The Jets and their fans are thankful for a win. Any win. So they must be extra happy this week as they defeated the Steelers, 19-16 in OT, thus diminishing their chance for the top draft pick. Sunshine seems to always come with a dark cloud with this team, doesn’t it? Or perhaps I just don’t like them and their overrated tattletale of a coach. Either way, the win was a good one, but one which will hurt them in the end—sure you want to win some games, but 2-14 or 3-13, what’s the difference? A lower draft pick, that’s the difference—Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis. You college fans know what I’m saying. The Jets played a terrific defensive game, confusing Roethlisberger, stymieing Willie Parker, and holding the explosive Steelers offense to field goals instead of touchdowns. Offensively, Thomas “4.0” Jones got the ball enough so that his 3.9 yards a carry could be effective and Kellen Clemens played a decent game. But who was it that essentially won the game for the Jets? My guy—Leon Washington, the most underutilized man on the team—with his 33 yard punt return. Look, I’m sure Brad Smith is a nice guy and it’s cool that he used to play QB, but he drops passes all the time and isn’t anything more than a guy the coaches like to say, “look what we did—we drafted a QB then turned him into a WR! How cool are we?” about. I don’t know about you Jets fans, but I’d rather see Washington get some of those touches, be it split out or out of the backfield. The guy makes things happen, and the Jets don’t really have anyone else offensively who you can say that about. A good, and a bad win for the J-E-T-S. As for you, Pittsburgh, that’s a bad one. You were outgained, outscored and worst of all—outplayed by a bad team. This always seems to happen to the Steelers at least once a season…come to think of it—I’m a bit nervous about this team’s chances. Take a look at who they’ve beaten this season—no one that good. Seattle? Denver? Cleveland? Hmmm. I guess we’ll find out if they lost a game they shouldn’t have to the Jets, or if they’re simply beating up on crap teams. After hosting a bye (Miami) and Cincinnati, they go to New England and then play Jacksonville. As always, we’ll find out what a team is made of.
Did anyone see that Browns game? I’m sure you’ve all heard about it by now—the game with the bizarre field goal at the end of regulation? Well, I have to ask—why haven’t the two referees who were standing under the goalposts been fired yet? They should be thankful for having a job. It was abundantly clear that both of them saw the ball go through the uprights, then hit behind the crossbar and bounce back through. Why didn’t they signal that the kick was good? Didn’t they know the rules? If not, they should be fired. Didn’t they have the sack to make a tough call, one which they knew would infuriate a team? If not, they should be fired. This is a perfect illustration of the cowardice of NFL referees—they never have the guts to make a tough call, or non-call. They just think, “Replay will get it.” Well, when you’re gutless, replay doesn’t make up for it, even when it overturns your errors: When you call pass interference because it’s the easy way out, replay can’t make up for it. When you don’t see a guy’s foot land out of bounds and say the catch was good, replay may atone for your transgression, but a coach has to waste a challenge because of your laziness/incompetence. When that field goal went through and back, the refs just looked at each other, and I didn’t need them to be miked to know they said, while looking at each other, “Ummm…I think that’s no good, right?” Fired! That controversy distracted from the fact that the Browns are now 6-4, behind only Jacksonville and tied with Tennessee for an AFC wild card spot. And from what I saw from the Titans last night, they’re not going anywhere. Cleveland did it with their usual combination of exciting offense and special teams, and even threw a 100-yard interception return in for good measure. They’re easily one of the most entertaining teams to watch and I’d love to see them in the playoffs. See ya Ravens. You stink and you’re boring. You can be one of those, but you can’t be both and have me discuss you. Good riddance.
The Tampa Bay Bucs should be thankful for the inconsistency of the rest of their crap division. They actually look like they’re going to win it, which is sort of nutty. They crushed the hapless Falcons 31-7 and are now starting to realize that they’re in charge of the South division of the NFC. Jeff Garcia may not be a thrill a minute, but he doesn’t make mistakes and he has a great chemistry with Joey Galloway, and really, what QB wouldn’t? Combine Garcia’s efficiency with Graham and Pittman literally running the show and ironically you have a decent offense for January’s weather. Every one of T-Bay’s remaining games is winnable. Out of nowhere they’ll finish 11-5 and win a playoff game—wait and see. Atlanta, I’ve got nothing for you. Be thankful for that.
