National Football League

[Alpe d'Huez]

Right now it looks like four game suspensions, and I too say good riddance. Let's not delude ourselves and pretend the NFL doesn't have dope problems, but like cycling I too have little sympathy for those who are caught and punished.

I missed their game yesterday vs Saints, so don't know how they did vs Brees & Co, but is something I will be interested to watch in future.

Let me tell you. They are a different offense with Kaepernick on the field. I don't know that he's as complete as Smith, especially considering that Smith had been playing quite well of late (sans the Giants debacle). But Kaep just has a way about his approach to every play, an energy, that makes you think he has the ability to lead them to explosive plays, or long drives every time he's on the field, that you just don't see in Smith. I also recall the Giants game were after each of his 3 INT's that Smith threw, his confidence seemed to take a step down, and by halftime you knew they'd lose, there was no way he was going to lead them back. I've said all along I question the 49ers ability to come back when behind, especially late in big games. Part of that reason has been Smith, and a lack of fire perhaps. But that seems to change with Kapernick. Now, he is going to make mistakes, and he is not going to make the reads that Smith probably is, and he doesn't have the experience that could matter in big games (didn't against the Saints, in NO though) but they are simply a different team with him on the field.

If Harbaugh is going to go with Smith, he has to do it now, this coming week against the Rams, and say he's the guy. If he's going to stick with Kaep this week, he'll stick with him through the rest of the season. But as soon as either QB loses a game, the decision will get questioned.

I should note that the Saints actually played quite well, and were in the game. Their offense still looks as potent as ever. Two pick-6 passes by Brees were the difference, in an otherwise excellent game. I still expect the Saints to make the playoffs as a wildcard, and like their chances this week against the Falcons, even in Atlanta.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

For sure, watching Keap should be interesting too.

I wish NFL would take a harder stand against doping & steroid use. Same with NCAA. NFL doping has been around forever. The first I recall was Lyle Alzedo's confession during his battle with terminal cancer. Then there was Bill "Roid Rage" Romanowski, who also confessed and had numerous altercations with players. There are all kinds of health related issues with steroid use from hypertension to elevated cholesterol and possible heart disease. But if grown adults want to do that stuff that's one thing, but that stuff filtering into high schools is a pet peeve of mine. Forgive my bringing this up, as I don't want to turn this into a clinic thread.

Man, can Philly get any more banged up? That has to be one of the biggest factors in their downfall so far. Under these kind of circumstances I would not dump HC Andy Reid. Foles was so-so, but he did some nice things too.

 

[Amsterhammer]

I'll be watching Kaep with keen interest too! How tall is he for a QB?

Eyes down for week 13, I'll kick off...

NO @ ATL – I know they’ve been lucky but I’m sticking with a winning team

JAC @ BUF – Bills to edge it
SEA @ CHI – Da Bears to roll at home
IND @ DET – Luck to get lucky in Motown
MIN @ GB – The Pack to recover at Lambeau
HOU @ TEN – I expect Texas to have too many guns
CAR @ KC – Back to back wins for the Panthers
SF @ STL – The Kap fairy tale to continue
NE @ MIA – The Brady bunch to do the business
ARI @ NYJ – Home advantage, no other reason
TB @ DEN – Peyton’s the man
CLE @ OAK – Not many will be waiting to see this, Browns maybe a touch less bad?
CIN @ SD – Could be a really good, close game. Bengals to edge it.
PIT @ BAL – Ravens always up for the old enemy, and after eight turnovers…..
PHI @ DAL – Not even the Cowboys can blow this win, Eagles just awful.

NYG @ WSH - Form, logic, and common sense all point to the Giants. I’m going for the upset!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Not bad on them picks Amster. But as much as I want a WSH win (& SEA win)... NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN.
Bears over PEDs
Giants over Skins
IND @ DET – Only not lucky.

other than that, a couple upsets I might take:
NO @ ATL
CIN @ SD

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I almost thought NO might turn it around in the second half for the upset win over the dirty Birds. But 5 INTs tossed by Brees, and ATL converting some of those to points, killed it.

