Safety Blitz

It’s Monday morning, time for me to ramble on about all of Sunday’s action in another installment of Safety Blitz…

WEEK 11

Ryan the Great- I doubt Packer fans are going to complain about that O-Line or RB Ryan Grant today folks. Green Bay completely dismantled the Chicago Bears at home yesterday thanks to a running game that had been invisible up to this point. This is how you win football games in November—hand it to your big money, big play guy at tailback. Grant (25-145-1TD) ran hard, the defense shut down Kyle Orton (who still looks hurt), Aaron Rodgers (23-30-227-2TD-1INT) played like a veteran, and the Pack moved into a three-way tie for first in the NFC North. This is the Green Bay Packers we have been waiting for all year. Bears’ Head Coach Lovie Smith looked like a lost puppy dog on the sidelines during the 4^th quarter—one that is realizing he has no options on offense besides a rookie running back and a defense that is suddenly full of holes. No wonder it is cloudy in Chicago today.

Barber closes it out- Yes, Tony Romo is back (though a little shaky), but when the game was on the line in a huge divisional game at Fed Ex Field last night, the Cowboys took the ball out of Romo’s hands and rode Marion Barber to the victory. This wasn’t a pretty football game, but rivalry games rarely are—especially in November. Dallas needed to win this game—wait—they had to win this game to stay in the hunt. Barber (24-114-1TD) rushed for 66 yards—in the fourth quarter. Teams talk about closing opponents out, they practice it, and they preach the importance of the running game in the second half—the Cowboys showed it. I like this. On a team filled with big play guys, they stuck to the non-flashy off-tackle running of Barber to win it.  The Skins couldn’t get off the field when it counted, but I still think this team is right in the middle of the Wild Card race in December, and Dallas, well, are they back? Two weak opponents coming up before a monster 4-game stretch to the end the regular season—and decided their fate.

Captain Comeback-For the second straight week, Jay Cutler brought his Broncos back in the fourth quarter—and won.  I like this team. They used about their 6^th different guy at running back, still rushed for over a 100-yards as a team (124), and with another Charger loss, have a two-game lead in the awful AFC West. I’m not saying they can play deep into January, but they will get some guys healthy down the stretch, including Champ Bailey, who might be the best defensive football player in the league. Something happens when quarterbacks, like Cutler (19-27-216-1TD), play with this amount of confidence. I know everyone wants to compare him to Brett Favre because he plays without worry or fear, but if he keeps winning games in the fourth quarter, Bronco fans might start calling him John Elway (I know, I know—a stretch).  And Falcons’ fans, this was a tough loss, but Matt Ryan (23-30-250-1INT) and his boys aren’t done just yet. They are in the Wild Card hunt for a reason—don’t expect them to go away. 

Earth, Wind, and Fire- I guess that is what they are calling Giants’ running backs Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward. I don’t care what you call them, because this trio of backs just carved up the Ravens’ defense, rushing for over 200-yards and 2 TDs in a route of Ray Lewis (who looked old) and his boys. The Giants are 9-1 folks, and they play the ideal brand of football for this time of year—run it down your throats and play great defense behind it. They took care of the league’s #2 defense at the Meadowlands, forced turnovers, and scored a defensive touchdown in what turned out to be a blowout win. Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco had been playing great football, but he showed some signs yesterday that he is still a rookie. The Ravens will be back, however, and they will still be a scary match-up in the AFC, while the Giants will keep winning as they look to get home field throughout the playoffs. Why do we doubt the G-Men? I have no idea, but right now—I don’t see an NFC team that is playing at the level they are. They are tough.

Still Undefeated- Speaking of tough teams, the Titans won again yesterday (what’s new?). By the way, for the second straight week, Kerry Collins made Jeff Fischer look like a genius, bringing the Titans back—throwing three second half TD passes. Is this team going to go 16-0? Folks, I think it is a definite possibility with the schedule they have. I’ll admit—if you are an offensive football fan, one that craves big name receivers and All-Pro quarterbacks, this probably isn’t the team for you. But, if you like teams that play all four quarters, tackles well, and do what it takes to win—this is your football team. Chris Johnson and LenDale White didn’t have great days, but they combined to go for over 100-yards—good enough in this league. On the other sideline, another second half collapse isn’t good for Jacksonville and Jack Del Rio. It is pretty safe to count them out for January football, just as it is safe to say that Del Rio might be on the chopping block. His days are numbered in Jacksonville. They have too much talent to keep disappointing that city.

Kurt Shines (again)- I can’t say that I am tired of writing the same thing over and over each week about Kurt Warner (is it obvious that I am huge fan of this guy?), but he keeps putting up monster numbers—and the Cards keep winning. Forget about the NFC West, Arizona (7-3) is getting ready for the Playoffs, and you need a quarterback in the playoffs. Warner threw for 395 yesterday in a game that wasn’t as close as the final box score read, and Anquan Boldin (13-186) and Larry Fitzgerald (10-151) might be the best two receivers in the league—and they are on the same team.  But, what I find interesting about this team is the amount of plays they are starting to make on defense. The Cards picked off Seahawks’ QB Matt Hasselbeck three times. They have some tough match-ups down the stretch, starting with the Giants next week in the desert. Maybe I am just stuck on this Cardinal bandwagon, but, don’t you think it is time we start calling this team what it is? A playoff team that has the most explosive offense in the NFC, and maybe, the entire NFL.

