|
Week 8 is over, and some serious statements were made. Some, like the ones made by the teams that reside in Pennsylvania, were positive ones; others, like the one made by a certain quarterback, were…something else.
Not a Giant Victory…
The Giants defeated the winless Dolphins. They had to come from behind to do so, at home, but then the Giants always seem to play down to the level of their competition. I’m not sure why—and clearly neither is Coach Tom Coughlin—but one can write it off as “a win is a win” or one can be concerned about the team’s mental focus. It’s the same type of mentality that’s seen Big Blue falter at the end of nearly every season under Coughlin.
Eli Manning continued his outstanding season, going 31-45 for 349 yards and two touchdowns. Once again, he played interception-free football. However, despite Manning’s ability to move the team through the air, the Giants could not put points on the board for the first part of this game. Penalties and a disturbingly ineffective running game combined to keep the home team’s offense out of the Miami end zone for the first 29+ minutes of the first half. Meanwhile, the defense had the honor of giving up back to back Miami touchdown drives, something that hadn’t happened all season. The two drives by Miami put them up 14-3 and had them believing in themselves. That’s something Giants fans are tired of seeing—their team allowing the league’s bottom feeders to hang around.
You would think they’d have learned their lesson after the Seattle debacle, but such was clearly not the case. The Giants have to figure out what’s wrong with their rushing attack, which is ranked 30th in the league. I cannot remember the last time a New York Giants team was ranked so poorly when it comes to rushing the football. The Dolphins were game, but they’re so dreadful that New York was able to put together one quarter of passable football and secure a win. The defense came alive in the fourth quarter, sacking Matt Moore several times and limiting Miami to four yards of offense. Manning, doing his part, led the team to 10 fourth-quarter points and the win.
The question remains—why can’t this team play a complete game when faced with inferior competition? It’s not something they’ll have to worry about for over a month. Their schedule reads: at New England, at San Francisco, Philly, at New Orleans, Green Bay, at Dallas. Those are six tough games to say the least. If the Giants don’t play more consistently and establish some semblance of a ground game, 5-2 will become 5-8 before you can say “season over.”
Uh, oh. We finally saw the version of the Eagles we were told existed. Philly beat the hell out of Dallas on Sunday night, continuing the bye-week mastery of Andy Reid. The Eagles didn’t rely on crazy plays by Michael Vick or long passes to their speedy receivers. Instead, Vick played a patient game, taking what Dallas gave him, and LeSean McCoy cemented his place among the league’s elite running backs. The defense limited the talented Dallas offense to 79 yards in the first half, disrupting the rhythm of Tony Romo while simultaneously blanketing his two main receiving weapons. This, finally, is a scary team. Dallas didn’t have points or a drive of more than six plays until the fourth quarter, when the game was already way decided. The visitors were held to 267 total yards—many of which came during extended garbage time—and had the ball for just 17:51 of the game’s 60 minutes. As you would expect from those numbers, the Philadelphia offense was unstoppable, racking up 495 yards and 42+ minutes of possession. Dallas geared everything toward stopping Maclin and Jackson, but failed in every way imaginable to cover anyone else. Brent Celek returned from the dead to catch seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Prior to this game, the tight end had totaled just 115 yards receiving all season. Jason Avant had five grabs for 74 yards, most of them of the wide open variety. But the killer was most certainly McCoy, who ran 30 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas’ run defense, which was among the league’s best before this “effort,” was gashed repeatedly by the nimble McCoy. It was as thorough a beating as could be imagined; the Eagles were ready to go, Dallas was not. How that could happen in such an important divisional game is a mystery. Dallas fans no longer have Wade Phillips to blame for their team’s underachievement. At what point will they begin to ponder the possibility that it might be the players, not the coaches who are lacking in all the important areas? Uh oh, indeed.
