Week 9 Around the NFL

Do the owners' really know what they're doing?

This isn't what you think: I'm talking about picking quarterbacks. I'll leave the other stuff to someone else to determine.

You know by now the Cowboys' Jerry Jones (also the team's GM!) and the Redskins' Daniel Snyder are aggressive meddlers, and if you're a fan of either of those teams, you can thank the honchos for Tony Romo and Jason Campbell.

Now comes rumblings that the Glazers want to see first-round pick Josh Freeman start ... and so he will on Sunday vs. the Packers. Nothing against Freeman, who from all appearances is a physical marvel. But he's the team's third starter at the most important position in eight games. If the plan was to go with him, then why give Josh Johnson four games as starter? Or why sign Byron Leftwich and then banish him to the bench after three games? What's going on here?

Next up is Titans owner Bud Adams, who a few weeks back mentioned he'd like to see Vince Young start for the then 0-6 Titans after their bye week. Young's problems and personality quirks have been well-documented, but lo and behold Young played last week and the Titans got their first win of the season. Adams, the man who moved his franchise from Houston to Nashville (only to see the NFL place an expansion team in Houston, which now has a beautiful new stadium that Adams apparently couldn't get), must know something about QBs.

In the weeds
Take this to the bank. There will be some team in the middle of the pack right now that makes a move to not only earn a playoff spot and win at least one playoff game. A couple of AFC teams in that category can take big first steps in that direction in Week 9.

Some candidates:
Miami, which plays the Patriots. The Dolphins are 3-4, but have won three of their past four. All three wins came in the AFC East, including two vs. the New York Jets (4-4). A win at New England would position the Dolphins well to make a run at the AFC East. ...

Baltimore, which travels to Cincinnati. The Ravens (4-3) lost to the Bengals in the last minute of their Week 5 game at Baltimore. The next week, the Ravens missed a last-second field goal at the Metrodome that could have send Minnesota to its first loss. If Baltimore wins this game it will tie the Bengals for the AFC North lead. If Pittsburgh wins at Denver on Monday, there would be a three-way tie for first, and the Ravens and Steelers would have two meetings to come.

San Diego, which travels to New York to play the reeling Giants. The Bolts (4-3) are having a lot of problems on defense, due in large part to the season-ending injury to NT Jamal Williams and substandard play from their heralded group of linebackers. However, they're just two games behind the suddenly vulnerable Broncos, who could be 6-2 by the time Week 10 rolls around. Yes, Denver won at San Diego, but don't count the Chargers out just yet.

Top 5:

• 1. New Orleans (7-0) - Trap game vs. somewhat resurgent Panthers on Sunday.
• 2. Minnesota (7-1) - Late bye week and a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way sets up the Vikings for a deep playoff run.
• 3. Indianapolis (7-0) - Injuries on defense are bound to catch up with them sooner than later, quite possibly vs. Houston this week.
• 4. Philadelphia (5-2) - Interesting game vs. Dallas this week. Eagles can establish themselves as the NFC East front-runner with consecutive victories over Giants and Cowboys.
  
• 5. New England (6-2) - Patriots show signs of dominance at times, and the late bye also helps them. Must beat Miami at home this weekend.

Also considered: Houston (5-3), Pittsburgh (5-2), Cincinnati (5-2), Dallas (5-2), Denver (6-1)

Bottom 5 (tough to limit it to five this season):

• 28. St. Louis (1-7) - The Rams get two weeks to enjoy their victory.
• 29. Oakland (2-6) - The Raiders appear to quit at times, yet they're capable of beating the Eagles? This team should have its own category.
• 30. Detroit (1-6) - You lose to the Rams at home, and you get a permanent 2009 spot in this category.
• 31. Cleveland (1-7) - Derek Anderson is playing as badly as any QB I've ever seen. Oh, and they don't have a GM for some reason now.
• 32. Tampa Bay (0-7) - As if things weren't bad enough, they're hauling out the Creamsicle uniforms this weekend.

Also considered: Kansas City (1-6), Washington (2-5), Seattle (2-5), Tennessee (1-6).

Week 5 NFL Review

Several observations from Sunday's NFL games ...

