Month: November 2005 (Page 3 of 11)

As I watch the end of the Lions / Falcons tilt (currently 27-0, Falcons), I am reminded of an op-ed piece I read a while back arguing that the Thanksgiving games should rotate around the league. The article stated that every year, the Lions and the Cowboys get a half game advantage over the rest of the league by getting a home game on Thanksgiving. Moreover, while the Cowboys have improved recently under Bill Parcells, the Lions are generally in the bottom half of the league, which sometimes makes for games like the one today.

Whoever represents each conference in the previous season’s Super Bowl should play a home game on Thanksgiving. The visiting teams should be non-division opponents that made the playoffs the previous year. I say “non-division” because the half game Turkey Day advantage shouldn’t be applied to a division contest. The other option is to pick a good rivalry in each conference, with each team alternating as host. How about the Packers / Bears and Raiders / Broncos? Or the Redskins / Cowboys and the Patriots / Jets?

I prefer the first option, but either would work and both would be better than the current setup. Let’s just hope that the Broncos / Cowboys can make up for a ho hum first game.

This should be a great game, as the 8-2 Denver Broncos and the 7-3 Dallas Cowboys are widely considered to be among the top 5 teams in the NFL at the mmoment.

Both coaches have done an impressive job this year. In particular, Mike Shanahan has done a fantastic coaching job after many critics were starting to question his management of the team. As usual, the running game is dominant. This year the Broncos could have two running backs rush for over 1,000 yards. Even more impressive is the play of quarterback Jake Plummer:

In his third year in Shanahan’s offense, Jake Plummer has completed over 61 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards and 13 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He has a franchise-record streak of 219 passes without an interception.

Plummer has always been talented, but his tendency to force plays and make stupid mistakes always limited his effectiveness. Shanahan took a big chance sevral years ago by handing the team over to Plummer, but the coaching might finally be sinking in. Of course it helps to have a great running game, but Plummer might finally be ready to lead this team deep into the playoffs and possibly to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys will present a great test.

Michael Vick is playing better, but the Falcons have lost two straight:

Last week, Vick completed 21-of-38 passes for a season-high 306 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-27 loss to Tampa Bay. He has been much more efficient through the air in the last three games, going 63-of-99 for 743 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

That’s impressive, but I’m still skeptical as to whether Vick can live up to the hype. Let’s see if he can continue with this efficiency in the pocket through the rest of the season. With his amazing running ability, I think he’ll often revert back to his tendency to run with the football. This will make him more prone to injury. Let’s see if Vick can keep up the solid play this week in front of a national audience.

Meanwhile, the Lions are a mess. Mariucci made a desperation move several weeks back by switching to the aging (and gimpy) Jeff Garcia at quarterback. Harrington has certainly been a disappointment, but he deserved a full season with his new weapons. Regardless of who plays today, the Falcons defense will present a good test.