New England Patriots Hit Bye Bye Bye Week with Tough Stretch Looming Ahead

It’s bye week 2009 for the New England Patriots, and this season is gearing up to be one of of the most epic seasons to be a fan of the New England Patriots.

This is a season that saw the return of Tom Brady, an emotional milestone that one probably would not even begin to comprehend unless you are a true diehard fan of my beloved Pats.

It is a season that saw the end of Scott Pioli holding back Bill Belichick in his true genius. Not only is this team performing in such a high capacity, they drafted 12 rookies, most of whom are getting decent play time.

Myron Pryor is one who sticks out in my mind as a serious find. The kid just has a motor that doesn’t quit and has been providing quality push when rushing the passer.

Darius Butler is another rookie who is shaping up to follow the footsteps of some of the better cornerbacks to play, ever.

Other rookies this year that I feel will end up being marquee names for years to come, are Brian Hoyer, Julian Edelman, Brandon Tate, Pat Chung, and Sebastian Vollmer. There are also some key free agent finds like safety Brandon McGowan and corner Leigh Bodden, not to mention the continued growth of previous draft choices and defensive leaders Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather.

It is a season that saw the trade of a figurehead of the team, Richard Seymour, to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first-round draft pick. This pick is shaping up to be a very high pick as well, one that will certainly bring a future keystone to this Patriots franchise.

It is also a season that saw the retiring of Tedy Bruschi, which, while depressing, was necessary. His presence on ESPN is comforting, though, as well as his also being a voice of reason in that twisted anti-Boston medium.

The bye week comes almost midseason. At 5-2 the Patriots sit atop the AFC East and will stay that way no matter the outcome of this week’s divisional matchup between the Jets and Dolphins.

The two losses the Patriots suffered were games they should have won, and as devastating as they may have felt at the time, it is promising to see the team close to the top after struggling to perform at their finest.

This season has seen an awe-inspiring comeback to open the season, lowest of lows in the doubters of Brady against the Jets, highs of beating up on weak teams like strong teams do, and a painful last minute loss—a last minute loss against a team that we may face, in the same place, in the AFC Championship game for a chance at revenge.

The Pats will take this week to heal up, having had a few painful injuries, as well as some small “bumps and bruises” every game.

Matt Light was injured, and rookie Sebastian “Seabass” Vollmer has played very well in replacement. Seabass did get mildly hurt himself, however, and may have compensated for this by committing a few holding penalties against the Bucs.

Downhill runner Sammy Morris and solid veteran pickup running back Fred Taylor were also hurt, leaving most of the running duties to Laurence Maroney. Despite all the criticism of Maroney, he has played well enough, just continuing to show flashes of the running back we hoped he would be.

One thing looking forward is the Patriots cannot look back. They need to forget about their two losses and only build upon their recent successes. The biggest point is that the next five games are going to define their 2009 season.

Week Nine they face the Miami Dolphins at home, then they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts in a Sunday night game, then it’s back home against the Jets, then off to New Orleans to square off with the high-flying Saints on Monday night, and then back south again against the Dolphins in Miami after a short week.

The Patriots are going to wave bye to the bye week and plunge head first into the meat of their schedule, and only be better for it.

We’ll see where they stand after the second game versus Miami, but they currently rest in a position to take charge of their destiny and mark the year of the return of Tom Brady as one of the most memorable, meaningful, inspiring, hopeful seasons ever.

Let’s hear it for FOUR in FOURTY-FOUR!

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Browns Owner Randy Lerner Is Looking To Hire an Executive Position

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner is a very secretive and “hands-off” type of owner and businessman.

For years now Lerner had brought in many different names to try and fix the Browns organization including: Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel, Phil Savage, and now Eric Mangini.

After the first seven weeks of the 2009 season the Browns appear awful and look like they have gone back in time to 1999.  Lerner is finally beginning to speak out more about his franchise, and his voice is owed to a single Browns fan named Mike Randall.

Randall, also known as Dawg Pound Mike, has made it publicly known that he wants as many fans to stay away from their seats during opening kickoff on November 16, when the Browns phost the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.

Lerner has already responded to Randall’s protest by saying, ”On the grounds of frustration and irritation with performance, then that’s the medicine I [we] are going to take, and I accept that. The goal this year was to rebuild the culture at the Browns. We felt at the end of last year that we lacked any overall philosophy, approach or direction regarding recruiting, drafting, coaching, preparation or training. As a result, each season was feeling like starting over and 4-12 following 10-6 felt painfully not all that surprising.”

”It’s been way too long since the Browns have had anything to feel good about or invest in, and it’s clear that the doubt and negativity are taking on a life of their own.”

”What I can say is that we, and I, have remained open to new and fresh ideas and thinking and people with passion for the Browns and football experience getting involved and with hope and luck and support, making a difference. We won’t become entrenched or stubborn and despite my allergy to be more conspicuous, I do remain eager to seek help and guidance from any and all corners.”

