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Thoughts And Observations |
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Week Four Review
"There's no substitute for players." Isn't that how the saying goes? In the NFL, I think we can now throw that old saying out the window. We thought the Raiders may have missed their best opportunity with players everyone said were "long-in-the-tooth". We see the Rams and Steelers beaten down like they were beating opponents last season.
And didn't we see the Patriots win the Super Bowl with free agent cast-offs last year? Then they improved their roster, and now are getting ran through like Grand Central Station.
Even the Eagles were taken out by a rebuilding Jaguars team. Oh, that rebuilding Jaguars team is now 3-1. Hmmm. What a year. So much for predictions, because there are at least four teams that were predicted at or near the top of their divisions, who are now out of, or almost of of contention.
We should know this, coaches are making a difference like never before. Look at the rosters, and look at the records. Players are great at this level, so the guy running the show makes as much difference as anything.
Game Notes
My view on who's where after five weeks.
I'm Convinced...
...that Mike Martz may be the heart of the Rams problems.
...Steve Spurrier likes Patrick Ramsey much more than earlier in the year.
...the Raiders are the current favorites to win the Super Bowl.
...the Titans are the slowest team in the NFL.
...Randy Moss will be suspended this season.
I'm Skeptical...
...that Marshall Faulk still has his abilities intact.
...that the Steelers can win running the ball.
...the Jaguars can keep on a roll.
...that the AFC North winner could go far in the playoffs.
...the 49ers are as good as their performance Sunday.
Here's my list for the weekly performances:
Top Five
Raiders - They know how to go for the throat, and keep going for it.
Jaguars - Quietly 3-1, and have a quality opponent on that resume.
Saints - Beating good teams, and McAllister is a force to reckon with.
Redskins - Playing that well with that little experience has gained Ramsey respect.
Miami - Throttled their leading division contender, and gaining momentum.
Bottom Five
Rams - Heartless play has to be attributed to Martz.
Falcons - With Vick, every game is winnable. Without Vick...game over.
Chargers - Marty just doesn't like Denver. Denver doesn't really like Marty either.
Eagles - Now that the Rams are out of the picture, they are looking past others.
Patriots - Geared up to stop the run, and still couldn't do it. Now the offense is struggling.
A look around...
The Awards
Bonehead of the Week Award: Dave Campo - Uhhh, when there's only about two minutes left, and you have two timeouts, and you need a touchdown, you don't punt the ball on fourth down with the thought you can get the ball back. You don't, understand? Some of Mike Martz's decisions are starting to look smart compared to that one.
Big Time Loser of the Week Award: Rams - If you cannot get up for your hated division rivals, you can't get up. Someone needs to give this team some Viagra. Maybe that's not enough. Maybe what they need is a spine transplant. Time for someone else to design the offensive gameplan and call the plays, because the genius coach has gone over that fine line into insanity.
Bottom of the Barrell Award: Rams - Oakland on the slate next. Then Seattle. It doesn't take much defense to stop them anymore, because if you hang around, they'll stop themselves. There's a bye after the Seahawks, and that may be a winnable game, but the Hawks are no worse than the Cowboys, and that was a loss. 0-7 going into the bye is a real possibility. That's a long fall for a team that is still arguably the most talented in the league. Don't blame Jamie Martin, either. Now, what to spend that high draft pick on. Maybe an Oakland coach.
Cuda, Wuda, Shuda Award: Bengals - Sure, they're 0-5, too, but they are in better shape than the Rams. They're just starting to get some things together. Good thing the Rams don't play the Bengals, because it would show how little heart they have.
Oddities
Eagles Line
Donovan McNabb is the most gifted passer/runner in the league, but on a day he rushes for 100-yards, he is also sacked five times. That just seems like an odd pair of stats to me. "Sacked five times" is simply an odd stat when pairing with McNabb in the same sentence.
Decline of the Backs
There has been plenty of talk about Emmitt Smith's decline in ability during his march for Peyton's record, but Smith looked better than Eddie George, Jerome Bettis and Marshall Faulk overall right now. While Faulk still has a lot of goods, he just doesn't look the same. Maybe it's a team thing, and maybe he's part of the team thing, but something's different. George and Bettis just look old.
Patrick Ramsey
If you look at the play of Ramsey against the Titans, you see someone who looked like Kurt Warner used to in the pocket. What's amazing is that he has little time in the offense, and little time in the league. Talk about your upside.
Back-Up Watch
Jamie Martin
He's the starter right now, but if he continues to play like he did against the 49ers, he'll be the back-up again soon, and that doesn't mean it will he will be the back-up to Kurt Warner again. It also may not matter that it's Mark Bulger and Scott Covington that's currently behind him.
Vinny Testeverde
Testeverde is a great candidate to this area this week. Watch him be a back-up now, because he will not start again unless there is an injury.
