Gahddamn I'm sick as a muhfuggah. But I like you guys. So I will fight through this head-exploding illness and share some insight with you peoples.
First off, happy belated thanksgiving. I hope there was too much food, copious amounts of alcohol, and plenty of football that you enjoyed with family and friends. At the start of the season I don't think anyone expected these games to be interesting really. Detroit was probably projected to win 6 games this season after their miserable showing last year, Miami is just Miami and they never win much, and no one saw the 49ers holding this good of a record. Granted, these three teams all ended up losing Thursday but they made for interesting games and everything was kept relatively close.
The biggest game of course was the match-up between Green Bay (10-0) and Detroit (7-3). The Cheeseheads are continuing down the road of perfection and came one step closer after defeating the Lions 27-15 to move to 11-0 on the season. However the biggest story to come from this game would have to be the antics of Ndamukong Suh. How stupid is this guy? Take a look at what he thought was a good idea in the middle of the Packers Lions game. Instant ejection from the game, Goodell came down on him and suspended him 2 games, and the commish is suggesting anger management courses for Suh for stomping on this guy like a thug. Not the smartest plan when your team is on the bubble for the playoffs this season and you are their leading pass rusher.
So here's what I took away from this week as teams start fighting for playoff spots, besides the fact that Stevie Johnson put on a top 3 touchdown celebration of all-time (Go Watch It).
1) Sound the Favre Horn?
Could it be that time? Will SportsCenter be once again consumed by the Brett Favre watch?
The Houston Texans lost their second quarterback yesterday in Matt Leinart who was hammered into the ground and dislocated his collarbone sidelining him for the remainder of the season most likely. That leaves the playoff hopes of the 8-3 Texans in the hands of fifth round rookie quarterback T.J. Yates out of North Carolina.
With the AFC South as tight as it is and the Titans finally finding their running back in Chris Johnson, I'd say they need a veteran quarterback and fast. When the Texans initially lost Schaub just 2 weeks ago, they held some workouts for washed up quarterbacks such as Jeff Garcia, Brody Croyle, Chase Clements, and Trent Edwards and will most likely sign one of them, but boy wouldn't it be something to give the old gunslinger a call and ask him to fill in for the season.
The upcoming schedule for Houston is relatively difficult with games against Atlanta (7-4), Cincinnati (7-4), and Carolina (3-8) with two of those three teams starting rookie quarterbacks as well. I'd look for a signing by Wednesday of this week in Houston.
2) The T-Ocho Show
Did anyone even watch that show? I remember trying to watch it one night and thought to myself "What the hell is this shit?"
The rumors are though that this crappiest show on turf could be reunited. Drew Rosenhaus has claimed that a team in the AFC division is "very interested" in signing veteran receiver Terrell Owens. T.O. hasn't played since April after having knee surgery which sidelined him for the remainder of the 2010-2011 season. During that span however, Owens had 72 receptions for 983 yards and 9 touchdowns which is a pretty good half-season. The veteran receiver is dying to play and starting to get desperate, offering to take pay cuts and holding public workouts (which no one shows up to) in hopes of someone signing him.
There has been some speculation that the Patriots may be interested in signing Owens for the remainder of this season to add depth to the wide receiver position. Personally? I think this is a horrible idea. Yeah sure make the argument that Belichick can fix and discipline any player and turn a bad personality into a star player. Compare the scenario to that of Randy Moss. Not relevant here.
First off, the Patriots have already taken two risks on personality troubled players this past offseason. One of them has been cut. The other has been irrelevant and claims to not even know the offensive playbook yet in Week 11 of the season.
Second is the past between T.O. and Ochocinco. They played together on the Bengals last season and have always had a goof around type friendship. Just imagine the two of them working together to learn the playbook. I guarantee that nothing would get done.
The Patriots are leading their division and will most likely win the division. After their display this past Sunday where they put up 38 against the Eagles their is no need to beef up the offense. Their concerns lie in the defense (clearly since they just let up 400+ yards to Vince Young...).
3) I'm not going to talk about it...
All I have to say here, first person to injure Tim Tebow will be my hero.
Better yet first coach to actually put him in a proper position that isn't quarterback will be my hero.
