WEEK 5 Reaction

Week 5 is finally over and its now time to start sending out apologies to the Denver Broncos for my continued disrespect, and a huge jump from a certain AFC East team. Last week I did a Giants themed Power Ranking category, so of course its only natural I do a Jets themed one this time:

THE WEEB EWBANK DIVISION
1. (1) Giants- Its one thing beating the teams the Giants have the last few weeks, it’s a completely different thing to completely demoralize the team by half time like the Giants have been. The cupcake schedule is over, its time for some statement victories.
2. (2) Saints- Bye.
3. (3) Vikings- The less I see Brett Favre throw, the better this team looks. The key is keeping Favre’s throws to a minimum while still remaining effective.
4. (6) Colts- I know Albert Pujols is known as the machine, but we should probably start coming up with a similar name for Peyton Manning considering the start to the season he’s had right?
5. (9) Broncos- I and the majority of the football world didn’t see this coming but every decision that McDaniels has made this season thus far have proven to be awesome.

THE BILL PARCELLS DIVISION
6. (8) Eagles- The Eagles are gaining steam and with Maclin’s emergence, the possibility that the Eagles shop Kevin Curtis before the trade deadline is likely.
7. (13) Bengals- Probably one of the best scenes you will ever see on a football field was Sunday when the Bengal players all huddled around defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and hugged him after coaching despite his wife dying only a few days earlier.
8. (4) Patriots- From the perspective of an Anti-Boston sports fan, I liked the fact that the Patriots lost in overtime, but from the perspective of a sports fan in general, it’s a crime that both teams don’t get the opportunity to have the ball at least once in overtime.
9. (5) Ravens- I’m still sipping the kool-aid on the Ravens but lets just say I’m looking at the glass with a confused expression. Where did their pass defense go?
10. (12) Falcons- I really had no confidence in them last week. Then the Falcons went ahead and reminded me that they have a running game and Roddy White still plays there.

THE HERMAN EDWARDS DIVISION
11. (11) Bears- Bye.
12. (14) Steelers- I believe they found their replacement for Nate Washington in Mike Wallace. I’m really trying to stay away from the easy 60 minutes joke here. I really am.
13. (23) Dolphins- If that is what they can expect from Chad Henne, this will be a dangerous team and an exciting finish to the AFC East.
14. (10) Jets- Leaving two timeouts while the Dolphins were driving really takes a lot of luster off the Rex Ryan era already.
15. (15) Chargers- Bye.

THE ERIC MANGINI DIVISION
16. (16) Packers- Bye.
17. (7) 49ers- I know this is a tough drop for them but the Niners absolutely atrocious performance warrants a drop like this. Having Crabtree begin to practice and entering a bye, come at a welcome time.
18. (17) Cowboys- The only reason this team didn’t drop down any further is because Miles Austin displayed athleticism and brute force that Roy Williams never has. If anything Austin played himself into the conversation of being their number 1 and demoting Roy to number 2 where he likes being. What’s lost in that final TD throw was what a terrible pass Romo threw and what a fantastic play Austin made at the ball to wrestle it away and run it in. Yes, I still threw a shot at Romo despite the Cowboys winning in the clutch.
19. (21) Cardinals- Looks like they are making their push now.
20. (24) Seahawks- This is a far different team with Matt Hasselback at the QB position. Now you can run Seneca Wallace in the Wildcat formation and have TJ Houshmendzedeh catching passes and taking attention off of other receivers who look to pick up their production.

THE AL GROH DIVISION
21. (18) Texans- That Andre Johnson play is just absolutely beast-like.
22. (26) Panthers- They won, but barely, against a team that can barely stand each other.
23. (19) Jaguars- I don’t care who you are, when you lose 41-0, there’s no way you don’t drop in the rankings.
24. (25) Lions- I know that the Lions won’t have Stafford or Megatron this week but unlike most 1 win teams, this team has heart and plays with it.
25. (22) Bills- Can someone locate the corpse of Lee Evans?

