NFL Power Rankings: Ravens, Giants, Vikings, Jets Lead The Way

It’s shaping up to be a pretty interesting football season, that’s for sure. A few teams are starting to look downright invincible, and a few teams look like they could go 0-16.

Coming into the season, there were enough storylines to interest even the most casual fans, and we’ve picked up a few new ones on the way.

I don’t really plan to make this a weekly thing, but every once and a while, I’ll break one of these out and give my takes on the state of the NFL.

I’m going to put them in groups, a la Bill Simmons, because I believe there are tiers in the NFL landscape this season. Also a la Bill Simmons, I’ve used theme to name the tiers. See if you can guess.

Without further ado:

I look good. Hey everyone! Come see how good I look! These guys are the cream of the NFL crop so far. These teams could be facing off two weeks before the Super Bowl if all goes well.

1. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens have looked absolutely phenomenal so far. Joe Flacco is making plays, Ray Rice is making plays, they just look unbeatable right now. The defense is giving up a lot of points, sometimes to bad teams, but they look like they’re able to outscore people when that happens, which is a dangerous combination.

2. New York Giants – Take away the run? Eli will find Smith, Manningham, or even Sinorice Moss. Take away the pass, Brandon Jacobs will run down your throat, while Ahmad Bradshaw breaks your ankles. Are you the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Then you don’t stand a chance in hell. Giants look to be pulling a good team together right on schedule, which is key, since they’ve got a tough late season.

3. Minnesota Vikings – This team has been a quarterback away from amazing ever since they drafted Adrian Peterson. While Favre hasn’t been a world-beater, he hasn’t needed to be. And when they needed him, he came through. Looking pretty good through three weeks, if Favre can hold up in the cold weather, this is a team that nobody wants to play in January.

4. New York Jets – Great defense, good running backs and a hilarious coach. Add a potentially special rookie season from Mark Sanchez, and things are looking pretty good on broadway. With the talent surrounding Sanchez, they should be okay, even if Sanchez has a shaky outing or two.

 

I have many leather bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. These teams have plenty to be proud of, but aren’t quite at the top of the league. They could go deep in the playoffs, but they’re not perfect.

5. Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning is still terrifying to defenses, and unlike Brady, he hasn’t really slowed down. If he’s down by four and driving with a minute left, you’re pretty nervous if you’re not a fan of the Colts. Losing a good slot receiver like Anthony Gonzalez hasn’t slowed them too much, with Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne doing plenty of damage. A strong couple of weeks from Donald Brown, and the Colts could be looking down on most of the league.

6. New England Patriots – Sure, they haven’t looked as explosive as 2007. But it’s still Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It’s still Randy Moss. They’re off to a bit of a slow start, but as Brady gets more comfortable and Welker gets healthy, they’re still as dangerous as ever.

7. New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees is playing like his Madden 2010 counterpart on ‘rookie’ right now, throwing out gaudy stats week after week. The Saints have the weapons, and while the defense is a little suspect, as long as they hold the other team under 30, they should be good.

8. San Diego Chargers – The health of their offensive line is so bad it’s almost tragic right now, which means they won’t be sending Darren Sproles up the middle too much. They still have a solid defense and an offense capable of making big plays, but they struggle making the small plays. With big receivers like Chambers and Jackson, no corner on the field is off limits for Rivers.

9. Philadelphia Eagles – Let’s face it. Michael Vick is a luxury, one the Eagles could be ill-fitted to afford. With four quarterbacks on their roster, they’re getting pretty thin, especially with one out and one that plays intermittently. Kevin Kolb is picking up the slack, and when McNabb comes back they should be good, but they need to rack up some wins early to stay in the mix.

10. San Francisco 49ers – Patrick Willis haunts my nightmares. Their defense is looking very solid, and for some reason Shaun Hill doesn’t completely suck. A gutsy performance against the Vikings showed that they might be for realsies, and if Frank Gore can be healthy, they’ll be loaded.

11. Green Bay Packers – On paper, they look great. But as we all know, that doesn’t mean squat on the field. I think they’ll straighten it out, after all, the Bengals might be good. If they can keep it respectable against the Vikings, they will move up for sure.

 

You’re crazy man. I like you…but you’re crazy. These are decent teams. They’re just not playing great. Maybe they don’t have the talent, maybe they’re a little too unproven, but they aren’t looking like real Super Bowl contenders just yet. Could they be? Absolutely. But not yet.

12. Atlanta Falcons – They certainly aren’t dropping off from last year, but they haven’t made any huge leaps. Unless they get stiffer on defense and Michael Turner starts taking over some games, they’ll be lucky to be another first-round exit.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben has trouble getting his offense going sometimes, but he’s not someone who you want to bet against in a two-minute drill. A hard-hitting defense keeps them competitive. If they can’t get a running game going, then it’s all going to fall on Roethlisberger’s broad shoulders.

14. Chicago Bears – Hard to tell with these guys. Without Urlacher, they have a less fearsome defense, but Cutler-to-Hester is always a wild card. They’re in a tough division though, and it looks like they could be on the outside looking in during the playoffs.

