QUOTE: “Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.” -- Rita Mae Brown
The Broncos, Colts and Saints are all 6-0. That's the most undefeated teams through Week 7 in NFL history -- isn’t that amazing? Sunday, we saw too many lopsided games, and every week we’re seeing a larger gap between the good teams and the bad teams. The combine difference in the scores yesterday was 254 points, which breaks down to 22.1 per game. What happened to all the close games?
There were three return touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s 27-17 win over Minnesota. Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley had a 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown, Vikings rookie Percy Harvin had an 88-yard kick-return touchdown, and Pittsburgh linebacker Keyaron Fox had an 82-yard interception return TD. It marked the first time in NFL history that a game featured three return touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the fourth quarter.
Random game thoughts
1. The Steelers just know how to win games and keep fighting. I love Mike Tomlin, who has a great line: “On Sunday we play the game, on Monday we evaluate the game.” We do the same thing here at the Post.
2. How many more bad games does Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme have to play before he’s benched? I realize they gave him a large guaranteed extension this past offseason, but Sunday, Buffalo only had nine first downs and less than 200 yards of offense, and the Panthers lost in large part because of Delhomme’s three interceptions.
3. The Panthers are not very good — so all this talk that they had a soft schedule ahead and can win games is not realistic. You have to play well to win games. The schedule has nothing to do with winning; it’s how your team is playing.
4. Second-round defensive back Jairus Byrd of the Bills is going to be a very good playmaker. He has a knack for finding the ball and had two more interceptions Sunday.
5. The Bengals, Cowboys and Cards really proved something to me with their impressive wins. The Bengals running all over the Bears was a major shock. I’ve been looking for the 2005 Carson Palmer and he showed up: 20 of 24 passing and five touchdowns. Wow. If he’s back, the Bengals are in this for the long run.
6. I was not a big Cedric Benson fan before he went to Cincinnati, but I admire him now that he’s turned his life and career around. He took a setback and turned it into a comeback. That I love. The Bears were outflanked too many times on defense, which resulted in allowing big runs. Jay Cutler was bad, but so was the entire Bears team. They need to fix their offensive line to be able to win on the road.
7. The Dolphins have to be feeling like crap today — their season is going to be remembered as “what might have been.” They held leads on two of the three undefeated teams and looked like the better team until the fourth quarter. Against the Saints, they built a lead but turned it all back. When you play the Saints, no lead is safe — you must keep scoring and keep being aggressive.
8. Miami wide receiver Ted Ginn can look very good on one play, but unfortunately, he looks bad on too many plays. His hands are so inconsistent, and his hand placement is very bad.
9. Darren Sharper: 11th career interception return TD (one shy of Rod Woodson's NFL record); third interception return touchdown this season (one shy of NFL single-season record); sixth interception. So much for not being able to run or cover man to man. Smart football player’s who knows how to play and make plays. It’s being proven in New Orleans, and in Denver with Brian Dawkins.
10. Wide receiver Marques Colston of the Saints is very hard to cover right now. Even when he’s covered, he’s open because of his size and balance.
11. Eight more teams had over 400 yards of offense. The breakdown: Seven of them won and one lost — the Panthers. The NFL is an offensive league now, and to win, you must have a passing game.
12. First, the Jets lose Kris Jenkins. Now, Leon Washington has a season-ending injury. These are two of their best players. Sunday, it didn’t matter against the Raiders, who didn’t play like the playoff team that Richard Seymour mentioned last week.
13. The Raiders can pull JaMarcus Russell, but the alternative, Bruce Gradowski, isn’t much better. Gradowski did his best Jeff Garcia impersonation, which is to hit his third or fourth step and then start running around. The Raiders, like the Browns, don’t have a quarterback.
14. Mark Sanchez of the Jets had a nice bounce-back game, but his real test will be at home in the Meadowlands when the wind is whipping -- which might happen this weekend in the rematch against the Dolphins.
15. Speaking of the Brownies -- how does Derek Anderson keep his job? He was 12 for 29 and less than 100 yards and has completed 49 of 118 pass attempts in four starts this season, 41.5 percent. And for the third straight game, he had fewer than 200 total yards. This just in: The Browns do not have a quarterback. Someone should let that secret out of the bag.
