How We Saw Week 14

No, on with football . . .

Last year, right before my Ultimate Frisbee season, I suffered a herniated disc.  I was out six weeks with incredible pain.  When I started playing again, every time I made a cut, I thought about my back.  Every time I jumped for the disc, I thought about my back.  I remember one game specifically.  I was matched up against a receiver I have always owned on the field.  A long pass was thrown to him, and we both went after the disc.  Except, this time, I didn't extend as far as I could; at the back of my head was the thought of that injury and it happening again.  He caught the touchdown.

That has to be what Tommy Maddox went through in that game against the Texans.  You don't just come back from temporary paralysis and people talking about the end of your career, to starting three weeks later.  At the back of his head had to have been:  "protect my body."  The result:  one of the sloppiest fumbles I've ever seen and two interceptions - all of which led to scores by Houston.  Kordell Stewart is no saving grace, but at least he'll be able to give it his all.

If you haven't seen the replay of Woodrow Dantzler's 84-yard kick return for a touchdown for Dallas, you will.  It looked like every one of the 49ers - including a few guys on the sidelines - had him in their grasp.  Yet Dantzler, a quarterback at Clemson last year, snuck through tackles and managed to stay inbounds all the way for the score.  It was awesome.

There was an interception made by Rod Woodson against the Chargers on Sunday that was challenged by San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer.  When the official went to review the tape, there was no tape - none of the cameras in the stadium had a shot of the play, except for the long-range overhead from the upper decks.  The referee came back and said there was "no clear visual evidence" to overturn the call.  Hell, there was no visual evidence at all - clear or otherwise.  It seems to me there should be something instituted to give the Chargers their timeout back or something, if all the cameramen in the stadium are that dumb to not follow the ball on a live play.

We often hear in sports that a team has another team's "number."  Today, we saw two examples of that.  First, was the Patriots' crushing of the Bills; second, was the Bucs' crushing of the Falcons.  If either the Bills or Falcs want to contend for their division title anytime soon, their respective quarterbacks (Bledsoe and Vick) need to figure out how to read the other team's defense ASAP, and the offensive coordinators should set about studying every second of tape on the other team to help him.

I have a good shot at the #1 seed in my Fantasy Football.  If Ricky Williams and Randy McMichael can combine for two touchdowns and 150 yards, I'm in (unless Paul Edinger scores more than nine points).  Otherwise, I'm the #2 seed and it's an all-Outsports semi-final with me vs. Jim.

While the Texans' victory over the Steelers was by far the most shocking score of the season, Philadelphia's victory over Seattle has to be the runner up for this week.  They have now won three straight without McNabb - and two of them with a guy who hasn't played since losing his starting job in college!  For that, they deserve to be . . .

My Top Five:
#1 - Philadelphia.  McNabb's injury has turned the Eagles from a one-man-show into a team.
2 - Tampa Bay.  Their handling of Vick gives them the right to strut.
3 - Atlanta. The two teams who can beat them are ranked ahead of them here.
4 - Oakland.  I just don't think they're that good; but, their wins say otherwise.
5 - New York Jets.  They have won five of their last six; and their loss at Oakland could be blamed on, simply, losing their punt returner, Santana Moss.
 

Houston got 21 of its points on two interception returns and a fumble return for touchdowns. The 47 total yards was the fewest ever by a winning team. The Steelers (7-5-1) have to still be in a state of shock.

--Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher's decision to start Tommy Maddox at quarterback despite him missing 2 1/2 games was a disaster. Maddox's turnovers led to all three Texans' scores. Kordell Stewart had played very well in Maddox's absence and it appears like a quarterback controversy is brewing.

--Almost as shocking as Houston's victory was Cleveland's 21-20 win at Jacksonville. The Browns won on a Hail Mary 50-yard touchdown pass from Tim Couch to Quincy Morgan. With the win and Pittsburgh's loss, the Browns are now only a half-game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.

--The Minnesota Vikings executed one of the worst last-minute offenses I've ever seen. Down 26-22 at Green Bay, the Vikes took over at their 34 with 1:01 remaining and two timeouts. Assuming they made first downs, most teams could easily reel off six to nine plays. But the Vikings only got off four in a horrible example of clock management and lost a game they once led by 13.

--How bad are the 1-12 Cincinnati Bengals? They allowed a franchise-record 52 points to a Carolina team that had averaged 13 in its first 12 games.

--Atlanta's Michael Vick is Superman against the rest of the league and Pee-Wee Herman against Tampa Bay. Vick was held to 125 yards passing and only 15 yards rushing in Tampa's 34-10 drubbing of the Falcons. Tampa all but knocked Atlanta from any chance of winning the NFC South.

--New England coach Bill Belichick knows Drew Bledsoe well after having coached him for two years. So it's no surprise that Bledsoe, now Buffalo's quarterback, threw four interceptions against Belichick's Patriots. The coach is a master schemer and seemed one step ahead of Bledsoe all game.

--Fox announcer Pat Summerall had a senior moment in announcing the San Francisco at Dallas game. Twice on the same play he referred to 49ers receiver Terrell Owens as "R.C. Owens," a 49er star of the 1950s.

--My vote for the AFC's best team is the Oakland Raiders, now 9-4 after a 27-7 rout of San Diego. The Raiders have won five in a row and have the look of a veteran team now peaking.

--The Kansas City Chiefs have scored 49 points in consecutive games and have averaged 32 points a game this season. They get almost no national attention despite having one of the most explosive offenses in recent memory.

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