Stat of the week No. 1: Tom Brady tied Brett Favre for the most career games (8) with 350 yards passing, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Stat of the week No. 2: In the past seven seasons, a team with a losing record after 11 games had made the playoffs (2004 – STL, 2005 – WAS, 2006 – PHI, 2007 – WAS, 2008 – SD, 2009 – NYJ, 2010 – SEA). Six of the seven teams won at least one playoff game.
Stat of the week No. 3: On Monday night, Eli Manning recorded his 7th consecutive season with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
Stat of the week No. 4: Tim Tebow had 22 carries on Sunday, which is the most by an NFL quarterback since the merger.
Stat of the week No. 5: Patrick Peterson tied a single-season record with his fourth punt return touchdown on Sunday. He is the only player to have four punt returns touchdowns of 80+ yards in one season.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The annual Giants collapse and other NFL thoughts
(1) Just like the swallows that return to Capistrano every March to announce the beginning of spring, NFL football fans can set their watches for the annual swoon of the New York Giants, which is starting to take shape in the recent weeks. The Giants always seem to tantalize their fan base with a strong start only to waste the good will as they stumble and bumble to the finish. Their development into the anti-closer started way back in 2006 when they squandered a 6-2 start by losing six of their final eight games. They still managed to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record, but their stay in the post season was short thanks to a 23-20 Wildcard Round loss to the hated Philadelphia Eagles. In 2007, they once again rushed out of the gate with six wins in eight games only to play mediocre football down the stretch. Their season was saved after they went toe-to-toe with the undefeated New England Patriots in Week 17 followed by an unexpected run to the Super Bowl title. The hope in New York was that the run to the championship would set the stage for the Giants to seriously contend for the next three to four years. Instead, the last three seasons have seen New York lose three of their final four games of the 2008 season and go one and done in the playoffs, lose eight of their final 11 games of the 2009 season and miss the playoffs and lose two of their final three games of the 2010 season and miss the playoffs. Despite the horrid finishes to their last five seasons, Tom Coughlin continued to dodge the pink slip mainly due to the Super Bowl title he delivered in 2007. Unfortunately, the string of bad football in November and December is finally going to catch up to Coughlin this year. They once again started the year with a 6-2 record only to find themselves mired in a three game losing streak with the latest setback coming as part of a 42-24 shellacking administered by the New Orleans Saints. As a result, the Giants have given away a commanding lead in the NFC East to the surging Dallas Cowboys and now face the prospect of righting the ship with four games in their final five against teams with winning records, including the 11-0 Green Bay Packers this Sunday. Their only game against a losing team is a home date with the Washington Redskins, who would love nothing better than to be the team that hammers in the final nail to the Giants’ coffin. As a result, the Giants are going to miss the playoffs for the third season in a row and it will finally lead to the dismissal of Coughlin as their head coach. Despite all of the good things that he has done in New York, including the upset of the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, it is unreasonable to believe that he would be able to retain his job when his teams have a history of getting worse as the season progresses.
(2) It is impossible to say for sure, but the Houston Texans have to be one of the most snake-bitten teams in the history of the NFL. They had everything line up perfectly for them to finally win a division title, but the football gods have been doing everything in their power to stop it from happening. The first blow was the slow start to the season for Arian Foster, the NFL’s defending rushing champion, due to a balky hamstring. He has since returned to being one of the best backs in the NFL, but his slow start could have derailed the Texans permanently. It was good that they had a better than decent back-up in Ben Tate, a solid quarterback and an improving defense. Unfortunately, just as Foster was rounding into shape the Texans suffered a second blow with the loss of Mario Williams, who was poised to have a huge season as an outside linebacker/pass rusher in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive scheme. As if these injuries weren’t enough, the Texans soon would have to find ways to win games without the services of their all-world wide receiver, Andre Johnson. Johnson would hurt his hamstring and miss several weeks, but Houston kept on ticking thanks to the steady play of Matt Schaub and the potent one-combination of Foster & Tate. Unfortunately, the brutal game of football still hadn’t satisfied its appetite for Houston players and claimed Schaub with the mysterious Lis Franc injury that occurred when a massive defensive lineman fell on his foot during a pile up in the end zone. Despite the catastrophic appearance of the Schaub injury, Houston still felt pretty good about their chances because they had all the confidence in the world in Matt Leinart, who was their back-up. Leinart started his first game since his days with Arizona and didn’t even make it to halftime before fracturing his collarbone, which ended his season before it truly got started. Even though they have had worse luck than a degenerate Las Vegas gambler, the Texans would still be the top seed in the AFC if the playoffs started today. It is unfortunate that the playoffs don’t start for another five weeks because Houston has to find a way to stave off the Tennessee Titans and make the post season behind the right arm of rookie T.J. Yates. Even with all the signs pointing to a disastrous finish to an otherwise promising season, it feels like Houston is going to find a way to punch a ticket to their first playoffs in franchise history. Yates may be a slight downgrade from Leinart, but he still has the benefit of playing alongside one of the best supporting casts in the business. Also, let’s not forget that Houston has assembled the best defense in the history of the team. The Williams injury certainly had an impact, but it also opened the door for Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed to showcase what they were capable of doing. Mostly, the Texans still feel like the team to beat in the AFC South because their luck can’t be this bad for much longer. In the end, they won’t be able to hold onto the top seed in the conference, but they will do enough to host their first playoff game in franchise history.