16. The Texans are fighting and finding ways to win and clearly are the second-best team in the AFC South this year. But does that mean they make the play0ffs? It will be close, but they have to stay healthy, especially at quarterback. This week, they go to Buffalo and should be able to play well enough to win. I can hear Matt Bowen cheering now.
17. When the Falcons get behind in games, they get further behind. They have to play their style and their style only. They’re very bad on defense, and if they can’t control the game with their offense, they’ll lose, especially on the road.
18. Miles Austin has been sensational for the Cowboys and has dominated two very bad secondary units in Atlanta and Kansas City. Tony Romo and the ‘Boys offense found their passing game.
19. I really don’t know how the Bucs and Rams are going to win a game this year. Both teams are really bad. And what does it say about Bucs coach Raheem Morris when he has to call his GM, Mark Dominik, to get permission to insert Josh Freeman into the game?
20. Peyton Manning was great to see in person, without having to play against him. His preparation is rare, but his ability to make plays is even rarer. Since 1998, the Colts have only had Manning at quarterback, while half of the NFL has had 12 different starters. Much more on him in the Tavern.
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Look, I'll give Sharper a degree of credit, but his pick on Sunday was a gift. He was late on over the top coverage, as he always was late in his career with Green Bay, the ball was underthrown and tipped upward by the Saints' cornerback. Sharper grabbed the gift and had a clear path down the sidelines. Interceptions are an important measurement for DBs, certainly, but they are not the only measurement for quality performance.
Mike....any thoughts on your boy cassel?....CAn we say hes a complete bust yet??
Packer Pete: You are right, ints are not the only measurement for quality performance.
However, in the giants game Sharper had a pick six returned for a td that was negated by a roughing the passer call. Were it not for that he would have 4 tds in 6 games, but three is not too shabby. He has 317 int return yards, second place has 91. He is tied for 7th in the nfl in pass deflections and he's one of only 2 safeties in the top 20 in that category.
Last year the saints allowed 7 yards per pass attempt (20th in the league), and this year they're allowing 6.1 (4th in the league). The saints are holding opposing qbs to a 52.4 percent completion rate (1st in the league).
Any way you slice it, sharper is playing at a high level and has had an enormous impact on the saints defense this year. Maybe you are just jealous that your team cut bait on him too early.
I've never seen so many bad teams as this year. If you're looking for a sure bet for your fantasy DST, you just have to look at the Tampa, KC, Oakland, Rams or Browns opponent. Those teams are awful. I'm following NFL football since 1981 and I can't remember a season with a greater lack of talent among so many teams.
Worst coaching of the day? Easily the job done by Miami's Tony Sparano. For a sample just review the end of the 1st half. He gave NO 4 points, GAVE IT TO THEM!!! And with it went the momentum.
How 'bout that Max Starks!
Jared Allen: 0 Sacks, 1 tackle
Where's the love, Michael?
C'mon yahoodave; a complete bust? That team is terrible. Why do you want to run a guy down just cuz he was a Patriot?
hubcap has a real good post.
That coach is unreal. Me Me Me...everyone look at Me. Isn't coaching about edifying your players and building them up? Sure you have to bring out the rod now and then, but this guy has the worst act I've ever seen.
Tod Haley? I question his value as a human being; never mind as a coach. I would not play for a guy like that. I'd retire.
I'm wondering about Scott Pioli and what makes him tick. He hired this guy to what? Humiliate grown men on national TV while their families are watching? To berate young men who are most likely trying their best to live their dream.
I question everything about a guy that treats people like that and everyone who enables him to do so.
The Browns are absolutely horrible, but it's not just the quarterback. They have zero offensive weapons; their receiving corp might be the worst in the league, along with the Rams. I don't know how any QB could be sucessful there right now. If they take a QB #1 and don't surround him with any talent, he'll probably be another bust like Brady Quinn appears to be.
Have to admit, I'm surprised that Sharper is still playing as well as he is. I thought he was in decline when the Packers let him go after the 2004 season, but he's still making plays.
I hate the Cowboys, but I give them credit for playing well. There, I said it. Moving on, the Cardinals really are a complete team and now that this defense can decimate legitimate offenses, they're a solid contender to not only defend their NFC title, but perhaps win the Super Bowl. The Saints are the NFL's best team at this point in the season as although they didn't play their best game of the season, they still found a way to pull out a tough win. The Dolphins aren't dead yet, but they've got their work cut out for them. Thanks again, Lombardi!
