QUOTE: “Never assume the obvious is true.” -- William Safire (Dec. 17, 1929–Sept. 27, 2009)
RANDOM GAME THOUGHTS...
1. Congratulations are in order to the city of Detroit for finally entering the win column after suffering through a 19-game losing streak. It was a classy move by head coach Jim Schwartz to send his players out to thank the fans for their support.
APMatthew Stafford led the Detroit Lions to their first victory since Dec. 23, 2007.
2. Matthew Stafford was very impressive Sunday, looking poised and confident with each throw. Once he gets a little more help from his receivers, he’ll be very good. Stafford was clutch down the stretch, seemed to enjoy the pressure of the game and was 10 of 12 passing on third down.
3. When does Redskins corner DeAngelo Hall cover anyone? My man Ray Gustini is convinced he can win a one-on-one matchup against Hall with a five Mississippi count.
4. The question isn’t if Jim Zorn is going to be fired, it’s when. Had the ‘Skins won, would it have given Zorn more confidence in his job? Hardly. They’ve scored less than 20 points in 13 of the 19 games Zorn has coached the team. He was hired to make the offense explosive, and so far they’ve been anything but.
5. Brett Favre did the remarkable Sunday and proved that he will have to make throws in the NFL to deliver a championship to the Vikings. He saved his best for last – and his last throw of the game was incredible. He’ll have to throw the ball for the Vikings to win, especially when the run game is not working.
6. It was remarkable that the 49ers were so close to winning since they didn’t convert a third down all game. Nine of their 14 drives resulted in four plays or less, although they returned a blocked field-goal attempt for a touchdown. Favre was clutch, but the 180 yards in the return game was the difference for the Vikings.
7. I mean no disrespect to the Ravens, but the Browns just flat-out stink. They are so bad, they might be back to their expansion level. And with all that talk about who would play quarterback, they still don’t have one. Instead of trading down in the draft, maybe they should have selected Mark Sanchez. Browns head coach Eric Mangini will have to prove he can effectively evaluate talent because right now, I don’t see any signs that he has that skill. It’s going to get worse in Cleveland, and the Les Steckel era from years ago might be back. Brown fans deserve better.
8. Hey, Bowen, what was that yesterday in Houston? Do you think the Texans practice giving up all those long runs? I’ve never seen a team allow more big runs than the Texans did to the Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew 61, David Garrard 30, on just two plays. Hard to win in the NFL allowing big plays every week.
APThe Falcons had a hard time containing New England's Fred Taylor on Sunday.
9. Tony Gonzalez -- one catch for 16 yards. Roddy White -- four catches for 24 yards. John Abraham -- no sacks. Wonder why the Patriots beat the Falcons? They take away what you do well and make you beat them in other ways -- if you can.
10. Fred Taylor looked fresh and effective for the Patriots. They still struggled in the red zone (one touchdown, four field goals Sunday), but did enough to get the lead and make the Falcons play from behind, which they don’t do well. Randy Moss was the difference in the game, making some incredible clutch plays. The Falcons need to get some size on the outside at corner or else it will be hard to slow down very simple passes.
11. The Titans’ defense only allowed one big play over 20 yards, and their offensive generated five on the Jets, who had only allowed two all season. But the game came down to turnovers, and the Jets forced four, which they converted into 14 points.
12. No one has broken the code on the Rex Ryan defensive scheme. The Titans had the ball for 14 possessions, and 10 resulted in five plays or fewer. The Jets won without playing their best game offensively, which you must do in the NFL if you want to make the playoffs. How good does the Jets-Saints game this Sunday look?
13. I feel bad for Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel. I’m not sure he’s the answer, but the supporting cast around him is so bad and so slow that no matter who the quarterback is, they’ll struggle. The Chiefs didn’t have any drive longer than eight plays Sunday against the Eagles.
APIf it's a new NFL season, it's a new injury for Marc Bulger.
14. Speaking of bad, the Rams will not be denied being the NFL’s worst team. Marc Bulger was injured (like that surprised anyone), which makes me keeps asking why they didn’t draft Mark Sanchez.
15. The Packers’ defense is doing exactly what their scheme is built for -- create turnovers. And their offense scored the first five times it touched the ball.
16. Yesterday in the NFL, there was a clear gap between teams -- the Bucs, Rams, Chiefs and Browns have no chance to win at all -- and what’s disconcerting is that those teams are a long way from being competitive. Is the NFL becoming like baseball? To me, there are 10 good teams, 10 average teams, eight bad teams and four teams with no chance.
17. Jay Cutler is getting comfortable with his wide receivers, and Johnny Knox has already made the all-rookie team. The Bears have the right combination – a great quarterback and a defensive line that can rush the passer. This plays well on the road.