You can take from this what you want. It does seem however that Lerner genuinely cares about the Browns and he wants to make it right. Though if he’s going to have success turning this organization into the kind of quality franchise Cleveland fans so desperately need, he’s going to need some help.

The first step in the right direction for Lerner was bringing back Bernie Kosar as a consultant.

The details of Kosar’s job description have not been released yet, but it is assumed that he is on staff to help the Browns at quarterback, a position where they have yet to fnd any semblence of continuity

Lerner has now taken the next step to help his team, and after a question was sent to him from OBR.com asking Lerner if he ever considered hiring a President of Football Operations or an Executive of Football Operations to oversee both Mangini and General Manager George Kokinis, Lerner responded: “There is no question that the Browns need a credible, vocal leader that is accountable for all levels of performance. Regardless of the title, that person, whether they’re in the building currently or not, is a priority.”

A very encouraging response from Lerner, who is obviously currently looking for a person to fill this new position.

A new hire may not actually happen until the offseason, but head coach Eric Mangini has not officially responded to this new information that he may have a new boss.

Hopefully, Lerner is doing his research to hire the right person as his new President/Executive of Football Operations and who knows, he may even be looking at a Marty Schottenheimer, Bill Cowher, Mike Shannah-type to fill this new role.

Browns fans just hope that Lerner chooses wisely.

 

(Article also posted on Dawg Scooper )

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Oakland Raiders Week Eight: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Well, our schizophrenic Raiders showed their “OH” faces again last weekend, getting bent over and taken to task by the New York Jets.

We travel to rival San Diego this weekend looking to end a 12-game losing skid against the hated dolts, er, Bolts.

This team needs to find an identity and fast. They need to decide whether they are the team that shows up and physically beats opponents up, or the team that becomes a willing participant in their own destruction.

The pressure is on as always for this team and we have what seems to be a recurring themes here.

 

Pressures

JaMarcus Russell

Russell has played poorly enough at times this season to warrant a benching, but it never came and looks like it never would.

Until last weekend.

Having turned the ball over twice, leading to two Jet touchdown drives for a combined eight yards, Russell was leading the team on a solid drive and looking as if he may get them back in the game.

Then, he threw another pick; this time in the end zone. Granted, Darrelle Revis is a stellar cornerback who made a spectacular play and Todd Watkins didn’t fight for the ball whatsoever, but Russell simply threw the ball up for and hoped.

After that, he was benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Others will argue with me, but I didn’t see that Gradkowski played any better. Did he give the offense some life? Yes, but so did Josh McCown when he replaced Daunte Culpepper.

New life will bring immediate excitement; but Gradkowski turned the ball over as well, and easily could’ve thrown three to four interceptions if Jets defenders didn’t suddenly become Darrius Heyward-Bey (cheap shot, I know).

Russell could’ve responded to the situation in a mature manner, stating that he knows he needs to get better and that the benching would serve as motivation.

Instead, he deflected blame and threw his teammates under the bus with more poise and precision than any pass he’s thrown all season.

When told, Cable pulled him because he was out of sorts. He responded “No, I wasn’t.”

When asked about the turnovers, he invoked poor pass protection, poor route running, poor hands, and everything but his own poor decisions and passes.

This did not endear him to fans, teammates, or the coaching staff no matter what they say in the media.

He has since come out and taken responsibility for his actions, but that smacks of someone forcing him to come clean rather than him doing it on his own.

Sorry if that sounds cynical, but faith in Russell has yet to reward any one of us.

Hopefully the benching motivated him to work harder, get more serious, and understand he still has a long, long, long way to go before resembling an NFL quarterback on a consistent basis. Most professionals would take benching as a kick in the pants and we all have to hoped that’s what’s happened to big No. 2.

The pressure is on Russell to not only perform on the field, but to begin to act like he’s being paid as the face of a franchise that takes the blame for losses and the credit for wins. If not, he may find himself very soon as the next big bust and I’m not talking in Canton.

 

Raiders Run D

After getting lit up by a Jets team that unequivocally stated, “we’re going to run it down your throat,” these guys have to be a little bit embarrassed.

It’s one thing to get fooled and have some yardage put on you, it’s quite another to know exactly what the other team is going to do and be powerless to stop it.

There are major factors to consider here, not the least of which is that the Raider defense was actually playing very well until Russell turned it over for a third time. It seemed, at that point, that the entire defense gave up, realizing that no matter how well they played the offense was just going to give the ball right back.

It’s been a theme this season, the defense plays well to start the game, only to pack it in once the offense has stagnated for long stretches of time. The defense should never pack it in, but they do. It bothers me to no end, because they are one of the fastest and most physical defenses in the league when on their game.

But when they fall behind quickly, or they are on the field twice as much as their opponents, and are continually seeing the offense hand the ball back to the other team on a short field, discipline goes out the window and teams run wild on them.

The pressure is on this weekend to keep their gap responsibilities and run fits, tackle soundly, and hold the Chargers running game in check. We all know that Rivers and the SD passing game are sound and will put up yardage; if the running game is clicking as well we have no chance in this game.

