MONDAY’S TAVERN TALK….
MAJOR INJURIES
QUARTERBACKS Kyle Orton, Chicago Bears - high ankle sprain - Matt Schaub, Houston Texans - knee -
RUNNING BACKS Travis Minor, St. Louis Rams - concussion -
WIDE RECEIVERS Dante' Hall, St. Louis Rams - sprained ankle -
TIGHT ENDS Alex Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - knee -
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Chad Clifton, Green Bay Packers - undisclosed - Jason Whittle, Buffalo Bills - undisclosed - Eric Steinbach, Cleveland Browns - undisclosed - Leonard Davis, Dallas Cowboys - right ankle -
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee Titans - undisclosed -
LINEBACKERS Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs - hamstring - Chris Draft, St. Louis Rams - strained foot - Keith Bulluck, Tennessee Titans - rib -
DEFENSIVE BACKS Brandon Flowers, Kansas City Chiefs - undisclosed James Butler, New York Giants - leg Mike Brown, Chicago Bears - calf -
I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR THE HEAD COACH OF THE WEEK…
ERIC MANGINI NEW YORK JETS
The Jets are in first place, and as we head into the second half of the season, are in a prime spot to compete for the AFC East title. The Jets have won 4 of their last 5 and have bounced back from a tough loss in Oakland to win their next two games. I agree that the Jets schedule has been very favorable, but they have beaten who they need to beat and getting a quality win in Buffalo should propel them into the second half of the season. The Jets are like many teams in the NFL right now, not perfect, but they are capable of beating anyone, and capable of losing to anyone. Winning in Buffalo was huge. It gave the Bills their second AFC East loss and gave the Jets their second road win in the division.
I’M BUYING A ROUND FOR AN ASSISTANT COACH OF THE WEEK…
MIKE HEIMERDINGER TENNESSEE TITANS
I cannot think of a better guy than Mike to be coaching the kind of team the undefeated Titans have become. Heimerdinger is a creative person, who happens to be one of the best play callers in the league and he knows how to adjust the game plan as the game is in progress. Yesterday with the Packers playing tight man to man defense, the Titans’ wide receivers were struggling to get open and away from press coverage. Heimerdinger found enough offense to put the Titans in position to win the game--twice. The Titans have been able to win the past two weeks doing something a little different each time, and that is the true mark of a great team. One of the best off season moves of the year was the Titans being able to bring back Heimerdinger.
KARAOKE TIME… WHAT HAPPENED?
TO THE COWBOYS OFFENSE?
THIS SEASON
1st 6 Games Last 3 Games
PPG 29.2 13.7
Total YPG 401.8 232.0
Pass YPG 274.0 140.3
Pass TD-INT 14-5 3-6
Yds per Pass Att. 8.4 5.2
TO THE MIAMI DOLPHINS
THIS SEASON
1st 2 Gms Last 6 Gms
W-L 0-2 4-2
PPG 12.0 24.5
Total YPG 256.5 379.8
Turnover Diff. 0 +9<<
>>12 takeaways in last 4 games
TO THE BUFFALO BILLS
THIS SEASON
1st 4 Gms Last 4 Gms
W-L 4-0 1-3
PPG 27.3 18.3
Opp. PPG 15.8 26.5
Turnover Diff. +1 -6
TO THE CINCINNATI BENGALS
LAST 7 GAMES
Result
JAC Jaguars Won by 2
HOU at Texans Lost by 29
PIT Steelers Lost by 28
NYJ at Jets Lost by 12
DAL at Cowboys Lost by 9
CLE Browns Lost by 8
NYG at Giants Lost by 3<<
>>Overtime
YOU HAVE TO WONDER…HOW ABOUT THESE STATS…
1. The Titans had 178 rush yards (4th game this season with 150+ rush yards)
2. The Chiefs rushed for 183 yards (most allowed by TB since they allowed 208 rush yards to the Eagles on Oct. 22, 2006)
3. The Bucs scored 27 of the game’s final 30 points to overcome a 21-point deficit; it's the largest comeback in Buccaneers’ history and the largest lead blown by KC in a loss in franchise history
4. Ray Rice: 1st career 100-yd game; 154 rush yards is the most by Ravens player since Jamal Lewis had 167 rush yards on Jan. 2, 2005 against the Dolphins
5. Joe Flacco has 4 TDs, 0 INTs in his last 3 games. Derrick Mason: season-high 9 receptions for 2nd 100-yd game this season; 1st player to have 100+ receiving yards against the Browns this season
6. The Raiders had 0 first downs and -2 total yards in the first half. The last NFL team to have negative yards in the first half was the Colts, who had -5 yards against San Diego on Nov. 1, 1992.
