1. New England
2. Indianapolis
3. Green Bay
4. New Orleans
5. Minnesota (+2)
6. NY Giants (-1)
7. Pittsburgh (+2)
8. Philadelphia (-4)
9. Baltimore (-3)
10. Dallas
11. Cincinatti (+1)
12. San Diego (+3)
13. Houston
14. NY Jets (-3)
15. Arizona (+1)
16. Denver (-2)
17. Washington (+2)
18. Atlanta (-1)
19. Chicago (-1)
20. Jacksonville (+2)
21. Carolina (+3)
22. Miami (+1)
23. San Francisco (-2)
24. Seattle (-4)
25. Tennessee
26. Buffalo
27. Kansas City
28. Tampa Bay
29. St. Louis
30. Oakland
31. Detroit
32. Cleveland
Week 11 Record: 12-4
Overall Record: 12-4
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Week 11 Recap
Cleveland Sucks
How bad is your team when you have a 24-3 lead in the 1st quarter, after scoring a franchise record for points in said quarter, and still lose the game? Cleveland got beat by Detroit 38-37 thanks to bad defense, bad offense after the first quarter, and another dumbass Mangini move, taking the time out at the end of the game to let Stafford back onto the field to throw his 5th TD pass. Stafford has guts, poise, and is making better decisions. The kid is going to have a good career in the league. A bit early to say he'll be great, but he should stick around in Detroit for a while.
The Gods Hate The Falcons
What is wrong with Atlanta? The Giants had a horrible day running the ball, the Falcons tied it at 31 with a 14-0 run at the end of the 4th quarter, and yet Atlanta walked away with a loss. OK, so the G-men weren't going to be pushovers aftre an extra week of listening to Coughlin, but still. Atlanta has never had back-to-back winning seasons, and it looks like that might still be the case come January.
Will The Real TO Please Stand Up
Ryan Fitzpatrick? Really? That's what it took to wake up TO? OK, the Bills still lost, but they competed, and with a bit better running game they probably would've won the game. TO had 9 for 195 and a TD. That's more yards than he had over the last four games combined. And he had a 98 yard TD catch and run, perhaps putting to rest some of the talk that he wasn't quick enough anymore.
November is the new December
Tony Romo hasn't been effective the last two games. Dallas has scored a total of 14 points, one TD in each game (yeah, they won last week, but they did play the Deadskins). The defense has been solid, giving up 17 points to GB should've been a winning effort, but the offense is off again. Are the Cowboys starting their December tank job a bit early this season? Or are they getting the crap out of their system now so they can make a run? Next week will be a test: the Raiders have been tricky.
Steelers Home In January
If Pittsburgh can't get their special teams into shape, they're goign to be home for the playoffs. Kick return TDs are directly responsible for giving Cincy and KC wins the past two weeks, the difference between being 6-4 and 8-2 and in first place in the AFC North. Right now they're fighting for a Wild Card spot, and while they can win it all from that slot, a home game would be a big help. There's still time to pass the Bengals, but the window is closing rapidly.
How bad is your team when you have a 24-3 lead in the 1st quarter, after scoring a franchise record for points in said quarter, and still lose the game? Cleveland got beat by Detroit 38-37 thanks to bad defense, bad offense after the first quarter, and another dumbass Mangini move, taking the time out at the end of the game to let Stafford back onto the field to throw his 5th TD pass. Stafford has guts, poise, and is making better decisions. The kid is going to have a good career in the league. A bit early to say he'll be great, but he should stick around in Detroit for a while.
The Gods Hate The Falcons
What is wrong with Atlanta? The Giants had a horrible day running the ball, the Falcons tied it at 31 with a 14-0 run at the end of the 4th quarter, and yet Atlanta walked away with a loss. OK, so the G-men weren't going to be pushovers aftre an extra week of listening to Coughlin, but still. Atlanta has never had back-to-back winning seasons, and it looks like that might still be the case come January.
Will The Real TO Please Stand Up
Ryan Fitzpatrick? Really? That's what it took to wake up TO? OK, the Bills still lost, but they competed, and with a bit better running game they probably would've won the game. TO had 9 for 195 and a TD. That's more yards than he had over the last four games combined. And he had a 98 yard TD catch and run, perhaps putting to rest some of the talk that he wasn't quick enough anymore.
November is the new December
Tony Romo hasn't been effective the last two games. Dallas has scored a total of 14 points, one TD in each game (yeah, they won last week, but they did play the Deadskins). The defense has been solid, giving up 17 points to GB should've been a winning effort, but the offense is off again. Are the Cowboys starting their December tank job a bit early this season? Or are they getting the crap out of their system now so they can make a run? Next week will be a test: the Raiders have been tricky.