 

Hurries

• Still no definitive word on Chaz Schilens or Robert Gallery this weekend, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’ve struggled on offense and these guys are both out. If they both return our offense should move much better.
• With the speed and talent in our secondary, having only four interceptions at this point in the season is awful. Michael Huff alone has three of the four. I get that teams don’t throw at Nnamdi much, but doesn’t it concern anyone else that he’s only picked off one pass in the last three seasons?
• This team needs to generate more turnovers in general.
• JaMarcus Russell has taken a lot of heat this week both for his on-field play and his off-field behavior and demeanor. I put my faith in him one last time and state that he will have a bounce-back game this weekend and renew somewhat our faith in him.
• The Raiders really, really want to beat the Chargers, possibly more than anything else. The guys in that locker room that have been here since 2003, since we’ve lost 12 in a row, are vibrating to kill these guys. I hope that carries over to Sunday.

 

Knockdowns

No More Distractions Means Better Preparation

After the Randy Hanson debacle was mostly settled last week, at least from a criminal charges perspective, everyone thought that Cable would be able to finally concentrate fully on his football team.

Despite his claims that it was never a distraction, it’s tough to believe that a pending felony charge was easy to blow off. So Cable got somewhat of a pass for a few questionable coaching decisions earlier in the season.

However, with no outside distractions to preoccupy him, Cable prepared a game plan that somehow handed the Raiders their worst home defeat in franchise history.

Oh, it’s not all on Cable, that’s for damned sure. He may call the plays, but he doesn’t execute (or not) them on the field. That’s up to his team.

He has admitted that sticking with a four vertical receiver fly pattern on the first play from scrimmage when the Raiders were backed up to their own 10 was a poor coaching decision. He’s taken all the blame for the Raiders’ lack of preparation and passion, and has expressed as much confusion and concern as we have regarding their mental state.

But, it’s his job to have this team fired up every week and it’s getting really frustrating to see them up one week and invisible the next.

With no outside distractions and no jail time looming, Cable has no reasonable excuse for not having this team fully prepared to play every single week.

He had ample time to scheme for a Jets team he knew would run, run, run, and we gave up over 300 yards.

Once again, I know the coaches don’t run the plays, the routes, drop passes, etc. But, they are responsible for sound fundamentals and being ready to play and those are two areas we are sorely lacking in on too frequent a basis.

 

The Raiders Special Teams are Great

The once prayer-inducing Seabass has been on point all season, making all of his field goals and extra points. Shane Lechler continues to be the best punter in the NFL, if not in league history. But, that’s where the good news ends.

After taking back three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns last season, the Raiders return game has stagnated. Dynamic punt returner Jonnie Lee Higgins was almost decapitated in game one against the San Diego Chargers after going over the middle for a pass and hasn’t been the same since.

The Raiders cut return man Justin Miller, he of the two kickoff TD’s last season, to make room for exciting rookie Nick Miller. But, Nick Miller has had a foot injury and hasn’t seen the field all season.

After pulling off some fakes, scoring touchdowns, and generally being one of the best special teams in the NFL last season, the Raiders are among the league’s worst in return yardage, return yardage allowed, and special team penalties.

Last week, the Jets, after being stuffed by the Raiders defense early in the game, decided to try a little fake punt. Not only did it work, it was downright comical (sad) to watch every single Raider player turn their back to the play and run down field to get into blocking position.

What they didn’t know was that punter Steve Weatherford had taken off on a dead run and the Raiders coverage team was so clueless that at one point Weatherford was basically running behind Isaiah Ekejiuba, almost as if the Raider special team stalwart was blocking for him.

It was the low point in what has been an extremely, extremely disappointing season on special teams. This unit needs to get it going because if it weren’t for Lechler, our average starting position would be about the 10 yard line while our opponents would be about their 40.

Unfortunately, it’s not too far off from that right now.

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NFL Survivor Picks Week Eight: Chargers, Bears, and Cardinals

We got back on track in Week Seven with three picks and three easy wins. The Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts combined to win 108-16 last week over the Cleveland Browns,Tampa Bay Bucs, and St. Louis Rams.

Other sharp picks noted in my survivor pool included the San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles, although really, the Eagles didn’t look exceptionally well beyond two huge plays by wideout DeSean Jackson. That was more than enough, because the Washington Redskins, as expected, continued to look down right awful on offense.

All in all, that was one of the easier weeks you could ask for in terms of survivor pool picking, which reinforces the prevailing trend of the 2009 NFL season; there are a lot of bad teams. Terrible teams, in fact. What happened to good old NFL parity?

Well, this week could bring it back to the forefront. From the group of teams we typically like to “pick on” for survivor pools, the Bucs, Kansas City Chiefs, and Redskins are all on a bye and the Rams and Detroit Lions play each other. The Browns are facing a team that just got completely walloped last week. The Raiders are playing the Chargers, so we’ll kick off Week Eight with that one.