18. The Bengals’ win against the Steelers was impressive, but the fact they had some success running the ball is even more impressive. They had 19 carries for 100 yards, which is not that overwhelming, but against the Steelers, it’s a huge achievement. The Bengals had a total of 39 completed passes and rushing attempts, while the Steelers had a combined 40.
19. When the Raiders don’t get their run game going, they don’t function well on offense. The Broncos had control of the game once they stopped the run. The Raiders now have lost two home games against AFC West opponents.
20. You wonder why Jeff Garcia wanted out of Oakland? Had he been on the team, he might be the starter right now -- and how much longer does the JaMarcus Russell experiment continue?
More postgame thoughts later today in the Tavern, along with my column in NFL.com. I just love the NFL.
Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi
How bout those Lions?! I know it's just one win in the last two years, but damn does it feel good. As a Lions fan, all that I'm looking for this year is improvement from game to game. I think we have a solid foundation to build on, which we haven't been able to say for years. I know we have a LONG way to go, but it's nice to finnally believe that this valley may have bottomed out. I'm looking forward to playing the Rams and Browns this year. Go Lions!!!
Mike - Thanks for the comments on Favre, I know you have been hard on the Vikings for signing him, but you are Man enough give credit where credit is due.
Mike,
I don't know how you can keep sticking up for the Packers defense. Are you seeing something on film you really like? They've been awful all year, can't stop the run, and are getting out muscled and out hustled. Aslo, they've taken an elite end in Kampman and made him an average OLB. I'm not seeing what you're seeing...With all the tape you get to watch, I trust most of your angles, but you just seem blind on this one.
G-LEW! Great catch and great throw on the game-winner for the Vikings. Childress took a little heat for dropping B.Wade but Greg Lewis made a tremendous game-winning catch. Wow.
I can't even believe how bad the Chiefs are. Lost at home to the Raiders and then the Eagles backup QB and RB handle them with complete ease. Sadly though, the Browns, Rams and Bucs could be even worse. Yuck
I was gonna touch on Kolb but I think I read here from Lombardi that Kolb was so bad they needed Jeff Garcia? Kolb looks pretty good to me!
Yes congrats to the Lions.
Hey Jim Zorn, "nice to know ya, goodbye" (Incubus signing)!
Now, when Zorn gets fired this week - does Mike Shanahan want to coach the Redskins?? My thoughts are that he will.
Congrats to my beloved Bronco's are doing what seemed to most the impossible, going 3-0. I commented it on this site months ago, I said the Bronco's could go 4-0 to start the season, the competition is just that beatable the first four weeks. The real tests for the Bronco's start week 5 and what an opponent, New England!
I know it's early but Jay Cutler is winning the value on the field from the trade to Chicago. Cutler is making an unknown receiving corp into something! Think Marshall and even more so Eddie Royal is missing Cutler's accuracy and arm strength?
Mike...you were right in the offseason about a 2nd rd pick not being proper compensation for Cassel....no way he was worth more than a 5th. GUy is awful..as predicted.
10 good teams, 10 average teams, 8 bad teams, and 4 with no chance.
I was wondering who is who.
Michael gave us his 4 no chancers: TB, STL, KC, CLE
Guess at 8 bad teams: OAK, WAS, DET, CAR, SEA, BUF, HOU, JAC
Guess at 10 Average teams: SF, ARZ, CIN, TEN, DAL, GB, PIT, SD, MIA, DEN
Guess at 10 Good teams: NYG, NYJ, NE, IND, BAL, MIN, NO, PHI, ATL, CHI
There is a lot to quibble about in that breakdown.
"Yesterday in the NFL, there was a clear gap between teams -- the Bucs, Rams, Chiefs and Browns have no chance to win at all -- and what’s disconcerting is that those teams are a long way from being competitive. Is the NFL becoming like baseball? To me, there are 10 good teams, 10 average teams, eight bad teams and four teams with no chance."
I don't think the NFl is even close to baseball as far as perennial losers. There are always a handful of teams with no chance in every sport. What makes football different is the ability to rebound quickly.
Last season the Bucs were a win from making playoffs.
Cleveland was 10-6 two seasons ago.
Kansas City was a powerhouse for about a decade until Herman Edwards took over.
St. Louis finally got old, (Bulger, Pace, and Holt) all hit the age where injuries and declining skills set in. They released Pace and Holt and are trying to build up with a very young team. My opinion is this is the worst team in the league but in 3 years they could be back on top if their recent drafts work out.
I think you could throw Oakland in with this group too, but that team is terrible because of management.