There are quite a few teams I find myself rooting for these days, and one of them is the Cardinals. I’m not sure why…I guess it’s fun to watch Kurt Warner and his bionic-looking arm throw to Fitzgerald and Boldin. It’s fun to watch Antrel Rolle run back two INTs for touchdowns and do a couple of backflips to celebrate…I like the coach too—he seems to understand that the first thing he had to do was eliminate the losing feeling this franchise ahs had for…for…well, forever. He’s done it and Arizona should be thankful for him. His team had a mere 50 yards rushing and less than 200 yards passing, gave up 27 points, were out-gained by over 100 yards, and had 11 penalties. But they won. How? Turnovers: They didn’t have any, while Cincinnati had 5, including two that were returned for TDs by the aforementioned Rolle. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cards edged out the Softhawks for the NFC West title. This is yet another team which has six winnable games remaining—but December 9th will determine their fate as they travel to Seattle. If they win, they sweep the Hawks and will win the West. If they lose, they will most likely not make the playoffs. It’ll be hard for Whisenhunt to keep his team focused on the games leading up to that one…Cincy can be thankful that the season has only six games left. What a disappointment…it couldn’t happen to a better bunch of guys.
The Packers can be thankful that number 4 didn’t retire. The Pack is back—now 9-1 after a beat-down of the Panthers. I had them winning the division, but did not think they would be THIS good. Wow. Favre is hitting everyone for TDs and the whole team is having a blast out there, feeding off of his love for the game and raw emotion…if you think raw emotion doesn’t matter, you’re crazy. Do you think anyone wants to go to Lambeau in January? It’s a huge battle between the Packers and Cowboys to see who gets home field for their seemingly inevitable NFC Championship showdown. November 29th—Green Bay at Dallas and if the green and gold want to avoid another trip to Texas, they’d best win that one…and they could. They have a better defense and when Favre is on, he can beat anyone. The NFL is praying for a Favre/Brady Super Bowl, remember that. I’m not saying anything…I’m just saying. Oh yeah, the Panthers are a joke with Vinny back there. Vinny, it was a nice try, but come on. Leave. I’ll be thankful.
Another one of those teams I like is the Texans, who moved to .500 with a win over the annoyingly inconsistent Saints. Matt Schaub outplayed Drew Brees and Andre Johnson proved he’s one of the most underrated players in the league, coming back from an injury to post 120 receiving yards—73 of them on a TD pass from Schaub. It’s too bad he’s missed 7 games or the Texans would be leading the wild card chase instead of trying to make up ground. Yes, Johnson and Schaub are a big reason for this team finding some success, but the main reason to me is their defense. Mario Williams didn’t look like someone who should have been picked behind Reggie Bush on Sunday—he sacked Brees and forced a fumble. Bush barely had 100 yards rushing and receiving and averaged 2.3 yards per carry. The bottom line is this: Bush is averaging the same yards per carry as he did last year—3.6. Not a success by any standard. Williams has already eclipsed his sack total from last season with six games to go. Sure, Bush gets his receiving yards too, but he is averaging less than six yards per reception—again, not a successful number. So those who were laughing at the Texans when they passed on the USC guy, you may want to check yourselves and wait for the final votes to be counted. Bush and his Saints are, at least thus far, nothing but hype.
I know that the Colts have injuries, but come on. Barely beating the Chiefs at HOME after a gut-wrenching loss to San Diego the week before? Seriously? They should be thankful they won and be thankful for the fact thath they racked up a bunch of early season wins, because they look like crap. Is Vinatieri hurt? I sure hope so because if he’s not, he’s turned into a bad kicker. He missed two more kicks! Is Manning hurt? Is Addai hurt? No? Manning: 16 for 32 and an INT…Addai: 21 for 72. Look in the mirror guys. They should have throttled the Chiefs, who had a rookie starting at QB. I think Indianapolis should zip it—after all, wasn’t it the Chiefs who were missing Larry Johnson? He’s not too bad. Manning has Wayne, Addai, and Dallas Clark—that’s more than most teams have. So he was missing his big hookup, so what? They should have won that game easily, but they didn’t. Freeney was out? So what? Everyone has injuries boys—act like World Champs, at least for the couple of months you still own that title. Watching this game, it was pretty clear that the Colts were feeling sorry for themselves—for losing that game last week and for all the injuries they’re suffering through right now. Waaaaah. They’d better get it straight—they have Atlanta on Thanksgiving, then (thanks to the league and their desire to see the Colts win) have some extra time to rest before they entertain the Jags in what could be a meaningful game. KC should be thankful they’re even in a discussion where their name appears with the word “playoffs.” PLAYOFFS? That Mora clip never gets old.
