Football Thoughts

12/2/08
True Giants
Nobody has been more impressive than the Giants this season.

Not many people gave the Giants a chance of repeating before the season, mostly due to some off season departures.

Like a true Super Bowl champion though, they rose above it, and are now the class of the league. Nobody appears to be in the same league as New York. The quarterback position is steady unlike recent years, the run game is elite, and the defense is still applying pressure even without Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora in the lineup.

As time goes by, you may have to consider Tom Coughlin the best coach in the league over Bill Belichick, the man he outcoached in last season’s Super Bowl. Granted, Belichick is without his MVP quarterback and still doing fine, but what Coughlin has done with these players is truly amazing. Just in the beginning of last year, the team was a mess and Coughlin’s job was in jeopardy, but he now has them in position to start a minor dynasty simply due to his top notch coaching.

They have beaten Pittsburgh, Dallas, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Arizona, and now Washington in six straight weeks. Not only have they beaten them, but they have been in control pretty much all the time. Except for the exception of one Monday Night debacle in Cleveland, this team is playing mistake free.

Will anyone be able to take them down? In my honest opinion, nobody will. They have sold me the past few weeks that they’re elite. This team is far away the best team, even without their star receiver Plaxico Burress out for the year because he likes shooting himself. They have proven they can win without him, and they will continue to do so for the rest of the season.

Other than the Giants, who else impressed me this week? Here are the rankings.

1.) New York Giants (11-1) (-)- The New York football Giants once again proved that they’re far away the best team in the league with a win against rival Washington. It wouldn’t surprise me if they went 15-1.

2.) Tennessee Titans (11-1) (+1)- Back on the bandwagon already? The Titans unleashed their frustrations on the Lions on Thanksgiving, and hope to get back onto the momentum they had during their 10-0 start.

3.) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) (+1)- When the defense is playing like that, they won’t be beaten. I can’t wait to see their matchup against the Titans in Week 16, which should be a huge slugfest. For our sakes though, hopefully it means something.

4.) Dallas Cowboys (8-4) (+2)- Yes, with Tony Romo healthy this team is top four in the league. The offensive fire power is too much to handle, and on defense they have the potential to come up big. Now the big question, can they win in the playoffs? Will they even make it?

5.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) (+2)- The Bucs continue to fly under the radar, and they’ll be able to showcase their talent on Monday Night Football in Carolina, which should lead to the eventual winner of the NFC South.

6.) Carolina Panthers (9-3) (+3)- I’ve made it clear on this site that I feel that the Panthers are inconsistent, but when you’re winning why complain? The emergence of DeAngelo Williams has really taken this team to the next step, even if all of his touchdowns were from one yard out. That was a huge win in Green Bay.

7.) New York Jets (8-4) (-5)- Watching the game, the Jets just seemed extremely flat from the start, and it was obvious they weren’t ready to play. If they think they can play that way and get away with it in the playoffs they’re in for a rude awakening.

8.) Indianapolis Colts (8-4) (-3)- I predicted a Colts win, but not in that way. If not for a lucky fumble, they fall to 7-5 in the competitive AFC. I can’t take away the pride of a win and all, but it should have been much more convincing.

9.) Baltimore Ravens (8-4) (+3)- I went back and forth with the option of putting either the Ravens or Falcons in this spot, but after further review I must go with the experienced Ravens defense to take them farther. Quietly, they still are right behind the Steelers for the division lead.

10.) Atlanta Falcons (8-4) (+2)- Yet another road victory, and the Matt Ryan train continues to roll. Even in the toughest division in football, this team continues to battle and appears to have their eyes set on a playoff berth. Mathematically they’re out of it now, but that could change next week.

11.) New England Patriots (7-5) (-3)- Let’s be reasonable, not many teams are going to have success against the Steelers defense, especially with a first year starter at quarterback, but that’s what they’re going to need to do if they want to be a successful playoff team.

12.) Minnesota Vikings (7-5) (+3)- That 99 yard pass from Gus Frerotte to Bernard Berrian had to be one of the most exciting plays of the 2008 NFL season, and it could very well lead to a huge momentum boost for Viking nation. Jared Allen is proving he was worth the first and third round draft picks they gave up for him, even if it was against one of the worst tackles in the league. It has just come to my attention though that defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams will miss four games each due to being on the steroid list, and in that case they’re screwed. Without them, the defense goes to shambles.