7. The Falcons' 57 rush attempts is tied for the 2nd most in franchise history and 1 shy of their franchise record. They scored 24 points on their first 4 possessions.
8. The Raiders had just 6 completions yesterday. They had 2 more completions than sacks allowed (4); including the 4 sacks, the Raiders were held to 10 net pass yards
9. The Cowboys are in last place in the NFC East; the last time they've held sole possession of last place after 9 games was in 2002 when they were 3-6
10. Dallas has been held under 200 total yards in back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 2002. The Cowboys have lost 3 straight road games for first time since 2004 and have been held to 14 points or fewer in 3 straight games for the first time since Dec. 2004
RAMBLING THOUGHTS
1. Seattle has no chance to win right now with all the injuries they have suffered on offense. This is a clear example of how the strength of schedule is meaningless. It is more about the health of the team you play.
2. Arizona had a very impressive win yesterday on the road, which was huge for them. And finding a runner like Tim Hightower in the fifth round has made their offense more versatile. He makes a huge difference.
3. When I watch the Green Bay Packers play, I don't see a 500 team. I see the best team in the NFC North in terms of talent. How they play the second half of the season will determine if I am right. This week in Minnesota will be a good place to start the second half of the year.
4. Houston cannot find a way to win on the road. They just don't have the physical play in both lines to match up when they leave Houston. Their secondary lacks speed and play making ability.
5. I was impressed with how New England, and especially quarterback Matt Cassel looked on offense last night. Once they get running backs Sammy Morris and/or Lamont Jordan back, they will show further improvement. Their offensive line has really improved.
6. Where was Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney last night? They Colts had no sacks for the game and it looked like Matt Cassel had time to throw the ball.
7. Tampa really struggles to play well on the road. Losing in Denver and almost losing in KC would have been very tough to overcome. I am sure Jon "Love you Bro" Gruden is not happy with his quarterback play right now.
8. Mark Bradley, the wide receiver now of the Chiefs, looks like the wide receiver and athlete that the Bears envisioned when they made him a second round pick. Donnie Walsh of the Knicks is correct in believing you never cut or trade a player unless you know what he REALLY is as a player. The Chiefs got a very good player off the waiver wire.
9. In case you missed it yesterday on the CBS Pre game show, Bill Cowher listed his top wide receivers in the game:
1. Andre Johnson Houston
2. Larry Fitzgerald Arizona
3. Brandon Marshall Denver
4. Steve Smith Carolina
5. Reggie Wayne Indy
I cannot argue with his list.
10. Leon Washington of the Jets might be the one player who can separate the three way tie in the AFC East. He is a unique player and needs to get the ball much more as the season goes along.
LET’S HAVE A TOAST TODAY
To Marvin Lewis and the entire Cincinnati Bengals team for getting their first win of the NFL season. Now the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost to the Bengals, have to go to Detroit to face the winless Lions.
HEY BARTENDER, WHAT’S ON TAP TONIGHT?
PITTSBURGH AT WASHINGTON
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE.....IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN.......
The Steelers are 3-1 on road this season.
The Steelers are 1st in the NFL in total defense (236.0 YPG) and 3rd in rush defense (71.6 YPG).
