Week 3 reaction

Week 3 is in the books and what have we learned? Those two New York teams are really good but that team in Baltimore is kinda scary. That team in Tampa was historically bad this week and well, everyone’s back on that Brett Favre guy. But the big story here: the Lions are over the hump.

So let’s see how that affects our rankings. Thought I’d switch it up a bit. Instead of just showing you the top 10 teams, I will also show you where I feel the rest of the league stands. The first ten teams are teams I believe strongly are contenders. These are the teams to beat. The next twelve are teams that are on the bubble of sneaking in or falling through the cracks. The final ten might as well forget about 2009 and start thinking about 2010.

1. (1) Ravens- Sorry Lions fans, you don’t just shoot all the way up to number one after sucking for the last year and a half. This game could’ve been a lot worse had the Ravens not kept sending the wolves. This is a good team and their running attack has been impressively lethal. Welcome back to the NFL Mr. Willis McGahee.
2. (2) New York Giants- Its not how they won it and who they beat, its that even David Carr can look like a regular QB under center behind the backups on this offensive line. That’s what a great team this is.
3. (3) New York Jets- In a must win game for the Titans and a game where most fans would’ve excused a loss, the Jets still maintained. That’s maturity.
4. (8) New Orleans Saints- Winning without Drew Brees throwing a gazillion TD’s and yards means this team has different dimensions that perhaps people aren’t paying attention to.
5. (5) Minnesota Vikings- These are the plays that convince a 40 year old that he can still play and the kind of plays that sucker teams into buying into a 40 year old QB for a championship caliber team.
6. (6) New England Patriots- Sorry Jet fans, this team just won’t go away.
7 (9) Indianapolis Colts- The year without Marvin Harrison and a rookie head coach was supposed to be the year that the Colts stopped winning 12 games. That doesn’t look like it will happen.
8. (U) Philadelphia Eagles- Just as I thought, Michael Vick was an afterthought that kid LeSean McCoy is pretty good.
9. (U) Cincinatti Bengals- Don’t adjust your monitors, that’s right it’s the Bengals. This team would be 3-0 had it not been for a miracle touchdown by the Broncos. The simple fact that the double whammy of being on Hard Knocks and that play didn’t destroy their confidence shows what a different team this is.
10. (U) San Francisco 49ers- I wasn’t sure that this was a team to be reckoned with. Then, I saw how well they played against the Vikings. Then I realized that Frank Gore had been out of the game since the first quarter. Its then that I realized that this is a team to be dealt with.



The Bubble
11. (U) Dallas Cowboys- Just because I’m not a fan does not mean I don’t know a good football team when I see one. You know how I feel about what’s holding them back but the beautiful thing about sports, like life is, they can prove me wrong.
12. (7) Atlanta Falcons- Failed the barometer test but these Falcons will be back.
13. (U) Denver Broncos- Sure, this team is 3-0 but you don’t impress anyone by beating Cleveland the Bengals (on a miracle play), and the Raiders.
14. (U) San Diego Chargers- Its as if everyone is waiting for this team to wake up and win a quality game. Like the Cowboys, they are undeniably talented, but are being led by the wrong man.
15. (U) Green Bay Packers- I guess preseason is just that, preseason.
16. (U) Chicago Bears- The fact that they lost Brian Urlacher and continue to stay in games where Jay Cutler eventually wins it for them proves that they are no fluke and perhaps with a few more pieces on offense, they can be lethal. But they need more help.
17. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers- I thought they would be negatively affected by Troy Polamalu’s absence but there’s more to it. They are getting no continuity on offense and without a good run game, the constantly on the run Big Ben, is struggling.
18. (U) Tennessee Titans- You can’t seriously be putting an 0-3 team there right Swith? Sadly “greatest 0-3 team in the history of the NFL” doesn’t exactly bring warm fuzzy feelings to Jeff Fisher.
19. (10) Houston Texans- Houston Texans- Ok, I got a lot of flack for this pick. Maybe I should get off the same juice that most experts have but with all this talent on the field, you can’t help but feel like this team has to one day wake up and realize how good they are. Right?
20. (U) Buffalo Bills- I’ve always been strangely drawn to this team. It was 1997 when I realized that Buffalo was actually the ONLY team that played in New York. Somehow they never stuck.
21. (U) Arizona Cardinals- They should be higher on this list but they’ve been so uneven that its so difficult to place exactly where they are at. Next week they could crack the top 10, it wouldn’t surprise me.
22. (U) Jacksonville Jaguars- Because when a team has enough talented individuals, you can never completely count them out.

