NFL Week 9 Observations

Weekend Media Gaffes

• Media Gaffes Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith, on the ESPN pre-game show, talked about how the Colts defense is good at "carousing" the ball carrier.
  
  
• A few weeks ago I commented on how the NFL was promoting it's NFL.com website with commercials featuring NFL players celebrating TD scores - The same celebrations that players are fined and penalized for. This week, the same commercials were show without the celebrations. Somebody in the NFL brass got my memo.

Weekend Media Praise

• The funniest line I heard this weekend came from Football Night in America's Keith Olbermann. While showing highlights of Tom Brady being sacked by Robert Mathis, Olbermann said that this was the first time all year Brady was touched by somebody other than a supermodel.

NFL Week 9 Observations

We'll begin with "Super Bowl 41.5"....

In the preview of this game that I wrote just three days ago, I said that for me, the key to New England winning or losing would be how they handled adversity. The Patriots for the first time this year ran into all kinds of hardships, and in the end they still came out on top. I pondered in my preview, what would happen if New England didn't score on their opening drive for the first time this season. I wondered what would happen if the Indy pass rush was effective early on. What about if Randy Moss took a hit from safety Bob Sanders? All three of these things happened even though in the back of mind I thought they probably wouldn't. And the adversity didn't stop there, it was worse than I ever would have expected. The crowd noise was unbearable, the Pats gave up a fluke end of the half TD to Joseph Addai, and the penalties being called against New England (10 for 146 yards) bordered on the Tim Donaghy conspiracy level. In the end, it was the same, familiar ending that we've all grown accustomed to watching when the Patriots are behind late in the game - Brady leading his team down the field for game-winning score, though nobody thought it would take just 43 seconds! Here are my many observations from the best NFL game this year:

- I think Tony Dungy and his coaching had a great game plan for New England. If you remember a few weeks ago when New England beat up on Miami, I wondered if it meant anything that the Dolphins were able to rush for 6 yards per carry against the Pats. Tony Dungy and company sniffed out this potential weakness in the Pats defense and decided to pound the rush, control the clock (NE had 7 pts in 1st half), and hope that the game was close in enough in the 4th quarter so that Manning would have a chance to lead a game winning drive. This game-plan almost worked, though New England really rose to the occasion on both sides of the ball late in the game. Dungy also deserves credit for making New England's high-powered offense look inept for a good portion of the game.

- Robert Mathis (2 sacks, including one on the first NE play of the game) and the Indy front-4 did a tremendous job of pressuring Brady, a feat no team has come close to achieving the entire season.

- Does Adalus Thomas play for the Patriots? I don't think I heard his name once on Sunday.

- Going into this game, I was under the impression that Asante Samuel was New England's number one corner. I guess I was wrong because Ellis Hobbs was the one that guarded Reggie "Hey" Wayne the entire game. Maybe Samuel was scheduled to guard "Starvin" Marvin Harrison, who was inactive, and game-planned for him the entire week? If you know tell me.

- Single coverage for Randy Moss in the red zone is almost offensive, and he made Indy pay as he scored the first TD of the game. If it's not clear who the best receiver is Post-Jerry Rice than you don't watch football. Moss, 9 receptions for 145 yards, did it all on Sunday against the Colts. He had the TD reception, the incredible 1-handed grab over the middle, and a pivotal 55 yard catch against an Indianapolis defense that hadn't allowed a play from scrimmage of over 25 yards the entire season. Even with the Colts defense completely geared towards not allowing New England to make a deep play down field, Randy Moss was able to out run the entire defense and catch a bomb. The scary part about the 55 yard reception - Moss is so fast he over-ran Brady's deep ball. If Brady led him 3 more yards it would have been a TD reception. Freak.

- Joseph Addai clearly separated himself as one of the top 5 running backs in the NFL. He put on a show against New England with 226 yards from scrimmage!

- Reggie Wayne dropped a bomb from Peyton Manning that may have cost the Colts the game.

- Both Antoine Bethea and Gary Brackett's interceptions of Tom Brady were spectacular. In a time in the NFL where my number one, week to week observation is how poor the catching skills are of defensive players, these 2 guys made me eat my words.

- Who would ever think think that the end result of Moss attempting to catch a bomb from Brady over Bob Sanders and company would result in Sanders being the injured party?