Don't look now, but the Bungles, I mean Bengals, are 4-1. Their lone loss was to the unbeaten Broncos on a play we might not see replicated for another 10 years.

They added a win over the Ravens on Sunday to one over the Steelers and one over the Packers. Cincinnati also has defeated the Browns, meaning that five weeks into the season the Bengals not only have a one-game lead in the NFC North, but they have defeated every team in their division already.

In addition to another round vs. the Ravens (home) and Steelers (road), the Bengals have dates remaining against the Vikings, Bears, Jets and Chargers. However, they also play the Browns again, and have dates against the Raiders, Chiefs, Lions and Texans. So not only is 9-7 likely, with another couple of wins vs. better teams on their remaining schedule, the Bengals realistically could finish 11-5.

GAME OF THE WEEK?
I was ready to tear FOX a new one when I discovered their No. 1 announcing team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman was calling the Chiefs-Cowboys game (or Dallas Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys in the retro uniforms). The game turned out to be one of the few watchable ones on a Sunday full of annihilations. But initially I wanted to jump all over the network for putting the St. Louis-based Buck and the Dallas-based Aikman on that game rather than the promising 49ers-Falcons game. (What, do these guys have travel clauses in their contracts?). Who knew the Texans, er Chiefs, would take the Cowboys to overtime?

OH YEAH
I can't remember a season when there have been five undefeated teams this far into the season, and as the Patriots found out on Sunday, the Broncos are for real. The Giants, Vikings and Colts defeated three of the NFL's worst teams (a large group this year, more on this in a bit), and the Saints had the weekend. It is highly unlikely I will be writing about five undefeated teams next Sunday because the Giants travel to New Orleans. The Giants haven't been tested for a few weeks, so I'm curious to see how they fare against the Saints.

OH NO
Conversely, I can't remember a season when there were so many awful teams. I told a family member Friday that I believe a handful of the worst of the worst - the Rams, Raiders, Chiefs, Browns, Bills and Bucs - will only win when they play each other. The Raiders' only win was vs. the Chiefs, and the Browns won their first game Sunday, 6-3, vs. the Bills. The Titans, now 0-5, are close to joining that club no matter how good I think they could have been. And even though the Panthers got in the win column Sunday, they were not impressive vs. the Redskins. Washington, by the way, has only played winless teams this season. Sure the Redskins are 2-3, but they look impotent on offense. So that is nine teams (and I suspect there are a few others out there who have fooled us with a few wins) that basically can forget about it this season. And we're in Week 5.

YUCK!
I thought the Seattle Seahawks' "unwanted popsicles" uniforms in Week 3 were the most hideous I'd ever seen ... until Sunday. The Denver Broncos' brown and yellow uniforms, complete with vertically striped socks, rate even higher on the awful meter. Popsicles I can stomach, striped turds I can't.

NFC WORST?
All four NFC West teams had home games Sunday, and results were mixed. ... The Rams (again) looked awful and are 0-5 after getting hammered by the Vikings. But the other doings in the NFC West on Sunday made it a race after all. ... First, the front-running 49ers (3-2) got their hats handed to them by the Falcons, 45-10, at home. My guess - Mike Singletary doesn't give the Niners a day off from practice during their upcoming bye week. ... Next, the Arizona Cardinals held on to beat the Houston Texans (the current Texans, that is) with a goal-line stand. This of course was after the Birds blew a 21-point halftime lead. ... Then Seattle welcomed Matt Hasselbeck back by pounding visiting Jacksonville. (Jovy, this was for you. Quit hassling me about the Hawks for a few weeks would ya)

NFL Week 5 Preview

Ever wonder if maybe an assistant had more to do with a team's success than a head coach did?

I've pondered this in light of some fall-offs by a couple of teams recently.

Exhibit A: The Titans
While many plan Tennessee's defensive plunge (and it's a big one) on the loss of DT Albert Haynesworth, remember that Haynesworth had an uneven career with the Titans (injuries, suspensions, lackadaisical play mixed with sheer dominance). More of a constant was coordinator Jim Schwartz, who led the Lions to their first victory in two seasons an clearly has instilled a new attitude in the Motor City.

