Dallas and Green Bay are on a collision course for a historical matchup in a few weeks. While 8-0 vs 7-0 has never happened; 10-1 vs. 10-1 is still very rare as well. We may get both in the same season. The only other instance I can think of where two 10-1 teams faced off happened in 1990 when the 10-1 Giants traveled to the 10-1 49ers. The 49ers prevailed 7-3. If the Packers beat the Lions and the Cowboys beat the Jets this Thursday, we will get that special matchup. To think that Dallas or Green Bay would probably be a 10 pt underdog if they played the Pats demonstrates the dominance of New England this season. In another shocking development New England won again and Miami lost again. If I didn't mention your favorite player or team, it isn't because I didn't watch the game or research the game. It's because it would be impossible to mention every player or game in one newsletter. Please don't get upset if I don't list something about your favorite player or team. Simply mention it in the comments section, and I will try to address it. I hereby present to you a recap of the tenth week in the National Football League.
Standings
AFC East NFC East 1. New England (10-0) 1. Dallas (9-1) 2. Buffalo (5-5) 2. NY Giants (7-3) 3. NY Jets (2-8) 3 .Washington (5-5) 4. Miami (0-10) 4. Philadelphia (5-5)
AFC South NFC South 1. Indianapolis (8-2) 1. Tampa Bay (6-4) 2. Jacksonville (7-3) 2. Carolina (4-6) 3. Tennessee (6-4) 3. New Orleans (4-6) 4. Houston (5-5) 4. Atlanta (3-7)
AFC North NFC North 1. Pittsburgh (7-3) 1.Green Bay (9-1) 2. Cleveland (6-4) 2. Detroit (6-4) 3. Baltimore (4-6) 3. Minnesota (4-6) 4. Cincinnati (3-7) 4. Chicago (4-6)
AFC West NFC West 1. San Diego (5-5) 1. Seattle (6-4) 2. Denver (5-5) 2. Arizona (5-5) 3. Kansas City (4-6) 3. San Francisco (2-8) 4. Oakland (2-8) 4. St Louis (2-8)
MVP of the Week not named Tom Brady or Randy Moss: I think you have to start in Dallas where TO dominated the Redskins to the tune of 8 catches for 173 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Cowboys 28-23 victory. Next would be Chester Taylor who filled in for the injured Adrian Peterson to produce 164 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. He also chipped in with 38 yards receiving. Brady, Peterson, Moss, and TO were so dominant compared to the rest of the league this week that there really isn’t anyone else in the discussion.
Game of the Week: I would have to go with Cleveland at Baltimore. Baltimore trailed 27-14 entering the 4th quarter. They scored 16 straight points to take a 30-27 lead with just 26 seconds to play. Cleveland was able to get in position for a game tying 51-yard field goal attempt. The kick hit the right upright, bounced off the support bar behind the cross bar and back into the field of play. The kick was initially ruled no good and the Ravens left the field. The officials had a discussion about the play, correctly reversing the call. Cleveland would kick a 33-yard field goal with 9:10 left in overtime to win the game 33-30.
Loser of the Weak: The Miami Dolphins. Their defense has played better in recent weeks, giving up only 43 points the last 3 weeks. The problem is Miami has only scored 27 points in that same span. Peyton Manning had a second consecutive disappointing performance. Manning was 16 for 32 for 163 yards, 0 touchdown passes and 1 pick. The 216 total net yards were the 4th lowest in the Peyton Manning era. This offense looks lost since Marvin Harrison and Dallas Clark suffered injuries. Next Big Ben and Willie Parker. Big Ben had 195 yards passing, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. Willie Parker had 21 carries for 52 yards and 0 touchdowns. This against a defense that was ranked 32nd against the run, 24th against the pass, and 27th in points allowed. A Jets team that was 1-8 with its only win against the Dolphins. This was an unacceptable performance by a Steelers team that wants to be considered an elite club. Finally NBC. Stop putting New England on prime time to slaughter nobodies. I thought the flex schedule was to show us the best games. If you were not a New England fan, how was that going to be the best game this week? Putting them on TV against a last place Philly team next week is also ridiculous. I want competitive games, not 56-10.