- Though New England's run defense was exposed to a degree, I think they played a terrific game overall. They sacked Manning 3 times and pressured him the entire game, especially in 4th quarter when the game was on the line. And if it wasn't for that Joseph Addai miracle, they could have said they held the Colts offense @ the RCA dome to 13 points. Their red zone defense in the first quarter was also clutch, to say the least. All and all, not a bad day at the office.

- The Patriots' pass protection showed vulnerability for the first time this season but when it counted gave Tom Brady all the time he needed. Brady had plenty of time to unleash a 33 yard missile to Donte Stallworth on the sideline, arguably the most pivotal throw of the game, as it set up the go-ahead TD. The funny part of this play was that it came just as I wondered out loud why Brady doesn't look for Stallworth more.

- I really thought Dallas Clark (2 receptions, 15 yards) would have had a bigger impact in this game.

- Some of the pass interference calls called against New England were borderline ridiculous and could have cost them the game. Some of the personal foul calls against the Patriots were just plain stupid on their part in a game of this magnitude - especially 2 by offensive tackle Matt Light.

- There's an 50 cent song that features Eminem called "Patiently Waiting." While bragging about his record label, Eminem says "You take some B.I.G. and some Pac, mix them up in a knot, spring a little Big L on top and what the F*** have you got?" - What Eminem is saying here is that his record label is the embodiment of 3 of the greatest rappers of all time. How does this apply to Wes Welker? Wes Welker is the greatest slot receiver in football right now and was actually the difference maker in this game. Yeah, I know he had just 38 yards receiving but both his TD and end of the game 3rd down conversion were amongst the most significant plays of the game. But that wasn't even his most important contribution! In a game where New England struggled offensively for the better part of 50 minutes, Welker was amazing on punt returns - giving the Patriots a much more manageable field to work in a day when first downs and yards were hard to come by. So getting back to the Eminem quote - Take some Ricky Proehl and some Kevin Curtis, mix them up in a pot and sprinkle a little Tim Dwight on top and you've got? Wes Welker - The Ultimate White Slot Receiver/Punt Returner.

- Tom Brady had his lowest pass rating of any game this season - 95.2, and still managed to throw at least 3 touchdowns for the 9th consecutive week.

- If I were the Colts I would look at the game like this; We contained the New England offense, we made them look bad at times, we had them where we wanted them, all of this and Marvin Harrison didn't play a single down and Anthony Gonzalez was injured for most of the game.

- If I were the Pats I would look at the game like this; We were on the road, they got all the calls, they got a fluke 73 yard TD, we played our worst game of the year and we still won by 4.

- Why does Bill Belichick have an icy handshake with every coach he defeats? Tony Dungy is the most well-liked coach in the NFL and Belichick acted like Dungy spit on his hand seconds prior to the embrace.

- I'm glad Super Bowl 41.5 is over. I don't think my finger nails can survive another game like that and I didn't even have a dog in the fight, not counting the 10 G's I placed on a dog at Vick's house - I'm kidding.

Moving on to the New York game....

I wrote down a few questions I needed answered before the start of the Kellen Clemens' Era in New York on Sunday. The first 2 questions are about Clemens, the 3rd is about the Jet defense, the others are about the Redskins.

1. Will Kellen Clemens show promise that he can be the Jets' starter for the foreseeable future? Will he handle adversity? In other words - Will the Jets have to draft a QB in the 2008 draft?
   
   
2. Will the Jets' offense look different with Clemens playing instead of Chad Pennington? Will the play calling change? Will there be some kind of intangible difference? Will they be more effective?
   
   
3. Will David Harris and Darrelle Revis show that they're potential cornerstone defensive players moving into 2008?
   
   
4. Is Clinton Portis washed up? Why hasn't he rushed for 100 yards in a game yet?
   
   
5. Has Joe Gibbs really lost it? What's up with this Jason Campbell kid?
   

- As a Jet fan, after watching Kellen Clemens on Sunday, I can say with confidence, though I don't want to jinx it, I think he's going to be a special quarterback in this league. I know the QB position is extremely watered down in the NFL right now, so this may not be saying much, but I can say without blinking an eye that I'd take Clemens' future over all but a handful of quarterbacks currently on NFL rosters. So now I'll answer the questions I posed:

- Question #1: YES, Kellen Clemens showed promise! In his 2nd career start, a game where the Jets #1 wideout was sidelined with a concussion, Kellen showed poise, a command of the offense, confidence, arm strength, and the ability to think on his feet in the face of a tremendous pass rush. If it wasn't for the Jets dropping an inordinate amount of passes, Clemens would have walked away from the game on Sunday with his 1st NFL win.

