The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Credit Where Credit Is Due Edition

Jordan did have this game picked right, but, most people didn't give the Cardinals much of a chance in this game.  Most people didn't give the Cardinals credit a week ago, in Carolina.  Some even doubted their chances to beat the young Falcons, two weeks before that.  And now, for the third week in a row, they've shut us all up.  Except for Jordan.

What most people doubted (if I can confidently speak for the masses) was Arizona's defense.  People questioned whether or not a defense that was in the bottom five in the NFL in points allowed would be able to slow the Eagles.  Now, no one was confusing the Eagles with an offensive juggernaut but for whatever reason, we (at least, I) felt like stopping Atlanta and Carolina in consecutive weeks was merely happenstance.

Crushing DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (not to mention making Jake Delhomme look like he was 70 years old) just wasn't enough to convince people.  Neither, apparently, was derailing another 2009 elite running back in Michael Turner and forcing 3 turnovers out of Matt Ryan.  Wasn't enough.  

Too soft, not a big game defense.

Then, they went up 21-6 in the first half, forced Donovan McNabb to make throws he didn't want to make, and generally had the heat on the Eagles in that first half.  Things certainly slowed down a bit in that third quarter for the Cards defense, but, the '85 Bears they ain't.  

The simple truth is that the Cardinals, lead by Jesus Christ and his lone disciple Kurt Warner, are a good team.  They weren't a good team all season, they were never the best team at any point in the season.  But, unfortunately for the Panthers and Giants and Eagles and any other team in the NFC, that's just not how it works.  

• Eagles Fans:  That wasn't a missed pass interference call on your second to last pass of the season.  Two things, Kevin Curtis (still my man), was falling down anyway, and McNabb's pass was offline as it was.  Not a PI, sorry.
• Some part of me feels good for the Cardinals.  If I had told you, two years ago, that in the same sports year, the "Devil" Rays would be playing in the World Series, and the Cardinals would be playing in the Super Bowl, there's no way you'd have believed me.  What's next, are the Nationals going to beat the Globetrotters?  Has the world gone completely mad?  Let me guess, the economy's going to tank too, and we're going to have a black president, right?  Sure...
• Brian Westbrook has to be more hurt than he lets on, because when you look back at the three games he played in, he really only had one play of note which was the long screen pass in the Minnesota game.  That was about it.  Average or bad the rest of the way.
• Players that probably wish they didn't play football professionally on Sundays:  Corey Ivy, Willis McGahee (ankle), Willis McGahee (neck)...and anyone else on Troy Polamalu's side of the field at any given time.
• On that note, obviously you hope McGahee comes out OK from the scare he got on the field yesterday.  I've never been a big fan of him, especially after his comments regarding night life in Buffalo, but the kid's tough.  He tore up basically everything possible in his knee in college, was banged up this year, and now this neck injury.  Word was he was moving his arms and legs and speaking easily, so those are obviously good signs.
• The score may have been close, but Baltimore wasn't really in the game as much as it may have seemed.  They seemed to be waiting on a big play, which Joe Flacco has been able to deliver fairly often.  But, against this Steelers D it just wasn't to be.  I expected him to fold completely after the early interception, but to his credit he held it together.  The pressure he never seemed to get a break from, the nearly flawless downfield coverage his receivers faced--it was just too much.  The Steelers D isn't particularly flashy, but they just hit you hard, and often and right in the mouth.
• Lastly, Limas Sweed, if you ever, ever, ever ever ever ever ever (sorry got sick of using commas) drop a pass again like the one at the end of the first half where you're wide open with a chance to blow open the game, I will personally come to Pittsburgh and smack the hell out of you.

Monday Morning Longsnapper

Home-Field Don't Mean Jack Edition

OK, so, let's take a look at this.  Carolina loses at home.  They did that, umm, zero times this year. Tennessee and the Giants lose at home.  That at least makes some sense, they each did that a lot--once a piece.