(3) Quick Hits
• Busy day in Jacksonville…they announced the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio, a three-year contract extension for G.M. Gene Smith and the sale of the team to Pakistan-born entrepreneur Shahid Khan. The firing of Del Rio seemed inevitable ever since his curious decision to cut David Garrard the week before the Jags’ first game and cast his lost with Luke McCown and subsequently Blaine Gabbert. It is interesting that the coach gets fired, but the G.M. gets a contract extension. Khan immigrated to the United States at the age of 16 and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1971. A huge part of his Americanization was immersing himself in Illini football. Although current Jacksonville owner, Wayne Weaver, has stated that he believes Khan will keep the team in the Florida panhandle, there is no specific provision in the sale agreement that requires Khan to do it.
• Ndamukong Suh appears to have some behavioral issues that need to be addressed with the help of a professional. It is one thing to play football with a nasty streak from whistle to whistle. It is a completely different thing to intentionally inflict pain on another player outside of the rules of the game. When the only thing that Suh was hurting was his pocketbook it was okay to put up with his antics, but now that his actions have cost him two football games he needs to get the help that he needs.
• The first sacrificial lamb of the Indianapolis Colts’ inexorable march to 0-16 is defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. He may have deserved the hatchet job, but he won’t be the only person that loses his job as a result of this horrible season. It is likely that Jim Caldwell will lose his job as well and the stench of a defeated season will attach itself to all of the players in the locker room, especially Dan Orlovsky and Ernie Sims, who both endured the Detroit Lions’ 0-16 season.
• The Eagles and the Chargers are fighting tooth and nail for the title of the most disappointing team of the 2011 season. At the beginning of the year, both teams were expected to win their respective divisions and make deep runs in the playoffs. The Eagles have been buried by a combination of injuries, poor coaching and disgruntled players. The Chargers have had their fair share of injuries as well, but their struggles start and end with the poor play of Philip Rivers, who is on pace to throw for his fewest touchdowns since 2007, throw the most interceptions of his career and post his lowest QB rating since becoming a full-time starter at the beginning of the 2006 season.
• The Raiders are showing that they have what it takes to win the AFC West. Since their bye week, Oakland has won three of four games and holds a slim one-game lead over Denver. The challenge for the Raiders is two-fold: (1) they have to conquer a difficult schedule that includes back-to-back road games the next two weeks against the better-than-their-record-shows Miami Dolphins and the undefeated defending champs and (2) they have to hold off the cosmic force known as Tim Tebow.