Steelers Home In January
If Pittsburgh can't get their special teams into shape, they're goign to be home for the playoffs. Kick return TDs are directly responsible for giving Cincy and KC wins the past two weeks, the difference between being 6-4 and 8-2 and in first place in the AFC North. Right now they're fighting for a Wild Card spot, and while they can win it all from that slot, a home game would be a big help. There's still time to pass the Bengals, but the window is closing rapidly.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Whitlock on LeBron
Normally, I don't buy a lot of what Jason Whitlock is selling. He does a good job as a fill-in for Jim Rome on ESPN when Rome is on a break, but I find his printed work to be lacking a lot of the time.
This, however, is different.
In a column on FOXSports.com, Whitlock slams LeBron James for toying with the NFL. He delivers one of the best summaries of LeBron's career, calling him an "incomplete, title-less basketball player...immature and shallow".
Wow. For all of the LeBron adoration out there, Whitlock gets major points for telling it like it is.
Maybe I'll give him another chance.
This, however, is different.
In a column on FOXSports.com, Whitlock slams LeBron James for toying with the NFL. He delivers one of the best summaries of LeBron's career, calling him an "incomplete, title-less basketball player...immature and shallow".
Wow. For all of the LeBron adoration out there, Whitlock gets major points for telling it like it is.
Maybe I'll give him another chance.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Miami 24, Carolina 17
For the second straight week, Miami tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Last week it was Chad Henne's interception on the wrong side of the field, and this week it was the defense softening up in the 4th quarter, letting Carolina get close enough to try and tie the game with a TD pass. But like last week, Miami walked away with a victory.
The story this week was the loss of Ronnie Brown to the IR list. Would the run game suffer? Would the offense as a whole? Apparently not. It looks like some mandatory time off and a vacation in Canada has left Ricky Williams with some gas in his tank. Sitting out most of 04, 06, and 07 for various reasons, Ricky still runs with authority in his 30s, something a lot of NFL backs can't do. His 138 yards, 119 on the ground, and 3 total TDs served notice to the rest of the league: Miami may be down, but they certainly aren't out.
For the most part, the defense played well. Joey Porter rebounded from his benching last week to notch two sacks in a game for the first time this season, and until the 4th quarter Carolina was not having much luck with the passing game. And for what it's worth, Chad Henne played turnover-free ball this week, avoiding putting the defense in bad spots.
It was a solid road win, putting the Dolphins at .500 for the first time all season, and ahead of the imploding and probably overrated Jets, at least until Sunday. Four winnable games, a rematch with the Pats, and a season-ending matchup against a Pittsburgh team that should be resting players for the postseason means that after this win, the playoffs are still very much a possibility. In fact, an 11-5 finish and a division title are still on the table. The pressure is now on New England to stop giving games away.
The story this week was the loss of Ronnie Brown to the IR list. Would the run game suffer? Would the offense as a whole? Apparently not. It looks like some mandatory time off and a vacation in Canada has left Ricky Williams with some gas in his tank. Sitting out most of 04, 06, and 07 for various reasons, Ricky still runs with authority in his 30s, something a lot of NFL backs can't do. His 138 yards, 119 on the ground, and 3 total TDs served notice to the rest of the league: Miami may be down, but they certainly aren't out.
For the most part, the defense played well. Joey Porter rebounded from his benching last week to notch two sacks in a game for the first time this season, and until the 4th quarter Carolina was not having much luck with the passing game. And for what it's worth, Chad Henne played turnover-free ball this week, avoiding putting the defense in bad spots.
It was a solid road win, putting the Dolphins at .500 for the first time all season, and ahead of the imploding and probably overrated Jets, at least until Sunday. Four winnable games, a rematch with the Pats, and a season-ending matchup against a Pittsburgh team that should be resting players for the postseason means that after this win, the playoffs are still very much a possibility. In fact, an 11-5 finish and a division title are still on the table. The pressure is now on New England to stop giving games away.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Two Bad Ideas
Two interesting NFL-related stories today, both of which are really bad ideas.
First off, the new administration in Buffalo wants Fitzpatrick to start over Edwards at QB. Yes, Fitzpatrick has a win and was largely responsible for another, but he's not the long-term answer. Edwards still could be. The season is a wash for Buffalo at this point, with double-digit losses to be expected. Edwards was what, 7-7 as a starter last year? This year the team has had offensive line issues galore, running back problems, and hasn't been able to capitalize on what they did last year. If Perry Fewell thinks Fitzpatrick is his best option at QB, then he won't be around long enough to make a difference. I'm certainly no Bills fan, but I that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out when they decide to do something stupid.
