What have we learned - Week 15
Well, it's that time of year when, frankly, football games get boring. What, say you? But it's playoff time! Well, no, it isn't. So many teams are eliminated, so their games are boring (although I did still watch the Eagles game), and other teams have wrapped up their playoff position, so they have nothing to play for. Sure, there are some good match-ups, but not as many as there are earlier in the year, when teams like, say, the Cardinals still have hope. We had some good games this weekend, however, but I missed a lot of them. As I mentioned, it's a hectic time of year!
The Eagles and Rams were, not too long ago, playoff teams. Now they are just ugly teams. The two teams combined for 28 penalties, and none of the three quarterbacks (the Rams used two) threw for 100 yards. In today's NFL, that's pretty difficult to do, especially because neither defense was that dominant. Philly did just enough to win, and they have some hope next year, but they better spend the money they have wisely.
What can you say about the Cardinals? It was a road game, but it was the Texans. The freakin' Texans. Here's what Arizona should do: keep Kurt Warner for another year, draft Jay Cutler, and sit him for a year until he learns how to run the offense. Who's Jay Cutler, say you? He's the Vanderbilt quarterback, and he's damned good. Matt Leinart won't be on the board anymore (they should take him if he's there), but Cutler is really good. As long as they don't get him killed in his rookie year, he'll be fine. And the Cardinals will be in a new stadium next year, so the fans will come for that season for the novelty of that, but after that, they better win. So. When do I get hired as a consultant?
I didn't watch Saturday's games. Everyone better watch out for the Patriots, though. 63-7 in the last two games, and they're getting healthy. Two years ago they beat the Colts in Indy, too, so look out for them. As for the Giants ... I'm still not sold on them. Manning is at least a year away, if not two. He throws some horrible interceptions, and that will kill him in the playoffs. The Broncos look pretty good, too. They might be able to beat Indy, too.
The big game of the weekend was, of course, San Diego at Indianapolis. I wished I had picked games this weekend, because I may have come off looking like a genius. I'm not saying I would have picked the Chargers, but I wasn't surprised by the outcome. What have I been saying for weeks? Put some freakin' pressure on Peyton Manning! I know it's easier said than done, but it wasn't that hard. No quarterback is good when you get pressure on him, and Manning certainly can't move like McNabb or Vick. Yes, the Chargers shut down Edgerrin James, but the key was getting pressure on Manning. The Colts should still be the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but a lot of teams suddenly got a lot more comfortable about their chances - Denver, Cincinnati, New England, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Carolina are all going to be looking closely at the film of this game.
I didn't see any of the Steelers-Vikings game. I refuse to comment. Neither team is all that good.
The Saints played to almost no crowds in Baton Rouge. Is this indicative of a general malaise about one of professional sports' worst teams, or is it that Louisianians still have better things to do with their time in the aftermath of the hurricanes? I vote for a little bit from both, but I still don't think anyone should get too carried away with the talk of moving the Saints. It's better to have no sports team than to have one that is consistently awful. Trust me. And for those who think Nancy-Boy Favre's and Peyton Manning's consecutive starts streaks are overrated, Aaron Brooks was benched yesterday, ending his string of 82 straight starts, the third-longest active streak. How Aaron Brooks starts 82 consecutive games in this world is beyond me.
Will the Dolphins be any good next year, or is this just a meaningless blip at the end of a bad season? Do the Jets have any hope that they will improve, or is this the way it's going to be in New Jersey? The answers are: yes, and no.
I'm sorry, I know they're a sexy pick, but if the Jaguars can't beat the 49ers on their home field by any more than 1 point, they're one-and-done in the playoffs. Thanks for showing up, Jacksonville. Will Alex Smith be any better with Reggie Bush in the backfield?
