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 1/23/08…
As long-time readers can attest, I’ve been a harsh critic of the San Diego Chargers ever since they dumped Marty Schottenheimer last February.
But one thing about the Chargers I can’t criticize is Phillip Rivers’ courage.
You can criticize his mouthing off at fans and at opposing teams. You can criticize his bad games earlier in the season. But you can’t criticize his heart.
Philip Rivers could barely walk Saturday night and yet he managed to courageously quarterback his team through the AFC championship against the juggernaut New England Patriots. And it has since been revealed that Rivers played the game with a completely detached ACL.
An entire game without the benefit of an ACL in his right knee.
Gone.
And if that wasn’t valiant enough, it turns out he had double-secret arthroscopic surgery on his knee to scope out loose cartilage only six days before the game. Philip Rivers has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he has a heart of a lion, finishing the game 19 of 37 for 211 yards on only one leg.
Which is unfortunate for running back LaDainian Tomlinson who could only manage to play two series in the same game with a sprained MCL.
Unfortunate because L.T. looks pretty bad in comparison.
Especially with all the talking L.T. has done this year.
L.T. used to be the class of the league. Only last year during his MVP season when he scored a record 31 touchdowns, he was famous for simply handing the ball to the referee after every score and following the Vince Lombardi dictate, “Act like you’ve been there before.”
But this season he had to add a touchdown celebration and yap. And yap some more.
Yet when his team needed him the most. When his quarterback gamely played on one leg, L.T. was sitting on the bench.
Okay, so you can’t make those cuts, you can’t explode anymore. But being on the field gives the entire team a boost.
Antonio Gates was on the field with a dislocated toe.
Philip Rivers gallantly played an entire game without an ACL.
In that situation, in that championship game, I think you have to be on the field. If you can walk, you gut it out. Even as a decoy.
This was a game the Chargers lost by only 9 points with four trips to the red zone resulting in four field goals.
A two point game at the start of the fourth quarter.
Imagine if L.T. could have given Rivers the opportunity for one effective play-action pass on any of those drives.
Convert one of those trips into a touchdown and suddenly you have a shot at glory. A shot at immortality.
Two wounded lions triumphing over the greatest team in NFL history.
But, alas, the Chargers never got that opportunity. Because while one of those lions was on the field, the other, during the biggest game of his career, was hiding on the bench under his cloak and his helmet and his mirrored visor.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
In a news conference following their loss to the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Wade Phillips opined, “After looking at the tape, I feel like the best team lost the game.”
I’m not sure what the point of that assertion was meant to be.
Was Phillips suggesting, We were the better team, but I didn’t prepare us well enough.
Maybe, the Giants’ victory will be forever tarnished because we didn’t win.
Or more likely, since Wade found himself on the losing end of the Music City Miracle, Don’t look at me, the football gods hate me.
I can understand the sour grapes and frustration from Wade Phillips. But this tendency of claiming that somehow the wrong team advanced in the playoffs is slowly and disturbingly permeating the NFC post-season landscape.
This week, Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Gazette asserted, “Misguided football purists claim the Giants were the better team and won because they were more physical and dominated the line of scrimmage. While the Giants controlled the clock and the stat sheet, the most talented team lost on Sunday at Lambeau Field … if the Packers were physically inferior, why didn’t it show on the scoreboard?”
Um… Mike? Did you look at the scoreboard at the end of the game? I think it read, Giants 23 Packers 20.
And remember the Giants won the game despite missing two fourth-quarter field goals.
Oh, and I might add that the Packers were playing at home and got the ball first in overtime.
Why is it that no one seems capable of accepting that the New York Giants went on the road and earned consecutive playoff victories over the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the #1 seed Dallas Cowboys and #2 seed Green Bay Packers?
What will happen if those pesky Giants pull off the impossible and beat the unquestionably more talented New England Patriots, quite possibly best team of all-time?
I think it’s safe to assume that a columnist from Boston will pontificate that the better team lost.
Maybe they’ll have to put an asterisk on the Giants’ Lombardi Trophy.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
Football fans certainly warmed up to the sub-zero New York Giants-Green Bay Packers NFC championship game Sunday night giving the riveting telecast a 31.7 overnight rating.
To put that in perspective, it made for the most watched NFC championship game since 1996 (when the Cowboys defeated the Packers 38-27) and the most-watched football game since last year’s Super Bowl.
With two of the larger market teams and the most compelling storyline in decades, one has to wonder if this year’s Super Bowl matchup will generate the best Super Bowl ratings in television history.
And that’s saying something since 10 of the top 20 television broadcasts of all-time are Super Bowl telecasts.
Bearing in mind that rating represents the percentage of all televisions that are tuned to a specific program and share represents the percentage of all televisions turned on that are tuned to a specific program, here are how the past 41 Super Bowl broadcasts have fared…
Rating Share 2007 Colts 29 Bears 17 CBS 42.6 64 2006 Steelers 21 Seahawks 10 ABC 41.6 62 2005 Patriots 24 Eagles 21 FOX 41.1 62 2004 Patriots 32 Panthers 29 CBS 41.3 63 2003 Bucs 48 Raiders 21 ABC 40.7 61 2002 Patriots 20 Rams 17 FOX 40.4 61 2001 Ravens 34 Giants 7 CBS 40.4 61 2000 Rams 23 Titans 16 ABC 43.2 62 1999 Broncos 34 Falcons 19 FOX 40.2 61 1998 Broncos 31 Packers 24 NBC 44.5 67 1997 Packers 35 Patriots 21 FOX 43.3 65 1996 Cowboys 27 Steelers 17 NBC 46.1 72 1995 49ers 49 Chargers 26 ABC 41.3 63 1994 Cowboys 30 Bills 13 NBC 45.4 66 1993 Cowboys 42 Bills 17 NBC 45.1 66 1992 Redskins 27 Bills 24 CBS 40.3 61 1991 Giants 20 Bills 19 ABC 41.8 63 1990 49ers 55 Broncos 10 CBS 39.0 63 1989 49ers 20 Bengals 16 NBC 43.5 68 1988 Redskins 42 Broncos 10 ABC 41.9 62 1987 Giants 39 Broncos 20 CBS 45.8 66 1986 Bears 46 Patriots 10 NBC 48.3 70 1985 49ers 38 Dolphins 16 ABC 46.4 63 1984 Raiders 38 Redskins 9 CBS 46.4 71 1983 Redskins 27 Dolphins 17 NBC 48.6 69 1982 49ers 26 Bengals 21 CBS 49.1 73 1981 Raiders 27 Eagles 10 NBC 44.4 63 1980 Steelers 31 Rams 19 CBS 46.3 67 1979 Steelers 35 Cowboys 31 NBC 47.1 74 1978 Cowboys 27 Broncos 10 CBS 47.2 67 1977 Raiders 32 Vikings 14 NBC 44.4 73 1976 Steelers 21 Cowboys 17 CBS 42.3 78 1975 Steelers 16 Vikings 6 NBC 42.4 72 1974 Dolphins 24 Vikings 7 CBS 41.6 73 1973 Dolphins 14 Redskins 7 NBC 42.7 72 1972 Cowboys 24 Dolphins 3 CBS 44.2 74 1971 Colts 16 Cowboys 13 NBC 39.9 75 1970 Chiefs 23 Vikings 7 CBS 39.4 69 1969 Jets 16 Colts 7 NBC 36.0 71 1968 Packers 33 Raiders 14 CBS 36.8 68 1967 Packers 35 Chiefs 10 NBC/CBS 41.1 79
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
18-0.
One win away from the greatest season in NFL history.
Only the second team to reach that sacred summit of perfection in professional football, right?
Wrong.
You might not read about it in any official NFL record books, but there was another professional football team that achieved perfection before the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
And it wasn’t some defunct team from the USFL or WFL.
No, the Cleveland Browns attained the first perfect season in 1948.
Only this was before they played in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts all competed in a rival league from 1946 to 1949, the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), that surprisingly boasted better average attendance at their games than the National Football League. So popular were the Browns, in fact, that the NFL champion Cleveland Rams fled for Los Angeles before the Cleveland Browns with Ohio legend Paul Brown as coach had played a single game.
And for good reason did they leave. The Cleveland Browns were a juggernaut in the AAFC, winning all four league championships and dominating with an 52-4-3 record over that span, pulling in the largest crowds in professional football history.
In 1948, the Browns finished with a perfect 15-0 record amid a 29-game unbeaten streak. Not that it was all easy. The San Francisco 49ers played them tough that season when both teams were undefeated, losing 14-7 in front of 82,769 fan at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and 31-28 two weeks later in San Francisco. The Browns also survived a special AAFC Thanksgiving promotion that saw them play three games in eight days.
The Browns overcame every obstacle and crushed the Buffalo Bills in the AAFC championship game 49-7 to claim professional football’s first perfect season.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, that’s great, but were they any good?
Well, the Browns went on to win the championship again in 1949 and when it was announced that three teams from the AAFC would merge with the NFL in 1950, the four-time defending AAFC champion Cleveland Browns were matched up against the two-time defending NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles to kick off the season. At Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in front of 71,000 fans, ‘The World Series of Football’ proved to be a mismatch as the Browns, led by quarterback Otto Graham, destroyed the Eagles 35-10.
The Browns would go on to win the NFL championship that year, beating the juggernaut Los Angeles Rams in the title game on a last-second field goal. Afterwards, NFL commissioner Bert Bell called the Cleveland Browns “the greatest team to ever play football.”
The Browns would play in the next five NFL championship games, winning three more. Over a ten year span, the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Otto Graham played in 10 consecutive championship game, winning seven.
So before we crown the 2007 New England Patriots the greatest team of all-time and Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all-time, perhaps we should look at the teams of pro football past. Especially teams that don’t crow about their success and pop champagne every year to celebrate their greatness.
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 1/16/08…
A.J. Smith was right and I was wrong.
There’s really no other way to put it.
I have been highly critical of the Chargers general manager ever since he fired Marty Schottenheimer following their loss to the Patriots in the divisional playoffs last year despite having the best record in all of football at 14-2. I was even more critical when he hired Norv Turner as head coach on February 19 after all the top-notch coaching candidates had long been lured away. And when the Chargers opened the season 1-3, I let loose on A.J. Smith with both barrels.
Even last week after the Chargers came from behind to beat a wounded Titans club and earned their first playoff victory since 1994, I reminded everyone that the only thing that mattered was the divisional playoff game against the Colts. That earning a berth in the AFC championship game was the only measure of success for the Chargers last season according to A.J. Smith. So a win over the Colts and a berth in the title game should be the only measure of success this season.
Well, beat the Colts they did.
So no mealy-mouthed mea culpa from me. Not the ‘I’m sorry if I offended anyone’ non-apology. Nor my personal favorite, the less-than-apologetic admission, ‘I’m sorry you are offended.’
Let me say it without equivocation.
I was wrong. Spectacularly wrong.
Norv Turner has proven to be the right man for the job leading the Chargers to a 5-0 December and a 2-0 January this season. His Chargers beat the defending champions 28-24 without the leading rusher in the league for three quarters and without his starting quarterback for the final 15 minutes. They punished the #3-ranked defense on the road with Billy Volek at quarterback, Michael Turner in the backfield and a hobbled Antonio Gates at tight end. In fact, Norv is 2-0 against the Colts this season and you don’t beat the Colts twice in one season or force Peyton Manning into 8 interceptions in two games by accident.
Now let’s look at the two coaches who A.J. let get away last year. His offensive coordinator Cam Cameron went 1-15 in Miami and was so ineffective that he is already looking for another job. And his defensive coordinator Wade Phillips just dropped his playoff record to 0-4 after watching his Dallas Cowboys lose to the Giants at home despite a 13-3 record and the top seed in the NFC.
Coaching selections notwithstanding, A.J. Smith has also demonstrated the Midas touch by keeping the aforementioned Michael Turner when everyone wanted to trade him, stealing WR Chris Chambers from the Dolphins for a second-round draft pick and selecting an injured Antonio Cromartie in the draft, a gem who has rewarded the Chargers with a league-high 10 interceptions and three touchdown returns in only six starts.
In fact, about the only decision that hasn’t worked out for A.J. Smith is kicker Nate Kaeding who has run his field goal statistics in the playoffs to a woeful 2-for-6 including a missed game-winning 40-yard field goal in an overtime playoff loss to the Jets in 2005 and missed game-tying 54-yard field goal on the final play of the game against the Patriots last season.
So congratulations A.J. Smith and Norv Turner. Enjoy your victory over the Colts. And if you happen to knock off the unbeaten New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, I’ll be sure to serve myself up an extra large slice of humble pie.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
With the success of Norv Turner and the Chargers in the playoffs, the media has reminded everyone incessantly of Marty Schottenheimer’s playoff record (5-13 despite being the sixth winningest coach in the NFL with 200 regular season victories).
But it seems rather odd that Wade Phillips has gotten off largely unscathed for his 0-4 playoff record because while some of those losses have been spectacular, Wade has made a few controversial decisions prior to at least two of those losses.
Against the Giants this past weekend, Phillips started Marion Barber at running back for the first time this season. Not that Barber isn’t a terrific back (he rushed for 129 yards against the Giants), but why make the change in the playoffs? Why mess with the continuity and chemistry that gave you a 13-3 season and the top seed to begin with?
Especially when it backfired so horribly the last time you used it.
Phillips’ previous playoff appearance (and loss) as head coach was with the Buffalo Bills back in 1999 when he decided to start Rob Johnson over Doug Flutie, even though Flutie had led the Bills to the playoffs for the second straight year with an 18-8 record over two seasons.
This would be tantamount to Romeo Crennel starting unproven but highly-regarded Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson if the Browns had made the playoffs.
But the gamble seemed to pay off when the Bills went up 16-15 on a field goal with only 16 seconds remaining. However, it was then that the football gods smiled upon the Tennessee Titans and the play now known as the Music City Miracle gave them a dramatic 22-16 victory.
So if I were Wade Phillips and the Giants were coming to town, I would do everything in my power to not tempt the football gods. And that includes stopping Jerry Jones from distributing tickets to players for the NFC championship game the night before you actually earn the right to play in it.
Perhaps Wade Phillips didn’t believe in karma when he coached the Buffalo Bills.
But perhaps, just perhaps, he does now.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
With the regular season over and the playoffs coming to a close, I feared that the ‘Heidi’ Chronicles would need to go on hiatus until next season.
That is until I watched the Chargers-Colts game Sunday. Not because of anything that occurred during the game, but because Peyton Manning (who has made a second career of hawking nearly every product known to man) unveiled his latest commercial endeavor. And this time he brought along Eli, Archie and Olivia (his mom) for the ride.
Bear in the mind that Peyton Manning makes for a pretty good pitch man.
The Mastercard Priceless Pep Talks, before that Peyton the gushing fan for Mastercard, the Sprint NFL Mobile commercial complete with cheesy mustache, the Manning family touring the ESPN digital center while Peyton and Eli fight, and my personal favorite, the Shop NFL commercial with Peyton, Eli and Archie taking turns quarterbacking everyday household tasks and, “Checking to pancakes.”
All pretty funny.
But Sunday saw Peyton teaming up with Oreo for the Double Stuff Racing League.
I know it was supposed to be funny, but the commercial fell horribly flat even with Archie shaking his head the whole time. And when Eli asks Peyton, “Hey bro, are we making a huge mistake?” — all one can think is, yes. Yes you did.
‘Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?’
Long-time readers will remember I predicted back in November that the Colts would shock the undefeated Patriots in the AFC championship game rematch.
Call me crazy, but I have a hunch that’s not going to happen.
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots – 3:00PM Sunday (CBS)
Storyline: Can the surprising Chargers with a banged up LT and the prospect of Billy Volek at quarterback gain revenge over the undefeated Patriots? Do the Patriots need to be worried when all-world Tom Brady completes 26 of 28 passes, Laurence Maroney rushes for over 100 yards and they still barely pull out a victory against the Jags?
Prediction: It’s really hard to pick against a team as good and as undefeated as the Patriots. New England wins a hard-fought battle with points to spare.
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers – 6:30PM Sunday (FOX)
Storyline: Eli, not Peyton, plays in a championship game against the biggest surprise of the year, the young Green Bay Packers with veteran gunslinger Brett Favre at the helm. Forecasts call for one of the coldest championship games since the Ice Bowl.
Prediction: If you see Brett Favre grinning on the sideline early in the game, Packers win. If he looks anxious and tight, I’ll go with the Giants.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
With the Patriots upping their record to 17-0 and facing the very real prospect of 18-0 by weekend’s end, it seems apropos to examine the 1942 undefeated Chicago Bears team that fell just short of perfection in much the same way the franchise did back in 1934.
But to fully understand the 1942 Chicago Bears, one needs to start with the 1940 season when the 6-2 Bears lost to the Washington Redskins 7-3. The following day, the Redskins owner, George Preston Marshall, was quoted in the newspaper as having called George Halas and his Bears ‘quitters’ and ‘crybabies.’
As fate would have it, the Bears and Redskins would meet again that season in the NFL championship game and Halas made sure to remind his team of Marshall’s quotes. Reminded they were as the Bears annihilated the Redskins 73-0, the largest margin of victory in NFL history.
The Bears won the championship again in 1941 with only one loss and by 1942, World War II was thinning the NFL talent pool through the military draft. The Bears continued to operate that season, but other teams merged to survive such as the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers temporily forming the Phil-Pitt Steagles.
But nothing seemed capable of stopping the Bears, not even when owner and coach George Halas joined the Navy during the season. The newly-dubbed ‘Monsters of Midway’ outscored their opponents 376-84, marched to a perfect 11-0 record on top of an 18-game winning streak and headed into their third straight NFL championship game.
But the NFL’s first perfect season was not to be as the Washington Redskins led by Sammy Baugh avenged their blowout loss from two years previous by stunning the Sid Luckman and the Bears 14-6.
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 1/09/08…
To listen to A.J. Smith, Dean Spanos and the San Diego media, one would think Norv Turner and the Chargers just won the Super Bowl.
After Sunday’s game, Smith claimed that Turner is “…coach of the year, in my mind. He did a spectacular job… His leadership has been incredible.” Spanos added, “It feels really great. It’s been a long time coming, but you can’t say enough good things about Norv and what this team has done.” And Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune gushed that Turner is “…1-0 in January, unbeaten in December (and don’t give me that soft schedule junk; it’s the NFL) – and his players are buying his wares.”
And while the Chargers should be commended for winning their first playoff game since 1994 especially after such an inauspicious start this September, let me be allowed to make a few observations.
Lost in all the cheers and adoration is the fact that the Chargers barely beat a crippled Tennessee Titans team that played without five of their offensive starters. Lost also is the fact that they’ve been this far in the playoffs as recently as last year thanks to a 14-2 record and a first-round bye. And it was the loss to the New England Patriots in that divisional round of the playoffs that was viewed as such a colossal failure by A.J. Smith that Marty Schottenheimer had to pay for it with his job.
So before we crown A.J. Smith, Dean Spanos and Norv Turner the greatest management-coach tandem in NFL history for beating the punchless Titans on wild card weekend, let’s wait to see how the Chargers perform against the Colts.
Because if A.J. Smith is to be taken at his word at the end of last season, nothing short of a berth in the AFC championship game should be good enough.
And believe me, if Norv Turner and the Chargers do beat the Colts on Sunday, I will be the first one to publicly apologize and acknowledge the wisdom of A.J. Smith and the Chargers organization this off-season.
At least the first one to apologize on Wednesday when I publish my next column.
But to me, the bigger story of the past weekend was not the Chargers winning, or even the unbelievably exciting finish in Pittsburgh.
No, it was the New York Giants finally winning a playoff game with Eli Manning at the helm against the second-ranked defense in the league.
More importantly it was Eli Manning leading the Giants to victory by completing 20 of 27 passes with two touchdowns against a Buccaneers defense that dared Eli to beat them through the air. A defense led by Ronde Barber who publicly and unnecessarily disparaged Eli Manning on the radio.
Wasn’t it enough for Ronde’s twin brother Tiki to trash Eli all season?
One wonders what Eli ever did to the Barber twins to engender such animosity.
Did Eli’s pedigree threaten to overshadow Tiki in New York and Ronde in Tampa?
So it was refreshing to see Eli finally get his signature playoff win after years of being bashed by the New York press and the Barber twins for not being enough of a savior. This despite leading the Giants to three consecutive playoff appearances in his first three full seasons as a starter.
And if the T.O., Jessica and Romo show continues as it has the last few weeks of the season, Eli might just come out of this weekend with an even bigger prize. His first berth in a conference championship game, a full three years ahead of his brother.
Come to think of it, maybe we can get Eli and Peyton to match up against Ronde and Tiki in a tag-team wrestling match.
Now that would be something to talk about.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Last week I was highly critical of the Detroit Lions for firing offensive coordinator Mike Martz and placing the blame for the ills of their season upon his head like some biblical scapegoat instead of looking for a more appropriate candidate like Matt Millen (31-81 record as general manager) or anyone involved in their defense that ranked dead last in the league.
So imagine my shock when I read that the Lions had promoted Jim Colletto to offensive coordinator.
Who is Jim Colletto you ask?
This is the man who coached the Lions offensive line in 2007, an offensive line that gave up 54 sacks, third most in the league and only one behind the league-worst 49ers and Chiefs. And an offensive line boasting the second worst rushing attack in the NFL behind only the Chiefs.
