We finally had a full course of football to go along with our full course of food this Thanksgiving with three NFL games. Here's how I interpreted it:
The Appetizer - Dolphins 27, Lions 10
The sound you hear coming from the bathroom is that of a Lion fan throwing up its Thanksgiving feast after seeing Joey Harrington light up his ex-mates. The former Lion disaster had Detroit fans taking a double dose of alka-seltzer after throwing for three scores and over 200 yards to rally Miami to its fourth consecutive win.
The Lions jumped out to an early 10-0 lead but could not do a thing after. The Dolphins reeled off 27 unanswered to stun the Lions and their fans. This was the best I have ever seen Harrington play in an NFL game and had Lions fans asking themselves, "Where the hell was this guy all those years?"
The Lions have not been good for years. I understand the Lions playing on Thanksgiving is a tradition, but it is time to break it. The Lions are tough to watch. I am starting to believe it's them who make me tired on Thanksgiving and not the tryptophan from the turkey.
The Entree - Cowboys 38, Buccaneers 10
How 'bout dem Cowboys? It really pains me to say it, but the Dallas Cowboys are a force to be wreckoned with. Did anyone in their right mind really think an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois would turn this team completely around? I mean, seriously?
After a tumultuous start to his regular season in the second half of a Monday night contest against the New York Giants, Tony Romo has looked as cool as a cucumber. He is 4-1 as a starter, but should be 5-0 (remember Dallas lost in that bizarre ending to Washington a few weeks ago).
Romo threw an unprecedented five touchdown passes en route to thrashing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the national stage. He looks unbelievable. And another thing to watch is that he is having fun while playing. Division counterpart Eli Manning should look at what Romo's doing and start enjoying himself on the field as well.
He does not even need Terrell Owens (who has dropped numerous easy passes). Terry Glenn has been his go-to guy. Dallas is well on its way to having a very successful postseason.
The Dessert - Chiefs 19, Broncos 10
The most exciting game on paper coming into the day turned out to be not exciting at all.
Jake Plummer's time as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos looks all but finished. Even though his line was not bad (25-39, 216 yds, TD, INT), he does not look confident nor looks like a leader. Denver looks enormously flat on offense and Mike Shanahan has a big decision to make.
The Chiefs have tied the Broncos for second place in the AFC West with this win, improving their record to 7-4, behind the legs of Larry Johnson. Johnson rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs are looking more of a playoff contender than the Broncos are at the moment.
The Side Dish - Gumble and Collinsworth have to go
As if the nightcap wasn't boring enough, what made it even more boring was the commentary of Bryant Gumble and Cris Collinsworth.
From the first day I heard that this duo would be calling the Thursday night games on the NFL Network, I knew it would be a disaster. Well, they're 0-1. Gumble, who could be one of the most boring personalities to ever hit television, for some reason was chosen to be their play-by-play man, cannot call a football game.
There is no excitement in his delivery and he #### up a few times with what was going on. The most memorable had to be early in the game where Denver had converted on a second-and-short situation. On the next play, where the score bug indicated first and ten and the chains had been moved, Mike Bell got the carry and gained short yardage. Gumble then chimed in, "looks like he got enough for the first." Makes me wonder if he's even watching the game.
Even though Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer had an awful opening game Sunday in St. Louis (13/26, 138 yards, 3 INT), he should still remain the starter. Many Monday morning quarterbacks are already tossing Jay Cutler’s name around (Broncos first-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt) to be considered Denver’s new starter. Seriously, they have to be joking.
I do believe Plummer is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the NFL, but he did bring this team to the AFC Championship game just a season ago. How quickly they forget. Why in the world would they start an unproven rookie, who no one really heard of before this year’s draft, over a guy who was a win away from Super Bowl XLI? There’s no good reason for it.
Mike Shanahan is a smart coach and has won two Super Bowls. Hopefully he has the knowledge not to listen to these critics in the media, who are trying to stir up controversy. Sure, Cutler is the all-time passing leader at Vanderbilt, but…..it’s Vanderbilt. It’s not like Cutler broke major records at Ohio State, Notre Dame, or Florida State.
Can anyone remember when Vanderbilt was good? I sure can’t. Granted I am only 22 years of age, but looking at their past records, I am quite less than impressed. Vanderbilt hasn't had a long, rich tradition like other teams in their conference let alone the nation (Tennessee, Florida, Auburn). It only takes a good quarterback to break records with a mediocre-at-best football program.
Cutler, before the Senior Bowl and NFL combine was hardly touted as high as he was beforehand. And then, out of nowhere, Cutler has a strong Senior Bowl and did well at the combine and people fell in love with him. I was not at the combine so I cannot say how well he did. But, to me, the combine is just a practice session at the end of the season and a last-minute test to see what the NFL scouts think of you. Last time I checked, there were no game situations at the combine.
I am not saying Cutler is a bad quarterback, because he probably is a good one. Division 1-A quarterback in the SEC and drafted in the first round definitely says something (well, unless you’re Tim Couch).
But to pull Plummer after a bad performance in week one would be completely asinine. Stick with Plummer and see how he does. If the pattern continues, then absolutely consider making the transition between quarterbacks. To those who think Plummer should be pulled in favor of Cutler, get with the picture.
Sports are my life. I'm a diehard New York Yankees, Giants, and Rangers fan as well as Tennessee Volunteers football and North Carolina basketball. I can't stand watching the NBA regular season.
I work at ESPN as a Production Assistant, which means I cut some pretty sick highlights.
I enjoy writing mostly about my favorite teams because they are what I am most passionate about.
My aspiration is to be a play-by-play broadcaster for Major League Baseball and the National Football League. I was a broadcaster for the New England Collegiate Baseball League's Torrington Twisters in 2004. The games streamed worldwide via internet.
up controversy. Sure, Cutler is the all-time passing leader at Vanderbilt, but…..it’s Vanderbilt. It’s not like Cutler broke major records at Ohio State, Notre Dame, or Florida State.