Alex Smith needs to stop whining about benching. If he really wants to know why he should listen to Jaws Jaworski, who gives insight about the skillset that Smith lacks but Kaepernick has (http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8691877/alex-smith-san-francisco-49ers-wondering-how-lost-starting-job)... arm strength and deep ball accuracy.

edit: re-reading Alpe's post, yes, confidence seems to be one of the factors also. Smith's lack of it, and Harbaugh's supply of it in Kaepernick.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I actually thought NO would beat Atlanta last night. Brees had his worst game in years, and NO was still in it. I now think that may have been Atlanta's peak for the season. They'll win the division, and have some good games, but they still look like 1 and done, or 1 win and then out. Especially if they have to play the Giants.

JAC @ BUF – Home team. Jax sux.
SEA @ CHI – Hawks weak on road, Bears great at home.
IND @ DET – Colts weak on road, weak against pass.
MIN @ GB – Very tough to pick. Packers way too many injuries, but at home.
HOU @ TEN – Texans roll.
CAR @ KC – Two poor teams, picked home.
SF @ STL – Kaep rolls into permanent starting job.
NE @ MIA – This could actually be close, unless Brady catches fire.
ARI @ NYJ – Kolb is probable, if he is out, and Lindell plays, Jets win.
TB @ DEN – Bucs playing better, but won't win in Denver.
CLE @ OAK – Weeden cleared to play, Browns improving. Oakland not. Wonder when Palmer is done, and they try to play Pryor?
CIN @ SD – Bengals on a roll, Chargers rolling over.
PIT @ BAL – Steelers just too beat up, even with Ben.
PHI @ DAL – Even Romo can't ruin this one...right?

NYG @ WSH - Giants are one of the healthiest teams in the league, and played very well last week. I'm not a fan, but maybe a believer.

Thanks for those links to Alex Smith's dilemma and Jawarski's comments. It's a sticky situation, there is no doubt Smith was playing well, and arguably the most accurate passer in the league...under 20 yards, and he plays mistake free. Kaep is an accurate thrower too, but can throw deeper, and as I said, gives them energy, an extra gear they don't have with Smith. A sense of danger about them. And as I said, with Smith if they were down by double digits, they were usually done (see Giants game) with Kaep I have a feeling he'd be looking to bring them back with fire no matter how far behind they were. Also, look for some long throws to Randy Moss this week. We've seem him talking with Kaep on the sidelines in recent weeks, and I think they're going to try to air it out deep to him more.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Add to that, Steelers will be without Ben.
Romo can't mess that up? All my Cowboy buds still betting against him. But I still think Dallas to prevail too.

On Palmer... he's actually not doing THAT bad this year if you look at his stats (20th overall). But Raiders are banged up on offense at RB and WR/TE, and even Carson has a sore thumb... I presume to the throwing hand. He prolly still gives them the best chance to win. But at 3-8, their wins were by small margins and their loses (including 4 straight today) have been, well, not very close for the most part. So they prolly will lose this one too, and it gets to the point where they may want to see what the backup QB can do.

Speaking of that, how about Matt Leinart??? He's #2 on their depth chart ahead of Pryor.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes. If Palmer were injured on Sunday, they would likely put Leinart in. However, he's not the future there (or anywhere in the NFL. He's Quinn with a weaker, less accurate arm). I don't know that Pryor is the future there either. But he did play well in the pre-season, better than Palmer actually, and if the Raiders are going to chuck the season, soon would be a good time to see if Pryor has anything for the future. The Raiders have more problems than that though. They are finally dumping a lot of the big contracts that Al Davis signed in desperate hope of winning one last SB before he met his maker, and they still gave up way too many picks to get Palmer, and are paying him too much. If Mark Davis can run the team like his father did in the 70's, or the Rooney family has forever in Pittsburgh, then maybe in another 5 years we'll see the Raiders winning playoff games. Until then, they have as many problems as the Jets, or Eagles.