I’m sorry, was the offensive line coach from the Chiefs not available?
Okay, so maybe Jim Colletto had a bad year. We all of have bad years, right?
Then it hit me.
This is the same Jim Colletto who coached at Purdue in the 1990s where he managed a 21-41-3 record over six season as head coach and offensive coordinator. The same Jim Colletto who stated, “When I get some players with talent, you will see that I am a good coach.”
Joe Tiller made mincemeat of that statement by taking over the Boilermakers and immediately leading them to a 9-3 finish and a #15 ranking. And in a delicious touch of irony, Jim Colletto was hired by talent-rich Notre Dame as offensive coordinator under Bob Davies that same season and lost to Tiller’s talent-poor Boilermakers in the second game of the season.
Colletto left Notre Dame after two dreadful seasons and a penchant for embarrassing quotes. When asked about Notre Dame’s lack of scoring in the third quarter, he quipped that with everyone going to the bathroom and getting drinks during halftime, there wasn’t enough time to make any adjustments. The following season when asked why he installed a pass offense when Notre Dame was built for running the football, Colletto responded, “If we are going to get the quality wideout to come to Notre Dame, we can’t run the ball 100 times. The game we are going to play is designed so we can get good wide receivers.”
So good luck Lions fans. The only silver lining in your future is that your offensive output might soon match that of your defense.
As for Mike Martz, we’ll find out just how good he is as he attempts to revitalize the bottom-ranked offense of the San Francisco 49ers. And call it a hunch, but I think he’ll do just fine.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
I haven’t had much of an opportunity to talk about John Madden and Sunday Night Football this season having spent most of my time lambasting the travesty that is Football Night in America. So I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the sheer joy and excitement that John Madden brings to every game he has covered since 1979 when he became a color commentator for CBS.
Saturday night’s Jaguars-Steelers wild card playoff game was his last broadcast of the season and, as usual, we were treated to a few classic Madden moments…
When a Ben Roethlisberger pass, intended for TE Heath Miller, was deflected into the hands of WR Hines Ward, Madden noted in the understatement of the year, “That’s not the first time a ball has ever been deflected here,” Later, after Al Michaels ribbed Madden by showing a replay of the famous deflection of the Immaculate Reception that cost his Raiders a playoff victory in Pittsburgh back on December 23, 1972, Madden quipped, “We’re past that, that’s gone, that’s no more… (pause) That does happen here in Pittsburgh… and (seeing) that deflection there… I just took it back and I’m sorry. I’ll give it up later.”
Later in the game after 345-pound behemoth Grady Jackson pressured Ben Roethlisberger into throwing an interception, Madden made like Groucho Marx, “He’s the guy that slipped through right there. How at 345 pounds you slip through anywhere, I have no idea.”
And in another classic Madden moment when a pass that hit the ground was ruled a catch, Madden commented in only the way he can, “If you have both hands on the ball, there’s still going to be some ball left over.”
Finally when Hines Ward barreled over a defender instead of running out of bounds, Madden gushed, “You gotta love Hines Ward. He’s a wide receiver who plays like a linebacker… (pause) Sometimes he plays like a nose tackle.”
I know some people have tired of his comments over the years and his periodic statements of the obvious, but for me, there is no better color commentator in pro football than John Madden.
‘Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?’
Perhaps I was premature in retiring ‘Playoffs?!?’ this year.
So much like Bill Parcells returning to NFL, welcome back a slightly different edition of ‘Playoffs?!?’ that previews the divisional playoff weekend ahead…
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – 4:30PM Saturday (FOX)
Storyline: Ageless wonder Brett Favre leads the youngest team in the league against his old coach.
Prediction: Packers defense is too much for the wounded Matt Hasselbeck and the Pack returns to the NFC Championship game.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots – 8:00PM Saturday (CBS)
Storyline: Patriots continue their march towards the perfect season. In their way? A young, but physical Jaguars squad that just out-Steelered the Steelers.
Prediction: Patriots get challenged for 30 minutes before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter. The bigger question… will the Patriots survive unscathed in a clash with the hard-hitting Jaguars?
San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts – 1:00PM Sunday (CBS)
Storyline: Chargers beat the defending champs on a missed Vinatieri field goal earlier in the season. Will the Colts gain their revenge or will the Norv and Chargers do what Marty couldn’t?
Prediction: Colts win in a romp.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – 4:30PM Sunday (FOX)
Storyline: Is the third time the charm for the Giants? Will T.O. play? Will Romo return to his midseason form?
Prediction: Look for the Giant upset.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
With the very real prospect of a perfect season for the New England Patriots this year, it is perhaps time to examine in a little more detail some of the previous teams in NFL history that have come ever so close to perfection.
In 1934, the defending champion Chicago Bears finished the regular season an unprecedented 13-0 under legendary coach George Halas, outscoring their opponents by a shocking 286-86. Winners of the NFL Western Division title for the second consecutive year, the Bears with Bronco Nagurski prepared to play the 8-5 NFL Eastern Division champion New York Giants in the second annual NFL Championship game on December 9, 1934.
As fate would have it, a freezing rain froze the field of the Polo Grounds in New York City the night before. But even in such dreadful conditions, the Bears ground out a 13-3 lead through three quarters.
Yet the most critical factor of the game would be decided at halftime when Giants coach Steve Owen sent his equipment manager, Abe Cohen, to find sneakers for his players, hoping they would give the Giants a slight edge on the frozen field. Unable to find any stores open, Abe returned with eight pairs of sneakers borrowed from Manhattan College’s basketball team.
These sneakers would change the course of NFL history as the New York Giants scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, beginning with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ed Danowski and a 42-yard touchdown gallop by running back Ken Strong. Strong would add an 11-yard touchdown run and Danowski would cap the victory with an 8-yard scamper of this own.
The Giants scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stun the Bears 30-13 in what is now known in NFL lore as ‘The Sneakers Game.’
It’s makes one wonder, 73 years later, what the weather forecast is for Foxboro Saturday night…
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 1/02/08…
The NFL playoffs are finally here.
After 17 weeks, we have identified the top 12 teams for the greatest single-elimination tournament in all of professional sport.
Eight great playoff matchups in the next two weeks. Or, to be more precise, eight games in nine days.
Then three final games to determine the world champions.
And the best part is that it doesn’t matter if you’re undefeated like the Patriots or barely above .500 like the Redskins and Buccaneers.
Once you are in the playoffs, anything can happen… and usually does.
The Ice Bowl. The Hail Mary. The Immaculate Reception.
The Drive. The Fumble. The Catch.
The Music City Miracle.
So let’s take a look at the 2008 NFL Playoffs and see if any magical moments are in store for us. And along the way, we can see just how my predictions from six weeks ago fared…
#1 Seed New England Patriots: 16-0, check.
I predicted that the Patriots would run their record to 17-0 before falling at home to the 14-3 Colts in the AFC championship game.
So far so good, especially since the Patriots have looked vulnerable in the final six weeks of the season. And the lack of a powerful running game (the Patriots rank 13th) does not bode well for the Patriots in an inclimate weather game against top-notch opponents.
But give the Patriots credit. They’ve taken everyone’s best shot, beaten the Colts and the Cowboys on the road, and done what no team in history has ever done, finish a regular season 16-0. So if anyone is capable of 19-0, it’s Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots.
#2 Seed Indianapolis Colts: 13-3, check.
The defending world champions, even without Marvin Harrison, may be a better team than they were last year. Their defense is certainly improved and they have developed more weapons on offense. But to repeat as world champions, they will have to beat the Patriots in Foxborough, not an easy task.
But if the Colts do knock off the Patriots, no one will ever be able to say a word against Peyton Manning or Tony Dungy again.
#3 Seed San Diego Chargers: Now this is a surprise for me.
The Chargers went on a nice run at the end of the season even if the wins against the Colts and Titans were ugly and perhaps undeserved. But I like the Lightning Bolts in the rematch against the Titans, especially now that tight end Bo Scaife is out for the season.
But before Chargers fans get too excited about winning a playoff game, remember that last year’s 14-2 record earned the Chargers a first-round bye. That’s the same thing as a win Wild Card weekend. So before claiming the firing of Marty Schottenheimer a success, you better make sure you knock off the Colts and gain a berth into the AFC championship game. Remember, not making to the AFC championship was why Marty was fired in the first place.
And talking about karma, is it wise to sign general manager A.J. Smith to a big extension and contract before actually winning a playoff game?
#4 Seed Pittsburgh Steelers: What a stunning fall from mid-season when the Steelers were anointed the challenger of the Patriots and Colts. But a 10-6 record and an AFC North crown isn’t exactly a disappointment with a first-year coach.
Unfortunately without Willie Parker and OT Max Starks, the Steelers may have a short playoff run considering their opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, ran roughshod over the Steelers not three weeks ago.
#5 Seed Jacksonville Jaguars: Speaking of the Jags, is there a team on a bigger roll?
Right, the Patriots. 16 wins in a row.
Regardless, the Jags have been impressive down the stretch running the ball and playing hard-nose defense.
I really like this team.
Which, of course, means I’ve given them the kiss of death.
#6 Seed Tennessee Titans: Nice recovery down the stretch to make it to the playoffs, even it was against the Chiefs, the Jets and Jim Sorgi.
In only his second season, Vince Young has led the Titans to the playoffs. Now it remains to be seen if he can prove that the loss to the Chargers earlier this season was a fluke. Can Young pull off another upset?
I tend to doubt it, but if anyone can throw a team on his back, it’s Vince Young. Just ask USC.
Now for the NFC…
#1 Seed Dallas Cowboys: Top seed in the NFC, check.
Unfortunately since their win over the Packers, the Cowboys just have not looked right.
T.O. is out with an injury and might miss the divisional playoff game next week. Tony Romo has been in a funk since his relationship with Jessica Simpson went public. And the interviewing of half the Cowboys staff for opportunities around the rest of the league makes one wonder if ‘America’s Team’ has the right focus for a playoff run.
My hunch is that the Cowboys are primed for an upset, potentially resulting in Wade Phillips losing his head coaching job to offensive coordinator and wunderkind Jason Garrett.
#2 Seed Green Bay Packers: Number two seed, check.
Despite the Cowboys’ vulnerability, I’m simply not sold on the Packers this year. They’ve had a terrific run and Brett Favre has been unbelievable, especially at age 38.
But is it unthinkable for the Packers to have a bad day throwing the football and drop out of the playoffs in a hurry? Not at all. Look at how they played against the Bears only two weeks ago.
That said, with the NFC the way it is , it also wouldn’t shock me if the Packers made a return appearance to the Super Bowl.
#3 Seed Seattle Seahawks: No running game, check. A team that looks great one week and horrible the next, check.
Here is another NFC team that could be one and done or make it to the Super Bowl.
Aren’t ‘expert’ predictions great?
#4 Seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I genuinely don’t have a good feeling for the Buccaneers this year. I know some pundits have the Bucs as their dark horse. Not me.
A return to the playoffs is certainly an achievement and Jon Gruden deserves all the credit in the world. But the Bucs haven’t been healthy all season and haven’t looked sharp in over a month.
My guess is one-and-done.
#5 Seed New York Giants: What an inspired performance against the Patriots.
If the Giants can keep the momentum going, if Eli Manning can play worry-free for another four quarters and if the Giants’ receivers can stop dropping the ball, G-Men should pull off the upset in Tampa Bay and might even sneak into the NFC championship game.
#6 Seed Washington Redskins: Wow. Joe Gibbs proves again why he is a Hall-of-Fame coach.
This team was finished following a gut-wrenching loss to the Bills after the death of Sean Taylor. And I include myself in that group of doubters. But four impressive wins later with a backup quarterback who hadn’t played a meaningful down in ten years landed this gutsy Redskin team in the playoffs.
Can they beat the Seahawks?
I have a hunch they can. But even if they don’t, the Redskins have proven themselves champions..
So how do I see this weekend playing out? Don’t surprised to see three road teams walk away with victories.
As is the case with the NFL Playoffs, anything can happen… and most assuredly will.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz was fired this week, chosen as the scapegoat for the Detroit Lions. Everyone’s mistakes, sins and blown assignments were laid on Martz’ head as he left town to take the fall for the Lions collapse down the stretch.
But was it really Martz’s fault?
Not according to QB Jon Kitna. And not according to stats that shows the Lions passing offense as 9th in the league and a total offense at 19th, up from 22nd last year, not to mention the most Lions’ wins in a season since 2000.
If you want to blame someone, what about starting with the worst defense in the league?
This is not to suggest that the notoriously hard-to-get-along-with Martz was blameless. But hasn’t there been someone calling the shots in Detroit a little longer than Mike Martz?
At some point, general manager Matt Millen needs to be held accountable for his failure in Detroit. His career record as general manager of the Lions is an appalling 31-81. And this after inheriting a 9-7 franchise in 2000.
Instead of firing the offensive genius behind the ‘Greatest Show on Turf,’ perhaps Matt Millen needs to take a good, hard look at himself.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Network may have just pulled off the coup of the year.
Yes, they gave the Patriots-Giants game to NBC and CBS for no charge. But they also turned the telecast into a veritable three-hour commercial for the NFL Network.
A three-hour commercial watched by 34. 5 million people to be exact.
That makes the game the most watched television show of the season AND the most watched telecast since the Academy Awards last February. To put it in perspective, it was the highest-rated regular season game since Thanksgiving 1995 when the Marty Schottenheimer’s Kansas City Chiefs battled Barry Switzer’s Dallas Cowboys.
And since only 4.5 million people watched the game on the NFL Network, 30 million people who never would have seen the game were treated to history in the making and a free preview of the NFL Network.
Whether that helps the NFL Network get on more cable systems in the future remains to be seen. But if the NFL Network had not shared the game with the rest of the world, they certainly would have been the most reviled sports channel in modern times.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
The playoffs are set, so ‘Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?’ will be placed on hiatus until the start of the 2008 season.
But that still leaves the other 20 NFL franchises whose most interesting discussion are what picks they will have in the upcoming 2008 NFL draft come April…
#1 – Miami Dolphins (1-15): Clinched the top pick with one of the worst seasons in NFL history. The good news, however, is that Bill Parcells is in town and cleaning house.
#2 – St. Louis Rams (3-13): Second-worst record in the NFL. What a humbling fall from the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ just a scant few years ago.
#3/4/5 – Atlanta Falcons (4-12)/Oakland Raider (4-12)/Kansas City Chiefs (4-12): In a weird twist of fate, a coin flip will decide the third, fourth and fifth pick. If the Falcons win the toss, they pick third, the Raiders fourth and the Chiefs fifth since they finished ahead of the Raiders in the AFC West tiebreaker. If the Raiders win the toss, they pick third and the Falcons and Chiefs flip again to determine who picks fourth and fifth. Whew!
#6 – New York Jets (4-12): Clinched the sixth pick with the hardest schedule of all the 4-12 teams.
#7 – San Francisco 49ers (5-11): This is the pick that was traded to the New England Patriots before the season. The 16-0 Patriots.
#8 – Baltimore Ravens (5-11): Who will be the next Ravens coach?
#9 – Cincinnati Bengals (7-9): Are more changes on the horizon for the Bengals?
#10 – New Orleans Saints (7-9): Can the Saints bounce back next year?
#11 – Buffalo Bills (7-9): Is Trent Edwards the answer at quarterback?
#12 – Denver Broncos (7-9): Is Cutler really the future in Denver?
#13 – Carolina Panthers (7-9): Looks like John Fox gets another year.
#14 – Chicago Bears (7-9): The curse of the Super Bowl runner-up continues.
#15 – Detroit Lions (7-9): An improvement over last year, but closing 1-7 is never a good sign.
#16 – Arizona Cardinals (8-8): Warner or Leinart next year?
#17 – Minnesota Vikings (8-8): Very disappointing finish.
#18 – Houston Texans (8-8): Best record in franchise history.
#19 – Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): Will Reid and McNabb be back for one more run?
Picks #20-31 – To be determined by the playoffs (the Patriots lost their #1 pick due to spygate).
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Aside from completing the first 16-0 regular season record in league history, the New England Patriots also rewrote several pages of the history books Saturday night including these three very impressive records.
Most Points Scored in a Season
589 – 2007 New England Patriots
556 – 1998 Minnesota Vikings
541 – 1983 Washington Redskins
540 – 2000 St. Louis Rams
526 – 1999 St. Louis Rams
522 – 2004 Indianapolis Colts
513 – 1961 Houston Oilers
513 – 1984 Miami Dolphins
505 – 1994 San Francisco 49ers
503 – 2001 St. Louis Rams
501 – 1998 Denver Broncos
Perhaps even more impressive is the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ of the St. Louis Rams has three of the top ten scoring offenses of all time.
Single Season Touchdown Passes
50 – Tom Brady, 2007 New England Patriots
49 – Peyton Manning, 2004 Indianapolis Colts
48 – Dan Marino, 1984 Miami Dolphins
44 – Dan Marino, 1986 Miami Dolphins
41 – Kurt Warner, 1999 St. Louis Rams
39 – Brett Favre, 1996 Green Bay Packers
39 – Daunte Culpepper, 2004 Minnesota Vikings
38 – Brett Favre, 1995 Green Bay Packers
36 – George Blanda, 1961 Houston Oilers
36 – Y.A. Tittle, 1963 New York Giants
36 – Steve Young, 1998 San Francisco 49ers
36 – Steve Beuerlein, 1999 Carolina Panthers
36 – Kurt Warner, 2000 St. Louis Rams
36 – Tony Romo, 2007 Dallas Cowboys
Just a reminder of how great Dan Marino was, how good Brett Favre has been over his career and that Tony Romo is no slouch either. But that George Blanda and Y.A. Tittle are still on the list from the early 1960s is simply astounding.
Single Season Touchdown Receptions
23 – Randy Moss, 2007 New England Patriots
22 – Jerry Rice, 1987 San Francisco 49ers (strike-shortened season!)
18 – Sterling Sharpe, 1994 Green Bay Packers
18 – Mark Clayton, 1984 Miami Dolphins
17 – Don Hudson, 1942 Green Bay Packers
17 – Elroy Hirsch, 1951 Los Angeles Rams
17 – Bill Groman, 1961 Houston Oilers
17 – Jerry Rice, 1989 San Francisco 49ers
17 – Carl Pickens, 1995 Cincinnati Bengals
17 – Chris Carter, 1995 Minnesota Vikings
17 – Randy Moss, 1998 Minnesota Vikings
17 – Randy Moss, 2003 Minnesota Vikings
Don’t forget that Jerry Rice’s 22 touchdowns came in the 1987 strike-shortened season where he played only 12 games!
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 12/26/07…
The NFL playoffs are right around the corner and like most seasons of late, a few teams competing for the final playoff spots are genuine surprises. Teams that were given little shot at succeeding this year, but are peaking at just the right time.
I am, of course, talking about the Cleveland Browns and the Minnesota Vikings.
That is until they lost this past weekend, inflicting near fatal wounds to their playoff chances.
So once again, what we thought would be the story of the week has faded into unrealized dreams.
Which leads me to believe that perhaps the most important event in professional football this past week may not have occurred on the football field.
No, the most critical event was the hiring of Bill Parcells as head of football operations for the Miami Dolphins.
We’ve seen this before when two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells came out of retirement to turn around the moribund New England Patriots in 1993. With all of their recent success, it may be hard to remember that the now dynastic Patriots managed only 9 wins in three seasons before Parcells arrived. By his fourth season with the team, Bill Parcells had them in the Super Bowl against the Packers.
Was there drama? Did Parcells utter the now (in)famous phrase, “If they’re gonna let you cook the dinner, they at least ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.” Did he quit the Patriots right after the Super Bowl loss?
Yes.
But Bill Parcells, in my estimation, is worth the trouble.
Don’t believe me? Take a look at his next stop.
The New York Jets suffered cruelly under the inept hands of Rich Kotite whose record over his final two and a half seasons was an appalling 4-35. Parcells invigorated this long-suffering franchise and turned them around in his first season barely missing the playoffs with a 9-7 record. By the following year, he had the Jets in the AFC championship game where they lead the defending world champions Denver Broncos by 10 in the second half.
Did the Jets eventually fall to the Broncos in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game? Were they forced to endure the bizarre coaching shuffle from Parcells to Belichick to Al Groh? Did the Jets collapse not long after Parcells departed?
Yes, but it again depends upon how you feel about Parcells. This is a guy who has had success everywhere he’s gone. Does he joust with the press? Play head games with his players? Yes, but to me at least, he’s exhibited marked success everywhere he has gone including his last stop with the Cowboys.
Sure, Parcells didn’t win a playoff game while in charge of the Cowboys, but when he took over in 2003, Dallas had endured three consecutive 5-11 seasons. In his first year, Parcells led them to the playoffs. And last year, he set them up for an improbable playoff run by replacing Drew Bledsoe with the unsung Tony Romo, an inspired and gutsy call. If not for a gut-wrenching fumbled snap against the Seahawks, the Cowboys might have made a deep run into the playoffs. And this season, the Cowboys have locked up the number one seed that is surely a testament to what Parcells built.
And yet there are still critics calling Parcells a bully and a prima donna who used the Falcons to get a better deal out of the Dolphins.
Which leads me to an inescapable conclusion.
We defend those who we like.
We make allowances for their shortcomings by believing their faults are what make them human.
We all do it.
