If someone would have said before Sunday that the quarterback who threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions in the Vikings-Cardinals game would not be Kurt Warner, I would have said let me take a sip of whatever you’re drinking because it has to be some good stuff.
While subbing for the injured Gus Frerotte on Sunday in Arizona, Tarvaris Jackson threw for 163 yards and four touchdowns in Minnesota’s impressive 35-14 win over the Cardinals. Granted, Adrian Peterson was the real star for the Vikings while rushing for 165 yards on 28 carries, but Jackson didn’t make one mistake and finally made some plays in the passing game (with a little help from Bobby Wade and Bernard Berrian, of course).
I realize that the Cardinals already clinched their division last week, but they’ve still got a lot to prove. Outside of the Cowboys, they haven’t beaten any team of substance this year and their defense remains a massive question mark. It’s one thing to get gashed by Adrian Peterson but it’s quite another to allow Tarvaris Jackson to throw for four touchdowns on just 17 attempts. That’s horrible.
Yes, the 2008 Arizona Cardinals have been a nice story and it’s okay to feel all warm and fuzzy inside about Kurt Warner turning in an MVP-like season when most figured he would be in a reclining chair watching games on Sunday from his home. But after Sunday, how could anyone think that this is a Super Bowl contender? There’s no way they’re winning on the road in New York or Carolina come playoff time and after their pathetic defensive effort on Sunday, I’m not even sure if they’re better than the Buccaneers or Falcons (two Wild Card contenders) at this point either.
Good for Tarvaris Jackson and a surging Vikings team – seriously, impressive performance. But this loss was rather shocking for Arizona.
There’s an epidemic that continues to grow every year among NFL head coaches called, “cuteplaycallingitis”. I thought maybe the strain had subsided, but after watching the Bears’ 27-24 overtime win last night over the Saints, I realize the disease continues to grow.
In short, “cuteplaycallingitis” is when an NFL head coach decides to get cute with his play calling and/or approach within a game. There were several examples of this Thursday night.
The first example came in the fourth quarter with nine minutes remaining in the game and the Bears up 21-17. On a fourth and four from the Saints’ 47-yard line, Lovie Smith decided to fake a punt instead of pinning New Orleans deep in their own territory and forcing them to drive the length of the field. Adrian Peterson dropped the fake punt pass (which was more controversial than it should have been) and the Saints got the ball back at the 47-yard line and began to drive.
Of course, that’s when Sean Payton caught “cuteplaycallingitis” and decided to run a freaking sweep with Pierre Thomas on a fourth and one from the Bears’ 38-yard line. Why would you ever run a sweep wide against the Bears’ defense on fourth and one? Or any defense for that matter? How many examples do coaches need that a play like that doesn’t work before they stop running it? Payton has one of the most complex passing games in all of football, yet he decided to run wide with Thomas (who the Bears completely stuffed for a five-yard loss)? Okay, maybe he doesn’t put it in the air in that situation. There are still several better play calls than a sweep on fourth and one. It might have been the worst play call of the year.
But of course, that play didn’t wind up dooming the Saints because Lovie and his coaching staff caught the strain again on the Bears’ next possession. Instead of trying to run out the rest of the 5:29 remaining on the clock, Chicago decided to get cute and put the ball in the air on first and second down. The first play netted in an incomplete pass, which of course stopped the clock…the last thing the Bears needed up four points in the fourth quarter…while second down resulted in a Kyle Orton interception. The Saints eventually went down the field, scored the go ahead touchdown and then spent the rest of the game choking away a much-needed win.
Hey, I get it. If Peterson hangs onto the ball on the fake put, Lovie looks like a genius. If Thomas picks up the first down on the sweep, Payton looks like…well no, Payton would still have been a moron. But if Orton doesn’t throw the pick, the Bears might be applauded for staying aggressive late in the game. It’s easy to play Friday morning quarterback but even at the time, it appeared that both coaches got way too cute when they didn’t need to.
There’s a reason why players play and coaches coach. While I marvel Adrian Peterson’s competitiveness and enthusiasm, the stunt he pulled in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 28-27 win over the Packers on Sunday was ridiculous.
With Green Bay up 24-21 and Minnesota facing a 4th and 1 from their own 41-yard line, Peterson started screaming at head coach Brad Childress to go for it. The spineless Childress obliged, Peterson wound up fumbling on the play and the Packers eventually turned the gift into a field goal to go up 27-21.
