Tavern talk: lift a glass to Jim Schwartz

In a follow-up to my morning Diner, a number of readers asked me to specifically name the 10 teams I said are good, the 10 that are average and the eight that are bad (I listed the four that have no chance). I promise to give my order Tuesday. I’ll break them down just as I indicated. Thanks for the emails.

I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR THE HEAD COACH OF THE WEEK…

APLions head coach Jim Schwartz is focused on turning around the fortunes of the franchise.

There can be only one winner this week -- Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. I was impressed that the Lions won the game, but I was more impressed with how Schwartz acted afterward. He was happy but not elated, and he was not behaving as if they had just clinched a playoff spot. The monkey of a 19-game losing streak is off their backs, and now they can get back to focusing on improving as a team. The game, believe it or not, should not have been as close as it was. The Lions made some mistakes to keep the ‘Skins alive.

I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR AN ASSISTANT COACH OF THE WEEK…

Scott Linehan, the offensive coordinator of the Lions. Scott was not very impressive as the Rams’ head coach, but really, who would have been with that team’s talent level? But he’s very impressive as an offensive coordinator in developing Matthew Stafford. Stafford has improved every week, and the Lions are no pushovers on offense. They need another wide receiver who can make a few plays to go along with Calvin Johnson as Bryant Johnson had a few chances to make some plays but fell short. The Lions are well-coached and well-designed on offense, and Linehan deserves the credit.

RAMBLING THOUGHTS

1. Seattle’s uniforms looked like they were made for the Tour de France. How bad was that? I wonder who saw them and said, “Hey, these look good. Let’s wear ‘em.”

2. Speaking of uniforms, the Browns’ pants are bad. Their all white uniforms are an NFL tradition, but now Browns fans have to watch their lousy team in those lousy brown pants. So, so bad.

3. With 5:19 to go in the third quarter, winning 16-10, the Patriots go for it on 4th-and-inches from their own 24-yard line. Clearly not the percentage play, but the way the game was going, it was a smart move. They needed to keep the ball away from the Falcons and Matt Ryan.

APRandy Moss was a key to the Patriots defeating the Falcons on Sunday.

4. Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss was the difference in the game. He made clutch catch after clutch catch. He was sensational.

5. Mike Gandy, the left tackle of the Cards, struggles to block top defensive ends, and the Cardinals’ offensive line seems to struggle to protect when it faces better defensive fronts. They’re not a come-from-behind team, and once they got down Sunday night, it was over.

6. Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney has been sensational the first three weeks of the season. In the past, he used to use the spin move as a changeup, but now it has become his go-to move, and he does it with amazing timing and precision.

7. Terrell Owens was thrown to five times Sunday, and he dropped one and failed to get inside on a slant, which caused an interception. He doesn’t look to be running very hard and is not bursting off the line. He doesn’t look like the same intense player he was last year. In part, this could be because, with two young tackles, it’s harder for the Bills to hold the ball long enough to create throws up the field. T.O. is not the same T.O.

8. Vertical field position was the key to the win for the Bengals. Their starting field position was their own 29-yard line, and their final drive was set up by the 17-yard punt return of Quan Cosby. One hundred fifty return yards and an interception return help offset a bad day on third down. The Bengals found alternative ways to win the game.

9. Derek Anderson was going to be the starter in Week 4 had he just gone out and not become a turnover machine. He was put in the game to show some spark, some life, not to make mistakes. As hard as it is for Browns fans (and my son) to accept, Brady Quinn is not the answer. But neither is Anderson.

APByron Leftwich is no longer the starting QB for Tampa Bay.

10. How can the Bucs move the ball for 450 yards against the Cowboys in Week 1 and not convert a third down against the Giants? They cannot have regressed that much in just two weeks, right? Now, it’s Josh Johnson’s turn to take over the quarterback duties, which means the Bucs have spent over $5 million in bonuses for two quarterbacks, Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown, who are not going to help them this year.

11. The Texans did not record a sack on David Garrard despite the fact they were playing at home in a loud stadium and the Jags were using two rookies at tackle. As bad as the Texans play on defense, I’m not sure that call on Kevin Walter at the end of the game was a good one.

12. I think Chad Henne will play well for the Dolphins -- and he better, because as good as Jake Long has played at left tackle, the Dolphins did pass on Matt Ryan in the first round in 2008. St. Louis has let both Ryan and Mark Sanchez pass in two consecutive drafts. Who do they think they have that can play quarterback? Guess what? The Rams will draft a QB next year.

LET’S HAVE A TOAST TO…

Former Raven O.J. Brigance, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. I wrote about him in the Sunday Post, but he deserves another shout out today. Enjoy your 40th birthday, O.J. You are my hero.

Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi

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