In other news, Mangini thinks LeBron should come try out for the Browns. Well, it's not like he could make it any worse. With his size and reach, maybe it's not a bad idea...he should be more effective than their current options at receiver given the QBs inaccuracies behind center. But seriously, this is just Mangini trying to curry favor in Cleveland and save his job for the time being. Besides, given the state of pro sports in Cleveland and the fact that the Cavs never seem to make the right moves to build around LeBron, he's not going ot be in Cleveland for much longer anyway.
First off, the new administration in Buffalo wants Fitzpatrick to start over Edwards at QB. Yes, Fitzpatrick has a win and was largely responsible for another, but he's not the long-term answer. Edwards still could be. The season is a wash for Buffalo at this point, with double-digit losses to be expected. Edwards was what, 7-7 as a starter last year? This year the team has had offensive line issues galore, running back problems, and hasn't been able to capitalize on what they did last year. If Perry Fewell thinks Fitzpatrick is his best option at QB, then he won't be around long enough to make a difference. I'm certainly no Bills fan, but I that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out when they decide to do something stupid.
In other news, Mangini thinks LeBron should come try out for the Browns. Well, it's not like he could make it any worse. With his size and reach, maybe it's not a bad idea...he should be more effective than their current options at receiver given the QBs inaccuracies behind center. But seriously, this is just Mangini trying to curry favor in Cleveland and save his job for the time being. Besides, given the state of pro sports in Cleveland and the fact that the Cavs never seem to make the right moves to build around LeBron, he's not going ot be in Cleveland for much longer anyway.
Oh no. Not now. Please.
Perusing the web today, and I come across this: click here.
No. Please. Seriously. Not now. The season is barely half over. Come on! Are YOU SERIOUS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!
It's OK.
I'm fine now.
But really, can we at least ignore this until January?
And yeah, the more astute individuals out there will in fact note that I used January, and not February.
No. Please. Seriously. Not now. The season is barely half over. Come on! Are YOU SERIOUS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!
It's OK.
I'm fine now.
But really, can we at least ignore this until January?
And yeah, the more astute individuals out there will in fact note that I used January, and not February.
Brownout
OK, so Ronnie Brown isn't playing against the Panthers this week. What does thie mean for Miami? Well, it means that they need to be at the top of their game to win.
Brown is out, so the Wildcat will be affected. It might mean we see more of Pat White running the formation, which hasn't been spectacular to this point. What it really means is that the passing game needs to step up. The line will have to protect Henne, and the coaches will have to devise some offensive schemes to get their WRs some openings. These aren't speed guys, except for Sir Dropsalot of Buckeye, and that means an efficient, short-to-mid range passing game will be the key.
Henne showed a lot leading Miami right down the field against Tampa right after potentially blowing the game with a bad INT. If he can translate that momentum into this week against the Panthers, Miami should be alright.
Ricky Williams has basically been Stud Jr. in the backfield, nearly as effective a runner as Ronnie Brown on the stat sheet. Last week he showed that he can at least take the reins for the short term, a promising sign if they are going to be without Brown for another game or two beyond Thursday.
If the defense can get enough pressure on Delhomme, forcing him to regress back to Bad Jake, and contain Carolina's running game, a decent proposition given that Miami has a top 10 run defense, then there is no reason to assume that Brown's absense will create an insurmountable obstacle to victory.
Oh, and Coach? It's crunch time. QB pressure will mean a lot in this one. Joey's learned his lesson, let's all get back to business.
Brown is out, so the Wildcat will be affected. It might mean we see more of Pat White running the formation, which hasn't been spectacular to this point. What it really means is that the passing game needs to step up. The line will have to protect Henne, and the coaches will have to devise some offensive schemes to get their WRs some openings. These aren't speed guys, except for Sir Dropsalot of Buckeye, and that means an efficient, short-to-mid range passing game will be the key.
Henne showed a lot leading Miami right down the field against Tampa right after potentially blowing the game with a bad INT. If he can translate that momentum into this week against the Panthers, Miami should be alright.
Ricky Williams has basically been Stud Jr. in the backfield, nearly as effective a runner as Ronnie Brown on the stat sheet. Last week he showed that he can at least take the reins for the short term, a promising sign if they are going to be without Brown for another game or two beyond Thursday.
If the defense can get enough pressure on Delhomme, forcing him to regress back to Bad Jake, and contain Carolina's running game, a decent proposition given that Miami has a top 10 run defense, then there is no reason to assume that Brown's absense will create an insurmountable obstacle to victory.
Oh, and Coach? It's crunch time. QB pressure will mean a lot in this one. Joey's learned his lesson, let's all get back to business.
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