I like Bill Parcells. I look past his flaws and shortcomings and see, for the most part, only that portion of the picture that I want to see.
And if you can look past his flaws, you’ll find in a few years that he will have turned around the Miami Dolphins.
And a few years after that, he’ll retire once again to leave us to debate his success… and his flaws.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
The final weekend of the regular season is here and, surprisingly, there are very few games that really matter. So for your enjoyment pleasure, here is your viewing guide for Week 17…
#1) Saturday 8:00PM (NFL Network, simulcast on NBC and CBS): Patriots at Giants
A game that matters only for the record books. Will the New England Patriots reach perfection? Will Tom Brady break Peyton Manning’s single season passing touchdown record? Will Randy Moss break Jerry Rice’s single season touchdown reception record?
#2) Sunday 1:00PM: Saints at Bears
If the Redskins AND Vikings lose their afternoon games, the Saints sneak into the playoffs with a victory in Chicago.
#3a) Sunday 4:15PM: Cowboys at Redskins
Speaking of which, the Redskins control their destiny. Win and they are in. But if they should lose…
#3b) Sunday 4:15PM: Vikings at Broncos
…and the Vikings beat the Broncos, then Vikings take the final NFC playoff spot.
#4a) Sunday 4:15PM: Chargers at Raiders
If the Chargers win as they should, they will clinch the #3 seed thereby avoiding the dangerous Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs. But if the Chargers stumble…
#4b) Sunday: 4:15PM: Steelers at Ravens
…and the Steelers win, then give the #3 seed to the Pittsburgh Steelers and rookie head coach Mike Tomlin.
#5) Sunday 8:15PM: Titans at Colts
Sunday Night Football features the best game of the day. If the Titans win, they claim the final playoff spot. Lose and the Browns make it to the playoffs… regardless of how they do against the 49ers.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
Emmitt Smith has been receiving a lot of criticism for his verbal miscues on ESPN, but I think the bigger story this year should be Bryant Gumbel’s performance on the NFL Network.
Gumbel was brought aboard the NFL Network last year to bring legitimacy to their NFL broadcast team. But to put it mildly, Bryant Gumbel has been dreadful. And it’s made all the more apparent by how good Chris Collinsworth is, such as his comparison of quarterback release times showing that Tony Romo at .26 seconds is even faster than Dan Marino at .30.
To highlight an example of Gumbel’s questionable work, let’s look at Saturday night’s game when Panthers rookie QB Matt Moore threw into disguised coverage and was picked off. When Gumbel asked why Moore could possibly throw into that situation when he had better options on the other side of the field, Collinsworth answered incredulously, “Because he doesn’t know any better. It’s his second game. It’s why you don’t play guys this early in their careers.”
Gumbel quickly changed subjects and tried to suggest that with the ball sitting on the fifty-yard line after the interception, the Cowboys wouldn’t try to score with only 1:17 on the clock. Again, Collinsworth was audibly surprised, adding that he thought the Cowboys might try to add a field goal to their lead. And while the Cowboys didn’t score, like any NFL team in that situation, they certainly tried.
In some ways, Gumbel is showing some improvement. Earlier in the season he praised the quarterbacking skills of Dallas Cowboys’ star, Rick Romo. So this Saturday night when the NFL Network telecast of the New England Patriots at the New York Giants is simulcast on NBC and CBS, enjoy Bryant Gumbel as he chronicles the historic achievements QB Brad Brady and coach Bruce Belichick.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) New England Patriots (15-0): One more win for a perfect regular season.
2) Indianapolis Colts (13-2): Colts blow out the Texans. This is how you want to enter the playoffs.
3) San Diego Chargers (10-5): Another nice win against the Broncos. Impressive run after a disastrous 1-3 start.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5): 10 wins in Tomlin’s rookie season. Not bad. Not bad at all.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4): Crushing victory over the Raiders. This is another team peaking at just the right time.
6a) Tennessee Titans (9-6): It’s simple. Titans win and they’re in…
6b) Cleveland Browns (9-6): …Titans lose and the Browns are in..
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (13-2): Packers loss gives the Cowboys homefield. So the only worry is T.O.’s health and Romo’s confidence.
2) Green Bay Packers (12-3): Not the way to play when you’re hoping to steal home-field advantage.
3) Seattle Seahawks (10-5): Seahawks thump the Ravens and clinch the #3 slot for the playoffs.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6): Buccaneers are trying to get healthy. Don’t expect much from the starters.
5) New York Giants (10-5): Giants finally close out the wild card spot. Now a date with history and then the playoffs.
6a) Washington Redskins (8-7): Very, very impressive win on the road. Beat the T.O.-less Cowboys and the Redskins make the playoffs. Lose and…
6b) Minnesota Vikings (8-7): …the Vikings get in with a win. Should both the Redskins and the Vikings lose…
6c) New Orleans Saints (7-8): …and New Orleans wins, then the Saints pull off the miracle and return to the playoffs to play the Seahawks.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Back before the NFL added a 17th week to the regular season. Before the endless rounds of playoffs. Before even ESPN, playoff football began Christmas weekend.
And back some 35 years ago before instant replay and the hundreds of different camera angles there was a play that changed NFL football. And changed the fortunes of a franchise along the Monongahela, Alleheny and Ohio rivers.
The Immaculate Reception.
It was December 23, 1972 and the Pittsburgh Steelers trailed the Oakland Raiders 7-6 in the divisional playoffs. Facing a fourth-and-ten on their own 40 with only 22 seconds left in the game, Terry Bradshaw threw a desperation pass in the direction of Steeler fullback John ‘Frenchy’ Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided with Fuqua as the ball arrived, sending it high into the air. As the crowd watched the Steelers season coming to an end, from out of nowhere Franco Harris caught the ball with his fingertips and raced downfield for a touchdown and a Steelers win.
Surprisingly, what has been forgotten over the intervening 35 years is that while the referees probably got the call right, the referee, Fred Swearingen, telephoned NFL’s supervisor of officials Art McNally in the press box before signaling the touchdown a minute later. It is perhaps the first time that instant replay was used to determine the outcome of the game.
Even more curiously, is that the Steelers did not go on to win the Super Bowl that year or the next as most people believe. It was the Miami Dolphins who defeated the Steelers the following week 21-17 on the way to their undefeated season and first of two consecutive Super Bowl titles.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
#1 – Miami Dolphins (1-14): Dolphins lock up the No. 1 pick while Hurricane Tuna hits Thursday.
#2 – Atlanta Falcons (3-12): Will Marty Schottenheimer end up in Atlanta?
#3 – St. Louis Rams (3-12): Another tough loss which begs the question, does Linehan deserve another season?
#4 – New York Jets (3-12): The end of the Chad Pennington era.
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 12/19/07…
One of the things I’ve alway enjoyed about the NFL is that games don’t always determine who the better team is as much as who the better team is on that day.
The NBA, NHL and MLB all take the approach that seven-game series is the true arbiter of who is better. Everyone gets to play at home in front of their fans. The weather is never a factor. And if it does rain, baseball will even postpone the game until the weather clears up.
But not football.
One game to crown a winner. And if it happens to be so foggy that you can’t see the endzone, if it’s raining so hard that the field turns into a quagmire or if it’s a blizzard and 30 below zero, you still play the game.
The weather, the wind, and so many other factors impact the game. And impact who wins the game.
This weekend, we saw the Browns survive the Bills and the snow; the Patriots outlast the Nor’easter, the sleet and the Jets. The Seahawks weren’t as fortunate with the winds of Carolina and surprisingly it was the Jaguars from sunny Florida who flourished in the snow of Pittsburgh.
Even the Cowboys felt the weight of inclimate weather as they lost to the Eagles.
The winds, the rains, the… oh, right. Weather wasn’t a factor this weekend for the Cowboys. Nor was it a factor last week when they nearly stumbled against the Lions.
No, something else was at work.
The Cowboys had themselves a case of overconfidence.
Instead of focusing on the Eagles, a team that nearly knocked off the undefeated Patriots while starting a backup quarterback, the Cowboys seemed to be focusing on all the wrong things.
Tony Romo’s latest celebrity girlfriend attending her first Cowboys’s game. T.O. and other vocal Cowboys opining that the NFC East goes through Dallas and not Philadelphia. The prospect of going to the Super Bowl.
Surprised?
You shouldn’t be. Look at Wade Phillips. Earlier in the week when asked by the press if he thought the Eagles were a good team, he answered after a long pause, “No, no they aren’t.”
The room erupted into laughter.
Funny line.
But not one that should be uttered by a head coach when your team is so consistently unfocused. When your owner is looking for a reason to replace you with your offensive coordinator before some other team hires him as their head coach.
And do you want to know what’s even funnier than Wade Phillips’ line?
Just two weeks ago after defeating the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys were regarded as the team to beat in the NFC. A legitimate challenger for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. But now after a miraculous victory over the Lions and an ugly loss to the Eagles, suddenly the perception is that this is a team in crisis. Let’s not forget, the pundits are saying, the Cowboys have collapsed every December for the past decade.
When you win, you are a team that has learned how to win close games. When you lose, suddenly every close win was lucky.
And if Wade Phillips isn’t careful his ‘Boys of destiny are going to become the ghosts of Decembers past.
And Jason Garrett will be the Cowboys coach come next season.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me take a moment to offer hearty congratulations to the Miami Dolphins for winning their first game of the season. The NFL is a grueling sport and no team deserves to go through an entire season with the ignominy of not winning a single game. So kudos to Cam Cameron and the rest of the Dolphins organization.
As for the rest of the NFL, remember back in November when the Steelers were going to be the next challengers for the Patriots? How the Steelers and not the Colts were going to earn the first-round bye in the AFC?
Well, the Steelers are 2-3 in their last five games, losing to the Jets, the Patriots and on Sunday, the Jaguars. And now they find themselves tied with the Cleveland Browns for the AFC North and desperately needing a win to get into the playoffs.
All of a sudden, the Steelers next opponents, the Rams with Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson don’t seem like a pushover. Suddenly the Ravens at home doesn’t seem like such an automatic win.
That’s what happens when you lose a couple of games in a row.
But come Thursday, when the Steelers walk out of St. Louis with a victory, suddenly everything will be okay. Mike Tomlin will be a genius again. And the Steelers will be two years removed from a world championship, not five weeks removed from a loss to the Jets.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
The best NFL show you’re not watching isn’t on the NFL Network.
No, it’s the venerable Inside the NFL on HBO.
Why aren’t you watching it? Well, it’s on HBO true, but even if you have premium cable, you’ve probably forgotten it’s still on. And for some reason HBO airs it on Wednesday nights and that is last day someone would expect something new about the NFL.
Aside from this column, of course.
Bob Costas is at his best in this series which makes watching him on Football Night in America all the harder. Chris Collinsworth may be the best studio analyst around — he’s sharp, funny and not afraid to be controversial. Dan Marino is his usual polished self, but it’s the genuine joking around on the show that makes him seem a little more personable than he is on the CBS. Chris Carter is terrific. He isn’t afraid to call teams soft or challenge the big name athletes out there. He is such a refreshing breath of fresh air in a broadcast world where few feel comfortable speaking the truth as they see it.
This past week featured Carter and Collinsworth giving ‘locker room speeches’ to the Patriots and Jets respectively before their big game. Carter was great, but Collinsworth stole the show with a speech that would have made Lombardi proud.
And Inside the NFL boasts the best NFL highlights, period, taking advantage of the NFL Films’ great camera work and voiceovers. But since the current voice of NFL Films also does the voiceover for the NFL Chunky Soup commercials, one is constantly expecting a segue to LaDainian Tomlinson’s mom.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) New England Patriots (14-0): The good news? Home-field advantage clinched throughout the playoffs. The bad news? Their offense isn’t built for cold weather.
2) Indianapolis Colts (12-2): Colts get it done in Oakland, wrap up the AFC South and first-round bye.
3) San Diego Chargers (9-5): Chargers clinch AFC West and move ahead of the Steelers in the seedings.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5): Two losses in a row and the pressure is on the Steelers.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4): Jags finally win a big game. Could they be the dark horse in the AFC?
6) Cleveland Browns (9-5): Browns find a way to win in the snow.
Still in the Hunt:
Tennessee Titans (8-6): Still alive, but just barely.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (12-2): Suddenly the Cowboys look vulnerable.
2) Green Bay Packers (12-2): The Packers just keep winning, clinching a first-round bye. Can they steal home-field advantage from the Cowboys?
3) Seattle Seahawks (9-5): Unconscionable loss to the Panthers who started a rookie QB.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5): Impressive bounce-back win after losing to the Texans last week.
5) New York Giants (9-5): Giants need to beat the Bills on the road to clinch a wild card.
6) Minnesota Vikings (8-6): Always nice to get the win, but the Vikings need to play better if they want to hold onto the final playoff spot.
Still in the Hunt:
New Orleans Saints (7-7): Back to .500 again.
Washington Redskins (7-7): Nice win. Vikings up next.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Brett Favre is simply amazing.
While I expected him to break 60,000 passing yards this season, I didn’t believe he could overtake Dan Marino as the all-time passing yardsage leader before the end of the season. I mean, Favre was on the downside of his career, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns the past two seasons and sporting a 71.8 quarterback rating over the same period. This was another case of a great player hanging on for too long.
Well, pass Dan Marino he did on Sunday. Favre has thrown for almost 4,000 yards in only 14 games this season with 26 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 97.7, the second best rating of his career. This year alone, Favre has broken records for career wins, passing touchdowns, attempts, yardage and, unfortunately, interceptions.
I know I ran the all-time career passing yardage list not too long in this column, but re-running feels like the right thing to do especially since this might be the last major record left for Favre to break. And don’t look now, but Peyton Manning has already jumped two spots to #9 since last time. If I am still doing this column six years from now, don’t be surprised to see Manning at the top of this list.
1) Brett Favre (1991-Present) 61,405 yards, Falcons/Packers.
2) Dan Marino (1983-1999) 61,361 yards, Dolphins.
3) John Elway (1983-1998) 51,475 yards, Broncos.
4) Warren Moon (1984-2000) 49,325 yards, Oilers/Vikings/Seahawks/Chiefs with the first five years of his career playing for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
5) Fran Tarkenton (1962-1978) 47,003 yards, Vikings/Giants/Vikings.
6) Vinny Testaverde (1987-Present) 46,233 yards, Buccaneers/Browns/Ravens/Jets/Cowboys/Patriots/Panthers.
7) Drew Bledsoe (1993-2006) 44,611 yards, Patriots/Bills/Cowboys.
8) Dan Fouts (1973-1987) 43,040 yards, Chargers.
9) Peyton Manning (1998-Present) 40,944 yards, Colts.
10) Joe Montana (1979-1994) 40,551 yards, 49ers/Chiefs.
11) Johnny Unitas (1955-1973) 40,239 yards, Colts/Chargers.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
#1 – Miami Dolphins (1-13): Dolphins finally get a much-deserved win.
#2 – Atlanta Falcons (3-11): This team is in an absolute free fall even without Petrino.
#3 – St. Louis Rams (3-11): Close game with the Packers for about a half.
#4 – New York Jets (3-11): The Jets played the Patriots really tough. Of course, they still don’t have a quarterback.
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 12/12/07…
Let’s face it. The best chances to beat the Patriots are already in the past.
The Colts were up by ten at home with nine minutes left on the clock and couldn’t get it done.
The Eagles had a win in their sights during the final minutes when an ill-advised pass derailed their upset bid.
The Ravens won the game outright until a timeout and an offsides penalty wiped out back-to-back fourth-down stops with under two minutes to go.
The blueprint on how to beat the Patriots is out there. Run against them. Throw the short slant. Jam their receivers. Pressure Brady.
But who will actually pull it off? Who will beat the Patriots when all is said and done?
The truth is probably nobody.
So instead of going on ad nauseum about how another team failed to upset the Patriots, I will take you on a journey to observe sports headlines of the next few weeks.
Headlines that will, undoubtedly, never see print.
Week 15: SPYGATE PAYBACK: MANGINI, JETS STUN BELICHICK, PATRIOTS
Why this headline rings true: Mangini knows the Patriots better than any coach in the league. He’s beaten the Patriots before. He’s already beaten the Steelers this season so we know the Jets are capable of big things. And the Patriots won’t be taking the 3-10 Jets very seriously, especially at home.
Why this headline rings hollow: The Patriots already beat the Jets 38-14 in week one and that was before Mangini started this whole Spygate mess. Don’t you think Belichick and the Patriots have been drooling all season for this game?
Week 16: GHOSTS OF ’72: ‘IMPERFECT” DOLPHINS SURPRISE ‘PERFECT’ PATRIOTS
Why this headline rings true: If the winless Dolphins upset the undefeated Patriots in week 16, we would experience the ultimate dose of NFL karma. And believe it or not, the last regular season loss the Patriots suffered was at the hands of the Dolphins last season 21-0.
Why this headline rings hollow: Since that game, the Patriots haven’t lost in the regular season and the Dolphins have yet to win. And no matter matter how karmic a Dolphins’ victory would be, it’s just not going to happen. Witness week seven when the Patriots crushed the Dolphins in Miami 49-28. Oh, and didn’t former Dolphins coach Don Shula mention something about an asterisk?
Week 17: TAKE THAT PEYTON! ELI, GIANTS KNOCK OUT PATRIOTS
Why this headline rings true: There is no reason for the Patriots to play all their starters during the final week of the season with homefield advantage locked up. Who wants to risk an injury before a run at the Super Bowl?
Why this headline rings hollow: An undefeated season is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Belichick, Brady and the rest of the Patriots have wanted to go down in history as the greatest team in NFL history since this whole Spygate furor started. And beating the Giants to become the first team to go 16-0 during the regular season is exactly what they have in mind.
Divisional Playoffs: CHARGERS SHOCK PATRIOTS; TURNER OUTCOACHES BELICHICK
Why this headline rings true: When you have LT and a stellar defense, anything is possible. Remember, the Chargers were supposed to win it all last year and should have beaten the Patriots in the playoffs if not for a few quirky turns of fate.
Why this headline rings hollow: In week two, the Patriots dismantled the Chargers 38-14 and despite what A.J. Smith might think, Norv Turner is not a big-game coach. And he might not be a small-game coach either. Of course, don’t be shocked if the Jaguars upset the Chargers Wild Card weekend and play the Patriots instead…
Divisional Playoffs, Take 2: JAGUARS SHOCK PATRIOTS; GARRARD OUTPLAYS BRADY
Why this headline rings true: The Jags have a power running game, a QB who doesn’t throw interceptions, and a hard-hitting defense that might be able to take advantage of the Patriots’ perceived weaknesses.
Why this headline rings hollow:The Jaguars have yet to prove they can win the big game and Florida teams seldom play well in the frigid northern climates during January championship football.
AFC Championship: PEYTON’S PAYBACK: COLTS BEAT PATS IN PLAYOFFS… AGAIN!
Why this headline rings true: The Colts are the defending world champions and they almost beat the Patriots without starting left tackle Tony Ugoh and All-Pro WR Marvin Harrison earlier this year after stunning them in the championship game last season. And the Colts may be an even better team this year with a running game more suited for the cold than the Patriots.
Why this headline rings hollow: This is the game the Patriots have been waiting for ever since their shield of invulnerability was shattered last season in the loss to the Colts after being up 18. This game, perhaps more than any other all season, is the one that means the most to Patriots who will be at home playing their best football of the season.
What About the Steelers? Okay… one more headline to satisify those of you from Pittsburgh…
AFC Championship, Take 2: STEELERS STUN PATS; SMITH INTERCEPTS BRADY 3 TIMES!
Happy?
Now onto the final game…
Super Bowl: COWBOYS END PATRIOTS PERFECTION; T.O. HUMBLE IN VICTORY
Why this headline rings true: The Cowboys have an aura about them this season that is hard to ignore. Tony Romo might be exactly the kind of improvising QB needed to pull off the upset. And the Cowboys were leading the Patriots in the third quarter earlier this season.
Why this headline rings hollow: Let’s not forget how that game ended. The Patriots crushed the Cowboys 48-27 in Dallas. The Cowboys, frankly, have yet to demonstrate that they can play the style of smash-mouth football needed to beat the Patriots. And who says the Cowboys are going to the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl, Take 2: PACKERS SHOCK PATRIOTS; FAVRE DECLARED NATIONAL TREASURE
Okay, so maybe none of these headlines will come true.
So what is the most likely headline at the end of the season?
PATRIOTS PERFECT AT 19-0; BELICHICK GIVES EVERYONE THE FINGER
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Have you ever watched a game and known how it was going to end? That one team just seemed destined to come from behind in a miraculous fashion? And other comebacks were destined to fall short, no matter what the circumstances were?
Take the Dallas Cowboys who were kept off-balance most of the day by a surprisingly game Detroit Lions team. With the Lions up 27-14, I think a lot of us knew the Cowboys were going to win 28-27 even after Jason Witten fumbled on the six-inch line with six minutes to go. It was no surprise when the Lions missed a 35-yard field goal and failed to recover a Tony Romo fumble in the fourth that probably would have clinched the game. Tony Romo brings a coolness under pressure that made everyone believe that he could and would throw a game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds. And he did, showing his faith in Witten with 18 seconds to go.
The Philadelphia Eagles comeback, on the other hand, seemed equally destined to fall short. Attempting to send the game against the Giants into overtime, David Akers 57-yards field kick at the end of regulation hit the right upright and bounced back, no good.
