Looking for some top-notch analysis of Sunday's NFL action? Look no further. This week: the worst coaching call ever, the defending champs conquered by an old rival, and does anyone want to win the NFC East?
Be sure to share your own opinions in the comments section!
I've never understood why people think Bill Belichick is a genius.
If you give any coach in the league Tom Brady, they're going to win a ton of games. Belichick has a career 51-62 record when Brady hasn't been his starting QB. And Belichick didn't even know what he had in Brady until a Drew Bledsoe injury forced him to turn to Brady in 2001. If Bledsoe never got hurt in Week 2 of that season, Belichick might have been out of a job by the end of the year (his Patriots career started 5-13, then turned around under Brady).
Belichick was praised for winning 11 games last season with Matt Cassel taking over after Brady went down in Week 1. What a joke! The Pats are loaded with stars who signed for less money in order to play alongside Brady. Outside of quarterback, this team has the most talent in the NFL. In 2008 they played one of the weakest schedules of all-time in the NFL's weakest division and still missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, Miami's Tony Sporano, Baltimore's John Harbaugh, and Atlanta's Mike Smith all led their teams to the playoffs with a fraction of the talent Belichick had to work with. Yet no one calls them, or Indy rookie coach Jim Caldwell (who is 9-0 in his first season), geniuses.
Belichick runs the defense, which hasn't been good in years, while Brady carries the offense. People say Belichick gets an edge with his super-secretive style, the same style that has made his former assistant, Eric Mangini, the league's laughingstock in Cleveland.
And, after last night's horrible coaching decision, Belichick is the laughingstock for now.
Leading by six with just over two minutes left, Belichick opted to go for it on 4th-and-2 from his own 28. We all know what happened now -- Brady's pass to Kevin Faulk came up inches short, and Peyton Manning promptly put the Colts in the end zone for the game-winning score.
It was quite simply the worst call I've ever seen in an NFL game. The Pats ran an ultra-conservative draw play on first down, burned two timeouts, then went ultra-aggressive on fourth down. Had the Pats punted, all they would have had to do was prevent Manning from driving 70 yards in two minutes with only one timeout left. Manning had been a little off all night. But Belichick decided the defense that he runs wouldn't be able to stop him.
I don't think Belichick is a bad coach, but he's average on his best days. So let's all say it together once and for all: The "Belichick Way" doesn't win games. Tom Brady does.
If you do want to see a couple of great coaches, look no further than Cincinnati. Head coach Marvin Lewis and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer have transformed the Bengals into an AFC powerhouse.
This is a defense that, two years ago, couldn't stop anyone. Lewis, who had earned a reputation as a great defensive coach, was falling short. Then came Zimmer, a former Cowboys and Falcons assistant, who has completely turned this D around.
Chad Ochocinco might grab the headlines with his series of tired and unfunny stunts, but this team is built on defense now. They got into Ben Roethlisberger's face all day on Sunday and completely shut down the Pittsburgh ground game. At 7-2 (and remember, Cincy lost their opener to Denver on a fluke deflected hail mary), and with sweeps of the Steelers and Ravens, the Bengals have almost locked up the AFC North. And with Lewis and Zimmer leading this D, they finally have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs.
NFC EAST? MORE LIKE NFC LEASTThis time last year, everyone was talking about how amazing the NFC East was. What a difference a year makes. Right now, the NFC East might be the worst division in the NFL.
The Giants are now an 8-8 team without defensive guru Steve Spagnuolo. The red-hot Cowboys just dropped a game to a Packers team that had been embarrassed two straight weeks. The Eagles have come crashing to Earth in losses to the Cowboys and Chargers, and dropped a game to Oakland earlier this season. And the Redskins, despite a nice win over Denver yesterday, are still the Redskins.
But someone has to win this division, right? The Cowboys (6-3) are still in the driver's seat, but the ice-cold Giants (5-4) actually control their own destiny. Despite four straight losses, the G-Men already beat Dallas in Big D. If they can beat the Cowboys at home in Week 13, the schedule could allow them to finish 10-6 and win the division. Their next two opponents, the Falcons and Broncos, are looking very beatable right now. And while they still have to play at Minnesota, that game isn't until Week 17. At that point, the Vikes might have nothing to play for, meaning they could rest their starters.
So despite being on a bye this week, the Giants may have had the best week in the NFL.
1. Whoa, if I'm a Falcons fan, I'd be very worried about Matt Ryan right now. The knock on him coming into the NFL was that he threw too many picks. Atlanta gave him more freedom this season, but he's taken a big step backwards. Ryan has already thrown more INTs (12) than he did all of last season (11). And his completion percentage is down (59.7 after 61.1 last year) despite the fact that Atlanta added a security blanket in tight end Tony Gonzalez.
