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)
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
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)
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)
Sunday, October 04, 2009
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.
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.
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