I do not think Zorn will get fired this week. I also do not think Shanahan will step into a position during mid-season. He will want full control of personnel if possible. I think the two teams that are rumored to be in the mix for Shanahan's services in the future -- Redskins and Cowboys -- are teams that Shanahan will want to avoid due to the hands on owners of those franchises.
Shanahan might be the guy in Jacksonville or Carolina though. If Tampa gives up on Raheem Morris after one year, then the Bucs might be a possibility as well. If the Chargers fall flat they might be a darkhorse.
Watch for Cowher with the Browns next year. Mangini is floundering.
Just my guesses.
As a person who is secondarily a fan of the NE Pats, but primarily a football fan I must congratulate Detroit Lions Fans for their win. Good stuff and I think you guys may have hit it on Stafford.
Dear folks,
I sincerely believe we should put in end to hunger, but in the meantime can we end another injustice? I'm talking about the con-catenation of the first letter in a player's first name and the first three letters in the last name. Please make it stop. Do it for the children.
---
I'm pretty confident the Patriots O will get on track, but wow did they look bad inside the red zone. I'll give credit when credit is due, but Atlanta did nothing to stop them as they stopped themselves with bad routes, bad passes and bad drops which occurred in the red zone. I finally understand why Mr. Bla Belichick constantly trumpets, "Making plays...we made plays...didn't make plays...they made more plays than us...etc." in post game conferences. He is not just being vague but is hinting that the 3rd down, 4th and red zone offensive and defensive opportunaties were won or lost by his team. Some can call it clutchness but winning teams make the plays more than the average teams. In the Patriots, case they lost to a good team and beat another good team without making very many of these critical plays. There isn't much analysis but to say that they better start making more plays. As a fan I have some faith they will start upping their percentages.
Michael, would you please name the teams in your listing - good, average, and bad. You just listed the 4 without a real chance to win (and I agree on those), but wondering whether you would share the others you are thinking of too. Thank you!
I agree with you Dan, I think the Bucs come back in a couple of years, Kansas City just needs a couple of good players on the O-Line and the young guys to gain some experience.
I could see the Rams turning around in 3 years, but the Browns are a ways away...especially with a jackass coach...
I just don't see Shanahan coaching the Redskins. Even if Snyder were to surrender total personnel control (which doesn't seem like a great idea with Shanahan - or any coach really), he still has to believe that the ownership situation in Washington is bottom five in the league. Having already experienced the worst meddling owner in the league (Davis), I'm sure Shanny has no interest in working for the second worst meddling owner, just to see how big the gap really is.
No, I have to believe that Shanahan has his eyes on the Cowboys. Even though the ownership situation is only marginally better than Washington, the personnel situation is MUCH better.
Hey,
Look, Its Prior Lake Penny Pincher back with the usual dose of obvious (the Pack and the 3-4 is having trouble stopping the run), with out-and-out nonsense (the Packers are getting out hustled)
The 3-4 is not a muscle defense, it creates opportunities through confusion and quickness. How many turnovers have the Packers created in 3 games? As for Kampman, he was a good DE but not a great one. He had difficulty with double teams. Now we will see just how good of a player he is. If he steps up like yesterday then he increases his value.
I'm sure that if the Packers have their hands full with Petersen (they will), you will feel vindicated. More critical is the Packer ability to run block and keep Rodgers upright. That is the key to this game. If Grant has any kind of success (75-90 yards) It will help Rodgers beat the Viking secondary early and often. If Petersen runs off the charts, Favre can have success when he picks his spots
Tripvm - My money is on Zorn getting fired this week. The Skin's almost lost to St. Louis last week, barely beat them and just lost to Detroit who didn't win a game last year!!! How can this team beat the Eagles or any team that has a pulse and can catch for that matter?
I was on the fence if Shanny would come back in week 4 and take over a team. I think he would though. If not, it will be interim coaching until he takes over in the offseason. Shannahan or Bill Cohwer will take over the Redskins.
With his Six Flags franchise in bankruptcy, the advertising business in the tank, and the Redskins the biggest revenue stream for DannyWorld, Snyder already showed his need for ready cash by suing long-time season ticket holders whose own economic problems made it impossible for them to meet their season ticket contract obligations (despite the abundance of others happy to grab up those season ticket slots). So my bet is that Snyder won't do anything that would force him to cough up any more cash right now. The reason Snyder makes moves is to create buzz for season ticket buyers - if he hires a big name now and the team still stinks through the rest of the season, it kills the buzz.