The Eagles can be thankful they were playing the Dolphins. They escaped with a 10 point win but couldn’t have looked worse doing it. McNabb went out with an injury, but not before he managed to go 3-11 for a whopping 34 yards and two terrible interceptions. He played for a quarter and a half, but could manage only 3 points at home, against a winless team, in a game his team absolutely HAD to win. When he got hurt, the Eagles were somehow losing to the 0-fer Fish. OK, he’ll miss a series and get x-rayed and then come back in—he knows how vital this game is! No. He would not return. "It's a little sore. I'll be fine," McNabb said. "Could I have played? I don't think so." Wow. So you didn’t think you could play? Were you guessing? How about taking it out for a test drive and playing a series, or at least giving it a try for ONE PLAY? I know I hammer this guy week in and week out, but come on already—would any of the top QBs in this league, and McNabb is most certainly NOT one of them—have not at least TRIED to play in a game like that? This isn’t a game where you have a 10-1 record and a 30 point lead; this was a game in which your team is 4-5, the team you like to think is YOURS is losing, can’t move the ball, and you’ve already played terribly. Does he want to TRY to lead the team back? Or does he want to call it a day because he “doesn’t think” he can play? People were calling for McNabb to be benched before this game. What are they saying now? I’m sorry—you’ve GOT TO make an effort to play in that game. But I’m sure the reason he didn’t was Terrell Owens’ fault…it’s allllll TO’s fault, right Donovan? Miami will win a game, don’t worry about them. I am actually interested to see if Ricky Williams is still a good runner. He’d better hurry up and get into a game—he’s gonna smoke weed and get caught again, it’s just a matter of time, isn’t it? Go
Cardinals, Browns and Texans, as much as I like you guys, I find myself liking the Jags a bit more. No, they’re not explosive offensively, they’re not a crazy-good defense like the Bears of 06…they’re just a solid, solid football team that will take your best punch then deliver theirs. Your punch might be harder or better than theirs, but they’re tougher than you, so YOU will be the one who goes down and stays down. Yeah!!! I love the Jags!!! OK, OK…they beat the…I don’t know how to describe San Diego anymore. Enigmatic? Yeah, we’ll use that for now. They beat the enigmatic Chargers pretty easily and improved to 7-3. This, after they gave up 1,000,000 yards on the ground in losing their opening game of the season to division rival Tennessee. Jacksonville is kind of like Tampa Bay, but with better backs, a better defense, and a very similar QB who doesn’t make mistakes and produces when called upon. Jacksonville = Rich Man’s Tampa Bay. The Jags held Tomlinson to 62 yards rushing—no easy feat. Meanwhile, the Jags scored on their first three possessions—that’s the way you keep a team who is feeling down, down. Kick them in the teeth right away. David Garrard returned from injury to post modest numbers: 15 for 24 for 189 yards with two TDs and, as usual, no INTs. His return meant a lot to the team, and the offense in particular. I’ll let one of his teammates say it, “That's why he's our leader," receiver Ernest Wilford said. "He's one of the guys who's moving the chains and making plays and making everyone else look better. That's what you look for in your quarterback, to make everyone around him better." THAT is what I want my team saying about my quarterback.
Jimmy crack corn, and I don’t care. So imagine how I feel about Oakland and Minnesota! This was an entertaining albeit meaningless affair which proved that neither team is any good and that I wanted to see Adrian Peterson play, and was pissed he’s hurt. Oh, and it was cool to see Visanthe Shiancoe roll up 79 yards in one reception. Like a Yankees World Series title, we shan’t see it again anytime soon.