It didn’t fall short.
It wasn’t wide.
It hit the upright, tantalizing inches away from a shot at victory in overtime.
Much like most of their efforts this season.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
On Sunday morning at 11am, I sat down in front of the television to watch, from start to finish, ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.
For two hours.
But to my surprise, I found the lengthy telecast to be far and away the best NFL pregame show on television. If you can spare the time, I would highly recommend it. Because ESPN covers sports 24/7/365, their news coverage and segments are slicker and better produced than any of the networks. This past week they assembled some genuinely enjoyable pieces on Bill Belichick’s press conferences, a Cowboys-Sopranos parody, an interview with T.O., and the prospects of the Miami Dolphins going 0-16.
The veteran studio team are so good, especially Chris Berman and Tom Jackson, that one is reminded of ESPN’s classic NFL Primetime. Chris Berman is a great studio host, but he periodically slips into a painful parody of himself reminiscent of an overwight celebrity 20 years past his prime repeating worn-out catchphrases that are no longer amusing. Tom Jackson is still one of the best studio analysts around bringing up solid points with an unbelievably professional delivery.
You gotta love Mike Ditka. He knows his football. And he demands and commands respect from the viewers and from the rest of the broadcast team. Keyshawn Johnson is young and full of potential. I look forward to seeing how he develops over the next few years.
And now for a word about Emmitt Smith, the biggest addition to the team this year. Emmitt has been ripped on the Internet for his clumsy choice of words and stumbling delivery, but he’s not actually as bad as he is made out to be. But at this point, he really does come across as an unnecessary fifth wheel and suffers by comparison to a polished and veteran crew.
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 (13-0): Patriots step it up against the #1 defense in the NFL and clinch a first-round bye.
2) Indianapolis Colts (11-2): Wow. Crushing victory over the Ravens earns the Colts a playoff berth for the sixth consecutive year.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-4): Close for about 34 minutes. Unfortunately, the game was 60 minutes long.
4) San Diego Chargers (8-5): Tremendous comeback win over the Titans after a horrible start has the Chargers thinking January.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4): Jags bounce back from the Colts loss to put themselves in good shape for the playoffs and a probably first round matchup with the Chargers. Big game against Steelers up next.
6) Cleveland Browns (8-5): Much needed win over the Jets keeps them as the sixth seed.
Still in the Hunt:
Buffalo Bills (7-6): Quietly, the Bills have crept above .500 and face the Browns Sunday in a matchup for the final AFC playoff spot.
Tennessee Titans (7-6): Devastating blow to their playoff hopes after being up 14 in the fourth on the Chargers.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (12-1): Cowboys clinch NFC East for the first time since 1998.
2) Green Bay Packers (11-2): Back on track with big win over the Raiders that clinched the NFC North crown.
3) Seattle Seahawks (9-4): Crushing victory over the Cardinals gives the Seahawks the NFC West.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5): Once Garcia is healthy, we will find out just how good the Bucs really are.
5) New York Giants (9-4): Nice win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. Playoffs are all but assured.
6) Minnesota Vikings (7-6): The Vikings have positioned themselves to get into the playoffs after a dreadful start.
Still in the Hunt:
New Orleans Saints (6-7): Nice win over the Falcons puts the Saints back in the playoff race.
Washington Redskins (6-7): Emotional win over the Bears.
Arizona Cardinals (6-7): This is a game the Cardinals desperately needed.
Detroit Lions (6-7): Heartbreaking loss with only 18 seconds left on the clock.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
The Miami Dolphins, owners of the only perfect season, seem to be on their way to an unprecedented 0-16 season after their loss to Bills. And since we looked at the best records to start a season a few weeks back, it seems only fair to review the worst records to start a season in NFL history.
0-10 Start
1997 Indianapolis Colts finished 3-13.
1993 Cincinnati Bengals finished 3-13.
1984 Houston Oilers finished 3-13.
1983 Houston Oilers finished 2-14.
1971 Buffalo Bills finished 1-13.
1960 Dallas Cowboys finished 0-11-1.
1944 Pittsburgh Steelers finished 0-10.
1943 Cardinals finished 0-10.
0-11 Start
2000 San Diego Chargers finished 1-15.
1984 Buffalo Bills finished 2-14.
1975 San Diego Chargers finished 2-12.
1968 Philadelphia Eagles finished 2-12.
1942 Detroit Lions finished 0-11.
0-12 Start
1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 2-12.
0-13 Start
2007 Miami Dolphins
1986 Indianapolis Colts finished 3-13.
1962 Oakland Raiders (AFL) finished 1-13.
0-14 Start
1980 New Orleans Saints finished 1-15.
1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 0-14.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-13): Another ugly loss, but at least the Dolphins have learned that Beck is not the answer at QB. At least not yet.
#2 – San Francisco 49ers (3-10): How this team won three games, I’ll never know.
#3 – Atlanta Falcons (3-9): Michael Vick is sentenced to 23 months in prison, Falcons lose to the Saints and then Bobby Petrino resigns to coach at Arkansas. Talk about a bad day.
#4 – St. Louis Rams (3-10): Injuries are killing the Rams. I mean, Brock Berlin at QB?
#5 – New York Jets (3-10): Another tough loss. One wonders if they have something up their sleeves for the Patriots. I mean, wouldn’t that make their season if they won?
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 12/05/07…
There’s nothing quite like the NFL in December.
The Colts, Buccaneers, Steelers and Chargers all extended divisional leads and the Giants got a much needed victory to firm up the top NFC wild card slot. On the other side of the spectrum, the Lions continued their collapse and the longshot hopes of the Eagles, Bears, Saints, Redskins and Broncos took some serious damage.
But perhaps the most critical game of Week 13 wasn’t available to as many fans as it should have been.
Why not?
Because it aired on Thursday night.
On the NFL Network.
Now most people don’t even know if they have the NFL Network since it’s only available to 40% of the country due to a long-standing conflict between the NFL and the cable companies. And if their service does carry it, it usually requires an additional fee to make it active. But more fans saw the Packers play the Cowboys than you might think. The game was still the second most-watched telecast of the evening, pulling in 10.1 million viewers on the NFL Network. And that’s not counting the more than one million local viewers in Dallas-Fort Worth and the countless cheeseheads in Wisconsin.
But to put these numbers in perspective, more than three times as many people watched the Patriots-Colts game earlier this season and twice as many watched the Eagles nearly upset the Patriots last Sunday night.
So for those of you unable to watch Super Bowl XLI 3/4, let me share with you some opinions that didn’t make it into the media coverage following the game.
The Packers played most of the game as if they believed that the Cowboys were the superior team. In his brief stint on the field before his game-ending injury, Brett Favre was tight and not his usual relaxed and carefree self. And instead of playing their successful style of football where short passes simulate a running game, the Packers consistently forced the ball deep downfield, perhaps trying to duplicate the Patriots success against the Cowboys from earlier in the season. The Packers even tried a first-half onside kick that should have worked if not for an inadvertent touch. But that is a play you call when you are trying to beat the undefeated New England Patriots. Not a play you call when you think you have the better team.
On the defensive side of the ball the Packers played without starters Charles Woodson and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, taking away matchups the Packers were hoping to use against the Cowboys’ receivers and blocking schemes. But even with that disadvantage, Al Harris pulled off a brilliant takeaway from T.O. in the first quarter. Unfortunately, the referees deemed otherwise shifting the game, potentially, from a 10-0 Packers lead to a 3-3 tie.
In the end, Tony Romo and T.O. were too much for the Favre-less Packers. But Green Bay did make it close with their bread-and-butter passing game and Aaron Rodgers at the helm, a good thing considering their fortunes up to now have relied upon a 38-year-old quarterback.
This is not to diminish the Cowboys’ achievement. This is a team with a stranglehold on homefield advantage in the NFC. A team with a quarterback who seems incapable of being rattled no matter how big the stage. And a superstar in T.O. who is having his best season and on his best behavior. This is a scary team saying all the right things at the right time with an offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett who is making all the right calls.
But by the end of the game, it became clear that while the Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC, there is not much separating the two clubs. The Packers can walk away with the knowledge that with a healthy set of starters and a new gameplan, they can beat these Cowboys.
Hopefully come January we will be treated to another Packers-Cowboys classic.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
What a terrific game Monday night. These are the exactly the types of games I cherish. Hard-hitting, back-and-forth battles where every play, every quirk of fate factors into the outcome of the game. Games where you can’t sit for the final two minutes, even at home, constantly pacing in front of the television.
The dynastic Patriots are finally getting challenged week in and week out, forcing them to use up more and more of their nine lives in games against the 5-7 Eagles and 4-8 Ravens. Though after Monday’s game, I can’t imagine the Patriots have any lives left to sacrifice.
On fourth-and-one with under two minutes to go and their undefeated season on the line, Tom Brady was stuffed on a quarterback sneak. The Ravens celebrated, but to no avail as defensive coordinator Rex Ryan had called a time out milli-seconds before the ball was snapped, negating the Ravens victory.
On fourth-and-one again, the Ravens stuffed RB Heath Evans. But offsides on the offense gave the Patriots yet another chance. And you don’t give Brady six shots to pick up a first down. Not surprisingly, he scrambled 12 yards to keep the drive alive.
And it would have been dramatic enough if the intrigue had ended there. But the Ravens held the Patriots to another unsuccessful fourth down with 55 seconds left on the 13-yard line. This time, Brady’s pass to Ben Watson fell incomplete. But the yellow flag, the Ravens nemesis this day, won out again, citing Jamaine Winborne for defensive holding.
By this point everyone watching the game knew that the inevitable would happen. The Patriots would win. Too many improbable events happened to keep this drive alive. We all knew the Patriots were destined to win this game.
And win the game they did on the next play, a questionable touchdown catch by Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds remaining. I was hoping the referees would overturn the call because the way this game should have ended was with another fourth down and no time left on the clock. One play for the undefeated season.
And the way the past two weeks have played out, we all know how it would have ended.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
This week I gave my undivided attention to The NFL Today pregame show on CBS.
Not The Salt-Free American Express NFL Today as FOX would undoubtedly have offered. While CBS is courteous to Southwest Airlines and the rest of their advertisers, they are nowhere near as offensive as their Ram-Tough FOX counterparts.
But back to the show, it became immediately clear that James Brown is simply the best studio host not only for football, but for any sporting event on television. He is talented, likeable and a master at handing off each topic to his other co-hosts.
Dan Marino, Bill Cowher, Shannon Sharpe and Boomer Esiason are all very polished and impressive analysts and CBS is smart enough to keep the focus of the show on them instead of bouncing around to a slew of disconnected segments like FOX. But by the end of the show Marino, Cowher, Shannon and Boomer came across more like individual contributors instead of a likeable team that FOX offers with Terry, Howie and Jimmie.
As for which show is better? It depends on your tastes and whether you prefer the NFC or the AFC. But if you are looking for the latest news and rumors around the league, FOX’s Jay Glazer is head and shoulders above the abrasive former general manager, Charlie Casserly.
Next Sunday, I plan to watch the marathon pre-game shows of ESPN to see how their phalanx of co-hosts and analysts stack up against FOX and CBS.
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 (12-0): While the Patriots look mortal for the second week in a row, the result remained the same. Another blueprint. Another loss for the challenger.
2) Indianapolis Colts (10-2): The Colts are back after staving off a tough challenge by the Jags.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): The Steelers see how they stack up against the Patriots.
4) San Diego Chargers (7-5): With the AFC West almost sewn up, the Chargers need to get ready for playoff football. Beating the Titans would be a good way to start
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4): Another tough loss to the Colts. If the Jags want to challenge in the AFC, they need to win these types of games.
6) Cleveland Browns (7-5): The Browns lose another close game they desperately needed to position themselves for the playoffs.
Still in the Hunt: Tennessee Titans (7-5): Albert Haynesworth changes the entire complexion of this team.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (11-1): Impressive win over the Packers. Cowboys also clinch a playoff berth and are now the favorites to go to the Super Bowl for the NFC.
2) Green Bay Packers (10-2): Packers should take heart that they had a chance to win this game late without Brett Favre, without Darren Woodson, without Kimoyui Edafu and without the benefit of Al Harris’s takeaway from T.O.
3) Seattle Seahawks (8-4): Nice win over the Eagles. The Seahawks may be tough enough to challenge the Cowboys and Packers come January.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-4): An improbably victory over the Saints without Jeff Garcia probably clinches the division.
5) New York Giants (8-4): Gritty comeback against the Bears should guarantee the Giants a wild card spot.
6) Arizona Cardinals (6-6): Terrific win over the Browns gives the Cardinals the last playoff spot for the time being
Still in the Hunt: Minnesota Vikings (6-6), Detroit Lions (6-6).
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
The death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor brought a shock of perspective to the NFL this week. A moment of silence before every game and a 10-player ‘missing man’ formation on the Redskins’ first defensive play were all moving tributes to an athlete lost in the prime of his young career.
But in 1971, there was an even more harrowing moment on the field.
On October 24, the Lions trailed the Bears 28-23 late in the fourth quarter at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. With the Lions running their two-minute offense, reserve wide receiver Chuck Hughes jogged back to the huddle after an incomplete pass intended for tight end Charlie Sanders.
Only he never made it.
Hughes collapsed at the 15-yard line where Bears middle linebacker Dick Butkus checked to see if he was okay. Butkus suddenly began waving his arms and frantically signaled the Lions sideline. Team doctor Richard Thompson ran onto the field, giving Hughes mouth-to-mouth and massaging his heart before putting him on a stretcher and sending him to Henry Ford Hospital where he was pronounced dead of a heart attack.
Perhaps with today’s sensibilities, the NFL would have suspended the game. But not in 1971. The Lions failed to score and lost 28-23, the final minutes played in stunned silence.
Battle for Darren McFadden (or Colt Brennan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-12): Officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Dolphins are legitimately looking at going winless this year.
#2 – San Francisco 49ers (3-9): Another loss. Nine losses in last ten games. And don’t forget who gets this draft choice come April. Hint, they’re the only undefeated team in the league.
#3 – Atlanta Falcons (3-9): This team is in some serious trouble. Perhaps Chris Redman will get a shot at running the offense.
#4 – New York Jets (3-9): A resounding victory over the Dolphins doesn’t prevent the Jets from being eliminated from the playoffs.
#5 – St. Louis Rams (3-9): The Rams have really picked up the pace, going 3-1 in their last four games.
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.
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 11/21/07…
Confidence.
Such a critical component of success in the NFL.
But there is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence, especially in professional football where the difference between winning and losing truly comes down to inches.
The Green Bay Packers, the youngest team in the NFL even with aged Brett Favre at the helm, is playing with a growing confidence that has elevated them from a lucky win over the Eagles in week one to powerful and impressive victories over the Vikings and the Panthers in the last two weeks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, have grown overconfident over the same time period as the media has fallen out of love with the Indianapolis Colts and embraced the AFC’s latest contender.
Only two and a half weeks ago, the defending world champions led the ‘greatest team in NFL history’ by 10 points in the fourth quarter without their number one receiver and starting left tackle. But a loss in the final minutes and a subsequent loss to the Chargers after Adam Vinatieri, in his own crisis of confidence, missed a 29-yard field goal at the end of the game has caused the media to go looking for another challenger to the mighty Patriots.
The Steelers, after an impressive win over the Ravens and an impressive comeback against the Browns, became the fashionable choice to unseat the Colts as the #2 seed in the AFC. Maybe, pundits whispered, this is the team and not the Colts who can beat the Patriots in a cold-weather classic.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, it seems they began to believe their own press clippings. Especially when facing a team with only one win going into Sunday. A team with a full-blown QB controversy magnified under the bright lights of the New York media. But a team come Sunday night, with an overtime victory over the mighty Steelers.
One might think the Jets lucked their way to the 19-16 victory. That the ball bounced their way a few times. But that would be a disservice to the Jets. They manhandled the Steelers, sacking Ben Roethlisberger seven times. Thomas Jones gouged the Steelers defense for 117 yards on the ground, the first 100-yard rusher the Steelers have allowed in 34 games.
And the Steelers still had a chance to win the game, getting the ball first in overtime.
But most NFL games aren’t won on Sundays. The are won during the week. Through a commitment to excellence. Through hard work. Through preparation. While much of football is about the skill of the players on the team, if you haven’t studied hard enough, if you didn’t figure out how to get that extra edge, you are setting yourself up for failure in this league.
The Steelers got overconfident and they paid the price. This loss may be the margin of error the Colts need to secure that #2 seed in the AFC. That extra week that the top two seed gets may be just enough time for Marvin Harrison to return to action.
And the media in their rush to crown another challenger forgot that on any given Sunday any NFL team can beat any other NFL team. Perhaps the seeming invincibility of the New England Patriots juggernaut this season has caused the media to forgot that this concept exists every single season without fail.
Suddenly, the high-flying Steelers have three losses on the road against only two wins. Suddenly the Steelers are in a team in crisis, a team that might lack confidence.
Good think for the Steelers their next game is at home against the winless Dolphins.
Of course, if the Steelers manage to lose that one, then we will really be talking about a crisis of confidence.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Being a referee is a thankless job. They are cursed on a regular basis by fans, coaches and media alike no matter what calls they make. Imagine have to cast split-second judgments in front of 80,000 rabid fans, irate 300-pound athletes and apoplectic coaches who scream at you over something that happened in a tenth of a second.
So it gives me great joy to be able to compliment these much-maligned referees on making the right call during the Browns-Ravens game. Browns kicker Phil Dawson lined up for a 51-yard game-tying field goal one week after falling short on a game-tying 52-yard field goal against the Steeler. What happened next may have been a first in an NFL or even major college football game. The kick bounced off the left upright, then hit the curved center support post behind the crossbar and, against all laws of physics, rebounded back through the goal post. As everyone stared in disbelief, one back judge finally signaled that the kick was no good. The Ravens, with no time left on the clock, left the field to celebrate their hard-earned victory.
But a moment later, referee Pete Morelli announced that he would take another look at the play. The only problem? Field goals are not reviewable under the instant replay rules. So Morelli discussed it with his crew for several minutes and took the word of back judge Keith Ferguson that the ball had indeed crossed over and through the goal post before bouncing back. Morelli returned to the field and explained in detail why the field goal was now being ruled good. The Ravens, celebrating in their locker room, were told to return to the field and the game continued in overtime where, as fate would have it, Phil Dawson kicked the game-winner.
Replays show that the referees got the call right. And that is what rules and instant replay are there for, to get the call right. So bravo to Pete Morelli and his crew for taking the time to determine the correct ruling, one that could decide the playoff fate of the Cleveland Browns.
The AFC West race just got a whole lot more interesting. The Denver Broncos are suddenly a team to be reckoned with after back-to-back victories over the Chiefs and the Titans. And the Chargers continue to implode after an especially soft performance against the Jaguars. The Broncos-Chargers matchup in San Diego on Christmas Eve may end up being the determiner.
Has anyone noticed that the Eagles are 5-3 in their last eight games? And now that they’ve climbed back to .500, will any of Andy Reid’s vociferous detractors give him credit for keeping this team together in spite of all his personal issues? The media is so quick to criticize, so quick to pass judgment and cast the first stone. Perhaps these professional critics should be just as quick to acknowledge that they might have gone a little overboard in the first place.
I understand that the Cowboys are 9-1. I also understand that Wade Phillips has displayed just the right touch to keep this team happy and rolling. But asking his team to sign a pledge to not commit penalties? Are you kidding me? Can you imagine Vince Lombardi or Bill Parcells employing this tactic? What is this league coming to?
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
As promised, I watched the 7:30pm edition of GameDay on the NFL Network Sunday, a telecast that runs for one hour, timed to end just as the Sunday Night Football game kicks off.
If one can get past the horrible gameshow-style set of cylindrical podiums peppered with enormous coffee mugs emblazoned with the NFL Network logo, one will find a tremendously entertaining NFL highlights show. Halfway through the telecast, one even forgets that Rich Eisen, Deion Sanders and Steve Mariucci are hosting as the highlights are so visually dominating, kicking in immediately from commercial breaks. It’s as if the producers realize that we are there to watch highlights and not mindless prattle between hosts.
That said, Rich Eisen is terrific narrating the highlights and the surprisingly low-key Deion Sanders adds strong comments only when necessary. Steve Mariucci, on the other hand, is so low-key that one hardly notices he is a part of the team.
So, perhaps, I have finally found my Sunday evening highlights show. Not quite to the level of the classic ESPN NFL Primetime, but GameDay certainly is head and shoulders above NBC’s Football Night in America and FOX’s The OT.
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): Belichick continues to keep the foot on the gas. And through ten games, this is still the best team I’ve ever seen.
2) Indianapolis Colts (8-2): An ugly win over the Chiefs, but much needed. It remains to be seen if kicking the game-winning field goal will restore Vinatieri’s confidence.
2) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3): A terrible, terrible loss that really takes the sheen off of this club.
4) San Diego Chargers (5-5): They may be in first place in the AFC West, but this team is in serious, serious trouble.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3): Jack Del Rio has the Jaguars playing some really tough, hard-nosed football.
6) Tennessee Titans (6-4): Vince Young played better than he has all season, but not enough to overcome the suddenly resurgent Broncos.
Still in the hunt: Cleveland Browns (6-4) and Denver Broncos (5-5).
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (9-1): The Cowboys continue to look impressive even after a tough win over the Redskins.