Exhibit B: The Cardinals
Arizona lost Todd Haley when the Chiefs hired the offensive coordinator to be their new head coach, and the Cards fired defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who then re-joined Haley in KC. The result - the Cards come out of the bye week 1-2 and appear to have some serious problems on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs are in total rebuild mode so it's tough four games in to evaluate the success/failure of the former Birds assistants.

Exhibit C: The Jaguars
In 2007, Jacksonville nearly defeated then-unbeaten New England in the playoffs, and my guess is their physical style gave the Giants plenty to prepare for in the subsequent Super Bowl. Assistant Mike Smith becomes the Falcons coach, and thanks to his addition and that of QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner, the Dirty Birds turn it around. The Jags, meanwhile, sank to last in the AFC South with a 5-11 record.

GAMES OF THE WEEK
We have a couple of what I like to call "sort out" games on tap Sunday. First, Atlanta (2-1) travels to San Francisco (3-1), second, New England (3-1) visits Denver (4-0) and finally Cincinnati (3-1) travels to Baltimore (3-1).

The Falcons appear to be a much better indoors team than outdoors team, and in their loss to the Patriots in Week 3 New England played them physically. That is the formula I expect San Francisco to once again embrace. A loss would drop the Falcons two games behind the Saints in the NFC South, an intraconference loss could haunt the Birds in tiebreaker scenarios. The 49ers can solidify their hold on what again appears to be a very weak NFC West.

Are the Broncos for real? We'll know for sure this week. After a diet of Cincinnati (which appears decent at 3-1), Cleveland (0-4), Oakland (1-3) and Dallas (shaky 2-2), the Patriots come to town fresh off two consecutive triumphs over previously undefeated teams (Atlanta and Baltimore). Denver's defense has been thoroughly impressive, and I think they could give the Patriots a lot of problems. New England also won't have injured RB Fred Taylor, who has appeared to be their steadiest option in the ground game. But can the Broncos score any points against New England?

I'm not surprised Baltimore and Cincinnati are 3-1. Joe Flacco's progression in his second season has been impressive (kudos to coach John Harbaugh and coordinator Cam Cameron) for the Ravens, and the return of Carson Palmer at QB has helped balance the Bengals' offense a bit more. We know Baltimore has a terrific defense, but Cincinnati has quietly built a sturdy one as well. When was the last time this game was for the NFC North lead?

Many of the other games this week appear to be mismatches, but I'm sure there will be at least one surprise. I could see Dallas stumbling at Kansas City or the unbeaten Colts losing at Tennessee. Should the Titans lose, their season would effectively be over at 0-5. A lot depends on the health of the Titans secondary.

TOP FIVE
1. New Orleans (4-0) - Life's a Brees when you have a bye
2. Indianapolis (4-0) - I don't doubt Peyton Manning no matter how many injuries the Colts have
3. N.Y. Giants (4-0) - Battling through a ton of injuries, but the one to Eli could be costly
4. Minnesota (4-0) - As much as I hate to admit it, if this team fixes a few things look out
5. Denver (4-0) - That's D as in Denver
(I know the four unbeaten teams, it's lame). Others receiving votes: New England (3-1), Chicago (3-1), Baltimore (3-1), Philadelphia (2-1), Atlanta (2-1)

BOTTOM FIVE
32. Cleveland (0-4) - It doesn't matter who the QB is, who will he throw to?
31. St. Louis (0-4) - Just bad in all three phases of the game, and undisciplined on top of it.
30. Kansas City (0-4) - They could regret giving Cassel that longterm contract so quickly
29. Tampa Bay (0-4) - Showed a pulse vs. the Redskins
28. Oakland (1-3) - Commitment to ineptitude continues
Others receiving votes: Carolina (0-3), Tennessee (0-4), Seattle (1-3), Washington (2-2)

Week 4 Review

Say this for the New England Patriots, they are tough to beat at home.

For the second consecutive week the Pats knocked off an undefeated team in Foxboro, Mass. Last week it was the Atlanta Falcons, this week the Baltimore Ravens. New England also regained a share of first place in the AFC East when the New York Jets fell at New Orleans.