Kordell Stewart
Even in past years when things were bad for Stewart we never really wondered what he would look like in different colors, and what position he could play if he continued to fail. Suddenly, it may be time to ponder that on a rainy day, because he will not be a Steeler after this year.
Ray Lewis
Never have I seen one player that can virtually will his team to win with his play. Lewis does that. He has a bunch of young players going strong on defense, and the offense has picked it up, too.
The Bandwagon
He made sure people took their time to warm up to him in Kansas City, but Trent Green is gaining fans. It doesn't hurt that he has Priest Holmes, who probably should be considered the best in the business now. Opponents know Holmes is getting the ball, but they still cannot stop him. Sounds like a back we used to know in St. Louis. I forgot his name, though.
The Saints keep beating good teams, and keep gaining fans. Kudos to my younger brother, who has always been a Saints fan. There's a real likelyhood that Saints fans could end up feeling how Rams fans felt in '99.
Show Me Again Next Week
Teams - The Raiders continue to pummell opponents into submission, but they still keep getting points put up on them as well. While they should continue to win a lot, I'll be anxious to see them hit their division games, which should show how good they are.
Players - Patrick Ramsey has suddenly burst on the scene, after playing incredibly. Now he has to show how well he can perform when a team looks at him on film, and starts dissecting him. I think he will be fine, but it needs to be seen.
I think I would like to see more of Chad Pennington, and will.
MIKE LIKES
Week Six (Bye: Arizona, Chicago, N.Y. Jets, Philadelphia):
Atlanta at N.Y. Giants, 1:00 p.m.
We don't know about Michael Vick's status, but it's still safe to say the Giants are better.
Pick: ny
Baltimore at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m.
Suddenly, after beating Denver and Cleveland back-to-back, I'm having a hard time going against the Ravens. Indy is good, but how good?
Pick: Okay, I'll do it...because they have the Edge
Buffalo at Houston, 1:00 p.m.
The Texans have a nice defense, so it's the Texan offense versus the Bills lack of defense.
Pick: I like the Bills offense, how about Drew?
Carolina at Dallas, 1:00 p.m.
When thinking about this one, I kept thinking "mirror image" and I don't know why. They aren't that similar...are they?
Pick: Pantherboys
Detroit at Minnesota, 1:00 p.m.
Things are not as ugly in Detroit as they are in Minnesota, which is wierd to say. How many TDs will be dropped this week?
Pick: The winner named "Joey"?
Green Bay at New England, 1:00 p.m.
A good game where anything can happen. Like Ahman Green running for 300 yards, or Tom Brady passing for 500-yards.
Pick: Destiny's former team
Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1:00 p.m.
Considering the way the Titans played the Redskins, and the way the Jaguars played the Eagles, this one's easy.
Pick: Hairballs
New Orleans at Washington, 1:00 p.m.
New hero in Washington. New heroes in New Orleans. You have to like the multiples.
Pick: Everyone but Lion killers.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1:00 p.m.
Going up, or going down? A question to ask each team. You have to go with the better record, which is close.
Pick: Alloys
Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 4:15 p.m.
The Browns lose when they shouldn't, and the Bucs may be the opposite. This should be a good one.
Pick: Ahoy!
Kansas City at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
Marty's old versus Marty's new. Advantage? None, but one heck of a game should be on hand.
Pick: Marty
Oakland at St. Louis, 4:15 p.m.
This may not be a question of how, but more like by how much? It would be as dramatic of a turnaround as it has already been for the Rams.
Pick: Black leaves Blue black-and-blue
Miami at Denver, 8:30 p.m.
Oooo! Me likey this game. What appears to be high scoring, will likely not be. If it is, it will lead to an altitude adjustment.
Pick: Mile High
San Francisco at Seattle, 9:00 p.m.
This should be better than it looks, but will that last four quarters? One is gaining more momentum.
Pick: Getting Stoked
Moving on...
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THINGS I KNOW OR WONDER:
The AFC still appears the better conference overall, which will likely continue.
Al Davis knew something about Bill Callahan that we obviously did not.
Looking at schedules, there's a real possibility the Rams could pick first next year.
There suddenly is a very realistic chance an 8-8 team will make the playoffs.
Is it suddenly safer to pick a quarterback in the first round than it is a running back? It sure looks it.
THINGS I CAN PREDICT:
The Titans will begin making wholesale changes to it's roster in the offseason.
Kordell Stewart has started his last game at quarterback in the NFL.
The Saints will be playing into late January.
The Bengals will win a game before the Vikings and Rams.
The Rams will fire Mike Martz after the season (actually, he will be committed). The team will hire Gary Kubiak away from the Broncos, and he will actually accept. Kubiak will install several counter running plays in the offense, and correct all problems, because he will actually use them.
Mike owns and publishes SkillPositions.Com, along with a big, expensive, and talented staff. Don't use this work without permission in writing. Mike has been known as the world's only living heart donor. He also thinks morals are paintings on walls, and scruples are money in Russia.
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