(2) It is impossible to say for sure, but the Houston Texans have to be one of the most snake-bitten teams in the history of the NFL. They had everything line up perfectly for them to finally win a division title, but the football gods have been doing everything in their power to stop it from happening. The first blow was the slow start to the season for Arian Foster, the NFL’s defending rushing champion, due to a balky hamstring. He has since returned to being one of the best backs in the NFL, but his slow start could have derailed the Texans permanently. It was good that they had a better than decent back-up in Ben Tate, a solid quarterback and an improving defense. Unfortunately, just as Foster was rounding into shape the Texans suffered a second blow with the loss of Mario Williams, who was poised to have a huge season as an outside linebacker/pass rusher in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defensive scheme. As if these injuries weren’t enough, the Texans soon would have to find ways to win games without the services of their all-world wide receiver, Andre Johnson. Johnson would hurt his hamstring and miss several weeks, but Houston kept on ticking thanks to the steady play of Matt Schaub and the potent one-combination of Foster & Tate. Unfortunately, the brutal game of football still hadn’t satisfied its appetite for Houston players and claimed Schaub with the mysterious Lis Franc injury that occurred when a massive defensive lineman fell on his foot during a pile up in the end zone. Despite the catastrophic appearance of the Schaub injury, Houston still felt pretty good about their chances because they had all the confidence in the world in Matt Leinart, who was their back-up. Leinart started his first game since his days with Arizona and didn’t even make it to halftime before fracturing his collarbone, which ended his season before it truly got started. Even though they have had worse luck than a degenerate Las Vegas gambler, the Texans would still be the top seed in the AFC if the playoffs started today. It is unfortunate that the playoffs don’t start for another five weeks because Houston has to find a way to stave off the Tennessee Titans and make the post season behind the right arm of rookie T.J. Yates. Even with all the signs pointing to a disastrous finish to an otherwise promising season, it feels like Houston is going to find a way to punch a ticket to their first playoffs in franchise history. Yates may be a slight downgrade from Leinart, but he still has the benefit of playing alongside one of the best supporting casts in the business. Also, let’s not forget that Houston has assembled the best defense in the history of the team. The Williams injury certainly had an impact, but it also opened the door for Connor Barwin and Brooks Reed to showcase what they were capable of doing. Mostly, the Texans still feel like the team to beat in the AFC South because their luck can’t be this bad for much longer. In the end, they won’t be able to hold onto the top seed in the conference, but they will do enough to host their first playoff game in franchise history.
(3) Quick Hits
• Busy day in Jacksonville…they announced the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio, a three-year contract extension for G.M. Gene Smith and the sale of the team to Pakistan-born entrepreneur Shahid Khan. The firing of Del Rio seemed inevitable ever since his curious decision to cut David Garrard the week before the Jags’ first game and cast his lost with Luke McCown and subsequently Blaine Gabbert. It is interesting that the coach gets fired, but the G.M. gets a contract extension. Khan immigrated to the United States at the age of 16 and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1971. A huge part of his Americanization was immersing himself in Illini football. Although current Jacksonville owner, Wayne Weaver, has stated that he believes Khan will keep the team in the Florida panhandle, there is no specific provision in the sale agreement that requires Khan to do it.
• Ndamukong Suh appears to have some behavioral issues that need to be addressed with the help of a professional. It is one thing to play football with a nasty streak from whistle to whistle. It is a completely different thing to intentionally inflict pain on another player outside of the rules of the game. When the only thing that Suh was hurting was his pocketbook it was okay to put up with his antics, but now that his actions have cost him two football games he needs to get the help that he needs.
• The first sacrificial lamb of the Indianapolis Colts’ inexorable march to 0-16 is defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. He may have deserved the hatchet job, but he won’t be the only person that loses his job as a result of this horrible season. It is likely that Jim Caldwell will lose his job as well and the stench of a defeated season will attach itself to all of the players in the locker room, especially Dan Orlovsky and Ernie Sims, who both endured the Detroit Lions’ 0-16 season.
• The Eagles and the Chargers are fighting tooth and nail for the title of the most disappointing team of the 2011 season. At the beginning of the year, both teams were expected to win their respective divisions and make deep runs in the playoffs. The Eagles have been buried by a combination of injuries, poor coaching and disgruntled players. The Chargers have had their fair share of injuries as well, but their struggles start and end with the poor play of Philip Rivers, who is on pace to throw for his fewest touchdowns since 2007, throw the most interceptions of his career and post his lowest QB rating since becoming a full-time starter at the beginning of the 2006 season.
• The Raiders are showing that they have what it takes to win the AFC West. Since their bye week, Oakland has won three of four games and holds a slim one-game lead over Denver. The challenge for the Raiders is two-fold: (1) they have to conquer a difficult schedule that includes back-to-back road games the next two weeks against the better-than-their-record-shows Miami Dolphins and the undefeated defending champs and (2) they have to hold off the cosmic force known as Tim Tebow.