The Bay of Pigs: There were a lot of low scoring contest this week. 13 teams scored 17 points or less. I would go with a toss up between Miami at Philly or Kansas City at Indy. Philly out gained Miami 352 to 186, but only outscored the Dolphins 17-7. Part of the reason for that was a Donovan McNabb injury to his ankle that allowed AJ Feeley to see a lot of time. Feeley had just 116 yards. In the other game, Kansas City out gained Indy 234 to 216. Croyle led all passers with 169 yards and Addai led all rushers with 72 yards. Neither team generated much offense or interest until the end of the game when Indy decided to go for it on 4th and 1 in a 10-10 game. Indy had a chip shot field goal, but didn’t appear to trust their kick coverage team to risk giving KC the ball back. The move paid off and Indy escaped with a 13-10 victory.
The Cam Cameron Award (Excellence in Coaching): I’m going to go in a different direction this week and give the award to the officials in the Cleveland and Baltimore contest. What were the officials doing while the potential game tying field goal was being kicked? I understand that you may never see a kick like that for the rest of your life. But still, you have to at least watch the kick if you are an official. There were two officials underneath the goal post and neither of them saw where the ball bounced. They incorrectly ruled the kick as being no good. The officials had to huddle and reverse the call on a play that cannot be challenged by replay. That obviously needs to be changed this offseason as well. It was bizarre to me that neither of them saw what happened and it appeared to me that they were thinking about their post game plans and not concentrating on the kick. You have one job and that is to watch the kick. It was inexcusable that both officials dropped the ball on that call. In the end the correct call was made and Cleveland prevailed in OT.
Hospital Visit: Donovan McNabb injured his ankle and thumb. His status for next week is unclear. Giants' linebacker Kiwanuka broke his left leg against the Lions. That is a huge blow to the Giants pass rush. The Jaguars are starting to get mighty thin on defense. Stroud is suspended, Mike Peterson broke some bones in his wrist, and Reshaun Mathis has a bad hamstring. His status for next week is in question. Steve Smith missed Sunday’s game and his return is unknown. Adrian Peterson is expected to sit another game. Shaun Alexander hasn’t been able to practice and his status is still up in the air. Matt Hasselbeck will probably not practice this week either with a rib injury.
Overall Impressions of the Week that Was:
1) What happened to Pittsburgh? – Pittsburgh fans keep complaining that they are being overlooked in the AFC. Sunday is why people don’t know what to think of this team. I don’t have a problem with the Arizona loss earlier in the year. That coaching staff knew the Steelers as well as any in the league and the Cardinals are at least 5-5. How this team lost to a 32nd ranked Bronco run defense with Willie Parker and to the NY Jets is unexplainable. The fact is that the Steelers are not a very good road team. They are 5-0 at home this season and 2-3 on the road. They outscore their opposition 153-54 at home as opposed to 116-91 on the road. If that 34-7 beating in the opener at Cleveland was not included in the equation, they are actually 1-3 on the road since, being outscored 82-84. The elite teams are winning on the road. Dallas, Green Bay, Indy, and New England are a combined 18-1 on the road this season. The only road loss for those 4 teams is the bizarre 2-point loss for Indy at San Diego. While many feel the Steelers will give the Patriots a great game in New England in a couple weeks, I’m not seeing it given the Steelers uncanny ability to struggle on the road. Until the Steelers prove they can play well on the road, they will not get farther than their home playoff schedule can take them. Trailing New England by 3 games and the Colts by one game is not a good sign that Pittsburgh can stay in Pennsylvania for the entire playoff run.
2) Where is the Indy offense? – Peyton Manning is proving that he is human after all. He is a great quarterback and a first ballot Hall of Famer. However, he has had the privilege of playing with Hall of Fame wide receivers his entire career. The Colts have done an amazing job at surrounding Manning with weapons. Harrison and Wayne are always among the league leaders at their position. But, similar to what has happened to other great QBs, the interceptions start to climb and the touchdowns go down when the weapons start to disappear. Since the bye week, Manning has one game where he has been rated over 90.0. He has 6 touchdowns and 9 picks, although to be fair he has only one multi pick game. He is completing only 56.6% of his passes. The Colts high rushing effort is 112 yards by Addai against New England. The Colts did better than that 3 times in their first 5 games. Manning has done a respectable job of trying to hold the ship together while his team has been decimated by injuries. Still, this Colts team is not winning in recent weeks because of their offense, or lack there of it. It reminds me of the 96 Packers where the offense went from scoring 35 points to 10 points because of a rash of injuries at the skill positions. Once those players got healthy and they signed Andre Rison the offense came back to life. I would expect the same for the Colts if they can get healthy. Manning is no different than the other elite quarterbacks in the game. He needs his weapons to realize his full potential. Until Harrison and Clark return at full strength, expect the Colts to continue to struggle with defenses being able to key on Reggie Wayne and the run game.
