Fourth and Long: Mud and the Blood and the Beer
Back in 2007 and 2008, I wrote a weekly online pro football column dubbed “Fourth and Long” for the late Football for Breakfast website. One hopes the gentle reader will enjoy this blast from 11/28/07…
One of the biggest challenges in writing a weekly pro football column is that you usually don’t know what you’re going to write about until the Sunday games play out. And sometimes you have to wait for the Monday night game as well. But this week, short of the Dolphins beating the Steelers in the mud and the blood and the beer, it didn’t look like I was going to have to wait that long.
On Thursday after the Packers and Cowboys won to improve to 10-1 respectively and set up a homefield-advantage showdown in Dallas, I figured I would write about their impending matchup. Favre vs. Romo. The crafty veteran vs. the young gunslinger.
On Sunday afternoon, the Jaguars dismantled the Bills to set up an intriguing, but largely ignored AFC South divisional showdown between the wounded defending champion Indianapolis Colts and the young, hard-nosed Jacksonville Jaguars.
And after backup Eagles’ QB A.J. Feeley got picked off on the third play from scrimmage by Patriots’ Asante Samuel for a touchdown on Sunday Night Football, I pretty much knew where I stood. Especially in light of Tom Brady’s response to criticisms of the Patriots running up the score. “We’re not trying to win 42-28, we’re trying to kill people, we’re trying to blow them out if we can.” And only a few minutes into the game against the Eagles, it looked like the Patriots were well on their way to another blowout.
But something funny happened midway through the first quarter Sunday night.
The Patriots weren’t killing anyone.
Shockingly, they were in a fight for their lives. And it was a joy to watch. Not because the Patriots lost. They didn’t. But because for only the second time this season, the Patriots had to show why they might be the best team in NFL history.
Suddenly Tom Brady throwing 50-yard jump balls to Randy Moss in double coverage wasn’t working. Suddenly the Patriots were forced to play possession offense, using Wes Welker to pick up crucial first downs in crunch time. And suddenly, Andy Reid emerged as the great football coach that he is, laying out the blueprint to challenge the Patriots with only a backup quarterback, some hard-hitting football, and a moxie that would make Philadelphia proud.
And the blueprint?
Play without fear.
Odds are you’re going to lose to the Patriots anyway. You might as well go down swinging. Take risks. Throw the dice. Even though the first-half onside kick didn’t result in any points, the Eagles proved that all bets were off.
On defense, venerable defensive coordinator Jim Johnson put together a smash-mouth attack that hit hard on every play. Very hard. The cornerbacks played tight bump coverage on Randy Moss, negating him for most of the game. Numerous blitzes kept the pressure on Tom Brady who suddenly didn’t look so golden when he had to pick himself up off the turf play after play.
On offense, the Eagles effectively marched down the field by completing the short slant pattern over the middle while mixing in the run. Every time the Patriots blitzed, A.J. Feeley would lob a pass over the blitz for a first down. And while I’m not saying that Feeley is a better quarterback than Donovan McNabb, the rest of the team always seems to play a lot harder when McNabb isn’t on the field.
And what made this game all the more entertaining to watch was that the Patriots weren’t playing a team content to roll over or to watch as the score got run up. The Patriots were in a knock-down, drag ’em-out dogfight that threw off their rhythm offense and actually forced dropped passes, punts and field goals.
It was as if the Eagles took a page from the Patriots playbook.
But with all that said and done, the Patriots were still at their best in the fourth quarter. Tom Brady is simply unstoppable and unflappable when playing from behind at the end of a game. And Wes Welker proved that he may be a more valuable receiver than Randy Moss especially in games like this.
As tough as the Eagles played, the Patriots calmly riposted every challenge and deserved to win this game. One only hopes that the Patriots will be challenged like this every week the rest of the way. Because if they are, then we as football fans are in for a real treat.
Sadly by Monday night, we had all heard about Redskins’ star safety Sean Taylor being shot at his Florida home by an intruder. And by Tuesday morning, when we woke to the numbing news that he had passed away overnight, suddenly the Patriots going undefeated or the Eagles developing a blueprint to beat didn’t seem quite as important anymore.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
You have to be impressed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year. At 7-4 and first-place in the NFC South, they are finding ways to win games even without their starting backfield. Games that they would have lost last year. Most have forgotten that the Bucs were supposed to be playing this season with fullback Mike Alstott (lost to probable career-ending injury during the preseason) and RB Cadillac Williams (lost to season-ending knee injury in week 4). Yet the Buccaneers are persevering with a unending series of castoff running backs.
