Week 11 Review of the NFL

Monday Night Football Slugfest

Aside from the sideshow that saw Panthers WR Steve Smith duke it out with Patriots CB Aqib Talib and hearing Patriots QB Tom Brady drop an ‘F’ bomb to the referees as they picked up a flag that would have guaranteed New England at least one more play to win the game, this was a good Monday night game. Most this season have been dreadful, but not as bad as the Thursday night showcases on the NFL Network. Regardless this was a big victory for the Carolina Panthers as it puts them well into contention in the NFC and the Patriots loss doesn’t mean much other than to say that they aren’t invincible and they won’t always have the perception of being bailed out by the referees. If this means that Cam Newton will now live up to the potential that comes with being the number one overall pick then this will be the game that started his rise to that elite level. Time will tell and now the NFL will quickly focus to the Patriots hosting the Broncos next week and hopefully folks will forget about that flag being picked up.

When Will They Start Playing Flag Football?

I haven’t gone this far in calling the NFL a ‘flag football’ league, but after this past weekend I have no choice now. First and foremost I’m a San Francisco 49ers fan. If you didn’t know before, you know now. Even if I wasn’t a Niners fan that hit that Ahmad Brooks put on Saints QB Drew Brees was a clean hit in my book. Although my book would classify a lot of perceived ‘dirty’ hits nowadays as clean hits, but I’ve seen far worse hits on quarterbacks this year and sometimes they were called, but not all the time. Why was this one? I saw Colin Kaepernick get pushed to the ground after he clearly threw the ball away and took nearly two full steps before being pushed. Was there a flag? Nope. Where’s the consistency in the calls? That’s all I’m asking. 49ers LB Ahmad Brooks is appealing his fine which might or most likely not be reduced, but the damage is done. He’ll be thinking twice about touching the quarterback when he has to and we are getting closer to a flag being around the quarterbacks waist or two-hand touch. Which do you prefer?

The State Of The NFC East

If I’m Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, stop talking about Michael Vick. As long as Nick Foles is healthy this is your quarterback. At least former Eagles head coach Andy Reid did something right by drafting Foles a few years before he was fired. As of right now the Eagles are atop the horrible NFC East which still has the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants still on their heels. 8-8 would be the best record for the division winner at this point, but the way that Foles has been playing of late don’t be surprised if the Eagles push their win total to 10. I’ve always had second thoughts about this division for a long time. Almost the majority of ‘experts’ say that this is the toughest division in football. It is in the sense that no one wants to outright take it. You never know who will show up, especially when they play each other. You have to wonder how much longer Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder keep their current staffs with the disappointment they’ve had this year with high expectations. Will Tom Coughlin be back if the Giants don’t make the playoffs? If the Eagles win the division how far could they go in the playoffs? It could be a case of don’t let any team from this division qualify for the playoffs, but the only one I see making any noise going forward would be the Eagles based off of the arm of their current quarterback.

Week 10 Review of the NFL

They’re Here To Stay

The Panthers certainly made a statement on Sunday by not just beating the 49ers, but being in control of the game. Even though the stats don’t indicate that Carolina did a good job on offense, they did just enough to score more points than San Francisco. This was more about the defense though as the Panthers found the 49ers in a state of disarray with Colin Kaepernick appearing lost at times and the Niners offense only converting twice on 13 third down attempts. One can assume that the absence of Vernon Davis who left with a concussion during the game has a devastating effect on the 49ers. The Niners defense played great as well, but clearly the Panthers defense is ready to play. Easily the early favorite to win the NFC Defensive Player of the Year award is Panthers LB Luke Kuechly. He was all over the place and was instrumental is slowing down Frank Gore in the second half. This doesn’t mean a free fall for the 49ers, but they needed a wake up call again and the Panthers are contenders for a playoff spot going forward.