What a great win for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They avenged three consecutive home losses to their conference rivals from New England, and did so quite convincingly. Like the Philly/Dallas match-up, this one was one-sided from the get-go. Pittsburgh moved the ball at will, exposing the pathetic pass defense of the Patriots. New England chose to bracket the speedy Mike Wallace but, like Dallas, they paid no mind to anyone else. Heath Miller had seven catches for 85 yards, both season highs. Antonio Brown, who is quickly becoming a reliable target, had nine catches and a touchdown, while Emmanuel Sanders chipped in with five grabs for 70 yards. Rashard Mendenhall ran the ball just 13 times, but his 70 yards on the ground proved he was effective when called upon. The defense more than did its job, limiting Tom Brady to 198 yards of passing, a task made easier when you consider Pittsburgh held the ball for 39+ minutes.
It was odd to see New England abandon their recipe for success against Pittsburgh. Instead of spreading the field with receivers, they chose to go with a two-tight end set. This allowed Pittsburgh to cluster their defense and required no additional defensive backs. However, despite being dominated for three-plus quarters, New England was in the game when Brady connected with Aaron Hernandez to close the gap to six with 2:35 remaining. For some reason, with all three time outs, Coach Belichik opted for an onside kick. Why not kick off and play defense with those time outs? Pittsburgh took over, ran the clock down to 19 seconds and punted it back to New England. With eight seconds left, Brady fumbled and Troy Polamalu intentionally batted the ball into the New England end zone for a safety. While that play by Polamalu was praised it was actually stupid, and here’s why: by giving the Pats a safety, he allowed them to remain within one score. Sure, a subsequent onside kick, recovery, and Hail Mary were nearly impossible, but had Polamalu simply recovered the ball or allowed New England to maintain possession, the game would have been over. The clock would have run out had New England recovered it. They would have had NO chance to score. So before we start doling out praise for a great (and illegal) play, consider the circumstances. Regardless, the Steelers dominated New England and no one is claiming how old the guys from Pittsburgh are anymore.
You see, here’s the thing: I cannot take teams seriously when they say they’re focused on the Super Bowl and then play games like the Saints did on Sunday. Yeah, upsets happen, I get that. But the Saints didn’t show up for the 31-21 loss against St. Louis. The Rams, winless prior to this game, did. Make no mistake about it—the score in no way shows how badly New Orleans got their ass handed to them. Steven Jackson was a man possessed, running for 159 yards and two TDs on 25 carries while adding 32 receiving yards and leading by intense example. It looked like the Rams were fighting to make the playoffs and the Saints were playing out the string. And you cannot blame one member of the New Orleans team; it’s a team mentality. Drew Brees played poorly (30-44 for 269, 1 TD, 2 INTs), but he wasn’t alone by any means. Lazy tackling, poor route running, missed blocks...it was a team (lack of) effort. The Saints are a finesse team, and when someone can square them up and punch them in the mouth, their softness is revealed. I’m willing to write this off as a fluke, maybe even a wake-up call. However, I have always had my doubts about the Saints’ toughness, and this game strengthened my position.
What to make of the Ravens? They came out last week and were embarrassed on national television, losing to the Jags 12-7. There wasn’t much more they could ask for than to have a patsy like Arizona, at home, for their bounce back game. It turned out that the initial bounce was higher than we all thought. It’s fine if you want to say, ‘they won, let’s move on,’ I’m fine with that. I don’t agree, but I get it. Before rallying, Baltimore fell behind 24-3. The fact that Arizona was able to come into Baltimore and race to that lead is bad enough. When you factor in what happened the previous week, it’s almost inconceivable. First the game against Tennessee, then there was Jacksonville, and now this 1st half performance? How can that happen to a team that’s vying for a Super Bowl? Joe Flacco takes a hit, and he deserves to. But where was the rough and rugged Baltimore defense? Beanie Wells and Kevin Kolb were all over the place in the 1st half. That’s some unacceptable business. To be fair, the defense came out in the 2nd half and held Arizona to five yards of offense in the 3rd quarter, which allowed the offense to find its footing. But come on, Baltimore. You won’t get away with that crap against even mediocre teams. Pittsburgh looked ready to face you last week. They’ve got it all going on, and they have revenge on their minds. You…you looked disinterested, and that’s not something that can be switched on at the drop of a hat. Beware.