- Question #2: The Jets offense looked different against the Redskins than it did with Chad Pennington as the starter. The offense was more effective and had an extra bounce in its step. You could just sense it watching them break the huddle. I wish coach Mangini and offensive coordinator Schottenheimer wouldn't have waited for the overtime period to open the playbook up for Clemens, who demonstrated he had no problems reading blitzes and throwing the ball down the field. Though I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Kellen was out of sink with his receivers on multiple plays during this game. I liken these plays to #1 WR Coles being inactive and the fact that he's only been getting reps in practice as a starter for one week.

- Question #3: Rookie LB David Harris, who had 17 tackles filling in for Jonathan Vilma last week, had 20 this week (17 solo)!!!! Who this side of Dick Butkus makes 20 tackles in a game? I didn't hear Darelle Revis' name much this game, which is probably a good thing considering he's a cornerback. He made just 2 tackles which tells me he either doesn't like to help support the run defense OR that not too many players caught the ball while he was guarding them. I'll be a glass-half-full guy this week and believe the latter. Though, Revis did get smoked down the field on a bomb to Santana Moss, luckily the pass was overthrown.

Before I move onto questions 4 and 5, let me finish up my Jets observations...

- Jet Fans, though it was a heartbreaking over time loss against the 'Skins, don't let it bother you. The win means nothing, it doesn't matter if the Jets are 1-7 or 2-6, they're not making the playoffs anyway so look at it from the perspective that we improved our draft status. The important thing is that Kellen Clemens is going to be a good QB in this league. Announcers Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa were thoroughly impressed by Clemens to say the least, and the Jets would have scored more points if they didn't drop so many passes!

- Leon Washington, who had his 3rd kick return for a TD score this year, is: 1) The best kick returner this side of Devin Hester. 2) Going to be the AFC special teams representative in the Pro Bowl.

- The Washington Redskins attempted and successfully recovered an onside kick in the middle of the game against the Jets. Do you think Gibbs would have called this play if didn't think the Jets offense led by Clemens was a threat?

- Jets Tight End Joe Kowaleschi, do you really need to celebrate your first career TD like you just won the Super Bowl? The Jets are 1-7, chill out a little bit.

- The Jets defense allowed the Redskins to rush for it's 2 longest running plays from scrimmage on Sunday. They also allowed Clinton Portis, who was yet to rush for 100 yards in game this year, to run for 196 yards. The 'Skins rushed for 296 yards in total at a 6.2 yard per carry average. UMMMM, this is bad!

- Eric Barton of the Jets had an interception and when he went to the sideline the camera showed the obligatory shot of him on the phone. My questions are, Who do players talk to on the sideline phone and why does only the player that made the big play get make the phone call? If it is the defensive coordinator they're talking to, shouldn't he be talking to the players that messed up? The guy that made the INT or recovered the fumble obviously knows what he's doing out there.

- Question #4: No, Clinton Portis is not washed up. I know the Jets pitiful rush defense is not the best barometer but Portis ran tough and was elusive this Sunday. I think his difficulties this year come from no being 100% and from sharing carries, though I can't tell you for sure.

- Question #5: Joe Gibbs made no noticeable errors against the Jets and I liked the onside kick call he made. Jason Campbell was respectable against the Jets and definitely shows promise.

- The Redskins at 5-3 are in both the divisional mix and the playoff mix. That's a nice mix to be in. Remember, they can be 6-1, but I still think they're not that good.

Now my observations from around Week 9...

- In the Under the Radar Moment of the Week, Adrian Peterson broke the NFL single game rushing record with 296 yards against the Chargers. So my questions for the Vikings is, why couldn't they give the guy the ball one more time so he could break 300? When previewing this game 3 days earlier I made 2 statements about this game. One that this was a battle for Top Dog Running back in the NFL AND two, even if Tomlinson lost this individual matchup he'd still be the number one RB in the NFL. Well I think the torch may have been passed in this game, and not because LT rushed for just 40 yards. Peterson is so good right now he's scary and he's on pace for over 2000 yards rushing this season.