Pittsburgh has not allowed a 100-yd rusher this season; they’ve allowed only eight 100-yd rushers since 2003 (fewest in NFL).
The Steelers defense has 25 sacks this season, 2nd in the NFL. Pittsburgh has yet to allow more than 21 points in a game this season.
Pittsburgh has outscored opponents 45-6 in 3rd quarter this season.
Hines Ward has at least 1 reception in a team-record 153 consecutive games.
Mewelde Moore has 303 rush yards, 3 rushing TDs, and 1 receiving TD in his last 3 games.
A Redskins win would give them their best 9-game start since 1996, when they also started 7-2.
The Redskins have 5 offensive turnovers (all fumbles) in their last 3 games after having 0 offensive turnovers in the first 5 games.
The Redskins have not thrown an INT in 12 straight games, an NFL record. They have 360 consecutive pass attempts without an INT, also an NFL record. Jason Campbell has 252 consecutive pass attempts without an INT, longest streak in NFL since Aaron Brooks had 256 consecutive attempts without an INT for the Saints from 2003-04.
Washington’s defense has held their last four opponents to under 275 total yards. Despite facing 5 of the NFL’s top 8 offenses this season, the Redskins defense ranks 6th in NFL at 278.1 YPG. The Redskins are 2nd in the NFL in rushing with 155.3 YPG.
The Redskins are outrushing their opponents by 72.5 YPG this season.
Clinton Portis leads the NFL with 944 rush yards this season. He’s averaging 139.2 YPG in his last 5 games. He has 5 straight games with 120+ rush yards; the NFL record is 6 straight games with 120+ rush yards shared by Earl Campbell (1980) and Eric Dickerson (1984).
Santana Moss has 3 receptions of 50+ yards this season (T-2nd in NFL). The Redskins have been outscored 41-20 in the 1st quarter this season.
The Skins must be able to handle the speed and quickness of the Steelers front. I expect the Steelers to force turnovers tonight.
The Steelers shut down the Seahawks last year in Pittsburgh. Dick LeBeau knows how to defend this attack.
The Steelers better double Moss all over the field.
Bradley is a pretty damn talented kid.
I saw him play quite a bit at OU and
he looked like a kid who could grow
into a borderline, WR-1 at the NFL
level. If he can ever stay healthy
and get all his speed back, that might
still be the case.
Michael, I'm very curious to know your opinion on a couple of Patriot players, mainly Gary Guyton, Benjarvus GreenEllis and James Sanders?
How does a guy like Hightower not get invited to the combine? How do they select who gets an invite to the combine?
Kudos to Maurice Carthon for mining this potential gem.
What about the two Mosses on that list. Randy and Satntana. Santana is having a career year and Randy is just Randy. I would take those two over Wayne anyday. Wayne benefits from being apart of the Indianapolis Mannings
b roo, I'm no Mr.Lombardi, but as a Pat's fan, the first person that I usually notice break any credible news on the Pats is Mike Reiss over on some other website (I'm pretty sure I've seen him linked here before). I don't think he's mentioned a single thing on Moss.
Unless you mean Santana, in which case it would be ridiculous to look for Redskins info on a Pats website =P
To beat the Steelers you have to tag hot routes w/double moves.
Le Beau fakes who blitzes a lot of the time and it clouds the reads for adjusting and finding hots. Double the move the hot, knowing he expects the hot. He zone blitzes to make you throw short hot routes that his team can unload upon.
Double move the hot so you can get their safeties to bite. It takes some stout protection, and you have to disguise the Qb drop as well because his zone stuff changes where you can get lanuch points set up.
That would mean your share of slant goes and skinny posts that break into corner routes. Dual routes could continue double hots, or dual combos where two have to find adjustments. Sail the slot and hot number one instead of going hot from the people nearest the blitz. It isn't easy, but a win vs. the Steelers D usually isn't.
