Coles vs Houshmandzadeh: Who Is the Better Fit for the Bengals’ No. 2 WR?

Before signing with the Seattle Seahawks during the offseason, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was arguably one of the best No. 2 wide receivers in all of football.

During his final four seasons with the Bengals, Houshmandzadeh hauled in 372 receptions for 4,084 yards and 32 touchdowns. He would take advantage of opposing defenses who would lack their coverage towards him considering most defenders were focused on finding ways to stop Chad Ochocinco.

One thing is certain; Houshmanzadeh loved playing for the Bengals and the fans of Cincinnati. However, he knew his desire to be a No. 1 wide receiver would never be fulfilled in Cincinnati as long as Ochocinco was there—which is part of the reason why he decided to sign with the Seahawks.

As much as the Bengals and their fans would miss Houshmandzadeh, they quickly found his replacement after signing unrestricted free-agent wide receiver Laveranues Coles—two days after Houshmandzadeh signed with the Seahawks.

Houshmandzadeh would be missed, but there was a lot of hype surrounding the signing of Coles, considering he spent the last four seasons as one of the top wideouts for the New York Jets. Last season, he caught 70 passes for 850 yards and seven touchdowns. With these types of numbers, Coles seemed to be the perfect replacement for Houshmandzadeh as a No. 2 wide receiver for Carson Palmer to throw to.

After what he’s done as a No. 2 wideout the last couple of years, many wondered if the Bengals made the right move by not putting as much effort towards re-signing Houshmandzadeh.

It’s easy to understand his desire to play as a No. 1 wideout, but at the same time, it’s not rocket science money played another factor in his signing with the Seahawks (five-year deal worth $40 million with $15 million guaranteed).

However, with the type of start he’s had with the Seahawks, do the Bengals even miss Houshmandzadeh that much or is Coles the better man for the position in Cincinnati?

Through the first three weeks of the season, Houshmanzadeh has only 14 receptions for 145 yards and zero touchdowns. Coles, on the other hand, has only hauled in eight receptions for 54 yards, but caught a touchdown pass in a 31-24 win against the Green Bay Packers in Week Two.

It’s easy to look at the statistics and say both players have failed to live up to their expectations in 2009 considering neither has the type of statistics each team was hoping for at this point. However, the Bengals are the winner in this situation with Coles for a number of reasons.

Coles has been anything but a disappointment for the Bengals through the first three weeks of the season. Thanks to Ochocinco returning to his old ways as a wide receiver, the emergence of Andre Caldwell, and a strong running game from Cedric Benson, Palmer hasn’t had to rely on Coles as much.

His statistics may not be as high as expected, but his performance through three weeks has been just enough for the Bengals to sit second in the AFC North with a 2-1 record.

As far as Houshmandzadeh is concerned, he is being paid a lot more than Coles—whose four-year deal is worth $28 million. Not to mention he signed with the Seahawks as their No. 1 wide receiver. This means he is the first option Matt Hasselbeck or Seneca Wallace wil look for each time the ball is snapped.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks find themselves trailing the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West with a 1-2 record. It’s hard to make assumptions through just three weeks of football, but as of now, it appears the Bengals received the better end of the deal by letting Houshmandzadeh sign with the Seahawks and signing Coles.

Think about it; why wouldn’t the Bengals be satisfied when they are paying for a wide receiver with a cheaper price? Not to mention they get to have their cake and eat it too by saving millions of dollars and finding ways to win football games.

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Where Will Jeff Garcia Wind Up Next?

With the release of journeyman quarterback Jeff Garcia, the Eagles seem to be indicating that they are confident that the combination of Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick can manage the team until Donovan McNabb returns.

In particular, the play of Kolb made Garcia expendable.

Kolb is 62-of-96 for 741 yards in two-and-a-half games this season. He is completing 65 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 89 on the year. Against Kansas City, Kolb was 24-of-34 (a 70 percent completion percentage) for 327 yards and two touchdowns to go along with no sacks, interceptions, or fumbles.

It is that type of production, coupled with Vick’s execution of the Wildcat, that made Garcia expendable.

The question is, where does Garcia go from here?

The market is not great for a 6’1″, 205-pound, 39-year-old quarterback who has played almost exclusively in the West Coast system. One would have to imagine that if Garcia were to sign with anyone, it would be a team with a coaching connection to the Bill Walsh coaching tree that runs the West Coast offense.