I know it was only Detroit, but the Bengals are looking like a team that has it all together at the right time. They'll play - let's say the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs, and although that's not a gimme, I think they overwhelm Pittsburgh with talent again, and then they play at Denver in the second round. That will be a fun game. This team is fun to watch - kind of like the Rams were a few years ago. And how can you not love Chad Johnson - he actually gave the Cleveland cornerback who covered him a check on his wall chart. He gave him four checks, actually. At least he knows when he didn't have a good game.
Browns 9, Raiders 7. This game should have been televised in black-and-white, because I think it was played in 1940. When are the Raiders going to get rid of Sebastian Janikowski, and why doesn't his name ever come up in biggest first round busts of all time?
Dallas-Washington was one of those games that I hate, because I hate both teams. That being said, I hate the Cowboys more, so it was sweet to watch them get dismantled like that. I have told everyone about Chris Cooley before, but apparently Dallas didn't watch the game film of the Eagles game, or they would have covered him. Let's see if the Eagles have watched game film of their previous game with Washington and cover him in a couple of weeks. I doubt it.
Michael Vick is getting worse. That's weird, isn't it? I mean, he looks good at times, and he's certainly talented, but as Eric Allen put it this morning, the more film you get on a guy, the better you can defend him. Vick is still very good at being Vick, but he hasn't progressed in any other aspect of his game. That's why I bash Vick - not because he's a running quarterback, but because no strictly running QB has ever won in the NFL - he needs to add the passing part of the game, and he's getting worse at that. Interesting to see what happens with the Falcons next year, because I don't think they're making the playoffs this year.
Next week I will venture into the wilds of Tempe, AZ, to watch my beloved Eagles play the Cardinals. Before yesterday, I was worried, but it appears the Arizona has packed it in for the year and the Eagles are trying to finish 8-8, which would be a major accomplishment considering the shit they've been through this year. Live football is fun - it's not something I want to do every week, but it's been four years since I went to a game, so this should be a neat experience. And the temperature might be in the 60s - that's football weather!
The Eagles and Rams were, not too long ago, playoff teams. Now they are just ugly teams. The two teams combined for 28 penalties, and none of the three quarterbacks (the Rams used two) threw for 100 yards. In today's NFL, that's pretty difficult to do, especially because neither defense was that dominant. Philly did just enough to win, and they have some hope next year, but they better spend the money they have wisely.
What can you say about the Cardinals? It was a road game, but it was the Texans. The freakin' Texans. Here's what Arizona should do: keep Kurt Warner for another year, draft Jay Cutler, and sit him for a year until he learns how to run the offense. Who's Jay Cutler, say you? He's the Vanderbilt quarterback, and he's damned good. Matt Leinart won't be on the board anymore (they should take him if he's there), but Cutler is really good. As long as they don't get him killed in his rookie year, he'll be fine. And the Cardinals will be in a new stadium next year, so the fans will come for that season for the novelty of that, but after that, they better win. So. When do I get hired as a consultant?
I didn't watch Saturday's games. Everyone better watch out for the Patriots, though. 63-7 in the last two games, and they're getting healthy. Two years ago they beat the Colts in Indy, too, so look out for them. As for the Giants ... I'm still not sold on them. Manning is at least a year away, if not two. He throws some horrible interceptions, and that will kill him in the playoffs. The Broncos look pretty good, too. They might be able to beat Indy, too.
The big game of the weekend was, of course, San Diego at Indianapolis. I wished I had picked games this weekend, because I may have come off looking like a genius. I'm not saying I would have picked the Chargers, but I wasn't surprised by the outcome. What have I been saying for weeks? Put some freakin' pressure on Peyton Manning! I know it's easier said than done, but it wasn't that hard. No quarterback is good when you get pressure on him, and Manning certainly can't move like McNabb or Vick. Yes, the Chargers shut down Edgerrin James, but the key was getting pressure on Manning. The Colts should still be the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but a lot of teams suddenly got a lot more comfortable about their chances - Denver, Cincinnati, New England, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Carolina are all going to be looking closely at the film of this game.