3) The race for the first pick – Miami now has a 2 game lead on all the contenders for the first pick in the draft. However, I don not believe they are the worst team in the league. Even though they are still winless, I believe the Dolphins would beat the 49ers if those teams faced off today. The Dolphins have winnable games against the Bengals, Bills, and Jets. The Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers should prove to be too much. Furthermore, the loss to Oakland gives the Raiders the tiebreaker. The game that will probably decide the first pick will be the Jets contest in a couple weeks. If the Jets can hold off the Dolphins, Miami should be a lock to be the first team on the clock. Seeing the Jets just beat the Steelers, beating the Dolphins would seem to be a strong possibility. The Dolphins only other competition at this point appears to go back to San Francisco. However with no head to head game and a 2 game 49er lead, the Dolphins look like the favorite to be picking first in April. The Patriots appear poised to be second. Thank you Bay Area teams for ensuring that New England will be dominant for years to come. Just what this team needs, the second pick in the draft.
4) An early playoff picture – Here are the teams that I have as officially eliminated. Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Oakland, St Louis, and San Fran. Even if these teams won out they have no chance of getting more than 9 wins and neither appears poised to run the table. Furthermore, Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Houston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington are for all intensive purposes eliminated from winning their division. All are at least 3 games back with no tiebreakers. Dallas is almost a lock to win the NFC East. Green Bay can join them as a lock with a win on Thursday. It seems certain that the game in Dallas will decide homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. The Giants look fairly good for the top wildcard. They have a 2 game lead on the other wildcards other than Detroit, whom they have a tiebreaker against. Seattle and Arizona appear to be the only contenders in the NFC West. Tampa and the winner of the New Orleans & Carolina contest this week will compete for the AFC South. Those would appear to be one bid divisions. Detroit and Washington seem like the most likely contenders for the Wildcard, however Detroit has no tiebreaker against the Eagles, Arizona, Washington, or the NY Giants. They still have 2 games against Green Bay and one game against Dallas. The Eagles also have a tough road with games against New England and Dallas. Washington sets up the best as the 6th seed with the chance to play a resting Dallas in Week 17 and tiebreakers over Detroit and Arizona with Philly still in play depending on how each team does against the division. Key games for Washington will be against the Bucs, Bears and Vikings. Both would give them much-needed wins and more tiebreakers. The AFC is a little easier to figure out, as it is more top heavy than the NFC. New England is the certain number one. Pittsburgh is only one game better than Cleveland, but has a 2 game lead because of their season sweep of the Browns. It seems hard to believe they would lose that lead, although losing to the Jets is a good start. Remember, Cleveland gave up 30 points to Baltimore. That team has issues as well. Indy has a log jam behind them in the division. While neither is a lock, the Steelers and Colts should compete for the #2 and #3 seed. An 8-8 squad could win the AFC West. While Denver is still alive for a wildcard, that should be a one-bid division with only Oakland out of the mix. If two teams made the playoffs from the AFC West, the AFC’s reign of dominance as a conference over the NFC is finished. Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Cleveland appear to be the front-runners for the wild card. Buffalo, Denver, and Houston appear to be longer shots, but still alive for the last spot.
5) Revisiting the MVP argument – Last week we had a great discussion on whether Randy Moss or Tom Brady is the MVP of the league. It was my position that the MVP order was as follows: 1) Randy Moss, 2) Brett Favre, 3) Adrian Peterson, 4) Tom Brady. Some people thought I was a genius. Some people thought I was an ####. I encourage people to check out a site, http://www.footballoutsiders.com. This is a great website that compiles and compares statistics that aren’t talked about in the mainstream football world. If you are a stat junky, this is the website for you. Players are ranked by the website according to DPAR, or Defense-adjusted Points Above Replacement. In short the website sets a baseline for an average player (the replacement) and compares production by every player against that baseline. It tries to eliminate the weaker backup argument by comparing everyone to the same backup, an average replacement. My newsletter isn’t long enough to do justice to explaining the incredible thought that went into compiling the number. There website does an incredible job of explaining it. The higher the number, the more value that player has to his team’s offense. The good thing is they have statistics back to 2000. This isn’t a fan with an agenda trying to prove a point this season. Here are some interesting numbers.