15. Arizona Cardinals – Their offense stops and starts a little too much for my comfort, but you could have said that last year. I don’t think two teams from the NFC West will go to the playoffs though, and the Niners have jumped out to a good lead.

16. Dallas Cowboys -Seem to be running hot and cold. They were hot against the woeful Buccaneers, cold against the G-Men and in the first half of the Panthers game. With Barber out and now Felix Jones, they could suffer, because they have been secretly relying on the running game for the last two weeks. I’m sure Romo will shred the way overrated Broncos this week though, and everyone will be back in love with him.

 

What’s that you said? I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. I’m not too sure about these teams. They’re like the base of a house of cards, my rankings above rely a lot on how these teams have done.

17. Cincinnati Bengals – Were they just due to beat Big Ben in Ohio? How good are the Packers really? Both of these questions are tough ones, and this from a guy who pencilled the Bengals into Super Bowl XLII (before you laugh, I also had the Giants in it, and winning).

18. Houston Texans – They’re up, they’re down, they’re getting shut out, they’re tearing up the field. If we presume the Jets are good (which I have), then they could be a fearsome offense. Bearing in mind the struggles of the Titans, the Texans might be able to do some damage in the AFC South.

19. Denver Broncos – The Broncos have played two awful teams and benefited from a miracle finish. They sit at 3-0, and you’ve got to think they’ll come crashing down to Earth. A win over the Cowboys, and they will be legit.

20. Tennessee Titans – Could the Kerry Collins era be rapidly coming to a close? Another loss or two and the Titans are going to get really desperate.

21. Buffalo Bills – They’ve got some talent on offense, but I don’t think Trent Edwards is ever going to be the franchise guy that some think he will be. With Marshawn Lynch coming back, the running attack might get a lot stronger though, opening up some space to throw.

 

You need to get control, because I’m barely hanging on here! Three short weeks ago, these teams looked like the season was theirs to piss away. And that’s exactly what’s happening.

22. Seattle Seahawks – Last year they just had so much bad luck with the injury bug, you figured they were due. Well, the injury bug is back, and it’s still hungry.

23. Washington Redskins – On paper, this team made some significant upgrades to a team that started off strong this year. A loss to the Lions will take the wind out of anyone’s sails. If the offense can’t get going, then Jim Zorn and Jason Campbell might be looking for other gigs.

24. Miami Dolphins – The wildcat looked pretty good against the Colts on Monday Night Football, but I think teams and coordinators are starting to catch on. It’s fun to watch, but with no Chad Pennington, the Dolphins could be old news real fast.

25. Carolina Panthers – It’s to the point that Jake Delhomme can’t be trusted with any lead. Now, how that translates to three times as many passing plays as running plays against the Cowboys is anyone’s guess.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars – One of the most generic teams in the league. They’re not explosive, and they don’t do anything particularly well. David Garrard’s ceiling seems to have been hit.

 

They’re winners! That’s how winners talk! These teams have gotten that elusive win, but that’s probably the high point of their seasons.

27. Detroit Lions – They had to win one sometime, right? If allowed to grow, the Matt Stafford-to-Calvin Johnson connection could be very entertaining, but they’ve got a long way to go to be considered anything else but doormats.

28. Oakland Raiders –It’s a testament to how poorly the Chiefs are coached that the Raiders have one win. They’re terrible, and aside from Darren McFadden, they’re filled with first-round busts.

 

I got a belly full of white dog crap and you’re going to lay this s@$t on me? These teams already have had some dismal years, and things aren’t getting better for a variety of reasons. Look for them to be bottom-dwelling for the next few years. It’s going to be like Paper, Scissor, Rock for Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford.

29. St. Louis Rams – …Uhhhh…At least the Cardinals are good?

30. Kansas City Chiefs – With Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe, they could have a young nucleus, but Larry Johnson is on his last legs, and they just can’t do much right. Sucks for them, since they won’t be going after any of the good QBs coming out.

31. Cleveland Browns – Nothing good happening here. They can’t even decide which crappy quarterback is sufficiently non-crappy enough to not suck for a few games in a row.

32. Tampa bay Buccaneers – Flashback to 2006, when the Tampa Bay was one of the worst teams ever. They had no defense, they couldn’t run, they couldn’t pass. This is looking to be one of those years.

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Getting Beat Deep in the NFL

If Andre or Calvin Johnson for that matter gets past you down the field, so be it, but if a 4th round rookie gets past you for a supposed go-ahead touchdown on Monday Night Football, just because you don’t have a true free safety on your team—that is a problem and one that you should have taken care of either in the Draft or Free Agency.

This actually is becoming a serious epidemic for a small number of teams in the NFL.

That MNF game I bring up was a play in which veteran Chargers’ strong safety Clinton Hart got beat by first year Oakland Raider Louis Murphy, who has a nice combo of size and speed, for a 57 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 15, no less. True, Hart is the actual strong safety, but the problem is and was that San Diego does not have a safety to cover deep. Football guided missle Eric Weddle is listed as their starting free safety, because he is the most athletic safety they have, but he has no deep speed, a must if you want to be a good free safety in the NFL.

