Here are your random thoughts for Week 8 as well as some comments by local sports writers around the nation:
– So, lets see: the Browns and Ravens fire their offensive coordinators and get solid victories. Dennis Green fires his offensive coordinator and all of a sudden Matt Leinart has completed just 40% of his passes the past two weeks. Hmm…
Green said Monday that he thinks the BYE week will “rejuvenate” the Cardinals. Arizona should “rejuvenate” Green right out the freaking door.
– San Francisco 10, Chicago 0 in the second half. Moral victory anyone?
– Chad Johnson is just fun. He’s not disruptive (ahem, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens) or malicious in his comments (ahem, Moss and Owens)…he’s just an entertainer.
– Superb passing day by Michael Vick (20 of 28 for 291 yards, 3 TDs) on Sunday. But here is where his maturity as an NFL quarterback is starting to rise: With at Atlanta up 29-20 late in the fourth quarter, Vick drops back to pass on a third and four and doesn’t see anybody open. Instead of throwing the ball out of bounds, he dives forward to take a sack so the clock continued to run out on the Bengals comeback chances.
– I don’t care what anybody says – Bill Cowher messed up by playing Ben Roethlisberger. He’s not healthy and his play against the Raiders showed it.
– Speaking of the Raiders, how the hell does Andrew Walter compete five passes for 51 yards and is a winning quarterback at the end of the day? Answer: When Roethlisberger is chucking touchdowns to Oakland’s defense every time the Steelers moved an inch up the field.
– Forget the talk about Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. Just sit back and enjoy what they do for their respective teams. Manning was incredible against a damn good Broncos defense.
– Carolina is a fraud. The Panthers have the ultimate baby in Jake Delhomme and the ultimate over-hyped defense.
– Speaking of Delhomme – he and Tony Romo have my vote for the goofiest looking shoulder pads in the NFL.
– Does Jerry Jones own ESPN? I’m so sick of the coverage ESPN has given the Dallas Cowboys. It’s ridiculous. Seriously, go turn on ESPN right now. If live coverage of Bill Parcels chewing food or making his bed isn’t on right now, I’ll be shocked.
– With all do respect to Sweetness, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith and the rest of the great running backs that have played in the NFL – LaDainian Tomlinson might be the best running back I’ve ever seen.
– The two most interesting wins to me yesterday were Jacksonville over Philly and Baltimore over New Orleans. The Jags hold the best passing offense in the league in the Eagles to only 161 yards (a week after getting shredded by Houston by the way) and the Ravens have an offensive surge while going into the house of the holy and beating a good Saints team.
– Every time I hear a useless comment by a sideline reporter on Sunday (and there are many to choose from), the comment Bob Uecker makes to his broadcast partner in one of the Major League movies rings throughout my ears:
“Dynamite drop-in Monny. That broadcasting school is really starting to pay off.”
