current, useless incumbents.

You could be right about the score, it certainly won't be a defensive game. I'm p!ssed off by the scheduling tonight, and because I only have one tivo/dvr. I've got the Skins starting now at 7 pm, Barca-Real Madrid starts at 8 and the Nats start at 9.

Since ESPN is all NFL tonight I'll have to tivo the rest of the Skins after finishing recording the Barca game, so that I can watch all of the Nats live at the pc. I decided that the Nats game takes absolute precedence in view of it being the first D.C. playoff game since 1933, which makes it truly an historic occasion!

 

[palmerq]

rg 3 got smashed in the head and left the game early... disaster... well for myt fantasy team........... but a head injury is not good he was hit hrad by the looks of it, hopefully he is ok and is not going to do a crosby

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I'm 9-4 so far. Should have done better. Some comments on the games:

RGIII mild concussion. He needs to learn to try to run less when receivers are not open, and to runout of bounds.

Great win for Indy, and Andrew Luck. He really came into his own, and a big difference from week 2 and the 4 picks and a fumble. Indy has hope as a team, and GB's vaunted offense needs to find itself.

Sick the way some KC fans were cheering Matt Cassell's injury. I'm reminded of Aints fans doing the same with Wade Wilson. Boo that team as their offense should be better, but don't cheer an injury. Plus, this means Brady Quinn is your QB.

NYG offense putting up big points. But Cleveland sucks. Let's see how they do against SF and Pitt coming up.

Speaking of 49ers, they look like a powerhouse on both sides of the ball. But the Bills stink. Next week SF plays NYG, more of a test.

Nice to see Vick blow another game, this time with his fumbles. Steelers barely back to full strength. But in a few weeks, if healthy, their defense could be back to normal great.

Chicago looks quite good as well. Very mpressive two weeks in a row.

Minnesota continues to show it is quite good.

Great win for Miami and Tannehill. He is adapting very well, proving dolts like me wrong.

Very impressive New England win, again. To run the ball like that was something. Scary when you think about it. Sme blown defensive plays kept it from being a blowout.

Great win for the Saints. Brees breaking Unitas record that has stood longer than I have been alive.

Tomorrow's headlines today: Texans 49-0 win over Jets causes infighting in NY, and calls for Tebow to start after Sanchez 5 picks.

 

[Merckx index]

Last year when the relative merits of drafting Luck vs. RGIII were being discussed, some critics of the latter suggested that his (relatively) small size would make him injury prone, if he did a lot of running. Though as I understand it, this was not a designated running play but a scramble because everyone was covered (i.e., something every QB has to do sometimes), this may prove to be problem for RGIII if he isn’t willing to take a dive to avoid a bad hit. He’s too valuable to the team, obviously, to act like a RB.

Some other observations:

Does Buffalo have the worst defense in the history of the NFL? In week 1, they gave up 48 pts to the Jets, an offense that looked completely inept vs. the 49ers. Last week, they gave up 45 pts to NE in about a quarter and a half. This week, the relatively conservative 49er offense set a franchise record with more than 600 total yards. Alex Smith looked like Brady/Manning/Brees against that defense. And at least one 40+ passing play was called back because of a penalty. The 49ers are the first team in NFL history to pass and rush for 300 yds in the same game.

Colin Kaepernik is Tim Tebow without the God talk, and with the ability to throw a forward pass. Alex Smith must be wondering how secure is job is. This year the pecking order is pretty clear, but by next year, Kaepernik is likely to be making start me or trade me noises.

What a difference a year makes. Last year the NFC West was one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. This year, by the record, it is the strongest. It has the best record vs. teams outside its division in the NFL. All four teams are in the top 10 in scoring defense, and Seattle and SF are 1-2 (pending Houston's coming shutdown of the Jets) in total defense.

The Vikings appear to be real. This really shouldn’t be such a surprise. Before they acquired Favre in 2009, they were a playoff team, with a good defense and strong running game—much like the 49ers now. After Favre and the coach left, the team imploded, but it was probably more a psychological/leadership problem than a talent problem. They seem to have resolved that, and are playing a lot like they did pre-Favre. It now appears the 49ers did not really play that badly against them, this is a good team.