13.) Arizona Cardinals (7-5) (-2)- This young team will need to learn fast how to play well on the road. They’ll have the comfort of having one home game in the playoffs, but they’ll need to turn it to the next level if they want to be ready come playoff time.

14.) Miami Dolphins (7-5) (+3)- They are ugly wins, but honestly do they care? This is a team that had only one win last season, and now they’re in playoff contention. That’s just downright remarkable.

15.) Washington Redskins (7-5) (-5)- This team is slumping fast, and they better find a way to get out of it quick. Weeks ago they appeared to be Super Bowl contenders, now they’re barely in the playoff discussion.

16.) Denver Broncos (7-5) (+5)- One week they lose at home to the Oakland Raiders, the next they’re beating the red hot Jets in New York? I don’t get this team, but that just makes them more dangerous come playoff time, because they’re most defiantly winning their weak division.

17.) Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1) (+3)- Maybe the benching of Donovan McNabb helped his ability somehow? Although strange, the Eagles playoff chances remain alive, and could have been much better if not for that putrid tie.

18.) Chicago Bears (6-6) (-4)- Looking back at it at the end of the season, that missed fourth down may be the eventual downfall of this Bears season. Kyle Orton just doesn’t look the same, and that is a big reason why they seemed very inept in the second half of the game against the Vikings.

19.) New Orleans Saints (6-6) (-3)- This has been the story of the Saints season. They get so close, but can’t pull it out. Being in such a tough division, the chances of the Saints making the playoffs are pretty slim now.

20.) Green Bay Packers (5-7) (-2)- I’m still amazed this talented of a team is 5-7. People will look at the record and be disappointed, but one player Packer fans should be proud of is Aaron Rodgers. He has battled through it all and looks to be one of the few bright spots for the team this year.

21.) Houston Texans (5-7) (+1)- Congratulations to the Houston Texans for winning their first Monday Night Football game in franchise history. With all of the young talent they have, we should be seeing them there again in the short future.

22.) Buffalo Bills (6-6) (-3)- The Buffalo Bills went from scoring 54 points in Arrow Head stadium last week, to scoring three against the West Coast San Francisco 49ers at home in the cold. Strange world we live in.

23.) San Francisco 49ers (4-8) (+3)- In one of the biggest shockers of the weekend, the 49ers actually walked into the cold of Buffalo and held them to only three points. They made be out of the playoff race, but that just gives a ton of hope for the bright future of this team.

24.) Cleveland Browns (4-8) (-)- In unusual fashion, the Cleveland defense was the one that showed up on Sunday. Unfortunately, the offense found ways to lose it for them in yet another highlight of a very disappointing Browns season.

25.) San Diego Chargers (4-8) (-2)- They needed this game at home to stay alive, and they come out dead. They’ll need a huge miracle now to stay in the division race, needing to win out and Denver to lose out.

26.) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) (-1)- Going into Houston for the Texans first ever Monday Night Football game really hurt their chances of winning, but it wouldn’t have mattered if the game was played in Jacksonville. This is the worst team in the division.

27.) Kansas City Chiefs (2-10) (+3)- The Chiefs finally found out how to win a game, but it only hurt their draft position. Even though they have only two wins, you have to admit the young talent has met expectations this year, and should be solid for years to come.

28.) Oakland Raiders (3-9) (-1)- Foolish of me to believe the Raiders were actually onto something. After a remarkable game against the Broncos, JaMarcus Russell came out flat against the Chiefs, going 10/28 and only 132 yards. This is very common for a Raiders player.

29.) Seattle Seahawks (2-10) (-1)- Stupid mistakes cost them from staying in their Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys. I’ll tell you what though, after watching this team all year, they better hope Michael Crabtree enters the draft. They need a big play wide receiver more than ever.

30.) Cincinnati Bengals (1-10-1) (-1)- The Bengals are terrible, and will probably be that way for years to come. That’s hard to imagine too considering they have so many big names on offense. In true Bungle fashion though, they just can’t play defense. A new coach is needed after this season.

