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NFL Week 10 ROY Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:04 +0000

You’ve got Jairus Byrd on defense and Percy Harvin on offense leading the charge here, with a few others who might be considered supporting cast at this point.

1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Byrd had another pick against the Titans to bring his league-leading total to 8. That was before Titans’ owner Bud Adams flipped the Bills a bird of his own. Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.

2. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—Harvin may be the most exciting playmaker on the Vikings’ offense, and with you-know-who in the backfield, that’s saying something.

3. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—6 catches for 76 yards and a score against the Chargers, and 72 return yards for good measure. This kid is special.

4. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He had 104 all-purpose yards against Albert Haynesworth’s Redskins last Sunday, albeit in a losing effort.

5. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—He just keeps making those tackles, now with 60 total (50 solo). Too bad he’s playing on a really bad team

Honorable mention: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Beanie Wells, Cardinals

2009 NFL Week 11 Picks & Predictions

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:11:27 +0000

Here are my locks (locks, ha!) for Week 11 in the NFL:

Chargers (6-3) at Broncos (6-3), 4:15PM ET
Denver quarterback Kyle Orton is questionable this week with an ankle injury, which means Chris Simms could make his first start of the season. Simms looked Brady Quinn-like bad in a loss to the Redskins last week and I wouldn’t expect much out of him if I were a Broncos fan. If Simms starts, I fully expect the Chargers to load up to stop Knowshon Moreno and force the former Bucs’ QB to beat them through the air. It’s not going to happen and even if Orton does start, how effective can he be on a bum ankle? About as effective as he was last year for the Bears on a bum ankle? The Chargers are hot, have revenge on their minds and are eyeing sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Plus, Philip Rivers is playing just as well as Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Kurt Warner. I’m taking the Chargers to win outright and to cover.
Odds: Chargers –2.5.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Broncos 16.

Redskins (3-6) at Cowboys (6-3), 1:00PM ET
Now that the Cowboys have once again established that they’re still the same inconsistent team under Wade Phillips as they’ve always been, I’m wondering if the Redskins can pull off a huge upset this week in Dallas. Then again, without the brutal play of Chris Simms’ aiding them in victory, I can’t see Washington winning this weekend. In fact, I see this game being a blow out since the Redskins will once again be without running back Clinton Portis and Albert Haynesworth is doubtful to play as well. The Redskins have shown the ability to stop the pass, but if the Cowboys can control this game with Marion Barber and Felix Jones then Washington doesn’t stand a chance. Dallas’ offense should rebound from its horrid performance last week as long as the ground attack can help set things up for Tony Romo and the passing game. Washington just doesn’t have the players to compete with Dallas for four quarters and given how bad the Redskins’ O-line has played this season, they’re going to have trouble stopping the Cowboys’ solid pass rush.
Odds: Cowboys –11
Prediction: Cowboys 34, Redskins 13.

Falcons (5-4) at Giants (5-4), 1:00PM ET
I would love to predict a victory for my Falcons this Sunday in East Rutherford, but I just don’t see it happening. Michael Turner is out with a high ankle sprain, Matt Ryan is in the midst of a complete funk and the defense can’t stop the run. Throw in the fact that the Giants are at home and should be well rested coming off the bye and I see trouble for Atlanta. Ryan and backups Jason Snelling and Jerious Norwood are certainly capable of leading the Falcons to victory this weekend and the road team has won the past seven games in this series. But “Matty Ice” just hasn’t looked like the same player as he did earlier in the year and if he can’t cut down on the turnovers than the Giants will prevail. Since both of these teams are desperate for a win, I envision a tight game throughout. But all the intangibles are in the G-Men’s favor and I see them ending their four-game skid.
Odds: Giants –6.5.
Prediction: Giants 20, Falcons 16.

Eagles (5-4) at Bears (4-5), 8:20PM ET
Looking at both of these teams’ records, one might suggest that they’re both on the same level as one another. But nothing could be further from the truth. Outside of Lance Briggs and the struggling Jay Cutler, the Bears simply don’t have the talent to match up with the other contenders in the NFC Wild Card race – including the Eagles. Matt Forte is a good, young running back but he’s useless thanks to an inept offensive line filled with veterans whose better days are behind them (Orlando Pace, Olin Kreutz), fringe starters (Frank Omiyale, Josh Beekman, Kevin Shaffer) and one underachieving youngster (Chris Williams). The Eagles may be struggling at the moment, but they’ve got better overall talent than the Bears and I think they’ll prove that this Sunday night at Solider Field. Cutler has been brutal in night games (not that necessarily means anything) and continues to think that he has to do everything on his own (which means a lot). If Chicago can’t run the ball (they haven’t all year) then Philadelphia should soundly beat them on their own turf.
Odds: Eagles –2.5.
Prediction: Eagles 20, Bears 10.

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Is Orton about to make the same mistake twice?

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:05:01 +0000

According to ESPN.com, Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton has torn ligaments in his left ankle, but wants to start Sunday when Denver hosts the Chargers in a battle for first place in the AFC West.

When Orton was still a member of the Bears last year, he played on a right ankle injury and wound up doing more harm than good. The ankle didn’t allow him to plant correctly on his back foot and that hindered his throws, which led to turnovers and accuracy issues.

Now it appears that Orton is ready to repeat history, but it looks like he will play on Sunday. That might sound like good news to Bronco fans given how inept Chris Simms was replacing Orton last Sunday in Washington. But if Kyle has similar issues to the ones he had last year than Denver won’t be any better off with him under center instead of Simms.

Granted, the injury this time is on his left foot, which is not his plant foot. He’ll still be able to plant and throw and therefore might have fewer issues than he did last year when he battled the right ankle injury. Still, it’s a situation to keep an eye on because if he isn’t healthy, it could potential sink the Broncos’ once promising season.