The Chargers aren’t the only ones with this problem of course. Nor are they the only ones to be embarrassed on SportsCenter because of it.  

If you are a sports fan you probably have heard the always ample voice of Gus Johnson.

Johnson is known for his fan like excitement and thunderous reactions to big plays either during his coverage of the NFL and March Madness, or select games when he fills in for Mike Breen calling New York Knick games.

Johnson had another one of his big play/big call specials, when he was doing the Bengal-Bronco game in Cincinatti during this NFL season’s opening weekend. It was an otherwise lackluster game between AFC teams that have both missed the playoffs the previous two seasons. That was until the 4th quarter, when Carson Palmer drove the Bengals down the field to set up the only touchdown by either team with only 38 seconds left on the clock.

What followed was a botched return by usually poised Bronco receiver/return man Eddie Royal in which he slipped and only made it out to his own 13.  

It looked like the Bengals had won their opening game for their home fans, but after an incomplete deep ball by Denver QB Kyle Orton on first down (in which Orton was trying to hit ever talked about Bronco receiver Brandon Marshall), a supposed ‘fluke’ happened.

Orton took another shot down field to Marshall, but Orton’s pass was tipped up in the air by Bengal corner Leon Hall and then caught by 33 year old possession receiver Brandon Stokley with nothing but green in front of him to the end-zone, giving the Bronco’s a zany win to say the least.

So you say ‘fluke’ right? Nuh-uh. Stokley was left with nothing but Ohio green in front of him because Chris Crocker, who’s natural position is strong safety (he’s better at hitting guys over the middle and in the box, instead of covering anybody deep).

He was signed midway through the 2008 season, because ever since the ’08 off-season the Bengals have had a void at the free safety spot, due to their letting a young and talented, no buts about it, free safety walk in free-agency (Madieu Williams), who now locks down centerfield for one of the league’s better defenses in the Twin Cities.

On the alleged ‘fluke’ play Crocker was so busy worrying about big-play receiver Marshall (who Orton looked for on first down the play before), that he was behind the aging Stokley and still couldn’t catch him. In fact the closest Bengal to Stokley, as he went down the sideline on the way to the endzone, was speedy second year linebacker Keith Rivers.

Last time I checked, linebackers aren’t supposed to be faster than free safeties.

Another example of the lack of a true center field safety comes from another MNF game,  the very next week after the Raiders nearly shocked their inter-division rival.

This time we have two different plays (both going for long touchdowns) by another safety who is obviously not in his comfort zone, because again, he is a strong safety starting at free, playing out of position.

The man this time is Miami Dolphin safety Gibril Wilson. On the first play from scrimmage the Colts Peyton Manning threw a strike over the middle to one of the leagues faster tight ends Dallas Clark, and not only was Wilson beat by Clark on the play, Wilson missed the tackle and Clark went for an 80 yard touchdown to open the scoring. Even with that ultra-early setback, the Dolphins struck back with a touchdown of their own, on the very next drive going 75 yards on nine plays.

The Dolphins actually took the game hostage from then on, only allowing Manning’s offense to get on the field for another 14 minutes and 41 seconds for the rest of the game, with Miami keeping the ball for literally three quarters of the game. The Dolphins didn’t trail again till the 4th quarter, when Miami had everything going for them, a 3 point lead, and just under four minutes left—but then Manning and the Colts move the ball inside Dolphin territory to the the Miami 48. Manning throws a quick screen pass to untested receiver Pierre Garcon (who was only starting because the usual number two, Anthony Gonzalez, is out injured) with Wilson cheating up because he was trying to get a jump on the screen. Wilson loses his angle on the young wide out and once Garcon gets ahead of him Garcon is home free and scores on his only catch of the game.

So despite Miami’s dominating ground game and time of possession, the two touchdowns Wilson gave up were so quick it didn’t matter.

Wilson started his NFL career in his comfort zone at strong safety with the New York Giants, even winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2006. That success and steady play over four seasons (strictly as a strong safety) helped get Wilson get a huge (a ‘lil too huge, to be perfectly honest) six year deal from Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.

Davis cut Wilson the very next offseason. Wilson did total a career high in tackles, and was the starting strong safety for the Raiders, but at times played more deep safety then he should have in Oakland (in part because of 2006 7th overall pick Michael Huff’s shortcomings). Teams took advantage of the fact Wilson doesn’t have that turbo button in his arsenal and was part of the reason the Raiders secondary was susceptible to getting burned by the deep ball, so much so that Mr. Davis (Davis prides his Raiders having vertical speed in the first place) terminated the six year pact with Wilson, even though that deal included $16 million guaranteed.

The ironic thing about Miami is that they are the team that made Crocker available by cutting him in the mid-season of ’08. Even though Dolphin Head Coach Tony Sparano was actually quoted as saying in training camp before the season, “I think Crocker probably has some of the best cover skills that we have back there at the safety position”, after signing him that offseason.