 

[palmerq]

who to start for this weeks matchups.... rg3 v the giants or romo v the eagles... i think the eagles are doing really bad just now so that should be good for romo but running yards count a lot in this game so rg3 might be better choice even if the giants are much better than the eagles :S

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Normally I'd say RG3 (especially at home). But since it's Romo vs Eagles (and it is at Dallas), Romo may out -stat RG3. So that's a tough one. Eagles have some injuries on offense (Vick & McCoy are knowns), but injury to Eagles Center Reynolds could make a bad OL worse in a big way. Then if that makes it tough for the Eagles to do much on offense,then that should give Dallas more opportunities on offense. Edge: Romo.

Now Giants (@Wsh) have Eli back. If Giants offense is on a roll, it will put pressure on Skins offense to do the same. And Giants are a scary team defensively (Tuck, JPP, Osi). Lots of factors about this game that could go either way, but if Giants get lots of pressure on RG3 it could be a long day for him. Edge: Giants (not as good for RG).

Summary: This time, my Dallas buds would say I'm nuts, I would take Romo.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Yes. If Palmer were injured on Sunday, they would likely put Leinart in. However, he's not the future there (or anywhere in the NFL. He's Quinn with a weaker, less accurate arm). I don't know that Pryor is the future there either. But he did play well in the pre-season, better than Palmer actually, and if the Raiders are going to chuck the season, soon would be a good time to see if Pryor has anything for the future. The Raiders have more problems than that though. They are finally dumping a lot of the big contracts that Al Davis signed in desperate hope of winning one last SB before he met his maker, and they still gave up way too many picks to get Palmer, and are paying him too much. If Mark Davis can run the team like his father did in the 70's, or the Rooney family has forever in Pittsburgh, then maybe in another 5 years we'll see the Raiders winning playoff games. Until then, they have as many problems as the Jets, or Eagles.

I like your crystal ball... report on Bleacher's saying Pryor likely to see time. Not start, mind you... just see time, which is different. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1428157-terrelle-pryor-expected-to-see-action-vs-browns-sunday

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I can't believe the Chiefs are even playing today after what happened with Jovan Belcher yesterday.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I can't believe the Chiefs are even playing today after what happened with Jovan Belcher yesterday.

Truely sad. When it was announced yesterday, I immediately went to the Chiefs website to see where Belcher fit in the depth chart... and they already had removed his name from the roster and depth chart. Often these kinds of things galvanize a team... and the Chiefs won today at home, albeit against a poor Carolina team, but Chiefs were one win worse for the season than Carolina. Similar thing happened earlier this season to Baltimore Ravens Torrey Smith, who lost his brother. Team really rallied around Torrey.

Like I said, it is sad and everyone feels bad for the affected ones. But hats off to those teams for pulling through the adversity.

 

[palmerq]

Normally I'd say RG3 (especially at home). But since it's Romo vs Eagles (and it is at Dallas), Romo may out -stat RG3. So that's a tough one. Eagles have some injuries on offense (Vick & McCoy are knowns), but injury to Eagles Center Reynolds could make a bad OL worse in a big way. Then if that makes it tough for the Eagles to do much on offense,then that should give Dallas more opportunities on offense. Edge: Romo.

Now Giants (@Wsh) have Eli back. If Giants offense is on a roll, it will put pressure on Skins offense to do the same. And Giants are a scary team defensively (Tuck, JPP, Osi). Lots of factors about this game that could go either way, but if Giants get lots of pressure on RG3 it could be a long day for him. Edge: Giants (not as good for RG).

Summary: This time, my Dallas buds would say I'm nuts, I would take Romo.

rushing is such a huge part of the fantasy leagues though... so i have gone with rg3 :S although everytime i have a tough choice like this i pick the wrong guy :S..... i think romo has out passed rg3 but rgs rushing has won him major points in the fantasy league :S i will report back with the results later

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Pryor saw action. 0-1 passing. Raiders gave up 364 yards to Weeden, and look lost.

Really impressed with Seattle taking out The Bears, on Chicago, even missing two DBs. Big props to Wilson as well. I keep thinking back to Gruden camp, how much poise he showed. And he still seems very modest. And as Foxxy would note, like last years 49ers, the Bears rely too much on turnovers.

Do the Rams have the 49ers number, or what? Kaepernick played fair, and Harbaugh defended him after the game, but the Niners were simply outplayed.