Stick a fork in ‘em
23. (U) Miami Dolphins- What happens when the rest of the league figures out a trick play offense?
24. (U) Seattle Seahawks- They have so many injuries that its difficult to really take them seriously.
25. (U) Kansas City Chiefs- Solely based on the fact that this team is not fooling itself and is solidly behind a rebuilding program.
26. (U) Carolina Panthers- This is a solid team. I just don’t see how they get past the fact that Jake Delhomme’s entire skill set has been drained out of his body.
27. (U) St Louis Rams- There’s two reasons why there is actual promise in the Gateway city. One, they play decently on defense and two, any team that can make Kyle Boller look halfway decent, is moving in the right direction.
28. (U) Detroit Lions- I know that there’s reason for smiles and I bet Lions fans (the two of you that exist) wish this week would never end, but it will.
29. (U) Washington Redskins- they deserve to be under the Lions today. If Albert Haynesworth is down, then they might go lower.
30. (U) Oakland Raiders- Is it me or is anyone else struggling to find a word to describe how badly JaMarcus Russell played because terrible would be understating it?
31. (U) Tampa Bay Bucs- Josh Johnson, in garbage time, almost scored which is a victory in it of itself on Sunday.
32. (U) Cleveland Browns- They don’t even know which C- quarterback to bring in. Here’s some hope for you Cleveland fans, that kid Brett Ratliff is actually good. I’m being serious. No seriously.


MVP Watch:

1. Drew Brees- Continues to be a threat to break every passing record every year.
2. Peyton Manning- We’ve been waiting for this guy to slow down and begin to show a decline. Apparently even without Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy, that year is not this year.
3. Adrian Peterson- Last week’s stats notwithstanding, I’ve rarely gotten to see him play and understand the true nature of his effectiveness. He’s the best home run hitter that we have in this game today. Not based on any one specific thing, but his mix of power and speed and the consistency that he shows makes him the most exciting running back we have.


