Imagine if the Cowboys played with as much confidence, emotion and focus as they did Sunday against the Falcons. Maybe they’d actually cash in on some of their potential and make the playoffs.
Fresh off its bye, Dallas smacked Atlanta 37-21 in Week 7, as Tony Romo completed 21 of 29 pass attempts for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Miles Austin had another huge day, hauling in six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, including scores of 59 and 22 yards.
Defensively, the Cowboys looked like they were playing with a chip on their shoulder. Matt Ryan hasn’t been touched all season, yet Dallas consistently crashed the pocket and racked up four sacks. They also intercepted Ryan twice and forced two fumbles, although one was recovered by Atlanta.
The Cowboys need to find a way to play with this kind of fire every week. They made a statement today against a good opponent, but it means nothing if they come out next Sunday and give a lackluster effort. When they play at a high level, they’re tough to beat. But they’ve had issues playing consistently week in and week out, so the jury is still out on whether or not they can do it after this win.
Forget who the Patriots’ opponents were – Tom Brady has looked great the past two weeks.
For the first five weeks of the 2009 season, Brady looked an awfully lot like a player that had major reconstructive surgery a year ago. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket, wasn’t accurate and was getting flustered by how he was playing.
But in New England’s 59-0 win over Tennessee and its 35-7 rout of Tampa Bay in London, England today, Brady looks like the old Tom Brady again. He has thrown nine touchdowns in his last two games but more importantly than the numbers, he finally looks comfortable again.
Earlier this season, Brady got into a bad habit of throwing off his back foot. But against the Bucs, he showed the ability to step into his throws and while he did throw two interceptions, he played with a ton of confidence and his receivers did an excellent job picking up yardage after the catch.
The Pats head into their bye in great shape at 5-2. They have an important stretch of games after their off week, including two against the Dolphins and one against the Colts, Jets and Saints. If Brady continues to play with confidence, the Pats will be dangerous in the second half.
The 49ers didn’t get a win in Houston on Sunday, but they may have found their new quarterback in a familiar face.
It appears that the stagnant play of Shaun Hill is finally over, as former first overall pick Alex Smith started the second half of the Niners’ 24-21 loss to the Texans in Week 7. Hill was just 6-of-11 passing for 45 yards in the first half and a very Shaun Hill-like 6.1 YPA. Smith came in and immediately sparked San Fran’s offense, marching them down the field and capping the drive off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis. Smith then found Davis twice in the fourth quarter, including on a 23-yard score that cut the Texans’ lead down to 24-21 with less four minutes remaining.
The 49ers want to be a team that dominates opponents on the ground, which is fine. But with Hill, they couldn’t move the ball vertically through the air and teams like the Falcons and Texans took advantage of that the past three weeks. At some point, Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye had to realize that their offensive approach wasn’t going to work as long as Hill was under center.
Smith might not have won the starting job in preseason, but he took it today. Will he be the key to getting the Niners to the playoffs? Maybe not, but at least he can complete passes further than 6.1 yards. It’s also nice to see that he developed a great connection with Davis, another one of San Fran’s former top 10 picks.
For the Texans, this was a nice win because they haven’t been very consistent this season. They’ve now won back-to-back games for the first time this year and their defense is starting to play better. Matt Schaub (20 for 30, 264 yards, 2 TDs) was excellent once again and tight end Owen Daniels (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) was damn near unstoppable today.
If Houston can continue to play well defensively, the Texans will make a playoff push in the second half.
Along with the complete list of odds, here are the four marquee matchups on the Week 7 schedule in the NFL.
Vikings (6-0) at Steelers (4-2), 1:00PM ET
Up to this point, nobody has been able to stop the combination of Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. Defenses are loading the box in efforts to stop Peterson, and Favre is beating them with his pinpoint accuracy. The Vikings’ offensive line has also been outstanding, which obviously has played into how much success the team is currently having. But if there’s one defense that could shackle Minnesota’s offense, it’s Pittsburgh. Troy Polamalu is healthy again and the Steelers have been awfully tough to beat at home throughout the years. The Vikings gave up several big plays in the fourth quarter to the Ravens and Ben Roethlisberger has proven that he can make things happen in the vertical passing game. At 6-0, the Vikings are in good shape win or lose. But if they want to keep pace with the Saints for the top spot in the NFC, then they need to keep winning. Odds: Steelers –4.