a) Randy Moss is number one in the league for receivers at 46.8. TO is 2nd at 35.7. Wayne is 3rd at 29.4. That gap between Moss and Wayne is 17.4 or about the same as the gap as between Wayne and Cotchery who is ranked 26th in the NFL. Moss is double all but 5 receivers in the league, and Welker is one of those 5. Welker is ranked #6 and Stallworth is ranked #14. Last season Stallworth ranked 39th, Welker 46th, and Moss 67th. Michael Jordan couldn’t score 20 points in Dean Smith’s offense should be changed to Randy Moss couldn’t gain 50 yards in Art Shell’s offense. Go Art Shell. The only other team with 2 receivers ranked in the top 10 this season is Cincinnati. No one has 3 in the top 15 other than the Patriots.
b) Peyton Manning had 3 players ranked in the top 12 in his record breaking 2004 season. Reggie Wayne was the number one receiver at 44.0 in 2004. Randy Moss has already passed Reggie Wayne with 6 games to play. In 2004 the gap between #1 Reggie Wayne and #2 Joe Horn was 2.4 or over 4 times less than the gap between Moss and TO this season and over 7 times less than the gap between Moss and Wayne this season.
c) In 2006 people said that the Patriots did a horrible job of surrounding Brady with weapons. Caldwell was the highest ranked Patriot receiver in 2006 ranked at #32. Wayne and Harrison were ranked #1 and #2 that season. That seems to support the Patriots position that upgrading the WR position to keep up with the Colts was a number one priority.
d) TO is ranked #3 and Crayton is ranked #17. The highest Packer on the list is Driver at #16. This tends to support the theory that Brett Favre doesn’t have the elite weapons that the Patriots, Colts, and Cowboys have, but instead relies on spreading out the ball to a number of different quality targets. 6 of the top 10 quarterbacks play with top 10 receivers. Palmer and Brady play with 2. Of the 4 top QBs without top 10 targets: Anderson plays with Edwards who is 11th, Garcia with Galloway who is 13th, and Favre with Driver at 16. That leaves:
e) Garrard is the only QB that ranked in the top 10 that didn’t have a top 20 receiver. Northcutt was his highest-ranking target at #40. That seems to support the position that Jacksonville’s problem is the wide receivers and not the QB.
f) Jackson and Batttle from San Fran are ranked #79 and #81, which correlates with just how bad the 49ers have struggled on offense. It is an all time bad pass offense.
g) They do a similar breakdown for QBs. The gap between Brady and Favre who is #2 is also insane. Brady’s 143.8 is more than double all but Favre, Romo, and Anderson. Favre is second at 78.8. Brady has passed Culpepper’s 2004 season already and will pass Manning’s 2004 season in a few weeks at this pace.
I could go on and on. These numbers aren’t going to necessarily change people’s minds. It is impossible to remove the affect of the QB on WR or vice versa. If you like Brady for MVP the numbers show how good he has made these receivers look. If you like Moss it is the other way around. What all these numbers show is that both Brady and Moss are both playing light years ahead of the rest of the league at their positions. It shows just how irreplaceable both have become. It shows that an argument for either being MVP can be made. Again, if you love stats, check out this website. These guys do great work.