Week 12 Picks
Here are my picks for week 12 (home teams in CAPS):
Packers over LIONS
COWBOYS over Dolphins
RAVENS over 49ers
SEAHAWKS over Redskins
FALCONS over Vikings
BENGALS over Browns
Buccaneers over TITANS
Panthers over COLTS
RAMS over Cardinals
JETS over Bills
JAGUARS over Texans
RAIDERS over Bears
Patriots over EAGLES
Broncos over CHARGERS
Steelers over CHIEFS
SAINTS over Giants
Last Week: 9-5
Overall: 100-60
Packers over LIONS
COWBOYS over Dolphins
RAVENS over 49ers
SEAHAWKS over Redskins
FALCONS over Vikings
BENGALS over Browns
Buccaneers over TITANS
Panthers over COLTS
RAMS over Cardinals
JETS over Bills
JAGUARS over Texans
RAIDERS over Bears
Patriots over EAGLES
Broncos over CHARGERS
Steelers over CHIEFS
SAINTS over Giants
Last Week: 9-5
Overall: 100-60
Week 11 Picks
Here are my picks for week 11 (home teams in CAPS):
Jets over BRONCOS
RAMS over Seahawks
Jaguars over BROWNS
LIONS over Panthers
PACKERS over Buccaneers
DOLPHINS over Bills
Raiders over VIKINGS
Cowboys over REDSKINS
RAVENS over Bengals
49ERS over Cardinals
Titans over FALCONS
BEARS over Chargers
GIANTS over Eagles
PATRIOTS over Chiefs
Last Week: 7-9
Overall: 91-55
Jets over BRONCOS
RAMS over Seahawks
Jaguars over BROWNS
LIONS over Panthers
PACKERS over Buccaneers
DOLPHINS over Bills
Raiders over VIKINGS
Cowboys over REDSKINS
RAVENS over Bengals
49ERS over Cardinals
Titans over FALCONS
BEARS over Chargers
GIANTS over Eagles
PATRIOTS over Chiefs
Last Week: 7-9
Overall: 91-55
Monday, November 14, 2011
Week 10 Stats of the Week
Stat of the week No. 1: Michael Bush’s 242 yards from scrimmage was the fourth highest in Raiders history, but the most yards from scrimmage since the AFL-NFL merger.
Stat of the week No. 2: LeSean McCoy became the fourth player since 1960 to score a touchdown in each of his team’s first nine games joining George Rogers (1986), OJ Simpson (1975) and Lenny Moore (1964).
Stat of the week No. 3: Tim Tebow is the fifth quarterback since 1980 to throw all of his team’s passes, complete two or fewer and win (Derek Anderson – 2009, Akili Smith – 2000, Steve Grogan – 1982, Ken Stabler – 1981).
Stat of the week No. 4: The Indianapolis Colts became the eighth team in the last 25 years to start a season 0-10.
Stat of the week No. 5: Drew Brees has completed at least 20 passes in 30 consecutive games.
Stat of the week No. 2: LeSean McCoy became the fourth player since 1960 to score a touchdown in each of his team’s first nine games joining George Rogers (1986), OJ Simpson (1975) and Lenny Moore (1964).
Stat of the week No. 3: Tim Tebow is the fifth quarterback since 1980 to throw all of his team’s passes, complete two or fewer and win (Derek Anderson – 2009, Akili Smith – 2000, Steve Grogan – 1982, Ken Stabler – 1981).
Stat of the week No. 4: The Indianapolis Colts became the eighth team in the last 25 years to start a season 0-10.
Stat of the week No. 5: Drew Brees has completed at least 20 passes in 30 consecutive games.