I applaud John Elway for not committing to Tim Tebow as the quarterback of their future. When Tebow beats a team that has more than 5 wins and throws for more than 200 yards is the day that I tuck my tail between my legs and walk away.
4) What Is Going To Happen In the City of Brotherly Love?
With the Eagles now sitting at a terrible 4-7 there are clearly some changes that need to be made this offseason. Question is, who is going to be job hunting? After their blowout loss to New England on Sunday the crowd is all done. The Eagles are now 1-5 at home this season and their fans want blood, with chants of "Fi-re An-dy" last night and critics calling Desean Jackson soft and afraid throughout the season.
Jackson is surely on his way out. Last night he dropped two critical passes that would have been touchdowns. And his punishment for those two drops was being benched for the entire fourth quarter. His hopes for a new contract and an extension during this season are slowly dwindling away if he keeps up this type of play.
Andy Reid I feel is a great coach. He is a quarterback's type of coach and can put together a solid offense that scores. With plenty of talent on both sides of the ball he can make plenty of changes this offseason to have his team prepared to win next year. I believe the fault here lies in the defensive coordinator. If a team has the talent and is healthy, yet is still unable to stop teams from putting points on the board, then the blame should fall on the defensive coordinator for not drawing up proper schemes between opponents. I look for the team to beef up their defensive line and find a new coordinator while their offense gets healthy and continues to gel together.
These next few weeks are some deciding games for a lot of teams on the cusp of playoff births such as the Jets, Bengals, Titans, Texans, etc. Coaches will be going all out for big victories and players will start to take more risks. If Favre comes back though all bets are off and the Texans are going to win it all. Nuff said.
As always leave your thoughts in the comment section below or find me on Twitter @iedlund or on Facebook and Google+.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Week 11 Wrap-Up
Fun Fact of the day: at least one player drafted from the University of Miami has scored a touchdown in 149 consecutive games dating back Week 15 of the 2002 NFL season... no matter what the scandal turns into that school will always be a powerhouse in the NFL draft class.
But back to stuff I'm supposed to write about.
Do the Philadelphia Eagles make sense to anyone? Go 3-6 with Mike Vick calling the shots and then end up beating the New York Giants with Vince Young under center. Granted the game was god awful and I didn't even have the stomach to watch the whole thing but come on; Vince Young was so 4 years ago.
I would have to think that due to the conference they are in and the wild card predictions that the Eagles are not playoff hopefuls. If they won out the season then maybe they could have a shot at a playoff spot. Look for the Eagles to play the spoiler card on teams for the remainder of the season and it will have a huge impact on standings.
As the weeks roll on look for a lot more of this to happen; teams becoming contenders while others turn out to be pretenders.
The team that really looked like a pretender this week would have to be the Buffalo Bills. Now this is the team that I remember from oh lets say last season? They have now lost three straight games and have been largely blown out in the contests (opponents are out scoring them 106-26 during the losing streak). The offense has lost its balanced attack on offense and the defense looks like it couldn't stop molasses from coming out of a jar.
I bet the fans are wishing to get some sort of rebate for the contract extension they gave quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Since signing the extension, Fitzpatrick has thrown eight interceptions, which brings his total on the season to 14. But the Bills are starting to fall into some tough times. Players on both sides of the ball are starting to go hard with some serious injuries. Just this week against the Dolphins cornerback Terrence McGee went down with what has to be a season ending knee injury since CBS wouldn't even play the replay of the injury it was so bad, halfback Fred Jackson suffered a minor calf injury, and wide receiver Donald Jones was carted off the field in an air cast on his ankle. Since week 8 the Bills have had to place three other key players on injured reserve.
Now into what I learned this week:
1) Time to start talking perfect?
The Pack continue to roll. After this weeks 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Packers now sit at 10-0 and lead the NFC (obviously). Aaron Rogers is just playing stupid and can make a win for his squad in any situation. The Buccs kept this game relatively close throughout and were only down by 2 with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter. But then Rogers says "OK I guess I'll try now" and throws a 40-yard strike to Jordy Nelson to secure another win.
Is it too soon to start making the comparisons?