Will miracles never cease? I think they have, in Denver at least. Tim Tebow repeated his performance from a week ago…no, not the flukes that happened at the end of the game. I’m referring to the first 55 minutes of the Miami game, where Tebow was atrocious. That’s what he repeated against Detroit. The Lions were ready for Tebow and crushed the Broncos 45-10. It could have been worse. Tebow was Tebawful. He couldn’t complete a pass, held the ball far too long (he was sacked 7 times), and again looked like a guy who doesn’t belong. You can blame it on the lack of offensive talent, you can blame it on the coaching, you can blame it on a defense that offers no support…hell, you can even blame it on the Henny. The bottom line is this: Tim Tebow can’t throw the ball accurately enough or in a timely enough manner to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. That’s what I’ve seen in his 2 starts. There is no disputing his ineptitude. Putting him in a spread formation isn’t going to make him become accurate. So, apologies to the apologists—the guy can’t hang. When you keep saying, “If they just did this for him, “ or “If he only had this…” you’re embarrassing yourself. I’m willing to give him a few more games, but come on. He’s not even close to competent right now. As for the Lions, I don’t mind the taunting, the nastiness, or anything else they’re doing. One, players can police themselves. Anything Detroit does will be noted and paid back if someone is able to do it. Two, I love a team with a nasty rep. They’ve been doormats for so long, you can understand why they want to be the kicker instead of the kickee. Let ‘em play, and if you can shut them up, do it. I’m sick of everyone whining about how “mean” they were against Tebow. This is the pros, son, where you make money to play football. Don’t be crying about it.
This is why those of us who laugh at the Chargers laugh at the Chargers. It’s always something. This time it was an inexplicable, inexcusable, inconceivable Philip Rivers fumble. Kansas City accepted the gift and the 23-20 overtime win over their division rival, but the real issue here is the never-ending comedy of errors by the Chargers. They blow leads, they choke games away, their quarterback is having a terrible season, and their coach looks lost at times. I don’t understand how anyone trusts this team to do anything but disappoint. It’s a matter of attitude and game planning, and Mr. Turner’s crew is weak in both areas. That’s it. This isn’t a talent issue. It’s a mental issue, and one that isn’t going to be fixed. Not as long as Turner’s the coach. Is he a brilliant offensive mind? Sure. So what? Implementing a game plan and getting your team ready to execute it sort of matter, too. Enjoy another season of underachieving, and stay classy.
Houston, on the other hand, has surprised me. They were a team that could be relied upon for softness, but that’s changed. The irony is that it changed after they lost two of their best players. Andre Johnson and Mario Williams are missing, and yet this team has been tougher than I’ve ever seen them. The Texans handled the Jags 24-14 and improved to 5-3 on the season. Surely they’re in the driver’s seat as far as the division is concerned. They’ve gotten there with outstanding recent play from Arian Foster, creative play calling, and a steady defense that does what it is asked to do. Foster is a threat on every play, pass or run. The throw back passes the Texans wheel out every week work to a ridiculous extent; the receivers are always 10 yards open! The defense is 5th in points allowed and 9th in sacks. That’s a big change. This team is as together as it’s ever been and will be even more dangerous once Johnson returns. I’m still not convinced about Matt Schaub, but with Foster and the defense playing well, it might not matter—this team is destined to make its first playoff appearance.
