It was nasty. It was scary. It was rather unbelievable.
I watched Dunta Robinson’s hit on DeSean Jackson on Sunday live and with the sound all the way up. It was as big a hit as I’ve ever seen and I thought Jackson may never get up. It served as a painful reminder of how violent the game of football can be.
But what does the NFL want Robinson to do in that situation? As I wrote on Sunday following the game, do you want Robinson to lay Jackson down like a baby in a crib? Pull his flag? Two-hand touch him? Ask him politely to fall down in front of the first down marker?
You can see from the video that Robinson was already running to the ball after Kevin Kolb threw it. He was playing zone and once the ball was released, he spotted Jackson and ran to break up the pass. He was two steps too late, however, so he lowered his shoulder to try and separate Jackson from the ball. While others may see it differently, he didn’t stop, position himself and then launch into Jackson like a rocket ship coming off a launch bad. It was all one fluid motion.
Don’t misinterpret my defense of Robinson for not being concerned with Jackson’s (or any other player, for that matter) health. I love football and big hits just as much as anyone, but I too get a tingle up my spine when I see a player lie motionless on the turf.
But again I ask: What does the NFL want Robinson to do? Believe it or not, he led with his shoulder – not with his head. Obviously Jackson’s head caught a lot of the blow because it knocked him out, but Robinson still lead with his shoulder, which is what he’s instructed to do.
Jackson suffered the concussion when Dunta Robinson lowered his shoulder and connected with the receiver’s head, knocking him out immediately. Robinson was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver and neither of them came back into the game after walking off the field with the help of trainers.
Chances are that Jackson will miss next week’s game at Tennessee, but the good news is that the Eagles have a bye in Week 8. They play at home against the Colts in Week 9, so hopefully Jackson will be back by then. He took one hell of a hit.
I would imagine that Robinson will get fined, although it wasn’t helmet-to-helmet and it certainly wasn’t a cheap shot.
If you type “complete and utter domination” into Google right now, your search will probably yield this:
Eagles 31, Falcons 17.
The Falcons are completely petrified of the Eagles and they have been for the better part of a decade now. Philly has beaten Atlanta 62 of the last 63 times its faced the Falcons (don’t look that figure up – it’s right) and it once again dominated them on Sunday.
The score might as well been Eagles 98, Falcons 0 because the game was never close. Brian Van Gorder had no clue how to defense Marty Mornhinweg’s playing calling, while Sean McDermott’s defense completely befuddled Mike Mularkey, whose going to get Matt Ryan killed if he can’t incorporate more plays that stretch the defense. I swear Mularkey has more stop routes in his offense than L.A. has traffic at 5:00PM on a Friday evening. For once in your life, Mike, get Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez running vertical.
Of course, Ryan didn’t play well Sunday either. He missed open receivers, he freaked out at the sight of pressure, freaked out when there wasn’t pressure and he wasn’t more aggressive late in the game when the Falcons needed a couple of big scores.
Much like its counterpart in the AFC, the NFC East is extremely difficult to predict this year. Three of the top four teams are legitimate playoff contenders and the Redskins have improved after going 4-12 last season.
It’s going to be a battle in this division this year, much like it is every season.
Here’s how I see things shaking out in the NFC East in 2010. Be sure to check out the link entitled “2010 Question Mark” under each team’s preview, which is a breakdown of one or two potential weaknesses that could derail that squad’s hopes this season.
1. Cowboys
What to Like: The ‘Boys already had quite the offensive core in Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Marion Barber, Jason Witten and Felix Jones. But then they had Dez Bryant fall to them in the first round last April, which gives the offense yet another playmaker that defenses have to deal with every Sunday. After finishing sixth last year in total offense and 14th in scoring, I don’t see any reason why Dallas shouldn’t light up the scoreboard again this season. Defensively, DeMarcus Ware returns as a pass-rushing terror from his outside linebacker position and the unit is littered with underrated players like Jay Ratliff and Igor Olshansky. What Not to Like: The biggest two question marks surround the free safety and left tackle positions. Alan Ball is an intriguing prospect, but he’s only a rookie and no matter how well he plays, he’s going to make some mistakes. At left tackle, the ‘Boys dumped long-time veteran Flozell Adams and replaced him with the inexperienced Doug Free, who played well on the right side last year but he has never been counted on to protect a quarterback’s blindside. The good thing is that if Free struggles, the team added Alex Barron this offseason as insurance. The other concern when it comes to the Cowboys is that they have a habit of fading down the stretch, with last year being the exception. I put that on coaching more than anything and with Wade Phillips (good coach, but he doesn’t come without his criticisms) still roaming the sidelines in Dallas, that means a late-season free fall isn’t out of the question. Keep Your Eye On: Dez Bryant, WR
The Cowboys’ first round pick has already turned heads this offseason (both for his play on the field and his decision not to carry Roy Williams’ shoulder pads after practice) and if he can recover from an ankle injury that has sidelined him for the preseason, he’s going to have opportunities to make plays out of the team’s three receiver set. The Final Word: This is the most talented team in the division and they’re pretty deep at most positions. The problem is that the Cowboys usually get in their own way down the stretch and late season collapses are nothing new to this franchise. That said, they got the playoff monkey off their back last year by advancing to the second round and as long as Phillips can keep this squad motivated, the ‘Boys should win the East for the second straight year. Their offense will be tough to stop and their defense will put pressure on the quarterback. The talent is there, now let’s see if the execution follows.