2) Green Bay Packers (9-1): The Packers are starting to get that winning aura about them.
3) Seattle Seahawks (6-4): Exactly the sort of game this team needed, a good, tough win over the Bears.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4): The Bucs are finally starting to look like a playoff team.
5) New York Giants (7-3): Much needed victory over the Lions. The Giants are now in very good shape for the playoffs.
6) Detroit Lions (6-4): The Lions desperately needed to beat the Giants as their schedule over the final six weeks does not bode well for a playoff run.
Still in the hunt: Washington Redskins (5-5), Arizona Cardinals (5-5) and Philadelphia Eagles (5-5).
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
The New England Patriots have notched their tenth straight win of the season and have begun to move, officially, into rarefied company. Only 16 other NFL teams have started the season 10-0, 17 if you count the old AFL days. Of those 17 teams, surprisingly only seven went on to win championships.
10-0 Starts:
–1929 Green Bay Packers ended 12-0-1 and was awarded the NFL Championship based on their record.
–1934 Detroit Lions finished with three straight losses and failed to qualify for the NFL Championship game.
–1962 Green Bay Packers closed with a 13-1 record and defeated the Giants 16-7 for the NFL Championship.
–1975 Minnesota Vikings completed the regular season 12-2 and lost in the first round of playoffs to the Dallas Cowboys 17-14 on the famous Hail Mary pass from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson.
–1990 San Franciso 49ers achieved a 14-2 record and lost the NFC Championship to the Giants 15-13.
–1990 New York Giants went 13-3 and after beating the 49ers, defeated the Bills 20-19 in the Super Bowl XXV.
11-0 Starts:
–1942 Chicago Bears, defending champions, ended the season undefeated before losing to the Redskins 14-6 in the NFL Championship game.
–1953 Cleveland Browns finished 11-1 and lost 17-16 to the Lions in the Championship game.
–1961 San Diego Chargers (AFL) closed the season 12-2 and lost to the Houston Oilers 24-16 in the AFL Championship game.
–1969 Los Angeles Rams completed the regular season 11-3 and lost 23-20 to Vikings in first round of playoffs.
–1984 Miami Dolphins went 14-2 and, after wins over the Seahawks and the Steelers, lost to the 49ers 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX.
–1991 Washington Redskins achieved a 14-2 record and beat the Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI.
12-0 Starts:
-1985 Chicago Bears finished the regular season 15-1 and overwhelmed the Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl XX.
13-0 Starts:
–1934 Chicago Bears ended the regular season 13-0, but lost to the Giants 30-13 in the famous ‘Sneakers Game.’
–1998 Denver Broncos closed the season 14-2 and, after beating the Jets 23-10 in the AFC Championship, defeated the Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII.
–2005 Indianapolis Colts went 14-2 and lost to Steelers 21-18 in their first playoff game.
The Perfect Season
-1972 Miami Dolphins completed the regular season 14-0. After defeating the Browns at home, the Dolphins were forced to beat the Steelers on the road, before knocking off the Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to finish 17-0.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Matt Ryan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
The Miami Dolphins have now extended their lead to two-games for the #1 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. And don’t forget that the undefeated New England Patriots own San Francisco’s first round draft choice. Yes, the Patriots are looking at a top five pick in next year’s draft.
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-10): The John Beck era begins no differently from than the Trent Green and Cleo Lemon eras this season.
#2 – San Francisco 49ers (2-8): Eight straight losses. This could be the worst team in the NFL which bodes well for the aforementioned New England Patriots.
#3 – Oakland Raiders (2-8): Start JaMarcus Russell now. The Raiders have nothing to lose.
#4 – St. Louis Rams (2-8): Two wins in a row!
#5 – New York Jets (2-8): An unbelievable victory over the Steelers. Bravo!
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 11/14/07…
After ten weeks of the 2007 NFL season, we are now finished with the so-called ‘bye’ weeks, the owners’ ingenious method of milking an extra quart of revenue out of their lucrative television contracts without the necessity of playing any additional games.
So having crossed the midpoint of the season, we hit football’s stretch run as all 32 teams have played a full complement of nine games. Think of it as ‘Midseason Plus One.’
But instead of the traditionally innocuous midseason awards that have sprung forth so prevalently on the Web in the past week, our focus will be on the only thing that truly matters.
The playoffs.
Which teams have positioned themselves for a playoff run in the first nine games and which have the ability to lock up a playoff birth in the final seven.
Don’t get me wrong, it makes for wonderful barroom conversation to prattle on about Adrian Peterson’s chances to be Rookie of the Year and the likelihood of Tom Brady breaking all of Peyton Manning’s single-season records. But at the end of the day, these records are meaningless to the season as a whole. They are ornaments on the Christmas tree, sprinkles on a sundae. They look great but are secondary to the critical issues at hand.
At least to me.
And since the AFC has made all the headlines this season, let’s shift gears and give the NFC a little love.
NFC Top Seeds: To be honest, the top two seeds of the NFC have pretty much been determined.
The 8-1 Cowboys already have two convincing wins over NFC East rival New York Giants (6-3) and can do away with the 5-4 Redskins this weekend. The 8-1 Packers have yet to play the 6-3 Lions, but all signs indicate the Packers will wrap up the NFC North in the next two weeks.
So the question remains. Who is better, the Cowboys or the Packers?
Despite getting spanked by the Patriots, the media has displayed a giant man-crush for Tony Romo and the Cowboys. And there’s lots to love. Tony Romo is showing himself to be an elite quarterback, the offense is extremely impressive and the defense seems to step up in the second half when they need to. But the Packers should not be ignored. Brett Favre is having one of the best seasons of his career despite his age and this weekend, the Packers not only surpassed the Patriots as the top passing offense, but they may have found a running game in Ryan Grant. And the Packers defense is only getting better by the week.
But the best part of the NFL is that we will find out on the field come Nov. 29 when the Packers visit the Cowboys. Hope your cable service carries the NFL Network.
NFC South by West: The NFL playoff system dictates that division winners host their first playoff game, no matter how weak their division happens to be. That’s a good thing for the teams atop the NFC West and NFC South because they would be floundering in any other NFC division.
The NFC West is the Seahawks (5-4) to lose. And the way they’ve been playing the past two seasons, that’s not an encouraging sign. But while Kurt Warner’s resurgence is a great story, the 4-5 Cardinals seem incapable of maintaining enough consistency to take the division crown. But if the Cardinals do happen to pull it together for the stretch run and beat the Seahawks for the second time on December 9, then all bets are off.
In the NFC South, the 4-5 New Orleans Saints looked to rise from the ashes of their disastrous 0-4 start, but stumbled badly at home against the previously winless Rams. And the 4-5 Carolina Panthers, rudderless without QB Jake Delhomme, still face the Packers, Cowboys and Jaguars. So with a one-game lead, the 5-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem the team to beat. But in a division that might give its title to a team with a 9-7 record, it could all come down to those overly convoluted tiebreakers.
NFC Wild Cards: The New York Giants certainly have the inside track for the wild card if they can stave off their annual second-half swoon. Beating the Lions on Sunday would be a good start. The aforementioned Detroit Lions are currently positioned to take the final playoff spot but their schedule does not work in their favor with additional games against the Cowboys and the Packers (twice). Don’t be shocked to see the Lions finish at 8-8.
So if the Lions do collapse, who is most likely to sneak in the backdoor? My darkhorse is the Philadelphia Eagles who can make it to 5-5 with a win over the Dolphins Sunday. They’ve won before and I think they have one last run left in them.
As for the rest of the field, the 5-4 Redskins lost their confidence after three losses in their last five games, and the 4-5 Bears simply have not been able to emerge from their funk all season.
AFC Top Seed: The 9-0 Patriots, short of a collapse of epic proportions, have the top seed in the AFC sown up. The more appropriate question is will they run the table on the regular season. I believe they can, but stranger things have happened, especially if complacency settles in. Just ask the 1998 Denver Broncos who started their season 13-0.
And don’t forget that the Steelers come to Foxborough on December 9 in what should be a terrific cold weather game, and the Giants host the Patriots on the final weekend of the season when the Pats likely won’t have much to play for except a perfect record.
This, of course, is based on the belief that the Patriots will remain healthy for the rest of the season. But if the injury bug does hit the Patriots like it did the Colts, all bets are off. Imagine the Patriots without Randy Moss and Wes Welker for a run of three games against the Eagles, Ravens and Steelers.
Battle for the Bye: The biggest question in the AFC is who will grab the #2 seed and the critical first-round bye, the 7-2 Colts or the 7-2 Steelers? The Colts had the inside track until injuries crippled their offense. And the Steelers have been playing inspired football.
But the decider may come when the Steelers visit the Patriots. If the Steelers manage to beat the Patriots, the Steelers will take the #2 seed. But if, as most believe, they fall short against the Patriots juggernaut, I think the Colts will pull out the bye.
AFC West: The once-mighty Chargers (5-4) are no longer part of the home-field advantage conversation, but thanks to Adam Vinatieri, they are one game up on the rest of the dubious AFC West. But more brutal games on the schedule and an offense that has yet to ignite means the Chargers may have to contend with a surprisingly resilient Denver Broncos’ team. A comparatively easy schedule to end the season for the 4-5 Broncos means the AFC West might come down to Christmas Eve matchup between the Broncos and the Chargers in San Diego.
AFC Wild Cards: The AFC South boasts the strongest array of teams in the AFC if not the NFL so don’t be surprised to find the 6-3 Titans and 6-3 Jaguars taking both wild card slots.
But the 5-4 Brown have an opportunity if they can recover from last week’s loss to the Steelers. Considering their final four games are against the Jets, Bills, Bengals and 49ers, a combined 11-25, my hunch is that they might just catch the Titans in the final weekend.
Which leaves only one question unanswered. One that outshines even the playoff hunt.
Will the Dolphins break the record of the 1976 Tampa Buccaneers and finish the season 0-16?
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Going into the weekend, the Brown-Steelers matchup looked to be the biggest game of the weekend — if the Browns managed to win. But win, they did not do. For a while, it looked like the underdawgs might pull it off, especially up 21-9 at halftime. But give the Steelers credit, Big Ben Roethlisberger led a ferocious second-half rally, and the Steelers allowed only a 100-yard kickoff return as the sole Browns’ points in the second half.
In spite of the loss, the Browns have still made tremendous strides this year. This was a team in chaos after week one. Traded their starting quarterback to the Seahawks after only a quarter and a half of football. Dealt with the soap opera of Brady Quinn on a daily basis. This looked like another disastrous season for the Browns and the final year of Romeo Crennel’s stewardship. But somewhere along the line, unheralded QB Derek Anderson led this team back from the abyss. It only remains to be seen if the Browns can keep this unlikely recovery going for the rest of the season.
How far have the San Diego Charger fallen? They faced an Indianapolis Colts team without Marvin Harrison, without Dallas Clark, without Tony Ugoh. Anthony Gonzalez was lost in the first quarter. By the end of the game, the Colts had only 14 offensive players available including two third-string offensive linemen. And after six Peyton Manning interceptions and a 23-0 lead, the Chargers still needed a missed 29-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri to pull out of the victory. I know a win is still a win, but the Chargers need to wake up from their sleepwalking and start playing hard-nosed football. Otherwise, a team that went 14-2 last year and fired their coach for not winning in the playoffs may find themselves at home come January without a playoff berth.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
I’ve finally moved on from NBC’s Football Night in America. My new quest is to find a show that will satisfy my Sunday evening pro football highlights fix after the untimely demise of the engaging NFL Primetime two years ago.
This week, Fox aired The OT at 7:30pm. Now, I love the antics of Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long. But 30 minutes is simply not enough time to get through a Sunday worth of NFL games, no matter how amusing Bradshaw happens to be, especially when a good 25% of the show is devoted to college football and the new BCS rankings.
As for the rest of the cast, Curt Menefee is tremendously improved over last season, but still doesn’t hold a candle to James Brown (now with CBS). Jimmy Johnson is a fun addition, but the what makes their morning NFL FOX Sunday so much fun simply does not translate to this particular evening telecast.
Next week my quest continues as I shift to NFL Network’s GameDay at 7:30 pm to see if the Rich Eisen/Deion Sanders/Steve Marucchi telecast is the better post-game option.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
What, you say? I already talked about the playoffs?
You’re right. I did.
But those were my predictions. This section chronicles where all the teams stand right now. Completely different.
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) New England Patriots (9-0): Still undefeated. Still the best in the NFL.
2) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2): Steelers pull off very impressive comeback over the Browns.
3) Indianapolis Colts (7-2): Colts nearly eke out a win even without Harrison, Clark and Ugoh.
4) San Diego Chargers (5-4): Thanks to Adam Vinatieri, the Chargers are all alone in first place.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3): Playoff-caliber win with backup QB Quinn Martin.
6) Tennessee Titans (6-3): While they still own the last playoff spot, this was a game they needed to win.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (8-1): This team is really good. Can’t wait for the matchup against the Packers on 11/29.
2) Green Bay Packers (8-1): Packers annihilate the Vikings who just last week crushed the Chargers.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4): The bye week was very, very good to the Bucs as they increased their NFC South lead to one full game after losses by the Saints and Panthers.
4) Seattle Seahawks (5-4): Crushing victory over the 49ers still counts as a win.
5) New York Giants (6-3): Losing to the Cowboys is not the end of the world.
6) Detroit Lions (6-3): -18 yards rushing in a loss to the Cardinals.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Lost in the excitement of the weekend was the fact that Brett Favre became only the second player in NFL history to throw for over 60,000 yards in a career.
60,000 yards. That’s over 34 miles.
At 38, Brett Favre is also having one of the best seasons of his career, including six 300-yard games. And Favre is on pace to pass Dan Marino for the top spot by the end of the season. In fact, when this guy retires, he is going to walk away with almost every major passing record. He already has most career touchdowns, attempts, completions and, of course, interceptions. But as George Blanda said, if you’re not throwing interceptions, then you’re not trying to win.
As for the all-time career passers list:
1) Dan Marino (1983-1999) 61,361 yards, Dolphins.
2) Brett Favre (1991-Present) 60,257 yards, Falcons/Packers.
3) John Elway (1983-1998) 51,475 yards, Broncos.
4) Warren Moon (1984-2000) 49,325 yards, Oilers/Vikings/Seahawks/Chiefs with the first five years of his career playing for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
5) Fran Tarkenton (1962-1978) 47,003 yards, Vikings/Giants/Vikings.
6) Vinny Testaverde (1987-Present) 45,641 yards, Buccaneers/Browns/Ravens/Jets/Cowboys/Patriots/Panthers.
7) Drew Bledsoe (1993-2006) 44,611 yards, Patriots/Bills/Cowboys.
8) Dan Fouts (1973-1987) 43,040 yards, Chargers.
9) Joe Montana (1979-1994) 40,551 yards, 49ers/Chiefs.
10) Johnny Unitas (1955-1973) 40,239 yards, Colts/Chargers.
11) Peyton Manning (1998-Present) 39,928 yards, Colts. Expect Peyton to end up on the top of the list when his career is over.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Matt Ryan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
At midpoint plus one, it is becoming clear who the contenders are for the top pick.
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-9): Fifth 3-point loss of the season for the Dolphins.
#2 – New York Jets (1-8): It’s rather hard to lose during bye week, but the Jets did try.
#3 – St. Louis Rams (1-8): A terrific win for the Rams to get the monkey off their back.
#4 – San Francisco 49ers (2-7): Seventh consecutive loss. Might be the worst team in the NFL.
#5 – Oakland Raiders (2-7): Until this team gets a quality quarterback, the losses are going to keep piling up.
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 11/07/07…
The king is dead. Long live the king.
This past Sunday, the New England Patriots ventured into the fearsome and deafening den of the undefeated and defending world champions and slew the mighty Colts with an inspiring rally in the final nine minutes of an epic struggle that surprisingly lived up to the hype.
The Colts did their part for the first 51 minutes of this titanic battle, holding Tom Brady to 111 yards passing, two interceptions and a passer rating of 51.9. This to a quarterback so good, that his rating went down last week to 136.2 after shredding the Redskins for 306 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
But as the clock ticked away in the fourth quarter in what was beginning to look like the Patriots’ fourth consecutive loss to the Colts, Tom Brady showed why he is the best big-game quarterback since Joe Montana. Down 10, Brady led the Patriots to a come-from-behind victory with back-to-back touchdown drives, completing 8 of 11 passes for 144 yards, two touchdowns and a rating of 156.7.
While Brady butted heads with his offensive linemen as the clock ran out, Bill Belichick celebrated the victory with players and Tedy Bruschi looked like he had just won the Super Bowl again.
After nearly two seasons, the New England Patriots had finally slain their dragon and exorcized their demons.
The Patriots became, without question, the team to beat in the NFL. And it now seems likely that they will sprint through the rest of their regular season unbeaten, untouched and unchallenged while heading for their place in the record books.
The Patriots are back. The road to the Super Bowl once again passes through Foxborough.
But something was lost in the euphoria. Something critical. And something, perhaps, prophetic.
The Patriots looked mortal on Sunday.
After eight weeks of annihilating opponents, of record-breaking offense, of running teams off the field, the Patriots looked shockingly mortal.
Uncharacteristic penalties, visible frustration and Tom Brady screaming at refs.
This was not the look of the greatest team in NFL history.
The Colts, on the other hand, proved that they can match this truly awesome Patriots team drive for drive and hit for hit.
And they did it Sunday without future Hall-of-Fame receiver Marvin Harrison and without starting left tackle Tony Ugoh.
In this game, the Colts showed that they can play the same style of hard-nosed football that won the Patriots three world championships.
The rematch, one suspects, will be held within the frigid confines of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on January 20, 2008.
And in an ironic twist, it is the Colts and not the Patriots who appear to be the team better equipped to handle the cold intemperate weather of January championship football.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
What an unbelievable game between the Chargers and the Vikings in the Metrodome.
Adrian Peterson gained over 200 yards for the second time in his eight-game career and broke Jamal Lewis’s single-game rushing record with 296 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns. 253 yards in the second half alone. Two of those runs were touchdown explosions of 64 and 46 yards reminiscent of Gale Sayers, and after only eight games, this rookie sensation has already gained over 1000 yards. Now if the Viking could only get a quarterback.
Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie, continuing the recent trend of returning missed field goals, scored on an NFL-record 109-yard touchdown return. The 57-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Longwell fell just short, allowing Cromartie to leap into the air and snag the ball, barely keeping his feet in bounds. He then ran untouched 109 yards, scoring his third touchdown in two games. Always-on-the-ball John Madden explained on Sunday Night Football why these returns are so successful, “The secret on that play is to run it along the side of your bench, because the field goal team is made up of big old offensive linemen and they’re headed over to their bench as soon as it’s kicked.”
After climbing back to .500, the Chargers stumbled badly in the loss to the 2-5 Minnesota Vikings, outscored 28-3 in the second half. That takes the Chargers, 14-2 last year, to 4-4 this year. This is a team in genuine crisis with upcoming games against the Colts, Jaguars, Ravens, Chiefs, Titans and Lions. As much as I felt firing Marty Schottenheimer and bringing in Norv Turner and Ted Cottrell was a mistake, I never believed this team would be in such serious danger of missing the playoffs like they are now.
Speaking of top seeds in the NFL from last season, the Chargers, Ravens, Bears and Saints were a combined 50-14 during the regular season. At the midpoint this year, these same teams are at a shocking 15-17.
Did you see the Sebastian Jankowski’s field goal attempt for the Raiders? 64 yards and he doinked it off the middle of the right upright. That sucker would have been good from 74 yards. With the Raiders not winning, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lane Kiffen gives Janikowski another shot this season to get the record.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
I promised myself I’d stop criticizing Football Night in America. I’d start watching the NFL Network for a few weeks and find something there to comment upon.
But I can’t. NBC just keeps raising the bar on the ridiculous.
This week, they unveiled this whole ‘Green Is Universal’ campaign. Don’t get me wrong. Saving the planet sounds like a good thing. Promote it all you want on the Today show. But turning off the lights on the NFL’s premiere studio show? Are you kidding me? As I’ve stated before, this is corporate-driven political correctness at its worst. We’ve been forced to endure the fake comraderie, the false banter and forced laughter. And now we are to endure the greening of football.
NBC, I beg, please keep these stunts away from the greatest sport in America and relegate them to morning television where they belongs. The only consolation I can take is that Chris Collinsworth and Keith Olbermann happily mocked the entire endeavor on the air, even incurring the wrath of Today‘s Matt Lauer.
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 (9-0): The new #1 seed after an impressive victory over the defending champs.
2) Indianapolis Colts (7-1): The Colts may have lost, but they proved even without Harrison and Ugoh that they can match the Patriots.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): After routing the Ravens, the Steelers may be the third best team in the NFL.
4) Kansas City Chiefs (4-4): Fortunately for the Chiefs, the Chargers keep losing, too.
5) Tennessee Titans (6-2): They may not win pretty, but the Titans do keep winning.
6) Cleveland Browns (5-3): What a stellar turnaround for the Cleveland Browns.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (7-1): Simply the best team in the NFC.
2) Green Bay Packers (7-1): Another improbable road comeback. Another win for Favre.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4): Lookout, the suddenly resurgent Saints are only a half game back.
4) Seattle Seahawks (4-4): Good thing they play in the dreadful NFC West.
5) New York Giants (6-2): The Cowboys are up next.