So let’s get to the thoughts on this week’s games, starting with the Jets

• I think its clear that the Jets won that game simply because of Ryan Mouton.
• Mark Sanchez has to, has to, has to protect the ball better. That one handed grip on the football in that rainy weather was dangerous and 2 fumbles (one lost) was evidence of that.
• An important point was brought up by Dan Dierdorf when he talked about Sanchez playing his first game in that kind of weather and having never experienced a post-Thanksgiving Meadowlands home game with that wind tunnel.
• Some of those throws that Kerry Collins made threading the needle, and with the zip were unreal and proof that this guy still has some life in that arm of his.
• Chris Johnson never really got going because of a very smart philosophy: play him as if he were a kick returner. What they mean is: clog up any holes because of his speed and keep him in front of you and hit him by the knees.
• Oh, and also because Kris Jenkins just kept getting too much push.
• Hopefully Hakeem Nicks makes something of himself, because this kid Kenny Britt is looking better and better every week.
• The scouting report on Sanchez is getting a bit fuller but here’s one encouraging bit of news for us Jet fans: he might be a bit careless while holding the football, but rarely, will he be careless when he throws the football. His accuracy still needs a bit of a touch up but he will take a sack rather than throw into triple coverage. That doesn’t mean that he’s not a playmaker. He is very fluid while running in the pocket and has a pretty good awareness in the pocket and can only get better.
• Good Sanchize: switching up the play and throwing a TD pass to Jericho Cotchery.
• Bad Sanchize: bad handling of the football. There were two fumbles and a few passes that just flew out of his grip.
• What I like more so about Sanchez is that not only can he manage the game, he shows the alertness to make plays when it calls for it but won’t force it. He doesn’t get down on himself when he’s playing poorly and trust me, there will be moments during this season where defenses will confuse him. There will be moments when he is throwing the ball terribly. There will be moments when he just can’t make a play. But he never gets down for too long. As long as he works as hard as everyone says he does, his talent will not allow for him to struggle for too long.
• Its Wednesday and I’m sure the sick stomach in his feeling is gone from Sunday’s performance but Ryan Mouton has got to have butterflies everytime he sees a football in the air coming at him. At one point, even as a Jet fan, watching that side by side view of him and Mark Sanchez on the other side, you wanted to reach in and give him a hug. Can’t be good for job security.
• Other than the first quarter, the Jets offense had no continuity and the Titans outplayed them. Other than the Titans, you can legitimately make the case that the Titans should be 2-1 instead of 0-3.
• Jeff Fisher is a great coach and I wouldn’t be surprised if they crawl back into playoff contention but each loss takes a bit of your psyche. The NFL is different in that each game you lose is potentially devastating. It’s like losing 10 games in baseball in a row. A deflating feeling that leaves you wondering that at 0-3, is there any real hope, especially considering Peyton Manning doesn’t look like he’s slowing down any time soon.
• The good thing for the Jets is this: the reason the offense looked so inept is because of the Titans. Duhh genius, I know, but let me explain. The Titans basically play coverage on the back end and get pressure most of the time from their front four. Not most teams have that kind of talent on the front end to really apply pressure while keeping 6, 7 DB’s in coverage. So the encouraging sign is, Mark Sanchez won’t see a relentless kind of pressure from just four guys. Most teams will have to bring more guys which of course helps tip your hand.
• This Titans team won’t go winless for long. In fact, as the lines opened, they were already 2 point favorites against the Jags.
• The Jets and Titans respective opening schedules were tough enough but you can’t read much into week 3 records.
• The Jets can no longer be ignored. Thirteen consecutive in completions for Kerry Collins. But the bigger thing here is this: there is real fight in this team. This is a gritty team that has completely bought into their coach’s attitude and scheme and really given into the team concept. If you don’t believe it: ask David Clowney. He put a very very harmless message on Twitter about his lack of playing time, and he got benched for a week. Clowney is considered to be the Jets best speed threat on the team, so that shows you while everyone may be singing kumbaya, that if one guy isn’t singing a good tune to the master, he won’t hesitate to sit you out.
• That was David Harris’ coming out party. Sack AND INT, at the most opportune time outshines his overall excellent play over the first few weeks. Bart Scott may be the mouthpiece of this linebacking crew, but he isn’t the only one packing a punch. Now do you see why they refused to part with him for Brandon Marshall?
• Jerricho Cotchery would like to thank the haters for their continued assumption that the Jets don’t have a true number one WR. Do they know this guy has six fingers? SIX!!!!
• The play of the day of course was Mark Sanchez literally sticking out his neck for a TD. As great a play as that was, if I were Rex Ryan I’d go up to Sanchize and say: “nice play kid, never, EVER, do that again.” No way do you want to see your franchise QB, all of 22 years old lower his head and try to bulldoze his way into the endzone when you can live to fight another day.
• The more and more I see of Jets home games, the more I believe that the Jets have an unbelievable home advantage. Their crowd is rabid and in love with the smothering, all out defense that Rex Ryan has brought to the Meadowlands.

Those are my thoughts on the Jets, now the Giants:

• Not much to say when it comes to the Giants 24-0 blanking of the hapless Bucs. There’s a team that clearly needs to scrap whatever formula they have now and look at another set of plans.
• Their O-line, I think is not the problem because the Giants D-line can make most O-lines look bad, Byron Leftwich will never be a solid QB until he shortens that throwing motion. That cock back and release takes forever in football time and gives enough of a delay that speed rushers like the Giants have in droves, can come around the edge and sack him like the Giants did all day Sunday.
• Encouraging sign to see Fred Robbins getting in there on a few plays. Him, Barry Cofield and eventually Chris Canty will be important parts in stopping the run at the initial level and creating a rush so that when Osi, Tuck or whoever else comes inside on those loop plays, they can come unimpeded.
• Josh Johnson looked much better at QB than Byron Leftwich because of the added element of his rushing game. Evading a pass rush is key, but having the presence of mind of keeping your head up the field in attack mode is also key and what separates good QB’s from the rest of the pack.
• For all his trash talk, 5 rushes for -2 yards is probably not the kind of day Derrick Ward wanted to have against his old team. A lot of times guys come into these games with a chip on their shoulder looking to prove something. All he proved Sunday was that he was a benefactor of that excellent offensive line of the New York Giants.
• What’s becoming clear however for the Giants is that Brandon Jacobs is not the same runner he used to be. Read an interesting column about Jacobs where it analyzed his running style now as shifting from downhill, I’m gonna hit you in your mouth to I want to justify my contract so I need to look for the home run hit. I agree with that assessment. I don’t think the money has negatively influenced the 260 pound behemoth, but I do think its added an intense amount of pressure to produce bigger plays. His 5.0 Rushing YPG was excellent and a product of playing to his strength. The coaches need to remind him that there’s nothing wrong with just simply following the blocks to where its going. No need to try and make things out of nothing. Jacob’s best comes in the 3rd and 4th when a defense tires and can’t really keep up with the hits and gets slower to those holes, that’s where Jacobs makes up the yardage he isn’t playing in the first half.
• What I like about the Giants is their poise. Ever see them look flustered when they are down? They continue with their game plan whether it’s working or not. Their game plan is simple, run the ball to set up the pass. Most teams figure that the Giants will go away from that once they are down one or two scores, but they don’t. They remain calm and know that Eli can make plays with his arm but the element of surprise must also be there and the threat of the run should never be taken away from the Giants. You always play to your strengths.
• Speaking of the run, the best RB on the field for the Giants was clearly Ahmad Bradshaw. He ran, he cut, he shimmied and did everything to make the Bucs look silly just like he did two years in the playoff game. This continues to make me wonder why he was so invisible last year when clearly he could’ve helped this team. The best part of his game is that deceptive strength he has. Ever see him go down on the initial hit? Rarely. He has such good leverage and loves to apply a little shoulder when needed and it surprises players to see how much strength he has. He’s the perfect complement to the giant Jacobs, because he comes in, this dimunitive figure and runs 6 yards before you even see him. He doesn’t have that breakaway speed which if he did, would easily vault him to elite status. He has the moves and all the other stuff to make him a really good back but because his lack of breakaway speed, he’s not the true home run threat you would think of.
• I’m not going to make fun of the Bucs because the Giants winning was a formality. I never had any doubts about them winning but in such a dominating fashion is a credit to Tom Coughlin’s staff and their preparation for every opponent regardless of reputation or record. The fact that the Giants didn’t let themselves slip up against this team and thoroughly demoralized them to the point that fans were cheering when they got their first, first down IN THE THIRD QUARTER, was a testament to that fact.
• Tom Coughlin did have one thing to be upset about: that 21 yard missed field goal? Ouch Tynes!
• Giants performed well in the red zone but two more field goals just will not cut it.
• The David Carr sighting was a welcome sign. A sign that the Giants were both comfortable and also, the fact that the Giants were willing to not risk silly garbage time injuries which always happen.
• When Kareem McKenzie went down, I think the first thought that came to mind was that the Giants need to start drafting offensive linemen in the first round. Its been a great run that the Giants have had with their linemen, and having them healthy has been a Godsend, but the Giants need to realize, that anomaly won’t continue and need to shore up future options.
• I think Tom Coughlin is running out of patience with the whole Aaron Ross injury situation which has gotten to be a bit ridiculous. Some are already questioning Ross’ toughness because of his unwillingness to play through pain like most of the Giants players were.
• Completely unnecessary to have Justin Tuck in that game, even in 3rd down situations. You added depth to your D-line. Use it. This game was not worth it to have Tuck in their and risk further injury.

Here are some moments from week 3 that made me go SERIOUSLY?!?!?! Enjoy:

• Mark Sanchez, SERIOUSLY? Nice mustache.
• Tampa fans: cheering after their first first down midway through the third quarter: SERIOUSLY?
• Jet fans: booing the home team after struggling a bit: SERIOUSLY?
• Brett Favre: SERIOUSLY? You’re 90 years old, how do you make the football go that fast and spiral so pretty?
• SERIOUSLY 49ers? Wanna at least get a hand on Percy Harvin? That 101 yard touchdown run looked too easy.
• SERIOUSLY Ryan Mouton? SERIOUSLY?
• SERIOUSLY Olindo Mare? Two field goals. Double SERIOUSLY Jim Mora? The apple doesn’t fall from the tree, you both are friendlies to the media giving them treats everytime frustration bubbles over.
• SERIOUSLY Cowboys? Throwing twice on the one and settling for a field goal? You have a pretty decent back in Tashard Choice, why risk an INT on two jump balls?
• SERIOUSLY Eric Mangini? Fining a player for not paying for a bottle of water?
• SERIOUSLY Rex Ryan? Benching David Clowney for a Twitter post that barely sounded like it was something worth getting upset over?
• SERIOUSLY Redskins? Not only is your name offensive to Native Americans, your team is offensive to football. Losing to a team that hasn’t won in two years is bad but not completely surprising considering it had to happen at some point. But your team has a QB it doesn’t trust, a coach who clearly got promoted too soon and an owner who likes sitting in the owner’s box more than watching the product on the field.
• SERIOUSLY DeSean Jackson? Not only are his celebrations not funny or cool, it could’ve injured him. He was this close to being the Gus Frerrote of this era by injuring himself while celebrating a TD.
• SERIOUSLY Flozell Adams? You got fined AGAIN for purposely kicking a player? Now I know why Albert Haynesworth punched you below the belt a few years ago, seems like Flozell has been playing below the belt for a while now.