A Look Ahead: I went 3-2 on the picks last week. San Diego and Detroit lost close games to prevent me from having a better record. Here are my important games for next week. These are not necessarily the 5 best games, but the 5 games that I feel will be the most influential in shaping the various divisions:
1) Green Bay (9-1) at Detroit Lions (6-4) –This game is an elimination game for Detroit with regards to the division. If Green Bay wins they will be 10-1 to Detroit’s 6-5. If Green Bay were to win, I can’t see the Packers blowing a 4 game lead with 5 games to play. If Detroit wins they are still 2 games back with a more difficult schedule than Green Bay. The Packers have to worry about two things. Detroit forces a lot of turnovers. Favre has to take care of the ball. Second, Green Bay can’t get caught up looking ahead to the Dallas Game. Detroit has to pass against a secondary that features Woodson and Harris, but is young at the safety position. They can’t turn the ball over as they have in recent weeks. Favre has been good at taking care of the ball and the Packers have been very good at taking things week to week this season. I look for the Packers to beat a slumping Detroit squad. Winner: Green Bay
2) Washington (5-5) at Tampa Bay (6-4) – If Tampa wins this game they are guaranteed a number of things. They would have a 2 game lead in the NFC South because of game #3 on the list. They would also have a tiebreaker against Washington should the Saints or Panthers catch them for the division. If they lose, Tampa has only a one game lead and is not sitting pretty in the tiebreaker for the final wild card. Washington has been scoring better, but their pass defense has allowed 8 touchdown passes in the last 2 games and they are giving up better than 30 points per game. Tampa continues to find ways to win. The game appears to be a very even contest. In that case, it is usually better to bet on the home team. Washington is 2-3 on the road this season. There two victories were at the Jets and at Philly back in week 2. Tampa meanwhile is 4-1 at home, with their sole loss being by 1 point to Jacksonville. Winner: Tampa Bay
3) New Orleans (4-6) at Carolina Panthers (4-6) – For all intensive purposes this is an elimination game. While the loser could still contend for the division, the loser would probably have to win out in their last 5 games. Neither seems capable of doing that. The winner will be no worse than two back and both have games against Tampa. I really don’t want to pick either team. Neither team has played well enough this season to warrant a pick. New Orleans was my pick to win the division before the season started. Carolina has lost 4 straight and is 0-4 at home this season. New Orleans looked to have recovered from a 0-4 start, but has since lost 2 games. They are 2-3 on the road and at home. I’m picking New Orleans, but I have no idea why. They are healthier and seem like the better of 2 bad picks. Winner: New Orleans
4) Buffalo (5-5) at Jacksonville (7-3) – Another elimination game. Buffalo would fall to 3 games behind Jacksonville with no tiebreaker. At 5-6 they would almost have to win out just to get the final playoff spot. They still have 3 games against the NFC East (no Dallas), Cleveland, and the Dolphins. They won’t win out against that schedule. Jacksonville is starting to be a very injured defensive squad. They need this game. With road games at the Colts and Steelers still on the horizon, you can’t lose home games to the Bills. Bills are 2-2 on the road. Their wins are against the Dolphins and Jets. Losses are at the Steelers and Patriots. Jaguars are 3-2 at home, but the losses were to the Colts and Titans. There just isn’t a lot to go on with trends. I think it will be a close game, or at least closer than Sunday night. While the records are close, I think the Jaguars are the better team. Two victories over the Jets, with the Dolphins, Ravens, and Bengals sprinkled in just aren’t doing it for me. Jaguars are clearly the better team and the better team should win at home. Winner: Jacksonville
5) Baltimore (4-6) at San Diego (5-5) – This is an elimination game for a team that is probably already eliminated. Ravens need to win out to give themselves a shot at the playoffs. This is the beginning of the Chargers, Colts, and Patriots part of the schedule. Chargers are tough to figure out. They beat the Broncos and Texans. Then they lose to the Vikings. Beat the Colts. Lose to the Jags. Key is Chargers are 1-4 on the road and 4-1 at home. Ravens are 1-4 on the road with the sole win being a 9-7 victory over the 49ers. I think the inconsistent Chargers find a way to win this weak against a team that has really struggled to score. As bad as San Diego has been on defense, it hasn’t been Cleveland bad. Winner: San Diego
That’s all for this week. This week in addition to my normal newsletter, I will take a look at the history of the Thanksgiving Games. Something not very controversial as we head into the holiday season. I look forward to hearing your comments.
great points! Can't wait for the history of Thanksgiving. I know the Lions alwasy play, but when was the last time it was a game to watch? and when did it start being more than the Lions game? I feel like when I was younger, it was just one game on Turkey day. So there, now you can be inspired.
Also, food for thought since you are a stats/records guy- what is the record for co-MVPs? Since the discussion is so hot for Brady and Moss, can they share it? How often does that happen? What are the circumstances? So there you go... a few weeks of good posts at your disposal. :)
2coastgal - Thank you as always. As far as Co-MVPs there is precedent of players from different teams. Joe Schmidt and Norm Van Broklin shared it in 1960. Farve and Sanders shared the award in 97. Manning and McNair shared it in 03.
It has never been given to two players on the same team in the same year. Maybe that is the answer to this. Give Moss and Brady Co-MVP. Just what the Patriots need is more hardware. They won't be earning enough of that this season.
StreetCred, unfortunately the flex schedule is designed for the networks to get the best ratings not the best games. I'm in agreement with you, but NBC is going to milk as many New England, Dallas and Indy appearances as they can. I believe that no team can be on prime-time (MNF, Sunday Night, NFL Network) more than six times and that would put NE at six. I would expect to see GB put on the Flex in the remaining weeks.