Amazing comeback and win by the Colts!

The Packers were missing several key defenders, and yet, outside of one great run by Peterson, looked like the defense that won the SB. One week after being all but blown out against the Giants. What gives?

Even more injured overall, the Steelers and Charlie Batch grinded out a great win in Baltimore. Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff may be the best in the NFL. Very impressive how well they were prepped, and executed.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Actually, both Seattle DBs (Sherman & Browner) played because they appealed their NFL ban. If NFL upholds the ban, then their ban starts. But having them @ Chicago was huge because next 3 out of 4 games are at home (ARI, SF, STL) with one away (BUF).

One name... W I L S O N !!! And I don't mean Hanks buddy Wilson from Cast Away. Kid's as clutch as a veteran QB. Post game he said the game is fast, but that right now it is really slowing down for him, and he has learned how to put defenses in positions they don't want to be in. I heard on ESPN or NFL Gameday he had the best QB rating of all rookie QBs for the month of November, but I don't have numbers to back that. See QBRs below.

Rams have become a dangerous team that cannot be taken for granted. SF should have known that going into today.

QB ratings for week 13:

QB...............C/ATT.........YDS......TD.......INT.......QBR..........RTG
Quinn............19/23..........201..........2..........0..........97.6..........132.1
Romo............22/27..........303..........3..........0..........96.7..........150.5
McElroy..........5/7...............29..........1..........0..........95.9..........118.5
Cutler.............17/26..........233..........2..........0..........94.8..........119.6
P.Manning......27/38..........242..........3..........1..........90.2..........103.2
Wilson............23/37..........293..........2..........0..........85.4..........104.9
Rodgers..........27/35..........286..........1..........1..........84.6..........98
Kaepernick.....21/32..........208..........0..........0..........82.4..........83.9
Stafford..........27/46..........313..........2..........1..........80.7..........84.8
Fitzpatrick.......9/17............112...........2..........1........78.6..........88.4
Weeden..........25/36..........364..........1..........2..........75.4..........88.2
Newton..........15/27...........232..........3..........0..........73............121.2
Foles...............22/34..........251..........1..........0..........71.1..........96.6
Palmer............34/54..........351..........2..........1..........62.4..........86.3
Dalton.............25/39..........211..........1..........2..........60.7..........65.2
Bradford.........26/39..........221..........0..........0..........59.8..........81.2
Brady..............24/40..........238..........1..........1..........53.5..........74.8
Batch..............25/36..........276..........1..........1..........53.1..........89.6
Freeman........18/39..........242..........2..........1..........50.7..........72.8
Schaub..........21/35..........207..........2..........0..........45.6..........95.8
Ryan..............18/33..........165..........1..........0..........35.4..........78.5
Luck...............24/54..........391..........4..........3..........31.4..........70.8
Henne...........18/41..........208..........1..........1..........30.7..........57.8
Rivers............26/48..........280..........0..........1..........28.9..........62.8
Flacco...........16/34..........188..........1..........1..........23.7..........61.9
Brees.............28/50..........341..........0..........5..........23.4..........37.6
Locker...........21/45..........309..........1..........3..........15.9..........49.2
Tannehill.......13/29..........186..........0..........0..........14.3..........66.2
Sanchez........10/21..........97...........0..........3............4.4..........21.4
Ponder..........12/25..........119..........1..........2............3.1..........41.9
Lindley..........10/31..........72............0..........1............3..............28

- Cutler: played great, but Bears defense ran out of gas in the 4th. Chests were heaving.
- Luck: Lousy stats (except for 390 yards), but clutch performance.
- Kaepernick: Why was Jim Harbaugh pounding Kaep's pads pre-game? Unusual to say the least.
...Kaep's eyes said, "Coach… Stop… You are embarrasing me."
- Arizona: 8 losses in a row! Ouch!
- Sanchez: Time for Jets to go in new direction and see if McElroy can be the future.
- McElroy: He would be my new Jets starter.
- Romo: Shoulda had him for the fantasy team. Romo threw 3 TD passes to break Troy Aikman's career franchise TD record.
- Foles: looks like the future for Eagles, or should get serious shot at it.
- Batch: I'm no Steeler fan, but I love Batch in this game. Hero for Pitt played awesome down the stretch.
- Flacco: Raves look average, with no help from Flacco, and lays terd... at home... vs Batch-led Pitt.
- Brees: gave the game away.
- Finally, Brady Quinn: chappeau at such a needed time. Here's to KC and all those affected by the tragedy.