The problem is, there aren’t many of those coaches that are around and in need of a quarterback right now.

Of Bill Walsh’s six assistant coaches that became NFL head coaches (Mike Holmgren, Jim Fassel, Paul Hackett, Sam Wyche, George Seifert, and Dennis Green), none are currently coaching in the NFL, and two (Fassel and Green) are coaching in the upstart UFL (more on that later).

If you look at the extended branches on the Walsh tree, most of those coaches are either out of the NFL right now (Jon Gruden, Mike Sherman, Steve Mariucci, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick) or are coaching teams that are set at quarterback.

For example:

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles: Just cut Garcia, and he has McNabb, Kolb, and Vick.

Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings: He has some guy named Favre, I think?

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens: In Joe Flacco they trust, and Troy Smith is a decent backup.

Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans: Kerry Collins and Vince Young are locked in to their jobs…for now.

Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars: Riding the David Garrard train for as long as they can.

Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons: Some young kid named Matt Ryan? Garcia won’t be relocating to Buckhead any time soon.

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben Roethlisberger is the man.

This really leaves only one of two options for Jeff Garcia. He could wind up playing in Carolina for John Fox, a distant Walsh disciple (Fox was an assistant to Fassel, who was an assistant to Walsh), who may need some new blood at QB if Jake Delhomme keeps throwing five INTs a game. That is the lone NFL option for Garcia, who may bring some poise to the Panthers’ team.

The other option is going to the UFL, where I’m sure Fassel or Denny Green would love to have an experienced QB running their West Coast offenses, and I’m sure the fledgling league would like another known commodity.

I think Garcia is bound for the Las Vegas Locos (Fassel’s team) or the California Redwoods (Green’s team) if he does not sign with the Panthers.

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“Bye” the Way, No Cardinals Football This Week Sucks!

 

There seems to be a general consensus around Cardinal-land that, while early in the season, this week is a “good,” or even “great,” week for the struggling Cardinals to have their Bye Week.

The Bye Week, of course, is that NFL’s annual reprieve from the weekly grind. That once a season opportunity to heal minor wounds, rest strained hammies, and/or fix what otherwise may be ailing a player…or a team.

In the Cards’ case, it’s both. Anquan Boldin will get to rest that hamstring. Kurt Warner will get some relief to his surgically repaired hip pain, shoulder stinger, and assorted other bumps and bruises. Steve Breaston’s knee, Darnell Dockett, Levi Brown, and Rashad Johnson’s aching ankles, Early Doucett and Sean Morey’s ribs, and other players’ nicks and scratches, will get a break.

Team-wise, the Cardinals clearly need to do something to emerge from their current funk. According to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, that includes going back to the basics and working on fundamentals. And there’s little doubt that he’s on to something.

The pass blocking fundamentally stinks. Not on every play, but in general, they are playing worse than they were last year. Same five guys, same OL coach Russ Grimm. But they aren’t playing “on the same page.”

The running game basically stinks. Much of that has to do with the fundamentally under-achieving OL, but it may be a good time to work on those sub-receiver packages that kept Beanie Wells on the bench in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Colts pasting.

There are a multitude of reasons why, when someone says that its a “good” or “great” week, they are right.

But that doesn’t make the Bye Week suck any less for your average fan. It doesn’t make it suck any less for the football junkie that needs his fix. And it certainly doesn’t make it suck any less for those of us who write about our team, but find a dearth of news and info to chew on, and through our tireless fingers, spit back out for the masses to chew on.

And spit back out, as the case may be.

This is the weekend that you told yourself (and/or your significant other) last weekend (and all previous weekends) that you would take advantage of, and accomplish otherwise unaccomplished chores, projects, or honey-do’s around the house.

This may be the weekend that you finally take the kids on that long promised trip to the zoo or the park, instead of sitting down in the Lay-Z-boy at 10 a.m. with remote in hand, ready for your 10 straight hour football-fest.

This Bye Week may be “good” or “great” for all kinds of reasons. Most of them legitimate.

But it’s only Tuesday. Wednesday is generally the day that the coaches introduce a new game plan for the coming Sunday’s opponent. Instead, my team will go through very light practices tomorrow, maybe watch some film, and basically saunter around in sweats. They may do the same on Thursday. Or not.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they won’t work at all. They will rest, relax, convalesce, and maybe actually do a few of those long promised honey-do’s themselves.