Cam Newton was quick to absolve his kicker of blame. Not me. I don’t care how high the snap is, a 31-yard field goal is an extra point these days. There’s no excuse for Olindo Mare. It was a lame ending to a pretty good game featuring two rookie QBs. Newton continued his excellent play, going 22-35 for 290 yards and three TDs. No interceptions. He also ran 6 times for 53 yards. That’s a pretty good day at the office. Minnesota’s rookie, Christian Ponder, went 18-28 for 236 yards and a TD. Like Newton, he played interception-free football. Impressive. Steve Smith was all over the field, Adrian Peterson ran with crazy eyes, and the game was poised to go into overtime…until the kicker ruined it.
The Colts got run out of yet another building. The 27-10 defeat to Tennessee is bad, but the fact that it happened while Chris Johnson rushed for just 34 yards on 14 carries makes it even worse, if that’s possible. Johnson has been disgraceful this season, and it’s more than fair to ask if his new contract has caused this falling-off-a-cliff season he’s having. If you can’t gain significant yards against the Colts, you need to shut up about your offensive line and take a look in the mirror. As for Indy, they’re now 0-8 and honestly, I don’t see where a win is coming from. It’s going to be Jacksonville at home or Tennessee at home, but both of those teams will certainly be up for the game and have played tough football all season. It’s been ugly for Indy, and there’s not going to be a reprieve.
Now we have the “Don’t Look Now” crew. Don’t look now, but the Bengals are 5-2 after winning their 4th in a row. The 34-12 score against Seattle is a bit skewed—Cincy lit up the scoreboard with some late TDs from their D and special teams—but they earned the win without the bonus points. A defense that’s 4th in the league in points allowed is spearheading the team’s resurgence, but two rookies on offense are doing their part as well. A.J. Green has been a godsend, racking up 5 touchdowns in his first 7 games as a pro, in addition to 516 yards receiving in less than half a season. While many expected Green to shine immediately out of college, his quarterback, Andy Dalton, has surpassed expectations. Dalton has thrown (I said ‘thrown’) the ball as well as Cam Newton. The difference is Newton’s running the ball well…and Dalton’s team is winning. I realize they’re in a tough division, but it’s exciting to watch this defense and this rookie connection aim for the playoffs—it’s almost as if they don’t know anything about the history of the franchise they just joined. Whether they do or don’t know about it, they’re certainly changing its culture.
Don’t look now, but halfway into the season, the Buffalo Bills are in 1st place in the AFC East. After the 23-0 whitewashing of Washington, Buffalo is 5-2. They are where they are because of an opportunistic defense and the man that I consider to be the league’s MVP right now. In 2010, Buffalo had 11 interceptions all season. So far in 2011, they have 14. Last season the Bills had 3 defensive scores; they have that many already in 2011. In 2010, they gave up 27 points a game. In 2011, it’s 21. That’s a TD difference, and when so many games are close, well, do the math. Buffalo has. Offensively, it’s all about Fred—Mr. Jackson if you’re nasty, or if you’re a defender. All he’s done is this: in seven games he’s rushed for 721 yards and averaged 5.5 yards a carry. He also has 353 yards receiving, or 50+ a game. 10 of his 27 receptions have resulted in first downs. Add up the yardage—he’s over 1,000 total yards already. Buffalo will continue to lean on Jackson as the weather gets poor, so don’t expect him to fall out of the MVP race. He deserves more headlines. He’ll get them if the Bills stay in the AFC East race.
Don’t look now but the 49ers are 6-1 after doubling up the Browns, 20-10. I think they may have clinched the NFC West. Here’s the simple recipe—Frank Gore runs like a maniac, Alex Smith does what he’s asked to do, and the defense annihilates people on a weekly basis. That’s it, and it’s all attributable to the coaching change. Jim Harbaugh was handed essentially the same ingredients that Mike Singletary had, but has managed to mold the team in his image while keeping it loose and full of belief. There are 2, maybe 3 losses left on their schedule, which has them finishing somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-4. That’ll be good enough for a 2 seed and a first round bye. Whether Philly or someone comes to Candlestick and beats them, I don’t know. What I do know is that Harbaugh has changed the culture of that team in record time, and good things are going to happen in San Francisco as long as he’s in charge.
 |