Not too long ago in 2007 the Patriots were able to finish off the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record. A quarterback by the name of Tom Brady was playing out of his mind; kind of like Aaron Rogers. He threw the ball to everyone and everyone scored; kind of like the Packers offense. The offense was putting up 36.8 points per game while their defense was only allowing 17.1 points per game, a point differential of 19.7 per game, close to what the Packers are holding now.
These teams are eerily similar on both sides of the ball; no running game, a feared linebacker core, a white wide receiver that tears it up, and a quarterback that does whatever he feels like and it works.
Probability wise the Packers are not going to go undefeated. There is just too much that can go wrong. Be it an injury, garbage games to close out the season, a surprise game where the team just isn't clicking, or just a hard fought game where the Packers end up losing. Too many variables can create obstacles on the road to a perfect season. This coming Thanksgiving game against the detroit Lions will be a big hurdle on that road and I certainly look forward to watching that one.
2) Daaaaaaaa Bears
Who would have thought that the Bears have finally pulled their act together. They have always been a good team, but seemingly just found ways to lose important games. After this weeks match against San Diego the Bears might be on the right track now.
Including this week the Bears have put themselves on a five game winning streak and are inching closer and closer towards the playoffs. But those playoff hopes may come to a crashing halt this week.
Jay Cutler, quarterback for the team suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand in the fourth quarter of the game and preliminary reports say that there could be a season ending surgery in Cutler's near future. Without Cutler the hopes for this team in the postseason drop drastically. Caleb Hanie is definitely going to be taking over for Cutler this week and that is all we know at this point. Unless Cutler can come back within 3 weeks or Hanie can somehow continue this winning streak for the Bears then the chances at a wild card spot in the NFC is going to be a stretch.
3) The Future
Remember when the Lions went 0-16? That wasn't a good season for them. But, just 2 seasons later, the Lions have become the talk of the town. Sitting at 7-3 and tied with the Bears in the NFC North the Lions are fighting for a playoff spot via the Wild Card.
Who are the next Lions? My vote goes to CAAAAMMMMM!! The sensation that is sweeping the nation. The Panthers have been a great looking club even though their record doesn't show it (sitting 2-8 right now) and continue to improve weekly. There is much work to be done though. Their defense is ranked 17th in passing defense and 30th in rush defense. Can't be expected to win games if you can't stop the football from moving down the field.
Before the Lions went on their 5 game win streak at the end of the 2010 season they lost a lot of close games in the fourth quarter and blew some leads in the fourth quarter.
Enter the Carolina Panthers.
This season they have lost 3 games in the fourth quarter. On top of that they have had the lead going into halftime in 3 of their games in which the end result was a loss.
Now that the owners know that they have hope for a winning season for the first time in a few years look for them to invest this off-season to only improve the team and increase the win column.
4) I Hate Tim Tebow
Tim Tebo is the most awkward player to watch in the NFL. I refuse to watch any of his games. What sort of team thinks they can run the ball over 50 times in consecutive games and then win. How the Broncos continue to win baffles me.
In case you were wondering, Tim Tebow can't throw the football. He runs it a lot. He gives the ball to his running back to run when he gets tired.
Granted I love that they beat the Jets. The Jets defense is supposed to be one of the tops in the league, yet Tim Tebow can just run for a million yards and win the game of course on a QB draw play. I don't even know what to say to that. I don't even know what to say about Tim Tebow. I hate him. How he thinks the game is played is stupid. If you want to run with the ball a bunch go play a running position. Better yet just go back to the sidelines, put a football in your hand, and run run around there. Oh wait, that's right, you pray on the sidelines opposed to paying attention to the game. That's why you deserved this:
But back to stuff I'm supposed to write about.
Do the Philadelphia Eagles make sense to anyone? Go 3-6 with Mike Vick calling the shots and then end up beating the New York Giants with Vince Young under center. Granted the game was god awful and I didn't even have the stomach to watch the whole thing but come on; Vince Young was so 4 years ago.
I would have to think that due to the conference they are in and the wild card predictions that the Eagles are not playoff hopefuls. If they won out the season then maybe they could have a shot at a playoff spot. Look for the Eagles to play the spoiler card on teams for the remainder of the season and it will have a huge impact on standings.
As the weeks roll on look for a lot more of this to happen; teams becoming contenders while others turn out to be pretenders.