I'd love to see local reporters stop showing up at Zorn pressers and instead insist on interviewing The Daniel and Cerato. They're the ones who didn't upgrade the offensive line, who hired a woefully underprepared head coach, who have ignored even a semblance of continuity on either side of the ball. Zorn should take heat for bizarre play calls, but unless the Daniel and good buddy Vinny understand that they're being blamed for the overall crap quality of the team, nothing will change.
I don't know Mack, the 3-4 can be powerful, just look at what the 49ers have done this year...Peterson didn't have much room to run. Most of it is personel...which the Pack lack.
Oh, and how about a tip of the cap to Josh McDaniels? One of the Broncos' three wins might have been a fluke, but the fact remains that they won it because they never gave up - one sign of a good coach. You can argue with how he handled the Jay Cutler mess, but look at all the other things he did over the off-season that have paid benefits - at least so far.
First off, a toast to the entire NFC North - how often do you get to see every team in your division pull off a win in the same week.
Penny Pincher - what you're missing on the Packers D thus far is that they are making a respectable showing when they should be struggling. No, they're not the best D in the league right now but when you're bringing guys in and out due to injury in addition to converting the entire system, they should be struggling more than they are.
That having been said, you're looking at specific points in the games and applying your views of the points to the entire game. Yes, there have been some breakdowns but not nearly as bad as you make them sound. For example, you claim they can't stop the run but the D is only allowing 3.9ypc, certainly not elite but in the top half of the league plus they're one of only ten teams remaining that hasn't allowed a single carry over 20yds. Kampmann is one of the leading tacklers on the team and while his sacks are down a bit, he's been getting quite a few hits and has been surprisingly good in coverage. Plus they're stilling getting the takeaways including causing more fumbles.
They still have room to improve but they aren't as bad as people make them sound.
"He’ll have to throw the ball for the Vikings to win, especially when the run game is not working." Really? Because I thought if the run game wasn't working, they could try swimming or perhaps flying. You sure? Well, you're the expert.
Fair point Scott, well stated. I didn't know they had that low of a YPC average and you're very right that they've had a rash of injuries.
I guess my beef with Lombardi is how in love with an average defense he is. Seems like he's heaping praise on a unit that hasn't exactly been stellar. 5 of those turnovers came from a nervous Cutler and then a team that had 1 offensive touchdown all year came in and put up 17 points on them. 14 of which came with the backup QB.
I do think the game on Monday will be good. Grant has had some good games at the dome and our passing offense, aside from the final two minutes of last game, looked out of sinc.
If the Pack win, they'll be in 1st place, if they lose, they'll have a steep hill to climb.
Between players still adjusting to the 3-4 and Raji finally getting in on the action, look for the defense to improve.
"He’ll have to throw the ball for the Vikings to win, especially when the run game is not working." Really? Because I thought if the run game wasn't working, they could try swimming or perhaps flying. You sure? Well, you're the expert.
If you had to make a betting line on the first coach to get canned this season, would you take Zorn or Todd Haley? Haley threw his QB under the bus -- the same one who was give a mega buck contract by his new boss.
Methinks the Chiefs could be making an adjustment sooner rather than later....
I must say I'm impressed with the Broncos thus far. The Cowboys will be better competition, but we should be 4-0 heading into our game with the Pats. As for the Colts, Manning was awesome once again, but the Cardinals left at least 17 points on the field, perhaps more. Kolb was incredible as well and the Falcons self-destructed more than anything else at New England. Meanwhile, the Ravens are perhaps the league's best team at this juncture, while the Saints and Jets are slated for a big game next week. Like you Lombardi, I love the NFL!
Seems to me BRAD JAMES was one of the Favre haters runnin' his mouth last week about ole Brett. Nothin to say today huh Bradley?
I know it's hard, but can you please defend J. Russell? He has an impossible owner, poorly run franchise, rookie wrs, and an under-talented line protecting him. I'm not saying he's ever going to be great, but couldn't you see him developing into a guy capable of winning in a good situation?
1, He has a cannon. 2, you can't teach talent, but you can clean up footwork, and his looks awful, so he could make big strides there. 3, it takes a natural disaster to bring him down. Just wanted to hear your input on the situation now that it's so in fashion to butcher him.
16-10 TD called back to keep from going down 17-16, turning point of the game. Get beat, throw an arm out and flop on the ground, stand up and look for a flag. Agitprop theater. Did anyone see the incomplete pass that was on the ground for several seconds get ruled a fumble return TD in live time?
There is a new crew which is so bad that it makes Hoculi's look competent, and the same crew makes Walt Coleman's crew look comparably good. They got the memo from Goodell, and know who to play favorites for....