Here are more random thoughts from this week

• The Redskins have a lot of problems but atleast there’s enough pieces in the puzzle for the list of Super Bowl champion coaches who are itching to get back on the sidelines to look at and say with a tweak or two they can get back to more than just respectability. Their defense is solid but their offense needs a new direction.
• I agree with the assessment that a defensive minded head coach is the perfect hire for a team looking for a new direction.
• Got to feel terribly for Chad Pennington. When he was with the Jets, I was one of his biggest fans and always wanted to see him do well and even secretly rooted for him in that final regular season game against the Jets. A classy guy who is the only two time winner of the Comeback player of the year award. Jet fans know about his shoulder surgeries and this might be career threatening. Chad has clearly moved into a different phase in his career, he’s now inherited the warming the seat for the eventual heir to the QB throne in a team and he’s always been a good teammate. He played that role for the Jets until they got a sniff on Favre, then they dumped Chad like a bad habit. His intelligence is so widely respected in the NFL and he just doesn’t make mistakes in the red zone where most QB’s make stupid throws. His arm wasn’t the best, but he threw some of the prettiest deep balls. While this may sound like I’m putting my final words on his career, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to find out he’s back next year. Hope you were taking notes Chad Henne. I still like Pat White though.
• As bad as the Bucs were against the Giants, the Browns are still the most hopeless franchise in all of the NFL. They have no direction, they already hate their head coach and frankly so would you. They don’t seem to have that discipline necessary to make you think this team is improving and moving in the right direction. They have two QB’s who can’t throw accurately. A stable of receivers who drop too many passes. A majority of the offensive/defensive line can’t block/rush. Their team is in trouble. I’d say trade everyone but Joe Thomas, Josh Cribbs and Jerome Harrison and start over.
• I can’t say I hate everyone there, I still believe in Brett Ratliff. I really like him and I think Mangini is doing this cloak and dagger stuff to destroy Quinn and Anderson’s confidence enough that he can rationalize putting Ratliff in.
• I mean I know why the Broncos are 3-0 (look at who they’ve played), but someone tell me WHY they are 3-0.
• I guess we had game one of three or four where MJD goes for 3 TD’s and rushes for over 100 yards. That’s how this guy ends his year as one of the three or four best running backs in fantasy.
• I love San Fran’s defense. This team is for real. The fact that they played hard despite losing Frank Gore is a testament that they’ve bought into Singletary’s team.
• Funniest scene was the San Fran coaches trying to yell at Mike Singletary to throw the red flag. If you haven’t seen it, you’ve got to see it, hilarious.
• I completely agree with T.O. The reporters were baiting him into a situation that would’ve certainly continued the trouble maker reputation that he has. It was actually kind of sad. Why sad? Because if they start losing enough and a few more games of him not having any catches, and I guarantee you, you won’t have to ask a question to see him blow up.
• Nice Andre 3000 get up T.O..
• The Bengals are for real folks.
• Scariest part of the New Orleans victory against Buffalo: They won with defense and the running game which is really good this year.
• The Cowboys need Felix Jones back. Those three form the best RB group in the NFL. Yeah I said it. I don’t like the Cowboys but it’s the truth. They also have the best group of TE’s in the business. Their WR’s are the weak link along with their QB unfortunately. I don’t trust Romo after Thanksgiving and Roy Williams wants NO part of being the go-to guy. He’d rather be a complementary player. The Cowboy legends spoke truth: the media crowned Romo too early.
• Joe Flacco is the real deal. Willis McGahee is a big time RB scoring TD’s left and right and Ray Rice is a dual threat running and catching. Somehow Todd Heap (the offense’s only real threat these last few years) has gone unnoticed.
• You think Green Bay is ready for next Monday Night?
• Best games next week: BAL @ NE, Jets @ NO, Chargers @ Pittsburgh, and of course Green Bay @ Minnesota.

ENJOY WEEK 4 kids. Picks coming later today or maybe tomorrow.