The team that really looked like a pretender this week would have to be the Buffalo Bills. Now this is the team that I remember from oh lets say last season? They have now lost three straight games and have been largely blown out in the contests (opponents are out scoring them 106-26 during the losing streak). The offense has lost its balanced attack on offense and the defense looks like it couldn't stop molasses from coming out of a jar.
I bet the fans are wishing to get some sort of rebate for the contract extension they gave quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Since signing the extension, Fitzpatrick has thrown eight interceptions, which brings his total on the season to 14. But the Bills are starting to fall into some tough times. Players on both sides of the ball are starting to go hard with some serious injuries. Just this week against the Dolphins cornerback Terrence McGee went down with what has to be a season ending knee injury since CBS wouldn't even play the replay of the injury it was so bad, halfback Fred Jackson suffered a minor calf injury, and wide receiver Donald Jones was carted off the field in an air cast on his ankle. Since week 8 the Bills have had to place three other key players on injured reserve.
Now into what I learned this week:
1) Time to start talking perfect?
The Pack continue to roll. After this weeks 35-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Packers now sit at 10-0 and lead the NFC (obviously). Aaron Rogers is just playing stupid and can make a win for his squad in any situation. The Buccs kept this game relatively close throughout and were only down by 2 with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter. But then Rogers says "OK I guess I'll try now" and throws a 40-yard strike to Jordy Nelson to secure another win.
Is it too soon to start making the comparisons?
Not too long ago in 2007 the Patriots were able to finish off the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record. A quarterback by the name of Tom Brady was playing out of his mind; kind of like Aaron Rogers. He threw the ball to everyone and everyone scored; kind of like the Packers offense. The offense was putting up 36.8 points per game while their defense was only allowing 17.1 points per game, a point differential of 19.7 per game, close to what the Packers are holding now.
These teams are eerily similar on both sides of the ball; no running game, a feared linebacker core, a white wide receiver that tears it up, and a quarterback that does whatever he feels like and it works.
Probability wise the Packers are not going to go undefeated. There is just too much that can go wrong. Be it an injury, garbage games to close out the season, a surprise game where the team just isn't clicking, or just a hard fought game where the Packers end up losing. Too many variables can create obstacles on the road to a perfect season. This coming Thanksgiving game against the detroit Lions will be a big hurdle on that road and I certainly look forward to watching that one.
2) Daaaaaaaa Bears
Who would have thought that the Bears have finally pulled their act together. They have always been a good team, but seemingly just found ways to lose important games. After this weeks match against San Diego the Bears might be on the right track now.
Including this week the Bears have put themselves on a five game winning streak and are inching closer and closer towards the playoffs. But those playoff hopes may come to a crashing halt this week.
Jay Cutler, quarterback for the team suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand in the fourth quarter of the game and preliminary reports say that there could be a season ending surgery in Cutler's near future. Without Cutler the hopes for this team in the postseason drop drastically. Caleb Hanie is definitely going to be taking over for Cutler this week and that is all we know at this point. Unless Cutler can come back within 3 weeks or Hanie can somehow continue this winning streak for the Bears then the chances at a wild card spot in the NFC is going to be a stretch.
3) The Future
Remember when the Lions went 0-16? That wasn't a good season for them. But, just 2 seasons later, the Lions have become the talk of the town. Sitting at 7-3 and tied with the Bears in the NFC North the Lions are fighting for a playoff spot via the Wild Card.
Who are the next Lions? My vote goes to CAAAAMMMMM!! The sensation that is sweeping the nation. The Panthers have been a great looking club even though their record doesn't show it (sitting 2-8 right now) and continue to improve weekly. There is much work to be done though. Their defense is ranked 17th in passing defense and 30th in rush defense. Can't be expected to win games if you can't stop the football from moving down the field.
Before the Lions went on their 5 game win streak at the end of the 2010 season they lost a lot of close games in the fourth quarter and blew some leads in the fourth quarter.
Enter the Carolina Panthers.
This season they have lost 3 games in the fourth quarter. On top of that they have had the lead going into halftime in 3 of their games in which the end result was a loss.
Now that the owners know that they have hope for a winning season for the first time in a few years look for them to invest this off-season to only improve the team and increase the win column.