But not me. I’ll be in my Lay-Z-boy, remote in hand, watching football teams play that I don’t really care that much about, for 10 hours. And regardless of the positives, I’ll be thinking how much the Bye Week sucks.

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NFL Fantasy Football Adventures: Week Three

Maurice Jones-Drew lived up to his potential this week for his fantasy owners, dominating the Houston Texans for over 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

I, unfortunately, don’t have him on a team.

My point leaders on team one, the Molemen were Steve Smith, the Giants version, Nate Kaeding, and Kerry Collins, with 12.30, 11.00, and 9.24. Not great.

NFL Mikee’s Molemen, took a loss this week for the first time. I thought Kurt Warner would have a tough time against the Colt defense and I was right, but options were few as replacements.

I settled on Kerry Collins, but did not fare well. This week, just for kicks, I picked up Brett Favre to take Warner’s place on a bye week for the Cardinals. This should be fun playing Green Bay, so maybe this pick will work out.

Andre Johnson, Steve Smith of the Giants, and Roy Williams will start at wide receivers.

Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas will be my running backs.

Heath Miller will be my tight end, plus Nate Keading and the Eagles defense. I like my chances this week. Molemen, 2-1.

Team two, the TWO Wreckers, won easily again, and are now 3-0. I did make some changes, as people pointed out to me the bench was weak. Point leaders were Matt Schaub with 23 and Brent Celek, a good free agent pick-up, with 16.40.

This week’s starting line will have Tom Brady back, after I rested him in favor of Matt Schaub. Schaub has Oakland, while Brady has the Ravens defense to deal with. Call it a hunch, but I want Tom Brady this week.

We will also have Randy Moss, Vincent Jackson,Johhny Knox, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Smith, and Heath Miller. Kicking will be John Carney, and the defense will be the Forty-Niners. This team should make it to 4-0 and keep dominating the league I’m in with ten teams.

I have figured out the deal with defenses and kickers, I think. Use whoever you can get, depending on your bye week. These guys are like pawns in a chess game. Slightly expendible, but useful on some level.

My Fox team, NFL Mikee’s Maulers took a loss, and fell to 1-2. Point leaders were Brent Celek with 16.40 and Steve Smith, again with the Giants, with 12.3.

Drew Brees will start, of course. Darren Sproles will be at one running back, and Correll Buckhalter will start this week, as Felix Jones hurt his knee. Steve Smith and Mark Clayton will be my wide receivers.

Ryan Grant will stay in my flex position as he has been steady. Vernon Davis is being picked up for tight end this week, as it is Brenk Celek’s bye week. We have also picked up the San Francisco defense and dropped Tennessee. This week has a good shot at a win.

Team four, the South Florida Tarpons, in an ESPN league also lost this week and fell to 1-2. We are dropping Trent Edwards and I am trying to pick up Mark Sanchez to start this week instead of Kerry Collins.

Point leaders were Willis McGahee with 16 and  the Forty-Niner defense with 11.

 I think Sanchez will be forced to put the ball up. and maybe he can get 2-3 touchdowns , I’m hoping.

 Reggie Bush, Willis McGahee, anf Matt Forte will start, along with Hines Ward, Antwean Randle El, John Carlson, the Forty Niner defense and John Carney, who will replace Neil Rackers.

 I’m thinking about replacing El, but will have to see if any one else worthwhile is available.

Team five, the Fort Myers Mustangs,scored a win with a good point total. Point leaders were Joe Flacco with 17 and the Ravens defense also with 17. This team is 2-0-1.

Joe Flacco will start again at quarterback, as he has done well so far. Donovan McNabb is on a bye week, nursing that rib. Steve Slaton will start at running back, along with the workhorse of the Dolphins, Ronnie Brown.

Johnny Knox, Randy Moss, and Jerricho Cotchery will be the receivers. Heath Miller will take over for Tony Gonzales with his bye hitting this week.

We have the Ravens defense, and Mason Crosby as the kicker. This weeks line-up looks adequate.

Team six, the LaBelle Cowboys have it rough already at 0-3. The Giants Steve Smith led in points with 12 and Ryan Longwell had 11. These are not great point leaders.

Last week , I thought Kurt Warner would have a rough week, as I stated earlier, and he did. I made a bad decision trying Byron Leftwich as a replacement. Bad choice!