It also shows you that some lessons need to be learned. Especially when a guy like Brian Dawkins was available in free agency this off-season. Dawkins has already improved Denver’s pass defense and has given All-Pro corner Champ Bailey some much needed help, playing center field for Denver’s defense.

The Carolina Panthers also proved you can snatch a capable player to step in and play free safety (or even to play in two deep safety coverages on 3rd and longs and what not), by drafting one. Carolina drafted Charles Godfrey out of Iowa in the 3rd round of the 2008 Draft, and took Carolina’s No. 1 free safety spot immediately. Godfrey’s combination of size at 205 pounds, and speed capable of running 4.4 40’s, shows you it’s not the hardest thing in the world to find a capable guy with solid vertical speed to step in and play free safety, in the National Football League.

The one exception to having a strong play free, is out of necessity, because of injury or in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers case, suspension.

The Bucs usual starting free safety is Tanard Jackson, who has decent speed and size, and can play the free safety position was suspended four games before the start of the season. The Bucs had to switch hard hitting strong safety Jermaine Phillips over to free. 

Though this case does fall under the category of players who are really strong safeties masquerading as a free safety because of necessity, the Bucs still managed to run Phillips into the ground as in the offseason they tried to make him into the next Derrick Brooks by trying him out as an outside linebacker. That experiment was scrubbed and Phillips was able to move back to his usual strong safety spot before the start of the season, but was forced into the free position with Jackson’s suspension.

My point of running Phillips into the ground became even more costly for Tampa Bay when they lost Phillips for the season with a hand injury picked up in the Bucs second game of the season.  This makes Tampa even more likely to give up the big play, especially with special teamer Will Allen standing in for Jackson at the free, until week five.

So my point being, if you don’t wanna get beat deep in the National Football League, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have a free safety who is actually a free safety.

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The Packers’ Good, Bad, and Ugly: Bad Personnel Edition

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Breaking News: Eagles Release QB Jeff Garcia

Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles lost quarterback Donovan McNabb to a rib injury, one that left a timetable on a return.

The following day the Eagles signed quarterback Jeff Garcia, who was released by the Oakland Raiders a few weeks back. All the Eagles fans remember Garcia, who led them to the playoffs just a few years ago.

However, assuring Garcia that his 2nd tenure with the team may not last long, Garcia wasn’t expecting much time with the team this season.

Yet, many were shocked about Garcia’s departure today.

According to reports, the Eagles have released the veteran quarterback and have brought back linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who has had multiple stints with the team.

The team must have been impressed with Kevin Kolb’s performance in the win over the Chiefs, and with Mike Vick eligible to play, they feel that Garcia is no longer needed.

 

Matt Miselis is an NFL writer for BleacherReport.com

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Delhomme, Mangini, Owens, Mora Jr: Kicking Them When They’re Down

The Cowboys’ 21-7 victory over the Panthers Monday night put the finishing touches on another wildly entertaining weekend of football. Fans were treated to memorable performances and dramatic finishes, as well as a few flame outs and meltdowns.

 

It’s never okay to kick a man when he’s down, unless that man collects millions of dollars while making a fool of himself on national TV.

 

Jake Delhomme looked terrific in marching the Panthers 90 yards down the field late in the first half. Unfortunately, he looked awful on their other nine possessions. He underthrew Muhsin Muhammad twice on deep balls. The first was intercepted. The second led to a drive-killing offensive pass interference call.

 

While Steve Smith was the culprit on Delhomme’s second pick, it appears Jake has lost his mojo. Once an energetic and fiery competitor who inspired his teammates by example, he now appears tentative, confused, and frustrated. Both his throwing arm and his approach to the game have lost their sizzle.

 

Head coach John Fox, offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson, and anyone else involved with the play-calling, deserve credit for the second half goose egg the Panthers laid. Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for 14 rushing attempts all night. Jake Delhomme threw 33 passes. The game was competitive and low scoring.

 

Panthers fans are scratching their collective heads.

 

 

Brett Favre turns 40 in two weeks, but he decided to celebrate his birthday a little early. His last second, 50 yard bullet to Greg Lewis gave the Vikings a 27-24 victory over the visiting 49ers.

 

The surprisingly reliable Favre has his Vikings at 3-0 and has just one turnover on the year.

 

Many wondered if Favre would be capable of winning games for the Vikings with his arm, as opposed to just handing it off to the best running back in the world 30 times a contest. 

 

Favre proved Sunday he still has a little gas in the tank.

 

However, if Vikings Coach Brad Childress hopes to have a healthy Favre leading them to the Superbowl in four months, he might want to tone down the play calling.

 

Forty-six pass attempt for Favre and 19 rushes for Adrian Peterson is the perfect formula to produce a broken down, 40 year old QB leading a spectacular December nose dive.

 

Childress would be wise to flip the script immediately. The Green Bay Packers, the Vikings’ opponent on Monday night, have forced seven interceptions, but are allowing nearly 130 yards a game on the ground.