31.) St. Louis Rams (2-10) (-)- They proved me wrong somewhat, staying with the Dolphins for the entire game, but lack of offense and bad coaching  as always prevented them from scaring any of the Dolphins players. It’s sad to see such a great player like safety OJ Atogwe rotting away on such an awful team.

32.) Detroit Lions (0-12) (-)- As soon as I sit down to watch their game, Shaun McDonalds fumbles. I just couldn’t help but laugh. I know a lot of people want their Thanksgiving Day game removed, but you can’t ruin tradition. I don’t care if they lose 47-10, 37-26, 27-10, 27-7, or 41-9, you just can’t break tradition.

Biggest Jump: Denver (+5)

Biggest fall: Washington (-5) New York Jets (-5)

Top Five Highlights and Headlines:

5.) The Titans get back on a roll with a big win on Thanksgiving Day over Detroit 47-10.

4.) The New York Giants prove to everyone they’re still the best team, defeating yet another tough team on the road. This time, it was the Redskins, and they were only able to put up seven points on the Giants defense in a 23-7 loss.

3.) The Panthers prove to the world they’re a legit team with a 35-31 win in Green Bay against a desperate Packers team.

2.) The other New York team didn’t have as great of a weekend. The high flying Jets laid a stinker at home to the Broncos 34-17.

1.) The Steelers sent a message to the rest of the AFC by dominating the Patriots in New England 33-10.

Top Five Questions:

5.) Whose stupid enough to shoot themselves in the leg?

4.) How was Jericho Cotchery not ruled down on the Broncos first touchdown?

3.) Three points against the 49ers at home with the playoffs on the line?

2.) Who would have thought the Colts only touchdown against the Browns would come from defensive end Robert Mathis?

1.) What happened to home field advantage?

Top Five Things we learned:

5.) Devin Thomas is actually playing this year.

4.) DeAngelo Williams is finally emerging as a fantasy star like I predicted. Too bad I predicted it a year too early and stayed away from him in fantasy drafts this year.

3.)  Matt Cassel is mortal.

2.) Jack Del Rio knows how to dress for a game.

1.) Donovan McNabb is actually capable of doing damage on offense- something we haven’t seen recently.

Week Thirteen “Cool Stats”:

3.) The Jets have yet to score on their first possession of the second half in 33 straight games.

2.) The Steelers have outscored their opponents 77-9 in the third quarter this season.

1.) Only two home teams won on Sunday. That ties for the worst day ever by home teams on a single day.

Top Three Players who impressed me:

3.) Donovan McNabb- Quarterback, Eagles- 27/39 260 yards 4 touchdowns

2.) DeAngelo Williams- Running Back, Panthers- 21 carries 72 yards 4 touchdowns

1.) Brian Westbrook- Running Back, Eagles- 22 carries 110 yards 2 rushing touchdowns 2 receiving touchdowns

Top Three Players who disappointed me:

3.) Laveranues Coles- Wide Receiver, Jets- 2 catches 2 yards

2.) Matt Cassel- Quarterback, Patriots- 19/39 169 yards 2 interceptions 2 fumbles

1.) Peyton Manning- Quarterback, Colts- 15/21 125 yards 2 interceptions 1 fumble

Fast Forward- Top Five games for Week Fourteen:

5.) Atlanta (8-4) @ New Orleans (6-6)- Were guaranteed a great offensive shootout in New Orleans Sunday when the Falcons come to town. The Falcons need to keep winning, while the Saints need to win out, so expect the best from both.

4.) Philadelphia (6-5-1) @ New York Giants (11-1)- Donovan McNabb appears to have his groove back, and they’ll need that to get past the best team in the league and stay in the playoff race.

3.) Washington (7-5) @ Baltimore (8-4)- These two physical teams got their game moved to Sunday Night, and for good reason. Both need a win desperately, so expect some hard hits from two powerful defenses.

2.) Dallas (8-4) @ Pittsburgh (9-3)- Not only do they have the biggest fan bases, but they also are two of the top teams in the league pushing for playoff position. This is more of a must win for Dallas, but it will come very tough against the amazing Steelers defense in Pittsburgh.

1.) Tampa Bay (9-3) @ Carolina (9-3)- The Monday Night Football crew will be all over this heated NFC South battle which includes two of the best teams in the NFL. The winner will be in full control of the division.