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Rex Grossman’s dad rips Bears organization

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:00:48 +0000

Rex Grossman’s dad took the opportunity recently to rip the Chicago Bears organization for how they mishandle the quarterback position.

From the Chicago Tribune:

“It’s a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault,” said Dan Grossman, who played quarterback at Indiana in the ’60s. “It’s not Rex Grossman’s fault. It’s not Kyle Orton’s fault. It’s not every other quarterback who has been through that system’s fault. It’s the fault of the organization for not understanding what a quarterback needs.

“What’s amazing to me is, here we go again with Jay Cutler. He came in and he was going to be the franchise quarterback and lead the Bears. I heard some people say they were going to the Super Bowl this year. And here we are, back in the situation where … because the team is not really built around a passing game, he has struggled. I don’t really blame it on Jay Cutler.

“Jay Cutler, first-round draft pick. Rex Grossman, first-round draft pick. I mean, you’re telling me these guys were terrible? They did bad scouting? No,” Dan Grossman said. “You can connect the dots pretty easily when you just look. I am just amazed at how infrequently people in the media look at it. Their evaluation is that it is always the player. That’s not right.

“I believe that the NFL is a passing league. It has been for the last 20 years. Chicago continues to use the phrase, at least Lovie Smith continues to use the phrase, ‘We get off the bus running.’ They need to abandon that concept. Running is obviously a very important part of the offense. But the best teams in this league are prolific passing teams.

Grossman’s daddy makes a good point that the best teams in the league are prolific passing teams. The Saints, Colts and Patriots are three teams highly regarded as the best in the NFL and all of them can throw the ball.

But what Grossman misses the fact that all three can also run the ball. It’s not the teams with prolific passing games that win: It’s teams that have a balanced offense. He’s right in that the Bears’ offense isn’t working right now and that it’s not Cutler’s fault. But the reason why it isn’t working is because they have zero balance. Cutler feels like he has to do everything himself because he has no running game to support him. That’s the problem.

Grossman doesn’t want to come off like a bitter parent, but that’s exactly what he sounds like. He does offer a nugget of truth in that the Bears seldom set their quarterbacks up for success (look at their receivers and offensive line), but that’s because they’re a cheap organization and they often rely on has beens like Orlando Pace and Muhsin Muhammad to address their needs. It’s not that they don’t want to help the quarterback; they just don’t want to spend any money.

Rex Grossman wasn’t the sole problem in Chicago, just as Cutler isn’t the sole problem now. That’s why they call it a football team – all phases have to produce on both sides of the ball in order to be successful.

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NFL Week 9 ROY Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:00:23 +0000

The first three players on this list were on bye last week, so we have to hold their places. Other than that, there have been quite a few impressive rookie performances this year so far…

1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Seven picks leads all rookies and earned Byrd NFL defensive rookie of the month for October. What does he do for an encore? Vince Young might find out this Sunday in Nashville.

2. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—He may have learned that the NFC West is not the Big Ten, but that hasn’t stopped Laurinaitis from making a lot of tackles. His 46 solo tackles leads all NFL rookies.

3. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—One of the reasons Brad Childress is in line for coach of the year is that he foresaw Brett Favre and Percy Harvin making beautiful music together on the field, despite what all the critics were saying.

4. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles—His 115 all-purpose yards against Dallas was, dare we say it? Westbrook-esque.

5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—As if opposing defensive coordinators were having trouble sleeping while scheming for DeSean Jackson, now they have this kid to worry about too.

Honorable mention: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Knowshon Moreno, Broncos; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens; Mike Wallace, Steelers

Cutler fined $20 K for abusing official

John Paulsen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:49:28 +0000

Per ESPN…

Cutler was fined as a result of verbal abuse toward the back judge, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Bears’ 41-21 loss to the Cardinals. The Bears (4-5) have lost four of their past five games.

Yep, this fine is from the Bears’ frustrating loss on Sunday, not the Bears’ frustrating loss last night. (You know, the one where Cutler threw five picks.)

As a Green Bay fan, the only good thing about this season is that the Bears are struggling just as much as the Packers are. Cutler was supposed to lead Chicago to the promised land, but he’s led them to four losses in the last five games. With Philly and Minnesota up next, there’s a good chance the Bears will be 4-7 heading into Week 13.

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Are the Bears done?

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:16:27 +0000

With their 10-6 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco on Thursday night, the Bears may have sealed their fate this season.

At 4-5, the Bears would almost have to run the table to make the playoffs this year, a task that seems impossible with teams like the Eagles, Vikings (twice) and the Ravens on their second half schedule.

With their loss last night, the Bears are now 2-4 in the conference, with losses to the Packers, Falcons, Cardinals and 49ers – teams they’re currently battling in the Wild Card race. A loss to the Eagles next week would be a final blow to a team that has been stumbling backwards for weeks.

Of course, breaking down their record and looking ahead at their schedule are two minute problems considering they can’t run the football, Jay Cutler is an utter disaster in the red zone and the team has little to no fight in them. One would have thought that with their backs pressed firmly against the wall, Lovie Smith’s squad would have came out with more passion and emotion last night (especially after they were blown out at home last week by Arizona). Instead, they made mistake after mistake and failed to cash in on the multiple opportunities that were awarded to them by the 49ers.

The Bears essentially had one chance to turn their season around and last night was it. If they can’t beat teams like the 49ers, Falcons or Cardinals, how are they going to beat the Vikings twice or an Eagles team that is hungry coming off a loss? It might be safe to stick a fork in Da Bears, because they’re officially done.

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