GB is in trouble. Indy is improving with Luck, but the Packers should be winning games like this. And for the record, a detailed frame-by-frame analysis following the Seahawk game revealed that Golden Tate did touch, catch and control that pass before the Packer defenders did. IOW, that was the right call, the Seahawk victory was legitimate, and the Packers have earned their current losing record.

Moving over to the NCAA, has anyone here been following the sensational Geno Smith? Against Baylor last week, he put up phenomenal numbers, even by today’s pass-happy standards: 45/51, 656 yards, 8 TDs. Against a very good Texas defense this past Saturday, he “only” completed 71% of his passes for 250 yds and 4 TDs. Texas had him under a lot of pressure, they sacked him 4 times, much of the rest of the time he had defensive players swarming all over him, their coverage was good--and still he managed to throw the ball with astonishing accuracy, putting it the only place where it could be caught. Very impressive performance, though he did fumble twice, the second time almost losing the game. His receivers are also terrific, not only made some difficult catches, but some spectacular runs after the catches.

If the Saints had lost last night, they might have become the Indy of this year. Would they have used the no. 1 draft pick to take Geno? Brees can't have that much time left. Problem is, thanks to Newton (who's not doing very well right now), QBs now seem to think they have the right to start as rookies.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Good post, MI.

Does Buffalo have the worst defense in the history of the NFL?

Recall some Texan fans (including ChrisE) celebrating when Mario Williams left for Buffalo...

Colin Kaepernik is Tim Tebow without the God talk, and with the ability to throw a forward pass.

Agree. You may recall my singing his praises months ago. Going back to college. Accurate passer, who has size and can run. The knock coming into the NFL was that he wouldn't see 2nd and 3rd options under pressure. But having sat on the bench (and played some) for two years means he'll learn, and be a commodity next year.

What a difference a year makes. Last year the NFC West was one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. This year, by the record, it is the strongest.

And our assumptions that the NFC East and AFC North would be the best haven't panned out.

The Vikings appear to be real.

Generally agree. Two key factors are the addition of Matt Kalil, and coach Leslie Frazier Getting the chance to put together their defense. We know Peterson is good, and we thought Ponder could be good.

And for the record, a detailed frame-by-frame analysis following the Seahawk game revealed that Golden Tate did touch, catch and control that pass

The replacement ref who made he call had the guts to be interviewed on TV and said the same. Tate had control when his feet hit the ground, if only very briefly, which means TD. The ball was then ripped away. Was he right? I'll say this. I don't think so because I don't think it was a football move. But one play doesn't dictate a game, let alone a season. The replacement refs needed to go not because of that one play, but because many small mistakes (like the PI call a few plays before that) and they were losing control of games.

Agree the Packers earned their record. Their problem is their offense. They are not moving the ball, receivers are not getting open.

Geno Smith somewhat reminds me of a bigger Case Keenum. Throw the ball a ton, which means a lot of yards and TDs. But Smith's size (and stronger arm) will have him going very high in the draft. The team right now likely to get the #1 pick is Cleveland, but they badly need offensive line help and defensive playmakers, not a rookie QB.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

The Vikings appear to be real. This really shouldn’t be such a surprise.

GB is in trouble. ...And for the record, a detailed frame-by-frame analysis following the Seahawk game revealed that Golden Tate did touch, catch and control that pass before the Packer defenders did. IOW, that was the right call, the Seahawk victory was legitimate, and the Packers have earned their current losing record.

...and the Vikes are legit, thanks in part to the return to form of AP (7th leading rusher behind Gore), who many thought was returning a bit too early, and who has helped make Ponder better (#10 on the QB ratings at 95.5) by taking the burden off Ponder. Not to mention Percy Harving having good year (11th best receiving yards behind MegaTron).

A better game than I expected tonight. And Sanchize played respectable. Cromartie pretty much backed up his "confident" mouth, and nearly had a TD on one of Sanchez's bad passes of the night. Had Sanch kept the ball in bounds and led him a bit so Cromartie didn't have to slow down, that would have been 6 points.

11-3 this week helps make up for that one bad week.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Matt Cassel Injury

Fans need to keep things in proper perspective. NFL is just a game, a game many of us like... a lot. But sickos cheering player injuries is over the top and should stop.
http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/10/09/cheers-for-matt-cassels-concussion-why-sports-fans-applaud-injury/