4) I Hate Tim Tebow
Tim Tebo is the most awkward player to watch in the NFL. I refuse to watch any of his games. What sort of team thinks they can run the ball over 50 times in consecutive games and then win. How the Broncos continue to win baffles me.
In case you were wondering, Tim Tebow can't throw the football. He runs it a lot. He gives the ball to his running back to run when he gets tired.
Granted I love that they beat the Jets. The Jets defense is supposed to be one of the tops in the league, yet Tim Tebow can just run for a million yards and win the game of course on a QB draw play. I don't even know what to say to that. I don't even know what to say about Tim Tebow. I hate him. How he thinks the game is played is stupid. If you want to run with the ball a bunch go play a running position. Better yet just go back to the sidelines, put a football in your hand, and run run around there. Oh wait, that's right, you pray on the sidelines opposed to paying attention to the game. That's why you deserved this:
That's my week wrap-up. Tebow made my brain explode. And if I read one more Skip Bayless tweet about how good and elite Tebow is I swear to god I will club a baby seal.
Get at me this week with some comments, suggestions, challenges, or death threats from you Tebow dickriders on Twitter @iedlund or find me on Facebook or Google+ (yes it's a real thing).
Excited for these next coming weeks and watching how the playoff races shape up. I'm going to post more this week as well. Possibly a Patriots post-game article or my rookie article (it's in the works) who knows so keep checking back!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Week 9 Wrapup
This week in the NFL was a proving ground for all those teams on the bubble of making the playoffs; those teams that have the potential to make the playoffs but aren't guaranteed to make it. Oakland's playoff chances continue to dwindle as they got upset by Tim Tebow and the Broncos with a 163 yard and 2 touchdown performance by Willis McGahee, the Ravens finally swept the Steelers in a season series with a 23-20 victory on Sunday night, and the Eagles continue to lose somehow after being beaten in the fourth quarter by Da Bears.
The highlight for this weekend though had to have been the replay of Super Bowl XLII through the Patriots vs. Giants game. An eerie similarity fell between the two games. Brady was under duress for most of the game, the Patriots didn't run the ball, a spectacular catch was made on the game winning drive, Eli won the game with little to no time left on a fade route. It's painful to recollect the game on which this matchup was based. The ruining of a perfect season never goes down well. I'll dive real deep into this game in another article this week and share my terrible thoughts.
So now onto what I took from this week's games:
1) Who You Calling a N00B
Is it just me or is it that the younger a player is and the less experience a player has equates to the crazier stats they put up and more impressive plays they flash. Demarco Murray, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Julio Jones, Tim Tebow (not a rookie but a first time starter), and Matt Stafford (again not a rookie but has yet to play a full season) are all becoming household names for their respective teams. Then, players like Roy Helu, Shonn Greene, Victor Cruz (reppin ZooMass boi), and John Skelton say hey we want to join this party. I'm also going to delve deeper into the topic of rookies in another article this week but man were they all impressive this week. Andy Dalton continues to put wins on the board for the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2!) and Demarco Murray has put up 466 yards in the past 3 games for the Cowboys after a 139 yard showing in Seattle this week.
The most impressive had to have been Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons though. This was the reason Atlanta traded so many draft picks for this rookie. He is a big play threat at all times. Long receiver, good speed, great vertical, and soft hands make him a constant threat, and he proved that threat to be a reality after catching 4 passes for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns to output a yards per catch of 43.7.
2) Are The Cheeseheads About To Go Unbeaten?
Face it. Aaron Rogers looks pretty unstoppable. The Packers have picked up right where they have left off from last season after winning the Super Bowl and sit at 8-0, the only team without a loss in the league. The Packers had a great game against the team that I cheer for with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Chargers. It was a shootout from start to finish and the typical San Diego Chargers errors lost them the game (Rivers had 3 interceptions). Rogers put up his typical superhuman stats; 21 for 26 (80.8% completion rate) for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns, all while targeting 7 receivers throughout the game; and continues to watch his QB Rating rise.
The remainder of Green Bay's schedule is winnable. With teams like the Vikings, the struggling Raiders, and Tampa Bay in their near future the Packers have a shot at that 16-0 mark reached by the Patriots in 2008. My feeling is though that eventually there will be a loss for this team. The probability of an undefeated team is staggeringly low. Regardless of going undefeated or not through this season they have a good shot at a repeat as Super Bowl champions.
