Monday, October 25, 2010

The games keep getting better!

We’re getting into the meat of the NFL schedule and Week 7 did not disappoint. A week after the Concussion Bowls, NFL fans were greeted with upsets, controversial calls by the officials, teams who were unable to hold onto the ball and an unexpected blowout.

While this season continues to prove unpredictable, one thing’s for certain: this year is wide open and the team that gets hot at the right time, can get a few calls to go their way and can avoid the injury bug, they're going to be your Super Bowl champion come February.

Top 10 thoughts on yesterday’s games:

10. Controversy in Miami: The Steelers escaped with a victory in Miami and Dolphins fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouths. While replays showed that Roethlisberger fumbled the ball at the 1 yard line, the referees had blown the play dead and did not see which team recovered the ball. While Miami may have been robbed, they shouldn’t have been in that position where it came down to one play. Had Miami converted just one of those 5 field goals into touchdowns, they probably get the win. By the way, Brandon Marshall only has 1 TD this year…that’s a problem.

9. In the pre-season, I joked about Colt McCoy not being tall enough for the League. After two weeks of pretty decent play (against Pittsburgh and New Orleans, no less), I may owe Colt an apology. He’s not lighting the world on fire but he’s a competitor and at the QB position, sometimes that’s all you need. What’s going on w/the Saints? I wonder if Sean Payton is losing sight of this season because he has his eyes on the soon-to-be-vacant Cowboys head coaching gig.

8. What to make of Baltimore? They go down early to a bad Buffalo team, stage a remarkable comeback and nearly lost the game. Granted, Buffalo played Baltimore tough and looked like a reinvigorated team. If you’re a Ravens fan, you have to be concerned about the focus of this team. They blew a 10 point lead to New England last week should have lost yesterday.

7. Forget the Vick/Kolb controversy. What was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles thinking yesterday? How in the world does an aging and injured Kerry Collins torch the Eagles? And how does a receiver who didn’t play in the first quarter get 200+ yards and 3 touchdowns? The Eagles definitely let one get away from them yesterday and they should be concerned about other teams going deep on them early and often. As for Kolb, I’m not sure what Reid saw in him over the summer but what I’ve seen over the past 7 weeks is a QB that can not throw the ball accurately at 40+ yards. His throws look like ducks; there's no zip and defenses will start to key on his inability to throw the ball deep.

6. A win is a win. You don’t get style points for winning pretty and the Redskins sure won ugly. In a turnover filled game, including a horrible early pick-6 by McNabb, the Redskins defense stepped up and forced at least 5 Bears turnovers. While DeAngelo Hall’s 4 interceptions tied an NFL record, the play by the much maligned Albert Haynesworth has to be top story. Haynesworth has been in Shannahan’s doghouse for most of the season and his play should erase some of these hard feelings. However, before we crown Haynesworth the next Deacon Jones, keep in mind that Chicago is extremely overrated and their offensive line is terrible.

5. The fat lady is singing for Mike Singletary. After falling to 1-6 in a disappointing loss to Carolina, this season can’t end well for Singletary. The NFC West is now Seattle’s division to lose and all the 49ers can do is begin planning for next year. The team just looks uninspired out there and a coaching change may be the only option to right this sinking ship.

4. Speaking of coaching hot seats, things must be getting pretty warm for Norv Turner as San Diego dropped yet another close game yesterday. Yes, the Chargers were down to New England and mounted a furious comeback, including a successful onside kick. However, a late false start that turned a makeable 45 yard field goal attempt into a 50 yard try highlighted the lack of discipline that has plagued San Diego throughout the season. Even if they put together a late run (as they have the last few years), they would also need Kansas City to go cold and that does not appear likely to happen.

3. Still not sure what to make of Cincinnati. Inconsistent? Inept? Here’s another team with plenty of talent that just can’t seem to put it all together for a full four quarters. At one point during yesterday’s game, they reeled off 22 unanswered points. While a close, near comeback win may have saved Marvin Lewis’ job in the past, I get the feeling that his days in Cincinnati are numbered – as in 9 more weeks.

2. The Favre era could very well be over. He’s injured after being run over by a bus driven by his coach and Favre’s passion for the game just doesn’t seem to be there. While it would have been nice to see Favre make another run at a championship, it would have been more fitting to see him retire last year after giving it his all. This season feels hollow and while I’d hate to see him go, it’s time.

1. The Oakland Raiders demolished Denver yesterday. I don’t know what gameplan Josh McDaniels worked on this week but his team seemed woefully unprepared for Oakland. The Raiders came in, ran up and down the field and left Denver with more questions than answers. What ever happened to that 6-0 start last year? Was the media too anxious to anoint McDaniels the next big thing? Did he buy into all that hype and forsake his team for his pride? This was a definite must-win for Denver and their schedule does not get much easier.

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