2. If I was a Bears fan, I'd be a little worried about Jay Cutler, but not too much. Cutler's a risk-taker, and a couple of Thursday night's five INTs weren't his fault. He has a weak set of receivers in Chicago, and I've never been a fan of offensive coordinator Ron Turner's system. This offseason, Chicago could have a chance to add a Number 1 receiver -- and there could be great ones available in free agency, including Vincent Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Antonio Bryant, Miles Austin, and yes, even T.O. And if they turn to an offensive-minded head coach like Mike Shanahan (Professor Ulane's favorite pick) or Jon Gruden, Cutler could get back on the superstar track.
3. Sorry Adrian Peterson fans, but he's been surpassed as the league's best back by both Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew. These guys are carrying their teams right now. (Of course, you can share your opinion on the top running back in the Question of the Week).
4. I just loved the play at the end of the Jags-Jets game, when Jones-Drew took a knee at the one rather than go in for the game-winning score (the coaching staff reportedly told him to do that). Had he taken the TD, the Jets would have gotten the ball back with a minute left and a chance to drive for the TD. Just great clock management by the Jags (even if it did put a lot of fantasy owners in tears).
5. I just can't get over the fact that the Seahawks didn't add a left tackle to replace injured veteran Walter Jones. Matt Hasselbeck is getting killed out there. The fact that they flushed all that money down the toilet on a Number 2 receiver in T.J. Houshmandzadeh might have been the bonehead move of the 2009 off-season.
6. It looks like this is the end of the line for JaMarcus Russell. I don't envy the next quarterback in Oakland. And I still have a feeling it's going to be Tim Tebow, even if he is far from a perfect prospect at quarterback. I think owner Al Davis would love to add Tebow's toughness. But don't count out Michael Vick.
7. A couple weeks ago, I couldn't see how the Broncos could lose the AFC West title. Now, I don't see how they could possibly hold off the Chargers, especially with Kyle Orton out for the time being. Losing to the Redskins -- even in Washington -- is an embarrassment that doesn't happen to playoff teams.
8. Another nice showing from Bucs rookie Josh Freeman. Sure, he was far from perfect, but he made some plays with his arm and his legs against a good Miami D, and nearly pulled off a second straight upset win.
9. For goodness sake Todd Haley, stop messing around and give the ball to Jamaal Charles. Even when Larry Johnson was still on the team, Charles was by far your best running back. You need to name him your starter now!
10. Add the Bills to the list of teams who will be looking for a quarterback this offseason. After showing promise over his first two seasons, Trent Edwards has had a nightmare of a third year. They'll look at the top passers in the draft (Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, and Jake Locker could all be available), but I think they'd rather go the free agent route (and yes, as Tony Dungy said, Michael Vick is a definite possibility).
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts: He's pretty lucky to be 9-0 right now, especially after one of the worst games he's played in awhile. But Peyton turned it on in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. And he certainly scared the pants off of Bill Belichick and the Pats D, who were so afraid of giving the ball back to Manning that they went for it on 4th-and-2 from their own 28.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: At halftime of last night's Colts-Pats game, I was debating whether I'd be putting Brady ahead of Manning on this list. But Peyton's comeback (thanks to Bill Belichick's boneheaded decision) ended up holding Brady back. Though Brady (29-for-42, 375 yards, 3 TDs) played a better game than Manning last night.
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints: I know readers love Brees -- and with good reason, the Saints are unbeaten. But he's nowhere near Manning's level right now. He's also being outplayed by Brady, who now has more passing yards, fewer interceptions, and as many TDs as Brees. His two interceptions in St. Louis just isn't MVP material.
4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings: He's gaining fast on Brees, as Favre ripped apart the Lions secondary while Brees was just okay in St. Louis. Favre complete 20 of 29 passes for 344 yards. The best part of all this season -- he has just four turnovers (three INTs and one fumble), tied with Kyle Orton for fewest among starting quarterbacks.
5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: Johnson is a one-man army right now, becoming the first player in franchise history to have 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards in one game. Vince Young might be 3-0 as a starter, but it's Johnson who is carrying this offense right now. With 1,353 yards from scrimmage so far, he's on pace to be the second player in NFL history to top 2,400 scrimmage yards in a season.
Wow, what a dud of a match-up. For the first time since I was a little kid and my parents would make me go to bed at halftime, I might not watch the entire Monday night game. The Ravens are floundering, but I have no doubt that Ray Lewis and an angry and embarrassed defense will beat up on Brady Quinn and the Browns again. I just don't see how Cleveland could possibly win this game. Ravens 24, Browns 6
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