San Diego Chargers over Oakland Raiders (notes, stats )

I admit I actually thought the Chargers-Chiefs game last week was going to be somewhat close. The Chargers have not overly impressed me this season with the combination of terrible run defense since losing NT Jamal Williams for the season and uncharacteristic poor running game of their own.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs had started to show some life, hanging with Dallas to the end and winning at Washington in recent weeks. This was a division game and one that, statistically, the Chiefs were not that far off the mark from the Chargers heading into it.

The end result: Chargers win 37-7.

Also going back to last week, the Raiders were a somewhat tempting pick to upset the Jets. They had just beat the Eagles at home, holding them to a measly nine points. Was it a sign the defense turned a corner? The Jets were coming off a bad loss to the Bills in which they could do nothing right. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was a turnover machine, the team committed over a dozen penalties, and they lost DT Kris Jenkins for the season. 

The end result? Jets win 38-0. Or shall I say for the purpose of this write-up, Raiders lose 0-38.

Let’s not get too caught up in the lopsidedness of those respective scores, but in the grand scheme of things, we just know the Raiders are a bad team. We may not be able to entirely explain how they managed to beat the Eagles, but we do know they beat them badly.

As for the Chargers, they have some very good players, but I’m not ready to call them a very good team yet. Maybe just plain good and perhaps more aptly described as better than average. It is not like they aren’t capable of throwing up some stinkers now and again, but when your run defense and running game are problem spots, it will happen.

Looking at their season, however, the Chargers have really only lost to good teams – the Baltimore Ravens in Week Two, the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Four, and the Denver Broncos in Week Six. I think it is the every other week nature of their season that really gives the impression that the Chargers haven’t gotten on track.

This is a rematch with the Raiders and the Chargers only narrowly escaped in Week One, 24-20, thanks to an efficient running game by the Raiders. Since that time, QB JaMarcus Russell appears to be regressing, getting benched last week after a 6-for-11, 61-yard, two interceptions, and a fumble performance.

The Raiders running game is now headed up by RB Justin Fargas with Darren McFadden still out and Michael Bush not living up to high (maybe that was just me) expectations. Fargas is a decent spot player, but the trickle down effect of having poor QB play and poor receiving options is limiting the running game for the Raiders.

Twenty is the most points the Raiders have scored all season, so to expect them to duplicate it or top it is a stretch.

Even when the running game does not do well, like most of the season, this Chargers offense is still finding the end zone. QB Philip Rivers has racked up over 250 yards every game and completed 60 percent of his passes each of the last two weeks, with no interceptions in four games.

Rivers has a good receiving core in Malcom Floyd, Antonio Gates, and in particular Vincent Jackson, who is working his way from being very good to entering the great category, with three 100-plus-yard receiving games and a TD in four games. Even though the Raiders have a solid secondary, with a little pressure on Rivers and a multitude of options, the Chargers offense will keep on churning.

This might even be a bit of a renaissance game for RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who has looked better the past two weeks, although he still hasn’t broken a long one yet. The Jets put up 265 yards rushing last week between Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene.

The Chargers have never scored less than 20 and I don’t expect that to change this week; they should be on tap for 28 or more.

Pick the Chargers for the win here, which will then represent their 13th straight win over the Raiders, dating back to December 2003.

Chicago Bears over Cleveland Browns (notes, stats )

The Browns got manhandled last week, but who can really blame them with over a third of their players out, due mostly to the flu. No flu this week, but does it change anything?

The Bears were on the wrong end of a vendetta by ex-Bear and now Bengal, Cedric Benson, who crashed into and ran over his former teammates to the tune of 189 yards. The five TD passes by Carson Palmer didn’t help, either, as the Bears lost 45-10. Jay Cutler tossed three INTs and Matt Forte continued to struggle.

How much confidence can we really have in backing the Bears this week? Well, it is the Browns. Assuming the Bears still have visions of competing for a playoff spot and at 3-3, it is hard to imagine they don’t. This is a game the Bears need to win.

Quarterback Derek Anderson continues to start for the Browns even though he is less than deserving. There is some speculation that the Browns are keeping Brady Quinn on the bench to prevent paying him his big bonus. Head coach Eric Mangini disputes that, of course, but the theory appears reasonable. Anderson’s completed less than 50 percent of his passes in each of his last three starts, and has thrown for a grand total of 244 yards in those games. A small consolation is that he has kept his INT numbers down to only one per game.

The Browns best opportunity to control this game lands on the shoulders of RB Jamal Lewis, but he does appear to be slowing down with only 15 or fewer carries in four of five games played this year and a 3.4 yards per carry average. Lewis won’t be able to accomplish what a younger and highly-motivated Benson did to the Bears last week.

The Browns have scored 20 points twice this season and under 10 four times. The Bears defense is average, but enough to hold the Browns under 20.