The most mediocre division in football and other NFL thoughts
(1) In the parity-filled NFL, the title of the most mediocre division has been passed from the NFC West to the AFC West. The latter is the only division in football that doesn’t feature a team with a record better than 5-4 or worse than 4-5. Another sign of the rampant mediocrity in the AFC West is that each team has a 2-2 record against the other three teams in the division. The latest stupefying result in a season filled with stupefying results was Denver’s road victory over Kansas City despite completing only two passes the entire game. The Broncos are the hottest team in the division having won three out of their last four games behind a Tim Tebow-led option attack that has never been seen in the NFL. Next up, the Broncos draw the demoralized New York Jets, who were just destroyed by New England at home and now have to cross the country for a Thursday Night match-up with the Den-veer attack. Even without the services of Knowshon Moreno and perhaps Willis McGahee, the Broncos should be able to keep the good times rolling against the Jets, but, at some point, they are going to have to be able to win a game on the strength of Tebow’s arm. Nevertheless, the Tebow kool-aid drinkers have to be daydreaming about the Broncos sneaking away with the division title.
The team best positioned to hold off the Broncos is the current leader in the division, the Oakland Raiders. After back-to-back horrible efforts against Kansas City and Denver, the Raiders righted the ship behind a solid road victory against the Chargers. The strength of the Raiders is a brutal running game, which should only improve with the return of Darren McFadden from injury. In his absence, the Raiders’ depth has been tested, but it is clear that they are in good shape with or without McFadden thanks to the presence of Michael Bush. The other encouraging sign for Oakland was the breakout game from Carson Palmer on Thursday night. After throwing six interceptions in his first two appearances as a Raider, Palmer played a masterful game in San Diego with 299 yards passing on only 14 completions. Most importantly, the Raiders rediscovered the downfield passing game, at least for one night, which has been the trademark of their offense for the entire Al Davis era. Against the Chargers, Palmer completed five passes to his wide receivers/tight ends of 24 yards or more and had a 55-yard completion to Bush. If Palmer finds a way to play at this level consistently, then the costly trade that brought him over from Cincinnati won’t be seen as so one-sided.
The other two teams in the AFC West seem to be complete disasters right now. The Chargers continue to be plagued by an undiagnosed malady and the Chiefs just learned that they likely have lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the year. As a result, unless Philip Rivers regains his mojo or Tyler Palko plays like the second coming of Tom Brady, the division is going to come down to a fight between Denver and Oakland. The Raiders have a slightly more difficult schedule down the stretch, but they will still win the division because they are getting healthier while Denver is not and they have the better quarterback of the two teams.
(2) When the times are rough in NFL cities, fans have to hunt for small signs of progress that will give them hope for the future. In some places, like Carolina and Jacksonville, the hope is that the lumps that Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert are taking this year will pay dividends in the near future in the form of more victories. In other places, like Seattle, fans attach themselves to the exciting, young talent on their rosters and hope that a small tweak here and there will change the fortunes of the franchise. Even fans of a team like Indianapolis that seemingly has no hope can look forward to the selection of Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft. Fans all over the NFL will play these mental tricks in order to convince themselves that their team will be the next one that goes from the outhouse to the penthouse. However, there is one NFL locale where hope is so bereft that it is unclear what the fan base has to look forward to in the coming years. This locale is Washington, D.C., where the Redskins have made no more progress in year two of the Mike Shanahan regime than they made in year two of the three previous regimes. The problems in Washington start and end with their disastrous situation at the quarterback position. From the very beginning, Shanahan has bungled the management of the most important position in football starting with jettisoning Jason Campbell to Oakland continuing with the ill-fated trade for Donovan McNabb and the unconscionable decision to go to war with a pu-pu platter of quarterbacks this season. The current melodrama involving John Beck and Rex Grossman highlights two gigantic pockmarks on Shanahan’s resume: (1) he has never developed quarterback into a credible starter and (2) he has never won anything of significance without John Elway. The closest he came on the first point was turning the quarterback position over to Brian Griese following Elway’s retirement, but Griese never started a full 16-game slate in the NFL and his career can be best described as being one of a journeyman’s. On the latter point, Shanahan is barely a .500 coach in the years that Elway was not his quarterback. Also, Shanny has exactly one playoff win since Elway retired 12 years ago. Without the good fortune of having one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks fall into his lap, it is likely that Shanahan would have been exposed as a mediocre coach in the late 90’s and he would never have been in the discussion to be the Redskins’ head coach. Unfortunately, for Skins’ fans, Shanahan is their coach and he isn’t going anywhere in the short-term due to the huge financial ramifications of sending him packing. As a result, Washington fans have to hope that one of the top quarterback prospects is available when they draft and they need to trust that Shanahan will identify the right player for the job. Regardless, the Skins are likely heading for another losing season in 2012 as they groom a rookie quarterback, which means that the pessimism currently hanging over the franchise will linger like stink on a pig.