The Steeler Way- Every game that is played in Heinz Field out in Pittsburgh this time of year looks the same: wet, muddy, no scoring, and a fourth quarter drive led by Ben Roethlisberger. Golly, this was an ugly, nasty, just flat out disgusting football game in the snow and sleet of Pittsburgh. I thought Big Ben played great yesterday. Gone were the interceptions of prior weeks and the game winning drive he was flawless—making plays with his arm and moving in the mud-filled pocket with ease. He finished 31-41-308—great numbers in that weather. But, the difference for the Steelers was a healthy Willie Parker at running back. Parker rushed for 115 yards and the Steeler D held Ladanian Tomlinson to 67 yards on the ground. This was a big time loss for the Chargers—who are now two games behind the Broncos in the AFC West. I like to think that they are still in it, but they find a way to disappoint me every Sunday. With only 6 games left, they need to put a winning streak together, but I don’t know if they can do that. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, takes a one game lead in the AFC North with the Ravens loss. Are they finally healthy enough to take control of this division? I think YES.

The Tampa Way- It is easy to forget about the Bucs. They play in the AFC South, dink and dunk the football down the field, and play a brand of defense that is taken for granted in the NFL. But, they keep winning—even if it is boring and dull. How about Jeff Garcia yesterday? Final numbers: 23-30-255. Not a bad day. Garcia isn’t going to put up four touchdown games, but he does make plays with his feet and buys himself enough time to check it down or throw those medium range balls—that move the chains. This team is 7-3, and could win the South, or at worse, make it into the playoffs as a Wild Card. And, how about the Vikings? Who was calling plays in the fourth quarter yesterday? Adrian Peterson carried the ball 19 times for 85 in the first three quarters—and then is shut out, by his own team in the fourth quarter. No carries, no yards, no game winning big runs—because he wasn’t in the game plan. This team can’t win without him, as you saw yesterday. That was garbage.

Indy Still Hanging Around- The Colts. Three weeks ago I wrote them off (even though they were my preseason Super Bowl winner), but now, after three straight wins, they will probably find a way to get into the playoffs. Peyton Manning had another solid day (30-46-320-2TDs), and is starting to heat up at the right time—bad news for the rest of the AFC. What is even more crucial to this Colts’ team is the play of RB Joseph Addai. As good as Manning is, they won’t go anywhere without production out of the running back position. Yesterday, they got it. Addai ran the ball 22 times for 105 yards and a TD, and also caught 4 passes for 48 yards and a TD. If they stay healthy, they have a shot, but safety Bob Sanders has to play football. He was inactive again yesterday with sore knee. The Colts can’t afford for him to miss time. By the way, the Texans have something to look forward to in RB Steve Slaton (14-156-1Td). This kid can play.

Panthers Hold On- Has anyone else noticed that the Carolina Panthers are 8-2, one game behind the Giants in the NFC? How are they doing it? Rushing and defense. Sound familiar? It should, because they aren’t much different than the Giants. RBs DeAngelo Williams (14-120-2TDs) and Jonathan Stewart (15-130-1TD) are studs, and Julius Peppers leads a defense that can stand toe-to-toe with the G-Men. One thing, however, that must change is the play of quarterback Jake Delhomme. He struggled against the Raiders two weeks ago (4 INTs), and didn’t reach the 100-yard mark yesterday. There will be a game that Delhomme needs to win with his arm in the fourth quarter (not much different than we have seen from Kerry Collins the last two weeks). Can he do it? I think he can, and I think this team can beat the Giants in the playoffs—but that is a long way down the road. They need to hold off the Bucs for now. It is obvious that Daunte Culpepper is just a stopgap for the Lions. That whole roster needs to change—including him.

Don’t Forget About Us- Unknowns to the sports world, the Miami Dolphins are 6-4, and still only one game out of first in the up-for-grabs AFC East. I don’t know how the Dolphins are winning, but they keep doing it. Ronnie Brown is always near the 100-yard mark (101 yesterday), QB Chad Pennington puts up good, but not great numbers (16-22-174), and they find scoring from someone like Ricky Williams, Patrick Cobbs, and yesterday, Teddy Ginn Jr. He touched the ball 6 times on offense yesterday for 93 yards and a TD, plus he chipped in 76 yards in the return game. However, this team is built on defense, and that defense held the Raiders to 186 total yards and sacked the quarterback 6 times. I don’t know if they can keep this up for the remaining schedule, but I doubt they are going away. They are a tough match-up for the rest of the AFC East.

Saints Alive- The New Orleans Saints stayed alive for another week with a much needed win at Kansas City. QB Drew Brees bounced back after his 3 INT performance against the Falcons last week and threw for 266 yards and a TD. What I liked about the Saints yesterday was their balanced attack. In past weeks, New Orleans was putting up Texas Tech numbers in the passing game—which doesn’t win in the NFL. The Saints rushed for over 100-yards as a team yesterday, and Brees only attempted 36 passes. If they want to stay in the hunt (or at least in the conversation) this has to continue, but it might be too late for that—especially playing in the NFC South. Give KC some credit, because they are playing better football, and QB Tyler Thigpen is making a nice case to comeback next season as the starter. He is a good athlete, and he is keeping the Chiefs in games.

Singletary Gets His First- Not a bad thing when the Rams come to town when you are looking for your first win as an NFL head coach—because they are awful. The Rams have now been outscored 75-3 in the first half of their last two ballgames. This is the NFL folks—not  junior varsity football. You can’t win in this league if you come out of the locker room playing football like that. It was a nice win for the Niners, who will play out the schedule with the rest of the NFC West doormats and evaluate who they want back in their clubhouse next season. Frank Gore is one of them, and he had a big day—rushing for over 100-yards and 2 TDs. Not much to say here when these two teams are this far removed from the post-season.

Ugly Tie- I wish I had something literary or groundbreaking to write about the Eagles-Bengals game, but if I were writing this story, it would be in the Horror-Mystery section. Donovan McNabb looked awful, the Bengals looked like they were playing for the tie, and this game is something I would rather forget about—so I am going to leave it at that.