 

 

On Sunday night, Arizona speedster Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie graciously acted out a defensive back’s worst nightmare in just one quarter. The Cardinals led the Colts 3-0 after 15 minutes. In the second quarter, Rodgers-Cromartie stole the show.

 

First, his blown coverage allowed Reggie Wayne to make a graceful one handed TD catch.

 

Young Colts receiver Pierre Garcon took over from there. 

 

Garcon literally ran over Rodgers-Cromartie after one reception, picking up an additional ten yards and leaving the would-be tackler behind. Later, he burned the inexplicably over confident CB for a 53 yard score.

 

 

The Patriots defeated the Falcons on Sunday, 26-10. After another early drive fizzled near the endzone, Tom Brady threw a hissy fit. Brady’s in game behavior the last two weeks has proven once again: Just because you are a jerk, doesn’t mean you can’t marry a beautiful woman.

 

 

The Lions finally won on Sunday, thanks in part to the Redskins’ inability to score one yard TDs. For the second consecutive week, Clinton Portis was stopped on fourth-and-goal. Offensive “wizard” Jim Zorn appears to be a play calling muggle.

 

 

Last week after a Browns’ practice, rookie Coye Francies took exception to some “friendly” hazing, producing a brief, chaotic locker room skirmish. Once the dust settled, star wideout Braylon Edwards shouted, “Welcome to the Browns’ locker room!”

 

That embarrassing incident, combined with a dreadful performance against the Ravens on Sunday, has led to a pronounced spike in paper bag distribution in the Cleveland area.

 

Under Eric Mangini, the Cleveland Browns have officially taken on the dubious title of the NFL’s worst team.

 

 

Mangini’s old team, the New York Jets, is off to a 3-0 start, led by affable rookie Mark Sanchez. The Jets’ 24-17 victory over the Titans on Sunday was aided greatly by Tennessee special teamer Ryan Mouton’s pair of fumbles and Kerry Collins’ thirteen consecutive incompletions.

 

 

Speaking of not catching passes, Buffalo’s Terrell Owens saw his streak of 185 consecutive games with a catch come to an end Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

 

Adding insult to injury, the Bills dropped the contest, 27-7, and Owens had to endure being repeatedly goaded by the media’s attempts to provoke a trademark T.O. post game-diva meltdown. For now, Owens is maintaining his composure.

 

 

At some point a franchise becomes so pathetic; it is no longer funny to mock them.

 

On a related note, Oakland QB JaMarcus Russell threw for 61 yards and two interceptions in a 23-3 loss to the Denver Broncos. Seventh overall pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has one catch in three games.

 

 

Finally, first year Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora Jr. takes the cake for his despicable post game remarks. Following his team’s 25-19 home defeat to the Chicago Bears, Mora blamed the loss on the kicker. Like a playground bully picking on the smallest kid in the sand box, Mora puffed out his chest, shook his head, and called Olindo Mare’s 4 for 6 kicking performance, “Not acceptable.”

 

All of the following information was conspicuously omitted from Mora’s classless finger pointing: two turnovers, a failure to reach the endzone on 11 of 12 drives, coughing up a 13 point lead, and the defensive breakdown and poor tackling that led to Devin Hester’s game winning TD.

 

Unlike the head coach, scapegoat Olindo Mare took responsibility for HIS OWN actions, admitting HIS contribution to the result the TEAM earned.

 

Mora and Mare will be among the many players and coaches seeking to pick themselves up and erase regrettable week three performances going forward.

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Oakland Raiders: Is JaMarcus Russell Betraying Raider Nation?

On Sunday afternoon the Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 23-3 on their home field. For Raider Nation the loss couldn’t be more painful. For the first time in six years the Raiders had a reason to be optimistic. The 2008 season ended with two back-to-back wins (in convincing fashion I might add) over teams that had playoff aspirations.

In the offseason the run defense, offensive line and wide receiving core were all addressed in the draft and free agency.

To help coach JaMarcus Russell, Raiders hired not one, but two offensive gurus to help his mechanics. Ted Tollner, a disciple of “Air Coryell” and “The Greatest Show On Turf” was hired to be the passing game coordinator. Paul Hackett, whose coaching resume included quarterbacks Joe Montana, Rich Gannon, and Jeff Garcia, was also signed to aid and mentor Russell.

It all looked so perfect. So what happened? The answer to that question is in a timetable that started in OTAs and continues to last Sunday.

JaMarcus Russell showed up for camp early to workout at the facility. That was good news to Raider Nation until OTAs started and he was not missing for the better part of a week. When he did show up, he was once again overweight. When he took the field his passes were described as “inaccurate,” “wild,” and “nowhere near the targeted receiver.” Pictures surfaced of JaMarcus Russell partying it up in a nightclub. Although he didn’t look as “compromised” as Matt Leinart or Vince Young, rumors began to circulate about his commitment.

Yet Raider Nation stood behind him, after all he was learning new footwork from the great Paul Hackett. It takes time.

Things quieted down after that, as he began to do much better.