 

[Amsterhammer]

Well, considering that last week all three OTs went my way, it was no surprise that this week both went against me. No complaints though, I'm happy with 11-4 going into the MNF game that everyone's been waiting for!

An astonishing comeback by the Colts, hats off to Luck despite his three picks. The Ravens were the biggest disappointment to me, Flacco had a real off day and they were poor as a whole. The moment I read the news from KC, I thought that they would be really up for this game, and I considered changing my pick - but then decided to leave it.

Damn, it's been such a long wait since Thanksgiving, almost like an extra bye week. I hope the rest will have done them good and that they let the boy genius off the leash.

 

[Pazuzu]

Mark Sanchez finally got benched. This guy makes Joey Harrington and Cordell Stewart look like Hall of Fame material.

 

[Amsterhammer]

How sweet it is!

HTTR!!!!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I'm not sure if Amster was awake to see it, but that was a super win for Washington, and RGIII. The modified Pistol offense they are running was highly impressive. I wondered back in the preseason if we'd see a team run the pistol, I thought maybe SF with Kaepernick and their RBs (as Kaep ran it at Nevada under Chris Ault, who invented it, I'd still like to see SF run it), but it was deadly here for Wash. Big props to Shanehan for making adjustments like this and taking them from 3-6 to 6-6. They look like they're headed up, and up some more.

Giants on the other hand looked like they're headed the other direction. They had nothing in the 4th quarter, even though they're healthy. A week after whipping the Packers, they were sloppy and aside from a few good plays looked done.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Mark Sanchez finally got benched. This guy makes Joey Harrington and Cordell Stewart look like Hall of Fame material.

Just recall the draft where the Jets got Sanchize... Jets fans in attendance were extatic. Now they have to go back to the drawing board. This draft coming up does not have as many quality QBs as last draft, so teams will have to be careful and have done their homework by the time their draft turn comes.

I'm not sure if Amster was awake to see it, but that was a super win for Washington, and RGIII. The modified Pistol offense they are running was highly impressive. I wondered back in the preseason if we'd see a team run the pistol, I thought maybe SF with Kaepernick and their RBs (as Kaep ran it at Nevada under Chris Ault, who invented it, I'd still like to see SF run it), but it was deadly here for Wash. Big props to Shanehan for making adjustments like this and taking them from 3-6 to 6-6. They look like they're headed up, and up some more.

Giants on the other hand looked like they're headed the other direction. They had nothing in the 4th quarter, even though they're healthy. A week after whipping the Packers, they were sloppy and aside from a few good plays looked done.

Amster was prolly passed out! But, yes, great game and win for Wash. That division is still up for grabs between the top 3 teams... 7-5 Dallas, 6-6 Wash, & 6-6 Giants. Philly can only be the spoiler. Let's see if Dallas can squander another shot at the playoffs by losing out like they did last season. (sweet)

Philly (old news now) dumped their defensive line coach Jim Washburn in favor of Tom Brasher, who did not understand the cutting of DE Jason Babin last week. Is replacing Washburn a job saving move by Reid? What a mess of an organization right now.

Bad news for Giants as they lost RT Sean Locklear (former Hawk Locklear from Seattle's SB team of 2005) to injury. No telling how bad yet. Locklear was up to his old stuff last night... holding and false starts.