In fairness, the G-Men and Titans were in the game, and could've or should've won.  The Panthers got destroyed, save from that first drive of the game.  You know that one, right?  That one where they did what's worked all year for them, running wild with DeAngelo Williams' 31 yard scamper and Jonathan Stewart punching it in from 9 out.  Things looked mighty fine kicking off.  Then Jake Delhomme turned into Charlie Batch, fumbling and throwing awful picks like it was his job.  And, in fact, it may cost him that job at some point in the near future.  Delhomme just has to thank his lucky stars there's no one waiting in the wings in Carolina, otherwise, he'd be out on his keister.

What does it all mean, you ask?  I answer, I don't fully know.  Sometimes, that extra week of rest that those teams had may wind up hurting, especially when the team coming in is a hot one.  Outside of Arizona, that was the case.  Also, it's likely that Tennessee isn't really that good.  After winning the first ten, they were a mediocre 3-3 to finish things up.  Were they as good as the 10-0 team, or as average as the 3-3 team?  Probably somewhere in the middle, but it is nice to put things into perspective.  

Same thing goes for the Giants, who, after starting 11-1, finished out the year on a 1-3 slide.  Which team were they?  Again, somewhere in between but losing a go-to receiver like Cheddar Bob (err, Plaxico Burress), obviously hurt Eli Manning on Sunday.

• Don't blame Kerry Collins for Tennessee's loss.  The Titans aren't a team built to come from behind, or, frankly, to rely on Collins for anything other than the proverbial game management.  This Raven's D is fierce, and you don't need me to tell you that.  Don't get mad at Collins, it's a miracle he was able to do as much as he did this year.
• If there is a better wideout in the league when it comes to just going up and getting the ball than Larry Fitzgerald, I'd like to meet him.  Two weeks ago it was that flea flicker, this week just a long bomb in a crowd.  The guy is an athletic freak, and when the ball touches his hands, it's about as good as caught.  Side note, some how, the Cardinals passing attack didn't miss a beat with Anquan Boldin out.  Interesting.
• Donovan McNabb has fun when he plays, and I think that's good for the league, for sports.  End of the Giants game on Sunday, on a rushing play he scampered off the field on the Giants sideline, and picked up a phone, presumably to let NYG personnel know their work was done for the year.  He received a penalty for these actions, and Troy Aikman actually said that "sometimes I don't know what goes through this guy's mind".  Easy Troy.  This guy's not frying dogs or shooting people at clubs or getting caught for DUI's.  He doesn't know about ties in the NFL, that's an issue, but let's not confuse someone who likes to have fun with a real troublemaker.
• Questionable decision late in that Giants game:  with his team down two scores, Tom Coughlin challenged a spot on a 3rd down rush.  The initial ruling was 4th and short, and that ruling was upheld.  Giants lose a timeout (after already having burned one earlier in the quarter), and try anyways to get the remaining few inches for the first (which they didn't get).  So, you lose a timeout and the ball, all when you knew you'd wind up going for it anyway on 4th.  Having such trouble scoring as it was, why would they even allow themselves to lose that second T.O. of the half?   

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Worst Player on a Good Team Edition

It's easy to pick on him, but I can't help it:  Tavaris Jackson plain stinks.  He just isn't a good quarterback, and you don't need to be a film coach to see it.  He has awful technique (he drops his arm when he throws, rarely squares up, and often stares down the same receivers), and he's wildly inaccurate.

His only saving graces (only!) are that he can occasionally throw a deep ball, and he can run a bit.  But, he only can do the former so often, and seems unwilling to do the latter enough.  

Yesterday's Wild Card game between TJ's Vikings and the Eagles was difficult to watch at points, if only because you sort of got the feeling that Jackson wasn't ever going to be able to do much.  It was as if he'd lost a bet, and someone told him, for the next few years, you have to go out and embarrass yourself in front of millions of people a year, because we all know you can't play in the NFL.  Even if it's amazingly apparent that you can't play, you can't quit, no matter what.

