The big question when Tom Brady went out for the season was whether the genius of Bill Belichick could overcome the loss of his QB. Well the genius is taking a major hit because he couldn't even stop the single-wing offense. Ronnie Brown absolutely destroyed the Patriots, scoring 4 touchdowns and throwing another, mostly on the back of that stupid direct snap play. What kind of halftime adjustments did they make?
9 Inch Line
While the Jets were making their comeback attempt against the Chargers, they went for what I assume was the shortest 2-point conversion in NFL history. On the first attempt, there was pass interference, moving the ball from the 2 to the 1. Another pass interference called move the ball to the half yard line. Finally, the Chargers were offside, giving the Jets the ball on the 9-inch line. They still missed the conversion attempt.
NFC Beast
The NFC East is a combined 10-0 against the rest of the league so far this year. It would be hard to argue that the Cowboys and Giants aren't the two best teams in the league and some are putting the Eagles in third place. With the division matched up against the two weakest divisions in the NFL (NFC West, AFC North), it's possible even likely, this undefeated streak could last for a few more weeks. The biggest threat seems to be Pittsburgh who host the Giants in Week 8 and played the Redskins on the road in Week 9.
Who Needs Michael Vick?
It remains to be seen, but at this point it seems possible the best thing to happen to the Atlanta Falcons was the incarceration of Michael Vick. Short of that there was no way they were going to get rid of him, and to be quite frank, I don't think he was a winning quarterback. Now they've got Matt Ryan who has already led them to wins and although his stats aren't incredibly impressive (he's letting Michael Turner get all the glory) he did throw his second beautiful long bomb touchdown of the season, this one to Roddy White.
Game of the Week
Denver Broncos 34 New Orleans Saints 32
No team embodies the phrase "it's better to be lucky than good" more than the Denver Bronocos. A week after winning on a 2-point conversion which was preceded by a blown call that negated a turnover, the Broncos latest victory came off a missed field goal by Martin Gramatica.
While the Broncos have been putting points on the board at an alarming rate (117 through 3 games), they're also giving them up pretty easily too. Defense wins championships.
Game of Next Week
Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans
Two teams that are mirror images of one another. They both replaced their young black QB with an old white guy, and appear to be the better for it. Both teams habe strong running games and stout defensive fronts. Right now the biggest difference is in their records. With a win here the Titans can go to 4-0 and solidfy themselves as the top team in the AFC.
A Brief Rant About the Redskins
I've always said about Jason Campbell and other young quarterbacks, that the key to their success is the ability to make the big play with the game on the line. And that doesn't always mean throwing a touchdown pass. Facing a 2nd and 7 with 2 minutes remaining the Redskins needed one more first down to ice the game. Last year they were very susceptible in this situation, several times electing to run into the line three times and punt. This time they threw on second down and completed a pass to Chris Cooley which won the game.
I also liked the moxie Jim Zorn showed on the previous possession. After a sack on 3rd down moved the Redskins back to the 34 yard line with 3:29 left. I think a lot of NFL coaches would punt and save at least 20 yards of field position in this spot. But Zorn elected to kick the field goal and ty to take a 10-point lead. Unfortunately, he's saddled with a shitty kicker who missed the field goal (his 3rd miss in 7 attempts this year) but he made the right decision and his defense, and eventually Jason Campbell bailed him (and Suisham) out.
Cheerleader of the Week
Megan from the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders
If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Dallas Cowboys 28 Tennessee Titans 14
By virtue of their impressive win on the road the Cowboys regain the NFC spot in the hypothetical big game, particularly because the Giants struggled at home against a bad team. As for the sacrificial lamb on the AFC side (wow, so much has changed in a year) Tennessee has a better defense than Denver, and both the Broncos and Bills need last second field goals to go their way in order to keep their perfect records.
1 comment:
Go Big Blue!!!!
Dick Lynch - RIP!!!!
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