3) AFC East Shakeup
There are 4 teams in the AFC East, the Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, and Bills. 3 of those 4 teams currently have a record of 5-3 (Pats, Jets, Bills). Here is how everything plays out at this point within the division:
The Jets have beaten the Dolphins and the Bills but have lost to the Patriots
The Patriots have beaten the Jets and the Dolphins but have lost to the Bills
The Bills have beaten the Patriots but have lost to the Jets
Technically that leaves the Patriots still in first place of the division because they have less losses to AFC teams over all than the Jets (Patriots are 4-2 in the conference while the Jets are 4-3). This coming week, the Patriots get a rematch against the Jets who are currently on a three-game win streak. I'll talk more about this upcoming game in my Patriots article later this week (I also need time to think about game factors).
The AFC East game that did catch my attention though was the Bills vs. Jets game. This was much more what I was used to seeing. Buffalo struggling to move the ball downfield, the Jets controlling the clock and tempo of the game, Jets defense being stingy and not allowing big plays, and the Bills lost. That's what I was used to before this season. The Bills need to get back on the track they were traveling on and fast. The AFC East is for any team to win. If the Bills want to be in the running for the top of the division or even for a wild card birth they need to get back to winning.
The only thing that is certain in this division is that the Dolphins got their first win of the season this past week against Kansas City. Matt Moore finally stepped up to the plate and threw for 3 touchdowns and 244 yards while keeping his team composed and in check. Brandon Marshall sure seemed happy about the win and he expressed it in his late game touchdown grab
4) I Might Have Been Right
I don't know if you read my post from last week but I did predict the Ravens to win the Super Bowl this year. Their game Sunday night was a clear step in the right direction. Finally for the first time in forever the Baltimore Ravens were able to sack up and sweep the Steelers in their season meetings (2 games a season). And they did it the right way; with defense.
Flacco threw for 300 yards and a touchdown which are now seemingly average numbers for quarterbacks this season. Fits right in seeing as how Flacco is a mediocre quarterback. Ray Rice had a tough go against the always hard Pittsburgh front 7 (ranked 10th in rushing defense), only putting up 43 yards and a touchdown. But these are all good things. This shows that the players are falling into their rolls. Flacco is commanding his team and controlling the game with smart decisions with a lackluster receiving squad. Rice gets done what is expected of him, about >75 yards per game and I'd say a touchdown every other game would be acceptable.
The defense is where the Ravens win their games though. When you have players like Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and ball-hawking strong safety Ed Reed your defense is balanced. Then if you build off of that with players like Terrell Suggs and Bernard Pollard your defense is scary and can become the focus of a teams game preparation. This squad was able to hold the Pittsburgh offense to under 400 total yards with 289 of it coming through the air and forced two turnovers (fumble and interception). It did come down to the last quarter as Big Ben started charging the Steelers for a comeback but in the end the Ravens defense held out for the win.
Fun Stat of the Day:
The San Francisco 49ers have yet to let up a rushing touchdown this season. Wow.
Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @iedlund or on Facebook and let me know what you think and if you have some suggestions/input/corrections/guitar solos.
The highlight for this weekend though had to have been the replay of Super Bowl XLII through the Patriots vs. Giants game. An eerie similarity fell between the two games. Brady was under duress for most of the game, the Patriots didn't run the ball, a spectacular catch was made on the game winning drive, Eli won the game with little to no time left on a fade route. It's painful to recollect the game on which this matchup was based. The ruining of a perfect season never goes down well. I'll dive real deep into this game in another article this week and share my terrible thoughts.
So now onto what I took from this week's games:
1) Who You Calling a N00B
Is it just me or is it that the younger a player is and the less experience a player has equates to the crazier stats they put up and more impressive plays they flash. Demarco Murray, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Julio Jones, Tim Tebow (not a rookie but a first time starter), and Matt Stafford (again not a rookie but has yet to play a full season) are all becoming household names for their respective teams. Then, players like Roy Helu, Shonn Greene, Victor Cruz (reppin ZooMass boi), and John Skelton say hey we want to join this party. I'm also going to delve deeper into the topic of rookies in another article this week but man were they all impressive this week. Andy Dalton continues to put wins on the board for the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2!) and Demarco Murray has put up 466 yards in the past 3 games for the Cowboys after a 139 yard showing in Seattle this week.