Taking a look at the Bears offense, Cutler is in a word, erratic. He had a nice stretch of games from Weeks Two to Four, throwing seven TDs versus only one INT. In the other three games, including the last two, four TDs against nine INTs. Ouch.

Interestingly enough, the three games with the big INT numbers were all on the road. Or was it because they were playing against better teams, perhaps? It doesn’t matter, because the Browns are a bad road team and they will be traveling to Chicago for this one.

Forte has a nice opportunity to boost his numbers this week, which are way off from his rookie season. I’m not that confident he will, but the Packers’ Ryan Grant had his best outing of the season last week against the Browns.

Even with the up and down Bears, over 20 points should be possible. You can tell I’m not as confident in the Bears as the Chargers, which is why I dropped the Bears down to the second-ranked pick spot.

As with most Browns games, as long as returner Josh Cribbs is kept under control, then the Browns are going to have an extremely hard time winning a game; back the Bears for the win.

Arizona Cardinals over Carolina Panthers (notes, stats )

This third choice was a tough one this week. I considered the Colts over the San Fransico 49ers, The New Orleans Saints over the Atlanta Falcons, and even the Dallas Cowboys over the Seattle Seahawks, but finally settled on this game.

I’m not that keen on backing the Cardinals after coming off a big victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football , because they still could be suffering a bit of a hangover from that game, but it is true what the commentators said; that coach Ken Whisenhunt has changed the culture in Arizona. Formerly a team without much confidence to go on the road and get a big win, they did just that at Giants Stadium and were impressive in doing so.

The Panthers lost to the Bills. Another improbable win for the Bills in which their opponent did a lot more wrong than the Bills did right. Just when it looked like the Panthers might be starting to get their act together, with back-to-back wins over the Bucs and Redskins, they fell back down last week.

One safety and one TD in the fourth quarter accounted for all of their scoring. QB Jake Delhomme threw three INTs, but hey, at least he finally got WR Steve Smith involved with six catches for 99 yards. Panther head coach John Fox has already stated Delhomme will continue to be the starter, which at this point is a bit of an indictment on backup Matt Moore. How bad is Moore that they won’t even trot him out there for a try?

At any rate, the Panthers’ ability to score goes through their running game, which hasn’t been all that this season except for a couple of flashes. One of the Cardinals’ strengths now is their run defense. They did pretty well against the Giants, although one could argue the Giants got away from the run earlier than they should have.

With the exception of Brandon Jacobs last week, the Cards have held every rusher they’ve faced to less than 70 yards. That doesn’t bode well for RB DeAngelo Williams. And of course, if the running game doesn’t click and the Panthers are forced to rely on Delhomme, then the Cards opportunistic secondary could be in for a good day. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is practicing this week, but still a bit questionable with an ankle injury.

As for the Cardinals offense, we know what it is capable of doing in the passing game. I was really impressed with rookie Chris Wells last week. He looked big and powerful knocking back Giant defenders on his way to 67 yards on 14 carries and a TD.

Wells will continue to back up Tim Hightower due to ball security issues. Heck, both are prone to fumbling, but if Wells can get that taken care of, he’ll be an excellent player in this league. That won’t happen this week, but Wells has earned more carries. The Panthers have a below average run defense, so I would expect another solid day from Wells (assuming no fumbles).

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin is a question mark, as he was clearly hobbling in the Giants game. Even if he doesn’t go, Steve Breaston filled in admirably, as he did last week, and of course Larry Fitzgerald remains QB Kurt Warner’s top target. Fitzgerald didn’t even have a good game last week, including a couple of slips and falls, and a drop on a long pass out of the wildcat formation from Antrel Rolle. You won’t see a drop like that from him very often.

Like I said, I am a little sketchy on backing the Cardinals in this game, but they are at home, have been playing well, and statistically outmatch the Panthers on offense and defense.

The last time these teams faced off against each other was last year’s divisional playoff, in which Delhomme threw five INTs. Even if Wells/Hightower put the ball on the turf a couple times (hope not), Delhomme is a good bet to outdo them on the turnover front.

I’ll take the Cardinals for the win.

Mike MacGregor created the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy fantasy football and fantasy baseball draft tools, plus he developed various features and sports pools found at FFToday.com and MyOfficePool.ca. Mike owns and operates MyOfficePool.ca .

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Aerial Showdown: Matt Schaub Vs. Buffalo Bills Pass Defense

Sorry I can’t do the generic Game Preview.

There’s too many out there. How many can one possibly read leading up to a game?

My advice…read my Featured Columnist colleague Dan Van Wie’s previews, they’re good. He does a much better job hyping a game that I ever could.

I’m more of a numbers/match-up guy.

Anyhow, this week’s most intriguing story comes from the rocket arm of Matt Schaub and the turnover-creating Bills defense.

Let’s break down these two critical aspects of Sunday’s game.

Matt Schaub is currently:

First in passing yards (2,074)

First in touchdown passes (16)

Third in total completions (163)

 

He’s got weapons too.