Fireworks In The Superdome

I would have thought that it happened before, but no team had ever converted 40 first downs in NFL history until the New Orleans Saints did so on Sunday night. Drew Brees was his usual self throwing for almost 400 yards and four touchdown passes and to make matters worse for their opponent the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans was able to run the ball for 242 yards. Now if the Saints can have that kind of balance on a consistent basis then their defense will be well rested for a Super Bowl run. This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the NFC and it shows that the Dallas Cowboys are in a sad state. Yes, even the best defense in the NFL couldn’t have slowed down that kind of an offense, but the Cowboys couldn’t even do anything on offense the entire game. The state of the NFC East division is getting worse every week. If the Saints can continue that kind of balance against the 49ers next week, then there is no telling who could slow them down.

One Huge Mess

I have avoided talking about or even mentioning the Dolphins sad state of affairs when it comes to Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin for a long time now. Most immediately said this was a case of bullying and jumped on the bandwagon of saying bullying is wrong and should never be tolerated. Then it became more of an issue of racism with Incognito using the ‘N’ word in voice and text messages to Martin. And to top it off most of the Dolphins players are backing Incognito over Martin and said that there wasn’t any kind of physical or verbal altercations between the two teammates. So far only Incognito has spoken publicly and Martin is getting treatment and will meet with NFL investigators in the near future.

What do I think of all of this? In short I don’t care. My thought process is this; what goes on in a locker room is none of my business or anyone else’s unless it involves someone threatening the livelihood of another. Then it should be taken care of immediately by the team and league not those in the media. We don’t know what happened and we shouldn’t try to solve it amongst ourselves. Second is that with a name like Incognito you would have to think something is wrong with him. Is that a common last name? My last name isn’t common either, but Incognito? Anyway he was kicked off of two college football teams and the St. Louis Rams dumped him early in his pro career. The Dolphins needed help on the offensive line and brought him in and it worked out on the field. Everything else seems to point to a weird individual who can’t control himself.

Again the only reason why I’m mentioning this is because we need to let things play out and take it at face value. I didn’t watch all of Incognito’s interview with Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. One thing that troubled me is that Incognito was almost trying to defend himself for using the ‘N’ word. For one that word will never be banned. You can’t ban people from saying something unless you’re in a communist country and I would like to think that most people understand the meaning of that word and don’t think that because you say it a certain way it’s okay now.

But the one thing I found interesting about what Incognito said is the text messages that Martin sent back to him when this all started. Martin essentially told Richie that he didn’t blame him and that this was getting blown out of proportion. So why is this becoming a big deal then? I would like to hear more from Martin, but we need to let the NFL look into this and wait for their report. They said it would all be made public so lets just wait and see.

Week 9 Review of the NFL

No One Wants To Play Them

They are in fact looking to make some noise this year. The Cam Newton led Carolina Panthers have two big tests coming up with the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots in back-to-back weeks. If they can come away with one win or win both games that will be a sign that Carolina should be taken seriously. I’m really intrigued by their defense more than anything. They have a pack mentality and are constantly swarming to the ball on all sides of the field. Cam Newton has done a great job this year with the struggles in his first two seasons in Carolina. But if you look at his stats he has been a great player. He has struggled with the losing atmosphere, but the Panthers are finally looking to break out of that funk this year. They’ll still have to prove it against the New Orleans Saints whom they haven’t played yet this year, but I’m sure the Panthers can win at least one of those games. They should be playing in the NFC East because none of those teams deserve to make the playoffs this year.

Simply Unbelievable

You never want to see what happened just as halftime started during the Sunday night game. Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak started to go to the ground with an unknown medical ailment and was rushed to a local hospital. Turns out it wasn’t anything seriously thought of at the time, but he will miss some time due to the health scare. The Texans had a comfortable lead going into halftime against the Indianapolis Colts, but that second seemed like a totally different game as the Texans fell flat and the Colts charged ahead. Credit the Colts for not giving up and letting Andrew Luck do his thing in leading a tremendous come from behind victory. This was a game that the Texans desperately need to win and with Case Keenum having a great game throwing and running the ball Houston looked to rebound in the second half. Now with this loss they’re still falling out of contention while the Colts are continuing to rise. I hate to say it, but having Kubiak leave the game seemed to have taken all the life out of that team. I wish him a speedy recovery, but even if the Texans still won that game they didn’t look any better after the first half on Sunday.