- The Chargers went from winning 3 straight games and reclaiming the look of dominance they temporarily lost, to being in serious trouble again. They're 4-4 now and have to face a Colts team in Week 10 that's going to be focused after losing to New England. If they fall to 4-5, San Diego would have to sustain a certain level of excellence save for one or two slip-ups in the last 7 games if they want to make the playoffs.

- I know they played in the David Beckham Memorial Stadium known as the Metrodome, but how did the Chargers with that defensive talent, lose to a QB duo of Brooks Bollinger and Tavaris Jackson? And how'd they give up 378 rushing yard? Well, at least Antonio Cromartie broke the record for the longest TD in NFL history (109 yards).

- Antonio Gates had one reception for 10 yards. He was on pace for over 100 recpetions and 14 touchdowns going into the game against Minnesota. You'd think in a game where Tomlinson rushed for 40 yards, meaning the defense was focused on stopping him, that Gates would have a huge game. Interesting disappearing act. I didn't know the Vikings (3-5) were the 1985 Bears on defense.

- One of the key matchups I listed for the Chargers @ Vikings game was the Vikings much heralded offensive line against the Chargers notorious front-4. The other matchup was the Vikings excellent run defense against Tomlinson. The Vikings won both.

- Those in the media asking Andy Reid to step down because his sons are going to jail are wrong! Why would he need to spend more time at home if his kids are in the slammer? He should have stepped away sooner so they wouldn't go to jail right? Well, I'm typing this as I watch the Eagles @ Cowboys Sunday Night game and maybe Andy should have stepped down (It's 35-10 right now).

- Quick Sidenote - Madden and Michaels are going out of there way to say Andy Reid is a great guy and that it's not his fault that his kids are having these terrible personal problems. I don't know Andy Reid, I'm sure he is a great guy and I'm not saying it's entirely his fault, but I don't think we should be running to his defense to vouch for him as a father. If he was a garbage man and not an NFL coach, I don't I think people would be going out of their way to defend the guy. Actually, I think people would be crucifying him.

- Also, TO is really burning his old team the Eagles. This one's personal and it's getting real chippy out there.

- The Cardinals had a complete offensive meltdown against the Bucs. Edgerrin James rushed for 15 yards on 9 carries while QB Kurt Warner completed just 30% of his passes, though he did complete 2 to the other team. The Arizona offense was so bad they lost the time of possession by nearly a HALF HOUR. They were on defense for so long they had 4 players with over 10 tackles! Conversely, Tampa was on offense for so long that Jovan Haye's 4 tackles led the team. Amazingly, Tampa Bay only won by 7.

- The real battle in the Arizona @ Tampa Bay game was between punters Mike Barr and Josh Bidwell. Barr punted for 294 yards and Bidwell punted for 298.

- The Defensive Player of the Year battle will be between Albert Haynesworth and Bob Sanders. Haynesworth was not only pivotal again in stopping the run against Carolina but had 3 sacks as well. Think about that. This guy is the premier run-stuffer in the NFL and he had 3 sacks in one game! On the other hand, Bob Sanders has been terrific all year and was very good against New England on Sunday. Though I think Haynesworth is the hands-down winner this year, Sanders will get the nod because he has never been seen repeatedly stomping on a player's head while they were lying on the ground.

- Green Bay (7-1) and Brett Favre are on fire. Green Bay and Indianapolis now have the same record. And Favre has another game winning TD pass. The NFC is interesting with the Packers, Cowboys and Giants.

- This is how you know the Packers are for real. On the road, at Arrow Head Stadium, Green Bay was able to completely shut down the Chiefs' running game. Larry Johnson was held to 2.8 yards per carry. A team that can go on the road, to the toughest AFC venue nonetheless, and stop the rush that effectively (and score 33 pts) can win in the playoffs. If the Packers can clinch home field advantage in the NFC, NOBODY is going to want to play them at Lambeau in January.

- For those of you that know me, one of my biggest pet peeves is when somebody misuses the world 'irony'. The word will be misused a lot this week, I can promise you that. This is because Chad Johnson suffered a neck injury @ Buffalo, the same place Kevin Everett was nearly paralyzed. So I'll set the record straight here. It is a coincidence that Chad Johnson hurt his neck in Buffalo and it is also sad. It is not ironic.