I didn't see any of the Steelers-Vikings game. I refuse to comment. Neither team is all that good.
The Saints played to almost no crowds in Baton Rouge. Is this indicative of a general malaise about one of professional sports' worst teams, or is it that Louisianians still have better things to do with their time in the aftermath of the hurricanes? I vote for a little bit from both, but I still don't think anyone should get too carried away with the talk of moving the Saints. It's better to have no sports team than to have one that is consistently awful. Trust me. And for those who think Nancy-Boy Favre's and Peyton Manning's consecutive starts streaks are overrated, Aaron Brooks was benched yesterday, ending his string of 82 straight starts, the third-longest active streak. How Aaron Brooks starts 82 consecutive games in this world is beyond me.
Will the Dolphins be any good next year, or is this just a meaningless blip at the end of a bad season? Do the Jets have any hope that they will improve, or is this the way it's going to be in New Jersey? The answers are: yes, and no.
I'm sorry, I know they're a sexy pick, but if the Jaguars can't beat the 49ers on their home field by any more than 1 point, they're one-and-done in the playoffs. Thanks for showing up, Jacksonville. Will Alex Smith be any better with Reggie Bush in the backfield?
I know it was only Detroit, but the Bengals are looking like a team that has it all together at the right time. They'll play - let's say the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs, and although that's not a gimme, I think they overwhelm Pittsburgh with talent again, and then they play at Denver in the second round. That will be a fun game. This team is fun to watch - kind of like the Rams were a few years ago. And how can you not love Chad Johnson - he actually gave the Cleveland cornerback who covered him a check on his wall chart. He gave him four checks, actually. At least he knows when he didn't have a good game.
Browns 9, Raiders 7. This game should have been televised in black-and-white, because I think it was played in 1940. When are the Raiders going to get rid of Sebastian Janikowski, and why doesn't his name ever come up in biggest first round busts of all time?
Dallas-Washington was one of those games that I hate, because I hate both teams. That being said, I hate the Cowboys more, so it was sweet to watch them get dismantled like that. I have told everyone about Chris Cooley before, but apparently Dallas didn't watch the game film of the Eagles game, or they would have covered him. Let's see if the Eagles have watched game film of their previous game with Washington and cover him in a couple of weeks. I doubt it.
Michael Vick is getting worse. That's weird, isn't it? I mean, he looks good at times, and he's certainly talented, but as Eric Allen put it this morning, the more film you get on a guy, the better you can defend him. Vick is still very good at being Vick, but he hasn't progressed in any other aspect of his game. That's why I bash Vick - not because he's a running quarterback, but because no strictly running QB has ever won in the NFL - he needs to add the passing part of the game, and he's getting worse at that. Interesting to see what happens with the Falcons next year, because I don't think they're making the playoffs this year.
Next week I will venture into the wilds of Tempe, AZ, to watch my beloved Eagles play the Cardinals. Before yesterday, I was worried, but it appears the Arizona has packed it in for the year and the Eagles are trying to finish 8-8, which would be a major accomplishment considering the shit they've been through this year. Live football is fun - it's not something I want to do every week, but it's been four years since I went to a game, so this should be a neat experience. And the temperature might be in the 60s - that's football weather!
posted by Greg | 10:28 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for the Bengal love. It was a fun, mostly stress-free game from my standpoint.
And are you sure Chad Johnson gave the Browns credit? Before the list came down, he said no one covered him even though he had some quiet games. I think that's why a lot of fans didn't get upset when Marvin pulled the plug on the sign cause Chad wasn't exactly accurate with it.
Woody - they showed him on ESPN talking about it. Maybe he put it back up secretly, but whoever that guy for the Browns was, he gave him four checks, and he explained that it was because they threw to him four times and he didn't catch them. It was pretty funny.
And I liked his "non-celebration" on Sunday, too. Good stuff.
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