Final QB ratings for the top dozen or so after last nights game (numbers gear out the game last night that RG3 outplayed Eli):

QB...................C/ATT..........YDS...........TD.............INT.........QBR.........RTG
Quinn...............19/23.............201.............2...............0............97.6............132.1
Romo...............22/27.............303.............3...............0............96.7............150.5
McElroy...............5/7.............29................1..............0..............95.9............118.5
Cutler...............17/26............233…..........2..............0..............94.8............119.6
P Manning..........27/38...........242.............3..............1.............90.2............103.2
RG III..................13/21...........163.............1...............0............86.5............101.9
Wilson...............23/37.............293.............2..............0.............85.4............104.9
Rodgers...............27/35...........286............1...............1............84.6............98
Kaepernick...........21/32...........208...........0...............0............82.4............83.9
Stafford...............27/46...........313.............2..............1............80.7............84.8
Fitzpatrick............9/17............112.............2..............1............78.6............88.4
E Manning...........20/33............280............1..............0............75.7............98

 

[Oldman]

I'm not sure if Amster was awake to see it, but that was a super win for Washington, and RGIII. The modified Pistol offense they are running was highly impressive. I wondered back in the preseason if we'd see a team run the pistol, I thought maybe SF with Kaepernick and their RBs (as Kaep ran it at Nevada under Chris Ault, who invented it, I'd still like to see SF run it), but it was deadly here for Wash. Big props to Shanehan for making adjustments like this and taking them from 3-6 to 6-6. They look like they're headed up, and up some more.

Giants on the other hand looked like they're headed the other direction. They had nothing in the 4th quarter, even though they're healthy. A week after whipping the Packers, they were sloppy and aside from a few good plays looked done.

Looking better for Seattle each day.

 

[Amsterhammer]

I guess you missed it Alpe, but I posted my quick reaction around 6 am my time, just before your post.

I wouldn't have missed this for the world, so I spent all weekend 'in training' so that I could stay up for a game that started at 2:30 am for me. As a result, I went to bed around 7 am and got up around 3:30 this afternoon. I've been trying to locate and reassemble my missing bits ever since.

I have just experienced the most stunning sports weekend ever, where every single result that I had any interest in went my way, starting with the entirely unexpected win by my Hammers over the west London forces of evil, aka Chelsea, early on Saturday afternoon. I then correctly predicted an Ajax win over PSV by the same score of 3-1, which gained me maximum points in the prediction pool. Incidentally, my last three week's picks here, 13-1, 12-4, and 12-4 again, were feats that I'm sure will never occur again - this is a classic case of being 'on a roll', of having more luck than smarts!

Later on Saturday evening Barca won 5-1, Messi (the greatest player in my lifetime) scored two more goals to take him within one goal of equaling a record from the 1970's that nobody thought would ever be touched - then arch rivals Real Madrid did Barca an extra favor by beating Barca's closest rivals, Atletico! By late on Saturday night I was absolutely bursting for MNF, something in my bones told me that we would win, one way or another!

This was not a 'great' game in the traditional sense, but it certainly was great for all of us downtrodden Skins fans, as we bested the reigning SB champs and their ace QB. I knew we would win when RG3 somehow turned a fumble into a TD. When you're that good AND that lucky, amazing things can happen. Their missed FB nailed it for me and I approached the second half with confidence, despite our three point deficit.

Inexplicably, the Giants then proceeded to play to our strength - run defense - rather than to our very evident biggest weakness, pass defense. I loved the way we ran the clock down, grinding out first downs. It wasn't all that pretty, but it was SO much fun for once being able to kick sand into the big guy's face.

To be honest, RG3 wasn't the star of the night, Alf Morris was. That boy is already an absolute monster and he's only just starting! If he and RG3 can both stay fit, they will literally terrorize defenses for many years to come because you simply can't defend against all the options available to two players of this quality with this 'Pistol' offense. Morris already busted the Skin's all time rookie rushing record last night, and he's got at least four more games to go. Of course, we all know that RG3 also took Cam Newton's rookie rushing record last night!

Still, it'll take years to build up the rest of the squad to a standard that will allow the Skins to dominate for many years - but the basis is already there, and they're both **** hot. I have never felt such a buzz as a Skins fan. Ever.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Two things I recall from last night's game that stood out. First, was the return of the fans dressed as Hogs. Second was the way both the sideline of Washington erupted when they got the last first down, plus the way a lot of fans stayed after the game chanting RGIII. This has to be the most energy 'Skins fans have had since the days of the original hogs.