Ron Winter's crew let Matt Light rape Terrell Suggs every time he got beat and they did the same for Max Starks against Jared Allen. Somehow they decided to throw flags on McKinnie and Dugan for doing the same to Harrison....
Kudos to Max Starks for playing Sunday by the rules Winters' crew chose to enforce.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Alex Smith's performance yesterday . You've spent alot of time being critical of the SF tossing game . Though I only saw the highlights he looked good . Maybe Shaun Hill doesn't have moxie or a starting gig for that matter. Speaking of KC , I don't know why they don't play that Brodie Croyle . The times I have seen him he has looked really good before getting injured . I disagree with you Mike about the Texans being clearly the best team in the AFC south . Jacksonville did beat them in Houston . Just a really inconsistent team .
I'm surprised there's so little mention of the Sunday night game. Arizona's defense was superb and did exactly what smart teams do in the Meadowlands: load up the box, gang-tackle the Giants' RBs and force Manning the Younger to put the ball in the cold windy air. Especially in HD, you can watch Eli's balls wobble and sail the moment they get across the line. He made some good throws, but how many more times will we see a team with a feisty defense and competent offense (like Philly in the playoffs last year) come into Meadowlands and take advantage of Manning's wind troubles? A McNabb or a Warner just does better than Eli in his own stadium.
How could Anderson go from looking good a couple of years ago to looking so bad? Is it coaching?
While I agree about the Falcon's defense, you must take into account that Dallas was coming off of a bye and playing at home. The league was kind enough to give the Falcons four games with teams coming off off byes. Has this happened to any other teams? It seems to me that the way they do the bye week is haphazard. Why can't they do four weeks of byes with eight teams a week? Doing it that way would allow teams to play each other when they come off of their byes
Of course you hate the Cowboys.
8 Super Bowl trips, 5 titles will have that effect on people.
Enjoy Kyle Orton and Boy Genius hype while it lasts...
“On Sunday we play the game, on Monday we evaluate the game.” We do the same thing here at the Post.
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I guess we can expect an injury report from you on Tuesday's then? Any truth Brandt is on his way down to Alabama to have Dr. Andrews check out his carpal tunnel?
Re: all the Haley comments, you just know his line to Waters this offseason will come back to bite him in the ass. I can get any coach off the street and win two games.
i agree that the rams and bucs could go 0-16 they're worse then last years lions
Darren Sharper is a hall of famer. Jay Cutler and Jerry Angelo are very poor at their jobs.Peyton Manning is Mr. Sept-Oct yet we are supposed to act surprised by this every year!!!! If Eli's last name were Smith wouldn't the Giants be looking for a new QB ,not paying him 100 mllion? Miami's secondary is atrocious. Shockey should be called for taunting at least twice a game. Jamarcus is not only an awful QB he's also delusional.Chilly is getting suckered into Favre-ball. T.O is D.O.N.E. Saw alot of shiney ,new jerseys in London. The bad economy is effecting the product being put on the field in alot of markets. Player costs are beyond owners control, for now, making the decision to save on front office and coaches the only way to control costs. My random thoughts but I'm no "expert".
Stiegs, thanks for the numbers. Sharper may be playing better this year. When he started with Green Bay, he developed into a top performer, but in his last couple of seasons he took a big drop. He still made the occasional play on the ball, but he disappeared for entire games. HIs tackling was terrible the last couple years. When his contract came due, he wanted to be paid the highest paid safety in the league and the Packers let him walk to the Vikings. He was never an impact player for the Vikings against Green Bay. If he's playing well now, that's great.
Darren Sharper is NOT a hall of famer. He might make the hall of fame because of his gaudy numbers, but he really shouldn't. Can you think back to anyone ever saying "We're playing against Sharper so we need to alter our game plans" I can't. Whereas if you replace Sharper with Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders, Champ Bailey, Nnamdi Asomougha, Antoine Winfield, Charles Woodson, Leon Hall, Ed Reed, and many others, you may have actually heard that line uttered. In addition, the two times he was available as a free agent, there was minimal interest in signing him. I'm hoping that when he comes up for hall of fame voting people remember that he was a slightly better than average safety with really gaudy numbers. And nothing more.