(3) Quick Hits
• It’s a two-horse race in the NFC East between the Giants and the Cowboys. Count on Dallas being 8-4, riding a five-game winning streak, when they face New York on December 11th. As the Cowboys get more familiar playing Rob Ryan’s schemes, their defense will lead the way to a division title.
• The Chicago Bears are playing better football than any team not based in Green Bay. They have the best running back in football, the best returner in football, a solid defense and an improving offensive line. They have to overcome a key offensive line injury, but they are the current leaders for one of the two wild card spots in the NFC.
• The stat-heads and the academics might disagree, but Mike Smith made a bad choice to go for it on fourth down deep in his own territory. It didn’t make sense to take the chance when failing to gain the necessary yardage was basically guaranteeing a loss. Bill Belichick was excoriated for taking a similar chance two years ago and Smith deserves the same critique.
• Game, set & match to the San Francisco 49ers.
• The Patriots are far from perfect, but they are still the class of the AFC East. As long as Tom Brady stays healthy, they will win the division and host a playoff game. The Matt Schaub injury has just opened up a huge opportunity for them to snatch one of the two AFC byes.
• The Baltimore Ravens are the most schizophrenic team in the NFL. They beat the Steelers twice, but lose to the Titans, Jaguars and Seahawks. The loss to Seattle has just handed the inside track to the division title back to the Steelers.
• The Schaub injury is going to be a huge test for the Texans. Before news of the injury hit the airwaves, some were arguing that Houston was the best team in the AFC. Now, they have to hand the keys to the offense to Matt Leinart and cross their fingers. You can hear the hooting and hollering in Tennessee from coast to coast.
The team best positioned to hold off the Broncos is the current leader in the division, the Oakland Raiders. After back-to-back horrible efforts against Kansas City and Denver, the Raiders righted the ship behind a solid road victory against the Chargers. The strength of the Raiders is a brutal running game, which should only improve with the return of Darren McFadden from injury. In his absence, the Raiders’ depth has been tested, but it is clear that they are in good shape with or without McFadden thanks to the presence of Michael Bush. The other encouraging sign for Oakland was the breakout game from Carson Palmer on Thursday night. After throwing six interceptions in his first two appearances as a Raider, Palmer played a masterful game in San Diego with 299 yards passing on only 14 completions. Most importantly, the Raiders rediscovered the downfield passing game, at least for one night, which has been the trademark of their offense for the entire Al Davis era. Against the Chargers, Palmer completed five passes to his wide receivers/tight ends of 24 yards or more and had a 55-yard completion to Bush. If Palmer finds a way to play at this level consistently, then the costly trade that brought him over from Cincinnati won’t be seen as so one-sided.
The other two teams in the AFC West seem to be complete disasters right now. The Chargers continue to be plagued by an undiagnosed malady and the Chiefs just learned that they likely have lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the year. As a result, unless Philip Rivers regains his mojo or Tyler Palko plays like the second coming of Tom Brady, the division is going to come down to a fight between Denver and Oakland. The Raiders have a slightly more difficult schedule down the stretch, but they will still win the division because they are getting healthier while Denver is not and they have the better quarterback of the two teams.