Big props also to Morris. What a great find for the Skins.

I don't think RGIII is throwing to the level of Andrew Luck, and the 8-4 (yes, 8-4!) Colts. But they are in a tougher division, playing tougher opposition, and he's making the right decisions, and looking like a leader they desperately needed. There's talk about him running too much, but he only had 6 carries, that's it. And from the pistol offense it's an option where 6 carries can make a huge difference in a key game.

Just recall the draft where the Jets got Sanchize... Jets fans in attendance were ecstatic. Now they have to go back to the drawing board. This draft coming up does not have as many quality QBs as last draft...

The problem with Sanchez is that the Jets gave him that huge contract in the off-season, and with it he's guaranteed $8.5m next season. So they have to find a team that's a sucker who will take that, have him sit for that much, or play him. At this point though if I were the Jets, I'd at least see what Greg McElroy can do. He played okay in pre-season, and last week. The season is all but over, give the kid a shot. Either that, or Tebow (who is gone next year almost for certain).

As to the draft, Geno Smith's stock has dropped a little, and he's not even invited to the Heisman finals. But teams are so desperate for a QB to "fix" everything (the way Luck and RGIII have) he could go #1 (Smith is not Luck or RGIII, btw, just in case you were curious.) Collin Klein is more of a running QB. Matt Barkley's stock has really dropped, and he probably should have gone pro last year. Landry Jones has played the same as last season and looks like the next Kirk Cousins. Same with Tyler Wilson. So teams like the Chiefs, Jets, Cardinals, or Jaguars who really need a QB, are likely to take a risk on Smith of they are high in the draft, or take a wait/see on one of the other guys and pick them in the 2nd or maybe 3rd rounds, or look to free agency and see if they can pick up someone like Flynn (who obviously isn't Seattle's future unless Wilson is badly hurt), Alex Smith, Michael Vick, or Colt McCoy.

NFL Power Rankings out later today.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

... I knew we would win when RG3 somehow turned a fumble into a TD. When you're that good AND that lucky, amazing things can happen.

I was going to say earlier that RG3 even fumbles right, if there is such a thing. Morris looked very good.

Well, power rankings are out:
Up/Down (Dn) is the change from last weeks ranking ("-" is no change)

Rank.....Team........Record....Up/Dn....Hi/Lo
1..........Texans..........11-1..........1..........1/6
2..........Broncos..........9-3..........1..........2/17
3..........Falcons..........11-1.........1..........1/7
4..........Patriots..........9-3..........1..........1/12
5..........49ers.............8-3-1.......-4..........1/8
6..........Packers..........8-4..........3..........3/12
7..........Ravens..........9-3..........-1..........2/10 (still too high)
8..........Seahawks.......7-5..........6..........8/28
9..........Bengals..........7-5..........1..........8/20
10..........Bears...........8-4..........-3..........3/12
11..........Steelers........7-5..........1..........5/16
12..........Giants...........7-5.........-4..........4/14
13..........Colts.............8-4..........-..........12/30
14..........Redskins.......6-6..........2..........11/23
15..........Buccaneers...6-6.........-4..........9/25
16..........Cowboys.......6-6..........2..........6/18
17..........Rams............5-6-1........5..........14/28
18..........Saints...........5-7..........-3..........9/28
19..........Vikings..........6-6.........-2..........8/29
20..........Browns.........4-8..........1..........20/32
21..........Dolphins........5-7........-1..........14/31
22..........Lions.............4-8.........-3..........10/23
23..........Bills...............5-7..........1..........14/29
24..........Chargers........4-8..........3..........12/28 (lose to Cincy and still up 3)
25..........Jets...............5-7..........-2..........15/27
26..........Cardinals.......4-8.........-1..........5/27
27..........Titans............4-8..........2..........22/30
28..........Jaguars.........2-10.........-..........28/32
29..........Chiefs...........2-10.........3..........11/32
30..........Eagles...........3-9............-..........1/30 (has there ever been such a huge fall?)
31..........Panthers.......3-9..........-5..........20/31
32..........Raiders..........3-9.........-1..........25/32