A Tale Of Two Teams

No one has ever scored that many points on the Pittsburgh Steelers. 55 to be exact. That is the most points allowed in the history of the Steelers. Funny enough one of their current rivals the New England Patriots managed to be the record holder. It wasn’t as though the Steelers didn’t show up. Ben Roethlisberger had a good game with 400 yards passing and four touchdown passes. But once again a huge flaw was exposed in that the Steelers don’t cause enough turnovers on defense to help take pressure off their offense to put up points. I’m surprised this record didn’t happen sooner, but will this wake up the current crop of players? Probably not, but the Steelers have a favorable home schedule with five of their next eight games played at Heinz Field and against teams that they can beat. Even if they do manage to scrap a couple victories down the stretch unless the Bengals start to realize they’re the Bengals I don’t see Pittsburgh getting back in the playoff picture. Giving up 55 points is degrading even for the most veteran of teams. This one will last most of the season.

Week 8 Review of the NFL

It’s time to see how all 32 NFL teams are doing at the half way point of the season. It’s part of a segment I do on twitter after the Sunday Night game is over called, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ in the NFL. Some teams are good, some are bad and there are those that shouldn’t be mentioned. Lets see where your team(s) ended up this year.

The Good

New England Patriots 6-2

Aside from two road losses to the Bengals and Jets the Patriots are sitting pretty atop the division. It seems that the receivers are starting to get in line with Tom Brady and having Rob Gronkowski backs helps too.

Cincinnati Bengals 6-2

They have looked really good so far. Winning close games and beating teams that they’re supposed to beat. Four of their last eight games are against division opponents. Two of those games are against the Baltimore Ravens who have given the Bengals fits the last couple seasons.

Indianapolis Colts 5-2

With big wins over the Seahawks, 49ers and Broncos already in their pocket the Colts look to be a sneaky contender for the Super Bowl this year. They will need to get more from their running game and losing Reggie Wayne will hurt.

Kansas City Chiefs 8-0

They’re still undefeated and are ahead of the Broncos. Two things that no one saw happening this season. They still have to play Denver twice, but even if they lose those two games they are still a playoff team with that defense.

Denver Broncos 7-1

It’s turning into a record breaking year for the Broncos offense. They won’t be able to score at will for every game of the season though with the Chiefs looming for two games and the chance that they could fall flat toward the playoff run.

San Diego Chargers 4-3

Surprisingly the Chargers are in the mix for a Wild Card spot. Philip Rivers has looked good and the offense has some balance with a good rushing attack. The defense is still a work in progress, but the Chargers are headed in the right direction.

Green Bay Packers 5-2

After their bye week the Packers are on a four game winning streak and are starting to peak at the right time. They have had a good amount of injuries on offense, but Aaron Rodgers continues to dominate with whomever can catch the ball.

Detroit Lions 5-3

They’ve been involved in some good games this year, but they’ll need to avoid a let down in the second half. Green Bay and Chicago are still around and the Lions don’t have the greatest defense in the league to keep them at bay.

Chicago Bears 4-3

With Jay Cutler out for a while with a groin injury the Bears might be out of the playoff race. If the Bears can win a few games until he returns then they should be in a good position to compete for either the division or a Wild Card spot.

New Orleans Saints 6-1

If Seattle wasn’t as dominant the Saints would be the best team in the NFC. They have continued their offensive success without any hitch and the defense is playing great aside from one drive against the New England Patriots.

Carolina Panthers 4-3

Sometimes they’ve looked good and other times they’ve looked mediocre. Regardless the Panthers are a solid team that relies on their defense and quarterback to win games for them. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but they are a sneaky good team.