Andre Johnson is about as scary as they come in terms of wide receivers, and Owen Daniels, yes, Owen Daniels should be a household name if he’s not already. He deserves the notoriety.

Andre Johnson is:

First in receiving yards (634)

First in targets (70)

T-3rd with nine receptions over 20 yards.

The guy looks like a linebacker but runs like an Olympic track star.

 

Don’t sleep on Owen Daniels either.

Through six games Daniels is:

Sixth in first down receptions (27)

Second among TE’s with 39 receptions

First in TE receiving yards 497.

He can certainly play the tight end position.

 

The Buffalo Bills counter with a defense that prides itself on giving an anemic offense great opportunities to score points—by creating those ever-important things called turnovers. They’re giving opposing quarterbacks fits this year.

The Bills defense is:

T-1st with 13 interceptions

Third in yards per attempt allowed 5.8

Second in opposing quarterback rating allowed at 58.

 

I touched on these very stats in my article comparing the run defense and the pass defense , but they continued their outstanding play, therefore I feel the need to reiterate how shockingly good the pass defense has been.

Sure they’ve faced some shaky quarterbacks in the past three weeks (Derek Anderson, Mark Sanchez, and Jake Delhomme) but the Bills didn’t allow these struggling quarterbacks to have a rebound game against their unit.

They did hold Drew Brees and Tom Brady to somewhat pedestrian numbers remember.

What’s going to give?

It’s very tough to predict this one—even the “experts” would have a hard time, though I think the majority is leaning toward Houston’s pass offense getting the best of the Bills.

Andre Johnson has been hurt, but don’t expect him to slow down his locomotive-like engine, and I don’t envision Perry Fewell changing much with his super-successful game plan.

The determining factor, to me, is the pass rush. Schaub has been sacked 12 times this season, which carries a mediocre standing in the NFL.

The Bills D-line is revitalized. They’ve already accumulated 16 quarterback take downs.

The point is, Matt Schaub isn’t known for his mobility. If he gets into a groove, stays relaxed in the pocket, things may turn in Houston’s favor. But if an early pressure leads to a bad interception, the Bills will have extreme momentum. There’s nothing better for a crowd to feed off than tremendous defensive play. 

Schaub can be rattled, but also can look as comfortable as Brady back there.

Whichever team sets the tone early, has the advantage.

 

What do I think will happen?

I think Schaub will have a good day, but nothing spectacular. At home, the crowd really gets behind the defense that, for the most part, has played out of their minds as of late—especially at the Ralph.

This makes me believe Schaub could be forced into a bad throw in the early going, as the Texans haven’t been able to rely on Steve Slaton producing great yardage on first down.

On obvious passing downs, the Texans won’t have as big of an edge on the Bills secondary as it may seem on paper.

I don’t dare to make a game prediction, but I envision a near draw between these two heavy-weights, with the unit that makes one or two more plays deciding the winner.

That close.

 

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Detroit Lions-St. Louis Rams Matchup More About Losing Than One Win

Well, this is awkward.

Barely a month after the Detroit Lions exorcised a 19-game losing streak, they now have the opportunity to give the St. Louis Rams their 18th.

What’s more, that 18th straight loss would also send the Rams to 0-8 on the season, halfway to the mark the Lions put up in the Season Which Shall Not Be Named.

Now, by no means am I saying the Rams are going to go winless this season (they do play Tennessee in December), but the Lions can exorcise a little more of their recent history by keeping the Rams on that path.

Sure, what’s done is done, and last season can never be erased.

But it can be printed over.

If the Rams exceed the Lions’ losing streak and run it to 20, then at the very least, the Lions are not the most recent big-time losers.

And the Rams’ next three games are against Detroit, New Orleans, and Arizona.

Which of those games do you think they have circled on their calendar?

Ultimately, this is a battle of futility. A win means very little to either team in the long run. It just means they’re not losing.

But that’s something. For these two teams, it’s actually very significant.

It’s not often that a team holding a record of futility plays against a team pushing for it. It isn’t as if the Lions played the 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs last year.

In effect, this game is like a round of hot potato. Neither team wants to own that losing streak, so for 60 minutes they’re going to toss it back and forth.

At the final gun, either one team will retain its streak, or one will continue its streak.

Neither team wants it.

But this game will come down to one simple question.

Who wants it less?

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Week 8: Seattle Seahawks Vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys will try to continue their winning streak in Dallas as the Seattle Seahawks come to town.

The Seahawks (2-4) sit in third place in the NFC West and bring a banged up team into Dallas.

The Seahawks will be without linebacker Lofa Tatupu (pectoral) and offensive lineman Walter Jones (Knee) as they have been put on injured reserve by the team. QB Matt Hasselbeck also hasn’t practiced this week because of a rib injury but Coach Jim Mora said that Hasselbeck will play on Sunday.

Hasselbeck is having a good season when he’s been able to stay on the field. He’s 65-113 for 729 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. The Seahawks are 18th in passing with receiver Nate Burleson leading the way in receptions (38) yards (398) and TD’s (3). #2 receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh is having a good first year with the Seahawks with 31 receptions for 359 yards and two TD’s.

