QUOTE: “The fact that many great people believe in something is no guarantee of its truth.” -- W. Somerset Maugham
December football is here, which sometimes causes us to look ahead and see how many wins a team can secure based on playing bad opponents. I was guilty of doing this, thinking the Steelers would get their season back on track by hosting the 3-8 Oakland Raiders. The Raiders seemed like easy pickings for the Super Bowl champs, but as is often the case in December, the Raiders fooled us all. They not only went into Pittsburgh and won, they did it in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion against the mighty Steelers defense. Who could have guessed that one?
Somewhere in the 13th week of the season, the Raiders found a passing game, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell found a few new wide receivers to make explosive plays (and their offense has scored 54 points the last two weeks), and the Giants found a way to stop the Cowboys’ running game, sweeping them for the first time since 2004 and winning four of the last five. You might wonder where the Raiders’ passing game has been all year, or where ‘Skins wide receiver Devin Thomas been hiding all season, but for whatever reasons, their games showed up Sunday and gave both teams a sense of hope for the future.
Naturally, some of what we know in the NFL stayed the same, like the Saints finding ways to stay unbeaten, the Colts beating the hottest team in football and the Chargers’ Philip Rivers winning another December start. But for all the looking ahead, maybe we should just take the advice given to us from everyone in the NFL -- just take one game at a time. Based on this past weekend, looking ahead only adds more confusion to the playoff picture.
Random thoughts…
1. The ‘Skins have scored 54 points the last two weeks, but their field goal kicker, Shaun Suisham, has missed three very critical kicks -- two in Dallas and one cheap shot Sunday that would have made a Saints comeback impossible. I admire the ‘Skins for playing with such passion and toughness. In spite of turning over the ball four times and missing a field goal, they never punted in the second half and had the Saints on the ropes. The Saints never led in the game until the overtime kick.
2. The ‘Skins will determine who wins the NFC East because they host the Cowboys and Giants. The way they’re playing right now, they can beat both teams — as long as neither runs a double move on their secondary like Marques Colston, who got them again.
3. Saints wide receiver Robert Meachem should get two game balls, one from the offense and one from the defense. His play on the Drew Brees interception -- tackling and stripping the ball and then turning the fumble into a touchdown -- has to be one of the best plays I’ve seen in my NFL career.
4. The Steelers have now lost four in a row for the first time since 2003, but what’s more alarming than the losing streak is the way they lost. Allowing the Raiders to drive the ball down the field to win was very “Un-Steeler-like.” Teams can move the ball via the air on the Steelers, and despite being third overall on defense, they allowed 21 fourth-quarter points for the second time this season, both at home.
5. The Patriots can’t win on the road, which has to be of concern since the best way to judge your talent level is to see how it performs on the road. The Patriots’ failures this season lie in their inability to score in the red zone and their inability to keep their opponents from scoring. They were 1 for 3 in the red zone this week. If the Patriots win the AFC East -- and that’s a big if right now -- they will host one playoff game and then hit the road.
6. How can the Jags score only three points on two West Coast trips and look nothing like a playoff team, then come home and find a way to win another AFC South game? One of the many December questions that never gets answered. Right now, the Jags are in the driver’s seat for the wild card, and their game at home against the Dolphins this weekend will go a long way in determining the wild card in the AFC. The city of Jacksonville needs to support its team.
7. When I was in the league and my team got on a winning streak, I wore the same thing to every game. I wonder if the Colts’ Jim Caldwell is doing the same. He hasn’t lost a game as a head coach, and his team seems to rise to every challenge. Beating the Titans was a very strong win, and even though Chris Johnson had another 100-yard day, the Colts played well in the red zone, forcing two more turnovers. Red zone defense is what makes good defense in the league.
8. The Eagles got a second bye this week, beating up an injury-depleted Falcons team (Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Michael Jenkins were all inactive). Without Ryan at quarterback, Atlanta’s problems on defense are magnified. The Eagles let the Falcons make mistakes and scored 21 points on three Falcons turnovers. The Birds are 4-1 without Brian Westbrook.
9. The Cowboys might be holding kicking tryouts this week after Nick Folk missed two more kicks and is 67 percent this year, well below his 87-percent conversion rate. Do you think it was Tony Romo’s fault the Cowboys lost another December game? He basically carried the team, with a career high in completions, attempts and yards. The Cowboys gained 400 yards for the sixth time this season.
10. The Broncos rushed for 245 yards against the Chiefs. The Chiefs are bad on defense, allowing 87 points the past two weeks.
More coming in the Tavern later today.
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To read about how Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski may be saving head coach Tom Cable's job, check out this article from Bleacher Report.
A couple of Colts observations. Is it just me, or does coach Jim Caldwell really seem to have an almost- Art Shell demeanor on the sidelines. It might be confirmation bias, but it really does seem more and more that Peyton Manning is the coach of the Colts. And I can't help but enjoy watching Peyton's play and body language throughout a game.
Did anyone see Peyton chastise Austin Collie for doing a stutter-step in front of a defender as he ran his route? Peyton's pass was a few feet in front of Austin - having lost the timing by the receiver's little dance before making the cut. Peyton walked off the field with Austin and basically simulated what he saw by doing his own jig and then gave Collie a "what the hell is this? Don't do that again."
Yeah, Letting Seymour go isn't the problem, their defense stunk with him last year too and Brushci was washed up, okay? It goes beyond that...
Michael, I've said it previously and I'll say it again that the Pats problems stem from piss poor drafting in the years after their superbowl wins... Too many swings and misses and its now coming back to haunt them...