The most impressive had to have been Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons though. This was the reason Atlanta traded so many draft picks for this rookie. He is a big play threat at all times. Long receiver, good speed, great vertical, and soft hands make him a constant threat, and he proved that threat to be a reality after catching 4 passes for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns to output a yards per catch of 43.7.
2) Are The Cheeseheads About To Go Unbeaten?
Face it. Aaron Rogers looks pretty unstoppable. The Packers have picked up right where they have left off from last season after winning the Super Bowl and sit at 8-0, the only team without a loss in the league. The Packers had a great game against the team that I cheer for with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Chargers. It was a shootout from start to finish and the typical San Diego Chargers errors lost them the game (Rivers had 3 interceptions). Rogers put up his typical superhuman stats; 21 for 26 (80.8% completion rate) for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns, all while targeting 7 receivers throughout the game; and continues to watch his QB Rating rise.
The remainder of Green Bay's schedule is winnable. With teams like the Vikings, the struggling Raiders, and Tampa Bay in their near future the Packers have a shot at that 16-0 mark reached by the Patriots in 2008. My feeling is though that eventually there will be a loss for this team. The probability of an undefeated team is staggeringly low. Regardless of going undefeated or not through this season they have a good shot at a repeat as Super Bowl champions.
3) AFC East Shakeup
There are 4 teams in the AFC East, the Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, and Bills. 3 of those 4 teams currently have a record of 5-3 (Pats, Jets, Bills). Here is how everything plays out at this point within the division:
The Jets have beaten the Dolphins and the Bills but have lost to the Patriots
The Patriots have beaten the Jets and the Dolphins but have lost to the Bills
The Bills have beaten the Patriots but have lost to the Jets
Technically that leaves the Patriots still in first place of the division because they have less losses to AFC teams over all than the Jets (Patriots are 4-2 in the conference while the Jets are 4-3). This coming week, the Patriots get a rematch against the Jets who are currently on a three-game win streak. I'll talk more about this upcoming game in my Patriots article later this week (I also need time to think about game factors).
The AFC East game that did catch my attention though was the Bills vs. Jets game. This was much more what I was used to seeing. Buffalo struggling to move the ball downfield, the Jets controlling the clock and tempo of the game, Jets defense being stingy and not allowing big plays, and the Bills lost. That's what I was used to before this season. The Bills need to get back on the track they were traveling on and fast. The AFC East is for any team to win. If the Bills want to be in the running for the top of the division or even for a wild card birth they need to get back to winning.
The only thing that is certain in this division is that the Dolphins got their first win of the season this past week against Kansas City. Matt Moore finally stepped up to the plate and threw for 3 touchdowns and 244 yards while keeping his team composed and in check. Brandon Marshall sure seemed happy about the win and he expressed it in his late game touchdown grab
I don't know if you read my post from last week but I did predict the Ravens to win the Super Bowl this year. Their game Sunday night was a clear step in the right direction. Finally for the first time in forever the Baltimore Ravens were able to sack up and sweep the Steelers in their season meetings (2 games a season). And they did it the right way; with defense.
Flacco threw for 300 yards and a touchdown which are now seemingly average numbers for quarterbacks this season. Fits right in seeing as how Flacco is a mediocre quarterback. Ray Rice had a tough go against the always hard Pittsburgh front 7 (ranked 10th in rushing defense), only putting up 43 yards and a touchdown. But these are all good things. This shows that the players are falling into their rolls. Flacco is commanding his team and controlling the game with smart decisions with a lackluster receiving squad. Rice gets done what is expected of him, about >75 yards per game and I'd say a touchdown every other game would be acceptable.
The defense is where the Ravens win their games though. When you have players like Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and ball-hawking strong safety Ed Reed your defense is balanced. Then if you build off of that with players like Terrell Suggs and Bernard Pollard your defense is scary and can become the focus of a teams game preparation. This squad was able to hold the Pittsburgh offense to under 400 total yards with 289 of it coming through the air and forced two turnovers (fumble and interception). It did come down to the last quarter as Big Ben started charging the Steelers for a comeback but in the end the Ravens defense held out for the win.