Now, hear me out (or, in this case, read me out), I'm not solely going off this one game.  I've seen him play before, and, frankly, I couldn't figure out why he was playing those other times.  The pass he threw to Asante Samuels (I have trouble calling it an interception because I'm of the belief that it was intended more for Samuels than Sidney Rice) was just pathetic.  Don't even start with this nonsense that he was hit as he threw, it was just one of his many awful, off-target throws.  That one though, just happened to swing the momentum of the game in the favor of the opponents.

Yesterday, Jackson connected with his receivers at a clip of under 43%.  Come on, already.  Do this kid a favor, find someone else to play quarterback.

• From that same game, the one guy that will likely never get the credit he deserves is Kevin Curtis, for two reasons.  First, he's a wideout on a team that hasn't had a popular one since you-know-who.  Second, he's a white wideout, which makes him quite the rarity, to where he'd need to be as good as, say, Wes Welker, to get a national bit of clout.  Which, he isn't, at least not in the Eagles system.  Point is, Curtis is a solid wideout that most people likely don't pay attention to.  Also, he can do little things, like block downfield.  Just check that Brian Westbrook screen pass run again.  Yes, that is Mr. Curtis flattening a Viking DB downfield (white guy, number 80) to spring Westbrook.
• Ed Reed may not be the best safety ever, but he has to be one of the best ball-hawk safeties ever.  He's a better receiver than about half of the clowns actually playing that position in the league.
• Chad Pennington was simply over matched yesterday.  Chad's a calculated quarterback, one that's made his living in the league with short passes, quick routes, and nearly impossible-to-miss targets.  Occasionally, he'll go more than 15 yards down the field, but, his strong suit is within the first down markers, and letting his wideouts do the rest.  Yesterday, down by a bunch early, he couldn't do that.  The Ravens, a-la what the Eagles would later do to Tavaris Jackson, wouldn't stop picking on Pennington.  Blitzing, applying constant pressure, and making Pennington throw the ball where he didn't (and couldn't) want to.  It was especially rough, when you consider that the entire season, Pennington had only thrown 7 INTs.
• I had it predicted right, at least partially.  I said the Chargers would have success on the ground, I was just wrong about who it was that would have that success.  Backup Darren Sproles, who nearly set a record for most all-purpose yards, just tore it up after LT couldn't go with a groin injury.  Sproles isn't your prototypical back, listed at only 5'6", 181.  But, he can motor, and he's quick on a dime.  Not sure what his future is, but, this is only the beginning of the death knoll for Tomlinson.  His days as a top notch back are over.  He'll have a few good games sprinkled in, here and there, but, elite is now a past tense word for him.

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Cancel Your Playoff Plans Edition

If you live in New York (and wear green and white), Denver, Dallas, or Tampa, you've got to be extremely disappointed with your football teams' efforts.  There's no true way to describe how awful these teams played, not just this past week, but over the last quarter of the season.

It's honestly even hard to pin one down as the worst choke job of them all.  

Tampa has to be up there, losing four in a row to close the season, allowing more than 30 points  per game in that stretch (which just included a home loss to Oakland and Walter Payton...sorry, Michael Bush).

The Jets would have to get serious consideration, too.  They join the Bucs as the only two teams to start out at least 8-3 and not make the playoffs since 2002, and the advent of the current four division set up.  Road losses to the dregs of the league in Seattle and San Fran obviously don't help anyone's cause.  Neither does Brett Favre saving his absolute worst stretch of the season for the end (2 TDs to 9 INTs in the final 5 weeks).

Denver is just bad, plain and simple.  Good teams don't give up 52 points.  Good teams don't lose home games to Oakland and Buffalo in the same calendar year.  Good teams don't lost to Kansas City, anywhere.