Former Cowboy Julius Jones will look to get some revenge on the team that wouldn’t resign him two years ago. However the Seahawks are 28th in rushing yards per game so it will be an uphill battle for Jones with the Cowboys’ stout run defense and the Seahawks missing two starters on their offensive line.

This season Jones has 74 carries for 290 yards and one TD. Last year Jones was non-existent against the ‘Boys carrying the ball 11 times for just 37 yards. Edgerrin James and Justin Forsett complete the Seahawks running game but they have just 211 yards on 58 carries and no TD’s. The Seahawks as a team have just two rushing TD’s and one is by backup QB Seneca Wallace.

The Seahawks defense is the strength of their team. They shut out their opponents in both of their wins. (granted they were against the Rams and Jaguars, but I have to give them something) Rookie Aaron Curry leads the team in tackles with 37 and is second on the team in sacks with two. Patrick Kearney leads the team in sacks with four, but is questionable for Sunday’s game. The Seahawks are tied for 8th in the NFL with 16.

The Seahawks blitz a lot and don’t give up many yards. They’re in the top 16 in both rushing (99.3) and passing yards (220.3) against per game. Safety Ken Lucas leads a Seahawks secondary that includes 10-year veteran Deon Grant. The Seahawks are a good coverage team but don’t create many turnovers, they have just three interceptions and five fumble recoveries on the year.

The Cowboys are still riding high from their first signature win of the season against the Falcons last week. However they need to stay focused because this has trap game written all over it. 

Tony Romo had his second 300-yard passing game in a row last week. On the season Romo is 117-194 for 1652 with nine TD’s and four interceptions. Romo will need to use his elusiveness to keep the Seattle front seven off him and to get the ball out to his receivers as the Seahawks are good at getting to the QB.

Miles Austin will once again be targeted a lot by Romo. In just two weeks Austin has become the Cowboys leading receiver in yards (502), yards per catch (23.9) and TD’s (5) The Cowboys #1 receiver Roy Williams needs to step up, this could be a big game for him and Patrick Crayton is back in his element as the third receiver.

Tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett were a big part of the passing game last week combining for eight catches and 85 yards.

The Cowboys running game wasn’t at its best last week but still productive. Felix Jones proved that he’s 100% as he carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and will resume his kickoff return duties this week as well. Marion Barber got the bulk of the work carrying the ball 14 times for 47 yards and showed his toughness playing with a broken thumb.

The Seahawks have a good run defense but the Cowboys rarely get away from their running game, instead letting it take it’s time to develop so expect the Cowboys to feed Jones and Barber a lot.

The Cowboys defense will be very aggressive with two of the Seahawks starting linemen out. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware will be lined up against Damion Macintosh, a ten year veteran who was signed two weeks ago by the Seahawks. That should be an advantage for the Cowboys and knowing Wade Phillips, the Cowboys front seven will be very aggressive in this game. 

The Cowboys secondary was dominant last week against the Falcons and will try for a second week in a row. Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick all made plays in last week’s game.

Jenkins and Scandrick had one interception each and Jenkins had a huge hit on Falcons receiver Marty Booker in the fourth quarter, on the very next play Newman blew up receiver Roddy White after he caught a pass and forced him to fumble. They also held tight end Tony Gonzalez to 37 yards on four catches.

This week they have their work cut out for them with Houshmandzadeh being a deep threat and Burleson known as a great route runner, however if the Cowboys can get pressure they should be able to intercept a ball or two like they did last week.

The Cowboys should win this game as they’ve been able to beat second tier teams. Romo may get hit once or twice but he’ll have another good game and If the Cowboys can cut down on their penalties they should have control of this game by the third quarter. It won’t be a blowout but the Cowboys will keep the lead large enough to put it away early in the fourth. 35-20.

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2009 NFL Review: Week 7

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Can God Save the Kansas City Chiefs?

Well, they turned over every rock. They followed every lead. They have searched far and wide. They used to have a PRIEST on their team and most recently added a POPE (Leonard). How about some Divine Intervention. Please….

One might say that If the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team”, maybe the Kansas City Chiefs are “God’s Team”

If so, God certainly has a wicked sense of humor.

The Kansas City Chiefs have reached rock bottom. In fact, they are about to make history. This will be the third straight year the Chiefs will win only four or less games in a season. In their 43-year history this has never been done before, and the worst part about it is that three-year stretch may grow longer still.

Who’s to blame?

Fingers can be pointed everywhere and I confess I’ve done a lot of the pointing myself, but in end, it doesn’t really matter. This team is self destructing before our eyes and no matter how much you wish things would change, it seems the results are always the same. Everyone has the “answer” but not the right one.