This video has been making the internet rounds. Some speculate that the RB began running to the wrong endzone, but I think he was trying to run around the defense to the other side of the field and when he realized he wasn’t going to make it, for some reason he decided to chuck the ball towards the endzone. An extra special assist goes to the QB who threw a rocket lateral right at the RB’s helmet, which was the inception of this terrible play.
Is it the worst play ever? Well, there’s DeSean Jackson’s decision to leave the ball as he crossed the goal line…
…but I’m partial to this play in a Vermont high school game since it decided the outcome:
Casey Babcock…that has to be the worst 15 minutes of fame, ever.
Eagle fans can say whatever they want about Donovan McNabb – and they have. He couldn’t win the big one, he didn’t lift his play when the game was on the line, he’s a choke artist, etc. and whatever.
But one thing they can never say about McNabb is that he wasn’t a class act. Even though he’s had to deal with idiots like Terrell Owens, he’s always taken the high road no matter what the situation has been.
Following the Eagles’ trade of McNabb to the Redskins last month, current Philadelphia wideout DeSean Jackson took the opportunity to channel his inner T.O. While speaking to The Sporting News, Jackson said of the McNabb trade that, “I don’t think we lost anything, even with McNabb being gone” and that he was “very happy with the decision.”
Instead of reminding the young receiver that he played a part in Jackson’s success over the last two years, McNabb once again took the high road when responding to the comments.
From ESPN.com:
“It’s so wild when people get to talking when you’re not there, but when you’re there everybody loves you,” McNabb said.
“So I guess people will go deeper into it than I will. I’m a Redskin, no longer an Eagle. I had 11 great years and I’m moving on with my life, so whoever may say things when I’m gone, more power to them, but it’s not making you look like a bigger man.”
Maybe Jackson didn’t mean for his comments to come out the way they did. Maybe he was just trying to pump up his teammates and keep the situation positive. Either way, he gains nothing by saying what he did. His immaturity came through in his comments.
Either way, McNabb handled the situation with grace – much like he always does. He knows that saying anything won’t be beneficial to him or the Redskins, so he took the high road. One of these days, maybe he’ll finally get the respect he deserves.
New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
4:30 pm ET
TV—NBC
Last Sunday night, the Jets closed out the actual regular season history of “old” Giants Stadium the way the Giants wanted to the week before, turning a win-and-in situation into a rout against the Bengals, 37-0. The Jets and their # 1 pass defense held the Bengals to zero passing yards for the game. That’s right, ZERO passing yards. That’s not likely to happen again today, when the Jets visit the Bengals for a rematch that will determine who goes home and who moves on to the divisional round of the playoffs. Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis held RB Cedric Benson out of the Week 17 game, and only let QB Carson Palmer play a few series before letting some bearded guy named J.T. O’Sullivan take over. Lewis didn’t want to show too much, but what he may have shown in the process was that his team is fading fast and may have won games early in the season with smoke and mirrors. The Bengals’ defense is also solid, ranked #7 against the rush and #6 against the pass, but if they allow Thomas Jones and the Jets’ running game to control the clock again, this could very well be another dominant performance by the Jets. And don’t forget the way Jets’ all-world CB Darrelle Revis shut down WR Chad Ochocinco on the field and then on Twitter. The hotter Jets should prevail again, but either way, this is a game featuring two of the NFL’s best defenses, so it’s likely to be ultimately determined by who makes the least mistakes. THE PICK: JETS 17, BENGALS 13
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
8:00 pm ET
TV—NBC
For as surprising as the Jets’ thrashing of the Bengals was last weekend, the fact that the Cowboys shut out the Eagles may have been the biggest surprise of Week 17. Sure, the Cowboys have been on a roll since handing the Saints their first loss of the season a few weeks back, and haven’t given up a point since then. But the Eagles had won six in a row and were (insert cheesy line here like “flying high” or “soaring”). Despite having Brian Westbrook back, the Eagles have fallen to 22nd in the NFL in rushing offense and have been living by the big pass play most of the season, with second year WR DeSean Jackson changing games by himself on offense and special teams. The Cowboys, however, have beaten the Eagles twice this season, and their only losses came to the Giants twice (in games that could have gone either way), Denver, Green Bay and San Diego. They can run the ball (7th overall), pass with Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Jason Witten (6th overall) and they can stop the run (4th overall). The only blemish for the Cowboys is they are prone to big pass plays, but they seem to have remedied that recently, and with DeMarcus Ware coming off the edge, Donovan McNabb has to have eyes on the side and back of his head at all times. This game will certainly be close, and maybe come down to a field goal. And in that case, would you rather have David Akers or (gulp) Shaun Suisham as your kicker? That’s what I thought. THE PICK: EAGLES 27, COWBOYS 24