I have again, picked up Mark Sanchez for this week, as Kurt Warner has a bye week.

I have also dropped Chris Cooley and picked up Brent Celek at tight end, but will also have to grab someone else this week as it is Celek’s bye week. Heath Miller will start at tight end.

 He is somewhat dependable, and maybe will get a touchdown catch this week.

Pierre Thomas and Fred Jackson will start at running backs this week. Steve Smith of the Giants, Hines Ward, and Johhny Knox will be the receivers. I have the Packers defense and Ryan Lomgwell kicking. Who knows about this team. Try to get a win, guys.

Team seven, the North Fort Myers Warlords, are undefeated at 3-0. Point leaders were Brent Celek with 16 and  the Bronco’s defense with 14. 

 I like Brenk Celek and have him on most of my teams , it seems. i also like Steve Smith of the Giants and have him on many teams also.

Frank Gore has a sore ankle, Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner have a bye week, so this starting line-up had to be adjusted this week.

My back up quarterback is Big Ben however, not a terrible replacement. Thomas Jones, Correll Buckhalter, and Darren Sproles will start. Also starting will be Hines Ward, Percy Harvin, and Heath Miller.

The Forty-Niner defense will replace Denver’s this week, and Joe Nedney will replace Rian Lindell. I hope the replacements have a decent week and get me to 4-0.

Last week my teams went 6-1, but this week I finished at 3-4. Week four coming up!

Have a great week and thanks for staying tuned to my fantasy adventures.

Thomas[ NFL Mikee] Moreland

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Lovie Smith’s Philosophical Alteration Helps Chicago Bears to 2-1 Mark

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Week Four NFL Power Rankings: Baltimore Ravens on Top

My lovely girlfriend drove up with me this weekend to see me off back to school in Oregon and how did I repay her?

By watching football, more football, football video games and then even more football. I actually feel kind of bad, considering she is not a football fan. Let’s just say, when I said the Cowboys are playing on Monday Night Football, she asked me, “Who are the Cowboys?”

But don’t you worry; I made it up to her. And now I’ll make it up to you by delivering the funniest, most informative NFL Power Rankings you will read all week (as long as it’s the only one).

 

32 (32)—Rams—The only thing more depressing than the Rams season is the latest episode of Entourage. Turtle got dumped, Drama had a heart attack, and E had an STD scare. Who wrote this, Joseph Merrick?

31 (31)—Browns—Take a look at Cleveland’s team stat leaders. Brady Quinn has 400 yards, Jamal Lewis has 95, and Braylon Edwards has 139. Those would only be mildly impressive for one game. Somewhere Matthew Berry is crying.

30 (30)—Chiefs—There’s a legitimate chance that Kansas City won’t get a win until Week Nine. They play the Giants, Cowboys, at Washington, and San Diego.  On the bright side, kicker RyanSuccop is perfect so far on the season.

29 (28)—Buccaneers—Does Raheem Morris really think Josh Johnson is the answer to his team’s offensive woes? I mean, he’s not even the best Josh Johnson in the state of Florida.

28 (25)—Raiders—The only reasons JaMarcus Russell is still starting are Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski. Is the quarterback from “Glee” available?

27 (29)—Lions—Detroit fans celebrated the victory like it was 1999. Unfortunately, they won’t be doing it again for a while as they face Chicago, Pittsburgh and Green Bay the next three weeks.

26 (24)—Panthers—This messed me up last night: the Jake Delhomme drinking game. Take a shot every turnover or three and out. Man, that second half was a killer.

25 (26)—Dolphins—Forget Chad Henne, play Pat White! Yes, you might not be very good, but you wouldn’t be anyway, and you’d instantly have the most exciting quarterback since pre-prison Michael Vick.

24 (20)—Redskins—First in free agency, last in the NFC East. After back-to-back pathetic performances against two of the worst teams in the league, the Lions and Rams, Washington gets a chance to play three morewinless teams in row. This could get ugly.

23 (22)—Seahawks—So much for being the sexy sleeper pick in the NFC West. Seneca Wallace looked absolutely terrified that the game came down to him leading a two-minute drill against one of the NFL’s toughest defenses.

22 (21)—Bills—One week after getting his first touchdown for Toronto, T.O. get’s another first: his first game without a reception in 185 contests. Good news though, “Beast Mode” comes back next week.