When training camp started, Russell was described as being very streaky. Some good-looking throws followed by some horrible throws. Russell was also drawing criticism for not being approachable by the media. Meanwhile Jeff Garcia was hitting the airwaves and making his case for the starting position by stating that the Raiders need to field the best quarterback.

And Raider Nation stood beside him.

During the preseason, Russell had good games against the Cowboys and 49ers, but fell to pieces in the third game against the Saints. After the game Greg Ellis called out the team, without naming names, about their partying before a game. We all assumed he was calling out the defense.

Opening night against the Chargers, Russell had a good night with modest numbers, he looked like he was ready to lead the Raiders offense. He drove the offense down the field making big passes when he had to including a fourth down touchdown pass to Louis Murphy. However since then Russell has been nothing short of putrid, only matched by his leadership skills.

After the Bronco game some tailgaters, who were parked by the road where the players come and go, and this was what they saw:

“Our tailgate happens next to the road the players drive in and out of the stadium. after the dismal game some of the boys went back to do a bit more tailgating and eat…a white Rolls Royce is leaving the stadium with JaMarcus Russell driving…fans know this and are booing…the passenger side window rolls down and with JaMarcus driving one of his home boys on the passenger side yells out “Well at least we are eating good, you guys are still broke”…and JaMarcus visibly chuckles in the driver’s seat…”

Raider nation has supported Russell, but it became crystal clear last Sunday that he hasn’t been doing anything to improve his game. Worse, he doesn’t seem to have any remorse about his woeful performances. He apparently is oblivious to the fact that time is running out on his sorry career. Is this is what Jeff Garcia was trying to communicate in his interviews? Could this is why he wanted his release and didn’t want any part of Russell?

Soon Russell will join the ranks of Matt Leinart and Vince Young who also let their wealth and need for social life over rule their responsibility to their teammates and fans.

Raider Nation deserves better than this and to allow one player to scuttle a promising season is nauseating. It took six years to get Oakland’s head above water and I for one do not want a self-centered player to push it back under.

 

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Ravens-Browns: Week Three Report Card

Ravens fans have never seen this before.  Their team scored 34 points?…in one game?…all by the offense? 

It can’t be. 

Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, it is undoubtedly true.  The Ravens, God be praised, have an offense.

Long gone are the ways of Brian Billick and running it up the middle 18 times in a row before throwing it once. 

Gone are the days when the Ravens couldn’t run a screen to save their lives, much less stop one. 

No ladies and gentlemen, the Ravens are better than ever, and though their 34-3 victory came against a struggling (to say the least) Cleveland Browns team, there is hope that this may last a bit longer.

Though I don’t remember the exact outcome of the coin-toss, the Ravens kicked the opener away to the Browns offense. Soon after, every aspect of the game seemed to fall into their hands.

Brady Quinn, ever so kindly, decided to give the ball back to the Ravens via an interception by Domonique Foxworth, who then lateraled the ball to Ray Lewis, who then ran back to the 31-yard line.

Six plays later, Willis McGahee ran into the endzone, nearly untouched, from the seven-yard line.  It was followed up nicely by a Steve Hauschka extra point, and all done before five minutes of game time had elapsed.

In the second quarter, the Ravens defense had little trouble forcing the Browns to give the ball back several times. The first offensive appearance in this quarter ended with the Ravens’ second field goal of the day (Steve Hauschka for 33 yards) after a 16-play, 82-yard, seven-minute drive. 

Baltimore once again forced a three-and-out by the Browns and then began an impressive 80-yard drive that was completed in under three minutes.  This one, however, was capped off with another Willis McGahee touchdown from the 15-yard line.

The third quarter saw Derek Anderson replacing Brady Quinn as the Browns quarterback, but he had no better luck against a pumped up Baltimore defense. Never before had the Ravens “D” seen their hard work pay-off in the form of so many Ravens offensive scoring drives.

And while that must have been a nice feeling for the defense, they wanted to prove that they were still the stars of the show.

Brendon Ayanbadejo was the first to intercept Anderson. His run-back set up the Ravens first successful offensive drive of the half. 

Only four plays later, Ray Rice got his first career rushing touchdown, untouched, into the endzone from nine yards out.  However, special teams play and lacksadaisical defensive play allowed the Cleveland offense to move down the field and set up a field goal.

That simultaneously started the fourth quarter and ended the Ravens’ hopes of a shutout.

However, giving up the field goal would be the only Browns score the Ravens would have to worry about. 

On the next Browns possession, Anderson was intercepted a second time, this time by Dawan Landry.  This turnover allowed Joe Flacco to throw a bomb pass to Derrick Mason, who made an amazing catch, followed by a quick cut-and-run into the endzone for the Ravens fourth touchdown of the game. 

After that play, the Ravens second-string offense would play the rest of the game.

End Result: Ravens 34, Browns 3

The fact that the game was a blowout doesn’t mean there is no room for improvement for Baltimore. The Ravens, though amazing this past week, need to seriously prepare for their upcoming battle in Foxborough against the Patriots.

First, let’s talk about the offense. 

Joe Flacco had his second career-day this season, throwing for 342 yards and a touchdown.  However, he threw many of his passes too high and far too close to defenders. 