6) Detroit Lions (6-2): After thrashing the Broncos, the Lions need to be taken seriously for a change.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
With Adrian Peterson breaking the single-game rushing record on Sunday against the Chargers, it’s time to take a look at the running backs who have held this amazing record since 1933:
Adrian Peterson (Vikings): 296 yards against the Chargers, 11/7/07.
Jamal Lewis (Ravens): 295 yards against the Browns, 9/14/03.
Corey Dillon (Bengals): 278 yards against the Broncos, 10/22/00.
Walter Payton (Bears): 275 yards against the Vikings, 11/20/77.
O.J. Simpson (Bills): 273 yards against the Lions, 11/25/76.
O.J. Simpson (Bills): 250 yards against the Patriots, 09/16/73.
Willie Ellison (Rams): 247 yards against the Saints, 12/5/71.
Cookie Gilchrist (Bills): 243 yards against the Jets (AFL), 12/8/63.
Jim Brown (Browns): 237 yards against the L.A. Rams on 11/24/57 and the Eagles on 11/19/61.
Tom Wilson (L.A. Rams): 233 yards against the Packers, 12/16/56.
Gene Roberts (Giants): 218 yards against the Chicago Cardinals, 11/12/50.
Cliff Battles (Boston Redskins): 213 yards against the Giants, 10/8/33.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Matt Ryan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
At the halfway point of the season, the muck de la muck is slowly sinking to the bottom.
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-8): The good news is that it’s hard to lose during bye week. The bad news? They are still the 0-8 Dolphins.
#2 – St. Louis Rams (0-8): Not as bad as the Dolphins, but perhaps more tragic since the Rams were expected to contend for a playoff spot this season.
#3 – New York Jets (1-8): What a shocking fall from respectability.
#4 – San Francisco 49ers (2-6): Six straight losses with little hope in sight.
#5 – Cincinnati Bengals (2-6): Game over, man. Game over.
#6 – Oakland Raiders (2-6): How long before the JaMarcus Russell era begins?
#7 – Atlanta Falcons (2-6): The Falcons finally win their second game!
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 10/31/07…
In the past week as sports media has focused rather myopically on the crowning achievements of the greater Boston area, another story has surprisingly flown below the radar.
National headlines have been filled with the Red Sox sweeping through the World Series, Boston College positioning itself to play in the BCS National Championship Game, and Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the undefeated New England Patriots continuing their inexorable march towards the greatest season in NFL history.
But this Sunday, those soon-to-be-crowned-four-time-world-champion Patriots will be playing another team that you may not have heard of.
The Indianapolis Colts.
The undefeated Indianapolis Colts. The defending champion Indianapolis Colts. And the underdog Indianapolis Colts.
Lost in the New England lovefest is that the Colts are sporting a 12-game winning streak dating back to last season when they won something we like to call the Super Bowl.
Also lost is that the Colts defeated the Patriots in the playoffs last season, coming back from an 18-point deficit to win the AFC championship. In fact, the Colts have beaten the Patriots three straight, two of those times in Foxborough. And it is almost universally acknowledged that this year’s version of the Colts are better than the team that won the Super Bowl a scant nine months ago.
But these Indianapolis Colts are four to five point underdogs at home. Undefeated and defending world champions playing at home as underdogs.
This is unprecedented.
And yet, the New England Patriots deserve to be the favorites. They are playing the best football I have ever seen. Better than the 49ers in the late 1980s with Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Better than the Greatest Show on Turf. And better than the Indianapolis Colts who boast starts of 13-0, 9-0 and 7-0 over the past three seasons.
So who will win? Well, the Patriots, right now, want this game more than the Colts. Their hunger is palpable.
While Peyton Manning parlayed his Super Bowl MVP into even more commercials during the offseason, while Tony Dungy published his memoirs and went on a book tour, the New England Patriots reengineered their team with one specific goal in mind: beat the Colts.
And beat the Colts they will.
Not by 45. Probably not even by 17.
But the Patriots will win without the need of a last-minute game-winning drive or a heart-stopping goal-line stand.
I have a hunch, however, that the story won’t end there.
On January 20, 2008 in Foxborough, the 17-0 New England Patriots will face off against the 14-3 Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game. And in an epic struggle that will be talked about for decades to come, Peyton Manning will lead the Colts past the once-perfect Patriots with a last-second assist from Adam Vinatieri.
Why? Because the Patriots will have become complacent. After 19 consecutive weeks of media adulation, they will have bought into their own hype. And no humble pie, no matter how masterfully served up by Bill Belichick, will suffice.
And in what makes sports greater than any reality series on television, the New England Patriots will go from the ‘Greatest Team in NFL History” to second-rate schoolyard bullies in the blink of an eye.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
If you’re anything like me, you rolled your eyes as ESPN and Monday Night Football fawned endlessly over Brett Favre Monday night. It’s getting a little old, I thought, this slavish infatuation over an aging quarterback. I endured it for years from John Madden and now Tony Kornheiser was joining in. But as I watched the game against the Broncos in Mile High Stadium, I found myself enthralled by Favre’s performance. At age 38, he completed 21 of 27 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns. But not just any touchdowns. A 79-yarder against perennial Pro Bowler Champ Bailey and an 82-yarder to win the game in overtime. Suddenly all that adoration seemed woefully inadequate.
As overhyped as the New York Giants-Miami Dolphin game in London was on this side of the Atlantic, it was oddly underhyped on the other side of the pond. The British newspapers barely took notice of the game and when they did, the coverage centered on players we largely ignore. The kickers. The game itself was rather poorly played, not surprising considering the jet lag and poor field conditions. The Brits, it seems, are not used to 300-pound behemoths tearing up their thin and wet field for an afternoon.
But I was pleasantly surprised by the very entertaining interview with commissioner Roger Goodell during the third quarter. It’s the first time I’ve seen the commissioner smile, laugh and joke around, especially after Tony Siragusa joined the conversation. After all the fines and mandates imposed around the league, it was refreshing to see that Roger Goodell could joke around like everyone else. It made him somewhat more human, a characteristic he desperately needs to exhibit.
Congratulations to the San Diego Chargers who have climbed back into the playoff picture with a 4-3 record after trouncing the Houston Texans 35-10. WR Chris Chambers may just have been the addition the Bolts’ offense needed to get back on track. With the Vikings next, the Chargers should be 5-3 going into a pivotal three-game stretch against the Colts, Jaguars and Ravens which will, undoubtedly, determine their season.
How can any team lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars when they don’t even have a starting quarterback? Sometimes I wonder if teams in the NFL grasp that all they need to do is win the game they are playing that week. There was no way the Jaguars could beat the Buccaneers Sunday. Only the Bucs could beat themselves. And beat themselves they did by throwing three interceptions with one returned for a touchdown in a 24-23 loss.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
One week after a fall from a roof tragically took Max McGee’s life and on the same day as Packer legends eulogized McGee at his funeral, I was shocked to hear the words coming out of Keith Olbermann’s mouth as he narrated the Raiders-Titans highlights on Football Night in America. Having Tivo’ed the show to see if my recent criticisms of the NBC telecast had been off the mark, I replayed the highlight eight times to make sure that I heard what I thought I heard.
I did.
In describing how easily LenDale White gained yardage in the second half against the Raiders, Olbermann nonchalantly uttered the phrase, “It’s like falling off a roof.”
Now I’ve watched and enjoyed Keith Olbermann since his legendary days at ESPN with Dan Patrick. This is a guy who prides himself on being a sports historian. And more importantly, this is a guy who prides himself on his wordsmithing. So it was with much shock that I listened to his utterly tactless choice of words.
Do I think he selected those words on purpose? No. Olbermann was the one to elegantly eulogize McGee the previous week on Football Night in America.
But it speaks to how out of place his smug, snarky stylings have become in the blue-collar world of pro football. Perhaps it is time for him to return to his solo political commentating career on MSNBC and Countdown with Keith Olbermann and leave the football hosting to Bob Costas.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (7-0): Will the Colts keep the top spot…
2) New England Patriots (8-0): …or will the Patriots finally dethrone the defending champions?
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): Steelers rebound nicely after that ugly loss in Denver.
4) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3): Week 4 win over the Chargers gives the Chiefs the AFC West.
5) Tennessee Titans (5-2): Ugly win over the Raiders, but you can’t argue with 5-2.
6) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2): Surprising win over the Bucs. Can the Jags hold on until David Garrard returns?
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (6-1): Mark your calendars. The Packers come to town on November 29.
2) Green Bay Packers (6-1): The Packers did what the Steelers couldn’t. Beat the Broncos in Denver.
3) Carolina Panthers (4-3): No shame in losing to the Colts, but believe or not, the Saints are only one game back in the NFC South.
4) Seattle Seahawks (4-3): Can the Seahawks turn things around after the bye week?
5) New York Giants (6-2): After six straight wins and a trip to London, the Giants get a well-deserved bye week.
6) Detroit Lions (5-2): Best start in the Millen era. Kitna is looking smarter and smarter by the week.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Super Bowl XLI 1/2, as the Patriots-Colts is being dubbed, is not the first ‘Game of the Century’ to be played during the regular season.
In 1985, for instance, the defending AFC champion Miami Dolphins hosted the undefeated and ‘unstoppable’ Chicago Bears on Monday night. In an epic matchup, Don Shula devised a rolling pocket to give Dan Marino just enough time to deal the 12-0 Bears their first loss of the season, 38-24.
But to me, Sunday’s battle for home-field advantage in the playoff is more reminiscent of the Giants-49ers clash in 1990. The two-time defending champion San Francisco 49ers with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott faced off against the No. 1 contender New York Giants with Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro and Lawrence Taylor.
Both teams started 10-0 and both teams suffered their first loss of the season the week before the ballyhooed Monday Night matchup. The Giants 31-13 to Buddy Ryan and his Philadelphia Eagles; the 49ers 28-17 to an undermanned Los Angeles Rams club helped by six 49ers’ turnovers.
The game itself was a titanic defensive struggle with the 49ers eking out a 7-3 win. And the rematch in the NFC Championship game was one for the ages as the Giants pulled out an improbable 15-13 victory after Leonard Marshall’s crushing sack of Joe Montana that would sideline the Hall-of-Fame quarterback for nearly two years.
But perhaps the most impressive were the coaches that day. Bill Parcells, of course, was head coach of the Giants, but his staff included Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel and Al Groh. For the 49ers, George Seifert had replaced Bill Walsh and featured a staff that included Mike Holmgren, Ray Rhodes (at the hospital after an emergency appendectomy) and Jon Gruden.
One can only hope that Sunday’s Patriots-Colts game will be a worthy successor.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Matt Ryan or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Nearly halfway through the season and fight for imperfection is gaining steam.
#1 – Miami Dolphins (0-8): Another city. Another loss. I’ll have to check, but I don’t think you can lose a game during bye week.
#2 – St. Louis Rams (0-8): Rams held a 14-point lead early with the return of Steven Jackson. Unfortunately, the loss of the same Steven Jackson led to a 7-point loss.
#3 – New York Jets (1-7): The Pennington era is over in New York.
#4 – Atlanta Falcons (1-6): With the 2-5 49ers in town, someone has to win.
#5 – San Francisco 49ers (2-5): After a 2-0 start, the Niners are in free fall.
#6 – Oakland Raiders (2-5): How much longer before the JaMarcus Russell era?
#7 – Minnesota Vikings (2-5): With two QBs injured and Adrian Peterson in the backfield, Jeff George lobbies for a chance. No joke.
#8 – Cincinnati Bengals (2-5): So much for turning around the season.
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 10/24/07…
Baseball, with its storied history, has many austere records. The triple crown. The perfect game. The immaculate inning.
But football has the perfect season.
The holy grail of the NFL, achieved only once in the 87-year history of professional football.
Think about that. Once.
Sure the Akron Pros went 8-0-3 in 1920, the Canton Bulldogs 10-0-2 in 1922 and 11-0-1 in 1923, and the Green Bay Packers 12-0-1 in 1929. But they all had those unsightly ties, blemishes that forever marred their shot at sports immortality.
The Chicago Bears came close twice, finishing the regular season undefeated and untied in both 1934 and 1942. But they suffered heartbreaking losses in the NFL Championship both years.
In the end, only one team has achieved perfection.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins. 17-0.
Of course the regular season was only 14 games back then. But the Dolphins pulled it off even after losing starting QB Bob Griese to a broken ankle in week 5.
So this year the New England Patriots seem intent to match and, if possible, surpass this immortal record by going 19-0.
A little premature to talk about that in week 7, right?
Probably. But there is a growing feeling that the Patriots are something special. That we are witnessing history in the making. The Patriots have a different swagger than any other undefeated team I’ve ever seen. It’s almost as if nothing short of an undefeated season, nothing short of being declared the greatest team in NFL history will be enough for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots this year.
Why?
Well, to start, the loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship game last season was widely hailed as the end of the Patriots’ domination over the Colts and the AFC as a whole. The Patriots had already lost two straight to the Colts. And in this epic rematch, the Pats were up 18. And lost.
The Colts went on to win the Super Bowl and suddenly, the Patriots were no longer the team to beat. No longer the golden boys of the NFL. Suddenly Tony Dungy was the coach everyone talked about, not Bill Belichick.
So the Patriots cast their net during free agency and caught a whole new set of receivers in Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss.
Randy Moss. The talented malcontent who, after being accused of taking plays off, famously proclaimed, “I play when I want to play.” Belichick made a deal with the devil and upgraded his offense.
Then as the 2007 season kicked off, the Patriots got caught illegally and brazenly taping the Jets defensive signals providing enough ammunition to the media, other NFL teams and non-Patriot fans across the country to question the legitmacy of Bill Belichick’s legacy and the Patriots’ three world championships.
Maybe, people whispered, Belichick isn’t a genius after all. Maybe, just maybe, he cheated his way to those three Super Bowl victories.
This spoken and unspoken questioning of Belichick’s genius, of the accomplishments of the New England Patriots and the indictment of the Patriot way, supplied Belichick with the ammunition he needed to keep his team focused for an entire season.
The 2007 Patriots are on a mission to prove that taping defensive signals had nothing to do with their stellar success over the past six seasons. That’s why being the best team in 2007 is not enough. That is why they are so focused every single game. Belichick seems to want to show everyone that this is the best team in NFL history, that when they go 19-0, NO ONE will be able to dispute their success.
You can’t argue Belichick’s legacy if he runs the table this year. Four Super Bowl championships in seven years. Perfect season. Greatest team ever. That’s how he will ensure his spot in history.
But if the last few weeks are any indication, even that is not enough. The Patriots with Tom Brady at the helm are on pace to become the greatest offense in NFL history. An average winning margin of almost 23 points, the closest game being a 17-point win over the Browns. A winning margin that allowed Belichick to serve a heaping helping of humble pie to his team.
The message was loud and clear. Winning by 17 is not good enough.
Against the Cowboys, the Patriots scored a touchdown with only 19 seconds left, while leading 42-28. Against the Dolphins — the winless Dolphins, Brady ran a hurry-up offense at the end of the half and faked a spike so they could go up 42-7 at the halftime. By the end of the day, Tom Brady had thrown six touchdown passes. Six.
Look at where Brady is after seven games. 27 touchdowns. He’s on pace to throw 61 for the year. His passer rating is 137.9, set to blow away Peyton Manning’s 121.1 rating from 2004. We’re talking Ruthian numbers here.
It’s as if by eclipsing the achievements of Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and the Colts, by shattering Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record, Brady, Belichick and the Patriots will show that the Colts of 2006 were an anomaly. By diminishing the Colts’ offense, by eliminating their greatness from daily conversations, Belichick will solidify the Patriots’ claim to being the greatest team and the greatest dynasty of all-time.
Make no mistake about it.
Their goal is not to win the AFC East. Or a first-round bye. Or merely a Super Bowl victory. Their goal is to be the greatest team in NFL history.
And through seven weeks, they seem to be doing just that.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
You gotta love the drama of the NFL because the margin between winning and losing is so unbelievably narrow.
Gutsy Kurt Warner is a surprise starter against the Redskins, playing with torn ligaments in his non-throwing arm. And if the Cardinals don’t miss that extra point or the 55-yard field goal at the end of the game, they might have added another chapter to his legend.
What an unbelievable game in Houston. The Texans scored 29 points in the fourth quarter with backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels to take the lead with 57 seconds left. The Titans responded behind their backup quarterback Kerry Collins and marched down the field where kicker Rob Bironas nailed his NFL-record eighth field goal of the game for the win. This from a guy who kicked for the Arena Football League’s minor league Charleston Swamp Foxes in 2003, the Carolina Cobras in 2004 and the New York Dragons in 2005.
Did you see those two fumble returns by the Vikings? The first one was called back but involved 311-pound Kevin Williams picking up a Tony Romo fumble and running, or more accurately rumbling, 84 yards to the endzone. I thought the poor guy was going to drop dead of a heart attack right there on the field. The second one did count, Ben Leber picked up a Patrick Crayton fumble, lateraled it to Cedric Griffin who proceeded to fumble the ball, then picked up his own fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys blocked a Vikings’ field goal and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown of their own.
Is this the end of the McNabb era in Philadelphia? The offense really needs to score some points on a consistent basis. Outside of the Lions game, this offense has been anemic. When is Philly going to give McNabb some receivers?
Speaking of the Lions, they already have more wins that last year, sporting a 4-2 record. More importantly, they are on pace to get those ten wins that Kitna was ridiculed for predicting.
The Steelers attempted a 65-yard field goal at the end of the first half against the Broncos. 65-yards! Who do they think they have as a kicker, Ola Kimrin?
Great fourth-quarter touchdown run for Reggie Bush. After all the criticism he has received for not being a workhorse back (he never was and never will be), he bulled his way through three Falcons’ defenders to score the go-ahead touchdown. Then, he scored the ensuing two-point conversion. Go Reggie!
I really like Jason Whitlock, columnist for the Kansas City Star. But during training camp, he ripped Priest Holmes for his comeback attempt, claiming it was all a ploy. Well, Priest Holmes completed his improbable comeback and played for the Chiefs this Sunday, picking up a crucial first down in the fourth quarter. I think Jason might just owe Priest an apology.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
I really hate being so critical of NBC’s Football Night in America week after week, but the show now inhabits the prime slot for NFL highlights on Sunday evenings and has been a huge disappointment for me. And after watching HBO’s Inside the NFL, it is clear that Bob Costas is still a terrific football host, just not when he appears on the NBC telecast.
Perhaps the problem is too much corporate interference from NBC for it feels like the show has been put together based on corporate agendas and focus groups, instead of as a singular vision.
Inside the NFL proves Costas can be a top-notch host and deftly share the spotlight with Chris Collinsworth, a great analyst and commentator in his own right. But instead of pairing the two of them with one or two other compelling football personalities, NBC has gone for quantity over quality by throwing in Keith Olbermann, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber and Peter King.
If NBC wants to fix Football Night in America, the solution is fairly simple. Dump Olbermann whose snarkiness doesn’t work as well as it did back in his ESPN days. Dump Tiki who is so demonstrably smug especially when someone disagrees with him. I like the Bus, but he simply doesn’t add enough. Bring in a former coach like Bill Cowher or Mike Ditka who would have been the perfect complement to this team.
Am I the only one getting tired of player intros that include ‘THE’ before their college name? ‘THE Ohio State.’ ‘THE LSU.’ ‘THE Florida State.’ I understand ‘THE U.’ That’s based on Miami’s logo and their penchance for arrogance. But ‘THE Ohio State’? ‘THE LSU’? I just don’t get it.
No Sunday night game this week as the NFL gives up the primetime slot to accomodate game four of the World Series. And don’t forget the Giants-Dolphins in London at 1pm.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (6-0): The Colts dominated a very good Jaguars team.
2) New England Patriots (7-0): This team may be one for the ages.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2): Even after losing to the Broncos, the Steelers are still the third best team in the AFC.
4) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3): Nice win against the Raiders. The Chiefs never seem to play well, but they’ve won four of their last five games. Which, as Herm Edwards would say, is why you play the game.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2): Tough loss to Colts. Jacksonville has to be hoping Garrard gets healthy in a hurry.
6) Tennessee Titans (4-2): Miraculous victory over the Texans.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (6-1): Not a pretty win against the Vikings, but a nice one after the Patriots debacle.
2) Green Bay Packers (5-1): Bye week. And the best news is the Packers get Koren Robinson back.
3) Carolina Panthers (4-2): Luck seems to be changing for the Panthers even during bye week. Bucs lose, allowing the Panthers to slip into first place in the NFC South.
4) Seattle Seahawks (4-3): A win over the Rams counts just as much as a win over any other team in the league.
5) New York Giants (5-2): Five straight. Now off to London to face the winless Dolphins.
6) Washington Redskins (4-2): After two losses that should have been wins, the Redskins win a game they should have lost.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
This past weekend, football lost a great player, a talented broadcaster and a beloved figure when former Green Bay Packer Max McGee died at age 75 after a tragic fall from his roof while cleaning the gutters.