However, the Pats were "this close" to possibly losing thanks to a costly fourth-down drop inside the 10 by Ravens receiver Mark Clayton. And despite the two home victories, New England could not run the ball against Baltimore and QB Tom Brady was good, but not great, although he did spread the ball around to nine different receivers.

Losses by the Jets and Ravens left just five teams undefeated (Indianapolis, Denver, New York Giants, New Orleans and Minnesota - which plays Green Bay in the Brett Favre Bowl on Monday night).

Oh Yeahs
Of those unbeaten teams, is there one that stands out to you? How about surprises you?

There are several who surprise me, starting with Denver. I was ready to use the weak opponent argument against the Broncos, but they've handed the surprising Bengals their only loss and Dallas is not a pushover. But the surprise of surprises? 26, as in just 26 points allowed ... for the season.

For all of the controversy the Broncos endured over rookie Coach Josh McDaniels' courtship of Matt Cassel, the Jay Cutler trade and the Brandon Marshall preseason suspension, it's the defense that has carried the day. With the San Diego Chargers banged up at 2-2 and sinking like a rock in the AFC West, the Broncos probably could go .500 the rest of the way and win the division. ...

I'm not surprised the Vikings are unbeaten (easy schedule), nor the Giants (just plain good), nor am I the Colts are (I will not doubt Payton Manning). The Saints are a mild surprise to me because they've knocked off tough Philadelphia (road) and Jets (home) squads. But the Broncos - that's one that I (and many others didn't see coming).

Oh no's
There also are six winless teams and seven more that are 1-2 or 1-3. That's 13 teams who have a very tough road to making the playoffs. Is parity dead?

The winless include: St. Louis, Cleveland, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Tennessee. None of the first four surprise me, but I expected more from Carolina, which appears out of sync on offense and susceptible to the run on defense. And I fully expected Tennessee to contend for the AFC South title. Already trailing the Colts by four games, the Titans can forget that and focus on a wild-card berth, or maybe just winning a game! Most shocking about Tennessee's fall? The defense, which has given up the fifth-most points.

Week 3 review, part 1

Some random thoughts about Week 3 through Sunday night's game.

Was Super Bowl 43 a fluke? Of course that's an exaggeration, but both the Steelers and the Cardinals are 1-2 and looking nothing like postseason powerhouses.

Two weeks in a row the Steelers have had the tables turned on them after their dramatic Week 1 OT win. First the Bears marched down the field to beat the Steelers, then the Bengals did on Sunday.

Some commentators have pointed out that the Steelers' slide coincides with safety Troy Polamalu's injury, but Polamalu was hurt midway through the Week 1 game vs. the Titans and Pittsburgh managed to win that one.

Arizona has lost twice at home, including Sunday night's beatdown at the hands of the Colts, and nothing appears to be working for the Cardinals right now. Most alarming for Cards fans has to be Kurt Warner's statue-esque pocket poses. The veteran QB, who was unconscious in Week 2, absorbed numerous hits and sacks vs. the Colts' fleet front line. And against a banged-up Colts secondary This is a very bad sign for the birds heading into their bye week.

Road warriors: How good are the Colts? They come back to beat the Dolphins on Monday night in Miami - a game that saw the Dolphins win the time of possession battle by a 3-to-1 margin - then return to the road three time zones west and drill the Cardinals.

Turn back the clock: In an online column in another location (which I hopefully can reveal this week) I predicted this might be the week the Vikings needed Brett Favre to step up. Step up he did. Favre passed for more than 300 yards and threw a game-winning dart to Greg Lewis in the final seconds to lift Minnesota over San Francisco.

Remember the roar: December 2007. 21 months ago. Until Sunday, that was the most recent time the Lions had won a football game. Detroit held off a reeling Redskins team to win for the first time in 20 games. Much was made of it being the first career NFL victory for Matthew Stafford and Coach Jim Schwartz. But it's also the first NFL win for Detroit's second-year players, like running back Kevin Smith, who was a key to the Lions win.

2008 playoff teams in big trouble: In addition to the Steelers and Cardinals at 1-2, AFC division winners Miami and Tennessee are 0-3.