Bears (3-2) at Bengals (4-2), 4:15PM ET
Both of these teams are reeling after suffering defeats in Week 6. The Bears had several scoring opportunities last week against the Falcons and just never capitalized. Chicago is struggling to run the ball right now and is relying heavily on Jay Cutler and the passing game. The Bengals suffered more than just a loss last week, as defensive end Antwaan Odom suffered a season-ending injury. He was a difference maker on Cincinnati’s defense and without him, the Bengals might have trouble generating a pass rush. Both of these teams need a win right now to keep pace in their division. Odds: Bengals –1.5.
Saints (5-0) at Dolphins (2-3), 4:15PM ET
The Dolphins have won their last two games and are fresh coming off the bye, but they’ve had issues with quarterbacks who can get the ball out of their hands quickly. They struggled to stop Peyton Manning and the Colts and Philip Rivers and the Chargers in previous weeks. The Saints are firing on all cylinders right now and won’t look past a Miami team playing with confidence under Chad Henne. Drew Brees could have another big day and as long as the Saints limit the effectiveness of Miami’s Wildcat, they should keep their undefeated record intact. Odds: Saints –6.5.
Falcons (4-1) at Cowboys (3-2)
After the Patriots handed the Falcons their first loss in Week 3, Atlanta went into its bye hell-bent on fixing their defensive flaws. The past two weeks, the Falcons have held the 49ers to 10 points and the Bears to 14 points, respectively. They’ve also forced a combined six turnovers in those games and found a way to generate pressure. That’s not good news for Tony Romo, who has been turnover-prone at times this year and who hasn’t received the best protection from his O-line. This is a game Dallas needs to win in order to keep pace in the NFC East, especially with the Giants and Eagles both losing last week. Teams have done a great job bottling up Michael Turner, but have been unsuccessful stopping Matt Ryan. Will Wade Phillips and his defense be up to the challenge? Odds: Cowboys –4.
The identity of the Chicago Bears has almost changed overnight.
The offseason acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler has suddenly transformed Da Bears into a team that relies on the pass to set up the run; for decades, it used to be the other way around. In fact, Chicago fans had been waiting for a strong-armed quarterback to aid their ground game, not hide its weaknesses.
Through five games this season, the Bears have attempted 172 passes to only 119 rushing attempts. They’re throwing nearly 60% of the time, which, for the Bears, is unheard of.
On Tuesday, Cutler and the Bears agreed to a two-year extension that will keep the quarterback in Chicago through 2013. Does the move signal the end of the Bears’ philosophy of being a run-first team? Given Cutler’s gun-ho mentality as a passer and Chicago’s sudden desire to throw the ball more, one would think that Chicago’s smash-mouth days are over.
But a closer look tells a different story. The Bears are currently 27th in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 89.8 YPG. They haven’t run the ball much this year because quite frankly, they can’t run the ball. The changes the Bears made to their offensive line in the offseason haven’t amounted to much as Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and the rest of Chicago’s O-line has failed to gel. And while people are quick to assume running back Matt Forte is suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump, the fact of the matter is that the line hasn’t been opening up holes for him like they did last year.
So are the Bears becoming more of a pass-first team with Jay Cutler? Yes, but that’s only because their O-line is under performing. If the line starts opening more holes for Forte (who seems to be tiptoeing into holes more this season because of the amount of licks he’s been taking), the Bears will undoubtedly become the balanced squad that they envisioned when they traded for Cutler.
Until then, don’t expect the Bears to stop putting it in the air. And as long as they’re throwing, offensive coordinator Ron Turner better start calling more vertical passes in order to take advantage of Cutler’s strengths.
This man is out to prove a point. This man wants doubters to eat their words. This man wants to destroy everything and everyone in his path, including those he refers to as friends.
That man is none other than Bill Belichick.
No doubt pissed off at not only his team’s effort in a nationally televised beat down in San Diego on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago, but also everyone who has said anything even remotely negative about him or the Patriots, Belichick decided to personally destroy Mike Shanahan (a so-called friend) and the Broncos on Monday night.
At one point during the game, New England had a comfortable 34-7 fourth quarter lead, but apparently that wasn’t enough for Belichick. So he instructed Matt Cassel to run the no-huddle just to stick it to anyone that has deemed the Pats dead without Tom Brady. New England eventually capped the rout with a go-F-yourself-world-touchdown with less than five minutes remaining to go up 41-7.
Now, I have no problem with Belichick running the no-huddle. And if Shanahan or the Broncos players had an issue with it, than maybe they should learn to freaking tackle somebody instead of trying to play touch football with their opponents.