Fun Stat of the Day:
The San Francisco 49ers have yet to let up a rushing touchdown this season. Wow.
Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @iedlund or on Facebook and let me know what you think and if you have some suggestions/input/corrections/guitar solos.
Bear With Me
So I've been struggling with what I actually want to write about this week while still keeping you readers interested.
Personally I'd love to write a novel this week on the woes of the Patriots this season. It hasn't been pretty. But then elsewhere around the league these rookies are tearing stat books up like they're seasons pros. Between Andy Dalton and the winning-record Bengals, Cam Newton just going H.A.M. in Carolina, Julio Jones having 43.7 ypc in a game, and Demarco Murray coming out of nowhere to put up 466 yards in 3 games over in the Big D they're setting a high bar for incoming draft classes.
So here's what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to write 3 entries for you through this week.
First, I'll have a normal article. Just take you around the league and catch you up on some stories, injuries, conference standings, etc.
Second, a Rookie Edition. Talk about all these rookies and first time starters and how they've overcome the direct impact they faced from the lockout and how they're helping to reshape this league.
And third, a Patriots Edition article. Just go in on this team and pick apart every aspect I can think of and give you some insight.
So feel free to read whatever interests you and leave me some feedback collectively this week.
Personally I'd love to write a novel this week on the woes of the Patriots this season. It hasn't been pretty. But then elsewhere around the league these rookies are tearing stat books up like they're seasons pros. Between Andy Dalton and the winning-record Bengals, Cam Newton just going H.A.M. in Carolina, Julio Jones having 43.7 ypc in a game, and Demarco Murray coming out of nowhere to put up 466 yards in 3 games over in the Big D they're setting a high bar for incoming draft classes.
So here's what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to write 3 entries for you through this week.
First, I'll have a normal article. Just take you around the league and catch you up on some stories, injuries, conference standings, etc.
Second, a Rookie Edition. Talk about all these rookies and first time starters and how they've overcome the direct impact they faced from the lockout and how they're helping to reshape this league.
And third, a Patriots Edition article. Just go in on this team and pick apart every aspect I can think of and give you some insight.
So feel free to read whatever interests you and leave me some feedback collectively this week.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Great Swami Says...
Here we are. Week 8 is in the books. Week 9 marks the midway point of the 2011-2012 NFL season. The point of the season where teams start prepping for their playoff runs. There are no more excuses for poor performances anymore. The "Lockout Hangover" is long over, playbooks should be engraved in players minds, chemistry should be good enough and only continue to grow. After watching the games up until this point and writing all these articles about the weeks of football I'm going to be that bold asshole and make my predictions far too early.
I'll start with who I see as playoff teams.
AFC
North: Pittsburgh Steelers
South: Houston Texans (FINALLY!!)
East: Buffalo Bills
West: Oakland Raiders (Bengals)
Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens
Bubble Teams: New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals,
NFC
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
East: New York Giants
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Bubble Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
Conference Champs
AFC: Baltimore Ravens
NFC: Green Bay Packers
Super Bowl Champions
Baltimore Ravens
And now for my individual performers.
Rookie of the Year
Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers
Stats thus far in the season
147/287 for 2,393 yards, 60.6% completion percentage, 11 TD, 9 INT, 87.1 QBR
63 Rushing Attempts for 319 yards, 7 TD
League MVP
Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers
Stats thus far in the season
171/239 for 2,372 yards, 71.5% completion percentage, 20 TD, 3 INT
29 Rushing Attempts for 75 yards, 2 TD
Offensive Player of the Year
Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers
Defensive Player of the Year
Jarius Byrd - Buffalo Bills
Stats thus far in the season
50 Tackles (39 Solo), 1 Sack, 4 Passes Defended, 1 INT, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovered
Comeback Player of the Year
Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers
Stats thus far in the season
46 catches for 918 yards, 20.0 yards per catch, 4 TD
Dud of the Year
Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans
Stats thus far in the season
107 attempts for 302 yards, 2.8 yards per carry, 1 TD
27 receptions for 160 yards, 0 TD
Well let's see how this all pans out. Do you agree/disagree? Comment below or message me on Twitter @iedlund and share your thoughts with the community. Come at me bro.
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