21 (22)—Jaguars—Even with the win, my buddy Alon has finally come to the conclusion that Jacksonville sucks right now. Good for him.  

20 (16)—Cardinals—After losing to the Steelers last February, Arizona is suffering a Super Bowl hangover worse than if Courtney Love and Artie Lang had a cocaine-infused love child and then 19 years later sent it off to college at Arizona State.

19 (17)—Texans—The offense has finally found its groove behind Matt Schaub, but the defense is giving up a league high 436 yards per game. It should be fun on Sunday to see who can suck more, JaMarcus Russell or Houston’s defense.

18 (18)—Titans—I wonder how quickly Kerry Collins could down a six-pack. Three minutes? Five, tops?   

17 (23)—Bengals—They’re a fluke catch from a white wide receiver away from being 3-0. And I had them at No. 32 in the preseason. I’m still not buying it 100 percent, but I owe Cincinnati an apology.

16 (19)—Broncos—I know they haven’t played anybody yet, but after all that has been said about how terrible their defense would be, it’s pretty impressive that they’ve allowed only 16 points in three games.  Unfortunately, there’s a pretty realistic chance they will be 4-6 after Week 12. The upcoming schedule is brutal.

15 (14)—Cowboys—Did what they were supposed to do against the rotting corpse of Jake Delhomme. Don’t be impressed.

14 (13)—Bears—Hey Chicago, it feels pretty good to finally have a real quarterback, doesn’t it?  Although it was fun to see Jay Mariotti complain about Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman on Around the Horn.

13 (6)—Steelers—I know the loss of Troy Polamalu hurts, but come on, the Bengals, really? Give the man a Coke Zero, and get him back out onto the field.

12 (12)—49ers—I’m sold. Going into Minnesota and giving the Vikings all they could handle was impressive. And even more importantly, Vernon Davis finally flashed the potential that made him the NFL’s highest paid tight end in 2006. With Frank Gore out for three weeks, this is Davis’ chance to really step up and carry the offense.

11 (7)—Falcons—Tim Hightower, Kevin Smith and pothead Ricky Williams are all ahead of Michael Turner in fantasy points this season. This makes me smile.

10 (15)—Packers—I wonder how many hours this week ESPN will spend hyping up Brett Favre’s first game against Green Bay. How many hours are there ’til Sunday? Yeah, that many.

9 (9)—Eagles—Michael Vick said after the game that his return to the field (and two incomplete passes) was a top three moment in his career. I’m guessing he’s not counting his dog-fighting career. What, too soon?

8 (8)—Chargers—

Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.
Veronica Corningstone: No, there’s no way that’s correct.
Ron Burgundy: I’m sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don’t know what it means. I’ll be honest, I don’t think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Veronica Corningstone: Doesn’t it mean Saint Diego?
Ron Burgundy: No. No.
Veronica Corningstone: No, that’s—that’s what it means. Really.
Ron Burgundy: Agree to disagree.

Is any of that football related? No, I just thought it was funny.

7 (11)—Jets—Mark Sanchez is the first rookie quarterback to ever start 3-0. Of all the quarterbacks in NFL history, Mark Frikkin’ Sanchez. I am an Oregon fan, remember?

6 (10)—Colts—Arizona might not have the most impressive defense, but what Peyton Manning did on Sunday was pretty damn impressive. You can give them the previously and perennially overrated AFC South right now.

5 (5)—Patriots—Now that’s more like it. Without Wes Welker, Tom Brady and New England outclassed Atlanta in every facet of the game. Even grandpa Fred Taylor had over 100 yards and a touchdown.

4 (4)—Giants—The G-men held the always dangerous Tampa Bay offense (ha) to just 86 total net yards. That’s almost as bad as Keanu Reeves’s performance in “Much Ado About Nothing.” Keanu doing Shakespeare? Uckkkk.

3 (3)—Saints—New Orleans blew out the Bills despite a human performance from Drew Brees, by running the football and playing solid defense. That’s frightening.

2 (1)—Vikings—Only Brett Favre would command a career highlight reel during a football game he wasn’t playing in. I almost gagged.

1 (2)—Ravens—This Ravens team is scarier that Keifer Sutherland’s voice in Phone Booth. That still gives me the chills just thinking about it.