Fashion police: So whose idea was it to dress the Seahawks like those Popsicles that everyone leaves in the bottom of the box because they're not sure what flavor they are? Seattle's lime green jerseys are undoubtedly the worst NFL jersey I've ever seen in four decades of NFL watching.

TOP FIVE
1. NY Jets (3-0) They have smacked around New England and Tennessee (which won 24 games combined last season) in consecutive weeks
2. New Orleans (3-0) Won the second of back-to-back road games with defense and a ground game, which is a scary thought
3. Indianapolis (3-0) Who says Peyton Manning doesn't have enough weapons?
4. NY Giants (3-0) Dominating despite injuries
5. Baltimore (3-0) Feasting on cupcakes

Also receiving votes: Minnesota, Philadelphia, New England

BOTTOM FIVE
28. Washington (1-2) It could get ugly in the nation's capital after the Lions won for the first time in 20 games at the Redskins' expense
29. Kansas City (0-3) After a promising first game, the Chiefs have regressed more each week
30. St. Louis (0-3) Rams offense showed a pulse once Kyle Boller came in at QB
31. Tampa Bay (0-3) Five first downs - the entire game - vs. a banged-up Giants team
32. Cleveland (0-3) Point differential after three games? 66 points

Also receiving votes: Miami, Tennessee, Houston, Carolina (all of which I though could be playoff teams)

2009 NFL Week 2 preview

There weren't many surprises in Week 1 of the NFL season, but I expect there to be several this week. There are a number of enticing match-ups, including:

• Carolina at Atlanta
• New England at the NY Jets
• Oakland at Kansas City
• NY Giants at Dallas
• Seattle at San Francisco
• Indianapolis at Miami
• New Orleans at Philadelphia
• Baltimore at San Diego
• Pittsburgh at Chicago

The common thread with the first five is they all are divisional matchups. The next three are intra-conference games that likely will have bearing on the playoff picture, and the final game matches two franchises with passionate followings and high expectations.

The intra-division clashes

• Carolina at Atlanta - Was last week's meltdown at home vs.the Eagles a sign of things to come for the Panthers or a factor of five turnovers? The Falcons capitalized on four uncharacteristic Dolphins turnovers last week. Atlanta can establish itself as the South's front-runner with a win here, while a Panthers loss would raise more questions.
  
• New England at the NY Jets - Let the smack talk flow. The Jets made a strong opening statement at Houston last week, while the Patriots looked mortal vs. the Bills. New England's defense absorbed another hit when LB Jerod Mayo suffered a knee injury. Can the Jets slow the Patriots' passing attack? That's a key question, the answer to which will help determine the AFC East's early leader.
  
• Oakland at Kansas City - Two 0-1 teams? Important game? Yes. Both looked surprisingly good in Week 1 losses, and both could have pulled off upsets. (I think both will as the season progresses) How QBs JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders and Matt Cassell (making his Chiefs debut) play are key. One of these teams can keep itself in the AFC West conversation.
  
• NY Giants at Dallas - The House That Jerry Built opens, and the schedule makers didn't do Jones or his Cowboys any favors by bringing the Giants to town. I'm curious how the Cowboys offense will do against a much stiffer defense this week.
  
• Seattle at San Francisco - The 49ers might be for real. They took the Cardinals apart in Arizona, and the could do the same in their home opener. Tough to get a read on the Seahawks. They played good, but not great, against the Rams last week. Seattle needs to establish its ground game, something Arizona couldn't or wouldn't do.

The Intra-Conference battles

• New Orleans at Philadelphia - Put Donovan McNabb under center for the Eagles, and I think they would win. However, he's out. Fortunately for Kevin Kolb, the Saints don't have much of a pass rush. Philly's defense played well vs. Carolina in forcing five turnovers, but the Saints have far more firepower than the Panthers. That's the matchup to watch.
• Baltimore at San Diego - I think these are two teams with a lot to prove. Baltimore's offense impressed vs. the Chiefs, but it's defense clearly was not itself and let the Chiefs stay in their game. The Chargers could have (and probably should have) lost at Oakland. The Bolts' offensive line and backfield are banged up.
  