And last, Dallas.  If you're really surprised by this latest Dallas collapse, then you've mysteriously either missed out on the last few seasons of awful Decembers for the Boys, or, you refuse to believe it could happen again.  Can Tony Romo have a full good season before people anoint him as anything other than an average QB?  As far as I see it, he's a guy that gets injured too often and has a real hard time winning games either in December or January or any other time labelled as "big".

• You think Pittsburgh's rethinking playing Ben Roethlisberger after watching him take a beating that lead to his leaving the game with a concussion?  Maybe, but, that sort of thing happens sometimes.  If it had happened in the third quarter, there's beef.  As it is now, that bye week should be enough.
• Stat of the Day:  the Browns haven't scored an offensive TD since Nov. 17th.  That's a string of 6 games to close the year, without one.  So long, Romeo.
• Whether or not you're from the New York area (in fact, unless you root for the Jets), you've got to be happy for Chad Pennington.  After being let loose for the golden goose, he latched on with a one win team, and most people in the NY area figured never to hear from him again, at least not with anything serious on the line.  To have him come into the final game of the season in the Meadowlands, and not only beat his former team, but kick them out of the playoffs...Mmmm, revenge is sweet.
• Who says the one-running back systems are dead?  Don't tell that to Michael Turner.  First full season in the books, pretty darn good.  Nearly 17-hundred yards, 17 TDs and two 200+ yard games.  And, oh yeah, he lead the league in carries.
• Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a reference to the now infamous Detroit Lions.  At one point during the broadcast, the Detroit announcers referred to the roster as the worst roster in the NFL.  The final call went something to the effect of "16 times the Lions thought this Sunday was theirs, 16 times, they were wrong".  Obviously, this isn't just a one year problem.  Those of you thinking this year's Lions will be next year's Miami--not so fast.  Detroit's lost 97 games over the past 8 seasons.  Getting rid of that clown Millen is a great start, but, from there, it's truly anyone's guess.  I don't root for Detroit, nor do I truly care how they do.  But, for their own sake, could they at least work at not being the biggest joke in the league?  Until that point, get them off the Thanksgiving Day game.  If 0-16 doesn't kick you off that game, nothing will.
• Houston is on the brink of something big.  Maybe it'll just take Matt Schaub to be healthy for the whole season.  Maybe another year of dominance from Mario Williams.  Who knows?  But, they're going to be good, and real quick.

Special season wrap up edition of the Longsnapper coming mid-week.

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

Tale of Two Seasons Edition

With a week to go, it's clear, to me at least, that this NFL season can be divided into two distinct seasons for many NFL teams.  Some started off like world beaters, only to fade, pathetically.  Others kicked off like Keystone Cops (note the title in the video), and wound up possibly playing for spots in that little post-season tourney they have every season.

According to research done by more qualified reporters, no team that has started out at least 8-3, since the formation of the four division set in the NFL in 2002, has not made the playoffs.  This year, two teams, both not in control of their own destiny, could change that.  Tampa, after a 9-3 start has fizzled, losing three in a row, and now need a win and Dallas loss in Week 16.  The Jets, after inexplicable losses to Seattle and San Francisco, find themselves in need of a win and either a Patriots or Ravens loss to get in.  The honest likelihood is that one of these teams will be the first.

But, it's not just them.  Philly was 5-5-1 after 11 weeks, and now, while a 3 point effort against the Redskins hasn't helped them much, they find themselves in playoff contention.  That Redskins team, the same one that was 7-3, dropped three straight before winning last week to ensure they wouldn't make the playoffs.

How about the indestructible Giants?  The 11-1, home-field throughout the NFC locked up, Giants?  They needed OT to beat the Panthers after a recent slide had them losing two in a row, unable to protect Eli Manning or stop anyone on D.

Finally, there's more, but I'll spare you with just one other.  The Chargers have to be the most miraculous of them all, after starting off 4-8, they've rattled off three straight victories (tough road games, might I add, with a comeback in KC and a beatdown in Tampa).  With the help of some good ol' Denver incompetency (see the Keystone Cops reference above), they're going to be playing for the playoffs, come next Sunday night.