Max McGee was a colorful character from the heyday of the Green Bay Packers, perhaps best known for the end of his career when he pulled in several circus touchdown catches in Super Bowl I after a night of heavy drinking. Before the game, McGee told starter Boyd Dowler, “I hope you don’t get hurt. I’m not in very good shape.” Dowler would separate his shoulder on the second drive, forcing McGee into action. McGee, however, had left his helmet in the locker room since he had barely played all year managing only four catches on the season. Grabbing the nearest helmet at hand. McGee would go on to catch seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Packers crush the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
But for Packer fans, McGee is perhaps better known for his tweaking of legendary coach Vince Lombardi. At the start of training camp in 1961, Lombardi decided it was time to take the team back to basics. Holding up a football, Lombardi proclaimed, “Gentleman, this is a football.” To which McGee retorted, “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little. You’re going too fast for us.” Even Lombardi chuckled at that one.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Having completed seven weeks of the season, the four worst teams in the NFL have neatly fallen into place.
#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-7): Even the return of Marc Bulger doesn’t help. Looks like Linehan has lost this team.
#2 – Miami Dolphins (0-7): It’s really not fair to play the Patriots when you’re 0-6. And it doesn’t get much better when you play a home game in London against the Giants.
#3 – Atlanta Falcons (1-6): Another close game, another loss.
#4 – New York Jets (1-6): Is that it for Chad Pennington?
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 10/17/07…
Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver posed an interesting question last week.
Are the Cowboys better off without Bill Parcells?
An interesting question. And a legitimate one, too.
But as I read the column, I was surprised at the level of vitriol in his answer. Vitriol reserved for Bill Parcells.
Silver laced his angry diatribe with poisoned phrases like,’…the whimsical, self-deprecating Phillips replaced the uptight, egomaniacal Parcells..’ and ‘…were Buzzkill Bill still around, he’d constantly be reminding Romo of his flaws…’
Not hard to see where Michael Silver ended up with his answer.
But the person he was taking gratuitous shots at is not some ineffective schoolyard bully. This is a guy who has won two world championships. Taken two different teams to the Super Bowl. Three different teams to championship games. Four different teams to the playoffs. Like him or not, Parcells has been successful. Very successful.
And while we will never know what the Cowboys would have achieved this year with Parcells as coach, for that is the magical world of what-if’s inhabited only by rabid fans and sports writers, we do know that it was Parcells who rolled the dice and started Tony Romo over Jerry Jones’ objection, no matter how ‘reluctantly’ Michael Silver believes Parcells made that decision.
And if that same quarterback hadn’t bobbled the snap against the Seahawks, who knows how far they would have gone in the playoffs last year.
Silver, perhaps sensing the potency of his venom, notes, “You can bet that somewhere in New Jersey, as he reads this column, Bill Parcells has his panties in a bunch.” Carefully chosen words intended to emasculate the tough-guy Bill Parcells.
But are these petty attacks really necessary?
Why go to such lengths? Is Michael Silver trying to make a name for himself? Is he trying to differentiate himself from the thousands of other sports columnists out there? Or is he trying to catch up to Peter King who outshined him while they both worked at Sports Illustrated?
Perhaps it’s more personal. Maybe Parcells publicly insult him at a press conference. Whatever the reason, Silver’s tone is, in my opinion, unnecessary.
In today’s media, not only have we have resorted to taking delight at other’s failure, but now we have seemingly descended into sadistically belittling others from a safe cyber-distance.
And what might be the irony of it all is that I do agree with Michael Silver’s contention that the Cowboys are a better team with Wade Phillips as head coach.
Right now.
For when you have a disciplinarian like Parcells who whips a team into shape, changes the losing culture of the past decade and builds the foundation of a winning program, sometimes the likeable guy, the friendly guy is the right person to take over. For a year or two.
Then you need to come back to the guy who is known for building programs.
A guy like Bill Parcells.
Click here for Michael Silver’s column, ‘Lovefest in Big D’
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
I’ve started to notice a trend in the top teams… they win games even with major injuries. The Patriots without a starting running back. The Steelers without receivers. The Colts without Addai and Harrison. That is a mark of a good team. Can’t wait for the AFC playoffs this year.
And the Patriots. They simply dismantled the Cowboys in Dallas and didn’t even look sharp doing it. Patriots-Colts in week 9 is shaping up to be a great game.
After the lovefest from Michael Silver to Wade Phillips (above), I was amused to find Mike Florio, writing for Sporting News (see item #4 in ’10-Pack’), already calling for Wade Phillips to be fired at the end of the season and replaced by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Why? Because the Cowboys lost by 21 to the Patriots. Let’s see. The Cowboys are 5-1, the NFC favorite to go to the Super Bowl, and their only loss is to the best team in the NFL possibly since the 49ers of the ’80s. Tough crowd.
Speaking of Wade Phillips, I will never forget that this is the same guy who benched Doug Flutie for the Bills’ playoff run in favor of Rob Johnson back in 1999. Rob Johnson! You may remember the result. A little thing called the Music City Miracle. Talk about karma.
Devin Hester returned another kick for a touchdown passing Bears great Gale Sayers on the all-time list. How can anyone kick to this guy? And I won’t even mention his 81-year touchdown catch (oops).
On the other side of the field was an even more impressive performance by Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson. Touchdown runs of 67, 73 and 35! 224 rushing yards. And then, with under two minutes to go with the game tied, Peterson returns a kickoff 53 yards to the Bears 38 to set up the game-winning field goal. This kid is unreal. And a very impressive win by the Viking considering this was a game the Bears had to win.
Vinny Testaverde at age 43 might be the answer for the Panthers because David Carr certainly isn’t. Not if you want to win. Carr is a really nice guy and very tough. But he doesn’t seem to have those intangibles that win games.
I’m still not sold on the Chargers. I’m getting the sense that LT is covering up huge problems with this offense. 1) Phillip Rivers is not a Pro Bowl quarterback this year, throwing Rex Grossman-style interceptions and 2) The Chargers don’t have any quality receivers other than Antonio Gates. It remains to be seen if losing WR Eric Parker to IR and signing Chris Chambers from the Dolphins will have any effect.
It was nice to see Reggie Bush have a strong game as the starting running back for the Saints. He’s been taking a lot of flack for not being a bruising running back. I was thrilled when he got his 100 yard game. Of course, he lost it a few plays later, ending up with 97 yards on the day. Oh well.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
Another blacked-out game for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars. This franchise is in serious trouble in that market. If they don’t do something big this season or acquire some star power over the off-season, I can’t see this franchise staying there for long.
The epic Patriots-Cowboys game ended at 7:47 PM on CBS. So by the time I switched over to NBC, I only got to see three highlights and more fake laughter from Bob Costas. NBC really needs to do something about highlights during the Sunday night game. Maybe intersperse them during the game? Turn halftime into a legitimate highlights show? Anyone have any brilliant ideas?
And to make matters worse for NBC, the Saints-Seahawks game was delayed by 10 minutes due to an NBC Cable-Cam malfunction. A malfunction that nearly resulted in Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck being hit in the head as the camera fell to the ground. D’oh!
Did you see Jimmy Kimmel in the booth on ‘Monday Night Football’? Funniest moment of the night was when Kimmel asked where Joe Theismann was. Most painful moment was having to endure Kimmel for the ensuing 10 minutes. His ‘comedy’ was so awkward and so mean-spirited that ESPN banned him from future telecasts.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (5-0): Sorry Patriots’ fans, undefeated defending champions don’t drop in my rankings.
2) New England Patriots (6-0): Might be the best team I’ve seen since the 49ers of the late 1980s.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1): Bye week. Still the third best team in the AFC, if not the NFL.
4) Kansas City Chiefs (3-3): Win over the Chargers a few weeks back gives the Chiefs the tiebreaker.
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1): Big game against the Colts will show how good the Jaguars really are.
6) Baltimore Ravens (4-2): Beating the Rams doesn’t prove much, but 4-2 is 4-2.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (5-1): First team to hold a lead over the Patriots in the second half, but the Cowboys aren’t quite ready to match the best of the AFC yet.
2) Green Bay Packers (5-1): Nice, if sloppy, win over Redskins.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2): The Buccaneers might be the real deal. Impressive win over Titans.
4) Seattle Seahawks (3-3): While the Seahawks have lost two straight, the Cardinals need to sort out their injuries before they can challenge for the division title.
5) New York Giants (4-2): Four straight wins after an 0-2 start.
6) Carolina Panthers (4-2): Vinny Testaverde is an ageless wonder. He may be a better option for the Panthers than David Carr.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
Brett Favre threw two more interceptions this weekend, taking over the career interception record from George Blanda. Then Vinny Testaverde returned to the NFL, stirring comparisons to, well, George Blanda.
So it seems only apropos to take a look back on one of the great players in NFL history.
Hall-of-Famer George Blanda played professional football for a record 26 seasons, signing with the Chicago Bears and George Halas in 1949. Primarily a quarterback and placekicker, Blanda also played linebacker. Finally after several years as starting QB (he replaced Sid Luckman), Blanda was relegated to placekicker, resulting in Blanda’s retirement from the Bears after the 1958 season.
But with the start of the AFL in 1960, Blanda returned to quarterbacking and signed with the Houston Oilers, leading them to the first two AFL championships and throwing 36 touchdowns in 1961! But by 1967, the 40-year old Blanda was released and signed with the Oakland Raiders as placekicker and backup quarterback.
But it was in 1970 that the legend of George Blanda truly began.
At age 43, Blanda pulled off a magical five-game run:
-10/25/70: Threw for three touchdowns in relief of Daryl Lamonica and kicked a field goal to beat the Steelers.
-11/01/70: Kicked a 48-yard field goal to tie the Chiefs with three seconds left in the game.
-11/08/70: Came off the bench to tie the Browns with a touchdown pass, then kicked the winning 52-yard field goal.
-11/15/70: Threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff to beat the Broncos.
-11/22/70: Kicked the game-winning field goal in the closing seconds to beat the Chargers.
In the AFC Championship game later that season, Blanda again came off the bench to throw two touchdowns and kick a 48-yard field goal. Though the Raiders lost 27-17, Blanda accounted for all of the Raiders points in the game.
Following the 1975 season where he kicked a 41-yard field goal in the AFC Championship game, George Blanda retired one month shy of his 49th birthday. He ended his amazing career with 2,002 points more than anyone in NFL history up to that point.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Having completed six weeks of the season, the worst teams in the NFL are starting to fall into place.
#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-6): Horrible, horrible team, especially since they came into the season with such high expectations.
#2 – Miami Dolphins (0-6): Cleo Lemon looked good, but they play the Patriots next. Chalk up 0-7.
#3 – Atlanta Falcons (1-4): This team looked really dreadful Monday night against the Giants.
#4 – Cincinnati Bengals (1-4): Really bad loss to the Chiefs.
#5 – New York Jets (1-5): Another tough loss, but 1-5 is still 1-5.
#6 – Buffalo Bills (1-4): Can’t lose another game during bye week, but I’m sure they tried.
#7 – New Orleans Saints (1-4): The Saints may have turned it around. Falcons next.
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 10/10/07…
My Dad shared a wonderful German word with me this week.
Schadenfreude.
Gaining delight from the misfortune of others.
As I pondered this Teutonic morsel of verbal perfection, it occurred to me that schadenfreude defines the exact problem I have with many Internet sports bloggers and commentators. They seem to take pleasure in pointing out the mistakes and faults of professional athletes, coaches and talking heads.
It may have been inevitable what with the epic proliferation of sports blogs and websites on the Internet, 24/7/365 sports networks on cable, and endless hours of sports radio. Daily, we are inundated with more and more brain-numbing minutiae detailing every team, coach and player. And we as sports fans consume this increase of information and demand more and more at a quicker and quicker pace.
But even all of this is not enough.
We have stooped to reporting locker room scuttlebutt whispered around the league. Word on the street that previously remained inside the inner circle of professional sports.
And now this baseless speculation has become headline sports news.
We have devolved into spreading questionable office gossip from unnamed and unknown sources by people with no sense of journalistic integrity.
And when these rumormongerers are challenged, when these stories are put under inspection, we are smugly told to prove them wrong, a classic ploy to deflect from the real issue.
This past week is a prime example. It was rumored that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid was going to resign during the bye week due to family matters. The story festered on some rumor websites and blogs before breaking into the mainstream media as a full-blown story.
Was it based on fact or idle speculation? I don’t know. But I do know that Andy Reid is still the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles as their bye week comes to a close.
The Eagles and Reid have vigorously denied this story in no uncertain terms. But even that is not enough. Bloggers are suggesting that this is just PR protecting the Eagles who are buying time until Reid does resign.
But what happens if Andy Reid doesn’t resign? Will everyone who engaged in yellow journalism stand up and admit they were wrong?
Will they claim that Reid considered resigning at the time but has since changed his mind?
Will they blame their unnamed and unknown sources?
No, because by February, if Andy Reid is still the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, we will have moved onto the next story and the next unfounded rumor.
Well, this columnist will not forget this story. If Andy Reid retires, I will happily admit I was wrong about this story.
But if Andy Reid is still coaching the Philadelphia Eagles come 2008, I will remind everyone of the travesty perpetrated against Coach Reid.
And if these yellow journalists get a little comeuppance in the process, I may indulge in a little schadenfreude myself.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
What an amazing game Monday night between the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills. No matter what the Bills did, the Cowboys just kept coming back. And how prophetic was Bills Parcells? In a list of commandments he gave to Tony Romo, he said that a quarterback needs to be a leader in the huddle regardless of how many interceptions he has just thrown. I wonder if Parcells ever envisioned it working after 5 INTs.
This really sets up Sunday’s Patriots-Cowboys matchup. Humble pie vs. brash confidence. Should be fun to watch. My prediction? Patriots get to 6-0.
Did anyone notice that the Patriots have a four-game lead in the AFC East after five games. They could clinch a playoff berth by Thanksgiving!
Poor Trent Green. Another concussion and his career is probably over and frankly should be. On the bright side, much like Joe Theismann’s final year, the talk will be about his horrendous injury and not his poor play.
Another quarterback injury has Matt Leinart nursing a broken collar bone. Will Kurt Warner be the comeback story of the year? And did you see the standing ovation Warner received in St. Louis? What a great sports town.
Kansas City looks dreadful. How they scored 30 on the Chargers I’ll never know.
And speaking of the Chargers, let’s be crystal clear. They’ve already lost the first-round bye to the Patriots and the Colts. They’ve already lost any chance of a wild card. The good news, is the AFC West is so weak that as long as they win their division games, they should host a playoff game Wild Card weekend. Of course for all the complaining about Marty Schottenheimer’s playoff record, getting a first round bye is the same thing as winning in the first round of the playoffs. In my book, A.J. Smith and Norv Turner need to get to the AFC Championship game for this season to be a success. And remember, one win does not a season make. Look at the Philadelphia Eagles. They beat the Lions 56-21 and that didn’t do much for their season’s fortunes.
Carolina, despite the win in New Orleans, is in big, big trouble now that Delhomme is done for the season. Carr may be gutsy (returning to the game after severely injuring his back) but he is proving to be a very pedestrian QB. And I don’t think 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde is going to be the answer.
How great is it that Green Bay can prosper as a football town with a population of only 103,000? More people fit in Michigan Stadium than live in the entire city of Green Bay. Wow.
‘Heidi’ Chronicles
What is up with only three 4:00 pm games this past Sunday? Nine early games? NINE? Are you kidding me? Couldn’t the NFL have shifted a couple of games to the late slot?
Of course with no 4:00 pm games running late, I finally got to watch highlights on CBS. Bill Cowher is really good.
I then Tivo’ed NBC’s ‘Football Night in America.’ The gabfest starts at 7:00, but I didn’t realize that highlights don’t start until 7:15 and are wrapped up by 8:00. The highlights portion of the show is much better than the banter and sponsored segments in the final 30 minutes.
Did you know that FOX is the only broadcast network to feature a defensive player (Howie Long) as studio talking head? Here’s the breakdown with ESPN added for good measure…
FOX: 1 civilian (Menefee), 1 QB (Bradshaw), 1 DT (Long), 1 coach (Jimmy Johnson). 7 Super Bowl rings.
CBS: 1 civilian (James Brown), 2 QBs (Marino, Esiason), 1 TE (Sharpe), 1 coach (Cowher). 4 Super Bowl rings.
NBC: 3 civilians (Costas, King, Olbermann), 1 WR (Collinsworth), 2 RBs (Tiki, Bettis). 1 Super Bowl ring.
ESPN: 1 civilian (Berman), 1 LB (Jackson), 1 WR (Keyshawn), 1 RB (Emmitt), 2 coaches (Ditka, Parcells), 1 QB (Young), 9 Super Bowl rings.
Joe Pisarcik-Emily Litella Award
In light of my thoughts about schadenfreude at the beginning of this column, I have decided to retire this section. It feels somewhat hypocritical and off the mark to search for weekly mistakes by the media just so I can point them out. While I will not hesitate to call out egregious and spiteful misreporting, I think it is a mistake to do so on a weekly basis simply to fill space in a column.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (5-0): Missing FIVE starters including Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison, the Colts crush the Bucs.
2) New England Patriots (5-0): Humble pie. The undefeated Cowboys are next.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1): Huge shutout win over the Seahawks after the first loss of the season. Especially impressive considering they were missing two top receivers. Definitely the #3 team in the AFC.
4) Oakland Raiders (2-2): The Raiders?!? Only team in the AFC West that doesn’t have a losing record.
5) Jacksonville (3-1): Nice win on the road at Arrowhead.
6) Tennessee Titans (3-1): A win over the Falcons still counts as a win.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (5-0): I like the Cowboys swagger. Won’t be enough for the Patriots. But I like the swagger. Definitely the best team in the NFC.
2) Green Bay Packers (4-1): Tough loss wipes away some confidence. Will be interesting to see if they rebound against the Redskins.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2): Bucs beat the Panthers last week for the edge in the NFC South.
4) Arizona Cardinals (3-2): Seattle’s shutout loss to Pittsburgh gives the division to the Cardinals. Will Kurt Warner continue the Cardinal turnaround?
5) Washington Redskins (3-1): Really impressive win against the Lions. One play away from being undefeated.
6) New York Giants (3-2): Three straight wins catapult the Giants to the final playoff slot.
‘John Madden’ Wayback Machine
In honor of Chris Brown nailing a 57-yard game-winning field goal over the weekend, I thought it might be fun to peer back in time at the longest field goals in NFL history.
Unfortunately, the records of professional football in the 1920s weren’t anywhere near as meticulous as they are now but it was believed that several players had kicked field goals of over 50 yards. Legendary Jim Thorpe was said to have routinely drop-kicked field goals of over 50 yards. Paddy Driscoll supposedly kicked two field goals of over 50 yards in one game on September 28, 1924 against the Milwaukee Badgers. Sadly, conflicting accounts of these kicks mean that none of them can be officially recognized.
But we do know that on December 10, 1922, Wilbur “Pete” Henry of the Canton Bulldogs kicked a 45-yard field goal against Toledo Maroons. A future Hall-of-Famer, Henry once boomed a 94-yard punt!
The record was definitively set on October 7, 1934 by Glenn Presnell of the Detroit Lions when he scored the only points of the game, a 54-yard field goal against the Green Bay Packers.
Some 19 years later on September 27, 1953, Bert Rechichar of the Baltimore Colts kicked a 56-yard field goal in the first half of a 13-9 upset of the Chicago Bears. Amazingly, Rechichar, who also played defensive back, intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown, accounting for all the Colts’ points that day.
The modern record was set on November 8, 1970 by Tom Dempsey who was born with a club foot and no toes. With the New Orleans Saints down 17-16 with 2 seconds left in Tulane Stadium, Dempsey, kicking with a special shoe, booted a 63-yard winning field goal in straight-ahead fashion! Since this was back when the goal post was on the goal-line, the holder, Joe Scarpati, actually spotted the ball on his own 37-yard line!
On October 25, 1998 with time running out in the first half, Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos, set up to kick a 58-yard field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A delay of game penalty pushed them back five-yards and Elam ended up kicking a 63-yard field goal, tying Dempsey’s record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant came close to the record on October 22, 2006 when he kicked a 62-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in the game to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-21.
But most interesting was an exhibition game on August 25, 2002. Ola Kimrin kicked a 65-yard field goal for the Denver Broncos against the Seattle Seahawks. 65 yards! But alas, since it was an exhibition game, it doesn’t count for the record books. And to make matters worse, he was cut following the game. Why? Because Jason Elam was the starting kicker for the Broncos.
For more information on the NFL field goal record, please visit Mark Bolding’s excellent website and Wikipedia.
Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Winless teams in the running to ‘earn’ the top pick in the 2008 draft…
#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-5): Gus Frerotte may not be a better QB than Marc Bulger, but he gives the Rams a better chance of winning right now.
#2 – Miami Dolphins (0-5): I hate to say it, but losing Trent Green may end up being a good thing for the Dolphins in the long run.
#3 – New Orleans Saints (0-4): Unfortunately for Saints fans, this team has reverted back to their 2005 form. Though perhaps if they had Ola Kimrin, they would have beaten the Panthers on Sunday.
And now the one-loss teams…
#4 – New York Jets (1-4): Chad Pennington might be done in New York.
#5 – Atlanta Falcons (1-4): Just when it looked like Harrington might turn this thing around, Petrino puts Leftwich in for the final drive.
#6 – Buffalo Bills (1-4): What an amazing performance against the Cowboys. What a devastating loss.
#7 – Minnesota Vikings (1-3): Coming off a bye week so they haven’t gotten appreciably worse.
#8 – Philadelphia Eagles (1-3): Ditto.
#9 – Cincinnati Bengals (1-3): Ditto.