If the Browns had even a half-decent defense, Flacco would have been picked-off at least once, if not more.  He needs to keep throwing the short, super-fast passes up the middle to avoid a loss in New England.

Running backs Ray Rice, and particularly Willis McGahee, had a great day this past Sunday.  McGahee looks to try and reclaim the No. 1 slot in the backfield (it was taken by Ray Rice in the off-season), and may just do it if he can have a repeat performance next week. 

Some, if not most, of the credit for the running, however, should go to the offensive line.  Their blocking, in particular that of Jared Gaither and Michael Oher, was impeccable.

For the first time in quite a while, I saw the wide receivers have an amazing day.  Though there was only one passing touchdown, the receivers were everywhere and allowed Flacco to have a great game.  Todd Heap has reemerged as a reliable receiver, and Kelly Washington is quite a pleasant surprise.

As for the defense, the line was, as always, amazing.  Though I can’t imagine any team’s D-line looking bad against the Browns, Terrell Suggs finally had a decent day, as did Trevor Pryce. 

The linebackers could still use a little work, as the Browns few completed passes were short and up the middle, and gains after catches were a little too long.  Also, the Ravens secondary was looking much improved, getting three interceptions and stopping the deep threat. 

Of course, again, let’s not forget, they were playing the Browns.

Lastly, we should look at the special teams.  Always a problem for Baltimore is covering kick and punt returns. 

Though Joshua Cribbs didn’t do as well as he normally does, he still gained far too many yards in my opinion.  The Ravens also still seem to have trouble getting anything going in terms of returning the ball themselves.  They also need to watch getting as many penalties as they did last week on special teams.

All-in-all, a great day for the Ravens and their many fans.  It looks like, hopefully, the offense is here to stay.  They will need to prepare long and hard for all their games between now and their Week Seven bye. 

They face the always tough Patriots in Foxborough, the surprisingly good Cincinnati Bengals at home, and then travel to the frozen North to meet Brett Favre and the Vikings.

 

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For Those of You Who Think Denver Has No Chance: This One Is For You

I am a bartender, so I get to watch ESPN all day at work and follow NFL Primetime, Live, and the whole nine yards. I see everything about all the teams.

All day I watch only to watch analyst give Denver zero credit. I understand they all made assumptions of how terrible we would be. I understand the tougher part of our schedule is coming up. Facts are facts though ladies and gentlemen and I am here to give you some.

Before I get to the facts, though, I read the Raiders articles. Raiders fans, just shut your mouth until you beat us again. Please just shut your mouth. You have a terrible QB and we dominated you in every aspect of the game.

The Baltimore Ravens are number one in power rankings, while Denver sits at 13: The only 3-0 team out of the top ten. Denver has won their games 62-16, so +46 in our favor against teams with a combined record of 3-6. Baltimore has won their games 103-53 so +50 in their favor against teams with a combined record of 2-7. Seems a little odd to me.

Have we played two weak teams?

Yes.

Wait though, weren’t we suppose to be one of those weak teams? A team that Cleveland, Oakland, and the Bengals could beat. The Bengals didn’t have things go their way, but lucky plays happen, just ask David Tyree.

Cincinnati scored 23 with 273 yards on the defending Super Bowl champs. We allowed 307 yards, but only seven points.

We held Cleveland to six points and only allowed 200 yards. Minnesota gave up 17 and 268 yards.

We held Oakland to a measly 137 yards and gave up three points. Chargers gave up 366 yards and 20 points.

We have the number one defense in the league. No one would have predicted that regardless of the teams we played before the season started. I’m tired of all analyst using our schedule as a scapegoat for their wrong predictions.

Just something to read and think about for a moment before you count Denver out.

Looking at our schedule coming up, it looked a lot scarier before the season than it does now. Cowboys without Felix, Patriots without Mayo, and Chargers with out Jamal Williams and maybe LT all look beatable to me. I’m not guaranteeing a win by any means, but they are games we can win.

Followed by that, we have the Ravens who look outstanding, but things may change by then. Steelers look beatable as well to me. Redskins we should beat if they keep at this pace.

With all the being said that still leaves two games against Kansas City and one more against Oakland in Denver.

I’m not saying were going 10-6 but we could and we very well may win the division. No we are not world beaters, but we do win.

“Denver rookie head coach Josh McDaniels doesn’t have a grasp on how to build a team,” said John Clayton, April 23rd, 2009.

I just want people like this to go back and say ‘maybe I was wrong.’ I’m not asking to pick us for the Super Bowl; just give us respect where we have earned it.

Denver fans, I leave you with this comment from recently signed veteran Vonnie Holliday.

“But when I was talking to some coaches on this staff, guys who were much older and much more experienced than Coach McDaniels, they said, ‘Don’t listen.’ They said some good things were happening here. They said Coach McDaniels was special … it didn’t take me long to realize they were right. There’s something about Josh McDaniels.”

Keep strong Bronco faithful as we shoot for 4-0.