Seattle Seahawks 7-1

Most have been talking about the Broncos and Chiefs, but Seattle is once again becoming a dominant team before our eyes. One scary thought for them though is the lack of offensive punch with Russell Wilson this season. His receivers are adequate at best and they’ll need Percy Harvin pretty soon.

San Francisco 49ers 6-2

They have bounced back nicely since their rough patch to start the season. Time will tell if they can overcome the Seahawks surge in a rematch later this year, but the 49ers are proving that they still are contenders going forward.

The Bad

Arizona Cardinals 4-4

The Cardinals defense has played well, but they are still getting inconsistent play from their quarterback spot. If Carson Palmer can improve with a pourous offensive line in front of him Arizona could be in contention for a Wild Card spot.

Dallas Cowboys 4-4

They are better than their record indicates, but the Cowboys have had the misfortune of playing in a shootout with the Broncos and giving up a late score to the Lions. Their defense has played better, but they must avoid those lapses at key moments of the game.

Philadelphia Eagles 3-5

The Eagles stunned the Redskins Week 1, but everyone else has studied that film and learned how to contain the Eagles weapons. It also doesn’t help that both Michael Vick and Nick Foles have missed time due to injury. It’s Matt Barkley’s time to shine.

Oakland Raiders 3-4

With the lack of receiving options for Terrelle Pryor it’s amazing that the Raiders have won three games. Pryor’s running ability has wowed opponents and the return of Darren McFadden as the feature back has put the Raiders above the cellar.

Tennessee Titans 3-4

If Jake Locker hadn’t missed a couple games maybe the Titans would have a winning record at this point, but they have had miscues on defense and no consistency in the running game to offset Locker’s absence. Maybe a fresh start in the second half will help.

Baltimore Ravens 3-4

It’s been hit or miss with the Ravens this season. If they run the ball consistently they will win or be close enough to win the game. If Joe Flacco throws the ball more than 50 times, the Ravens are losing or will lose big. He’s a good quarterback, but something is wrong when he throws it that much.

New York Jets 4-4

No one expected them to win this many games so early in the season. If Geno Smith continues to show improvement and win some more games he’ll be the favorite for offensive rookie of the year, but the Jets fans will get greedy and think the playoffs are possible.

Miami Dolphins 3-4

They got off to a great start, but have since lost four straight. And the way they have lost games has been tough. Ryan Tannehill is doing a great job with his new weapons, but the offensive line has let him down and there doesn’t appear to be a feature back to take pressure of the passing game.

The Ugly

Buffalo Bills 3-5

They have managed to surprise some opponents early in their games this season, but Buffalo manages to trail off and give the game right back to their opponent. Their record is deceiving, but they’ve looked good on defense this season.

Cleveland Browns 3-5

With the shuffling at the quarterback position the Browns haven’t been able to play consistent football this year. Trading away Trent Richardson has turned Cleveland into a pass happy offense, but that doesn’t stop them from nearly beating some good teams this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2-5

It could have been worse for the Steelers, but to their loyal fans this is as bad as it gets right now. There is no rushing attack and the receivers have been inconsistent. The defense has been good, but the lack of turnovers their causing is putting a lot of pressure on the offense to do more.

Houston Texans 2-5

Injuries are always a concern for a team like the Texans, but they didn’t expect their quarterback Matt Schaub to play the way he has this season. Case Keenum is going to be the guy going forward and that could mean a big second half surge or time to start planning for the future.

Jacksonville Jaguars 0-8

Almost everything about them has been awful this year. They do have some good players, but the atmosphere has been toxic for them and they are having terrible years. If the Jaguars do win more than one game it will be a surprise.

Washington Redskins 2-5

Robert Griffin is starting to look better and the running game is picking up speed. If only their defense would match that play. Most were keying in on the Redskins offense, but their defense has been their achilles heel this year.