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The Dime Package: It’s Colts Question Time

I really love the time between weeks three and four of the season. We’ve seen teams enough to start to get a feel for who may or may not have a good year. Still, there’s a long season left and even an 0-3 start doesn’t mean you should start booking your beach house in January just yet. For the Colts, we’ve seen a lot, yet you know there’s still 13 games left on the schedule. So, without further ado…

 

1. Are you seriously going back to the question format again?

Why not? Every writer has a niche, right? Fellow BR writer Kyle Winslow has that cool “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” theme to his writing. SI‘s Peter King has the “Ten Things I Think” gimmick, and ESPN‘s Bill Simmons has claimed the recycled ’80s references as his thing.

What’s left but this? So, I came up with The Dime Package and 10 questions to answer about the Colts’ season.

Yeah, I like the “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” better too.

2. Okay, so explain yourself. Did you give up on Joseph Addai too soon?

Yes. Yes, I did. Here’s a story from the fantasy league I’m in. I had complained that in the one year that I thought it was great to have a Colts player, I didn’t. So, I finally traded for one:: Joseph Addai. Sure, I’d rather have had Dallas Clark or Reggie Wayne, but beggars can’t be choosers.

So, what did I do with Addai? I promptly cut him and picked up Tim Hightower before the game.

Ouch. Apology letter to Mr. Addai on the way.

But as far as his actual on-field production, what we saw out of Addai against Arizona is what we can expect. He can be productive rushing the ball and can make plays in the passing game. He’s not a 20 carry back, but that’s really a dying breed anyway.

Frankly though, Addai is going to be pushed all year by Donald Brown. Brown can obviously play, and I think it’s a good thing that they are splitting duty.

Still, it’s a telling sign that late in games we see Brown, not Addai.

3. The biggest news of the last few days is Dwight Freeney’s injury. Will this kill the momentum the Colts have had to start the season?

Not as much as you think. You obviously never want an injury like this to happen, but at least the timing is decent. The next three weeks have Seattle visiting Indianapolis, then a trip to Tennessee, followed with the bye week. Even if he somehow misses four weeks, St. Louis is the opening game following the week off.

That’s not a bad schedule to miss your starting defensive end. Seattle will run the ball because they simply aren’t a good passing team without Matt Hasselbeck. The Tennessee game will be tough, with or without Freeney, but then you hit the bye. Even with Freeney, I’d say the Colts are in good shape if they hit the bye week at 4-1.

4. Sounds like you think the Titans will win the game in week five. Are the Titans prime to bounce back?

I don’t think anyone can argue that the Titans are the league’s best 0-3 team. They have talent, but as their three losses have shown, they have issues. Their special teams is surprisingly suspect. Their vaulted defense is showing gaps, but not in the places you’d expect. The defensive line has done decently well without the departed Albert Haynesworth, but the secondary is not as strong as it was last year.

But can they make a comeback? With three losses already in the books, you figure they’ll have to go 10-3 the rest of the way to make the playoffs in a stacked AFC. They still have road games against the Colts, Patriots, and a surprisingly good 49ers team. They still have to play at Houston as well. They have some tough home contests against Arizona and San Diego. Can they get through those and their other games with only three losses? I doubt it.

They’ll be better than their 0-3 record suggests, but the Jets’ loss may be the one that kills the season for them. Nine-and-seven suddenly looks right, and that’s not making the playoffs this year.

5. Are you giving the Colts the division already?

Wow, sure does sound like it, doesn’t it? I don’t see the other two division foes making much noise now. Jacksonville has shown us that they are a one trick pony. Maurice Jones-Drew won them the Houston game, but did little in their two losses.

Meanwhile, Houston has got to be one of the most puzzling teams in the league. You have great defenders like Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans, yet they’ve given up 86 points in three weeks! Steve Slaton seems to have the sophomore slump, though I can’t tell you why they don’t involve him more in the passing game. Wasn’t Gary Kubiak supposed to be an offensive genius?

And one final note on Tennessee. Do you see Kerry Collins, at 37, leading a 9-0 stretch like Peyton Manning did with the Colts last season? No, I don’t either.

I’m not saying the Colts have the division, but it sure is theirs to lose.

 

6. Do we suddenly have a wide receiver controversy on our hands?

I would think so. Pierre Garcon has been nothing short of spectacular in his relief of Anthony Gonzalez. Seven catches in two games isn’t a lot, but it’s what he’s managed to do in those seven catches: two touchdowns and over 19 yards per reception. Toss in his 17-yard run against the Cardinals in which he literally ran over an Arizona defender, and you really have to wonder how the Colts can justify not getting this guy the ball even when Gonzalez comes back.