(2) When the times are rough in NFL cities, fans have to hunt for small signs of progress that will give them hope for the future. In some places, like Carolina and Jacksonville, the hope is that the lumps that Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert are taking this year will pay dividends in the near future in the form of more victories. In other places, like Seattle, fans attach themselves to the exciting, young talent on their rosters and hope that a small tweak here and there will change the fortunes of the franchise. Even fans of a team like Indianapolis that seemingly has no hope can look forward to the selection of Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft. Fans all over the NFL will play these mental tricks in order to convince themselves that their team will be the next one that goes from the outhouse to the penthouse. However, there is one NFL locale where hope is so bereft that it is unclear what the fan base has to look forward to in the coming years. This locale is Washington, D.C., where the Redskins have made no more progress in year two of the Mike Shanahan regime than they made in year two of the three previous regimes. The problems in Washington start and end with their disastrous situation at the quarterback position. From the very beginning, Shanahan has bungled the management of the most important position in football starting with jettisoning Jason Campbell to Oakland continuing with the ill-fated trade for Donovan McNabb and the unconscionable decision to go to war with a pu-pu platter of quarterbacks this season. The current melodrama involving John Beck and Rex Grossman highlights two gigantic pockmarks on Shanahan’s resume: (1) he has never developed quarterback into a credible starter and (2) he has never won anything of significance without John Elway. The closest he came on the first point was turning the quarterback position over to Brian Griese following Elway’s retirement, but Griese never started a full 16-game slate in the NFL and his career can be best described as being one of a journeyman’s. On the latter point, Shanahan is barely a .500 coach in the years that Elway was not his quarterback. Also, Shanny has exactly one playoff win since Elway retired 12 years ago. Without the good fortune of having one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks fall into his lap, it is likely that Shanahan would have been exposed as a mediocre coach in the late 90’s and he would never have been in the discussion to be the Redskins’ head coach. Unfortunately, for Skins’ fans, Shanahan is their coach and he isn’t going anywhere in the short-term due to the huge financial ramifications of sending him packing. As a result, Washington fans have to hope that one of the top quarterback prospects is available when they draft and they need to trust that Shanahan will identify the right player for the job. Regardless, the Skins are likely heading for another losing season in 2012 as they groom a rookie quarterback, which means that the pessimism currently hanging over the franchise will linger like stink on a pig.
(3) Quick Hits
• It’s a two-horse race in the NFC East between the Giants and the Cowboys. Count on Dallas being 8-4, riding a five-game winning streak, when they face New York on December 11th. As the Cowboys get more familiar playing Rob Ryan’s schemes, their defense will lead the way to a division title.
• The Chicago Bears are playing better football than any team not based in Green Bay. They have the best running back in football, the best returner in football, a solid defense and an improving offensive line. They have to overcome a key offensive line injury, but they are the current leaders for one of the two wild card spots in the NFC.
• The stat-heads and the academics might disagree, but Mike Smith made a bad choice to go for it on fourth down deep in his own territory. It didn’t make sense to take the chance when failing to gain the necessary yardage was basically guaranteeing a loss. Bill Belichick was excoriated for taking a similar chance two years ago and Smith deserves the same critique.
• Game, set & match to the San Francisco 49ers.
• The Patriots are far from perfect, but they are still the class of the AFC East. As long as Tom Brady stays healthy, they will win the division and host a playoff game. The Matt Schaub injury has just opened up a huge opportunity for them to snatch one of the two AFC byes.
• The Baltimore Ravens are the most schizophrenic team in the NFL. They beat the Steelers twice, but lose to the Titans, Jaguars and Seahawks. The loss to Seattle has just handed the inside track to the division title back to the Steelers.
• The Schaub injury is going to be a huge test for the Texans. Before news of the injury hit the airwaves, some were arguing that Houston was the best team in the AFC. Now, they have to hand the keys to the offense to Matt Leinart and cross their fingers. You can hear the hooting and hollering in Tennessee from coast to coast.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Week 10 Picks
Here are my picks for week 10 (home teams in CAPS):
CHARGERS over Raiders
FALCONS over Saints
BENGALS over Steelers
Rams over BROWNS
COWBOYS over Bills
Jaguars over COLTS
Broncos over CHIEFS
DOLPHINS over Redskins
EAGLES over Cardinals
Texans over BUCCANEERS
PANTHERS over Titans
Lions over BEARS
Giants over 49ERS
JETS over Patriots
PACKERS over Vikings
Ravens over SEAHAWKS
Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 84-46
CHARGERS over Raiders
FALCONS over Saints
BENGALS over Steelers
Rams over BROWNS
COWBOYS over Bills
Jaguars over COLTS
Broncos over CHIEFS
DOLPHINS over Redskins
EAGLES over Cardinals
Texans over BUCCANEERS
PANTHERS over Titans
Lions over BEARS
Giants over 49ERS
JETS over Patriots
PACKERS over Vikings
Ravens over SEAHAWKS
Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 84-46
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