But it’s laughable that the ESPN announcers suggested that Belichick just wanted to get Cassel more experience running the no-huddle. That might have been true on the surface, but deep down the real reason Belichick did it is because he wants everyone to know that the Patriots are still here. They’re not going anywhere and they’re still one of the elite teams in the AFC – even without Brady.
Bill Belichick is on a mission again folks, and the Denver Broncos were just the first victim. Hide the women and children.
Here’s a shock (no pun intended): Jeremy Shockey is upset with the team he plays for. Following New Orleans’ 30-7 loss to the Panthers in Week 7, Shockey ripped the Saints for mishandling his groin injury and now he might not play next week against the Chargers in London.
“I feel a spot in my leg that wasn’t there before,” said Shockey, who indicated he was hopeful he only dug up scar tissue and did not suffer more damage.
Shockey was clearly slowed by the injury. Later, after a catch, Shockey had the ball stripped by Julius Peppers and Carolina recovered. It led to the Panthers’ go-ahead touchdown in a rout that left Shockey in a foul mood despite leading the team with five catches for 50 yards.
“I had a fumble that hurt the team. I missed a backside cutoff block,” Shockey said. “That’s on me, 14 points I felt like I gave up today, not because of effort, but just because physically I’m not healthy.”
Shockey said he may have come back too soon from the surgery, and also indicated the Saints erred by misdiagnosing him in training camp.
“I’m worried that this thing could have been taken care of in camp, like it should have been,” said Shockey, who the Saints acquired from the New York Giants in July for two draft picks. “If it wasn’t misdiagnosed in camp like it was there’d have been no problems. … Next time I know. When I get hurt I’ll get three or four opinions besides just the team’s.”
Ah the old, “I take full credit for my mistakes today, but really it was someone else’s fault.”
Shockey didn’t fumble because he was hurt. He fumbled because he wasn’t taking care of the ball and got stripped. Why the Saints were running a screen pass to the tight end in that situation is beyond me, but that’s beside the point. When Shockey was in New York, the Giants mistreated him. When he was traded to New Orleans, everything was great because he was going to get the opportunity to play in Sean Payton’s offense. But now that things haven’t started off so well, he’s got to bitch and blast the team. The Giants have to be laughing right now and breathing a sigh of relief that they don’t have to deal with him anymore.
The Cowboys brought them back to earth in Week 3, the Buccaneers physically abused them in Week 4 and the Falcons shocked them in Week 5. Yet after putting together back-to-back wins the last two weeks, the Packers look far from dead in the NFC.
In their latest win on Sunday, Green Bay absolutely crushed Peyton Manning and the Colts 34-14 at Lambeau. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to play well (and continues to out play Brett Favre for those compelled to keep debating that topic) as he completed 21 of 28 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. He finally got some help from Ryan Grant (105 yards, 1 TD), who had really struggled over the past couple weeks.
Speaking of struggling, after shredding Baltimore’s defense last Sunday, Manning was brutal. He eventually wound up with 229 yards, but he threw two interceptions, both of which Green Bay returned for touchdowns. He also did his best Jake Delhomme impersonation, bitching to the refs after most of his incompletions. Worse yet for the Colts, Rodgers and the Packers did whatever they wanted to the Indy defense.
Nobody is counting the Colts out in the AFC, but with Manning at less than 100%, the defense is going to have to step up and the entire team has to play more consistently.
Remember when Mike Shanahan’s call-a-timeout-the-millisecond-before-the-kicker-attempts-a-field-goal strategy swept the nation last year? Yeah, well it doesn’t work anymore and coaches might want to think about scraping the idea after Raiders’ head coach almost cost his team a win Sunday against the Jets.
After Brett Favre somehow marched the Jets into field goal range with under 30 seconds to play in Oakland, Jay Feely set up to attempt a game-tying 52-yard field goal. He wound up booting the ball off one of the uprights, which should have given the Raiders a 13-10 win, but that trickster Cable fooled everyone and called a timeout. Of course Feely kicked his next attempt straight through the uprights to force overtime.
Granted, Cable still earned his first victory as a NFL head coach when the Raiders eventually won 16-13 on a remarkable record-setting 57-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski in overtime, but it should have never come to that. It seems that freezing the kicker backfires more than it benefits and in worst-case scenarios, it could wind up costing teams wins.
Kickers even admit that it helps them settle down and relax. So why continue to do it if you’re an NFL head coach?