• Indianapolis at Miami - The Dolphins committed a very uncharacteristic four turnovers in losing at Atlanta, while the Colts did what they needed to to beat the Jaguars at home. Neither were impressive. A Miami loss will put it two games back of either the Jets or Patriots. The Colts need someone not named Reggie Wayne to step up in the passing game.

And finally ...
The three of the past four seasons have featured either Pittsburgh or Chicago in the Super Bowl. The Bears are stinging from a road loss to the rival Packers, while the Steelers are stinging from a physical overtime win over the Titans on opening night. So this should be another black and blue game, right? Not necessarily. The Steelers had a 2-1 pass to run ratio (47-23) in their opener, while the Bears had 38 passes and 31 rushes. Which team will generate more pressure and have better coverage?

Week 1 Rewind

First things first about Week 1 of the NFL season ...

We can speculate all we want to during the offseason, and the preseason for that matter, about how much better/worse/healthier/softer/etc. someone or some team appears. None of that matters until the games matter.

Case in point - many anointed Chicago and Green Bay as Super Bowl contenders after the Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler and the Packers steamrolled everyone in sight. What many conveniently forgot is Cutler threw 18 interceptions last season while throwing to a far more talented group of receivers than he has in Chicago. Meanwhile, we should have listened to Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt's comments after his team lost in the preseason to the Packers. The Cards coach said, in effect, that his defense hadn't game-planned for the Packers, who obviously had done just the opposite. So of course the Packers looked unstoppable.

Repeat, nothing matters until the games start to matter.

Week 1 surprise teams
The Good - The Raiders have a pulse! Oakland played physical defense and might have more talent on offense than some realize. Really liked rookie WR Louis Murphy. ... The Chiefs, while clearly less talented than the Ravens, could have won that game at Baltimore. It says here that Todd Haley had a lot more to do with Arizona's success last season than has been reported. ... The Jets started a rookie QB in Mark Sanchez and had two starters in their front seven suspended and they dominated the Texans in Houston. ... The Eagles overpowered the Panthers in every phase of the game. I had questions about the Philly defense after defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's passing, the free-agent exodus of safety Brian Dawkins and the season-ending injury to middle linebacker Stewart Bradley. I have a lot fewer questions now. ... The Bengals, boosted by a vastly improved defense, should have defeated the Broncos.

The Bad - The Panthers looked lost, aside from one sustained drive early in the game, in getting hammered by the Eagles. I think I will regret picking them to win the NFC South. ... The Chargers appear - again - as if they're only going to play as well as they think they need to. I suspect they're going to lose more games this season than they should if that is not corrected. ... The Dolphins, another team I liked going into this season, did exactly what they didn't do last season - commit turnovers and penalties by the bushel full. With a tougher schedule, Miami could take a huge step back if that isn't fixed. ... The Cardinals got the 49ers' best shot, and they couldn't recover. Losing a home opener to a division rival is damaging on several levels.

The good news? It's just one week of 17.

Top 5 Teams
1. Pittsburgh - Give Big Ben the ball and 2 minutes and you'll pay.
2. NY Giants - They won't be the most exciting team to watch, but they won't beat themselves either
3. Philadelphia - The Eagles made a statement, punking the defending NFC South champs on their home turf.
4. New England - All those new defenders have some things to learn.
5. Minnesota - The Vikings won one they should have and appear strong in all phases except kick coverage.

Bottom 5 Teams
32. St. Louis - It's going to be a long season under the Arch
31. Cleveland - Couldn't pass on the Vikings.
30. Detroit - The offense showed some signs of life, but the defense cannot defend the pass.
29. Houston - Thrashed at home
28. Carolina - Really thrashed at home

Key injuries

• Eagles QB Donovan McNabb - Not only does this hurt the team's continuity, but think what it does to the discussion about Michael Vick's role.
• Bears LB Brian Urlacher - A huge loss for a defense that had some teeth.
• Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson - I might regret writing this, but I think he's only the team's second-best back at this point.
• Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez - Indy already appeared thin at this position.

Coming up ... the Week 2 Preview on Friday