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I can be overly emotional at
times, even when it comes to the NFL. When I watched Jacksonville
take a four-point lead over the Ravens with 1:30 left
on Sunday, I didn't even want to watch another NFL
game. A big reason was watching my chances is the
annual "dinner pool" Jim and I are in go up in
smoke (I've won it the last three years; Jim won it the
first year). Then I watched what I believe will be the
most important play of the year in the NFL: Shannon
Sharpe's touchdown on a fade from Elvis Grbac.
It not only won the Ravens the game, but it gave the team a
renewed confidence in Elvis Grbac and gave them their
swagger back.
The second most important
play of the NFL season: LaVar Arrington's
interception of Chris Weinke with the Redskins
down 14-0 and his team with an 0-5 record. Since that
play, the Redskins have been, dare I say it, on fire.
They have reeled off five straight wins. In their last
four games they've scored nine TD's after scoring only three
in their first six. They won at Denver and at Philadelphia
after beating the Giants at home. The Redskins
now have the longest winning streak in the NFL and Marty
Schottenheimer IS the NFL's Coach
of the Year.
Now, watch Marty's old team,
the Kansas City Chiefs. They have, all season,
found ways to lose. That changed on Sunday, with their
first home win of the season. They won't make the
playoffs, but their last six games could point to a very
good 2002 season.
Ditto to Jim's "Weird
Team of the Season Award."
It has been simply glorious
to watch the Tennessee Titans suck. In August,
I picked them fourth in the division with a record of
8-8. Jim told me, and I quote, "that is the
dumbest pick you've ever made." They're now two
games out of third place with a 4-6 record. You can
blame it on injuries all you want. That's a part of
it. They have a bad quarterback, a limited head coach,
and made maybe the bonehead move of the off-season, letting
fullback Lorenzo Neal go. 8-8 would be reaching
for them at this point.
There is not a quarterback
controversy in New England anymore. Tom
Brady is their quarterback. So now, what happens
with Drew Bledsoe? Jim had an interesting
idea: a reunion with Bill Parcells in Tampa
Bay. Imagine Bledsoe with a go-to wide receiver, two
solid running backs, and a good defense. It could be
the recipe for a Super Bowl if they can also bring in some
offensive line help.
This season we were supposed
to see "The Greatest Show On Earth Part 2" in Indianapolis.
Instead, we see a struggling Colts team that is 4-6 and out
of the playoff hunt. A big part of the responsibility
falls directly on quarterback Peyton Manning.
Against a San Francisco defense that has allowed the 11th
most points this season, Manning had a terrible day,
throwing four interceptions, one of which lost the game for
his team. Up 21-20, Manning threw a an interception
that was returned for a touchdown, giving up the lead and
the game. Throwing to one of the best receivers in the
League, behind one of the best offensive lines in the
league, handing off to a running attack that consistently
gets over 100 yards per game, Manning is simply not playing
good enough. No doubt Jim Mora needs to go, but
Manning has got to wake up, too, and start playing like the
Pro Bowl quarterback he could be.
I'm not sure what idiot it
was, but some "expert" on sports radio this
evening was talking about how the Raiders and Steelers
are virtual locks for the AFC Championship. What is he
talking about? Yes, those two teams look very good,
but neither have shown me that they could beat the Baltimore
Ravens. And, there's another team quietly earning
a playoff spot out there, and that's the New York Jets.
A lot of comparisons have been made between this year's
Steelers and the 2000 Ravens. I see a far more
important similarity between the 2000 Ravens and this year's
Jets: scoring defense. Last year, the Ravens'
defense scored points and won games when the offense
couldn't. And, when they needed to, they put the ball
into their running back's hands to seal wins. The
Steelers are doing that, but the Jets have perfected it this
year. My AFC Championship right now would see the
Ravens and Jets. And then we'll hear all over again
"how great it would be for the Jets to win it for New
York, after Sept. 11th." I'll be the only
person outside of Baltimore rooting for the Ravens.
Ugh.
My Top 5: 1) Oakland
Raiders, 2) St. Louis Rams, 3) New York Jets,
4) Chicago Bears, 5) Baltimore Ravens.
My Bottom 5: 5) Tennessee
Titans, 4) Carolina Panthers, 3) Dallas
Cowboys, 2) Buffalo Bills, 1) Detroit Lions.