But when QB Jeff Garcia went down on the third play of the game against the Redskins, it looked like too much for even the resilient Buccaneers to overcome. Yet the Bucs showed their grit, forcing four turnovers in the first half to take a 19-3 halftime lead and hung on to win 19-13 with interceptions in the closing minutes. Perhaps not the kind of victories the Patriots have chalked up for most of the year, but at the end of the season when your victories are tallied up to see if you qualify for the playoffs, no one checks to see if any of your wins were ‘good’ wins. If you have more points than your opponent when the gun sounds, you take your victory and go home.
What a wild game in Arizona. Wounded Kurt Warner turned in another miraculous performance against the 49ers, completing 34 of 48 for 484 yards and two touchdowns in an apparent come-from-behind victory over the 49ers as Neil Rackers nailed a 27-yard field goal in overtime. But the Cardinals, as their karma would have it, didn’t get the kick off in time. A five-yard penalty later and Rackers missed a 32-yard field goal. And on their next series, Warner was sacked in the end zone where the 49ers recovered his fumble for a 37-31 victory.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
Having found a Sunday evening highlight show that I like (NFL Network’s GameDay), I decided it was time to sample, in their entirety, the Sunday pregame shows on FOX, CBS and ESPN.
The first on the list has been my personal favorite for years, FOX NFL Sunday.
Sorry.
‘Built Ford Tough’ FOX NFL Sunday.
Having not watched a full pre-game show from start to finish in a while (I am a hopeless channel surfer), I was shocked at the unending segments built specifically for sponsors. Not that FOX is any different than anyone else, but the endless litany of corporate logos and sponsorships and the ease at which Curt Menefee navigates the corporate obstacle course is a little overwhelming.
But enough of that and now onto the Pizza Hut NFL Pregame Analysis of the Week brought to you by the fine folks at Football for Breakfast.
The team of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson is terrific to watch as they exhibit the best genuine chemistry around. But the constant cuts to sponsored segments and the recaps of Saturday’s college football games means that a surprisingly small amount of time is devoted to what they do best, their spontaneous bantering and horsing around. I was surprised to realize that Terry, Howie and Jimmy probably have more face time on the halftime and post-game shows.
As for the rest of the show, Jay Glazer might be the best in the business when it comes to scooping breaking NFL stories, but being housed in a separate studio has the odd effect of isolating him from the rest of the talking heads. And Frank Caliendo is always a lot of fun, even if he can’t pick a game to save his life.
Next week, I plan to give the CBS counterparts a full viewing. Until then, I hope you get NFL Network, otherwise you’ll miss the NFC game of the year Thursday night when the Packers visit the Cowboys.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) New England Patriots (10-0): The Patriots survive a surprisingly tough challenge from the Eagles and clinch the AFC East.
2) Indianapolis Colts (9-2): Offense is starting to get back on track, but are they healthy enough to beat back the young and hungry Jaguars?
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): Ugly mud-bowl victory over the Dolphins.
4) San Diego Chargers (6-5): Chargers have to be happy they are playing in the AFC West.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3): Another hard-nosed win. Huge showdown with the Colts up next.
6) Cleveland Browns (7-4): Who would have thought after such a horrendous opener that the Browns would be all alone in the final playoff spot.
Still in the hunt: Tennessee Titans (6-5) and Denver Broncos (5-6).
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (10-1): No slip ups against the Jets. Thursday’s game against the Packers should be for home-field advantage in the NFC.
2) Green Bay Packers (10-1): Don’t be surprised if the Packers pull it out in Dallas.
3) Seattle Seahawks (7-4): The Seahawks did not deserve to beat the Rams, but with the Cardinals loss, they may have sewn up the NFC West.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-4): Gutsy win without any of their starters in the backfield.
5) New York Giants (7-4): Embarrassing loss at home against the Vikings. But if the rest of the NFC wild card contenders continue to collapse, it might not cost them in the end.
6) Detroit Lions (6-5): Three losses in a row. Lions are close to being done this year.