Besides, do you see Gonzalez making the 52-yard touchdown play like Garcon did against the Cardinals?

I don’t either.

7. Anyone else impress you so far this season?

On offense, obviously the rookie RB Brown has looked good in his limited time. He hits the hole hard and is tough to break down. He’s a better between-the-tackles runner than Addai, and can hold his own against no. 29 in the passing game.

However, the real highlight on offense has been Dallas Clark. I thought Clark would be better this year now that Harrison is gone. However, he’s on pace for 96 catches and 1500 yards. He won’t get those numbers, but it’s very realistic for him to reach 80 catches and 1100 yards.

His versatility is going to give defenses fits. Defenses have to account for Clark in multiple spots on the field. This allows the Colts to always play matchups with him and the other receivers. Not only has he done better, but it’s making the entire offense better as well. He’s a big reason why Manning has been magnificent so far.

On defense, Antoine Bethea is the one that really stands out to me. He doesn’t have the presence that Bob Sanders has, but there’s no denying that Bethea is a leader when he’s on the field. He’s made some great plays all over the field. The Colts must make resigning him a top priority in the offseason.

8. Disappointments?

It would be so easy to put Tim Jennings here, but his play improved quite a bit against Arizona. So, my disappoint actually lies with an entire unit: the linebackers.

With our added beef on the defensive line, and Larry Coyer’s more aggressive defensive schemes, I was expecting more plays out of our speedy linebackers. Clint Session has done okay, and it hasn’t helped that Brackett has been hurt. Still, the linebackers aren’t making the plays that they should.

Session is the only linebacker to be in the top five in tackles for the team. For a unit that relies on speed, that isn’t a promising sight. Our defensive backs are being forced to come up to make a lot of plays, and that’s one of the biggest things to be address moving forward.

9. Speaking of moving forward, how does the Colts’ schedule look now?

Based on early returns, I would say the top four teams in the AFC are the Colts, Patriots, Jets, and Ravens. The Colts face each of those other teams later this season. Those will be the barometer games to see how good this team can be. However, the schedule as a whole looks favorable. The Colts get two of those team above at home (Patriots, Jets), and really only have two tough road games left (Tennessee, Baltimore). If the defense plays more like it did in week three, and not like it did in week two, then this is a 12 or 13 win team. The next two opponents, the Seahawks and Titans, will both test the Colts’ run defense.

10. Finally, the next opponent is Seattle. Why will this game be special?

It will be special for the one player who will have little impact on the actual game. Edgerrin James signed with Seattle, and has managed only six carries for 13 yards in the last two games. James is at the end of his career, but hopefully Colts fans will remember what a career it was. James did a lot for this franchise, and I’m sure I’m not alone when I felt bad that James left town right before we won the Super Bowl. In fact, I know Colts’ owner Jim Irsay felt this way since he gave James a Super Bowl ring.

I hope the Colts do something special when he comes back. He’ll probably get a video collage and some kind words. I hope they skip protocol and put James in the Colts’ Ring of Honor. He definitely deserves to be there.

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Ravens Showing Confidence in Subtle Humor, Irony

If you saw Ravens Head Coach John Harbuagh’s press conference Monday afternoon, you couldn’t help but chuckle about the exchange he claims to have had with special teams stand-out Brendon Ayanbadejo.

When asked his thoughts on Ayanbadejo’s increased roll on the team’s defensive sub-packages, Harbaugh was a little uneasy about the Pro Bowl linebacker’s mindset.

“He told me something last week that kind of bothered me,” Harbaugh said.  “He told me that playing special teams is really great, but playing defense is better. I didn’t appreciate that too much.”

Even though Harbaugh, a former special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles, was smiling the entire time and obviously just kidding, Ayanbadejo couldn’t pass up the opportunity to one-up his coach.

According to baltimoreravens.com writer Mike Duffy, Ayanbadejo jokingly said during an interview at the teams training facility that he is, “pretty sure that [Harbaugh] likes being a head coach more than a position coach, so we’re in the same boat.”

Right back at ya Coach!

It is refreshing to see that even though the Ravens take their game very seriously, they don’t necessarily take themselves too seriously. A team that can have fun with some good-natured ribbing shows that they have a certain level of confidence and trust in one another—which translates into performance come Sunday.