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St. Louis is touted by
many as the league's best, but as Monday night's 24-17 loss
to Tampa Bay showed, they're too sloppy. The Rams turned the
ball over five times and now lead the league in that dubious
category. It's the kind of stat that could spell doom in the
playoffs.
The end of the Baltimore
Ravens-Jacksonville Jaguars game proved again the adage
about the prevent defense: it only prevents you from
winning. The Jags led the Ravens, 21-17, with less than 2
minutes to go but played soft prevent defense that allowed
Baltimore to march right down the field. They pass rushed
only three for most of the drive and soon Baltimore was
inside the 20. Then, they did not double-team tight end Shannon
Sharpe, who made a great catch for a 24-21 Ravens win.
Despite Baltimore's win,
there has to be concern about their defense, which allowed
the Jags three second-half touchdowns, including two on the
ground. Teams no longer have to fear the Ravens, who
obviously miss defense end Michael McCrary.
I ripped Ravens QB Elvis
Grbac last week, but tip our hat for his frenetic
nine-play, 74-yard drive that won the game. He really came
through in the clutch.
Weird stat of the day: On a
San Diego 99-yard touchdown drive, quarterback Doug
Flutie was 11 for 11 for 111 yards. 111? There was a
penalty on the drive, which meant Flutie and the Bolts had
to move more than 100 yards.
After a terrific 3-0 start,
the wheels have come off the Chargers, who now sit at 5-6.
Flutie was brilliant (33 of 44, 308 yards, two TDs), but
Arizona's Jake Plummer put together two clutch
fourth-quarter drives, including the one that set up the
game-winning field goal.
Body of the day: During a
timeout we saw film of Arizona wide receiver David Boston
(6-2, 210) lifting weights in a cut-off T-shirt. Great abs,
killer arms. They say he gained 20 pounds of muscle in the
off-season.
Weird team of the season: The
5-5 New Orleans Saints, crushed 34-17 at New England.
The Saints have a ton of talent, but always fall behind
early and seem to be disorganized half the time.
The most significant win on
Sunday was Pittsburgh's 34-24 thriller at Tennessee.
It left the Steelers at 8-2 and showed they could win a game
where their defense was struggling.
Just when I thought Philadelphia
was making a move in the NFC, the Eagles laid an egg against Washington
and will now have to fight to win the division. Philly's
defense is tough, but the offense has no rhythm.
I went home to Pennsylvania
for Thanksgiving and listened to Philly sports talk WIP
on my drive home. It was funny how everyone figured the
Eagles would win against the Redskins and they were already
talking about playoff seedings. Most fans don't have a clue.
Who would have thought the Redskins,
who started 0-5, would now have the NFL's longest current
winning streak at five? The 'Skins have a legit shot to win
the NFC East. So much for Marty Schottenheimer not
being able to coach.
Nice choke by Buffalo,
blowing a 10-point lead against Miami with five
minutes to go. The Bills miss an extra point that was
crucial, then fumbled the kickoff with the score tied.
I love Peyton Manning,
but the Colts' QB is having one of those seasons. Four
interceptions on Sunday as the Colts fall to 4-6. My advice
the rest of the way: stay healthy and get ready for 2002.
If the season ended today,
the Atlanta Falcons at 6-4 would be in the playoffs.
As I wrote in the preseason
preview: ``Call me crazy, but I think this team will be
competitive. The schedule is easy and Dan Reeves can
coach.'' With two games against the Rams, I doubt Atlanta
will finish above .500, but they're having a nice season
nonetheless.
We'll know in a couple of
weeks which team is the league's worst: Carolina
(1-9) or Buffalo (1-9). They meet Dec. 9. Plenty of
tickets remain.
Top 5: 1. Pittsburgh (will
be formidable in the playoffs). 2. Oakland (another
efficient outing Sunday at New York). 3. St. Louis
(laid an egg on national TV). 4. Green Bay (a
good sign: no more road division games left). 5. (tie) San
Francisco (Jeff Garcia is making all the plays). 5.
(tie) Chicago (they got a bunch of blue-collar guys
who play hard).
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Many
in Pittsburgh wanted to run Kordell Stewart out of
town a year ago. Now, after winning 12 of his last 16
starts, Stewart has the Steelers playing like a Super Bowl
contender. Sunday against Tennessee, Stewart threw for 254
yards and two touchdowns and ran for one in the Steelers'
34-24 win. More importantly, Stewart had zero
interceptions.