The NFL is Poop - Week 9

You Can't Spell Elite Without Eli
When Eli Manning was asked during a radio interview this summer if he thought he was an elite quarterback in the class of Tom Brady, he gave the only answer he could reasonably expected to give "yes." We all know he is not in Brady's class, based on track record, but for one game (the second time?), he was better. Manning is not always perfect, throws a lot of interceptions, but he does have a knack for leading 4th quarter drives. The one in the Super Bowl cemented his place in Giants history forever. This one, cemeneted his status as an elite or near-elite quarterback.



Here's the Difference Between Good and Elite QBs
Right now I would rank Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as elite quarterbacks. Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler and Eli Manning would be in that next group. Leaving out Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning to simplify. All 6 of those guys have great arms, are really good passers and have some good results in the past. The difference is the elite guys don't make as many mistakes (interceptions). Sunday's Chargers-Packers game was a perfect example. Both quarterbacks had great days, combined for nearly 700 yards passing and 8 touchdowns. And San Diego actually had a chance to knock off an unbeaten team but Rivers threw 3 interceptions (0 for Rodgers), 2 of which were returned for touchdowns.

Pats Are Gonna Be Pissed
Either the Patriots are going to be really angry or they'll be in big trouble after this weekend's game against the Jets. Right now, the Pats have lost 2 in a row and they haven't scored more than 20 points in three straight games. That's after scoring 30 or more in their first 5 games. Even though they are number 1 in passing yards, they're last in passing defense. And they seem to have problems on both sides of the ball. This is a huge game because the Patriots already lost to the Bills, meaning they'd have to climb over two teams in the division. And with the AFC North so deep, it might be hard to get a wild card at 9-7.

Where Did That Come From?
Just a few days ago the Chiefs were streaking to the top of the AFC West and the Dolphins were winless and hoping for Andrew Luck. Then all of the sudden Matt Moore became a competent quarterback, the Dolphins D clamped down on the running game, and the Fish had a 31-3 victory.

Leader in the Clubhouse
The Dolphins' win, the one last week by the Rams, and the Colts latest loss to the Falcons, mean Indianapolis has the inside track on the first pick in the NFL Draft, which will almost surely be Andrew Luck.



This could present an interesting conundrum. As you know, the Colts already have a quarterback, but he is hurt, and even though they just signed him to a new contract (I guess that was pretty foolish) they may have to consider drafting Luck. Apparently this is not sitting well with Peyton Manning who wants to come back to his job next season. I think if the Colts do get the top pick, they should trade it for a couple draft picks to help smooth the transition when Manning really does retire. What do you think?




Brief Rant about the Redskins
John Beck stinks. He can't throw. Until a completely useless touchdown at the end of the game the Redskins had 3 points in 118 minutes with Beck at the helm. They have got to go back to Rex Grossman. But the Shanahans will be stubborn and stick with the guy they like. Beck is so bad that Roy Helu set a franchise record for catches in game. He caught 14 balls, because Beck can't throw downfield. Another ignominious team record: Graham Gano kicked a 59-yard field goal. I was rooting for him to miss because I didn't want his name in the team's history.

Picture of the Week
A cool shot right down the line of scrimmage during the Dolphins-Chiefs game.



Shifting of Power
Every week I try to pick a team from each conference to play in my hypothetical right now Super Bowl. It is getting harder and harder to find a good AFC team. The power has clearly shifted to the NFC. Green Bay, Detroit, San Francisco and the Giants all look better right now than anyone in the AFC. The Patriots lost 2 in a row, including one to the Steelers, who just lost to Baltimore, who almost lost to the Cardinals and they did lose to the Jaguars.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Green Bay Packer 45 Cincinnati Bengals 13
Cincinnati gets the nod almost by default, but they have won 5 in a row. They have a really good defense and Andy Dalton is turning out to be a pretty good quarterback for a rookie. The Packers are just awesome and they are two wins away (Vikings, ExpensiveCornPrices) from being undefeated going into the early Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions.