The Morning After

1. Say goodbye to Carson Palmer?

What a fall from grace…where as he was once seen as at the forefront of the new-guard of elite quarterbacks, he has now plummeted to a Derek Andersonian level (without the outrageous postgame conferences). Just another pair of pick-6’s for Palmer…just another day at the office. I wish I could tell you why he inexplicably became one of the worst five or six starting quarterbacks in the game, but the answer escapes me. The most logical choice would be the injury he suffered in the 2006 playoffs when he tore both his ACL and MCL. It was thought to be a possible career ender at the time, but he recovered well enough…and after last year’s solid (if not spectacular) season (3,094 yards, 21 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 83.6 QB rating) he seemed to be back among the elite-or at least at the cusp.

The issue, in my humble opinion, lies with the Bengal’s as a whole rather than solely on the shoulders of Carson Palmer. I’ve watched several Cincinnati games and what springs to my mind is the lack of communication and cohesiveness among the offense. Receivers running incorrect routes, offensive line miscommunications, players not giving full effort. The constant stream of mental errors is a testament to the poor job the coaching staff has done this season.

This all, of course, calls for some outrageous yet necessary speculation. I think it’s pretty clear coach Marvin Lewis is on his way out, but what of Palmer? Cincinnati has a chance (albeit slim) to nab the first pick of the 2011 draft, with the opportunity to draft top quarterback prospect Andrew Luck. They have the second worst record in the league at 2-11…trailing only the Carolina Panthers (1-12). Cincinnati has to play Cleveland, Baltimore, and San Diego next while Carolina gets Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Arizona. The Panthers can absolutely beat Arizona, which assuming Cincinnati loses out would put them at a tie for the league’s worst record. Tie-breaker: strength of schedule (SOS). Carolina’s SOS: 121-85. Cincinnati’s SOS: 120-86. Forget about New Orleans and Atlanta’s battle for the NFC one seed-this race is much more exciting!


2. Michael Vick being treated unfairly?

Throughout the season Michael Vick has taken hit after hit…most of it his own fault. But he’s not been afforded the same protection guys like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning enjoy. Don’t try to argue it, rewatch last night’s contest between the Cowboys and Eagles. At one point in the game Vick was hit just as he was on his way out of bounds (watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbzFiPmhSRE). It looks like a fair whack to me, but the issue I have is with the double standard the NFL continues to exhibit with its stringent rules for quarterback protection. We have seen so many flagitious calls on defenders this year it is a miracle Dallas wasn’t flagged for that hit. Here’s the issue: the NFL hasn’t had a player like Vick in…well, maybe ever…but certainly not since the league ramped up it’s roughing the passer rules. Thus, they don’t know how to treat him. He tucks the ball and runs like a half-back, seemingly asking the defense to deliver bone-crushing hits. But he’s also a quarterback…albeit a radically different breed then the classic pocket passer. So does he deserve to be treated as one? Or does an exception need to be made for a type of player we have rarely seen before?

You don’t care what I think…but I don’t really care that you don’t care about what I think. So this is what I think: It’s a definite double standard, but if Vick continues to refuse to slide and make his name on the ground then defenses should have the opportunity to hit him…and hit him hard. It may be the only way to stop him…


3. Injuries have slaughtered Green Bay’s season…

Once favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl; Green Bay is in a real fight to just earn a play-off spot. If Aaron Rodgers can’t suit up against New England (after suffering his second concussion of the season against Detroit) then look for the Pack to lose their second straight…which would put them at 8-6. If the Bears beat Minnesota next week they would be 10-4 and own the tie breaker because they already defeated Green Bay once. That would likely lead to a titanic showdown in week 17 when Chicago travels to Lambeaugh field.

Of course, this is all moot if Rodgers is forced to sit for a longer amount of time. With the leagues increased safety precautions regarding concussions it isn’t inconceivable. And we all saw what happed to the Rodger-less Packers…a loss to the woeful Lions.


4. The Redskins can’t even figure out how to kick an extra point…

One great thing about picking all the games is I feel emotionally attached to each one. I don’t give a shit about the Washington Redskins, but I do care whether I pick their game correctly. Unfortunately, I watched the majority of the Skins’-Bucs’ contest. I was most excited for it as I picked Washington to win in an upset…last time I ever do that. The Redskins find more ways to lose than the Texans or Lions…but hey, at least their ways get more interesting by the week. I don’t know what I’m more shocked about: New Orleans drawing Cincinnati’s defense offside on fourth down last week or Washington losing because they can’t kick an extra point. We may have witnessed the worst kicking performance in recent memory as Graham Gano missed two easy field goals (from 34 and 24 yards) and was part of the botched extra point (though not really his fault, but still). What will the Skins’ come up with next?


5. Dolphins-Jets one of the ugliest in recent memory…

Miami had 134 total yards, six first downs, and three turnovers…they won. Chad Henne was 5-18 for 55 yards and a touchdown plus was sacked five times and lost two fumbles…they won. The Dolphins punted ten times (It’s taken New England four games to reach 11)…and they won. The game was uglier than John Madden’s eyebrows. Despite a twenty million dollar receiver and big arm quarterback Miami can’t find a way to score points. Despite a first round quarterback and a conglomeration of big name free agents and under-achievers the Jets can’t find a way to do anything. New York’s defense bounced back in a bigggg way but Sanchez is going through his familiar December swoon-he’s the anti-Rivers. And swoon is putting it lightly; try cataclysmic catastrophe. Through two seasons Sanchez has shown his inability to play well in adverse weather conditions. In New England it was the freezing weather, in Miami the steady rain. Sanchez’s need for the perfect playing conditions is why the Jets have a tendency to fade come December. As Rex Ryan aptly put it: “…I think he gives us the best chance to win.” Yeah, if the weather’s nice.


6. Worried about the Eagles ability to win it all…

Allow me to present my case in two parts:

1. Michael Vick is getting the snot beaten out of him. He’s been sacked 35 times and hit another 68-all while missing three games (and most of the fourth). And he’s not just getting hit, he’s getting crushed. There are no stats that quantify the severity of hits, but it’s pretty blatant if you watch the games. I’m not an Eagles fan, but as a football fan I cringe every time he goes down. One of these weeks, I’m afraid he won’t get back up.

2. Philadelphia’s big play offense is inconsistent. Sure they put up 29 a game, buts it’s not a consistent 29. The best way I can explain it is to use an excellent analogy I heard last year from Michael Lombardi; speaking on Bill Simmons’s podcast: The B.S Report. He compared last year’s Eagles (also an offense that relied on big plays) to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns-a team that relies on three point shooting to win games. If those long bombs aren’t falling, they’re mediocre…but if they’re hitting at a high percentage they’re almost unbeatable. The problem is those aren’t particularly high percentage shots (Phoenix shot 41% last year, next highest: 38%).

Same with the Eagles. When Vick is completing 60-yarders to Jackson and Maclin they are unstoppable; but the offense tends to stall when the big plays aren’t working. That’s not to say big plays and YPA (yards per attempt) aren’t important-just that offenses need the short passing and ground game working to be successful. We witnessed the carnage last season when the Eagles put up only 14 points in a 20 point rout against the Dallas Cowboys. Will the same happen this year?


7. New York Jets exposed as frauds…

For all Rex Ryan’s intolerable swag, the New York Jets still don’t have it. We thought they did for eleven solid weeks but a bloodbath in New England and an offensively inept showing against Miami has exposed the J-E-T-S for what they are: insufferable shit-talkers who falter when the going gets tough and they lose their seemingly infinite reserves of mojo. Doesn’t this play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1HpKpfXfZY exemplify the Jets in a nutshell? You would never see an Indianapolis player, a New England player, or an Atlanta player pull something like that after a first down in a game in which they are losing. Rex Ryan’s squad is loaded with talent, but they are an undisciplined bunch with no attention to detail.

Rex Ryan is so concerned with being buddies with his players he has forgotten what it means to be a coach. As the saying goes: a team is only as good as its leader. In this case, it couldn’t be clearer.


8. Denver made a HUGE mistake…

Josh McDaniel’s transformed Matt Cassel from perennial backup to starting caliber quarterback in New England. In Denver, he morphed Kyle Orton into a 4000 yard passer and made Brandon Lloyd look like the second coming of Randy Moss. Coincidence? No, I think McDaniel’s is a really, really brilliant offensive mind and quarterbacks coach. It’s no fluke two backup quarterbacks blossomed under his watch. I couldn’t put my thoughts on Josh McDaniel’s firing any better than this piece by the NFL’s Michael Lombardi: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81cba03b/article/mcdaniels-paid-price-for-broncos-lack-of-commitment-to-change.

9. Come on man!

Everyone’s all fired up by Tashard Choice’s bizarre autograph request of Michael Vick after Dallas’s lost Sunday night. Was it that big of a deal?-not really. But I’m from the old school idea that teams should hate each other like the Spartans despised the Persians. This quote from Kevin Durant sums up my thoughts quite succinctly (and saved you from reading another 500 words): “He did not just ask that man for his autograph after a loss...smh he tuuurible for that.”