It’s been two weeks since we last did these rankings, and while not much has changed at the top, the teams our top two guys play for have been very shaky. In fact, Philip Rivers’ Chargers are the only one on a roll heading into the postseason.
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—If Jim Caldwell benching his starting quarterback in the third quarter against the Jets proved anything, it’s that Manning is clearly and unequivocally valuable. His numbers (4405 yards, 33 TDs) don’t suck either.
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—There is no question that Brees hasn’t been the same since DeMarcus Ware terrorized him two weeks ago in the Superdome. But the MVP race is not based on a few games and Brees still has a league-high 109.6 QB rating, and leads the NFL with 34 touchdown passes.
3. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—This guy was racking up yards even before the Titans started winning games this season. And he’s so far ahead of the pack right now, with his sights on 2000 yards and even Eric Dickerson’s record of 2105 yards for a single season. That’s saying something.
4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—Yes, he has numbers — 4155 yards, 27 TDs to 9 picks, second to Brees in QB rating with 104.5. But here is why Rivers belongs on here—because all he does is win games.
5. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Favre brought his Vikings back from a 17-point deficit in chilly Chicago before losing in OT. His season has been and continues to be bordering on magical.
The 2010 Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Tuesday and some familiar names will be playing in the annual all-star game again.
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Favre all made the roster, as well as Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald and Ray Lewis.
But one team that was absolutely robbed when it came to the AFC roster was the AFC North champion Bengals, who were shut out altogether. Cornerback Leon Hall was royally screwed, and a case could be made for Jonathan Joseph and Cedric Benson as well. (Although Benson faced stiff competition at running back in the AFC, with Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice all deserving of spots.)
One cool note about the NFC roster is that Eagles’ playmaker DeSean Jackson will be the first player in NFL history selected to the Pro Bowl as both a position player and a kick returner.
You can check out the Pro Bowl rosters for both conferences at NFL.com.
The first four names on here, all quarterbacks, did nothing to hurt their MVP chances in Week 14. Each won their game, and helped their team win. Especially Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, who continue to roll along without a loss this season.
1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Against Atlanta, in what turned out to be another game too close for Saints’ fans comfort, Brees still completed 31 of 40 (77.5%) passes for 296 yards, 3 touchdowns and zero picks. His case for MVP keeps getting stronger.
2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Manning uncharacteristically threw three interceptions against Denver last weekend, but he still racked up 220 yards and 4 TDs, leading his Colts to victory again. Then he went ahead and threw for 308 yards, four more scores and 1 pick that wasn’t his fault Thursday night against Jacksonville.
3. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—This guy throws one of the best deep balls in the game, he’s extremely accurate and he just wins. Don’t think Rivers’ Chargers can’t upset the Colts again in the postseason too.
4. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Not a great game against the Bengals, but the Vikings still won, and at this point in the season, that counts for something.
5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—The NFL’s leading rusher just keeps racking up yards and touchdowns. Johnson has 1626 rushing yards, with a realistic shot at 2000 and an outside shot at Eric Dickerson’s record of 2105 yards in a single season. He also has 42 catches for 391 yards and 13 total TDs.
Honorable Mention— DeSean Jackson, Eagles; Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Cedric Benson, Bengals; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Jared Allen, Vikings; Vince Young, Titans; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Darren Sharper, Saints; Wes Welker, Patriots
