The NFL is Poop - Week 9

Never to Be Heard From Again
The Dallas Cowboys finally, mercifully pulled the trigger on Wade Phillips. The team was 1-7 and just got embarrassed 45-7 on Sunday Night Football, which is often the most watched program in America each week. Jerry Jones had sworn he wasn’t going to fire Phillips in the middle of the season but he had to. He never should have made such a strong pronouncement in Phillips’s favor, but either way, this had to be done. And there is no way he will never get a head coaching job. He is one of the worst coaches I have ever seen and I have no idea why he was ever hired and rehired in the first place.

There’s Still Some Magic Left
Brett Favre is clearly over the hill. But evidently that hill doesn’t go straight down. Favre recaptured some of his old magic by leading the Vikings on two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter with a couple of great passes to Visanthe Shiancoe. That those two drives came after Favre drove his team to the 2 and got intercepted, then to the 1 and threw a bad pass on 4th down for an incompletion. But the Cardinals last 4 drives including overtime netted minus-8 yards giving Favre plenty of chances to tie the game.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
I don’t do this running gimmick every week, but if I did it right now I might have the choose the Raiders and the Giants. The Giants are clearly the class of the NFC. Not only are they rushing the passers as they did in their Super Bowl season they are scoring more than 32 points per game over their 5-game winning streak. And the Raiders over the last 3 games don’t just look like a good team, they look like a Super Bowl contender. With the Jets, Patriots, Colts and Steelers all losing the in the past 2 weeks the Raiders are the only AFC team with a winning streak as long as 3 games. They are outscoring opponents 115-37 (38-12 on average). They’re now second in the league in rushing yards per game which I think could translate well later in the season.

Here They Come Again
Despite playing without Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee, Philip Rivers used Randy McMichael and Seyi Ajirotutu in a win over the Texans. Rivers has thrown for 2,944 yards in 9 games (327 yards a game), well ahead of Dan Marino’s record setting pace. That Rivers is doing it despite major injuries to his receiving corps is leading many to believe the Chargers have one more comeback in them. It seems every year they have huge preseason expectations, disappoint initially, then rebound to make the playoffs. Right now they are 4-5 with games remaining against the Raiders and Chiefs (direct division competition) and they end the season with San Francisco, Cincinnati and Denver. There other games are next week vs. Denver and the following week the Colts. Even if they fall to 4-7, they could still win their last 5 games and win the division at 9-7.

Obligatory Redskins Bye Week Post
No way we beat the Eagles twice in one season. Not with Michael Vick playing the way he is and Donovan McNabb playing the way he is. It looks like McNabb will be the starter, and hopefully he is ready to prove his doubters wrong. He said the Eagles made a mistake after he beat them the last time. With a win here the Redskins remain in playoff contention and he can prove his own coach wrong this time.