Week 8 Revelations

1. David Garrard tells us who the Cowboys really are…


Jacksonville Quarterback David Garrard had this to say about the Cowboys Sunday, “It just looked like they weren’t into the game like an NFL team should be.” AMEN! He also said he noticed a “woe-is-me” attitude coming from the Dallas players. That’s about as damning a quote as I have heard yet about the Cowboy’s crumbling season…yet it epitomizes everyone’s thoughts over the past couple of weeks quite nicely.



The worst part about watching Dallas play is how they don’t perform anywhere close to their potential. Miles Austin, a guy many were ready to crown as the best receiver in the game has dropped several very catchable balls over the past two weeks; something all-pro wideouts just don’t do. Roy Williams, who caught five touchdowns between weeks three and five has caught one pass for 21 yards over the past two games. Felix Jones, one of the most promising young backs in the league coming into the season has been outplayed by undrafted free agents such as Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and dropped a pass yesterday that resulted in an interception. The veteran defense, an excellent unit last year, has been inconsistent to say the least. Allowing Jacksonville to score 35 points is inexcusable…



And to Jerry Jones: No one cares how much you have studied the effects of firing coaches mid-season…letting Wade Phillips remain on board sends the message that you are content with your team’s performance and are pleased with the job Wade has done. All the media pandering in the world won’t save you from that perception, unless you fire the coach that has led Dallas to this 1-6 record.



2. Raiders blowing out teams like the 07’ Patriots…

On one hand I’m happy for Raiders fans as they haven’t had anything (and I mean anything) to cheer for in a long time; yet on the other I can’t believe the year New England has their number one pick they likely will go 8-8 or better. Unbelievable. But I digress, a lot of good things can be taken out of the past two weeks: Darren McFadden has arrived in a big way, we’ve had a Darius Heyward-Bey sighting, Jason Campbell looks passable, and Rolando McLain continues to look like a solid first round draft pick (that’s a first). Next week’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs will be very enlightening as we will see who is the better we-should-have-sucked but we-defied-all-expectations team.



3. My condolences to England…

Out of all the games played Sunday…Denver-San Francisco was the one that had to be in London?!?! Are you kidding me? Roger Goodel should make a formal apology to all the football fans of England as that game was an atrocity.



4. Getting hyped about the Lions…

I like watching this team, and in a couple of years I think they will be one of the best two or three squads in the NFC…assuming Mathew Stafford can avoid injury. Detroit’s front four is fearsome, and Ndamukong Suh is looking like one of the best picks of last year’s draft. Forget defensive rookie of the year, I think Suh is in contention for defensive player of the year. In Calvin Johnson they have arguably the league’s top wideout, and an explosive young halfback in rookie Jahvid Best. Up and down their roster they have young talent full of potential…something every GM building a championship contender strives for. I can’t wait until I actually looking forward to watching Detroit play on Thanksgiving!



5. Getting benched for Rex Grossman has to be the most insulting thing that can happen to a professional Quarterback…

Living in the D.C area I was subjected to all the hopes and good will of Redskin fans for the entire summer…and you can’t blame them; the team looked like it was primed for a good year with the acquisition of Quarterback Donovan McNabb and Head Coach Mike Shanahan. Eight weeks into the season the demeanor of Skin’s fans is anything but upbeat and hopeful. How can one have confidence in a team when its franchise Quarterback was benched for a guy who has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns throughout his career, and once accumulated a 1.3 QB rating in a regular season game? He knows the two minute offense better my a$$...Mother Teresa is a better liar than you Mike Shanahan. Shanahan simply wanted to send a message to McNabb to play better, but I think there are better (and less season destroying) ways of accomplishing it.



6. New England’s defense coming together…

If you look at this unit’s stats via NFL.com or the football outsiders you would think it’s the weak link of the team. And in some ways you would be right, but no one can deny that in big moments New England’s defense steps up and gets the job done…a hallmark of all Super Bowl winners over the past decade. The Saints didn’t win a championship last year with a dominant top five defense…rather an opportunistic one that was predisposed to making huge plays. These Patriots have a similar feel, and unlike last year you can count on the defense to play its best when the game is on the line. Patriot fans have to feel good about such a young defense playing cohesively with only seven weeks in the books…things are looking up for this much maligned unit.