Granted, Peterson saved the game and perhaps Minnesota’s season when he busted off a 29-yard touchdown run with just over 2 minutes remaining to put the Vikes up 28-27, but he needs to leave the decisions up to Childress and Minnesota’s coaching staff. And Childress needs to grow a pair and tell Peterson that he makes the calls. Going for it in that situation with that much time on the clock was a bad decision. But Childress should be allowed to screw up without Peterson in his face.
On a lighter note, this was a massive win for the Vikes, who are now tied with the Bears atop the NFC North at 5-4. While they still look shaky at times, Minnesota is right back in it despite a slow start to the season.
Conversely, this loss really stings the Packers. Mason Crosby missed a 52-yard field goal that could have won the game in the end. They’re still 2-1 in the division, but next week is huge as they host the Bears.
Side Note: Will Blackmon’s 65-yard punt return for a touchdown was absolutely sick. Watch the highlights if you haven’t seen it already.
The 2008 NFL Season is only a quarter of the way finished, but it already looks like it could be one of the craziest years in some time. And as if anyone needed a reason to tune in this year, I’ve gone ahead and listed 32 of them below.
In no particular order:
1. Parity still rules. Who would have thought that the Bills and Titans would have better records at this point than the Colts, Patriots and Jaguars?
2. The Giants. The G-Men are the best team in the league and nobody is talking about them.
3. Aaron Rodgers is holding his own. The Packers have dropped three straight after starting the year 2-0, but that’s hardly Rodgers’ fault. The young man has gone through a lot this year and he continues to impress, including playing with an injured shoulder and throwing nine touchdown passes in five games.
4. The Colts 17-point fourth quarter comeback against the Texans in Week 5.
5. Preseason predictions still mean nothing. There’s no greater feeling than checking out who the pundits predict will be the best teams in the NFL in preseason…then realizing how wrong they were after the first couple weeks of the season.
6. Jason Campbell’s development. People in the know say that it usually takes a quarterback 2-3 years to fully learn the West Coast Offense but so far this year, Campbell has thrown for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. And oh-by-the-way, he also has the Redskins at 4-1. First-year head coach Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job in Washington so far.
7. The Titans. There’s not a defense in the league that has been more clutch late in games than Tennessee has.
8. Ronnie Brown. No offense to Ricky Williams, but it’s nice to see that the guy who didn’t quit on the game because he wanted more time to smoke weed is having more success than the guy who did.
9. The balance of power is starting to shift between the two conferences. The AFC has long dominated the NFC in terms of teams and quality of play, but so far this year those roles have been reversed. Four of the top five or six teams in the league belong to the NFC.
10. Brett Favre. Through five weeks, no signal caller in the league has a better QB rating than Favre. And his six-touchdown performance against the Cardinals in Week 4 was vintage Brett.
11. Baltimore’s defense. They might be aging unit, but Ray Lewis and Co. can still lay the wood can’t they?
12. Rookie quarterbacks playing well. Matt Ryan just went into Lambeau and knocked off the Packers, while Joe Flacco almost pulled off upsets against top defenses in Pittsburgh and against Tennessee. These first round signal callers have been impressive to say the least.
13. Adrian Peterson. Forget the sophomore slump – the 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year is proving that he’s no fluke.
14. The Bears finally have a quarterback. Kyle Orton is nowhere close to being the best quarterback in the league, but watch him play – he has a little gunslinger mentality in him. And hey, he’s no Rex Grossman, which is a great thing (just ask Bear fans).
15. Kurt Warner. Some groaned when the veteran unseated youngster Matt Leinart in preseason, but so far head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s decision to go with Warner has paid off.
16. The Dolphins. They might be all hype right now, but who cares? The Fins’ fan base saw only one win last year – let them enjoy the ride.
17. Ben Roethlisberger’s toughness. This is arguably the worst offensive line the Steelers have produced in years, yet Big Ben continues to show how underrated he really is. His performance against Jacksonville in Week 5 was simply amazing.
18. The Bills. It’s easy to pull for a young team and most of their wins this year have been nail bitters. Hopefully QB Trent Edwards is okay from the hit he took against Arizona last Sunday and he’ll get back on the field soon.
19. The young Titans’ secondary. Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin share the league lead for interceptions. And they play in the same defensive backfield.