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 10/03/07…
I admit it. I’ve been enjoying the melodrama of the San Diego Chargers this year.
First the hubris of general manager A.J. Smith in firing a coach who had just gone 14-2. Sure Marty Schottenheimer hadn’t won in the playoffs, but his losses were truly heartbreaking, last-second affairs that legends are made of.
The Drive. The Fumble. John Elway.
His two Chargers playoff losses were by three points each.
Three points.
And both games could have been salvaged by last-second field goals. Last-second field goals missed by All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding. He missed a 40-yarder that would have won the game against the Jets. And a 54-yarder against the Patriots to tie. Imagine what the Chargers would have achieved if Kaeding had hit either of those kicks.
Of course, the same could be said for Scott Norwood and the Buffalo Bills.
Just think of it, the World Champion Buffalo Bills.
But back to the Chargers, A.J. Smith and his ego.
Smith has carefully and successfully fostered an image in the media of being a brilliant judge of talent. So much so that he has been able to leave the impression that he is more responsible for the Chargers success last year than the coaching staff. Smith honestly believes that Marty had nothing to do with the Chargers winning last year.
In fact, it seems he believes that a coach who kowtows to the all-mighty GM would have more success than someone with 200 career victories. How dare Marty disagree on such personnel decisions as getting rid of Drew Brees, Donnie Edwards or hiring Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator.
Just think if Norv Turner, with a career 58-82-1 record, won a championship. What would simultaneously validate A.J. Smith and invalidate Marty Schottenheimer more than that?
So I eagerly watched the Chargers this season to see if A.J. Smith might get some well-deserved comeuppance, at least temporarily. I mean the Chargers are loaded with talent. Norv Turner couldn’t possibly keep that Ferrari in neutral for the whole season, could he?
CUT TO: Act One – Week One.
ME
What an ugly 14-3 win over the Bears.
CHARGERS’ APOLOGIST
Well, the players are still learning their way under a new
set of coaches, but the defense looks great.
CUT TO: Act One – Week Two
ME
The Chargers lose by 24 points to the Patriots! A primetime blowout made all the more resounding because the Chargers shot their mouths off before the game.
CHARGERS’ APOLOGIST
The Patriots played a perfect game because of the ‘Spygate’ accusations. Anyway, no one believed the Chargers were going to go 16-0. Wait ’til next week.
CUT TO: Act One – Week Three
ME
A stunning loss to the Packers.
CHARGERS’ APOLOGIST
The Packers have a great defense and Brett Favre is a crafty veteran.
But wait ’til next week. The hapless Chiefs are coming to San Diego.
I was content. It was a nice opening to the season. I got to razz A.J. Smith for a couple of weeks. But there was no way the Chargers would lose at home to the Chiefs. One win and all would be well in San Diego again.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Q.
The Chiefs won.
Not only did they win, they scored 24 unanswered points in the second half and embarrassed the Chargers 30-16.
And A.J. Smith got to listen to the final 3:41 of the game as the San Diego crowd cheered.
Marty! Marty!
Don’t you just love karma?
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
I would love to go on endlessly about Michael Vick, his failed drug test and the new dogfighting charges in Virginia. But I won’t. Vick is paying the penalty for his actions and part of that penalty is not being in the limelight. A limelight that should be reserved for athletes who are playing on the field right now.
Like Rex Grossman.
Okay, bad example, but you get my point.
And speaking of Da Bears, looks like Rex may be the best quarterback the Bears have. Of course, it couldn’t be much worse if they use Devin Hester, their most explosive player, behind center. They could hire Lou Holtz and run the option. Laugh if you will, but it might put more points up on the scoreboard.
Isn’t it great to see how excited Brett Favre gets after throwing a touchdown? He celebrates as much after 421 touchdowns as he did after his first.
And how about the Dolphins? Trent Green really needs to sit. He is killing the Dolphins. Bring in the rookie. It’s time.
And speaking of rookies, who needs Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson has been playing lights out.
Did you see Tony Romo’s 36-yard run after fumble? Of course you did. Every dazzling highlight is just going to cost Jerry Jones another million dollars in guaranteed money.
Trent Edwards might be the real deal. Bill Walsh called Marv Levy just before his death to tout Edwards’ ability.
Panthers are dead without Jake Delhomme. Double-digit loss dead.
I picked the Cardinals to knock off the Steelers this weekend. It doesn’t pay to go up against your former offensive coordinator. He tends to know what defenses the offense is uncomfortable playing against. Of course, I did go 7-7 for the week so what do I know.
The ‘Heidi’ Chronicles
For my money, there is no better studio host than James Brown. FOX really made a mistake losing him.
No late game on FOX this week, so I watched the spectacular Steelers-Cardinals game on CBS ending around 7:25pm. Since CBS cut immediately to ’60 Minutes,’ I switched over to the melodramatic ‘Football Night in America’ on NBC. Do I get highlights? Yes, but I also get about four hours of commercials.
Last year, ESPN’s ‘NFL Primetime’ gave me 12 to 14 highlights in one hour without all the pretentiousness.
This year, NBC gives me feel-good stories, fake banter and only 8 game highlights in 50 minutes. I kid you not.
Not that I’m bitter or anything.
Is it just me or does Tiki pout when he’s not the focus of the discussion? Chris Collingsworth is always good. And I like the Bus. Tiki is very polished when the spotlight is on him, but watch him when he’s not talking. He looks like his feelings have been hurt. Which is odd for someone who has made a career out of trashing people.
The Joe Pisarcik-Emily Litella Award
ProFootballTalk.com is without a doubt one of the top pro football sites on the Web. It has broken numerous stories over the years and claims to be frequented by a larger number of football insiders. But they also get a lot of things wrong such as famously reporting that Terry Bradshaw had been killed in a car accident this past January.
So on Tuesday, September 25, self-proclaimed PFT Grand Poobah Mike Florio excoriates Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter for not knowing exactly what was presented to the Virginia grand jury handling the state Michael Vick investigation. Florio then ‘publicly’ calls for the Virginia Attorney General to relieve Poindexter of his duties over this lack of competence and urges Virginians to vote Poindexter out of office if the Attorney General refuses to fire him.
The only problem is that in Virginia, prosecutors are not allowed in the grand jury room.
D’oh!
The next day, Florio admits his earlier comments were inaccurate, but states, “…Poindexter would have been wise to make it clear to the reporters who accosted him on Tuesday that, by law, he can’t be in the room at all…”
Wow.
Florio delights in pointing out the media’s every error, mocking them when they get a report wrong. And then assailing them when they don’t apologize to his satisfaction.
So what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Mike, when you use a virtual soapbox to get up on your high horse and ‘publicly’ proclaim that someone should be fired, make sure you get your facts straight.
And if you happened to be wrong after such a public declaration, get off your high horse, step down from your soapbox and admit, unabashedly, that YOU WERE WRONG. Don’t blame someone else for not correcting your error before you made it.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (4-0): Another impressive win.
2) New England Patriots (4-0): These guys are really good.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1): Still the best in AFC North.
4) Denver Broncos (2-2): Three-way tie for AFC West. I’ll give the tiebreaker to the Broncos.
5) Tennessee Titans (2-1): Early bye week gives Titans the wildcard by 1/2 game.
6) Jacksonville (2-1): Ditto.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (4-0): Beating the Rams doesn’t count for much, but the Cowboys have looked terrific this season.
2) Green Bay Packers (4-0): Favre gets the record, Packers get to 4-0. Sunday night against the Bears suddenly isn’t as scary as before the season.
3) Seattle Seahawks (3-1): Destroying the Niners gives Seatttle the inside route to NFC West.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1): Crushing the Panthers give the Bucs a two-game lead in the NFC South. Good thing since they get the Colts next.
5) Detroit Lions (3-1): After an ugly loss to Eagles, the Lions get an important win over Da Bears.
6) Washington Redskins (2-1): Sixth best record thanks to a bye week.
The John Madden Wayback Machine
In honor of Brett Favre breaking Dan Marino’s career touchdown record, I present a little history of the career passing touchdown record, courtesy of Packers.com.
- BENNY FRIEDMAN, widely considered the first great passer, threw for 66 career touchdowns while playing for the Cleveland Bulldogs, Detroit Wolverines, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, holding the record from 1930 until 1943.
- ARNIE HERBER played for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, and reached 66 touchdown passes in 1940 sharing the record with Friedman until 1943.
- SLINGIN’ SAMMY BAUGH passed Friedman and Herber in 1943 and threw 187 career touchdowns as a Washington Redskin. Held the record for 18 years.
- BOBBY LAYNE tied Baugh in 1961 and passed him in 1962. Layne played for the Chicago Bears, New York Bulldogs, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing his career with 196 touchdown passes.
- Y.A. TITTLE passed Layne in 1963 after playing for the Baltimore Colts, San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants. He ended his career with 212 TD passes.
- JOHNNY UNITAS passed Tittle in 1966 and threw 290 touchdowns, playing the bulk of his career with the Baltimore Colts.
- FRAN TARKENTON passed Unitas in 1975, finishing with 342 career TD passes as QB of the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. Held the record for 20 years!
- DAN MARINO passed Tarkenton in 1995 retiring with 420 career touchdown passes.
- BRETT FAVRE passed Marino this past Sunday and currently has 422 career touchdown passes.
- PEYTON MANNING will pass Favre eventually as he has 283 in only his tenth NFL season.
And the top 20 career passing touchdown leaders as of today…
1. Brett Favre (1991- Present): 422 and counting
2. Dan Marino (1983-1999): 420
3. Fran Tarkenton (1961-1978): 342
4. John Elway (1983-1998): 300
5. Warren Moon (1984-2000): 291
6. Johnny Unitas (1956-1973): 290
7. Peyton Manning (1998-Present): 283 and counting
8. Joe Montana (1979-1994): 273
9. Vinny Testaverde (1987-2006): 270
10. Dave Krieg (1980-1998): 261
11. Sonny Jurgensen (1957-1974): 255
12. Dan Fouts (1973-1987): 254
13. Drew Bledsoe (1993-2006): 251
14. Boomer Esiason (1984-1996): 247
15. John Hadl (1962-1977): 244
16. Len Dawson (1957-1975): 239
17. Jim Kelly (1986-1996): 237
18. George Blanda (1949-1975): 236
19. Steve Young (1985-1999): 232
20. John Brodie (1957-1973): 214
The Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Winless teams in the running to ‘earn’ the top pick in the 2008 draft…
#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-4): These guys look dreadful with little hope of improving.
#2 – Miami Dolphins (0-4): Another ugly loss.
#3 – New Orleans Saints (0-3): Bye week. Still winless.
And now the one-loss teams
#4 – Minnesota Vikings (1-3): Bad and no QB. They must get Adrian Peterson more involved in second half.
#5 – Chicago Bears (1-3): Also bad and no QB. But they do have Devin Hester.
#6 – New York Jets (1-3): Two tough losses… they could be 3-1.
#7 – Atlanta Falcons (1-3): This team is getting better with Joey Harrington. Petrino for Coach of the Year.
#8 – Philadelphia Eagles (1-3): This team needs Brian Dawkins back desperately.
#9 – San Diego Chargers (1-3): Stunning collapse. Just stunning.
#10 – Buffalo Bills (1-3): Is Trent Edwards the savior of Buffalo?
#11 – Cincinnati Bengals (1-3): Are the Bengals about to self-destruct?
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 9/26/07…
I am not African-American.
Nor am I familiar with the unspoken racism that Donovan McNabb has experienced over a lifetime.
The looks. The cold shoulders. The lack of respect. All because of the color of his skin.
So when Donovan McNabb says that he lives under additional pressures that white quarterbacks don’t experience, I’m going to have to take his word for it.
But I did grow up in Philadelphia so it is with some level of familiarity that I state: Donovan is missing the point on the criticism that he is currently receiving. At least the criticism he is receiving in the City of Brotherly Love.
Philadelphia fans boo. That’s what we do. When we don’t like something, we boo. And when you’ve gone 9-12 in your last 21 starts, you’re going to get booed when you don’t play well.
For the record, other cities boo their teams, too. In the past few weeks, I have heard booing in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis and New Orleans to name but a few. So let’s remember that Philadelphia isn’t the only place that boos its teams.
We have simply honed to an artform.
That’s not to say that Philadelphia fans don’t cheer.
We do.
We’ve cheered Donovan McNabb. A lot.
We’ve also cheered Bill Bergey. Wilbert Montgomery. The Broad Street Bullies. Joe Frazier. Tug McGraw. And, believe it or not, Pete Rose.
Why? Because they gave it their all on the field. Every game. Every down.
You don’t have to win. But you need to be courageous.
That’s why Rocky is the the ultimate Philly sports story. Allen Iverson leading the outgunned Sixers to the NBA Finals and winning the first game? That was courageous. And that is what Philadelphians love.
Rollie Massimino and Villanova knocking off Georgetown? That is Philadelphia.
What McNabb fails to understand is Philly fans believe he has let us down.
Three consecutive NFC Championship losses.
The first year against the Rams was okay. That was a heroic loss. But the losses to the Buccaneers and Panthers were games we were favored to win.
Losing in the Super Bowl wasn’t as bad as how we lost. Remember the fourth quarter? All the precious time ticking away as McNabb vomited on the field from nerves.
I hate to say this, but McNabb lacks the heart of a champion.
Yeah, we threw snowballs at Santa Claus. Yeah, we cheered Michael Irvin’s career-ending injury. And as was once famously written, we would have booed Christ when he dropped the cross.
It’s not that we have to win every game or every championship (though one would be nice). But we want our athletes to be heroes.
And good or bad, McNabb is not a hero.
‘Larry King’ Ramblings
Brett Favre is officially an ageless wonder. He’s playing better now than he has in years and has won seven games in a row dating back to last year. October 7 against the Bears is shaping up to be a critical test.
The Chargers have now lost as many games this year as they did last year and have not looked good in the process. Anyone think AJ Smith’s ego may have gotten in the way? Smith should have either fired Marty Schottenheimer immediately after the loss to the Patriots last year or kept him for the 2007 season. Smith’s petty firing in February resulted in a first-rate team hiring a second-rate coach whose record has fallen to 59-84-1 even after taking over the 14-2 Chargers. Norv Turner couldn’t win before and it’s becoming clear that he can’t win now. It was widely proclaimed that Norv was given ownsership of a Ferrari, but it seems he’s misplaced the keys.
All that said, the schedule does shift into the Chargers’ favor. With the Chiefs, Broncos and Raiders next, don’t be surprised to see the Chargers at 4-2 going into the bye week. And if they aren’t, the Chargers won’t be making it to the playoffs.
I have to admit that I am a big fan of Kurt Warner. The whole bagging groceries to Super Bowl MVP story still works for me. So I was thrilled to see Kurt mounting a comeback against the Ravens. I have nothing against Matt Leinart, but wouldn’t it be nice to see Kurt Warner lead the Cardinal to the playoffs?
I really hate these last second timeouts that result in teams kicking a game-winning field goals twice. But there is karmic balance when the Raiders, who lost to the Broncos on that ploy, benefitted against the Browns with the same call. But a note to teams this week when kicking a last-second field goal, have you thought about snapping the ball a little earlier?
The ‘Heidi’ Chronicles
I still haven’t figured out which NFL highlight show to watch. For years, everyone watched ‘NFL Primetime’ on ESPN. But CBS cuts to ’60 Minutes’ as soon as the late game is over, FOX shows abbreviated highlights until 8pm and ESPN airs a generic SportsCenter from 7 to 8. I guess we are supposed to watch ‘Football Night in America’ but I always forget to switch over until 8pm when they are finished with most of the highlights and are engaging in that fake comraderie and sincerity between Costas and the other talking heads.
Of course, it’s all NFL Network’s fault. They have the best highlight show on TV but it starts AFTER the Sunday night game when most of the country is in bed.
The Joe Pisarcik Award
I’ve decided to expand the reach of this award beyond simple bad reporting and include all flavors of NFL talking heads so we can reward Phil Simms and Jim Nance for slurping up to the Chargers during the Chargers-Packers game on CBS. The duo went out of their way to complement Norv Turner, AJ Smith and the team after nearly every play. Even as it became apparent that the Chargers were going to lose to the Packers and fall to 1-2, Phil Simms gushed about Norv Turner’s decision to kick a field goal with 20 seconds left to make it a 7 point game. I really wish announcers would comment on performances in the game and not base their opinions on press clippings.
Honorable mention goes to the Eagles’ throwback uniforms. Not because of bad reporting or atrocious commentating. But because they are the ugliest uniforms. Ever.
Playoffs?!? Don’t Talk About Playoffs?!?
With apologies to Jim Mora, it’s never too early to talk playoffs…
AFC Playoff Seeds
1) Indianapolis Colts (3-0): They may not win pretty, but they do win in what is turning out to be a very tough division.
2) New England Patriots (3-0): They win pretty. And they may be better than the Colts. But only a loss will knock a defending champion from the top spot. So mark November 4 on your calendars when the Patriots visit the Colts.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0): The Tomlin era continues undefeated and may continue that way until the December showdown with the Patriots.
4) Denver Broncos (2-1): Broncos need to fix their problems quickly with consecutive games coming up against the Colts, Chargers, Steelers and Packers.
5) Tennessee Titans (2-1): Vince Young is a winner, pure and simple.
6) Houston Texans (2-1): Tough loss to the Colts. Kubiak is making a believer out of me. Look for them to go 4-1.
NFC Playoff Seeds
1) Dallas Cowboys (3-0): Romo and the offensive look really good. But as John Madden notes, the defense is the key to a championship. They should be 5-0 when they face the Patriots on October 14.
2) Green Bay Packers (3-0): Three wins over playoff teams from last year. And Brett Favre is looking better than he has in years. Chicago comes to town October 7.
3) Seattle Seahawks (2-1): Nice comeback against the Bengals.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1): Have the Bucs turned it around? NFC South lead is up for grabs Sunday at Carolina.
5) Washington Redskins (2-1): ‘Skins have a bye week to contemplate heartbreaking loss to the Giants.
6) Carolina Panthers (2-1): Panthers need to step it up Sunday against the Bucs.
The John Madden Wayback Machine
Baseball is rife with magical statistics such as the HR record, batting average, hits, RBIs, ERAs and pitching wins. In light of Brett Favre record achievements, it’s time to identify the records that really matter in football. What should be the NFL’s equivalent of the Triple Crown?
Clearly the undefeated season is the holy grail. The 17-0 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only ones to ever do that. And despite a brutal schedule, the New England Patriots should challenge that record this year.
But that is a team record. What about individual records? At the end of the day, it comes down to passing, rushing and receiving. The passer rating is ridiculous, so I suggest we keep it simple and focus on the following top 10 sacred yardage and touchdown records:
Individual Season Records:
-Passing Yards: Dan Marino with 5,084 yards, Dolphins, 1984.
-Passing TDs: Peyton Manning with 49 TDs, Colts, 2004.
-Rushing Yards: Eric Dickerson with 2,105 yards, LA Rams, 1984.
-Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice with 1,848 yards, 1995.
-Rushing/Receiving TDs: LaDainian Thomlinson with 31 TDs, Chargers, 2006.
Career Records:
-Passing Yards: Dan Marino with 61,361 yards.
-Passing TDs: Dan Marino and Brett Favre with 420 TDs.
-Rushing Yards: Emmitt Smith with 18,355 yards.
-Receiving Yards: Jerry Rice with 22,895 yards.
-Rushing/Receiving TDs: Jerry Rice with 207 TDs.
And lest we forget, the longest field goal is still 63 yards as held by Tom Dempsey (Saints, 1970) and Jason Elam (Broncos, 1998).
In future weeks, I will look at the history of each of these records in more detail, but make sure to peruse NFL.com’s Record & Fact Book.
The Battle for Brian Brohm (or Darren McFadden or Whoever the #1 Pick Will Be)
Winless teams in the running to ‘earn’ the top pick in the 2008 draft…
#1 – St. Louis Rams (0-3): These guys are dreadful. And the next game is at Dallas.
#2 – Buffalo Bills (0-3): A really tough season is getting worse. Time to see if QB Trent Edwards can spark this team.
#3 – Miami Dolphins (0-3): If they don’t beat the Raiders at home Sunday, this season is going to get a whole lot longer.
#4 – Atlanta Falcons (0-3): The Falcons surprisingly didn’t suck against the Panthers, but the next two are against the Texans and Titans.
#5 – New Orleans Saints (0-3): Looked like they were going to turn it around against the Titans. Good time to have a bye week.
This Website Stinks!
I’ve taken a look at a lot of football websites and blogs since launching Football for Breakfast in July, and I’ve come to the realization that there are a lot of hateful things that I don’t want to be a part of this site.
–No Rumormonger: Reporting legitimate rumors is one thing, but spreading spurious mudslinging is something else. And when these lies prove to be lies, the purveyors shouldn’t blame their sources. We all have the ability to act responsibly.
-No ‘Gotcha!’: We will not play ‘gotcha’ with the media. Everyone makes simple mistakes. That’s life. But gleefully noting every verbal stumble, miscue or bad day is childish.
-No Mocking: We will not mock people. There is a difference between be critical of decisions or performances on and off the field and hatefully mocking individuals for their appearances or habits. So no nicknames or critiques of physical maladies and speech patterns. There are enough bad decisions and poor performances that we don’t need to stoop to grade school name-calling and teasing.