The problem is not lousy defense alone, the offense has been ineffective on the road especially in second halves when they had the lead and Brady has been pedestrian when it counts. They are too soft for my liking...
A couple of points:
1) Robert Meachem also ran a double move on LaRon Landry on the game-tying score in the fourth quarter.
2) How was Tennessee the hottest team in the NFL? They had won 5 in a row, which is less than San Diego's 6 (now 7) and Indianpolis and New Orleans' 11 (now 12).
Pats fans are annoying with their whining about the Pats being "soft" and complaining about bad drafting. What the Heck? Your team is still going to win the division, make the playoffs, and compete for the Superbowl. What's wrong with you people? You don't have the right to assume that your team is going to be a dominant force every year without fail. Sometimes you have to reload, and if a good coach was going to pick a year to drop some aging contracts and try to get younger, he might think the best year to do so is the year his QB is coming back from reconstructive knee surgery. Get a grip. This team is going to be fine . . . next season.
The problem with the Pats is three-fold.
1. Lack of playmakers on defense. A few years back, Willie McGinnest would have stepped up and made a sack to end both the Colts game and yesterday's. Or Asante Samuel would have come up with a pick.
2. I think there's a problem with the offensive coordinator. They had to waste another TO on their 2nd to last drive -- similar to the Colts game. Could have used it on that final drive.
3. Depth - as pointed out by their failed drafts -- think Pioli may have been just a LITTLE overrated?
And how many times was Adaleus Thomas' name called yesterday? 0 by my count. He's been a total bust.
"You don't have the right to assume that your team is going to be a dominant force every year without fail."
Isn't that what a fan of every good team does?
You must be a Bills fan
Well I guess my day is complete now that I've annoyed you, Scot....
@Yeah
That IS containment. He averaged 4.2 yards a rush instead of the 6 he usually does. Pretty solid job. The Colts don't have to shut down a running game, they only have to contain it like they did. If he runs for 180, VY isn't forced to do as much as he was and that only benefits the Titans. By containing Johnson, you control the Titans.
It's interesting to see how Peyton has mentored Austin Collie this season. Collie is perhaps the most prodigious of the Colts' young wideouts and perhaps has the greatest chance to make a big impact in the future, although Pierre Garcon is excellent as well. Indianapolis will be a tall order for my Broncos Sunday, but I think they've got a shot to make things interesting in that game. Still, Dolphins-Jags might be the game of the week. Who would have thought the Dolphins would be in this position right now? All I know is Tony Sparano deserves all the credit in the world. Keep up the good work Lombardi and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!
Told a friend the same thing- the Redskins are now spoilers. They are playing hard for their fans, and more importantly, for their coach. Zorn was kind of an underdog in his days as a player, a lot of the Redskins players now seem to realize he's coming from where they are at in their careers.
The Steelers lack of talent at corner is being exposed, strangely enough the Cardinals used a lot of LeBeau tactics in their huge win against a playoff frontrunner.
Although the VIkes had several line injuries on offense, the game was still the second time that Arizona did a stand up job against a team playing well at the time, and they did it before a national audience each time.
The Giants went on a skid for several games after the Cards defense shifted its way through Eli's checks and audbiles. The GMen finally turned things around this week, thanks in part to some great special teams efforts and stumbles in the same category by the Cowboys.
The Meacham play was amazing, I've seen it happen in Jr.League games here. The coach who told me "only in Jr.League would you see a play like that" was probably shocked to see somthing like that in the pros. He owes the kid he screamed at an apology now...
The Cowgirls lost because of Jason Garrett. They attempted 55 passes and could only gain 45 yds on the ground. Additionally they had time of possession of almost 40 minutes. The NFC East is a run first division.
I'm sorry, Eagles-Giants? Say both the Jags and Giants make the playoffs, who are you WAY more excited to play against? And is Richard Seymor or Ted Bruschi going to help more than a top seven pick at DE or CB in two years (still Manning, Rivers, and Big Ben's prime) when Brady is fully healthy, Moss is still effective, their new left tackle is in a groove...
@ Mr Murder - you count Campbell as someone who's playing for Coach Zorn? I was under the impression that those two had a falling out that was beyond mending.
@ Buzmeg - I agree. But the Cowboys offensive line is built for pass blocking. I don't think they can run the ball against any average or better defense. However, they do seem to have some talent with screens with Felix Jones/Tashard Choice. They just don't stick with them.
Jason could have just playing for himself, but it sure looked like a team effort. He knew the Saints defensive system and the Skins line was comfortable in protections. You could sense that confidence during the game, it may signal the most effective way to face the Greg Williams defense.
You don't have the right to assume that your team is going to be a dominant force every year without fail.
Thank you.
Thank you for information comments.
A list of thank yous and a final...
Even if you called me an idiot,...
Their success will depend on QB...
Titans coach wants Chris Johnson...
Now is the QB’s chance to show...
Dec 07, 2009
11:18 AM
I love me some Michael Lombardi. You are the only sportswriter out there with any sense. Everything I've read and heard on TV since my Titans lost yesterday was how "the Colts contained Chris Johnson". You, however, didn't state it like that. You realize that CJ had over 100 yards, and by any standard, that is NOT containment.
Turnovers killed us. A great team like the Colts is always going to capitalize on mistakes like that. That is WHY they are great.
The Patriots.... should have never let Richard Seymour go. Or Bruschi for that matter. Bruschi could still help this team.