As far as your loser of the week nomination, yes Ben and FWP did not play well. But the O-Line was TERRIBLE. 7 sacks, another fumble that wasn't creditied w/ a sack and countless hurries. Also, Hines Ward dropped 3 passes and Nate Washington dropped two. Let's just say the Pittsburgh Steelers offense was the LOSER of the week. Pathetic!
Last edited by moseby on November 20th at 1:18 PM.
I agree with your analysis of the Steelers. I for one have not complained about them being not respected. They really haven't beaten a quality opponent yet. I will say this - every year, every year (except 2004), Pittsburgh plays a complete stinker o####ame, in all phases, and loses to a suppossed inferior team. I've been saying all along that Arizona is good, but they had a bad game plan for Denver. Sunday was just everything; offense, defense and in OT, special teams. I hoping some of this has to do with some coaching staff changeover. But really they just played terrible.
The Ravens have no shot to make the playoffs, not only because of their schedule, but because they would lose every tiebreaker. They are 0-5 in the division and 1-6 vs. the AFC. The best they could be is 10-6 overall and 6-6 in the AFC. Their not statistically eliminated yet, but it is prohibitive on their chances to qualify. They would lose wild card tiebreakers to the Browns, Bills and Steelers and Jacksonville and the Titans almost certainly would be projected to be at least 7-5 vs. the AFC.
It is conceivable that the winner of the AFC West could end up at 8-8. SD and Denver only play the Raiders one more time each and Chargers still have to play at KC. Denver has to play at SD on X-Mas Eve. Think the Chargers will beat the Lions and Titans next month but don't see them better than 9-7. I've got the Bears to beat the Broncos this week. Think your Packers will pick Kitna early and get up by 14-17 points and hold on vs. the Calvin Johnson show. They will throw 45-50 passes because Kevin Jones won't be able to run. The Chargers are an enigma, I think they will struggle to run vs. the Ravens. But you might see Chris Chambers have a big week and they will win by a TD.
Moseby - All good points. I understand why they are doing that. Indy, Dallas, and Green Bay are all on Thanksgiving. Still, I'd rather watch the Giants and the Vikings, Denver at Chicago, or Baltimore at San Diego. Anything other than a 56-10 disaster. Especially if McNabb sits. What is the fun in watching that???
As for the Steelers. You are right on. It was a disaster on many fronts. Most meltdowns are as such. I probably should have just said the entire Pittsburgh team, but I went with the bigger names. Skill players can't do their job without the line and vice versa.
moseby, Dallas was at the NFL limit before the season started. Dallas had 3 Sunday night games, NY, Chicago, and Philadelphia. 1 Monday night game Buffalo. The game on Thanksgiving and 2 games on the NFL network, Green Bay & Carolina. The limit is 7 games and Dallas cannot be shown nationally again.
Fox is very upset because it paid the most for the NFC package and it didn't get to show any big games involving Dallas. Dallas is a big ratings bonanza every year. Dallas has only played 1 game at the 1 o'clock time slot, St. Louis. The Miami, Minnesota, NY, and Washington games were all scheduled or moved to the 4 o'clock time slot to be shown as the national doubleheader game. Seen by 90% of the country. The Detroit and Washington games later this year will probably be moved also. If this occurs that will mean that Dallas will have played only 1 game at 1 o'clock, the rest of the games were either nationally televised or the national doubleheader game, seen by most of the country.
This is the one of the reasons why Dallas is called "Americas team". No team in the NFL gets more coverage or is seen as much as they are.
QCisco, My understanding is that the limit for prime-time(8 pm Eastern time or later) games is 6. Don't believe the NFL counts the Thanksgiving Day games vs. limit. That is why I wrote that NE would be now at their ceiling.
I'm not sure how that all works. I know there are restrictions on how often games can appear on what networks, but I'm not sure of the exact limits and what is involved with this Flex Scheduling, NFL Network Games, or Turkey Day.
All I know is that while the NFL is better than the NBA and MLB (hate watching just King James, Kobe, the Yanks, and Red Sox). I also hate the idea of watching 56-10 games. For a league that get's so many things right, I think they made a mistake with that game.
I don't mind watching the Pats destroy the Cowboys, Steelers, and Colts. At least there is intrigue. You don't expect that to happen. But who outside of Buffalo thought that Bills game was going to be close??? Why put on a game where you already know the result?