Still in the hunt: New Orleans Saints (5-6), Arizona Cardinals (5-6), Minnesota Vikings (5-6), Washington Redskins (5-6), Chicago Bears (5-6) and Philadelphia Eagles (5-6).
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Week 12 began with Atlanta Falcons’ running back Warrick Dunn becoming just the 21st player to rush for over 10,000 yards in a career, joining Jacksonville Jaguars’ Fred Taylor who entered this exclusive club in Week 10. Not to be outdone, LaDainian Tomlinson became the fourth fastest to crack 10,000 yards on Sunday, behind only Eric Dickerson, Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
The 10,000-Yard Club:
1) Emmitt Smith (1990-2004): 18,355 yards, Cowboys/Cardinals. The engine behind three Cowboys’ championships.
2) Walter Payton (1975-1987): 16,726 yards, Bears. Sweetness.
3) Barry Sanders (1989-1998): 15,269 yards, Lions. Unbelievable runner. A sheer joy to watch.
4) Curtis Martin (1995-2005): 14,101 yards, Patriots/Jets. Parcells’ favorite running back.
5) Jerome Bettis (1993-2005): 13,662 yards, Rams/Steelers. The Bus.
6) Eric Dickerson (1983-1993): 13,259 yards, Rams/Colts/Raiders/Falcons. Phenomenal running back overshadowed by multiple contract disputes.
7) Tony Dorsett (1977-1988): 12,739 yards, Cowboys/Broncos. Win a national championship and a Super Bowl and you are allowed to be called Tony Dor-SETT.
8) Jim Brown (1957-1965): 12,312 yards, Browns. Probably the greatest running back of all time.
9) Marshall Faulk (1994-2005): 12,279 yards, Colts/Rams. The featured back of ‘The Greatest Show on Turf.’
10) Marcus Allen (1982-1997): 12,243 yards, Raiders/Chiefs. Numbers would have been even better if not for the feud with Al Davis.
11) Franco Harris (1972-1984): 12,120 yards, Steelers/Seahawks. Almost lured Jim Brown out of retirement.
12) Thurman Thomas (1988-2000): 12,074 yards, Bills/Dolphins. Hall of Famer will forever be remembered for losing his helmet in the Super Bowl.
13) John Riggins (1971-1985): 11,352 yards, Jets/Redskins. Hall of Famer who will forever be remembered for his game-winning 43-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl XVII and his drunken quip to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (‘Come on, Sandy Baby, loosen up. You’re too uptight!’).
14) Corey Dillon (1997-2006): 11,241 yards, Bengals/Patriots. Almost returned to the Patriots mid-season this year.
15) O.J. Simpson (1969-1979): 11,236 yards, Bills/Rams. Great running back. Not such a great husband.
16) Edgerrin James (1999-Present): 11,193 yards, Colts/Cardinals. Leading active rusher.
17) Ricky Watters (1992-2001): 10,643 yards, 49ers/Eagles/Seahawks. Nasty, nasty runner.
18) Tiki Barber (1997-2006): 10,449 yards, Giants. Remembered more for his smirk than his running accomplishments.
19) Eddie George (1996-2004): 10,441 yards, Titans/Cowboys. Talk about a career that ended overnight.
20) Ottis Anderson (1979-1992): 10,273 yards, Cardinals/Giants. Super Bowl XXV hero.
21) Fred Taylor (1998-Present): 10,221 yards, Jaguars. Achievements have largely been under the radar.
22) LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-Present): 10,048 yards, Chargers. Could end up at the top of the list by the end of his career.
23) Warrick Dunn (1997-Present): 10,044 yards, Buccaneers/Falcons. Nice accomplishment. Too bad he did it the same weekend as LT.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-11): Shockingly, the Dolphins are eliminated from the playoff hunt before their sixth three-point loss of the season.
#2 – New York Jets (2-9): After beating the Steelers, the Jets fall hard to the Cowboys.
#3 – St. Louis Rams (2-9): Gus Frerotte fumbles away a win over the Seahawks.
#4 – San Francisco 49ers (3-8): The football gods smiled on the 49ers as Neil Rackers missed a 32-yard field goal in OT after a delay of game penalty negated a game-winning 27-yard field goal.
#5 – Oakland Raiders (3-8): First division win after 17 losses.
#6 – Atlanta Falcons (3-8): A good first quarter isn’t enough to beat the ailing Colts.
