National Football Post Brunch News

14 SEPT 2008

QUOTE OF THE DAY:  “It takes less time to do the right things, than to explain why you did it wrong.”  — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  

HERE ARE SOME GAME DAY NOTES....

1.     I wrote the following this past Tuesday. “If Lane Kiffin does not come back from Kansas City with a win, expect some stuff to go down in Oakland next week.  I know it’s early, and I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but based on the off-season the owner and Kiffin have “enjoyed,” starting 0-2 could be the meltdown point.  They don’t talk to one another and as an organization they are as dysfunctional as the Hotel has EVER been.  As bad as the Raiders were on Monday night, they should be able to beat KC—you think?”

Now, Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News has a big story on the subject.  My sources tell me that this is not only accurate, but that EVEN IF he wins, something still might come down.  This firing is not simply a matter of if, but when.  This parting of the ways between Kiffin and the Hotel should have occurred in the offseason, but “someone in the building” was too cheap to pay off the coach.  He sent the coach a bogus letter asking him to resign, yet was willing to give away many millions to players who are marginal NFL starters at best.  Does this make any sense on how to run a business?  This type of stuff can only happen in the Hotel. 

2.     Speaking of marginal starters, did anyone watch Gibril Wilson in the game this past weekend against the Broncos?  I cannot imagine he starts for much longer.  Wow, was he bad. 

3.     The ten o’clock start for the Raiders (I know it is 12 for the Chiefs, but body time for the Raiders, it is 10am) might be a little early.  The Chiefs need to come out and be aggressive right away.

4.     Houston and Baltimore missing their week two game really affects both teams.  The Ravens won't get their bye week when they had planned for it to occur, and that really hurts the players.  As for the Texans, their next two games are now on the road against Tennessee and Jacksonville.  It is conceivable that they could come home to play the Colts and be 0-3.  The Texans are a bad team on the road (2-6 in 2007) and needed a win today to provide a little confidence. 

5.     If the Bucs end up playing Brian Griese all season, they should be really be upset with themselves for not going harder after Brett Favre.  They made the classic mistake: they tried to get involved and not get anyone mad.  In reality, everyone ended up angry anyway. 

6.     Michael Turner might get a hundred yards today, but he will need to do it with 30 carries.  Matt Ryan will need to find another two or three big plays in the passing game.  Eight-man front football played the right way will be on tap for the Bucs and the Falcons today. 

7.     The Giants' running backs really struggled to protect last week, allowing Eli to get pressured too often.  They will need to show marked improvement against all the blitzing from the Rams today. 

8.     The only way the G-men lose today is if they turn over the ball, which can happen easily when you play a team in a dome.  The communication always breaks down and the potential for disaster is very real.  The Giants need to establish the run early and wear down the Rams.  I expect the Rams to give them a good game. 

9.     The Bills threw for their second most passing yards of the season in 2007 when they played the Redskins, which happened to be a team where Gregg Williams was a coach.  So, they have a good feel of how to throw the ball and attack the scheme.

10.  Everyone keeps thinking that if Jerry Porter plays, the Jacksonville offense will have a new life.  I don’t think so.  He will be just like the other wideouts on the team.  The only one who can make a difference is Dennis Northcutt, and he drops too many balls. 

11.  If Albert Haynesworth of the Titans does not play today, the Bengals will score in the 20s, if he does, they will struggle to score more than 17.  The Bengals' offensive line problems have caused Carson Palmer to lower his eye level and look at the rush.  The Bengals need to run the ball against all those seven-man fronts.  What is killing the Bengals is not having a tight end that can make plays in the passing game.  Ben Utecht is not the answer. 

12.  Miami got burned last week dealing with the Jets odd man front on third down.  The game moved too fast for their offensive line and they made more mental mistakes than physical mistakes.  They need to handle the odd fronts of the Cards better today.

13.  The Cards can win the game today only if they can control the game with their defensive line.   Bertrand Berry against Jake Long will be fun to watch.