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T.O. Causing Trouble Again? Not This Time

Terrell Owens has talked his way out of every NFL city he has ever played in, from San Francisco to Philadelphia to Dallas.

Now he is working on talking his way out of Buffalo too. Or is he?

Despite being egged on by reporters during his entire press conference on Sunday, Owens refused to say anything bad about his team.

For the first time in 185 games, Owens didn’t catch a pass in Buffalo’s 27-7 loss to New Orleans on Sunday.

And even though TO was clearly upset by this fact, he had nothing bad to say.

Reporters were clearly trying to get Terrell to complain about the play calling or his quarterback Trent Edwards, as he has been known to do.

It started with simple questions about why the Bills lost and why they couldn’t execute. Fine, just trying to get his perspective on what they can do to improve next week.

Then they moved to questions about the play calling to which Owens responded, “I’m just going with the plays that are called.” Ok, looking for answers about offensive strategy from an offensive player.

Owens was asked if he was frustrated with these plays. This is flirting with the fine line between looking for insight and looking for a cheap story.

But when he was asked if he and Lee (Evans) were being wasted in this offense that was where they crossed the line. If Owens wants to throw his team under the bus again, he has proven he can do that perfectly fine without help from the press.

There is no reason to try to talk Owens into being a problem.

When TO refused to give a yes or no answer to that question, the reporter started suggesting answers. This isn’t reporting anymore, it’s trying to find a story where there isn’t one.

I understand the job of a reporter is to get the story. But when you are trying to force a story to develop, that isn’t getting a story anymore.

Believe me, I’m not a TO apologizer. I don’t like his attitude just like I don’t like the whole “prima donna” receiver attitude. But it isn’t right to try and force Owens to get himself into trouble.

He can do that just fine by himself.

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Chicago Bears to Dominate the Detroit Lions? Not So Fast

When the Chicago Bears square off against division rivals the Detroit Lions this weekend, many are expecting the Bears to run away with it. Call me pessimistic, but I am not falling for that one.

I have been a Bears fan all my life and what I have noticed over the past few years is that the Bears have a tendency to play down to the Lions level.

Now, I am not saying they will lose this game, but I would be very surprised if the Bears ran away with it, especially considering how the Bears have played them recently.

And you know what, let me rant for a minute…

It really isn’t just the Lions I am talking about here, there are too many examples of the Bears playing down to worse teams. 

Take this past Sunday’s game against the Seahawks. Seattle was missing several starters on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball including: QB Matt Hasselbeck, T Walter Jones, MLB Lofa Tatupu, WLB LeRoy Hill, and CB Josh Wilson.

I know, I know, the game was at Qwest field, the loudest stadium in the NFL, but regardless, this game should not have been as close as it was. The Bears have suffered zero major injuries to the offensive starters (knock on wood) and they should have run an injured Seahawks defense into the ground.

But they didn’t. They squeaked out a win.

It happened last year as well, like their loss to the Bucs, and the year before that, such as the win over the Chiefs.  The Bears just sometimes decide not to get amped for a game and it bites them in the butt!

But I digress…

Let us look back on the past four meetings between the Bears and the Lions starting with the most recent:

November 2, 2008: Bears win 27-23

The Bears inched out a victory after being down 23-13 at halftime. The Lions were in the midst of an eight game losing streak and were starting Dan Orlovsky at quarterback. And I know there will be those who will talk about Kyle Orton getting hurt in that game, but the Bears were losing 23-10 when Orton left the game. Not to mention that the only reason it didn’t go into overtime was because the Lions had MISSED an extra point earlier so they had to go for the touchdown as opposed for the field goal at the end of the game. U-G-L-Y. 

October 5, 2008: Bears win 34-7

The one blowout, the Bears and Kyle Orton dominated the game jumping out to a 31-0 lead before the Lions managed to get a Kevin Smith touchdown midway through the third quarter. Props to Charles Tillman for a pick six in that game.

And the previous year…

 

October 28th, 2007: Lions win 16-7

The Bears, despite a big win against the Eagles in the previous week, played simply miserable and took a bad loss to the Lions. Now I realize that was when the Lions were 5-2…but come on! Brian Griese threw four interceptions, including three that were picked off in the red zone. And the Bears let John Kitna, Kevin Jones, and the “amazing” Lions defense beat them. Give me a break.

 

September 30, 2007: Lions win 37-27

The Bears were fresh off a NFC Championship season, but then started the year 1-2. However, faced with the Lions in week four, it should have been an easy win, right? WRONG! The Bears allowed 34 fourth quarter points and lost…I was completely speechless. I didn’t even realize that was possible. Just the memory of that game hurts.

 

So there you have it, the Bears are .500 the past two years against the Lions. THE LIONS! So for this reason, I am not promising a blowout. Shoot, I am not even promising a victory.

With the holes that the Bears cover-two scheme has, look for Matthew Stafford to hit Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson early and often. If the Lions can get some offensive momentum going in the first quarter, the Bears will more than likely be abandoning the run and playing catch up, AGAIN.

Should the Bears win this game? Yes. But is there a chance they will stoop down to level the playing field? I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.

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