There's a lot of room between slot to no 1's man and sailing him would open up a mile of space on the route combinations and usually have him on a safety or LB.
As a Bear fan disappointed to see Bradley showing the flashes that got us excited a couple of years ago. But we have Marty Booker so I guess we're just flush with WR talent (sarcasm)
And who would have thought Michael would find a way to get a Aaron Brooks reference into an article/column/post. Good times.
Hope to see Bruce Davis Jr. get some good items in on this game.
The Gibbs run Game that Zorn kept intact really works well of a 3-4 at getting a lot of double teams to your linemen on a base 3-4. They'll have to under/over shift to keep the gaps on either side closed or Bugel will try to have two guys on the play side end and Hampton every down, those guys will end up reaching the ILB as well.
If the Steelers check the run game, then you might see JC have some mistakes forced into later downs. Is this a case of never making mistakes, or are they simply due for a bunch of INT to pop up?
For their good play on the interior the Steelers corners are still suspect as well. The Skins OL has stayed healthy for the most part of recent and should be able to match up well early into the game. Who wins it late may be determined by who holds the ball longest.
Does Randle El make a play on his old team? He and Hines Ward can both throw the ball. You might need ways of creating points outside what either Qb brings, against playoff caliber defense.
I am a diehard Packers fan- but Cowher leaving Gregg Jennings off the list of excellent receivers this year- and including the "problem child" Brandon Marshall, (to me, a "name" in the making- a player who gets mentioned for being great, but doesn't produce on the field) in particular is very bothersome. I'm surprised you agree with Cowher. Any chance of a re-thinking on this subject?
Aside from Reggie Wayne deserving to be placed atop the list, for being Mr.Game Time when it counts, you can see value in all of the players Cowher mentions.
The Rams rookie deserves some serious mention too, he is a play maker.
Who knows what kind of QB support Devin Hester will get now, he was developing on a track to make mention.
Berrian is building up stats for mention, and Calvin Johnson would be tough to overlook now.
The team with the best WR crew is the Giants, and their Steve Smith is a big time player. Of all the players not mentioned he's the one who's been fearless over the middle on a consistent basis.
Interesting that you mention the fact Braylon has vision problems. He's made an art form of falling down on catches to give them some kind of highlight feel, even if it isn't on the sideline.
Heimerdinger is a good OC to have Fisher's full confidence like he does. The Giants got a personnel guy from the Titans and have taken off since. James Butler is on my short list for Pro Bowl votes at this time, hope his leg injury isn't serious. The Giants DC should get some serious mention for assistant coach of the week as well.
As for that beer you are getting Mangini, it has Jet Favre's name on it.
Each of the OL injuries mentioned are major items in terms of impact on those teams. Do the Packers have some depth from having played people in place of either T in recent years? Leonard Davis out would be a huge item for Dallas, he sets the interior now there may be nowhere to step up. Steinbach's value was apparent in the dropoff his former team had in protection.
Greg Jennings was on Cowhers list at about 7.
Mike...
"Where was Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney last night? They Colts had no sacks for the game and it looked like Matt Cassel had time to throw the ball."
Which begs the question:
"Why didn't the Pats take the deep shots to Moss against an inexperienced and banged-up Colts secondary?"
London,
I agree with you on testing the Indy secondary more... there were some strange decisions in that game by NE...lets just say that Belichick won't be sending in that game tape for his HOF induction....
---"Hope to see Bruce Davis Jr. get some good items in on this game."
He scored a hoody and some sweat pants. Standard gameday swag, as he takes a healthy seat for yet another undrafted guy (who ended up blocking the punt).
Couldn't disagree more about Mark Bradley. Athlete-yes, good WR-No way. 10 catches for 115 yds and one TD over 3 games gets you excited? The guy has no football instincts.
The Colts double moved the Stealers all night, they dropped at least three sure TD but teams now see the blueprint.
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Nov 03, 2008
06:00 PM
Michael,
I heard that Moss was out. Are you hearing different?