New York Giants 2-6

Their starting to win some games now, but it might be too little too late to start a miracle comeback this year. The only thing keeping that alive is the fact that the Dallas Cowboys record is only 4-4. The Giants are amazingly still in contention.

Minnesota Vikings 1-6

They’ve had quarterback issues all year and they wish they had what the Cleveland Browns have at this point. Adrian Peterson would be lucky to get 1,000 yards rushing let alone 2,000 this season and the defense has had a rough year.

Atlanta Falcons 2-5

Injuries on offense have destroyed their fire power and that has put a strain on the defense with them being on the field more than they want to be. The only hope for them is that they keep their quarterback Matt Ryan upright for him to make plays.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0-7

The Jaguars are the worst team, but the Bucs are making a pretty good case why they should be. Josh Freeman is gone and they have a rookie quarterback at the helm, but that hasn’t fixed any issues they have with the locker room and the coaching staff.

St. Louis Rams 3-5

They haven’t looked good when they try to run the ball this year and now without Sam Bradford for the rest of the year the Rams passing game is going to get a whole lot worse just when they were starting to be a cohesive unit.

2013 World Series Champions

World Series MVP: DH David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox

.688 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI

It’s amazing to see it happen in any sport. A team that has one of the worst seasons in their franchise’s history one year and the very next year they end up winning the title. It happened to the Boston Red Sox in 2013 where their 2012 season was one they would like to forget.

They had basically the same team that had one of the worst September collapses in baseball history in 2011 going into the 2012 season. Boston had changed their general manager and manager at the time and the results were pretty disastrous. Bobby Valentine is a name that is now despised more than the New York Yankees in Boston. He butted heads with Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz almost immediately. The media never embraced him and the fans quickly turned on him. Soon after the Red Sox completed one of the biggest trades in baseball history with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August.

It was a lost season and not many expected the quick turn around even though the Red Sox hired John Farrell who is familiar with the atmosphere as the pitching coach under Terry Francona before he was hired by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. Most of the players knew his style and immediately respected him as the manager. The question was whether the players the Red Sox signed would make immediate impacts or was this to keep the seat warm for the next guy?

Reliever Koji Uehara was not supposed to be the closer. He was a reliable setup man from his previous stints in Baltimore and Texas, but wasn’t thought of as a closer until he was called upon to replace the injured high price closers in Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey. It turned out to be the best signing of the Red Sox 2012 offseason. He saved 7 games in 7 chances and was unhittable with his 16 strikeouts and .152 batting average against for the 2013 postseason.

Jonny Gomes has been bouncing around many baseball teams throughout his career, five to be exact counting Boston. He certainly became a known character when he blasted a 3-run HR to put the Red Sox ahead in Game 4 in St. Louis. Stephen Drew was having a dreadful postseason at the plate, but his solo HR in Game 6 really put behind any and all of his struggles before then. Shane Victorino hit a grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Tigers to put Boston ahead for good. His bases clearing double in Game 6 of the World Series started the celebration early even though that was his first hit of the World Series it came at a crucial moment.

That was really the theme of this World Series for the Red Sox. Big hits at crucial moments. Their pitching staff led by Jon Lester who matched and was even better than the Cardinals ace of Adam Wainwright in both of their head-to-head starts was great as well. The eventual MVP David Ortiz had 2 HR and 5 RBI through the first two games of the series, but he was always getting on base with key hits to setup some of the moments I mentioned earlier.

With the Boston Marathon bombings happening during Patriots Day, which is a long adored tradition in Boston, this team already had a lot on its plate, but put much of that aside and rallied around the city during and long after the terrorist attack.

It’s not far fetched to think that something truly special was happening during this season. A team that played hard every day. A fan base that saw their teams determination and fed off it. Not many teams were able to defeat the Red Sox this year and it was a sight to see them win their 3rd World Series title in 10 seasons.

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox. The 2013 World Series Champions.