Penny Pincher - What Mike is noting is that the GB D is doing a very good job of creating turnovers. Their nine takeaways leads the league. Yes - five came against Cutler, who didn't turn it over ONCE when he played against the Steelers. Also note that opponents have gone for it on fourth five times so far and only pulled it off twice. That's twelve extra stops/turnovers in only three games. That's pretty good for a unit in it's first year converting to a 3-4.
But also keep in mind that even under the best of circumstances, it is very rare for GB to win in Minnesota. Even if the Vikes win this one, it's a long season and it doesn't put the Pack anywhere near out of it - especially with already having a win over the Bears.
why aren't you posting the link on twitter for these columns on Monday? I keep forgetting about them.
Some of us took A TON of crap for saying Josh McDaniels is a good coach.
Some of us said we couldn't wait for the season to start, so what we knew to
be true, would be proven.
Some of us are very happy that Josh McDaniels has gotten his chance to show what
he can do.
I was as big a Favre fan as anyone for the 16 years he played with the Pack, and good for him for yesterday's performance. I had to laugh at some of the football writers' responses. SI's Don Banks went absolutely gaga, writing that Favre was the only QB in the league who could make that throw. Seems to me I remember a Pittsburgh QB making a very similar throw at the last second in the final game last season after a helter skelter drive. The guy won a trophy for that pass.
I was impressed with Kolb, who threw some lasers down the field. Eagles have to like what they see there.
Mike, how about that blue chipper Charles Woodson? Third interception this season killed the Rams for good yesterday. That guy is something, a pleasure to watch each week.
Kudos to Aaron Rodgers, who is on no one's radar today. Once again under heavy rush with no running game, he hung in there and delivered several on the money shots downfield that set the Packers up for scores. He'd of thrown for 300 yesterday except for Jordy Nelson's drop of a 45 yarder right in Nelson's numbers.
Man, next Monday night will be a doozie!!!
Great point Packer Pete. I was reminded of Big Ben also. Giving Favre props it was an absolute laser shot and an even better catch.
Hmmm....who's the best DC in football right now?
Rex Ryan or Dick LeBeau? (I'd also throw Jimmy Johnson into the mix if he were still here. RIP Coach.)
That's a tough one. I love both of their creative, aggressive minds. Both are consistent & have always put solid cohesive defenses on the field. It's practically a toss up but I give a slight edge on the aggressiveness factor to Ryan. He absolutely puts a premium on pressuring & trying to put the QB on his a**. Both DC's are successful in causing confusion to the opposing QB's.
Through all the years of Rex Ryan's Defenses has ANY TEAM figured him out yet?? The variety of his blitzes & when & how he mixes them up constantly keeps the QB/Offenses guessing & out of sync.
A DC of this caliber would have beat Favre on the final drive of the last game vs my Niners. Our guy just gave Favre too much time to find an open receiver ESPECIALLY at crunch time on 3rd & 4th downs. At crunch time I guarantee you Rex Ryan would have at least sent ONE EXTRA BLITZER. Our DC rushed only the front 3 or 4 & they were ABSOLUTELY GASSED.
The game should not have been placed on the shoulders of the Defense as ALL WE NEEDED WAS 1 FIRST DOWN WHEN THE OFFENSE HAD THE BALL LAST. On 3rd down with Minnesota having 1final timeout we went with the 3RD RUN IN A ROW VS 10-11 MEN IN THE BOX. WTH????
Anyways....the point is yes it did get put on our Defense YET AGAIN to close out the game & if it were Ryan he wouldn't have let Favre get comfortable & pick our secondary apart (who were in a prevent D) marching down the field to then finally throw for the winning TD. Our HC & Coordinators on both sides of the ball have to LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES IN THIS GAME.
I'm a Jets fan, and I like Mark Sanchez and I'm glad we've got him. But let's be honest. He's not the second coming of John Elway. He's not Matt Ryan. He's an effective quarterback with a good arm and instincts, but the Jets are winning because of their defense, and their offense is moderately successful because they've got solid players around Sanchez. Put Sanchez on the Browns or the Rams and he'd be awful, and you'd be wondering why those teams chose him so highly. Put him on the Lions, and he would not be doing as well as Stafford is doing now.
Sometimes, it's the player that makes the difference in the team, and sometimes it's the team that makes the difference in the player.
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"...and how much longer does the JaMarcus Russell experiment continue?"
Simple. Effective. Priceless. I joke with my friends about it - he looks completely poised and composed in the pockets, scours the field and then delivers the most abysmal passes I've ever seen.
No comment about Kolb and the Eagles though? For shame, Lombardi! Oh - I don't know if you heard, apparently they signed an ex-convict who ran point on a dig fighting ring or something and he got some playing time yesterday. Can't remember, there was a blurb about it on Sportscenter.