Now, one can always argue that their are other pathetic teams out there and that argument is true but somehow that doesn’t make fans feel any better. And outside of Detroit, all the fans of those other teams have seen their teams in a Super Bowl over the last 40 years, but not us

What hurts is being a fan. Believe me, even fans think they have all the answers but really don’t. However, sometimes even the fans can come up with more astute observations and it baffles me how a fan can seem to sense the element of “Risk” while those professional experts who get paid for their opinions can be so blind.

There are many reasons a team loses games but certainly a “lack of talent” is the biggest issue. Yes, you can get all the “High Character” guys you want who put the team first and give 100 percent on the field but at the end of the day, it is those teams with the most talent that have the advantage, and this team is certainly is not in that group.

When Scott Pioli took over he issued the statement “we are not looking to acquire talent, only build a team.” Well Scott, you better think that through a little more. All any Chief fan has to look at is the talent on other teams and compare it to theirs and its pretty obvious that talent means a lot.

This year everyone knew the Chiefs were still a ways away from contending but were they really? I mean after all didn’t they lose both their games with San Diego by only one point? Wasn’t this second year of the youth rebuilding efforts result in much better play by those rookies who “improved” because of being thrown to the wolves last season? That at least was the rationale.

This year? New management. High Hopes. “A new Sheriff in town,” and no not Eddie Murphy, although even he could at least given us some much needed comic relief. Rules became more harsh. Players showed up in shape. They showed their adaptability by even accepting the challenges that go with a change of positions.

Veterans such as Mike Vrabel and Bobby Engram were brought in to lead the way and provide new leadership. But there were problems, and those problems continue today. I don’t need to tell you what you already know.

So what now? A great draft in 2010. Some new “big name” free agents to go with them? Well, we can always dream, but sometimes you have distinguish fantasy from reality

In reality, this team has more holes than Swiss Cheese. Well we know Larry Johnson will be gone but it wouldn’t shock me if they keep him this season and stick him on the bench just to make an example out of him.  Humiliate him. That would be too easy though. I’d cut him.

Along with losing LJ, Brian Watters will retire. Dwayne Bowe will most likely be gone (after being threatened by Haley just before the trading deadline that he might be dumped). Other current starters and backups will leave by retiring or become Free Agents. And then we have to ask the ultimate question: What Free Agents would WANT to come here. Don’t think management is concerned about that already.

When people ask me who I think the Chiefs first round draft pick will be next year I have to laugh, because when you think about it, does it matter? Tell me positions this team WON”T need help at. For me, how about quarterback, kicker, and punter? Every other position is starving for upgrades.

Well, let’s hope for a miracle. If this really is “Gods Team,” their fate are in his hands. They sure as hell aren’t in ours

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Suicide Hotlines Flooded With Calls Concerning Brett Favre

Jon Merz volunteers at a suicide hotline in Los Angeles every other weekend.  He’ll be on duty this Sunday, the same day Brett Favre makes his highly-publicized return to Lambeau Field as a Viking.

Jon is expecting it to be a busy weekend.

“I was here on Tuesday.  We were already getting calls from people in preparation for this weekend, saying that they didn’t know if they could handle all the coverage that Brett Favre would be getting this week.  Especially on Sunday.”

What Jon is referring to is the endless amount of hours and countless segments that are likely to be spent talking about Favre returning to Green Bay to play the Packers at Lambeau for the first time. 

For most of the last 15 years, anything Favre has done has usually been talked about on sports radio and television, making sure to cover every detail. 

From his on-again, off-again retirements to his trade to the Jets to his “heroic” Monday Night performances, the name Brett Favre has been uttered on ESPN an estimated 4.6 million times. 

One such caller into the suicide hotline was 31-year-old Marcus Clinton. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Marcus.  “I love sports.  I love the NFL.  But if I hear someone talk about Brett Favre one more goddamn time I’m going to blow my brains out.  I know that’s a figure of speech, but I really mean it.  Who really cares if (Favre) is playing on another team?  Joe Montana played on the Chiefs.  Emmitt Smith played on the Cardinals.  He’s just one guy, get over it.”

As I sat in the room last night with the volunteers at the call center, I heard call after call of similar complaints.  After two hours of sitting there, nearly 30 people had called in worried about whether or not they would make it to Monday. 

“I don’t even know if Monday is going to be safe,” said Merz.  “Monday Night Football is on ESPN.  What do you think they’re going to talk about, or who do you think they may talk to during halftime?”

As public concern for the situation grows across the country, sports media outlets have yet to show any signs of backing off the Favre coverage. 

“Brett Favre is America.  He’s everything.  He’s God.  And I’m going to talk about him to death.  Also, I can tell you what day Brett Favre will retire.  Dec. 21, 2012,” said ESPN analyst Chris Berman.

At approximately 9:15 PM last night, a call came into the center from a hysterical woman who went by the name “Nancy.” 

She simply said, “THEY KEEP HYPING UP THIS INTERVIEW BETWEEN BRADSHAW AND FAVRE!!  OH MY GOD!!  OH MY –.” 

There was a loud bang and then simply silence.

Thanks, Brett.

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