THE RICH KOTITE DIVISION
26. (20) Titans- You drop when fans are vocally asking for Vince Young to come and save the team.
27. (28) Chiefs- I’m already putting them above the Redskins before they meet, so you know where I’m going with that.
28. (27) Redskins- Hey Skin fans, for 100 million, that Albert Haynesworth is a big guy that can hide well in the injury report.
29. (30) Browns- I guess winning a 6-3 game where your punter gets more love than any other player by analysts deserves a bump up in the standings.
30. (29) Rams- When a team’s biggest headline coming off an embarrassing loss is about Rush Limbaugh, score it a victory. Coach Spags, you’re more than welcome to return to the Giants.
31. (31) Bucs
32. (32) Raiders- Unlike the Bucs, the Raiders QB situation is a complete waste while the Bucs clearly have something with Josh Johnson. So naturally putting these two teams together would make a pretty good team wouldn’t it? Is that mean for me to think like that?


MVP WATCH:
1. Peyton Manning (QB) Colts- Simply put, having the best start to a season that he’s ever had and that’s saying something.
2. Drew Brees (QB) Saints- Will be put to test by number one ranked defense in the NFL.
3. Jared Allen (DE) Vikings- Love his cooky personality, mullet and overall never quit attitude.


Since this season has had so many coaches entering each week wondering if a pink slip is headed their way we’re also going to do a head coach watch for those whose jobs are a little less secure than they’d like.

HEAD COACH WATCH:
1. Jim Zorn- He’s already begun using excuses in press conferences and his owner is crazy enough to fire him at half time of a game much less week by week.
2. Tom Cable- Only reason he’s not number one is because he might be arrested before he even gets to be fired by the Raiders.
3. Wade Phillips- Had he lost that game to the Chiefs, I’m pretty sure he’d be flying commercial back to Dallas.

• SERIOUSLY Browns and Bills? 6-3? Was that even a football game? The Dodgers and Phillies scored more than you guys.
• SERIOUSLY JaMarcus Russell? There isn’t a word in the English dictionary to truly capture how bad you were last Sunday.
• SERIOUSLY Andre Johnson? That touchdown catch by you was ridiculous. Truly was a man among boys.
• SERIOUSLY MNF announcers? The moment they stopped praising Darrelle Revis, he got beat deep by Ted Ginn. What a jinx.
• SERIOUSLY Dallas? Had to go to overtime to beat the Chiefs?
• SERIOUSLY Jacksonville? 41-0? That was just beyond a ridiculous score.
• SERIOUSLY 49ers? Not only did your coach start fights with his own players, but Dre Bly’s Deion move in the beginning stages of his run back was not only stupid but it was in the midst of his team getting blown out. It not only makes no sense whatsoever, but Deion only started high stepping close to the end zone, he hadn’t even crossed his side of the field. What a dope.
• SERIOUSLY Bill Belichiek? Apparently he has a lot of affection for Josh McDaniels. When he was coming to congratulate him, Belichiek looked like he was searching for him in earnest but he was no where to be found. What we found out later was that Belichiek went to the locker room and found McDaniels and spoke to him there. Somewhere in Cleveland Eric Mangini is crying for daddy’s attention too.




Here are my thoughts on the Giants/(masque)Raiders Game:

• The first play was kind of a mission statement of the Giants: accept the challenge given to you by your critics and go about proving them wrong from jump street. When the season began, the worry was about the passing game, and everyone screamed for a top flight receiver. When the Giants drafted two young wideouts, many people scoffed that they could make any kind of noise on a Super Bowl ready team. Yet, here they are with the league’s best WR in most statistical categories. This week’s mission was to prove to the league that Eli was healthy. The very first offensive snap that he was under center, the play call was simple but to the point. Eli, with a play action, had to shuffle in the pocket, plant his back foot and fire a pass to get close to a first down. The first play told you everything you need to know about the Giants: meet the challenge, and beat the challenge.
• The last play of the first drive had to be troubling for Giant fans however. That last play had Ahmad Bradshaw line up behind Eli and get the hand off at the goal line for the first touchdown of the game. Why troubling? It was clearly a decision made based on Brandon Jacob’s lack of effectiveness in that area which has always been his bread and butter. Short yardage and goal line situations is where Jacobs earned his recently signed contract, but this season and going back to after the Plaxico situation, its been his biggest area of doubt. For the third week in a row, everyone was talking about Ahmad Bradshaw’s performance instead of discussing Jacob’s massive power running style opening things up for the rest of the team. If anything, Tom Coughlin needs to do something to wake up Jacob’s old style which was always no holds barred, in your face, smash mouth football that the Giants love to play. When Jacobs stalled at the goal line, I thought of the Giants running the exact same running play at the playoff game against the Eagles last year and it made me think about how the result still is the same. Something needs to be done to end this.
• It got so bad at one point that the Giants facing a 3rd and 24 after a stupid penalty by Kareem McKenzie, threw a screen play and Bradshaw was able to easily get a first down.
• I don’t want to sound like someone beating a dead horse with this JaMarcus Russell thing, but at some point, the Raiders this season will have to consider cutting ties with their number one draft pick. He’s so fundamentally bad that its not even funny. His internal clock, and peripheral vision are horrendous which of course make it so simple for teams to come in with varying looks and get to him before he even releases the football. I was downright shocked that he finished the game with 100 yards of passing. One should never watch a player in the NFL and honestly think: I could play better than him.
• The funny thing is, I see some real talent on this Oakland roster but a toxic environment makes it impossible for this team to actually be successful. At some point Al Davis’ corpse is going to have to be told to step aside and let someone else control the day to day affairs. Reports are that he still has a lot of say in player decisions which absolutely makes no sense since he looks like he can barely walk from one side of a room to the other without needing a break.
• The Raiders have a competent running game and a defense with enough playmakers (if led properly) can be a pretty decent team. The Raiders just need some sort of competent leadership to come in and cut Russell, get a good defensive coordinator and have a good head coach that will police the team and bring in a stable work environment. But who will be brave enough to accept the responsibility to come in and do that with the Raiders. Every big name head coach will likely avoid that which leaves only newcomers aching to get a chance at a NFL team. The Raiders will have to hope that whoever comes in, will not be afraid to do their job.
• One thing the Giants have been doing well is getting Hakeem Nicks comfortable in the offense. The schedule has given them an easy breeze through the first few weeks and it has allowed them to see what they have, not only with Nicks but with the rest of the receiving corps which to the surprise of many have come to be a strength. At some point the Giants running game will get going more than it has been because teams will have to respect the passing game. Right now, its not without reason that the Giants are considered the most complete team in all of football.
• Best play of the game had to be seeing David Carr running in the touchdown. Nothing better to see a battered former number one draft pick come to a good team and enjoy the benefits of playing again. His spike and jumping to high five the fans was a genuinely good moment.
• By the way the score for this game should’ve been 51-0. The Raiders got a gift from Sinorice Moss and then a blown call on a clear fumble that they overturned thanks to the blasted whistle being blown.


Now on to my thoughts on the Jets game:

• First off, great game and these two teams always seem to produce great games and especially on Monday Night. The game that still sticks out in my mind is the Marino fake spike game which was probably the greatest fake out ever in football and raised the legend of Dan Marino to another level. Of course the game from Monday Night that sticks out is the Jets coming back from a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter to win. Always good games when these two get together.
• It seemed as though the offensive line of the Dolphins had a much better game than the defensive line of the Jets. The Dolphins just seemed to be muscling the Jets front 4 all day. The Jets from the first drive on really had no answer for the WildCat but that was all because the front 5 did an awesome job blocking for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams who seemed to be running through big holes all day.
• I underestimated this running attack of the WildCat. It’s a phenomenal system that puts so many different looks on defense and forces defenses to commit immediately to one player which of course is the beauty of it. If you guess wrong, these two backs can make you pay. They are both big enough to get the few extra yards after being wrapped up and fast enough to get to the edge and run through a lane. It’s a pretty special group.
• The one thing that struck me immediately is how good Chad Henne is for the Dolphins. Last year’s second round draft pick has really come through for the Dolphins and really looks like a stud at that position which is almost a luxury to the Dolphins since they don’t really run a base offense with a QB under center. Henne gets to go and get some rest and get some reps at receiver where he is merely a decoy but some of those throws he made especially at the 2 minute warning to get the first down to Greg Camarillo was such an excellent and clutch throw in the face of that Jet blitz that it was almost shocking to realize he only began playing in the NFL two weeks ago.
• The funniest tweet I heard was on Bill Simmons page where someone said that Rex Ryan physically ate the two timeouts. Which of course brings me to the boneheaded play of the game. I understand Rex’s explanation: he didn’t think they would score because of his confidence in the defense. But shouldn’t you try and conserve some time for your offense to get on the field to possibly get a deep throw or a chance at a field goal? The Jets scored pretty quickly during their last few drives and now have a deep threat in Braylon Edwards who can clearly make plays. I understand the Jets putting the game in the hands of their defense but the entire day the Jets defense had been outmuscled by the Dolphin front 5 and at the end of the day you have to play to your strengths on that day. That day, the Dolphins were doing well against the Jet D and the Jet blitz. The Dolphins ran a lot of screens and option routes to keep the Jets from coming through the A gap and forcing them to go sideline to sideline on almost every running play. Having them rush to the outside of course weakens the possibility of a loss of yardage or any pushback if the line blocks well. The Dolphins line did block well so they had plenty of yards on each play.
• The Jets running game had some success against a defense that was giving up only 69 rushing yards a game. They were already at over 100 at the half. Again, getting Leon Washington in open space must be a priority in the playbook. Getting him to come out on screens in clear blitzing situations is the easy play call and a play call that I believe will be successful more times than not.
• What a start for Braylon Edwards. A couple of fantastic grabs. Should’ve been two touchdowns but the other one (Which was his best catch) was overturned on a good call. One thing I didn’t agree with was the pass interference call that Miami had called on them. They had 3 that stick out but the last one with about six minutes left was really a terrible call. Will Allen barely had his arms on him and was struggling to keep up and his eyes were on the ball to make a play on it. Either way, Edwards’ hands seemed pretty good to me and made some catches that the Browns wished he would’ve made for them. He’s a pretty good target and Sanchez’s growing confidence in him is a good sign for the Jets.
• That pitch and catch with Chad Henne and Ted Ginn was a thing of beauty.


Here are my thoughts on the rest of the week’s games:

• How is Derek Anderson a better QB option than Brady Quinn? Maybe I’m not seeing how he stinks that bad, but completing only 2 passes against a beat up Bills secondary is just downright pathetic and I’m sure Quinn would’ve done better.
• Its amazing how many former all pro’s and team legends have come out and been outspoken about how badly the Redskins have played. First it was Sonny Jurgensen, now you have Jim Riggins on both Twitter and Youtube, talking about Zorn’s only real qualification being a high school football coach and not even worthy of being an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Its critical right now for the Redskins to not get swallowed up by all the negativity surrounding them. Its week 6 and this can be a rallying point for the team. If they can somehow get past everyone’s opinion about how much they stink and focus on football, they can possibly recover from everything. Its kind of sad to see beloved franchise figures come out in public and blast the organization but it speaks volumes to what Daniel Snyder has done to this franchise. He’s alienated fans and is too blinded to see what’s going on. Its clear that he has no intent on changing his behavior and doesn’t plan on changing how he behaves. Also, its important to note that even if there is an uncapped year next year, a lot of those guys who thought were going to be free agents are not so Snyder’s free spending ways won’t even be affective which then brings everything back to drafting. Next year, the Redskins are going to have to have a good draft and they’ve shown that they just are not that great in that department.
• People have wondered why there are so many bad teams out there and its simple. This season is a result of several years of terrible drafting and horrible management. Think about the Raiders who last hit on a first rounder in 2002 when they drafted Nnamdi Asomugha. Its been seven years since a rookie has produced something of actual value for the Raiders. No team can go that long without a first rounder producing. First rounders, no matter how they turn out, have to be game changing players. No matter what, I’ve always felt as though teams draft in the first round based on need and in all honesty I’ve always felt that it was wrong. Sometimes need and talent at that position of need come together hand in hand but most of the time the most talented player is the one you should take. If there’s an Adrian Peterson sitting on the board, you take him and then try and build talent around him. You don’t let him go down a few pegs just because. Talent is not something you can teach. Most guys get better because of effort, but if certain players are starting at a higher peak, then good coaching can make good players great. That’s what you pay them to do. Need is good, and that’s where you can still find good deals in round 2. Think about the Bengals this year. They got a great tackle (finally reported) and then in the second round was able to wait out all those teams that had need based draft picks and let Ray Malualuga slip to them in the beginning of the second round. Look at what he’s done to add toughness to that defense. Teams that let bad first round draft picks happen, usually slip so far down that its hard to just pick it up after a year. They need to have a Jerry Reese 7 for 7 kind of draft to get things moving in the right direction. But that also has to do with the right type of coaching in place and management ‘s ability to evaluate talent and understand what the team needs and how to fit pieces into place.
• I like most people were surprised by how badly the 49ers played. Remember a few weeks back when I said it would be interesting to see how the 49er players would respond when faced with adversity? We’re about to find out.
• Tough few losses for Baltimore. Back to back on final plays. It just seems as if the Ravens are relying too much on Flacco’s arm and forgetting that they are a power running team first.
• Best scene you will see on a football field: Mike Zimmer getting hugged by his players. Can’t be anything better than that. Honestly one of the most heartwarming scenes. The Bengals could quite easily be 0-5 and its not that far fetched to believe that either. But their defense has been markedly improved over the last few years and they have the best cornerback duo you don’t hear about on a weekly basis: Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph. It’s a tandem you should be paying attention to. Also, give credit to where credit is due: Carson Palmer is fulfilling some of that promise that people were raving about after that 2005 season.
• Denver’s victory just continues to show that good scheme and preparation can make any team a good one. The only quote I ever hear from Broncos are about how great McDaniels prepares them each week. It’s a testament to everything that he’s learned in the Belichiek system. Think about it, what other team are you happy got off to a 5-0 start? Here’s a team that was second guessed (even by me) for dissing a franchise QB to be traded off especially one who seemed to be a perfect fit for this system. Then, when the star WR grumbled about a new contract and wanted to be traded, he stuck to his guns. All the while he had a plan. He knew that the guy he traded for (Kyle Orton) would work. He knew that he could afford to give up Jay Cutler because of what it would mean in terms of draft picks. He hired a smart defensive mind. He installed the Patriot’s proven mantra of shutup and do your job. The kind of belief system that doesn’t put the power in the hands of players but in the hands of a team. An actual unit. As much as I hate the Patriots, the Patriot way is a proven system that actually works. Its about teaching the game and building up football IQ. All the while, he brought in guys like Brian Dawkins who had a work ethic and was a proven leader in the locker room to establish a player policing system. He laid the groundwork and prepared for success. That’s why this team is 5-0 and no other team deserves the good start than them.
• Don’t agree with MJD’s recent diatribe talking about how his team stinks. Those kind of comments need to be kept to himself. Its embarrassing to not only himself, but his teammates when he talks that negatively about being out coached.
• Best games next week: NYG @ NO, BAL @ MIN, and TEN @ NE. Yes, I’m eager to watch an 0-5 team play.