Dallas beat Washington. Or should I say my man TO beat Washington! Four TDs! Man, he’s having fun out there, and who wouldn’t when they went for four TDs? Better for Dallas is that everyone else is catching TO’s enthusiasm and they’ve finally figured out how to handle him—don’t. When he’s left alone, he’s a productive receiver AND a good teammate. His teammates know he’s a nut, but he’s THEIR nut and they’ve embraced him, led by Tony Romo. This guy—even as a Giants fan, I have to tip my cap to him…he’s exciting, has fun, does what he has to, isn’t afraid of anything…sigh. Why can’t we have a Tony Romo. As if his 9-1 record wasn’t enough, I’m told the magnificent bastard makes some mean ribs! Is there no end to what you can do, Tony Romo!!?!?! Washington might slip into the playoffs, and that’s where they should be. They’re decent on both sides of the ball. They beat the bad teams and lose to the good ones. Mediocre, thy name is Washington. I like Jason Campbell and have seen him improve steadily on a weekly basis…but he can’t hang with Tony Romo and his gang. Dallas hosts Green Bay in a couple of weeks, but they better not sleep on Thanksgiving, lest the Jets steal their 2nd big name scalp in two games. It can’t happen. Lay the wood.
In other news, the Niners are still atrocious and the Rams aren’t much better…They should both be thankful that no one watched their display of ineptitude. Bah. “Hey SF—race me to the first draft pick?” “OK—but Miami has a huge lead on us…” “Don’t worry they’ll screw it up somehow.”
I don’t care if they won, when a team allows Cedric “Charmin” Benson to run amok, I can give it no props. Seattle, who is the Fool’s Gold of the NFL, beat the reeling Bears in Seattle to improve to 6-4. Matt Hasselbeck, who is actually damn good despite his team’s softness, had another outstanding game, and Maurice Morris had another good effort himself. On the softer side, the Hawks yielded 345 yards of offense to the Bears. THE BEARS! With Rex Grossman at the helm! How is that acceptable? Man, I can’t wait for this team to get smoked. Paper Tiger, smoke and mirrors, however you wanna term it, Seattle is going to be the victim of one of those blowout playoff games if they can hang on to win the division. Don’t feel sorry for Chicago, you can’t fool everyone every season. We haven’t heard much from Devin Hester lately. I guess those who were touting him for the Hall of Fame have found something else to hype.
I am running out of compliments for the Patriots. Brady is a stud, Moss is sick, blah, blah, blah. I’ll say this: that camera incident was the best thing that could have ever happened to them, and to the NFL. Now everyone is polarized—you either love them or hate them. You’re either from New England and/or like to root for the bad guy, or you are an unappreciative person who believes heroes wear white hats and always get the girl. Fools—Tom Brady gets the girl, not anyone else! Have you learned nothing? When New England is driving for 16, 17, 18, and finally 19-0—how “upset” will the NFL be about that old Cameragate story? That’s the story that gave the Pats the extra “us against the world” motivation to not just beat, but to crush all comers. AND, it’s the story that made people hate the Pats like we all used to hate the dynasties of the 70s and 80s, in all sports. Man, I used to hate the Cowboys and Niners…and the Celtics…and the Bulls…and the Islanders…now? Now I admire them, and admire the Pats. Remember—we might be living through sports history this season, and that’s pretty cool.
Denver is going to win the AFC West. And people go on about how GREAT the AFC is? Shut it, all of you. Denver is no better than Washington and they’re going to win a division. It’s weak sauce. Everyone was thinking San Diego was the 2nd best team in the league, right there with New England, ahead of even Indy! But they’re not, it’s time to admit it and move on. Who’s really good in the AFC other than the Pats? Pittsburgh? They just lost to the Jets! Jacksonville—I wish, but they aren’t that good…who? Tell me? Indy? They’re banged up, but they apparently have no depth. I see Green Bay and Dallas playing much better than anyone this side of Belichick-ville…MUCH better. So stop the presses—the NFC is coming on strong. Will they win the Super Bowl? Maybe. All I know is, it’s the NFC representative that’s going to make the Super Bowl a story. Whether it’s TO, Romo and the Cowboys, or Favre’s last chance for a title in a storybook season…the NFL should stop their Peyton Manning hype machine and move it over to the NFC, at least at 9-1, those teams deserve it. For now.
Remember—the games are on Thursday, so get your picks in and set your fantasy lineups early this week! Happy Thanksgiving to all—be thankful for what you have.