- Why Cincy lost? 17 carries for 28 yards (1.6 per carry) vs 35 carries for 176 yards (5.0 per carry). Cincy is completely unravelling. Yet, there are no Marvin Lewis hot seat talks. I thought this guy was a defensive guru?

- Nice to see JP Losman get the win. Marshawn Lynch is quietly having a fantastic rookie year at RB but nobody is paying attention to him because of Adrian Peterson and the fact he plays in Buffalo.

- I said in my NFL picks blog that IF New Orleans beat Jacksonville this Sunday that it would be reasonable to say they could go on to win 10 games despite starting 0 and 4. SO, the Saints won and are now 4-4. Their remaining games: St Louis, @ Houston, @ Carolina, Tampa Bay, @ Atlanta, @ Arizona, Philly, @ Chicago. Yep, they can win 10+.

- If you thought Drew Brees' prior success was a fluke, you were wrong. If you thought Marques Colston was a one year wonder, you were wrong. If you thought Reggie Bush was destined to be a monumental bust, you were wrong. I don't know what Bush's ceiling is but he's pretty good right now and will probably be even better down the road.

- We've all made a million Quinn Gray jokes. I know he had 3 interceptions against New Orleans but he also threw for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wait, Quinn "If I'm starting you know things are" Gray threw for 354 yards against the Saints? Maybe the Saints won't win 10 games. Let's hope for the sake of the NFC playoffs that this was a fluke.

- It would be a shame if the 49ers, losers of 6 straight including this week to Atlanta, would have to use a potential top 5 pick on a QB, but Alex Smith hasn't shown much progress. 17 for 38 with 3 interceptions agains the flipping Falcons is unacceptable. WHAT? The Patriots own the rights to the 49ers 2008 first round pick? Ut oh.

- Tough Guy Moment of the Week: As you know, I'm typing this as I watch Dallas @ Philly. Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten just caught a pass over the middle, had his helment knocked off by 2 Eagles defenders, and still had the wherewithall to stay on his feet and run for 55 yards.

- Cleveland is a team with some serious heart. This is the second straight game in which they came back from substantial deficits to win. It's funny how last year Romeo Crennel was on the hot seat and Charlie Weiss was walking on sunshine. What a difference a year makes!

- In a week where Jamal Lewis' single game rushing record was broken by Adrian Peterson, Lewis answers the bell with a 20 carry for 37 yard performance (1.9 per carry) against Seattle. He did have 4 touchdowns though. I look at Lewis' performance in this this game as a microcosm for Jerome Bettis' final season with the Steelers, when he was ineffective save for short yardage situations and goal line scenarios . Except, Lewis didn't fumble in the AFC championship and nearly cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl. At least not yet - But I'm sure the Browns would sign for an AFC Championship game appearance, let alone a playoff birth. But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

- Shaun Alexander, you are killing your team! This week against the Browns Alexander's line read: 14 carries for 32 yards (2.3 per carry). Your last 5 games: 3.1 2.3, 2.5, 2.5, 2.3 yards per carry. Mike Holmgren has to give the rock to Maurice Morris, who rushed for 6.1 per rush on 9 carries vs Cleveland.

- How bad is the NFC West? Here are the current streaks by every team in the division: Seattle (Lost 1), Arizona (Lost 3), San Francisco (Lost 6), St. Louis (Lost 8). Team Winning percentages inside the NFC West? .500, .375, .250, .000. And finally, the Patriots have more than doubled the Seawhawks points scored (the NFC West's top offense) and has as many wins (9) as the entire division combined.

- Derek Anderson did a great job again, throwing for 364 yards in the comeback win against Seattle. Kellen Winslow Jr (10 rec, 125 yards Sunday) and Braylon Edwards are emerging as a dynamite young TE-WR tandem for the Browns.

I'm a Genius because:

1. I'm 8-2-1 against the spread going into Monday Night Football.
   
   
2. I told you the Broncos defense would be in disarray without John Lynch. Detroit put up 44 against Denver.
   
   
3. I told you Ralph Wilson Stadium would be a tough place for Cincy to play.

I'm an Idiot because:

1. I keep giving too much credit to the Raiders and the "Black Hole." The Raiders aren't good yet, I admit it! What do you want from me??
   
   
2. I was correct about David Harris playing well but I was DEAD wrong about the Jets running defense showing up against the Redskins.
   

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Welp, See Ya Later - Lloyd Christmas