Tight end L.J. Smith is another example.

Smith had been battling a hamstring injury since training camp and finally saw his first regular season game action last week against the Browns. After making a first quarter reception for a first down, Smith came to the sideline and was promptly greeted with even more Raven satire.

“When he came off after catching that pass, a few guys were checking out his hamstring to make sure he was all right, having fun with him,” Harbaugh explained.   “That’s how we do it—have a thick skin.”

If the Ravens continue to show thick skin, the result will imminently be more wins.

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Redskins Nation Must Be Realistic: No Point to Firing Jim Zorn

Every fan in Redskins’ Nation had every right to want every coach and player fired, the team sold, relocated, and renamed, and FedEx Field burned to the ground last Sunday.

But now that we have had a chance to cool off a little. Let’s honestly look at our choices.

No interim coach has ever made a deep playoff run in the NFL.  I’m not sure if any have even made the playoffs (let me know if one has).

On the opposite note, there have been many coaches that have lost two out of their first three games and went on to turn their season around and win a Super Bowl.  The most recent example is Tom Coughlin and the Giants two years ago.  He was just as maligned and despised by Giants fans early in that season as Zorn is this year by Redskins fans.

Now Coughlin has a key to the city.

I’m not saying that Zorn is likely to turn this team around.  I’m just reminding people of the reality of the Redskins’ situation.  If you are going to fire someone you better have a better person waiting to replace him.

Firing Zorn would effectively kill the season.  Let’s not be too hasty.  After the next three weeks we will all see if Zorn should be fired or not.  The Redskins play three teams that are actually in much worse shape than they are.

 

No team in the NFL has a better opportunity to get well than the Redskins.  It’s the pro football equivalent of having a three day weekend off of work to recover from an epic hangover.

 

Dan Snyder’s choices were to fire coaches and force his team to spend the next three weeks trying to read the Cliffs Notes’ version of another coach’s philosophy or let the Redskins have these games to improve upon Zorn’s schemes.

 

I can’t believe I am saying this, but…Snyder actually made the right decision.  Since he doesn’t have the track record for patience I feel that he must be given some credit when he actually makes a well thought out decision.

 

Redskin fans have every right to expect more from their favorite team.  But firing a coach in the middle of a season is never a good way to improve a team.  If Zorn can improve some of his game time decisions and Greg Blache can remember that bad teams respond poorly to defensive pressure the Redskins have every chance of being 4-2 after six weeks.

 

Until then Zorn and Blache must continue to seek on field success with the understanding that they have been given the NFL’s version of a final written warning.

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Tim Tebow: Welcome to the Oakland Raiders, 160 Days Early

WARNING: THIS LETTER SOUNDS LIKE A DISNEY MOVIE. STILL, PLEASE READ AND COMMENT. THANK YOU.

Dear Mr. Tim Tebow:

As I watch another Oakland Raiders loss in pain, I, along with thousands of Raiders fans, wonder why we drafted some guy named JaMarcus Russell. We’ve all heard of him—scouts said he was the best quarterback to come out since Peyton Manning.

They said he could throw the ball a mile—that his size, speed, and size ratio could make him equals with Michael Vick.

I’ll admit, I was excited.

I was thinking, “Hey, this guy is as big as a linebacker, he can throw it a mile, and he can run too. He will bring the Raiders back.”

But now that I think about it, a football field is only 100 yards. Three hundred feet, correct? Not quite a mile.

The more that I watch Russell, the more I see he can’t throw a ball accurately even if it’s less than 10 yards, much less thirty or forty.

There is also something that the scouts cannot measure, Mr. Tebow. That’s heart.

I know, that may sound like a Hallmark Card or Disney movie, but I am serious. They say pictures are worth a thousand words. That picture above makes me think of a couple:

Heart, dedication, success, champion, Superman.

Please Mr. Tebow, I am begging you.

Know this: When the Raiders select you, we select you. I am 100 percent confident that you will lead the Raiders back. I don’t want to put all the weight of the world on you, but people are looking at playoffs after the 2010 season.

I am thinking playoffs in 2010, Lombardi in 2011. I apologize in advance for those larger-than-life expectations. 

Know this Mr. Tebow, if you don’t succeed, try again. In the words of the late and great Jimmy Valvano, “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”

See you in August.

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