7. The Rams hit the jackpot…

How many teams are wishing they had the opportunity to take Sam Bradford now? He looks like one of the best rookie quarterbacks of the past several years; on par with Matt Ryan and better than Flacco, Stafford etc. Seriously, look at his stats: 58.6 completion percentage, 1,674 yards, and 11 touchdowns along with eight picks. So, for his rookie season he’s on pace to throw for 3,348 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions all while his best receiver is out for the season and he is throwing to the likes of Laurent Robinson and Danny Amendola. The Rams finally have a reason to hope as they have a quarterback for the future…a cornerstone of the franchise.



8. Randy Moss needs a hug…

Randy Moss fooled us all; in his 3.25 seasons with New England he lulled us to sleep and convinced the world that his diva-like ways were behind him. He finally seemed like a mature, hardworking professional that was willing to leave it all on the field…well, jokes on us. Randy is the same old Randy, who knows what magic Belichick worked to get the most out of Moss? Maybe it was finally playing with a hall of fame QB, or the strength of the locker room, or maybe Moss could sense Belickick’s football genius and realized this was his best chance to win a ring. Whatever it was Randy Moss was the model football player for three solid years but has unraveled in recent months. He gave his first candid interview in September after three years of keeping his mouth shut and following the “Patriot Way”. But keeping quiet is not in his nature and he proved it on Sunday. Look what happens to the guy when he goes to a team with a weak locker room and bumbling coach: he has insane post-game interviews, criticizes everyone but himself, puts the blame on others, and even complains about the food: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AofPnMqFhKYfbkKETEFzR_DXScR_?slug=ms-mossbehavior110210.

I have pity for Randy, one of the most exciting players to ever enter the gridiron, as it seems he has entered the T.O phase of his career in which he jumps from team to team willing to take a chance on the once great, now diminished star.



9. Carson’s Palmer unofficial dropped pick count increases again…

Unofficial theory: based on Carson Palmer’s incredible luck over the first half of the season karma dictates it turns over the latter half. My bold prediction: Carson throws 13+ picks weeks nine threw seventeen. The second touchdown Palmer through Sunday was the epitome of his lucky season: the defensive back was in position to pick him off only to drop the pass; except this time T.O was in the perfect place at the perfect time, grabbed the ball as it bounced off the DB’s hands, and strolled in for the touchdown. I was lucky enough to see Palmer’s face after the play, and believe me; he was just as shocked as the rest of us…



10. Start believing??? (Or continue believing for those smarter than myself)...

The Kansas City Chiefs have a better record through seven weeks than both the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings combined. I just don’t know what to believe anymore. And here comes the real shocker: The Chiefs are ranked the number one team in the NFL based on the Football Outsiders DVOA system (For those of you who don’t know what that means, it’s an extremely complex way of ranking football teams and individual players based on every single play that occurs being compared to a baseline average. Essentially instead of just adding up total yards for a team it also factors in the situation such as down and location while placing a points system on the “success” of the play. It’s very accurate and much better than the NFL’s method: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/info/methods). Anyway, the point everyone needs to understand is that the Chiefs are contenders…and definitely a top seven or eight team.



Why are they so good? Balance. We all know about their number one ranked rushing attack, but the real surprise has been the effectiveness of their passing attack. Matt Cassel has only been sacked only eight times in seven games, and has ten touchdowns to three picks: good for a 90.4 passer rating. Their defense has been solid so far, and Eric Berry looks like a great pick. When the Chiefs are able to control the clock with the ground game and moderate Cassel’s attempts they are very hard to beat. I only worry about there come from behind capabilities, as although Cassel has been very efficient, I don’t know how he handles having to bring his team back from a double digit deficit.