Some of this, and some of that...

• How's this for comeback player of the year (do they even offer that in the NFL?):  Antonio Bryant, WR for Tampa Bay.  After not having played in the league in 2007, the former Niner, Brown and Cowboy has racked up nearly 1200 yards receiving (good for 7th in the league) and 7 TDs.  With another over 100 yard game, he'd be in line for the second highest single season receiving yards total in Buc history.  Bet no one thought that when he came into camp. 
• Don't get caught up how the Reggie Brown play that ended the game in Washington.  Facts are facts.  It was the first time all season they hadn't scored a TD in a game.  You can't win in you don't score TDs, and you shouldn't bank on scoring them with under a minute left.  If you need to get caught up in something, ask yourself why Brown ran a route to the 1 yard line, and not a foot farther, into the endzone?
• Well, Dallas laid another egg on Saturday night, this time with stereotypically soft defense.  Tony Romo supplied enough firepower offensively, but, when you give up two (not just one, but two!) rushing plays of over 75 yards in the fourth quarter, well, you're just a sad group.  The defense was so porous, and the tackling so pathetic, I almost had to look away.  Terence Newman, I've been a fan of the guy since he was taken from K-State, but he looked like a turnstyle (about 1:35 on the clip) on that Le'Ron McClain run.  
• Finally, let's give Miami some real credit.  They've been the team that no one wants to say is really that good, the team that's been doing just enough to win.  Yet, this past week, despite the opponent, was an impressive victory.  To play in KC, to score 38 points, to come from down 7 late in the third (something a Chad Pennington-led team, in this day and age, isn't built to do).  That's a nice job for Tony Sparano's Fins, who, despite going 1-15 last year, could make the playoffs this year.  Maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Detroit Lions fans.

The Monday Morning Longsnapper

• If there was ever more proof needed that Bill Belichick is, in fact, a truly dislikable human, it was when, with his Patriots up by 29 with under three minutes left, he challenged a 4th down conversion for the Raiders.  JaMarcus Russell threw a short pass to Chaz Schilens, one that, if it was a close game, probably wasn't enough to warrant the yardage for the first down.  Either way, the officials gave the Raiders a favorable spot, and Billy Boy wasn't going to let that go without a fight.  Thankfully, the play was upheld.
• It's official:  running back is the most easily replaceable position in the NFL.  LaDainian Tomlinson's backup leaves a career as as second stringer behind to head to Atlanta, and now Michael Turner has over 1,400 rushing yards this year.  Marion Barber goes down with an injury, his unknown backup, Tashard Choice has averaged nearly 90 yards per in his last two games filling in.  In Denver, Ryan Torain, before going down with an ACL-tear, rushed at 5.7 clip in the first half of his first start.  Peyton Hillis, before he went down for the season, was averaging over 5 a pop in his last four games, with 5 TDs.In Pittsburgh, when Mewelde Moore's gotten the chance to start, he's averaged 90 yards a game. Word to the wise if you're an RB:  don't get hurt, ever.
• Houston with an obvious upset, right?  Not as much as you'd think.  Last year, Houston lost to Tennessee twice, but held their own each time.  Not to mention, Houston's got the best WR in the league in Andre Johnson (just ask Nick Harper, he's got AJ's cleat marks up and down his chest).  And, the Texans came in winners of three in a row.  Also, I know I'm not the only one that doesn't think Jeff Fisher's gang is that good anyway.
• Speaking of not that good, is LaDainian Tomlinson the next Shaun Alexander (maybe he should have taken more time protecting his career?)?  That's probably a bit extreme, but, don't be surprised if you've seen the very best of the former Horned Frog.  His toe injury that's limited him all season hasn't gone away, and, sadly, it appears his electric cutback abilities may have Bison Dele'd.