20. Marty Booker’s catch against the Lions.
21. Jay Cutler. The kid is cocky but it’s hard not to like his swagger.
22. Michael Turner’s running style.
23. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. The Packers’ wideouts are just two example of why teams don’t need to spend first round picks on receivers.
24. Fresh starts in Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis. Yes these three franchises are a mess. But maybe there is a silver lining now that Lane Kiffin, Matt Millen and Scott Linehan all received their walking papers. Maybe…
25. Eli Manning. The former first overall pick is proving that last year’s postseason performance wasn’t a fluke and he really has taken the next step as a NFL quarterback.
26. The Panthers. Jake Delhomme is healthy and playing well again, rookie Jonathan Stewart has been a great complement to DeAngelo Williams and the run defense has been fantastic so far. Carolina is a legitimate contender in the NFC.
27. Monte Kiffin’s defense. The Bucs don’t even rank in the top 10 in any major defensive category except for points allowed, but ask Matt Ryan, Kyle Orton and Aaron Rodgers if they would want to face Kiffin’s unit on a weekly basis.
28. The Patriots are still finding ways to win. It hasn’t been pretty, but Bill Belichick and New England are still finding ways to win despite not having Tom Brady under center. Even after being blown out by Miami at home in Week 3, the Pats are still a team to watch out for in the AFC.
29. Reggie Bush. He might not be able to run consistently between the tackles but he sure as hell can run outside of them.
30. Terrell Owens…when he shuts up and just plays. And Tony Romo…when he can hang on to the football.
31. The Bengals. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the field.
32. Al Davis. For providing the casual football fan with plenty of entertainment off the filed.
– Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson said earlier this week that he would kiss the Dallas star if/when he scores a touchdown against the Cowboys on Sunday. But Dallas held him to only 43 yards on three catches in their 31-22 win over the Bengals, so the only kiss he got to plant was on head coach Marvin Lewis’s face. You know that kid at a birthday party who does a couple of funny things, gets people’s attention, but then eventually becomes annoying? That’s where I’m at right now with Ocho Cinco.
– After getting destroyed by the Jets last Sunday, the Cardinals had one hell of a bounce back this week, beating the previously undefeated Bills 41-17. But ‘Zona has got to do something about its secondary. They gave up 56 points and allowed Brett Favre to throw six touchdown passes last week, and then proceeded to allow J.P. Losman to complete 15 of 21 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown today. That’s brutal. Losman hasn’t played in over a year and even when he did he was downright atrocious in most of his games. When J.P. Losman shreds you through the air, something’s up.
– Seven carries, two yards. That’s what Carolina held Chiefs’ RB Larry Johnson to in its 34-0 win Sunday. This coming just one week after LJ rushed for nearly 200 yards against Denver. Rightfully so, everyone talks about the Vikings’ run defense being so good, but take a look at what the Panthers have done against some of the best running backs the past couple of weeks: LaDainian Tomlinson – 97 yards. Adrian Peterson – 77 yards. Michael Turner – 56 yards. Larry Johnson – 2 yards. Wow.
– Out of their three victories this season, the Broncos can be most proud of their 16-13 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. They beat a quality opponent (unlike their Week 1 win over the Raiders), they didn’t need a controversial call to go in their favor (unlike their Week 2 win over the Chargers) and for the first time all year, they didn’t surrender 30-plus points defensively.
– So…who’s the real J.T. O’Sullivan? The one that threw for over 300 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a win over Seattle or the one that played Sunday and threw three picks against New England? (Although in O’Sullivan’s defense, he did throw three touchdowns in the Niners’ 30-21 loss to the Pats, too.)
– Did Laurence Maroney kick Bill Belichick’s cat one time at a team barbecue or something one time? For the life of me I can’t figure out why Sammy Morris continues to get more carries than Maroney.
– Gutsy, gutsy performance by Big Ben on Sunday night. The Jags couldn’t get any pressure on him early on, but when they started to get to him in second half, he hung in tough and delivered a huge win the Steelers. Just when you think Pittsburgh is going to crash with so many injuries in the backfield and along the offensive line, they step up and play a complete game like they did in Week 5. The final score wasn’t a good indicator of how much the Steelers actually dominated the Jaguars.
If someone would have said before Sunday that the quarterback who threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions in the Vikings-Cardinals game would not be Kurt Warner, I would have said let me take a sip of whatever you’re drinking because it has to be some good stuff.