Last edited by StreetCred on November 20th at 2:22 PM.
so i am continuing to like your blog even though you stil give the Saints and the Panthers a shot, come on dude tampa has it wrapped up, the saints lost to the rams last week... just give us the division already.
moseby the game on Thanksgiving is a national game. It's the only game on and will be seen in 100% of the country. A game on the NFL network is also considered a national game. Once again it's the only game on. Dallas is maxed out at 7 national games and are not eligible the flex scheduling.
That's a big story this year because the Green Bay/Dallas game will not be available to 100% of the country. The NFL network isn't available in some areas. The NFL wants to put the best games on the NFL network to have viewers put pressure on their cable networks to carry the NFL network as part of the basic package and not at a premium rate. In the future I believe all games will be on the NFL network and you'll have to pay to view. The distant future I hope.
Surratt- You have to fix that name, or I wont' remember who you are. I think you said Johnathan. You are a tough customer to please. I picked Tampa to beat Washington and you are still talking about a lack of respect. i think the team that wins the New Orleans & Carolina game is still in the race, but Tampa would still be the favorite. I give Tampa a 70% chance to win the division, with the winner of Carolina and New Orleans having a 30% shot. Thank you for still following the blog despite your frustrations.
QCisco - I believe that is about 5 years away. NFL has to be careful they don't kill the goose that laid the golden egg. That is why they are moving so slowly with that.
Last edited by StreetCred on November 20th at 9:34 PM.
Seeing the Pats with a high first round draft pick reminds me of the 1982 LA Lakers when they won the title and had the first overall pick of the draft due to a shrewd early season trade with Cleveland. (The Lakers ended up trading Jim Chones, a very solid forward) The pick ended up being James Worthy. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pats end up with Darren McFadden.
Overall, this is a great analysis of Week 11. As a Panthers fan it KILLS me to see Tampa Bay winning the NFC South.
When Dallas is an elite team, people want to watch them. Fox recognizes this. But remember when they were 1-15? NOBODY wanted to see them except hardcore fans. I have to remember sports is cyclical and teams like Dallas and New England will be declining and teams like Tampa Bay will be on the rise. The NFC South will rise again!!!
'Cred, another great post. I like the MVP discussion. Often it is not given to the player who is "most valuable" to his team, but the player with the best stats or having the best year. There is a difference.
As a Steeler fan, I am concerned that the Steelers may have done themselves great harm Sunday. Look at the Browns remaining schedule compare to the Steelers. I see at least two real chances for Steeler losses, and the Browns could conceivably win out. It now looks like both teams could make the playoffs. Probably just cannon fodder for the Pats.
moseby, you are right on all counts about the Steelers. I was not too suprised about the loss to Arizona because of the Whisenhunt/Grimm connection. Denver suprised me a bit because the Steelers should have run all over them. The Jets, however, shocked me. The worst run defense in the NFL holds Parker and Davenport combined to under 100 yards and sacks Big Ben 7 times as well as harassed him all day. What concerns me is that the Steelers have at least 2 more games that they could easily lose. By comparison, the Browns have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. If the Browns win out, they would finish 12-4. I fthe Steelers lose to the Patriots and the Jags, they will be no better than 11-5. Both could make the playoffs with those records. Lots of football to be played still. Aint it great?! Here we go Steelers here we go.
Sorry guys, I was so busy with Thanksgiving stuff. Here goes:
Jon464 - That could be a possibility. The Hood doesn't seem to be sold on Maroney. I could see that happening.
Oldschool - I just hate it when people give it to the best QB on the best team. I think there should be more too it then that. Good points about the Browns and Steelers.
suzannesurrat - I don't really try to change my name ever, so I'm not 100% sure. I believe it would be in your profile options. Good luck.
I live in Chicago, but am originally from Wisconsin. I am a disgruntled Green Bay Packer fan that now loves the Jets. My favorite sports are Football, Basketball, and Baseball. Hockey and soccer are at the bottom of my list. I would rather watch the Spelling Bee than either of those sports. My favorite athletes of all time are Brett Favre and Michael Jordan. While I like debating many sports, NFL Football is by far my favorite topic to discuss.
In addition to this blog I am also a writer for the Fantasy Football Maniaxs. It is quite an honor to be writing with a group of knowledgeable football fanatics. The address is http://www.fa ntasyfootball maniaxs.com. I hope you enjoy the blog.