Hey Mike, many Raider fans wanted Al Davis to pass on Russell either by trading out of #1 or to take Calvin Johnson as the #1. If he had he wouldn't have a lazy, slow, dim witted qb right now. He would have a proven #1 like Johnson and would most likely have Garcia as the QB. You are always talking about the importance of learning from history. In 1987 or 88 Davis took Tim Brown at #1 AND THIS LEAD TO MANY SUCCESS DESPITE THE LACK OF A QB. ALWAYS TAKE THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE AND DON'T TAKE SOMEONE BECAUSE OF NEED. IT DOESN'T WORK
I'm a little surprised no one has commented on something BIG that is becoming very obvious to me. Namely, the AFC is SOOO much better than the NFC this year. Let's take a look, shall we? This week there were 3 matchups between .500 or better teams from each conference. The Steelers (AFC's 3rd-5th best team)outplayed the Vikings (NFC's 2nd best team) and won. The Texans beat SF. And the Bengals (admit it- you thought they were a pretender) assassinated the Bears (admit it- you thought they were a contender). Similar stuff in recent weeks as well (NE-Atl; Den-Dal; Cin-GB, etc). Same thing is true at the bottom of the 2 conferences (KC-Was; Buf-Car). Or look at how Dallas struggled vs the Chiefs, and how the Chargers (a marginal team in the AFC) throttled them. While we're talking AFC West- look how bad KC and Oak have looked against all AFC opposition, and then compare to the way KC looked against Was/Dal and Oakland's win @ Philly. Contrast the Saints' struggles against Miami with the slaughter we saw in London. The Titans would be 3-3 in the NFC. As bad as KC and Oak are, they're miles better than StL and Tampa.
And it's not just scoreboard. Look @ QB play. The NFL's 6 best QBs at the moment are PManning, Brady, Brees, Big Ben, Rivers, and a healthy Carson Palmer. 5 play in the AFC. Matt Scaub would be in position to claim the #2 Pro Bowl slot in the NFC, but won't get a sniff in the AFC.
I like the Saints. They're the only elite team in the NFC. But I don't think they would win any division in the AFC. They're not as good as Indy in the South, NE in the East, Den in the West (did this week's performanced by Cincy, NE, Dallas, and SD, all of whom the Broncos have already beaten, convince you they're for real? If not, you aren't paying attention), or Pit/Cin in the North. That's right, the FIVE best teams in the NFL are in the AFC folks. Teams like Bal, Hou, and SD would all easily make the NFC playoffs, with a decent chance at a Bye/#2 seed. They are currently fighting over the #6 seed in the AFC, with the Jets in the mix as well.
No one in the media is saying it yet, but you can "smell" it in the coverage. Why not more talk about the Cardinals' big win? Or Alex Smith? Or the GB defense looking very sharp the last 2 weeks? Because, at the end of the day, sportswriters know in their collective gut that it's all JV in the NFC, and there are 10 or so AFC teams that command the discussion.
A lot of people have said that they've never seen such a gap between the "haves" and "have nots" in the NFL. Put your thinking caps on and remember the pre-salary cap days when the NFC won 13 straight Super Bowls (very few of which were close). The gap between good and bad was this large back then. And you had one conference that totally dominated the other. This season is a lot like it was back then.
Final Note: the first commenter was dead-on about the importance of safeties. Look at the Center Fielders for last season's final 4: Polamal
He seems like a grad-A jackass - yelling at players, throwing tantrums and bickering with Cassel on the sideline. I doubt any of that is helping KC win.
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...
Oct 26, 2009
11:29 AM
Dawkins and Sharper have provided further proof that good safeties shatter the myth that its all about the defensive line...or even the front seven. I love the contrast between the Parcellian logic that runs rampant and unabated in the NFL-- as if his blue print was handed down from some distant mountain top-- and the McD plan in Denver. McD was bashed and mocked for rebuilding the secondary while 'neglecting' the obvious problem. He was constantly chided for being clueless and planless, yet he obviously watched the film. Denver's biggest problem was a poor tackling, poor covering, god awful secondary. New Orleans entered the season 'probably not having done enough on D' themselves, yet suddenly get rapid results by simply shoring up at S. I don't think its a coincidence. Maybe the secondary-- and the S position in particular-- isn't actually the red-headed stepchild of an NFL defense.
I know, I should probably be shot for such blasphemy...but I like to wander outside the box now and then.